#I’ll be back every few weeks like hi you missed me a ton right? I’m here for the weekend. yes I do live across the country. don’t even worry | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itsasainz · 1 year

Text

Girlfriend Treatment | Trent Alexander-Arnold

Summary: You've been holding off on becoming Trent's girlfriend, but there's nothing like a bit of peer pressure to change your mind.

Word count: 3.1k

Warnings/tags: smut, fluff, trent being the loml

mdni please :)

a/n: I love taa. thats all.

masterlist!

His breathing is heavy in the crook of your neck, lips damp and soft on your skin, your own breaths ragged as you come down from your high, flushed and warm from the moment, your eyes trained on the light above your bed and the fact that you shouldn’t be doing this. You run your hands down the plains of his back, smiling to yourself at the fact that he hasn’t pulled away. “You need to get to training,” you say, “Match day and all that.”

You can feel his hesitancy as he pulls away to sit back on his heels, hands trailing along your skin. “Can I shower here?”

You nod, “I’ll start on breakfast.”

He leans forwards and kisses you, just a peck, before getting out of bed and disappearing into the bathroom, leaving you blushing in your messy sheets. God, he’ll be the death of you.

You drag yourself out of bed and pull some pants on, grabbing his t-shirt as you head to the kitchen, swearing when you see the time – lunch it is, you guess. You’re familiar enough with his pre-match routines to know what he’ll want to eat and how long he can stay. Caught up in your thoughts – of him, and his match and whether you’ll agree when he inevitably asks (again) whether you’ll be there. You’re plating up when he reappears in his joggers, shirtless, smiling at the sight of you in his clothes; if the match goes well, he’ll probably want to fuck while you wear his shirt, and you’ll almost certainly oblige.

Sure enough, he asks while you're sitting at the table. “I’ve got two comps left,” he says, “Please come – bring Hannah, if you like.”

You glance at him, "That sounds like WaG behaviour – not your girlfriend, remember?"

"Darlin', you know that fact's entirely on you, right?"

“Who else is going?” You deflect.

“Just my brothers.”

You mull it over; if anything, his brothers are good fun, and you’ve got no plans. “I’ll think about it,” you say, “but I’m not wearing your shirt.”

“That sounds like a yes,” he teases, taking your empty plate, “You’re coming?”

You lean back in your chair, watching him start to wash up, “I said I’ll think about it.”

Even with his back turned to you, you can feel his smile. “Don’t think too hard, you’ll hurt your head.”

“That’s my line,” you scoff, standing up to join him at the sink. Absentmindedly, you find yourself leaning your cheek into the top of his back, your hands sneaking around his middle. “Let me ask Han if she’s free, mkay?”

His soapy hand finds yours. “Can I have my shirt back?”

“I like this one.” you mutter. “I’ve got a ton of your other ones in the drawer, though.”

He wipes his hands on a tea towel, then turns to hug you back, leaning back against the edge of the sink. “I was wondering where they’d all gone.”

You smile at him, “It would be such a shame if you never got them back.”

“I need to go, sweetheart.”

You kiss him. “Don’t miss me too much.”

He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, “See you later.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

When he’s gone, taking one of his other shirts and promising to text you after training, you lie on the sofa, texting your friend to see if she can come to the game – last time you went without a friend, someone took a load of photos of you with his parents, and the rumours had been circling for weeks after.

From Hannah: I have that work dinner, remember? Yk I’d rather come to the game, but I can’t miss it.

To Hannah: Shit, I forgot. Don’t worry about it, have fun at the dinner <3

With a few hours until the game, you shower and text Trent to send you a ticket, taking your mind of the anxiety about getting spotted again by getting ahead on some of your admin for the new year, deliberating for a little too long on what to wear, knowing you’ll wear something similar to what you’ve worn to every other game you’ve attended in the winter – a thick coat and jeans, probably with a red top so you don’t stand out too much from the sea of Liverpool supporters.

Tyler picks you up just after six, and you find yourselves sat in the box early with some of the other players' friends and family, watching the warm ups while Marcell catches you up on his current girl troubles and the argument he had with Dianne the other day; you've heard about it all through Trent already, but you don’t mention that to his brother, instead getting Tyler to bring you a drink from the bar.

The first half is both awful and brilliant at once: Leicester City's early goal throws the Scousers off a little, but the two own goals cheer the home crowd right back up. Trent disappears back to the changing rooms during half time, and you chat some more with his brothers – at this rate, you'll have gotten an entire family history out of them by the time the game ends. He comes over for a couple of minutes right before the game starts up again, looking all sweaty and waving to his brothers. You go to the barrier and crouch down to talk to him.

"God," you mutter, "You reek of sweat."

"'S almost like I've been playing football."

You smile down at him. "Good luck – you're playing well."

His eyes are adoring, though you won't let yourself admit that it's you he's looking at like that. "Gimme a kiss?"

"In front of everyone?" You frown, "And with you smelling like that?"

He stares at you for a few long seconds, and you cave, opting to press your lips to his cheek before pecking him on the lips. "Go get 'em."

He moves away from you as you stand, leaning your elbows on the barrier to watch him weave through players to get back to the pitch, chatting to Robbo on the way. Back in your seat, Trent's brothers are looking at you with quizzical expressions.

"I thought you weren't together." says Tyler.

"We're not." you mutter.

"He hasn't asked?" Marcell chips in.

"Oh, he's asked." you say.

"Why'd you refuse then?"

You want to sink into the floor. "When he asked, it was just after all those photos came out, and I was super freaked out about having my life turned upside down by the idea of everyone finding out I'm dating Liverpool's golden boy."

"You just kissed him in a stadium of 50,000 people."

You can feel your face going red. He raises a good point – you've gotten past the panic of having your face fleetingly in the tabloids, and it's not like you and Trent don't already act like a couple – he even took you to Qatar with him and introduced you to the actual WaGs.

The second half drags by, but Trent plays well until he's taken off, right at the end, and you can tell he's unhappy with the overall performance. You check your phone when the game ends, aware that it's going to be a long while before you leave, surprised by the bunch of texts Hannah had sent you.

From Hannah: I wish I was at the match this meal is so boring

From Hannah: omg not the own goals

From Hannah: ummmm since when were u kissing trent in PUBLIC?!?!!?

From Hannah: wife him up

To Hannah: what?? where did u see that??

She sends you a link to a tweet by some LFC fan who must have been sitting in the seats above the box, because beneath the words "UM TRENT WHO ARE YOU KISSINGGG???" are a bunch of photos of you crouched down to talk to him, recognisable by your coat but thankfully without your face in them – the time stamp shows that it must have been posted within minutes of the interaction, and you're almost impressed.

Tyler sees what you're looking at and scoffs. "Jesus, that was quick."

"Right?" You laugh. "At least my face isn't in it."

He nods, "Better than last time, eh?"

The two of them bid farewell once the stadium's cleared out, knowing Trent will drive you home, and make you promise to drop by at some point before the next game. Once they're gone, you spot Hendo's wife and go to say hi, the two of you catching up until, at long last, Hendo and Trent reappear, having showered and done their interviews. Trent hugs you tight when he sees you, his warm hands slipping under your coat and pressing into your skin.

"Proud of you, T." you say, earning a satisfied smile. "Wanna grab something to eat on the way home?"

He agrees, walking with his arm over your shoulders, chatting to Hendo on the way to the car, signing a couple of autographs on the way out, smiling for the lingering fans. They don't pay you or Rebecca much notice, you hang back until they're gone and Trent finally unlocks the car.

"Chinese?" You offer on the way, "My treat?"

He laughs, "What's gotten into you? Two public appearances in one evening?"

"Going to the local Chinese place is hardly a public appearance." you argue.

"I'd love to." he says, stopping at a red light. You smile to yourself, for once filled with utter confidence in everything about this relationship – or, more accurately, suddenly able to acknowledge that this man loved you and wanted to be with you, even if he'd never put the former into words.

He parks on the street in front of the takeaway, grabbing a menu from the counter and joining you to deliberate about what to order in the corner by the window. You spend five minutes um-ing and ah-ing only to order what you always do. You insist on paying like you'd send you would, and sit back down beside him.

You turn pointedly to face him rather than the counter. "T," you begin. Fuck, who'd have thought you'd be so nervous about asking a question you already knew the answer to? You need to find a segue. "Have you seen the photos?"

"Again?" he asks, the concern immediately clouding his face – he saw the anxiety you went through last time, and it makes your heart flutter to know he holds that concern for you.

"Relax, my face isn't in them," you say, getting the tweet back up. He inspects the photos, instinctively smiling at the little moment.

"Why are you so okay with it?" he asks.

You shrug. "There's no point in getting stressed about the same stuff twice."

"Wise." he teases, squeezing your thigh slightly.

"I'm practically Oogway." you say, making him laugh. "Seriously though-"

Your order is called, interrupting you. He goes to get it, unlocking the car as you take the bag from him. In the car, he sends you a worried look as he turns the engine on. The takeaway sits on your knees, warm on your jeans.

"What were you going to say?" he asks.

You tell yourself to let tonight last a little longer. "Oh, uh, nothing. Let's get home, yeah?"

He parks on the street under your flat, waiting diligently while you fiddle with your keys and grab your mail from the pigeon hole, greet an elderly neighbour and insist on taking the stairs.

Once inside, he helps you grab the chopsticks and drinks before settling onto the sofa, cross legged with the news on in the background.

"Listen," you say, "I've been thinking."

"Don't tell me you bought me dinner just to break up with me."

You panic for a second, "Oh my God, no, of course not! In fact, kinda the opposite."

He leans against the sofa behind him, looking a little smug. Bastard. "Oh yeah?"

"Don't tease, okay? I need to say this."

His eyes don't leave your face as you put your meal on the coffee table. "Go on."

You face him, "T, I maybe like you a bit – well, a lot – more than I ever planned to, and, like, I was thinking a lot over Christmas and stuff, but I wish I hadn't been so anxious when you first asked me to be your girlfriend, 'cause I don't want to be thinking about what the fucking Mirror are saying about us when they're irrelevant to us, as like, people. You’re one of the most important people in my life and every time we spend time together I'm just reminded of how lucky I am to have you in my life, and of how bloody dumb I've been. Anyway, this is a very long way of saying something simple: I love you, and do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Trent has a soft look on his face that makes you flustered. "For real?" He mutters, mostly to himself, as he takes your hands. He pulls you to him so you're forced to straddle him and takes his sweet time kissing you, hands on your waist.

"Is that a yes?"

He laughs, "You're cute, y'know? of course it's a yes, love."

You blush. "Does this mean I get girlfriend treatment now?"

His lips, ever so gentle, ghost over your neck, "My sweet, sweet girl, let me show you just what kind of treatment you get now."

You are, as ever, putty in his hands.

Gently, he moves you so that you're under him, kissing your neck and murmuring endless kindnesses into your skin as he undoes your jeans, pulling them down to expose your thighs, the fabric tangling around your ankles. He pulls back, seemingly reluctantly, to pull them off your legs completely, and repositions himself so he can kiss you on the soft flesh of your inner thigh, leaving teeth marks and bruises in his wake, hands preoccupied with your bra and removing your top.

Ever the tease, his kisses only graze the fabric over your core, hands teasing your nipples. You sigh, getting frustrated with his not-quite touches.

His lips finally attach to your core through the lace of your pants, finding the fabric damp with your arousement, his mouth wet over you. His mouth on your panties elicits a moan from you, breathy and sweet. His hands disappear from your chest for a moment before you feel the slight sting of him tearing your underwear off, leaving you exposed to him as he kneels on the floor, your legs over his shoulders, hands in his locs.

He is systematic with his assault on your core, knowing your every weakness and slightest tells, his tongue toying with you, teeth grazing your clit slightly, making you twitch with pleasure around him. He presses his fingers into you, relishing in the way you contract around him, letting out another moan, this one louder, less restrained as he unravels you, bit by bit, like an animal toying with its prey. You're bucking into him more now, trying to use the pressure of his mouth on your clit to create a rhythm, unsatisfied with his slow teasing – he knows, instinctively, that you probably don't even fully realise your doing it. He uses his fingers to set a pace, still teasing, still unpicking you, slow and steady.

His other hand holds your hips, keeping you pressed right into him, allowing him full control over you in your most vulnerable state, moaning as you come undone for him. He can tell from your shaking that your close, that it will only take a few strategic movements to have you coming on his face, and he is more than happy to push you over the precipice, feeling your moment of tenseness, muscles contracting with absolute pleasure, before you breathe again, heavier, warmer, trying to make sense of your situation as he plants kisses on your sensitive skin. He kisses his way up your stomach, kissing you when he reaches your neck. You're still trying to catch your breath, the kiss sloppy and messy.

"T," you murmur, shivering at his every touch. "T, need you."

He hums, "Mmm, I'm not doing this for the first time as your boyfriend on the sofa."

You giggle. "I don't think I trust my legs right now."

"I got you," he says, "You know I've got you."

He picks you up, your arms still wrapped around him, and takes you to your bedroom, apparently unbothered by the weight or inconvenience of carrying you across the flat.

He lays you down on your bed, still unmade from the morning, and pulls his top off, trousers and boxers following. Hovering over you on the bed, he kisses you again, relishing in the feeling of your fingertips on his back, the sensation inciting something guttural in him. Only you can do this to him, pull him apart with just the lightest of touches. You take pride in that fact.

His touch is firm, and your thighs, still sensitive from his abuses, warm at the feeling of his hardened length pressed to them, precum decorating your fingers as you reach down to aid him, your thumb toying with his tip as he kisses you, open mouths and desperate, your other hand on his neck, pulling his ear close to your mouth.

"Please, Trent," you murmur, "Please."

He moves your hand from his length, lining himself up with your core, lips refinding yours as he pushes in, nearly coming right then as you gasp into his mouth, letting out the prettiest of moans as he bottoms out in you, unable to keep your composure under him.

He moves slow, not necessarily soft, but he draws out the experience, making the most of every gasp and moan, lips never leaving your skin, your nails digging into the muscular smoothness of his back. He could die at the feeling of you under him, around him.

He returns one hand to your clit, toying with you to edge you closer to your climax, the feeling of your convulsions around him bringing him closer too. He pushes you over the edge, riding you through your orgasm and into his own, grunting into your skin as he breathes you in, loving every sensation of you on him. He could live in this moment for eternity.

Your kiss on his forehead brings him back to the world. You, fucked out under him, hair a mess, smile lazy. "Boyfriend."

He relaxes on top of you, careful not to lean too much weight on your chest – he'd hate to suffocate you – and kisses your jaw. "Girlfriend."

#trent alexander arnold x reader #trent alexander arnold #taa66 #lfc #itsasainz

1K notes · View notes

yourlocalmerchgirl · 9 months

Text

Texas Transplant Pt. 1

Paring: Tommy Miller x Reader

Word count: 6k

Part 2

Summary: Tommy is tired of living in Joel's shadow. He feels broken and unloveable, just going threw the motions of life. Then you walked into his life making him realize it is possible for him to be loved and cared for.

Tommy Miller x reader AU (the out break doesn't happen

Warnings: Slow Burn Slow Build Pining Mutual Pining Smut Fluff Tooth-Rotting Fluff Falling In Love I think that’s about it for this part let me know if I missed anything

A/N: I’m so nervous to start posting this story but I’m extremely proud of it! Please let me know how you like it! I’ll be updating it regularly

“Jesus” you whisper under your breath as you enter your apartment, kicking off your shoes and flopping down on the couch allowing your head to fall back.

“How did everything go?” You’re greeted to the nervous ton of your best friend and roommate Stacey. You slowly roll your head to the right to face her and are greeted by her warm smile and a drink when you open your eyes.

“Please tell me that asshole finally signed the papers?” She says handing you the drink and flopping down on the couch next to you.

You took a deep breath and then a long sip of your drink. “Im finally done with this hellish part of my life” you said as you raised your glass and cheers with her.

“We should go out to get some food and drinks to celebrate you getting your life back, plus there’s something I wanted to talk to you about”

“Sounds great, let me get changed real quick” you said jumping up and heading to you room to change.

You guys settled on the little Mexican restaurant on your block, everyone there was incredibly nice and and they always let us stay as long as we wanted.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” You asked inquisitively furrowing your brow.

“Um my uncle Ron passed away a couple weeks ago”

“ oh my god why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were in the middle of the divorce and there’s more too it so i didn’t want to bombard you with stuff.”

“I’m so sorry you felt like you needed to hide it, you can always tell me about anything at any time” you said smiling warmly.

Stacey lets the conversation fall silent while she figures out how to say what she wants to say next.

“So… you remember how you always talk about how miserable we both are here and that once your divorce was final that maybe we’d move away and start a new adventure somewhere else”

“Yea… I do. I don’t know what that has to do with your uncle though.” You say chuckling.

“I guess my family had been fighting over who would get his house and it pissed him off so a few years ago he left the house to me and never told anyone. I got this envelope in the mail a few weeks ago after her passed from the people handling the will.” She pulls a big Manila envelope out of her bag and hands it to you.

“The house is all payed for and was kept up with really nicely. A couple years ago he had the kitchen and both bathrooms completely redone too.”

“Where did your uncle live again, Texas?”

“Yea in Austin, it’s been a long time since I went down there there but I remember the area that he lived in was nice.”

You’re completely shocked looking at the paperwork, your mouth ajar slightly.

“This is our chance to make the life’s we wanted for ourselves and start over.”

“We’d have to figure wor-“

“Funny you should mention work” Stacey says cutting you off with a laugh.

“I took the liberty of asking work about it, and they said they would be more than happy to transfer us to the customer service team so we could work remotely, we would just have to come back a couple times a year for company meetings.”

You laugh “Jesus you really thought of everything didn’t you?”

“I know how you are, over thinking everything” she says teasing “I didn’t want you to have to worry about the details”

You start tearing up thinking about everything, the last 5 years have been hell and she’s been with you every step of the way.

“You really want to share your house with me?” You say your voice cracking slightly.

“It’s not just my house, it’ll be our house. But yes of course I do. Where I go you go and vice versa, you really think I wouldn’t want you to do this without you?”

“No I-I just don’t know what I would do without you. I still haven’t figured out what I did to deserve a best friend like you in my life but man life would be pretty fucking boring without you”

“I know, I’m pretty fucking great aren’t I?” She says dusting her shoulders off grinning ear to ear, before you guys break out in hysterical laughter.

“Screw it! I’m in, let’s do it! What do we really have to lose?”

————————————————-

It took several days and many miles but you and Stacey finally came to a stop in front of your new house.

"My god! Remind me never to get in a uhaul with you again" you laugh as you hope out.

"Well we made it here alive so you can't complain to badly" Stacey quipped

"This neighborhood is really cute"

"It is, it's a lot how I remember it being. Come on I'll show you around the inside so we can pick rooms before we start moving stuff."

You two settled for your taking the master bedroom with attached bathroom and the spare room down stairs and Stacey took the whole upstairs consisting of a large bedroom, spare room and a bathroom.

You guys didn't waste any time starting to move stuff in. Thankfully when packing you two labeled the room each box belonged to so it made the process go smooth and somewhat fast.

"Look someone is moving in next door" Sarah points out as her, Joel and Tommy pull into their driveway.

Joel and Tommy look over to see what she's pointing at when Tommy puts the truck in park.

"I didn't know Ron's house was for sale" Tommy says turning to Joel.

"Yea I didn't think it was"

As they all get out the truck they hear muffled commotion coming from the back of the moving truck.

"Do you have it? Are you sure you have it?"

"Yes I totally have it"

"Oh shit.. no no no, I don't have it"

Can be heard followed by a loud thud and a loud "fuck I hope we didn't break that" followed by laughter.

"Joel it sounds like two girls, maybe we should see if they need help?" Tommy says nervously knowing his brother probably won't want to help them.

Joel let's out a big sigh " ugh I s'pose your right or at the very least make sure they ain't hurt" he says rubbing his face.

"Do y'all need some help?" Joel says as him and Tommy make their way up the ramp of the moving truck.

Scaring the shit out of you both, Stacey whips around to see who the unfamiliar voice is.

"Oh sorry sweetheart, we didn't mean to startle you"

"Who the fuck is that?" You whisper from your position laying down.

"We just heard a little bit of a commotion so we thought we'd offer some help" Tommy says as he steps out from behind Joel smiling.

"Oh no it's ok, just wasn't expecting company that's all, some help would be great though" Stacey says as she smacks you a couple times on the head, motioning for you to get up.

"I'm sorry we were making a lot of noise, we're not always this loud I promise" you say as you sit up putting your arm on the back of the couch and resting your chin on it.

"Jesus I didn't see you there sweetheart, you scared the shit outta me" Joel exclaims as he jumps a little bit. You, Stacey and Tommy all laugh at Joel's expression.

Tommy heard you talking before you sat up, he swears your laugh makes his heart skip a beat. He smiles at the way you blush and turn away when he realizes you were letting your gaze settle on him for an extended amount of time.

"Did you know the family? I didn't realize Ron's house was for sale" Joel asks as Stacey climbs over the arm of the couch to come around the front of it.

"Oh it wasn't, Ron was my uncle, he left me the house when he passed away"

"Oh, I'm very sorry for your loss darlin', your uncle was a good man"

You stand on the couch and move to swing your legs over the back to hop over it when Tommy quickly steps forward offering you his hand to steady yourself with, which you happily accept.

"Thank you" you say offering him a warm smile.

"My pleasure Darlin'" he coos back, his accent thick and smooth sending shivers down your spinespin.

"I'm Tommy by the way, Tommy Miller" he says extending his hand out for you to shake.

"And this here is my brother Joel. We're your neighbors"

"We're there neighbors?" Joel says slapping Tommy's arm

"Ok well he and my niece are your neighbors, I live a few streets over but I'm there all the time" he chuckles.

"I'm (y/n)" you say with a warm genuine smile.

"And I'm Stacey"

You both reach out shaking their hands and offering them warm smiles and greetings.

The brothers make quick work of helping you two move all the heavy furniture, putting it where ever you told them to.

"Thank god for the two of you, I'm not sure why we thought it was a good idea to try to do this all ourselves" you say chuckling.

"Yea it's a good thing we heard you guys or you for sure would of broken this couch" Tommy teases back a small grin on his face

Being dramatic you throw the back of your hand to your forehead pretending to pass out. "Oh my goodness whatever would we of done without you" instantly you both breakout in genuine laughter. Both holding each other gaze for a moment. You both felt that there was something about each other that neither of you could put your finger on. That even though you both had just met , you both felt some kind of calming, comforting presence about each other.

"Are you gonna finish helping me Tommy or are you just gonna stand there fucking around?" Joel huffs from the other room as he's putting your bed together.

"Jesus someone's grumpy" you mumble before you realize what you've said and you hand shot up to cover your mouth.

Tommy grins wildly and snickers quietly at your comment "yea he can be pretty fucking grumpy sometimes" he winks as he heads in to help Joel.

There's a knock at the door and you leave everyone in the kitchen to answer it, wondering who it could possibly be. Much to your surprise it's a young girl probably about 16-17 with full thick dark curly hair.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Sarah! I live next door" she says excitedly.

"I was just wondering if my dad was still her?"

Joel hearing Sarah's voice enters the living room.

"Is everything alright? We're almost done here"

"Yea I was just wondering if you had any ideas for dinner?"

You looked at your phone realizing it was almost 7pm

"Let us get a round of pizza as a thank you for you and Tommy's help, it's the least we could do"

"Oh no that's ok sweetheart we don't want to be a bother, you two must be tired"

"Really it's ok, the companies nice" you say your eyes meeting Tommy's for a moment before you smile.

"Really it's the least we could do" Stacey pipes in.

"They're trying to do something nice Joel, let 'em" Tommy says before letting his gaze rest on you. He had admittedly his own selfish reasons for wanting to stay longer. He wanted to stay in you presence as long as he could.

"Sarah these are our new neighbors, this is Stacey and (Y/n)"

"Hi! It's so nice to meet you both!" She exclaims. Joel can't help but notice that as soon as Sarah's there both you and Stacey give her your undivided attention answering all her questions and laughing with her like you had know their family for ever. He was taken by surprise by this and it made it him so happy to see.

"Oh shit" you pause "does the pizza place deliver? I'm just realizing our cars getting transported here and they won't arrive until next week sometime"

"They don't but it's no problem, I can go pick it up"

"I'm happy to go with you to help,Tommy"

"Ok deal" he says a small smile on his face, pleasantly taken aback by your offer to join him.

The pizza was great and the company was even better, it was so nice getting to know the Millers, everything flowed normal like you'd know them for years.

"Y'know, I'd be more than happy to bring you guys to the grocery store tomorrow so you can get some things until you cars arrive" Tommy offers with a warm smile.

"Oh no that's ok, we couldn't impose on you like that. It's the weekend I'm sure you have better things to do then drive either of us around."

"Oh trust me sweetheart he ain't got nothin' goin' on"

"Jesus Christ Joel" Tommy mumbled while smacking his brother. His face turning the slightest shade of red.

"Well if it truly wouldn't be a bother, I'll happily take you up on your offer"

"I'm more than happy to help, when's a good time for you?"

"Let's say like 2pm?"

"Sounds like a plan I'll be here at 2"

Tommy's heart melts at how thoughtful and caring you are right off the bat.

"Well we best be goin' don't want to over stay our welcome I'm sure the two of you must be tired" Tommy pipes up stretching as he stands.

"Well you guys are welcome here any time." You offer with a genuine but tired smile.

"Here you two take my cell number incase you ever need anything I'm right next door" Joel offers.

Stacey walks everyone out while you stay in the kitchen to start cleaning up.

You look up to see Tommy shyly standing in the doorway.

"I-I just wanted to give you my number incase you decide you don't want to go tomorrow you can just text me" his tone is shy like he's half expecting you won't want to go after all.

He puts his number in your phone and hands it back you. "Well I'll see you tomorrow" he says giving you a hopeful smile.

"Well wait"

He turns quickly on his heels back to you.

"Let me give you my number too, um incase you decide you don't have time to go tomorrow you can just text me"

"Your not getting rid of me that easy" he teases

"Jesus Tommy leave the poor girl alone, let's go"

Tommy let's out a groan and rolls his eyes.

"Sorry" he whispers pulling his gaze to the floor. Before he can turn you lightly reach out touching his arm. "Don't listen to him, your not bothering me" you say flashing him a warm smile. His eye light up at your comment "I'll see you tomorrow"

When you hear the door shut you run into the living room locking eyes with Stacey like your both dying to say the same thing.

"Are they infront of the house still?!"

Stacey quickly checks out the window "no there gone!"

"Umm had you met them before?"

"No... but Jesus a little heads up from my uncle Ron that his neighbors were hot as hell would of been nice" she says as you both breakout in laughter.

—————————————————

You hear a knock at the door pausing to look at the time, you realize it must be Tommy.

“Stacey can you grab the door? I think it’s Tommy. I’m just finishing getting dressed” you call from your room, already hearing her footsteps

“Im on it!”

“Hey Tommy, come on in, make yourself at home (y/n) is just finishing getting ready.”

“Sorry I know I’m a little early.”

The tone of his voice made your heart beat faster. Him being early made you smile, you were always early for everything.

“Can I get you anything to drink? Not that we actually have anything to offer you but I can get you some water” she chuckles and shrugs

“ oh no I’m all set thank you darlin’”

Tommy perks up and smiles at the mere sound of your foot steps coming down the hall, this doesn’t go unnoticed by Stacey.

“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting Tommy”

“Oh it’s no trouble really Darlin’ I don’t mind at all, it’s my fault for being early”

He stands as soon as you enter the room and you look up to see his beautiful calming smile, gaze already on you.

You can feel your face heating up but you can’t help but smile just as much back at him.

“You coming’ along too Stacey?”

“No, not today. I’m gonna stay here and work on unpacking, but don’t worry I sent her with a list.” She laughs when you roll your eyes and playfully pushed her shoulder, making Tommy chuckle, he loves seeing a little glimpse at your personality.

You turn to him “sorry looks like you’re stuck with just me today” you tease giggling and shrugging dramatically.

Your giggle and playfulness sends a shiver down his back into a fluttering in his stomach, like there’s a magnetic pull between the two of you. He wonders if you feel it too and little does he know but you do, you also feel it.

“I wouldn’t quiet word it like that darlin’”

Your face turns red and you turn away embarrassed.

“I’m ready to go if you are” you manage to get out.

When you get out to Tommy’s truck he opens the door for you, closing it once you’re situated.

You’re barely out of the driveway when a big loud yawn escapes you. Tommy laughs as your hands snap up to cover your face in embarrassment.

“Am I boring you already sweetheart? We barely made it out of the driveway” he teases as he nudges your shoulder lightly with his hand. You can’t help but smile when he touches you, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by him.

“Omg I’m so sorry that was so rude, I’m just tired. I didn’t exactly go to bed when you guys left last night like I was intending to. And since we have nothing in the house I haven’t had my coffee today”

He can’t help but smile as he catches a glimpse of you stretching and getting more comfortable. Tommy is beaming with pride at the thought that he’s able to make you feel comfortable being alone with him. Trust and making people comfortable are too very important things to Tommy.

“Would you like to go grab a cup of coffee with me?” He says smiling somewhat nervously. Worried about making you feel weird.

“The coffee shop Sarah works at is close, she should be workin’ today plus I haven’t had my afternoon coffee yet”

You can’t help your lips curling into the most genuine smile that you’ve given someone other than Stacey in what feels like years.

“That would be really nice, I’d love too!”you say turning your gaze to him. He pulls his eyes off the road just long enough so he can take in your beautiful smile. Making him smile just as big and genuine back at you. Tommy’s smiles makes your heart skip a beat. There’s just something about him, something that makes you feel comfortable and completely at ease in a way that nobody that you just met ever has.

You guys pull up to the coffee shop and he gets out and opens the door for you, offering a hand to help you slide out of the truck. You give him a warm smile as he does so. As soon as you and Tommy step into the cafe your greeted with a excited “Uncle Tommy and (y/n)!”

Your heart warms that Sarah remembers your name.

“Hey Kiddo” Tommy greets her, turning back to smile at you.

Your mind races my god this man is such a flirt but also the nicest goddamn person I’ve ever met you think you yourself.

“What can I get you guys, it’s on the house” Sarah says genuinely happy you and Tommy stopped by.

“Oh that’s so nice of you, you don’t have to do that”

“Please, it’s my perk of working here, I can treat my family and friends with coffees when I want and I’m excited you and Uncle Tommy stopped in”

You’ve never felt more excepted and welcomed the way the Miller family has made you feel instantly, you already feeling the weight of how special it is to have them all in your life, they are the family you always wished you had.

As your waiting for your coffees Tommy sees the exact moment you realize there’s local art and photographs lining the walls of the cafe. He watches as you make your way around the empty cafe taking time to look at every piece of art work. Tommy finds you radiant in the moment, watching your soft expression as you intently take in each piece, the way your eyes scan over every detail, the way you smile at the ones you like the most. The way your opening up, letting your guard down allowing him get a glimpse into who you are and what makes you tick.

His large hand ghosts over your lower back before settling there, his tone low and soothing “would you like to sit or leave?”

You turn to look at him, his gaze is already intently on you, he doesn’t want to startle you or make you uncomfortable. His features soften into a goofy smile when you meet his gaze with a smile, “Let’s sit” his hand stays on your lower back for a few beats as you walk to your seats and you swear he can feel you’re pulse radiating outside of you’re body.

The conversation with Tommy flows easily and naturally, both of you having no idea that the other is completely soothed and calmed my each others presence.

“Do you and Stacey plan to stay Austin?”

“We do, it’s a new start for us and since her uncle left the house to her we figured this was the place for us. Neither of us have any interest in living back home so I think we’ll be here for the long hall. And our jobs allow us to work remotely so our work was fine with us moving. We just have to go back a couple times a year for meetings.” Tommy can tell that something happened but he won’t push you, if you want him to know you’ll tell him when your ready.

“Oh y’all work together? What do y’all do?”

“Yea, we’ve been friends for years from a job we worked at together and then I left and got her hired there when I got settled. We work for a company that makes mens and womens grooming products. We used to work in their warehouse doing physical hands on work but now we’ll be working on their customer service team fixing problems with peoples orders and answering emails and customer chats. It’ll be a adjustment, they gave us a couple weeks off to get settled”

Tommy admires your job and is impressed that your not afraid to work hard and get your hands dirty.

“What do you do for work?”

“I’m a contractor, Joel and I actually run a contracting business together. We started it shortly after I came back from Desert Storm.” As it slips out of his mouth he panics internally. He usually doesn’t talk about his time in the military with people, hiding that part of his life from most people. He’s really struggling with life after being at war and most people don’t respond well to that so he just stopping sharing.

“I didn’t know you were a veteran, thank you for serving.” You smile warmly at him, sensing that he’s nervous about bringing it up.

“I won’t press you to talk about it. I understand that it’s deferent for everyone. I’m not here to judge you either way. But I’m here if you ever want to talk about it.” You reach over placing your hand on his briefly to comfort him. His dark coffee eyes soften and his face relaxes at the reassurance. You pull you hand away when Sarah approaches you guys. “Hey (y/n) I’m off on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and wanted to see if you and Stacey might want some company and help unpacking?”

“Oh! Sarah that’s so nice of you, we would love some company, don’t feel like you have to help us unpack but your welcome over at our place anytime, both of you really are welcome over well I guess I should say all 3 of you guys always a place at our house.”

“Here’s both of our numbers if you ever need us and feel free to come over anytime after school” you say handing her a napkin with both your and Stacey’s numbers it.

“We should get going, I don’t want to keep you tied up all day” you anxiously express not wanting him to feel your wasting his day off.

“Anything particular you’d like to listen too?” Tommy asks as your getting settled back into the truck.

“I really like a little bit of everything music wise, put on what ever your feeling like”

“Alright well here’s a little bit of Texas’s finest” he says with that cute cocky smile on his face as he hits play and the music fills the truck.

You start grooving to the music as soon as the first note starts, knowing exactly what it is.

Tommy grins wildly when he sees your into it. “You know these guys?”

“Yea I listen to them all the time” you can’t help but smile at seeing this little bit of his music taste, knowing he probably likes a lot of the same stuff that you do.

“So… I’ve gotta run to Target today for some stuff and thought I’d see if you wanted to go, see if you might need anything there. If not no worries I’ll just go after we take you grocery shopping”

You can’t help but smile “ oh no that’s ok I don’t want to take up your whole day” you say trying to decline but the smile remains on your face and he can see it out of the corner of his eye. You can’t help it but let out a little laugh covering part of your face as you face the window.

“What?” He says letting out a little chuckle, which makes you giggle again.

“What’s so funny darlin’?”

You can’t contain the laugh that bubbles out as you start to answer “I love Target” you say barely able to hold back the giggle which makes him laugh at your comment.

“Well that settles it then, we’re going to Target”

You try to respond but he cuts you off before you get any words out.

“I know what your gonna say, don’t worry about me, I’m having a good day”

He says playfully nudging you’re arm as he pulls away from the curb.

“Well good, because I’m having a good day too” you smile playfully returning the nudge.

You and Tommy finally find your way to the grocery store, wandering up in down every isle both with carts when you feel you phone buzz.

You pull it out of your pocket and see that Stacey texted you. You can’t help but let out a loud boisterous as you read your message, catching Tommy’s attention, making him smile instantly at the sound of it. Your back is turned to Tommy as he comes up behind you.

“What’s go ya laughin’ sweetheart?” He says chuckling, His voice smooth and husky sending a shiver down your spine. Your turn your head slightly and notice he’s right behind you, so you hold youre phone up level with your shoulder so he can see. “Oh just got this text from Stacey” you say reading it out loud

Stacey: uhhhh you’ve been gone for hours did Tommy axe murder you or what?

Tommy laughed as your reading, leaning forward slightly brushing his broad chest against your back. He’s surprised your sharing this moment with him but happy to see a glimpse into how the two of you are and how your friendship is.

Y/n: sorry to report I’m alive and well, you won’t be getting rid of me that easily! We are wrapping up at the grocery store. Sorry he also took me to Target so it’s taken longer

Tommy sees your response to her, taking joy in the sense of humor you have.

Stacey: oh shit he took you to Target?! What has he done, he’s never getting rid of you now hahaha….well I went up to the market near the house to get stuff to make your chili recipe and it’s been in the crockpot. He’s welcome to stay for dinner if you want.

He’s still right behind you, chest still lightly touching your back.

“Shes right, the least we could do is feed you after you’ve put up with me all day” you say trying to be funny and keep your cool with how close he is to you.

He finds you’re comment funny but he’s also sensing some truth in your words that you feel like he’s just been putting up with you. Which tugs at his heart because quiet frankly it’s the exact opposite, Tommy couldn’t be happier spending time with you the last couple days. Even though you two just met he feels such a strong connection with you.

“Oh before we check out, do you know what kind of snacks Sarah likes or if she likes anything special to drink? If she’s going to come over to the house a lot I want to make sure theres some stuff she likes in the house”

Tommy melts at how big he’s realizing your heart is, how thoughtful and caring you are. The fact that you’re even giving the time of day to Sarah means a lot to him and he knows it would to Joel too.

You guys finish getting the last few items you need, check out and load everything into the truck.

You return back to your the house and carry all the bags inside, on the last trip out to truck Tommy asks “do you want me to stay for dinner?” His question catching you off guard, Tommy comes off as very confident yet you can hear a hint of nervousness as he calls back to Stacey’s statements.

When you meet his gaze he already looking at you, searching your body langue for something that tells him you want him to stay.

“Because I understand if not, you’ve been dealin’ with me all day”

You’re features soften and smile warmly when you answer. “Of course I do, I’d love for you to stay for dinner if you’d like too. But i totally get it if not, you have been stuck with me all day after all.”

“I’d love too” his features immediately soften, the cutest smile tugs at his lips.

Tommy takes a big bite of the chili and sits back in his chair a little “damn I think this is the best chili I’ve ever had, you made this?”

“Oh yea I put it together but it’s (y/n)’s recipe”

“It’s your recipe?”

“Yea I combined two recipes because I didn’t have everything I needed one time so I’ve just been making it like this ever since”

“Oh she’s being modest, she loves to cook she cooks all the time” she says smirking as she seems you blush a little.

“You’ll have to come over for dinner again one night when she’s is cooking”

You can feel Tommy’s eyes on you as you mumble “shut up” kicking her under the table. Making her giggle a little bit. You bring your gaze up to meet Tommy’s and he has this cocky little smile on his face. “Oh I’d love that darlin’”

You smile, feeling your cheeks heating up.

“So what did you do today while you thought I was getting axe murdered?”

Tommy chuckles at you and Staceys banter.

“Worked on unpacking most of the kitchen”

“Oh! I unpacked some really important stuff!” She exclaims

“Oh yea?” You say pulling your brows together giving her a inquisitive look, not really sure what’s about to come out of her mouth.

“Yea! All the alcohol and mixers, and I got the internet and tv set up so we can start having our famous movie nights again”

Tommy notices the way you light up at her answer. “Whats this famous movie night about?”

“Oh we started this tradition back home since we both really like movies, to do a movie night once a week. We get our favorite snacks and make our favorite drinks and pick a movie or some nights we have a particular theme”

“Jesus, you ladies just keep getting cooler and cooler. These nights sound awesome.” He says his southern accent thick.

“Oh! We should have one tonight to celebrate, you should join us Tommy” Stacey’s says excitedly smiling at you as if she’s reading your mind.

You’re not looking but you can feel Tommy’s eyes on you as your cheeks turn the slightest shade of red, you can see his smile out of the corner of your eye.

Stacey kicked your foot under the table, pushing you to add a comment

God you hate that you get shy and embarrassed so easily.

“You should join us, we’d love to have you” you say sheepishly wanting to crawl in a hole for while and hide.

“Well that sounds great to me, I’d love to join you two”

“I’ll make up the drinks, grab a snack and make yourself comfortable” you say giving him a warm smile.

Stacey peeks in the living room and turns back to helping with the drinks. With a huge smirk she says “I call sitting in the big chair.”

You look at her suspiciously and peek into the living room seeing Tommy sitting on the couch close to the spot where you normally sit.

You turn back to her with a scowl. “Are you trying to kill me?” You say chuckling.

She shrugs teasingly “I think he likes you” she smiles and books it into the living room and following shyly with yours and Tommy’s drinks. You hand him his and sit a couple cushions away from him.

“I’m gonna go change, you two figure out what to watch” Stacey says running upstairs.

He rests his arm on the back of the couch turning is broad upper body to face you, slightly pulling his knee onto the couch “it’s ok I sit on the couch with you right darlin’?” His drawl smooth, tone tender and curious. Your face heating up before you mimic the way he’s sitting to face him.

“Gee, well I guess I can share the couch with you this once if I have too” your barely about to get it out without cracking a smile and laughing hysterically, making Tommy laugh too. He scoots a little closer, reaching out and ever so lightly brushing against youre hand with his. “You really have quite the sense of humor, I enjoy it” he says with the sweetest, almost boyish smile on his face.

“Thank you, I love making people laugh. It makes me happy”

Midway through the second movie you could feel your eyes starting to get heavy. Letting out a silent yawn you scoot down on the couch laying on your side, curling you legs up your side and putting the pillow on the arm of the couch so your kind of in the fetal position to not crowd Tommy. Within a couple minutes of settling in you’re fast asleep.

Tommy’s Pov

I can’t help but notice how cute (y/n) looks all curled up and fast sleep on the couch as the movie ends. I wanted so badly to tell her that she could stretch out her legs or that she could lean on me but I didn’t want to come off as weird.

“Did she fall asleep?” Stacey says chuckling pulling me from my thoughts as she turns the lamp next to her on.

“Yea she’s been out for a little while, should I wake her up?

“No she’ll be alright, she gets a little grumpy sometimes when she gets woken up, nobody wants that” she says laughing as she stands and stretches.

“Do you have a blanket I can cover her up with?”

“Oh yea of course, let me grab her favorite blanket for you”

Stacey’s Pov

I can’t help but be touched by how incredibly caring and attentive Tommy is being with (y/n). When I return with her blanket for him I watch him as he studies it for a moment taking in every detail about it as if there’s going to be a test in the morning. He throws it over his shoulder for a moment as he very gently and softly straightened out her legs and then pulls the blanket over her, tucking her in.

“I just wanted to make her more comfortable so she doesn’t wake up all stiff in the morning”

“Thank you, Tommy. That’s really sweet of you. I know that would it would mean a lot to her, she’ll really appreciate it.”

“Well I guess I should be goin’, thank you very much for having me tonight”

“Your welcome Tommy, it was nice having you over. I know (y/n) really enjoyed having you over too. You two seemed like you had a great day.”

“I’m really happy to have spent the day with her”

I can’t help but notice the way he’s smiling as he’s talking about you.

“Well good night darlin’, could you tell her I said good night too?”

“Good night Tommy, I’ll tell her in the morning” I say with a warm smile sending him off into the night.

#tommy miller x reader #gabriel luna #the last of us #tommy miller #joel miller #tlou hbo #tommy tlou #joel tlou #fanfic

50 notes · View notes

jimlingss · 2 years

Text

happy one year anniversary since my departure & six years of this blog!!!

hey, everyone! Unfortunately I’m not here to write or post any fanfics and I have no plans of doing such. I just wanted to say hi and commemorate today for all those who remember me and might be curious on how I’m doing! I’m very much alive and well :D

I will say I very much miss this blog and my interactions with everyone. Writing still holds such an important place in my heart and I look back at the time I used to write like a psycho very fondly haha. Sometimes I really miss that time in my life. On that note, my plans of publishing a book have not really moved forward. I’m still on square one with brainstorming ideas and searching for inspo. But my intentions of publishing still have not changed!! I will definitely write a book within this lifetime!!!!!!! No matter how long it takes goddammit!

On another note, I hope everyone’s been well! I was able to graduate from uni earlier this month! And I’m happy to announce I’ve also been admitted into law school. On a more sour note, I’ll have to move away from my hometown and away from my parents — I’m not very excited about it, but I’ve sort of come to accept it. It’ll be a big change and certainly an experience. So law school will be what’s in store for me for the next three years. (I hope I find some inspo there lol)

Believe it or not, I still occasionally check this blog and read the messages that the few of you leave for me! :D It makes me feel nostalgic, melancholic, but also very happy!

I haven’t been keeping up with BTS that much but I hear that they’re taking a break + they’re gonna do some solo activities and honestly I think that’s the right choice. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what each member has in store and to see their moment in the spotlight.

While I haven’t been keeping up with kpop too too much, I’ve returned to reading a shit ton of manga + manhuas, and I’ve sort of returned to the minecraft community on youtube which I was a part of in 2013ish LOL. I’m just a casual viewer, don’t worry. Content creation beyond writing doesn’t really spark my interest.

Anyway, I hope everyone’s been enjoying their summer! I’ll be heading to Korea next month with my family for 2 weeks and hopefully to Japan next year! (I’m fairly excited.)

I think I’ll be doing an annual check-in with this blog every anniversary just as a way to commemorate the occasion until the inevitable day that tumblr shuts down. After that, whenever I publish a book, I’ll advertise it on my ao3. But until that day comes, see you next year! :D :>

#I’m still heeeerrreee!#don’t think I’m not always keeping an eye out on this blog #plagiarists can catch these hands if they think I ever let my guard down #if anyone’s gonna ask me for a manga rec btw - I recommend Kuzu no Tadashii Aishi Kata - it’s the shit #Oh yeah I’m very much a bridgerton fan after season 2 - very excited for season 3 let’s go polin!#And ofc Eloise is my favourite character LET’S GOOOO #Also for being such a romance fanatic - that part of my life hasn’t evolved much LMAO but it’s ok #I feel myself thriving as a single bachelorette with a fancy degree under my arm #Jimlings

236 notes · View notes

reaperintheroses · 2 years

Text

Why, what do you want to know?

This is a mob au where all of the avengers are alive and well, but are definitely not earth mightiest heroes. In This City Masterlist previous chapter ~ next chapter Eventual Peter Parker x Reader Word Count: 3.5k Warnings: Angst, implied murder, panic attacks, swearing, missing sibling, trauma, break ins, gang violence, stalking, guns A/N: This took me the longest to write so far at about 9 hours. At this point fighters block needs to be considered a co-author with the amount I’ve used that site for motivation. I hope y’all enjoy! I do not give permission for my fics to be posted or translated to anywhere other than @reaperintheroses on tumblr and AO3. Reblogs, comments, and notes, however, are greatly appreciated. Consider being a beta reader for me, I’d really appreciated it!! (send me a dm for more information!)

The snow outside your window was starting to thaw, along with the walls around your heart. The more you saw Peter and the more you guys talked, the safer you felt. He introduced you to his friend, MJ, and she finally replaced that coffee from so many months ago. It's crazy how time flies when it feels like there’s finally stability in your life. You had saved Peter's number to your phone in case you ever needed it. After about two weeks of it going untouched in your contacts, you texted him one day out of the blue asking to get another coffee. The next day, he bought you an overpriced latte and let you grill him about his life instead. You asked him almost everything you could think of. Who his best friend was (MJ), did he have any other tattoos (yes, like twelve more), What his life was like growing up (short, but happy), what his favorite book was (Harry Potter), and tons of others. He always entertained your thoughts, and you’d started to have some sort of tradition with the man, even though neither of you really acknowledged it.

Today was one of the days you asked to meet up for coffee. You wanted to show Peter some pictures you took of a bar yesterday, and he wanted to see you for the first time in over two weeks. That’s how you ended up in your current position, standing in line right next to Peter, excited to sit down and get off your feet. You both ordered and almost ended up in a fist fight as he pulled out cash to pay for both of your drinks. You knew he could probably afford to buy the whole coffee shop, but every single time he brought out his wallet to pay, you felt bad, like you now owed him something. He constantly reassured you that you could pay him back in pictures and let him ask you questions. You sat down at your normal table. Peter followed you a few minutes later with both of your coffees in hand. He placed your coffee in front of you, and you took a deep sip, closing your eyes as the bitter flavor flooded your tastebuds. "Okay, show me the pictures." Your face broke out into a huge smile as you chuckled slightly. No one had ever been interested in your work before. You pulled out your camera and found your pictures from yesterday, showing him the bar you found in Brooklyn. "Did you edit that at all?" He sounds surprised as he takes your camera from you to take a closer look at the picture. "Nope, the neon provided great lighting." His face moved as he looked at the other pictures from the bar. "Can you send me this so I can print it out?" With a smile, he hands you back your camera. "Totally, I can put all the pictures on a flash drive for you and you can pick your favorites." He looked overjoyed at the idea. "Do you mind?" You smiled as you turned off your camera and placed it to the side. "Peter, it's kind of my job." If I minded, I wouldn't do it. " He chuckled before taking a sip of his latte. "I'll bring you money next time we meet up." You nodded and turned all of your focus back to him.

"So, what's new with you this week?" His smile almost disappeared for a moment before he replaced it with a much faker one that didn’t reach his eyes. "Work has been a little tough, but I'm muscling through." You guys had an unspoken agreement that you knew he was involved with the mob and he knew you knew, but you guys never talked about it directly. It gave him an escape from his everyday life, and you weren't technically a witness should he ever get into legal trouble. You nodded in understanding, silent confirmation that he didn't have to continue if he didn't want to. My boss has just been on my ass lately because of an independent assignment I've been doing. He began to chew on his lip as he thought about it, relaying his issues with his boss and how this assignment was super important to him, but his boss felt like he was using company resources for personal reasons. You stopped trying to read in between the lines of his words, figuring your mind would wander and you would start to get nervous about Peter. He seems to be occupying so many of your thoughts recently. You no longer thought of the sparrows from your pictures before you went to bed, just his kind eyes and steadying voice. You also stopped actively seeking out sparrow haunts to take pictures of. You decided it was safer to look for your brother in other ways. Peter said he would help you find a personal investigator to help you look into his disappearance if you wanted. You'll feel a lot better not having any more pictures to add to your flash drive.

"What about you? What have you been up to this week? " You grinned. It was nice to have someone who cared about your day-to-day life again. "Well, I've been photographing a ton of bars," he nodded along as you talked about the different places you'd visited and the amount of miles you'd put on your car, "Oh and I also replaced the locks on my door to sturdier ones like you suggested." His shoulders seemed to drop slightly with relief. "That's good. I feel a lot better about you living in that building now." You had told Peter about how much your apartment and your neighbors sucked in terms of safety. He had constantly been bugging you about getting new locks instead of the old ones that came with your apartment. It made you feel special that he thought about you outside of when you texted. "Oh, you have to see a picture of a dog I saw a few days ago," Peter reached for his phone, and you laughed at his sudden change in mood, as if he was burying something he wanted to ask you.You let him bury whatever it was. It wasn’t your place to pry. You laughed at the picture of the dog, cackling at his stories and telling some of your own. Eventually, you decided that if you wanted to beat traffic for the day and make it uptown before one pm, you had to leave in the next twenty minutes. Peter seemed to notice you checking your phone and looking out the door to where your car was parked. "Do you need to leave?" He checked his own watch before looking back up at you. "I planned to head up to Hell's Kitchen to take pictures of a neighborhood for some realtors' website today," you trailed off, debating how long it would take you to get there if you just sat a little longer. "Oh then you need to leave. Traffic is going to be a bitch if you don't hit the road in like twenty minutes." You nodded, glad he understood. He stood up and stretched. You momentarily cursed the polite dress code for making him tuck in his shirt tails and hide what you were sure was a small sliver of abs carved from marble. He grabbed both of your cups and threw them in the trash before coming back over to you. "It was good to see you. Don't feel like you need to be a stranger." You laughed at his statement as you grabbed your camera and your car keys, gesturing for him to lead the way out.

He held open the door for you, and you waited for him to come up next to you before you crossed the street. You unlocked your car and giggled when he opened the driver's side door for you. "I'll text you." He grinned as you placed your camera in the passenger seat and placed your key in the ignition. "I'd like that," you said, biting your lip slightly, fighting a smile as you turned the key, starting your car. He slammed your door for you as you placed your car in drive and waved to him as you pulled out of your parking spot. He watched your car as it drove away, smiling the same way you were as you drove towards Manhattan, excited for the day ahead of you and all of the coffee dates to come. Who knows? Maybe if you play your cards right, one day you will muster enough courage to ask him out on an actual date. Mob business and legal advice aside, He made you happy, and that was a feeling you had not felt in a long time.

That night, as you got home, you drove your key into your new lock and twisted it open, throwing open the door and tossing your keys into the bowl you had put in your entryway. You walked further into your apartment and placed your camera on the island counter, making your way over to your fridge, trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight. You bent down to open your freezer and grab a bag of frozen french fries, deciding that tonight would be uninteresting and low-maintenance. You reach down into the cabinet by your stove to pull out a cooking sheet and begin to press buttons on your oven when you hear a metal rustle. You look towards the sound from the corner of your eye before continuing to preheat your oven, dismissing it as one of your neighbors getting home from work. You laid the French fries across the sheet before you heard the noise again. Your lips pulled into a tight frown as you had a mental battle about whether it was worth investigating when the noise sounded again. This time it sounded as if it came from your door. You moved suddenly, making your way to your door, flipping open the peephole. You were greeted by the same two men from five months ago. Your breath seemed to escape you, stuck halfway through a gasp. You looked down to back away from the door and use the fire escape again when you realized that you left the door unlocked. Your hand shot up from your side, but you were too late. The doorknob twisted and all of a sudden, the bubble of safety you had worked so hard to build for yourself had burst.

You watched in frozen horror as the door opened and they were suddenly in your apartment. You turned on your heel and ran into the kitchen, looking around for anything to defend yourself with. The flash drive felt like a ton of bricks in your pocket, burning your skin. Listen, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. We both know you have something that wasn’t meant for your eyes. Hand it over and no one has to get hurt. " You almost laughed at the cliché line. You turned around as they slowly walked into your kitchen. "Just give us the pictures and we’ll leave you alone." Your mouth parted with your shallow breaths as you looked around. Did you not hear me? I said, "Ach!" You threw the bag of frozen French fries at his head, catching him by surprise. "I don’t know what the hell you're talking about!" You circled around the island and backed your way into the living room. You turn around to face them from your place behind your couch and are greeted with both of their guns drawn. You immediately put your hands in the air, willing yourself not to beg for your life straight off the bat. "See now, I really hate liars," You look down for a moment, deciding between your life and this flash drive. So I’ll say it one more time before I get a little snappy. Give us the flash drive and no one has to get hurt. " You nodded and lowered your right hand. "It’s in my pocket," you whispered. You reached into the fabric of your jeans and felt the plastic. You're about to pull it out when you hear your door hit the wall.

Peter walks in, gun drawn and MJ follows directly behind with fire in her eyes. "Don’t fucking move," you felt a buzzing in your ears and a weight in your chest. You were still struggling to breathe. You heard your name being called a few times, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater. "Hey!" MJ called out to you, gesturing at you with her hand. You walked over to her in a daze, your body on autopilot. She grips your hand with her own and leads you out into the hallway. You stared at her hair, the brown curls spilling over her shoulders like a waterfall. You focused on counting the coils until you heard the elevator bell ding.

The two of you walked into the elevator, MJ letting go of your hand to press the button for the lobby. A sudden gasp escaped you as your knees buckled and your back slid down the wall of the elevator. A tear escaped your eye. Holy shit, you could’ve died. You heard the ding of the first floor as MJ looked down at you with a sad glance. You raised your hands and wiped off your tears. You braced a hand against the wall and stood up. You let go of your breath and faced the door as it opened to the lobby. You walked through the lobby with your head held high, refusing to let them see inside you. You pushed the doors open and made your way out onto the street, waiting for MJ to lead the way. She checked to make sure you were following her before walking across the street to a parked black car.

MJ opened the back seat door for you. For once, you practically crawled in and bunched your knees up to your chest, not caring how nice anything was. The buzzing had returned to your ears and you faintly heard a popping sound as MJ steeled her face and turned the car on. Your head turned as the car door opposite of you opened and Peter slid inside, adjusting his cufflinks. He turned to look at you, and his head tilted as his face morphed into one of worry. He moved towards you and cupped your cheeks in his hands, turning your head from side to side. "You're okay now. You're okay." A tear slipped down your face and the back seat of the car became a tangle of limbs as you practically crawled into Peter's lap and he pushed you into his chest, smoothing his hand up and down your back. He shushed you and whispered sweet nothings into your hair, mouthing "you're safe now, it’s okay," over and over. Some part of you believed him, believed that you were finally safe. That was the push you needed to fall into a very deep sleep.

You felt strong arms underneath your knees and your arms. You jostled for a moment at the sudden flutter of noises, but you heard Peter's voice and settled back against his chest, letting the dark blanket of sleep overcome you again. The first thing you noticed when your eyes finally opened was that you were definitely not at home anymore. The second thing you noticed was that the bed sheets you were laying on were super soft. The third thing you noticed was that the photograph across from the bed was one of yours. You tried to blink the sleep away from your eyes as you looked around. You looked up and saw Peters' sleeping form on a couch across the room from the bed. You sat up and looked around you. "Did you sleep okay?" his voice called from the couch. He sounded like he had swallowed the rising sun. "Where the hell am I?"

"You fell asleep on the ride back from Queens. You're in the Stark Tower. " You shut your eyes as you placed a hand on your head, trying to smother the oncoming headache. "Why is there a bedroom in Stark Tower?" You looked up again at Peter, who looked like he was chewing over his words. "I live here," you nodded, as if it were a natural thing to say."Do you want to get anything to eat? It’s five am, so it’ll be easier to avoid everyone. " You nodded and swung your feet around, noticing that you weren’t wearing your shoes anymore. In fact, you weren’t wearing any of your own clothes anymore. "MJ put you in some of her stuff last night. Don’t worry, the flash drive is on my dresser in my closet. We can grab more stuff from your apartment later today. " You nodded. As long as he didn’t see you half naked, you didn’t care if they dressed you in a full-body chicken suit.

You walked down the hall next to Peter, slightly behind him, so you didn’t get lost. "Okay, so you can’t go back to your apartment for a few days." We have people cleaning up the mess the sparrows left, but the bright side is you won’t even be able to notice it happened. " You pulled your lips together, not wanting to question anything. "You can either stay here or we can find a hotel for you. It’s completely your choice." You cleared your throat, "I think I’ll feel safer if I stay here." Peter smiled at your verdict before making a sharp right turn. "Okay then, I should probably prepare you for the rest of the people who live in the tower." You raised your eyebrows.

"So you already know MJ and I." There’s Mr. Stark. He’s my boss and owns the tower. Hence it’s name. There’s Steve. He’s a very patriotic guy. type of person who asks questions and shoots later He’s tall and blonde; you’ll know him when you see him. His best friend, Bucky, is a dark, beefy brunette. A "shoot first, ask questions later" type of person. There's Natasha. She’s a redhead who you never see coming. She’s super nice once you get to know her, though. There’s Bruce, one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. He’ll geek out with you about almost anything. But you get him angry, and he gets angry. There’s Clint. He’s pretty quiet and he won’t bother you unless you bother him first. There’s Thor. He’s super loud but the human personification of a teddy bear. Oh, and there's Wanda. I swear it's the best food you’ll ever have, I swear on my first edition of The Empire Strikes Back."

Your brain short-circuited for a moment as you absorbed all of that information. "Sorry, I know it’s a lot." You waved off his concern as he made one final turn into the kitchen. "Sit down and I’ll make us something to take back to my room." We can eat, and then you can go back to sleep if you want. " You dipped your head as you walked over to one of the bar stools and sat down to watch Peter make toast and eggs. You fell into a sort of trance as he moved around the kitchen, plating the toast and sprinkling salt and pepper over your eggs. You snapped out of it as he tilted his head, both plates in hand, towards the way you came from. You tried memorizing the way from the kitchen back to his room; your eyes watched Peter's feet. He gestured for you to go into the room first. He was about to follow you when his body stopped halfway through the door. You turned around to ask him what was wrong when he handed you a plate with a fork. "Hey, I need to talk to Mr. Stark for a second. I’ll be right behind you." You nodded as he shut the door, saving for a small sliver of space. "Hey, Mr. Stark, can I ask you a question?" You felt weird listening to the conversation, but you couldn’t help yourself. "Sure, kid, what’s up?" Your fingers drummed on the bottom of your plate. You turned to walk away, knowing this was wrong when you heard Peters' reply. "Do you know of someone named Jack?" Your ears perked up at the sound of your last name, "Why, what do you want to know?" The buzzing returned to your ears.

Why, what do you want to know about where your brother was?

Why, what do you want to know about why he disappeared?

Why do you want to know if he still misses you?

Why, what do you want to know about Jack?

#in this city #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #peter parker x yn #spiderman x reader #spiderman x you #spiderman x yn #mob peter parker #peter parker angst #peter parker imagines #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker fanfic

29 notes · View notes

musicandmoss · 1 year

Text

A long journal entry on grief, joy, and fishkeeping.

I lost my first fish today.

I found my first fry today.

I adopted an adult betta just over eight months ago. His last tank had broken, and his person kept him in another with other aggressive fish. I took him home with me and put him in the first tank I’d ever built. I named him Hex, and he was a happy fish. Over the last eight months, he’s been my buddy while I’ve tried to navigate life. I’d wake up every day and switch his light on to see him swim up to greet me (and beg for food). I watched as his fins healed and grew to at least twice the length they were when I adopted him. He got to explore a few different tanks and meet tons of snails and sleep on lots of different plants. I’d talk to him and play with him. When my hair was long, I’d untie it and shake it loose, and he’d thrash and whip his fins around in response. The last home tank I made for him is on the desk beside my bed. Most nights when I got into bed, I’d wait for him to swim to the side I was at so I could tell him goodnight before turning off his lamp.

Last week, Hex developed a swim bladder issue which progressed to dropsy. I tried to treat him, but wasn’t able to. While he was in his hospital tank, I saw a lump under his skin near his swim bladder. Looking back at pictures and videos, I realized that he had always drooped his tail when he wasn’t actively swimming. When I got him, he had lumps on his fins that I suspected to be tumors, and I think now that there was an internal one against his swim bladder that finally overtook him. After watching him in steady decline for the last week, I decided that putting him to sleep would be the most merciful thing to do. It happened this morning, and even though it was done with an anesthetic that made him fall asleep and pass away, it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

2023 has been a hard year so far. Hex has been the only part of my life that felt right. Nothing has quite felt real today. Even when I’m busy or engaged, I still feel like there’s something missing. As is the way with grief, I feel a hole, and I know it will take time to heal. And as is the way with grief, I know that the hole will never go away. I’ll heal and grow around it, but I’ll bear it with me.

Hex was my first fish, but he wasn’t my only one. Earlier this year, I adopted a small school of White Cloud Mountain Minnows and have been keeping them in my 20gal long with the mystery snails that Hex was too aggressive towards. And though I of course love them, they aren’t the same. Schooling fish like these have each other and don’t pay much attention to you unless you’re feeding them. You can be their caretaker, but not their friend. And that’s okay.

Today while I was adjusting the tank’s lighting, I noticed something new inside: three minnow fry. They must be a few days if not a couple weeks old now, but with the old lights I’d never seen them. Now I can look over and see little blue streaks darting along the water to chase after food. This is the first time I’ve had fish breed. It’s something I was expecting from the minnows, but after them not having done it up to this point, it wasn’t something I was really prepared for. Seeing it made me feel happy and proud. The hole was and is still there, but there’s something else along with it. The joy and the grief have mingled in the strangest way. Neither one exists without the other now. I’m not sure they ever really will.

#mine #personal #journal #betta #white cloud mountain minnow #fish #words #tw: death #tw: dead animal #tw: grief

2 notes · View notes

lesbian-helen-gansey · 2 years

Text

books I read in June & July

This is late because I’ve been on a self-imposed social media hiatus for the past few weeks! I’m technically still not back, I just got on to post this. My weeks being semi-offline have been relatively uneventful. I have watched pretty much every Netflix documentary I’m even remotely interested in and have regressed to listening to the podcasts I used to listen to in high school. I’ve completed a few sudokus and gotten stuck and quit a ton of sudokus. I’ve mostly been using my concerta to play mahjong tiles on my laptop with a laser focus. Staying off all social media entirely has so far been the only effective way of preventing me from doom scrolling, and it seems (at least from my daily listen of NPR up first) that there remains of plethora of things to doom scroll about, so I am going to try to wait a little longer before returning. The enchanting lure of Tumblr does call me tho. To quote John Milton "God therefore left him free, set before him a provoking object, ever almost in his eyes; herein consisted his merit, herein the right of his reward, the praise of his abstinence. Wherefore did he create passions within us, pleasures round about us, but that these rightly tempered are the very ingredients of virtue?”

The Harbor by Katrine Engberg (4/5)

This is a crime novel that takes place in Copenhagen about detectives searching for a missing child. I think that it’s actually the third book in a series about this team of police officers, but it made sense as a stand alone having not read the others. It was pretty slow, and hard to get into, but I did end up really liking it. It was hard to get into it, but once I was in it, I was really in it. I read a lot of thrillers, and I find many of them to be sort of absurd in an attempt to be clever. I concede that it’s hard to think of an ending that is both surprising and satisfying, but I still think many of the current authors don’t do a particularly good job with the task. This one, however, built to a really interesting ending. It was both well-foreshadowed and sufficiently surprising. I think I just dislike how a lot of thrillers and crime dramas build to something that is an almost absurdly dramatic climax in an attempt to, I don’t know, shock the reader or raise the stakes, and I really appreciated that this wasn’t that. I’ll probably read the others in the series. (adult fiction)

Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino (5/5)

I liked this a surprising amount. I’ve grown sort of jaded with the personal essay scene, so I was a little skeptical about how much I would like a book of essays from a New Yorker writer, but I have really liked the Jia Tolentino essays I’ve read online, so I decided to read it, and I loved it. I find it difficult to find thoughtful, and nuanced essays about feminism, but these essays were really interesting. The kind of essays that are willing to hold a lot of things in their hands and aren’t interested in driving home some argument but rather examining thoughts. “Always be Optimizing” is one of my favorite essays from the book, and it just has such interesting thoughts about the influence of capitalism on feminism. I found Tolentino to be really self-aware and begrudgingly lovable. Almost against my wishes, I left this book really loving Jia Tolentino. (Before reading this, I had found her instagram incredibly annoying bc I am a judgmental person, but now I’m entirely endeared. Too bad I’m not on instagram anymore to see her photos.) (creative nonfiction)

Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (5/5)

This book is like, gay gay. I thought people were calling this book “lesbian vampires” like it had gay subtext 21st century readers were reading into. But no. Gay for real. Gayer than gay romances published today. Gonna have portions of it as the selected readings for my wedding one day. They probably won’t let me get married in a church if I do, but worth it. If you can’t get enough of Lucy and Mina in your inbox, this is for you. (adult fiction)

Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown (4/5)

Brene Brown Stans rise. This book basically defines and categorizes a bunch of emotions to help us better understand what we’re feeling, which Brown says helps us process our experiences. This wasn’t a favorite of mine by her, mostly because it’s a little more of a reference book, but I still ended up with a bunch of hastily typed notes in my notes app of things I need to remember from it. (nonfiction)

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (5/5)

This book is so fucking good. You have to read this book. I think it’s probably best to go into it with as little info as possible. It’s hard to describe without giving away things that make it exciting. When my best friend recommended it to me, she described it as if Madeline Miller wrote a psychological thriller. She all but forced my other friend and I to read it, and subsequently all three of us have been evangelizing about it. We’ve all but started some sort of mlm of our own personal downlines spreading the word about Piraniesi. I’m currently making my therapist read it. This book made me say “holy shit” and “oh my god” out loud as I was reading. (adult fiction)

How to do Nothing by Jenny Odell (3/5)

This was a little too conceptual and philosophical for me. But the author does love birds as much as I do, which I loved. (Also I recently discovered that there are apps that basically let you Shazam bird calls. This is one of the greatest discoveries of my life. I’ll never be bored again. I’ll be outside shazaming the Sparrow songs.) The book is basically about pushing back against the capitalistic urge to always be productive and instead to really engage in the world around you, which I have, subsequently, been trying to do more of. I’ve been spending a lot more time than usual almost moved to tears by how many different shades of green trees are. One of my favorite things is when the leaves blow in the wind, and you can see the undersides have a whiter color, and the contrast between the tops and bottoms of the leaves blowing looks so dynamic. (nonfiction)

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang (3/5)

Speaking of thrillers with over the top endings. I was actually pretty into this book until the end. I think I had to stop and roll my eyes more than once during the climax. It seemed like it was building to something interesting, and then, at the big reveal, the author took like, the least interesting route, which was disappointing. I don’t know, it was fine. I don’t know why I keep reading like, the women’s thriller genre when I always feel meh about them. (adult fiction)

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (4/5)

Not my very favorite Christie, but I still liked it. I did find it a little difficult to keep up with who all the characters were, but that’s par for the course for me with Christie lol. I wish I had more to say about it, but I really don’t. Poirot meets a young women who has had several attempts on her life, and he interjects himself to try to save her. Maybe one day Poirot will go on vacation without getting mixed up in a murder, the poor guy. He can’t go anywhere. (adult fiction)

Feminism is For Everybody by bell hooks (5/5)

Everything about feminism that I read from bell hooks I’m just like, yes. Fucking yes. She gets it. I think (hope) everyone is finally realizing the extent to which the modern feminist movement is slightly spineless and had been eaten away at by capitalism, and this book is like, back to basics. It’s time to end lifestyle feminism. (nonfiction)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (5/5)

I loved this one. A man is murdered in his study and a local doctor helps Poirot, who recently moved to the town, solve the mystery. Super clever, couldn’t put it down. I don’t ever expect that I’m going to solve Christie’s mysteries, but I felt truly had by this one, in the best way possible. She got me good. (adult fiction)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (5/5)

Honesty, Pride and Prejudice is a page turner. Having seen the movie a lot combined with Austen’s writing style, I knew I would like it, but I didn’t expect to like, can’t-put-it-down-love-it, but I totally did. I could not stop reading it, and the whole time I was like, girl you know Pride and Prejudice how are you on the edge of your seat about this, but it was so good. Austen knows how to write a romance. She perfected the craft in 1813. (It also got me back into the Lizzie Bennet Diaries which is somehow still super fun all these years later). (adult fiction)

Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke (3/5)

Told through the lens of her patient’s stories of addiction, a psychiatrist writes about how modern society’s easy access to dopamine is actually making us more unhappy. A lot of the book focuses on how we are able to get high dopamine rewards very easily from things like social media without any of the effort it would usually take to get a dopamine reward, and this is skewing our ability to find happiness in more mundane things. There were definitely parts of this book that I thought were super interesting and important and have encouraged me to spend more time without any sort of distraction and to not be so pain and boredom averse. That being said, the book really lost me in the last half. I feel like it kind of goes off in a different direction that feels less relevant. (nonfiction)

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil (4/5)

A meta-feeling mystery about a writer writing a book about a writer who is in the Boston Public Library when a woman is found dead. She and the group of people she meets while they get wrapped into trying to solve the mystery. I really liked the story within the story and the connection between the fictional author and the mystery. I don’t think it actually meets the definition of a cozy mystery, but it felt more like that than a sort of traditional mystery or thriller. I found the main character slightly annoying, but it didn’t bother me all that much. (adult fiction)

Running with Lions by Julian Winter (3/5)

This was a cute book. It’s a ya romance about two boys on a soccer team who reconnect at their team’s summer practice camp. It was a little young for me, which is why I didn’t love it. If I had read it at like, fifteen I probably would have been a lot more invested in it. It was cute though. I just, don’t really connect with a character worried about graduating high school anymore. It’s a little harder to get into. (ya fiction)

Rush by Lisa Patton (3/5)

This book is about girls and their moms going through sorority rush at the university of Mississippi, which is an incredible concept. Sorority rush is fascinating, and dramatic, and cutthroat. However, this book, especially the second half, stops being about the drama of rush and starts being “white girls discover racism and then decide to fix it.” They do fix, by the end of the book. Don’t worry, the white girls do solve racism. The parts of this book that were about rush were great, the parts that attempted to be about race were just, borderline painful. I think this is probably what would have passed for a “brave” book about race in like, 2011. Except it was written in 2018. (adult fiction)

#Book Ratings #books I read #2022 books

6 notes · View notes

ignoranxed · 8 months

Text

because i am so done w losing my thoughts over the very chaotic only friends eps imma put them down here and contribute my 0.0002 cents to the OF meta

here are my stray thoughts post ep4

1. the power dynamic between boston & top: the past two eps have been sooooo layered w this but i loveee the ending of the lift scene in ep4 for the very specific reason that top is TERRIFIED of boston. the second boston turns his back to top, you can see top’s face literally melting into a scared, breathless, child-like expression, almost as if he was holding so tightly onto every last bit of courage possible to make boston feel like he could see right through him but he was actually praying ton doesn’t see through himself. like ofc there’s the whole being subjected to non-consensual sexual advances for the umpteenth time by ton and recovering from that experience thingy, but i am not able to shake away the thought that top FEARS boston.

since ep1 we see that top and ton consistently try to assert power over the other in the most petty yet desperate ways, to say the least (case in point: top’s forced eye roll in the ep1 bathroom scene & ton’s tone & choice of words in ep2 shower scene. this scene by itself too, actually. if i’ve missed anything else plss lmk!!). initially, i kinda brushed it off as part of the hookup culture depicted and the whole idea of top being “top-tier” (as in for ton he feels this need to stake claim on the most coveted & for top he feels the need to maintain his “wanted yet unattainable” rep) but post ep3&4 i am so convinced that there is something more sinister about their relationship that gives ton power over top. i just know this man’s so fucked over by boston and is still reeling from it.

2. we’re most definitely going to get a mewray: call me delulu but my man went from “it’s your life. not my concern” & “isn’t it already good for you if you quit” to “if you quit using drugs, i’ll sleep with you” in under 10 seconds. this mew bitch is gonna lose his shit and make everyone else lose their own at some point and all of the evidence i have for this could be a whole other post.

3. friend-group dynamic: this has been a nagging question for me and i saw a few other posts on this (hidden agenda has taken over my tumblr the past couple weeks so OF took a sad backseat ://) but my point basically being, why have ray, mew, cheum & ton remained friends? what’s keeping their friendship going? we know it’s a min of 2 years that they’ve all been friends for i think, but i just can’t wrap my head around why do 3 people who very often can barely stand each other, choose to do everything together? saving cheum on this cause she’s just the token lesbian who loves everyone so far. they study together, they work together, they party together, they don’t seem to have any other actual friends they hang out with so what’s keeping them tied? and why?

this ep def gave a lot more clarity on mew and ray’s friendship but my question is still not answered.

4. the SKAM colours are back!! i’m sorry but this just makes me super excited :))))))

that’s it for now and more stray thoughts will be updated as and when convenient upon arrival.

i haven’t read enough of the recent OF meta so if any of my thoughts seem repetitive or overdone, pls be kind :))

as a baby bl fan, reading meta makes my whole bl watching experience exponentially better and this is me contributing to that in my little way. okay that’s it thx xx bye

#ignorants #baby bl fan writes meta #losing my mind truly #ofts top #ofts boston #ofts mew #ofts ray #only friends the series #ofts #forcebook #firstkhao #neomark

0 notes

toondw · 2 years

Text

column

Berend

It's a beautiful summer afternoon, late July. Over there on the water's edge a man sits, his hands clasping a long fishing rod.As I approach him I recognize the fishing man. He wears a shirt over his broad shoulders, which falls loosely on his shorts, with only the bottom few buttons buttoned. Sandals dangle from his feet, with which you playfully wiggle one foot. His float dances in the gently rippling water in the canal, which gleams in the bright sunlight. I know the man setting there fishing by the water's edge.

For years I have been coming here regularly by post, not daily but intermittently because it is not my regular delivery route. Every day we have a different run, one day here, the next day there.

Because that makes the work varied and less boring. So, rotating services.

When his parents were still alive I paid his father his AOW on payday, when it came out after that the old-age pension to his mother. They lived in the countryside and were therefore eligible, at least if requested, to pay the pension at home.

Berend Schaafsma, the man in this story, continued to live in the house when his parents died.

This was all notarized by his parents. An arrangement had been made with his only sister to everyone's satisfaction. The good thing about this I don't know and I don't need to know, because it's none of my business. Yes right? I get off at the fishing man on the bank of the canal. Hi Berend, did you get a bite today?

He looks up, a big smile unfolds on his face. No, it's too hot I think. The fish are too lazy to bite. Good day by the way. Put your bike against a tree and sit there for a while. You do have some time, don't you? We'll have something to drink in a minute. Yes, I do have some time, it's not particularly busy at the post at the moment. Holiday period eh. Many people are now on vacation. Now they definitely send holiday cards instead of Christmas cards, he notes with a laugh. They're in there, but that's pretty cool. Well luckily, you also have a quiet period for a few weeks.

Berend only has a box with mealworms and a landing net next to him, other fishing attributes are missing. I don't see a bucket of Berend to let the fat fish you catch swim in it.

You silly man, I don't eat those fish. I fish for fun, and only when the weather is nice, like now. I am not a man who is fishing in all kinds of weather. Sometimes during the winter's day you sometimes see them on the canal, cut a hole in the ice and try to outwit a fish with a wire back and forth. Not seen me. Everything I catch Ton, I throw back into the water.

And if you catch a decent pike? I don't eat it either, he grunts. Me too thorough. If I want to eat a fish I drive to Roelf Drenth at the Gele Klap for a nice fried haddock. Suddenly a voice says, can I see your fishing license Schaafsma? In our conversation we hadn't noticed the police officer suddenly standing behind us. Ha, Van der Ploeg, that's certainly allowed, just walk home and I'll grab it. You should have that with you Schaasfsma, says the agent, when you go fishing.

I'm casting a fishing rod in front of my own house, do you really think I'll consider bringing the fishing license with me? I don't have time to walk with you, by the way, I don't have to, the officer replies. I have to fine you because you can't show the deed. Damn, what nonsense is that, well you do it. You know my name and street where we are currently located, you can read the house number on the house. If you write out a receipt, I'll let it happen and I'll see what comes of it.

Van der Ploeg hesitates. We are located in the Wildervankster part of Stadskanaal. Stadskanaal Noord as it is commonly called.

In smaller municipalities the National Police operates, in larger places the Municipal Police, hence the two different police units. The police post of the National Police is located on the Semskade, with two officers on duty, Van der Ploeg and Klein.

Van der Ploeg lives in Geert Teisstraat, Klein on Handelsstraat. Good Schaafsma, says Van der Ploeg, for this time I will leave it at that, but make sure that you can show the deed if you are asked about it. Good afternoon further. The officer gets on his bicycle and continues on his way. Well, that was that, Berend grumbles, come Ton, let's have a drink. Fancy a cold beer in this weather?

No Berend, I have a headache man, I can't stand the heat very well. Come with me, I'll have a tablet for you. Are you looking for a nice spot in the shade or would you rather stay indoors?

No, outside is fine. Under a shady tree I sit down on the garden bench underneath. About 10 chickens are scurrying in the yard, a little further on in the grass the cat is dozing lazily. Ahead is the flute

of the NS freight train that is approaching. The railway tracks are a stone's throw away at the end of the garden. Against the well-maintained barn is a large rabbit hutch with two beautiful Flemish giants. I once asked him if they were slaughtered at Christmas. Not for the heck of it, Berend said indignantly. I have them for fun, I like rabbits.

They stay and care for them here until they die. Berend hasn't returned yet and musing on the bench in the garden I remember an incident from last autumn. I meet him in the garden where he is pruning some fruit trees. The wind blows cold and bleak from the northwest and carries the occasional lashing hailstorm with it. Hi Berend, are you here? Gut man, I couldn't find you anywhere. If your whole house is almost swept through, everyone can walk right into your house. I have a package for you that needs to be signed off. Ha, that Ton, is his greeting, I have some pruning to do.

Do you have a package for me? Yes, I expected that. Man, what a cold day today. Come with us, we'll grab a Jägermeistertje, the bottle is in the shed. He walks in front of me and opens the door. The square bottle is on the workbench. Damn, now I don't have any glasses. He looks around and suddenly sees my bicycle from the open door. Wait, he says with a laugh, I have an idea. He walks to my bicycle and unscrews the cap of my bicycle bell. Grinning he walks up to me, if this isn't a nice glass Ton, then I don't know what is.

His loud laugh echoes through the barn. He fills the cap with booze and hands it to me. Here young, drink empty, good stuff against the cold. No, are you crazy dude, I still have part of the order to fulfill. Now take a sip, he says, looking at me expectantly. I take a sip and put the cap back on the workbench. You have a big bell on the steering wheel buddy, good for a good drink. Now he approaches with a frying pan, a bottle of beer on it, a bottle of Exota lemonade azeuse and a tube of painkillers.

I couldn't find a tray that quickly, he apologizes, to my laughing remark. I saw you go after Joris Feenstra, it took quite a while before you were back. There was no one at home Berend, I had to write a notice because I had a mail item that had to be signed. Yes, yes, no one at home, he says meaningfully. Did you also see that red Opel Kapteyn standing in front of the house? He puts the bottle of beer to his lips and takes a sip.

Toos didn't have time young to open the door, of course she is at home but now has other activities.

He interrupts the conversation because the freight train thunders past with a lot of noise. Meanwhile, he opens the bottle of lemonade, fills a glass and hands it to me with a painkiller.

Careful Bear with the Exota bottle, have you heard that they sometimes spontaneously burst?

Yes, I read it, he says, but it's nice lemonade, that's why I buy it. You have red, and brown, but this yellow one is the best. When I'm fishing, Jelke Tooringa sometimes comes to sit with me when he walks the dog, continues Berend. At least if he doesn't stay elsewhere because of his work. He has a well-paid job at NAM and is sometimes abroad. But when we sit together on the bank of the canal, things sometimes come up. Then he asks about my love life, whether I lack anything as a single guy. Don't you also want to get off the butt Berend?, he asks.

Jelke is candid, I know a few things about them, but one day he opened a book and gave me a glimpse into their private lives. Unsolicited, I don't need anything with what they both do, I'm not curious because it's none of my business how their lives work. But sometimes I see what it makes me doubt. This stays with us Ton, what I tell you in confidence you should not trumpet any further. You work at the Post, have taken an oath and I therefore trust your integrity.

Of course Berend, I sometimes hear and see certain things that should not be publicized. He nods. Toos and Jelk have been married for about 15 years. But our marriage, said Jelk, is at a dead end. It's not exciting anymore, it's all become routine between the two of us. We actually live like brother and sister. Sometimes we go into the nightlife

spend the night in a hotel in Amsterdam and when we visit a club, we leave each other completely free. I am often abroad because of my work, and then you know how it goes, in the evening in the hotel bar you sometimes meet a beautiful woman. One thing leads to another, yes and then you sometimes cheat if you take such a woman to your hotel room and spend the night with her. It's not love, on the contrary, it's just pure passion that brings me to it. It's just to satisfy your urges. Toos and I no longer have any physical contact with each other.

We talked for hours, Toos know of my escapades, I know hers. We have decided to set each other completely free, we will not part, because somehow we cannot live without each other. If you sometimes see a strange car in front of the door, you know what that means. Toos has met a married man who regularly visits her and gives her satisfaction. So we have a free marriage Berend, I'm telling you all this because you've noticed something that might raise questions in you. But it stays between us.

So Ton, Toos was crying when you were at her door, Berend remarks with a laugh. I do the last bit of my order and think about everything I just heard. Do you ever get off your butt, Jelke said to Berend. As a single guy, you want something sometimes, right? Rumors have it that Berend has contact with a widow somewhere, somewhere near the Water Tower. Why not, they do not have to account for this to the community. It is their business, and as far as Berend is concerned, I wish him well and hope that happiness may be his part in later life. When I drive back, the red Opel Kapteyn is still parked on the verge next to the canal…

Postscript

This story took place in the mid 1960's. I think 1967, in Stadskanaal Noord.At that time, there was much talk about the municipal reorganization, because the part of Stadskanaal from De Gele Klap (Handelsstraat), which was part of the municipality of Wildervank, would be added to the Municipality of Stadskanaal, then still municipality of Onstwedde. It kept people busy. Just like the arrival of a hospital, which was mentioned in the early 1960s, which both municipalities struggled to get into their municipal boundaries at that time.

As early as the 1940s there was talk of a municipal reorganization, I once came across an old newspaper article in the Northeast of 1947, or thereabouts, which was already mentioned at the time. The hospital was opened in November 1968 and was located in Stadskanaal Noord, then still gem. Wildervank. On January 1, 1969, the municipal reorganization became a fact, Stadskanaal Noord was added to the municipality of Stadskanaal, the rest of the municipality of Wildervank was added to the municipality of Veendam.

The names Berend Schaafsma, Toos and Jelke Tooringa were invented in this story, for privacy reasons. Any resemblance to living persons is therefore purely coincidental.

From my 1960s archive.

Elaborated into this story in March 2022

0 notes

moonlit-imagines · 2 years

Text

Headcanons for being the youngest Scamander sibling

Newt/Theseus Scamander x sibling!reader

warnings: fb3 spoilers! mainly takes place during the movie! also death/fighting

a/n: god i have been so excited to write this dhsbsghs. and i love u anon ur so sweet.

prompt: anonymous: “OMG I JUST WATCHED FB3 and it was such a fun ride!! may i request a headcanon for being the youngest scamander who's still in hogwarts? thank you very much! your works are always lovely ♡”

yes, you were quite younger than your brothers

but that didn’t change the fact that they loved you and you loved them

it was a shame you couldn’t get in on the action with them, whether that be magizoology or ministry happenings (or adventures they found themselves in)

dumbledore swore to keep his eye on you

made sure you didn’t get kicked out like *someone* in your family

“you’re so close to graduating, y/n. please take it seriously” -dumbledore

“fifty-fifty chance i do” -you

you don’t typically see theseus and newt at the same time, but whoever is closest for the holidays will pick you up

leta adored you, you’d talk to her every chance you got

“how’s school going, y/n? get yourself into any trouble lately?” -leta

“why does everyone keep asking me that?” -you

“why do you think?” -theseus

he always squeezes the crap out of you when he sends you back to school

and sends you off with a gift or two

“be good” -theseus

“you really don’t trust me, huh?” -you

“force of habit. i’m gonna miss you” -theseus

“right, right. i’ll miss you, too” -you

newt had told you all about how he got into all sorts of trouble at hogwarts

gave you a ton of pointers over the years. where to hide mostly

and he told you to speak your mind, even if it gets you into trouble

but he warned against taking the fall for others, he learned that the hard way

“i’d like to see you graduate here, do some good.” -newt

“wanna hear what i did last week?” -you

“oh, dear…go ahead” -newt

you always had fun telling newt your stories

the few times you get to see him

you missed your brothers often

when leta died, you were shaken to your core

the funeral was a drag

you practically clung to newt and theseus as you parted once more, you worried deeply for their lives

they felt you’d be safest at hogwarts and encouraged you to enjoy it while you could

“i really wish i could be out there with them” -you

“i know you do, but think about your education for a moment” -dumbledore

“mm, okay, still want to help” -you

“why can’t you be a cheeky hermit like newt was your age?” -dumbledore

“because i’m not newt” -you “or theseus, before you go there”

“you’re funny like them, though” -dumbledore

you really did remind him of newt and theseus, but your dynamic also reminded him of him, aberforth, and ariana

when newt’s friend, jacob, showed up to hogwarts, you were so excited

“hello! you must be jacob!” -you

“hey, yeah, that’s me. you, uh, you a psychic or something?” -jacob

“i’m something, y/n scamander” -you

“oh! oh, you’re the little sibling! look at you in your funny little uniform. wow, another scamander. you uptight or an animal lover?” -jacob

“just me, thank you” -you

giving jacob the tour

“do you fly around this place on those broomsticks, too?” -jacob

“i did once or twice” -you, laughing “got kicked off the quidditch team, though. i had my fair streak of trouble”

“quidditch? what’s that?” -jacob

“it’s the sport that they’re playing” -you

“like…like baseball?” -jacob

“sure, like baseball” -you

when your brothers got back to hogwarts, you were ecstatic (and desperate to get in on it all)

“y/n, don’t you have studies?” -theseus

“shhh, just let me have this” -you

“hi there, y/n, missed you” -newt

“where’s the case?” -you

“oh, i dont have it at the moment” -newt

“what? where is it?” -you

“bunty has it” -newt

“and where is she?” -you

you were highly intrigued by the issue at hand

well, not so much intrigued as you were desperate to know what was going on

any detail left out would make you lose sleep

“where are you staying tonight?” -you

“they’ll be staying at the hog’s head inn” -dumbledore

“may i come, too? just for tonight?” -you

“ah, i don’t know if that’s appropriate—” -dumbledore

“we’ll sign off on it” -newt

*theseus side eyes*

you brought some of your homework along and did it at the bar, just wanting to be near

newt helped you out with it for a bit

“hey, i remember this. you need a hand? or another head?” -newt

“sure, that’d be great” -you

you told him how you’d gone through the boggart lesson recently

“oh! oh…oh, how was that?” -newt

“not too bad, we all had a few laughs” -you

“yours wasn’t too scary?” -newt

“no, not any worse than a desk” -you, making fun of him

newt had noticed writing on the mirror across from him and left you a moment

and lally wanted to get to know the youngest scamander

“why hello there, dear. we haven’t had a moment to ourselves yet. what are you up to?” -lally

“just some homework brought from hogwarts. they excused me from curfew tonight as long as i proved i’d still be productive” -you

“a unique situation you’re in, aren’t you?” -lally

“you could say that” -you, laughing “i’m always being expected to act up thanks to newt, but they always want me to go above and beyond like theseus. i love my brothers, i’d just like to be me”

“oh, i see. well, i see you as you. tell me about you” -lally

you and lally had a long conversation while newt and dumbledore did the same

“you know, y/n carries a copy of fantastic beasts wherever they go. i think they miss you” -dumbledore

“they do? how do you know?” -newt

“i see them read it all the time. they even catch some unsuspecting students to ramble to about it from time to time” -dumbledore

“are you saying they’re starting to…to turn out like me?” -newt

“i’m saying they miss you. don’t take that for granted, newt. not after what i just told you” -dumbledore, glancing at the painting of ariana

when they came back downstairs, you were playing with the newest addition to the magical briefcase

where teddy the niffler was getting jealous and stealing coins from your pocket

you made the most of this time with your brothers and their friends, knowing that danger loomed over them

and there was nothing that you could do

but you could dance and talk and laugh and mingle until the sun came up

you followed them to the room of requirement and gave them hugs goodbye

“what is this place?” -jacob

“the room we require” -newt

“y/n, why didn’t you show me this?” -jacob

*magic users chuckling*

“be safe. please” -you

“you’re worried about us? that’s adorable” -theseus, hugging you as hard as he could

“oh, sorry. i hope you get cursed” -you, sarcastically

“i’ll see you soon, don’t worry. just focus on your classes” -newt

“why can’t i come with you? i want to help!” -you

“because dumbledore doesn’t need any children fighting his battles” -theseus

^(a/n: *spongebob narrator voice* “sixty years later”)

anyways

you were on edge all day, watching the election for supreme mugwump with your classmates

your brothers appeared before the wizarding world and you hid behind your hands as your classmates turned to you

“are you alright, y/n?” -professor mcgonnagal

“that depends on what happens in the next few minutes” -you

fortunately, your brothers came home

and you were invited to jacob and queenie’s wedding in new york!

“really?!” -you

“yes, really, kid! you’re gonna love new york, i’ll even give you a tour! least i can do for you showing me your school” -jacob

you went to new york and absolutely loved it, it was your new favorite place

and these wedding guests, your new favorite people

“you’re my new favorite, too!” -queenie

taglist: @ravenmoore14 // @summersimmerus // @the-did-i-ask // @azazel-nyx // @randomfandomimagine // @scarthefangirl // @locke-writes // @sweetjedi // @beth-gallagher22 // @bad4amficideas // @xoxobabydolls // @ruvaakke // @evilcr0ne // @thedarkqueenofavalon // @nightmarefox15 //

#fantastic beasts imagine #fantastic beasts x reader #fantastic beasts #wizarding world #wizarding world x reader #wizarding world imagine #newt scamander imagine #newt scamander x reader #newt scamander #newt scamander x sibling!reader #theseus scamander #theseus scamander x reader #theseus scamander imagine #theseus scamander x sibling!reader #scamander!reader #hp #hp x reader #hp imagine

2K notes · View notes

hollandorks · 2 years

Text

middle of the night

battinson!bruce wayne x f!reader

chapter seven

summary: y/n’s life changes immensely, starting with the Batman falling out of the sky right in front of her and ending with a promising new job at Wayne Manor. As her life intertwines with that of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, she begins to figure out that there’s more to both than meets the eye. No spoilers for the Batman movie.

a/n: Time for another chapter! Things are really starting to rev up in the plot at this point. My update schedule is definitely staying at every 2-3 days because I’m currently at 53k words and chapter 20. So I’ll have tons to post for a while! I’m literally out of control with this and can’t stop writing. Reminder that I thrive off reader feedback so please feel free to drop a comment, ask, or even yell in the tags if you reblog! Also let me know if you would like to be tagged in future updates. Also if you don’t see your tag and requested one, some won’t work for me!

Series Masterlist

word count: 2811

Bruce Wayne was an enigma indeed.

A fifth woman was reported missing.

Y/n was watching the news on her phone in the kitchen with a cup of tea gone cold beside her. So far, three bodies had been found and identified. The first woman and the most recent woman hadn’t been found.

“Good morning,” Alfred’s voice said from behind her even though it was actually lunch time. “Sleep well?”

She raised an eyebrow. Was he going to pretend that the night before hadn’t happened? “Yes, thanks. How’s…Mr. Wayne?”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Alfred said breezily. He started fixing himself a cup of tea. “It was minor.”

“Was he in a bar fight or something?” she asked. She bit her tongue as soon as the words were out. She really shouldn’t pry.

“Yes, he was in a fight.”

Interesting. Not only did Bruce Wayne spend most of his nights out God-only-knew-where, but he also sometimes got into fights. What did a billionaire possibly have to pick a fight about at a bar?

Alfred left with his tea shortly after.

She sighed at her own cup, wishing she had a coffee but not wanting to make a trek to get one. She’d forgotten to get a coffee maker for herself. She sighed again. How she’d survived this long on tea, she had no idea.

“Good morning,” said another voice.

Y/n whirled and nearly dropped her mug. Her face immediately went hot.

“I–hi–good morning,” she stammered. Bruce Wayne definitely looked fine in the weak noontime light.

She watched as he went to the fridge and rustled around.

Say something! she commanded herself. Her tongue was thick with humiliation. She had almost beaten him with a fire poker in his own bedroom. She waited for the floor to open and swallow her.

“I’m–I’m sorry about almost beating you with a fire poker,” she squeaked. Cleared her throat. “Thank you for not firing me.”

She thought she saw the edge of a smile as Bruce closed the door of the fridge.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured. He didn’t look at her as he left.

She put her head in her hands and groaned.

–

It had been a month since she had started meeting with Batman. Two weeks since she’d found Bruce Wayne bloodied in his room.

Every time y/n met Batman she couldn’t get those five women out of her mind. He hadn’t asked her again about getting information for him. She could tell it weighed on him. She had gotten better at reading him even with half of his face obscured. He threw himself into their practice sessions, usually cutting them short so he could get back out into the city. More than she could say, she appreciated that he made time for her, even if it was only a few minutes.

“Do you have any leads?” she asked him after her Friday night shift. Their lesson had only lasted ten minutes this time.

“No,” he said curtly. He was gone with barely a goodbye.

It shouldn’t just be up to him to help the city.

She had wished she could do something…and there was something she could do. As she walked to the subway, y/n came up with a plan. It was going to suck, it was going to hurt, and it more than likely was going to put her in a lot of danger.

But she could get some answers. Get Batman on the right track. Keep more women from disappearing.

As long as she didn’t let her fear win, y/n was going to take matters into her own hands. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn’t be helpless any longer. There was nothing keeping her from acting besides her own fear. She wouldn’t let her fear win.

Before her shift the next night she dressed with extra care. Her makeup was a little darker. She even put on a bold lipstick. She had to play her part well if she was going to do this. And the makeup was a kind of armor. It made her feel like a different person, a stronger person. Someone who could do what needed to be done.

The shift started normally. She was waitressing again. The club was extra packed tonight. More witnesses. She couldn’t tell if that would be better or much worse. She saw members of the DA’s office. Several high-ranking police officers. Even a few councilmen. It was only a matter of time before the most important of them disappeared downstairs.

Her shift was almost over when she very carefully knocked a drink to the floor. She had picked her target well; he had already gained a reputation for being handsy. Had already asked her what time her shift was over. Called her a tease. Accepted her flirty smiles and small talk as an invitation for something more.

This first part of her plan would be satisfying, at least.

Y/n bent over to pick up the glass.

And felt a hand caress her backside. She grit her teeth. Gave in to the anger.

She whirled around. “Hands off, asshole!” She was pretty sure this guy was some high profile defense lawyer. That didn’t matter, although it would help.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” the guy said with a smirk. “You’ve been flirting with me all night.”

She turned again to the glass she’d left on the floor. As soon as she bent over once more, the man touched her again.

She straightened up and broke the glass over his head. Then she hit him. Once in the jaw, then once in the nose for good measure. She should have just done the glass, she realized too late. Already two of Penguin’s thugs were converging on her. The explosion of blood from the man’s nose was satisfying in the red lights of the club. The sting of her knuckles was more pleasure than pain. Her rage made her feel powerful.

The man was on his feet. He was in her face. Calling her all sorts of names. She clenched her fists tighter to keep from hitting him again. Kept herself centered and her feet planted.

“Hey, hey, let’s all cool off,” one of the bouncers said. “We’ll take care of it, sir, don’t you worry. Let’s go upstairs, y/n.”

She let herself be led away. She inhaled deeply. Held it. Exhaled. The fear was trying to settle into her bones. She knew what was coming. But it was all part of the plan. She couldn’t be afraid, not now. It was too late anyways. Things were in motion and she was about to get what she wanted.

Eventually.

The Penguin was lounging on the couch in his office. A pretty girl was beside him. She looked drunk or high out of her mind. Maybe both. Probably had to be to be around an ugly bastard like him.

Y/n cowered. She wanted to stand tall. To not show her fear. But that wouldn’t work on him. Not if she was going to make this all seem like his idea.

“Y/n,” Penguin said. He inspected his nails for dirt. A thick ring on his pinky flashed in the light. “We’ve already had a conversation about how you treat our patrons.” He glanced over to the man who’d hit her in the face all those weeks ago. The night she’d met Batman.

“I’m sorry, sir, I’m–I’m having a bad night and I don’t know what came over me, I’m sorry–”

With a gesture from the Penguin, she was knocked to her knees before him. She kept her head down. She didn’t have to fake her tears. Fear locked its icy spikes in her heart. The lights in the club below flashed from yellow to red.

“Please don’t fire me,” she whispered to the Penguin’s expensive leather shoes.

“I’m not going to fire you. But I am going to have to add a bit more to your debts to teach you a lesson, sweetheart. You understand.” Penguin looked down his nose at her. In the red light from outside the windows, his scars were thrown into sharp relief. “After I teach you another lesson. Fifty thousand and five percent interest.”

Y/n cried out. That was much worse than she’d thought. Years of work were added onto her debt even with two jobs. “Please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please sir, even with my job at Wayne Manor I can’t–I can’t afford that, please!” She practically bowed before him. She wanted to throw up. To fight them all. To get their blood on her hands and be the last one standing. But even with a few lessons, she couldn’t fight them all.

Besides, that wasn’t what she was here for.

The Penguin sighed. “Well, there is a way you can make a little more money.”

“Anything, anything,” she sobbed. “Please.”

“Your weekend shifts can be spent downstairs. I know you think you’re too good for that sort of work, but it’d come with a bit of a pay raise. You understand. Solves a problem for both of us. We’ve been a bit…short handed lately.”

“Yes, I’ll take it. Thank you, sir.”

“Next weekend then. I’ll have your new uniform shipped to you at your fancy digs, eh?”

She closed her eyes. The easy part was over.

“Now, you know what happens when you disrespect our patrons, y/n. I want you to keep my generosity in mind. Learn from your mistakes. That’s how you grow. That’s how I got where I am today. Understand?” He leaned forward. Rested his elbows on his knees. She looked up at him with tearfilled eyes. She nodded. “Not in the face, boys.”

The first blow hit her squarely in the back. Sent her sprawling. Her face hit the floor before she could catch herself. Blood exploded into her mouth as her lip split on her teeth.

A blaze of pain on her right side. A foot had connected with her ribs. She was hauled up by her shirt. Two men held her while a third landed punch after punch to her midsection. She screamed as something popped. Her shoulder. His fists hit her ribs, her hips, the softest parts of her stomach. Her vision darkened as pain overwhelmed her. Her torso was made of fire. Each blow landed and blended into one haze of pain. The worst of it all was her shoulder. She couldn’t think beyond the pain.

“Enough,” Penguin said. She didn’t know if it’d been minutes or hours. The men released her. She collapsed to the ground without them to hold her up. Landed on one hand and her knees. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see. She coughed. Spit out blood. Sobbed incoherently as the Penguin came and knelt before her.

“I hope you learn from this, y/n. Because I will not be so generous a third time. Now get out of here. You start downstairs next weekend.” He gave her a look of utter disgust. She struggled to her feet. Wobbled. Nearly fell.

God, it hurt. She probably had broken ribs. She licked her lips clean of blood.

It took her ages to get down the stairs. She didn’t even bother to change. She could barely lift her backpack. Didn’t think to get out her taser. She wrapped one arm around her center. The other dangled limply at her side. Her eyesight flickered in and out as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She usually took the subway most of the way home to save money but she couldn’t make it that far. She would have to take a taxi the whole way.

The bouncer at the back door sneered at her. She tried to push the door open but it hurt too much. He watched her struggle with it for several minutes with a grin. Then he finally shoved it open and hissed “cunt” in her ear.

Outside, she let the cold air wrap around her. She leaned against the bricks. She had no idea how she would make it to the end of the alley, let alone all the way to Wayne Manor.

She blacked out for a second. Managed to catch herself just before she fell to the ground.

“Hello,” a familiar voice said. “Were you waiting very long?”

She peeled her eyes open. Batman was standing across from her, half in the shadows of the neighboring building. She shook her head. It wasn’t an answer to his question, but a plea. If he touched her, she would scream. She felt like her good arm was the only thing holding her insides together. And her other shoulder was dislocated.

He must have noticed the pain on her face. “Are you alright?”

“I’m okay,” she said. But the pain in her voice was hard to hide. The words rasped out of her. Her voice was raw from crying. From shouting. All she could taste was blood.

“Are you hurt?” He stepped closer. Reached out a hand.

“No!” she cried out. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” If she said it enough she would be fine. She just had to make it to a taxi. Make it to her bed. She was fine.

She managed to push off of the wall and started walking away. She couldn’t hear his footsteps but knew he was following her.

“I can’t tonight,” she ground out. Her vision flickered again. “I–I’m sorry. Maybe next weekend.”

She didn’t want him to know what she’d done. Maybe he wouldn’t care. Maybe he would call her stupid. Maybe he would push her to do more. So she kept her mouth shut. She would tell him only after she got the information he needed. Not before. This was her burden to handle. She knew what she was getting into when she set her plan into motion. To get downstairs, she had to make it Penguin’s idea. His invitation. This pain would be nothing if it kept another woman from disappearing. But God, it hurt.

“Y/n,” he said. He caught her arm. The one that was dislocated. She cried out. The simple touch sent pain screaming up and down her spine. Black spots flickered across her vision. She had no idea how she was even upright, let alone conscious. It hurt. It hurt so bad. She shouldn’t have done this. She didn’t know how she could go on like this. Nothing had ever hurt this bad. “You’re hurt.”

A few tears slipped out before she could stop them. “I’m okay. Really. Just a bad night, okay? I’ll see you around.”

She stepped away and he let her go.

She found a taxi. Half fell into the seat. Gave the address and…

“Miss. Miss. We’re here. Wake up.”

A gentle touch on her knee.

She jerked awake with a shout of pain.

The taxi driver was staring at her with owlish eyes. They were at the front of Wayne Manor. The guards at the gate must have seen her passed out and let the taxi driver go on through. She looked out the window. One of the guards was behind them on a golf cart.

“Thank you,” she said. She handed over a few wadded bills of cash and managed to push the door open with her foot. She had to take a breath–which hurt like hell–and pull herself out with her good hand. She groaned through gritted teeth. “Thank you,” she said to the guard. He gave her a half-wave then followed the taxi back out.

By the time she made it around to the back door, she was about to pass out again. She just needed to make it a little farther. Just a little farther.

Key in the door. Get the door open. Close it. Lock it. She gave herself step by step instructions. Walk. One foot. Next foot. Breathe. Deep breaths hurt. Breathe again. Again. Eyes open. Keep your eyes open. Almost there.

She blinked, and had somehow made it to the kitchen.

The pain was overwhelming. She needed help. Her ribs were probably broken. Maybe she had internal damage. But–no. The Penguin had been doling out beatings for years. He knew how to make it hurt the most with the least amount of damage. And her shoulder–her arm dangled limply from the socket.

Her breath hitched. The pain was too intense. Overwhelming her. Taking over her senses. She couldn’t see. Couldn’t hear. Couldn’t breathe.

She gently touched her shoulder with her good hand and nearly screamed at the pain. The black overwhelmed her vision.

She opened her eyes.

Bruce Wayne was standing above her. His hair was mussed as if from sleep.

“Y/n?” he asked. “Are you alright?” She couldn’t focus on him.

“I’m okay,” she said. It was barely more than a whisper.

Her eyes closed again. The last thing she saw was strange: smudges of black around his eyes.

Next Chapter

taglist:

@pop-rocks-and-skittles @calumspupils @n1ght5h4d3-24 @keepingitlokiii @11mb0 @illicitghosts @passionandpeaches @cat-purrsonified @blue-aconite @junggoku @ohheyitsrowan @angxlictexrs @glowexe @f10pc @avengersgirllorianna @brynhildrmimi @takeyour-pants-off @fictional-hooman @twilightdollie @p-writes @lady-x-red @xingqiusliegee @scxrletwitches @justine-en @philiasoul @srryxmate @thecherrybombcom @minstens @curly-bookworm @call-me-nayo @tojisprincess @parzival3 @harries-sunshine @reggxe-a @fetaneecole @cosmicbreathe @deadflowerd @iimawinchester @ventila98 @user-2947 @thecraziestcrayon @blossomedfloweroflove @dcgoddess @summerkate @leastlikelytoachieve @slutforblueeyes @nautixa @wordsinwinters @rexorangecouny @neserinda @threat-2-society @pajerita19 @yourrdarling @marvelsangels @libelluledeverre @leiaofthestars @lwtmonster91 @vellania @uncle-eggy @goldbvtton @angelsarecallin

#bruce wayne x reader #battinson x reader #batman x reader #bruce wayne imagine #battinson imagine #batman imagine #batman fanfiction #batman fic #battinson fic #battinson #the batman #the batman 2022 #rbatz #robert pattinson #this chapter was fun tbh!#things are a lot crazier from here on out #idk if anyone even reads my tags but y'all don't even know what's coming

802 notes · View notes

dmwrites · 2 years

Text

“I miss Mumbo.” Grian was met with silence, besides the opening and closing of chests. “Ugh, I miss Mumbo!!” Grian put a hand to his forehead and lay himself dramatically across a nearby barrel.

“You said that already.” Impulse shuffled a few pages, marking something off.

“Who am I going to torment every day? I’ve already tormented Scar a million times!” Grian rolled on the barrel, waving his arms around so his sweater sleeves made a flapping sound.

“Well, there are tons of other hermits you could torment.” Impulse said, picking Grian up by the back of the sweater so he could put some books away.

“Impulseeeeeeee!!!”

“Grian, Mumbo is taking a well-deserved rest.” Impulse said sternly, holding the little man up to his face. “It’s not like you can make him move around. Just find another project to do, if you’re so fussed about it all. You could always help me organize my books!”

Grian squirmed out of Impulse’s grasp, but had a thoughtful twinkle in his eye. “Well, you’re right, he’s like a dead body basically… say, Impulse, what are your thoughts on unethical redstone practices?”

“Grian…” Impulse gave him a look. “Don’t you dare go messing with Mumbo. No one will help you with whatever weird little thing you’re planning right now.”

“Oh, delight upon delight, I love breaking moral and ethic codes with redstone!” Zedaph clapped his hands enthusiastically. “I haven’t slept in three weeks, unrelatedly, and I’m sure your asking yourself ‘well Zeddy how are you still awake’ well, simple. I have my monster energy drinks!”

Grian blinked rapidly. “What’s monster energy drink?”

“It’s when I drain monsters of their fluids and drink it! Such a great pick-me-up! Do you want to know how I milk them?” Zedaph was vibrating a slightly alarming amount.

“You know, maybe later.” Grian couldn’t help but grin. This guys was a threat to himself and the world around him, perfect for Grian’s silly little idea.

“I’ll just email you the method and recipe.” Zed nodded. Grian also nodded, deciding not to ask about whatever an email was. “So, what kind of redstone idea were you thinking?”

Grian clapped his hands together. “So, as you know, Mumbo’s been away. Poor guy needs his rest, of course, and I love that he’s taking some time for himself. But I miss him. I need like, a doll of Mumbo or something. Some kind of puppet I can make walk around and do all of my hijinks with. Perhaps you can understand where I’m going with this.”

Zedaph stroked an imaginary beard. “I do see… and not just with my eyes. You want to make the essentially dead body of Mumbo Jumbo walk around with you like a silly little string puppet. Now that’s new and innovative!”

“So… will you help me?” Grian raised his eyebrows.

“Of course!” Zed pulled out a notebook and started scribbling. “Give me a day, and then meet me Mumbo’s base.”

A day later found Grian pretending to landscape close to the copper walls he’d put around Mumbo’s house. He knew Impulse was watching him, because he kept looking up and seeing the big man across the river, chilling on his porch. Unfortunately, Impulse was very smart and not afraid to lift people off the ground to deter them. Not to mention he probably had a very strong idea of Grian’s ways from being in boatem with him. But, this idea was too good to stop now.

“Hello, hello, hello, Grian!” Zedaph crash-landed into the copper wall and fell into the moss Grian had just placed. “Are you ready to bring Mumbo back to life?”

“You bet!” Grian lead the way, breaking into the wall and leading the way to Mumbo’s bed. His body was just laying on the bed, like a mannequin. “Aww, he looks so peaceful.”

“Okay, so we need to attach these pistons to his legs.” Zed said, handing Grian some leads.

And, less then fifteen minutes later, the soulless and lifeless body of Mumbo Jumbo was standing before them, held up by leads and a metal exoskeleton, and walking via pistons. They walked him outside, and then it really hit Grian how weird this really was.

“He is like a weird little haunted Victorian doll.” Grian whispered.

“I’m not haunted!” From a small platform runway above them, Zed raised one of Mumbo’s arms with a lead and tried to mimic Mumbo’s accent.

“And you two have lost your Mumbo privileges.” Damn it, they’d forgotten about Impulse, who had flown in and was crossing his arms at Grian.

“Hey! I can do what I want, it’s my artistic right!” Grian tried to argue, but Impulse just clicked his tongue, cut the leads attached to Mumbo’s arms, and carried his body back inside.

“Well, I’ll just be on my way then.” Zed said, giving Grian a silly little salute and galloping away, leaving Grian to deal with the wrath of Impulse

#April 9 2022 #fic #hermitcraft #s9 #grian #zedaphplays #impulse is also there #mumbo is there too?#long post

466 notes · View notes

sevlgi · 2 years

Text

c’est la vie

requested: yes (many different requests put together)

group: blackpink

pairing: rosé x fem!reader

genre: a shit ton of angst, fluff ending

contents: band!au, (kind of) celebrities!au, rivals to lovers, guitarist!rosé, guitarist!y/n, they’re honestly so in love, featuring jennie, jisoo, lisa, twice’s mina, skz’s han + chan, bts’s jeongguk, nct’s johnny + jaehyun. READ THIS FOR BAND CONTEXT

warnings: mentions of smoking

synopsis: It’s been 8 years since your legendary rivalry with L0VES1CK’s Park Chaeyoung began, and yet, she doesn’t seem to hate you any less. But maybe, with the right turn of events, both of you will learn that the line between love and hate is far thinner than you think.

a/n: IF THIS FLOPS I AM GOING TO FUCKING DEACTIVATE /HJ

listen to: all my friends are turning blue by loren, you stupid bitch by girl in red, love me or leave me by day6, slump by stray kids

word count: 12.2k

Park Chaeyoung hates that she can smell the smoke that clings to her clothing, even as she sings her heart out on stage with her hands moving restlessly on her beloved guitar.

This is her favorite place. The water that Lisa sprays into the crowd splashes onto her as well and glistens in her hair like beads sculpted of diamond, and she can hear Mina going hard on the drums behind her, Chan matching her energy on his electric guitar. Jaehyun backs Chaeyoung up when she misses the occasional lyric, holding her mic out to the crowd with a huge grin on her face.

And yet, the salty sting of sweat and the sweet hairspray that lingers on her doesn’t manage to disguise the cigarette box sitting in her pocket and the lighter one inch away from crashing onto the ground and setting the whole stage on fire.

But the song’s over, and she’s waving to the crowd as she walks off the stage backwards. “Come on,” Lisa laughs, tugging her down by her shirt. “We still have two shows left, and I’ll bet most of these guys will be at those too.”

“Can you blame me for wanting to stay up there a little longer?” Chaeyoung smiles. “What’re we doing tonight?”

Jaehyun and Chan exchange glances, Mina having already sped onto the tour bus to claim her shower privileges. “We could stay here,” Chan ventures. “We’ve gone out every night for the past couple of weeks.”

Chaeyoung wrinkles her nose. “I don’t want to stay and listen to Bloodbath’s rehearsal.”

Rolling her eyes, Lisa shoves the Australian girl lightly and sighs, “I don’t get what you have against them. They’re good, and I’m sure they’re cool.”

“Have you been to one of their shows?” Chae scoffs. When met with silence, she raises her eyebrows and scans over her slightly guilty-looking bandmates. “Oh, god. You did.”

“In our defense, it was Mina’s idea,” Jaehyun pipes up. Typical of him to try and throw the missing member under the bus; Chaeyoung makes a mental note to rat him out later, in exchange for using Mina’s superior shower later.

“Whatever. I guess we can stay in,” the guitarist sighs, yanking the door to her and Lisa’s tour bus open, probably a little harder than strictly necessary. She catches a glance of herself in the bathroom mirror, piercings caught in her hot-pink hair and glitter beading in the sweat that drips down her arm.

She flinches when she hears the loud, out-of-tune strum of a guitar, somehow penetrating the thick metal of the tour bus even from the stage a few miles away.

Chaeyoung shoves her headphones in and turns the volume all the way up, uncaring of how her own voice grates on her ears. If she can’t go out, she’ll find her own distraction; when her hand drifts toward her back pocket, she realizes just how easy it is to drown out the idea that you ever existed.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry!” You wince and adjust your in-ear as the sound of your guitar echoes through the stadium, at ten times the volume it should be at. Jennie fails to disguise the absolute horror on her face as she’s deafened by the echoes inside her ears; you’d think that she would be used to it by now, but somehow, she still flinches every time.

Jisung yelps, ever the dramatic one. His own guitar hangs around his neck, abandoned for the mic that he fiddles with. You shout over the noise, “Jisoo, could you turn it down, though? Level 2, please.”

Your manager flashes a thumbs up before retreating down the stairs, massaging her own ears when you aren’t looking. “Did you say level 2?”

“Yeah!” Hesitantly, you strum what you think will be a softer chord, only for the same shriek to tear through your ears again. “I’m sorry,” you plead again, holding your hands up in a prayer when you earn another dirty look from Jennie.

In contrast, you can’t hear Jeongguk’s drums even when he uses his full (and considerable) strength, and even Jisung’s highest note doesn’t make it past the first row of the stadium. Flinging his hands up in the air, Jeongguk sighs, “This is not going to work. We have a show tomorrow.”

“I know,” you exhale sharply, making sure to keep a hand on your guitar so that you aren’t deafened again.

“Bad news. Sound system is completely and utterly broken,” Jisoo says, cupping her hands so that her voice echoes up the stairwell. “None of your stuff is compatible with the speakers, and we don’t have the time to tune the backups.”

“So... what do we do?” Jisung frowns, hand stilling on his guitar.

Jisoo grimaces, “You’re probably going to have to go completely without the sound system and rely on acoustics.”

You make a face. “I have an electric guitar. And Jisung can’t be heard over Jeongguk without his mic, no offense to either of you.”

“Wasn’t L0VES1CK playing today?” Jennie questions, giving up on her own mic. “Could we ask to borrow their stuff?”

“Do they have everything we need?” Jeongguk asks doubtfully.

Jisoo sighs, and picks the lanyard with the keys up. “Worth a try. Can you guys try with just acoustics? Y/N, take Jennie’s ballad guitar. And Jeongguk, try to leave Jisung a little room.”

All of you give her a chorus of agreement, before you turn to your band members. “Okay,” you sigh, accepting the acoustic guitar Jennie hands you. “Let’s give it a shot.”

“It takes a stupid amount of effort to wake you up,” Chan sighs as he drags Chaeyoung forward by the elbow. Usually, the guitarist would protest a little more, but for once, she’s glad for her bandmates complete inability to go to sleep.

“So... why exactly are you waking me up at midnight? After exactly 15 minutes of sleep?” the girl groans, head lolling back. Chaeyoung hasn’t slept in 36 hours, solely sustained by energy gels, cigarettes, and Chan’s battery-acid coffee, and has absolutely no idea where her bandmate is dragging her to.

“... Johnny will explain it to you. You’ll probably take it better from him anyway,” Chan answers slowly.

She recognizes the creaking noise that she hears when Chan pushes open a door, though, and squints suspiciously. “Why are we back in the stadium? And why are you carrying our guitar?”

Now that her eyes are open, Chae can see the sweat beading on Chan’s temple as he carries both guitar cases on his left arm, dragging Chaeyoung along with his right, and she lunges to take her most prized possession from him. He dodges, and cajoles her, “Just let Johnny explain. Okay?”

She finds Mina, Jaehyun, and Lisa gathered below the stage with their manager Johnny and a stranger, a pretty albeit tired-looking woman smiling apologetically when she spots Chaeyoung. And on the stage sits four people who she’s avoided for a long time-- specifically, you right in the center, with your back turned to her as you explain something to your own bandmates. “What’s this about?”

“Chaeyoung! Hi, my name is Jisoo,” the woman introduces herself, holding her hands out in greeting. “I’m Bloodbath’s manager. We- well, the band- have a huge favor to ask of you guys.”

“Their instruments don’t work with the sound system,” Johnny intercepts. “And they want to know if they can borrow yours. One drum set, a bass, an electric guitar, and... four mics. Is that right?”

Jisoo nods vigorously, and pleads, “Just for today and tomorrow, then we’ll be out of your hair. We heard that the system here is bad, but not this bad. We’ll return everything in perfect condition, promise.”

Chaeyoung glances at the others. Mina shrugs and says, in that soft-spoken way of hers that won’t let anyone disappoint her, “We all said yes. It’s up to you.”

She’s almost about to say yes, when she feels a specific pair of eyes lingering on her. “No.”

The crushed look on Jisoo’s face almost makes her feel bad, as does the unsurprised twist of Jaehyun’s lips and the apologetic glance that Johnny casts. However, she hears from the stage, “What is your problem?”

“Excuse me?” Chaeyoung answers, switching her incredulous gaze to you, standing at the edge of the stage with your hands on your hips.

You gesture wildly at your bandmates, and exclaim, “You can’t just lend us these? We said we’d pay, and it’s not like we’re going to smash them! I swear, you Sydney College people are so pretentious, can you not be a little bit generous?”

“She knows your music school?” Lisa says dubiously.

The two of you say at the same time, with almost identical levels of anger, “We went to the same university.”

“And she,” Chaeyoung continues with a point in your general direction, “sabotaged my graduation performance.”

“I did not!” you yell. Someone places a hand on your shoulder, a heavily tattooed guy with a gentle expression that doesn’t match his intimidating appearance. You sigh. “I swear, I didn’t. And even if I did, that was five years ago. Just... pretend I’m not here, and lend us the stuff. Please.”

Chaeyoung opens her mouth to argue with you again, but realizes just how immature she seems. The only other boy on stage, a short kid with round cheeks and fluffy blue hair, looks so exhausted, and so does the girl pinching her eyebrows with the mic still in her hands. “Okay,” she finally says, and hears a quiet cheer from the tattooed guy. “But I want to stay for the rehearsal.”

You say, “What?!” at the same time as the guy says, “Yes! Yes, absolutely.”

The two of you exchange glances, Chaeyoung waiting with her arms crossed, until you roll your eyes and nod. “Thanks,” you mumble.

Mina pats Chae on the shoulder. “Hey. Don’t you need to sleep? You don’t even like their music, why are you staying for the rehearsal?”

“Minari. I love that guitar more than anything,” the Australian girl answers, with every ounce of seriousness in her body. “I’m not letting anything happen to it.”

“Suit yourself.” Contrary to Jaehyun’s dismissive tone, his eyes linger on Chaeyoung as he leaves, Chan following suit with a soft touch to her arm. Johnny stays to negotiate with Jisoo, the two of them trailing backstage, which leaves Chaeyoung to board the stage with her precious guitar in hand.

You don’t say anything as you take the case from her, with enough gentleness that she can’t say anything about it. “Is it tuned?” you ask without raising your head.

“Yes. Not a scratch,” Chaeyoung warns, watching you sling the faded canvas strap over your neck.

When you don’t respond, your members take it as their cue to introduce themselves. Tattoo guy raises his hand with a smile, already seated at Mina’s drum set. “I’m Jeongguk.”

“Jisung,” the guy holding Chan’s guitar says, tying his hair into a ridiculous bright blue ponytail. He looks a bit ridiculous in a giant sweatshirt and oversized guitar, platform sneakers disguising his height, but Chaeyoung passes on a comment.

The other girl smiles, eyes crinkling like a cat’s. “My name’s Jennie. Thanks for the equipment, by the way.”

“Sure.” Chaeyoung steps down and take a first-row seat. To your credit, you aren’t intimidated at all by her-- you take your position at the left of your diamond formation, strumming a few soft chords out of the guitar.

“Mic, one two,” Jennie says, and holds up a thumbs-up for Jisoo, who’s popped out to check on the equipment.

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, but Chaeyoung jumps when you shred the first note, a screeching G flat kicking off the start of the song as Jeongguk starts. And oh, god, she’s never heard a song like this from her own equipment.

And Jennie’s shouting out a line that perfectly emphasizes the grit to her tone, the notes floating weightlessly over Chaeyoung’s head as Jisung plays a gorgeous series of bass notes that Chae wishes she thought of first.

You only sing when the chorus needs a little extra kick to it, but the pink-haired girl swears that she only hears your voice. It hasn’t changed much since all the times you rivaled each other in the school showcases, but your demeanor has-- you’re no longer shy, gripping onto your scratched blue guitar for dear life. Instead, you’ve come alive with the heavy strums of Chaeyoung’s guitar, your smile glittering brilliantly under the hot stage lights and your head bobbing with the beat in tune with Jeongguk’s.

The guitar barely seems like hers anymore-- the shiny black of it, so lovingly polished, matches with your leather boots, the shape of it perfectly fitted to your hands splayed over the strings.

She hates how raptly she pays attention, only waking up when the song ends and Jisung whoops loudly, hands held up in the air with a wide smile that shows all his teeth. “Let’s go!” Jeongguk yells too, hoisting his drumsticks up in victory.

The Australian girl hopes that the darkness of the audience is enough to cloak her as she gets up silently, taking the moment where you and Jennie’s backs are turned to talk with the two guys.

Your voice rings in her ears, and your smile aches in her heart.

“Jisung, can you go, like, the slightest bit higher on that note?” Jeongguk asks over lunch, staring intently at the phone cupped in Jennie’s hands.

“Yeah. You could probably do it if you tried, though,” Jisung sighs, chin cupped in his hands. You know that he doesn’t mean anything by it-- he knows that the drummer is making a perfectly good point. “Why don’t you take over my part in Mamma Mia tonight? Just the one song.”

Jeongguk shakes his head immediately, stuffing his mouth with a piece of bread like he tends to do when he doesn’t want to answer. Jennie sends Jisung a not-so-subtle frown, and the youngest protests, “I’m just saying! Jeongguk can sing circles around me, around all of us. No offense.”

“None taken. But you should drop the subject,” Jennie says, and you nod in agreement. “We only have one drummer.”

“Y/N can play the drums.”

“A little bit,” you sigh in exasperation with a shake of your head. “C’mon, we have a show in half an hour hours. Let’s stop.”

Jisung finally shuts up, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork. You roll your eyes and rewind the practice video. “Do you guys think that harmony was bad?” you ask when it comes to a specific part in the bridge.

“No, it’s fine,” Jennie shrugs. Jisoo pops her head in and beckons with her hand, the cheers of the crowd already gathered in the stadium making it through the crack of the door. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Drinks after?” Jisung suggests, and you nod.

The stage lights hit like the sun intensified by ten times, but you wave even as your eyes adjust slowly to it. “Hey guys!” Jeongguk shouts, waving both his hands.

You open your mouth and raise your mic to echo his greeting when you realize who’s lingering right about the front. It’s Chaeyoung-- you can tell even over her black mask and beanie. Her eyes flick up from her guitar, hanging around your neck, to your face, a dispassionate expression on her face.

The show goes well enough, you suppose; the crowd is hyped enough to ask for an encore, and Jisung manages to persuade Jeongguk to join the part-switch. Your fingers tap on your thigh, unoccupied as you fumble with Jennie’s lyrics, the other girl laughing as she taps out the most basic of beats. Jeongguk gives up on the guitar and focuses on Jisung’s high note (which, you have to admit, does suit his voice better).

But your eyes are always drawn back to the girl watching you from the audience. You point the mic into the audience but stare at her, and only manage to tear your eyes to interact with your members.

She’s gone by the time you say your goodbyes, bounding down the stairs with the biggest grin you’ve had in a while. “Why don’t we do this more often?” Jisung laughs, still bubbling over with energy.

“We’d die,” you deadpan, but you can’t tear the smile off your own face, either. You examine the guitar in your hands. “How much do you think one of these costs?”

“2.6 grand,” a voice answers. You look up to find Chaeyoung herself, hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie, mask removed to reveal a makeup-free face that looks more like the one you remember from school. “I’ll hook you up with one if you like.”

“I don’t think I make that much revenue,” you laugh, embarrassed. “You probably do, though.”

Chaeyoung joins your little quartet as you make your way to the equipment room. “What makes you say that?”

“We’ve been to your shows,” Jennie answers, glancing over. She’s untying the elaborate plait in her hair, struggling until Jisung rolls his eyes and reaches over to help. “Cost an arm and a leg, even though we were sitting pretty far away.”

“Your tickets aren’t exactly cheap either,” Chae points out with a small smile on her face. “Thank god Jisoo let me in.”

“What’d you think?” Jeongguk asks.

She considers the question, then answers, “You should sing more. I like your voice, even if it isn’t super rock-suited.”

“See!” Jisung exclaims, and Jeongguk ruffles his exquisitely styled hair. “What’re you doing backstage with us, though?” the bassist asks, glancing over at the pink-haired girl still strolling by your side.

Chaeyoung sighs. “I... have a favor to ask.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Oh. Do tell.”

“Shit.”

You sink into the couch, head in your hands; you aren’t sure if it’s bad that Chaeyoung doesn’t even smile at your torture. (She’s supposed to be your rival, after all.) “I forgot to change my email in the database,” you groan, the heels of your hands digging into your forehead.

“Well, that’s your fault,” she says, lips twisted, and you glare at her.

“Didn’t you come here to ask for my help?”

Chae sighs out through her nose, conceding the point. “We’re supposed to perform.”

“And, what? You’re here to ask me to perform with you?” you ask incredulously. “I thought you hated me.”

“I do. And that’s why I’m here to ask you not to perform.”

Your jaw falls slack in pure shock; as much as Chaeyoung hates you for your short-lived rivalry in music school, you never held a grudge against her for all the usurped opportunities. In school, you thought she was nice, in fact, and just assumed that she was intimidated by you or not social. But after your debut, and all the times she refused to even clap or smile at your performances, you realized that it was all wishful thinking.

“Shut the fuck up,” you say on instinct. “No. I won’t just not perform at my own goddamn reunion. Park Chaeyoung, I am going to show you the fuck up at that show, and I am going to show everyone that I am better than you.”

Chaeyoung shrugs, and rolls her eyes as she gathers herself to her feet. “Suit yourself. And by the way,” she calls over her shoulder, “your voice crack in Sweet Chaos was pretty bad.”

You slam the door after her.

Jeongguk frowns at you disapprovingly as you do your best at replicating Jennie’s puppy-dog eyes. “Why me?” he whines, his new lip ring shifting as he matches your pout.

“Because you’re a really good singer!” you smile, batting your eyelashes. “And you’re hot! All the girls are going to be swooning over you. I want the social advantage of bringing the hottest possible duet partner.”

“They’d swoon over Jisung too. Probably more so over Jen,” he points out.

You wave your hand in the air. “Jisung’s too young for them to swoon over.”

“He’s in his twenties.”

“And three years younger than everyone there,” you continue, as if Jeongguk never talked at all. “And Jennie’s too hot.”

“Thanks,” he says sarcastically. “Your point?”

“My point is that I want you to come with me. C’mon, don’t you want to not drum for once? You love all those ballads, come and play them with me in front of a bunch of people who are going to fall head over heels for you,” you plead.

Jeongguk huffs out a breath. “What if we rapped?”

You blink. “What?”

“What if we rap?” he repeats. “We’ve never rapped in any of our songs. We could do, like, Trivium or something if you really want a shock factor.”

“Both Jen and Jisung are better than us at rapping,” you point out.

Jeongguk waves it away, and says, “Then you ask one of them to do it with you. But rapping would be a huge shock, if you really wanted to wow Chaeyoung and our fans.”

You scowl. “Who said I wanted to wow Chaeyoung? There’s, like, thousands of people attending the damn thing.”

The eyebrow that serves as your only response aggravates you enough to smack him over the head. “Shut up.”

“I’m just saying,” Jeongguk hums, flashing you the sweet smile that contrasts so much with his all-black attire and the tattoos you can’t even count anymore. “You could also just bring all of us and make it our concert.”

“No, all of you are coming no matter what. I’m a celebrity,” you drawl sarcastically, slinging an arm over the drummer’s shoulder. “But you aren’t getting a drum set if we all perform together. You’re singing.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes and shoves you off playfully, getting up from the couch to pour out some more honey tea for your throat. “Yeah, yeah. When is it?”

“That’s... the thing. It’s next week,” you smile weakly.

He whips his head to you, eyes wide. “What?!”

Mina shakes her head when Chaeyoung holds up a pair of excessively ripped tights, pouting her lips in disapproval. “Are you trying to scandalize your entire class?”

“We were music students,” Chae deadpans, but picks a different jacket.

“That’s better. What are we performing again?”

The Australian girl purses her lips and says first, “I’ll tell you, but you can’t judge me. I have my reasons.”

Mina raises an eyebrow. “Okay...?”

“We’re playing Love Me or Leave Me. By Bloodbath.”

“Oh. Oh, no,” the drummer says immediately, sitting up and staring at Chaeyoung with an incredulous expression on her face. “I thought you hated Bloodbath! Besides, that’s not our concept and you know it, I don’t even know if we can pull that song off.”

Chae holds her hands up in surrender, pleading, “Hear me out! The notes aren’t too bad, and Lisa says she’s already learned the entire bass part for fun. And Chan’s been dying to do a rock song, and I’m sure you can do it. We’re gonna go viral.”

“Is that your only motivation for singing a song by our rival?” Mina scrutinizes Chaeyoung, her uncanny ability to read her bandmates’ thoughts shining through her usually mellow eyes. “No. You want to show everyone that you’re better than Y/N, don’t you?”

“So what if I do?” The pink-haired girl crosses her arms tight and avoids the other girl’s eyes; truth be told, she hasn’t even told Chan what’s she’s planning to do, knowing fully well that he’s going to psychoanalyze her even harder than Mina is. Jaehyun doesn’t really give a shit, nor does Lisa; it’s these two and their mothering tendencies that worry her.

But Mina blows out an exasperated breath, and concedes, “It’s your reunion. I’ll start practicing on the trip home.”

“Thank you!” Chaeyoung grins, exhilarated.

She’s determined to prove that it’s a good idea-- to her members, to her fans, and more specifically, you. Chaeyoung is determined to prove that she’s always going to win.

To be completely honest, you can barely believe how quickly the week flies by, a whirlwind of no sleep and staying up late to rehearse your parts with Jennie and Jisung.

“Hoseok sunbaenim must never breathe,” Jisung complains, bending over after spitballing half the verse in one breath.

“Hey, I got Yoongi’s parts. Yoongi,” Jennie repeats for emphasis, drumming her fingers on her mic as she tries to return her heartbeat to normal. She glares at Jeongguk in the corner, who declined to perform after all, despite assigning you the most difficult Trivium song he could find.

“You suit his style,” Jeongguk shrugs by way of explanation, an infuriating grin on his face as he twirls his drumsticks. “Jisung’s young, too, so he has the energy for Hoseok’s verses.”

Jisung scowls. “I’m 21.”

“Whatever.”

“Guys, guys. Do we have outfits picked?” you ask, partially to break them up and partially because you only just remembered the detail.

“Aren’t we just reusing our black suits from last year’s AMAs performance?” Jennie asks, frowning.

“Oh. Yeah.”

Lifting his head from where he squats on the floor, Jisung calls out, “Don’t be nervous. We’re gonna be great. I bet half of your classmates have already been to one of our shows, anyway.”

You roll your eyes but don’t try to argue, rehearsing the mic flip movement that you’ve tried too hard to mess up. “Okay. We’re still going to the open mic after, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk confirms, holding his thumbs up. “Let’s do this.”

“Chaeyoung!” Jihyo exclaims at the entrance, bounding over with her characteristic huge grin and a warm hug. “You came!”

“Of course I did, I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Chae smiles, patting Jihyo’s back. She only has good memories with the other girl from school-- the two of them collaborated on so many performances that all made #1 that it’s hard to not remember her well. “You coordinated?”

“I sure did,” Jihyo nods proudly. She glimmers all over with her subtly glittery jumpsuit and not-so-subtle eye makeup, gems shining at her ears and in the dip of her collarbone. “I can’t believe how many celebrities have come. Including you. Cha Eunwoo is here!”

Jaehyun, behind Chaeyoung, lets out a small “whoa”. “Anyway, I won’t keep you. Come on in, I look forward to your performance! Your equipment is all backstage, if you want to check it.”

The five of them head in as one tightly knit cluster, all of their jaws dropping at the beautiful venue, glistening with sheer streamers flung all over and violet LED lights illuminating the stage that serves as the centerpiece of it all. Indeed, Chaeyoung recognizes many faces, not just from school, but from the silver screen or from various music award shows. There’s one face that she doesn’t spot, though, and she just assumes that you’re running late. Like you always have.

Chae turns to find Jaehyun already enthusiastically talking to Yugyeom. Lisa has disappeared into a throng of the Loona members, Mina sneaking back out to talk to Jihyo, and Chan-- Chan’s with a squirrel-cheeked boy, talking enthusiastically about some Trivium song.

The pink-haired girl’s eyes narrow. If she isn’t mistaken, that’s Jisung from Bloodbath-- which means that you have to be around here somewhere.

“Looking for me?”

Chaeyoung hates how quickly she turns around, but she almost gives herself whiplash as she shifts her gaze to you, looking excessively smug in your dark makeup and impeccable outfit. “No,” she hisses.

“Sure, sure,” you smile, taking the seat beside her without being invited. “Fun being back here, huh? Minghao flew all the way in from China. Remember that stage we did against you guys?”

“That was 5 years ago,” Chaeyoung rolls her eyes. “You haven’t won against me outside of school.”

“Sure,” you shrug, then lean in with a knowing look in your eyes. “You’re still pretty bothered by things that happened five years ago, though.”

Before she gets to respond with something that probably wouldn’t help her case by much anyway, Jihyo clears her throat on stage, waving for everyone’s attention as the spotlight shines on her. To Chaeyoung’s dismay, the table that the two of you share is filled up by all of your members, minus Mina. “-- and welcome to our reunion!” Jihyo cheers, the first half of her statement having been drowned out by Chae’s own thoughts. “And because we are former music students, and most of us are now accomplished musicians in our own right, we’ve asked a lot of you to prepare a stage with any of your guests. So, first... A.C.E?”

You cheer and clap when Chan and his members step up (why did you never cheer like that for Chaeyoung?) and lean back to enjoy the performance. Your eyes never stray to Chae even once, which she only knows because she still can’t tear her eyes away from you.

A surprisingly small amount of people actually sign up for a stage (though Chaeyoung bets that more will step up for casual reunion stages later), and before she knows it, Chan is tugging her backstage to start prepping. “You okay? You look a little out of it.”

“I’m fine,” she smiles tightly. She thinks of making you stare at her, wide-eyed and jealous, or even just with awe shining in your eyes. She thinks of your hands on her guitar, so much better suited than hers ever were, of your voice singing all the lines that she’s about to usurp, of your condescending grins all those times you won against her.

But all those thoughts disappear as soon as Chaeyoung steps up and takes her spot right in the center, her eyes trained right on you and the smirk that tells her, “I’m watching.”

And she starts to play.

“It's all up to you. I have no choice but to watch.”

You almost spit out the soda that you just gulped down when Chaeyoung’s voice first floats into the audience; or more specifically, her voice singing your part in your song.

Those chords sound again, those oh-so-familiar chords from months and months of composing and practicing, strummed by Chaeyoung on her acoustic guitar as she continues your verse. “Whether to finish it or not, it's all up to you now.”

“Wow,” Jisung whispers beside you when Jaehyun continues with his verse, crooning into the mic with a pretty dimpled smile. You only nod to agree with your bandmate.

It’s your song, that’s for sure-- it’s Love Me Or Leave me, just a bit more upbeat, with less emphasis on the drums than Jeongguk would use. (You don’t know how Mina managed to get a drum set in.) But it feels different to see someone else singing it, someone who’s claimed to hate your band and your music for years-- someone who’s claimed ot hate you.

Maybe you’re imagining it, but after every few passes over the crowd, Chaeyoung’s eyes settle on you. Her hair settles over her eyes, gleaming a bubblegum color in the yellow light as her voice soars, hitting every high note effortlessly. “I've endured it for quite a while, the coldness in your eyes and words.”

You finish each lyric in your head, and you can see Jennie mouthing along with an amazed expression on her face. Jisung claps his hands silently, Jeongguk unconsciously drums on his own thighs; you’re rapt with attention, and maybe just a little bit of an unexplainable feeling twisting in your stomach.

“That was L0VES1CK, performing Love Me or Leave Me by Bloodbath! And, what a coincidence-- Y/N, lead guitarist in Bloodbath, has a performance scheduled as well,” Jihyo smiles, beckoning you. “We’ll check in with Bloodbath after two more performances.”

You get up, numb, Chaeyoung’s voice still lingering in your head, her eyes still on you. And on a moment’s impulse, you tug Jeongguk to his feet as well, ignoring his surprised stare. “Change of plans,” you mumble.

Chaeyoung’s nails break skin about halfway through your first verse. She’s not imagining it-- you’re staring right at her as you belt, “Your bullet bullet bullet, I’ll take it anytime if this is what you want~”

It makes it worse to see Lisa cheer when Jennie starts her part, to see Chan raise his hands to encourage Jisung’s killer riff. Even Jaehyun and Mina cup their hands around their mouths and whoop from time to time-- Chae has to admit that it’s your best song to perform to date, engaging enough to make every former classmate in the room stand up and yell the lyrics.

“That’s even better, it's too familiar now. If this makes you feel better, just shoot me.”

You scrunch your face up playfully as you interact with Jennie, picking a stunning series of notes in tune with her chorus. Jeongguk goes so hard that Chae isn’t even sure that the drumsticks will survive the night.

Does she look like that? Does she look like you? Does L0VES1CK look like Bloodbath, their junior of two years when they perform? Because as she watches, Chaeyoung doesn’t even remember the exhilaration she felt when she herself was standing up on that stage.

She manages to stay seated for the entire song, but as soon as you strike the ending chord and crouch down, laughing despite all your breath having escaped you, Chae gets up and slips through the door. No one notices it, anyway, and she plops down on the side of the curb and flicks her lighter on again.

Ribbons of dark gray smoke float through the void of dark sky outside, a ring of red lipstick remaining on the cigarette. Chaeyoung coughs, then grinds it to ashes under the heel of her boot; she doesn’t want to leave too much of a smell.

“Since when do you smoke?”

“Since L0VES1CK debuted,” she answers drily, knowing fully well who’s coming to sit next to her. You hold your hand out, and Chae bats you away. “I’m not enabling you.”

You roll your eyes and bring your knees up to your chest. “You guys did good, you know. I haven’t heard such a good cover of our song yet.”

She casts a surprised glance at you after the compliment. You aren’t meeting her gaze, but you always did have a problem with complimenting anyone other than yourself. “You think so?”

“I mean, yeah. You are still our sunbaes,” you answer with a small smile. “Those two years really show.”

“In our exhaustion, maybe. You guys are so energetic. Makes me feel old.”

“We’re the same age,” you scoff. You lean back, palms pressing into the rough concrete; if you squint enough, the swirls of smoke almost look like clouds. “You know, you’re going to ruin your voice if you keep at it.”

Chaeyoung raises an eyebrow. “What, smoking? Since when have you cared? I’m pretty sure it’s better for you if my voice is ruined and I can never sing again.”

Even she winces at the bitterness in her voice. “I mean, our bands aren’t so much rivals anymore. Did you see how excited Jisung was when you guys sang our song?” Shaking your head fondly, you sigh, “I wish I’d picked one of yours.”

“Oh, yeah? What would you have done?”

You consider the question, then answer softly, “I’ve always had a soft spot for Rooftop. Jennie loves Moonshot, too. You know, I wasn’t originally planning on Shoot Me.”

“That explains the lack of backtrack. What’d you replace?”

“Ddaeng. By Trivium, I don’t know if you know them?” you ask, glancing over.

Chae rolls her eyes and laughs, “Who doesn’t know Trivium? Best day of my life was when Namjoon presented an award for us. I didn’t know you could rap.”

“I can’t really,” you say dismissively. “It was just for fun. But I thought Shoot Me was going to be a good response to Love Me or Leave Me. We are a rock band, anyway.”

She doesn’t respond to that, and you let out a breath. “You know, I never thought you hated me in school. I do now, of course.”

“You do?”

“How can I not? I mean, you literally said, and I quote, ‘Bloodbath is a bunch of wannabes, especially the lead guitar. Her voice is really nothing special.’“

Chaeyoung winces. “Yeah. That was immature.”

“That was an understatement,” you snort. “But I never hated you. I wanted you to like me, you know. I thought you were so cool when I transferred in, and I thought you’d like me more if I proved to you that I was just as good as you.”

“You’re better,” she says quietly.

“What?”

The pink-haired girl presses her lips together in a thin line before repeating, “You’re better. You always have been.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to our names on the leaderboard. We tied so much,” you smile nostalgically. “It was so exhausting, though.”

Yet again, you surprise Chaeyoung. As far as she can remember, she’s never seen you cry-- she’s only seen your triumphant, sometimes sardonic grin when you win, your stone-cold promises that you’re not going to fall. Without her prompting, you continue, chin cupped in your hand, “I just wanted to be as good as you were. You... you’re so talented. I think I knew that as soon as I heard you sing for the first time. All I had was that wish to be up on the stage like you, even if my hands were too dumb to handle my guitar like you did, even if my voice was too ordinary to make you notice me. All I had was effort, but no matter how much of it I had, it didn’t equal your talent.”

“What’s talent without effort?” You turn to look her in the eyes, surprised at the new tenderness in her eyes. Chae sighs. “As soon as I saw you, I found a kind of... hunger in you. It scared me, because people with the kind of drive you have surpass talent so easily.”

“So you hate me... because you were scared of me?”

“I don’t think I ever hated you,” Chaeyoung admits. I think I always wanted you to like me too is what she doesn’t say, but you accept her closing statement and stand, brushing your hands on your jeans before offering to pull her up.

It’s not that easy, to overcome all the resentment she’s built up over the years against you, so brilliant and so strong even if it wasn’t what you really felt. But for once, that hot hatred is gone from her chest, no longer pumping through her blood into the hand that holds yours.

Chaeyoung can count on one hand the hours of sleep that she’s gotten by the end of the week. Between rehearsing endlessly for the reunion and then for the last two shows of the tour and texting you in all her free time, the guitarist is basically living off of her will alone.

And, of course, there’s the constant insecurity weighing on her mind that maybe she’s not cut out for this life anymore. After 5 years of L0VES1CK, maybe Chae finally needs a break, needs some time to nurse that “talent” that you tried to convince her has always shined in her eyes.

Nonetheless, she’s beaming from ear to ear as she steps off the stage, tearing her in-ear out so that she can wrap her arms around the necks of Lisa and Mina. “That’s the end!” she cheers, and Chan raises a fist with a tired smile.

“30 shows. I am so tired,” he groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “What are you guys doing once you get home?”

“I have a date,” Mina says, blushing immediately when her bandmates turn to look at her in shock. “It’s nothing! Just Jihyo,” she insists, but the giddiness to her voice betrays her.

Chan sighs, cupping his face jokingly. “You and Chaeyoung? I was planning on going home and writing a new song.”

“It’s not a date,” Chae protests on impulse, earning an eyeroll from everyone else.

“I have one,” Lisa says, cackling when Chan turns a betrayed gaze to her. “I’m going to Jennie’s show. How about you, Chae?”

“I’m... not going to do anything related to singing,” she answers honestly. She’s a bit self-conscious as she says, “I’m just a bit burnt out, you know? My voice... the show hasn’t been kind.”

“Oh, of course,” Mina nods, squeezing her shoulder. “Maybe a break would be good for all of us. Let’s postpone the next practice for a month?”

Chaeyoung opens her mouth to agree, but notices that one of their five is missing. “Guys. Where’s Jaehyun?”

As if he’s been called, Johnny appears out of nowhere, with an uncharacteristically grim set to his jaw. “Guys, come on in. We need to talk.” The four walk in like ghosts, doom already pressing down on their mood even as they know nothing of what’s to come.

Jaehyun avoids their eyes as he says quietly, “I’m leaving the band.”

Despite knowing that it’s not the right time, Chae’s eyes open wide, and she practically shouts, “What?”

“I just... I wanted to tell you guys for so long. But we scheduled the tour, and I thought I could do it, but... I don’t think this is the right path for me anymore,” he whispers softly.

It feels like someone’s just sucker-punched Chaeyoung in the gut; as much as she loves all her members, Jaehyun is the one she started with. He’s the one born barely three days later than her, the one who busked with her despite going to different colleges, the one who came up with the idea to start a band at all. Never did she think that he’d beat her to the chase, and never did she think about continuing the band without him.

Tears are already slipping down Mina’s face, but she’s holding her tongue. Chan’s face is hidden in his hands, and Lisa has buried her face in his shoulder just so that she doesn’t have to look at everyone else.

Chae whispers, “Jaehyun... please think about this. We can’t continue without you. We always said we were five, right? Please. We can take a break, we can, uh, stop taking tours for a moment, we can switch genres. Anything.”

It takes a moment for her to realize that her voice has risen, and Mina is crying harder. But she needs to be angry, someone needs to be angry. Chaeyoung can’t bear the sight of everyone only crying, of no one doing anything to keep themselves together. She’s reaching out and she’s shaking Jaehyun, and no amount of rage can keep her voice from sounding robotic.

“I’ll think about it,” he promises, and Chae almost cries out of relief. “But. I can’t promise how long it’ll be.”

“We’ll wait. Okay?” Chan says, even though his own voice is thick with tears. Jaehyun nods and wipes his face aggressively in his sleeve, and Chaeyoung steps back to let Mina have her turn at hugging the pianist.

One step back turns into ten, and then she’s out of the room, sinking to the floor just opposite of the door. God, Chae is crying so hard that she can’t breathe, and her hands are shaking as they reach towards her back pocket. Her fingers are stuck between the cigarette box and her car keys, between paper and metal, between warm and cold.

Her fingers wrap around the keys, and then she’s running again.

“Oh my god! Are you Y/N Y/L/N?”

You smile, cringing inside as the fan holds a phone right in your face, her eyes shining brilliantly. “Yeah. Yes, I am.”

“You’re so gorgeous!” she screams, jumping up and down. If there wasn’t a countertop between the two of you, you think that she’d try to hug you or something similar. “Is Jeongguk here? Can I get a picture with him? Can I get a picture with you? Do you work here all the time?”

“Uh, no. I’m just working here today as a favor,” you lie, “and sorry. I’d rather not take pictures today. Jeongguk isn’t here either.”

Her enthusiasm dies immediately. “What’s wrong with a simple picture?” she asks, growing angry.

You refrain from saying that she’s been recording this whole time, only smiling tightly. Before you can even settle on what to do, though, you here a deep voice rumbling behind you. “I’m sorry, but if you aren’t going to order, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I don’t tolerate harassment of my employees, temporary or not.”

She scowls and tosses out a “fucking bitch!” as she leaves, and you sigh in relief before turning to Felix, whose face has morphed back into a sunny smile again, and Changbin, still scowling. You can always rely on Felix’s (overtly) deep voice to save you, and you’re sure that Changbin’s gym-trained muscle doesn’t hurt either. “Thanks, guys.”

“Anytime. Seriously, though, when you said you were in a band, I didn’t think you were that famous,” Changbin complains, turning back to the sink he fiddles with. “Jisung was bad enough in our underground days, and now we’re here.”

Felix laughs, high-pitched and happy, as he returns to his mop. Before long, the door jingles again, and you duck under the counter without another thought, leaving Changbin to stare incredulously down at you. “Uh. Is Y/N here?”

At the familiar voice, you bolt up again, turning around immediately to find a red-eyed Chaeyoung waiting for you. Your eyebrows knit together in concern. “Chae? What happened?”

She huffs out a breath, running her hands through her hair. She looks post-show, glittery tear tracks running down her face and studded boots still on, and you recall that she did have a concert not even an hour ago. “When do you get off?” Chae asks.

You raise an eyebrow at Changbin, who rushes to open the door for you. “Right now,” you say boldly, and take her by the elbow. “Are you okay?”

“I’m... I don’t think so,” she admits. It’s been a while since you’ve seen her-- the two of you were tentatively scheduled to go for coffee on neutral ground this weekend, but you’re more focused on being there for her while she needs it. “We’re disbanding. L0VES1CK, I mean.”

“What!? Why?”

Chaeyoung shrugs, having been successfully manhandled into the backseat of her team van again. “Jaehyun. He... he founded the band with me, and he wants to leave the band. I persuaded him to take a few months to think about it, but I feel like we’re over. Which is stupid, because I wanted to take a break too, but not like this.” She draws in a breath, and whispers, “Not like this.”

You place a hand on hers, a sad sigh leaving you lips. “Chae. It’s okay. You can feel bad about it even if you wanted to take a break too. Look... I don’t know Jaehyun very well, but I get the feeling that he really cares about you guys. I don’t think you’re over just like this.”

She stares at you through black-rimmed eyes, and you continue, “You’ve been working nonstop for five years. Maybe... take this as a blessing in disguise, right? Rest for the few months he needs, and keep checking in. You guys are still friends, he’ll either come back or tell you why. And you’ll feel better when either one of those happens.”

“What if he doesn’t come back?”

You shrug slightly. “Then he doesn’t. But you’ll still be friends, and you’ll figure out how to keep the band going if that’s what you still want. Do you still want to be in L0VES1CK?”

Chaeyoung nods. “Yeah. I really, really do. I’ve never known anything other than us, but...”

“But?”

“We’re not doing that well,” she says quietly. “Even as friends. We all feel kinda distant, especially me. And it’s my fault, because I insisted on being enemies with you for so long.”

Raising your eyebrows, you point at yourself. “What does being enemies with me have to do with it?”

“I mean, Lisa and Jennie are dating. Chan and Jisung used to rap together, and everyone else is on good terms. I was trying to pull them away because you made me insecure,” she confesses. “I did it all.”

“You did not do it all,” you respond, a bit forcefully. “Look, maybe your relationship is strained. But that doesn’t mean it’s unfixable, and it doesn’t mean it’s because of you. You guys love each other, a hiccup doesn’t just end that. You... okay. Here, I’ll drive you home, and then we’re going to watch some movies and forget about this for now. And then you’re going to talk rationally with them tomorrow about what to do,” you explain, unbuckling your seatbelt so you can move to the front.

Chae exhales shakily and squeezes your hand one last time before letting you drive. You turn the radio on, something cheesy and from the 2000s, and sing just a little bit, and Chaeyoung wonders how she could’ve ever hated you.

Somehow, Chaeyoung sleeps until noon, lulled to a kind of comfort that she hasn’t felt in all her years of tour bus beds and hotel rooms. The curtains are still drawn when she shuffles to the window; the reality only hits when she’s blinded by a bright white beam of light and a view that she doesn’t recognize.

In the sunshine, your room is much more apparently foreign; the bed is pushed up in a corner instead of in the middle, the walls covered in pictures of you and your members and posters from various tours. Chae barely suppresses a smile as she opens the door, poking her head out.

Unfortunately, the door opens right into the kitchen, where you stand, examining a packet of noodles suspiciously. “You’re awake,” you say dumbly. “Uh. How’re you feeling?”

“Fine, I guess.” Chaeyoung closes the door behind her quietly. There’s still a palpable awkwardness between the two of you now that she isn’t choking on her own tears and you aren’t being forced to console her; the guitarist supposes that all the years of enmity can’t be solved with a quick confession of long-standing crushes. “Are you making breakfast?”

You shake your head. “Lunch.”

She frown and runs a hand through her hair; belatedly, Chae realizes that the product from the last night’s concert is still stuck there, even if she did manage to remove her makeup before falling asleep. “Was I asleep that long? Sorry.”

“No, you’re good. I hope you’re okay with ramen, though, I forgot to go grocery shopping,” you smile, embarrassed.

Chaeyoung shrugs, “It’s fine. I can’t really cook either. Uh, could I use your shower?”

You nod and point down the hallway; Chaeyoung realizes that you must’ve slept in the couch, since the tiny apartment has exactly one bathroom and a room she occupied. Noting her imminent apology, you grin, “You can borrow more clothes of mine if you want. It’s kind of hot to see you in them.”

She grimaces, even though she doesn’t really mind. “I’ll put on yesterday’s, thanks. I should be getting home, anyway.”

“Alright. You can camp out here if you want to avoid them, though,” you say through a mouthful of chips, suddenly back to being thoughtful.

Chae glances back at you with a frown creasing the space between her immaculately done eyebrows. “How much did I tell you?”

“Enough.” You shrug, then say plainly, “I don’t hate you enough to broadcast your inner circle shit, though. I can promise you that.”

Instead of responding, the pink-haired girl fidgets with the jacket in her arms and asks, “You don’t mind if I stay here for another day? Just one.”

A small smile makes its way onto your face, lingering there for what Chaeyoung considers to not be enough time before you turn to work with your stove. “I don’t. I do have to supervise an open mic tonight, though, so you’ll kind of have to go if you’re intending on staying with me.”

“That’s fine. I hope there aren’t any cameras in the bathroom, or I’ll sue you.”

Your cackle echoes after her, later drowned out by the roar of your furnace. Chaeyoung lets herself crack a small smile before closing the door in on herself yet again.

As it turns out, your definition of letting Chaeyoung stay with you is ordering her around and sending her on errands until you’re ready to leave for open mic night. However, the guitarist can’t say that she hates it, even if she complains and tosses plastic bags at your head every chance she gets; maybe you know that she’d only feel worse if she were to lounge around at your expense.

She drives you to pick your car up at Changbin’s cafe as agreed, then follows you to the bar at which open mic night is being hosted. By the time she steps out of the car, you’re already conversing with a tall guy with a kind smile at the entrance.

Chae’s intercepted by a pretty guy barely taller than her, with a suspicious look on his face. “Sorry, but open mic night hasn’t started yet.”

“Minho, let up. She’s with me,” you call, and Chaeyoung tries to disguise the pleasant buzz she feels at the phrase. “Chaeyoung, this is Seokjin, he owns the bar. He’s friends with Jeongguk.”

Chaeyoung shakes hands with Seokjin and then with Minho, who’s now adopted a more pleasant smile. Again, you’ve started talking about all your plans for the event, your tone business-like and your expressions just as animated as when you’re performing; you disappear to take care of something eventually, leaving Chaeyoung at the bar with Minho, who makes nice enough conversation that she doesn’t really mind.

And eventually, people start to straggle in, the guitars slung over their backs or the crumpled papers in their hands making their purpose quite obvious. Jisung and Jeongguk join Chaeyoung at the bar, and she finds that she actually quite likes them, with the weight of your rivalry off her back.

She’s never really gotten the chance to just be there, not the center of attention or not struggling to keep her friend group together. Conversation is light and easy when she doesn’t know the people well, and with the various performances that start lining up, Chaeyoung finds a relaxation that’s begun to become foreign to her.

“Hey, guys. How is everything?”

Jisung smiles and offers you a fresh beer. “Great. You’re really good at this organization thing, Y/N.”

“Do you do this often?” Chae asks, sipping at her own specialty cocktail. “Like, on your breaks?”

You shake your head, “We don’t really take breaks, but we don’t work as much as you guys do either. I’ve just started to do this stuff after Jisung introduced me to it and Jeongguk took me to this bar. I think it’s nice, to watch young people sing like we used to.”

“We’re in our twenties, Y/N, we’re not in the senior home,” Jeongguk snickers. He glances over at Chaeyoung. “Are you going to perform today?”

She shakes her head, a familiar tightness settling over her chest again. Thankfully, you intercept, “If she did, she’d never leave the stage. We’d only want to hear her sing. Hey, Chae, would you mind coming outside with me to pick up some cookies from the bakery? It’s just a few blocks.”

The guitarist takes the opportunity gratefully, stepping out with a cursory wave to Jeongguk and Jisung. “You okay?” you ask, once you’re in the cold night air again. “You looked a little overwhelmed.”

“I’m surprised you noticed. But I’m fine.”

You laugh slightly, “How could I not? For, like, the eight years that we’ve known each other, you’ve only ever looked overwhelmed or angry around me.”

Chaeyoung winces, and you sigh with a wave of your hand. “Sorry, I don’t mean to make you feel bad.”

“No, no. It’s the truth. Us saying that we just wanted to be liked doesn’t make it go away,” she sighs softly.

Suddenly, you break from the cobblestoned path in the plaza, leaping towards a lamppost just a few feet away. Chaeyoung realizes that you’re reaching into your pocket and pulling out a flyer, advertising your next album showcase. “Already?” she asks.

“Mhm. Jisung churns out songs like it’s nothing, and we just try to have fun with them,” you shrug, twirling around the lamppost with your head tipped back. It doesn’t snow in winter, so maybe Chae is just imagining the bokeh that float around your head. “You okay? You’re out of it again.”

“Hm? Yeah. I was just... just thinking. What did you mean when you said that you wanted me to like you?” she questions on impulse.

You blink, surprised, and come to a stop. “I mean, you were the cool star student, of course I wanted you to like me. I wanted you think I was talented.”

The disappointment that courses through Chaeyoung’s body is honestly kind of stupid. She doesn’t know what she expected, and she smiles; she can’t deny that she did feel the same way. “Just that?”

“Well. No. I had, like, the tiniest of a crush on you throughout school,” you shrug. The shiftiness to your gaze betrays that you aren’t as nonchalant as you’re trying to seem. “Went away after I thought you hated me. Sorry.”

“Right. But you... you wanted to date me? In school?”

You smile, amused. “Yeah. That’s what a crush usually means.”

Chaeyoung swallows, hard. It doesn’t make sense-- why is this so hard? Why is everything so hard when it comes to you? “How about now? Would you- would you still go on a date with me now?”

Of course, you don’t make it any easier, coming to a stop and leaning against the lamppost with your hands in your pockets. “Ask me and see.”

She steps forward, then back, then forward again. It’s a stupid little dance, but one that you anticipate, judging by the way that you tilt your chin up and stare at her. So, before Chaeyoung can chicken out again, she steps up on the base of the lamppost too, presses you flush against it, and captures your lips with her own.

You smile and cock your head slightly to fit a little closer together, as if you always knew how to do just this. As if you had always been waiting to do just this.

Chaeyoung wakes up at seven in the morning to the frantic buzzing of her phone. In her daze, she notices that she’s in your bed, and she’s alone; the door to the bedroom is cracked open so that she can see you sleeping soundly on the couch, the curtains drawn so that you’re still in total darkness.

After a thought, Chae picks up on the call. It’s Lisa, though everyone including Johnny has tried to call her already. “Hello?” she whispers.

“Chae! You’re okay!” the girl says, a bit too loud for a phone call.

“Yeah. I am. Sorry for making you all worry, I’m at Y/N’s place. Um... we should talk.”

Lisa agrees, “We should. We’re all still at the practice room, so we’ll wait for you.”

Chaeyoung hangs up at that, getting out of bed as quietly as she can and arranging your comforter so that it’s neater than she found it. A small pang of guilt touches her heart when she realizes that she’s going to leave without an explanation, but Chae knows that you and your budding relationship are both better off if she settles things first.

She drives with a clear head now, even managing to hum to Jihyo’s song on the radio. (She makes a mental note to text her friend and compliment her, maybe even ask for a collaboration.)

Miraculously, the record shop that they usually practice in is already open, a few hours early; Chaeyoung realizes that her members must have stayed there overnight, hoping that she’d return to her old favorite stop.

Indeed, the store smells lightly of coffee, the lights in the back studio on and soft chatter trailing down the hallway. Lisa spots her first, and rushes to hug her tightly. “You’re okay,” she says, despite having already confirmed it.

“I’m sorry,” Chae whispers again.

Eventually, she pries the bassist away from her long enough to join the other members in the studio. Mina, Chan, and finally Jaehyun all offer her hugs, quietly telling her how worried they were. Chaeyoung’s heart aches that she concerns them so much now, and she tells them that.

Chan waves it away with a forgiving smile, despite being the youngest out of all of them. “It’s okay. We’re your bandmates, and it’s our duty to worry about you.”

“Yeah, but... how long are we going to be bandmates?” The others all stiffen at that, and Chae clarifies, “I’m worried for us. I don’t... I don’t think any of us want to do this without one of us, even if we aren’t that close anymore.”

Lisa folds her arms, and shrugs, “I think a break could be good for all of us. But I don’t want to give up.”

“I don’t either,” Jaehyun finally says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry you all thought so. I love L0VES1CK, it’s just been 5 years of nonstop working and performing.”

“I agree,” Chaeyoung nods, and all eyes turn to her.

“You do?” Mina frowns. “You were the one who was always adamant on continuing.”

The pink-haired girl shrugs, a bit embarrassed. She sighs, “It was... partially because of Y/N. It was horrible of me to drag you all into it, but I thought that if we always kept going, I’d be able to beat her someday. It wasn’t a competition at all, was it?”

They all shake their heads, and Chae continues, “If I’m being honest, I’m tired too. But we’re going to be friends even while we’re taking a break, right? However long it takes.”

“However long it takes,” Lisa agrees, and holds her hand out with the beaming smile that’s been missing for a while. “One, two, three!”

Everyone flings their hands up into the air with huge grins on their faces, laughter echoing in the room that minimizes the effect of the dark circles under their eyes. Just on time, Chaeyoung’s phone rings again, and she greets cheerily, “Who is it?”

“Well, don’t you sound chipper. It’s Y/N. Judging by your voice, everything is all good again, so I’m happy,” you hum over the line. “I’m just calling because my members and I are going to get breakfast, in case you want to come. Jisoo’s going to be there too.”

The guitarist raises her eyebrows at everyone else. “How about all of us?”

“-- and then Chaeyoung tells me, while crying, that Y/N took her second choice song,” Jaehyun finishes, laughing hard when you turn an incredulous look to Chae. “Seriously! Her second choice!”

“What if I wanted to switch?” Chaeyoung defends lamely, only earning a louder round of laughter from the eight others seated around the table. The food is practically finished, only Jeongguk still picking at a sundae, and it makes the guitarist uncannily happy to see everyone seated together and grinning at the stories.

“I think Y/N told me about this!” Jisung exclaims, sitting forward conspiratorially with his elbows on the table. You hide your face in your hands already, and Jennie grins brilliantly. “She said you were hot when you were angry, but she knew she would’ve been penalized for picking your first choice, so she picked your second to see if you could punch her. And, I quote, “I would’ve paid her to step on me.’”

You smack him, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, but the rest of the table isn’t nearly so considerate. Lisa and Jisoo are cackling, Mina’s eyes bugging out of her head as she tries to hide her laughter, and Chae is staring at you with her jaw dropped. You manage to say shakily, “I was being honest, okay? And I never thought he’d get the chance to tell you!”

Jisung grins and holds up peace signs, and you throw a french fry at him. “Jaehyun, please tell me you have an embarrassing story,” you plead.

Chan raises his hand, but thinks better of it when he checks his watch. “Actually, I think Mina has to get going.”

The drummer raises her eyebrows, then bolts up. She smiles apologetically, “I forgot I had a flight. I’m going back to Japan to visit my family while we’re on break.”

You collectively wave, then Jennie raises her eyebrows as she turns back to the table. “You guys are on a break?”

Chaeyoung nods, not bitter for what just might be the first time in the past five years. “Yeah. It’s about time, I think. Besides, knowing Chan, he’s going to ask us to record a demo every other week.”

Said producer rolls his eyes but can’t deny it, and you sigh with your chin in your hands. “Jisung doesn’t even ask us to record demos. He just does it all himself.”

Jeongguk raises an accusing fork. “You should’ve heard the time he tried to record a drum solo himself. He did the snare part on the bass drum with his foot.”

It’s the youngest’s turn to cover his face at that, shoved back and forth by Chan and Jennie on either side of him. “What’re you planning for your break?” you question Chaeyoung.

She shrugs and smiles, “Go out with you, of course.”

“On a date?” Jisoo suggests, raising her eyebrows. Leveled with two glares, she holds her hands up in surrender. “We’re all tired of seeing you pine, so just do it.”

Chae hesitates to answer the question herself, and she glances over to you. However, her gaze isn’t met; instead, you squeeze her hand under the table and say, “Then it’s a date. If it’s okay with you.”

“Are you kidding?” she asks incredulously; your face falls. Grinning, Chaeyoung presses a kiss to your hair and sighs, “I didn’t try to catch your attention for eight years just to say no.”

Lisa yells out loud, waving her hands in the air like Chaeyoung just said something utterly ground-breaking, and everyone plays along with it except the two of you. But you exchange a smile, one that you think was really, truly, worth all the effort and rivalry. “We’re probably going to continue with our tour again, though,” Jeongguk says, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Hey, we should do a joint tour sometime.”

Chan raises his eyebrows, evidently intrigued. “Joint tour?”

“Yeah, we just do two or three songs at a time and a few together. It’ll make for a longer show, and fans can see us both at the same time,” the drummer answers with a shrug. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“It’s a great idea,” Jisoo replies, evidently surprised.

Chaeyoung nods. Even though the idea of going on tour again seems far, far away, especially with the break that they’re all supposed to be taken, she doesn’t hate the idea of it so much when she considers the idea that you’re going to be there with her every step of the way. “Sounds nice,” she smiles. “After your actual tour, of course. When does that start, again?”

“Probably in a month or so,” you shrug, then flash another secretive smile. “Plenty of time before then.”

The pink-haired girl lets herself blush now. “Yeah. More than enough.”

Chaeyoung fiddles with the lighter in her hand as she watches the staff load your suitcases onto the bus. She remembers the contents of all of them-- after all, she was the one that helped you pack. (Well, really, she just distracted you with glee-dizzy kisses while you stumbled over the suitcases.)

“Hey,” you greet her from behind, kissing the top of her head. The pink has faded away in the past month to a peachy blonde, dark roots streaking down almost artistically. “What’re you doing just sitting here?”

“You have to pay me to make me move things for you,” Chae grins, despite knowing that it wasn’t what you meant. She finds you staring at the lighter in her hand, at the white spot in the center where her thumb rests, and pockets it. “I wasn’t smoking. The lighter is a force of habit.”

“Okay. I believe you.” You peck her cheek again before stumbling off and shoving your duffel bag into the side of the bus again, bowing quickly and thanking someone before joining Chaeyoung again, hand clasped in hers as you grin at her. “Apparently, all of our shows got sold out.”

“That’s awesome!” she says, just the slightest bit surprised. “Did you settle on an opening act for NYC yet?”

You nod and lean in closer, whispering, “You won’t believe who it is.”

“Who?” Chae asks, pressing your noses together with a small laugh.

“Trivium.”

She outright gasps and almost bumps your faces together, drawing back just in time. “Seriously?”

You nod, giddily, and clap your hands together. “Just the one show. But, you know, we are missing an opening act for all the other shows.”

“I thought you didn’t need an opener for all of them.”

“Mm. We don’t. But I bet our fans would die to see us together,” you suggest, glancing over at her with a small smile creeping onto your face. “We can sneak in a little rendition of Love Me or Leave me, get the old rivalry going again?”

Realization dawns on Chaeyoung’s face, and she points at herself. “Me? Y/N, is this your not-so-subtle way of asking me to join your tour?”

“Yeah. But only if you want to,” you add. “And you don’t even have to sing if you don’t want to, you can just be my groupie.”

She shoves you. “Hey, I’m the sunbae here. Show some respect.”

You giggle and catch her hands in the middle of yet another halfhearted attempt to push you away, then capture her in a kiss; her hair falls in a pretty, pink-tinted golden curtain over the two of you. “Is that a yes?” you whisper.

“Yeah, Chaeyoung. Is that a yes?”

Chae glares jokingly at Jennie, who stands in front of the two of you with her hands on her hips and a knowing smirk on her face. “It’s a yes,” the guitarist decides, and you cheer. “I’ll go on tour with you. But just so you know, we’re still doing a proper joint tour eventually, Johnny and Jisoo are already planning it.”

“Oh, for real?” Jisung pops out of a different bus with a big, excited grin on his face. Chaeyoung still hasn’t quite gotten used to his enthusiasm, even if she can appreciate it a little more on her worse days. “Cool!”

“Mhm. We have about an hour before leaving, if you need to get anything,” you tell your girlfriend, squeezing her hand to catch her attention. “There’s space in my luggage carrier, if you just want some clothes and stuff.”

The pink-haired girl rolls her eyes as she stands, and tells you, “I’ve been touring way longer than you, I know what I need. I’ll get my lucky guitar and be back, okay?”

“Okay. Come back soon!” you yell at her retreating figure, cupping your hands around your mouth so that you can be heard across the parking lot.

“Man, where do I get a relationship like that?” Jisung sighs behind you.

You turn and grin at him, flourishing your hands in the air. You’ve truly never been happier, and you think it shows on both your and Chaeyoung’s faces. “Ç 'est la vie, my friend.”

He scowls at you and hits you over the head with a setbook. “Stop flexing on me. What’s it mean?”

Wiping the smallest bit of lipstick off your face, you only smile. “That’s life.”

800 notes · View notes

vendettaparker · 3 years

Text

Peanut Butter and Extra Jelly [T.H]

Summary: Tom’s long time crush on you becomes painful when you and Harrison are cast as love interests in a movie.

Paring: Tom Holland x Actress!Reader

Word Count: 5.8k

Warning: Suggestive themes, fake smut (very light), jealousy, probably some typos, swearing

a/n: i have no idea how filming a movie, or auditioning for one actually goes so don’t crucify me for this. i’m pretty happy with how this turned out, especially considering that this is the most i’ve ever written for a fic. also, Burt Kreisher is one of my fav comedians in real life, he has 3 shows on neflix and a mini series.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Tom was not a jealous person. At least, that's what he always told himself. He prided himself in thinking he was a very level headed individual who didn’t let his emotions get the best of him. That worked best for his job anyways; always being able to control his emotions and not get in his own head. That simple, pacifistic mindset seemed to change when it came to you.

You were one of the many actors Tom got the pleasure to help hone their technique and work closely with. You were new to the lifestyle of Hollywood and the only roles you had before were in small indie films that never garnered too much attention. The first major role that you landed, which also happened to help kickstart your career, was in the MCU. You played the secondary villain in the third Spider-man movie.

Meeting the cast was a dream come true; they were all extremely helpful and they provided tons of tips and tricks in navigating the hectic schedule required for such a huge production. By the time filming wrapped up, you were considered part of their little Spider-man family.

Tom was easily the most helpful. Whenever he saw you struggling with anything, he offered to help. You two spent hours upon hours together in his trailer, ordering take out and practicing lines. Some nights you two planned to work through your script, but inevitably ended up falling asleep binge watching The Office, and laughing about crazy shit that happened on set that day.

When the movie wrapped up and you went home for a month before the press tour, you were completely unsure and nervous about what direction your career was going in. You auditioned for a few new movies, but had yet to hear from any of the directors about casting decisions. You kept in touch Tom during the month you were apart and expressed your concerns.

“I don’t know, Tom. I’m just so sick of waiting around and hoping that some director out there throws me a bone, ya know’?” You said on facetime, while making cookies.

“Yeah, I totally understand that, (Y/N/N). I had that issue a couple years ago before the Marvel movies. Trust me, you did outstanding in that role and once it gets noticed I’m positive you’ll have directors calling you, begging for you to audition.” Tom smiled warmly into the camera as he walked around his apartment in London.

“Yeah, easy for you to say, movie-star.” You giggled, turning your face away from the camera in hopes that Tom wouldn’t notice the blush his compliments painted onto your cheeks

“I’m serious! You were outstanding! Like in that one scene where you—”

“Tom! Tessa chewed a hole in my trousers again!” A voice came from outside of the frame, “Mate, you gotta get her to stop doing that somehow.”

Tom sighed, and waved his hand dismissively at the figure, “Okay, sure. I’m busy right now.” Tom looked back to the camera, “anyways, as I was saying, don’t stress about not having a new project yet, (Y/N)—”

“(Y/N)?” The other voice whisper-yelled. “Let me say hi!”, suddenly the phone was yanked out of Tom's hands and the video shook around a bit as Tom wrestled to get it back. Finally, the camera stilled and Harrison was on the other end smiling. “Hi, (Y/N)!”

“Oh, hi Harrison!” You smiled back, laughing. You'd met Harrison a few times when he visited Tom on set. “How are you?”

The camera started moving around more as the background behind Harrsion whizzed past. You assumed Tom must’ve been chasing him to get the phone back.

“I’m good! I just auditioned for a new movie. You should audition too! The main female lead’s description looks just like you.” He exclaimed, running past the kitchen to his room.

“Oi! Give me my phone back you div!” You heard Tom yelling in the background, no doubt in hot pursuit of Harrison.

“I don’t know, I'm not sure I’m prepared for a lead role.” You sighed, “What’s the movie called? I’ll look into it.”

“It’s called ‘Collateral Damage’, it’s a spy movie.” Harrison said, shutting the door to his room, while Tom pounded on it from the other side. “Yeah, it’d be really fun working with you. Tom constantly talks about how much fun you are on set.” Harrison wheezed out, trying to catch his breath.

“Aw, that’s sweet of him.” You laughed. “Well I’ve got to go. Just tell Tom he can call me tomorrow or something.” You waved at the camera. “Bye!”

“Yup, bye.” Harrison said right before the video cut out.

Harrison finally opened the door to a seething Tom. Tom grabbed the phone back from Harrison and noticed that the call had ended.

“Dude! Why would you do that?” Tom whined.

Harrison just patted Tom’s back, “Sorry, mate. She said she had to go, though. I was about to give the phone back.”

Tom huffed and sulked for a moment. “Whatever, I’ll just call her later, I guess.”

Harrison nodded and smirked at how whipped Tom was. “You should just ask her out if you’re so desperate for her attention.” Harrison teased.

“Shut up. I’m not desperate for her attention, I just like her voice and her personality, and the way she talks, and her funny sayings, and how her hair looks when she just woke up.”

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

It was only a few days later when you received an email from the director of the movie Harrison told you about, asking for you to audition. You were ecstatic, Harrison must’ve already sent in some things about you since the director seemed adamant that you were of high interest for the role.

You called Tom immediately to share the good news.

He picked up after the third ring, “Hello, darling! How are you?” he beamed when he answered your call. He usually was the one to call you so he felt a sense of pride knowing that you were calling him for once.

“Tom! The director of the movie Harrison auditioned for just emailed me asking for me to audition!” You squealed excitedly.

“Really? That’s wonderful, love! Harrison just got the part of the lead too, so you’d be filming with him if you got it.”

“That’s so exciting, I’m flying to London for the audition in two days. Are you still there?” You pulled the phone away from your ear and switched it to speaker. “I’m booking the flight right now.”

“Yeah, I’ll be in London for another week and a half. Then we have the press tour starting in Japan.” Tom said, also switching to speaker phone to look at his calendar. “You can stay with Harrison and I while you’re here. Since we have to go to Japan together anyways.” Tom offered nervously. He really wanted you to stay in his flat with him. It’d be all cute and domestic, and maybe, just maybe, he’d spend enough time with you to not feel nervous about asking you on a date. If he was lucky, that is, but awaiting your reply he was a jittery ball of nerves.

“Yeah, that sounds wonderful. I won't be intruding though, right?” You said, smiling from ear to ear. Thank god you weren’t on facetime and Tom couldn’t see the stupid smile adoring your features.

“No, of course not. Harry will be so excited to see you. And Tessa too, she really misses you.” Tom shuffled around with his phone, shooting a quick text to Harrison letting him know you were coming to stay for a week.

“Ok, thanks so much, this is really thoughtful of you. I absolutely can’t wait to see you!” You gushed, finalizing your purchase of a one-way ticket to London. “K, the flight is at 2:30 pm here, it’s about 9 and a half hours, but you’re also ahead of me, so I’ll be in around..5?”

“Yeah, that sounds right to me,” Tom chuckled, “I’ll come pick you up. I’ll wear my incognito disguise.”

“If you mean that stupid t-shirt you got that says ‘I’M NOT A CELEBRITY’, then maybe I’ll ask Harrison to come pick me up…”

“That’s cold (Y/L/N).”

You giggled softly, “I’m sorry, Tommy. If it makes you feel better, that shirt isn’t as bad as that stupid blue beanie that you never wear correctly.”

“How the fuck would that make me feel better? You’re killing me, (Y/N/N).”

You laughed at his over dramatic reaction, “Sorry that you’re a sensitive babe. I gotta go now, see you soon!” You hung up before Tom could respond with a sassy quip. Then immediately after you received a text:

Tommy: The second you get here I’m bout to 👊

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Tom called Harrison up after you got off the phone, he needed to make sure his best friend wouldn’t say or do anything to embarrass him in front of you.

“Tom, don’t you think this is a bit obsessive? I mean, she’s only staying with us for a week and you already know her so well from spending all that time filming with her.” Harrison sighed, sick of listening to Tom ramble about every possible embarrassing situation he could be put in, in the coming week.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. It's no big deal. But don’t mention that time I accidentally shit my pants at the club, or that time I got hit in the head with a golf ball ‘cus I got distracted by a flock of geese, or that time a got chased by a flock of geese, or—”

“Geez, mate. At this point we might as well not even talk to her.” Harrison chuckled, thinking of all the stories he could bring up about Tom around the dinner table with you. Tom really was just a walking ball of embarrassing moments.

“Stoppp ittt,” Tom whined, “when we were on set it was usually just the cast and Harry around, but you? You could do some real fucking damage to my love life, Haz.”

“What love life?” Harrison barked out, laughing.

Tom then hung up and began praying to whatever god was out there that this week could go by without a hitch, and then you and him would be on your way, together, to Japan.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The whole week spent in London actually went really well, especially the audition. Tom and Harrison both accompanied you for moral support, well Harrison actually had to be there to be your scene partner, but it was still nice knowing he supported you.

The director shook your hand and you went through the normal formalities before beginning your scene with Harrison. It was a quick scene with a monologue in it. The main premise of the movie was all about choosing love over work, especially in dangerous, life-threatening scenarios. The scene you used to audition with Harrison was the scene where the main character, Lincoln, and his lover interest, Mallory, were arguing, trying to push each other away to keep each other safe. The scene had a lot of raw emotion that you were able to tap into, and the directors gave your performance a standing ovation once the scene concluded.

They said that they’d get back to you within the next few days, but they also mentioned how the chemistry between you and Harrison was off the charts, leaving you hopeful. Tom and Harrison both gave you hugs and pats on the back. Tom had watched the whole scene unfold and he was in complete and utter awe of your talent. Part of him was annoyed that he didn’t audition for the movie and a chance as your love interest. But Harrison deserved this big break and so did you, so he was hopeful of the outcome being something that benefitted both of his best friends.

After the audition the rest of the week went by nearly perfectly. The real kicker was when Tom’s family invited you and Harrison to join them for dinner. Tom had not anticipated his mom asking you to come to family dinner, so he wasn’t able to stop the embarrassing anecdotes his mom told on his behalf.

“Tom had the cutest little tush,” Nikki exclaimed, placing the old homemade scrapbook in your lap and flipping through a couple of pages. “See look,” she happily pointed to a picture of Tom as a toddler in a bath, surrounded by bubbles, his little bum poking through them.

Tom sat uncomfortably on the sofa next to you, cringing at the now 21 year old photo of him. He expected you to also cringe along, or worse case scenario, get up and make a flimsy excuse to leave his crazy family, but you just chuckled along with Nikki and continued making your way through the scrapbook, making little comments here and there.

“Oh, and this one,” Nikki said, pointing to a photo of Tom crying and Sam holding up a superhero action figure triumphantly, “that was Tom’s favorite toy, but when Sam saw how much Tom liked it, he made an effort to always be playing with it when Tom came into the room and he wouldn’t share.”

You giggled at the little whiny face Tom made in the picture, and turned to him, replicating it on your face, making fun of him. Tom laughed along and playfully shoved you. He adored how well you seemed to fit in with his family and his feelings for you only multiplied.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The week in London was one of the best in your life. You didn’t realize how much you missed Tom until you got to the airport and he was there waiting for you, unfortunately in his stupid blue beanie, and no, it wasn’t on right, his big ears poked out of it horrendously.

The last day you had in London before you and Tom went to Japan, you finally received a call about the audition. The director called you to congratulate you on getting the part, and he sent you numerous emails about scheduling, where to be, and when. Harrison was elated to have a familiar face playing his love interest on screen, and Tom was over the moon excited for you, this on top of the Spider-man movie coming out, you were certainly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

You spent the night celebrating at a club, Harry and Sam also showed up to party with you. The night was still young and the club was already packed and in full swing. Tom ordered two shots for each of you to start off the night before he was whisked away by a few fans to sign autographs. When he didn’t return you took it upon yourself to have his shots, giving you an extra edge to help spice up your night.

Harrison found Tom in the corner of the club talking to some fans. But throughout his whole time taking pictures with them, he couldn’t help but glance at you every once and a while. You looked so carefree and beautiful, dancing around in your shiny silver top and leather leggings.

“Tom.” Harrison interrupted Tom’s gawking and directed his attention to the small group of fans Tom was with.

Tom nodded and finished up his pictures and autographs before wishing them all a good and safe night. Once he reached you, you engulfed him in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you for such a great time in London, Tommy.” you slurred, already feeling the impact of the four shots you took. “I had the best time of my whole life.” You pecked his cheek and pulled him close to dance with you.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The following month or so on the press tour was a once in a lifetime experience. You travelled to more cities than you even knew the name of and you had all of your friends by your side. More so, you had motivation to remain approachable and well liked by fans considering that you were moving up in the industry. Some interviews were mostly for Tom, Zendaya, and Jacob. Your role in the movie was big enough for you to be needed for some interviews, and most people were genuinely interested in getting to know you, but there were also a handful of press activities that you weren’t included in, which you didn’t mind.

When you didn’t have anything to do for an hour or so, you would text Harrison and send him funny memes. He was quickly becoming one of your closest friends; you had already created a surplus of inside jokes with him just over the phone.

Tom noticed how you were always laughing at your phone or rapid fire texting. Even when you were being interviewed, Tom could faintly hear the buzz of your text message notifications going off.

“Tom,” you snapped in front of his eyes, “did you need something?”

“Huh?” Tom blinked a few times, “Uh—no, sorry.” Tom’s cheeks flushed pink, embarrassed for having been caught staring at you. He couldn’t help it though, you were dressed so pretty that day. You had your hair done up in two bubble braids and you wore his pink sweatshirt over your yellow sundress.

“Okay then.” You smiled at him. You went back to your phone, reading what Harrison had just texted you. “What was the name of that comedian we watched the other night?”

“The one on Netflix?”

You hummed out a yes, tapping away at your phone.

“Burt Kreisher, why?” Tom asked, leaning over to your chair to try and catch a glimpse of who you were texting. When he saw the contact name “Hazzy”, he couldn't stop the little angry pit of jealousy that started in his stomach. Sure, you were here with him now, not with Harrison, but when you two were apart you also texted him nonstop, and the texts seemed to all be inside jokes, which was something you also shared with him that he held near and dear.

“I made a joke referencing him to Harrison and he didn’t get it. Fucking nerd.” You chuckled, texting Harrison a link to the skit you were referring to.

Tom chuckled along, but he couldn’t help but frown slightly at how bright your smile was when Harrison replied.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The press tour and premiere of the movie seemed to go by lighting fast. You’d never been to a premiere for a production this big, and your nerves for the red carpet were starting to get to you.

You and Zendaya were stuffed into a hotel room with both of your respective teams, both trying to rapidly get both of you ready for the event.

“So when do you start filming for your next project?” Zendaya asked, she sat in front of a broadway-equse mirror, bright bulbs of light giving a luminescent glow to her already near flawless complexion. She hadn’t even finished her makeup yet and she was so pretty.

“In a month, I have to go back to London next week.” You said, sifting through the opinions you brought for dresses. You brought three options, just in case you changed your mind after seeing yourself in the dress. “Harrison and I are going to go over the scripts together and we were also told to go out in public a few times; for press and whatnot.”

“That’s exciting!” Zendaya mused, she glanced at the clock and gave her hairdresser some instructions about how much time she had to do hair. “It’s a good thing you guys are already friends. I remember when I filmed ‘The Greatest Showman’ I didn’t know many of the actors personally, so we had to go out together and do press all while being almost strangers. It was a bit nerve wracking.” Zendaya smiled at you fondly, she was like an older sister to you during this whole movie-making process, she constantly had your back.

“Yeah, I mean I’ll probably be in a situation like that at some point, but for my first lead role it’s nice to be working opposite a friend.” You smiled back, finally deciding on the red, sequined dress.

You both sat and worked through the makeup process in comfortable silence.

“So you and Tom…” Zendaya broke the silence and looked at you with a smirk on her face.

“What?” You looked at her with a dumbfounded look, before nervously laughing, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb, (Y/N/N).” She poked your arm and laughed, “He’s literally obsessed with you.”

You laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. A movie star, and very famous movie star at that, obsessed with you? You? Impossible.

“Yeah no, sorry but you got the wrong girl, babe.” You sighed, pulling out your phone to snap and selfie with her for your instagram story. You quickly snapped a pic of the two of you, her kissing your cheek, leaving a small, faint lipstick mark. “I mean it’d be nice,” you back tracked, “but I’m sure that’s just my wishful thinking.”

“What wishful thinking? I thought you were a pessimist?” Zendaya chuckled, taking her own photo with you to post later.

“I am, but I can’t help but indulge a bit.”

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Before you knew it, you were back in London, staying in a rented out flat for the next three to four months. Harrison was kind enough to come over to help you set up a work space, but he also offered you to spend most of your time at his place. Since Tom was in New York, doing interviews about the new Spider-man movie and having meetings with the Marvel Cinematic Universe team to try and gauge his future in the MCU, he wouldn’t be around for almost a month, so Harrison offered up Tom’s office when you needed to go over a scene by yourself and wanted a place that was already set up.

The days of filming seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Most of your scenes were with Harrison, and he was the perfect scene partner. He rarely messed up, but if he did then he was quick to use it as an opportunity to improvise. His skills weren’t as well honed in like Tom’s, but it was obvious that their style ranged from a similar source.

The main thing about this movie that you were excited, but extremely nervous for, were the two sex scenes. The first one is at the beginning, where the two leads give in to each other for a night, then there's some implied stuff in between, and the last one is when the two leads part ways for the final time at the end of the movie. The first one had to be rough, fast, and needy, whereas the second one was direct to be more slow, thought out, and sensual.

Both were extremely stress-inducing to film. Harrison had also never done any scenes like this before, so he was on the same boat as you. Thankfully you had an amazing director and stunt coordinator to work with and with the help of other crew members, the scenes were mapped out so that it wasn’t too much improv or guessing on your part.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

The first intimate scene you shot actually happened to be the one at the end of the movie. That scene was more tame and dealt with more emotional subtexts than physical. Since you filmed that one first, you went into filming the next one with more confidence. It only took a few days to get the first scene down to perfection, so with this newfound confidence, it shouldn’t take too long to get the next one done.

On the days you shot intimate scenes, you only needed to wear the costume you wore before the scene and then you changed into a robe with nude underwear underneath. The bits with the outfit on before were already shot, so the director called a 30 minute break until you could begin shooting the actual sex part.

You were standing by the snack table, eyes scanning the table for any more muffins leftover from breakfast. The robe you wore made your skin prickle whenever a draft came onto set.

Just as you had found the muffin you were looking for, a pair of warm hands covered your eyes.

“Guess who!” An all too familiar warm, British accentuated, voice called.

You turned around in his arms, effectively nudging his hands from your face, and soon you were met with the warmest hazel eyes. Eyes that you missed so much this past month.

“Tommy!” You squealed and thrusted yourself into him in a hug. He immediately reciprocated it and wrapped your body in warmth. “What’re you doing here?” You asked once you let go of him.

“Harrison gave me the location so I could come watch you film. I just got home, like, two days ago.” Tom eyed you up and down, not realizing what little you had on. “Um—are you wearing anything under that?” He pointed up and down your figure.

“Nope, today and tomorrow we’re scheduled to film the sex scene.” You said casually, doing a silly twirl. Tom gulped.

“A s-sex scene?” He choked, “I didn’t know you guys had one.”

“Yup,” you smirked, “two actually, this is my first one ever, Haz’s too, I think. Well actually, we filmed the sex scene at the end of the movie last week.”

“Yeah… t-that’s cool.” Tom smiled weakly.

Right as you were about to continue your conversation with Tom, an arm swung over your shoulder and pulled you close. Harrison smiled at the both of you. He wore a similar robe to yours, except he left the front open. His plaid boxers on full display.

“Don’t listen to her, Tom. She’s a natural.” Harrison pinched your cheeks. Tom clenched his jaw at the comment. He knew Harrison hadn't meant to imply anything with it, but he couldn't help but hear the hidden meaning behind the otherwise innocent compliment.

You giggled and pushed his hand away, “Only ‘cus my scene partner is so darn cute.” You retaliated, poking and tickling his pecs.

This kind of goofy banter was normal between you and Harrison, but Tom hadn’t seen either of you in so long. He also had never seen you two interact so fluently with each other. He watched the interaction with a tight-lipped smile, nodding along and shrugging every once in a while to seem like he was paying attention. In reality though, he couldn’t pry his thoughts away from how close you were to Harrison.

“Ok everyone! Places! Let’s wrap this scene up and put it to rest today!” Your director called. You and Harrison smiled and waved goodbye to Tom. Harrison pointed to a chair in the room that had a nice view of the set where Tom could watch. Tom nodded and walked over to the chair, enthusiasm for watching you work completely dissipating.

The scene started off rough right off the bat. The second the director said ‘Action!’ you and Harrison were practically pouncing on each other. Harrison had you pressed up against the wall and you were both breathing heavily. He was leaving sloppy, wet kisses down your neck, then across your collar bones. Your moans, which Tom always imagined to sound like music to his ears, sounded too real for his liking. But no matter how much he tried to look away, his eyes were glued to the two bodies moving fluidly with one another.

“Cut! Cut!” The director yelled, effectively ending the scene. You and Harrison pulled apart and he gave you a peck on the cheek, as in saying ‘good job’. “That was good, but Harrison,” The blonde nodded, awaiting further instruction. “You gotta be a little rougher, hm?”

Harrison nodded along with the critique. “(Y/N)?” the director moved his attention to you, “would it be okay if Harrison marked you up? Just a few hickeys to really sell the illusion. We can do without, though, if you feel uncomfortable.”

Tom overheard the interaction and internally hoped that you were too uncomfortable for that, but deep down he knew you would do it. You were never the type to stray away from a challenge.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You nodded, chest still heaving from the scene. You looked at Harrison. “Is that okay with you?”

Harrison nodded, a shy smile tugging at his lips. Yeah, you guys have been working at this scene for days now, but he’d never been rough enough to leave marks. He’d be lying if he said the thought didn’t invigorate him.

So the scene started from the top, you pressed up against the wall, all your weight shoved between the flimsy wall of the set and Harrison’s strong arms. Harrison did exactly as the director required, leaving noticeable dark spots across the top of your chest. Unlike your previous moans, which had just been for show, this new roughness in his actions tore real moans from your lips.

Tom sat uncomfortably in his chair, wishing he picked a different day to visit you on set. He shifted around, watching twin moans pull from both you and Harrison’s throat. He watched as you nipped at Harrison's ear as he faux thrusted into you. The jealousy that had pitted itself in his stomach soon turned to self-loathing. You looked really into the scene, he couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. He knew you were a great actress, but he couldn’t believe that this was all acting. In his eyes, he believed that some part of you must wish that this was real. And part of you did like this scenario, but you wouldn’t have picked Harrison to be opposite you in this little fantasy.

Your moans and Harrisons both grew louder, leading up to the climax as scripted. Tom, not wanting to watch anymore exited the set quickly before he could watch the scene end.

You and Harrison finished up, gaining applause and praise afterwards from the director and crew members on set.

“Where’s Tom?” You asked, scrambling back into your robe and smoothing out your now roughed up hair.

Harrison, now noticing the absence of his best friend, began to feel a bit guilty. He knew Tom had a thing for you, maybe he should’ve told Tom not to visit set today.

“Um, (Y/N)?” He mumbled, pulling you aside slightly.

“Yeah?” You still looked around for Tom a bit, heart sinking when you realized that he must've left without saying goodbye.

“I shouldn’t be the one telling you this,” Harrison began, drawing your full attention, “but Tom really likes you. He always downplayed it, so I didn’t realize how much, but I think watching this scene might’ve upset him a bit.” Harrison looked towards the exit, no doubtedly where Tom left through, out into the parking lot.

“Oh—oh!” You gasped, feeling terribly for having put Tom in such an awkward position. “I didn’t know he felt the same.” You whispered, smiling softly to yourself. Guess Z was right after all. You pulled away from Harrison, “I’ll go talk to him.”

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Tom didn’t go far. He still wanted to be there to support you; he didn’t want to come off as a jealous prick, but he couldn’t keep watching that intimacy between you and his best friend. He sat on the curb outside of the building the set was built in. A few people passed him going to their designated buildings on the lot, but he didn’t pay any mind to them, too lost in his thoughts. He needed to tell you sooner rather than later how he felt. No time to be a pussy anymore.

“Tom?” You walked up next to his sitting figure, still only in a robe, tightly wrapped around you. He looked up to acknowledge you, mumbling a soft ‘Hey.’ before looking back down, trying to collect his thoughts and courage. It’s now or never.

You sat beside him and rested your head on his shoulder. “Harrison told me something interesting in there,” You paused for a moment before continuing, “about you.”

Tom’s head shot up, and he looked at you with frantic eyes, only imagining the worse. There were too many things Harrison could’ve told you about Tom to sully your image of him.

“Whatever it was, he's a lying prick!” Tom rushed out.

You giggled, lifting your head up to look him in the eyes, his dark hazel eyes boring into yours.

“That’s a shame then,” You shrugged, “considering I like you too.”

Tom breathed out a sigh of relief, before looking back at you, doing a double take.

“Wait, what?”

“Mhm, yeah.” You said casually, standing up. “But since Harrison’s a liar then I suppose he was wrong.” You teased.

“No!” Tom grabbed your wrist and pulled you back next to him, but his aim was a bit off and you ended up in his lap. “He lies about a lot, but not about this.”

You smiled at him, “I should hope not, considering I’m crazy about you.”

Tom couldn’t help the smile that beamed across his face, but then he noticed the marks left on you by Harrison. Remembering why he was insecure in the first place, he looked away.

“What about Harrison?” He asked. You looked at him utterly confused. Tom caught on and explained further. “You looked like you were really into that scene with him.”

You giggled and pinched Tom’s cheek, turning it red. “I’m an actress, you idiot.”

Tom scoffed, “I know that. It’s just— I didn’t realize you could fake that kind of love.”

You looked at Tom’s downcast face. You leaned in and kissed his neck, just under his jaw. You nipped and sucked softly, leaving a nice, dark pink blotch that would go away in a few days under his jaw and he whimpered softly.

“I’d never fake that kind of love with you.” You grabbed his face, holding it gently in your hands. “I’d never have to.” You whispered, pulling him in for a kiss, soft and sweet.

Tom pulled you closer, resting a hand on the small of your back, kissing back fervently.

The short make-out session being cut short by the door to the set bursting opened. Harrison rushing out, now dressed in slacks and a white button up for the next scene you needed to shoot that day.

“(Y/N)! Hair and makeup need you.” You lugged yourself off of Tom’s lap, promising to talk to him after you finished for the day. You went back inside, jokingly blowing a kiss to Harrison on your way.

Harrison stayed outside and sat next to Tom.

“Did she confess first?” He asked after a moment of silence.

“Yup.” Tom smiled happily, licking his lips, tasting the strawberry chapstick he saw you put on earlier.

“You owe me 10 pounds then, you wimp.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Tom groaned, promptly pulling ten pounds out of his wallet and handing it to Haz.

#tom holland x reader #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland x y/n #tom holland oneshot #tom holland fanfic #tom holland smut #harrison osterfeild fluff #harrison osterfield #platonic!harrison osterfield

2K notes · View notes