#now every day i gotta stop by the treehouse to hug him to make sure he doesnt get lonely 🥺

[emmyrosee]

give us a random headcanon go 👀

UHM OK

So

This got long and kind of angsty I’m SORRY-

Axel and Mark are brothers. Axel’s older than mark by a fairly big margin so he offers that good ol’ elder brother wisdom™️ and Mark isn’t always here for it.

Axel’s had to drag mark out of parties more times than he can count, some because he was worried about his lil bro, some because he wasn’t answering moms texts and axel wasn’t about to let him make their momma feel bad.

Like this one time, their mom was punishing Mark for being completely shitfaced and missing something for their grampa, and Mark straight up snuck out of his room, no note, no regards, nothing, and with his mom fearing the absolute worst, that she’d lost her son, her baby, Axel quickly tracked down his brother and hauled his drunk ass right back home, speeding so fast mark was puking in the truck, yelling at him so bad mark pouted, and by the time they got home his brother was just a needy, scolded mess, and their mom was all over him, taking care of him and letting him puke and whine about his tummyache, and if she needed Axel to get anything, he did, not questions asked.

When mark was going through his first serious breakup, Axel really stepped forwards to work him back to normal, doing things with him other than just drinking the problems away like his friends wanted to. They went to cheap bowling alleys and drank cheap beer, they would drive around at 2 am, blasting music as they passed a joint, and it was probably the first real time- like honest, true, raw- that Mark learned it was okay to be a man and cry. He was hitting Axel, screaming and telling him she was every terrible name under the sun and that Axel had no idea what the fuck Mark went through to try to keep her happy.

When Axel pulled over, he shoved Mark back a little, just enough to straighten him back, telling him to stop being a pussy and just embrace it. She was gone. She was no good for him, and she was gone. She broke his heart, it was okay to be sad, and Mark wore his vocal chords raw with his sobs and shrieks of despair. “Why doesn’t she fucking want me, Axe? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing, dude,” he promises over his brothers tears. “You’re at a stupid age where love doesnt mean shit to nobody. Fuck, I am too. But right now, you’re sad because you’re alone, and one day you’re going to find someone, and they’re going to make you fear a lot of things more important than just ‘being alone.’ Trust me dude. You’re too fucking young to get that.”

They don’t talk about that night often. Axel’s jacket collar had been permanently ruined from Mark’s tears and hot breath against the leather, but from then on, instead of just getting drunk off his rocker when he was sad, he’d just find Axel and cry it out.

Their dad passed away when Mark was young, and their mom never really recovered from it. Because of this, Axel really took the role of being momma’s fix-it man, getting an under-the-table job when he was young and making sure Mark had snacks and lunches while their mom took care of the house. When momma Cluney eventually remarried, she never ceased to thank Axel for all he did, and it always put Mark in a weird feeling. Not that he wasn’t grateful beyond words, he just always felt bad that Axel had to go through that at such a young age.

“You were in Kindergarten,” Axel says cooly, passing his brother a beer. “What were you going to do, sell dunk-a-roos for cold, hard cash?”

“I could’ve done more,” he mumbles, taking a long sip of his drink. “Like... I could’ve been more grateful for the toys and the lunch money.”

Axel chuckles and reaches over to ruffle Mark’s hair, “hey; you were fed. You didn’t give mom too much shit. And on your birthday, you got the Power-Ranger toys you wanted. You were grateful. You just didn’t get why you had to wait until your birthday.”

Mark snorts and shoves Axel’s hand away, sighing softly, “I wish I knew him, dude..”

“You look just like him.”

“What was he like?”

Axel hums and leans back in his seat, fingers swirling the lip of his beer bottle, “I remember when I was nine, I told him I was going to run away. Go live in the treehouse of our old house.” He paused to smirk, “bastard made me a lunch box with two peanut butter sandwiches, a bag of barbecue chips and a juice box and said ‘good for you! You’re a man now, do what you gotta do!’ I never made it off of the porch.”

Mark snickers and they get real quiet. “I miss him,” he admits. “I don’t remember him... but I miss him.”

Axel hums again, “he was moms great love. Never laid a hand on us, nor her. He was a good man.”

Mark raises his bottle to his brother, “you’re a good man too, dude.”

“Believe me, mark,” Axel chuckles sadly. “I’m only a quarter of the man he was.”

On a lighter note, Axel taught Mark to drive. He filled his truck with gas, drove them both out to the city limits, butt-fuck no where, with a bag of fast food and his gps.

“Okay,” Axel hums. “Get out.”

“Excuse me?”

Axel pulled the keys out of the ignition and tossed them to his brother, “you’re driving us back home. Oh, and to CVS, mom needs sugar and milk.”

And with those buggy green eyes, Mark just completely stares at Axel, freaked out and worried (mostly because Axel’s truck is his baby, and Axel was levelheaded enough at all times to hide a body if need be), so with a reassuring smile, axel slips out of the driver side, gesturing mark to slide over the bench-seat, and he slowly walked Mark through the process of starting the car and driving back home.

He hit a curb. And ran a stop-light. Nearly hit a squirrel, but never once did axel raise his voice to him. He would simply tell him it was alright and that “it doesn’t have to be perfect; I just want you to get us home.”

When they finally pull in a few hours later, Mark was so terrified Axel would tell their mom everything, but axel just shook his head. “If I wanted you to be perfect, I wouldn’t have just thrown you into traffic; I wanted to make sure you could drive if I wasn’t around and mom needed you. You got home. We’re alive. Tomorrow, if you’re feeling easy, we’ll go to a parking lot or something. But you did fine.” He smiles and leaves the truck, “but don’t puke in the truck; do it in the front yard, please.”

Which. Mark obeys.

Whenever Mark’s birthday rolls around, Axel drives them up to an old lake house their great-grandparents built, only bringing some clothes, booze and a gas can to get in and out of town, and they fish, make s’mores, and just be kids again. Again, Mark is much younger than Axel, so all the memories Axel has here, Mark doesn’t, so he wants him to enjoy the young years of his life that Axel really couldn’t.

Sometimes, if they’re bold, they’ll bring whoever they’re dating or smashing, but they’ve found it’s better to just have a guys weekend away, only them two in the middle of the woods, with only the fish in the lake to keep them company.

“So you had a treehouse and a fuckin’ cabin before I came along?” Mark asks by the fire, marshmallow clinging to his face childishly. Axel snorts, “dude I haven’t had a birthday party since I was seven, then you showed up.”

“Oh I’m sooo sorry,” Mark sings, rolling his eyes and plopping the last of his s’more in his mouth. Axel sighs dramatically, “don’t be. You made mom happy,” he pats his brother on the shoulder. “And she said I wasn’t allowed to try and return you anymore, so.”

Mark laughs before his brows furrowed, “anymore?”

Axel smirks. “Why do you think you’re so claustrophobic now, Markie?”

“The fuck did you do to me?”

“Shoved you in a box and left you outside.”

“You WHAT.”

“Three times.”

They bicker. They fight. But they’d fucking die for each other. As they got older, they really became best friends and Mark is open to that fact.

In fact, for Axel’s birthday, Mark got his hands on a pikachu doll from the 90’s that Axel was dying to have a kid but couldn’t get because he had to help his mom take care of mark, but every now and again he brought it up to joke.

Mark could tell that, even as an adult, he still wanted that pikachu toy because he wouldn’t shut up about it, so he finally saved up and got it ($150 mint-condition his asshole), and when Axel opened it on his birthday, there was not a dry eye from anyone except Mark.

Big, green eyes flip from the toy to Mark, jaw dropped in surprise and just completely at a loss for words. Mark grins, “now you can shut up about it; you own it. Live your Ash Katchum dreams, freak.”

Axel laughs around his cries, a tattooed hand coming up to stop himself. He wastes no time in stalking his way over to his brother, pulling him in for a tight hug while the younger just hugs him back, still smiling before shoving him off when people tried to get pictures.

“Cant have people who get our Christmas card think I like you or anything,” he snorts, making Axel laugh again before going back to his seat to finish his gifts, but everyone (including himself) knew that Mark won that year.

The first time Axel brings someone home, they’re a guy. Their mom was chillin, she had no problems with it (though she didn’t really expect Morgan to necessarily be a man), Mark was pretty confused. Like, sure Axel always had friends over, but they were never cuddly and touchy before, and it made Mark really curious.

He probably brings it up on one of their fishing trips years later, and axel barely has any clue what he’s talking about at first.

“You seriously don’t remember Morgan?” Mark asks in disbelief. “Like, how do I, but you don’t?”

“I’ve been with a lot of people,” Axel shrugs. Then, he tenses up and a slow grin spreads across his face, “oh. Morgan.”

“Yes! Morgan, the first person you ever brought home!”

“They’re not Morgan anymore,” Axel recalls. “Well, to me anyways. After we broke up, they became she, and her name is Bella. We’re still close, she’s just not Morgan anymore.”

“So... are you... like...?”

Axel smirks, “I’m nothing, dude. No skin off my ass for labels. If you learn anything from me, Markie boy,” he turns to his brother, “do what makes you happy. Love who the hell you want. Mom’s going to love you. I’m gonna love you. And fuck anyone who tells you you can’t.”

“I think I’m straight.”

Axel chuckles. “You’ve just never pursued anyone who hasn’t gone after you; just so happens only women have gone after you.”

Mark frowns and sinks lower in his seat, “do you think... not-straight-guys are afraid of me?”

“I think they’re afraid of your frat-boy-fuck-buddies who tease someone for having any sort of human emotions,” Axel says nonchalantly. “I’ve taught you enough about treating people with respect, your friends don’t have the same drive you do.”

Which brings me to my next point

Axel ABSOLUTELY taught Mark about the birds and the bees.

He drove them both around town not long after Mark turned 14, and he parked at their town’s high school and just... talked about sex. What happens, how does it feel, etc..

“You need to listen to her, Mark,” he says sternly. “The minute you hear a “no,” you fucking stop. The minute you hear a ‘I don’t want to,’ you stop. I don’t care if you’re balls deep inside of her, you slip out, tuck yourself away and apologize for making her uncomfortable.”

“But what if-“

“No.”

That’s the basics; like what happens when you have sex, what how to use protection, and the importance of consent. A while later, once Mark starts going to parties, he drives them out again, only this time to talk about when she says “yes.”

“You gotta work her up,” Axel hums, cigarette low on his lips. “Her body will let you know when she’s ready. If you go in dry, you’re going to hurt her.”

“How do I like... do that?”

Axel smirks, “play with her a little. Kiss her nice and slow... let your hands paw and squeeze, let her moan a little, let her purr... I’ve been with a few girls who like being tickled and picked up, some girls like it more rough and playful too, a smack on the ass, a few bites on their neck-“

“How will I know?” Mark squeaks. “If she like... likes what I’m doing.”

Once again, Axel grins, “believe me, Markie boy- you’ll know.”

Sjfhvdgbgh I WANT MORE, MY BOYS🥺🥺

#yes I own that pikachu doll shut up #and yes it was worth every penny #axel cluney #axel cluney angst #axel cluney fluff #axel cluney imagine #axel cluney deadpool two #axel cluney deadpool 2 #deadpool two #deadpool two angst #deadpool two fluff #deadpool two imagine #deadpool 2 #deadpool 2 fluff #deadpool 2 angst #deadpool 2 imagine #mark #mark assassination nation #mark fluff #mark angst #mark imagine #assassination nation fluff #assassination nation angst #assassination nation imagine #axel cluney x mark #bill skarsgard #bill skarsgard angst #bill skarsgard imagine #bill skarsgard fluff #bill skarsgård

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 10: Truth or Truth

(from the My Girl Trilogy: Stay Mine)

…in which the truth comes out.

Word count: 6.6k

AU: actor!Harry, older!Harry, younger!Y/N, (4-year age gap).

Wattpad link (Thea as Y/N)

Well, this is one crazy chapter 👀 Let me know what you think because I’m thirsty for feedback. But also don’t be to harsh on me I’m fragile.

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The last Sunday of the month. Laura Hilfgard’s flat. Y/N’s book was almost finished and ready for submission, and she was at the top of her game. She’d been putting off everything else to write, and for the first time in her life, everything was happening according to plan. Last year’s Y/N would’ve spent every passing moment waiting for something to go wrong. The writer-to-be Y/N, however, was living her best life.

“Are you sure you want to omit the confrontation scene in chapter ten?” Laura asked once they’d stopped for a tea break.

Y/N stirred her tea slowly, still contemplating her handwritten notes. “You don’t need drama in every chapter. It’s not realistic.”

“It’s fiction,” said Laura. Y/N glanced up with an eyebrow lifted, and the agent exhaled as she raised her hands, palms out. “Sorry, ma’am. Your book.”

Blowing into her tea, Y/N closed her pink notebook and took a sip. “Sorry, it’s just the story is based on what happened to me.”

“Oh?” Laura blinked, sounding both surprised and intrigued.

“I changed a few things,” Y/N said. “But yeah, my boyfriend used to be my neighbour. We met in his treehouse twelve years ago.”

“Your boyfriend is Harry Styles, right?”

“You know him?”

“Everyone does.” Laura stopped stirring her tea to add more sugar with the same spoon. She’d been stirring and adding sugar for the last five minutes, which made Y/N wonder if she was going to drink at all. “I’ve heard so many stories about you two. You make a fine couple.”

“You’ve heard stories about us?” Y/N carefully set down her cup and smiled questioningly at the woman. “From whom?”

“Everyone,” Laura said and finally brought the cup to her red lips. Y/N watched Laura take the first sip of her overly sweet tea, and the only thing that came to Y/N’s mind was the likelihood of a connection between Laura and Harry.

Impossible. Harry would never have interfered. Not after their fight about John Conall. Besides, Blake had been the one who’d suggested her to Laura, not Harry. So how could Harry have possibly done anything?

Or could he?

What if he’d contacted Laura right after Blake had given the manuscript to her? No, Harry would never lie to Y/N. Harry, of all people, would understand how much this meant to her, that she’d accomplished everything on her own without his help. Harry, of all people, would believe in her.

Once she got back to her flat, she found herself pacing back and forth in her living room, clutching her phone to her chest as she tried to decide if she should just call and ask him. Him saying he had no connection to her literary agent would put Y/N out of her misery. But that would prove that she didn’t trust him, and he’d be so angry, and they would fight again. Things had been going so well recently she didn’t want to mess it up. Although there was a tiny part of her doubting everything, mostly herself…

Her phone rang, and she jumped. It was Harry. Biting her nail, she slid her thumb across the screen to answer and tried her best not to sound like she’d been overthinking. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey, are you working?”

“I just got back from Laura’s.”

“Is the book done?”

“Yup. We’ve submitted it to some publishers, and all we have to do now is wait.”

“That’s my girl.”

The question about Laura was on the tip of her tongue. She bit her nail instead and took a seat on the couch as he went on, “Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say, okay?”

“Okay.” She kept her tone light and neutral while unconsciously picking at a thread on her skirt.

“I forgot that I’d have dinner with my dad. I know I said I’d take you out tonight–”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she said quickly and sat on her hand to stop her fidgeting. “You’ve been spending quite a lot of time with your dad.”

“Yeah,” he sighed contentedly. “Now that I don’t have to hide it from my mum or Gemma anymore, I can support Dad and Emi without feeling bad about it.”

“Support? As in...financially?” She hoped she didn’t sound too judgy.

He was quiet for a full second. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Harry…”

“No, hear me out. They owed the bank a lot of money because of the accident. I only helped them pay their debt. It’s not like I’m buying them a car or a house.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. “You’ve been giving them so many expensive things, and Isaac told me you’ve also been helping Emi get back to acting.”

“ ‘Help’ as in I got her to castings. She still needs to audition like everyone else. I don’t ask directors to give her roles that she’s incompetent at, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I’m not implying anything.” Maybe she was. “It’s just...you can’t live their lives for them, Harry.”

“I don’t. I’m only trying to help.”

“You can help, and you should. Just don’t overspend on them.”

“They’re family.”

She almost told him ‘not really’ and ‘I still don’t trust them’, but then let it go once he fell silent. “That wasn’t a fight, was it?” she asked.

“Of course not, kid.” His low laugh brought her a sense of relief. She straightened before leaning into the couch, staring at one of the cracks on her ceiling.

“I gotta go now. Talk to you later?” he said cautiously.

So she kept her tone light. “Sure. Have fun acting.”

“Have fun writing. Love you.”

She giggled as he kissed the phone.

“I love you, too.”

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Since Gemma ran an online business and therefore wasn’t tied to a desk and a chair, she had decided to stay in London for a couple of days. Those couple of days had turned into two weeks and felt like two freaking months. Time slowed down when she was with Isaac; not that she complained.

She’d been with him constantly since they’d left Holmes Chapel. She wasn’t sure what they were. Friends? Way past that. Lovers? Not quite there. Friends who kissed? Well, sure, that might be a suitable label for their ‘relationship’. Gemma hated labels anyway, so it didn’t matter.

“Have you spoken to him?” Isaac asked, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. They were at his house, curled up in his bed, watching Netflix. Almost like a happy couple.

“Harry?” Her eyebrows furrowed as one of the characters was being brutally murdered on the screen. Isaac leaned forward and pressed pause right before the dead body collapsed.

Gemma gasped, “Hey!”

“You’ve already watched this,” he chuckled and removed the laptop from her lap before she could resume the movie.

“Still, that’s the best scene!”

He shook his head, placed the laptop on the other side of him and turned around, facing her. “Have you spoken to Asher?”

“No. He’s probably forgotten about me.”

“Gem…”

“Can we not mention my ex at this moment?”

“He’s not your ex yet, and you don’t want to mention him at any moment.” Isaac took her hand and brought it to his lap. “You need to break up with him.”

“He already broke up with me.”

“He said it was a break.”

She groaned and hugged a pillow to her chest. “He said it so he could hook up with whoever he wanted. He’s done this before, disappeared for a week or two. I was pretty sure he was hooking up with his secretary at the time, then he came back and acted like nothing was wrong. I just...I was stupid and I was in love with him. But not anymore. I’ve had enough.”

“So you’re just gonna wait until he reaches out to you, and then break up with him?”

“Yes. I want it to hurt.”

Isaac screwed up his face. “Why?”

“What do you mean why? After all that he’s done to me?”

“Do you still have feelings for him?” He tried to sound unbothered but she could see right through him. “Is that the reason why you’re so determined to make him feel equally bad?”

“No!” She shook her head, squeezing his hand. “I just don’t want him to think he’s so important. I’m not gonna reach out first. Now can we please get back to the movie?”

“Fine,” he huffed and brought the laptop back to his lap.

As she snuggled up to him and he draped his arm around her shoulders again, the buzzing of his phone on the nightstand interrupted them. She groaned when he withdrew himself from her.

“It could be Lee,” he said. Lee was his manager.

But it wasn’t Lee. She could see it on his face as he put down his phone as soon as he’d read the messages.

“Who’s that?”

“Your half-sister,” he said, drawing her back into his arms.

She lay her head on his chest, her eyebrows pulled together. “She’s still your model?”

“We had our last shoot yesterday. If you’d come, you could have met her.”

“It’s so weird that I haven’t.” She tilted her head up to look at his face. “Do you think she’s scared of me? Because I’m not as easy-going as Harry.”

“Probably.” A grin stretched his pink lips as she weakly hit his chest.

“Did you ever fancy her?” She arched an eyebrow so he mimicked her expression.

“Are you jealous of your own sister?”

“Half-sister.”

Her irritated tone got him laughing. “I mean, she is pretty.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gazing at the ceiling. “Maybe a little.”

Gemma poked his side and he jerked away, doubling over and protecting his sensitive spots from her tickling. They nearly fell off the bed from laughing too hard. Somehow he ended up on his stomach and she on his back, their cheeks together.

He whispered, “Do you think Harry would like the idea of us?”

“Should we call and ask him?”

“Gemma.”

She giggled as his face turned serious. “Of course. You’re his best friend, right?”

“I don’t know about that. He didn’t talk to me until Y/N and I broke up.”

“That’s because she’s Y/N. He didn’t let me come to the treehouse because it was ‘their place’.” She rolled her eyes. “But it was mine first. Dad built it for me.” When she caught him gazing at her, she returned a look just as bemused. “What?”

“You said ‘Dad’. Not Winton.”

“Oh.” She rolled onto her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Isaac flipped over to lie on his side, his head propped up on his hand. She waited for another question, but he didn’t ask, so she went on, “I still won’t visit him or even talk to him. But I guess there was a time when he was good, and I should give the old him some credits. It’s easier to do that, now that I no longer have to deal with the consequences of him leaving.” She turned to smile at him. “Now that I’ve found someone who really cares about me.”

“Who’s that? Is it me?” He acted shocked and she shoved him away, cackling.

“Come on.” She sat up, grabbed the laptop and beckoned him over. “We still have to finish this terrible movie.”

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A week later, Y/N came to Laura’s office after she’d finished two classes in the morning. Laura’s assistant told her Laura had taken a day off because she was sick. “She’s rescheduled the meeting with the publisher this afternoon,” said the assistant. “I was gonna call you but Ms Hilfgard said she’d tell you herself. She’s probably forgotten.”

Weird. Laura never forgot. She was like a machine when it came to business stuff, and Y/N had always wondered where that woman got all that energy. Laura must be very sick. Y/N normally would stay away from other people’s business, but she’d been inseparable from Laura recently, which gave her a sense of responsibility for her agent. She should probably check in on Laura.

“Is she at her flat today?” she asked the assistant, who seemed unsure.

“I think so. Would you like me to call her for you?”

“No, thank you. I’ll do it myself.”

Y/N adjusted her bag on her shoulder, wished the woman a good day and ambled out of the room. She tried calling Laura when she got into the lift, but Laura didn’t answer the phone. A throb in her stomach led her to believe something was wrong.

Everyone got sick once in a while so Laura couldn’t be an exception; she was human after all. But Y/N’s gut feelings were always correct. And if she chose to ignore them, it’d be her fault when something actually happened to Laura, who lived all by herself and had no close friend or family, none that Y/N knew of.

“Laura! It’s me, Y/N!” Y/N banged on the door after she’d rung the doorbell many times and there was no answer. “Laura! Your assistant told me you were sick. I came to check on you.”

Just as she imagined herself kicking down the door like those badass heroines in movies, she heard the sound of it being unlocked, the handle turned, and the door was opened. Her chest caved when Laura appeared, holding the door just wide enough to reveal half of her face. She was in her bathrobe without any makeup on, her skin marked with freckles, her lips dry, her eyes dark and weary, and her hair wasn’t pulled up into a neat bun like it always was. She looked like she’d gone through hell and back.

“Are you all right?” Y/N asked and immediately realised how stupid she’d sounded; of course, Laura wasn’t all right. Look at her.

“I’m very sorry, Y/N. You shouldn’t have come here.” Laura sounded spacey. The smell of alcohol on her breath was too strong. She held Y/N’s gaze, expecting Y/N to leave, but once she was sure Y/N wasn’t going anywhere, Laura stepped aside and opened the door a bit wider, just enough for Y/N to slip in.

The door was closed. They were standing in the semidarkness; there was still a bit of light coming through the dark blue curtain of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The evident of Laura’s despair was lying on the white carpet in the middle of the room – empty bottles after a wild alcohol-binge. She wasn’t sick. She was drunk.

Laura brushed past a bewildered Y/N and careened toward the sofa. The sofa legs creaked ominously under her weight.

“As you can see, I’m pretty much alive,” she said to the ceiling, an arm placed over her eyes. “You may leave now.”

Y/N wanted to leave. Whatever Laura was dealing with had nothing to do with her. She’d only come to make sure her agent was still alive, and Laura was just drunk for some unknown reason, but that was all Y/N should know. She should leave. Her brain told her to leave, but her guts told her Laura needed help.

She huffed and came to stand at one end of the sofa. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“It has nothing to do with you, Y/N.”

“You rescheduled a meeting with the publisher without asking me – your author, and then lied about being sick when you’ve been drinking your arse off. So yeah, it has a lot to do with me.”

As Laura didn’t answer, Y/N picked up the woman’s arm and tried to haul her out of the sofa. She resisted the effort, weakly pushing Y/N away.

“Fine. I’m leaving.” Y/N folded her arms over her chest. “Call me when you’ve sobered up.”

“I now see why he’s crazy about you.”

The words froze Y/N to the spot. She slowly turned around and backed away from the front door to return to her previous spot beside Laura. He? Who was he?

Laura’s eyelids fluttered like she was going to fall asleep, but then she continued, “He chose you over me because you’re young and beautiful and ambitious and kind…He chose you over me because...I’m the opposite…”

Y/N’s heart, head, and stomach pulsated at once. “Who...who are you talking about?”

“Blake.”

The name left her in shock. She blinked at Laura, feeling disoriented for a second. She hoped Laura was only messing with her. Laura and Blake? No fucking way.

“He ended it because of you,” Laura went on despite Y/N’s startlement. “We weren’t really together, but he made it clear that we’d never be anything.” She laughed loudly and mirthlessly, her thick dark hair bouncing on her slim shoulders. “You have a boyfriend, and he still chose you over me. I would call him stupid but what would it make me?” Then she glanced up, her glossy eyes filled with wondering and desperation.

Meanwhile, Y/N was stuck in rearranging her thoughts. Everything made sense – Blake had been their connection since the beginning, and Laura had heard so much about Y/N and Harry – but Y/N couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. She clutched the strap of her handbag and took in the sight of Laura, trying to look for the badass woman hiding underneath.

“I think you should go,” Laura said to her feet and gestured toward the door. “I’ll call you once I’ve sobered up.”

“Do you have anyone else I can call–”

“I don’t need anyone, Y/N. Leave!”

“Okay,” Y/N murmured as she squared her shoulders, gripped the strap of her bag, and marched to the front door.

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Thud Thud Thud

“Blake! We need to talk, Blake!”

Blake opened the door and sprang back before Y/N accidentally hit his face with her fist. “Did you sleep with Laura?” she bellowed before he could question, and he blinked as if she was speaking alien language.

“Laura Hilfgard,” her voice dropped, “My fucking agent. For fuck’s sake! Did you sleep with her?”

He still didn’t answer but the look on his face said it all. He couldn’t admit something so horrible.

“Goddamn it, Blake! Fuck!” she roared into her hands, her chest growing hot. When he tried to touch her, she pushed him away and stabbed a finger at his face. “You lied to me!”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry–”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Oh, don’t fucking apologise to me. I’m not gonna accept it. Apologise to Laura.”

“We’re over.”

“Doesn’t fucking matter, Blake! It’s fucking sick that you slept with her so she would sign me! Fuck you!”

“Y/N!” He caught her wrist and she whipped around to fight him, but his fingers were quick to clasp her other wrist.

“Let me go!”

“Listen to me!” He shook her to get her to stop, and she did, panting and glowering at him. “I didn’t sleep with her so she’d sign you. Yes, I’d...I'd been sleeping with her before. That was how I knew her. I asked her to read your book and she loved it.”

“She only ‘loved’ it because she loved you, Blake!” Y/N yanked her hands back, tears welling up in her eyes. “You broke her and she cancelled the meeting with the publisher. She’s gonna drop me!”

“She won’t. I’ll talk to her–”

“I don’t fucking need your help, Blake. Just…” Y/N stepped back, holding up her hand to stop him from getting any closer. “Just don’t fucking talk to me again.”

“Y/N, please, hey.” He strode forward and got between her and her door, his desperate grey eyes begging her to hear him out. “I swear to you I didn’t do this on purpose. I just wanted to help. You were so desperate and I wanted you to be happy.”

“I was desperate but I wasn’t miserable,” she said through her gritted teeth. “You want me to be happy but what you did was awful, Blake. You made me feel like a talentless piece of shit, that if my boyfriend doesn’t get me a job, then my ex-boyfriend has to sleep with someone for it. God, what is wrong with you?”

“At least I gave your story to Laura and made her read it. Your boyfriend just fucking told John Conall to sign you. He doesn’t even care.”

“Don’t talk about Harry that way. He’s a thousand times better than you.” Then she froze. “How do you even know about Conall?”

“Laura knows him,” Blake said to his feet. “They talked.”

“Fuck this.”

She pulled out her keys and gestured him to get out of the way, but he refused to comply, shaking his head. She had never seen Blake Roman so despondent, and she didn’t like this side of him at all.

“I still love you, Y/N,” he said despite the fact that those were the last words she wanted to hear right now. “I’m sorry I left, but in the last three years, I couldn’t stop thinking about us, and how we could’ve figured out a way to be together instead of giving up. Then I met you here, and...and I–Listen, I’ve been trying to make it up to you–”

“Blake, please…” she breathed, her eyes tight.

“I know you still have feelings for me, Y/N. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have spent so much time with me. You rarely mentioned him when we were together. We have so much in common and we fit.”

“You’re wrong.” She stared dagger at him and unclenched her fists, taking a deep breath. “I rarely mentioned him because I didn’t want to hurt you. I knew you still had feelings for me. I guess I was wrong to want to keep you in my life as a friend when you don’t belong there anymore.”

“I do, Y/N. I do,” he fretted while she kept shaking her head.

“You don’t. You just...you just felt like childhood, which I can’t keep dwelling on anymore. Both of us need to grow up.” She inclined her head, arms wrapped around herself. “I’m sorry, Blake. I don’t think we can be friends anymore. Not after this.”

“Y/N.”

She didn’t look at him and rushed down the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t go after her. And he didn’t. She came dashing out of the building, her eyes prickling with tears. She couldn’t believe she’d doubted Harry and trusted Blake. She felt like such a fool. She hated herself.

Stopping on the side of the road, she fished her phone out of her handbag to call Harry. But then her screen flashed on with the notification of ‘11 missed calls from Laura H’. Her chest throbbed. She called Laura back.

Laura didn’t answer.

.

.

.

When Gemma stepped out of the lift, fumbling around in her bag for her room key, she almost didn’t notice the man waiting for her in the hallway.

“Gem.”

His voice froze her to the spot. She shot her head up, her heart rate increasing as Asher walked up to her holding a rose bouquet. He was dressed in a fine ocean-blue suit, his dark hair pushed back, the strong scent of his cologne so unbearable. He looked like he was here for a photoshoot or a red carpet event. When he cracked a smile, she responded with a grimace.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the flowers. The last time he’d got her flowers had been their first Valentine’s Day together; things had gone downhill after that.

“I came to see you,” he said. “To apologise.”

He held the flowers toward her with both hands, and she pushed them right back to him, shaking her head.

“I don’t need your apology,” she said. “You made it clear that day on the phone that this was over and I’m thankful for it.”

“I said ‘a break’.”

“You don’t get to call a break and come back whenever you feel like it,” Gemma said in annoyance. “That’s not how a relationship works.”

She gently pushed right past him to unlock the door. Right as she opened it, he slipped straight into her room. She stared at him, speechless. “Asher, leave.”

“I want to talk, please.”

Frustrated and annoyed, she slammed the door behind her, stormed toward the bed and flung her bag on it. He stood by the door with that stupid bouquet, waiting for his chance to speak.

“I can offer you a deal,” he blurted as she turned around. “You don’t have to get back with me. We can go separate ways after this.”

“Or we can go separate ways now.” She gestured to the door.

He pretended like he hadn’t heard that. “My father really likes you,” he said. “He thinks you keep me grounded. So I think...if you ask him for the investment, he’ll most likely say yes. I'll pay you. Please help me, Gem.”

“No!” Gemma put her hands on her hips, her mouth quirked in annoyance. “You’ve got some nerves to ask me that. We are not getting back together. Go find someone else dumb enough to help you.”

Asher’s mouth fell open. He must have come here thinking she would burst into tears and run into his arms the moment she saw him and forgive him like she always had. If so, he was destined for disappointment.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked. “Why are you like this all of a sudden?”

“Why do I have common sense all of a sudden?” She cocked her head. “Maybe I’ve finally found someone who appreciates me, and is not only with me because he can use me for his own benefit.”

Asher was shallow but he wasn’t stupid. Realization soon dawned on his face. “Have you been cheating on me?”

Before he’d come here, she’d imagined this moment to be extremely awkward, but now she was full of rage. “You and I are not together anymore, Asher,” she snapped. “But well, I did kiss him once when we were ‘together’.”

“You fucking bitch,” Asher bellowed as he threw himself at her. Everything happened so quickly her brain failed to catch on. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, gripping the edge of the table, her head in pain. She spotted the horror on her ex’s face before he broke into a run out of the room, so she reached for her head and looked at her own fingers.

Blood.

He’d pushed her.

Shocked and dizzy, she held the table for support to stand up and hobbled into the bathroom where she grabbed a hand towel, wetted it and tried to clean the wound on her forehead. That was when she heard the door open and close. She spun around, horrified. It was just Isaac.

“What happened?!” He rushed toward her, held her face between his cold palms.

“Asher came here…” was all she could say while shaking her head, feeling herself going unsteady.

“Did he fucking hit you?” Isaac ground his jaw, his eyes turning dark.

She shuddered at the thought and felt hot tears in the wells of her eyes. “I think he pushed me,” she mumbled.

“Fuck!”

She fisted his shirt, afraid that he might run after Asher, who must have been long gone by now. But Isaac didn’t bother to ask about the arsehole. He inspected the wound on her forehead and encircled his arms around her. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

.

.

.

“Can I see her?” Y/N asked.

“Not yet,” the nurse answered.

“Is she okay?”

“She will be,” the nurse told Y/N while scribbling something on the clipboard. She’d asked Y/N a bunch of questions about Laura, most of which Y/N had answered with “I don’t know”. She didn’t know if Laura was a regular drinker or if she often drank to drunkenness. Y/N only knew what she’d witnessed – Laura blacked out on her bedroom floor with empty bottles scattering all around.

Laura had been taken to the emergency room where they gave her fluids. The doctor had briefed Y/N, saying Laura had got alcohol poisoning from her alcohol binge, and if Y/N hadn’t found her – if she’d locked the door after Y/N had left – then something terrible could have happened tonight. Y/N wasn’t sure if Laura would be okay, but things could have gone worse and she was grateful it hadn’t.

“Is there any family member that we could call?” asked the nurse, who was finally making eye contact with Y/N.

“I-I don’t know. I’m just her client,” Y/N said, rubbing her palms together nervously. “Maybe uhm...maybe I can call her assistant.”

“It’s fine. She’s in a better condition now. We’ll just get information from her when she wakes up.”

Y/N thanked the nurse and sat in one of the chairs in the hallway. She thought of calling Harry but didn’t have any motivation to do it, so she sat with her head against the wall, watching the nurses’ station while she waited for better news.

She didn’t know what time it was. She was already fatigued. She felt herself drifting away when a voice pulled her right back.

“Y/N?”

She looked up. Isaac and Gemma were just as shocked to see her. Gemma didn’t look like herself; she was wearing an oversized black hoodie with the hood on, covering her forehead. Y/N didn’t want to assume the hoodie was Isaac’s, but something told her it wasn’t Gemma’s.

“What...are you guys doing here?” Y/N slowly rose from her seat, her eyes switching back and forth between Isaac and Gemma. “Together.”

Isaac worked his jaw, unable to get any word out as he looked over at Gemma imploringly, and she heaved a sigh. Y/N was losing patience with the suspense when Gemma pulled back the hood to reveal her bandaged forehead.

“Oh my God, what happened?” Y/N gasped, pushing past Isaac to grab Gemma’s shoulders. “Did you get into an accident?”

“Y-Yeah.” Gemma looked unconfident, her eyes searching for Isaac’s again. Something was wrong, and neither of them wanted to tell Y/N what it was. She would have been mad if she didn’t have her own problems to worry about. What a crazy day it had been.

She was going to ask Isaac why he’d been the one to take Gemma to the hospital, but he went first. “Why are you here?”

“A friend of mine got into trouble,” she said. It was only fair that she got to be ambiguous too.

“Alice?” Gemma looked concerned.

“No.”

Isaac grimaced. “Eddie?”

“No!” Y/N rolled her eyes at their surprised reactions. “You guys really assume I have only two friends in London?”

“You do have only two friends in London,” Isaac said, beaming, “Besides us.”

Y/N assumed he meant him, Niall, and Harry. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but she wasn’t going to give him that.

For the second time, she meant to ask why he’d taken Gemma here, but right as she opened her mouth, a nurse showed up with a clipboard.

“Miss Styles," she called.

“Yes?” Gemma whipped around as the nurse sauntered right past her like she wasn’t there.

Confused and surprised, they all watched the nurse head toward the end of the hallway, where sat a brunette with her headphones on. Her hair was covering her face as she was looking down at her phone. The nurse had to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. She glanced up, eyes popping out the moment she saw them. Y/N, Isaac, and Gemma looked like they’d seen a ghost.

“Emilia Styles,” repeated the nurse since Emilia wasn’t looking at her. “You can see your mother now.”

Y/N glanced over at Isaac and Gemma, who looked as if they’d seen a ghost. The nurse said something else to Emilia and went into one of the rooms. Emilia told the nurse she’d be right back as she shoved her headphones into her tote bag, got up and made way toward Y/N, Isaac and Gemma.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said with a pretentious smile; it was the same smile she always wore, but it was only until this moment that Y/N realized how pompous it was.

“Drop the act,” Y/N snapped. “Are you gonna fucking tell us why you’re here? Or should we go ask your mum who is still ALIVE?”

Isaac held her back by the arm before she could even consider doing something to Emilia. She didn’t want to get violent; she wasn’t that type of person. Not yet.

“Fine.” The fake smile disappeared as Emilia stood taller despite having been exposed. “My mum’s alive,” she calmly confessed. “She has cancer, and my dad doesn’t work anymore so I have to take care of them.”

“With Harry’s money?” Gemma snarled. Y/N believed if Gemma’s head wasn’t hurt, she would have already torn Emilia to pieces.

“I didn’t take anything Harry didn’t want to give.” Emilia crossed her arms and lifted her chin, which made Y/N more shocked than angry; she didn’t know it was possible to be this shameless.

“So everything was fake?” Y/N asked. “You made up a nice little story calling your mum crazy for burning down the house and–”

“It was my dad,” Emilia said with her eyes closed as she sucked in an unsteady breath and opened her eyes at the long exhalation. “He was drunk and he set the house on fire. That was after my mum had been diagnosed with cancer. He was very upset because we didn’t have enough money for the treatment. I had to drop out and use my college money for it.” Then she swallowed and looked over at Isaac, who’d been speechless the whole time. “I’m sorry, Isaac. But when we met I recognised you right away. I knew you were Harry’s friend, and I saw you as an opportunity. We had to lie because Harry didn’t trust us at first; he thought Dad was a terrible man–”

“No decent man would lie to his own son to steal his money!”

“We weren’t stealing!” Emilia half-shouted at Gemma then frantically looked around. A few nurses stared at them with concern but no one attempted to interfere. Emilia turned back to Gemma and lowered her voice, “We were gonna tell him everything.”

“When?” Y/N scoffed. “When your mum gets better? Or when you finally become a successful actress living off Harry’s fame?”

“I started with a lie and I had to go through it.” Emilia huffed, her forehead creased. “Things have got so much better since Harry came into our lives. He paid off our bank debt, for Dad’s medicines, for our food. We never asked him for more money. We simply sold the expensive stuff he bought for us as gifts to pay the hospital bills for Mum. I still have to go to work, but now I can also go to auditions. And Harry doesn’t lose anything. He loves Dad, and he’s rich anyway.”

“Harry worked for everything he owns now,” Gemma hissed. “Your dad doesn’t get to live on the money of the son he left and tried to steal from.”

Emilia’s lips quirked in a scornful manner. “You’re just bitter because Dad doesn’t love you.”

Y/N’s gaze jumped to Gemma, whose face was white with shock. She didn’t expect that. None of them expected that. It was so hurtful. Because it was the truth...

“It was my plan. Dad just went along with it,” Emilia went on despite Gemma’s fists shaking as she refrained herself from tackling Emilia to the floor. Emilia knew Y/N and Gemma couldn’t do anything to her in a hospital hallway, and Isaac would never lay hands on a woman. She considered Gemma’s face. “He just wanted my mum to get better. We knew Harry wouldn’t help us if he had to go behind yours and your mum’s back, so I had to reach out to you first. I had to gain your approval.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Gemma sneered and waved her hand when Emilia gazed at her alarmedly. “Do go on. When will we get to the part where you’re forgivable?”

“Say anything you want, but I did it for a reason,” Emilia murmured, her eyes piercing at Gemma. “What are your reasons for cheating on your boyfriend and sleeping with your brother’s best friend?”

Gemma growled and launched herself at Emilia, who jumped right back as Isaac dragged Gemma away. A few nurses had gathered to watch them, unsure if it was necessary to call security. The four of them weren’t really fighting or being loud, but Y/N wasn’t sure how long they could maintain peace.

“Did I say something wrong?” Emilia looked at Isaac, whose eyes fastened on Y/N’s face at once.

“You two?” Y/N stared at him and Gemma in disbelief.

“Asher and I are over, Y/N,” Gemma said, reaching for Y/N’s hand. Y/N let her hold it, only because Y/N was too shocked to move.

“Does Harry know?” she asked quietly. Gemma and Isaac both shook their heads.

“Guess I’m not the only one who lied to Harry after all.”

Isaac shot Emilia a glare even though his features were incredibly calm. “Why haven’t you told him?”

“This isn’t a game of Truth or Dare,” she told him. “I’m not gonna blackmail you into doing something for me in return for my silence. I’m not a good person but I’m not that awful. I just wanted to help my mum. I don’t care what it takes.” Her voice suddenly dropped as she took a step further from them. “And I really liked you, Isaac. I’m sorry.”

Y/N could tell Isaac had a lot he wanted to say to Emilia, but he kept his lips tight because she wasn’t worth it. From the way Emilia was looking at him, she must regret lying to him the most. What about Harry? Harry didn’t deserve this. He’d been nothing but kind to her and Winton.

“Miss Y/L/N?” a nurse interjected. She was the one who’d spoken to Y/N about Laura. “Your friend is awake. Would you like to see her?” she told Y/N, who sighed in relief. At least this night didn’t go all the way down a pit of despair.

“I have to go,” she told Isaac and Gemma.

Isaac caught Y/N’s elbow before she could follow the nurse. “You’re not gonna tell Harry, are you?”

“I’m not gonna do the hard work for you three,” she said, giving all of them – even Emilia – a disappointed look. “You’re all going to tell him tomorrow. Not tonight. I don’t want his night to be ruined as well.” Then she fixed her eyes on Emilia, whose face was blank; either she hid her emotions really well, or she didn’t feel like any normal person would. Y/N stabbed a finger at Emilia, her voice rough, “You and your family better stay the fuck away from my boyfriend, or you’re gonna have to deal with his lawyer, and it won’t be pretty.”

The other nurses looked scared when Y/N caught them watching. She couldn’t even work up a smile as she mouthed the word “sorry” and marched right past them.

#my girl series

[newsies-of-corona]

Corona’s #1 Hotspot

Word count: 5,562

(This started out as a Crack AU but basically evolved into being more deep and meaningful 😅)

Huge thanks to the gc for helping me develop this idea!

Captain Eugene Fitzherbert was lounging in a chair in his office, reading yet another “peace disturbance” report. There had been a huge club that sprang up a week ago, and the citizens in the town were not having it.  He had gotten reports of the situation every day since the party started, but none of the reports said anything about where the club was located.  And the strange part of all of it was that people refused to tell him. The endless notices were stacked high up on his desk and were starting to spill on the floor. 

Eugene waved around the paper he was reading in a sarcastic manner.

“Mr. Captain there’s a disruption happening, but we aren’t going to tell you where or when! You get to figure that out as part of your job!”   

Just then he heard a knock on the already open door.

“How’s the Captain of the Guard life treating you, Fitzherbert?” Cassandra asked, cynically, picking up one of the notices on the ground.

“Cass. Even better,” Eugene replied, rolling his eyes. “Oh, you know, it’s just great.  Except for the fact that no one in this kingdom is able to be specific!” Eugene yelled.

Cass simply laughed.

“Yeah, that’s one of the best parts of the job: the mystery factor.”

“This is not just a normal mystery, Cassandra.  I have no idea who is running this club or who’s involved and- oh wait this is exactly like a normal mystery.”

“Precisely,” Cassandra replied. “I’ve actually heard some reports about this party around the area as well.  As it turns out, it spreads much farther than just Corona.”

“Well great.  Now I’ve gotta go searching throughout the entire seven kingdoms! Way to lighten the load, Cassan-”

“Not so fast.  I’ve been collecting some clues over the past few days, and the party is definitely happening in Corona.   Apparently, it’s more of an ‘undercover’ kind of club.  There’s a password to get in and everything,” the woman told him.

“That’s all well and good, but how does that help me in any way?” Eugene asked, standing up.

“Because...I know the password, the route to get in, and I have a reason to believe that the party is being run by someone within these very walls,” she added mysteriously.

Eugene walked over to her, the notice in hand.

“Wow.  As much as I hate to admit it, that was actually a lot of help.  If you don’t mind my asking though, how do you know all of this?”

Eugene figured that Cassandra may have had connections going through a long line of people since she had been gone “finding herself” and probably knew some people by now.  She decided to come back to Corona to visit yesterday, and he had to admit it was nice to have her back.  Maybe solving this mystery together would feel like old times.

To his surprise, however, Cassandra simply put one of the notices on the table and flipped it around backward.

“Pencil?” she said, more like a command than an ask.

Eugene looked at her in disbelief and gave her a pencil that was sitting next to her hand.

“Do you really want me to do everything for you?” 

“It’s more fun that way,” she replied.

Cassandra rubbed the pencil lead onto the paper, revealing some sort of map.  As she rubbed a little further, words began to appear.  Eugene guessed that that was the password.

“How did you figure that out?” Eugene asked dumbfounded.

“It’s a basic rule, Fitzherbert.  Always look for more clues in any way that you can.”

Under further inspection, the map seemed to be a layout of Herz De Sonne’s tunnels that ran under Corona.  There was only a select few who knew about those tunnels, so Eugene could see where Cassandra’s reasoning had come from.

“Okay, so what’s our strategy here? Interrogation? Good cop, bad cop?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“You basically just said ‘interrogation’ twice and no.  I was thinking of something a little more discreet...”

~

“Rapunzel, can you hand me the wrench over there?” Varian asked in a muffled voice from underneath his machine.  

Rapunzel had come into Varian’s workspace that morning to see how the hot water machines were coming along.  It was Varian’s second week as Royal Engineer, and she liked to check on him just to see how things were going, and to make sure he wasn’t under too much stress. Varian was just finishing up his last machine, and he’d been enjoying the princess’ company through the whole process. He had gladly put Rapunzel to work the second she showed interest since she was one of the only people he actually trusted to handle his alchemy.

“Sure thing, Var!” Rapunzel replied as she tossed him the tool.

Varian grabbed the wrench and twisted in the last bolt with satisfaction. 

The engineer stood up to admire his handiwork as he slid his goggles back to the top of his head.  

“Done!” He exclaimed.

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, there was a loud explosion, and bolts shot out everywhere. The princess and the alchemist's hair shot up from the blast.

After a moment Varian let out a sigh.

“On second thought, we’re going to need that wrench again, heh,” he gestured to the tool that had flown to the other side of the room.

Rapunzel laughed and helped him pick up the remnants of the blast.

Eugene and Cassandra walked in to find the mess, and Eugene immediately starting to help with the cleanup process without a second thought.  Ever since Varian had become the Royal Science Nerd, it was a normal occurrence to walk into an explosion.

“Hey, Sunshine!” Eugene called to Rapunzel.

“Hairstripe,” he added to Varian, who waved.

“Cass and I were talking about investi-”

Cassandra elbowed him.

“Er, I mean going to an event tonight.  How does that sound to you?”

Rapunzel perked up and walked over to him.

“An event? Sounds fun! What kind of event?”

“We’ll explain on the way, Raps,” Cassandra added. It’s kind of more of a...secret thing.”

Varian also perked up at this but said nothing.

“Ooh sounds exciting! Can we invite Varian too?” Rapunzel asked.

“Well-“ Cassandra started.

Varian cut her off.

“It does sound fun, princess, but I’m pretty slammed here as it is, heh,” Varian said, gesturing to the mess around him. “I’ll probably be working all night.”

Rapunzel frowned a bit and went over to comfort Varian.

“You don’t have to feel pressured to fix all of this by tonight. You have a lot of time before the actual inspection next week,” she told him.

Varian shrugged.

“Yeah I know I just like to get my work out of the way, heh.”

Eugene walked over and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Don’t work yourself too hard, kid,”

Varian laughed nervously.

“Haha, I’ll try not to,” he replied with a slight smile.

Ruddiger jumped up and grabbed the wrench out of Varian’s hand, running away with it in his mouth.

“Gah! Ruddiger!” Varian called running after him, “Give that back! It’s not an apple!” 

The remaining group laughed at the boy.  Varian had had his dark times, but he was still just a dorky kid at heart, and they all loved him for it.

~

“Who’s ready for lunch?” Lance called out the window in a sing-song voice.

“Oh! Me, Me!” Angry answered from the ground.

“I’m hungry as a wolf! Catalina said, darting into the treehouse as soon as Lance called them in.

She briefly changed into her werewolf form and let out a little growl, making her dad jump.

“Sorry!” She exclaimed as she sat down.

Lance warily set a sandwich in front of her.

“How do I keep forgetting that you can do that?” He asked.

Angry walked inside with three other people trailing behind her.

“Don’t look at me! They just followed me in here!” Angry retorted when Catalina gave her a look.

“Lance, buddy! Can you spare some chow for some poor lost travelers?” Eugene asked his best friend.

Lance turned around to face his visitors.

“Eugene! Princess! Oh and is that Cassandra? Good to see you all again!”

“Hi, Lance! And hello girls! Where have you all been? We miss you around the castle,” Rapunzel told them.

“We’ve been here, Princess.  I’ve definitely been busy taking care of these girls.  No one said being a father would be easy,” he laughed.

“Hey! it’s pretty much only Angry who gets into trouble!” Catalina yelled.

“I’m not the one who can grow claws and a tail!” Angry bit back.

“See what I mean?” Lance told them.

Rapunzel giggled.

“Well just know that you’re always welcome at the castle anytime!” she exclaimed.

“Well only if it’s alright with the honorable Captain Eugene Fitzherbert,” Lance mocked Eugene.

The Captain slapped his friend on the back.

“Of course it is, mighty Lance Strongbow, father of two,” Eugene retorted sarcastically.

Lance blankly looked at him.

“Yeah you are never saying that again,” he scoffed.

“Agreed,” Eugene said quickly, taking his hand off.

Cassandra only laughed cynically, which Eugene tried to avoid.

“Now about lunch, I only made enough for the girls and myself but I’m sure I could make some more-”

Rapunzel cut him off.

“It’s alright Lance.  We had lunch at the Capitol.  We actually stopped by with an invite for you all!”

Cassandra nudged Eugene again.

“Oh, that’s right! We’re going somewhere tonight, just a small outing, and we were wondering if you and the girls would like to go,” Eugene stated.

Lance and the girls shared a hurried glance.

“Ah. I’m sorry Eugene.  As much as we’d love to go, we’re having a family game night tonight.  It’s a very important ordeal,” Lance phrased carefully.

“A game night, huh? What kind of game?” Cassandra asked suspiciously.

Lance struggled to answer her question until Angry spoke up.

“It’s a...card game! One that we made up on the first day we moved here.  It’s actually a deck that Lance kept from the orphanage so it’s very sentimental.  It  serves as a reminder of the family bond that we have created and how we will always love each other no matter what.”

Catalina and Lance gaped at her, and Rapunzel gave her a big hug.

“Aww, you guys that’s amazing! Sounds like such a great family activity! We’ll leave you to it!” the princess exclaimed.

Cassandra objected.

“Wait, Raps maybe we should-”

“Thank you so much for stopping by!” Lance said, while practically pushing them out the door.

“I don’t think-” Cass started.

Catalina slammed the door quickly, and the group let out a sigh of relief when Rapunzel and gang were finally gone.

“You are one good liar,” Lance smiled at Angry.

She gave him a sly smile.

“Well, I did learn from the best!”

~

“Believe me, it’s Lance. He was acting way too strange back there,” Cass told Eugene when they got back to the palace.

“Oh, that’s just like you Cassandra. Going after my best friends.”

Cass scoffed. “Though it may be hard to get through your head, this isn’t actually about you, Fitzherbert. You seriously don’t see all the obvious clues?” she asked condescendingly.

Rapunzel heard their fighting and stepped in the middle of them to break it up.

“Woah, woah, slow down you guys! I’m not quite sure what this is all about, but you heard what Angry said, Cass. They’re having a special family game night and it’s understandable why they couldn’t come,” Rapunzel told her sympathetically.

“Raps, trust me, it’s all a cover-up! It has to be Lance,” Cass repeated.

“Cassandra I have to side with Eugene on this one.  I mean, being a parent is hard work...” Rapunzel trailed off.

“Ugh, fine. But when we get to the party and it really is Lance, I can’t wait to see the looks on both of your faces,” Cass jeered.

~

Once Eugene and Cassandra filled Rapunzel in on the whole “secret party thing,” she was thrilled and wanted to go as soon as possible. As the sun began to set, the group met up at the opening to the underground tunnels wearing cloaks with hoods to conceal their identities. They jumped down into the entrance, and Rapunzel started navigating using the map and a torch so that they could see where they were going.  She really missed her glowing hair at times like these.

“Listen, guys. I’ve been in the tunnels multiple times and they are lined with booby traps.  We have to be very carefu-”

She was cut off when Eugene stepped on a loose brick in the floor, triggering two arrows to come flying at his fiancee.  They were luckily blocked by the torch in her hand.

“Nice going,” Cassandra remarked.

“Well, that’s one down,” Rapunzel laughed nervously.

After about an hour of walking, the group neared the end of the tunnels.  They were able to make it through mostly unscathed, though Eugene did trigger his fair share of booby traps.  The map led them down one more tunnel which felt very familiar to Rapunzel, but she wasn’t quite sure how.  The tunnel ended with a ladder leading up to a trap door that the group assumed was the entrance to the party.  Eugene was holding the map now, and they waited for him to say the password so that they could get in.  Eugene glanced at the paper quizzically and cleared his throat.

“Boats.”

When nothing happened, Cassandra looked at him in disbelief.

“Boats? Are you serious? That’s the dumbest password I have ever heard.”

“It’s not like I came up with it, Cass!” 

Rapunzel heard a gear begin to turn and quickly shushed them.

“Shh guys! Listen!”

The sound of gears turning grew louder until the trap door started to slowly open.  

“Ha! I told you! Maybe this guy just has a thing about boats?” Eugene whispered.

“Does Lance have a thing for boats?” Cass asked sarcastically.

“...I’m not answering that.”

The group climbed up the ladder and in through the door, slightly scared of what they might find. 

“Remember, we are here to stop this party.  While we can have some fun, please try not to get too sucked in,” Cassandra told the couple.

~

The first thing Rapunzel noticed was the music.  It was incredibly loud for just a small band, and she saw that the instruments had been hooked up to a speaker of some kind to amplify their sound.  The room was packed with people and it was incredibly dark except for hues of pink, green, and blue light shining in all directions.  The light also seemed to be spinning somehow. Before she could tell what was actually making the room glow, she was pushed in the direction of a clump of people dancing and yelling.  Rapunzel couldn’t resist and jumped right in with the rest of them.

Eugene was the last one out of the trapdoor, and he was also pretty blown away by the sight of the event.  He saw Cassandra waiting in a corner and walked up to her.

“This is some party, huh? By the way, have you seen Rapunzel?”

Cass gestured to the mosh pit-like clump in the middle of the room.

“We already lost her,” she shrugged.

Eugene watched as Rapunzel quickly became the life of the party, and it took him back to their first day in Corona together.

“Yeah, I should have seen that coming,” he laughed. “Should we go join her?”

Cassandra shrunk back into her corner.

“Parties aren’t really my scene, but knock yourself out Fitzherbert,” she told him as she pushed him out into the crowd. 

“Just remember to arrest Lance when you find him!” Cass shouted to him.

Eugene found Rapunzel and they began dancing together as the last song ended.

Suddenly, the crowd became quiet and moved to make way for a man in a bedazzled suit holding a microphone-type device who stepped up on the stage. At first, there was only a shadow, but a spotlight flipped on and Eugene could clearly see who it was.

The Captain gasped.

“Lance?”

Cassandra hadn’t been paying attention but tuned back in when she heard that she had been right.  She quickly ran over to the couple to brag to Eugene.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for making it out here tonight!” Lance began.

The crowd erupted into applause, including Rapunzel who was sincerely enjoying the moment.

“Let’s give a big round of applause for our band, coming all the way from the Snuggly Duckling!”

The crowd cheered once again, Rapunzel getting even more into it when she saw all the thugs on the stage.

Once the applause died down, the music started back up again and Lance brought out a flashcard from his pocket.

“And now...the moment you have all been waiting for…”

A confetti cannon exploded somewhere near the front of the stage and the lights all focused on the middle of the stage.

“The one who made the magic happen...”

“Wait what?” Cassandra whispered.

“I told you it wasn’t Lance!” Eugene whispered back.

There was a loud throat clear from behind the curtain.

“Oh excuse me, I mean the science, happen,” Lance corrected.

“The alchemist of the hour...”

The group’s jaw dropped as a red smoke bomb erupted, and a familiar kid in a huge coat and a metal mask appeared from the fog.

“Variannnnnn!”

The eccentric alchemist threw his mask into the audience, spread his arms out wide, and pasted a huge smile on his face, taking in all the praise. He really knew how to work the crowd.

“How’s everybody doing tonight?!” Varian called out to the crowd.

Varian took an alchemy ball in his hand and threw it in the air, making a shower of some sort of blue potion fall around everyone.

The crowd cheered loudly in response, but Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene were still trying to figure out what was happening.

“Varian! Varian! Varian!” The crowd chanted.

“Oh, please let’s cheer for something that’s really worth cheering for!” Varian called out. “Alchemy! Alchemy!”

“Alchemy Alchemy!” The crowd joined in.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Varian unleashed another bomb of color, dousing everyone in purple this time.

He signaled the band.

“Let’s get this party started!”

~

“Hot fizzy chocolate! Get your hot fizzy chocolate right here, folks!” Angry called out.

Rapunzel stood in shock as the party moved around her.

“Varian?” she asked in disbelief.

“Varian,” Angry replied nonchalantly as she handed the princess a drink.

Angry and Catalina were going around the room with plates of ham sandwiches, and the famous “fizzy hot chocolate.”

“Family game night. Sure...” Rapunzel trailed off upon seeing them.

She took a sip of the drink in her hand and was delighted by the sweet taste.

“Oooo! This is delicious!”

~

Cassandra was pacing around on a space on the floor, trying to figure out how she guessed wrong.

“All of this sleuthing the whole day just to find out that Varian is the party animal? How does that make any sense?”

A blond-haired boy not much older than the famed alchemist heard her statement and scooted up next to her.

“Haha, no, no, no. Goggles isn’t the party animal.”

He turned her to face the stage to see Varian throwing Ruddiger, covered in glowing alchemy, into the crowd.

“That is.” He smirked.

“Make way for the party animal!!” Someone random shouted.

Cassandra just stared, completely dumbfounded.

~

Meanwhile, Eugene was struggling to process everything that was happening.

“Hairstripe is the one- I don’t- Come on, he’s a nerd!!”

Apparently, he said the last part of that statement a bit too loudly, because the music immediately stopped and the crowd became silent.

“Looks like someone out there has challenged The Alchemist in a rap battle!” Lance announced.

“Oooooh!” The crowd said in unison.”

“What? No, I didn’t-“

Eugene looked to Varian in the corner, who was already preparing by cracking his neck and his knuckles.

Lance ushered Eugene up on the stage, his hood still obscuring most of his face.

“And what is your name good sir?” The announcer asked in a dramatic manner.

“Ah. My name. Well, which one would you like? I do have three,” Eugene replied.

Lance became very alert at this and took a better look at the man next to him.

“Eugene?”

Eugene pulled off his hood and Varian looked at him in shock.

“Eu-Eugene! Uh...hi?” Varian nervously waved.

~

Rapunzel was enjoying all of the activities that the party had to offer.  Her favorites so far were the glowing, colorful potions that exploded in her face when shaken, turning her hair different colors.  Rapunzel’s hair was now full of pink, blue, and purple and she was having the time of her life at Varian’s party.  She especially loved the middle of the crowd and all of the dancing. Everything was going well until she twirled a bit too fast, and her hood flung off of her head, exposing her to everyone.

~

Varian looked away from Eugene to see the Princess standing in the middle of the room.

“Rapunzel! You’re here too, heh,” Varian voiced nervously.

“And I’m supposing Cass-”

Cassandra threw off her hood, accidentally-on-purpose, smacking the smart aleck kid next to her.

The whole room went quiet, and the crowd exchanged muffled whispers.

Varian turned back to Eugene with a defeated kind of demeanor.

“So I’m guessing you’re here to shut down the party, heh.” He looked down and nervously held his arm across his body.

Eugene was about to say something but stopped himself when he looked around. He saw a whole group of people watching Varian, waiting for what he was going to do or say next.  For the first time in his life, Varian was actually popular and people were enjoying the talents that he had. No one was jeering at him or making him feel bad if there was a slight explosion, it was all apart of the fun. The alchemist had come so far from being one of Corona’s most wanted, and this party was a way for him to boost his self-esteem.  He could at least let it go on for one more night.

After a moment, Eugene finally spoke.

“Shut down the party? No way! The last time I checked I had a rap battle to win.”

Varian slowly looked up at Eugene and a bright smile started to form.  Eugene gave the kid a wink, making Varian laugh out of relief.

“You heard him, folks! The Alchemist vs...” Lance trailed off.

“What do you want your name to be Eugene?”

Eugene glanced at a potion on the table and stated proudly.

“How about Flynnolium.”

Varian’s face lit up for a second, but he quickly regained his smirk.

“You’re going down,” He told Eugene, playfully.

“Prepare to eat your words, kid.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Get ready for our next science rap battle! Flynnolium vs. The Alchemist!” Lance announced.

“Wooo!!! Go Eugene!! Go Varian!!” Rapunzel shouted.

“Yeah!” Eugene yelled, hyping himself up. “Wait, did you say science-”

“Go!”

~

Eugene was completely out of breath by the end of the rap battle, and he had lost by a lot.  He had to hand It to Varian, the kid knew his science.

“I hope I didn’t burn you too badly,” Varian joked after it was over.

“No, no. I’m okay. I’ll just have to piece my ego back together when I get back home.”

Varian chuckled and then changed his tone.

“I have to ask, why are you letting me go on with the party?”

Eugene put a hand on Varian’s shoulder.

“Well there isn’t anything dangerous going on, and it seems like it’s a good thing for you.  But I also have to ask, Varian, why did you keep all of this from us? I mean it seems like everyone in Corona knew about this club except Cassandra, Rapunzel, and me.” 

“Hey, Captain!” Pete called, walking by with a ham sandwich.

“See?” Eugene motioned to him.

Varian laughed nervously.

“Heh, well I was just...worried that you guys wouldn’t like it?  I don’t know. I mean I don’t want to lose you all as friends. I still wanted you all to come, though so that’s why I sent all of those “peace disturbance” reports as a way to indirectly invite you, heh.”

“You were the one behind those? Those drove me crazy kid! Your plan did work, though. I mean we’re all here and everyone seems to be having a great time.”

Varian started to smile a little more as Eugene went on.

“Varian, just know that we’re not just your friends, we’re your family, and we will always support you and be here for you no matter what.  You can’t get rid of us this easily,” Eugene smirked.

Varian smiled brightly

“Thanks, for saying that,” he said sincerely.

“One thing that has been bugging me all night though; where did you find this awesome club?”

Varian looked blankly at the man.

“Find? Eugene this is my house. You’re in Old Corona,” he laughed.

The man facepalmed.

“How did I miss that?” 

Varian laughed and walked over to where Rapunzel and Cassandra were talking.

“I see someone’s been having some fun with the explosives,” Varian said, pointing out Rapunzel’s hair.

“Oh, haha yes! They’re so much fun!” Rapunzel giggled.

“Ha, I’m glad you like them!” He told her.

“And how are you making the room glow like this? It’s incredible!” she exclaimed, looking around.

“The power of alchemy, heh!”

No one could tell from the darkness of the room, but Varian was blushing big time.  He had never really experienced people actually liking his inventions and alchemy, and he was glad that he could provide something for the people of Corona to enjoy after all that he put them through.

~

While Varian was occupied, Cassandra walked over to Eugene to talk to him.

“What was all of that back there? Are you making him shut down the party?” She asked.

“Well turns out Varian was actually the one behind the ‘complaints.’ He just wanted us to come but wasn’t sure how to ask.”

“Well that does sound like Varian,” Cassandra stated.

“Definitely. And I mean no one is in danger and no laws are being broken, so I just figure let the kid have some fun and some time in the spotlight.” Eugene added.

“I’m proud of you, Fitzherbert. You’re much more tolerable now than when I first met you.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Eugene laughed.

~

Cassandra turned back to Varian.

“So, you’re the one who’s behind all of the noise complaints. I should have guessed,” Cassandra remarked.

Varian laughed nervously.

“Heh, yeah.”

“Varian this party is absolutely amazing! I never knew you to be the party-planning type!

Rapunzel exclaimed.

The alchemist chuckled.

“Haha, heh, well honestly it just kind of happened! I never meant for it to turn into this.”

Eugene, Lance, and the girls walked over to where the group was sitting to join in the conversation.

“I’m sorry, Hairstripe, did you say that you didn’t mean for this party to happen? How is that even possible?” Eugene asked.

“Ooh yes! Tell them the story!” Catalina spoke up.

“Well okay.  So first what happened was I met this guy when I was traveling to Bayangor to get some special parts for a project and-”

“You talkin’ about me?” The blond boy asked, popping up directly behind Varian.

“Gah! Yes. Don’t interrupt.” Varian told him, gritting his teeth. “So then I-”

“Wait, Varian, who’s your friend?” Rapunzel cut him off.

Varian huffed.

“Everybody this is Hugo. Hugo this is everybody. So after I-”

“You’re not gonna introduce your friends to me, Goggles? Specifically that beautiful tall one in the corner?” 

Hugo winked at Cassandra who rolled her eyes.

“In your dreams, kid,” she scoffed.

Varian snorted.

“That’s Cass. I wouldn’t get too close if I were you, heh. Now as I was saying-”

“Oh, this must be the beautiful Princess Rapunzel of Corona!” Hugo exclaimed.

“Ugh, you know what, Hugo? Why don’t you tell the story,” Varian said, offended.

Hugo paid him no attention and continued on with his flirting.

“I see why people refer to you as the Sundrop,” he teased.

Rapunzel chuckled uncomfortably and Eugene shot him a death glare.

“Ha ha hello? Yeah buddy, she’s my Sundrop.”

Varian cleared his throat.

“That’s great,  now can we please get back to my stor-”

“Captain Eugene Fitzherbert, I presume?” Hugo went on.

“Yeah, kid. You’re looking at him.” Eugene stated.

“May I just say you are-”

The Captain cut him off.

“Let me guess, you’re the con-artist type who gets through life by flirting with everyone and taking advantage of people.  Trust me, kid.  That life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Hugo was finally rendered speechless and Varian sighed in relief.

“Finally. Thanks, Eugene. So Hugo basically stalked me back to my house and helped me put together my newest invention, then invited a few of his ‘friends’ over and the number kept growing. Before I knew it I was running a club, heh. Lance and the girls showed up a week ago while it was happening and they wanted to be involved.  I made Lance my Emcee and Angry and Catalina got to help with the food.”

“Which has its benefits because we get to eat most of it!” Catalina added.

“Though I don’t know why it always has to be ham sandwiches. Why not turkey or something? Switch it up, V!” Angry mentioned.

“It’s a delicacy and everybody loves them. Not happening,” Varian shot back.

Hugo found his words again and spoke up.

“Just for the record, I did not stalk you. I told you I could help multiple times before following you home. There’s a difference, Goggles.”

“Eugene can you do that thing you did earlier to shut him up? It was much more peaceful five minutes ago,” Varian remarked sarcastically.

“’Goggles’ is also my nickname! Does this kid have any original ideas?” Eugene remarked under his breath.

“No. He does not.” Varian replied.

“He’s not wrong. By the way, Hairstripe is a great nickname! Might have to start using that one,” Hugo taunted, winking at Eugene.

Cassandra spoke up and interrupted their fighting.

“Varian, by the way, what does your dad think of all this?”

“And now folks, let’s give it up for our DJ, The Knight of the Night!” Lance announced.

Quirin came onto the stage wearing his whole Dark Kingdom uniform and started messing with some new sound equipment Varian had set up.

“You know, I’d say he’s pretty okay with it,” Varian laughed, pointing behind him.

“And his partner, the King of Chaos!” The emcee called out.

Edmund walked on to the stage and started DJing with Quirin. They actually put together some pretty good music.

Eugene’s jaw dropped.

“My dad is in on this too?” 

“Hello, Horace! Glad you could come!” Edmund said, pointing Eugene out in the crowd.

“It’s Eugene!”

Hugo smirked and seized his moment.

“Aw come on, Horace. Don’t look so down. It’s a party after all,” he mocked.

“Kid, I swear, I can lock you up right now,” Eugene told him.

“Jail isn’t fun,” Varian whispered from behind him.

“Under what charges?” Hugo played.

“Well, we can always start with stalking a minor, but I’m sure there are plenty more.”

“Ha!” Varian jeered.

“Oh come on, guys we’re at a party! You don’t want to spend the whole night fighting! Let’s make the most of it!”

“Fine. Truce?” Eugene asked, holding out his hand to Hugo.

“Temporary truce,” he said as he shook it.

Rapunzel dragged all of her friends, including Hugo, into the crowd and they danced and shouted until their feet hurt and their voices were sore. It was a fantastic night for all of them.

~

Varian decided when the party had ended that this would be the last night for his club.  It was a lot of work and he already had enough on his plate already. Besides, he didn’t need an adoring cheering his name to make him feel special, he had his family to remind him of that every day. 

When most of the guests left, Varian had a huge mess to clean up, but all of his friends stayed behind to help him.  He was so grateful to have such supportive and understanding companions like Rapunzel, Cassandra, Eugene, Lance, Angry, and Catalina, and he was even glad that he gained a new friend, Hugo, out of this whole ordeal. Even though the guy drove him up a wall sometimes. 

~

Varian headed into work the next day with newfound confidence, knowing for sure that he could make fully working hot water machines for all of Corona to enjoy. In the beginning, to tell the truth, Varian had been slightly intimidated to be the “official Royal Engineer,” but after seeing how everyone loved and supported him for who he was, even if there was an occasional explosion, he was completely ready to take on the position and all of its challenges with his friends by his side.  As he twisted in the last bolt on his machine, he could almost hear the crowd in the back of his mind, cheering him on.

“Varian! Varian! Varian!”

#heard it in the group chat #just varian things #the hairstripes #rapunzel tts #eugene tts #eugene fitzherbert #captain eugene fitzherbert #cassandra tts #varian tts #varian #lance tts #angry tts #catalina tts #quirin tts #tts edmund #ruddiger tts #lissa's stories #tts fics #BOATS #hugo seven kingdoms #alchemy bros

[geeky-writes]

The Phoenix Project Chapter 12 Preview

Behind? Catch up HERE 😊

Gorgeous moodboard created by @crownofstardustandbone @therollingstonys thank you so much! 💖

********

“Oh, Pete’s a master tree climber,” said Tony. “You might wanna be careful though. It’s been so long since he’s been able to play outside that we might have our hands full trying to get him back in the house at the end of the day. You have not seen Pete’s puppy-dog eyes to the fullest extent of their pppllleeeaaassseee potential until you try to tell him that it’s time to come back into the house.”

Steve tipped his head back against the headrest, lolling it sideways to look at Tony. “Well, we could always just build him a treehouse. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind that.”

“Only when it'd be time to eat,” Tony said with a laugh. “You just better watch it, Captain, ‘cause once Pete gets all of his strength back, I swear that boy will be able to out-eat even you. I’ve never been able to figure out where he puts it all.”

“I am definitely looking forward to it,” said Steve. “I might even cook for us, if that’s okay?”

“Really?” Tony asked. “You know how to cook?” Because of course Mr Perfection himself would also know his way around a kitchen.

Steve gave a not-quite-modest shrug. “I’m actually not too bad at it. I did most of the cooking when I was growing up since Ma was always working so much.”

“Wow,” Tony said, his eyes wide. “So then, is there anything that you actually can’t do? ‘Cause I gotta admit I haven’t seen all that much evidence to the contrary, and—”

“Tony,” Steve said softly. “I’m not perfect.”

Tony winced. He had noticed lately that Steve had been finding Tony’s frequent jokes about his perfection less and less amusing, and so had been trying to cut back on them. But it’d been a lot harder than he’d thought since to him, Steve really was perfect.

“No, hon, I know that,” Tony murmured. “No one is. But as far as perfection goes, I’d say you're a lot closer to it than the rest of us.”

Steve pursed his lips. “I think a lot of it depends on who you ask,” he said. “And I also think that you just might be a little bit biased.”

Tony snorted, feeling some of the tension in his shoulders slowly seep away. “Oh, you think so?”

“Yes, I do,” Steve said with a wink, his hand sliding up Tony’s thigh just enough to send a sharp burst of warmth across Tony’s chest. “Call it an instinct.”

“Well,” Tony said, his voice cracking on the word. He cleared his throat, trying again. “Well, I have a feeling you might be right about that, Captain. But seeing as how I don’t think your ma would appreciate me sporting a raging hard on when you're trying to introduce us, we probably should put a stop to this kind of talk. Like, right now.”

With a downright evil grin, Steve leaned over, his lips brushing the shell of Tony’s ear as he whispered, “Just a temporary stop though, right, sweetheart?”

“Holy shit,” Tony whispered, shivering as desire shot down his spine like a spear. “You do realise that I’m trying to drive here, right?”

“Sorry,” murmured Steve, sounding anything but sorry. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

“Thank you,” Tony said with an exaggerated sigh. “But… only until we get back, right?”

Steve’s bright blue eyes darkened, his grin turning positively shit-eating.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Gods, you're incorrigible,” Tony rasped. “Like, seriously. I'm pretty sure I've created a monster.”

“Or maybe just unleashed one,” said Steve. He waggled his eyebrows, then somehow managed to school his features into a look of pure, boyish innocence in about three seconds flat. “Turn right at the next light, then it’s the third house on the left side.”

Tony’s gasp lodged in his throat as he made the turn, breathing in deeply through his nose as he tried to calm himself. For how inexperienced Steve might’ve been when they first got together, in the months since he had already more than made up for it, quite literally blowing Tony’s mind with his passion and attentiveness. Tony had always thought of himself as being a generous lover, but Steve was on a whole other level. He didn't only tell Tony that he loved him, he also showed him with every single caress of his hands and touch of his lips.

And Tony soaked up every single second of it, like an overly thirsty sponge.

“Here we are,” Steve said as Tony pulled into the cracked concrete driveway of a bluish-grey house that looked remarkably like his own, even down to the scraggly bushes lining either side of the front steps.

“I usually pay someone to come over and work on the landscaping, but the last kid I hired got accepted into the university and I haven’t been able to find anyone else yet,” Steve explained. He opened Tony’s car door, holding out his hand towards him. “Ma tries to do it on her own sometimes too, but she’s getting to the point now where she just can’t.”

“Well, once Pete gets better I’m sure he wouldn't mind helping her out,” said Tony. “If she wouldn't mind.”

“I can’t see why she would,” said Steve. He gave Tony a quick but encouraging smile as he reached for the doorbell. “Ready?”

“Yep,” Tony said. “Go for it.”

Despite his attempt at bravery, Tony couldn't help but flinch as he heard the doorbell echo inside the house, followed only a few seconds later by the sound of slowly approaching footsteps.

“Ma!” Steve exclaimed as soon as the door swung open. After guiding Tony inside he immediately held out his arms, drawing the petite, slender woman with greyishly-white hair into a careful hug. “You’re looking so beautiful today!”

“Ah, and you're just as much of a flatterer as your papa,” she said as Steve released her. She stepped back, her steel-blue eyes looking Tony up and down before offering her hand, her knuckles swollen and slightly bent with arthritis.

“Hello,” she said, clear and strong, her expression almost unreadable. “I’m Sarah Rogers.”

Tony cleared his throat, momentarily panicking. Was he supposed to shake her hand? Was he supposed to kiss it? Maybe he should’ve asked these kinds of questions before Steve rang the damn doorbell—

“Ma,” Steve said, cutting through the fog inside Tony’s mind. He curled his arm around Tony’s waist, giving him an almost imperceptible nod. “This is Tony.”

“Tony Stark,” Tony blurted, just on the off chance that Steve had somehow failed to mention his surname. He carefully grasped Sarah Rogers’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Rogers.”

Sarah pursed her lips as she shook Tony’s hand, her grip plenty firm despite her pained knuckles.

“Yes, I know who you are, Mr Stark,” she said. “I've known who you are for most of your life.”

“Uhh,” Tony stammered, his blood running cold even as Steve’s arm tightened around him. “Yeah, well—”

“And what I also know,” she continued. “Is that the sins of a father should never be passed along to his son.” She glanced up at Steve, her eyes softening slightly. “And I also know that I’ve never seen my son so happy in his entire life, which he assures me is entirely the doing of both yourself and a certain young man with whom I’ll be shortly making my acquaintance.”

“That’s absolutely right, Ma,” Steve said.

“Yes, I can see that,” said Sarah. She released Tony’s hand and stepped back, gesturing towards her living room. “Please, come in, Mr Stark.”

“Tony,” Tony said. “Please, ma’am, if you don't mind, call me Tony.”

Sarah smiled, a bright smile that was so like Steve’s that Tony nearly did a double-take. “Tony,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The full chapter will post on Monday, June 15th 😊

#the phoenix project #superfamily #stony #stevetony #iron dad and spider son #superhusbands #superfamily fanfiction #stony fanfiction #iron dad fanfiction #tony stark #peter parker #steve rogers #parent tony stark #parent steve rogers #kid peter #chapter 12 preview #geeky writes

[ultimatecufangirl]

Captain Underpants Drabble #5: Even Geniuses Cry

BIG thanks to @jackie-sugarskull for helping me out with the title!

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

School was out for the day, and the halls went from silent to as loud as a stadium as students poured out of the classrooms, all going the same direction. There were so many kids that Mr. Krupp had trouble getting to his supervising spot just outside the front doors.

After the stampede of children left the building, George Beard and Harold Hutchins came skipping out hand in hand.

“After a long and boring week, the weekend is finally here!” Harold began excitedly.

“What do you mean ‘boring’? We pulled so many pranks--I think we broke our record for most people pranked in a week!” George argued, a smirk lining his mouth.

“I’ll say we did.” Harold agreed. “Now let’s get to the treehouse and make more comics!” he added, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Uh, Harold?” George asked.

“Yeah?”

“You forgot your backpack.”

“OH SNAP!” Harold looked at his back and sure enough his backpack wasn’t there. “I’ll be right back.” he said just before racing back into the school.

He played airplane as he ran through the halls, and pretended to land when he reached his destination. Once done, he opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside.

Inside he saw his backpack sitting under his chair (just remembered they have lockers but meh) and immediately skipped over to grab it. After placing it on his back, he ran out of the room and back to where George was waiting.

About halfway there, however, he bumped into someone; knocking him, them, and the two books they were carrying to the ground. Once he realized who it was, he immediately went over to help.

“Oops! Sorry, Melvin!” he said, handing the red-head in the sweater vest his glasses. “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s fine.” the nerd replied, his voice monotone. He gathered his books and began to walk away. Harold was about to do the same when he realized something.

Something about Melvin seemed...off.

Last time he bumped into Mel, he scolded him for making him drop the books he needed to study for a test.

But this time, he didn’t do anything; and that was completely out of the ordinary for him.

With this in mind, Harold caught up to him. “Hey.” he said. “Are you ok?” he asked.

“Why do you care?” Melvin asked in return, giving him an angry look. He really didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.

“No one ever said I didn’t.” Harold answered. “I just want to help you.”

“Help me?!” Melvin suddenly began, again looking at him angrily. Harold was taken aback. “Help me?! Nobody can help me!” Melvin shouted at him, now really mad.

“Woah! T-Take it easy, Melvin--”

“DON’T TELL ME TO TAKE IT EASY!” Melvin shouted again, louder this time. It was enough to make Harold fall backwards in shock.

And what shocked him more was that Melvin kept going.

“Do you think I like going home to study every weekend?! Do you think I don’t wish I was running around with a soccer ball or climbing back and forth across monkey bars or even pushed on the swing?!” the nerd shouted, seemingly unable to stop.

“I-I...” Harold tried to speak, but couldn’t find the right words to say.

“DO YOU THINK IT’S EASY BEING ME?!?!” Melvin yelled this time, very loudly.

Then he stopped, and all fell silent.

Harold stared up at the red-haired boy with wide eyes. Never once did it cross his mind that Melvin wasn’t who he seemed, and he was sorry that he didn’t realize it sooner.

The yellow-haired boy’s heart went from being filled with shock and surprise to sympathy and regret.

As he watched tears begin to fall down Melvin’s freckled cheeks, Harold slipped off his backpack and crawled over to him. He sat on his knees and grabbed the boy’s wrist as he looked up at him worriedly.

“What’s wrong, Melvin?” he asked softly after making eye contact.

Melvin’s face turned red and more tears began to fall as a whine escaped his mouth.

“IT’S NOT FAIR!” he shouted. “I wanna be happy and have fun like everyone else!” he added, now crying; covering his eyes with his hands under his glasses.

“But you can, Melvin.” Harold said, a kind smile on his face. “There’s gotta be somebody who’s willing to share that with you.” he added.

“No there isn’t!” Melvin continued to cry, getting down on his knees to be on the same level as Harold.

“What makes you think that?” the yellow-haired boy asked.

“Because nobody wants to be friends with a kid who can’t laugh!” Melvin answered, semi-shouting. The poor kid didn’t seem like he could take any more.

Harold was silent for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around him.

“I do.” he said softly.

This took Melvin by surprise. “R-Really?” he asked between a hic and a sniffle.

“Yeah. Everyone deserves to have a friend or two, even you. Just because you can’t laugh doesn’t mean there aren’t people that like you.” Harold answered, still smiling kindly.

At that moment, Melvin felt a genuine smile spread across his own face, and he hugged Harold back. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

After a minute, they let go of each other and Melvin wiped away his tears.

“Feeling better?” Harold asked sympathetically.

“Uh-huh.” Melvin answered, sniffling.

“Good. Then come with me and George to our treehouse.” Harold replied, standing up and outstretching his arm to him.

Melvin was once again awestruck. He had never known George and Harold to invite anyone into their treehouse, let alone him. But he accepted the invitation nonetheless, happily taking Harold’s hand.

Harold was overjoyed that Melvin accepted the invite. After helping him up, they both gathered their stuff and ran outside to meet George, who wasn’t too thrilled.

“What took you so long?! I’ve been waiting out here for like ever!” he shouted when he finally saw Harold walk out the door.

“Sorry, George. I ran into Melvin and he was feeling pretty lonely, so I invited him to our treehouse.” Harold answered, putting his arm around his new friend.

George stared at Melvin for a bit before smiling. “Sounds good to me!” he said excitedly.

Melvin had no idea what was in store for him. I mean, this is George Beard and Harold Hutchins we’re talking about; the school pranksters. But whatever it was, he knew it was going to be good.

And he couldn’t wait.

#cu #george beard #harold hutchins #melvin sneedley #sad #uplifting #friendship #i love melvin #he's my fav #such a sweetie

[waterloou]

Some Dinner, maybe

I found this in my drafts and I thought it was cute

also I’ve been meaning to put out some Omi stuff so here she is!

Omi waltzed down the hallway, smiling as she twirled her hair between her fingers. She approached a tall girl with short hair and a large sweater.

“Queenie Abrejo as I live and breathe” the girl turned around and smiled.

“Omi Klyde, what a blessing” they giggled and hugged.

“How was your summer?! What happened to your hair?” Omi pulled back and ran her hands through her friend’s newly-cropped locs.

“Chopped it off”

“Why would you do this to me?! Now I can’t run my fingers through your curls!”

“You can too! And blame Fangs” Queenie removed the girl’s hands and held them in her own, “He got a shitton of gum stuck in it and peanut butter wouldn’t cut it” she kissed her friend on the cheek before dropping her hands, “Besides, I think I look gooooodddddd” she winked.

“How was your summer? I see you got a tan”

“I know! I feel like a melanin goddess!” Omi twirled, “I’m still sad you weren’t able to come with me to the Bahamas”

“I told you, I had to work and take care of buggie”

“How is Junie B?”

“Great. She’s up to my shoulder now she’s a fuckin giant” Queenie laughed, “Atzi told her to stop growing”

“You Abrejo women are all fuckin giants”

“My mom seemed to miss the memo.”

“Helena makes up for it with her personality”

“Hell yeah she does.”

“So...any interesting hookups this summer?” Omi slung an arm around her shoulder as they walked down the hall.

“A gentle lady doesn’t kiss and tell”

“You are anything but gentle”

“You know not of my abilities as a lover. And I am too gentle!...turdface” she punched her in the shoulder.

“Ow! Says the girl who probably just gave me a bruise!”

“Bah!” Queenie dismissed her, “Have you found yourself anyone?”

“Oh Queenie, you know the only love I have is for you”

“You flatter me. but seriously.”

“Well there was this one girl at the hotel. Ugh, gorgeous dark skin, glowing, voice like caramel, soft lips. Looked like heaven”

“Oooooh sounds beautiful”

“She was...and more…” Omi sighed dreamily.

“Did you at least get her contact?”

“No! I don’t even know her name”

“You dog!” the taller girl ruffled her friend’s hair as they got to the lounge.

“You coming over for dinner tonight? I know Buggie wants to see you”

“Do you have any skeletons in your room again?” Queenie thought for a second

“Yes but I’ll make sure they’re not precariously placed?”

“Good, nearly gave me a fuckin heart attack last time.”

“I told you, it wasn’t a real human skeleton, that’s illegal...in most places”

“I wouldn’t put it past you my little nerd”

“I’ve got a good two inches on you baby-don’t call me little” she poked the other girl’s cheek.

“I’ll bite your finger off”

“Oooh I’m so scared” Queenie placed a big wet kiss on her friend’s cheek and got a squeal in return.

“My makeup took two hours to do this morning!” she pushed her off and Queenie cackled.

==

“I get to drive”

“Remember what happened last time? Your car got keyed”

“Not like I can’t afford another”

“Yeah yeah. Get in”

“Oh that death trap? No thanks. I’d rather walk.”

“I’ll even let you drive hot wheels, now hop in” the taller girl tossed Omi the keys and got in the other side.

“Are your lovely male companions joining us tonight?”

“Of course, how small do you think these dinners are?”

“Lets just hope the tall one doesn’t brood the whole time”

“Sweet Pea just wasn’t in a good mood last time, his trailer park got trashed”

“He’s never in a good mood when I’m around”

“I’m sure that’s not true” Omi gave her a look.”Ok, maybe he is. I’ll tell him to knock it off. You better too, he’s not the only jackass” her friend scowled.

“Omi”

“Fine.”

“I’ll keep you two at least 3 feet apart”

“Well good. Can’t have jack and the beanstalk getting up in my bubble again” Queenie laughed.

“If he does I’ll square up-” a one direction song switched on as Omi changed the channel “ughhh can you change the fuckin song? My ears are bleeding” Queenie groaned.

“Better than what you play-”

“Highway to hell is fuckin classic you take that back-”

“Its the ONLY song you play in this damn thing” Queenie rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat.

“You’re gonna have to deal with some one direction baby” Omi turned it up with a smile

“You’re infuriating”

“You love me” a slow grin stretched across the taller girl’s face

“Fuck off” Omi cackled and the two teased each other the whole way home.

Once she got out, Queenie was engulfed by the arms of Sweet Pea.

“Queeniieeeee” he hummed and nuzzled her temple with his. Fangs came running out of her house, out of breath. Queenie hugged her friend back with a soft smile.

“Hey Pea how ya doin?”

“Drunk n happy”

“Thats good, thats good” she looked at Fangs.

“Hey Fangsy, how drunk is he”

“M’very” Sweet Pea replied, unraveling himself from her and kissing her cheek before going back to Fangs.

“Hellllooooooooooooooooooo” he squished his friend’s face with a giggle, before heading inside.

“Atzi challenged him to a drinking competition. She won” right then a loud whoop was heard from her house.

“I think I love her” Fangs laughed as he ran back inside after Sweet Pea, Queenie turned around to see Omi leaning against the truck.

“Never a boring day at your home, is it” she pushed off and waltzed past her to the house. Queenie caught up to her and opened the door.

The inside was chaos. Atzi and Maria were gossiping loudly(and drunkenly) in spanish, Queenie’s mom was making food in the kitchen with loud mariachi music playing. Sweet Pea was now on Fangs’ lap, holding his face adoringly. Junebug was running around and dancing in the kitchen

“Well he’s definitely not brooding.”

“It’s disgustingly sweet,”

“Queenie!!!!” junebug came bounding out and nearly tackled her sister.

“Hey bug a boo! ” she caught herself and squeezed her sister.

“You’re hugging me too tight!”

“You tackled me bug legs!”

“Omi!” the smaller girl struggled out of her sister’s grasp to engulf the other teen in a hug.

“I’ve missed you so much! Queenie why don’t you bring her over much?”

“Because you scare her off”

“Not true!”

Omi laughed and ruffled Junebug’s head.

“How was your day kiddo?”

“Good! We got to raise butterflies today!”

“Butterflies? Wow thats so cool!”

“Wanna see my collection?”

“I guess-”

“Come on!” the gangly girl pulled the taller teen into another room. Chimalma chuckled from the kitchen and came out to greet her daughter.

“Mi girasol” she pulled her daughter’s face down to kiss her cheeks.

“Hola mama, need any help with dinner?” Queenie kissed her cheek in return.

“Oh no, it’s mostly done, just keep an eye on the kids”

“You make me sound like their mother” Chimalma raised an eyebrow before laughing and pushing her out of the kitchen area.

“Go say hello to your abuelita-”

“MIJITA!” Atzi squealed, rushing towards her granddaughter and engulfing her in a vice-like grip.

��Hola abuelita” Maria fogarty joined in the hug.

“Mija!” she gave Queenie a kiss on the cheek before pulling herself an Atzi away for some more ‘chisme’.

==

Dinner was hectic; Buggie was fawning over Omi, Sweet Pea was drunkenly shoveling food into his mouth, Fangs was happily listening to his abuela tell a story, Atzi would burst out into song every so often, and Chimalma and Queenie observed this all quietly, besides the occasional kick to the shin the teenager would give Sweet Pea.

==

“Hey sunshine?,” Omi asked, as they were cleaning up the table.

“Can you stay tonight? House is pretty empty.”

“You spooked?” Omi rolled her eyes,

“You’re my best friend, of course your superstitious ways have rubbed off on me.”

“Then I’m doing my job right. You won’t end up like Jones”

“Fuck that” the girls laughed.

“Lemme just pack a few things and then I’ll be off.” Queenie went over to Fangs.

“I’m not gonna be here tonight, feel free to take the bed, since Sweet Pea is already out.” she nodded her head in the direction of the snoring tall teenager sprawled out on the couch. Fangs nodded, and she went to her room to pack a few things.

“Nee?” Buggie yawned from where she was reading a small magic treehouse book, “Where ya goin?”

“I’m sleeping over at Omi’s tonight”

“Like a sleepover?”

“Yes like a sleepover” she smiled as she finished packing.

“Can I come?”

“You’ve gotta stay here bug a boo” the taller girl sat on the bed next to her. “Ok?” Junebug nodded.

“Ok. Can you give her one of my bugs? She’s all alone, right?” the girl pulled a stuffed moth out of her stuffed animal bag.

“Are you sure buggie?” the girl nodded, “Well you’re sweet” Queenie kissed her sister’s head and got up.

“Now, Fangs might take my bed-”

“Yay! He can read me a bedtime story!” she squealed, and ran out of the room in her matching pajama set. Queenie laughed and lugged her bag on her back and walked out.

“Mama!” she called into the shared room her mom and Atzi shared. Atzi came out, finger to her lips.

“Shh, baby is sleeping, what do you need?”

“I’m going to Omi’s place tonight, she needs some company. I can get Fangs and Sweets to bring Buggie to school?” Atzi smiled and nodded.

“Ok, keep her safe, drive safe”

“Oh she’s driving”

“Oh menos mal!” she kissed her cheek and went back into the room. Omi came up to Queenie and slung an arm over her shoulder.

“Ready?” the taller girl nodded.

“Ready-You drive...but I choose the music” Omi rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

--

Once they got to Omi’s, they got out and walked up to the girl’s room. It was huge.

“Fuck I never get used to this.” Queenie plopped on the bed, Omi laid down next to her and rested her head on her shoulder.

“Me neither, and I live here. Its just big and empty.”

Queenie sighed and curled her hand around her friend’s chin and scratched her head.

“Can you like be here forever?”

“Oh if only. No, Atzi would be sad. She loves living next to Maria”

“Aw tits” Omi huffed, and she turned away from her friend.

“You could always sleep on my couch”

“Can I buy you a new couch?”

“You gotta talk to mom and Atzi”

“Will do” Omi shifted towards Queenie.

“Queenie can I take photos of you again?”

“Yeah, I’m sure Atzi and mama will enjoy it”

“Good, I need ya beautiful face for my photography class, my muse”

“Keep saying that and I’ll think you’re smitten”

“Never. You’re gross”

“You’re the worst”

“Ho”

“Why thank you” she smacked her and they both burst into giggles.

tag: @sweetpeasbabydoll @s-s-southsideserpentine @sweetpeas-sweetpea @daddyrossbutler @humangrumpycat

#oc: omi klyde #queenie #my oc #my ocs #oc appreciation #queenie abrejo #caps #sweet pea #fangs fogarty #atzi abrejo #abuela maria #chimalma abrejo #junebug abrejo #buggie

[meimei-song]

say so

mei, sam, henry, and jack february 27th

Sam finished up his shower after practice and came rushing out of the locker room, looking at his watch. He swore under his breath as he realized that the dining hall already closed. Today’s practice ran long and most of hus other teammates were in the frat or didn’t live in a dorm so it didn’t affect them. He sighed softly and knew he would be stuck with a microwave dinner when he ran into Mei coming out of the girl’s locker room.

Mei almost kept walking until she noticed the teammate she almost ran into was Sam. A grin goes across her face, “hey, you headed home?”

Sam jumps a little as they almost collide and he gives her a small smile, “Sorry about that!” He shakes his head and shrugs, “Not yet. I gotta stop at the store for some delicious frozen Mac and cheese.”

“It’s okay!” She laughs and then her brows raise slightly, “Oh. Do you want to come to my parents’ for dinner instead? They’re really good cooks and they cook way too much for just the three of us.”

Sam raises his brows as he adjusts his gym bag on his shoulder, “Really? Would you parents be okay with someone like me coming over?”

Mei tilts her head to the side and laughs, “You mean someone really sweet and is my friend? They won’t have any issue with it.”

He smiles and nods his head, “Yeah? That would be great actually.”

“Okay, cool,” she grins and sends her mom a text to let her know Sam’s coming before leading him out to her car.

Sam follows behind her and smiles, “So what are your parents like?”

Mei smiles, “They are wanna be comedians and probably the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They’re competitive but also warm.”

He nods his head with a smile, “I like the sound of that.”

She laughs, "They are two characters, but you'll like them." When they get to the car she throws her gear in the trunk, "You can toss your stuff in here too."

Sam smiles at her and puts his stuff in the trunk before going to get into the passenger side.

Mei gets into the car and starts it up, "Do you like Chinese food?"

He shrugs his shoulder, “Well, I’ve only had it a few times here but I’ve always enjoyed it.”

"Then you're in for a treat," She grins and glances at him as she drives, "What's your favorite food ever?"

Sam smiles over at her, “I can’t wait.” He hums softly with a shrug, “I think pizza. Just plain cheese and pepperoni.”

Her brows raise and she grins, "Pizza is classic, you can never go wrong with it."

He grins a little and shrugs, “Yeah, you can’t go wrong with cheese and bread. I definitely can’t eat it too much during Tourney season though.”

She laughs softly, "Yeah, it can definitely slow you down."

Sam smiles and raises his brows, “Speaking of, have the guys been any better?”

Mei bites her lip, "A little. There hasn't been a drastic change or anything, but now I'll at least receive a pass every once in a while."

He wrinkles his nose and nods his head, “Man those guys are the worst.”

She nods in agreement, "Yeah. I mean, I've got the best players on my side at least."

Sam smiles and shrugs, “I dunno about the best player but decent humans, yeah.”

Mei laughs, "You are one of the best! And a great human."

He waves his hand slightly and shrugs, “Thanks. You’re even better than all of us. I don’t know how you run so fast, it’s amazing.”

She laughs loudly, "I go running with my parents a few times a week, they're still faster than me. Warriors, you know?"

He shakes his head in disbelief, “I wouldn’t even be able to keep up.” Sam laughs and shrugs, “My dad wasn’t very sporty so I have no idea where this came from.”

Mei glances over at him with a smile, "What about your brother?"

Sam shrugs one shoulder and smiles, “I mean he’s athletic but not really into organized sports.”

She nods a little, "Did you ever take fencing?"

He shakes his head, “No but I’ve wanted to.”

Mei nods and smiles, "I had to take it for a physical education course as a kid."

Sam raises his brows, “Were you any good?”

She laughs, "I was okay. I got a solid B+ plus in it."

He chuckles and nods his head, “B+ is pretty good! I think I’ll have to give it a try.”

Mei grins, "I think you'd be good at it, you're agile."

Sam smiles and raises his brows at her, “You think?”

She nods and smiles, "Oh, definitely."

Sam smiles over at her before looking out the window, “So you commute every day then?” How’s that?”

Mei shrugs and smiles, "It's not so bad, I don't live too far. And my room is in the basement and has its own entrance and bathroom and kitchenette."

He hums and nods his head, “Sounds like a great deal to me! Plus no roommate right?”

She grins and nods, "No roommate, it's soooo nice. And I get free meals."

Sam groans softly and shakes his head, “I’m so jealous!”

Mei laughs and smiles at him, "Well, you can come over after practice whenever if you want some food and to get away from campus."

He grins at her with a nod, “I might take you up on the offer from time to time.”

She grins, "I'll be excited to have your company." She parks her car in the driveway, "We're here."

Sam smiles at her before looking at the house, “Wow, it’s really nice.”

Mei smiles at him and gets out, “Thank you.”

Sam gets out of the car and puts his hands in his pockets as he continues to look at the house, “Have you lived in this house your whole life?”

She shakes her head and smiles, "No, we used to live with my grandparents. This house is relatively new, do you wanna go in?"

He nods with a smile and motions to the house, “Lead the way.”

Mei smiles and leads him to the private entrance to the basementher apartment space then inside.

He follows behind her and raises his eyebrows as they enter, “Wow, this is awesome.”

“Thanks,” Mei grins, “I’m pretty happy with it.”

Sam smiles as he looks around her place, “I can’t wait to get my own place.”

Mei smiles at him, “It’s luxurious.”

Sam chuckles and nods his head, “It’s really nice.”

She smiles, “Do you want water or anything?”

He shakes his head as he puts his hands in his pockets, “I’m alright, thanks though.”

“Wanna sit?” She asks with a smile, motioning to the kitchen.

Sam nods and goes to sit down, “So you guys lived with your grandparents?”

Mei laughs and nods, “Yes, and my great grandmother when she was still alive.”

He tilts his head to the side with a smile, “Sounds nice. Do you have a lot of family? Cousins or anything?”

She shakes her head and smiles, “No, just us.”

Sam smiles with a nod, “So pretty small family then.”

Mei nods and shrugs, "I have like distant cousins, but no uncles or aunts or first cousins. Or siblings."

He shrugs with a soft chuckle, “Siblings are overrated. My brother can be such a dick.”

Her brows raise and she laughs, "I don't know, I have overbearing parents to make up for it."

Sam chuckles and nods his head, “Yeah I guess everyone has a weird family.”

“Tell me more about yours?” She asks with a smile, tilting her head to the side.

He wrinkles his nose and shrugs a little, “I mean there’s really not much. There’s my dad and Henry. Well, I assume there’s more family out there somewhere but pretty sure they wouldn’t want much to do with us.”

Mei frowns slightly, “Why not? You’re incredible, you know.”

Sam gives her a small smile and shrugs, “Thank you. My dad’s family is very ashamed of him and honestly, I don’t even know if they know we exist or care really. He really burned a lot bridges.”

She shakes her head, “Your father’s actions shouldn’t reflect on you.”

He nods and bites his lip, “Yeah I know but unfortunately the reputation still stands.”

Mei smiles, “Not with me. And my parents think highly of you cause I only speak highly of you.”

Sam smiles over at her, “Well, you’re special. And not like most people.”

She blushes a little and shakes her head, “I’m your friend.”

He looks down and nods his head, “I know. I’m really happy about that.”

Mei grins widely, “Me too.”

Sam looks up at her a smiles, “You’re also a really good friend.”

She nods and smiles, “You are too. An amazing friend.”

He chuckles and shrugs, “Well, I try.”

Mei grins and moves over to him to hug him.

Sam smiles and wraps his arms around her to return the hug.

She gives him a light squeeze and grins, “You’re a good hugger too.”

He chuckles and squeezes her as well before pulling back, “Am I?”

Mei grins and nods her head, “Very good, and that’s just from one hug.”

Sam grins down at her, “When’s dinner?”

She checks the time and smiles, “Half an hour, do you want to go up now or stay down here for now?”

He glances around the room and shrugs, “Show me more about your space.”

Mei nods and smiles, “Okay.” She gets up and holds her hands out to him.

He takes her hands and grins as he follows her.

She grins and brings him around the flat, showing him the kitchenette, her private bathroom, and also her own bedroom. "I'm pretty lucky, I won't deny it."

Sam follows her as he shows her around, “Yeah this is great! It’s so nice and cozy. I like it.”

Mei grins up at him, “Thank you.”

He grins down at her before nodding to the couch, “Example...this looks incredibly comfy.”

She grins and pulls him to sit, “It is!”

Sam sits with her and grins, “Wow, yeah this is great.”

Mei smiles, “You can always come over and crash on it if you need to.”

He grins with a nod, “I appreciate the offer.” Sam sinks into the couch more, “I’m gonna need a couch like this when I move.”

She laughs softly and nods. They hang out downstairs until its time for dinner. Mei is a little nervous but her parents seemed to really like having Sam over for dinner and they were very polite, not asking too much about the isle or his family, but more about him as a person. After dinner, Mei takes Sam out to the backyard to show him the treehouse that she and her dad built when she was younger. "So, did you enjoy your first Song family dinner?"

Sam follows Mei out of her house after dinner with a small smile, “The food was delicious. I hope your parents didn’t mind I was over.”

Mei laughs and looks over at him, "Are you joking? They were so excited that I finally had a friend over. And they always make soooo much food."

Sam puts his hands in his pockets and chuckles, “Just making sure. They were really nice though.”

She climbs up into the treehouse and smiles, "Thanks. I'm glad you didn't hate every minute of being here."

He follows after her and shakes her head, “How could I? It’s better than my dorm.”

Mei plops down on one of the bean bag chairs she has up there and smiles, “Well you’re welcome to come whenever.”

Sam looks around the treehouse and whistles softly, “Well this is amazing up here.”

“Thanks, it’s my private hang out,” she laughs, “You’re lucky I amended the rules, it used to be no boys allowed.”

He plops down on the bean bag next to her and grins, “Wow, I feel special.”

Mei giggles and looks at him, “Just don’t go advertising it. I don’t want anyone to think they have the same privileges as you.”

Sam holds his hand up, “Scouts honor.”

She grins widely at him and leans back, “Whats your favorite dessert?”

Sam hums softly and slouches more into the bean bag, “I’m not sure. I don’t eat a lot of sweets. What about you?”

Mei looks at him in disbelief, “Whaaat? Well, mine is a Chinese dessert. It’s where you fry banana and cover it with caramel and cinnamon sugar.”

He raises his eyebrows with a grin, “That sounds amazing!”

She grins at him. “We’ll have to make it for you next time.”

Sam smiles with a nod, “I can’t wait.”

Mei smiles widely, “It’ll change your life.”

He nods his head in response before laughing, “It sounds like it!” His phone buzzes softly and he looks down at it, “Oh my brother said he pick me up so you don’t have to drive me back.”

Her brows raise and she nods, “Oh, okay. Is he on his way?”

Sam texts him back and waits, “Yeah. He said he’d pick me up on the way back towards school.”

Mei nods and smiles, “Okay. I’m glad you got to come over.”

He smiles over at her, “Me too. I like hanging out with you.”

She grins widely, “I like it too. And this time we didn’t even have to climb one million steps.”

Sam laughs and leans his head back slightly, “That was beautiful though.”

Mei smiles and nods, “It was.”

He smiles back at her and nudges his foot against hers, “Next time I’ll buy some dinner or something.”

She grins shyly and nods, “That would be fun.”

Sam grins at her reaction before he feels his phone buzz, “Oh damn he’s almost here.”

Mei smiles at him, “I’ll walk you out.”

He nods and stands up before starting down the tree house ladder.

She follows him down and then smiles as she starts to walk him to the front yard, “I’m glad you came over.”

Sam smiles at her with a nod, “Well, thanks for inviting me.” He follows her towards the front of the house.

Mei nods and smiles, “Of course. You’re welcome anytime.” Henry pulls up with Jack in the passenger seat just as Mei and Sam get to the front yard. “Get in, loser, we’re going shopping!” Henry calls out with a smug grin.

Sam grins at her and nudges his elbow against hers, “Thanks. You’re a great friend.” He quickly looks towards the car and narrows his eyes immediately at his brother. Jack gasps at Henry before laughing and looking over at the two of them, “Do you guys need anything? Some snacks? A condom?”

Mei’s cheeks turn pink and she laughs, “Oh my gosh. They’re funny.” Henry chuckles, “Come on, Sammy, introduce us to your girlfriend!”

Sam flushes deeply and rubs his hand over his face, “I hate them both sometimes.” He starts over to the car, “This is my friend and teammate Mei. Mei, that’s my brother Henry and his...Jack.” Jack grins and waves at Mei, “I’ve seen you around and at the Tourney games right?”

She follows him over to the car to introduce herself more properly and nods, “Yeah. You can’t miss me, I’m the smallest on the team.” Henry reaches across Jack to shake Mei’s hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Mei. Sam talks about you a lot... says you’re an awesome Tourney player.”

Sam glares at Henry and coughs a little bit, “Well, thanks for picking me up.” Jack nods at Mei with a grin, “I get it. But being small is fun, you can get into everywhere. Tiny people are the best.” She looks over at Sam and then back at Mei, “Are you busy right now?”

Mei’s brows raise, “Me? Oh.. I mean not really.”

Jack grins before nodding to the car, “Let’s get ice cream. Get in, you two cuties.”

She looks at Sam and smiles, “If you’re okay with it...”

Sam gives her a small smile before looking up at his brother, “If it’s okay with Henry, then yeah..why no?” Jack reaches over and squeezes Henry’s leg, “He’ll say yes, riiighttt?”

Henry nods his head, “Yeah, that’s fine.” Mei smiles at Sam, “You’re sure?”

He nods his head and opens the door of the backseat for her, “Come on.” Jack grins and claps her hand, “I have the best ideas sometimes. I think there’s an ice cream place around the block.”

Mei gets into the car with a grin. Henry rolls his eyes and laughs, “Don’t get too smug. Buckle up back there, and no funny business.” Mei laughs and looks out the window as her face heats up again.

Jack gently hits his shoulder with a laugh, “Leave them alone! Sam’s a gentleman.” Sam rolls his eyes and nudges his foot against Mei before mouthing “I’m sorry.”

She looks at Sam and smiles before mouthing back “It’s Okay.” She reaches out and squeezes his hand reassuringly. Henry glances at Jack, “Oh now you wanna stop joining in.”

Sam smiles as his cheeks heat up slightly. Jack shrugs one shoulder and smiles, “I pick and choose. Only you get the pleasure of my constant teasing!” She grins and leans over to nudge her nose against his cheek.

Henry groans and rolls his eyes, “Wow, I am truly honored.” He turns his head quickly and flicks his tongue against her nose. Mei watches them and giggles quietly to herself before smiling at Sam.

Jack gasps at him before laughing, “Not in front of the kids, honey!” Sam shakes his head with a laugh before whispering to Mei, “They are insane.”

He rolls his eyes and pulls into the parking lot. “Alright, everyone out,” Henry says after parking before getting out and going around to get Jack’s door for her. Mei giggles at Sam, “Yeah, but it’s amusing.” She gets out of the car.

Sam laughs with her and shrugs one shoulder before getting out of the car. Jack thanks Henry as she slips out of the car and takes his hand. “So what were you two up to?”

Mei smiles, “Hanging out in the backyard after dinner.” Henry grins at Sam, “Did you like it? Been a long time since you had a home cooked meal.”

Sam shrugged one shoulder and nodded his head, “The food was great. Beats dining hall food for sure.”

Henry ruffles Sam’s hair and laughs before putting his arm around Jack as they go inside. Mei smiles at Sam and fixes his hair for him.

Sam wrinkles his nose and tries to stop his brother.  He smiles gratefully at Mei, “Thank you.” Jack grins and leans into Henry’s side as they enter the shop, “Oh I’m so excited.”

Mei nods and smiles, "You're welcome." Henry chuckles, "What are you getting?"

Sam looks up at the options and puts his hands in his pockets. Jack hums happily and shrugs, “I want something super sweet. Like birthday cake or something with extra sprinkles.”

Henry makes a face, "I think I got a cavity just from hearing that order." Mei laughs and then looks at Sam, "Anything calling to you?"

Jack nudges her elbow against his side gently, “It’s just as sweet as me.” Sam shakes his head at the other two before shrugging, “I’m not sure. There’s so many options. What about you?”

He shakes his head and laughs, "Maybe they have a sourpatch flavor for you then." Mei hums softly, "I think the peanut butter cookie dough sounds good."

Jack sticks out at her tongue at him, “What are you gonna get?” Sam nods in response, “That sounds amazing. I think I’m leaning towards the coffee one.”

Henry looks up at the menu, "S'mores, I think." Mei smiles, "You can have a bite of mine if you want."

Jack smiles up at him, “Great choice. Will you share with me if I share with you?” Sam grins and nods, “And you can have a bite of mine if you want.”

He nods and smiles, "Of course." He steps up with her and nods for her to order first. Mei grins and nods, "Sounds great."

She grins and leans up to kiss his cheek as she goes to order her ice cream in a cone. Sam smiles at her before looking at the toppings, “Man there’s so many options here.”

Henry orders his ice cream, getting a chocolate dipped waffle cone and he tells the cashier he's paying for the four of them. Mei grins at him, "Just close your eyes and point."

Jack asks for some extra sprinkles before taking her cone from the worker. Sam chuckles and nods his head, “Go ahead, you order first.”

He rolls his eyes at Jack but smiles fondly at the same time. Mei nods and smiles, "Okay." she steps up and orders her ice cream in a bowl.

Sam waits until she’s finished and orders his own in a bowl.

Henry pays for the four of them and Mei raises her brows, "Oh, thank you, Henry." He nods and smiles, "You're welcome." He looks at Sam and nods with a wink before taking Jack's hand and pulling her to a table for four.

Sam goes to reach for his wallet until he sees Henry pay for them all. He takes his cup and nods at his brother, “Thanks.” They both follow Henry over to the table.

Mei sits down and smiles at Sam,  "What'd you end up getting?" Henry takes a bite of his ice cream before holding a spoonful to Jack's lips.

Sam sits next to her with a smile, “I got coffee and put chocolate chips and brownie bits in it.” Jack licks some of her ice cream with a hum before grinning at Henry and eating the spoonful, “Oh yeah, good choice, babe.” She holds her cone out to him.

She grins widely, "Oooh that sounds good. I put peanut butter cups in mine." Henry grins and breaks off a piece of his chocolate dipped cone, "Here you go."

Sam nudges his cup towards her, “Here, try some.” Jack takes the piece and eats it happily, “Yummm!” She smiles and licks more of her ice cream, some sprinkles falling on the table.

Mei pushes hers to him and grins as she eats a bite, nodding her head, "Very good choices, Sam." Henry watches Jack with an amused smile, "You're wasting your extra sprinkles."

Jack looked down at the fallen sprinkles and pouts, “Damn it.” Sam takes a bite of hers and hums, “Wow, I think I like peanut butter!” He chuckles and looks over the other two, “How’s yours, guys?”

Henry laughs and kisses her cheek. He looks at Sam and smiles, "Good, wanna try some?" He holds his cone out to his brother.

Jack wrinkles her nose before smiling at his kiss. Sam nods as he pushes his cup towards his brother and takes the cone to try a bite. “Mm..S’mores is good but Mei’s is better.”

Mei grins brightly and Henry finishes his bite of Sam's before taking his cone back, "Well, I'd rather get a root canal from eating Jack's than try yours again."

Sam chuckles and eats more of his ice cream, “I like it.” Jack grins widely and holds her cone out to Henry, “Root canal time?”

Henry wrinkles his nose but takes a small bite. "It's good, but definitely too sweet for me." Mei laughs and looks at Sam, "Aww, you both do that."

Jack grins as she shrugs and eats more of her own. Sam raises his eyebrows as he looks at Henry and laughs, “Yeah, I guess we do.”

"It's cute," Mei giggles and eats more ice cream. Henry holds his cone out for Jack again.

Sam smiles at her as he cheeks heat up slightly. Jack licks more of Henry’s cone before smirking over at the other two, “So are you two dating?”

Mei blushes deeply and her brows raise, “We’re friends.”

Sam widens his eyes and shakes his head, “Yeah, we’re friends, jeez Jack.” The girl shrugs innocently and licks her ice cream.

Henry laughs, “And you told me to behave.”

Sam chuckles softly as she eats his ice cream, “Are you two dating officially?” He points between Henry and Jack.

He shrugs his shoulders, "We've always been dating."

Jack nods in agreement as she reaches over to steal his spoon for another bite of his ice cream. Sam rolls his eyes and shrugs a little, “This ice cream is really good though. Good suggestion.”

Henry watches her and huffs. Mei nods and smiles, "It is, thank you for inviting me."

Jack grins and hands the spoon back, “Sure thing. Ice cream makes every night better!”

Mei laughs, "Not that I was having a bad one." She looks at Sam with a smile.

Sam smiles back at her and nods in agreement, “Agreed.”

Henry watches them and then looks at Jack knowingly.

Jack starts to eat her cone as she looks from them to Henry and giggles. “Cute.”

He laughs and rubs her back as he finishes up his ice cream. Mei smiles at Sam, "Want one more bite before it's all gone?"

Jack scoots closer and kisses Henry’s cheek. Sam nods with a smile, “Yeah, I’m definitely trying that next time.”

Henry looks at her and smiles, "Thanks for suggesting ice cream." Mei pushes her ice cream towards him and she grins, "I always try to get a different flavor every time."

She grins with a shrug, “Thanks for humoring me and actually taking us.”  Sam takes another bite of hers and hums happily before holding his out, “That’s smart. Want more of mine?”

He laughs and raises his brows, "When do I ever say no to you?" She nods and smiles, "Maybe just one bite." Mei takes a bite of his ice cream and nods her head.

Jack giggles with a shrug, “I mean never but you sometimes give me some grief.” She nudges her nose against his. Sam smiles and raises his brows, “Good?”

Henry smirks, "It wouldn't be on brand if I didn't." Mei grins and nods, "Oh, yeah."

She rolls her eyes and smiles, “Well luckily, I like it.” Sam grins and finishes the rest of his ice cream.

He laughs and nods, "Oh, I know you do." She finishes her ice cream and smiles, "That hit the spot."

Jack smiles and finishes up her ice cream. Sam nods in agreement, “Same. Thank god we had practice today and I don’t feel too guilty for all the delicious food tonight.”

Mei laughs and nods her head, "Ohhh, yeah. We work too hard to not indulge ourselves from time to time."

Sam nods in agreement, “You’re right.” He looks over at the other two, “What did you guys do before this?”

Henry looks at Jack and then back at Sam, "She made me go flying or whatever."

Jack grins and nods her head, “I wanted to show him Belle’s Harbor from above.” Sam widens his eyes a little, “How high do you guys go up?”

Mei chokes a little, "I'm sorry, did you say fly!?"

Jack laughs and nods her head, “Yeah of course. With pixie dust!”

She laughs and her eyes widen, "Oh, yeah.. of course.." Henry looks at Jack, "I don't know how high, probably as high as any of the towers. Maybe even higher?"

Jack nods in agreement and smiles, “Yeah, that’s about as high as the dust will let us go. It’s not like we can go to space or anything.” Sam chuckles and shakes his head, “Magic is crazy.”

Mei nods in agreement and laughs, “That must be so exhilarating!” Henry shrugs, “Its okay.”

Sam wrinkles his nose a little, “Sounds a little scary. How do you know it won’t just stop working?” Jack laughs and waves her hand, “That doesn’t happen. It’s the strongest magic out there. It works if you believe it will.”

Henry looks at Jack, “Stronger than Rose’s?”

Jack shrugs one shoulder, “Probably. I mean Rose is strong. But when the faeries use the pixie dust, it controls so much in Auradon that you don’t even realize. I don’t have actual magic in me, just this little bag of it.”

Mei laughs, “That’s insane. No one tell Rose that.”

Sam laughs and nods in agreement. Jack laughs with them and shrugs, “She probably knows at this point. I swear she’s always carrying that magic book, who knows what’s in it.”

Henry shakes his head, “I’m just glad Briar doesn’t have a hold of it.”

Jack nods her head and laughs, “He’s really a dick, isn’t he?”

Mei looks at them, “Oh, if I see him coming anywhere near me I take the biggest detour to get to where I need to be.”

Sam chuckles, “I don’t blame you. He’s a bully.”

Henry leans back in his chair, "Not that Rose is much better, but Ben's reformed her or whatever."

He nods and shrugs a little, “Yeah, both of them were known to tease me.” Sam chuckles and shakes his head.

Mei raises her brows and smiles, "Really?"

Sam shrugged and laughed, “I mean, they picked on everyone who walked by them especially on the Isle since there was no power except being evil. Poor Evie probably got most of it.”

Her brows raise, "Evie? I thought her and Rose were best friends..." Henry shook his head and let out a low whistle, "That wasn't always the case."

Jack also furrows her brow at them, “Really? I didn’t know that.”

Henry nods, "Oh yeah. Evie didn't invite her to her birthday party as a child."

Jack laughed softly before covering her mouth, “Wow, that’s ironic.”

He laughs and nods, "Yeah, and Rose's mom cursed Evie and her mom. It was a mess, but clearly they worked it out."

Sam chuckles and shakes his head, “There was just as much drama back in the Isle as there is here.”

Mei shakes her head in awe and laughs, "Crazy. I thought you'd all have faired a little bit better in that since you didn't have Eliza around."

He smiles at her and shakes his head, “Nah, the amount of nice people here make up for the Elizas of Auradon.”

Henry gags, "Fuck Eliza."

Jack leans her chin on his shoulder with a grin, “Don’t fuck Eliza. You can only do that with me.” Sam makes a face and rubs his forehead.

Mei makes a face and looks at Sam with wide eyes. Henry smirks, "Not in front of the children, dear."

Jack smirks and nips at his jaw. “Okay!” Sam groans as he puts his hands up, “Let’s go.” He chuckles and shakes his head at Mei before standing up.

She laughs and stands up with him. Henry gets up and holds his hand out to Jack.

Jack grins and takes his hand, standing up. “This was fun, right?”

Henry smiles and her and nods, starting to lead them back to the car, "It was. Good idea, Jack." Mei smiles, "Thanks again for inviting me."

Sam nodded with Mei, “Yeah, thank. It was fun.” Jack smiles and kisses Henry’s cheek quickly before nodding, “No problem.”

He leans down and pecks her lips with a smile. Mei watches them and then glances at Sam.

Jack grins up at him before going to get in the car. Sam gives Mei a quick smile before getting in the car.

Henry opens Jack's door for her before going around and getting in. Mei gets into the backseat with Sam.

Sam leans over to Mei in the car and lowers his voice, “Sorry, they are a bit crazy sometimes.”

Mei looks at him and smiles, "It's okay." Henry starts to drive back to Mei's house.

He smiles with a nod as he leans back into his seat.

She laughs and squeezes his hand for a moment. Henry looks at Jack, "Yours or mine?"

Sam gives her a small grin and squeezes her hand back. Jack hums softly and smiles at him, “We can do yours tonight if you want.”

Henry nods his head, "Alright. Sammy, am I taking you to your dorm?"

Sam looks up at Henry and nods his head, “Yeah, back to the dorm.”

He smirks, "And Mei, am I taking you home or you going to Sammy's dorm with him?" Mei's cheeks heat up and her brows raise. "Oh, home please," she squeaks out.

Sam blushes a little with her and chuckles softly.

Henry laughs and nods, looking at Jack and winking.

Jack grins over at him and shakes her head.

He grins and reaches over, squeezing her leg.

She smirks and puts her hand over his.

Henry parks in front of Mei's house and smiles, "It was nice to meet you, Mei. I'm sure we'll be seeing you around more."

Jack looks back at them and smiles, “It was so fun. We’ll have to do this again!” Sam smiles and nods, “I’ll walk you to your door.” He slides out of the car.

Mei grins and nods, "Definitely. Thanks again," she waves at them before getting out of the car and she smiles shyly at Sam.

Sam leads her over to her door and smiles, “Sorry for them. They are something else. But I had fun hanging out with you.”

She giggles and shakes her head, "No, it's okay, they're funny. I had fun hanging out with you, too."

He grins and shrugs a little, “See you at practice then?”

Mei nods and smiles, "See you at practice." She hugs him goodbye.

Sam smiles and hugs her back for a moment before pulling at away and heading back to the car with a wave.

She waves back before going inside.

Sam smiles and jogs back to the car, slipping in the backseat.

Henry smirks, "Did you get a goodnight kiss?"

Sam rolls his eyes at them, “We are friends.”

He laughs, "If you say so. You don't act like just friends."

He looks out the window and shrugs, “Well, you don’t have many friends so how would you know?” Jack raises her eyebrows and giggles softly as she looks over at Henry.

Henry rolls his eyes and looks at Jack, "Thanks for the back up, babe."

Jack giggles louder and shrugs, “I mean...you guys did seem to give each other cute little smiles, that’s all. You know the little smiles that Henry gives me.” She grins and squeezes his hand. Sam rolls his eyes, “You guys are so embarrassing.”

He grins and squeezes Jack's hand back and laughs. "Yeah, even if I don't have friends, which I do by the way-- I know what it looks like to flirt."

Sam shakes his head at them, “We weren’t flirting.”

Henry arches a brow, "You two were sharing ice cream."

He rolls his eyes and laughs, “So? It’s not like we were feeding each other.”

He hums and nods, "Yeah, you gotta save that for the second date."

Jack laughs and looks back at Sam, “Well even if you weren’t flirting, she kinda was. She may like you.”

Henry raises his brows, "Yeah, I saw those hand squeezes."

Sam flushes slightly and shrugs again, “We’re friends. Can we drop this conversation?”

He grins and nods, "Sure, buddy."

Jack smiles over at Henry and nods her head. Sam looks at them then out the window again, “Thank you.”

Henry smiles, "I'm glad you're making friends, though. She seems really sweet."

Jack nods in agreement, “Yeah, she’s great!” Sam smiles a little and shrugs, “She’s nice. And a really great tourney player.”

He glances at him in the rearview mirror, "How are the rest of the guys on the team?"

Sam wrinkles his nose, “As players pretty good. As people, some are shitty.”

Henry raises his brows, "How do you mean?"

He clears his throat a little and looks over at his brother, “They are kind of dicks to Mei and really won’t play with her even though she’s one of the best on the team.”

He glances at Jack and fights a smirk before looking back at Sam, "You sticking up for her then?"

Sam nods his head and shrugs, “As much as I can. I mean we really could go far in the championships this year with her.” Jack smiles at Henry, “Thats really nice of you to stand up for her. Those guys are idiots.”

Henry nods his head, "Are you the only one siding with her?"

He shakes his head, “No I think Ben and Nolan are trying to get the guys to come around.”

He shakes his head and laughs, "How princely of them."

Sam chuckles and shrugs a little bit, “If I was captain I guess I would be a little more stern than them though.”

Henry looks at him, "Tell them that."

He shakes his head, “I’m still an underclassman. There’s not much I can do.”

He shrugs, "Then I'll fucking talk to them."

Sam shakes his head more and waves his hand, “No, no, don’t do that. I’ll talk to them. I mean everyone knows how good she is.”

Henry pulls up to the dorms and raises his brows, "Okay. You better or Jack will probably show up and kick some of the guys' shins."

Jack grins and nods her head, “Give me names and I’ll hit them somewhere even more important to them than their shins.” Sam laughs at them and shakes his head, “Thanks but I got it. I’ll see you guys later. Thanks for the ride and the ice cream, Henry.”

He nods and smiles, "You're welcome. Let me know if you need to borrow the car anytime soon."

Sam nods with a smile before getting out of the car and heading into his dorm.

Henry looks at Jack and laughs, "Should we make bets on when him and Mei start dating?"

She squeezes his hand and giggles, “Oh god. I have no idea. They are really cute but really shy.”

He laughs, “I say three months tops.”

Jack laughs and raises her eyebrows, “You think that long?!!”

Henry nods and laughs, “Yeah, they’re too shy.”

Jack grins and shrugs her shoulders, “Yeah, that makes sense. Well, she seems less shy than him. I bet she makes the first move.”

He laughs and starts to drive them to the frat, “You think so?”

She nods with a smile, “You and Sam are very different but I still had to make the first move on you. Granted it was tormenting you into liking me but still.”

Henry dramatically rolls his eyes, “That’s not how it went.”

Jack leans over and puts her chin on his shoulder, “Okay how did it then?”

He laughs, “I wanted to fuck you. You were annoying. I got you to stop being annoying long enough for us to fuck. Then you were hooked ever since.” He smirks as he teases.

She nipped at his jaw with a smirk, “I wanted to fuck you so I annoyed you until you couldn’t ignore me.”

Henry shakes his head and laughs, “I almost whipped my cock out at a party in order for you to stop.”

Jack giggles and kisses his shoulder, “Oh that’s when I really knew I wanted you because you would’ve done it.”

He laughs loudly, “I’m just glad it worked out.”

She smiles with a nod, “Me too. You’re cute and fun.”

Henry smiles at her, “And I’m good in bed.”

Jack grins and shrugs one shoulder, “Thats true.”

He smirks and parks the car, “Thank you.” He gets out and goes to get her door.

She hops out of the car and thanks him before taking his hand.

Henry takes her hand and leads her inside. He almost bumps into Carson when they go in. “Watch where you’re going, Westgate,” she smirks. He chuckles, “Oh, Hey, CJ. Not sure how I could’ve missed you.” Carson folds her arms over chest, “Yeah, me neither. Where  ya been? Poker hasn’t been the same without you.” Henry chuckles, “I got tired of you taking all my money.” She laughs, “Think about coming back? We need a pretty face other than mine to distract the rest of the room.” Henry laughs softly, “I’ll think about it, later Ceej.” Carson nods and grins, “Later, H.” She leaves and Henry brings Jack up to his room.

Jack follows him inside and raises her eyebrows as they run into Carson. She narrows her eyes at the girl and Henry as they talk, feeling her blood start to boil as their conversation continues. She lets him lead them into his room and immediately lets go of his hand with a huff.

His brows furrow, “What’s wrong?”

She shrugs and sits down on his bed, “Nothing. You can go down and play poker with CJ. I can go home.”

Henry looks at her confusedly, “What? I just said I wasn’t gonna play.”

Jack waves her hand to shoo him off, “Go play.” She stands up and starts towards the door.

He shakes his head and takes her wrist, “Jack, stop, I’m not going to play.”

She pulls her wrist away and narrows her eyes at him, “Could’ve fooled me with how I just became invisible that entire conversation. I mean I saw how she was looking at you.”

Henry shakes his head, “Carson does not look at me any sort of way. And she’s just bad at talking to girls.”

Jack crosses her arms and shakes her head, “No. I know girls, I know how she was looking at you and you guys must’ve hooked up at some point. Now she wanted to rub it in my face because she hates me.”

He looks at her with his jaw slightly opened, “Carson is not like that, us hooking up has nothing to do with that conversation, Jack.”

She raises her eyebrows at him, “So you did hook up? When? Recently?”

Henry sighs heavily, “Two years ago, we’re just friends.”

Jack wrinkles her nose, “Carson doesn’t see it that way clearly.”

He shakes his head, “That’s not true. Jack, we were standing there holding hands!”

Jack shakes her head and throws her arms up a little bit, “It was like I didn’t even exist! She only had eyes for you! You are my boyfriend, not hers!”

Henry goes to counter back but stops when he realizes what she said. “I’m your boyfriend?” He grins slowly.

Jack widens her eyes slightly and opens her mouth to say something before closing it and narrowing her eyes, “You know what I mean. Whatever, I’m out of here.” She turns to open the door again.

He pulls her to him and smirks, “If you want me to be your boyfriend, that’s all you had to say.”

Jack makes a soft sound in surprise, “I didn’t say that.”

His brows raise and he grins, “Really? Cause you put a big emphasis on the words ‘my boyfriend.’”

She bites her lower lip and looks away from him, “Well...I don’t know.”

Henry pulls her into him more, “Jack..”

Jack keeps her eyes on his chest and slowly moves her fingers along his shoulders, “Yeah?”

He kisses her temple before whispering, “I’ll be your boyfriend.”

She looks up at him with a small smile, “Are you sure?”

Henry nods and smiles, “Be my girlfriend?”

Jack smiles wider and nods her head, “Yeah..I mean I can’t promise I’ll be great at it or anything. In fact, I’ll probably be terrible, is that okay?”

He shrugs and laughs. “Yes, cause I would have no idea if you were terrible or not. I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

She laughs softly and puts her hand on the side of his neck, “Okay...I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Henry smiles, "I might not be the best boyfriend."

Jack shakes her head and shrugs, “I don’t think so. I think you’re pretty great at everything you do.”

He raises his brows, "Really?"

She laughs and nods her head, “Of course. You’re the smartest person in the world. Pretty damn good in bed. You’ve picked up flying really fast! I don’t know I bet you could go play tourney right now and kick everyone’s ass.”

Henry tilts his head to the side as he looks at her, "I didn't know you thought so highly of me."

Jack shrugs one shoulder and smiles, “There’s no one else I’ve wanted to be my boyfriend or even whatever we were before so you had to know you were special.”

He moves his hands to her face and kisses her deeply.

Jack smiles and puts her hands over his as she returns the deep kiss.

Henry kisses her harder and steps closer to her.

She kisses him back for a moment before pulling back slightly, “I’m sorry for being crazy.”

He shakes his head, "You're not crazy."

Jack gives him a little look and laughs, “Yes I am. I was being jealous and I just..don’t trust Carson. I have nothing against her but I don’t know, it’s like I don’t know if she has a vendetta against me.”

Henry raises his brows, "Because of your parents?"

She shrugs a little bit and wrinkles her nose, “Well yeah she’s been cold in the past and of course I never cared and tried to get along now how she was just looking at you...I feel like she is going to try to hook up with you.”

He shakes his head, "She won't, and even if she tried, I wouldn't hook up with her."

Jack nods her head with a small smile, “Okay, I’m trusting you. But sorry for flipping out on you.”

Henry nods, "I forgive you. And it wasn't so bad, it got you to admit you want me as your boyfriend."

She giggles and pulls him down as she leans up to kiss him.

He grins and returns the kiss.

Jack smiles into the kiss and presses herself closer to him.

Henry picks her up and wraps her legs around his waist.

Jack giggles softly into the kiss as she wraps her arms around his neck.

He grins and pulls back, "I love how little you are."

She plays with his hair as she smiles, “I love how big and strong you are.”

Henry grins and nips at her lower lip, "How do boyfriends and girlfriends have sex?"

Jack smirks and gently tugs on his hair, “Why don’t we find out?”

He chuckles and picks her up higher, "Maybe they do it just like this?"

She brushes her lips against his with a smirk, “Pressed against the door? And really rough?”

Henry nods his head and smirks, "Exactly." He sets her down to quickly start to get her clothes off of her.

Jack helps him undress then starts to work on his clothes.

He laughs as he gets clothes off before picking her up against and kissing her heatedly.

Jack grins as he picks her back up and presses her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

Henry kisses her hard and presses her bag against the wall.

She whimpers into the kiss and tugs on his hair.

He moves his hand to rub her center quickly as they kiss.

Jack moans into the kiss as she rocks her hips forward.

Henry rubs her eagerly and sucks on her tongue.

She gasps against his lips as she tugs on his hair.

He hums and massages her tongue with his as he teases her clit.

Jack whimpers as she moves her tongue with his and gently digs her nails into his shoulder blade.

He groans against her lips and pulls back to kiss down her neck.

Jack leans her head back against the door as she moans louder and slides her hand down his front.

Henry sucks on her skin to leave a mark as he rubs at her clit.

She moans his name and brushes her hand against his length.

He makes a small noise against her skin and kisses down to her collarbone.

Jack moves her thumb over his tip as she whimpers.

Henry groans and slips two fingers past her entrance.

She moans louder and rocks her hips forward.

He thrusts his fingers and sucks on her collarbone.

Jack moves her hand around his length as she whimpers, “Henry..”

"Jack," he mumbles against her skin and moans.

She grips his length and moves it up and down as few times.

Henry groans and looks up at her lustfully.

She leans forward and nips at his lower lip, “I want you.”

He nods his head and sets his tip as he entrance before pulling her hips down onto him.

She slides her hands back up to his shoulder as she whimpers his name.

Henry groans and starts to thrust his hips up into hers.

Jack cries out softly as she rests her forehead against his.

He looks up into her eyes and smirks, "You're so tight and wet for me.."

She lets out a moan as she tugs on his hair, “Only for you.”

Henry moans and pulls them away from the wall and smirks as he holds her tight and thrusts up into her hard and fast.

Jack rocks her hips down to meet his as she moans his name.

He groans and looks up at her, and he grips her hips to move them up and down with his thrusts more.

She grips on his hair as she cries out, “Don’t stop...”

Henry lets out a series of grunts and moves their hips harder and faster.

Jack tenses up as she cries out and closes her eyes when she hits her climax.

He thrusts his hips hard a few more times before climaxing with a loud groan, releasing inside of her.

She drops her head into his neck as she moans his name against his skin.

Henry whimpers as he pumps his hips a few more times before pressing her back against the wall for stability.

Jack slides her hands down his arms as she tries to catch her breath.

He kisses down her neck and pants softly.

She sighs happily and tilts her head to the side.

Henry groans as he pulls out of her and sets her down.

Jack whimpers softly then  leans back against the door with a smile.

He grins and kisses her jaw.

Jack tilts her head to the side as she laughs.

Henry holds her close and grins.

She wraps her arms around his middle and looks up at him with a grin.

He leans down and kisses her forehead.

Jack smiles and closes her eyes, “Cute cute cute.”

Henry chuckles, “I mean, I am your boyfriend.”

She grins and presses herself closer, “Yeah true. But always cute.”

He laughs and picks her up, carrying her to the bed.

Jack giggles and wraps her legs around him as they lay back.

He holds her tight and rubs her back before pulling the blankets over them.

Jack smiles and kisses his temple gently.

Henry smiles and closes his eyes, "This was a good night."

Jack runs her fingers through his hair as she closes her eyes, “Because you became my boyfriend officially?”

He nods and smiles, "Duh."

She giggles softly as she hums softly, “It was though.”

Henry smiles and holds her close.

Jack leans her head against his shoulder as she smiles, “Tired?”

He nods his head and smiles, "Yeah."

She nudges her nose against his, “Lets sleep.”

Henry nods and smiles, "Goodnight, Jack.."

Jack cuddles into him more as she yawns, “Goodnight...”

He rubs her back until they fall asleep.