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peach-the-owl · 4 years

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Child of the Nein

When you first meet (Mighty Nein & Child!Reader) Part 2

Finally here’s part 2 like promised :)

Again not 100% accurate but I tried to keep it as close as possible

Fjord

Walking along the shores of Port Damali was a common activity for you, the sound of the waves and seagulls brought a sense of calmness to you. Today however proved to be a bit different when you saw a body laying on the beach (I’m guessing this is where he had ended up, if not feel free to correct me), waves lapping around the unconscious half-orc. You proceed cautiously not entirely sure how to approach the situation, were they dead? Alive? You couldn’t tell at first glance, so doing what any reasonable kid would you find yourself a nice long stick and start poking the body. When they let out an irritated groan you flinch back waiting for something to happen, when nothing does you resume your poking. "Hey! Are you dead!?" The words slipped out before you knew what you were saying, however the half-orc stirred once more.

When Fjord first regained consciousness he was surprised to find himself back on shore a sword in hand. The strange poking sensation while mostly irritating did help him get some focus back as he recoiled from the source. A small yelp pulls his attention to a kid, maybe 10 or 11 years of age, who’d stumbled to the sandy ground at his sudden action. A small staring contest ensues as neither say anything.

"Are you ok? I thought you were dead." You had decided to break the ice first, albeit in a rather odd fashion.

"I’m… fine?" You quickly noticed the shift in his tone of voice from a softer british composure to a heavy southern drawl. "Now what’s a kid doin' out here all alone? You should be getting back to yer parents."

"I would if I had any." You say nonchalantly.

"Oh, I’m sorry to hear-"

"It’s fine, can’t feel sad over people I never met. I’m (y/n) by the way." You quickly change the subject, holding out your hand for him to shake.

"Uhh… Fjord." He accepts the handshake, after which you help pull him to his feet.

"So, Fjord are you going to stay in town long?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at you.

"Well…" You let the word drag for a second, before deciding to come clean. "It's just that you look like a man on a mission and I for one would like to join you. I’d do anything to get out of here." You flash him your big puppy dog eyes in hopes of enticing him to agree. Sure it was a little selfish and possibly unwise on your end to ask a stranger such a bold question, but you were desperate to leave and he didn’t seem like a bad guy.

"While I don’t plan on staying long, I’m not sure I feel all too comfortable with a kid taggin' along either." He shifts a little, scratching the back of his head before looking over to you. You weren’t ready to give up so quickly.

"Oh please, the people here are awful, they don’t even care that I’m all the way out here without anyone looking after me. Look, I know the worlds a dangerous place but I’ve gotta face it eventually, and what better way to face and learn about it then with someone who already has experience." As you spoke you could see his resolve slowly break, you kept pushing. "I want to prove myself better then the dirt these people say I am, haven’t you ever felt the need to prove yourself?" It's not like you were lying about any of this and Fjord could see that written on your face. He felt pity for you but also hesitant at first, trying to think this through, your little puppy dog stare kept getting in the way however. He sighs in defeat.

"It may not be all bad to have some… company along-" He spoke slowly, almost trying reason with himself. You don’t let him finish as you practically squeal with joy and give him a quick hug.

"Thank you! You won’t regret this I promise." You let go and flash him a bright smile, in return he gives an amused side smile. As the situation fully dawned on Fjord, one part of him still wasn’t sure about this while the other hoped he made the right choice. You seemed like a smart kid to him surely you’d be able to learn quickly too. What could possibly go wrong?

Beau

Beau gave an exasperated sigh while trudging down the halls of the Cobalt Soul, she had been summoned for some "important training and experience" which wasn’t specified when she questioned them about it. Once she enters the sort of meeting room she sees 4 individuals, one being Archivist Zeenoth with two others from the Cobalt Reserve and the last looking to be a child, about 10 years old.

"The hell's all this?" The words came out before Beau could catch what she was saying.

"Language Miss Lionett, there are children present." The archivist scolds while gesturing to them. "Regardless, I’ve called you here because from this point forward you shall be this child’s new teacher."

"I’m sorry what!? You do realize that this is a bad idea, right? I haven’t even finished my own training." Beau was taken aback by his words, surprised they even considered her to be teacher material as it were.

"I’ve… considered it. However, as per mentioned earlier, I do believe this will make for a good exercise not just for this young one but for you as well."

"… I really don’t have much of a say do I?" She lets out a sigh as Zeenoth shakes his head. "Fine, whatever."

The archivist leaves the room with the two other monks that had escorted you in, leaving you alone with your new mentor. The two of you just standing in a silence that feels as though it’ll last an eternity.

*Sigh*"So, you’ve gotta name kid?" You could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"Yeah, I’m (y/n) (l/n) and if I’m not mistaken your Beauregard Lionett."

"No need for the formalities, just Beau is fine."

"Right, ok…" Your voice trails off as an awkward silence now takes over. After a moment or two you decide to try speaking up again.

"So what should we do first?" You ask, hoping your question leads somewhere. Beau stares off into space for a moment, scratching the back of her neck. You could tell she wasn’t used to this.

"I guess we'll start with the basics. Come on, there should be a more open room to spar in somewhere." She starts heading out of the room, you following close behind. From what you could gather so far, the passive aggressive tone was just a default for her and nothing to be taken too personally. After all she was your teacher now so you’d have to take everything in stride. What could possibly go wrong?

Yasha

You sat by the alter, you don’t remember much, just that you were guided here, HE had guided you here. When you had first arrived you saw a woman laying unconscious before the alter, you didn’t know what to do so here you now sit, waiting, waiting for something to happen. The woman begins to stir a groan escaping her, you scramble back a bit and hide behind the alter.

Yasha pushes herself off the ground and looks around, she didn’t know where she was or what was going on all she knew was that she was here at this alter. She decides to approach the alter, seeing two medallions. Confused she picks up both, as she does there's a soft but somehow comforting sound of distant rolling thunder. She then looks back to the alter, catching a set of curious eyes watching her before ducking out of sight. She readies herself for a fight.

"Who's there?" Her tone sounded both threatening and a little scared, she was surprised to see a child step out from behind the alter, their hands up as a way to show they meant no harm. Her stance relaxing just a little as they now stood before her.

"I’m not here to start a fight. I was guided here, like you." You could see her trying to process whatever was going on, honestly you still were too. You try to think of something else to say, thinking it best to simply introduce yourself. "Ummm… my name's (y/n). What’s yours?" You give a slight bow.

"… My name's Yasha… uhhh… I think this is yours." She kneels down and holds out her hand with one of the medallions in it, you carefully take it from her, examining the beautiful design. The silence that soon falls between you feels awkward yet comforting all at once. Neither one of you knowing what to say or do next.

"What happens now?" You ask, breaking the silence. Yasha looks to you and shrugs. "Yeah I’m not good at this either." You scratch the back of your neck feeling a little sheepish for asking. Another chorus of distant rolling thunder breaks you both away from your thoughts, this time seeming to call both of you to follow it. Sharing a look and finding no other options, you both set out to an unknown future. What could possibly go wrong?

Molly

Your legs felt as though they were on fire after hours of walking and your stomach growls at you in hunger. You march forward nonetheless, not sure as to where you were going, but just going. The burning slowly turned to a biting feeling until eventually your body forced you to drag yourself somewhere safe and out of sight to rest.

As you let the evening air blow past you a very faint scent of sweets hits your nose, looking in the direction of the scent you could make out thin pillars of smoke still a distance away, most likely the source of the sweet smell. You tried to get up but your legs wouldn’t allow it making you stay put until the pain subsided. Hours seemed to pass, you fiddled with some grass to entertain yourself, feeling the ground shift a little as you did so, strange. Ignoring that and shifting your gaze up to the sky you watch the night take over, stars dotting the darkness and a beautiful full moon seeming as if it was looking right back at you. By now the pain subsided, you now being able to start heading for that town, or what you hoped to be a town anyways. However when you try getting up this time it isn’t your wary legs that hold you back but something gripping onto you. Looking down you see a lavender hand clinging to your pants. You yelp in shock and try to pull away, tugging at the fabric to get whoever or whatever this was to let go, but to no avail. Soon another hand emerges from the ground then the top half of the body, the individual gasping for air as their head breaks past the soil. You stumble backwards, not getting far as they still had you in their death grip, all you could do was stare at them. Where they undead? No that didn’t seem right, they were breathing and defiantly looked to have all their skin intact. Maybe it was a resurrection spell? No, you seemed to be the only one around from what you could observe and you certainly didn’t know any powerful magic like that.

Dozens of questions swam around your brain as you tried to decide your next course of action, this somehow not dead person amazingly didn’t seem to notice your presents or that they were still holding onto you, their eyes fixated on the sky. You shuffle a bit to get into a more comfortable position, when you do you see the mystery man had finally moved their gaze away from the sky and onto you. Red eyes beating into you, yet you no longer felt fear from them as you could now see, much like yourself, the fear and confusion in their own eyes.

"Uhhh… hi?" You really weren’t sure how to approach any of this, and when they don’t respond you could only assume they didn’t know what to do either. They do however release their grip on you, retracting their hand to their chest. You could run, but should you really just leave them here? They were a stranger that just popped out of the ground (like daisy's) but that didn’t mean they were instantly bad. You slowly rise to your feet, and with a deep breath hold your hand out for them to take. You see the hesitance in their face as they just stare at you.

"Come on it’s just a hand. I don’t bite, promise." You offer a welcoming smile, and after a second they accept the offer, you helping them up. "I’m (y/n) by the way. What’s your name?" They look at you but their voice was so quiet you weren’t even sure if they were actually talking. It’s then that your stomach rumbles again, making your hunger known after being ignored for so long.

"It’s ok, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna. Let’s just get moving, I think I saw a town not too far away. We can go there, maybe find something to eat and then figure this out." You give another reassuring smile hoping to calm your new mystery friend enough to focus a bit more. While still holding onto their hand you gently start tugging them along, they follow you like a lost puppy toward where you’d seen the pillars of smoke earlier. You tried to stay optimistic in your assumption and hoped to find somewhere to stay soon. What could possibly go wrong?

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the-storyteller-and-her-soldiers · 3 years

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Carrying You From The Cold

Title: Carrying You From The Cold

Word Count: 2,056

Warnings: Some cursing, but nothing in malice. OTHER THAN THAT JUST FLUFF!! Also some poooooooooossible oocness but I think I got it good!

Ship: The Ripper’s Rose (Raiden x myself) Also Jetstream Sam x my friend Ace

Summary: When walking home from my bank well after midnight, I stop at my friend’s house for a visit. But upon seeing how exhausted I am, she’s not letting me go home alone

A/N: Just for clarification Ace and Alyssa are the same person. The same goes for Raiden and Jack! Enjoy!

Eyes of ebony gazed into the window’s glow while the frigid wind whipped Rebecca’s back without any remorse. She stood on the crooked porch of her friend’s home that had been converted into separate spaces for multiple families waiting to be granted access once more to her haven from the hellish temperatures. When the door creaked open, amethyst wisps of hair smacked against her rosy cheeks and temporarily blinded Rebecca to the figure who greeted her.

It wasn’t the slim yet toned figure of her childhood friend, Ace, but instead, one that towered hers both in height and muscle. It was a man with long umber shaded hair tied into a ponytail, chocolate eyes that always seemed to burn brighter than the sun, a scruffy five o’clock shadow, and a long scar sliced deeply into the right half of his face. Using her fragile fingertips that had gone numb long ago to brush the strands away, a warm smile spread across Rebecca’s face.

“Ah, the lady of the hour. Come in, come in, Alyssa has already set up the fire and a drink for you.” The man greeted, beckoning Rebecca in with two metallic fingers before stepping aside.

The smile on her chilled lips grew even brighter as Rebecca gave a short bow. “Thank you, Sam, and happy holidays! I would’ve dropped by sooner to wish you well but school, work, and the government trying to screw me over have left me drained. I hope you have been enjoying the last bit of the year though and that Acey has been sending my regards.”

“She always does. It’s honestly very sweet that you look past my past with Jack to still wish me well.”

Rebecca let out a quiet laugh as she wandered what was practically her second home growing up. “It’s no biggie! As I told you shortly after you came back, you are my sister’s husband so if she trusts you to keep her arms open for you then so can I! But if you ever hurt her...”

“Yes, I know, I know. You’ll have my head, and by you, I mean that your guard dog Jack will. But you know that without Alyssa I’d not even be alive, honestly.”

The polite conversation slowly shifted to a slightly wary silence as the two made their way to the kitchen. Yet any reservation that Rebecca held was thrown to the softly howling wind as she finally met with her sapphire haired sister-figure. Her slow steps burst out into a stumbling dash as she rushed to tackle the older woman by two years in a hug.

“Acey, you’re an absolute lifesaver! You know that right? It’s so fucking cold out there, it’s not even funny!”

A slight smirk crept on Ace’s lips as she caught the shorter girl in the tight embrace. She only removed one of her hands to flick Rebecca’s forehead before returning it to where it had been rubbing her back to help warm her up. “And you’re absolutely insane, you know that, right? What’re you doing out so late? It’s twenty to one in the morning and twenty-five to zero outside! And why didn’t you have anyone accompanying you?! You know what kind of assholes are out there, especially at this time of night!”

The laugh that left Rebecca’s lips this time was much more sheepish as her dark chocolate gaze flicked from her life-long friend to the floor, then to the kitchen table where two mugs filled with steaming liquid sat.

“Um well, because I’m a dumbass! I bought myself a last-minute Christmas or early b-day present but I went below my net in my bank account and I’m forgetful sooo I just went out to restore it! It was only a quick thirty-minute walk one way, so I’ll be home in no time! I just wanted to stop by since I know you were awake!”

Ace shook her head, but the smile on her lips remained. Out of all the people in the world, her little sister would be the one to do this. She was always drawn to the silence of the sleeping world, finding it even more enchanting to wander around while everyone else slept. A slight exhale left Ace’s lips as she took a moment to admit to herself that she had probably been the one who planted that seed of wonder when the two were much younger.

Her slightly scolding gaze of thrashing seas melted to a still lake as she looked Rebecca over and found no wear or tear. “Well, at least you bundled up this time, but you still feel like a friggen ice-pack!! C’mon, sit down; the marshmallows I put in our cocoa are gonna melt into nothing soon enough!.”

So the two took their respected seats and began sipping on their drinks, with Rebecca once again deeming her sister as a lifesaver for the sweet treat. The two stayed there for about fifteen minutes, with Sam also pulling up a chair to join them, talking about everything that came into their thoughts. Ace could see her little sister growing more exhausted by the minute though. From the way, her eyelids began to droop and how the weight of her head was becoming too much to hold up, she knew that Rebecca wouldn’t make it in the land of the conscious too much longer. So when the young girl slid back and shakily stood up to bid the hosting couple a good night, Ace simply walked to her side and forced Rebecca to plop down back into her chair.

“What makes you think I’m letting you walk home?”

Rebecca’s heavy eyelids shot wide open as she looked up at Ace. “I-I only came for a visit! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you let me stay or drive me back! I don’t wanna be a bother!”

Once again, Ace flicked Rebecca’s forehead. “One: You’re never a bother. Two: You’re right around the corner. Three: I will not let you go back to walking another fifteen minutes all alone, so if I won’t drive you back I know someone who will. Heard from a source he was working late anyway, Sam can you call Raiden for me and let him know that his girlfriend is trying to make a dumbass decision again?”

Rebecca tried to protest, squirming around and insisting she was fine but Sam smirked and remarked how he was on it. Ace just brought her to the couch by the heater in the living room to let her rest.

Sam stood nearby in the foyer as he dialed his old enemy and current work-rival, silently pondering if the cyborg with silver shaded hair would even answer. The phone had begun its fourth ring and he then wondered if getting ahold of Wolf would be a better way to get in contact with him. But before he could get too far on to that train of thought, there was a soft clicking sound before a familiarly raspy voice spat,

“What the hell do you want?”

Although there was no way that the stormy gazed man on the other end of the line could see him, Sam slowly raised his hands in a surrender gesture.

“Always so defensive, aren’t you Jack? Don’t worry I’d like to keep this short as well so I’ll just get to the point. Your little kitten is at my house, it was something about buying a gift then wanting to go to the bank to manage her funds. She stopped by to visit with my Alyssa and now wants to walk herself home--”

“What?!” Raiden growled before there was a short pause.

Sam could only imagine him gritting his teeth together and pressing his foot further down on the pedal. Thinking back on the comparison he had made about him earlier, it took all his willpower for Sam to stifle the chuckle reverberating in his chest as he thought further on the mental image. The idea of the oh-so-infamous ‘Jack the Ripper’ acting as nothing more but a scary guard dog to his innocent and kitten-like girlfriend was something that Sam never thought possible. But then again one could say that Sam was in a very similar position with his wife, so who was he to judge?

Before Sam could further explain the situation, he was silenced by Jack telling him that he’d be there in fifteen minutes and not to touch Rebecca in the meantime before he hung up. Sam chuckled to himself as he strode into the room where the two women were resting, slinging his arm around his wife and explaining the current situation.

Lifting her heavy head from Ace’s lap, Rebecca softly spoke, “Oh no... I didn’t wanna cause him any trouble. I hope he’s not mad. I can walk, really!”

“Mad at you? I don’t think he’s capable. But at me, well, there’s a possibility.” Sam assured, although his jovial tone revealed how little that mattered to him.

Rebecca let out a soft sigh of relief before laying her head back down to return to her rest, leaving the hosting couple to get cozy with each other. Yet within only thirteen minutes, there was a low humming of a car engine sounding from outside and only a minute after that the sound of knocking against their heavy wood door. Seeing how Ace was still occupied with her cat-like friend, Sam was the one to greet the other guest of the night waiting outside their door. Unlike before however, these two didn’t exchange pleasantries. These two barely exchanged a full glance before Raiden brushed by his host to greet his partner.

When he did enter the living room and took in the sight of Rebecca’s small stature all curled up in the warm scarlet hue of the heater, her expression free from any strife or worries. Raiden brought his hand over his mouth but that couldn’t hide the way the corners of his mouth twitched upwards or the warmth that coursed through him just by being in such a peaceful presence, her presence.

Once more Sam strolled in and stood beside Raiden, letting his arm rest on the other man’s shoulder. “See, there’s your kitten all safe and sound.”

Turning his narrowed gaze towards Sam, Raiden only told him to shut the hell up. His voice remained low as to not disturb the dear sight before him. But it was Ace who had broken the quiet as she cleared her throat.

“Will you two stop mind fucking each other? ‘Cause if you don’t then I’ll be the one having to stay with our cat the whole night.”

This seemed to snap the two out of their mental fighting as Raiden reached forward, easily scooping the small stature of his starlight into his arms. Without opening her eyes, Rebecca just wrapped her arms around her partner’s neck while a happy noise slipped from her lips. She then leaned forward to brush her lips against his cheek before immediately burying her face in the crook of his neck as though it was the safest place for her to be. Even though it was common knowledge how comfortable Rebecca was with her love, the wave of not only relief but pride that flowed through Raiden never ceased.

He then quickly said his goodbyes to Rebecca’s sister and her husband. Thanking them both for keeping an eye on her before carrying his partner out.

The sensations, however, tickled his cybernetics nerves and Raiden couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped his lips. “Long night, huh?”

“Mmmmm, needed something special... as a gift... Now I gotta recharge. It’s too cold.”

“Alright then, I got the car still running so it’s nice and warm for you. But next time, just call me if you needed to get out for a bit.”

Rebecca lulled her head to the side as she let out a breath of a laugh, “I know, but I wanted to surprise you with a gift, ‘cause I love you...”

Raiden leaned down slightly and pressed his lips against Rebecca’s forehead. “I don’t need anything else when I’m lucky enough to have you by my side... So, as I said if you need anything just give me a call, alright? I love you more than you’ll ever know...”

#self ship community #fo community #selfship community #self insert community #self shipping community #selfshipdom #ship: the ripper's rose #oc x canon #self insert fic #fo writing #canon x self insert

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imthepunchlord · 4 years

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Colors of Grey: Revenge

If ever asked what was his passion, Felix can happily answer that he was a magician and into magic tricks.

Not only was it true, it got people to leave him alone quickly. No one was interested in magic. It was an over dramatic splendor, media have portrayed it as a joke, one less desirable mastered to get attention.

But fools like those thought too small.

The work of a magician was the work of a mastermind. They were true illusionists, they knew how to keep attention elsewhere, how to play people. And that was what sort of magician Felix was. One who played people well, knew just what to do to get what he wanted. Everyone was a game, an instrument to play; it just took a little time to figure them out.

And some were far, far easier than others.

Chloe Bourgeois for example, the easiest to play, Felix didn’t even need to show himself to play her. Seated so high up her own high horse, he could even stand in plain sight and be overlooked. Chloe saw what she wanted to see. She heard what she wanted to hear. And she did whatever she wanted to do. And for Felix to get what he wanted, it was a simple, easy matter to not be what Chloe wanted to see. And dressed in a simple white Jagged Stone shirt, jeans, and a black cap covering his blond hair, he’d be one of the least interesting people in her peripheral vision.

His initial plan was to simply right in and slip inside, right under her nose. And she had, unwittingly, made this task far easier by hosting this party. He slipped with the crowd, moving like he belonged, sending sparing glances her way from where stood on top of the foyer, her attention elsewhere.

He allowed a small smile.

She as none the wiser.

No one looked his way when he went to the elevator, no one stopped him as he headed to her room. With his cap tugged down with eye holes for him to look through, he started his search around her dresser.

The Graham de Vanilly family had a long, long history as jewelers. Much of the prized accessories known today were of their craft. And not all of their craft had been so readily shared. The Bourgeois family, who historically stripped Paris away from a knight known as Darkblade, was a family with a long history of crookedness and tricks.

This family had been charmed by their craft, and it can’t be said in full certainty that they obtained some of their work honestly.

The one specific piece Felix wanted to find was Blue against Nightwings, a bracelet made by his ancestor, famously known as Bluebird of Happiness. She had many upon many lovely pieces but that had been one of the most prized possessions of the Graham de Vanilly creations. They had held onto jealously but a convenient meeting with the Bourgeois to make a deal a few centuries ago and well, it had disappeared upon them leaving.

They had wealth and political power, and distance.

For a long time, there was a struggle to prove their theft; till Felix could be here to simply reclaim it. And knowing Chloe, she won’t realize its gone till it was too late… well, if she ever did even realize it was gone. The Bourgeois family had deep corruption to them, but they were a crafty family that knew how to play people well.

As of today, well, Felix can say that it's an old line that should come to an end, unable to match their ancestors’ prowess.

But that was a Bourgeois problem, currently, his problem was trying to find the bracelet. Where would Chloe keep it? It wasn’t in her jewelry box with every single boring diamond accessory she had. It wasn’t on her jewelry stand, gleaming in the light, awaiting to be admired. Where…

Felix paused at the vanity, by chance, he lifted up the lid, looked down, and made a face. There it was. Tossed into her vanity drawer like a piece of junk.

“Nice to know one of our greatest creations is here collecting dust,” he muttered dryly, picking it up and wiping the dust off it. It gleamed in under his touch, the sapphires bright and full of life. He took a moment to admire Bluebird’s work, smiling slightly at the luminous craft, back with its old owner—

The door busted open, startling Felix and he quickly slipped the bracelet into his pocket, looking up to see the surprised blue gaze of the local hero, Ladybug, staring right at him with a clear gape. By those sharp eyes, Felix knew immediately that she knew he wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Who are you?”

He grimaced. The Parisian heroes had seemed to be a fanciful tale when they had reached London, the classic day to day villains to face, the silly costumed heroes that really loved animals, and a magical power that restored all damage done. It seemed too outrageous to Felix personally. But, arriving in Paris, getting a chance to see this as an actuality and not some glorified tale; it left this magician wary.

This was actual magic. This was strange and different something no one seemed to know about. And curious and uncertain, Felix observed and noted and learned what he could.

While he didn’t fully know how their powers worked, he knew enough to know that Ladybug was not the one he wanted to face right now. She was the dangerous one in the duo. She was a schemer like him, and while he wasn’t sure if it was her power or not, she knew how to work things into her favor, and thus far, she always won.

But Felix was a schemer as well. He was a magician, a master of illusion and tricks, and all magicians knew the art of misdirection.

With the bracelet safely tucked away, Felix let his hands come up and quickly moved up the mask to show off a sheepish smile.

“Woah, sorry, um, I wanted to give Chloe a little scare,” he said awkwardly, hoping she’d by the fib.

Her brow furrowed, her lips moving to murmur a question, one Felix barely heard but could’ve sworn he heard, “Adrien?”

Before he can really consider his cousin potentially knowing a hero, there was a stomp of coming feet, heavy and fast, and it jolted Ladybug to life. She startled him once more when she dove forward, suddenly in his space, close enough for him to see patterns in her eyes. A gloved hand was on his wrist and he was pulled to the side, just in time to avoid the chrome baton that came flying at them, ramming itself right into the vanity mirror and breaking it.

“That’s bad luck,” Ladybug chanted, gently pushing Felix away as Chat prowled into the room, glowing green eyes locked onto her. On his leg was a green eyed bear, controlling the cat hero?

Ladybug rushed out onto the balcony and Chat followed, not even noticing Felix.

Chloe came after them, shrieked, “My vanity!” and she followed them with a roar, Felix staying still the whole time, watching as she raced past. As the trio duked it out on the balcony, he eased his way out, leaving the chaos behind him happily, chaos he didn’t need to be apart of. He had what mattered, after all. Felix spared a fast look around before taking out the bracelet, smiling down at it.

It was time to take this home where it belonged.

#miraculous ladybug #Felinette #Colors of Grey

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scullyfemme · 4 years

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Basketball

After their New Year’s kiss, Mulder takes Scully on yet another sports-related date

Post-ep for Millenium | 2,000 words | tagging @today-in-fic

---

“Happy New Year, Scully.”

“Happy New Year, Mulder.”

His smile was open and exuberant while hers was quieter; it was a more personal smile meant only for her. Their very real, potentially world-ending kiss had been quick and chaste, but they both felt it lingering. Lingering on their lips and in the air around them. He looped his good arm around her shoulders and led them both down the hallway to leave the hospital.

As soon as they turned the corner, though, she stopped, a hesitant look on her face. This hallway was darker, a bit emptier since most of the people here were gathered in rooms with TVs. He looked down to ask what was up, but before he could do so, she turned and rose up on her toes to give him another kiss.

It was as chaste as the one to ring in the year, but not nearly as quick. Their lips stayed closed against each other's, both of them wary of frightening the other by moving too fast.

When she pulled away, it was still too soon. He resisted the urge to protest, instead just watching her for cues.

Scully's eyes were bright with excitement as she searched his face, absentmindedly licking her lips like she always did. Her lips twitched for a moment, then a smile fully bloomed on her face. She looked almost giddy, something he wasn't quite used to seeing.

“Was that okay?” She asked, and of course she would ask that. They'd both barged into each other's personal space and personal lives and personal what-have-yous countless times, but this specific thing was the only one that they did a careful dance around.

Her smile was contagious; he couldn't help it as one spread across his own face. “Of course.”

Her smile turned sheepish and she looked away, looping her arm around his middle as his fixed itself around her shoulders again. They continued through the hospital with no more pit stops.

“Where do you wanna go now?” She asked. It was an open-ended question. No doubt she saw it as safer than asking What do you want to do now?

His smile returned as he remembered his initial New Year's plans. “I have an idea.”

—-

“This is…not exactly what I thought you had in mind,” Scully couldn't keep the confusion out of her tone as she looked out across the outdoor basketball court. It was completely empty; anyone else in the park right now was probably somewhere better for launching fireworks.

“What'd you think I meant?” He asked, his expression one of exaggerated innocence. He knew exactly where she thought his mind had gone. At her inability to respond, he grinned devilishly. “Dana Scully, you dog.”

“Shut up, Mulder.” Her face burned.

She'd initially driven him home, but this was apparently only so he could pick up a mysterious bag. He then insisted on driving to their actual location, which she'd protested against due to him having only one good arm and being on painkillers. He'd countered by saying that they barely gave him any and that they were already wearing off. She'd relented, but only because he was the only one who knew how to get to this secret location.

Now that they were here, though, she felt like she should've insisted on staying at his place. Maybe her extra kiss wasn't enough to let him know how she was feeling, what she wanted. Even with his bad arm, there were quite a few things they were able to do.

Basketball, apparently, was one of them. Mulder dropped the bag off his shoulder and deftly opened it with one hand before pulling out a brand new basketball. He stood up and started dribbling.

“C’mon, Scully. How ‘bout a game?” He offered the ball out to her.

A laugh escaped her, ringing clear between the booms of fireworks. “Mulder, did you really bring me out here to play basketball on New Year's Eve?”

“Technically, it's New Year's Day.” He winked. “And why wouldn't I?”

“Well, your arm's in a sling.”

“Which evens out the playing field. That's my good arm.”

She just shook her head, an incredulous grin on her face. He'd already had the basketball, which means he was already planning this. Of course he did. And of course he wouldn't let an injured arm get in the way of a date.

“You've never shot a basket, have you, Scully?”

You've never hit a baseball, have you, Scully? His words echoed in her mind as she recalled that night at the baseball fields. She'd lied back then, of course. Tomboy Dana Scully who shot BB guns with her brothers had played many a game of baseball as a kid, but adult Dana Scully had understood Mulder’s question like a chess move. And in two quick moves of her own, she'd successfully gotten herself wrapped in his arms while his hips pressed against hers to guide her through the motions of swinging a bat. Is it still a checkmate if both parties win?

“No, I haven't,” she lied again, but this one felt like less of a lie. She was never good at basketball. “Guess I've had better things to do with my time.”

He grinned again and motioned her over. She obliged, moving to stand next to him on his left side. His good side. They both faced the basket.

“Alright, so,” he easily maneuvered the ball in his hand, putting his palm under it with the heel of his hand facing forward while his fingers supported the back of the ball. “This is how you wanna hold it with your dominant hand. That's your shooting hand.”

She nodded as if she didn't already know this.

“Your other hand — I can't exactly show you right now — but your other hand is going to cradle the side of the ball. That's just to keep it safe; your right hand is gonna do all the work.”

She nodded again, watching him with amusement. He was cute like this, when he talked about sports. Not that she would admit that to him anytime soon.

“Now,” He bent down a bit to put the ball down, then straightened up and took her hand in his. “With basketball, it's all in the wrist. You're gonna want to keep your hand straight” -he straightened out her fingers- “and let your wrist do all the work.” He gently pulled her hand back so it was in a similar position to how his had been, then wrapped his hand around her wrist, his thumb at the inner base of her hand.

It was an excuse to touch her. They always needed excuses. Baseball dates with his arms around her, movie nights on his couch where they pretended their thighs weren't pressed together, unnecessary check-ups when his head hadn't even been damaged just so she could run her fingers through his hair. This was part of their dance, their endless movements around each other, both afraid to make a bold move.

His thumb pressed into the joint and her wrist bent forward in reaction. “Just like that,” he murmured, and she realized his shoulder was pressed against hers.

The warmth of his body disappeared for a moment as he dropped down to pick the ball back up. He handed it off to her and she held it up in both hands, ready to shoot but waiting for his cue.

“Alright. Now, remember.” He moved slightly behind her and his hand curled under her elbow to prop it up. She suppressed a shiver as his voice came as a low murmur in her ear. “You want to keep your eye on the basket. Your arm is what's propelling the ball, but your wrist is the aim. Keep your eye on the basket, push upward,” -his thumb rubbed her arm as his lips brushed against her ear- “and let your wrist carry it through.”

Scully's cheeks burned and her mouth felt dry. He moved away to give her space for the shot and she immediately craved his warmth against her. She swallowed it down, though, and tried to focus. No way was she making this shot, but she at least had to look like she was trying.

She stepped forward and actually managed to follow his instructions, but everything was just a bit off. Whether it was her lack of skill or the fact that she was more focused on the memory of his body against hers, she didn't know. The ball hit the backboard — just shy of center — and rebounded off, bouncing on the ground below and rolling back past them.

“That was pretty good.” He sounded genuinely impressed, suddenly close behind her again. “Wanna go again?”

Scully hesitated before answering. It was just like the baseball date. He wouldn't make a move past what was allowed within the limits he'd already set up. It was hard to tell whether it was out of respect for her boundaries or fear of scaring her away. Time to play chess.

“Show me the wrist thing again?” She asked. He obliged, moving sideways a bit as he wrapped his hand around her wrist and pressed his thumb into the joint again.

Her hand didn't keep proper form this time as her wrist bent forward, but she didn't care. She let her hand slip down his grip as she turned to face him, then intertwined her hand with his. She wrapped an arm around his middle in lieu of putting a hand on his shoulder for fear of hurting him.

He smiled down at her, looking confused but entertained. “What’re you doing?”

Dancing, she thought to herself as she pressed a bit closer to him. They didn't sway, though. There was no music to dance to. For a moment they just stood there, looking like they were both waiting for a cue. Waiting for the music to start.

Scully felt her heartbeat spread from her chest throughout her body, up into her throat and down into her fingertips. She wondered if he could feel it, too. If he knew what she was trying to do. She had to be the one to make the move because he wouldn't do it. Wouldn't want to risk scaring her away. She had to let him know she wasn't scared. Not of this.

Her breath was shaky, and she knew her voice would be too once she finally spoke. She was nervous even though she had no right to be. She knew how he felt, knew he would return the sentiment. He'd already said it before, in fact. Over a year ago.

“Mulder,” She paused, wondering how to word her thoughts. “Do you remember when you were in the hospital?”

“Which time?” He smiled warmly, his eyes glinting with humor.

Scully opened her mouth to answer, to explain. After the Bermuda Triangle. What he'd said to her. But instead, she decided to forgo the preamble.

“I love you.”

The words took him aback and he tried to pull away on instinct. “Scully-”

Her grip was ironclad, though, as she kept him in place. “I mean it.”

“Are you sure?” He searched her face as if he was worried she’d take it back.

She knew what his question really meant, just like he knew what her statement really meant. For every word they spoke aloud, there were always ten more in a hidden message. It wasn’t actually a question of whether she loved him; they were both well aware of the answer to that. But her saying it out loud was a signal. When he asked if she was sure, it wasn’t in regards to whether she loved him or not. He was asking if she was sure she was ready.

Instead of saying so, she opted to rise up on her toes and press her lips against his for the third time that night. His hand let go of hers and wrapped around her middle, pulling her closer as she did the same to him, both careful to avoid his injured arm that was in danger of being sandwiched between them.

It was impossible to tell how much time passed before she pulled away, her hand once again seeking his.

“Thought I made it obvious earlier, but apparently I didn't.”

“Well, you know me, Scully.” He grinned, looking euphoric. “I need a lot of proof before I'll believe something.”

Instead of rolling her eyes, she simply grinned. “Well,then I'd suggest we get out of here.”

His eyebrows shot up as she stepped away, leading him hand-in-hand back to the car.

They forgot about the basketball.

#this was inspired by me and my gf playing basketball w our friend's mom on new years #but it wasn't nearly as romantic as this lmao #kai.fic #xf fic

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baronessblixen · 4 years

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Day 4: snowed in

Revival era. Tagging @today-in-fic

Personal Space

"What are you doing?" Mulder asks, hands full of candy and other questionable food choices. He puts them all on the bed. Their bed. Thanks to the raging snowstorm outside, they’re sharing a room tonight. And a bed.

"Watching the blizzard," she answers, wrapping the woolen blanket tighter around herself. They're lucky and she knows that. The storm hit everyone by surprise, including her and Mulder. The small motel came into view right before they couldn't see anything anymore, the blizzard blinding them.

This is the part of the job she hasn't missed. Being stuck somewhere. In all their years together, they've been stranded at airports, crummy hotels and worse. If she were home, though, she’d be alone. No Mulder who wants to know her every thought.

"Are you thinking about Holman Hardt?" Mulder stuffs a Twinkie into his mouth, watching her.

"Who?" She reaches for the salad that Mulder has hidden under all the junk food. The fact that he bought one just for her makes her smile.

"Don't you remember Holman? Who was so in love with his friend Sheila that he controlled the weather? I'm disappointed, Scully." Of course Mulder would remember that case. He doesn't forget. Her salad proves it. She opens the plastic container and digs in. He even remembered to ask for cherry tomatoes, knowing how much she loves them. No, Mulder doesn't forget. He has it all stored up in that brilliant mind of his. She knows that it's a blessing and a curse.

"I remember," she admits, the details of the case hazy at best. "But that's not- it's beautiful, isn't it? The snow? When you're not on the road, anyway."

"Hmmm." Mulder is not looking at her or the winter wonderland in front of their window.

"You don't think it's beautiful?"

"No, it is," he says, candy wrappers rustling as he unpacks another Twinkie. She doesn't remember Mulder liking them all that much. She watches him stuff it into his mouth, wondering what else she no longer knows about him. "It's just more beautiful at home, watching from our kitchen window."

Our kitchen window. Mulder has never stopped calling the house their home. It's theirs, never his. Even though he is the only one living there now. To him, there is no question as to where she belongs. Still, he is giving her all the time she needs. It's entirely up to her.

"Did you bring anything for me?" She asks, changing the subject. They're stuck here for at least a night. In the same room. With one bed. She doesn't want to make it more complicated than it already is.

"Besides the salad?" She nods. "How about a Butterfinger?" She wrinkles up her nose. "3 Musketeers?" She shakes her head.

"You're a tough crowd today, Scully. A Kit Kat?"

"Yes," she says with a smile, taking the proffered candy. She bites into the treat, enjoying the sweet chocolate taste. When she's on her second bite, she notices Mulder watching her. "What is it?" She asks.

"You've got chocolate on your lip." He points at her mouth, his smile sheepish and shy. It's so unlike him.

"Did I get it?" She is touching her lips, her cheeks, anywhere. Mulder chuckles and shakes his head.

"May I?" He asks, still keeping his distance. His wariness gets to her. He is careful about invading her space these days, no doubt having learned it in therapy. But if she's honest with herself, she misses him in her space. She's used to having him there. So she nods, stays still until he is so close that she can feel him. She could reach out and touch him if she dared. Instead, Mulder does it for her. His finger is gentle as it traces the outside of her upper lip. She holds her breath until his finger retreats. He puts it in his mouth, licking off the chocolate, not once breaking eye contact.

"Thank you," she says breathlessly.

"Can't let you walk around with chocolate on your face, can I? So um, I've been thinking about tonight…," he looks at her, nervously playing with a candy wrapper. "I could sleep on the couch if you want." They both turn to look at the tiny couch. Even she couldn't fit comfortably on there.

"Mulder, we shared a bed for years."

"Not when we weren't…" Intimate. Lovers. A couple. Married. Take your pick, she thinks. Neither of them finishes the sentence.

"I trust you, Mulder. I wouldn't want to be snowed in with anyone but you. I don't want to share my bed with anyone but you." She sees him consider her words. After the longest time, he nods.

"No one but me, huh?" He grins at her and she considered throwing a Ding Dong at his head. "Hey, Scully?" She looks at him, sees his nervousness return. "Do you – I know it's none of my business and you're free you do whatever you want, but… what you just said… does that mean you don't… date?" There's so much hope in his voice. Fear, too. He can act all thick-skinned and aloof, but she knows it weighs on him. How can it not? It does on her, too.

"One date," she replies truthfully. "Just one."

"What was wrong with him?"

"Nothing. He was perfect.” Craig was so perfect that the whole evening felt entirely wrong. In another lifetime, she would have given him a chance. In this one, though, there is only one man for her. For better or worse. “My mom set us up."

"Ouch. I thought she liked me."

"She does. But… she said I looked so sad and did nothing but work."

"Are you? Sad?"

She thinks about it for a moment. Being here with Mulder, stuck in the middle of nowhere because of a blizzard, because of some X-File they had to investigate. Just like old times. Just the two of them.

"No," she replies, "no, I'm not sad. Not now." She smiles at him, hoping he understands. He takes her hand, scooting closer. So close that he's almost invading her space. He understands.

#wheeee #i came up with this while doing the dishes #and i got so excited #and then i started writing and somehow #it changed to this #i hope you guys still like it!#it's not *as* fluffy #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

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ladylunasolis · 4 years

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Zutara Week 2020 - Day 3 “Fuse”

Ahhh I think this is my favorite so far. This could also be seen as lightly connected to “Reunion” | (AO3)- you don’t have to read one to understand the other but thought it was really cute to think of it that way! Took a shot at Katara’s POV this time, hope I did her justice. There’s also a first kiss... (; This might be my favorite one so far. Please enjoy!

You can find it here on AO3 :)

“This”

Rating: Teen and up

Fuse: (intransitive verb) To become fluid with heat. (Noun) a continuous train of a combustible substance enclosed in a cord or cable for setting off an explosive charge by transmitting fire to it.

Katara looked left and right, saw no sign of the Fire Lord, and darted quickly down the hallway. She didn’t have much time and she only had a slim window to execute her plan. It was something she had never tried, but something she needed to get right.

But it was already 15 minutes until midnight and she still couldn’t find a damn flint!

What made midnight so important? The Fire Lord was completing another trip around the sun. Katara was reminded of this fact a few weeks ago when she received word of the next Fire-nationwide celebration. That was when she first arrived on ambassador business. She brought it up to Zuko the next time she saw him.

“Hey, Zuko - I just realized this is going to be the first time we’ll be able to celebrate your birthday!” She nudged him as they walked together by the pond, both having a short reprieve between different meetings and obligations. Zuko chuckled and shrugged, hands in his robe sleeves. The sun glinted off his crown.

“That’s really the best part about my birthday…” he replied, eyes on the ground. “To be honest, I don’t even like these big parties. I’d rather have it just, I don’t know, you and me. Plus the rest of the gang and uncle, if any of them were able to make it.”

And so, earlier in the night before the staff closed down the kitchens, Katara had gone and baked him a small birthday cake. The staff made no fuss about her as they were already used to seeing her around the grounds. She was determined to surprise him at midnight, and with the rest of the gang showing up later in the day for his celebration. She smiled to herself - it was not an easy task coordinating with everyone who was in different lands but it worked.

She went into the next kitchen, and still no luck with anything to strike a fire. Katara grimaced to herself. I guess it makes sense in a palace with firebenders, you usually ask the closest one to help you out. At this time of night no one is expected to make any food. She exited and continued her search.

She wasn’t exactly sure when it was that she noticed her feelings were more than that of a close friend. Obviously, she and Zuko were close friends but she thought about him often. In the time apart she would find herself thinking about her hands over him as she healed him a few times after his agni kai, his look of appreciation as he peered up at her. How his lips would form her name: “Thank you, Katara.”

She would feel butterflies, which she hadn’t felt since Jet. Because of her history with Jet, she had become wary of the feeling. That flutter meant she could be blinded, or fooled. She never thought Zuko and Jet were the same but she knew herself and when she felt like that about a guy, she was scared of feeling too much. Besides, Aang really cared about her and he had proven that many times. Even gave up the ultimate Avatar state for her…so that meant something, right?

It turns out down the line that still meant they were destined to be best friends. Over time both Katara and Aang grew older, priorities and interests changed. It was a completely mutual and kind parting of romantic ways, which Katara was thankful for.

Katara groaned. She was running out of time! During her trip down memory lane, she still hadn’t found a way to light his candles. She hastily made her way back to the kitchen closest to Zuko’s quarters and did a once over of the kitchen. She retrieved the small cake and inspected it.

She knew he would be awake, as they would often sit up together and vent about their day. One of the tough things about politics was working with people you didn’t really like, but knowing there was a benefit to a professional relationship and it was ultimately to do good. Zuko was able to stand up for himself, and set boundaries when needed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be annoyed with a personality. Katara found he was quite funny when he opened up, and made horrible impressions of his most outspoken diplomat.

Half the time she wondered if he really liked doing impressions, or if he just liked seeing her crack up until she wasn’t even making a sound. At times, she would double over and end up falling onto his bed, and stay there as the rest of the conversation would continue. Zuko would tell her about his progress in the search for his mother, share the guilt he sometimes feels regarding his younger sister. About the first times he learned to be happy while wearing green, and kissing a girl before running away. He would listen as she talked about her journeys to clean the rivers, Ozai-loyalists she would leave stuck in ice after they would challenge her (and bad mouth Zuko). About when the sky has lights that change color yearly back home, what kind of person she wanted to be five years from now. About the first guy who broke her heart and why it didn’t work out with Aang.

“I kinda know what you mean. Me and Mai, eventually we just didn’t want the same things anymore,” he replied. “She’s a great person, but there was just something more.”

The last night she visited him, Zuko turned to face her. They were both on their sides, space between them, but maybe a little less space than there needed to be on his huge bed. His voice was more quiet now, a little more gravelly. His hair was down, longer than before, and his black locks were overlapping the ends of hers. Katara idly wondered what it would be like if it was their fingers that were intertwined. They had stayed talking longer than usual and Katara was beginning to drift off.

“I know we always vent,” she chuckled, eyes closing slowly. “But what’s your favorite part of your day…?”

Katara chalked it up to Zuko thinking she was already asleep. She almost was, until after a few moments she heard him sigh.

“This.”

The butterflies were flapping their wings strongly in her stomach now, no big deal, just a mini maelstrom. Katara never brought that word up, and neither had Zuko. She had woken up barely before he did, and slipped out of the room to avoid any weird rumors. But things between them had been good, though different. It was like they were both keeping a secret from each other, and at the same time hoping the other would find out. Maybe it really was just a dream? Either way, she couldn’t get it out of her mind, couldn’t stop that word from repeating itself in that damn bedroom voice.

With a sigh, she carefully made her way to Zuko’s quarters. She knew he wouldn’t think any less of her, but what kind of cake came without lit candles? She stood at his door and paused, knuckles hovering above the wood. She couldn’t shake her nerves and told herself to get it together Katara, you’ve knocked on his door before!

Zuko opened the door shortly after her staccato knock, a smile on his face when he met her eyes, and his expression changed to one being impressed when he saw her offering.

“Happy birthday, Zuko,” Katara sung, genuinely happy to be here for him. He moved aside for her to step in and she did so, making her way to his desk.

“Thank you, Katara, I’m…I’m really surprised,” Zuko managed to say. He put his hands up, “I don’t know what to say. No one’s ever done this for me at midnight. Thank you, Katara. This means a lot.”

“Well, I wanted this to be special…” she turned and frowned, before giving a sheepish smile. “But as you can see I couldn’t find anything to light the candles with at this time of night! I’m sorry.”

“This is definitely special.” Zuko chuckled and moved closer to her, placing her between him and the desk. His eyes remained on her when she felt a heat by her hip. She looked down and saw a small, controlled flame in his hand and smiled. “Don’t you worry about the flame…I got it covered.”

He lit the candles and Katara instructed him to sit down, and sung him a little song. Zuko closed his eyes as he made his wish. Katara took this chance to admire his face in this moment of vulnerability, thought of kissing him if it weren’t for the fact she would burn herself in the process. Hell, maybe it’s worth the risk. Zuko blew the candles out in one breath and Katara clapped lightly, giving a small cheer.

As she removed the plates that were stacked underneath the cake, and utensils from her pockets, she couldn’t help but wonder. “So…what did you wish for?”

Zuko gently took the plate she offered in his left hand and placed it on the table, before taking her right hand in his. Katara’s heart raced as he stood up to meet her, the table no longer in the way. He placed her hand on his heart and she felt the steady thrum underneath her palm. She was pretty sure the butterflies in her stomach were close to dying with how erratic they were flying around. Zuko’s golden eyes searched hers for any protest, other hand going to her cheek, before dipping his lips close to hers.

“This.”

And he closed the gap between them, gently, giving her a chance to pull away if she wanted to. Katara did not want to and as a matter of fact, she found herself letting a breath out that she didn’t even know she was holding. She turned her head for a better angle, and was the first to deepen the kiss. Her hands went to the base of his neck, into his hair, and his hand that was freed dropped to her waist to pull her even closer. She reveled in the feel of his strong hands, his body against hers, and leaned into him so much Zuko eventually leaned on the table himself. He was a better kisser than she even thought he would be, and yet respectful enough to let her lead the way for this first moment of contact. Firebenders could heat their body up right? Because she was on fire from his touches.

They eventually pulled away, Zuko resting his forehead on Katara’s. They were both flushed and breathing heavier than before, but they were both happy. He kissed her forehead and she giggled, tilting her face up towards him.

“Honestly, that’s the answer I was hoping for.”

And Zuko grinned at her before capturing her lips with his once more.

Ohhh I was so close to taking this up a notch and making it a mature piece...but then I wasn’t sure. If anyone would be interested in reading a second part that does go into that, please reply/send me an ask/DM me and let me know! As always, thank you again for reading <3

#zutara #zutara week #zutara week 2020 #fuse #zutara fanfiction #writing #atla #atla fanfiction #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender

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x688plsloveme · 4 years

Text

Whumptober Day 6 - Alt Prompt 1 - “Wake Up” (Butch)

“ake up! Wake. Up! C'mon Katie!”

Katie groggily opens her eyes, immediately seeing Butch’s worried face and hearing emergency alarms in the distance. Panic shoots through her like lighting, causing her to sit up to fast and become dizzy. When her vision refocuses, she sees Butch standing above her looking mildly irritated. He heaves a sigh of relief when he sees that she’s finally awake and hurries to explain everything. “Kates. Listen to me. Your father and sister are gone, they left the vault, and the overseer’s gone crazy over it! He’s locked Amata up, and I heard the guards talking about tracking you down. You need to leave the vault." He looks imploringly in her eyes. She's never seen him look like this before. "And you need to leave now.”

That woke her up quick. She looks at him disbelievingly and asks him, “You’re not pranking me again, are you?” She could see his sincerity, but she still couldn't believe what she was hearing...

He sighs and leans into her space even more. He knows there are people coming for her and he needs to get her out of here. “Listen, everyone knows I like joking around, but I would never play with something like this. Just-!" He takes a breath and calms down. "Just listen to the alarms and you tell me.”

Katie hears the commotion outside her room-the ear splitting alarms and voices shouting for everyone to stay inside. She massages her temples and mumbles, “Lord preserve me...”

She nods without looking at her friend and starts gathering supplies. Her favourite vault suit, her first aid kit, the cap she got from Stanely, and her stack of comic books. “Alright Butch. What’s the plan?” She sees him get a bit nervous and pull something out of his jacket and holds it out to her. She sees what it is and sucks in her breath in surprise. “I smuggled this gun out when we were being taught how to use the shooting range last year." He holds it out to her. "Take it.”

Katie hesitates but grabs the weapon before she can think too much of the implications of it. She knows she could never kill any of the people in the vault, but she doesn’t know what could be outside. The redhead takes one more sweep of the room and spots her bb gun. Memories of practicing with Jonas and Butch in secret makes her smile. Then her father's kind smile as her handed it to her all those years ago flashes by. And finally she wonders why her sister and him left. She grips the gun tight and makes a silent vow to find out no matter what. She steels herself and looks at Butch with a new determination in her eyes.

“Alright. What now?”

He can't keep her gaze with how serious it is and tries to distract himself with fiddling with his switchblade but still catches her question. “We gotta get to Amata and Jonas. One of em will know how to get outta here.”

"Well then let's hurry." The two nod at each other. Butch grabs her hand without thinking too much other than that he knows they'll need to stick together and they run out into the halls. Normally, Katie would be embarrassed with her childhood friend and crush grabbing her hand like that, but now is not the time to be thinking of that kind of stuff. She has to focus on getting out of here and finding her family.

When they make their way over to Officer Kendall, he’s already distracted by radroaches, and the two are able to slip past unnoticed. They are stop dead when they hear a scream that comes from Butch’s home.

"Ma!"

Neither of them thinks twice before sprinting in to help. They find Ellen getting attacked by several roaches while calling out for her son and it doesn’t take long for them to be dispatched thanks to her trusty bb gun. Butch had left the room to get medical supplies since they both knew how terrified he was of roaches. When he comes back he's overjoyed to see his mother relatively unharmed. “I didn’t know you were such a good shot pipsqueak! If you weren’t here I probably would’ve chickened out and she’d be a gonner. I really owe you one.” He is close to tears with relief and hugs Katie tight. Seeing that he should probably stay with his mom to check for any more injuries and calm her down, he pulls away and smiles at his friend apologetically. “I think you’ll have to go on without me for now Kates. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up.”

The redhead nods in understanding. She knows how much Butch cares for his mother. She also knows she’ll be more than fine alone. She’s always been the most sneaky out of all the vault kids, so there’s no way she’s gonna be caught by anyone and they both know it. That doesn’t mean she’s not nervous about going ahead on her own though, she just hopes that Butch will end up catching up before she has to leave for good.

She goes to leave before she's stopped by Butch grabbing her arm and turning her around. Her eyes widen when she sees him holding out his Tunnel Snakes jacket out to her. The usual bravado is gone from his face and is replaced with an unfamiliar sheepish look. His head is slightly bowed so he looks up at her through the hair dangling in front of his face and smiles.

"I told you I'd get you one eventually, right?"

He barely finishes his sentence before Katie grabs him into a crushing hug. She wipes her eyes and takes the jacket. "Thank you so much, I'll keep it safe I promise." He rolls his eyes and laughs, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He looks more worried than anything. "It's your safety I'm worried about here Kates. That'll help you out with the roaches more than that flimsy vault suit will anyway." He grabs her hand one more time and squeezes it before letting go. He looks like he wants to say something else but thinks better of it. "We'll meet up at the entrance okay? Stay safe."

The pair split as Butch goes to tend to his mother and Katie soldiers on to find Amata and Jonas.

A ton of close calls and a lot of hugging between her and her favourite vault robot, mechanic, and security officer later, sees Katie sneaking closer and closer towards the overseer's office. She stops when she sees a very familiar body on the ground.

"Jonas!" She rushes to his side and immediate tries to administer stimpacks to her barely alive surrogate brother before she's stopped by him grabbing her.

"Katie...sweetheart-" He coughs up blood midsentence but still manages to smile. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you darlin'.

"Jonas I have stimpacks please-" She can't keep the tears in this time, they all rush out like a dam has finally been breached. Her hand trembles as he grabs it to stop her from wasting the stimpacks.

"Shh kiddo shh. Not even those will- ugh! Ah... N-not even those will help now so listen to me carefully. I have a tape that your dad entrusted to me. He told me to give it to you so you'd know that he and your sister are safe but..."

He uses the last of his strength to hug his favourite person in the world. He can die happy knowing that her and her family will get out of this hellhole and live. "It doesn't l-look like I'm gonna be able to watch it with you..." His grip slackens and she starts panicking even more. His voice is faint when he says, "I love you so so much Katie....never...forget..that..."

"Jonas? Jonas!! Please God no why! Why him!? why...." She allows herself another moment of grief before shakily getting up with the tape and Jonas' glasses in hand. She pockets both and after a final quiet goodbye to the person that helped raise her in so many ways and leaves.

It doesn't take her long to hear voices from down the hall where the vaults "jail" is. She sneaks closer to better hear what's happening.

"I told you! I don't know anything!" That's Amata's voice. Now she knows why Butch was the only one to wake her up. She was being held here.

"Now be reasonable, Amata. Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just tell us where to find your friend so we can talk to her." The overseer. Aka Alphonse Almodovar. Ugh. A prick through and through. His cold calculating voice always sent a chill down my spine.

"I only sent Butch to her because I was worried. What does she have to do with any of this anyway?"

"Probably nothing. Which is why you need to tell me where she is, so I can talk to her." He pauses for a moment listening to her cries and sighs. "One more time."

"Yes sir." "Is that officer Mack..?"

Katie only has a second to wonder what that means before she hears a loud slap followed by Amata's scream. That's it. She's heard enough. She knew that bastard was no good, but to go so far as to hurt his own daughter? Complete and utter trash.

Katie gets the gun out and turns the safety off without a second thought before barging into the room. The Overseer and Mack turn to look at her. She aims the gun at Mack and he scoffs though she can see the wariness in his eyes. "Like you'll do anything with that. Do it, I dare you." Amata slips away while everyone is focused on the gun and Katie smiles sweetly.

"Well, since you asked so nicely." She lowers her gun slightly and shoots the man in the foot. He yells and falls to the floor. She makes sure to knock him out for good measure. "Not surprised that it came to that, but at least Amata will be safe," she thinks and before she turns to leave, she glances back at The Overseer.

"Oh and one more thing. Never lay a hand on my friend again or you'll regret it." He seems to understand, so Katie rushes out to look for Amata.

She finds the girl crying in her room, so Katie goes to sit next to her friend and lays a comforting hand on her. "I know you're not alright, so I won't ask, but will a hug make you feel better?" Amata laughs bitterly a bit but does accept the hug.

"Thanks girl. You always know how to make me feel better. I guess I should tell you why I was in there in the first place."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No. It's important and I want you to know." She looks Katie in the eyes so she knows she's serious. At her friend's understanding nod, she continues. "I'll make this quick. So Butch probably already told you that your father and sister left the vault. Apparently your dad was going to leave without either of you, but she overheard him and Jonas and wanted in. Jonas...God. Jonas didn't-"

She sees her friend's face and stops. "Oh god Katie you didn't..." At her friend's nod her face crumples even more. "I'm so sorry."

All the memories she's had with him over the years suddenly come flying back all over again and she can't stop the tears. He was with her longer than anyone and to have him so suddenly ripped out of her life...she couldn't put words to the anguish she was feeling in the moment if she tried. It was now Amata's turn to hug her friend.

"I know it's a lot, but you have to still get out and find your family. There's a tunnel in my father's office that will lead you to the exit. I have the key, you just need the the terminal passcode. I'll stay back and try to calm down my father and throw any security off your scent." She pauses to give her friend one last hug. This is probably going to be the last time they see each other in a long time. "Please be safe Katie."

Katie wipes her tears and composes herself as best she can. "Thanks Amata. You be safe too. Your father seems a little unstable at the moment." The girls laugh and smile at each other before going their separate ways.

Before she knows it, our lovely protagonist is at the terminal that holds the vaults most secret information. It doesn't take long to hack into it, heck her father's only a doctor and his was way harder to break into. She skims some info but mostly just downloads it all to her pipboy to read through later. Her eyes catch on a picture of what looks like a giant metal wall and she sees the caption talking about how it's a short walk away from the vault. And the date that shows that they discovered this only 25 years ago. Her mind reels at the realization that the propaganda that was shoved down all their throats since childhood isn't exactly true. But she also knows she can't dwell on it too long so she stores away that information in the back of her mind and opens the tunnel that Amata told her about.

Descending it is scarier than she thought it would be, but she gets by with only seeing a few radroaches along the way.

Finally she reaches the entrance to the vault and while she states at the giant steel door that separates her from the wasteland outside, she's slightly overwhelmed. She gets knocked out of her daze when someone grabs her arm. She goes to hit them in the face until she sees who it is.

"Kates it's me! Butch-man! Don't damage the goods!" She stares at him with a blank face and he starts to get worried until her face suddenly falls and she throws her arms around him once again.

"Butch I'm so glad you're alive! I wouldn't know what to do if I lost another person dear to me." Tears are falling down her face for the upteenth time that day and now the greaser is more worried than ever. He pulls away to look at her properly and asks, "What's wrong? What happened to you, you don't look injured or anything..?" He trails off when he sees her face and all she has to do is mouth the word Jonas for him to pull her back into his embrace.

They stay like that until Katie stops crying, knowing that they'll have a few minutes with all the locked, heavy-duty doors in-between them and the guards. When she's completely spent she clears her mind of everything and pulls away completely. He makes sure to keep his hand on her arm however.

"I am glad that you are safe Kates." He gives her a bittersweet smile. "Now go on and find your family." There he goes again giving her that look from earlier like he wants to say something but is too scared to say it. She can't wait around to find out though the guards will be there soon and she doesn't want to put either of them in danger.

"Y-yeah. I guess I'll just go now." She goes to the console to open the door and sees that Butch is looking around like he still has something to say. The door's open now though, so she goes to step toward it and right before she steps past the door she hears a mumbled, "fuck it," and is shoved up against the wall to her left and immediately feels the pressure of one of her best friend's lips on hers. It doesn't take her long to relax into it as she shuts her eyes and grasps the front of his vault suit while he holds her close.

Their eyes flutter open at the same time and she sees his eyes soften at seeing the same emotion he's feeling reflected back at him and kisses her on the cheek. He doesn't move when he speaks. "I've wanted to do that for a long time doll. Sorry for being so sudden, but I felt like if I didn't do it now, I might not get the chance to and that didn't sit right with me."

The girl of his dreams smiles genuinely sweetly up at him and takes his hands. "This isn't the last time you'll see me Butch. I'll be back and I'll take you with me and we can go on adventures and leave the memories of this place behind together. But before that. I want you to help Amata here, Lord knows she'll have enough trouble as is with her father..."

Butch let's go of her hands and steps back. "Of course! I get it. Go and make a name for yourself. Find your family and I'll stay here to fix this mess so you won't have to worry about us for awhile yet. Just promise you'll come back for me. You know you'll get bored without me there to annoy you." He winks at his last statement and Katie rolls her eyes.

"Yes, yes, you're annoying. Got it." He feigns offense and they both chuckle. They gaze into each other's eyes until they hear voices from outside one of the doors. With one last peck, Katie sprints past the door and heads towards the door at the end of the cave she's found herself in. Before the vault door closes, she hears Butch say one last thing to her. "You better come back safe and sound Kates! Nothing better happen to you! I mean it!"

Even in a serious situation like this, she can't help but giggle. That man could make any situation humourous. She's so lucky to have caught his eye. Now all she needs to do is come back to him and hope that they're both alive then. But first comes her family. She looks straight ahead at the wooden door, takes a deep breath to brace herself, and steps out into her new life.

Finally got it done whew. That took me so long I really hope this posts well

#whumptober 2019 #altno.1 #wake up #butch deloria #my ocs #katie #catherine #he calls her kates cause ofc he'd have a nickname for her #this is way longer than aby of the other whumptiber stuff haha #which is probably why it took so much out of me and i didnt finsoh it until 9 months later #i cant help it tho #i love butch #i also live how painfully obvious it is on who my favourite characters are #fallout 3 #fallout 3 companions #amata amalvador #alphonse almadovar

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shapeshifting-wildcard · 4 years

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The atmosphere of Leblanc was tense. Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, and Haru all occupied one booth, with Futaba draping herself over the back of the seat behind the former two from the next booth over. Jou and Yusuke leaned against the seats, Jou with his hands in his pockets, Yusuke with his hands held in front of him. They had commandeered a seat from the counter and pulled up next to Jou, where Morgana sat. Kotone commandeered another seat at the counter, turning it around to face the star of today's show: one Goro Akechi, leaning against the counter in the now freed up space. Akechi was the only one who seemed even remotely relaxed, maybe even amused by the wary stares he was getting from the assembled Thieves.

"The police are more than willing to turn a blind eye to fabricated evidence, as long as it leads to an arrest. They're more concerned with bringing things to a conclusion than they are in uncovering the truth."

"The entire police force can't be that corrupt, right?" Kotone piped up. "I mean... I know where I live there was that one officer who helped us out by selling us weapons to fight Shadows."

Silence fell, all eyes turned to Kotone. There was a lot to unpack there.

"That's—" Akechi and Makoto exchanged a glance before Akechi gestured for Makoto to go ahead.

"That's blatantly illegal, though," Makoto pointed out.

"Well, what was he supposed to do? Let us just use random weapons off the street?" Kotone retorted, folding her arms over her chest defensively.

"That's beside the point—wait, do you mean to say this person knew about the Shadows?" Akechi frowned towards her.

"He knew about them," Kotone admitted, "but he didn't have access to a Persona, so this was the best he could do."

"I'm... not sure that makes his actions better." Makoto sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Kotone's weirdness aside," Futaba said, drawing a pointed glare from the girl in question, "do you really think this is going to change anything about the investigation?"

"Sae is the one spearheading it," Akechi noted. "Even if we can't get her to call it off entirely, we might slow the investigation down, or redirect its course towards the true culprit."

"Is that your true objective?" Makoto asked pointedly. Akechi either didn't pick up on her tone or chose not to acknowledge it.

"Of course. I assume that's the case for all of you too."

"Makoto, what's your take on all this?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah," Kotone said, giving Makoto a worried frown, "this is your sister we're talking about."

Makoto sat back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at the table in front of her. "I'll be honest, I've known about my sister's Palace for a while. And I'd been meaning to bring her up again as a potential future target, but I never expected..."

"Are you in, then?" Akechi asked.

Makoto hesitated, her grimace deepening. Jou wouldn't be surprised if she resented the fact that Akechi was the one finally helping her realize her original goal.

"Why are you willing to do all this, Akechi-kun?" Haru chimed in. "Why do you seek justice?"

Akechi grimaced as he averted his gaze.

"Because of sickening human beings. Yes, my contempt for such people drives my sense of justice." He waved a hand dismissively as he spoke. "It isn't some grand reason like society's sake or some lofty ideal. It's simply an absurd grudge... and extremely personal."

Silence fell over the group again as his words sank in. Jou's gaze wandered towards Ann, who looked contemplative. When she noticed him looking at her, she spoke up.

"You know, doesn't he remind you of us? Like how some disgusting adult pissed him off."

Jou nodded. Akechi blinked, looking surprised.

"We're similar, hm? Maybe that's why I thought I could ask this of you all." Akechi stood up, turning his attention to Jou. "Won't you cooperate with me on the mission to change Sae-san's heart?"

Jou looked over his Thieves, who each showed their (somewhat begrudging) approval with a nod. When he turned his attention to Kotone, though, he realized her focus was elsewhere. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, and she had that same... contemplative expression on her face. Jou frowned and slipped out his phone, typing a quick message before holding it in front of her.

"Something on your mind?"

Kotone jumped and blinked at the phone as she processed the message. She lifted her head, fixing him with a sheepish grin and a self-conscious chuckle.

"Oh, uh, it's... it's nothing, don't mind me."

"Are you sure?" Ann asked. Jou glanced towards her, picking up on her doubtful tone. She and Haru wore similar expressions of doubt and concern for their friend.

"If you have any reservations about this plan, best to voice them now while we can still address them," Yusuke said.

"It has nothing to do with the plan." Kotone absentmindedly brushed some hair behind her ear as her gaze wandered towards the floor again. "There's... something else on my mind."

"Is it related to the situation at hand?" Akechi asked.

"No, not really. It's fine, really! The plan sounds solid enough to me."

"What, no insights from your own vast experience?" Futaba chimed in.

Akechi raised an eyebrow, glancing from Futaba to Kotone as Makoto joined in. "Yes, that's a good point. You've been handling Shadows for longer than any of the rest of us have. Can you think of any potential complications?"

The color drained from Kotone's face at those words. Softly, barely loud enough for Jou to hear, she murmured, "Oh shit, I'm the senpai here."

She regained her composure quickly, sitting back and folding her arms over her chest. She shut her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her entire demeanor seemed to change instantly. Her gaze was sharper, more focused. Her posture was straighter. She looked like a leader addressing her comrades.

"I'm not as experienced in dealing with the Metaverse as all of you are," she explained. "So in that respect, I'm afraid I can't provide much more insight."

"Aw man, really?" Ryuji groaned. "What use are you, then?"

She crossed her legs, tapping one arm with her finger as she thought. "Let's go over what we know so far. First, there is a third party active in the Metaverse, whose exact goals we do not know for sure at this point in time. But we know that they run counter to our own goals, enough to cause a conflict. Second, there is a police investigation intent on securing our arrest, spearheaded by Akechi's proposed target, Niijima Sae. We have reason to believe the police are corrupt enough to accept even blatantly doctored evidence, and that Niijima-san is willing to go that far. In the long term, if we don't change her heart, the potential repercussions are... not good."

"Huh?" Ann looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"If she's willing to doctor evidence to secure an arrest, even a conviction," Kotone explained, "then she'll do it again. And she'll undoubtedly keep doing it."

"Are you implying my sister's corrupt?" Makoto snapped, sounding defensive.

"That Palace had to come from somewhere," Kotone replied, calmly meeting Makoto's gaze. It was chilling how composed Kotone was. "If she isn't now, then she's well on her way."

"So you're interested in making sure that future justice is served," Akechi commented, glancing at her as he leaned against the counter.

Kotone waved a hand dismissively. "I'm interested in reducing the amount of harm she can cause to others. Whether that's 'justice' is besides the point."

"Geez," Ann said, leaning back in her seat with a wince, "you make it sound like she's some sort of monster."

"You make it sound like she's the same as the other adults we've faced," Makoto said, tone sharp and glaring daggers at Kotone.

Kotone paused and blinked as if something just occurred to her. She glanced away again. "Ah... Sorry. I guess for a moment I started thinking of her like the Shadows I used to face."

"What kinda Shadows were you tanglin' with?" Ryuji quipped.

Futaba sat up and raised a hand. "Are you talking about those 'big Shadows' you mentioned a while back?"

Kotone nodded.

"Big... Shadows? How're those different from normal Shadows?"

"They were fragments of a larger Shadow. They didn't really have any goal other than getting back together. But they could do a lot of damage if left alone, so we dealt with them."

"So, you're thinking of her in terms of a Shadow that's threatening people, rather than a person who's threatening people," Morgana chimed in. Kotone nodded.

"At the moment, I'd say there isn't a functional difference between the two," Yusuke noted. "Just like those large Shadows, if we don't do something she will cause untold damage to our lives as well as the lives of countless others."

"So we're agreed, then?" Jou spoke up, gaze sweeping over all of his Thieves. There were murmurs and nods of agreement. Turning his attention back to Akechi, he gave the boy a nod. "Then it's settled. We'll cooperate with you for now, detective."

"I'm happy to hear that," Akechi replied, smiling back. Jou was almost certain Futaba was rolling her eyes behind him. "I do have one more question, however." Akechi turned his attention to Kotone. "You have experience fighting Shadows, but not with the Metaverse. Would I be correct in assuming there was a different catalyst for your awakening than ours?"

Kotone's eyes widened before she averted her gaze. Her hands moved to rest on her lap. "You would be."

"Mind if I ask what that was?"

A few Thieves shot glares in Akechi's direction. It was maybe a bit too prying a question, Jou had to admit. But he was also a little curious about Kotone's history as well.

She made a little noise, picking at her skirt absentmindedly for a moment. "...It wasn't like any of yours. I wasn't pushed to my breaking point by a terrible adult. It was just... me, the first big Shadow, and a girl I'd only met a couple days before. And an object that looked for all the world like a gun."

"Did you shoot a Shadow?" Futaba blurted out. Kotone laughed.

"No, but that probably would have been the smarter thing to try!" That got a few strange looks from the Thieves. "Just know that that 'gun'—which I later found out was an Evoker—was what allowed me to summon my Persona. Back then, my friends and I didn't use masks. Hell, we didn't even know that Personas and Shadows were the same thing."

"Wait, you didn't?"

"I wasn't really concerned with stuff like 'justice' or 'doing the right thing.' There was a girl in danger, and I didn't want her to die. That's all I thought about."

In the back of Jou's mind, he could feel Isis shifting awkwardly. I'm the girl she was protecting. It was my job to protect her, but...

"It doesn't sound too drastically different from the rest of ours, at least," Makoto commented. "Even if you weren't rebelling against a terrible adult, it still sounds like you were backed into a corner and forced to fight back."

"I guess that's true, huh," Kotone said.

"Actually, she sounds like Akechi," Ryuji pointed out. "That whole 'I don't wanna die here' thing, I mean."

That's not what she said, Isis pointed out. A chill went down Jou's spine at the implication, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Survival rather than seeking justice or vengeance, huh?" Akechi mused.

"Someone else on my team was in it for vengeance," Kotone said, before getting a look on her face that said she did not mean to blurt that out. "Th-That's another story, though! And not mine to tell, anyway, so let's just forget it."

"Man, you sure have a hard time keeping your mouth shut sometimes, huh?" Futaba quipped. Kotone huffed and folded her arms.

"I-It's been a long day!"

"Uh-huh, right."

#!long post #!drabbles #💔 Confidant: Death-Rebirth (glass-half-fxxl)#((bleh I'm not 100% on some parts of this but I need to get it out of the way aslkfehsldh))#((another backdated entry technically))

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svedone-writes · 5 years

Text

it was always you | t.h. | year one, part one

pictures from the esquire china shoot and the man about town shoot, others are stock/public domain, moodboard created by me!

series masterlist

series summary: tom holland is your boy next door–well, technically, he’s the boy across the hall, but that’s not important. what isimportant is that you’re now in college, the perfect time to branch out and try something new. tom is the perfect way to do that: he’s attractive, funny, kind, caring–and unfortunately, not into you…or so you think.

chapter summary: you arrive at college and quickly become friends with your boy-across-the-hall (gee, that’s a mouthful) tom holland. he’s apparently not into you, though, which makes your drunken confession even more awkward.

warnings: mature language, underage drinking

word count: 9.1k

author’s note: my first series! i’m very excited to share this with you all. a few notes: in this, tom has experience acting/dancing (he mentions he was in billy elliot) but has not made it big. the reader is female--i tried making the reader as gender neutral as possible, but later on in the series there will be smut and i only know how to write that from a female perspective. also, ____ pretty much means y/n, i just prefer to use that instead. anyway, enjoy!

your stomach was a bundle of nerves and excitement. it was your first day of college—the beginning of the rest of your life, or at least that’s what everyone said. you’d take classes, figure out your place in the world, and be on your own for the first time.

yeah, okay, that might be a little too romanticized. and technically it wasn’t your first day of classes (those didn’t start until tomorrow). but! you were moving in, and that felt like enough of a beginning for you. you were pulling a cart full of your belongings, gripping your new room key tight in your hand and carefully reading the numbers on all of the doors to find your dorm. there were a lot of other students here on your floor already, and you passed a few rooms with doors already open and briefly got glances of students and their parents unpacking luggage and setting up futons. unfortunately, your family couldn’t make it to help you move in, but you found that you didn’t mind much. you didn’t have much to move in, anyway, since your roommate graciously offered to bring a lot of the bigger items (like your fridge and futon) as long as you stocked up on snacks and drinks for a while.

finally, you reached your room and found that it was already open. you nervously walked in, leaving your cart of belongings in the hall momentarily. “hello?” you asked into the seemingly empty dorm. your roommate zendaya—whom you had matched with in the university’s roommate matching process—had told you she was arriving before you. there was stuff half unpacked, and one of the beds was made, but you couldn’t see your roommate anywhere—until she popped her head out of your shared closet.

“hey! i was wondering when you would get here!” she smiled and stepped out of the closet to greet you. “do you need any help with your stuff? i know you said your family couldn’t come today.”

you gestured to the cart in the hallway. “nah, i’ve got it all. thank you, though! it’s so good to finally meet you in person, by the way.” zendaya smiled a little brighter at that and continued to hang her clothes up. “i mean, i don’t want to sound weird or anything, but you’re somehow way prettier in person than in your pictures.”

she laughed. “thanks!” she already seemed like an incredibly easy-going and kind person, and that made you feel all the more relieved. you’d heard several roommate horror stories before, and you didn’t want to have any similar experiences.

you brought the cart into the room and started unpacking your things. it was a little overwhelming, to be honest, but you picked a bag and started there, slowly making your side of the room a little more homey. you were making your bed when you heard loud voices from across the hall.

“—i mean jeez, haz, you don’t need that many sneakers here! you’re taking up way too much space for all three of us to have our shoes.”

“well, it’s a little late for that now, huh? and anyway, you don’t see me complaining about your stuff.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

“i mean your ratty ass spider-man bed sheets.”

“fuck off, you know i’ve had those since i was 7.”

“are you hearing yourself talk right now, mate?”

you and zendaya burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer. you were both clutching each other to keep from falling over when the door across the hall opened and one of the boys poked his head out. “no, please, carry on,” you managed to get out in between laughs. he looked a little sheepish as he opened their door all the way.

“note to self, the rooms are not soundproof,” he said. he had striking blue eyes and slightly ruffled blonde hair, with a smile that was almost blinding.

“what? what are they saying?” the other voice said. another boy came to the door and took your breath away a bit. you couldn’t even pinpoint just one thing about him that made him attractive: maybe it was the strong jawline, or his biceps (i mean come on, what kind of college freshman has arms like that) or maybe it was the way he looked at you, full of kindness and warmth and laughter, like you had already known each other for years. “oh, hi, i’m tom. this is harrison.” the first boy—harrison, you tried to commit to memory—gave a little wave.

“i’m zendaya, and this is my roommate ____.”

you smiled brightly, happy that you were already making friends on your first day here. “it’s really nice to meet you guys.”

“you as well,” harrison replied. “we better get back to it. let us know if you’d like to laugh at tom’s sheets some more.” he turned and went back into their room. tom followed, protesting and cursing in the same breath.

once their door closed, you turned to zendaya and let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. she cracked a smile. “they’re kind of hot.”

“kind of? they’re almost unreal,” you whispered, now wary of how much sound your dorm walls didn’t block out. “and there’s two of them.”

zendaya shrugged a bit and went back to organizing her dresser, still smiling. “one for you, one for me, huh?” you laughed at that and continued organizing your things as well. “nah, that’s not for me.” she continued.

“what?”

“just…dating. we’re so young, and i don’t think commitment works out very well at this age. besides, i want to focus on school.” it almost sounded like she’d been burned before by a relationship, but you could also tell she didn’t really want to talk about it.

instead of questioning her further, you simply said, “that’s fair.” the room stayed silent after that until you both were finally finished putting away all of your things. you both stood back by the door, surveying your hard work. your side was a little…eclectic, but zendaya’s half of the room was sleek and well put together. “wow, you have much better style than me.”

“hm, maybe i’ll have to be your personal stylist this year.” you both laughed. “c’mon, let’s go get something to eat, i’m starving.”

the next morning, you were leaving to go to your first class of the day. as you locked the door—zendaya was already gone, having left for an earlier class about an hour ago—the door across the hall opened, and tom stepped out.

“hey! ____, right?” he greeted.

“yeah! and you’re tom,” you pretended to confirm, like you hadn’t thought of him for an unhealthy amount of time last night.

he grinned. “that’s me, thanks for remembering. you headed to class?”

“yeah, calculus, you?”

“no way, me too! is it with professor lang?” you nodded as he joined you in walking toward the exit. “god, i’m not excited. i’m absolute shit at maths, but i have to take it as a gen-ed.”

you wouldn’t exactly describe yourself as a genius with math, but you had done well enough throughout high school. “hm, well, looks like i’ll have to help you study then, if you want.”

he seemed to smile even wider at that. “that would be great.”

as you walked together to your first college lecture, you both told each other about your respective majors and what you hoped to do with them before transitioning to small talk about your lives. tom was in the middle of telling you a story about his younger brothers when you finally reached the lecture hall. it wasn’t as big as you were expecting it to be; it was definitely larger than any high school classroom you’d been in, but you had been imagining a huge auditorium with hundreds of other students in it. instead, your calculus lecture couldn’t have been more than 50 or 60 students.

you moved to sit in one of the front rows, but tom lightly grabbed your arm and nodded toward the back. “d’you think we could sit back there instead?” you chewed your lip nervously before nodding and following him to one of the last rows. someone had told you that it was best to sit in the front few rows during lectures…but you supposed it wouldn’t hurt to sit in the back for one of your classes.

when you did finally sit, tom looked at you gratefully. “thanks, i just don’t want the professor to call on me or something and embarrass myself in front of the whole class. it’s one of my biggest fears.”

“what, embarrassing yourself?” you asked as you took your notebook out of your bag.

“not exactly. i do theater, and one of my biggest fears is being on stage in front of a lot of people and then forgetting all of my lines.” he looked a little embarrassed as he grabbed his own notebook.

you, however, were incredibly intrigued. “that’s really cool. did you do school plays and stuff?”

tom seemed to get even more flustered. “um, kind of? i was in billy elliot when i was 12. i was one of the billy’s.”

your eyes widened in surprise, and a million other questions filled your mind—but then your professor walked in and started class. in high school, the first day was usually just going over the syllabus and chatting about the summer. turns out, in college, it’s not like that at all. your professor introduced herself and briefly went over the structure of the class—

(“there will be two exams in the semester, not including your final. you will also have quizzes every monday over the previous week’s material,” your professor had said. at this, tom looked over at you with wide, panic-stricken eyes, to which you responded by mouthing i’ll help you study. the relief and gratitude in his eyes made your stomach twist almost painfully).

—which only took 10 minutes. the rest of the class was spent going over the entire first chapter of your behemoth of a textbook. most of it was review, thankfully, but tom looked like he was going to break a finger from how furiously he was taking notes. when class finally let out, he turned to you. “this class might actually be the death of me.”

you laughed as you packed up your bag. “you’ll be fine. we can review sunday nights before the quizzes, if you want.”

‘”i’ll probably need more help than that. i require very individualized attention,” he replied with a cheeky smile and a wink.

in that moment, a girl tapped on his shoulder, holding his pencil that must’ve rolled onto the ground. “i think you dropped this.”

tom took the pencil from her and smiled brightly. “thanks, love.”

the girl smiled too, her face much redder than it had been before, before turning and hurrying away. tom turned back to you, still smiling. “you ready to head back?” you were quickly learning your least favorite thing about tom: you genuinely couldn’t tell when he was flirting or just being nice.

“i actually have another class i’ve got to get to, but i’ll see you later?”

he nodded, his shoulders a little lower than before. he almost seemed disappointed that you were parting ways. “i’ll see you later, then.”

the rest of your classes went well, albeit much more boring than the class you shared with tom. by the time you got back to your dorm, you were dead tired, but you still had a few introductory assignments that you wanted to get started with.

zendaya was back as well. when you walked in, she was sitting at her desk, hunched over her laptop. she leaned back at your arrival, though, and smiled. “hey roomie.”

you scrunched your nose as you set your bag down. “ew. please don’t ever call me that again.”

she laughed. “got it. how were your classes?”

“pretty good,” you shrugged, “how were yours?”

zendaya stood, stretched, and then walked over to your shared mini fridge (which you had stocked as requested). “really good, actually. i’m really excited for my journalism class.” she grabbed herself a drink and tossed you one as well.

“that’s really good, z,” you said in between gulps. “i wish i was in at least one class for my major and not stuck taking all of these gen-eds.”

“but then you might not be in a class with tom.”

you choked on your drink at that. “how did you know?”

“i could see it on your face. nah, harrison told me. we happened to be getting lunch at the same time, and he said that tom had mentioned it.”

“did he say what exactly tom said about me?” you questioned, trying (and failing) to sound nonchalant and unbothered.

zendaya didn’t seem to be fooled. “nope. he did say that you offered to help him study for calc.” you looked a little sheepish at that. “just…be careful, okay? i don’t really know tom that well, but…he seems like a bit of a heartbreaker.”

you weren’t sure if you agreed with her assessment of tom, but you nodded anyway. “i promise i’ll be careful.” she smiled and went back to her work, leaving you to do your own and mull over her words.

the rest of the week happened without incident; while your classes didn’t have anything to do with your major, none of them were that unbearable. your worst class would’ve been calc, but thankfully, you had tom to keep you entertained. he was growing on you incredibly quickly to the point that calculus was your new favorite class.

tom had noticed that, too. “why are you always so excited to go to calc?” he asked as you bounded toward him in the hallway of your dorm. you were headed to your friday lecture, and you almost couldn’t believe you’d already made it through your first week of college.

you shrugged. “maybe i just like math.”

“i doubt that, but whatever, keep your secrets,” he smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “hey, uh, can i ask you something? like, for advice?”

“sure, what’s up?”

“well, there’s this girl in one of my classes…i really like her, but i don’t know how to tell her without being a total div.”

you hummed in response, your heart racing. you figured it probably wasn’t you. he obviously had classes outside of the one he shared with you, and they all probably had pretty girls in them. but…you also figured that maybe you had the same chances that they had. “it’s okay if you act like a bit of an idiot. it’s kind of cute, and it shows that you’re really into them.”

“really?” he seemed surprised.

“yeah, guys that are too smooth seem like douches, like they’ve done it a thousand times before and couldn’t be bothered. you can be a little smooth, but being dorky and cheesy is also really attractive, too.”

tom nodded, seeming a lot more confident than before. “i’ll try to remember that then. hey, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” he asked in a flirty, over-the-top voice. you burst out laughing, and before long, he did too.

that sunday, during your very first study session in your floor’s lounge with tom, you asked him about it. “so, have you tried any of your horrible pick-up lines on mystery girl yet?”

he looked up from his notes and grinned. it was something he did a lot, and yet each smile never failed to make your chest tighten or your stomach do flips. “i did, actually.”

“ooh, how did it go?” despite your cheery tone, your heart had immediately dropped when he said that. a good friend would be happy for him, you reminded yourself, and you should be happy that you at least get to be his friend.

he crossed his arms nervously. “well, she thought it was funny, but i don’t know if she could tell that i wasn’t just having a laugh.”

“aw. well, on the bright side, being funny will probably make her like you even more.”

“more? i don’t even know if she likes me at all.”

you rolled your eyes. “come on, tom, you’re kind of the full package. you’re athletic, sweet, funny, and pretty cute.” tom looked at you a little surprised but incredibly pleased regardless, and you hurried to move the conversation on before he could question you about what you’d just said. “anyway, tell me more about your mystery girl.”

he put his chin on his hand thoughtfully. “well, she’s just…really great, i guess. she’s really nice and funny, and we get on really well, but…i just can’t tell if she’s into me, d’you know what i mean?” he searched your face, then, almost like he was trying to see what your reaction was. after a brief moment, he shook his head a little and turned back to his notes. “what about you? anyone you fancy at all?”

you chewed your lip nervously. you knew if you started rambling, it was possible that you would accidentally give away that you had a little—okay, massive—crush on him. play it safe. “nah, not really. i mean, it’s only been a week, so i haven’t had the time to get to know anyone yet.”

“i’d say we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well,” tom replied carefully. your eyes narrowed, trying to gauge what he meant by that, but he kept his gaze down toward his notes. “hey, could you help me with this problem?”

“sure, what number is it?”

“37.”

“oh, i just finished that one. here, you can look at how i did it.” you grabbed your notebook with the intention of sliding it over to him, but he instead slid behind you to look over your shoulder. he was extremely close, to the point that you could feel his warm breath on your ear. you stilled, then, painfully aware of your proximity to each other and the fact that your heart was beating erratically.

“i’m an idiot. the three is negative, not positive.” tom moved back to his previous position, and like that, the moment was over.

the next day, you and tom were sitting in your calculus lecture hall, glancing over your respective notes before the quiz. suddenly, a girl—the same girl that had given tom his pencil the first day and stared at him every lecture since—tapped on his shoulder. “hi, sorry, i was gone on friday, do you think i could borrow your notes?”

tom smiled and nodded. “of course.” he leafed through his papers before finding friday’s notes and handed them over. a ripple of jealousy went through you. he’s just sharing notes, not marrying the girl. get over yourself, you thought, but it hardly made you feel any better.

soon the professor was striding in and passing out the quizzes. the girl from earlier quickly returned his notes then, and tom stuffed them in his binder. the bottom corner was sticking out, though, which otherwise wouldn’t have caught your eye—except for the fact that the girl had written her number in bright purple ink and signed her name (emma, apparently) with a smiley face.

you took the quiz with your teeth clenched, and for the rest of the class you couldn’t think of anything else but how tom might react. would he be excited? maybe this was the mystery girl he had been talking about. even if it wasn’t, you couldn’t deny that she was pretty and seemed nice, so maybe he’d be excited regardless.

to your surprise, tom didn’t react much at all. “oh,” was all he said before showing you.

“are you going to text her?” you tried to say as nonchalantly as possible.

he looked at you with a curious glint in his eyes. “should i?”

“is she your mystery girl?”

“nope.”

your body finally relaxed at that. “then i don’t know, it’s up to you. you could, to make your mystery girl jealous, but that wouldn’t really be fair to this girl.”

tom looked at it for a little while longer, but before long, he ended up stuffing it in his backpack. “i probably won’t. i don’t want to lead her on or anything. but…you make a good point.”

you smiled. “i always do.”

your suggestion ended up being a horrible move for you. the next study session you had together, tom dropped the bomb. “so i texted that girl.”

“what girl?” you asked distractedly, in the middle of working through a math problem.

“the girl from calc who gave me her number.”

your pencil immediately stilled at that. “i thought you didn’t want to lead her on.”

“well...let’s just say i’m keeping my options open. emma’s really nice, actually. and i don’t think mystery girl is into me, unfortunately.”

you turned fully toward him, your calculus homework forgotten. “what makes you say that?”

tom shrugged like it didn’t really bother him, but you could tell that it did. “she said there’s no one she fancies yet, and that obviously means she doesn’t fancy me. who knows, though, maybe there’s still hope, but i might as well see what emma’s like.” there were several emotions racing through you at that. you were relieved that mystery girl hadn’t worked out, you were frustrated that he had already moved on to a different girl (other than you, that is), but most of all, you were angry with yourself that you couldn’t just be happy for him.

so you forced a smile and turned back to your work. “well, maybe it’s a good thing, then. maybe mystery girl really doesn’t like you, or you and mystery girl weren’t meant to be. maybe emma will be really good for you.”

“do you really think that?” tom quietly asked. you looked at him again and were surprised to see his utterly dejected expression. “i just…really like her.”

“you don’t have to give up hope, then,” you reassured him quickly. “mystery girl could just be nervous, or she didn’t want to give away that she liked you. i mean, it is a little too straightforward to ask if she likes anyone. who knows, maybe she’ll get jealous and realize she liked you all along. or maybe she doesn’t even know you like her! maybe she just thinks you’re being nice.” you’re rambling at this point, because despite the fact that tom was telling you all about the people he liked that weren’t you, you would do anything to make him smile—because he did the same for you.

tom nodded. “how do i make sure she knows, then?”

“well, just be into her, i guess. ask her about herself—not just, like, how her day is going, but about her life and stuff.”

“okay,” he hummed, already looking a bit happier. “hey, you know, i never got to ask you this, but what’s your biggest fear?”

“huh?” you were a little taken aback by the suddenly personal question.

“the first day of classes, you asked me mine, and i never asked you yours. you don’t have to answer if you don’t want, though.”

you closed your textbook, resigned to the fact that you probably wouldn’t get anymore work done that night. “gosh, probably…realizing at the end of my life that i never mattered. like, i never did anything important, or i never truly mattered to someone else.”

both of you were quiet at that, before tom said, “oh. mine seems a little stupid now.”

you cracked a wry smile. “fears are never stupid.”

“if it makes you feel any better, you matter to me. i mean, i know we’ve only been friends for a couple weeks, but you’ve made me feel the most welcome here. you’re like, my best friend after harrison. and i’ll always be here for you, you know that, right?” you met his gaze, and your breath caught in your throat. tom was looking at you earnestly, as if in that moment, you were about the only thing that mattered.

tom had an uncanny ability to make anyone feel important, and that had to be your favorite part of him, you realized in that moment. he was so kind and caring that he genuinely wanted every person he interacted with to feel wanted. he would truly be the death of you, if you weren’t careful enough. (and you weren’t being careful enough, you also realized in that moment, because it had only been two weeks and you already knew that tom could ask you to do anything and you’d say yes.)

“thank you, tom.” you finally replied. there was a sort of tension in the air now—you couldn’t exactly put your finger on it, but it was almost like the entire world was holding its breath.

he stood up and held his arms open. “come on.”

you smiled sheepishly and stood to accept the hug. it immediately felt like the safest thing you had ever experienced. tom rubbed slow circles into your back, and you let yourself bury your face into the crook of his neck. when you both finally stood apart, his hands came back to rest on your arms. you were clutching his shirt, entirely reluctant to go, and all pretense of hiding your attraction to him was out the window.

tom looked at you with eyebrows furrowed, the same way he looked at a calculus problem he couldn’t figure out how to solve. there was a glint of determination in his eyes, too, like he’d do whatever it took to solve the problem he was looking at. at some point, tom’s lips parted slightly, and you couldn’t help but to glance down before quickly looking back up, hoping he hadn’t noticed. when you did meet his eyes again, you immediately knew he had. but whatever he would’ve done about it was interrupted by his phone buzzing.

the spell that had fallen over the two of you was broken, and you jumped apart like you had both been caught doing something wrong. you hurriedly began to put your stuff away.

“sorry, just emma asking if she could sit with us during lecture. is that cool?”

“yeah,” you answered, a little harsher than you intended, “totally cool.”

it was not, in fact, totally cool. during your shared lectures from then on, tom barely paid you any mind, only turning to you to ask for clarification on whatever your professor was talking about. sure, you still walked together in the morning, and during that time it was like nothing had changed. but during and after class, his attention was solely on emma. he was hardly around outside of class, as well, and sometimes missed your study sessions during the week (but never your sunday sessions—you held onto those desperately, because they were the only times you could pretend tom only wanted to be with you). it hurt, deeply, not just because you had feelings for him, but because of all the things he said that night no longer felt true.

however, you couldn’t deny that despite his lessened presence, you were still getting to know him more and more throughout the weeks that went on. you found out all about his childhood full of dancing and gymnastics—which explained his athletic physique—and about his love for acting. (“it’s the best feeling in the world, being on a stage or on set,” tom had said almost breathlessly, his eyes full of light, and you wanted to take a picture in that moment so you would never forget how truly happy he had looked.) in exchange, you told him about your life and your interests, and he paid each story such careful attention that if you tried hard enough, you could forget that you were now his second-best. tom would always be there to listen to your misfortunes, too, and always offered comfort at the end of your more negative stories—although nothing had happened like the night you told him your biggest fear. it all almost, almost made up for the time he was now gone.

in tom’s absence, though, you also got to know his roommates a lot better. you hadn’t found out until recently that he had a third roommate, jacob, who was incredibly witty but also very kind. you, zendaya, harrison, and jacob would get dinner together frequently, and before long, they all knew how hopelessly into tom you were.

“i mean, it just sucks,” you said one night at dinner. zendaya playfully rolled her eyes; she heard about your troubles all day, every day. “one night he’s telling me that i’m super important to him or whatever, and then the following week he barely talks to me except to ask for help in math. who does that?”

harrison chewed on his french fry thoughtfully before swallowing and answering. “he’s always been a bit like that. tom means well, but he’s just a bit clueless, i think.”

jacob nodded in agreement. “his heart is in the right place. tom’s a really good guy, but he can be an idiot sometimes.” he looked like there was more he wanted to say about the subject, but instead he took a bite of his food.

zendaya, meanwhile, merely shrugged. “i’ll kick his ass for you, if it makes you feel any better.” the whole table laughed, and soon the conversation moved on to the topic of all the upcoming exams you all had.

it was already almost the middle of the semester—you couldn’t believe how fast time flied in college—and midterms were rolling around for all of you. you and tom were having your standard sunday study session, but this time it was a lot quieter as you both pored over all the material that would be on your first exam for the class.

“would it be alright if emma joined us? she’s kind of freaking about the exam,” tom asked about an hour into studying.

you turned the page of your textbook, trying to look unbothered. “sure.”

“awesome, she’ll be here in a half hour.”

you simply nodded in response before sitting back and rubbing your eyes. “hey, do you want to order a pizza? i’m getting kind of hungry and—”

“i asked her to be my girlfriend,” tom blurted. you stopped talking, startled into silence at his sudden omission. “sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt, just…thought you ought to know.”

“oh.” you finally managed to say in response.

“oh? what does that mean?”

“nothing, i’m just surprised, i guess. did she say yes?”

“yeah.”

of course she did, why wouldn’t she? “i’m…really happy for you, tom,” you replied carefully.

“you are?”

“of course, you’re one of my best friends. why wouldn’t i be happy for you?”

tom didn’t have anything to say to that, instead turning back to his textbook. an awkward silence fell over the room until emma finally came through the door.

“thank you so much for letting me come study, i’m so nervous for this exam,” she said as she took her things out of her bag. tom gave her a quick kiss on the cheek (which, to you, felt like he was ripping your heart out—wow, get it together, way too melodramatic there, you thought to yourself, it’s been a month and a half, it’s not like you’re in love with him) and, strangely, immediately stole a glance at you, almost as if he wanted to see your reaction. you had quickly looked back at your book, though, so he missed the pained expression in your eyes. “oh! before i forget,” emma continued, “there’s a party one of my friends is throwing this weekend to celebrate being halfway through the semester, you guys should come!”

“i’d love to,” tom responded. he turned to you. “what about you, ____?”

you were about to say no before you stopped yourself. you know what? let’s do this. “absolutely, it’ll be fun,” you answered with a blinding smile. “you know, i’m really tired, and i doubt i’ll remember anything else i study. i can leave my notes for you two to look at, though.”

“that would be so nice, thank you!” emma looked incredibly grateful, while tom looked seriously confused. he was staring at you like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. you paid him no mind, though, and went back to your room, your shoulders square with determination.

“i need your help,” you said once you got back to your dorm.

zendaya leaned back in her desk chair and turned to look at you. “with what?”

“i’m going to a party this weekend and i need to look hot.”

“this isn’t about tom, is it?” she immediately asked. you smiled guiltily, but all she did was shake her head and stand up. “well, i’m going home this weekend, but i can pick an something out for you now.”

you both began to sort through your clothes. after an hour or so, she had finally assembled an outfit, and you stood in front of your mirror full of gratitude. “damn. thank you, z, this really means a lot.”

“no problem. just…be safe, okay?”

“i will, i promise.” you were 0 for 1 with your promises to zendaya, but you figured this one would be a little bit easier to keep.

the rest of the week was simultaneously a blur and the longest week of your life. your calc exam came and went—

(“____!” tom had yelled from across the hall. you both came out of your rooms at the same time, and he swept you into a bone-crushing hug, lifting you up and spinning you around. you assumed he had gotten his exam score back—your professor promised that scores would be in by the end of the week, assuring everyone that the ta’s would be hard at work to meet that deadline. “i got a b! i did it!”

“i’m so proud of you, tom,” you responded softly, letting yourself be carried around. you truly were proud of him. despite everything, you couldn’t help but be happy for him and proud of him, because he was tom, your boy-across-the-hall, one of the few people that made you feel like you mattered, even when he inevitably left you behind. you’d be damned if you didn’t try to make him feel the same.)

—and before long it was finally the end of the week. you found that you were actually excited for the party, not just because of tom, but because it felt like you were finally going to have the chance to let go and enjoy the fact that you were now a college student, even if it was already halfway through your first semester.

you were just finishing up your makeup for the party when tom knocked on the door. “____? you ready?”

“just a sec!” you called back, giving yourself a once-over in the mirror before opening the door. “sorry, just finishing my makeup.” he was looking down at his phone and tapping out a response to someone—probably emma, if you had to guess.

“no worries, i—” tom finally looked up from his phone. “oh, wow. you, uh, your outfit is really nice.”

you smiled. “thank you, tom. where’s emma?”

he glanced back down at his phone. “she’s waiting in the lobby.” you both headed down, then, and you almost felt like you were glowing from tom’s flustered response.

when you got done to the lobby, emma greeted you both with an enthusiastic grin. “____, you look amazing!” tom walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he wound his arm around emma’s waist. “hi, tommy,” she giggled. your stomach lurched, but you shook your head a little and maintained your confidence.

you were quiet on the walk over to emma’s friend’s place, only speaking when directly asked something; you were trying to save your energy for the night ahead. when you finally reached the party, a bundle of nerves and excitement had built inside your stomach. “i’ll catch you later,” you quickly said to the both of them before diving into the crowd to find a drink.

the living room of the house had been turned into a makeshift dancefloor—music played loudly and the center of the room was packed with bodies. most of them were girls dancing with their friends, laughing and taking pictures together, but some pairs of people were dancing a little more sensually (if it could be called that; some were so drunk that they were just sort of moving side to side wildly). it took you a few minutes of navigating through the mass of sweaty, drunk college students, but you finally managed to find the drink table, which was being watched over by a bored-looking—but definitely attractive—boy.

there was an array of bottles laid out, plus a bin full of pink, fruity liquid and stacks of solo cups of regular and shot-glass sizes. you stood back and examined all of them, unsure of where to start. shots might be good to get you buzzed quickly, but maybe it would be better to mix a drink and sip on it.

“having trouble deciding?” the boy watching the drinks asked.

your head snapped up and you smiled sheepishly. “um, yeah, just indecisive. don’t know if i should do a shot first or start with a mixed drink instead.”

he nodded. “well, stay away from the jungle juice,” he gestured to the bin of pink liquid, “i watched them mix it earlier and there’s a whole bottle of vodka in there and then some.”

“oh.” you moved a little closer to hear him better—the music had somehow managed to get louder.

“yeah, in general, avoid drinks that you haven’t mixed yourself, especially at parties like this. you never know what’s in them. obviously, i know what’s in this one, but just for the future.”

you were still straining to hear him until you finally resolved to moving to his side of the table. he raised an eyebrow at that, to which you defensively replied, “i couldn’t hear you! the music is so loud.”

he laughed. “i’m just messing with you. anyway, normally shots are more fun with other people—”

“then i’ll just have a mixed drink then. thanks for the help!”

you moved to make a drink, but he stopped you with his hand. “woah, you didn’t let me finish. who said you’re alone?”

“isn’t it a little irresponsible to take a shot of the drinks you’re supposed to be watching over?” you quipped.

he gave you an overexaggerated smolder. “i like to live life on the edge.” you laughed at that, and he looked a little pleased with himself. “think of it this way: i’m quality checking.”

“oh, well when you put it that way, you’re just doing your job. i can’t fault you for that. in fact, i’d be preventing you from doing your job if i said no.” you cheekily responded. you were surprised at how easy it was to banter with this boy you had just met only five minutes ago. your mind flashed to tom, briefly, before you pushed him out of your mind. he has a girlfriend now. you deserved to enjoy yourself.

“see? somebody gets it!” he grabbed two of the disposable shot glasses and then motioned to the various bottles. “pick your poison.”

your gaze went down the row of drinks before landing on a bottle of blue liquid. “that one,” you pointed.

he chuckled and grabbed it, pouring out the shots. “ah, uv blue. the classic college girl drink. by the way, what’s your name? it’s vital shot-taking information.”

“____, yours?”

“henry. it’s nice to meet you. you ready?”

you nodded and went to immediately knock the drink back. “woah!” henry stopped you before you could. “there’s a little more finesse to it than that.” he grabbed his shot. “okay, so you’ll start with it at the table. then, you’ll bring it up to clink it with mine, then you’ll bring it down to the table again, and finally you’ll bring it up and take it. down, up, down, up. got it?”

“i think so.”

“we’ll do it slow. okay, down,” you both held your drinks at the table, “up,” the plastic glasses clinked together, “down again,” you brought it back down to the table, trying not to spill, “and up again.” you finally brought the drink to your lips and quickly swallowed it.

you shuddered only slightly, surprised at how okay it had ended up tasting. “hey, that wasn’t that bad!”

“yeah, you say that now, but give it until the end of the year. you won’t be able to stand it by then.” henry was throwing away your cups and putting the bottle back while you scanned the crowd. you found tom after only a few moments. he was standing with emma, looking a little bored as she talked animatedly with a few other girls. “is that your boyfriend?” henry asked, making you jump a little.

“no, he’s just…he lives across the hall from me. i’ve liked him a lot since the beginning of the year, but he has a girlfriend now, so…” you finally turned back to look at him. “sorry, you probably didn’t want to know that.”

henry shrugged. “nah, it’s fine. i get it, i’ve been through something like that before. it sucks, but you just have to move on, otherwise you’ll always be stuck on that same person.” he glanced over to where tom was standing before looking back at you. “don’t look, but he’s watching us right now. i think he might be coming over.”

it took all of your willpower not to glance over again, but you stayed facing henry. “what do i do?”

he searched your face. “well, what are you comfortable with?”

you looked at him in confusion before it finally dawned on you. “oh. um…” you were already feeling a bit buzzed from the shot, and you almost wanted to ask him to kiss you—almost. you weren’t quite confident enough for that. (and maybe, just maybe, you didn’t quite want to kiss someone other than tom, but you’d never admit it, even to yourself.) “i don’t know, nothing too serious.”

after a few seconds of thought, henry smiled and tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear before resting his hand on your shoulder. “now laugh,” he instructed, and you did as you were told, putting all your effort into making it seem genuine. “okay, now look at him while still smiling.”

you did, and your heart dropped despite the smile on your face. tom’s eyebrows were furrowed, and even though he was across the room, you could see the hurt in his eyes, which ultimately accused you. he’s probably mad that you abandoned him to take a shot and flirt with a random stranger, you decided as you looked back to henry. “thank you,” you finally said.

“no problem. wanna do another shot?” you eagerly accepted his offer. this time, you went through the motions a lot quicker and didn’t even shudder after you had swallowed. “see? you’re almost a professional now.”

you were definitely feeling the alcohol now. the music seemed to be calling your name, and you moved along with it. “i think i’m gonna go dance,” you told henry. “feel free to come with.”

he gestured to the table. “sorry, can’t abandon my duty. i think someone’s supposed to come relieve me soon, though, so maybe i’ll come find you.”

“bring me a drink when you do?”

“i’ll think about it. now, go, enjoy yourself. don’t let him ruin your night.”

you walked away before you could even process what he had said. before long, you were in the middle of the crowd, dancing and swaying to the music. it felt a little awkward, being alone, but you were tipsy enough that it didn’t matter much to you. every once in a while, you’d feel a hand on your back or your hips, but if you moved away they would thankfully back off. even then, your mind briefly floated to tom, wondering what he was doing and if you should maybe go find him (just to check in, of course), but then you pictured him and emma dancing and decided you didn’t really need to see him.

about five or six songs had passed when someone tapped on your shoulder. you turned around, still swaying to the beat, and you saw henry holding two cups. “hey! you did come find me!” you yelled over the music. he handed you a drink. “oh, thank you, i was actually just about to go grab one. come dance with me!” you took a big drink before holding your cup up with one hand and resuming your dancing.

“yeah, i’m not that great at dancing. i think i’ll just watch.” you raised your eyebrows at that. “okay, yup, that sounded creepy, and totally not what i meant. you are a really great dancer though.”

your cheeks grew hot (but it could’ve been the alcohol, too), and you smiled. “thank you, henry.” you took another drink from your cup until it was empty.

“you might wanna slow down.”

“why? i’m having so much fun!”

“how fucked up are you planning on getting tonight?”

you were about to shrug and tell him you were probably done for the night when you saw tom and emma sitting on one of the couches. she was practically on top of him, laughing at something he must’ve said, and then they were kissing and it was all a bit too much for you.

turning back to henry, you narrowed your eyes and replied, “i’ll stop before i can get alcohol poisoning.”

his eyes widened. “i definitely can’t condone that, but…i suppose i’ll have to make sure you don’t die in the process. come on.”

two shots, a mixed drink, and a few songs later, you could barely stand without starting to fall one way or the other. “how’re you not even drunk yet?” you slurred at henry.

“this isn’t exactly my first rodeo.”

“so you’re an alcoholic then?”

“no!” he looked a little offended at your suggestion. “i’m just not a lightweight. i don’t do this regularly, i just know how to pace myself.”

“wait, what year are you?” you peered up at him. you really hadn’t noticed before just how tall he was. or how sharp his jawline was…

he met your gaze. “sophomore.”

“oh, that explains a lot. i’m a—”

“freshman. yeah, i figured.”

was it really that obvious? “well, i think one more shot should do it,” you moved toward the drinks and almost fell over.

henry gently grabbed you to keep you from falling to the ground. “nope, i think you’re done.”

you giggled. “thanks for saving me from the ground. my hero.”

“yeah, definitely done for the night. i can either walk you home or you can stay in my room.”

“woah, you live here? that’s so cool. i probably should’ve guessed that. i live in the dorms, but,” you looked up at him through your eyelashes, “staying here probably wouldn’t hurt.”

“i’ll take her home,” an icy voice cut in. you turned your head to see tom, and you instantly wondered how long he had been standing there for. “she’s sure as hell not staying here.”

“okay, whatever. here, ____, give me your phone real quick?” you did as asked and he quickly typed something before handing it back to you. “that’s my number. text me when you get back, okay? i’d feel bad if you died along the way and i didn’t know.”

you giggled again as you walked over to tom. “i will.” tom grabbed your shoulder to steady you with a vice-like grip. “ow, tom, you’re hurting me.”

henry smiled and shook his head. “in more ways then one, huh?” tom looked confused as he loosened his grip. “i’ll see you around, ____.” with that, henry turned around and walked away.

tom steered you toward the door before stopping. “i better tell emma we’re leaving.” he walked you over to wear she was sitting. “hey, em, i gotta take her back, she’s shit-faced.”

“i’m not—” you began to say until you felt like you might throw up. you quickly said, “okay, i might be,” before clamping your mouth shut.

emma looked at you with genuine concern. “oh, well make sure you drink lots of water, ___. you looked really good tonight, by the way,” she smiled before turning to tom, “text me when you get back, okay?” that was the worst thing about emma, you realized: she was really just a nice person. no matter how much you wanted to hate her and looked for reasons to do so, you weren’t justified in it because she was so kind and considerate.

“i will,” was all tom said before he walked you to the door. the walk at back to the dorms was at first quiet. tom held on to your shoulders as you stumbled along the sidewalk, and the only sounds were your footsteps and the occasional passing car.

finally, he broke the silence. “who was that guy you were with?” tom sounded much angrier than you expected.

“his name’s henry. he’s a sophomore, and he’s super nice! he was teaching me how to do shots and i think he lives in the house, he offered to let me stay in his—”

“so he got you drunk and then asked you to sleep in his room?” tom stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched and nostrils flared.

you frowned. “it wasn’t like that, tom, it really wasn’t. he was just being nice since i didn’t really know what i was doing.”

“it sounds to me like he was taking advantage of you. i mean, come on, an older guy teaching you how to drink alcohol and then offering his bed? you really are just oblivious, aren’t you,” he snapped.

the silence returned until you felt yourself tearing up. you tried to keep any tears from falling, but you were ultimately unsuccessful as you began to cry. “i’m sorry,” you hiccupped between sobs. “i don’t mean to be.”

“hey, hey,” he said softly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. “please don’t cry.” he gently wiped the tears from your cheeks. “i’m sorry. i shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. you’re drunk, and i don’t really know the guy.”

you nodded, sniffling, before wiping your eyes with your palms. “it’s okay. let’s just go back, i really need to throw up.”

tom laughed and moved his hands back to your shoulders. “let’s get going then.”

by the time you managed to get back to your room, you could barely hold back the urge to vomit, so the minute tom closed the door, you hunched over your trash can and emptied the contents of your stomach.

he came over after shutting the door and gently held your hair out of the way with one hand and rubbed comforting circles on your back with the other. when you were finished, you sat back and wiped the tears that had formed in the corners of your eyes. “sorry,” you croaked, “that was a little gross.”

“it’s fine.” tom smiled softly. “do you need some water?” you nodded, and he stood up and grabbed a water bottle from your fridge.

you gulped it down quickly once he gave it to you. “did you have fun, at least?”

tom shrugged as he sat down next to you. your head was still spinning a bit, and the feeling of his arm pressing into yours didn’t help much. “it was alright,” he admitted. “emma was just mainly talking to her friends, and you vanished once we got to the party. i didn’t really know anyone, so i just sort of…sat there.”

“sorry,” you replied guiltily. “i just thought you’d want some time to be with emma.”

he looked over at you. your room was still dark, and the only light in the room was the light from the hall that spilled through the crack under the door and the salt lamp zendaya had on her desk. the soft glow from the lamp illuminated the outline of his face as he spoke. “doesn’t mean i don’t want to be with you,” he murmured. “you’re still one of my best friends. no one could ever change that.” he gave you a hug, then, which was a little awkward as you were sitting side-by-side, but you didn’t mind. tom was a little sweaty, but underneath that you could smell his cologne and traces of his laundry detergent. it reminded you of home.

“i have to tell you something,” you whispered into the crook of his neck. you sat back to look him in the eyes. “i…look, i know i’m still pretty drunk right now, but please believe me when i say this because it’s true. i—i really like you, tom. like, like like you, if that makes any sense. and i know you’re in a relationship, and i’m so, so happy for you, but i just…” you trailed off before starting again. “i needed to tell you, i guess.”

a pained look flashed in tom’s eyes before he gave you a sad smile. “it’s just not the right time, is it?” what did that even mean? probably just trying to make you feel better, you thought to yourself, because this is super awkward.

“i guess not.”

the silence between you was almost palpable. “i better get going, then,” tom finally said. he went to get up, but stopped to press a soft kiss to your forehead. “goodnight, _____.”

you stood up with him, his arm gripping your elbow to steady you. “goodnight, tom.”

with that, he turned and left your room, leaving you to get ready for bed. you also quickly texted henry to let him know you had gotten back alright. he simply replied with a thumbs-up. by the time you laid down, you were crying once more and felt like you might throw up again—not because you were drunk, but because you might have just ruined one of the closest friendships you’d ever had.

what’s up with tom? is henry really a creep? what do you think? feedback is always greatly appreciated! replies, tags, asks, messenger pigeons--they’re all welcome!

#tom holland #tom holland series #tom holland scenarios #tom holland imagines #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland/reader #tom holland/you #tom holland smut #(at one point lol)#harrison osterfield x reader #harrison osterfield x you #harrison osterfield/reader #harrison osterfield/you #(again later in the series lol)#zendaya #zendaya coleman

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askbittyerror · 4 years

Text

Wedding rp part one, the wedding itself

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 The room, stretching several fields wide, seems centered entirely around two vast trees. Both are sprung from a single root-stock, male ginkgos with crowns brushing against sparkling crystals far above, their peculiar leaf shape casting odd shadows into the darkness below. A small cabin hides beneath it's branches. Clovers and soft grass beds stretch around it. The sound of crickets and nightbirds can be heard... Around in the distance, on all sides, stone walls blend neatly into the 'night,' giving impression of even greater distance, while above, crystal stars intersect with illusionary ones, and the sense of a night sky is almost perfect. Movement by the roots... It's time.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon walks in looking over everything one more time. Everything has been triple checked the timeline shielded the food sitting ready the cake... perfect. it was time with a deep breath they move to their place. time to see their lover married

Mila09/26/2020 A portal forms, of which first two skeletons walk out. Another skeleton comes out slithering. An error like one who has a fancy jacket and has made an effort to make their wins look pretty but that’s about it, a tired goop looking skeleton with a very strong aura who wears a suit and a lamia skeleton who also wears a suit! After that, another person wearing a suit. A baby in her arms who is wearing a baby onesie with ‘cute smol’ written on it and stripes. These people sit down somewhere, all on Bells’ side of course. Elio, Alun, PB, MV and Nexus are all there for them. Even if PB isn’t technically family yet

salty darkness09/26/2020 Paint swirls around, twisting and bubbling, staining the grass like someone took a giant paintbrush and dotted the land with splotches of ink and magic. A winged, familiar shape rises up from out of the puddle, and someone steps out, dressed rather hastily in a simple gray suit, a giggling baby guardian in his arms.

Nintendo glances over the area, then narrows his eyes at the dual trees, walking over and sitting down near the back.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells is sitting by the enormous roots, somewhat nervously. Trying not to pick at the hem of their sparkly suit/dress thing, with what seems almost like a cloak of living stars, and a circlet of sparkling blue, with apples and bells. The small snakelings are curled up close by, resting sleepy eyes, while Raine hops about eagerly, waiting for the fun to begin. Eden is a bit more wary. As always.

Candy09/26/2020 Candy appears in a shower of sparkles, they're wearing a simple blue dress fading to purple at the bottom and a black string belt. They go sit down on Bells's side close to MV

JusticeMom09/26/2020 {Dream lands in the timeline as he always does. He might be a bit of a show off but don't quote the mun on that. He walks in looking around the space and the growing crowd of people. His baby Togepi giggles and flails excited to be around people! Dream has yet to get a Pokeball. He smiles seeing and recognizing many but he is quick to walk over to Ink sitting down next to him and kissing him}

being shy are you?

{The tease}

{Nearby in the shadows they seem to grow and churn as another wave of negativity washes into the room. Erebus, looking like he always does, dressed well with a cocky air to him leans against the wall staying out of the way. He was going to be here even if the resident goop disagreed}

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Uriah alights in one of the branches, and promptly sits, and watches. The skelegoat bitty look like he's considering going back for popcorn, because this is going to be interesting. Phantom wings shift like wisping shadows as he settles them to his back, and the tearstains of gold, and ribbons of faded corruption stained bone, are barely visible. He adjusts his glasses, and waits.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Two groups arrive at the same time, albiet on different sides of the fields. On one, a skeleton dressed in a sparkling, decorated labcoat steps out of seemingly nowhere, holding a trembling Hood's hand. Sci walks up to where Bells is sitting, giving a little wave hello. Hood sits down a little ways away from the rest of the people there, his children curled up and seated around him. On the other side, Lark skips out of... seemingly nowhere, actually. How the hell did he get here? Who knows. He grins, adjusting his bright blue suit as he sits down beside Nintendo, ignoring the inkling's hissed protests and insults. Nintendo himself gives an uncharacteristic squeak, a rainbow blush glowing on his skull at the kiss from his boyfriend. He doesn't say anything, folding his wings around himself and generally being a flustered mess.(edited)

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Blue, arriving with an expression of surprise, clearly isn't sure where they are, or how they got here- but the sight of Dragon, Bells, and... well, other decidedly familiar, if distinctly unique, profiles, offers some comfort. It's just as well the tower feels so different now, they really have no idea where they are... even if there is a faint, nagging sense of familiarity. For now, they duck beneath some of the larger roots, not yet ready to size up and face- all this.(edited)

feather bean💙09/26/2020 a feather happily apears with a much poofy purple Dress on that a bit to big and they almost Trip in it a few times but they still happily sit down near bells.

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 A rip in reality opens and two tall Paladins step out, the shorter of the two looking around curiously in his black suit, gold filigree climbing up the side of the jacket. The taller by a significant margin, clad in a russet dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, little black moths embroidered on the cuffs, and dark slacks, briefly surveys the room then herds Huitzi, as well as the family of bitties he carries, to the back row, encouraging him to sit and standing just behind, arms crossed, ever watchful.

Magnus climbs up to Huitzi’s head and looks around for his mate, waving excitedly once he spots them, absolutely beaming. Paladin sits comfortably on the large Paladin’s shoulder, content with his own vantage point and the corrupted Nightmares scale Huitzi’s wings, taking in the sights and looking for their niblings/grandchildren. Gold and Beryl sit in Huitzi’s breast pocket and Fresh hides inside his jacket, peeking out every now and then.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Spotting the tall dream bitties, Blue immediately teleports to them, clinging to... anyone they can reach, honestly. This is fine.

salty darkness09/26/2020 The darkness curls around, and a goopy skeleton walks out of the darkness, stars covering his suit like an erie reflection of the night sky. A little ways away, Greylu's group of ragtag idiots take their seats, as one does.

He watches the fields for a moment, staring at Juice with a single bright blue eye... then his gaze moves to the two giant paladin bitties, and he takes a step back, glancing around for his beloved. Greylu walks over to the trees, Mea hopping along behind him. He bends down, pressing a kiss against Bells' mouth, onlookers be damned. "Alright then. Are you ready?"

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Their features brighten on seeing their beloved, and a relieved, rumbly purr greets his kiss. "Yes, yes, yes... so much yes." The lich reaches for his hand, squeezing softly as they stand.

Raine giggles, tackling Mea without any further ado, squeaking happily about 'da and non getsing marry!'

"...also, no stabbing the very small winged Fresh that's my guest. it's a surefire way for a really bad start to our honeymoon." This said though, they kiss him again, whispering, with a smile, "let's do this, beloved."

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 Magnus hugs his mate and gives them a quick kiss and a nuzzle, sitting down on Huitzi's head with them in his arms to watch their bab be wed.

feather bean💙09/26/2020 feather waves at the new people that arived "hi-"

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci and Greylu exchange a glance. Greylu steps back, stray tendrils folding into the star-speckled goop as he stands, taking Bells' arms by the wrists, eyelight shaped like a heart. Mea hops around, giggling and squeaking back.

Sci clears his throat, taking a breath in, then out, then repeating that a few times. "Ahem. Quiet, please. That means you, Mea." The smol does so, albiet slightly grumpily. "Alright." his voice grows louder, so everyone gathered can hear. "We are all gathered here today to witness and honor the marriage of Bells and Greylu, last names currently pending. This has been a long time coming, and I'm glad to see everything finally come to fruition."

The scientist turns to Greylu. "Do you take Bells as your spouse for as long as the both of you live, or until otherwise desired?"

The goop nods without even hesitating. "Yes. I do."

"Alright. Bells? Do you take Greylu as your husband, also for as long as you both live- or it is otherwise desired?"

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 "for as long as I exist, I want him by my side." they agree, gaze soft as they consider their starlit beloved... before pausing, and adding, a bit blushed. "that's uh, that's a yes. I do." they clarify, giving Sci a sheepish smile. they didn't technically 'live?' but, yes.

"...my forever." they agree, gaze returning to Greylu, a tenderness there that was unmistakable. "ours."

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci mutters something about stealing most of that sentence off straight out of a book, so don't complain to him about these things.

Then he hums, clearing his throat before speaking once more. "Alright then. If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace."

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 "..." Bells says nothing, waiting. But something in their manner suggests, just for one moment, that they are ready to throw down if someone objects at this point.

Mila09/26/2020 Elio, Alun, PB, MV and Nexus stay quiet- no objections, even if Alun is not happy with Greylu now being a father of theirs technically. They’d never deny Bells happiness

Candy09/26/2020 no objections here

JusticeMom09/26/2020 {The two guardian's watch not faltering. They will not be speaking up this day or the next. This was as it should be}

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 The bitties are also ready to attack if anyone tries. Fresh may even attempt to get some noms in.

feather bean💙09/26/2020 there are No objections from feather

salty darkness09/26/2020 Nintendo just rolls his eyes, while Archer babbles and giggles in oblivious excitement. They have no idea what's going on, but it seems important! Lark just watches. He doesn't seem to object either. Hood does the same.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Uriah is quietly chewing on a crabapple, just out of sight. Where did he get it? Who knows? Either way, no objection from him...

...or from Blue, who watches with their own fiance, half dreaming of future weddings to come.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon too has nothing to say. It has already been said. Though reminders to Greylu that his ass was theirs if they do anything to Bells will be given sooner rather than later. it seems everyone agrees?

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 ...Bells seems to relax, as no objection comes.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Sci waits for a few more moments. Greylu lets out a small sigh of relief, a few more stars alighting on his cheeks, glowing softly in the dim light.

"Alright. Now that we have that out of the way..."

He reaches in his pocket, tugging out the black goldstone rings. The scientist takes Bells' hand, sliding one of the rings onto their... well, ring finger, then doing the same for Greylu. He smiles, a glimmer of happiness shimmering in his eyelights beneath the jade-stained glass.

"I now pronounce you two finally fucking married newly weds. You may kiss, uh... eachother."

Greylu does.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells kisses him back, snagging the king of darkness lightly by the lapels as they do, to pull him nearer. Deep, reverberating rumbles of happy can be heard, as they finally release the kiss, still smiling.

"...mine~" they whisper, very very softly. "I love you~"

salty darkness09/26/2020 Greylu wraps his arms around Bells' shoulders, pressing back into the kiss. Tendrils curl around them, hugging and squeezing with all his might.

"Mine..." when they finally pull away, his eyelight has turned into a star. "I love you too~"

Mila09/26/2020 MV, PB, Alun and Elio all clap! Lots of clapping!

Candy09/26/2020 cheers for newlywed couple. Yay [4:36 PM] then remembers quietly

feather bean💙09/26/2020 much Cheers from feather

Candy09/26/2020 still cheers [4:37 PM] Also claps

Askbittyerror09/26/2020 The bitties do in fact go highly nuts, lots of surprisingly loud cheers and whoops and one big CONGRATULATIONS from Huitzi. Flare inhales, taking in the collective joy.

salty darkness09/26/2020 Nintendo claps a little bit. Lark claps as loud as he can, considering the fact that he has a lame right arm. Archer looks overjoyed. Hood closes his eyes, giving a single clap. He might also be absorbing the positivity, albiet probably not to the same extent as Flare.

JusticeMom09/26/2020 Dragon sits and smiles quietly. everyone was so overjoyed for this day. they just give the guardian a single respectful nod before clapping gently as well

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Raine claps, jumping up and down, pure excitement in her laughter. On the third jump, brilliant wings of sunset seem to spring forth from her back, a golden light above fading to red, and finally deepening into night and starlight. "Is marrieds!!"

Eden looks taken aback, giving his sibling an odd look, before the huffing, and returning his attention to his sleeping snake sibs.

...he may be purring. tsundere child.

with-bells-upon09/26/2020 Bells takes their husband's hand... husband's, and just squeezes it, before turning to pass their gaze across the room. They smile at their bitty family- Blue waves- and Bells' gaze falters slightly at the sight of Erebus. They'd need to talk to him later. But for now? "-cmon," they urge Greylu gently, "time for celebration to begin!"(edited) [4:56 PM] ...they tug him gently towards the festivities...

salty darkness09/26/2020 Greylu squeezes back, and for a long moment, he doesn't take his eyes off of Bells, just... quietly admiring them. Then he hums, glancing out towards the crowd. He stares at Juice once more... and notices Erebus, barely restraining a small growl. Then Bells tugs on his arm, and he blinks, nodding his head. "Alright. Celebration it is."

#wedding rp event #part one

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fanficimagery · 5 years

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Finding a Mate

#396 "You can't just hug me and think everything's okay."

Summary: When Hope moves to Forks with her aunts Freya and Keelin, and gets enrolled in public school, the last thing she expected was to find a coven of vegetarian vampires and a mate. Then again she was a Mikaelson and was used to dealing with crazy.

Author's Note: Only Jasper and Alice are mates. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward are all unattached, but Rose and Edward have their own thing going on with one another.

With Keelin back in the States for good and Hope mentioning she wasn't content at the boarding school anymore, Freya decided it was time for a change. Hope had wanted to be far away from anything that reminded her of her parents or uncle Elijah, and Freya had randomly chosen Forks, Washington. The town was small, but had all the necessities for every day living, and her niece and wife had readily agreed after Keelin found out the local hospital was hiring.

Keelin wasn't promised a spot after submitting her résumé via email when she had called to inquire about the job, but the girls moved there anyway. Freya had found them the perfect two story, three bedroom house with enough attic space for her witchy supplies, and they packed up what they wanted from the abattoir before closing the Mikaelson home down until either Rebekah or Kol went back.

Now in Forks, Hope happily settles in and quickly finds the smallest bakery she's ever seen that also sells coffee and tea. She finds they make an excellent cup of peppermint tea and vows to herself that this will be her new to-go spot before school.

Keelin gets called in for an interview at the hospital, and Freya and Hope tag along in hopes of getting a feel for the locals while they wait at the hospital. It's there, nearly forty minutes later, that Freya realizes they're not the only supernatural beings in town. Keelin walks out of an office with a sheepish smile, she then quickly beckoning Freya and Hope to her. They enter the office and Keelin nervously introduces them to her new boss Doctor Carlisle Cullen- Doctor Cullen with the golden eyes and pale flawless skin that doesn't hold an ounce of body heat.

Introductions are quickly made, Freya immediately pegs Doctor Cullen as a vampire during their handshake, and Hope watches on in amusement as the adults go back and forth. He's surprised when Freya outs herself as a witch and Keelin a werewolf not even a minute afterwards, and Hope merely shrugs when his golden eyes land on her.

As they speak, it's obvious Doctor Cullen is wary of other supernatural beings. Freya and Keelin pick up on it and they promise that they aren't there to cause trouble; they really just want a fresh start after they'd lost several members of their family. They are used to keeping the supernatural a secret so Doctor Cullen has nothing to worry about, and after that it seems like the vampire can breathe a little easier. It's also during this meeting that Hope finds out Doctor Cullen has children attending the same school she's going to be attending, and to not be too offended if they don't automatically seek her out because they're used to being on their own. Hope laughs it off, telling him it's okay since she's usually a loner herself.

And since the three newcomers know about him and his family, Doctor Cullen asks if it's okay for him to tell his family about them. Freya, Keelin, and Hope agree that it's only fair.

After having collected her schedule and a map of the school over the weekend from the Principal and his secretary themselves, and having been taken on a tour to locate her classes, Hope feels comfortable enough showing up Monday morning. So with her peppermint tea in hand and backpack strapped to her back, Hope exits Keelin's vehicle with a smile.

"Bye! I love you. Make good choices!" The dark skinned, dark haired werewolf muses.

Hope quickly slams the door, but Keelin rolls down the passenger window. Laughing and disregarding every stare, Hope shakes her head in amusement. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome. You going to need a ride after school? I won't be out until five."

"Yes. Hopefully there'll be something to keep me occupied until then."

Keelin coos. "Aw. Look at you all grown up." Hope rolls her eyes and sips her tea to hide her smile. "Enjoy your last year, kid. Public school is a lot different than that boarding school of yours, so-"

"You forget we did nearly a month of public school for that.. exchange program Alaric put us through. I'll be fine, Keelin. Don't worry."

"Mhmm. Well if anything changes, text me or Freya. We'll come get you."

"Sure."

The window rolls back up as Keelin pulls away and Hope watches her drive off. She finally takes notice of the stares a moment later and plasters on a smile that she knows probably looks like a grimace. But not caring what anyone has to say, she turns on her heel and marches off towards the front office to retrieve the slip Ms. Cope told her she'd need every teacher of hers to sign before turning it in at the end of the day.

Kids come up to her left and right, and she tries her hardest to come off as friendly. But being who and what she is, it's easy for her to suss out just who is being real with her and who isn't.

Angela Weber is an immediate favorite of hers- the girl being mellow and just the right amount of curious about where she moved from and why. She likes Tyler Crowley and Mike Newton just fine, even though their flirtatious behavior is rather grating, but they're real personalities are on display for her to see upfront. Eric Yorkie is annoying, but tolerable, and Jessica Stanley could be a decent girl if she didn't try to compliment someone and then degrade them all in one breath. But Lauren Mallory? Lauren is a hard no. Hope does not like the mean spirited teen and the teen in question is why she doesn't sit with the apparent group of friends when at lunch when Tyler loudly beckons her to join them.

Instead Hope finds an empty table and sits, she hesitantly pushing around the food on her tray. If there was one thing she missed from the Salvatore Boarding School, it was their personal cook. Public school lunch food was, in one word, disgusting.

Several tables down, the Cullen and Hale teenagers push around the human food on their trays and make it seem as if they're eating. Alice has happily tucked herself under her mate Jasper's arm while Edward and Rosalie sit a little too close to one another, murmuring and just enjoying the close proximity. Emmett, the only unattached of the bunch, sits backwards in his chair while covertly watching the room.

"New girl, ten o'clock," he says. Edward and Rosalie chance a look her way since they're all ready facing that direction, but Jasper and Alice have to rely on everyone else's input. "Think she's special like those aunts of hers?"

Rosalie's golden eyes dart towards Hope and then away. With a shrug, she says, "She's cute. Figured she'd be sitting with the popular kids by now."

Jasper shakes his head, his blonde curls slightly tossing. "I've been watchin' her when I can. She's all smiles 'n giggles, but when whoever she's talkin' to walks away, her expression falls."

"Maybe she's tired of being hit on," Emmett muses, lips quirking at the corners. "Crowley and Newton have all ready laid claim, but they don't appear to be getting anywhere."

"Edward?" Alice suddenly chimes in. "What's wrong?" She was the only one to notice his creased brow and frown as he stared at Hope Mikaelson.

"I can't hear her."

And that- that causes his siblings to tense and really take notice of the new girl.

"What did Carlisle say her aunts were again?" Rosalie asks, frowning.

"A witch and a werewolf," Edward answers. "But he never got an answer on what Hope was."

"Well there's no time like the present." Emmett moves to stand and Rosalie's hand snaps out, wrapping around his wrist.

"Don't," she hisses.

"Chill, Rosie. Carlisle said it was okay to talk to her. In fact, he and Esme encouraged it."

"You don't show interest often," Jasper muses. "What's so different now, brother?"

Emmett's grin falters. "Call it boredom."

"Or call it what it really is," Edward says, slowly smiling and laying an arm on the back of Rosalie's chair to help soothe her. "You think she's pretty."

"Ohh. He thinks she's more than a little pretty," Jasper smirks. "I can feel just how pretty he thinks Hope Mikaelson is."

Alice giggles and the rest try their best to smother their smiles. Emmett glowers, but a smile of his own slowly breaks out. He chuckles. "Here goes nothing." The entire cafeteria seems to go quiet as they watch the largest Cullen leave his family and head for the new girl. She doesn't look up, so Emmett pulls out a chair directly across from the girl and turns it around before plopping himself down. "Hope Mikaelson," he muses.

She glances up then, her eyes narrowing before a small huff of laughter escapes her. "You're one of Doctor Cullen's kids."

"Emmett," he smirks. "The others were too intimidated to approach you." Hope follows his pointed gesture before smiling and waving at the other vegetarian vampires.

"I hardly doubt that. I'm not even that scary."

"Says the new girl who we've no idea what she's capable of."

Hope's gaze darts back to Emmett, her shoulders losing some of their tension as she grins at him. "A girl's got to have some secrets."

"Yeah." His gaze scrutinizes her and Hope challenges his stare, popping a carrot stick into her mouth while not breaking eye contact. "Speaking of secrets, did your aunt do some magic hoodoo stuff to your head? Edward can't read your thoughts." That causes her to blink and Emmett suddenly whoops. The cafeteria falls silent and Hope groans, trying to sink into her chair as every astonished gaze falls on her table. "I win."

"Jesus. Okay. You win. Lower your voice," she grumbles. Emmett hunches in his seat and Hope suddenly starts twisting a ring on her right index finger. "So Edward.. reads minds?" She glances at Emmett's family's table and sees the bronze-haired individual nod. "Just surface or.."

"He can only read what's on the surface. My siblings and I just usually mentally sing a song or mentally scream if we wanna keep him out."

"Oh." She twists her ring some more. Sighing softly, she says, "The last thing I want is you or your family uncomfortable with me and my family's presence." She slips off the ring, nods at Edward, and then faces Emmett to ask, "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you move?"

Hope slightly tenses and fidgets in her seat. "New Orleans holds a lot of.. terrible memories." Her mom's death flashes in her mind and she gulps, knowing Edward saw it. "Both my parents and uncle Elijah sacrificed themselves there. And Mystic Falls, where I attended Boarding School, is where I was constantly fighting for my life against a monster every other week. I grew tired of it."

"Do you come in peace?" Emmett's lips twitch and Hope rolls her eyes.

Chuckling, she says, "Yes. I honestly just want to finish my first and last year of public high school. And make some friends. I had trouble with making friends growing up because of who my family is."

"And just who is your family?" Emmett wonders.

"The Mikaelson's. I'll.. I have a book on my family's legacy. I'll let you borrow it as soon as I find it, but I'm warning you right now. Their past is.. bloody."

"You just keep getting more interesting the longer we talk."

"Says the vampire."

Emmett smiles, but before he can get out his last question Hope is slipping her ring back on to shield her mind once more. The bell rings, startling Hope and signalling the end to the lunch period. As Hope stands to collect her tray, he asks, "What are you?"

That gives Hope pause and she blinks in surprise at Emmett. She slowly grins. "One of a kind. Literally."

"Don't tell me you're a unicorn." He laughs, but then quickly sobers when he sees Hope's expression of distaste.

"God no. Unicorns are pretty, but they're devious." She shivers and her expression suddenly appears far away. "Gross mind controlling slugs. Never again."

"..what!"

Hope refocuses on Emmett, she sheepishly laughing. "Yeaahhhh. See you around." And then she quickly takes her leave.

The rest of Emmett's family joins him as Hope disappears. "She was telling the truth," Edward says. "Every answer she gave was accompanied by a visual representation. She witnessed her mother's death."

"So a ring kept you out of her mind?" Rosalie then muses after the awkward tension of mentioning Hope's mother's death vanishes. "I might have to ask her for one of those."

Edward grins, but Emmett is still gobsmacked by what Hope last said. "Unicorns are real? You think she was telling the truth about that?"

Alice giggles and Jasper grabs his mate's hand to escort her to her next class. "Probably. She slipped that ring of hers back on and blinded Edward again."

"Damn."

"Don't worry." Alice smiles knowingly. "I get glimpses here and there of her. Hope will be sticking around."

"Oh?" Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie all grin. Emmett's eyes then narrow. "What do you know?"

"The same thing you do if you'd just open your eyes a little wider, brother." And with Jasper's parting words, the rest of their family follow him and Alice out.

A moment passes and then Emmett sighs. "What does that even mean?"

The next few days sees Hope avoiding questions her nosy peers have for her after Emmett Cullen so brazenly approached her at lunch, especially since he continues to do so days after. The only human Hope had found a moment of solace with was Angela, but even then the Cullen and Hale clan could see that Hope was still keeping her distance.

Her second week of school, however, finds Hope watching her aunts staring out the front window of their home in amusement one morning.

"What are you guys looking at?"

Keelin glances over her shoulder, grinning. "You didn't tell us you befriended Doctor Cullen's children."

Hope shrugs. "Well yeah. They're intrigued by the girl their mind reading brother can't read."

"Mhmm. So intrigued that they sent one of their own to give you a ride to school?" Freya wonders.

"..what?" Hope scurries to the window to see what her aunts are staring at and finds Emmett standing near the hood of a large jeep that's parked outside their home. "I'm gonna give him a brain aneurysm," she grumbles. "What is he playing at?" As Hope stomps off towards the front door, her aunts are quick to follow.

"He's cute," Keelin teases. "What's his name?"

Her hand freezes just before she can grab the door handle. "Freya? Please tell me you have a privacy spell up around the house and the vampire outside didn't just hear your wife call him cute?" Their silence is very telling and Hope chuckles through a groan. Finally opening the door, a beaming Emmett is standing there with a to-go cup of something steaming.

"Peppermint tea. Your apparent favorite." Keelin and Freya don't bother hiding their coos. "And a brain aneurysm? Really? That's kind of harsh, Hope. I've been nothing but nice."

Hope gives him a deadpan stare before taking the tea, she then making quick introductions. "Freya and Keelin, meet Emmett. Emmett, my aunt Freya and her wife Keelin."

"Hey." Emmett beams, a dimple in his right cheek forming. "Do either of you care to fill me in on what Hope is? She's not playing fair."

"She hasn't told you?" Freya asks.

"No. And Edward can't read her mind as long as her ring stays on."

Hope glances at her aunts. "What? It's not my fault they're terrible at guessing."

"But I bet you're not playing fair either." Keelin nudges her niece. Then looking at Emmett, she tells him, "You've probably all ready guessed what Hope is, but you're looking at her as if she's only one species. She's not."

"Wait, what?"

Hope sighs and then grumbles. "I'm a tribrid." Emmett gapes at her. "I told you I was one of a kind. Now come on, lets get to school so you can tell the others."

And after that fateful day, it becomes a regular occurrence that Emmett picks up and drops off Hope before and after school. Freya and Keelin can't help but adore the large vampire, and even Hope eventually gives in to his bashful smiles and playful behavior. Everyone at school is surprised to see the largest of the Cullen/Hale siblings behave so carefree, and even Emmett's family seem a bit surprised at his behavior, but in a good way.

Hope then becomes so used to Emmett's towering presence that when it comes time to give him her family's legacy book so he can know her history, she makes herself sick with anxiety. Her aunts do their best to soothe her worry, but she doesn't quite calm down until Emmett suddenly appears at her bedroom window one night.

Slowly opening the window after he gently knocks on the glass pane, Hope steps back on sits on the edge of her bed. Emmett enters her room, sitting on the sill.

"That was.. wow. Your family are the Firsts."

Hope nods, avoiding his gaze and twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Only Rebekah, Kol, and Freya remain."

"That was a lot to take in. Jasper's re-reading it." Hope flinches and Emmett moves to stand before her, he then crouching and settling his hands on her knees. "Hey. Hey," he says again, reaching up to make her look at him. "Your family's past is crazy, but it's their past. Their past does not define you. We all still think very highly of you and are still looking forward to the day you grace us with what your tribrid qualities are."

Hope huffs a laugh. "I'm a witch, werewolf, and vampire," she finally tells him after a week of the Cullen and his siblings trying to guess the right combination.

"No shit? I can't believe we never guessed it."

"Well after I mentioned the unicorn your imaginations took over and started throwing out every other mythical creature that you think is real too."

"They're not?"

Hope grins at his pout and flicks his ear. "Maybe. Maybe not. One can't be too sure unless you've seen it with your own two eyes."

"At least tell me dragons are real?" She then laughs at his hopeful expression, shoving his shoulder and then huffing when he doesn't even budge. Stupid Cold One strength. "There's the smile I was hoping for."

Since Emmett's started talking to her, he's thrown in a few flirty remarks here and there. Hope's grown to expect it from him, but what she hasn't grown used to yet is the way her heart skips a beat and the way she warms all over when he genuinely smiles at her. And given his senses, she knows that he knows exactly what his proximity and words do to her.

"So what are you doing here?" She finally asks. "Did you come all the way here just to soothe my worries?"

"Yes and no." Emmett finally backs off and takes a seat next to her on the bed. "Esme's been anxious to finally meet you. We talk about you a lot and Carlisle talks a lot about how good your aunt Keelin is at her job. She's a bit miffed she's the only one who hasn't met you or your aunts."

"Oh. Well we, um, can go right now if that's okay with you?"

"Yes."

Emmett immediately stands and sits halfway in, halfway out of her window, and Hope slides off her bed to make her way towards the bedroom door. Calling out, she yells, "I'm going out with Emmett!"

"WHAT?!"

Emmett snorts and Hope's eyes widen when she realizes what she's just said. "Heading out! I'm heading out with Emmett!"

They can hear Keelin cackling from somewhere downstairs.

"Okay!" Freya then calls back up. "Don't stay out too late."

Blushing, Hope then makes her way towards a smirking Emmett.

"No shoes?"

She shakes her head. "No. I'm assuming you ran here and we're running back, so I'll just have you drop me off halfway and I can shift."

"Awesome. Climb on my back and hold on."

Since Hope's window was situated over the side walkway overhang, Emmett crouches near the ledge and waits for Hope to join him. She climbs onto his back with a small laugh a moment later, and after a brief warning Emmett jumps. His hands grip around the backs of her thighs and her arms are wrapped around his neck. She grunts when he lands, but then she's laughing as he runs.

The world is blurring by her, but not as fast as she expected since her senses can keep up with vampire speed, and she relishes the feel of the air whooshing passed her. But all too soon, he's stopping and letting her down gently.

"All right, Mikaelson, lets see what you got."

"Yeah, yeah." Hope shifts nervously before lowering herself to the ground on her hands and knees. "Have a blanket ready for me when we get there. Clothes tend to disappear through the transformation and I'd hate to scar anyone with my nudity."

He waggles his eyebrows. "You're going to be naked?"

"Don't make it weird." Emmett's laugh booms and he startles several woodland creatures. He's still laughing when Hope says, "And whatever happens next, just let it take it's course. I've been through the transformation before. I know how much pain I can endure."

His laughter immediately ceases. "What?"

Instead of answering, the first of many bones in Hope's body cracks to rearrange itself for her new form. And if Emmett had any color in his features, the color would have drained at Hope's grunts and cries of pain, her bones snapping and bending at unnatural angles.

At one point he calls her name and he takes a step back when Hope throws her head back, her eyes blazing yellow. She cries out and her back arches with a snap, and Emmett watches in awe as an abnormally large gray wolf takes the place where Hope just was.

The wolf blinks and shakes her fur out as Emmett slowly crouches. "Hope?" He gulps. The wolf nods, her tail swaying from side to side. Slowly but surely, Emmett then smirks. "Hell yes. Race to you my house?"

The wolf barks and takes off after Emmett, she letting him stay ahead of her since she didn't actually know where the Cullen's lived.

Edward and Rosalie were the only two who hadn't seen Hope's wolf form since they were out the night she showed up to their house, but with Edward's mind reading abilities he was able to see everything from his family's point of view. Rosalie didn't care to see a werewolf, instead she was rather more intrigued by the magic side of Hope and Freya's lives.

As the weeks then slowly progress, it becomes the norm for Hope to spend time at the Cullen household. Keelin's been picking up a lot of hours at the hospital, and Freya's busy getting paperwork together and what not for the opening of her very own shop that she plans to sell home remedies at.

So, of course, Hope's at the Cullen house when things go to hell.

Emmett, Jasper, and Edward are wrestling- Emmett and Jasper wearing leather cuff bracelets to protect their minds from Edward's mental probing- while Rosalie and Alice toss out some friendly taunts. It was finally a fair fight and the brothers were ecstatic to test them out.

Hope's standing with Esme since Carlisle's currently at the hospital, and the two keep their distance as the boys get rowdier and rowdier. Suddenly Alice goes still, Edward's mind is no longer on the fight, and he stares in horror at Hope. The others quickly catch on, but before Alice can come out of her vision.. whatever it was comes to fruition.

"Hope!" Edward manages to shout before Esme is thrown from the girl's side by some unseen force.

Hope gasps just as Jasper catches their mother and before she can utter a single word, a stick or stake or something is forcefully embedding itself in her throat. She immediately gurgles on blood and falls on her butt, her eyes flooding with tears from the pain as she attempts to pull the wooden stake out. There's an almighty roar that sends a shiver up and down her spine, and through her tears she sees an enraged Emmett pounding against an invisible barrier of sorts. In fact, the entire Cullen family is pounding against an invisible barrier, Emmett's black eyes focused on her.

Hope whimpers and shakily raises one bloodied hand, she trying to concentrate and release the vampires. Before she can focus enough energy to fuel her spell, she's slammed on her back and arms magically pinned to the ground, two more stakes embedding themselves in her wrists. She cries out, struggling, but it's no use.

A woman is suddenly looming over Hope, which only prompts the young tribrid to struggle some more. The woman tuts, waggling a finger at her. "Don't, child. You'll only bleed out faster."

"W-Why?"

"What was that?" The woman crouches and pulls the stake out of Hope's throat, Hope then screaming out in pain. There's another roar and the woman crouching over Hope grins. "Well he's pissed. You really have the big one wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

Hope chances a look in Emmett's direction, her heart beating faster at the sight of other individuals surrounding the family. Their hands are held out at the sides and flames erupt around the Cullen's. "No."

The woman next to Hope shrugs, still glancing over her shoulder. "They're abominations. It's a shame really. The tiny one is kind of cute."

Alice hisses, as does Rosalie, but the family has stopped pounding and instead moved closer to one another and way from the flames. Hope sniffles. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because they made you happy." The woman then glances back down at Hope, her gaze hardening. "And no Mikaelson deserves the chance at happiness. Not after what your father did."

"My father is dead!" Hope grits out. "He had changed. It wasn't his fault you witches kept coming after his family. He only did what he had to do to protect us."

"Yes, well now we intend to end it once and for all. You're a threat to our way of life."

"Screw your way of life."

"Hope!" She glances towards the Cullen's once more, catching Alice's gaze. "You can do it. Concentrate."

Hope doesn't know what she's supposed to concentrate on, and all she knows is that she's hurt and royally pissed off. Her eyes slip shut and she focuses on breathing.

How dare these witches come after her and the Cullen's when they've done nothing wrong. How dare they call the vampires abominations when witches themselves were an anomaly and not what nature intended either. How dare they think that she, Hope Mikaelson, could be taken down so easily.

Eyes snapping open, Hope momentarily relishes in the gasp that leaves the witch's mouth. She knows her eyes are blazing yellow and she meets the gaze of the shocked witch. "Patere." The witch hovering over her is forcefully thrown away, and with a grunt Hope pulls on her wrists and dislodges the stakes from the ground. She quickly pulls them out, letting the wounds heal as she climbs to her feet.

Hope carefully makes her way towards the Cullen's where the witches are still chanting, she stopping and holding her own hands aloft at her side. Breathing deeply, she concentrates on every witch trying to harm her friends, and then jerks her wrist. There are audible snaps before the witches collapse.

"Adiuuatur." The flames dissolve, and then with a wave her hand the barrier vanishes. Emmett is immediately at her side against Edward and Jasper's warning, but he's gentle with her as he checks her neck and wrists. "It's fine. They healed as soon as the stakes were removed."

The rest of his family gather around and it's Jasper who voices what's on everyone's mind. "Your blood doesn't- it's not tempting us."

"Well I should hope not," Hope muses and then grunts when Emmett suddenly engulfs her in his arms. "I'm a hybrid. Vampire or werewolf blood should not be appetizing to you."

"Huh. Well that's good to know."

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Esme suddenly muses. "What they did was unbelievably violent."

Hope winces, she patting Emmett's sides so he'd let up. He does, but she ends up being tucked under his arm and against his side. She sighs. "I'm good, Esme. Doing magic under duress is just tiresome." The motherly vampire nods along in sympathy. "And I'm sorry about the mess. I don't usually.. kill, but they threatened you and your family. I couldn't let it slide. Where there's one wave, there's bound to be another."

The Cullen's glance around at the dead witches, some glaring that they'd gotten the drop on them and others shrugging as if it were no big deal.

"I'm sorry to have put you on their radar, but I need to speak with Freya. Just for being associated with us, our enemies have now become your enemies." Hope's shoulders droop and she hastily wipes the tears from her eyes. "I should just- I should go. I never should have gotten so comfortable here."

Emmett growls and holds tight as Hope tries to leave. Edward and Jasper both glance at him, realization dawning in their expressions several moments later as Hope frowns up at Emmett who can't quite meet her gaze.

"She's your mate. Isn't she?" Jasper says.

Hope gives Jasper a double take, her eyes narrowing as Edward slowly smirks. She then looks up at Emmett who appears momentarily panicked, his expression then smoothing out into something far too pleased at the knowledge. "Excuse me?"

"How did I not realize this sooner?" Emmett then gently cradles Hope's face in his hands, he staring down at her in awe. Her mouth opens to reply, but then Emmett's hugging her again and her face is pressed into his chest.

Turning so it's her cheek pressed against his solid frame instead of her face and nose, Hope sighs and rolls her eyes. "You can't just hug me and think everything's okay." The rest of his family adopt wary expressions and Hope huffs a laugh as she wraps her arms loosely around his waist. "We're so going to have to talk about this. Later though. I really need to talk to Freya and you guys have bodies to bury.. or burn. Whatever is good with you."

Rosalie breaks the awkward atmosphere by groaning, she then stomping over to the first body. "You owe me, Mikaelson. I wanna be the first to test out the sunlight ring if Freya ever figures out how to make it work for our kind."

"Deal." The squeezing Emmett, she asks, "Can you run me back home?"

"As if you even had to ask."

Emmett's quick to scoop Hope up in his arms, he then vanishing from sight within the blink of an eye.

"How did we not pick up on that sooner?" Jasper suddenly muses. "They've been practically joined at the hip since her first day here."

"I don't care." Alice beams, giggling as she skips over to pick up a dead witch. "I'm just happy to finally have another sister!"

Rosalie huffs. "At least we like this one. That one human who keeps staring at Edward is getting on my last nerve."

"You're just jealous because it's Edward she's set her sights on and the two of you have that weird thing going on," Jasper muses. "Just get married all ready."

Rosalie glares at her twin, she then grumbling as she picks up another body. Edward sighs, punching his brother in the arm. "Thanks for that. She's going to take her anger out on me now."

Jasper waggles his eyebrows. "You're welcome."

- X - X - X -

Emmett drops off Hope in her back yard, she then running up to the door and throwing it open. Freya startles, but taking in her bloodied niece and the simmering anger practically wafting off of Emmett puts her on alert. Not even their joined hands is enough to distract her. "What happened?"

"Witches."

"Dead witches," Emmett then grumbles.

Hope slowly exhales. Then looking up at Emmett, she squeezes his hand. "Hey. Go hunt," she tells him. "Take some time to calm down while I fill in Freya."

"But-"

"No buts." He frowns, but gives her a terse nod. Bending down he quickly presses a chaste kiss to her forehead and then disappears. Hope grins.

"That's new."

"Tell me about it. Apparently Cold Ones have mates and I'm his. We only just figured it out." Freya's oddly quiet, but when Hope glances at her aunt she sees that her aunt is fighting off a smile. "Don't. Me and him are going to talk about it later. Right now we have a bigger problem."

Slowly Freya collects herself, she then putting away the herbs she's been sorting on the table. "Right. Tell me everything."

- X - X - X -

Keelin had been given the rest of the day off after Carlisle had been filled in on what was going on, and Hope filled her aunts in on everything. They were a little worried about witches still targeting them after a year of peace, but they promised Hope not to worry about it and that they'd contact Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, and Davina to look into what was going on now.

Hope was still feeling a little wary, but Freya sent her up to shower the blood off and change. She did and then when she went back downstairs she figured she'd find her aunts still discussing the problem at hand. Instead they're discussing Hope.. and her apparent future with Emmett.

"So," Keelin grins from her seat at the table, stirring her hot chocolate, "Emmett, huh? Nice."

"Nope. No. We're not talking about this," she nervously laughs. Hope pulls open the fridge and pulls out a container of apple juice. Pouring herself a glass, she waves off both her aunt's knowing gazes. "Emmett will be stopping by in a bit. We're gonna talk and only talk. I might go on a run afterward so don't freak if my room is empty."

"Sure. Keep the door open!" Freya calls after her.

Choking on her juice, Hope glares over her shoulder at her giggling aunts.

Upstairs in her room, Hope shuts the door and then shoots off a quick text to Emmett. As she waits for him, she finds a stick of sage and lights it, blowing out the flame and smiling as the plumes of smoke waft upward. Sipping her juice she then sets it down in a bowl and turns around, a yelp escaping her mouth at the sight of Emmett casually leaning against the headboard of her bed.

"Dammit, Emmett. I'm gonna spell our yard to alert us when you're lurking if you don't start making noises." She glances down at the floor and then her shirt, making sure she didn't spill her drink. "Oh good. No spillage."

"So what's the verdict? Do I get to defend my mate's honor? And what's with the smoke?"

"No fighting. Yet," she says, making her way towards the bed and gingerly sitting next to him. "And the burning sage is for a privacy spell. Freya and Keelin are a little too invested in our new relationship status, and I have to ruin their fun somehow."

"Killjoy." Hope chuckles and settles against her own headboard, she sipping her juice one last time before setting the glass aside. Settling in, she faces Emmett and he grins. "So it's like this, huh? No weirdness? No crying? No denial?"

"Do you want me to reject you, Em?" She muses. "Playing hard to get seems exhausting. I rather just-" Her words are cut off as Emmett leans in, his lips capturing hers. She laughs against his mouth, trying to properly return his kiss, but not being able to do so as her laughter gets the best of her.

"Seriously?" Emmett pouts.

"I'm sorry." Hope giggles some more, biting the bottom corner of her lip. "You just.. surprised me with your enthusiasm."

If Emmett could blush, there was no doubt he'd be doing so now. "My bad. I've just been wanting to do that for a while."

"Yeah?" Hope's eyes sparkle as she smiles. "Well in that case.." She leans in, stopping just shy of pressing her lips to his. "Then you can wait just a little while longer." Emmett groans. "I need to run and burn off some energy. Run with me?"

"As if you even had to ask."

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