#conversely. me and y'all telling me to post a chapter and my sister helping me edit

[miss-smutty]

Forbidden

Chapter 1

A/N- I've teased y'all for so long I hope this series is going to live up to expectations, I'm confident it will though because I'm addicted and it's been super easy for me to write - I'm up to chapter 3 so far so updates can be on time! There's a slight age gap between my professor Hemsy and OC Jess but she's twenty and completely legal. You know this is gunna be a giant tease fest for the first couple of chapters cos that sexual tension is fucking gold 🥵

Summary- Jess meets the man of her dreams and then stupidly leaves without getting his number. Will fate bring them together again?

Word count- 1.5 K

Pairing- Professor!Chris Hemsworth x OC

Warnings- Swearing, age gap

18+ only!

Disclaimer: This is an entire work of fiction/AU and has no affiliation to real life what so ever! This is a fictional story about fictional characters who happen to share names and faces with some real people.

Posted: 5th August 2021

Taglist:- @innerpaperexpertcloud @pandaxnienke @chickensarentcheap @jjpogueprincess @longlostinanotherworld @mostly-marvel-musings @darklydeliciousdesires @monet-belle

@skyfullofsong123 @swaggysposts

Chapter 2

I pulled out a chair at the last available table in the unusually busy coffee shop, I thought I might've caught a break choosing the one outside of campus but alas I was wrong.

I was about to sit down when the chair opposite me slid out from under the table, my eyes lifted to meet with the most sparkly blue eyes i'd ever seen. The sight of him took my breath away. Literally.

I stood staring, frozen on the spot, my mouth slightly ajar as I looked him up and down. He was tall, so tall, definitely over 6ft and built like a dream. Thick thighs straining against his fitted trousers, wide muscular shoulders and I just knew there was a six-pack hiding behind that tight t-shirt. 

"Sorry. You were here first, I'll just grab a take-out." He smirked a side smile, amused at how I was so obviously checking him out but his sexy Australian accent distracted you from anything else.

"It's fine, I'm on my own. I don't mind if you want to sit there too." I mentally face palmed myself, drawing attention to the fact I was alone wasn't the best idea but then again he was alone too. "I don't bite." I added trying my best to flirt.

It seemed to work, he smiled at me as he sat down and I took the time to admire his handsome face. He was quite clearly a lot older than me, the laughter lines around his eyes a tell tale sign but he was still quite possibly the best looking man I'd ever laid eyes on. His hair was fair and the short beard framed his face perfectly but the one thing that stood out the most were those piercing ocean-blue eyes.

"So do you come here often?" I cocked my eyebrow at him over my coffee cup making him laugh at my reaction. "Sorry, it's been a while." He said nervously, running his hand through his hair.

"It's been a while since you spoke to a stranger or…?" I questioned casually.

"It's been a while since I spoke to an attractive woman." He finished, his eyes sparkling as he watched me almost choke on my drink.

"Oh, I err…. I don't think you're doing too badly." I absentmindedly circled my finger around the rim of my cup, crossing my leg over my other and accidently rubbing my foot up his leg. My cheeks felt hot and flushed as I looked up into his eyes and saw him smiling slyly.

"Evidently. We're already playing footsie under the table." He smiled widely, a genuine smile that stretched the corners of his mouth. I smiled back at him shyly, thinking of something to say to change the subject before I ended up looking like a tomato.

"What part of Australia are you from?"

"I'm originally from Melbourne but I lived in Byron Bay before I came to America." 

"Awesome. I've always wanted to go to Australia, the Spiders put me off though." 

"Yeah I think they put most people off but in heavily populated areas they stay pretty much hidden, I think it's the size that scare people." How have I made this conversation go from flirting to talking about spiders? And how do I get back to flirting?

"Are we still talking about spiders?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly and laughed at the innuendo, flicking my hair over my shoulder. I noticed something in his eyes when I did so, a hunger, just a little flash and then it was gone again. I'm sure I didn't imagine it though because his eyes lingered on my exposed shoulders.

I checked my watch subtly, not wanting him to think he was boring me but I had to get to class and couldn't be late again, not when this semester had only just started.

"I'm really sorry, I'm gonna have to run, I'm going to be late. It was really nice meeting you." I gathered up my bags, ready to leave.

"Already? You've only just got here." He looked disappointed, his smile fading. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something else and then closed again when he saw I was ready to leave. "It was really nice to meet you too, hopefully I'll see you again." His eyes sparkled as he looked into mine, standing from his chair to get the door for me. I felt fireworks when his hand brushed against the small of my back and his face lingered close to mine. The tension was unreal, like we were the only people in the room as his eyes hungrily stared into my soul, undressing me with his eyes. My heart stopped beating when his face moved closer to mine so I could feel his breath on my lips, the smell of coffee and his aftershave filling my nostrils. I paused, my feet routed to the spot, I wanted him to kiss me so badly but I moved away at the last minute. Surely he wasn't actually going to kiss me, we'd only just met, that would be ridiculous. Wouldn't it?

********

I spent most of class daydreaming about my tall handsome stranger and the way he looked at me but most of all how I didn't even get his name. Or his number.

Now I was feeling sorry for myself because it would just be my luck to meet the man of my dreams and then never see him again. So I'd moped about all day and avoided the invitations for drinks after class. Instead I'd

gotten home early, changed into some sweats and settled myself in front of the TV for the night.

"What's up with your face?" My roommate, Ellie said as she walked into our room, throwing her bags onto her bed.

"What're you talking about?" 

"Your face. Looks like you're chewing on a wasp."

"Feeling sorry for myself." I pout pathetically.

"Why, what've you done now?" She rolled her eyes, kicking off her shoes and throwing her legs up onto the bed. I felt so lucky to have a roommate like Ellie, during our freshman year she'd become my best friend practically straight away and now after two years together we were practically sisters.

I sat up in bed cross legged and faced Ellie, getting myself ready to spill my misfortunes of the day with her.

"Well, I went to Impresso's this morning to get my morning coffee before class." She nodded, showing her enthusiasm by also sitting cross legged on her own bed, facing me. "And it was packed full of students, there was only one table left. So I went to grab it as soon as I could." She raised her eyebrow at me, wondering where I was going with the story. "And I kid you not, the most attractive man I have ever seen, pulls out the chair opposite me." 

"Oh my god! No way. Did you talk? Oh my god, this is like the perfect chick flick. Carry on." I smiled at her excitement.

"I told him I didn't mind if he sat there, I mean of course I didn't mind, you should've seen him El. Oh, oh, oh I almost forgot" I flapped my hands, bouncing on the spot. "He was fucking Australian."

"Fuck off, you're lying. Drop dead gorgeous with the sexiest accent ever. How is this even real? Now remind me why you're sat there with a face like a slapped arse?" 

"I panicked when I had to leave, didn't want to be late for class and I didn't get his number, didn't even give him chance to ask for mine." 

"Wow! Ok, now I understand. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, I was panicking and you know what I'm like when I panic." You sulk.

"It's ok, maybe you'll bump into him again."

"Yeah, right. I should be so lucky."

"Cheer up." she says throwing a cushion at me. "There's a party at Alpha Kappa this weekend, I'm sure we can find you someone to help get over your mystery man. Or under should I say?" She raised her eyebrow at me, smiling slyly and making me laugh. She always did know how to cheer me up and maybe a party is what I needed.

There must be some good looking boys around campus that could make me forget about my Australian hunk. Surely? I thought about the guys I'd seen around campus, the guys I'd seen at frat parties and that's definitely not what I wanted. How could a twenty year old boy match to the masculine, experienced man I met this morning. My mind was set, I'd dipped my feet ever slightly into the mature pool and that's what I wanted more than anything. There was always something missing with previous boyfriends and I was tired of all the game playing. I wanted someone who knew what they wanted and wasn't afraid to get it.

The only thing was, he didn't know I was only twenty and I had no way of finding him again. If fate did bring us back together, would he mind that I was still a student? That I couldn't even drink when we went on dates? 

Who am I kidding? Of course he would mind, he could get any woman he wanted, why would he want me?

#smut #chris hemsworth #chris hemsworth fanfic #chris hemsworth smut #chris hemsworth x reader #chris hemsworth x you #chris Hemsworth series #chris Hemsworth X oc #mcu rpf

[gwynrielsupremacy]

Time to rest your weary head: The End!

FIRST AND FOREMOST; I KNOW it took me a DAMN LONG TIME to update this, but lemme explain: This was my first fanfiction ever written in english, my first Gwynriel long-fic and the first fanfic I ever published and I didn't want to finish it (although I knew it must come to an end)

I am so grateful for all the love, likes, kudos on AO3, comments and reblogs I've been getting since I first started posting it. You have NO IDEA how much it meant to me; I've always found myself a little insecure to post my own fiction work, but this one have payed off and it's all thanks to you guys!!!!

To @katiebellf the one who lovingly suggested WRITE A FANFICTION OUT OF THIS bday headcanon and i sure as hell did!!! To @madie2200 and @starbornsinger for being so supportive and always making sure I'd get feedback, and to @thecrispypotatochip for your constant reblogs with your opinions + to every kind soul out here in this crazy virtual space that made sure to make me feel loved! (i see you all, and i love you)

ANYWAY, that's it guys! <3 This chapter of my life is finally over (ik i'm being HELLA DRAMATIC but put up with me!!!!! i love gwynriel!!!!) and I can't wait for you to see what's to come :) (btw i know i'm technically LATE since here in my brazilian timezone it's 1AM but think on the bright side... I hope y'all have a great dinner/breakfast/lunch surprise :)

Chapter List here and my personal Gwynriel hymn that inspired the title of this fic RIGHT HERE

PART 15: FINAL.

Azriel knew what he had to do.

As he beheld the circle of people in front of him all gathered around the dining table, his family, he felt a sense of calmness and quietude he hadn’t for a long, long time. His eyes quickly landed on Gwyn, who was motioning for him to sit by her side.

It was dinner night at the River House, and he had it all planned out. His shadows bounced around his shoulders as he took the seat next to his mate. As she engaged in a conversation with Emerie and Feyre, Nesta and Cassian leaned on each other, Rhys played with Nyx while Mor and Amren discussed about something he couldn’t bring himself to care about, he felt at ease. Peaceful.

Gwyn held his hand under the table, and he let his shadows hung around her freely. It was almost as they belonged to her, and not him. They had started doing it a lot more often, so the Inner Circle was supposed to be more used to it by now. Still, Azriel ignored Amren’s inquisitive eyebrow and turned his gaze to his mate; those teal eyes were eyeing him, and she squeezed his hand, giving him an almost imperceptible nod; a go-ahead sign.

Just like they had previously talked.

“There’s something you should know” Azriel started, immediately earning the attention of almost everyone at the table, since it wasn’t every day he opened up like that. Only Gwyn kept staring at her lap, a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Is everything ok?” Nesta was the one who asked.

“We’re mates.” She blurted out, startling him – and everyone around, for that matter. He looked at her, amused, and then at the confusion that reigned across the table. In a second, a squealing Nesta and Emerie lunched forward and embraced his mate in a tight and equally loud hug, while Cassian spitted his drink, Mor clapped and Amren muttered a “tell me something new”, quietly smiling and raising her glass at Azriel anyway.

Only Rhys and Feyre stood in silence at their spots at the table, knowing smiles mirrored on their faces quickly noticed by Nesta, still with her arms around Gwyn.

“Why are you two so quiet?” Her eyes missed nothing, raising her chin at her sister and her mate. Rhys merely took a sip from his drink.

“They already knew.” Azriel found himself saying, and Nesta’s stare darted to him, and then to Gwyn, who was still flushed from all the fuss.

“And you knew they knew?” She furrowed her brows; he couldn’t identify if her tone was menacing or curious, but Gwyn wasn’t the one to feel intimidated by it, given the way she chuckled in response.

“It was all me.” Rhys raised his hands. “It was an accident; I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I need to train more on my mental shields, apparently.” It was all the priestess admitted, but kindly smiled at Rhysand and Feyre from across the table. “The High Lo- Rhysand, I mean- kept it safe for me. He found out earlier than Azriel did.”

“You were the one to realize first?” Nesta sat again at her spot besides Cassian, and turned to her friend surprised. Gwyn smiled smugly.

“By a short amount of time” Azriel couldn’t help but grunt out, unconsciously falling into their usual banter.

Her warm eyes landed on him, and she winked, still with that Cauldron-damned smile on, causing shivers all over him.

“Still” She shrugged irreverently and smirked playfully. “I knew it before you. Quite the Spymaster, huh?”

If everyone else at the table stilled slightly at her words, all but Cassian, who bellowed in laughter, Azriel couldn’t notice. Not when his mate’s stare was unfaltering, with that challenging look in her eyes she knew he loved. He immediately found himself joining his brother, again not caring if it was the first in a damn long time his family even heard him laugh like that.

Some time passed between casual conversation and sips of wine. In that time, Azriel was secretly arranging his next words in his mind. Just like Gwyn and he had previously discussed, the news went well; as deep down, he knew it would. His family had understood and cherished them both, and Azriel reveled in the peace it brought him, quietly admiring those people around him.

When his eyes landed at Gwyn, though, deeply immersed in conversation with Rhysand, he took in a deep breath, determined. There was still one more thing he had to do, one more thing she wasn’t yet aware. Something he knew, in his heart, was the right thing to do. Was the best thing he could do.

“Rhys” He called, and Gwyn immediately turned her head to him, eyes shining with pure curiosity. “There’s one more thing.”

He leaned in closer to his brother, resting his arm behind Gwyn’s chair. Rhysand’s expression was equally intrigued, but his voice was calm and collected when he answered: “Shoot, brother.”

“I need a break.”

“Oh?” Rhysand’s eyebrows shot up with surprise.

“Oh?” Gwyn echoed quietly.

Her burning gaze made him tear his eyes from Rhysand and stare back at her; something was glimmering in her teal ocean eyes. He couldn’t discern what it was. The rest of his family was still talking to each other, though the conversation had dimmed a bit.

“I have well trained spies all over the country; I could spend the rest of this week getting them ready to take my place for a little while. I’d be back in two weeks, if you’d let me.” Azriel continued.

Rhysand smiled broadly and promptly retorted: “What about two months?”

Gwyn gasped beside him. Something stirred within Azriel’s chest. Two whole months, with Prythian in the verge of a possible war, didn’t seem wise at all, and he was well aware of the fact.

But Cauldron-damn him, he wanted that. Needed that.

Suddenly, a vision of a shining blue lake under the afternoon sun came into his field of view. In his fingers, loose strands of a long copper hair, like burning fire under the sunlight. The only thing he could hear was the chirps of birds and the soft breathing of the young priestess who rested against his chest. For whatever reason, he could see it.

He felt his brother’s claws against his mental shield, bringing him back from his reverie:

You deserve it, brother. You two deserve this and more.

He had to blink away the tears that he felt coming up, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Then he looked at Gwyn, that smiling, powerful force of nature sitting next to him. He finally understood what that was in her eyes; the same thing Rhysand showed in his.

Pride.

And he knew his answer.

EPILOGUE

A few years later

Azriel woke up to soft humming. He squinted against the morning light, and frowned when he found the other side of the bed empty. His fae senses discerned the familiar voice coming from the bathroom, a voice he always seemed drawn to.

He lazily got up and followed the sweet melody that woke him up and lived in his dreams; leaning against the door frame, he watched as Gwyn slowly brushed her damp hair, the smell of lavender filling up the air:

"Hey, you"

Gwyn turned around, and smiled softly at him. That morning sight still made his heart flutter, even if it's been years now since they shared rooms in the House of Wind.

"Good morning, love" She neared him and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "What are you doing up? Thought you weren't tutoring today."

"I'm not" He hummed, embracing her. "But the bed was getting cold."

His arms felt perfect around her back as she placed her hands behind his neck.

"Ha-ha" She pouted, rolling her eyes at his little drama "My Ilyrian boy is missing me already? It's been less than fifteen minutes"

"What can I do? I love my mate and don't want her to leave me just yet."

She looked thoughtful, a playful smile on her lips: "Well, I suppose I still got time before I hit the library..."

In a second, Azriel was picking her up in his arms and carefully laying her on their bed as she laughed, and he admired just how flushed she got after a hot shower. Gods, he could never get tired of that view. He started peppering her face with kisses, trailing down her neck and smirking against her skin as he heard her sigh and claw her hands on his hair.

"Az..." She murmured after a few seconds.

There's something.

The fact that his shadows had to alert him that made his head shot up and stare into those deep eyes in front of him. She was still smiling, but faintly, and gently stroked his hair as if to soothe him.

He straightened up, leaning on an elbow to face her.

"What?"

"I think we should discuss something."

She seemed nervous, but her tone left nothing to the imagination. Whatever something that was, Gwyneth Berdara was already set on it.

He nodded, brows furrowed.

"You know I love you, and I'm so happy the way things are going. But lately, with you training Ren to one day replace you as Spymaster and me opening up the public library in Velaris, well..."

He swallowed, feeling his heartbeat fasten. But she only smiled further:

"I feel like we should do it now. Accept the bond."

Seconds passed and Azriel didn't know what to say, as he scanned her face for any kind of discomfort or insecurity. There was none. A jest, maybe? Could it be...

"I'm not joking, Shadowsinger. In case you're wondering."

She interrupted his thoughts, and brushed her hands against his hair once more, pulling him closer to her.

"Gwyn, you..." He was speechless, something in his chest glowing brighter and brighter he felt it could burst out of him any minute now.

"I want this, Azriel. And have been wanting it for a long, long time." She breathed in "Do you still..."

"Yes. Yes." He answered in a breathless laugh; the reality of it hitting him. They were doing it. Mates. Forever.

"Mating ceremony and all?" She joined him in laughter now, they both beaming. Azriel felt his cheeks hurt.

"Whatever you say, Gwyn. I'd love whatever you wish. I just want to be with you for the rest of my life." The words came rushing out, but he didn't care. Not when his mate closed the space between them and kissed him intently.

-----------------

Gwyn didn't go to the library that day, after all. They prefer focusing on other more... Urgent matters after their talk.

As they lay in bed together a few hours later, Azriel felt utter peace. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of Gwyn's body tightly embraced in him, her hair soft against his chin, her breathing even on his chest.

He suddenly remembered this ancient tune his mother used to sing to him when he was no more than a kid. It was a sweet, tender lullaby about peace and tranquility. The one song he always remembered to sing against the darkness. One that seemed to originate from every cell in his body, intrinsic to who he was.

Lately, that song's been bringing him comfort and solace for one more reason. And he was singing it to her now.

And if Gwyn didn't move, nor shift her position, he knew exactly why. Moments in which he sang were rare, since he much preferred to hear his mate's powerful voice. And that song, that one tune meant so much to him, he knew she could sense it. He could feel her smile against his chest.

His shadows expanded and retracted around them both, cocooning them in darkness and playing around the room; temporarily set free.

He felt himself slowly giving in to a peaceful slumber as he went on:

And you would say

"Time to rest your weary head

Take your wings and go to bed

I know you want to show it all, my darling"

And I'd say

"Set me down and rock me, rock me to sleep"

All he sensed before sleep took over him was one, single kiss against his cheek, and a soft whisper against his ear.

He loved her too.

#ok thats it #guck me im trying not to cry #WHAT A JOURNEY #gwynriel #gwynriel fanfiction #azriel singing #gwyneth berdara #i love this #I FINALLY USED THE FRIGGIN TITLE JACOB COLLIER I LOVE YOU #honestly this song screams gwynriel to mee

[wyn-n-tonic]

Golden, Like Daylight -- Part IX

Word Count: 3,087 Warnings: PTSD. Children. Fluff. Angst. Emotions. Dialogue heavy bullshit. Author's Note: Welp... this is it, y'all. I posted the first chapter of this on March 4, 2021, and it's coming to a close today on April 5, 2021, and I'm... a goddamn mess. I'm not ready to let these characters go, both the TF boys and my own character in Leah. I really appreciate all your kindness and encouragement throughout writing this, my whole heart belongs to you. Thank you, I hope you love this as much as I love you.

MASTERLIST | PART: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX

Her room is painted like a sunrise. He remembers the first time he went up there, like it was the first breath he ever took. All rising pinks and melting blues.

He wanted her to feel that freedom from the beginning.

Leah’s hands climb his back, a kiss pressed to the hot skin between his shoulder blades as he dips to pluck his peaceful little girl out of slumber.

“Baby, let her sleep.”

But he’s shaking his head, careful with hers in his hand, “she can sleep later, I need her with me now.”

“Hmm,” she hums, turning him to guide him back to their bedroom, “keep that enthusiasm.”  

Their shuffle is quiet, Luna’s big eyes slipping back to sleep nestled into her fathers shoulder.

He’s been home for over half a year and as he crawls back into bed, baby and wife clinging to him, part of him still can’t believe it. That after everything he told her, she let him stay. That, like tonight, she’s soothed the new nightmares like the old. That he celebrated Christmas with them, Luna’s first.

That he watched her lift herself up and take her first steps. That after all he had done, those first steps were towards him.

That he helped blow out the candles that he helped light, on the cake he helped make for the little girl who has her daddy’s eyes. His dimple. His smile.

One hand splayed across each of their backs, he’s talking to Leah but directing it at Luna when her bright brown eyes open again to find his.

“Hi, baby,” he whispers, Leah’s soft hand falling on his under her small back, “I’m sorry that mama and papa woke you up.”

She reaches a tiny hand up to his face and he melts into the small touch of her, his heart swelling at the unbelievable luck he has in chances granted again and again when a little, “papa,” tumbles forward in the softly lit room.

He feels Leah jump and his eyes snap to hers before they both fall back to Luna, just over one year.

“She just sa—“

“Say it again, baby,” Leah coos, tears spilling over Frankie’s eyes.

She doesn’t understand but as she grabs for him, the small voice repeats, “papa,” and he didn’t know his heart could feel so full despite all the compounding moments of fullness she’s brought to him. That they both have.

He bites his lip while looking into Leah’s glassy eyes and knows that her heart is just as swollen in this moment and all the others.

“The next one’s first word will be mama,” his hand finds the small swell of her lower belly, “I promise.” —————

She presses a coffee cup into his hand before taking a seat across from him on the living room floor, baby toys and blankets strewn across the space between them.

“What happened?”  

He takes a deep breath, finding the words he spoke out loud to his team in Lorea’s mansion, “A serious fuck up.”

“I figured that much, Francisco, but what happened?”

So he tells her and she lets him.

He tells her about the seventeen grand of Santi’s own money. How he promised himself no live fire and let himself and his desperation to give her and Luna and himself the best lead him into shattering his soul again. Ripping it up as life drained from the eyes of his fellow human beings and how he didn’t even have the protection of a flag on his shoulder to ease a semblance of that pain. How even if they were bad guys, they weren’t his bad guys to worry about.

He tells her about the helicopter crash, the result of his own greed for the money and for a lack of conflict led to more loss and conflict. How he doesn’t know if he’s the one who fired first on that village but he knows he fired, an automatic weapon slung across his shoulders as easily as the diaper bag he carries through the grocery store for her.

He tells her about the crumbling mountainside, how all he saw at the bottom looking down was himself never coming home to his girls. How that’s when something within him finally snapped, when he and Will silently decided to take the reigns from Tom and Santi’s hands.

He tells her about the fire, burning hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep warm in the freezing air that wrapped around the Andes. About the gunfire that followed them through the rocks in the morning sun.

About standing over Tom’s dead body, the relief and guilt crashing inside him like a warm front meeting a cold one. How he thinks he’ll feel those both every day that he wakes because, unlike the survivor’s guilt easing through you on active duty at the knowledge that this just happens sometimes, this time was different.

He tells her that, after all of that, he threw millions of dollars down a snowy ravine in the middle of Peru where no one would ever see it again, not even his girls who needed it so much because he realized it wouldn’t be fucking worth it for them to have it if it meant not coming home.

He tells her how he almost shot that kid in the jungle. How he would’ve shot every kid standing between him and the boat to get home to his own.

He tells her that he thinks, at the end of it all, Santiago and his plan ended up doing more damage to that country than not.

She listens intently, focused wholly on him. Her face never breaks but he can see the cogs turning behind her eyes, trying to take it all in. Trying to understand.

“I understand if you want me to leave, if you never want to see me again,” he reaches out for her hand, a shiver of shock running through his spine when she doesn’t pull away from him.

Blinking as the words catch up with her, her head shakes, “I just got you back, Francisco, you promised me you wouldn’t leave again so why the fuck do you think I want you to go now?”

“Because what I did is unforgiv—“

“It’s not, there are terrible men in this world who do worse everyday,” he sees the slight sheen of tears coat her lashes, “and you helped stop one of them.”

“There will be others to take his place,” he says around a sip of his drink, his coffee gone cold in the spaces between all his words.

Her hand gives a squeeze to the one it holds, “there will always be others to take his place.”

His breathing evens out, anchored in his chest by a warmth he doesn’t deserve, “there's something else you need to know.”

He tells her about the five million dollars they were able to make it to the boat with, “we signed it all over to Molly and the girls. Will and Benny and I, we decided to do so while Santi was sleeping. We figured, ya know, at least we were coming home. It wasn’t really money we were losing since it was never ours to begin with, Tom’s family lost everything and they didn’t even know it.”

The tears do come now, streams running down his face, “I couldn’t stop thinking about how close you came to losing everything and not even knowing it too.”

His stunted words around the hiccups in his throat draw Luna’s attention, her babbles reaching out to him the way she tried to soothe Leah’s over the weeks prior. Their attention is on her now, eyes wide as she lifts herself with the couch for leverage.

She toddles one step towards his still shaking body before tumbling forward, his hands dropping the now empty coffee cup and Leah’s hand to catch her.

He pulls her small body close, hiding his face in the crook of her neck to inhale the scent of baby lotion. As she giggles in his ear, he looks up to Leah’s soft face, “the boys and I still took three hundred thousand.” —————

“You're fucking insane,” Deana doesn’t quite whisper into Leah’s ear, “a whole ass baby with another one barely even a year old, have you heard of a condom?”

“How many mimosas did you have already, D?”

Kristyn struggles with her key in the door, a large bag in hand, “judging by the slight slur, I’m going with about three so far.”

“Fuck off, K,” she points, turning back to Leah, “I'm just saying that if that big goofy idiot husband of yours goes on another of his boy’s trips, I will kill him this time.”

Her fingers are still quoting around the air as the threat falls around them, Frankie’s attention at the other end of the room grabbed away from the pureed carrots of Luna’s lunch.

“Well,” Kristyn interjects, holding the bag forward, “that’s why I come bearing the gift of one Benjamin Miller, he couldn’t be here because of a boy’s trip.”

“What do you mean?”

Leah looks back at Frankie, his eyes now turned to the conversation. She sees the pain and confusion there, he didn’t know.

Kristyn follows Leah’s gaze before looking back at the older sister in front of her, “he promised me this was his last one and he’s sorry it had to take place during your baby shower but,“ she holds the bag out again, “he says you’ll like this one.”

“It's not a shower,” Leah rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kristyn interjects, “a sprinkle. Whatever.”

“It’s not even that since, ya know,” she looks down at the tiny bundle in her arms, “he's already here.”

“A birthday present then,” she beams, “Benny says he’ll set it up when he gets home.”

Frankie’s laughter finds them now, choking around the baby food he’s trying to convince his stubborn daughter of—she’s not and she’s learned how to voice that disgust with all thanks given to her Uncle Benny.

“Baby, it’s another military surveillance camera.”

Kristyn laughs, “yeah, our whole house is strung up with them at this point but they come in handy to watch the neighbors since I’m nosy.”

“When did they leave?” His voice is small, a slight worry behind it.

Kristyn lets out a breath, “about four hours ago, he made me promise not to tell you until he was gone.”

He just nods his head, a silent clock beginning to tick in his brain. —————

It’s been two weeks since he heard from Ben or Will.

The boys have been here day in and day out since they came home last year, always were before that and even more so now that all they truly had was each other and the families they were making with and around each other.

Benny ran through Kristyn’s apartment complex screaming her name so loud as he started to bang on her door that he was met with a baseball bat. Now that idiot was going to be his brother because the sight she was met with was one of Benjamin Miller on his knees with a ring in his hands.

They gave them space with the baby’s arrival, small and short visits until Leah felt ready to have them all over again. He spoke to them that morning as he shaved the night’s stubble away, they talked like they were coming by and how they couldn’t get enough of their new nephew. How they were getting him the best present.

Frankie runs his forefinger and thumb along his mustache now, the compromise of facial hair he settled on. He didn’t want his full and sparse beard but he also felt lighter at the way Leah laughed into him with every brush of his lips.

He’s pacing the living room, bouncing the baby as Leah and Luna nap upstairs. There's only silence and the soft gurgling of a newborn when the quiet knock comes.

Already close to the entryway, he closes the distance and whispers a silent prayer to himself. A prayer that this isn’t bad news. That this is Will or Benny, not using their keys out of courtesy to the newness of little life inside his home.

He opens the door and is met with the tired eyes of Santiago Garcia.

“Hey, Frank,” he says. All bravado of his being seeped from him and replaced with, what sounds like, apology.

He adjusts his son in his hold, ushering the shorter man in so the warmth of the house doesn’t keep seeping out, “I thought you were in Australia.”

“Yeah, well,” he turns to face Frankie again as the door closes, “I make some really shit decisions sometimes.”

Frankie scoffs, half a laugh hidden in the sound. He’s not wrong but he’s not exactly right either.

“Can I get you something to drink?” He’s walked through to the kitchen, the shorter man falling in pace beside him, “we’re a dry household right now with the baby and my therapy bu—“

“Nah, Fis-Frank,” he stutters, “just came to talk to you. And Leah. She around?”

“She’s resting but I can pass along a message if I like it.”

Santi reaches into the leather folder he always carries around and produces a booklet, the one from the lawyer in St. John’s.

But different, a different cover and date, a different name stamped across the front.

“The boys sent me to give you this alone, said we needed to talk about a few more things than just this. Said I needed to apologize to you and to your wife, that I owed you that for so much but especially roping you into that shit last year.”

“Water under the bridge,” Frankie replies softly, changing direction to move through to the living room, “I gave up on an apology a long time ago and Leah never expected one, but nobody’s mad at you.”

Frankie carries the bassinet into sight from the kitchen before walking back, “what is this, Pope?”

“It’s your cut, we went back.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re stupid and greedy and we fucked ourselves up getting it in the first place so we figured we’d go back and we figured we fucking owed you.”

Frankie squints at the shorter man, searching his eyes for the hint of a joke he’s not laughing at. There is none. His cold brown stare is dead serious.

“This is my apology to you, Fran—“

“Frankie,” Leah’s voice filters into the room, he can hear her sleepy shuffle as she pads across the carpet now, “did you feed Santiago while I was asleep or should I?”

“I fed him, baby,” he calls over his shoulder.

He looks back at the man who helped shape his life, tears welling in his eyes, and hears Leah talking about ordering Chinese for dinner as she crosses the threshold but he doesn’t hear her. He can’t hear anything over the squeeze around his midsection, Santi’s quiet strength taking all of his air and senses.

He lets go as quickly as he grabbed him, Leah’s presence heavy in the room now and he crosses the room to gather her in his arms, a kiss pressed to each cheek and then her hair. He’s careful not to hug as hard as he had Frankie, conscious of her still healing body.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers between them, “for everything I’ve done and everything I wasn’t around for.”

She’s trying to catch her breath, trying not to cry herself, “it's oka—“

“I should’ve been here for you guys.”

Her small hand comes up to pat the curls, a little more gray than a year ago, “you are now.”

He pulls away from her, a hitch in his voice as he says, “can I hold him?”

“Yeah,” she nods, “but you gotta wash your face and hands, no tears or snot on my baby.”

He mumbles to himself about how that makes sense as he moves to the sink, fumbling over the soap in the holder as he shakes with nerves.

She makes her way across the kitchen, wrapping her still sleepy being around that of her wide awake husband. The low lying winter sun is filtering through the windows, bathing everything in soft, warm light.

She sees the golden cover of the booklet on the counter and taps it, “what's this?”

Daylight Family Trust is stamped across in big bold words.

“That was the boy’s trip,” he whispers, “that’s our cut.”

He watches her as she slowly reaches for the document, the one that explains how this all works and looks between the men.

“How much?”

Santi rips a paper towel from the roll, “about thirty-five million.”

Frankie holds her as her knees start to give out but she’s still looking at Santi, she’s still looking for the joke he never made.

“Daylight's your call sign, you know,” he says cooly, “all the wives get one too, did he ever tell you?”

She shakes her head, looking at her husband now and thinking of all the times that very word fell from his lips.

“On our last real deployment,” Pope continues, “he was flying as the sun was setting and the sky was pure gold over the desert—“

Frankie’s eyes never leave hers, arms tight around her now.

“—he said it reminded him of the way the gold flakes in your eyes reflect the sunlight back at him, he called you Daylight until he got home and shed the callsigns altogether.”

“Frankie?”

He presses his lips into her forehead, his hand a heavy weight on her lower back that says, I’m right here.

“Your daughter has the same golden flakes in her eyes, like you, Daylight.”

Frankie runs his thumb along the swell of her cheek, "all I wanted to do last year was get home to you both, all I wanted was to make it right and see that reflection of light back at me through you both again.”

He leans down to softly press his lips to hers before nuzzling his nose into her hair, “our son has them too, the same gold in his eyes, it was the first thing I said to Ben when I walked out of the delivery room.”

"It was the first thing they said to me," Santiago says, "when they got off the plane." 

“Like me?” Her voice is soft, the heaviness of sleep still clinging to her limbs.

“Mmhmm,” Frankie hums, “like Daylight.”

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[anathewierdo]

Call of the Ocean Chapter 43: The Surface Through New Eyes

Pairing: CEO!Mechanic!Dean Winchester x Mermaid!Reader

Word count: 5908 (get ready y'all cause this one is loooong)

Chapter Summary: Now that Sindarta is finally safe, everybody’s trying to figure out where they fit in the reconstruction of their home.

Series summary: CEO of Winchester Auto Dean Winchester has had enough of the office life. With his father keeping him from what he wants to do, which is work on the plant floor, Dean decides to leave for a quiet life. In Matagorda, Texas, he finds something he never thought he would, a chance encounter with a mythical creature.

COTO Book 3 Masterlist

A/N: I forgot to post this chapter last week (my apologies) But! Here we are! I hope y'all like it... there's only two/three chapters left :) This series is a collaboration with @flamencodiva

When the time came for them to leave for the surface, Y/N noticed her cousin was looking sad. She’d had a chance to try and talk to him, promising that she would visit as much as she could and that she was expecting him to visit as well. Thasman had been quick to shrug off her advances, telling her that he knew all of that. Y/N wondered if he was thinking about his parents, whether Bobby and Thames would be together again, whether Thames would decide to stay… She and Dathan kept a close eye on him as they made sure once more that everyone was ready to leave for the surface.

“Thasman?” The sound of Dathan’s voice interrupted the princess, who slowed down to hear the conversation.

“Yes?” Thasman replied as he focused on looking ahead.

“That merman at the market was wrong,” Dathan said. “The people love you, and you are worthy.”

Y/N could see out of the corner of her eye, Thasman’s lips curling into a small smile. “Thank you, Dathan.”

“Thas,” Dathan looked at his friend, “I have known you since our days in the academy. I know the thoughts that plague you. And I want you to believe me when I say the kingdom loves you. Every citizen loves you, Thasman.”

“I don’t know about every citizen, but I appreciate it, old friend.”

“So, you and Roan,” Dathan smirked at Thasman as they swam through the current towards the cave. “I take it you will need to discuss the ceremony when we get back?”

“I think so,” Thasman glanced back at Roan, who was swimming beside Dean, helping the human try and keep pace.

“So, we are going to Dean’s pod?” Dathan asked as he glanced at Dean.

“The place we are going, Dathan,” Thasman said solemnly, “No one else is to know, is that understood?”

Dathan gave a nod as they continued their journey.

There were a total of three guards, including Dathan, that had been trusted enough and assigned to accompany the royal family to the surface. Dean racked his brain as to what he was going to tell everyone when they got back. Bobby and Ellen weren’t a problem because they knew about mermaids, but what about his friends? That would be harder to explain.

“Dean,” Y/N said as she held his hand. “Are you okay? Do you need to rest?”

“Just thinking what I’m gonna tell everybody if they ask where I was,” Dean said before bringing her hand up to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss.

“That is going to be hard to explain,” Y/N agreed. “But Bobby did tell them that you had something called the Flu?” She tilted her head in confusion at him.

“They won’t just buy that. My friends would’ve wanted to check on me. Cas still lives in my house, not to mention I just lost two days straight of work.”

Y/N nodded and let out a soft hum, “are they trustworthy?” she asked with a slightly shaky voice.

“They are, but you don’t need to do what you’re thinking, alright?” he smiled. “I’ll figure something out. I promise.”

“Dean, sooner or later, they are going to ask questions,” she reasoned. “And they’re your friends. I don’t want to come between your friendship.”

“You won’t. But I’m not asking you to do that. I tried to get you to tell me, and it didn’t exactly go well.”

“If the need arises,” she said as they neared the mouth of the cave that led to the surface, “Then we can show them. I’m just happy you can join me every month for a swim.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea, angelfish,” Dean said as he caressed her cheek.

The group swam through the caves underwater, opening and up into the lagoon. Y/N, Dean, Roan, and Thasman led the way with Thames and the king not far behind. The king stayed back with the guards as he watched his daughter, sister, and nephew swim up to the shore with the people they love. The king looked at his guards and nodded before they all cautiously swam towards the lagoon’s shore. There they saw the group of heroes with legs and putting on strange clothing.

“Father, here,” Y/N said as she handed him a pair of pants and a shirt.

“Thank you,” he said as he got dressed. He looked over to his guards and sighed. “Don’t just stand there. Get dressed and try and keep up.”

A chorus of ‘Yes, Your Highness’ resounded, and soon enough, the three lasting mermen were staring speechless at their own legs, trying and failing to get up and learn to walk before they were offered clothing to cover up. Even the King himself walked a little wobbly, leading to the four inexperienced mermen to have one arm draped over the shoulders of a partner to help them steady themselves as they got down the gist of walking.

Nereus was looking solemnly at his surroundings, taking in the cave that would’ve made everything so much easier if only he had known about its existence. A little flash of worry for the Kingdom coursed through him, but it went away as fast as it came, for he knew Sereia could be trusted, and the council was now back in motion and on the right track.

“Are we all ready?” Y/N asked as she looked at her father. She stood at the cave’s mouth leading towards the human world dressed in a lovely flowy dress and sandals.

“I’m ready,” Dean breathed as he nervously looked at her father before looking back at her, “I take it we’re going to Ellen’s?”

Y/N nodded, excitement beginning to pour out of her by the second. “That’s probably where Bobby will be. And I would like my father to meet the woman who helped us so much during our stay here.”

“Couldn’t agree more, angelfish,” Dean chuckled, “Your Highness, will you be staying for dinner?”

The King stared at empty space for half a second before blinking and shrugging. “Most likely.”

“Sounds good,” Dean said with a smile. “I can show you my dwelling, and you can try steak.”

They led everyone across the beach and towards Ellen’s house. Y/N and Dean leading the way while Thasman and roan pulled up behind. Lifting her fist, she knocked on the door and waited for Ellen to answer.

The door opened, and said human barrelled herself into the closest person she could find, screaming in excitement. “You’re alive!”

“We are, but it was a close call,” Dean said as he waited for Ellen to finish hugging Y/N. “So what did you guys tell the garage?”

“That you had taken an unprompted trip to Austin. And they’ve been asking why you haven’t answered your phone in two days.”

“Shit,” Dean sighed as he ran his hand across his face, “Not sure how I’m going to explain not answering my phone,”  He walked into the house once Ellen let everyone in. “Guess I can say that it was an emergency, and I forgot my charger resulting in my phone dying?”

“Dean,” Y/N said softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder, “I’m sure everything will work out.” she gave him a smile and looked at Ellen, “There is someone I want you to meet, Ellen. This is my father, King Nereus of Sindarta.”

The human stopped short, finally taking a good look at Thasman, Roan, Thames, and the mermen leaning against them for support. She slowly turned to the merman Dean was helping and looked at Y/N. “Seriously?”

Y/N nodded, “Yes, this is my father.”

“Ms. Ellen,” the king said as he gave a soft bow, “Thank you for taking care of my daughter, nephew, and his betrothed. I have no way of repaying your kindness.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Your Highness. I jus’– It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Nereus said as he smiled at Ellen. “Do you know where I could find a Bobby Singer?”

At that very moment, Bobby came from the back porch, not noticing that his son had come back with more than just Roan, Y/N, and Dean.

“Ellen, I tell you, you need to get a damn new car!” he huffed grumpily, “I don’t know how many times you want me to fix your carburetor.”

“Bobby, we have guests, again.”

“Ellen, don’t try to talk me out of telling you that you need a new car,” Bobby growled, only focusing on washing his hands and complaining to Ellen, “That damn truck is older than I am!”

“This is the human you forsook your family for?” Nereus asked as he looked at Thames, “Well, at least he isn’t drunk.”

Bobby turned around quickly, eyes wild and big as he saw how many people were in the house before shaking his hands nervously and putting them in his pockets. “I knew you guys would be just fine.”

Thasman gently pushed through and pulled Bobby into a hug, “I’m so glad to be back, Dad.”

��Did something happen?” Bobby said as he hugged Thasman back.

“We can talk about it later,” Thasman whispered, “But for now, this is my--”

“You?!” Bobby exclaimed, “You came to my house twenty-five years ago looking for Thames!”

“Well, you were the only lead I had to find my sister,” Nereus said as he crossed his arms over his chest, “but you were drunk and looked heartbroken, so I figured she wasn’t with you.”

“You are little Nereus?“ Bobby said, looking at the man who was slightly taller than him.

“I forgot Thames used to call me that,” the king said between a shudder and a smile. “I think you and I need to talk.”

Nereus placed his arm around Bobby’s shoulder and led him out to the back porch. Thames chewed on her lip nervously, only imagining what would happen between her brother and the father of her child. Both men came in after sharing a handshake. Y/N noticed it was awkward but nonetheless effective. Dean cleared his throat as he looked at Y/N.

“We should take your Dad over to my house for dinner,” Dean said as he caressed her cheek, “We can talk more there.”

“Okay,” She agreed. “What about the guards?”

Dean looked over at them and shrugged his shoulders, “They can come too if they want? Not sure if Thasman needs guards. I mean, he’s freakishly strong.”

Y/N turned to the guards and her father. “Is that okay with you?”

“It is perfectly fine sea star,” Nereus said before looking at Dean, “show us to your dwelling, please.”

Dean had to admit: The merman King looked very out of place sitting at his kitchen table watching him, and Y/N prepare dinner while three merguards who kept looking at everything like it might jump up and harm them sat in his living room. Cas had received Dean with a mix of shock and anger that Dean hadn’t seen since their first year after graduating college, demanding answers to tell him where Dean had been for two days unannounced. Luckily for everyone, he’d calmed down quickly when Dean introduced Y/N’s father and told him he’d finally been invited to visit Y/N’s home… which was, technically, not a complete lie if you think about it.

“Sea star,” he called, once Cas was out on the porch showing the guards the house. “If you’re staying here with this human, have you thought of precautions?”

“I will use Thames’ cuff and go swim every month to prevent drying up. Probably more, considering how close to the ocean we are.”

“What about human currency?”

“The garage got off to a good start, and we’re doing good so far,” Dean piped in. “Y/N has a job at the diner with Ellen, and we don’t make much, but we make enough.”

“What about Dean’s friends?”

“Working on it,” The human confirmed, looking back to the living room where Cas was trying to make conversation with the other mermen.

Nereus pursed his lips at that answer, clearly uncomfortable at the possibility of more humans knowing about the existence of mermaids. “What about visits?”

“What do you mean, Father?”

“I mean,” The King took a deep breath. “Would it be alright if I decided to visit you hereafter Thasman’s coronation?”

Y/N stopped cutting the tomatoes for the salad and sat next to her father at the kitchen table. She smiled softly at him and only smiled wider at feeling Dean’s hand land on her shoulder. She reached up to hold it back and looked at Nereus.

“I would love it if you visited,” She confirmed.

Nereus smiled wobbly at them before clearing his throat. “And will you come home every now and then as well?”

“Of course… would it be okay if Dean came with me?”

“Absolutely. As long as Dean doesn’t expose you, your aunt, or our existence to the human world.”

“Never, sir,” Dean swore.

“Good.”

=====================

After breakfast the following day, to which the guards and the King all marveled at the food before them, Dean and Y/N decided to show the king around the small town. They decided on starting at the garage. Of course, it wasn’t without the four mermen marveling at Dean’s metal beast.

“This is how humans can travel around quickly?” Nereus said as his fingers ghosted over the shiny metal car.

“Father,” Y/N said with a chuckle, “This is Dean’s car. He calls her Baby.”

“So these things have names?” Nereus asked as he tilted his head. “Do all cars have names?”

“No. Baby’s very special to me, is all,” Dean stated proudly, hand patting the top of the car affectionately.

“Ah, I see,” Nereus sighed as he nodded. “Well then, I suppose we will be using this beast to move around?”

“I promise you, father, it’s fun and exciting!” Y/N said as she opened the door for the three guards to slide in.

The guards seemed hesitant to climb in, but one small smile from the princess seemed to help ease them. Once they climbed in, Y/N opened the front passenger door and climbed in Nereus after her, with Dean sliding in on the driver’s side behind the wheel. When Dean turned the ignition, the mermen all gasped once the car roared to life.

“Poseidon’s fury!” the king exclaimed. “This beast sounds angry.”

“Your daughter said those exact words when she first got inside my car,” Dean chuckled. “It’s alright, Your Highness!” he assured. “That’s just Baby’s engine. She’s coming to life, and she does that every time.”

The king nodded as he tried to relax once Dean began to drive. The drive was filled with the music playing low as Y/N started pointing out the different areas of the town on their way to the garage.

“There is Ellen’s diner!” she exclaimed with a smile. “We can visit it after we show you the garage. Father, Ellen’s food is amazing! If you loved the food last night, you will absolutely love and enjoy the dinner food.”

The visit to the garage was not supposed to be something big, mainly because it was Dean’s workplace, and well, it would be kind of hard to drag around four strange men around while showing them everything and just going, oh, they’re Y/N’s friends, don’t worry!

No, Y/N was thinking more about showing her father the front desk and her aunt’s portrait. She didn’t want their presence to distract the other workers of the auto shop.

“Dean?” Benny said as he watched Dean walking in with Y/N and a group of men, “Where have you been? And who are these guys?”

“Uhm, Benny, this–” Dean put a hand on the King’s shoulder, who gave him a ‘did you just do that?’ look, prompting him to take back his hand, “is Y/N’s father. King Nereus of Sindarta. He brought along some guards for protection as well.”

Benny’s eyes widened at what Dean said, “You… is this why you were in Austin? You had to pick him up or use your grandfather’s connections or something?”

“Exactly. Y/N received a message, and next thing we knew, we were picking them up in Austin.”

Benny nodded and sighed, “I’m glad you’re safe, but you know you could have called.” Benny placed his arm around Dean moving him away from the group. “What about the fact that their Island wasn’t on the map?”

“That you have to ask google,” Dean shrugged. “They put in a code to keep the island hidden,” the lie flowed from his lips.

Benny, however, wasn’t completely buying it. “Okay. You alright, though? No funny business while you were gone?”

“Everything is good,” he smiled. “I promise. Besides, Thasman is going to rule. It turns out he’s Y/N’s cousin. Big family secrets came out, and there was a whole legal thing. It and it got sorted out,” Dean rambled.

“We’re going to need to have a guy’s night and talk about all of this,” Benny said as he raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Does that mean Y/N gets to stay?”

The fucking stupid dopey smile that made its way through his face (not like he could help it when it came to his girlfriend) was answer alone, but his friend’s question hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized: “Y/N gets to stay.”

“That’s good news, brotha,” Benny said as he placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “I take it you’re going to show his highness around the shop and the town before he goes?”

Dean kept the dopey smile on his face, “Yup. Gonna finish up with Al’s before he has to go.”

“You trying to charm him off his feet?” Benny teased.

“Mark my words, Benjamin: Al’s is the golden bow to Matagorda and after eating the pastries? Even I wouldn’t want to ever leave town.”

Benny let out a laugh, “Can’t disagree with that.” He walked over to the king and extended his hand, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Benjamin Lafitte. I am the co-owner of the garage.”

“I suppose you are one of Dean’s friends?” The King smiled curiously as he shook the offered hand.

“I am one of his best friends,” Benny confirmed, “I’m sure you met Cas last night?”

Letting go of Benny’s hand, he looked at Y/N before answering, “Yes, I believe so. You have to forgive me, our… Island… doesn’t have cars. We are relatively small and can’t get to different locations quickly.”

“I’ve heard so, don’t worry.”

“Is my nephew here yet?” he asked, looking around for Thasman.

“He’s over at Singer’s house with Roan and the old man. Seems like they had some things to discuss.”

“Father,” Y/N said. “I am sorry for interrupting, but I want to show you something Dean made for me,” she looked at Benny. “It’s good to see you again Benny, thank you for allowing Dean to help us.”

“No problem, Cher. But I want my boy back tomorrow, please. Gonna go check on Andrea. She’d probably like to meet your father as well.”

“I will make sure he wakes up early and ready for a new day to start working,” Y/N said with a soft giggle. “I will be at the diner tomorrow, so it will be a busy day,” she added with a smile.

With that said, Dean and Y/N began showing the king around the garage. They were just about to show him the mermaid wall when the doors burst open.

“Ms. Braden, I told you,” Andrea’s voice growled at the brunette, “You cannot be here. You need to leave before I call the police.”

“Out of my way, secretary,” Lisa sneered.

“Over my dead body, gold digger,” Andrea spat. Benny stood behind her, looking as angry as she was.

Dean looked over and growled, “What is she doing here?” he let out a huff and turned to Y/N and her father. “I’m sorry, I’ll be right back.”

Dean made his way towards the two women and crossed his arms just as Benny came to join him.

Benny leaned in and sighed, “Does this woman know how to take no for an answer?”

“I don’t think she was ever taught to take no for an answer, Benny,” Dean said as his voice dripped with annoyance. “What can we do for you, Ms. Braden?” he looked at Lisa.

“I am here for my contract,” she stated with a smile.

“I’ve told you I am not signing anything, Braden.”

“It’s either you sign or your father ends up in jail for corruption and faulty car equipment,” she said as she pulled out a file.

“John never let a car go out with faulty equipment!” Benny growled. “I was plant manager, and he never approved a car that wasn’t up to standard!”

“That’s not what the media and the government is going to see when I give them these papers,” she said with a devilish smirk.

“Lisa, we both know that sooner or later it would come out to light that you falsified the evidence.” Dean sighed. “You have no leverage, no–”

“Will it?” she said with a tilt of her head. “Not with my father and Nick’s connections,” she pointed out. “And we both know the kind of pull Nick has. And with this, he can take your grandfather's company right out from under him.”

Dean pursed his lips at the response before turning to Benny. “Has John talked to the media yet?”

Benny shook his head, “Not that I know, brotha. But what she’s suggesting is far worse than exposing Adam.”

Dean knew that already. Still, one could only dream. He closed his eyes and steeled himself up. “Miss Braden, if you were so kind to follow me into my office, I’m sure we can come to an agreement on all of this.”

“Drop the diner girl and be with me and I can drop everything,” She said as she watched Y/N walk up to them.

He could barely contain a shudder in disgust at the request. “Whatever fantasy you’ve worked up for yourself is entirely different to the contract and the company, Lisa. My office, now. And we negotiate like actual business people.”

“Did you read the contract, sweetheart?” she laughed. “It’s in the contract. You dump diner girl, and you be with me, and everything will be square. Your grandfather’s company gets the engine, and I will let you keep this--” she sucked in air between her teeth, “dingy garage.”

“Silence!”

At that moment, King Nereus walked up to her and flashed his ring in her face, and smiled.

“I would be very careful with how you talk to my Daughter, Princess Y/N of Sindarta,” he said with a glare.

“Yeah, right.” She snapped back, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the king.

The king placed his ring in her face showing the royal crest of Sindarta, “I do not lie. You are a despicable excuse for a human being. I hope they imprison you for the lies you are telling.”

"Ms. Braeden,” Dean said as he was tapping away at his phone and smiled, “He isn’t lying,” he turned his phone to show her the webpage he had found on Sindarta with the royal crest on it.

Lisa stared wide-eyed at the small screen, “No fucking way.”

“She’s the real deal,” Dean said with a smile. “And she has way better manners than you do. Plus, she appreciates hard work. It’s what the people of Sindarta love about her,” he laughed. “Y/N is everything you will never be.”

“You seriously believe this bitch and the delusional old man that they are royalty to some made-up place?” she let out a laugh and shook her head. “I knew you were dumb, Winchester. I just didn’t know how pathetic and gullible you actually are.”

“You believe what you want,” Dean said with a smile. “But I pick her over you every time.”

“Well,” she said and turned to Y/N, “we’ll see just how good she is when I make her face look like ground beef!” she growled and began to charge at the princess.

Before she could get close enough, the three men that had been standing behind the old man and Y/N had stepped in front of her, tall and menacing, growling in a language Lisa hadn’t heard in her life. Two of them had blades drawn, and Lisa found herself stepping back.

“Who are you guys? What language is that?” she looked at them and glared. “I guess you use your body to get these men to protect you. Nice Dean, told you she was a whore.”

Y/N opened her mouth to retort but was beaten by Dathan, who looked as angry as she was. “Call her that one more time,” He snarled.

“What are you gonna do?” Lisa sassed. “You touch me, and you’ll be in jail until you rot. She. Is. A. Whore,” she repeated with malice in her voice.

“Okay, everybody, calm down!” Dean shouted as he came in between the bitch and Dathan. “Lisa, shut the hell up, and fucking go to my office so we can talk about that goddamned contract. And you guys–” he turned to the King. “Nereus, tell them to fucking put away the knives!” Dean closed his eyes, realizing his tone, “I’m sorry, your Highness,” He said in a quieter tone, “Please have them put the daggers away. I will handle her,” he pointed to Lisa.

“Handle me?” she huffed, watching as the men reluctantly listened to him. “you couldn’t handle your own dick, Winchester. Now I see why that Cassie Robinson from your grandfather’s birthday dumped you by fucking another guy behind your back.”

“Agent’s,” A voice called from the front of the garage. “Arrest that woman. She is the daughter of Alphonse Braden, who is scamming people of their money and companies through a Ponzi scheme. His engine is faulty and has caused accidents all over the country.”

At that moment, John walked in, adjusting his suit as he walked in, followed by federal agents. Lisa looked around in a panic and shook her head as she looked at Dean.

“Honey, tell them,” she said sweetly to Dean. “I am not like my father.”

“Oh no, sweetheart, no. Gentlemen, she’s right: she is not like her father. She’s worse. And threatened to frame and falsify information to destroy my grandfather’s company. Please, go right ahead.”

“No!” she shrieked, “You can’t do this to me, Winchester! All for what? A crappy garage and a whore from a diner?”

The next thing Lisa knew, her head was jerking back as she got a punch in the face. When the dizziness caused by the blow went away, she looked up to find Y/N standing right in front of her with her fists still clenched.

“Now you can arrest her,” She mumbled, turning back to her father and guards.

The federal agents grabbed Lisa and placed her arms behind her back as they handcuffed her. Y/N walked over to Dean and caressed his cheek. For a moment, they stood in silence. Dean placed his forehead against hers and sighed in relief that Lisa was going away; far, far, away.

“Sorry to do this in your garage, son,” John said as he placed his hands in his pockets, “It took Mick and Toni a while to find all the dirt they could on Lisa and Nick along with dirt on her father and his schemes,” he explained and turned to see the four mermen who gawked at him. “I’m sorry, where are my manners,” he chuckled and walked up to Nereus, “My name is John Winchester. I’m Dean’s father.”

“Nereus. I’m Y/N’s father.”

John turned to Y/N, “yes, the famous Y/N. I haven’t been formally introduced to her, but she makes my son happy.”

“He makes her pretty happy as well.”

Dean looked at his father and down at Y/N and sighed, “Come here angelfish,” he said to her as he led her to stand in front of his father, “Y/N, this is my father John Winchester,” he said, “Dad, this is Y/N.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you, John,” She smiled.

“You know,” John said, “Mary would love to meet you. Maybe after this whole circus is over, we could come down and have dinner with the two of you?” he asked as he looked at Dean.

He nodded. “Maybe.”

“If you both excuse me, I should go with the agents. We need to make sure Lisa, her father, and Nick are put away for a long time,” he offered them a smile, “It was nice to meet you, Y/N, although I wish it was under better circumstances.” he offered her his hand and smiled when she shook it.

John left shortly after that, leaving the garage to go back to normal once Benny got everyone back to work. Y/N and Dean held each other for a minute before they turned to the four mermen.

“I believe there is something we wanted to show you,” Y/N said as she pulled Dean with her so that her father and the guards could follow.

Her father’s first reaction to the Mermaid Wall was awe at how beautiful it was. Then came the teary eyes once he realized his sister and daughter were the mermaids in the picture, then turned to Dean, asked if it had been his idea, then hugged him after listening to the human answer the question.

“I only added the painting of Y/N,” he clarified. “The picture of Thames was originally Bobby’s.”

“I owe Singer a visit, then.”

“Your Highness, you are always welcome to come and visit,” Dean said, “And Thasman has a place here in the garage to work when he needs to let out some steam.”

“I will hold you to it,” Nereus said as he looked around, “I know my daughter will be happy here.”

=====================

Once Nereus saw that Bobby was living in the same place, Dean and Y/N decided it was time to visit Al’s. The king and guards marveled at the pastries and sweets the human world had to offer. With a box full of pastries, they all made their way back to Ellen’s. She had offered to cook, so a trip to the diner was unnecessary. But once everyone had their fill of food and pastries, it was time for the king to go back.

“I will miss you, my seastar,” he said as they were in the cave, “stay safe.”

Y/N smiled wobbly before clutching Nereus into a hug and rested her head on his shoulder. “You too, Father.”

The king let go and turned to Dean, “I have your word you will keep her safe?”

“You have my word, Your Highness.”

Nereus nodded and turned to Thasman and Roan, who were saying their goodbyes. Thames stood by her brother, avoiding Bobby as their son was talking to him.

“He is taking too long,” Thames whispered as she watched her son hug the man she loves. “We must get back to the kingdom.”

“Aren’t you gonna say something to your human?”

She shook her head, “I already said my goodbyes last night.”

“Go to him. Nothing is stopping you now other than yourself.”

“He’s saying goodbye to his son,” she objected in a whisper.

Nereus was having none of it. With a roll of his eyes, he took his sister’s hand and, much to her dismay, led her towards Bobby and planted her right in front of him before apologizing and letting the human know he’d have Thasman back in a couple of minutes.

“I’m sorry,” Thames said as she smiled apologetically. “My brother is not good with the word no.”

“It’s alright,” Bobby chuckled. “I suppose you’ll be going with him and staying with Thasman to make sure he adjusts well?”

“Yes. And until the coronation has passed and Thasman’s wedding with Roan is ready…” she trailed off. “We’ll come back and do another ceremony on land. I’m sure Thasman mentioned that to you.”

“He did,” Bobby nodded as he rocked on his heels. “Thames, if you regret what happened last night--”

The princess blushed at the kiss they shared in his home. Moving a strand of hair behind her ear, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I-- I’m not sure what there is between us, Robert,” she admitted. “I can’t abandon my home and my son, but--”

“Y/N’s staying here, and she’s not abandoning her father, don’t you agree?”

“Y/N and I are different,” she whispered. “Besides, what would you want with an old mermaid like me? I should go.”

Thames was about to turn when Nereus sighed and walked over, “You are as stubborn as your son,” he muttered. “Stay.”

“Nereus…” Thames sighed. “It will not work. Please let me pass.”

“No,” he said as he crossed his arms, “You lost your chance at love once, Thames, don’t throw it away when you have been given a second chance.”

“I’m not throwing anything away. I just– I’m not leaving Thasman to figure everything about being King by himself. And there’s a coronation and wedding to plan.”

“And you can visit to help,” Nereus said. “You need to rekindle your life with Bobby. I remember how happy he made you, sister, please, stay.”

“It’s okay,” Bobby huffed. “She doesn’t want a grump like me anyways. Guess last night was our goodbye.” He turned to look at his son, “you visit when you can, you hear me?”

“Dad,” Thasman whispered as he looked at his father, “Don’t give up. I know she loves you. She’s just a-- a-- a stingray like me,” he couldn’t help but chuckle.

By then, Nereus had taken Thames by her arm and moved her away from Bobby and Thasman. The two of them speaking in a slew of mermish that the human could not keep up with.

“Son,” Bobby sighed. “Sometimes, you gotta learn when to stop swimming against the current and just go with the flow.” He offered his son a smile. “You go and learn everything you need to rule that kingdom of yours. I’m so proud of you, boy,” he said, placing his hand on the back of Thasman’s neck, holding his tears at bay. “I couldn’t have asked for a better son. I love you. You hear me?”

Thasman nodded, smiling softly. “Yeah.”

“Robert,” Thames said as she cleared her throat and held out her hand, “Goodbye.”

The human cleared his throat as he shook the offered hand. “You will come back this time, right? At the very least tell me about our son’s wedding.”

Thames smiled softly, nodding. Her face made a pained expression before yanking Bobby’s hand and pulling the man in into a kiss. When they pulled away, tears were streaming down her face.

Dean, Y/N, and Bobby watched as Thasman, Roan, Thames, the guards, and the king all dove back into the lagoon to head home.

SOOOOOO WHAT DID YOU THINK?? You liked it?? :D

Gonna tag y'all in a reblog because I can't do it here

Hopefully next chapter will be posted next Saturday. Take care y'all!

#call of the ocean #dean winchester #dean x reader #coto #mermaid reader #mermaid au #supernatural #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x you #dean winchester x reader #supernatural fanfiction #Dean Winchester x mermaid!reader #Dean Winchester fluff #fluff #ceo!dean winchester #ceo!dean #mechanic!dean winchester #mecha

[karasunology]

⸙ ˚₊ ➷ SUNA RINTAROU & KITA SHINSUKE AS YOUR OLDER BROTHER HEADCANONS ! ❞

╰─ ─ ﾟheadcanons of suna & kita of how it would be like if they were your older brothers.

✐ . . . BIG BROTHER HEADCANONS.

[ OIKAWA TOORU & KAGEYAMA TOBIO VERSION. ] [ MIYA TWINS & BOKUTO KOUTARO VERSION. ]

-ˏˋ ➶ character(s) ━ suna rintarou & kita shinsuke <3

[ trigger warnings ━ slight manga spoilers !! ]

-ˏˋ ✉️ REQUESTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN.

⇣ please read the RULES before requesting.

SUNA RINTAROU.

➜ suna would your quiet older brother that's very caring for you

➜ nAH I'M KIDDING SHSJZ LMAOOO

➜ THIS BOY MAY SEEM QUIET BUT PHEWW

➜ DAMN IS HE NOISY IN TEXT & ON UNGODLY HOURS

➜ let me explain

➜ suna is the type of person that may seem quiet but could honestly be as chaotic as he can be

➜ good chaotic? or evil chaotic?

➜ you decide for yourself

➜ and that's when he's just a normal person to any other normal person

➜ but you're his younger sibling

➜ y'know, the one he sees everyday

➜ willingly or not HSJSNNXC

➜ yeah he'll be quiet sure but if YOU ever join into the mix

➜ fox boi is thriving quietly while your parents are just so done with you guys

➜ i headcanon that he's the type to fall asleep in day time

➜ but when it's night where h's supposed to be sleeping, homeboy is anything but sleeping

➜ he'll have a hard time sleeping and honestly you're probably also in the same situation as him because wow, sibling goals😍❇✨🗽

➜ and if you ARE in the same situation as him, and you'd get a random message from him at the most UNGODLIEST TIMES to go to a 24 hours open mcdonalds fast-food,

➜ who were you to object??

➜ like y'all's parents would wake up to go to work or something and would when they check the family gc, suna sent a pic of you falling asleep on a mcdonalds playground

➜ would paniK LMAOOO

➜ but before they pull your drowsy ass back, they'd check your guys' rooms and in the midst of checking they'd find you guys sleeping on the living room sofa

➜ woke up the next day in the floor because suna unconciously pushed you from the sofa y'all were sharing but you had a blanket placed on top of you while he was ShiVERING to death

➜ expect cursed videos or weird snapchat stories of you guys either saved privately or drunkenly high posted for the whole world to see😗😍

➜ y'all have the most random conversation at 3 am in imessage but y'all still forgot you sent those

➜ the type to message you a meme he finds funny while his drowssiness is taking a toll on him

➜ the type to message you while he's in the same room as you

➜ like especially if there are guests around & he hates socializing & just doesn't have the energy to talk to them

➜ fights were uncommon, and if it ever happens oH my

➜ he'll give you a cold shoulder because he's THAT petty b itch💅👊

➜ but he's probably the first to apologize because you are probably also a petty bi tch 💅👊

➜ b i c t h

➜ he's honestly a great listener 10/10 would recommend

➜ he may not be the best at advices, but atleast he's good at listening

➜ would a HUNDERED ( 100 ) PERCENT % dump the chores ordered for him to do TO YOU

➜ and would definitly use the excuse

“ because i'm older than you ”

➜ in conclusion, suna may be a lazy bicth but he'd be an . . . entertaining brother to say the least & never fails to take the role as an older sibling through hidden and small ways.

KITA SHINSUKE.

➜ the silent but active older brother

➜ the type of older brother that may not seem he cares about you but he actually does

➜ like  a l o t

➜ like that one chapter in the manga where kita may sound like a judgemental douche but actually cares about atsumu and gave him a note to take care of himself or something? with cough drops, pickled plums, lemon water etc.

➜ ugh i live for that

➜ anywh0res, that chapter?? yeah, you experienced alot of those

➜ you have gotten used to his attitude ever since you guys were young

➜ one time, when you guys were young, you scraped your knee and kita may seem like he's lowkey judging you but he was actually so worried

“ see? that's what happens when you're too clumsy ”

➜ yet proceeds to kneel next to you & would piggyback you while saying that you should lay off desert becausr you were getting heavy

➜ THE DIFFERENCE WITH HIM AND BOKUTO THO FGFDJJKDR

➜ and one time when you overworked yourself because of your studies to the point you got sick, kita was the one that was taking care of you

➜ your temperature? taken AND recorded by him. your porriage? made by him. if you got worse, he would make an appointment with a doctor. appointment? scheduled and made by him.

➜ and that's on periodt😋

➜ would scold you and use judgmental tones BUT would be so caring towards you ahHh

➜ and if it wasn't that bad but you still had to stay home the next day, but it was a school day so that means volleyball practice for kita

➜ and y'all probably argued about something that morning and he left while you were still sulking about your fight and when you entered the kitchen you would find a bag of your favourite foods, those cooled things you put on your forehead to bring the heat down, & medicines.

➜ and in the table was your porriaged cooked and served with a note on the side which says :

please take care of yourself more, i'll be home after practice like usual.

love, kita-nii.

➜ UGH YOUR HAND IN MARRAIGE SIRRRR

➜ and when bb boy went home you apologized about your fight that morning and he'd be so shocked because you don't usually say sorry first whenever you guys fight

➜ would tell you stories of what happened at practice that day simce you weren't there

➜ speaking of that, you would wait around the volleyball club and would be their unofficial manager

➜ why? because kita made you since he would ALWAYS walk you home with him and maybe some of his team mates that lives near you guys

➜ like he ain't reporting a missing teenager anytime soon

➜ already has a lot of things to handle so he would appreciate that you would get kidnapped on a different day? yeah, thx💋

➜ would garden with you because i headcanon that he really loves and has a passion for gardening & probably has his own little vegetables growing in the side awe

➜ would 100% help you do your chores

➜ and with anything you need honestly

➜ ugh we stan

➜ and if you ever awknowledge everything he has done for you and would let him know that you awknowledge him & that you REALLY APPRECIATE HIM AS YOU SHOULDDD💅😩✋

➜ he'd probably cry on the spot ngl

➜ i'm joking, but y'all would probably be so soft at that moment that he just offered you to watch those old childhood movies you guys used to love to watch

➜ in conclusion, i love this mans so much and that you should too. even if he may seem judgemental & a douche but trust me when i say he cares ALOT about you but he just shows it subtly. and he deserves a lot of love as well because you don't know how much has he taken care of you ever since you guys were kids.

-ˏˋ playing soleil's tape ˊˎ-

[ 📼 ] . . . another big brother headcanon?? y'all eating tHAT SHI T UP. but honestly, me too. also, another one of bokuto's sister x akaashi one will be posted either tonight, or tomorrow as per an anon's request. ugh we love a productive sister. @ to the anon who requested this, hope you enjoyed it because i totally did while my crusty eyes tries to stay awake last nighy writing this👑

requests are open or just send me anything because i need hooman interactions rn😋✌

#haikyuu social media au #haikyuu smau #suna rintarou headcanons #suna rintarou smau #suna rintarou social media au #kita shinsuke headcanons #kita shinsuke smau #kita shinsuke social media au #kita shinsuke x reader #suna rintarou x reader #hq fluff #hq headcanons #hq x reader #hq imagines #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu drabbles #haikyuu scenarios #inarizaki x reader #haikyuu masterlist #haikyuu fluff

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today XXI

A/N: So, I wrote the end of this chapter in April. I had... next to no idea when I was going to get to use it, because all I knew was it would come while they were on the Silk Road, and I don't have a chapter plan for this fic. This chapter ended up being a bit long again, but with the ending scene... I really think it's worth it. I really look forward to seeing what y'all think of this chapter, I personally am very happy with it. I might make a more detailed post about what the ending of this chapter means. Until then, enjoy the update! Skål!

Summary:  When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

--

While Aethelind and Ivar were sitting on the rock, their paths were crossed by a man with a cart, who was making his way down the road. He stopped when he saw them, noticing how the man on the ground was leaning against the rock, his head laid in the woman's lap. Ivar had fallen asleep there, while she was messing with his hair, and she hadn't stopped once he had. They both deserved some peace, she thought, and a little bit of rest. They were far enough along that his brothers wouldn't find them there, not just yet.

When the man stopped, Aethelind looked up at him. He noticed her gaze, and so he asked, "Do you two need help?"

Aethelind shrugged, smiling a little. "We've stopped to rest," she answered. "He has a hurt leg, it was bothering him. We'll be alright."

The man noticed the crutch then, and he nodded slowly. He had no way of knowing that this wasn't the full truth, that a 'hurt leg' was really two legs which wouldn't well support Ivar's weight. But, he knew that someone who was injured wouldn't be able to easily travel along the road. That was just common sense.

"Where are you two going?" he questioned then, and Aethelind kept her smile warm. Ivar was beginning to stir due to the conversation.

"We're just wanderers," she said vaguely. "So... wherever the road and the gods take us, I suppose." Ivar gave a little hum as his eyes opened, and he looked up at her. She made a quick decision, to keep their identities secret. "Hello, sleepyhead," she said sweetly to Ivar, and leaned down to kiss his forehead affectionately. The look he gave her was very confused, but the man couldn't see his expression, fortunately. Before he could ask anything, she said, "I was just telling this man here about our travels, how we've turned ourselves over to the gods to see where they'll take us."

Ivar was quick, thankfully, and he nodded. "Ah, of course," he said. "And what else have you been discussing?" In other words, Catch me up, so I know what not to say.

"I told him how you've hurt your leg," she answered. She looked back up at the newcomer, and easily said, "I don't know if you're married, but finding my husband lying there with a broken leg just about broke my heart."

Ivar wanted to look at her with the extreme What?! he'd thought, but he merely hummed and gave her a tight smile.

"Well, if you're just wandering," the man said. "I'm on my way to the Silk Road. I've got some trading to do along it, but I could give you two a ride, if you'd like. Don't want to make a hurt man walk more than he needs."

Immediately, Ivar felt like protesting. But Aethelind saw the opportunity this presented, and so she grinned, nodding eagerly. "You're truly a blessing from the gods, sir," she said. "Thank you." With that, she stood up, and Ivar let out a little sound of protest as if he wanted her to come back. She took his crutch and offered it to him, so he could get to his feet. He wasn't wearing any of his braces, though, and so he gave her a look as if to ask, What do you want me to do with that?

Aethelind grimaced as she realised this, and looked to the leg braces, still abandoned at the river. He'd risk really breaking a leg, if he stood right now. So, she went and grabbed his arm braces, and brought those to him. While he put those on, she collected his leg braces and put them on the cart.

"What are those?" the man questioned curiously, and Aethelind chuckled softly.

"Oh, these? We stopped back in Kattegat and had them made to help his leg," she lied. "They've done wonders for his mobility while he's hurt, but..." She gave a shrug. "They can only do so much before we still need to rest, hm?"

Ivar blinked a few times as he heard her effortlessly crafting this cover story. She was brilliant, and he wondered where exactly she learned to cover so well. Perhaps it was at court. After all, he'd heard that the English courts had a tendency to be rather... complicated, he supposed one could say. She must have gotten good at covering for her absences, or other various infractions while there.

Once his arm braces were on, Ivar flipped himself over, and crawled up to the cart, which he managed to pull himself up onto with a little of her help in stabilizing the thing. Just to sell the story that he was her husband, she rubbed his leg affectionately, and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. The man gave a small nod, and went to his horse to start her off again. "What are your names?" the man called back.

And, here was the part Aethelind wasn't sure of. The only Norse names she knew were those which would surely be recognized. Ivar, however, was quick to answer the man. "My name is Erik," he said. "My wife is Ingrid." Thankful for the quick thinking on his part, Aethelind reached over and took his hand, giving it a grateful squeeze. He smiled at her a little, prompting her to smile in return.

"Erik and Ingrid," the man said. "My name is Gunnar."

"It's good to meet you, Gunnar," Aethelind replied, and settled in against Ivar. He wrapped his arm around her instinctively, then, which earned a smile from the Shieldmaiden.

For a few weeks, they travelled with Gunnar, who was quite a kind man they both realized. He was older than them both by quite a few years, closer in age perhaps to Ivar's parents. Any question he asked, they were able to come up with an answer for easily between themselves, and so it never came to be suspicious to him, their background.

Each night, the small group would stop, have dinner together- some sort of stew usually prepared off of what they could find around. Aethelind and Gunnar would hunt, and Ivar would get a fire started. They’d come back, put it together with some of the rations Gunnar had brought, and share the meal amongst themselves.

After they would eat, they’d all settle in to sleep, and according to the tale they told, Aethelind would sleep very near to Ivar. As the nights grew colder, Ivar’s legs began to ache more, and it became harder for him to sleep. One night, as he laid there trying to get comfortable- failing to do so- he noticed something different.

Aethelind was shaking in her sleep, the cold seeping into her just as it was him. He chanced a glance down at Gunnar, noticed the man was sleeping still, and so he flipped onto his stomach and crawled to her. Putting his hand over her mouth, he shook her gently, and whispered her name to wake her.

The Shieldmaiden woke with a start, looking at him with wide eyes before she recognized him, and relaxed. “What is it?” she whispered to him. He gestured with his hand for her to follow him, and he crawled back to where he had been laying. She did as he said, and when he laid down, with one arm out, she gave him a confused look.

“You were shaking,” he answered her as softly as he could. “It is cold, and you should not freeze here.”

She smiled softly and nodded, before lying beside him. Ivar wrapped an arm around her, and she gave a soft hum as she settled in. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at him in the dark. “For noticing.”

Ivar gave the sort of noncommittal shrug which spoke of his reluctance to accept the gratitude. “I was also cold,” he said, and she chuckled softly.

“Of course,” she teased. “Well, then I’m very glad I was able to assist you.”

He rolled his eyes in an amused sort of way, and reached with his free arm to grab his cloak, covering them both with it. “Go to sleep, Shieldmaiden,” he said. “We have long travels ahead.”

“Very well, Boneless,” she whispered in response. She let her hand come up to cup his cheek briefly. “Sleep well.” Her hand moved down to rest on his chest as she closed her eyes and settled in to sleep, unaware entirely of how that little action had made him stay up, deep in thought, the rest of the night.

Gunnar made no comment about the pair the next morning, about having woken to find them lying together for the first time on their trip. Truthfully, he had been a bit surprised when they slept apart each night, seeing as they were husband and wife. Or, so they said.

He hadn’t told them that he had come from Kattegat. Gunnar was a trader, had meant to set up there, and had arrived mere hours after the battle. Seeing there was no market set up, he left some supplies for the wounded, and moved along. The rest Ivar and Aethelind had taken gave him enough time to catch them, though he hadn’t meant to.

News in the city had been that Ivar the Boneless was on the move, with his Prophet at his side. Gunnar hadn’t ever seen Ivar or the Prophet with his own eyes, but finding a man who had to crawl, or walk with braces on his leg and a crutch, with a woman at his side… He was nearly certain he had stumbled upon Ivar the Boneless and his Prophet.

If he ignored the warning signs of the truth of this matter, pictured the pair as a loving wife with her injured husband, he could lull himself into a false sense of security, and so that was what he tried to do. Most times, it worked. But every once in a while, something would happen to break that illusion. Something such as the pair not sleeping side by side, as a Viking man likely would do with his wife, regardless of company.

As they travelled the next day, something happened which made him unable to pretend any longer.

‘Erik’ and ‘Ingrid’ were sitting on the back of his cart as usual as they went along the Silk Road, and he saw the excitement in the former’s eyes as he looked around at all he saw. They’d stopped at one stand, and the merchant had let a bird walk up his arm. The woman who called herself Ingrid had grinned, told the man who was probably Ivar that he looked quite handsome with that bird on his shoulder, and he had teasingly asked her if that meant he was not normally handsome.

All had been well for a while, until they’d finally come to a stretch of land where there were no merchants, no markets for quite a few miles. Ivar had fallen quiet, and Aethelind noticed this. Taking his hand, she whispered to him, “What’s on your mind, love?”

He gave her hand a small squeeze and looked up at the horizon they seemed to be travelling ever away from. “Freydis would have liked that bird, I think,” he commented.

Aethelind swallowed at the mention of her. “She would have,” she agreed. “Do you remember that blue dress she wore? With the red in it?” Ivar nodded. “Its colors reminded me of that dress.”

Ivar gave a tight lipped smile, and nodded with a quiet, “Hm.”

Things were quiet for a few moments, and Aethelind finally whispered, “Do you think things would have been different if I had come in a few moments sooner?”

At this point, Gunnar was certain they had fought in Kattegat. Whether that meant they were Ivar and the Prophet, he didn’t know just yet. It was possible ‘Erik’s leg had been broken in the battle, and they’d fought for Ivar, and so run from Björn Ironside before the battle ended. Hearing them speak now of a ‘Freydis’, which he knew had been the name of Ivar’s queen, had him certain at least that they’d been on the Boneless King’s side.

“You might have changed nothing,” Ivar said, holding her hand a little tighter. “You’d have had to have gone instead of me.”

She sighed. “Wish I had. I’d rather he separated from her by choice, rather than by death.”

Ivar gave a sigh. “It is by choice,” he said. “We all made choices that have led us to where we are. She chose to betray the King. You chose to let me go to her instead, and she chose to confess to me. I chose to spare her the humiliation of being tried for treason.”

Aethelind huffed at his answer. “You could have chosen to spare her entirely,” she said. His brows lifted as he looked at her, and noticed for the first time the hardness of anger in her eyes.

“You know I loved her,” he began. She laughed bitterly and released his hand, dropping off the still moving cart so she could walk alongside it. Surprise showed on his face. “What? Are you angry with me now, hm?”

She laughed a little louder. “Of course I am angry!” she confirmed. “You didn’t have to do what you did! I chose to save you because I care for you, and because I could not save her. But I loved her too. I sat behind her when she delivered Baldur, I cared for her when he passed. Did you never notice how, some mornings, she and I would appear together? Those were the mornings after the nights she would forego her bed, and come to me.”

Ivar realized she had mentioned the name of his son, of the son of Ivar the Boneless, in addition to them both freely saying Freydis’s name. He hissed out her false name, trying to get her attention, to warn her, as they walked along. But she took this as him trying to silence her, and so she snapped, “No! No, I get to be angry about this! I spent my nights after Baldur’s death with Freydis in my bed, holding her and comforting her because you could not accept what had happened!”

“Ingrid,” he tried again, his eyes widened and stressed. The cart had stopped moving, and she had simply stopped with it, still continuing to fume.

“I had no idea of what she intended to do,” Aethelind continued on, ignoring his warning once more. “But I do understand why she did it. Instead of coming along beside her, you turned against her and blamed her for his death! I saved you because I couldn’t take losing one more person, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind to your role in her death, Iv-”

“You’re Ivar the Boneless.”

Aethelind froze in the middle of her words, holding Ivar’s gaze for a moment as she suddenly realized what he’d been trying to tell her. His eyes closed and his jaw tensed, and she turned to face Gunnar.

“And you’re the one they call the Prophet,” he said.

She swallowed hard, eyes narrowing. “And if we are?” she questioned. Her hand was on her sword now, in case he caused trouble.

“You are,” Gunnar said. “I had my suspicions when I first picked you up, but my suspicions were weak enough, filled with enough doubt, that I couldn’t be certain. I am now, though.”

Almost in the blink of an eye, Aethelind had drawn her sword and grabbed Gunnar, holding the sword to his throat. “If you breathe a word of this, you’re a dead man,” she hissed. “We’ve come too far now to let a merchant be our downfall.”

Gunnar swallowed hard as he looked down at her sword, and then into her eyes. “I won’t tell,” he promised. Her eyes stared back into his, debating on what he said.

“Ivar,” she called, without turning. “Do you believe this man?”

Ivar hummed from his place on the back of the cart, having turned to see what was happening. Gunnar looked to him, fear evident in his eyes, and Ivar chuckled darkly.

“I believe him for now,” he said. “And there is no one here for him to tell, anyway. Let him live.”

Aethelind pulled her sword away, and sheathed it. “We continue on,” she told Gunnar. 

He nodded and, heart pounding, moved to guide his horse once more. Aethelind returned to her place sitting at Ivar’s side.

“I tried to warn you,” he said.

She replied, “Shut up.”

The first and only warning to Gunnar came that night, as the three were eating dinner as they always did. Aethelind had asked where the nearest town was, acting as if she were merely curious, or hoping to get some better supplies then. Gunnar had, out of fear of what would happen if he lied, answered her honestly.

They finished their meals and settled in for the night, with Aethelind curling up against Ivar’s side as had become habit for the pair.

Once Gunnar had fallen asleep, Ivar turned to whisper to Aethelind, “We need to break off from him. He is a risk now that we cannot take.”

She nodded a little, and rolled up so she was looking down at Ivar. If Gunnar woke, so long as she spoke quietly, it would appear to him that they were merely sharing a moment, that perhaps Ivar and his Prophet had… more than a strictly professional relationship.

“I agree,” she replied. “I’m going to get your braces. Put them on, and get ready to leave with your crutch. We’ll get rid of him and take his money. We can use it for something in the next town.”

Ivar nodded to agree with her plan, though secretly, he was concerned about her willingness to do something like this. Gunnar had never been unkind to them- quite the opposite, in fact. He was a kind man, one who didn’t deserve what was happening to him. But that was the tragedy, wasn’t it? Aethelind hadn’t deserved to lose her closest friend, at his hands.

With his approval, Aethelind silently got up, brought his crutch and the lighter of the braces, and then returned with the heavier. He began to put them on as he watched her go to Gunnar, and kneel beside him. He was sleeping on his back, blissfully unaware, and she swallowed.

Ignoring the twisting in her heart, Aethelind prayed silently for forgiveness before she unsheathed her sword, and slit his throat. His death was mercifully quick, and would have been painless for the most part, assuming he never woke.

She searched his body for money, and found some, which she tucked away on her person before going to his cart. Finding the rest of the money he had stashed away, she put that on the horse, and released the cart from her.

The sound of Ivar’s crutch approaching told her everything she needed to know, and she turned to see him approaching her, on his feet once more. Admittedly, she was glad to see him walking again. It felt good to see.

“Why are you taking the horse?” he asked her, and she answered,

“We’ll sell her. The more money we have, the better.”

Ivar nodded, and they set off down the road once more.

As it turned out, Gunnar’s directions to the next town had been entirely accurate, and once there they easily sold his horse to the first stable they found, and collected quite a large amount for her.

There was an inn in that little town, and so Ivar and Aethelind chose to stop in there for the night. They got warm meals and a cup of ale each with some of the money, but their presence had drawn attention. Even if news of the events in Kattegat hadn’t yet reached this far, people knew who Ivar the Boneless was, knew how to recognize him by the braces he wore on his legs, and the crutch he required to walk. Like Gunnar, they couldn’t be certain of the man in this inn’s identity, but they could have their suspicions, and they could discuss them as such.

Aethelind bought them a room for the night, keeping to the story that they had initially given Gunnar, and they were provided the key along with their meals. She noticed the gazes of many people on them, but one particular group of people caught her eye. It was a group of men, all armed, and they were almost unnerving. Not enough for her to heed Ivar’s warnings not to approach them, but enough to actually make her feel the need to do so.

“So, what are you lot, then?” she asked, stopping at their table and leaning on it. The men sitting there chuckled a little as they looked up at her.

“I can be a king if that’s what you want, sweetheart,” one of them answered, but the glare from her shut him up quickly.

“Met kings. Fought kings. Titles don’t impress,” she said sharply. “I asked what you are, not what you could be. Are you lot sellswords?”

“We are,” one confirmed, and she looked to him then. “You looking to buy?”

Without so much as a word, she put the coin purse she’d pulled from Gunnar’s body on the table, and watched them all look at it.

“Meet me back here in the morning,” she said. “I’ll tell you what we need, and if you choose to let us hire you, I’ll give you half the rest then. The full amount will be paid upon completion of service.”

“See you in the morning then, Princess,” the one who seemed to be their leader almost sneered. Her own sword was pulled and pointed at his throat in a flash.

“Call me that again, and you don’t live to see a coin more,” she threatened, and then returned to Ivar. “Erik, let’s go.”

Ivar got up and followed her to their room, shooting a glare at the man who’d attempted twice to flirt with Aethelind. He took her hand with his free one to make a point.

Finally getting to shave off the beard he’d grown on this journey was something Ivar hadn’t realised he’d looked so forward to, but he really had. He’d done it while Aethelind was getting into bed, so when he came and got in beside her, she laughed and ran her fingers over the freshly smoothed skin.

“Ivar the Boneless,” she quipped. “Welcome back.”

The next morning, they met the sellswords and struck an agreement. They would travel to the end of the Silk Road with Ivar and his Prophet, which Aethelind and Ivar had elected to confirm for them were their identities, and ensure they arrived safely. It ended up being the fame of having served Ivar the Boneless which won them over, and so they set out.

Using some of the money they had left, Aethelind bought something of a rolling seat for Ivar’s use, which they attached to one of the horses the sellswords had. Settled in, they continued their journey north.

One night, as Ivar and Aethelind laid how they always did, he found himself unable to sleep. The past months were replaying in his mind again and again, along with the argument he and Aethelind had had.

He didn’t realise she was awake, when he first began to speak to her. Her face wasn’t visible with the way he was holding her, his chin resting on the top of her head. They hadn’t been this far north yet in their travels, and he was glad for the extra warmth she provided. Unknown to him, she was also glad for the extra warmth he provided.

Aethelind thought, perhaps, he had unknowingly saved her. She hadn’t brought any of her furs from Kattegat, any of the thick dresses she had gained while there. Only her sword hung at her side, and as they travelled, his cloak wrapped around her shoulders. He’d given it to her to wear after the first night they’d shared its warmth. And so throughout the day, it was as if his warmth protected her from falling to the cold. And at night, she knew it may as well have only been his warmth which saved her.

But, it was also her warmth which saved him. The way her eyes had pleaded with him to go, to escape from the longhouse, and to escape Kattegat before his brothers came, was incredible. He had always remembered the softness in her eyes when she said goodbye to him, when they were still children in Wessex. This was the first time he had seen such softness reflected in her eyes again. That day, she had promised to miss him. And then, years later, she promised not to lose him.

Ivar couldn’t understand why. She had seen the worst of him, as King of Kattegat. Everything he did there, those he killed for no purpose, those he’d had killed, what he’d done to his own son…

He swallowed hard as he tried to shut out the memories of Baldur’s quiet cries in the forest, and later still the dead silence when his cries of hunger and thirst finally ceased, until it was broken by Freydis’s sobs at the loss of their son.

As if the closeness to her could chase these thoughts away, Ivar pressed his face into her hair, before taking a deep breath. The way she shifted, as if to accommodate his movement, made him swallow hard.

It was so like her to silently accommodate, to do what needed doing without a word, and it was just the right thing to push Ivar over the edge.

Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he held her tighter to himself, and he would never know the way her heart ached as she felt him let out that first sob. Nor would he know how she hated the pain in the words that spilled from his lips.

“Why did you do this?” His words were barely a whisper, and yet so clear to her, as clear as ice. “After all I have done, why do you stay, hm? I killed your closest friend. She died by my hands, her blood stains my hands, and yet you choose to follow me into the cold and dark?” His voice was rough, and cracking, under the emotion, and just slightly irritated, as if he felt weak for the display. She knew his voice well enough now, just as well as she knew him, to know he was not angry with her, but himself, at the regret in his chest.

He continued, “I cannot understand you. You came to me disheveled, having struggled to be at my side, after the pain I caused you. You think I missed the betrayal in your eyes, when you came to my side. So why do you stay? I called you a prophet, but I begin to believe you truly must be so. What do you know that has not yet come to pass? What have you seen?” She swallowed back the tears that wanted to fall at his broken pleas for answers, the strangled confessions that only barely escaped.

“Why do you gift me with your loyalty? I don’t deserve it… I don’t deserve you, my sweet Shieldmaiden. My Asta, I don’t deserve you.”

That one word, Aethelind had not yet learned. Asta. Her mind pondered its meaning even as Ivar fell asleep beneath her finally, until the steady rise and fall of his chest eventually lulled her to sleep as well. But until then, no thought filled her mind other than what that word might have meant, and why he had called her by it.

Asta- from the Old Norse ást (n.) meaning, “love”.

--

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#ivar the boneless #ivar x oc #vikings #vikings history #history channel vikings #not today #chapter twenty-one #ivar's heathen army #ivar ragnarsson #alex hogh andersen #ivar x ofc #ivar x original female character #ivar x christian!oc

[aswallowssong]

Second Child, Restless Child

Chapter 9 - The Devil Whispered Lies

@valkyrie-5583

Read on AO3

If I told y'all I got engaged and that's why this chapter is literally a billion years late, would that make it better??

Jokes aside (not really a joke, I did get engaged, I just hid it in the notes a few weeks ago) spring break is one week away for this teacher, and my goal is to write a whole bunch so I can not have to post chapters like... 2 months apart.

Let me know what you think of this one!! Have a lovely day!!

Continuation of chapter 8 - Heaven Knows How Hard I Tried. The Keystone Killer has given Kit a lot to think about; including some things she wasn't quite counting on.

Kit wasn’t quite listening when they walked back into the precinct. Her conversation with JJ earlier in the day had helped. If JJ had met pushback, but now she was allowed to be a full part of the BAU team, she should stand up for herself. The director himself saw all of her reports, she could tell Ramos she disagreed with him. Especially if, for the time being, her work was good enough for the literal director of the whole FBI.

But her talk with Hotch outside of Harbin’s house hadn’t done her a lot of good. Her mind was still reeling from the events of the last hour, she still hadn’t slept since Friday night, and it was actively Sunday. 

What brought her back to reality was Morgan’s voice, deep and steady at the front of their group. It caught her up to the present so quickly she almost stopped short, which would have sent Hotch right into her.

“Well, that's got to be a first. A killer actually leading us to another killer.”

“Come on,” Gideon said from further back, “we all know they make the best profilers. They admire each other's work.”

“Ya, but usually from afar,” Elle said as they spilled into the conference room.

Kit didn’t even let herself imagine sitting down. There was no way she would be able to stay awake when she had nothing of value to add. At this point, she was waiting to get back on the jet and back to her apartment. The image of Claudia was twisting in her mind, and she couldn’t help the desperate need she had to see Monty face to face.

Hotch didn’t let her stay in her head for very long. “At least we got Harbin off the street. All right, let's review. What do we know about the Keystone Killer?”

He’s killing women at an alarming rate.

“Well, we know that he's not dead or in jail,” Elle offered.

Gideon continued. “Enjoys taunting the game.”

“Ya,” Morgan agreed easily. “He's in complete control.”

Reid was quick to add on, statistics rattling from him easier than Kit was even keeping her eyes open. “He strangled seven women in the 1980's, stopped for eighteen years, and then began again suffocating them. Ten percent of all violent crimes are caused by strangulation, it only takes eleven pounds of pressure to fully incapacitate your victim and if you hang on for at least fifty seconds, they will never recover.”

“Yeah,” Kit said, stopping short once she’d realized the words had come from her mouth, not someone else’s. Everyone’s eyes were on her, and she took a moment before she voiced the fact her brain had produced for her, however reluctantly. “It’s one of the most lethal forms of violence. Victims can be unconscious in a matter of ten seconds.”

Hotch shook his head, confusion pushing from his before he said, “When you suffocate someone you actually have less control over their death. It's actually more passive because the killer doesn't feel the life leaving the body.”

“He's changed almost everything that he does,” Elle said. She was lost, mild annoyance and confusions coming off her in waves. Elle had joined the team just as JJ did, and Kit wondered if she ever felt as completely baffled as she herself felt.

In that moment, it felt like the answer could be yes, and that was comforting.

Gideon took over then, speaking to them as a whole in a series of questions. “Why why why why? What? I mean, what's he getting out of this new M. O.? Where's his payoff? You got Carla Bromwell, she sustains a significant head injury. Blitz attacks suggest disorganization, no self-confidence. This is a guy who walks into seven victims' homes prior to this. There was no forced entry at any of the scenes. Where's the loss of confidence?”

There was a beat of silence, and she really hoped anyone had any idea. It was moments like these that made Kit feel the most out of her element. She had no idea why the Keystone Killer would want to kill anyone anyway, how could she know why he would change his methods?

“He would never change the way he kills by choice,” Ryan said, breaking the silence.

“What?” 

Ryan spoke again, confident in a way the rest of the team lacked. “We've been operating under the assumption that he purposely changed his M. O.”

It was like something physically snapped into place. Kit looked around as everyone was suddenly much more engaged. 

“You're saying he changed because he had to change?” Gideon asked.

“He knocked her unconscious. And it wasn't to scare.”

Elle seemed to be catching on, and Kit wished selfishly she wasn’t. “Because he couldn't control her physically while she was awake.”

Ryan nodded. “He could be incapacitated.”

Gideon latched back on. “At least partially.”

“Maybe an injury.” 

“Or a stroke,” Hotch added, and Gideon started nodding. “Either way you're gonna have to have medical records. Agreed?”

It took her more than a few seconds to notice that no one had said anything else, and she looked over at Gideon, who was looking directly at her.

Why is he looking at me? He never looks at me? We have a spoken rule to not look at one another during cases so why is he looking right at me?

“Colghain?” he said, and she shook her head. He most certainly was looking at her for an answer, and everyone else had gone quiet so she could answer.

“Yeah.” She said, and she saw Ryan raise an eyebrow in annoyance before she stumbled over herself to continue her answer. “Yeah, yes, sorry. Yes. There would be injury reports, charts, notes, scripts. It’s a lot of records, depending on who your doctor is and what hospital you’re at.”

There was another pause before they were all nodding, taking in what she’d said and running with it.

Morgan was first to speak. “Okay, so what are we talking about? This had to have happened after the middle of 1988 in Philadelphia?”

Gideon nodded, first at Kit, and then to Morgan. “Somebody who fits the rest of the profile.”

“It's a lot of hospital records,” Reid said, also looking towards Kit, who nodded her affirmation. “There’s hoards of people going into ERs every day for exactly those sorts of things. It’ll be a huge pool.”

He smiled at her, and she found herself taken a bit aback, but returned his grin with a shy one of her own.

“Call our girl Friday,” Gideon said, directed to Morgan, and as the flurry of movement and new hope danced through the room, she found herself feeling much less tired than she did before.

She’d been helpful. Gideon had known she was an expert about something and asked for her agreement and input before simply inserting a thought. 

Her feelings were incredibly jumbled as she stood there, waiting for directions. Gideon’s affirmation made her feel better than she thought it would, considering they didn’t usually talk if not to argue. JJ’s conversation still lingered in the back of her mind, and she wanted to talk to Ramos. If JJ could stand up to the coms department and get what she wanted, why couldn’t she stand up to Ramos?

But Claudia filled the leftover space in her consciousness, and she didn’t know if she could fight for more time with the BAU, or to try to be more fully integrated, or whatever it was that she actually wanted if the cases were going to stay with her.

To scare her. To make her feel like she needed to know that her sisters were alright, even though there was no way to do that while knees deep in a case. 

What do you even want, Kody? What do you want?

She didn’t have an answer for herself.

-----

Kit stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of the precinct and splashed another cupful of water onto her face, holding her cheeks in her hands a moment before looking up at her reflection. 

You look exhausted.

Monty’s voice, as always, chided her. Sometimes she wished the voice of her overinvolved consciousness was her brother Al instead. Alaska couldn’t be bothered over things like that. His biggest qualm in life was the fact that his name was Alaska, and it had been quickly remedied by Ari telling him he could just go by Alex at school. 

You’ve got bigger problems than that. You’re having a moment in a police precinct in Philly while the rest of your team waits on a comprehensive file to be faxed. 

A feeling of dread shot through her chest at the realization that Monty didn’t even know she was gone. She’d been so tired and so incredibly thrown by Garcia’s text, and then Hotch’s insistence that she was on the jet that she hadn’t thought to walk down and tell Ari she was leaving. He’d been on the clinic floor; out of sight, out of mind. Then she was on the jet, and then at the crime scene. 

She hadn’t even sent a text. 

Hell, she hadn’t even really slept since then. Her time in the jet and her few minutes in the car were nowhere near what she needed, and with all the feelings and thoughts she had flying around her head, she was surprised she hadn’t crashed. She was definitely feeling “Big Feelings,” and she didn’t have time for it.

Ari and Monty always helped the big feelings. They had to be wondering where she was. Why hadn’t they called her? Or texted? They had to be worried. Girls didn’t just go missing in the middle of the day.

But they do. And worse, they’re murdered too. Right out of nowhere for no reason at all. People are sick, Kody. They kill for pleasure. They kidnap for pleasure. They’ll take anyone at any time. 

She had her phone out and dialed in record time.

“Penelope’s hotline for all things truth. Speak and know.”

“Garcia.” She swiped at her eyes. When had she started crying? “I need a favor.”

“Oh, Kit, hey.” Her voice was as sunny as always. “I’ve got that file almost through, the medical was-”

“It’s not about the case.”

There was silence on the other line for a moment. “Oh?”

“If I gave you the first and last name, could you trace a cell phone?”

“A cell phone? As long as it’s registered to the same name, yeah, I can. Why?”

“Virginia.” She said. “Virginia Colghain.”

She didn’t know why she picked Ginny. Something inside her said that Seese, George, and Lina would be at home with their mam. Ginny lived in the city, and Kit couldn’t call her. 

Ginny didn’t know she was in the field. Ginny didn’t even know she’d been paired with the BAU.

“Where should it be? Just so I know what I’m looking for.”

“Probably the US Attorney's office.”

“Which branch?”

“The one in the district. On fourth street.”

Garcia hummed as she typed, the clicking of her keystrokes halting as she said, “Wait. Wait, Colghain?”

Kit bit her lip. She was sort of hoping Garcia wouldn’t notice. 

Which is stupid, because of course she’d notice.

“Yes.”

“Virginia Colghain?”

“Yes, Garcia, can you track it or not?” Kit glanced at herself in the mirror, letting her reflection ground her. She tugged at one braid, and then the other with her free hand before wiping at her eyes again.

The clicking started again before Garcia said, “Virginia Colghain’s phone is, in fact, inside the US Attorney’s office on fourth street.”

Kit breathed a sigh of relief. While it wasn’t proof that Ginny was okay, it certainly helped Kit’s nerves. “Thanks, Penelope. Sorry about that.”

“Sure, my sweet clover. But, why don’t you just call her and ask where she is? I’m going to assume that’s one of your many many siblings.”

Because I haven’t quite told her I’m working with the BAU now, or going in the field again, and I’m not ready to have that conversation with her just yet, considering no one knows but Ari and Monty.

“I don’t want to interrupt her at work, I just needed to know she was okay.”

Garcia was quiet again before saying, “You know, we’ll get him. My system has faxed almost all the papers now, and then you can go bring him in.”

Kit took a breath, glancing again at the reflection in the mirror. She almost didn’t recognize the face staring back at her. Had she always looked so sad?

“Thanks, Pen,” she said quietly. “I, um. I’ve gotta go.”

“Go fight crime, clover. But, hey,” Penelope’s voice took on a different quality. A serious one. “You and I should talk when you get back.”

She sighed, but nodded. “Okay… bye, Penelope.”

Kit hung up the phone.

Ginny was fine. She knew that it was a given, and she probably just looked like a crazy, paranoid moron, but she also knew deep down that Penelope didn’t care. Maybe she understood.

Before she could convince herself otherwise she hit the first position speed dial, pacing a bit in front of the sinks as it rang.

“Dia dhuit?” Came Monty’s groggy, listless voice over the line, and Kit nearly burst into tears at the combination of her sister’s voice, her real voice, and their mother tongue.

“Monty.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Where are you? Thought you were in the living room, but I only hear you on the phone.”

Kit wiped at a stray tear trailing down her cheek. There was no way she was keeping it together when she finally got home.

Monty’s accented Irish was thicker than it normally was. Her voice was lower too, telling of the fact that she quite possibly woke her twin up. She bit back a bit of guilt, her own voice launching into a language just for them.

“I’m sorry, I woke you, didn't I?”

“It’s alright, I’ll go back when we’re done. Where are you?”

“Are you feeling any better?” She was stalling. “When was the last time you took-”

“Dakota.” Kit stopped in her tracks. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Everything is fine.”

“But why are you crying?”

Damn it.

She tried to keep any tremor out of her voice, but she knew Monty would always be able to tell. “I’m not.”

“Why are you calling me, crying-”

Kit sighed, her pacing stopping dead in its tracks as she tried to keep herself together. “Everything is okay. I’m not hurt. I’m fine. Everyone is fine. I needed to hear your voice.”

The coughing across the line was grating, and then, “Kody, where are you? What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

“I…” Kit started, steadying herself with a hand on the counter. “We’re in Pennsylvania.” 

“You’re what?” 

“It’s fine, I had to leave overnight. We’re on a case.”

“You didn’t call,” Monty said, obviously upset. “You didn’t even send a text. Ari was at the bureau last night, too, why-” She cut herself off to cough, the line being muffled as Monty pulled away from the speaker.

Kit ran her hand down her face. This wasn’t the conversation she needed to be having. She should have called Ari. He tended to be a little more level headed when he was upset. 

“Why wouldn’t you say anything?” Monty finally asked, voice much rougher than before. “What if something happened?”

“Nothing is going to happen,” Kit said, her voice more steady than she felt it should be. “I’m sorry, Mont. I’m so sorry. I know I should have told you.”

“Why…” Monty trailed for a moment before she said quietly, “Why did you call now?”

Claudia’s face flashed to the front of her mind, and then Monty’s; the reflection of her own staring back at her in the mirror. 

“I needed to hear your voice. I had to know you were alright.”

Another moment of silence passed before Monty asked, “Something happened, didn’t it?”

Kit sighed, sniffling quietly before letting out another, deeper sigh. “I don’t know if I can do this, Mont.”

The door to the bathroom swung open, JJ standing on the other side.

“Hey, the whole file finally came through, we’re meeting in the- are you crying?” 

Kit’s head whipped around to look at JJ square, and she hastily wiped under her eyes. “No, I, um. I’ll be right there.”

JJ tilted her head, but nodded and shut the door again. The air between the twins crackled quietly before Kit cleared her throat.

“I have to go. I… hopefully I’ll be home tonight. I’m sorry, Montana. I am.”

“Kody, wait-”

“I love you, Mont, I’m so sorry.”

“You can’t just say those things and then go put yourself in danger! You can’t do that to me! I-”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I-” The door to the bathroom was pounded on. “Lep! Let’s go!”

Derek.

“Dakota!”

“I’m sorry. I love you.”

Before Monty could say anything else, Kit snapped her phone shut. 

------

Her leg bounced as she sat in the SUV in between Reid and Elle. She was twisting at the hem of her shirt, and some of the threads had ripped and stretched. It was keeping her from pulling on her hair though, so she didn’t care about that. Ginny could sew it for her when they got back to DC.

If Ginny’s still there. Anyone could grab her at any time. Anyone could-

“Are you okay?” Reid asked quietly, his eyes locked on her fingers as they tugged at the material.

She stilled her hands immediately, feeling the concern dripping from his tone.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just… tired.”

“You could probably sit out if you need to,” he said, not noticing the way her face had started to heat up. Everyone in the SUV was actively pretending they couldn’t hear their conversation, but Kit knew better.

“I don’t need to,” she said quickly. “I just want to get home, so the faster we cuff this creep, the better."

"Because of your sister?"

"What?"

How could he have possibly known what you were thinking about Ginny? Did you say something? Did-

"Your sister's sick, right?"

She stared at him for a moment before it clicked. He wasn't talking about Ginny. Of course he wasn't, the only one that knew about her minor meltdown was Garcia. Monty being sick was common knowledge. 

"Oh," she said. "Yeah. And because he's, you know." She gestured vaguely. "Murdering women."

Elle laughed quietly next to her, nodding as she said, “Right, there’s that. We’ll get him. Right, Gideon?”

“Oh, we’ll get him,” Gideon said, sending more anticipatory energy into the world than usual. Kit didn’t have to think about the implications of that, though, as the SUV came to a halt outside a two story home.

They got out of the van quickly, all thoughts of Monty and going home gone as they strapped into Kevlar vests and double checked their weapons.

“I believe Walter Kern is in Sylvia Gooden's home now,” Gideon said, addressing the five of them and the SWAT captain. “Hotch confirmed he left the community center hours ago, and Kern's car's parked on the next block.”

“I want Walter Kern alive,” Ryan said quickly, and the SWAT captain nodded at his request. “I'll stand by for the word.”

“Reid, Greenaway, I'll call you when we've secured Kern. Morgan, Colghain, you’re with me and Ryan. Okay, let's move out.”

“Yeah,” Elle said, watching them as they walked away, Kit trailing just behind. 

It didn’t feel right to her that she was going and Elle was staying back, but that was one of the reasons she was even on the team.

Or, working with them, at least. There’d been too many conversations surrounding that topic for her to understand her feelings about it.

They crept towards the house, pausing as the SWAT team pried the door open. Gideon led and Kit held the rear, covering and watching to make sure that nothing happened to them. Team or not, they were her responsibility.

They weren’t in the house for very long before they could hear Gooden crying for help on the second floor. Every movement they made was succinct, and within seconds they were in the room.

“Don't move! Don't move!” Gideon yelled, all weapons drawn at Kern as he tried to hold a plastic bag over Gooden’s face.

They scuffled for a moment, Morgan able to knock Kern’s gun out of the way before holding his arms behind his back. “Down on your knees! Down! Don't move!”

Kit held her gun steady, shifting into a position that allowed her to still have a sightline on Kern; at least until he was cuffed. Not that she believed he could get out of Morgan’s hold.

Gideon spoke quickly into the com, letting Reid and Elle know that Gooden was alive, and Kern was secure.

Morgan struggled a bit to keep Kern’s hands together, and Kit didn’t change her aim. “Cuff him, Morgan.”

“Gideon, I need your cuffs, man,” he said over his shoulder.

Gideon didn’t move right away, but Kit didn’t take her eyes off Kern. She couldn’t until she knew he didn’t have any chance of getting away.

“Why don't you do this? I'll take care of her.” Gideon had spoken to Ryan, who had clearly been soothing Gooden until that moment. 

"That's enough. Now get up,” Morgan said, passing him off so Ryan could cuff him. “You got him?”

“Ya, I got him,” Ryan said, and Kit lowered her weapon as she heard the click of the cuffs secure around Kern’s wrists.

“Colghain,” Gideon said, “Some help, please.”

Kit turned quickly, realizing that Sylvia Gooden, who had just been nearly suffocated, was still crying and panicking with flex cuffs around her wrists. 

She wasn’t done yet.

The two steps to the bed were swift, and Gideon stepped aside as she spoke to the traumatized woman. “Hi, my name is Kit. I’m a nurse, and I’m going to check and make sure you’re okay. Is it alright if I touch you?”

Gooden looked up at her for a moment before she nodded stiffly, taking a deep breath before dissolving into hysterics. 

Kit grabbed her hands and squeezed gently, giving the older woman a small smile despite all the crazy going on around them.

“You’re going to be okay,” she said. “I promise. It’s all going to be okay.”

-----

Kit sat next to Reid on the jet, which was odd, because she normally tried to keep herself as far away from everyone as possible. She’d gotten a very strange read off of Hotch, though, who had secluded himself in the corner she usually would have taken, so she figured the conversation would keep her awake if anything else.

It didn’t stop her from propping a blue notebook open in her lap and tapping at it quietly with her pen. They were laughing at a story Ryan was telling about Gideon that made him seem almost human, and the laughter she shared was genuine. Gideon had stepped aside for her to take the lead with Gooden, which meant he was going to be true to his word when they were in the field. Stay out of each other’s way, and things will be fine. 

She just hoped it would last.

“What goes in that notebook?”

She looked up at Reid’s voice, noticing that while she’d allowed herself to be in her own head for fifteen seconds, everyone had splintered into their own conversations. Elle had even walked away from them, and was now engaged in a quiet conversation with Hotch.

“Hm?”

He nodded down at the blue notebook in her lap. “What goes in there? I’ve only ever seen the red one, and that’s where you write all of our medical information, and things that happen to us medically during cases. Like when I was sick in New Jersey. But that didn’t happen this time, nothing did, and that notebook is blue, and it’s much more worn, and -” He stopped short, frowning. “I’m rambling.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, it’s alright. I don’t mind. I was waiting for you to be done before I answered your question.”

Reid’s eyes widened a bit, his jaw dropping for just a moment before he seemed to right himself. “Most people don’t wait until I’m done.”

“It’s a skill I picked up in college. It’s hard to help someone if you won’t listen to their entire story.”

“Huh,” he said. He seemed to think on that for a moment before he said, “So, what’s it for?”

She blinked up at him. “Oh.”

She hadn’t thought she’d actually have to answer. She was sort of hoping that he would talk himself in circles until he was on another topic completely. He’d done it a few times over the short time she’d known him.

“Oh?”

“Well, it’s sort of personal,” she settled on.

“Like a journal? A diary?”

If he noticed she was blushing, he didn’t let on. “A little bit, it’s like-” She stopped short as she saw JJ move from her seat towards the coffee machine, and her brain flipped a completely different switch. “Sorry, I need to talk to JJ,” she said, and before he could protest, she’d dropped the notebook on her seat and was across the short length of the plane.

“Hey, JJ,” she said, causing the blonde to turn around and smile. 

“Hey, coffee?”

“No, actually I-” She hadn’t quite thought the rest out. “I um.”

She found her hands grabbing for the ends of her hair, but she stopped herself before she could start tugging. She was far too late on her meds, which were officially out of whack, considering the fact that she hadn’t slept in two days. She wasn’t even sure what day it was.

“Is today Sunday?” She said, which was not at all how she’d intended to start the conversation she wanted to have. 

JJ laughed. “I have no idea. Maybe? When we left it was the middle of the night, so I would need to check my phone.”

“Right,” Kit said, easing a bit and giving a quiet laugh of her own. “I um. Well, I wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said.”

JJ tilted her head, eyebrows pulling together. “What I said?”

“What you said about pushing back.”

“Ah,” JJ said, eyes flashing with recognition. “And?”

“I… Claudia really threw me.”

Her head tilted before she said, “The woman they found under the bed?”

Kit shivered. “Yeah.” She didn’t regard the moment with fondness. 

JJ didn’t seem to notice. She thought for a moment before shrugging. “I heard Morgan telling Gideon that you were incredible with her. That you didn’t leave when EMS got there because she didn’t want you to.”

Kit shook her head quickly, deflecting the praise. “I didn’t really do anything. She just… I don’t think she wanted all those men around her without another woman around.”

“And you were that woman for her.”

Kit stopped for a moment, watching JJ’s eyes soften. She was going to deflect again - insist that she’d done exactly what anyone else would have done, but something stopped her. 

“I want to be here,” she heard herself saying. She hadn’t had time to process it herself, but it seemed she was going to do it outloud, in real time. “I want to be a part of this, but I’m scared. Because there will be more Claudias. And more Sylvias… And more Kerns.” She moved a hand to play with the seam at the hip of her slacks. “And we won’t always get there in time. I won’t always get there in time.”

The two women stood in silence for a moment before JJ reached out and took Kit’s right hand off her braid, squeezing it gently between her own fingers.

“But we’ll always try. And sometimes?” She shrugged. “We win.”

Kit took a deep breath, allowing that thought to fill her senses. Sylvia Gooden was alive. Claudia was alive. Kern lost. 

“I think you should talk to Hotch when we get back. Not now. You look exhausted.”

They both laughed, Kit’s a little lackluster. “It’s that obvious?”

“You’ve got two black eyes.”

“Damn.” Kit shook her head, averting her eyes from JJ’s before saying, “Thank you. For listening and telling me what you knew and for making me feel like I deserve to be here.”

JJ nodded, saying simply, “You do.” She gestured to the coffee machine again. “You sure you don’t want some?”

Kit laughed, shaking her head again. “No, really, I shouldn’t. My body doesn’t know what time it is already, I think that would put me in dangerous territory.”

She stood on the Red Line platform, struggling to keep her eyes open. She pinched the skin between her thumb and forefinger, trying anything subtle to get her from point A to point B as quickly as possible. It was already dark, and she didn’t need to fall asleep on the train, or worse, while standing and waiting for the train. 

That would really cap this weekend. Falling asleep on the train, missing your stop, getting abducted…

“Do you have a headache?”

“Ah!” She jumped, turning over her shoulder and swearing loudly. “Reid, what the hell?”

“Sorry!” He said, ducking just a bit, as if he was worried she was going to strike him. “That pressure point is effective in relieving headaches, grounding panic attacks, and quelling nausea. Are you sick?”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not- I know exactly what this pressure point is used for Spencer, what the hell are you doing here? At my train stop? Again? I told you that I don’t-”

“I wanted to make sure you got home safely,” he said quickly, cutting her off before she could really get going. The anxious sincerity flooding off of him stopped her long enough for him to continue. “The odds of being accosted on the Red Line are significantly lower than the Blue, but you’re exhausted, and this case made you nervous, so I just wanted to be sure you…” He slowed, a dark flush rising in his cheeks. “Got home safe. Which I’m sure you can on your own, because your field scores dwarf mine. I, um…”

He had stuttered to a halt.

He’s embarrassed. And he wanted to help you.

She didn’t have time or energy to process the fact that he’d most definitely profiled her. The sentiment was sort of touching.

Sort of, as far as Spencer Reid was concerned. 

“This… isn’t a Gideon thing?”

Reid chuckled quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets. “No. It’s, ah, a me thing. Gideon offered me a ride home, but I said no.”

She tilted her head at him, frowning as the train squealed into the station. “No shit?”

He laughed again, shaking his head and offering a small smile, his cheeks still flushed, but relief in his eyes. “No shit.”

“...Fine. But only because I’m really tired… You know, you could have said all this, or offered, in the bullpen, right? You didn’t have to follow me to the train like a stalker.”

The blush flooded his cheeks again, and he shrugged, unable to meet her eyes. “I didn’t want you to yell at me or something in front of everyone else.”

Her heart sank. 

Look what you’ve done, Kody. You made him anxious to be alone with you because he thinks you’re some crazy person that’s going to fly off the handle.

Well, aren’t you?

“I wouldn’t do that, Spencer,” She said, starting towards the train door. “I appreciate the concern… thanks.”

He looked up, eyes flashing a combination of relief and hesitance. “Oh. Yeah. Ah, yeah, sure.”

They sat down inside the train, Kit immediately leaning her head against the window. She sighed, closing her eyes.

Maybe Reid isn’t so bad. Maybe he’ll stay quiet, or read the whole way and you can actually get a short-

“You know, there’s a staggering amount of germs on the window on a DC train. Approximately 45% of people…”

-----

Spencer stalked away from her door, his long legs making him look somewhat like a baby giraffe as he turned to descend the stairs. He gave a last, incredibly awkward wave.

“See you tomorrow, Dakota,” he said.

She fought back the instinct to groan. “Bye Reid, thanks.”

He grinned as his head slipped below her sight line and she let out a sigh, her entire body seeming to settle into exhaustion. It was late, and dark, and hopefully she would be able to slip into the apartment and deal with her siblings in the morning before she left for work. She’d talk to Monty then, and Ari at the clinic, and everything would be fine.

She’d need to call Ginny, but she could do that in the morning as well. She needed to sleep first. Sleep, and then deal with whatever came.

Her hand fumbled a bit with the key as she tried to fit it correctly into the door, eyes dry and tired and brain scrambled. The residual jittery, anxious feeling of both the case and messing the the time on her medication wasn’t helping her fine motor skills, and she’d nearly resigned to search through her backpack for the flashlight she kept when the doorknob was ripped away from her hand, the door flying open. 

Something hard slammed into her body, arms wrapping around her in a vice grip and knocking the wind out of her.

Instead of words, there were hitching sobs from her attacker. Congested sounding, sad, and overly frustrated, matched with hot tears that were falling onto her shoulder. She took a breath, wrapping her arms around Monty and holding her as close as she could.

“Shh, it’s okay, dair, I’m okay,” she mumbled quietly, feeling her twin’s arms tighten around her. 

“Don't… ever do that,” Monty managed, voice gravely and tearful. “Never, ever.”

“Oi, Mont, what-” Ari turned the corner, making eye contact with Kit over their sister’s shoulder. She watched physical tension release in his shoulders. “Ah. Okay. Mont, deirfiúr, come in and close the door. She’s okay. We’re fine.”

The mixing of languages wrapped around Kit, filling her like a breath she hadn’t taken in days. Monty let go, rubbing furiously at her streaming eyes as she walked back through the door, settling down on their couch and curling herself into a ball.

Ari pulled Kit through the door, looking at Monty and shaking his head. There was no need for the mix now, they could speak as they did among themselves. “Ah, no, get up. Come on. She’s tired, you’re sick. Bed. Now.”

Kit didn’t know how it happened, but they all ended up in Ari’s bed. Granted, it was the biggest. He didn’t share a room, and he was significantly taller than both she and Monty had ever hoped to be. They’d slept all together as children often, and when they were first living in the district on the floor at Ginny’s, they ended up in some sort of pile of limbs the nights they all worked the same shifts. 

Now they rarely did. Six months before when they were back at home after Al needed to get his appendix out. A year before that when their Grandad had died. Before that? She wasn’t sure she remembered. 

Monty’s head rested on her chest, quiet congested snoring coming from her in even breaths. Her face was flushed; from fever or crying, Kit wasn’t sure.

She’d been nearly pulled into Ari’s lap, and now her head rested on his stomach, rising and falling just slightly as he slept. 

Regardless of how incredibly exhausted she was, she forced herself to stay awake and listen. To feel them breathing. To be sure they were there, and alive.

JJ’s words played in her head. 

You do.

She deserved to be with the BAU. She deserved to be there.

Her senses focused back in on her cúpla, and the stress she’d caused them. The fear. The anxiety.

But do you really want to be?

-----

It's me again!

The plan right now is to make each season (year?) a different story, with a different song as the title and lyrics for the chapters. I'm a music person, this is the only way I operate.

If you've heard a song that made you feel feelings, hit me with it!

#Brenna writes things #or at least she tries #Second Child Restless Child #SCRC #Criminal Minds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #Gaelic/Irish #OC #female oc #it happened y'all I'm posting again #let's hope it sticks

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

Fire Keeper: Chapter 3.5

Douxie x fem reader

Chapter 1

Masterlist in bio!

Series Summary: You are Jim’s older sister who is taking a break from college and has moved back home to Arcadia. You end up joining Jim and his friends on their adventures. Chapter 3.5 Summary: Douxie's perspective of the bookstore scene.

"Er, hi Douxie," you said and though Douxie wouldn’t admit it, he was surprised to see you in the bookstore. He had meant to put up an ‘on break’ sign, but he had forgotten to do that and now you had seen Archie with his glasses on.

Douxie was pretty sure you were a sorceress. When he helped you up at the cafe a while ago he was sure he felt a spark of magic in you, but it could have been his imagination and he didn't want to take any chances. He had to think fast for an excuse as to why Archie was wearing glasses so he put them on.

“Oh, that’s where my glasses went. I’ve been looking all over for them!” He explained, letting out a nervous chuckle and hoping you bought the lie. “Anyways, how may I help you?”

You just stood there for a while not saying anything and Douxie tried to give you time to process, but he found himself growing nervous. He always seemed to do that around you.

“Um, I’m looking for old books,” you said and Douxie nodded, relaxing slightly now that you had said something.

“Right this way.” He waved his hand and began walking down the staircase slowly. Archie had a rather strong prescription and everything was blurry.

He turned to step off the staircase, but instead rammed into the banister and fell to the ground.

That’s what you get for not closing the shop and for rushing down the stairs, he thought to himself. And now I’ve fallen in front of Y/n. It’s like I’m back in Camelot.

He heard you call his name in alarm and was flattered that you rushed to help him up.

“Thanks.”

“Are you sure those glasses help you see?” You asked jokingly and he let out another nervous laugh.

He didn’t know what to say so instead of answering he led you to a bookshelf. “These may interest you.”

You fell into an almost trance, staring at the books and ignoring everything else, including Archie who had laid down at your feet.

Douxie began to sweep, but he noticed that as you slowly made your way through the self, you didn’t pick out everything. He also noticed that you only picked the ones that related to magic.

It didn’t confirm his theory, but when Archie gave a slight nod of his head Douxie was more sure you were a sorceress.

He decided to take a risk and went to grab an old book that he used to study out of before Merlin wrote him another one.

“Here what about this one?” He asked, handing you the ancient blue book.

After leafing through it you turned back to him, “How much?”

“It’s on me,” Douxie said trying to think of a quick explanation. “We’ve had this book forever and no one seems to want it. Getting rid of it will open up space for more.”

You scoffed, “No way, you’re working three jobs just to make ends meet. Here.” You handed him some money and before he could argue, you hugged him. You pulled away before he could hug you back.

“Anyways, thanks,” you mumbled and he could tell you were embarrassed. He was sure he was blushing.

“Anytime,” he replied.

You opened your mouth to say something else, but your phone rang before you could. Douxie went back to sweeping to give some semblance of privacy, though he could still hear your side of the conversation.

“Hey, is everything okay?” You asked, your voice filled with worry.

You waited a beat before speaking again, “Okay send me the address.”

You said goodbye and then hung up. Douxie felt himself grow concerned. “Is everything okay?”

You gave a tired, yet happy smile, “Yes. My brother just worries me sometimes and I always assume the worst.

“Again, thank you,” you said heading towards the door, book in hand.

“Anytime,” Douxie said as you left. There was definitely something about you and he hoped to see you again soon.

****

Tada! I definitely enjoyed writing this and there will definitely be more Douxie half chapters to come. Chapter 4 will be out either Tuesday or Monday, hopefully Monday. I hope y'all are having a fantastic weekend and thank you for reading. Stay safe!

Chapter 4: https://writings-of-a-daphodil.tumblr.com/post/627400894674288640/fire-keeper-chapter-4

#douxie imagine #douxie x reader #douxie #toa douxie #wizards douxie #trollhunters #trollhunters imagine #wizards #wizards imagine #toa #toa imagine #tales of arcadia #tales of arcadia imagine

[castielific]

Fancy and the Tramp

Yes! I just finished this one actually, so it's not technically a WIP anymore and the first chapter should be posted this weekend. Anyway, here is an extract to tease you until then, I hope it'll make you want to read more ;-)

 *********************

Dean's eyes bulge out, "That's way more than five hundred dollars."

"There's also an advance in there to buy some clothes for the engagement party."

"The what now?" Dean blinks dumbly for a second until his brain catches up to what is happening. "Dude, no, I'm done!" 

"You were the one to push it so far in the first place," Castiel reminds. Accuses, really. 

"I just wanted to eat fancy food, okay! Not, like, go steady."

"There will be lots of food at my sister's engagement party," Castiel tries to persuade. Badly. 

Dean gives him a nonplussed look. The cash feels heavy in his hand. He's never had so much before. This could help him get a new start. What's a night of playing Downton Abbey compared to the many many nights he might not have to freeze his ass off in the backseat of his car thanks to it?

"Why are you even doing this anyway? And why would you choose me? Do I look that desperate for cash?"

"No," Cas says after what's definitely a too long pause. Dean scowls. "You were in front of me in the coffee shop line. I heard you talking on the phone. You said you needed some cash to buy a new outfit for a job interview. Begged, really."

"Where the fuck do you get on listening in on other people’s conversation?" 

"I didn't listen, I just heard."

"You know, what? Fuck you," Dean spits, "I don't need that bullshit in my life right now." He has enough cash to get to Austin and replenish his stock of food, even buy some new clothes. At least this way he can keep his dignity rather than being insulted by a bunch of rich assh-

"Please," Castiel begs, following him as Dean storms away. "You don't understand…"

"Oh I understand perfectly," Dean says, stopping and turning around so brusquely that they nearly bump into each other. "You think you can shit on other people from your high horse and that they'll still do your deed for a few hundred bucks. Well, I'm not your freaking puppet, man."

"I have never shitted on any-" he stops himself with a frustrated groan, before turning on the puppy dog eyes. "Dean, please. Listen to what I have to say at least?"

"I know what you're gonna say. I've seen that movie before, Cas. You're going to bring me to that party, so you can parade me around like I'm some earned price or some shit. Meanwhile you get to appease mommy dearest and the clan of hyenas putting pressure on you to find a husband, while still having the satisfaction of giving them a huge fuck you by bringing a guy like me instead of the golden boy they're dreaming of."

"I-" Castiel stops himself, pursing his lips. "That's actually not that far from the reality."

"Of course it isn't. Told you, I've seen that trope before. Except this is real life and your plan sucks, so you can keep your money and I'll keep my dignity. Just grow a pair and tell them all to fuck off, will ya?"

"You sure do like saying that to people," Castiel sulks. "Are you sure you can't do it for me?" 

"Oh believe me I would love to tell your mom to fuck off, but I like my balls attached to my body, so that's a hard pass."

Castiel laughs slightly at that and Dean can feel his own anger start to abate at the sound. "Good self-preservation instinct on your part," Cas mumbles. The puppy look is still there, except now it's making him feel like he's kicked the puppy.  

"You know, we're in the 21st century, right? You shouldn't feel pressured to the point of inventing a boyfriend. Who gives a shit about that nowadays?"

"My family does," Castiel answers in a long sigh. "You don't get it, how could you... I have three brothers, Dean," Castiel explains. "Two sisters. My little sister, who is just nineteen, just got engaged. I was already seen as the irremediably unwed one and now I…," he pauses, sending a nervous look at Dean, looking ashamed.

"Oh come on. How hard can it be? You're rich, objectively good looking. Do you have weird kinks or something?"

 "I-I wouldn't know. I've never even been in a relationship before," he confesses, looking at the ground.

"When you say 'relationship', you don't mean you've never…" Dean inquires. Cas' cheeks redden, and Dean blows like he just got punched. "Wow. That sucks."

"Yes, it's very pathetic."

"What? Eh no, it's not pathetic. Surprising, yeah. But, to each their own, you know?"

Cas inclines his head like he's not sure he does know. 

"I'm sorry I tried to drag you in all of this. You seem like a good man. You don't deserve-"

"-to be served on a platter to your family?" Dean asks, searching Castiel's gaze until they exchange a smile. 

"Yes. That." The man is still looking dejected. The money is still in Dean's hand. That duck really was good. Damn it.

"The food better be freaking awesome," Dean relents with a frustrated grunt. Castiel seems instantly relieved. "And you're not pretty woman-ing me," he warns, pointing a finger at the other man. "I'm choosing my own clothes and I don't give a shit if I don't know which fork to use for fish."

Castiel's head is tilted and he's blinking owlishly, like he doesn't understand a word that Dean is saying. Figures. He's not sure how he could convince anyone that he's this dork's boyfriend, honestly. Naomi certainly looked like she wasn't fooled. 

"I'm sorry for the way my mother behaved toward you. I assure you, being yourself will be amply sufficient to the task."

"Dude, the way y'all talk, where do you come from, Victorian England?"

"I-I don't think I have English ancestry, no. Why?"

They blink at each other for some time. 

"I must be a freaking masochist."

Cas' face scrunches up even more in incomprehension. 

"Okay, let's be clear on one thing from the start. This is not a lifetime movie and I'm straight, so: no falling in love, get it?"

"I get it, Dean," Castiel nods. 

Well, that's it then, apparently Dean is going to a fancy engagement party with his new boyfriend. What a weird day...

#destiel fic #destiel #deancas #dean/cas #dean/castiel

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 4

I post a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

Warning: implied smut

Word Count: 4,806

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

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CHAPTER FOUR

“If you two don’t stop eye fucking I’m gonna have to call HR,” Andy whispered with a smile in Zoey’s ear, hip checking her as he passed.

Zoey forced her eyes off of Brett from the other side of the bar and felt around her chin to make sure she hadn’t drooled. Two weeks had passed since they had slept together and the sexual tension between them only seemed to grow. Flirting only barely seemed to get her by and Andy consistently pointed out that she was staring again.

“Why don’t you just fuck in the storage room and be done with it? Y'all are making me horny just looking at you two,” Andy dumped ice into a shaker and started mixing a drink for a patron.

Zoey finished weighing out the last of the liquor for inventory and looked at him incredulously, “Why would you put that in my head? Do you think anyone would notice?”

Andy stopped what he was doing and stared at her in disbelief before rolling his eyes dramatically and finished the cocktail. She had gotten her set schedule after the first week, having the same schedule as Andy and work overlapping typically by the second half of Brett’s shift, except Mondays. Mondays were her only early shift day with Brett, ending at 9 PM, and were usually slow, so the night seemed to drag. Luckily, with her new schedule she’d be off Tuesdays and Wednesdays and she works late shift the rest of the week which means more patrons and more tips. And since she worked at a high end bar, most people tended to tip really well. A little cleavage helped, too.

The only downside to working nights was that no one was really home during the day. The only time the girls had was around dinner to catch up and chat, and they had weekends during the day time if no one made plans. But, Aurora’s been really busy with photo and video shoots, interviews, and meetings, and even though Nancy didn’t work a typical nine to five office job, she was still really busy piecing her work together in her room or out of the apartment for a meeting or to prepare fo some kind of deadline with her manager. 

Luckily, her hours matched up with Harry’s schedule pretty well, even though he was on the other side of the country. At night, he obviously had a show to perform, usually while Zoey was at work, but the rest of his day typically consisted of either traveling, small meetings with his tour team, rehearsing, or all three. Still, he always found time to respond to her texts.

Their friendship was strange because they’ve only known each other for two weeks (three if you count the one day they spoke when she first moved in), but it feels like it’s been much longer. She often had to remind herself that he doesn’t know her family and never met Michael, Katie, or Jess whenever they talk about her home life, which was often.

At least once a day, without fail, Harry would ask her to tell him more about Jess, or a memory that she was fond of growing up. The questions always came at the perfect time and he seemed genuinely interested to hear what she had to say, engaging in the conversation. It helped Zoey to talk about Jess - it made her feel as though her best friend’s memory wasn’t fading. That someone cared enough to learn and talk about her in a positive way.

A brief phone call with her family made her realize this when her mom started crying that she missed Zoey and compared her daughter moving across the country to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis losing their daughter in a car accident; that she doesn’t get to see her anymore. Zoey knew she didn’t mean for it to be so insensitive, but her mom got an earful after that. 

During a text conversation with her little sister, Katie, Zoey was filling her in on her outings with her new friends and a simple ‘you deserve to have nice friends again. Jess would have wanted it. I’m happy for you.’ made her bawl, though she’d never tell Katie that. Instead, she ran to Harry to talk about it.

She noticed during one of their chats the week prior that Harry was the only person she’d talk to about Jess without crying. And to prove her point, she had a quick catch up with Michael, and just the memory of the three of them together made her get emotional. It could have been because Harry didn’t know her personally, or because he’s been through similar situations, but she was grateful for the opportunity to involve Jess in a conversation without sobbing by the end of it. 

Herself and Harry had started doing this thing where every time they were being hard on themselves or feeling particularly down, they’d send each other a GIF, video link, or text of a random quote from ‘The Princess Bride’, which always seemed to keep them in check.

Brett started making his way over to her and she hastily got back to work, having some banter with a few of her regulars and grabbing them another glass of beer when she felt a firm hand on her lower back. She drew her attention upwards to Brett who grinned at the men and charmingly joked, “Hello, men. Zoey treating you alright?”

“As always,” they nodded, holding up their newly filled glasses, “She’s our favorite server here.”

“They’re only saying that because I give them beer and let them talk shit,” Zoey smiled at them, shooting them a friendly wink.

“See what I mean? Can’t ask for much else,” one of the men laughed.

Andy overheard the conversation and in passing added a, “she’s just an angel, isn’t she?”

But the men must not have picked up on the sarcasm because they responded, “Yes, she is! Makes no sense why you’re single.”

“Relationships?” Zoey fed into them, “No way. I just got out of a four year relationship. I don’t need to be trapped again so soon.”

It’s not that she didn’t enjoy her relationship with Michael. She did, and he was a lovely guy. It was just her way of communicating with her patrons; by mirroring and matching. It’s how she was able to bond and build relationships so quickly, especially with her regulars. These two in particular loved to talk shit on their wives, so Zoey found ways to add to the conversation without antagonizing the subject. And her favorite trick when having these conversations was to turn their mindset around before they left. Little things to make them ease up on their spouse. Something along the lines of ‘That’s a nice shirt. Did your wife get it for you? She’s got great taste, you look amazing in that!’ or ‘Your wife made you spaghetti for dinner? Lucky guy, I don’t know many women who know how to cook anymore’. Usually little white lies like that made them feel better about their wives without her actually having to say ‘shut the hell up and be nice to your wife, you old dingbat’ and she usually got better tips by the time they left.

The men raised their glasses in agreement to her statement and Brett turned his head to the side, wordlessly asking if he could borrow her for a moment. They stepped towards the back of the bar, doing a quick once over to make sure Andy didn’t need more assistance before he leant against the edge of the counter cooly and asked, “Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yeah. Your shift ends at 9 PM, too, right?” she asked, earning a nod. She continued, “Okay, everyone else will probably take a little longer to get there. Jake and Melissa are gonna be picking up some food, and Andy left a few things at his apartment he needed to grab. So you can always head over with me after work, or meet me there later.”

Nancy had flown back home over the weekend to celebrate her friend’s wedding and spend time with family, and Aurora had gone to Virginia for a shoot where Harry was coincidentally doing a show in the town over which allowed her an opportunity to see him in concert and spend some time with him before he left for the next city in the morning, so Zoey used the empty condo as an opportunity to invite some new friends over for a game night, with her roommates knowledge, of course. All of her friends worked with her on rotating days, so they were used to the hours.

“I’ll just go with you. It’ll be easier that way,” he said casually before his lips twitched upwards, “You know, if you wanted alone time with me, all you had to do was ask.”

“Shut up,” Zoey giggled, playfully hitting his chest.

The rest of their shift steadily got more quiet, slowing out to only six patrons in the bar by the time their shift was over. Andy, Brett, and Zoey clocked out and headed towards the employee parking lot around back. 

“I’ll call you when I’m five minutes away. You better not miss my call to let me in ‘cuz y’all are busy humpin’ on the kitchen counter,” Andy shook a key at them with an eyebrow raised, causing the two to laugh.

“I don’t screw where the food goes,” Brett responded, “but the couch is a different story.”

“Nasty,” Andy scrunched his nose at them before getting in his car and starting it up.

Zoey led Brett to her car, slipping into the driver's seat as he rounded to the passenger side. A few stray hairs had fallen from her messy ponytail and she smoothed them back, turning the AC on low fan. Evenings in May seemed to be fairly cool in LA so far. The stereo bluetooth automatically connected to Zoey’s phone and began playing ‘Are You Bored Yet’ by Wallows, which startled her, quickly turning down the volume. Being in such a confined space with Brett made her nervous. He had a distinct smell of beer and coconuts, which seemed like an odd mix, but somehow it worked. She could really stand a few shots right now to ease the tension. Too bad she was driving.

“So what’s the deal with your roommates? They out?” Brett asked as they pulled onto the freeway.

“Yeah, Nancy’s with her family and Rory is in Virginia for work. She might actually be with Harry right now, though,” she noticed the time, doing quick math and realizing it was Midnight on the east coast and Harry was probably done with his show by now, remembering he said he had some kind of after party planned with a few of his band mates and tour members, which she thought was weird for a Monday night.

“Wild that you’re all friends with him. But it seems like everyone knows everyone in LA, so I shouldn’t be surprised. So what’s his deal? Are they dating?”

When he put it that way, she did find it a little crazy. She never put too much thought into the fact that she knew Harry Styles, let alone was on a friendly communicating basis with him. She supposed it was just because of the timing when they met, she wasn’t in the right headspace, so by the time they started getting close, the shock and exposure to him had already sunk in and didn’t seem new.

“Uh...kinda? I don’t know, it’s complicated,” Zoey responded. 

And it was true. She honestly had no clue what was going on between Harry and Rory. Honestly, she didn’t even think they knew what was going on with each other. She couldn’t blame them, though. They were both super busy at the moment and their hangout today would only make it a total of five times they’ve seen each other in person. She wasn’t even sure if they had an actual date yet or not.

Brett nodded and a moment of silence filled the car. She felt him staring at her and he shifted his body towards her letting his elbow rest on the center console, his muscular arms so big that they lightly brushed against hers. She did a triple take, the pull of his gaze too strong to ignore, “What?” she asked, putting a hand on her cheek to conceal her blushing.

“You should go on a date with me.”

“What?” she sputtered. He was so straightforward and his confidence in his statement took her off guard. Brett was about to repeat himself when it clicked and she said, “I can’t go on a date with you.”

“Why not? Was I that bad in bed?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” she joked. Brett gasped in mock disappointment and she continued, shaking her head, “We work together. I don’t want things to get sticky at work. Besides, I was serious with what I said tonight. I just got out of a four year relationship. I’m not ready to jump into another one right now. Especially not the first guy I sleep with.”

“It’s a date, Zoey. Not a marriage proposal. We can keep it casual if you want. I just like spending time with you, that’s all. Please? Just one date.”

Zoey paused in contemplation. The idea of keeping things casual with Brett did sound appealing. It reminded her of Nancy and Cade’s situation, almost like a friend’s with benefits. No strings attached. She wasn’t opposed to it. If only Jess were here right now to see a sexy Australian man begging to go on a date with her. Twenty five years in Pennsylvania and she barely turned heads, but a week in LA and she’s getting hit on daily by successful, attractive men and her sexy foreign coworker? The move and personality upgrade was really working out for her and she was kicking herself for not listening to Jess sooner.

“I don’t know...”

“If it’ll make you feel more comfortable we can do a double date with someone. Andy and whoever. Or even Rory and Harry. Whoever you want.”

Zoey pursed her lips in contemplation, “Okay, I’ll think about it.” He smiled widely and Zoey quickly added, “Don’t get your hopes up. I haven’t said yes yet.”

“Good enough for me,” Brett said, a smirk spreading across his face, “So what are the odds of me getting you back in that bed tonight?”

“Slim to none,” she snorted.

“...So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

Once at her condo, Brett took a seat at one end of the sectional while Zoey quickly straightened up and drug out a few games from Nancy’s stash, with her blessing. It didn’t take long for Jake and Melissa to show up with a few two liters of soda, three boxes of pizza, and some wings for everyone to enjoy, and as soon as Andy arrived, twenty minutes later, they all dug in while catching up and joking about different work related instances.

They were in the middle of trying to decide if they wanted to play ‘5 Second Rule’ or ‘Incoherent’ when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She struggled to pull it out of her tight black pants and saw a text from Harry. Opening it, she saw a GIF of Princess Bride with the quote that read ‘Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something’.

Zoey snorted, typing back, ‘Okay, melodramatic. What happened? Didn’t get a big enough crowd at the concert tonight?’

She placed her phone face down on her thigh and laughed at Andy who was mocking Brett’s accent because he didn’t want to play ‘5 Second Rule’, which Brett was fighting hard for, listing all the pros and cons to the game. Her phone buzzed again, once, twice, and on the third buzz she got confused, thinking he was sending her rapid texts at first, only to turn the phone over and see that Harry was calling her. She hadn’t expected a call from him, and they never spoke over the phone with each other before like he did with Nancy and Rory. Her friends realized she had gotten a phone call and turned to look at her as she stood up.

“One sec,” she called, heading down the hall.

“Hurry! I need you to back me up so we don’t have to start out with this stressful, dumbass game!” Andy called after her.

She heard Brett quickly retort, “You just don’t like it cuz you can’t think quickly!” and a cracking noise that sounded almost like a slap before slipping into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Warily, she answered the phone and whispered, “Hello?”

Harry’s deep, exhausted voice sounded through her phone, dramatically quoting another line from Princess Bride, saying, “Fezzik! Listen! Do you hear? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when Rugen slaughtered my father.”

She laughed, pacing the length of her room, her brief feeling of shock being replaced with curiosity. “What could possibly have gone wrong at…” she checked the clock and quickly converted the time difference on the east coast, “Almost 2 AM? Where’s Rory?”

Harry groaned, “We got into a fight.”

“Well...did you do something stupid?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal at first, but it turned into one apparently.”

The more he spoke and the more she heard his voice, the more it started to hit her who she was talking to. She wasn’t a huge follower of his, but she was a fan enough to have heard him speak in videos and interviews that to be able to have these kinds of conversations with him and it be normal knowing that they were friends was hard to wrap her head around. Even so, hearing his voice over her phone wasn’t as startling as she thought it should be. In fact, it felt more calming than anything else.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Well, after the show, Rory came backstage and I was introducing her to some people and said, ‘This is my friend, Rory’....”

“....Okay?” Zoey urged, waiting for him to continue. But he didn’t.

“See?! It wasn’t a big deal! But she got upset that I called her my friend and was being sort of quiet and when I asked if she was okay she just kind of went off asking me how I could introduce her as a friend after we just had sex and after I flew out to see her twice, and accused me of leading her on and all this stuff.”

Zoey listened, continuing to pace the room as Harry ranted. When he finished, she cleared her throat and spoke carefully, “Well...Harry, she’s not entirely wrong.”

“You think I was leading her on?!” Harry sounded more hurt than offended. “I just introduced her as my friend and she got mad. I wasn’t lying. She’s not my girlfriend. What else was I supposed to say?”

“Exactly. She’s not your girlfriend. And who’s fault is that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look, you know she likes you. And you obviously like her, too. I mean why else would you fly across the country to spend one day with a person…”

“I do it all the time,” he defended himself.

“Okay, Mr. Perfect. The point is, you two already act like a couple. You talk almost every day. You’re not seeing anyone else but each other - at least, as far as I’m aware. Don’t you think it’s possible that she’s been waiting for you to ask her out and make it official, and by you introducing her as a ‘friend’, you could have just invalidated her entire impression of your relationship and where it was headed?”

Harry sighed, and after a moment to process he breathed, “I didn’t mean to invalidate her feelings. And it’s not like I don’t want to date Rory. We talk all the time, yeah, but I still don’t know her that well and I didn’t ask her to not see anyone else. We haven’t even been on a date yet. Plus, I just don’t want to start a relationship in the middle of tour when I have two months left. I’ve been doing this enough to know that travel can really hurt a relationship. Most people can’t deal with the distance and time restraints. Maybe if she’s still interested by the time the tour is over, then we can maybe talk about making things official. I’m just not ready yet.”

“Trust me, I get it. But did you tell her that?”

“No.”

“Well you need to tell her something so she doesn’t feel like she’s wasting her time. Don’t just leave her hanging like that.”

“I can’t ask her to wait for me. That’s not right. I want her to do it because she wants to, not because I’m dangling the promise of a possibility over her head.”

Zoey pursed her lips, understanding what he was saying while rummaging through her dresser for pajamas to change into, “Just tell her that you’re sorry and you understand where she’s coming from, but that you don’t want to rush things, especially while you’re in the middle of touring, and if she’s okay with it, the two of you can just take things one day at a time and you just want to get to know her more for now. Just be honest with her, Harry. Give her the benefit of the doubt. She’s a very understanding person.”

“Yeah, you’re right. That sounds good,” Harry responded, the words clicking in his head.

A knock on the door startled her and Andy’s muffled voice echoed through the crack, “I got them to agree on ‘Incoherent’ first, so hurry the hell up!”

“Be right there!” Zoey called back.

A gasp was heard from her phone as Harry muttered, “Shit! I forgot you were doing game night tonight. I’m so sorry for interrupting.”

“It’s fine. It only just started. There’s not many of us.”

“Is Theo there?” Harry quipped, the nickname Harry gave Brett made her laugh. Ever since he mentioned that Brett looked like Theo James from Divergent, she wasn’t able to unsee it.

“Yeah, he’s here,” she giggled, quickly changing out of her work clothes and into some sweats, fixing her ponytail.

“What’s going on with you two anyway?” Harry asked, “Are you dating, or just flirting still?”

“Funny you should mention that. He asked me on a date earlier.”

“Really? You gonna go?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t want anything serious right now, but he says we can keep it casual.”

“So...friends with benefits?” Harry pressed.

“That’s why I’m not sure. I don’t know how I feel about it, especially with someone I work with. But it’s only one date. I guess I could see how it goes. He did say that we could go on a double date if I’d feel more comfortable and suggested you and Rory. But I know your schedule’s gotta be insane with the tour and you’ve already flown back enough times.”

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m actually off for three days next week. I had plans Tuesday morning, but I could probably fly out right afterwards and head back Thursday. So maybe Wednesday night we could all go out?”

“Really? You don’t have to if it’ll be too much for you.”

“No, I want to. I told you, I do it all the time. My team will hate me, but oh well. It’ll be fun. I should probably go fix things with Rory first, though.”

Zoey laughed, “Good idea. Good luck.”

They each said goodbye and Zoey threw her phone on the charger before making her way back out to the living room. She took her spot back next to Andy and she smiled, excited to start the game with her friends. She felt proud of herself as she took in the scene, seeing her small group of friends laughing and joking together. She felt like she was finally starting to build the life she always wanted for herself. She never had this many people who she genuinely cared for and that cared for her in return. Sure, she had Jess and Michael, but that was really it. Zoey was finally creating a little family away from her family and it felt good.

After a few more games, everyone was beginning to get tired so the group decided to settle down with a movie. Zoey had dozed off, her head resting on Andy’s lap with her body curled into a ball. When she stirred awake it was nearly 3 AM and she noticed everyone else had passed out. Brett was in the corner and Jake and Melissa were cuddling on the other end. Her mouth was dry and tasted of cotton. Carefully, trying not to wake Andy, she slipped off of the couch and tiptoed towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

The blue light on the fridge dispenser illuminated as a steady stream of water poured into her glass. It looked so clear and refreshing that her mouth started salivating at the thought of it when she heard a shuffle behind her. She jumped, turning to see Brett padding his way in, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Jesus!” she clutched her chest again. How was she so easily scared?

He ignored her shock. “Can I have one?”

Zoey passed him the glass she had just poured and grabbed another glass for herself, filling it up with water. Brett gulped it down and let out a breath of air when he finished it before she had even raised her cup to her lips. She raised an eyebrow, sipping at the water.

“Tonight was fun, huh?” he asked in a low voice, leaning against the counter.

Zoey nodded, putting her half drunk glass of water down, “Yeah, thanks for coming.”

“We should do game nights more often. Nancy and Rory can join next time, too.”

“They’d love that,” Zoey agreed, taking another sip of water.

After a moment of silence, Brett spoke up again, “So...have time to think about that date yet?”

The water went down the wrong pipe and she struggled trying not to make a scene of choking, holding it in. But her eyes water as she spoke, “Yeah, uhm,” she caved and cleared her throat, continuing, “Yeah, I actually talked to Harry. He’s the one that called earlier, and he said he was down to do a double date next Wednesday, if that’s okay.”

It was hard to look at Brett when he smirked like that. He must have pulled so many girls by that look. Actually, she KNEW he pulled so many girls by that look from the amount of numbers he got at the bar. And honestly, she didn’t mind. It’s not like she saw a future with him. But he was hot and she trusted Brett enough to have a little fun with him.

Jess’ words kept replaying in her mind, again. ‘It’s fun not having strings attached’ and ‘Have fun, but be safe.’ Zoey thought about those exact words every day since she last had sex with Brett and how right her friend was. It’s not that she needed to have sex, but the liberation she felt by just being able to have sex with who she wanted and when she wanted was something so incredibly exhilarating and indescribable. She knew that a commitment was never a requirement to have sex, and she was reminded of this often by Jess, but it took her best friend dying and her moving across the country to really understand that. And to see Nancy, her kind, fun, carefree roommate, doing what she wanted to do and not worrying about what others might think really broadened her outlook on sex and intimacy.

Brett’s mouth was moving, and she knew he was talking, but Zoey couldn’t hear a damn thing. All she could pay attention to was his dark, mysterious eyes and his juicy, plump lips and how badly she wanted to taste them. Fuck it, she thought, grabbing him by the shirt and standing on her tiptoes to smash her lips onto his. He flinched, shocked by her abruptness, but quickly pulled her closer to his solid chest. When she finally pushed away from him, her heart pounded and her lips were already damp from his. Zoey could feel her body tingling from her knees up to her eyes as she craved someone, anyone’s touch. Brett could be enough for now.  

“Let’s go,” she urged, looking up at him through her eyelashes. 

Still stunned and unable to find the words to say, Brett nodded, mouth still agap, as she led him towards her bedroom.

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[mama-m1na]

Apocalypse: Chapter 11

~~~XI~~~

The next two hours were filled with cousins just playing various board games and card games with role play aspects.

The first game they played was Town of Salem in which one or more players acted as witches and tried to kill off the townsfolk without being caught and killed themselves.

Even if he wasn't playing and only vaguely paying attention, Cloud could tell that everyone in the family got very into their games as accusations of witch were thrown around right off the bat.

Some of the things that left the mouths of the family members and the things they called each other could have been a bit concerning, but the blond just brushed it off as some sort of odd family dynamic of theirs.

How could he not just write it off as that when the ravenette received such odd comments only to throw her own witty remarks and laugh about it afterwards with a large smile on her face?

After about a month of residing in this new world, the ex-SOLDIER had begun to differentiate between the different faces the ravenette wore and he was getting used to each one, especially the one he was seeing at the moment.

The girl currently wore such a carefree smile on her face as she just took the time to enjoy the games with her family instead of fussing over the next move as the leader of a post apocalyptic survival group.

It was the same smile he saw when they were in San Diego, watching those animated movies she loved so much; or when he would catch her just hanging out with her proclaimed children of Apocalypse; or even when she was just getting into trouble with her sisters, though the last one was quite rare.

Unfortunately, those smiles were usually fleeting, the male noticed as she would almost immediately return to work within the next five minutes.

Her expressions turning blank as focus shifted entirely to updating databases, researching; or in recent times, trying to locate the main base of Scyphozoa.

According to the passing conversations he'd heard in Apocalypse from those who worked in Arcaeus, the ravenette would spend all three to five hours, depending on the day, of her shift just sitting at her computer without stopping unless she needed to be called down to take care of a pushy customer.

From what Cloud has heard, this kind of behavior wasn't very healthy for the teen since she has been known to have stress induced panic attacks in the past and although she hasn't burned out yet, many knew it would happen if she didn't take a break.

'I guess that's another plus to this,' the blond thought with a sigh as he watched the teen interact with her family, 'She's finally not working.'

It was at that moment the front door opened to reveal a male with tanned skin, a wide nose, and short black hair.

"Zyrus, you finally made it!" Ariel chuckled as the others cleaned up the last game that they had just played, walking over to give the older male a hug.

"Yeah, they had me working overtime and I had to find my fucking laptop," the male sighed, gesturing to his backpack, "Apparently I left it at home and had to drive back and grab it."

"That's rough, buddy," Zach said, patting the male on the shoulder as Rhamina stood up and brought Cloud over to him.

"Zyrus, this is Cloud, the one I was telling you about," she introduced with a bright smile as medium brown irises scanned the swordsman.

"Definitely looks like he ain't from around here," the male chuckled before nodding towards the hallway behind the living room, "Come on, we can talk in the guest room."

Just before the door shut behind them, Zyrus popped his head out at the ravenette and asked, "All the software in the plants is the same, right?"

"Same as it was four years ago," the eighteen-year-old confirmed, earning a nod from her older cousin before he shut the door, "Hasn't changed a bit."

With a sigh, she returned to her seat on the couch as one of the older females pulled a small box out of her purse and handed it to her.

"Here you go, Rhamina," the woman spoke as the teen raised a brow at the box, "I know you really like calligraphy and stuff."

Rhamina's eyes lit up as she opened the box to find an elegantly packaged glass bottle of the most beautiful purple ink she had ever seen.

For years the ravenette was known to be a stationary elitist, only writing with fountain pens or extremely fine point gel pens imported from Japan, so when she saw the gorgeous purple ink with glittering silver flecks, her heart just about imploded.

"Oh my god, Christelle, thank you so much!" she squealed, hugging the glass bottle to her chest as a joyful chirp threatened to leave her throat.

"Now the love letters you write to Cloud can be all pretty and shit," the woman's husband chuckled, causing the teen to choke on her breath as she frowned at her cousin-in-law.

"Um, no, that's not how this works," she spoke in quick succession as she pointed a warning finger at the Irish male.

"Yeah, she's going to walk straight up to him and confess like a man! Right, Rhamina?" Andrew asked as he patted her back.

"Listen, whatever y'all think you're seeing, it ain't there," the ravenette chuckled with an annoyed grin as her eyes swept over her relatives, "Y'all are fucking blind if you think you're seeing something."

"That statement is bullshit," Vince's older brother said before turning to the others, "Alright, who's ready for D&D?"

"Y'all are nerds," the eighteen-year-old scoffed with a playful grin, "You want to have some real fun, go out and fight an actual dragon."

"Rhamina, you of all people, do not get to call us nerds," the male known as Jay scoffed as everyone set up and took out their various dice sets.

"As someone who has fought and killed actual dragons, I beg to differ," the ravenette huffed, leaning into the couch cushions as she took out her phone.

"Wait, when the fuck did you fight a dragon?" Zach asked as everyone turned their attention to the teen on her phone.

"And how the fuck did you fight one before me?" Jay asked in shock, "I'm a fucking bounty hunter and I haven't even fought a dragon yet!"

"And I'm an Apocalypse leader that has access to more resources than you do," the female shot back, "The second time, it was to help a friend's boyfriend so he could harvest it's bones to make her a weapon."

"What about the first time?" Kayla asked, very intrigued by her younger cousin's experiences.

"I, uh," Rhamina started as her eyes widened at the memory and turned back to her phone, "We don't- we don't talk about the first time."

"You can't just bring it up and not tell us about it," Vince said as he played with his character figure, "It couldn't have been that bad."

The ravenette let out a ground and sat up before saying, "You see, we were exploring some caves and I may or may not have gotten separated from my group... I felt something coming up from behind me and thought it was my friend, so I threw my shoe at it."

"You threw your shoe at a dragon, didn't you?" Andrew asked as he covered his face with his hands to hide his groan.

"Yeah, I threw my shoe at a dragon," she replied in a strained voice with an embarrassed smile plastered onto her face.

"Oh my fucking god," Christelle's husband huffed as he looked over at her, "What did you do when you realized?"

"I did what any normal person would do," the teen chuckled nervously, "I stared it dead in the eyes for a good two seconds and went, 'Oh shit'."

"Are you stupid?!" Jay chided as he stood up out of his chair, "You could have died like that!"

"And I almost did!" the teen retorted, her voice wavering in tone and pitch, "but that was two years ago and I've learned my lesson!"

"How come you didn't say anything about this sooner?" Ariel asked as they started shifting their attention back to the game they had yet to start.

"It just never came up," Rhamina shrugged before a small smirk crept onto her face, "Plus, y'all never asked."

About half an hour into Zyrus' and Cloud's conversation, Andrew entered the room without any warning and handed the blond a familiar cell phone with a purple case covering it's matching body.

"Don't give this back to Rhamina until you guys get back to the Abyss," he spoke as an upset looking ravenette appeared in the doorway.

"Cloud, don't listen to-!"

Andrew shut the door on her before continuing, "As soon as we turned her back she immediately opened work documents and started on them again instead of taking some time off."

The twenty-one-year-old looked at the phone and then back up to the male before nodding and slipping the device into his pocket, ignoring the words of the upset female from the other side of the door.

As soon as the door opened again, Rhamina walked straight up to Cloud with an expectant look on her face while her cousin left.

"No," he said, already knowing what she wanted, turning back to Zyrus as the female let out an offended gasp.

"Cloud, you know I need that," the ravenette huffed with a small glare, "If there's an emergency back in the Abyss then I need to be contacted immediately."

"If something happens, then I'll tell you," the male replied, earning a small whine from the teenager before she exited the room.

"She's going to get you for that, you know," Zyrus commented with a chuckle as he opened a new file on his computer.

"She can try, but this is better for her," Cloud sighed, "With the way she's been working, I'm surprised she hasn't dropped yet."

Brown eyes shifted to look over at the ex-SOLDIER before the older male gave him a small smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for looking out for her," he spoke before standing up, "You have no idea what it's like, not knowing what's happening to her when she's in that line of work, but it's comforting to know someone is there for her."

Cloud only watched as the male left as well, saying that he was going to get some food before continuing on with their conversation.

As he was left alone, the blond just thought back to the conversation he had with Zyrus as he stared at the open computer.

According to him, the whole point of the generators and plants was to gather enough magical energy in order to force open a tear to another world; however, the way it was being done was absolutely horrific.

Living beings, all of which held some amount of magical energy, would be thrown into the generators and drained, killing them in the process.

Fortunately, in his time working in the plants, Zyrus found an alternative, albeit harder, way to open a doorway or create a tear.

Theoretically there should be creatures in the world that had enough individual power to do so, but the issue would be finding a willing one, or even finding one in the first place.

Suddenly, the male was hit with a wave of pain as images flashed through his head once more.

A familiar figure was laying before a large pile of rubble before she slowly sat up, wrapping an arm around herself to try and slow the bleeding from a large gash in her side.

The female wore all black and had two black fans hanging at her hips from special holsters on her belt.

Once the girl was standing up, she let out a huff before tying her straight, black, hair into a low ponytail that ended at the middle of her back.

The sequence ended with the slightly shorter teenager walking off while clutching her side before she brought her phone up to her ear.

Cloud was brought back to reality by the sound of the door opening to reveal Zyrus holding his food and Rhamina who held two plates of food.

"Here," she said handing one of the plates to Cloud before going to sit down on the twin sized bed next to the couch he was sitting on, "It's around dinner time, so eat."

"What are you?" Zyrus chuckled as he took a bite of the pancit that was on his own plate, "His mom?"

The ravenette let out a quick snort, looking down to her food before saying, "Not his, but to other kids in Apocalypse, hell yeah, You have no idea how many of those fuckers didn't have a proper meal schedule."

"I'm guessing you did something about it?" the older relative asked, earning a nod from the female as she took a bite of her own meal.

"Fuck yeah I did!" she replied after swallowing, "If they aren't eating properly, then they could just lose focus or drop during a mission and I refuse to have that shit!"

"I would literally bring everyone food and not leave their side until they ate it," the teen continued, "Doesn't matter if I have to force it down their throats, they will be eating consistently."

"Dam, that's aggressive," the twenty-five-year-old chuckled as everyone ate, the blue eyes of Cloud glued onto the ravenette.

"It may be aggressive, but it stems from my want of my kids to not die," she retorted, "We've had enough people in this world go out for stupid reasons, mine are not going to be added to that list."

Rhamina remained in the room as the other two continued their conversation, pitching in every now and then when it came to the powers of possible beings and monsters.

Soon enough, a few hours had gone by and Zyrus had turned to the teen to ask a question, only to find that she was asleep on the bed she was on.

"Shit," her relative hissed, checking his phone to see that it was around midnight already before looking back at the teen.

"Looks like you guys are staying here for the night then," he sighed as he packed his things up, "She's out cold."

Cloud only nodded as he looked to the female who laid on her side while curled around the pillow she buried her face into.

"I'll let Zach know about this and I hope I was able to help you out a little bit," Zyrus spoke in a quiet tone as he made his way to the door.

"Yeah," the blond replied, "Thanks."

The dark-haired male nodded with a small smile before he left the room, leaving the two alone once more.

With a sigh, the blond walked over to the door and turned off the light, allowing the moon to shine through the windows.

It's silver glow fell right upon the ravenette's form, but because her face was covered it didn't seem to disturb her at all.

Instead, it seemed to give her an ethereal glow as if she were completely douse in magic, even if she was just asleep.

'Maybe it was,' the male couldn't help but think as he thought back to the chimera who seemed to talk to the moon before he laid down on the couch and let his eyes drift shut.

The male was woken up early the next morning by a familiar sounding whimper followed by a thud ad groan.

Snapping his eyes open, the male looked over to see Rhamina on the ground with her pillow as she muttered, "God. Fucking. Hair."

"What did you do now?" the male groaned as he sat up, causing the female to jump before she relaxed with a sigh.

"I tried to get up, but got stuck in my hair," the teen explained as she tried to stretch, only to flinch before placing a hand to her midsection.

"Well I obviously kept this thing on way longer than I was supposed to," she huffed while standing up, tossing the pillow back onto the bed.

"Just take it off," the male replied as he took his buster sword that was leaning against the wall and fastened it onto his back.

"That'll just make more things for me to carry so I'll just take it off when we get back to the Abyss," the ravenette replied as she reached for her dress pocket only to feel that it was empty.

With a sigh, she walked over to the male and held out an expectant hand as the other went to rest on her hip.

"Can I have my phone back now?" she asked upon seeing his confused expression, "I've already missed a full shift of work so I have to make sure everything's good."

The blond nodded and handed back the device, watching as she checked various things on it before she came upon something that made her eyes widen in surprise.

"I've got to make a call, so just go ahead and wait for me in the kitchen, okay?" the teen requested as he walked out the door.

"Alright," the male agreed before the female shot him a smile and closed the door, leaving the male to walk through the silent house and into the kitchen where Anna and Zach were cooking.

"Morning, Cloud," the noiret spoke as he looked up from his frying pan, "How did you guys sleep?"

"It was fine," the blond shrugged as he took a seat at the dining table, careful to put his sword somewhere safe as a small shih tzu came into the room.

"Good morning, Mookie," the strawberry blonde cooed as she let her boyfriend handle the rest of the cooking, instead putting her attention on the dog.

"So where;s Rhamina?" Anna asked as she sat on the nearby couch with Mookie, looking over at Cloud, "Is she still asleep?"

"No, she's just taking a call," the male replied as he looked over to the hallway he came from.

"Oh, I hope it's nothing too bad then," Zach said as he brought some plates over to the table, "Phone calls usually mean something important."

Before anyone else could get a word in, Rhamina walked over and plopped herself in a chair with a loud groan.

"Well I've got my work cut out for me when we get back," she chuckled as she brushed her hair out of her face.

After they had a quick breakfast, the pair gathered their things and started back out to the car when Cloud noticed the box her cousin had given the teen the previous night.

"What is that?" he asked as the teen opened the trunk with one hand.

"Hm?" she hummed, placing her food containers in the trunk before glancing down at her hand, "Oh, it's a really nice purple ink for fountain pens and calligraphy."

"Chirstelle got it for me while she and Chris were in Japan," she continued after getting the blanket to wrap up the blond's sword, "but I don't think I'll use it until I get an equally pretty pen to match it."

The ride back to the Abyss felt much quicker than the drive over to Rancho Cucamonga and this time the teen's playlist didn't shuffle onto any raunchy music; which, surprised her as almost half of her playlist was explicit.

The rest of the day was mostly spent with both individuals just staying in their suites, Rhamina immediately throwing herself back into work and preparing things for the meeting the next day.

After breakfast the next morning Rhamina gave Cloud a quick hug which he returned, causing her roommate to snicker.

"What?" the blond huffed as the ravenette took off down the hall towards one of the elevators, narrowing his eyes at the dark-skinned female, "Don't you have to be at that meeting too?"

"Told you, you'd submit," smirked Tijarah as she jabbed a finger at the male's chest with a hand on her hip.

"Wait till you start initiating it!" she laughed, leaving the male frozen in shock as she stalked off down the hall.

After the weekly reports, Rhamina nodded towards Sam so swiped up on her phone, causing pictures of three individuals to show up on the glass surface of the table.

"So a few days ago, Aunty's group was able to capture these three members of the group known as Scyphozoa and have been trying to interrogate them for information," the brunette started as she stood up from her seat.

"However," she continued with a frown, "they've been stubborn mother fuckers and haven't been giving anything actually useful."

"So what does this have to do with us?" Justin asked, despite already having an idea of what would be said next.

"They requested that Mina come over and get some information since she's good at that," Sam replied as the ravenette leaned forward in her seat.

"I was holding off on giving them an answer until I got the reports from today's meeting so I could determine if it was safe enough for me to go," the eighteen-year-old explained, "but seeing as everyone is being really productive as of late, then I think it's safe for me to say yes."

"Who are you bringing?" Juan-Angel asked with excitement in his eyes.

"Sorry, hun, but I'm just bringing Sam and Chloe," the ravenette spoke with a lopsided smile as the younger male deflated.

"Are you sure Chloe can handle L.A.?" Justin asked, sounding completely offensive, but the ravenette knew there was some genuine concern in there.

"She'll be with Mina and Sam," G-lo spoke, even though he was a bit worried himself, "as long as she doesn't get left alone, then she should be fine."

"Awe, thanks, G-lo," Sam cooed with a stupid grin on her face.

"That, and it's L.A., I need a gunslinger with me in the car since Kerstin doesn't like going down to L.A.," Rhamina said as she turned to her sibling with narrowed eyes, "Chloe's up next on the roster."

"Since this is just an interrogation thing, it should only take three days at most, but I want all of you to keep your guards up the entire time," the ravenette spoke seriously as he eyes swept over each person at the table, "Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Alright then," the teen mused as she leaned back once more, "Meeting dismissed."

As people began filing out of the room, Rhamina powered off the table and sent a text to the younger member of Apocalypse with the information of the mission.

The younger brunette was quick to reply, saying that she would be ready by the time they would leave.

Rhamina gave a soft smile as she walked over to the elevator, knowing that the smaller female was probably excited to adventure in a city outside of the Abyss again.

Despite the fifteen-year-old's small and generally fragile stature, she was a very decent gunslinger with basically infinite possibilities as she had an enchanted bag of holding, a small bag that allows the user to carry up to five hundred pounds worth of equipment.

The small female had decided to fill the entire thing with various firearms of varying sizes and power, always keeping it filled and updated frequently, especially when they got new shipments from San Diego.

Luckily, the bag was designed to give the user the exact item they needed, otherwise Chloe would take upwards of twenty minutes just to find another magazine.

Shaking off the ridiculous thought out of her head, the ravenette entered her suite and went straight into her room before plopping down at her desk.

Putting on some of her favorite music, the teen pulled out a purple journal and took out her current pen before writing out all of her stress.

Ever since she was twelve, the ravenette used writing as a way to escape her problems and was currently one of the main reasons that the whole Scyphozoa situation hasn't caused her to lose her mind, because she was able to create temporary distractions.

Although, stress wasn't the only reason she wrote; many others in the group had said she had a way with a pen so she would occasionally write for them too.

In this way, she had learned that she was amazing at writing letters and messages to others, knowing just how to finesse her words in order to get others to see something from her point of view.

Soon enough, the clock struck five o'clock in the afternoon, so the eighteen-year-old got her things together before leaving for work.

The walk from the Apocalypse building to the red light district was actually pretty peaceful as most of the establishments hadn't hit happy hour yet and the sun was still up.

Rhamina didn't really know when she became so accustomed to the red light district's atmosphere, but the smell of alcohol and bad decisions had just become her everyday.

When the eighteen-year-old arrived at Arcaeus, she unlocked it and slowly her girls had begun to trickle in to get changed and get their makeup done, having the best products so it didn't move during their activities.

"Rhamina, are you sure you don't want a drink?" one of the women asked as she held a glass of red wine in her hand.

"No I'm fine, Suki, y'all just keep doing what you do and enjoy yourselves," the teen chirped before continuing up the stairs to her office.

About an hour into her work, a knock came at the ravenette's door before it opened to reveal one of her girls.

"Is someone causing trouble again?" the eighteen-year-old asked as she looked up from her monitor screen.

"Um, not exactly," the timid looking woman spoke, her voice barely above the volume of a whisper, "Some man has just requested for you."

"And?" the teen questioned with a raised brow, turning to fully face the woman from her computer.

"He says he knows you personally," the woman explained, causing the ravenette to let out a sigh and stand up from her seat.

"Alright, I'll check it out," she said as she walked towards the door, "Thanks for telling me, hun."

A few questions floated around the ravenette's head as she made her way down the stairs and passed all of the rooms in the building.

As soon as she walked out of the hall on the first floor, the eighteen-year-old caught sight of a familiar male and she shook her head.

"Jessie, what the fuck are you doing all the way out here, in the Abyss?"

It was about ten o'clock at night as Cloud walked down one of the streets in the Abyss' infamous red light district.

He had just finished up one last job for the night and was walking back to the Apocalypse building since he thought it would be difficult to bring his bike for this specific job when a familiar building came into view.

The bright neon sign above the entrance of the pagoda had just been turned off and if his memory served correct, then the ravenette should be getting off work so the male decided to wait for her.

After a few minutes, the female came out, but it was with a male he hadn't seen anywhere in the area before.

He had medium length silver hair, pale skin, and wore a baggy black jacket with blue jeans and a black baseball cap.

The twenty-one-year-old could only watch as the ravenette reached up to give the male a tight hug before he walked down the main road, giving the teen a wave before disappearing around a corner.

With a small smile, the teen turned back around to the double doors in order to finally lock up.

As the female's back was turned Cloud walked over to her, knowing that she had noticed his presence by the slight shift in her posture.

"Who was that?" he asked, stopping when he was about an arm's length from the female who perked up a bit upon hearing his voice.

"Oh, hi, Cloud!" she chirped, relaxing slightly as she turned around, "What are you doing over here? I thought you were usually back at the building by now."

"I had a job in the area," he replied with a huff as the teen slipped the keys into her pocket, "now answer the question."

"That was a business friend of mine," Rhamina explained with a smile as they started walking, "He doesn't really like coming over to the Apocalypse building, so on the rare occasion he needs to tell me something in person, he'll just come to see me at Arcaeus."

It was loud and rowdy as they walked down the street, which was normal for this time in any red light district, but they could still hear each other quite well as they each recapped their day.

"That reminds me, can you come with us to L.A. in two days?" the ravenette asked, "It was originally supposed to be just me, Sam, and Chloe, but apparently Aunty heard a few things about you and wants to meet you."

"I guess," the male shrugged as the female caught a glass bottle that was thrown in their direction without even looking.

"That's great! But I do have to warn you that Aunty is a bit... extravagant, to say the least," the female continued as they entered the gates of the group's property, "He's a really nice person though!"

When Cloud arrived next door for breakfast the next morning, he was greeted at the door by Tijarah who was already dressed for work.

"I heard you were going to L.A. with the others," she started as the male walked into the suite to see breakfast already set at the table, "I would suggest getting the armor plating on Danny Boy upgraded then."

"Alright," the male agreed as he took a seat at the table, noticing that the ravenette was not present as they started eating.

"Where's Rhamina?"

"Apparently, a fight broke out on one of the lower floors, so she went to go diffuse it before something got destroyed," the dark-skinned female explained.

Not even five minutes later, the front door opened and slammed back shut, signalling the return of the ravenette.

As the eighteen-year-old sat down, she let out an exasperated sigh and had to physically hold herself back from punching the nearest object.

"Was it that bad?" Tijarah asked with a raised brow.

"I don't get why when two people know they don't like each other, why they think it would be a good idea to approach each other! That just ends up pissing off both sides and- Fuck!" the ravenette ranted before dropping her head onto a free spot on the table.

"Yeah, that's pretty stupid," the younger female commented as Rhamina took a deep breath and sat back up.

"It's fine though, I got them separated and I'm moving David to a different floor," she sighed before taking a bite of her slightly cold food.

"Wait, it was David?" the weapon shop owner asked with wide eyes, "Who was he throwing hands with?"

"Jeremy," the ravenette sighed, "Apparently, he was making moves on David's girlfriend and instead of talking or fighting outside, they decided to fucking brawl it out right in the middle of the fucking hallway."

"And what did you do about it?" Cloud asked, the ravenette's eyes flicking up to meet his as she relaxed slightly.

"I immobilized both of them with ice needles and had them physically separated from each other," the eighteen-year-old replied, "Until they've both calmed down completely, I've left them in the watch of higher ranking, responsible, Apocalypse members."

Breakfast passed quickly after that, with Tijjarah leaving for work and the ravenette still calming down.

"So, what exactly are you doing in L.A.?" the blond asked, helping the teenager bring the dishes into the kitchen.

"I was asked to interrogate the Scyphozoa members they captured," she replied honestly, "Apparently, they're being pretty stubborn and I know how to get answers from anybody."

Usually the male would have made some witty retort; but in this case, he knew better than to even try challenging her.

She had the mental fortitude to deal with multiple mesmers at once and she was able to look through his memories when they first met, so who's to say that she just couldn't do the same thing again?

After leaving the eighteen-year-old to herself, Cloud just started going on jobs like her normally would, earning a lot of money from the residents of both the Abyss and Clean Side.

Once noon rolled around, the blond got his normal reminder from the ravenette to eat lunch and take a break which made the male want to roll his eyes, knowing that she was probably just in her room pouring over Scyphozoa again, but obliged with the request.

As he ate his food at whatever fast food place was closest to where he was when he got the reminder, the twenty-one-year-old noticed that he was pretty close to the mechanic's shop and thought back to Tijarah's suggestion.

Once he finished his meal, he drove over to the familiar shop and parked in the front with a sigh, mentally preparing himself to face the owner once more.

"Well shit, Cloud's back again!" Anton chuckled sarcastically as he leaned forward onto the counter with Kevin next to him, "What can we do for ya?"

"I need the armor plating upgraded," the blond stated as he handed the keys over the counter to Kevin.

"I can definitely do that for you, but if you don't mind me asking, why?" the brunet asked as he typed something into his computer before looking back to the blue-eyed male.

"I have a mission coming up in L.A.," the ex-SOLDIER stated, causing both mechanics to visibly wince.

"You're going to L.A.?" Anton asked as he took the keys from Kevin and made his way around the counter, "Fuck, you better pray the virgin's coming with you if you don't want to get fucked."

"What are you on about now?" the blond huffed as he narrowed his eyes at the slightly taller male.

"You've seen Rhamina's car, right?" Kevin asked as his boss placed a paper label on the set of keys.

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, remembering the plain vehicle, "What about it?"

"It may not look like hot shit, and it physically ain't, but she had it specialized with the purpose of getting to and from places like L.A. safely," the brunet spoke before going out to the bike.

"See there are a lot of smaller gangs in that area that are always fighting for more territory and more often than not, they will try to attack anything that gets too close to theirs," the younger male explained, "if you're anyone other than Rhamina you'll get through with a lot of damage... and that's if you're lucky."

"But," he continued, "she had a special tool created and implanted into her personal car that both defends the vehicle and fucks over the attackers."

"Yeah," Anton scoffed as he walked in, "she worked with the fuckers in San Diego and made it so that once she puts her magic through the car a barrier surrounds it and everything within two feet of the car."

"Anything that hits is immediately deflected at whatever shot it and it doesn't die until she runs out of magic," Kevin added, "And trust me, she will not run out of magic."

"It kind of makes me wonder how much energy they'd get if they tossed her into one of the generators," the brunet commented, causing the blond to narrow his eyes at him and earned him a punch in the arm from Kevin.

"That is going too far, even for you, Anton. Way too far."

~~~Fin. Chapter 11~~~

Masterlist

#Apocalypse #Chapter 11 #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy 7 #FFVII #FFVII Remake #Cloud Strife #Cloud Strife x OC #Fanfic #Fantiction

[thegreatdivorce]

There and back again...

This post is about a lot of things, but it’s mainly about my love for Faramir and Eowyn… and about how the book is always better than the movie. But we have to go back a lil before we can start. 

I read Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was 14 years old. It took me a long time to get through it. I think a whole year, maybe more. I had trouble for a few reasons: one, it’s a big story for a young reader, and two, my motivation was probably in the wrong place. I grew up on a healthy diet of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, my dad read the Chronicles of Narnia series to me as a kid and I read The Hobbit (on my dad’s special collectors edition) not long after that, but I never made it to Lord of the Rings until the films came out. And I only really read the books then because I loved the films so much. Let me repeat that with more emphasis, I loved. these films. so. much. I could recite lines from the movies, yes, but I could also recite lines from the commentary the cast created for each extended edition. I can still recall the jokes, pranks, and memories the cast hold dear almost as if I had lived through them myself as the 10th member of the fellowship. I still call David Wenham ‘Daisy Wenham,’ and if the word ‘wig’ appears in conversation my brain immediately goes to, “your hair changes dramatically from short to long… do you wear wigs?” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you are not a true fan of the film series. It meant so much to me when I was younger that I think I started the books as a way to stay in that world a lil longer. And I guess constantly comparing the books to a beloved film series is not the best way to read because I didn’t enjoy them as much as I thought I would. To be clear, I didn’t dislike the books, Return of the Kings marks one of the few books to make me cry (Theoden’s death got to me), but the books didn’t impact me in the same way the films did. 

Fast forward some 13 years later and something, I’m not exactly sure what, convinced me to read the books again. I have a long book list, one that I am sorely behind on, so choosing a 1000+ page saga (one that I’ve already read before) while other books are waiting to be cracked open for the first time was probably not the most productive decision I’ve made, but I regret nothing. I still own the same copy of LOTR I owned when I first read the series and man, there’s something about the smell of a book that can bring you right back to where you were when you first opened it because that’s exactly what happened when I started re-reading it. There is something nice about feeling like you’re 14 again… feeling like your whole life is ahead of you, but the only thing you have to worry about is reading this one book. 

Although the smell of the book felt the same, other things felt different. Aragorn does not struggle at all with the idea of his kingship like Viggo does in the film, Sam feels a bit more of a simpleton in the books, and Frodo seems older and wiser than the 19-year-old Elijah Wood feels in the movies. All of these things are small differences and as I was reading book one and book two, I found I still liked the movies for what they are and tried to be (although that scene where Frodo tells Sam to leave just before Shelob’s lair, that he doesn’t need him anymore, will never make sense to me), but for the most part I liked both film and book fairly evenly. But entering into book three, I realized how certain characters got the short end of the movie stick. Particularly Eowyn and Faramir. I’ll be frank, I don’t know how you would have written more of them into the story without bogging down the pacing of the rest of the movie, but that’s kind of my point, Eowyn’s story is so good she needs her own dang movie so everyone can discuss how amazing and complex she is. And Faramir too, but we’ll get to him in a moment. 

Eowyn in the movie is played wonderfully by Miranda Otto. Seriously, the casting of this series is pretty near perfect. Her part is relatively small, but they touch on all the main points of her character. She’s a fierce warrior, but she feels stuck in a cage staying at home having to care for her people and the man she considers a father all by herself, she falls for Aragorn, he doesn’t return her love, she wants to ride to war, she does so secretly, she kills the Witch-King, she receives the honor and valor she has always wanted, she marries Faramir, bada bing, bada boom, done. It’s a nice lil package, but it’s the highlight reel because there is so much more to Eowyn than that...

So to know Eowyn, we have to know the people of Rohan. Faramir does a nice job summing them up when he refers to them while talking to Sam and Frodo in The Window on the West, “If the Rohirrim are grown in some ways more like to us (the people of Gondor), enhanced in arts and gentleness, we too have become more like to them. For as the Rohirrim do, we now love war and valor as things good in themselves, both as a sport and an end. We esteem a warrior, nonetheless, above other crafts.” Faramir continues to talk of war “as is the need of their day,” a necessary evil, but you can tell... he’s really not into it. This is shown in a few different ways throughout the books (his relationship in contrast with his brother/father as one example), but the place it really hits home happens earlier in the same chapter when he states this zinger, “War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” (Side note, Faramir is the best and I know everybody loves fawning over King Viggo Aragorn, but y'all are sleeping on the best man in the whole series! Faramir is where it is at. He’s far more complex than Aragorn and I will fangirl over him more later on, but we’re still on Eowyn, so I’ll continue.) So the people of Rohan are a proud, fierce, war-loving crowd. They actually sing songs as they are killing people in battle. Think “whistle while you work,” but fiercer and more insane. But Faramir is not dissing them; he is not implying they are war-hungry, or war-mongers, simply the Rohirrim believe proving themselves in battle is a right they deserve. 

Enter Eowyn. In contrast to Faramir, who seems to have a sober understanding of war and battle, Eowyn finds her worth in it. We can see this most obviously in her attraction to Aragorn. In the movie, their attraction seems to develop in a natural, innocent way. I vaguely remember Miranda Otto mentioning in some interview for the DVD special features that part of the reason why it’s so tragic that Aragorn turns Eowyn down is that he knows they would make a good match. Essentially if Aragorn hadn’t met Arwen first, Aragorn and Eowyn could be together. Honestly, with how the movie presented their relationship, yah, I get it. Except that’s not how it is in the books. Aragorn, in The Houses of Healing, looks to Eomer and says, “I say to you that she loves you more truly than me; for you she loves and knows; but in me she loves only a shadow and a thought: a hope of glory and great deeds, and lands far from the fields of Rohan.” Eowyn desires the great deeds of war, not like Faramir does: as a means to protect a people, but as a way to prove herself. Faramir seems to find an honor in all crafts and positions, but Eowyn, although protective of them, talks lowly of her own people, consistently stating she is not a “dry-nurse” or a “serving-woman” but higher above them as a member of the House of Eorl. Eowyn speaks of a hierarchy within Rohan, consistently placing herself above the other women who are care-takers or mothers. What makes this even more tragic is that it’s not entirely her fault that she has come to this thinking. Gandalf, again in The House of Healing, explains to Eomer, “Think you that Wormtongue had poison only for Theoden’s ears? ‘What is the house of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek, and their brats roll on the floor among dogs?’ Have you not heard these words before? My lord, if your sister’s love for you, and her will still bent her duty, had not restrained her lips, you might have heard even such things as these escape them. But who knows what she spoke in the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in on her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?” It’s tragic. And what’s worse is Eomer’s shock in thinking about his sister in this light. He never really knew her. No one did. Eowyn has always been fighting alone. Which is what makes her conclusion so satisfying... 

Eowyn rides into the Battle of Pelennor and kills the Witch-king (with the help of Merry). As I mentioned before, this is covered very well in the film, there is the great “I am no man” line which is taken from the book and although Eowyn is injured it seems she finally got her chance to defend herself in battle, like the other able-bodied men, so we’re meant to rejoice at her triumph, which I did when I saw the film. Except, again, that’s not the point in the book. Obviously, it’s great that the Witch-king is dead, but that event is the rising action leading into Eowyn’s healing, not her resolution… because Eowyn still wants to die in battle. She survived the Witch-king, she is being forced to heal her wounds in the House of Healing, but all she wants to do is die. Die as King Theoden has just done in battle (crushed by the body of his own horse) because this is the only way she can achieve the honor she feels she deserves. Because, again, Aragorn won’t give her that honor. And Faramir challenges this notion directly to Eowyn when they meet each other in the House of Healing, “You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wanted to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things of that crawled on the earth. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.” And it is only here, with Faramir, the first person to really see Eowyn and challenge her openly, does she acknowledge the truth, and her darkness (her desire for death) passes. It’s so beautiful. Eowyn exclaims, “Behold, the shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.” And if you find a sadness or a disappointment in Eowyn’s proclamation of a life of peace than you are not paying attention to what Tolkien is putting down.  

This is important because I’ve heard this complaint before… Tolkien is not saying that it is wrong for Eowyn to participate in battle, to be a shieldmaiden, because she is a woman, (there are multiple instances in the book where Eowyn is described as a worthy warrior alongside her male companions. Hamma, may he rests in peace, nominates Eowyn as the person to manage the. whole. kingdom in place of the king when Theoden and Eomer leave for Helms Deep. So there’s that.) Tolkien is saying it is wrong to glorify battle, death, and destruction. full stop. No matter who you are. It is a point that is continually being made time and time again throughout the whole series by almost every character. And it should be no surprise coming from a man who fought in the first world war and then lived through the second. “I will not take joy only in the songs of slaying,” is really what Tolkien is trying to drive home here. Eowyn is still a warrior. Right after she accepts Faramir’s proposal and Aragorn is crowned king, Eowyn is like, “Faramir, I love you. I’m gonna marry you. But I have some important business to take care of back in Rohan with my brother, so I’m gonna leave… I’ll be back in like a month probably. Bye.” Yes, girl! That is the moment we should be applauding. Not the moment where Eowyn kills the Witch-king, but the moment where Eowyn realizes herself as a warrior but also a healer and there being a time and honor in both of those crafts if they have a proper foundation. It’s the moment when Eowyn finally sees and knows herself. And you know what Faramir says in response to Eowyn’s leaving? Nothing. He lets her go to do her thing because he is the best and I love him.

On to Faramir!

Ok. So. I’ll be brief here. Or I’ll try to be. One, because I think I’ve already shown a fair amount of Faramir’s great qualities, but also because I think his character in the film shows a stronger resemblance to the book than Eowyn’s. If we can all ignore that scene where Faramir drags Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath (because that never happens *eye roll*), and focus on the dialogue dealing with his dad, we’re getting pretty faithful Faramir content as pretty much all of the Faramir - Denethor dialogue is taken directly from the book, and it’s all golden. And when I say golden, I mean deadly. The, “‘Since you were robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return, think better of me, Father.’ - ‘That will depend on the manner of your return.’” exchange between Faramir and Denethor is brutal. To say that Faramir has daddy issues is an understatement. But that brings us up to an important point. Faramir is just as broken as Eowyn is and their meeting is not so much so Faramir can save Eowyn but for them to find healing in each other. 

Faramir’s dad is insane. Literally. By the end of the book, Denethor loses his mind and tries to kill both him and his son by burning them alive. Faramir is not fully aware his dad is trying to kill him because by the time Denethor is building a funeral pyre, Faramir is slipping in and out of consciousness due to his battle wounds (to clarify, Denethor thinks his son is already dead, which is why he wants to share the funeral pyre with him. It doesn’t make it better, but it’s the facts). So the last thing Faramir hears, in full conscience, is that his dad wishes that he had died in his brother’s place and the only way he can prove his worth is sustaining victory in battle. Which he knows he cannot do. So Faramir goes to battle, is injured, and ultimately wants to die. Sound familiar? But he doesn’t. Aragorn calls him back to health in the House of Healing and he meets Eowyn. 

Faramir likes Eowyn from the moment they meet but can see she is struggling and doesn’t know the exact cause of her pain. So he talks to the best wingman in Middle Earth, Merry, and puts all the details together that Eowyn is still pretty hung up on Aragorn, and for all the wrong reasons. Faramir decides to gently pursue Eowyn which, if you think about it, is quite the courageous thing to do considering Faramir’s past. Faramir’s whole life consists of being left behind, the man that is not chosen. As we established above, his own father chose and loved his brother, Boromir, over him. Boromir was chosen to join the Fellowship of the Ring, not Faramir. It’s even in his job description to be picked over. Faramir is a Steward of Gondor, he’s to hold court until the proper king appears and then literally step out of the way. Here is another area where potentially someone is going to choose someone else in place of him. Faramir questions Eowyn about her love for Aragorn asking, “[I’m assuming] you cannot choose between us. Eowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?” Ugh, tragic. She admits, “I wished to be loved by another, but I desire no man’s pity.” Faramir clarifies, “I do not offer you my pity. For you are a lady high and valiant and you yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear, or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Eowyn, do you not love me?” 

It’s actually nerve-wracking when you leave out Eowyn’s response to this question; to know Faramir is asking someone he loves dearly for love in return, something he was rarely afforded in his life, especially in the beautiful way in which he asked it. He sees Eowyn for who she truly is, someone even she doesn’t fully recognize yet, and who she can be: a valiant queen. And not just any queen, Faramir says the Queen of Gondor, Aragorn’s wife. Faramir basically admits, “I know there’s a chance you could still be with Aragorn, but even if you did, I would still love you regardless.” It’s so courageous and beautiful, and in a lot of ways, the ultimate test to see if Faramir has really healed over the wounds his father has left. The wounds of being left unchosen. But Eowyn does choose, she chooses to be with him, and they ultimately provide healing and understanding to each other. 

And that’s all left unsaid in the films. None of it is really in there which is such a bummer because it’s so good. And this whole story has been waiting for me to re-discover it on my shelf for the past 13 years and I’ve finally made my way back. Can’t believe I almost missed it.

Anyhow, thank you for coming to my TED Talk on why Faramir and Eowyn are the best and why reading books is cool. 

I probably could write more, but I’ve taken a brief break in reading the dang book to write this essay and I still have a few more chapters to go to finish the whole thing. 

Good day.

#lord of the rings #faramir #eowyn #rohan #gondor #JRR Tolkien #aragorn #reading is cool #return of the king

[broken-heartedgirlff]

Chapter 32~ Family Feud (Part 2)

Nobody wins when the family feuds But my stash can't fit into Steve Harvey's suit I'm clear why I'm here, how about you? Ain't no such thing as an ugly billionaire, I'm cute Mmmmm Pretty much If anybody gettin' handsome checks, it should be us Fuck rap, crack cocaine Nah, we did that, black-owned things Hundred percent, black-owned champagne And we merrily merrily eatin' off these streams Y'all still drinkin' Perrier-Jouët, huh But we ain't get through to you yet, uh What's better than one billionaire? Two (two) 'Specially if they're from the same hue as you Y'all stop me when I stop tellin' the truth 

Chapter 32- Family Feud (Part 2) 

Olivia

I honestly didn’t want to be here. I wish I wasn’t in this position because I wasn’t in the position to be asking for favors. But here I am. I literally have been standing outside his office, trying to get myself to knock on the door, but I never could.

With me wanting to adopt Aiden and Jeremiah wanting full custody, I couldn’t be our lawyer. It was a conflict of interest so I had to recuse myself from the dealings, but I needed to ask the best attorney and partner in our firm that dealt with situations like this all the time.

He just so happens to be my ex-boyfriend, Jordan.  

I tend to stay away from him, because I felt extremely bad by hurting him. Especially with my injuries causing me to miscarry our baby, and he had plans to propose, but I couldn’t deal with his pain, as well as mine, and my feelings for Jeremiah coming back. It was horrible. We never really talked about it, but we had a mutual understanding to not talk about it.

“Olivia, if you’re not going to come in, please go to your office.” He said, from sitting at his desk

I sighed and I walked in the room, closing the door because people don’t need to know my business.

I sat in the chair across from his desk, he just continued writing and I sat there and stared at him. I truly didn’t know how to have this conversation, but I needed it for my family and for Jeremiah.  

“Are you going to talk, or are you just going to stare at me.” He spoke while looking up.

I sighed, “I know I’m not in any position, but I need a favor.”

He chuckled, “You’re right, you’re not in any position.”

“Jordan, I-“

He put his hand up, stopping me from talking and asked: “What is it?”

“I want to adopt Jeremiah’s son Aiden and we want to file for full custody, taking away Avery’s rights.”

“You want me to help you adopt your ex-husband’s son, the son that caused your divorce in the first place?”

I nodded, biting my lip. I knew exactly where this was about to go.

He cleared his throat and sat up, putting his hands on the desk, “You do know, that because you are divorced, it will be extremely hard for you to adopt him. You can’t just be living in the same house.”  

I couldn’t look at him, but I said “That won’t be a problem.”

“Since when?”  

“Since last weekend.”

He shook his head, “You remarried Jeremiah.”

I nodded my head, “It was inevitable. We love each other and I just, I missed my marriage. Having what happened to me, put this in perspective, I’m sorry. I’m also sorry that we never really had the chance to grieve… I just couldn’t live in that”

He looked at me and sighed, “No need to explain, I get it.”

“You’re not mad?” I honestly wanted to know because yes, I love Jeremiah, but I also loved Jordan at one point and I never want to hurt him.

“I mean, I have no reason to be mad, you were completely up front with me when breaking up with me. I was pretty upset that you dismissed our baby like it was nothing, because I also was in pain, just like you.”

“I never meant to cause anymore pain, but I’ve been through miscarriages and it’s not something I am willing to talk about freely. Trust me Jordan, I had no plans in remarrying Jeremiah, or even getting back with him, it just happened that way.”

He nodded, but didn’t really speak anymore. So,we kind of sat quietly, I didn’t want to overstep but I needed an answer because J and I want to get this done, as soon as we can.

“Will working with us, cause any problems?” I asked.

He shook his head, “No, I’m actually back with my baby mother.”

That was a surprise to me, it’s not that they hated each other, but She kept his daughter away from him, due to personal things. So, they always kind of fought.

“Are you happy?” I asked him

“Are you?”

I smiled, “I am, we basically reinvented our relationship and we have grown from our past, He loves me and I love him. I am happy.”

“I am happy that you’re happy. I am as well, I get to see my daughter every night and I am getting closer to her mother, we are moving forward.”

“And that’s the only thing that matters right.” I smiled to him,

“I’ll help, but Jeremiah and I need to sit down and talk before we can proceed.”

I nodded, “That’s fine, I can make that happen.”

I got up to shake his hand, and he rolled his eyes, got up from his desk and hugged me.  

“Does Rack know y’all remarried?” He said with a little sarcasm behind his voice,

I stood back from the hug, and I looked at him,  

“God no, none of the family knows yet. They won’t know for a long time.”  

Kamryn

Picking up the girls from X’s place, low-key has become my favorite part of co-parenting, maybe it’s selfish, but I love fucking him.

He’s the only person I have been with ever, and I’m focused on raising my girls, not dating. But a woman has needs.  

Walking up and knocking on the door, X came and opened the door.

“You’re early, today.”

I looked at him like he was slow, he knows I come early… so that I can cum early.

“X, stop playing you know that I always come early.”

I was slightly confused, but I know for a fact he knows what’s going on. Instantly, he slaps his forehead.  

“I forgot to tell you, I can’t today. I have business to deal with. So it’s great that you came early because I need to go. GIRLS! MOMMY IS HERE!”

I just looked at him in complete disbelief, he knows that I am here to have sex, get the girls and leave. So for him to flip the script, I was pissed.

The girls ran downstairs with their things and instantly hugged me.  

“What’s the matter mommy?” Mari said.

“Nothing baby, cmon, let’s go. Daddy has got work today.” I said spitefully, just so he knew I was pissed.

“I’m sorry Kam. I just-“

I shook my head, “I don’t care, Do you X”  and walked to the car putting the girls in, and pulling off. 

---

We were at the ice cream shop, because Mari and Mani bugged the hell out of me, just so that they can get ice cream, plus I was in a bad mood. I wasn’t really paying attention to the girls and their conversation, I was scrolling on my phone, when Mari said something that caught my attention.

“How do you feel about Daddy’s Girlfriend Mani?” She asked licking her ice cream.

“New Girlfriend?” I spoke causing them to look up at me.

“Yeah, She’s pretty nice I guess. She cooked us dinner the other night.” Mani said

“She cooked you dinner?” I furrowed my eyebrows, I was starting to get pissed. How in the fuck could this nigga not tell me he’s dating someone.

Do I have claim on him, absolutely not, we’re separated and getting divorced, but we agreed that we would talk before introducing the girls to a significant other. He’s breaking the rules of Co-parenting, and that’s just rude.

“Yeah, it was okay, but it wasn’t good like yours mommy.” Then both girls looked at me and smiled, I love them but I know those smiles, and they know exactly what they’re doing.

I didn’t raise idiots.

“What do y’all know.” I said sitting back in my chair crossing my arms.

They looked at each other, but didn’t say anything.

“Fine, I guess this is y’all last ice cream, for a long time.” I threatened.

“Okay, it’s Katie’s little sister Callie.”

I looked at them shocked, “Does she spend the night at Daddy’s house?”

“We aren’t supposed to tell you. Daddy is gonna get mad that you know he’s dating her.” Kamari said

I nodded my head, Oh Xavier…. How little do you know me.

I chuckled, I smiled, “I’m not mad, and I won’t tell daddy that I know, we’re breaking up. He can date whomever he’d like.”

The girls took my calmness as a good thing, and went back to talking about whatever they liked.

I picked up my phone going on Instagram, I went to my blocked section and clicked on the only name in my list. Callie_California

Looking at her page, here she was posting pictures of her and Xavier… from now and even when we were married.  

I wasn’t mad, I was beyond FURIOUS

But I wasn’t about to let him or her know, that I knew about their relationship or the fact that I was this angry.

But I do know, that I am about to Ruin this little bitches life.

Katie

Along with me being in jail, I have to go to required counseling. Which, I think, in itself, if very interesting and peculiar.

I had to come to terms that I am a murderer, because I wanted to be with Dominic. I chose to bring the gun in the court house, and I chose to shoot that judge, the guard, Olivia, Mason and the one that hurt the most Dominic.

Because of my terrible actions, I will never be able to raise my daughter, another woman is. I think, that’s what is killing me.

I have yet to see Andrea, and Dominic sends my mom pictures, and she sends them to me. But I am literally going crazy since I gave birth about 6 months ago. She seems like the biggest and happiest baby and she doesn’t even know who I am.

Most days, I consider killing myself, because is it worth it?  I don’t get to live and be with the love of my life. I don’t get to raise my daughter, my son is dead. I just don’t see the brightness in me living anymore.

Standing in line I was waiting for the phones to call my mother, or Dominic, I didn’t really know which way I was going to go.  

I wonder sometimes in here, how my life would be if Giselle never came back or even if the ruling would’ve went my way. If Giselle wouldn’t had came back, Dominic and I would’ve been married for about 6 months. Andrea’s birthday is Dominic and I’s wedding date, that’s why she’s so special, and DJ would’ve been going on 2 or so. We would’ve moved into the new house that he was having built for us, I would’ve been happy and in love, and now look at me. Miserable, alone and in jail.

Going to the phone, I knew exactly who to call. The person who never lets me down.

“Hello?” He answered and I smiled, hearing his thick italian accent

“Kaitlin Rossi.” I answered as the automated system told him the inmate that was calling, I was hoping he’d accepted the charges.

“Hello, Alexxandra.”

“Hi Papa, I miss you.”

“I miss you too Alexxandra. Your mother is not around for you to talk to.” He spoke

“I know papa, I called to talk to you.”

He sighed, “Alexxandra-“

I cut him off before he could say something else, “Daddy, please. Mom is colder than usual. The whole family has disowned me, I don’t have my daughter or my son, I’m not married, I’m in jail. Please just talk to me.”

He stayed quiet. I knew he was contemplating disobeying my mothers orders, but he knew as well as I did, she would see the call on the phone bill anyways.

“Daddy?”

“I’m here, Alex.”

I teared up at hearing my childhood nickname, “Where did I go wrong daddy?”

“You went wrong when you decided to marry a man still in love with his wife. and when you decided to have children with him.”

“Dad-“

“No Alexxandra, I should’ve had this talk when you first brought him home. You should’ve married the Carmicheal’s boy. Pure Italia. Like Me, like Baba and Bubbie. You and Alessandra like Macacas, Alessandra is a mistress and you’ve killed people.”

For Papa to call Dominic, a racial slur… that was low, and I knew he was about to do what the rest of my family did. Disown me.

“Papa!!  You forget that Noah’s dad is black, and you raised Noah like your own. Mamma is even half black and you fell in love with her. You can not call DJ or Andrea or even their father that!” I defended them no matter the consequences

“NON MI INTERESSA! ALEXXANDRA! I need to go”

“Papa, per favore.” I begged

“Dont call unless your mother is home. I will not speak unless she is around.”

“Pa-“

Before I could even finish calling out his name, he hung up the phone. Angry at the last person i had in my corner leaving me, I slammed down the phone onto the receiver.

I kept slamming the phone, cutting my hand and snatching the phone out of the wall.

But I didn’t care.

Giselle

Here we were, on this “date” that Dominic  forced me on. I was pretty quiet the entire time, but I knew that wasn’t going to last because I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. Especially when he was in my face, it was easier being mad when I didn’t live in the house and saw him everyday.

Living back in the house, has been quite an adventure. Mason was excited and happy. I literally had to drag Angel to the house. She kicked and screamed and wasn’t happy.

My daughter told me and Dominic “I hate you.” at least a million times in the first hour of us living at the house. She didn’t help with Andrea and she barely said anything to anyone except Mason. Do you know how exhausting it is to speak through a little boy who barely talks himself.

“Can you stop picking with your hair and talk to me?” He asked, making me come out of my thoughts.

I slowly let go of my hair and looked around the room, it was very romantic, but I wasn’t going to fall in the trap,. “What do you want talk about?” I said above a whisper.

He shrugged, “How awful Angel has been.”

I chuckled, “ She’s been through a lot, that’s the reason why she acts out.”

“Is that why you acted out with your father.”

I rolled my eyes and smirked a liitle, “You liked it. and I didn’t act out.” I picked up my wine and took a few sips of it.

“You did, and when you did, I would give you that good dick and you wouldn’t act out anymore.” He smirked taking a swig of whiskey, and his comment caused me to almost spit out my drink.

“Shut up.” I said laughing, which made him laugh

“I miss your laugh, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard it.” He spoke sadly

I shrugged, “I haven’t had much to laugh about since I was about 14.”

“Why cant we be like this Gi? Smiling, laughing enjoying life together.” He said reaching out for my hand, but I quickly took my hand off the table.

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because you had 2 babies with another woman, because you almost married a psycho bitch who almost murdered you, my cousin, and my son. Because I was kidnapped and left raising mason by myself. Because you had to raise Angel her entire life without me. and because, every single time I let myself love you again, something detrimental happens.” I said exasperated

I didn’t even know all of that was in me. I thought I was over the children with Katie, but I didn’t realize that I still held resentment towards a lot of things when it came to our relationship.

“Hell, Angel hasn’t been through what we have.” He said cynically

“Exactly. I don’t think it’s good for us to be together Dominic. Why cant you accept that?”

“Because I love you, and I’ve loved you through 2 kids with another woman and almost marrying her. Loving you through you being kidnapped, raising mason and me raising Angel. You view it as a negative, but I view it as the world pulling us apart, but no matter what, we find each other. I cant give that up, you’re the only person that it happens with. That should say something.”

I sighed and started playing with my hair again.

“Fine. Let’s talk about it all then Gi. I want to clear it all up, I’m serious.”

Before I could respond back, the waiter came back with our food, once he left, I said “Okay.”

----

Five and a half hours later, we talked about everything that went wrong in our relationship, but hearing his side of everything, put it all in a different perspective for me.

“I never want you to ever think that I ever stopped loving you, because I didn’t. I just, I thought you were dead, Angel needed a mother figure, I couldn’t be bitter anymore.” He mumbled.

I nodded, “I didn’t. I never did, but I just didnt expect to be replaced. Imagine if you were me and I said Mason needed a father figure, how would you feel?”

“Yeah, I’d be pretty pissed too.”

“If we do stay together, do you expect me to replace Katie and adopt Andrea?” I asked

It took him a while to answer and I knew he was trying to pick his words wisely.

“First of all, if we do stay together and you officially adopt her, I would want you to be okay with it and for it to be your idea. I never want to force you into something that you aren’t comfortable of doing. Secondly, I would never expect you to replace Katie for her. That’s her mother, but she’s a risk towards her. The agreement I have with Katie’s mother is that you’d help raise her and that she’ll go to see Katie when we see fit. and I know that even if we didn’t stay together that you’d probably treat her like your own anyways.”

I agreed, because it was true, I wouldn’t want her to feel separate from Angel or Mason, regardless of how she was brought in the world, she’s Dom’s child and Angel and Mason’s sister.  

“I mean, at this point, I’m okay with helping raise her, but I’m a little apprehensive when it comes to adopting Andrea. I would like to see how things work out with us.”

He smiled, “So, you’re open to ‘seeing how things work out with us’”

“Yes D. I am open, but if this doesn’t work, I’m not trying again.”

He beamed once I said that, I just shook my head.  

“You know, maybe you can help me come up with a name for Andrea, I dislike ‘Andrea’”  

“What’s her whole name?”

“Andrea Dominique Rossi Cartier. I was thinking Andy or something? I don’t want to change her name, I want Katie to feel that she has a connection to her, but I don’t like it.”

“How about calling her, Dominique, like we call Mason, Mason. His first name is Dominic.” I suggested.

“Dominique? I like it.” He smiled

[staytheb]

Like Oh 2.0 - Study Group

Previous Chapter: #HAPPY20THBAMBAMDAY Word Count: 3,867 Summary: Another study session happens, but no real studying actually happens.

Like Oh 2.0 masterlist

chapter 13 for y’all, if any is reading or interested. this chapter takes place near the middle to end of May where finals and studying happens or whatever... but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

It was a late Friday morning where Serena was having a study session with her sister and two friends deciding to crash it. "Aren't your exams in like two weeks? Why not study with the actual kids in your classes?" "They honestly would rather study alone." Jasmine informed Serena. "Yeah, they find it distracting or something." Jeannie added. "Anyways," Melanie began as she emerged from the kitchen with several drinks and snacks in hand and settled herself with the other three at the new coffee table Serena had bought several days ago. "The other girls don't wanna study today and they actually went on an all day group date and so we thought we just study with you since we're done with group dates."  "Uh huh." Serena let out as she put on some background music to listen to while studying.

"How many classes are you guys taking?" Serena asked the trio upon seeing three large stacks of textbooks. "I thought you guys were only taking like four classes each?" "I have four classes." Melanie clarified as she grabbed her textbooks from the pile. "And I have six." Jasmine said as she did the same with grabbing her textbooks while Jeannie moved the rest towards her. "For me I have seven this semester." "Wow." Serena looked at the others impressed. "Yeah, I don't think I can help much since y'all majoring in different departments." "Well, I'm sure you're pretty smart, Serena." Jeannie smiled as Serena eyed her. "Only on some things. I'm not that smart on everything." "Well, Melanie said you should be able to help us." Jasmine reasoned as Serena let out a wry laugh. "Ha, because she's lazy."

Melanie grinned. "That's true. Anyways, four heads are better than one." "I guess." Serena sighed and then looked at the trio. "So what do you guys actually need help on and then we can work from there?" The younger women went through their materials as they sorted out what they needed help most on and handed Serena their stuff so she could overview them. Serena let out a deep sigh upon seeing everything. "You guys don't need me. You guys need an actual tutor." "Well, we're not leaving." Melanie stated. "We're already here." "Yeah, I know." Serena took off her glasses to rub her face, but didn't put them back on while letting out a deep breath. "Alright, I'll just quiz you guys and read some stuff and you tell me the answers and what not." Serena told them as she looked at them. "Who wants to go first?"

~~~~~~~

"Let's take a break." Jasmine suggested after two hours of studying. "I'm hungry." "Yeah, me, too. Let's order in." Jeannie said as she closed her book. "Or go out to eat." "Ooh, I've been craving Korean barbecue. Let's go to Seabyeokjib." Melanie agreed as Serena shook her head. "No. You guys can get that, I'll eat something else." "What's wrong with KBBQ?" Jeannie asked as Serena eyed them. "We had that a few days ago and last week. I want a break from that." "We're in Korea, Serena." Jasmine deadpanned. "What do you expect?" "Nothing, Jasmine. There are just other things to eat, too, besides KBBQ." "Point taken, but we're getting KBBQ." Jeannie grinned as she and the other two stood up to stretch with Serena lying on her back. "Okay, that's fine. I'll just order something."

Just as the trio were gonna leave there was a knock on the door. "That better not be who I think it is?" Serena muttered as she moved onto her side while Melanie went to check it. "It's some of your favorite people." Melanie said with a laugh after looking through the peephole. "Should I let them in?" "No." Serena deadpanned as Jeannie smacked the older woman on the hip. "Don't be mean." "Don't care." "Just let them in." Jasmine said as Melanie did. "Hi!" She greeted them. "What are you guys doing here?" "Oh, we wanted to study." Yugyeom answered with a smile. "What about you guys?" "Us, too." Melanie let the group of five inside and then looked at Jaebeom. "How come you're here?" Jaebeom shrugged with a small smile. "Might as well since it's exams week." "Haha, right. It is."

The twins greeted the idols as they made themselves comfortable around the table. "Nice table." Mark complimented as Melanie replied him. "Yeah, it took forever to find something she liked and to get it in here." "I don't doubt it." "Where is Jyongri noona?" Youngjae asked upon not seeing the older woman around. "Unnie ran off to her bedroom." Jeannie laughed. "Jyongri unnie booked it once Minjae unnie said to let you guys in." "But we need noona's help for our English exam in two weeks." Youngjae pouted as Jasmine looked at him in confusion. "Don't you have Mark and Jackson that can help you? BamBam knows, too." "Jackson hyung and BamBam are busy due to their Real Men schedule." Jinyoung explained. "Ah, that's right."

Serena suddenly emerged from her room with excited as she ran over to Melanie. "Dude, look." She flashed her phone towards Melanie's direction. "Vidia gave birth a few hours ago and Cameron just posted pictures of the boys!" "Aww, how cute." Melanie cooed as she scrolled through the group chat with the siblings. "Dude, did they really take my advice to name the kids Markson and Jinson?" "Yeah they did." Serena laughed as she took back her phone to respond back to the boys as Jeannie turned to the sisters with a puzzled look. "You mean that Cam and Vid named their kids Markson and Jinson after the GOT7 pairing?" "Yeah." Melanie and Serena replied in unison. "I wish Jessica did that when I suggested her to name her son, Micky." Jasmine frowned. "I thought it was a cute name." "It is."

"It's their middle names." Serena explained. "Markson's Eric while Jinson's Levi." "That's hella cute." Melanie grabbed her own phone to respond in the group chat. "Eric Markson Kingsley and Levi Jinson Kingsley." Jasmine said the full name out loud as Jeannie agreed upon hearing it. "That's seriously cute." Because the girls' conversation was in English only Mark understood what was going on while the other four looked at him for full explanation. "Someone in noona's family gave birth to nephews and they were named Markson and Jinson." "Like the shipping names from fans?" Jaebeom asked a bit confused. "Yeah." Mark confirmed as the four women were surrounding the mobile devices to see more pictures of the newborns in their own little world.

Youngjae looked at the others. "So are we gonna study?" "I don't think so." Yugyeom said. "Noona has a Nintendo 64 and a PlayStation 2." Mark whispered to the others. "Wanna play?" "Shouldn't we ask first, hyung?" Jinyoung asked as Mark shook his head with a grin. "Nah, noona always lets me play with it whenever I come over." "How many times do you come over, hyung?" Jaebeom asked with a raised eyebrow as Mark grinned sly. "Usually it's whenever we study for Chinese class and to steal some of her snacks and drinks on most days." "Yeah! I'm down!" Yugyeom inputted happily. "Jyongri noona has the best snacks and she doesn't mind when we play with the game consoles whenever we come over, too."

"So while they're distracted let's play." Mark urged as the quintet maneuvered their way over to the entertainment system to set up the consoles while Serena noticed what the males were doing as the rest scrolled through the many pictures. Serena smirked as she stood up with her mobile device and stretched her limbs. "Well, no point in studying." Serena indicated her head at the boys for the girls to see what she meant. "Well, don't care as I'm still hungry." Melanie stated as she also stood with the twins following along. "Are you gonna be okay, Serena?" Jeannie asked with a small smile as the older woman eyed her friend. "What do you mean?" "We're still gonna go out to eat at Seabyeokjib." Jasmine answered as Serena shrugged. "It's whatever. They're like the bros back home." "True." Melanie agreed.

"Do you want anything when we come back?" Jeannie asked as Serena shook her head. "Nah, I'll order something." "Alright then just let us know." Jasmine told Serena as Melanie sidled up to her sister with a cheeky look. "Just make sure to keep tabs on my man, okay?" "Yeah, sure, whatever." Serena shooed her away with a roll of her eyes. "Have fun you three." "Will do." The quartet then looked at the males who were still occupied. "If they ask, then I'll just tell them you all went back to campus." "What's the date today?" Jeannie asked with widened eyes. "The twenty-seventh." Melanie replied. "Shit. I have to meet up with my advisor today. It's about one of my classes because the teacher was being difficult about one of my papers."

Jeannie gathered her school belongings. "It wouldn't have been a problem if that teacher actually didn't change the due dates all the time." "Hope your advisor sides with you." Serena comforted her friend as Melanie agree. "They better. That happened last semester to me, but the teacher wanted to fail me because he thought I was cheating." "That's dumb." Jasmine frowned, but then looked at her sister. "I'll go back with you, Jean." Jasmine offered as she gathered her things, too. "I have to meet up with Ahri, anyways." "Thanks, Jas." "Am I suppose to eat KBBQ alone?" "Yeah." The trio answered with a laugh as Melanie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, but I don't want pizza." "Then you order." Serena said as she went to her room after saying goodbye to the twins while Melanie walked out her friends. Melanie then turned to face the boys playing video games while searching for places to order from her phone. "Can't forget about them."

~~~~~~~

After eating fried chicken Melanie was setting up Apples to Apples to help Jinyoung, Younjae, and Yugyeom with their English suggested by Serena who later had to go to work on short last minute. Mark seemed a little upset that Serena had to go, but didn't mention it. "Ready to play?" Melanie asked after she got done explaining how the game went. "Can we play, too?" Jaebeom asked as he and Mark were sitting off to the side. "Yeah." Melanie nodded. "All six of us can play the game." Just then Melanie's phone went off and she answered it. "What chu want?" She answered in English as the person on the other end greeted and started talking about something. "Isn't it late over there for you? Um, yeah, hold on, Cam." She said as she moved the phone's end piece away from her mouth.

"You can play without me." She said switching to Korean and then looked at Mark. "Can you lead them, please?" And Melanie went back to speaking on the phone and towards the kitchen. Mark did as he was asked with a grin on his face. "That means I'm in charge." "For now, hyung." Jinyoung countered as Jaebeom would glance a few times towards the kitchen. "What are you looking at, hyung?" Youngjae asked him which startled Jaebeom. "Hmm?" He faced Youngjae. "Nothing. Let's play." Jaebeom glanced again towards the kitchen area, but returned his focus onto the game when Mark started talking. As for Melanie, the young woman had settled herself at the kitchen table with her secret stash of white macadamia nuts cookies while talking to her so-called first brother, Cameron, through video chat.

"I know it's three AM my time, Lani, but I can't sleep. Vid finally fell asleep. The newborns are in the nursery and I'm alone with no one to spaz with." Cameron laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Haha, sure, Cam. What about the other three?" Melanie asked with a raised eyebrow as the older male laughed. "Car has to deal with his own kids and I'm sure it's like five or six in New York while James is still at work and Nick's on his way to see Alice right now." "So basically that leaves me or Lina, right?" "Yeah, but Lina's phone is always on silent or vibrate so you were the last resort." "What else is new?" Melanie laughed while biting into her cookie. "Did you eat yet?" "Yeah, a little because I didn't really have an appetite. Nerves you know." "Hmm, I see, but anyways, Markson and Jinson? Really?"

Cameron laughed. "Haha yeah, well, Vid's a K-Pop fan, too, y'know, Lani. Which I still blame you and Lina for her music obsession to this day." "Hey, don't hate, but Levi and Eric are cute names." "Yeah." Cameron then remembered something. "Dude, Carson and Savannah's kids' names are the same way." "Oh, right. They are. I totally forgot that." "Yeah, Vid did the same thing as Van." "Ethan Xiah Kingsley and Emily Boah Kingsley." Melanie recalled with a grin. "Car still blames you and Lina for getting her nto K-Pop." "Don't hate." Melanie dismissed as she ate more of her cookies. "How you doing? We need to get together when we're out of school." "Everyone's planning to visit us in July. Will y'all be back for summer?" "Lina and are I will be, but the twins are going to Vietnam instead."

Melanie explained as Cameron's face fell. "Oh really? We don't get to see the twins much" He scrunched up his face as Melanie laughed. "True, but Lina and I care only to see the newborn nephews." "Wow, rude." "And the other babies and your wives. Don't care for you boys." "Wow and I thought I was your favorite. So mean. Cameron made a mean face at her as Melanie laughed. "All day and every day." "Anyways, find a Korean boyfriend yet?" Cameron wriggled his eyebrows playfully. "Maybe." Melanie grinned as the older male's eyes widened with surprised. "Really?" "No." "C'mon. I want some nieces and nephews." "We're not blood-related." "By association we are." "I forget you and the other three would always come over." "True. Mom fed us and Dad taught us handiwork stuff." "Because your dad is a well known player and you guys' moms weren't around much." "True."

The two continued to converse until Cameron noticed someone hovering over his so-called sister. "You said you didn't have a boyfriend, right?" "Yeah, why?" "Then who's the guy behind you, hmm?" The older male tried to lean closer to the screen to see as Melanie turned to see Jaebeom standing behind her. "Later." She turned to smiled at the older male who was about to say something as he shot her a suspicious look, but Melanie ended the call in a hurry. "Oh hey, JB, what's up?" Melanie smiled at the idol after hastily hanging up on her eldest so-called brother who began to call her back a second later, but Melanie muted her phone and flipped it over so the light wouldn't continue to visibly flash. "Hey." He lamely let out with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck. "Did I disturb you?"

Melanie shook her head. "Just catching up with someone." Jaebeom slowly nodded. "Someone special?" "Nah. Just a friend who's like an older brother to me. We've known each other since we were little." Melanie propped her left elbow onto the table to lean her chin onto her closed fist. "What are you doing here? The boys kick you out or something?" Jaebeom's eyes returned to gaze at the older woman and shot her a small smile. "No. They were just getting annoying." He finally took a seat with her and Melanie remembered something. "Oh, thanks by the way." Jaebeom looked at her puzzled. "For what?" "Your friend, Kyungtae." "Yeah, you're welcome. The guys and I had a talk with him and knocked some real good sense into that brain of his to make him realize what he was doing."

Melanie let out a relieved sigh with a nod. "He apologized to me the other day and just said that it was all in his head. Something about his last girlfriend and why he based everything on that." "Yeah, she messed with his head real good and made him guilty about a lot of things, but she was the one that broke it off with him after using him for his money and other things." Jaebeom explained as Melanie shook her head. "Poor guy. I hope the next girl he likes actually treats him well." "Me, too." Melanie picked up one of her cookies and offered it towards him. "I don't usually share, but you seem kind of weird. Are you okay?" "Oh yeah. I'm fine." Jaebeom assured her as he declined the offered of the baked good. "Don't worry about me, Chaewon noona." He shot her a smile as Melanie regarded him a little.

"If you say so." She bit into the cookie. "How are your finals going?" "It sucks." He admitted with a groan while rubbing his face, but stopped soon after. "The teacher wanted us to dissect a film from beginning to end while giving our opinion on why the director filmed it like this and that and yeah. It's a lot of work." "I don't doubt it." Silence fell between them, but not in an awkward way. Just as Jaebeom was about to say something, Youngjae's loud voice caught there attention. "Don't do that! No! You cannot just make up words! Yah!" Melanie turned her attention onto the idol before her. "Are they, and I mean Youngjae, normally this loud?" "Yes, but it's usually when he play games or something." Jaebeom's lips quirked into a small smile. "You'll get used to it eventually." "That, I can agree for sure."

~~~~~~~

Serena returned to her apartment close to three in the morning and saw that the boys including BamBam and Jackson were all knocked out in her living room with the television and lights still on. Melanie was no where in sight and Serena assumed that her sister must have went to sleep and left the boys to do their own thing. "So this is what she meant about the mess in the living room. Wow." Serena muttered to herself as she quietly made her way to her room to drop off her things and change. When she emerged from out her room she went to refresh herself in the bathroom before observing what to do in her living room. "Why would they crash here when they just live like thirty seconds away?" The older woman asked herself in a hushed tone as she went about cleaning up the mess with a shake of her head.

After several long minutes Serena got her living room as clean as possible and had turned off the TV. She went to grab the spare blankets and pillows for the boys to use and brought out the night light so she could turn off the main lights. Once she was done Serena returned to her room to grab her mobile device before she went to the kitchen to fix herself a light snack. When the older woman was settled at the dining table Serena accessed the Skype application on her cell phone to call back her so-called third brother, James. "Sup, boo." James greeted as Serena rolled her eyes, but greeted him back with a small grin while biting into her ham sandwich. "Hey, Jerk. So what did you want to show me that couldn't be posted onto any of your stupid social media accounts, hmm?"

"Okay, Lina, one, rude." James held up his index finger before making a peace sign. "And second, because of this!" The older male lifted up the hood part of his outfit before standing back to show Serena the whole outfit of a minion kigurumi. "Tada!" Serena had to lean closer to her phone screen as she wasn't wearing her glasses or contacts. "Wow." "I knew you'd like it." James stated as Serena face-palmed herself in a tired manner. "You for real?" She shook her head as her eyes focused on the male again. "You bothered me about a minion pajama?" "Hey, you wanted one. I got a set for all the siblings." "So for you and the boys? That's cute." "Stop. You know that you and Lani are included, too." "I hope not. I don't wanna wear that." Serena chuckled as James rolled his eyes and returned back to sitting down again.

"Don't be rude when you know you care just as much." "Shut up." "See." "Whatever, James." "Anyways," Serena began as she swept a hand through her hair, "If there's nothing else, I'm gonna hang up." James tsked. "Tch, always so mean." "All day, every day." "You sound like Lani." "Do not." "Yeah you do." "No even." "Like yes, you do, Lina." "Bye." "Ugh, fine, Miss Rude Ass." James let out sulkily as Serena laughed. "Fine. I know it's hella late for you over there and I have to get ready for work in fifteen minutes." "Thanks." "You're welcome. Aight then. Late." "Later and don't be late." "I'm never late." "Sure, bye." "Peace out." The two waved goodbye as Serena ended the call first and brushed her hair from out of her face to bite into her sandwich.

Serena then heard a slight scuffling sound and turned towards the direction and saw a male silhouette standing at the entrance of the kitchen. "Oh hey." Serena spoke in Korean as she couldn't tell who it was. "Did I wake you?" "No." He replied in a soft and raspy tone while running a hand through his hair as he walked closer and Serena realized it was Mark. "I went to use the toilet and saw the kitchen light was on." The idol explained before letting out a yawn and sitting in the seat beside her. "When did you get back?" "Not that long ago." Serena answered him while starting on her last sandwich. "How come y'all crashed here again?" Mark let out a chuckle as he rubbed his tired eyes. "We didn't plan to, but we were just lazy to walk back when it got super late." "Wow." "Yeah, I know."

Silence fell between, but it wasn't an awkward one. Serena noticed Mark rubbing at his eyes again. "Go back to sleep. You must be tired." Mark shook his head with a smile. "It's okay. The life of an idol, right?" "I wouldn't really know the answer." "Do you wanna know though?" "But do I really wanna know is the likely question." "You wouldn't be able to handle the truth." "Shut up, Mark." The male idol laughed in response as Serena rolled her eyes and finished her sandwich. "Well, I'm going to bed. You can stay up and sit in the kitchen all by yourself." "That's just weird." Now it was Serena's turned to laugh in response as she cleaned her dish and put it away with Mark following her out of the kitchen. "Well, good night, Mark, and sweet dreams." "Thanks. Sweet dreams and good night to you, too, Serena."

#staytheb #got7 scenarios

[fluidityandgiggles]

Sleep Is For The Weak - Chapter 12

Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 5, Last Chapter

Writing Masterlist - for previous chapters not otherwise linked, Read on AO3

Notes (I guess): Thanks a lot to @ilovemygaydad for updating y’all about my wifi situation, the wifi works semi-well now, and... well...

WRITING THIS CHAPTER WAS HELL AND A HALF AND IM SO GLAD ITS FINALLY FINISHED.

Ahem. Excuse me. I have a couple of very important things to say, though.

If any of you haven't read the latest chapter of Keep Him Safe, which is right here, please go do so. I read it the moment it was posted and... I was at dinner with my family, so I had to hold in my squealing... to be perfectly honest with y'all, I already knew what was going to happen in that chapter since I started writing chapter three, I think...? So I have known about this for a very long time, but it still made me super happy to see it actually happen in writing. So... go read KHS, y'all. You really should. It's awesome.

(Quick update: I checked my screenshots and... yeah, I've known about that since July, which is when I started writing this fic. Again, I've known about what happened in sleep for six months, and surprisingly didn't spoil almost any of it to anyone around me. I deserve a fucking prize.)

To anyone who just came over from Eva's shameless plugging of me - hello, nice to have you here. In this fucked up piece of angst we discuss queer history as well as Remy's personal history, or - as I said to myself while reading and re-reading what Eva has to say about this fic - "well, this story is as much about queer history as it is about Remy, where he came from, where he's going, where he came from cotton eye joey'n". And to anyone who's a regular reader, I'm so glad you're sticking around to read this... this thing. It's become a monster in my head, I can promise you that much.

As always, thanks to @broadwaytheanimatedseries for the original idea, to @whatwashernameagain for the original fic (can you believe it’s been six months since we came up with chapter 23?), to @anony-phangirl and @asleepybisexual and @winglessnymph for the help wherever needed, and a special one to Morgan - again - for helping me get the word out. All of those people are my shining stars and I love them so much.

Tag list (sort of): @bunny222, @ab-artist, @sweet-and-sour-shadowling, @your-username-is-unavailable, @virgilcrofters, @why-things-go-boom, @ilovemygaydad (thanks again, kiddo!), @violetblossem. @maybe-i-like-the-misery, @book-of-charlie, @thatsanswitch

(Wanna be tagged? Just lemme know!)

Trigger warning: period appropriate transphobia (the early 00s were not exactly trans-friendly). This chapter discusses rape again, this time in a bit more detail (nothing graphic, it’ll never be graphic, I promise), and includes a... panic attack of sorts. Be warned.

—————

January 24th, 2003

Emile's smile faltered.

"...so what if I got raped?" He muttered, putting down the stack of chairs he was holding. "What's done is done. They had their fun—"

"They…?" India tilted her head. Oh shoot… "There was more than one person?"

"More like three… what? Why are you looking at me like—"

The stack India was holding fell to the floor.

"Did you tell anyone?" Emile stared at the floor. Maybe she'll go away if he doesn't cooperate. "Emile! Did you tell anyone?"

"I told the doctors…" Emile's voice faltered. "What's going on?"

"I'm surprised you're even alive right now!" India's pacing was… terrifying. For some reason… she suddenly just… turned so scary. "Mixing date rape drugs with alcohol, which is what I'm assuming happened to you, is so dangerous! And I'm only assuming that's what happened because I heard from Remy that they found GHB traces—"

"I'm not proud," Emile managed to stutter. "Of… all this. I just… I can drink, okay? I made some mistakes in the past—"

"You're seventeen!"

"I made some mistakes in the past, and… this one makes me feel like all those mistakes have been trying to tell me that I shouldn't exist…"

"No… no, peach, please." He already started crying by the time she stepped in to hug him. "I get that. I really do. Sometimes I think about how much better my life might've been if I pretended like I'm 'cured' of being transgender after conversion. My cousin wouldn't have done what she did, that's the biggest plus. But… I wouldn't have come here. I wouldn't have started on my way to become a statistics analyst. I wouldn't have met Jenna. I would probably be living a sad, closeted life back home, and that isn't such a nice thing."

"You were too…?"

"I was too, yeah… as victims, we gotta stick to each other."

The wet spots on India's sweater were getting larger by the second. But she didn't mind it.

"Like I was told when I was sixteen," she said, much quieter than before. "Nobody is going to believe a man who says he was raped. We gotta stick together, whether we like it or not."

——

"Hey, isn't that that friend of yours?" Remy heard behind him about two minutes before the meeting started.

Oh, good.

"Hey, didn't you deliberately choose to forget that I live in the other side of the US from you because you wanted to be a little fuck?" Remy asked back, looking at Chris turn redder than a tomato.

"I swear to god, I had no idea!"

"Suck it and your excuses, Mendez."

"Hey, hey… come on, Remy. Won't you at least let me make it up to you?"

Remy couldn't stay angry… well, he could. But not as angry. It was a stupid reason, too…

"I will." Chris beamed at him. "But it'll take a very long time."

"...you have a week."

"I won't let you down," Chris said with the same wide, obnoxious grin, quickly kissing Remy's cheek and taking a seat.

Fuck him and his obnoxious self.

On the third of January, Remy and Emile sat down on the hotel bed in what was probably the fanciest hotel Remy's ever been to (though he never really visited any hotels in his life, no time or money for that). They were listening to Gustav Holst's The Planets as Emile performed a one-man dramatic reading of No Exit, and Remy couldn't feel more at peace.

This situation right here - all the people, all the tension, Chris right there a few steps away from him - was the exact opposite.

"Do you want me to leave?" A quiet voice said and Remy felt himself being squeezed so tight, he was sure his ribs would crack. Emile. "I can leave if you—"

"Come on, sit next to me," Remy said as quietly and took a rather far seat from Chris. Serves him right.

"Happy Friday, everyone," India opened the meeting. "I see that we got some new people after the break, so we're going to do another name round. Who wants to start?"

Emile raised his hand almost immediately.

"I'm Emile, I'm— do we mention our major?"

"If you want to."

"I'm Emile, I'm a psychology major, and I'm probably gay. Or asexual. I just… don't really know if I'm more gay or asexual yet."

——

Monday, January 27th

"Look, I find some of what you teach suspect," Emile hummed to himself as he skipped behind Remy back to their building after a particularly entertaining sols 20 class. "Because I'm used to relying on intellect, but I try to open up to what I don't know, because reason says I should've died three years ago…"

"Em, stop it," Remy half-laughed. "I get it, you're still thinking about Rent."

"It was such a good show!" Emile whined - well, sort of. "Jai Rodriguez was really good!"

"I met Idina Menzel through this," Remy said with another chuckle. "She's nice… kind of a diva, if you ask me."

"So… like you?"

"What do you mean, like me?"

"Nice, but kind of a diva." Emile nudged him. "I'll bet you she's totally selfless and sweet but acts like she doesn't care about anything in the world—"

"No, actually… she isn't." Remy sighed. The memories were foggy - it was over eight years ago - but… "Dad is working on some project with her again. Her and Kristin Chenoweth…"

"Kristin?" Emile shrieked. "Good golly, I love her! She's so sweet and talented!"

"I'm really not supposed to tell you anything," Remy laughed, and then stopped.

A figure made him freeze at his doorstep. A small, shaking figure, with braided brown hair and an ill-fitting, black, puffy coat.

Leah was rapidly knocking on Remy's suite door.

——

"Why did you think it was a good idea to come here?" Remy asked, careful not to scream. Leah sat in the living room, her hair dripping wet from the shower he made her take, wrapped up in the clothes she brought with her in her lime green schoolbag. She was waiting on her hot chocolate.

"I wanted to."

"How did you even get a bus ticket? You're seven!"

"I took money from mom and went to the bus station!" Leah huffed. "I know where the buses are, and I know how to—"

"I didn't say you don't know, Leah Mae," Remy chastised, putting the cup of hot chocolate on the table quite forcefully. "But you're seven years old! This was incredibly dangerous of you—"

"I don't wanna live at home anymore!" Leah screamed. "Mom was mean all of Christmas, and Lizzie wasn't being nice when we went back to school, she didn't want me to be her friend anymore, and Rachel was annoying—"

"Sweetie, they're going to think I kidnapped you!" Leah was taken aback. Remy was worried to the point of terrifying. "They're going to think I kidnapped you, Leah. It won't end well!"

"I didn't think…" the tears started coming out. Oh shit… "I didn't mean it! I just… I don't like being home! Don't be mad at me!"

"Oh, baby, no, I'm not mad at you!" Remy was quick to take her in for a hug. His poor baby sister… "I'm just worried, Leah. Extremely worried. Never do such a thing ever again, okay?" She nodded in his arms. "There's nothing we can do about this now, but—"

The door opened with a bang, and "I brought the bunnies!"

Leah immediately perked up. Mycroft tried to hop straight into her lap the moment he was close enough, since he already knew her and was very worried for the tiny human, but Lestrade took his time getting to know her. She was new, and he didn't know her yet, and what if she wasn't going to be nice?

"Leah, this is Lestrade," Emile said with a huge smile, closing the door and coming to cuddle them all - Remy included. "He's Mycroft's brother, and I adopted him after Christmas!"

"But you don't celebrate Christmas."

"No I don't, but you do." He booped her nose, making her giggle. "Lestrade is a nice boy. Give him a bit, he'll jump into your lap in no time."

As Leah entertained herself, playing with the bunnies and telling them stories, Remy pulled Emile to the side.

"She ran away from home!"

"I heard that when you asked me to go get the bunnies, Remy."

"She's seven years old! What do I do with a seven-year old runaway? Is it even a thing? A seven-year old runaway?"

Emile kisses Remy's cheek quicker than he could process it happening. "It's going to be fine. Call Linda, let her know that Leah is here—"

"Leah asked me not to tell anyone she's here," Remy sighed, rubbing his face in frustration.

"I understand, but… Linda is still your mom. Leah is still seven years old. She needs to go home, whether you like it or not." When Remy still seemed like he's having trouble processing it, Emile pulled him into a hug. "Do you want me to talk to her about it for you?"

Remy could only say a very weak "yes please" before Emile went back to the couch, to talk to Leah.

He was jittering. He was angry, and scared, and disappointed, and proud, and he felt everything so intensely and was so shocked and confused that he couldn't name it. He barely turned eighteen last July, he didn't even know how to drive yet, and he was absolutely, most definitely, going to be in trouble for this seven-year old child showing up at his door after running away from home.

He wasn't going to call Linda. But he couldn't keep Leah over. And he didn't know shit about raising children, for the period of time he was going to have Leah over, until he figures out what to do. Remy wanted to scream, how much he wanted to. But he couldn't.

So he did the next best thing he could do. He dropped to the floor and started crying.

He was too tired, physically and emotionally, to pick himself back up at that particular moment.

#kylo cant write #sanders sides #remy/sleep #emile picani #keep him safe #sleep is for the weak #the remy centric prequel #tw: period appropriate transphobia #tw: rape mention #tw: rape discussion #tw: panic attack #tw: emotional overwhelm

[sunflowerstache]

Not So Bad In L.A

A/N: Hi again guys! I’m so sorry it took so long to update, I was having so many technical problems posting, but I finally made it work! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, it was super fun to write! I love hearing from y'all about what you think of the storyline so far or any questions, comments, suggestions you may have so please let me know! I absolutely adore hearing from you guys! Again, thank you so much for the support, I love you all immensely!

Chapter 2: Take The Time To Waste A Moment      January 28, 2017

Word Count: 4.8k 

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You knew you really had nothing to be complaining about, because in retrospect, you understood your career is relatively laid back compared to many others. But does that stop you from hanging your head and groaning every five minutes? Absolutely not. You and the girls had been in Los Angeles for about a month now, and you all really couldn’t be happier. Bri and Sav were spending every day at their internships at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM for short) in hopes of being recruited once their six months was finished. Bella, as per Nick’s prediction, had found herself spending many nights with the lucky guys she had deemed worthy of her time. And you? Sure, you’ve gone out and seen some of the beautiful city you moved to, but you had just gotten a new job and were doing everything in your power to make a name for yourself.

“Y/N come on! You’ve been cooped up in your room forever.” Bri walked into your room and flopped down on your bed, “We’ve been in L.A for like a month and you’ve barely left the apartment.”

“IfeellikeImadeamistake.” You mumbled, throwing your head in your hands and she asked, “Huh?”

“I feel like I made a mistake.” Spinning around in your desk chair to face her, you tossed the pile of magazines, that currently lived on your desk, in the trash can, “I thought coming here would help me, ya know, like get into the headspace I need. But I’m just so stuck and I have to submit this by Tuesday. And I can’t be late with it ‘cause it’s my first article and I just got hired and I don’t want them to thin-“

“Hey! Slow down Usain, you’re gonna get hysterical in a minute and you know I can’t handle that.” She smiled, moving to sit up on the bed, “Take a deep breath please.”

Doing as she said, you felt your heart rate slowly being to go down and you rubbed your hands on your jeans. “There ya go. Alright, listen up sister. You’re fucking talented as shit, you got that?” Bri stared at you and waited until you nodded softly, “They wouldn’t have hired you if they didn’t love your work and think you were talented.”

“Yeah but I wasn’t under as much pressure for any of the work in my portfolio. What if I’m just not good anymore? What if I just can’t write when there’s actual things at stake… like paying bills or like buying food!” It had been quite a while since you had had a breakdown over work. While living at home, you didn’t have to worry as much about how well your writing did when you submitted to local magazines. It was something you did more as a hobby during high school, and then during college you started getting paid for it. But now, everything was riding on it. Yes, you had gotten hired by a great company who obviously thought you would succeed, but this is a whole new ball game for you.

“I mean I’m not gonna tell you that you’re wrong, ‘cause it is gonna be a lot different than when you were writing in high school and college. And yeah, the stakes are a bit higher, but Y/N, come on. You know you’re good. You wouldn’t be where you are if you weren’t. You’re such a talented writer and you’re an insane videographer. I mean you have fan accounts for fucks sake.” She laughed, getting up from the bed and walking over to kiss the top of your head

“Thanks B. Always know you can set my head back on right.”

“You know it girlfriend. Also, you better have a great time tonight, it’s the first time you’re actually going out since being here.”

Bri’s comment made your eyes widen, like they were going to pop out of your head, when you realized what day it was, “Shit Bri, I gotta go pick up Nick!” Shooting up from your chair, you ran across your room to throw on your yellow vans and denim jacket to pair with your black leggings and white t shirt. Nick was flying in today and you knew if you were even seconds late, you would never hear the end of it. Mental breakdown forgotten, it was finally time to see your favorite British lad.

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

“Look, I’m still not gonna tell you where we’re going tonight.” You had made it in time to pick up Nick, granted he was an hour late which lead to a conversation about timeliness - even though you were aware he had no control over his flight - and now here you were. Sitting on your couch, surrounded by all four of your best friends.

“Yeah, but we at least have to make sure she looks cute. You never know who you’ll run into.” Bella wagged her eyebrows as she lifter her glass of roséup to her lips

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you know where we’re going?!” a small gasp slide past your lips as you realized your friends all knew what was happening tonight.

“Well I mean, I had’ta get someone’s opinion.” Nick shrugged, “I just should have assumed that tweedle dee was going to tell tweedle dumb and dumber.”

“Ya know, I just really find it unfair that I’m the one attending whatever the hell is happening tonight and literally everyone but me knows what it is.” You stood up from the couch and pointed in the direction of your bedroom, “But let’s go. Show me what to wear my all-knowing friends.” The five of you made your way out of the living room and towards your bedroom. Your place was quaint. The brightness of it had been what drew the four of you in in the first place. The walls throughout were various shades of white and windows littered the walls, providing much needed natural light. You had the cutest fireplace in your living room, accompanied by your grey couch, gold coffee table, and tons of green plants.

“I’m thinking something super simple but still hot.” Bella walked straight over to your closet and began digging through your items.

“You’ll be on your feet all night, so get cozy.” Nick grinned, leaning back in your desk chair and flipping through one of your magazines, “You in this one?”

“No.” you mumbled, walking to your vanity to grab some hair clips for Sav so she could start your hair. the same time Bri yelled, still picking out your outfit, “She had a breakdown before she picked you up earlier. Doesn’t think she’s good enough to write anymore!”

“Gee thanks B, why don’t you just post about it, so everyone knows.” Dropping down to the floor, you sat criss cross in front of Sav – who was waiting on your bed, so she could start her process

“What d’ya mean you ain’t good enough? You have a degree in this shit Y/N of course you’re good.” Frowning, Nick woke up your computer and began reading the unfinished piece on your desktop, “This is bloody fantastic. They’d be stupid not to love it.”

“I don’t know. Just second guessing myself I guess.” You shrugged

“THIS!” Bella shrieked, running out of the closet holding a black, off the shoulder, long sleeve shirt and black booties, “This is what you’re wearing. With jeans. Super simple but still sexy. Nick what are you doing?”

“None of your business.”

“You know, you’re staying in my home. Maybe I’ll just take all your shit out of the guest room and put it on that couch down on the corner. I’m sure that man would love to have a cuddle buddy tonight.” Sav was easily the wittiest out of the four of us, always coming back with jabs quicker than any of us could think. This is how you imagined your life in Los Angeles. Surrounded by the best people you knew and getting ready to have an amazing night. You just wish you weren’t being kept in the dark. Bella and Bri laid down on your pink duvet, behind Sav, while Nick continued to read some more of your unfinished work on the computer.

“Yeah. Jeans and that shirt are good. Simple is good tonight.” He said, shutting your computer off and standing up from your desk, “Add a cute bag or summat. I’m getting dressed”. The girls helped you finish getting ready, adding “that belt you got from that store in Georgia! Remember that place with the old redneck guy and the weird painting of redneck Elvis!” as per Sav’s request. You let to meet Nick out in your living room and just like your expected, he looked like his usual self. Ripped black skinny jeans, his black and tan striped sweater, and a pair of brown Chelsea boots. “Looking dashing as ever darling.” He peered up from his phone as he heard your heels clicking into the room.

“Don’t butter me up Nicholas. I better have a fan-fucking-tastic time tonight or I’ll take Sav up on her offer.” You threatened, everyone in the room hearing the joking tone behind your empty threat, “Let’s go.”

“No need for the hostility. Just texting my mates to see if we can head over.” The girls, who had perched themselves back on the couch, snickered hearing Nick speak about the friends you would be meeting up with, “Alright, all set. Just gotta take a wee!” He quickly ran back down the hall as Bella grinned, “Have fun tonight.”

“Oh shut up will ya. Shouldn’t you be at what’s his face’s house by now?”

“Ready?” Nick strolled out, placing his hand on your back to lead you towards the door. “Let’s blow this popsicle bar.”

“Stand Nick. It’s popsicle stand.” You chuckled, stepping through the front door and starting your first night out in Los Angeles.

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

“Really? This is our exciting night out?” you proclaimed as Nick nodded, “My first real night out since moving to L.A and your big surprise is to take me to the Forum?”

“Hey! If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be sitting at your desk, probably pulling your hair out and talking shit about yourself. So, you should really be thanking me.” The two of you had gotten dropped off at the side entrance of the building, and were now making your way into the venue, maneuvering up staircases and through the crowds. You always loved going out with Nick and looking to see if anyone recognized him. It happened more often when you were in London, but every once and while, he would get spotted instantly in the U.S. Today, however, you didn’t really see anyone noticing him.

“Wait, who are we even seeing?” you questioned but all he did was shake his head, “You’ll see. Come on, gotta find our seats. Making your way up yet another set of stairs, the sound of your heels clicking being drowned out by the opening act, who was finishing their set. “Wow Nicholas, getting a private box for the show, how very posh of you.” You laughed as you both walked up to the man checking tickets.

“Hush with the 20 questions, would you? Just be a normal person and be grateful I brought you here in the first place.”

“I would be grateful if I knew who we were seeing.” You replied, begrudgingly, as the two of you walked down the small hallway where it finally opened up into the small, private seating area. There was a small group of people standing down by the railing, while some were off to either side, pouring drinks and enjoying the end of the opening act.

“You must be daft. We walked by at least five posters. Go down and enjoy, I gotta say hi to some people and grab us drinks.” Nick responded as he slowly left you standing in the middle of the entryway

“Nick!” you whisper shouted, “I have no idea who any of these people are. You can’t just leave me here!” Due to the loud instrumental of the opening act walking off stage, he didn’t hear your complaining and continued to walk away from you. Sighing, you decided to make your way down the small set of steps and join the small group against the railing. Looking at them, you felt your breath freeze in your lungs as you recognized one of the females to be Kendall Jenner. Like THE Kendall Jenner that you were just watching on TV earlier that day. This was already an interesting night. They glanced your way and gave a small smile when they didn’t recognize you, before turning back to face the stage and continue their conversation. You had to give it to Nick, you were happy to be out of your apartment and finally doing something fun. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to experience Los Angeles, you did! You just wanted to perfect your job before getting to wild and screwing anything up. You turned your head quickly when hearing Nick’s very loud laugh coming from behind you.

“Stupid Nick.” You mumbled, quietly to yourself, “’Let’s go out’ he says. ‘You’re gonna have a great time’ he says. Sure, just leave me here to fend for myself why don’t ya dickhead.”

“I hear talkin’ to yourself means you’re actually a genius.” A voice spoke up from behind you, sounding eerily familiar, yet completely unknown. Turning around, you opened your mouth to lay into whoever had snuck up on you, but it was like your body shut down. Your eyes widen quickly, before you regained composure, and turned back around to face the stage.

“I guess just call me Albert Einstein then.” The man laughed at that and you looked down at your hands resting on the railing, now picking the skin on your pointer finger.

“Well, very nice to meet you Mr. Einstein. Very fond of your work.” He replied, moving to stand right up against the rail next to you

“Oh yeah. E=MC2was a real dozy.” You laughed

It was quiet for a minute, well, as quiet as it could get with thousands of talking fans and music playing throughout the venue. You were still trying to wrap your head around who was standing next to you. Who you were speaking with, and quite frankly, how you were able to form coherent sentences. “’M Harry.”

“I know.” You had a small smile on your face as you gently looked up at him, and when you did he was nodding, like he already assumed you knew him, “Y/N.” He looked down at you after that and when your eyes met, you felt your nerves come pouring out. “I – I mean, I’m-. Y/N’s my name. Not yours. Cleary it’s not yours, you just told me yours. And obviously you know that’s not you – your name. I’m Y/N.” you could feel your cheeks getting warm, as they turned a light hue of pink, at your embarrassing rambles.

“Figured that’s what you meant.” He smiled, “So, you’re friends with Nick.”

“Unfortunately.” You chuckled, but instantly regretted your comment as your remembered Nick and Harry were best friends, “He’s great… when he doesn’t take me out for the night and then ditch me.”

“One time, he took me to dinner with some people from BBC and then proceeded to leave without me, forgetting he brought me with him.” Harry recalled, turning fully so that the two of you now faced each other

“I’ll do ya one better. Like a year ago, he begged me for weeks to come out and visit him. So, finally I agree and tell him when my flight lands. Get into Heathrow and call him to come pick me up, only to find out he went to New York with Rita. So, I ended up spending a week in London by myself.” Talking with Harry was surprisingly easier than your initial thought. The nerves had dissipated and now, for some reason, it was like you were talking with someone who you’ve known for years. Maybe it was the bashing of Nick that made you feel more comfortable, or maybe it was because you had wanted this moment to happen for so long. Either way, you were living your fantasy.

“My two favorite people! What’s going on?” Nick grinned, walking away from the bar and towards you and Harry.

“Just discussing all the times you’ve been flaky.” Throwing his arm around Nick’s shoulder, Harry went in for a hug, “Good t’ see you mate. Been a while.” The two of them stood and spoke for a minute, so you decided to walk over and grab a quick drink. After all, you would be spending the night at an event with one of your long-time celebrity crushes. A rum and coke, or two, would definitely be in your cards tonight. All of a sudden, the lights dimmed, and loud cheers were head echoing through the venue, so you quickly finished pouring your drink and made your way back over to Nick, and subsequently, Harry.

“Okay, you gonna tell me now who’s playing?” you asked returning to your place beside Harry, who whipped his head around to Nick so fast you swore he would have whiplash.

“You didn’t even tell her who was playing tonight? Some friend you are.”

“Oi! I was trying to get her out of her house and help her make some friends. She just moved here for fucks sake!” you could see the smile lines start to creep up in the corner or Nicks eyes, indicating that he knew the two of you were just yanking his chain. Harry turned back to talk to you when the sound of drums filled the air, and chills instantly covered your body.

“KINGS OF LEON?! Nick you’re joking!” you screamed leaning over the railing, and around Harry, to look at Nick

“Told you you’d enjoy yourself.” He laughed, taking a sip of his drink and shrugging.

Kings of Lean had been one of your favorite bands for years and always being your go to drunk karaoke band. You had told Nick one night, during your last visit to London, how much you would die to see them live and how much they meant to you. Not only did he come through and hook you up, but he also brought you to a show accompanied by none other than THE Harry Styles - someone he also knew you adored. The talking was kept to a minimum during the first half of the set, everyone thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere. But none the less, you got to have some great conversations with Harry. He was surprisingly laid back for someone of his notoriety. It was interesting to watch Harry be a part of the crowd instead of on stage. During his time in One Direction, he had been notorious for being quite wild on stage, so seeing him on the opposite side was a sight to see. He swayed to the beats, threw his hands in the air every so often, played the air guitar occasionally, and sang his little heart out. Not to mention stole a few quick glances at you when he thought you weren’t looking. You were. Obviously, you had all lost your shit during “Eyes on You” and “Sex on Fire” – those being some of hypest songs during the first half of the show. The music slowly began to shift from loud and in your face, to quiet and soothing. The band opting for taking a small break from rocking out and providing some acoustic songs.

“So, you just moved here. Where from? If you don’t mind me asking.” Harry asked, noticing your lack of interest in the current song

“Charleston, South Carolina.” You nodded, always loving talking about your home

“Ahh, I love it down there. So beautiful and everyone’s always so kind.”

“Who’ve you been talking to? Definitely only nice to you ‘cause you’re Harry Styles.” You laughed, but then your insecurity came lurching back up and felt horrible for saying that, “Not that there’s anything wrong with you being Harry Styles. ‘Cause there’s not. Ya know, any - anything wrong with that.”

“Cute when yeh ramble.” It sounded so natural coming from his lips, but you could swear your heart rate increased tenfold. Harry Styles just said you were cute. You. “So, why make the move to L.A?”

“Work mostly. My friends also kind of had a hand in the decision, but we’re all just trying to make it in our fields I guess. Just like everyone else.”

“And what field is that?” he scrunched up his nose, “Sorry, ‘M being nosey aren’t I?”

“No, no it’s okay. I adore my job, so I love talking about it. I’m a travel writer for “Travel and Leisure Magazine”. I get to work from home, or wherever I am at the time, and just write about the culture or food or experiences there. And I just submit the work to my boss. Basically, I write to inform the readers about potential vacation spots or locations to move to.” You beamed, loving getting the chance to talk about the one thing that made you the happiest

“That’s amazing. I’ve always loved traveling, one of the greatest parts of my job really. And getting paid to travel and write about it must be thrilling.” He looked so in awe of you and your job that it made your heart tingle.

“It really is. My whole life I was stuck in South Carolina. Grew up there. Went to college there. And I just knew there was so much of the world I wanted to see. So, I declared my major, got a job at a small magazine and was able to start traveling for money. That’s when I met Nick.”

“Good for you. Seriously, that’s fantastic. How’s L.A helping you with all that?”

“It’s good! I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately, just worried I made a mistake coming all the way out here and that – surprise, I’m actually a horrible writer.”

He placed his hand on the small of your back and leaned in closer to speak to you as the music got a bit louder, “I’m sure you’re fantastic. Wouldn’t have made it out here if you weren’t eh?” 

“Thanks.” You blushed, “I don’t really think I would have decided to make the move our here if it wasn’t for my friends. Two of them are trying to break out into the fashion world, so they convinced the rest of us to move with them.”            “Show me some of their stuff sometime, I’d love to take a look.” You always knew he was the most into fashion out of his band, but you never in a million years thought you would be talking to him about it.            

“Sometime huh? Think we’ll be seeing each other again?” you joked, turning back to watch the rest of the show, as the acoustic set had just finished, and the music was picking back up with the song “Find Me”.             

“I hope so.” Your cheeks were in a constant state of warmth the rest of the show. Nick had brought the three of you more drinks, enough to the point where you were feeling pretty loose by the last two songs of the night. You were having the time of your life – watching one of your favorite bands, with one of your best friends, and a man you had only hoped of meeting in your dreams. The notes of “Waste a Moment” began to play and you stopped your jumping around to hold onto the railing tightly with one hand, the other placed over your heart. You could feel your blood pumping through your veins and nothing else existed other than the stage and the four men standing on it.

“You alright?” you heard from your left, but you couldn’t form any words

“Song just means a lot to her. It’s her brother’s favorite.” You heard Nick yell over the sound of Caleb Followill’s voice. All too soon, the guitar and drums faded and the band was screaming their “THANK YOU”s to the crowd, while the lights began to get brighter.

“Y/N.” Nick sounded from right behind you, a hand on your elbow, requesting you turn around to face him, “Come on, let’s go.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Sorry,” you breathed out a laugh, “Just really love them.” Looking to say your goodbye’s to Harry before walking out, you saw him putting on his red coat while saying his own goodbye’s to some friends – Kendall included

“Nice to see you again Ken. I’ll see you soon.” You could hear very quietly fall from his lips, before turning back to face you and Nick, “Mind if I walk out with you?” Stunned that he wanted to spend more time with you tonight, you shook your head and held your hand out towards the stairway. This time, on your way down the stairs, you felt all the eyes on your group. Obviously because of who was walking with you, and you knew you’d be seeing his, and possibly your, figure all over the internet tomorrow, leaving the venue.

“You ever get used to all the staring?” it was something you had always wondered

“It’s always a bit weird to have hundreds of people just staring at you. So, I wouldn’t say it gets any less weird, just get more used to it.” He looked a bit sad by the statement, and you couldn’t blame him. Years of being in the spotlight has to be difficult. “Hey, before we go our separate ways, I just wanted to ask you. Uhm-“ he stopped, hearing a fan scream his name from across the parking lot, “My birthday’s next week. And ‘m having a bit of a gathering at a restaurant with some mates. I know Nick’s coming. Why don’t you tag along with him?”

You stopped in the middle of the walkway, forcing Nick, who was holding your hand to make sure you didn’t get lost, stop in his tracks as well. “What’d ya say to her Styles. Swear, I’m never gonna be able to bring any friends around you anymore.” Nick groaned

“Just invited her to my party next week. Piss off.” He glanced down to you, “Of course if you’re not free, don’t worry about it. I know it’s last minute.”

“She’s coming.”

“She’s right here and can speak for herself, thank you Nicholas.” Rolling your eyes, you looked at Harry, “Yeah. Sure. I’d love to come.”

Nodding to himself, he looked very pleased, “Great. I’ll be sure to brush up on my theory of relativity for you Mr. Einstein.” He smiled and then pointed with his thumb behind him, “Well, I gotta go, so I’ll talk to you both later, yeah? It was a pleasure to meet you Y/N.”

“Yeah, you-you too Harry.” Watching Harry get into his car, Nick’s grip on your hand tightened and he spun you around, “What the bloody hell just happened?!”

“I don’t – I don’t even know bro.” you giggled, not even sure yourself what happened tonight

“Did I just unknowingly play match maker?!”

“No Nick! I was a blubbering, stuttering idiot. You did nothing. Except leave me. I’m still pissed by the way. Who does that?”

“I would say sorry, but it looked like you had a great time tonight, what with your pink cheeks and all.” He chuckled, “Let’s go, before your moms have an aneurism because I kept you out past curfew. I really want them to like me, maybe they’ll let me take you out for a second date.”

“Oh, shut up you idiot.” You laughed, pushing him away from you and off the curb into the parking lot cement. Kings of Leon had a special place in your heart. In your entire family’s heart. And now, they held even more of your love. For they had given you a night you had only ever dreamed about. If this was what living in Los Angeles was going to be, then it really wasn’t so bad in L.A.

TagList: @staceystoleyourheart @faith8993 @theasstour @emotionally-imbruised @isitjamiemoriarty @swayingnoodlelove @hes-a-rainbow @harrygivenchy @customhucci @artdecobae @bridge-to-terabethia @pinkflowerharry @carolinaghosts and also tagging @meetyourmouths @meet-me-in-the-kitchen & @pendantstyles because they’re three of the absolute sweetest most genuine humans I know and also three writers i look up to/admire with my whole entire being and heart and hope to do them justice one day

#harry styles #harry #styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #imagine #imagines #one direction #one direction imagine #one direction imagines #1d #1d imagine #1d imagines #one direction fanfiction #one direction fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry fanfic #harry styles one shot #harry styles one shots #harry styles blurb #harry styles blurbs #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles smut #1dff #het fic