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futurewriter2000 · 5 years

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Cherished moments

A/N: Finally I finished this part. I got inspired long time ago by this other headcanon about Neville having a twin and one of the twins fancying her. I had a draft before but I deleted it because I didn’t like it much but today I finished this and am so proud. I have classmates who are twins and don’t get along at all so points to them for making me write this. I hope you like it. (Also this is a bit different. I started writing in first person instead of second like I usually do. It was a hard change but let me know if it’s better this way.)

PAIRING: Longbottom!reader x George Weasley

I wanted it to be easy. I really did. Everything my brother and I did, was together. Now... all I know is that it shouldn’t have been this way. It just shouldn’t.

First year

We were both scared for our lives. Neville was desperate to be in a Hufflepuff while I was more keen on being sorted into Slytherin. I found the Slytherin house intimidating yet misunderstood and it made my grandmother infuriated to think like this. She wanted both of us in Gryffindor, just like our parents.

What truly happened on the Sorting day was that Neville was sorted into Gryffindor, just like our grandmother wanted while the Sorting hat on my head screamed “ HUFFLEPUFF!” loud and clear.

I guess I should have noticed how the Sorting hurt Neville. Either it was him in Hufflepuff and me in Slytherin or we were both in Gryffindor. Guess, everything took a different turn for us.

Second year

The report card came and our grandmother was thrilled...for one of us. She noticed our grades were quite different from each other's. Neville was more advanced in Herbology and History of magic than Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts as I was. Our grades were a bit similar at Charms and Transfiguration but as much as we didn’t want to be pointed out, our grandmother didn’t care. She said that I was maybe not a Gryffindor like them but I sure got their talent.

I’d be lying if I said that hearing that didn’t make me happy and proud of myself. However, when I saw Neville holding his report card and frowning, I felt awful. I told him he shouldn’t care about the grades or about anything our grandmother told us, our parents would be proud of us no matter the grades.

But that didn’t compare to his short temper and jealousy. He pushed me away and was never the same to me again.

Third year

When the third year came nothing changed. He was still distant and being in different houses wasn’t helping. People kept whispering about us not even saying hi at each other which was definitely true. When he ignored me, pushed me away, didn’t even want to look at me... I felt torn, torn that my own twin brother disliked me.

I tried to lower my grades, maybe not to make such a big difference between us and our report cards but Professor Sprout knew me and she knew what I was doing by lowering my grades. I still remember what she told me the day she asked me to her office. “ Don’t help others by hurting yourself.”

Fourth year

That year was the year “we” and “our” became “I” and “mine”. I turned fourteen years that year and that was the age I finally realized I was done trying to make him forgive me for something that wasn’t even my fault anymore.

I started dressing differently, acting differently...I didn’t want to be the Hufflepuff wanting to be around my own brother. I didn’t want to be the Hufflepuff who was rejected by him as well.

I made a lot of friends that year, so many that I was actually surprised by how many people would like me. I always, just like Neville, had low self-confidence and when I opened up to people, they accepted me.

When the Yule Ball came I heard he was going with Ginny Weasley. She was also a Gryffindor, really beautiful as well, brave, nice, kind,... I couldn’t find anything to dislike that girl because she was really great.

I, however, went with a 7th year, Oliver Wood. I know there was a three year gap between us but he was my Charms tutor since the first year and I just couldn't help myself but develop a crush on him. Of course, we went as friends but I'd be lying to myself if I said that his yes didn't make me so overjoyed.

Since Oliver was a Gryffindor we used to study and hang out mostly at his common room. I was the youngest in his group of friends but nobody really made any differences. It was fun being around them, especially with the Weasley twins. They kept messing with me because I was two years younger but they were also the reason I became close friends with Ginny and Hermione Granger.

I guess I never thought all of this would impact Neville so much. He hated me being in the common room or around one of his friends but what was I supposed to do? Stop being myself just because of him?

" What happened between the two of you?" Ginny asked directly and Hermione quickly cut in.

"Ginny!"

"No, it's alright." I laughed and sat down on one of their beds. " It's a really long story actually. Guess, we both didn't think we were so different. "

"What do you mean?"

"We might be twins Ginny but we have never been more different. Like, your brothers are identical and they get along great. We are not identical, we have different friends, houses, personalities..." I drifted off and started to grow more uncomfortable.

They both noticed it, I guess because the next thing I know Ginny was sitting beside me and grinning. " Speaking of my brothers...I heard them talking about you." she giggled and I blushed.

"Me?"

"They are two years older than her. Next year they will be graduating." Hermonie rolled her eyes.

"Two years isn't much of an age gap." she looked at Hermonie. "And as I was saying, one of them likes you." she winked and got on her feet.

"Which one?" I grew curious, unable to stop beaming.

"That's for you to figure out." she smiled and left the room.

Fifth year

By that year Neville and I have been so distant that the relationship between the two of us turned into hate. How and why? Well, since I found out George Weasley fancied me, I started to like him back as well. Sooner or later the two of us started dating and Neville didn’t like it.

Now, with being the girlfriend of one of the most known students in school, I wasn’t just popular around the Hufflepuff house, I was popular in every house. Beside the point that I was dating a blood-traitor to the Slytherin house, they liked me. I wasn’t a match for Pansy who tried to bully me. She did that once and never again. I made sure of that. Somehow the Slytherins respected me, no matter who my family was, my house or my boyfriend.

I grew closer to Hermoine and Ginny, as well as Harry and Ron. They were fun to be around with, always prepared to do anything but the moment I joined Dumbledore’s army, Neville changed.

“ You’re doing wonderful, love.” George whispered in my ear as he passed by, sending me a wink before walking back to his twin brother and prepared to cast the Patronus charm.

I’ve been quite struggling with that charm but now since he was boasting I fixed the grip on my wand and shouted “ Expecto Patronus!”

At first, I thought it was an eagle but it changed its form, letting out a roar and making everyone’s attention turn to your silver Patronus. It wasn’t a lion as well, it was...

“ A griffin?” Ginny gasped and smiled widely.

It was beautiful, majestic and standing proud on its legs and spreading his wings.

“ That’s amazing, (y/n)!” marveled Harry. “ Fantastic job!”

George wrapped his arms around me, watching as the silver griffin disappeared from the air. “ Bet you thought of me, didn’t you?” he kissed my cheek and I rolled my eyes.

“ Of course. I remembered that wonderful time and the Quidditch match where you fell off your broom. Quite funny.”

“ I knew it. I wonder why didn’t the Hat put you into Gryffindor if it’s a griffin that’s the shape of your Patronus.” he wondered, now letting go of me.

“ Yeah, you’d make a great Gryffindor.” Fred added as he came walking towards.

“ Sorry, guys but my house is already taken, by my lovely Hufflepuff.” I proudly fixed my black and yellow tie.

“ I think you’d look great in Gryffindor colors.” George winked, walking back to practice his own charm.

“ Yeah.” snorted Neville a few feet away from me. “ Bet you couldn’t be more perfect.” he gibbed and shot me a quick glance.

“ What?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. “ What is that supposed to mean, Neville?”

“ Oh, I don’t know, (y/n). Let me think.” he immediately stormed towards me and gripped his wand tighter in his palm. “ The first child to show her magical abilities at the age of six. The kind and popular Hufflepuff everybody seems to adore. The perfect student, with straight O’s in every single of her class. The perfect granddaughter, making mum and dad so proud!” he started to raise his voice.

“ You’re starting to sound a bit jealous, Neville.” I jested in return, making the whole attention to fall on us. “ I’m sick of you being angry with me ALL THE TIME, Neville. Do you think I asked to be placed in Hufflepuff?”

“ It’s not about that, (y/n)!” he shouted.

“ THAN TELL ME WHAT IS IT ABOUT!?!”

“ YOU TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING FROM ME!” he bellowed and I backed away from him. “ You were sorted into the house I wanted. You get to have better grades than me, even Herbology when YOU KNOW it’s MY favorite subject! YOU get to be the one to play on the Quidditch field just like the rest of the family! YOU get to be the popular one, the smart one, the gorgeous one, the pride of the Longbottom family! And who am I?!? Just someone living in your shadow!”

“ Is this really what you think of me?! Someone who is shadowing you?!” I started to fight back. “ I can’t change who I am, Neville? I can’t change the fact I had shown my magic before you. I can’t choose the house I want to be in. I can’t lower my grades just so you could feel better- which I tried by the way! I cannot love Quidditch! That’s who I am, Neville! I’m not going to change myself to make YOU feel better!” I heaved from almost losing my own breath. “DO YOU KNOW- Do you know what it’s been like for me all these years? “ I felt the tears fall down unconsciously. “ To see you be sorted into Gryffindor, the house mum and dad were. I wanted to be in Gryffindor! I wanted to be in the house mum and dad were too, you know. And when I saw you get sorted I wanted to be sorted there as well. Do you know how much I felt ashamed at the beginning to being sorted into Hufflepuff, because I knew what grandma would say! That’s why I try to have outstanding grades. But you wouldn’t know that, would you because you were too busy being angry with me for something that even wasn’t my fault! You wouldn’t know that I spent days after days, Hogsmeade trips and night spent in that library, hungry and stressed out preparing myself for the exams. You wouldn’t know I had Oliver to tutor me not only with Charms and DADA class but also Herbology, Arithmancy, and Potions! And you wouldn’t know how many nights I cried because my own twin brother didn’t talk to me! You didn’t want to go with me to visit mum and dad! You didn’t want to sit with me in the classes we had together or even be in the same room with me! And you wouldn’t believe how much it hurts to see my boyfriend and his twin have this amazing bond and knowing that I don’t have that with my own twin brother!” I shouted, brushing the sleeves of my robes against my wet cheeks.

He was looking down at the ground, not even wanting to look at me what I said.

“ So maybe you were right. I was better than you in most of the things. But it wasn’t because I have a natural talent for it. It’s because I work hard to get where I am. I used to blame myself for not having a relationship with my own twin brother but I’m not doing that anymore. It’s your fault we drifted apart. Your fault that you hate me, not mine and I’m not apologizing for it anymore.”

Sixth year

The tables have turned for us. Now, I was the one angry at him. I was the one furious of what he had put me through. I was the one avoiding him because he finally decided to talk to me but with ten and more people to witness it.

Now everybody knew what I thought or how I felt and it made me feel ashamed.

George and I broke up. I told him to focus on his brother and his shop and that I need to focus on school and my brother as well. He understood and didn’t make any drama around it.

It was odd though. Seeing someone I love completely transformed. He wasn’t the childish Gryffindor with an ambitious goal. He was a successful businessman, running one of the most famous joke shops in England.

“ Purple always did bring out your eyes.” I smiled as I approached him.

“ Oh, hello there young lady. “ he grinned, walking closer. “ What can I help you with?”

“ Hmm...” I turned to one of the exhibited Extendable Ears. “ There is this guy, you know.” I turned around.

“ A guy, huh?” he continued, placing his hand on the shelf behind me.

“ Yeah. I used to date him.”

“ Did you now?”

“ Yes but now he’s all successful and rich...pretends he doesn’t even know me.”

“ What a git he must be.” he shook his head disapprovingly.

“ Yes, he is.” I pushed him on the shoulder and moved away. “ His brother though is cute. My telling me where to find him?”

“ Come here.” he stopped the joke quickly and hugged me.

I chuckled and hugged him as well. “ Knew some jealousy would make you stop.”

However, being without George in Hogwarts wasn’t the only thing missing. I spent my summer with a friend in Croatia and didn’t see Neville until the last week of summer.

I was mostly kept in my room, listening to my walkman but sometimes when I was reading or cleaning my room, I heard footsteps just outside it and some mumbles I couldn’t understand. It was a twin bond that I couldn’t ignore. Him wanting to talk to me. I haven’t felt it in a long time but since the day of our fight, I started to feel it every day.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I really couldn’t and when I heard him outside my room once again, I decided to open them.

He has grown taller, quite handsome. From the shaving scars around his chin and mouth, I realized he has been growing a beard and a mustache. There was a change in his figure as well. His posture was more upright, his shoulders broader and his arms more muscular.

He was staring at me, surprised I opened the door. Guess he had also felt like I wanted to talk as well.

“ I- I... I don’t know how to start this.” he spoke and I simpered.

“ Come in.” I welcomed him in my room and he looked around.

It wasn’t the room he remembered. Only now has he realized how much time the two of us didn’t speak and avoided each other. And to his surprise, there was still the frames of us standing on my shelves. He stared at it for quite a while before taking it in his hand and observing it.

“ I thought you’d thrown this away.” he looked up at me and I walked forwards.

“ No.” I took it in my own hands and took a closer look at the two young twins. “ I love this picture. How else do you think I cast that Patronus?” I placed it back on its place and sat on my bed.

“ (y/n)...” he started and sat down next to me. “ I didn’t know I messed up this much. I was a selfish kid and I was just so mad at you for being better than me. Everybody preferred you over me and I was so furious at you because of it. I was furious at me because of it too.”

“ Neville, your biggest problem was caring what other people thought. I didn’t care about our houses or who got better grades. I cared about you. You’ve been the brother I grew up with, the brother I built up sand castles and that treehouse with uncle Hank.” I smiled and put my hand on his, for the first time I felt his touch and I immediately felt happier, lighter. “ Remember that time with uncle Hank-”

“ - when we painted the walls of the treehouse different color?” he finished my own question, something we always could do. “ Yeah. I’ve been thinking of that too. That was how I cast my Patronus.”

Seventh year

You could have said we were back to the kids we used to be but we really weren’t. There were six years of catching up to do with him and it took a while to get used to each other again.

People were surprised to see us together but they were happy. Grandma couldn’t hold back her tears as she saw us talking to each other again, let alone laugh.

The summer before our seventh year, Bill invited both Neville and me to his wedding and we both attended it. I mostly wanted to see George. When I saw him though, my heart lept out of my chest for a moment. Missing ear and scratches all over, I didn’t believe what I was seeing.

“ George?” I asked as I approached him.

“ (y/n)!” he beamed and hugged me immediately. “ Hey, Neville.” he said to my brother behind me. “ Harry told me he wanted to talk to you about something. You too love.” he looked at me. “He’s the chubby redhead with aunt Muriel. He had to take Polyjuice potion...you know being wanted and stuff.”

“ Go on. I’ll come after you.” I smiled at him then turned my attention back on the earless boy in front of me. I punched him in the arm immediately after Neville disappeared. “ What the hell, George?!”

“ Ouch! What was that for?” he grabbed his arm and smiled at me.

“ I don’t know. Maybe not telling me why your left ear is missing?”

“ Oh that.” he chuckled. “ Do you reckon it makes me sexier?” he wiggled his eyebrows at me but I only punched him in the arm again.

“ George, this isn’t funny. The only way you can’t have an ear is when it’s cursed off. “ I glared at him for a moment before softening my expression and hugging him immediately. “ What if I’d lost you?”

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. “ You’ll never lose me.” he whispered.

After the wedding, the two of us were separated and I haven’t heard of him the whole year. Neville and I were together however we could be. I was afraid if I wouldn’t share the moments with him that I’ll regret them. The news about Muggleborns and Half-bloods, everything was horrifying. The fall of the Ministry, the chase for the Chosen one...Half of the school was missing.

When the battle came, I tried to be with Neville but we didn’t stand a chance to stick together. Everything was happening so fast and wherever I turned bodies laid and blood was spilled. The only thought that was present in my head was ‘ Please, don’t be Neville.’

I didn’t see Neville after Voldemort’s fall but I did see George...and Fred. I didn’t know what to do when all he did was stare at the lifeless body of his brother. I took him by the hand and tried to avert his eyes from Fred. I know it was too late but I didn’t want him to have his last memory of Fred like this. “ George?” I whispered. “ I’m so sorry.” I put my hand on his cheek and his eyes quickly flashed to mine before the started to tear up.

He was still in shock, I could see that. He didn’t know what was happening. Maybe every single memory of Fred, every single spent moment he had with him was replaying in his head and he didn’t realize that that was all he was going to have.

I have stayed with George the whole time but I would be lying if I didn’t think about my own brother. When I saw him walking with that sword towards me, all I could think was being in his arms. Before I knew it I was already with him and he was hugging me back.

“ I was so worried.” he whispered and I cried on his clothes, trying to speak but was unable to.

“ I heard what you did.” I smiled through the tears. “ Mum and dad would be so bloody proud of you, Neville.”

“ To be honest, I was sacking my pants when I did that.” he simpered and I laughed.

“ Don’t tell that to others.” I smiled and hugged him again.

To know he was okay, to know George wasn’t, to know the war was over but to deal with the consequences...everything was too much to think about right now but the one thing I was sure never to do was take everything for granted like I did until now. I knew everything was going to be okay because now I finally knew how much everything and everybody means to me.

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thedeaditeslayer · 5 years

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Detroit-born director Josh Becker discusses 'Morning, Noon & Night'.

Here’s an interview with original Michigan Mafia member Josh Becker which covers the Super 8 days, The Evil Dead, and more.

Deep in the sleepy suburbs of Detroit, around the mid-1970s, something strange started bubbling. It was a weird cinema mania, a mania which so gripped a circle of neighborhood kids coming up in the Birmingham school district that they devoted their weekends to making their own movies. Eventually, this rag-tag crew, led by director Sam Raimi, cobbled together enough cash to make the audacious, groundbreaking horror cult classic The Evil Dead, which legendary drive-in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs dubbed “The paint-the-room-red, vomit champion of the 1980s." That success launched a host of careers, including that of Josh Becker, who would go on to form Panoramic Pictures and carve out his own slice of Hollywood, directing dozens of his own films and TV episodes for the next three decades. Recently, he’s moved back to Michigan, but that doesn’t mean he’s done making movies: His latest film Morning, Noon & Night is a comedic drama about a group of semi-related, regular people battling their various addictions. It was shot locally, with all local talent. Metro Times: So you’re a made man in the Wiley E. Groves mafia? Josh Becker: Hah! If you care to put it that way. MT: There was a whole collective of talent that formed around Sam Raimi at that time, what was going on over there? JB: Well Sam and I go much further back than Groves. MT: So you were like elementary school thugs? JB: The Raimis lived around the block from me in Franklin and I’ve known Sam since he was 8 and I was 9. I met Bruce Campbell the first day of 7th grade at West Maple Junior High, because our lockers were next to each other alphabetically: “Becker, Campbell.” MT: Wow, what a neighborhood, to produce all these guys that ended up in the film business. JB: It’s kind of a lot: There’s Ted Raimi, who I spoke with the other day, and he’s moved back to Michigan, and their other brother Ivan, who co-wrote many of Sam’s movies. He was my best friend for quite a long time. John Cameron, who was part of our group, who produced several of Joel and Ethan Coen’s movies and TV series like Fargo, and Scott Spiegel who went on produce and direct the Hostel movies for Quentin Tarantino. MT: Were you guys all a clique at the time? JB: Yeah, we all knew each other well. I was close friends with Ivan first. MT: Did Bruce just have a vision of being an actor then? JB: Oh yes. Bruce and I were in drama club. We were doing plays together in junior high. He was always a ham. As soon as we could get him into the movies we were making, we did. We had a school project on ancient Greece for history class and I did a Super 8 movie on Oedipus Rex. Bruce played King Creon. MT: Was it harder trying to make home movies back in the day without digital cameras? JB: Not really. Super 8 was easy to use. The big thing was having the gumption to go do it. I did a terrible job on Oedipus Rex, but I think I can be forgiven because I was 13 years old. MT: Of course you went on and had a famously difficult shoot on The Evil Dead, which was shot for next to nothing down in the backwoods of Tennessee. JB: Bruce Campbell and I talk all the time and we were pleased on a certain level that we got the hardest shoot of our life out of the way first. It's all been easier since that. MT: A lot of it was at night, and you were running around in the woods… JB: It was almost all at night! We would shoot for crazy hours, there were 18 of us living in one house. W shot in this cabin with no heat. The reason we shot down there and not in Michigan was so we could avoid the winter, but it turned out to be the worst winter ever in Tennessee — lots of snow and freezing rain. Then six weeks in, most of the crew left and Sam, Bruce, Rob Tapert, I, and one other guy stayed for the next five weeks to finish the movie. Then we had pickup shoots back up here in Gladwin and Brighton and other places. If you add it all up we probably shot film for 20 weeks. MT: A lot of the movie is just Bruce alone in the cabin fighting with special effects, so that makes sense. JB: What happened is after everyone left, Sam quickly rewrote the script so that there’s a big long stretch of Bruce just going crazy, which I think is the best part of the movie. I think that was some of my best lighting work, if I do say so myself. MT: So, you guys all learned on the fly, and really taught yourselves film school? JB: Yeah. We made many, many Super 8 movies on our own before we started making more professional films. MT: So you learned D.I.Y filmmaking — how to shoot on the run and work with whatever you’ve got? JB: By the time you get to my age, you’ve been through so much that none of it is particularly daunting. This new movie Morning, Noon & Night I shot in 15 days, for $100,000, never went into overtime, and never missed a single shot. MT: You haven’t had giant budgets to throw away, so you’ve learned to work fast and cheap, but in control. JB: Fast, cheap, good. And you learn working for years in television, where they don’t tolerate overtime, and if you don’t get it they just don’t hire you again. MT: You worked on Xena: Warrior Princess for a long time, right? JB: I was the only director to make it through all six seasons. MT: How was working in New Zealand? JB: Wonderful. I was probably there 35 times between 1993 and 2001. I started off working on Hercules, writing and directing from the beginning of that. MT: So you were down there when they were making Lord of the Rings? What was the film business like there? JB: It was sporadic. They had just done The Piano with Holly Hunter when we got there. Peter Jackson lucked out in a big way, because right when he got the green light on LOTR, Hercules got canceled, and he just took our entire crew and hired them. So many of the effects people I worked with on those shows went on to win Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, etc. They’re incredibly talented, and nice. MT: How many Oscar winners worked on Alien Apocalypse? JB: (Laughs) None!

#Morning Noon & Night #Josh Becker

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marshmallowatheart · 6 years

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To All The Boys I've Loved Before (Part 13)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)

It's easy to get lost in the essence of Logan Echolls, especially when you're snuggled in his arms.

Veronica's relaxed against him, she listens to the conversation and quips in a remark from time to time and when she does, she feels Logan's chest vibrate in laughs and it sends ripples of warmth through her.

She ignores everything past her line of sight and she's got her head focused on the crowd of boys around them.

Next Friday, she's got a soccer game and that's unexpectedly become a line of topic.

When she's asked about the game, she says, "Got a good feeling." They're playing Pan High and she doesn't want to jinx it but she's feeling confident about the game.

"So, boyfriend," she says, bringing his attention to her. "Are you gonna be cheering me on?"

Logan grins - full-blown and toothy - and his eyes are bright with amusement. "Damn straight. The whole crowd will know that Logan Echolls is Veronica Mars' biggest fan. So you know I'll be expecting a goal dedication."

The boys roar at that, excited and teasing like teenage boys are and she laughs, fully and without any reservation. "You know it, babe," she nudges him playfully and winks.

It feels good being wrapped in the arms of Logan Echolls, joking around with the guys and being relaxed. The problem she has is that she doesn't know where's the line between real or fake. And there's the lingering words of Duncan in her mind, coated with her own knowledge that they wouldn't be here if they didn't have reasons - reasons that have nothing to do with liking each other.

--vm--

Logan suggests getting something to eat before taking her home and she shrugs, agreeing because she has time to kill before her curfew and she’s not one to say no to food easily. And well, Logan’s good company but she’s not going to inflate his ego anymore than it already is.

“God, you were amazing tonight. The guys loved you,” Logan says, leaning back on the leather booth and sipping on his chocolate milkshake. “And Lilly was pissed.”

It feels kind of surreal knowing that she’s able to make Lilly Kane jealous - except it’s not really her rather it’s the fact that Logan Echolls is with someone else - still it’s a feeling she’s unfamiliar with but admittedly kinda likes.

“In hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have pissed her off the day before I have to spend an afternoon with her," she groans as thoughts of the worse possible ways tomorrow could play out fill her mind.

“Veronica Mars, are you saying you’re afraid of Lilly Kane?” His brow arches because he knows Veronica Mars can be a deadly force if she wants to be.

“Well, if she’s so pissed, she’ll certainly be difficult to deal with and honestly I’d rather not deal with her at all.”

His brows furrow and he’s staring at her, considering and intense. “What happened with you guys? You use to be connected to the hip.”

She looks at him like he’s fallen from another planet. “Are you really asking me that?” He gives her a pointed look and she shakes her head, disbelieving. “You’ve had her for all these years and never asked her but you’re asking me?” She huffs.

“High school happened, Logan," she says like it's a known fact. She's thought through the reasons Lilly and her weren't friends before. Puberty. Zip codes. Haves and have nots. And she realised that between 7th and 8th grade the only thing that had changed was Lilly.

"Lilly changed and I didn’t," she gives the only explanation she knows but Logan's looking at her like that's not quite right and she doesn't really know what to feel about it all but she's gone through too much in life to care about people that didn't care about her. "I don’t know. It’s not like we’ve had conversations about it.”

“It was just weird, is all,” he shrugs. He remembers them back when they were kids; happily skipping around, giggling against each others ears whispering secrets and declaring best friends forever.

”Not really,” she grumbles, picking up a french fry and nibbling on it - she wishes that the conversation about Lilly Kane would end.

He's still staring at her like he's trying to figure her out and she wants to just put her head in the hole so he can't attempt to read her thoughts. "Can I ask you a question?"

It's unsettling when someone asks to ask you question. It's nerve-wrecking when the person is Logan Echolls and he's staring at her with deep intensity.

"O-kay," she lets out as casually as she can.

"Why haven't you ever had a boyfriend?"

She stills for a second because it's another conversation she doesn't really know how to have but Logan's still staring at her, awaiting answers that she doesn't really know how to give and she kinda wants to go back to talking about Lilly again.

"I don't know. I guess no one's ever liked me like that," she shrugs and as the words come out, he's already looking at her like she's ridiculous.

"I know that's a lie because I know for a fact Casey Gant asked you to Homecoming last year and you said no."

"Wow, Logan," she blows out. "You know stalking is a criminal offense." His eyes are narrowed on her and she shrugs off his defense. "Casey probably only asked me out to get back to Ashley."

"I'm pretty sure he was into you," he says matter-of-factly. "And I've been hanging out with you, Veronica," his words are softer and deliberate. He's peering closer to her and she feels like he can see into her soul. "I know the only reason you haven't had a boyfriend is by choice."

She feels her heartbeat quicken, her cheeks feel hotter and Logan's not backing away. She doesn't know what it is about Logan Echolls that makes her feel like running away and running to him all at the same time.

She doesn't know what makes her confide in him exactly but she feels safe enough to do so, she feels like he won't judge her.

"I can't control how I feel about people but I can control how I deal with it," she takes a breath, trying to figure out how to explain this all. "You know it feels nice to like someone but it's scary," she softly admits, it's been a long time since she's let herself feel so vulnerable and open to someone other than her family. "Because the more people I let into my life, the more people can just walk right out."

“Like your mom, right?”

It’s a sore subject, one she doesn’t really like to discuss but the whole town knows that the sherrif’s drunk wife fled town leaving him and three little girls behind.

“Yeah," she whispers and nods her head because her whisper is so soft she's not sure he's heard her.

He's silent for a moment, considering and she wonders if he'll let it go now.

“You ever think that you’re better off?” his voice is deep and raw and she looks at him in surprise. She's used to sympathetic apologies and pittiful glaces but she’s never been asked that before.

He lets out a breath, like he's fighting wars with himself. “I always felt that way about my father," he admits, he's surprised at himself for saying it but he lets himself for once.

Veronica didn't know much about Logan's family. She knew what everyone knew; Aaron and Lynn Echolls were Hollywood royalty. He'd cheated on her and during Lynn's Christmas party Aaron Echolls had been stabbed by a psychotic waitress who'd claimed betrayal.

He swallows, like this is hard to talk about but he still wants to talk about it. "He was so fucked up, Veronica. The things he did," he staggers, it's harder to breath when he talks about his father like this. "But I still felt grief for him despite it all. And then it felt like we were better after he was gone," he lets out a shakey breath, he's letting it all out for the first time and then he kinda feels like shit because Veronica doesn't know the monster that Aaron Echolls was.

“I just felt like maybe you'd understand 'cause of your mom. I know it’s not the same thing but -”

“I get it,” she nods, a small appreciative smile on her lips and he instantly feels better - it's been a year and he hasn't said a thing about it to anyone else before and she's sitting across a booth with a soft smile, understanding the demons he doesn't know how to face.

He lets out a breath, a light chuckle. “You say you're scared of commitment and relationships, but you don't seem to be afraid to be with me."

She tilts her head and Logan could very well get lost in her eyes. “Well, there's no reason to be.”

“Yeah? Why's that?” the words flow out of him easily but her answer is something he's desperate to know. It's been awhile since he's expected something from anyone, he wants her to say that he's an exception to the messed up rule her mother created when she left - or something along the lines of how she can trust him. Because he trusts her, so much more than he'd ever wanted to let himself trust anybody.

"Because we're just pretending."

Everything disappears after that. She says it so plainly but it feels like she's standing on his heart and doesn't even know it.

She's not wrong. They are pretending. But everything they've said to each other, that hasn't been fake, he knows it. He wishes she realised it too.

“Right, of course," he bobs his head like he knew that answer all along. "We should get you home, don't want the sheriff getting out his shotgun, do we?"

She feels a heavy ache in her the pits of her stomach, it's not physical pain just the feeling that something is wrong. She doesn't know why she feels like she'd said the wrong thing the moment it was out of her mouth because it's something she's had to remind herself of constantly. It's the way Logan looks at her that makes her wish she'd said something different because even though she knows it was the right answer, it wasn't the whole truth but she doesn't know if she can handle Logan knowing that yet.

#veronica mars #logan echolls #logan x veronica #love #vm fanfic #vm fic #inspired by to all the boys i've loved before #to all the boys i've loved before #part 13

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imagineaworlds · 6 years

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Caught in Your Eyes (Part Seven)--Billy Hargrove

Masterlist for @rune-of-a-writer / @hellimagines

Original Request: “Hi. I love your work. I was wondering if you could do a billy imagine where the female reader is new to town and she’s a bad girl and billy instantly falls for her and tries to get with her. Thank you!!”

Summary: The aftermath of Saturday night hits, and you have two deep conversations. One of which leads to a not-so-bad ending.

Warnings: Violence, per usual, cursing, per usual, mentions of drug usage, and mentions of homophobia

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x fem!reader

Word Count: 4,296

A/N: This note is gonna be long, but it’s IMPORTANT!! So, I’ve added this story (and my imagines) to wattpad under the same name as my imagines account. I was wondering if I should make this chapter the last one here, on tumblr, but continue to update it on Wattpad? It’s been getting progressively less notes (as series usually do on tumblr), but on Wattpad they typically thrive. Please, please let me know! Also, this chapter was difficult to write… so feedback on it would be great too. Thanks, I love you guys! (Also, if you couldn’t tell, I’ve been struggling with gifs. So have one of my FC’s for James and Vance -though they’re not as exact as I’d imagined-)

That following Monday, your group and the basketball team were the talk of Hawkins High. Word spread quickly of what had happened, but there were varying differations of the story. Some got it right- saying that Tim and the team had attacked James and Vance because of their sexualities. But others were far off from the truth. There was one about how Tim had tried to make-out with you behind the middle school, and Billy had seen, causing the fight to start (some kids tried saying that it was James who saw and started the fight, but that was quickly debunked when he walked into school with Vance). Some said that you had started the fight for fun because you were simply bored, no real meaning behind it. Some said that Chris started it because Tim was selling coke for too-high of a price (that was just dumb in your opinion, Chris didn’t do cocaine). But either way, everybody knew that your group and the basketball team went at it, and that Tim had tried to kill you. How that one got out, you had no idea. But the bruising around your neck was inevitable, and you had never owned a scarf in your life, so you had no way to hide it.

“This is ridiculous,” Chris growled after shouldering off another girl asking him what had happened, if he was okay, or if it had hurt to punch Michael Sandors as hard as he had. None of you were answering them, but from what you’ve heard, the basketball team had been entertaining everyone enough for both of your groups.

“Yeah,” you sighed, running a hand through your (h/c) hair, “but we just have to deal with it. Ignoring them is best,” you advised, leaning yourself beside James’ locker. He had been oddly quiet ever since that night, but you hadn’t expected much else. He’d be back to his normal self by the end of the week, you predicted. Vance was glowering beside him, subconsciously running his thumb over one of the cuts on his cheek. Neither of them had been in a fight before, and for their first fight to be centered around them, it had taken a toll.

“Hey,” Billy began, “at least now most of the school feels threatened by us. We don’t have to worry about them trying to start anything now,” he said, attempting to make the best of the situation, and Chris nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want people to be scared of me,” James scoffed, turning away from his locker to shoot Billy a glare. “I’m not like you guys. I actually enjoy people, I enjoy hanging out, partying, getting to know others. Fighting isn’t my first instinct, it’s not even an instinct. And to know that people are scared of me, hate me even, fucking sucks,” he growled. He slammed his locker shut, not even bothering to grab his books, before storming off down the hallway.

“I’ll go after him,” you said, kicking off of the locker. “I’ll see you guys at lunch,” you sighed, hoisting your bag over your shoulder and walking after James.

You managed to catch up with him quickly, and the two of you walked together silently, disregarding all the looks you recieved. Eventually, James led the two of you outside to the ‘smoke wall’, kicking a rock between the door so you wouldn’t be locked out. Thankfully there wasn’t any snow on the ground, so when the two of you sat next to each other you didn’t have to worry about your pants. You stayed quiet, looking at the side of his face and waiting for him to talk.

“I don’t mind being with him, ya know?” he began, referencing to Vance and turning his head so he could look at you as well. “I’m happy we’re finally together. I’ve had a crush on him since 7th grade. That’s 5 years of liking your best friend, (Y/N/N). So it has nothing to do with him. But it’s just… if this is how we’re gonna be treated… I don’t see the point. Risking your life for love? I get how it can seem romantic, but it’s terrifying. I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to have to hide behind you, Billy and Chris for the rest of the year, or longer. I want to be able to hang out with him, and him alone, and not worry about having a bleeding face by the end of the night. Granted, we’ve got the school to leave us alone for now, but that also means we’ve secluded ourselves. I doubt we’ll ever be invited to a party again. Group projects? Forget about it. And what about not at school? When we go to Gunther’s or the movies and we have to deal with the rest of Hawkins? It’s so fucked up,” he confessed, his eyes beginning to tear up. His hands were gripping each other, his nails digging crescents into the edges of his hands.

“Hey,” you said softly, reaching your hand out to pry his hands apart, “you’re okay and Vance is okay. That’s what matters. I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going through, so I’m not going to act like I do. But, I do know that I’ll always be here for you. We’ve only known each other for about two months, but you’re one of the closest people in my life, James. People are assholes. Just like what I said to Chris after the fight, they’re scared of what they can’t understand. But it isn’t your fault, and it isn’t Vance’s. Don’t give up on him or yourself just because of that,” you pleaded with him, soothing out the marks on his hand with your thumb. James looked down at you, his brown eyes filled with sadness- for what seemed like the first time in a long while. James nodded slowly, closing his eyes and releasing a long breath. He opened his mouth, prepared to respond, but before he had the chance, the door you had just come out of slammed open, startling the both of you.

Billy came hurtling out, holding Tim Davenford by the back of his baby blue sweater. Neither of them noticed you or James at first, both too focused on the other. Billy tossed Tim towards the adjacent brick will that led to the gym, the taller boy letting out a laugh as his face collided with the rough stone. Tim’s lip was already split, and Billy’s eyebrow had a cut- this had started within the school. You pushed yourself to your feet quickly, James following you.

“You think you’re tough shit, don’t ‘cha, Hargrove?” Tim mocked, spitting blood at Billy’s feet. “Now that you’re no longer on your own, fucking all the whores in Hawkins and claiming to be the King, you think you can do anything. News flash, you’re still worthless,” Tim spat, shoving Billy’s bare shoulders. Billy didn’t respond, instead he swung his fist, hitting Tim under the jaw. Tim stumbled to the side, splaying his hands against the wall to keep himself upright. Before Tim could counter the attack, you decided to make yourself known.

“What the fuck is going on?” you yelled, stepping closer to the two boys. They both looked towards you, finally noticing you and James. Tim’s smile grew, blood smeared over his teeth, while Billy’s expression didn’t change- the anger in his eyes looked like an all-too-familiar gas fire, and you knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to put it out.

“Stay out of this, princess,” Billy growled, briefly flashing his eyes over to James. Seeing the damage from Saturday night on James’ face, and the bruising on your neck, seemed to only fuel the fire more.

“Yeah, princess, let the big boy’s handle this,” Tim snickered. Hearing the nickname leave his mouth only angered Billy even more, and he grabbed Tim by the shoulders, allowing him to shove his fist into his abdomen. Tim groaned in pain, wrapping his arms around his stomach, but he stayed standing, and his grin never faded. Tim took the chance to lift his leg and knee Billy in the thigh, their height difference causing him to miss his groin. Billy grunted in shock, now grabbing both of Tim’s shoulders and tossing the both of them to the ground, Billy on top.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” you groaned, running your hands through your hair in distress. You knew better than to jump between the two- you’d end up getting hit by one of them; and if it was Billy, it’d only cause bigger problems. “Would you fucking quit it, Billy!” you shouted, and Billy paused. He was still on top of Tim, his fist raised in the air, ready to crash into the other boy’s face. Both of them were breathing hard, but Tim had a low chuckle mixed in. Billy lowered his hand, gripping the front of Tim’s sweater to pulling him up towards his own face.

“If you ever,” he seethed, “touch James or Vance again, I will not hesitate to smash your face in. And if you ever lay your hands on my girl, I’ll put you in the damn morgue,” he threatened before dropping Tim’s body, his head hitting the pavement with a disgusting thump. Your heart stopped at Billy’s threat, not because you were worried about Tim’s safety (you would do the same), but because of what Billy had said. His girl?

Billy stood, walking backwards carefully until he was away from Tim. You reached your arm out, hooking a finger into one of his belt loops and tugging him back to you and James. Tim stood up slowly, cracking his neck as he did. He ran his tongue along his teeth, collecting as much blood as could and spitting onto the pavement. Tim eyed the stance of the three of you: you and Billy standing in front of James with crossed arms, you with an arched eyebrow, and James peering over your shoulder with a smirk. Shaking his head with a laugh, Tim walked back into the school without acknowledging Billy’s threat, or saying anything else. Once the door hit the rock, all hell broke loose.

“What the actual fuck, you asshole?” you yelled, rearing on Billy with wild eyes. James stepped back, his own eyes wide with shock and amusement.

“The hell is your problem?” Billy shouted back, giving you an incredulous look, rapidly blinking away a drop of blood that was attempting to sneak into the corner of his eye from his eyebrow.

“You! I told you not to start anything after Saturday night! And yet here we are, Monday morning with you covered in fresh blood. Coach is going to kick both of you off of the team no doubt, and if your dad wasn’t pissed after Saturday, he sure as hell is gonna be now!” you yelled, waving your hand in the air, in no particular direction.

“Can I-” James began to interject.

“No!” you and Billy yelled at the same time, and his mouth shut, the sound of his teeth coming together audible for the three of you.

“You told me not to get caught starting anything. How the hell was I supposed to know that you two were having a love session out here?” Billy scoffed, rolling his eyes. A pitched sound of distaste left both you and James at the same time.

“We were not having a ‘love session’. In case you’ve forgotten, this whole ordeal is because James and Vance like each other. Or are you too focused on your fists to remember anything anymore? Do I need to start alerting the nursing homes of a new patient?” you questioned, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Plus, you totally just called her ‘your girl’. You guys weren’t gonna mention it, so I thought I would,” James added quickly before either of you could cut him off. The two of you fell silent, snapping your heads towards James with deadly eyes. “I’m just uh… gonna go to class,” he said pointing his thumbs to the door and quickly walking off to avoid your glares. Once he had left, you cautiously looked back to Billy. Letting out a shaky breath, Billy moved back so he could lean against the wall, finally meeting your gaze.

“He’s not wrong,” you said, shoving your hands into the pockets of your leather jacket as your anger began to cool over. “You did, ya know, call me your girl.”

“Yeah… yeah I did,” Billy admitted, leaning his head back. His blond curls squished out from behind his head, the static from the wall causing random hairs to stick up. “It just sort of slipped out. I was angry. He tried to kill you, (Y/N), and you’re unbothered by it. A guy wrapped his hands around your neck, and tried to choke you to death, and you don’t care. I don’t get it!” Billy huffed, looking down at you and picking his head back up.

“I’ve been through alot, Billy. This,” you pointed to your bruised neck, “is nothing new. It’s not a life I enjoy, it’s not something I brag about or wished for. But it’s what I’ve been stuck with, and it’s what I have to deal with. Crying about it, and allowing it to affect me, won’t get me anywhere. So I have to move past it seconds after it happens, and figure out how to do better next time. I shouldn’t have turned around to check on James and Vance. I forgot Fayre was with them, and that was my downfall. They were my weak spots, and Davenford knew it, and he took advantage of that. Next time, I have to stay entirely focused on the fight,” you explained, your eyes hard.

“No, there will be no next time,” Billy said sternly, walking towards you. “You’ve never talked about your life before Hawkins, except about your uncle. It’s almost as if you came out of that Mustang brand new to the world, fists bared. Whatever happened, you can talk to me about it. Nobody knows about my mom except for you and my dad. Not even Max knows. I trusted you enough to see me that morning. And I want you to know that you can trust me enough to see you without your fists, and your leather jacket, and your snarky remarks. Nobody really knows you, princess,” he confided quietly, his fingers twitching by his leg. Billy wanted nothing more than to reach up and push back your (h/c) hair, but he restrained himself. “Tell me what happened to you to make you like this.”

You stared back at him, your (e/c) eyes searching his blue eyes for any sign of a lie or form of deceit within them. When you saw none, you narrowed your eyes but nodded slowly. You moved to the wall, sliding down it and resting your back against the bricks. Billy followed, sitting beside you.

“I’ve never really talked about this, so I don’t know how this is going to go,” you warned, bringing your knees to your chest and loosely wrapping your arms around them. “I told you how I was always bouncing between my dad and my uncle because of the trouble I was getting into, right? Well, I wasn’t alone. It was always my best friend and I doing everything. His name was Jackson, but I usually called him Jax. I know, I know, it seems like I’m always drawn to guys. Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors around here, but that’s beside the point,” you sighed, dismissing him when he began to open his mouth. “As I was saying. Him and I would get into petty crimes. Vandalism, assault charges, trespassing. Those things. But last year, he took things too far. He had really, really bad anger problems. I think it was called I.E.D or something? He would blow up really quick. It was horrible in middle school, but he’d gotten control of it by junior year. However, whenever he would get high or drunk, he would lose control. I knew about this, so naturally we agreed not to get intoxicated without each other,” you took a breath, resting your forehead on your knees.

“But last December, he went to some end-of-term after-party. I hadn’t gone because I wasn’t feeling too well. Usually he would’ve stayed behind, but he had a date and she wanted to go, so he went. I figured that since he was with someone, nothing bad would happen. I was wrong. Acid is popular where I’m from. You can get it almost anywhere, in any form, and if you know the right person, you can get it pretty cheap. That night, everyone was doing it. Jax doesn’t submit to peer pressure, he’s not that kind of guy. He’s a leader, he’s smart, and he knew his anger would act up. So I don’t know why he did it… I never got the chance to ask. But he did. I got a call, while I was at my uncle’s, right before I was heading to bed. My uncle wasn’t home, so I didn’t have to worry about him. It was the girl he had gone with, and she was bawling her eyes out. I couldn’t even understand what she was saying. She was saying random words, as though she was attempting to piece them together in a sentence, and her crying just made things worse. I hung up on her, knowing something had gone wrong and I went over to the party. When I got there, there was this huge crowd on the front lawn, no music or anything. Just the sound of people yelling, screaming, and shouting. I could hardly get through there was so much chaos. But when I got to the middle… it was even worse, Billy.”

“Jax and this guy Jayden were going at it. Nothing new, knowing teenagers. But they were both high, and Jax was so mad. They were both on the football team, so there wasn’t any size or power disadvantages, but that honestly only made things worse. There was so much blood. Nobody would tell me what was happening, they were all too focused on chanting ‘Jackson’ or ‘Jayden’, picking sides. Jax wasn’t letting up, he had Jayden’s arms pinned to the ground with his knees, and he was literally smashing his nose in. I knew I had to do something. He wasn’t going to get out of this one, at all. He was going to end up in a jail cell or a hospital bed either way, but I had to stop it. I had to. It was dumb, I know that. I knew that then, and I know it now. But I grabbed him from behind, holding his arms as tight as I could and pulled him away. It only made him more upset though. He started thrashing, and when he threw his head back, it hit me square in the forehead. I let go of him, and when I did that… fuck… he turned around and punched me in the face. He hesitated after, for a second. He knew it was me, but then he started punching me. Over and over. I was so shocked, and upset, and horrified that it took me a few moments to fully register what was going on. But when I did, it took everything in me to get him to stop. Everyone in the crowd had stopped chanting. They didn’t help, they didn’t step in, but it had grown deadly silent except for the two of us.”

“There was a glass beer bottle on the ground next to me. I could hardly reach it, but I managed, and I had to hit him over the head to get him to stop. The glass broke and it shattered over the both of us. He collapsed on top of me, and all I wanted to do was hold him. But I couldn’t, so I threw him off of me. It was like staring at a crime scene photo there was so much blood on him. Jayden was passed out too, and he didn’t look much better. When I got back to Jeremy’s, neither did I. The cops showed up almost right after. I ran so fast when I heard those sirens, that I have no idea what happened to him. I got in my car and left. Without Jax. When I got home, Jeremy was there. That was the first, and most likely the last, time he had ever shown actually concern for me. When I walked in, and he saw the blood and that I was crying… it was like he was a whole different person. I collapsed in front of the door, and he came over, and actually held me and talked to me, like I was his niece. It was all too much, and I ended up passing out. When I woke up, it was around noon the next day and the blood was gone- he cleaned me with a rag, don’t worry. But, I never heard from Jax. I still haven’t. We moved a week later, him and my dad both agreed it’d be best. I don’t know why, I never asked. I also don’t know why he’s gone back to being an asshole… it kind of sucks… but it’s what I have to deal with. All of it is. So… yeah, I guess,” you finished finally, lifting your head up and looking over at Billy. “Oh my god why the fuck are you crying.”

“Why aren’t you?” Billy yelled, his eyes wide and his voice hoarse. You rolled your eyes, unsure of what to do. “(Y/N), that’s traumatic. You can’t just brush that off. Watching your best friend beat someone up, and then getting beaten up by your best friend, is not a normal experience!”

“No offense, asshole, but neither is your home life,” you shot back, glaring at him. Billy glared back and you looked away from him, avoiding his teary, blue eyes.

“Yes, princess, I’m aware of that. I don’t think that you are,” he said, reaching over to grab your chin and bring your gaze back to him.

“I don’t want to be. It’s better to forget about it, to forget about him. It’s why I click with James. He’s the better version of Jax. More calm, happy and bright. Saturday brought back that December night, and I didn’t want to deal with it. Seeing you in that fight just now, brought it back. Whenever I fight, it pushes the memory back even farther. But when I see you, or James, or even Chris fighting, it brings it all back. I don’t know why… but it does, and I don’t like it. I don’t want you to end up like him. Not more than you already are,” you admitted, looking up at him. Billy didn’t take offense to the comment, he knew he had problems- problems very similar to your friend.

“I get that, princess. But I need you to understand something,” he said firmly, his tone changing. Your eyebrows furrowed momentarily, but you nodded, ready to listen. “Tim laid his hands on you, in an attempt to end your life. I almost lost you two days ago. Today would not be happening right now, had you not done what you did. Today I’d be in prison for murder. Today, James, Chris and Vance would be mourning your death, alone. Do you understand that? Your neck, is bruised in three different shades. I can’t even breathe on it without you wincing. You’re trying to brush it off, like you’ve brushed off Jackson, but I refuse to brush it off. I will not let someone hurt you like that again. I’m well aware you can stick up for yourself, I’ve seen it first hand, but you shouldn’t have to. Truthfully, none of us should,” Billy hesitated before continuing, his blue eyes dashing between yours. “I called you my girl for a reason. It wasn’t a mistake, or a lie. I meant it. I hate seeing you in pain, whether I can see the pain or not, it doesn’t matter. If I can prevent, I will,” he finished. Your heart stuttered at his words, unsure of how to react. Nobody’s ever said something like that before. Sure you’ve had flings before, but nothing as serious as this.

So you did the only thing you could think of. Tilting your head up, you allowed your lips to connect with his. Your eyes fluttered shut, Billy’s hand instantly moving from your chin to the side of your face, while his lips moved against yours. His lips were chapped, and you each had a wound on your lip of some kind, so it wasn’t exactly pleasurable. It caused the kiss to sting a little, his chapped lips rubbing against your scabbed one, while yours pressed against the corner of his swollen, fat lip. But you two made it work. Your hand moved to his bare bicep, keeping you balanced, as his other hand tangled itself into your messy hair. You pulled back slowly, the sting on your lips soon becoming too much, and the sound of your kiss breaking filled the silent alley.

“Does that mean you’re not mad anymore?” Billy questioned, tilting his head with a playful smirk. You chuckled softly, shaking your head at him.

“I’m still mad, but I forgive you. And, I will gladly be your girl,” you grinned, watching Billy’s eyes light up as he returned your giddy smile.

“What’d I tell ya? The Princess and The Asshole sound perfect.”

Tag List: @assholeheartthrob @selenedarkbloom @hailhydrabarnes @hellboundblogger @rad-rad-rain @cheneyq @between-shades-of-winchester @tamara-stalenhoef @fangirlinganditswonders @myblackwings5 @themangledjessie @strangerswiftie @madhatterweasley @-episkey- @high-heels-and-demon-deals @princess-chocolate-drop @warsintothestars @yikeonbike @lilo-1398 @happelu970 @marvel-is-love-marvel-is-life @dont-touch-me-peasent @kate1827 @dare-to-dream-about-1d @sarahshea @captainstilinskis @gemgemswift @theartistdetective

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove fanfic #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #rune-of-a-writer

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littlelovelymemes · 7 years

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✰ * º ❛ more popular text posts starters. ❜

‘ plot twist: you let someone in and they don’t fuck you over ’ ‘ you would not believe bill nye... if ten million Science Guys ’ ‘ the lack of cuddling i am experiencing right now is upsetting ’ ‘ why was shrek’s soundtrack so incredible like who sat down and decided that a movie about an ogre would have a beautiful rufus wainwright ballad followed by a smash mouth/eddie murphy cover of i’m a believer and how can i thank them ’ ‘ i justify my impulses by the fact i’m going to be dead one day and none of it truly matters in the grant scheme of things it’s that “treat yo self” nihilism ’ ‘ all i do is listen to music really loudly while i walk in circles and daydream :/ ’ ‘ but you are an entire universe and i am a bigger cooler universe where everyone skateboards ’ ‘ my insecurities have destroyed so many opportunities ’ ‘ maybe you and i exist together on a different wavelength than the rest of the world. perhaps, we are on a separate frequency. ’ ‘ will u still love me when im no longer young and ok looking ’ ‘ ʸᵉᵃʰᶜᵃⁿ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵘʰʰʰʰʰʰ some fuckin physical affection ’ ‘ stop thinking about everything so much, you’re breaking your own heart. ’ ‘ concept: me traveling the world alone, figuring myself out, taking tons of cute aesthetic pictures, befriending kind strangers, drinking a cup of tea on a cute cafeteria, and trying out things for the first time. ’ ‘ holy shit thank god vine is gone like can you imagine all the vines about fidget spinners ’ ‘ me: reads the bad reviews of a book i didn’t like to seek validation ’ ‘ if you think you’ve hit rock bottom, just remember that my bank once froze my accounts because I bought a healthy ready meal at my local supermarket and they classed it an “uncharacteristic purchase” ’ ‘ i’m a dumbass and that’s just how it is ’ ‘ y'all actually seek validation from people that don’t give a fuck about ur feelings??? LMAO bitch me too why are we like this ’ ‘ special thanks to all the 10 year olds out there for making all those music lyric videos on youtube ’ ‘ i am so gentle and kind hearted... and stupid ’ ‘ there she goes again being over dramatic and by she i mean me ’ ‘ just letting everyone who’s ever told me a secret know that its safe with me (and my mom) ’ ‘ me n my eyebrows…………we been thru a lot ’ ‘ i wanna jump off a building and not die just relieve stress by slamming onto the sidewalk and then get up and go get a slurpee or something ’ ‘ all I want is vintage lingerie and good skin ’ ‘ nsfw: nobody’s safe from wonderwall ’ ‘ do you ever wish you could unmeet someone…. like,, we had fun times,, but it’s time for me to wipe my memory Sorry Bud ’ ‘ date a boy who reads. or better yet date a 37 year old recent divorcee with a highly diversified stock portfolio who’s looking to feel young again and can treat you to what you deserve ’ ‘ if you knew me in 7th grade i’m sorry ’ ‘ *cha cha’s real smooth away from academic responsibilities* ’ ‘ anyone else feel like they’re inherently worth less than everyone else ’ ‘ be open with your love and loud with your laughter. life is so much brighter when lived genuinely. ’ ‘ i really wish i could get a refund for all the love i’ve wasted on people like! repay my emotional labour your bill is in the mail ’ ‘ i’m such a tease. i’ll tell you how bad I want to fuck you and then probably fall asleep. ’ ‘ i’m crying my best ’ ‘ i want to be known as someone who’s full of love and radiates light ’ ‘ i’m in philosophy and were talking about how you can doubt everything’s existence except for your own consciousness and the guy that sits in front of me just turns around tears streaming down his face and goes “i am on so many drugs” ’ ‘ how fucked up would it be if an astronaut was coming back to earth and everybody hid for a bit ’ ‘ some kid just skateboarded down my street crying ’ ‘ do you ever get in an “i don’t know” phase in your life. where you literally don’t have a solid answer to anything. you. just. don’t. know. ’ ‘ which of the three pillars of modern music is your favourite, burnin’ up by the jonas brothers, beautiful soul by jesse mccartney or lucky by britney spears ’ ‘ i guess at this point i should just consider dating myself ’ ‘ there is no doubt in my mind i’m really that bitch ’ ‘ after you hit 21, you start forgetting your age cause ain’t nothing else to look forward to, besides sweet death. ’ ‘ why am i not currently in the italian countryside with a fruit plate wearing a light linen dress? unacceptable ’ ‘ hands are weird because one of them can do absolutely everything without a problem and the other one can’t even hold a spoon ’ ‘ remember to drink a fucking shit ton of water every miserable day of ur life ’ ‘ is he………you know…….*makes football throwing motion*….straight? ’ ‘ mATH, deATH -- wake up america ’ ‘ does anyone else have a resting bitch face™, but kinda enjoys looking intimidating ’ ‘ time flies when u take a 2hr depression nap in the middle of the day ’ ‘ roses are red, i’m going to bed ’ ‘ u know when ur hairs greasy and it makes u feel so so so bad about urself. and ur entire life. everything is awful bc my hair is greasy ’ ‘ i’m just so glad the word “ugh” was invented ’ ‘ just another day of loving with all my heart and believing in the universe ’ ‘ you know when dogs sit outside with their face turned towards the sun and their eyes closed and they look so relaxed and when you pet them they’re warm? that’s how I want to feel always ’ ‘ come into bed and listen to the rain with me ’ ‘ people are so petty and then here i am, me, an angel, ’ ‘ can someone please be proud of me like fuck i’m trying ’ ‘ concept: a really nice Italian restaurant but it’s spelled “spagooter” on the menu and the waiters won’t take your order unless you pronounce it like that ’ ‘ just found out neanderthal passed on the dna for depression and now we know why they stayed in caves and painted horses all fuckin day ’ ‘ i want kids but i’m scared they’ll blame me if they’re ugly ’ ‘ does anyone have any tips for not thinking about it ’ ‘ “what’s a queen without her king?” well, historically, better ’ ‘ i want something that doesn’t taste like alcohol but has a lot of alcohol in it ’ ‘ my kink is getting some fuckin sleep ’ ‘ i’m alive out of spite ’ ‘ not to vent but: fuck ’ ‘ i think i accidentally break my own heart a lot ’ ‘ can’t wait to be balls deep in love ’ ‘ why are there so many days?? i feel like we just had a whole day yesterday… they don’t stop ’ ‘ i walked in on my 4 year old nephew sitting alone on his bed eating grapes in the dark and i didn’t even get a chance to say anything before he said “i don’t have answers” ’ ‘ *adjusts my tinfoil hat* y’all are crazy ’ ‘ do raccoons have people hands or do we have raccoon hands? ’ ‘ mark your territory by crying on things ’ ‘ any size titty is lit ’ ‘ love lemon trees! i too am bitter but growing ’ ‘ my only constant is the black hair tie around my wrist. no mans gonna be there for me like this hair tie has. no ones presence is gonna be as reassuring ’ ‘ me???? tired???? sleepy??? yes constantly ’ ‘ the box says “four servings” but my heart says one ’ ‘ the lengths i would go to to both get attention and avoid it….astounding ’ ‘ i hope everybody is doing their best even tho we’re all doomed ’ ‘ young adult things: washing your colors with your whites because you don’t care you JUST don’t fucking care ’ ‘ I just want to help out all the people with no money but i am people with no money ’ ‘ bricks are just domesticated rocks ’ ‘ being nice is so easy just do it ’ ‘ lets start wearing cloaks and swords again. its time ’ ‘ classes are like a high level dora the explorer episode. person up front asks a question, stares at you blankly for a few seconds, and then answers their own question. ’ ‘ the average orgasm is 7 seconds. keeping a feral hog in your basement lasts for 5-16 years depending on your ability to care for it. the decision should be clear ’ ‘ will i ever have my shit together ’ ‘ i live in a time where a major selling point for food is that it uses “real” ingredients. ’ ‘ “what the fuck” is an emotion now and its the only one i have ’ ‘ it’s not a real party until you sneak away to the bathroom to question your existence as you stare at yourself in the mirror haha ’ ‘ every hard day you make it through makes you one day closer to stranger things season 2 ’ ‘ assert your dominance by calling your friends by their student i.d. number ’ ‘ i feel like each year has progressively gotten worse since the year of luigi ended ’ ‘ um that’s u’re* not ur ’ ‘ i wanna be a villain so I can just saunter everywhere. the heroes are always sprinting, always running. you ever seen darth vader run? hell no. and I ain’t about to either. ’ ‘ i have nothing to say but will i shut up? No ’ ‘ i cannot believe another week is like beginning we just finished one ’

#ask meme #askbox meme #rp meme #indie rp #inbox meme #sentence starters #rp sentence meme #sentence starter meme #rp sentence starters #rp ask meme #rp ask box meme #inbox memes #rp inbox meme #starters

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a-tired-bass · 7 years

Note

Every 7th question of that huge ask meme :D

Hooo boy here we go. I’m gonna pop this behind a read more cause holy fuck it’s long. Apparently almost 2500 words all up

7 - Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality:

My zodiac is Capricorn. A google tells me that supposedly, Capricorn’s are ambitious, conservative, determined, practical and helpful. I would say I am approximately 2-3.5 of those things at any one time. Given that the average would be slightly above 2.5, I would say it fits me well enough :P

14 - Do you wear contacts/glasses?

No vision correction for me, I have perfect eyesight. Well, so much as ‘perfect eyesight’ is defined for a person. My visual acuity is above the average healthy human eyes.

21 - What’s your sexual orientation?

Heteroromantic. Demisexual.

28 - Where are you from?

Born and raised in Sydney. Lived my entire life in the same city. I’ve travelled a bit and would love to live elsewhere (I don’t count my brief occupancy in the Hunter Valley as living there)

35 - Say 3 facts about your personality:

Oh fuck.... I tend to be quite disparaging of myself, as evidenced by the fact that I couldn’t think of a single thing upon reading this question. Otherwise... I’m a very closed person? I guess? I don’t open up easily, so it’s really nice when I find someone who I can click with immediately. I especially enjoy the company of people who like ot talk a lot, since I really don’t talk that much. I love listening to people’s voices. Finally... God I don’t know. I don’t analyse my own personality that often. Generally it’s other people who are looking at that. I’m just me. That is who I am. I’m not going to change who I am to fit someone else’s expectations. I have to do what is right for me.

42 - What you want to be when you “get older”

The simplest answer is happy. I want to not have to rely on medication to maintain a semblance of reality. I want to share my life with someone who wants to share theirs with me. I want to travel to places I’ve never been, just to see the beautiful things in the world. I want to not have to worry about working just to maintain a decent level of living. I want to fall asleep every night holding someone I love.

I just want to be happy. I have no other lasting aspirations

49 - Do you have any phobias?

Falling. I’m absolutely terrified by it. Heights don’t bother me in the slightest, but falling, especially free-falling, panics me beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. I find abseiling quite terrifying if I don’t trust the mounting point, something usually only earnt through pushing through it once. When rock-climbing, I can’t stand to be belayed by someone I don’t trust. If I’m bouldering, despite the mere like, 2m drop, I’ll downclimb to at least half way if I have the strength to so I don’t have to jump down. I hate falling. There are only 2 nightmares that have ever stuck with me for more then a few days, and 1 of them is falling. I just can’t do it.

56 - What are three things most people don’t know about you?

Fuck I don’t know. I overshare a bunch a lot of the time. But there are still loads of things I don’t tell people, generally because I don’t see them as worth telling. My story isn’t that interesting, I haven’t done anything marvelous. I’m just... an average person. I have mental health problems. I fall on the ASD spectrum. I have severe body image issues. I have an incredibly high lung capacity, but incredibly bad oxygen transmission. I’ve technically died. I started school early, and was offered the ability to skip grades (Never did, glad of that), as I’d begun to work on early high school level materials in year 2 and 3. I miss my old baritone voice, when I had a range of almost 3 octaves. I’m completely right side dominant, hand, foot, and eye. Stuff, I guess.

63 - A quote you try to live by:

I can never remember quotes. Their essence stays in my head, but never what the actual quote is. Honeslty, while cheesy and obviously influenced by my upbringing, the one that comes to mind most is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Yup, nice and churchy. But in seriousness, it’s a good maxim to live by. Everyone deserves politeness and respect until they’ve lost that priviledge.

70 - What is your favorite thing to do?

Another hard one. You truly have bombarded me. In the end, I think it’s play games WITH friends. Oh sure, sometimes I can’t stand being around people. Sometimes I want to play alone. But noting beats playing with friends, achieving progress side by side. It’s... immensely satisfying to me

77 - What is your least favorite word?

Cuckold...

84 - What’s your favourite scent? And on the opposite sex?

Fucked if I know. Scent’s are scents, and my nose is not terribly discerning. I like a lot of flowers or fruit scents. There are some lovely spices. Scents to me are defined as ‘this smells nice’ or ‘this smells bad’. If I had to pick something... Lavendar. It’s simple, but lovely.

91 - Say 2 facts about your favorite things:

I love music, but I tend not to like rap - I like my melody too much. Roleplaying Games - I love to put on another person’s skin, to slide into another persona.

98 - The best and the worst childhood memories:

Look, I don’t remember much of my childhood. I don’t remember much of anything at all really. I purge a lot of my memories because I find it easier to live that way. I can pull up fragments of absolutely random stuff, but I couldn’t tell you where I learnt it. What I can dredge up says my favourite is one of my teachers. Ms Werner, back in primary. She was a wonderful teacher, and my the world would be improved if there were more people like her. I think the worst would have to be when I realised I had to cut off contact with a very long time friend of mine. We’d known each other for.... I want to say at least 10 years, of which 6 of them were as very close friends. He became someone I didn’t want to associate my life with. Someone I wouldn’t have been surprised if I read their name in an obituary report of some police activity.

105 - Top three places to visit:

Italy, duh. I’ve said so many times before. I would also love to go to Greece again, becasue I would love to meet you in person. Finally, Finland, because I’ve heard wonderful things about it

112 - If your best friend died, what would you do?

Be sad. Attend their funeral. Drink. Forget some. Live on. Be surprised that I’m the one attending theirs and them not attending mine.

119 - Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

Yes, my last ex was older then me by a bit over a year. I’m also assuming family doesn’t count for this question.

126 - Based on past relationships or crushes, describe your perfect boyfriend/girlfriend:

Oh ooft. Well, uniformly my crushes have been on people shorter than me, because I think they’re cute. I’ve always preferred longer hair. They’d have to have a nice voice, that is paramount - I remember one girl who is an incredibly interesting person who I loved to talk to and almost developed a crush on many times online, but lost any interest the moment we spoke again in person because her voice just slightly grated on me. In personality? Kind, caring, accepting, loyal. Someone who desires physical contact as much as I do.

133 - Do you have a crush on anyone?

Yeah, but you already know that. I told you whilst I was drunk

140 - Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?

Absolutely. I mean, ignoring the fact that this could potentially mean any crying caused by someone else, and only related to those caused because of relationships, I have cried severely over them. I lost my voice for 2 days after my last break up from screaming out into the void

147 - Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for?

No. There are lines I will not cross.

154 - What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?

I’d just really like a hug you know? I’m a closed person, and have always had trouble initiating hugs - I’m not good at judging when other people want physical contact. I’m always happy to recieve a hug, I just don’t give them out very often.

163 - Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?

Yes. What a despicable question.

170 - Have you ever been cheated on?

Yes. It’s... not an experience I ever wish to repeat, nor is it something I will ever forgive lightly agian.

Realised I got off track on numbers. Leaving those answers though

161 - Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

Not that I’m aware of. Would be thoroughly confused if there were though.

168 - The last time you felt jealous, and why?

Near the end of my last relationship. Don’t particularly want to go into detail about it. It involved violations of boundaries.

175 - A description of the person you dislike the most:

I don’t really dislike anyone that much? If I dislike someone, I forget about them. I remember a tall, gangly, greasy black haired mediterranean boy in high school who I despised because he was a bully, and would frequently bully me whenever we got on the train because he happened to get on/off at the same stop or nearby. But I couldn’t tell you any more about him.

182 - What kind of music you like?

Lots! Catchy tunes, glorious symphonies, orchestral works, It’s probably easier to list things I don’t typically like, which are screamo and rap, for typical genres.

189 - A book you want to read/have recently read:

I recently read George Orwell’s 1984. I went to a stage performance of it with a friend of mine and it really captured my mind, so I thought I’d read it to compare. The stage show was much more appropriate to our modern era, but the book still has really interesting concepts in it. Having experienced both though, and were I to only choose one to recommend or re-visit, I would definitely pick the stage production

196 - You’re given $10,000…under one condition: you cannot keep the money for yourself. Who would you give it to?

Easy, Jake. He’d split it with me and buy himself some nice stuff as well. Maybe my parents though, if I weren’t in a personal spending mood

203 - What the last party you went to was… and when the next will be…

God I don’t know. I don’t do parties much. A birthday late last year I think? Oh, Post Concert Parties count I guess? Though that’s generally just meeting at a pub and eating some food, getting a drink, and chatting about stuff after final performance. Next one... I guess i’m going on a trip with some mates later this month, which will probably involve at least a little bit of partying. Should be fun

210 - What are you supposed to be doing right now?

Nothing, my time is my own at the moment! Possibly sleeping, but it is still early. There are productive things I could be doing I guess - I need to clean a bit of the house, or do up a resume, or do some physical activity - but it’s late, i’m occupied with other things, and I’ll probably go to sleep soon. I’d prefer to stay in bed

217 - Do you believe in fate/destiny?

I believe in chance. I’d like fate or destiny to be a thing, even though that means our lives are pre-determined in at least some fashion or other, but honestly.... A set purpose would be nice

224 - How important you think education is?

As important as you make it. A basic education is invaluable. Higher education is... less useful, and shouldn’t be forced on anyone, but should always be offered

231 - Post a photo/draw a picture/write a poem (pick one) of a moment of personal significance:

Oh fuck. Um. Here’s something I wrote long ago, I had to go find it, since i’d forgotten how it goes. I was pretty angry at the time - the man who killed my uncle was cleared of all charges. It’s dramatic and over-the-top and in no way actually representative of anything, but it rhymes nicely

And the fire burns deep insideAs the witness sees the liesThe traitors tongueHis falsehoods sungThe sordid crimes which he deniesThe jury stands, decision madeWhile the chatter of the crowd does fadeThe man who sawNow sees the lawAs nothing more than a false charade“The man goes free” the jury declaresFree to escape back to his lairsHis crimes ignoredEscapes the cordIt seems the world doesn’t really care

238 - What was something you used to enjoy, but was ruined for you? What’s the story behind that?

Boy oh boy could I talk about this one! I don’t want to though. In summary - my university choirs, because of my ex.

245 - What’s something you want to do that you’d be embarrassed to tell other people about?

I can’t really think of something I’d be embarassed about. I guess ask for more hugs would apply though, since it’s something i’d feel weirdly guilty about.

252 - Do you hate anyone?

Yes. Dislike is different from hate. I will not go into detail about this.

259 - Do you care if people talk badly about you?

A little bit, yeah. I don’t really like it when people are dissapointed in me, or label me with things I’m not, or assume my actions or what I say are negative. It’s worse especially when people are vehement about it and don’t try to explain what they’re feeling or actually think about it and why.

266 - Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Oh yes. I can’t remember her name though. She was a princess in some novel, and was descendant partially from dryads. It’d be nice to find that book again, that would be some nostalgia

And that’s everything! So many questions!!! Good fun though :D

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pictochronia · 4 years

Text

FBO rewrite chapter 6

you know the drill. first part i wrote in like 7th grade, second part i finished today

“It is possible for Shane to be revived…” the doctor said. He motioned for the nurse to come over, and he whispered something in her ear. She gasped, nodded, and walked off. “But I must tell you in secret, lest the other people find out and kill themselves trying.”

Robert’s ears perked up. “How? I will do anything to revive Shane. I barely knew him, yet he was like family,” Robert said, fighting off tears.

“Not you, Robert. Only Ray can do it,” the doctor said, looking at Ray.

“Who? Me? Why?” Ray asked, surprised.

“Only a regular person can pass the barrier that surrounds Ha’lia.” the doctor said intelligently.

“Ha’lia? The City of Emptiness? It contains the way to revive a dead soul?” Robert asked, ears perked more.

“Yes. You cannot enter, for the barrier surrounding it blocks out all with special powers. Mages, monks, shamans…and you, Robert. I cannot enter, for the trial I must pass is too difficult. Only you, Ray,” the doctor said solemnly.

“Hmm, how hard is this trial?” Ray asked, a hint of cockiness in his voice.

“You must fight fifty enemies simultaneously.” the doctor said sternly.

“Erm doesn’t sound too hard,” Ray said, beginning to sweat.

“Empty-handed.” the doctor continued.

“Oh…” Ray said, looking at the ground. “What if I fail the trial?”

“You die a slow and horrible death.” the doctor said coldly.

“Is there no other way?” Robert yelled.

“There are other ways. Forbidden ways. Ways that could go horribly wrong,” the doctor said, cold once more.

“Gah! What is the quickest way? I can’t take this any longer!” Robert yelled, clutching his head.

“Hmm. I am going to regret this, but there is an old sorceress who can help you. She lives about two miles from here. I must warn you, she is a tric--” the doctor begun, but he was interrupted by Robert.

“Ray! We have no time to lose! Grab Shane, let’s go!”

“Bu--” the doctor and Ray both said.

“We go! NOW!” Robert yelled. He picked up Shane, grabbed Ray’s hand, and rushed out.

“If only they knew…” the doctor said forlornly.

Robert was rushing as fast as he could to the witch’s house. Ray could barely keep up. When he finally arrived there, he almost knocked down the door pounding on it so hard. When the door opened by itself, the witch was there, sitting expectantly.

“Welcome to my humble shack. I see you have a corpse there.” the witch said. “My name is Kaila, and I bet you wish for me to reanimate it.”

“Yes. What’s your price?” Robert asked, Ray catching up behind him.

“The price will be paid soon enough…” Kaila said, and she started to cackle. “Lay his body on this table.” Robert did so, and she drew a strange looking circle around him.

“Before I revive him, you must run one errand for me.” Kaila said slyly.

“What is it you want, witch?” Robert said.

“Nothing much. For the ritual, I will need a chimera corpse.”

“A chimera? Where will we find one of those?” Ray asked.

“Chimeras roam the wooded area behind this house. Slay one, and you have your friend back.”

“Fine, woman. We will kill a chimera. But you must promise to revive Shane,” Ray said.

“Yes, yes. On with it, children,” Kaila said, turning around. Robert ran out quickly. He drew his blades, and the chimeras attacked him. He has slain one with a fireball rushing up to them, another with a slash of the Havenants, and another with a close-range fire blast. He took one corpse, leapt from the fray, and promptly delivered it to Kaila. Ray had not moved a muscle.

“Very nice. Very nice, indeed,” Kaila said, with another of her laughs at the end. She took the corpse and put it aside Shane. She chanted some magical-sounding words, and a flash of light temporarily blinded Ray and Robert.

“Enjoy your friend, knaves! Bweheheheheheheheheheheheee!” Kaila yelled, and like that, she was gone.

Ray and Robert gawked as Shane opened his eyes. Was it true? Had he been revived? This was not the Shane they knew…it was a different Shane entirely.

“Ow! Feels like I was stabbed a hundred times…what are you guys staring at?” Shane asked, confusion in his voice.

The old Flarian saying holds true. “Nadca non anim fo rety yinua saq diasad. Farsadi juikasi.”

Translated, “Life is something that can be altered. Death cannot.”

“It might surprise you both that I already know the secret to returning from the dead,” Georgina said as she placed Shane’s prone body on a long table. “I’ve known it for quite some time.”

Robert and Ray looked at each other. Ray spoke. “Why have you never succeeded, then? Is it hard?”

“Well, of course it’s hard! The act itself is simple enough but the ingredient you need is ridiculously hard to come by.”

The use of the word “ingredient” puzzled Robert. “Is there only…one thing you need?”

“Yes. There are two conditions in this world that must be met to revive someone from the dead. The first is a time limit—after twenty-four hours, the tether between the soul and the body is severed forever. Judging by the smell, I would gauge we are still within that time limit. The second is the tricky one. We need an unhatched phoenix egg.”

The two boys’ jaws dropped. “Phoenix?” Ray exclaimed. “They’re mythical creatures! How could we possibly find—”

A snap of Georgina’s fingers silenced Ray, though his mouth moved for a few more seconds as if he were still speaking. “Hush. I’m not done talking. If you had let me finish, I would have gone on to reveal that yes, phoenixes did and do exist. The reason they have transitioned from common to mythical over the past few thousands of years is simple: hunting. My research has shown me that everyone knew the secret to coming back from the dead. It all makes sense, considering the phoenix is the symbol of rebirth.”

Robert politely raised his hand. Georgina laughed. “No, they didn’t come back as babies. They returned as they were when they died, with a few caveats. One was a scar left by whatever killed them. The second was that if they died in the future, they were done for good. That’s why the records and stories all show that the only people who used phoenix eggs were warriors who died in the heat of battle.

“This was over a thousand years ago and it’s why phoenixes have been relegated to legend. They were trapped, caged, and forced to lay eggs. Most of them died. Others escaped. Eventually they became so rare hunting them became impossible. Since then people have adapted as best as they could to accept the finality of death. No offense to you two, of course. But now you have to answer a very important and very difficult question.”

Georgina paused for a moment. “Actually, there are two questions. One is are you able to do this at all? The second is, knowing what it takes, do you still want to do it?”

Ray raised his hand and Georgina snapped her fingers. “What do you mean what it takes?”

“Were you even listening, boy? For your friend to be revived, you need to use a phoenix egg. The life of a phoenix has to be sacrificed to bring him back. The potential that the egg has for life infuses the body and that power also brings back the soul. Or something like that.”

Ray bit his lip and Robert took a deep breath. Neither of them had known Shane for even three days. Robert closed his eyes. They had already dealt with enough death and loss. Shane had his whole life ahead of him and it was unfair to have it all robbed away by a cowardly thief. If he could be brought back, they had to at least try.

“We’ll do it, Miss Gee. We understand the consequences,” Robert declared.

“My, my, aren’t you old for your age. Very well. I leave the rest up to you.” She sighed. “I wish I could be of more help but I haven’t the slightest clue where a phoenix could be. All I can do is stay here with the body and ensure his soul remains tethered to it. It is the best I can do.”

“So you mean to tell us we have to find an exceptionally rare egg by nightfall, running on no sleep, with no idea where the egg is, and you’re just going to sit here and do nothing?” Ray said. Robert buried his face in his hands.

Georgina scoffed. “Well, excuse me. You’re trying to bring someone back from the dead and you complain about how hard it is? This isn’t walking to the market to buy some produce! This isn’t even transferring a soul from a human body to a feline body!” Eleanor, who had been asleep on the floor the whole time, meowed. “It was easy in the past and now it is not easy. So pardon me if you have to earn the right to cheat death, you ungrateful little urchin.”

She had once again silenced Ray, but this time she had not used magic. He muttered something that vaguely sounded like an apology and quickly turned and exited her house. Robert sighed. “I’m sorry about my brother.”

“No need. He’ll grow up fine. He just needs some harsh words every now and then.” She smiled. “Now get going!”

Robert took her word and followed his brother out of the house. Ray was standing next to the horses and staring at the sun. “Robert,” he said, “We can’t do this.”

Ray’s lack of careless optimism shocked Robert. “Hey. Ray. We can. I have an idea. It’s dangerous and reckless, so it should be right up your alley.”

Robert wasn’t supposed to be the dangerous and reckless one. Ray raised an eyebrow and turned to his brother. “Go on.”

“This is where we can use my heritage to my advantage, I think. Phoenixes are birds of fire—they should be very concentrated sources of energy. If I concentrate or meditate or whatever, I should be able to sense where one is and go find it.”

“Okay, but even if that works, how are we going to get there?”

“I might need to go solo for this one.” Without saying another word, Robert jumped into the air and shot twin bursts of fire from his feet. The two bursts propelled him further up, leaving Ray astonished and the ground where Robert was standing singed. Just as suddenly, the bursts disappeared and Robert’s rise tuned into a fall. Ray thought quickly and managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

“Robert, what in the world!? You can fly?”

Short of breath and just as amazed at what he did, Robert had to breathe for a moment before replying. “Yes. I suppose. I had never tried that before.”

Ray was equal levels aghast and excited. “Well, alright! Awesome! So we might actually be able to pull this off!” He looked around, laughing nervously to himself. “I’ll see if I can set you up like, a landing zone, or something.”

Robert nodded, still catching his breath. “Of course. Thank you, Ray.” He sat down, drawing his swords. “I’m going to try to use these as dowsing rods. If anything’s going to find a phoenix, it’ll be this.”

“Good luck, brother. I’m going to go ask Miss Gee about how to make your landing as easy as possible.” With that, Ray ran back inside, leaving his brother alone to search the world for a mythical bird.

Unsure of what to do next, Robert elected to trust his instincts. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the warm air fill his lungs, and then pushing it all out slowly. He held the swords out in front of him, his grip looser than it would traditionally be. He focused on the fire he could sense burning in Georgina’s fireplace, on the warmth of her body, and then the warm of his brother’s body.

He breathed in again, taking a deeper breath this time, and allowing himself to detect the warmth of all the creatures that surrounded the witch’s house. He could even sense the warmth of little Eleanor. With each breath, he pushed his range farther, inching out slowly but surely. His swords remained in place, and with each breath Robert took their flames burned just a little bit brighter.

Several minutes passed like this, Robert doing nothing but breathing and finding the warmth of everything around him. Ray walked out to ask him something but, seeing the state he was in, decided to not disturb him. He and Georgina exchanged words as they watched him from inside her house.

“Your brother has quite the head on his shoulders, you know,” she said, fully aware that Ray in fact knew about his brother’s mental edge.

“Yeah,” Ray replied, it not being the first time he had been told such a thing. “I should learn from him, I know.”

Georgina smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “I wasn’t going to say that, idiot. I was going to say that he’s lucky to have family like you. Family that cares about him.” She paused. “Such a thing is a rarity in the world these days.”

Outside, Robert continued to focus on his breathing, expanding his range with each exhalation. Truth be told, he hadn’t been sure whether or not this would actually work. But the Havenants had awakened such power within him. He could conjure flames from nothing, even use those flames to fly. As he felt his swords being pulled gently, up and to the right, he realized that he had been right to trust his instinct. He felt an incredibly powerful presence, and though he couldn’t confirm whether or not it was actually a phoenix, he had no idea what else such a presence could possibly be.

He couldn’t figure out exactly where it is, but he knew the general direction and had a rough idea of the distance. Northwest, about fifty miles. Just had to get there and back in less than twenty-four hours, not to mention acquire a phoenix egg and bring it back in one piece. All for a person he didn’t know last week.

He smiled. Regardless of how long they had known each other, Robert considered Shane a friend. “Ray! Miss Gee!” he called out. “I think I’ve found something!”

Ray rushed out. “Then don’t waste any time talking to us! Go, go, go!”

Robert nodded at his brother, sheathed his swords, and took a deep breath. His feet erupted in a stream of flame, launching him off of the ground much as they had done earlier. This time, Robert did not return to earth, instead flying off above the tree line and out of sight, a dim light in the sky slowly fading away.

“Please come back, brother,” Ray said to himself. “I can’t lose you, too.”

Robert didn’t get too far before the strain of channeling energy took its toll on him. As he flew, he began to feel dizzy and light-headed, and it got harder and harder for him to focus on propelling himself. Unable to bring himself to a gradual, graceful halt, he at least had good enough fortune to encounter a small lake. Letting the stream of fire die out, gravity pulled him down and into the water. He barely had enough energy to pull himself to the surface, but he did, gasping for air as soon as he could.

Exhausted, Robert swam to the edge of the lake and heaved himself out of it, lying on the edge as his chest heaved. He rolled over onto his back, his eyes closed, and panted. How far had he gone? It couldn’t have been much farther than a few miles. He barely had enough energy to do so much as check to see how far away the presence he had sensed was.

He willed himself to at least sit up. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy. They were bringing back someone from the dead. It was a miracle that such a thing was even possible at all. For Robert to even have this opportunity meant that he couldn’t dare waste it. He noticed that steam was rising off of him; the water from the lake was evaporating right off of his body and clothes. Convenient.

In just a few minutes’ time, he was up and off again, and he had figured out a nice routine: fly for a few miles, find a nice body of water to splash down in, rest and recover for a bit, repeat. Though his vision started to blur, his heart started to race, and his limbs started to feel heavier, he could still sense the presence getting closer and closer.

He reached an isolated, cliffy area just as he was reaching his limit again, but there was no body of water to cushion his landing. As best as he could, he used bursts of fire to slow his descent, but he still hit the ground hard, rolling for a few feet and nearly blacking out. Enduring the pain, he rose to his feet only to fall back down, too weak to support his own weight. When he hit the ground a second time, his vision went dark, his body went numb, his mind went blank.

In his dream, he was having dinner with his family at a massive table. His father was there, as was his sister, Rachael. Shane was there, too. They were all sharing Robert’s favorite food, roast chicken. They talked and laughed for what felt like hours, until Robert’s father started coughing and didn’t stop. He was coughing up blood. Soon, Rachael was coughing too, as was Shane. No matter what Robert tried, he couldn’t alleviate their pain or stop their coughing fits. Then, each of them started vomiting blood.

Robert awoke in much the same manner, violently throwing up blood and what little food there was in his system. It was only then that he realized how little he had eaten since leaving home. Immediately after that, he realized that he had been unconscious, and he had no idea of telling how long he had been out.

He was back on his feet in an instant, wiping his mouth and running through the events of the last several hours in his mind. They had visited the doctor in the middle of the night and spent the rest of the night searching for Miss Gee. It was around dawn when they found her, and only a couple of hours after that Robert left. He looked up, and the sun was high in the center of the sky. Likely around noon. In around twelve hours, the tether tying Shane’s soul to his body would be snapped forever.

Closing his eyes, he didn’t need to focus for long before being able to sense the presence. It was close. Very close. Not even a mile away, now. He prepared to launch himself in that direction, but all that erupted from his feet were sparks and cinders. He was so exhausted he could barely stand, and it made sense that he was so exhausted he couldn’t call upon the fire that burned within him.

There was no other choice but to proceed on foot. It was hard enough for Robert to stand, let alone walk, let along climb the hills that he would have to scale in order to reach the source of the energy he was sensing. The one bright side was that he no longer had to focus in order to determine where the energy was coming from. He could feel it without trying just as he could feel the rays of the sun shining down upon him.

With no beaten path to follow, Robert traversed the hills and crags as best as he could. Walking towards the pull of the phoenix, willing his feet to move, his body to stay upright, he almost didn’t notice the massive nest right in front of him. As he was transfixed by that sight, he failed to notice that the presence was coming from behind him now, rather than in front of him.

He heard a voice that felt as if he was thinking it.

Return from whence you came, human.

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