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fortheloveoffanfic · 4 years

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The One That Stays

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Alrighty folks, it’s been fun, but this is where the road ends for this one. I really hope everyone that read this, enjoyed it because I had a lot of fun writing it. Maybe one day we can revisit these two, and see what their lives are like in a few years. Maybe.) Just some supplementary texture, the dress that the reader is wearing, linked <here>

Chapter1 Chapter2 Chapter3 Chapter4 Chapter5 Chapter6 Chapter7 Chapter8 Chapter9 Chapter10 Chapter11 Chapter12

Chapter 13- Revelation

“You know you’re home when you find the ones that stay.” -Lp, Strange.

Two Months later Since Julie’s wedding and they’re decision to let the public know that they were in fact, an item, Y/n and Keanu had become a bit more liberal with their appearances together. They went to dinner more often, visited public beaches and he’d even taken her to brunch with his family, who as it turned out, adored her, maybe more than Keanu himself. His sister was already planning mini girls’ getaways with her and his mother couldn’t wait for the next opportunity for a family dinner.

Other developments had quickly made themselves known too, and by then, Y/n had all but officially moved in with Keanu. Julie had moved in with her new husband, and with nothing but her belongings tying her to her apartment in Malibu, Y/n had found it easy to spend most nights at Keanu’s place. Besides, a week together in Vegas had seen them both quickly growing used to falling asleep in each other’s arms. After that, when they had returned to Los Angeles, Keanu couldn’t have been happier when he started seeing more of her things pop up among his; a coffee cup in the cupboard, a few outfits in a recently cleared out section of his closet and her own robe in the bathroom. They had even exchanged keys, which they both used liberally.

The new, growing closeness was something that they both enjoyed; Y/n adored having someone to go home to, to love, and Keanu was elated that he could finally share his home, and start building a future with a woman he adored.

“My mom wants to know if you’d go shopping with her and Karina next Saturday,” Keanu asked, his arm snaked around Y/n’s waist as they walked towards the elevator in her office. Diligently, like the doting boyfriend he was, Keanu held Y/n’s bags in his free hand and Y/n was tucked comfortably into his side, enjoying his warmth. “You know,” he began before Y/n could respond, “I think you three are gonna have to exchange numbers or something, being the messenger is getting old fast,” Keanu teased as they got in, only parting so Y/n could push the button on the wall.

Rolling her eyes, Y/n chuckled, automatically returning to his embrace after, “Aww,” she cooed, “Is that jealously I hear?”

“No,” he scoffed playfully, tickling her side when Y/n rolled her eyes again, mumbling her disbelief, “I’m not jealous, promise.”

“I know,” Y/n giggled, her arms going around Keanu’s center, a little disappointed when the elevator doors reopened just a few minutes after they had slid shut. Thankfully, things had cooled down over the past couple months and they could now, for the most part, roam L.A without cameras being shoved in those faces, there were however, still those with flimsy morals, willing and ready to follow the two around, eager for a steamy picture; a cozy cuddle here and a passionate smooch there. “Tell her I’d love to go out with them, and you can pass on my number while you’re at it.”

“Great,” Keanu craned his head to look down at Y/n, pressing his lips to hers just before they left the building, “And I’ll give you theirs tonight.”

“Perfect,” Y/n beamed, before grabbing the front of Keanu’s grey t-shirt, yanking him down for another, final kiss.

“You know,” he mused as they left the building, making their way to his car parked at the top of the block, “I wish your mom liked me they way my mom likes you. Or you know, at the very least, could tolerate our relationship.”

Sighing, Y/n licked her lips, “Well, technically, she doesn’t not like you. She’s just.....” Y/n huffed; they hadn’t really spoken about what had transpired between Y/n and her mother at the wedding, and neither she nor her mother had reached out since then, but Y/n could tell that it bothered Keanu, just a bit, that her mother hadn’t accepted him they way his had her. “She’s just.....complicated,“ Y/n sighed again, “And she just needs some time to.....” she was really at a loss for words.

“Get used to her daughter dating a man nearly twice her age?” Keanu held the door open for Y/n, then walked around to get in on his side, “I mean,” he sighed, starting the car and pulling away from the curb, “I guess one day, when we have a daughter-”

“You think about us having kids?” Y/n cut Keanu off, her grin wide.

For a minute, he stuttered but quickly gave up, “Well yeah, sometimes,” unsure again, Keanu’s whiskey gaze flicked between Y/n and the road ahead, hoping she’d say something.

Eventually, after she’d found that Keanu had worried enough, Y/n put her hand over his hand on her thigh, “I do too, sometimes. I think you’d make an amazing dad,” she turned to him, watching the visible parts of Keanu’s cheeks go bright pink.

“I....” Keanu tripped over his words, “You’d make a great mom too,” he eventually sputtered out, trying to push thoughts of them being parents out of his mind; they still had a lot to do first, like survive their first public appearance as a couple. It was coming up by the end of that very week; on the coming Friday night they were supposed to attend a charity gala together. It wasn’t the kind of thing that Keanu usually attended; he never saw the point of dressing up and buying over expensive tickets in the name of charity, he was perfectly fine with making donations in private, without the fanfare and media coverage. But his publicist had informed Y/n and Keanu that it was the best place to make their debut as a couple, and it was the only celebrity event happening in the near future anyway, there was to be a red carpet and everything.

“Thanks,” Y/n blushed, lacing her fingers with his as Keanu’s hand turned over on her palm, “But, we still have a lot to get through before that. Like Friday night,” she sighed, her smile fading as Y/n turned to look out the window.

Keanu knitted his brows at her less than enthusiastic reaction; Y/n had assured him time and time again that she was okay with the attention, that she could learn to live with it if it meant being with him, but Keanu kept getting the feeling that she wasn’t as on board with it as she was leading him to believe. He understood though, at least, he thought he did; she wasn’t used to the kind of life that was always scrutinized by complete strangers and adjusting would be hard given her reserved nature. “Are you having second thoughts?” He probed when Y/n remained silent for a while.

Turning back to him, she forced a smile as Keanu turned into a quieter part of L.A, nearer to his community, “No,” she dismissed, not meeting his eyes, “It’s just,” she hesitated, “What if everyone hates me? I mean, do you really want to risk your career because of a woman, because of me?”

Squeezing Y/n’s hand affectionately, Keanu brought it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles, grinning lightly when her frown started to fade, “I’d risk everything for you,” he reassured her.

Y/n scoffed, rolling her eyes, “You shouldn’t; Keanu, this is your career, if your fans hate me then, automatically they think you have bad judgment and then they’ll-”

“Okay,” Keanu chuckled, cutting off Y/n’s ramblings, “I get your point, but I promise you, if they’re really my fans, they’ll see, at the very least, a fraction of what I see in you, and they’ll adore you.”

Sucking in a breath, Y/n felt the tension in her shoulders start melting away bit by bit, “Yeah,” she nodded slowly, “Yeah okay,” it would still take a while, but Y/n trusted Keanu’s words, and in the end, she knew that he’d never let someone else’s opinion get in the way of their relationship, “I love you,” she determined as they pulled into his garage and Keanu parked next Y/n’s car, “And I promise I’m not having second thoughts.”

“I love you too,“ leaning over the console, Keanu untangled his fingers from Y/n’s only to cup her face, his thumb grazing her cheek, “And I’m glad to hear it.”

Friday Y/n had never had so many hands touching her all at once, it was a little uncomfortable, and very awkward, though, she supposed she’d have to get used to it one day. There was someone’s hands in her hair, brushing and styling it, another pair on her face, doing her make-up, which she had insisted that she could do herself; much to the dismay of the hired team and at some point, a young woman had started holding earrings up to her ears, testing them to see how they looked. At that point, Y/n would be surprised if they let her put her shoes on herself.

A dress, on loan from a prominent designer, hung secured in a garment bag on a hook on the bathroom door. Y/n had only tried it on once before; a few days after the designer’s representative had reached out, oddly enough, to Y/n’s assistant, asking if she’d be interested in wearing one of their new pieces, they had sent someone over with a few options and she’d ultimately gone with a silver-blueish, haute couture gown.

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of getting ready, they weren’t even at her place, or Keanu’s; apparently it was completely irresponsible to get ready at one’s residence for star studded events. So instead, Keanu, or rather his people, had booked them a suite at a five star hotel in Beverly Hills.

Y/n hadn’t expected all of the excess when she agreed to attend the event with Keanu. Okay, maybe she’d expected a hairdresser, maybe someone doing her make-up, but instead, Keanu’s regular stylist had afforded her an entire team where they was at least one person for something that Y/n would normally do herself. And speaking of Keanu; Y/n hadn’t even seen him since after they parted ways upon setting foot in their suite that afternoon.

She wasn’t finished until late that evening, when the sun was just about to set and the event, being held at a rented out museum in cushy part of the city, was just over two hours away from starting, and, just as Y/n had suspected, they really didn’t let her put her shoes on for herself.

Giving herself one last look in the full length mirror, Y/n was actually surprised at her appearance; she didn’t think she’d ever looked that....posh, for lack of a better word. The slit on the lacy dress ended higher up on Y/n’s thigh than she remembered and the designer shoes blended perfectly. Her hair had been styled to needle straight perfection with a shiny, bejeweled comb pulling back one side, boasting diamond earrings and around her neck, sat the only familiar piece of jewelry that she’d been wearing; the necklace that Keanu had given her on Valentine’s day.

The room had long been cleared, so when someone whistled lowly behind her, Y/n jumped. Though, her surprise was quickly quelled when she met Keanu’s eyes through the reflection. “You look......” Keanu licked his lips, approaching her slowly, dressed to the nines in a black designer tux, his arms pulling Y/n into a hug from behind, “Absolutely stunning.” The height that her shoes offered made it easier for Keanu to bury his face in her neck; his groomed beard tickling her as he peppered kisses there, all while reveling in the sweet scent of her perfume.

Y/n’s eyes slipped closed as a result of his affections, her hands loosely gripping his forearms, “Thank you,” the two words were punctuated by giddy giggles and Y/n was already sinking into Keanu’s chest, feeling like in his embrace was the only place she wanted to be. “Are you ready to go?” She eventually managed, reluctantly.

“No,” Keanu mumbled, the word muffled by his lips still on her skin, though he soon pulled away and Y/n turned in the circle of his embrace, looping her lace clad arms around his neck. After a few slow, lingering kisses, Keanu frowned light heartedly, “With you here, looking this gorgeous, I might never be ready, but we should cause the car has been waiting for a half hour now.” Pulling away, they untangled from each other and Keanu took Y/n’s hand in his, leading her to the main room, where they took some pictures before eventually heading downstairs.

The drive to the museum was filled mostly with comfortable silence, champagne flavored kisses and intimate touches. When they got there, just about half hour after leaving the hotel, someone opened the door on Keanu’s side, and after getting out, he offered his hand, helping Y/n out too. The steps leading to the inside of the grand building had been fitted with a bright red carpet as was the long walkway towards the entrance. Behind a metal, temporary barricade, photographers and fans alike screamed for at least a few seconds of their attention.

Taken aback by the loud cheers and the bright flashes, Y/n recoiled a bit, her hand squeezing Keanu’s as she unconsciously tried to side-step behind him. Slowing his pace, Keanu’s lips were close to her ear, concern heavy in his tone, “Are you okay?”

Y/n’s breath caught as she tired to split her attention; everything seemed to be going by so quickly; the questions, the pictures, the person in front of them telling them to keep moving. How did he do this? Involuntarily, Y/n stiffened and her breathing quickened, “I don’t know,” she looked up at him, eyes wide, internally kicking herself for not being about to enjoy being with him.

“It’s okay,” Keanu kissed the top of her head, “Just relax and pretend they’re not here, that always helps,” soothingly, Keanu rubbed his thumb over hers, “Just focus on me,” he pecked her again.

Taking a deep breath and blinking slowly, Y/n tried to take Keanu’s advice, feeling herself slowly start to relax a bit as she did.

Pretend they’re not there.

Just focus on Keanu.

The tension seemed to roll off her shoulders, sliding down her back as she left it behind. She could do it, as long as she was with Keanu. In just minutes, Y/n was visibly more relaxed and she could even muster up a shy smile when they stopped for pictures. “Better now?” Keanu asked between shots, his hand moving from holding hers to resting low on her back, his pinkie finger barely brushing the thin cool metal belt of her ensemble while the rest felt comfortingly warm on her exposed back.

“Yeah,” Y/n smiled, her eyes twinkling with love as she glanced up at him, “Thank you,” she breathed.

Keanu licked his lips, his gaze shifting between Y/n and the cameras. Keanu hadn’t ever done it before; he never liked the idea of the whole world knowing about his private life, but seeing as everyone already knew, he didn’t see the point in keeping Y/n a secret. Besides, he was enamored with her, more than he had been with any other in a very long time and Keanu wanted to sing it from the roof tops. But since he couldn’t, he’d take the next best thing. Looking adoringly into her eyes, he wordlessly asked if she was okay with it, and after Y/n nodded ever so slightly, Keanu leaned down, catching her lips in a slow, breath-stealing kiss.

The clicks and shutter of the cameras quickened, the people behind them went wild and there was even a collective ‘aww’ than ran through the crowd. Neither Y/n nor Keanu heard any of it though, too lost in each other to care what anyone thought of their relationship. They ended their lip-lock with one final, short peck, but even then, they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other; drunk on love and the feeling of freedom.

Even after they’d continued walking, the press called after Keanu and Y/n, up until they were safely out of sight; behind the heavy wooden doors of the ancient looking building. The rest of the night passed without the stress of having to shy away from photographers, mingling with guests, many of whom were celebrities themselves. At first, it had left Y/n a little shaken, knowing that she was surrounded by people who typically seemed larger than life, but with Keanu’s reassuring words and his hand in hers, she quickly became at ease with it. Even better was the fact that the few that he took her meet actually seemed to really like her; fawning over her dress and the fact that she worked for a cosmetics company seemed to somehow help her fit in easily.

All in all, the night went by better than Y/n could have imagined, and by the end of it, she had made several new friends, and unbeknownst to her, gained a wider adoring public, though, it was still, without argument, been perfect only because she had spent it with Keanu.

One Week Later After the night of the gala, and the confirmation of their relationship, news about Y/n and Keanu’s relationship blew up. Varying headlines buzzed around the internet, most of them reading along the lines of; “Keanu Reeves Goes Public With Girlfriend Y/n Y/l/n” or “Breaking News: Keanu Reeves Shares Passionate Kiss With Suspected Girlfriend”. Seeing her name on tabloids in the grocery store and on online magazines had, in just five days, become the norm, though Y/n tried to steer clear; reading about herself seemed a little vain and not to mention juvenile. Besides, from some of the over-inflated hooks splashed across the flimsy tabloid covers, Y/n could already tell that most of the pieces labelled ‘exclusives’ were just filled with lies and exaggerations.

That Friday night, Y/n had driven herself home, or rather back to Keanu’s place, which had started to feel like home, after work since Keanu was carded to have a late meeting at Arch. She didn’t mind though, and they had agreed to have a late dinner; she had brought back take-out and they’d have it over a couple movies and wine.

Y/n had gotten in at around six, and after a warm shower, she had traded her stylish outfit for a pair of comfortable shorts and a cotton vest, padding around the house barefoot. With the company of a glass of chilled red, Y/n had resigned to the large sofa central to the living room, eyes glued to the television which played a rather boring thriller. The irony. Y/n’s attention wasn’t really fixated on the film and she spent most of the hour trading texts with Julie. That was, until her phone rang, startling her enough to almost make her drop it.

For a minute, Y/n regarded the familiar number wearily, though she eventually swiped the green icon, deciding that sooner or later, they’d have to work things out. “Hey mom,” Y/n’s tone was flat, trying to stifle her annoyance.

“Y/n,” her mother greeted, sounding unsure of herself, perhaps wondering if it was best to try to make amends over the phone, several states away, “I was hoping you’d answer.”

Y/n sighed heavily, “Yeah, well, if you called to try to convince me to break up with Keanu, it’s not going to work.”

On the other end, Maryann was quiet for a couple seconds before continuing, “I’m sorry about that,” her apology sounded sincere, but Y/n wasn’t willing to take it so readily, so instead, she let her mother go on, “It wasn’t my place to just judge your relationship like that; you’re a grown woman, and if you say you love Keanu, and if you know he loves you, then I shouldn’t try to come between the two of you.”

“You’re right,” Y/n said stiffly, finally turning off the television and tossing the remote to the side, “And thank you. He really is a good man, you just need to give him the chance to show you.”

Maryann hummed and Y/n could almost see her nodded in unspoken agreement, “If you love him, then I’m sure he is,” she offered, and then, further extending her olive branch, “I’d like if you two could give me another chance, do you think he’d be okay with flying out here? He could see where you grew up, your brother is flying in at the end of the month, maybe you two could come in then. I’d love to have the whole family here, and I’m sure your dad would too.”

Y/n chuckled, jubilated that her mother, even if indirectly, had just referred to Keanu as family, “I’ll ask him, but I’m sure Keanu would love that. He really wants you to like him.”

“I’m sorry that I gave him the impression that I didn’t, and for not giving him a chance. Can you tell him that for me, please?”

Just then, Y/n heard the hum of Keanu’s bike as it parked in the garage, followed minutes later by the side door being opened and then shut seconds later, “Y/n, babe!” Keanu called from the hallway, “I’m home!”

“In here!” She returned, covering the bottom of her phone, “I’ll definitely tell him what you said mom. And thanks for calling, but I should probably get going, Keanu just got in.”

“Oh! Of course,” her mother sighed in relief, thankful that she was no longer at odds with her daughter, “You’ll get back to me, about coming to Seattle?”

“I will,” Y/n smiled as Keanu walked into the living room, having already shed his jacket and taken off his shoes on his way there. Craning her head up, she kissed him quickly and scooted a bit so he could sit next to her, his arms automatically going around Y/n’s shoulders as Keanu slouched into the chair, “Bye mom, I love you.”

“Bye honey,” her mother was the one ending their conversation, hanging up after, “I love you too.”

With the call now ended, Y/n discarded her cell next to the television remote, and took a minute to greet Keanu with a proper kiss. By the time their lips had parted, she was in his lap, Keanu’s hands holding her at the waist and one of Y/n’s arms on his shoulder while her other hand laid over his chest. “That was your mom?”

“Yeah,” Y/n nodded slowly, worrying on her lower lip, “She wanted to apologize for Vegas and she wants us to come out to Seattle in the next two weeks. We don’t have to go if you don’t want to though,” Y/n reassured, moving her hand to brush some of Keanu’s hair out of his face.

“No, I’d love to go. She was just looking out for you; she’s your mom, its her job,” Keanu absently caressed Y/n’s side and she laid her head in the crook of his neck.

“Good, I’m glad you’re on board with this,” pulling away, Y/n took Keanu’s face in her small hands, and briefly, it felt like the first time they’d kissed, at the bar in the city. That was probably the night she’d decided that she didn’t ever want to be with anyone else, even if she hadn’t consciously realized it yet. That was just three months ago, but so much had changed since then; her best friend had gotten married and she’d fallen in love. By then, sitting like that with Keanu, Y/n didn’t want to think of her life differently, with someone else or somewhere else and she’d be contented to stay with him like that forever. “I love you,” she pressed her forehead to his.

One of Keanu’s hands slid up Y/n’s back stopping at the base of her neck to toy with the edges of her hair. Relaxed in his lap, Keanu thought she looked even more beautiful than the night they’d met. Maybe it was because he had grown to know her, to love her. It was hard to think that just a few months ago, he wasn’t even looking for a relationship, and now, Keanu was in one that he didn’t want to be without. Y/n was his; his love, his home, his future. “I love you too,” he grinned softly, stealing a lingering kiss.

Their lips moved in tandem with each other; two souls barely touching but knowing that they’d be joined for life. Keanu’s tongue slid over Y/n’s and her hands slipped down to his neck. When they broke for air, after a couple minutes, their noses were still touching at the tips and Keanu smiled breathlessly. He had been mulling over something since they’d come back from the gala, hell, probably since they’d come back from Las Vegas; like the rest of their relationship, he knew that it would be a big leap in their whirlwind romance, but if the last few months was anything to go by, Keanu knew that he was ready for anything with Y/n. “I’ve been thinking; maybe when we get back from Seattle, you could move in. Officially, I mean.”

Giggling, Y/n scrunched her nose, “You’re serious?” Y/n already knew what her answer was, but she just wanted to make sure that Keanu wasn’t making a decision based on the high from their great week.

“I am, in the past two months, this place has started to feel more like a home than it has in the past ten years. I want us to come home to each other everyday Y/n; I want to come home to you,” reaching for her hand, Keanu rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, “What do you say?”

Squealing, Y/n crashed her lips to his, catching Keanu off guard before she pulled away, excited eyes and racing heart, “I want to come home to you too Keanu. Everyday, for the rest of our lives.”

A wide grin split his lips, and Y/n shifted so she was straddling Keanu. Bringing her face to his, they got lost in each other, eventually falling sideways onto the sofa as they celebrated the new step in their relationship, together, in their home.

The End!

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Tagging- @baphomentwolf666 @kindainlovewithkeanu @harrisongslimited @a-really-bi-girl @soarocks

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devildomdrabbles · 4 years

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[fic] Where you don’t see

tw; suicide

Word Count: 1681

Summary: The humans were forced to return from the Devildom, but when they can’t go back, what can Sen do?

Companion fic to this.

“On sunny days I go out walking / I end up on a tree-lined street / I look up at the gaps of sunlight / I miss you more than anything” - “Francis Forever” by Mitski

It had been three years since Yen and Sen had moved in together following their return from the Devildom. Yen was in bed for half of that time, blanket flung around her as she recuperated from all she had experienced in the final few days leading up to their departure. Sen tried her best to comfort the girl as she woke up screaming in the night, clinging to Sen and the blankets in a nervous frenzy.

“When?” Yen asked one night as Sen hugged her to calm her down.

“Soon, I hope,” was all Sen could reply with. She brushed the girl’s messy hair, and held it up in the moonlight. “Do you want to get a haircut soon? I think we both could use it.”

Yen hugged Sen more tightly, burying her face into Sen’s shoulder. “Okay.”

Sen tried to smile, but couldn’t, so she just nodded so Yen could understand that the girl heard her.

When the day Jin Le and Elizabeth arrived at Sen’s house, neither she nor the rest of the former human exchange students could predict would happen next. The words that came out of Elizabeth’s mouth had stunned them all into silence.

“…Are you…are you serious?” Reese had asked, dropping onto the couch heavily. He could only stare at Elizabeth crying over the sack of marbles she had pulled from Usako’s bag.

“Y-Yeah…you’re kidding, right?” Horizon said. Her hands had curled up into fists, and her shoulders were shaking.

“You’re lying!” Lia yelled, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Her hands went up to her head as she bent forward, shutting her eyes tightly. “This is all a joke…seriously…I hate this joke…”

Usako held the pillow Belphie had given her tightly. She looked at its spotted pattern and ran her fingers over the softness of it. Then this meant…she would never see him again? Her eyes stung. She hated this. She hated all of this. She lifted her head up and tried to smile to hide the tears, but then she let out an exhale and went to flop down next to Reese. She buried her face into the pillow. She wasn’t crying if nobody could see tears coming out.

Bern burst into tears, her hands shaking as she held her phone. Was this why her D.D.D. never rang with Levi’s messages for raids? Was this why she hadn’t heard from him in over three years? She let out loud sobs and fell to her knees.

Sen could only stand in stunned silence, saying nothing. There was a loud shatter, and Sen turned around, seeing Yen in the doorway of the kitchen. Her glass of tea had fallen from her hands. Her eyes were wide in grief and anguish. In the next moment she fell.

The next few days passed in a blur for Sen. They had gotten Yen into her bedroom and laid her down, checking to make sure she was okay. The rest talked in the living room, crying and screaming. Sen tried her hardest to talk it through with everybody, to console them, and to hug it out with them. One by one, everybody left to return home, feeling empty. Sen tried her best to make sure they would be okay.

Several weeks passed. Yen had returned to holing herself in her room and laying on her bed, nearly catatonic with the news. Sen tried to talk to her and get her to eat, but Yen barely got out of bed. She barely responded. Sometimes when she did she snapped at Sen, but quickly apologized. Sen nodded, and stroked her back to calm her down. If the people around Sen looked closely at her, they could see the bags forming under her eyes that she tried to hide with makeup, and the red eyes and drooping shoulders she had as she had sat in her room at nights alone, crying to no one but herself.

One day, Sen’s phone pinged with a message from Yen. It was a long message, but it immediately made Sen’s neck prickle with fear.

“Sen, thank you for everything. I’m sorry for getting mad at you when you tried to help me, but I know you were trying to help. You are a good person, and I hope you’ll be okay. I’m sorry, but I tried. It hurts too much, though. I’m really sorry. Please take care.”

Sen messaged back frantically.

“Yen? Yen?? Where are you? Are you okay? Don’t do anything, Yen, okay? Let’s get bubble tea and talk”

She never got a message back.

The news came that night that Yen had been found at the foot of a building.

Sen buried her at the end of the week, with the rest of the human exchange students in attendance. Yen’s parents weren’t there as Sen knew she wouldn’t have wanted them to be.

One night as Sen sat on her bed, tired eyes staring at the wall, she leaned to the side grabbing the letter Barbatos had given them. She looked everywhere on the letter for a sign that, maybe, they could open it and return to the Devildom. She went through the daylight hours hoping that one of the other students would message their group chat, saying “We can open it!” She hoped, and she hoped every day until the hope became like breathing, and she stopped noticing it.

Sen held up the letter Yen was given. Yen had torn it on the last night, desperation evident in the shredded edges. The letter was damaged beyond repair, and Sen could barely make out Diavolo’s scribbled signature, faded now.

She opened her messages to Beel on her D.D.D. She began to write out a message, the first since everybody had gotten news that Julia had sealed the Devildom off. “Hey, Beel, I…” she started to write, before she stopped. She scrolled up past three years’ worth of messages.

“Hey, Beel! Are you well? I hope this is reaching you. I can’t really tell, to be honest, but I hope so. Did you finish the cookies I made?”

“I had a rough day today. I hope you’re doing better. I really miss you. I wish you were here…”

“Happy birthday, Beel! I hope you and Belphie had a good birthday today!”

Her eyes started to water. Beel would never get these messages. She hoped, she had hoped, she continued to hope, but what can she do now? She could never hear him again or see him again.

The next few years Sen could barely remember. Sometimes, in the kitchen, she’d be cooking and hear Yen’s voice. She’d turn, excited to see Yen’s bright smiling face, but would be greeted by the white walls of her kitchen and silence. Other times she’d read and smell a familiar scent of cinnamon, and would turn expecting to see bright purple eyes watching her, but she’d see nothing.

The other humans were going off and doing their own things, and they all kept in touch. Every year for Yen’s birthday they would hold a toast for her and drink and laugh and catch up. Sen herself finally got her work published to critical acclaim, and she laughed during an interview on how most of it was a culmination of her self-guilt and trauma (because it was most certainly true).

At the hair salon a few weeks after her publication, Sen sat down quietly and allowed the hairdresser to cut her hair. When she looked up at the mirror again, her long hair was gone, now shortened to her neck. She ran her fingers through her hair, having had it this short since she was a child. When she walked out she took a picture and sent it to the group chat, and everybody exploded with praises and comments.

Usako: “I love your new look! (っ˘ω˘ς )”

Reese: “Short hair looks great on you!”

Lia and Hori threw various heart and joy emojis at her.

Bern was busy taking college exams but Sen would get a call from her later that night with Bern and her chatting excitedly on the joys of short hair.

Sen moved to send a picture to Beel, but remembered that he would never get her messages. She put the D.D.D. back in her bag.

On her way back home she bought a cheeseburger and sat in on a bench and ate it silently. The sun was going down, and the sky was lit a fiery red. It reminded her of his hair. She thought about the USB she gave him, and she hoped that he and the brothers would smile at all the pictures she took back then. She had taken a lot. She took better pictures now, but she really liked the ones she had taken of them back then. She had given all the humans copies of the same photos she gave to the brothers on the USB stick years ago, and sometimes Reese would message the group chat with a “Hey guys, you remember this? LOOK AT LUCIFER!”

As she took another bite of her cheeseburger she started to cry a bit. She wiped the tears, and bit down on the cheeseburger again with more determination. When she looked back up at the lake in front of her, she thought she saw the familiar red of his hair. She blinked and it was gone.

She finished the cheeseburger and stood up, tossing the trash and placing her hands in her jacket. It was similar to the one Beel had; she had tried to find one that reminded her of him.

Another few years passed, and one day on the train someone sat next to her. “Hey,” he said, his voice sounding roughly familiar. “Mind if I sit here?” he asked, smiling. Sen looked up quickly, expecting to see Beel.

She saw someone else instead. But he smelled similar. Her heart ached. Nothing would dull the lament. But Sen walked forward. She had to keep going forward and move on.

“I don’t mind,” she responded with a friendly, albeit slightly sad smile.

#sen #beelzebub #angst #a lot of angst here #longform #obey me

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p-artsypants · 4 years

Text

Longest Night (27) Grooming

Marinette had thought Highschool had been hard. Right now, in this moment, she'd give anything to go back to those petty arguments and gossip fueled drama. But she couldn't. Instead, she and Adrien were trapped here, being punished, humiliated, tortured, for being heroes, all broadcasted for the world to see. At least she and her kitty were in this together. For now. Whump!Fic

Ao3 | FF.net

Let’s take breath, shall we?

—

Paris was a city trapped in time. The rain blurred the past from the future, the happy and the sad, the night and the day. Erik Satie tried to emulate this effect with his Gymnopedie, and the impressionist painters worked with soft edges to create an atmosphere of calming mystery.

Here, on the sidewalk somewhere in Montparnasse, Adrien and Marinette, or rather, Grimalkin and Lady Lacrima, stood in the haze, freedom and imprisonment blurring lines. They were out, Salo was dead…

But it didn’t really feel real.

Lady Lacrima stood back and looked to her partner.

His eyes were dilated, a small smile on his lips. He ever so gently reached up and brushed her bangs out of her face.

Returning his smile, she took his hand and interlaced their fingers. Then they started to walk.

It was too wet to take to the rooftops, and in this weather, no one was out. Still, as they walked, they passed big picture windows. Businesses closed for the night, cafés dimmed with candlelight, people in their own little bubbles, completely unaware of the monsters stalking outside.

They walked passed a salon, empty, save for a woman with a blonde bun sweeping. The lights were warm, and the atmosphere looked friendly and inviting. There was a tv on the wall, with Nadja on the screen. She was reporting on them. A screen capture of their final words to the camera shown on a small screen next to her. Lady Lacrima couldn’t hear what was being said, but by the grave look on Nadja’s face, it wasn’t good.

Without much thought, Lady Lacrima pushed on the door, and went inside.

The air smelled of chemicals, of hairspray and dye. But also fruity and clean. Soft music played as the woman worked.

“Just a second!” Called the woman, alerted by a bell at their entrance. She leaned the broom against the wall. “I’m so sorry, we’re about to close, but I can take you down for an appointment to—AHHH!” She spoke before turning around, but when she saw them in their appearance, she shrieked.

Neither of the akuma reacted to it, considering the amount of screams they had heard not so long ago.

Another woman with short black hair ran out of the back room at the scream and skittered to a stop at the sight of them. She looked like she was about to scream too, but held it back.

“We wanted out of the rain.” Explained Lady Lacrima, blankly.

The blonde woman snatched up the broom like a weapon, trembling in her limbs.

But the other woman relaxed ever so slightly, and took a few steps towards them. “Marinette? Honey, it’s me, Jillian. You remember right?”

“…Jillian?”

“That’s right. I cut your hair every few months. It’s alright.” She took another step towards her, but Grimalkin stood in between and hissed.

“Oh! And Adrien! We’ve…we’ve never met, but we’re all big fans of yours.” She pointed to a poster on the wall, an old ad with his face on it.

Grimalkin’s eye twitched, but he calmed down slightly.

Jillian looked to her coworker. “Kelly, put that thing down. We have guests.”

“Didn’t you just see the news?” Kelly whispered harshly. “They just murdered like ten people.”

“Fourteen.” Lady Lacrima clarified. “We killed fourteen people.”

“See!?”

Jillian took a shaky breath. “Look…I’m not…I’m not sure what we should do in this scenario.”

“We should call the police!” Shouted Kelly.

Grimalkin snarled, getting on edge again.

Jillian hushed her. “Would you calm down a second?”

“No!”

“They’ve been through a lot of trauma, okay? I’m not going to pretend like those people didn’t deserve it—“

“Oh they definitely did!” Kelly agreed. “I’m just saying—“

“Look at them Kelly.” Jillian gestured. “They’re tired, dirty, and hurt. I’m sure there’s going to be a whirlwind of police and hospitals and…whatever. Let’s just…give them a few minutes out of the rain, okay? Where they can breathe and…I don’t know, relax?”

Marinette frowned to herself. Relax? What did that mean anymore?

“Marinette honey,” Jillian said walking closer. “Your hair is disgusting.” She chuckled.

That was something Lady Lacrima couldn’t argue with, and she twitched her lip in a smile.

“Can I wash your hair? Give you a trim? It might make you feel better.”

Feel better. That’s all they wanted. They wanted all this rage and pain and hurt to go away.

She nodded stiltedly.

Kelly seemed to come to grips with what they were doing and smiled a little more at Grimalkin. “And what about you Adrien? Would you like your hair washed? I know cats don’t really like water…” She chuckled.

The joke made Grimalkin’s eyes dilate and his ears perk up. He looked to his lady, asking her to answer.

She met his gaze, translating his look. “As long as he can keep an eye on me.”

“Of course! We’ll put you right next to each other, and you can hold hands!” Jillian grinned. “C’mon, right here. Just settle in and relax.” She gestured to two chairs with sinks connected to the head rests.

Kelly walked over to the door. “I’m going to lock the door so no one comes in. You can still leave anytime you want, though.” Then she closed the blinds on the windows so no one would look in.

Both of the akuma sat down carefully, watching the hairdressers as they got their supplies ready.

“Now,” began Jillian, playing with Lady Lacrima’s hair. “I can see already that your tattoo has some infection on it. It’s not really bad, the first letter just has some blistering on it. I can apply some rubbing alcohol to help…but you really need to get to a hospital when you can.” She ran her thumb over it lightly, making Lady Lacrima wince. “For other reasons too, of course.”

Grimalkin heard her wince and sat up to growl at Jillian, but Lady Lacrima just squeezed his hand in reassurance. Hesitantly, he leaned back again.

Kelly came around to make eye contact with him. “Chat, your left ear is really infected, and the right may be so too. I can also put some rubbing alcohol on it, but it won’t really help. Don’t take out the earrings either, or else the holes will close with the infection still inside. I’ll try to be careful, but I might bump them while I wash your hair.”

Grimalkin frowned slightly, but gave a little nod in understanding.

Then they both heard the sinks turn on, and braced for cold water to splash them.

But it didn’t. Jillian and Kelly just sprayed their scalps with a warm, gentle stream. Then they started to massage shampoo into their long overdue hair.

“This shampoo is specially designed for thick blonde hair,” Kelly commented, carefully scrubbing days of oil out of his locks and making the color shine again. “It’s Diamond Oil from Redken. Your color has faded with your natural oils and lack of vitamins. This should make your hair feel nice and silky.”

A loud purr cut through the air as Grimalkin closed his eyes and enjoyed the ministrations.

Lady Lacrima sighed softly in return. “This feels nice.”

“Good, you deserve it. I’m sorry I can’t offer more.”

“This is fine.” She insisted. “We have some business to take care of after this. Then we’ll be getting proper treatment.”

“Oh good!” Chirped Kelly. “I was worried! Because akumas aren’t really…they don’t really give up on their own…”

“The suits that Hawkmoth have provided us act like exoskeletons. Our wounds are packed.”

“Still…” said Jillian. “Don’t let this business take you too long. A lot of people are worried about you both.”

Lady Lacrima rolled her eyes despite the sad tone she spoke with. “You mean my parents? They’re just about the only people that ever believed me. Everyone else thinks this whole thing was a hoax. No one even tried to save us.”

Jillian rinsed the shampoo, and then knelt at Lady Lacrima’s side and took her hand. “Marinette, a handful of gullible people believed it was a hoax. Everyone else in Paris, in France, the whole world even…we believed it was really happening. And people tried to find you…I’m sorry that they couldn’t.”

“Like who?” she challenged back.

“Like the police. At least four investigators were killed while looking for you.”

Lady Lacrima didn’t have an answer for that, and so she didn’t say anything.

“Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee were also spotted a handful of times,” Kelly added. “But for a while, the police were saying you were in Germany.”

Rena Rouge.

That name sparked anger in Lady Lacrima.

Alya.

Her best friend.

Ex-best friend.

Who had turned her back when Marinette needed it the most, trusted a liar and left her in the dust. It was a petty high school squabble, one that most people would have forgotten and let go of, considering the circumstances.

But Marinette had a lot of time alone with her thoughts. A lot of time to stew in her hurt from her betrayal.

The Cesaire apartment wasn’t that far away. Alya would be first. A warm up.

Jillian spoke again. “You’re tensing up. I’m supposed to be helping you relax. I’m sorry. I’ll shut up.”

Yes, revenge would come, but this was now. And she wanted to feel better.

Jillian rinsed the conditioner. “You know, I’ve got this facial cleanser from Lancôme, would you like to try it?”

“Alright,” Said Lady Lacrima.

Jillian squirted some mousse onto her fingertips and gently began to massage the cleanser onto her face. “Smells nice, right?”

“Feels nice.”

The bubbles turned pink with the blood they picked up. But the black streaks under her eyes remained. Jillian passed the cleanser to Kelly so she could put some on Grimalkin’s face.

“There,” said Jillian as she dried off her hands. “Just relax for a minute and let the cleanser have a chance to get into your pores. We’ll be right here.”

At first it was relaxing, the month of grease being lifted from her skin as the bubbles tingled. But then the silence became maddening, and she became paranoid. And by the way Grimalkin squeezed her hand, he was too.

“Jillian? What are you doing?”

“I’m getting you some wine. Just a little. I don’t have any food unless you want a sucker.” She chuckled.

“And Kelly?”

“I’m just sweeping!” She called from the other side of the room.

Jillian came back over, and a wet washcloth delicately cleaned off the suds. She then placed a dry towel on her hair. “Alright, let’s get you into a chair.”

Kelly mirrored the action with Grimalkin, careful of his ears, both fake and real.

They moved over to a pair of barber chairs, positioned just a little too far away to hold hands.

Grimalkin whimpered.

“I’m right here, love.” Lady Lacrima said softly. “It’s alright.”

Jillian handed them both a glass of red wine, before getting to work tying a smock on their shoulders. Then they were both turned to face the mirrors.

In this lighting, the damage was even worse. This was the first glance they got to their akumatized forms.

“Is that me?” Lady Lacrima asked, distressed by how deranged she looked.

“You look pretty badass.” Said Kelly. “Don’t stress out about it. You don’t plan to be akumatized forever, right?”

“I…I guess not…”

Still, it was a jarring sight. She barely recognized herself.

“Marinette, I used a lot of conditioner, but your hair is still pretty tangled. This might hurt.”

“Okay.”

She could hear Grimalkin whimper again as Kelly started to pick through his tangled mess. She cooed over him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

It didn’t last too long though. Soon, the teeth of the comb were gliding through her locks and dragging across her itchy scalp. Lady Lacrima sunk into her chair and exhaled loudly.

“Will it bother you if I use an electric razor?”

“Since you warned me, it should be alright. What about you kitty? Can you handle that?”

Grimalkin let out a relaxed sigh.

“He’s alright with it.”

So Jillian and Kelly got to work, trimming and evening out the hack job Salo had done.

“There. That’ll do for now.” Jillian took off the smock and brushed the loose hair from her neck. “Come see me again sometime. We’ll make sure to take good care of you.”

Lady Lacrima finished off her glass. “Thank you, Jillian. Kelly. Once we give up our akumas, I doubt we will remember this. But we do appreciate your hospitality.”

Kelly towel dried Grimalkin’s hair, fluffing it up. “There, now you look a little less threatening.”

With a smile, Lady Lacrima pet his head, eliciting a purr from deep in his chest.

Jillian let out a trembling exhale. “Alright. We won’t keep you any longer. We won’t tell a soul you were here. Do what you need to do and then get to a hospital. I beg you.”

Lady Lacrima gave a half smile. “We’ll do our best.” Then she took Grimalkin’s hand and led him out of the salon.

Once they were gone, Kelly fell into a chair. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done! Why did you let them stay?! Why didn’t you call the police!?”

Jillian also sat in a chair, swinging around to lean her arms on the back. “I was watching the stream on my break. I saw what they did. I saw…how they killed all those people. Part of me was worried that if we turned on them, they’d kill us too. But the other part of me was just worried about Marinette. I’ve been cutting her hair for…probably 15 years. I love her…and I just wanted to help.”

“Jill. You are too kind for your own good.”

“I try. Let’s clean up and head to the bar.”

“Sounds good to me!”

—

The rain continued, but it eased into a manageable drizzle. Now, people were starting to venture out onto the streets.

Lady Lacrima summoned a grappling hook with a steel cable, then tossed it up to the rooftops. “You ready, kitty cat?”

Grimalkin purred deviously, as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Together, they launched into the air and landed on a familiar terrain of sloping roofs and terra cotta chimneys. Old friends greeted them. Pigeons and the wind.

Grimalkin sneezed.

“Gesundheit.”

He stood a little taller and looked her in the eye, asking her a question.

“You remember Alya, right?”

His lip twitched in a preempted snarl.

“After all this time, her actions still hurt me. Her home isn’t far from here…let’s take care of her first, before the others.”

Grimalkin’s eyes were wide and his ears back as he whimpered lowly.

“No darling, we’re not going to hurt her…just scare her. Shake her up a bit.”

He seemed much more receptive to that plan as he gestured her on, in a ‘ladies first’ sort of way.

The path to the Cesaire household was muscle memory. It was one of their landmarks for patrol in Montparnasse. The corner, top-floor apartment on a few story building.

They landed on the balcony outside Alya’s room. The windows were shut and locked. Peering inside, the room was dark and void of people.

“I don’t see her. She may not be home, or she might be in the living room.”

Grimalkin leapt to the next balcony over, pointing at the window cracked open.

“This is the twin’s room. We must be quiet.”

She opened the window slowly, and crawled inside. Both of the little girls were in their beds, sleeping peacefully. Grimalkin stepped in too, slinking in like a cat.

Unfortunately, the girl’s room was not as tidy as they had hoped, and Grimalkin’s first step on the floor landed on a doll.

Let it go! Let it go!

Grimalkin growled at the sound.

Ella stirred. “Mmm?”

The akumas froze, hoping the girl would go back to sleep.

But instead, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Lady Lacrima waited, crouching close to the ground to try to remain unseen.

But as Ella blinked to alertness, she noticed Grimalkin’s eyes, which glowed red in the dark.

She inhaled to scream, and Lady Lacrima leapt, pressing a hand on the girl’s mouth. “Sshhh…” she hushed, quietly.

A scream tore out from the other side of the room, where Etta had awakened.

“Shit,” Lady Lacrima swore under her breath.

There was no time to hide. Frantic steps ran to the room and the door swung open to reveal Nora.

“Who the hell—!?”

Grimalkin leapt at her, slammed her against the wall, and pressed his claws to her throat with a deep jungle cat growl.

But Nora was a fighter, and she didn’t take to being slammed around kindly. She slammed her fist into Grimalkin’s stomach, making him recoil.

In the chaos, Etta and Ella dove under a bed to hide.

“That’s enough, Nora.” Lady Lacrima demanded, summoning a machete. “We have no quarrel with you.”

“Like hell you don’t! You were trying to hurt my little sister!” She barked, ready to punch again.

Otis and Marlena came running after the shout, and stood in the doorway, horrified.

“You misunderstand. We’re looking for Alya.”

Nora’s face twisted slightly in confusion, then realization. “Beetle? Mr. Whiskers?”

Marlena stepped into the room. “Marinette? Is that you? How did you…? They said you were…you…” She sobbed and ran and hugged her. “We’ve all been so worried about you!”

The machete fell to the ground and disappeared.

Grimalkin growled, but didn’t attack.

Marlena pulled back. “Alya’s safe. Don’t worry.”

“Where? I need to talk to her!”

“You need to get to a hospital.”

“Tell me where Alya is!” Lady Lacrima screamed, startling the woman.

Nora rested a hand on her mother’s shoulder and pulled her back. “She’s an akuma mom, she’s dangerous.”

“Tell me where Alya is right now or I’ll force it out of you!” She trembled. Her wrath and her innate moral compass warred with each other, the urge to hurt becoming stronger and stronger.

“She’s at the Agreste Manor, with your parents,” Nora answered. “Mr. Agreste has the whole place on lockdown. There’s no way to get in unless he lets you in. And I doubt he will if you’re like this.”

Like this.

She said it like Lady Lacrima was a monster. Inhuman.

Maybe she was. Marinette had lost her humanity in the darkness. Only pieces of it remained.

Grimalkin paced the room, unsure what to do. No one was attacking, and his lady wasn’t giving any commands. It was easier not to think for himself. Just protect his lady, and do as she asks. That was all he had to do.

Lady Lacrima let out a strangled cry.

She just wanted to fix her hurt!

“Ladybug?” A little voice spoke.

Etta and Ella poked out from under the bed, looking at her with teary eyes.

“I…am not Ladybug. Not anymore.”

“Why not?” They asked.

She didn’t answer, just looked at them with some degree of disgust.

“They didn’t watch the stream.” Marlena explained. “We couldn’t bare to let them. Would you really like little kids watching that?”

Lady Lacrima hugged herself.

Grimalkin crouched, coming closer to the little girls.

“And you’re Chat Noir!” Etta chirped, touching his cat ears.

He shook his head, backing away.

Marlena took a different approach to diffuse the situation. “You two must be hungry, why don’t you come in and eat?”

Eat.

Lady Lacrima swallowed. She was hungry. So hungry!

Grimalkin’s stomach grumbled loudly.

Nora rolled her eyes and grabbed Lady Lacrima’s wrist. “Come on. That wasn’t a suggestion, it was a demand.”

Lady Lacrima pulled at the hand tugging her, instincts telling her that a firm grasp on the wrist meant pain, but her brain and her stomach felt otherwise. Everyone being so nice to them was throwing a wrench in their revenge plot.

Grimalkin was being led by the hand and tail by the twins.

In the light of the apartment, the Cesaire’s got a better look at them.

“Is that blood?” Ella asked, pointing to the red stains on Grimalkin’s suit.

He nodded.

“Cool.”

Marlena gestured to the couch. “Take a seat here. I’ll get something warmed up for you.”

So they sat, hunched, tense, and uncomfortable, no matter how soft and plush the cushions felt. Ella and Etta sat on the couch on either side of them, making the akuma scoot closer together.

Otis sat at the other end of the couch, and turned on the TV.

“…over a several hour period of absence, it was concluded that Marinette Dupain-Cheng actually escaped Salo and her men, though Adrien Agreste was left behind.” Nadja was on the screen, with a banner under her name that read, ’Breaking news: Ladybug and Chat Noir Escape Torture.’ “In the hours of her disappearance, Agreste was flogged near death. Then finally, after ten hours, Dupain-Cheng was brought back and was flogged as well.

“Then, in a stunning twist, Hawkmoth was the first to locate the heroes and come to their rescue, akumatizing them to aid in their own escape. They seem to go by the name ‘Lady Lacrima’ and ‘Grimalkin’. The cameras caught this chilling scene from the final broadcast on ‘make ladybug suffer dot com’. Please be advised, the footage is graphic, and not suitable for young audiences.”

The scene jumped to a recording of the torture chamber. Salo’s body laid on the floor in shadow, so the gore wasn’t completely seen. But Lady Lacrima and Grimalkin were still dripping red as they looked down at her. Butterfly masks appeared over their faces.

“No…Paris has gotten lazy with Ladybug and Chat Noir around. And in our absence, things have only gotten worse.” She paused. “And we’ll get it. But we have business to attend too. Thank you for the akuma, I’ll be taking it now. Goodbye.”

She turned to face the camera, with eyes that held no mercy. “I am Lady Lacrima. This is Grimalkin. We seek Justice, and Justice will be what we get.”

Grimalkin pounced at the camera, and the feed ended.

Nadja came back on the screen. “This scene took place one hour ago, and we are continuing our coverage as the story updates. It is not yet known if Ladybug and Chat Noir are still akumatized, or whether or not they are even in Paris. No sightings have yet to be reported.

“Fifteen minutes ago, Minster of Interior, Arthur Vanderguard, tweeted the following: ‘The reign of Salo is over. Thank you to the brave men and women who have put their lives on the line in the investigation of this case. We will not rest until Marinette and Adrien are home.’”

Lady Lacrima tilted her head in confusion. “Who is this Arthur Vanderguard?”

Otis answered, “The Minister of Interior is the government official in charge of homeland security. He’s like the boss of the chief of police and the Secret service. He’s been catching a lot of flack for your case.”

Lady Lacrima squinted her eyes, the name was familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

“Here we are!” Said Malena, placing a plate on the coffee table. “The soup is warming up, but I’ve got some fresh bread from your father, and these appetizers left over from a dinner at the hotel tonight. Honeycrisp apples with brie, wrapped in prosciutto, with a balsamic glaze.”

Lady Lacrima licked her lips. “…thank you.”

“Of course dear.”

“…has been criticized over the last month and a half since Ladybug and Chat Noir’s capture. Most notably for withdrawing troops from the investigation and allowing Edward Savauge to walk free.”

Lady Lacrima looked up at the screen and zeroed in on the story.

It was a previous recording, of Arthur Vandergaurd at a press conference. “Talking with M. Savauge, we have ruled out his involvement with Salo and the capture of Ladybug and Chat Noir. He has agreed to cooperate with us to find them, so that they can be rescued.”

“That press conference was held two weeks ago, and even now, Edward Savauge hasn’t even met with investigators. He most likely will not be holding up his end of the bargain.”

Lady Lacrima’s spoon clattered to the floor.

“During the course of the investigation, four investigators were killed under uncertain circumstances. The only connection between the murders was, of course, the link to the Ladybug and Chat Noir case. After the death of Detective Bertony, resources were pulled from the case, a move that contradicts normal procedure. In response, Mr. Vanderguard had this to say.”

The shot again changed to the Minister of Interior at the Press Conference. “My officers assume the risk of bodily harm and losing their life when they join the force. But they don’t expect to be in danger when they go home to be with their wives and children. Being assigned to the task force of looking for M. Agreste and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, is a death sentence. We unfortunately have not made any headway in the investigation, despite all that has been broadcasted. We believe that Detective Bertony had a lead, but all information with him in his hotel room was reduced to ash on the balcony. Because of the nature of these murders, I will be launching an inside investigation among the police in Paris, conducted by an outside attorney. Mayor Bourgeois has approved the city’s plan for a comprehensive, independent, transparent investigation of the task force members' misconduct. As much as we owe to Ladybug and Chat Noir, we can’t afford to lose anyone else to these terrorists. This investigation will most likely further disrupt our work on the Ladybug and Chat Noir case.

“While this investigation goes on, I ask that everyone stop watching the stream on ‘make ladybug suffer dot com’. Giving Salo and her men attention is only fueling their torment of the victims. Ladybug and Chat Noir will be safer if we stop watching.

“To the families of M. Agreste and Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I am truly sorry.”

Nadja came back to the screen. “Though the apologies of the Minister seem to be well intentioned, critics have been asking the same question that goes unanswered. Where is the French Gendarmerie? Isn’t it made for situations like this?”

Lady Lacrima stood. “Thank you for the food. We must be going now.”

“Are you sure?”

“We have wasted enough time. Tell no one we were here…for your own safety.”

And just like that, she threw open the window, and they leapt out into the night.

Malena sighed as she collected their dishes, noticing how little they had eaten. “That was sudden. I wonder if it had anything to do with the news?”

“I think it had everything to do with the news. If I was the Minister of Interior, I’d pray to God right now.”

—

This chapter was born of me, a cosmetologist’s daughter, thinking “if I was isolated for a month in complete darkness, in my own filth, for a month, what is the first thing I would do when I got out?” and my immediate answer was, “wash my hair, eat, and sleep for 24 hours, in that order.”

Hey! So are you super eager for the next chapter?? Well good news for you! ShadeOps21 wrote an alternate ending to the rescue! He posed to me, “what would happen if GIGN did what they do and rescued Adrien and Marinette?” I said “I dunno what that is.” So he wrote it!

Basically special forces come in and save the day and it’s awesome and intense and everyone should read it. It’s called ‘Even Heroes have Heroes’

Art by @soyyuzuslife on Instagram!

#longest night #fanfiction #ML #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #adrien agreste #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #akumatized chat noir #akumatized marinette #ladynoir #adrinette #akumatized adrien #akumatized ladybug #akumanette

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creampuffqueen · 4 years

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The Right Side of Rock Bottom - Chapter One

Here it is! I’m not sure if it’s realllllly angsty, but hey. Here goes nothing!

~~~~

“Cress, please. Think about this in the morning, we’ve had a long day, we can talk when we’ve rested and -” Thorne paced the large suite, dragging hands through his brown hair.

“I’ll say the same thing in the morning.” Cress murmured back, hugging a plush pillow close to her body. Her heart was pounding wildly, and yet she still felt like she was going to collapse.

“I just- I just don’t understand where this is coming from. Cress, you know I love you.” He moved closer, but she held up a hand, keeping him at arm’s length.

“Carswell.” His name at her lips seemed to startle him. His blue eyes, looking so haggard all of a sudden, flicked anxiously down to her.

“Carswell, you know I love you too. You know I love you so much that sometimes I can’t breathe because of it.” She didn’t know where the words came from, but Cress knew they were truthful.

“I know. Stars, Cress, you know I feel the same. So why are you doing this?” He sat on the bed next to her and she let him.

In all honesty, Cress didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t know why. All she could remember was how she woke up in his arms and screamed, her sleep-deprived brain bringing her right back to the War, held in his arms as he plunged a knife through her.

She’d vaulted out of bed, breathing hard, nearly tripping over the blankets she dragged to the floor with her. He woke up, startled, and reached for her.

He wanted to calm her down. He cared for her, he loved her. She knew all that. She had done the same thing when it was him who woke up screaming. But this time it was different.

“Carswell, please listen to me.” She wasn’t looking at him, feeling embarrassment crawl over her. She thought she was strong. She thought she could do this without crying, and yet she felt hot tears beginning to trickle down her face.

Gently, he reached for her. She let him cup her face with a hand, wanting with all the world to nuzzle into it like she’d done before. But it was his own words that echoed in her head. Be courageous.

“Carswell. I am a shell.” He started to speak up, to tell her he didn’t give a single damn about whether she had Lunar powers or not, but Cress shushed him.

“I don’t mean a Lunar shell. I know you don’t care about that, and I don’t either. What I mean, is that I am a shell. I- I don’t know myself.” Oh, stars, her voice was shaking.

“And it came to me tonight. It’s not you, I promise this has nothing to do with you. But Carswell, I spent the first sixteen years of my life in complete isolation. And I jumped straight from that to a relationship. I don’t know a single thing about myself.”

Thorne was silent next to her. She hoped that meant he was understanding what she meant.

She didn’t regret being with him. Not one bit. However, she was starting to wish she was more like others. All her friends had hobbies. She didn’t know how to do anything other than code and hack. She had no life skills, no hobbies, no friends other than the people she’d fought with.

Be courageous. To Cress, being courageous was this. She needed to get away. Needed to find herself. She didn’t know who she was besides the genius war-hero everyone thought she was.

“I understand.” Thorne’s voice cracked when he spoke, and Cress felt like her heart was being ripped in two. But she had to do this. It would benefit them both, in the end.

“But do you have to go away? We can travel, Cress, see more sights, do more things. Please, stay?” His hand traveled back to her face. This time she leaned away.

“I love you.” She told him. “And I want the best for you. But I need to do this alone.”

He didn’t protest again. Not when she gathered her suitcase. Not when she pulled her clothes out of the drawers. Not when she got her things from the bathroom. Instead, Carswell Thorne just watched. Watched as his sun slipped from the room, leaving as if she’d never been there in the first place.

~~~~

Cress walked swiftly down the hallway of the Eastern Commonwealth Palace, trying in vain to reign in her sobs. There were a few guards posted, but what she’d just done had taken all her courage from her. She felt like she’d just made a huge mistake.

Eventually she was able to work herself up enough to ask a guard for a free room, and she was led wordlessly down the ornate hall.

She collapsed on the bed as soon as the door closed, letting what she’d just done finally sink in. Why had she done this now?

She and Thorne were at the palace for Cinder and Kai’s wedding. The most special day of their lives, and Cress was sure that if she saw them in the morning they would tell her how she’d ruined it all.

She would leave tomorrow, she decided. She’d stay for breakfast, and then she’d rent a hover to the nearest airport and fly to whatever place was cheapest.

Cress hadn’t been lying when she spoke to Thorne. She really didn’t know who she was. Who she could be. Her personality was practically fabricated, by Sybil Mira when she was young, and by her trauma during the war. She wasn’t even sure she had a real personality.

And so Cress rolled over, still in her shoes and bathrobe, and went back to bed.

This time, no dreams disturbed her.

~~~~

Cress was glad her sleep was dreamless, because she’d gotten hardly any of it. She awoke with the sun, feeling completely numb.

She knew this would be hard. But she hadn’t known how hard. The Cress in her head was braver than the Cress in reality.

And still, she rolled out of the bed, robe wrinkled and untied, and trudged into the bathroom. She saw to her needs quickly, not wanting to see just how awful she looked in the mirror.

Cress showered, not bothering to do more than wash her body and wet her hair. It was more a wake-up than actual cleaning. And it worked a bit, as she dried off feeling slightly more refreshed.

Feeling a bit more herself, she walked out of the bathroom and got dressed, wincing a bit at her wrinkled clothes. She had hardly seen what she was doing last night, and her heart gave a tug when she recognized some of Thorne’s shirts in with her own.

She laid them gently on the bed, where a maid or servant would see them and return them to him. For herself, she tugged on a pair of leggings and a simple t-shirt, finishing by tying her hoodie around her waist.

Cress finger-combed her hair as she gathered the few things she’d taken out and put them back in her case, albeit more gently. She didn’t have much, as most of her clothes were still on the Rampion, parked near the palace. She couldn’t go back there. It was too late.

So she tugged on her sneakers, tapped out a quick message to the others (who were all hopefully asleep still), and high-tailed it out.

Not wanting to draw attention, Cress headed down to the servant’s entrance and got a hover from there. She swiped her wrist so the hover opened its’ doors, and she hopped inside.

But now… Cress didn’t have a single clue where she wanted to go. She knew she wanted out of New Beijing, but other than that… Stars, was she really doing this?

“Take me to the nearest shopping center.” Cress told the hover. The doors clicked shut, and soon she was lost in the early-morning traffic.

~~~~

“Oh, darling! Look at you!” The young woman cooed over Cress, petting her long fingers through her hair. “Do you want to see?”

Cress was sitting in a chair, a black smock over her clothes. The hover had taken her just as she’d asked, to the nearest shopping center. It was early, and very few places were open. So when she’d stumbled upon a hair salon, she’d rushed in without thinking.

She knew her hair was greasy and tangled, and nothing had sounded more appealing than getting it professionally cleaned. But after the hairdresser had started messing with it, an idea had suddenly slipped into her head.

“What are we doing for you today?” The woman, who Cress had quickly learned was named Sonya, had asked.

“Surprise me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I don’t want it cut,” Cress had elaborated, “But… You can decide what to do with it. Dye it, style it, I don’t know.”

Sonya had started out slightly nervous, as if she was worried she’d do something that Cress didn’t want. But she was beyond caring. The woman could have made her hair look like a dust ball and she probably would have thanked her.

In an effort to make the woman more comfortable, Cress had pulled out her earbuds and turned on some music, closing her eyes and letting Sonya have her way with her.

And nearly an hour later, in which Cress had nearly fallen asleep again from the gentle fingers stroking her hair, Sonya had nudged her up and pointed to the mirror in front of them.

Stars above, Cress thought. The girl in the mirror looked completely different than the girl she’d seen just that morning. Her hair, once blonde and relatively straight, was now bright pink and wavy. As she looked closer, gaping like a fish, she noticed that the hot pink faded into a cotton candy pink at the tips.

“Oh Sonya, I love it.” The woman beamed, keeping her neatly manicured hands on Cress’s shoulders.

Cress pulled the smock off, swiping her wrist behind the back of the chair to pay, and made her way out. Her case felt lighter, the heavy feeling in her chest lessening with every step.

It was odd to see a pink-haired girl in every reflective surface, but each time she saw it Cress couldn’t contain her smile. She hadn’t known just how much she needed a change. Not just in scenery, but in herself.

She got coffee, bought a stick of dango, and wandered around the shopping center aimlessly. Here, she was one with the crowd. Back at the palace, and during her time on the Rampion, she’d had screaming hordes following her, begging for photos, sometimes even asking for her to hack their devices. She’d been a celebrity.

Now, she was just Cress. Not Lunar War hero Cress, not Hacker Extraordinaire Cress, not Girlfriend of Carswell Thorne Cress. And the anonymity was so freeing it nearly took her breath away.

She was watching a hologram display of clothes, swaying along to a pop tune on a nearby speaker, when she felt a little buzz from the portscreen pressed against her side.

All at once, her glee fell away, layer by layer, leaving her feeling vulnerable and timid all over again. Was it Thorne, telling her he was better off without her and to never show her face again? Or Cinder, yelling, demanding how she could do this, it was her wedding. Was it Winter, or Scarlet, or Kai, or Wolf, or Jacin?

I am a famous netscreen actress. I’m answering a message from my other famous netscreen actor friends. Despite that not being too terribly far off the mark, falling into her little habit grounded her again, enough that she pulled the portscreen up to look at the message.

It was a message from Thorne. His name in her portscreen still had a bunch of heart emoticons next to it.

She pulled it up all the way, seeing it contained a picture. And what she saw took her breath away.

Jacin and Winter, hands clasped above the table, in the middle of a soft-looking kiss. And on Winter’s hand, a glittering ring sat, where one hadn’t been just the day before.

I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I understand if you don’t want to speak to me, or anyone else, but please at least read this message so I know you’re safe. Everyone misses you, and nobody’s mad. Winter and Jacin got engaged last night, and Winter said she wants you to be a bridesmaid for her, too.

Good luck with your journey. I love you.

Cress was crying in the middle of a New Beijing shopping center. Winter and Jacin, engaged. It felt as though she’d been away for months, rather than just a few hours.

Her portscreen chimed with a few more messages, but she silenced them and tucked the device away. She moved quickly out of the crowd, so she could cry in peace.

She didn’t know what she did to deserve friends like them. And yet, she’d just up and run. Would she be weak if she went back? Or would she be weak if she went on? Cress’s shoulders shook with the force of her sobs, and she slumped against a wall.

She had to do this. She wanted to do this. So why was it so hard?

“Excuse me? Miss? Are you alright?” Cress’s head shot up from her hands, her body feeling numb again. A young woman stood before her, long black hair in two braids snaking down her back.

“Oh- I- I’m sorry, just-” Cress stumbled over her words, picking up her suitcase to leave as quickly as possible. The woman stepped back, letting her breathe and collect her thoughts.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” She said, and Cress looked up at her again. “But, you seemed like you could use a friend.”

Cress thought about her own friends, her friends back in the palace of the Eastern Commonwealth. Even the friends she’d made when she was little, stuck with all the other shells.

“If you don’t mind.” She replied softly.

The woman smiled at her, gently, kindly. “What’s your name?”

“Crescent Moon. But, I mostly go by Cress.” She waited for that moment of recognition, when the woman inevitably started squealing. But instead, her eyes widened, and a disbelieving laugh fell off her lips.

“Your name is Crescent Moon? Mine too!”

“What?” Cress had known it was a popular name among Lunars, but Earthens?

“Yeah, my parents were a bit eccentric. All my family have weird names. But you can call me Luna.”

“Like… the moon?”

Luna laughed again. “Yep. Like the moon.”

Though her face was still tear-stained, Cress followed Luna back onto the streets, dragging her fingers self-consciously through her hair. She hoped she didn’t look as miserable and pathetic as she felt.

“Would you like me to take you somewhere, Cress?” Right. Her sudden not-quite-doppelganger. Luna was standing a few feet away, glancing curiously at her suitcase.

Following her gaze, Cress remembered the case she was holding. Odd, how she could forget about the thing that owned all her worldly possessions so easily. But seeing the case… that feeling was building up again, like when she’d gone to the hair salon.

She needed to get out of this city.

“You don’t need to take me, thank you.” She told Luna. “I’m sure you don’t want to go all the way to the airport.”

Luna laughed incredulously again. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Umm… no? Why?” Cress asked, confused.

“I’m headed to the airport right now. My hover is parked nearby, I just wanted to get some presents for my family before I left. Do you want to ride with me?”

Cress considered the offer. Her pride and dignity (what little of it was left) told her to get her own. However, the more practical part of her mind won out. Luna was offering, after all.

“Actually, Luna that would be great.”

Luna beamed, then gestured behind them. “We’d better get going, then. Where are you headed?”

“I’m headed to wherever the wind takes me.”

She laughed at that, walking towards a hover Cress saw parked.

“Well, Cress, let’s get you to the airport and see what direction the wind blows today.”

#the lunar chronicles #cresswell #crescent moon darnel #cress darnel #carswell thorne #cress x thorne #marissa meyer #kaider #jacinter #wincin #wolflet #angst

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erikismybitch · 5 years

Text

Waiting In Vain: Chapter 2

Why Not Trey?

This was Marleys second day in a row waking up in Trey’s bed. She fidgeted in his sheets , his huge hands caressed the side of her butt. It soothed her as she slowly drifted back into a slumber . Once she was still , he went back to rolling his backwood.

Trey smoked a blunt every morning , along with a bottle of alkaline water . Marley suggested he drink that a while back , he felt the change in his body and never tuned back. His friends made fun of him, called it “white people water”. Marley exposed him to a lot of things . Like exfoliating his skin and saving for his future . “I know you don’t care now , but one day you gon’ get old and who wants to work when their old “ Marley helped him open up an account for retirement the day after that conversation.

He used a lighter to spark the blunt . His phone rang , it was Amber, the mother of his one year old son. He wouldn’t dare answer the phone in the presence of Marley . Not only did she not know he had a kid, he was also having sex with her too . Amber called again and he didn’t answer . The buzzing woke Marley up again . Quickly she covered her exposed upper body , still feeling insecure about those indirect weight comments from days ago.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen everything before “ Trey chuckled and went to pull the sheets down , instead he began coughing from his smoke . She turned to him, still covering her body . “What’s up with you ?” He cleared his throat by taking a sip of water . She debated on whether to tell him what Erik said to her , but that would be all bad . Trey loved two things , Marley and violence . God forbid one had anything to do with the other .

“I said what’s up with you ?” He repeated himself .

“Nothing...I gotta get home so I can work” she raised up and sat upright. Trey handed her his blunt , she took a quick puff and gave it back .

“You coming back tonight ?” He questioned .

“Three nights in a row? You know we don’t do good when we together too long “ she laughed , Trey only laughed because she did .

“You right “

She placed two tender kisses on his chiseled shoulder and got up . Fully naked she began to get dressed . Trey admired her body and continued to stare at it . She blushed slightly. He was the only man she had ever allowed to see her in that vulnerable state . But as soon as she got fully dressed, she left.

Marley always had her laptop with her , sometimes she’d work in random places . This time she wanted to go back home and take a long shower . That’s exactly what she did . Then after that, worked six hours and crashed again. That’s all her life had become . Work and sleep , then the occasional slip up with Trey.

Her phone was on fire with constant calls from Becky from the bar . The sports bar that Marley sometimes worked waiting shifts when she needed the extra money . The same bar that she agreed to work at tonight , two weeks ago. It was an hour past the shifts start. Marley was able to get ready with the speed of light and dash straight to the bar .

“You told me you could work when I needed you !” Becky shouted as soon as she got a view of Marley walking through the bar doors .

“I’m so sorry , I totally forgot “ Marley admitted , it was the truth . Her brain had been focused on so many things lately, it slipped her mind . Marley was relieved that there was just a baseball game showing , that meant tonight would be mellow . When football was playing , that’s when it got rowdy but she got the most tips . Basketball games , those brought in the black crowd . A whole bunch of men hitting on her and not tipping .

After apologizing a little more , Becky forgave her and put her to work . She made a few drinks after following table orders . Then tended to whatever other customers needed . She took a break three hours in , it was around Ten now . Tiana had sent her a message , from what she could see on her phone.

Can you do my hair on set tomorrow, I got a shoot

Your shoots last all day , I need to work tomorrow .

Tiana was a model , not a real one that was represented by an agency . She had a career that branched through social media . With over a million followers on Instagram, Tiana was a hot commodity . Marley wasn’t unattractive by any means, she just wasn’t her cousin .

“You’re the smart one , keep studying. Tianas just gonna marry a rich man to take care of her. You’re gonna ‘ take care of yourself” her aunt said those words to her , when she was just ten years old . Marley was always weirded out at how their family categorized the two of them . Marley did all the schooling while Tiana took pictures. And made in a day what Marley made a week. The family was wrong .

Tiana kept going on about how her hairdresser couldn’t make the shoot tomorrow and she was desperate . Marley apologetically told her no again . Then she trolled her about how she wouldn’t buy her anymore clothes using her fashion nova stipend. Marley laughed out loud , she didn’t care about that . Situations like these, she would reach out to Trey and joke about how needy Tiana was. He hated her and vice versa . Tiana thought Trey was a hoodrat and he thought she was stuck up. So he enjoyed bashing her to make Marley feel better . But they were broken up , and she had to learn how to cope with things without him . She knew she had pushed it when she spent the night twice that week .

So , you’re really not going to help me ?

Marley didn’t even text her back . She slid her phone in her pocket and went back to work . As she waited tables and mingled with customers , she thought about how she never went out and did things like this . The few friendships she had , had no substance . In college she made friends , but when she moved back home Marley grew apart from them . Then she met Trey and totally isolated herself from everybody. Then came Tiana , who was arrogant and self centered . But actually the only person she had .

I’ll do your hair tomorrow, but don’t expect me to stay at the shoot .

Marley gave in , like she always did . Putting the needs of others first instead of her own. Tiana responded with a kissy face emoji . Then warned her that Erik would be staying over tonight . Marley cashed out at around 1am. Taking home almost three hundred in tips . She made it to the apartment about a quarter past .

The welcoming sex sounds made her feel right at home , since it was a normal thing now . Marley made it through the hall way and stopped at Tianas door . Where she could clearly hear the act of bodies slapping against eachother . She put her ear to the door , her favorite thing to do was listen to the off the wall things Erik would say . Tiana was yelping loudly, then she sounded to be gasping for air .

“Talk to me bitch , speak the fuck up !”

Marley felt her body shift weakly at his words. He was different from Trey , he wasn’t a talker . But she didn’t mind it , in fact Marley took a liking to the talking .

“Tell me this pussy mine !”

“Erik! This is your pussy!”

Marley backed away and allowed them their privacy . For the most part because she could still hear them in her room , in the bathroom , in the shower and in her bed .

Tiana is fucking this dude so loud that I can’t even sleep.

She sent a text to Trey.

Want me to come over and make it a competition?

Marley considered it , but then considered the fact that she was allowing him to get too close for comfort . It was like opening Pandora’s box .

Right before she moved in with Tiana , she and Trey were happy . So she thought . Marley had a scare , she missed her period . And Marley never missed a period . Trey was sitting at the end of her bed, she didn’t want to push the issue that she could possibly be pregnant . She was afraid , Marley wasn’t ready to be a mother. She moved , Trey looked back at her and smiled . It was early morning and he already had a mouth full of gold teeth . She laughed before she broke the news .

“Trey , I missed my period “ it was like a weight was released from her chest. Trey’s smile faded instantly. He made a face , one that she would never forget . It was as if she was trash on the street . Not the love of his life like he claimed she was .

“I don’t want a baby with you...”

It’s okay , they stopped . GN

#erik killmonger fanfiction #erik killmonger fanfic #erik killmonger imagine #black panther fanfic

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ticklikeabomb · 5 years

Text

The Language of Limbo - Part 7

Pairing : Chris Evans x Plus Size Reader ; Marvel Cast x Plus Size Reader

Warnings : Language ; mention of drinking problem

Word Count : 2.7k

A/N : Hiii, next part (8) will be the finale and then there will be an Epilogue. Thank you for following and liking the story so far :)

"God, I'm stuffed", you pouted at Mason who chuckled at your state. "It's been a while since I got something proper to eat and usually I don't eat in the mornings", you finished while cleaning your mouth. He took a gulp of his coffee and nodded. "I know and that habit has to end now. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day", he replied back with a smile and glowing eyes. The adoration in his gaze was giving you goosebumps and make heat creep up your body. It has been a while since you felt such a feeling - adoration, devotion, love. "What's on the table for you today?", he asked. "We're shooting the Stark's party scene. I don't have much to do, just stay in the background and 'enjoy' myself. Maybe chat with Sam or Thor", you told him. He cleared his voice and seemed all of a sudden nervous. "Is something wrong?", you asked worried. "No no, I was just wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight? You know like as a date", he said. Your eyes widened and he immediately clarified the situation. "I'm sorry if I'm being inappropriate. You mustn't be ready yet. God I'm so dumb", he rambled. You took his hand between yours getting his attention back. "Nothing would make me more happy than join you for dinner", you told him. His eyes lit up and a wide smile crossed his features. He squeezed your hand back and nodded happily. You payed for breakfast and made your way to the set, chatting and laughing at his jokes. He left you in front of your trailer's door and said, "See you tonight then." You nodded in excitement and stepped closer, dropping a chaste kiss on his cheek. He smiled shyly and said goodbye. You couldn't get the goofy smile from your face, seeing finally something good coming your way.

"Hmm who's that?", resonated a voice you heard most of your life. You turned around and saw Aaron stand there with his arms crossed and a smirk. Your eyes lit up and you sprinted to him in a bone-crashing hug. "Hooo slowly there. Seems like you've missed me", he joked. You hugged him tightly like your life depended on it. You heard commotion coming your way and disengaged from the hug. He took your cheeks between his hands and saw the pained look in your eyes. "Aaron?", chanted Elizabeth's voice happily. He turned around and when he saw the one he loved working with. He was about to join and greet her but you held his hand in protest. He looked shocked at you. "What are you doing Y/N? It's Lizzie !" You only shook your head, tears gathering in your eyes and he frowned. He looked back at Lizzie who had an ashamed expression on her face and he frowned even more in confusion. He turned back to you, "It's Lizzie", his voice cracked. Once again you shook your head and that's when the tears fell down. Being his best friend he knew you wouldn't just cry like that for no reason. "Aaron, please", spoke up Lizzie with a broken voice. "Forgive me", she whispered the last part. The actor felt like his world was crashing down, one of his good friends being the cause of his best friend's misery. His gaze turned cold and he hissed at Lizzie, "I don't know what happened yet, but stay away from Y/N and from me." Elizabeth shook her head, her own tears sliding down her face, "Aaron please, I can explain."

"Save it !", he spat and turned back to you, taking your hand and dragging you out of the situation and the sneaky eyes. Hemsworth, Mackie, Jeremy and Tom looked confused at what just happened while Scarlet shook her head to Lizzie and left her standing there. Scarlet's attitude caught the others attention and they wondered what had happened for such turns of events. You isolated yourself with Aaron and told him everything that happened since the production started. He sighed, holding his face between his hands and whispered a long ' fuck' out in frustration and anger. "I'm so sorry Y/N. I should've noticed that you stopped texting me but thought you were just busy and too tired to do so." You comforted him, "It's not your fault. I don't want you to feel bad. I just didn't have the courage to face you." He hugged you tightly and asked you on the ear, "The red cross emoji. You didn't ? Did you?"

"I'm sorry", was the only thing you could reply in a cracking voice. He sighed deeply, disengaging from the hug and searching for your eyes. "You've been sober for the past 2 years Y/N", he said. "I know ! I-I just wanted the pain to go away, to feel numb and let these crazy feelings fade away. Everyone turned their backs on me, Rebecca kept spreading shit and continue making my life a living hell and then Lizzie joined her in doing so. I just couldn't take it", you rambled quickly. "Hey hey, shhh, I know, I know. I'm sorry." You stood there in silence, Aaron hugging you in comfort before he exclaimed that you had to attend rehab again. You nodded, "I know". "I will be there with you just like I was there the last time", he informed and kissed your forehead. "Thank you for always being with me." "Of course, what would you do if I wasn't here?", he joked. You gave him a small knock on his ribs and laughed. "So who was that sexy hubba I saw you drop such a delicate kiss on the cheek?", he asked with his pronounced British accent. You chuckled before telling him that it was Mason, your coach, friend, support and maybe more. "You're so smitten, aren't you?", he smiled. You rolled your eyes and pushed his shoulder slightly, "Shut up". "Y/N is in love, Y/N is in love", he chanted and did a little dance. You laughed loudly at his antics before he calmed down and said firmly, "Before he's allowed to date you, I require that he asks me first. I want to evaluate that young man!" You shook your head and counterattacked, "I'm almost sure he's your age or a little older." He fake gasped, putting a hand on his heart. "How dare you?!" You chuckled and smiled brightly at him. "I missed you so much", you told him. He leaned his arm over your shoulder and nodded. "I missed you too."

Aaron and you spent the next two hours catching up and joking, while you were being prepared for the scene. "How's Sam been?", you asked him. His eyes lit up when he heard his wife's name and a small smile appeared on your face. You loved seeing him still so in love with her after being together for a while. "She's been great. She finished her movie a couple of days ago and is going on a break before the promotion. After that she will take a two month's break and add the final touches to her latest project." You gasped, "That's amazing. She has already a new work in progress?", you asked astonished. He nodded proudly, always so supportive of her. "I'm happy to hear that and I'm so happy you're here with me. I'm sorry you had to make this whole trip but still happy you're here." He shook his head and assured you it was nothing and that he was happy to be there too. "When are you leaving?", you asked. He scratched his neck and replied, "This afternoon, actually." "Oh alright, can you stay for lunch?" "Of course. You really thought I would go without you paying be lunch? You wish", he joked. You smiled and slightly punched his shoulder. "Ouchh. Damn you got strong." "Sorry", you immediately replied, thinking you hurt him for real. When you saw his smirk you cursed him. "Got you. But for real, you got strong. Does it have to do with someone named Mason, who worked you all up, literally and figuratively?", he asked and wiggled his eyebrows. Your face heat up at the slight innuendo and your eyes widened. "Aaron??!!!" "Y/NNN?", he mimicked. You stared at each other for a good second before cracking up at the same time. Just as promised and just as executed, you and Aaron went for lunch before he had to head back to the airport. You hugged each other tightly before you saw him take a cab and leave the set.

"Hello everyone, how are you today?", you cheerfully asked the makeup and hair crew. They looked surprised at your joyful state and smiled, seeing you in a good mood. "We're good, how about you?" You nodded and said that today you were feeling ok and excited to shoot at the location you feel in love with. "What's the plan?", you asked. "Well, you're gonna get a glam makeup, which is basically the classic eyeliner - red lips scheme", answered the makeup artist. "Regarding hair, we're gonna let it breath a little bit, give a little glow but we'll let it stay it as natural as possible", finished the hairdresser. "That sounds nice", you replied back. "Alright let's get to work", the said and began their magic. You put music on your phone and enjoyed the moment with them, trying to shake your hips the best way you could on the chair to Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" song. Scarlet and Elizabeth eventually joined the trailer too to get ready and Scarlet followed along on your shenanigans. You didn't pay attention to Lizzie who clearly wasn't good. You pushed the thought off your mind, especially after recording the things she said and the way she acted with you these past weeks.

You stepped out of the trailer and made your way to the dressing crew. On your way, you crossed path with Mark, Tom, RDJ and Mason who were checking something with the directors. You head Tom whistle at you and shook your head, laughing. "Stop it", you said. Your eyes met Mason's who was gazing you up and done, while biting on his lip before winking at you. You felt your throat going dry, butterflies on your stomach and the automatic smile crossing your features. You looked at your feet shyly and continued your way, thinking about the fact that you were going on a date with the man later that day. You took a deep breath to calm your nerves down and met the dressing crew, who had 3 choices for you. "You can pick the one you like best", one of them said. Your eyes widened and gasped, "Really? Am I not supposed just to wear what the production decides?", you asked confused. "Usually yes but since we couldn't decided which one you would wear, we talked about it with the Russo brothers who said you could pick one for yourself." "That's amazing", you replied. You tried the 3 outfits, who in your opinion were equally stunning but decided to choose the one you felt most confident and comfortable in. "Good choice, you look amazing", they complimented you. "Thank you for such gorgeous clothes."

All set for the scene you walked to the directors and they gave you detailed infos for your part regarding the scene in question. "Alright, I'll do that", you answered and walked to your mark to get in position. As predicted, you didn't had a lot to say, it was more casual background conversations with either Thor or Sam Wilson. During a moment where the camera was focused on your trio, Chris (Hemsworth) started to improvise and Mackie followed through. "As I was saying, no one could ever compete with such a prestigious title as mine. I Son of Odin am indeed the true God of Thunder", exclaimed Thor. "Yeah yeah Tangled but come on face it. You can't compete with such a hot and steamy Choclatchino with such firm but soft thighs !" Internally you were bitting your lip in order to not ruin the scene with your laugher. "Perhaps we shall let Lady Y/C/N decide for herself", said Thor. A small smirk appeared on your face and to take them completely off guard you replied, "I don't know, I'm more of a Widow kind of girl." Your response made the effect you were hoping for and left them, dumfounded. "Well I was not expecting that", exclaimed Thor. Sam looked at him and they both saw an extra female pass by and walked to her to get her attention. "Excuse me Miss, can we have a moment. Who's better Thor or me, the one and only man your dreams?", you could hear Mackie chant before the directors yelled "CUT". You finally let your giggles out and some of the cast and production members did too. "That was amazing guys. Let's take a break", said Joe Russo out loud. You were still laughing and shaking your head before grabbing a bottle of water and walk outside. You were once again face to face with that mesmerizing view, the one you once cherished, the one you felt a bittersweet feeling about.

"You did good there, keeping up with their add-lips", said Chris' (Evans) voice beside you. You didn't respond verbally but instead nodded slowly at what was supposed to be a compliment of his. "You look gorgeous Y/N", he commented. You closed your eyes and clenched your jaw. "Look Chris, I'm not in the mood for whatever this is", you finally replied while gesturing your hands at the interaction. "I know and I want to apologize profoundly at my actions, at my words directed to you. I didn't know. Scott told and showed me everything - how you only got in contact with him to find a bday present for me, how you weren't what I told him you were. I got mislead by false information and I wish you could forgive me and maybe even give me a chance. I know I don't deserve it but I was really hoping that you would agree on going on a date with me." You stood there, mouth agape not believing what you just heard. "I- I", you started but nothing came out of it. He took your hands in his and were transported by his deep blue sea eyes. "Please give me a chance to make it right to you." Your mind was working at full speed, trying to comprehend what was happening. Your retrieved your hands from his and saw hurt cross his features.

Your body and gaze turned once again and after looking a final time at the landscape you turned to him. "You know, I was at this precise location when I got told that I was casted for the movie. It became the best day of my life. Finally, I was getting a chance to fulfill my dreams, to work for such a big, important universe such as Marvel, to be part of an universe that I love and to have the opportunity to evolve and work with such talented actors. That dream turned into a nightmare ! I understand that you wanted to protect your personal life but accusing me of stalking you and things that are wrong, hurt me deeply. You should have asked me, asked if it was true, if whatever the fuck was going around set, was true. You didn't and decided to trust the words of someone that since she joined only caused shit. I truly believe you're a good person Chris. Don't let her drain it from you ! I'm not saying that eventually with time, we can't be friends anymore but one thing you were right : you and I, we will never be together ! " You left him standing there battling with his emotions : hands clenched into fists and shame about his attitude crossing his features. He turned around and his eyes met Rebecca's who were filled with hatred.

What you didn't know was that the previous night, Chris broke up with Rebecca, telling her their relationship wasn't good for him and that he needed to take a break and focus on himself. Seeing him today, talk to you and overhearing him asking you on a date was the last straw and she was left in a much more hatred and furious state. Her madness pushed her into doing the most unthinkable thing in order to push you out efficiently.

* gif not mine, credit to owner* * montage done by me*

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killervibe · 5 years

Text

She’s Clueless, Cupid

On Monday, February 11th, Ralph created the Valentine’s Day Lottery. Cute and inconsequential at first glance, as Ralph’s terrible ideas always were, this time the Valentine’s Day Lottery in fact seemed really not so bad. After some convincing. “Secret Valentine’s Day Santa!” Ralph said simply, standing in the middle of the Cortex and trying to change all the blank stares. “It’s team bonding guys. With all this Cicada stuff we need some mushy gushy cheer—And I actually have friends now to do something like this with.” “....Secret Valentine’s Day Santa? That doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.” Ralph rolled his shoulders back, unscathed by catty remarks. “You think of something better then.” Cisco threw his pen in the air. “Won’t take long.” “—Anyways,” Ralph continued, “Ralphy’s on a budget so why don’t we keep this easy? We all draw a name out of a hat.” He pointed at Sherloque and before he could protest Ralph snatched Sherloque’s black hat off his head with his stretchy hand. “Whoever you get you write them a Valentine’s Day card. Type it up, 12 point font, single spaced, Times New Roman. Make it meaningful but don’t sign your name.” Iris frowned. “Why not?” “Mystery,” Sherloque mused. “J’aime ça.” “Exactly Shirley. At the end of the day we have to figure out who wrote the card.” “Valentine’s Day Lottery!” Cisco exclaimed suddenly, his thrown pen clattering to the ground, forgotten. “That’s it. That’s the name.” Barry shrugged, thinking it over. “That doesn’t sound so bad. Could be fun?” Caitlin smiled, “It would be very sweet to do, Ralph. We could all do with a little positivity. I say why not?” Ralph grinned at Caitlin and gave her a high five. “See? Caitlin Snow, everyone. She’s the best. A literal angel. Thanks girl.” Caitlin smiled at the praise, sharing it with Cisco, who was ready with a wink. She rolled her eyes playfully. “No problem.” Ralph urged them all to tear off pieces of paper to write their names so they could draw right away. Sherloque, Barry, Cisco, Iris, Caitlin and Ralph all participated, stuffing their names in Sherloque’s hat. One by one they were then called up by Ralph to pick the lottery, closing their eyes and looking away as they grabbed one of their friend’s names. The silence was slightly awkward as everyone fumbled around each other, now painfully aware they all had to keep a secret, knowing they’ve never been particularly good at it. Once Caitlin slipped her lottery into her lab coat, the very last crumpled name in the hat, the show was over and they all dispelled to continue working on tracking Cicada’s next move. ♡ Cisco got Iris. He folded the paper into his fist and walked out, heading to his workshop. “Hey man, wait up.” Cisco turned to see Barry jogging after him. “Who’d you get?” Cisco stared at him blankly, but Barry continued, nudging his shoulder with his sharp elbow. “C’mon, man. Who’d you get?” “This isn’t how the game is supposed to work. What if I have you?” “Do you?” Cisco crossed his arms. “What’s the point?” Barry looked a little smug. “Well, I was hoping to pick Iris but I have Caitlin—“ Before Barry could finish that sentence, Cisco snatched the scrap of paper out of Barry’s hand, throwing his own at him. Barry looked down at Iris’s scrawl and smirked. “Glad to do business with you.” “How did you know?” “I didn’t.” Barry sped off, not giving Cisco any time to respond. Barry could be weird like that, especially when it came to Iris. But Cisco didn’t care this time, Barry’s quirkiness working to his benefit. He opened the little paper with Caitlin’s name on it and smiled to himself. He tucked it gently into his pocket and began whistling a popular song on the radio. ♡ On Tuesday, February 12th, Team Flash had a completely, regular, ordinary day. As regular as Team Flash could get, all of them sneezing, wheezing and itching irritated eyes from excess pollen. The flower power meta they defeated had germinated at least three million dandelion seeds into Central City’s atmosphere and Caitlin was still picking fluff out of her hair hours later. Cisco was laughing, watching Ralph’s allergies making his nose stretch five feet as Barry sneezed repetitively, zig zag crashing into furniture from the force of it. Cisco hopped off his desk when Caitlin groaned, exasperated. “Just wash it,” he suggested, flicking more of it off her scalp. “Or not. I have to admit, it’s pretty adorable. Caitlin Snow, flower child.” She looked up at him and scowled. “It is not. It’s ridiculous, is what it is. And I just washed it this morning.” “So that’s why it smells so good,” he mused. He took another sniff. “Or maybe it’s the lily petals you’ve still got stuck there.” “Nooo,” she whined. “I thought I picked those out.” “Let me help.” She passed him her brush and he stood behind her, taking her silky hair and brushing it out smoothly. Caitlin leaned her elbow against her desk as Cisco played hairdresser, relaxing like a petted cat. It was lovely, and her attention faded, drifting up into the clouds in a mindless haze. “You know what you should do?” he asked, blowing more fluff into her face. “That you don’t anymore?” She wrinkled her nose, breaking out of the spell. “What?” “Wear ponytails.” “I wear ponytails,” she argued, amused. He ran his fingers through her hair. “But not enooooooough. It’ll solve your issue. Everyone knows you tie your hair back in a fight.” He sounded very insistent, so she satisfied him. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Ralph staggered forward then, miserable, and begged Caitlin for some softer tissues. She asked Ralph to hand her the purse she left in the corner of the Cortex as Cisco kept picking twigs out of her hair. He plopped them into the little garbage bin she had sitting on her lap. “Wait…” she said, after noticing a pattern to his light tugs. She tilted her head up to quirk an upside down eyebrow at him, “Are you braiding it?” “Shhhhhhhhh. It’s soft,” Cisco shushed her, tapping her head back upright so that he wouldn’t be making his braid lopsided. Ralph passed her the bag and she rummaged for the Puffs with extra lotion, finding it in an interior zipper. “There you go,” she smiled, handing it to him. Ralph moaned through his obnoxiously nasal tone. “You’re a godsend.” She wiped at her watery eyes herself, then looked around at her friends all suffering, cringing when Barry sneeze-slammed particularly violently into the wall, glad that she gave him elbow and knee pads to soften any blows. “Cisco,” she asked slowly. “Why aren’t you affected?” “I was wearing my Vibe goggles, remember?” he answered. “....And antihistamines.” They all had antihistamine. That didn’t add up. She narrowed her eyes, even if he couldn’t see it. “...How many?” “Too many,” Cisco mumbled into her hair. That explained his funny giddiness. He was drugged up on Allegra. “Cisco! That’s not safe!” “Not the whole bottle,” he was quick to defend. “Just...Uh, almost half of the spare you keep in your cabinet?” She tried not to panic, wondering if she had the number for poison control. She racked her brain for intoxication symptoms associated with over-the-counter drug abuse. “Do you feel drowsy? Dizzy? Blurry vision?” “Not yet!” he replied rather cheerfully, but she couldn’t help notice the hoarseness to his voice, a symptom of dry throat. And a weird side effect of allergy medicine. Caitlin crossed and uncrossed her legs, shifting the bin on her lap, and made herself roll her eyes. She considered his answer. He did seem to be fine for now and she knew he would never lie to her about something serious if she asked, not after what they went through with the shrapnel in his hands. He probably wasn’t in any immediate danger. “So, hey, what are you doing on Thursday?” Caitlin felt like laughing, confused by the random question. Drugged Cisco was just like Drunk Cisco: Not making any sense. “Um, going to work. Like every day?” “Anything special?” She frowned. Oh, that was right. It was Valentine’s Day. She shook her head, feeling his nails move with it. “You would have already known about it if I did. Aren’t you done, yet?” Cisco laughed, but didn’t stop with the brush. “Oh, yeah. I was done ten minutes ago.” Ralph interjected from his corner. “Caitlin, you’re going to the Lottery Reveal! I’m making it a whole party and everything.” Caitlin dropped the bin back to the floor and folded her hands neatly. “That’s what I’m doing, then.” Her eyes trailed across the room, watching Barry catch his breath in the corner, finally calming down from his bout. “What about you?” she tried to say casually. “Do you have special plans?” “Yes, I do,” Cisco confirmed. Caitlin lost some of her smile, and she swallowed, looking at her nails. “That’s nice. I hope it goes well.” “So do I,” he said roughly, sounding sleepy. He placed his palm at the back of Caitlin’s neck. The room got too hot, and Caitlin was worried that Cisco might actually be overdosing after all, so she got off her chair. The conversation switched over to Cicada. Caitlin was relieved. Ralph and Barry talked strategy as she took Cisco to the Med Bay to check him over, flicking her braided hair over her shoulder as she led the way. ♡ On Thursday, February 14th, Caitlin found her Valentine’s Day lottery card on her desk. She opened it, read it, and sat down heavily in her office chair, nearly moved to tears. She read it again, feeling tingles all the way down to her toes. She curled her fingers into the letter protectively, like if she didn’t cling to it tightly it would grow wings and fly away. When Caitlin picked Sherloque, she decided on giving him a nice simple letter of appreciation with a special touch of writing it in French. She put some effort into it, specifically a lot of time conjugating verbs she forgot had such complicated endings, but it was simply a cute card that took her less than half an hour to finish. This was something else entirely. What she got wasn’t a Valentine's Day card. It was a masterpiece. Cisco walked into her lab, first knocking on her door lightly. He gasped, “A ponytail!” Caitlin’s free hand flew to her head, having forgotten she’d followed his styling advice. “Yeah,” she said distractedly, still feeling flooded with sentiment, staring down at the Times New Roman font, blinking away the blurriness of her emotional tears. “You look happy,” he commented, “You must’ve gotten a nice letter.” Caitlin looked up at him, a wobbly smile spreading across her face. She brushed away a stray tear, wondering why he was stretching. “I did. It was lovely, and, poignant, and, um, very inspiring.” “...Inspiring?” His arms dropped to his sides. Caitlin nodded. “Do you think Iris wrote it to empower me? That’s so sweet. I know we’re supposed to wait until the end of the day, but this letter is so beautiful, I should thank her right away.” She stood up, gathering her purse and throwing out the waste bin from her lab into the bio-sink. Cisco grabbed her wrist. “What makes you say it was Iris?” Caitlin thought about it. “Well, she’s the writer, she’s the one who could compose something as eloquent and powerful as that.” She squeezed his arm as she passed him, rushing off to go find her. She missed the way Cisco’s confused smile froze in place, how he wrapped his arms around himself and frowned very deeply. ♡ Caitlin belatedly realized she should have asked Cisco to breach her to Iris’s newspaper office when she hit traffic south of Killmare street. Parking was tight, but she found a spot right around the corner. She ran up the steps two-by-two and burst into Iris’s still pretty baren brand new office, giving her a giant hug. “Woah, Caitlin.” Iris closed her laptop, and awkwardly patted her back. “What’s wrong?” “What’s wrong?” Caitlin repeated, stepping back. “Nothing’s wrong! The Valentine’s Day Lottery! That was the most thoughtful, caring thing anyone has ever said to me in a very long time!” Iris brushed some hair out of her eyes, still caught off guard. “You need to rewind a bit. I’m really confused.” Caitlin swatted Iris’s shoulder, “Oh, come on, Ralph’s game will be over in a few hours anyway. No need to play dumb.” “I’m not playing dumb, Caitlin. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Caitlin’s smile fell off her face, realizing Iris wasn’t lying. “...You didn’t pick me for the lottery?” Iris shook her head. “No.” Caitlin didn’t understand. “But you’re the journalist. I thought...” She trailed off, frowning a little, looking out the wide window. She could see the roof of Star Labs from here. Her hand went to her peacoat jacket and held on tightly to the folder paper. Iris tapped her polished desk with her manicured nails, clearing some cluttered police report copies about the murder of Grace Gibbons’s parents out of the way. “Show me the card.” Caitlin didn’t exactly want to, now that she knew it wasn’t written by Iris. Those words were for her eyes only. And whoever gave them to her. But Iris was the investigative journalist, and she was her closest woman friend. She’d probably be able to help figure out who it belonged to. Caitlin pulled it out of her pocket. She watched as Iris scanned it, lazily at first, but then she scooted her chair in, leaning closer to the paper with focus. “What?” Caitlin asked her, when Iris returned it looking a little flushed. “Honey, this is a love letter. Read it again.” “What? No, it isn’t!” “Caitlin. That was more heartfelt than my own wedding vows.” She stared down at the words on the page, going over it again. Iris was right, and Caitlin began to startlingly realize that she was very mistaken in believing that ‘inspiring’ was the most appropriate adjective to describe what was in her hands. Every sentence Caitlin first interpreted as purely friendly was suddenly not so, each word, each phrase dipped with passion, longing, and a deeply intimate tenderness. It was romantic. Caitlin felt the ground tilt beneath her feet. “But nobody on Team Flash is in love with me!” Caitlin cried, starting to feel a little hysterical. How was this possible? Barry and Iris were happily married, Sherloque only fell in love with the same woman over and over again and— “Ralph!” she exclaimed out loud, then recoiled, horrified. “Oh, god.” Iris blinked. “Um, you think it’s Ralph?” Caitlin saw the last twenty months or so flash before her eyes. All of the creepy flirting about her measurements before he shaped up, his checking up on her, the advice he kept giving her. In fact, he was very blunt about his crush on her Frost. He was the one who found her father’s faked death certificate unprompted. Caitlin covered her hand with her mouth, he even went with her to go visit her mother. “It has to be! He called me an angel on Monday. Oh my gosh. And — And a godsend on Tuesday!” Iris opened her mouth, then closed it. “Um,” she said again. “You don’t like Ralph, do you?” Caitlin’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Iris!” Iris held her hands up defensively, “Just checking! What are you going to do?” “I don’t know,” Caitlin said as she paced the floor. She checked her watch. Screw the sulphate fusions Barry asked her to do today, her Cicada plans have now been officially thrown out the window. “What do you think I should do?” Iris opened her laptop again, booting the system. “I dooon’t knooow,” Iris drawled. “Well, that’s not helpful!” Iris turned to Caitlin. “I’m sorry, Caitlin. I appreciate you coming here and for this chat, I do, but considering I’m not a prodigy genius or have any superspeed, I’m going to need some time to piece together my next article before we congregate back at Star Labs for the Lottery Reveal.” Caitlin looked around the new space, becoming self-aware. What Iris said was true. She just flew into Iris’s work office uninvited, interrupting her while she was busy. She picked her purse back up from the floor. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll go back to Star Labs.” “Don’t be, I hope you figure it out soon. I’ll see you later.” Caitlin threw a thanks over her shoulder, and hurried her way out. ♡ She almost bulldozed over Cisco in the hallway on her way in, distracted in her haste, thinking of ways to firmly reject Ralph without hurting his feelings. She tripped into him, and he held her steady as she teetered in her heels. “Oh, there you are. You okay?” She looked into his warm familiar eyes, feeling relief, so glad to have found him. “You have to help me!” Cisco was still holding her as he answered, listening intently. “With what?” “You need to help me turn Ralph down!” “What.” It came out all in one whooshed breath, not even a question. Bland. She veered him to the right so she could explain, pressing the hidden switch that unlocked the Time Vault. “Ralph is in love with me,” she hissed, her ponytail whipping violently behind her as she gripped Cisco’s arm. Cisco bristled. “He better not be.” Caitlin didn’t hear that, too busy trying not to panic. Cisco ran a hand through his hair, getting stressed by Caitlin’s franticness. “Why are you freaking out?” “Because I don’t love Ralph, Cisco!” He fidgeted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Okay. Good to know... And why exactly do you think Ralph is in love with you? Did he tell you that?” “Yes!” Cisco grew quiet, “He did?” Something dark washed over his expression, his gaze said something Caitlin couldn’t quite understand. She could hardly comprehend how Ralph fell for her either, but he wasn’t the devil, there was no need for Cisco to amass pitchforks and rouse an angry mob. Though she could see why he might want to. Hunter and Julian ended terribly the moment love confessions started pouring out, but they both had red flags about them they should’ve seen from miles away, and Ralph, the reformed Ralph, hasn’t ever given them any reason to worry. “Well, not exactly,” she admitted. “Not directly. But his language, his words. And once Iris mentioned the love letter I started to think about Sherloque and his doppleganger ex-wives. I pieced it together after that.” Cisco leaned against the silver wall of the Time Vault, waiting for Caitlin to finish rambling. “Take a breath, Caitlin. Start from the beginning.” She did, exhaling deeply. “I went to Iris. She didn’t write it. The Valentine’s Day card. She said it was a love letter.” Cisco let out an “Ahhhh,” understanding her, now. “You think Ralph wrote you a love letter.” “I know, I know, it’s crazy,” she wrigned her hands. “How am I going to tell him I don’t return his feelings nicely?” He snorted, “It doesn’t have to be nice. Just tell him no and get on your way.” “I don’t want to crush him, Cisco! Not on Valentine’s Day. He’s sensitive. This is probably why he came up with this idea in the first place. Think about it. He wanted a way to be able to confess his feelings anonymously. This was the perfect set up to do that. And he was the one holding the hat. Maybe he never put my name in it.” “Hey, hey,” he said, not liking the way she was biting her nails with worry. If she conspired any more she might start linking this to illuminati. “Don’t stress, okay? Talk to Ralph. He’s a big boy, he can take it.” She nodded, looking up at him through her lashes when he tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear, comforted as always by Cisco’s encouragement. He always believed in her. “Yeah?” Cisco pushed himself off the wall and opened the door. “Absolutely.” “Will you come with me?” Cisco made a face. “Oh, Caitlin. I would. But I have to work on the blueprints for the reverse dagger. I think this is something you need to do alone.” He rubbed her shoulder affectionately, his hand lingering there for an extra moment. “Hey, Caitlin,” he said softly. She met his gaze, wondering why he sounded a little forlorn. “Yes?” He gave her a small smile. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Caitlin bit her lip, watching him breach away before she could say it in return. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Cisco,” she mumbled quietly to herself, alone in the hallway. She straightened up, squaring her shoulders, and ignored the dread settling in her stomach like stones. ♡ Ralph was in the lounge, decorating for the Lottery Reveal. She walked in slowly, leaning her elbow against the counter of the island, watching him stretch his arm up to stick heart balloons to the ceiling. “Who do you think gave you your card?” He spun around, not expecting to see her there. “Hi, Caitlin. That’s a nice sweater. Dressed for the occasion, I see.” She looked down at her red sweater dress. Yes, she thought so too this morning. Ralph had always complimented her style. It used to make Caitlin feel nice. Now it made her nervous. “I dunno,” he continued, answering her question. “I was thinking it was Barry, but now I think it might be Iris. Does she make a lot of grammar mistakes?” “You’re asking me if the one person out of our friend group who has a degree in journalism can spell?” “Well, when you put it like that…” He chuckled. “I guess it must be Barry then.” He stuck the last inflated balloon from the batch and threw an empty plastic bag into the recycling. “Did you know Star Labs has a bunch of Valentine’s Day decor in the storage room? I only had to buy the balloons.” “H.R,” Caitlin reminisced, remembering he was before Ralph’s time. That was the last time they did anything like this, even though that was for his eccentric Friends Day. It was a pretty similar concept. H.R. even made them all cards. She thought H.R. and Ralph would have gotten along. “Huh? Star Labs Human Resources?” “No no. A man we used to work with. That was his name.” “Oh. Okay.” Caitlin swallowed. Was that jealousy? She winced at what was to follow. She really really hated deliberately causing people pain. She stared at her own hands, unable to look him in the face. “Look, Ralph—“ “Do you mind holding this for me?” It was a red streamer. She took it hesitantly, walking to the corner of the room he wanted her to hang it up. He unravelled the rest, going to the opposite end. It said ‘be mine be mine be mine be mine be mine be mine’ on it and Caitlin prayed this wasn’t some sort of subtext. “Ralph,” she found herself saying, pinning the streamer to the wall. “You’ve become a good man, and a great friend. I am very proud of you.” “I—Wow—“ “—And I’m so flattered that you think I’m breathtakingly beautiful, I really am. Your words touched my heart. But I don’t have feelings for you and I never will. I’m sorry.” The streamer fell to the floor between them, slipping out of Ralph’s extended hand. He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. She left the streamer half taped up, walking to him. She took his hand after hesitating, unsure if he could handle her touch. “Ralph, please forgive me. I know how it feels to love someone who doesn’t love you back the way you want.” He looked at their joint hands and pulled his away. “I’m not in love with you, Caitlin.” Caitlin’s lips parted but no sound came out. Ralph waved a hand over her face. “Hellooooo? You need me to say it again? I’m not in love with you. Stop looking like you’re in a tank with King Shark.” Caitlin blinked, coming back to herself. “No! But that’s not possible! You have to be!” Ralph chuckled, tilting his head. “Uh?” She listed all of her points on her fingers, “You think what I wear is pretty, and you give me nicknames, and you came with me to interrogate my mom!” Ralph sat down on the couch, clearly needing some support. “One, I call you pretty because you are. So is Iris. And Cecile. And Nora. It’s just a fact, Caitlin, I don’t cry myself to sleep over it.” He shook his head, “Two, Cisco gives you nicknames first, I just copy him, and three, I’m both a detective and your friend. I do the nice things I can for you because I like you.” Caitlin opened her mouth to argue— “— As a friend. It’s like I said, before I met you guys I had nobody.” He reached for a new bag of balloons and took a deep breath to blow one up. “But you wrote me that wonderful letter!” Ralph gasped, a blast of air attacking his esophagus. He coughed as the balloon noisily flew to the floor. “Oh. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. I swear you were not my Valentine’s Day Lottery.” This was an absolute disaster. Ralph swore to himself, appalled, “Damnit, I broke the rules to my own damn game.” Caitlin was so frustrated she felt like she was about to cry. Her hands went to her hair, extremely close to pulling at it, desperate. “Ralph, if it wasn’t you, then who was it?” “Your card was romantic?” She nodded miserably. “I felt so special reading that message. Now I’m starting to wish I never got it.” Ralph grimaced. “Caitlin, you know I will never be as smart as you, but this is simple logic. I’m begging you. Please just think about this.” She sank down on the couch next to him, burying her head in her hands. “Ralph I’m so embarrassed. Can we please please forget that this conversation ever happened?” He checked her side with his shoulder, nearly knocking her over. “Done, sister.” She spared him a glance, still blushing red with mortification. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I guess I’m glad I’m not breaking your heart.” Ralph shrugged, “I mean, if you did, I have my book to get me through it. It works every time.” Caitlin huffed a laugh staring at her hands in her lap. “The Book of Ralph never fails.” “Wait…” Ralph said. Caitlin looked up. “Are you in love with someone?” Caitlin’s throat went dry and she immediately broke eye contact, reaching for the deflated pink balloon left abandoned where it landed. She stretched the latex in her hands, jittery. “No. Why?” Ralph pointed at her triumphantly. “Ha! Frost lies the exact same way!” “No,” Caitlin said again on reflex, then wished she could stuff those words back into her mouth. “Yes, she does. What, are we just going to pretend you didn’t tell me you know how it feels to have unrequited love?” “That’s not what I said,” she insisted, “I said I know how it felt to be vulnerable!” Ralph was looking way too amused for Caitlin’s comfort. “That’s not what you said.” She should’ve kept quiet. She should have ran out of there the moment she realized she grossly screwed up with Ralph and her letter. Caitlin jumped up, snapping her fingers, desperately wanting to change the subject. And then she realized, she didn’t have to. “Unrequited love! That’s it! It’s Sherloque.” Ralph stared at her. And she didn’t like it. Couldn’t stand the fear creeping over her skin at Ralph possibly learning her secret. “...You lost me.” “Sherloque. He’s trying to get over Renee with me.” She made a face. “Oh dear.” Ralph shared her cringe. “Shirley? The hots for you? Really?” Caitlin sighed. Somehow she felt breaking it to Sherloque that she didn’t want to be his cherie wouldn’t be so bad. “Let’s get it over with.” “Me?” Ralph exclaimed, “I can’t go anywhere. I have heart shaped cookies in the oven.” Caitlin groaned, forcing herself to shuffle out of the lounge. “Wish me luck, Ralph.” “Uh, yeah. You sure need it.” ♡ Cisco saw a blur of red knit, and called out to stop Caitlin from twisting an ankle. “Caitlin! Did you, uh, talk to Ralph?” She didn’t stop running, but her voice carried down the corridor as she tossed her head over her shoulder after passing him. “I’m so sorry, Cisco, we’ll talk later, I have to go!” He stood there trying to understand what happened, pretty sure he had whiplash. There was only so much more of this Cisco could handle before he’d explode. ♡ He does, in fact, explode. ♡ “Barry!” Cisco all but marched into the Speed Lab minutes later, where Barry was running laps. Barry came to a screeching halt in front of Cisco. “Yeah?” “I”m done,” he burst out, vibe blasting one of the Star Labs coat racks in the corner where they kept their workout crewnecks. The stand went crashing to the floor. Cisco blasted it again, releasing his pent up frustration, and it went rolling. “She thinks it’s Ralph. She thinks it’s fucking Ralph.” Barry was still panting, hands on his knees. Cisco side-eyed Barry’s dramatics. He was the fastest man alive, Cisco would have to be paid a quarter million dollars to believe that actually tired Barry out. Barry made an incredulous noise. “She thinks you wrote the letter for Ralph?” “No! She doesn’t know that I wrote the letter at all!” Barry stood up straight, aghast. “What?” Cisco sat down on the steps, defeated. “She’s my best friend and she didn’t think for one second it could be me.” “Maybe it wasn’t clear enough.” “I threw up rainbows on that thing. Barry, I poured my heart out. It couldn’t be clearer.” “Well, yes, but it doesn’t have your name on it.” Cisco sulked. Barry carted his hand through his hair, trying to come up with ideas. “Buy her roses!” He exclaimed. “A dozen! Sing her Frank Sinatra? And a parade!” Cisco’s voice was dead flat. “A parade?” Barry zipped away. He returned with a single red rose. He threw it at Cisco. His aim was way off, but Cisco reached forward and caught it between two fingers when he stretched. “It’s the last one in Central City. I just checked.” Cisco studied the flower. It was velvet to the touch, red with a water droplet or two hidden in a crevice. “What if she doesn’t love me, Barry?” Barry was quick to sit next to his best friend, ready to pull up the pep talk he’s had saved for this moment for many years. “Dude, come on. You’re the most important person in her life.” “That doesn’t mean she loves me,” Cisco snapped. “I thought I was ready to deal with it when I wrote the letter, but maybe I was kidding myself. Was probably still high on antihistamine.” His laugh was a little watery, and he glanced at the clock. “I thought we’d be together by now.” Barry stopped and levelled him straight. “Did you mean the things you wrote about her?” “Of course I did.” “And do you still now?” “Barry, yes. Look, this isn’t about Ralph’s game, or Valentine’s Day. It’s bigger than that. It was a long time coming.” “Then that’s what you have to tell her. Straight up. Look her in the eyes and say, ‘Caitlin, I love you.’” Cisco nodded to himself, knowing it was true. But that didn’t make it easy, no matter how something as simple as how much she meant to him should be. He lifted his gaze and shared a secret with his best friend. “You know I’ve never told her that? I think I came up with everything under the sun these past few years except those exact three words.” “How come?” “They get stuck in my throat. I was always afraid that if I said it, even just in a friendly way, she’d see right through me, and know what I really mean. I’ve kept this buried for so long. It’s almost like, these feelings for her I’ve kept private are a part of me and I’ve tricked myself into pretending that’s where they belonged. But then I...I wrote the letter. Once it was all out on paper, I knew it would be impossible to go back to pretending.” Barry patted him on the back. “Cisco, take a chance. You already made it halfway, just take it home. Then you’d have done your part. The rest is up to her.” Cisco nodded, twirling the rose stem. Barry stood up, “Listen, I gotta go pick up Iris’s present before she comes back from the newspaper. Will you be alright?” Cisco closed his eyes, inhaling sharply through his nose, gathering his courage once again. “Yeah. I’m going to go find her.” ♡ Caitlin knocked on Sherloque’s station. He was squinting at a monitor, looking very concerned over some ancient greek symbols. “Ah, Dr. Snow, vas-y, come in.” He turned the computer off, giving her his full attention. She sat on a stool across from him. “How’s your day going, Sherloque?” “Fine, thanks to your kind words.” She blinked, having forgotten that he was her lottery pick. “You knew it was me,” she said, although she wasn’t quite sure why she was surprised. This was Sherloque, after all, he noticed these things in his sleep. “Bien sur,” he responded, “Those verb tenses were near perfect.” She ducked her head, “I tried.” He hummed, tapping his nose, “But you’re not here for that.” “No,” she replied. “Sherloque, did you write this letter?” She unearthed the card from her coat, handing it him. “Because if you did, I think we need to talk.” He took it from her, reading it as he stroked his beard. “Mon dieu,” he muttered. “This has so much passion.” Caitlin blushed. “Have you read it?” He asked rather bluntly. Caitlin huffed, affronted. “Of course I read it! I must have read it at least six times!” “Non,” he argued, “À la voix haut, Doctor Snow. Out loud. It will help you.” He raised an eyebrow challengingly, and their eyes locked, tense. This felt like a test. The crisp paper crinkled under her touch. She swallowed, staring down at it. “My dearest Caitlin,” she began, “It is late at night and I have written this twenty-five times, trying to say what I want to perfectly. It has only now dawned on me that I simply can’t. What I feel for you cannot be properly described with words. You are an enigma, Caitlin Snow. A breathtakingly beautiful, intelligent, lovely enigma.” She looked up, and Sherloque gestured for her to continue. She wasn’t sure she could. “Do you feel it yet?” Sherloque inquired. “Feel what?” “Tes rêves." “My dreams?” she translated, a little lost. This letter wasn’t about her dreams. And she wasn’t sure why, but something about Sherloque’s game wasn’t so nice. Still, she soldiered on. “Your hands are lethal, dangerous and cold and yet your eyes melt the hardest hearts. You breathe fire into my life but give frostbite to those you mistrust. I sit and wonder, how could the world’s kindest person be so bold and strong minded.” Her back was turned away from the door, facing Sherloque, so she didn’t see Cisco pass by in the hallway then stop abruptly at the door. She didn’t notice the rose in his hand, the way his mouth quirked up gently. She didn’t notice Sherloque tilting his hat in Cisco’s direction, satisfied with his successful deduction. She didn’t notice Cisco lean against the wall and close his eyes, listening to her talk. Caitlin wasn’t sure why her hands were shaking, why her voice started to crack, “You have taught my life’s greatest lessons. To love, not hate. To stand up when you want to cry. To fight for what you believe in until your dying breath. That good comes to those who wait. That even the worse winters have days of sun, and that you move on. You keep moving on.” “All I could ever hope for—“ Caitlin stumbled over the phrase, realizing she was no longer the only one reciting the letter. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, goosebumps running along her arms under her sweater dress. Someone was speaking along with her. Not Sherloque, who was sitting in front of her, deathly quiet. Not Iris, blocks away in her newspaper office. Not Ralph nearly burning the cookies upstairs. Not him or her or him, either. It was another voice. One she knew very well. Cisco restarted the line along with her, “All I could ever hope for is a life moving on, too.” Caitlin faltered, her throat constricting, heart pounding. She turned around, trembling, and there he was, pushing himself off the wall, coming forward. Her eyes fell back to the letter, and then there was harmony. “Laughing with you. Smiling with you. Saving the world with you. Saving every world with you.” Her cheeks were wet. She touched her face in shock, her own tears at her fingertips. Cisco approached her slowly, expecting her to back away. But she didn't. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but stand still. Cisco took another step and Sherloque took his leave. He knew it off by heart, something inside her screamed, he said every word effortlessly. He said them clearly, strongly, but softly too. She couldn’t speak, but she didn’t have to anymore. Every moment with Cisco she could remember suddenly changed, and the rose-tinted glasses she stubbornly refused to wear opened her eyes, bringing her vision to focus. Every touch on her skin. Like the arms around her shoulder, his hands on her back, the caresses he gave her, his hip checks and how he always leaned to her side. Always sat next to her. Always stood by her. Like the way he always said ‘Us’ and ‘We’. The lingering hands, the deep soulful glances, his winks and grins. His nicknames. His compliments about her hair. His compliments about her everything, actually. How he ran to her the way Barry ran to Iris when fighting metas. How when he vibed with someone he grabbed their shoulder stiffly, but with her, they always clasped hands. How he said her name like it was reverent, sacred, like a prayer. Caitlin. Cait-lin. How after waking up in the Med Bay, her name was always the first on his lips. His sweet devotion and resounding faith in her, not because he saw her as his family, but because she was who he desired. Just like she dreamed and dreamed and dreamed and then pushed away for years now because it would never be. “We are seamless, and honestly do I believe I was made to exist with you. I think about all the memories I cherish, Caitlin, and there’s always you,” Cisco said, the last line coming out in a whisper. It fell silent. When Caitlin looked up, he was right there. Close enough for her to accept the rose, close enough that he could brush away the moisture from under her right eye with his thumb. She pressed the rose stem until her index finger pricked a thorn, but didn’t flinch, her regenerative healing ebbing the cut away. “You wrote it,” she finally said, dumbfounded. He hummed and inched closer, some hair falling in his face as he leaned in so that they were inches apart. “What does it mean?” “What do you think it means?” he murmured. His gaze kept flicking from her eyes down to her mouth and she licked her lips subconsciously. “Say it.” “I just did, Caitlin.” “I need you to say it,” she begged. “Caitlin,” Cisco took a deep shuddery breath. He was expressive, open, his heart on his sleeve. “I’m very much in love with you.” The sentence rang in Caitlin’s ears. A noise escaped from her throat, a quiet whimpered thing. He stepped back, having said his piece. He squeezed both her arms at her side warmly and said, “I’ll see you at the Lottery Reveal, okay?” She blinked and they were no longer a breath apart. This wasn’t a dream or a trick or something Caitlin made up or got wrong. This wasn’t a nightmare or a meta or the speed force or a time remnant or a broken timeline or another earth. These were Cisco’s words both in writing and from his very lips, his revealed heart and soul and body and mind and everything in between. And he loved her. “Wait!” she yelped, unfreezing, realizing he was going away. He turned around and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Cisco hugged her, and she couldn’t help but breathe him in, his strong arms wrapped around her waist. Caitlin buried her face into his hair where it fell over his shoulder, just breathing, feeling his heart beating against her chest for a very long time. He held her tightly, and she was shaking because she was overwhelmed. She couldn’t believe it. The rose fell to the floor and the letter crumpled slightly, smushing against Cisco’s back in their embrace. Eventually the letter joined the flower on the ground as Caitlin forced herself to pull back. It was ridiculously difficult, like tearing two magnets apart. She drank in the crease in his forehead, his jaw, his eyelashes and the beautiful eyes they framed, his cheekbones and then his lips. Her hands trailed up the sides of his face, grazing his soft skin and she saw the effect she had on him, she saw the way he melts. She tilted her head closer and then he was gasping into her mouth. He cupped the back of her head, right below her ponytail, fingers tangling into the baby hair at the nape of her neck. The kiss broke softly, and then there was nothing but the pounding in their ears. Their eyes met, hers shining, his blown back and wide and Caitlin couldn’t help the exceptional smile that naturally followed. He searched her face for something, for an answer to his very important question, and it was up to her to grant it. So she did. She nodded and it was like something in Cisco shattered, his reserve or his years of self-control and he lurched forward, yanking her to him so hard she bent backwards, stumbling and then somehow he had her against the wall, really having his way. His kisses were wild and desperate and Caitlin tried to keep up, drowning in the new sensation of doing this with Cisco, of being ravished and loving every single second of it. He was talking. Mumbling things into her skin as he pushed her hair back, kissing up the slope of her neck. Things like her name and his secrets. Caitlin let out a small cry, thumping her head back against the wall, thrumming under his touch. He stopped and moved his hand to where she bumped her head, pulling away. “Sorry, sorry,” he rushed, fingers feeling for bruises. “You okay? Does it hurt?” She shook herself off and pushed him, kissed him more, walking them forwards, kissing him deeply, kissing him the way he made her feel, hot and loved and alive. Cisco slowed, but Caitlin kept chasing, addicted, stealing kisses from him until it was impossible because he was starting to laugh. He dug his fingers into Caitlin’s hair, blowing a puff of air against her cheek. She felt weak, lightheaded, like she hadn’t ate all day, but this woozy, dizziness was just about the best thing that has ever happened to her. “What’s so funny?” she asked, giggling as his frame shook. “You thought it was Ralph!” Caitlin bit her lip, heat rising, not knowing what to say. “How could you not think it was me?” He was teasing her, but she could detect the hurt beneath the words. She didn’t answer right away and he immediately subdued. She stepped backwards so that he could see her face, and picked up her precious letter from off the floor. “Because,” she said seriously. “Thinking it was Iris and being wrong was confusing. Believing it was Ralph and getting that wrong was embarrassing. With Sherloque it was a relief. ” She let herself be sensitive, honest with both him and herself for once. Her voice wobbled. “But if it was you, Cisco, who I was convinced about, if it was you and I was wrong. That would have broken me. That would have hurt so much.” She was welling up with tears again. “So I didn’t let myself think it at all.” His face softened. “Because,” she continued, “I thought I accepted some time ago that just being your Caitlin, your best friend, would be enough to get me by, but that’s just not true.” “Caitlin,” he said. “I didn’t know. I wish I did. I should’ve just told you in the beginning when you didn’t get it. I’m sorry.” She shook her head, reaching for him again. “I was silly to think it could be anyone but you.” She let herself be kissed, her eyes fluttering closed, smiling against his lips. “The party's just about to— Woaaaah.” They sprang apart, caught. “Guess you found out who was in love with you after all, huh, Caitlin?” Caitlin blushed, and Cisco pulled her to his chest, glaring. “Go away Ralph,” he all but growled. “We’re going home.” “You can’t go home!” he exclaimed, “It’s the Valentine’s Day Lottery Reveal! You have to show up. Tell him, Caitlin.” They both ganged up on Cisco, giving him matching pleading looks. “The cookies, Cisco,” she pouted. “And you need to guess who wrote yours!” He was unable to resist her, not with the way she snuggled closer, blinking her eyelashes up at him. “Wow okay, you’re playing dirty and I don’t know how I feel about it.” Caitlin twirled a lock of her hair from the ponytail all askew, “You wanna see me play dirty? Come with me to the party and you’ll find out,” she flirted, not knowing where the hell that came from or even meant, but the way his pupils widened gave her a pretty good idea that Cisco liked it. “Fine!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “Fine, we’ll go to the Lottery Reveal!” Caitlin and Ralph cheered. ♡ Cisco was feeding Caitlin heart shaped, red dyed cookies at the island in the lounge as Ralph clapped his hands. “I’ll go first, Barry thank you for your card.” Barry laughed, “Nah, dude. Wasn’t me. I know you’re mine though.” “How’d you know it was him?” Iris asked where she was sitting on Barry’s lap, still admiring the necklace he bought her. “It said ‘thank you for saving me from DeVoe.’” He gave Ralph a very pointed look. Ralph scoffed, “That could’ve been anyone here.” “Bien non. But it was you,” Sherloque interjected playing with a balloon. “Are we wrong?” “No,” said Ralph, shaking his strawberry shake. “So then who wrote mine?” “Moi!” Sherloque said, stealing the last cookie from the plate. “Puis la mademoiselle Caitlin wrote mine.” Caitlin smiled around her mouthful, half distracted as Cisco’s fingers brushed the crumbs off her lips. She wasn’t even sure he was paying any attention to what was going on around them at all. “And we all know who wrote Caitlin’s,” Iris said, and they all turned around to stare at them. Caitlin swallowed the last bit of cookie and kissed Cisco’s cheek. “Yes, well. It might’ve taken me all day but at least I got a boyfriend out of it.” “Hell yeah you did,” Cisco responded. He took her hand and tangled their fingers together, kissing it. “Who do you think had you, Cisco?” Ralph prompted him. Cisco didn’t hear him, and Caitlin had to nudge him out of his lovesick stupor. “Huh?” “Your Valentine,” Caitlin reminded him, touching his face. “You,” he gushed. Caitlin’s cheeks burned as Team Flash laughed. “No, sweetheart, I mean who wrote your letter?” Iris, having had enough of this whole game the moment she found out her husband rigged the lottery, rose her voice. “It was me! I wrote his letter! Not that he’ll even remember it. You’re welcome, Cisco.” She stood up and pulled Barry off the chair, dragging him out the room. “Party’s over. I really want to go home with my husband, can we leave now?” ♡ When Cisco vibed Caitlin to his apartment, she was surprised to find the dining table all nicely set up. “Is this for me?” He hummed and turned on the stove to heat the food. “It’s like I said on Tuesday,” he said, pointing his wooden spoon at the chair for her to sit down. He pushed her in and gave her a fancy tablecloth to place over her lap. “I had special plans.” “Oh,” Caitlin replied, feeling a little stupid. She watched him pull out a bottle of wine and light some candles. “What would you have done if this didn’t go well?” Cisco folded his arms over his chest. “Then I would’ve had a very awkward Valentine’s Day date with Ralph.” He came forward and sat across from her at the table. Caitlin couldn’t help giggling at that image, of Ralph stuck in her place, and cursed it ever crossing Cisco’s mind. He watched her as she laughed into her napkin, eyes full of light. She sobered and placed her chin in her hand, elbow next to her cutlery, mirroring Cisco’s look of incandescent happiness. It fell silent, and Cisco’s dinner simmered on the stove. “Lucky Ralph,” she whispered. Cisco’s face glowed amber in the candlelight. It was playful and ardent and hot. “No.” His finger went under her jaw, tilting it up slightly. Caitlin’s breath caught in her throat, holding his burning gaze until the moment she surrendered, eyelashes fanning closed as she was kissed and he murmured, “Lucky me.”

#killervibe #Valentine's day #the flash #Cisco ramon #Caitlin snow #tkv fic #fluff #holiday fic

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postcards-to-home · 6 years

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Finding Happiness & Beating the Odds.

Being away from home is all fun and games until a wave of sudden discomfort and solidarity wash over you and you can’t quite figure out how to sort yourself out. Seeking happiness and banning the “weird feelings” should be easy right? No mess or fuss from home to linger about all wonky. Minds do this thing where they get triggered. One minute you're laughing under the cherry blossom tree thinking about how beautiful it is to walk home from the grocery store alone in the sunshine and then all of a sudden- Bam. You're tearing up at the hues of pink gathering darkest in the middle wondering how much your nan or in this case my gram would have loved to gather them all together and make a nice vase of them. But then you remember that was four years ago and a million and one things came streaming on after those sad winter days.

And then I get thinking about how maybe Emily, and Grace and I would have taken the most epic picture at the Manly Northhead point at sunset and I wonder how many pages deep Grace is into studying for the Mcat or how many times Emilys re-done the same lines on photoshop that night. Oh right they are probably asleep right now- well actually I bet one of them is up. Nevermind they didn’t answer my FaceTime call. The next day I get an amazing text from Grace saying God has blessed her in her time of need and all I want to do is drive fast on Western ave hitting green lights listening to Lorde’s new album hoping I reach her place at exactly the time I told her. Its a game we have seeing if I can show up exactly on time since we know she’s never able to do the same.

Or I get thinking” damn I hope this summer Emily stays home for two weeks so I can see her at least twice since I know I’ll be working at shit hole Stewart’s again.Maybe we can go thrifting if we have the money and we can do a cool photoshoot for old times sake,” and my thoughts trail off one by one about all the people I love and the silly small things we do together that make us smile with happiness.

I am happy. It is something I no longer have to tell myself these things. I wake up and know each day is new and fresher than the day before. I do not struggle to let my bare feet hit the floor, or in this case my desk from the top bunk. I do not cough and heave and wonder aloud why my chest hurts so much or my stomach feels so empty because I skipped the dining hall again because it was far too cold and im slightly socially anxious to go with out someone like Jay. Oh how horrible right boo-hoo me and my woes.Drake could probably write a number one hit off my basic ass bitching. in other words being far from home teaches immense lessons. Growing up is easy- the hard part is dealing with all those stupid thoughts we have and can’t control.

It’s so easy to feel triggered yet no one wants to talk about it? WHY? Emotions are so scary but so liberating.The moments we feel so sad are the times when we are so happy we truly notice them.It’s like benchmarking in business. If you didnt have something to compare it to you wouldn't have known it was possible to exist just like our feelings.That’s how my mind has been working. Comparing everything to a business schematic. Like when I wake up at 3 in the morning with my heart racing with ideas on how to fix Stewart’s Facebook marketing plan because it kinda sucks. I think I may have a problem and an answer to theirs. But the complete rush of ideas is a beautiful thing. To be able to feel so much again when i was feeling so little. It is both terrifying and exciting to be bombarded with ideas on how to just better the people and places around me. Yet excitement is a fleeting feeing like fireworks we coo over and immediately forget about 30 seconds later.

It sounds so crazy to ramble about all these stupid little things. Maybe that’s something we as people don’t indulge in enough. Our small thoughts and how we can project them into bigger and more expansive thoughts.Isn’t that how we find our own inner happiness? Looking at the little things that make up the bigger and brighter parts of who we are and who we wish to become. That’s what’s keeping me so entertained and so awakened towards accepting happiness. Allowing myself to breath relief and knowing it will be all okay.

Oddly enough I had a dream before I came all this way here. I’ve told lots of people this story but i’d like to tell it again. I do this thing where I like to sit in the car and talk to myself. Sometimes I pray for people, or sing but on that particular day I wanted to ask my grandma a very specific question. The question doesn’t really matter at this point.But I was driving the subaru around the reservoir just humming along hoping maybe I’d hear the right song and it would be a sign. Instead I just went home and went to sleep.

I had been at home frantic about said native “Schaghticokians” taking over our back field. This is very irrelevant to the story but quite frankly I was stressed and no one gave a single damn about it. As usual. So I just sort of laid down on our goodliving room floor waiting for the destruction of our home to continue as disgustingly bearded men played beer ping and splashed their dip cups all over our hard wood floor. Their were an obnoxious amount of old people loitering in our house. The christmas tree was up despite it being late january and i knew my mom would of tore that down the minute christmas was over. The people sort of Divided as one specific blonde haired individual in her usual red coat appeared. It’s bizarre but eveytime Gram decided to show up I get really frantic like I know she's going to disappear real quick. So I ran up to her but waited until she loosened her scarf and we hugged and she gave me her usual “ I love and miss you always,” spiel.She told me point blank “ I see you talking in the car to yourself asking me things. You need to stop doing that so often and just relax and follow gods plan.” I literally was actually pissed when she started to walk away and yelled at her for not answering my question exactly. She just smiled and said I really needed to relax more about life because its all going to work out.

I’d like to say that that was the last dead person to contact me after that about relaxing but it wasn’t. I had a few other random strangers of the dead tell me to “ Chill out” and I found myself telling my hairdresser of all people that maybe I was really stressed out. My dreams only continued to get weirder until I came here and they stopped entirely. I didnt have much to stress about except about not being happy and the possibility of never finding it. Would I find happiness out there. Would my room mate suck? Would I be able to eat.. and the list went on.

But you know what? Every stupid little thing worked out.

Which brings me back to the other day.

Down in Corso I picked up a FaceTime from my parents.It was grocery day Alexis and I had stopped to watch a friend of a friend perform a a few songs on the side of the street. She was all googley eyed as he was singing his very popular cover of a famous Ed sheeran song while i was just giggling like a fool the whole time. Smiling I answered with the sounds fading from behind as I walked to the sea to find silence.

“ Are you drunk right now or buzzed? I’m positive you’ve been drinking”

... What an interesting first liner dare I say Yvonne? (She’d have my ass on a plate if I didn’t address her as anything but mom or mommy)

“ Actually this is just me being genuinely happy for once”

..And it was as easy as that..

#pch18

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shorthaircutsmodels · 4 years

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Diane Kruger's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts - 15+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/diane-krugers-short-hairstyles-and-haircuts/ - Diane Kruger's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Surrender to these false ideas and get a. Box of hair colour for a paint job in a small house despite. All the caveats to ignite your inner beauty conscience. Even celebrities who drop a pretty penny on their professional-coloured hair are guilty of the occasional DIY decadence. We're looking at you, Diane Kruger. We try a lot of looks and then decide what the whole look is best. Diane Kruger's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts Diane Kruger's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, We're looking at you. This will provide a light grip with an airy texture. Diane Kruger's Hairstyles and Haircuts Diane Kruger's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Diane Kruger can't do anything wrong to me in the hair and makeup department. It takes him out of the park even when he goes for something really simple and simple. 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I also used the curling iron again, pushing it out of the hair as if it were backfiring. This breaks the ponytail so that the curls are not in it and give it a more relaxed feel. I finally sprayed John Frieda Sheer Blonde Crystal Hold Shape & Shimmer Hairspray into my hands and then ran along a ponytail length. Diane Kruger's Short Hair I find it works much better than spraying it directly into the head and smashing the waves so they have a flawed sense of retrospect, they just find what we want. Chanel Bijoux de Diamant 80 which is the perfect date night look to try this weekend. we saw a simple hairstyle on Diane Kruger at the anniversary party. Sebastian s Professional Lead Stylist told Design Team Member Thomas Dunkin how the style side was swept up in the House. 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The former fashion model decided to wear her glossy blonde locks in a classy hairdo that had bow embellishments down the middle and was the perfect match for her chic dressing ensemble which drew attention to her toned pins. Diane Kruger's Hairstyles Over the Years Medium length blonde hair, bright makeup with a lip color in neon pink complete with a chic hairstyle selection chose to wear, but had striking blue eyes, pink blush and smokey eye shadow. The Unknown star decided to coif her glossy and silky tresses into a stylish short loose waves hairdo. Her hair was parted on the left side and brushed neatly behind her ear as she showcased her stylish ear jewellery. Get Diane Kruger's Messy Bob Her overall locks were left loose to fall over her shoulders in bright and stylish waves. Apply a voluminous foam along your damp locks. Then divide your locks into two-inch sections. Wrap each piece of your hair around a large round mixed Hairy brush as you dry it from roots to tips. Once the section has dried, roll over the two-inch Velcro rollers and secure about two inches of the scalp. Repeat with all sections and leave to stand for five to ten minutes. When the hair feels cool remove from the rollers and gently tousle. Diane Kruger's Changing Looks With your fingers. A few flyaways and tainted strands were the perfect complement to her edgy patent leather skirt and chunky knit sweater in the waves created here or there by celebrity hairdresser Christopher Naselli. To achieve a similar texture, we recommend spritzing already curled hair in a little Kevin Murphy Bedroom hair texturing spray. See all of the recent CANNES action here, Rougemont explains exactly how he created the look. Diane Kruger Curled Out Bob I first sprayed Diane s hair with John Frieda full repair style creator heat active Style Spray and luxury volume thickening blow dry lotion before drying it to create roughly volume. Then I curled the hair with a curling iron but just curled it very softly to create some texture. I didn't want the ponytail to be really tight and straight, so it just gives a bit of body. She then slowly combed the hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. Diane Kruger haircut I tied Diane's hair with a normal band and then covered the band with the kind of elastic stitching you find in her underwear. for more definitions. Then I scanned the ponytail itself, which at this point was perfectly wavy. Earlier this month the actress hit the red carpet for God's love we are absolutely strawberry Mane presented at the Golden Heart Awards with a noticeable change in her signature honey blonde tint. Diane Kruger hair color But apparently this foray into the copper-toned region was as deliberate a result as the brilliant practice of a pharmacy. You can also try this amazing hairstyle for some formal or party occasions. Diane Kruger wears her gold wavy locks in a side-swept ponytail. Loose curls and wavy threads close to the ear colour the look with a sweet vibe. Young women are best suited to this cute and trendy hairstyle. Killer cheekbones can work a thousand looks with ice blue eyes and gorgeous blonde hair by Diane Kruger. Diane Kruger hair colour And we've noticed since she hit our screens in Helen of Troy in 2020 Diane has shown that she can be a fine chameleon queen working in neat updos and elegant hair accessories in effortless curls. Here are Diane Kruger's best hair moments. It's all about this root removal. What made Diane Kruger's signature messy was making Bob one win at a time. The jaw-grazing length has been a favourite of the actress for several years, often wearing at the extreme side part with loose back waves that add to the body and the eternally. Diane Kruger long hair Stylish effortless vibe. He gave another excuse to be fawn over while promoting his new film Fade in the Fade in New York. His side part created a translation of the abundant 90s hair of your dreams at its root. Featuring numerous strands of hair flowing around the face, this loose bun gives Diane Kruger an ethereal earthy look perfectly complemented by a beaded band that adds a hippie chic touch. Diane Kruger hairstyle This loose carefree style emollient is ideal for a strong jawline and well-defined bone structure with features like the Kruger s if you're lucky. The weave we've all loved lately is hard to describe s much simpler look but still beautiful. And hey all it takes is a few hairpins, so even people who think they can't do the hairstyle can pull it off. Diane Kruger is really glamorous with this wavy updo. She gently separates her hair and lets her wavy locks fall down to embrace her face. This is a great hairstyle for Square faces. Diane Kruger Wherever you go, you can always be the brightest person. This bobby pinned updo is pretty cool and charming. DIANE KRUGER s many elegant hair is perhaps one of our favourite aspects of the annual Cannes Film Festival so after spotting her chic ponytail at a Calvin Klein party last night we went straight to her hairdresser Perrine Rougemont to recreate the hint of her look. I also said that at the opening ceremony the actress created an elegant chignon so I wanted something a little bit not too perfect back so I would have Rougemont see the best Cannes hair and beauty I had ever worn in a Diane pink dress.

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d-joana-a-shippadora · 7 years

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Before the Almond Trees bloom

Hello!

Here I am with that Platonic SpaPort! (/owo)/

You can find it here, or in Portuguese.

Have a good reading!

Synopsis: Afonso’s life seemed black as mourning; and rightly so. After the loss of his beloved, the Portuguese close himself from the world. Antonio decided that it was enough and that he had to light up his brother’s life.

Antonio looked again at the dining room door, at a glance, and then at the clock on his cell phone. It was half past eight. He sighed. He wasn't coming to dinner. Again.

"Joel," he called the younger brother while he was seeing the news quietly on the couch. The teenager looked at Antonio. "let's have dinner. He won't come." "Shouldn't we insist?" "Dad said to not to insist." Antonio got up from his chair and checked to see if the dinner was still hot; it wasn't. He had to warm it up. "Well, he also said that we shouldn't come and spend these days here at Poncho's house..."

Antonio felt frustrated with himself; the heart of his older brother was broken and he didn't know what to do. Afonso had always been strong; it was in him that Antonio and Joel supported themselves when something terrible happened. It was he who supported and comforted them. But now... He gave in. His strength faded, mourning seized his body and mind. He was too weak to leave the room and face reality. They didn't know what to do; Antonio and the cousins were spending more hours in the pastry they worked for, founded by their deceased grandfather, to occupy the times when Afonso should be there.

In silence, the two brothers dined, believers that, perhaps, but only perhaps, Afonso would leave the room and join them. But that wasn't what happened. After dinner, Antonio arranged everything on a board and took him to Alfonso's room. He knocked on the door; there's no answer.

"Poncho..." he called out, feeling his core grow heavy. "Open the door."

Antonio had no answer, which distressed him even more. Ignoring the rules of good manners, he opened the door. The Portuguese was tucked into bed in the dark. Maybe he was sleeping. Antonio switched on the lights and set the tray on the dresser. He walked to the window and opened it; that room needed airing.

"Afonso, wake up!" He exclaimed, approaching the bed. There was no answer. "Afonso!" He brushed the covers off. "Get out of this bed or I'll get the fucking bucket of water!" "Oh pah, shut up..." Afonso complained, poking his face into the pillow. It hurt his eyes, already unwonted with the clarity.

The Spaniard analyzed his brother; Afonso was in chaos. His hair, usually so well combed and treated, was messy and full of knots; beneath his green eyes were large dark circles and he seemed to have lost weight. Antonio's heart grew heavy; it was a pity seeing that.

"You have to get up from that bed!" "I don't want…"

The younger sighed in anguish. Seeing that only broke his heart. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the white wall.

"Poncho, I know what you feel," Antonio confided sadly. "But I had someone to hold me. Do you remember when our grandfather died?" There was no answer, but Antonio progressed. "It was you who hug me when I tried not to cry; I pretended to be strong so that Joel and Delfim didn't know what had happened... But you let me cry in your chest, without anyone seeing." The younger one looked at Afonso, but he was still facing the pillow. He sighed. "When dad had that accident and Delfim died, it was you who took care of me and Joel when dad was at the hospital and our mom was at work. You learned how to cook for us, how to iron our clothes..."

Antonio smiled, remembering a shirt Afonso had burned with iron. He had been desperate; had hidden the shirt and waited until Antonio and Joel's mother came to ask what to do. Mireia didn't scold him; she was tired of work, of everything. Done. Her little boy died, the guilt was of her husband .. Viriato was to blame for the death of his boy. Depression blinded her. She was tired of coming home and seeing the son the bastard had with some before her. Why did she have to take care of Afonso too? She was only his stepmother. She felt revulsion at him and Viriato. No, she couldn't take it anymore. She would prepare things to go with her children. She would return to live in Spain with Antonio and Joel. As soon as Viriato left the hospital, Mireia forced him to sign the divorce papers and each one went their own way.

"You kept company to our grandmother when we weren't here." "Why are you telling me this, Tonio?" Afonso sat on the bed, still not looking at his brother. "My company wasn't worth anything." "It wasn't your fault that grandmother died of disgust... Delfim was her favorite grandson, and then she was away from two other grandchildren..." "But I was with her." "Poncho..." "Please don't insist," Afonso asked in a low murmur. "I've already understood that God wants to destroy my life. First my family and now my boyfriend...?" "You're talking like your whole family is dead..."

Afonso finally looked at Antonio and contemplated his sadness. He didn't see the jovial joy he always carried in his face. And the cause was him.

"Sorry, Tonio..."

This time it was Antonio who didn't answer. He had to confess; he hated Afonso's deceased boyfriend, but he would never want death, let alone see his brother in that state.

"Go, eat dinner." Antonio rose from the bed, stretching his legs and smiled; a false and forced smile, but necessary. Afonso knew that. "Then take a shower, you have to. And you have to fix this nest of rats!" "Don't insult my hair!"

Antonio laughed, stammering something that Afonso didn't understand. He wouldn't ask him what he had said; he was relaxed that his younger brother was laughing, and this time it wasn't forcibly. He ate dinner while listening to Antonio talking about the pastry they owned. It wasn't popular yet, but they had regular customers who, according to the youngest, were missing Fonz. He spoke, with more affection, of little Rita, the well-known Ritinha. She missed her Fonfon and the cakes he made especially for her.

"Ah! The next day her first tooth fell and the tooth fairy visited her." He enthused. "She went to buy candy with the money the fairy left for her. She was very happy." "Hm... Too bad I missed that." "If you go to work tomorrow, you'll see her there." "I don't know if I'll go." "Ah..." Antonio didn't want to force his brother to go to work, however, his help would be good since it was a small business and they were doing a Halloween promotion; only four people full time and one part-time wouldn't result because of the slack...

Afonso knew this, but he wasn't ready to leave the house and have to look into the faces of other people who would most likely be asking why he was absent. He finished eating and went to bathe, ignoring the possibility of indigestion. In the bathroom, he thought about life, after all, what another place more pleasant for such a thing than the shower? The warm water that flowed through his body relaxed him and that helped him organize his thoughts. Sebastião, his beloved, wouldn't like to see him like this. He would say, with all certainty, to smile as he always smiled. Your smile makes my problems disappear, that's what the other one told him one winter morning. They lived together; that house reminded him of Sebastião, but he didn't want to move. That would be the same as denying their dear memories together. It was in that house that they swore to live together forever. And so it would be; Sebastião was in the heart and memory of Afonso. Until the end of his life, they would be together. With that somewhat optimistic thought, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around the trunk. He began to dry his hair until the bathroom door was opened by Antonio with a kitchen bench.

"Let me comb your hair!" "But you don't knock on the door anymore?!" "Don't mind that."

He set the bench on the floor and made Alfonso sit on it. Then he took the brush and began to comb his hair; with each brush, Afonso felt pain. He had been sloppy and his hair was terrible.

"Can't you be careful?!" He complained, biting his lip to ignore the pain. "You are the one should have been careful, you idiot." He laughed, fixing a piece of hair with a spring. "But let me tell you, if I solve this disaster, I will work in a hairdresser!" "Don't even dare." Warned Afonso, glaring at Antonio (or rather, his reflection in the mirror). "We need you at the bakery." "And we need you there. So I hope you're better soon to come back to us."

Afonso could not help himself and smiled, feeling his eyes damp. He was thrilled by what Antonio had just said. It had warmed the older man's broken heart. They say, there, that it is the maternal love that heals the broken hearts, nevertheless, in the absence of a mother, nothing better than a brother. They could have their differences, immense even, but in those moments, they helped each other. They were good brethren, despite their quarrels.

"Poncho, are you crying?!" "It's because of you!" he pouted and folded his arms. "Alright, alright.~"

Antonio hugged his brother, consoling him. He massaged his back as he cried, trying to not to make a sound. Although he had cried a lot in recent days, only then did he feel free of the burden of mourning.

The door of the establishment was opened and the bell attached to it announced the entrance of the customers. The little girl, with brown hair and eyes, dressed in witchy clothes, ran to the counter, smiling as if there was no tomorrow.

"Fonz! You're back!"

Afonso looked at her and smiled; the child was happy to see him - she was smiling a lot!

"Ritinha, how are you? I heard you lost a tooth." "Yes, yes!" Rita exclaimed, pointing to where the tooth should be. "Look!" "I see!" "By the way," she tilted her head a little to the side, which made her look lovely. "Why do you have so many braids?"

The older man laughed, half embarrassed. Antonio had exaggerated and made a thousand and one hairstyles; he took advantage of the chance to have a guinea pig with hair as good as Afonso. But the Portuguese eventually had enough, especially because he was only in a towel; he could get sick! That had been the last hairstyle the Spaniard had done to him (and it had been very well, make it clear).

"It was Antonio who made them." He informed her. " Do you like it?" "Yes!" "Do you want him to braid you, too?" "Oh, I want to, I want to!"

Afonso smiled, beaming, and called his brother. He asked to braid Rita and he gladly accepted it. The older man watched them until their cousin, Gonzalo, asked Afonso to change with him; it would now be the Portuguese to cook the cakes.

Normality was returning to the pastry shop Amendoeira.

#JoanaShippadora #Sebastugal #SpaPort #Platonic #Fanfic #Now I'm going to write other stuff #:'v

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nine-or-none-skz · 7 years

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My First And Last - Part 1

Genre: Fluff (some angst later on)

Characters: Jeno x Jaemin featuring the rest of the NCT Dorks

Word Count: 1,730

Summary: Jeno thought that everything in his life was figured out; he was popular, he had great friends, he was the smartest and strongest kid in his grade, he had a loving family. However, when it came to romance Jeno had nothing to say. He never had an interest in dating. Even though almost every girl at his school fell for his striking good looks and charming personality he would always joke about being alone. But all that changed the day that the new kid was assigned to his class...

Jeno quickly made his way to his desk. He had overslept and was almost late to class so he was in a rush. His uniform was disheveled and his black hair was slightly messy. As he sat down he heard a familiar laugh from the desk behind him as he tried to tidy up. He turned his head to face one of his best friends, Haechan.

“What do you think you’re laughing at?” Jeno asked while tucking in his shirt.

“Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen you so messy before. You’re going to disappoint all the girls today,” Haechan said, smirking.

Jeno rolled his eyes. He knew that he and his friends were the center of adoration for most of the female students but they especially loved Jeno.

“I don’t really care about that kind of thing anyway. It doesn’t matter to me what they think,” Jeno said dismissively.

A hand slapped the back of Haechan’s head and the smirk faded from his face and was replaced with a look of irritation.

“What the heck Mark!” Haechan whined.

“That’s what you get for making fun of Jeno. I'm sure all the girls would want to do the same," the blonde boy scolded.

Mark was the class representative, the oldest in his class, and one of Jeno's closest friends.

Mark leaned against Haechan's desk, rubbed the spot where he had smacked Haechan, gently combed his brown hair with his fingers, and softly whispered apologies.

Even when Mark had to set Haechan straight he was always comforting afterward.

"If you two keep acting like that the girls are going to spread rumors that you're dating. I've already heard a few girls gossiping on my way to class," a bright voice chimed in. The voice belonged to the boy that sat next to Jeno, Renjun. He was smiling but he seemed slightly concerned.

"That's alright. Let them talk. Rumors are just rumors anyway," Haechan said smugly.

"Right... Is that why when the girls were spreading rumors about your stupid red hair you dragged us all to the hairdresser to get it re-dyed?" Jisung teasingly asked Haechan.

Haechan threw a paper ball at the boy sitting next to him but Jisung easily dodged it. The ball instead hit a sleeping Chenle on the head and roused him from his nap.

"Why do you guys always do this? I'm trying to sleep..." a tired looking Chenle said while rubbing his eyes.

"Why are you sleeping anyway? Class is going to start soon. You should get up before the teacher walks in," Renjun advised.

"Nah. Miss Han is one of my dad's employees, she wouldn't say anything about me unless she wanted to lose her job," Chenle said, yawning.

"Oh yeah. I always forget that you come from a family of billionaires," Jisung said while rolling his eyes.

Jeno started to tune out his friends' conversation, busying himself with combing his hair with his hands. But as he tuned out his friends he became painfully aware of the girls at the back of the class that were chattering together.

"Jeno!"

"He is so handsome!"

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"If he doesn't, can I have him?!"

He tried to ignore them but two of the girls walked up to him.

"Umm... Jeno?" One of the girls said timidly.

Jeno looked up and gave them a polite smile. He was raised to be a gentleman and he was always polite.

Both the girls started blushing wildly from Jeno's heart stopping smile.

"Uhh... if you need to fix your hair, you can use my brush..." one of the girls offered while pulling a pink brush out of her bag.

"No no. It's okay. I'm not worthy to use such a pretty girl's brush. But thank you for your offer," Jeno politely declined.

"N-no problem! B-bye!" The girl stuttered.

As the two walked away they were softly squealing to each other.

Once the girls left Jeno sighed heavily while all of his friends burst into laughter.

"Oh my god. Jeno, that was priceless!" Haechan laughed.

"The best part was 'I'm not worthy to use such a pretty girl's brush,'" Chenle said while laughing with his high pitched voice.

"I swear Jeno, you are going to give all the girls the wrong impression of you," Renjun said while softly chuckling and sweeping his red hair out of his eyes.

They were all cracking up but at that moment the teacher walked in. Everyone that was standing quickly headed to their seats. When Miss Han stood behind the podium Mark, being the class rep, stood and addressed the class.

“Pay Attention to Miss Han. Everyone bow,” Mark instructed. The class did as Mark said and greeted the teacher. Miss Han motioned for Mark to take his seat again and she spoke out to the class.

"Hello class. Today is a special day because we have a new addition to our class," Miss Han declared while motioning to the door.

A tall, good looking boy with brown hair walked in and stood next to Miss Han at the podium. There were whispers coming from all the other students. But Jeno’s attention was set on the handsome new student.

"Can you please write your name on the board and introduce yourself?" Miss Han asked the boy.

He nodded and turned to the blackboard and wrote 'Na Jaemin' in neat handwriting. He turned back to the class and bowed with a perfect 90 degree angle.

"Hello. My name is Jaemin. I will be your classmate starting today so I hope that you all welcome me with open arms," the boy smiled, his smile was perfect and dazzling. A group of girls in the back of the class squealed. Jeno ignored the girls though. He was too busy admiring the new kid to care.

Na Jaemin.

He felt like he was dreaming. His heart was pounding and he didn't know why.

"Welcome Jaemin. From now on you'll be sitting next to Jeno. I'm sure that he'll make you feel welcome. Isn't that right Jeno?" Miss Han gestured to Jeno.

Jeno quickly flashed a smile and nodded. Jaemin smiled back and walked over to the empty seat next to Jeno. He got himself situated in his new seat and smiled at Jeno before turning to Miss Han for the lesson.

Jeno didn't know why but he found himself treasuring that smile.

Miss Han was lecturing like any normal day but Jeno was distracted. He kept glancing over at the boy next to him. Jaemin was diligently taking notes on Miss Han's lecture, quickly jotting down the important parts of the lesson. As Jeno was staring he looked down at his own notebook and realized he had written nothing since the start of the lecture and it was already almost time for break. He quickly scribbled down the last few things that Miss Han said but she was already dismissing the class. She walked out of the class with her books and left the students alone.

Jeno deeply sighed. He would have to ask Mark if he could borrow his notes later but for now he turned to Jaemin and officially greeted him.

"Hey, my name is Jeno. Seems like we're going to be sitting next to each other from now on," Jeno said with a genuinely happy smile.

"Seems like it. My name is Jaemin but you already knew that," Jaemin happily said while extending his hand.

Jeno took his hand and shook it.

"I know this might be kind of weird but would you like having lunch with my friends and I later?" Jeno offered.

"That would be great! Thank you so much," Jaemin said with a big smile.

"Great. We'll meet up at lunch out in the courtyard. You already had the tour of the school right?"

"Yeah. I had my tour yesterday," Jaemin nodded.

"Oh! Let me introduce you to my friends," Jeno said while getting up from his seat and walking over to Chenle's desk where all his friends gathered. Jaemin quickly followed.

The group of boys turned their attention away from Chenle's paper claws and to the duo that was walking toward them.

"Hey guys. I just want to introduce you guys to Jaemin since he's going to be eating with us at lunch," Jeno said while walking up to his friends.

Jeno introduced each of the five other boys.

"This is Mark. He's the oldest, class rep, and aspiring rapper," Jeno said while nudging Mark in the rib.

"Hey, I like to think of myself as an aggressive poet," Mark protested.

"Ha! There is not one aggressive bone in your body," Haechan laughed. Mark shot him a glare.

"The one that is about to get his head smacked again is Donghyuk but he wants everyone to call him Haechan for some reason," Jeno said while motioning to Haechan and rolling his eyes.

"Haechan sounds cooler!" He defended.

"Yeah, if you're five! You're almost seventeen now, get over it," Jisung shot at Haechan.

"That is Jisung. He the youngest but likes to insult us sometimes," Jeno said while ruffling Jisung's blonde hair.

"Can you cut it out?" A voice from next to Chenle's desk sounded.

"That was Renjun. He might seem all nice and pure on the outside but he once tried to break Chenle's arm just for fun." The redheaded boy in question waved pleasantly but went back to scowling at Chenle when the boy shoved his paper claws back into Renjun's face.

"The one that is about to get his arm broken if he doesn't stop with the paper claws is Chenle. He was born into a wealthy family and is a very well known child singer in China. I have no idea why his parents sent him to South Korea," Jeno explained.

Jaemin nodded at each individual introduction and smiled at each of the boys.

"It's so nice to meet you. My name is Jaemin," the boy said with a grin.

"He's going to be eating lunch with us today so no pranks. I'm looking at you Haechan," Jeno said to the group.

"Why only me? I'm not the only one who pranks!" Haechan protested which earned him another smack from Mark.

"Stop arguing. Just do what your told, just for today," Mark pleaded while rubbing the back of Haechan's neck.

Haechan mumbled something along the lines of 'Fine, then I'll get you guys back later,' and that satisfied Jeno.

He walked back to his desk with Jaemin and they sat down, waiting for break to end.

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sweetnestor · 7 years

Text

Story of Another Us | Week 11

university au, platonic af, now on ao3!

previous chapter | masterlist | playlist

My heart is here, it’s such a cause

I didn’t expect a phone call, text message, or any interaction from Mark. I probably should have been the one to go to him. Apologize for being stupid and getting too close to his friend. However, given from the silence between us since that night, I figured that he wanted me to stay away. I wasn’t even sure if I could still call him my boyfriend, and that terrified me. I desperately wanted to talk to him, but he was angry with me and I couldn’t really blame him.

This silence only forced me and Jack to carry on as usual. We went to class together that morning, earlier than usual since we decided it was best not to go back to Mark’s while he was in this mood. This left me with no time to dress presentably or do any makeup, and Jack had to call his girlfriend and rely on her to get his videos uploaded. Not to mention, the car ride from my apartment all the way to YTU was much longer than if we had gone from Mark’s house.

Speaking of YTU, campus was even more empty these days. There were only about six weeks left in the semester. Six weeks until the place closed down for good. There was really no point in coming anymore, according to the students who lived in the area. I, on the other hand, needed to get my money’s worth from these fucking classes, and so did Jack.

“You feel like meeting people?” he asked, pointing out the small group of people standing around the entrance to the main parking lot.

The one day I didn’t put on makeup. I drove past the group and parked somewhat far from the main office. I thought about it as we got out of the car, but I didn’t have much choice. The group had followed my car to where we parked.

Technically, we weren’t supposed to meet fans here, but Jack was more than happy to break the rules since “there’s no one here to tell us we can’t!” Plus, campus was closing down anyway, so fuck it.

“You’re Bella Santiago, right?” one girl asked me, which was surprising. I thought they were here for Jack. “Can I get a selfie? I really love your videos!”

It happened very quickly. I smiled for the picture, the girl thanked me and went to get a picture with Jack. Another person came up to me, smiling wide.

“Your anxiety video made me cry! It was so touching!” she told me.

“Aw, thank you!” I replied, instantly a lot happier. “That means a lot!”

A sudden wave of praise came from the group, all of them saying that the video was really good. It made me feel warm and pleasant. So maybe I wasn’t so depressing after all. I was expecting to be brushed off, especially since most of the group seemed to know Jack. But they were all really kind.

However, it didn’t last long. A campus security guard whisked us away, and practically yelled at the group to get off property. Jack and I pretty much had no choice but to follow him inside the main office.

“You guys are not allowed to interact with fans, you know that, right?” he told us sternly. “You’re only going to attract more people here.”

“Well, it’s not like we asked them to come over here,” I said back. “The place is closing anyway, why does it matter?”

Jack gave me an incredulous look as we walked through the main office. It wasn’t exactly typical of me to talk back, and he had never seen me be this way before.

“I’m just doing my job, Miss,” the guard told me before walking off.

I rolled my eyes and went out to the courtyard. That’s when Jack finally spoke.

“I’ve never heard you talk like that before,” he said. “You sounded really… ballsy.”

I chuckled. “I guess when it comes to the people who watch my videos, I take no shit.”

“That’s good. Really bold of you.”

It wasn’t until we got to class that we both tweeted out apologies to the people we met in the parking lot. I had to refrain from ranting publicly. Instead, I focused on what it was like to meet those people. In my time of have a sizeable following, I was noticed seldomly. It wasn’t until I was associated with Mark did it start happening more. You would think being approached by random people would make my anxiety spike…

Instead, it just made me tired and irritable. By the time we got home from class, I was looking forward to a ten year nap. Jack was still peppy and perky and talking off my last nerves. However, being the avoidant little shit I was, I just let him be. Listening to him also meant I could avoid checking my phone for any interaction from Mark. I really didn’t want to be the one to start that conversation.

“So, are we going to record today?” That was the only thing I caught from his long ramble.

I thought about it. “Are you up for it?”

“Yeah!”

We were supposed to make a video for my channel today. I had to do that today. Despite everything, this had to be done. I couldn’t be a stick in the mud.

“Okay,” I said, my eyes trailing up to Jack’s hair. “How overdue are you for dying your hair?”

He ran his fingers through the faded green locks in thought. I could see his brown roots peeking out and I almost audibly gasped. I had to get my hands on them.

“You wanna do that for a video?” he asked.

“Is it a bad idea? We could do something else…”

“No, no it’s your channel, you hold all the cards here.”

“Hey guys, it’s Bella!” I greeted happily to the camera set up in the living room. “Today I’m here with my friend Jack, and I’m gonna dye his hair and bleach his roots.”

Jack was sitting in a chair in front of me, a towel over himself. His hair was slightly all over the place, given that I was touching it and messing with it earlier to see what exactly I needed to do for this look. He was pretty pleased about this, given that I wasn’t going to charge him for doing this for him. He needed a new coat of green hair, and I needed a new video to post. It’s a win-win.

“So, this is partly a tutorial and partly two friends hanging out,” I explained.

“Twice the fun,” Jack said in a mock happy tone.

“Let’s get started!”

I mixed the bleach in a plastic bowl with a brush and explained how to do so before applying it to Jack’s roots. I also read off the box just to make sure I wasn’t doing anything wrong. “‘Do not use if you are not a licensed cosmetologist.’ Oops!”

“You’re not licensed?” Jack asked in mock surprised. “You’re a fraud!”

“Whoops, you caught me!”

“No, but really, didn’t you go to beauty school?”

“I did, but I never finished it because of YTU. So technically, I shouldn’t be allowed near these products.”

I continued applying the bleach, surprisingly at ease. Hair knowledge was right underneath my makeup knowledge, and it was fun getting my hands on some hair again. Although, since it was only the top of Jack’s head that needed the fix, the first step was done a lot quicker than expected.

“Somehow I forgot that you don’t have that much hair to bleach and dye,” I pointed out. “How much time do you usually spend in a salon?”

“Oh god, like two hours,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “It takes forever!”

“Dude, my hair takes at least four or five hours,” I told him, pointing to my long, black and pink ombre. “You’re lucky!”

“How can you be so patient? I go crazy just sitting in the chair!”

“It’s fun for me.” I smiled.

The next step after washing off the bleach was the color. I chose a vibrant green that wasn’t too off from previous shades that Jack has had before. For me, this was the easiest part.

“With bleach, you have to be careful not to leave it on for too long,” I explained, “especially with darker hair because it’s very easy to damage it a lot. So you have to constantly keep an eye on it and see how quickly the hair catches onto it. With the actual color, you just have to apply it and wait it out. Usually the formula will have some type of vitamins and stuff that’s good for the hair. But it’s still a good idea to get some hydrating conditioners and other hair products on the side.”

“See, I wish my hairdresser in Ireland had told me this,” Jack said. “Everything makes a lot more sense now!”

Once we finished and cleaned everything up, Jack had wonderful, bright green hair. I was relieved I hadn’t lost my hair styling skills over time. As soon as the camera turned off, I pretty much hid away in my bedroom, the depression returning. I crawled into bed and sighed in relief. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread and gloominess for some reason. It was like I drained the last of my energy in that video.

I scrolled on my phone, looking at the pictures that were posted from the impromptu meetup earlier. I looked awful without my makeup. How could people see me as a beauty guru? How could I go outside looking like that?

So much for finding comfort on Twitter… I went to Tumblr instead, and I had to resist making a long, rambly post. Then I realized that no one would want to see a wall of text clog up their dash. I just looked at my feed, reblogging pictures of makeup I already owned, liking posts people mentioned me in. There were cute edits and gifsets of me and Mark, which only made my heart ache.

I wasn’t sure why I got so angry with him. Maybe I did get too close to Jack. Maybe I had done things that gave off the wrong idea. Or maybe I just wasn’t attracted to Mark and that’s why I didn’t want to get into bed with him. Maybe I was just faking my anxiety this whole time.

It felt like time was going slow, or not moving at all. I wasn’t sure if I had fallen asleep or gotten up at all. I could only tell time by the sound of Jack’s voice outside my door. He was recording his own videos and acting like everything was okay. I wish I knew how to act like that off camera.

I started feeling restless and antsy when his voice finally stopped. A constant background noise was something I needed, otherwise I’d go crazy. I rolled onto my side, listening for any kind of sound to break the silence. No footsteps, movements, or anything from the TV did that. It was like Jack had disappeared. Wouldn’t blame him.

Honestly, though, I still didn’t want to interact with anyone. I just liked hearing someone else in the apartment. I went to take a shower. Any sound from there would block out the ongoing gloom in my head.

I pretty much just sat there. Actual hygiene wasn’t important to me at the moment. The water was hitting my scalp and, while it was deteriorating the black and pink dye in my hair, it felt good. It gave me a sense of feeling again. Like a breath of fresh air, except it was water. I coughed and choked. It was better than not feeling anything.

When I was out of the shower and getting dressed, I heard noise within the apartment. I heard voices. Angry voices. Maybe I really did go crazy. Although, the mere thought did make me leave my room to actually make sure that wasn’t true.

I found Jack and Mark standing in the living room. They went quiet as soon as I showed up. The air was tense, making my stomach flip over. To be honest, I didn’t expect Mark to show up so soon.

“You still let him stay here?” he asked me in disbelief.

Yes I did, and I’m so sorry. Please don’t leave me. I’m so sorry for being a terrible girlfriend, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

Those words were rising up my throat, ready to be puked out. I was fighting with myself not to speak those words. I couldn’t apologize for letting my friend live here.

“It was me,” Jack spoke up. “I asked if I could still stay here. I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how bad the situation was.”

“You’re telling me,” Mark began, not sounding any less angry, “that even after I told you how uncomfortable I was with you living with my girlfriend, you still had the nerve to ask her if you could still keep living here?”

Jack gulped, clearly intimidated. “Yes.”

“What kind of friend are you?”

“Oh my god!” I snapped, my body trembling with nerves. I couldn’t control my mouth. “You’re the one who made him stay here in the first place! You’re the one who pushed us to be friends! You’re the one who felt enough pity for me to fly your friend out here and talk to me because I can’t do that on my own! ¿Y sabes que? You don’t get to be angry that Jack and I are friends now! You don’t get to be angry because he’s here for me more than you are, that’s on you! So don’t come crying over here quejando y quejando because you’re the one who made all this happen in the first place!”

I was breathing heavily and my chest was hurting. Mark and Jack had their mouths open in shock. When have they ever heard me speak this way? I didn’t think I could speak this way either.

Thankfully, the silence didn’t last long. Mark sighed and nodded to my open bedroom door. “Room.”

Still fuming, I turned on my heel and went to my room, Mark quickly following my trail. Before I shut the door, I saw Jack quickly scurry over to his room to hide. Lucky him, he gets to sit this one out.

“What do you mean he’s here for you more?” Mark asked, breathing like he was trying to keep himself steady. “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly that, you’re never here,” I told him. “And you asked Jack to move here, without so much as giving me a heads up!”

“I didn’t ask him, I told him that you had an extra room, and you were happy to let him stay!” Mark justified.

“Because you put me on the spot! That doesn’t matter now anyway, I’m actually glad he’s my roommate, because as I said, he’s my friend and he’s there for me!”

“Stop saying that!” Mark nearly yelled, making me flinch. However, he took a step back and lowered his tone. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve been neglecting you. I have been busy, I’ve been going to meetings and making videos, and this tour thing. I do all of this while you’re on campus, and I try to get things done, I do. Aside from that, I’ve got Matt and Ryan, and it’s like I’m raising kids! I’m not trying to use that as an excuse either, but I am sorry I can’t always be here. It’s not fair to you.”

Time management was something we had established when we first started dating. For some reason, I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all. This was all part of the vlogger dating experience, after all.

“So you’re not avoiding me?” I asked.

“Of course not.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you were, I know I’m a handful.”

“Don’t say that, Bella. I know things are hard right now, but I will make a better effort to be with you.”

I paced around the room to avoid looking at him. “Okay… so, what about Jack?”

Mark shrugged. “What about him?”

“Am I not allowed to be friends with him anymore? He’s the only friend I’ve got.” I hated saying that, it just emphasized my patheticness.

It felt worse when Mark hesitated. “I don’t know. Do you really not have anyone else?”

“No…” I said softly. “No, and it sucks. I only have you and him, two whole people. And I know I should try to talk to more people, but god you have no idea how hard it is!”

“I know. You deserve to have friends, even if it’s only one or two. I’m sorry I made a big deal out of you and Jack. I just want you to trust me,” Mark confessed. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must be for you, and I’m sorry if I made it harder. Just know that I am here for you, whenever you need me. I promise.”

That’s a big word that adds more pressure. But who was I to deny him? Words could only do so much, but god I couldn’t go down to have only one friend. Especially if that friend wasn’t going to stay here permanently.

“Okay,” I said. “Fine…”

“Okay.” Mark sighed.

Don’t lose this one. He’s all you’ve got. You lose him, you lose everything...

_______

next chapter

#jacksepticeye x oc #jacksepticeye x reader #markiplier x oc #markiplier x reader #soau #sweetheart writes #theres like 3 more chapters left ksdhklasdhklasd #also the last 3 songs on the playlist are more 'bonus songs'#like the rest are mentioned or included in the story somehow #but the last three are like just for lols

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