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freddieslater · 1 year

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Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Jaria | Jason DiLaurentis x Aria Montgomery (Pretty Little Liars)

Requested by @imtalkinnonsense

A black coffee is gently waved under Aria’s nose, successfully waking her. She opens her eyes to try to find it and is greeted by Jason smiling at her from the edge of her bed. In his hand is the cup of coffee, steam still pouring out of the lid.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he says softly.

Aria hums in acknowledgment but reaches out for the coffee. He chuckles but hands it over, shaking his head fondly with a tongue in his cheek as she immediately takes a long sip. Not too hot to burn her tongue.

“Thought you’d be more likely to get up if I bribed you,” Jason says with a tilt of his head. “Guess I was right.”

“You didn’t have to,” she says, then clears her throat of the grogginess lingering behind. For some reason, Jason’s smile gets a little wider. “But you were completely right. Thank you.”

Jason shrugs like it’s no big deal, but she knows he got it from the coffee shop in town when he could’ve just made some in her parents kitchen if he really wanted to. She’s sure neither of them would have minded with how they’ve taken to him being here a lot over the last few months.

The reminder of why has her waking up the last little hit and pushing herself fully upright.

“I really appreciate all of this, by the way,” she tells him, turning serious. “You being here for me. I know it’s just because of everything with Alison as well, but—“

Jason shakes his head and interrupts with a frown. “That’s not true. I mean, obviously it’s part of the reason I want to see that scumbag in prison, but you didn’t deserve any of that either. I’m here because I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Aria takes a deep breath. She pushes through the odd feeling in her chest and smiles back at him.

“Then… thank you,” she says again.

“Are you sure about this, then?” Jason remains serious, taking on a more concerned note. “Testifying against Ezra today. I’ll be right there with you, obviously, but if you’re not feeling up to it, just say the word. Your parents will understand.”

She knows he’s right, of course. And yeah, she’s scared. Part of her is screaming to back out and not do it, wanting everything to just go back to normal.

The rest of her knows what she needs to do.

“I want to do it,” she says confidently, her mouth twisting in a grimace. “Thinking about everything he did… the fact that he knew the entire time…”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Jason reaches out when she can’t finish. Her eyes well up angrily as she lets him pull her into a comforting embrace. “He’s gonna get exactly what he deserves, okay?”

Aria nods. She closes her eyes and steadies herself with a few breaths while Jason gently rubs her back, promising that it’s all going to be okay. Funny how she believes him without a doubt.

#pll #pretty little liars #jaria #jason dilaurentis #aria montgomery #jason x aria #aria x jason #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #imtalkinnonsense #I know I took some time with this request and I hope you’ll forgive me for that!#but I truly love jaria together and also ezra getting exactly what he deserves (prison)

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freddieslater · 5 months

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Ok first of all, the name change confused me sm I thought I lost your user. Second of all, I hate you so much. You gave me a taste and now I’m addicted, but can’t get my fix because the drug is discounted, I’m going insane why did you do this to me

(Drug = stHudson|jesse/finn)

It has taken me about 9 months to answer this, so I'm sorry about that, first of all. However, your dealer is back in business and good to supply you with another hit of the good stuff, free of charge as extra apology. This is a continuation of the original St. Hudson drabble I wrote, set after Rachel did "Run, Joey, Run". <3

It's probably common knowledge to just about everyone that Finn doesn't really understand a lot of things that other people do. However, he thought he at least knew some things. Like, when someone suggests having lunch together, it's usually followed by an agreement to make an arrangement of some sort.

The other person doesn't usually just slide onto the bench across from them the next day and start taking food off of their tray like it's some sort of routine. Do they?

This is what has been going on in Finn's mind for the last ten minutes. Or has it been longer? He's lost track of just about anything, including his thoughts, from the second that Jesse joined his table in the cafeteria.

It occurs to him that he hasn't caught a single thing that he's been saying, either. Something about that strikes him as familiar, but that thought leads to thinking about Rachel, and he doesn't really feel like doing that right now when the whole "Run, Joey, Run" thing is still so fresh.

A quick, sharp snap brings him back. He focuses on Jesse, his eyes widening slightly as he tries to figure out how to ask him to repeat his entire rant without making it obvious he just zoned out. Or if he even wants him to repeat himself at all. Chances are, he won't understand it any better the second time around.

Before he can say anything more than, "Um--" Jesse takes the reins.

"So, you are still in there," he says, but the remark isn't as scathing as it might have once been. His head tilts to one side, fingers steepling under his chin as he observes Finn with furrowed brows. "So, what do you think?"

Finn blinks. "Um. What do I think?"

"Mhm." He's fearful momentarily that that's all he's going to get, and wonders again how he's going to lie his way through this interaction, only for Jesse to thankfully continue, "I mean, if we're going to do a duet to truly show Rachel that her pathetic little triple-act casting was the last straw for both of us, then it's going to have to be a song that really means something. I would choose it myself from my revenge playlist, but we should really draw on both of our emotions towards her, so what song would you say really captures your resentment, and your anguish, your deep-seated pain and loathing for Rachel?"

Finn blinks again. "Wait, we're doing a duet? When?"

If Jesse hadn't already figured out that he was not paying attention before, he's tipped off now. "On Wednesday? Mr Schue's next assignment for the week is going to be about moving on, and healing from past traumas. It's the perfect time to show Rachel that she hurt us and we will not let her walk all over us again."

"Past traumas?" Finn repeats. His mind goes briefly to his dad. "Are you sure singing about Rachel is really the best way to... show her you're over her? I mean, no offence, dude, but it might just make her think that we're still, like, hung up on her or something."

Jesse frowns. He takes a beat before quietly saying, "Maybe you're right." He leans back, his expression thoughtful now. "She's so vain and self-centered, of course she'd misinterpret the entire thing." He looks up at him so suddenly that Finn startles slightly. "We could sing 'She's So Vain', it's a classic."

Sighing, Finn says, "Look, Jesse, I get it. You're hurt. I was a bit, too. But maybe the best way to show her that you're not just gonna forgive her and get back with her is to -- to just... move on. You know, like Mr Schue wants us to do? You gotta let it go, dude."

"If that was your way of suggesting we sing that atrocious number from 'Frozen' then I am calling for a veto. My vocal talents will not be going to waste for a single second on that movie."

"I don't even know what that is," Finn say truthfully, and a little confused, as he always seems to be when Jesse's the one talking to him. "But, no. I'm saying to just... stop. Stop obsessing over what she did, and just forget about it. You broke up with her. It's over."

He shrugs, finally picking up his slice of soggy pizza to take a bit of it. After all, it's about the only thing left on his tray after Jesse somehow managed to pinch more or less everything else whilst talking at the speed of a bullet train.

Jesse continues to stare at him. It's a little bit unnerving. Finn just looks away and tries to ignore him, chewing self-consciously. Finally, he catches movement in his peripheral and looks back up to find Jesse once again leaning back, but this time with a look about him as if he's been stunned by something.

"You know, Finn," he says softly, "people really don't give you enough credit. You're smart. For someone who just seems to be stumbling his way through each day with those... large limbs and tall frame, and that amazingly, beautiful stereotypical jock body of yours... you're probably actually right."

He nods to himself like he's just had wisdom imparted on him by Yoda. Meanwhile, Finn's still slowly chewing in confusion, trying to work out if he was just complimented and insulted at the same time. Jesse's way of speaking is like one big riddle. There's a reason that Finn prefers the Joker as a villain, and it's not just because he really likes Heath Ledger. Though, that does have a big part in it, too.

"So," Jesse says, and he smiles, "what do you suggest we sing instead? I think we can still conform to Mr Schue's assignment about healing and moving on by singing something like 'I Want To Break Free' but if we wanted to do something more out there, there is always 'The Reason' by Hoobastank. I would prefer something a touch more classic over rock but it's a good song nonetheless. I just don't know if it's right for us."

Jesse steeples his fingers under his chin once more, looking pensive as he ponders it to himself. Finn watches him, pondering the fact that yesterday, they could barely stand to be seated next to each other in the choir room, and now today they're an "us" and trying to figure out what to sing for a duet. He's not even actually sure when he agreed to do a duet.

But, the more he thinks about it, the less opposed to the idea he becomes. Sure, it'll be a bit weird. Okay, a lot weird, but the dude's not a bad singer, an at the very least, he won't have to do too much worrying over what to sing as Jesse seems to be taking the lead on that so far. Unless he picks something way too embarrassing.

When he asks again what Finn thinks, he shrugs an says, "I don't know. I guess it's hard to pick something because... well, we don't really know each other. How are we supposed to sing something together about, you know, moving on and stuff when we... haven't really moved on from anything? At least, not together, you know, you and me."

Jesse almost looks affronted at that. "What do you mean? I thought after our conversation yesterday at your locker about Rachel that we were friends."

"Well..." Finn chuckles. "Dude, it's not that easy. Sure, I don't hate you and I guess you don't hate me but, like, we're not... really... friends." Seeing the look on his face, almost crestfallen, he for some reason finds himself hastening to backtrack. "Look, I don't mean that I don't want to be. It's just that, to be friends with someone, you've gotta do a lot more than just have one conversation where you agree to have lunch."

Frowning, Jesse uncertainly asks, "Like what? Surely singing together is the best way to get to know someone. It usually works for me."

"I'm sure it does. But you just gotta know more. You gotta hang out more, do things together, tell each other stuff, you know. Like, what's your favourite colour?"

"My favourite colour? How does knowing that make us friends?" he asks doubtfully, but at Finn's insistence, he rolls his eyes. "Orange."

"Mine is red," Finn replies and grins. "See, a normal conversation isn't that hard, dude, you just gotta be willing to try. Open up a bit."

Nodding slowly, Jesse seems to mull this over as Finn finishes off his pizza and downs half of his water. When he's done, Jesse has finally come to some kind of conclusion on the concept of friendship.

"So, what kind of things do you like to do other than Glee?" he asks.

"Well, I mostly do football. I'm pretty tired by the time I get home from practice most weekdays, so I don't get a chance to do a lot else, but sometimes I'll watch TV. I really like game shows."

"Game shows," Jesse repeats, but it isn't to mock him. He actually brightens up the more they talk, and begins asking more questions. Does he like arcades? Shopping? Malls? Road trips?

Finn has just finished telling him that he would love to go on a road trip someday but he and his mom just haven't really had the time or money to do it in the past when the bell goes.

"I could take you on one," Jesse says quickly when it stops. "I have a car. We could go this weekend. It would give us a chance to think some more on a song for our duet and... get to know each other more."

For some reason, the suggestion stuns him. Probably because, once again, they couldn't stand each other yesterday. How does something like that change so much in just twenty-four hours?

Even now, he's hesitant to agree to it. A weekend with only Jesse for company? Sure, this had been kinda nice, and he's actually not the worst company, but lunch is only forty minutes. A weekend is more like forty hours.

Yet he can't bring himself to say no. Something about the way Jesse's looking at him. Turning him down feels like he would be denying a puppy a treat for doing a trick. After all, he did just tell him that to be a friend, you have to put in a little effort. The guy's trying.

"Uh... sure," he finally says, standing from the bench. A smile spreads across his face at the way Jesse positively lights up. "Yeah, why not? Where do you wanna go?"

They still haven't actually answered that question when the weekend comes around. Finn hops into Jesse's car and waves goodbye to his mom, who is probably just glad to have the house to herself for once. He then turns to Jesse as he starts up the engine.

Once again, he asks where they're going. Jesse begins on what is sure to be a twenty-minute run-down of a fully itemized plan for the following two days. Finn hears "Nashville" and decides that's all he really needs to know. He reaches forward and turns on the radio while Jesse pulls away from his house.

A few songs later, "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman starts playing. His fingers drum along to it on his thigh and Jesse interrupts his tangent to gush over the vocals before diving into the song himself. Finn joins him, caught up in his own soft spot for the song after hearing his mom play it for hours. They're both singing as they speed down the motorway. Together. The weekend has barely started but already something else has. A duet, of sorts.

#spicy-cannoli #ask away earthlings #glee #st. hudson #finn hudson #jesse st. james #finn x jesse #jesse x finn #rowing the rarepair rowboat #spicy 🌶️ 🔥 ❤️

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freddieslater · 2 years

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Scarepair Rowboat: Sciles | Scott McCall x Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

Scott's caught off-guard when Stiles drags him into the haunted house without any warning. Turning to him, he goes to remind him that he was the one who insisted they were not going near any haunted houses this year because he was still traumatised from the one they went into when they were eight.

Before he can get a chance, he has Stiles' hand pressed to his mouth and his back against a wall. He raises his eyebrows at him, his laughter muffled by Stiles' palm as he tries to communicate his confusion.

"Finally," Stiles groans. He moves his hand away. "I think they're onto us. Lydia has practically been holding us hostage all night, there's no way they don't at least know that we've been trying to get away from them all night to be alone."

"I don't think they know about us," Scott says gently, a smile curving his lips. He then shrugs. "But... even if they do have some idea... would that be the worst thing?"

Stiles blinks. He pulls back an inch or so, hands remaining on Scott's chest. "No. No, absolutely not. I just thought... you know, when we talked about whether or not to tell our friends that we're together, you wanted us to keep it just between us."

Scott shrugs again. He looks down at Stiles' hands as he slips his own up to cover them, running his thumb lightly across his knuckles.

"Because I was worried about what might happen. I mean, my previous relationships don't exactly have a great track record after they became known. I thought it might make you more of a target to any of our enemies."

"Scotty, I'm in danger no matter what," Stiles says, then hurries on as Scott's expression turns regretful. He lightly shoves his shoulder and shakes his head at him. "That's not your fault. It's just... how it is for us. And I'm fine with that! Hell, I think I'd feel pretty flattered if some hunter or big bad Alpha decided to kidnap me because they thought I was that important to you. Come to think of it, that's kind of already happened before we were even dating, so, really, would it be that different?"

That's exactly what Scott knew he would say. It's one of the reasons he kept the true reason for all of the sneaking around to himself for so long, because he knew that Stiles would brush it off with some well-reasoned argument that would sway Scott into being convinced that there's nothing at all to worry about. At least, more than usual.

And he was right.

Sighing, Scott glances at the entrance to the haunted house. A group of people stumble past them, clutching each other as a few throw taunts at their other friends. The lights flash so none of their faces is visible.

"I guess not," he finally says. A small smile returns to flicker across his face as he looks back at Stiles. "Which I guess also means there's no point in hiding anymore."

"Well... it is kind of fun," Stiles says mischievously. "Maybe just for the rest of the night? Come on, it'll be like a game of hide and seek! We'll see how long we can get away with it."

"We've already gotten away with it for three months," Scott points out, but his own grin has turned impish at the thought of the game. He can't resist.

#teen wolf #sciles #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #scott x stiles #stiles x scott #10 days of scarepairs #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #I know this is short but it's also once again super last minute so it's a tiny bit rushed #I just love the concept of secret dating applied to sciles and the idea of them sneaking around like big kids at a halloween carnival #just makes my heart happy #scarepair rowboat

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freddieslater · 2 years

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Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Audrey Rose x Uma (Descendants)

Requested by @bonniesdamons

Gentle waves lap at Audrey's legs on the shore. They're getting dangerously close to her dress; her gran would kill her if it got ruined. She tucks her knees up a little closer, and for some reason, she cries harder. Burying her face in her hands, she tries to push away the intruding thoughts, but they only grow louder, shrouding her in cold loneliness.

Nothing she does will ever be enough. She can't make Ben love her. She can't prove to her gran that she'll make a good queen because clearly, no one else thinks it's true! And after everything she's done to make herself perfect for them all.

She dyed her hair. She changed almost her whole less -- from pretty dresses of the most divine materials from her kingdom to cold leather that makes her feel constantly constricted. She tried to be less mean, then more mean, and softer and then not too soft. But it's not enough. She will never be able to compete with her.

Another cold wave laps at her leg, soaking her to her knees. Her skin prickles as it shies away again, leaving her with the feeling of being dragged with it. She moves her hands from her eyes -- she scrabbles to get away from the water, but the teal tentacle stays wrapped around her ankle.

There's only one thing for it: she screams. She tries to pry off the creature to no avail. Her whole body stills as the tide goes out and more tentacles emerge onto the shore. Her throat tightens around her voice as though also at the mercy of one of the limbs.

Finally, a head appears. Some of Audrey's fear ebbs away at the sight of the familiar face, but caution remains as Uma shakes her hair out of her face.

"Let go of me," Audrey demands, internally cursing the quiver in her own voice. Her grand and her mother would never allow themselves to present so weak and vulnerable.

Uma's lips curl into a wicked, open-mouthed smile. "Oh, what do we have here? A damsel in distress?"

"I am not a damsel," Audrey seethes, her built-up anger from the most recent events spilling out like nasty sewage. "And the only thing distressing me right now is you, and your... slimy suckers!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Uma says, pouting with false offence. Even so, she rolls her eyes and loosens her hold on Audrey's ankle, bringing her tentacle back to her side. "I only came out to see what all the wailing was about."

Audrey glares at her, tucking her legs up under the safety of her dress. Her hands smooth over the pale pink leather for a small comfort. She should probably be running back to the castle right now. Only, what then? No one would care. She could run in crying and screaming about Uma's return, and some attempt on her life, and still everyone would probably turn away from her.

She stays planted in the sand, hoping that Uma might simply leave her to wallow in her own misery. She watches her pull herself up onto a nearby rock jutting out of the water.

The last time Audrey saw her was Cotillion, so it's a little strange to see her in... well, her natural habitat, she supposes. The clamshells she wears over her chest are a similar shade to the dress she had on back then. Her seashell necklace still hangs from around her neck, only it's not glowing now.

"So, what happened?" Uma leans back on her hands and tilts her chin to look down at her with that same wicked smirk of a smile. "Mommy won't let you go to the ball? Prince Charming turn out to not be so Charming?"

She was about to hit back with some snarky reply, but upon hearing prince, her mind goes straight to Ben. Her eyes well up with furious tears once again.

"I hate them," she bites out. "Stupid Princes. And the Kings, too -- hell, all of them! They're all the same! And I have no idea how to be one of them, even though I've been royalty my entire life. So why does she get to just slide in so perfectly and claim my place when she knows nothing about any of it?!"

She wipes at her eyes roughly with the heel of her hand as the injustice of it overwhelms her all over again.

"Sorry, you lost me a bit there." Uma's brow furrows. "So... some other princess... took something from you?"

"She took everything from me," Audrey corrects. "My boyfriend. The crown that was meant to be mine. My grandmother's respect for me. I was supposed to be Queen of Auradon, and Ben was meant to be my husband, not hers! Mal doesn't deserve any of this! She doesn't even have to try, and people just fall head over heels for her! But I have been trying so hard my entire life and, somehow... I just keep getting it wrong!"

There's a groan from the rock and she looks at Uma.

"I am so sick of that girl getting her way every single time," Uma says darkly. "She takes and she takes, and there are no consequences. She just gets to... get away with ruining everyone else's lives, especially the ones that no one else seems to care about. Like us."

Audrey's heart stings but she can't deny it. Nobody cares about her. Maybe her gran does, somewhere deep down, and perhaps her parents, but it certainly doesn't feel like it most of the time. Chad just loves the attention. Ben... never really did. That much is obvious; he wouldn't have been so quick to dump her and forget she ever existed if any of his feelings were real.

Hurt and bitter, she watches Uma with growing curiosity. "You tried to get back at her... Mal, I mean. Last year, at Cotillion."

Uma shrugs and looks away, expression souring. "It was an idea. Didn't think it through too well, apparently. It's on me for not remembering that the "power of true love" always saves the day. Hooray."

The sarcasm drips from her voice like thick honey.

"Still," she continues, inspecting one of the suckers on a tentacle, picking off a stuck seashell, "the outcome has been worth it. Mostly. Exploring Auradon's oceans has been a lot of fun."

"But don't you still want revenge?" Audrey prompts. "Don't you think about what could've happened if you had defeated her on the ship? You could've been Queen."

Rolling her eyes, Uma says, "I never wanted to be Queen. I never wanted Ben, either. All I wanted was to be able to free everyone else on the Isle. It's all I've ever wanted."

Audrey continues to stare at her, thinking. "What if I could help you?"

Uma's eyes swivel around to meet hers sharply. "What?"

"Yeah. We could work together. I could get the crown and -- and I could get the wand, which I could then give to you! And you can free the whole Isle and do whatever you want to do."

Uma's smile is doubtful. "That's risky, Princess. Blindly trusting a sea witch. Making a deal with a sea witch. Don't they teach you history in that fancy school of yours?"

"You'll get what you want," Audrey insists. "Will you help me?"

#descendants #disney descendants #uma #uma descendants #audrey rose #audrey descendants #audrey x uma #uma x audrey #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #bonniesdamons #there is so much potential in this pairing #I like the idea of them reuniting and teaming up at the start of d3 after ben has proposed to mal #good for angst and villanious purposes

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freddieslater · 2 years

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Scarepairs Rowboat: Madlyn | Maddox x Ashlyn Caswell (HSMTMTS)

"What are the chances."

Ashlyn's eyes widen at the familiar voice and whips around to stare in disbelief at Maddox. Having not seen her since summer, it's safe to say there's a little thrill of excitement. Her disbelief only grows further at the sight of her costume.

Grinning breathlessly, she eyes Maddox's black and white striped coat, black pants and top, and most of all, her white face paint with a subtle skeleton makeup look. For the first time in her life, she is speechless.

Good thing Maddox is great at filling silence.

"And here I thought I was being original with the Nightmare Before Christmas," she jokes, nodding to Ashlyn with an appreciative glance down at her costume as well. "It almost looks like we coordinated!"

It does that, Ashlyn thinks, flustered panic lodging in her throat. For one, Maddox looks really great in a suit. For another, they probably look like a couple right now, and she's not sure how to feel about that!

Letting out a burst of nervous laughter to buy herself time to think, she then shrugs ever so slightly and says, "What can I say? I've always dreamed of being Sally since I was a little girl. I always wanted to wait until I had someone to be my Jack, but... well, I figured Sally wouldn't let a lack of a boy stop her!"

She's rambling. She's aware of it, Maddox is aware of it if her ever-raising eyebrows are anything to go by. A furrow of concern forms between them, her head tilting.

"Wait, what happened to your boyfriend? Big Red?"

And there it is; the question she was hoping she wasn't going to ask.

"We... kind of broke up. But it's okay!" she hurries to assure her at the sight of her about to become sympathetic expression. "Really, we're good. We're still friends, but we realized that we were better off that way right now."

Maddox offers her a small smile all the same. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm glad you're happy. And" --sweeping a hand out of her pocket-- "you look amazing, by the way. It's like you were born to be Sally."

Cheeks warm from the compliment and from simply having Maddox's attention on her for so long, Ashlyn casts a smile at the ground under the pretence of admiring her patchwork dress. She does do a little bit of that as well, pulling it out ever so slightly.

"Thanks! I, uh, made the dress myself," she says, and looks back up to find Maddox's shock and awe. It's a good feeling. "Yeah, like I said. Big love for Sally since I was a kid. I didn't wanna just buy a cheap costume when I knew I could probably make it myself. With some help from Kourtney, of course."

Maddox chuckles and nods. "Of course. I wish I could say the same, but" --she shrugs again as she lightly pulls at the lapel of her striped suit jacket and grins sheepishly at her-- "I just went searching in a thrift store with Jet when we got invited to this party. I should thank EJ for the invitation, by the way. Have you seen him?"

Ashlyn stares at her. "EJ invited you?"

Maddox nods, tucking some loose hair behind her ear as she glances around with no real intention of finding EJ. "Yeah. Well," she rolls her eyes, smiling somewhat secretively, "Ricky texted Jet to tell him that EJ asked us to come. Personally, I think that Ricky just wanted to see Jet again, but I'm not supposed to say anything about that because it's a bit of a touchy subject for Jet right now. You know how it is with secret feelings."

Ashlyn's mouth has gone super dry. She curls her lips beneath her teeth and nods, simply responding with an, "Mhm."

On the inside, she's cursing EJ so hard. Of course he told Ricky to invite Maddox. She knew she should never have confided in him about her mild, not at all major, tiny little crush on her. He can't help himself, he has to play matchmaker.

Not that she wouldn't have done the same.

"Hey!" Gina, dressed up as Wednesday Addams, pauses on her way past them, eyeing them both with a massive grin on her face and a particularly not-subtle eyebrow raise at Ashlyn. "Jack and Sally! You two make a great couple!"

She doesn't stop long enough for Ashlyn to curse her, too. Well, she had to confide in her best friend. Gina is basically her sister, how could she not tell her the moment she realized she had a crush, even such a totally insignificant, soon-to-be-gone one?

Glancing at Maddox, she finds her smiling happily. Probably just because she appreciates the compliment on the effort she put into the costume. That's definitely why it made Ashlyn feel so good as well.

"I, uh... excuse me."

Ashlyn hurries off, turning on her heel and making her way up the stairs to her bedroom without looking back. It's really the guest bedroom of EJ's parent's house, but it's basically her room.

As soon as she closes her door behind her, relief hits her from the lack of noise, now all muffled by a whole floor.

She takes a deep breath, steadies and composes herself, and moves to sit on her bed. Good thing she only painted her top half blue and went with tights for her legs.

"Damn you, EJ," she mutters, then groans.

Why did she have to do this to herself? Why couldn't Corpse Bride have been her favourite movie instead? Or even just gone with Kourtney's idea of all of them dressing up as Bridgerton girls! There's no way Maddox would have walked in as the Colin to her Penelope. That coincidence would have been far too high.

There's a light knock on her door. Praying that it's EJ so that she can strangle him, she speaks without thinking and says, "Come in."

Maddox appears through a crack in the door. That sheepish smile has followed her all the way up the stairs. Fantastic.

"You okay?" she asks gently, taking a tentative step into the room. When Ashlyn doesn't tell her to leave, she takes it as a good sign and walks in further, leaving the door only slightly ajar behind her. "You took off pretty quick back there. Did I... Was it something I said?"

"Oh, god no! No, it's not you. I'm just..." Taking a deep breath, she puts on her best, most convincing smile and finds the right way to bend the truth. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, I think. My head hurts. Honestly, I wasn't really up for the whole party thing. I kinda wanted to just stay up here and watch Halloween movies but EJ insisted."

"Well..." Maddox swings innocently, hands behind her back, biting her bottom lip, and god, why does she have to be that cute? "If you wanted, we could just do that. Stay up here, watch Halloween movies. Nightmare Before Christmas?"

At Ashlyn's widening eyes, Maddox mirrors her expression, losing her sliver of confidence.

"Only a suggestion, in case you wanted some company. It's no problem, you have a headache, of course you don't want to be around other people. I'll go."

"No!"

She must really hate herself. Why else inflict such torture such as being in close quarters alone with Maddox on herself? Still, she doesn't double back. Rather, she doubles down upon seeing Maddox's hopeful expression.

"No," she says, softer now. With a sigh, she smiles, and nods, trying not to appear too eager. "Stay. I'd... I'd really like that."

Maddox grins, her shoulders dropping. They get more comfortable on the bed together, both kicking off their shoes and taking care to avoid getting any makeup on the pillows as they curl up under Ashlyn's favourite fleece blanket, patterned with little pumpkins.

She's expecting Maddox to tease her for it, but instead, she strokes one of the little pumpkins with a look of genuine joy.

Biting her bottom lip, Ashlyn tears her gaze away from her and sets up the Nightmare Before Christmas, hoping it'll be a good enough distraction. If not, she's leaving to make hot chocolate.

#hsmtmts #madlyn #maddox hsmtmts #ashlyn caswell #maddox x ashlyn #ashlyn x maddox #high school musical: the musical: the series #10 days of scarepairs #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #I had SO MANY ideas for these two #woody x jessie/ bridgerton girls/ spider-woman x mj/ poison ivy x harley quinn/ joker x harley #but ultimately decided on jack and saly as they were my first idea and thought it fit really well #scarepair rowboat

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Bamenzo | Bonnie Bennett x Damon Salvatore x Enzo St. John (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by @blairwaldcrf

The eager rays of sun slip in through the cracks in the blinds and curtains, spilling out in fractions of orange all across the room like a beehive. A light autumn breeze slips in through the open kitchen window and pulls the smell of fresh pancakes through the cabin. There's a symphony of mirth in the laughter that fills every shadowed crevice and corner, accompanied by the plucking of guitar strings and a rustling newspaper.

How completely strange it must appear to those on the outside. The three of them up at the crack of dawn, chasing the sun as though it'll never rise again simply to sit around the kitchen table and eat breakfast together. A snapshot of pure domestic bliss.

It strikes Bonnie. She pauses with her pen hovering over her crossword to look over at Enzo, sitting haphazardly on a chair with a foot angled on another one as he strums his strings to some vaguely familiar tune. He stops and rolls his eyes when Damon teases him for messing up a chord, and suddenly they're bickering again with the most joyful of smiles. They wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Damon cuts their "argument" short as he begins dishing out pancakes onto the plate in the middle of the table. Rising steam reflects in the sun's rays, curling and reaching for the ceiling. The room fills with the delicious smell of strawberries and blueberries.

She smiles and moves to grab a pancake or two when the word she was looking for finally jumps into her head. She hurries to scrawl each letter into the little boxes, then sits back to stare at the completed crossword proudly. Contented.

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Bonnie Bennett x Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by @burns-fairmont

"What I want to know," Bonnie says, her eyes sharply tracking Katherine's movements whenever she comes back into view, "is why you're so obsessed with me."

Katherine makes a little noise, almost amused-like. Finally, she stops circling her. Bonnie tries to glance at her over her shoulder but can't quite manage, but she hears her following hum of thought.

"Not obsessed," Katherine draws out softly, sending a shiver down Bonnie's spine. "More..."

She touches her shoulder, startling her, and proceeds to gently drag her fingers along her skin as she slowly moves around her once more. A nail lightly traces her collarbone. Katherine lifts her piercing gaze to Bonnie's face.

"Fascinated." She drops her hand as abruptly as she touched her. Lifting her chin ever so slightly, she shrugs and steps back from her, folding her arms over her chest. "You remind me of someone. Maybe that's why I have a bit of a soft spot for you. Don't tell Caroline."

Bonnie narrows her eyes at her. "You, soft? What, because I remind you of..." It clicks into place. "Emily. I remind you of Emily, don't I?"

Judging by the way Katherine's jaw tightens and her eyes seem to darken, she's hit the nerve. It always does to mention a vampire's past ghosts, something she's been learning since her introduction to the supernatural.

"I suppose you do," Katherine reluctantly admits. "She never knew when to hold her tongue for her own good, either."

"Is that meant to be some kind of threat?" Bonnie asks, raising her eyebrows, filled with a sudden surge of boldness. "Did that work on Emily?"

Katherine scoffs at that, dropping her arms back to her sides, definitely amused now. "Emily was never in any danger from me. Nor are you, Bonnie. Believe it or not, I don't want to hurt you. I actually quite like you."

Bonnie opens her mouth to protest that it doesn't feel that way, Katherine steps forward again, much closer than before, and beats her to it.

"And before you ask if I also liked Emily, you should know that the answer is yes." Her lips part in a particular kind of grin that has Bonnie expecting to see two sharp points pressing into her bottom lip, and Katherine's eyes drop to Bonnie's own mouth briefly, before flicking back up to hold her startled gaze. "I really... really... liked Emily."

For a ridiculous moment, Bonnie actually thinks Katherine might kiss her. Then she presses her lips back together, still smirking, and moves away once again. She turns her back on her this time and Bonnie exhales, her lungs aching from the uncertain anticipation. There's a strange aching, hollowness of something shocking between her ribs. Disappointment.

#tvd #the vampire diaries #katherine pierce #bonnie bennett #katherine x bonnie #bonnie x katherine #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #burns-fairmont #this is such a fun pairing #because we know katherine loves a bennett witch and she was pretty fond of bonnie for the most part #can you just IMAGINE a rewrite of tvd where katherine and bonnie are the main pairing and basically have the whole #falling in love because bonnie reminds katherine of emily like what happened with stefan/damon and elena #like even if that's not the SOLE reason for them falling in love with them it's certainly what sparks the curiosity #and I just think that's really interesting

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Romanogers | Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff (MCU)

Requested by @blairwaldcrf

The meeting is probably about to start. No one has tried to call in the last ten minutes or so which makes a nice change from the twenty texts and voicemails waiting on both phones. It's a good thing Natasha silenced them after the first three, but she's still surprised that Steve, as a light sleep as he tends to be, hasn't stirred at all.

She's more relieved by that, actually. It's been so many restless nights of him getting out of bed after an hour of trying to drift off. So many three am cups of coffee. Too many crack-of-dawn runs around the streets of New York. She's been toying with suggesting he see a doctor for some kind of help for the last week or so.

Her phone buzzes somewhere on the floor. She ignores it once again. Something she severely hopes is not going to come back and bite her when she does finally get around to checking it; knowing her luck, there's some kind of world-ending event occurring and she's closing her eyes to it for the sake of letting Steve get in a few extra hours. It's worth it.

Steve's phone buzzes this time and she groans quietly into her pillow. Now that she's thought it, there's a pit in her stomach, growing concerned that something might actually be wrong and it's not just Tony lecturing them for not being "responsible."

She carefully unwraps herself from Steve and goes to roll onto her side to find her own phone. She's stopped mid-search, dangling over the edge of the bed as Steve's arm curls around her with a gentle tug to bring her fully back.

"Leave it," he murmurs into her shoulder. "I checked mine when you went to the bathroom. Nothing's wrong. They cancelled the meeting."

"Why?"

"Well, we weren't answering and nothing of importance has really happened to update on recently. All of the texts and calls are from that group chat Thor added us to. It's him and Darcy and... Korg, I think his name is, arguing about some video game."

"I forgot to leave that chat," Natasha says, silently scolding herself for not doing so when this is the result. At the very least, she needs to mute it.

Steve chuckles quietly, but it fades out as he kisses her shoulder, then buries his face into the back of her neck. It's only just occurring to her that she has no idea how long he's actually been awake, potentially just lying there with her arms wrapped around him, pretending to be asleep.

She turns herself around in his arms now to get a good look at his face, having been staring at the back of his head for the better part of the morning. There are dark circles under his eyes but they never really go away. His eyes themselves look a bit brighter than they do most days, even with the half-lidded, sleepy look to them.

Sighing softly, she strokes his cheek. He smiles and lets his eyes flutter closed again, enjoying her gentle touch. It's almost a shock to her system. Someone embracing her touch, trusting it implicitly, so much so that he lowers every single guard and makes himself vulnerable to her.

She swallows hard. Then she kisses him, startling him momentarily. He quickly melts into it and kisses her back, curling his arm a little more securely around her.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asks in between, peering at him as he opens his eyes again. "You seemed peaceful. For a little while, at least."

That pretty smile crosses his face again. It somehow still manages to make him look like some innocent boy despite his full beard.

"I'm always peaceful when I'm with you," he replies, but when she raises an eyebrow, he drops the evasive tactics. "Yeah, I slept okay. I've not been awake that long. Drifting in and out since you got up."

Natasha finally smiles back. "We could just... go back to sleep now that we don't have anything important to do. Not that I planned on actually getting up for that anyway, but you know."

"Sounds good to me."

#mcu #marvel #romanogers #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #steve x natasha #natasha x steve #stevenat #stasha #captain widow #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #blairwaldcrf #this is set post-snap but before everyone is brought back and obviously before natasha has died #you know that time where steve and natasha should OBVIOUSLY have gotten together and helped lead the time together #although they are not showing much responsibility here but they're allowed a lie-in okay #they have earned it

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Bevie | Ben Florian/Evie Grimhilde (Descendants)

Requested by anonymous

Ben gives her a funny look, then ducks his head as he laughs. Evie stares at him, open-mouthed. Her face begins to flush as he tries to apologise and compose himself.

"What?" she demands. "What did I say?"

"Nothing! It's..." He clears his throat and looks up at her from beneath his lashes. God, it's unfair for them to be so naturally pretty. She would kill for eyelashes like that.

Oh no. She's staring. She is definitely staring, and he probably thinks she's really weird. She tries to keep her face a mask of offence rather than admiration.

"You..." Ben's tongue pokes out between his lips and he looks away from her, cheeks dimpled with a smile. "Well, you called me cute."

Her neck and face burn harder than before with the flames of utter embarrassment. She bites down on her tongue as she tries to think of how to salvation this humiliation; what would her mother do?

Well, for her it wouldn't be an embarrassment. She would grasp this moment between her wrinkled little claws and brainwash the pretty prince into marrying her and making her queen. That's what she would say to her. Charm him. Make him fall in love.

"Oh," she breathes, then swallows. Her throat's oddly scratchy. She flexes her fingers in her lap, finding comfort in the familiar material of her dress. "Um... sorry?"

"No, it's fine," Ben says with a shrug. "Not often I hear that, so I'll take it, even if it was an accident."

He flashes her a grin. Her mother hisses in her head like a poisonous little snake. She's doing it without even trying, he's falling for her.

Except he's not. He's her friend. He's a prince. He's Ben. The soon-to-be King of Auradon. Of course he isn't falling for her, how could he? She's an airhead with a wicked witch of a mother. At least, that's what everyone else has been saying since she got to Auradon.

"Hey, you okay?" Ben asks, putting down his own pen as he peers at her in concern. "It's really not a big deal. It's an easy mistake. Learning a new language is really hard."

"No one else here seems to find it hard," she mutters bitterly. Why can she not just be like the rest of them? By all rights, she's supposed to be a princess, and yet she has never felt more like an outsider than she does in a castle full of royalty.

"Hey." Ben reaches out and rests a hand on top of hers. She freezes, unsure of what to do. "It's not just you, I promise. Everyone has trouble with something. Just, no one likes to admit it."

She wants to believe him. To believe that it really isn't just her who has these problems and that everyone else isn't as perfect as they seem. After all, everyone for so long thought her own mother was a perfect queen, perfect wife and perfect stepmother until the illusion shattered like a broken mirror.

"So, it's taking some time to learn a new language," Ben continues softly. "That's normal. In fact, it took me an extra three months more than everyone else to learn how to talk at all. My father blames it on my mama's insistence on me learning both French and English."

Evie finally looks at him, surprised. He smiles and nods to confirm he's being entirely honest. She's not sure he's even capable of telling a lie. He's far too good and honest for that. Like his mother, she's heard.

"And, not only that, but I had to spend months practising to even get on the Tourney team. As it turns out, I'm not a natural at sports."

"No," Evie says, now certain he must be exaggerating, but he nods even more firmly. "But -- you're amazing at Tourney! You're the captain of the team!"

"Because I kept practising," Ben says. "I worked really hard. And while it really bothered me that Chad and Li'l always seemed to just know what they were doing on the field while I would be falling over or kicking grass, I didn't let it stop me."

He raises his eyebrows pointedly and she gets what he's trying to say.

She takes a deep breath, filling her lungs with air while he fills her head with confidence. He's right. It was one little mistake. Hardly the end of the world. She just needs to keep trying. Eventually, it'll all be worth it.

"Okay," she says, and he smiles brightly, taking his hand back to pick up his pen again. She oddly misses the feeling of it on her own. "So, what did I say?"

"Tu es mignon," Ben says so smoothly. "Your pronunciation was great, though, especially since you didn't even know what you were saying."

She repeats what he said, then smiles to herself proudly. "Well, at least I now know one phrase. And it makes you smile, so it's obviously a good one to know."

Ben shakes his head lightly at her as he laughs again. She swears his own cheeks look rather flushed. He isn't protesting the compliment though.

"I should still probably teach you how to say something other than that, though. Like... Je ne peux pas m’empêcher de penser à toi."

Evie blinks. "Uh... could you maybe... say that again... slowly?"

Ben just smiles to himself like he has some inside secret, rubbing at his bottom lip with his thumb. "It's okay, we'll get there in time. Let's stick to the basics for now. Sound good?"

She breathes a sigh of relief and nods, smiling back at him as she poises her pen once again over her paper. "Yes."

"J’aime ton sourire," Ben exhales softly.

Before she can ask for a translation and a repeat, he brushes it off and begins explaining simple greetings to her, and the way that verbs and nouns and pronouns all work in French. They're probably sitting there in the library going over it for at least an hour or two more, with Evie actually laughing at her mistakes but not getting upset over them.

#descendants #ben florian #evie grimhilde #ben x evie #evie x ben #bevie #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #I just think they're perfect for each other #like descendants would've made WAY more sense if evie was the main character and had the whole romance with ben #she wanted A PRINCE #HE'S RIGHT THERE #also please let me know if any of the french is wrong I had to use a couple of different websites to ensure I didn't mess any translations #up but you know what the internet is like something might still be wrong especially since I am in no way fluent #not even slightly

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Brett Talbot x Isaac Lahey (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @rhyslahey

Brett stops Scott before he can knock on the door. Lori groans but he doesn't take another step, looking directly at Scott.

"You're absolutely positive we'll be safe here?" He doesn't ask because he doesn't trust Scott, but because he needs to see that he believes this is the right decision as well. For Lori's sake more than anything.

Scott understands. "I promise. No one is going to find you here. Not Monroe, not Gerard. Nobody knows this safe house exists outside of the pack."

He assured him of that before they even left, but now that they're in France, so far away... Far away is good. For the time being, at least, until things settle down and it's safe for them to return home.

"And this friend of yours, the one who lives here," Brett begins, eyebrows raising, "you're sure we can trust him?"

"Brett," Lori says impatiently. She can't stop looking around them every few seconds, worried they're going to be crept up on.

Scott nods once more and wholeheartedly says, "You can trust him. Isaac is one of us, and he knows we're here."

Taking a deep breath, he finally lets Scott go ahead and knock on the door. He keeps himself back a bit as footsteps approach them on the other side of the door. His arm slowly creeps out to push Lori back if necessary.

The door opens. They're immediately ushered inside, and Scott offers for them to go first but Brett insists. He walks in behind him, keeping Lori close at his heels.

For a safe house, it's a pretty nice apartment. They all move into a big room with two couches and double glass doors that lead out onto a balcony. The thin, grey curtains are drawn enough for him to spot the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Brett turns his back to it as Isaac, he presumes, walks in. He and Scott have a moment together, sharing a hug and a general greeting. Then Scott turns to him and Lori with a smile.

"Guys, this is Isaac. An old friend," he says, and turns back to Isaac as he continues, "this is Brett and Lori. I told you what's been going on, and that they need somewhere to sort of lay low for a little while. We're hoping not more than a couple weeks."

"You never know with Gerard," Isaac says darkly. "I thought he was gone for good and now you tell me he's back. And with a new sidekick, like Kate wasn't bad enough?"

"Except, he's her sidekick, apparently."

There seems to be some doubt in that for both of them. Brett keeps his eyes on Isaac, and only shakes his head in response when he asks him and Lori if they want something to drink.

Isaac leaves the room to get some water and a croissant for Lori, who complained that she was starving, to Brett's annoyance. He did offer to get her breakfast at the airport and she called him overbearing.

"You'll both be fine here," Scott says to them softly. He seems to be talking more to Brett than to Lori, who's already wandering the room, admiring the framed art on the walls.

Brett says nothing, but glances around as well. It really doesn't look like a bad place. Maybe a bit more open than he would like for the place they're meant to be "hiding out" but it's high-up and in a whole other country from Monroe or Gerard. Could be worse. He and Lori could be dead.

Stepping closer to him, Scott lowers his voice like it'll make any difference. "Are you okay?"

For a second, he's tempted to admit that he's scared. Terrified, actually. Of being found. Losing Lori. Being in a place so far from the only people they were able to call family. His stomach lurches at the thought of Satomi.

He clenches his teeth and nods, forcing a tight smile. "Mhm."

"I can stay tonight, if that would help. But I would need to go back tomorrow. With everything going on back in Beacon Hills, I can't stay too long," Scott says, looking and sounding like he feels horrible about it.

"It's fine," Brett says. "I get it. They need you. We'll be fine here, like you said." His eyes dart to the kitchen door where he can see Isaac buttering Lori's croissant. He nods his head toward him. "And he seems nice enough."

Scott nods with full sincerity. "He's one of the best I know."

Then Brett decides. This Isaac guy must be the real deal. When Isaac returns to them a moment later and offers him a glass of water, he accepts it with a slight smile of gratitude.

"Feel free to head through to the bedroom and get some sleep," Isaac tells him, glancing back at Lori as well, then turning back to flick his eyes up and down Brett's rigid form. "You look like you're about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Lori snickers. Brett narrows his eyes at him. His mouth curls into the first real smile in the past forty-eight hours or so.

"I'll remember to throw on some makeup next time I'm on the run," he replies dryly. "Thanks for the compliment, Jean-Paul."

"You know I'm not actually French."

"That's a shame," Brett says, unscrewing the lid from his bottle. He walks around him and Scott, pointing down the hallway they came in through. "Bedroom's down here?"

"Yeah, on the right." Isaac then turns to Scott and Lori in confusion as Brett goes to find the room. "Why's that a shame?"

He smirks to himself as Lori wearily answers, "He's always said he wants to date a French guy. Or even just one who can speak the language semi-fluently."

"Oh," Isaac says. After a beat, "I'm pretty fluent."

#teen wolf #brett talbot #isaac lahey #lori talbot #scott mccall #brett x isaac #isaac x brett #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #rhyslahey #so I know that this doesn't focus TOO much on brett/isaac as a pairing but I built up this concept in my head and wanted to write it #instead of brett and lori's senseless death scott gets them away from beacon hills and to a safe house - in France with Isaac #I love the concept of there actually being a few safe houses for the pack if they need them #one in france with isaac #one in london with jackson and ethan #another in edinburgh with kira who I decided moved there because why the hell not #another in ireland with lydia's grandmothers #and another in portugal with boyd and erica #again not supposed to be the point of this request I know but it plays into the brett/isaac thing

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Bonnie Bennett x Liv Parker x Tyler Lockwood (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by @childofsquidward

Movement catches the corner of Bonnie’s eye. When she looks over at Liv, she holds a finger to her lips, then throws another scrunched up ball of paper at Tyler, asleep at the bottom of the bed. It hits him on the shoulder but he doesn’t stir.

Bonnie notices there are two other balled up bits of paper beside him. She rolls her eyes and nudges Liv to tell her to quit it. Of course, she doesn’t listen.

This one hits him on the chin, nearly going in his open mouth. Liv quickly covers her mouth as she snickers, and Bonnie shakes her head, smiling against her better judgment.

She tries to focus on her paper but when she catches Liv going to do it again, she reaches over to stop her, taking the paper away from her.

“We’re doing all of the work here,” Liv says in protest, motioning to Tyler’s still soundly asleep form. “It’s not fair that he just gets to take a nap while we’re stuck writing these stupid papers. He’s probably going to try and copy off us and claim our hard work as his own.”

“No, he won’t,” Bonnie says, hesitating for a moment before putting the little ball of paper in the waste basket beside her. “Because we won’t let him. Besides, Alaric would know, and then he would be in trouble.”

Liv rolls her eyes now, but she looks over at Tyler with a slightly softer expression.

“Full moon’s in two days.” She turns to Bonnie, a twitch of concern between her brows. “Do you think it’s bothering him?”

Bonnie shrugs, then properly takes in Tyler’s appearance; while peaceful for the most part in his sleeping state, there are circles under his eyes, and there’s a strange sunkenness to his features that isn’t usually there, making his skin sort of sallow.

“Yeah. I think so,” she finally says. “It’s probably why he’s so tired as well.”

Liv hums quietly in thought. With a smooth wave of her hand, a quilt is dragged out from beneath the bed. It rests over Tyler, wrapping him up. To both their surprise, he curls into it and pulls it closer in his sleep.

“We should probably let him sleep then,” Liv says.

Smiling, Bonnie nods. “I agree. Do you wanna go get some coffee? We’ve been writing for at least two hours, I think we’ve earned a break.”

“God, I thought you’d never ask.”

Liv hops up off the bed — Tyler once again doesn’t even stir — and grabs her campus hoodie, already slipping on her shoes as Bonnie follows. Before they leave, she gently smooths her hand over Tyler’s forehead and presses a light kiss to his temple, and Liv does the same.

“Be back soon,” she murmurs to him, then takes Bonnie’s hand as they quietly leave him to rest.

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freddieslater · 2 years

Text

Stranger Things: Ronance | Robin Buckley x Nancy Wheeler

Requested by anonymous

Robin nearly jumps a mile in the air when Nancy appears seemingly out of thin air next to her shoulder, saying, "Need some help?"

She's smiling as she holds up a fresh jar of peanut butter.

"Oh. Yeah, totally," Robin says when she feels her heart isn't about to explode. Or isn't in as much danger of it, at least. It's still going pretty fast.

"I just noticed that you were all on your own over here," Nancy explains, as though she needs to for some reason, unscrewing the lid as she sets it on the table. "Thought you could use some company."

She suddenly looks up, eyes widening slightly in visible panic, which is probably only the third time Robin has seen that look on her before.

First when Steve got dragged under the water. Second when they were stuck to the walls of the Creel house with vines around their necks. This doesn't really hold up in comparison, as far as she can tell, yet Nancy seems to think otherwise.

"Is that... okay?" she asks with a slight shake of her head. "You don't mind me being here or anything, right?"

Robin quickly shakes her head. "No! God, no, that's totally fine."

The assurance seems to lift a massive weight off of Nancy's shoulders. She nods, smiling once more, and turns back to the jar of peanut butter as she grabs a knife to start helping.

"Yeah, I'm not really on my own anyway," Robin continues with a shrug, finishing off her own sandwhich. "Vickie's just taking her break. With her boyfriend. Dan."

"Oh," Nancy says.

Robin's eyebrows furrow and she looks back over at her.

"Why 'oh'?"

The panic returns. Nancy hastily tries to retract her inital reaction, completely backspacing and waving it off, saying, "Nothing! Nothing, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

She may not be great at social cues and such, but even Robin knows that she's not being completely honest. At least, she thinks she isn't.

As it turns out, for once, she's right!

Nancy looks back up at her a second later with a tiny smile and narrowed eyes as she asks, "Are we... jealous? Of Dan and Vickie, I mean?"

It's Robin's turn to panic. How does she know?! Did Steve -- oh my god, she's actually going to murder him. She should've just left him in the water for Vecna. Actually, scratch that, she should've left him with the Russians!

"Or have I just totally read that wrong?" Nancy continues, quickly looking away again with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, I shouldn't assume. It's just -- you sounded a bit -- I don't know, sorry."

Maybe it's not what she thinks, Robin reasons, taking a few seconds of Nancy's regret to do so. Steve wouldn't out her like that. Not even accidentally, which would probably be the only way he would do it.

"Uh... no, that's okay," she says slowly.

Biting her lip, she wonders if she should say the words sitting uncomfortably behind her teeth. She tried to take the chance with Vickie and that didn't exact work out. But then, it did with Steve, and he and Nancy are pretty similar in a way. Not to mention they've nearly died together like twice and pretty much saved Hawkins together, so... maybe...

"You're right," she blurts out before she can stop herself.

Nancy blinks, big doe eyes, then allows a smile to slowly creep across her face. "Oh!" Then she realizes, and she pushes her smile back down. "Oh. That -- that sucks, I'm sorry. I can't imagine it's fun, watching the guy you like with another girl."

Robin's pulse is in her throat and head and ears and -- is she having a heart attack? Or maybe it's a stroke. Is she supposed to be able to taste her own fear?

She takes a deep breath, keeps her eyes on the sandwhich as she slowly drags the knife across the peanut butter until the jelly is well and truly smothered.

"I don't like Dan," she admits quietly, rushed and terrified.

She chances a glance at Nancy out of the corner of her eye. Watches her brows furrow again in confusion, and turn her head to meet her stare, mouth beginning to open with the obvious question.

"But you said--"

She stops. She looks at Robin. Her eyes dart away for a second, to a memory from the past few weeks -- maybe more than one, maybe to something Steve has accidentally said and it hasn't clicked until now, or even something that Robin herself has said and didn't realize how telling it was -- and then she gets it.

Her expression gets stuck on surprise for a good few seconds, and Robin has to swallow hard to get the lump in her throat down. Then Nancy meets her eyes again with that pretty smile.

"Oh," she breathes quietly, then laughs to herself, before nodding. "Okay. Got it."

Robin blinks once. "Wait. Go -- got it? That's... that's it?"

Nancy shrugs, pressing her cheek to her shoulder for a second. "Yeah, I mean, it's not a big deal." She turns back to the sandwhich as thought they're merely discussing the weather, though maintains their low volume. "It actually makes a lot of sense. Not in a bad way! I just -- It crossed my mind but I didn't want to assume."

"It... You thought... You're not freaked at all?"

"No! Of course not." Nancy turns a gentle smile on her. "Like I said, it's not a big deal. Not to me." Then, as an afterthought, adds, "Does Steve know?"

While she had been hoping she wouldn't react too badly, she hadn't quite expected this reaction. Still, she's not upset about it.

Robin nods. "Yeah, I told him last year while we were working at Scoops. He was... weirdly supportive. Althouh, he hasn't stopped trying to set me up with other girls that he thinks are 'perfect' for me, which really just means girls that he assumes are gay and thinks are hot."

Nancy snickers. "Yeah, that sounds like Steve. Please, do not take dating advice from him."

Heart still pounding but feeling way more at ease than she did a few seconds ago, Robin finally puts the other slice of bread on her sandwhich as she jokingly says, "Who should I be taking dating advice from then? You? Not sure you'd know many gay girls, Wheeler."

Actually looking somewhat affronted by that, Nancy replies, "Excuse me, I know some. Or at least, I know of some." She shrugs again, this time nudging her shoulder into Robin's. "I could totally set you up. Only if you wanted me to, obviously."

Robin's shoulder is on fire. She presses her lips tightly together in a nervous smile and tries to soothe her insides. This is fine. Totally fine.

Oh god, she might have a crush on Nancy Wheeler. Steve's going to lose his shit. And also gloat about the time she called Nancy prissy and said she didn't understand why he dated her. He can never know. Neither can Nancy.

Shit.

#stranger things #st #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #robin x nancy #nancy x robin #rowing the rarepair rowboat #myedit*#this isn't really a rarepair anymore since ronance has blown up so big since season 4 but that's okay #I'm in love with them they are in love with each other we know this

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