#just means that they were confusingly placed! so. sorry about that! i hope the flow of the panels isnt too bad | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eunoiaflow3r · 3 years

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not ur friend

spencer reid x reader

aaron hotchner x reader

part two - part three

a/n: haven’t written for spence in a while lol. hope you guys like it. wow...and i wrote him as an ass. bahahaha what am i going through i’m so sorry.

warning(s): language. angst. not proofread. will be mistakes.

word count: 1.8k

request(ed): no.

summary: y/n overhears something she shouldn’t have. this conversation alters her relationship.

not ur friend by jeremy zucker.

———————-——————&————————————

Hang up, if you ever think of calling me up. Not afraid to say it, darling.

3 days.

It’s been an entire weekend of you ignoring Spencer and his ever intruding phone calls. This wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the fact that this felt like a breakup. Your head and heart was treating this like you were in a relationship and he made it painfully clear that you weren’t.

It was quiet in your apartment. The television was off, the radio was silent, the heater had paused and even the refrigerator wasn’t making the usual silent buzz noise it made. The deafness of it all allowed the conversation you heard friday night play over and over again through your ached head.

Friday 11:37 pm.

“So Reid...” you picked up your phone when it rang and read Spencer’s name across the screen. It wasn’t like him to call so late but you picked up anyway. When it was a muffled Morgan’s voice you heard instead of Spencer’s you realized he hadn’t even meant to call you at all.

“How’s your girlfriend?”

You just knew all eyes were on him. Spencer Reid was very private about his social life. It was rare he even told you about anything he’d been up to. He just wasn’t one for small talk. The fact that you just knew they were talking about you made you press your phone harder into your ear even though you weren’t even sure you should have been listening.

“Oh y/n? Yeah she’s definitely not my girlfriend.”

This stung. There wasn’t even a label or anything that you guys put on it, but usually when Spencer would talk about his romantic relationships he’d get nervous and stuttery and try to change the subject. Spencer’s voice was clear and steady. Zero hints of nervousness and bashfulness. He was serious.

“Really?” This was Emily now, you could recognize her voice. “You guys seem like pretty close friends if you know what I mean.” Her tone was laced with humor but Spencer’s was far from joking.

“No. I wouldn’t call us friends either. She’s just someone I visit. Like y’know...how you would a grandmother.”

A grandmother? He compared you to a grandmother? He said visiting you was like visiting a grandmother?? You could feel the tears in your eyes. You really thought Spencer was a good guy. Why would he say something so rude? Something so hurtful about the person he was sleeping with.

It wasn’t a friends with benefits. You guys had agreed on that, but you weren’t dating either. You had met him at a museum and ever since then you two had behaved as if a couple would. The only difference was that you weren’t public. You weren’t posting pictures, or gushing over how cute you thought your “boyfriend” was to your friends. And you were fine with that. Labels are constricting. You were glad not to have them except when he decided to say he barely knew you at all and compared you to a grandmother.

“Damn.” Morgan sounded impressed. “Does she know that?”

“Maybe.” Spencer paused. “There’s nothing really romantic about our relationship. To be honest, she can be a bit needy at times and it’s suffocating.”

He paused again.

“I’m actually thinking of breaking things off. She wants more and I just don’t like her that way.”

Sorry, I'm not sorry if it hurts. I don’t mean to make it worse.

This is where you hung up. Your tears never stopped flowing. How dare he? How dare he say you were needy and suffocating? You rarely asked him for anything, and didn’t bother him with things at all. You knew he was a busy person. A busy and hardworking person. You never tried to ask him for more than he was willing to give. Ever. It hurt your heart to think he was playing you the whole time.

It hurt to think that all the “I adore you’s” and “I think I’m in love with you’s” were all fake. You were pretty sure with the way things were headed that you and Spencer would have much more than just a relationship. Much more than sex and cuddles. But a meaning - an understanding.

Spencer was your comfort. Your safe place. The person you’d go to if you were hurting, or in trouble. You were his. Countless times he came to your house and cried to you about the stress from his job. He’d hold you and tell you all about his day and what more he wished he could have done.

You’d buy him his favorite food and he’d cuddle you to sleep only to wake you up in the morning with kisses and great morning sex. To hear all of that meant basically nothing to him tore your heart to pieces.

It made you want to throw up. Had you wasted your time? Had he felt this way the entire time and you just never noticed because you hoped he felt the same? Were there signs that you missed? Something you could have done to prevent yourself from falling this hard for someone who didn’t care?

But you thought he cared.

Spencer was the most caring, empathetic person you’d ever met in your life. He was so understanding in a way no one could ever get.

I've decided that I'm not your fucking friend.

This is why you thought that maybe this is why he tried to hide you. Maybe he just was afraid of his friends not liking you, or afraid of someone from where he worked would try to hurt you. You prayed this was the case. You hoped and cried that this was the reason he’d ever let those words leave his mouth.

The reason you couldn’t believe this though is something understandable.

He had never, ever, called you anything other than his friend, and never wanted to go out.

He told you it was because he was protecting you, but he never wanted to even meet your friends. And when you talked about a guy or introduced him to one, he’d get upset and say something like, “Yeah well he seems perfect for you anyway. Not like we’re a thing - do what you want.”

And your brain tried to rationalize this as protection. The more you thought about it the more the other part of your brain screamed manipulation. You tried to ignore it but is that what was happening? Had he been manipulating you the entire time and you just never knew it?

If he was protecting you he wouldn’t call you needy. He wouldn’t not even bother to look at your friends. He wouldn’t feel the need to hide you from the entire world and lie about it in such a - douchebag way.

This hurt you though. His team can call out a liar faster than anyone and they would have said something if they thought he was lying. They would have defended you. The wouldn’t have egged him away and joked about you like you were some embarrassing one night stand.

You expected respect and decency and got dishonesty and asshole attitudes instead.

After the weekend of pitying yourself you realized you needed to stop. This wasn’t your fault. He has issues of his own. Issues he needs to work out and come to terms with on his own. Why should you feel anything for a man trying to hide you? Lying to you? Lying to his friends ABOUT you. Reassuring yourself helped but didn’t help the ache in your heart.

Were you ready for this? Were you ready to throw it all away? After all it could just be a misunderstanding. A misinterpretation. It could be your fault. Maybe you were clingy.

No.

No. Absolutely not. You weren’t going to try to defend his actions.

Right now, there's not much that we agree on. Sit down, if you need someone to lean on.

You called him.

“Hello?” he answered right away. “Where have you been are you okay? I was gonna come over and check.”

“Don’t come over.” You cleared your throat and blinked away tears.

“Then please come to mine. I have to talk to you, I missed you.”

He still has no idea. He doesn’t have a clue what you overheard on the phone. All the pieces of the puzzle you put together. All that you’ve realized in the past 3 days.

You rolled your eyes. Any other day you’d think his obliviousness was adorable but right now it only made you want to punch him in his stomach for lying to you and wasting your time.

“I’ll be over to give you your things.”

And you hung up.

That was so hard for you to do and you had hot wet tears running down your face to prove it. No matter how many times you tried to brush them away they just kept on going down.

Fuck him.

A shower and a change of clothes later you were finally ready to see him.

Honest, if I'm coming to your place, it's to say it to your face...

In your car you tried to talk yourself out of it. You told yourself to just forget the phone call over happened and just go back to the way things were. At least you here happy then...at least...sort of. You were okay. You were happy with him. The time you spent with him was enjoyable but you were tired of being his therapist. You were tired of being his dirty mistress. You didn’t want to be lied to or lied about. You were over it.

When you got there he rushed you in the house and looked down at you confusingly.

You had never been inside his place. The only time you were ever really here was when you were inside waiting in the car so that he could change his shirt.

“I thought you were coming tomorrow?”

“I came now to give you your things.”

“JJ will be here soon, you should probably leave. Why did you bring this stuff?”

“They’re yours. They shouldn’t be at my place.”

He looked confused but took the box from your hands anyway.

“I’m leaving.” You simply said and turned towards the door. The sooner you were out the better.

“Can I at least have a kiss?” Spencer asked in the cute voice he knew you liked.

You closed your eyes. “Sorry Reid, but no. I don’t want to seem needy or suffocating, ya’know? Makes it easier to break things off.”

Color drained from his face as he realized what you were talking about. He couldn’t even come up with an excuse other than a - “No, baby I -“

You put your palm in the air facing him telling him to stop.

“It’s okay. I was just someone you visited...like a grandmother. You shouldn’t miss me too much. We’re not even friends, right?”

You walked out of the house.

You walked out on him. Your heart was beating out of your chest. He was always the one to leave. He was always the one to say goodbye.

I've decided that I'm not your fucking friend.

—————————————-#————————————

taglist: @hotchsbabygirl @pinkdiamond1016 @thefemalestorywriter @sizzlingclamturtlesludge @samyilf123

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allthingshetalia · 4 years

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(couldn't fit everything in two asks, sorry) so how would Germany, Prussia, England, Romano and Russia react to their s/o in such distress? What advice would they give her? I am so sorry this spread to three asks, you don't have to respond. I hope you are staying safe and that you and your loved ones go through this difficult time without any problems. ❤️

💕thank you bby and I’m sorry you have to go through that💕

England

“Love.” You heard your boyfriend call from the other side of the door. You curled yourself into a tighter ball and cuddled against the mattress. The sheets slightly smelled like him causing you a small smile to unwillingly press against your lips. The door creaked open causing you to jump. Pushing your face out of the blanket burrito you stared up as your boyfriends face came into your view. “Oh my poor lovely.” He murmured quickly dashing his thumb across your cheek. You didn’t unroll yourself from your burrito as he laid down next to you and pulled your overly cushioned form against his.

“She was my best friend and now I lost her.” You sobbed. He rocked you back and fourth lightly creating a soothing tempo.

“She’ll come around love. All relationships have rocky points. Hell, I am a perfect example of that. I mean look at my relationship with America.”

You giggled softly as your last memory of the American coming to visit you both flashed through your mind.

“Thank you Artie.” You murmured pressing yourself deeper into him.

Russia

“How could she do that to you?” The large Russian under you grumbled. He pressed your head against his lower stomach and ran his large hand through your hair. Your arms tightened around his lower back as you wiped your drying tears against him.

“It was my fault! I should’ve paid more attention to her.” He hushed you softly and pulled your body up so your head was pressed against his neck.

“Well if she was really your friend she would have understood and she wouldn’t have let you feel as crappy as you do now.” He mumbled holding you tighter against him. You heard his heart rate pick up and you knew he was probably was nervous about your response to his bold statement. Bringing your hand up you smacked his shoulder softly.

“I made her feel bad way more than she has me.” You hummed. “Maybe this is my Karma.” You wondered out loud.

“It will get better my little doe. You two are best friends one fight isn’t going to destroy that.” You smiled against his neck as his voice softened.

Your cellphone ringing caught your attention from your bedside table. Picking it up hope flowed up your spine as you saw your best friends caller ID and stupid photo take over the screen.

“Told you.” He chuckled from under you.

Germany

Your water bottle made sounds of distress as you squeezed it and drank greedily. You felt your boyfriend’s hand rest on your lower back silently telling you to slow down. Removing the nozzle from your mouth you breathed in deeply making your lungs dance as the much needed air filled them.

Sighing softly you walked over the grassy field and plopped down on the ground. Laying with your back flat against the ground you looked up at your boyfriend who took his place next to you.

“Feel any better?” He asked. He was still trying to catch his breath seeing as the both of you just finished running. Rolling over you threw your leg over his waist and pressed your head against his shoulder. The park was bare so you didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing you.

You shrugged in response to his question and turned your head so it was still on his shoulder but you were looking at the blue clouded sky. Both of your heavy breathing slowed down as you soaked in the sun that would peak out of the clouds every so often.

“Kätzchen, you two have been best friends for ever. I mean in order to date you I had to answer her 5 page questionnaire to see if I was worthy of you.” Both of you laughed at the memory. “I may not be the best at friendships but I do know when two people are meant to stick together. This is just a bump in the road.” He assured. His large hand came up and pressed you closer to him.

Prussia

“You’re too awesome to leave! Don’t worry about it too much.” Your boyfriend shushed as you balled your eyes out into his chest.

“But I hurt her! Why would she take me back?” You questioned. You heard him sigh an felt even worse for putting him through this. He wasn’t the best at verbal assurance after all. You hugged him tighter silently apologizing.

Pressing a soft kiss against your head he stood up with you still in his arms and made his way to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. He came home and found you having a panic attack in the bathroom. He didn’t hesitate to pull you against him and try his best to ease whatever pain you felt.

“I know I’m not the best at this type of thing but everything will work out, princess. It may not fix itself today or tomorrow but it will eventually. Just give her some space, but make sure she knows you are there for her.” Gilbert said. His tone was a little nervous like he was afraid he would say something that would make you cry again. His words still calmed you down and cleared your head slightly. Nodding your head against his chest you leaned up and pressed a light kiss against his cheek before mumbling a small “thanks gil.”

Romano

“The nerve of that bitch!” Lovino growled passionately. Your eyes widened and you quickly shook your head.

“It was my fault Lovi!” You yelled back snapping him out of his loathing trance. He looked at you confusingly. He had just come home to find you crying in front of the TV and he quickly asked you what was wrong. You were only able to get out that you and your best friend got in a fight. He must have automatically assumed it was her fault. You explained to him in depth what happened and his accusing glare softened.

“I’m sorry I said that princess.” He mumbled against your head. You nodded and curled yourself closer to him. “It isn’t fully your fault though.” He continued. “Both of you are being little shits.” He smiled down at you. You looked back up at him but couldn’t help the small smile that spread across your face.

“Come on when was the last time you ate? I’ll make you my world famous pizza and then we can have a poetry slam in the living room and get out all of our negative feelings.” He half chuckled.

#aph hetalia #germany hetalia #england hetalia #russiahetalia #prussia hetalia #romano hetali #allthingshetalia #hetalia #hetalia blog #hetalia imagine blog #hetalia x reade #england x reader #russia x reader #germany x reader #prussia x reader #romano x reader #x reader #hetalia x reader

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hoopdiddies · 5 years

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I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 10)

A/N: I am so sorry that I have not been on for a full week. The phone I had used to edit this in broke and I had to buy a new one plus this is the last chapter and apparently the longest, regardless of my recent claims of the previous ones being the longest lmao. I hope this won't disappoint, I couldn't think of a more consistent flow due to the days I've been without my phone to type some ideas in. I hope you guys will enjoy this last part anyway, and thank you so much for supporting this entire series! I have a new series in mind but it's a WIP. Thanks again for all the love! IMPORTANT NOTE: I WILL BE CUTTING A PART IN THIS CHAPTER AND PUTTING IT UNDER A PART 10.1 IMMEDIATELY AFTER I POST THIS FOR THE SAKE OF THE LIMIT. TAGS WILL BE MENTIONED IN THE COMMENTS

Summary for this part: A wedding brought you apart and it will be a wedding that will bring you back together.

Warnings: A good balance of fluff and angst, mention of injuries and alcohol and some long ass writing.

WC: A whopping 10k

Parts: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

You are painfully a feet away from the door and yet here you are, frozen after having turned 180 degrees only to stumble upon those eyes you had hoped to gaze into again. One swallow from you and you begin gliding along the tiled surface towards him, checking through every pad whether or not he's really awake.

After stopping at his side, you are now certain you're not anywhere close to dreaming. "Ben?" His name leaving your lips like an answered prayer. He's staring back at you with his left eye half-open – taking into account his current sensitivity to light– but with the same energy he exudes everytime you're together.

His chapped lips curl into a smile so slow yet so sweet at the same time; almost an upgrade to his classic 'Benny beam' which you had fun dubbing back in the days. "Y/N..."

And once again, you disrupt the orderly function of your tears and let them gush down, quickly but carefully wrapping your arms around him in bittersweet joy, exclaiming his name thrice into his hospital gown. "You...you bloody idiot! I thought you'd never wake up..."

Having just woken up from a coma, his voice comes out extra breathy and brittle but full of life, chuckling at how you're greeting him back into the conscious world. "Is that...is that how you welcome your best mate back?"

You shake your head ardently, sniffling against his chest and taking in the scent of mint. "Shut up. You frightened us!"

He really wakes up seconds before the clock strikes 'it's too late'. The convenience is hardly believable.

"I'm gonna call the doctor and tell him you're up." You act swiftly on your feet but a grip as strong as you least expected it to be hinders you from taking a step away and you turn around at Ben who's woven his fingers around yours. You give him a concerned yet quizzical look for it.

He sighs deeply, closing his logy eyes for a brief moment before opening them to you– gazing up at you meaningfully as he draws you close with the little, physical strength he has left. "You frightened me, rather."

"What... are you talking about?"

You won't admit it now but the way his fingers are currently snaked around yours could make your heart palpitate any second now.

His green eyes bore into yours effectively, suddenly invalidating your surroundings and making it seem like it's just you and him on the face of the entire planet.

He struggles to swallow before repeating. "You frightened me. You're still leaving..."

His voice crack as he said 'leaving' obliterates the fragments of what was once your soul, punching a gaping hole as a replacement. How is he able to remember your emotional outburst at the after party when he has just woken up and should at least forget a few details?

But then you realize you've been talking to him a lot as he was out of order.

You nod unfortunately, laying your hand on his which is still fondling your other one. His skin has warmed up a notch and that's a progress. You need to clarify this to him again since the last time you did, you both ended up in disarray and in the middle of the road.

"I...I've already told you everything."

"I don't wanna- I don't wanna lose you."

"Ben..." You cut off as your hopeless gazes meet like lightning, his irises darkening at the manner in which your eyes have transfixed on his.

"Please..."

Worried that his stable condition might shift due to the rising agitation he's showing, you sit beside him and bring his knuckles up to your lips, hearing the beeping of the heart monitor quicken which sounds incredibly alarming, an indication that his heart rate has elevated due to his induced stress.

You press your lips into his pale knuckles with your eyes thoroughly shut hoping to soothe him through it, tears trickling from your cheeks and onto the back of his hand as you choke on your words. "Ben...come on. You know I can't stay, you have to understand that."

He slowly shakes his head, biting his bottom lip as he grimaces at the bitterness, softly but agonizingly begging for you to reconsider. "You have to. Please, love. I need you to. I want you to."

Do the short term effects include stubbornness? Cause he's really determined to get you to stay no matter what. Joe must be tortured with waiting by now and at any given moment, he's bound to consider barging in.

You kind of hope he would. God, you should be out there notifying his attending physician about his regained consciousness and for goodness sake, Rosy ought to be here for this. She can't just wander out whenever she likes when her fiance's an injured man struggling to recover.

While keeping his trembling knuckles close to your lips, you move closer and question him, your voice downsizing to an unsteady whisper. "Why? Ben, I'm leaving primarily to pursue a career. Not just because of some heartbreak, this is a dream come true. I'm finally a stair close to reaching it. Why aren't you at least happy for me?"

"I am..."

"Then you have to let me go."

"It's not that easy..."

"Do you think it's any more easier for me? No! But this is what must be and you have to trust me on this," it's as if your heart is in your mouth from feeling so harrowed by all of this, but you have to make him see that this is the only way and that it is also important that you leave, "I'm sorry if I said some things that night that weren't exactly the way I felt. But I have to leave. You're getting married to Rosy soon, you know. Don't worry about me..."

He wishes he could just sit up with ease and cage you in his arms but all his incapacities at the moment are inhibiting him from doing so. Knowing he can't do anything about it emotionally deflates him.

He withdraws his hand a little and presses it to your flushed cheek, kneading your delicate skin as he shakes his head gently to prevent the dressing around his head from becoming less taut.

"I think I know well enough who I want to marry now..."

You can't distinguish what present beating has accelerated; the heart monitor's, your own heart, or at best both. But you're sure as hell his words weren't a product of your own imagination, your eyes drifting from one of his orbs to the other in a daze, looking for any sign that would prove that it's not you he's directed it at but it does otherwise.

"What are you saying?"

The skin of the front of his neck moves along as he swallows dryly to assure you the realness of his words, his thumb traveling up your face to wipe the moist corner of your eye. "I'm a bloody wanker for taking so long to see...that you're the one who has always kept me grounded, who has always made me feel more like myself. Even as far as making me feel like I don't need all this fame to lead a good life, " his breath shortens between each sentence and your jaw goes slack as he exploits the atmosphere to continue, eyes buried deep into yours as if the space in between doesn't even matter anymore.

"I'm an idiot...for not realising sooner that it's always been you."

"Ben-"

"I love you too, Y/N L/N, more than the way I used to. How could I ever be happy without you? We promised neither of us is going anywhere, right? "

Definitely not in the context of mere friendship. For a moment, you make it your quest to find your voice to react and you do.

"You can't. You can't- I mean, what about Rosy? Surely your feelings for her wouldn't just go away like that-"

"It's been doused for so long with the ones for you growing," he's thumb is now gingerly stroking circles on your cheek, the green in his eyes gleaming, "that dance at the after party put me in my place and I asked you if you were still coming to my wedding because...it was my way of telling you how I felt at that moment."

Despite the idea coming off a little incoherent, you immediately get the bottom line. It would've been like coming to your own wedding. You study his gaze confusingly before coming to believe that he actually does love you back in the way you always have.

The words have been built up from the moment he whipped out his share of the polaroid and reestablished his promise as the way he felt towards you took a dramatic turn.

Yet no matter how badly you want to stay and finally work some things out with him, he's engaged and you're leaving in 45 minutes.

And what of Rosy? Hopefully Ben wouldn't think of just fragmenting her like that.

Your deafening silence puts Ben under a heap of worry as he painfully anticipates for your reaction. You shake your head at the unlikelihood of your present situations, bringing your eyes shut as you respond in the only way you can without any words needed to express how sorry you are and how much you've waited for him to say it.

Against your better judgement, you lean your body towards him and catch him off guard with the most bittersweet, goodbye kiss anyone could ever exercise on a moment's notice.

You can tell his positive response with how rapid the heart monitor pulses are becoming and how his lips have begun moving passionately against yours.

His eyes flutter shut in return, tangling his fingers in your hair as he dares to deepen the kiss, eager to feel every inch of your lips as he knows that you still won't be staying after this.

Wait for me to come home...

You pull away catching your breaths as you rest your forehead on his, his hand stroking the back of your hair for the little time you have left in your hands.

This feels so wrong yet so right at the same time. Howbeit strong the desire to stay put, you break away before the spark between either of you becomes magnetizing enough to change your mind.

"Please tell me where you're going...please." He pleads yet you refuse to tell him where you're headed to avoid a fuss, shaking your head apologetically with the space between you both increasing.

"I'm so sorry." You whisper, retreating quickly to the door as you ignore his broken pleas and just in time to be welcomed by the doctor, Rosy and some nurses who are here to conduct another assessment. Your pulse picks up at the sight of an uneasy Rosy along with an extra glimpse of a tuft of red and a head of blonde hair overtopping from behind her, eager to check up on whatever is occurring.

Joe and Lucy.

You clear your throat as you utter quickly to the doctor, unable to set your gaze steady. "He's awake." Your update stirs them to hasten on their steps inwards and you don't bother to stop to give Rosy a glance as she brushes by you, with you feeling the slightest, if not an immense amount of guilt for kissing her fiance– your best friend, who now has to make a troubling choice in choosing between you and her. Most importantly, you wouldn't dare to contend with Rosy over this, you'd rather let it happen naturally and see where it would lead but that's the least of your priorities.

You've whizzed a meter past Joe and Lucy but freeze in your spot at Joe's frail call of your name, your shoulders relaxing after a brief pause. "Y/N...how did- how did it go?"

You remain static in your spot, just wanting to leave the building and basically see past everything.

"Let's just go."

Of course he and Lucy half expected your last conversation to be balanced on a scale of nonchalant to vehement but it went off the boundary of vehemence. With one more look at the closed door, the two catch up with you on your way out with a plan on revisiting Ben on their way back from the airport.

You lengthen the sleeve of your sweater and dab your eyes with it, striding towards the car and slipping into passenger's seat gracefully with the two trailing from behind. Once they climb in after you, they begin bombarding you with questions you'd expect them to drop but being so exhausted from all of drama just lessens your likelihood of elaborating your answers. With a few questions dismissed, you ask Joe to just step on it and he complies sadly.

Lucy gives you a sympathetic, lopsided smile and however stagnant your expression is at the moment, you return the favor as the car accelerates on the road ahead.

You bother to give the distancing hospital one last look; giving him one last look.

At the same time the doctors are asking Ben some questions and performing a few physical tests on him, you make it to the airport with some time to spare. Joe and Lucy accompany you into the waiting area agreeing to stick around just until your flight number is announced.

Propping your luggage bag against a vacant seat next to the ones Joe and Lucy are seated on, you dig through your pocket and pull your phone out to check if there are any calls you've slept on. So far nothing of the sort but a dozen texts from friends and acquaintances wishing you the best on your flight to Spain, though you still have to return to London to collect your essentials.

Their words coax a small smile on your lips and after pressing the button to your home screen, the wallpaper brings a small tear to your eye– you and Ben with your arms wrapped around each other beaming goofily at the shutter of the camera.

In this instance, you begin wondering why photos and pictures

have become such a recurring emblem in your friendship. Joe and Lucy notice the sadness spring out of your eyes and cloud your features as you gaze one last time at your phone, and they instantly figure out what you were looking at. Lucy gets up and turns you around softly by the shoulder, prompting you to talk it out to them prior to leaving. If it unloads the stresses you're under then you agree to it, telling them what went on inside the room not too long ago.

Upon mentioning the bit where Ben confessed to you and was insistent on not letting you leave, Joe breathes out a firm, "I knew it" and Lucy shakes her head incredulously at Ben's 'perfect' timing but overall they're both glad he's opened his eyes– in a metaphorical and physical sense– to the person who has always been worthy of that spot in his life. As your conversation comes to a close, the announcement of the boarding of your flight number limits your bittersweet goodbyes however you do promise that you'll call them as soon as you touchdown.

"You better do well out there! Don't forget to call us every once in a while. Or everyday, damn it!" Joe calls out after blowing multiple kisses to you, he and Lucy bidding you an effective farewell. You wave back at them with a reassuring grin before disappearing into the crowd of bustling passengers, huffing sadly underneath your breath as you trail your finger smoothly across your bottom lip– where Ben had left his precious, goodbye mark for you. Something you ought to hold on to dearly for the moments you'll be missing out on.

Many months later

During your first day in the University of Barcelona, you could've sworn it was all but a dream and at any given moment you could've awakened; but it wasn't. It was right before your eyes and you were standing upon the solid concrete that held those opportunities. In the first days you were but a foreigner; merely wandering around the campus with your textbooks in hand making your journey to the lab and cafeteria a noble quest. Like your life depended on finding your way through every twist and turn on a day to day basis, asking fellow students where particular rooms were as you struggled to maintain good eye contact.

It was an everyday uphill battle for everyone.

However things have improved immensely in the following months, you have gained new friends in most of your classes, developed a good sense of direction around the campus and you've scored solid 90's in your classes which you thought would be bumpy the first time but attainable anyway through nights spent with ounces of coffee, extensive reading and episodes of academic agony.

Despite the pressures in your first year, you still keep in touch with your friends and family back home, especially with Joe and Lucy to whom you had once swore to always call. They're glad to know you've been at your peak in the past few months plus they wouldn't stop making a fuss about how much they miss you and long to have some sort of reunion once you decide to go back for a break. They've been well too– Joe's planning on producing a new movie although he's not certain with the details yet, Gwilym has talked to you as well and he's thriving with new projects which you were quick to congratulate him on and Lucy - oh, darling Lucy- apparently Rami had taken her out of the country again and popped the question out of nowhere just two months after you left.

Of course, when she told you the news the hot brew you had nearly swallowed came spewing out of your mouth in surprise thereby catching the attention of the people you were with at that time. But that was out of happiness too, she's invited you to her wedding –a few months after breaking to you the news of her engagement– which is to take place two weeks from now, something you're unfortunately unsure of attending since you are steadfast on getting heaps of classwork done.

But you promised to update her if ever you found an opening on that week to squeeze in a flight.

"Aren't you coming with us? They're waiting downstairs and it's our only night off this week. " Ava, your roommate and closest friend among the others, asks as she slips on her cardigan, ready to leave for a night out. You've got a book propped up in front of you and you were just getting immersed in the lines you've taken your eyes off of. "Er, it's kind of a cold night out. You girls have fun anyway."

"You sure?"

You nod, flipping your pen in your fingers. "Just bring me home a smoothie while you're at it."

"Get your butt off the chair and do it yourself!" She whines as she throws a nearby ball of cotton at you and you giggle lightheartedly, wishing her and the girls good luck as she heads out, shutting the door behind her.

You're just relieved they can communicate fluently with you or you never would've gotten around the city easily. Just as you begin turning your attention back to your book, you suddenly lose the interest to continue and just close it for the night, picking your phone up and tossing yourself on the bed with a small jounce as you land.

You shift on your spot as you check through your messages, emails, some posts from friends and whatnot to pass the hour, eventually noticing a message from an unknown number sent just earlier today. Curiosity peaks in you and you don't think twice before clicking on it to read.

You've changed your number weeks prior anyway so it could be from someone you know whose phone number you haven't asked for yet.

Hey, Y/N.

I know this is out of the blue but it's been a while since I've heard from you and in all honesty I didn't even bother to contact you the first time out of the assumption that you might have busied yourself a lot and don't have the time to check your phone. But I've become so worried then that I had to decide to ask you how you're doing. How you're holding up wherever you are. If you're not overworking yourself since you tend to do that a lot. I know it's been months since we've last talked to each other but I just miss you. I miss seeing you, having those late night conversations that got you late in the morning for work, hanging out and your voice. I kind of want to call you but you might be occupied and I don't wanna be a bit of a bother.

I miss you so much, love. Every single day. I'm trying to distract myself with the new project I've taken but you're just impossible to sleep on. When will you ever be back?

Why does the tone of the message seem familiar?

You reread along the last lines and your heart comes to a stop at one word that gives away the possible identity of the sender.

The lingering silence in the room making it possible for you to hear the elevated throbbing of your heart. It's been a while since he's slipped into your mind and even until now, the love you have for him is still flourishing wholly. Even when you had your mind set on your studies, your heart unknowingly had some other priorities.

So has he called things off with Rosy because if he hasn't yet, the tone of the message wouldn't come off as sincere as this.

That's a question you don't need answered for the meantime however you wonder how he was able to text you when you've pretty much changed your number.

You hope he's fully recovered from that head trauma though it's been nearly a year since that happened. Your thumbs hover over the keyboard, thinking about replying.

Hey. Ben if this is you, it's great to hear from you again.

Your eyes dart to the send button, taking a brief pause before hitting it and discarding your phone to the side at least hoping he wouldn't respond immediately because then it would lead to a conversation that might just turn awkward.

Never have you had an awkward talk with him so it's something you wouldn't want to acquaint yourself with.

You grab your pillow and press your cheek against it in uncertainty.

"Don't even start...thinking about him." You mumble groggily into the pillow and lay flat on your back as you begin wallowing in your own doubt, your eyes becoming droopy at every second spent on staring at the pale ceiling with your right arm and leg thrown over the pillow like you're never gonna let it go.

You never even considered seeing someone else because deep down, you still hoped for him. Though you had exchanged some stares and 'interactive' words with a few guys in your classes, none of them ever came or would ever come close to Ben.

- - - - - - -

This week's lab work gave your brain a mild whiplash with all the hustling you were required to do.

Every morning, you either had breakfast or not and it all depended on how early you had to be there. Provided that you had to take off in the early hours, you had to skip a good bite nearly every morning; plus you were all being assessed closely by your professor and so a downshifted movement was every bit as unacceptable.

At least now that you had just gotten off from your last period you can reward yourself with some good Mediterannean food that should be the ultimate dinner of your night.

You and Ava are seated around a table laughing and enjoying each other's companies with your plates and glasses half-filled with leftovers after a quick chow down, but your attention is quickly divided as a text from Lucy surfaces. She's asked you about your availability next week and you ought to re-check your schedule for it. Once again upon pressing your home screen button you can't help but let a longing smile take form on your lips at your wallpaper and with you being oblivious to Ava noticing, to your demise, she takes a sly peek at what you're looking at and disrupt your train of thought.

"Who's that?" Ava asks with a cheeky grin to which you quickly recoil with your phone held loosely in your hand.

"Nothi- no-one. "

As nosy as she is tenacious, she swiftly

snatches your phone from your weak grip and dares to unlock it, the wallpaper of you and Ben making her swoon in delight. "Y/N, how on Earth did you get Ben Hardy to hold you for a photo like this?" Squealing like a schoolgirl, Ava grills you with an inquisitive look. You've never bothered to tell her or any of your new found friends anything about your friendship with him and so now she thinks you're a fan who merely got luck in her favour for a picture.

If only she knew.

"I don't know? How'd you know it's him?" You speak up your mind, a fleeting blush crawling its way to your face.

" Bohemian Rhapsody was a hit, of course. Queen rocks and I was all for it," she gesticulates as a matter of fact and winks playfully, "and later on we were all for the cutie who played Roger Taylor."

You try your very best not to let a single squeak of laughter escape your lips as she begins drooling over him. What are the chances of her finding out, right? You would tell her about it and have her meet him however your situation is too dire to act in. Come to think of it, you haven't received a reply to your reply to his message. He could be juggling a lot in his hands at the moment, perhaps.

"Cutie. Yeah, he's cute. But the guy seems clumsy enough to drop your heart." Here you are throwing a sportive shade all the way from Barcelona.

As if she's taken a fake offense at your comment, Ava overdoes a gasp. "Is that how you say thanks?"

You respond with a one-shoulder shrug, your voice neutral to keep yourself from giving away the screams of your heart. "I'm just saying. What are we doing next week by the way?"

"As I've been told by Mr. Gomez, the school will be hosting an array of meetings with the BOD and so we're given a time off."

You blink thrice at her. "Seriously? Like a week?"

She forks a tapa from her plate and bites down on it, nodding at you. "Three days max." So you don't have the entire week off, but that's great. Given that you had told Lucy you'd update her about your availability during that time and now that you have a few days to spare, you're conditioned to go. You quickly get up from your chair and excuse yourself from Ava, making your way to the terrace to dial Lucy who you hope is reachable at the meantime.

"Hello?"

"Lucy, hey!"

"Y/N, thank goodness you called!"

"About my weekly update?" You bite down on your lip in excitement, swinging your leg back and forth aimlessly.

"What about it?"

"I'm free next week."

- - - - - - -

"And cut! Okay everyone, lunch break. We're not cleaning up the rubble yet so we'll leave it there for the next scene." At the sound of the clapperboard slamming, all stunts have been ceased until the next roll and the main actors retreat individually to their own trailers, one of which is Ben who is walking back within beads of sweat dripping from his forehead as a result of a car stunt he had to perform on set. He's glad he can finally swing his left arm with unbridled ease after disposing of the sling just two months back although he's left with a few scars; the primary one on his forehead from the trauma he had.

A PA hands him a bottle of water and he thanks her for the save, cracking the lid off and chugging away. He waves at his fellow co-stars before entering his trailer and slipping out of his sweaty shirt, dumping it on the edge of the bed.

He places the bottle on a coffee table and swipes his phone from his drawer, being welcomed by a heap ton of messages, one days older than the next. He scratches his head at the result of his constant business; not being able to find time to reply thereby impregnating his inbox with miscellaneous messages.

Three from Lucy which he is 'obligated' to check first and foremost. Ben's lips twitch to an uneven smirk as he reads her messages, amused that he's been invited to her wedding, along with other people.

He replies with a simple yet sincere, "Thanks, I'll mark it on my calendar" before proceeding to put his phone down on the bed. He sighs, taking out his wallet from his drawer and opening it to pick out something, the dual polaroid he's folded in catching his eye and all of his attention; and for a moment, his heart stops.

He pulls it out from its slot and unfolds it, the tape used to stick it together crinkled but still an effective adhesive. Without taking his eyes off of the polaroids, he plops down on the edge of the bed and wipes his forehead, hiding the ridiculous smile he now has on his face behind his hand. The memory still does things to him apparently and he has never let go since the day you kissed him goodbye. He can still feel the touch of your lips linger on his and admittedly, he traces his finger across the spot every time you cross his mind. The things you had said to him while he was unconscious ultimately stuck in his mind and he just longs to hear your voice once more. There are multiple times he forgets that you're not around to vent to or watch a good game of rugby with or do whatever you used to do together, no matter the trouble.

Generally speaking, he just yearns to be with you.

On a side note, he had long called things off with Rosy, exactly a day after he had awakened. Of course, she didn't take it easy but he knew damn well who he loved.

A heavy sigh leaves Ben's lips as he lowers his head at the frustration he feels for never owning up to his feelings.

She probably has some other guy in her life now. What are my chances? He thinks dryly to himself. "Hey, Ben? Break is over." The assistant director knocks on his trailer door and he tells him that he'll be out in a few. Tucking the polaroids back into his wallet, he snags the fresh shirt that's been laid out on the sofa across him and pulls it on, combing his blond hair back with his fingers before heading out to get the day done without realizing that he has skipped your reply.

With the days leading up to Rami and Lucy's wedding, they have never been more busier about any other event in their entire lives. They've decided on a beach wedding and to hold the reception there as well. Lucy has made you one of her bridesmaids yet you declined at first because that would mean you would have to fly in early for a practice down the aisle but she's assured you that practice wouldn't be necessary. She has taken care of the dresses and such and all you need to do is just fly down to California, again, to attend. Speaking of dresses, you bought her a little wedding gift yourself. It's something small but it's bound to suit her look.

You've told Ava about the wedding– excluding essential details like whose wedding it is specifically– and she's a little disheartened that you wouldn't be around to hang out with for the week but you've reassured her that you won't be long; considering you'll also be reviewing for upcoming tests.

"Okay, so it's a beach wedding? Drastic times call for some drastic measures, chica!" She exclaims and throw her arms up in the air, springing out of her bed and rummaging through her wardrobe as you throw what you can into one, just one luggage bag.

She pulls out a black two-piece bikini from the drawers and upon beholding it, you feel your eyes burn to a crisp. "There won't be any swimming, as far as I'm concerned."

"You'll never know. Just toss this in, it might come in handy." You swear you saw a mischievous glint in her eye as she said that. You press your lips into a tentative, hard line before surrendering, grabbing the pair from her and stuffing it in the unreachable depths of your luggage.

"Happy?" She nods vigorously and you sigh in defeat, zipping your bag close.

The day came and the jet lag is still real. You've flown in a day prior, exactly the day of Lucy's bridal shower and well, a literal bone crushing hug welcomed you on your way into the arrival area. She looked really fresh and bloomy before you arrived but afterwards, it was a messy head of hair and a waste of makeup, not to give it a stretch but it was. She's shed a few tears from how long you've been gone and you couldn't help but shed a few yourself, awfully missing her and the rest.

She's prepped a hotel for all her bridesmaids to stay in and you had some thoughts on how much she's spent but it's her wedding so who are you to question? As she helps you settle in your room, she pauses and brings you in for another big hug.

"Aww, Luce." You chuckle over her shoulder, rubbing her back.

She snaps her eyes shut and hums. "Oh Y/N, I've missed you. We all have. I know we call a lot even from a distance but it's been so long since we've last seen each other."

You sigh heavily, still holding her close.

"LAX. Yeah. It's only been a year but it feels like forever," you pull away deliberately, hands still firm on her shoulders with a heartfelt gaze, "Congratulations, Luce. You and Rami better make wonderful babies."

She smacks your arm lightly as an appropriate response to your little tease. "Shut it. Tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah," she planks down on the edge of the duvet and crosses her legs, leaning her body forward, "how's Spain? How's the school? The agony? Been seeing someone?" The last bit catches you by surprise; as if she's emphasized the question enough for it to be the main thing you have to answer. You disregard it for a few seconds until she brings it up again. You turn to give her an incredulous brow lift, something she returns with a curious grin. "Are you seeing anyone?"

In your mind, she should know that you've only ever had one guy in your heart but knowing Lucy, she just wants to hear you say it yourself .

You huff underneath your breath, planting your hands on your hips as you perpend on saying the following. "Spain is amazing. School is both heaven and hell. The agony exists in every divot, and no, I'm not seeing anyone."

"That's good."

You glance sideways awkwardly. "Okay? Is what good?"

"Everything, except the agony part, especially the last."

"I'm not seeing anyone?" You repeat and she nods with a blossoming smile. You don't say anything else since it's obvious that she's keen on letting you talk about Ben but today's not the day that you do. It's the day before her wedding and every present air particle should be all about her.

"Regardless, Miss Boynton. This week is all about you so," you alter your stance and skip to your luggage bag, unzipping one compartment and pulling out your wedding gift for her, "it's not much but I figured this looks better if it's on you." You hand her the palm-sized object and she lets out a little gasp at what you got her. It's a hair comb adorned with two, white roses and pale rhinestones that glimmer under the spilling light.

Something that would upgrade her sun-kissed beauty on a clear day. You try it on her and step back to picture her with the full ensemble as she walks down the sandy aisle tomorrow. "Good lord, look at you all grown up." You pretend to tear up and she tilts her head back in a burst of laughter, walking to you with welcoming arms and green eyes that are nearly brimming with tears.

"Oh I love it, Y/N! I knew something was missing in the outfit but you've completed it. It's perfect." She mumbles happily against your shoulder and her contentment tickles your insides.

"I'm glad you like it."

After giving you a look of what you'll be wearing tomorrow and a few, friendly introductions to the rest of the bridesmaids, the bridal shower is where everything is at. Ranging from colorful streamers to champagne to cake strippers, the latter putting you under uneasy situations when you just wished to enjoy your drink and your own space. At the same hour you're enjoying yourselves, on the other side of town is where Rami and the boys are on full swing with his bachelor's party. It has the same vibe, only without the strippers and streamers and constant belly-aching movement.

You just pray none of you will be waking up with hangovers at the hour you'll be fixing yourselves.

And indeed none of you have.

You've all waken up like ladies but clumsily as the realization of the time nudges you out of your beds. Ceremony starts at 9 and you're 5 hours early to ensure that everything progresses smoothly.

It's a condensed hustle within your separate rooms; the pattern of getting ready ever so similar. Shower, makeup, hair, dress, and retouch; all done in complete unison. With all the bridesmaids, including yourself, conditioned outfit-wise, you all gather in Lucy's room to assist in psyching her up for the big day. Her mom's in too to witness every precious second of seeing her daughter fly off on her own.

She's still in her robe but her hair and makeup have been beautifully done by one of her makeup artist friends. She's about to step into her gown, a sight the girls are just dying to see.

"Alright, Lucy. Let me just zip up the back." Says one of the girls who has helped with her makeup as Lucy stands confidently but nervously in front of the mirror, scanning her reflection. You fold your hands together in anticipation, gasping as she turns around slowly with the skirt of the gown gracefully following her turning motion. Her radiance could put the sun's to complete shame.

"Well, say something, girls." She prompts with a chuckle and as expected, it is followed by the uproarious squeal of everyone in the room including yourself. Rami is guaranteed to have his gaze super-glued to Lucy the moment she reveals herself. After having a dozen compliments shower her, you and the rest of the girls retreat outside to give her and her mother a time to talk. As you lean against the door frame, you fish out your phone from your purse and check your messages; coming across your reply to Ben which hasn't received another one from him yet.

You wipe off the downhearted smirk on your expression as the girls' murmurs increase as Lucy steps out holding a bouquet of flowers with her mom on her arm and the edge of her gown lifted by two assistants. She turns her head to find you and crooks her finger at you upon seeing you inclined against the frame, letting you walk by her side.

You notice she's sporting the gift you've given her and the sentimentality makes you want to tear up but in doing so would ruin your makeup and so you decide to save it for the kiss.

You lean in close to her and whisper in a flat but playful tone, your words making her giggle. "Rami's totally getting it."

"I'm not the only one who's getting it today." She winks at you and leaves you questioning what she meant. She made it sound like it's something you have to find out for yourself later on. The weather is fine and not as humid as you thought; the ideal atmosphere to marry under. The bridesmaids are to ride in a separate vehicle that will follow up behind the one Lucy and her mom will be taking. To say that your ride with the the girls to the resort turned out fun and noisy is an understatement; you couldn't be any more conscious about smudging your makeup as you busted your guts laughing at your topics. The driver had given you weirded out looks but you know he was just trying to feign a laugh. By the time you arrive at the resort, a gust of wind from the seaside welcomes you out and nearly messes up your hair though you've put it up in an elegant bun with your tendrils hanging loosely from the sides of your head. You traverse closely behind the rest of the girls and find the venue nearly packed with attendees in their most sophisticated dresses and suits. The altar is set meters away from the shoreline and a red carpet has been rolled out to serve as the aisle between lines of pillars decorated with tropical flowers. A gentle music piece is being played by a violinist and a cellist situated on the left side of the altar with waiters serving some four-seasoned refreshments for the guests to enjoy as they wait.

With all these people around, you can't help but wonder if either Joe or Gwilym made it. You haven't contacted Joe about arriving, given that you wanted to surprise him with your arrival. You peer down at your wristwatch and it's only an hour before the ceremony starts. Rami's nowhere to be seen and you badly want to congratulate him on this, but either way, he's probably attending to some other people and so you put that chance on hold.

As you had wished for yourself to be void of any mishaps today, you bumping into a tall figure as you turn around to walk away deters that possibility and mortifies you for a moment.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry-" You quickly apologize but cease as a familiar face meets your lifting gaze.

"What- Y/N?!"

"J-Joe?!"

"Y/N!"

"Joe!" After shamelessly screaming each other's names, you put no thought into the action of jumping into his arms for a tight hug. He's crushing you in one anyway. "Oh my g- what- when did you arrive, you little sneak? " He exclaims and lets you go for a split second, careful not to ruin your satin outfit. "You're going to murder me for this but yesterday."

His brows furrow in disbelief as his mouth hangs agape. "How dare you not tell me? I mean, I knew Lucy would invite you but...actually how dare you both for not telling me." He whines in a joking manner and you respond with a quick shrug. "Surprise, surprise."

"You sure did and wow," his eyes travel up and down your outfit and you click your tongue at him as he does, pointing your finger to your eyes that are aimlessly roving around his suit in the same manner. "Hey Mazzello, eyes here."

"Hypocrite, eyes here." He mimics your action mockingly and you take eye-rolling to the next level.

"Damn it Joe, I've missed you."

"Missed you too. Been a year but it feels like a decade and you look beautiful, by the way, in that outfit as a bridesmaid." He places his hand on your upper back and leads you into the lounging area that is close to the pool but not far from the event area.

"You don't look so bad yourself for a groomsman. "

"How'd you guess?"

"This is Rami's wedding. I'd know."

You got an hour to talk before you take your positions anyway so catching up would be vital. You settle down on the sofa and fit your talk into the time limit, telling each other about what went on in your lives for the past few months. A lot of interesting stuff has happened to Joe and he's absolutely lively as he talks about it however yours hasn't been much, just adaptation to a new environment and the academic agony. Your talk takes an interesting turn as Joe asks you a question related to something you haven't thought about for a few days.

"Since you're pretty much still on the market, you ever think about...you know."

Your brows crease at him. "What?"

"You know," he lifts his shoulder in a half shrug, "Ben."

"Oh." Is the only thing you can say. The answer is pretty clear, you do think about him but not on a daily basis. He comes across your mind when you've drifted off into oblivion with your thoughts or when something that may remind you of him catches your eye.

"Sometimes I guess. But not as deep as I used to."

"I know you miss him, Y/N, and he misses you too. Believe me, he tells me everytime he calls."

You cast him a short gaze but look back at your fingers, a little comforted by the thought and it motivates you to ask. "Is he still with Rosy?"

Joe scoffs, mildly amused and wholly relieved at the contrary. "That's the good news. He's broken things off with her long ago. Just a day after he regained consciousness."

"Really?" You won't admit it but part of you feels bad for her.

"Yeah and I'm not spoiling you the rest," he rises from his spot on the sofa and reaches out for your hand, pulling you up gracefully. "The thing's about to start." He gestures to the chairs that are beginning to get occupied by the people as the priest arrives. You walk back out alongside him, leaning in to ask out of curiosity. "What do you mean you won't spoil me the rest?"

"You'll see, now go skedaddle to Lucy. She needs her crew." He pats your shoulder with a crooked smile on and you sigh inwardly, waving at him as you divert paths; with you headed to where the rest of the bridesmaids and the bride herself are gathered.

"Gwilym! You're just on time." Spotting Gwilym making his way to join Sami – Rami's brother– at the front row of chairs on the right wing as one of the groomsmen, Joe greets him with a brief hug and takes his place next to him. Sami greets the two men as well, exchanging some remarks before being joined by Ben who had been caught in traffic on his way. "Benny!"

"Ben!"

"Hey, you guys! Am I late? Did I miss the vows?" He asks with a hint of irony as he takes the spot between Gwil and Joe, shaking hands with Sami at the same time. Not a minute longer they are joined by the remaining groomsmen and Rami who has finally garnered up the physical strength to stand on the altar without breaking a sweat.

"You got this, mate. Just don't look down. Your boutonniere looks nice if I might add." Gwilym simultaneously advises and compliments an already nervous Rami hoping to appease him yet earns a quick yet teasing smack from Joe for making a small joke out of the situation. To show them that he's actually better on every possible level, Rami stands tall and rests his hands on his front to exude that confidence and excitement of being minutes away from watching his soon-to-be Mrs. Malek grace the aisle with her presence.

The guests simmer down with their chatters as the first ones who will be walking down the aisle take their positions. The musicians stop playing as they wait for the cue to initiate the main piece in accordance with the first walk.

Among the ones that will be walking before Lucy's big entrance is you and though you'll be joined by your fellow bridesmaids, it somehow just quakes your nerves, tightening your grip around the small bouquet of flowers you've been given as a prop.

You can't understand why you're feeling nervous; you're not the one that's getting married but you just don't know why. The musicians are given the cue and they begin playing a familiar song, something contemporary but heart-achingly romantic.

"You okay?" Asks a fellow bridesmaid and you nod, telling her that you're a bit anxious. She reassures you with a smile and it unknots your tension. The guests and attendees turn their heads towards the threshold of the aisle and the sponsors begin walking down first. Next are some of their relatives, then you– the bridesmaids. There are at least seven of you and you come in fifth. As you begin sauntering down the aisle, you feel relaxed yet piercing eyes trail your movement yet you beg to differ and keep your head up with a mellow smile on your face as you keep your eyes ahead, your unsteady gaze fleeting from the altar and to the groomsmen seated at the front row of the right wing.

Your eyes land on Joe and Gwilym who start giving you bright beams as they notice you in an instant. If you weren't trying to walk sophisticatedly with all these people staring, you would let out the loudest, most awkward giggle. It's nice to see Gwilym again though. Just as you begin turning your unwavering attention away, you take a subtle double take at a certain pair of eyes that has found you long before you found them. You are meters away from reaching your end of the aisle and yet it seems as if you've only started walking with how the music has turned up and how you're exchanging astonished yet longing gapes with Ben who knows he is seconds away from exploding with who he's finally seeing. You're here as a bridesmaid for Lucy and yet ridiculously, you feel like the bride.

Of course he's here. Of course he's one of the groomsmen. Of course Lucy and Joe wouldn't tell you. Of course this is the thing Joe didn't want to spoil about. Why didn't you think about any of this earlier? It would've saved you the shock regardless of it being so obvious.

You gather the strength to break away from the trance you've put yourself in and stand next to the girls, using up all the willpower in your body to avoid risking a peek at the groomsmen– at one groomsman rather. It's the same struggle for Ben who is every bit as stubborn as the next person and does the contrary, going as far as tilting his head to one side just to cop a longer view of you, an action Joe notices and slaps his hand for. Ben winces a bit and gives Joe a questioning look for two reasons.

"Save it." Joe whispers flatly and yet Ben dismisses it and feels his breath hitch in his throat as the sight of you appeases his worries yet makes his heart run a mile. With the ring bearers and flower girls at the edge of their walk, everyone rises up at the reveal of Lucy. The music slows down to fit the pace of her walk with her mother by her side, her eyes finding Rami's and establishing a home in them. You glance at both of them and feel your heart inflate at how strong their love for each other is, something that usually only exists in novels and fiction. Lucy's eyes well with joyful tears as she reaches the altar and her mother finally surrenders her hand to Rami.

It's too much.

With you being too distracted by the spark between Rami and Lucy, you overlook Ben's unbreakable gaze at you. The moment you grew a smile, it invalidated everything else surrounding him.

The priest requests everyone to finally sit down and witness the lifetime commitment blossom. Throughout the ceremony, you can't help but feel his eyes sear through you yet you stand your ground and fix your gaze at the happenings on the altar, briefly failing every once in a while by finding yourself looking back at him. The moment has come for them to exchange their vows and you listen intently at every word sincerely uttered by the two. There are parts in their vows that make the people giggle and tear up at the emotion put into every word expressed. It seems surreal to you that the moment Rami tells Lucy that he's never going anywhere, your gaze meets Ben's and it becomes undeniably bewitching, Rami's words acting as a call back to your promises. As the rings are exchanged and the "I do's" are said, the priest pronounces them husband and wife and you tear your focus away from Ben just in time for Rami and Lucy to share their first kiss as a married couple. Cheers and applauds fill the air and even more tears of joy are shed at the start of their lifetime bond. They both couldn't look any more blissful, with the pair of them giddily flaunting their rings with grins so radiant and bright it undermines the power of the sun upon them.

The cheers and excitement continue at the reception which, of course, is hosted at the very same place. After the ceremony– you, the girls and Lucy took off to the rooms you've booked in the resort for the meantime to change into the appropriate apparel to match the vibe of the venue and even the venue itself. Rami and the boys drove back to their respective hotels to change as well and it was a bit hard for the newly weds to go their separate ways for a few hours just to change clothes. Now that you've all rejoined for the reception, lively doesn't even begin to cut it. It's just like any other wedding reception and like any other wedding reception, it's upbeat, smooth and a little haywire on the egdes. After going through with dinner and a couple of toasts and remarks about the funny side of Rami and Lucy's relationship, the dance floor is open for business. At first glance, the girls take you for someone who is in need of a lot acquainting with the dance floor and they're right; because of that they haul you in themselves and you end up enjoying moving around to the music. You decide to refreshen yourself with a glass of iced tea before returning to your fun. One gulp is all takes to replenish the energy lost and you turn around to head back but freeze in your spot at the sight of Joe with his hand out, asking you for a dance.

"Seriously?" You're not surprised but your brows shoot up in question.

"It's my way of saying 'I need to talk to you'. "

"We can do that outside." You gesture to the vacant space yet Joe insists that he dances with you as you talk. You purse your lips together, letting him take your hand and he pulls you along with him almost too abruptly, eliciting a ticklish squeal from you.

"Don't do that!" You whine as you both settle among the multitude of dancing people. He lowers his head in laughter and twirls you under his arm, drawing you close afterwards. You rest one hand on his shoulder as he holds up the other. "Where's the fun in talking outside now, huh?"

"Alright," you grin ridiculously, spotting Rami and Lucy in each other's arms as they slow dance near the mini stage, looking and feeling at one with the other. "Hey, doesn't it just warm you?" You poke Joe and gesture to the newlyweds. He peers over at them and hums in a heartwarming way. "Yeah. Man, it's like they're communicating with each other merely through their close-knit heartbeats."

"Speaking of communication," you clear your throat and give him a direct look, " what did you want to talk about?"

He snaps out from gauging at the two and leads you on a gentle sway as he swallows, increasing the volume of his voice just loud enough to cut through the music and for you to hear. "Right. About the thing during the ceremony," you immediately catch on to what he's trying to say and interrupt his next words.

"Okay, thanks for implying, but are you kidding me? Giving me stroke by hiding Ben's attendance?"

"It was for dramatic effect," your eyes flatten puzzlingly at his defense. "What was so dramatic in that besides the awkward... staring?" You know the truth and it really wasn't awkward; in fact it felt like time dilated between you both.

Joe ping-pongs his gaze from one end of the place to the other and back to you. "You paused after 'awkward'. You liked it." The smile on his face teasing you. He's really that sensitive to the nuance of your voice, making it easier for him to figure out how you actually feel about anything.

You evade his prying look and clear your throat, trying to keep up with the transition of the rhythmic music to a slow tune. "So what if I did?" You mumble intentionally.

"Nothing bad. Just Ben wouldn't stop fidgeting in his spot after seeing you. He was this," he makes small jerky movements with his upper body as to imitate Ben's inability to keep still during the ceremony, "antsy and I was this close to losing it."

You snort as you let an explosive laugh overcome you, recollecting yourself shortly as you are flattered by Joe's report. "I felt the same. It took every cell in my body to prevent myself from launching at him honestly."

"I'm glad we sat in separate tables or else neither of you would function like regular...human beings." The grin on Joe's face fades in the same manner as his last words, staring off at a figure approaching from behind you. He regains his voice in a matter of seconds, only with a sly twinkle in his eyes this time.

"You okay?" You ask him, slowly removing your hand from his chest and he nods vigorously, taking position to whirl you off but with a sneaky twist.

"I'm fine. Just... Gwilym wants to dance with you and he's right behind you so I'm going to spin you off to him, sound good?" He lifts your arm up and you shrug in agreement, going with what Joe's planning to do.

"Ally oop!" He twirls you around and releases your hand just in time for you to cling onto a firm frame, giggling at the rush you felt. "Hey Gwil! Good catch, that was a strong spin-" You take a hard pause the second you lift your eyes up with the expectation of meeting Gwilym's sapphire blues, greeting a pair of forest, green orbs instead and it becomes more than what you've bargained for. His veiny arms have caught you with ease and you're sinking, both literally and metaphorically, your arms awkwardly thrown over his shoulders for support.

He helps you regain your balance and smiles the smile you had craved to behold again, breathing out your name like he hasn't said it in a long time. "Y/N, hi."

You find your voice just in time to reply. "Ben...h-hi." He's looking quite good in an all white attire. His white dress shirt is tucked in and has three buttons undone, exposing a lot of his clavicle and a preview of his pecs and the way his white pants just hangs loosely around his legs– you've lost the proper words to describe the sight.

Joe, you crafty asshole.

#borhap #queen #ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #borhap cast #borhap cast x reader #borhap imagine #ben hardy fanfic #imagine #fanfic

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jellidile · 6 years

Text

Weirdo (Skywarp x reader)

I went camping, and had some transformers feels. :D This Skywarp, is partially my own personality, and partially g1 Skywarp’s personality.

Skywarp was very confusing. He was confusingly nice and moody. Sometimes he would be bubbly and happy, and the next second he was cruel and harsh. Normally you only saw the latter. Yet it still perplexed you when another decepticon would speak of his intense mood swings.

It was a normal morning when you awoke on the decepticon base. You slept on Skywarp’s desk. Like everyday, when you woke up he was crouched down so the top half of his face peeked over the top,

“Good morning (Y/N)!” He sang. His wings fluttering behind him. Smiling you sat up and waved. Too tired to talk so early,

“Today I was hoping you’d like to stay here with me!” It was odd, usually, Skywarp wanted to do something fun and exciting. But staying in his room? It just wasn’t like him,

“ ‘Warp? Are you okay?” The light of his eyes shifted away from you. His wings pointed downwards,

“So, do you wanna stay?” Something was wrong. He never avoided your questions. You sighed getting up and walking over to him. Sitting cross-legged in front of him. You crossed your arms. Skywarp grumbled placing his chin on the desk,

“(Y/N), I’ll be fine.” Sighing you gave in,

“If you say so. I’ll stay ‘Warp.” He smiled wide scooping you into his hands and pressing you against his cheek,

“Thankyouthankyou! This is why I love you!” Skywarp froze, chuckling,

“Well, that is. Out of the trine! You’re the best out of the trine! TC isn’t even this, this nice!” He huffed as he placed you back down onto the desk,

“I want to show you something! Starscream and Shockwave finally got along long enough to finish-” Skywarp suddenly warped away, and in front of you appeared a human. Long raven hair fell messily over crimson eyes. A bright purple vest with silver lapels sat on top of a black button-up; sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Fingerless black gloves over pale skin. An orange tie wrapped around the neck. Dark purple pants led to black knee high boots- “our holoforms! Do you like it? I spent hours on it!” Sputtering, you were in shock. Skywarp was definitely a handsome human. He chuckled flopping onto your bed. Sinking into the pillows, Skywarp laughed,

“It’s so soft!” You smiled walking over to him,

“You aren’t sleeping in my bed tonight.” Skywarp looked back to you, pouting. You shook your head,

“Nope. Not gonna work. Unless you manage to render me completely speechless.” Skywarp grinned,

“Utterly speechless huh? I’ll take that bet! Just you watch (Y/N). You’ll be speechless ‘till tomorrow!” Laughing he teleported back to robot mode. The day continued on. You relaxed, read books, talked. Skywarp took a nap halfway through the day.

At some point in the evening you found yourself learning the Vosian alphabet. The symbols marked on Skywarp’s datapad were aligned just like a toddler’s book would have them. You found yourself lost in their blue glow in the dimly lit room. Skywarp chuckled,

“As much fun as it would be, I can’t teach you how to speak Vosian. Your human vocal cords would be shredded. I can try to teach you how to write stuff though.” You were about to ask what hello was, when Skywarp suddenly put you down. Teleporting back into his holoform from across the room. He sat in the corner, his hands covering his head. Nervous, you called out to him,

“Skywarp? Are you alright?” Clutching tighter he growled out a response,

“Leave me alone, please.” This is what you assumed to be his mood swings. Happy one second, then totally different the next. Taking a blanket from your bed, you slid down a ladder, that Skywarp had attached for you. Slowly you approached his huddled form. Curled into a ball his wild hair looked even messier. Still one crimson eye was visible, and clearly scared,

“Don’t! I don’t want to hurt you.” You huffed throwing the blanket down,

“Skywarp, you couldn’t hurt me if you tried!” This aggressive Skywarp apparently took that as a challenge because in the next second, you were pinned to the floor. A hand hovering above your neck,

“Shall we test that theory? I wouldn’t mind.” His eyes were dead set on your neck. Calmly you spoke,

“Skywarp, look in my eyes,” A moment passed and he did. They were wide, scared, angry, every so often they’d twitch. But he looked, and for a moment they softened,

“Do you really want to hurt me?” Heavy ragged breaths. That’s all you could hear. Until they turned into small hitches. Skywarp’s eyes filled, and tears flowed out of them. Pulling you onto your knees and then, into a hug. Skywarp sobbed into your shoulder,

“I don’t! I’m sorry! I just get so full of energy, and I can’t help it, it all just tumbles out unpredictably! I’m so sorry.” Sighing you rubbed his back. The blanket still lay within reach, so gently you wrapped it around his shoulders. Skywarp let go, pulling the fabric around him. After a few last sniffles, he calmed down,

“How did you know to do that? To calm me down, I mean.” You shrugged,

“I don’t know. Just came naturally.” He nodded,

“Okay. I guess you’re gonna leave huh? TC might let you stay…” You laughed,

“Why would I leave?”

“ ‘Cause I just flipped on you?” You simply smiled as you stood up. Hands on your hips,

“I don’t mind.” Skywarp hummed before teleporting back to his normal self. He held his hand out and you hopped on. Chuckling, he held you up to his face,

“You’re one weird human.” Huffing you poked his nose,

“And you’re one weird ‘con!” As he placed you back on the desk, he rested his head on his hands smiling,

“Y’know, you being weird makes you pretty cute.” You were about to respond, but found no words. He thought you were cute? There was a loud laugh, and you were tackled into a bear hug. With someone lying next to you,

“Told you I’d make you speechless! Soft stuff for me!” Pecking your cheek Skywarp cuddled close. With a sigh you pet his hair. A gentle blush covering your cheeks,

“ ‘Warp, you really are a goofball.”

“Do you think pigeons have feelings (Y/N)?”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

#transformers #skywarp

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hunterartemis · 7 years

Text

Angel of Music (Jack Kline X Reader)

Prompt: Jack is trying hard to impress Dean with his Biblical talents, but instead he achieves something else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK98eBpw9yM click on this and minimize before you read this. This was my inspiration for this oneshot

‘Here... this will be all the books covering Biblical and pre-Biblical knowledge‘ I handed the new guy all the books we had about the Biblical lores. ‘I would suggest emphasizing on Book of Enoch though.‘ I added, ‘it sort of mentions and says what you are.‘

‘What I am? Really?‘ his face brightened up with hope, ‘I wouldn’t be that happy just yet buddy. Things got dirty in there. That is why it’s called The Forbidden Book of Enoch‘ I said, patted his back and left, ‘call me if you need anything.‘

‘_...‘ he called me at my back, ‘yes?‘ I answered with ease, ‘do you think it will help me to show Dean that I don’t intend to hurt any of you?‘

‘Look Jack,‘ I grimaced, and it was hard for me to give him false hope, yet I was not ready yet to crack him the cold hard truth, ‘I can’t ensure that yet. Dean is not the most open person in the world, and right now, he is in mourning.‘ i clarified, ‘but if you follow what he wanted for you... he might come around.‘ I patted his back and left.

I went to the sitting room where Dean was abjectly sitting and Sam looking like he would do anything to make Dean happy. I sat down with some lorebooks, rather nasty ones too, with a Jerome’s Bible sprawled open at the side next to King James’ like you would do to dictionaries while you are reading a difficult book.

‘Dean... ‘ I called him softly, and looked at him square, ‘I think I have something about the Shedims...‘ he shifted on his seat and forwarded his face, ready to hear me, ‘it’s been three days Dean, stop with that.’

‘So you don’t have anything on the Shedims...‘ Dean huffed and slammed his palm on the glass-top, while Sam was ready to follow him to calm him down, ‘just-just... Dean, listen to me!‘ I stood up and grabbed his shoulder and with my two fingers angled his face towards me, ‘stop doing this okay... it’s not healthy!’ I sat him down and cupped his face, ‘I know...‘ a tear leaked from my eyes ‘how sad you are, and how... everything is not according to anything we have seen! But you gotta hold on Dean, please.‘ I said, ‘and... I have some good news.‘

‘Please... by all means!‘ Dean added sarcastically.

‘I think I have found something that could be good for both of us and Jack. I have dug every forbidden book on biblical lores, especially those which had been rejected from the canon.‘ I finally saw a flicker of intrigued hope in Dean’s face, ‘remember... how you told me how Death told you Genesis was sketchy? Well, canonically it is. There is a whole book middle of Genesis 6-11, the Book of Enoch, it has all the hot knowledge of Nephilims and Princes of Hell. I left it with Jack.‘

‘What the hell did you do that?‘ Dean almost broke the table with his fist-slamming, ‘Dean... relax...‘ I sat him down again, ‘think about it! all the vile deeds of angels and demons are recorded there, names of every rotten son of bitch, crowning prince of hell, everything... He could be alerted, and well equipped against them!‘

‘Or against us!‘ Dean’s voice rose, ‘_, that might be the stupidest thing you have ever done! You left the grenade with him... WITH FREAKING SON OF LUCIFER!‘

‘Oh yeah, and flinging Songs of Solomon was a pretty good idea I am guessing!‘ I answered, ‘the kid started stabbing himself after that! even for Lucifer’s son, that tore my heart into pieces Dean...‘ I was almost tearful, ‘You raised a shapeshifter kid once... a freaking baby... Jack might look 16, but he is a freaking baby Dean! would you have let that baby stab himself?‘

‘Uh guys...‘ Sam called from behind, and pointed around him, ‘am I drunk or the lights are too bright.‘

Sam was right. the warm white light bulbs from the 1950′s was burning like neon-lights, and it hurt the eyes. We were all used to the air-pressure in the subterranean bunker, but the air was surprising light and queerly, fresh, like outside world in springtime.

‘Please don’t tell me nobody called in those air fresheners again‘ Dean exasperatedly called again.I was very baffled by the entire existence of our bunker, the lights burned in such a way that every corner of the bunker was illuminated without shadows. Suddenly we all stopped in our tracks.

‘Guys... you hear that?‘ Sam almost whispered, and went forward ahead of us

‘Yeah... oh god!‘ I panicked, ‘please don’t tell me Jack is stabbing himself again!‘

‘Uh... I wouldn’t worry about that yet,’ Sam beckoned us to the corridor where mine and Jack’s rooms were. As we entered there, a beautiful sound flew towards our direction, and even Dean was stopped by its tracks. It wasn’t the type of sounds we hear from day to day, or in radio, it had some kind of ecclesiastical feeling.

‘Sounds like...‘ Dean answered, ‘church...‘

‘It’s definitely does...‘ i said, ‘and it’s coming from Jack’s room.‘

Sam gently pushed Jack’s door open, and we were almost blasted by a blinding golden light emitting from his room. When our vision adjusted, we saw something that wasn’t near anything we saw or experienced so far.

Jack was sitting on the floor, with a book opened on his lap, upon which his right palm was pressed. The vein on his hands glowed golden and following the formation of blood vessels it flew towards his throat and emitted as the most beautiful chant I had ever heard anyone singing. His eyes were closed, not in the agonized manner when he heard the angel radio, but it appeared that he was in peace, well, almost in bliss. He was ‘singing’ and the more he ‘sang’ the more the air lightened around us. It sounded vaguely familiar, and as I started to make out the lyrics, I understood what he sang.

‘It’s Jean Baptiste Racine’s Cantique, Opus 11.’ I hoarsely spoke, my knees was weak with the magnitude of the melody that was flowing through him. Even Dean couldn’t make anything to say.

‘How’s he doing that?‘ Sam asked curiously, and perhaps with his voice, Jack broke from his trance, and looked at us apologetically.

‘I-I am sorry... I didn’t mean to do that...‘ Jack especially looked at Dean and me. ‘It’s okay Jack...‘ Sam spoke and sniffed subtly, wiping his eyes slightly, ‘that was beautiful... beautiful.‘

I sat down to match he eye level, ‘yes... Jack, you have a beautiful gift.’

‘I do?‘ Jack asked, his eyes lit up with innocent happiness, ‘you’re not angry at me?‘ I smiled and grabbed his hand, ‘no-no... not mad! How can we be mad when you have the voice of an angel.‘ With my words, his smile faltered, ‘I don’t think that is something to be proud of.‘

My eyes softened, ‘Oh no, no... no... It means, your voice brings people joy.’ I said, ‘did your mother teach you to sing?’

‘No...‘ Jack said, ‘No... after I was finished with the book of enoch you told me to read, I found this in the pile you left me. It was in a language I never saw, although it looked like English. Then when I opened this page‘ he gave me the Book of Jean Baptiste Racine, ‘the words did not seemed strange anymore... like they were whispering to me. It was like hearing my mother when I was in her belly. I thought it was something for me... then when I touched the page, it happened.‘

‘What happened Jack?‘ Sam joined the team.

‘I saw paradise...‘ Jack said, ‘like its written in Bible... garden, light, angels. All of them peaceful and happy. Nothing like that thing the man told me to free from Hell.‘ he furrowed his brows, ‘they told me to sing... so I sang.‘

‘Why did you sing Jack? what was the song meant to You?‘ I asked earnestly. ‘They told me I can sing... and it will make me feel better about myself. Not scared anymore... like‘ he touched his heart ‘is warm here...‘

We felt Dean abruptly leaving the place.

...

Extended Ending

After dinner, I came to check in the living room to see if all the lights were off. I saw Dean sitting in the table with books opened before him. I tried to close them off, but he grabbed my hand.

‘_, do you believe him?‘ he asked me.

‘I have no reason not to... he is three days old. He hasn’t learnt lying.‘ I said, ‘even Lucifer developed inequity millinias after he was created.‘ Dean gently sat me down and flung me the Book of Job

“Job 38:7 – When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy“

“Maybe Bieber gets em from the daddy...“ Dean sardonically answered, and my brows furrowed at him. ‘You’ve been to hell Dean, weren’t you?‘

‘Damn straight...‘ He answered, and I caressed his cheek. ‘You said there was a part of you which was destroyed in Hell, didn’t you... Hell burns the goodness in you doesn’t it?‘ Dean looked at me incredulously.

‘What do you mean _?‘ Dean looked at me confusingly.

‘Long ago, my mother used to tell me a story. It was about a boy who was assumed by everyone as ‘devil’s spawn.‘ I traced the veins in Dean’s hand, and lost myself in my past. ‘His fault was he didn’t knew where he came from. But there was a girl he loved, from a very young age, and she was the one who accepted him wholeheartedly. But the brutality on him by everyone made him so angry and frustrated that not even Cathy’s love could save Heathcliff.‘ I tried to be all mysterious, but failed as I was reminded of the story so bad. ‘Dean... when you assume someone evil for too long, even the person starts to believe that he is evil. He kills the goodness inside him.‘

Dean looked at me without blinking, his eyes were moistened.

‘For millennia, Lucifer was caged. He was blamed, hated and feared for so long that people forgot that it was through him Heaven heard its music. Maybe Lucifer forgot himself‘ I said, as my heart wrenched in pain at that thought, ‘that he was born with music in his veins... maybe you too have forgotten the happiness you felt before Hell.‘

Dean opened his mouth to speak, his lips quivered, but no words came.

‘Let him try Dean...‘ I said, grabbing his hands gently ‘Lucifer’s son or not, let him try. Let them both try-- father and son. Satan or not, there is no greater tragedy than knowing the Angel of Music forgot about the melody inside him.‘

#supernatural imagines #supernatural imagine #dean winchester imagine #jack kline imagine #lucifer imagine #angel of music #tragic #beautiful

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whatomgbratini · 7 years

Photo

Chapter Four Confusion

The girls chattered incessantly as they drove from the lush greens of the valley into the crisp Central Oregon air. Bryn felt uplifted by Tailynn’s company, but as soon as she fell asleep, Bryn’s thoughts turned back to Kyle.When Bryn couldn’t take any more of her lonely thoughts, she reached out and shook a sleepy Tailynn.

She startled awake, sucking in a few shallow breaths before she stretched.

"Almost there?" Tailynn asked.

"Only a few minutes," Bryn said. "I'm super nervous about my mom seeing this."

She threw a finger toward the long and painful bruise against her throat.

"Shit," Tailynn said with sudden revelation. "We didn't pack make up."

Bryn shook her head reluctantly.

“That’s Ok.” Tailynn ducked her head between her knees, fussing inside of her purse. “It just so happens that I brought my little friend with me."

Bryn glanced quickly from the road to her friend, who wore a devious smile. She was flashing a bright blue card that said “Bradley C. Straine” back and forth between her fingers.

"You amaze me, you know that?" Bryn shook her head.

Tailynn tisked, frustrated with Bryn’s disapproval. "The bastard's rolling in pain and suffering money, and if it weren't for him, I wouldn't need the damn make up."

Tailynn had a valid point. The checks had rolled into their mailbox every month, Bryn saw the riches that Bradley had collected.

"Besides," Tailynn closed her eyes. "If it bugs him so bad, I'll just pay him back later."

Bryn kept her eyes trained on the road, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Tailynn. Realizing once again, that when Tailynn was in this type of mood, sometimes it was best to say nothing at all.

They stopped at several different stores to fill up on all of the things that they were missing, which for Tailynn meant an entirely new wardrobe. In Bryn's opinion, she went overboard on Bradley’s credit card, indulging in flashy silver and gold colored necklaces, and name brand clothes.

Each bought their own shade of what Bryn considered expensive make up. At first Bryn insisted that she and Tailynn share, thinking that she could persuade Tailynn out of swiping Bradley's card one more time, but Bryn's skin was olive and buttery and Tailynn's was fair and freckled, so each girl walked away with four different tubes of flesh colored pastes and powders, which all confusingly served a different purpose.

They put their makeup to use in a public restroom beside the outlets and dressed before they set out for lunch. Tailynn woar a maxi dress. It fit her shapely figure perfectly; She was a lot taller than Bryn, and thick in all the right places. She latched a fancy new necklace with large fake emeralds around her neck. She looked elegant, and it made Bryn feel a tad bit out of place in her army green skirt. It was short, and showed quite a bit of skin when paired with her black crop top and open flannel. That was her style though; it fit with her wavy unkempt hair and obsession with dark lipstick.

They headed to the car, chatting about what the night had in store for them. It was nearly seven when they pulled into the gated driveway. She followed the pavement path to a roaring two-story house on ten acres of ranch land.

Bryn stepped out of the car, breathing in the fresh smell of home: Horses, cedar shavings, and freshly bundled hey.

“You didn't tell me that your folks were rich.” Tailynn pressed as she exited the car.

“They aren't.” Bryn replied. It always ruffled her feathers when people called her rich like that. It made her feel spoiled, when in fact she was the last thing from it. Bryn moved out at seventeen, vowing to never ask for another dime from her mother. She even tried to send money home, but her mother never took it. “Not anymore. After dad passed mom’s done everything to keep this house. It's pretty much driven her into the ground.”

Bryn turned, pavement grinding beneath the souls of her shoes as she spun to face her house. There were several cars parked in the front, familiar cars. Everyone was here, and it made Bryn giddy to think that she would surprise them with her arrival. She hadn’t even called her mom to say that she was headed home.

Bryn scurried over to the garage as Tailynn scuttled behind her, shopping bags in hand. She gingerly opened the door and turned to Tailynn as she laid a finger over her lips, cueing for silence.

Considering how many cars were outside, the house was uncomfortably quiet. A serious tone broke the silence. It was her mother’s voice. Bryn peaked around the corner of the mud room to see her mom standing at the dining room table. To the right of her mother sat Jamison: a family friend and next-door neighbor.

Unfortunately after Bryn moved to Portland, she hadn’t seen much of him, their friendship became distant, but the family like connection still held.

Next to him sat his little brother Ryder. Only two years junior his brother, he had finally grown to match Jamison's muscular size.

Bryn’s cousin DeDe across the tall table. Her boyfriend Triston sat beside her, brushing his fingers across her knuckles absent-mindedly.

Bryn’s mom’s stern voice made Bryn’s attention whip in her direction.

“That is my decision, Jamison. My home is open to you, as it has always been, but you will not drag her into this.”

Bryn furrowed her brows, what was her mom scolding them about?

“But Nella,” Jamison approached her mother. “She is turning Twenty Two this weekend, she’s going-“

He was interrupted by a paper bag full of jewelry noisily hitting the floor.

“Damn It, Tailynn.” Bryn glared, her curiosity nearly ripping her into shreds.

Tailynn scrambled to collect all the Jewelry splayed across the earth tone tiles as Bryn stepped out from the corner of the mudroom. She ambled across the kitchen, hoping that she could play off the way she was caught eavesdropping.

“Guess who's home for her birthday?” Bryn asked playfully. She spread her arms wide as she walked toward them.

Ryder and Jamison twisted to face Bryn. At first the room was silent with surprise, but Jamison broke the tension with a flash of his insanely dimpled grin. It was warm and familiar, just like his brother’s who followed after him. Bryn melted into each of their hugs.

“Ry,” She breathed a smile as Ryder wrapped his arms around her. She broke their embrace and set each of her hands on top of his shoulders. “You’re huge! Is this some sort of family trend, to sprout out of nowhere?”

Bryn’s mom bobbed her head, laughing behind them all. “Stan was the same way.” She spoke of the boys’ father. “He was a tiny little thing until about 16, and then boom!”

Ryder chuckled, and to Bryn’s surprise it was deep, not like the laugh she was used to.

The brother’s looked so similar. The lines of their faces were soft, their features only carrying slight differences in facial structures. Jamison’s had an oval look; Ryder was more rounded. Both had striking dimples and striking eyes to match. Blue, she thought. In fact, the one thing that truly separated their looks was that Jamison’s hair was witch black, contrasting Ryder’s sandy blonde.

“Jamie, Ry." She gestured her hand between the two boys and Tailynn, "This is my roommate, Tailynn.”

They shuffled passed Bryn to introduce themselves.

DeDe and Triston made their way toward her. DeDe was tall with long flowing hair. Triston was blonde and perfectly scruffy. They looked like they belonged on the beach with a surfboard in their arms. Triston pushed his pale blonde hair back from his face, causing it to jut out in random places.

“Bryn,” he slapped her on the back like she was one of his guy friends “We didn’t know you were coming! What the hell?”

“I didn’t know you were coming either,” Bryn said as she embraced DeDe.

"Where is Kyle?" He questioned.

Bryn swallowed as she let go of DeDe.

"He uh-" she choked. "He couldn't make it this time."

"What!?" Triston called out. "Not even for your birthday? I'm calling that bastard-"

"No!" Bryn all but shouted, and Triston's playful demeanor snapped.

He exchanged a puzzled look with DeDe. They knew her well enough to know when something was up. The couple lived in an apartment very close to Bryn and visited often, though they planned to move back to Central oregon.

"What I mean, is that he's already really upset he couldn't make it." Bryn swallowed. "I don't want to rub it in."

"It's ok." DeDe rushed as she glared at Triston. "We’ll give him shit for it later."

Her cousin winked at her, and Bryn sighed as she turned to the island kitchen counter that everyone conjured around. She slid her hands along the speckled granite, relieved as the smooth surface cooled her aching palms. Flecks of stone from the counters sparkled radiantly against the wooden cabinets beneath them.

“So, What’s with the secret meeting that you forgot to invite Marley and I to?” Bryn referenced her little sister.

Their eyes twitched nervously.

“Nothing sweetie,” Bryn’s mom coaxed as she lifted plates from the sink and scrubbed vigorously. “Just talking about your birthday is all. These tyrants wanted to throw a party in my house and I'm sorry, but the answer is no.”

Bryn looked from one person to the other, hoping for someone else to elaborate. It didn’t fit. She cast a gaze to DeDe who nodded with force.

“We wanted to party with you,” DeDe confirmed, “but -you know- not all of us are twenty one.”

Marley, DeDe and Ryder sat at the ripe age of 19, which meant no legal drinking, not that it mattered in their family. During Bryn's senior year, Nella had a Mojito waiting after every final.

"The last time you guys threw a party, it was without my permission and you were taking shots out of my china." Nella glared.

Bryn glanced at Jamison, and he met her stare simultaneously. They remembered it all too well. It had been Triston and Jamison's idea to throw a party. Bryn only acquiesced after they'd fed her a few drinks. Nella was fifty shades of pissed when she came back a day early to the crew hung over, sprawled across the couches and liquor still staining her precious china.

Bryn nodded, but the excuse still didn’t match up with her mother’s concerns. ‘you will not drag her into this’

“Well,” Bryn said. She was ready to give up again, just as she'd done with Kyle. "Tailynn and I had a pretty rough day today. Sorry Ry and DeDe, but I was really looking forward to going out tonight."

Triston pushed his hair back from his face once again, a half smile playing at his lips. Bryn recalled the first time she met him. At that time, his hair was long and straight, brushing over his eyes and the back of his neck. He was young and unruly, all boy with a touch of deviousness. Triston and Jamison were quite the team, teasing and picking on the younger siblings.

How funny, Bryn thought to herself, that he had his eyes set on DeDe the way he did. She couldn’t blame him. Her cousin was gorgeous; Long legged and vivacious. Her hair looped around her face in soft gingery blonde waves.

Snapping herself from the memory, Bryn nodded at Triston, eager for an answer. Instinctively, he laced his fingers in his other half’s.

"I'll go." Triston said. "But DeDe will have to put some use to her name and D.D for us. I’m not driving this time."

He squeezed her hand playfully. DeDe answered back with a sarcastic sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She looked up at him. “But I won't be picking your drunk asses up at the crack of dawn. Maybe Ry will take you home."

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