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crying-gay-tears · 4 years

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Brighter Than The Sun

Chapter 2: The First Day

“G-Gon?” Killua’s mouth fell open in surprise. “What are you doing here? How did you find my room?” Gon looked so excited and he had no idea why.

“Killua!! I didn’t know this was your room! I just got home and wanted to meet my roommate!”

“Home? Wait, does that mean-” realization hit him suddenly. “Are you in 405A??”

“Yes! We’re roommates!”

Killua stood in stunned silence for a moment, unsure of how to feel. Of all the people on campus to have as his roommate, it turned out to be Gon, the bubbly and strange boy he had ironically just been thinking about.

“Can I see your room? I peeked in earlier when I arrived but it was empty.”

“Uh, sure” he stepped to the side, letting him into the room. “I haven’t really done anything in here yet. I got in right before orientation, so I didn’t have time to start unpacking. When I finally got back after the library I put some stuff away, but I’ve mostly just been hanging out.” Killua blushed, suddenly hyper aware of the chocolate robot wrappers on his desk, and his haphazardly arranged belongings. His suitcase was lying open on the floor beside his dresser, stacks of books were scattered across the desk and floor.

“I think it looks great already! I haven’t had the chance to unpack or decorate at all yet. Is this your favorite band?” He nodded to the crooked poster on the wall above the bed.

“One of my favorites, yeah. It’s the one playing right now.” He motioned to the bluetooth speaker sitting on the windowsill.

Gon walked over, sat on his bed, and began bobbing his head to the music.

“They’re really good! You’ve got nice taste in music.”

Killua chuckled, “This is only one song! I like a lot of different stuff, there’s a lot to listen to.”

“Well, you’ve got the whole school year to show me!”

His smile was warm and real and it shook Killua up quite a bit. No one had ever really shown interest in the things he enjoyed before, but here was someone he had just met, genuinely excited to be listening to underground rock with him.

They hung out while Killua finished unpacking his suitcase and getting settled. After that, Gon wandered back to his own room to start his unpacking and when he did Killua followed and this time Gon played the music. His taste was a little weird, and mostly pop, but Killua didn’t mind. He was enjoying the view as Gon danced around his room, tossing clothes into his dresser and arranging trinkets on his desk.When he went to the bathroom to unpack his toiletries, Killua stood over the desk, checking out all of the small momentos Gon felt were important enough to bring with him to college. Among them was a few seashells, a green ring, and a fishing hook in a small glass jar. A photo in a blue frame near the corner of the desk caught his eye, and he leaned in for a closer look. Gon, wearing a graduation cap and gown, was facing the camera, eyes squinted with a beaming smile on his face. One arm held his diploma in the air, while the other was wrapped around a teary eyed woman. Her head came up to his shoulder, and where her hazel eyes and orange hair bore no resemblance to him, her warm and genuine smile was a spitting image. She must be-

“That’s my Aunt Mito!” Gon chirped, eyes lighting up as he walked over to where Killua was standing. “She burst into tears right after this picture was taken. I know she was proud and happy for me, but I’m pretty sure she was really sad that day. Mostly worried about the future, I think.” His face fell a bit. “She knows I want to follow in my dad’s footsteps, and since he’s so busy and always overseas I think she’s worried I’ll just leave and never come back.”

“What does your dad do?”

“He’s an archaeologist.”

“Wow, that’s so cool!”

“Yeah, that’s why I want to see for myself! If his job is so amazing that it was worth missing out on my life and Mito-san’s life, then I want to know what it’s like!”

Killua felt kind of bad hearing that. He knew what it was like to have a dad ditch you for work, but at the same time, his parents were also very involved with his life. Suffocatingly so. They had appearances to uphold, afterall. His parents were far from perfect and even farther from pleasant, but he still couldn’t imagine one or both of them just leaving and not returning. Plus, what would Gon do if he finally got the job and it wasn’t as amazing as his dad made it seem? Killua knew from experience that hope usually just led to disappointment.

He pulled out the desk chair and swung his leg over it, nestling backwards in the seat, his arms folded across the top rail of the chair, and his chin resting on top of them. “So what’s your dad like?”

Gon sat on his bed across from Killua and was lost in thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve only really seen him a few times in my life. . His name is Ging. Ging Freecs. He’s pretty rough around the edges, but well respected. He’s famous in parts of the world for his finds and research. I don’t know much else, except a few stories Mito-san has told me from when they were kids on Whale Island together. She says I’m a lot like him though. ” He shrugged, “By her tone of voice, I can never tell if she means that as a good or bad thing.”

Killua surprised himself when he spoke, “Whether you're like Ging or not, and whether that’s good or bad doesn't really matter. You’re you. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty cool.”

They locked eyes and a huge smile broke out on Gon’s face.

“Thanks, Killua. I think you’re really cool too! I’m glad we’re roommates!”

Killua just grumbled a bit in response, his mouth set in an awkward smile. Gon could be so embarrassing sometimes.

They slipped into a comfortable silence after that, music still playing softly through the room as Gon continued organizing his stuff and Killua scrolled on his phone. After a while Gon let out a huge yawn and decided it was time to call it a night. They were both mostly unpacked, and even though classes didn’t start for two more days, he wanted to get up early to explore the campus some more. Yawning himself, Killua followed suit and once behind his closed door, stripped to his boxers and flopped onto the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, his mind began to drift.

It had been a hell of a day. Aside from his text letting them know he arrived safely, he hadn’t spoken to his parents at all. Where this wasn’t too different from the norm--they were usually too tied up with work and social ladder climbing to give him much attention--it was still nice to have space from them and his life back home. He’d been so excited for the freedom college was going to provide him. Freedom from the claustrophobic walls of the Zoldyck estate, from his siblings, and best of all, freedom from his parent’s cold judgement. He was finally able to live his life without them breathing down his neck and criticizing his every move. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, but he was so happy to finally have the space to explore and figure it all out.

The only thing he was really worried about when he left for college was who his roommate would be, and he was pretty relieved to have Gon. They’d barely known each other a day, but he had the feeling that living with him was going to be a good time. He’d never met someone so… open and warm. His joy was almost contagious, it was a nice contrast and welcome change from his boarding school roommates and family. For the first time in a long time, he fell asleep excited for what the future would hold.

~~~~~~~~

The next two days were a blur of course catalogues and video games with his roommate, and before he knew it, Gon found himself on the way to his first college class, Biology 101. He was practically skipping down the brick walkway and, thanks to all of his previous exploring, he was able to find the classroom with no issue. He snagged a spot towards the front by a window, and as he sat, noticed a neatly bound packet lying face down on the desk. He was curious, but resisted the urge to flip it over, choosing instead to check out his surroundings. There were a few other students scattered at the tables around the room, and a short woman with green hair stood at the front. He watched as she neatly wrote in neat and swoopy cursive across the white board.

Dr. C. Yorkshire

Adjunct Professor

Biology 101

Fall Term

Class A

So she was the professor, Dr. Cheadle. She looked put together and kind, but he��d be lying if he said her calm demeanor was enough to soothe his nerves. School was never really his thing, he much preferred to be outside learning with his hands and on his feet, and his grades usually reflected the trouble he had with studying. His teachers in the past had always been nice enough, but he hated disappointing them with his test scores, and he wanted college to be different. He wanted to put his best foot forward with his new life and really prove himself. He was determined to give it his all.

A few more people shuffled in and filled the open desks, and when the wall clock marked the top of the hour, the professor faced the class and cleared her throat.

“Good morning everyone, and welcome to Biology 101. I’m Dr. Cheadle Yorkshire and I’ll be your professor. As you should know, this class is accompanied by a mandatory lab that will meet once a week. You’ll all be partnered off and expected to work together for the lab as well as in class activities.” Her eyes scanned the room, mouth set in a stern smile. “To kick things off, I’d like everyone to turn over the packet in front of you. This is a copy of your class syllabus, I took the liberty of binding them for you, as you’ll be referencing it throughout the entire semester. It contains all of the information you’ll need to be successful in this class, including classroom policies, expectations, assignments, required reading, my office hours, and more!”

Gon held the syllabus in his hand and was staring at it like it was made of gold. Everything he needed to do well in this class? It was like he’d been handed a treasure.

“Now, I’ll call out the lab pairings, and you can find your partner and arrange your seating accordingly, then we can begin our first activity!”

When Gon’s name was finally called along with his partner’s, he was giddy with anticipation and just as he stood to scan the crowd for his partner, a blue satchel dropped down on the table and a tall boy sunk down into the seat next to his. His blonde hair framed his face and hung just above his shoulders, his smile was tight but genuine as he held a hand out to Gon.

“I’m Kurapika, nice to meet you, partner.”

Gon shook it and chirped back “I’m Gon! Nice to meet you too!”

They sat in silence while Cheadle finished calling out the rest of the pairs. When everyone was settled, she addressed the class.

“Alright, now that everybody is paired off, we can begin today’s activity! In order to get to know your syllabus and your lab partner, I’ve created a scavenger hunt! Simply peruse your syllabus and use what you read to answer the questions on this handout!” She waved a stack of papers in the air and with a proud smile on her face, began handing them out. “You can begin as soon as you get your worksheet and you are dismissed whenever you finish!”

When their worksheets were placed in front of them, Kurapika turned in his chair to face Gon.

“Well, I suppose we better get started, eh? We can both read through the syllabus and then answer the questions together, does that sound good to you?”

“Sure!” Gon nodded in response and they got started. Gon was a little overwhelmed with the amount of information on the syllabus. It was pretty stressful seeing an entire semester of work listed out like that. He was excited for the lab though, all of those assignments seemed pretty hands on and a few of them were even supposed to be done outside. Maybe this class wouldn’t be so bad afterall. After a few minutes, they began answering the questions together. It wasn’t too tough to find the answers, and with two people it went by pretty quickly. Gon didn’t want the whole class to pass without getting to know his lab partner though, so he tried to strike up a conversation between questions.

“So, Kurapika, what’s your major? Are you a freshman here too?”

Kurapika didn’t look up from the worksheet when he answered. “I’m not a freshman, but I am new. I’m a sophomore and I transferred here this year.I’m double majoring in Psychology and Criminal Justice.” He glanced up and over at Gon. “What about you? Have you decided on a major yet?”

“I have! Well, kinda. I’m considering Anthropology or maybe Environmental Biology. Still trying to figure out which would be best, but I don’t think I could handle double majoring like you. Your majors sound really great! What do you want to do with your degree?”

“I want to become a detective, I’m still deciding between public and private.” He scribbled something on his paper. “The answer to number 12 is ‘Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5pm’ by the way. Three more and we’re finished.”

Gon was hastily writing in the answer when Kurapika asked,

“What do you want to do when you get your degree?”

“I want to become an archaeologist, like my dad! Or possibly a similar job within the field.” He perked up when he noticed that Kurapika had put down his worksheet and turned his focus to their conversation instead.

“So you're a transfer student, how do you like it here so far? Where did you transfer from, and what made you leave?”

“Woah Gon, you’ve almost got more questions than the assignment.” Kurapika chuckled but still pressed on. “So far it’s fine, but I’ve only been here for 3 days so we’ll see how it goes. I transferred here from Meteor City Community College, but I never really wanted to go there in the first place. This was my first choice school, but I wasn’t able to move here last year because of some family stuff. This year I was able to, so I did. And how are you liking it here? What made you choose YNU?”

“It’s my dad’s alma mater, so it was an easy choice. So far I’m really liking it! I was a little nervous before I got here, but everything has been pretty awesome. I’ve gotten to know and love the campus already, and I’ve got a great roommate too! Plus, my first class is going well! And that’s what I was the most nervous about.”

“It’s good that you like your roommate. That can cause a lot of trouble for some. It definitely did at my last school, so that’s actually what I was most worried about here.”

“I’m sorry you had trouble last year, but is your new roommate nice I hope?”

“Well, I actually lucked out and got a suite to myself. I requested one when I filled out the transfer paperwork, and told them about my last experience. I wasn't counting on it to work out in my favor too much, but it did.”

“I’m glad it did!”

“And I’m glad you’re feeling better about your classes now that you’ve got one under your belt.” He slid his worksheet over with a pale slender hand, the last three answers were written out neatly.

Gon quickly jotted them down and slid the paper back to Kurapika. “Thank you!”

“No problem, it was a team effort after all.” He smiled as he slung his satchel over his shoulder and stood up to turn in his paper, Gon grabbed his backpack and followed behind him.

After they handed her the worksheets, Dr. Yorkshire complimented their effort and teamwork, and dismissed them for the day. They were in the hallway and Kurapika was waving goodbye when Gon spoke again.

“Kurapika, do you wanna grab lunch sometime? I know we’re just lab partners, but you seem really cool and I’d like to be friends!”

Kurapika looked puzzled for a moment but his voice was soft and sincere when he spoke. “I’d like that, Gon.”

With that, they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.

The rest of the day breezed by, and Gon was pretty much on cloud 9. He was excited about his classes, and even more excited about the people he met in each one. He had lunch scheduled with Kurapika for later on that week, and he decided to check out some of the clubs a few of his new friends suggested to him throughout the week as well. It was going to be a great year! He texted Killua and they decided to meet up for dinner in the cafeteria, so he headed that way after his last class.

When he arrived, he scanned the room until a crop of silver hair caught his eye at a small table by the dessert station in the far corner. He made his way over and plopped into the seat across from Killua, who was surrounded by plates of different desserts.

“Gon, the dessert bar is amazing. You’ve gotta try the chocolate cake, and there’s cookies too!”

“It looks great! I’m gonna go grab some, and maybe some regular food too!” He stuck his tongue out teasingly, Killua just rolled his eyes in response.

“Have you been here long?”

“Nah, I got here a few minutes before you. I just headed straight for the dessert.”

Gon laughed out loud. Dessert for dinner, Mito would’ve killed him. College really was a different world. “Do you want me to grab something else for you while I’m up?”

“Eh. I’m fine for now, might grab some pizza or something in a bit.”

Gon nodded and left to make his plate. When he returned, Killua was scrolling on his phone, fork in hand hanging lazily at his mouth.

His stomach growled and he quickly twirled a bite of spaghetti around his fork. The day was so eventful he hadn’t even realized he was hungry.

“So, how were your classes? Did you like your professors?” he asked, shoving the huge bite of pasta into his mouth.

Killua put his phone down and draped his arm over the back of his chair. “They all seem pretty boring, but I’m mostly getting gen ed classes out of the way for now, until I decide what I wanna major in, so that’s probably why. I don’t even remember any of the professors’ names, so that answers that question I guess,” He shoveled another bite of cake into his mouth, “What about you?”

“They all seemed nice enough, but I think I liked Professor Satotz in Anthropology the best. He seems interesting, so I’m excited to see how that class goes. Did you make any new friends?”

Killua quirked an eyebrow at him. “Uh, no. Did you?”

“I did! A few people, and I actually have plans to hang out with one of them! I’m gonna check out some clubs here too, I can definitely make some new friends there! And you’ve gotta come with me Killua! We can check them out together!” As he spoke he was practically buzzing with excitement.

“What clubs are you going to?” Killua asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Well, There’s a bunch of them to choose from, but the Great Outdoors Club, the GSA, and the Ultimate Frisbee Club were all recommended to me, so I’m gonna start with them I think.”

“GSA?”

“It stands for Gay Straight Alliance.”

Killua almost choked on his last bite of cake. “O-oh. Right. Why are you going to that one? Are you... gay?”

Gon’s face scrunched up a bit, his gaze suddenly intense.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you are!” Killua backpedaled. “Just asking!”

“Yeah, I’m just thinking about it. I guess I don't know? I was gonna check it out ‘cause I liked the idea of an alliance, and I wanted to go to show support I guess, but hey, maybe the club will help me figure it out!”

Killua’s cheeks were tinged pink. “You don’t know? Haven’t you ever gone on a date or to a school dance or something before?”

“Well, I’ve gone on dates with girls before, never with any boys though.” He rested his chin on his hand. “To be honest, I’m just not sure. I guess now I’m pretty excited to see what I learn from this club!” His eyes squinted up in a bright smile.

“You should come with me when I go! It’s for everyone to come together, so I don’t think it even matters if you’re gay or not anyways.”

“Yeah, maybe, we’ll see.” He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. “ I’m gonna go grab some food, be right back.” He stacked his dirty plates and quickly shuffled off.

Gon leaned back in his chair and rubbed his full belly. He looked around the cafeteria, already starting to recognize people from his classes amongst the crowds at tables and in line at food stations. His first day was really amazing and if this was what the year was going to be like, he was so ready for it.

~~~~~~~~

After wandering between the different food stations for a few minutes, Killua finally returned to the table with a plate of spaghetti and some soda. The food on campus was actually pretty good, so that was a plus. It was almost good enough to distract him from the nagging questions that the mention of the GSA brought up. Almost.

He really hadn’t thought too much about his own sexuality, or sexuality in general. He’d never even gone out with anyone before. Well, there was the one time he agreed to go to the winter formal with a girl he knew, but that night was a disaster and he only went because his brother had been giving him shit about his social life.

It’s not like he never found anyone attractive before. But now that he thought about it, most of the time when someone in a crowd caught his eye, they happened to be a boy. Like at orientation just a few days ago... But what did that say about his sexuality? How did anyone actually know if they were gay or straight or whatever? And what would you even do with that information once you managed to figure it out?

“Killua?”

“Eh?” The sound of Gon’s voice snapped him back to reality and when he looked up he was met with a pair of honey eyes burning into him.

“What?” He gulped. Had Gon been sitting this close to him the whole time?

“I asked if you were ready to go.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

They grabbed their bags and began the trek back to their dorm. The cool night air was a welcome relief from the blush that spread across his face and up his neck.

#killugon #gonkillu #killua #gon #killua zoldyck #gon freeccs #hunter x hunter #hxh #hunterxhunter #killugon fanfic

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harringrovehouse · 5 years

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AU where Steve’s Mother is from a small town in the Northern most part of Alaska and they’re just a little too much into Christmas.

Steve takes Billy ‘home’ the second year they’re together, because now Steve’s sure Billy’s the one, the person he’s going to spend the rest of his life with and Steve wants his extended family to get to know Billy. So he takes Billy with them to Derevnyasanty, Alaska to the village his grandparents own. It’s rustic, and red and everything is covered with wreaths and holly, and all the residents are much shorter than the standard American. Steve talks Billy’s ear off about his four Aunts and their nine daughters.

“Dancers! All nine of them! It’s nuts man, let me tell you how many times I had to watch their routines growing up!!” Billy watches Steve ramble with a dopey smile on his face. “I have to warn you that my Nana, Mary, she’ll probably try to force feed you milk and cookies the second you get inside the house, we can work those off later, and my Aunt Noel will need our help checking her many, many lists! She’s got one for every member of the family, sorry. I hope Auntie Christy isn’t gonna ask you to dress up as Santa with me, they think it’s funny cause I’m the only boy. Every year I get this huge red coat and this massive black boots but we go to the local children’s clinic and I get to play ‘Santa’ for the day so it isn’t too bad. Aunt Carol is in charge of the deer, she makes sure they’re all penned up for the night and by the time we get there she will just be starting to round them up, can’t wait to see you rope a deer.”

“Just after my body, and at Christmas none the less.” Billy winked and Steve snorted, leaning into the wheel as he laughed.

“My Aunt Tinsel is the youngest, so her kids are pretty young too. They always need help repairing gifts and she’s also in charge of wrapping for the older kids so she’ll definitely need our help at some point.” Steve tossed Bilyl an apologetic look as he turned the car down brick road.

“Tinsel?”

“Yeah. Like the decorations. My family is pretty into Christmas, all my Aunts are born in the summer but they all have Christmasy names. It’s weird but kinda cool.” Steve shrugged. “Even my mom’s name is Christmas themed. She’s Eve, and my Aunt Christy is Christmas. They’re twins.” Billy opened his mouth to ask why on Earth anyone would name their babies Christmas Eve when Steve turned the car again and they came to a stop in front a huge white gold gate. It stood open, a clear invitation that anyone was welcome. Billy stared in awe at the gate, marveling at the beautiful red ribbon that wrapped around the bars, making the whole gate look like a million dollar candy cane. “They never close the gate, I don’t even think the pinpad works anymore.” Steve smiled as he continued up the drive.

Billy marveled as the large main house came into view. It was a huge stone and log cabin, it’s many windows adorn with lights and bushy wreaths. Tiny candles sat on each sill, a bussle of holly under them. Steve beamed at him and Billy stared back, this was a damn winter wet dream.

“Come on, we’ll grab the bags later!” Steve smiled wider and Billy wondered when his cheeks became so red.

“Wear your scarf babe! You’re cheeks are so rosy.” Billy followed Steve out of the car, tightening his scarf as he made his way towards the red front door. A huge pine cone wreath hung between the stain glass panels set in the door. The heavy smell of baking hung around the house, and warmed Billy’s insides. Behind them Steve’s mother and father climbed out of their own car, Eve Harrington smiling ear to ear as she rushed forward, throwing the door open for them.

“Mama! Papa!” She called out. “Tinny! Carol! Christy! Noel!” The sound of dozens of voices chattering away stoped and then an explosion of noise happened, and what seemed to be hundreds of people decended upon them. Billy let out a small yelp as a wave of hands pulled Steve and Eve into the house, leaving him and Jack Harrington standing on the porch.

“Don’t relax just yet.” Jack sent Billy a dark look. “They’ll realize we’re here any second.” And sure enough, a woman slightly older than Eve turned to look at them. Her huge amber eyes widening as she detatched herself from the huge group and made her way to them. She beamed at Billy, and gave Jack a curt look.

“And this must be Billy! Our little Stevie new turtle dove!” Billy nodded, he’s never heard anyone refer to someone’s boyfriend as their ‘turtle dove’. “Hi Jack Frost, blow into to any foreign ports lately?” Billy tired not to snort at the look Jack Harrington gave his sister in law. “Come in! Mama is just finising dinner, once that’s done we’ll put the deer away and then we can eat.” So this must be Aunt Carol, the deer hearder.

Billy followed Aunt Carol into the house, eyes wide as he took in the many, many pictures on the walls. Images of a young Steve sitting a top a man dressed as Santa’s knee, pictures of young Eve and her sister playing with some deer, a huge red wood sleigh filled with boxes and boxes of gifts sitting outside a hospital surrounded by the family and a few of the patients. They looked like such a happy family, it made Billy feel like an imposter.

“Aren’t they lovely!” A warm voice whispered in his ear, and Billy jumped. Behind him stood a plump woman, her grey hair tucked under a limp red cheifs hat. Nana. “We take one every year! The one from last year us above the mantle, come on.” She lead Billy through a maze of halls and into a massive living room. A fire roared in the harth, and a massive 10 foot tall Christmas tree sat in the corner. Presents of every color sat under and in it’s heavy branches. Steve and his mother sat surrounded by people in the middle of the room. Their eyes sparkled, and their skin glowed. Everyone in the room looked like something out of a water color Christmas card. Billy’s mouth fell open, as he watched the scene. “It’s so wonderful to have everyone here for Christmas.” Nana said as she tucked her hands into her apron. “Come help me bring out the coco Billy, then I’ll have them all introduce themselves to you properly.” Billy nodded, following Nana into the kitchen. Where a little over a dozen people were working.

They were short people, and Billy felt bad for staring at them until he saw their ears. Pointed ears, that stuck out under their hair and hats. Elfs? One of them smiled, and handed Billy a tray before returning to her large pot. No, people wearing costumes, right! Nana began loading cup after cup onto the tray, smiling as she dropped different colored marshmallows into each of the cups.

“And a blue one for Billy, you’re favorite color.” Billy wrinkled his nose in embarrassment, Steve didn’t need to tell his family everything about Billy! “Come on now dear.” She lead him back into the living room and guilded him to an ornate coffee table and helped him set the tray down. “Okay, now the fun begins!” And then she starter calling out names. The youngest to the oldest. It started with a small girl, Joy, no older than two, who pushed herself up onto shaky legs and waddled over to her grandma. Billy handed her a small sippy cup filled with warm milk and a sinlge pink marshmellow. Five more girls followed little Joy, Faith, Hope, Ella, Fae, Nicole, before Billy was handed his cup, and then Steve, who got a cup shaped like a Santa. His family giggled and Steve blushed, sipping his coco happily nonetheless. Next the last three girls were called, Mary, May and Dove, then their mothers, Tinsel, Noel, Eve, Christmas and Carol. Finally Nana took her cup, blowing softly at the steam. Six cups remained on the tray, Billy glanced down at them wondering for the first time were the husbands and fathers of these girls were. “They’re in the den downstairs dear, watching the game of all things!” Nana laughed. “Papa is in his work shop right now, I was actually wondering if you and Stevie would take him his coco and remind him that dinner is almost ready. He’s so busy at the moment, but his family still needs him.” Nana lifted the only lidded cup and set it in Billy’s free hand.

Steve disentangled himself from his manu aunts and cousins and made his way over to Billy. “Let me guess, we’re on workshop duty?” Nana laughed softly.

“Well someone needs to stay here and make sure the ham doesn’t burn!” Steve pressed a soft kiss to her cheek before taking the cup from Billy and motioning for him to follow.

“My Granddad’s workshop is in the back yard. He builds toy prototypes for a company based in Anchorage.”

“He makes toys?” Billy asked, carefully avoiding a second smaller tree in the hall that lead to the backdoor. A pile of boots lay next to the door, coats of every color and size lay on the bench next to the huge pile, Steve picked through them before eventually finding his and Billy’s.

“Yeah. Toys of every kind! Some stay here in the US, others go overseas to like Japan and stuff.” Billy shrugged his coat on, taking the cup back from Steve who shrugged his coat on while Billy waited by the back door. “You’d be surprised how in demand toys are.” Steve lead him out of the backdoor and down a stone path, to a second even larger cabin. Smoke billowed from the many chimneys and music could be heard from just behind the doors and windows. Steve didn’t even bother knocking, just pushed his way inside. Billy followed at a slower pace, every bit of Steve family home was amazing. This workshop was filled with toys, old toys, new toys, pictures of toys that dated to the victorian era if Billy was correct.

His mind whirled. Steve’s family was in the toy making business, had been for apprently hundreds of years, they employed short people with ears so pointy they could probably pop balloons, they were obsessed with Christmas, had a freaking deer in their yard. This had to be a joke, Billy turned to smile at Steve who seemed utterly clueless that Billy’s mind seemed to be playing tricks on him. There was no way, Steve’s familt wasn’t, they couldn’t be.

“Oh! There he is!” Steve said pointing up the winding stairs to a figure. A figure all in red, with heavy boots on and a fuzzy hat.

Billy watched, mouth open as the man turned around to face them. His cheeks red, and his smile huge. His belly shook as he laughed, a latge booming ‘Stevie!’ echoed around them followed by what could only be described as a ‘hohoho’. Billy felt Steve take the cup of coco from him, which was good because Billy was sure he was about to faint as he watched his boyfriend cross in front of the many workers to embrace Santa Claus.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #LOOK AT THIS CRACK!!#this was a dream #and i couldn't resist #sorry!!!!

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some1foundme · 7 years

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Fic: Lost in the Memory ch. 13

Title: Lost in the Memory

Author: Some1FoundMe

Summary: Oliver Queen returns to his home in Star City after a five year tour overseas, much to the delight of his friends and family. There’s just one small problem. The injury that effectively ended his military career also erased a part of his memory. As he struggles to put together the missing pieces of his past, his connection to his best friend’s little sister becomes something he can’t avoid. Who is Felicity Merlyn and why can’t he seem to stay away from her? Olicity AU, no Arrow, no island.

Read on AO3 or ff.net

Chapter Thirteen

Felicity was still reeling from her conversation with Moira when Thea climbed into the truck. She felt unsteady, unsure, and as she continued to turn over her mother-in-law’s words, she fell further into the land of uncertainties. It wasn’t as if she didn’t already have a dozen what-ifs playing on a loop in her mind. What if Oliver never remembered their past? What if he decided that he couldn’t fall in love with her again? What if he found someone else to love? She’d been fighting a long list of what-ifs from the moment he’d stepped into Verdant and she’d found out about his condition. But she’d found hope. She’d let herself believe that he would get better, that he’d get his memories back and they could put the nightmare behind them. And then she’d let Moira Queen burst her bubble.

“Aunt Felicity?”

She jumped, glancing at Thea in her rearview mirror before focusing back on the road. She had been driving on autopilot.

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“Can I go to Nana and Pop’s tomorrow?” she asked.

It had been close to a month since Thea had seen Laurel’s parents. After moving from Star City, Quentin and Dinah had made it a point to stay in touch with their only grandchild but that mostly meant phone calls – which came like clockwork every Sunday evening – because arranging visits during the school year wasn’t easy. Felicity had no doubt that the Lances would be happy to have Thea for a couple of days.

“I don’t see why not. We’ll call when we get home, okay?”

Thea grinned, “Okay!”

Felicity turned onto their street and thought about what Thea’s absence meant for her. She would be alone with Oliver. There would be no buffer between them, no little girl to distract them, and the prospect made her pulse race.

As soon as she’d parked the truck in the driveway, Thea hopped out and made a dash for the front door. Felicity knew that she was excited to see Oliver after a long day of school but it didn’t stop her from calling to her niece to slow down. If she were being honest, Thea wasn’t the only one excited about seeing him. She hadn’t been able to think of anything else all day.

By the time she made it to the front porch, the door was wide open and Thea’s coat and backpack had been discarded on the floor in the foyer. Felicity picked up the offending articles and closed the door.

“Alright, kid, we’ve talked about this,” she scolded when she found Thea standing in the middle of the living room, “You have to put your stuff away. We don’t have a maid.”

Thea turned to her with a frown.

“He’s not here.”

Felicity paused, looking around the room. The blankets that Oliver had been using were folded neatly and stacked along the back of the sofa. The television remotes were lined up in the middle of the coffee table and the book he’d been reading for the past couple of days had been shelved. She glanced toward the coatrack by the front door. His jacket was missing.

“He probably just went for a walk, Thea. He’ll be home soon,” Felicity assured her, “Why don’t you go up and do your homework and we’ll call Nana and Pop as soon as you’re finished?”

She recognized the flash of panic in Thea’s eyes and knew better than to address it. When she passed by on her way up to her room, Felicity handed over her coat and backpack and ruffled her hair. Thea’s footsteps were heavy as she climbed the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed down her own panic and went into the kitchen.

He didn’t have a cell phone so she couldn’t try to call him and he didn’t have a key to the house. She considered calling his parents but thought better of it. There was no need to worry them. What she’d told Thea was probably true. Oliver was most likely out walking somewhere or running or something. He wouldn’t have left for no reason and he had the map he’d made himself. He’d be home eventually.

She was halfway through prepping the lasagna she was making for dinner when she heard the front door open and the pressure that had been building in her chest lessened.

“Felicity?”

She cleared her throat and called back to him.

“In the kitchen.”

Oliver appeared a few moments later carrying a bag from the only grocery store in town. He’d shed his coat and boots, she assumed in the entryway, and padded across the tiled floor in just his socks. Felicity couldn’t stop her eyes from following him as he moved, admiring the broken-in jeans he wore and his fitted grey t-shirt.

“Hi.”

“Hey. I went to the market and grabbed a few things,” he told her, depositing the bag on the counter, “I would’ve locked the door but I couldn’t find a key.”

She shrugged, “It’s okay. I’ve honestly never worried about someone breaking in here. Besides, there’s been more than one morning when I’ve rushed out and not locked the door.”

Oliver shook his head with a grin.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

He stood on the other side of the kitchen island and watched as she layered sauce and cheese and noodles into the pan. She washed her hands before popping the lasagna into the oven. She set the timer and turned back to him.

He was staring and the look on his face surprised her. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she recognized it for what it was. His normally bright blue eyes resembled the sky at midnight, his pupils blown wide, and Felicity would’ve been able to spot the desire swirling in them from a mile away. He hadn’t looked at her like that in a long time. She’d missed the way he could make her body come alive with a single glance.

She cleared her throat and forced herself to look away.

“You’re staring,” she accused gently.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

“It’s okay. You just – I –“ she felt the flush in her cheeks deepen as embarrassment clashed with her own desire for him.

“Felicity.”

Bracing herself, she lifted her head to meet his gaze. Amusement had crept into his expression and, mixed with the lust in his captivating eyes, it sent her heart galloping.

“You can’t look at me like that and expect me to be able to form a coherent sentence,” she blurted.

Oliver’s smirk broadened.

“Look at you like what?”

She tipped her head and scowled at him. He was teasing her, the jerk.

“What’d you get at the store?” she asked, ignoring his baiting completely and moving onto safer ground.

He chuckled and began pulling his purchases from the bag. She recognized a few of his favorite things as he set them on the counter. Salt and vinegar chips, Arrow IPA, chocolate covered pretzels, caramel pecan coffee, a package of sour candy – someone was craving junk food – but it was the last item that made the air stick in her lungs.

“Mint chip?” she gasped, “Why – why did you buy that?”

He shrugged, “I was trying to think of something to get for you. The candy is for Thea. Tommy - Tommy used to love any kind of sour candy so I thought she might… do you not like mint? Do you even eat ice-cream?”

“I do. I love it. But … but mint chip is my favorite.”

“Really?”

She nodded, “Yeah, yeah it is. Oliver, did you remember this? Did you… is that why you bought this? This flavor specifically?”

He stared at the pint of ice-cream on the counter between them. Hope tried to work its way into her heart and Felicity did everything that she could to stifle it. It wasn’t until she realized he was shaking his head that the feeling died altogether.

“I’m sorry, Felicity. No, I – I didn’t remember. It’s just what I picked up.”

She hoped that he couldn’t see her disappointment when he looked at her. She hoped the smile on her face looked genuine.

“Uncle Ollie!”

Thea came into the kitchen with her homework folder clutched in her hands. She dropped it hastily on the table before crossing the room toward them. Oliver barely had time to crouch down to her level before she threw herself into his arms.

“Where did you go?” she asked, “You weren’t here when we got home. I thought you’d be here.”

Thea’s distress was clear in her voice and when Oliver looked at her over their niece’s head, she saw understanding soften his expression. He’d disappeared without letting either of them know where he was going and they’d had no way to reach him. He mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’ to her and Felicity shrugged.

“I just went to run an errand, honey,” he told Thea, “Did you think I wasn’t coming back?”

Thea pulled away and looked at him seriously. Her dark eyes were wide and her lip trembled slightly as she spoke.

“Daddy left and never came back,” she said quietly, “So did Momma.”

Felicity braced herself against the counter. Thea rarely spoke of her parents’ deaths. They talked about her memories of them and she never hid how much she missed them but it wasn’t often that she actually mentioned either of them dying.

Oliver wrapped Thea up in his arms, crushing her to his chest. Her little face was buried against his throat.

“I’m so sorry, Thea,” he whispered, “I didn’t meant to scare you. I’ll leave a note next time, okay?”

Thea nodded against him and when she lifted her head, Felicity could see that her eyes were red. But she held in her tears as Oliver let her go and she picked up her folder again. She crossed the room and handed it to Felicity.

“Can you check my homework please?” Thea asked.

“Of course, baby. Why don’t you take my phone into the living room and call Nana and Pop? Tell them that I can drop you off tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

Thea left the room quietly and Oliver didn’t say a word until she was gone. He got to his feet and came back to the island, standing across from her once again. Felicity took the pint of ice-cream to the freezer.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” he told her, “I didn’t think I’d be gone that long, really. I figured I’d be home before you guys got here.”

She shrugged, “It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize. You’re free to leave whenever you want, you know that. But … but it was a little unsettling to come home and you weren’t here. For a second I thought –“

“Don’t do that. I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”

Felicity sighed, picking up Thea’s homework and heading for the table. Oliver followed, sitting down opposite her. He put his hand on the folder before she could open it.

“Felicity.”

“I believe you, Oliver, I do. But you have to understand, I – we’re not exactly used to having you here yet. Sometimes it feels like I’m going to wake up one morning and you’ll just be gone and it’ll all have been some really bizarre dream.”

She set her hand on top of his, squeezing his fingers.

“Does she talk about them?” Oliver asked, “Tommy and Laurel, does Thea talk about them?”

Felicity shrugged, “Sometimes. She doesn’t usually talk about losing them though. She has pictures of them both in her room but she was so young when Laurel died, most of her memories of her are things she’s heard from other people. Tommy she remembers but she doesn’t talk about him much either.”

“She has separation anxiety,” Oliver guessed.

“And PTSD, to some degree.”

“Does she do that often? Freak out when she doesn’t know where someone is? Does she do that with you?”

Sighing, she sat back in her chair and pulled Thea’s math worksheet from the folder.

“Of course she does. She has a hard time staying calm if she doesn’t know where I am. People leave her and they never come back. Her mom and grandma left one weekend and never came home. Her dad did the same. Thea has trouble separating those incidences from the events of her day to day life. She thinks that every time someone in her life leaves, she’ll never see them again,” Felicity explained.

Oliver fell silent and Felicity actually took a moment to check the worksheet in her hand. She made a couple of quick notes for Thea before stuffing the paper back into the folder and setting it aside.

“Does she have anyone to talk to?” Oliver asked, “A counselor or something?”

“She does. There’s a counselor at school that she meets with once a week. At first, she just went for grief counseling but when she started having panic attacks every time I left her, it turned into more. She’s getting a lot better and we have a system worked out. She knows my work schedule by heart so she knows the days that I’m not the one picking her up from school. If something comes up and I have to leave her with your mom or Sara or Lyla longer than normal, I always call and let her know. As long as she knows, she’s okay,” she told him, “Thea’s a good girl but she’s got some issues.”

Oliver chuckled, “I guess we all do.”

Felicity nodded her agreement and raked her fingers through her hair. Oliver caught her left hand before she could set it on the table. He turned her rings around her finger and then laced their digits together. It was then that she noticed the band she’d picked out for him nearly a decade early, situated on his finger. She lifted her eyes to his, surprised.

“You put it back on.”

“It felt right.”

“Oh.”

He lifted their joined hands and turned them so that the back of her hand faced him.

“Did I pick this out?” he asked, “It looks familiar.”

She shook her head, “It was your grandmother’s.”

“How did it happen? How did I ask you?”

She smiled a little wistfully, twisting their hands until they rested on the table. She wrapped his hand in both of hers and traced her thumb over his ring.

“It was Christmas Eve. We’d decided to celebrate here, just the two of us, because Christmas day was already being split between your parents and mine,” she recalled, “You’d been acting strange all day, anxious and secretive, and I couldn’t figure out why. It made me nervous. After dinner we went into the living room to exchange gifts.”

“And the ring was your gift?”

She shook her head, “Sadly, no. You teased me though, giving me this box that was about the right size for a piece of jewelry but instead of a ring, it was a very pretty, handmade ornament. I was … disappointed to say the least and even though I tried to hide it, I knew you could tell. You’ve always been able to read me like an open book. A little later, when we’d both opened all of our gifts, my phone rang. It was John calling to tell me that something had happened at Verdant and that he couldn’t reach my parents. He said I needed to come down right away. Of course, I panicked. I mean, a cop calls you and tells you there’s a problem…”

Oliver chuckled, the sound washing over her, and Felicity tightened her hold on his hand.

“Anyway, you drove me over to the bar and dropped me off at the front door. The street out front was blocked by a line of police cars so you had to find somewhere else to park and I went in on my own. Only when I got inside, the place was empty. John was nowhere to be found, there were no customers in the dining room and the lights were off. But the top of the bar had been covered in candles. They were everywhere. And right in the middle of them was a little velvet box,” she laughed at the memory, “I started crying before I’d even picked it up.”

She met Oliver’s gaze across the table. He was watching her with an intense longing that punctuated the air between them. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same, that every moment that they spent together only strengthened her need for him.

“What happened next?” he asked, his roughened voice sending a shiver down her spine.

Her fingers flexed around his.

“When I opened the box, it was empty. But I turned and – and you were there with this beautiful grin on your face. You took the box from my hands, set it back on the bar, and got down on one knee. You told me how much you loved me, that you couldn’t… that you couldn’t imagine life without me. You knew that you’d be deployed when your training was done and you wanted to marry me before you left. You asked me to be your always.”

“You said yes.”

She grinned, “Of course. Only I was crying too hard to actually get the word out and you told me that I couldn’t have the ring until I said yes.”

Oliver’s grin matched hers.

“I had to coerce you into marrying me, huh?”

Shrugging she teased, “I guess you did.”

He lifted their entwined hands and pressed his lips to her fingers, making her heart stutter in her chest.

“Do you ever regret it?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head and prayed that he heard the sincerity in her voice as she answered him.

“Never, Oliver. Not for a second. I love you. Nothing can change that. I promised you always and I meant it. I’m yours.”

#arrow fanfiction #olicity au #lost in the memory fic #some1foundme fic

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