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a-dorin · 4 years

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enough | kylo ren

word count: 1,521

warnings: yelling, harassment, negativity, sexual tension, sexual innuendos

a/n: hello everyone! this is a request from @blue-automne .. i hope this is what you pictured! enjoyyyyyy :))

summary: you are called into an emergency meeting with the council in order to discuss the outcome of your recent mission. however, things heat up, leaving you alone to defend yourself. the commander steps in, defending you.

the echo of your footsteps were silent as you shuffled down the hall, your head hung low. your breathing quickened as you approached the entrance of the council room, heart thudding wildly in your chest. it was well past six o’clock, but the council still requested your presence. as your fingertips met with the door, you swallowed the lump in your throat.

eyes fell on you as you entered the frigid room, goosebumps rising on your skin underneath the fabric of your clothing. hushed voices fell away, fading from your ears. general armitage hux cleared his throat, ushering you to a seat. he said nothing. no greeting. no orders. a harsh, silent treatment. your heart fell to your stomach once you noticed his figure; an ink black shadow, poised across from you.

a cold sweat clammed your hands as you fidgeting with a loose string on your tunic, toying with the thread between your fingers. you were careful not to stare at anyone sitting around you, your eyes trained on the cool marble table. your mind raced, pondering all of the horrible possibilities of what was to be done with you.

as the first order’s treasured pilot, you excelled in the sky. your ties with the first order began when you were seventeen, during a siege of a planet. if you offered work, then you were spared your life. since your dad was a pilot, flying came effortless to you. from there, it was history. potentially, you were the first order’s most valuable possession. their most sacred treasure.

your aim in an aircraft was extraordinary. the pressure never cracked you either. there could be explosions all around, shaking you to the core, but you were still able to fire down armadas of enemies. to say that you held a reputation was an understatement. at the mention of your name, wookies, twi’leks, and so many more shivered. not only were you an out of this world pilot, but your ability to kill so effortlessly gave you an edge.

“ms. (l/n),” hux’s tone was cool, “are you aware of why we enacted an emergency council meeting?”

“i’m sorry!” the words tumbled out of your mouth, a desperate beg. multiple council members tsked, shaking their heads in disappointment.

hux arched a brow, yet continued, “it was brought to our attention from the transmissions that your mission proved to be unsuccessful.”

“a failure,” a lieutenant muttered in disdain.

you bowed your head, shame rising within you, “it wasn’t my fault. the target jumped to hyper space before i could fire.”

“you couldn’t fire a second earlier?” hux challenged.

the shame only intensified, your cheeks burning a bright pink. tears welled up in your eyes. this was your first failed mission. what did that say about your reputation? your position in the ranks?

“how intriguing,” captain phasma sneered, “so talkative yet so quiet when faced with the consequences.”

“enough,” his voice was deep, modulated by the mask.

“but commander,” hux protested, eyes widened, “(y/n) deserves a punishment for her-“

“that’s enough,” kylo ren repeated, his tone authoritative, “i will not tolerate any more harassment directed towards her.”

“harassment?” captain phasma choked, “we were simply commenting on the mission.”

“ENOUGH!” kylo snarled, slamming just hands on the table. it vibrated beneath everyone, creating a shiver of fear to run through the councilmen. the commander seethed, waves of anger radiating off him, “everyone but (y/n) leave. we’re done here.”

with no hesitations, the councilmen, generals, hux, and captain phasma rose from their seat, scurrying out of the room. you sucked in a breath as kylo’s eyes penetrated into you. fidgeting in your seat, you bit your lip, eyes desperate to avoid his hard gaze. kylo stood, smoothing out his cowl. he strolled over to you, taking a seat directly to your right.

“i’m not angry with you,” kylo’s voice was quiet. gentle.

“are you sure?” you mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

“we’re only human,” he tilted his head, almost like a shrug, “we’re bound to make mistakes.”

“i’m sorry,” the words left your mouth in a whisper, “i had no intentions of failing the mission, commander.”

“it’s kylo,” he murmured, voice resonating within his mask, “you may call me kylo.”

tears sprang into your eyelids. the kindness coming from kylo was overwhelming after you were just assaulted with harsh remarks, “i failed the mission and i shouldn’t have.”

kylo let out a sigh, “you have no need to keep apologizing angel.”

angel. the nickname rang through your thoughts, sweet like honey. you could feel kylo smirking at you as you blushed immensely, fidgeting with your hands as you formulated some sort of response. you remained speechless for about thirty seconds before kylo spoke once more.

“if you apologize one more time, i may have to hush those pretty lips of yours.”

“thank you for defending me,” you could barely string together your words.

“it wasn’t their place to harass you like that,” he muttered darkly, “you didn’t deserve any of that. i am ashamed of them. they act as if every single individual on this ship has never made a mistake. even if we are elite warriors, we still have the potential to make mistakes. general hux manages to fumble with simple duties.”

“you’re too kind,” you felt a small smile form.

a gloved hand grazed your cheek, kylo’s thumb wiping away a tear, “i have quite the soft spot for a certain pilot.”

a soft chuckle rose in your throat, the sound music to kylo’s ears as it echoed off the walls. for some time, the commander of the first order kept a close watch over you, admiring from a distance. ever since he laid eyes on you, kylo was aware that you were the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. the fact that you were an established pilot only fueled his attraction to you. your confidence, along with your passion, made you desirable. also, kylo admired your loyalty, strength, as well as leadership.

“i find the commander quite handsome as well,” you flirted, beaming innocently, “although, that mask makes gazing wistfully at him quite difficult.”

your statement reigned true. ever since your arrival on the supremacy, you were drawn to the mysterious and brooding commander. often, you would volunteer for night patrols, hoping that you would at least catch one glimpse of him as you patrolled the corridors. sometimes you would pass one another, your mind screaming at you to not stare for too long. kylo ren was a powerful man, his authority and brute strength causing the strongest of warriors to bow before him. your curiosity for him only grew at every encounter, your heart skipping a beat every time you heard his voice. it went without a doubt that you carried a crush for the commander, masking it poorly as he sat before you.

it was only a matter of seconds before kylo pressed a button, the mask whirring and clicking as his features emerged from the metal. a tiny gasp escaped your mouth as kylo’s eyes met yours, shining a rich mocha hue. freckles dotted his pale skin, his cheekbones high and jawline prominent. he ran a hand through his raven black locks, his hair messy from the mask.

“does this make it any easier?” kylo chuckled, his aura shifting to amusement as you gawked at him for the second time that evening, speechless from his bold words.

you nodded quickly, “yes, very much so.”

the commander gave you a smug smile, “i can sense that you’re apprehensive. are you afraid of me?”

“you’re just so handsome,” you breathed.

“and you’re quite beautiful,” kylo mused, his face only a few inches away from yours as he took in your own beauty, “you are so beautiful (y/n). i wish i could show you how i feel about you.”

“show me then,” you countered.

kylo rolled his eyes playfully, leaning in, “as you wish.”

his lips met yours, intoxicating you with just his touch. kylo kissed you passionately, holding your cheeks in his gloved hands as his tongue roamed your mouth, tasting you. you melted, adrenaline buzzing through you from your head to your toes. his need for you intensified, pulling you closer to him. teeth gnashed against teeth, kylo’s suppressed emotions spilling from his lips. he sucked on your bottom lip harshly, earning a quiet, melodic moan from you. he pulled away, panting as your tips tingled from the kiss.

“i like the way your lips taste,” kylo hummed, licking his lips.

“taste them again,” you taunted, only fueling kylo’s desire for you.

he ached to touch you once again. to hold your face in his hands as he kissed you. to feel the softness of your lips against his. his mind wandered, lustful fantasies creating a buzz in his thoughts. kylo shook his head, in vain attempts to regain composure. yet, lust overtook him. he stood, taking your hand. without warning, he scooped you into his arms, earning a yelp of surprise.

“oh i will,” kylo teased, “i’ll taste more than just your lips angel.”

#kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo x reader #kylo ren x y/n #kylo x y/n #kylo ren smut #kylo smut #kylo ren fluff #kylo ren fanfiction #kylo #adam driver #star wars #star wars x reader

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ehenyeoongg · 4 years

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APPLE JUICE II

Pairing: CEO Kim Jungwoo x heiress reader Word count: 1.3k

A god? A prince? Who is this mysterious young man who stole the quiet princess’ heart?

RICH CEO AU

part I

As he watched his hyung carry his wife out, the young billionaire CEO felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned to see no one, until his brown eyes met yours. Your eyes seemed to sparkle as you stared at the god-like being standing a few feet away from you. You looked at him like a child would when they saw a delicious piece of candy.

When you realized he had found you staring at him, you averted your gaze immediately and scurried off in search of a drink, or anything to distract you. You stood alone in the corner of the room, people-watching, silently observing the country's elites at the annual charity ball your parents had organised. None of them seemed to notice you and you were undisturbed by the many suitors who were distracted by the beauties your parents hired so you could take your mind off them and enjoy the night.

"May I join you?" a deep voice broke the silence and you jumped in shock at his sudden appearance. You turned to see the same deep brown eyes you had admired from just minutes ago.

You gave a polite smile and nodded, and he stood beside you. Both of you stood in awkward silence for a while, before he started talking. The evening passed quickly, since you were deeply interested in the conversation about the entertainment industry, an industry your parent's company has yet to venture into.

“Zeus? That’s your name?”

“It’s what some people call me,” he shrugged and you giggled. He does look like he could be a greek god, but to be compared to Zeus, the god of all gods..

"I assume you have found your partner for the first dance?" you turned in the direction of your father's voice which interrupted your train of thoughts

"Dad.." you looked back at Zeus.

"You can't possibly want to continue that tradition.." You pleaded with your eyes, hoping he wouldn’t make you embarrass yourself. You weren’t a bad dancer, but when it came to dancing or doing anything in the presence of dozens of people, you got nervous and made many mistakes.

"We do it every year, sweetheart. And it's time for us to pass on the tradition to you." you looked at Zeus with uncertainty in your eyes. You thought he would refuse, but instead, he thanked your father for giving him an opportunity to dance with a beautiful swan.

"Swan?" you asked while you stepped toward the dance floor, hand in hand.

"They're graceful." you took a step back and music was played. His hand went toward your waist, his hold on you was firm.

"They bite. We had one when I was younger., but he tried to bite me, so.." he twirled you around.

"What did you do to the poor swan after it tried to bite you?"

"I turned him into a pillow." you replied sarcastically and he chuckled. As you danced, his presence made you feel less nervous, and the way his eyes stared into yours, it made you feel like you were dancing on top of clouds, and the ballroom seemed to melt away. When the music ended, you walked back to the same spot you stood at earlier.

The ball came to an end, and you parted with your prince. As you retreated to your room, you couldn’t help but remember the look in his eyes when he stared at you. The way his soft gaze seemed to draw you in, and every single word uttered by his luscious plump pink lips was like music to your ears. Everything about him, you.. loved. Was this what love felt like? Your heart seemed to soar with every thought of him, and his eyes, his face, it had all been imprinted at the back of your mind.

However, the young man was soon forgotten, since you were thrown into the harsh life of an elite the next day.

“Dad, I don’t even know him. You can’t get me married to him just like that!”

“I’m sorry, princess. But I have to do this. It’s for the sake of your future.” with that, he dismissed you from his office, and you ran back to your room. To be wed to some guy you barely even knew.. Over the next few months, it was as if a grey cloud loomed over the mansion. No one was excited for your wedding because the reputation of the young man who you were to be wedded to was the worst. A playboy, they called him. Someone who got into relationships with women and dropped them whenever he wanted to. Women were like toys in the eyes of men like him. But, there were rumors that he had changed, and to prove that, his parents arranged a wedding with you.

On the night before your wedding, you were crying and many maids were trying their best to console you as you sobbed into their arms.

“Oh, my dear sweet princess.” your mother walked in and tears could be seen welling up in her eyes. She didn’t agree to the wedding either, but she had no choice.

The next day, as you stood in front of the double doors with your arm looped through your father’s, you could hear a commotion on the other side. The doors opened, and the groom ran out hand in hand with another young maiden.

“I.. What is the meaning of this?” you turned to your father who seemed confused, and angry. He walked in and the doors were closed again as he spoke with the groom’s father. He soon came out a few seconds later, and you walked in. Didn’t the groom just run out? You looked up at the altar and saw a young man standing there. Who is he then?

“It’s a wedding between the Kims and the Choos, but the groom just ran out, so his brother is taking his place and getting married today.” someone whispered.

You said your vows, and exchanged the rings, never looking up at your soon-to-be-husband’s face..

“You may now kiss the bride.” he lifted your veil, and you looked up to be met with a beautiful pair of brown eyes.

“Z-” his soft lips met yours, and you melted into the kiss, into his arms. When you parted, you smiled up at him. That night, as you entered the hotel room, after the party, you were admiring him the entire time.

“You look like you have something to ask me? What is it, sweetheart?” He had you sit down on the bed as he helped you remove your shoes.

“D-Did you know?”

“Hmm?” he hummed in response.

“Did you know it was me? That I was your brother’s bride?” he shook his head and your heart sank.

“So, if I wasn’t the one you were getting married to, you would’ve just married, and kissed whoever was standing in front of you?” your voice was shaky. He chuckled and looked up at you.

“I knew my brother was getting married to you. So, I brought the girl he really loved, and told him to run away with her, and I would marry you." His right hand cupped your cheek.

“Don’t lie to me,” you said with a pout and he chuckled.

“I’m not.” he sat beside you and turned to face you, “I love you, Y/N. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and our children.”

“W-What children? Whose children?”

“Ours.” There was a glint in his eyes and a mischievous smirk on his face as he leaned in closer to you and planted his lips on yours.

“J-Jungwoo, I’m scared..”

“Shh, it’s okay. I promise you, it won’t hurt.” he whispered into your ear.

!image credits to owner!

#nct #nct127 #nct u #nct scenarios #nct imagines #kim jungwoo #nct jungwoo #jungwoo

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theartificialdane · 6 years

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Paris AU: Summer Plans

Sutan deals with a busy summer, and the fact that not everything always goes according to plan.

Dedicated to @imanationalphenomenon for dialog help and @tropicaldepressionkatya for being an adorable bean that lets me ramble <3

[Mel, you do realise you’re 14, right?]

[Mmh.]

Sutan smiled to himself. Melati was hanging on his back, her legs around his waist, her arms on his neck, his daughter still in her pyjamas. He had come home the night before, Violet barely waking when he crawled into bed and kissed her. It had been a quiet morning, Sutan waking up with Violet in his arms, his wife for once not getting up until she absolutely had to, her and the dogs gone as she had to leave for work, Violet’s staff depending on her, no matter how much she wanted to spend the day at home. Sutan shook the pan slightly, his batch of scrambled eggs almost done browning.

[That’s a full grown teen.]

[Mmh.]

This was the first year they weren’t going on an actual vacation together as a family during the summer, and even though Sutan felt bad, it was also necessary. Violet had started her own couture brand, and with the coming june and fashion week, Violet was working every awake moment she had, their assistants almost talking more than they did, Sutan just as used to a stranger answering his wifes phone as she was to hear her voice.

[.. Can I put you down?] Even though Melati was a slender young girl, she was still getting heavy. She had come into the kitchen, her curly hair a big cloud, her expression sleepy, her shirt hanging off her shoulder, until she saw her dad, her entire face lighting up and Sutan realised there was a pretty big chance he had forgotten to say that he was touching down for the weekend in New York, their house on the Upper East Side very different from the place he used to have in SoHo, but it was close to Melati’s french private school and right next to the townhouse Raja and Raven had bought, Sutan not realising how tense he had actually been about the entire move until there once again was a single set of walls between him and his sister.

[No.] Melati tightened her grip slightly, her voice low, and Sutan felt his heart clench. When he and Violet had sat down in april, both of them with schedules in hand, he remembered the sinking feeling of dread in his stomach. Bianca had decided it was time for Top Model to go on tour, to go to the small towns around America and promote their brand, to look for talent for the show, and Sutan was fine with it, their TV show so unlike the long hours he had spent with Elite whenever the ridiculous new face competition had come around, but when he had said yes to Bianca's demand, there were two things he had missed. 1) Their travel plans mysteriously matched perfectly with Courtneys tour schedule, and 2) he and Violet did not have more then three days at any point where both of them were available. Violet’s brand, the atelie that had originally only started as a way for her to continue working with the clients from Dior that adored her and kept requesting her specifically, had bloomed into an actual company, and something that was in actual demand, Sutan sure his wife would have cried with joy when she received the invitation to the Haute Couture week in Paris if she had been anyone else. Violet was fully booked in both june and july, the woman still going back and forth, back on forth, on whenever or not she wanted Sutan to come to Paris with her.

[Ah..] Sutan took the pan off the stove, the Indonesian falling easily from his lips. [I know this isn’t the summer you wanted puppet, but I’ll be back soo-]

[A month is forever.]

Sutan felt it like a punch to the gut. A month was indeed forever. Forever for a girl who had finished public school, forever for a girl who was starting high school in the fall, american high school, forever for a girl who still fumbled and made mistakes whenever she tried to express herself in english. Sutan didn’t usually feel like a bad parent, but this summer, he did.

[You’re going to Mexico with aunt Raja, that’ll be fun, right?]

Melati snorted, letting go of her dad, sitting down at the table, Sutan handing her half of his eggs. [So fun..]

Sutan knew Melati didn’t necessarily like her cousins, or half siblings if it came down to it, Tanya and Isolde 3 years older than Melati, the twins glued to each other. When they where all small it had been easier, Tanya and Isolde fascinated with the little baby who looked so much like them, but as they grew the girls grew further and further apart. Neither Tanya nor Isolde enjoying the family vacations to Indonesia, the girls only speaking english, and if Sutan could go back in time he would kick his past self halfway to the moon and back, Melati crying for what felt like months when he and Violet had sat down and told her they were moving to America, neither of them able to tell her the real reason for the move, the fact that their marriage was hanging by a threat, and that Sutan’s bag was technically already packed, Violet seconds from her breaking point.

Sutan sat down. [Bianca and I will be in LA in two weeks.] He took a bite, Melati looking at him with a raised eyebrow, as if to say ‘so what’.

[Do you want me to see if I can find an apartment while I’m there?]

[You mean?]

Sutan nodded, and Melati jumped up, throwing her arms around her father's neck, her energy totally different from before. [Really?!]

Sutan laughed, his daughter almost choking him. [I can’t promise how much time I’ll have.] Sutan touched her arm, Melati letting go of him. [But I’m sure Esther would love a day or two off.]

Melati was beaming, already chatting excitedly about what she’d get up to in LA, where she would go, what her Esther should see, and Sutan felt the morning peace settle over him. Maybe he had just been played, but as long as Melati was smiling, he didn’t really care.

#paris au #galatica

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clove-teasdale · 6 years

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a guy that i’d never be into

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

A/N: not a challenge! (mUsiCaL reference on the title ahem). super late, but a lot of late fics are coming this week so head’s up! These whole 2k words take place on the 28th of December (yes ik, almost a month ago lol). Thanks, @eloiseduval for the rp and all the girls involved in the fleur birthday rp that is referenced here! I couldn’t include the actual rp cause it would be super long fic and I’m already late on other things. Getting back to it: Have fun. forgive typos, grammar issues, the usual. I made this in the last few hours with my small timeframe and feel like it sucks and i’m sorry, but Crooks talk here.

*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

Maybe I’m a bad kisser. That’s why he thought it was a mistake. Oh god, what am I saying?

I punched the bag again and sighed. I was not one to worry about this stuff and yet here I was. Two kisses was all it took to become a mistake.

I clenched my jaw at the thought, ready to hit the bag again, but my resolve came to an end as my shoulders slumped and I took a deep breath. Reaching for the punching bag with my hands, I held it in place and leaned my forehead against it, heartbeat ringing in my ears.

Maybe he had kissed me to try it out. Hence it became a mistake. He risked our friendship for a childhood crush he realized wasn’t that meaningful in the end. He probably regretted kissing me. He was too sweet and I was the girl punching a bag.

Coming off abrasive. Rough around the edges. With harsh humor. Guys didn’t like that...which was the reason I’d started adopting the attitude when I was around the annoying ones. I had dropped it a bit when around him though... because he’d finally stopped earning it.

I didn’t have to be mean if he wasn’t looking for a fight. He made me laugh. Bickering had become fun instead of irritating. Both our smiles had become more genuine. But maybe he’d reconsidered how he felt—if he ever truly felt like that at all—and settled it was a mistake.

A bitter taste joined the word every single time I thought of it now. Was it my dignity hurt or my feelings?

That night, at Fleur’s party, was the first time I spoke to Brooks after our talk on Christmas morning. I guess not that long had passed—only three days really—but it somehow felt wrong. He hadn’t used the signal to meet me and plan our way out of the palace to crash Harrison Levi's party on New Year's Eve. I hadn't either.

Though we agree the kiss meant nothing, there was some stupid, unspoken rule to avoid each other. I took a deep breath and told myself to act normal when he arrived at the birthday. If we both tried, we’d be back to how things were soon enough. We had to be.

For the sake of our teamwork.

For the sake of our friendship.

In my room, after the party, Eloise sat on my bed and I, on the couch across from it, doing my best to focus on advising her as best I could. Surprisingly, Nate was her current problem. Some sort of argument had happened.

It sounded mostly like Nate had personal doubts and said the wrong things, making Eloise upset. Then it blew up in their faces. The only way to fix it was to talk it out and try to understand the circumstances. Nonetheless, I had no doubt they would figure it out. Eloise was beginning to accept a conversation between them was inevitable after our talk had been going for a while and a few pillow hits from me had happened.

As she lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I focused on the window next to my desk. The fireworks that had gone out on Christmas Eve replayed in my head as my thoughts drifted back to him. The thought that Brooks and I would have to head out to the city in less than two days loomed.

It hadn’t been too bad at the party. We just had to handle being alone and we’d be okay. We’ve done that before. It’ll be fine. Just use the signal and— a pillow flew in my direction to interrupt my thoughts. I barely managed to dodge it, giving Eloise a puzzled look after she sat up. Jeez, pillows are my weapon, woman.

“What was up with you and Brooks?” she asked with a flat look. “You guys were acting weird with each other. More so than usual.”

I waved it away and pointed out she was changing the subject. She rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it, instead claiming she wasn’t imagining things.

“Nothing happened…” Even I knew I wasn’t doing my best at lying.

“You know, you can tell me things, Clove.” She cracked a smile after her cautious tone. “I’ve been told I’m a good listener,” she held up her hands in surrender, “but if you don’t want to tell me, I understand.”

“Good listener, huh?”

She nodded patiently and I turned to the window again.

I’d grown close to Eloise after all this time. I knew she would try to help, talk it out with me, but I’d never talked about boys or kisses with anyone. Firstly, because I’d never kissed anyone, but secondly, because whenever old friends talked about boys I mostly listened and commented in a general way. I never talked to them about the guys I liked. That only led to gossip and problems—

—not to say I liked Brooks. I mean, I liked him. As a guy. But not like that... Okay, maybe a little, but that’s irrelevant at this point.

Figuring there was no way to approach the topic if I was still trying to lie to myself, I changed the subject too. “Do you think they’ll let the families come soon?”

I wondered what having my parents around would be like in the Elite. Probably a mess considering my father was very likely on the other side of my conspiracy with Brooks, but then I wondered how Dad would react to news of us kissing. That was bound to be...even weirder.

“I hope so. I’d really love to see mine soon. That happens with the Elite, right?” I could hear Eloise talk, but my thoughts kept going.

If things weren’t so messed up I could almost imagine Brooks stuttering to talk to my dad. After so many years of not really interacting, talking with the father of the girl he kissed would definitely make him nervous.

Well, except he claims it all meant nothing, so why would he care?

“Clove?”

“Brooks and I kissed,” I blurted out, snapping out of my thoughts.

Eloise blinked at me before her jaw dropped a little. “You- I’m sorry, you guys kissed? Kissed?”

How many types of “kissed” are there? Mouth agape for a moment as well, I could only blink back. It felt almost surreal to admit it. “We kissed. He kissed me. I kissed him back. For a moment.” I pressed a hand against my forehead and muttered, “Great, I’m clearly not forgetting it anytime soon.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, taking in the information. “You kissed him back. Okay... Wait, when did this happen?”

I groaned in frustration, standing up and pacing the room. “The ball. It came out of nowhere and you would expect me to pull away and flip, but that’s not the first thing I did. And then we acted like nothing happened and avoided each other in the morning, but we couldn’t avoid each other forever, and—”

“Clove, slow down,” she chose her words carefully, “you said you couldn’t avoid each other forever, does that mean you talked about it?”

I scoffed sightly at the memory. “Yeah, we talked. Apparently, we agreed it was a mistake.” My hands went up in despair, making a hand gesture I couldn’t even describe as if that could explain my frustration. “I can’t stop thinking about it, however.”

She raised an eyebrow when I sighed. “Doesn’t sound like you think it was a mistake, then.”

I clenched my jaw at her words, pushing any personal thoughts aside. “It was. Heat of the moment, hormones...call it whatever you want.”

“You’re right, it could have been the heat of the moment. But,” she hesitated, “maybe it wasn’t. You said yourself you can’t stop thinking about it. Would it be so bad if it wasn’t a mistake?”

“We agreed it was. He thought it was...So it has to be. I just don’t know how easily I’ll be able to act like it didn’t happen around him and that’s annoying and problematic.”

“Sometimes people say things they don’t really mean, Clove. I’m sure this is just as unfamiliar to him as it is for you. As for how to act, you just have to take it one day at a time.” I ignored her sympathetic smile and walked over to the bed, letting myself fall on it, face landing straight on the mattress.

My voice was muffled by the blankets. “I hate him.”

A small chuckle escaped her as she patted my head. “I know.”

“He needs to learn to control his hormones.”

“He’s a teenage boy.” Silence, then, “So... how was it?

Oh, shut up. I grumbled something incoherent and I could picture her smirk as she leaned a little closer, asking, “What was that?”

I lifted my head from the bed and yelled, “NO COMMENTS.”

She laughed, flopping down on her back. “Brooks, I'm impressed.” She went silent again and I pressed my face back on the mattress. “What um, what does this mean for Nate?”

“Oh, God... I committed treason.” I jumped back up. “With his brother!”

Sitting up with me, she began, “Nate is an understanding guy, I don’t think he’ll look at it that way. But it also depends on how you two feel about each other.”

So far we just seemed like friends and I told her as much. There was no real point in telling Nate about me and Brooks though. Especially since...there was no me and Brooks. It wouldn’t change anything. It would only be the last confirmation to send me home--which was reasonable, of course--but I didn’t want to go home yet. I had the conspiracy. I needed confirmation that my dad was involved or I wouldn’t be able to drop it. Also, I’d miss a lot of people here.

I simply wasn’t ready to leave the palace.

Eloise shook her head. “You won't have to leave. And... I wouldn't want you to go home either.”

I smiled a bit. “You’d clearly be lost without me.”

“I'd be fine, thank you very much.” She used my weapon of choice against me again after an eye roll, but I only laughed at the soft hit of the pillow.

“Who would you talk to, if not me?”

“I’d probably go bother Brooks or something.”

I crossed my arms. “Watch out in case he decides the heat of the moment will get him again.” He never technically answered he wouldn’t have kissed someone else in my place… I secretly hoped he wouldn’t.

“Sure, Brooks would totally get caught in the heat of the moment and kiss me. That’d be like kissing a brother.”

Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah…Do you also think he likes me?

I’d been wondering the past days if everyone had seen it but me. After considering it for a minute, Eloise admitted she thought he did but wasn’t aware. I’d sensed some people thought that since Marshall’s sleepover--birthday girl included. Eloise had never been too subtle, Barnes was always suspicious of him whenever he saw us together and Quinn had seemed to have her own thoughts about it too. I had told myself everyone was just trying to be annoying.

Eloise couldn’t be more proud to say she’d seen it coming though, and I shook my head at her smugness, unable to smile and mumble, “maybe you should be Watson.”

“Watson?”

I cleared my throat, realizing she wouldn’t get the reference to a conversation she wasn’t involved in. Remembering the debate I’d had with Brooks about who of us was Holmes and who Watson at the ball was a little strange. When I thought about it now all the little mental notes I’d made about how close we were and the way he’d wrapped his hand around mine stood out more. Whoever was who didn’t matter anymore, however. I wouldn’t want someone else to replace him as my partner in crime. Or maybe it was better to say against crime.

“Uh, just an inside joke, never mind.”

#//fics #//not a challenge #//crooks #eloise tag #brooks tag

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penelopedashford · 7 years

Text

Business Meetings || Dashford Family

They were a toxic family.

Penelope couldn’t even write down what had divided them against their parents, the list was far too long by this point. Richard and Daniel tried their best to be civil for sake of making things easier, Penelope as well, but they were very different people to their parents and sometimes the envelope couldn’t be pushed any further. But, if Penelope had to tell anyone what had destroyed her relationship with her parents it was their high expectations for her.

Since she had been little, knowing that their only daughter was a mutant – not human – they had treated her differently. Maybe, just maybe, if she became a successful doctor or a lawyer, people would forget that she was different, forget that they had raised a child that wasn’t normal. The Dashford’s couldn’t have a mutant daughter. So that’s what they did, pushed her through elite private schools and tried to shape her into being what they had always her to be.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that she had eventually cracked by the time law school rolled around. Stanford, not Harvard, was more of a blow to them than it appeared to most. And dating Asher? She couldn’t have pushed them further away than she was right now.

Richard and Daniel had seen the whole thing growing up. The three of them were closer than most would realise, despite them being away most of the time for their commitments with the army since they were old enough to enlist. There was nothing the boys didn’t know about their older sister. Most of the time, Penelope could read them like an open book, but sitting beside them in their father’s office only felt like they were kids again.

“When was the last time you saw them?” Daniel asked Penelope, kicking his shoes off and crossing his legs on the couch he was sitting on. This office was still the same as he remembered. The furniture was new, but everything else was just like their dad. There was a single family photo of them on the wall, but Penelope was barely twelve years old in that, the boys younger. They hadn’t all been in the same room for a very long time, and when they were it wasn’t good.

Penelope shrugged at the question. Whether she saw her parents or not didn’t really bother her. She was too busy with work and with Asher to think about them at all. It wasn’t as if it made any difference to her life whether or not they were in it “When I punched her two Christmas’ ago. You?”

Richard raised an eyebrow at Penelope’s calmness. “The same. You honestly think they would have come to visit us in Afghanistan over the past year or so?” Penelope had, of course, and couldn’t help but heal some of their fellow soldiers while she was with them. That was the type of person she was. They killed people for the sake of their country but Penelope was the opposite.

“You never know, they’re full of surprises,” Penelope replied, checking her phone for emails while also texting Asher that she was going to have to push their planned lunch date back a bit. Hopefully whatever her parents wanted wasn’t going to put her in an awful mood, but the chances of that not happening were extremely slim.

The door opened, Marcus and Eleanor walking through and looking at their children who really weren’t the type of children that were going to stand up and greet their parents with hugs. Daniel, Richard and Penelope all looked between each other before watching as their parents moved behind the desk. There was something about the tone in the room that was a little uneasy. “It’s been a while,” Eleanor greeted softly, managing a small smile to test the waters. It wasn’t received very well.

“Well you’re still alive, we’re still alive, so I guess everything is going perfectly,” Richard said sarcastically to which his brother nudged him in response to get him to be quiet. There was a time and a place for arguing with them, and the more they cooperated the quicker they could get out of here.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why we got you all here,” Marcus said, already pacing the room. Penelope had never seen her father so nervous and now she was intrigued. They weren’t the type for family meetings, not when she had a tendency for hitting her own mother and the boys were willing to defend her over nearly anything.

Eleanor handed a file to a curious Penelope, both Richard and Daniel trying to peer over to see what it was. “Your father and I might both end up in jail tomorrow,” she said calmly. “We made some bad decisions and now they’ve caught up with us.” It was the simplified version of the story but it would have to do for now.

Both Marcus and Eleanor didn’t know what they were going to expect in terms for reactions from their children, but they all just seemed to stare at them in what they could only describe as a mixture of shock and disappointment.

Penelope flicked through the file, reading the charges. Fraud, inside trading, embezzlement, offshore accounts…and that was only the beginning. Not all of it was them directly but there was enough. “You two are absolutely unbelievable,” Penelope groaned, holding her head in her hands. “Seriously. We’re worth billions of dollars and you thought that you could get away with this shit? Where does it end with the two of you? The last thing you need is more money-“

“Penelope-“ Marcus tried to say but his daughter had already tossed the file back onto the desk and stood up abruptly. “Yes, we agree that the inside trading wasn’t a great idea and we wouldn’t have been caught-“

“Dad, it was fucking stupid.” Daniel snapped. Parents going to jail for fraud and embezzlement was exactly what he needed to be dealing with. The Dashford name was being dealt another blow. At least Penelope could marry and get rid of it.

Penelope already knew what crap she was going to be dealt with at work now that this was going to happen. A lawyer’s family background was more important than she wished it was, and having her parents, as high profile as they were, being charged for something so opposite to what she stood for was just as bad as them being arrested.

Eleanor exhaled deeply, crossing her arms. “We know it isn’t good. Our team of lawyers is working on it-“

“You still did it,” Penelope hissed. “I have no idea why, but you’re not going to get out of it. You can’t hide, you know that right? No judge is going to care what excuse you have or how well you pay those lawyers.” She had to stop herself from getting too heated. “Do you know what this means? I wouldn’t be surprised if the firm I work for tell me to leave because of this.” No doubt Oliver would make her life a living hell on top of it all.

“It’s not all we wanted to talk to you about.” Marcus said, running his fingers through his hair.

“Is it better or worse than going to jail for 15 plus years?” Penelope asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because I guess if you killed someone you should probably own up to it now.”

Eleanor poured herself a cup of tea to try and calm herself. “It’s about the company.”

“That you’ve destroyed,” Daniel pointed out, not even knowing what to think about his parents right now. The company was the least of his worries.

“You all own shares, the five of us make majority share-holders,” Marcus reminded them as he paced towards the door and then back to the desk. They had designed it as such for a reason, not that they were expecting to get arrested but business people always had contingency plans. “We want to sell you our shares to you so that if we lose them, we still hold majority of the board.” We, as in their family. It was the only option they really had.

Penelope was slightly impressed by the plan but she also wanted nothing to do with their crap. She knew she held shares but she never bothered with board meetings or any of the day to day running of the business “And? I can just sell my shares today and buy myself a nice house in France before everything crashes tomorrow. Maybe a place in Russia too, I quite liked this place Asher and I stayed while we were over there.” She said Asher’s name partly to get a rise out of them because she was in that type of mood.

Marcus just stared at his daughter, her attitude was already getting on his nerves. Penelope hadn’t always been like this but he knew that some topics in her life had pushed them even further apart. Asher was at the top of that list. “You’re not selling them, Penelope,” he said sternly. That was the last thing he wanted to happen. A mass selling of shares would only create market panic.

Daniel shook his head. “Penelope can have our shares,” he said. “We can’t have any public holdings in businesses, you know that, dad.” Especially a business like Dashford Consolidated who had interests overseas with many different countries. The further away from it, the better for their careers. Penelope understood the value in that as well. She could have easily worked as a lawyer inside the company but she had stayed far from it for as long as she could. The shares he and his brother had were enough to not raise any questions.

“I’ll sell mine to you for half market price,” Richard teased Penelope, taking the file from her and looking through it. He could already predict what his parents were going to do and Penelope was going to be caught in the middle of it.

Eleanor was clearly distressed over the situation of her children bickering about the shares of a company they had all worked so hard for. Yes, Marcus and herself had made lots of mistakes and were foolish to think that they could get away with everything they had been doing these past years. Perhaps the pressure of falling out with their children had its affect on them both.

“We want Penelope to take our position,” Marcus said, not looking at any of them. “We think that it’s what the company needs if everything doesn’t turn out as planned tomorrow.” Penelope taking over was always on the cards, they had spoken about it before she had gone into law school but never again since. The way she presented herself, everything she had done with her career was admirable up until this point. They would be foolish to think that she wasn’t a good candidate to replace them.

Penelope just laughed at Richard’s offer but before she could respond, what her parents said stopped her in her tracks. “You want me to be CEO?” she raised an eyebrow at them. Her business experience was no way near up to her parent’s standard and the whole her coming to save the day because she had a track record with helping people was the biggest personal relations stunt they could come up with. “You really think that me joining the board is going to solve this entire thing?”

Penelope had plenty of issues with the way her parents ran their company. But, she could at least step back from it and know that they had built it from the ground up. They hadn’t inherited the company, they had pulled plenty of strings to get what they wanted. Penelope shared some of that in common with them. Eleanor nodded. “It would settle the investors, keep our stocks from collapsing.” She wasn’t going to deny the fact that she kept track of her daughter, in the media, the news. She really couldn’t take a wrong step, even though their approval of her boyfriend was nowhere in sight.

“I think you’d be awesome,” Richard replied with a shrug. He knew his sister and he knew that she was going to do this for herself and not for her parents. The opportunities at the company were endless, and there was no way she would follow in their footsteps.

“I wouldn’t do it for you,” Penelope eventually said. “Best case scenario, you both go to jail and then I can turn the company into whatever I want. Do something good with it.” She had been neglecting a lot of her charity work and work with mutants but maybe this was what she needed. A bigger voice, a better platform to stand on. “Get your assistants to email me a contract and I’ll think about it tonight. I’ll need to talk to Asher about it.”

Daniel snickered a little, Eleanor glaring in his direction. “You always do what you want, don’t you?” she said, crossing her arms and looking at her daughter. “Asher does not need to be consulted over your decision, mentioning him is just a tactic to get a rise out of us, Penelope.” They at least knew their daughter that well. Marcus put a hand on Eleanor’s arm to settle her slightly.

“Better than letting you telling me what to do,” Penelope snapped back, glaring right back at them. “And yes, he does. He’s an important part of my life whom I love very much and the last think I need is something to do with you getting in the way of my relationship.” She knew Asher wouldn’t be pleased about the whole thing but if she explained what she wanted to do, maybe he would reconsider. She picked up her handbag from the floor and grabbed the file that had the details of her parent’s court case. “I hope you both get what you deserve tomorrow. I might come and watch just to see you get taken away.”

Marcus just watched Penelope as she headed towards the door and looked over her shoulder. “You boys can come by my place for drinks later. I’ve got quite the stash of vodka and you need to catch up with Ash.”

“We’ll be there,” Richard told her, Daniel nodding in agreement. “Vodka always sounds good. The guys in the army are the whiskey type.”

Penelope smiled at them both. “I’ve got to get back to work, so I’ll call you.” Eyeing her parents, she opened the door and slipped outside into the corridor. She had plenty to think about.

#para

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