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yourlocalsmutwriter · 11 months

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Two birthdays and a new girl to call sis - Stepbro! Nate Jacobs x reader

tw > stepcest, cnc, creampie

It all started after Nate's dad moved out. Well, a bit after that to be precise, when Cal Jacobs finally found Derek. From then it was all sunshine and roses for the couple. But for the presumably youngest siblings in the respective families, it was a catalyst that would turn their entire lives around. They just didn't know it yet.

Nate thought that he would mind his dad leaving and putting the already rocky family dynamic of the Jacobs clan in shambles. But it was the opposite of that. His mom eventually cleaned the lobby and stopped drinking wine before noon. His brother made appearances and not just at the annual Chili booth. And most importantly of all, his dad was out of the picture, most days. With Cal gone, Nate's nightmares stopped. He stopped watching the CDs obsessively, stopped playing football as if his life depended on it, hell he even stopped tormenting both Maddy and Cassie. Now the only thing underneath his arm in the hallways was a stack of SAT preps and college applications. And that was all about to change at the drop of a hat when his dad came to stay with them for a couple of weeks. Bringing his boyfriend and Nate's new stepsister in tow. And she was a new challenge for Nate, something for him to bend and break and corrupt. She was a plate of cookies under a cellophane wrap with a note that said ''Don't touch''. And he was craving sugar more than ever. And he intended to get it, in any way he had to.

Your life had been perfect. And then it crumbled completely. It happened gradually as these things often do. Innocently enough you urged your brilliant, yet lazy brother to actually apply himself and go to a good college, instead of relying on a safety school just because he could stay home. And he did, leading him to get accepted into his dream school, which was, unfortunately, all the way in New York. Sure, he moved to college and left you with your dad. And he, in turn, was going through a midlife crisis and an empty nest syndrome all at once. It was clear from the moment Derek broke down crying as his son was packing still and couldn't stop reminiscing about family all through your trip to the school. So in order to bring back old habits he had turned to have his first drink since you were born and all in a familiar spot. And that's how he met Cal fucking Jacobs. In the same bar, they had shared their first dance together, it all came back rushing at them. And that's how you got a new stepdad. And subsequently, courtesy of the lovely motel, bedbugs.

It's not like your dad rushed headfirst into this. It accumulated over time, just like the aforementioned vermin. Cal and he went on dates, and after a few relatively expensive meals on his side and ''your dad kept yours and your brother's birthdays as a password for everything and you were not above snooping'' on yours, you got introduced to the man. After a few more weeks of awkward ''family'' outings, Cal moved in. You made so many jokes about Uhauling that your dad almost shipped you off in one to the dorms in New York. All humor, aside you were finally happy that Derek had found the right partner after so many years. And then came the bedbugs. Awful bites that left you itching for weeks and restless. It got so bad that you couldn't sleep at night, instead you tasked yourself with hunting them down and squishing them, watching the blood linger on your dainty fingers. When Cal saw you one night stripping your bedding away and bringing it to the patio, he knew that this was his fault and that it had to stop. So he did what he had to do to stop this. He offered for you and your dad to go live with him in the Jacobs family home.

Nate simply came back from school and was greeted by 2 unfamiliar faces and one that was too familiar.

''Cal, I mean dad, what are you doing here? And who are these people.'' He vaguely gestured between the aging man and the girl that was around his age.

"Well, this is my boyfriend and his daughter. I just started living with them.’’

Nate took in the suitcases behind them. No way. He started asking

"So, what, you're just gonna waltz back into our lives out of nowhere with two strangers in toll. How is my mom on board with this?''

''You know your mother. She likes watching me suffer. I secretly think she got me here to see how long I can stay without cracking. Also, she can't say no to a couple of hundreds.'' Cal said smugly.

''Wonderful, you're calling the woman who birthed me and cared for me while you were gone a greedy sadist.'' Nate countered back.

''Son, let's not get into it. We have company after all.'' Cal tried to smooth things over but to no avail.

''Oh, I forgot. You have a new family now. I wouldn't wanna scare off your perfect boyfriend and his daughter. How ironic that you now have a girl, when you can't even raise one of your sons to be a proper man. And I don't fucking mean a guy that can bench press 250, I mean a guy who doesn't hurt other people. You had to leave for me to realize how fucked up you made me, how toxic this dick-measuring contest that we were having was. I thought it ended for good, but look at me, I'm back exactly where I was the day when you walked out the door. Just like you wanted. Well, I'm not giving you the satisfaction of seeing me lose it again. See you around I guess, I'm sure I've made a great first impression.'' With that, Nate walked away and slammed the door to his room shut. Soon enough though there was a gentle knock on it.

''Cal, get the fuck away from there,'' Nate yelled.

''It's not Cal. It's me. I didn't introduce myself earlier, I thought that it would be nice to have someone in your corner.'' You answered. Still, on edge, he said,

''What, are you doing this because you’re feeling guilty or something? I'm usually not like that, I should be the one coming to you to apologize, but my dad, he has a certain effect on people.''

''Oh, trust me, I know. He's so grating, sometimes I just can't stand him. And everyone sees that except of course my dad. Do you have any tips and tricks for me to tune him out or something?'' You replied.

''Unfortunately, there isn't a way. But I recommend avoidance. Here, sit and talk with me a little. That way, we both won't run into him.''

''Are suggesting we work together, would you like to form an alliance with me.''

''Absolutely I do.''

''Okay, I trust any man that finishes my ''The Office'' quotes, I'm in. So, let's get to know each other. Is playing 21 questions too childish?''

''It is but I'll let it slide if you let me ask you first.''

''You have a deal.''

''Why did you move in here and not stay anywhere else?''

''You mean besides the fact that the bed bugs that are infesting our home right now are literally from the only motel in town. Well, also I'm homeschooled and need a place for my dad and my tutor to work with me in peace, can't imagine this to be a single room. So from time to time, I will also be invading your living room.'' a part of Nate wanted to make a reference to Mean Girls. But he just let you talk.

''How does college prep feel like,'' you asked

''Really, that's your most burning question for a guy who had a screaming match with his own dad 10 minutes ago.''

''Hey, I like to give people a second chance. So hit me with it.''

''Well, I do good enough to land a few sports scholarships, so it's not as intense. But when I'm not relying on those it gets heavy. I can give you tips, also let me know which brochures you want so I get them from the counselor's office for you.'' Nate went on.

''Thanks. Your turn.''

''Are you an only child? I mean, there's not gonna be more unexpected quests, right I don't think my house can handle it.''

''I do have an older brother, but he's not set on coming back anytime soon. So I might be a homeschooled jungle freak, but at least I'm not a spoiled brat.''

Spoiled brat. Nate could make you that, a girl that's desperate and begging for him to stick his cock inside her, even just the tip, anything. As soon as he allowed himself to imagine that, he had to stop. It had been a while since he got laid or watched any porn, so of course, a thought like that was expected. Sensing that it got the better of him, he tried to continue the game.

''Sorry, I spaced out. I'm back now, so ask away.''

''Am I missing out on not going to school like a normal person?''

''If you like kegstands and one-night stands, sure. Other than that, not much. I'm sure you're just as smart as anyone in my class, if not smarter.'' Nate said, clearly playing to what you wanted to hear. But then, surprising even himself he asked

''Do you think this thing between our dads will work out.''

''I mean this isn't like that one gay video game where all the dads in town date each other just because they're dads. Those two really have loved each other since high school. My father used to talk about Cal all the time, the one that got away. So don't be surprised if you have me as a stepsister these days. Even if that doesn’t necessarily align with what we actually want.'' While a stepsister had not been on Nate's bingo card for the year, it sure was now. Through you, he would achieve the perfect revenge on his dad. Because if Cal could ruin Nate and his family, Nate could do the same to Cal. It might have been cruel to take an innocent girl as collateral damage in his plan, but you know what they say, by any means necessary. He would have to get that fucked up movie he watched on demand with Maddie, Cruel Intentions, but the plot to that didn't really fit this situation. They were more like Clueless. At least that's what he thought until a string of unexpected events proved him wrong. But that would be getting ahead of the story and we cannot rush the plot here.

You yawned and said

''Okay, I think that this day has been a little much for me, so I'll just head to your living room and get some sleep.''

''If you want, you could use my room for tonight, or always. I don't mind taking the couch.''

''Thank you, but I'll feel super bad. Plus I'm staying only for a few days.''

If only you knew how wrong you were. You did find that out at a ''family'' dinner. Through some twisted turn of fate, everyone in the house could eat together and they did. Nate's mom and brother were sitting on one side, followed by him, you, your dad, and finally Cal. Then at the end of the dinner, everyone was enjoying dessert when the former Jacobs family patriarch stood up and tapped his knife against his long empty wine glass.

''Everyone, I have an announcement. We're getting engaged.''

''You're getting what. But you barely know each other.'' you protested. You also absentmindedly gripped Nate's arm for support. He, in turn, took that as an invitation to squeeze your thing, his fingers lingering on your skin a little longer than appropriate.

''We've known each other since high school, It may seem a little rushed to you, but to us, it has been long overdue.'' Your dad interjected in a stern tone.

''Well, Cal, it seems like you have a pattern. At least I'll just be a guest at this shotgun wedding '' Nate's mom replied.

''How did you even decide that? This changes everything, you're not just playing house anymore, you're introducing complete strangers into our families. '' Nate added.

''Yes, isn't this exciting? Also, you can't call yourselves strangers, we're already living together and eating together. In fact, just look at this table. We are all sitting here as if this is our thousandth meal together. It inspires me to have nights like this for the rest of my life.'' Cal said

''Yeah, what a night indeed. I think we should all sit and process this information in our own way.'' Nate replied and demonstratively left the table. Surprisingly, you followed him out.

Nate helped you into his car and drove to the store, where you got ice cream and he got beer and you both ended up sharing them in the backseat. When you snuggled into him, tipsy and tired, he wanted to leave everything and just devour you in the back of the jeep. But Nate wanted you to be fully into him when he had you, to be aware and feeling every single inch of him. So he resisted and just drove to the house, where he carried you to the couch and tucked you in.

Nate has planned to ignore you, for the time being, to make you come to him. After all, that's what worked with Cassie, leave them cold and they will be begging for you. Not that he expected you to send him continuous texts like the blonde, but anything was a start. And it seemed to be working. You'd ask to go somewhere with him, forgoing your usual bus route, trying to get him to drive you. Or you would fake being a family with a proposal for movie night. And as much as he wanted to spend a couple of hours in front of the TV watching you laugh at a cheesy movie, he refused. He used late-night practices and early morning classes as an excuse. He even considered faking a date but realized that it would do more harm than good.

So he was beyond surprised to see you dolled up on the couch with a much older guy. You were studying, by the looks of it, textbooks and highlighters all over his mom's expensive leather sofa. But you, you seemed to treat this as more of a date, twirling a pencil in your pigtails, how predictable of you, and asking the man to repeat basic concepts that you already knew. But Nate could not control you, as much as he wanted to. He decided to not embarrass you, by asking if you had just bought your pink gloss or if your dad was aware of how short your skirt was. He just said.

''Hey, sis. Working hard as usual. Let me know when you're done, we can work on dinner together, make it a little easier on the old folks when they come home, how about that.''

And you just barely registered him, responding back with a hmm and still not taking your eyes off of the older man. Oh, Nate was going to get you back for this later. If you even remembered to come to him, that is.

But you did, like an obedient puppy. He first looked you up to see any signs of ruined lipgloss or a rumple in your shirt. When he found none, he relaxed and headed to the kitchen.

''So, who was that?'' Nate said, trying to keep his voice steady.

''Oh, that's my private tutor. Daddy hired him, cause well I'm kinda shit at math and it runs in the family. So I'm getting all the help I can get.'' Daddy, you said fucking daddy. He swore that you were giving him kinks that he thought were disgusting before. Two could play the teasing game. And Nate was about to up the heat, literally. As soon as you looked away, he turned the oven up and asked you to take out the food. Watching you touch the hot metal of the door and wince, he replied.

''The oven mitts are always missing when you need them. Here, I'll help you out.''

Nate took off his shirt and watched as you admired his toned body. Bet your tutor did not have this. He wrapped the shirt over the handle and opened the oven door, letting the dish cool down. But his temper still hadn’t. So he asked,

''And what's the deal with that your tutor? You acted a little different than usual around him. Do you have a crush on him or something?''

''Is it that obvious, god? But yeah I do. ''

''Isn't that kind of, you know ... '' sick is the word he wanted to use. ''Unconventional, yes. But I do love a taboo romance. In theory, I haven't had any. So don't go snitching to my dad.'' you replied

‘’Sure, for a price, the best way to get silence is to buy it.’’

‘’I have 5 bucks to my name, take it or leave it.’’

‘’You think I’m that cheap.’’ After that, he grabbed a wooden spoon and smacked your ass with it. To his surprise, instead of scolding him or cursing you let out a moan. Turning red you made an excuse and then scrambled out of the room quickly. Meanwhile, Nate added this interaction to his spank bank which was now becoming a literal spank bank.

Despite all the moments charged with sexual tension between the two of you, Nate seemed to keep his morals intact. Or at least keep up this cat-and-mouse game for a little longer. But then that night came (spoiler alert it wouldn’t be the only thing coming). Nate had woken up in the middle of the night, very thirsty. While he was salty that you were into another man, he also made your food salty. He made his way down the stairs, watching his footsteps in order to not wake you. But judging by the sounds he was hearing you were not asleep. He just saw movement under the couch blanket and then he was seeing red. Nate dramatically tossed the blanket from you, eager to beat up the person who was defiling his sister. Instead, he saw your shocked face, your phone on your chest and your hands were desperately clutching something small that was vibrating. At least you were alone. That still didn't calm his anger enough, because you were still getting pleasure from something that wasn’t him.

‘’Nate don’t look’’ you said, before feeling a hand go over your mouth. And despite your stepbrother actually not looking before, he did now. Your face was red and your pupils were wide. Your nipples were hard and visible through your shirt. Your shorts were pulled down, with your panties to the side, revealing your slick cunt. Nate cupped your wetness and for a minute he contemplated starting to fuck you right then and there. But one look at your concerned face was enough to stop him right in his tracks. If he was gonna do this, at least you had to enjoy it. So he pulled your arms closer to himself instead and squeezed them a bit too hard, causing you to drop whatever you were holding. First, he reached for your phone to check if you were on call with someone. What he saw was more surprising. You were listening to an audiobook about a steamy romance between a girl and her stepbrother. Your own stepbrother took pleasure in leaning down to where you were and whispering the synopsis in your ear in a low voice. He could practically feel your heartbeat against him and he knew that you were feeling his hardon. Then he retreated back and grabbed the second item you had been holding. It was a necklace that he had seen you wearing a couple of times, the long shape of the pendant always perplexing him. And all this time it had been a vibrator. This just got a lot more interesting

‘’Promise to be quiet and I won’t snitch on you,’’ Nate said and retreated his hand from your mouth. But as soon as you began explaining he pressed the vibrator right against your clit.

‘’Naaaateee’’ you moaned unexpectedly and just let him do it, chasing your pleasure. After all, there was nothing wrong with him simply holding your sex toy against you. It was taboo at best. As long as that was all your stepbrother did it would be fine. But of course Nate had other plans. He put two fingers inside of you, fuck you were so tight and clenching around him. For a second he didn’t move them because you were so tense, so he focused the vibe on your clit until you opened up for him.

‘’Please, be gentle. It’s too much.’’. He slowed down his pace, almost pulling them out of you entirely.

‘’Should I stop then,’’ he asks as he’s barely touching you. You just shake your head, too shy to actually say it.

‘’Keep going, I just wanna cum, make me.’’ you clench against him, and thrust, fucking yourself on his fingers. He trails the vibrator against your opening, coating it in your juices and then brings it back to its place. He then speeds up his fingers inside of you, thrusting in and out and curling them up. After a couple minutes you cum.

You’re so dazed that you just close your eyes and pant. For a few minutes you don’t feel anything but pleasure. And then you realize he’s teasing your opening with the tip of his penis. Your tongue feels thick in your mouth,and you’re about to protest when he kisses you and thrusts inside of you.

You thrashed around like a woman possessed hushedly whispering ‘’no’’ and ‘’stop’’.

He pressed his body against you and thrusts again, chasing his pleasure.

‘’Nate, it hurts, this is my first time.’’ you say. You still haven’t gotten used to his size or his tempo. So he stops for a moment and moves slowly, filling you out completely. Then pulling it out almost to the end. He does this a couple more times, until you say ‘’okay, give me more.’’. Apparently that’s all you need to say for him to go absolutely feral. He spreads your legs further and lifts them by your head. Then he moves in the space in between them and starts shallowly thrusting. You cum and he doesn't stop. He comes and he doesn’t stop. You feel his seed inside you, hot and sticky as he thrusts a couple more times. He then rolls down to the floor for a few minutes. Once he’s regained his breath he takes you in his arms in a bridal carry and gets you up the stairs to his room, his cum dripping down your legs. So much for family bonding

#nate jacobs #nate jacobs x reader #nate jacobs x you #nate jacobs imagine #nate jacobs smut #euphoria x reader #euphoria smut #stepcest cw

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blackterrae · 8 months

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Ideas for Black!Reader Fic

I am going to try my hand again at writing. And I wanted to share some people and fandoms that I love. If you don’t know these shows/actors/franchises/movies/streamers I’m putting you on! For the following:

Johnny Depp- All his characters

Cameron Monaghan- I know that there are fics out there but it’s only always his Jerome/Jeremiah roles never just him or Cal Kestis

Anthony Carrigan- I loved Anothy as Victor Zsasz

Paul Dano- There are Riddler fics but not as many for his other roles

The Entire Cast of Hawaii Five-0 (2010) - Don’t even get me started on how good this show is! And the cast looks amazing!

Chicago Med/Fire/PD- These shows have so much potential for fanfic storylines!

The Game (2006)- Has great potential for slow burns and fluffs.

Star Wars franchise (1977-present) - I know I said Cal Kestis but there are also other characters like Anakin, Luke, Obi Wan,Boba Fett (etc.)

NCIS franchise- I honestly love this franchise and it’s characters!

Hamilton

Any/All Sports Men- Jude Bellingham,Lewis Hamilton,LaMelo Ball,Allen Iverson(etc.)

Berleezy - He’s handsome and he’s funny!

Coryxkenshin- I literally love him and his videos!

Albert Aretz (Flamingo)- Look … he may be the epitome of mediocre white man but I like what I like!

AMP- Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor,Davis, and Fanum ( all I gotta say is love a black man from infinity to infinity🗣️)

Beta Squad- A British YouTube/ streamer group!

SOMEBROS- Berleezy, Rico, ,PG, Joe (etc.)

WWE- come on now, do I even need to explain!!!

Four Brothers- All the cast but Garrett Hedland in particular!

Peacemaker - Don’t get me wrong I love Adrian Chase but I want to see just as much Peacemaker x black!reader fics because 2 words… JOHN CENA

MAWS- New animated Superman show! Love!

Smallville - The entire cast is hot! Tbh I fell hard for Tom Welling when I was younger when he was in Cheaper By The Dozen. Plus they literally whitewashed Vixen. COME ON! Vixen is a black female hero btw. She was also with Jon (Green Lantern) at one point.

Justice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001 and 2004)- I mean I literally can’t find any Jon Stewart x black!reader fics and he was with a BLACK WOMAN!

Warner Bros Franchise (minus the looney tunes & space jam)- There are lots of popular franchises that this company has from Fast & Furious to The Matrix!

Peaky Blinders- Saw a Tommy shelby x arms dealer black!female reader fic on my previous account but even then I couldn’t find it again on that account. So it’s gone with the wind. And the cast (i.e the actors and other characters they’ve portrayed). Example: Cillian Murphy as Johnathan Crane.

The Bear

FBI (All)

Vinnie Hacker

Tiktokers

Blue Bloods

Will Poulter- I haven’t really seen any Adam Warlock fics

Slashers

Stranger Things

Dave Lizewski

Eddie Redmayne

Macgyver (2016)

Fresh Prince of Belair

Guardians of the galaxy- Explanation? Do I really need one?

On My Block

Descendants (characters will be the actors age in real life.duh)- Love Boo-boo Stewart & Mitchell Hope!

Matt Rife

Joey Bragg (Liv &Maddie) - What can I say I love dorks!

The Boys- Haven’t seen that many fics about the characters and a black reader

Once Upon A Time- I love dark fairytales sometimes because they remind me that not every story has a happy ending and you have to learn from them. But this series is good for any theme really.

Walker Texas Ranger (1993)

Top Gun

Magcon: Whether you saw their vines on YouTube or vine, you know who they are

Dolan Twins

Mission Impossible

Euphoria- Entire show has great storylines with the potential of drama in fics

Shameless- Especially Carl Gallagher and Lip Gallagher

Creed- Michael B Jordan need I say more

Keanu Reeves- There are very few fics about Keanu but I’ve seen a few of his John Wick x black!reader fics (chef’s kiss) but never see any of The Matrix Fics!Also Ted (Bill & Ted)

River Phoenix

Batman Beyond

Rider Strong

Danny Gonzalez

Timothée Chalamet

New York Undercover

Past-Present Singers & Rappers/ Groups -Bow Wow, Tupac, Lil Baby, Nelly, Omarion, Prince, Michael Jackson, Jon B,Usher, Central Cee, Måneskin, New Edition, BTS, James Bay(etc.)

Anime(Any kind!)- Would love to see other shows, I know hunterxhunter,aot,one piece (etc.)

Bridgerton- There is very little Bridgerton stories catered around a black reader.

Marvel- Now that’s not to say that there aren’t any in fact there are many but I never see (Tobey Maguire Spider-Man stories and it seems like everyone tends to focus on the famous Marvel characters like The Avengers but not on other aspects like X-men or better yet, heroes that haven’t even gotten their own movie but are just as amazing like Squadron Supreme , it’s equivalent to DCU’s Justice League.

Secret Invasion- Not gonna lie , I’m feening for Gravik.😳

DCEU- Another franchise that pushes its other characters to the side. For example, Hush (Thomas Elliot) is literally the epitome of Bruce Wayne gone bad!

Ross Lynch- There are so many roles that Ross did so well in Like Teen Beach Movie or Sabrina.

Highschool Musical Franchise (2006- present ) I’m not just talking about HSMTS (2019), I mean even further back than that. I don’t see any Troy Bolton x black!reader and that’s crazy. I also can’t find any Zac Efron x black!reader

Interview with a Vampire (1994) and (2022)

Austin Butler- He did well in his role as Elvis!

Vikings - There are a good amount but still!

Transformers

Suits

Saved By The Bell

The Goldbergs

Parks & Recreation

Leverage

The Outsiders

Heart of Stone

New York Undercover (1994)

Addams Family

Victorious

Matpat

ICarly

The Real Bros of Simi Valley (2017)

Think Like A Man (2012)

One on One (2001)

Scorpion (2014)

The King of Queens (1998)

G.I. Joe Franchise

Terminator

Beware the Batman (2013)

Any and all Asian Idols/Actors

Seal Team

Mortal Combat

Bill and Ted

Barbie

Detroit: Become Human

Will Trent

Tokyo Vice

Growing Pains

Graceful Family (Kdrama)[Any Asian Drama shows or movies would be great as well]

The Regime

If anyone needs ideas for these franchises/movies/shows/actors , then holla at me! I got you!

Also add more to the list if anything that you would like to see comes to mind.

Also tag black writers who you want to see this!

@sheabuttahwrites @shinsouscatpisssmell @cocoamoonmalfoy @heathenarmyimagines @cinewhore @cocoamoonmalfoy @stxxllaaa @glitterjuju @lilvampirina @breanime @blackmissfrizzle @afro-hispwriter @stargirlfics @lavenderursa @clydesducktape @pettyprocrastination @theblvckvenus @plantvenuss @punani @n-slayaaaaa @infernalodie @halfofmysoulsblog @iridecsense @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @supremethunda @thekrazykeke @canumoveurseatup-no @hiatuswhore @avintagekiss24 @ohcaptains @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @xsapphirescrollsx @sunflowertuliplily @bakarilennox @batfamily14 @ramp-it-up @blackreaders-assemble @royallyprincesslilly @funnyexel @blackterrae @slashisms @artemisthewh0re @shelbydelrey @toocriticalharlow @v-era-18 @vampsired @queenimmadolla @sinnerlillith @greengoblinswifey @apocalypse-shuffle

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mama-qwerty · 3 months

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A Bad Idea Made Better

Okay, I'm done staring at this thing. Hopefully it came out better than I think it did, because it's bugging me for some reason.

Anyway, enjoy!

~~~~~

“You can’t be serious.”

Maddie and Callie were sitting at the counter in the ‘kitchen’ of the Sanctuary. A handful of Knuckles mingled in the various areas—the game corner, the sparring area, behind them rummaging through cupboards in search of snacks—and the moms were there in case anyone needed anything. The redhead cast a cocked eyebrow to her friend. “Tell me you’re not serious.”

Maddie shrugged. “He’s already started three fights in the last half hour,” she said, and a commotion drew their attention to another starting. “Make that four.”

Callie turned toward the noise with an annoyed sigh. “Dread, KNOCK IT OFF!”

“I be innocent as a newborn babe, lass! T’ain’t me fault that Rennie here be so easy to rile!”

“DON’T CALL ME RENNIE!”

The two continued to bicker as Callie rolled her eyes and turned back to Maddie. “And you want me to take him to my house? Why not just ship him back to No Place?”

Another shrug from the vet. “He came in today with a note pinned to his back from his crew.” She slid it toward Callie. ’Don’t let him come back until he’s less of an ass.’

The redhead snorted out a laugh. “He’d never go home, then.”

“Right?” Maddie sighed, rubbing her temple. “Look, I know it’s not ideal, but if he stays here, he’s gonna cause a multi-versal brawl. Just . . . take him for an hour. Two at most.”

“Have you forgotten I have my own gremlin at home? You think I can handle two of them?”

Maddie sat up straighter, clapping a hand on Callie’s shoulder. “I have the utmost faith in you, Madam MacPherson. Keeper of the Gremlins. Controller of the Most Troublesome.”

Callie heaved a defeated sigh. “Fine. I’ll take him. But if, no WHEN, this blows up in my face, you owe me.”

“I’ll make you a batch of my incredibly tantalizing lasagna. With extra ricotta.”

The redhead hissed in a breath. “Oh, you temptress.”

“I may even make it for you anyway. I know this is a big ask.”

“Yeah, but you’re right,” Callie said, glancing over to where Dread and Ren were starting to throw hands. “He’s in rare form today. Maybe a change of scenery will help.”

“Thanks, Cal.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed herself away from the counter, clapping her hands as she walked closer to the two fighting echidna. “Break it up, boys! Dread, you’re coming with me. We’re going on a field trip.”

~X~X~X~

Silver sat on the couch with Eclipse, trying to catch up in Mario Kart. He’d gotten better over the last few months, but still had trouble with curves.

“I’m so gonna beat you!” the darkling laughed as he maneuvered his way around the track. “You’re so slow.”

The hedgehog didn’t answer. He focused on his car, moving his thumbs over the controls to try and gain some ground.

He’d just started the second lap when the portal that led to the Sanctuary opened. He didn’t quite understand everything about this magic place his mom went to. Something about it being another dimension, one that didn’t follow the normal rules of time. She would go through, and then come back a few seconds later, even though she would say she’d been there for a long time.

Silver kinda wanted to see what this place was like. Mom said there were a lot of different Knuckles there—like that one Spiderman movie with all the different versions—and they have fun sometimes, but sometimes there are fights, or it’s sad and she helps them not be sad. He didn’t doubt that—his mom was really good at helping people feel better.

He normally didn’t pay a whole lot of attention when she came back, but today she wasn’t alone. The portal opened in the archway between the living room and kitchen, and she walked out as usual, but someone followed. He looked a lot like the Knuckles they knew, but he was dressed in funny clothes.

He looked like a pirate!

“Cool!” Silver gasped, dropping his controller and rushing over to where his mom and this new Knuckles stood. “Hi! You look so cool!”

The echidna startled, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, when Callie reached down to grab his wrist.

“No swordplay,” she said, her voice stern. The Knuckles flicked his eyes to her, then back to Silver, a look of confusion on his muzzle. “These are my boys. My sons. Silver the Hedgehog, and Eclipse the Darkling.”

Silver gave a little wave at his name, and he heard Eclipse pause the game and wander over.

“Who’s that?” the darkling asked, crossing his arms. “Why’s he dressed so weird?”

“Eclipse, don’t be rude,” Callie sighed, and a frown passed over the echidna’s face.

“I be the legendary captain Knuckles the Dread.” He raised his hand in a flourish as he flashed a smile, the light shining off his gold tooth. “The strongest, most dangerous pirate on the seven seas of No Place.”

Silver’s ears flicked back slightly. A pirate? Weren’t pirates mean? His mom wouldn’t bring a mean pirate home, would she?

Beside him, Eclipse’s body language changed, and he wore an excited smile.

“A pirate??” he exclaimed, moving forward and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “That’s so cool! Do you attack other pirates? Do you swing on ropes around your ship? Do you have sword fights?” He gasped. “Can I see your sword??”

“Eclipse, pull it back, kiddo,” Callie said, moving to push the darkling back a little. “Dread is here as a guest for a few hours today. You will both be polite and not crowd him, or ask all sorts of nosy questions.”

“Nonsense!” the pirate cried, moving forward to pat Eclipse on the shoulder. “They be curious ‘bout the life and adventures of such a far-traveled pirate! Ye can’t begrudge them a few tales, can ye, lass?”

“Yeah, Mom!” Eclipse said, trying his best to give her puppy dog eyes. “C’mon! I wanna hear some pirate stories from a real life pirate!”

Silver flicked his eyes back and forth between his brother, the echidna, and his mom. She seemed pretty calm. If Dread was dangerous, he theorized, she wouldn’t have brought him here in the first place, and would be much more protective. He relaxed some, his ears returning to a more upright position.

Pirate stories did sound pretty cool.

“Did you ever find treasure?” he asked, and Dread smiled wide.

“Oh, lad,” he said, throwing an arm around each boy and bringing them close. “Ye have no idea.”

~X~X~X~

Dread was in his element. He stood before the boys, telling tales of his greatest adventures, gesturing and miming his actions as he spoke. They were enthralled—eyes wide and cheering in just the right places.

He flicked his eyes over to Callie, and the lass sat to the side, a small smile on her lips. She shook her head slightly occasionally. Okay, maybe he was . . . embellishing a bit. Just a bit. Just enough to keep the boys’ attention.

This felt good. Felt right. Having all eyes on him, admiring his feats. No one at the Sanctuary gave him this much attention. Not without ridiculing him, or doubting every word he said. There he felt as though he were constantly being judged, constantly dismissed. Tolerated at best.

But here? He felt welcomed. Valued. Appreciated.

And it made a warmth spread in his chest. It was a feeling he’d never really experienced before, and he liked it. He liked it a lot.

Yessir, this was a nice change of pace.

~X~X~X~

Callie gave a little eye roll as Dread continued his tales. She’d heard most of these before—Dread wasn’t shy about telling others of his deeds—but the details seemed to be a bit . . . stretchy. There were more foes than she remembered, the kraken was much bigger, (oh, and now there were two), and some of the timelines didn’t seem to add up.

But, whatever. He was having fun, no one was fighting, and the boys seemed completely spellbound by his stories. She was checking this as a win.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse leaned closer as Dread spoke of monsters and battles, treasure and triumph. He was so cool! Not like the Knuckles they knew. Knuckles Wachowski may have been the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy at one time, but now he was more interested in gardening and doing yoga. Always talking about how ‘fighting is only a last resort’ and ‘live a life of virtue’ and blah blah blah.

What a load of bunk. Eclipse was a weapon. A soldier built specifically to fight and win. Sure, he liked not having to fight now, and living with his mom and brother was a lot better than his life on the Black Comet, but that didn’t mean he was some weak pushover! Dread’s life sounded so fun!

The pirate finished up another story, and Eclipse cheered.

“That was awesome! I wanna be a pirate! Mom, can I be a pirate like Dread?”

“’Course ye can, lad!” Dread answered before Callie could open her mouth. “In fact, both ye and yer brother here c’n be honorary members of me crew!”

The two boys moved in sync, hopping to their feet and flashing him a salute. “Aye, aye, Captain!”

“Okay, let’s not get carried away,” Callie said, just as her phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket, giving it a tap to answer. “Hello? Linda? What’s wrong?”

Eclipse sighed, rolling his eyes. Linda was one of the other ladies who worked at the library. She was nice and all, but kinda boring. She always seemed nervous around him. He didn’t know why—he’d only almost bit her that one time. Almost. Hardly something to hold a grudge about, really.

“Is he okay? Good. Come in? Oh, I can’t, I have . . .” She glanced at Dread. “Company. From out of town. Call Karen and see if she can . . . oh she can’t?” She sighed. “Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

She hung up and turned to the three by the couch. “I have to head into work. Linda’s son broke his arm and they’ve gotta run him to the hospital.”

“Oh,” Silver said, his ears flicked back. “Is Jake okay?”

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. Just needs his arm set.” She chewed her lip slightly, her eyes on the echidna. “Dread, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“’Course, lass.”

He followed her to the kitchen, just as Eclipse turned to Silver.

“Remember when I said Knuckles wasn’t cool?” Silver nodded. “I take it back. This one is soooo cooool.”

~X~X~X~

Callie led Dread into the kitchen, around the island to speak quietly with him.

“I’ve gotta head into work, and can’t take the boys with me.” She paused, pulling her lips tight. These next words out of her mouth were really gonna hurt. “I need to know I can trust you to watch over them for an hour.”

Her voice was soft, but firm, her eyes locked with his. She didn’t want to do this. This wasn’t an ideal scenario. On any other day, she would have simply closed the library for emergency reasons, but there was a book club meeting there in 20 minutes and she couldn’t leave them in the lurch.

Dread looked back, a little scowl on his face.

“Lass, ye offend me,” he said, crossing his arms. “When have I ever shown meself as untrustworthy?”

She gave him a look. One that essentially said ‘Do you want that answer alphabetically, or in order of importance?’

He seemed to catch her meaning, and dropped the scowl with a guilty smile.

“Aye, that be a bit of bad phrasing on my part,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. He stood straighter, bringing his fist to his chest. “I give ye me word, lass. I’ll guard them with me life.”

A little smirk curled her lip, and she gave a slight chuckle. “Not sure that will be necessary, but I appreciate the thought.” She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a little squeeze. “God forgive me for what I’m about to say, but . . .”

She took a breath, pulling her lips tight.

“Dread, you’re in charge.”

~X~X~X~

Silver sat at the kitchen table, watching Eclipse and Dread rummage through the fridge. There were plenty of leftovers, and before his mom left she said they could have what they wanted if they were hungry.

“Blimey!” Dread had exclaimed when Eclipse opened the fridge door. He reached his hand inside with an expression of wonder. “It be colder than a witch’s—” He caught himself, flicking his eyes to the boys before clearing his throat. “I mean, heh, it be mighty cold in this cupboard.”

“It helps keep food fresh,” the hedgehog said as he moved closer to pull out some leftover macaroni and cheese. “The cold makes sure it doesn’t spoil as fast.”

“Bloomin’ brilliant,” the pirate muttered as he peered into the shelves.

Eclipse piled leftover spaghetti on his plate, shoving a forkful into his mouth before crinkling his nose. “Ugh, too cold.”

“I’ll warm it up,” Silver said, priming his power to move the plate to the microwave. Eclipse balked, waving him away as he carried the plate over himself.

“I can do it!”

“Mom says you’re not allowed to use the microwave. Not after what happened last time.”

Eclipse waved a dismissive hand, uttering an annoyed ‘tch’. “Mom’s not here, is she? And that was weeks ago. Ancient history.”

The darkling popped the plate into the microwave and pressed a few buttons. The machine hummed to life, but shortly thereafter it began to spark and issue loud snaps. Silver gasped.

“You forgot to take your fork off the plate again!”

“You distracted me!”

“Get it out!”

“I will, don’t rush me!”

Eclipse turned to reach for the microwave door, when Dread jumped in front of him, pushing the boy back and drawing his sword.

“Watch yerself, lad! That be dangerous!”

And with that, the pirate swung his sword, slashing the microwave and cleaving it in two. It fell to the counter with a mighty crash.

Silver’s eyes went wide. Oh. Ohhh no.

“You killed our microwave!” he yelled, his hands pressed to this cheeks. This was so bad. “Mom’s gonna kill us!”

Dread looked confused, snapping his head back and forth from Silver to the now greatly deceased machine. “I thought . . . it be sparkin’ like a lightning storm, and I didn’t . . .”

The cats’ automatic feeder kicked in then, startling Dread, who spun and hurled his sword toward the new sound. It struck the feeder, splitting the side and spilling dry food all over the floor. Much to Bloom’s delight.

Silver shrieked. “Stop breaking things!”

“It ain’t me fault!” Dread cried back, hurrying over to pull his sword free.

“What are we gonna do??” Silver cried, wringing one of his long head spikes. “Mom’s gonna be so mad when she sees this!”

“Calm down, we’ll just . . . fix it,” Eclipse shrugged, poking at the pieces of microwave littering the counter. “Think Tails could come over?”

Silver shook his head. “Tails can’t fix that! It’s destroyed!”

“Then we’ll just get a new one!” the darkling yelled, throwing his arms over his head. “How much could they cost? $20?”

“Do you have $20?”

“No!”

“THEN HOW ARE WE GONNA BUY A NEW ONE??”

“I DON’T HEAR ANY IDEAS FROM YOU!!”

“QUIET!!”

Dread’s shout snapped the two out of their argument, and they turned to him. He sheathed his sword, walking toward them with a contemplative expression.

“Yellin’ and fussin’ ain’t gonna solve nothin’,” he said, stopping with his hands on his hips. “We need a plan. Be there any shops in town that carry those warming box things?”

The boys exchanged a glance, and Silver nodded. “Charlie’s should. They have a bunch of stuff like fridges and washing machines and stuff.”

The echidna nodded. “Then we go to this Charlie’s and see what we can do to get a new one.”

“But we don’t have any money.”

Dread smiled, in a smirky, confident kind of way. “Ye leave that to me.”

~X~X~X~

Ten minutes later and they were walking into town. Most of the townspeople didn’t really bat an eye at them, but Dread’s outfit drew some double takes. Eclipse supposed they weren’t expecting to see the red echidna they were used to dressed up like a pirate.

“What’s it like being a pirate?” the darkling asked. All of Dread’s stories sounded so fun. “Is it hard?”

“Oh, the pirate life be full of danger and adventure,” Dread said, a fond smile on his face. “Sometimes more danger than adventure, and there be plenty o’ times I nearly got me head handed t’ me, but it be the only life I know.”

“Don’t you have to . . . hurt people, if you’re a pirate?”

Eclipse flicked his eyes to his brother. Part of him wanted to feel annoyed at the hedgehog’s sensitivity to things like this, but another part fully understood Silver’s point of view. The world Silver came from was hard and violent and scary. Not something he wanted to relive.

Dread seemed to sense the boy’s mood, and he curled an arm around Silver’s shoulders to pull him close.

“Aye, sometimes there be no avoidin’ a battle,” he said, his voice soft. “Sometimes fighting be all we can do to keep ourselves safe. We try not to seek out fights, but we deal with ‘em if they come to us.”

Silver seemed to think about this. “So you’re . . . defending yourselves.”

Dread nodded, that smirk on his face again. “Aye. We defend ourselves and what be ours.”

“I guess that’s okay.”

“It’s not just okay, it sounds awesome!” Eclipse said, moving to walk backward in front of them. “Think you could teach me to sword fight? Man, I wanna come to your world and fight a kraken! I bet I could take it!”

The echidna cocked an eyebrow at the boy. “Do ye even know what a kraken be?”

Eclipse felt his muzzle warm. “I dunno. Like a big turtle?”

“’Fraid not, me lad,” Dread said with a chuckle. “It be a giant leviathan from the depths of the ocean. A creature longer than most ships and bearin’ a grudge against anything that breathes the air. It wraps its thick tentacles ‘round yer boat and drags it below the waves, to drown everyone aboard and eat them at its leisure.”

A beat of silence. “I could still take it.”

Dread barked out a loud laugh. “I bet ye could, lad. I bet ye could. Ye have the soul of a pirate, ye do, with the bravery to match.” He leaned a bit closer, dropping his voice. “Though don’t tell yer mum I said such a thing. She’d box me ears somethin’ good.”

Eclipse nodded with a smile. He wasn’t exactly sure what ‘box me ears’ meant, but he got the gist of it. His mom could get a little scary when angry. And a little over protective when it came to him and Silver. If she found out Dread was encouraging any dangerous or risky behavior, he’d be on the receiving end of that anger.

And even a seasoned pirate didn’t want to face her wrath.

“There’s Charlie’s,” Silver said, pointing across the street.

Dread nodded. “Aye. Let’s get what we came for.”

~X~X~X~

The building was larger than any shop Dread had ever been in. It held many different machines, and he could only guess what they were made for. Since they were designed for humans, most were larger than him. This world made him feel so much smaller than his own. It was unnerving.

He let the boys take the lead, since this was their world, and they were more comfortable navigating it. He still kept a sharp eye and ear on their surroundings—he’d promised the lass he would care for them, and come hell or high water, he would. They would not be harmed under his watch.

“Over here,” Silver called as he headed down an aisle. Dread followed, and they soon found themselves before a row of boxes with a picture of a microwave on the front. “This one looks like ours.”

“Aye.”

Dread stepped forward, and pulled the box off the shelf. It was heavier than he expected, but nothing his strength couldn’t handle. He hoisted it over his head, turning to the boys.

“Now what?” Eclipse asked.

The echidna paused. He was at war with himself.

Part of him wanted to do this the right way. Callie had trusted him, and he wanted so badly to make her proud, to do right and prove her trust in him was well placed. That part said to go to the owners of the shop, discuss terms, and see if there was some deal they could make. He had some gold in his jacket pocket, but he didn’t know how it compared to the currency of this world.

“What be the price on this?”

Silver looked at a little tag on the shelf. His ears flicked backwards. “Two hundred dollars.”

Eclipse grimaced. “That’s . . . a lot more than $20.”

Dread gave a little hum as he thought. He had no idea what a ‘dollar’ was, but he didn’t have that many gold pieces on him. He supposed he could have gone back to No Place to get more, but honestly, that was a lot of hassle, and he was getting impatient. He didn’t know when Callie would return home, and wanted this solved quickly.

And the other part of him, the part that told him all that ‘do the right thing’ stuff was a load of bollocks, slowly got louder.

It looked like there was only one solution.

“Ye know, this Charlie be pretty selfish to keep all these to himself,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “Look how many be on the shelf. He won’t miss one.”

Silver turned to him, eyes wide. “What do you mean? Are you saying we should . . .” His voice dropped low, and he looked around. “Steal it??”

“It all be a matter of perspective, lad. If ye were really hungry, would ye steal a loaf of bread?”

The boys exchanged a glance. Eclipse shrugged.

“I guess,” Silver said, pulling his head spike around to squeeze and twist. “But this isn’t the same, is it? You can’t eat a microwave.”

“Nay, but ye can make food in the thing.” He shrugged. “It be a gray area.”

The hedgehog continued to worry at his head spike, and now pulled his lip in to chew on. Dread flicked his eyes to Eclipse, who seemed less bothered with the whole situation. “Ye understand, don’t ye, lad?”

Eclipse seemed to consider things for a moment, before turning to his brother.

“C’mon Silver,” the darkling said, his voice tinged with annoyance. “It’s not like he’s even gonna notice it missing.”

“Can I help you kids?”

The three froze, and slowly turned to see an older man standing at the end of the aisle. His eyes flicked up to the microwave over Dread’s head, and the echidna’s pirate instincts kicked in.

“RUN FOR IT, LADS!”

And without bothering to check on the boys, Dread sprinted toward the front door.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse’s tail went rigid when Dread took off. He left them?? He was this cool pirate and he left them??

Snapping his head back around, he saw the look on Mr. Charlie’s face. First he was confused, then shocked. Then he was mad.

Oh. Oh no.

“It’s not what you think!” Silver was saying, his hands held out in front of him. Eclipse lunged forward to grab his brother’s wrist, before teleporting them back to the front of the store.

~X~X~X~

The door was in sight. Dread ran for it, holding his prize high above his head. All he had to do was get through that door, and he’d be good as gold.

Right now he wasn’t thinking about Callie. He wasn’t thinking about the two boys he left back in that aisle. He was running on ‘pirate brain’, consumed with winning and doing what he wanted, what he needed, to get his mission accomplished.

And that’s when he was hit in the middle by a screeching darkling.

“You’re gonna get me in trouble!” Eclipse yelled as he wrestled with Dread. The microwave went flying, and the echidna was surprised at the strength and agility the boy possessed. He tried to grab him to pull him off, but the darkling was too quick.

“Get off me!” he bellowed, right before he suddenly realized he couldn’t move. Glancing to his left, he found Silver with his hands extended out. A strange cyan glow surrounded them, the same glow that held him and the microwave captive. “By Neptune’s beard . . .”

“I’m sorry!” Silver said, his voice shaky and high-pitched. “I’m sorry but you can’t steal!”

Dread tried to break free from this strange hold, but his muscles would not obey him. It was as if he were completely frozen. Paralyzed. He struggled for another moment, before uttering a frustrated growl and giving up.

“Aye, lad,” he said with a sigh. “Ye got me. I surrender.”

~X~X~X~

Callie sat at the red light, lips pulled tight and feeling like the top of her head was about to explode.

Dread sat beside her, in the passenger seat, and he kept his gaze out the window. Her boys were in the back seat, and the microwave she apparently had to buy because the one at her house had met with an unfortunate fate was tucked in the cargo area of her Subaru.

No one said anything. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to speak anyway, considering how angry she was. At least not without a lot of colorful words sprinkled into the mix.

When she got the call to come to Charlie’s, she’d just seen the last of the book club out and was about to lock up anyway. Good thing. Because apparently the supposed adult she put in charge of her children had thought it a good idea to take them to be accomplices to attempted larceny.

At least Charlie had been understanding. Well, as understanding as he could be in such a strange situation. Trying to explain to him that this was a Knuckles, but not the Knuckles he was familiar with had taken a few tries. But when it suddenly clicked—”Like that Spiderman movie?”—he’d been much more willing to just let everything go.

Which was more than she was willing to do.

The light turned green and she pulled away. The ride to her house was a quiet one. She flicked her eyes to the rearview mirror, and saw two guilty looking kids in the back. Well, one guilty, and one pretty pissed kid. Eclipse kept shooting Dread dirty looks. He’d really been enthralled by the pirate, and when Dread essentially ditched them in favor of saving his own skin, it apparently left a sour taste in the darkling’s mouth. She didn’t blame him, really.

And she honestly wasn’t mad at them. They had done the right thing in the end and stopped Dread from running out with the microwave. That made her pretty proud, actually.

She pulled into her driveway, killing the engine and turning in her seat to talk to her boys.

“You two head on inside. We’ll be in in a minute.”

They nodded quickly, and hurried into the house. Callie turned to Dread, a finger tapping on the steering wheel.

“An hour. I was barely gone for one freaking hour.”

Dread said nothing, his back still turned to her.

“I trusted you.”

A beat of silence. “Aye. I know.”

She sighed, sitting back in her seat, tilting her head back against the rest. “Suppose it’s not your fault. You are how you are. I knew that and trusted you anyway.”

Now he turned, his lip curled in a snarl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think it means?” she asked, turning to him with her own snarl. “You’re a pirate! Knuckles the Dread! I should’ve known you’d do something to try and warp my kids’ minds to your pirate ways.”

His snarl became more pronounced. “I did nothing to those lads. I would not hurt them.”

“No, instead you dragged them off to shoplift a microwave!”

“There be a problem, and I found a solution!”

“A problem YOU caused!”

“It weren’t me fault! I was tryin’ to make ye proud!”

Callie uttered a sharp laugh, her temper flaring. “Proud?? For making my boys accomplices to your crime?? I trusted you! THEY trusted you! Do you realize just how badly you messed up? Those boys come from really bad childhoods! They were both used and abused by someone they trusted, someone who should have taken care of them. They—”

“SO WAS I!” he shouted, his hands curled into fists. “Ye don’t know anything about me childhood. I be a child of five when taken by a cruel man. He . . . his crew . . . they did the most awful things to me. I be just a child and they hurt me. Tortured me. I had to turn into this to survive.”

Callie quieted, and just stared at him. She didn’t know that. She didn’t really know anything about his childhood. He had always acted like being a pirate was the only thing he’d ever wanted. But, now that she thought about it, he’d always said it was the only thing he’d ever known. That was different, wasn’t it?

“Yer boys be good lads,” he said, some of the anger fading from his tone. “And aye, I admit it made me feel good to see them look up to me. To see their excitement when I told me tales.” He sighed, sitting back in his seat. “And ye be right. I could’ve done things diff’rently. Seen if I had enough gold on me to cover the cost. But instead I let me pirate instincts kick in and caused ye all this trouble.”

Silence descended over them, and Callie’s anger dissipated. She saw Dread in a different light now, and recognized the hurt little boy he used to be. Yes, he was a gremlin. Yes, he caused trouble and poked at the others and started fights. Yes, he seemed to behave in ways that were almost self-destructive.

But she’d seen that before, hadn’t she? When Eclipse first came, he’d acted out very similarly before he acclimated to the family. (And honestly, even now he could devolve into gremlin mode every now and then.) It was all a cover for the hurt he still carried. The pain from a life of abuse.

And sometimes that pain caused anger, and selfishness, and violence born of fear. Fear of being loved. Fear of being hurt again.

She could have kicked herself. Dread was suffering from the same trauma her own children were. And she’d never seen it.

“Those pirate instincts are what kept you alive,” she said, her voice softer.

Dread stared at his feet. “Don’t make what I did right.”

“No, it doesn’t.” She quieted. “Dread, I didn’t know.”

He shrugged, letting out a tired sigh. “I didn’t want ye to. Didn’t want anyone to. Me childhood be something I try to forget. Try to ignore. Pretend it happened to someone else. ‘Cause if I think about it, remember it, it would drive me mad.”

A quiet moment passed. The familiarity of his past trauma was almost funny. She seemed to attract the aliens with the abusive childhoods, while the Wachowskis attracted the ones with the abandonment issues.

Considering her own past, she supposed it was a case of like attracting like, only on a much more universal scale.

Callie reached over to cup his muzzle and turn his face back toward her.

“Our pasts hurt us whether we want to remember them or not,” she said, a sad smile on her lips. “My boys . . . they remember their pasts. Still have nightmares about them. I can’t change their past, or take those memories away. But what I can do, is try really hard to make sure their present has as much love and happiness as I can possibly give them.”

He stared at her, and his eyes grew shiny.

“They be lucky to have ye,” he whispered.

Callie’s heart nearly broke in half. For all his bravado, all his boasting and confidence and arrogance, Dread was still a lost little boy, trying to find someone who would love him.

“Ya know,” she said, rubbing her thumb over his muzzle, where a tear may or may not have fallen. “The boys seem to be under this really weird impression that you’re cool. So, I guess, if you wanted to, you could hang out here whenever you wanted.” She gave him a more stern look. “So long as you keep the crime sprees to an absolute minimum. Like zero.”

His eyes grew wide. “Ye . . . ye still want me around?”

She shrugged. “What kind of person would I be if I let a little thing like microwave destruction and attempted theft push away someone whom I consider one of my best friends?”

He froze. “B-best . . . ?”

“One of,” she said, keeping her voice light. “In the top five. It varies. Sometimes minute-by-minute.”

Dread stared at her for another moment, before a smile spread across his muzzle. “Ye be an angel, lass,” he said, and he blinked quickly to hide his tears. “An absolute angel made flesh.”

Callie wrinkled her nose, uttering a little grunt. “Ugh, don’t get all mushy and make this weird. C’mere.”

She pulled him to her, and took his hat off to rest their foreheads together.

“You ever need anything,” she said, her voice soft, “you come to me. Understand? You ever feel like you’re gonna explode if you don’t talk about something, or if your past is poking at you more than usual, or just need someone to be there, you come to me. Anytime. No judgment. My home is your home now. And you are part of my family. Don’t argue with me, just accept it.”

At first Dread didn’t seem like he knew what to do, how to feel. But after a moment he relaxed against her, and brought his hand up to cup the back of her neck to hold her to him more firmly.

“Aye,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It be an honor to join your family.”

They sat like that for a moment, before pulling away. Callie gave him a little smirk, and dropped his hat back in place as she turned for her door.

“C’mon. Let’s get the new microwave in and then you need to have a little chat with a couple of boys.”

“Aye. Yes, ma’am.”

~X~X~X~

Eclipse sat on the couch with Silver. He crossed his arms, trying not to look at the stupid pirate standing before them.

His mom seemed to have forgiven Dread. They’d sat out in the car for a while after getting home and he’d watched through the window. They seemed like they were yelling for a bit, which was good because he wanted Dread to get into trouble. He was supposed to be this cool guy, this much cooler version of the Knuckles they knew. But instead he was just some jerk who ran off to let him and Silver get in trouble for something that was his idea.

Dread stood with his hands behind his back, a serious expression on his face. After standing quietly for a moment, he coughed into his fist before speaking.

“Yargh, I suppose an apology be in order for the way I behaved back in the shop.”

“You ditched us!” Eclipse snapped, his muzzle curled in a snarl. “You were gonna leave us to get into trouble!”

“Aye. I did.”

“The Knuckles we know wouldn’t do that,” Silver said, crossing his own arms. He wasn’t as angry as Eclipse, but wasn’t overly happy with Dread, either. “He’s a good friend and always does what he thinks is right.”

Dread shrugged. “I ain’t him.”

“No kidding,” Eclipse asked, jumping off the couch to get in Dread’s face. His arm spikes flared, tail flicking in angry whips. “I thought you were cool. You told such awesome stories. But you’re just a jerk and all those stories are probably lies, too!”

The echidna kept his composure, but a little smirk curled the corner of his lips. “Oh lad, they all be true. They be the more tame stories. There be many others, some would give ye nightmares for a week.”

Eclipse paused. More stories? With more danger?

He narrowed his eyes, casting a suspicious glance at the pirate. “Like what?”

A grin split Dread’s lips, and he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Callie was distracted in the kitchen, cleaning the messes from the old microwave and split cat feeder. The echidna turned back, leaning forward and speaking in a low, conspirator-like whisper.

“Like the time I single-handedly took down two pirate ships, while in the middle of a monsoon, and a kraken decided to have me for its lunch!”

Eclipse’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“May lightning strike me down if I be lyin’.”

Silver took a moment to look to the skies outside, while Eclipse grabbed Dread’s wrist. He dragged the pirate behind him, heading for the kitchen door.

“We’re going outside, just to play and not to hear any more pirate stories that may be too scary for Silver!” he said, barely putting space between his words.

“Hey!” Silver whined, hurrying out after them. “I’m not scared!”

~X~X~X~

Callie smiled as she watched her boys through the window. Silver and Eclipse sat on the deck, watching as Dread gestured and mimed and told his grand—and in no way embellished—stories of his life as a pirate.

An eventful day, but everything worked out.

Her boys were happy. Dread was happy. She was happy.

Yep. She’ll call that a win.

#sonic fanfiction #sonic the hedgehog fanfiction #knucklesverse #knuckles the dread #eclipse the darkling #silver the hedgehog #callie macpherson #maddie wachowski

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afterthesequels · 9 months

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youtube

MEET OUR BEN & REY --- Star Wars: The Chosen One (Episode X) Fan Film

Actors Madeleine Norton and Daniel Davenport play the main leads of Rey and Ben Solo, respectively, for our up and coming FAN FILM TRILOGY (once again, not official!) set to release in December 2024! And with them we also have OUR Poe Dameron, Norra Wexley, Wedge Antilles, and Darth Zanos/Cal Kestis --- respectively, Tony Rescigno, Donna Heffernan, Charles Wilson, and Kyle Bargoot.

Maddie comes from an classical acting pedigree, having done theater for the majority of her young years and she graduated with a bachelors degree in fine arts for drama. As a classically trained actress, she also brings many accents to the project, perfectly capturing the voice of Rey. She's as close to Daisy Ridley as we could get and she has a passion for the character that we love. And she's about the nicest person we've ever met, too!

Daniel is a complete contrast to Maddie, but the two compliment each other so well and have amazing chemistry in these roles. He's brand new to this field, only having done a few voice acting projects prior. But we can absolutely tell you that Daniel is a diamond in the rough and we intend to see him through as his "acting family" for the rest of his life. His voice is so perfect for Ben Solo! We love him and we're sure you'll love him too!

We're also so excited to tell the love story of Norra Wexley and Wedge Antilles which most folks haven't been privy to as their story was mainly told in the trilogy of novels called, "Aftermath". Wedge is an iconic original trilogy character and his story really gets fleshed out in those books and it deserves to be seen on the screen. These two were friends for decades and then after the tragic death of Norra's husband, they finally find each other much much later in life. Donna and Charles are Off-Broadway stage actors who have been friends for decades. Charles brought Donna into the project. He said she was perfect for it, and he was 100% percent right. We only auditioned 1 Norra, and Donna was it. As best friends IRL they bring great chemistry to their roles. Wait until you hear them guys! And because Maria has a deep love for all things Poe Dameron, she wanted to tell the story of the tumultuous love affair he had, that started as teenagers, with the formidable Zorii Bliss. That little Spice Runner burned her name across his heart and he has carried that torch for the better part of over a decade, as told in the canon novel, "Poe Dameron: Free Fall". Our Zorii could not join us on this day, but we have the incredible talent that is Tony Rescigno, a film and voice actor who most recently voiced characters in the Diablo IV video game who now takes on the task of Poe Dameron. Lastly we couldn't leave this pair out of "The Lovers Chat" showcase because well, Maria is heavily involved in the video game industry as CEO and President of The Last Prophecy Gaming, Inc. Her work within this franchise is well known and she holds a special place for Cal Kestis and of course also for that sly, revengeful little nightsister, Merrin. And yes, Cal and Merrin will cameo in our fan trilogy, starting with Episode 11, and Cal will be a Grandmaster Jedi by this timeline, and quite old... with children and grandchildren of his own. Hybrid children (half Dathomirian, half Human) with his beloved wifey! Bet they'll have some lessons to teach Ben and Rey, well all of them, we are sure.

Like Dan, Kyle is also pretty new to acting and has only served a few projects here and there. We loved him so much, we gave him two roles --- that is the brooding apprentice to Darth Maladi, Darth Zanos and the big one, Cal Kestis.

So REJOICE #REYLOS --- we're bringing you guys the happy ending that #BenSolo and #Rey deserved, PLUS more love-filled stories to fawn over because Star Wars is full of them!

Stay tuned! And please remember to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel:

#star wars #ben solo #ben solo lives #continuing the story #rey #reylo #reunite the dyad #animated film #fan films #cal kestis #nightsister merrin #wedge antilles #norra wexley #poe dameron #zorii bliss #Youtube

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fatalitysficbakery · 2 years

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 Fatality’s Fic Bakery Masterlist; Multifandomed & OC Menu Updated 12•30•23 𓆰♡︎𓆪

↳ A Multifandom blog, that caters to less represented. Mainly black women but other poc and minorities as well.

↳ CHECK THE RULE LIST. Highly important to check my rule post before requesting ANYTHING.

↳ ❦ Fatalitysficbakery navigation menu ❦.

↳ ❦ Fatalitysficbakery rules + drabble menu ❦.

↳ ❦ Fatalitysficbakery requests guidelines menu ❦.

••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••

𓆰♡︎𓆪 Welcome To The Bakery 𓆰♡︎𓆪

series (☀︎︎) oneshots (☦︎︎) smut (✞)

fluff (☻︎) angst (☹︎)

two parters (♫)

reactions (❥) headcanons (☠︎︎)

drabbles (☾)

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 First Kill Menu 𓆰♥︎𓆪

↳ Talia Burns.

coming soon!!

↳ Calliope “Cal” Burns.

Runaways. (☦︎︎-☹︎-☻︎) x Black Fem!Reader

Warnings; Mentions of abuse, manipulation, favoritism, etc.

Synopsis; You and Cal have had enough.

↳ Next Ep; Not Giving In. (☀︎︎-☹︎-☻︎) (coming soon!!)

warnings: violence, blood, character death.

synopsis: talia and margot set out to find you and Cal.

↳ Elinor Fairmont.

coming soon!!

↳ Juliette Fairmont.

coming soon!!

↳ Margot Fairmont.

coming soon!!

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𓆰♡︎𓆪 Euphoria Menu 𓆰♡︎𓆪

↳ Rue Bennet/Zendaya Coleman.

The End Of An Era. (Ep. 1) (☀︎︎ - ☹︎ - ☻︎) x Black Fem!Reader

Warnings; Sapphic BS.

Synopsis; I could feel your love fading.

↳ Leslie Bennet/Nika King.

coming soon!!

↳ Maddy Perez.

coming soon!!

↳ Lexi Howard/Maude Apatow.

coming soon!!

↳ Jules Vaughn.

coming soon!!

↳ Gia Bennet.

coming soon!!

↳ Faye/Chloe Cherry.

coming soon!!

↳ Cassie Howard.

coming soon!!

↳ Fezco.

coming soon!!

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 In The Heights Menu 𓆰♥︎𓆪

↳ Nina Rosario

coming soon!!

↳ Vanessa.

coming soon!!

↳ Usnavi De La Vega.

Ghosts Of A Lover Unknown (☦︎︎ - ☾ - ☹︎) x Latina Fem!Y/n

Warnings; very very sad usnavi, worried sonny, insomnia, hints of past life themes, if everything is in italics, it means it’s a flashback!, open ended (interpretation is up to you).

Synopsis; #3 “If our empty bedroom bothers you so much maybe try sleeping in it one day, Blank”.

Nina’s Little Sister (☦︎︎ - ☾ - ☻︎) x Afro-Latina Fem!Y/n

warnings: none. fluffy bullshit.

synopsis: 11. “d-did it hurt when heaven fell? I mean- when you…fuck. Anyway, i’m blank and that was humiliating. let’s start over”?

↳ Benny.

coming soon!!

↳ Sonny De La Vega.

Nose Goes. (☦︎︎ - ☾ - ☻︎) x Afro-Latina Fem!Y/n

Warnings: So sweet it gives cavities.

Synopsis; #13 “Baking Gone Wrong”.

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 Supernatural Menu 𓆰♥︎𓆪

↳ Charlie Bradbury.

coming soon!!

↳ Sam Winchester.

Siri Play Hot N Cold By Katy Perry. (☦︎︎ - ☹︎-ish - ☻︎ - ✞) x Black Fem!Y/n

Warnings; Siren!Reader. Murderous kids, demons n shit, hungry!cas, man starved!sam, woman dehydrated!reader, basically woman sam!reader, over it!dean, needy sex, straight to the point, soft love making.

Synopsis; You and the Winchester brothers have been friends and partners for years, especially you and Sam— You’ve been their hand to hold and guide through the supernatural world since you’re apart of it. You and Sam have loved each other since forever, in secret of course. After a big blowout between the two of you, Dean is fed up and sends you both on a mission…Alone. Will years of pent up frustration and hidden love finally be revealed?

↳ Dean Winchester.

coming soon!!

↳ Castiel “Cas”.

coming soon!!

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 Girl From Nowhere Menu 𓆰♥︎𓆪

↳ Nanno.

coming soon!!

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𓆰♡︎𓆪 Heathers Menu 𓆰♡︎𓆪

↳ Jason “J.D” Dean.

coming soon!!

↳ Vanessa Sawyer.

coming soon!!

↳ Heather Chandler.

coming soon!!

↳ Heather Mcnamara.

coming soon!!

↳ Heather Duke.

coming soon!!

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𓆰♥︎𓆪 Original Character/Side Fics Menu 𓆰♥︎𓆪

↳ Selina Di’ortéz

coming soon!!

↳ Azael Di’ortéz

coming soon!!

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𓆰♡︎𓆪 DC 𓆰♡︎𓆪

↳ Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)

coming soon!!

↳ Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley).

coming soon!!

↳ Catwoman (Selina Kyle).

How Familiar A Face. Selina Kyle (☦︎︎ - ☹︎ - ✞ - ☻︎) x Black Fem!Y/n (Aka Dré’s Birthday Fic)

Warnings: childhood friends to lovers, pup!y/n, kitty!selina, sub!y/n, dom!selina, brat/brat tamer, sexual harassment, forced orgasm, orgasm denial, overstimulation, oral, degradation, praise, dumbification, size kink, yandere themes, slight noncon/dubcon, sadism/masochism, blood kink, knife kink, pain kink, tears of…well, you be the judge, oh and fingering :)

Synopsis: selina hates playing hero but she doesn’t mind it. what happens when she has to save a familiar face from a group of men?

Confessions Of Sin. Selina Kyle (☦︎︎ - ✞ - sprinkle of - ☹︎ - ☻︎) x Black Fem!Y/n (aka dre’s second annual birthday fic.)

warnings: vampire!selina, hybrid!y/n (wolf/witch), g!p (selina), degradation, stalking, slight dub-con, mating, sadism, masochism, mommy kink, slight!puppy play, intercourse, slight fingering.

synopsis: she’s been watching you.

Empty Planet. Selina Kyle (☦︎︎ - ✞ - (???) - ☻︎ - ☹︎) x Black Fem!Y/n

warnings: slight religious trauma, end of the world au, grief, death, apocalypse, oral (reader!receiving), tribbing, soft dom!selina, sub!y/n, depression mentions, sweet sapphic bs.

synopsis: opposite lifestyles lead two people together in a time of crisis.

↳ Starfire (Koriand’r).

coming soon!!

↳ Raven.

coming soon!!

••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••[❦]•••[❦❦]••

will be making a part two to this list.

This List will be updated regularly as I go on. Enjoy the baked goods in Fatality’s Fic Bakery! 🥖🥐🥯🍞🥨🥮🧁🍧🍨🍯

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pantsaretherealheroes · 4 months

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for fuck-it friday and the others (again i am slack but i've been writing a lot with my spare time!) thanks so much for your continued tags @cal-daisies-and-briars @jeeyuns :DD

for this one i'm doing two snippets from both of my current projects to make up for all the tags i've missed

under a cut for dash purposes:

snippet one is from the bosh fic, are we still friends, can we be friends?

“I thought you didn’t get on so well with him at dispatch?” Hen asks, shrewdly. “That was early on,” Eddie protests. “We’re good now. Friendly, even.” “Hmm.” Hen pops her eyebrows. “What?” Hen shrugs. “If you say you’re fine, you’re fine. But you can tell me if you’re not.” Eddie bites his lip and looks around. Buck is still helping Chim clean the truck downstairs. “Ok fine, I’m not super looking forward to it. But that’s more because I don’t really have a good track record here. I mean neither of us have ever really hung out with the person each of us was dating. It’s awkward.” Hen nods. “No one’s asking you to be best friends. I don’t hang out with just Chim and Maddie that often, but she’s fun to hang out with. And I’ve become pretty good friends with Jordan, Karen’s best friend from college. You just gotta find your commonalities.” Eddie sighs. “Yeah, Josh and I have things in common. It’ll be…fine.” “Well, you have one pretty important thing in common,” Hen tells him, and for a moment, he thinks he sees something in her eyes. Those x-ray eyes. He must look confused, because she continues. “Buck, obviously.” “Oh, yeah,” he says. Obviously.

and snippet two, from the forthcoming stranger than fiction au (if i can ever finish it!)

Evan Buckley opens his mouth almost incredulously. “Not great, actually. I’m being audited.” Eddie’s not sure what to say to that. It’s not like anyone should enjoy being audited. “By a real dick, too,” Evan Buckley continues, and that feels pointed. And fair. It’s not professional at all to leer at your auditee’s body. “I feel like I owe you an apology,” Eddie offers. “They don’t really value tact or good manners at the IRS, but my Abuela would smack me round the head if she knew how I acted the other day. I’m – I’m sorry.” He doesn’t usually stammer. He puts it down to the weirdness of this week. Evan Buckley’s expression softens at this. He almost smiles. “Apology accepted,” he says. “But only because you stammered.” Eddie tries not to smile too obviously. “So,” he says, trying to think of something to say. “You, uh, catch the bus often?” “Not if I can help it,” Evan Buckley snorts. “But my Jeep’s in the shop, and I have somewhere I need to be.” Eddie’s not sure why he says the next thing. Maybe he’s just feeling confident. “Got some hungry anarchists to feed?” Evan Buckley smiles, the same mischievous kind from the other day. He almost seems curious, even. He leans forward on the separator in front of him, crossing his ams and leaning them on it. He’s really the kind of man that likes to lean in close, Eddie’s starting to realise, if that’s anything that can be realised. “I’m bringing them to my weekly evil conspiracy and needlepoint group,” he says, in a stage whisper, smirking. Something sparkles in his eyes. “You wanna come?” Eddie isn’t sure this is at all a real offer. But even if it was, an auditor can’t hang out with their auditee. No matter how much, in the moment, they’d love it to be a genuine offer. To put off everything in their life that needs their attention – for an hour or two and follow their auditee somewhere new. He smiles, apologetically. “I would but, I, uh, left my socialist reading material and crochet needles at home.”

thanks guys this is fun to do <3

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loganlostitall · 7 months

Note

C, F, L for ask game.

A ship I have never liked and probably never will:

Oooh girl you trying to get me in trouble LOL. Every ship from my last post probably falls under this category as well, besides Rickyl and Desus because I genuinely don’t think I’ve been in this fandom long enough to say that those won’t be my favorite ships in a few years. I don’t think they’ll grow on me but I also said that Daryl would never grow on me, and the same with Negan, soooo I’m not going to make the mistake of using those words ever again LOL.

I can say for TWD though that Daryl Dixon x Leah Shaw, Negan Smith x Alpha, and.. whew… Bethyl aren’t ever gonna be something I like. You’re gonna get me killed here. But Beth Greene x Daryl Dixon is almost exactly the same age gap as Amanda and I were, and you were already my friend when that whole mess happened so I’m sure that comes as no surprise to you. (Amanda is my ex girlfriend?? who was 38 when I was 15, fun time 😀). And Daryl was I believe 41 while Beth was 18 so that’s quite literally the same number of years. 23. No ty. It doesn’t nauseate me because she’d be an adult but I do try to avoid reading it; my mutuals can talk about it though if they want for all I care. I do in fact believe that Beth had a crush on Daryl and just wouldn’t have pursued him, looked for those traits elsewhere.

Marvel forever dislikes: Tony Stark x Peter Parker, Wanda Maximoff x Puerto Maximoff, Gamora x Nebula, Peter Parker x Morgan Stark (seriously, ew), Thanos x Loki Laufeyson, Odin Borrson x Loki Laufeyson, Odin Borrson x Thor Odinson, Odin Borrson x Hela Odindottir, Freyja Freyrdottir (Frigga) x Loki Laufeyson, May Parker-Jameson x Peter Parker, Norman Osborn x Peter Parker, Otto Octavius x Peter Parker, Skip Westcott x Peter Parker!!!!!!!!, Tony Stark x Sentient Armor, Steve Rogers x Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers x Sharon Carter, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Brunnhilde x Hela Odindottir, Thor Odinson x Carol Danvers, James Howlett x Anna Marie, if I listed them all I’d be here all night

DC forever dislikes: Alfred Pennyworth x Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne x Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Lucas Fox, Barbara Gordon, or any of Batman’s sidekicks (I think you get my point by now), Jack Napier x Harleen Quinzel, Jack Napier x Clark Kent, Hal Jordan x Arisia Rrab (she’s an entire child 😐), Dick Grayson x Catalina Flores (sexual assault), there are just so many more

Shameless forever dislikes: Fiona Gallagher x literally everyone she ever dated, Debbie Gallagher x all of her exes as well, Lip Gallagher x Mandy Milkovich (she rped him guys!!! don’t forget), Lip Gallagher x Karen Jackson, Karen Jackson x Frank Gallagher, Frank Gallagher x Sammi Slott (that’s your child dude…), Ian Gallagher x Kash Karib, Ian Gallagher x Caleb Daniels, Carl Gallagher x Kassidi Gallagher (typing that made me laugh 😭), Carl Gallagher x Dominique Winslow, Carl Gallagher x Tish (she rped him as well), Liam Gallagher x Sissy (MORE rpe), please just let my babies be happy and in love

Euphoria forever dislikes: Maddie Perez x Nate Jacobs, Rue Bennett x Jules Vaughn, Cal Jacobs x Nate Jacobs, Cal Jacobs x Jules Vaughn, Cassie Howard x Nate Jacobs, Rue Bennett x Nate Jacobs, Rue Bennett x Fezco O’Neill, Fezco O’Neill x Ashtray

What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

I am still a Marvel and DC fan, so it’s gotta be those. I’ve literally been a fan since I was born.

Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

Maggie Rhee does her absolute best for her son. I… don’t have much /pos commentary besides that 😭

#ask game #ships I don’t like #ships I will never like #tw grooming #the walking dead #marvel #dc comics #shameless #euphoria #my longest time in a fandom #compliment a character that isn’t a favorite #please don’t come for me

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dumb-bitch-that-ships21 · 2 years

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The power Angus Cloud’s pinky ring has over me cannot be stated enough. I think it’s a facet of my sexuality at this point.

#fexi #euphoria #lexi howard #fezco #fezco euphoria #rue bennett #fez x lexi #nate jacobs #cassie howard #jules vaughn #kat hernandez #fezco x lexi #maddie perez #lexi x fez #angus cloud #fez and lexi #maude apatow #cal jacobs #fez euphoria

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thebetterbear · 2 years

Text

Post Modern Art

Escaping Confines of Museum

City, Michael Heizer. Located in Garden Valley, a desert valley in rural Lincoln County in the U.S. state of Nevada. land art sculpture. 1970-2022

Collapsing Boundaries Between High and Low

Curious Kitten watercolor painting is a painting by Svetlana Novikova which was uploaded on February 23rd, 2013.

Rejecting Originality

Andy Warhol 1928–1987. Silkscreen ink and acrylic paint on 2 canvases. 1982

Jouissance

Working Collaboratively

Meow Wolf. Sept. 13, 2021.

Adam Christopher

Andi Todaro

Ashley Frazier, Michael Sperandeo

Brandan Styles "Bzurk”, Ellie Rusinova

Brian Corrigan

Cal Duran, David Ocelotl Garcia

Cami Galofre

Chris Bagley

Christopher Owen Nelson

Christopher Short

Collin Parson

Corrina Espinosa

Dan Taro

David Farquharson

Dice 51

Douglas A. Schenck “DAS”

Dylan Gebbia-Richards

Frankie Toan

Ian McKenna

Jaime Molina, Pedro Barrios

Jennifer Pettus

Jess Webb

Jodi Stuart, Libby Barbee

Joseph Lamar

Joshua Goss

JUHB.

Justin Camilli

Justin Gitlin aka Cacheflowe

Kalyn Heffernan, Gregg Ziemba

Katy Zimmerman, Erika Wurth

Kia Neill

Kristin Stransky

Laaiaim Mayer

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy

LORDSCIENCE UNIVERSAL

Lumonics

Marjorie Lair, Kyle Vincent Singer

Maya Linke

Myah Sarles

Nicole Banowetz

Nolan Tredway

Ramón Bonilla

Reed Fox, Ben Weirich

Sabin Aell, Randy Rushton

Scott Hildebrandt

Sean Peuquet

Shayna Cohn

Sigrid Sarda

Sofie Birkin

Thomas Scharfenberg

Viviane Le Courtois

Wanderweird

Wynn Earl Buzzell Jr.

Andrew Novick, Pamela Webb, Robert Ayala

bearwarp

Chad Colby, Lexis Loeb, Hayley Kirkman

Charles Kern, Ty Holter, Ben Jackson, Rachel Bilys, Brett Sasine

Demiurge LLC: Joe Riche and Wynn Buzzell

Eriko Tsogo, Jennifer Tsogo, Tsogo Mijid, Batochir Batkhishig

F. Ria Khan, Armon Naein, Blake Gambel, Calvin Logan, Charles Candon, Harrison Bolin, Luke Collier, Maria Deslis, Sky Johnson, Sofia Rubio-Topete

Ladies Fancywork Society

Merhia Wiese, Annabelle Wiese, Maggie Wiese, Eunseo Zoey Kim, Dan Griner

Mike Lustig, Mitch Hoffman, Tim Omspach, Nathan Koral, Evan Beloni, Ryan Elmendorf, Scott Wilson, Charlis Robbins

Molina Speaks, Stevon Lucero, DJ Icewater, Felix "Fast4ward" Ayodele, Diles, Emily Swank

Oren Lomena, Alaine "Skeena" Rodriguez, Alius Hu

Peniel Apantenco, Kim Shively, Colin Richard Ferguson Ward, (In memoriam)

Sam Caudill, Sean Louis Rove, Juancristobal Hernández

Secret Love Collective: Katy Batsel, Lares Feliciano, Colby Graham, Piper Rose, Frankie Toan, Katy Zimmerman, Lauren Zwicky, Genevieve Waller

The Church of Many: Andrea Thurber, Elsa Carenbauer, Anna Goss, Maddi Waneka and Emily Merlin

Waffle Cone Club: Kyle Vincent Singer, Scott Kreider, Marjorie Lair

Everything is Terrible!

Kevin Bourland

Michael Lujan

Moment Factory

Nina Mastrangelo

Scott Geary, Wayne Geary, Gary Ashkin

Appropriating

Paneel "Rehearsal for an Icon 2001 - Mona Lisa" von Olbinski, Grafikdruck. Digital Print

Hybridizing

Untitled (Studio)2014

Kerry James Marshall

Simulating

Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987) 1962. Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two canvases, Each canvas 20 x 16" (50.8 x 40.6 cm). Overall installation with 3" between each panel is 97" high x 163" wide

Mixing Media

Mama, Mummy and Mamma (Predecessors #2)

Njideka Akunyili Crosby. 2014

Layering

Zephyrus Rising, 2022. Acrylic on Acrylic. 32 × 16 × 22 in Duncan McDaniel

Mixing Codes

Recontextualizing

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, 1503-6; On Winnie: Denis Colomb stoles (worn as a headdress, top and sleeves)

Confronting the Gaze

Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad David Ayer 2016 (left), Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey Cathy Yann 2021 (right)

Facing Abject

Jane Alexander, Butcher Boys, 1985/86, mixed media (Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town, photo: Goggins World, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Constructing Identities

Creating Metaphors

Martin Puryear. Ladder for Booker T. Washington, detail, 1996. Installation view at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas. 2003

Using Narratives

Damien Hirst The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 2013 Lentikulardruck80 x 120 cm

Irony, Parody, Parody Dissonance

A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby (2014). Kara Walker Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

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ghost-of-you · 2 years

Text

catch 22 - ch - Part 2

Paring: Calum Hood x Original Female Character

Word Count: 15.4k

Warnings: mentions of underage drinking, a panic attack, some swearing

Author's note: this is mostly fluff, but we do get on the angst train now so buckle up.

The title for this one is from friends don't by Maddie & Tae

read it on ao3

Series Masterlist

playlist

part 1 part 3

___________

Yes, we do, but friends don't.

2012

The first time Calum called Emma, she was so shocked she almost forgot she was supposed to answer. She was already in bed, a Disney movie playing on her laptop, while she waited for sleep to come when the phone rang.

When she answered, after staring at the screen for a second too long, he said he wanted to ask her something about a class, something she thought was odd since she went to a different school, but he said she was "the smartest person he could think of" and she tried to explain what he was supposed to do, promising to help him in person the next time she saw him if he still couldn't figure it out. He didn't hang up after that, asking what she was doing before he called and somehow they were still talking much later when she could barely keep her eyes open.

The first time Emma called Calum, was in the week following that. She couldn't think of an excuse for the call, saying she just felt like talking to him, making him chuckle and start telling her about something funny that had happened in one of his classes. Soon those calls became a constant thing. Something Emma looked forward to. She started calling when something exciting happened, but soon changed to calling when anything she felt like talking about happened since Calum didn't seem to mind it when she ranted about a tv show or book or freaked out about a test the following day. He, on the other hand, rarely had a specific topic in mind. A few other times he asked for help with a project, but mostly he just asked about her day to start the conversation.

Emma liked the routine of calls a lot now that the boys moved the rehearsals to a rehearsal space, Ashton usually picking them up from school and driving them and the instruments around. That, unfortunately for Emma, meant that she didn’t spend nearly as much time with them as the previous year. She still tagged along at weekends when she could, but the lack of daily hangouts meant they had more to talk about, something she wasn’t complaining about, even though she missed them more than she would ever dare to admit.

The shortened time with them also expanded her time alone, which is probably why she’s freaking out, she wasn’t as used to being around him as she was before even though she was talking to him more than ever between texts and the calls.

“It’s just Calum,” Emma keeps telling herself as she stares at the send button.

To Cal ❤️: Hey can I come over?

She hits send before she can talk herself out of it and locks her phone, setting it on the sand beside her. It rings faster than she expected.

From Cal ❤️: yup ;)

To Cal ❤️: k see u soon

She exhales loudly trying to calm herself down, he’s her friend, why wouldn’t he want to see her? He is her friend, right? She doesn’t know why she’s spiraling, so she gets up and walks. She misses him. She misses the bubble of craziness around all of them, really. Days just didn’t feel the same. So the rush of excitement she feels getting to Calum’s house is something she understands.

She sends him an “I’m here” when she turns into his street and smiles to herself when his door opens almost immediately after.

“Hey,” she waves at him when she’s a few feet away from him, waiting for her on the sidewalk. He closes the distance between them, arms outstretched, pulling her into a hug and lifting her from the ground, making her squeak and hold on tightly to him, arms around his neck.

“Hi,” he replies to her hair before putting her down, making her laugh. “Are you ever at your own house?” He teases, leading them back in.

“Between school, following you guys around, and trying to keep my sanity by watching the waves until my mum is about to call the cops, not really, no,” she jokes, following him through the house. "I just hate being alone at that house," she shrugs, walking into his bedroom, "are you always home alone?" She asks in return.

"Just when you decide to show up at my door," he replies, and she laughs. "Mum works weird hours," he shrugs, and she nods.

"What were you doing?" She asks, sitting on his bed while he rolls his computer chair to sit in front of her.

“Playing,” he points to the computer behind him.

“Sorry for making you stop,” she says.

“It’s fine, love, I was getting bored anyway,” his gaze is intense, hands are resting on her knees, and she doesn’t know what to do except look at him. “Oh,” his face suddenly lights up and he sits up straight, “Did Mike tell you we got a gig?”

“Really?” She smiles with him, “He didn’t. Where? When? Can I come?”

“If you’re up for carrying gear, I’m sure we can get you in,” he jokes, but she nods.

“Sure, I can carry guitars, 'cause Ash won’t let me touch his drums, or, I don’t know, pretend I’m helping you set things up," she pauses, “or actually help set up things,” her enthusiasm makes him laugh, “what is it?”

“It’s a party."

“That could be fun,” she says and he nods, hands settling back on her knees, and she could feel her cheeks heat up under his gaze.

“Wanna watch a movie or something?” He asks, and she feels herself nodding “sure” before fully registering his question. She didn't have a plan in mind when she texted him. She just wanted to see him. Watching something sounds better than sitting there and awkwardly looking at each other. She watches as he spins in the chair, moving closer to the desk, and searches for whatever movie he wants, before noticing she’s staring and shaking her head, kicking her sneakers off, dropping back into the bed, and moving to sit with her back against the headboard when he hits play.

Calum picks a random action movie, but none of them are paying close attention to it. It starts with a classic motivation scene, and Emma points it out as the bad guy is about to attack the love interest, laughing and gesturing to the screen while Calum tries not to laugh too. After that, they start to point out all the cliches and stupid things in the movie, Emma looking at him every time something she said is about to happen does happen to watch his reaction, with every comment getting closer to him until she’s completely pressed against his side.

"Love," he whispers, and she turns her face to him, eyes slowly moving to look at him, her gaze going back and forth between Calum and the screen.

"Yeah?" She asks while his eyes seem focused on her lips, making her extremely conscious of how close he is.

"I wanna kiss you," he says and she questions for a second if she's hearing it right before nodding, her gaze dropping from his eyes to his lips.

"Okay," she hums, and his hand finds her neck, bringing her closer, before kissing her. She holds the front of his shirt while she kisses him back, pulling him forward and shifting her body so the position wouldn’t be so awkward, her heartbeat rising as she doesn’t know what to do with what she’s feeling. Calum pulls back, the smile on his face making her feel breathless, but then he’s pulling her towards him again, and she can’t think of anything other than his lips on hers.

Too soon, her phone starts ringing, letting her know that her mother is trying to find her and bringing them back to reality.

Emma lets it ring, she doesn’t want to hear that she’s late or that she’s been gone too long.

“I gotta go,” she says, moving away from Calum, so she could get out of the bed.

“You didn’t even check,” he frowns at her, reaching for her phone while she puts her sneakers back on.

“I don’t have to, I’m willing to bet that’s my mum asking me why I’m not home" she looks back at him just as he unlocks the phone in his hand.

“One missed call from mum,” he nods and she shoots him a grin.

“Told ya,” she says standing up and motioning for Calum to give her the phone.

She pockets it and searches around to see if she’s forgetting something while he gets up and stands beside her.

“Wait,” she says, suddenly turning to look at him.

“What?” He asks, sounding alarmed.

“You kissed me,” she starts and he answers before she can finish her thought.

“I’m pretty sure you agreed to it,” he smirks at her.

“We have never done that before,” she adds, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No, but I wouldn’t mind if it happened again,” his face is serious now, looking at her intently.

“So, what? We do this now?”

“I’m down whenever you are.”

“Sounds good to me."

“Good,” he leans down to kiss her again, fast and sweet, making her giggle.

“I really need to go, though,” she says, starting to walk out of his room and he follows her as she makes her way out.

Emma stops when she reaches the front door, waiting while Calum looks for the keys. She steps out of the way when he moves closer to her and unlocks it.

“Bye, Cal,” she says, reaching for the doorknob.

“Hang on,” he pulls her by her waist and kisses her one more time, “now you can go,” he says, opening the door for her and she giggles.

“See ya,” she says and he winks at her, making her laugh as she walks away.

______

“Are you ready?” Emma asks, sitting beside Michael on the steps in front of his house, waiting for their ride to arrive.

“I was born ready, babe."

“I don’t think you knew how to play the guitar when you were born,” she jokes and he scoffs at her.

“Are you ready? You hate parties,” he asks in return, turning to her.

“You hate parties,” she shoots back.

“I don’t hate this one, I’m the main attraction,” he brags and she starts laughing.

“Technically, you’re only one-fourth of the main attraction,” she teases.

“Everyone only ever looks at the guitarist, you know that.”

“Then you’re half the main attraction,”

“Stop ruining this for me,” he grunts, and she grins at his reaction.

“I can’t let you get all cocky on me, I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I did."

“If you wanna be a good friend you need to hype me up,” he argues.

“I love you and you’re my favorite, but I also need to make sure you stay grounded, you know? Can’t let it get to your head," she teases, tapping his temple and he pushes her arm away.

“No, no you don’t."

“Oh my God, it’s Michael Clifford, the best musician ever and my only goal in life it’s to get his attention,” she’s fanning herself, speaking in a high-pitched voice, and Michael is frowning at her, “better?” She adds, speaking normally now.

“I hate you,” he says, rolling his eyes at her and she laughs.

“No, you don’t, you love me, you wouldn’t put up with me if you didn’t."

“Now that you pointed it out, you really are very annoying."

“Hey!”

“You said it, not me,” he shrugs, and she shakes her head.

“You know what? I take it back, you’re not my favorite."

“Why?” He complains and she shrugs.

“You’re annoying me."

“That’s not a good enough reason, trouble."

“Of course it is."

“No, it isn’t."

“It is."

"It isn't."

"It is."

“Come on," he complains, with a frown and she frowns back.

“You said I’m very annoying."

“You said I’m cocky."

“I said I can’t let you get cocky,” she tries to explain but he interrupts her.

“And that’s why you’re annoying."

“I hate you."

“You love me,” he winks at her.

“No, I don't, you're an idiot."

“Hey, don’t be mean,” he pouts and she chuckles.

“Sorry,” she pauses, “wait, no, you called me annoying, I can call you an idiot."

“And that’s your plan to make me not think you’re annoying?”

“Yep."

"You're crazy."

"And yet, you're the one that loves me," she grins at him and he just looks at her, like he can't think of what to say.

Michael is still thinking of a comeback when the headlights of Ashton's car light up the street and he honks and stops in front of them.

*****

Calum kept his arm around Emma's shoulders after their performance, dragging her along with him through the crowded place, and all she can do is smile and go along with it because she doesn't want to be away from him and she likes the warm feeling she gets in her chest from having him around.

After a while she falls quiet, resting her head against him as he talks to a group of people whose names she had already forgotten. She doesn't even notice when he excuses himself and only reacts as he starts moving again, leading them away from the party.

"Are you tired?" He asks when they reach the side of the house, the music now just background noise.

"A little," she admits, "but I can last a few more hours, y'all seem to be having fun," she smiles at him, sitting down on the ground leaning back on the wall, and closing her eyes.

"Really? 'Cause it felt like you were about to fall asleep on me in there," he jokes, sitting in front of her and she opens her eyes to look at him.

"Well, you're very comfortable," she tells him and he chuckles.

"Thank you?" He asks and she giggles. Maybe she is more tired than she thinks.

"What time is it? My phone died," she frowns at the pitch-black sky before looking back at the boy in front of her.

"2:27," he says after checking and she blinks at him.

"Really? Oh wow, no wonder I'm tired," she laughs.

"Yeah, I didn't think it was this late."

"Well, it's a good thing, not noticing, it means we were having fun."

"Yeah," he nods and she's watching him.

"Did I tell you you look good today? I like that shirt," she says before she could stop herself. He's wearing a navy blue button-down shirt that makes him look dressed up and cute, especially when he grins at her like that.

"Thank you."

"I just thought I should mention it," she shrugs and he tilts his head, the grin never leaving his lips.

"You really are tired, aren't you, love?" He asks and she frowns at him.

"What? I can't tell you that I think you’re cute?"

"You can, I just think it’s the sleepiness talking."

"I am sleepy, but I'm always sleepy," she laughs, stifling a yawn.

"Come here," he says, moving so he could sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her and she drops her head to his shoulder, "I think you look cute too," he says to her hair and she smiles.

"Thank you," she giggles and looks up at him, "it's the makeup."

"No, it isn't," he looks like he wants to say something more, but he doesn't. Her thoughts are starting to get away from her, the closeness making her think back to what it was like to kiss him and now she can't take her eyes off his lips.

"Hey Cal?" She asks before she can lose the courage.

"Yeah?"

"I wanna kiss you," she echoes, looking up at his eyes and he moves his hand to her cheek and closes the distance between them. His lips are soft and she pulls him closer by his collar, making him laugh against her lips, and adjust so that he could get closer before kissing her again.

Emma is almost asleep, head laying on Calum's shoulder when Ashton comes to find them so they could leave and she's still smiling to herself when she's finally in her bed.

______

It was getting out of hand. Kissing Calum is all Emma could think about. She couldn't concentrate. She couldn't do anything without ending up in some elaborate daydream fueled by feelings she didn't fully understand. She hadn’t seen Calum, or any of them for that matter, in weeks, since they booked a tour as an opening act, then somehow ended up in meetings with managers in London and they hadn’t talked about what kissing meant and she thought she was cool with the whole situation but maybe she wasn’t as chill about it as she thought. They still talked on the phone, almost daily now, but he didn’t bring it up, so she didn’t either.

That made her start writing. A dream she had. A thought that kept running around in her mind. A quote that spoke to her. A lyric from a song. It was her way to try to figure out what she was feeling. At first, it was just in the last few pages of her school notebooks, but as the writing helped her, she started a whole new notebook with just that. All sorts of thoughts. Mostly about Calum, not that she would ever admit it. She kept it in her backpack, pulling it out whenever she thought she needed it.

And it was helping. But she kept trying to convince herself that it was just about kissing. If it were something more, he would've said something by now, right? Wondering was driving her crazy. She kept telling herself it was nothing. It's just Calum. He’s her friend. Friends can kiss each other, and it doesn't have to mean anything.

And that's what she's doing, sitting by her window, a book in her hand she can't concentrate on, thoughts spinning in her head as she reads the same sentence over and over again trying to understand it when she catches a glimpse of something making her turn.

She sees a familiar blonde head and can't help her excitement, shaking her arms to get his attention. When Michael finally notices her, she motions she's going over, and he nods.

She runs out of her house, and it's getting to his front door when Michael opens it.

"You're back!" She says, colliding to his chest, and throwing her arms around him, and he chuckles, hugging her back. "When did you get back?" She asks, stepping back.

"It's been a few hours." He shrugs.

"And you didn't tell me?" She clutches her chest, faking outrage, before shoving him playfully.

“Why tell you if all I have to do is pass by a window for you to know?” He mocks her, and she shoves him again, pouting slightly. "Come on,” he motions for her to go in, leading them to his bedroom, where she drops to the floor, sitting with her back against the foot of the bed, facing the monitor that showed that Michael was playing Guitar Hero.

“I meant why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today. I thought you’d only be back next week,” she asks, more serious this time when he sits down next to her.

“We only had a few hours between finding out we could come back and getting on the plane, and honestly, I could only think about my bed, also,” he shoots her a look and grins, “I thought Calum would tell you,” the way he says his name makes Emma frown at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You tell me, what’s going on between the two of you?” He asks and she blinks a couple of times, trying to gather her thoughts.

“Nothing?” She tells him, but it sounds like a question because she doesn’t really know.

“Oh, really? You’re gonna tell me you don’t like him?” He asks, again with the emphasis that makes her feel weird.

“What? No,” she says a little too quickly, “I don’t like him,” she adds, but it feels like she’s lying.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” at least she thinks so, but as she says it, again it feels like a lie. Does she like him? She couldn't, could she?

“So nothing happened between the two of you?” He asks, a confused expression on his face and she raises an eyebrow at him.

“M, where the hell is this coming from?”

“He talked to you through the whole trip."

“That’s not true."

“You’re telling me he didn’t give you a play-by-play of everything we did?”

“Not everything,” she deflects, pressing her lips together and he raises an eyebrow at her.

“He was on the phone with you every day."

“Not every day,” she deflects again, even though he did call her daily, and Michael rolls his eyes.

“Can you just tell me if something happened or not? He won’t tell me either.”

“Maybe, just maybe, it’s because there’s nothing to tell."

“I don’t believe you," he says and she sighs, staring at him.

“Well, we kissed. Once. Or twice. I don’t know, I lost track at this point,” she trails off as Michael's eyes grow wider.

“I knew it!” He exclaims and Emma can’t help but start laughing at his reaction, ”he kept telling me it was none of my business-"

“Well, he’s right,” she says but Michael ignores her.

“-But I knew something must’ve happened-"

“It was just some kissing, come on, it’s Calum,” she says but he continues to ignore her.

"-'Cause you don’t get that comfortable around anyone."

“Hey,” she protests, frowning at him.

“It’s the truth, I’m pretty sure the only reason you’re cool around me is 'cause we’ve known each other half our lives.” She opens her mouth to respond, but she can’t think of an answer, so she closes it again, making Michael smirk, “see, you know I’m right.”

“You’re not right,” she lies and he gives her a look of disbelief, “Okay, you’re right."

“Oh, so you do like him?” He asks with a grin and she groans.

“What’s with the interrogation?”

“I can’t even look at a girl without you going on about it for days, I’m just returning the favor,” he smirks at her and she frowns.

“I’m not that intense."

“No, you're worse. Now talk, ‘cause you bottle things up until it drives you crazy and that’s not good." He motions for her to speak and she can't help but feel amused by his reaction.

“What do you want me to say?”

"What's happening between the two of you?"

“I already told you, we kissed, that’s all,” she shrugs and he shoots her a disbelieving look.

“He called you every day and you’re telling me that’s all?”

“Yes."

“So you really don’t like him?” He looks confused, and Emma wonders if she’s missing something.

“No! Yes? Maybe. I don’t know, okay” she finally admits.

“Oh, so you’re in denial, that makes sense."

“Michael!”

“Oh no, you called me by my name,” he fake gasps clutching his chest.

“I hate you."

“No, you don’t,” he winks at her and she glares back at him.

“We kissed, we didn’t talk about if it means anything, and I don’t know how I feel about him, so, yeah, I don’t have anything to tell you, because I don’t know."

“You either feel something or you don’t, trouble.”

“It’s not that easy, M," she groans, running a hand through her hair.

“Why?”

“'Cause it’s Calum."

“Yeah, it’s Cal, so?”

“So, we talk every day and I’m almost as comfortable around him as I am around you but I’m pretty sure if you and I kissed, it would just be weird."

“Do you wanna try?” He smirks, leaning closer and she laughs, playfully pushing him away, shaking her head.

“You’re an idiot."

“I’m just trying to help you here,” he tells her, defensively raising his arm.

“I don’t think kissing you would help, but thank you, I’ll keep the option open for the next time I need a make-out session."

“Whenever you need it,” he winks at her and she can't help but giggle. "So Calum?” He asks and she looks up at the ceiling, feeling exasperated before sighing and looking back at Michael.

“I don’t think I’m falling for him or anything, I just like being around him, and as you pointed out, I don’t like being around anyone,” she shrugs, "so it's a nice change."

“Just don’t get hurt because you don't wanna figure it out."

“I won’t,” she promises, and at that moment it feels like something she can keep.

_____

"Hi," Calum seems to materialize in front of Emma, making her almost drop her phone.

"Jesus, you scared me," she tells him, pulling her headphones down to her neck.

"Sorry," he grins at her, "what's up?"

"I'm going to school?" She says, almost as a question, noticing how far from his school he is, "shouldn't you be doing the same?"

"School's boring."

"Right," she raises an eyebrow at him, "I gotta go, though, I'm already late."

"Skip it with me," he asks suddenly and she just stares at him.

"What?"

"You're already late, just don't go," he shrugs and she opens her mouth to tell him no, but nothing comes out.

"I," she stops, considering if she should do it or not, trying to remember if there’s something important happening that day.

"Please?" He pleads, big brown eyes staring into hers, and she loses any resolve to say no looking at him.

"Okay, sure, why not?" She agrees, trying not to giggle at Calum’s growing grin, "So what are we going to do?"

"I didn't think that far," he says, scratching his neck and she chuckles.

"Of course you didn't," she checks the time, "we can go to my house, my parents already left."

"Cool," he throws an arm around her shoulders, turning them around and they start to make their way back.

***

“I never saw you play,” Calum says from her bed and she spins in her chair to look at him.

“Huh?”

“I never saw you play,” he repeats, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed, closer to her.

“No one ever saw me play,” she shrugs. “I don’t play around people."

“I’m not people,” he pouts, sounding offended and making her chuckle.

“No, you’re not, come on,” she reaches for his hand, pulling him with her towards the keyboard, sitting down and patting the space beside her on the bench.

“Okay, rockstar, you don’t get to judge me even if you think I’m terrible,” she looks at him when he sits beside her.

“But,” he begins, and she groans.

“Cal, please, this is my safe space, I don’t let anyone anywhere near this,“ she motions around her.

“Okay, I’m just gonna watch,” he grins, raising his hand in defense, and she can’t help but smile too.

Emma lets her hands hover over the keys, deciding what to play, before breathing out and starting to play.

“Taylor Swift? Really?” He scoffs, recognizing the song faster than she thought he could.

"Hey! No judgment, remember?” She tells him and begins to sing. She tries to ignore Calum, she knows that if she thinks too much about how close he is or how she can feel him staring she’ll lose what she’s doing and for some reason, she wants to impress him.

Drop everything now

Meet me in the pouring rain

Kiss me on the sidewalk

Take away the pain

'Cause I see, sparks fly, whenever you smile

She finishes the song and looks back at Calum waiting for a reaction to find him watching her and she feels her cheeks heat up.

“So?” She asks when he doesn’t say anything.

“You’re good,” he finally says, making her frown.

“Good?”

“With all the secrecy I thought I’d have to lie so I wouldn’t hurt your feelings,” he teases.

“Hey,” she pouts at him and he grins at her.

“I knew you could sing if you wanted to, I just thought, you know,” he trails off and she offers, "that I didn’t play around people cause it would be torture?” with a laugh.

“Well, if I put it like that it would’ve just been mean," he teases and she crinkles her nose at him, "but, you’re talented, why don’t you, you know, show people?”

“Well, rockstar, I just like music, I don’t want the spotlight,” she explains and his face softens looking at her.

“That actually makes sense,” he nods in agreement.

“Does it?”

“Yeah, you don’t like attention."

“Nope, in fact, you can have the spotlight and I'll be a producer."

"That's your plan? Producing?"

"Yep," she nods, grinning at him.

“Thanks for playing for me then."

“It’s just a song,” she shrugs, looking back at the keys and playing some random notes.

“You could teach me."

“The song?”

“No, the piano."

“I’m not a good teacher, Cal."

“Bullshit."

“How would you know?”

“I just do, show me the song you just played,” he asks, hitting random keys dramatically, making Emma laugh.

“I have no idea how,” she tells him.

“Nonsense, start with the chords,” he encourages her and she sighs, shaking her head at how excited he looks.

“Okay, the song’s just four chords and two progressions,” she begins and he nods.

“Sounds easy enough,”

“The main progression is D major, B flat, F, and C,” she demonstrates each chord as she says them while Calum pays close attention to it.

“So D," he repeats back to her, looking down at the keys, playing the right ones, and glancing back at Emma for confirmation.

“Yes,” she nods and he smiles.

“B,” he adds, playing it almost right and looking up at her again.

“Almost, it’s the black key,” she adjusts his hand for the right shape and he tries again. “Yep."

“F,” he plays it and she nods, ”and C."

“Yes."0

Calum plays the full progression again and Emma can’t help but smile at the sparkle in his eyes.

“Now you just have to get the tempo right and you can get away with playing everything but the pre-chorus of the song,” she announces to him and he does it again, this time at the right time and she starts clapping.

“You know, when the band takes off, you should get a teacher, someone that will actually teach you something, not just Taylor Swift songs that are definitely not your thing.”

“When,” he laughs, looking down at the keys and playing around with them, “you have way too much faith in us."

“I do have faith in you,” she turns to look at him, “I’m sure one day I’ll be able to say that I knew you before you were cool."

“You think so?” He turns to her too, eyes soft, and she can feel a smile forming on her lips.

“I know so."

“As I said, too much faith,” he says, his gaze moving back to the keyboard and playing a few random notes.

“I don’t think it’s too much,” she shrugs, ”It’s just a feeling."

“I’m not going to agree, but just because I don’t feel like jinxing it,” he continues to mess around with the notes looking for the sound he wants and she frowns looking at his hands and back to his face.

“Wait, you know what you’re doing," she blinks at him and he chuckles, shrugging.

“Kinda."

“And you need me for what then?”

“I just mess around with the piano in our music room, I don’t know how to play yet," he says, defensively and she shrugs as he stops playing.

“Could’ve fooled me."

“Again, too much faith,” he looks at her, eyes intense, gaze moving from her eyes to her lips, "and I need you for way more than just music lessons."

"Smooth," she teases, giggling and he frowns at her.

"What?"

"The eyes, the I need you, if I didn't know better I'd think you were trying something," she says teasingly, raising an eyebrow, but he holds her gaze, a smug grin on his face.

"So what if I was?"

"You would have to be a little more direct," she teases, winking at him.

“Really?” He asks, his face slowly getting closer and his gaze going back and forth between her eyes and her lips.

“Yeah,” she breathes, trying to focus on anything other than how close he is, as he's still moving, stopping just short of her lips.

“So you don’t want me to kiss you?” He asks, lips grazing hers as he speaks and she feels like she can’t breathe, resisting the urge to just close the distance herself.

“I never said that,” she answers, staying still while his face seems out of focus, trying to avoid letting her gaze drift to his lips but she doesn’t have to try for very long.

“Good,” he says, hand moving to her cheek and kissing her. She sighs happily into his lips kissing him back.

"We need to get out of here," she pulls back after a while, "my mum sometimes comes back around lunchtime, and we can't be here if she does."

"Where should we go then?" He asks and she gives him a how should I know look.

"I picked here, you pick the next one."

"Fine, are you hungry?"

"I don't know, maybe?"

"That's a yes, we're gonna go get lunch then."

"Sounds like a plan."

***

“Why do you call him M?” Calum asks, stealing one of her fries when she mentions a text she just got from Michael and Emma chuckles.

“Oh," she scratches her neck, “well, everyone calls me Em, right?” He nods, encouraging her to continue, “but Michael doesn’t, he never calls me by my name, never did.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” he chuckles.

“Well, kid me thought it would be an amazing idea to try and get people to call him M too, you know, Em, M,” she half shrugs, taking a sip from her milkshake, “It never caught on, but I got used to it, now it’s just weird calling him anything else.”

“And he calls you trouble because?”

“Because when we first met I got him in trouble. I had just moved here, like, it had been just a couple of weeks, and a kid that lived in our street was having a birthday party and his mum invited all the kids in the block and I don’t even remember what we did, but when the parents caught us, no one believed that it had been my idea.” She smiles at the memory, “I don’t think he liked me very much at the beginning, but our mums hit it off and since I was in the house next door and we were both the same age, they kept putting us together, one day he stopped ignoring me. The nickname stuck though, it annoyed me at first but at this point, I would get worried if he called me something else.”

"That's kinda sweet," he says and she can't help but laugh at him.

"Yeah."

"Tell me something you never told anyone else," he asks and she chuckles trying to think of something.

"You're full of questions today."

"Yeah, now tell me something."

She finally thinks of something but the thought that comes to her mind makes her stop smiling and look anxiously at him while chewing on the inside of her cheeks.

"I think I like girls too," she watches his expression closely, terrified that the way he looks at her would change, but he just stares back at her.

"You think?"

"I don't know, okay," she sighs, "there was this girl at school last year, and I think I had a crush on her."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know, I would get so distracted looking at her, and being around her just made me so nervous, doing the whole giggling and embarrassing myself thing," she pauses, waiting for a reaction, but he just nods encouragingly, "I didn't really stop to think about what it meant, you know, it affecting me like that until one day I just hit me and I didn't really know what to do with it."

"What do you want to do about it?"

"About her? Nothing, it's just that ever since the day I realized it I keep catching myself looking at other girls a little too long, and it's hard to figure out if I'm not lying to myself because I know I like guys and it's all really confusing and I don't know if I'm ready to do something about it or even tell someone."

"Wait, you really never told this to anyone?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at her, confusion clear on his face, and she shakes her head.

"I don't think I ever said it out loud."

"You must really trust me," he says almost as if he was thinking out loud, and she starts laughing, the laugh seeming weird against the anxious feeling in her chest.

"Yeah, I do," she says, softly, as she realizes that she truly means it.

"You know you don't have to do anything about it until you're ready, right?"

"What?"

"You can figure things out, there's no rush."

"Yeah, I know, but it feels good to tell someone."

"I'm here anytime you need me, love," Calum's face seems so sincere that she feels her heart swell with affection for the boy.

"I know."

"Okay, where do you wanna go next?"

______

"Hey," Emma greets happily, plopping down to sit next to Calum, who's sitting in the sand, "I see we're sharing this place now," she laughs, nudging the boy. They had been constantly running into each other there now, most of the time completely by accident.

"It's a cool place," Calum shrugs with a grin.

"I know, I found it," she says, mockingly, matching his grin.

"And now you're sharing it with someone you love, look at how beautiful," he matches her tone, making her roll her eyes.

"Idiot," she laughs, trying to sound annoyed but failing.

"What's up, love, what brings you here on this windy afternoon?" Calum asks, arms motioning around them in a dramatic form.

"I'm always here," she says, cocking her head.

"Fair," he agrees with a nod, and she raises an eyebrow at him.

"The real question is why are you here?"

"I was hoping I'd run into this girl," he starts, the smirk on his lips making her blush.

"Yeah?"

"I'll let you know if she shows up," he adds, and she shoves his shoulder.

"Asshole."

"What?" He asks, seemingly amused by her anger.

"Don't be bringing girls to my special spot," she argues, fighting the urge to pout as he keeps grinning at her.

"It's our special spot, love," he taunts, laughing and she narrows her eyes at him.

"I'm not afraid to fight you, Hood."

"You're so cute when you're angry at me," he jokes and she just glares at him, making him laugh harder, "I'm just messing with you, love, I was actually about to text you, see if you were coming here."

"Why?" She asks, suspicion in her tone.

"I got you a backstage pass for tomorrow," he brags, and her jaw drops. She had gotten very bad seats for the concert they would be opening for the following day because they said they couldn't get her a pass.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not," he says, chuckling at her disbelief.

"Don't play with my feelings," she begs, shaking her head.

"I'm not," he repeats, but she continues to disagree.

"No way."

"Yes way."

"Oh my god," she exclaims, grabbing his arm, and the amused expression comes back to his face.

"You're so easy to distract."

"What?"

"Ten seconds ago you wanted to punch me and now it looks like you're about to kiss me,” he says, his gaze dropping to her lips, before going back to her eyes.

"What? No, I, I wasn't," she tries to defend herself but he cuts her off.

"Relax, love, I know you can't resist me," he’s smirking and she just sits there, thinking of a comeback, blinking at him a few times and watching his face get smugger with every passing second.

"God, you're so full of yourself," she laughs, trying to find the will to look away.

"You love it.”

"Are you sure about that?"

"I am, you're walking around in my clothes, looking at me like this, there's no doubts, love," he tells her, his hand reaching for the sleeve of her -his- shirt and she glances down, pressing her lips together. She did mean to give it back to him, but she keeps forgetting it's with her.

"I was cold, it was in my backpack, I," she defends herself, looking back to his face to find the grin still in it.

"It's fine, love, I’ve accepted the fact I'll never get that shirt back," he chuckles and she frowns at him.

"I'll give it back to you, someday, not today though," she says, adjusting the shirt and closing her fists on the ends of the sleeves.

"See, easy to distract," he says, leaning back, but still not looking away and she laughs

"Oh, I'm just ignoring your comments.”

"So you're not thinking about how much you want to kiss me?" He pouts slightly before the smug look returns.

"No, I think that's you," she says, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why would I be thinking about kissing myself?" He asks, jokingly, but something about the way he says it, makes her lose it and she starts laughing.

"Oh my God!" She says, covering her mouth, trying to control her laughter but failing.

“What?” He asks, laughing at her reaction, and just shakes her head.

“Nothing, I just,” she stops before finishing the sentence, the words that she was about to say getting caught in her throat while she thinks about them. Why was she about to say she loves him? Does she love him? Like love love him? She shakes her head to chase the idea away. She can’t be falling for him. It’s just Calum, there's nothing else there.

Right?

“You just what?” He asks when she doesn’t finish and she ignores the path her thoughts were going.

“You’re just really something else, rockstar.”

_____

Emma's not watching where she's going, she couldn't even if she tried, her vision is blurry and it is hard to breathe. She's not even sure where she is at the moment. She's just walking hoping once she's out the door she'll be able to think again.

She feels the cool air and notices the change in the lighting but her lungs still burn, she can't catch her breath even though she's really trying now. It makes her panic more, and that doesn't help with the suffocating feeling in her chest.

Something touches her and she jerks away, back hitting a wall, all sounds muffled by the weird noise her breathing is making.

"Love?" She's vaguely aware that the voice is talking to her, but she can't focus enough to figure out where it's coming from or who it belongs to. "Emma, look at me," the voice demands, sounding louder than before, closer maybe. She looks up, finding a blurry silhouette she recognizes.

"Cal?" She chokes, trying again to focus on something other than the burning, but failing.

"Emma, you need to breathe," he pleads, voice slightly panicking and she blinks, his face coming in and out of focus in front of her.

"I," she chokes again, bringing her hands to her face and sliding down to the ground. "I. Can't."

"Yes, you can, just follow me," he says, "in," he pauses and she tries to suck in a breath, "out" she lets the air out. "Again." she tries once more.

Emma doesn't know how long it takes until her breathing is steady again and she can finally focus on the boy kneeling in front of her. It seemed a lot but at the same time, not at all. The way Calum is holding his arms out for her, makes it seem like he was unsure if he could touch her, the worried expression on his face making her heart drop.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, pulling her knees to her chest, looking around herself. The boys were doing a gig and they were next to a side exit, hidden from the street by what seemed like a pile of boxes.

"Don't apologize," he huffs, as if she shouldn't be sorry for that, as if assuring her it was okay for her to feel that way, "are you feeling better?"

"I don't feel like something is squeezing my lungs so, I guess."

"Do you want help getting up?" He asks, offering her a hand. "I didn't want to let you drop to the ground, but I was afraid trying to hold you up would make it worse." His face is intense and she nods, taking his hand and letting him pull both of them up.

Emma looks down, steadying herself on her feet, before dropping into Calum, arms wrapping tightly around him. He holds her close, murmuring "you're okay" to her hair.

“Did you find her?” A voice comes from the door and she pulls away from Calum to look at Michael.

“Me?” She asks him, pressing her lips together while Michael leaps towards her.

“What happened?” He holds her by her shoulders, studying her as if he's searching for signs she's hurt.

“I just got a little overwhelmed, I’m fine,” she grunts, not liking how worried he looks.

“Are you sure?” he asks again.

“Yes.”

“I think “a little overwhelmed” is an understatement,” Calum says, and Emma glares at him. She really hates getting people worried.

“I was freaking out, Calum calmed me down, all it’s fine now.”

“Do you wanna leave?” Michael offers and she sighs.

“And miss your show? Not a fucking chance,” both boys look astonished and she laughs, “come on, last time I saw you play on an actual stage, there were like 10 people around me, I wanna see how you handle a crowd.”

“There were 11,” Michael tells her and she frowns.

“What?”

“There were 11 people around you."

“Whatever,” she rolls her eyes, “can we go back inside now? Please?”

“Fine, but you’re staying backstage,” Calum tells her and she scoffs, turning to him.

“I can’t see how you handle a crowd if I’m not, you know, in the crowd,”

“And I can’t do that if I have to search for you every five seconds to make sure you’re okay,” Calum argues, and Michael looks between the two of them, frowning, before shaking his head.

“I’ll wait for you guys inside,” Michael says, and Emma glances at him, but he has already turned around and she watches as he disappears through the door.

“You don’t have to make sure I’m okay,” she argues, looking back at Calum.

“Love, please,” he pleads.

“Calum, I’m fine,” she assures him.

“Do this for me? Please?” His voice is soft as he rubs his neck, clearly trying not to get exasperated. She begins to say something, but he interrupts her, “okay, you’re fine, I just need to be sure you'll stay that way. Please.”

"Fine," she grunts, rolling her eyes.

“Thank you," he kisses her cheek, taking her by surprise, "let’s go,” he takes her hand and guides them inside.

Calum continues to hold Emma's hand, dragging her around as they wait for their time to go on stage. She feels like she should be annoyed by the hovering, but the warmth from his hand has such comforting energy, she doesn't mind.

When he finally lets go of her hand to take his bass and make sure it was ready to go, she can’t help but miss it. She follows the boys as they move to the stage, teasing Michael as he bounces full of energy from the excitement of playing.

"Wish me luck, love,” Calum moves closer to her, smiling as she waits by the edge of the stage, and gives her a quick peck on the lips, the movement seeming automatic, leaving Emma astonished as she watches him go into the stage, waiting in the dark for his cue.

“I’m not gonna kiss you, but you can wish me a good show too,” Michael winks at her, but she doesn’t have a response, standing slack-jawed, trying to remember how to breathe properly. “Shit, he broke you,” he teases and she sighs, focusing on him.

“Don’t you have a show to play?” She notes, tilting her head as the lights begin to flash on the stage and someone calls the time again. Michael frowns at her before running to his place.

“This boy will be the death of me,” she mutters under her breath as the drums start.

_____

"You're warm," Emma says, reaching the back of her hand to Calum's forehead. Not that she needs to, the heat is radiating from him. She's sitting beside him, leaning against the headboard, Michael and Luke sitting by the foot of the bed, the three of them playing a game of FIFA, and Ashton sitting in the computer chair strumming on a guitar.

"I'm fine," Calum answers, dogging her hand. His voice is much deeper than usual, and he looks sick, nose red, tired eyes, hair sticking out in every direction, and bundled up in a hoodie, the sleeves covering his hand as he holds the controller.

"No, you're not, but okay." She's trying to stop herself from staring. She shouldn't find his current state cute. But she does. She wants him to lay in her lap so she can run her hands through his hair and help him feel better. She shakes her head, trying to physically chase the thought away, looking back at the screen when the game ends, and Calum drops his controller.

"I'm out," he says, pulling a blanket and throwing it around his shoulders, "can't focus." He scoots closer to Emma while the boys restart the game.

"I think you have a fever," she says, turning to look at him.

"Yeah, maybe," he replies, head coming to lay on her shoulder.

"Shouldn't we do something about it?" She asks, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"It's fine, I just didn't sleep very well last night," he yawns, and she feels her heart drop.

"Hey, move forward a little," she says, moving from his side making him pout, but he does what she asks, and she moves so he's now sitting between her legs. "Now, come here," she pulls at him, and he moves closer, so he's laying against her.

"You're comfortable," he snuggles to her, yawning again, and she has to fight the urge to kiss the top of his head.

"So I've been told," she chuckles, running her hands through his hair.

She keeps up the motion, looking at the other boys and trying to ignore how warm she's starting to feel with the heat coming from Calum and the blanket around him. Ashton has picked up the controller abandoned by Calum and is trying to play while stealing glances at the boy. He notices Emma looking at him and raises an eyebrow as if asking if he was okay, and she shrugs in an "I don't know" motion, looking down at the boy on her chest. He seems fast asleep, breathing steady, eyes closed and she feels her heart picking up speed looking at him. And that's when it hits her. She does love him. She's in love with him. It isn't just an innocent crush. She’s been falling for him all this time, maybe longer than she realizes.

"He's asleep?" Michael asks her, breaking her away from her thoughts before they could shift to panic.

"I think so," she nods, moving Calum's hair from his forehead.

"Should we leave?" Luke asks, pausing the game.

"Well, I'm a little trapped here," she jokes, motioning to how the boy is using her as a pillow.

"I'm not sleeping, just keep playing," Calum grunts without opening his eyes. “I’m not letting you move, though. This is the most comfortable I’ve been all week,” he says, adjusting against her, his head laying on her chest and his arm going around her waist.

“Okay,” she chuckles, resting her cheek on the top of his head, hands finding his hair again.

“Your heart’s beating really fast,” he whispers to her, shifting his head so he can hear it better.

“Is it?” She asks, and he nods against her, settling more heavily against her, “I wonder why," she shrugs, hoping she could control her heart.

_________

"M, are you out here?" Emma calls, walking around the house and moving to the back. The lights in the house are off but she can hear music playing, which means that Michael is probably home alone. Relief fills her because she really needs to talk to him without worrying if someone is listening.

"M?" She calls again, getting closer to the room back there, the only source of light is one of its windows.

"Hey," a voice comes from behind her and she jumps, looking around to find blue eyes looking at her in the dark.

"Luke," she breathes, clutching her chest, trying to steady her heartbeat again, "you scared me."

"Sorry," he giggles and she notices the beer bottle in his hand. This is not a situation she wants to put herself in. If Calum is there too, she’ll have to deal with stuff she’s not ready to face.

"Love," she hears, on cue with her thoughts, as Calum and Michael come out to the backyard too, with bottles and grins matching Luke's.

"I didn't know all of you were here," she says, now just wanting to get out of there as fast as she can.

"So you weren't looking for me?" Calum pouts at her and she forces a laugh.

"I just wanted to talk to Michael, but it can wait, I'll leave you guys to whatever you are planning on doing," she starts walking backward to where she came from, Michael frowning at her, the "are you okay?" question all over his face, making her not notice Calum getting closer to her.

She mouths an "it's fine," but he's still frowning at her when Calum throws his arm around her shoulders.

"You don't have to leave, you can take a beer and talk to all of us," Calum tells her, pulling her closer and resting his chin on her head and she awkwardly wraps her arm around his waist.

"I can't stay, I," she mumbles, trying to come up with an excuse, "I told my mum I wouldn't be here long, it's late."

"Yeah, 'cause you never came here at night and ended up sleeping over," Michael says, raising an eyebrow at her and she glares at him.

"No, I can't stay," she detaches herself from Calum and looks at Michael.

"Can we talk tomorrow?" After they leave, she adds in her head and he nods.

"You don't have to ask, trouble."

"Okay, thanks, I'll see you all later," she kisses Calum's cheek to try and get him to stop looking at her like she just kicked a puppy, and waves at the other boys that start moving back into the room at the same time as she starts to leave.

"Love, wait," Calum calls her when she reaches the side of the house, and she stops walking, looking at the wall that separates her from her bedroom while he catches up with her. "What's wrong?" He asks, stopping in front of her, a few feet away. She notices he ditched the bottle.

"Nothing is wrong," she replies, defensively, leaning back into the wall behind her, "why would you ask?"

"You're running away," he takes a step closer.

"No, I'm not," she denies and he frowns at her.

“You’re avoiding me,” he states, sounding hurt and she sighs.

So he did catch up on that, she thinks to herself, trying to come up with an excuse. But she's not ready to be forced to deal with her feelings, especially not while Calum's looking at her, with a sad look on his face, trying to figure out what he did wrong.

“I’m not avoiding you,“ she finally tells him. It’s the truth, she’s not avoiding him, she’s avoiding the feelings that come with being around him.

"Don't lie, I know you," he tells her and her heart stops for a second. Could he know?

"I just wanted to talk, but it's not important," it's not a lie, not technically. Her feelings would still be just as messed up in the morning.

"Are you sure? You can talk to me," he offers, taking another step closer to her, leaving not much space between them. The idea seems ridiculous to her, trying to work through her feelings for Calum while explaining them to him of all people.

"Yes," she mumbles, trying to keep herself calm, “no, I’m sure, it’s no big deal.”

"Then don't run," he pleads, "stay," and she starts losing the battle she's fighting so she won't do something stupid, her gaze flickering between his eyes and his lips.

"I really can't," she mumbles, knowing that she wouldn’t take much more convincing and should just get out now if she really wants to.

"Please?" He stretches an arm to the wall behind her, pretty much trapping her in her place. He's so close now that it takes all her self-control so she won't just pull him towards her and kiss him.

Calum seems to be fighting a similar battle, as he can't keep his eyes on hers, and a smirk forms on his lips as she doesn’t move to leave.

They stay there, looking at each other, all of Emma's instincts telling her to just kiss him already, eyes dropping to his lips, when Calum decides for them, whispering "fuck it," before crashing his lips into hers.

His lips taste like beer, but she can't bring herself to care as she kisses him back, her hands tangling up in his hair. The logical side of her brain is screaming at her, telling her that she can't keep kissing him without telling him how she feels. That this means something different for her than it does to him. That she needs to stop and go home. Now. But Emma doesn't care about the smart thing to do. Not when Calum is kissing her like that. She doesn't care about how the wall is hurting her back as he presses closer to her or how she's sliding down it slowly as the intensity of it all makes her unsteady on her feet. She just kisses him with just as much enthusiasm as he's kissing her.

"Can the two of you stop making out for a second?" Michael's voice startles them and Calum pulls away giving her room to move as she feels her cheeks heating up walking closer to Michael.

“What’s up?” She’s rubbing the back of her neck, unable to look him in the eyes

"Does this," Michael gestures between Emma and Calum, "means you're staying?" He asks and both boys are looking at her, waiting for an answer.

"I guess?" She sounds unsure, but she doesn't want to leave now. She can deal with the consequences in the morning.

"Great, carry on," Michael says and leaves, making Emma frown at his shadow as it disappears on the path to the backyard.

"Come here," Calum calls, leaning against the wall where she was and taking her hand and pulling her towards him. She settles between his legs, her hands on his shoulders as his arms wrap around her waist. This way they are about the same height, making it harder for Emma to look away from his face.

"Thank you," he says and she gives him a puzzled look, "for staying, I've missed you." He brushes a strand of her hair from her face, and she places her hand on top of his leaning into it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean,” she sighs, “I didn’t mean to avoid you."

“So you were avoiding me,” he states, but there’s no judgment on his voice.

“Not you, never you."

“Then-” he starts to ask, but she kisses him before he can finish, “Love,” he pulls back after a beat and tries again.

“I don’t wanna tell you right now,” she whimpers, looking down and he cups her cheeks forcing her to look at him.

“Will you want to tell me at some point?” His voice is soft and his eyes intense and she can’t look away.

“Yeah, just not right now."

“Okay,” he says, dropping his hands back to her hips. “You can, you know” he trails off.

“Talk to you?" She asks and he nods. "I know,” she chuckles.

“Glad that’s settled,” he smirks, somehow pulling her closer and kissing her again.

***

Emma wakes up to the sound of the door closing and sits up startled before remembering where she is. She looks around to find Calum by her side, still asleep and Luke on the couch across from her, meaning Michael is the one that had just left. She carefully gets up off the couch she's in and follows him.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asks when she finds him sitting by the backdoor to the main house. Michael looks up at her and shakes his head.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asks and he shakes his head again. "Wanna play something?"

"It's the middle of the night," he tells her and she shrugs.

"When did that ever stop you?"

"I just wanted some air," he says.

"Oh," she pauses, "I'll leave you alone then," she begins to turn around.

"Just sit down, trouble," he demands and she chuckles.

"So you don't wanna be alone, got it," she says, sitting down beside him.

"Not really, but everyone was asleep."

"I mean," she yawns, "it is late."

"Yeah, I guess," he looks at her, shaking his head as if suddenly remembering something, "what did you want to talk about earlier?"

"Oh,” she pauses, searching for words, “remember how we talked about how I don't like Calum?"

"Yes," he says, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Well, I'm not sure anymore."

"You're not sure? What do you mean?"

“I think I'm in love with him,” she admits, biting the inside of her cheek.

“No shit,” he says with a scoff, “I was waiting to see which one of you would figure it out first."

“First? He doesn’t like me like that.”

“Babe, for someone as smart as you, you can be so fucking clueless."

“M, it’s not-”

“Okay, I’d usually let you figure shit out for yourself, but this thing between the two of you is getting ridiculous," he says, turning to her and sitting up straighter.

“Hey,” she starts to protest but he gives her a warning look that makes her stop.

“When was the last time the two of you were alone that didn’t end in a makeout session?” Emma opens her mouth to respond but closes it again because she can’t remember. “When was the last time you even considered kissing, dating, or whatever the fuck you're doing, someone else?”

“I don’t know,” she admits, ”but-"

“No buts, you need to fucking tell him.”

“But-”

“Emma,” she is taken aback by him using her name, “you need to tell him things have changed, you can’t just deny your feelings and act like the two of you aren't in some sort of relationship."

“M, I don’t know how,” she says, and he looks at her with disbelief, “I, I was trying to bring myself to tell him today, but I just couldn’t."

“Bullshit."

“The second I tell him, it’s real, and that means I can lose him, that if he doesn’t freak out on me 'cause he doesn’t feel the same and things just go to shit anyway.”

“If he doesn’t feel anything, this needs to stop, because you do,” she opens her mouth to argue but he cuts her, “you don’t want things to change, but they already have, you love him, so you can’t just go on when it means something else to you."

“I know," she breathes, looking down.

“Then just talk to him, please."

“I will, I just need to figure out how to bring it up."

“Trouble," he frowns at her, like he knows she's going to avoid it forever if she can.

“I’m not gonna hide for much longer okay? But I can’t just drop it on him, he’ll freak out, I know that and you know that too."

“He won’t," he says, but he sounds unconvinced.

“He will, he needs to go into this conversation knowing what’s,” she pauses, “I mean, he can’t think it’s coming out of nowhere."

"There's no such thing as the right moment, you just gotta get it over with."

"I can't lose him, M," she whimpers and he frowns at her.

"So you'd rather be miserable instead?"

"I'm not miserable."

"No, you're just avoiding everything so you won't have to deal with it and driving yourself crazy in the meantime," he says with such certainty, she just stares blankly at him. She knows he's right, but the thought is still terrifying, "please just talk to him."

______________

“Need a ride?” Ashton startles her for a second as the car stops beside her, but she smiles, pausing her music and leaning forward a little to look inside.

“Yeah, thanks, Ash."

“Come on,” he nods his head, motioning to the empty passenger seat beside him and she walks around the car and gets in.

“Woah, I never ride shotgun, this is weird,” she says, buckling the seatbelt. The comment makes him chuckle and shake his head, “No rehearsal today?” She asks, looking at the empty backseat as he starts moving.

“Luke can’t make it the usual time, so not yet."

“So you’re gonna go to M’s?” As she says the words her phone rings, Calum's ringtone makes her heart skip a beat.

“Yeah."

“That’s Cal telling me that, weird timing,” she scratches her head, and Ashton glances at her, a grin forming on his lips.

“What’s the deal with the two of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not dating."

“Nope."

“But you like him?” She starts to deny it, but he glances at her, raising an eyebrow before looking back at the road.

“Is it that obvious?" She sighs and he nods.

"I can't say it isn't."

"Yeah, I do."

“And he likes you?”

“I don’t know."

“You don’t?”

“We never talked about it."

“But it’s kinda obvious."

“M seems to think so too, I’m not that convinced though."

“Why not?”

“I feel like he would’ve said something," she shrugs but Ashton chuckles.

“Well, you didn’t," he points out and she can't think of what to answer.

“Touchè,” she sighs, looking forward.

“So?” Ashton asks after a beat and she frowns at him.

“What?”

“Are you gonna say something?”

“I'm working on it," he gives a disbelief look at a stop sign and she shrugs, "if he rejects me, it will be really awkward."

"But then you'd know, and you can go from there. Not knowing makes things worse."

"Well, I really liked it when I didn't know how I was feeling, so not always," she jokes, forcing a laugh but he shakes his head.

"Nah, the truth is better than the denial, it's better when you have no questions."

“I’m just terrified that feelings are going to ruin what we have," she admits and he seems to ponder her words for a second.

“If it does, then it was never that good to start with.” He finally says, glancing at her and she processes his words, trying to think of something to say.

“Damn, you make it really hard to stay in denial.”

“Denying things just makes it more painful in the long run, sure it’s easier right now, but at what cost?”

“I just really don’t want to lose him, you know? I have a feeling that if I tell him I’ll just scare him away.”

“Then he’s an idiot.”

“He’s your best friend!” She protests with a chuckle and he grins at her with a shrug.

“That means I can say that.”

____________

Emma is sitting in the sand, pen in her hand staring at the open notebook in her lap, and still, she doesn’t know what she should write. Part of her hoped that she could write something, make the turmoil in her head calm down long enough for her thoughts to make sense. But looking at the page, the only words she could write were ‘’I love him, now what?" over and over. She’s trying hard not to fall down a spiral. She's torn between ‘’this wasn’t supposed to happen’’ and ‘’how could it have a different outcome’’. To think that she wouldn’t catch feelings was stupid, how could she not? And now she doesn’t know what to do. Should she tell him? Should she just bury the feeling and hope they would go away? Stay clear from him for a while and hope for the best? She doesn’t know. And she’s not finding any clarity about it. Biting the cap of her pen, she can’t figure it out.

“Hey," a voice says beside her, startling her and making her fumble with the notebook, shoving it in her backpack.

“Do you wanna give me a heart attack?” She says, turning her head to the boy that’s now sitting by her side.

“What are you hiding, love?” Calum asks her, trying to get the notebook from the still open bag.

“Nothing,” she squeaks before closing the bag, taking a breath, and putting it out of his reach. “Homework.”

“Sure,” his voice is heavy with sarcasm. “One day, you’ll have to let me read what you keep writing in that thing," he grins at her, making her heart skip a beat.

“No, I don’t,” she says in a squeak, shaking her head, trying to keep calm.

“Come on, I thought we were friends,” he pleads, brown eyes making her want to melt. She feels like being around him it’s so much harder now. How did she ever say no to him? How did she ever focus on anything else when he was right there?

“We are,” she says, turning her body to him.

“Then let me see it,” he turns to her too, trying to reach the backpack.

“No," she shakes her head, putting the bag behind her.

“Please, love,” he leans forward to try and get it from behind her, but she shoves his hand away, even if the pet name makes her heart flutter and her mind wonder if maybe showing him whatever she writes wouldn’t be the way she’s looking for to start the conversations she’s dreading.

“Nope,” she shakes her head, his face now only a few inches away and her heart is beating like it's trying to break out of her chest, her eyes being drawn to his lips as she tries to keep looking at his eyes. “It's nothing.”

“Then why can’t I see it?” He’s getting closer, a smirk on his lips, hands coming to lay on her knees.

“Because-” she’s fighting the urge to kiss him while trying to think of an excuse when he kisses her.

Her heartbeat is ringing in her ears while her hands move to his face, her finger lightly grazing his hair, and she kisses him back. His hands move to her waist, her back, and then he’s pulling away, leaving her chasing his lips before realizing he now has her bag in his hands.

“That,” she blinks, taking a deep breath and shaking her head, trying to clear her mind. “That was not fair.” She tries to take it back from him, but he stands up and holds it out of her reach. "This is so not fair," she cries, getting up too.

"I'm curious," he says, lowering his hand, and she tries to grab it again, making him hold it above his head.

"That doesn't make it fair, Calum," she complains, stepping closer to him, going on her tiptoes to try and lower his arm, but that just makes him hold it higher. "Cal, please," she pleads, pouting and looking at him through her lashes.

"You're cute, but no," he laughs, and she sighs, rolling her eyes and looking away, realizing two could play his game before turning back to him, grabbing his face with both hands, and pulling him down to kiss her again. His arm stays risen, but he kisses her back, pulling her by her waist with his free hand. She moves her hands from his cheek to his hair, deepening the kiss, one hand tugging at his scalp, the other slowly moving down the nape of his neck, lightly tracing his skin, making him shiver under her touch. He reacts by kissing her harder, and she has to fight back a smirk when his other arm finds her waist and pulls her even closer, and she hears the thud of the backpack falling on the sand. She tells herself she got what she wanted and should pull away, but she can't make herself do it. She wants to keep kissing him. And that thought makes her pull back, a little out of breath.

Calum looks down at her, breathing heavily, swollen lips, arms around her waist, and she squirms out of his hold, getting her backpack, grinning at him with a smug look on her face, and running away.

"Hey, who's being unfair now?" He protests before chasing her.

She manages to escape him a few times. Still, he grabs her from behind, lifting her off the ground, making her laugh, kicking her feet up before he puts her down and turns her in his hold.

"Okay, you win, I won't try to steal it again," he says, smiling at her. She's still laughing while she hangs the bag on her shoulders and he moves her hair away from her face, one hand staying on her cheek the other moving to her waist.

"I don't really believe it, but thanks," she giggles, looking up at him.

"Yeah, yeah," he nods, as if not registering what she’s saying, before tilting her face and kissing her again. She holds on to the front of his shirt while his hands tangle with her hair. She can't fight the butterflies in her stomach, the way her heart is beating, how she just wants him to keep kissing her. For as long as she can. A part of her is screaming at her, telling her that this is not helping, that this means something completely different to him. But why would he kiss her like that if he didn’t feel anything? And she also doesn’t want to get caught up in what it means. She just wants to keep kissing him. Is that wrong? It couldn’t be. It feels right. He feels right.

So she keeps kissing him. She lets herself enjoy every detail of it. The taste of his lips. The feeling of his hands in her hair. The steady beat of his heart under her hand, still holding his shirt. The content feeling in her chest.

The sun starts to go down, and she begrudgingly tells him she needs to go, making him pout at her before offering her a small smile while nodding and taking her hand, leading them away from the beach.

They reach the corner where they're supposed to go in different ways, and she lets go of his hand standing on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"See ya, Cal," she says, taking a step backward and smiling at him.

"Hey, come back," he says, taking her hand and pulling her back to him, kissing her again, too fast for her liking but making her giggle anyway. "Bye, love," he lets her go but doesn't move.

She looks up at him, before shaking her head and turning around.

"Bye, Cal," she says, and starts walking away when she decides something, and turning on her heels, taking her backpack off her shoulders.

"Calum," she calls for him, and he turns, walking back to her.

"What?" He asks with a confused look on his face.

"Here," she says, handing him the notebook.

"I was just messing with you, love, you don't need to show me if you don't want to," he says, accepting it but looking at her waiting for her to take it back. She doesn't.

"It's okay, just," she pauses, tucking her hair behind her ear and hanging the backpack on her back again, "just, don't judge me because of it."

"Never," he replies, and she gives him a small smile.

“You can’t be sure until you read it,” she jokes and he frowns at her but doesn’t say anything, "okay, see you soon, I guess," she says, walking away backward, hands holding the straps of her bag, still looking at him.

"Yeah," he replies, looking at the notebook in his hands and back to the girl slowly creating distance between them. "Emma," he calls her name, and she stops.

"Yeah?" She takes a step forward, and he does the same, pulling her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders while she melts into his chest, arms around his center. The boy presses a kiss to the top of her head before letting go of her again.

"Are you really gonna let me go this time, or you gonna call me back after two steps?" She smiles, looking up to meet his eyes.

"You called me first," he replies, sounding a little offended but smiling at her.

"Okay, so I'm gonna go now," she points behind her but doesn't move.

He frowns, thinking for a moment, "wait."

"I'm not moving," she states, pressing her lips together so she won't start laughing.

“Just,” he exhales, pulling her by her waist with his free hand, making her gasp, and crashes his lips to hers. She kisses him back, her heartbeat going crazy, her hands on his cheeks, and he pulls back. “Okay, now you can go,” he adds, and she giggles, trying to steady her breathing.

“Goodnight, rockstar,” she points behind her again, but this time taking a step back.

“Night, love.” She’s smiling and for a moment she's not scared anymore.

"Calum," she starts and he chuckles.

"Yeah?" And maybe it was the soft look in his eyes or the warm feeling in her chest but she suddenly can't stop herself.

"I think I'm in love with you," she blurts out before covering her mouth as Calum's eyes widen at her.

"We're moving to London," he replies in a careful tone that makes her head start to spin.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I," he breathes and presses his lips together, "we were having a good time, I didn't want to ruin it."

"Ruin it? Why would it ruin anything?"

"Because I'm leaving, love, who knows when it will be just the two of us again." Something about the way he says it makes her understand him. He was saying goodbye. And that breaks her heart.

"Yeah," she mumbles, "I need to go."

"Love," he pleads and she shakes her head.

"I need to go 'cause I wanna be happy for you and I can't right now and that's really unfair to you."

"Love, I," he starts, but she cuts him.

"I'll see you later," she walks away fighting the urge to look back at him as she can still feel Calum's eyes on her.

****

Emma is having a hard time processing what Michael is telling her. He called her over the second she turned the lights in her room on, and she made her way out of the house to find him waiting for her on the sidewalk. Her mind's still hazy with thoughts about Calum, and she's not retaining anything he's saying.

"What?" She asks again, focusing on the boy in front of her, who looked like he could be bouncing up and down.

"We are moving to London," he repeats, and the words sink in, making her blink a couple of times.

"I," she shutters, "I know, Calum just told me, it's awesome, M," she smiles at his excitement, but the action feels weird like her mouth didn't want to comply.

"He did? He promised he'd let me tell you."

"He didn't really have a choice," she defends him and Michael narrows his eyes at her.

"What? Why?"

"I told him."

"You told him? You told-" he stops when he understands what she means, "no way."

"His reaction was to say he's leaving, so I'm pretty sure I just ruined everything."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It does if he doesn't feel the same way like I told you he didn't," she shrugs, trying not to lose it but he frowns at her.

"Trouble, come on, there's no way."

"Well, it's the only explanation I can think of."

"But-"

"M, I don't wanna talk about it. Please don't make me talk about it," she doesn't think she can handle the emotions threatening to break through, so she chooses to focus on the happiness the boy in front of her is feeling, "London, babe, it's happening."

"I still can't believe it," he says, letting her change the subject and he starts telling her about the meeting and she's grateful that he understands that she needs the distraction from the pain that's threatening to overcome her.

_______

Emma and Calum are alone Michael's backyard, and she's been panicking about this the whole week leading up to this last day together. Calum's been avoiding her and she can't say she blames him but she feels like she's going crazy waiting for him to do something.

"We need to talk," she blurts out after a long time staring at Calum, who's sitting in front of her, moving to sit on her heels so she could be at the same eye level as him.

"About what? Your endless love for me?" he smirks trying to be playful, but it feels weird and it makes her heart stop in its tracks, thinking that he didn't forget, he just didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

"Yes?" She's biting her lip and trying to read his expression as his smirk disappears and he stares at her dead in the eye.

"What?"

"Come on, I say I love you and you don't do anything, I was starting to think I imagined the situation," she complains but he continues to stare at her, the look in his eyes making her feel uneasy.

"Do you really feel the things you wrote?" He asks and she nods.

"Yeah," she says, feeling defeated watching his reaction.

"Emma," the use of her name stings, and her lip trembles as she waits for him to say something.

"What? What do you have to say? Do you just don't feel the same way? I need more than 'I'm leaving' as an answer."

"I can't do this," he gets up and enters the house, leaving her alone as her heart shatters in her chest.

She doesn't even have to get up to find out that he left, Ashton probably following him and Michael coming shortly after to find Emma with her head in her hands.

"Trouble, what happened?" His voice is careful, making her look at him, and he sees she's laughing uncontrollably.

"He left," she runs her hands through her hair, still laughing as she looks at Michael, who's now coming to sit beside her where Calum had been.

"I mean, I know my timing sucks," she chokes on her laugh as it hits her, "but he didn't have to run away. He ran away, M." She feels the knots in her throat and takes a deep breath, trying not to cry as Michael pulls her to his chest. He's trying to soothe her as she holds to the front of his shirt as her life depends on it. She feels like she's on the verge of tears now. Looking up she sees the uncertainty in Michael's eyes and she starts questioning everything. "You don't think I should've said anything."

"We're leaving, trouble," he tells her apologetically, and she grunts.

"I didn't know that!"

"You knew we were talking to them, you knew we went to London."

"Yeah, I knew they were talking to you, not that they were going to move you across the world before you were even done with high school," she protests and he flinches slightly, making her sigh. She's not trying to hurt him.

"Okay, but you really think something could happen now that you do?" He asks, and she rolls her eyes.

"I'm tired of you all saying that you're leaving, I know that I'm not stupid, but you need to stop acting as if I'll never see you again."

"It's not that, trouble."

"I'm not asking for a relationship, I just wanted him to know, I just wanted him to know and he didn't even react, Michael, what the hell does that even mean?"

"You know-"

"How he is?" She finishes and he nods, "yeah," she mumbles, "I gotta go."

"You're still coming to the airport, right?" He says with an urgent tone, as he follows her.

"Yeah," she mumbles, her voice not giving him any confidence as she gives him a quick hug and leaves.

She’s already in her room when she remembers Calum still has her notebook and that she was supposed to give him his shirt back.

______

Getting up from her bed is harder than she ever thought it could be. Emma doesn't know if she did fall asleep at some point. She definitely feels like she's been staring at the ceiling all night. She's not even tired. She just doesn't want to move. Every muscle of her body is telling her that she should just lay there forever. But she can’t. Her phone hasn't stopped buzzing for at least ten minutes. She doesn't have to check to know it's Michael. She can picture him in the window, waiting for a sign of life to come from her room, so she kicks the covers and gets up feeling like standing on her feet it’s the hardest thing she did. It sure as hell feels like it.

The curtains are staring back at her while she puts her hair up in a ponytail and hopes she doesn't look like she's feeling. She picks her phone up from the desk and opens the window. Like she suspected Michael's standing by the window, back to her, phone to his ear.

"Hi," she answers the call, and he turns, looking relieved to see her.

“Trouble,” he breathes, and she waves to him, faking a smile she knows wasn’t going to convince him.

“M."

“You good?” He asks, and she nods, waiting for him to say something more. “You sure?”

“No, but what’s up?”

“I just wanted to make sure I’d be able to say goodbye, we’re leaving soon,” he replies, looking tense studying her face as he leans into the window frame.

“Oh,” the fact they were leaving that day had slipped from her mind in the haze, “how soon?”

“The flight is in a couple of hours, they're picking me up in a few,” he looks unsure of what to say next, and it’s breaking her heart so she takes a breath and buries her feelings as deep as she can.

“I’m still going if that’s okay, just give me five minutes to get dressed and I’ll be right over,” she tells him, moving back away from the window. “See you in a bit, M.” She hangs up and turns around, opening her wardrobe, staring into it for a while before picking a pair of jeans and a jumper she stole from Michael.

She gets dressed chanting to herself, “you’re fine, put yourself together, today is not about you” and tells her mum where she’s going before moving to the house next door, where Michael is waiting for her, sitting outside.

“Big day, huh?” She says to him, trying to smile.

“Trouble,” he tilts his head, looking at her with scrunched-up eyes, and she can help but sigh.

“M, I’m good, let’s talk about how by the end of the day you will be in London, living the dream.” She sits beside him. “This is huge,” she states, nudging him and offering a smile. A real one this time.

“I still can’t believe it’s really happening,“ he tells her, and Emma chuckles.

“Well, believe it. Because it is," she says, nudging him, "all packed and ready to go?" She asks, and the boy nods.

"I'm sure I'll forget something, but I do have all I could think of."

Before she could reply, a car honks and stops by the house, suddenly she's helping load Michael's things and sitting in the back between him and Ashton. The ride makes her feel weird, she's extremely conscious of Calum sitting in the front, but the happiness coming from the boys is contagious. She can't help but get excited for them.

Stopping in the airport makes everything real, and she's holding back tears while she pushes one of the bags listening to their voices but not really registering anything they’re saying.

Liz is checking in all the luggage when Ashton throws his arm around Emma's shoulder.

"You feeling okay, Em?" He asks low enough only she will hear.

"Not really," she whispers back, "I'm really gonna miss you guys," she says as her eyes start filling with tears, and he squeezes her shoulders while she blinks, trying not to cry.

"I'm gonna miss you too," he replies, and a stubborn tear rolls down her cheek. Soon tears are streaming down her face, and he pulls her to his chest, stroking her hair.

"I told you she would cry like a little girl," Michael teases from behind her, and she lets out a tearful chuckle turning to him.

"I am a little girl, I'm allowed to cry like one," she jokes, wiping the tears from her face. "Okay, I'll stop," she says, and the tears stop for a while before starting back again, making Michael step forward and pull her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and she wraps hers around his middle.

"You can cry," he says, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Nope, I'm not crying," she says, breathing him in and letting it calm her down. "See, I'm good," she looks up, and the tears stop coming.

"If you say so," he replies, caressing her hair.

Liz comes back, and they move to the gates. She looks around at the boys, and she doesn't know what to do.

She hugs Luke first, then Ashton, who lifts her from the ground and makes her chuckle. Michael pulls her towards him the second she lets go of Ashton, and she presses a kiss on his cheek when he finally lets go.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," she tells all of them, looking at Calum that shoves his hands in his pockets and avoids her gaze, so she steps back, smiling and waving while they go through security. Only then she starts crying again.

She stands there, tears streaming down her face watching them move past security. She waits until the plane takes off. They said they’ll call once they're settled. It's the next day when Michael Skypes her, Ashton, and Luke appearing shortly to complain about how cold it is. But Calum doesn't. He doesn't talk to her that day or the next. After a week, she stopped expecting it. But she keeps hoping he will.

_______

The song she plays with Calum is sparks fly by Taylor Swift.

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