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grigori77 · 2 years

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Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 38

Matt, attempting to pick between a French and Cajun accent as Gambit ... oh dear ... on the other hand, Taliesin for the Mr Sinister love, nice one mate. Then there's Laura, looking PARTICULARLY cute as Rogue, which is nice. And then there's Marisha, who genuinely IS Jean Grey in that outfit ...

Meanwhile Sam clearly didn't get the memo since he turned up as Mr Fantastic. WHO ISN'T AN X-MAN!!! As the others continually remind him ... also those ridiculous extendo-arms are CLEARLY gonna be an issue going forward. I foresee considerable dice chaos with THAT shit.

Mighty Nein reunion? Really? Oooooooh ... sweet!

Liamreally committing to the Cyclops goggles might be a mistake too. We shall see ...

More whispers of U'kotoa ... XD

IT'S THURSDAY NIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT ...

Damn it ... yet again Marisha is missing from the table. I really am starting to hate this.

Okay, come on ... come on ... this really is gonna be weird if we get super emotional with everybody in fancy dress like this.

FCG: "Lady Vex, is your husband gonna be okay with this?" Vex: "He'll have to be."

Pike says to stay hydrated, kids!

Friend or a fight ... hmmmm ...

Fearne complimenting Pike is still some meta weirdness. That ain't going away any time soon.

Yeah, Delilah's kind of like herpes, really ...

FCG: "You need to hold my hand?" Sam shoves an extendo-arm into Matt's face. He accepts the joke with impressive grace, actually. Somehow Sam does not derail the solemnity of the moment.

Come back to us, Laudna. Please come back ...

Orym making red poppies bloom in Laudna's hair, that's so sweet. ONE SUCCESS!!! YES!!!

FCG: "You may not have been perfect, but you have loved, and a soul that loves at least TOUCHES perfection." Cast Compel? Seriously? NATURAL 1?!!! SHIT!!! Did he ... did he lose her?

Imogen, you're our BEST HOPE. You got this ...

Fuck, Imogen's contribution ... that's just ... fuck, she's crying and I'm crying and we're all crying ... persuasion check ... oh fuck, no ... 7? Shit ...

Gods, please, PLEASE let this work anyway ...

Wait, Pike's all floaty, that's a good sign, right?

Matt, get this resurrection roll right, man ... damn it, he's taking a picture again ...

Oh no ... what ... what does that mean?

Pike slaps Laudna awake! Wait ... MARISHA IS BACK!!! SHE'S BACK!!! YES!!! Everybody's so happy and everything is right with the world again.

Oh gods I love that Laudna's first thoughts are to ask after IMOGEN. That's love, baby!

FCG casts Detect Thoughts on her ... tiny emotional roller-coaster, man!

Vex is aiming a bow at Laudna! Yeah, that's about right ...

Seriously? Sam's gonna take a piss NOW?!!!

It's Laudna. Pike says it's JUST Laudna ... so is she gone? Insight check? Pike seems honest ... phew.

Yeah, they're in Whitestone. Chetney, to Laudna: "It's not like it was!"

Laudna has NOTHING to be sorry for ... hey, stop messing with her, stop telling her it's been YEARS!!! I mean yeah it's funny but still!

Whoa, riflemen? Fascinating ...

Yeah, that's right, WOULD SHE know who either of these women are? Intelligence of 6? Really?

Laudna: "You're very pretty." Vex: "So are you." Okay ... more meta weirdness.

Holy shit, the place is SURROUNDED!!! Yup, that's gotta be Percy. Yeah, it is. I am not even remotely surprised.

Laudna remembers what it used to be as she sees what is now ... oh, the Sun Tree, that's gotta be a hell of a thing. Laudna wants to go to it and I do not blame her at all.

Raise Dead ... yeah, that's right, she's gonna be a mess for a while after that.

Travis continues to roll like shit and I love how enthusiastic he is about it. XD

Laudna wondering if this isn't just one of Delilah's tricks hurts so much ... she's just TRAUMATISED right now, isn't she? She's still imagining the OLD Sun Tree with the hanging bodies ... the kids! Oh ...

Wow, the kid actually getting that she's FUN scary is so sweet ... oh man, Pate is gonna just blow this kid's mind fight now! "He smells funny!" Laudna: "He knows, he's a little sensitive about it."

That is SUCH a different thing from the scared kid's in the first episode, it hits SO HARD ...

Laudna hugs the Sun Tree ...

New Form of Dread ... wow ... she's embodying the Sun Tree in its life cycle! That's so awesome! Like magical therapy!

Uh oh, here comes Percy ... be nice, please ...

Holy fuck ... is he actually APOLOGISING?!!! My gods he is ... wow ... growth, man! Nice one!

Laudna: "I named my pet rat after you." Percy: "I'm sorry?"

The Sun Tree is warm ... EVERYBODY TOUCH IT!!! Ashton: "I'm just enjoying the view right now, I don't know if I can. It's just hilarious." Meanwhile Chetney gets wood ...

Yeah, Keyleth talks to the tree, everybody knows that. Laudna: "Hello, tree."

Vex continues to twist Percy around her little finger and I love it. To be honest I think he's mellowing in his old age ...

Ooooh ... Vex takes them on a tour of Whitestone.

Pike REALLY has to look up at Fearne. I love it. Seriously, Ashley are you REALLY gonna pick your old character's pocket? Whoa ... the holy symbol? Oh boy ... yeah, that wasn't gonna work, was it? Nice she gave her a pass, though. XD

Sam sneezes during Laudna's big emotional revelation. For once Ashley doesn't tell him to stop it ...

Ooooooh ... Find Familiar? Is this gonna work? Oh please let this work, the possibilities for chaos are GIGANTIC.

Fuck, it speaks! That is BRILLIANT!!!

Matt doing Familiar Pate is so fucking mental, I love it! XD this is gonna ne a riot.

Fuck, this just keeps getting better ... and Travis is DEFINITELY creeped out ... Laudna is starting to rethink this and realising it won't actually end ... hmmmm ... oh, yes, he hides in her hair, that could work ...

FCG is reminded of Shithead ... Laudna suggests he use it as therapy. Yeah, that's actually smart.

Awwwww ... Vox Machina memory lane ...

Okay, fancy dinner, this should be entertaining.

Guide Osly Kamida. Okay.

Okay, is FCG actually offering Percy some THERAPY right now?

Oh sweet, a reminder of Taryon and Doty! Awwww ... yeah, actually that might be a smart port of call for FCG actually.

Oh boy, Fearne is actually really asking for a tiny pistol for Mister. A Gunkey! Adorable ... XD Flaming shit, yes ... Holy shit, this is actually gonna work ...

Percy: "Certainly the most interesting dinner we've had in a while."

Imogen's quick thinking helps Vex avoid a Laudna triggering lobster course crisis ... Nice one. Then she checks for invisible guards with Detect Thoughts. Smart.

Mister gets his tiny pistol. Okay ... this could be problematic ... Percy advises Fearne wait until AFTER they leave the city before giving it to him, which is definitely for the best ...

Rapidly prepared potato soup ... yeah ...

One last little talk before retirement ... here we go. Oh yeah, Everybody Loves Manners ...

Oh fuck yeah, the residuum ... hmmm ... AND the Potions of Possibility ... yeah, this is gonna unsettle them a bit.

Yeah, nobody like the Cerberus Assembly much ...

So Percy already hashish eye on the Apogee Solstice, makes sense. Yeah, tell him about Ruidus. The cage, AND the city ... whoa, he doesn't seem surprised at all. That is FASCINATING. Does he know something already? Holy fuck HE DOES!!!

The Divine Gate. The post Calamity boundary between this world and that of the gods. Oh ... so the thing with Ruidus MIGHT be something else, then ...

Bloody hell Sam, what the fuck are you doing with your flask this time? Bloody hell, way to derail the whole episode ... XD

Friends in Vasselheim ... oh yes indeed ...

Fearne: "So this ... I'm sorry, I don't know anything." XD

Chetney compliments Percy on his clock tower. Uh huh ... years of intensity. Yup ...

No Chetney, the world is NOT flat. Percy sets him straight. I doubt it'll take ...

Oh yeah, call up Eshteross' friend to open the tree up for them. Smart.

Oh boy, the moment Percy leaves Chetney starts flirting with Vex. That's adorable.

D'awwwwwwww ... Laudna and Vex bonding ... it's gone beyond just a shocking reminder for her now, she really has become find of her now, hasn't she?

Did Fearne just invite Vex to some bedroom shenanigans?

LIKE a real family? They ARE a real one now, surely. XD Taliesin's costume makes the group hug a bit weird.

Camping trip out by the Sun Tree. Perfect. Oh, and it's warm there too, that works.

Matt: "And we're gonna go to break!" Everybody cheers when they realise the group are FINALLY back together, and NOW they're doing the mTh on JUST HOW CLOSE they came to failing ... oof ...

Yeah, that 2 part Mighty Nein reunion special sounds pretty frickin sweet, my man ...

Oh fuck no not another FUCKING RUIDUS DREAM for Imogen! And she's just IN THE STORM straight away ... FCG is with her, okay, that worked. Interesting ...

Is Otohan there? 16 on a Perception roll ... there's SOMEONE here, moving around in the dust. They go to follow them ...

Not Otohan, someone BIGGER. Hmmm ... ah shit, they're gone. Oh, so they were a ghost ... like with Bertrand ... someone just died? Oh fuck, who is it? Please not Eshteross ...

Really? You guys are gonna try to FLY in this? Well, at least that means they CAN use their spells here. But what kind of spell slots do they have? Ah ... FCG can't use HIS magic here, then. Hmmm ...

Oh, well THAT didn't work ... now they're just getting CHUCKED AROUND something awful.

19 Perception check ... Imogen is the same, but indistinct. Because it's a dream of course, surely. FCG thinks it makes her look cool.

Imogen tries to Message Eshteross through her dream ... no joy? What does THAT mean?

Oh, so it's not her magic, just her WILL that makes all that work. Okay.

And now they're in SPACE. FCG: "Where are we?" Imogen: "We're on the moon, bitch!"

Wake up ... well, at least they got a long rest.

Liam: "Orym's been doing crunches for 20 minutes."

Does Fearne have Speak With Plants? Technically since she just woke up, she could ...

Laudna lets Imogen keep the necklace. She will get a lot more use out of it, after all.

Matt: "So Fearne, are you doing this?" Cue laughter ... arexwe gonna get Sun Tree?

Oh cool, we are! XD I have totally missed that voice ... I love stoner Sun Tree ...

Fearne asks Sun Tree if he has any plans for the Solstice ... Nd he gives her consent to open him up, too ... that's so adorable ...

Oh fuck ... no response from Lord Eshteross ... no. Please no ...

Okay, maybe he's just sleeping. But they need to get back ... they need to contact Shania Twain or whatever her name was ... but first, BREAKFAST!!! It is awful early still over there.

That IS the only face he can actually make, so ...

Chetney in Imogen's dream ... not sure that would be the smartest move.

More flat earth humour ... XD I swear that is not getting old.

Goodbye to Vex, then? Chetney tries to drum up a little extra business.

Oh, here we go ... he finished Imogen's wooden horse ... with no metal of any kind! Special rare wood ... is it called "plastic", perhaps? "By the way if you wind it the wrong way it WILL EXPLODE!!!"

Ah yes ... SHOPPING. Might be a good idea.

Trying to get the horse to work ... Taliesin: "The tension is killing me."

Sam making podcast narration jokes ...

Is it just me or is Matt's Vex getting increasingly camp?

FCG's message to Shania is a total mess ... I am NOT surprised she hasn't got a clue who she's talking to ...

Matt: "THERE IS A GIANT CLOCK ... LITERALLY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN!!!"

Oh gods ... second message is WORSE ... they're all dying of laughter and so am I ...

Two hours ... REMEMBER THAT, people!

Gilmour's Glorious Goods! OMG!!!!

Oh man ... it's not ACTUALLY Gilmour, though. Just Jerry ... guess he'll have to do.

Ah, the in-game abridged version ... yeah well since it's not Gilmour it's probably best.

Ashton seeks a bigger stick ...

Healing Potions, always a sound investment.

Magical trinkets ... Laudna makes Jerry show off his inner nerd. Oh wow ... NOBODY speaks Elven? Really? Fancy little magic flying griffon toy ...

FCG beelines to Horizon Temple. Ooh, this place is really pretty, sweet statue ...

Ah, here's the Guide himself, he seems nice. FCG seeks answers of the Changebringer. I still suspect he's finally found his goddess. Sounds like I may be right.

Ah, the tongue ... the tongue ... witness Matt die inside a little again ...

FCG tries praying to the Changebringer ... and now he's lost in the town ...

Sam continues to play around Sith his extendo-arms. Cue chiding from Liam: "Samuel!" Laura: "Ooooh, full name!"

Back home through the tree. It's only six in the morning there ... might be all right after all ... whatever, back to Eshteross' place. But CAREFULLY ...

House looks fine ... 18 perception check from Orym ... seems okay ...

Imogen tries another message ... still nothing? Damn it, this is making me crazy now ...

FCG is going to try Locate Creature on Eshteross ... it works, it senses Eshteross. But DOES THAT mean he's still alive?

Cue in depth discussion about whether they can send Pate in to check without him getting destroyed?

Now Chetney's going in invisibly. Is he not worried about the traps?

29 to pick the front door lock ... nice. Now Time for the flying undead rat ... here we go ...

Pate continues to be hilarious. He's ridiculous and it's adorable. Given Marisha's still learning how to have a familiar it's extra fun watcher go mad trying to work out what she's doing ...

Shit ... DOES Pate have Dark Vision?

Signed of a struggle ... oh fuck ... yeah, Eshteross' traps have clearly wreaked havoc on whoever came calling. Not good.

Chetney smells blood ... oh boy ...

Oh, I have missed Laudna's creepy whispers, even under the circumstances they're still fun.

No ... no ... Eshteross is down.

That perception check is BALLS. Chetney is going to get WRECKED going in this room.

Man, Eshteross is a MESS. Perception check for familiar scents ... NATURAL 20!!! Yup. Smells like Otohan WAS here. Thought so.

Chetney tries to move a lockbox and triggers a trap, gets himself AND Eshteross hit. Ouch ...

Nope, Eshteross is OFFICIALLY dead. Argh ... why can't we have nice things, Matt? WHY?!!!

The lockbox opens. Travis: "And I die." Matt: "Game over." Travis: (imitates explosion)

Lots of letters ... oh, there's one for Bells Hells ... noooooo ...

Oh man ... he really did like them. That makes me so sad ... HE LEFT THEM THE COOKIE RECIPE?!!! SERIOUSLY?!!!

Holy fuck he left them the Silver Sun! THEY HAVE A FUCKING AIRSHIP OF THEIR OWN!!!

Matt, being a sadist, makes Travis roll for stealth to make sure he's not tracking through the blood ... 21! Nice ...

They can NEVER remember that bloody name ... the Soot and Swill, good call. Go see Pretty! Yes!

The blood smell on the cane makes Orym remember his husband's death ... and THAT'S IT for tonight! Oh man!

Eshteross, nooooooo ... just when we got Laudna back, too ...

#critical role #campaign 3 spoilers #crit role campaign 3 #campaign 3 episode 38 #matt mercer #marisha ray #laudna #travis willingham #chetney pock o'pea #laura bailey #imogen temult #liam o'brien #orym of the air ashari #ashley johnson #fearne calloway #taliesin jaffe #ashton greymoore #sam riegel #fresh cut grass

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gidgett · 2 years

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Dear Thursday:

What does it feel like to quit your job of 6 years and go head on to a whole different company? It feels like stress is what it feels like.

My first 5 years at S were great. I enjoyed going into work everyday, I enjoyed who I worked with and who I worked for. There were many many ups and downs but that’s to be expected at any company. In those 5 years I never felt the need or want to leave. Then bossman partners with a huge ass corporation, gives them 51% of the company. And what does this mean? It means different processes, different approvals, different ways of treating the little people. It means that anytime we disagreed or put in our opinion with a new change, they brushed us aside and didn’t give a fuck. It means that the feeling of working with family slowly dwindled into something I never wanted to be a part of. I learned so much working with S. I learned the ins and outs and people came to me to fix this and that. I provided support and time and all of myself.

By the fourth quarter of 2021, all the changes started, and I began losing the warmth. Instead I was writing emails to the team trying to explain the sudden changes and dealing with all the anger and aftermath. I was going into work dreading what I had to take care of next. I was a middleman doing what I was expected to do then dealing with fallouts. I didn’t just begin losing the warmth, I lost the happy.

I love my calgary team. I love the team in BC. But as time went on, having a great team beside me was not worth staying and having no happy. So after thoughts and thoughts of looking for a new job, I updated my resume and put my name out there. I was contacted just 1 day after by a printing company. The president loved me, loved my resume, and told me on our first call that he wanted to hire me. One FaceTime and one in person meeting after, within a span of 4 days, I was fully offered a job and it was fully accepted. I gave bossman at S my notice and proceeded to finish month end, and tie up as many loose ends as possible. I told the service team in BC my plans, and slowly said my goodbyes. It wasn’t really a sad moment until my last day when Alex came to me with a frown and a gift. Of course I cried my eyes out, of course I felt a deep dread cause I was leaving my friends who I spent about 160 hours with every month. But it was for my happiness, for my growth, for feeling deserved.

Bossman never told anybody except Mike in BC that I was leaving. Nobody. What does that say? For real? That he didn’t give a fuck? That absolutely everything I did for him meant zilch? That I am so very replaceable. I mean of course he could find anybody to take my place, I know that. But you’d think the relationships you build mean something when in fact, you’re nada. Not even a business related note like…Hey team, Danielle is leaving us - let’s make a plan so we know what we’ll be doing. Nah. Just whatever.

Anyways. Fast forward now to 2 months later, since It’s been that long since I opened tumblr again. In the last two months, I took over Julie’s office, we let payables Marvin go, and receivables Ana quit. I’m now dealing with all of accounting instead of just overlooking and managing. ALL of it plus HR and Payroll. My original job in itself time consuming. Adding payables to it was like oh okay I just gotta move a little quicker instead of taking my sweet time doing shit. It was fine. Then a week after Marvin is let go, Ana decides to take another job closer to home leaving me in a huge dilemma. Can I do it? Can I handle it? Can I work extra hours to keep up with the madness but still have time to breathe?

I’ve spent most of the last week working 12 hour days. I’m trying to balance overseeing with creating hundreds of invoices and entering dozens and dozens of payables and not forgetting deadlines and dealing with customers and vendors and doing commissions and payroll and keeping track of everybody’s hours and heck yes I am spent, but I’m also absolutely in love with what I do. For real, this is what I want to do with my career. For real, I am so happy I left S. For real, I am just..so..grateful that God blessed me with this opportunity, this chance, this experience. When I was job hunting, I had options of applying to oil and gas and the thought of that just made me cringe. I remember way back when, that was so what I wanted to do. To work in a huge building downtown, in a huge corporation doing huge things. As years have gone by, I’ve realized that my place in the world falls with smaller companies who I’m able to manage with a full brain and full heart. I am so glad my years at Seca were full, but truly more glad that I took the chance and looked for more when it was no longer right.

About to finish up month 3 here, meaning my first raise is coming up teehee. Never ever imagined I’d be at this point without going back to school. Hard work DOES pay off, and it’ll help me save for our future even better. Mortgage deposit first, Keifeys debut next. Shit. Ok that’s all for now.

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ptergwen · 4 years

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4 times peter loved you and 1 time he said it

warnings: angst, swearing, and flash being a dickwad (love him tho)

a/n: i wasn’t sure if i would ever finish this bc i started in march? and gave up but i really like the concept so i made myself get back into it and AHH i’m really happy with how it turned out! fingers crossed y’all like too ahaha. also this is unrelated but send me requests!

to say you and peter were each other’s missing halves would be an absolute understatement. there wasn’t a secret you didn’t share, an inside joke you didn’t have, a text or call left unanswered, or a second you weren’t on the other’s mind.

it had been like that since your first day of freshman year. you took the seat next to peter in first period spanish, and the rest was history.

peter knew you better than you knew yourself. as cheesy as it sounded, it was true. he could guess what you were going to order at a restaurant before you picked up the menu. if you had a bad day, he’d come over to your place with tissues and hugs, without you having to ask. he knew all the little things.

you? you were a peter parker encyclopedia. you watched all his favorite movies so he could rant to you about them, and you’d actually understand what he was saying. whenever he felt overwhelmed by his chaotic life, you found a way to calm him.

you two were soulmates in best friend form.

best friends, nothing more.

♡ 1.

you had an arm around peter’s neck as you picked at some fruit on his lunch tray. his head was resting comfortably against your cheek, whole body leaning on you. impromtu cuddle sessions weren’t unusual for the two of you. they worked in both of your favors. peter was your own personal heater, and you were just really comfortable to nap on, in his opinion.

“are you gonna eat all my grapes? i was looking forward to those,” peter whined, taking one out of your hand. “are you gonna keep using me as a pillow?” you challenged. he responded by moving his head to your shoulder and chewing. “then, yes. i am gonna eat all your grapes.”

“you know what two people who share food are?” ned chimed in from across the cafeteria table. already knowing what he was implying, you sighed. “what, ned?” he cupped his hand over his mouth like he was about to spill the world’s biggest secret. “a couple.”

it wouldn’t be a regular day without ned trying to play matchmaker for you and peter. the idea made peter scoff. “leave us alone, man. that doesn’t even make sense.” “yes it does!” ned nudged mj for backup. she only raised her hands in defense. it was always a hard pass from her on getting involved in these types of things, unless she found a reason to.

“really? how?” you grabbed peter’s milk and took a sip just for the hell of it. he chuckled at that, forgetting he was supposed to be annoyed with you. a bit of milk dripped down your chin in the process. “oops,” you grimaced at yourself and licked it away.

something about the whole thing made peter’s heart clench. it was so... you were so... cute. cute was definitely the word he was looking for. wait, what? that was new. peter had always thought you were pretty and all, but he’d never found himself endeared like this over such a little thing you did. or had he? no. nope. it was ned’s stupid theory messing with him. that was all.

“y/n, dude, everyone knows it’s a thing. like, why else would someone give up their whole lunch? it’s flirting,” ned interrupted peter’s sudden thoughts about your cuteness. the smug look on his face made you want to throw the tray at him.

before you even joined their friend group, ned was on a mission to set the two of you up. peter described you to him and mj as “the actual sweetest girl ever. she makes me laugh a lot. you guys gotta meet her.” mj obviously ‘tsked’ at him, but a light bulb went off in ned’s head. peter was crushing. he just didn’t know it yet.

part of how you and peter got so close was that ned and mj used to back out of group plans. you’d end up hanging out alone most of the time. of course, it was ned’s idea. a successful idea, yes, but neither of you understood the obsession. apparently it was a guy in the chair’s duty to be a good wingman, and you should leave it to him. whatever that meant.

“if i remember correctly, you and your mom went halfsies on a piece of cake at your birthday party last year. what are you trying to tell us, leeds?” mj asked with a smirk. you and peter looked at each other and burst into laughter, ned’s mouth hanging open. the girl could really get someone when she wanted to.

“shut up, you guys! that’s different!” “so is y/n stealing my food and you calling it sharing,” peter made a point of saying more to you than ned. despite his words, he pushed the tray over to you. it was basically yours, anyway.

you thanked him with a pat on his cheek and popped more grapes into your mouth. in that moment, peter decided he’d get you all the grapes in the world if he could. jeez, he seriously needed to reel it in.

ned was only going to keep going now. “see that? peter’s such a sweet boyfriend. isn’t he, y/n?” he cooed and clasped his hands under his chin. you didn’t have the chance to change the topic before flash appeared at your table. he’d probably overheard your conversation. “penis parker is somebody’s boyfriend? good one.”

feeling peter tense up next to you, you put a hand on his shoulder to let him know you were there. you’d been in too many of these situations. the way flash talked to peter pissed you off in ways you didn’t think were possible. he was fine with everybody else, so why did he choose to pick on him? peter was the least deserving person of having to put up with it from anyone.

“just ignore him, okay? he’ll get bored and leave. works every time,” you reminded peter. too uneasy to say anything, he reached back and put his hand on top of yours. he tried to focus on how nice your touch felt instead of the fact that he was about to be humiliated by flash yet again.

“peter could totally get a girlfriend! he has, like, tons of girls after him,” ned attempted to back peter up, pleased with himself. groaning, peter put his head down on the table. he couldn’t bare to watch his friend destroy what was left of his social life. “you’re really pushing this now. stop talking,” mj warned in a whisper yell to ned. that didn’t stop flash from hearing her.

“she’s right. even parker agrees! look at him,” he snickered at peter’s embarrassed state. you’d had more than enough of him at that point. screw the silence. it wasn’t going to cut it for this one. while wingman ned was still making up stories, you tapped peter’s shoulder to find out how he was doing. his head remained down.

“you okay? want me to say something?” “i’m used to it, and no. i don’t wanna make you deal with him.” peter hated putting his issues on other people, but you couldn’t stand another second of listening to the things flash was saying. you cut into an argument between him and ned about peter’s body count. like his was any higher.

“fuck off, flash!” he stopped in the middle of his sentence. “huh?” “i said fuck off. anyone would be so lucky to date peter. you’re probably salty at him all the time because it’ll never be you,” you finally snapped. his tough guy persona faltered for a few seconds at your words, ned and mj taking the opportunity to high five you for telling him off.

peter was glad his head was still down because his cheeks were pinker than he’d like to admit. did you really mean that? would you be lucky to date him, too?

“what are you, president of the parker protection squad? or are you two a thing?” flash quickly recovered. there he went trying to get the last word in. the embarrassment for peter if you denied it was exactly what he wanted, but you weren’t letting him have it.

“ask me again some other time.” you plastered on a shit-eating grin and waved goodbye. unsatisfied with your answer, flash huffed his way back to his own table. after he was gone, peter looked up at you with something you’d never seen before twinkling in his eyes.

“thank you, y/n. you really didn’t have to say all of that.” “oh, no. don’t thank me. i‘d do it for you anytime. i am president of the parker protection squad, after all.” your fake smile turned into a genuine one for him. peter couldn’t help but mirror it.

his was heart doing that thing again. he guessed it was because he loved you so much, but this love felt different somehow. it wasn’t the friend kind of love he’d had for you all those years.

it was the kind of love he saw in the rom coms you made him watch when you got to pick for movie night. cupid’s love was the official name for it. when he put two and two together, the realization smacked him straight in the face. ned was right.

peter was starting to fall in love with you, and there was no way he could stop.

♡ 2.

peter was a workaholic. patrolaholic to be exact, especially when he had a reason. he’d sometimes find himself in a cycle of getting home late and going out early for days on end. he’d gotten used to the sleep deprivation. his grumbling stomach from missing meals wasn’t too big of a deal either. not when he had a city to save.

it was also a good distraction from everything else going on in his life. man, did he need a distraction. after peter came to terms with the fact that he loved loved his best friend, he narrowed it down to two options; telling you about his feelings or taking them to his grave. since the city was so busy, he was thankful he could throw himself into patrolling and not decide just yet.

may would usually only allow peter to patrol on weekends. school existed, and he had to take breaks. peter really wanted to help out more, so he proposed an idea that could potentially let him up it to the full seven days. he had to make it home in one piece every night for a trial week. that would prove to may he could handle it.

ignoring his black eye on tuesday and limp on thursday, it worked out. peter was positive he could finish off the week just fine. may didn’t have the same optimism. she decided that so much as a scratch on friday and it was strike three. friday came, and peter had impressively managed to end the day, like he thought, just fine.

he did one last swing around the neighborhood he was in, then started heading back to queens to gloat to may. on his way, he remembered he had to text you goodnight. he was bound by a pinky swear to you that he would do it every time he finished patrolling.

peter being spider-man was something you figured out only a few months after he got his powers. he technically exposed himself, and you pieced everything together. it all happened when spider-man offered to walk you home from school one day.

the way he rubbed the back of his neck while asking was a nervous habit that was oddly familiar, and urged you to say yes. you also thought it was strange how even though he didn’t ask for your address, he somehow knew where he was taking you. then again, he was spider-man. it was his job to know new york city and the people living in it.

you came to the conclusion you were making things up until he was about to leave. he walked you to the door of your apartment building and said, “stay safe, squirt.” nobody called you that besides peter. he came up with it because he had recently grown a few inches taller and could finally give you hell for being the short one.

needless to say, peter didn’t take off like he was intending to. he realized his slip up as soon as the nickname came out of his mouth. you brought him upstairs and had a long afternoon of questioning, explanations, and making promises.

peter typed out a message telling you he was fine and to go to sleep. as he was about to hit send, he swung too low and smacked his head right into a traffic light. that was what he got for texting while swinging. he could imagine mj giving him one of her famous safety lectures already, but that wasn’t first on his list of worries. he had a throbbing head and may’s third strike to deal with.

crap, may couldn’t know about this. she’d ban him from patrolling probably forever. going home was out of the question, but peter was in desperate need of an ice pack. there was already a bump forming from where the light hit him. his next choice would be to go to happy, only he couldn’t do that because he‘d tell may.

peter’s hands worked faster than his brain, and he started swinging over to your apartment. the overthinking began soon after. nobody wants to deal with a surprise appearance from their possibly concussed friend at 2 a.m. besides, what would he say? he’d barely seen you all week. it wasn’t fair to you, but it was too late to turn back.

peter landed on the sidewalk with an “oof” and crawled up the wall of your building. when he reached your window, he knocked in the same rhythm that he always did. no answer. he knocked louder. no answer again.

seeing as he had no other option, peter had to let himself in. he pushed on your window to see if it was unlocked. thank god it slid up then, but he made a mental note to remind you about keeping it locked another time. he climbed through the window with as little noise as possible so your family wouldn’t hear.

after navigating in the dark, peter pulled off his mask by the side of your bed. he instantly melted at the sight of you. your face was squished into your pillow, hair sprawled everywhere. you’d must have fallen asleep waiting for his text because you were holding your phone. peter was sure he’d never seen something so adorable.

he let himself stand there and watch the peaceful rise and fall of your chest. the bump on his head was no longer a priority. peter was utterly and completely entranced with you. god, why was he acting like this? oh, right. he was secretly in love with you.

before peter could help himself, he brushed some hair that had fallen into your eyes away with his fingers. you squirmed in your sleep, peter pulling his hand back. he was such an idiot sometimes. your eyes fluttered open and landed on him.

“peter? ‘s that you?” you squinted to see in the darkness of your room. he moved closer. your legs dangled over the bed as you slowly sat up. “yeah, it’s me. sorry to wake you.” he went to scratch his head out of nerves, but stopped when he remembered it really freaking hurt right there.

“‘s okay. i was hoping you’d come over soon. missed you all week.” you frowned at the red and blue clad boy in front of you. except for school, you hadn’t seen peter the past few days. “lots of crime to fight lately?” “missed you more, and yeah. been kicking lots of asses.” the awkwardness peter was imaging faded away when he plopped down next to you on your bed.

“how’s your eye doing? and the limp?” you turned his head towards you by his chin. he exhaled in relief. “getting better, i think. now that we’re talking about injuries...” the sleepiness was knocked out of you. you all but leapt to your feet and turned on the lamp by your bed. peter had a feeling you’d slightly freak.

“we’ve been making small talk and you’re hurt? what happened, peter?” “i-i sort of, um, i was texting you and swung into a traffic light.” “oh my god, where?” he pointed at his forehead with a weak smile. surely enough, there was a big bump. you gasped. “please don’t be mad at me.” “i’m not mad at you. just feel bad it was kinda my fault. do you think you have a concussion?”

you weren’t sure what to do beyond the mostly useless first aid videos they played in gym class. being an avenger, peter had had his share of experience with wounds. whenever he came to you hurt, he talked you through how to help him. the most you’d ever dealt with was a few particularly deep cuts. this was not the same.

“i‘m not sure. you could try that finger thing?” he suggested. you crouched down in front of him. “good idea. let’s do that.” as you waved your index finger back and forth and peter’s eyes followed it seemingly well, his mind was elsewhere. he was thinking about crawling into bed with you and sleeping in your arms.

“well, you passed or whatever they say. i’m pretty sure you don’t have a concussion. you’ll heal fast because of... you know.” you stood up and mimicked the way he shoots his webs. peter chuckled quietly. your thumb ran lightly over his bump, making him wince. “how bad does it feel?” “on a scale from one to ten it’s, like, a five and a half.”

although not what you wanted to hear, it was manageable. you hoped so, at least. “i’m gonna go get some stuff. change into comfortable clothes.” “yes, doctor y/n.” peter saluted you. you were happy to see he still felt up to joking around. biting your lip to hold back a smile, you made your way to the kitchen.

peter searched through the spare clothes he’d left here over the years. there were so many, you had to give him a drawer. he changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt, then sat back down criss cross on your bed.

you came in shortly after with a water bottle, two advil, and an ice pack wrapped in a towel. “i was kidding about the whole doctor thing, you know.” “too bad.” you handed him the advil and water. “take these. they’ll help until your magic healing powers kick in.” peter took the pills while you pressed the ice pack to his bump. he took it from you when he was finished.

“is that any better?” “much better. i’m all good. i should probably go soon.” he mumbled, not meaning it but also not wanting to overstay his welcome. you’d already done so much for him. you stopped him from getting up by putting a hand on his chest.

“what? you already changed, and i’m not sending you home to get killed by may. just stay.” “are you sure? i don’t wanna bother you anymore. it was annoying for me to come here so late in the first place.”

a frown set on your face. “peter, don’t you remember my promise?” there was a beat of silence while he thought about it. “that you’d help out with spidey stuff?” “however and whenever i can. i don’t know what made you think differently just now, but nothing’s gonna change that. doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night or early in the morning. i’m always here.”

only you could reassure him just like that. peter was really lucky to have you. really, really lucky.

“right. you’re right. sorry for... whatever that was.” “you apologize too much.” you poked his chest to punctuate your statement and switched the light off. “sorry for that, too,” he teased, wanting a reaction from you. “peter benjamin parker, just get in the bed.” “yes, ma’am.” that was enough before you changed your mind and threw him out.

you rolled to lay on the other side of peter. still pressing the ice pack to his head, he laid down next to you. it didn’t take long for both of you to be settled under the covers. “try not to bang into the wall or something,” you joked and pulled your comforter up to your chin.

peter puffed some air out of his cheeks, tugging more of it back. “you can’t be mean and hog the blanket.” “it’s my bed, so i actually can. i’ll hog everything.”

to prove your point, you moved over to peter until there was no room between you. both of you knew it was an excuse to cuddle. he wasn’t mad about it at all. peter opened an arm for you. you curled into his side, letting him hold you close. his whole body relaxed as you hugged him against you. “goodnight, spidey.” “night, squirt.”

♡ 3.

“what does that cloud look like to you?” you pointed up at the sky. peter’s eyes darted around as he tried to find exactly which one you were talking about. there were a lot of them, in his defense. you made a big circle with your finger around the cloud in question.

“the really curvy one. right there.” “kinda looks like a tiger. can we keep walking now?” peter tugged your arm linked in his in an attempt to move you from the spot you’d randomly stopped in. he made a whiny noise when you didn’t budge.

“i think it looks more like a horse, and no. why are you in such a rush?” furrowing your brows at him, you tightened your grip on his arm. “because some people don’t like cloud watching, grandma.” “i only asked you about one! i’m just... trying to get the most out of today.”

with college around the corner, you and peter both had a lot to do and a little bit of time to get it done. your only hangouts had become some shared extracurriculars and weekly study group with your other friends. trying to binge watch your shows together on facetime hadn’t been easy, for one thing. you fumbled to keep your phone up more than you payed attention.

on a more serious note, being apart sucked majorly. it was going to be this times a million when you would inevitably have to split up in a few months. thinking about it for too long usually made you cry.

peter was struggling in other ways. his more than a friend feelings for you were only getting stronger. having all that love and not being able to give it to you was hurting like hell, and he had to just pack everything up and act normal during the rare moments you were together. you were both going through it.

this was the first sunday in what felt like forever that you and peter were both free. you decided that the nice weather called for a meetup at central park. so, there you were, arm in arm on your afternoon stroll.

“don’t say it like that, y/n. you’re making me sad.” peter let out a breath as you rested your head on his shoulder. “that was the point.” you started walking again, peter following next to you. he kicked at pebbles while you smiled up at him. that made him smile at his feet. you were getting really good at making him flustered.

“so, did you finish that pre calc packet?” peter asked to distract himself. you lifted your head off his shoulder with a groan. “peter, we’re not talking about school for once. let’s talk about literally anything else.” “like what?” you were about to make a suggestion, but something caught your attention.

you raced over to a swingset, dragging peter along with you before he could realize where you were taking him. you stopped in front of it and threw your hands up to present it to him. he let out a breathy laugh. “when was the last time you went on one of these?” you asked, taking peter’s arm again. peter shook his head. “way too long ago.”

with a smile, you walked him over and took a seat on one of the swings. peter sat on the one next to you. you spun around in a circle to see how much you could twist the chains, peter laughing. “y/n, what are you doing?” “having fun. you should try it sometime.” he backed up to get himself started and grabbed his own chains. “i do have fun. it’s just not in the ways you think.”

you untwisted yourself to watch peter. “so, how?” “well,” he started going higher, “i like learning about stuff, even the things we have to in school.” “everybody knows that. that’s the first thing i thought of.” you did know everything possible about him.

everything except his new feelings for you, but this wasn’t the time for him to blurt that out. he was still figuring out when or if he should.

“guess i’m not gonna say i like movies, either.” “singing?” you were swinging next to him, turning it into an unspoken competiton for who could get the highest. peter slowed down a bit since he’d had a head start. “i suck. the only person who’s allowed to hear me is you.”

“it’s possible to suck at something and still enjoy it.” the breeze blew your hair around, peter seeing it from the corner of his eye. he’d always loved how carefree you were around him. it rubbed off.

“remind me to force you to do karaoke one day.” “you’re so annoying.” that motivated you to kick off harder on the ground. peter huffed and tried to catch up to you. “don’t be mean to your only source of fun.” if that wasn’t true, he would’ve came up with a comeback.

the only time peter remembered to relax was when he was with you. it was usually because you reminded him. he skidded to a stop on the swing and looked up at you.

“why’d you let me win? was that too mean?” you looked over your shoulder. “nah, i just got tired.” “oh. we can do something else now. catch me?” “sure,” peter chuckled and got off the swing. he stood in front of you on the grass and waited for you to get lower. you clenched your teeth into a nervous smile.

“ready?” “ready.” swinging towards him, you jumped off and expected to land in his arms. you ended up completely on top of him instead.

the wind was knocked out of both of you, but peter had it worse because he broke your fall. your hands were on his shoulders and one of his was around your lower back. neither of you realized the position you were in. you were too busy trying to breathe again.

“god, that hurt.” “my bad,” peter mumbled. in any other circumstance, he wouldn’t be complaining about this. “i should’ve warned you or something,” you dismissed him.

you were still hovering over peter, your lips dangerously close to his. he could’ve sworn they almost touched. that was when you got off of him. he only forced out a laugh. nothing ever went his way. you offered him a hand, oblivious to his inner conflict. peter took it and pulled himself up, falling into step next to you as you headed to another path.

that could’ve been a chance to make some sort of move, and he blew it.

♡ 4.

it hadn’t been easy for peter to move on from that day. his mind kept replaying the split second you almost kissed on an endless loop, and all he could do was come up with what he should’ve done in the moment.

things were getting to a point where he had no clue how to act around you. being your friend was hard, but becoming your boyfriend would be that much harder. his stupid feelings put him in an awkward place, and he was afraid you were starting to realize. he couldn’t lose you altogether.

you asked peter to meet you for coffee after school. it was this small place in between your apartments you’d both been to once before. they had really good cookies and an overall cozy feeling you liked. peter wasn’t sure what this was all about.

were you going to confront him? did ned say something? maybe it was a mistake to confide in his most gossipy friend about how he felt.

with a headache from stress and a heavy backpack hanging off his shoulders, peter walked into the café. he spotted you at a table near the window. you’d already taken the liberty of ordering, two drinks and a chocolate chip cookie waiting there. you looked up from your phone when peter pulled a chair out.

“hi.” you gave him a small smile and put your phone down. “i already got everything.” peter shrugged off his backpack with a grin. he sat down facing you. “thanks. sorry i’m kinda late. i had to stop at my locker.” you usually met him there. come to think of it, why hadn’t you today? you pushed peter’s drink over to him. “you’re fine. i came here early to get us a table, anyway.” phew.

peter bent the straw to his iced macchiato and took a sip. it made him feel grown up, casually drinking coffee with you over a boring conversation. adult life must’ve sucked. “so, how was the rest of your day?” he asked to fill the silence. you only had two classes without him after lunch, so that was a dumb question. he’d never had so much trouble talking to you.

“eh. betty fell asleep on me during this cold war documentary we had to watch.” “didn’t she say american history is her favorite?” you broke off a piece of the cookie with a laugh. “not after that. what about your day?” the light from the window was shining directly on you, blocking out everything else from peter’s view. he wanted to tell you how beautiful you were so bad, but that would be creepy.

you took a bite of your cookie and raised an eyebrow. he was staring. “uh, nothing interesting. i’m gonna patrol a little bit later.” peter sipped his drink again. you clicked your tongue and let out a breath. “that’s all you do these days.” he knew you were catching on to how off he’d been. what was he supposed to say? it would’ve helped if he’d prepared a few excuses.

“just trying to help out while i’m still here.” that was a half truth. “yeah, but you should still take some time for yourself.” you ripped open your straw wrapper and blew it at peter. he caught it just before it hit his face. rolling your eyes, you put the straw into your drink. “i hate your reflexes sometimes.” he shrugged one of his shoulders casually. “jealousy is a disease.”

neither of you said anything for a few minutes. you stared out the window while peter finished the rest of the cookie. he could tell something was on your mind. whenever you were deep in your thoughts, you sort of zoned out like this.

he was too nervous to ask you what was wrong because of the conversation you just had. it sounded like you had already considered he was being distant before today. his feelings aside, he needed to reassure you. that was more important.

“y/n?” you turned your head to look at him. “yeah?” peter’s gaze shifted from you to his thumbs twiddling in his lap. “i know we’ve both been really... busy lately, but i’m still here. don’t forget that.” a hint of a smile played on your lips. you would’ve hugged him if you could reach. “thank you, peter. i kinda needed to hear that.” he nudged your leg under the table. “of course. hey, you wanna come with me tonight?”

a couple of hours later, you were in peter’s arms on a rooftop that was much higher up than it looked. he insisted on taking you for a swing so you could get the full experience. he’d been trying to get you to do this for the longest time, so he wondered what made you agree today. you wanted to find out what was so enjoyable about it.

“i trust you, but you’re not gonna drop me, right?” your legs were around his waist, and he had one hand supporting you by your back. that wasn’t terrifying at all. you grabbed peter’s shoulders, the idea of it making you nervous. he wrapped his arm tighter around you.

“oh my god, no. i can always web you back up.” “peter! that’s not funny.” even behind the mask, you could tell he was smirking. “you’re always safe with me, squirt. don’t worry.” you brought your arms up to loop around his neck.

“i feel better now.” “good. i’m gonna jump when we get to the edge, okay?“ your whole body stiffened up. peter could sense it. as excited as he was to share this with you, he didn’t want to make you feel pressured. “or we don’t have to do it.” his voice was quiet. you tried to relax in his hold. “i’m just gonna close my eyes. i think that’ll help.” “we’re about to find out.”

peter started walking towards the edge of the building with you holding on even tighter to him, your eyes squeezed shut. he kept finding himself in situations where he was close to you in the ways he’d been wishing for, but never for the same reasons. it was bittersweet.

he bit down on his lip and aimed his free hand at a building. you squealed when he leaned back. “i’m jumping now,” he prepared you, and before you could respond, you were in the air. you hid your face in peter’s chest the second you felt yourself pretty much flying.

“what the fuck, you like this?” you had to yell so he could hear you. peter shot another web to keep swinging. “it’s really not that bad! try looking up!” he shouted back, clearly amused.

grip tightening around his neck, you slowly pulled your face away from him. he kept you close as he swung. you somehow convinced yourself you weren’t going to die by looking at something besides peter. your eyes landed on the sky behind his head.

the sun was almost completely set, deep pink and orange merging together against the glowing lights of the city. you were finally understanding why he liked this so much. it was beautiful.

peter peeked at you for a second to check on you. he swore his heart was going to explode out of his chest. the look of adoration on your face, it was even better than the view. it was the view. the little moments where peter got to see you this way made him realize how in love with you he really was.

“this is... wow. i get it now,” you laughed in disbelief, watching as the city whirled past you. peter smiled so big it hurt. “pretty awesome, huh?” one of your hands slid back down to his shoulder. “take me with you more often.”

♡ 5.

peter licked his lips out of habit as he held the door open for may, who was following behind him with a look of pride. he was about to graduate high school. the ceremony was being held in a really nice stadium-like place. trying to find it added minutes on to the parker tradition of being late to everything important.

peter wasn’t as concerned with his tardiness as he was with finding you.

while he tossed and turned in bed the night before, he went over his whole school year in his head. that meant little things and big things. he was starting to drift off until he remembered a conversation with ned a few weeks back. they decided on a deadline for peter to tell you about his feelings, and it was before graduation.

they chose it because if peter got rejected, he’d be over it by the time college started. that was the goal.

it wasn’t that peter had changed his mind. it was that he completely forgot. he didn’t have a solid plan for what he should do. these things needed to be decided way in advance. he ended up pulling something together last minute because it was you. plus, this extra pressure gave him the push to go through with it. somewhere between steps seven and eight, he passed out.

may rushed him to get ready because he’d slept past his alarm. the whole morning was a mess, and he had at most fifteen minutes to confess his love to you by the time he got there.

“you should go make sure you’re marked here. i’ll see you after. love you.” may pressed a kiss to his cheek and half-jogged to the auditorium for a seat. he squeezed her arm and headed off to check in. your whole grade was already lined up along the walls for what looked like miles. the deal was to tell you before graduation. he still had about ten minutes.

peter walked past hundreds of students with his heartbeat thumping in his ears. everyone was in alphabetical order, so it didn’t take too long to find you. relief washed over you when you saw peter. you were worried he wouldn’t show up at all. his cap was in his hand, hair getting tangled from running his fingers through it. he looked at you with pleading eyes.

“finally, i’ve been trying to call you all morning. where were you?” your tone was dripping with concern. “i overslept. there’s something i gotta tell you, y/n.” he gulped. you smiled in a way that was kind of pitying. “we’re about to start going inside. i- you have to wait, pete. go get lined up.”

this wasn’t how it was going to end. not again.

he looked around to see who was watching, then he grabbed your wrist. “peter, what are you-“ “just come with me really quick.” despite yourself, you let him lead you down the hallway. you dodged a couple of teachers having a conversation and went into a bathroom that was vacant by some chance. he let go of you after the door shut. you stood behind it while he walked over to a sink.

it was making you anxious to not be out there. you could be late. peter was the same way when it came to school, so you knew this had to be pretty serious. you gave up the battle with yourself and made your way over to him. he was looking at himself in the mirror, trying to get a stray curl back in place.

“let me help.” you stood next to him. he turned to face you, that same look of urgency still in his eyes. you used two fingers to brush through his hair. there was so much gel that it was wet enough to mess with. you smiled a bit and took your hand out of his hair. his hand was gripping the sink.

“you look good, pete. you smell good, too.” “so do you.” his voice was lower than usual. you flattened out the material of your blue gown. “thanks. so, talk to me. what’s up?”

the question was so simple, but way too many answers were running through peter’s brain. he wasn’t even sure he’d have enough time to explain everything now. this was why he needed a written out and carefully crafted plan.

but, like he said to himself last night, this was you. his best friend in the entire world and any other that might exist. the person who’s been there for his most embarrassing moments, and who’s been responsible for some of his best ones. if he couldn’t finally say the three words he’d said to you so many times before, what was the point?

his fingers drummed a steady rhythm while he mustered up the last remaining bit of courage in him. you watched him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. “just, um...” he was stalling. he pulled his hand off the sink. “i... love you.” peter only glanced at you for a second, too afraid to see your reaction. “i love you, too. is everything okay?” his heart sank. you thought he meant it in the friend way.

that was what he got for being so terrible with words.

“no, y/n. not like that.” he blurted. you were lost. peter pressed his back against the wall and sat down. confused and equally worried, you sat next to him on the floor. “then what do you mean? you’re scaring me.” he checked the watch may made him wear to see how much time was left before graduation. four minutes. he really should’ve woken up on time.

“we have to get back in line soon. i don’t wanna miss-“ “i love you, y/n. i’m in love with you.” a weight that had been on peter’s chest for months was lifted just by saying it. you squinted your eyes at him, but said nothing.

“i’ve been trying to tell you for a while, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. i just had to say it.” “fuck, are you serious?” you sounded what peter could only describe as disappointed. yeah, it was unrequited. here came a summer of crying. “i was gonna tell you first.”

peter’s breath hitched in his throat, and he swore you could hear it. he was so sleep deprived that it felt like he was hallucinating. you shook your head as heat came to your cheeks.

“how long have you...” peter trailed off, an eye crinkling smile interrupting him. “that day we went for coffee. something clicked, so i thought for a while and figured it out. i think i’ve loved you for a really long time.”

you inched closer to peter, just barely resting your head on his shoulder. for once, you felt like the shy one. he put his hand on top of yours. his thumb traced over each of your fingers. “i’d ask you out, but you know. we don’t really have time.”

“peter, it won’t take that long.” you giggled. he squeezed your hand in his. “hm. y/n, would you wanna go out with me after this?” you thought about teasing him for it, but he was right. you had to go. that was the friend still in you. “i’d love to go out with you, peter.”

with that, you both jumped to your feet and ran out of the bathroom. you were still holding hands, and a few classmates made faces when you rushed past them to get to your spots. you exchanged one last smile with peter before lining up.

the person in front of you said everybody was looking for you two. honestly, you didn’t care all that much. you were too excited for your date later. peter already knew he’d be checking his watch throughout the whole ceremony.

it was a best friend and soulmate thing.

#tom holland #peter parker #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland fic #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland writing #spiderman #peter parker imagine #peter parker x you #peter parker x reader #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker smut #marvel #mcu #tom holland oneshot

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svtskneecaps · 3 years

Text

crew and cast

(gender neutral) reader x jihoon

genre: fluff + some?? angst? listen i tried lmao; words: 2.8k

well howdy @toxicsocial tis i, your tct secret santa. so uh, i can’t actually make people cry in a timely manner and i didn’t figure most people would be down to read like 9k of buildup, so!! the angst is minimal!!! but i tried really hard and i hope you like it i love you so much also i forgot to title it again until right now so don’t look at it too hard

You loved your high school’s theatre crew. From freshman year they’d been a staple in your life. It was refreshingly stable to be able to walk into the tech room anytime and reliably know what would be going on. Except, there was one thing about theatre you couldn’t stand: Lee Jihoon. You’d avoided him since freshman year, but unfortunately for you, you’d taken over the position of Run Crew Head and Prop Master, and he was the Student Director. You were forced to sit through every production meeting with him.

Which, fine. You’d do anything for the show to run well. But that didn’t change the fact that he made you want to commit a crime.

Or three.

“Great news guys!” you yelled, sweeping into the tech room. “The crutches still aren’t right and Jihoon wants us to repaint the brickwork on the platforms to be less ‘garish’ and the typewriter is from the 1940s when it should be from the 1890s and I’m going to set something on fire!”

Chan slammed his head against the nearest cabinet. “This is the third time he’s rejected the brickwork, oh my god.”

“Fourth time he’s hated the crutches too, and I’ve told him that the only period accurate typewriter in the basement is literally one wrong keystroke from breaking onstage but I guess he’s willing to take that risk for a typewriter that’s going to be in one scene.” You massaged your forehead. “I’m gonna stay late Wednesday so we can have our shit together by Hell Week.”

“I’ll have to join.” Chan peeled his head off the cabinet, cracking his knuckles. “You think Mingyu’s got time to spare? I might get him to help; there’s way too much platform for me to do in time.”

“Dunno, he’s pretty busy.” Vernon scooped a loose screw out of a sawdust pile and swept the whole thing into the dustpan. “Makeup’s been working hard to get the ‘ragged urchin’ look right.”

“I’ll con Soonyoung into it then, I don’t think they’re rehearsing the dance numbers tomorrow so he might be free.”

“I wish you luck with that, dude.” You scooped the crutch off the floor. “I gotta go beg costumes to let me into the basement storage and see if there’s another goddamn piece of fabric I can use for the crutches.”

“You have fun.”

You ended up getting lucky; Minghao already needed to go down there so you wouldn’t have to fight for cell signal to make sure you were allowed to deface the cloth scraps you’d found.

“You seem stressed,” he noted as he unlocked the basement door.

You snorted. “Stressed is an understatement.”

“Jihoon again?”

“If he tells me to redo the damn crutches again I’m going to nail him to the wall.”

Minghao lead the way down the stairs. “I really thought you had it that time.”

“Nothing is good enough for that guy.”

He shrugged. “He just wants the show to go well.”

“Yeah, well, so do I. He doesn’t have to get up everybody’s ass sticking his opinions where they don’t belong. He’s never been crew, why does he get to make us repaint the entire damn set anyway?”

“He’s the director.”

“Everyone else thought the bricks looked fine!”

Minghao looked at you sideways. “What’s your deal with Jihoon?”

“Like I said, poking his nose where it doesn’t--”

“No, you had beef before he got appointed Student Director.”

You sighed. “I don’t know. He’s always kind of been a pain even when he was ensemble.” You drove your finger into your temple. “And he broke a crucial prop that wasn’t his the night before the show opened and didn’t tell me.”

“You did props?”

“Buddy I was Prop Master. I literally didn’t find out until the Stage Manager tried to run that scene before school.” You glared absently at the shelves of typewriters to one side of the walkway. “I literally had to skip my last three classes and dinner to get a replacement and he never even apologized for it.”

Minghao whistled. “That’s unforgivable.”

“Tell me about it.” You waded through the costume racks to get to the bins of scraps in the back.

“And you’ve never considered forgiving and forgetting? I mean, it’s been two years.”

You sighed, leaning the crutch against a shelf. “I mean. . .”

He snickered. “Come on, it’s just you and me and the ghosts down here, you can say it.”

“I mean. . . he just makes me so mad!” You yanked the lid off a tote with a snap that echoed across the basement. “Like, every time I start thinking maybe he’s not so bad he pulls some other shit on me and I slam right back into hating his goddamn guts.”

“You’re on the same team,” Minghao called down the row. “You’re just trying to make the show better.”

“Making the show better shouldn’t involve painting the entire set three times.”

“I’m just saying, it’d put at least three years back on your lifespan.”

“Yeah yeah.”

You managed to update the crutches by the end of the day, and repainted the entire set on Wednesday--although you had to sacrifice your lunch and free periods and several hours after school to get it all done. Thursday left you with a finished set and another production meeting.

He didn’t like the bricks.

You saw red.

In the hallway, you pulled him aside.

“What don’t you like about the bricks?”

He frowned. “They detract attention from the actors.”

You wanted to seize him by the shoulders and shake him like a maraca. “It’s gray! It is the darkest most nondescript color we have in the buckets and you’re telling me it detracts attention from the actors? You haven’t even seen them rehearse with it!”

“It’s gonna be too much,” he argued. “It’s the same color as half the costumes--”

“I have seen every single costume in the show, it’s not even close to the same pigment!”

“Even still--”

“Listen,” you snapped, your heartbeat pounding in your ears, “if you want the set redone in time for Hell Week then I expect to see you in the goddamn tech room tomorrow after school wearing something you don’t mind getting paint on because I’m not going to make Chan and Vernon repaint the entire damn set by themselves for the fifth time and I have to figure out how to keep that 1890s typewriter from falling apart, do I make myself clear?”

He looked almost disgusted at the prospect, but he nodded stiffly. “Crystal.”

You turned on your heel just as stiffly, striding away before you lost all composure.

To your complete surprise, Jihoon actually showed up the next day, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a shirt so faded that whatever decal had been on the front had long washed away.

“So he arrives!” Chan yelled from his perch on the desk, where he’d been watching you wrestle with the typewriter.

Jihoon looked distinctly uncomfortable, but he squared his shoulders. “Where do you need me?”

“We gotta move all the set pieces in before we start,” Chan said. “Then I’ll probably have you start on the legs. We gotta wait for Vernon before we can move the tall stuff. One sec, I’ll--” he bolted into the hallway.

Jihoon stared after him, then looked to you. “Where is he going?”

“To tell Vernon we’re actually doing the repaint.” You shrugged. “Honestly I’m surprised you showed up.”

“I said I would.”

“Actually you just said you understood the ultimatum; we had no idea if you’d show or not.”

“Oh.”

You shrugged. “Good to have you anyway.”

Chan returned with Vernon before the silence could get too awkward, and you helped them move all the platforms back into the tech room. From there, Vernon set up his speaker and the real work began.

Jihoon helped choose the color of the bricks (and Chan threatened to really break his leg if he changed his mind about it later), and they got to laying down the base coat. You went back to glaring at the typewriter and reading through every antiques article you could find online.

After trying seven different methods to no avail, you shoved your chair away from the desk. “Typewriters are hellspawn created by the Devil himself to punish unfortunate Prop Masters.”

Vernon snickered. “That good, huh?”

“I’m going to put a screwdriver through the keyboard,” you said mildly.

“Okay maybe don’t do that.” Chan paused to pull a clean paintbrush out of his pocket and throw it at you. “You know where the overalls are; come take a break.”

“Why do you just have that?” Jihoon asked.

“A painter is always prepared.”

Jihoon glanced at you. You shrugged. “I don’t question it.”

Between the four of you, you managed to finish all but one platform by the time Chan and Vernon had to go. Being older, you had infinite time, so you cracked your knuckles and sat back at the typewriter. Jihoon lingered in the doorway.

“You need any help?”

You looked up. “Nah, I think I got it. Thank you, though.”

He shifted. “Listen, I know we didn’t really get off on the right foot but, I’m sorry. I know I never really apologized for the prop, and I’m sorry for how long it took, too.”

You sighed. “It’s fine. It’s kind of unfair of me to hold it against you this long anyway, so, I’m sorry too.” It wasn’t the only reason he made you so angry, but that chip on your shoulder made a lot of other offenses you would have normally overlooked seem larger.

“Can we maybe start over?” he asked. “Freshman year all over again?”

You actually found yourself nodding. “As long as you don’t make us repaint the set ever again.”

He laughed, running a paint-stained hand through his hair. “No, I won’t. I can’t do that to your crew again.”

“Good. Cause we weren’t kidding about breaking your legs.”

“I will keep that in mind.” He hiked up his backpack. “I’ll see you on Monday, then?”

“Happy Hell Week.”

Hell Week was hell (and the sky is blue).

Three of the actors lost their voices four days before Opening Night. One of the glasses for the restaurant scene shattered during the dance number--even though it was supposed to be offstage already--and the third lead got very close to twisting her ankle after landing a jump wrong. The actors could never manage to find their light, there were technical glitches with the backstage mics, and you were so on edge that if you heard the word standby you’d jump so bad you’d bruise your knee on the table.

The typewriter gave you more anxiety than it was worth. The actress using it had strict instructions not to actually touch the keys, because the only thing holding it together was gaff tape. You’d put Jun and Wonwoo in charge of bringing the desk it sat on onstage, because you trusted them to have it under control and keep it from tipping, because if it tipped at an angle any more than about 30 degrees, the keys would get out of alignment and that required time and experience to fix, of which you had neither.

Needless to say, you were two steps away from tearing your hair out.

At least you weren’t fighting with Jihoon, though. You’d even gone out to grab takeout with him for dinner, once, and yelling about all the problems in the car was really cathartic and you came back refreshed and relaxed, for once (only for every muscle in your back to clench at once because an actor bumped the prop table in their hurry to get in costume and one of the glasses fell over).

But it was Opening Night, and you were wound tighter than a spring waiting for everything to go wrong.

And it did.

Jihoon was in the hallway behind the stage, giving Joshua a few final notes about his big solo, and he didn’t check his surroundings closely enough. In his wild gesturing to demonstrate the level of enthusiasm, his arm clipped the typewriter.

And it fell.

He stared at it. Joshua stared at it. You could not tear your eyes from it.

The keys had tilted out of alignment. The bar holding the paper was skewed. The decorative paneling to one side had cracked down the middle. You didn’t have time to fix it before it went on. Maybe you couldn’t fix it at all.

“I am so sorry--” Jihoon started, but you stopped him with a hand, balling the other into a fist.

“Don’t,” you forced through your teeth, because you didn’t want to start yelling at him; it was an honest mistake and it was your fault for not resettling it on the desk after the last run. You were just seething with rage, at yourself, at the typewriter--you didn’t want to project it.

“Ten minutes to go!” someone yelled down the hall. You forced yourself to exhale, gingerly picking it up, flinching with every shift of the keys.

“Is there anything I can--”

“Get to the booth. Tell Seungcheol what happened, just-- be in your place. Jun!” you yelled into the tech room. His head jerked up. “I need you to take over headset for me, can you do that?”

His mouth fell open seeing the typewriter and he nodded, wordlessly, leaping to his feet and hurrying backstage.

Jihoon still stood there, looking between the typewriter and you with an anguished expression. “You’re sure you don’t--”

“I got it,” you said again, clipped. “I can handle it. I can-- just get to the booth, Jihoon!”

You hadn’t yelled. You knew enough not to yell when the audience was already in their seats. But your words had the same effect, because he flinched, and he nodded, and he turned the other way and ran.

Your rage was turning inward as fast as it was dulling, but you had a show to put on, so you placed the broken typewriter carefully on a counter in the tech room and sprinted for the basement.

You managed to get the 1970s typewriter back upstairs and on the desk before it went on, and the show went on without a hitch. The actors hit their marks, all the props found their way back to the prop table, and the pit orchestra didn’t have to loop a section for a missed cue even once.

You waited until everyone was gone before you let yourself cry.

“I really am sorry.”

You looked up.

Jihoon stood in the doorway, twisting his hands.

“It’s fine,” you said. “It’s partially my fault for not making sure it was centered right.” You rubbed your eyes with the palms of your hands, hoping to disguise the redness. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “Do you want help?”

“I don’t know if it can even be fixed,” you said, staring blankly at the remains of the typewriter in front of you. “It might-- it might be beyond my help.”

For a long moment, you stared at it, mind spiralling.

You pushed yourself up. “They’ll want to lock up.” You slung your backpack over your shoulders. “I’ll just come in before the show and work on it. Maybe get Jun to grab me some McDonald’s or something and eat during the intermission.”

Jihoon’s brow furrowed. “That’s not healthy.”

“I’ve done it before.” You waved him off. “The show must go on, you know?” You slung your backpack over your shoulders. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The day came by in flashes as you researched the typewriter with a renewed vigor. You could probably use hot glue and some kind of putty to hide the crack in the paneling, you could probably put the keys back or at the very least tape them to look like they were back, from a distance. The bar at the top would be much harder but you hadn’t really inspected it the night before so maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought it was?

You didn’t feel particularly hopeful when you stopped by the tech room to pick up the typewriter.

Until you saw the typewriter.

“What the fuck.” It was fixed. The keys aligned, the crack sealed, the bar sitting on top just as it was supposed to be. It looked exactly like it had when you’d first set it on that desk.

Jihoon came around the corner, dried putty staining his hands. “Hey,” he said, seeming tired but absolutely beaming at you.

“Did you do this?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I didn’t want you putting your health on the line.”

“Oh my god, thank you. I can’t-- this is incredible!” You kept tracing your fingers over the ridge formed by the sealed crack, but you couldn’t see it.

“I did a good job, then?” He put his hands in his pockets, grinning.

“Better than good, oh my god I could kiss you!”

Your cheeks burned when you realized what you’d said, but he laughed. “Whoa, buy me dinner first.”

“Bet,” you said, accepting it like a challenge. “You pick the place, I’ll pay.”

“Okay,” he said, and then lifted his hands. “I gotta wash up.”

“Meet you by the front door in five?”

“It’s a date.”

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spine-buster · 4 years

Text

The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 21

A/N: I’ve always wanted to write a super-tropey scene like the bar scene in this so I went ahead and did it and I LOVE IT, OKAY?! Also, if you haven’t seen, I posted Part 3 of my Elias story last Thursday. It’s linked on my Masterlist!

Also, just a quick note that I will be returning to a full-time job after Labour Day today. I have enough chapters written out that I don’t think I will have to skip a week of posting, and I organize my time wisely so that I still give myself time to write, but this is just a PSA/FYI that I may not get to your asks/canon questions super quickly like I have been over quarantine. They will still ALL be answered, though, so don’t worry about that!

Anyways, enjoy this!

February 18th, 2020

Aberdeen Bloom was dejected.

The Leafs had lost their last two games, but these felt different. They’d lost to Buffalo on Sunday 5-2, and Buffalo was one of the worst teams in the league. It didn’t even matter that there were a majority of Leaf fans in the building. Now, tonight, they’d just lost 5-2 again, but this time to Pittsburgh. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her phone, with tweet upon tweet upon tweet calling this the worst game of the season for the team. Just an absolutely awful game. No effort. No heart. No soul. One that they would have to answer for at home, since they faced them again on Thursday, but this time at home. She didn’t even like hockey and she was taking everything to heart because, well – she was part of the team now. Everybody had told her that since day one. And now, at one of the lowest points in the season, she felt that.

She couldn’t stop scrolling. Couldn’t stop reading what everybody was saying.

It was Tyson who had volunteered to drive her home tonight. Ever since Morgan broke his ankle, it was a rotation of Tyson or John. When Emma picked up Tyson, she was just as nice, but she missed Bee. She missed seeing the way Morgan looked at Bee when they were in the car, because it reminded her of how William looked at her when they were alone.

Aberdeen shuffled into the backseat of Tyson’s SUV. Tyson was in the driver’s seat, and Emma was the passenger. Everyone was silent as Tyson began driving into the city – she and Emma could tell he was dejected and mad at the game that had transpired just a few hours ago. The short flight did nothing to quell his emotions. And as Emma laid her hand on his on the gearshift, Aberdeen watched as she moved her thumb back and forth, trying to tell him that it was all okay.

“Tys…it’s not your fault,” Emma said softly, finally, after what felt like a lifetime of silence.

“Em—”

“Tyson, listen to me.”

“—Emma, please, not right now—”

His eyes flashed to hers through the rear view mirror, but Emma wouldn’t listen to him. “I know it and you know it too. The whole defence is flawed. Plus, you guys are missing Mo. It’s not just you and you know that—”

“—Emma, I really don’t want to talk about it right now—”

“—and besides, if – or should I say when – you’re traded at the deadline, none of this will matter,” she dropped a bombshell. “Everyone knows you’re unhappy and it’s not working out and that you’re much better suited to play somewhere else.”

Aberdeen felt her body stiffen at the revelation. So Tyson was unhappy. Unhappy with playing on the Leafs. She knew he wasn’t having the best season, especially considering how successful he’d been in Colorado, but she didn’t think it was that bad. He’d gotten better when Sheldon came in, but apparently that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to make him happy. And in Aberdeen’s life, happiness was important. It was almost paramount. What you did and who you surrounded yourself with and your work should, ultimately, make you happy. Was it the same in hockey? Were hockey players allowed to be happy? Were hockey players on the Toronto Maple Leafs allowed to be happy? Or was everything just a business transaction? A long road to the ultimate success of lifting the Stanley Cup, regardless of who got hurt along the way?

Tyson let out a long sigh as he continued to drive, choosing not to answer his girlfriend or say anything else. When they got off the Gardiner and into downtown, Aberdeen was almost desperate to get out. She felt very awkward. Clearly Emma and Tyson wanted, needed to have a conversation, and she was stopping that from happening. Just by being in the backseat. She almost wanted to just tuck and roll out of the car. Tyson could return her suitcase later. She really didn’t care at this point.

When he pulled up outside her condo building, Aberdeen almost didn’t want until he stopped the car and put it in park to click her seatbelt off. “Hey Aberdeen,” Tyson looked at her through the rear view mirror. She paused all her movements to stare back at him through the mirror. “I uh…I’d appreciate it if you don’t mention to Brendan, uh, you know…what you heard…” he trailed off.

Aberdeen stared back at him doe-eyed. She shook her head slightly. “I don’t…I don’t tell Brendan about anything I find out about you guys. I mean I would never…” she said softly, trailing off too.

Tyson nodded, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Aberdeen.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem.”

When she got out of the car, Tyson popped the trunk so she could get her bag. After one last thank you, a polite wave, and a push of the button to get it to close, she walked into her condo building. She nodded towards the security guard before walking towards the elevators.

She wondered if William felt that same way when he played last year.

***

February 20th, 2020

“Get ‘em!” Aberdeen growled as she looked down onto the ice. “Get ‘em!!!”

Brendan chuckled as he watched Aberdeen, her hands balled up in fists as she practically hung over the box. He’d never seen her so into a hockey game before, and he didn’t know what had gotten into her. “You alright, Aberdeen?”

“Get ‘em!”

He got a kick out of it. Kyle, too, was doing one of those silent chuckles and getting redder by the second. “Aberdeen, you’re going to blow your heart out. We’re gonna need to put you on meds,” Brendan commented. “You gotta remember that you’re staying until the proofs get here. You can’t waste all your energy now.”

Aberdeen calmed down a bit, but she was still on the edge of her seat. “Sorry,” she said. She knew she was maybe taking it a bit overboard, but she couldn’t help it. After the awful game against the Penguins on Tuesday, the Leafs were dominating them right now. Freddie was playing phenomenally, Jake Muzzin had just scored to put them up 1-0, and they were getting really good chances. It’s like the team did a complete 180 from what they were. She also knew, though, that she needed to stay at the arena later tonight, because the final proofs for the St. Pats jerseys were coming and she was the one who had to sign for them and place them safely and securely in Brendan’s office to see tomorrow. She didn’t know how long she’d be up tonight, and she’d need to conserve energy.

“Don’t apologize. I just don’t want you to have a heart attack,” Brendan smiled.

With the Leafs on a powerplay, Aberdeen was like a hawk following the puck. With Tavares, Matthews, and Nylander on the ice, she was praying for a goal. And then—

“YES!!!!!” she screamed as William scored a beautiful goal, jumping up in her seat and throwing her fist in the air like she was Bender at the end of The Breakfast Club. From beside her, Brendan and Kyle stayed unnaturally calm. Aberdeen looked over at them and tried to settle back into her seat calmly. “Sorry. Again,” she said, gripping the armrests of her chair. “But how can you guys be so calm?!”

“You get used to it,” Brendan smiled.

“Well, maybe you do, Mr. Hockey Player,” Aberdeen joked.

“Especially when the camera is on you,” Kyle added.

Aberdeen’s face dropped. “Oh my God, I’m not on camera, am I?!”

Kyle shook his head, his smile spreading from ear to ear. “We’ll have to see, Aberdeen, but I don’t think so.”

The Leafs dominated the rest of game. Kasperi scored another goal only three minutes after William, and Zach scored in the third to make it 4-0. Freddie got the shutout. She knew he’d be happy about that, despite his stoic reserve. As she, Brendan, and Kyle made their way to the locker room, Aberdeen saw the media already speaking to Jake Muzzin. She knew they’d want to speak with the goal scorers too, and so when she saw William and Kasperi heading to the media room, along with John, Freddie, and Sheldon, she wasn’t surprised. It was a good game. Hopefully the media would back down a bit.

She congratulated the guys and stood on the sidelines as Brendan and Kyle spoke to some of them once the media left. By that point, some of them were dressed and ready to head home. “Hey, you want a ride?” Jason offered as he approached her, tightening his tie around his neck.

“Oh, I’m staying back, actually,” Aberdeen informed him. He looked at her skeptically. “The final proofs are coming in for your St. Pats jerseys in March and I have to receive them and put them in Brendan’s office under lock and key.”

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “Well, I can wait with you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Aberdeen, it’s fine. We can grab a bite to eat afterwards.”

“Jason, I might be here until, like, eleven.”

“So we’ll have an authentic Italian-style dinner then. All the more reason since I miss my motherland.”

“Jason—”

“Aberdeen, are you really going to say no me?”

She glared at him. It was like St. John’s all over again. Before she could open her mouth and say something else, another voice interrupted her. “Why’re you giving Jason the stink eye?” William asked as he approached them.

“I’m gonna wait with Aberdeen until the proofs come and then we’re gonna grab dinner. You in?” he asked William, but everybody already knew the answer.

William shrugged his shoulders casually, like Jason hadn’t just invited him to dinner with his own girlfriend. “I’m in.”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “You two are insufferable.”

“I like to think it’s part of our charm,” Jason smiled. “Let me call Jen and then we can go trash Brendan’s office.”

*** It was about 10:45 when Aberdeen, Jason, and William ended up at a small bar none of them had ever been to that served small pub-style plates. It was crowded, for some reason, even though it was a Thursday. Aberdeen quickly learned, judging by the drink specials, that it was their grand opening weekend, and tonight was their first official night open. Opening on a Thursday meant pandering to the university crowd for sure (whose pub nights usually took place on Thursdays), but this place was pretty full with an older, gruffier clientele that were seated at the bar and congregated in small groups around the open space in the centre of the room, away from the few booths against the wall. She wondered if they marketed the place wrongly, or if they just wanted to fill the place so they could say they had a successful opening.

It was a bit loud, but she, Jason, and William ate their late dinner in relative peace. They spoke about the game only for a little bit before they moved on to other topics, making it abundantly clear to Aberdeen that they didn’t want to discuss hockey at all. The food was fine, and so, too, were the beers William and Jason had, but Aberdeen’s Long Island Iced Tea had way too much rum in it so she couldn’t finish.

By the time they finished, it was almost midnight and Aberdeen was starting to feel her fatigue. They were told to pay at the bar, so they gathered their jackets. Aberdeen insisted on paying for her meal, ever going so far as to run up to the bar herself, inching between some patrons in order to pay, before William or Jason could even get out of the booth. William, however, was right behind her, ready to Jason’s meal on his card.

“H—Hey! Hey! Look what we have here! Y-You’re Wiiiilliam Nylander,” a guy, older and very clearly inebriated, slurred out as he laid his eyes on them.

“That’s me,” William gave a tight-lipped smile, standing just slight behind Aberdeen, waiting his turn to pay.

The drunk guy focused his attention on Jason now. “You. Spezza.”

“Yup.”

He turned back towards William, shaking his head. “Teams like this can’t win the Cup. Esp-p-ecially not with this guy around.”

That caught Aberdeen’s attention. She furrowed her brows as the friend of the guy, obviously just as drunk, nodded his head in agreement. “Don’t have the heart like Dougie or Wendel. All a bunch of pussies now. Especially you.”

Aberdeen pulled her card out of the reader dramatically, turning her body so she could face them head on. “What the hell is your problem? There’s no need to be rude,” she said, her voice loud and firm.

“Aberdeen, stop it,” William said loud enough for her to hear.

“Y-Y-Yyyyou shoulda just sssigned the contract, man,” the drunk man grumbled out.

Aberdeen tried again, ignoring William’s plea. “Sir, this isn’t the time or place,” she intervened, but William’s hands went straight to her waist to move her out of his way so she wasn’t standing in between them anymore.

Suddenly, it was William closer to the drunk man that Aberdeen. The drunk guy apparently didn’t like that very much. “You’re damn – you’re damn selfish! Ssssselfish and greedyyyy,” the man continued to slur drunkenly. “Seeeelfish, no good—”

“Sir—” Aberdeen showed up beside William, refusing to stand behind him.

“I oughta hurt you like you hurt the fffranchise.”

Aberdeen’s eyes widened. That was a threat if she ever heard one, and even though he was drunk, Aberdeen didn’t like the tone of his voice. “Okay sir,” she chastised. “You need to stop overreacting. We’re just here trying to pay for our meal. This is no time to be a dick.”

“You know what? Let’s just pay at the other end of the bar,” Jason said, trying to diffuse the situation as much as possible. He even started to herd William and Aberdeen away from the drunk man and down the opposite end of the bar. “You have fun with whatever whiskey you’re drinking,” he gave one last look to the man before walking away himself.

“Fuckin’ pussy!” the friend yelled loudly at William, already half way down the bar now.

Aberdeen looked back. William had grabbed her wrist and was dragging her through the crowd so she’d get to the other side with him. She watched as one of them slammed his glass down on the bar dramatically. “Willy—”

“Ignore them, Aberdeen.”

“Yeeeeeah, fuckin’ pussy! Fuckin’ lowlife! Worst Leaf on the team! Shoulda traded you back to Sweden, ya Swedish piece of shit!”

The men continued to yell obscenities and taunt William as they stood at the other end of the bar. Aberdeen stared at William as he stuck his credit card into the machine, quickly punching in his pin. “Does that happen often?” Aberdeen asked him.

“Aberdeen, don’t,” he shook his head, refusing to answer her as he pulled his card out of the machine and stuffed it back into his wallet. It was as if he didn’t want her to know; as if he wanted to protect her from learning just how awful some “fans” could be – at least to him.

“Did you pay?” Jason showed up beside them. William nodded. “Alright, then let’s get the hell out of here,” he ordered, herding them again to lead them out.

It all happened so fast that Aberdeen didn’t really know exactly that – what happened. All she knew was that she heard the guy yell from down the bar. Then she heard the breaking of glass (commonplace in bars, really) and someone else yell “Put it down!” as she, Jason, and William continued towards the door. Then another voice screamed “Watch out!” and she, Jason, and William turned their heads to look behind them.

Then it hit her.

Literally.

A glass had been thrown – obviously by one of the drunk men who had been harassing them – intended for William, but it hit Aberdeen right on the forehead instead. She staggered backwards but didn’t fall. As she brought her hand up to assess the damage, she could almost immediately feel blood dripping down the side of her eye.

“Aberdeen!” Jason screamed.

William looked over and saw the blood on Aberdeen’s hand and it dripping down the side of her face. His eyes filled with anger. Jason, who was still looking at Aberdeen, saw the look she was giving William. He whipped his head towards William, who appeared ready to murder everybody in the room. “Will—William—” Jason tried to get his attention, but to no avail.

“Ohmygodareoyouokaaaaay?!” voices began to ask as they huddled around Aberdeen, William, and Jason worriedly, forming a protective circle around them. There were so many people, so concerned and so loud asking if she was okay that Aberdeen couldn’t even respond – she was too overwhelmed and too confused to even comprehend what was going on.

That’s when the two men ran out. When most of the people in the bar were distracted trying to see if Aberdeen was okay, the men had the wherewithal to completely book it out of the bar with nobody stopping them. It was only William who noticed, screaming out a loud “HEY!” to try and get somebody’s attention to stop them, but nobody moved enough for him to get out of the scrum around Aberdeen to chase him. William focused his attention back on Aberdeen even though he could feel his cheeks flush red with anger and tears forming in his eyes. She was still holding the area above her eyebrow cautiously as the bartender waved her over. Jason and William led her towards the bar, making sure she didn’t step on any of the shattered glass that now littered the floor. The bartender was already opening the first aid kit. William heard Jason tell everyone “It’s fine, it’s fine, we don’t need your help, it’s alright, we’ll handle it, we’ll handle it.”

Aberdeen was offered a bar stool to sit on, but she turned it down. She didn’t want to be on display for everyone to see; she was already embarrassed enough as is. “You wanna go into a washroom?” the bartender asked, and Aberdeen nodded her head. He led them to the wheelchair bathroom, since there would be space for all of them, and ushered them in. “The emergency rooms are just up the street. They’ll do stitches.”

William glared at the bartender. “Aren’t you even gonna call a paramedic or something? What about the cops?” he demanded, his voice shaking from the anger he was still feeling. “Can we look at security cameras to get a face?”

“Bro, we don’t want cops or paramedics here opening night. That would kill us,” the bartender said. William couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “We don’t have cameras installed yet, either. Just clean it up and take it to emerge. It’s, like, two blocks north.”

William felt like punching the bartender square in the jaw. And he would have, too, for being so insensitive about it, if it wasn’t for Jason opening the first aid box loudly against the counter. Jason, for his part, glared at the bartender too. “You can leave now,” he growled, focusing his attention back on finding what he needed within the kit. “Useless piece of shit,” he mumbled under his breath.

Aberdeen sat on the toilet, trying to collect her thoughts and emotions. She’d gotten hit with a fucking flying glass in the middle of a bar. A glass seemingly intended for Willy, thrown by a drunk guy, but it had hit her. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She was sure her hand was covered in blood at this point; she didn’t even want to know what her face looked like. “Did I get busted open?” she asked, even though she was well aware of the answer. She needed someone else to confirm it so this all felt real and not like a nightmare.

“Yeah,” Jason said softly. “Listen, if that dipshit isn’t gonna call the cops or paramedics, I want to clean it before we go to the walk-in. Your face has a lot of blood on it.”

Aberdeen nodded her head slightly. There was nothing else she could do, really. It wasn’t like she was going to reject any medical attention, from Jason or otherwise. “Is it gonna hurt?” she asked.

“Of course it’ll hurt, but I don’t want any of the blood to crust and dry,” he said.

“Am I gonna need stitches? I’ve never gotten stitches before.”

“Move your hand a bit and let me see,” Jason said. She moved her hand the slightest bit, too scared to move it anymore out of fear that blood would gush out like some Halloween decoration, and Jason looked up close. “Yeah, probably,” he deadpanned. William winced at the thought.

“Oh, Jesus. Is it gonna scar?”

“No. Not deep enough to scar. At least not to me,” he said. She trusted him, if only because he was a father of four and had been around the block a few times. He cleaned her face as much as he could of the blood that had streamed down. She watched as he got some alcohol and put it onto a pad, prepped a sterile gauze, and whatever else he needed. Now, are you ready?” he asked.

“I guess so,” Aberdeen braced herself. She took her hand off the injury, relieved that no blood gushed onto Jason’s shirt. “On three, okay?” she asked. Jason nodded his head. She began to count. “One…two—”

She let out a guttural scream as Jason put the rubbing alcohol on her early so she wouldn’t wince away. It fucking stung. The sound that escaped her made Will’s heart drop into the pit of his stomach. He never wanted to hear it again. When he looked over, she was writhing on the toilet seat. Even Jason’s face was pained at her screams, but he was doing what he needed to do. After doing as much as he could, he took one last look at it before putting the sterile gauze on it, grabbing Aberdeen’s hand to hold it against the cut.

“You ready to go to emerge?” Jason asked.

Tears had streamed down her face at this point. She didn’t have a good tolerance for pain. She nodded her head. “Let’s go.”

***

It was just past two in the morning before an emergency room doctor saw Aberdeen. Jason had called Jen to let her know what happened and let her know that he was going to be extra late, and William…well, William was silent. He was still red with rage as they sat in the emergency room, with Jason and Aberdeen making conversation, but he was silent. Truthfully, all Aberdeen wanted to do was hug him, hold his hand, and nestle into him, but she couldn’t. It would have made things a hundred times better, but Jason being there meant that it was impossible. She noticed William’s silence from the moment they were in the washroom at the awful place and Jason had cleaned the wound. She was hoping that he wasn’t blaming himself.

“So, Miss Bloom, what happened here?” Dr. Behari asked as she sat on the gurney, Jason and William standing near her with their arms crossed.

“Some guy at a bar threw a glass and it hit me,” Aberdeen explained simply. “I think I’m going to need stitches.”

The doctor nodded, then looked towards Jason and William. “And you’re her bodyguards?” he joked.

Jason smiled, but William didn’t. “Friends,” Jason said. “I cleaned it up a bit with rubbing alcohol at the bar, doctor. I – It was the only thing I could think to do.”

The doctor nodded, stepping closer towards Aberdeen. “Let me take a look, Miss Bloom, and I can clean it and see if you need stitches.” Aberdeen took her hand and the gauze off the cut and the doctor put on his gloves. “Aallllllright…” he mumbled as he checked it, Aberdeen wincing in pain slightly as he pressed down on it. “You’ve got no residual glass in it, which is great. All we have to do is clean it up and give you some stitches.”

The thought of stitches made Aberdeen a bit woozy. She tried not to think about what they’d have to do. “Is it a deep cut? Like is it gonna scar?” she asked.

“Not a deep cut at all,” the doctor shook his head. “I’m only putting it one layer of stitches. You’ll probably have the slightest scar once it’s all healed but it’s easily covered with makeup, and due to placement, it won’t be too noticeable.” Suddenly, the curtain that blocked off the room opened, and some supplies and medical equipment were ushered in. Jason and William looked to see everything that Dr. Behari would need laid out on the tray. “Ah! Here we go. Have you ever received stitches before, Miss Bloom?”

“No sir.”

“Think of it as me putting this beautiful masterpiece of a face back together,” he joked, causing Aberdeen and Jason to laugh. William still wasn’t laughing, and Jason took notice.

“You’re great, Doctor Behari,” Aberdeen giggled. “I’m gonna get a scar like a real hockey player now.”

“Ahhhhh, so you guys are hockey players, huh?” he gestured towards Jason and William. “I’ve stitched up a bad hockey injury once or twice in my day.”

Dr. Behari continued with what he needed to do, cleaning up the wound and making sure everything was well and prepped for the stitches. The second he picked up the needle filled with lidocaine though, to numb the area so Aberdeen wouldn’t feel the stitches as much, William became more visibly upset. For the last two hours he looked like he was about to cry, and now he just looked extremely pained, distressed at the thought of what Aberdeen had to go through.

It took Jason intervening for William to stop thinking over and over about when the glass met Aberdeen’s head; the look in her eyes and the blood on her face as she tried to stop the bleeding with her hand. “Will, can you breathe for me?” he mumbled, Aberdeen and Dr. Behari too deep in a conversation to hear them.

William started shaking his head. “He needs to be arrested. He needs to be charged with assault. We need to find him,” his voice was still trembling.

“Will, we’re not gonna find him. He ran off,” Jason tried to reason with him. “There aren’t even any cameras we can check – the manager said. We just have to let it go.”

“No. That’s not good enough,” William was persistent. “We need to—”

“Listen to me,” Jason said in a low voice, grabbing William’s forearm and turning him away from Aberdeen and the doctor. They stood right in between the hallway and the curtain sectioning off the room. “I understand this is personal for you because it’s Aberdeen, but you need to be level-headed right now, because as much as the doctor is making her laugh, she’s gonna see the stitches and probably get scared. And she’s going to be looking at you to help calm her down and tell her it will be alright.”

William stopped breathing during the first part of Jason’s sentence. He furrowed his brows, trying to brush it off, and brush off what Jason was implying. “I don’t know what you mean about this being personal for me—”

“Will, come on,” Jason interrupted him. “I’m too old to be fucked with. We all see the way that you look at her and we know you have the biggest crush imaginable on her. It’s not like it’s a fucking secret.”

“H—How do I look at her?”

“She’s the only person you ever see, Will,” Jason deadpanned. “But…beyond that. You have to remember Brendan’s gonna be asking questions tomorrow at the office. I’ll handle a majority of that but he’s going to want the story from you too and you better be on your best behaviour or else he’ll figure out your little crush and Aberdeen will be fucked. Do you understand?”

William couldn’t look Jason in the eye anymore. He bit down on his bottom lip nervously, knowing that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “I think he already knows…” he mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I think…Brendan already knows about the crush. At the Christmas party out on the ice I guess he caught me looking and he told me she can’t do anything with me until she leaves, and more importantly, I can’t do anything with her.”

Jason looked like he’d seen a ghost. “And?”

“And what?”

“Are you doing anything with her?”

Here it was. William’s first opportunity to lie outright to a teammate, a friend, a colleague, a guy that he looked up to immensely. Aberdeen had had to do it with Siena, now he’d have to do it with Jason. His girlfriend was a mere fifteen feet away and he had to deny that anything was going on. “What?! Of course not!” he said angrily.

“William I swear to fucking God—"

“Nothing is happening,” he stressed. “Jesus, Jason. How awful do you think I am? I wouldn’t do something like that to her.”

“Don’t fuck with me Willy. She’s got too bright a future for you to—”

“I know that,” William stressed. “I. Know. That. That’s why nothing has happened. That’s why it’s stayed a crush.”

“You promise me right here, right now, in the middle of this hospital while she’s getting stitches, that there’s nothing going on between you two, or so help me God, Willy—”

“There’s nothing going on between us,” William said bluntly. He saw Jason’s face relax slightly, meaning that he was buying it. “I’ve got my crush and that’s it. But there’s nothing going on between us. Nothing.”

“Woohoo! Boys!” Dr. Behari called out, interrupting their conversation. “Miss Bloom wants to hold one of your big strong hands just in case she feels anything. Any takers?”

Jason raised his eyebrows at William and gave him a look. William gave Jason one last look before walked over, stood next to Aberdeen, and offered his hand. She grabbed it without hesitation.

Jason watched.

***

February 22nd, 2020

“What in God’s name happened to your eye?” Brendan demanded as he got his first look at Aberdeen Saturday morning. In the town car, Lou had already commented on it. Now Brendan got to see it, bright and early in the morning before heading towards the office.

“It’s a long story,” Aberdeen mumbled.

“Well we’ve got a long drive to the office.”

She sighed. She recounted the events of the previous night to Brendan, from Jason and William agreeing to stay back with her, to them going to dinner, to the rude men, to the bottle throwing. Brendan looked more and more horrified as time went on, and especially angry when she got to the part with the rude men. They were essentially targeting one of his players, one of his star players, with assault; instead, that assault ended up hurting his executive assistant. And when she mentioned the no cameras and the clueless bartender, he got really angry, because there was nothing he could do either.

“And so, here we are,” Aberdeen finished. “I’m three days out from my 22nd birthday and one week out from my party and I have a giant scar on my face.”

Brendan could tell by her tone that she wasn’t necessarily upset about it, per se, but that she was more so a bit self-conscious about how it looked. “It’s not that big,” he said, trying to not make it a big deal. “The stitches will be out soon anyway. You don’t want to see some of the scars I’ve gotten. I mean…” he trailed off, pointing to the one on his top lip and the one on his chin, “yours won’t look as bad as these. Won’t end up as bad as these either.”

“You don’t think so?”

Brendan shook his head. “No chance. It’s only three stitches. Did you tell your parents?”

“Yeah, we FaceTimed so I could show them. They don’t want me in bars past sundown now,” she giggled slightly. “I’m going to have to go to my doctor before we leave for Tampa Bay to see if they can get taken out though. By then it will have been four days. The emergency room doctor said it should be okay by then.”

“I’ll call Noah and have him take a look at it once we get to the arena,” he said, referring to Dr. Noah Forman, the team’s head physician. “I’ll call Jason and Will in, too. To let me know what happened.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. It was only logical to talk to them about it to. William had been the one targeted, after all. “Are you excited for tonight?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

Brendan shrugged. “Last time we faced Carolina it was an…interesting game,” he said. “How much more interesting can it get?”

***

Aberdeen was absolutely horrified. Just absolutely fucking horrified at what was transpiring in front of her very eyes. A complete and utter collapse. Something that couldn’t be real. Something she didn’t want to be real. Something that was affecting her more than she ever thought hockey would. If Aberdeen thought that Penguins game on Tuesday was bad, this was a hundred times worse. A thousand. A million. A billion times worse.

The Leafs were losing to the Hurricanes. 6-3. And who was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes? Their emergency backup goalie, who was, somehow, also the Toronto Marlies’ Zamboni driver. Yes. The Toronto Maple Leafs were losing to a Zamboni driver. Their own Zamboni driver.

She wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Brendan had already left the box. He’d asked her not to follow him. That made her incredibly nervous, because usually when he was upset or disappointed about games, she was still following him like a little puppy. That wasn’t the case now; he clearly wanted to be alone and alone he would be, wherever he happened to be.

When the final buzzer rang, Aberdeen felt her heart rate go up even more, because it now meant that she did have to go find him. She didn’t want to be in the locker room right now. The team needed to be with their coach, and she didn’t exactly want to hear whatever was going to go down in there. She wanted to remain willfully ignorant. So instead, she began walking towards the offices, where a part of her knew Brendan would be.

She was quiet as she walked down the hallway and towards her desk. She saw Brendan’s door almost closed, and knew he was inside his office. She gathered her things, grabbed her jacket, and took a deep breath.

She knocked lightly on his office door. “Come in,” she heard him say absent-mindedly.

She pushed the door open slowly. When she revealed herself in the doorway, Brendan’s eyebrows rose slightly. He was surprised she’d come and find him. But he didn’t want her to know that. Most other personal assistants he’d had usually let him be when he did something like this. But Aberdeen was different. “Oh, there you are,” he said, his voice low as he cleared his throat. There were a few moments of silence as he thought of something to say. “We need to go over the, uh…the proofs for the St. Pats jerseys,” he held out his hand.

Aberdeen was nervous. He was a bit too calm for her liking, considering what had just happened. She knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it exactly, but still. “Okay. Um, yeah, sure. I have it right here,” she said as she began digging through her bag with all the files in it. There were so many to sort through, and she knew she was taking a while.

“By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me,” Brendan said.

She pulled the proofs out of her bag and handed them to him. He took them, a bit dramatically she thought, and opened them up. “Okay, so…they’re done. They can be sent,” he said dismissively, putting his signature at the bottom of every page of proofs.

Aberdeen was shocked, slightly. There was so much back and forth on them because they had to be perfect and now he’d just signed off on them? “They…they’re done? So I don’t need to bring them back to the artist and fetch them back tomorrow?” she began to pull out her iPad so she could change her schedule.

“Well, if you think the team is worthy of even wearing these jerseys and want to convince me to not just scrap the whole damn idea…then yes, fetch away. You’re very fetching, so go fetch,” he grumbled out with a resolute emotion of nothingness in his voice.

Aberdeen stopped her movements. Okay, so he was affected by what had just happened. And he was going to let it all out now, in front of her, with no-one else around. No Kyle. No Sheldon. No team. Nobody but her. As she continued to stare at him, he couldn’t look her in the eye; he was looking everywhere in his office but her, even though she stood right across his desk from him. “You’ll need to contact PR, um…Leslie, to see what she can do to minimize the press on all this,” he continued, pursing his lips together, looking out into a void. “Another humiliating loss splashed across the Toronto Sun. I can just imagine what they’re going to write about us. The Toronto Maple Leafs lose to a Zamboni driver who works for them. The most embarrassing loss yet, and it’s under my watch. Every newspaper in this city should cut me a check for all the papers I sell for them.” He shook his head, pausing for a few moments to collect himself, and finally looked at Aberdeen. “Anyway, I don’t…I don’t really care what anybody writes about me. But the team. I just…the team. It’s just another disappointment…another let down. Another bad game. Horrible game.”

Aberdeen didn’t know what to say. She knew this was Brendan’s version of spilling his guts out to her. This loss had taken its toll on him – was going to take its toll on everyone in the organization, and he was the guy heading the entire operation. It all fell on his shoulders. And Kyle’s. But he was the overseer of it all. He put the brunt of the blame on himself – not on the players or the general manager. “Anyway, the point is…the point is…” he cleared his throat. Aberdeen could see him visually recollect himself. “The point is, we really need to get these proofs sent first thing tomorrow morning, because I’d like to see the jerseys before they get sent to the players.”

It was weird to Aberdeen how he could just switch like that – from experiencing the lowest of the low to going back to normal again. She wondered if it was a hockey thing, because Willy did it too – he would be upset after losses, especially bad ones, but it would quickly become dirt off his shoulder. She held on to her emotions and feelings much longer than them. “I’m so sorry, Brendan,” she offered. She knew there was nothing else she could say to him. “If you want me to cancel your morning tomorrow, I can.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would we do that?” he asked.

Aberdeen offered a tight-lipped smile. “Is there anything else I can do?” she asked.

Brendan nodded quickly. “Your job.”

***

Aberdeen called Siena the moment she was out of the office and walking home. She’d been okayed to go home by Brendan. She’d texted Will, but he wasn’t answering, so God knows what was going on in the locker room right now. She didn’t want to stay at Scotiabank Arena for that very reason. She just knew it was too much for her to handle.

She knew it was too much because she was already crying. Silent tears, but tears nonetheless. She prayed to God that Siena picked up.

“Hey,” Aberdeen finally heard her voice. “What’s up?”

“Siena…” Aberdeen’s voice was shaky. “Siena did you watch the game?”

“No, why? What’s wrong?”

Aberdeen sniffled. “I never thought I’d be crying about sports but here I am crying about the Leafs!” she blubbered out.

“Why? What happened?”

“We just had the most God awful game,” Aberdeen huffed out. “We lost to our own Zamboni driver.”

There was a pause on Siena’s end. “Aberdeen, are you drunk?”

“NO!!!” she exclaimed. “Go check the highlights or whatever. Go turn on TSN. It was humiliating. We’re going to get absolutely roasted. It’s going to be so bad and—”

“Aberdeen—Aberdeen you need to calm down,” Siena urged on the other end of the phone. “It’s not your fault, Aberdeen. And it’s not your problem. Why are you so upset about it? It’s not like you’re a part of the team.”

Aberdeen felt a punch to her heart at Siena’s words. But she was. Everyone had told her that she was – Brendan, Kyle, the guys, everyone – and she had no reason to think otherwise. It was hammered into her since the beginning. For all intents and purposes, she was a member of the team, which is why it hurt her so badly. Siena didn’t understand that. Siena didn’t understand how all the traveling together made them closer; how all the guys looked out for her – not in a patronizing way, just…in their own way – like they were her older brothers, especially after what happened at Christmas; how the word family was tossed around so often that Aberdeen really felt that this was a family in its own way, with a bunch of moving parts, often dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless. Siena didn’t understand any of it. “Yes I am,” Aberdeen said meekly, offering nothing. She couldn’t put into words what she’d just thought, and even if she could, Siena, with all her smarts, wouldn’t understand them. “I am a part of the team.”

“Just sleep on it, alright? I’m sure everybody is going to forget about it by tomorrow morning,” Siena offered, showing truly just how much she didn’t understand. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

At that exact moment, a car pulled up on the curb alongside Aberdeen. When she looked over, she saw William in the driver’s seat. He was already looking at her. “Okay, bye,” she ended the call abruptly, stuffing her phone into her coat pocket before approaching and opening the door, slipping into the passenger’s seat easily.

When Aberdeen looked over at William, he immediately noticed her red eyes. His heart tightened in his chest. “Why are you crying, minskatt?” he asked.

“How could you not be?” she asked back.

He leaned over the centre console to kiss her. “Please stop, minskatt. I can’t stand to see you cry.”

“I don’t know what to feel – what to do – I don’t know what to say to you to make you feel better about this,” she lamented.

“Shhhh shhh shhh,” William kissed her again, bringing his of his hands up to cup her face. “You don’t need to say anything.”

“Don’t I?”

William shook his head slightly. “You’re here, aren’t you?” he asked, as if that was enough. As if that’s all he needed, when really, Aberdeen knew he’d need so much more. That she would need so much more. “D’you want to come back to my place?”

Aberdeen looked William in the eye. He wasn’t asking politely. He was begging. She nodded. “Okay.”

***

Aberdeen was getting scared at how good she was getting at lying. She’d made up a stupid story about needing to stay late at the arena again for the trade deadline so Kasha would go to bed and not wait up for her. Kasha bought it. Aberdeen didn’t even know if she was staying at William’s tonight or if she’d walk into her apartment at three o’clock in the morning again, for the second time in two days.

(As if William would bring her to his apartment and then tell her to leave in the middle of the night.)

He took her to a tall, glass condo building, only about a ten minute walk from hers but closer to the south core that made him possible to practically walk to all the games if he wanted to. He held her hand firmly in his once they got out of the car and walked through the parking garage, getting on the elevator. William pushed the button for one of the top floors. Of course he’d have a penthouse.

Aberdeen was still too caught up in her own emotions to realize how big this was – every other encounter had been at her place, and now she was finally seeing his space. When he opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised at what she was greeted with. She knew it was rented, and so she half expected it to be kind of dull with no personality, but that wasn’t the case. There were touches of William everywhere in the apartment – the slight, boyish messiness just adding to it. Expensive shoes scattered at the entryway. A few plants that weren’t dead, so she figured they were fake. A giant, comfy looking couch in the main area with a massive TV that was hooked up to every gaming console known to man. And pictures. Lots and lots and lots of pictures everywhere. All of his family.

She could tell that there was a spare bedroom on one side of the apartment, and she saw a door leading to the master. William put his keys in the bowl in the middle of the kitchen island, watching her as she looked around his apartment. “So what do you think?” he asked.

“Do you miss your family on nights like this? When it’s a really bad game and really embarrassing?” Aberdeen asked, staring at a picture he had of him and him sisters together, holding them all in a giant bear hug as their smiles stretched from ear to ear.

The question caught him completely off guard. “Of course I do. I miss them all the time,” he said.

“What do you do on nights like tonight?”

“I sit on my couch and watch TV until I’m not thinking about it anymore,” William admitted. “Lately I’ve really been meaning to do it with my girlfriend.”

Aberdeen couldn’t help but smile. Even after a night like tonight, he was still flirting with her. “Do you have a change of clothes?”

They went into his bedroom – bed messy, but huge; closet overflowing, but orderly; giant floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the other skyscrapers around them – and she changed into a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt that looked Supreme-branded but instead said ‘spaghetti’. It smelled like him, thoroughly, and the second she put it on she felt like she was being hugged, even though it was about six sizes too big. They changed together, and when they were done, they made their way back to the living room and William turned on the TV, pulling her towards the big couch. He made her sit down first before kneeling down between her legs, resting his head on her stomach just beneath her breasts before wrapping his arms around her.

It was calm. It was nice. It was mindless. William was mindless as he laid there, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend in his clothes, watching TV but not really watching TV. Aberdeen was mindless as she laid there, running her fingers through William’s hair soothingly, watching TV but not really watching TV. It was a while before Aberdeen decided to speak again. “You know, it’s not healthy to not talk about it,” she said.

She felt William sigh. “You know I’m not good with words, minskatt.”

“Oh, I think that’s a lie. You’re great with words,” she said.

“No I’m not.”

“William, every author in the English language wishes they came up with the words, ‘I think about you when I’m not even thinking’, including me,” she countered.

William couldn’t help but smile. “Those words are only for you,” he said.

“I know,” she said, “but can you please give me some other words so I know that you’re okay? Because I’m worried.”

The fact that he was making her worried made him compelled to talk. That was the last thing he wanted. “I just…I just know that we’re never going to hear the end of it. And I hate that. I hate that it’s gonna be the big joke now. Because hockey isn’t a joke to me. Neither is the Leafs.” He paused and Aberdeen was silent, and he knew that silence was urging him to continue. “It happened because…it happened because they rallied around their goalie. They protected him. They had his back. And we didn’t. We just…we didn’t. And I hate it when we do that. Because I have…I have every guy in that locker room’s back. I do. But sometimes it just…” he sighed, shaking his head. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out how I want it to.”

Aberdeen had continued to run her fingers through his hair. She nodded at the end of his speech. “I’m not going to pretend that I know what it feels like, because I don’t,” she said. “I haven’t been a fan of hockey and I don’t understand it like you do but I know how much a game like this can affect the group, especially with the media in this city. But I got emotional about it because I know how much it affects you. Even if you won’t tell me about it.”

“I don’t mean to not tell you,” William said. “I just…” he paused again, thinking if he should even say anything. “It’s that besides my dad and brother, nobody’s ever really…you know, listened. So I just stopped talking.”

Aberdeen’s heart broke. At that point, she stopped running her fingers through his hair and forced him to sit up, even though her legs were still wrapped around him, so she could look him in the eye. She thought about Mike Babcock and what he’d done to Will. She thought about all the other hockey coaches he had and wondered if they were just as bad. “Willy…” she said softly, running her thumb along his jawline and lips. “Willy, I want you to talk to me more. About hockey. About your family. About your feelings. About everything. Please. Please.”

William nodded. He understood completely what she was asking him to do, and he was going to make a concerted effort to do so, because he loved her. He loved her so much and he didn’t want to see her worrying about him. “I will, minskatt. I will, for you,” he said, kissing her quickly. He shifted them so she was straddling his body. “I just have to get used to somebody listening.”

“Willy, I’m always going to listen to you. Don’t forget that, okay?” she asked, cradling his face in her hands.

He nodded, quickly kissing her again. The words were coming now, and he couldn’t stop them. Aberdeen had that power over him. “What happened the other night at the bar was my fault,” he said.

“What?” Aberdeen’s eyes bulged out of her head dramatically. “Willy, that was not your fault at all—”

“Yes it was—”

“No it wasn’t—”

“Yes, yes it was,” he said sternly. “And I couldn’t take it. I was so mad, minskatt. I was shaking. I wasn’t able to stop it or to protect you or—”

“Willy—Willy, stop. Willy, it wasn’t your fault at all,” she repeated. “Those stupid guys were drunk.”

“But they were aiming for me. They hated me. I wish that glass would’ve hit me instead,” he said, bringing his hand up to her scar and touching it lightly.

“Don’t you dare say something like that. It was a freak accident, Willy. There was nothing either of us could do,” she said, hoping he would soon realize it.

William paused for a moment. “You’d talk to me too, right? Like you want me to talk to you?” he asked. Aberdeen nodded her head confidently. “Were you scared that night?”

Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Just a little bit. But you were there. And Jason. And when I realized that, I wasn’t so scared anymore. I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.”

William nodded. “Are you listening?”

“Yes…”

“I love you.”

Aberdeen smiled. “I love you too.”

They began kissing. Lightly, at first, and then Aberdeen couldn’t help but stick her tongue down his throat, and William couldn’t help but squeeze at the flesh of her thighs. As they made out like teenagers on his couch, Aberdeen placed her hands over his and guided them to her ass.

William giggled slightly into the kiss. “Aberdeen…” he said in a playfully accusing tone.

“I only want to remember feeling your hands there instead,” she mumbled against his lips.

William froze. Suddenly and all at once, her words hit him like shards of glass, cutting him to his very core. “I’ve been scared before in my life much worse and with less blood.” Ethan. She still thought about what happened with Ethan – she still thought about it and it affected her and it made her scared, something she hadn’t admitted to before. William felt like killing Ethan all over again right then and there, with Aberdeen sitting on his lap. What affected her wasn’t a physical wound; what affected her was something much deeper.

“Listen to me,” he said, his hand cradling her chin, thumb gliding over her lips softly as she’d done to him earlier. “Nobody is going to do that to you again, okay? Not while I’m here.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. She believed him completely.

“I mean it, Aberdeen,” he pressed.

“I know.”

“If I ever saw him on the street, I’d fucking kill him for what he did to you. For how he made you feel. And I want you to know that, like…you’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more. He was a pig who couldn’t see that but I can,” William said.

Aberdeen almost burst out into tears at his words. You’re not what happened to you. You’re so much more. She could have cried right then and there. But instead, she nodded her head before kissing William again, even more eager this time, wanting to show him just how much she appreciated him, just how much she believed him, just how much she loved him.

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years

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August 28: 3x05 Is There In Truth No Beauty?

Several days later, coming back to write up these Star Trek notes. I feel like I never got to talk this episode through properly, or even think through it properly by myself, because mom went right into watching AHS on Thursday, and I was too tired to even sort through my thoughts and when we talked yesterday, it was… entirely about other things.

So, here at least are my liveblog thoughts, and maybe I’ll remember some more as I write.

Right off the bat, this is such a cool concept: the friendly alien Ambassador who no one can look at because his form is not fit for human eyes.

Love Spock’s silly looking little visor. Not sure I get why he’s wearing it right now, when the Ambassador is in his box, but okay.

Dr. Jones is so beautiful. I love her dress.

I’m sure Spock is thinking “If only all Ambassadors could be put into little boxes like this.”

Okay, Ambassador’s coming! Everybody quarantine!

Right, I JUST remembered the significance of the dress.

Spock has experience with mind links with other creatures—a lot of experience that ho. Is he thinking about the pleasure of connecting to Kirk, that “dynamic individual”?

“My life is here.” With the Captain???

I feel like this episode is implying, all but stating outright, that Spock is very good at mindlinking. Like maybe even more so than the average Vulcan. Which makes sense because he does it so often. And yet he still messes up with AOS!Kirk.

I love the effects for the Ambassador. I’m not even being sarcastic; I think they get across the experience of looking at him quite effectively.

Hmmm, some non-touch telepathy. I know Spock has a little of that. I guess it’s mostly him reacting to Miranda, though.

Gotta get a dig in at Dr. McCoy before he leaves lol. Spock, so predictable.

Kirk’s flirting is off the charts today omg. Tone it down man.

SCOTTY IN A KILT aw yeah.

She learned from the Vulcans how not to read thoughts. Exactly!! Their telepathy is such an underrated part of the whole Vulcan thing, including why they remain ‘emotionless.’

She’s so jealous of Spock.

Honestly this whole scene… there’s a lot going on here! I’m trying to pay attention to the Vulcan telepath stuff but the men won’t stop flirting at 11. Especially McCoy, laying it on extra thick.

She does hold her own very well, though.

A preference for beauty—one of our last prejudices.

“Sleep well.” So cute. (I’ve already forgotten but I’m pretty sure this is Kirk.)

“We’re all vulnerable in one way or another.” KIRK SHUT UP I LOVE YOU.

Girls don’t like guys, girls like Medusan ambassadors.

This guy is so jealous. I barely know who he is lol; this comes out of nowhere.

Interesting angle on the hallway shot. I feel like there are a lot of those in this ep, like these weirdly long shots of the hallways… Maybe I’m just not used to seeing them with one or no people in them.

Kirk and the squad. Work work fashion baby.

“Larry? Marvick? Why?” Okay that is some real Shatnerian inflection there.

SCOTTY FIGHT SCENE.

*Ship veers obviously*

And look at this weird-ass view of the bridge. Like what the hell, where is the camera? On the lift? It’s so disorienting!

Spock needs to fix some stuff, calls for his protégé Chekov, of course.

And this funky music. So bizarre.

WE’LL BE SAFE AT THE BOUNADIRES OF THE UNIVERSE. Drama queen

This is a nutty view, this “unknown void.” Like one would think beyond space there’s… just more space, not a Windows 98 screensaver.

Space time continuum?? They didn’t time travel (again), did they?

“He just simply died.” How convenient.

“An entertaining suggestion, Mr. Chekov, but not very helpful.” Honestly, I do think he’s entertained. Spock has grown so much over the course of the show.. like I know there was controversy with his IC-ness this season but in this case, I really do think it is growth. Compare this to the Corbomite Maneuver, where he had a sense of humor but it was… a little mean, a little arch. There’s a certain warmth to him now.

Her mind must be so engaged that she doesn’t notice the plan for Spock to meld with the Ambassador = Kirk will seduce her. Lol. Of course. Everyone’s favorite honeypot.

He has absolutely NO shame.

The man sure does love his flowers, though.

She’s never been to Earth. So she’s a human born on a colony, I guess? That’s such a throwaway line, but so interesting. Could that be part of how she’s telepathic?

Oh no! A thorn!

“Violent emotion is a kind of insanity.” Can I steal this?

Too ugly to bear or too beautiful to bear?

Let me spell it out for you: this is romantic. (Again, I’ve forgotten what this refers to, but I’m going to assume it’s something Kirk said.)

Lol Bones just dropping truth bombs. How did he know she was blind? Did he recognize the dress or does he have access to her files as the ship’s doctor?

And Kirk accepts it immediately. “Of course! It’s the only reasonable explanation as to why you weren’t attracted to me.”

The Ambassador is brought to the bridge and placed behind a covid wall, I mean, protective barrier.

And now, we meet the Ambassador for real.

“THAT’s Spock!” Bones is so happy. He’s really not comfortable with Spock being all… smiley and flirty. Or rather, someone in Spock’s body, I should say.

Kollos is VERY flirty. And he and Miranda have chemistry for sure. It’s weird, because I don’t get any sense of that between her and Spock (rightly so) but Spock as the Ambassador and it comes right out.

I love the characterization of him. The idea that the Medusans’ thoughts are supposed to be particularly nice to engage with…. I really see how that would be. He’s so soothing.

Kollos is enjoying his time in a human body, I think. Mostly. Not all of it. (I got a little teary at the part about loneliness, ngl.)

Time to go back? So soon?

Noooo the shield! It’s like forgetting your mask when you enter a building.

[Spock wails]

Honestly, even seeing the steps to the upper level of the bridge is really weir. Like, I’ve always known there are steps there… but I’ve never thought about what they look like.

Kirk is so skeptical about all of this. Spock is in danger and his brain immediately goes to the pessimistic scenarios—very unlike him!

He’s freaking out nervous.

“Are we supposed to wake him with a kiss?” Idk, it’s worth a try. Why doesn’t Kirk give it a go?

Does Kirk have a game plan with Miranda here, or is he just honestly freaking out?

…The answer is honestly freaking out, which is rather a disappointment.

Trippy.

Spock has a necklace version of the IDIC symbol this time.

Everyone’s exchanging all these highly formulaic, formal goodbyes and Kirk’s like “Peace.” Wow, really trying hard with that one. Still rattled, I guess.

Also speaking of these formulaic exchanges—this fits very well with the HAICG-verse. Just saying.

This episode was really good! I loved Miranda, I am a huge fan of the underlying sci fi concept, and I though the Spock characterization and the hints of Vulcan culture were very interesting (and very in keeping with my own characterization and world building, imo).

The only thing I didn’t like was Kirk’s characterization. He felt like a stereotype, like who AOS thought TOS Kirk was, rather than himself—the over the top flirting, the dramatic rage, how he didn’t really seem in control of anything or on his game at all.

But, even though he’s my fave, the interesting Spock characterization made up for that, and I really appreciated these insights into him, interacting with someone who, while not Vulcan herself, had a Vulcan cultural background, someone he approached similarly to how he would one of his own people. It was very polite but with a lot of unsaid beneath the surface, which is how I imagine Vulcans are.

The introduction of IDIC truly was pretty random! I did like the idea of Spock trying to compliment her and not really landing it, because that’s just the awkward nerd sort of thing he would do. But it’s weird that the phrase has never been introduced before, and also that even within this episode, it’s only obliquely explained.

I’m not actually sure if I’ve seen the next ep or not. I don’t think so, but it’s possible I did and just don’t remember it very well…

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #2021: fandom thoughts #star trek tos

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hopeymchope · 3 years

Text

The Pre-Valentine’s Meeting: A Danganronpa Fic

Summary: Leon Kuwata calls together the men of Hope's Peak's 78th class in an attempt to learn who is expecting to receive Valentine's chocolate from which of their female classmates.

Links:

The Pre-Valentine’s Meeting on AO3

The Pre-Valentine’s Meeting on FF.Net

Or you can read it below the cut if you like.

"What's up, my dudes?" Leon Kuwata said as he strolled into the dining hall. He was addressing the longest table in the hall, where all of the other openly male members of the 78th class were currently seated.

In contrast to Leon's jovial attitude, Byakuya Togami looked deeply irritated. "We should be the ones asking that," he said irritably, "Since this meeting was at your insistence."

"This gathering is an important opportunity regardless of why Kuwata-kun requested it," Kiyotaka Ishimaru declared proudly, directing his comments towards Byakuya. "We must make the most of this chance to maximize our bonds as men!"

"I suppose I'm down with what bro said," Mondo Owada offered, "But does it gotta happen so late?"

"I'd never have guessed you're the early-to-bed type, Owada-kun," Makoto Naegi said with a light laugh.

Before Mondo could respond, Hifumi Yamada interjected: "It's only midnight! I'd normally be working until at least 2 a.m. on my latest doujin!"

"I ain't against a late night," Mondo said to Makoto. "But we gotta be real here, man — it's only Thursday."

"Exactly!" Leon replied, still standing. "It's basically already the weekend! Besides, don't tell me that your gang never got up to anything on Thursday nights."

"Not this late," Mondo told him. He smiled as he added, "Gotta save that energy so we can really tear it up on Friday night, y'know?"

"I do hold reservations about whether this will negatively impact our performance tomorrow," Taka said. "However, as there are no tests scheduled for this Friday, I believe the benefits of this male bonding time will outweigh the possible blowback!"

"Whatever, thanks for that," Leon said dismissively. "Let's get down to business," he said, pivoting to something that put much more passion in his voice. "We're a week and a half out from V-Day, and I am here to find out who among us is expecting Valentine's chocolate from which ladies!"

Makoto closed his eyes and hung his head. Mondo audbily groaned.

Yasuhiro Hagakure, on the other hand, grinned. "If that's all ya wanna know, I'll be happy to peer into the future for you!" he told Leon. "I've got a special Valentine deal going: Just 100 million yen!"

Now everyone at the table groaned. Makoto leaned over and gently told Hiro, "Ah, nobody here is gonna go for that. Sorry."

Byakuya Togami stood up. "If there's nothing else... " he muttered, then pivoted to face the door.

"Please, Togami-kun!" Taka said, reaching out with an open palm. "Without the full complement of our brethren, this male-bonding activity will be incomplete!"

Togami gave him a withering look. "I couldn't possibly care about that," he said. "I only came here to this gathering in the first place to satisfy my mild curiosity about what Kuwata considered so urgent." He moved his attention to Leon. "I admit that I didn't expect much, but you actually surprised me, Kuwata."

"How's that?" Leon said.

Byakuya smirked. "This was an even more foolish waste of time than I anticipated." He turned away once more. "Don't bother me again." With that, he walked out.

Taka looked crestfallen, but Leon didn't even visibly react to the insult. "Whatever," he said, shrugging. "He's only gonna get chocolate from Fukawa anyway."

Hifumi rubbed his chin. "Even if that's true, wouldn't her dual nature mean he'll get two gifts?"

"Dude, who even cares about that?" Leon responded. He pointed a finger at the side of his head. "Are you brain dead or something? It's not about how much chocolate you get — it's about the ladies you get it from!"

Hifumi gently adjusted his glasses with one hand. "Speak for yourself," he said back. "3D women mean nothing to me."

Mondo chuckled a little. "So nobody in our class is good enough for ya?" he prodded. "That the size of it?"

"Nothing so entitled," Hifumi said. "3D women are just too complicated, too... messy. With my 2D girls, I always know where I stand. The flags for instigating romance are always obvious, and in most cases, the ladies respond positively to those flags regardless of any other factors."

"Sure," Leon said, unconvinced. He finally sat down, slipping into a chair across from Hifumi, then leaning forward to bring himself closer. Hifumi instinctively leaned away. "Are you really gonna sit there and pretend there's not a single girl in the class who's even got you a little interested in the real thing?" Leon pressed.

Hifumi began to sweat. "We-well, I... I suppose... " He placed his forefinger across his lips and looked downward. "I mean... I guess I wouldn't mind if Chihiro Fujisaki-dono g-gave me some chocolate... "

Mondo glanced sideways and pursed his lips. "Huh," he muttered.

Leon rubbed the hair hanging off his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he looked at Hifumi skeptically. "But is that, uh... likely?"

Hifumi looked dubious, but he managed a smile. "We've enjoyed working together on some projects in the past. Perhaps some Friend Chocolate... ?"

Leon shook his head. "Man, that's the worst kind of chocolate," he said.

"Philistine!" Hifumi suddenly declared. He thrust forward one hand, pointing dramatically at Leon as he bellowed, "All chocolate is precious!"

Leon folded his arms and leaned his head back. "Don't get all high-and-mighty with me. You know damn well the kinda chocolate I wanna hear about, man!"

"Well both of you shut the hell up?!" Mondo yelled, slamming a fist on the table. Everyone jerked backwards. Hifumi let out a small yelp of surprise. Makoto flailed his arms a bit. Unphased, Mondo continued, "Your dumbass argument doesn't matter!"

After an awkward beat of silence from the group, Taka was the first one to lean back into position. Sitting beside Mondo, he sternly said, "Bro, you know that kind of language is-"

Mondo waved him off. "Yeah, I know, I know. Sorry, bro."

Leon swallowed and tried to hold his ground. "Well, it still matters to me what kind of chocolate it is."

"That's not even what I was talkin' about," Mondo grumbled, looking away.

Taka's brow furrowed. "Then what did you mean by saying that it 'doesn't matter'?"

Mondo looked at him with irritation. "Just that... look, Fujisaki... " He paused and cleared his throat, then looked down at the floor. "They ain't plannin' to give anybody anything more than Friend Chocolate, okay?!"

There was another moment of silence that was soon interrupted by a loud gasp from Hiro. "This is awful!" he shouted. "Owada-chi! How come you never told me you're a psychic, too?!"

Before Mondo could protest, Taka stepped in. "That is not what bro is saying!" Taka told Hiro confidently. "Clearly, he learned this because he and Fujisaki-kun discuss workout tips!"

Makoto looked at Mondo with an expression of surprise on his face that transitioned into something else as he narrowed his eyes. He said, "So Owada-kun, are you saying that you just... asked her?"

Mondo eyes locked with his so quickly that Makoto flinched. "Hell no!" Mondo replied. "They just said so, okay?!"

This inspired a chuckle from Leon. "Maybe she was trying to keep you from getting your hopes up," he said, smiling.

Now it was Leon's turn to be on the receiving end of Mondo's glare. "God dammit, it ain't like that!" Mondo said.

"C-can we just move on from Fujisaki-dono already?" Hifumi said as visible sweat beaded upon his face. "Leon Kuwata-dono — why don't you volunteer information on the chocolate you expect to receive? You were the one to initiate this meeting, after all."

Letting out a fake sigh, Leon grinned as he said, "I get it. Everybody wants to know what Valentine's Day looks like for a real ladies' man. And yes, I'm sure I'll be getting chocolate from many of my fans."

Mondo let out a guffaw. "Is one of those 'fans' your cousin?" he teased.

Leon rolled his eyes. "I mean... she'll probably send me some too, but no, I meant-"

"I was asking about our classmates," Hifumi interrupted, pointing at Leon. He wrapped his thumb and forefinger around the rim of his glasses. "Are any of them your 'fans'?"

At this, Leon frowned a little. "Well... I'm hoping to receive some from somebody, but I kinda think she might have her eyes on somebody else... " His gaze drifted over to Makoto.

Makoto smiled nervously, holding up his hands in defense. "Hey now... I'm not expecting chocolate from anybody." At that, the entire rest of the table burst into laughter. Makoto looked around at everyone in confusion. "What?!" he demanded. "What'd I say?!"

As he stopped chuckling, Mondo bowed his head. "Dude, you really are clueless."

Makoto threw up his hands. "About what?"

"For starters, Maizono-chan is constantly by your side," Leon pointed out.

"She's a good friend!" Makoto insisted. "And that's all!"

Taka spoke up next. "I have noticed that Ikusaba-kun speaks with you more than most of our classmates."

Makoto shook his head rapidly. "Ikusaba-san is a friend, too! She's not, like... into me or anything like that."

"You and the detective girl seem pretty close," Hifumi observed.

Makoto looked away. "Kirigiri-san is... uh, sh-she wouldn't be interested in someone like me... " he said softly.

"Like I said," Mondo remarked. "You're clueless."

"You've got it wrong!" Makoto exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He pointed one hand dramatically around the table as he said, "Just because I'm friends with these girls doesn't mean they want to be my girlfriend!"

"And what about you?" Leon pressed. "Do you want to date any of them?"

Makoto opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His face reddened, and he slowly slumped back into his seat. "I'll... deal with that on White Day," he finally murmured.

Leon leaned back and and raised an eyebrow at Makoto. "Yeah, about White Day... Do I gotta get your permission before I give any of those girls chocolate?"

Raising his forefinger to the side of his mouth, Makoto scratched at his cheek and said, "No no, you're fine!" After a momentary pause, he added, "Uh, I assume you're talking about Maizono-san?"

Leon visibly cringed. "If you know that I'm into her, does that mean Maizono-chan knows?"

Makoto nodded a couple times. "She does have really good intuition," he said, smiling sympathetically.

Hiro rubbed his head sheepishly as he told Leon, "Actually, I knew you're gunning for her, too."

"Crap," Leon said emphatically. "If you could tell, everybody must know!"

"Hey — not everybody has my psychic power!" Hiro protested.

Mondo bowed his head a bit and countered, "Kuwata's got a point, man. I mean, I already knew."

Leon put his head in his hands. "And here I was already working out a grand romantic gesture for White Day," he grumbled.

Taka clenched his fist. "You can still do that!" he declared. "It need not be a complete surprise!"

Closing one eye tight, Leon looked upwards with the other as he considered that. "It loses some impact, but... yeah, maybe." He sat upright once more to look at Taka and Mondo, who were seated beside one another. “Let's just move on," Leon said quickly. "This is about the V-Day, not White Day. So what about you two?"

Mondo and Taka exchanged look, then simultaneously turned back to Leon. "What about us?" Mondo asked.

With exasperation, Leon asked, "What girls do you think you'll get chocolate from?"

Confused, Taka and Mondo looked at each other for a long moment. Then, slowly, they began to laugh.

As the two of them burst into hysterics, Leon threw up his hands in a shrug. "Am I missing something?"

Mondo gradually stopped laughing. "Who needs chocolate from girls?" he said. Throwing an arm around Taka, he grinned as he continued, "All I need is some chocolate from my bro here, and I'm set!"

Blushing, Taka put an arm around Mondo and exclaimed, "Same here!"

Leon closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, this is turning into a real bust," he grumbled.

"Perhaps the problem is that no one can truly know what to expect," Hifumi offered.

"Yeah," Hiro agreed. "None of us are in relationships, and I mean... when it comes to girls, most of us are just as clueless as Naegi-chi!"

"Hey!" Makoto protested.

Ignoring Makoto, a dismayed Leon acknowledged Hiro's remark. "Yeah, I'm getting that impression." Looking around at the group, he said, "Maybe I should've waited to ask for everyone's White Day plans. At least then it's all up to the guys."

Taka gave a swift nod to that. "It is easiest to know future events when you are the one who controls them," he stated.

Makoto frowned at Hiro. "You know, somehow it hurts more when you call me clueless... "

Hiro shrugged at him by way of apology. "My offer still stands for anyone interested, by the way," Hiro told the table. "Step right up and get your fortune told — learn which ladies will love you today!"

A variety of negative replies emerged from the rest of the table. "Not interested." "No, thank you." "Not a chance." "N-no, sorry." "Nuh-uh."

#danganronpa fanfic #my writing #danganronpa #danganronpa fic #leon kuwata #makoto naegi #yasuhiro hagakure #mondo owada #mondo oowada #kiyotaka ishimaru #hifumi yamada #valentine's day #danganronpa valentines

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angelbabyszn · 4 years

Text

Protection (Ruby X Reader)

OMB Masterlist

"Okay, people! Hurry in! We need to start going over this play!” shouted the English teacher, Mr. Miller in the community theater after school.

The core four and Jasmine sat down next to each other with other students in their grade along with freshmen in a circle of chairs with Mr. Miller in front to see the whole class.

"Everyone, everybody you see in this circle is part of Freeridge's first annual play, "Hamilton"!" said Mr. Miller and everybody clapped.

"This will be a little musical so some parts were based off of people who's in choir with Ms. Grande. Now, do we have our lead actress, “Eliza” here?" Mr. Miller asked.

Students start to turn and start to chatter between each other to figure it out.

The doors that enter you into the theater busted open, causing everybody to turn to them

You came in jogging tiredly with sweat coming down your face, your script in your hand, and your backpack on your back. You just came from your house because you have to buy groceries from the store instead of getting on the bus to here.

"I'm-I'm here! I'm here! I'm-"

You screamed and found yourself on the ground hurt because you tripped over your foot. Some freshmen laughed at your fall.

"Y/N!" shouted Ruby and he quickly got up from his seat and jogs up to you. You slowly get up from the ground until Ruby grabs your right hand and helps you the rest of the way up.

"Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate it." you said. looking at him with a small smile.

"No problem, Eliza." said Ruby with a grin, making you giggle a bit as you grab your script from his hand.

"Now, that both of our main leads are here, let's start reading our script, shall we?" said Mr. Miller and you and Ruby walked on the stage and sat next to each other.

"Y/N!" shouted Ruby and quickly out of your thoughts that were flowing through your mind.

"Huh?" you said with wide eyes as you looked at everyone. You just realized you were still here about an hour later.

"It's your line." said Ruby and your eyes widened again and you quickly flipped through your script to where everybody was.

"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?." you said while acting sadly.

"Good job, everyone! That includes practice today. We will be back here on Thursday to start setting up the scenes for the play. Everyone is free to go now." said Mr. Miller and everyone started to get up and started leaving.

You close your script hard because you were so glad you were glad for the day. You quickly got up and left out of the theater.

You took out your skateboard you have in your backpack and put it on the ground. You got on and started to roll down the sidewalk to get home until you heard your name.

You stop rolling and turn around. Your heart skipped a beat to see Ruby coming up to you with a smile with his backpack on his back.

"Let me take you home." said Ruby as he walks up to you.

"Awe, you don't have to. My house is literally around the corner." you lied, hoping Ruby would leave. You don't want Ruby to find out where you live.

"But I want to. I like you, Y/N. You're going to ignore what’s going on between us? I'm not going to act like I don't." said Ruby looking into your eyes confessing. He starts to get even closer to you but you backed away from him.

"I like you too but I'm just not in the right mindset to date right now. Too many things are going around in my life. I gotta go, bye!" you said and you quickly swipe your right foot a couple of times as you start to roll faster and away from him.

You look back to see Ruby with a puzzled face, making your heart ache and feeling regret. As much you want him to take you home, you can't because Latrelle is your cousin and currently living with you temporarily.

You hate that he was your cousin. “He’s hiding," he says. He always brings girls over for his pleasure, smoking all over the place, and leaving trash all over the house.

He is nothing worse than your father. An alcoholic with no job. Who's just let Latrelle with no questions about why he's hiding.

How are you still living in your house? All you. You are always working, cleaning, paying bills, while all going to high school.

You are still trying to figure out how you manage to do this while having average grades. You were glad makeup exists because you always have to put on makeup everyday to hide your dark circles from the late nights you work.

Sooner or later, you have to tell him but you haven't because Ruby is just turning back into himself. This play was a big step for him to become himself again because he loves planning and wants to make everything perfect.

You saw how Ruby got back to himself through your eyes by doing all of these pain-relief medicines, therapy, and doing fun activities with you and the rest of the gang like regular teenagers.

You're so happy to see him grow from his experience and you don't want him to relive his memory because of you. You just can't.

You entered your house with your skateboard underneath your right arm and you saw your dad knocked out on the couch with a whole bottle of alcohol in his right hand.

You rolled your eyes and you went into your room. You screamed to see Latrelle and his girlfriend of the week making out on your bed. Disgusting.

"Latrelle! What the h*ll?!" you shouted with a disgusted face. They quickly stopped and looked at you.

"This is the fifth time this happened, Latrelle! You got your own room, do you know that?!" you shouted angrily.

"Your room is the closest. We just in the moment." said Latrelle with a smirk and leaned over to his girl. He kissed her slowly as she started to go down his body about to reach his pants. You have to stop this now!

"Hey hyna! Get the h*ll out of my room now!" you shouted furiously and the girl looked at you with a stink eye.

"Little girl, I don't think you know who you are talking to." she said as she walked over to you with a glare and her arms crossed against her chest.

"You think I'm scared of you? Ha, listen. You ain't the first girl that he invited into my house and slept over so don't think you're special, Becky. With those low-quality "extensions" y'all say when it's actually a weave." you said and the girl's jaw dropped in shock.

"Actually, my name is Maria. This is not a weave, it's my real hair. The leader's daughter of the Prophet$, the winner of the Freeridge beauty pageant, the queen of-"

"Nobody f*cking cares! Now get your bad-looking blonde weave looking a*s outta here, Becky or I'll bust a hole through your head!" you shouted angrily.

You were mad now and you were willing to do anything illegal because of what Latrelle and your dad did today.

Maria grabs her purse from your floor and leaves the house angrily. You walked over to your bed and grabbed a shirt that wasn't yours.

"This hyna walked out in her bra." you said while looking at her shirt in her hand. You dropped it to the floor in disgust.

"Where do you think you're going, Latrelle?" you asked seriously. You turn around to see Latrelle trying to sneak out of your room.

"What Y/N? I need to go." said Latrelle.

"Oh no! You're going to stay here and clean up this house! I have gotten food, made dinner, working multiple jobs just to keep us underneath a roof! You have done absolutely nothing but bring girls and smoke ever since you moved in here! If you're going to stay, you should do something that would help in this household!" you yelled at him.

You have enough dealing with this every single day with him and your father. It makes you feel lonely and angry because they don't do anything. You felt like a grown woman when you should be enjoying your last years of a teenager.

"No! Let me be! You're just here to give us anything we want! We own this place! You can't do anything about it because you're just a puta!" yelled Latrelle at you furiously.

You looked at him with wide eyes as you were breathing heavily. You don't see your cousin anymore in him. You see a monster. A horrible monster ready to hurt you at any moment. Along with your father.

You felt tears coming through your eyes. You were trying not to break but it's not working at all, it was making it worse.

Latrelle grunts and walks out of the door of the house. A few moments later, you screamed furiously and tears started to flow down your tears heavily.

You fall down to the floor of your bedroom and just cry as you feel your eyes turning red. You couldn't take this no more. You try so hard to be strong but it's so hard without your mom here without you.

An hour later, you opened your eyes and you found yourself on the floor. You slowly sit up and grab your phone that was a few feet from you.

You look at the time and you see a few missed calls from Ruby. You slowly smile. It seems like Ruby is the only person right now that would call you this late at night.

A thought came into your mind and you slowly got up from the floor. You wipe your nose with a tissue and eyes as you look in your full mirror.

You see your red eyes almost returning to normal with your mascara running down your cheek. You wipe off your face and start doing small and natural makeup on your face.

You stopped to see your scars and bruises you got from your dad on your arms that are slowly healing and you felt your heart breaking again. You quickly grab your purse with your phone and leave the house.

A few minutes later, you found yourself in front of Ruby's house. You don't know why.

You slowly walked up to his door and hesitated until you rang his doorbell.

A few moments later, the door opened and my heart skipped a beat to see Ruby.

"Y/N?!" said Ruby, shocked that you were here at this hour.

"Hi Ruby." you said shyly and you look down to the ground.

"Hurry, come in," said Ruby, opening up the door wider and entering his house. He locked the door.

"What are you doing here at this hour? You know what happens after eleven?" asked Ruby, looking at you concerned and scared because he didn't want anything happening to you.

He looked into your eyes and you saw you were upset, making his eyes soften.

"Y/N...what's wrong? Did something happen? Is there someone I have to beat up?" asked Ruby and you chuckled underneath your breath.

"Ruby, you can't beat up anybody." you said as you looked at him.

"I'll become The Rock if anybody is messing with you." said Ruby and you chuckled again at his silliness. He always knows how to cheer you up without trying.

"But seriously, what's wrong. You came here this late at night. You should stay here for the night since you're here for your safety." said Ruby and he quickly went into another room in his house.

"Ruby, that's not necessary! I'm fine! I'm going to call-"

Your heart melted as Ruby came back into the living room with pillows, covers, pj's, slippers, and soft socks.

"Awe, Ruby. Wait, why are you here alone? I don't think you're completely better." you said being concerned to Ruby to ignore your situation right now.

"I'm not alone. Abuela's here but she fell asleep. My family is at a graduation ceremony for the twins for passing kindergarten up in Brentwood." said Ruby as he sat up a comfortable place for you on the main couch in the living room.

"Oh, okay. That's good. I'm proud of you. You're becoming better." you said and Ruby looks at you happily.

"Thanks Y/N. I'm glad you were here by my side all that time. I would've done the same for you." said Ruby and you felt a blush gaining on your cheeks. You look down so Ruby doesn't see them.

"There we go. Let me take that for you. Here, sit down." said Ruby and you look backed up and walk over to the couch to sit down. Ruby took your purse out of your hand.

"I'm going to inform your dad that you're here, okay?" asked Ruby, taking your phone from your purse and going to your messages.

"No!" you shouted with a scare to your voice, causing Ruby to look at you shocked.

"Please don't tell him. I, um..." you said and you felt tears coming down your face again. Not again.

"Y/N.'' said Ruby, concerned and quickly putting your purse and phone on the coffee table in front of the couch. He sits next to you and looks at you concerned.

"Come down princesa. What's going on? Please. You're scaring me." said Ruby and tears started to fall down slowly.

You couldn't hold it in any more. Everything that has been going on for you for the last few months you held up in your mind was just all coming out in tears tonight.

You have to tell him now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. There's no way to escape. You were going to lose Ruby tonight.

"Ru-ru-Ruby?" you stuttered as Ruby was wiping your tears and the light mascara on your face that was running on your face off with his mom's makeup wipes.

You look into his eyes deeply for the first time. Your heart skipped to see his eyes soft and full of concern.

You felt such a connection. Ruby was feeling it too and you have no idea. Your heart aches that you won't be able to see into his eyes again once you tell him.

"I-I-I ha-have to tell you something. Something I've been ke-keeping for m-m-months." you stuttered and Ruby's eyes slightly widened at your statement.

Ruby slowly nodded and you did a deep breath. Here we go.

You told him everything. From the jobs, Latrelle being your cousin, your alcoholic father, both of them abusing you. Every moment.

You see Ruby's face become less and less full of expression and it just breaks your heart inside into a million pieces.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I said all of that. I'm okay now." you said and you turn away from Ruby and face your body the other way to avoid looking at him.

Ruby didn't say anything. He was trying to process anything. He has so many emotions that he doesn't know what to express first.

He looks at you faced away and tries to figure out what to say but couldn't think of anything.

"I understand if you don't like me no more. Don't worry. I'm going to quit the play and you don't have to see me again." you said and you felt movement from Ruby.

You felt a hand connecting to your left hand and you looked down at it. You follow where that hand connects and it leads to Ruby.

Without saying a word, Ruby slowly pulls on your hand, making your body facing him. Ruby continues on pulling on your hand and puts his hand on your waist.

You look up at him again and Ruby wraps you with his arms.

Holding you was the only thing Ruby could come up with in response to what you just told him. He was furious, upset, disappointed, disgusted and many more emotions.

He hates that all of this happened to you and nobody didn't notice it. Not even him, making him disappointed in himself.

Ruby just holds you. Tight. On the couch in his living room. Both of you didn't talk at all.

Eventually, you fall asleep and Ruby looks at you deeply and starts to stare at your face features.

He caresses your face softly as you sleep on his chest like it was a pillow. He slowly gives you a kiss on your forehead, causing you to gain a small smile during your sleep.

"I'm going to make this right, hermosa. You’ll see next morning." said Ruby as he caressed your hair with his fingers.

A few hours later, you woke up and you looked around to see you were in a whole different room. You sat up quickly but calmed down once you realized you were in Ruby's room.

You turned to the other side of the room to see Ruby was not there. You grab your phone that was next to you on the bed table and saw a post-it note on it.

"My mom called you off of school today. Got some news for you outside this room. Put on the outfit hanging on the hook of the door. Take your time, maravillosa. -Ruby"

You looked at the door and your eyes widened to see there was an actual outfit hanging on the door. You get up and you start getting ready.

You did a final layer of lip gloss and you stepped back from your outfit. You were wearing a rainbow tie-dye t-shirt with jean shorts, golden checkered vans with your hair in a high ponytail and silver jewelry.

You opened the door to exit the bedroom with your phone. You jumped to see Ruby sitting on the floor in the hallway looking at you with a grin.

"Hola hermosa." said Ruby, making you smile.

"Hi Ruby. Um...what's the good news?" you asked remembering the post-it note on your phone earlier.

Ruby gets up and grabs your hand. He pulls it making you follow him. A moment later, you saw the rest of the core four and Jasmine along with Ruby's family and Monse's dad sitting in the living room.

They all turned to you and Ruby entering with happy faces.

"What is going on?" you asked with a shy smile as you and Ruby sit next to each other on another available couch in the living room.

Jamal turns on the TV and turns it to the news. Everybody turns their attention to the TV.

After the news came off a few minutes later, you stood up surprised.

"So, my father and Latrelle are arrested?" you asked calmly and everybody in the room quickly nodded.

"That means..."

"You're free, Y/N." said Ruby standing up and looking at you.

"Wait, really?" you asked and everybody started to cheer and celebrate. You started to cry again.

"Princesa, there's no need to cry." said Ruby as he caressed your face to wipe the small tears away.

"These are happy tears. I just feel revived." you said happily as you looked at Ruby. You felt happy in your life right now and it was honestly scaring you a bit because life can turn this left real quick in a few seconds.

"Wait, then where am I going to live? I can't live in a house by myself. I'm sixteen." you said.

"You will be moving into my house. Monse told me what was going on and I immediately said yes because Monse needs a girl friend to talk to." said Monse's dad.

"Thank you so much." you said happily and you quickly went over and hugged Monse and her dad.

"How did all this happen?" you asked curiously and everybody turns over to Ruby with weird grins on their faces.

"Y'all snitches." said Ruby and everybody laughed.

"Ruby..." you said softly as you went back over to him.

"Did you really do this for me?" you asked and Ruby hesitated to your question and nodded. It was true.

"I don't know how to repay you. You're been the sweetest and supportive guy I've ever had in my life and making sure I'm okay." you said. You met every word.

"Oh course, Y/N. I handle things for you. I don't want you to go through anything like that again." said Ruby and you hugged him tight. Ruby hugged you back quickly.

"Let's go celebrate!" said Abuela and everybody cheered as they started walking out of the door leaving you and Ruby, the last two people in the house.

"Wait." you said stopping him from walking out of the door.

"What is it, Y/N?" asked Ruby, looking at you deeply. Your heart skips a beat by what you are about to say.

"I know I keep on rejecting you multiple times for multiple reasons and I'm so sorry for that. Now that my life is better now, I was wondering if we can-"

Ruby kisses you passionately and you quickly kiss him back. You were dreaming for this moment and it was finally happening. You couldn't believe it.

Both of you ended the kiss and looked at each other with soft eyes.

"Y/N, we're together. And nobody is going to break us." said Ruby and your heart melted in happiness.

You and Ruby did a quick kiss and walked out of his house. You stayed with your knight in shiny armor forever.

#onmyblock #onmyblockimagines #on my block imagine #on my block x reader #omb season 3 #rubymartinez #ruby martinez fic #ruby martinez x reader #ruby martinez imagine #ruby x reader #ruby martinez #monse finnie #jamal turner

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thebrotherssalvatore321 · 3 years

Text

Keeping Secrets Ch. 31

Keeping Secrets Masterlist

Pairing: Currently-None. Previously-DamonxOc, TylerxOc. Warning: Mental and physical abuse in some chapters.

The next morning at school Katie watched as Elena and Bonnie decorated Caroline’s locker with happy birthday signs, ribbons and streamers. Bonnie caught her looking and gave her a sad smile while Elena pretended not to see her. With a sigh Katie shut her locker door and went to class. As the day drug on she realized that Caroline had skipped school and she couldn’t help but worry about her. But she had to keep reminding herself that she just like Elena had chosen to exclude her.

Later that night she got a text from Caroline asking her to meet them at the Fell tomb in the cemetery. She thought about not going, but Caroline was reaching out to her so she grabbed her bag and headed out. Instead of taking her car she whooshed to the cemetery. “I need it more than you do, trust me.” She heard Elena saying as she neared the tomb. “Caroline, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Hmm? Nothing.” Carline replied.

“Okay you’re a bad sober liar. You’re an even worse drunk liar.” Elena told her.

“I might have texted Tyler.” Caroline answered.

“And me.” Katie said as she walked up the steps to see Elena, Matt, Bonnie and Caroline in the tomb, a small birthday cake sat in the corner with a slice cut out of it.

“Caroline.” Elena scolded her.

“It’s my birthday.” Caroline argued. “I wanted all of my friends here.”

“Caroline I thought we talked about this.” Elena told her.

“Give her a break.” Bonnie spoke up with a snarky tone that Katie hadn’t heard from her in a long time. “You can’t control what everybody does all the time.”

Everyone looked at Bonnie with raised brows. “Wow.” Elena said with a nod as Katie walked over to Caroline.

“What did I miss?” Katie whispered.

“She compelled Jeremy to leave town.” Bonnie answered without looking at her.

“I’m doing it to protect him.” Elena told her. “I want to give him a chance at a halfway normal life.”

“He should be able to choose how he wants to live it. You’re taking his choices away.” Bonnie argued.

“Bonnie you can’t tell him.” Elena told her, Katie’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two girls.

“Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?” Bonnie asked with a glare.

“You know, you guys are ruining a perfectly good funeral.” Matt spoke up in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“I’m sorry.” Bonnie said as she grabbed her bag. “I’m just gonna go sleep it off or something.” She stood up and turned to Katie and Caroline. “Happy birthday.” Her eyes met Katie’s apologetically as she passed, but that was all.

With Bonnie gone everyone’s eyes turned to Katie. “I want to talk to Caroline. Is that cool with you Katherine 2.0?” she asked Elena with an attitude cocked head.

“Don’t compare me to her.” Elena told her with a cold glare.

“Then stop acting like her.” Katie argued back.

“Can you guys not?” Matt asked, getting their attention. “Let’s just let them talk.” Elena followed Matt out of the tomb.

“I’m sorry about everything.” Caroline told her quietly.

“I want to say that it’s fine, but it’s not.” Katie told her.

“I know.” Caroline answered.

Katie pulled the charm bracelet that three of them had given her for her last birthday out of her pocket. “It seems like Elena has been the instigator of the kick Katie to the curb movement.” She started making Caroline pull a pained face. “But I haven’t exactly seen you and Bonnie fighting back. I know that it’s because I’m linked to and in love with Elijah and because of that I’m on team Klaus by default and therefore you can’t trust me.”

“You helped Klaus kill the one thing we had that could kill him. You used to be on our side. You wanted him dead just as much as we did, but then he daggered Elijah and you changed.” Caroline pointed out. “You were no longer loyal to us.”

“I will be the first to admit that my loyalties lie with the originals now. But that only happened after you all turned your backs on me.” Katie argued.

“We never meant to hurt you.” Caroline told her quietly.

“But you did and I can’t forgive any of you. I have been friends with you guys since first grade and you all threw that away without a second thought. So with that being said, and I’m sorry to do this on your birthday but, we’re all done as friends.” she held out the bracelet and dropped it into Caroline’s palm.

She whooshed away and was walking up her porch steps when her phone started ringing. “Hello?”

“Katie, thank god you answered, it’s Matt. Tyler bit Caroline and I don’t know what to do.” He said into the phone panicking.

“Get her to her mom and I’ll talk to Klaus.” Katie told him then hung up and dialed Klaus number.

“If you’re calling about Caroline I’m already on my way to her house. Tyler beat you to the punch.” He told her, making her sigh in relief before she thought about something.

“Did you tell him to bite her?” she asked, clearly pissed off.

“Maybe.” He replied and Katie rolled her eyes. “I needed to send a message, Caroline was unfortunately collateral damage. Gotta go, love.” He hung up and Katie tossed her phone on the couch with a sigh.

TVDTVDTVD

For the next week and a half she managed to mind her own business and not get caught up in any vampire drama, which felt like a miracle.

“Katie.” Alaric called her name as she was about to walk out of his class room Thursday morning. So she turned around and walked over to his desk. “Are you doin’ okay?” Katie shifted her weight on her feet, but said nothing. “I haven’t seen you say a word to any of your friends all week.”

“I haven’t spoken to them because we aren’t friends anymore.” She said as she pushed the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder.

“Katie.” He sighed and tilted his head as if to say he was disappointed in her.

“I know you're looking out for me and I appreciate it, but I’m fine. My life is actually a lot better without all the witch, vampire, doppelganger drama. I actually have time to focus on the things I care about now.” She replied.

“Yeah I noticed your grades are getting better.” He sighed. "Well, except for calculus. You know you need to pass that for med school right?"

"Isn't that what compulsion is for?" She asked, getting an eye roll from him.

"I’m kidding, obviously. If I was compelling my teachers my grades would be higher." She answered. "Stop worrying about me.” She told him as she looked at the clock.

"Alright go to class." He told her with a jerk of his head to the door. She gave him a small smile and left.

TVDTVDTVD

She was sitting on the couch listening to a rerun of The Walking Dead and working on a calculus assignment when she got a familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach and her pencil stopped moving. The spiral notebook, text book and pencil were tossed onto the coffee table as she stood up and closed her eyes. Using their link to locate him she found him just on the other side of her front door and a smile spread over her face. With a whoosh she went to the door and pulled it open, her eyes landing on the smirking man. “Elijah!” she threw herself into him and pressed her lips to his. It took a split second for him to get over the shock of her reaction and start kissing her back. Not wanting to make out on the front porch he whooshed them inside and kicked the door shut.

It felt as if his hands were made of electricity as he held her thin tank top covered waist with one and cupped her cheek with the other, sliding his thumb along her cheekbone. Over the next few seconds the kiss slowed and broke. He pulled back and smiled at her. “Well, hello to you too.”

A bright smile took over her face before her brain started working again and she asked, “How long have you been back?” While she could feel it when he was daggered, she couldn’t feel it when it was taken out.

“A few hours.” He told her as he looked down at her hands still on his chest even though he had stopped touching her out courtesy for Damon. “Your boyfriend is actually the one who took the dagger from my chest.”

“I’m guessing you haven’t gotten a rundown of what has happened in months that you were out?” she asked and he narrowed his eyes and shook his head no. “First thing you should know,” she looked up at his hair that wasn’t parted down the middle like the last time she saw him. Instead it was kind of spiked up and messy looking. “I like your hair better like this.” She looked back into his dark chocolate brown eyes.

“And the second?” he asked with a bit of a smirk at her comment.

She slid her hands down his chest to the button of his suit jacket and unfastened it. “I broke up with Damon.” She slid her hands into his jacket to rest on his sides over his blue dress shirt.

“Well that certainly explains a few things.” He told her as a smile took over his face and his hands grabbed her sides again. “For example, why your bedroom at the Salvatore’s has been abandoned.”

“Did you try to sneak into my bedroom window?” she asked with a scandalous look.

“Yes I would have thrown stones but I did not want to shatter the glass.” He informed her and she laughed. “It also explains the rather enthusiastic greeting from you.”

“Well, I’ve missed you.” she replied, still smiling like a silly school girl.

“As I have missed you.” he replied as he slid his hand over her cheek then leaned down and caught her top lip between his. She sighed into the kiss and slid her hands up his chest and over his arms, pushing his jacket off. Not breaking the kiss he tossed it behind him onto the arm chair. She untied his tie and tossed it behind him missing the chair but she didn’t care and started working on the buttons of his dress shirt while he grabbed the straps of her tank top and pulled them down her shoulders.

His hands on her bare sides pulled a sigh from her as she finished up the buttons and pushed his shirt down his shoulders. Just like his jacket it got tossed on the arm chair. He whooshed her over to the couch and laid her back, sliding his hand from her cheek down her neck and between her breasts that he clearly admired in the black and red lace bra she was wearing. He looked into her eyes as he hooked his fingers under the elastic of her Nike shorts and pulled them off revealing the boy shorts panties that matched her bra.

She smiled at the look on his face as she sat up and stood on her knees on the couch, kissing him as she started unbuckling his belt. His lips moved to her neck, crashing her train of thought and her hands stopped working on his belt and instead gripped his hips to stabilize herself as a moan left her lips. He laid her back onto the couch and finished her work on his pants with vamp speed then lowered himself over her. She hooked her arms under his holding onto his shoulders as he pecked her on the lips then kissed his way back to her neck.

Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders as he sank into her, pulling a moan from her and a grunt from him that sent sparks through to her core. “Elijah.” She arched her back when he started rocking into her. In just a few minutes they were both dangerously close to falling over the edge. She pulled away from where she had been kissing his neck and looked into his eyes. With that one look they knew they were on the same page. Not wanting to hold back any longer they both let go and tumbled into the waves of ecstasy that consumed them.

After coming down from their high Elijah flipped them around so that she was lying on top of him on the couch, covered up with the maroon knit blanket that had been on the back of the couch. Knowing that she liked to bask in the peace that followed Elijah simply played with her hair content with the feel of her in his arms once again. When he felt as if enough time had passed he asked, “What…are you watching?”

Katie looked up to see a herd of zombies pressed against the fences of the prison that the group of survivors were staying in. “You’ve never seen The Walking Dead?” she asked with a look at the tv and he hummed a negative answer. “It’s a post-apocalyptic TV show. Right now the survivors are staying in a prison because what once kept people in, keeps zombies out.” She explained while watching people shove knives, crow bars and broken broom handles through the zombies heads. With a playful smile on her face she added, “Daryl Dixon is kind of my man.”

“Really?” he asked with a look down at her to see the smile on her face. “And which one is he?”

“The one wearing the black vest with angel wings on the back.” she answered and watched him look at the tv until he spotted Daryl. When he saw him he looked down at her with a look that said he questioned her taste in men.

“Do I need to be jealous?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“Of a fictional character?” She laughed as she pushed herself up and pecked him on the lips. “No. You’re the only man I want.” Her eyes caught the spiral notebook and textbook on the coffee table and she sighed as she let her head fall to rest on his chest. “and as much as I want to just be with you right now… I have calculus homework that’s due in the morning.” She pushed herself up off of him and the couch.

“I missed your summer vacation.” He said as he sat up and kept himself covered with the blanket as he grabbed his pants then stood up. “How was it?”

“I spent some of it at Duke. It was kind of a pre, pre med internship thing.” she explained as she walked over to the armchair and grabbed his dress shirt. “If I can pull off the grades and life doesn’t get in the way I want go to med school.” She pulled on his shirt and buttoned the three buttons in the center. “But calculus is proving to be a colossal pain in the butt.”

He watched her breathe in the scent of his shirt and smile as she hugged herself. The small action spoke a thousand words and he couldn’t stop the pleased smile that spread over his face at the sight. He sat down on the couch and grabbed her homework off the table. “These equations are incorrect.”

“Are you serious?” she asked walking over to sit down next to him and looked at her work with a frown as she rubbed her temple with her fingers. “Do you think I’m aiming too high with this whole doctor thing?” she asked with a look up at him from the homework. “Doctors have to be good at math and it’s my hardest subject.”

“You can do… anything you set your mind to.” He told her as he took the notebook from her, ripped the page of her equations out and wadded it into a ball. “You just need a better teacher.” She smiled at him when he threw the paper ball at her.

“You’re going to tutor me?” she asked with a devious smile on her face as she threw her leg over him, straddling his lap.

His eyes sparkled with lust as a smile pulled at one side of his lips and his hands slid from her hip to her sides under this shirt sending sparks through her skin. “If you would like me to.”

“I would love for you too. I just don’t know if I’m going to be able to concentrate on the lesson when all I can think about is making out with my tutor.” She told him as she slipped her hands up his nude chest then lightly ran her pointed finger under his chin, beckoning him to her. His hand flew from her side to her neck as he caught her lips with his. Their tongues found each other pulling a moan from her and he sighed as his hand on her side pulled her closer. After a few minutes the kiss broke and they pulled back looking in each other's eyes.

“If we are going to get any work done on your assignment you, my love, are going to have to put some clothes on.” He told her as he moved her on his lap, letting her feel what she was doing to him.

“Am I distracting you?” she asked deviously.

“Perhaps just…” he held his fingers up in a pinching gesture, “a little.” She kissed him then slid back off of his lap. She took his shirt off and handed it to him. “Keep it. I like it on you.”

She smiled and tossed the shirt over her shoulder. “I’ll be down in a minute.” While she changed he went out to his car and grabbed a fresh shirt then looked over her text book preparing to help her. When she came back down he saw that she had put on a pair of loose fitting yoga pants and a t-shirt. He still found her amazingly attractive, but at least now they could both attempt to concentrate on the task at hand.

After an hour her homework was done and she actually understood everything. Satisfied, she stuck the papers in her text book and shut it. “You know, my teacher’s probably going to think I cheated.” She turned on the couch to look at him where he sat with the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up and his arm stretched out across the back of the couch.

“That, my love, is what compulsion is for.” She smiled and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “What?”

“Nothing.” She told him with a shake of her head. “It’s just really nice having you back.” She didn’t want to tell him that he had given her the okay to do something that everyone else in her life had encouraged her not to do.

When she yawned he looked at the clock on the wall he realized it was after midnight. “I believe it is time for you to head to bed.” he told her and she looked at the clock as she stood up with another yawn. He stood and hooked his arm around her waist pulling her into him as he pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and placed her hands on his neck while his other hand held the back of her neck. After a few seconds he gave her a peck on the lips and let her go. “Good night, my love.” He made a move to the door.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked, taking a few steps after him. “You’re not staying here?”

“If I stay here tonight neither of us will get any sleep.” He told her with a bit of a smirk that made her blush.

“Yeah.” She drawled. “You’re probably right.” She sighed then yawned again. He grabbed his jacket off of the armchair and shrugged it on. She walked over to him and gave him a finale kiss. “Good night.” She saw him out of the door then shut it behind him. She fell asleep in his shirt smiling like an idiot.

TVDTVDTVD

The next morning the smell of bacon, eggs and coffee pulled her from sleep before her alarm clock even went off. So curious, she made her way downstairs and found Elijah standing at the stove that hadn’t been used in quite a while with the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up neatly. “Good morning.” He greeted her without turning around.

“Good morning indeed.” She replied as she grabbed a coffee cup from the cabinet and poured a cup. “Coffee?” she asked not knowing if he was a coffee drinker since it wasn’t widely available when they were together.

“I’ve already had a cup, thank you though.” He answered with a glance at her over his shoulder that lingered when he realized the only she was wearing was his shirt and panties. She smiled as she added a spoonful of creamer and gave it a stir then put the spoon in the sink and walked over to lean on the cabinet beside him. “I’ve been meaning to ask.” He started with a look up at her hair. “Why’d you change your hair?”

“After Damon and I broke up I felt…different. I wanted it to be reflected on the outside.” She answered. “Do you hate it?” she asked, then took a drink of her coffee.

“I actually quite like it.” he told her with a smile then flipped the egg in the skillet. “Why did you and Damon end things if you don’t mind my asking.”

“We just…grew apart over the summer. I went off to Duke. Being away from him and everyone else here in Mystic Falls made me realize that I’m a different person when I’m not around them. I started dreaming about you again.” She told him, getting a look of interest from him. “As it turns out even though Jonas Martin gave me back my memories I was still subconsciously blocking a lot of the “you” memories.” She took another drink of coffee as he put the bacon on two plates. “The dreams stopped when I came home from Duke, but after I broke up with Damon it was like the flood gate opened again. I even went through a phase where I day dreamed about you a lot.”

He put an egg on each plate and picked them up as he motioned for her to sit at the table. “Do you remember the song you used to sing to me?” He asked as he set the plate in front of her then sat down across from her.

“Siuil a rune.” She answered then picked up her bacon and took a bite. “Wait a second.” She said as she realized she didn’t keep bacon and eggs in the house. “Did you go grocery shopping for me?”

“Yes. It seems the only food in your house is junk.” He answered with a point at the open pantry that only contained a few bags of chips and a value size box of popcorn.

“Yeah…” she drawled and scratched the back of her neck. “I kind of don’t eat regular food very often.” She said then finished off a piece of bacon and started working on her egg. “You know you didn’t have to do this, right?” he hummed a positive answer. “And I’m not expecting a repeat in the morning.”

“You never did like it when I tried to spoil you.” he said as he looked up at her.

“Oh I like it I just don’t want to actually become spoiled.” She corrected with a smile then took the last bite of her eggs and looked at the clock. “So what are you going to do while I’m at school?” she asked, waiting for him to finish before she left the table.

“I’m actually going to meet with Damon. He left this in my jacket pocket.” He pulled a note out and handed it to her.

“Dear Elijah let’s get together and plot the destruction of your brother. Xoxo, Damon.” She red aloud then handed him the note back and grabbed her now lukewarm coffee. “So they are still trying to find a way to kill Klaus I see.”

“You were not aware of this?” he asked with a confused look.

“No, I uh, I’ve been keeping my nose in my own business here lately considering my friends and I are no longer friends.” she said as she took the last drink of her coffee. She noticed that he was also done so she grabbed her plate and his and put the dishes in the sink.

“I don’t understand.” He shook his head with a frown.

“It’s a long story for another time. I need to start getting ready.” She told him evasively then headed up stairs.

She hadn’t expected him to follow her so when she turned from getting something out of her closet and saw him standing in her doorway she jumped. “You loved your friends.”

“Loved being the key word in the sentence, past tense.” She said as she grabbed a pair of jeans out of her closet and threw them on the bed with the red tank top and black lace long sleeved shirt. He watched her get dressed in silence, wondering what had caused the downfall of her group of friends. People she would have given her life for. She grabbed a pair of black lace ballerina flats off of the shoe rack in her closet, her bag and tried to leave the room, but Elijah didn’t move.

When a smile spread over his face she realized what he was doing and she smiled back. She slid her hand over his chest and kissed him. When it broke he stepped aside. “What did Jonah call it when we did that?”

“Paying the toll troll.” She answered with a smile as she walked past him and down the stairs. “Have I mentioned that I missed you?” she asked with a look over her shoulder as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

“You may have mentioned it once or twice.” He told her as he watched her slip on her shoes and head for the door. “You are forgetting something.” She turned and looked at him with a frown, having flashbacks of Damon stealing her phone or keys to keep her with him a little longer. But when she followed his eyes to the calculus book on the table she snapped out of it.

“Oh, right, I might need that.” She headed over to the table, grabbed the book and shoved it in her bag. “Thank you.”

When she walked outside she saw a brand new black Lincoln parked behind her car in the driveway. “Will you allow me to spoil you a little by driving you to school?”

Katie rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “If you must.” She smiled letting him know she was playing with him.

“Oh I must.” He told her as he walked down the steps and she followed after him. “I’ve been waiting one hundred and seventy one years to spoil you rotten.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.” she told him as he opened her door for her, she got inside and he shut the door. “So you said Damon wants to talk to you about killing your brother?” she asked curiously as he backed out of the driveway. “Are you still on board with that?”

“You saw and felt him shove a dagger in my heart.” He said with a look over at her. “He will pay for what he has done.”

“I really hate asking this now, but I have to. Have you heard who really killed your mother?” she asked, turning a little in her seat to face him.

“Yes that is one of the few things Niklaus told me when I woke up yesterday and it is only one of the many reasons he needs to be stopped.” Elijah answered.

“Okay.” She told him as she turned her eyes to look out the passenger window.

"Are you still on board with that?" He copied her question back to her.

"I'm on board with whatever you want." She answered only to get an I-don’t-believe-you side eye from him. "I kind of helped him kill Mikael in exchange for him un-daggering you and in doing so-"

"You bonded with him." He finished for her.

"It was more like we developed a mutual respect for each other." She replied not liking the idea of bonding with Klaus. "And he was going to un-dagger you until freaking Stefan stole you and the rest of your siblings out from under our noses. Then when Elena, who daggered Rebekah in the back by the way, turned her over to Klaus she told him that she knew he killed your mother, there for ensuring that he wouldn't un-dagger her or you anytime soon." She finished as he pulled up in front of the school.

"When was the last time you saw Niklaus?" He asked, looking at her across his shoulder.

"A week and a half or so ago." She answered then looked at the clock in the car to see they still had roughly fifteen minutes to talk. "He invited me to the house he’s renovating and showed me the room he said was mine if I wanted it."

"He asked you to live with him?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"And then proceed to try to get me to sleep with him, yes." She answered. "You don’t seem surprised."

"That is because this isn't the first time he has tried to seduce the woman I love." He explained while watching a student walk by then looked at her. "Did he succeed?"

"No." She answered with a shake of her head. "However because I like transparency in a relationship I will tell you that because I was bored I indulged him long enough to get him hot and bothered then left him high and dry. It was just kissing and it meant nothing.” She told him hoping she wouldn't have to go into detail because the clock was ticking. ”Are you mad?"

"No. You say it meant nothing and I believe you." He told her then glanced down at the clock in the car at the same time she did. "It seems we are out of time." As he spoke the five minute warning bell rang out.

They both got out of the car and he walked around to her and placed his hand on her lower back. "Thank you for breakfast and I'll see you after cheer practice?" She asked and he gave her a nod and a quick kiss on the cheek then pushed her toward the school with his hand on her lower back.

Since everyone else was already in class and she didn't want to be late she whooshed to her locker grabbed her history book and shoved her math book inside then whooshed to the door of Alaric's class. She walked inside seconds before the bell rang. "Cutting it close today aren't you?" Alaric asked as she walked over to her seat.

"My apologies Mr. Saltzman." She replied then pulled out her text book and opened it to the page written on the board. When she looked up he gave her a tilted head look. She looked at Caroline. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No you're just strangely chipper this morning." Katie just smiled and turned her eyes front.

TVDTVDTVD

After changing out of her athletic clothes she headed to the front of the school and easily spotted Elijah leaning against his black car in his usual suit and tie. She had to force herself not to whoosh over to him and when she got close to him he placed his hand on her side and kissed her head. "How was your day?" She asked with a smile up at him.

"How do you feel about accompanying me to a dinner meeting?" He asked as he dropped his hand from her side.

"Depends, who is the meeting with?" She prompted as she walked around the car and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Niklaus, Damon and Stefan." He answered as he started the car.

"You want me to have dinner with you, your brother who hit on me, my ex and my ex friend who stole you from me?" She asked rhetorically as she watched him walk around to the driver's side of the car. "Sounds awkward, but I'd love to." She opened the passenger door and got in. "But for curiosity’s sake, why do you want me to go?"

"Because I have missed you." He said as he slid his hand over hers that rested palm down on the center console. A smile took over her face as she looked down at their hands as he pulled out of the school parking lot.

She had forgotten the simplistic intimacy of just holding hands. "So what’s this meeting about? If I'm going to have dinner with them I should probably catch up on my gossip."

On the drive home he explained to her that Damon and Stefan had returned the coffins to Klaus that contained him, Kol, and Finn, but kept a coffin that was spelled shut. Not even Elijah knew who was in it, but all signs were pointing to someone or something that could kill Klaus. Elijah had no plans of helping them open the coffin. Instead his plan was to un-dagger his siblings and the four of them get the coffin and use it against Klaus. Stefan and Klaus however believed the meeting tonight was to work out a peace treaty between the two of them.

“So I’m going to meet your other brothers tonight?” She asked as they got out of the car and headed to her house.

“If all goes as planned, yes.” He answered as he watched her walk into her living room and toss her bag on the couch. “Damon mentioned that you have already met Rebekah and made friends with her?” he asked remembering that he thought the two of them wouldn’t get along.

“Yep. I didn’t think we would get along because she’s…well, Rebekah, but we didn’t hate each other.” She answered as she went to the kitchen and grabbed a blood bag out of the refrigerator. “So what time is dinner?” she asked with a look at the clock in the kitchen as she popped the stopper out of the tube of the bag and started drinking it.

“Seven thirty.” He answered as he pulled out one of the dining chairs and sat down at the table. She saw his eyes narrow at the bag in her hand. “Do you ever really feed?” he asked looking at her lips wrapped around the tube.

“That’s kind of frowned upon around here. One of the stipulations of getting my daylight ring was not feeding on people. If Bonnie found out that I did she’d de-spell it. So…it’s been strictly blood bags. Although I did get pissed the first day of school and fed on a classmate at the bonfire and it’s still working so I guess Damon actually kept something to himself for once.” She said with a look at her daylight ring on her right hand.

“Well that’s no fun.” He replied as he tapped the small square wooden dining table with his middle finger.

“Eh, it makes it all the more fun when I do feed.” She answered as she walked over to him and held the blood bag out to him.

He shook his head no. “You don’t have to answer, but did you and Damon ever blood share?” he asked, looking at his hand tapping the table.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head with a shrug. “I don’t know what you mean.” she answered with a frown then finished off the blood bag and tossed it in the trash.

“Did you feed on each other?” he rephrased.

“No. I wasn’t aware that was a thing.” she said as she walked over and leaned her hip against the table. “Why wouldn’t I want to tell you if we did or not?”

“Blood sharing is intensely intimate.” He answered with lust in his brown eyes.

“We have three hours until dinner.” She pointed out not looking away from his eyes.

“I would prefer to wait until we have all night.” He told her as he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her to straddle him in the dining chair. “Until then…” he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his. They made out like a couple of love stuck teens until it was time for her to get dressed for dinner.

TVDTVDTVD

“Katie, I should’ve known you’d be joining us tonight.” Klaus said when she walked into the dining room where four pretty women stood close to the walls with their hands behind their backs, all wearing gold and black matching outfits.

She looked down at her jeans, cream colored flowy tank top and denim jacket, feeling a little underdressed then looked up at Klaus. “Is my presence going to be a problem?” she asked as she shrugged off her jacket as Elijah took off his then took her jacket from her and walked off to put them away.

“Not at all, you know I enjoy your company.” He told her with a closed lipped smile then turned his eyes to Elijah who placed his hand on the small of her back.

A knock at the door pulled them all from the tense moment and Elijah answered it. Damon and Stefan walked into the room and Katie felt herself tense at the sight of Stefan. After an unpleasant exchange between Stefan and Klaus they all sat down at the rectangle table big enough to sit six, but tonight was only seating five.

They were all eating in silence until Klaus noticed Stefan wasn’t eating. “Have you lost your appetite?” he asked.

“Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home.” Damon told him. Stefan gave him a sarcastic closed lipped smile and picked up his fork and knife.

“Isn’t this nice? The five of us, dining together. Such a treat.” Klaus said with a look around the table then settled his eyes on Damon. “Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?”

“Well I knew how he felt about you. So I figured the more…” he took a bite off his fork, “the merrier.” He gave Elijah a wink.

“Well Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries, but we always make it though.” Klaus replied.

“Kinda like you and Rebekah, right?” Stefan asked, getting a look from Klaus. “Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her.” Stefan said with a point at Klaus with the hand he held his glass in, then took a drink.

“If you’re referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother I already came clean to Elijah.” Klaus told him and he and Elijah looked at each other.

“Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad. You might want to dial down the judgment till dessert.” Damon told him then took a drink of the red wine in his glass.

“We’re here to make a deal, Damon. That doesn’t mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses.” Stefan told his brother as he folded his hands together and gave him another smart ass smile. Katie took in a deep breath and let it out, finding it difficult to keep her mouth shut. “Is there something you’d like to say to me?” Stefan asked, finally looking at her. She looked up at Elijah who slid his hand over her leg under the table. “Do you need his permission to speak?”

“No, I don’t.” she answered as she sat up straighter. “And there is something I would like to say to you, but this is not the appropriate place or time for foul language and violent actions.” She told him with a sarcastically polite smile.

Klaus laughed with his finger placed over his lips while Damon looked at Katie then Stefan. “Yeah, in case you didn’t know, you’ve severally pissed her off.” Damon whispered to his brother. “Katie Cat’s found a new family.”

“Yeah and maybe this one won’t stab me in the back.” Katie popped off.

“Are you forgetting that he was willing to let you die for Jenna?” he asked with wide eyes. “That your bloodline died with you and there’s a chance that you wouldn’t have come back?”

Katie had opened her mouth to argue but Elijah beat her to it. “As long as I am on this earth she will find a way back to me bloodline or no bloodline. I was willing to wait another one hundred some odd years for her if it meant she was free of you.” he said, making Katie look up at him with questioning eyes. “I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.” He told her then looked back at Damon. “And I believe that she is competent enough to make her own decisions.”

They ate in silence for a few more awkward and tense moments during which Katie moved her hand under the table and wrote I love you on his leg with her finger. He looked down at her and she could see the message returned in his eyes. After a few more minutes Elijah asked, “Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?” in an attempt to start the conversation back up.

“I don’t know, ask Damon.” Stefan answered and Klaus started laughing again.

Damon noticed Katie place her hand back on the table with a hurt look in her eyes that he was sure no one else had caught as Elijah looked at the laughing Klaus with questioning eyes. “I’m sorry, you’ve missed so much.” He told him then motioned to the brothers. “Trouble in paradise.”

“One more word about Elena, and uh, this dinner is over.” Stefan said with a look at Elijah and Klaus.

“You know what, it’s probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile.” Damon told them then looked at Elijah. “And you might not want to call her the lovely Elena.” He said with a motion to Katie.

“You’re probably right.” Klaus said while Elijah looked at Katie who dropped her eyes to her plate. “It’s just the allure of the Petrova doppelganger is still so strong.” Katie felt herself tensing at the talk of doppelgangers. “What do you say brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?”

“Why should we discuss matters long since resolved?” Elijah asked with a laugh as he took his cloth napkin out of his lap and put it on the table and leaned back in his chair.

“Well given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line.” Klaus’ words caused Katie to put down her silverware and hide her fists under the table.

Elijah noticed her action and turned to look at her. She forced herself to give him a smile. “Well, we’re not going anywhere, Elijah. Please, do tell.” Damon said as he grabbed his glass of wine then took a drink noticing the what-the-hell-are-you-doing-look he got from Katie.

Elijah slid his hand over Katie’s fist and she flipped her hand around to hold it. “When my family first moved here there was a girl named Tatia. She was…” he looked down at Katie realizing he needed to choose his words wisely “beautiful. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor. Even though she’d had a child by another man and none loved her more than Niklaus.”

“Oh, I’d say there was one who loved her at least as much.” Klaus said then let his eyes fall on Elijah then Katie who was doing a good job of keeping how much the topic was affecting her from her face. She wasn’t hearing anything she didn’t already know, but hearing it from Elijah himself was almost too much to handle.

“Wait a minute, so you both loved the same girl?” Stefan asked as he sat up and placed his elbows on the table, folding his hands together.

“Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her.” Elijah said as he rubbed Katie’s hand with his thumb. “Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia’s blood that we consumed in the wine on the night our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires.” Elijah grabbed his glass of wine and took a drink and set it back down. “Tatia wouldn’t choose between the two of us. So for a time, Niklaus and I…grew estranged. Harsh words were traded. We even came to blows. Didn’t we brother?”

“But in the end we recognized the sacred bond of family.” Klaus added.

“Family above all.” Elijah said as he lifted his glass to Klaus and they clinked them together in a toast as Klaus repeated his words.

“If you all will excuse me…” Katie took the napkin from her lap, stood up and placed it in her chair. “I need some fresh air.”

She walked out and to the front porch where she leaned against a support post. She hated that the fact that Elijah was with a doppelganger bothered her so much. She knew that Elijah loved her and that he and Tatia happened before she ever even existed, but she couldn’t help it. “You okay?” Damon asked, making her jump.

“I’m fine.” She said with a sigh.

“I can still tell when you’re lying.” He told her and she just shrugged. “Talk to me Katie Cat.”

“Don’t do that.” She told him flatly. “Don’t act like you still care…Like you won’t run back to Elena and tell her everything I say.”

She tried to walk past him back into the house, but he grabbed her wrist. “Katie.”

In a flash she grabbed him by his throat and pinned him to the post she had been leaning against. “I said…don’t.”

“Katie.” Elijah’s voice made her look to the front door to see his eyes bouncing back and forth between Damon and Katie. “It will soon be time.”

Katie let go of Damon’s neck and walked over to Elijah and back into the dining room to see that Klaus had fed on and killed one of the women. Katie listened to them talk about Elena and her safety and Klaus needing her to have kids so that the Petrova line will continue blah blah blah. Stefan shook Klaus’ hand and told him no deal and Klaus broke his wrist and leg then held his hand into the fire that was in the fireplace. Damon made a move to stop him but Elijah pinned him to the wall by his neck. “Katie do something!” Damon yelled at her.

Katie just looked at him. “Hmm.” She hummed in thought. “Na, I’m perfectly content watching him suffer.” Damon looked hurt, but she didn’t care.

“Bring me my coffin before I burn him alive.” Klaus said, still holding Stefan’s hand in the fire.

“I’ll get it.” Damon said as Elijah let go of him.

“Go with him brother, keep him honest.” Klaus told him. “When you return, I will make good on my promise to you and I will hand over our family.”

Elijah walked over to Katie and kissed her temple. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” she watched him walk away.

Only a few minutes later Elijah and Damon walked back into the room along with one of the women who was holding a tray covered with a dinner napkin. “Elijah. Why haven’t you left?”

“Well, where are your manners brother? You forgot dessert.” Elijah told him then pulled the napkin off to reveal two daggers.

“What have you done?” Klaus asked.

“What have you done?” Elijah echoed back. “See I’ve learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We’re doing this on my terms now.”

A very handsome guy who looked to be about Katie’s age walked into the room and over to Klaus. “Kol.” Klaus greeted with big eyes as he held his hands up.

“Long time, brother.” Kol greeted back.

Then an older guy whooshed into the room, grabbing a dagger on his way in. “Finn, don’t.” Klaus said in fear right before Finn stabbed Klaus in the hand with the dagger. When Finn pulled the dagger out Klaus tried to whoosh out of the room only to be stopped by Rebekah. “Rebekah.”

She stabbed him in the stomach with her dagger. “That is for our mother.” She shoved Klaus back and he stumbled into Kol who grabbed him by his arms from behind.

“You’re free to go.” Elijah said to Damon and Stefan. “This is family business.” Katie watched Damon and Stefan leave then walked over to Elijah. “You can stay if you want, but you don’t have to.”

She looked between Klaus and Elijah settling her gaze on Elijah. “I’m gonna go.” She answered. “Should I wait up for you?”

“No. I will call on you in the morning.” He placed his hand on her arm and kissed her head. “Good night.”

“Good night.” She told him then looked at the other four people in the room and gave them a small smile. As she turned her back on them and walked by Klaus she mouthed the words I’m sorry. He just turned his eyes to his family as she walked out.

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twdeadfanfic · 4 years

Text

First and Last Pt.7

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Summary: There’s only one girl that Daryl has ever fallen in love with, the one who had to leave him and break both their hearts, and the one he’d tried his best to erase from his memory so it wouldn’t hurt that bad. There’s no way he could have guessed that he’d find her again, more than seventeen years later, after the world went to shit and the dead began walking, both their lifes different that what they used to be.

Tags: Sequel to my mini-series “The first to blow your mind.” You can find it in my mastelist and read it before this or after it as a prequel. Daryl’s POV. My usual combo of slow-burn, fluff and angst. Some canon divergences.

Chapter: 6/28 Updated on Monday and Thursday.

Daryl worked on the bike for a good couple of hours, but he didn’t feel tired, his mind focused on the task instead of being worrying or overthinking, enjoying the work, enjoying even Jane’s questions and the background sound of Y/N, Aaron and Eric speaking, even joining them from time to time.

It wasn’t until Y/N said that she and Jane had to go home since it was getting very late, that Daryl realized how late it actually was. Deanna’s house was dark, everybody seemed to have gone home already, and he couldn’t hear anyone around. They hadn’t complained, but he thought he might be making Aaron and Eric stay up late, working on their garage.

Daryl offered to walk Y/N and Jane home. He knew it was silly, Alexandria was safe, they were behind walls, nothing would happen to them walking back at home late, and yet he couldn’t help himself from wanting to make sure. Y/N didn’t seem to mind, though, smiling to him, while Jane seemed to be quite happy about it. Why the little girl wanted so much to talk to him, Daryl didn’t know, but he didn’t find it annoying or overwhelming, much to his surprise.

As they walked, he noticed Jane yawning and walking slowly, clutching at Y/N’s hand, seeming tired, and so Daryl stopped and crouched down in front of her. “Hop up,” he told her, and the little girl grinned when she realized he was offering her a piggyback ride.

“You don’t need to,” Y/N began, but Jane was already climbing to his back and holding onto his shoulders, and Daryl got up and began walking again, noticing how Y/N bit her lip as it curled into a smile in that way that made him feel all weird. “Thanks.”

“Are you a mechanic?” Jane asked as they walked back to the house, her chin resting on his shoulder, and Daryl turned his head to frown at her. “That’s how you know how to build a bike?”

“Ain’t no mechanic…” He grumbled.

“Yet he can put a bike together as if nothing,” Y/N said, smiling.

“Cool…I could learn, maybe, watching you…” Jane said, sounding thoughtful and taking Daryl aback, though it reminded him to Y/N watching him in silence as he made campfires and cooked, trying to learn, like that morning when he got the rabbit ready.

“That’d be more useful than working in a pantry for sure,” Y/N murmured with a sigh, and Daryl looked at her…he couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking low of herself. The idea made him frown. She’d gone to the city, got a life there, got a kid…whereas he’d been nothing. The fact that he could hunt or fix a bike didn’t change that, but sure, it was useful in that new world. Certainly more useful than being good at singing. Beth could tell…the memory of Maggie’s little sister came to Daryl’s mind and he rushed to push it down, it hurt.

“Ain’t that hard…” He muttered, unsure of what to say.

“You already look like you’ve been working on it, though.” Y/N chuckled as she looked at Jane, and just then Daryl noticed the grease stains on the kid’s hands from when he had let her tinker with a piece, and some more stains on her face from when she had touched it with her dirty hands. Sure he looked like that too. He couldn’t help his smile.

They soon reached Y/N’s place and he lowered Jane down. The little girl grinned at him, looking sleepy but also strangely full of energy. Daryl wondered if she ever got really tired.

“Thank you!”

“Yeah, thanks, Daryl,” Y/N opened the door and smiled at him. “For walking us here and everything.”

“Ain’t nothing…” He murmured, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Okay, sweetheart, change your clothes and get ready for bed. But wash that grease off your face and hands first.”

“Alright.” Jane grinned at Daryl again. “Good night, Daryl.”

“Night, sunshine.” There it was again, that word, without Daryl being able to stop it. He felt utterly embarrassed but when he looked at Y/N, it didn’t seem like she was going to say anything about it or laugh at it. Jane grinned even bigger and she disappeared into the house.

“Same goes to you, you look even worse than her,” Y/N joked and Daryl snorted, staring at his grease-stained fingers because looking at her made him feel weird things. “Thank you again. Jane seems to really like you, so thanks for bearing with her.”

“She’s a good kid,” he murmured, shrugging. She was, and Daryl didn’t know why she had taken a liking on him, when she had just met him.

“You’re good with her,” Y/N said and Daryl shrugged again. When he peeked at Y/N, she was smiling in a way that made him want to run away and filled his belly with weird twirls. “She’s not going to let you forget that you didn’t go to see her dance, though,” Y/N joked and Daryl snorted.

“Couldn’t get myself to go to that damn party. I tried…” He was still embarrassed about it. “You always said you wanted to learn to dance,” the words came out of his mouth without him really meaning to, it had just been a thought, a memory at the back of his head, during all the day, and it slipped now.

“Yeah, and I never did, so I signed up my kid to ballet lessons and became one of those adults who live through their kids,” Y/N said, Daryl wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, but she was smiling even though she seemed a bit bashful. “I even got Nora to sign up Dawn too.” Her smile turned sad “Nora got another kid, Lisa, she’s thirteen now, but she didn’t like ballet. She’s here too, safe.”

“Lisa like in Elisabeth?”

“Yeah.” Y/N nodded.

“Maggie’s little sister…we called her Beth. She was…she’s dead, I…it’s my fault…She was a good kid and she…” He didn’t know why he was saying all that to Y/N but he couldn’t stop it, and his heart stung again. “You’d have liked her. She liked to sing too, she was good at it, like you…”

Y/N was looking at him with a soft smile, and Daryl could see that somehow, she could feel he was hurting. He was embarrassed by it, and he didn’t know why he’d told her about Beth, but he did his best to push the memories down again. Y/N reached out to gently and shyly hold his hand, and warmth spread through Daryl at it, along with more of those weird feelings.

“I’m sure I’d have liked her.”

“Do you still sing?” He asked, once again unable to stop himself, and he hated it when Y/N’s smile turned sad.

“No…not really…I sing to Jane sometimes…and sometimes when I’m alone at the pantry…but no, not as I used too.”

“Oh.” Daryl realized how disappointed he sounded and he wanted to slap himself, he was saying the wrong thing again, but he couldn’t help it. He could see her in her memory, seventeen years ago, singing…her life wasn’t easy, yet when she sang she looked so carefree, so happy, always a smile on her face, Daryl loved it. It would be a pity if she didn’t sign anymore.

He wanted to ask if she had stopped singing when the dead began to walk, of she had stopped before. He wanted her to tell him about the city, if she had made it, if she had worked as a singer there as she’d wanted, or if she’d stopped singing there. He didn’t know how to do it, though, what to say, and before he could say anything, Jane’s voice came from inside.

“Ready!”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Y/N let go of his hand, turning to answer through the open door. “I’ll be there in a minute.” She looked back at Daryl. “I…I have to go.”

“Okay.”

“Can I…can I ask you something?” She bit her lip. “Sorry, no, forget it.”

“No, come on, say it.” Daryl frowned at her, wondering what was she thinking.

“Maggie’s sister…why…why you say it was your fault?”

Her words hurt like a bolt piercing through his heart, but he tried not to show it. “Cause it was…our home was destroyed,” that had been his fault too, for stopping going out with Michonne to find the Governor, for thinking him gone, for not finding him and stopping him on time. “And we had to run away, we got separated, Beth was with me, we escaped together…I was an asshole to her…you know how I can be…”

“Daryl, you’re not an asshole,” Y/N interrupted him, but Daryl ignored her.

“And I lost her, some people kidnapped her. And we went for her but they killed her, and I did nothing, just let her get kidnapped and let her die.” How Maggie didn’t blame him, how was she still his friend, Daryl didn’t know.

“You haven’t changed in that, either,” Y/N said softly, making him frown at her. “Beating your self for things that aren’t your fault.” Daryl didn’t say anything. She didn’t understand. It was his fault. “Look, I…I gotta go, but we’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?” Daryl nodded and Y/N smiled in a way that made him feel all weird again. “Okay…goodnight.”

“Night.”

Daryl had just walked down the stairs of the porch when he heard Jane’s voice. “Good night, Daryl! Night!” He looked up and saw her at her window, head out of it, waving at him, and he couldn’t help himself from smiling and waving back.

“You’re gonna wake all the street.” He heard Y/N’s voice and she saw her walking behind Jane, smiling and waving at him too before pulling the little girl inside.

The house was dark and quiet when he walked in. Everyone had taken a room, but he still felt out of place…the idea if sleeping once again in that windowsill didn’t feel that tempting, though, not now that he felt more or less safe in Alexandria. He decided to push the sofa against the window, so he could still look through it, but that he could lie down and rest for a bit.

He was sure his mind was going to be plagued with thoughts, about his family and Rick’s plan, about Alexandria, about Y/N and Jane, so he couldn’t sleep…but he surprised himself closing his eyes and falling asleep, his body realizing for the first time how tired it was, now that he was allowing himself to lie down on something…

…Those woods weren’t his woods, but Daryl recognized them anyway, it wasn’t the first time he was there. He was sat down on the ground and Y/N was lying down next to him on her belly, her chin rested on her hand as she watched the sunset. She looked at him and smiled.

“If I wouldn’t have to go to that damn club, we could camp here, watch the stars… doesn’t it sound good?”

“Doesn’t sound bad.” Daryl shrugged as if disinterested, but it did sound good, really good, camping with Y/N, the two of them alone in the middle of nowhere, lying down next to each other…It made him nervous, but at the same time he wanted it so bad. It couldn’t be, not that night at least, she had to work, and anyway, Daryl knew it was best that way…it would only feed the butterflies that he was trying to kill. “Come on.” He got up and reached out to help Y/N onto her feet. “We have to get back or you’re gonna be late.”

They went to his bike and Y/N got situated behind him, wrapping his arms around him and snuggling to him more than what was necessary, not that Daryl would complain. “You gotta teach me how to ride,” she said, surprising him.

“What?”

“Teach me how to ride? Please?”

“Ain’t sure…”

“Come on, Daryl, please…it’s just…it’s like flying…please…”

“I’ll think about it…” Daryl murmured, turning on the engine and driving them both back to town.

She got her way, in the end. The dream changed and now they were in one of the paths of the woods outside the town, a clear, not bumpy one, and it was him who was behind Y/N on the bike. His arms weren’t wrapped around her waist, though, but around her, so he could hold the handler of the bike, maneuver it and control the speed if needed. He liked it, having her in his arms like that, pressed against his chest, but he tried to ignore those thoughts and feelings, and focus on the task on hand.

“Alright, turn on the engine, slow…”

Y/N did as instructed and the bike jerked forwards, but Daryl kept it balanced. “Woah…”

“Told you to do it slow.” Daryl snorted.

“Thought that was slow…”

Daryl remembered, sort of remembered, that they had spent a while just like that, until Y/N was used to the feeling, but in his dream suddenly they were already riding through the path, slow. He was giving Y/N some autonomy, but he was controlling the bike more than what she could probably realize, he couldn’t help himself. Y/N stopped the bike and turned so she could smile at him with bright eyes.

“This is…so fun, and it’s so like flying…but I’m sure I couldn’t do it without you.” She chuckled.

“Then don’t.” He sounded needy, he could hear it, and he hated it. It embarrassed him, but he couldn’t help it. He liked it, to ride with her behind him, her arms around him…if she learned how to ride, then she could go by herself, without him anymore…the thought was so silly, even Daryl could see it. She didn’t even have a damn bike.

“You really don’t want me to learn how to ride?” She pouted and Daryl had to admit he was being ridiculous.

“Ain’t that…we’ll keep practicing.”

She grinned at him, turning even more on the bike to sneak her arms around his neck, and Daryl’s heart beat faster. “Good, because I really want to learn to ride by myself so I can ditch you and go to places alone,” she teased as if somehow she’d read his mind and silly thoughts, as sometimes she seemed to do. “Like…you know I only put up with you for that, it’s not that I like to spend all my free time with you…”

Daryl scoffed, swallowing hard as she pressed even closer to him. One of her hands lifted to stroke his hair, fingers running through it, and Daryl couldn’t help but lean into her touch. She then trailed her fingers down his cheekbone that was still a bit bruised, caressing it softly. She bit her lip as she looked at him, her smile gone, looking at him in a way…

Daryl wanted to kiss her so much that it actually hurt him. They were on his bike, his arms around her as she looked at him intently and he wanted to kiss her so bad, he thought he wouldn’t be able to control himself. She cupped his cheek, leaning in, and Daryl thought maybe she was going to kiss him. It wasn’t that long since she’d done him, kissed him that night at her house after that prick tried to hurt her. Daryl knew he should stop her now as he had done back then, he had told her why, told her the reason why they couldn’t do this…and yet, if she kissed him now, he knew he couldn’t get himself to stop her…

Y/N didn’t kiss him, though. Instead, she held her forehead against his and Daryl closed his eyes. It hurt almost even more than a kiss and yet he couldn’t pull away. She moved back first, looking at him with sad eyes, eyes so sad that Daryl hated it, and Daryl knew she was thinking and feeling exactly the same as him.

She let out a sigh and hid her face on the crook of his shoulder for a couple of seconds. When she looked at him again, she still seemed sad, but she tried to smile, and she caressed his face softly again. “Come on, I…I made some sandwiches…” Daryl noticed her trying to sound cheerful, and then when she moved away he had to stop himself from reaching out to hold her close again. “I’m not sure how they turned out…but you gotta eat them and say they are good…” she joked softly.

“I’m sure they’re good…”

The dream started to fade and Daryl fought it, he didn’t want to wake up, he wanted to stay there…he couldn’t help it, though, the dream getting further and further away as he slipped back into consciousness. Daryl sat up on the sofa. He could see the sky still dark through the window, but the sun was starting to slowly rise at the east.

He felt…strange. The dream was still in his mind, and those residual feelings of bitterness…no, they weren’t bitter, they were bittersweet, of love, but broke his heart too, all those feelings were still going through him. He didn’t know what to feel. He didn’t even know how he felt. He dared to wonder if he maybe, maybe, he still liked Y/N like that, a bit like he had done back then…or if those were just the memories of the feeling.

It was all too confusing, the thoughts and feelings were overwhelming, and he didn’t know what to do. Seventeen years that felt like a whole life had come and gone, and yet…yet he saw her as his friend, a good one who he could trust, despite the years, he had been unable to stop himself from sharing things with her, personal thoughts and feelings, as he did back then, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about her all the time, from wanting to see her, talk to her, spend time with her.

He liked her, yeah, she was nice and fun, and a good friend still, Daryl wanted to be his friend again, but…but did he like her like he did back then? He wasn’t sure…but she made him feel all those weird things…the idea was scary, though. And Y/N…what did she think about him? How did she feel? That was even scarier…

Daryl groaned, running a hand through his hair, trying to stop his wild thoughts.

A door opened and closed softly, and not much later Carol walked into the living room, spotting him awake and sitting down on the sofa. He knew she didn’t sleep much either, she usually went to sleep as late as him and wake up as early as him.

“Hey,” She greeted softly, sitting down next to him, and Daryl hummed a greeting. “I got some guns last night, we’re meeting with Rick later outside again to talk.” Daryl just hummed again…he wasn’t sure if he liked where that conversation might go. He found himself overthinking things again, nothing was going to happen, they just needed the guns for protection, because he had seen how those Alexandrians didn’t seem able to protect themselves. It wasn’t like they were going to take their home from them at gunpoint…nah…

Rick wasn’t like that…Carol wasn’t like that…

And yet, he felt uneasy at the idea of carrying a gun in there, especially with nobody else knowing about it. He didn’t like this secrecy at all.

“You didn’t come to the party.”

“Ain’t my thing…”

“Y/N was there, we talked with her a bit…don’t worry, we didn’t interrogate her or nothing like that.” She chuckled as if noticing the panic in Daryl’s eyes. “She got a pretty cute kid.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“She asked about you, the kid, was waiting for you. Then she seemed pretty convinced she could teach Judith how to dance, despite the fact that she doesn’t know how to walk yet.” Daryl snorted, he couldn’t help his smile at that, he could see it. “What’s going on then, with Y/N and you?”

Daryl frowned, turning defensive. “What you mean? Nothing’s going on. She’s my friend.”

“Well, that’s good, she seems like a good woman.”

“She is.”

“Then we all should meet some time, get to know her properly…”

Daryl just hummed, he wasn’t sure he looked forward to it. Not that he didn’t love his family, he loved them more than himself, but he didn’t want them overwhelming Y/N, especially not when he still felt so weird around her.

“You weren’t here when I went to sleep last night, it was late.” Carol arched an eyebrow at him, smirking, and Daryl didn’t know what was she hoping he’d answer.

“I had dinner with Aaron and Eric. Aaron has a bike for me to put together, so I can work with him recruiting people.”

“Look who landed himself a job.” Carol chuckled. “Do you want to?”

“Yeah…yeah, I think so.”

“Good…it seems you’re integrating here, aren’t you?” Carol teased and Daryl blushed. “Who would have expected it…”

Daryl just shrugged. He didn’t feel integrated, he still felt out of place and the way in which people looked at him made him want to crawl out of his skin, hell, he was dying to get out of there. But at least he wasn’t walking around with a gun and thinking ways of taking over Alexandria if it didn’t submit. If that was what Carol and Rick were trying to do…but maybe it was all in his head…and he really should stop overthinking everything, because he was giving himself a headache.

Why everything had to be so complicated.

We got some more Daryl, Y/N and Jane time together, and also some memories for scenes that I didn’t get to write in “First and Las”, please, let me know your thoughts if you liked it.

As always, excuse my english, is not my first language.

If you want to be (un)tagged let me know.

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#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon/reader #daryl dixon & reader #daryl dixon fanafiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fic #daryl dixon imagine

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sdottkrames · 3 years

Text

You’ll Always Be Adored By the Things You [Save]

@comfortember prompt 12: Emotional support pet

Summary: Her name is Tess, and everybody adores her.

Notes: I honestly just love Tom and his love for Tess. They are the cutest! I’m thinking about making more with Tess, so if you like this, let me know and maybe I will! 😊

Also: Lucy and Rocky were the names of my dogs growing up. Lucy was a sassy, adorable Shih Tzu, and Rocky was the kindest, gentlest Boxer you’d ever meet. They both have since passed (they lived very long, happy lives) but I wanted to add them in this story somehow. I’m just a cheeseball. Also, Zendaya (MJ) Played a character named Rocki in a Disney show called Shake It Up, so it was a little nod to that as well.

Read on AO3: Here

“Tony, I’m really worried about him.”

May poked her head around the corner of their apartment, making sure Peter was still asleep. His breathing was too even for him to be faking, and she sighed in relief before continuing.

“He’s been off ever since the...the blip. I can tell. He’s been eating a lot less, and I looked at his grades the other day. Tony, that boy has never gotten below an A-, but he got a C+ on his last Physics test. And that’s not even including the fact that he was stabbed last night because his Peter Tingle isn’t working right.” Her voice was rising in pitch and volume, right in time with the panic that was welling up inside her.

May and Tony had been having weekly conference calls about their resident spider since May had found out about it, and they’d quickly picked it back up once they had been undusted. Their normally lighthearted calls filled with mostly laughter had taken a more somber tone recently.

Tony hummed on the other end of the phone. “I’ve been worried, too.”

Those words, though not necessarily helpful, made May feel less alone. She was grateful someone was helping her take care of her nephew because he was doing a terrible job of doing it himself, as evidenced by the stab wound on his left side. He’d come home weak and bleeding the previous night, and May had hurriedly patched him up, her training as a nurse the only thing keeping her panic in check.

“I honestly don’t know what to do, May. We tried letting him come to us and that didn’t work. I’ve got a list of great therapists-”

May cut him off. “He’ll never do that. I already tried that one, and he insisted that he didn’t want me paying money for him. I even pulled the whole “your mentor is a billionaire, and he would want you to get help” card, but he was pretty adamant.”

Tony sighed, and May felt it echo deep in her bones. They ended the call shortly after, no closer to a solution for Peter than before.

The next week on their call, Tony’s voice was considerably more lighthearted. She attributed it to the fact that Peter hadn’t been injured that week, but then he excitedly announced that had “the best idea!”

May’s eyebrows rose, even though she knew Tony couldn’t see them. “I’m listening.”

“Okay. How do you feel about dogs?”

“Oh,” May breathed.

“Yeah. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.”

“Me either. He’s been asking for a dog since he was, like, 5. The only problem is,” May said, biting her lip. “Our landlord doesn’t allow dogs.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Tony promised, and May nearly snorted at the thought of their stuffy, no-nonsense landlady getting a visit from Tony Stark. She pitied the woman.

***

“Ms., ah, Levitt, is it?”

The lady looked up from her desk, and immediately blinked in shock. Tony internally rolled his eyes when the lady blushed and started trying to fix her hair, the look on her face one he’d seen on way too many women in his earlier years.

No chance, lady, I’m married. He thought, but flashed her a kind smile, anyway. “Are you the landlady of this apartment building?”

“I am. Pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Tony shook her offered hand, not holding on for a second longer than necessary. “Likewise. I am here on behalf of the Parker family...apartment 96. I was thinking about getting Peter an emotional support animal. He blipped, and has been having trouble adjusting, and I heard cute, fluffy animals work wonders. But I understand you don’t allow those?”

Levitt’s smile hardened. “Yes, I’m afraid we have a non-negotiable no-pet policy.”

She obviously hated animals. And probably little children. Figures. Luckily, years watching Pepper hand stuffy businessmen their behinds had taught Tony a thing or two. He could handle this lady.

“Well, I took the liberty of reviewing things, and did you know that, by law, emotional support or therapy animals must be allowed in any building? That includes yours. Now, I understand that there is a fee associated with having a therapy animal, which I will cover, and of course proper documentation, which I have right here.” Tony produced the paperwork, signed by Dr. Cho, stating that Peter should be allowed a therapy animal of his choosing. “If there are any further problems, I’m sure my wife would be happy to speak to you. She and our lawyer will be handling any legal issues.”

Tony watched in satisfaction as Ms. Levitt’s face blanched, knowing she was beat. Nobody could go up against Pepper Potts-Stark and win.

She breathed heavily through her nose once then plastered a smile back on her face, though it didn’t meet her eyes. “That won’t be necessary. We value the Parkers. The fee is an extra $125 a month. Once you have the animal, bring the proof of licensure and ESA status, and we should be all set.”

Tony had her put his card on file so the payment would come out of his account. This was his gift to Peter (and May. Though she wouldn't admit it, he knew that she also loved animals and would have bought one (or two) if they’d had the money) and then stood to leave.

“Have a nice day,” he said, giving Levitt a cheery wave before waltzing out the door. He had a kid to surprise.

***

“Tony, really, where are we going?”

“For the millionth time, I’m not going to tell you, so stop wasting your breath.” Peter huffed indignantly, and Tony shoved his arm playfully. “Patience is a virtue, underoos.”

“And pride is a sin, yet here we are,” Peter quipped.

“Yes, here we are,” Tony said, grinning as Happy pulled the car into a parking spot in front of Rocky’s Shelter and Supplies. Tony had spent hours researching adoption agencies around, wanting to find a really good one to support, and Rocky’s had been one of the best he’d seen. Plus, they had a great variety to choose from. (And no, he hadn’t been crying looking at all the animals, who told you that?)

Peter’s reaction was everything Tony had hoped for. The kids brown eyes got impossibly larger, and filled with tears.

“R-really?” He squeaked. “But our apartment doesn’t allow dogs.”

Tony grinned. “I threatened to sic Pepper on her.”

Then Peter was hugging Tony around the middle, murmuring an unbroken stream of thankyou’s.

“I heard you’ve been wanting one for a while, and May and I figured having a furry companion might help with everything. You gotta promise-“

“That I’ll take care of it? Of course I will! I’ve been preparing for this my entire life! When I was 11, I made a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating proper care of a dog, just to show Ben and May I would take care of one. I wanted a dog soooo bad. I can’t believe I’m actually getting one.”

Tony chuckled at Peter’s rambling. “I’m glad you’re excited. But I was going to say you gotta promise that you’ll take better care of yourself, too.”

Peter nodded fast, his curls bouncing, which was endlessly endearing. “I promise!”

“Then lead the way.”

They spent time with a number of different dogs, taking their time to find just the right one. Tony could tell he was going to have to physically restrain Peter (And himself, if he was being totally honest) from buying every single dog in the shelter. The kid dragged him to every cage, exclaiming how cute each “pupper” (what even was this generation’s lingo?) was, and blinking back tears at nearly every one.

Then Peter met Tess.

Tony had started believing in love at first sight when he’d seen Pepper in that purple dress she’d worn to a charity event years ago. Then he’d been absolutely sure of it when he’d held Morgan in his arms for the first time, the love he felt for her so strong and immediate and real that it had chased away the fear of becoming his dad that threatened to paralyze him.

But feeling it and witnessing it was two different things.

He wondered if he’d looked like Peter when he’d laid eyes on the two most important and precious women in his life. The little gasp, the soft smile, the look of complete awe. Basically, the definition of the heart-eyes emojis.

“This one,” Peter breathed, his voice thick with emotion. “Can I meet her?”

The lady helping them, a sweet girl named Lucy, unlocked the cage and brought the beautiful grey pup over to the room for humans and dogs to meet, and as soon as Peter was close enough, she was all over him, her tail thumping with abandon.

“Yeah, I think we’ll take her,” Tony said over Peter’s delighted giggles.

***

Tess loved everybody, but it was no secret who her favorite was. No matter who she was with or what she was doing, as soon as Peter was in the room, she was right by his side. She was his shadow, following him around like a planet following the sun.

So Tony should’ve realized that something was wrong when she came trotting into his lab without Peter.

Granted, it wasn’t uncommon for her to come get pats from someone else when Peter wasn’t available, like when he was at school or on patrol or asleep. But Tony should’ve known that at 4 PM on a Thursday, Peter should have been doing none of those things. It was a lab day, Peter’s day off from Spider-Manning, and too early for the normally energetic kid to be asleep.

As it was, Tony was so focused on fixing Dum-E (who had spun too hard showing off for Peter the other day) that he just patted her head without looking. He nearly dropped his screwdriver when Tess gave a high pitched yip.

Tony finally looked up. “What’s the matter, girl. You gotta go out?”

Tess barked again, high pitched and insistent, her big eyes so expressive he could almost see what she was thinking.

“Peter,” he gasped, his stomach plummeting all the way down to his shoes. “Where is he, girl?”

Tessa tore out the door needing no further prompting, Tony right on her heels. She stopped outside Peter’s door whining anxiously, and Tony quickly opened it, dread filling him.

His first reaction was relief. There was no blood, at least not that he could see. Then his worry returned even stronger because Peter was laying on the ground not moving and there wasn't any blood. At least blood made it easier to identify the problem!

“Friday!” He choked out, rushing to Peter’s side. He was still breathing, but it sounded noisy and labored. He was also conscious, but Tony couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not because there was so much fear in his eyes, and it broke Tony’s heart right in two.

“Dr. Cho is already on her way, sir. If I may, it appears Peter is having an allergic reaction, going into anaphylactic shock. You must keep him awake until the Dr gets here,” Friday answered.

Teas whined again, nudging Peter’s hand.

“Good girl, Tess. You’re such a good girl!” Tony said, patting her head then turning to Peter. “Well kid, if you didn’t want to do lab day today, you could’ve just said so. No need for all the theatrics; that’s kinda my department.”

Tony kept rambling, slapping Peter gently whenever he started to close his eyes, until Cho was rushing in. She quickly stabbed him with an epipen and started to prepare him to go to the infirmary, pausing when Tess growled, the first time she’d ever done that.

“Easy, Tessa-girl. She’s helping Peter. Let’s go with ‘em, yeah? You can keep watching our boy.”

They made their way to the infirmary, where Peter was being given medicine to combat whatever had caused him to react that way. Tony nearly doubled over laughing when he heard what it was, the stress making him slightly hysterical. It really wasn’t funny.

“Peppermint?” He asked Peter later, once Peter could talk and had been deemed out of the woods. Tess was curled up as close as she could to him, and Tony was sitting on the chair next to the bed.

“I just wanted a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. I used to love those,” Peter pouted. “But apparently Peppermint is toxic to spiders. I guess I hadn’t had any peppermint since the change.”

“Well how about never do that again. My heart cannot take that stress.”

Tess whined in agreement.

***

Tony was quickly learning that Tess was a lot like Peter. Her ability to get everybody to love her, for one, and her penchant for cuddles.

Which is how Tony found himself one Friday night squished on the couch with a teenager tucked tightly into his side and a 30 pound dog laying across his lap while watching Bolt. They were both happily situated, Peter nearly purring as Tony ran his hands through his hair and Tess’ tail thumping gently against Tony’s leg. He pretended not to like it, but he was so comfortable, he quickly fell asleep.

He didn’t sleep very long.

Soon after his eyes closed, he woke up in a panic, his heart beating rapidly, a sense of panic overwhelming him. He couldn’t remember what the dream that woke him up had been about, which only made the sense of foreboding worse. He closed his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep as he quietly struggled to get his breathing under control.

Suddenly, a weight settled on top of him. He opened his eyes in surprise, and realized Tess had climbed into his lap, putting her head on his shoulder and her front paws on his chest. It was strangely comforting, her weight and warmth, but surprising nonetheless.

“Whatcha doing there, girl?” He chuckled.

“Pressure therapy,” Peter answered. “Something I taught her to do whenever I’m having an anxiety attack or sensory overload. It helps. She must’ve sensed you were panicking.”

“Huh.” Tony shook his head in wonder.

“You alright?” Peter asked, tentatively.

“Yeah. Just a bad dream. I don’t even know what it was about, just left me feeling anxious.”

Peter nodded, and slid his hand into Tony’s. Boy and dog didn’t move a muscle until Tony’s heart was a normal rhythm again. Or...maybe a little while after that. They really did love snuggles. And Tony...yet another thing they had in common.

Luckily, he loved them both right back just as much.

#comfortember 2020 #comfortember #i love my iron dad and spidey son #mine

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beetles-and-rock · 4 years

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Remembering The Roadhouse Part 4

Hey guys sorry this one took so long, but since I saw it as an important chapter I wanted to give it the time it deserved.

Also a disclaimer, I have tried posting this story part once, so if it comes up twice, that's my bad. I appear to be having technical difficulties.

--------------------------------------------------

The sound of the alarm going off made Dewey hurt all over, but there was no time left to rest. He had to get to the school. He stood, and his head throbbed, his stomach hurt with a mix of hunger and nausea. Every part of him ached, and he was absolutely exhausted.

His weekend had only gotten worse. He'd gotten sick after getting off the phone with Rosalie the night before last. Still, he continued to work on the song he was writing for her until he finally finished it well into the next day. Ned had found him in a pile of wadded up paper balls with very dark circles under his eyes and, became even more concerned when it seemed he had no appetite.

"Try to get some rest.“ Ned told him.

He did try, but the doubt swimming around his head, and the pain everywhere else kept him from falling asleep. It wasn't until a few hours ago that he finally managed nap a little. Since music coaching wasn't until after the kids' daily classes, Dewey had a little more time to rest. Still what little sleep he got wasn't enough to make up for the last two restless nights.

Dewey wanted to turn around and crawl back under his warm comforter so badly, but he knew that if he wanted the kids to learn the song he'd written for Rosalie, he was going to have to have them practice it now. They only had three days. He fought the sleepiness and achiness, and got dressed. Since he was still so nauseated, he decided not to eat anything. He dragged himself to the school.

After nearly falling asleep at the wheel several times, he arrived at the school and went straight to work setting everything up as he usually did. Once finished, he walked over to the desk and leaned against it waiting for his students to arrive.

"Mr. Finn, I wanted to talk to you about the Battle-“ Summer paused as soon as she looked up at him. "Mr. Finn are you feeling okay?"

Dewey didn't answer. Mostly because he didn't realize she was there. He was leaning so far onto the desk, he was practically laying on it. Though his eyes were open, he was staring past her, unaware that she had even spoken. That was until she snapped her fingers in front of him making him jump.

"Oh! Summer! How long have you been standing there?" He asked.

"Mr. Finn are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah! Perfectly fine!“

"Are you sure? You look pale, and tired. And you have dark circles under your eyes. Should we cancel practice?"

"No way! I'll be fine, we just gotta get this thing going. Is everybody ready?“

Summer continued to look at him unconvinced. "Yes."

Dewey looked around at all his students, seeing that they had their instruments out, and were ready to start practice.

"H-Hey Guys." That sounded weaker than he wanted. He cleared his throat. "Sorry... Hey Guys!“ He said much more confidently. “Friday night is the big night! The night we get on that stage, and once again show em' what we're made of!"

The band cheered all around him, causing his energy to suddenly spike. That is until he looked at the papers in his hand.

"But today, I wanted to start off with something a little different. Now, our focus is still on Battle of the Bands, but I... kinda... wrote a little something special... for Ros -uh- Mrs. Mullins." He scratched the back of his neck hearing a few of the girls squeal at his announcement.

"I was kinda hoping we could play it for her... on a little date I had planned Thursday."

"Thursday!?" Summer exclaimed.

"I know it's the night before the battle, but it's an anniversary... sort of." Dewey explained.

"An anniversary of what?" Summer asked.

"Um..."

"Oh my God! Did you hook up with her? Is that how we got permission last year?"

"NO! no no no no no... It wasn't anything like that. We bonded I guess, but it was over music! Not anything... like the other..." He trailed off into awkwardness.

"Alright well, show us the song!" Zack requested breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Right!" Dewey answered. He looked at the papers, and studied the lyrics growing anxious again.

"Mr. Finn, is everything alright?" Tamika asked.

After looking at the papers a moment more, Dewey sighed with a mix of frustration, dissapointment, and exhaustion.

"Nevermind guys... This song is garbage." He goes to tear the papers.

"MR. FINN! NO!" Tamika screamed. Dewey was so caught off guard, he could do nothing when Freddie snatched them out of his hands, and passed them to Summer.

She walked as she read them, and the paused.

"Mr. Finn, this is incredibly sweet. You can't tear this up." She said. The other students gathered around to look at it.

"Well that line's pretty cheesy." Feddie snickered looking at the lyrics. Katie bowed him in the side, and Dewey gave a little sideways smile as if to thank her.

"What do you think, guys? Should we do this?" Summer asked.

A chorus of "yeah" and "yes" erupted from the kids around her. Summer turned to Dewey.

"You've got your entertainment, Mr. Finn. Now, where will you be taking her?“

Dewey's eyes widened. “Um.... where?"

"You don't have a place in mind, do you?“ Summer asked seeming more unsurprised than he'd like her to have been.

"Well... no, I haven't really gotten to that point yet..." Dewey answered.

"What are you going to wear?“ Billy asked.

"Um....“

"Please tell me you've got other clothes than what you've been wearing the past year in your closet."

"Well...“

Billy rolled his eyes. "Oh no. There's no way you're wearing any of those tacky excuses for outfits Thursday night. I'll work on something for you.“

The thought of wearing one of Billy's "creative" outfits in front of Rosalie was a nightmare.

"Thanks Billy, but you really dont have-“

"Mr. Finn, are you going to propose?“ Shanell asked, distracting him from Billy. He was completely caught off guard.

"Well... I mean, we've only been dating a few months." Dewey stammered

"No way! Dewey probably can't afford the ring." Freddie cut in.

"I have the ring!“ Dewey blurted out a bit frustratedly. He realized quickly that that was a big mistake. Every eye was on him now, and there a warmth spread vigorously across his cheeks. He just stood there frozen, looking at them all.

"Are you going to propose then?“ Shenell inquired almost squealing.

"I-I didn't say that... Guys, we've only been going out a few months, and I don't even know that this relationship is going to last... I mean I'd like to believe she would want to... marry me...." He looked down at his hands as his fingers fidgeted. "But I just don't know that it's realistic right now..." He looked back up at them. "Regardless I want Thursday night to be special... very special... for her."

"Then we've got your back Mr. Finn." Summer announced with a smile.

Dewey's gaze cut to her in surprise.

"We'll handle the location, the food, and of course the music. You two just have a good time."

"What?“ Dewey stammered.

"Yeah!" Katie cut in. "If we can put together performances, we can definitely handle a date!"

"Guys, I'm only asking for you to perform." Dewey was getting a little overwhelmed now.

"Kind of hard to perform with no location." Summer pointed out with her arms crossed.

Dewey tried to say something, but realized he couldn't argue. She had a point.

"Y-you guys really want to do this?“ He asked.

"Of course we do, Mr. Finn." Tamika replied with a smile. The other students nodded and voiced their agreement.

Dewey felt a happiness and pride in the kids that they had given him mqny times before. It once again made him happy they were his. His excitement was renewed and his energy rising.

"Alright! Let's start with the song!" Dewey passed around the sheet music.

A few minutes later those familiar chords sounded throughout the room, and Dewey became more enthusiastic as he sang the lyrics. His opinion about song had completely changed it was perfect and perfectly Rosalie.

When they finished they moved onto their song for Battle of the Bands. Dewey had completely forgotten about his previous exhaustion. He laughed, and danced around playing his guitar even doing a short impromptu duel with Zack. Everyone was working hard, but having fun with it, and in Dewey's mind, they couldn't be playing more perfectly.

Six O'clock came way too soon. The students packed up their things, and began to leave. Dewey waved goodbye to them. Now that practice had ended though, he started feeling rough again. The exhaustion was setting in fast as he watched his students leave. There were only two left, along with their parents, in the room when he turned to grab his bag. Everything started to go dark. He panted and bent over.

"Mr. Finn?“ He heard Summer call his name, but it sounded far away now. He fell to the ground, and a sharp pain shot up his shoulder. The last thing he saw was Summer running toward him, and looking very concerned just before everything went black.

#alex brightman #broadway musicals #dewey finn #dewey x rosalie #school of rock bway #school of rock broadway #school of rock #school of rock musical

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meplassewriteblr · 5 years

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Writing Advice: Plus size characters

Hi!

Before we begin, my posting schedule has started to change from Thursdays to Fridays because of school. So yeah. That’s that.

All right. Plus size characters. Why now, you ask? Because I felt like talking about it. And because I’m pretty sure my friends and family were tired of me talking about it, so now I put my ideas down on paper (or more appropriately, on screen!). I know this is something we don’t talk about much, but the amount of fatphobia I find in children’s fiction is staggering. Later in this post that has become an essay, I will be giving advice that could apply to virtually any plus size character, in any genre, but I will be talking from the perspective of someone who, these days, reads mostly in her main writing genre, A.K.A. middle grade fiction. Stay tuned for a few pieces of advice on writing plus size characters at the end.

First of all, why middle grade fiction?

I blame J. K. Rowling for this. I know, I know. It’s easy to critique J. K. Rowling nowadays, with Fantastic Beasts, Cursed Child and the History of North America being terrible for representation of any kind. So let me say this beforehand. Harry Potter is a staple of the genre (this book series is mainly what made the middle grade fiction genre in the first place) and is, unavoidably, one of the most important book series in modern literature. Full stop. I’m also a Harry Potter fan, Hufflepuff through and through. I have to admit though, I mostly watched the Harry Potter movies growing up and haven’t read all the books.

Okay. With all that out of the way. From what I remember in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone...

*Sigh*... It’s bad, you guys.

Whenever the Dursleys are mentioned as being evil (which, of course, they completely are!) it’s in relation to their weight. Dudley is a pig (and gets transformed into one by Hagrid, traumatising him for life probably) and Vernon becomes purple like a plum, because of his round face. He also looks like a walrus, because of his weight and his silly moustache. Sure, Petunia looks like a horse because she has a long, slim neck and a weird-looking face, but Petunia will also become the most important character out of the three Dursleys, being Harry’s biological aunt and Lily’s sister. She gets a full on backstory and character development.

You see where I’m going with this?

I’m not saying that plus size people can’t be villains (in real life or books!). Of course, they can be! There are evil people everywhere. And JKR definitely wanted to contrast Harry’s small stature (being underfed, malnourished and abused) with Dudley’s (who is loved and spoiled rotten by his parents). But in fiction, you have to be careful with the words you choose. Be sensitive. Characters can be hated, but the point of view (omniscient or first person) doesn’t have to always correlate their weight with their evilness.

To mention another example that doesn’t have anything to do with HP, remember Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? He’s basically dehumanized (he’s just a boy, after all) BECAUSE he eats all the time and gained weight because of it. Of course, all those kids are treated terribly by Willy Wonka to, again, show how privileged they are compared to poor little Charlie. But see how it’s because of his weight that Augustus, the only “fat kid” of the bunch, gets hated, though? I’m only referring to Augustus because, well, Roald Dahl in 1964 played a part in putting fatphobia in children’s fiction. Fatphobia in children’s fiction has deep roots. It’s just unfortunate that in 2019, it’s still a problem.

To go back to JKR and the Dursleys (because OH BOY is there a lot to say about the Dursleys)... It’s bad. And it doesn’t get any better. Especially when it’s only after Dudley loses weight (he goes on a diet in Goblet of Fire because he, according to Wikipedia because I haven’t read the book, COULDN’T FIT IN HIS SCHOOL UNIFORM!!!) that he gets a redemption arc (in Deathly Hallows). What do you think that did to a generation of kids who, like me, had/have trouble finding clothes their size? Especially school uniforms that were never flattering? I may not have realized that when I was younger, but that still seeped under my skin. Not just because of the Dursleys, but also society at large.

Now, as an addendum to this section and to be fair to JKR, there are other plus size characters in her books. Neville (who was thin in the movies), Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid come to mind. But then again, I don’t think that’s good in any way. Most of the characters are thin, for the most part. Enough has been said about Neville, Hagrid is his weight because he’s half non-human and Mrs. Weasley is always described as “pleasantly plump” from what I remember. So if you’re nice, you’re “plump”. If you’re mean, you’re “fat”.

Okay. Deep breath. Rant mostly over.

Second of all, why is Harry Potter so important now? It’s been over for years!

Well, no, it hasn’t. Fantastic Beasts is still going, for one. And though I love Jacob, the fact his weight can’t be disassociated with the fact he’s a baker who also worked in a sardine factory beforehand (really?? food?? again???) and CAN’T FIT INSIDE NEWT SCAMANDER’S SUITCASE EVEN THOUGH A MAGICAL RHINO DOES rubs me the wrong way. Besides, JKR’s fatphobia has also seeped into fandom space and you can’t read a HP fanfiction without encountering fatphobia. But that’s a matter for another day.

What’s really important here is legacy. As I said before, Harry Potter is one of the most important works of fiction in modern literary history. It paved the way for modern children’s fiction, notwithstanding 20th century books (The Chronicles of Narnia and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory come to mind) that aren’t getting any younger. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a middle grade book that doesn’t have an ounce of fatphobia. It’s become… casual. Accepted. In a book I opened not long ago (I’m paraphrasing here), one of the villains was described as “obese” and his mastermind plan was, instead of plotting to take over the world or something, to eat everything in his path, including the heroes ON THE VERY FIRST PAGE. I closed the book, never to be read again.

Which is a bummer. Because I want to read more books. Especially in middle grade, because I adore this genre. But because fatphobia is so pervasive to this genre, after a while, it gets difficult to stop caring. At first, you wrinkle your nose. Then, you get angry. And it really starts to hurt. And I’m not even the target audience! Children are! This is the reason why I want to be a sensitivity reader, one day.

Third of all, the advice for writers. How can you avoid this?

1. On terminology: I hate the words “fat” and “obese”. Some people don’t. I do. Those words have been used as insults against me. And sometimes, not even on purpose, but on accident! I prefer “plus size”, “chubby”, “overweight” (use that word with caution, though, sparingly, and please, not as a negative but simply as a descriptive word), “plump” (remember Molly Weasley? That was good, but don’t do what JKR did by making her plum and the Dursleys “fat”). “Stout” or “corpulent” are also good.

2. Don’t associate overweight = evil. It’s okay to write plus size villains (if you must), but be kind to them. Give them a personality other than “““glutton”””. Give them a fully-fleshed out backstory that doesn’t have anything to do with food (see: Jacob in FB). What works with villains works with heroes, but be even more extra careful.

3. Everybody gotta eat, right? If you show your characters eating, show them all (or more than one) eating at the same time. Probably around the table (as a nice ritual of sorts!). But don’t let your ONE plus size character eat and eat and eat in the background, never talking (that’s a mistake I saw in the anime Little Witch Academia, which is to say, fatphobia is present in all genres).

4. This relates to the last point, but don’t have only one plus size character. In one of my favourite movies, The Greatest Showman, I didn’t care that one of the characters was “the fattest man on Earth”. Why? Because KEALA SETTLE IS RIGHT THERE. She has a fully-fleshed out backstory that doesn’t have anything to do with her weight. Or food. (Though it could’ve gone a different way; the Bearded Lady is thin in concept art, after all, I’m eternally happy they reconsidered for Keala). And BTW, you don’t need to give a supernatural explanation for their weight (see Hagrid). If you do have non-human plus size characters, let there also be human plus size characters.

5. Don’t use “fat jokes”. Those are boring and cliché. Like with Dudley and the pig tail. Or… Ha, ha. The “fat guy” is too big, so he gets stuck in a ventilation vent. A thin guy has to get him out! How pathetic. Bleh. And it’s not just in books! They pop up in movies and TV shows, too. Don’t. Just don’t.

6. Last but not least, if you need help figuring out if one of your characters is insensitive, ask sensitivity readers! Ask your friends. Or your family! Just be kind when you’re asking. Explain the situation and if they say they’re not interested, don’t push.

Thank you for reading this (if anyone’s still reading this mess of an essay).

Stay inspired!

Marianne E. Plasse

#writeblr #writeblr community #writing advice #plus size characters #fat characters #i dont like that word but oh well #someone had to do this

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eponymous-rose · 6 years

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role Highlights C2E36 (October 2, 2018)

Tonight’s guests are Travis Willingham and Matt Mercer!

Announcements:

The NYC show on Thursday still has tickets!

The latest episode of Between the Sheets, featuring Laura Bailey, is now available on the Critical Role Twitch channel for subscribers! The VOD will be released on YouTube tomorrow.

The second episode of All Work No Play will air on the Twitch channel on Friday at 7 PM! There will be tapdancing involved.

@critrolestats for this week’s episode:

With four games in, the Dallas Cowboys are at a 50%-- wait, wrong stat.

The M9 got their 140th kill in this episode: Nott against the fourth harpy.

This is the third time Fjord has used the dodecahedron, and the second time he’s put a fragment of possibility to use.

DMing when PCs are on the ocean involves trying to figure out what interesting things can be found along the journey. Matt made a small chart to roll on to see what might possibly happen. "It’s a lot of not forcing events, necessarily, every single day, because otherwise nobody would ever fucking be on a boat in a fantasy world.” He wants it to be an adventurous, freeing sensation, and he wants it to be a bit of a sandbox for the players. (The map finally arrived!) “It’s allowing enough intrigue and possibility out there where the players can utilize the ship at their disposal, and coming up with interesting encounters that capitalize on the region and capitalize on the limitations of the ship as well.”

Travis has been on (non-sailing) boats most of his life, so he knows the terminology. “But when it comes to fuckin’ pirate ships...” He wrote Fjord’s backstory with “sailor” in it, but didn’t get a chance to research it at all. Matt was so intimidated by the (three) sailing terms Fjord included in his backstory that he’s been intently studying up on nautical stuff ever since. There are graphs behind his DM screen. Matt: “I was just trying to keep up with him!”

But Travis has been doing research since then. He’d just never thought about the fact that he might be the only one who knew how to sail a ship. Matt: “It might not have been a major issue if you guys had booked passage...” Travis: “I should have done a moderate level of research just to be more familiar with it, so it’s causing me now to catch up to the homework that you did. We’ll see how this week goes, being that it’s in front of a live crowd...”

Brian: “This is such a weird metaphor for you guys’ friendship.”

Matt expected Orly was going to be an information source while the group was in Nicodranas. After the M9 stole the ship so unexpectedly, it turned out Orly was the only other person they knew who had the skills they needed. Brian knows it’s a big ask, but he’d love to see amazing cosplay of Orly.

Fjord is definitely wondering whether the sword will react in some way with the water---just touching it in didn’t make a difference, but he’s wondering whether practicing his sword exercises on the ship might’ve had an effect. Travis: “Until now, it’s been a pretty one-sided avenue of communication. I don’t know if there’s any way to *69 that motherfucker.”

Gif of the Week: Caduceus’ “Hello darkness my old friend” moment.

The jellyfish bloom was a random encounter Matt rolled on his table: he has assorted natural sights on the list to add atmosphere. “It was an improvised part of the narrative based on a few rolls.” Brian wants to insure Matt’s brain.

For the map that came out last session, Travis got a quick sneak peek at it. “I love reefs, just from scuba diving, so I memorized those. Most of the trade routes didn’t go over reefs, so if we hit one of those, it would be immediately dangerous.” If people’s backgrounds tie into certain areas, Matt e-mails them summaries as needed so that the players can deliver the information and it’s not just a DM info dump.

Caduceus’ super high perception is opening up a lot of interesting stuff for the party; there were a lot of situations that flew under the radar before, and Matt’s looking forward to finding more moments like that. “You want to reward a player for their strengths.”

Matt mentions that, in all the games he’s played with Taliesin, he’s always played very high-intelligence characters. He’s fascinated to see him play a low-INT high-WIS character with Caduceus.

Travis: “I don’t typically like to give people orders? Fjord was a first mate on the ship, that’s as high as he rose. In my mind, those were people that he had worked with for years. He was receiving orders and then dispersing them, not coming up with the ideas himself. For me, as a player, I enjoyed the luxury of an idiot for the first campaign, because I got to be reactionary. It is an entirely, entirely different thing, and it’s been kind of weird, being responsible for everybody, having to make quick decisions when no one else has any input.” He found himself looking for the bench in the last couple episodes.

On the clusterfuck at the docks, Travis: “I had gone far below zero hit points in player.” He was so off-balance and nothing seemed to be working. “You can’t always bench yourself. You gotta keep fuckin’ playing.” Matt points out that it’s common to have an off session: “The fact that you’ve finally had a couple is reassuring to the rest of us mortals in your presence.” It’s tough to be the character who has such a major impact on the course of events, and Travis has been learning how to deal with that pressure (after being able to just shrug it off as Grog) and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Travis: “I had a totally different idea of what my participation in the group would be.” He wasn’t expecting to be the face of the group.

Matt mentions that there are sessions where the group has had fun but he goes home “feeling like shit” over some series of mistakes (which often gets reinforced online), but he emphasizes that it’s totally okay to have off nights, and that it’s important to talk it out with players or other DM friends if you’re still feeling upset about it.

Fanart of the Week: Nott and Caduceus having their bonding moment at sea.

Matt: “There was a whole bunch of shit in Nicodranas you could have explored.” Travis: “I love how he gave us a fuckin’ wizard tower.” Matt pointed out that Algar had an employee who ran off during their first attack. “There’s a lot of adventure in Nicodranas still when you return.” Matt points out that sometimes the story you have prepared isn’t as exciting as what the players stumble into on their own. The ramifications when they come back could be a lot of fun, as well.

Travis on the pressure he’s under for this arc: “The rest of the group is fuckin’ loving it, like a bunch of assholes. They are eating up my panic with spoons and forks.” Matt points out that the tables have turned after the first campaign.

Fjord’s whole backstory was based on trying to disappear; he was just glad to have a role that didn’t require a spotlight. “He just wanted to live a life and have a role and have an existence.” He feels like his unique looks and abilities fit in with the M9, but being put in charge of that, especially in the wake of the massive confidence shake that came with the Lorenzo kidnapping and Molly’s death, he’s still reeling. It’s only been a few weeks since Lorenzo.

It’s been especially terrifying to realize this Fjord-centric arc is going to be such a big part of the New York live show. Travis: “I was so crestfallen. That was the moment I was like, ‘Fuck.’” Matt, happily: “It’s going to be fun.” Travis, strained and yelling: “IT’S GOING TO BE GREAT.”

Jester’s mom hadn’t heard the rumors of a blue tiefling dying at the docks, so fortunately that information hadn’t gotten to her before Jester sent her message. Matt breaks down the bizarre mystery the guards are dealing with right now: it could have had much, much more serious consequences. “They’re not completely fucked. There’s just some threads of fuckery out there.” Avoiding the patrol ships and being able to disguise themselves has been key. Matt points out that a lot of the Nein have had really skittish, mistrustful backgrounds; over time, they might be more likely to try to interface with the guards in a scenario like that, but they’re not there yet.

Travis on the jellyfish conversation: “I was kind of in awe of my wife at that moment. Her emotional availability is second to none. And then to take that beautiful moment and be so introspective about that character. I was trying to ask her questions, and then she pointed it dead on at me. I was like, oh god, I don’t know. I was trying to be sensitive and do something that would make her feel better, but man, it left both of us---Fjord and me---shook. I interpreted it one way. There had been gentle teasings. But man, when the emotions are real...”

Matt’s been finding it interesting that Fjord and Caleb have been taking on leadership roles in a non-competitive, please-take-this way, and he’s excited to see how the roles are distributed moving forward. “I fuckin’ love D&D. Oh my god.”

Matt points out that the M9 is a different kind of found family than VM. “All of Vox Machina seemed pretty confident of who they were and what they wanted to be in the world. This group is very different; they’re these lost souls who, through their connections to each other, are trying to find a purpose and keep each other safe.” He likes the natural pace of that development and is happy that themes of change and redemption are so prominent in their character arcs. “As the kids on the internet say, ‘I’m here for it.’”

Travis: “I had to ask Liam this week what ‘stan’ meant. I thought they left the ‘d’ off it.”

Hats appear.

Talks Machina: Is It the Same Channel?

Brian, on the perfect burrito: “Skittles. Starburst bites. Jujubes. Wrapped in a fruit roll-up.” That is a little too close to my actual dinner tonight and I may have to reevaluate some of my life choices.

Their favorite thing about the live show is the energy. Matt: “It’s one thing to be playing together as friends, but once every now and then, being able to share it live there with so many people who are as excited as we are to be there. Of all the years I’ve done theatre and that high I’ve had on stage, this is even better for me.” Much as the heart of the show is its intimate nature, they love having the live show as a change of pace a couple of times a year. Matt points out that the weirdness of live D&D is that the audience there is as knowledgeable and invested. “It’s not like there’s a barrier and you’re here to entertain, you’re all just here in this moment.”

Travis mentions that alignment’s been more important at the start of the game when they’ve been trying to establish their character, just to keep from veering off into random stabs at action. Matt: “I think alignment’s a great guide if you’re unfamiliar with the process of realizing a personality that’s different from yours and stepping into their shoes. I prefer to think that characters’ actions drive alignment, rather than alignment driving characters’ actions. I don’t feel like you should use alignment as a way of excluding yourselves from making those choices that otherwise a character would never make.”

Matt: “Don’t google ‘burrito train’.”

It takes like ten minutes to Brian’s nipple rings.

Dani, being shipped to New York.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

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rosesisupposes · 5 years

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The Status Quo

Part 5 of Breakin’ Free, a High School Musical Sanders Sides AU

Chapter Pairings: Prinxiety, Logicality (one-sided)

Chapter Warnings: Cliques, Roman Continues to Be Oblivious, Now Logan Is Too

word count: 3,411

Reader tags: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice @jemthebookworm@arandompasserby @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse @thelowlysatsuma

<<4.What I’ve Been Looking For | 6. Lunkheads>>

read on ao3

SCENE: Hallways of East High, the Next Day

“CALLBACKS?”

The entrance hall echoed with Dee Evans’ distressed screech. Cee stood with him, trying to calm him as they both studied the posted list in the entrance hall. The list had the expected handful of names for the singles roles, but for the first time in years, so did the leads.

“Callbacks for Arnold and Minnie, next Thursday, 3:30pm,” Cee read aloud. “Cee & Dee Evans, Virgil Montez & Roman Bolton.” He frowned in confusion.

“Is this some kind of joke? They didn't even audition!” Dee snapped.

“Maybe it’s a prank!” Cee said, eyes lighting up. “Maybe this is part of one of those online prank compilations! You have all those fans, maybe they’re just messing with you!”

“Excuse you, the Dee-Lights would never do this to me,” Dee said grumpily. “Just shut up, Cee!”

Behind them, the basketball team strolled in, led by Remy. Seeing the twins looking frustrated, Remy was ready to mock their distress without a second’s thought.

“What’s wrong, princess,” he drawled, looking over his sunglasses at the board in front of them. Then he read the names there, and his face fell.

“Whomst the fuck?”

He glared at Cee and Dee, as if this was their fault. Dee glared back with equal intensity as Cee nervously avoided eye contact with both of them. Remy turned on a heel and stormed off as his teammates stayed behind to stare, whispering among themselves.

SCENE: Lunchroom

Dee paced back and forth on the raised half of the lunchroom, still fuming. His brother and the rest of the drama club watched in varying degrees of nervousness, Joan’s the highest as they attempted to avoid the man’s notice.

“How dare that… Montez boy sign up! I've already picked out the colors for my dressing room!”

“And he hasn’t even asked our permission to join the drama club,” Cee said sympathetically.

“Someone’s gotta tell him the rules,” Dee muttered darkly.

“Exactly,” Cee said with a smile, then frowned. “Wait, what are the rules?”

Dee rolled his eyes at his twin and scowled down at the lunch room as a whole.

Below him, the basketball team and cheerleaders were chatting and tossing around Remy’s ball as they ate. Energy for the upcoming game was high without bordering on stress - they still had a whole week, after all. Even the current lack of their team captain didn’t bring them down.

Patton Baylor was with the team today, smiling near the center of the group and making sure everyone was heard. At a lull in the conversation, he spoke out to them all.

“You all know how much I love our squad, right?”

“Of course, Pat,” a cheerleader said with an adoring smile.

“And I love basketball too -- when I’m on a roll-”

“It’s nothing but net!” a teammate exclaimed with a whoop.

Patton grinned. “And that’s why I want to confess something to you all.”

The entire group turned to listen excitedly, and not a few students at other tables as well.

“Uh, Pat, are you sure that’s a good idea, don’t forget Valentine’s Day freshman year…” Remy said, sipping from a huge container of iced tea.

“What happened?” an underclassman asked.

“He publicly came out as pansexual and there was a literal stampede as everyone who’d thought they weren’t his type raced to get him a card or candy. The teachers had to step in as traffic control. I was almost killed in the rush, swear to god.”

Pat waved a hand. “No, nothing like that, Rem! It’s just -- well, if Roman is going to be a singer, I want to confess, too.” He took a deep breath, and smiled around the small circle of athletes. “I bake!”

“Excuse me, what?”

“I love to bake! Strudel, scones, cookies - even apple pandowdy!”

Rem snorted. “First of all, no, Ro is not singing, there was clearly a mistake. Secondly, why?”

“I just like it! Someday, I hope to make the perfect crème brûlée…”

Teammates whispered to each other nervously. One freshman finally said, “But Patton - you’re a basketball player. Are you leaving us?”

“What? Of course not! I just also like baking!” Patton said. His bright smile was starting to falter, and he had started to nervously run a hand through his mop of bouncy curls.

“Pat, babes, let me give you some advice, okay?” Remy said, drawing the taller man in close. “Don’t mess around, okay? The championship game is coming up, and we need every player focused. Just stick to the stuff you know, hun. It causes less problems.”

Patton nodded his understanding, but sank into silence as talk resumed, a mask of concern replacing his perpetual smile.

He barely listened to his teammates as lunch continued, which is how he noticed the disturbance happening at the next table over.

The science club members were busily working on assignments and extra reading when they were interrupted by one of the shorter members.

“Guys, I have a secret as well.”

“You do? Well, please share, Terrence!” a student across from him said, leaning in to listen.

“You all know how much I enjoy the natural sciences, particularly ornithology, but to be quite frank, my passion is hip hop, and dancing. And I’m good at it, too. I can pop and lock with the best of them.”

“Is that even legal?” another student asked, looking disgusted.

“It’s just dancing. But it’s just so much fun that sometimes I’ll practice instead of homework!”

“Terrence, that’s ridiculous. You’re on the decathlon team - you know we don’t have any time to spare on non-intellectual pursuits. If you want to be a good team member, you’ll focus on your work, not some ridiculous dancing. We can’t disrupt our current team balance if we want to advance - we need to maintain the status quo.”

Terrence sat, dejectedly. But he looked up and made eye contact with Patton. They shared a half-smile of understanding, then both left their tables. They found an empty table in the middle of the lunchroom, and started to chat about their ‘different’ interests.

Another voice sounded from across the room. A tall student at the skater table was catching his friends’ attention. “Fam, I got this need that I cannot deny, and I wanna come clean.”

“Speak you mind, my man!”

“I play the cello!”

“Awesome! What’s a cello?” asked another skater, staring in confusion.

The tall student mimed the instrument and bow.

“A saw?”

“No, my dude, it’s like a giant violin,” he responded, smiling.

“What? That’s not rad at all. You don’t have to wear a costume, do you?”

“Tux and tie, man!”

Another friend snorted in disgust. “I thought you wanted to be cool, Jamahl. That ain’t it.”

“But, I can still jam on it, it’s fun-”

“It’s a simple rule, dude. Pick your one thing and stick with it. You can’t pop an ollie and play a friggin’ cello.”

Jamahl turned away from the group, and caught Terrence and Patton’s eyes. He looked at the skater table in disappointment, and walked away, joining the smaller group.

Rumbles continued across the lunchroom. In every clique, there were people breaking away, sparked on by hearing others’ confessions. More and more people came to join Patton’s new table. A science club member bumped into a history buff and they recognized each other’s Doctor Who pins. A drama club girl trying to convince her friend to return to the table saw a band geek’s Hamilton t-shirt. The more people left their tables, the more they began to mix, until the groups were beginning to dissolve entirely.

Dee watched from above, fuming. “This is not what I meant by sharing the rules! I don’t understand. Something is...” he pursed his lips, searching for the correct word.

“Something’s not right!” Cee offered.

“Shut up, Cee. Something is wrong.”

The rumbles of mixed conversations below him were raising to a peak when Dee suddenly shouted through the room, “Everybody quiet!”

Virgil Montez had just entered the lunch room, Logan McKessie at his side. Called to attention by Dee’s shout, every student saw them and stared.

Virgil paled, seeing hundreds of faces turned in his direction. “Um, Logan, why is everybody staring at us?”

Logan looked around, adjusting his glasses. “Oh, they are not staring at us.” Virgil started to calm down when Logan continued, “They are just staring at you.”

He blanched with fear, trying to look for an escape route through the crowd. “Because of the callbacks? I can’t have people staring at me, Lo. I really, really can’t.”

Talk suddenly resumed at an even higher volume, parts of groups mixing while others tried to hold their members back, arguing loudly. Virgil edged through the crowd with Logan behind him, looking for a quiet corner where he could disappear. He clutched his lunch tray close to his chest, hoping he’d be able to eat his cheesy fries in peace somehow.

Logan stared at the crowds in confusion. Where was all this… mixing coming from? Were those science club team members talking to basketball players and skateboarders? With a start, he saw his science club protegé Terrence chatting happily with Patton Baylor. He hadn’t realized that the school sweetheart had ever even noticed people on the science team. Or, perhaps he’d been hoping he wouldn’t notice them. Somehow, the prospect of actually talking to the tall, friendly man was rather terrifying.

That is illogical, Logan, he is just a person. He offers no physical danger, he is just tall. The only thing about him that could cause harm is how his smile could probably make someone die from happiness.

Wait, what?

Logan shook his head to clear it of such odd thoughts, and in doing so noticed Dee Evans descending the stairs, staring directly at Virgil.

He attempted to get the shorter man’s attention, but as he tapped his shoulder, Virgil’s foot hit a patched of spilled milk and he slipped. His lunch tray went flying, airborne cheesy fries turning into greasy projectiles, all falling directly on Dee Evan’s perfectly coordinated green outfit.

Every student who saw the collision went silent, and the rest of the room followed suit as Dee began to scream.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, are you okay?” Virgil sputtered out, blushing a deep red that showed even on his golden-brown skin. Logan pulled him away as Dee began to hyperventilate and the teachers on lunch duty hurried over.

One was Ms. Darbus. “What is going on here?” she demanded, looking from Dee to Virgil.

Dee glanced at Virgil for the split second it took to make a decision. “Look at this!” he cried, his face the picture of dignified affront. “That Montez boy just dumped his lunch on me - on purpose! It's all part of their plan to ruin our musical. And those basketball robots are obviously behind it! Why do you think Roman auditioned?” He sniffed delicately, getting choked up. “After all the hard work you've put into this show. It just doesn't seem right.”

As he spoke, Roman walked into the lunchroom, eyes going wide at the scene in front of him. He sidled over to Remy and gestured to the the pandemonium and the sniffling Dee.

“Hey, Rem, what’s up?”

“What's up? Oh, let's see…ummm...” Remy said sarcastically, gesturing with his tea for effect. “Your new boyfriend or whatever is attacking our resident YouTube Princess, you missed free-period workout yesterday to audition for some heinous musical, and now suddenly people are... confessing.”

Roman turned slightly red. “Boyfriend? I don’t have a- wait, confessing? What?”

Patton was walking by, heading towards the exit, when Remy grabbed him and pushed him in from of Roman.

“Exhibit A. This bitch is baking. Cream boolay or some shit.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Roman asked

“Crème brûlée!” Patton said, practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh, it's a creamy custard-like filling with a caramelized surface. It's really satisfy-”

“Shut UP, Pat!” Remy groaned.

Patton went silent, dejected, and walked away, looking like he was trying to hide in plain sight. For a six-foot-seven basketball player, it was nigh impossible, but Jamahl and the skaters caught him and struck up a conversation.

Remy gestured angrily at the group. “You see what’s happening? Our team is coming apart because of this dumb singing thing. The drama geeks, the brainiacs, they all think they can talk to us. Look, the skater dudes are… mingling.”

Roman stared at his best friend. “Is that… bad?”

“Suddenly people are thinking that they can do other stuff. Stuff that is not their stuff. They've got you thinking about show tunes, when we've got a playoff game next week!” Remy said, exasperated. “The team needs you, Ro. You’re the captain. Without you, we have no leader. You know you’re my bro, but you need to decide where your focus is gonna be, and I hope you decide fast.”

He pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes and left the lunchroom, leaving Roman alone.

In the corner, Virgil was sitting with Logan, trying his best to hide from Dee and the rest of the drama club.

“Is Dee going to hunt me down? I did apologize and it was clearly an accident, right?”

“Virgil, I have not gone out of my way to learn more about the Evans twins, but I have been in their class since we were children. And no one has ever beaten Dee out for a role he had set his mind to, not since kindergarten.”

Virgil gulped. “I’m not trying to beat anyone out! We didn't even audition, we were just... singing.”

“I do not know that you will be able to convince him of that.” Logan responded, adjusting his glasses. “He is an admittedly talented actor, one who can happily and easily play characters of any gender. And he is incredibly ambitious. If he could convince Ms. Darbus to let him play both Romeo and Juliet, even Cee would be pushed out.”

“He’s welcome to it. This audition thing, it just happened. But… I actually liked it, a lot,” Virgil said, a small smile spreading across his face. “Logan, do you ever feel like there's this whole other person inside of you just looking for a way to come out?”

Logan stared back. “No.”

Virgil grimaced and looked down, embarrassed, before Logan continued. “You see, I have already come out, several years ago.”

Virgil looked up again, making eye contact with a straight-faced Logan. “Mr. McKessie, was that a joke?”

“Of course not. Jokes are for non-serious people. I, however, am very serious. See, I wear a necktie.”

Virgil snorted as they both walked out of the lunchroom. He was fairly certain he spotted the hint of an amused smirk on Logan’s face, too.

After their next class, he discovered a note stuck in his locker. A crude map of the school was drawn with a red arrow looping around it. It was signed with a smiley face, and a big red R.

SCENE: Rooftop Garden

Virgil climbed the stairs to the roof, only to find a huge trellis covered in green life. Shelves and pots of cacti and succulents surrounded him. Roman was waiting on a bench, grinning.

“Dang, basketboy. It’s like walking into the wilderness up here.”

“Not as wild as that cafeteria, right?”

“Oh god,” Virgil said, covering his face. “Don’t remind me. Not even a full week at a new school and I’ve already humiliated myself into the next century.”

“Nooo, don’t worry about it. They’ll forget with the next public breakup. It’ll be fine.”

Virgil sighed, trying to relax. “So what is this place? Your secret hideout?”

“Yeah, basically,” Roman said with a grin, admiring the view. “Thanks to a couple key members of the science club, the team has no idea it exists.”

Virgil felt a weight in his stomach again. “You really have the school wired, don’t you? Seems like everyone wants to be your friend, or do you favors, or be with- be around you.”

Luckily, it seemed Roman hadn’t noticed his slip of the tongue, caught his own contemplation. “Oh yeah, I’m everyone’s Prince Charming. Right up until we lose.”

“Is it hard, being the coach’s son?”

“He makes me practice harder, which isn’t always a bad thing. I just don't know what he's gonna say when he finds out about the singing.”

Virgil grimaced. “You worried?”

“It’s just…” Roman started, then stopped and sighed.

“We don’t have to talk about it-” Virgil began, but Roman shook his head.

“No, I want to talk about it. I never really can, not with the team. The thing is, my parents’ friends are always saying ‘Your son is The Basketball Guy. You must be so… proud.’” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “I am proud of the team and how well we work together. They’re my best friends, and they trust me to lead them. But sometimes, I don’t want to be ‘the basketball guy,’ I just want to be a guy, you know?”

Virgil nodded, then realized Roman was staring off into the distance and couldn’t see him. “I do know. But I saw you talking with Joan the other day, the way you treated them. Do your friends even know that version of you?”

“To the team, I’m the captain, and the playmaker,” Roman responded quietly. “That’s what they need me to be.”

“Then they don’t really know you, do they?” Virgil asked. “I mean it when I say I get it. At every school before this one, I’ve been the weird gloomy science boy. At least, until some asshole outed me and I became the weird gloomy bisexual science boy. I’ve actually had a fresh start here - I’ve been just me, whoever that is.”

“Still a little gloomy, or at least emo,” Roman said, pointing to Virgil’s purple hair with a lopsided grin.

“Guilty as charged, princey-boy,” Virgil retorted. “The weirdest thing is that yesterday, in auditions… while singing with you, I just felt like a boy.”

“You even look like one, too,” Roman said, faking shock. Virgil stuck his tongue out at him.

They both sat, surrounded by plants and silence, staring over the desert landscape that surrounded the school. Virgil finally broke the comfortable silence.

“You know, it’s funny, being surrounded by plants, I can’t help thinking about being a little kid again. When I was in kindergarten, I actually got married to my friends.”

“Friends, plural?”

“Oh yeah. A girl and boy, at the same time. The ceremony was under the willow tree and we all had flower crowns. It was very moving. I mean, the flower crowns were actually just handles of clovers we’d pulled out of the grass and dropped on each other’s hair, but still.”

Roman laughed. “Well now I feel lame. The most exciting thing that happened to me in kindergarten was Remy moving across town. He finally moved next door and I got to see him every day instead of just most days. Little did I know I could have been in marital bliss all these years.”

“Unfortunately, that was right before my mom’s ex left, and we moved for the first time. I’ve been in so many schools over the years since then. But you know the one thing I really miss? The first couple of moves, I’d meet a new kid, and they’d know nothing about me, but ten seconds later we’d be playing like we’d been friends for life. Once you get older, everyone’s more cut off, and not as willing to talk to the new kid. That’s how I became this anxious emo mess,” he said, with a gesture to all of himself. “But New Year’s, and yesterday… singing with you feels like being in kindergarten again. It’s just easy.”

Roman looked over. Virgil was smiling, his face more open and lit up than he’d ever seen him. His golden-brown cheeks were practically glowing.

“I never thought about it before you - singing, I mean,” Roman found his eyes slipping down and getting caught on the boy’s full lips and pulled his glance away, hoping his blush would go unnoticed. “But um. I’ve also liked it. The singing.”

Virgil looked over. “Roman, do you want to actually do this? The callbacks?”

Roman thought a moment, then met the other boy’s eyes. A grin spread across his face. “Just call me the weird callback boy, My Chemically-Inclined Romance.”

#breakin’ free #breakin free #high school musical au #high school au #Roses Writes Fanfic #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #Roman You Are So Very Gay #ts roman #ts virgil #ts patton #ts logan #ts remy #ts deceit #//deceit #everyone loves patton

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