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unchartedthelostlegacy · 2 years

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Would chloe and Nadine's parents get along? I assume they would cross paths at some point 😅

This is why Nadine didn't like the idea of weddings.

Exhibit A: her family. Her Motswana-Zulu-Jewish family. Her cousins acting up because Boitumelo got his wish of being the ringbearer. Her mother calling for a change and Nadine, already busy ignoring calls from the florist and planner, ignoring them by accident. Loyiso insisting on handling the meals, when Nadine knew he just wanted to do it because her uncle had mentioned his catering company, which Nadine's father didn't approve of. Why would he?

"You see, Nadi. He is trying to swindle you."

"Baba, he would not take money for it."

"You know he can't cook. You know his company is--"

Nadine's headache throbbed. She was clutching the landline in the crook of her neck, Chloe sat on the floor in front of her. The more her father complained about his younger brother's catering service, about how he'd messed up Lesedi's wedding order (he hadn't), the more she came close to losing focus on the braid her fingers were twining.

"I have to go, Baba. Chloe don't move--"

Her fiance had tried to turn her head, but Nadine, letting the phone off her shoulder, pulled the braid back straight.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," Nadine sighed.

"You're not happy," Chloe said pointedly.

Happiness was not the point of a wedding. You thought it was, when you were a child. But no, weddings were about maxing out four credit cards and having enough relatives in one room to create a fire hazard.

"This was a dumb idea," Nadine said.

"My mother wants to come."

The room wasn't silent. Rihanna was crooning from the clock radio and the neighbors were calling to each other, bickering about where someone had left a motorcycle (it was a drama weeks in the making, Nadine and Chloe both having listened to it from beginning to end whether they liked it or not). But for a moment it sure felt that way, Nadine not even noticing her hands had frozen clutching swaths of hair.

"You...told her?"

"Haven't the foggiest about how she found out, china."

Nadine ran through options. Yes, of course it was fine for Chloe's mother to come.

She was clean now, right? She was a nurse, or something? She was dating the principal from Chloe's old school?!

"Nadine?"

"Do you...want her to come? Oh stop moving--"

"I don't like not looking at you while we're talking," muttered Chloe. "And which of your relatives do you actually want to come?"

Nadine could not answer that. Dikiledi and Boitumelo, probably. Her flower girl and ringbearer. Dikiledi was in love with Chloe's accent, and was trying to copy it herself, and Boitumelo couldn't stop smiling every time he saw either of them, like he'd won them, like they were his big prize.

The soccer hellions could sit this one out. Nadine loved them, but she knew Matthew would bully David, David would knock over the cake or maybe the trellis, and Loyiso would yell at them both, and then they would be crying the rest of the day. And then the toasts and speeches, in which she knew her eyes would be closing.

"Exactly," Chloe murmured. "You have to put up with it...guess it's fair."

"How did she find out?"

Nadine ran her last three fingers down the back of Chloe's neck, not letting go of the braid. The Indian-Australian shivered.

"She must've...looked my other account up. Or something."

Chloe had separate social media accounts. Nadine couldn't imagine maintaining even one. She knew one was a proper picture of her, and one was a Spongebob meme profile pic under her middle name. It was the one she used to complain about everything under the sun, post drunk selfies, the works. If Leah Frazer had found it, there would be a lot more explaining to do than her latest post, an innocuous photo of the lab-grown stone glittering on Nadine's finger.

"Done," Nadine said tiredly. "Go look at it in the mirror."

She'd just looped the band over the end bit when Chloe stood, whining about her old legs, stretching her arms up over her head. Nadine fell back on the couch, massaging her palms.

What bothered her about Chloe's mum? Other the fact that it would make Chloe even more nervous? And that she might bring her beau, Chloe's former school principal, as a plus-one? Surely she couldn't make the already melodramatic day worse.

"I love it," Chloe said from the bathroom. "It's...God. Having it out of my face. I look younger."

"Ja, just don't ruin it."

"How would I do that? Did you get back to them about the--"

"No."

Chloe gave her a squint as she turned off the bathroom light and headed back over. She skritched Nadine's stomach, and the former mercenary curled up like a shrimp. Chloe bent down to kiss her cheek. "I haven't responded yet. What should I say?"

"I don't know," Nadine murmured.

"I just don't want her acting...stupid...in front of your father, mate."

Nadine had to laugh at that, at least a little. "Why would she?"

"Commenting on the food. The music. Something..." Chloe sighed. "Something she won't think is crass, but..."

"That'll be fun to watch."

"Nadine."

Chloe tickled the sides of her ribs as Nadine curled tighter on the couch.

"Seriously, it's already a trainwreck in the making, Frazer. I don't see how she can make it worse."

"She might chat up the uncles, Nadine, I--stop laughing!"

Chloe tapped Nadine's side, and when that failed to make her stop shaking in giggles, climbed over her on the couch, covering her.

"You're impossible," Chloe said, burying her nose in Nadine's neck. "If she's coming, she can't drink. She's worse than me when she's got in it."

"Hard to believe."

#chlodine #wedding #au #chloe frazer #nadine ross #chloe x nadine #nadine x chloe #uncharted #the lost legacy #tll

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derelictdumbass · 1 year

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Wanted to show off some of my bday gifts uvu

#the second image is like a lamp and my uncle made it the trans flag colours and it's just so sweet 🥺#he also made a collage of photos from a treewalk we all did and it was so pretty #Vík surprised me on my bday 😭 so he was here !! and he got me gayass gifts 😔💕#he got those cups for us and pins for my bag and he got me the deadpool in a tutu AND. he drew John for me 😭😭😭#I AM THE LUCKIEST MAN IN THE WORPD I LOVE HIM #remy got me the boots and I think I got the Harley for myself I forgor ajajssh BUT SHE SO CUTE !!#OH ALSO my other friend got me the deadpool shirt uvu #nadine takes a selfie

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midnxghtsunwrites · 3 years

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SMOKESTACKS | 15, DETECTIVE GOLDEN-BOY

i added a chapter just to make the previous chapter 15 — current 16 — make more sense - also, im planning to add another chapter somewhere before ten so the numbers might change again

WHEN JAX TELLER MET WITH Nero in a small café outside of town, he didn't expect that he would come baring bad news in regards to the one person he's been trying to reach for the past couple of days. Of course, he expected something out of pocket, but nothing to do with Nadine Parker.

"I got some of my boys from the East Coast getting into contact with me about this big shot detective who's been digging into SAMCRO. Georgia cop, golden-boy, big ass chip on his shoulder." Nero sips his black coffee.

Jax leans forward in the booth, propping his elbows on the table. His voice lowers, "They say why?"

The entrepreneur shakes his head, apprehensively, "It's bad shit, man."

"He a Fed?" Jax questions — there's only so little he could do about a federal officer. Getting him sorted out would be ideal — especially with him doing business with the Cartel. They're cutting shit too close, Bobby would probably tell him.

"Nah, man." Nero peers through the window the two are sat by, "They say he's been looking to get transferred over here, though."

Jax had so many questions and not enough time to ask them. The sun was sinking below the horizon and he wants to be home in time to kiss his boys goodnight.

"Why's he looking at us? Why all the way across the damn country?" The biker resists the urge to grab a cigarette.

Nero exhales heavily, not sure if he should expose this next piece of information. He's seen Jax with the woman at SAMCRO parties, but never actually had reason to approach her. Hell, he's trying to get out of this whole mess — he isn't even completely sure why he's even doing this. "We — we think he's following somebody here."

Part of Jackson knows who he's talking about. She shows up months ago, says nothing about where her life back in Georgia, and months later, a cop appears in the city from the same state, looking into his club. But, he gives her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, there's a perfectly logical reason for this coincidence.

"Who?" Jax questions, almost as if he enjoyed the torture of knowing that the woman he's beginning to have feelings for brought more trouble to Charming.

Nero doesn't open his mouth. Instead, he reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper that Jax didn't notice. He unravels it and plants it in the middle of the table — it's a photograph. The familiar face on it belongs to Nadine, just as Jax suspected. The man to her right has his arm wrapped around her shoulders. It was a selfie, the background a farmers market. The smile on the man's face is almost crazed as he stares into the side of Nadine's beautiful face.

She is turned to the camera, gazing at it with a smile too bright to be fake, yet that's exactly what it is. Jax can see the fear in her eyes — fear of what? Detective Golden-Boy?

Nero sighs, heavily, "I don't wanna ask this, man, but you know I gotta." Jax arches a brow at him, waiting for his question that he was almost certain would be out of pocket, "You think she brought him here on purpose?"

Honestly, the Son doesn't know the answer to that question. What he knows is that he needs to talk to Nadine. As soon as possible. At this point, he doesn't care if she's pissed and ignoring him and his calls — he'll show up at her doorstep to get answers if he has to.

"I'll sort it out," Jax sighs and runs a hand through his gelled down hair. This is last on his list of shit he's supposed to care about — but this is Nadine he's talking about.

When he goes to stand, Nero calls to him and slides the forgotten picture across to him, "Be careful, man. He's gonna try to take y'all down — he look the crazy type."

For a moment Jax is so confused. Nadine has been so accepting of his lifestyle from the beginning — other than the Thanksgiving dinner. But, he had no clue Opie would pop off like that. Did she call her detective boyfriend after that happened? He hopes to hell she didn't.

"Alright, man, thanks."

"I LOVE YOU, DADDY." Abel dazes off as his father kisses his forehead. He got there just in time to witness Gemma put his sons in their beds.

The biker runs a hand through his son's hair, "I love you too, little man."

He repeats the process with Thomas before flipping the lamp off and exiting the room, closing the door behind him. He goes to find his mother. She was sat in the kitchen, shuffling through mail and picking out the bills to be paid so she could put it off in the urgent pile.

"Thanks for putting them to bed." He says, appreciatively, before leaning down to kiss Gemma's cheek.

She nods and pushes her glasses up, "Of course, baby." She's looking down, expecting her son to sit across from her, but what she hears instead makes her head shoot up. He grabbed the key to his motorcycle and adjusted the kutte on his back. Pulling her glasses off, Gemma leans forward, "Where are you going? It's late."

Jax shrugs, "Just gonna pay Nadine a visit."

Gemma furrows her eyebrows in confusion, "You know she's distancing herself from us — I doubt you visiting her in the dead of night is gonna change anything."

The biker grabs his pack of cigarettes from the center of the table and lights one up, "That's not what this is about."

"Then, what's it about, Jax?"

"None of your business."

Gemma rests her back against the seat and crosses her arms over her chest, "Jackson Nathaniel Teller. Don't you dare hide shit from me right now."

The man in question rolls his eyes. He's gonna have to tell her at one point, "There's a detective from the East Coast trying to transfer to Charming."

Gemma tilts her head, "And what the hell does Nadine have to do with this?" The longer she gazes at her son and scans his expression, the faster she gets his reasoning for going to find Nadine. She curses under her breath, "You think he's following her?"

Jax bows his head. He doesn't want to believe it — "That's what I'm about to go find out."

"No." Gemma's response is final, "You stay here with your boys tonight. I'll stop by and talk to her on my way home."

Jax tilts his head, "You sure you don't wanna sleep over, ma?"

"Yeah," She lightly presses her hand against his cheek before pressing a small kiss to it, "I miss my bed."

The biker blinks, calmly, thoughts fluttering around in his mind, "Drive safe, okay? Call me if anything."

"C'mon, baby, you know I can handle myself."

smokestacks taglist: @saccreigns @gwenspacy @complacentviawattpad @rosenoirwrites @bettergetusetoit @mcj39623 @palmstreesallday @kmhappybunny @buttershea07

general taglist : @gwenspacy @saccreigns @complacentviawattpad @rosenoirwrites @random-ficreader23 @kyla-queen

let me know if you'd like to join any of my taglists! feel free to like, reblog, and comment! also, my asks are open — and im taking requests!

#charlie hunnam imagine #charlie hunnam #jax teller imagine #charlie hunnam fanfiction #jax teller fanfiction #jax teller x black reader #charlie hunnam x black reader

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chwrpg · 2 years

Photo

As per the guidelines laid out before the game once medallions were found and players escaped the compound they sent their selfies through to the judges and made their way home. This way, no one is entirely sure who made it out in what order. With bated breath they waited for the instagram account Penn and Chanel had mentioned to upload the selfies in order of who found their medallion first. The top ten competitors moving on to the next round are as follows:

Trevor DuChamp

Camden Claymore

Perrie Cruz

Ainsley Rice

Nova Lisbon

Pete Verona

Arden Atkins

Nadine Dahl

Bryson Lahey

Willow Balcoin

MORE INFORMATION ;

well, happy new year chw!! as has already been taking place on the dash, go wild with aftermath threads. characters are now allowed to talk about the eliminations / top ten.

hopefully the next challenge won’t take me so long to get going. after the next round is the joust so we should see a panic winner before summer at least lmao. then it’ll be time for panic 2022! (kidding)

#event: panic

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nadinedahl · 2 years

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03. THE JUNKYARD

tagging → nadine // @ainsleyrice @lisbonnova

location → south side, new year’s eve.

notes → unhinged as usual

Mythology surrounding the game considered, Nadine’d only been disappointed so far, not just by the challenges themselves but by the life force of her fellow competitors, or perhaps lack there of. According to the stories she’d heard, Panic was a game of betrayal, of fucking each other over, burning both literal and figurative safe spaces to the ground. And if such were the case, why then were the people around her teaming up, hand in hand, kumbaya and all-- where was the drama, the anger? Had they no spirit?

Nadine knew what kind of game she’d been promised and while the others may have preferred to keep their hands squeaky clean, her’s were never pure to begin with.

So long as she didn’t have a medallion in hand, she’d make sure nobody else she crossed paths with did either. Of course she couldn’t just take somebody else’s-- that’d be ridiculous, given the rule about sending a selfie in the moment you got your hands on one. She could, however, make it that much harder on anyone who hadn’t been so lucky yet.

While she didn’t have the home field advantage those more familiar with the junkyard did, she didn’t see how much it would’ve helped anyway. After all, weren’t all junkyards the same, full of junk? And unless someone here wasn’t up to date on their tetanus shots, she didn’t see what the big deal was, besides she supposed the dogs and some geezer with a gun, but boo-hoo. Someone riddle her this: was everyone in Rosewood born without a spine or did it disintegrate the longer you lived there?

Nadine landed in a crouch as she jumped down from the fence-- not from the very top, she wasn’t trying to impress anyone or god forbid break a bone. Standing up, her dress all but ruined, ripped and shredded at every edge, she wiped at an open cut on her cheek with the back of her hand. And then, hearing the pitter patter of someone approaching, she got back down, creeping behind a beat up motorcycle. She couldn’t make out the figure as they neared closer but it didn’t matter, she’d already identified a loose wire and yanked it just as they passed, sending them smack into the ground. It kept going like that: Nadine coming across another player and playing dirty, and then dirtier. It was just as easy to trip someone as it was to send them into harm’s way or worse, easy being the operative word.

Making friends had never come easy to her, or even been of any interest, but lying, manipulating, backstabbing: those were her area of expertise, so second nature she sometimes didn’t realize she’d even done it until after the fact. Still as she caught the whispers of yet another pair working together she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something she’d missed, unable to wrap her head around why anyone would play if not to win, by any means necessary. Winning, after all, was kind of all she had at this point. The act of winning itself that was, as she didn’t need the prize money-- she had plenty of that on her own already, but the glory. She’d convinced herself she needed it, for the power and status it came with of course, and to scratch this itch she’d had, like she was lacking something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. If this didn’t make her feel whole she feared nothing would.

Equipped with a rusty knife she’d found in the rubble, Nadine didn’t actually intend to use it on anyone-- well, unless she came face to face with one of the dogs or the old man himself, in which case, she wouldn’t hesitate. The looks on a few peoples’ faces when she’d pulled it out though... She almost wished she wasn’t playing for once, just so she could’ve seen it again for herself from the stream. Maybe she’d have been more careful if it weren’t for how much she’d drank that night, or the adrenaline pumping through her, but she hadn’t actually hurt anyone, right. She was just playing the game, same as everyone else.

After an interesting but overall unsuccessful exchange with one of the Lisbon girls, Nadine ran into Ainsley, who, for a split second, she thought she might actually hurt. She practically welcomed it too, which in Nadine’s eyes, made her just as crazy as it did likable, at least by her standards. Then, just to make matters even stranger.. she offered to help her. Just moments after she’d almost plunged a knife into her stomach, Ainsley, who she barely knew, offered to help her without asking for a thing in return. And even with a medallion in hand, it still troubled her, just why someone would do something like that.

#chwpanic

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misscrazyfangirl321 · 3 years

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also hank/nadine!

falls asleep on the couch: Hank, after a long case.

makes friends with the neighbors: Honestly, probably Hank.

is the adventurous eater: Mmmmmm Nadine. She loves to try new foods from different cultures and such.

hogs the covers at night: HANK. But usually Nadine solves this with cuddles.

forgets to do the dishes: Neither of them forget, but Hank often has to drop everything and go work a case. When he can do the dishes, though, he does.

tries to surprise their partner more often: Both of them love coming up with small romantic surprises for each other.

leaves dirty laundry on the floor: Nadine likes to take care of her home, but laundry's definitely her weak spot.

stays up til 2 AM reading: BOTH. They'll be leaning against each other, her reading some fascinating nonfiction about anthropology and him reading a murder mystery he solves by chapter 3.

sings in the shower: Hank. Loudly.

takes the selfies: Neither of them are big selfie people, but when selfies happen, it's usually Hank taking them.

plans date night: MMM I feel like I've answered Hank for most of these, but honestly, he fits for most of these. Sometimes, though, if he's been working a pretty intense case for awhile, she'll put something relaxing together for him once it's over.

#nadine griffin #hank griffin #grimm #grimm nbc #otp #answered #thanks for the ask!#lumiereandcogsworth

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chloevara · 3 years

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Homebound // Varapark // Duo

Written in collaboration by @chloevara and @icarialex

Who: Chloe Vara and Noelle Park

When: Saturday, February 27

Where: Chloe’s dad’s house (also lived 7 other people also live there) in Hounslow, London

What: Open house party for for friends and family the night before Chloe and Noelle are scheduled to fly back to Greece

Chloe stole a moment away from her family’s open house to sit on the toilet with the lid closed. She probably had somewhere between five and ten minutes before someone checked in to make sure she had not fallen in or something. It was not like she did not want to go back and enjoy the party- on the contrary, she enjoyed this more than just about anything else in the world. It had been nearly five years since she had seen these people, and it simultaneously felt like no time had passed at all, and that she had missed out on everything of importance.

She skimmed through the pictures that she had saved on her phone, stopping on one taken yesterday. Chloe’s cousin Nadine had met up Noelle and Chloe while they were dropping off Vi at school. Nadine had stolen Chloe’s phone, and taken a selfie. Noelle appeared to be watching Chloe with adoration while Chloe hugged Vi good-bye. Meanwhile, Nadine took up the bottom left quadrant of the photo with a peace sign. It was such a perfect picture, and Chloe wished that every day could be so perfect.

Zooming in on Noelle’s face, Chloe smiled softly. It had been a whirlwind two weeks, but it had been so, so worth it. She felt more alive than she had in months. And that was why it was agonizing for Chloe to admit what she wanted- no, needed to tell the most wonderful girlfriend that she ever had.

Opening up the web browser on her phone, Chloe scanned through the website that she had come back to about thirty times in secret over the past week. Looking over the site filled her with trepidation and relief. A weird combination, but that was what it was.

Someone knocked on the door to the WC, and Chloe rushed to get it. It was her dad’s fiancé Simon. Although she still did not know the guy well, she really liked him so far. It was weird that she did not know him better, but it was obvious that Simon made her dad more comfortable in a relationship than Chloe had ever seen him. “Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s all yours. I lost track of time,” she said, rubbing at her neck. Simon nodded, smiled, and mumbled his thanks.

Chloe moved down the hallway, and nearly crashed into Noelle. Without warning her, Chloe wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, burying her face in Noelle’s neck. “I have to- I’m sorry, I love you so much, but- I can’t-” This probably sounded like a break-up, but it wasn’t. She wanted to stay in this relationship more than anything. “I’m going to delay my trip back to Icaria by two weeks. Please don’t hate me. I- I’ve been looking at flights, and- I promise to come back to you, but I have to do this.”

Ten days ago, Noelle would have panicked at being left alone with so many people she didn’t know well, but to say the wild bunch had grown on her would be an understatement. They were all quirky, but oh so welcoming. Immediately the veterinarian was taken in as family, and even though she couldn’t put it into words, that fact made her more emotional than expected. It had been so long since she’d been in any type of family environment, and she’d bottled up any emotions about that fact very deep. She’d convinced herself that she didn’t miss it or desire one anymore. It also helped that her family environment wasn’t one she would miss.

Then, Chloe’s family smacked her square in the face. A family like theirs was one that she thought only lived in a sitcom. Yet, there it was bustling around her, and she would miss them when she returned back home.

Chloe throwing herself into Noelle’s arms wasn’t all that surprising anymore, but the words that spilled out as she did so were. A part of the veterinarian scolded herself for not thinking of the possibility, so she wouldn’t be taken by so much surprise. The woman didn’t enjoy being caught off guard by situations, and she usually was ready for just about any possibility. There was nothing to be done about it right then though, so she just closed her eyes for a brief moment to take in exactly what was being said to her.

Anxiety attempted to swell within her, but she stomped it down. The thoughts about how she’d just gotten Chloe back, the fear of the event planner wanting to stay even longer with her obviously wonderful family, and the questions about how they would work if that were the case were all placed within a small box that she’d unpack later. Right then, she put on a small smile and nodded. “I can’t hate you. That’s actually impossible for me to do,” she reassured first and foremost. “I understand why you want to stay longer. I can’t be upset at you for wanting more time with your family. It’s okay, Chlo.”

To Chloe’s credit, she didn’t cry, but she did refuse to look at Noelle’s face as these words were said. “Okay. Okay… That’s… Okay. I know you, uhm, might want to talk about other logistics. You’re the first person I’ve told,” Chloe said, still wrapping herself up into Noelle’s arms. “Except the entire internet. That knows I’m planning on booking this return flight. Do you want to, uhm, talk more about this now? Or later in our room?” She said this without thinking about it. ‘Our’ room as if Noelle belonged there too. Because she did. Chloe wanted Noelle anywhere that she was. But then Chloe was even more excited about her impending move into Noelle’s house. It was a lot to think about.

Worrying about her girlfriend was easier than paying any actual attention to her own feelings in that moment. Noelle refused to allow Chloe to feel guilty about wanting to stay, so she leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. “You’re in the middle of a party with a bunch of people you love. It’s okay. It’s not like I won’t talk to you for two weeks,” she said as a way to reassure both her girlfriend and herself. A part of her wanted to say that she wished the woman had told her earlier if it was something playing on her mind for a while, but again it wasn’t the time or place. Plus, Noelle knew things had been hard since she’d returned from the kidnappings, so putting any more negativity on her girlfriend was something she was worried about. “I’ve got to go to our room in a little bit to make sure I’ve got everything packed, but I don’t want you fretting over this all night. I know you’re happy to be staying longer. It’s okay to be.”

Apparently, Chloe was not doing as good as she had hoped when it came to keeping tears out of her eyes. She still averted Noelle’s gaze to keep from completely melting down at this party which was supposed to be a happy gathering. Pulling back, she wiped at her mostly-dry eyes with her sleeve, and took Noelle’s hand. “Auntie Dani was planning on breaking out her baby pictures at some point. If you wanted to catch her, I think I’m ready to face them,” Chloe suggested, focusing on the here and now. It confused her how she could feel so happy, loved, and upset all at once, but here she was. Even admitting that she wanted to go home had not stopped Chloe from feeling way too much all at once. “Why don’t we do that, and then I can’t let you pack up?” Dani’s stash of baby pictures was much more secretive and unknown than Chloe’s dad’s. Chloe herself had only seen them in little batches. “It probably will only take two minutes because she never does too many?”

Baby pictures being brought out was not something she could miss. While she was new at the whole significant other thing, she knew that families showing them to the new girlfriend or boyfriend was a big deal. Skipping that wouldn’t just make Chloe upset, but it would also bring attention she didn’t want. Noelle wasn’t the person who liked to be surrounded when she was upset by things. She liked to handle it on her own, or at the most now, with Chloe. “If you’re ready to handle it, then I don’t think I could pass up the chance at seeing you tiny,” she said playfully. Just the idea of how cute Chloe must have been made her discomfort ease slightly. “Plus, I’ll want to spend as much time as I can with you now, and I wouldn’t dream of taking you away from everyone.” While admitting her fears wasn’t something she could do outright in that moment, she could hint towards how much she would miss her girlfriend. Her own anxiety flaring up concerned her. Perhaps she had been more affected by the disappearances than she thought, and everyone just appearing again didn’t fix it. That was without even touching the abandonment fears her parents instilled in her. That box she would rather burn if she could. “Anything else on your to do list for tonight?”

Of course Chloe wanted to spend as much time as possible with Noelle. Apart from toilet time, Chloe did not plan on spending much time apart between now and when the flight lifted off the next day. The flight that Chloe would not be on. This thought hurt enough that she had to blink back more tears. “I think I can get through it as long as I have you near me… even though you’re probably the reason the photos are being passed around to begin with,” she said, trying to take control of all of her loud and heartfelt emotions. Fighting a war with herself was not how she planned on spending her last evening with Noelle for two weeks (and after getting back only a couple months ago), but this was how it had to be. In two weeks, Chloe hoped to have all of that nasty homesickness buried for at least a little while longer. Getting to come back was a nice sort of promise to make to herself… but to come back to where? Chloe wished she knew. She tugged at Noelle’s hand in the direction of the rest of the party. “Nothing on the list except for doing our best to enjoy ourselves. And sleeping! But that can wait.”

The pictures were truly delightful, and Noelle made sure to kiss her girlfriend’s cheek or hand whenever she felt her getting too flustered. The veterinarian had tried to make sure that she didn’t show any signs of being upset. She laughed, talked, and made sure to give hugs goodbye when it was time for her to head to end. Their, no her, flight was for early in the morning, and she still had to do a last check before attempting to get some sleep. Although, she suspected the latter would be harder to come by.

Fortunately, Noelle was a pretty tidy person overall, and she could never leave packing to the last minute, so she had very little to put away. All she needed was a last sweep of the room before she moved towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. Her movements once in there were a little slower than normal. A part of her was actually startled about how she was weary about being apart from someone for two weeks. That’s not a connection she ever thought she would ever feel not that long ago. When she finally emerged, she sat on her side of the bed and sighed lightly. “Make sure to send me your flight details for when you’re coming back, okay? I can make sure I’m there to pick you up at the airport.” It wasn’t much, but she truthfully had zero idea where to start. She knew Chloe wanted to talk, but Noelle didn’t have the slightest clue what else to say since it was all pretty cut and dry.

Chloe nodded from her spot on the bed. She had already gotten through her part of the nighttime routine, and had been waiting for Noelle to finish up. The rest of the evening had been filled with little touches of anxiety-causing moments. Explaining to her dad that she would need to stay for longer had led to a very long dad hug. Wrapping herself up in a blanket, Chloe started speaking without really thinking too hard about it. “Of course I’ll send you the details. I can even add your email so that you get all the alerts that I do.” She was at least able to look into Noelle’s eyes again, but it still hurt horribly to think that she was only going to be able to see those through a screen for two weeks. “We’ve been doing so much every day here, and I loved that, but I- Sometimes I want to just have days where I don’t have to do anything but cook and have all of my family come home. I always feel so homesick, Elle.”

“That would be great,” she said quietly as she brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Noelle knew that Chloe missed home. She’d heard it multiple times in their time together. Still, something about the way her girlfriend was talking in that moment, but the veterinarian was too scared to voice it. It was so uncharacteristic of her, but she also wasn’t used to giving someone so much power to hurt her before. She knew Chloe would never do so intentionally, but if she decided that London was the only home she could ever see having, then what did it mean for them? The threat of the kidnappings was gone, so there wasn’t anything keeping her from going back home anymore. Her father’s safety had always been her priority. “I understand that,” she finally managed to get out. “I don’t like seeing you hurting. I’ve never seen you as happy as I have since we’ve been here. I just wish you talked to me about it more or sooner.” Maybe if they talked more, Noelle would know more what to expect. Instead, she was putting together jagged pieces of information and wondering if she and the rest of Icaria would ever be able to make Chloe truly happy.

“You are absolutely right,” Chloe said, curling herself further into the blanket. “I should have told you what I wanted. Truthfully, I always thought I would move back home after the danger from the disappearances was resolved. I didn’t think they would ever be, uhm, fixed. A lot has changed in the last year for me, uh, so it’s been more difficult to explain?” Her voice was a little muffled through the blanket. “I love you so much, but I have to figure out what being home means to me a little better now that I get the chance to have it back. I have been happier. And I’ve been so happy to have you with me.” She could not quite figure out how to say that she wanted to be here with Noelle and have her happily ever after, even though it was a little more complicated than that. “I’ve been wanting you to tell me things, and I haven’t been telling you enough.”

At Chloe’s words, Noelle felt her spine unconsciously straighten as she froze. Move back to London? How had that not been something they talked about? Chloe spoke about how much she wanted a serious relationship, and yet, that wasn’t something she felt the veterinarian needed to know. It hurt and confused the woman. “I’ve heard that I love you followed by a but is never a good thing,” she said as she rested her head against her knees. There were so many things she wanted to say, but what surprised her most was how sadness was the first emotion to come forward instead of anger. She was typically such a hot head, or well, zap head, but she didn’t feel the urge to hurt Chloe verbally or in any way. “Chlo, I just — how did you think I didn’t deserve to know that you had always imagined moving back here after the kidnappings? Or maybe didn’t deserve isn’t the word, but I just — what does that mean for us?” It wasn’t fair, but she’d feel like a petulant child if she voiced that out loud. Hadn’t she learned long ago that life rarely was? As moisture gathered in the back of her eyes, she turned her head away to face the opposite wall and took in a deep breath. Gods, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d cried in front of someone.

Chloe would have probably sworn if she was the kind of person that swore when things went wrong. But she wasn’t. So all she could think was, I’m an idiot. All of my teachers were right. I don’t deserve to be happy, and now I make everyone around me miserable. It was not exactly possible to curl further into herself and the blanket, but Chloe certainly tried. She had messed up so badly. Even though Ava had told her that she should tell Noelle this, the timing never quite seemed right. Every now and again, Chloe wondered when she should bring it up because she did owe it to Noelle. But she kept putting that off, telling herself that everything would work out fine. How exactly it would all be fine without admitting something important was up in the air, but she kept telling herself that. Which was lying. “Uhm. I- It, uh…” Words failed her completely. “In two weeks, uhm, I’m going to come back to you. Because I know I’ve never loved anybody else like I love you. It’s not an excuse, but I need these two weeks. I can… put off the two weeks for longer, but it means everything to me to- to be home again.” She was crying, but she always cried, so what was new about that?

Noelle took a deep breath and slowly released it. Making Chloe upset wasn’t her intention. She just — she didn’t understand. Out of the two of them, her girlfriend had always been the one to communicate well. The idea that she’d kept something so big out of their relationship just didn’t make much sense. “No,” she said with a. Shake of her head. “I don’t want you to put it off because all I’ll be doing is worrying about what you’ll decide when you do and walking on eggshells,” she admitted honestly. That amount of anxiety wouldn’t go well with her already hostile temperament. “What if being in Icaria won’t make you happy, Chlo? What am I —“ she started but stopped herself. Instead, she unwrapped her arms from around her legs and scooted closer towards her girlfriend. Fighting wasn’t how she wanted to spend their time together. “I love you. You’ve said it twice now, and I don’t want you to think I have stopped loving you or something else equally as doomsday. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how you feel after staying home longer.”

Chloe could voice her love every hour of every day, and still not feel like it was enough times. It was such an important truth to her, that it did not strike her as something stressful until Noelle pointed it out for this particular conversation. She reached out a hand when Noelle came closer, but did not quite uncurl from her blanket sphere. “Whatever happens here… That isn’t going to change the way I feel about you. I want to move in with you, and I want to share my life with you,” Chloe said, starting to cry even more when her feelings kicked into overdrive. She felt everything so strongly, it was like trying to stick a hand into the fire. The good warmth turned quickly into pain. There was no way that she could have everything she wanted at the same time, so she needed to get her head together. “Waiting is all we can do… I’ll tell you everything I’m feeling- as it happens, if you would like me to? All of the ideas I have. And feelings. I don’t want you to miss anything important, if it’ll help.”

At the sight of Chloe’s hand, Noelle reached for it without even thinking about it and intertwined their fingers. “And I want you happy and not feeling like you’re missing out on the place you really want to be when you’re with me,” she answered truthfully. Being selfish with Chloe wasn’t something she could allow herself to do. Long distance was something she truly didn’t believe worked, but she’d try it if it was necessary. The vet just wished she’d had more time to absorb everything and what it could mean before they put things into action. “I don’t want you worrying about me the whole time you’re here. You can’t split yourself in two, Chlo. If being here is what you need to figure things out, then I want you to do that. It won’t do either of us any good if you don’t know what you need.”

Chloe just about melted when their fingers intertwined, and she gave up on being in isolation. It was difficult to be far apart from Noelle for long when her girlfriend was right there. Chloe curled into Noelle’s shoulder, and hoped that she would not be pushed away. “I’ll worry about you no matter what. You know that, don’t you? I’ll talk to you every day at the very least- if you can make the time for me, and- and we can talk about feelings. And do whatever we can to get our happy ending.” She didn’t want to have to be sad anymore. She wanted to not be so out of touch with home, and feel fulfilled. And to be able to support her friends. It was a pretty substantial list, but she wanted to see how much of it she could get. “Cuddling into you is the best feeling in the world, though. I’m going to miss that.”

Feeling her girlfriend curl into her made Noelle feel better as she leaned her head against the one on her shoulder. “Make time for you,” she asked incredulously. “Chlo, you’re my girlfriend. I won’t ever squeeze you into my schedule. My schedule works around you.” Making Chloe feel second to anything wasn’t ever something that Noelle would do if she could help it. “I’ll be there for you, Chlo.” A small smile did form on the woman’s face at her girlfriend’s last words. They were just so Chloe. “You’ve turned me into someone who cuddles. I’ll let you know when I land tomorrow, and then we’ll just figure everything else out.” She sounded much more confident about it all than she felt, but there wasn’t much they could do that evening. Chloe needed to figure things out on her own. All Noelle could do was hope that it didn’t lead to them spending more time apart than together.

Chloe felt more tense than she wanted to be, but this was the best outcome that she could have asked for with what was known so far. “But make sure I’m not forcing you to do anything you don’t want me to, okay?” Her chest started to hurt, but she hoped that everything would end up working out. She did not think that she could take another heartbreak when everything had almost been so perfect. “I didn’t turn you into anything. Maybe you just wanted cuddles all along, but didn’t know how,” Chloe said, not wanting this to come off as teasing. It was an earnest belief. She pressed a kiss where she could reach (shoulder), and did her best to relax. While Chloe typically did not sleep that much, she hoped that the number would not drop down to zero this time. She was so in love and in so much mental anguish at the same time that it was difficult to get anything else done.

#duo #ch:np

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