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randomshyperson · 3 years

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Sorry for your loss - Final Chapter

Summary: When your wife Natasha passes away in a car accident, a part of you dies with her. It takes a few months of mourning for your psychiatrist thinks the best alternative is for you to join a grief group. And there you meet Wanda Maximoff, and learn to live again.

Warnings: (+16) mentions of death, panic attacks and anxiety, grief, self sabotage, mentions of abusive family background, mutual attraction pining, explicit consent, therapeutic conversations about death, self-deprecation, healthy methods of coping with grief, possible triggers about anxiety, domestic Wanda, hurtful behaviors.

Chapter Warnings: Mention of Smut, Brief Smut.

Tag list: @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @imapotatao // @aimezvousbrahms / @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia // @myperfectlovepoem

Author’s note: I don't know what to say exactly, just good reading, and sorry for any spelling/translation errors. I hope you enjoy the ending, and who knows, maybe a second season?

Read on AO3 || Serie Masterlist here

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Chapter Five - I will love again

You were up early on the weekend.

Since you were going to travel to New Jersey for Wanda's father's wedding anniversary, you didn't want to keep her waiting.

When you arrived at Wanda's house, she was already on her feet, running back and forth through the house, trying to find Tommy's lost toy, who kept crying that he wouldn't travel without it.

"Make yourself at home, I just need to find that bear." She said to you as she opened the door. You placed your only luggage on the floor as you looked around. Billy was watching television, and Tommy was sitting on the kitchen counter, crying.

You walked over to him.

"Hey, Tommy, why are you crying?" You asked stopping beside him, keeping your voice calm so as not to make him more nervous.

"I want my teddy bear!" He cried out between tears.

"Mommy will find it for you." You reply. "What is the name of your teddy bear?"

"Star Lord." Sniffles the boy. Your distraction is working, because he stops crying to talk.

"Wow, that's an incredible name!" You say. "How did you get the Star Lord?"

Tommy sniffles again, wiping his tears with his forearm.

"I got it for my birthday." He counters. "Billy got a skateboard, but Star Lord is cooler."

"Is that so?" You retort with interest in your voice, realizing that Tommy was barefoot and his socks were on the countertop, you show him that you are interested in hearing him talk as you help him finish getting dressed for the trip.

"Yes, it came in a huge, red box." Tommy counted with a smile as he gestured at the size of the object. "And he sleeps with me every night, so I need him to go to Grandpa's house."

"Oh, yes, of course you do." You agree with a smile as you tie the boy's shoelaces. "Do you remember the last place you played with Star Lord?"

Tommy sniffles thoughtfully.

"I don't know." He replies tearfully, you rush to ask about his favorite memory with the bear to avoid him to cry again, and it works.

When you finish tying the child's shoes, you pick him up on your lap as he tells you about the day he took Star Lord swimming, and then you sit him down in the living room next to his brother, and he is distracted enough by the cartoon on the TV to forget about the teddy bear.

Wanda joins you in the living room a minute later, looking nervous and with her hands empty.

"Hey, I think I have an idea." You tell her as you mentally review the things Tommy said. "Finish getting them to the car, I'll go find the bear."

You found it.

Ten minutes after you left the room, inside the pool.

Wanda couldn't hold back her laughter when you arrived in front of the car with your wet clothes up to pool height.

"Your idea was to get into the pool instead of using the cleaner to reach the bear?" She teased as soon as you handed her the toy. You laughed awkwardly, watching her give the bear to Tommy and seeing the boy celebrate excitedly. "You're not getting in my car wet like that."

You laugh, and then you have an idea. Approaching Wanda with open arms, you see her raise her finger in warning, but you are already hugging her with wet clothes, making her laugh.

The joke only ends because Pietro is parking the car in front of the house next, looking at you both curiously.

"Should I let dad know we're going to be late?" He teases putting his sunglasses up. You let go of Wanda as both of your giggles slowly stop, the two of you looking like children who have been caught up to mischief. "Come on girls, we have a road ahead of us."

"Shut up Pietro." Wanda grumbled humorously, starting to push you into the house by the shoulders. "Watch the boys while we get changed."

"Yes, ma'am." He retorted wryly as he took off his seat belt and got out of the car. You let Wanda push you inside.

Upstairs, you had smiles on your faces as she searched for clothes that would fit you.

"Are you sure it isn't better if I grab something I brought in my suitcase?" You ask distractedly as Wanda rummages through the closets.

"I don't want you to be one change of clothes short, I don't know what we'll end up doing over there." Wanda retorted. "And don't worry about it."

Wanda eventually handed you a set of very soft sweatshirts and underwear. You smiled in appreciation, looking away from the clothes in your hand to the woman in front of you.

As you turned toward the bathroom, Wanda spoke.

"You can stay."

Swallowing dryly, and ignoring the unregulated beating of your heart you turned to her again, one eyebrow raised not sure you had understood correctly.

Wanda sighed heavily, as if she was gathering the courage to say it again. But her gaze said it all. She was inviting you to change in front of her.

You felt your face heat up, but you gulped dryly, forcing yourself to reason correctly.

"I... I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Wanda retorted in defiance, and you let out a breathless laugh. She seemed to misunderstand your reaction, because her expression immediately fell. "Oh, you don't want to. Damn it, I..."

"What?" you interrupted quickly. "No, Wanda. I want to." You confess half breathlessly. "I really do."

"Oh."

You shift your weight between your feet, feeling your stomach turn with the way Wanda looks at you.

"But not like this." You say, swallowing dryly to confess correctly. You approach Wanda slowly as you speak. "Not in a hurry." Wanda breathes heavily, leaning back against the cabinet. You stop walking just inches from her body. "I want to be with you, with enough time to kiss every inch of your skin.” You confess again her lips. “Touch every spot that will make you lose control and scream my name."

"Fuck." Wanda gasped against your mouth, almost near enough to touch while closing her eyes.

Ignoring the tightening sensation at the tip of your stomach, you fought your baser instincts and pulled away, sighing.

"Let's hurry before your brother comes to get us."

You smiled at Wanda, ignoring the urge to kiss her. She just nodded, trying to normalize her breathing. You took advantage of her lack of reaction to turn around and walk towards the bathroom. You had better get out of there soon, because you feel that you couldn't resist that woman again.

//-//

Tommy and Billy were singing in the back seat as you drove to New Jersey. You laughed at the scene, thinking they were adorable.

Your gaze was watchful on the road, following Pietro's car to his father's house.

When Wanda began to murmur the song, you looked at her for a moment. Absolutely stunning, with her red hair flying in the wind, the smile in the corner on her lips. The sunlight making her eyes sparkle.

Turning your attention forward because Wanda caught you looking, you bit back a smile, feeling your heart race a little. But neither of you commented, and you didn't care that Wanda was looking at you now.

//-//

When you arrived, you whistled impressed at Erik's residence. It was practically a mansion, but really it was just a very well built summer house. The neighborhood was very nice too. Wanda smiled playfully at you when she noticed your reaction.

The boys ran out of the car, excited to hug their grandfather who was already waiting for them at the door. They also hugged Charles, who was a short, balding man, very friendly.

"Grandpa, can we go ride the horses?" Tommy asked excitedly, and the man laughed lightly.

"Go wash your hands and get something to eat first okay, boy?" Erik said to the boy, ruffling his hair.

The child agreed, entering the house along with his brother and his cousin, who had gotten out of the cars shortly after.

You were unpacking the bags from the car after parking and felt your breath catch when Wanda picked up one of the bags and caressed your hand with her fingers as you handed it to her. She smiled innocently, passing you to walk toward the door, and you cleared your throat before closing the trunk and following her.

"You must be Y/N." Erik greeted you as soon as you came to the door. "It's very nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Erik." You replied with a smile. "And you too, Charles."

The man smiled, giving you room to pass him and enter the house. Wanda was standing in the living room next to Pietro and Monica, who had their suitcases on the floor.

"Papa, which rooms are empty?" She asked the man who had entered behind you.

"You can occupy any one upstairs." Erik warned closing the door as he and Charles entered.

You accompanied the group upstairs. Wanda placed the boys' backpacks in one of the bunk rooms, since the children always slept together.

"You can have the room down the hall." She said, showing you the direction. "Next to mine."

She whispered the last part like a secret. You wanted to ignore how your stomach churned at the suggestion. Pietro and Monica passed you both, the man gave you a playful look, but made no comment. They would be in the room across from yours and next to the children's.

You guessed that the other door at the other end of the hall belonged to Erik and Charles

After putting your suitcase on the bed, you left the room. Pietro opened the door at the same moment.

"Come on, Y/N, I'm going to give you a full tour of the Maximoff residence." He announced excitedly and you giggled, following him around the house.

//-//

The Maximoff residence was much larger than you thought it was. There were even stables and a large wooded area that was part of the place, but Pietro didn't take you there, he just pointed you in the direction. You eventually discovered that the place used to be a simple farm, inherited from Pietro and Wanda's paternal grandparents, and when Erik married Charles, they renovated the place with money from the Xavier family, who were British and had a fortune built up in the vineyard area.

Pietro led you back to the kitchen when he finished showing you the property, patting you on the shoulder as he sat down on the kitchen counter, grabbing the jar of candy on the counter.

"The guests will be here soon, Pietro, get down from there." Warned Erik noticing his son's position. He was in the kitchen too, finishing sorting out some of the appetizers. During the tour, you noticed the decorations set up in the gardens, some tables and chairs and party decorations.

"Yes, papa." Grumbled Pietro as he obeyed. He reached over to accept the tray of food his father handed him.

"Take that outside please." Erik asked and you moved to get out of the way of Pietro, who gave you a wry smile as he passed, making you laugh slightly.

"Can I help too?" You asked noticing that there were still things to be carried.

"Thank you, dear, you are very kind." Erik said as he handed you one of the trays. You nodded and then turned around.

The garden was really nicely decorated, you noticed now that you were up close, placing your tray on one of the tables. There was also a small stage, which you imagined was meant for Erik and Charles to repeat their wedding vows. You smiled, remembering how your marriage to Natasha had gone. It was just nostalgic to think of her now, and it didn't make you unhappy anymore.

"I think you're all set now." Erik said behind you, arriving with a tray and placing it on the table next to yours. Pietro who had left earlier, was stealing one of the candies and received a disapproving look from his father. "Really, boy?"

Pietro laughed, raising his hands in surrender.

"I'm hungry, papa." He playfully retorted and you laughed at the interaction.

"Go help the ladies with the kids." Erik commands with a grimace, and Pietro laughs as he walks away. When he leaves, you feel slightly anxious about being alone with Wanda's father, but his posture is friendly. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you properly, Y/N. Would you like to take a walk with me before the party?"

You ignore the nervous feeling in your stomach when you agree. And Erik takes one last look at the decorations before leading the way.

//-//

A few minutes of walking later, where Erik asked you several questions about your life, your job, your age, who you lived with, that sort of thing, you reached a plantation area. You imagined it to be the vineyards of the property.

You could see the manor house in the distance, and the backyards, and a lake many meters away. The landscape was breathtaking.

"It's beautiful here." You comment beside him.

"Yes." Erik agrees with a smile, also looking at the scenery as you do. "I enjoyed your conversation, you are as lovely as Wanda usually tells us."

The comment makes your cheeks warm, the image of Wanda talking about you makes your heart soar. Erik seems to appreciate the way you react to it, smiling gently as he adds, "It's nice to know she's found someone nice to love."

You swallow dryly, glancing quickly at the man next to you, but he has his gaze on the landscape. You feel a warmth in your chest, mixed with embarrassment and happiness.

"Thank you, Erik." You say clumsily.

"For what?"

"For accepting me here I guess." You retort with a smile. "For having me into your home. And well, for saying those things about me and Wanda." You say and he makes an understanding noise through his mouth. You are silent for a moment, until he speaks again.

"You know, when Magda, their mother, passed away, I thought I would never love anyone again.." Erik tells nostalgically. He keeps looking at the field in front of you, but you stare at him, attentive to his words. "But then I met Charles. And well, it did. It's different from what it was before. And I wouldn't change it for anything."

You nodded in understanding, letting the words echo in your head. You also think about how Agatha said you could move on. There was no problem in loving again, as intensely as before.

"I figured I'd be uncomfortable talking about someone marrying my daughter, but here we are." Erik comments humorously a moment later, making you chuckle awkwardly. "I guess it must be the way you look at her. You look like a lovesick puppy. "

You scratch your neck awkwardly, looking at the scenery, making Erik laugh at your blurriness.

"Don't get upset, I'm just teasing you." He comments with a smile, patting you on the back. You laugh clumsily.

"Do you guys have a garden around here?" You ask trying to change the subject, just as you notice the glass structures in the distance, capped by the vineyard. You figured if you turned around you would find your way to them.

"Oh, yes." Erik confirms. "Charles loves gardening. We have two greenhouses over that way. Would you like to see them?"

"Yes." You confirm with a smile. "But it can be after the party."

"Oh yes, I should get back and welcome the guests." Erik agrees as he checks his watch. You start walking back to the area of the house next.

//-//

You meet a lot of people at the party. It's a little overwhelming, because you really didn't expect Erik to invite so many people, and although you're glad that they had so many friends, your anxiety has increased a little. You were smiling politely at two ladies who said they were Charles' college friends while trying to pay attention to the story they were telling when Pietro rescued you.

"I need to steal my sister-in-law for a second ladies." He said and you widened your eyes. He only realized the mistake of his words when he noticed the looks on the women's faces in front of him. " Shit, I don’t mean like she got married to Wanda... I..."

You snuck out from behind Pietro when the ladies started attacking him with questions about the wedding, and when the ceremony had taken place and why the family wasn't called. You took the opportunity to escape when Pietro was convincing the ladies that you were not Wanda's wife, and that there was no secret wedding.

Walking over to one of the far tables, you frown in disbelief as you watch Luna run under the food table, clearly looking for a place to hide from her cousin, who is looking around a few feet away.

You crouch down, pulling the towel up to speak to the child.

"Luna, honey, maybe that's not the best place to play." You tell her with a smile. She looks around.

"Sorry, Aunt Y/N." She asks. "I'm hiding from Billy."

"Oh, is that so?" You ask extending your hand to her. She accepts, and you help her stand, taking care that she doesn't hit her head on the table. "Do you remember the path we took when we first got here? Try to hide behind that tall statue, I'm sure Billy won't find you."

"Wow, that's right, Auntie. Thank you." She mumbles, leaving with her head down next, watching for any sign of her cousin. You smiled, knowing that everyone at the party would get a glimpse of the children playing if she stood where you spoke.

You noticed that the two women who were talking to Pietro looked at you, and not wanting to be dragged back into that conversation, you made your way back to the house.

Bumping into Wanda on the way, you giggled.

"There you are." You remark.

"Where were you?" Wanda retorts with a mixture of curiosity and humor, noticing your "escape mode" posture.

"Well, apparently all of your father's friends like to meet everyone, so I've spent the last thirty minutes being introduced to everyone at the party."

Wanda gave a pout of pity.

"Sorry, dear." She says and you smile awkwardly, feeling your cheeks flush. "I'm looking for the boys, they need to change for the suits."

"I saw Billy in the gardens." You tell her as you gesture briefly in the direction. "I'll go find Tommy for you."

Wanda smiles, biting her lips. You nod but when you make mention of moving away, she holds your forearm and moves forward, depositing a kiss on your cheek.

"Thank you, sweetheart." She whispered, smiling mischievously at you before she turned away and left the kitchen. You bit your lip, feeling your heart racing. You didn't understand why Wanda was teasing you, but you weren't complaining.

//-//

Non Readers Pov

Wanda laughed affectionately when Billy launched himself onto her lap as soon as she found him in the backyard.

"Luna, dear, your mother is calling you too." Warned the red-haired woman to her niece who nodded turning toward the direction her aunt pointed.

"Mommy can I play after I change my clothes?" Asked the boy as the woman carried him back to the house.

"Of course honey, but you have to be careful, okay? You can't get your suit dirty."

Just before she reached the entrance, someone called her name, causing Wanda to turn her head curiously.

"Sweetie, I need to ask you something." It was Ruth Eisenhardt, a nasty distant cousin of Wanda's known for gossiping, and lots of it, about all her relatives. "I just heard from Aunt Susan that you are dating that pretty girl you brought over."

Wanda felt her face heat up, but kept her expression impassive. Before she could add anything else, the woman was speaking again.

"Of course we are all happy for you, but when I went to share the good news with Uncle Jeff, he said that Pietro had already denied this affair. Now I'm left not knowing if you're really going out with that beefcake."

Wanda let out an awkward giggle, frowning slightly at the way her cousin spoke.

"We're not exactly together, cousin." The redhead replied. "But that's not really your business."

Ruth grimaced in surprise, but then her expression changed to one of malice.

"You know, I'm just confirming it. Because after all, we don't have pretty things like that lying around in New Jersey."

Wanda clenched her jaw. Ruth was exactly the kind of girl who had a mania for taking what didn't belong to her.

"Cousin, don't flirt with her." Wanda said. "I'll only warn you this once."

Ruth giggled, surprised at the reaction. But Wanda didn't continue the subject, turning and continuing toward the entrance of the house.

"Mom what's flirt?" Billy asked next, drawing Wanda's attention away from her own not-so-pleasant thoughts about someone taking what was hers.

"It's a way adults talk, honey." Wanda explained, biting her lips thoughtfully briefly. "When they want to be more than friends."

"Like best friends?"

Wanda laughs briefly, denying it.

"No, Billy. Like lovers."

Billy makes a noise of agreement. "Why can't Aunt Ruth flirt with Aunt Y/N?"

Wanda sighs lightly, forcing a friendly expression so as not to confuse her son.

"She can."

"But you told her..."

"I know." Wanda interrupts with red cheeks. She takes a deep breath, smiling at her son. "Can I ask you something sweetie?" Billy nods in agreement. "If mommy started dating someone, would you be upset?"

Billy frowns, denying it.

"Mommy, you want to date Aunt Y/N don't you?"

Wanda's eyes widen in surprise.

"Where did that one come from?" she asked.

"You didn't like it when Aunt Ruth flirted with Daddy either, I remember Aunt Monica's birthday." He tells, and Wanda sighs slightly, remembering when she caught Ruth complimenting her husband as she ran her hands through her hair, and Wanda might have gotten a little carried away by accidentally flipping a wine glass in her cousin's lap. On the way home, when the twins asked, she said that she was upset with the way Ruth spoke to their father, and now Billy was able to understand everything. "And now you don't want Aunt Ruth to talk to Aunt Y/N like that." He concluded as if it was obvious. Wanda smiled as she went upstairs, careful not to trip on the steps with Billy on her lap. "Mommy, if you date Aunt Y/N will she move in with us?"

"I don't know dear." Wanda replied with a shy smile.

"If she lives with us, will you let her sleep in my room?"

Wanda laughed, looking at Billy curiously.

"And why is that?"

"Because she knows how to play dragon. And also tell fairy tales." He says counting on his fingers. "And she also helps Tommy with his headache, so she can sleep on our rug and when he wakes up at night, she helps him."

Wanda smiles fondly, shaking her head slightly.

"Those are very good reasons indeed." She says. "But I think Y/N would like to sleep in a bed, no? The floor is uncomfortable."

Billy looks thoughtful and Wanda laughs briefly as she sets him down on the floor, already inside his room. She helps him out of his clothes to put on his party suit that is already on the bed.

"I can sleep in your bed mommy, and then Aunt Y/N sleeps in mine next to Tommy so he won't be alone."

Wanda laughs again, denying with her head. She bends down to button her son's shirt.

"Tell you what. Y/N sleeps in my bed, and if Tommy feels bad, she goes up to his room, how's that sound?"

//-//

Reader pov

"I think it sounds amazing." You spoke as you entered the room, a mischievous smile on your lips. Wanda startled slightly, surprised that you arrived at that moment, but she smiled shyly as she looked at you before turning her attention back to her son.

"Yay, mommy!" Billy spoke excitedly. Wanda sat him down on the bed again, helping him put on his shoes. You guided Tommy gently by the shoulders to the bed, and as soon as he had a look at the suit he began to undress.

"I didn't know you were going to live with us, Aunt Y/N." Tommy comments as he removes his sneakers.

"I didn't know either." You retort, biting back a smile at the sight of Wanda's reddening cheeks. "I guess your mother forgot to invite me."

Wanda mumbles at you to shut up, making you smile.

"Mommy, you have to let Aunt Y/N know that she is going to live with us now." Billy said making you cross your arms, and turn to Wanda, joining in on the joke.

"Yes, Wanda! You need to let me know about these things." You say with false seriousness, and Wanda rolls her eyes in amusement, finishing putting on Billy's shoes and getting up to face you.

"Y/n, honey, you're going to move in with me when we get back home, okay?" Wanda asks in the same tone. You bite back a smile, ignoring how your heartbeat has quickened. You can't help but look at Wanda adoringly however, and her expression goes from playful to shy in microseconds.

"Okay, Wands. I'll love living with you." You say to her next, sounding slightly affected. The twins let out an exclamation of excitement, and break the bubble you are in. You clear your throat slightly as you turn your attention back to them, looking away from Wanda.

"Wow, you guys look great." You comment as you see the boys properly dressed next. The suits are very nice indeed.

"You can go back to the party, but be careful not to get your suits dirty. No playing in the dirt!" Wanda warns the boys, who are already running excitedly outside.

"Okay, I'll go get ready too." You say next, thinking to check your cell phone as well, since you haven't turned it on since you left New York. "See you at the party?"

Wanda nods in agreement and you turn to leave.

At the door she stops you, pulling you by the forearm lightly and raising her hand to your neck, then bringing your lips together.

You both sigh and you feel your whole body tense up and heat up all at once. Wanda pulls away in the next moment, breathing as out of rhythm as you do.

You want to ask her why she did this now, but you think the question can wait until later, because she brings your lips together again, in a kiss far less innocent than before. Wanda closes the door with one hand, and with the other she pushes you against the wood.

You gasp, letting your tongue run across her lip, and she gives you passage.

Her taste intoxicates your senses quickly, your hands moving up to her waist as hers move to your hair, deepening the kiss. You both gasp for air against each other's mouths, unable to separate.

Panting, you feel your head spin as Wanda moves her tongue against yours, slow and sensual, and you can't help but squeeze her waist tightly, enjoying the feeling of her sighing against your lips.

You switch positions next moment, pressing Wanda against the wood of the door, your knee coming up between her legs.

"Oh." Wanda moans breathlessly breaking the kiss. You move your kisses down her jaw to her neck, sucking on the skin and releasing just before marking. Your fingers play with the hem of her blouse, and Wanda brings your head up, kissing you again.

You press your body against her, wanting her to be touching you everywhere. The sensation makes you breathless, and hot in all the right places, causing you to moan.

You think you could kiss Wanda forever if she'd let you. The feeling of having her in your mouth is the best you have ever felt.

There are noises of footsteps coming from the stairs, and you both sigh when you hear them. It's Monica coming up with Luna, who is chatting animatedly. It's just what you need to snap back to reality, and slow down the kiss.

You keep your foreheads together, and your hands around Wanda until the sound becomes distant, signaling that Monica has entered their bedroom with Luna.

You let out a giggle, and Wanda follows you. You look just like two teenage girls making out in secret. When you stop laughing, you kiss her again. Calmer this time. Before you let go, she bites your lip, tugging lightly, and making you gasp before letting go.

"Come on, go change." She commands, pushing you lightly. You smile because she keeps her grip against your blouse as she tells you to leave.

"It is you who are keeping me here, Maximoff." You tease with a smile. Wanda smiles too, and steals a kiss from you before letting go. You stumble backwards out of the room, grinning like an idiot, but you don't care, because Wanda looks at you just the same.

//-//

Wanda looked stunning in her party dress. You wanted to kiss her again, but you knew that if you did you would smear her lipstick, and she would have a lot of inconvenient questions ahead of her. So you just smiled, and breathlessly confessed how beautiful she looked, enjoying her flushed cheeks.

By the time you joined the party, the guests were arranging themselves at the correct places, and you joined a conversation circle with Wanda at your side, greeting a few more people.

As the sun set, Erik and Charles signaled that the ceremony was about to begin.

//-//

It was all very beautiful.

Maybe you cried between one confession and another, but everyone was emotional, so no one really cared.

Your cell phone had lots of pictures on it when you came back to the house, after saying goodbye to the guests who left when the party was over. You were holding Tommy by the hand, while Billy went with his mother, and the boys looked very tired.

"Let's go to bed, okay?" Wanda warned the kids as they followed her upstairs.

Erik wanted to open a bottle of wine, so after the kids were in bed, all the adults were outside on the balcony. Wanda sat very close to you, and you resisted the urge to put your arm around her.

"I guess I'll never get used to parties." Erik then comments, smiling nostalgically, making the group smile.

"I hope you're looking forward to the twenty-year anniversary one, papa." Pietro humorously retorts, and Erik laughs, looking at his husband tenderly.

"I look forward to it."

You smiled at the passionate way the couple looked at each other. You wondered what it must be like to stay married for so long.

"I know we are all tired, but I had something to tell you." Erik then says, exchanging a look with Charles before continuing. "It's about the farm."

"What about the farm?" Pietro asked curiously.

"It 's yours."

Pietro frowns in confusion, looking at Wanda, who has the same look on her face.

"Papa, what?" Wanda asks, and Erik lets out a short laugh.

"You know I've always wanted to remodel this place, ever since you were kids." He recounts. "And Charles and I finally did it. But now we're old. And you two have your whole lives ahead of you, and well, you are our family. So Charles and I agreed that the house should belong to you both."

Wanda and Pietro exchange incredulous laughter.

"Papa, what? Are you sure?" Wanda asks looking from her brother to her father and stepfather. The older men just smile and the next moment they are hugging their children. You and Monica exchange looks of amusement.

"So, does this mean we're moving?" Monica comments once everyone is seated, and elicits a giggle from the group.

"Let's save all this serious talk for tomorrow, shall we?" Erik asks with a smile. "Today, let's just enjoy the stars."

"Someone is feeling romantic." Charles jokes making the group laugh.

"Papa, tell us some of your stories." Pietro asked with a smile, and Erik sighed, taking on a thoughtful expression.

"Um, let's see." He begins. "Have I ever told you about what happened in Budapest...?"

//-//

It was quite late when you and Wanda were finally alone, after Charles and Erik came in, you stayed talking to Pietro and Monica for a few more minutes, until they walked in as well.

You smiled at Wanda as she leaned back in her armchair to face you cross-legged, and you mimicked her position.

"Hey." She called out to you with a smile.

"Hey."

"Did you enjoy the party?"

"Yes." You assured her tenderly. "It was pretty good actually."

Wanda nodded slightly, her gaze falling momentarily to your lips.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything you want, Wanda." You retort, making her smile.

The redhead looks intently at you.

"Did you mean it?" She asks and you blink in confusion. "About moving in with me."

You feel your cheeks heat up, but you smile.

"You're not even going to ask me out first, eh?"

Wanda laughed, looking away with flushed cheeks. You swallowed dryly, lifting your hand to turn her face toward you again, stroking her cheek lightly. God, Wanda was beautiful. Her bright green eyes looking back at you, the way her hair fell around her face, every part of her.

"Don't you think we're happening too fast?" Wanda asks insecurely, you don't put your hand down, enjoying the feeling of her skin.

"It depends." You answer letting your gaze wander to her, your free hand searching for hers in your lap, twining your fingers together.

"On what?"

"If you care about me..." You whisper as you bring your faces closer together, stopping when your lips are almost touching, and you and Wanda both close your eyes in anticipation. " As much as I care about you."

You kiss Wanda before she responds. Sweetly and softly. The sensation makes you smile against her lips, and you ignore the urge to deepen the kiss to pull away.

"Is that your way of saying you're in love with me?" Wanda teases half breathlessly a minute later, her tone playful and confident, but her rosy cheeks give away how affected she is. You think she's irresistible.

You laugh lightly, brushing a strand of hair from her face before looking into her eyes.

"I'm in love with you." You confess simply, watching her blink in surprise and amazement. "So, you still think it's too fast?"

Wanda smiles, denying it, and then approaches you.

"I'm in love with you too" She confesses as a secret against your lips. You feel your stomach rumble with nervousness and excitement, but you don't say anything else, because Wanda kisses you again. She asks for passage with her tongue a second later, making you sigh.

You hold your mouths together in a passionate kiss for long minutes, panting against each other' lips as Wanda moves to sit on your lap with her hands on your neck while your hands move up to her waist. You feel hot and bothered, squeezing her skin as if you want to merge with it. It is only when your kisses begin to move down to her collarbone that Wanda gasps saying that you two should go upstairs.

She moves off your lap, breaking the kiss, and you bite your lips, chasing her mouth again. Standing up, Wanda slides her tongue against yours one last time, making your head spin, before she pulls away, smiling at you as she pulls you by the hand into the house.

She signals with her finger for you to be quiet as you enter, and you swallow dryly as you observe the way her eyes are dark.

Getting to your room seems to take forever, especially since you can barely breathe, but finally you arrive.

Wanda locks the door after you enter. And then the atmosphere changes, because you both know what is about to happen.

She smiles shyly at you and you hold out your hand to her, leading her to sit on the bed beside you.

You exchange a glance before you sigh softly, slowly moving closer to her face. When you kiss her, much more tenderly and gently than any other time, Wanda melts.

She raises her hands to your neck, deepening the kiss as she falls onto the bed and takes you with her. You kiss her firmly, swirling your tongue around hers slowly, making her shiver.

There is no rush in what you are about to do, and you certainly want to enjoy every second of it.

You rest your weight against Wanda, enjoying the feeling of having her beneath you, and the sound that escapes her throat. Your mouth separates from hers only for you to move your kisses down her collarbone, causing Wanda to close her eyes and sigh.

Your hands reach behind her back to pull down the zipper of her dress. When your fingers make contact with her exposed skin, Wanda bites her lips, entwining her legs together in search of more friction.

Your kisses move down as you pull the dress off her body, Wanda shifting on the bed to help you undress her. You move away from her neck to remove the piece completely, your gaze falling to her exposed skin the next moment. The redhead blushes at your stare, but all you can do is admire. The sight of her bare breasts makes your core throb, and you feel the urge to touch and kiss every inch.

You kiss her again in the next second, but part your mouths again quickly to move your lips down her body.

At the first touch on her breasts, Wanda gasps loudly. You smile, controlling the urge to tell her not to be so loud, but you are distracted by the growing heat in your core when you suck on her nipple and she whimpers, bringing her hand to your hair to keep you there.

Dividing your attention between the nipples, you kiss, bite, and suck the sensitive skin, keeping enough of it in your mouth for the skin to be marked red, which elicits a hearty moan from Wanda.

As your kisses begin to descend again, Wanda's body tenses. You kiss at the height of her navel before looking up, and already find her looking up at you with darkened eyes, biting her lip.

"Everything okay?" You ask in a sigh, trying to reason properly out of the bubble of lust.

Wanda's hesitation causes you to raise your face back toward her again, keeping your hands by her side so as not to fall against her body.

"What's wrong?" You ask gently, trying to find any sign of discomfort.

"Nothing." She says with a shy smile. "It's just... it's the first time I... since..."

"Yeah, I know." You interrupt half breathlessly, knowing exactly what she is referring to. "Mine too." You confess, but at this point, you knew she should have guessed it too. You have been grieving partners for quite some time, after all. "Do you want to stop?"

"No." Wanda quickly denies, biting back a smile. "I feel good."

You smile, nodding in agreement.

"Me too."

You kiss Wanda gently again, but before the kiss gets more heated, you pull away to whisper against her lips. "Let me know if you feel uncomfortable at any time."

Wanda nods, bringing your lips together next.

//-//

When you awake, it is probably the best sleep you have had in months. Wanda is curled up on you, her clothes spread across the room lit by the sunbeams from the window.

You mumble that you have to get up because the children will be up soon, but Wanda says that her father will take care of them, and kisses you until you completely forget where you are.

When you finally get up, and go downstairs for coffee, neither adult comments at all on the way Wanda's hand remains in yours throughout the meal.

//-//

While Wanda is talking to Pietro and Erik about how they are going to organize the inheritance of the farm, and the children are playing in the backyard in front of the veranda, you decide to call your mother.

You end up learning that she got a buyer for your apartment, but you tell her that you would deal with these matters when you get back. After checking email and that sort of thing, you turn off your cell phone again.

Taking one last look at the children, you walked back into the house, catching a small piece of the conversation of the others in the living room about what would be done about Wanda's flower shop, but you didn't intrude.

"We know a lot of people around here, Wanda." Charles was counting. "I'm sure we'll be able to find a new location for the flower shop."

Wanda looked slightly apprehensive, probably considering all the consequences of the relocation, but she relaxed her posture completely when you entwined your hand with hers.

When the conversation was over, it was decided that the families would move to the farm. Selling the properties in New York would take some time, but they would still move to the city during the vacations. It was going to be a rush, but Erik and Charles were willing to help too.

Since you guys were leaving that afternoon, you went back to your room to pack. And Wanda joined you a moment later, kissing you on the cheek before sitting down on your bed.

" All good?" You asked as you folded your socks.

"Yeah." She confirmed with a smile. "I'm just trying to believe that all this is really happening."

"It's not every day we get a farm, is it?" You joke making her laugh. Wanda bites her lips next, looking at you fondly, and you look away to your bag, feeling your face heat up.

"I forgot to ask you something yesterday." She begins somewhat shyly. You frown slightly, muttering for her to ask. "Are we dating?"

You laugh in surprise, throwing your folded party clothes into your suitcase, before approaching Wanda, raising your hand to her chin.

"What do you think, love?" You ask against her lips, dragging your mouth down her jaw to the height of her ear. "After what you did with your tongue yesterday, you're not going anywhere."

Wanda gasps, clenching her hands in the bed. You smile because you know the memories have hit her all over again. But you turn away next, smiling innocently at the woman in front of you before turning your attention back to the suitcase.

"I don't get a ring?" She teased next, making you laugh briefly. You looked back at the door before advancing against her, kissing her firmly, completely overturning her confident posture. When Wanda sighed against your mouth, you pulled away, and she grumbled, her hand reaching up to grab your belt and pull you back to her, but noises of footsteps made her give up.

Soon the boys came running into the room, talking excitedly about living on the farm and riding every day, and you wanted to laugh at the way Wanda had to disguise how affected she felt by your small make out session to answer her sons' questions.

//-//

After saying goodbye to your hosts with hugs, you sat in the back seat with the boys, because Tommy insisted that he wanted to show you a video game. Wanda drove you to your apartment, and after getting your suitcase from the trunk, you waved goodbye to the boys, and approached the driver's window.

"I'll call you, okay?" You tell her with a smile, Wanda nods, and you kiss her. Tommy and Billy make disgusted noises in the back of the car, and you and Wanda laugh as you part.

Waving to everyone in farewell one last time, you wait for Wanda to leave with the car before you go into the house.

"Kissing girls on the doorstep, heh? Looks like high school all over again." Your mother teases from the kitchen just as you enter. You laugh as you close the door.

"Spying through the kitchen window, Mom? And I thought I was a grown-up." You retort in the same tone as you walk to the kitchen to greet her with a kiss on the forehead, tossing your suitcase on the counter afterwards.

"Are you really dating then?" Your mother asks and you murmur in agreement. She smiles. "I'm so happy, honey. I can't wait to prepare for the wedding."

You roll your eyes humorously, picking up an apple from the countertop.

"We need to talk about your apartment, by the way." She starts again, looking through her briefcase for something. "I've found buyers, and well, I'm already looking at some houses for you, too." She says as you take a seat next to her at the table. "Of course I love having you here, but we both know you can't wait to have a place of your own again."

You sigh lightly.

"Yeah, Mom." You confirm. "About that..."

//-//

"You're late." Agatha remarked as soon as you stumbled into her office. You gave her a lopsided smile, closing the door as you entered.

"Sorry, I had a date and lost track of time."

Agatha raises her eyebrows at you.

"A date, hm? Let's talk about it then."

//-//

You had just deposited Melina's share of the apartment in the bank when your cell phone vibrated.

A message from Bucky, asking if you were coming to therapy with him today, as he was already at the station. You reply with an emoji, and a text saying coming.

//-//

"I am immensely happy for your progress, even though I am upset that you will not be continuing with us." Stephen says to you and Wanda, in your last group session.

"Well, New Jersey has its support groups. But this one is always going to be special." You tell him as you lightly tap his arm. Stephen smiles as he hands you the progress brooches. Wanda has her hand intertwined in yours, and the man in front of you looks at that before commenting.

"You know, I always find it curious the way pairs develop in the group." He comments. "We never ask that the activities be romantic, but still, many of them end up falling in love."

You and Wanda exchange a mixed look of embarrassment and happiness.

"I guess we have you to thank for that." Wanda says next, but Stephen smiles, denying it.

"Not at all. I'm happy for both of you. After all, I always thought you would get along together." He hints last, making you and Wanda laugh softly.

//-//

"I just need to lock up and grab a few last things in the office, and then we can go." Wanda told you when you arrived at the flower shop. The establishment was now empty, as the moving crew had already passed by.

You waited for her in the reception area.

With the key to the flower shop in hand and the last files that were there, Wanda hesitated. You looked at her, standing in the center of the place, eyes watering, and smiled as you approached.

"Everything okay?" You asked as you touched her arms, stroking her to calm her down.

"Yeah." She sighs, looking around one last time before looking back at you. "It just feels like I'm ending something. Like a chapter in my life."

You swallow dryly briefly, nodding.

"Are you scared?"

Wanda smiles.

"Terrified." She confesses. "But I have you, so I know I'll be all right."

You smile, lifting your hands to your neck to kiss her. It's brief and sweet, and it's exactly what you both need to be sure you're doing the right thing.

"You're a flirt, aren't you Maximoff?" You tease with a smile, and Wanda giggles lightly against your lips.

"And you are breathtaking, love."

You felt your face heat up, kissing Wanda again.

"Are you sure about what we're doing, Wanda?" You let the words escape your anxious brain next. Wanda raised her free hand to your face, caressing your cheek.

" Absolute." She assures. "You are my future."

You swallow dryly, affected by the intensity of the confession. A shy smile escapes your lips in the next moment.

"And you are mine."

#wanda maximoff #wanda x reader #wanda x you #wandaxreader #wandaxyou #wanda maximoff x reader #wandaxyn #wanda x yn #marvel imagines #sorry for your loss

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flowerwrites06 · 3 years

Text

deathly dry spell — jjk

Plot: When Taehyung is away for months on a trip in the peak of winter, alternative methods of keeping a succubus pleased comes into play.

Pairing(s): Jungkook x Succubus!OC (Name: Belle) ft. Boyfriend Taehyung

Rating: G | PG | M | R 18+

Type: Drabble | Oneshot | Two Parter | Series

Word Count: 2k+

Genre: Succubus AU | Roommate AU | PWP

Tags & Warnings: explicit smut, spanking, squirting, unsafe sex, coarse language, succubus being angry horny

Authors Note: idk what’s happening with my writing streak lately but I’m kind of just going with the flow and hoping you all like it lmao let me know what you think!

Another frustrating morning. Belle had taken pills to suppress some of the aching in between her legs but they were only aggravating the hunger. Even her ivory horns began to ache from the increasing frustration and her breasts felt tender than ever before. Winter was always the worst time for her to be away from him. The grey sky framed by the apartment windows and cool atmosphere stinging her flesh made her desperate for warmth. No. Heat. She wanted burning heat everywhere.

“I’m going to be gone a couple of months, sweetheart,” Taehyungs’ voice crackled through the speaker.

“Months?” Belles’ dark brows furrowed looking through the computer screen as her boyfriend delivered the disturbing news. His curls were messy and a loose shirt draped over his body, making her heat up between her legs even more. In turn, increasing her frustration towards him for being so far apart.

If it were a normal relationship with two humans then they would probably just be very saddened. Unfortunately leaving your succubus girlfriend for a couple of months isn’t exactly safe. Especially if you’re desperate to want her faithful. She let out a deep sigh, staring out again at the heavily clouded sky. It was probably going to snow a lot this winter. She clamped her thighs together, cuddled into a crème blanket. “Tae—I can’t.” She buried her lips into the fluffy material. “Maybe I could come visit you.”

“You know why you can’t visit me here.” Taehyung didn’t sound too happy about the ordeal either but Belle had too much on her mind to feel bad for him. “These idiots don’t like magical creatures and you’ll be in danger.”

“But I can’t—”

“I had a suggestion.”

Belle blinked curiously. “What?”

Taehyung bit down his bottom lip, unsure of the thoughts rushing through his mind. “If you start feeling pain or sick at all—Jungkook could—”

“No.”

“You know it can’t be negotiated.”

“No!” she winced.

Taehyung sighed. “Baby…I can’t have you in pain.”

“Well that’s just you have to live with for leaving me.” She sniffled, scrunching her nose as the cold stung her. “Does Jungkook even know about your decision?”

“I kind of mentioned it to him.” Taehyung scratched the back of his head.

Belle’s eyes burned into him. She understood that there was no other choice if she wanted to survive the winter. But to take part in this pact felt so wrong. “So you just discussed it like it was some kind of business transaction.” Her feelings were indifferent. Some part of her still wanted to pretend that she was against it. Succubi were always known to become disloyal to their partners. If she took part in this thing, she’d be one of them.

“You—” Sadness spread across Taehyungs’ face; eyes glossed and features twisted in pain. “—you’ll die. Please…I want to come back home to you alive and well.”

Belles’ expression softened, tightening the blanket around her as she averted her gaze. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.”

It kept getting colder and her body kept getting painful. Belle didn’t remember the last moment she sat still. Not having to squirm somehow to be comfortable. Spending nights rubbing against pillows to get some kind of tension but only sleeping with tears filling her eyes. This morning wasn’t helping her mood either when Jungkook made food for the both of them to eat.

Belle hadn’t talked to him ever since the call with Taehyung. Except that didn’t mean Jungkook stopped making an effort to keep some kind of interaction going. Forcing a dinner on them was one of his genius attempts.

Roasted potatoes, chicken curry, spinach paste and a blueberry pie. Hearty enough meals for Belle to sustain herself when she couldn’t be filled in other ways. The scent suffused the cool air, making it homely and comforting. In her stubbornness though, Belle leaned back on the chair as Jungkook tried to start a conversation.

“You’re just not going to talk to me.” Jungkook shook his head.

Belle folded her arms over her chest refusing to eat a morsel of food. It smelled delicious to a point where it could even make her mouth water.

“Look I know you’re hungry.” He gestured to the meal. “If you’re not going to do it the way you have to at least eat the way humans do.”

Belle glared at him. “Don’t act like this is an inconvenience to you. I didn’t ask for your goddamn help!” She never snapped at Jungkook. Or anyone for that matter. Then again, she hadn’t gone this long from getting her sustenance.

“It’s not an inconvenience. I don’t want to see a friend hurt like this.”

“But you’re willing to treat me like a bet in a club.”

Jungkooks’ expression hardened. “Sex means life and death to you, does it or does it not?”

Belle pressed her lips together. “Yes,” she muttered.

“Then why the hell would we not take it seriously?” He stabbed the fork into the chicken. “I can’t force you to get what you need. But I’m sure as hell not letting you leave until you eat something.”

She wanted to stay relentless and keep her arms folded. Except the meal might help sleep at night better at the very best. With a defeated sigh, she relaxed herself and began to eat.

“Stop squirming,” Jungkook said.

Belle scoffed, slouching on the couch after a good hour of trying to get into a comfortable position. Even the winter chills were turning into mere summer breezes from the way her body kept heating up. It was strange to have light snow falling outside and her body was adorned with a nightie. “I can’t get comfortable, alright? If you don’t like it, just go to your room.”

“This is my apartment too.”

“And you have a TV in your room.”

“But I want to be here.”

“Then stop complaining.” Belle shifted when the pooling between her legs was getting heavier.

Jungkook scoffed, raking his fingers through his hair roughly. “You know, I didn’t realize you had the potential to be such a bitch.”

“Well, we’re learning a lot of things, aren’t we?” Belle smiled bitterly. “Like how you have absolutely no patience whatsoever.”

“Sorry I’m not Taehyung keeping check on you like you’re a toddler.”

Thick scents of amber suffused the air and taunted Jungkooks’ nostrils. He tried not to scrunch his nose too much but it was strange not smelling the usual jasmine scent from her body.

“Just cause I don’t function like you humans doesn’t mean you get to demean my needs.” Belles’ voice had gotten deeper, eyes burning in anger and frustration. “Especially you. Acting like the nice best friend to Taehyung for months on end but the moment you have time alone with me, you act like I don’t exist. You’re no different than those people Taehyung works with—”

Jungkook grabbed the back of her neck and pressed a kiss on her lips. The desperately loyal part of Belle screamed to pull away. But whenever she tried, the warmth of another’s lips and the grip on her neck only caused her to whimper. He pulled away then. Chests rising and falling in the new brewing heat.

Belle hated her body for trying to grab onto him again. She tried to muster a frown. “Did you just do that to shut me up?”

“I can’t watch you ruin yourself.” Jungkook tightened his grip into her hair. “So please, for the love of god, fuck me.”

Like a trigger pulled on a gun, Belle pounced on the male, lips crashing against each other as her hands moved down to pull her panties off. She threw the flimsy material on the floor without a care before moving to straddle the male on the couch.

Jungkook pushed down his sweatpants and boxers, bare skin meeting the soft surface of the couch.

Belle raised herself until she felt his tip position at her sloppy entrance. She slid down slowly, the almost nonexistent sleeve of her nightie slipping down her shoulders. Without waiting a second longer, Belle moved up and down his cock, snug walls hugging him perfectly. There was no more time to wait. She didn’t want to wait.

He pushed up her dress, kneading her ass and forcing her hips to grind against his own. “F-Fuck…”

Belle threw her head back, hands placed on the back of the couch. Her breasts bounced along with her movements, nipples peeking out a little.

Jungkook growled lightly wrapping his strong arms fully around her waist before pounding up in to her pussy. He moved at a dizzying pace, balls slapping against her ass like a round of applause.

The sounds drowned Belle’s choked screams infused in an overwhelming pleasure as his lower belly roughly rubbed against her clit. “O-god.” She whimpered, gripping at the couch pillow until she scratched one of them.

Slowing his thrusts down, he moved deep inside her, feeling his cock drowning in her arousal. Jungkook kept his hold and turned them around so she was on the couch instead.

She immediately spread her legs apart watching him lean in and drink in her leaking core. Her hand moved to his hair.

Tongue lapped at her clit as he snuck a finger prodding at her slit. Jungkook slid inside with so much ease that a moan emitted in his throat. Then he slid another. Her heat burned against his flesh. Curling his digits upward, he rubbed against the spot inside her. His thumb brushing against her clit, he drilled his fingers into her pussy.

Belle let out a small sob in between her moans. Nails digging into her thigh as she watched her pussy spluttering out her arousal onto his hands moving at lightning speed. The pleasure coiled in her lower belly; tightening beyond control.

Knuckles deep inside her, he felt it getting hotter and more sloppy causing his member to spurt more arousal onto the floor. “That’s right, baby…” He whispered, dipping down and wrapping his lips around her clit, suckling like his favourite treat as his fingers continued to pound into her.

Belle’s body shook like insanity embodied, the heat gathering in her lower belly almost unbearable as she felt a heaviness ready to burst. “I’m gonna cum, Kook—” She cried out, thrashing against the messed up pillows.

The coil then sprung out in a light gush of clear liquid, squirting out of her as Jungkook kept moving his fingers in and out while suckling on her throbbing clit. He felt wetness dripping down his hand, soaking into the couch but it only made him hungrier for more as he growled against her puffy, sensitive pussy.

Belle winced from a slight ache as he continued to go beyond her sensitive point. “Ah-Kook-“ She pushed him away gently causing him to chuckle a little.

“We’re not done yet, baby.” Jungkook smirked, picking her up again, off the couch and turning her around. He bent her over so her breasts pressed against the wet stain. “Look at the mess you made.”

Belle replied in a whimper, swaying her ass his way until she felt his leaking tip brush against her. The stamped down pleasure reignited quicker than her own body could handle it. She wanted more. A sharp pain swung on her ass cheek causing her to let out a throaty chuckle as she swayed again. Much to her pleasure, Jungkook landed another swing on her ass cheek much harsher than the first. “Do it again.”

Jungkook obliged, slapping it once again. His tip rubbed in between her blushing cheeks to gain some friction when he landed another smack. Pressing his sweat layered chest to her back, he jabbed his glistening fingers through her lips. He hungrily watched Belle suckle on her arousal. Jungkook took a cheeky moment to push it down her throat until she gagged. He pulled his fingers out and grabbed onto her neck. “You want more?”

“Yes,” Belle whispered, desperately swaying her hips to gain his fill again.

“Yeah?” Jungkook pushed his length in, moaning at how much her walls still closed in on him, pushing him further over the edge. Veined fists pressed against the couch, slamming his hips against hers.

Belle rested her cheek against the soaked fabric. The smell of her own arousal made her mad with ecstasy, light groans emitted in her throat, her lower belly tightening again. The couch shifted and creaked at every thrust as her legs lost all ability to move properly.

Jungkook growled as the heaviness in his lower belly became hard to control, screaming to release. “I’m coming…” He breathed out.

“Come inside me.” Belle reached behind her to grab the back of his neck. “Please, come inside me,” she cried out.

Forehead pressing against the top of her head, Jungkook gave into frantic thrusts. Pleasure burst out of him in a thickened wave. Fingers dug into the cushion as a shaky moan passed his lips.

Belle grinned in complete bliss as her orgasm pounded through her, knees trembling and her body convulsing until she swore she saw stars. So many days of keeping herself contained. The proper pleasure of Jungkook filling her up brought her to tears, dripping onto the already ruined couch cushions. She giggled through her light sobs.

“Hey—” Jungkook brushed her hair away from her sweat-layered temple. “You okay?”

“More than okay.” Belle grinned, sniffling. “Thank you.”

Jungkook chuckled. “First time I’ve heard that after sex.”

The rest of winter moved a lot smoother and warmer for Belle and Jungkook.

#jungkook #thebtswritersclub #jungkook fanfic #bts imagines #jungkook imagines #bts fanfic #bts smut #jungkook fanfiction #bts fanfiction #succubus au #bts succubus au #supernatural au #tw: smut #jungkook smut

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dulafer · 2 years

Text

CHIEF OF STAFF

1st story in a 3 part series...... How to make government work :). The 2nd in series is ‘The Cadet’ to be followed by ‘The Senator’. The first two use twins, the last uses plastic surgery. I’ve stalled writing the Senator but maybe I’ll get back to it over the Holidays. This is actually a str8 story (Oh my god!).

For those outside the United States, most of our politicians have a Chief of Staff, their ‘right hand person’ who keep things flowing in the offices and campaigns.... basically a gofer/jack of all trades.

As usual, it’s lonnnngggggg......

Feedback appreciated - [email protected]

Crappy Morning

Jason Cook sat half naked in front of his television, drinking his morning coffee and watching a copy of himself being interviewed on ‘The Morning Joe’. It’s always surreal seeing a different version of himself—one that’s clean shaven, well dressed, well mannered and charming. He’s watching his identical twin brother, Garrett, on national TV mouthing the talking points of Senator Robert Gehris, his boss and probably the next president of the United States.

“Senator Gehris doesn’t see this as a detriment to deal with but as an opportunity for the country to move forward to a better future.” His brother says with a straight face that liberals love.

Jason repeats verbatim. “Senator Gehris doesn’t see this as a detriment to deal with but as an opportunity for the country to move forward to a better future.” Then adds his own opinion. “Snotty assholes like you bro, will only ruin this country.”

Jason is fixated on the TV. It happens every time his brother pops up on it. He realizes how different their lives are now but remembers how similar they used to be. Garrett got accepted by Harvard Law school, got lucky with an internship in the summer with then state Senator Gehris and has been by his side ever since. He never practiced law, but passed the Bar in NY then jumped right into politics, managing the senator’s campaigns and life.

Jason remembers their weekly chats and all the shit he was putting up with from ‘Robert’. They used to be really close but after their father died, Garrett moved to DC and became another person. The problem was their father's inheritance and how Garrett handled it. Jason felt he was screwed out of $400,000 to help Garrett get through Harvard and was never paid back. Their weekly chats became monthly, then yearly and now it’s like Jason never existed.

Jason is disgusted with his life and how it turned out. He’s working as a researcher for some free legal clinic in Albany, making crappy money and doing shit work for scumbags. He never finished his law degree from Cuny-Queens College, he failed 6 credits and never looked back. He’s bitter and jealous of his perfect brother who’s on television more and more these days.

He snaps back to the TV from his thoughts when he hears Mika ask about Garrett’s personal life. “So, there’s a lot of rumors going around about you and Jennifer Hastings, care to elaborate?”

“Well, I got permission to say that we’re dating and getting to know each other.” Garrett chuckles.

“Interesting, a Washington star and Hollywood star mixing it up. How did you meet?” Joe chimes in.

“It was at a fund raiser at Geffen’s home in Hollywood, we were both bored, got chatting and just sort of clicked. Miss you babe.” Garrett answers with a shout out and wave to her.

“What does your family think of you dating such a major star?” Mika asks.

“Since my father passed years ago, there isn’t any family to tell.” He answers with a straight face.

“Fucking lying bastard,” Jason screams at the TV, then snidely repeats. “Well, I got permission to say we’re dating and getting to know each other.” Adding “I’m pussy whipped and she keeps my balls in her purse.”

Jason is seething with anger at his brother for not acknowledging him in public. He grabs the phone and calls in sick to work, then grabs a beer from his fridge at 8:30 in the morning, chugging it and grabbing a second one.

The Proposal

Jason is halfway wasted by lunch time. Every time he sees his brother on TV or in an article, it sets him off. Today was the last straw when he ceased to exist by his brother’s comments. He thinks of calling the Washington Times and revealing himself as the forgotten brother but what would that accomplish? Who’d care if Garrett Cook has family or not?

As he’s flipping back and forth between channels and finishing another beer, there’s a knock at his door.

“Probably fucking Tammy wanting me to help her with something, I should have answered one of her dozen phone calls this morning.” Jason mumbles to himself then yells “What?” And yanks open the door.

It’s not Jason’s neighbor Tammy but some startled suited older man.

“Mr. Cook, may I come in?” He politely asks.

“No, what is this about?” Jason demands.

“It’s of a sensitive, personal nature that I really can’t discuss out in the hallway.”

Jason gestures for him to enter. “Okay, make it quick I have a busy day planned.”

“It looks it.” The man chuckles, sits down without asking, pushing the empty beer cans away from himself.

“Make it fast, I’m broke, not buying anything and you have 10 minutes before I get my gun or call the police.”

“What if you could not be broke and buy anything you wanted?” The man proposes.

“Are you from Publishers Clearing House with a huge check and hidden camera someplace?” Jason mocks him.

“Not exactly, but what if I could give you the life you’ve always wanted?”

“Yeah right, what life would that be?”

“That of up and coming Garrett Marcus Cook, political mastermind, chief of staff of the powerful Senator Gehris, likely future president of the United States.”

“Ha, yeah right, get back the life he stoled from me. Do you know, I took his SAT for him and did better than when I took them as myself earlier? I should have been accepted into Harvard Law. I’d have some hot shot career on Wall Street raking in the bucks. He’s not as smart as he portrays himself in public but he sure knows how to kiss Gehris’ ass.” Jason rambles on angrily.

“What if I could at least give you Garrett’s life as compensation for all he’s done to you?”

“How would you do that?”

“Well, for one, you still look identical to him, second we can teach you all you need to know about him, with your help of course.”

“Are you looking at me? He’s about 180 pounds, six pack abs based on his beach pics with Jennifer and we haven’t spoken in years. We’d never be mistaken for twins these day. And I have this…” Jason roles up his sleeve and shows the man a tattoo on his shoulder.

“All minor really, except one thing.” The man counters.

“What’s in it for you? I don’t even know your name and where you’re from.”

“We need an inside man in the future President’s office. You’d be that guy, you’d be your brother, have his life, his girlfriend, his money and substantially more money from us. The minor thing is plastic surgery to remove the tattoo and give you his fingerprints.”

“You can change my fingerprints? This all sounds like a spy novel. Who are you and who do you work for?” Jason demands.

“It is part spy novel. We’re not a foreign entity I promise you that. I’m Jeffrey Coleman and I work for the ‘Team’, one of the oldest secret societies in the United States. I can’t tell you anything else until you decide what you want to do?”

“How much money are we talking?” He asks bluntly.

“$25 million, plus your brother’s net worth of roughly $1million and all the perks of being him.”

“Fuck, that fucker has that much money? How could I spend all that without raising eyebrows?”

“Oh you’d be surprised how money can be managed to one’s advantage son.” He says in a fatherly, mentoring tone.

“What about Garrett? What happens to him?” He asks curiously.

“Oh, ‘Jason’ would have a quick painless accident, you’d mourn and come clean about your strained relationship and shed some tears.” Jeffrey proposes.

Jason doesn’t say a word, just sits there thinking through the proposal, thinking how he’d be getting back what’s rightfully his’… a degree from Harvard, a great future and one fucking hot girlfriend. Jason has always been a political person and was shocked when his brother gave up law for Washington. He gets up and walks to the mirror, staring at his reflection, playing with his hair, turning his head from side to side thinking.

“Since my father passed years ago, there isn’t any family to please.” He turns to Jeffrey and smiles. “Call me Garrett please.”

“Nice to meet you Garrett.” Jeffrey shakes his hand firmly.

“So what’s the plan?”

“Well, first, you’ve got to make a mends with your brother.”

“What the fuck for, I might kill him before you can.” Jason is buzzed and pissed off.

“Easy, you need to gain access to his life . We need to bug it completely—his phone, computer, car and even his office in the Senate building. Just play his caring brother who misses him. Visit him for a week in DC, keep a low profile but we need access.”

“Ok, I can do that. What about the plastic surgery?”

“That comes after we have all the information. While you’re recovering from the surgery, you’ll be learning about his life, getting up to speed.”

“You think this can actually work?” Jason continues staring at himself in the mirror, checking himself out.

“Yeah, you’ll have world class support. We have it all planned out. First, you now have a fiancé, Lisa, who’ll accompany you to DC to meet with your brother. She’ll observe him and help with the electronics. He’s got a two bedroom townhouse in Georgetown. So you’ll show up at his doorstep and invite yourself to crash there for the week. Once everything is in place, we’ll have you undergo the modifications. During recovery, you’ll study your new life in detailed, be grilled by our team and transformed into him. We’ll make the switch when you’re a carbon copy of your brother, down to the smallest detail.”

“You can do all that?” He grins to himself more the mirror while talking to Jeffrey in the reflection.

“Yes, but it’ll be a lot of hard work on your part. Is it a deal?”

Jason turns from the mirror, faces Jeffrey directly and shakes his hand. “When do we start.”

Family Reunion

A week later, early on a Saturday morning, Jason and Lisa show up unexpectedly at Garrett’s doorstep. It’s planned for a week that Jennifer is in Los Angeles and Garrett will be alone. Lisa and Jason have been practicing their story of how they met, got engaged etc..and how they wanted Garrett to be the first to know. Jeffrey’s team has been studying Garrett from afar for months and have a good idea of his habits/routines.

Jason knocks at the door, looking scruffy with a full beard, wearing a baseball cap and glasses to disguise himself from neighbors or people that might know Garrett. It’s important that no one knows of Jason’s existence or visit to DC.

“Brother!” Jason quietly announces when Garrett opens the door.

“Oh my god! I was just talking about you a week ago during an interview. Come on in.” Garrett lies and Jason knows it.

“Hello.” A bubbly Lisa pops out from around the side of the door.

“Garrett, this is Lisa, my fiancé, Lisa this is Garrett.” Lisa jumps in the door and starts hugging Garrett.

“Wow, congratulations guys!” Garrett sounds genuinely happy for them.

Jason and Lisa grab their bags and brush past Garrett, placing everything inside the entryway. It’s a beautiful old brownstone that’s been completely remodeled.

“Nice place bro, you must be doing good for yourself?”

“Yeah, politics pays well when you’re connected to the right people.” Garrett snickers.

“I’d say, nice place. We wanted to surprise you and I didn’t even have your latest address. Lisa had to look you up on anywho.com. Hope you don’t mind the unannounced visit. It was spur of the moment really and Lisa so wanted to meet you. We haven’t even found a hotel yet.”

Lisa giggles and hangs on Jason’s shoulder. “I love your brother so much and when he told me about you, I forced him to jump in the car and tell you in person.”

“Oh, don’t worry about a hotel, I have a spare bedroom and lots of space. The only problem is I do have to work a lot this week though, there’s Senate hearings on the military budget all week that I must attend. So you might be on your own a lot.”

“Not a problem, I’ve never been to DC and want to do all the touristy stuff with my honey.” Lisa giggles and kisses Jason as a loving couple.

Garrett invites them into his home, giving them a spare key and offering his car since he rarely needs to drive anywhere in Washington. Jason and Lisa pull off the loving couple, sharing the bed and making noises at night. The plan is to monopolize Garrett’s time and immediately start intercepting every conversation, text and email. Garrett spends time with them but doesn’t take them out in public, doesn’t introduce them to any of his friends. On their first night, they head out in Garrett’s BMW X5 to Bethesda for dinner and a club.

Jason and Lisa get Garrett drunk, she laces his drink and Jason drives them home. Garrett’s garage is in the rear basement of the townhouse and no one can see them coming and going. They get him to bed but now the work begins. Garrett is stripped completely naked. Lisa grabs a scanner from her bag and scans every inch of him including his fingertips. Lisa then takes pics and scans of the inside of his mouth. Every inch is analyzed, recorded and uploaded to the ‘Team’.

Once they’re finished with Garrett’s scans, Lisa starts pulling out miniature cameras and microphones, expertly placing them in vents and smoke detectors. Meanwhile, Jason pulls out a bag containing a USB memory stick, cameras and bugs. He plugs the memory stick into Garrett’s home and government computer and it starts installing surveillance software. The computer will now automatically listen and watch whenever the display is open. The camera light won’t show as on but it’ll be watching and transmitting everything. Garrett’s iPhone and iPad are plugged into another device for the same purpose. Hours later, phase one of their main mission is complete and the fake lovers are in bed enjoying each other.

From this moment on Garrett’s life will become Jason’s. Jason never knew this type of technology existed but now he’ll be able to listen to his brother’s conversations, read his email, and see his text messages. He'll also able to watch Garrett's FaceTime sex with Jennifer that his brother bragged about. This really arouses him and he can’t stop thinking of fucking her as his brother. He’s become obsessed with Jennifer, watching every movie she’s made and googling her daily.

The rest of the week, Jason and Lisa play the happy couple, sight seeing and having fun while Garrett works. Sometimes they grab lunch or dinner with Garrett but it’s always obscure locations where they won’t run into anyone he knows. Jason’s team documented Garrett’s habits and know he’s a workaholic, often putting in 12 hour days with only a few nights free for hanging with his friends at a bar or poker game in someone’s house. Garrett’s phone calls, text and conversations never once bring up his brother’s visit. Never once while talking or cybering with his girlfriend does Garrett mention his brother or fiancée.

In the mornings, Jason discretely watches and memorizes Garrett’s routine, noting his protein shakes, Pelonton workouts and grooming. When his brother goes to work, Jason repeats his routine. During the day while Garrett is at work, Lisa tests Jason on his brother’s life and coaches him. Jason also studies his future home, learning where things are and how they’re organized. Garrett’s montblanc pen was replaced Sunday night with an identical version that contains a microphone. This gives Jason access to his brother’s work life as he always keeps his pen on him.

Jason is also on a diet and fitness regimen. The scans of his brother’s body revealed 12% body fat while he’s at 19%. He started on a strict plan the day after Jeffrey’s visit over a week ago. Jason tried on his brother’s clothes but he could barely get into the pants. He still has a ways to go—he's got a little tummy with no definition while Garrett has a six pack and V-cut. He’s got to be 99.9% identical to his brother for this to work.

Jason has also been applying cream every night to his tattoo. It slowly attacks and erases the ink while helping the skin heal without surgery. He notices a slight fading of the tattoo since starting with the cream. Another issue that Lisa noticed was Garrett’s bright white teeth—Jason’s are discolored from too much coffee and the occasional cigar or joint. Luckily, Garrett’s whitening tray and gel fit perfect for Jason and he helps himself to them.

When Jason and Jessica leave on Saturday morning, Garrett’s details are clear to the ‘Team’ and all are convinced this is the perfect substitution job. Jason will easily step into his brother’s life after some plastic surgery, physical training and lessons in being Garrett.

The Details

Jason is not taken back to Albany after his visit to his brother’s, but to a location outside of Washington in Maryland. Lisa is gone completely, onto another assignment for the Team. The facility looks like an ancient farm on the outside but inside is a state-of-the-art hospital with the best doctors and latest equipment. Underneath the farm is a large underground complex that has 4 levels according to the elevator. He’s in a small apartment on the highest level, with access to TV, a computer with Garrett’s ongoing life available for him to watch.

He’s taken in for surgery on his fingertips the next morning. The plan is to duplicate Garrett so completely that not even an expert could tell them apart. When he wakes up, his hands, mouth, stomach and knee cap are all sore. Jeffrey is waiting at his bedside when he wakes up.

“Jason? How are you feeling?” Jeffrey asks.

“My mouth, what the fuck?” Jason mumbles in pain.

“Oh, we took out your wisdom teeth like Garrett had done a few years ago. We also gave you a filling and whitened your teeth to match Garrett’s. Garrett’s dentist couldn’t tell the difference now but it’ll take a while to heal.”

“Thanks for warning me. You said just fingerprints?” Jason complains.

“We didn’t want you to worry about everything. We also gave you liposuction to remove your belly, love handles and add definition. The soreness on your kneecap is from replicating the scar your brother has.”

“Wow, you guys think of everything. Garrett fell when we were learning to ride a bike. It took him a year to get back on one.” Jason chuckles at the memory.

Jason pulls up his t-shirt and grins at his new six pack stomach. “Wow, that looks great, why did you have me kill myself with that diet?”

“Ah, you’re not done with the diet. Based on scans, you still need to lose ten pounds, mostly in the face, neck and legs but you’re really close. You also need to change your eating habits.”

“Can I just have a Big Mac, just one? I just had surgery, I need one.” Jason begs jokingly.

“Exactly what I’m talking about! No, never again, your brother hates fast food, never touches it and so do you now. We also used a laser to remove the rest of your tattoo while you were under.”

“What has Garrett been up to while I’ve been under?” Jason questions.

Jeffrey hands Jason an iPad and he begins reviewing the last few days. “You should rest another day the doctor is saying, don’t get out of bed and drink lots of fluids.”

The actual doctor overhears Jeffrey as he comes in. “Good to hear you playing doctor Jeffrey. How is the patient?”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train, especially my mouth. My fingers feel tingly and my stomach hurts.”

“That’s all normal for what you’ve been through. I’m going to prescribe more pain killers for you, to help you sleep. Don’t get out of bed without help from the nurse or me.”

After everyone leaves, Jason listens to a few of Garrett’s phone calls and chats from Garrett’s office, then passes out for a day. When he wakes, the doctor is fussing with the bandages on his hands.

“Good morning.” The doctor greets him cheerfully. “You’re healing perfectly.”

The doctor lifts up his uncover hands and show them to him. “Don’t worry about the redness, by the end of the week, they’ll be normal.

“They don’t look any different?” Jason says, noticing an improvement in his speech.

“Trust me they are. I just did a quick scan and they’re a 99% match for your brother’s. They’ll be 100% when they heal completely. I’m really pleased with how things are turning out. We scanned your body last night and you’re dimensionally 95% of your brother. By the end of the week, you’ll be a clone of your brother.” Doc promises.

Jeffrey and Doc are in and out daily, checking on him. First thing every morning is a training session with a personal fitness coach. The trainer has him replicate Garrett’s Peloton session, then adds hours of exercise to tone and condition his body. Lunch is followed by catching up on his brother’s day. He reviews all of Garrett's chats, emails and conversations. He's easily learning all the issues his brother is dealing daily and how to handle them like him. Being his twin, it’s easy to pick up his brother’s slang, attitude and gestures. He watches his brother’s morning routine of working out, showering, and dressing for work. The Team provided months of Garrett’s photos, videos of him going to work on the Metro, going out with friends and Jennifer. Along with Garrett’s Instagram and Twitter, this gives him great insight into his brother’s life.

Within a few weeks, Jason’s physical transformation is complete. The tattoo is completely gone and there’s no soreness anywhere on his body. Everything seems to have healed 100%. The nurse comes in with a scanner and inspects him—according to her, he’s at 98.9% dimensionally of Garrett. He’s feeling great but restless when Jeffrey and some stranger walks in.

“Garrett, this is Todd, he’s here to test you.” Jeffrey says with a devious smile.

“Hmmm Garrett? I like the sound of that. More tests? For what? I’ve been probed and poked so much.” Jason complains.

“I'm here to help you become your brother completely. You have the looks nailed but there’s a lot to learn about his past and current life. When I’m done with you, you’ll believe you attended Harvard and have been living in Washington DC for years. You’ll know your professors, about parties, spring breaks and your brother’s sex life. You’ll know your fellow coworkers and all of Garrett’s other friends and acquaintances.” Todd jumps in.

Jason looks at him queerly. “How did you find out about his parties, spring breaks and all?”

“You’d be surprised what people tell the ‘FBI’ when we interview his friends for Garrett’s new top secret clearance.” Todd grins.

“Oh, That’s devious but I like it.” Jason chuckles.

“Miss your girlfriend?” Todd fires a question at him.

“What do you think? I have the hottest girlfriend in the world. She’s in Rome and I’m flying to Milwaukee. Life sucks. I can’t wait to see her in a few weeks when she’s done filming that stupid love movie with Nick Bateman, damn am I jealous. FaceTime just doesn’t cut it. I miss her so much.” Perfectly repeating the conversation Garrett had with Senator Gehris yesterday.

“Tell me about your brother.”

“I don’t have a brother, what are you talking about?”

“Sure you do.”

“I haven’t seen him in years, since Dad died. He accused me of taking all the inheritance for myself. I may have taken more than my share but I was going to pay him back once I got financially sound. Then he started threatening me with lawyers from his stupid clinic and I ended it.” Jason responds perfectly.

“Doing happy hour tonite?”

“Nah, I can’t. I’m finishing up things for Robert but watching the Michigan State game tomorrow night at McGinty’s with my friends Jonathan, Amy and Mark. Should be packed and it’ll keep my mind off not having Jennifer with me.” He sounds bummed.

“What do you like to wear?”

“Anything Harvard of course.” Jason laughs. “It depends on the event. For a night at the bar for a game, it’s definitely one of my many Harvard t-shirts, jeans and my leather jacket. If I’m hanging with Jennifer, then I really have to up my game with a sports coat, say, something from Hugo Boss, slacks and a nice dress shirt. Something that’s more ‘Hollywood’ if you know what I mean. For happy hour after work, it’s just my typical work outfit—suit, always a Harvard tie. I like people to know I’m a Harvard Alumni.” Jason smiles at both of them.

“Garrett, tell me about the Hypersonic funding proposal you’re working on.” Todd orders.

Jason looks at him for a second, then naturally responds. “It’s out of the defense committee, I’ve made some minor changes per Robert’s wishes and it’s heading to the floor for a vote on Monday. Unfortunately I’m going to miss the vote because I’ll be flying to Nevada, meeting with party chairmen on the upcoming caucus. I leave Sunday morning, 6am American Airline flight 402, being picked up by Lance.”

“Very good Garrett, very good.” Todd says thrilled.

Todd and Jeffrey smile at Jason’s answers knowing he’ll do great for their mission. The following week, Todd is coaching him 14 hours/day on all things Garrett when he’s not working out. Jason thought he knew a lot about his brother but quickly realizes how out of touch they’ve been. Garrett’s life has been a series of promotions and accomplishments always by Senator Gehris’ side. Jason is watching videos of his brother from the Senator’s campaign, TV interviews and other sources. For Jason, it’s almost 24/7 studying Garrett at home, in the office and out in public. He listens to all his brother’s chats with friends and coworkers, which is overwhelming but he’s now recognizing the voices and issues. Todd has him memorizing his speeches, typical introductions and managing Webex meetings as his brother does. Learning someone else’s life, even his twin’s, is more work than Jason ever imagined.

A few weeks later, Jeffrey interrupts their morning session.

“How’s it going guys?” Jeffrey questions.

“He’s ready Jeffrey.” Todd responds.

“Great, how would you like to hang with your friends tomorrow?” Jeffrey asks.

“Of course, I’ve been working all week, only went out last night for dinner with Robert.” Jason responds knowing his brother’s schedule in detail.

“There might be a way for you to actually go out tomorrow night but first we have a few details to sort out.” Todd and Jeffrey leave, then a cute redhead comes in with a suitcase, followed by another man with a rack full of clothes.

“Garrett, My name is Lynn and I’m here to cut your hair and clean you up. I have pics from your dinner the last night.”

She heads into the bathroom, sets up a chair and opens a case full of clippers, brushes and bottles. From a portfolio, she pulls out close-up pictures taken of Garrett at the restaurant. Garrett takes a seat and she starts wetting his hair and trimming away his messy locks. This is followed by a shave, manicure and eyebrow trim. She works wax into his hair, showing him how, so he can achieve the same look on his own. Garrett is stunned when she finishes and holds the mirror for him. He feels his face, runs his hands through his cowlick, grins, then softens it to his brother’s typical suave smile.

“This is perfect Lynn, thank you so much! I’d tip you but don’t have a wallet even.” He apologizes.

“No problem Garrett, just glad I could help. Oh, Ted brought in some clothes for you, just help yourself.” With that she packs up and leaves.

Garrett rotates around to his mirror still in shock by his appearance. He lifts up his t-shirt and feels his abs. His scars have completely healed, except for the new scar on his kneecap. He’s been working out every morning to better define his muscles, especially his new six pack. The haircut and shave completes his new identity.

At the rack, he recognizes most of the clothes as duplicates of Garrett’s favorites. It’s amazing, it’s a scaled down version of his closet with his favorite suits, sport coats, ties, shoes, even worn jeans, Harvard t-shirts and Under Armour sneakers he favors on the weekend. He quickly strips out of the plain t-shirt and jeans issued to him and starts putting on ‘his’ regular street clothes—his Levis, Harvard t-shirt, and sneakers. On the top shelf is a duplicate of his wallet with all the IDs including his Congressional ID, an iPhone and keys in Garrett’s Harvard key chain. He stares in the mirror, looking exactly like his brother, amazed at the transformation.

When he finishes up, the door opens. It’s Jeffrey, Todd and a hot blonde that looks eerily similar to Jennifer Hastings.

“Well, you clean up well Garrett.” Jeffrey notes.

“Yeah, I feel and look like myself finally.” Jason plays along. “I’d love to go out as him in public.”

“We may have a way to let you do that.” Todd chimes in.

“We know you’re feeling like a caged animal and thought you might as well start getting accustom to your new life and we have a way to do that.” Jeffrey adds.

“You can say that again, I’m so ready to assume my new identity. What do you have in mind?”

“Well, You’re leaving bright and early Sunday morning for the week right?”

“Yeah, I’m heading to Wisconsin to meet with party members. Lance is picking me up about 7am, I need to pack either tonight or tomorrow and meet up with my friends to watch the Harvard basketball game at the Nickel.”

“You’ll be at the Nickel with them, while Garrett is with Jessica.” He smiles and points at our guest. “He’ll miss Jennifer so badly that he’ll have to take her home. We’ll text him as Mark, changing the meeting time to earlier. He’ll meet Jessica, drink, she’ll drug him, get him home and you’re on for the night.”

“That sounds great, what if he wakes up and wants to go to the bar.” “Oh, he won’t be waking up or remembering anything about the night other than hot sex and guilt. Then the next morning he’ll be scrambling just to make his flight.”Jessica smiles and promises.

Audition

Early Saturday morning Jason is anxiously watching live video feeds from his future townhouse. Garrett gets up, does 45 minutes of intense cardio with his Peloton trainer then has scrambled eggs. Jason does the same, even the same breakfast. He watches his brother’s routine for about the 50th time, paying close attention to his hair regimen. Jason copies his brother’s outfit exactly except for the Harvard class ring Garrett never takes off.

Garrett spends the afternoon packing for his trip tomorrow. He lays out a sports coat, jeans and sweater for the plane ride, then packs 4 suits, 7 shirts and ties, casual pants, jeans and workout gear for the week. He’s meticulous with coordinating matching ties and shirts with specific suits. This is all being recorded on video for Jason and the ‘Team’.

After lunch, Garrett’s buddy Mark texts him, letting him know he’ll be at the Nickel early to watch the Penn State game and Garrett agrees to meet him at 5pm instead of 7:30pm as was the plan. It wasn’t really Mark but appeared to be in the text message. Garrett continues to pack his luggage, then his briefcase, adding files and financial statements to review with the Wisconsin team.

At 4pm, Garrett jumps in the shower then dresses in his typical jeans, Harvard t-shirt, boots, apple watch, necklace and class ring. Jason puts on a very similar outfit, minus the jewelry and heads to the neighborhood.

Garrett is at the Nickel early waiting for Mark and starts drinking a beer. Jessica approaches him just as he was about to text someone, probably Mark. She’s hot enough to distract a gay celibate catholic priest and Garrett is immediately under her spell. The ‘Team’ knew this was going to be easy when earlier in the day, Jennifer called, said she was filming a night scene and their FaceTime sex would have to wait till later.

Jessica has him exactly where she want him—kissing her neck, then mouth and discreetly feeling her up. She whispers something into his ear and he’s jumping off the chair. It’s two blocks from the Nickel to Garrett’s townhouse and they make it back in record time. Jason lags behind, out of sight and watching the iPad feed as they enter the townhouse.

They’re ripping the clothes off each other and start going at it fiercely. The drug she slipped in his beer is starting to take affect as he starts to slur. She tells him she needs a condom from her purse. She fishes one out and he starts kissing her again. Hidden in her hand is a small needle that she stabs into his neck. He fucks her quickly then collapses onto his back and passes out. Jessica waves to where she thinks the camera is. That’s Jason’s cue to enter the townhouse. He’s been waiting in a car with Todd, just down the street. He casually enters via the rear door, using his 2nd set of keys and heads right to the bedroom.

“Oh honey, I’m home.” Jason greets Jessica walking into the bedroom.

“Wow you look just like him.” She smiles as Jason approaches her with a deep passionate kiss.

“Who’s better?” He asks, anxious to upstage his brother.

She kisses Jason again. “Oh, definitely you.”

Jason strips out of his clothes, tossing them on the chair, careful to not mix them with his brother's. He drags his lookalike off the bed, letting him hit the floor hard, then jumps into the bed patting it for Jessica to join him. He fucks her, using a condom out of the dresser drawer. 45 minutes later Jessica is dressing herself.

“Are we good here?” She asks.

“Fuck I needed that, it’s been months. Thank you.” Garrett props himself up against the headboard, places his hands on the back of his head, grinning and proud of himself.

“No, Thank you.” She crawls on top of him, rubbing against his crotch, kissing him again.

“How long will sleeping beauty be out?” He asks just to be sure.

“He’ll be lucky to catch his flight tomorrow morning. He won’t stir for 11-12 hours.”

“He won’t wake up at all?”

“Not at all, have fun out with your friends Garrett.”

She leaves the new Garrett alone with the original. He starts pulling Garrett’s outfit off the floor, pulling it all on himself, loving the thought of being Garrett for the night. He pulls on his brother’s 2xist boxer briefs, Diesel jeans, Harvard t-shirt, socks and Chelsea boots. He rolls up the cuff of his pants just like his brother prefers. He then takes off his brother’s jewelry, slips on his Apple Watch, necklace and Harvard class ring. He admires the ring’s perfect fit and substantial feel. He runs to the bathroom and in the mirror is Garrett Cook, tucking in his shirt and fixing his hair.

As he’s checking his appearance, Garrett’s iPad rings with an incoming FaceTime call from Jennifer. He eagerly answers, using his new fingerprint to unlock it easily.

“Babe, what a great surprise. I thought you were going to call tomorrow after shooting?” Jason answers excitedly. “I have a break and thought I’d show you something.” She zooms out, revealing some sexy black see-through, lacy lingerie.

“Oh babe, I can’t wait to see it in person.” Jason is instantly aroused again while unconsciously using his brother's 'babe' with her. Stepping into his brother's sex life is a huge turn on for him.

“These are for your eyes only, picked them up locally as a gift for you. You sounded so disappointed earlier when I couldn’t see you.”

“I was, I miss you so much. I want to strip them from you slowly, as I’m kissing and fondling you.” Jason has his pants down and is stroking himself, he backs out the iPad to show Jennifer while she’s pulling out, showing herself fingering her pussy. It’s their usual routine and they both moan and climax together.

“Oh babe I miss you so much. I even thought of flying to Rome to surprise you, to see you on set but Robert’s campaign is heating up and I don’t have time. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad, I’ll see you in two weeks.”

“Yes, and we’ll take a week and go someplace we can be alone.” Jason uses every bit of information he gathered from Garrett’s feeds, chats and texts. They hang up and Jason just smiles to himself, thinking how easy this is going to be. He is enjoying the night so far—cyber and actual sex within hours.

The new Garrett cleans himself up, grabs his favorite leather jack and heads to the bar. He’s in full Garrett mode, at their usual table early, recognizing and greeting everyone like old friends as they arrive. His new friends have no clue he’s not Garrett. He plays Garrett to the core—yelling at his favorite players, cracking jokes, downing his usual low carb beer and nuts. They’re at the Nickel till midnight and Jason has no problem assuming his brother identity and fitting in with his friends.

Jason notices Todd and Ted nearby watching the night unfold. When ‘Garrett’ heads to the men’s room for a break, Todd joins him to make sure everything is fine. Jason assures him the night is perfect and he’s having a great time. Back home the imposter strips out of his clothes and jewelry, leaving everything a mess. To make sure his brother makes his flight, Jason sets alarm for 5am on his iPhone.

As expected, Garrett is late getting up, never showers and runs out the door to Lance’s car. The team tracks his phone making sure he’s in the air, then Jason heads to his future office. There’s a major test for today that the team needs completed—the new Garrett will be heading into the Senate office building to place bugs in Senator Gehris’ office and all of his staff. Being the dedicated political hack, Garrett is known to go into the office on weekends to ‘catch up’. It will also be a test of his new fingerprints.

Jason first changes into one of his brother’s preppy casual Sunday outfits—khaki slacks, shirt, boots and sports coat. He’s lacking his brother’s class ring and Tag watch because they’re now on the way to Wisconsin but security won’t be concerned about that. Last night Jason was sure to swap their gov’t ID just to be safe with security. He’s nervous as he approaches security, places his hand on the scanner but it instantly approves, his pic pops up for security and he’s waved though.

Jason has never been to Capitol Hill before and is in awe just being there. Thanks to the team’s research, he easily locates the Senator’s office on the 2nd floor. One of the ornate gold keys opens up the main door. The main receptionist area is very regal with a few leather sofas, dark mahogany paneling, and traditional desk for Trudy. Garrett’s name plaque on a door makes it easy to find his new office. The other ornate key opens his office door and the third key, probably opens Robert’s office. He knocks on the Senator’s door, gets no response then opens the door with the last key to be certain.

Walking into ‘his’ office, Jason is impressed with how well it is decorated and laid out. He walks around picking up his Harvard coffee mug, then notices his diplomas on the wall behind his desk. Sitting down in his overstuffed chair gives him an overwhelming sense of power. He goes through the drawers and files, getting familiar with the layout. On his shelfs are some of his law books, his prized baseball under glass, signed by Billy Bean years ago. He takes off his sports coat and hangs it on the coat rack that’s in the corner. The view out his window is of the courtyard with a fountain. It may not be the Capitol Rotunda but it’s still a great office with nice view.

Back at his desk, Jason carefully removes the bugs and fiber optic cameras that were hidden in his briefcase. There’s an app on his iPhone which scans an enclosed space for electronic surveillance equipment like cameras, microphones and tracking devices. He tucks his brother’s homeland security proposal over the iPhone and heads out to scan the office suite. He does same for Robert’s office. The app confirms there’s no cameras or bugs, but it does find a lot of tracking devices embedded in computers and other pricey electronics to prevent theft.

Once he’s sure no one is watching, he places them throughout his brother’s office, lobby and ‘bullpen’ where most of his staff works. As pretense to be in the Senator’s office, Jason picks up his brother’s homeland security proposal, reads it then hand carries it to the Senator’s office. If there are cameras the scan missed, they’ll see Garrett walk in the door, pause at the conference table to double check his work, then head to the desk, pausing to scan the document one final time before leaving it for his boss. What any cameras would miss, is him placing bugs at the conference table and the senator’s desk. He avoids putting cameras in the Senator’s office for now.

Jason is in the Senate office building all day learning his way around his new office, building and capitol complex. He’s been studying the layout for weeks and it really comes in handy walking around the complex. He heads over to the capitol building via the private people mover enjoying unlimited access. He is pleased with his skill fitting in at the capitol complex. With his ID badge in place, and new fingerprints, he’s Garrett Cook without a doubt. At the end of the day, he heads back to the farmhouse to brief the team on his success.

Substitution

The real Garrett is having a very busy but productive week in Wisconsin, rallying the faithful to Senator Gehris’ side and it appears to be working. Jason listens in on all the strategy conference calls, reads emails and text messages. He secretly joins a Wisconsin wide Webex his brother gives to the troops, that he’ll have to give many times. These trips are a great learning tool for Jason because everything his brother does is via his phone and computer. It's a front row seat to Garrett's life.

Jennifer calls him and mentions her new lace lingerie. He’s clueless but answers that he can’t wait to see them in person when she gets back—it didn’t raise questions with either of them. The rest of the chat is about her needing a break, the movie and her fights with the director.

The bugs planted in the Senate office are working perfectly. They're capturing everything and everyone Garrett deals with daily. From the basic morning routine of getting coffee and office gossip, to the Monday morning staff meetings held by Garrett even when he's traveling. Everything is falling into place and the team is thrilled with Jason’s performance so far. He’s stuck at the farm but they are letting him go into town for lunch with Todd who’s still grilling him about his new life. Knowing Garrett’s early history is easy as they were side by side for all of it. It’s his more current life, after college that is the biggest challenge for Jason but he is a quick learner.

While Garrett is away, Jeffrey lets Jason have some freedom providing he takes precaution in public. Jason puts on some old jeans, baggy hoodie, baseball cap, old sneakers and fake glasses to disguise himself. He’s anxious assume his brother’s life and heads over to his brother’s townhouse to explore and get comfortable with everything. Surveillance shows that Mr.s Finnegan, Garrett’s nosy neighbor, works at the Smithsonian Air and Space gift shop. She leaves for work every day at 8:30am and get home at 6:00pm like clockwork. This gives him all day at his new place to play Garrett.

On Monday He gets there a little early and waits for the neighbor to leave. Once ‘home’, he strips out of his disguise, grabs his brother’s shorts, a t-shirt and joins a Peloton class. Todd is pushing him daily to work out and eat properly and it’s paying off but it’s a lot of work. His body is in the best shape it’s been since college. After working out, he showers and towels off admiring all his hard work. He’s the spitting image of his brother.

“I’m Garrett Cook.” Jason thinks to himself in the mirror, “I’m going out to lunch as I would normally do today.” Jason is tire of being stuck on the farm, studying his brother and working out. He needs a life, his brother’s life.

Jason uses his brother’s electric toothbrush and personal hygiene products, getting himself ready for work. On his valet stand is the outfit that Garrett wore to work on Friday. He remembers his brother dressing in the morning and seeing pics of him at Club 122 with Lance on his Instagram. Jason wants his new scent on himself so he digs out his brother’s socks and underwear from the hamper and slips them on. The suit pants, shirt and tie follow easily because when he took everything off, he left the belt and cufflinks in place. The tie is tricky because he has always hated ties and rarely wears them. He pulls on the suit coat noticing the lapel pin still in place. From the dresser he borrows his brother’s Omega watch, snaps it on his wrist and marvel at its details and quality.

Jason pulls his duplicate wallet from his jeans, adds it to his breast pocket the suit. In the mirror ‘Garrett’ stares in the mirror and smiles. He unlocks his iPhone and googles Club 122. It’s not far from Georgetown and has a great casual menu. “Garrett Cook is headed there for lunch.” He plans in his mind.

The phone rings showing a call from Todd.

“Garrett Cook, how may I help you?” Jason answers while watching himself in the mirror.

“You do realize we have cameras on you right?” Todd muses.

“Of course.” He lies, he totally forgot.

“You going out?”

“Just for lunch, just to test my new identity. Look at me, I’m the epitome of my brother.” Jason turns to face the camera hidden in the vent.

“Okay, just keep away from his usual haunts. We can’t risk you running into someone who know he’s in Wisconsin.”

“It’s just lunch, far away from Capitol Hill, he only goes there with Lance to talk shop after work. They’re both out of town. Don’t worry.”

He takes his brother’s BMW out without hesitating. ‘Garrett’ takes a seat at the bar and the bartender recognizes him immediately with a low carb beer and asks if he wants the Cobb salad. Jason just rolls with it, enjoying his lunch and catching up on his brother’s day in Wisconsin. He’s loving his new identity, being out in public and respected as Garrett. He keeps checking his appearance in the mirror behind the bar.

After lunch, Garrett gets a phone call from Paul Nelson, an old college friend who’s in DC for a conference. Using the cloned phone, Jason intercepts the call and talks to him. Since he’ll be taking over his brother’s life this weekend, Jeffrey and Todd allow another outing to meet Paul for happy hour in a few hours. They meet at Tyson’s Corner, a large mall well outside of Washington where no one is likely to recognize Garrett or know that he’s out of town. His brother often talked about his college roommate Paul—the parties, professors, girls, classes and working out. Todd singled out Paul as a key contact and tested Jason on their friendship for weeks. It all comes back to Jason as he easily fools him for hours, having dinner afterwards. Paul brings up being interviewed by the FBI for his security clearances which Garrett uses to pump his friend for more information on their relationship. From this point forward, Paul will only be communicating with the new Garrett.

The rest of the week ‘Garrett’ visits his townhouse during the day, getting first hand experience at ‘home’ learning the details of his future life. He’s totally relaxed as he makes himself comfortable and explores all his personal belongings —home computer, files, college year book, DVR and wardrobe. By the end of the week, Jeffrey and Todd are convinced that it’s time to make the switch. Garrett should be home late Saturday night. The plan is to call him early, while he’s half awake, saying there’s an emergency at Lisa’s grandparents place outside of Bethesda and get him to the farm.

Identity Switch

Garrett gets home late as planned, drags his luggage into the bedroom and collapses onto his bed. Sunday morning the Team watches him start to wake up and has Lisa call while he’s half awake. He doesn’t has time to think about what he’s doing or tell anyone. It’s a convincing story that Jason was riding a four wheeler, had an accident and isn’t doing good. Garrett tosses on his outfit from yesterday—jeans, a black v-neck sweater, tan suede Chelsea boots and a black/brown/tan large plaid sports coat. He then rushes out the door for the 45 minute drive to the farm. He’s being tracked and monitored via his iPhone which has been hacked to prevent incoming and outgoing calls for the trip.

From a monitor in Garrett’s future jail, Jason watches Garrett pull up in his BMW, huff up the steps and tuck his sunglasses into the V-neck of his sweater. Jeffrey and two armed men with guns are waiting behind the front door to greet him. Jeffrey opens the door before he even has a chance to knock.

“You must be Garrett, you look just like your brother.” Jeffrey greets Garrett with a big smile and invites him in. In seconds the door slams shut and Garrett has one gun pointed in his face and another poked into the back of his skull.

“What’s going on? Where’s my brother?” Garrett asks nervously.

“Oh you’ll see him soon enough, follow me.” Jeffrey orders.

Garrett is confused and scared at the same time. They lead him down a few flights of stairs, then into a secured room where Jason is waiting in sweatpants and Harvard t-shirt.

“Hey bro, you made it. Thanks for coming.” Jason greets his brother as he’s shoved through the door.

Garrett looks at him oddly. “What’s going on? What’s with the guns? Lisa said you were hurt.”

“Just a little white lie bro.” Jason grins.

“You’ve changed your hair.” Garrett notices right away.

“Yeah, I’ve cleaned myself up, and even ditched the tattoo you made fun of.” He pulls up his sleeve. “I had my wisdom teeth removed, liposuction, dieted and lost 30 pounds. I started working out and drinking protein shakes, just like you.”

“I don’t understand, why all the changes? What’s going on?”

“Check these babies out.” Jason pulls up his t-shirt, pulls down his sweatpants, showing off his abs and v-cut.

“Uhm, you look like me, and why are you wearing a Harvard t-shirt?” He asks puzzled.

“Bro, Remember when I got you into Harvard by taking the SAT for you?”

“Yeah, that was part of it.” He counters.

“How about the other part, where I wrote your admissions essay?” Jason reminds him.

“You helped and you were always better with spewing bullshit. What is this all about?” Garrett asks in a nervous tone.

“We’re trading places for a few months. I’ll be Garrett Cook—Harvard grad and trusted chief of staff for Senator Gehris.”

“You’re taking over my identity?” It starts to sink in and he’s very confused.

“Now you’ve got it bro. So, step one, you need to strip completely. Right now!” Jason demands.

“You won’t get away with this, you’ll be caught as soon as you step inside the Senate office building and have your fingerprints scanned.” He warns.

“Don’t worry about that bro, we’re truly identical. My fingerprints were altered to match your’s completely. They worked great last Sunday when ‘you’ went into the office before your flight to Wisconsin. Now please, strip so we don’t have to use force.” The new Garrett orders.

Garrett reluctantly strips down to his underwear, nervously placing everything on the sofa.

“Did I say stop? Everything bro, including your class ring.” Jason nods to Garrett’s hand.

Garrett strips completely, laying his underwear and jewelry on top of his sweater. Jason strips out of his sweatpants, t-shirt and tosses them on the chair away from Garrett. The new Garrett walks over to his brother, places his hand on his shoulder. They’re standing naked, side by side.

“What do you think guys? Two peas in a pod?” The new Garrett asks as the new Jason shoves his brother’s hand off his shoulder in disgust. Jeffrey, Todd and the doctor just stare at them.

“Wow, amazing work Doc, even the scar on the knee.” Todd comments and Jason stares at it shocked.

“Now step over to the chair and put on your clothes ‘Jason’.” The new Garrett orders him like a child and ‘Jason’ complies.

The new Garrett walks over to the clothes that Garrett just removed and slowly starts dressing. He’s enjoying his transformation, catching glimpses of himself in the nearby mirror. He starts with the white boxer briefs and crazy socks, then steps into his jeans and tightens the belt. Garrett picks up the still warm sweater, sniffs it and pulls it over his head. He takes a seat, grabs his boots and pulls them on. ‘Jason’ is watching his brother dress while already dressed in Jason’s old sweat pants and Harvard t-shirt. Garrett clips on his new Omega watch, orients and slips on his Harvard class ring and adds the necklace to his identity. He confidently pulls his sport coat on then feels his wallet, keys and phone in the pockets. He pulls out his wallet and checks for cash then puts it back. He’s now the spitting image of Garrett Cook.

“How do I look ‘Jason’?” Garrett cockily asks his brother as he tucks his sunglasses into his sweater's V and checks himself out in the mirror. “I really like my new style. Great casual outfit for a Sunday.” Jason doesn’t utter a word, just stares angrily at the new Garrett.

Todd is enjoying the swap. “You look great Garrett, how’s your old college buddy doing?”

‘Jason’ turns to Todd confused by the question, about to respond but ‘Garrett’ beats him to it. “Oh didn’t I tell you? Paul and Helen are expecting their 2nd child, hoping for a boy after little Mary. I met him for happy hour last Wednesday, remember?”

“You met Paul?” New Jason says shocked.

“Yeah, my old college buddy was in town last week for a conference and we grabbed a drink, then dinner. It was like old times, he hasn’t changed a bit but he thought I matured or something.”

“What’s the point of pretending to be me Jason?” Garrett demands from the new Garrett.

“Actually, I'm not pretending. For all intents and purposes, I am Garrett Cook but to your point.” He looks at Jeffrey to see if he can share and Jeffrey nods his approval. “One, you’ve been Garrett long enough, Two, my friends here need an ‘inside’ man in Senator Gehris’ inner circle for a while. It’s win-win for all of us but you.”

Todd turns to Jason. “Garrett will accomplish great things for us.”

“The money is great bro, plus the perks are unbelievable—my hot girlfriend Jennifer, great job, beautiful townhouse and nice wardrobe. I really love your Washington lifestyle vs my meager existence in Albany.” Garrett adjusts the sweater sleeves in his sports coat.

The new Jason stares at his brother and can’t get over the transformation. “You fucker, everyone will know you’re not me. Robert, Jennifer, all my friends will know you’re not me.” He starts getting upset.

“Sorry to tell you bro, but I cybered with Jennifer last Saturday while you were passed out on the floor, after cheating on her. Shame on you, I’d never do that to her. It was hot, her fingering her pussy for me, modeling that sexy black lace lingerie. I can’t wait to see her next Saturday, I miss her so much.”

“Something will trip you up, I’m sure.” Jason predicts.

“Oh, come on bro, our parents and none of our girlfriends could ever tell us apart.” He laughs. “Just look at me, I mean yourself. She’ll never know. You’ve only been dating her for a month. 'My' best and oldest friend Paul didn't suspect a thing.” Garrett brags.

“But I have friends that know me, routines with them, jokes we’ve shared and they do know me.”

“Yeah, that’s right! Thanks for reminding me. It’s my turn to host poker on Thursday. Think I’ll just have Tony’s Pizza deliver again—the guys will complain but eat it like always.”

“You fucking asshole!” Jason growls quietly.

The new Garrett goes over to the mirror and checks his appearance, running his hand through his hair, making sure it perfectly matches his brother’s. “Bro, look at me, I’m you down to the smallest detail. Think of this as a little vacation for a few months. We’ve been watching you for months, listening in on your calls, reading text messages. Oh, by the way, I had a blast with my friends last Saturday at the Nickel while you were passed out on the floor. Don’t worry, I covered for you, they didn’t miss you at all. Now I’ve got to get home, unpack and prep for work tomorrow, busy week ahead. Thanks for your notes on my Wisconsin trip, I’ll have my trip summary waiting on Robert’s desk before he gets in tomorrow. Oh wait, Robert is golfing tomorrow.” The new Garrett laughs at his brother, finds his car keys and tosses them in the air as he leaves.

Jason is left standing stunned in the corner as Garrett looks back at him and smiles. The ‘Team’ leaves, the cell door is slammed shut and locked. Upstairs they continue with their plan.In Place

“How do you feel Garrett?” Todd asks as they head upstairs.

“A little jet lag from yesterday but I’ll be in top form tomorrow morning. I just need to chill today.” 'Garrett' assumes his brother's identity and twists his Harvard class ring. “Oh guys, I need my real gov’t ID and access card. I want everything to be authentic, down to the smallest details. I’m sure your duplicates are fine but I’d rather not take any chances.”

As they head to the living room, Garrett stops by his old room and grabs his real government IDs, tosses the fakes on the dresser. He places everything back in his wallet. “Burn all that shit. I don’t want any trace of it.”

“From this point on, you are the one and only Garrett Marcus Cook and have to think of yourself as Garrett completely.” Jeffrey reminds him.

“Of course, who else would I be?” Garrett responds condescendingly and shoots Jeffrey dirty looks. “Guys, I have a lot to do today—luggage to unpack, laundry to do, reports to complete, work out, Facetime my girlfriend and find something to wear for tomorrow.”

“We won’t keep you Garrett.” Todd promises.

Todd and Jeffrey smile and shake their heads rushes out the door. Garrett runs out to his BMW, jumps in, put on his Oakley sunglasses, pulls down his visor and checks himself out in the mirror. He is grinning as he heads back to start his new life. A few miles down the road, he stops for gas at a 7-Eleven enjoying his new identity just pumping gas, using his debit card and feeling his new outfit on him. As he finishes pumping, Garrett catches his reflection in the window of the BMW and it surprises himself. He is in heaven driving home to ‘his’ beautiful townhouse in Georgetown. While driving, he admires his Harvard class ring and watch as he grasps the steering wheel. All the resentment and jealously now belongs to the imposter locked in a basement cell 30 miles away.

As he’s getting closer to Washington, his phone rings showing Robert Gehris on the caller ID.

“Robert, Good morning.” He greets his new boss without any hesitation or second thoughts of who he is now. In his mind he’s now completely Garrett Cook.

“How was your trip, make it back okay?”

“Great trip, no problem getting back, just heading for breakfast.”

“What restaurant serves protein shakes?” Robert mocks him.

“Egg whites and turkey sausage.” Garrett responds as his usual health conscious self.

“I should have known that. Hey, I’m on with Elon tomorrow. Can you hold down the fort, keep Trudy on her toes?”

“Sure thing, was planning on it. Make sure to let him win. Wisconsin is in great shape, I’ll work on the summary today and it’ll be on your desk first thing tomorrow.” The new Garrett effortlessly uses the old Garrett’s lingo, that he heard over the past months.

“Great! At the hearing tomorrow don’t say a word to Cooper about the funding increase I’m sneaking into the budget. It’ll help me look strong on defense, diffuse Kelly’s one talking point.”

“You know me, I would never slip up like that.” The new Garrett knows exactly what Robert is talking about and is in complete control.

“I do know you, that’s for sure. Also, glance over my speech for the Chamber when you get a chance and don’t work too much today. Enjoy your Sunday.” He hangs up.

That was a major unexpected test, and Garrett passed easily with flying colors. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and his new life is great. He takes his time driving home, stopping at a little diner that he frequents and actually has a healthy breakfast. While eating, he checks his Instagram, text Jessica and goes through his wallet item by item to know where everything is. Kim, his waitress, brings his usual breakfast, then starts asking about his girlfriend.

He pulls into his garage a little before noon. A grin of satisfaction sweeps across his face as he walks into his townhouse. There’s a knock at the door a minute later and he opens it without hesitation.

“Garrett, welcome home, good trip?” Mrs. Finnegan greet him and hands him his mail.

“Great trip Mrs. Finnegan, I feel like a new man! Thanks for everything, did the plants give you any trouble?” Garrett uses a joke his brother used when asking her to plant sit.

“Oh Garrett, I had to break up a fight between your ficus plant and the cactus.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it and will keep an eye on them.” Garrett laughs at her joke.

Mrs. Finnegan leaves and Garrett eases into his new life, checking out everything with no concerns about being there. He is now Garrett Cook and this is his home. First he unpacks his luggage, separating the laundry and dry cleaning, throwing a load into his washer.

Per instructions from the ‘Team’ he removes all bugs and cameras from the townhouse, then uninstalls all software from his gov’t issue computer. Now that the new Garrett is in place, there’s no need for them.

Garrett’s friend Jonathan calls, wanting to grab lunch and he accepts. They head to ‘Papa Joe's’ where Garrett gets his standard salad and carb free beer. It’s a fun time and Jonathan doesn’t seem to notice anything different about his friend. Garrett is enjoying being his brother with another friend, totally assuming his identity flawlessly. They talk about their jobs, golf outing and girlfriends. Garrett discusses the poker night at his place as is usual for him and his friends. Lunch is effortless and fun.

After lunch, Garrett heads into the office to work on his notes and trip summary. It takes hours, watching videos of his various meeting and matching them to ‘his’ notes but he’s enjoying being Garrett. As is habit, he drops off the report on his boss’ desk. Hours of being there gives Garrett a sense of power, realizing he’s now part of the Washington elite. He walks around exploring the entire complex. His ID and fingerprints give him complete access to go anywhere in the Capitol complex. Most importantly, he locates the cafeteria where he eats most days and the various conference rooms mentioned in meeting notices and emails. His biggest concern is Senate protocol and rules. From video footage of public hearings, it appears the staffers sit there quietly, sometimes whispering in the Senator’s ear to add information. Garrett is always on the right side of the Senator in every meeting.

Keeping Garrett’s routine with Jennifer, he FaceTimes her at 6pm which is almost bedtime for her. She’s in a new pair of sexy, hot pink lingerie.

“Babe, you take my breath away. I love your surprises.” He drools.

“I can’t wait to model them for you in person, all night long.” She’s rubbing herself.

“I have a surprise for you.” Garrett had ordered sheer Under Armour underwear. They were delivered a few days ago while he was away and never worn. He backs out the camera showing off his throbbing hard-on.

“Oh babe, they look so sexy on you.” Jennifer giggles and squeals in excitement.

“Oh fuck Jen, you don’t know the danger you’re in when you get home. I miss you so much.” He expertly moves the camera down his chest, to his new six pack abs, ending up showing him rubbing his erect penis under his new underwear.

Garrett has seen about 5 of these sessions, participated as Garrett in one but he practiced his ‘moves’ replicating his brother’s perfectly. Sex with Jennifer will be the ultimate test of his new identity and he’s confident he’ll ace it.

“Oh Garrett, I need to feel you in me.” She moans as she’s fingering herself.

Hearing her moaning his new name causes him to explode immediately. “Fuck babe, fuck!!”

Jennifer follows seconds later. “I so needed that Garrett, I love you.”

“I love you too, I feel like jumping on a jet right now to see you.” He’s repeating what Garrett suggested to his friends.

“Just another week, then I’m all your’s.”

Garrett finishes up, lays back in his bed completely satisfied with his performance. It was easier the second time with no fear of being discovered as a fraud. He puts his hands behind his head, smiles and thinks to himself “You are Garrett Marcus Cook.”

Garrett cleans himself up then starts going through his mail, email and finally his bank account. Thanks to the keystroke trackers, he memorized all his new passwords. This is one of Garrett’s routines—Sunday nights are for checking his bank account and paying bills. Everything is all set up. Once logged in, it’s simple to pay bills just as Garrett does.

For dinner Garrett throws on his sports coat, adopting his standard preppy look and heads to the Nickel for a quick bite. Tony the bartender hands him a beer and orders his usual grilled chicken sandwich. Minutes later Mark and Amy show up unexpectedly and joins their friend. He fills them in on his trip—how cold it was, that he didn’t pack properly for it and how he misses Jennifer. His friends are clueless he’s not Garrett and invite him and Jennifer out next Sunday when she’s back.

Jason ends his first day as Garrett thrilled with the ease he assumed his identity—from handling Robert to hanging with Mark and Amy.

First Day of Work

Garrett is excited for his ‘first day’ back in the office after his trip. He is up earlier than normal but follows his usual routine, starting with his Peloton workout. Randy, his coach really whips his ass, shouting out to him and pushing him hard since he missed a few days while traveling. Garrett is as totally hooked on Peloton as the old Garrett was. He follows his workout with his usual protein shake for breakfast.

Garrett heads to the bathroom, stares in the mirror, rubs his six pack and thinks to himself, ‘I love my Harvard gear’ then pulls off his damp Harvard t-shirt. The work the team performed on him is amazing. He checks out the inside of his mouth and looks at his non-cavity that the real Garrett had fixed by his dentist down the street. His gums have healed completely after the wisdom teeth surgery. He looks for any trace of the tattoo on his shoulder—he gently rubs the area in awe that there’s no evidence of it ever being there.

He’s sweaty from his 45 minute workout and takes his time showering then prepping for work. He’s watched all the morning routine videos that fill an iCloud account. Everything he does in the bathroom, mirrors his brother’s routine to the ’T’. Garrett dabs a little wax into his palm, rubs it around to warm it up, then works it into his hair. His comb through, gives him his usual dapper look that’s similar to JFK’s hair style. Garrett uses his electric shaver and toothbrush without thinking. A swipe of his Tom Ford deodorant, and spritz of his matching Tom Ford cologne completes his grooming routine. He smiles wickedly in the mirror as he now has his brother’s scent.

Garrett’s Instagram is full of him and his suited friends at various happy hour at bars. He’s been studying and scouring his brother’s social media for weeks now, noting details like friends, location, comments and what he wears. His brother definitely has a very preppy, conservative style. Garrett mockingly thinks of it as ‘Harvard in your face’ look but loves embracing it. It makes it easy for the new Garrett to duplicate his brother’s persona.

Jason never owned a good suit—one that costs more than $200 but the new Garrett loves his wardrobe. It’s full of very conservative, expensive Tom Ford, Brooks Brothers, Polo and Brioni suits. He scans his suits, looking for something that screams ‘Garrett Cook’. He pulls a few suits off the rod and holds them in front of himself as he studies himself in the mirror. A charcoal suit catches his attention and looks really familiar—it’s a Tom Ford 3 piece suit. He remembers pics of him wearing this same suit a few weeks ago. It’s fall and today is probably the coldest day of the year so far, so this is the perfect choice. He pulls it off the rod then focuses on a tie…. A Harvard tie of course.

On the wall next to his shirts, is his collection of Harvard ties, all crimson in color with either a crest pattern or collegiate rep pattern. There must be 30 Harvard ties, and quite a few bowties. He selects one that’s clearly visible in a few recent Instagram pics and drapes it around the suit neck. For the shirt, he goes with his Ike Behar custom blue shirt with contrasting white French cuffs and collar, and ‘GMC’ monogramming on the sleeve. For shoes, Garrett sticks with his black wingtips he wore last week in Wisconsin.

Garrett lays everything out on his bed, double checking the outfit to make sure it says ‘Garrett Cook’. The image is the easy aspect to master since his brother purchased all the clothes in the closet. The new Garrett has to maintain the image and not do anything out of character. When he was staying with his brother a few weeks ago, he noticed his brother’s love for colorful socks and noticed his drawer had only a few pairs of solid dark color socks. He selects a pair of his brothers Under Armour boxer briefs and charcoal/gray stripe socks to start his outfit.

Slowly the new Garrett gets dressed for a typical day in the office. He steps into his pants, pulls them up then notices a belt is not needed—the suit has adjustable side tabs and no belt loops. The pant waist is a perfect fit with no need for adjusting the tabs. He wiggles into his untied wingtips that feel great on his feet. Garrett pulls on the dress shirt without a t-shirt, per his brother’s lifelong routine. It’s tapered for his waist and again, a perfect fit for him. He tucks it in, then realizes he needs cufflinks. At his jewelry box, he selects Harvard cufflinks and adds them to his cuffs. It takes a little getting use to since Jason never wore cufflinks. While at the jewelry box, Garrett finds a beautiful white gold Rolex and snaps it on his wrist with care. In the mirror, he pulls on his lapel vest, grabs his Harvard tie and duplicate his brother’s method. It takes him a few tries to produce the knot his brother usually ties with little effort but he’s satisfied with it. He makes final adjustment of the tie, buttons up his vest and confidently pulls on the suit coat.

In front of the mirror, the new Garrett Cook, chief of staff for Senator Gehris, stares at himself. Garrett checks out every little detail for his first day back at work. He runs his hand through his hair and realizes it’s perfect. He checks his cufflinks, adjusts tie knot and smiles. His new Rolex and class ring completes his image. As he’s adding his wallet and phone to his coat, he notices his name stitched in gold, inside the jacket. He smiles at himself, then reviews his appearance from head to toe. Something is missing, Garrett opens up his Instagram and spots it immediately—his Senate lapel pin he always wears. He searches for it in his jewelry box, then on his dresser then finally finds it on the lapel of the suit he wore a week ago before heading to Wisconsin. Back at the mirror, Garrett carefully adds his lapel pin taking satisfaction that his image is perfect, down to the smallest detail.

He arrives at work an hour early, the first person in the office, anxious to get started. Garrett hangs his coat in his closet but leaves on the lapel vest. The computer is booted up and connected to the network. His calendar, full of hearings, staff meetings, election strategy meetings and training opens up automatically. Garrett preps for events weeks and even months ahead which really helps the new Garrett. On his computer are reams of notes for upcoming hearings.

People start strolling in, popping into his office or greeting him at the coffee machine. He greets them one by one, recognizing and putting faces to the names that litter his texts, emails and phone conversations. Things start falling into place. Garrett has access to Senator Gehris’ schedule which is important to the ‘team’, but also for his new job. They overlap a lot, including an invitation to the Whitehouse for dinner with the president and the prime minister of the United Kingdom. In his drawer he finds the actual engraved invitation and admires it.

Since Senator Gehris is out of the office golfing with Tesla executives, he’s in charge. There’s an email from the senator reminding Garrett to do a few things like the Chamber of Commerce speech. He uses his intern Steve, to help with some items, while Garrett attends a hearing on veterans benefits. On his computer are previous meeting notes he typed up, all he has to do is add to the notes following his brother’s succinct style.

Lance stops by thanking him for his support last week and they grab lunch in the Senate cafeteria. He follows Lance’s lead at the cafeteria, letting him go first though the line and picking a table. Thanks to weeks of listening to Garrett’s phone call and chats, he easily converses with his friend. At the judicial hearing, he has this overwhelming sense of history and self importance—Senator Gehis is counting on him. He sits in the hearing, taking notes and making a few statements on the Senator’s position. Back at his desk he discovers a print out of the Senator’s Chamber speech in his inbox`. His brother was kind enough to have already critique it and make notes in the margins to raise with Senator Gehris. This makes that discussion really simple now.

Garrett passes on happy hour and works till 7pm —the first to arrive, the last to leave. He was on edge all day but did a great job keeping it together and nobody seemed to notice anything or raise in eyebrow. In his desk drawer is a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey and shot glass. He helps himself to a shot and packs up.

Back for Information

Garrett heads to the farm after work to meet with the Team, report on his first day and get information from ‘Jason’. He still doesn’t have a clue who he’s working for but it doesn’t matter—he needed a new life and this is perfect. He’s enjoying every aspect of being his brother.

Jeffrey greets him at the door as dinner is being served in the dining room.

“Garrett, good to see you, how was work?”

“Very busy as usual, with Robert out of office, I was running the whole office and his re-election campaign. I’m whipped.” He uses Garrett’s typical altitude and expression easily.

“Any problem fitting in?” Todd asks.

“Not at all, I keep a very detailed schedule and notes for upcoming events, weeks in advanced so I just picked up where I left off last week. It felt really natural for me.” Garrett grabs a plate, helps himself to some dinner.

“We watched and listened in all day, your performance was dead on as Garrett.” Jeffrey notes.

“Great, how is ‘Jason’ doing? I need some information from him.” Garrett asks.

“He’s upset, he was watching CSPAN earlier and saw himself live in the veterans benefits hearing. It was a shock seeing himself on live TV.” Todd adds.

“Really, I didn’t even notice any cameras, too busy taking notes for Senator Gehris who was out golfing all day. I get to meet him face to face tomorrow but I had a perfect phone conversation with him yesterday. I need more details about my personal relationship with the Senator—how they interact in the office, have lunch together, their routine when meeting. Also, I’ve been invited to the Whitehouse dinner for the new prime minister of the UK. Think he’ll help me?” Garrett ponders.

“Well, if he won’t, we can fix that with some truth serum.” Jeffrey promises.

“He doesn’t know his fate does he?” Garretts asks.

“No, he thinks this is a temporary scam and he’ll get his life back. I’ve been hanging with him, getting to know him, being his pal to help you with details.” Todd explains.

“Good, he’ll be willing to help me be him then. I’ll play that angle that I’m a little nervous meeting Robert tomorrow for the first time, and don’t want to mess up ‘his’ life.” Garrett explains.

“If he gives you any problems, let me know and he’ll be begging to help you.” Rod, the resident ‘muscle’ offers, cracks his knuckles and grins.

“I know my brother and his image is extremely important to him. When we were growing up, he sweated over having the perfect hair, outfit and image he presented to others. I couldn’t care less, now look at me. Thanks guys.” Garrett jokes with his friends.

Face to Face

Garrett heads to the basement but stops in the bathroom to check his appearance. When he opens the door, his brother’s mouth drops, seeing his double.

“Judging by your expression, I must have your looks nailed bro.” Garrett boasts as he confidently strolls in.

“What the fuck Jason, just let me go and we’ll forget this ever happened.” He yanks at a chain that tethers him to his heavy duty metal bed frame.

“What fun would that be? Remember how we’d swap places in high school? You used to enjoy letting your hair down and pretending to be me. Remember when I had the flu and you took Maria out as me, fucked her in the back of my car. I found out days later. This is pay back. Oh, Jennifer bought some new lingerie and shared with me on FaceTime last night. She is sooo hot bro.” Garrett shakes his hand like he just touched a hot object.

“How long are you going to play this little game? What if you get caught? You’ll go to jail.” Jason tries to scare Garrett.

“Just a few months bro, after I collect my money, I’ll disappear and you’ll never see me again. You better hope I don’t get caught. If I do, you’ll be the fall guy, which is why I’m here. You’re going to help me be a better you. Not that I need much help but there are still some details only you know and I need to know.”

“Why should I?” He says in a pissed off tone.

“The sooner my friends get what they need, the sooner you’ll be free. It’s that simple, I promise.” Garrett lies though his teeth.

“What do you need from me?” He offers quietly.

“Robert is coming back tomorrow after golfing with Musk today. How do you interact with him? What’s your routine with him? Do you do lunch every day? Coffee? Memorable events you share? What jokes do you share? Everything to be you with the boss. We talked yesterday as I was heading home. He gave me pointer for today’s hearing, then talked about reviewing his Chamber speech and Wisconsin first thing tomorrow.”

Jason begrudgingly spills his guts. Garrett pulls out his portfolio and takes notes on top of his hearing notes from earlier. The conversation is also being recorded from bugs planted around the room. Jason talks for hours about his friend and mentor. Garrett gets a really good appreciation for their history and routine. He excuses himself and heads to the security office where Todd is waiting for him.

“How did it go? It looks like he’s being honest with you?”

“Yeah, I know my brother and I know when he’s lying. He was never as good of a liar as me. The biggest reason he’s helping is he doesn’t want me messing up his perfect life.” Garrett laughs.

“Good, what else do you need from him?”

“I’m going to get some personal details off him. Things like his style, work habits like lunches, happy hour friends. I need more about Jennifer, how they met, their first kiss, sex and other personal information but I think it’s best to wait a few days, not push him for too much.” Garrett explains.

“Good thinking, I’ve been hanging with him during the day, talking, being friendly to him. We aren’t going to let him shave or cut his hair though. And we’ll change his fingerprints once we are through with him. When they heal, Jason Cook will have a car accident.”

“Good, there’s still a lot he can help me with and as long as his useful, let’s keep him around. Do you have a key for his handcuffs? It might help him feel safer and cooperate if we allow him a little freedom. He really can’t escape with all the cameras and Rod, Nick and Tony on guard.” Garrett notes.

“Sure, we’ll see how he does.” Todd opens up the desk drawer nearby and tosses it to him.

Garrett re-enters the room, fixing his zipper.

“Are they treating you okay bro?” Garrett asks, trying to sound sincere.

“Food is okay but being handcuffed is uncomfortable.”

“Ha! Those were my thoughts exactly. I got the guard to agree to this.” Garrett uncuffs Jason preparing to be attacked, then realizes his brother is just a wussy political hack without a back bone. Jason rubs his wrist, then heads to the bathroom.

From the bathroom with no door, Jason yells out. “So I saw myself live on CSPAN today in the Senate hearings on veteran's benefits.”

“Really? I didn’t see any cameras?” Garrett fakes ignorance.

“Yeah, they’re always there but unlike the old days, the cameras are state-of-the-art fiber optics, built into the wood trim. I had a tour the first day I started. They can zoom in on a nose hair but don’t worry, you looked fine today, actually you looked almost just like me.”

“That’s the point bro. Hey wait, what do you mean by ‘almost’? I nailed it, just look at me.” Garrett walks over to the mirror, smiles and admires himself in the mirror. After only a day as Garrett, he’s gotten an appreciation for custom suits and his new professional image.

“I have to admit. The transformation has been amazing. Weeks ago when I first saw you, I thought how different we had become. Now I’m shocked by how identical we are.” Jason acknowledges.

“Yeah, I had to give up fast food completely. And I’m working out like you, with Randy now. I’m even having your breakfast shakes but I’ve notice you haven’t kicked the coffee habit. Thank god, because I couldn’t be doing this if you had.” Garrett complains and jokes with his brother.

“Coffee is the only thing that keeps me going on those 14 hour days. Just wait, you’ll be begging me to take my life back, it’s hardly glamorous.”

“Maybe, the job seems crazy and your schedule is daunting. But parts of it I’m really enjoying. The cyber with Jennifer is so hot bro.”

“Oh yeah, and the sex is even better.” He lets it slip.

“I never realized how awful my wardrobe is. I’m loving the suits.” Garrett jokes to lead the conversation where he wants to take it.

“You fucker, you’re wearing my best suit, my favorite suit.” He berates his brother.

“It’s a good look on you, on me. I saw it on Instagram and just had to wear it. It’s a perfect fit and adds credibility to my identity.” Garrett checks his tie and shirt cuffs and cufflinks. He faces his brother and confidently runs his hand through his cowlick as is common for his brother.

“You’re not keeping it, don’t even think it and don’t get any stains on it.” Jason warns Garrett, then notices something. “Fuck, that’s my Rolex, isn’t it?”

“Well technically, mine for now. When did you get a Rolex?” Garrett flashes his wrist.

“It was a gift from Robert, for coming up with his campaign slogan and helping him win his Senate seat. It means the world to me. Don’t wear it.” Jason reveals some great personal details Garrett would never know.

“Wow, what was the slogan, do I know it?” Garrett changes the topic and probes more.

“A New Voice for New York.” He brags.

“Fuck, I did hear that one, that was all you? Even the jingle?”

“Yes, all me.” He sings the jingle for a second.

“Wow, I’m impressed bro, wondered how you were using your law degree. Now I know, doing marketing.” Garrett laughs keeping the conversation light and directing it where he wants it to go.

“Well, It pays better and I’m a natural at politics.”

“Yeah I saw your interview on Fox, how did they put it? Oh yeah, ‘Senator Gehris is a long shot for president though. He doesn’t even have a slogan’.” Garrett gently pumps.

“He hasn’t even announced a run. I'm laying the groundwork for it quietly. I do have the slogan for it, just not sharing it.” Jason points out.

“Yeah but he will. What's the slogan?” Garrett knows because of the bugs in their offices.

“We’re just setting up field offices, the Iowa caucus is six months away, anything can happen but I’m thinking ahead. ‘A New Voice for a New America’ and using the same jingle but on a national level, changing the cities, industries et cetera.” Jason brags his campaign ideas and life away without knowing it.

“I’ll let you worry about that. If I play the part right, you’ll be back in place to deal with that BS without anyone knowing and no harm done to you.” Garrett lies.

“How long will that be?” Jason asks

“A few months at the most, faster with your help. I want to be on a beach, far away by Christmas.” Garrett lies and makes more false promises.

“What else do you need to know?” Jason takes the hook.

“Things only Garrett would know so I don’t get discovered.”

“Like what?”

“Best friend in office? Do you have favorite cufflinks? What you do for lunch every day, with whom, where, what you talk about? All the little stuff you probably don’t think twice about is driving me crazy. All the little stuff.” Garrett pushes for and gets.

“You picked the right tie but that knot sucks, who taught you how to tie a tie?”

“You did, when we were 14, remember?” Garrett fires back.

“Oh god, do you even know what a Windsor knot is?” Jason disparagingly questions his brother.

“I’ve heard of it. I’ll google it tomorrow, is that the only knot you use?” Garrett questions back.

“Yes, it goes with all my spread collar shirts. Thank god Robert was out of office today, he would have noticed.” Jason goes over to his brother, loosens his tie, pulls it off then pulls it around his neck and ties a perfect windsor knot without a mirror. Garrett is shocked he does it so easily and pays close attention.

“I’ll have to practice that.” Garrett promises.

Jason carefully removes the tie over his head, goes back to his brother, flips up his collar and helps him perfect his Garrett Cook appearance. Garrett tucks it back in his vest, fixes his collar back down and adjusts his knot.

“Notice the difference?” Jason mockingly asks. "I see you didn’t forget the lapel pin.”

“Wow, yes, huge difference bro. I’ll make you proud tomorrow man. Yeah, I almost forgot your Senate lapel pin this morning.” Garrett is learning so much about his new life.

Jason comes up to him and rotates the lapel pin. “The ‘United States’ should be on top. If you don’t push the clutch in tight, it’ll rotate like it was a minute ago.”

“Wow, you are a stickler for detail aren’t you?”

“You’re not fucking up my life if I can help it.” Jason reveals what matters to him and Garrett picks up on it again.

“I’ll try not to. So what should I wear for tomorrow then?” Garrett is testing his anal brother.

“First thing, never wear the same suit twice in the same week. I have plenty of suits to go a month without that happening. I’d go with my medium gray Brioni with slight pinstripe, Silver/Crimson rep tie and ‘my’ shoes you’re currently wearing.”

“Your favorites?” Garrett wiggles his foot. “Do you ever wear a normal tie?”

“Yes, they’re my favorites but get them polished, there’s a shoe shine station on the north side of the building that’ll do them in 10 minutes for $20. I have ‘normal’ ties for a wedding or night out but rarely in the office, it’s always Harvard colors, it’s my signature look, my work uniform. Besides, crimson goes with any suit.”

“Hey, what about Robert tomorrow? Any pointers?” Garrett pushes a little more since Jason is concerned about maintaining his life.

Jason is silent while trying to answer. “That’s tough, he’ll want to talk about Wisconsin and adding other states quietly. He really needs backing from Silicon Valley, so Musk is a must. You have a campaign Webex set up for 10am, my slides are in my campaign folder on desktop. It’ll be you, Lance and Tracey.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen your canned presentation and practiced it many times.”

“Okay, know it all. He’ll push you for slogans but don’t, that’s my glory and it’s way too early in the campaign, I want to think about it more, have a few more options for him.”

“Wow, okay, I promise I won’t steal your glory bro.”

“Since it’s his first day back, he’ll want to take everyone to Monocle, a restaurant nearby but call Steve Walker, his driver and he’ll take you all. The Philly cheesesteaks are the best in DC. I always get one and a diet Coke or Ultra beer.”

“Hey, you’re doing dinner at the Whitehouse?” Garrett asks.

“Yeah, it’s black tie and Jennifer is looking forward to it. Fuck, I won’t be back by then will I?”

“Sorry bro, I’ll be attending that.” Garrett smiles.

“You fucker, it’s my first invitation to the Whitehouse. I even purchased a new Tuxedo that I need to pick up at Brioni.”

“Oh, that’s what this is?” Garrett opens wallet and pulls ticket from it.

“Yes, it should be ready.”

“Sweet, I’ve never worn a tuxedo before.” Garrett teases.

“I was so looking forward to this. I’ve never been to such an event and I’m a huge fan of the prime minister.

“I am too, I love the new trade agreement and I memorized his commons speech. He’s my idol, I’m so thrill to be meeting him.” Garrett grins deviously.

“So you listened to my chats with Jennifer, studied my bookmarks but can you even play the part of a politician?”

“Easily, just look at me.” Garrett stands up, buttons his jacket and straightens his posture.

“You’ll need pumps too, not dress shoes.” He responds defeated.

“Okay, you’ll buy a pair tomorrow, something conservative of course. I need to type up the summary from today’s hearing and get to bed. Busy day tomorrow.” Garrett grins at him.

“Oh, you have happy hour tomorrow at the Union Pub with Lance, Mark and Jonathan. I never miss it.”

“I know, I’ll get there early as usual and grab our normal table near the giant menu board. I’ll order a few drafts of Ultra, have some chips/salsa, maybe steal a wing off Lance.” Garrett smiles.

“Wow, you’ve done your homework.” Jason is in shock by the amount of details his twin has about his former life.

“Like I told you, not homework. We’ve been doing happy hour at the Union Pub for 5 years almost.” Garrett brags and leaves.

Todd and Jeffrey are anxiously waiting for Garrett when he gets upstairs.

“Garrett, that was amazing. He couldn’t stop talking about himself.”

“Yeah, I guided him exactly where I needed to go. Tomorrow will be easy.” Garrett confidently smiles. “Guys, I’m exhausted, need anything from me?”

“No, we just need you to be Garrett Cook.” Jeffrey responds.

“Okay, I’ll be busy all day tomorrow as you probably heard. Todd, find out what it’s like to be dating a Hollywood star for me, I’m sure he’ll brag about Jennifer. He loves ‘guy talk’ and will get in the gutter.”

Before Garrett leaves, he heads to the bathroom, takes a piss and smiles at himself in the mirror. He opens up his jacket noting his stitched name, eyes his perfectly positioned lapel pin and windsor knotted tie. ‘I’m Garrett Cook, nice to meet you’ He quietly says to himself. On the way home he stops at the Union Pub and has a drink to familiarize himself with the restaurant, he does the same for Monocle. By the time he’s ‘home’ it’s after midnight but he stays up completing his hearing notes.

Second Day of Work

Garrett wakes up at 6:30 am, his standard time. Like the day before, he does cardio with his Peloton coach, makes himself a protein shake, showers and grooms himself to perfection. He follows his brother’s advice, selecting his medium gray pin stripe Brioni suit and crimson rep tie. The pants are lined to the knees as he pulls them on, he wiggles into his wingtips then pulls on the shirt after inserting some Harvard cufflinks he found in his jewelry box match his tie. While drinking his shake, Garrett watches a few YouTube videos on how to tie a Windsor knot. A few tries and minutes later, his tie has a perfect Windsor knot with the same dimple his brother agonized over. After pulling on the suit coat, he adds his lapel pin making certain the orientation is correct and the clutch is holding it firmly in place.

Garrett Cook stares in the mirror, fusses with his hair, cufflinks and tie clip, making sure nothing is out of place. He adds his Montblanc pen to his shirt pocket then buttons his top suit button. To maintain Garrett’s style, he clips his cherished Tag on his wrist instead of the Rolex. He grins at his image and thinks to himself. “You’re Garrett Cook, Garrett Marcus Cook, no, I’m Garrett Marcus Cook, Chief of Staff for Senator Gehris. I’m dating Jennifer Hasting, the hottest woman in movies. We’re the talk of TMZ and the gossip rags. Guys want to be me but I’m the only Garrett Cook.”

Garrett clips his Senate ID onto his suit jacket, puts his wallet, iPhone and keys in place and soften his grin to a smile. He’s the epitome of Garrett. With his brother locked up securely, he’s the only Garrett Cook with his unique finger prints and dental records to prove it. No amount of scrutiny could prove he’s not.

It’s raining outside so Garrett slips his Burberry trench coat on over his suit, grabs an umbrella and heads out the door for another day. Once passed security, Garrett tracks down the shoe shine station his brother recommended. Like yesterday, he beats everyone in, hangs up his coats and makes himself a coffee. He’s not happy having to drink black coffee but it’s what he drinks now, just like his protein shakes and kale salads.

The day starts right after Garrett’s first sip of coffee when Senator Gehris storms into the office and pops his head into Garrett’s office. No one else is there yet.

“Good, I was hoping you’d be in early.” Robert greets his new employee.

“Just had my first sip but I’m ready.” Garrett jumps up and follows Robert into his office. This is the moment Garrett warned him about—very private confidential discussion with information on people, plans, gov’t programs and strategy. Jason actually prepped Garrett perfectly for this moment, telling him what concerns to raise, how to challenge him and details about the topics.

“Shut the door.” Robert orders Garrett. “First thing, Mitchell is going to cave, talk to him and get him to swear allegiance to me. Tell him there’s a spot in my cabinet for him.”

“Will do.” Garrett replies knowing his brother’s usual pitch of ‘Senator Gehris would really appreciate blah blah blah and would be in debt to you’.

“Second thing, Elon is backing my candidacy, good for millions and promising full Silicon Valley support. I had to let him win.” Robert smiles.

“That is fantastic. I’ll be out to California in a few weeks.” Garrett responds, as Jason was expecting this.

“You’ll be out in California fucking your girlfriend, not accomplishing anything for me. I know you, I can see she’s changing you already. You’re not as intense.” Robert observes.

“Relax Robert, I’m still the same old Garrett.” He promises but knows better.

He’s there for a few hours reviewing issue after issue, making suggestions, taking notes and Senator Gehris doesn’t suspect a thing. Garrett attends a social security funding meeting with him, taking notes and offering opinions.

Garrett calls Todd at the farm to get Jason on the phone for guidance on a few items the Senator is asking for. His brother doesn’t think twice about helping Garrett, under the belief that he’s protecting his career, not pounding nails into his own coffin. With this help, the new Garrett handles his new life easily. Lunch at Monocle and happy hour at Union Pub was easy and like his brother, his new friends gave him grief for his low carb beer and carrot sticks.

After a busy day of successfully assuming Garrett’s identity with his boss and his first happy hour with friends, Garrett enters his home very pleased with himself. He makes sure to not let his guard down for a minute, keeping with his brother’s habits—getting his mail and opening it, taking off his suit but leaving on a slight loosened tie, and having a diet coke. At 9pm, Robert calls to review tomorrow with his chief of staff. Garrett has been listening to these calls for months and interacts with his boss as he always does, knowing all of the issues. After hanging up with Robert, Garrett changes out of his suit and FaceTimes his girlfriend.

In bed Garrett tosses and turns, thinking about his new life, work issues, upcoming events like the Whitehouse dinner. If someone would have told him months ago that he’d be doing this, he would have laughed. But laying in Garrett’s bed, checking the time on his Tag, and admiring his Harvard class ring, he is Garrett Cook. This all feels so natural for him after only a few days.

Girlfriend Details

Garrett is nailing his new life with help from his locked up brother. The hope of being released soon and not wanting his life screwed up, makes Jason very cooperative. Garrett talks to him via Todd’s cell phone getting everything he needs. Garrett’s new life is nothing like he expected though—he’s working long hours and constantly on the go. On the other hand though, he loves being Garrett, living his life, sexting his hot girlfriend and getting away with it.

The biggest challenge so far, has been the many new people in his life, then add Senator’s contacts, and many are strangers to him. The surveillance of Garrett’s home, office and phone helped but everyday there’s someone new calling him that he’s expected to know. Without his brother’s help, someone would notice the changes in him. That’s why he is making it a point to visit his brother often, stringing him along with false hope, so his personal information keeps flowing to him.

Wednesday afternoon is spent at the Pentagon with Robert dealing with defense spending. He’s worried about security but like the Senate building, his gov’t ID and fingerprints give him easy access. Garrett is exposed to top secret documents and meet with many key military staff. He doesn’t have to do much though—just take notes and share his opinion with Robert.

After the meeting, Robert drops him off at his townhouse so he doesn’t have to use the Metro system. Garrett is happy with the change as it’s early, giving him more time to spend with his brother. Tonight is critical to get his brother’s detailed history about Jennifer. He’s been bragging to his new ‘buddy’ Todd about the sex but little about personal details.

Garrett enters his brother’s cell and finds him watching TV. He has an iPad also but it’s limited to only download information, there’s no way to add apps, send emails or text messages.

“Hey Bro, hope you haven’t seen me on TV again.” Garrett jokes.

“I did see some can footage of me with the Robert that was taken months ago but nothing recent. It was enough of a shock seeing myself live on CSPAN.” He chuckles.

“So how are you being treated? They promised to treat you well.”

“Yeah, the handcuffs and chain are gone, the door is still locked. They’re even making me protein shakes and gave me an exercise bike. It’s not Peloton but keeps me in shape.” Jason points to the bike in the corner.

“God, I hate Peloton and Randy, his workouts are killing me but I don’t want to lose my new definition.”

“Todd asked me if I wanted a Big Mac the other day for lunch, he saw the look on my face and knew instantly he was putting his life at risk just asking. I haven’t had fast food in years. I usually get a salad with protein.”

“Yeah, I messed up at the Pub last night when I grabbed a wing out of habit, a bad habit.”

“I do that now and then.”

“Yeah, I know bro. That’s why I did it, and Lance threw a carrot stick at me.” Garrett wickedly grins at him.

“You’ve done your homework. How’s my life?” Jason questions anxiously.

“Your life is insane, fucking constituents, hearings, reports, Robert, your staff, the campaign, keeping up with every piece of legislation, all the backroom deal making and that’s just handling your life. Throw Robert’s life into the mix and I won’t be able to handle much more of this BS.” Garrett sounds exhausted, but he’s not. He’s enjoying every second of his new life, things couldn’t be going better but if his brother feels he’s struggling with his impersonation, he’ll be more helpful with information. He falls on the chair, kicks out his legs, throws out his arms, pretending to be whipped.

“Hah, I knew you’d be whipped. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy stepping into my life. There’s a lot more to it than just looking like me but you’ve got that handle. That outfit is me completely.”

“Instagram man, you can learn a lot from it—where to hang out, friends and what to wear.”

“Never thought of it like that.”

“So your girlfriend is coming back on Saturday. I really need your help here. I’ve never dated anyone famous.” Garrett pouts.

“Relax, it’ll be easy, we’ve only been dating a few months, and she’s been gone half of that. Just fuck her for a few days straight, like I handled Amy when you went off to camp.” He snickers at his comment.

“She was my first girlfriend, and you had sex with her first. Telling her ‘I’ gave up my spot for my dear brother was brilliant on your part. This will make us even.”

“Even? We were 17 at the time, I was horny and it was for a week. We’re grown men now and you’re illegally impersonating me.” Jason complains.

Garrett ignores his whining and sounds panicked on purpose. “There’s more to your relationship with Jennifer than sex. Where did you meet? First date? First kiss? Who initiated it, First time having sex? What she was wearing? Secrets shared? What does she like in bed? Pillow talk?”

“I guess you’re right but when she gets off the plane, she might just fuck you on the tarmac.” Jason laughs.

“Oh yeah, wouldn’t that look good in the press for you and Senator Gehris.” Garrett laughs, dangling the carrot of freedom.

“You’re sounding like me, like you’re finally growing up.”

“Don’t get your hopes up on that one. When I collect my millions, I’m outta here and having no strings sex on the beach the rest of my life. You’ll have to deal with the mess if I fail.” Garrett warns and dangles more.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you all about it from my perspective, then tell you her side and you’ll have the full picture.”

Jason goes into great detail on how David Geffen introduced them, how he spotted her as soon as she walked into the backyard, they went swimming naked after the party and spent the night together in David’s guesthouse down the hill near the stables. He goes on for hours talking about her, so long that Todd brings dinner in for them.

“Bro, you’re marrying her, it’s obvious she’s the one. God, now I’m going to feel guilty fucking her but I don’t have a choice.” Garrett tries to sound sincere while concealing his hard-on.

“Yeah, if you don’t fuck things up for me, I’m planning on asking her to marry me.”

“What? After 5 weeks of dating? You’re such a sap! You’ve lost it completely but don’t worry, I’ll be the Garrett Cook she loves and hardly knows.”

“When you know, you know and after our first night I knew. Hope you don’t mind but I’m planning on giving her Mom’s ring.”

“I forgot all about mom’s ring. I don’t mind at all. She wanted it given to whoever gets married first. That will definitely be you. Where is it at? I haven’t thought about that in years, I’d love to see it.”

“I don’t know bro if I should tell you this.”

“What is it? Bro, I just want to see it, not steal it, it’s all your’s for Jennifer. Besides, when I’m done here, I’ll be set for life. When have I ever stolen anything from you?” Garrett thinks of his new stolen life.

“It’s nothing like that. It’s in Robert’s safe in his home office. When I first moved into my place there was a break-in next door and it freaked me out. It’s the safest place I know of, almost as secure as his Senate office safe.”

“You have to ask him to get it for you?”

“Of course not, I watch Robert’s dog and house while he’s traveling. I have his combination for the safe and passcode for security system. You don’t need to see it do you?”

“I’ll need to know the security system. Just today he mentioned heading to West Palm for a long weekend and me watching ‘Pebbles’ for him. Don’t worry I would never steal from him or get you in trouble.”

“I don’t know the codes off the top of my head and really don’t feel comfortable with you having them.” He hesitates.

“Oh my god, what’s in the safe? The nuclear codes? The hope diamond? I’ll need the house codes to pull off being you while he’s away.” Garrett reasons with him.

“They’re in my phone, in my notes.” He begrudgingly reveals.

He opens the phone notes and scroll through them untill he sees some weird letters followed by number. “This must be them.”

Garrett shows Jason the phone and he relents. “Yeah, RHA is Robert’s Home Alarm, RHS is Robert’s Home Safe and ROS is Robert’s Office Safe.”

“Bro, that’s too fucking complicated. How about I do this—Robert is having a dinner party Friday night. What if I just ask him to get it for me, then I’ll put it in your jewelry box in the bedroom. You do realize your Rolex is probably worth way more than that ring.”

“It’s not the dollar value, more the sentimental value. Go ahead, that makes sense.”

“True, she wanted it in the family. Hey, what are Robert’s parties like?” Garrett asks an open ended question to siphon more information.

“A lot of work, just like everything Robert does. Get there at least an hour early to help with security, valets and the caterer. Zach, from Senate security handles Robert’s parties. It’s a side business for him. He’s done this before so you really don’t have to do much. Ask him about Amber, his newborn since you’re impersonating me. You will see the ugly anal retentive side of Robert — it won’t be pretty. Don’t ask about the ring until everyone leaves, trust me.”

“So you never really get to enjoy the evening?”

“Of course not, I’m always on duty. Don’t drink, I usually have a beer and glass of wine for dinner.” He complains for once.

“What should I wear? Suit? Tie? Guess I could just go there straight from work?”

“No! You’ll need to run home, change into ‘dressy casual’, no tie. Fuck, I might as well dress you. There’s a new super soft tan cashmere Ermenegildo Zegna sport coat I picked up last spring at Bergdorf Goodman. I only wore it once and this redhead came onto me, feeling it. Pair it with my black Tom Ford dress shirt and charcoal dress pants. Don’t wear my wingtips, wear my black Prada slip-ons, and no Rolex, Tag or Omega will do. I was thinking of wearing it to one of his parties and since it’s cooling down fast, it’ll be perfect.”

“Maybe I’ll get lucky.”

“No! Don’t you dare! If that gets back to Jennifer, she’ll drop me instantly. Her last boyfriend cheated on her and devastated her. Behave yourself, you’ll have plenty of fun with her Saturday when she gets back.”

“You weren’t that worried about cheating on her a few weeks ago but I’ll behave. The cyber has been incredible, I can’t imagine real sex.” Garrett reminds his brother.

“Oh that was a set up, don’t deny it, that girl looked too much like Jennifer! The actual sex is a million times better. Can’t we just switch back for the weekend?” He jokes.

“Before Christmas is the plan. They keep promising I’ll be on the beach by then” Garrett lies.

“Please don’t fuck up my life Jason, I’m begging you. I’ve worked hard to get to where I’m at. It’s the only reason I’m helping you.”

“Don’t worry, your life is in safe hands. Just hope I don’t get caught. I’ll stop by Saturday morning to update you. Oh one last thing.” Garrett opens his iPhone and shows him some pics of him in his new Brioni tuxedo.

“Oh yeah, that is perfect for the Whitehouse. The standard collar and bow tie, nothing trendy looks great on me. One other thing, stop wearing my Rolex everyday, I only wear it for special occasions like the Whitehouse or important meetings. Stick with my Tag or Omega. It’s just that I see you’re wearing it again today.”

“Sure thing bro, thanks for the pointer.” Garrett responds but thinks to himself. ‘I’ll wear what I want including my Rolex’.

Garrett leaves, heads up stairs and is immediately accosted by Todd and Jeffrey.

“Garrett, that was fantastic. The information about the Senator’s safes and security system is exactly what we need. Open your phone, pull up that note so we can take pics of it. Also, here’s some cameras and microphones you need to install in the Senator’s home as soon as you can.” Jeffrey praises Garrett and hands him an Apple iPhone box full of electronics.

Garrett opens his phone with face ID and AirDrops the Senator’s security codes to Todd’s phone.

“Gotta run guys, tomorrow is packed with a bill signing ceremony, luncheon with Lance and friends to discuss the campaign, and a hearing on funding homeland security.”

“You sound just like Garrett Cook.” Jeffrey jokes.

“I am Garrett Cook!” Garrett strongly corrects him.

What a Weekend

‘Thank god it’s Friday’ Garrett thinks to himself. One week down and the rest of his life to go he smirks to himself. He cuts out of work a little early to get home, change and make it to Robert’s house for the party.

Garrett quickly strips out of his conservative Brooks Brothers suit and jumps in the shower. He jerks off, thinking of his cybersex with Jennifer last night, hoping it’ll keep him from doing something stupid if some hottie hits on him at the party. He’s been so horny since taking over his brother’s life. Part is due to Jennifer and the anticipation of fucking her, but part is the sense of accomplishment in becoming Garrett and getting away with it.

He’s now familiar with his brother’s closet, easily finding the tan cashmere sport coat and the rest of his outfit. Everything is laid out on the bed and checked for any faults. The original Garrett is anal and the new one performs each of his habit as his own, even when no one is around to notice.

Garrett pulls on a pair of boxer briefs and crazy yellowish stripe socks to match the sports coat. He pulls up the pants, adds a belt and slips into the black shirt. He steps into the Pradas, from the jewelry case he selects his Omega watch, then puts on his class ring and watch. The sports coat is confidently slipped on and completes his image for the night. It’s so hot knowing he’s dressed exactly as his brother would have been. No one will doubt his identity.

On the way to Senator Gehris’ home, Garrett calls Todd to get Jason on the phone for a few more pointers.

“Bro, you’re right, this outfit is amazing, super sharp. Thanks for the pointer. I need some more help.” Garrett almost begs of him.

“Yeah, I saw the outfit in GQ and tried to duplicate it. What do you need?”

“Where to park, layout of the place, what to drink, eat and talk about.”

“You should be the first one there, so park in front of his garage door, on the far right side is where I alway park. The middle Homelink button in your car operates his garage door, so enter through there. That leads to the laundry/kitchen. Robert’s office is behind the huge fireplace in the living room, his bedroom is the first door on the right at the top of the stairs. Bathrooms are across from his bedroom, and half bath next to the right side of the stairs. Make yourself at home, keep your coat on till everyone leaves. He keeps Michelob Ultra in fridge for me. Use a glass from above the sink. You’ll be the last one to leave and sometimes you crash in the spare bedroom.”

“Thanks bro, I’ll be you easily now.”

Todd jumps back on. “Hang on Garrett, while I get upstairs.” Garrett hears the door slamming shut.

“I told you we could use him. I need his help for a few more weeks.” Garrett explains.

“Definitely, the pic of his security codes was incredibly helpful.”

“Yeah, I memorized them this afternoon while at work.”

“One last thing I forgot to mention. Inside the box with the cameras and bugs is a USB drive. Find his security system panel and there should be a USB port you can plug it into. It needs to be plugged in for 10 minutes.”

“What does it do?” Garrett asks.

“It’ll give us control of his system, including his security cameras.” Todd explains.

Garrett pulls up to Robert’s place and is impressed. He thought his place was swank for DC standards but he’s now feeling poor in comparison. Robert’s home is a new contemporary townhouse with a garage on ground level and three floors above it. The HomeLink opens the garage door as Jason promised, revealing a BMW 550i.

Garrett strolls in, yells ‘Robert’ then helps himself to a beer, making sure to pour it into a glass.

“Hey, you’re early.” Roberts walks out from his office seeing his Chief of Staff leaning on the kitchen counter having his usual beer.

“Yeah, Please don’t tell the boss but I skipped out a little early. I didn’t want a last minute ambush from Welsh like last week. I swear that guy lurks outside the office till just before 5 to come in with a crisis and ruin the weekend. Who’s all coming? Sell out crowd?” Garrett nails his brother’s sense of humor and plays his part perfectly.

“Actually, it’ll just be a handful but Benjamin is showing up so this is our opportunity to pry him with liquor, get him behind us. He called me 30 minutes ago.”

“Fuck, that’s great. He hasn’t returned a single call this week.” Garrett complains.

“Well, he’s been busy with the Speaker, traveling.”

“I don’t care, I’ll use that to shame him . He owes me.”

“I need to change, keep an eye out for the caterer or we’ll be ordering pizzas. They’re late.” Robert excuses himself.

“Relax, just by a few minutes. They’ll be here. Trudy confirmed with them a few hours ago.” Garrett calms him.

Once Robert is upstairs, Garrett takes advantage of the moment, runs into his office and places a miniature microphone in his desk’s lampshade, and camera on the other side of the room on a bookshelf. He does the same around the rest of the first floor before Robert comes back down. Inside the entryway he finds the security panel and plugs the USB stick into it.

Garrett enjoys the evening, easily playing his part with the guests, using the back and forth conversations to learn more names and faces. During desert Jennifer calls with the arrangements for tomorrow’s flight. Garrett is excited, whispers to Robert that it is Jennifer and excuses himself. He heads upstair for privacy but also to plant bugs in Robert’s bedroom and bath. When he gets back, he and Jennifer are the main topic at the table.

It’s after midnight before everyone clears out leaving just Robert and Garrett. Robert has a good buzz working while Garrett barely drank two beers. Garrett is staring at the fire and Robert comes up to him.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?” Robert probes.

“Can you keep this secret?”

“Come on, what do you think? You’re my best friend, confidant. What’s going on?”

“I need my mother’s ring from the safe.”

“Oh fuck, that can only mean one thing.” Robert is surprised.

“No, no, no… don’t jump to any conclusions.”

“Well, I can’t help it. I remember you telling me your mother wanted you to give it to your future bride someday. Why today?” Robert probes.

“I just don’t want to burden you with it any longer.” Garrett slyly smiles.

“Oh, You dog you. Fine, but you're not fooling me at all.”

Robert gets up and heads to the office, Garrett follows him. Garrett would have never found the safe—it’s built into the floor with an oriental carpet covering a hidden tile. Garrett is impressed once again by this house. Robert invites him to crash in the spare bedroom but Garrett graciously declines so he can head to the farm first thing in the morning.

Saturday Prep with Brother

“Wow, you’re early Garrett I wasn’t expecting you till later.” Jeffrey greets Garrett at the door.

“Busy day and busy night coming up. My girlfriend is coming back this afternoon. I haven’t seen her in a month, I’m so horny.” Garrett gives him a sly grin.

“You’ve never met her.” Jeffrey fires back.

“She’ll never know, I’ve cybered with her as much as my brother has now. I just need to see him, pick his brain some more, keep stringing him along. All his information has been spot on and priceless with becoming him.”

“I’ll say, his information with the security system and the bugs you placed last night will really help with our mission.”

“Am I ever going to find out what the mission is?” Garrett asks.

“All you need to do is be Garrett Cook. Trust me, it’ll get easier and soon you won’t be needing the imposter in the basement.”

“I’m almost at that point. It’s hard to think of myself as anyone but Garrett. I’m loving the job, friends and life. How is he doing?”

“He’s been asking about you, curious what you’re doing to his life and when he’s getting it back.”

“I’ll deal with him. I know how to play him, always have.” Garrett promises then makes his way down to the cell. Jason jumps up from playing with his iPad.

“You’re early bro, wasn’t expecting you for a few hours. How was the party?”

“You were right, it was easy. I got there early, had a beer and kept an eye on things. I got the ring back for you, it’s in the jewelry box, behind the Rolex. But now, Robert thinks you’re going to ask Jennifer to marry you.”

“Well, I probably will when I get out of here. I’m in love with her. My heart actually aches for her, first time ever. You better treat her like a lady, sweep her off her feet like I was planning.”

“I will bro, I promise. I’ve got reservations at Marcel’s, then a walk to Judy’s for desert and then home to make love all night long.” Garrett brags.

“Bro, you’re killing me! You don’t know me or Jennifer.”

“It’ll be romantic, I promise you.”

“No, Marcel’s sucks, it’s over priced, pretentious and not her kinda place. She’ll never get to relax there once people notice her. She may be a huge star but she grew up in Columbus. She loves simple things. Did you just pick it from a Google search?”

“It has 5 stars.”

“Oh god you did.” Jason mocks him.

“What were you planning?” Garrett made up the horrible scenario to get Jason’s plans since he knows Jennifer and Washington.

“She didn’t mention anything about the Nickel to you?”

“Just that it sounded like a place in Columbus near the Ohio State campus and she’d love to check it out. Something like that, it was after our last cybersex and I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Oh god bro, you’re going to ruin me. She just spent four weeks in Rome, being treated like royalty, eating real Italian with pretentious stars, having her ass kissed and being chased by the Paparazzi. I was planning on picking her up, not letting her take a limo to my place, having sex right away, then having her meet my friends at the Nickel. Surprise them and her.”

“Like burgers and wings? Ruining my figure?”

“One night a week is a ‘free night’ where I eat all the shit I want. I don’t go crazy but I do eat junk food occasionally. What were you planning on wearing.”

“I really liked your outfit from last night, especially the coat, so something similar?” I question my decision for him to decide.

“Well, at least that make sense. Tone it down with jeans, chukka boots and my black turtleneck sweater.”

“Do you really think she’ll like the Nickel?” I push for more details.

“Yes, and after flying for 7 hours, even on Geffin’s private jet, she probably won’t want to be out late. Keep it simple. Let her decide and go at her pace.”

“I’ll consider it bro. Thanks for the advice.”

Girlfriend Fun

Garrett took his brother’s advice completely and added a few twists to it. He’ll pick up Jennifer at the private hanger at Dulles and take her home. As she walks off the plane, he’s holding a handmade ‘Jennifer Hastings’ sign and holding a dozen roses, her favorites. As soon as she sees him, she sprints over to him, embrace him, then kisses him slowly. It’s a major turn on for him and in seconds, he’s throbbing for her.

“God I’ve missed you so much.” She takes a break from kissing him to whisper in his ears.

“Not as much as I missed you.” He whispers back. From everything he’s learned about her from media and his brother, he feels like he knows her intimately.

The staff loads all her luggage into his BMW while Garrett helps her into the passenger seat. Back at Garrett’s place, they rush to the bedroom where the bed is covered with rose petals and lit with candles. Garrett quietly kisses her and he slowly starts undressing her, she does the same for him. He gently guides her onto the bed, his erect cock oozing while she’s pulling him on top of her. Thanks to his brother, he knows she’s on the pill and doesn’t think twice entering her gently. She moans and groans as he starts fucking her—gentle at first, then progressively faster and rougher. She’s loving it and starts loudly screaming, then the moment Garrett has been wait for.

“Ohhh fuck ‘Garrett’, fuckkk.” They climax at the same time. Garrett follows up with kissing her deeply, then sucking on her nipples. Sex is beyond anything he was expecting with her and she loved every moment of it too.

The couple falls to sleep spooning, waking a few hours later. Garrett doesn’t want to get out of bed, but Jennifer is starving and wants to meet his friends that she’s heard about but never met. They jump in the shower and have more sex until the hot water runs out. He thinks to himself how lucky of a man he is to be with such a gorgeous woman.

Later on they meet up with Garrett’s friends at the Nickel, taking over a few tables near the stage where karaoke is happening. Garrett was afraid of mobs accosting them but Jennifer dressed in jeans, hoodie and hat. When Garrett saw her disguise, he adapted with a Harvard hoodie and baseball cap. No one recognized her, even on stage singing karaoke with Garrett. The gang closed the bar then went out for breakfast at an all night diner. The evening was ordinary but it was just what Jennifer needed—a night out with ordinary people. Back home, the happy couple fucks a number of times, sleeps in till noon then heads out for lunch and shopping. They dress up but Jennifer hides behind big glasses and a floppy hat, while Garrett dresses in khakis, Chelsea boots, sweater and sports coat, a typical outfit based on his Instagram.

They have brunch, then stop at Tom Ford nearby to pick up Jennifer’s gown which was specially delivered to that location. Tom Ford personally scheduled the fitting—all in preparation for tonight’s Whitehouse dinner. Garrett picks up a pair of Tom Ford ‘evening shoes’ to go with his new Brioni tuxedo. Afterwards, they’ve back at the townhouse in bed, fucking like bunnies, sharing their lives. Jet lag finally hits Jennifer and she crashes in Garrett’s bed for hours. He can see what his brother see in her and thinks she could be the one for him also.

While Jennifer is sleeping, Garrett is googling how to tie a bowtie for tonite. There’s pics of Garrett helping Mark with his bow tie months ago, and knowing how anal his brother is, his tie has got to be perfect. When Jennifer gets up, she’s greeted by a bubble bath and candles surrounding it. Garrett makes love to Jennifer in his oversized tub with him in the water and her on top. When she screams out ‘Garrett’ at the top of her lungs, he empties his load into her. The sex is more than his brother promised him—the best sex he’s ever had in his life.

Garrett and Jennifer take the Whitehouse like royalty. Senator Gehris and Amy, his ’beard’ pick them up in his limousine and they’re dropped off at the Grand Foyer, greeted personally by the President and First Lady. The evening was a dazzling success for Garrett Cook—a stunning woman on his arm, meeting the President and Prime Minister of the UK and executing his new identity flawlessly. Thanks to Garrett’s anal nature, he had a dozen bookmarks on his computer just about the Prime Minister, and a list of questions on his iPhone in the notes.

Back home Garrett and Jennifer ravage each other out of their formal wear, right on the floor. Just like Saturday night, he he brings her to orgasm multiple times. He had warned Robert that he’d be taking Monday and Tuesday off. They spend most of their days in bed, going out only to meet some of her friends. On Wednesday Jennifer heads home to New York to start publicity for her movie. Garrett works all day, catching up on emails and making plans to visit other states to set up campaigns. It’s been four days since Garrett last visited Jason at the farm. He has no need to visit Jason because after all his training and help from Jason, he’s 99% Garrett Cook.

Chit Chat

After work on Wednesday, Garrett heads straight to the farm to see Jason. He’s in a 2 button windowpane gray suit and a Harvard bow tie, and Burberry trench coat due to rain. Todd takes him down to his brother. The video display outside the door shows his brother sleeping peacefully. Garrett enters quietly, takes off his trench coat, uses the bathroom and double checks his appearance in the mirror.

“Bro, come on, wake up.” Garrett heads over and gently shakes him.

“Heeyyyy, long time no see.” He mumbles and stretches from his slumber.

“I’ve been busy man, you warned me about your life and I was skeptical. Now I’m a believer.”

“How is Jennifer?” He perks up.

“She’s fine, I had fun with her. She’s in New York promoting her new movie. You’re right, the sex was good, but she’s high maintenance.” Garrett really downplays his time with her, while thinking that if this keeps going this well, he’ll be the one using his mother’s ring.

“What are you talking about, she’s incredible in the sack.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, we fucked quite a lot and she was clueless, but I’ve had better, much better. We had a blast at the Whitehouse and the Prime Minister was really interesting. I started reading your bookmarks, then saw the notes and became really impressed. “ Garrett opens up Instagram on his phone and let him scroll through pics of the last few days.

Jason calmly says. “I want my life back.”

“Bro, all I know is that I need to keep this up for another few weeks.”

“What are they asking of you?” He pries.

“Right now, just copies of the Robert’s speeches, drafts, any personal writings or notes. I also bugged his home. It’s nothing really.”

“Nothing really? Jason, Are you working for the Russians? Chinese?”

“I’m working for $25m, nothing more. If I do my job right, I’ll be rich and you won’t be suspected of doing anything I promise.”

“Literally, my fingerprints will be all over this and you’ll be long gone.” He yells.

“So you better hope I don’t get caught.” Garrett warns again.

“What more could you possibly need? You have everything of mine—my career, my girlfriend, my friends, my entire fucking life.” He yells louder.

“Well, now that you ask… I’m still uncomfortable around Robert.” Garrett lies and pulls out from sheets from his breast pocket that contain notes. “He made reference to a snowstorm? Drinking at Club 122? Fishing trip off Santa Cruz?“

Jason angrily grabs the sheets and starts filling in more personal details for Garrett. He borrows his brother’s Montblanc pen and starts writing in answers while Garrett is listening. The whole conversation is being recorded by the cameras located in all the corners. Dinner is brought in for both of them. Garrett easily guides the conversation thanks to some drugs in Jason’s food to relax him. It’s basically a truth serum. Garrett peppers him with additional questions, asking for clarification and more details. He doesn’t realize how he’s being manipulated. Jason doesn’t realize he’s hammering the last nails into his own coffin.

It’s after 11pm when it’s obvious the drugs are wearing off. Jason is beginning to lose focus and asserting himself again. Garrett is enjoying this game with his brother—stringing him along, letting him think he’s getting his life back.

“So I see you’ve mastered my bow ties.” Jason stares at him and snidely comments.

“You approve? I mastered the bowtie for my tuxedo. It took a lot of google time and practice, then I noticed your Harvard bowties you wear occasionally on your Instagrams. It’s a very dapper look and it’s a great look on me, I got a lot of positive comments today.” Garrett hands him his iPhone to show him pics from his first week. The room is shielded to prevent the phone from sending or receiving calls or data.

“It’s ‘my’ look. You’ve never worn a bowtie in you life. You use to make fun of me for wearing them.” He strongly corrects.

“I’ve had a change of heart and like the eclectic style. Besides, to the world I’m Garrett Cook. I’ve worn many bowties over the years, just check ‘my’ Instagram and you’ll notice. So ‘my’ look since I picked out this outfit myself based on my style and closet. For your information, I also purchased a few new suits for work. I kept them ultra conservative, including a new 3-piece suit.” He assumes his brother’s identity easily—sounding just like him, with the same attitude.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you were smart enough to pull off this charade but this is me, you’re me.” Jason begrudgingly admits and continues scrolling through pics on his phone.

“It has been a lot of work, more than I ever imagined but I have a great team behind me, and you’ve helped quite a lot which surprised me really.” Garrett lies.

“I’m only doing it because I don’t want you fucking up my life. I’ve worked too hard to get where I’m at.” He scrolls through pics, then starts in on text messages. Garrett keeps an eye on him to make sure he’s not texting anyone. “I see you got a haircut too?”

“I kept my normal appointment with Colette. She does a great job, even gave me a manicure after she reminded me it’s been a while. That girl was clueless and just wanted to talk about my girlfriend and what she’s like.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. I’m a mess.” He notes.

“I’m actually loving this bro. I never thought I’d enjoy being you but I am.” Garrett gets up, walks to table and checks himself out in the mirror. “Bro, this is an awesome suit and any of my Harvard ties go with it perfectly.”

“Are you listening to yourself? It isn’t your suit or Harvard bowtie, you don’t know where you bought the suit and you’ve never been to Harvard.” Jason is getting upset.

“I bought this at Tom Ford last October while I was in Miami on vacation.” Garrett’s brother is shocked at his knowledge.

“Wow, you’ve done your homework. You know Robert went to Harvard?” Jason is surprised.

“Of course, Harvard School of Business, graduated 10 year ahead of me. It’s one of the reasons we clicked. It’s not homework. I’m just Garrett Cook and these things come naturally to me, things I would know.” He smiles at his brother.

“You’ve done your homework and gone through my receipts.”

“I also watched a ton of your videos—TV interviews, Instagram, CSPAN, Youtube, conventions. Oh here, I almost forgot, I have some videos for you. One is a Fox panel from the other night, The other you’ll recognize.” Garrett grabs his iPhone back, opens up the videos on his phone and hands it back to Jason.

The first one is ‘Garrett Cook’ on Fox News talking to Rob Schmitt a few days ago, then it changes to video of ‘Garrett’ fucking Jennifer. When Jennifer yells out ‘Fuck, Garrett!’, Jason puts down the phone disgusted.

“You’re stealing my fucking life bro.” Jason complains.

“More like borrowing it. It’s like watching yourself, isn’t it? Just admit it, I’m good at it.” Garrett gets up, takes back his pen and phone. “Yeah, I’m heading Chicago next week, meeting with Brad Stauch from our Midwest office. While there, I’ll stop at Tom Ford and add a few more items to my wardrobe.”

“Take it from your $25 million, not my bank account.” Jason tries to order.

“So it’s not only one of my favorite suits and bowtie, it’s my life. Just face it Jason, I’m a better Garrett.” He jokes with his brother as he tugs on his sleeves and faux model for his brother.

“Just finish what you’re doing and get lost. I’m tired of this place and you living my life.” Jason mumbles disgusted.

“Oh by the way, I spoke to professor Aungst. I did some horse trading with Senator Barwick, with Robert’s approval, and got him funding for his project. You have a meeting with him in a few months in Cambridge. You’re welcome.”

“That’s what I was hoping to do exactly. He’s a good friend, my favorite professor.” Jason perks up.

“Yeah, his corporate law class was my favorite. He’s still missing Betsy, his wife after the cancer. So sad. Hey bro, I’ve gotta get home, just sit tight.” Garrett says leaving.

Jason’s mouth is hanging open after hearing Garrett sounding just like him, with knowledge that’s impossible for anyone else to know. Upstairs Garrett meets with Jeffrey and Todd. They’re thrilled with the entire operation and think of their protégé as the real Garrett and he does also.

“Garrett, he’s about useless now unless we spike his food.” Jeffrey notes.

“After tonite, I can’t think of anything else I could need from him. Doing his job has been seamless thanks to our spying but also my brother keeps very good notes, something I’m adopting as well. His friends haven’t noticed anything either, and Jennifer is in love with the new Garrett. She was the easiest since she didn’t know my brother long and I had a very detailed briefing from the idiot describing their first meeting.”

“I’ve listen in on some of your phone calls and there’s no discernible differences between the two of you. The way you carry yourself, your grasp of the issues and reasoning skills, all mimic your brother exactly.” Todd adds.

“I was thinking… when you do his fingerprints, make sure to add the tattoo.” Garrett raises his concern.

“Already done. When you were under the knife, the first thing we did was a full body scan. He’ll be indistinguishable from you a few months ago, including the body fat.” Jeffrey explains.

“Great, I’m tired of seeing myself when I talk to him.” Garrett snidely orders.

Emergency Meeting

Garrett’s third week on the job is going better than ever expected. He’s got his staff under control and his schedule is now of his own making. Garrett and the team are amazed how seamless the takeover has been with no issues at all. Robert was in this morning running around gathering up reports, pelting Garrett with things to do for the defense committee and the campaign. Garrett is extremely busy and Robert is heading to Camp David with others for a secret strategy session the president called for. He had Lance clear his schedule for a few days. Before he left he stopped in Garrett’s office.

“Garrett, you’re in charge. Keep a lid on things, I’ll be back Thursday. If anyone calls, I’m in a meeting and will get back to them. Text me if it’s important. Also, would you mind watching Pebbles.” He says it with the door open so Trudy and everyone hears his wishes.

“Sure thing, not a problem.” His dutiful Chief of Staff replies as usual.

Hours later Garrett pulls up to his boss’ home, opens the garage and is greeted by Pebbles, Robert’s dog.

“Hey Pebbles, you hungry girl?” Garrett asks the little dog.

“I just fed her.” Robert walks into the kitchen and greets his chief of staff.

“Robert, I didn’t think you’d be here.” Shocked that his boss was home.

“Same, but last minute change, leaving tomorrow. Sorry I forgot to call you but it’s good timing you’re here. Let’s grab a bite.” Robert grabs his suit coat off the back of his bar stool, his car keys and phone off the counter and lead Garrett to Monocle. At dinner Robert talks the politics of a few bills, then Jennifer, getting very personal with his chief of Staff.

Garrett continues to amaze himself, sitting here with Robert Gehris, impersonating his brother easily and getting away with it. He’s still learning things though, it’s like being on stage 24/7. After dinner, Robert drives them to the Senate office where they can ‘talk privately’. Garrett and Robert are known for secret conversations but Jason has been helping with lots of personal information. Robert takes off his suit coat and hangs it on the back of his chair, and gestures to Garrett to have a seat.

“Remember what you told me in Buffalo at my first debate?” Robert tosses a question at him like he’s leading to more.

“Hmm, not exactly, not off the top of my head. Remind me.” Is all Garrett can say.

“Imagine Tracy is debating you in her underwear.” Robert laughs and Garrett joined in. “How could you forget that?”

“Long day here, had two morning Webexes with MN and WA staff, then Cooper’s hearing.”

“Oh, I thought it was because you’re not actually Garrett Cook.” Robert just stares at him and Garrett’s stomach just plummets.

“Ha, what are you talking about Robert? Is this a joke?” Garrett laughs and tries to recover.

“Not a joke ‘Garrett’, I noticed something when you got back from Wisconsin. You were different but I couldn’t put my finger on it. You looked the same but it was the little things I noticed. So who are you? Where is my chief of staff?” Roberts demands bluntly.

“Robert, it’s me? This joke isn’t funny any longer.” Garrett is getting sick to his stomach.

“Okay, fine. Let’s get to the bottom of this game. The FBI is waiting outside the office for you. They’ll take care of this.” Robert informs him.

Garrett is squirming and sweating now, shocked he’s been discovered. Just then his cell phone rings showing its Robert. He’s calling at 9pm, his regular time he’s known to call to talk about his needs for tomorrow. Garrett looks at his phone queerly, then at Robert who’s sitting across from him and who’s not on his phone. He answers it.

“Robert? You’re the last person I was expecting to hear from.” He stares at the Robert sitting across from him.

“You’re joking right? I want to make sure you take care of O’Neil first thing, don’t let him weasel out of his commitment.” The Robert on the phone orders.

“I’m on it boss. I’ve got to go, talk to you later.” Garrett hangs up and stares at Robert who’s looking at him.

“That was you. Who are you?” Garrett fires at Robert who has a sly grin on his face. Seconds later Todd calls him.

“Hey, Todd, so this is the plan?” Garrett yells at Todd for the first time ever.

“Calm down, we just wanted to mess with you some, and since Robert was gone for a few days, we thought ‘Robert’ could meet his chief of staff.”

“I thought I was going to jail. I think I shit my pants!”

“You should have seen the look on his face Todd.” The fake Robert yells laughing.

“You both are bastards. So this is why I was brought on?”

“Lets talk about this at home.” ‘Robert’ suggests.

Senator Gehris and his chief of staff lock up the office and head out to his car, saying goodnight to security. On the way back, Garrett keeps turning to check out his new boss.

“Still in shock?” Robert questions Garrett.

“Ah yeah? I just can’t get over it, I never would have known. Dammit, you were in his house, playing with Pebbles, dressed as he was this afternoon, finishing a drink like you owned the place.” Garrett says stunned.

“That’s the point right? Thanks to you, we knew he was leaving for a few days, so it was the perfect time to test myself. He got home, changed, packed quickly and was picked up by a limo. As soon as he was at Dulles, I was dropped back off by an identical limo. Pebbles came running over when I walked in the door, sniffed me and licked me, so I fooled a dog and you.” He laughs and pulls into his garage.

Back at the Senator’s place Robert greets Pebbles, gives her a treat and takes off his suit coat just as he’d seen the real Robert do a few times. Garrett helps himself a beer out of the fridge and Robert leads them into his living room to chat.

“I’m here because of you Garrett, I owe you.” The Senator thanks him.

“Me?”

“Yes, we’ve been trying to get close to the Senator for many months. I’ve been on hold. When you were discovered and accepted, the pieces fell into place. With his chief of staff under our control, we finally had our way in. You provided the schedule, reports, security codes et cetera.” Robert sits down on his sofa and Pebbles jumps on his lap.

“Are you Robert’s twin?” Garrett questions.

“Unfortunately no, I went through many months of painful plastic surgeries and training. I’ve been going crazy waiting. When Robert’s trip to Camp David came up, and knowing no one would know where he was, except for you and Lance, I begged to get out of captivity and the team agreed.” Robert gets back up and nonchalantly pulls himself another Scotch.

“I never suspected a thing.” Garrett admits.

“And neither will anyone else.” Robert boasts.

“When?” Garrett asks.

“Well, replacing the Senator will be a lot more challenging. The government does fingerprinting and retinal scans of Congress people. I still need cornea implants to completely be him. Next house party, you’ll get him drunk, drug him, spend the night and scan his eyes.”

“That’s not for a few weeks when he has a campaign exploratory meeting at home.”

“That’ll work fine. It just needs to be before the secret service provides protection or it’ll be impossible for me to assume his life and I’ll be having more plastic surgery to change back or into someone else.”

Day of Reckoning

Jason wakes up groggy and confused. He can’t remember what happened—one minute he’s having a protein shake, then he’s in and out of sleep for days? He’s not sure what day of the week it is but according to the alarm clock, it’s 6am. There’s dull pain in his mouth, his knee, shoulder and hands. His entire body aches and his stomach growls from hunger. He tries to get up but realizes he’s chained to the bed. He passes out again, waking at 7pm to blurry images.

“Jason, wake up.” He hears a familiar voice and things come into focus slowly.

“What happened?” Jason asks groggily and realizes he’s talking to his brother.

“You had some surgery, had a rough couple of days.”

“Surgery? For what?” Jason becomes more alert.

“We had to take care of a few details.”

“Details? What are you talking about? I feel like I lost a boxing match with Mike Tyson.” He groans.

“Simply, there can only be one Garrett Cook and that’s me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He’s fully alert.

“Do you really think I went through all this to be temporary? I changed my fingerprints and body. I studied ‘Garrett Cook 101’ for months, listening to every chat, reading every email and text message. It was alway meant to be permanent but you wouldn’t have helped me with the fine details if you knew you were handing me your identity.” Garrett sneers.

“What the fuck did you do to me?” He groans.

“Honestly bro, it was a little creepy having to see a copy of myself every time I visited.”

“What are you talking about?” He screams.

“I know you always wanted to be me but that’s the problem. See, there can only be one Garrett Cook, and obviously that's me. I don’t need an imposter running around, impersonating me.”

“You’re pretending to be me.” Jason yells.

“Not pretending, let’s get something straight—I’m Garrett Cook. That better sink in fast bro. We were too similar and I didn’t want people confusing you for me. My fingerprints and dental records all confirm my identity.”

Jason lifts up his hands and see they are bandaged. “What the fuck did you do?” Jason screams then reaches over to his arm and tries to rip the bandage from his arm but the bandages on his hands prevents it. His brother gets up and gently lifts up the bandage to show him his new tattoo.

“Looks really good bro, they used a special cream that speeds the healing process. In a few days, it’ll look like it’s been there since college when you got it on spring break. Damn, I remember when you got it, and tried talking me into getting a matching one. It looks ridiculous on you still.”

“You think I’m going to go along with you taking over my life?” Jason yells.

“You already have. It’s not all that bad bro. On the plus side, the tattoo looks great and you no longer have that nasty scar on your knee. On the negative side, you’ve really gained some weight bro. You didn’t notice those protein shakes were carb shakes? Oh, did you know it’s possible to transfer fat from twin to twin. Thank god doc saved my fat for you. It only works for twins because we’re genetically identical. Good to know right? Oh I’ve been saving this one ‘My loss is your gain’.” He laughs out loud at his own joke.

Jason struggles with his wrapped hands but manages to pull up his hospital gown, revealing a belly. “You fucking bastards!” He screams at his brother, then flips his blanket off his legs revealing his bandaged knee.

“Oh you want to see how your knee is healing?” Garrett goes over and carefully pulls the bandage up.

“See bro, you’ll never know there was a scar there. They did a great job.” Then he puts his foot on the edge of the bed and pulls up his pant leg. “Damn, I’ve had this scar since I was 8 years old when I was learning to ride a bike and fell. Dad rushed me to the hospital and I had to have 15 stitches. I spent the night but had plenty of ice cream from the nurses. I should have it looked at but I’ve had it so long, it’s part of my identity.”

“Jason, you’ll be caught and I’m through helping you. If you’re that great, you don’t need it.”

“Jason? My name is Garrett, you know that Jason. Even my boss will swear to my identity and he’s known me longer than anyone else since college.”

“Yeah right, without my help, he’ll spot you as a phony in a few weeks.”

“You think so? It’s been 5 weeks already and no one has the slightest clue.” Garrett confidently replies while Jason stays silent.

“Oh, I'm thinking of asking Jen to marry me over Christmas, or New Years Eve? You were right, she’s a keeper. We’re heading to Hawaii. What do you think?” Knowing he’d get a reaction out of him.

“You sick fucker, you fucking bastard!” Jason screams wildly yanking on his chain.

“Now Jason, calm down you need more time to heal. Sorry, not sure when I’ll be back to see you, hopefully you’ll be in a better mood. I’m just so busy at work.” Garrett heads out the door and meets with Jeffrey and Todd in Jeffrey’s office.

“That went really great Garrett.” Todd snickers.

“You seemed to enjoy it.” Jeffrey notes.

“Guys, you can’t imagine what you’ve done for me. Did I really look that bad months ago?”

“Ah yeah, honestly when I first met you, I had my doubts this would work.” Jeffrey confesses. “The transformation and your performance is remarkable. We’ve been scanning all the conversations from the bugs you planted and not a single remark questioning your identities. There have been complaints about how demanding you’ve been lately, and they blame the Senator’s campaign you’re juggling on top of your regular job.”

“Who’s been complaining? I’ll flog them later.” Garrett jokes. “That’s great, it’s been a very easy transition. My only concern is not getting caught and having him around puts my new life at risk.”

“We’ll take care of Jason, he just needs a few weeks to heal. If there’s an autopsy, he’s got to be you physically with no telltale signs of healing.” Todd explains.

“Hang in there Garrett, he’ll be gone and there’s probably more to learn from him.” Jeffrey says.

“He won’t be helpful unless we drug him at this point. What about Robert’s double?” Garrett asks. “Having him in place would really help with ensuring my safety, since the real Robert knows Garrett best.”

“A few more details like the eyes and he’ll be ready. Just relax, Senator Gehris has no concerns about who you are Garrett.” Jeffrey tries to ease him.

“Garrett, You’ve got nothing to worry about, just look at yourself. You’ve been flawless in every aspect of your new life.”

Bad News

A few weeks later, Garrett Cook is in his office early which is a new habit for him, that only a few people have noticed. The extra time helps him get in the proper state of mind and learn all he can in peace before Robert storms in and all hell breaks loose. The job is really becoming routine for Garrett—every day has a standard flow that Garrett has adapted to.

When Robert is in town, Garrett has a two hour face to face every morning, which then turns into marching orders for Garrett’s staff. Garrett is traveling every other week for the campaign—meeting with state campaigns, talking to major donors and lining up events. He’s basically duplicating what was done by his brother 4 years ago.

After his meeting with Robert today, as he gets back to his office followed by Lance, his phone rings. It’s a call from upstate NY, from the Albany area.

“Garrett Cook.” He answers naturally.

“Mr. Cook, Hello, this is captain Marshal from the Albany police department—“

“How may I help you captain?”

“Mr. Cook, I have some bad news for you. Your brother was killed in an automobile accident last night.”

“Oh my god….” Garrett pauses and gasps like he practiced.

“I’m sorry for your loss sir.”

Lance sees a drastic change in a Garrett’s demeanor but Garrett was putting on a show. “When? How?”

“He was drinking and appears to have lost control of his car. It looks like it happened really quickly, he was killed on impact.” The captain explains. “Your name was in his phone under ICE. His ex-girlfriend has identified the body.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have his girlfriend’s name and phone number?”

Garrett was prepped for this happening—not the date or details. That information was held back on purpose to provide a real element of surprise. Lance being with him was perfect timing and Garrett played it perfectly. He’s actually in shock that the team took care of it so quickly when he was expecting it in a month. It didn’t matter to him though. He had everything he needed from his brother.

Garrett informs Robert and takes the week off to handle the funeral. Not one of Garrett’s friends knew he had a twin brother and he was certain to just call Jason his ‘little brother’. Jason didn’t want a funeral or any fuss but Garrett had a memorial dinner with a few of his brother’s friends. It was good to know he was missed. Garrett’s girlfriend was the same person who posed as his girlfriend many months ago. They comforted each other a few times during the week as they both stayed in his old home.

Garrett wasn’t interested in much of Jason’s junk, taking only a few items. Back in Washington DC, a great sense of calm comes over him and he’s the most relaxed he’s been in months. After his first day back, he heads to the farm for a meeting on Phase II. At the front door, he’s greeted by the future Senator Gehris.

“Garrett, welcome back. Hope your week wasn’t too stressful. We’re just sitting down to eat, join us.” Robert leads his chief of staff into the dining room.

“Not at all, in fact, it was great for closure with my brother. I feel completely at ease now, I'm my own person now.” Garrett responds confidently.

“You seem really relaxed.” Jeffrey adds and hands Garrett a glass of red wine.

“I am.” Garrett shakes his head and smiles. “Sorry Robert, I left you just 40 minutes ago and you beat me here.”

“He’s where he needs to be almost, except for his eyes.” Jeffrey chimes in.

“I’ve gotta say Robert, you look fantastic. I thought what I went through was tough but I had a twin. You started from scratch.” Garrett lifts his glass to him.

“I’m getting antsy being cooped up here.”

“I’ll get those eye scans for you next week. It’s for my benefit too—having you in place would put me at ease. We can help each other and I’ll be less on edge, less fear of ever being discovered.”

“It works out for both of us.” Robert celebrates. “A toast to my best friend, trusted chief of staff and my new career.”

Todd points out that ‘Phase One’ is complete and working as planned. ‘Phase Two’ will be completed in a month. The takeover of the United States government is becoming reality.

Hours later, Garrett Cook strolls into the Nickel, sees his gang at their usual corner table and greets all his friends. He apologizes for being late but explains that he was working late for the Senator—his usual excuse that no one doubts.

#twin brothers #imposter #male transformation #stolen identity #men in suits #straight sex #impersonation

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sanieee · 3 years

Text

ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕣

Au: Non-idol au

Genre: Angst, fluff.

Summary: Different backgrounds do matter sometimes, because even if everything is working out, the relationship will come to an end due to some factors. And Mingi knows it.

Warnings: None.

Words: 1.5k

A/N: I got inspired by The Chainsmokers - Closer. And Idk about making a part 2, you guys can tell me if I should.

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ᴴᵉʸ, ᴵ ʷᵃˢ ᵈᵒⁱⁿᵍ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠⁱⁿᵉ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ᴵ ᵐᵉᵗ ʸᵒᵘ

Hongjoong ︳Seonghwa ︳Yunho ︳Yeosang ︳San ︳Mingi ︳Wooyoung ︳Jongho

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To begin with, yes, maybe both of you were completely different, and so were your group of friends, completely different lifestyles. But it didn’t matter as long as you had each other at that time. Freshman year of university meant a new beginning for many, and you were going to take any opportunity the universe gave you, and so was Mingi.

When you both met, you didn’t click instantly. He didn’t like you, you didn’t like him. He thought of you as the typical ‘rich kid’ that had their parents paying for anything and everything. He didn’t know you tried very hard to get grades that got you to graduate as an honor student. You thought of him as the simple kid who entered just by a sport scholarship, and the piercings that he had made him unapproachable. What you didn’t know was that, even if he did get that scholarship, he went through sleepless nights to exceed any exam.

It took some time to get used to each other, but what made you friends was when you fell asleep in the library and woke up to see him seated right in front of you studying statistics silently. His dedication made you intrigued, and after some study dates, he asked you out.

It was really sweet and very unexpected. You had finished studying together on a cold winter day and it was getting dark, he hid his hands in his warm leather jacket while you were trying to maintain your body warmth by wrapping your neck with your long scarf. You were going to say goodbye, but he asked you if you were hungry. You were a bit taken aback but you said yes nonetheless.

He nodded and by the movement of his shoulder, he pointed to his black motorcycle. You looked at him worried and shook your head no. You could easily call your father so he could pick you up with his fancy looking white car, and your words for Mingi were, “I ain’t getting on that death machine.” To which he laughed and told you he wasn’t going to let you get hurt, and by his words “I am still alive and I have been driving that death machine for years, didn't get in any accidents, I think you’ll be okay.”

You hesitated but as you watched his back going further away from you, you made up your mind. He stood in front of it and observed you running like a penguin to him. He smiled and helped you get on it. Now, were you scared and didn’t open your eyes until a few minutes later? Yes. But did he mind you were hugging him? No.

He took you to eat in a fast food restaurant, but what could you ask for when it was almost midnight? So there you were, sitting on a table inside a colorful establishment eating some greasy food along with bags of ketchup. You were laughing so hard while he told you stories about his group. You looked like kids left by your parents to explore the world without a care for anyone.

And before the employees could kick you out, you left voluntarily. Once again in his motorcycle, he took you to the lake at the hill fairly close besides your house. And while you were sitting on the railing, he had his hands on both your sides in case you fell. And it was the twinkle in your eyes when you talked about what you loved, the smell of your perfume and your pink lips, that made him lean in for a quick peck.

Your words were cut short and your face became hot in an instant, you want to forget the fact that you were stupid enough to hide your face with both your hands and almost falling into the water. Mingi laughed and hugged you close, then he spilled his thoughts to you.

“It may be unexpected, but I find you very attractive and I would love it if you gave me a chance.”

And who are you to say no when you felt the same way?

Your friends were happy for you, his friends were glad he settled down. And you were delighted to have each other. It became a ritual to go to the lake for special days, and you had so many memories there.

Your first kiss? Under the tree of the lake on a summer evening while the sun was setting. Your first anniversary date? A picnic with homemade food, which Seonghwa and Wooyoung took part in, and a fancy wine along with it, by the lake. Your first fight? Yeah it was way better to yell where not many people were there. Your makeup make out? You must remember the tree you had your first kiss at, intimate moments happened between four walls in your or his bedroom. Remember that time you shed tears because he left?

Oh, gosh, that last part was somehow unanticipated and obviously not by the lake. He came to your house one day, both feeling like the spark was slowly dying. But you didn’t want to leave each other, or at least you didn’t want him to leave you, your flame was still there. But sometimes, feelings die. And he told you. Told you that he was not feeling the same warmth, that he felt like you were keeping secrets because it just felt.. Bland and repetitive. He didn’t mean you were keeping secrets, he meant you, you both. He voiced out that maybe you should end it, find another desire.

You didn’t scream, you didn’t yell at him. You just tried to reason with him, told him you could revive that warmth, that you didn’t want to lose him. But when he turned his back to you, and closed your door, you knew that you were single once again. That night you fell asleep with tears in your eyes, and woke up the same way. Your mother was not faced by your state, and just told you to get over him.

But could you? You held so many memories with him. Weeks passed and you wanted to be with him, in his little cozy apartment that he shared with Jeong Yunho and Kang Yeosang. You didn’t even want the small cinema you had at your house, you wanted to be in his arms, laying on his bed as you watched some Netflix series on his TV under the blankets of his roommates. You didn’t throw away the cheap rings he bought in the store next door, you thought they were very pretty, even if they were not silver like the ones you had. But your father made you take down the photos you had with him hanging on the wall, because if he is not part of your life anymore, don’t hold onto him.

When he broke up with you, it was your last year as an undergraduate. At graduation, he just told you good luck and left with his friends. Kim Hongjoong was not entirely happy seeing your face and he made it clear that he didn’t want you besides his group. And your group didn’t want his group. So you couldn’t look at each other for a second before any of your friends got in between. What hurt the most was when he ignored you on purpose, so you decided to do the same,

We all know that time doesn’t wait and you eventually got over him. You went out with your friends again, party until you couldn't feel your feet, you did a masters degree, you found your dream job, you were popular on social media and traveled on your own thanks to your social skills.

You stayed several years away from home, your parents always reminding you that you should get a boyfriend soon, get married and give them a grandchild. To which you said that they will have their wishes come true whenever you felt like granting them. Sure you had a fling here and there, sometimes got together with a guy just to call him your boyfriend for a year or less. They say that your first love is special because it is the most innocent and pure form of love, and no matter how hard you try, you will never stop missing your first love. So maybe that is why you can’t stop comparing every guy you meet with your first relationship.

But when you came back home, when your friends made you go to a party in an expensive hotel, that’s where you saw him again. And even though you were sure years ago that the spark of your relationship was burnt off, seeing his face may revive it back.

He was dressed simple, a suit with the first buttons of his dress shirt opened. And even so, you were captivated by him. He was even more handsome than in your senior year. When your eyes met, he was just as surprised. Did you know he thought you were even prettier than all the models combined in the room?

Maybe he got to tell you that night. Maybe you were able to hear little secrets. And both of you hoped you could taste each other's lips for one last time if you were given the opportunity to.

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Thanks for reading and comment if you want a part two!

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so-small · 4 years

Text

Connor Murphy x Reader: Dear Other Hansen: Part 1

words: 1,643

warnings: fight, slight harassment by a pervy football player

It was the first day of your senior year and your mom was giving the same speech to you and Evan that she gave every year. Growing up twins you shared everything: your anxiety, your interest in nature, your love-hate relationship with Jared, and your clear disdain for this speech. 'This year would be different, it's a new start- a clean slate. She's so proud of you already.'

"Oh and Evan, (Y/N)? I made you an appointment with for today, I'll come buy and pick you guys up after school. Make sure you guys have letters to yourself, the doctor expects you to have some."

"We have an appointment for next week though, mom?" Evan questioned, worried that he overestimated the amount of time he could put off writing his letter.

"I thought you could use something a little sooner. I love you guys! Have a good first day, and remember if you guys need anything at all, call me. Bye," with that she was out the door.

Evan looked to you, and then down at his hands. "(Y/N), I still haven't written anything..."

"I know," you sighed, running your hands through your hair, "I haven't either. We were supposed to have another week." Procrastination. That was another trait you shared. You were well aware that it would only make the task at hand more daunting, but sometimes it was just more convenient to watch TV than do work.

"And we still have to take the bus. It's our senior year, and we're the only seniors who still have to ride the bus. Everyone is going to think we're losers."

"...What if we just walk?" You suggested, to which Evan responded to by nodding vigorously. You grabbed your stuff and the two of you began walking.

It was warm outside, but cloudy. Evan and you were talking about the normal stuff. He was talking about working at the park, and you were talking about hanging out with Zoe- another thing you had in common- who you had befriended one day at the mall at the beginning of the summer. You had been at American Eagle, trying to find the perfect outfit to boost your confidence. Zoe had seen you, said hi, and proceeded to help choose the cutest outfit you had ever seen. Ever since then, Zoe and you were good friends. Evan always loved hearing you talk about her, because he felt like he knew her better when you did.

Finally, you arrived at school. Evan walked over to talk with Alana and then Jared, trying aimlessly to get them to sign his cast. Zoe had came over to you as soon as she saw you arrive to school, upset about the morning she had "-and then he finished the milk! Dry cereal was not how I wanted to start my first day back."

"Maybe he's just on his man period?" You didn't want to admit it, but Connor always intrigued you. He never looked like he was the same guy who Zoe complained about, or the rumors that spread across the school. He just looked out-of-place, which is how you felt most of the time. He didn’t look like he could be that much of a dick. Back in grade school, you had been in bed with the flu when Connor presumably threw a printer. After hearing little Evan cry for three hours after school about it- not because he was scared or even angry- because the teacher was printing out a coloring page for him, and he never got it.

"Then he would have been menstruating since he was twelve-" Zoe was interrupted by hearing Connor yelling. She turned the corner to see him screaming at Evan and Jared scurrying off. "Oh no."

"Why are you laughing? Stop fucking laughing! I'm not the freak! You're the fucking freak!" Connor pushed Evan down and ran off sulking.

Zoe and you rushed over to Evan to make sure he was okay. You'd talked to her enough about Evan for her to know that he wasn't going to take this well. You were freaking out, both worried about Evan and horrified that he had already been pushed on the first day. The bell rung and Zoe went her separate way, while Evan rambled on, "-and then she introduced herself to me! Did you see that? It was so magical. Well, it would have been if I hadn't screwed it up."

"You'll be okay Evan. She's a sweet girl, she's not going to judge you. Especially since Connor was involved. What class do you have?"

"Stats, what about you?"

"English, see you at lunch or something?" You hugged Evan as tight as you could headed to class.

---

When you arrived to class, you took a seat in the back corner, relieved that you were in your favorite teacher’s class this year. Mr. Sinclair was half way done with the syllabus when Connor Murphy walked in. He walked to the back of the class room, but there were only two seats left. One by the captain of the football team, Derek, and the other next to you. He choose to sit next to you.

Not long after Mr. Sinclair was done with the syllabus, he announced that there would be a group project. “Your partners will be your table buddies. You will choose a book, and make a project on it. I emailed the requirements, but keep in mind that the books need to be appropriate. Derek you can join whatever group you.” Mr. Sinclair then let everyone start working on the project. You were sitting with your hands cupped on the desk, staring down at them. You didn't know what to do. Sure, you'd seen Connor around at the Murphy's house, but he never really said anything more than the greetings his mom forced him to say. Other than that, all you knew about him were the rumors, what Zoe said about him, and that he'd hurt Evan earlier that day.

"(Y/N), right?" A voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You nodded, recognizing it as Connor's voice. "You're related to the kid with the cast and the polo?"

"-Evan, he's my twin." You didn't know why he was asking this. You’d been in the same grade level and classes as Connor since kindergarten, and even if you never personally spoke to Connor, you were sure he already knew these things.

"So you're going to go ask if we can just separate projects," You couldn't tell if this was a question or a command. "I mean, you're brother thinks I'm a freak, so why would you want to do a project with me."

"Evan does not think that, I promise."

Connor's voice got louder, "Yeah? Then why was he fucking laughing at me with Kleinman earlier?"

Your heart began race, and you began stuttering. Your face must have shown traces of anxiety because Connor's angry gaze softened slightly. He reached his hand toward your hand, but he was blocked by a figure.

“What do you think you’re doing, Murphy?”

“Go away Derek.” The same amount Connor’s eye softened at the sight of your anxiety, they hardened when he saw Derek.

“Were you going to hurt her?”

“Go. Away. Derek.”

“No can do. I’ve decided to be (Y/N)’s partner.” Derek slung his arm around your shoulders as you stiffened.

Connor was visibly getting more annoyed by the minute, “That would mean that your my partner too, go find a different set of partners.”

“Babycakes wants me here.” A smirk spread across his face. You were growing more uncomfortable, and were silenced by shock and disgust. “No, she doesn’t. Neither do I, so don’t make me-”

“Make you do what? I’ve already decided. (Y/N), call me when you want to meet up for the project, sweetie.” Your face grew ten shades of red as you involuntarily grabbed onto Connor’s arm and scooted closer to him. Connor took one look at your shaky, nervous frame and lunged into action.

Connor drove his fist into Derek’s face, and Derek did the same. It was a blur as you gaped at the two men fighting, feeling a panic attack coming on, and before you knew it they were being pulled apart by Mr. Sinclair and two other teachers who had been called in. The teachers escorted Connor and Derek to the office. Mr. Sinclair pulled you outside the classroom and sat with you until your panic died down, “Are you okay, Ms. Hansen?” You nodded. “Did Mr. Murphy hurt you?”

It took a moment to process what he said. “Connor didn’t do anything, Mr. Sinclair. Derek was making some,” you sighed, “comments about me that made me feel creeped out. I think Connor saw I was uncomfortable and tried to defend me.”

Mr. Sinclair pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ms. Hansen, if what your saying is true, we need to get you down to the office so they don’t blame this on Connor.” Mr. Sinclair took you to the office just as the principal was getting ready to suspend Connor and release Derek. Mr. Sinclair reiterated what you had told him, and you confirmed it. Derek protested, trying to say that you were making it up.

“Very well,” the principal raised his hand to stop Derek, “Ms. Hansen has never given me any reason to not believe her. That, and last year three students came forward about you, Derek. I’m afraid I have no choice but to suspend you for a week and put you on probation from football until further notice. Connor, I’m going to let you off with a warning, and send you home for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, I will trust that you will not do this again, or you will be suspended.” Connor shook his head, and left without another word.

---

A/N- I’m not sure how long this series is going to be, but we’ll see.

#connor murphy x reader #dear evan hansen #evan hansen #connor murphy #alex boniello #mike faist #dear evan hansen x reader #jared kleinman #zoe murphy #heidi hansen #larry murphy #cynthia murphy #alana

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unmaskedagain · 4 years

Text

Marinette: Iron Man’s Minion: Rising

Over 30 people sent me ask requesting a sequel. I usually don’t do sequels. Its messy and rarely as good as the first. Hoepfully, you like this.

Tony just sighed at sight four kids and his robot picketing his workshop. Rhodey just looked overly pleased. The sun was had rose. He had just finished up for the day. Only to be met with… whatever the hell this was.

Honestly, he hadn’t thought they were serious. At least he didn’t think Peter was serious. Peter was the sweet one; 90 percent of time, he followed Tony’s rules to the letter, never giving too much problems.

…Harley, on the hand, liked to start shit.

“What we want?” Harley called again.

“No curfews!” The other three, Peter, Riri, and Marinette yelled.

Riri liked to instigate.

As for Marinette, Tony was certain at this point, she just wanted to see the world burn.

“When do we want it?!”

“Now!”

Dummy beamed loudly. A little sign in his claw.

Tony pinched his nose, “I swear to god, Harley.”

Harley smirked, “He says our sugar intake should be limited. I say we want candy. I say Sugar High and Die.”

“Sugar high and Die!”

Dummy beamed again.

Tony glared at his firstborn, “You can’t even eat.”

“Unlimited lab access!”

“Yes!”

“Breakroom for Interns,” Harley sniped. “We are not Avengers. We shouldn’t have to share with Avengers.”

“Not my Pop tarts!” Riri shouted, a big grin on her face, framed by her wild dark curly locks.

Marinette was having the time of her life, “Death to Baby monitor protocols!” Ever since it was revealed she was Ladybug, Tony put her on the same restrictions at the other teen Heroes. Karen watching her from her new, Stark approved, mask.

The others went nuts. “Death to Baby monitor protocols!”

Rhodey looked smug, “Karma.” He said easily. “For everything you ever put me through at MIT; you have to deal with four versions of yourself.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, “Okay time for the big guns,” He spun around. “PEPPER!” He yelled. “Jarvis get Pepper.”

The kids looked at each other and braced themselves.

“We will not go quietly into the night,” They all said together. “We will not vanish without a fight!”

“Oh my god,” Rhodey said, looking like a five-year-old on Christmas morning. “They’re doing the speech from Independence day!”

“We're going to live on!” The kids said, dummy beeping with them. “We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day

“PEPPER!” Tony screamed again.

First thing, Tony said when the redhead arrived, “Pepper, the minions are revolting. Do something!”

“Well maybe if you didn’t call them minions,” Pepper suggested just looking so done with the world. She could just barely believe Jarvis when he told her the interns, and teen heroes, were protesting. “And why is Rhodey holding a sign?”

Tony huffed, “The twerps called him Uncle Rhodey with those big puppy dogs’ eyes. And he went full traitor!” He explained. “Those things should be weaponized. Fix this!”

Pepper sighed and walked to Harley, the one with the megaphone was usually the leader. She smiled, “Lets negotiate.” This would be easy and over quickly. They were just kids, messing with Tony.

Marinette stepped forward, “Sure,” She smiled pleasantly. “After our lawyer gets here.”

“You’re what now?!!” Tony shouted.

Pepper eyed the bluenette approvingly. “Bring it on!”

Matt Murdock had no idea that when Spiderman called to ask him to his lawyer and defend his rights, that he was talking about Peter Parker’s rights as an intern. He was on the avengers’ roster and most knew he identity. Foggy was confused but elated to test his wits against the force that was Pepper Potts.

The two lawyers sat across from Tony and Pepper. The kids and Rhodey, who Stark called traitor every time he spoke, sat beside them. They were in a conference room at a large table.

Matt began, “Our clients have made their requests very clear. Most of which are easy to employ and some would say are their rights.

“Their minions,” Tony stated. “They don’t have rights.”

Pepper placed a hand on his shoulder, “Never say that again,” She said slowly.

“All employee should have a breakroom,” Foggy stated. “Even interns. It’s non-negotiable.”

Pepper nodded, “Agreed. They will be given their own breakroom; that Jarvis will ensure only fellow interns will have access to.”

“That means Tony can’t go in,” Peter laughed.

“You little shit!”

“Baby monitor protocols are too extreme,” Matt said.

Pepper pinched her nose. “As a hero yourself, Mr. Murdock, you must understand that we in good conscience cannot allow minors, even superpowered minors, to perform their heroics without proper supervision.”

Riri slammed her hands on the table, “I was a little late for curfew and you sent freaking Thor to track me down,” She said accusing to Tony, who looked completely unrepentant. “Thor. A god.”

“Alien,” Rhodey and Tony chimed.

“I snuck out one time,” Peter glared. “And the Avengers crash a house party.”

Pepper winced. That had been a PR mess. “Tony will limit his use of GPS tracking provided all parties adhere to the rules and regulations they originally agreed to when they began their mentorship under Tony.”

“You mean when we sold our souls to the man,” Marinette snipped.

“The-The man?” Tony looked flabbergasted. “No! What?”

The meeting went on for another thirty minutes. It was nearly adjourned when Pepper inquired if there was anything else.

Marinette looked Tony dead in the eyes, “Karen no longer reports to you.”

The other kids blinked in surprise before grinning.

Tony leaned back in his seat, and nodded solemnly, “So its war you want.”

“Oh my god,” Pepper and Matt groaned.

Foggy and Rhodey looked far too entertained for their own goods.

Eventually it was agreed that Karen would report that if they were in any danger and agree to disclose if the young heroes were fine or not. Plus any messages they wanted to relay. Pepper didn’t budge on the candy issue; citing parents had enforced a healthy diet rule on the summer internships. Instead, the kids got a pool table to the breakroom and unlimited healthy snacks for the fridge provided at Stark Industries expense. But they would not dictate what the kids bought on their own.

Marinette had been living at the tower for a month. One morning she decided to make herself her favorite dessert; chocolate and mint AND chocolate and raspberry macrons. She made little over a dozen and had left them in the fridge, a clear ‘Do not Touch’ sign on them.

When she finished with Tony and the other interns for the day, Marinette washed up and rushed to the kitchen to get snacks so she could start binging watching Batman the animated series. However, when she got to the kitchen, opened the fridge, she saw her beloved snacks gone.

Marinette eyes narrowed and she hissed. She marched into the living room and saw the plate she had used lying on the coffee table. The avengers sat watching TV. Marinette picked up the plate, “I made macarons for me. I left them in the fridge with a sign that said do not touch. Someone obviously can’t read. Who did it?”

The heroes shared looks. No one answered.

“I’m not mad,” Marinette promised. It was lie. By the looks on their faces, they knew a trap when they heard it. “I just want to know the truth. I know it can’t have been Tony or Bruce, because they were with me in the workshop. Natasha is out with Pepper. So…”

Nothing.

Thor shifted uneasily. Bucky blinked innocently at her. Steve gave her a boy-ish grin. Clint looked vaguely terrified. Sam kept eyeing the window like it was an exit. Scott looked seconds away from calling for back up.

“Oh,” Marinette nodded. “It’s like that. Fine then.” With that she marched out of the room in a huff.

When she was gone, Bucky sighed, “She’s going to make us pay for this.”

“One of is just going to go missing,” Sam nodded.

Clint shrugged, “Sorry, Scott.” And went back to watching TV.

“Yea-What?” Scott yelled. “What do you mean Sorry Scott? Why is it me?”

The next morning, the heroes woke up to find… things missing. Steve couldn’t find his shield. Bucky’s arm was gone. Thor’s hammer was missing and would return to matter how much he called for it. Clint’s was missing his custom arrows were. Sam’s AI redwing had vanished. And as far Scott, well…

No matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find their missing stuff.

They all arrived back at the living room, wondering what the hell was going on. They figured one of Tony’s cleaning bots had gone haywire… Again. But that didn’t explain how no one realized it happening. Maybe it was Loki. Still they decided to talk to Tony first. Natasha was with him, and thoroughly amused at the sight of the ruffled men.

The genius had looked confused, “No. My bots are all up to date. They didn’t even clean last night.”

Thor nodded, “Then it was my brother. I shall have to speak with him at once.”

“Wait,” Steve said looking around, “Where’s Scott.”

…And as for Scott? Well, he was missing.

Bucky’s eyes narrowed, “She has him.”

“Well shit,” Clint said. “I was just joking yesterday.”

“I’ll miss the little dude,” Sam whined.

Tony looked around, “What are you? No!” He laughed. “Marinette? Frenchy took your stuff? You’re the world’s greatest heroes! She is a fourteen-year-old girl, you know that, right?” He chuckled. Lil Dominator strikes again.

“Natasha,” Steve sent pleading eyes to the Spider.

“I’ll talk to her,” The Black Widow sighed, “But she’ll never respect you if you don’t fight your corner.” With that, she left to speak with Marinette.

Natasha came back ten minutes later looking rather disgruntled, “She said no.” She told them. “Something about macrons and vengeance. And feeling her wrath. I think you created a supervillain.”

“No,” Tony chimed in. “No supervillany anything. Until she’s twenty-one. It’s in the minion’s contracts” He had made sure to add if after they threated to riot of the good grade addendum; anything lower than a B, and patrol is cut. “She’ll stick to her word.”

“Your interns have contracts?” Clint asked.

Tony just shrugged, “They do now.”

“Let’s all go talk to her,” Steve suggested. “We’ll apologize and everything will good again.”

This caused Tony to cackle. “Yeah, okay!”

The heroes found Marinette on the roof with the other interns. The avengers and the minions eyed each other.

Marinette spoke first, “I want three dozen macrons from the French bakery on 8th street, near Franky’s deli; all chocolate. Then you get your things returned.”

“You can’t just,” Bucky began. “That’s blackmail.”

“Its extortion,” Riri corrected.

“Marinette, how about…” Sam started but Marinette cut him off.

She crossed her arms, “This isn’t negotiable.”

“Where’s Scott?” Clint asked. “How do we know he’s alright? We want proof he’s alive.”

Peter leaned toward Harley, and whispered. “Hey, it sounds like they think we kidnapped him.”

Harley leaned back, “That’s because technically we did. I think we’re a crime syndicate now.” (Peter yelped, “What?!). “Shhh. Just go with it.”

Marinette pulled out a walky talky, and headed it to Clint.

“Hey Scott, you there, over,” Clint asked into the radio.

“Help!” Scott’s voice screamed from the radio. “Giant hamster. Giant mean hamster. Oh god why?”

“He’s name Sir Grumpy paw,” Riri said brightly. “I have to keep him here now. He tried to take out my mom’s cat.”

Bucky just looked at Steve, “Can we just get her the damn macrons.”

“No!” Steve said. “We can find Scott and our things.” He promised. “You’ve gone too far,” he told Marinette.

The bluenette grinned, “Oh captain, I’ve only just begun.”

Steve stalked off with the other guys trailing behind him.

An hour later, Thor was missing...

“She took out a god,” Clint yelled. “Anyone could be next.”

Sam used the radio to try and communicate teammates.

“Good spirits, friends,” Thor said. “I shall conquer the vile beast Sir Grump Paws. And return victorious.”

Bucky was gone by the next hour. “What the fuck is wrong with this hamster?” The greatest assassin in history yelled once they contacted him via radio. “Who taught its fatass how to glare.” It went quiet. “Stevie, I… think it understand English. Shit.”

“Marinette took out the Winter Soldier,” Natasha said with raised eyebrows. “Impressive.”

Sam went after that.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god,” Sam just kept repeated. “We’re in a maze. Plastic tubes. We’re running. It’s after us, Steve. The hamster is after us.” It went quiet. “… I think it ate Scott.”

Steve sighed, “Can you just talk to her?” He pleaded with Tony, “Clint’s freaked out.”

“Can’t,” Tony said. “Contract. Tony Stark cannot interfere or choose sides in an event of a Minions vs Avengers war.”

“Damn it,” Clint shouted. “This isn’t a war. This is an execution. They’re taking us out one by one, man.”

“Shouldn’t have at her macrons,” Tony smirked, proud of his minions. “She knows it was you by the way.” He told Clint. “She knows you were the one to take them.”

Clint gulped.

He went missing ten minutes later.

“Cap,” Clint’s voice came from the radio. “We’re going to do it. We’re going after Sir Grump Paws. It’s time. We can’t live like this, not under his reign. That monster has to be stopped. If we don’t make it, just, just… Tell our story. Tell Nat, I’ll miss her. My sister and her kids, they get all my stuff”

Steve just looked up at the ceiling, and just looked so done with the world. He got up and went to find the interns, “What are you demands?”

An hour later, he came back with four dozen macrons, a dozen cupcakes, sticky cheese, peppers, and a pound of gummy worms. He sat the goods on the counter. Natasha, Tony, Rhodey, and Happy looked stunned.

“You… surrendered?” Tony asked perplexed.

“Captain America doesn’t surrender,” Rhodey stated.

Happy shook his head, “You can’t give in, Cap. I know these rugrats. You gotta set boundaries.”

Steve just shrugged, “Eighty percent of our team is missing. They just want junk food.”

“It’s a good trade,” Marinette said as she led the other interns, including Pepper’s intern MJ and tech Intern named Ned, into the kitchen. She held the Captain’s America shield proudly. Peter carried Bucky’s arm. Thor’s hammer floated behind Riri, carried by Plagg and Trixx. Harley had redwing and Clint’s arrow. The kids placed the weapons down on the table.

However before they could grab the goodies, Steve crossed his arm, “Nope. My friends first!”

“Right behind us,” Riri said.

Suddenly a squeaky voice was heard, “I have vanquished the dreaded foe, Son of Rogers.”

Everyone looked down.

In five different hamster balls, were the missing avengers, looking like they just fought a war?

“Why are they tiny?” Tony pinched his nose.

Mj shrugged, “How else were they supposed to have gladiatorial death matches with a hamster?”

“Oh, of course,” Tony said sarcastically. “Silly me.”

It took the tiny avengers half an hour to get back to normal. Hamsters were added to the tower’s banned list.

Fury showed up later that day. He glared at the interns, Stark’s minions; Ladybug, Spiderman, Iron Heart, and WarIron, “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.”

“No, you’re not!” Tony yelled from wherever he was.

Marinette woke up a few days later; thirsty. She saw it was close to midnight so she decided to rush to the kitchen to get a glass of milk. As she headed to the kitchen, she saw something out the corner of her eyes that had her quickly backtracking.

In the dining room was Loki, Bucky, Tony, Natasha, Rhodey, Clint, Plagg, Wayzz, and Trixx siting around the table, playing what looked to be poker.

“The girl who tormented by brother and the avengers,” Loki said approvingly. “With a rodent.”

Marinette nodded, “Deal me in.”

She’d sleep when she’s dead.

The next day, Steve and Pepper would both find themselves knocking on Marinette’s bedroom door. One to get an arm back. The other the keys to Tony’s Lamborghini. Only to find Thor already there requesting his brother’s helmet back.

Gambling with Marinette was added to the Tower’s banned list.

#ml fic #ml salt #Avengers #tony stark #steve rogers #marinette dupen chang #Marinette deserves better #pepper potts #thor #loki (marvel)

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makebank · 4 years

Text

school is in session | part 1

Summary: Your mom is moving you to the Outer Banks right before the start of your senior year of high school. You see a hot blonde boy next door and begin your first day of school.

JJ Maybank x Reader

Word Count: +1.5k

Warnings: none i think, slooooow burn tho

A/N: i don’t think anyone has written a school imagine yet. and i just really wanted it even tho the pogues life is summer. gif credit to owner!

series masterlist

You rolled your eyes while looking out the car window at your mom’s comment. You were squished into the backseat, since the car was full of everything you owned. Your dog Ollie claimed the passenger's seat and is currently napping.

“I think you’re going to like it here Y/N” your mom said while locking eyes in the rear-view mirror. You huffed at her words, “Yeah, not likely”.

All you could think about was how angry you were at her for taking you away from home. The place you’ve grown up in. St. Petersburg, Florida. Home of the elderly. It was where you learned to swim for the first time. It was where all your sweet old neighbors were that always made you your favorite snacks. It was where your closest, and only, friend Kayla lived.

You two met in second grade when she asked why you were so terrible at math. Both of you busted out laughing and you’ve been stuck at the hip since. She was average height, had extremely long, blonde hair, and was the most caring person you had ever met. Her days were spent working at the retirement home down the street or with you. When together, you two either just lounged on the beach reading, binge watched TV series, surfed, or got stoned. Kayla would talk anyone’s ear off about marijuana that would listen, but it kind of also became something that was a part of your normal hangouts.

“Y/N it’s going to be fine. I’ll come visit soon and we can video call everyday” your best friend said after you started crying telling her the news.

“But-” you tried to make up excuses, but she cut you off. “But nothing. We’re best friends and a little distance won’t stop that. I know you're scared, but I promise you’ll be okay” Kayla said while wrapping you in a comforting hug.

This is what you were going to miss most. Your kind friend that always knew what to say

After reminiscing on that sweet moment with your best friend, you were brought back to your anger. You knew your mom was bringing you to the Outer Banks because she wanted to come back to where she grew up. Your parents divorced a few months ago, and your dad moved to the west coast. He barely spoke to you now, not like you cared anyway; he was shit. Oh fuck. You silently cursed yourself for being such an ass to your mom. Of course she wanted to move.

Welcome to the Outer Banks Paradise on Earth the sign read as it passed your window. You let out a long breath. It’s not that far from home. How bad can it be?

As the sound of the car’s brakes came to a screeching stop, you were in front of your new home. Well it's not the worst thing you’ve ever seen but definitely not as nice as your last home, you thought. You stepped out of the car to take in your surroundings. It was quiet. You liked that.

You went back to the car to grab the first box, then heard someone yelling.

“Fuck you! I go to school more than you do!” a blonde boy screamed as he crashed out of your neighbor’s house. He glanced over at you for a moment and you locked eyes. It seemed that he was taking in your appearance, then he raised his eyebrows and continued to storm off.

Wow. He was hot. He had a green hat on backwards with little pieces of his blond hair sticking out. You could tell by the way his shirt stuck to his body he was in shape. His boots looked like they used to be black but were now dirty. And his eyes were just so blue.

“I could get used to looking at that” you accidentally said out loud. “What was that?” you mom questioned. “Nothing, I didn’t say anything”. Your mom only shook her head in response and continued into the house.

You plopped yourself down on the living room couch after spending all day unloading the car and the trailer attached to the back. “Mom, I think you’re breaking child labor laws”.

“Oh quit your whining. You know school starts in a few days, so we had to hurry” your mom scolded. Shit. You almost forgot about starting at a new school for your senior year. “Ughh, do I have to go?” She shot you a death glare and you slumped further into the couch.

-------

The next day on the way to John B’s JJ couldn’t take his eye off your house and checking to see if you were visible. After making his way up the steps, he finally looked away and headed into the chateau. He made himself at home on the couch pushing his way in between Pope and Kie.

“JJ get off!” Kie yelled as she elbowed him to push him off her lap. Pope just stared at him exasperated.

John B walked in after just waking up and walked to the kitchen to get water before speaking. “Hey, did you guys see that someone finally moved into that old house next door?” Kie responded first, “Yeah, I heard it's a new girl. I’m stoked”.

“She’s fucking hot so” JJ said through his juul smoke. John B snorted at his comment but didn’t disagree. “That’s all you would care about” Pope said.

“Anyways. Do you think she’ll go to school with us? Kie asked. John B started to speak “Probably-” But then JJ interrupted “Why don’t you just go ask her? Can we do something else besides talk about John B’s neighbor? It’s the last day of summer.”

They all agreed and headed out to spend the day on the HMS Pogue drinking beer and fishing.

Beep Beep Beep Beep. You smacked your alarm clock and groaned at the sight of the sun barely up. Unenthusiastically you drug yourself to the bathroom to shower. You put on your favorite black ripped jean shorts, a marvel t-shirt, and all white vans. Normally, you wear crop tops or tank tops, but you weren’t sure of the dress code.

In the kitchen, you smelled breakfast cooking. Your mom was sweet like that, always making sure you had a cooked meal. “Good morning, sweetheart. You look so cute” you walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks mom”. “I have to go so I’m not late for work, are you going to be okay getting to school on your own?” “Yes, it's just down the street” “Well okay, have a great day I love you” “I love you more, good luck at work”.

Your mom had gotten a waitressing job at a place called the Wreck, that she said she used to love. It didn’t pay a whole lot, but it was enough for where you lived. After she left, you finished your breakfast and started your walk to school.

During your walk, you got a text from Kayla. Have a good first day. Don’t be lame, talk to people. You smiled at the words and sent a heart back.

As you neared the school, it got loud as tons of people’s voices were talking over each other outside. You walked past them all into the school to find the office. An elderly lady at the front desk helped you get your schedule and a map and sent you off.

You can do this.

You started to hold the school map up searching for your first class, chemistry. Meanwhile, the halls started to fill with students, but you were too busy trying to read the hieroglyphs in front of you to notice.

Suddenly, you were tripping over yourself and falling into the back of someone. “Oh, fuck I’m so sorry” you hurriedly rushed out. “It’s totally fine” a tan skinned curly haired girl giggled back at you. Then her eyes went wide “You’re the new girl! Hi, I’m Kiara but you can call me Kie”. “Hey, I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you”. “What class are you going to?” she asked. Scanning your list, you said “Chemistry with Mrs. Holland?” not quite sure if you were reading it right. She almost yelled an excited yes at you and grabbed your hand to pull you with her. “I’m in that class and so are my friends, you’re going to love them”.

In the classroom, most people were already sitting down but Kie pulled you towards two seats in the middle.

Once you settled in your chair, Kie started introducing you to her friends. She said the long-haired boy behind you was John. B your neighbor. The boy with a beautiful smile behind her is Pope. And the boy to your right is JJ. You looked over and locked eyes with the same blond from the other day. What are the odds. He gave you a half smirk that made you blush. “I’m Y/N” you introduced, and JJ looked you up and down like you were prey.

Fuck. This is going to be a long semester.

Part 2 here :)

#jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank x reader #fanfic #outerbanks #outerbanks x reader #outer banks #outer banks netflix #jj maybank x you #jj maybank x y/n #jj #obx #*me #rudy pankow #outerbanks fanfic #slow burn #SIIS #school is is session #des writing

398 notes · View notes

bopbopstyles · 4 years

Text

3. More Than a Song

SERIES RATING: M (sex)

CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 9.7k

MASTERLIST | INSPO TAG | ASK

Y/N promised herself she would never date a musician. It was her one rule–her only rule, actually–when it came to dating. But then, Harry Styles rolled into her life and asked her to break it, just this once. And this is what happened.

a/n: prepare for ANGST! and dunkirk premiere harry aka one of his best looks ever :) also thank u to @havethetimeofyourstyles for making my line breaks bc i’m inept at making things xoxo

pls reblog to spread the word about only exception! 🥰

“Baby,” Harry said, turning to her from where he stood in his closet. “Can you help me with my collar? I can’t get it.”

Y/N set down her phone—she was ready first, which wasn’t surprising considering it took Harry ages to get ready, partially because he kept getting distracted with her. He’d touch her, run his hands all over her, ask if he could get her out of her lingerie, and she’d have to remind him that she’d barely even had it on and they had an important event. “Sure.”

Harry looked dashing—he always did. After much debate, they had decided on a simple white silk short-sleeved button down and a pair of flared black pants, cool enough for May in LA, but still perfectly Harry. Y/N had painted his nails last night a pastel purple while they had watched a documentary about sheep—which Harry had selected—and the color popped against the neutrals of the rest of the outfit. Shoes were still up in the air, but Y/N was trying to get him to wear the yellow loafers he’d gotten recently, the ones she was so obsessed with she was considering stealing for herself.

Somehow Harry always managed to mess up his collars before big nights, the nerves probably getting to him. Y/N smoothed the material on his shoulders to relax him before popping up his collar and folding it back down crisply. “There you go.” In the mirror in front of Harry, her eyes trailed down his body, from his sweet curls she had labored over styling in the bathroom, to the recently tailored pants he wore. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed, a smile dancing onto Harry’s face at the action. “Nervous, bubs?”

He turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Bit. More for you to hear it than anyone else.”

The honesty of his statement brought butterflies to her tummy. Harry had been in and out of meetings for the past few months getting together the release of his debut album and putting the final touches on it, but at no point had he let her hear it. She suspected it was because he was scared she’d hate it, but when she asked her dad about it, he told her to think about it as his journal. His journal of a past that Y/N hadn’t been a part of. That had made Y/N understand a bit better, the prospect of being nervous of what she’d think of him more the worry than a worry of what she’d think of the music. So she nuzzled her nose into his shoulder, careful not to get lipstick on the fabric, and told him, “I’m going to love it. It’ll be perfect, just like you.”

Harry’s arms wrapped backwards so he could hold her to him and they stood there, holding one another, basking in each other’s presence before everyone else arrived. It had been a busy couple months for them to start a relationship—Y/N was swamped at work, her boss having left so she had to take on extra work, and Harry was releasing his album, Dunkirk was coming out in the summer, and his tour started in the fall. It was a lot to say the least, and Y/N tried not to think about it too often because she’d get all in her head and ignore Harry’s texts for hours until he called her and asked her if she wanted gummy worms or Hershey’s for movie night. Then, she’d remind herself that they were doing good—really good, even. Better than other relationships that she had been in for this long. Usually this was when she got bored, but with Harry she kept falling for him more and more every day they spent with each other.

He was like a drug, and she was addicted.

“We should head down,” Y/N said, brushing back from him. “Wear the yellow ones, yeah?”

He mumbled something under his breath about her being bossy and coming for Lambert’s job and she snorted, leaving him in the walk-in closet to straighten himself out. Her phone in her hand, she slipped on her heels, a summer sandal with a platform so her feet didn’t hurt, the perfect compliment to her flowing sundress she’d selected for the release party. When Harry had seen it he’d promptly asked if she could take it off so he could ravish her, so she decided it was a good choice. It emphasized her curves in a way that made her feel confident and she’d pinned her hair over one shoulder, the earrings Harry had gotten her for their three-month anniversary on display.

Re-emerging, Harry rolled his eyes over her body and she gave him a soft smile at the way his eyes screamed with desire. “See something you like?”

“Fuck yes,” he cursed. “Can’t wait to have you all to myself later.” Hands in hers, he pressed a searing kiss to her lips, the kind that made her toes curl, before pulling back. “C’mon, Azoff is yelling at me over text about being late to my own party.”

“It’s literally downstairs,” she pointed out. “He’s just mad he can’t embarrass you in front of your friends.”

Harry laughed, arm tucked around her waist as they descended the stairs of his house. He’d bought it at the end of February, a birthday gift to himself, and Y/N had thought to herself at the time that it wasn’t about her, it was about him. But it was kind of hard whenever he had her help him pick out all the furniture, making sure she approved of the colors he painted the walls and the patio furniture.

Downstairs, the party was in full force. Harry hadn’t invited too many people, mostly the same crowd as his birthday. Since it was at his house, he was hesitant to give the address out to too many people, but ultimately he wanted to be able to do whatever the fuck he wanted to celebrate, no paps around. Also, it was hot and he had a pool, so he had told everyone to bring a swimsuit just in case they wanted to take a dip. Y/N had persuaded him to keep it simple and they’d ordered pizza from his favorite place and she made some a ton of margaritas for everyone to help themselves to. Jeff was left in charge of the door when Harry was late finishing getting dressed, and she could tell that he had done a fine job. The tunes were going, people were drinking, and everyone seemed happy. He had even put the album countdown that Y/N had spent two hours making that morning on the TV.

“Stay close to me, please?” Harry asked her, bending his head to whisper in her ear when they reached the group.

Y/N nodded, and Harry began happily talking to Jeff. Y/N started up a conversation with another one of the Full Stop employees who had come who she’d met at a brunch a few weeks ago, plucking some details from her brain about her boyfriend to check-in about. Then, a familiar face flashed in the crowd. “Hanna!”

Harry had suggested the idea of inviting her best friends to the party and Y/N had leapt at the idea. The prospect of having her two favorite people be there with her to celebrate her boyfriend was her idea of a perfect night. Hanna’s red hair popped up, her smile giddy from seeing Y/N. Cutting through the crowd, she quickly made it to Y/N, who wrapped her best friend up in a tight hug.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said. “Find it okay?”

Hanna nodded. “Security at the gate did not want to let me in though. Jamie is on his way—Cole called while he was walking out the door.” Jamie and Cole had been together for years and Y/N decided the first time she met Cole that there wasn’t anyone better for Jamie, and Jamie seemed to agree. “How are you?”

“Amazing,” Y/N replied and she truly was. She felt like she was on cloud nine right now, the energy bouncing off of Harry absorbing into every one of her pores. “Excited to finally hear it.”

“You should be.” Hanna leaned over and tapped Harry on the shoulder.

His attention shifted from some work-related conversation with Jeff quickly over to his girlfriend’s best friend. “Oh, hello Hanna,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“No place I’d rather be,” Hanna replied. “Now can I steal Y/N?”

Harry’s eyes lingered on Y/N, but he gave her a warm smile. “‘Course.”

Y/N followed her best friend out onto the patio, giving hugs and saying hello to the friends of Harry’s she’d met during the past few months of them being together. Harry watched her with awe at how well she had fit into his life, she’d succeeded faster than any other girl he’d ever dated. The tidbits of information she remembered and the way she made an effort to be present in the conversations, her deep knowledge of music and the industry coming in handy. He loved having a girl at her side who knew what all of his team did without him having to explain it to her. It was small, but it made a difference to him.

“H,” Mitch said, pulling his gaze from his girlfriend back to the conversation he’d been having with Mitch, Adam, and Sarah. “You good?”

“Yeah,” he replied, taking a sip of the margaritas Y/N had made for the party. She’d slaved over them all day while he was on calls and doing interviews and he appreciated it so much. He reminded himself to tell her later when he had her alone and could tell her properly.

Sarah smiled at him knowingly. “He’s just looking at Y/N, as usual.”

Mitch and Adam chuckled, but Harry frowned. “Am I not allowed to look at my girl?”

“You are,” Adam said, “just be careful, mate. You told us about the rule, remember?”

The Rule. The goddamn rule that controlled this relationship more than he felt like he did, sometimes. He didn’t know how much Y/N thought about it at this point in their relationship, but then again it was still technically pretty early in the grand scheme of things. But for him, it was a constant reminder than their time together was fleeting, that at any point she might want to leave him, his lifestyle too hard. And it’s not that he blamed her. He just hated that it was a possibility. “I know.”

“How’s it going?” Adam pressed. Harry had been distant these past few weeks, holing himself up in the house with Y/N every chance he got when they weren’t rehearsing and he wasn’t on a call. It was hectic and he knew that his friends worried about him.

Harry took another sip of his margarita, eyes finding Y/N out on the patio laughing with Hanna, hair blowing in the wind. “Been good. She seems really happy,” he continued at the sight of her smile. “Bit nervous about tonight, if I’m being honest though.” He’d told Y/N the same thing, but the pit in his stomach still lingered. She had said she was excited, but he didn’t know how she would react to him releasing an album full of songs about his exes and flings.

They all got it though. “About which song?”

“All of ‘em,” he said nervously, and it was true. Y/N came into his life after the album was done, the idea of adding a song about her impossible. Even though he could’ve written dozens—he already had, the voice memos on his phone to prove it. Sometimes he’d sneak away to the bathroom while she slept to sing something that popped into his head, and the few that he’d shown the band they liked. It was all material for the next album, they told him. Some of them had even become full-fledged songs after a few hours locked in his office, but he hadn’t shared them yet. They still felt too raw.

Sarah reached out a hand and squeezed Harry’s shoulder. “She’ll get it, H. Her dad’s a musician, you know? If there was anyone who would understand, it would be her.”

And she was probably right. But there was a feeling in his gut that Harry couldn’t shake—that tonight wouldn’t end well for them. He’d felt it when he had woken up this morning and no matter how many time he kissed Y/N to make it go away, it lingered and it was making his brain go wild.

He hoped it was just the nerves.

The night passed quickly. There were speeches, a cake, Jeff pulled out a bottle of champagne, and Y/N had rejoined Harry at his side for the most part. And at this party, there was no question as to who she was—to everyone she was “Y/N, my girlfriend,” and Harry loved it. Particularly the look on her face that she would get every once in a while when her eyes caught his. He didn’t know what to call it, but he just knew that he felt the same way.

Before he knew it, it was 11:59 and everyone had gathered in the living room. The TV had the countdown on that Y/N had designed, the album cover with the numerical countdown over it, another bottle of champagne in Harry’s hand, ready to pop. Y/N stood a few people away from him, watching him with that look in her eyes that she’d been giving him all night that made him weak in the knees and made him curious what she would do to him when they were upstairs. He knew why Y/N was keeping her distance right now—she had mentioned it once before when they were curled up in bed after Harry asked her to be put down as a co-host for the party, that this success was his and his alone. That she was here at the end and she wanted it to be all his. She was here to support him and give him kisses after, but it was all his.

“10, 9, 8.” This was it. It was Harry’s debut album, his first solo record. It was weird for the rest of the guys to not be here when an album dropped. Usually, they were all standing together with bottles of champagne, ready to celebrate with one another.

“7, 6, 5, 4.” And Harry didn’t know which one was worse and which was better. Maybe they were both equally as wonderful, because he had other friends here to stand by his side. Jeff, Sarah, Mitch, Adam. James, floating around somewhere. His mum and sister tried to be here but Gemma got sick and Anna wanted to stay behind to take care of her.

“3, 2,” He had Y/N. He had Y/N’s excited expression, her wide eyes and flushed cheeks, the look of pride on her face that he treasured.

“1!” But this was his, his success, his win. With the first notes of the album playing in the room, he popped the bottle of champagne and with the bubbles running down the side of the bottle, he took a long swig.

Cheers went up around him, his best friends celebrating his biggest success of his career thus far, one he’d fought long and hard for. One he was immensely proud of and he hoped he would always look back on fondly. And the sound of his album blaring in his house’s sound system—the sound of Meet Me in the Hallway, it brought him to tears.

“Aww, man,” Adam brought him into a hug, patting Harry softly on his back. “Y/N! Come here!”

Y/N was there in an instant, wrapping Harry up in her arms, his head falling onto her shoulder, sobs wracking his body as they stood there. He didn’t even care that his friends were all there witnessing him crying into his girlfriend’s shoulder, he was just so overwhelmed.

“You okay, bubs?” Y/N asked, petting the back of his head softly.

“It’s a lot,” he replied softly, trying to find the words. “Happy. But also just…”

Her hands ran up and down his back, rubbing circles. “I know, baby. You don’t need to explain, okay?”

Harry didn’t reply, just tried to find his breath and stop the tears that were welling in his eyes. And when he did, he lifted his head and his lips met Y/N’s, the sound of whoops and cat-calls breaking out around them. The middle finger that Harry raised to them all did nothing to stifle them either. “Thank you,” he said into her hair when they broke.

The feeling of her lips on his neck, a soft kiss, brought him to his knees. “Always.”

And Harry hoped it was true.

While the rest of the party swirled around her—dancing had broke out, James had started making themed drinks, his favorite being the Sign of the Times one—Y/N sat right in front of the speaker, listening to every word of the album. It was her first time hearing it and she knew Harry would probably play it for her later, but she wanted to hear it now. She wanted to hear his pride and joy, the thing that had him beaming and laughing with his friends, belting out the lyrics with Mitch and Adam in a conga line that was worming its way through the room.

And what she heard broke her heart in so many ways.

Y/N knew that music, and much of art, stemmed from pain and hurt. A good amount of it was also about love, but the songs that were some of the rawest, the ones that hit home for most people, were the ones about our darkest moments. Harry’s album was full of them. Heartbreak, heartache, regrets, addiction to people and things. It was chock full of every one of his deepest darkest secrets, especially the women who he had loved before he met her. There was a part of her that knew that he would tell her in his own time about the stories of some of these women—he had mentioned a few when she’d asked about them—and that she didn’t need to push, but there was this disgusting, self-sabotaging part of her that wanted to know every sordid detail, even though she knew it would hurt her.

This was one of the many reasons she had always told herself she would never date a musician, but more importantly that she would never fall for one. Because their relationship, their joys and pitfalls, heartache and brightest moments, it was all fodder for a song, an album, a career. It wasn’t the artist’s fault, that’s how it worked, but that didn’t make it any easier to be the person they were writing about.

Was that all she was? Another girl for Harry to write a song about?

She wanted to be happy for him, to be glowing and beaming for him, but the part of her that she hated, the part that conjured the worst possible parts of people, it was crawling out of her head. It was twisting Harry and she knew it, but that didn’t mean she didn’t believe it.

The album only lasted 40 minutes, but in those 40 minutes the party died down. People had jumped in the pool while Y/N sat by the speaker, they had finished their drinks, they had said their goodbyes, the object of the event passed. Hanna and Jamie came over and gave her hugs, concerned looks on their faces, and told her to call them if she needed anything. When she looked up, the last notes of From the Dining Table fading, it was just her left.

A light from the patio twinkled and she could see the water rippling under the moonlight. Harry.

She left the stereo silent, not cuing up another playlist, and tugged off her shoes, then her dress. Following the pull of the man who had written such a beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful record, she walked to the patio.

“There you are.” He was floating on his back in just his boxers, which didn’t surprise Y/N in the slightest. The fairy lights they had strung up together were dim in the nighttime darkness, but just bright enough so she could see Harry and all his beauty. “Look bloody gorgeous, love.”

Y/N tucked her hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck, knotting the hair so it stayed. “Finished the album,” she said, walking to the water’s edge.

“Yeah?” Harry swam over to her, leaning his head on her thighs that rested on the concrete that lined the pool. “What’d you think?”

She couldn’t help the heartbroken smile that graced her features, because she was too tired to lie to him. Exhausted from trying to pretend that she didn’t think about the fact that he could leave her at any moment, that the insecurities of who she was and who he was didn’t catch up to her sometimes. His fingertips brushed at her cheeks and Y/N realized she was crying.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” He hoisted himself out of the water and hooked one of his legs around her waist, pulling her into his wet skin. It was cold against the night air, but somehow Harry was still warm to her.

“I don’t know how to say this,” she said slowly, struggling to find her words.

Fingers drifted up and down her back. “Just do your best.”

She tried not to think about the fact that she was crying on his album release day, that they were having this conversation now. One that sat in the back of her mind when she was alone and Harry couldn’t banish it. “The album is beautiful, Harry,” she started, “but it’s about a past that I wasn’t a part of.” Harry was quiet, but his arms didn’t move from their place around her, so she forged on. “I know that artists write from their experience, and that this album was done before I met you, but there’s this part of me, this horrible part that I utterly despise, that is jealous of them. The women who you wrote about. And the fact that it’s them that you’re going to sing about on stage every night. Does that make sense?”

The brush of his chin against her spine showed her that yes, he understood.

“And,” she continued, voice breaking, “I can’t stop thinking about the fact that maybe I’m going to be a song.”

“Of course you’re going to be a song,” Harry said, his voice soft and sweet.

He didn’t get it. To him, being a song was an honor, but to her, it was a threat almost. “No—it’s that I’m going to be only a song.”

The man next to her didn’t say a word. The chirp of the crickets stretched between their bodies, which were still close on the concrete floor, not a muscle moved.

“I don’t want to only be a song.” Y/N’s voice was hoarse, sobs wracking her body she didn’t expect, didn’t want. She couldn’t have this conversation if she was crying, but she couldn’t hold them in either. It was her biggest fear, the one that festered below all of the others, threatening to consume the relationship she had with a man she was falling for. And falling was the only way to describe it—without any support, a free fall that was utterly terrifying but also blissful peaceful.

Suddenly, his fingers swept across her neck, brushing against her sensitive skin. “Y/N,” he whispered, “you could never be just a song. You’re—you’re like the stars and the moon to me. In that room I could always feel you, wherever you were, and I didn’t want to be anywhere where you weren’t. And maybe this is too fast and too soon, but what I feel for you, fuck Y/N how can you not see how much you are to me?”

He pulled her head so she faced him, his eyes teary to match her own. “Do you hear me? You’re so much more than a song. You’re an album. You’re my life’s work, my masterpiece, a symphony. A song can’t contain how I feel for you, it’s just a piece of a billion I could write.”

Soft as a feather, his lips pressed to her cheeks and then up and across her forehead, over her eyelids, barely leaving a mark but a searing fire in his wake that shook Y/N’s core. “And Y/N, you’re better than a song. You’re my life. You’re here, you’re real, you’re with me. Y/N, you will never be just a song to me. You never could be. Not to me.”

Y/N rested her forehead against his, inhaling his cologne and exhaling her feelings for him. He managed to rip down all her defenses, the ones she had spent years building up, and it was frightening. But then she looked at him, the way he smiled at her, the way he kissed her, the way he said her name, and it wasn’t quite as scary. She hoped he could feel how much she cared for him in the way she kissed him, their tears blending into one as they scrambled for each other. Lips breaking and meeting, desperate for more and more and more. Her fingers gripped the back of his head, holding him to her, wanting to have his whole body imprinted on hers.

“Y/N,” he breathed, “you heard me? You understand?”

“Yes,” she replied softly, “I hear you.” She brushed her fingers through his hair gently, curling the wet strands back. “You may need to remind me sometimes.”

“Always,” he whispered, catching her kiss with his own, tugging her into him, arms around her body in a vice grip.

She lost herself in Harry, him an ocean and her a boat lost at sea. Maybe it was their conversation or the night or the alcohol flowing through their veins, but it felt different. The way he kissed her felt heavier, her moans a prayer, his fingers on his back a weight she never wanted lifted. Her legs wrapped around his waist so she was firmly in his lap, arms thrown over his shoulders, their bare bodies except for their underwear pressed against each other without a molecule of air between them.

His lips drew a line across the top of her shoulder, a fire building in her belly as his fingers fumbled with the clasp of her bra. It was a light pink she’d worn just for him and when he nudged at the strap with his nose, letting it slip from her shoulders, she didn’t care that he could barely see it. She’d show him tomorrow morning. He pulled the fabric away and bent his head, licking at one of her nipples and then the other, gasps falling from her mouth like poetry. Without meaning to, her hips rolled over his cock, the thin fabric of their underwear doing nothing to keep the heat of her center from touching his sensitive skin.

He moaned her name, the sound muffled against her neck as he sucked a love bite into the spot that made her keen every time he nipped into it. She rocked again on him, his fingers digging into her skin so hard it would leave marks tomorrow but she didn’t care. In fact, she wanted to have his marks on her tomorrow, she wanted to show the world that she wasn’t just a song, she was his, she was his girlfriend and she made him feel this way.

Hands on skin, he pressed her down onto the concrete so she was lying down, her ankles tucked around his hips, anchoring her to him. When his hips bucked into hers, she let out a sharp cry, the angle brushing her clit perfectly. “Right there?” He mumbled, nipping and tugging on her nipple, laving a circle that left her squirming against the concrete.

“Off,” she whispered, tugging at his boxers with her hands. “Wanna feel you.” With his help, they shimmied off his boxers without too much difficulty and Y/N let out a sigh of relief when she could feel his cock brush against her covered folds. Reaching a hand down, she brushed the pad of her thumb across his tip, a pained hiss flying from Harry’s throat. He was sensitive and Y/N loved it.

They didn’t have a condom, but she didn’t care. She’d been on birth control for years and she knew Harry hadn’t slept with anyone else since she found her way into his life. Plus, she needed him—she wanted to feel him, raw and bare inside of her.

They were going to have sex on the concrete next to his pool, but she didn’t care. They had had sex before and they would have sex again. She just needed him in a desperate, crawling way. When he nudged at her underwear she pressed into him, letting him pull them down her legs without a second thought.

“Condom,” Harry mumbled as she chased after his lips, open mouthed and heavy.

“It’s okay,” she said, fingers digging into his shoulder blades. “Want you like this.”

Harry’s head dropped to the space between her neck and shoulder, the groan that filled the air unlike anything she had heard before. “Gonna ruin me,” he whispered, brushing his cock against her folds. Y/N whimpered at the sensation, her fingers begging him for more, for anything she would give him. When his fingers brushed her clit, his name tumbled from her lips without abandon.

“Harry, please,” she panted, fingers deep in his hair.

That was all it took. She was so wet from the foreplay and just him that he didn’t even need to stretch her out. Her mouth fell open as he pushed inside, a mewl landing on his lips as he kissed her. Slowly, he pulled out and then back in, both of them groaning from the sensation of him being bare inside her. He felt impossibly close, every ridge and edge of him pressing against her in the most perfect way. She didn’t know if she could use condoms again, because holding Harry to her chest, arms around his shoulders as he fucked slowly, deeply, into her, her able to feel every inch of her, it was bliss on a new level. A sensation she didn’t know she was missing with him.

Her ankles hitched higher on his hips and when he pushed back in he hit a new angle, a groan ripping from his throat that set her on fire. “Can I go faster?” He said with a grunt. “I—I don’t know how much—“

“Yes,” she whimpered at his words.

He didn’t wait. He drew back and into her, pistoning his hips at a pace she couldn’t even describe, hitting that spot deep inside of her that made her eyes roll back over and over. How he managed to do that she didn’t know, but he deserved an award. Fingers grabbing at his skin in desperation for something to hold her together, Y/N gasped and exhaled his name, a plea and a beg and a prayer all in one. Her back hurt from the concrete but she didn’t care, she just wanted to finish, to feel him release deep inside of her.

Then he thumbed over her clit and she arched up, back leaving the concrete as the fire deep within her threatened to bubble over. When he start brushing circles there, Y/N gripped his shoulders like they would keep her anchored to Earth, her body possibly transcending. Harry bent his head and sucked a love bite on her breast, the puncture of skin forcing her head back, unable to keep it together.

“You close?” He asked, littering her chest with kisses, “Please tell me you are, I can’t, I can’t hold on…”

She mumbled a yes as he drove deep inside of her, swiveling his hips in a brutal way that left her hands squeezing his butt cheeks to get him to do it again. When he did, she swore she saw stars. “Gonna come,” she said, eyes searching for his lips in the low lighting. “Kiss?”

Without hesitation, he kissed her, open mouthed and dirty and sloppy and perfect. She wanted every rough-edged and sweet part of him, every kiss and press of his body against hers. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N,” he chanted as he pressed into her again and again, her body drawing tighter and tighter. Then, he pinched her clit and she came, the ball in her tummy unravelling, hips bucking up against him as she rode out her high. Her eyes stayed trained on him as she did, not wanting to miss his face when he came inside of her.

His hips stuttered, release unloading inside of her in ropes that left him cursing like a sailor. Hair wet and sweaty, sticking to his forehead, and irises blown out, he looked beautiful. She held him close until his body settled, shaking as he came down from his high, forehead resting on the swell of her breasts.

Slowly, he rolled off of her, tugging her body into his so she wasn’t on the cold concrete anymore. He was fiery hot and it kept her warm in the cold air. “Can we never use a rubber again?” He asked softly, and she giggled, hiding her face in his neck.

“Don’t see any reason to,” she replied and he hummed with joy. Tucking her hands under her chin, she looked at him with a smile. “Congrats on your album, baby.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear tenderly. “I’m so happy I shared today with you.” She kissed him softly and let him hold her close, not wanting to move even to go to bed because it meant leaving his grasp. And as much as her head told her that it wasn’t forever, she couldn’t help but hope it would be.

It had been four days since Harry had texted her. Five since he called her. Six since they FaceTimed.

He was in London for the press junket for Dunkirk and Y/N was supposed to fly out for the July 13th premiere—it was decided a month ago, the tickets booked and her time off from work already approved. But as the days stretched on and the silence grew longer, she couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong. If she had done something wrong.

It wasn’t the first time he had been away from LA. They had a conversation about how they were going to handle distance when he travelled back in April, before the album came out and he had to fly around and do press for two weeks. That time, though, he handled it well—he called every night before she went to bed if he could, if not, he sent a long voice memo that she listened to when she woke up. They texted all day, him sending photos from dressing rooms and backstage at talk shows, even FaceTiming her so she could meet the stars he shared the nights with.

But this time was different. Since he left he had texted her just a handful of times and it was when he was at his mom’s house visiting home before press started. And then once press kicked into gear, he was gone, her texts ignored, calls not returned. She was trying not to seem desperate, but with the more time that passed the more anxious she got. It wasn’t how this was supposed to go, this wasn’t what they’d agreed on. He knew her fears, the dark thoughts that crowded in when she spent too much time worrying about their relationship, and yet he wasn’t taking the actions that helped her calm down. Even though she knew it wasn’t his responsibility to take care of her brain, it helped to know he thought about her, at the very least.

The morning before her flight was supposed to leave, she called Hanna in a panic. Her suitcases laid open on her bed, clothes scattered around her, tears streaming down her face. She had tried to call Harry again to confirm her arrival plans, only to be met with his voicemail, again.

Hi, you’ve reached Harry. I’ll give you a call back when I can!

Somehow, the sound of his voice made it worse.

“Han,” she choked out when her friend picked up, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Did he not answer?” Hanna had been counseling her through the whole thing, helping her stay calm and sane, as much as possible at least. From Y/N’s lack of response, just more sobs, Hanna knew immediately. “That prick.”

Y/N wiped a tear from her eye and looked at the ticket in her hand. Harry had forced her to accept his offer of first-class, booking her flight through his agent and everything. “Does he even want me there? Should I not go?”

Hanna was quiet, thoughts rolling through her head. “No,” she finally said. “You should go. Even if it’s just to talk to him in person. You deserve to hear it face-to-face, not by him ghosting you.”

“Even if that means I end up in London and he breaks up with me?”

“Yes,” Hanna replied softly. “But I really, really hope that is not what’s happening.”

At first it had been that he was busy, that he would text when he had time, but it had been six days. Now, both Y/N and Hanna were increasingly worried that it meant the end of their relationship and Y/N was simply not ready for that possibility. She had let Harry in—he had begged her to let him in—and he was going to end things like this? When things got hard with the distance he just…cut her out? “Can you take me to the airport?” Y/N asked, sniffling. “If you don’t I don’t think I’ll be able to force myself to go.”

“Was already planning on it,” Hanna replied. “I’ll bring snacks for the flight.”

“Love you,” Y/N told her. Hanna was her one constant, who knew Y/N better than she knew herself.

“Love you more. Now go finish packing and call me if you need me, okay?”

Y/N told her okay and hung up, her gaze shifting to her suitcase. If he was going to break up with her, then she was going to look so magnificent he would regret every second of it.

Eleven hours in the air meant plenty of time to run over her entire relationship with Harry. She had sat curled up in her seat scrolling through her camera roll and listening to Bon Iver, which was the sappiest thing possible and she didn’t care. Y/N didn’t want to break up with him and the photos and the texts and the memories proved it. Her time with Harry had been so beautifully bright, his presence in her life making so much better, from her confidence to her knowledge to her music taste. And she cared about him in a way she hadn’t let herself do—ever.

She had texted Jeff before she took off, telling him she couldn’t get a hold of Harry and asking where she should go when she landed. He replied with Harry’s Hampstead address and the door code, saying there was a key waiting for her, hidden in the garden, an apology on Harry’s behalf for how busy he had been. The words meant nothing, though, to Y/N. If Harry wanted to apologize he would have to do it in person, not through Jeff.

It was eleven by the time her Uber pulled up to Harry’s house and she thanked the driver as he tugged her luggage from the boot. She waited until he pulled away before she typed in the gate code, not wanting to reveal Harry’s security to anyone—she have been mad at him, but she still didn’t want anything happening to him. The door unlocked for her and she slid inside, shutting it quickly behind her. Pulling her suitcase behind her, she walked up the path, searching for the garden statue Jeff had told her the key was hiding under. When she found it, her fingers ran across the ridges as she made her way to the front door.

His house in LA was warm, it was the Harry she knew. But this house felt colder, the design modern, his personal affects not as visible. Although to his credit, he hadn’t been here for more than a few days in months. A few photos of Anne and Gemma were scattered through the front hall, some framed photos of his time in One Direction nestled between them.

“Harry?” She knew he wasn’t there, but the idea of walking into his house without checking felt too uncomfortable for her. She locked the door tightly behind her, typing in the security code Jeff had sent before re-arming it.

Y/N took her time exploring his house. She perused the main spaces, testing out the couches and peeking at his bookcases, studying the art lining the walls. Then she made her way upstairs to the bedrooms, running her fingers along the edges of his One Direction album plaques that lined the walls of his office, the ones from his debut still resting on the floor waiting to be hung. She found the guest bedrooms with ease and she spent a good five minutes standing on the landing deciding if she should go into his bedroom or set herself up in a guest one.

She settled on a guest bedroom. If he was going to break things off, she didn’t want to know what his bed felt like or smell his clothes or take a shower in his bathroom.

Instead, she showered in the guest bath, washing off the plane smell that lingered on her body. She dressed in shorts and a tank top, letting her hair air dry since she would have to just re-style it for the premiere later. Jeff hadn’t told her what time Harry would be back and she was ravenous, so she wandered downstairs to fix herself some lunch. To fill the silence in the house she turned on The 1975, playing the music from her laptop she had open on the counter as she cooked some pasta she had found in the cabinet. As she ate at his dining table, she tried not to think about the fact that this could be the last time she was in a space of Harry’s. The last time she sat on things he had picked out, the last time she rooted through his fridge, past his obnoxious green juices and leftovers since he hated eating out if he didn’t have to. Her fingers brushed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks.

Reaching down for her fork to take another bite, she suddenly heard the lock click in the front door and the security system begin to beep.

He was home.

She slid her bowl away from her and turned to look at the doorway, waiting to see his face for the first time in over a week. And when he appeared, she couldn’t the return the stretched across his face at the sight of her in his house. He looked the same and somehow that was worse. In a nice shirt from interviews this morning, his hair slightly tossed from running his fingers through it, the sheen on his upper lip from the heat outside. He looked like her Harry, but she didn’t know if he was hers anymore.

“Y/N!” His voice rebounded off the walls, filling her heart with a kind of hope that was crushing.

“Hi,” was all she could muster before looking back down at her pasta. An anger rose in her, replacing the hurt that had lingered for so many days. How could he pretend like everything was okay? How could he smile at her like he hadn’t been ignoring her for days, too busy to even check and see how her flight was?

His footsteps were heavy on the hardwood floors as he made his way over to her. “Baby? What is it?”

“Do you want to break up?” She asked, her question hard compared to his kind, gentle, tentative tone.

“What?” Harry dropped into the seat caddy-corner to the chair she sat in. “What are you talking about?”

She pushed away her bowl and looked him dead in the eye. “I haven’t heard from you in days, Harry. Days. I flew halfway across the world for you and you couldn’t even manage to check-in to see if I was alive?”

He flinched at her words, eyes dropping to the table they sat at. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, words barely audible above her heart beating a mile a minute, pulsing with anger.

“That’s not going to cut it,” she told him, standing up and taking her bowl to the sink. “You fucking ghosted me like I was a girl you’d just met. We’re about to celebrate six months together. And you know what this shit does to me.”

And he did. She could see in his eyes that he knew he was in the wrong, and yet he was quiet. “I was busy.”

“So was I! But I still found two seconds to text you asking how it was going, I found fifteen minutes before bed to call you, and I kept trying even though you couldn’t even manage to reply to me. You’re not that busy, Harry.”

He stood too, walking over to where she stood in his kitchen so that he was a few paces away from her. “I was in and out of interviews from morning to night and when I wasn’t, I was with the cast who I haven’t seen in almost a year. And when I wasn’t doing that Jeff was harassing me about tour details or I was sleeping. I’m sorry if my schedule didn’t allow me to talk to you at every second of the day, Y/N, but this is a huge moment for me and I had to focus on that.” His words were measured, but she could feel the tension rising between them, words unsaid bubbling over.

“And your career is more important than our relationship.” She nodded sarcastically, wiping her wet palms on the dish towel and turning to face him. “Got it, heard loud and clear.”

“Fuck—you know it’s not!” His hand ran through his locks and down his face, struggling to get a handle on his breathing.

“Harry,” she said, trying not to yell, “I’m not going to force you to stay in a relationship that you don’t want to put the time in for. But you know exactly what I need from you—I have been very clear. You know my fears and my insecurities, and you know what triggers them. We had a plan for how to deal with this, and you completely disregarded it!” Her voice rose at the end, the fact that he couldn’t even meet her eyes pushing all of her buttons. “Fucking look at me when I talk to you!”

His eyes met hers and she didn’t see the Harry she knew, the Harry who cared for her, the soft, gentle man. Instead, she saw someone who was pissed off and hurt and grasping at straws. “I can’t dance around your fears every moment of the day,” he said, voice spitting anger. “And I’m sorry if that breaks one of your rules,” the word hitting her in the face, “but you’re going to have to get over it because I can’t spend every second of the day wondering if something I did or said has made you think I don’t care about you! You should know that I don’t want to hurt you, that of course I want to be with you!”

“Well, how am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me!” His words stabbed her right where it hurt, hitting her fears right in the heart.

Harry turned, his body facing the counter, fingers gripping the edge of the marble. He sucked in breath after breath trying to calm himself down and Y/N tried to find it within herself to have sympathy for him, but she just…couldn’t. She was so pissed off at him she couldn’t think straight.

“I’m not some girl waiting around for Harry Styles to come home, begging him to never leave me,” Y/N said. She was done. She was done with this fight, with him expecting her to be someone she wasn’t. “I’m me and I’m waiting for Harry, the person I care for so deeply it hurts—you are held to the same standards as every other guy, no matter how busy your schedule is. I should not be expected to fit into your schedule all the time. It goes both ways and you operated this week as if it was entirely my job to stay in touch with you. And I am not going to stay in a relationship like that.”

Harry’s head whipped to hers, eyes boring straight into her. “Are you saying you want to break up?”

Y/N tried to keep her head high, tried to hold back the tears. “If you’re going to do this when you’re on tour, I’m done. You know what I want—it’s the same thing I wanted from this relationship the moment I met you. You’re the only one who seems to think things have changed.” And with that, she stormed out of the room, which was probably petty but she didn’t care. She was so mad at him for his actions and his words that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as him.

Harry didn’t follow her.

At 1 o’clock, a knock came on her door.

“If you still want to come, we have to leave for the premiere in an hour. It’s up to you.” And with that, he walked away, not even waiting for her to open the door.

She sat on the bed, considering her options. Did she go and support him anyway, pretend everything was fine? Or did she stay here—or maybe find a hotel—and leave him alone for the premiere?

He had told her how nervous he was about this. This was his first time on a movie red carpet as an actor and he was freaking out about it before he left, a ball of anxiety that she had to carefully untangle. The thought of him being up there alone pained her, despite how his hurtful words lingered in her head. That she had to get over it as if it was that simple.

The red dress she had bought for the premiere hung in the bathroom where she had left it while she showered so the wrinkles would leave the fabric. It was beautiful—a tiered taffeta skirt that cinched in at the waist, a caged bodice showing off her shoulders. When she had tried it on she had felt beautiful, powerful, as if she could take on anything and everything. She had spent a ton of money on the dress and she didn’t want to waste it.

So she got up, turning on BANKS and set about her hair and makeup in the bathroom, praising Hanna for teaching her how to do her makeup in college. She painted her lips red, in the shade that she adored wearing, and twisted up her hair into a chignon that emphasized her neck. Running her fingers along the skin she remembered when Harry had kissed it, but the love bite he had left behind was long healed. Was she asking too much of him? She wondered as she looked at herself in the mirror. Was he right, were her fears stifling him?

Then she remembered what Hanna had told her. That he wasn’t anyone different from other guys she had dated, and what she was asking from him wasn’t out of left field. Any guy she would date she would except to check in with her when he was traveling and Harry was no different, no matter what his job was.

Harry was waiting downstairs for her, probably having heard her rummaging around in the closet. When he heard her heels on the stairs, he looked up and his eyesight on her skin burned because he looked gorgeous. Maybe this was a horrible idea, she thought as she made her way towards him. She would have to touch him all night, look at him in his tailored suit, gaze into his green eyes as they were photographed on the red carpet.

“You look beautiful,” he said, words gravelly in his throat.

She stopped a few paces away from him. “Thanks.”

He fiddled with his keys, the silence stretching between them. “Thank you for coming with me. I know you have no reason to, but having you there…It means a lot.”

Instead of replying, because she didn’t have words for him, she just nodded. Because she did have a reason—even though she was mad at him, she still cared for him. Despite not wanting to, she still craved him giving her a kiss on the cheek as they walked out the door.

The drive to the red carpet was quiet, the radio playing softly in the background the only sound. They sat on either side of the backseat, Y/N staring out the window while Harry fiddled with his phone. She hadn’t been to London since she was 18 for her graduation present from her mom, and the city held warm memories for her. She wondered if that would change after today.

When they pulled up, an anxiety Y/N didn’t know she was holding started building, the sight of the photographers and the screams from the fans barricaded in. With all that had been happening, she had somehow forgotten what going to the premiere meant for her. Her eyes fell to Harry who was staring at her, trying to gauge her reaction. She had never done this before and he knew that.

“I’ll be with you the whole time,” he said, trying to calm her fears. “Promise.” It helped. At least she wouldn’t be completely alone. “Ready?” He stretched out a hand to her and she took it, letting him help her from the car.

The second her feet hit the pavement, the screams got louder. Fans with signs and their phones outstretched on either side of the wide red carpet, the word DUNKIRK in large white letters closest to the entrance to the theater. Harry’s hand gripped her as she stood, thankful for his body to help her keep balanced.

“Just smile as best you can,” he whispered in her ear as the car pulled away behind them. “And if your eyes start hurting from the flashes, just look at me, okay?”

Y/N nodded, and with his hand in hers, fingers entertained, they made their way down the carpet. He stopped a few times to take photos with fans and sign cards, but all that time he never strayed too far from Y/N’s side. With his arm securely wrapped around her waist, they stood for photos, Y/N trying to stand up as straight as she could and smile sweetly. Harry was a pro at this, a smile practiced for years, but she didn’t have the same experience. She was just a regular person who didn’t know which side was her bad side and had her eyes closed in half her photos.

The cameramen screamed questions at them, about their relationship, if they were married. They’d never quite publicly announced their relationship, Harry preferring to keep his private life private, so this was the first time they’d ever even publicly been out as a couple. And for it to be like this…Y/N hated it. She wanted to stand there and be utterly infatuated with Harry like she usually was, but this time her spine was rimrod straight, trying to keep her emotions in check. It was awkward, the way he tentatively touched her body, not wanting to overstep but also wanting to present the aura of normalcy.

Then they took a few steps and rotated to another set of cameras and Y/N understood what Harry had meant about her eyes hurting from the flashes. She turned her head to him and he found her eyes, giving her a wide smile meant just for her. Without thinking about it, her hand pressed to his suit right over his heart, the soft material of his suit jacket butter under her fingers. Then, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, softly and sweetly and to most it wouldn’t have meant much. But to Y/N, it was the first time he had kissed her since she’d seen him. And the feeling of his lips on her skin lingered, a tingle moving through her body. Her hand gripped his back a little tighter and he just kept smiling at her, utterly entranced by her eyes.

Their bodies had betrayed them. To anyone who looked, they would have seen perfectly fine, not that they had been fighting only two hours ago. But they knew the reality, and this moment, their bodies close together and emotions running through them without being able to stop it, it made it clear that neither of them wanted to break up. They would just have to find a way to move through it.

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How the Jaws Scene in Back to the Future Part 2 Predicted Modern Blockbusters

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Back to the Future Part II is a strange movie. As a sequel that director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale never intended to make, the ambitious follow-up to one of the greatest sci-fi comedies of all time was put into production simultaneously with Part III, which may have ultimately hurt the middle chapter since Zemeckis was still shooting scenes filmed in the Old West while editing Part II’s trippy vision of the then distant future…of 2015.

Even so, there are elements in the second Back to the Future that still play like gangbusters today, particularly in the sequences set during 2015. To be sure, part of the charm now is what those wild guesses about the future got wrong—such as the idea we’d all be driving around in flying cars, or even simply own cheap cars that didn’t run on fossil fuels. There were no real hover boards in 2015 (or 2021 for that matter), nor even automated Texaco pumps. Yet what Back to the Future Part II got very right is the numbing horror of something like Jaws 19.

Indeed, one of the best bits in the whole film is a slight dig at BTTF’s own studio, as well as the legacy of the film’s producer. The original Jaws is of course the first modern Hollywood blockbuster and it put Steven Spielberg on the map. With its innovative storytelling of leaving the monster to the imagination before finally providing the spectacle in the third act, Jaws is a masterpiece in narrative restraint that could still play for all audiences.

…Which is something no one would say about the three cash-in Jaws sequels that Universal Pictures green lit in the span of 12 years after 1975. In fact, when Back to the Future Part II was released in ’89, it’d only been two years since Jaws: The Revenge, the one where the ghost of Jaws went Bahamas and chased the Chief Brody character’s widow to the Caribbean while on a vendetta for what happened in ’75. It’s kind of hilarious.

As is the scene in Back to the Future Part II. In that sequence, Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly stands slack jawed in the middle of Hill Valley’s town square, the same space that was so memorably used in the first BTTF film where Marty was forced to finally accept he’d traveled to the year 1985. In the sequel, he comes to realize what it means to be in 2015 when he turns around to face the local multiplex, which has only one film on its marquee: Jaws 19. And then to demonstrate to Marty the state of 21st century special effects, the “HOLOMAX” release teases its thrills as a holographic Great White Shark emerges from the building and descends on Marty’s head.

Perhaps like many an audience member who choked on their popcorn kernels in ’75 with fear, Marty screams bloody murder—and then realizes it’s just a movie and scoffs, “The shark still looks fake.” Yes, it always did, but at least in the first movie that didn’t matter so much.

At the time, the scene was a nice dig at Universal’s expense as well as the Jaws franchise as a whole. What was once the most revolutionary Hollywood movie of 1975 had become a punchline by 1989: a once glorious title that’d been run into the ground with endless cash grab sequels. And the joke is even funnier because of the “19” in the title. Nineteen movies of the same franchise. Could you even imagine?!

Oh, how sweet the irony is, then, that one of the most absurd notions in Back to the Future Part II turned out to be the most true! No, there haven’t been 19 Jaws movies (yet), but that might be by virtue of the studio churning the franchise’s mystique into putty before Gen-Xers and Millennials could grow up with it beneath unsullied nostalgia glasses. Nevertheless, the future where Jaws 19 could exist came true.

Consider that we scoff at the idea of 19 Jaws movies being made in 40 years, but Marvel Studios has released 25 pictures in only 13, with two more due out before Christmas 2021. And that doesn’t even include the television shows that are now coming to dominate Disney+.

I know what some will say: Marvel movies are a series of interconnected franchises, as opposed to one amorphous content farm. But that’s not entirely accurate. There are exceptions, of course, which stand out as singularly distinct from other MCU efforts. There’s Black Panther, for instance. That 2018 Oscar nominee is totally removed from the events of The Avengers, you might say. Then there’s Guardians of the Galaxy and its wacky space opera shenanigans occurring literal light years away from the events of Iron Man 3.

And yet, the appeal for most moviegoers, and the brilliance of Marvel’s marketing strategy, is that they all seem like the same thing to the undiscerning eye. And even to the discerning one, there is a pat familiarity to the formula, story beats, and sitcom-esque ability to wink at the audience at its own silliness. Tonally, they all feel of one piece. Hence why the first Shang-Chi movie was gladly welcomed by the industry last month as Marvel’s latest blockbuster hit—a feat borne in large off it being the next Marvel movie, as opposed to a new original property without a built-in audience.

It’s an aspect to the whole series which caused Dune director Denis Villeneuve to suggest that some Marvel movies are “cut and paste.” It’s also a formula which aids the studio to force its millions of fans to see it “as all connected” and be encouraged to go see the Ant-Man sequel they might otherwise skip in order to discover how its post-credits scene will set up the deus ex machina for Avengers: Endgame.

And that aforementioned Black Panther originally had its protagonist introduced in Captain America: Civil War, an Avengers movie by another name. It’s also the only “Cap” flick to cross $1 billion because they stuck Iron Man in it. Similarly, James Gunn’s Guardians films are genuinely auteur-driven, yet they still worked as a years-long tease of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame’s big bad: Thanos. Hell, Infinity War’s biggest selling point in the trailer was seeing the Avengers and Guardians meet face-to-face for the first time.

The methods and talent being used to produce these endless sequels are far more sophisticated and entertaining than the hack work which produced Jaws: The Revenge, but then that’s why Jaws only lasted four movies and Marvel’s already mapping out its 30th “event” in the next few years.

This is not meant to only criticize Marvel, however. They are simply the most successful studio at exploiting their intellectual property in the 21st century. Universal’s own Fast and Furious movies aren’t half bad at that game, though. This summer just saw the 10th “Fast Saga” movie when you count Hobbs and Shaw. And while Vin Diesel claims the 11th main line Fast and Furious movie will be the last, you just know with its own Avengers-sized cast that Hobbs and Shaw will be merely the first spinoff franchise from “the family.”

Even Spielberg, who was reportedly never happy with the Jaws sequels and what they did to his first masterwork, has been much more ready to “open up” later successes like Jurassic Park. Considered a “smart” blockbuster entertainment in 1993 that inspired genuine awe from millions of moviegoers, that film’s fourth sequel (which was produced by Spielberg, like all the follow-ups) reveled in watching dinosaurs stalk around a haunted house, as if they were Frankenstein and Dracula. Next year’s Jurassic World: Dominion is supposedly intended to be the “final” film of the three most recent, Chris Pratt-led sequels, as well as another sendoff to the original 1993 movie’s cast. Yet it seems dubious that it’ll be the last film set in that “universe.”

After all, the “Skywalker Saga” ended with a whimper in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but Disney is preparing to churn out more Star Wars movies and TV shows than ever before in the next decade.

This is not to say you should feel ashamed for enjoying any of these movies or franchises. Folks like what they like. But what Back to the Future Part II perhaps unintentionally predicted was that audiences would have an appetite for a proverbial Jaws 19.

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When BTTF became a trilogy, sequels were still seen as a creatively risky proposition. Filmmakers often maintained artistic credibility by attempting to turn sequels into a larger thematic whole—often as a trilogy. Lucas set that standard with Star Wars, and only after his buddy Francis Ford Coppola claimed he’d never make another Godfather movie after Part II. Spielberg originally walked away from Indiana Jones after three movies, and many likely wish he’d stayed firm about that in retrospect. Meanwhile, Zemeckis and Gale have done the near impossible thing: refuse to allow Universal to make a fourth Back to the Future movie or reboot the series entirely.

But equivocations in the industry about a proverbial Jaws 19 are long gone. What was once a cheeky riff on the dystopian Coca-Cola billboard ads in Blade Runner have become a modern day reality in 2021. And hey, there’s now a real holographic Times Square billboard ad for that, too.

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atlafan · 4 years

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Take it Slow - Part Twenty-Nine

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Smut, and a whole mess of fluff.

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

“C’mere.” You say to him. You sit up slightly. “I want you to like hover over me while I suck on you.”

“Are you sure you want my balls in your face like that?” He chuckles.

“Won’t bother me.”

Harry comes closer to you, and grips the top of your headboard. You grip him in your hand at first, and then put your mouth right on him. He sucks in a breath when he feels your hot, wet mouth around him. Sometimes you think back to when you were younger. You absolutely hated sucking dick. Some guys just had bad hygiene. But you loved doing it for Harry. He really made you see how hot it was to pleasure someone else orally. He also kept things trim and clean, which you very much appreciated.

He rocks against your face, going deeper down your throat. You groan against him, and he grips your headboard tighter. His eyes are screwed shut, trying to picture his dick inside of you where he really wants it. It’s not that he didn’t love it when you blew him, he just wanted to feel how tight you were.

It doesn’t take him long to come down your throat. You swallow up every bit of it, and he climbs off of you. You get up to rinse your mouth out.

“Holy shit!” You scream, and he rushes into in the bathroom to make sure you’re alright. He finds you inspecting the back of your body in the mirror. Your front wasn’t nearly as fucked up. “Jesus, Harry.” You say rubbing a spot on your shoulder. “I look like a leopard.” You start laughing.

“You said I could…”

“I’m not complaining.” You assure him.

“Looks good on you anyways.” He gives you kiss on the cheek and pats your bum. He leaves you to do your thing in the bathroom.

You wash your face and brush your teeth. When you come out of the bathroom you pick up his t-shirt and throw it on over you. He’s sitting up in bed reading.

“Harry, you look so cute in your glasses, have I ever told you that?” He looks at you and smiles.

“Maybe once or twice.” He teases. He finishes the last page of his book and sighs.

“What?” You ask getting into the bed.

“Nothin’, just sad. This was the last book in this series.”

“Did it have a happy ending?”

“As happy as it could be, yeah. It’s my second time readin’ it, still gets to me.” He takes his glasses of and wipes a tear away.

“I wish I liked reading as much as you do. I much prefer television.”

“I just like getting’ lost in the pages. I mean, I read garbage novels, but they’re just so addicting. Has a television show ever moved you to tears?”

“Oh, tons of times. I think TV has made me cry more than film.”

“Really? What shows have made you cry?” He pulls you into his chest and turns the light off. God, you loved pillow talk before bed.

“Okay, don’t laugh, but when I was in high school, and college too, I was really into Glee.”

“That show about the nerds in the acapella club?”

“Yeah.”

“That show made you cry?”

“I think just about every episode in the third season made me cry, and I sobbed during the season finale. To be fair, I was like sixteen.” You giggle. “There were a couple of scripted series on MTV too that made me super emotional.”

“Like what?”

“There was a show called Awkward that just really fired me up. And there was Teen Wolf.”

“Teen Wolf? Isn’t that a movie with Michael J. Fox?”

“Yeah! But then MTV made a show based off the movie, much darker though. It was really good. Well, it got worse as the seasons went on, but I watched through to the end. Same with Awkward.”

“Do you watch anythin’ now that tugs at your heart strings?”

“Um…I really like that show Roswell: New Mexico. I didn’t think I would like it so much, but it got to me. The first season is on Netflix, maybe we could watch it sometime.”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

“I used to like live blog and write reviews for the shows I’d watch. I still do sometimes.”

“Where do you blog?”

“On Tumblr mostly.”

“That’s cool that you do that.”

“It’s funny because I hate reading reviews of things. I like to try things out for myself. Oh! Do you watch Stranger Things? That’s a good one. Niall and I always binge watch it together when a new season comes out.”

“That’s right!” He starts laughing. “I remember he like blew me off during the day on the 4th this summer to go meet up with you.”

“That was an incredible binge, if I do say so. Speaking of him, he wants to have a movie night Friday so we can all celebrate our good news. I was thinking of having everyone over here. What do you think?”

“Works for me.” He smiles at you.

Your period was a killer this week. There were several times during the week you found yourself on the floor in your office. You had run out of your stash of ibuprofen, and hadn’t had time to get more. You were forced to just suffer in silence. The pain would pass eventually, and then you could get on with it.

Harry was good about not getting on your nerves too much. He was slowly learning what you needed while your hormones were at their peak. Every morning you’d examine your body, almost becoming sad at seeing the marks slowly fade away as they healed. You were incredibly horny, but there wasn’t anything you could do. You’d had sex on your period before, but you certainly weren’t going to let him use his fingers or mouth on you right now. You had contemplated maybe in the shower, but you were afraid of residue. You didn’t tell him this, but you got yourself off a couple times in the shower on your own. You had to, the ache between your legs was just too unbearable.

Your body was trying to tell you something for sure, but your mind tried its best to keep you at bay.

You were delighted when your period ended Friday morning, but your stomach felt like shit. The first week of a birth control pack was your least favorite thing, even more so than your period. Your dosage wasn’t even that high, but it still would make you feel like you were going to vomit.

“Anythin’ ya need me t’pick up for tonight? I can do a run to the market before ya get home from work.” Harry says to you sitting up in bed, watching you pick your outfit for the day.

“Think I have everything we need. I have chips and dip, we’ll probably order pizza or something.” You decide on a pair of dark jeans and blouse/blazer combination. You throw your hair up in a high pony, and take a few strands out to frame your face.

“Know what we’re watchin’ yet?”

“Nope.”

“Who’s comin?” You sigh and look at him.

“Harry, I love you, but you’ve reached my capacity for questions this morning, okay?” He blinks at you.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, I just feel gross and I’m hormonal. Not a great excuse.”

“One more question.” You nod. “Is Aunt Flow still in town?”

“No she left early this morning, thank god. This was a rougher month.” You sit on the edge of the bed. He places a hand on your thigh.

“Sometimes I wish I could just take all your aches away.” You smile at him.

“You do, in more ways than you know.” You stand up and give him a light kiss. “See you tonight.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, babe.”

You felt better as the work day went on. You were excited to have a little double date with Niall and Sarah. Harry got out of work around 4PM, so he went straight to your apartment. He knew you’d want to have the place ready to go so you could relax when you got home. He fluffed up the pillows on your couch, and folded up the couple of blankets you kept on the back of it. He made sure all of the beer for him and Niall was in the fridge, and he picked up your favorite wine.

You keyed into your apartment around 5:30, and kicked off your shoes. Your nose was pink from the cold air outside. Harry had his legs slung over one of the large chairs you had near the couch. He had his laptop, and was working away. He looked up at you and gave you a smile.

“Hi, love.” He says.

“Hi honey.” You yawn.

“I tidied a bit for ya.” You kiss the top of his head.

“Thank you. M’just gonna go change quick.”

You change into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, and come back out to Harry. He puts his laptop on the coffee table, and gestures for you to come sit with him. You sit in his lap, and rest your head on his shoulder. He rocks you back and forth slowly, and you let out a calming sigh.

“How’s my baby girl today, hm?”

“Tired.” He rubs your back. “But I’m happy to have friends over tonight.” You nuzzle into his neck.

“I bought that wine you really like.”

“Mm.” Is all you muster out as you start to doze off in his arms. He chuckles, but lets you drift.

Your eyes snap open when you hear Niall and Sarah walk into your place. You practically jump off of Harry.

“Sorry, did we disturb you two?” Sarah giggles. “We brought a veggie platter.” She hands it to Harry.

“No, I fell asleep. I was exhausted.” You stretch, and hug your friend.

“Alright, what are we watchin? TV, movie?” Niall says.

“Oh! You know what was on the other night that I’d love to watch all the way through?” You say.

“What?”

“The Forty-Year-Old Virgin. I refrained from watching it because it was halfway through. It’s on Netflix, do we feel like a comedy?”

“Works for me.” Niall says.

“I love that movie!” Sarah says.

Harry and Niall grab their beer, and you and Sarah fill your glasses with wine. You and Sarah sit in the middle of the couch, and your boyfriends sit on either side of you. Your apartment was filled with giggles right off the bat.

“God, we love a young Paul Rudd.” Sarah says.

“We love a Paul Rudd at any age.” You clink your glass with hers. Harry pinches your arm, and you giggle. “What?”

“I’m sittin’ right here. You’re attracted to him?”

“You’re not?! He’s beautiful!” You and Sarah start laughing.

“Isn’t he like fifty?” Niall chimes in.

“So?” You and Sarah say at the same time.

“He’s a hall pass for sure.” Sarah says, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

“Agreed. What I would give for a night with Paul Rudd.” You look up at Harry and burst out laughing.

“Jesus, mate, here I was thinkin’ she liked the tall, tan guys, but clearly I was wrong.”

“Now you’ve learned your place.” Niall says laughing. You kiss Harry on the cheek.

You and Sarah laugh so hard you both cry when Jonah Hill makes his small cameo. The guys end up laughing pretty hard at several moments too. You get up to grab the veggie platter out of the fridge and set it up on the coffee table for everyone.

“Thanks for bringing this by the way.”

“Oh no problem, figured it would be better than pizza. Are you excited for Hanukkah to start tomorrow?”

“Yes! I look forward to the gift card my uncle gives me every year.” You giggle.

“Is Harry going with you?” Sarah asks.

“Yup.” You two share a look and start laughing.

“Alright, why does this keep happening? Has everyone been to this party but me?”

“Pretty much, lad.”

“What’s the big deal? Is there somethin’ I should know?”

“Y/N’s great uncle is just a really funny guy. I would just watch out when he greets you.”

“Sarah!”

“You’re not even going to warn him?”

“Warn me of what?”

“If she didn’t warn me, she doesn’t get to warn him.” Niall says.

“Harry…just…” Sarah giggles. “He’s just an older Jewish guy with different ways of saying hello. That’s all.”

“What’s he gonna do? Hug me? M’fine with that.”

“Sure, he’s going to hug you.” Sarah shrugs. “It’s a really great way to know you’re part of the family.”

Sarah and Niall leave around 11PM. You and Harry clean up the living room, and head to the bedroom.

“What time should we leave tomorrow?”

“Party starts at six, so we should probably leave here at like quarter of five, might be traffic.”

“Oh great, so we can sleep in a little?”

“Yup.” You kiss him and turn over. He wraps himself around you, being the bigger spoon.

“That was fun tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m glad we were able to do it. Gotta make more time for them.”

“Definitely….so, Paul Rudd could have you huh?” You turn over to face your stupid boyfriend.

“You’re not serious?”

“Nice to know how you really feel.” He fake pouts.

“I’m sure you have your own celebrity crushes.”

“I suppose. None I would leave you for to go fuck though. Wouldn’t be worth it.” You bite your bottom lip to keep from smiling. “You would really ask me for a hall pass for Paul Rudd? Of all people?”

“Hypothetically speaking, if he wasn’t married with kids, I would consider it. More than anything I think I’d like to just have dinner with him, pick his brain.”

“So you want to go out on a date with him?”

“Sure!” You giggle.

“Who else do you swoon over?” He gives you a crooked smile.

“That’s a very personal question.” You tease.

“Why?”

“Because you’re essentially asking me about who I’ve fantasized about.”

“Jesus, if you tell me you’ve touched yourself thinking about Paul R-“

“I haven’t! Not with him.”

“Who then?” Your cheeks flush. “C’mon, I wanna know who my competition is.”

“Harry, it’s embarrassing.” You shove your face into his chest.

“Please, I’m so curious.” He begs.

“You’re going to laugh at me.”

“Promise I won’t.” You lift your head and look at him.

“I would bone Andy Samberg if I had the chance, again, if he wasn’t married with a child. I will not be a homewrecker.”

“What is with you and older Jewish dudes?”

“Don’t know. It’s not because they’re Jewish. I just find him really attractive, plus he’s funny. You’re funny.”

“Right, the key to a girl’s heart is humor.” He rolls his eyes.

“Harry, if you didn’t make me laugh on our first date, I wouldn’t have seen you again, attraction or not.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Sense of humor is very important to me. You’re so quick when you joke around, you could be a comedian yourself.” He lifts your chin up to kiss you.

“So, you were pretty hot f’me when we first met, huh?”

“So hot.” You roll your eyes. “I had never seen a man quite so handsome. What about me? What did you think of me when we first met?”

“I wanted to hit Niall for not doing you justice. I mean the lad told me you were beautiful, but shit, when I saw you, I nearly got the wind knocked out of me.”

“Oh stop.” You swat your arm at his chest.

“M’serious. And you were so cute at the end of the night, when you simply kissed me on the cheek. It was so innocent and sweet. Not somethin’ I had really experienced before.”

“How do your first dates typically go?” You giggle. Harry scrunches his face.

“Do ya really wanna know the answer t’that?”

“Are you seriously going to tell me that you usually bone on the first date?”

“That’s usually the only date I want, so yeah.” He says a little too honestly.

“What about the girl you dated for like seven months, or whatever?”

“Uhh, we got frisky…didn’t do it til the second date I think. I don’t know, I was such an asshole, I basically just thought of her as the girl I was consistently hookin’ up with.”

“Were you sleeping with other people?”

“Nah, just her.”

“And she thought you were dating, but you didn’t think you were?”

“I just thought of her as the girl I was seein’.” You often wondered what made you so goddamn special. You and Harry had talked about it before, but it still baffled you. “I know what you’re thinkin’. You know what I really liked about you, like, right off the bat?”

“What?”

“You were just so open and lovely. You were genuinely interested in what I had to say. I thought it was sweet that you complimented m’nails, like not in a judgey way. I couldn’t wait to see you again, honestly. I’d never felt that way before.”

“So you didn’t want to just fuck me then?”

“I wouldn’t have turned the opportunity down. I mean, you looked so fuckin’ sexy in that little black dress you wore.”

“I’ve never seen a man wear a pair of pants the way that you do.”

“What?” He laughs.

“You have a bubble butt babe, and it’s incredible. Love sinking my nails into those cheeks.”

“Are you still drunk?”

“Maybe just a bit buzzed, but I mean what I say.” You prop yourself up to really look at him. “You have a chonk, my dude.” Harry burst out laughing.

“Who talks like that?” He says with a big smile.

“Me and my friends. You’re not the only with a dirty mouth.” You wink. “You know what, I think that’s why I like Paul Rudd and Andy Samberg so much. They both have pretty big butts.”

You both giggle about a bunch of different things until you fall asleep.

The next morning you both happily slept in. You got up before Harry. You decided to do a light workout in your living room since you didn’t go to the gym much last week. You put on a pair of spandex shorts and sports bra, and tip toed out. You were just finishing your cool down when Harry walked into the living room, blanket wrapped around him. You guzzled down some water. Your body was drenched in sweat.

“Morning baby. Thought I’d get a quick workout in, we’re going to be eating a lot of food tonight.” He squints at you.

“You…you weren’t in the bed when I woke up.” He rubs his eyes, his voice was still thick with sleep.

“I was just out here, did you think I went somewhere?” You turn the TV off, and walk towards him.

“I don’t know what I thought. I just reached for you and you weren’t there.” He pouts. “I like when we snuggle in the mornin’. You’ve deprived me.” You giggle at him.

“Is baby a little cranky this morning?” You pinch of his cheeks and walk by him.

“Where you goin’ now?” He whines.

“Harry, I’m caked with sweat, I need to shower. You can join me if you want.”

“Not awake enough to shower.”

“That makes no sense. Showers wake people up all the time.”

“Too much work.” He curls up on the couch, and closes his eyes.

You take your shower, alone. You take full advantage of having the privacy to shave every last inch of yourself. You blow dry your hair, and throw your robe on, not really feeling like putting clothes on yet. Harry was still wrapped in your blanket, but he was sitting up and had a mug in his hands. He was watching something mindless on television. You sit down next to him and smile. You throw your legs over his lap.

“Feel how smooth my legs are, I just shaved them.” He gives you a funny look and giggles, rubbing his hand up and down one of your legs.

“Mm, so soft.”

“You’re a sleep boy today.”

“Yeah, I am. Not really sure why, I’ll perk up once the coffee’s in me.”

“Want me make something for breakfast? I have oatmeal and grapes.”

“If you don’t mind, that’d be great.”

You turn on the electric kettle Harry had sneakily bought you. He said it was for him so he could have tea quick, but you know he wanted you to have one of your own. Once the water was boiling, you poured it into the two bowls of quick oats you made up. You but a dash of cinnamon in each, and topped it with some grapes. You come back over and hand him his bowl.

“Thank you baby.”

“My pleasure.”

You both scarf down your breakfast, and sit on the couch a while longer. Harry gets up to clean the bowls, and puts them in the dishwasher. He stretches out, and lets out a moan.

“Alright, guess I’ll shower now.”

You bring the blanket back to the bed and make it up. Harry’s in and out of the shower quick. He has his towel wrapped around his waist. You’re sitting on the edge of your bed, filing your nails, he sits down next you.

“How long we been together now? Little over four months?”

“Yeah, it’ll be five in January.” You smile. “Why?” He twiddles his thumbs.

“Well, it might be too soon to be bringin’ this up, but s’not like that’s ever stopped us before. I’m here a lot, and I love your place. I still like my place, but I love your place because this is where you and all your things are. I didn’t know if maybe when we got back from holiday, maybe we could entertain the idea of finding a place of our own?” He looks up at you. You’re speechless. “I mean, I’d say let’s just live here, but I need a space for my desk and monitor. I think a two bedroom where we could split the other room as a conjoined office or somethin’, would make the most sense.” He chews on his bottom lip. “I’ve totally freaked you out haven’t I?”

“How long have you, um, felt this way? When did you realize you wanted to live with me?”

“Can’t pin point it. Just somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ about. I know it seems fast, but we’re practically livin’ together as it is. We can talk about it later if you’re not ready now. Just wanted to put the bug in your ear.”

You were amazed. You hadn’t even fully slept with the man yet, and he already wanted to live with you. You put your hands on his shoulders and push him back on the bed. You crawl on top of him, and kiss his face all over.

“Harry, I would love to live with you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Maybe like towards the end of January we could start looking for a bigger place. You know, once all of the holidays are over. Can you break your lease at any time?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Why?”

“Well…you could move in here before we find another place. Doesn’t make sense for you to keep paying rent. It could take us months to find a place, I’d rather have you here during the in between. We can rearrange the furniture to fit all of your things. And I have that storage unit, we could keep your bed and bulkier furniture there for a little while.”

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” You kiss him. “Um…not that I don’t wanna tell the world, but I’d like to keep this quiet from my family for a bit. I still have to tell my dad about England. I’d rather ease them into something like this.”

“Of course. Better keep it quiet from my mum too. Keep everything nice and light.”

“I’m so excited!”

“Me too!”

Harry always seemed to be able to read your mind. It was a conversation you were hoping to have with him after you got back from England. You just couldn’t believe that he beat you to it. You were practically living together, and it didn’t make sense for you both to be paying rent separately. You’d miss his little place, but you’d eventually find a bigger place you both liked. You still loved the idea of potentially living in Niall’s building. Once you start making more money, you’d be able to afford it no problem.

#harry styles #take it slow #harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles fluff fic #harry styles smut #harry styles smut fic #harry styles x reader #harry styles y/n #harry styles y/n fic #did you guys think they'd move in together so fast???#i'm starting to get caught up #i only have through part 30 written #may not be able to update as often soon

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weakzen · 4 years

Text

No Take Backs

Her offer affords him some fun advantages, Mason supposes.

pairing: female detective/mason rating: m series: part 1 of 7

AO3 version

also submitted for @otomefandomevents wayhaven week 2020 ♥ day 1 – dawn/dusk

Mason leans over the walkway railing and takes a long drag from his third cigarette.

He closes his eyes and focuses on the familiar and all-too-brief sting that burns down his throat and explodes across his lungs. Smoke chokes him with overpowering and comforting acridness, blanketing his face in soft heat when he finally exhales.

But it's still not enough to cover the sickly sweetness of fresh-cut grass blasting through the air to coat his tongue.

Or to shield him from the scorching light melting his clothes into his skin. Or muffle the unrelenting, jumbled blare of air conditioners, lawnmowers, TVs, radios, and every other goddamned electronic object in the vicinity.

A piercing shriek from one of the kids playing nearby stabs into his ear and he flinches slightly.

Or that too.

Mason groans as a headache begins to rumble at his temples. He sucks down another long, deep drag and steadies himself against it the best he can. The fatigue makes it difficult. Annoyingly more difficult. Exhaustion weighs on him, subtle yet heavy, trapping his mind and his every little movement beneath a sense of sluggishness.

Though—at least it's starting to lessen somewhat, now that the sun is finally fucking setting.

He ashes his cigarette over the balcony with a flick of his thumb.

And at least it's not as boiling hot as it was earlier, he supposes. And summer's almost over, too.

Thank fuck.

But it'd be better if that storm would finally roll in to cool everything off.

He squints up at the cloudless and faintly hazy sky. Far above the town, the wind continues to whip in from the west. And every time it shifts to slice closer to the ground, he catches the scent of rain.

Sure is taking its fucking time getting here, though.

With a final drag, Mason pushes off the railing to crush his cigarette into the ashtray she'd placed on the windowsill by her door. The one she insisted he use if he 'absolutely had to smoke here.' The one that she grinned over, then told him he needed to stop being a butthead, right before she snorted herself into a cackle at her own stupid pun while he stared at her and wondered why exactly he found her so attractive.

Shaking his head at the memory, Mason lights another cigarette and resumes his perch.

As he waits, the sun slinks closer to the trees. The kids scream endlessly. His headache builds and his cigarette burns shorter.

Obnoxious cawing bursts from somewhere behind the apartments too, joining the rest of the noise crushing in around him. Probably those birds she's always feeding.

Mason rolls his eyes and huffs out another cloud of smoke.

His eyes scan over to the parking lot, to that gleaming silver shitheap of hers, the low sun highlighting every scratch and painting every pockmarked dent in deep shadow.

Where the hell was she, anyway?

Frowning slightly, he glances back at her building, to the grassy courtyard below, the cracked sidewalk, the concrete stairs leading up to the second story, the chipped white railings that bend along the exterior walkways in front of a wall of red brick and a row of doors and windows. His gaze slows as it passes one window in particular.

That nosy fucker is watching him again through a slit in the blinds. He glares hard and directly into the eyes widening behind the glass.

The gap immediately snaps shut.

Mason chuckles a little as the fucker's heartbeat spikes.

Then his chuckle breaks into a loud laugh when he hears the panicked sound of a body crashing into a table.

He takes another drag on his cigarette, smirking as he shakes his head.

But… his amusement doesn't last. And when it finally fades, it just leaves him with a scowl and even more irritation than he felt before.

Where the fuck was she?

…And why was he even waiting for her?

If she couldn't be bothered to show up on time, then fuck it. Her loss. He isn't sticking around. Mason grabs his jacket from the railing, whips it over his shoulder, and strides toward the stairs.

He makes it halfway down them before the realization slams into him that something might have happened to her.

That could explain why she's late today.

His hand snaps out to catch the railing, jerking his movement to a sudden halt at the bottom of the steps. Annoyance twists uncomfortably in his chest, drawing his brow into a furrow when it briefly claws up into his throat.

And if something did happen to her, then it would be entirely on him.

Adam would never let him hear the end of it, just stern glares and disappointed frowns forever—and Mason doesn't even want to think about what Agent Black would do.

And… he doesn't want anything to happen to her, either.

She is one of them after all.

Annoyance still coiling inside him, Mason exhales deeply and almost flicks his cigarette away into the grass.

Then he groans even more deeply and runs back up the stairs to smash it into the ashtray before he takes off.

–o–

He traces her usual route home back to the station, but only finds the night shift volunteer at their desk and Officer Bobblehead in front of the copy machine, singing to herself while she dances to the rhythm of spewing paper.

Scoffing in disgust, he tries the Square next, staying only long enough to guarantee she isn't there before he immediately veers away from the nauseating confection, greasy food, and overwhelming wave of people. He lands at her boxing club after, where there's nothing but stale sweat, grunts, and the echoing cracks of fists hitting bags.

And when he sends her a text to ask where the hell she is, he receives no response.

Mason frowns heavily, annoyance clawing at his throat again as he runs his hand through his hair.

Then he pushes out of town, into the woods, up to the trail that she likes to run by the lake.

Branches whip by him in a blur of green. His feet trample ferns and bounce off moss-covered logs. The rich aroma of damp earth and organic decay invades his lungs as he opens his senses fully to the rustle of every leaf, animal, and insect. The forest howls with life, tearing into him with such a vicious, primal resonance that his body trembles beneath the sheer force of it.

But he pushes on. He cuts through the roar with focus sharpened for one thing only.

Until he finally catches it at the very edge of his hearing, soft and quiet beneath the screaming.

A familiar heartbeat that makes his own jolt in recognition.

Immediately, he turns and streaks toward it. It's calmer than its usual tense tempo, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything good.

He spurs on faster.

Blazing through gaps in the timber and sunken banks of mist.

Over tangled deadfall, slick boulders, and the wide creek he clears easily in a single bound.

Light begins to flicker between the trees. And Mason bursts through the edge of the forest, his momentum carrying him forward—but something even stronger slamming him back, forcing him to skid to a halt, one hand scraping a long trail through the dirt behind him.

Sunset bathes the lake in brilliant red as thousands of sparkles glitter across the water. A felled tree rests on the shore, its trunk worn smooth by time. And in the middle of it, she sits with her back to him, her arms spread out to her sides while her hair ignites like a flame in the light.

Something catches in his throat then.

Smoke, maybe. From that fire up north.

He clears it away and pushes himself up, wiping his hand on his pants. Then he folds his arms, a slow smile spreading across his face.

If there's one good thing about summer at-fucking-all, it's the sleeveless shirts and cropped tops.

His eyes draw over the muscled slope of her bare shoulders and arms, down the curve of her side, briefly dipping into the band of exposed skin above her jeans before sliding back out and around the swell of her ass, only to repeat the journey up the other side. Her hat ruins the effect somewhat, a big black circle silhouetted atop her head that blocks part of his view.

But, all in all…

Mason bites his lip. The image is almost enough to make him forget about how goddamn annoyed she's made him.

Almost.

He kicks a branch out of his way and strides towards her.

“Finally,” he barks out as he nears. “Could've let me know you were gonna be late tonight. Or texted me back.”

She gives him a lazy glance from over her shoulder, followed by an even lazier smile. Oversized sunglasses conceal her eyes.

“Turned my phone off,” she replies, then shrugs slightly. “And I didn't realize we were meeting, sunshine.”

Mason scoffs and stalks across the shifting jumble of rocks and splintered wood that pass for a beach. He tosses his jacket down and plops onto the log beside her, facing the other direction.

“Yeah, not like I don't come over every night to tuck you in when it's my turn to babysit,” he says, glaring at her from over his shoulder. “Some of us have a schedule to keep, sweetheart. Try to be a little more considerate.”

She only laughs, her head falling back with the motion while her tits bounce enticingly. Mason presses his lips together as he watches, his irritation crumbling away.

Just a bit.

“Oh, of course. I'm so sorry,” she says a moment later, her voice even huskier than normal with amusement. She rolls her head to the side to glance at him again, her smile broadening as she tugs her sunglasses down slightly, just enough to meet his eye. “I completely forgot all that smoking and brooding aren't gonna take care of themselves. Next time, I'll be sure to send a text.”

He rolls his eyes and scoffs again, turning away as his own smile pulls at the corner of his lips. “Apology accepted.”

She chuckles and bumps her shoulder into his.

As she pulls away, he follows, spreading his arms out behind himself too, until their shoulders press faintly together and his hand nearly touches her thigh. Heat rolls off her body—and excitement too, a skittering little thrill that prickles electrically across his skin to bury itself in his stomach. She gives no outward indication of it though, other than the smallest hitch in her breath and the gentle sigh that escapes her lips.

Mason smirks slowly, temptation urging him to lean even closer and draw his finger up her leg to put a deeper crack in that facade, but…

He finds himself more content to just leave her undisturbed, to let her keep relaxing into the moment.

…And to enjoy it himself.

Cool moisture drifts off the water behind him, but it flows over his back pleasantly, softened by the sunlight and her warmth. A lazy breeze presses through the air, brushing against his cheeks and ruffling his hair. He briefly catches the tang of rain on it again, before it disappears beneath her scent and the pines and the distant smoke of wildfires.

The forest rustles around them, and his gaze passes over it appreciatively before ambling up the mountains that cradle the lake. The craggy, purple behemoths tower into the sky above, their snow-capped peaks bathed molten orange in the sunset.

He closes his eyes to a vision of their afterimage.

Waves lap against the shore. Birdsong slows in the trees. Her heart beats in a steady, soothing rhythm with her breath.

And that's all he hears.

Even at the very edge of his senses, he can't detect any other people.

He sags slightly as tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying uncoils from around him.

For a long moment, there's just… peace.

And the world isn't scraping him raw.

–o–

He doesn't open his eyes again until some time later.

When she shivers against him and the pink glow of twilight surrounds them both, the first smattering of stars visible overhead.

Mason leans over to let his breath tickle hot along her neck. “Need me to warm you up?” he asks, teasing his lips against her ear.

Another shiver ripples across her body, and she turns to smirk at him.

“Eventually.”

She looks at him for a moment longer, her smirk softening into a quiet little smile, but he can't see anything more of it behind the sunglasses.

“Should probably get home before it gets too dark,” she adds, pushing up from the log.

He grunts in reluctant agreement.

As she stands, she raises her arms above her head to stretch, her joints cracking from the effort. His eyes follow her movement, roaming appreciatively once more along the lean lines of her body, slowly tracing around her familiar curves as he bites his lip. She picks up her ratty denim jacket from where she was sitting on it, shakes it out a few times, and slips it on.

Mason almost groans.

Then she slings her backpack over her shoulder and glances down at him. With a sigh, he pushes himself up to put on his own jacket and join her.

They walk alongside each other in silence, rocks crunching beneath their feet as they follow the dusty, packed trail that hugs the curve of the lake. Frogs croak from the water, joined by the chirp of crickets and the sharp chittering of bats overhead. A sliver of moon hangs in the darkening sky with them, while the air rapidly begins to cool below.

She pulls her jacket tighter and folds her arms.

Without looking, he lazily throws his arm over her shoulder and tugs her closer. A moment later, her arm circles around his waist, her hand slipping beneath his jacket to curl hot against his side.

His lips quirk in a faint smile as she shifts into him, her body heat bleeding through his clothes and into his skin. Her touch always pleases him, of course, but right now he's more grateful for the shared warmth.

Already, the cold slices him deeper. Sounds grow louder. His vision stretches further, into even sharper detail, while his limbs glide with powerful fluidity. And within it all, he feels far more alert and awake than he has all day, his body thrumming as nightfall gradually returns his strength and draws his senses to a heightened pitch.

…Which only makes it even worse when they finally reach the fork in the trail that breaks away towards the trees.

The little wooded path that cuts back into town.

A frown catches on Mason's lips. At least her apartment isn't far from there.

They turn to take it, eventually emerging onto an empty, dead end street.

The springy dirt of the forest floor blends into a blanket of windblown pine needles before yielding to crumbling asphalt that makes their footsteps snap echoes against the buildings. Electricity crackles in the power lines above, surging down to spool in the streetlights with a shrill whine, readying them to spill their ugly orange light everywhere. In the distance, dogs bark, children shriek, sprinklers sputter and hiss, and the din of heartbeats pound against each other, rising in volume, tangling around the tinny blare of electronics, fragmented conversations, grating laughter, shouting, arguments, screeching music and more abrasive noise than he can clearly identify until it all becomes a jagged and overwhelming roar that tears into him painfully.

Mason inhales and tenses against it reflexively, his jaw tightening—

But then Alex shifts closer into him, stroking his side with her hand briefly before giving him a soft squeeze, and all of it just… fades away.

Disappears beneath her touch and her quiet presence and her calming heartbeat.

His brow furrows deeply as something swells in his chest. Something strange and light and somewhat uncomfortable, if only because of its sudden appearance and unfamiliarity, but... it's not entirely unpleasant.

It's not unpleasant at all.

Frowning, Mason drags his hand back through his hair and exhales a quiet sigh.

The weird sensation lingers for a while, floating gently inside him as he uneasily enjoys it—until she suddenly turns sharply, and he nearly stumbles to keep in step with her. Annoyance jolts through him, a reprimand snapping hot and immediate to his tongue, but… then he realizes they've only arrived at her building.

And all she's done is lead them up the walkway toward it.

He frowns, his irritation fading as he blows out a breath.

Then his frown pulls even harder as she disentangles from him.

She shifts her backpack around to unzip the front pouch. And as she does, a black shape swoops down from the trees to land on the wire that stretches between the apartment and the utility poles.

The crow caws down at her.

She chuckles and holds her hands up, fingers extended and empty. “Don't have anything for you right now, bud.”

It caws obnoxiously a few more times, seeming to understand. Then it flies away with a piercing screech and an annoyed flap of wings.

Chuckling again, she shakes her head and pulls out her key ring. “Yeah, you're welcome, you little bastard.”

“Why the hell do you feed those things anyway?” he asks, glancing at her from the corner of his eye as they continue up the sidewalk.

She shrugs. “Because they're smart and a little ridiculous? I dunno, they're fun to watch. I like them,” she says, then purses her lips. “Except for when they're cawing right outside my bedroom window at five in the morning, but… well, even that's a little funny too.”

His lip curls. “Ugh, if you say so.”

They head up the stairs to her door. She stops outside of it for a moment, then turns around to face him.

“You know… I do have something for you, though.”

Mason immediately smirks.

“Yeah? I have something for you too, sweetheart.” He slides his hands over her hips, thumbs brushing over her bare skin, before he hooks his fingers into her belt loops and tugs her closer. “You want it in there—” he asks, his voice rumbling low as he skims his lips along the length of her neck to press a few quick kisses to her mouth “—or out here?”

Her heart beats faster as her lips move to keep kissing him, but then she just smiles against his mouth and breathes out a quiet little chuckle. “Probably in there,” she says, resting her hand on his arm, “but… let's take care of my thing first.”

He shrugs and gives her a parting kiss before he leans away, letting his fingers flick free of her belt loops. “If that's what you want.”

She glances at him for a moment longer, then inhales deeply and shifts her bag around to unzip the front pouch again. Her hand slips inside and returns with an unexpected object that she holds up between two fingers.

He raises an eyebrow.

“A key?”

“Yep.”

“To what?”

“My apartment.”

Mason tenses slightly, shifting his weight.

“Why the hell would I want that?”

“So you can let yourself in.”

He scoffs and glances away, running his hand back through his hair. “I don't need a key to do that, sweetheart.”

“Probably not,” she agrees, and he can hear the faint grin in her tone, “but it would help me out if you did. You're scaring the shit out of the neighbors with all of your skulking and your scowling and your glaring and your general… you-ness.”

A laugh bursts from him and he glances back to her. “I don't see how that's a problem.”

“Well, maybe not for you, but some of us still have to live here.” She huffs a stray hair out of her face and leans against the door, resting her foot against it too as she lets her bag slide to the ground. Then she folds her arms. “You know, I still can't believe no one has complained to the landlady about all of the smoking… and the noise.”

He smirks and chuckles again. “Sounds like I should keep scaring them so they don't.”

She cocks her head and fixes him with a look that not even her sunglasses can hide. His smirk widens.

“I like this building. I don't want to move. And I'm tired of you banging on the door every time it's locked until I come and answer.”

Mason angles himself towards her, licking his lips as he brings his arm up to rest on the door above her head. “Yet you still let me in every, single, time,” he drawls, his voice low and teasing as he grins at her.

She stares up at him. “Do it again and I won't.”

The telltale combination of reactions ping loudly and immediately against him—the nearly imperceptible crack in her voice, the subtle shift of tension in her stance, the faint and brief spike of her pulse.

He leans down toward her, his grin sharpening. She inhales slightly as he approaches, but holds her ground and his gaze. Pressing his face in close, he teases his lips up her neck again, to her ear, her head tilting to the side to allow it.

“You should know better than to lie to me of all people, sweetheart,” he whispers against her, his words brushing hot across her skin.

She inhales again, more sharply this time, as a shiver ripples down her body. Heat prickles across her face quickly after, and he lingers for a moment to savor it before pulling away to enjoy the view of her flushed cheeks.

“Yeah, well…” she begins, then huffs in that usual way she does whenever she rolls her eyes. “If I didn't answer, then you'd probably just creep around behind the building and start pounding on my bedroom window instead.”

“Probably,” he agrees. “That does sound like more fun, now that you mention it. Less of a walk for both of us, too.”

She groans a loud noise of exasperation, but the smile playing at the corner of her mouth undercuts it slightly.

Then, with a shake of her head, she pushes away from the door and holds the key up to him by the tip.

“Well—do you want it or not, sunshine?”

They stare at each other for a moment. But even with his vision, the only thing Mason can see clearly on her face is the faint movement of her eyelashes brushing against the twin reflections of him and the hand she's extending towards him.

He glances down at the key, and back up to her face.

“I don't need it.”

Her breathing stills for a moment and her lips press together slightly. Something rolls quietly through her chest to bump something uncomfortable into his.

But she inhales deeply and it's gone.

Then she simply shrugs.

“Okay,” she says, her voice unusually flat. And she slips the key into the front pocket of her jeans.

Alex turns away from him—

But his hands snap out to spin her back toward him.

Then they're pushing her hat from her head and her sunglasses up into her hair and curling around the back of her neck and her waist as he leans in to kiss her hard.

His mouth muffles the sound of her surprise, but not the way it reverberates against his skin—and not the heated rush of arousal that quickly follows as she kisses him back.

A moment later, her arms loop around his neck and he yanks her tighter against himself in response. He deepens the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth while his fingers tangle into the soft hair at the nape of her neck. Her arms circle him tighter, squeezing, as she presses into him fully, standing up on the tips of her toes to reach him better, and he slides his palm across her lower back and down to her ass, where he squeezes too, lifting her slightly in encouragement.

She moans into his mouth—and he can't help but do the same in return as her desire crashes into his electrically and bursts pleasure across his body.

Fuck, he wants her.

Mason pushes her against the door, her tits crushing to his chest, his cock grinding into her hips, and he presses his thigh between hers, dragging it upward to the sound of her gasping moan. He captures her lips again immediately, unrelenting, and kisses her deeply while he glides his hand over her bare stomach, across the hot and silky expanse of her skin, before he teases his fingers down the front of her pants.

He slides them in past her jeans, past the band of her underwear, until his fingertips and knuckles brush into soft, warm hair and press on a little further still. She sucks in a breath, her stomach rolling exquisitely beneath his touch as her hips rock forward to match it, grinding pleasure from his leg. He smiles against her mouth briefly before kissing her again, rolling his hips in time with her movement while his thumb dances circles around the button on her jeans. He lets her anticipation spiral with it, winding it tighter inside of her until she's ready to spring.

And when she is, he clutches the front of her jeans and pulls them up into her instead.

She arches against him, a moan tearing from her lips, her pleasure crackling white-hot between them and surging straight into his cock.

He inhales deeply in excitement, breathing hard against her lips, anticipation making his own limbs tremble faintly—but despite it, despite the alluring scent of her arousal on his tongue and how much he wants to stay, how much he fucking wants to push his fingers down even further and slide them back up inside of her, he forces them out of her pants instead, to leave her even more wanting. He teases them away across her waistband as she shakes with breathy, groaning laughter against him.

And then he clenches them hard around her hip when she catches his lip between her teeth and nips down

Pain and pleasure singe fire across his body, burning free a guttural snarl that rips past his own teeth. He smirks sharply against her.

Then goes for the throat.

To that spot of hers they both enjoy so much.

As he moves his mouth mercilessly against her, as she moans and shudders beneath his teeth, as they grind together, her pleasure arcing into him on waves that amplify his own throbbing need, his fingers play against her stomach, teasing along her waistband once more.

Then he carefully slides two of them into her pocket.

And pulls out the key.

Mason doesn't understand why.

But he knows immediately what to do next.

He glides his hand down from her hair, his palm pressed flat and wide, fingers trailing over the bumps of her spine, past her thrumming heartbeat, dipping in to the curve of her back before finally settling on her ass. Once there, he grabs her again, groaning as he squeezes a firm handful of her, partially for pleasure, but mostly to shift her weight as he urges her hips forward. Chills ripple across her body as he continues kissing her neck, grazing her with his teeth, dragging his tongue across her pounding pulse and the intoxicating taste of her skin, until her nipples harden and dig into his chest wonderfully, and her fingers claw into his shoulders, and her thighs clench around his, and she moans so deeply into his ear that he knows she's focusing on nothing but him and the pleasure he's giving her in the moment.

Then—in one quick motion—he slips the key into the lock, turns it, and throws the door open.

A gasp tears from her lips as she falls backwards.

Her pulse spikes, surprise flashing with it as her hands scramble at his shoulders to keep hold. Her foot kicks up off the ground as she plummets, her body almost parallel to the floor before he snaps forward in a flash and whips his arms around her to catch her.

She stares up into his eyes as she jerks to a halt, gaze wide, cheeks flushed, arms clinging to him desperation while she breathes heavily and her heartbeat thunders against his chest.

He just smiles.

And holds her there for a long, enjoyable moment, taking in the stunning view of her knocked off balance in more than one way.

Then he pulls her back upright and against him.

She takes a deep, steadying breath, her hands sliding downward from around his neck to rest on his chest—right before her eyes suddenly snap to the door. He chuckles slightly, and reaches around her to tug the key from the lock, her gaze following his movement closely as he holds it up in front of her between two fingers.

“I guess it could come in handy for some things,” he says, smirking.

She raises an eyebrow and huffs a loose hair out of her face. “Guess so.”

Mason slips the key into the front pocket of his jeans.

Her eyebrow shoots up even further.

Still smirking, he bends to grab her things from the ground, then flings that hat of hers over the top of her head into the living room like a frisbee. She watches it fly by and immediately gives him a look that only makes him chuckle in response.

When he swings her backpack behind himself like he's about to do the same, she sighs deeply.

Then she grabs him by the front of his pants and yanks him inside.

Mason slams the door shut behind them, grinning widely as he tosses her bag away with a heavy thunk and presses himself against her again. Her jacket quickly follows the bag, and he groans appreciatively as he runs his hands over the soft and bare skin of her arms and sides. He grabs her waist, squeezing her slightly as he leans down to start kissing her again—but she only lets their lips brush together before she weaves her head away to fix him with another look, raising a pointed finger between them.

“One rule,” she says, pushing her fingertip firmly up against the bottom of his chin. “You better not smoke in here.”

He smirks and pulls her finger away.

“Can't make any promises, sweetheart.”

Her eyes narrow with dangerous intent—but a gleam of playfulness flickers in them too.

“Then give it back, asshole.”

“Make me,” he replies, his smirk slowly widening. “If you think you can.”

They stare at each other for a moment, amusement twitching at the corner of her mouth as tension builds between them.

“But I have some doubts about your capability,” he adds.

Her heartbeat spikes as her eyes flash wonderfully.

Then her hand whips toward his pocket, but he catches it and spins her around instead. He pins her wrists together against her stomach with one hand as he hooks his chin over her shoulder and holds her body tightly against his.

“Nope,” he growls into her ear, bending them both forward so he can grind his cock against her ass. “It's mine now.”

A frustrated noise rumbles low from her chest, vibrating into his. He chuckles deeply and starts kissing down her neck.

“Fuck you, sunshine,” she says, hissing her words through a laugh as she tilts her head to encourage him. “Give it back.”

“No,” he replies, smiling briefly against her before continuing his kisses. As he does, he roams his free hand down the front of her body, stopping along the way to grope her tits before moving onward to pry her fingers from around her keys. He tosses them away with a jangling clink. “And don't worry—” he murmurs, his voice dipping into a low and rich tone as he slides his hand down to cup the heat between her legs “—you'll be fucking me soon enough.”

Mason rolls his palm against her firmly, excitement swelling between them both as she sucks in a breath through her teeth.

“I promise,” he adds, then nips down sharply on her neck.

She yelps out a surprised moan and arches into him, her thrill of pleasure crackling hot across his skin to buzz euphorically inside of him. He inhales deeply and groans, her scent filling him too, as anticipation and sheer, overwhelming want for her jolt straight into his cock.

He quickly scrambles his hand downward to tear at the laces tying their boots. Another one of her rules. Shoes off by the door.

The last fucking things keeping them here.

As he rips the knots free, as he reaches to peel his boots off and kick them away, she laughs quietly against him, shaking his body with her own while she squirms beneath him in less of less of a struggle and more of a sly, calculated grind. Her movement stokes pleasure as much as it puts him on guard—but not nearly as much as it pulls a broad smile across his face.

For a brief moment, that strange sensation returns, spreading softly across his chest.

And distracting him just enough for her to twist free from his grasp.

She bolts upright and her hand races toward his pocket again—but he recovers faster, swerving his hips so she lands somewhere much better. In a flash, he grabs her by the ass and crushes her against him, trapping her hand between them both directly on top of his cock.

Mason smirks deeply.

“Find what you're looking for?”

Cheeks flushed, she flashes him an answering smirk before giving him a good, long, and very generous squeeze.

“Maybe.”

He can't help the groan that rumbles low in his throat, or the way his eyes shutter closed and his hips roll forward into the heat of her touch.

He also can't wait until his jeans are finally fucking gone and there's no goddamn awful barrier between them.

She takes in his reaction through half-lidded eyes, a smile growing slowly on her lips. “I'll get it back eventually, you know.”

“I wouldn't count on it, sweetheart.”

And with enough said, he curls his hands under her ass and picks her up.

Her arms and legs wrap around him immediately, her lips finding his just as quickly too. She barely manages to pull her boots off with her feet, kicking them away to clatter down the hallway before they're both at the bed and he's leaning over to drop her onto the edge of the mattress. He takes only the time to rip free of his jacket before he presses himself against her again, kissing her deeply as her arms and legs lock around him once more. He remains halfway on the floor as their mouths move together, her tongue gliding hot against his, and his hands sliding across every part of her body he can reach, completely unwilling to move or break away from her at all, even as she fumbles at the hem of his shirt and tries to pull it off him.

Eventually, she succeeds.

And eventually, he moves away from her lips to kiss down her neck, down her chest, her stomach, groping his way along the entire time, until he guides his fingers to finally unfasten the button on her jeans. When he tugs her zipper down after, an idle question rolls across his mind.

One that asks if he can keep her waiting on the edge for as long as he waited outside her door earlier.

Mason smirks into her skin—and yanks her pants and underwear down in one smooth motion.

Then he skims his mouth up her inner thigh, determined to find out.

–o–

Mason returns to the Warehouse around dawn the next morning, his patrol complete.

Shoulders hunched, he swipes his key card at the hidden door before he jams his hand back into his jeans and stalks inside. His other hand remains curled in his pocket, absently fiddling with the key nestled in his palm, spinning it slowly as his fingertips trace idle laps along the bumpy ridges and smooth metal warmed by his touch.

As he passes by the living room on his way to bed, he makes the mistake of glancing inside.

Felix catches his eye and immediately flips backwards off the sofa from his upside down perch. In a flash, he appears in the doorway, swaying off the frame under his own halted momentum.

“What exactly are you so pleased about?” he asks, grinning.

Mason pauses by the door, then shoots him a smirk.

“It was my turn to babysit. What do you think?”

Felix's eyes narrow as a wide and sly smile unfurls across his face. “I think there's more to it than just that.”

Mason rolls his eyes. “Think whatever you want.”

“Oh, I absolutely will,” he replies, his amber eyes gleaming.

Shaking his head, Mason continues down the hallway toward his room while Felix's gaze drills a hole in his back.

“Night,” he calls over his shoulder without looking, raising a hand to wave.

But not the one holding the key.

#the wayhaven chronicles #twc #wayhaven week 2020 #twc mason #twc m #mason #the detective #felix hauville #twc f #zfic #alex/mason #alexandra black

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aboveallarescuer · 4 years

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Daenerys Targaryen in A Storm of Swords vs Game of Thrones - Episode 3.1: Valar Dohaeris

In this series of posts, I intend to analyze precisely how the show writers downplayed or erased several key aspects of Daenerys Targaryen’s characterization, even when they had the books to help them write her as the compelling, intelligent, compassionate, frugal, open-minded and self-critical character that GRRM created.

I want to make it clear that these posts are not primarily meant to offer a better alternative to what the show writers gave us. I understand that they had many constraints (e.g. other storylines to handle, a limited amount of time to write the scripts, budget, actors who may have asked for a certain number of lines, etc) working against them. However, considering how disrespectful the show’s ending was to Daenerys Targaryen and how the book material that they left out makes it even more ludicrous to think that she will also become a villain in A Song of Ice and Fire, I believe that these reviews are more than warranted. They are meant to dissect everything about Dany’s characterization that was lost in translation, with a lot of book evidence to corroborate my statements.

Since these reviews will dissect scene by scene, I recommend taking a look at this post because I will use its sequence to order Dany’s scenes.

This post is relevant in case you want to know which chapters were adapted in which GoT episodes (however, I didn’t make the list myself, all the information comes from the GoT Wiki, so I can’t guarantee that it’s 100% reliable).

In general, I will call the Dany from the books “Dany” and the Dany from the TV series “show!Dany”.

Scene 1

Summary: show!Dany and show!Jorah are on a ship. The two discuss a) the dragons' growth, b) whether it's worth being complicit in the slave trade or not and c) the Dothraki's seasickness.

We begin the episode with this conversation about the dragons:

JORAH: They're growing fast.

DAENERYS: Not fast enough. I can't wait that long. I need an army.

Is it true that Dany needs the dragons to conquer Westeros and wishes they were bigger than they are at this point in the books? It is:

Another year, or perhaps two, and he may be large enough to ride. Then I shall have no need of ships to cross the great salt sea.

But that time was not yet come. Rhaegal and Viserion were the size of small dogs, Drogon only a little larger, and any dog would have outweighed them; they were all wings and neck and tail, lighter than they looked. And so Daenerys Targaryen must rely on wood and wind and canvas to bear her home. (ASOS Daenerys I)

However, that's not all there is to their relationship. Dany loves them as she would love her own human children:

They are my children, she told herself, and if the maegi spoke truly, they are the only children I am ever like to have. (ASOS Daenerys I)

Because she loves them like a mother would, she pays attention to how they grow and develop and act like a mother would:

Dragons always preferred to attack from above, Dany had learned. Should either get between the other and the sun, he would fold his wings and dive screaming, and they would tumble from the sky locked together in a tangled scaly ball, jaws snapping and tails lashing. The first time they had done it, she feared that they meant to kill each other, but it was only sport. No sooner would they splash into the sea than they would break apart and rise again, shrieking and hissing, the salt water steaming off them as their wings clawed at the air. (ASOS Daenerys I)

That level of care and attention (and her own cleverness in the choice of the word "dracarys") is what allows her to figure out how to order them to breathe fire on her own:

She took a chunk of salt pork out of the bowl in her lap and held it up for her dragons to see. All three of them eyed it hungrily. Rhaegal spread green wings and stirred the air, and Viserion’s neck swayed back and forth like a long pale snake’s as he followed the movement of her hand. “Drogon,” Dany said softly, “dracarys.” And she tossed the pork in the air.

Drogon moved quicker than a striking cobra. Flame roared from his mouth, orange and scarlet and black, searing the meat before it began to fall. As his sharp black teeth snapped shut around it, Rhaegal’s head darted close, as if to steal the prize from his brother’s jaws, but Drogon swallowed and screamed, and the smaller green dragon could only hiss in frustration.

“Stop that, Rhaegal,” Dany said in annoyance, giving his head a swat.

“You had the last one. I’ll have no greedy dragons.” She smiled at Ser Jorah. “I won’t need to char their meat over a brazier any longer.”

“So I see. Dracarys?”

All three dragons turned their heads at the sound of that word, and Viserion let loose with a blast of pale gold flame that made Ser Jorah take a hasty step backward. Dany giggled. “Be careful with that word, ser, or they’re like to singe your beard off. It means ‘dragonfire’ in High Valyrian. I wanted to choose a command that no one was like to utter by chance.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

She feels a lot of pride for them and knows how to distinguish each of them:

Every man of them, from captain to cook’s boy, loved to watch the three fly … though none so much as Dany.

[...] Viserion’s scales were the color of fresh cream, his horns, wing bones, and spinal crest a dark gold that flashed bright as metal in the sun. Rhaegal was made of the green of summer and the bronze of fall. They soared above the ships in wide circles, higher and higher, each trying to climb above the other.

[...] Drogon was aloft as well, though not in sight; he would be miles ahead, or miles behind, hunting.

He was always hungry, her Drogon. (ASOS Daenerys I)

Now, does this scene prevent any of these aspects from being true for show!Dany as well? No. That being said, not only these aspects don't come across as strongly in this scene (aside from how proud she is of them), it's also important to notice the show's priorities: they would rather focus on how show!Dany is dissatisfied with their slow growth because of her need to wage war and take back the Iron Throne (which, as I said in this post, is only a means to an end rather than the end that Dany really wants). Benioff describes Dany as "fiercely ambitious" and says in this video that "what she wants, more than anything, is to return home and to reclaim her birthright". I can't agree with these descriptions, so I need to call out this scene's priorities.

Related to how Benioff feels about Dany, we also have show!Dany saying this:

DAENERYS: Not fast enough. I can't wait that long. I need an army.

At this point in the books, Dany isn't even thinking of that, she is thinking that she will go to Pentos and meet Illyrio.

“From Meereen I am sold to Qohor, and then to Pentos and the fat man with sweet stink in his hair. He it was who send Strong Belwas back across the sea, and old Whitebeard to serve him.”

The fat man with sweet stink in his hair ... “Illyrio?” she said. “You were sent by Magister Illyrio?”

“We were, Your Grace,” old Whitebeard replied. (ACOK Daenerys V)

(Now, it could be argued, like @rainhadaenerys did in this meta, that show!Dany has more agency than Dany when she realizes, on her own, that she needs an army. It's a valid perspective that can coexist with what I'm saying here.)

This change doesn't bode well with the fact that they are choosing to portray the Iron Throne as show!Dany's most important goal when, like I just said, this is not what primarily motivates Dany. They are making show!Dany more ambitious (which, again, is not a bad thing in and of itself) than in canon and will have her pay the price for that later on.

JORAH: We'll be in Astapor by nightfall. Some say the Unsullied are the greatest soldiers in the world.

DAENERYS: The greatest slave-soldiers in the world. The distinction means a good deal to some people.

If D&D were following Dany's characterization, she wouldn't be aware of how deplorable and unacceptable slavery is at this point:

“...In Astapor you can buy Unsullied.”

“The slaves in the spiked bronze hats?” Dany had seen Unsullied guards in the Free Cities, posted at the gates of magisters, archons, and dynasts. “Why should I want Unsullied? They don’t even ride horses, and most of them are fat.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

Some people could argue that show!Dany's awareness of these issues from the get-go is a good change. However, I think it detracts from Dany's character development quite a bit. As @khaleesirin says here:

Dany’s supposed arbitrariness and hypocrisy ranging from “why wasn’t she against slavery earlier?” to “why did she leave Astapor?” stem from the fact that her beliefs, her core principles, were “anti-foundational”; they didn’t come from some pre-existing knowledge she adapted as a priori truth. They were all a result of her actual experiences. (x)

With this change, show!Dany misses out on the chance to receive this sort of growth; it detracts from her arc being of someone who develops her political goals and moral values along the way and may actually later validate claims that Dany is too self-righteous (she never was). Now, to be fair to the show writers (and I know this can be hard), particularly to Weiss (who, at least back in 2013, seemed to be much more sympathetic towards Dany than Benioff), he knows that Dany was a slave herself and that that informs her feelings and eventual actions against the masters (And so does Emilia Clarke). Even so, I have to say: I don't think Dany would have gone to Astapor if she were fully aware of the implications of being complicit in the slave trade.

“Khaleesi,” he said, taken aback by her fury, “the Unsullied are chosen as boys, and trained—”

“I have heard all I care to of their training.” Dany could feel tears welling in her eyes, sudden and unwanted. Her hand flashed up and cracked Ser Jorah hard across the face. It was either that, or cry.

Mormont touched the cheek she’d slapped. “If I have displeased my queen—”

“You have. You’ve displeased me greatly, ser. If you were my true knight, you would never have brought me to this vile sty.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

“I want to sail now, not on the tide, I want to sail far and fast and never look back. But I can’t, can I? There are eight thousand brick eunuchs for sale, and I must find some way to buy them.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

In these passages, we find out that witnessing the Unsullied's training is so hard for Dany that it makes her cry. It makes her question Jorah's honor as a knight for having thought that it was okay to bring her there. It makes her want to leave Astapor and never look back. I would say that Dany is an accidental queen (in the sense that she only became one for very specific circumstances, namely that all the men around her died) and, similarly, an accidental revolutionary - not in the sense that her haters argue (i.e. she just wanted an army and it became convenient to free the slaves), but rather because she only ended up in Astapor for very specific reasons: a) she didn't know how wrong slavery was and thought that slaves were treated like normal servants and b) she needed an army (not because of her "ambition", but because she realized that she shouldn't depend entirely on Illyrio and remain a beggar queen).

Show!Dany, on the other hand, knows that slavery is unacceptable and still sails to Astapor. Some things remain like they are in the books despite that change: like Dany, show!Dany still feels empathy for the slaves and risks a dragon solely because she wanted to free them. However, on a superficial read, it gives a bit of weight to the notion that she is too ambitious or that freeing the slaves was only a secondary goal to that of getting an army. Even if show canon can still disprove these claims, it's frustrating because they would be even easier to debunk if the show writers had been more faithful to the books.

JORAH: Do those people have any better ideas about how to put you on the Iron Throne?

DAENERYS: It's too beautiful a day to argue.

One of Dany's core traits is that she is open-minded and accepting of feedback, both positive and negative.

“A queen must listen to all,” she reminded him. “The highborn and the low, the strong and the weak, the noble and the venal. One voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

The old man had not wanted to sail to Astapor; nor did he favor buying this slave army. A queen should hear all sides before reaching a decision. That was why Dany had brought him with her to the Plaza of Pride, not to keep her safe. (ASOS Daenerys II)

“Your Grace, I did not mean to give offense.”

“Only lies offend me, never honest counsel.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

This characteristic, however, doesn't come across in this scene, in which show!Dany is brushing off any discussion and trying to retain her own opinion on the matter.

Now, this is not to say that there aren't moments in which we see show!Dany listening to her advisors and following their counsel (there are many) - heck, even now, she is following show!Jorah's advice since she is still going to Astapor despite her misgivings.

However, considering that:

a) the show is, in this episode, adapting parts of ACOK Daenerys V and ASOS Daenerys I and II (all of which contain explicit moments of Dany asking for advice and feedback and truth from her advisors, even if they disagree with her),

b) the show will later try to paint show!Dany as reckless or dangerous when she doesn't listen to her advisors and

c) there's a widespread misconception that Dany (especially the show version) is unable to consider other people's perspectives... I end up looking askance at this scene.

They could have written many others (such as any of the three examples from the books that I showed above) that would have left us with a different impression of Dany. Worse scenes will come, of course, but I'm taking note of every single thing that may have helped to mischaracterize Dany in the eyes of the general audience.

Also, unlike show!Dany (who isn't shown onscreen offering either counterarguments or "better ideas" than show!Jorah's advice to turn Astapor), Dany is shown onpage making lots of questions to Jorah's counsel before deciding to follow it:

“How am I to buy a thousand slave soldiers? All I have of value is the crown the Tourmaline Brotherhood gave me.” (ASOS Daenerys I)

“Those are Illyrio’s tiger skins,” she objected. “And Illyrio is a friend to House Targaryen.”  (ASOS Daenerys I)

“There will be dangers on such a long march ...” (ASOS Daenerys I)

“What if Captain Groleo refuses to change course, though? And Arstan, Strong Belwas, what will they do?” (ASOS Daenerys I)

While it could be argued that Dany is not offering "better ideas" here either, that's not my point: my point is that Dany is being shown here as an active player who takes part in discussions of which course of action to take, which is not what we tend to see in the show. Indeed, there are plenty of moments in which the series has show!Dany follow her advisors' counsel with no objections or complements of her own at all. That's why there are lots of different flavors of misconceptions about Dany: when it comes to whether she listens to people's advice or not, some argue that she can't think on her own and depends too much on them, some argue that she is too self-absorbed and never listens. In D&D's case, they have said that show!Dany has only relied on the men around her for the first two seasons, which is blatantly untrue in the books - see examples of Dany making her own decisions in both AGOT and ACOK here and here. Their misunderstanding of Dany is what makes me wary of this scene (for it is informed by said misunderstanding), so it's necessary to point out that what it intends to convey about show!Dany isn't what the books intend to convey about Dany.

Then, we have this:

DAENERYS: It's too beautiful a day to argue.

(Dothraki man vomiting)

JORAH: You're right. Another lovely day on the high seas.

DAENERYS: Don't mock them. They're the first Dothraki who have ever been on a ship. They followed me across the poison water. If they'll do it, others will. And with a true khalasar ...

JORAH: The Dothraki follow strength above all, khaleesi. You'll have a true khalasar when you prove yourself strong. And not before.

This exchange may be brief, but it is wrong and offensive on so many levels.

First, show!Dany seems to suggest that she is interested in expanding her khalasar when she says that "if they'll [follow her across the poison water], others will", which is something Dany never expressed any desire to do in the books.

Second, both show!Dany and show!Jorah think that the former doesn't really have "a true khalasar". Why doesn't she have a "true khalasar"? Is it because they are too few? Is it because show!Dany hasn't proven herself strong (as show!Jorah puts it)? In any case, both suggestions are bullshit. Dany does consider her "meager" group (as she puts it) a khalasar:

“We follow the comet,” Dany told her khalasar. (ACOK Daenerys I)

Yet even as her dragons prospered, her khalasar withered and died. (ACOK Daenerys I)

Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo were brave warriors, but they were young, and too valuable to risk. They kept her khalasar together, and were her best scouts too. (ASOS Daenerys V)

Also, while I've criticized the underdevelopment of Dany's khalasar before, each of them have different reactions to traveling at sea, so the show's portrayal manages to make their lack of characterization even worse:

Her brave young bloodriders had stared off at the dwindling coastline with huge white eyes, each of the three determined to show no fear before the other two, while her handmaids Irri and Jhiqui clutched the rail desperately and retched over the side at every little swell. The rest of Dany’s tiny khalasar remained below decks, preferring the company of their nervous horses to the terrifying landless world about the ships. When a sudden squall had enveloped them six days into the voyage, she heard them through the hatches; the horses kicking and screaming, the riders praying in thin quavery voices each time Balerion heaved or swayed. (ASOS Daenerys I)

Perhaps more importantly, unlike what show!Jorah says, Dany's khalasar is already devoted and faithful to Dany ever since she walked out of the pyre unscathed with three dragons. They already think that she is strong:

She was naked, covered with soot, her clothes turned to ash, her beautiful hair all crisped away ... yet she was unhurt.

[...] The men of her khas came up behind him. Jhogo was the first to lay his arakh at her feet. “Blood of my blood,” he murmured, pushing his face to the smoking earth. “Blood of my blood,” she heard Aggo echo. “Blood of my blood,” Rakharo shouted.

And after them came her handmaids, and then the others, all the Dothraki, men and women and children, and Dany had only to look at their eyes to know that they were hers now, today and tomorrow and forever, hers as they had never been Drogo’s. (AGOT Daenerys X)

“We follow the comet,” Dany told her khalasar. Once it was said, no word was raised against it. They had been Drogo’s people, but they were hers now. The Unburnt, they called her, and Mother of Dragons. Her word was their law. (ACOK Daenerys I)

Jhiqui had braided her hair Dothraki-fashion, and fastened a silver bell to the end of the braid. “I have won no victories,” she tried telling her handmaid when the bell tinkled softly.

Jhiqui disagreed. “You burned the maegi in their house of dust and sent their souls to hell.” (ACOK Daenerys V)

At this point, Dany doesn't have to prove herself as a leader to anyone because she has already done so. However, D&D seem to think that show!Dany still has to. What's even worse is that this plot point will be forgotten; show!Dany's khalasar will only make a brief appearance in season four and then disappear until she's captured and later unites all the khalasars to her cause. Then, when show!Dany crosses the narrow sea in season six, the Dothraki's fear of the "poison water" will no longer be an inconvenience (even though she is carrying thousands of them). It's lazy writing that, nonetheless, undermines Dany's character.

Finally, while at least they have show!Dany empathizing with the Dothraki the way Dany also does in the book, I wish the writers had made show!Dany empathize with the Dothraki based on her experiences like Dany does, because it highlights that Dany is humble and views herself as an equal to them:

The Dothraki distrusted the sea and all that moved upon it. Water that a horse could not drink was water they wanted no part of. They will learn, Dany resolved. I braved their sea with Khal Drogo. Now they can brave mine. (ACOK Daenerys V)

This scene may last for less than two minutes, but, as you can see, there's still a lot of wrong (or at least questionable) to dissect in it.

Scene 2

Summary: show!Dany is given a tour of the Unsullied barracks by Kraznys while show!Missandei translates his Valyrian into the Common Tongue. Show!Dany is outraged by their training, but show!Jorah still urges her to purchase them. On the way to the ship, show!Dany is distracted by a child who turns out to be an assassin sent to deliver a deadly manticore to kill her. Show!Barristan impales the manticore with his dagger and the child leaves. Then, show!Barristan introduces himself to show!Dany and offers her his service.

Considering how other aspects were poorly handled, I think Dany’s discomfort with the Unsullied’s training was translated relatively well from the books to the show. Even so, I wish they had added more of Dany's emotional reactions:

“What is he doing?” Dany demanded of the girl, as the blood ran down the man’s chest. (ASOS Daenerys II)

“How can that be?” she demanded through the scribe. (ASOS Daenerys II)

“No names?” Dany frowned at the little scribe. “Can that be what the Good Master said? They have no names?” (ASOS Daenerys II)

Dany’s mouth surely twisted at that. Did he see, or is he blind as well as cruel? She turned away quickly, trying to keep her face a mask until she heard the translation. Only then did she allow herself to say, “Whose infants do they slay?”

“To win his spiked cap, an Unsullied must go to the slave marts with a silver mark, find some wailing newborn, and kill it before its mother’s eyes. In this way, we make certain that there is no weakness left in them.”

She was feeling faint. The heat, she tried to tell herself. “You take a babe from its mother’s arms, kill it as she watches, and pay for her pain with a silver coin?”

When the translation was made for him, Kraznys mo Nakloz laughed aloud. “What a soft mewling fool this one is. Tell the whore of Westeros that the mark is for the child’s owner, not the mother. The Unsullied are not permitted to steal.” He tapped his whip against his leg. “Tell her that few ever fail that test. The dogs are harder for them, it must be said. We give each boy a puppy on the day that he is cut. At the end of the first year, he is required to strangle it. Any who cannot are killed, and fed to the surviving dogs. It makes for a good strong lesson, we find.”

Arstan Whitebeard tapped the end of his staff on the bricks as he listened to that. Tap tap tap. Slow and steady. Tap tap tap. Dany saw him turn his eyes away, as if he could not bear to look at Kraznys any longer. (ASOS Daenerys II)

Even the part where show!Dany is horrified by the discovery that the Unsullied are forced to kill a baby while its mother watches (which at least the show writers rightly focused on) doesn't convey a lot of emotion like in the books... It doesn't seem like show!Dany is struggling to hide her revulsion or that her blood pressure is lowering because of her anxiety in the moment. I understand, however, that the directors never allowed Emilia Clarke to express too many feelings in her portrayal of show!Dany, so I don't tend to blame her.

I also want to take note of what is in line with the Unsullied's training in the books:

The Unsullied are forced to stand for a day with no food or water to prove their discipline and strength.

The beginning of their training, the drilling from dawn to dusk and the mastering of the weapons.

The Unsullied not being considered men.

The Unsullied not moving even after their nipples are cut off.

The Unsullied needing to go to the slave marts to kill a baby before its mother’s eyes.

There are some things that were changed or omitted, however:

Even more Unsullied die during their training: only one boy in four survives rather than one boy in three. (Which makes it even more disgusting that they will try to frame "conciliation" with and "mercy" towards the slavers as the better path in the later seasons)

No mention of the “wine of courage”, which the Unsullied drink in the books to feel less pain and endure any torture.

No mention of the puppies that the Unsullied are given only to be forced to kill a year later (and, if they don’t, they are fed to the surviving dogs).

No mention that their names are changed every day so that they lose their sense of individuality. This will be included on episode 3.5, however.

Kraznys is not shown whipping Missandei and other slaves.

Overall, the show gave us enough reasons to understand why show!Dany's rebellion against the slave masters is righteous.

The biggest problem of the scene was replacing Barristan for Jorah as the advisor who is with Dany when she meets the Unsullied: it gives room to the perspective of a slaver, who attempts to normalize the masters' treatment of the Unsullied. This undermines how abhorrent and unjust their training is. Right off the bat, we have our first sign that the show will turn into slavery apologia (to the point of later comparing Dany to the Nazis and the Ghiscari slavers to the Jews via subtext).

In the books, there is a Doylist reason as to why Barristan is with Dany when she meets the Unsullied for the first time: his presence and opinions emphasize how wrong and unacceptable the training of the Unsullied is.

“I call that madness, not courage,” said Arstan Whitebeard, when the solemn little scribe was done. He tapped the end of his hardwood staff against the bricks, tap tap, as if to tell his displeasure. (ASOS Daenerys II)

“You have lived long in the world, Whitebeard. Now that you have seen them, what do you say?”

“I say no, Your Grace,” the old man answered at once.  (ASOS Daenerys II)

Arstan Whitebeard’s face was still, but his staff beat out his rage. Tap tap tap. (ASOS Daenerys II)

“Bricks and blood built Astapor,” Whitebeard murmured at her side, “and bricks and blood her people.”

“What is that?” Dany asked him, curious.

“An old rhyme a maester taught me, when I was a boy. I never knew how true it was. The bricks of Astapor are red with the blood of the slaves who make them.”

“I can well believe that,” said Dany.

“Then leave this place before your heart turns to brick as well. Sail this very night, on the evening tide.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

That's not to say, of course, that he was the one who motivated Dany to begin her abolitionist campaign (that's her decision and only hers), only that his appearance influences the framing of the scene (just like show!Jorah's appearance does). It also has negative implications for show!Dany's characterization, since, as @yendany said here, Dany may have unconsciously desired to have someone with an anti-slavery stance (like hers) by her side when she chose to have Barristan accompany her to meet the Unsullied.

Also, having show!Jorah be with show!Dany when she sees the training of the Unsullied means erasing the fact that, in the books, Dany left Jorah on the ship because he forced a kiss on her and she no longer trusted him enough to be alone with him. Erasing this event from the books means that Jorah's creepy and disrespectful behaviors toward Dany are, in the show writers' opinion, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, which is horrible. I will talk more about this issue in the post discussing the things from the books that the show completely left out, but I still felt the need to briefly address this here.

Replacing Barristan for Jorah also led to one of Dany's best assertions to be cut:

“Better to come a beggar than a slaver,” Arstan said.

“There speaks one who has been neither.” Dany’s nostrils flared. “Do you know what it is like to be sold, squire? I do. My brother sold me to Khal Drogo for the promise of a golden crown. Well, Drogo crowned him in gold, though not as he had wished, and I ... my sun-and-stars made a queen of me, but if he had been a different man, it might have been much otherwise. Do you think I have forgotten how it felt to be afraid?” (ASOS Daenerys II)

In the books, this scene highlights a few things:

Dany is not looking for an army because she is "fiercely ambitious", but because she lived in poverty for years and saw her brother not getting the help he needed (something she also experienced in Qarth, despite having dragons). She knows it's not a good idea to rely entirely on others, which is why she went to Astapor. (besides her ignorance, which I already explained above and in this post)

Despite empathizing with the slaves' plight, Barristan did not go through what they went through (he is a well-intentioned ally, as you will). Dany, on the other hand, did. She was a sex slave once and does not need to be reminded that being complicit in the slave trade is morally wrong. She still remembers "how it felt to be afraid".

Show!Jorah would never say that it's "better to come a beggar than a slaver" because he is okay with slavery, making it harder for this assertion to be added. It wasn't impossible for the show writers to have added it, however - they could have simply had show!Dany be less confrontational and say, by her own initiative, that she knows what it is like to be sold and that she hasn't forgotten how it felt to be afraid. To be fair, as I already said, Weiss shows awareness that Dany's empathy is informed by the fact that she was a slave before, but there isn't any scene in the show explicitly making that point, which is quite a shame. Instead, most of the scenes seem to communicate Benioff's reading of the events:

Benioff: Idealism is wonderful, but it's not gonna happen if you're idealistic, you gotta be a realist. She feels like she has this almost divine mission and nothing is gonna prevent her from achieving it. (x)

Benioff: For Daenerys to win, ultimately, she's gonna have to be just as ruthless as the others, and maybe even moreso. (x)

This idea that show!Dany needs to be a "realist" makes it very likely that Benioff (and who knows which other writers) sides with show!Jorah on this discussion. This also explains why his perspective is being favored to the detriment of show!Dany's and show!Barristan's.

Also, I've already written an entire post about how Dany is not primarily driven by prophecies or destiny or, as Benioff puts it, a "divine mission".

Also, he misses out on the fact that Dany's idealism in the books (and even in the show) actually pays off. As I said here:

Like with Viserys and Drogo, Dany is influenced by both of their [Jorah's and Barristan's] recommendations and apply them in different ways while forging her own path: she will not help to maintain the oppression of the slaves like Barristan advised her, but she won’t play by the rules (because they view human beings as objects to be sold and invalidate her moral values, so they shouldn’t be acknowledged as such to begin with) like Jorah advised her: she will break the rules because of her moral duty (as she sees it) to free the slaves.

And yes, this act of rebellion will have negative (and unintended) consequences later in ASOS and ADWD, but it was still righteous and necessary for it to have happened for the reasons expressed in these links. To summarize them, ending the supremacy of the masters will always be a good thing, and this wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Dany's idealism. The books validate her idealism instead of belittling it.

DAENERYS: How many do you have to sell?

MISSANDEI: She asks how many Unsullied are for sale. (Kraznys points eight fingers) 8,000.

KRAZNYS: Tell the Westerosi whore she has until tomorrow.

MISSANDEI: Master Kraznys asks that you please hurry. Many other buyers are interested.

I'm singling out this part of show!Dany's talk with Kraznys and show!Missandei because I don't think the show writers really understood why Dany asked "how many do you have to sell?" in the books. First, let's see the context in which she made that question:

“Tell her it is well she came to Astapor, then. Ask her how large an army she wishes to buy.”

“How many Unsullied do you have to sell?”

“Eight thousand fully trained and available at present.[”] (ASOS Daenerys II)

As I said in this post, Dany doesn’t ask how large an army she wants (though she admits she needs soldiers), but rather how many Unsullied he has to sell. This is one of the several hints that she wants to rescue them all (not her interest to buy an army), even she must go to extreme lengths to do so. See also this passage:

She doesn't have to find a way to buy eight thousand of them. Jorah himself had only advised her to buy a thousand. But then, again, it's because she wants to free them all.

In the show, this doesn't come across. Aside from her uneasiness about the training, the show cuts all of the other moments hinting that Dany will do against the slave trade rather than be complicit in it.

“The Good Master has said that these eunuchs cannot be tempted with coin or flesh,” Dany told the girl, “but if some enemy of mine should offer them freedom for betraying me …” (ASOS Daenerys II)

Dany knew she would take more than a hundred, if she took any at all. (ASOS Daenerys II)

It wouldn’t have been hard to have her say it out loud that she will take “more than a hundred, if any at all” or that she can’t leave the city now. It wouldn’t have been hard for her to ask Kraznys about what would happen if a hypothetical enemy offered freedom to the Unsullied.

To be fair, we also see show!Dany saying this to show!Jorah while they are going back to the ship:

DAENERYS: 8,000 dead babies.

Like the Dany of the books, show!Dany is also distressed at the systematic killings that allowed for the Unsullied to become who they are, so I can't say that they are only making her motivations be about the need to get an army (though, as I showed above, they overfocused on that need too). Anyway, this brings me to this part:

DAENERYS: 8,000 dead babies.

JORAH: The Unsullied are a means to an end.

DAENERYS: Once I own them, these men ...

JORAH: They're not men. Not anymore.

Unlike in the show, Dany is the one who reminds Jorah that the Unsullied are no longer men. However, the reason why she does so is completely different from show!Jorah's:

“How many men do they have for sale?”

“None.” Was it Mormont she was angry with, or this city with its sullen heat, its stinks and sweats and crumbling bricks? “They sell eunuchs, not men. Eunuchs made of brick, like the rest of Astapor. Shall I buy eight thousand brick eunuchs with dead eyes that never move, who kill suckling babes for the sake of a spiked hat and strangle their own dogs? They don’t even have names. So don’t call them men, ser.”

“Khaleesi,” he said, taken aback by her fury, “the Unsullied are chosen as boys, and trained—”

Mormont touched the cheek she’d slapped. “If I have displeased my queen—”

“You have. You’ve displeased me greatly, ser. If you were my true knight, you would never have brought me to this vile sty.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

I will quote myself on the significance of this scene:

Here, Dany recognizes that no human being should ever have to undergo the sort of systematic abuse and torture that the Unsullied were forced to experience in order to become as subservient as they are. Dany recognizes how dehumanizing and unacceptable that sort of treatment was for making them “like one man” meant for sale (or “not men” at all) - that’s why she tells Jorah to not call them men: she asks that he doesn’t erase their suffering and talk as if the way they were treated was, in any way, acceptable.

Jorah doesn’t understand any of this, though. While his advice for Dany to go to Astapor ultimately paid off because of Dany’s actions, we should remind ourselves that he did her no favor. I’ve already shown in another post how he still has no problem with slavery even after being exiled, and you can see that in the next passage below: he can’t understand why would Dany be angry at him for advising her to go to Astapor to buy them nor why would she be appalled by how they are treated, so he tries to normalize the situation by focusing on how effective as a force they can be (“the Unsullied are chosen as boys, and trained…”). That’s enough for Dany, who rightfully slaps him in the face.

She makes it clear here: if he were her true knight, he wouldn’t have brought her to Astapor. (And that he forced a kiss on her and looked at her breasts without her consent makes her anger even more pronounced, rightfully so.) Thankfully, Dany is a true queen, but not because of him.

Does any of this come across in the show? No. For one, as I said above, show!Dany is given less agency because she needs to be reminded that the Unsullied are no longer men and her righteous anger toward Jorah is erased. For two, show!Jorah's perspective is again prioritized and never called out as immoral like in the books. (Again, the show writers' bias in his favor is showing).

Their dialogue goes on like this:

DAENERYS: Once I own an army of slaves, what will I be?

JORAH: Do you think these slaves will have better lives serving Kraznys and men like him or serving you? You'll be fair to them. You won't mutilate them to make a point. You won't order them to murder babies. You'll see they're properly fed and sheltered. A great injustice has been done to them. Closing your eyes will not undo it.

While it's true that Jorah also gives arguments as to why Dany should buy the Unsullied, they are different ones:

“I saw King’s Landing after the Sack. Babes were butchered that day as well, and old men, and children at play. More women were raped than you can count. There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs. The scent of blood is all it takes to wake him. Yet I have never heard of these Unsullied raping, nor putting a city to the sword, nor even plundering, save at the express command of those who lead them. Brick they may be, as you say, but if you buy them henceforth the only dogs they’ll kill are those you want dead. And you do have some dogs you want dead, as I recall.” (ASOS Daenerys II)

We'll see some of these arguments from ASOS Daenerys II being expressed in episode 3.3, but that's not my point: my point is that the show writers prioritized show!Jorah's point of view so much that they created new arguments for him to make show!Jorah seem, as Benioff puts it, "realist". In the books, for instance, Jorah never acknowledges that “a great injustice has been done to them” - he only focuses on how they'll be useful to Dany and how they'll cause less collateral damage (which is what Dany wants). So, again, we had foreshadowing for the show's turn into slavery apologia right from the beginning of show!Dany's storyline, especially when one compares it to the books (which are far from perfect; I've already criticized, for instance, the books' lack of attention to the freedmen's perspectives. Even then, however, I doubt they'll be justifying slavery any time soon).

Then we get to the scene in the docks. Honestly, I don't understand why they changed it so much. I’m not even referring to the fact that it takes place in Astapor rather than Qarth, but rather to other two major divergences.

First, in the books, Jorah notices that he and Dany are being followed:

As they made their way toward the next quay, Ser Jorah laid a hand against the small of her back. “Your Grace. You are being followed. No, do not turn.” (ACOK Daenerys V)

Dany makes plenty of questions and observations about the followers as she observes them:

Dany let her glance sweep over the strangers. The brown man was near as wide as he’d looked in the platter, with a gleaming bald head and the smooth cheeks of a eunuch. A long curving arakh was thrust through the sweat-stained yellow silk of his bellyband. Above the silk, he was naked but for an absurdly tiny iron-studded vest. Old scars crisscrossed his tree-trunk arms, huge chest, and massive belly, pale against his nut-brown skin.

The other man wore a traveler’s cloak of undyed wool, the hood thrown back. Long white hair fell to his shoulders, and a silky white beard covered the lower half of his face. He leaned his weight on a hardwood staff as tall as he was. Only fools would stare so openly if they meant me harm. All the same, it might be prudent to head back toward Jhogo and Aggo. “The old man does not wear a sword,” she said to Jorah in the Common Tongue as she drew him away. (ACOK Daenerys V)

She also has a very funny scene with a merchant; he wants to sell a platter for an expensive price and she keeps asking for it to go down, but she is actually only using the platter to pay attention to how the two men following her look like and what they will do. It’s a scene showcasing both her cleverness and her sense of humor:

“A most excellent brass, great lady,” the merchant exclaimed. “Bright as the sun! And for the Mother of Dragons, only thirty honors.”

The platter was worth no more than three. “Where are my guards?” Dany declared. “This man is trying to rob me!” For Jorah, she lowered her voice and spoke in the Common Tongue. “They may not mean me ill. Men have looked at women since time began, perhaps it is no more than that.”

The brass-seller ignored their whispers. “Thirty? Did I say thirty? Such a fool I am. The price is twenty honors.”

“All the brass in this booth is not worth twenty honors,” Dany told him as she studied the reflections. The old man had the look of Westeros about him, and the brown-skinned one must weigh twenty stone. The Usurper offered a lordship to the man who kills me, and these two are far from home. Or could they be creatures of the warlocks, meant to take me unawares? (ACOK Daenerys V)

Second, in the books, a Qartheen offers Dany a jewel box:

A Qartheen stepped into her path. “Mother of Dragons, for you.” He knelt and thrust a jewel box into her face.

Dany took it almost by reflex. The box was carved wood, its mother-of-pearl lid inlaid with jasper and chalcedony. “You are too generous.” She opened it. Within was a glittering green scarab carved from onyx and emerald. Beautiful, she thought. This will help pay for our passage. (ACOK Daenerys V)

It makes sense for Dany to fall into this person's trap because she was receiving gifts from the Qartheen and people from other regions all the time during her stay simply for being the Mother of Dragons. (Which is not to say that they ultimately helped her; they did not)

In the show, a random child somehow captures show!Dany’s attention enough so that show!Dany follows her for no reason and then gets fooled. It doesn’t make much sense and actually portrays show!Dany as someone who is easily distracted by things. The only detail that is salvageable is that show!Dany is able to guess that the assassin was sent by the warlocks, just like Dany applies the knowledge she had previously received of the Sorrowful Men to correctly identify the person who tried to kill her as one.

Finally, we get to show!Barristan's introduction.

DAENERYS: You know this man?

JORAH: I know him as one of the greatest fighters the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen and as the Lord Commander of Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard.

BARRISTAN: King Robert is dead. I have been searching for you, Daenerys Stormborn, to ask your forgiveness. I was sworn to protect your family. I failed them. I am Barristan Selmy, Kingsguard to your father. Allow me to join your Queensguard and I will not fail you again.

First, as I said above, the show erases most (if not all) the moments in which Jorah attempts to isolate Dany from other men and make her distrust them. This moment is one of those:

“You know him?” Dany asked the exile knight, lost.

“I saw him perhaps a dozen times ... from afar most often, standing with his brothers or riding in some tourney. But every man in the Seven Kingdoms knew Barristan the Bold.” He laid the point of his sword against the old man’s neck. “Khaleesi, before you kneels Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, who betrayed your House to serve the Usurper Robert Baratheon.” (ASOS Daenerys V)

Jorah's description of Barristan in the books is much less flattering than the one from the show because Jorah is hellbent on isolating Dany from other men.

Second, I know most fans think that having Barristan reveal his identity right away was ultimately a good choice for practical reasons (i.e., it would be too easy for the fans to remember Barristan's actor and figure out his identity), but I think this change ultimately did far more harm than good.

How did show!Barristan track show!Dany? Why would he think she was going to Astapor? How could he have known if he didn't have Illyrio's (or anyone's) support?

How was he aware that the warlocks sent an assassin after Dany? In the books, he saves her on a rush, after the manticore left the jewel box. In the show, he drops the ball before the manticore leaves it. For some unknown reason, he already knew that it had the intent to kill her.

In the books, Barristan is supposed to serve as a positive contrast to Jorah's negative behaviors when they are both put on trial for betraying Dany's trust. Because show!Barristan reveals his identity early on, the contrast is lost.

Barristan is the one who tells Dany about Jorah's betrayal in the books. Since it wouldn't make sense for show!Barristan to only tell show!Dany about this later on, the show writers had the Lannisters randomly think that Dany is a threat, that Dany and Jorah are a good duo that must be separated and that sending a letter pardoning Jorah would necessarily do the deed. Not only that's stupid (Jorah received and sent letters without Dany's knowledge in both mediums), it also validates the idea that show!Jorah is good to show!Dany (something that the showrunners think is the case). These are all unfortunate consequences that arose from the early reveal of show!Barristan's identity.

By revealing himself earlier, show!Barristan loses his arc from the books, which was partly about finding a liege who was morally worthy of being served after he spent years in the service of bad kings. (He might say later in episode 3.5 that he's looking for the right person to follow, but his actions don't show it in any way.) That Barristan hid his identity and only pledged his sword to Dany because he realized that she was more than Rhaegar's sister, but also a queen in her own right, speaks volumes to his character development and to how we're supposed to see Dany in a sympathetic manner. Unfortunately, the show writers (especially Benioff) don't like Dany very much. As this review hopefully shows (and others will make it even clearer), they go out of their way to undermine her intelligence and empathy and humbleness and all of the other traits that make Dany who she is, while GRRM goes out of his way to portray Dany in a sympathetic light, with this chapter review from @turtle-paced showing a perfect example of how he does so.

Third, I don't understand why the show made the question of whether show!Dany would accept show!Barristan's service as the episode's cliffhanger. First, book readers would already know that she would. Second, show!Barristan won't be treated any differently in the next episodes than he would be if they had met earlier (aside from show!Jorah's distrustful remarks). Third, I don't like how leaving this scene as the episode's cliffhanger makes us wonder if show!Dany will be merciful or not. We can point to her later actions and realize that she will be, but this shouldn't have been a question in the first place. It helps to mischaracterize Dany in the eyes of the public audience and doesn't convey that some of Dany's core traits are being open-minded and forgiving.

In the books, Dany doesn't really feel angry with Barristan. It's more that he becomes collateral damage after she finds out that Jorah, the person she trusted the most at that point in time, was lying to her from the very beginning:

“...And since the day you wed Khal Drogo, there has been an informer by your side selling your secrets, trading whispers to the Spider for gold and promises.”

He cannot mean ... “You are mistaken.” Dany looked at Jorah Mormont. “Tell him he’s mistaken. There’s no informer. Ser Jorah, tell him. We crossed the Dothraki sea together, and the red waste ...” Her heart fluttered like a bird in a trap. “Tell him, Jorah. Tell him how he got it wrong.”

“The Others take you, Selmy.” Ser Jorah flung his longsword to the carpet. “Khaleesi, it was only at the start, before I came to know you ... before I came to love ...”

“Do not say that word!” She backed away from him. “How could you? What did the Usurper promise you? Gold, was it gold?” The Undying had said she would be betrayed twice more, once for gold and once for love. “Tell me what you were promised?”

“Varys said ... I might go home.” He bowed his head.

I was going to take you home! Her dragons sensed her fury. Viserion roared, and smoke rose grey from his snout. Drogon beat the air with black wings, and Rhaegal twisted his head back and belched flame. I should say the word and burn the two of them. Was there no one she could trust, no one to keep her safe? “Are all the knights of Westeros so false as you two? Get out, before my dragons roast you both. What does roast liar smell like? As foul as Brown Ben’s sewers? Go!”

Ser Barristan rose stiff and slow. For the first time, he looked his age. “Where shall we go, Your Grace?”

“To hell, to serve King Robert.” Dany felt hot tears on her cheeks. Drogon screamed, lashing his tail back and forth. “The Others can have you both.” Go, go away forever, both of you, the next time I see your faces I’ll have your traitors’ heads off. She could not say the words, though. They betrayed me. But they saved me. But they lied. “You go ...” My bear, my fierce strong bear, what will I do without him? And the old man, my brother’s friend. (ASOS Daenerys V)

Before she knew about Jorah's deception, Dany is more puzzled and surprised about Barristan's identity reveal than anything else:

She was more confused than angry. He has played me false, just as Jorah warned me, yet he saved my life just now.

Ser Jorah flushed red. “Mero shaved his beard, but you grew one, didn’t you? No wonder you looked so bloody familiar ...”

“You know him?” Dany asked the exile knight, lost.

“Why are you here?” Dany demanded of him. “If Robert sent you to kill me, why did you save my life?” He served the Usurper. He betrayed Rhaegar’s memory, and abandoned Viserys to live and die in exile. Yet if he wanted me dead, he need only have stood aside ... “I want the whole truth now, on your honor as a knight. Are you the Usurper’s man, or mine?”

“Quiet,” said Dany. “I’ll hear him out.”

In this sense, I think Emilia Clarke's expression manages to capture how the Dany of the books must have felt when Barristan's identity was revealed; perplexed, but also grateful that he saved her life.

Also, they have show!Dany ask show!Jorah if he knows show!Barristan without the proper context: in the books, she only makes that question because he made an unpleasant comment about Barristan. In the show, she asks if he knows who he is in a way that makes her seem more dependent on him than it would have been if they had been faithful to the books.

My comments on the Inside the Episode 3.1

Benioff: For a great leader who is doing something unpopular for a certain segment, whether it's the Warlocks or the slave masters or whatnot, she's creating a lot of enemies, and powerful enemies, and those people are going to try to stop her regardless of how powerful she becomes, and it's something she's actually, in a weird way, used to, because she grew up running from assassins with her brother, you know, from the time, from the earliest time she can remember, she was being spirited from one city to another one step ahead of Robert Baratheon and the assassins, because there were so many people who wanted to destroy the Targaryen family and make King Robert happy and now there are thousands out there for all sorts of different reasons because she's made even more enemies, but, I think in her mind this is just the price you pay for being Daenerys Targaryen, for being the last of the Targaryens, and it's not going to stop her.

Benioff is not entirely inaccurate when it comes to Dany feeling that she's always been on the run:

It was not by choice that she sought the waterfront. She was fleeing again. Her whole life had been one long flight, it seemed. She had begun running in her mother’s womb, and never once stopped. How often had she and Viserys stolen away in the black of night, a bare step ahead of the Usurper’s hired knives? But it was run or die. (ACOK Daenerys V)

ASOS Daenerys V is particularly heartbreaking in that sense when she decides to leave her tent and interact with her people only to almost be killed by Mero:

She had no enemies among her children.

“Your Grace.” Arstan knelt. “I am an old man, and shamed. He should never have gotten close enough to seize you. I was lax. I did not know him without his beard and hair.”

“No more than I did.” Dany took a deep breath to stop her shaking. Enemies everywhere.

However, Benioff forgets Dany's very first chapter:

They had wandered since then, from Braavos to Myr, from Myr to Tyrosh, and on to Qohor and Volantis and Lys, never staying long in any one place. Her brother would not allow it. The Usurper’s hired knives were close behind them, he insisted, though Dany had never seen one. (AGOT Daenerys I)

I've already written an entire meta on how Dany's PoV is not entirely reliable and this is one of the instances. I imagine her thoughts on the matter changed because of this:

“A letter to Viserys, from Magister Illyrio. Robert Baratheon offers lands and lordships for your death, or your brother’s.”

“My brother?” Her sob was half a laugh. “He does not know yet, does he? The Usurper owes Drogo a lordship.” This time her laugh was half a sob. She hugged herself protectively. “And me, you said. Only me?”

“You and the child,” Ser Jorah said, grim.

“No. He cannot have my son.” She would not weep, she decided. She would not shiver with fear. The Usurper has woken the dragon now, she told herself ... (AGOT Daenerys VI)

It seems that Dany unconsciously and retroactively changed history in her mind after Robert tried to have her and her child assassinated (something that I forgot to talk about in my meta), which is quite interesting. I guess it's a detail that is easy to miss, so that's forgivable.

What's less excusable is the way that Benioff talks about Dany's mindset.

Benioff: I think in her mind this is just the price you pay for being Daenerys Targaryen, for being the last of the Targaryens, and it's not going to stop her. (x)

It's true that Dany is aware that she is the last of her family:

With Viserys gone, Daenerys was the last, the very last. She was the seed of kings and conquerors, and so too the child inside her. She must not forget. (AGOT Daenerys VI)

However, I look askance at the possible interpretation behind this statement. One could switch "Daenerys" for "Viserys" and it would be just as fitting. It's left ambiguous on its own, but, considering how he overfocuses on how "ambitious" she is or how she wants "more than anything" to "reclaim her birthright" or how "the only threat she poses is her name" until she frees the slaves in Astapor... I have to assume that he wants us to think that show!Dany is both arrogant and entitled for being a Targaryen. All of these mischaracterizations have been exhaustively refuted by @rainhadaenerys in this meta.

My comments on Anatomy of a Scene: Daenerys Meets the Unsullied

Weiss: Dany spent the first two seasons of the show leaning on men - her brother, Drogo, Jorah Mormont, Xaro Xhoan Daxos. She came out of season two realizing that the only person that she can completely trust is herself.

Benioff: Dany has her lovable side, but she is also ruthless, and she is also fiercely ambitious. What she wants, more than anything, is to return home and to reclaim her birthright.

Clarke: She needs the manpower to go back and conquer the Iron Throne and to be able to right the wrongs that she sees going on around her.

Minahan: She's been brought to Astapor, where she's reluctantly going to meet with slave traders. Her quest in this is to build an army without taking slaves.

Comments from Charlie Somers (location manager) and Christina Moore (supervising art director) that don't have anything to do with the storyline.

Benioff: The Unsullied were kidnapped as babies from their home countries and brought to Astapor and trained in the ways of the spear and castrated.

Emmanuel: They won't do anything without the command to do so first.

Comment from Tommy Dunne (weapons master) that doesn't have anything to do with the storyline.

Clarke: She's being introduced to the Unsullied by Kraznys, the slave master in control of them.

Emmanuel: Kraznys is being quite insulting to Daenerys. And Missandei very cleverly smoothes out her translation, just her initiative doing that shows her intelligence.

Clarke: Dany sees a lot of herself in her and can kind of see that it's a young girl who's capable of much more than the position she's in. She's his No 1 slave. If you were in the UN, she would be the translator for everyone.

Weiss: Kraznys speaks a version of Valyrian that's been bastardized and mixed with other local languages.

Comment from Majella Hurley (dialect coach) that doesn't have anything to do with the storyline.

Clarke: She's struggling with the moral aspect of the way that these cities are run. And it's something she's been grappling with because they are an army of slaves, which she fundamentally has moral issues with due to the fact that she herself was a slave.

Weiss: The only way she can make the world a better place is to become the biggest slaveowner in the world.

Benioff: She's put into a difficult position, and she's got her advisors whispering in her ears.

Glen: Jorah encourages her to get over her moral scrupules, with taking an army that were duty-bound to follow whatever leader it was, and that could change in an instant.

Weiss: What she wants to do isn't just conquest for the sake of conquest, but it's really conquest for the sake of making the world a better place, and she's a revolutionary in that sense.

Benioff: For Daenerys to win, ultimately, she's gonna have to be just as ruthless as the others, and maybe even moreso.

My comments about their statements:

Clarke: She definitely understands Dany better than Benioff and maybe even Weiss. My only nitpick is that there's no No 1 slave for Kraznys ... In the books, he repeatedly whips Missandei and has no problem giving her away to Dany as a gift. Even in the show, he still constantly disrespects show!Missandei.

Weiss: I've already said this above and will repeat: Weiss is wrong when he says that "Dany spent the first two seasons of the show leaning on men". Or at least that's certainly not what the Dany of the books (i.e. the character show!Dany's should ideally be based on) does, as my posts here and here showcase how competent a leader she's becoming and how much agency GRRM gives her. His comment about how Dany wants to "become the biggest slaveowner in the world" to make it a better place is also distasteful (though I don't think he meant it as negatively as, say, Finn Jones), so here goes @rainhadaenerys's meta disproving the claim that Dany is a slaver. As for "conquest for the sake of making the world a better place", I kind of agree with this, but I've already showed above how it does a disservice to show!Dany's character development to paint it as if she's always been aware of these injustices, because the Dany of the books was not. In hindsight, that change makes me wary because I know they will later try to sell show!Dany as someone who is morally inflexible, which she never was in the books.

Benioff: I've already criticized his claims that Dany is "fiercely ambitious" and wants "more than anything" "to reclaim her birthright" in many moments of this meta. I also condemned his opinion that Dany needs to be a "realist" when I explained how the show overfocused on Jorah's point of view. As for his point that "she's gonna have to be just as ruthless as the others, and maybe even moreso" to win... Considering how they made her choose the more ruthless option in the end only to punish her in the most traumatizing manner for that very choice (which made no sense and was completely OOC, no less) ... Fuck him, seriously. It's clear how the show made it impossible for show!Dany to win based on contradictory standards that only viewed her unfavorably. If she is merciful, she is stupid. If she is ruthless, she is a danger that needs to be stopped to save humanity.

Show!Dany's clothes

This episode adapts events from three chapters (ACOK Daenerys V, ASOS Daenerys I, ASOS Daenerys II). The first is the only one with a detailed description of her clothes:

If the Milk Men thought her such a savage, she would dress the part for them. When she went to the stables, she wore faded sandsilk pants and woven grass sandals. Her small breasts moved freely beneath a painted Dothraki vest, and a curved dagger hung from her medallion belt. Jhiqui had braided her hair Dothraki-fashion, and fastened a silver bell to the end of the braid. (ACOK Daenerys V)

In ASOS Daenerys I, Dany is only described using a coverlet to hide her nudity when Jorah comes to talk to her.

In ASOS Daenerys II, we don't know how Dany dressed when she went to meet with Kraznys, only that her garment had a sleeve.

In the series, we see show!Dany wearing this blue dress:

It's meant to pay homage to the Dothraki, so it's at least spiritually faithful to how Dany looks in the scene on the docks ... Well, more or less. Not only blue isn't a special color for the Dothraki despite what Michele Clapton might say, look at how Barristan reacts to seeing Dany for the first time:

“I regret if we caused you alarm. If truth be told, we were not certain, we expected someone more ... more ...”

“Regal?” Dany laughed. She had no dragon with her, and her raiment was hardly queenly. (ACOK Daenerys V)

This little scene displays both Dany's frugalness and how she doesn't take herself that seriously, for she doesn't mind if her subjects see her looking less than regal. That doesn't come across at all in the show, to the point of some people thinking that show!Dany never allows herself to look anything but perfect, which is certainly not true of the character she is based on.

#daenerys targaryen #asoiaf meta #valyrianscrolls #a storm of swords #a clash of kings #asoiaf vs got #asos vs got #barristan selmy #jorah mormont #s3

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