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nevernonline · 7 months

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✽ maybe this means something? ✽ | csc.

001: FALL

Choi Seungcheol used to be the bane of your existence, but through a year of seasonal rotations, something felt different. It has to be overwhelming realizing you're falling for the person you always thought you hated.

𐦍 paring: seungcheol x reader. (svt members mentioned)

𐦍 genre: frenemies (sort of), romance, a little angst, fluff.

𐦍 warnings: drinking, brief mentions of illness, mary jane 🍃, suggestiveness (sort of)

𐦍 word count: 2.8k

𐦍 content: non-idol characters, food/drink, cursing, slightly- suggestive, pet names, fem! reader. bff! hao.

𐦍 notes: every time I listen to Means something by Lizzy McAlpine it makes me think of cheol so I wanted to write a little something with it as inspo, but pls ignore any typos or weird phrasing I'm super rusty when it comes to writing long fics. pls enjoy and give feedback. xo.

intro - fall - winter - spring

Fall: Flashback.

Running out of your childhood home faster than ever onto the first day of college felt so exhilarating, the smell of the fall air and the wind pushing your hair back as you sprinted to your car door made you feel free.

You had around two hours before your first class started, a new start was one of your favorite things. Fresh people, fresh clothes, a new haircut, the smell of new books.

Pulling up to the curb and wailing on your horn to notify your friend you had arrived, made you giggle. This was such a mundane thing you’ve done for years, switching off weeks driving to school, gossiping about your day, but now it felt new again.

Xu Minghao, the constant person in your circle, the one who always had your back and took the words out of your mouth. He understood you more than anyone in the world, even your own family, got you into parties, held your hair when you happen to drink too much, and most of all never judged you.

A slam came from across the lawn in front of you, Minghao strutted down his home's cobblestone passageway like he was living his own Tyra Banks fantasy.

“Goodmorning, Gorgeous.” he says eleated as his long legs stretched into your vehicle.

“Goodmorning, my love.” you responded, putting your car back into drive. “Coffee?”

Minghao peered at you under the rim of his sunglasses. “For you, I’ll have orange juice and green tea.”

A whistle escaped your lips, “Wow, robbing me for all I have I see?”

“No, but I am trying to teach you healthy habits this year. Are you excited for our first class? I actually can't believe we managed to get nearly the same schedule.”

“Yeah, well my dad insisted on calling the dean and told him that I had a learning disability so I had to be around you as much as I can.” You said cringing. “Luckily they just made him open his wallet and donate to the art department.”

Minghao just giggled and rolled his eyes because he knew how your parents were and how much you didn’t want anyone to know. “Listen, maybe this year you should just lean into telling people about your family if they ask. I’m not saying you have to or anything, but pretending to be average when you’re anything but is below you.”

All you could do was hum at his words. The reason you conceal yourself is because pretending you didn’t have an influential family made people respect all the things you’re able to do more, Hao knew that, but he also knew that you struggled keeping a secret all four years of highschool.

You pulled your car into the local campus cafe and hopped out only to be met by a group of guys yelling for Minghao.

“Who are they?” you questioned laughing at the group of excited looking puppies from across the lot.

Hao mimicked your expression, waving his hands side to side, “Oh, wow. That is the group of guys I met abroad I told you about, they go here too.” He roped his arm through yours pulling you into the lion's den. “You’ll like them, they’re nice I promise.”

Your feet felt like they couldn’t move staring at the four new faces in front of you, one more gorgeous than the next. There was Jun and Chan the dance majors, Wonwoo the literature major, and Seungcheol the business major. Three out of the four automatically welcomed you into their circle, the fourth Choi Seungcheol was icing you out, for a reason you may never understand.

“What major are you again, Y/N?” Jun asked as you continued awkwardly sipping your coffee across from him.

“Oh, I’m an art major same as Hao, mainly digital and my minor is tech and graphic.” You said smiling back thankful he broke the ice for you.

“Wait cool, I think Cheol is also minoring in tech and graphics. Maybe you guys will share a class too.”

A smirk came from the male to his right, Seungcheol. Something about him was bone chilling, the pale skin the raven hair, competitive by nature.

“Don’t ask me to sit with you in class, I don’t do amateur hour.” He said flashing you a gingival smile.

You just smirked back, “Fine with me, I don’t do asshole hour.”

And that's where it all started, your ongoing competition with Choi Seungcheol.

Present:

It’s been a few weeks since your encounter with the bully himself, you just worked and worked behind your desk, with no chance to be out in the real world. You thought about texting your mom to come and visit for the weekend, but ultimately decided on calling Minghao.

“Hello, my beautiful working girl. How are we?” you could almost feel his smile through the phone.

“Love my life, hello. I’m alright, just so busy. I was just wondering what you’re doing all weekend, I desperately need to drink.”

You laugh and he follows along. “Well, well, well. Finally coming to ask me to rescue you from corporate life, huh? I actually made plans to go watch Jun and Hoshi’s concert this weekend, if you wanted to come? There’s a cast party after and they asked about how you were anyway so you can definitely join.”

“Wait, they’re in town? I had no idea.” You put Hao through the speaker phone and check your socials. “They literally messaged me two days ago asking if I was free. Maybe I should listen to you more.”

“I have been trying to influence you for like nearly a decade, y/n. But, come please. It's tomorrow, so we can go shopping tonight, have a little sleep over, and drink for breakfast before we go on Saturday.”

“Wow, yes. I could kiss you. It’s a date.”

Hao hummed over the other end of the phone, “Meet me at my place at five, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, I gotta go, bye.”

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You nearly sprinted out of your desk as the boring work day you had sped past since your conversation with Hao. And you much like the clock speed as fast as you could to find your oasis at his home.

“Honey, I’m home.” you yelled, removing your coat and shoes and dropping them in his entryway.

“Well, hello baby.” A voice spoke, not Minghao, but Seungcheol resting in a large lounge chair watching the news.

With an eye roll, you greeted him back. “What are you doing here?”

“Hao told me to meet him here to go shopping for the show tomorrow, what are you doing here?”

You found your way to Hao’s cloud of a couch and planted yourself on it.

“Uh, he told me the same thing, we were supposed to just hangout and have some drinks tonight.”

Your eyes met him again, something about them made you feel bad for being so cold towards him for years.

“Oh, are you spending the night too?”

“Yeah, did he ask you to stay as well?"

Seungcheol gestured to the similar overnight bag resting on the floor adjacent to yours.

“Yep. Should we fight to the death to see who gets the nicer guest room?”

“I really don’t think I could kick your ass at anything other than Mario Kart.”

“Then let’s play, the loser gets to buy all the alcohol and the winner gets the good guest room.”

Seungcheol’s hand reached towards yours and you decided to take it, like making a deal with the devil.

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About an hour after virtually driving the rainbow, the front door opened again to reveal Minghao in its threshold holding multiple bags of takeout.

“Oh, hey you’re both here. I brought food."

You jumped up at the chance to break the closeness with Seungcheol you found and he followed suit behind you to greet your friend and to help him with the bags of food in hand.

“You did not buy fire noodles again, you will literally be in the bathroom for hours.”

Seungcheol giggled at you while unwrapping the rest of the food.

“You know, Hao. I never realized Y/N’s strength really lay in gaming, she gave me a run for my money at Mario Kart.”

“Shut up, Seungcheol you literally still kicked my ass, enjoy your beautiful guest room.”

You sat sulking at the dining room table, slurping up your bowl of noodles.

“No, you can have it. I actually live two floors up anyway, I was just fucking with you to see if you could take the heat.”

“I see you guys had fun without me.” Hao chuckled. “Did I not tell you Cheol moved into my building recently?”

“No clearly not, he kicked my ass in Mario Kart and now I have to buy you booze hounds alcohol.”

Minghao clearly was loving the fact that the plan he had set out to get you to get closer was working. Cheol didn’t pick up on the fact that you knew what Hao was up to and continued eating in silence for a while before speaking back up.

“You don’t really have to spend your money on us, Y/N.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind. I’ve been spending my allowance and paychecks on Hao since eighth grade.”

“Hey! That is not true, our relationship has always been equal.”

Seungcheol stirred, he always assumed you didn’t have much financially. He’d often wondered in college, how you became friends with Minghao who was definitely better than well off. Was he wrong about you using Hao, sure, but he always thought you benefited from the friendship more than him in other ways then the platonic relationship you shared.

Too scared to ask without knowing what outcome he’d get from you he decided to excuse himself to the restroom and find out for himself. Cheol sat on the marble tile of Hao’s bathroom sink and searched your name, but no luck, only your professional profiles and instagram hit.

He searched deeper, and deeper until he stumbled upon an article written in a High School newspaper.

“Wait, her mom is Mina Lee?” he muttered now searching your first name with a newly founded surname following it.

Dozens of articles popped up about your family, their finances, their homes, the illness. Stuff Seungcheol would have never expected, all this time he thought you were everything you weren’t, but this, this made more sense.

He pretended to run the sink water as he bookmarked the article he found talking about the Lee’s hidden children, a gossip blog no less, but maybe it would give him more answers.

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After hours of shopping, mainly to find Minghao a perfect outfit. You reached your destination, the liquor store. Whipping your card out to hand to Minghao for him and Cheol to spend whatever they wanted to make their night as good as possible, you decided to stay outside and watch the colorful leaves fall.

Dialing your mom’s number on your phone and waiting for her to answer seemed like forever, but you were eventually met by her soft voice.

“Y/N? Darling, are you alright?” Hearing a sweet pet name from your mother, no matter how long it's been since you’ve seen her always felt right.

“Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m okay. I just wanted to check in on you. Is everything alright?”

“Oh, well good. Your father is feeling better, but I’m not sure his chemo is working as well this time” Your mom just sighed, you could hear the pain through the phone. “Why don’t you come visit for Christmas, okay? We can make hot cocoa together and I’ll fill your stocking with Jelly Beans like we did when you were a kid.”

“I will. I’ll book my flight when I get back to Hao’s later tonight. Kiss him for me?”

“Aw, good. Tell Minghao to visit, we miss him too.”

The sound of the bell on the door rings to alarm you Hao and Cheol were coming back to find you.

“I’ll force him, I love you, okay?”

“Alright, dear. We love you, goodnight.”

As you hang up your phone, you fight back the tickling itch of tears forming in your eyes and fall into step with the two men.

“We got you that weird sour beer you like, and-” Minghao pulls out a brown bag full of mini bottles of your favorite alcohol.

“Wow, I see you really treated me and my money well. It’s an honor.”

You pulled three small bottles out of the bag and handed them to Seungcheol and Hao, twisting off the top of yours.

“If you guys walk back to Hao’s building with me, I’ll reward you further.”

You smiled holding up your bottle for a cheers and they followed.

“Deal.”

They both smiled and tipped their heads back to get their night started.

About two blocks from the apartment complex and a few mini bottles of liquor in, you stopped for Hao to run inside a mini mart to grab multiple snacks and a pack of cherry rolling papers you loved.

“So, Y/N Lee? I was wrong about you wasn’t I?”

Seungcheol spoke your full name like he was singing lyrics to a song, but it had you confused.

“What? How did you know that?”

“I will confess I got confused over dinner before, you guys were saying a lot of stuff and I felt bad asking what it was about so I looked for myself. I’m sorry.”

Sorry. A word you’d never thought was in Seungcheol’s vocabulary, so you felt it was sincere.

“It’s alright, it was stupid I lied about it for years anyway. Really, don’t sweat it.”

“Yeah, that's actually really stupid.”

That’s all he could respond with, but he did offer an olive branch by opening you a bottle of beer and offering it to you on the sidewalk.

“Cheers, to getting to know the real you?” Cheol questioned.

“Yes, cheers to getting to know the real me.”

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After a change of clothes and more than a few drinks, you dipped out onto Hao’s balcony to roll yourself a joint only to find Seungcheol drink in hand typing on his phone fearlessly.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll go back inside.”

“No, I’m finished, you can sit.”

You nearly stumbled onto the balcony, the alcohol telling your body where to go.

“Isn’t it against your better judgment to send work emails while drunk?”

He laughed, placing his phone back into his sweatshirt pocket.

“Well, isn’t it against your better judgment to roll a joint while drunk? That shit looks fucked.”

You didn’t even ask before you were handing over your stash and papers to him. You watched his fingers and they perfectly packed and fixed your work for you.

“Wow, what the fuck?”

“I’ve had practice, if you need a teacher.”

“I’m much better sober, I promise. Plus it’s cold and I can't feel my fingers.”

Cheol scooted closer to you now holding a lighter up, begging you to spark his good work with his eyes. The flame burned against your lips as you inhaled a big pull from the scented paper.

“Thanks.”

You smiled at him as the smoke poured out of your mouth and you offered him your olive branch, a hit.

He took it with ease and deeply breathed into his lungs to expand his chest.

Your closeness was now inching dangerous territory. His fingers grazing yours with every pass of the small object burning between you. That’s what always been going on, burning between you, passion, former hatred, sparks.

“Here, I’ll help you since it got smaller. Open your mouth.” Seungcheol whispering now, his breath hot on your cheeks.

You just obliged, feeling a little insecure with your mouth open wide watching the smoke leave his lips, you inhaled.

Maybe it was the high, the setting, or the alcohol finally setting in, but you needed his mouth on yours.

“Will you kiss me?”

Without a word from his lips, they came smashing onto yours and before you knew it you were kissing the enemy.

The feeling of him on you left you with a high you’ve never felt before. He never let go before you were ready, his hands found their natural space on your hips.

“Can I confess something, y/n?”

Snuggling into his embrace you nod against his chest, as you fiddle with the ties of his sweatshirt

“I was only mean to you in college because I had a crush on you. And if we were sober right now, I’d ask you to come back to my place, because I just love being around you.”

Suddenly your hands stopped moving and he knew he had missed his chance at a confession once again. His arms scooped you up and carried you all the way into your blissful night of sleep in the good guest room. Little did he know you had been awake the whole time and didn’t sleep a minute.

Feeling the way he kissed you when you got too drunk had to mean something.

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sky-squido · 6 months

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i, like every other fic author in existence, love getting comments from people who enjoyed my work. i don't care if your comment is "late" (that's so weird to me like it's literature—do you apologize to homer for being late to reading the odyssey?) or "unintelligible" (late night commenters, english language learners, people who feel like they "just aren't that good with words", believe me, i entirely understand what you mean and appreciate it immensely), or anything else that you feel might make your comment 'not good enough'. i love all of the comments i receive and i am eternally grateful to all of you for your continued support.

and yeah, i've read fics where i felt like adding a comment would be doing the fic a disservice because there was nothing that could be said that wouldn't cheapen or patronize the magnum opus i'd just witnessed. in instances like this, that is exactly what i say in the comment: "there's nothing i can say that doesn't do this work of art a disservice. thank you for writing this."

actually, now that i think about it, there are a bunch of ao3 comments i've gotten that i still haven't replied to because i felt any thanks i could give would be inadequate. i should really get around to replying because i want them to know how spellbound they left me. i love you all, have i ever mentioned that?

all of that being said, i would like to make a public service announcement!

at least under default settings, ao3 authors do get notified every time you edit a comment. i've accidentally hit send too early before, or realized i forgot something i wanted to say, i get it, i really do. i have edited many comments in my day.

but you don't have to do this. really, it's okay. most of the time i honestly can't tell what the difference is. i'm not going to think worse of you for having typos in your comments because i guarantee that there were more in the fic you just read sfkljghsl

also these edits were over the course of twenty full minutes. i got another email while writing this post and had to update the image. please do not spend 20 minutes agonizing over your comment and changing the capitalization and adding a few words. it's okay, i promise. i love your comment, and i'm very very grateful for it, regardless of how "polished" it is. i'm not your english teacher in disguise.

tl;dr, i love you all and i hope you don't feel anxiety or a compulsion towards perfectionism in my ao3 comments section. i won't judge you, i promise <3

#squido's op #squido rambles #i hope i don't sound annoyed because i don't want to sound annoyed #but also that was a lot of emails #if they were different comments that would be sick i love that #but on several occasions i've had edit spam #and i don't really understand the logic behind it #i figured that people just don't know that we get notified every time you edit a comment #so that's all i wanted to say really but i got sidetracked with appreciation because i think someone plugged some of my works somewhere #because i've been seeing a big uptick in comments lately and it's really really sweet #i haven't written for this fandom (or at all really) in a long time now so i'm always really really happy to see my works are still #out there and being read and loved and affecting people. i do still plan to finish hfwkadwm i promise #i guess i have writer's block >:/ never had it quite like this before #BUT I SAID I WAS GONNA FINISH IT AND I AM #MARK MY WORDS I'LL FINISH THIS FIC OR DIE TRYING #eventually

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diaryofanidiot · 11 months

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The Neverland Curse

Cw: Deaging, food mentions

Taglist: @avatarofstars @botensbabygirl @mothmothmothmoth @akira-chan8 @rinizitos @pastatownsystem @stabbylikesnukes @urhigh42 @princessparadisebaby @abadonkori @lucifersimp333 @coffeeandtealol @maxx0inwonderland @letsblazewolf @simpinginthecorner @kittycatinblue @thatguyfromforest @sheep-from-rad @romaissaa @doomcandy @lilnoobie

Chapter list: 1 2 3 <4> 5 6

A/N: the taglist is getting many request so pls submit them to the inbox. If I missed you in this chapters taglist, shoot me a dm and I'll fix it ^-^

No first draft. We die like pirates >:) pls notify me of any typos tho lol

Breakfast was full of strange foods like dinner the night before. That's not to say they weren't yummy, but I was starting to miss normal food that didn't risk turning to flames or frost in your mouth. Needless to say but they wouldn't let me eat any magical foods like that.

I tugged on Belphie's cardigan to wake him. His face was practically in his food.

"What is it?" He mused, peeking open an eye towards me.

"Luci said I gotta meet more people... are they scary?" I whispered, looking up to make certain I didn't catch the attention of the raven haired man at the head of the table.

"Not at all," Belphie hummed sleepily. "Now eat your food."

"He's right. You have a busy day, so eat what you can." Lucifer smirked up at me. Dang it. He heard me after all.

I pushed the pancake-like food around my plate and managed one more bite before hopping up and loudly exclaiming that I was full.

Asmo was quick to follow my statement with a wet wipe to my face. I squirmed away as he fussed over my sticky syrup covered cheeks and hands.

I felt his cold hand pat my cheek along with a satisfied hum when he finished his smothering, and with that, I bolted toward the adjacent library.

"FREEDOM!" I yelled on my way out, hearing a couple of scattered chuckles behind me. The library was one of my favorite rooms so far. The fire kept it warmer than most of the house, and Lucifer had assorted toys placed in one of the corners for me. It was the first surprise I saw after everyone had woken up.

I ran faster toward the pile and dropped to my knees, sliding the rest of the way excitedly as I marvled the new collection.

Bloo, the already gifted Bear, sat near the pile. Beel suggested he stay there during breakfast so I wouldn't get him messy. Happily, I pulled him to my lap before looking at the collection of dolls, cars, and more.

Before I could even start picking out what I wanted to play with, a loud knock interrupted me and caught my full attention. I froze in place when I heard the door open and unfamiliar voices call out.

Clutching Bloo to my chest, I walked silently toward the opened double doors of the library and peered around the corner to look at the newcomers.

They didn't notice me as they placed their jackets on the hangers. I felt like a super spy.

A feeling of a hand on my head made me jump and look up to see Lucifer towering above me with a soft smile. He placed a finger to his lip on a shushing motion.

Grinning, I mimicked it and nodded. He removed his hand and walked over to the two strangers welcoming them. An adult and another child. Maybe he was my age...

As Lucifer led them to the dining room where everyone resided, I trailed behind quietly. "I'm the best spy ever." I whispered to myself.

The grown-up stranger turned his head around, but I quickly moved behind a column to hide. I saw the faintest smile on his face before he continued walking.

"Gotsta be quiet, Bloo. It's spy time." I whispered once more to my bear before I advanced forward, still hot on their trail.

I hid behind the dining room door, spying on their conversation.

"So you're well informed on the situation?" I heard Lucifer ask. His voice was easy to pick out.

"Solomon told me everything. He said he would be over shortly. Just had a few things to take care of first." I assumed that must be the grown-up stranger.

"Did they really have their memory reverted as well?" That voice was higher in pitch. Must be the other kid.

"Unfortunately so." That was Satan talking now.

"I want to see for myself. Where are they?" The other kid demanded.

I heard somebody chuckle. This super spy needed more information. I peered around the door but quickly shot back behind it when I saw Lucifer's eyes staring in my direction with an amused look on his face.

"I haven't the faintest clue, Luke~" He began. "It's a shame they disappeared when you went through the trouble of bringing those cookies for them..."

Cookies? ....I like cookies.

"I suppose they'll have to go to Beelzebub."

Nu uh. Not on my watch.

I ran past the door, bolting into the room. "No cookies for Bee! I'm right here!" I yelled, jumping into Lucifer's arms. "I can eat them!"

I looked around for the treats while Lucifer adjusted his hold on me. Target spotted. The other kid- er, Luke, was holding the tupperware in his arms and staring at me with an expression of shock. What was his problem?

The stranger grownup smiled kindly and nudged Luke forward. "Didn't you want to give them your gift?" He asked.

Luke hesitated before slowly opening the container and holding it out toward me. I squealed happily and grabbed as many cookies as I could hold and saved one into my mouth.

"Is there's something you want to say, (MC)?" Lucifer asked, raising an eyebrow toward me. I thought for a moment before realizing.

"Oh! Tank oo!" I exclaimed, cookie crumbs falling out of my mouth and onto the floor as I spoke.

Lucifer sighed heavily. "You could've swallowed them first..."

I looked at him in confusion before my attention was ripped away by the other guy.

"(MC), I know you don't remember us, so let me introduce myself." The nice stranger smiled at me. "I'm Simeon, and this is Luke."

"Hi Hi." I said before shoving another cookie in my mouth. These were worth blowing my cover.

Lucifer walked my other to the table and sat me in a chair to finish my food, likely growing tired of the mess I was making.

"I'm guessing you're no longer full?" Satan asked me, a smirk emerging on his face.

"There's always room for cookies." I huffed before noticing Beel try to nab one. "Nuh uh! My cookies, Bee."

Belphie frowned at me. "(MC), don't you think you can share just one?' He asked coaxing.

"But they're mine..." I whined.

"Only one? Surely you have plenty."

Hesitantly, I slid a cookie over to Beel. He smiled and thanked me, as did Belphie. I felt a presence behind me and turned around to see Simeon smiling at the situation. He knelt down to my level and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"May I ask you something, (MC?)"

I nodded, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Are you feeling okay?" His concern was apparent. "I just want to make certain you feel safe."

"Everything is just weird." I admitted. "Everybody keeps talking about a curse and I don't get it."

"That must make you feel left out." He sympathized, running his thumb along my shoulder comfortingly.

I nodded slowly. He gets it.

"Well," He began, straightening back up. "I can assure you that once we have it all figured out. You'll be the first to know. I know Solomon is excited to see you again."

"When is soo-man coming?"

"Soon." He assured before walking off. Shortly after, the adults went to talk again. The only people left in the dining room were Luke, Levi, who was currently gaming on his phone and in his own world, and myself.

Getting an idea, I rushed to the library where my toys resided and grabbed a few dress up toys before sprinting back. My feet made loud, pattering noises on the hardwood floor.

"Luke!" I yelled excitedly. "Wanna play??"

It was exciting having another kid in the house. Finally someone to play with.

Luke frowned. "Play?"

"Mhm!" I nodded, holding out one of the costumes. "You can be a pirate and I get to be the captain!"

He seemed to hesitate, looking around for the other adults. "(MC)... we aren't the same age, you know?"

"That's okay! I'm four and a half." I grinned.

He looked lost, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm over a thousand."

I blinked before giggling. "You can't be a thousand! You don't even look like a grandpa!"

I heard Levi snort in amusement so I turned around to see him finally paying attention. He got up and moved to kneel beside the two of us. "He's not joking, (MC). In human years... I think that makes him ten years old?" He guessed.

I looked back and Luke, then to Levi, and back to Luke once more. Ten made more sense. "So you just.. pretend your a thousand?"

Luke looked to Levi, seeming to silently ask him a question. If he could pretend then so could I.

"Well," I argued. "Then I'm a thousand and one and there's no more bigger numbers, so I win!' I stuck out my tongue to drive my point.

Levi sighed with a smile and looked at Luke apologetically. "Just go play with them. It'll be fun. Just until Solomon gets here, okay?"

Luke gave in and took the costume, putting on the eyepatch. I grinned and put on my own pirate hat before dragging him to the library to play.

<------------------------>

"Luke, (MC)?" Simeon called from the hallway, soon emerging in the doorway. He smiled at the sight of us.

I was on top of our 'Ship' (the couch), looking through my 'telescope' (a paper towel roll I had convinced Beel to give me). I pointed the scope towards the door and set my sights on the newcomer.

"First Mate Luke!" I cried, pointing towards the intruder. "A bad guy who wants to take our treasure!"

"On it, Captain!" Luke had immersed himself into the game, reveling in the chance to be the kid he really was. He jumped to the floor and pointed his foam sword at Simeon.

"You'll never take it while I'm still breathing!" He cried.

"Oh really? Two against one?" He grinned happily. "That doesn't sound very fair~"

Simeon peered around the doorway, motioning someone over. Solomon walked into view.

"Two of them!" I cried, shuffling off the 'ship' to aide my first mate.

"Arrrg!" Solomon growled, instantly adapting to the game. "I'll take the Captain while you take the other."

I watched as Simeon dodge Luke's attacks before noticing Solomon coming after me. I squealed and ran behind the couch, holding the toilet paper roll in one hand.

This could be a sword too... maybe a telescope that turns into a sword.

I held out the 'sword' as Solomon raced around the couch toward me and made a swinging motion toward his leg.

His hand flung to his thigh as he cried out in mock pain. "Man down! Man down!'

Grinning, I plunged my 'sword' into his belly. Solomon fell to the ground a put a hand in the air, seemingly reaching out to something.

"I see.." He winced. "A light at the end of the tunnel..."

In the meantime, Simeon had knocked the sword out of Luke's hands and was now holding him hostage. "Captain (MC)!"

I looked up from a dying Solomon to see Simeon holding the foam sword to Luke. "You've mortally wounded my friend! Now, hand over the treasure or the same goes for your first mate!"

Solomon tried not to crack a smile during his mock death scene but failed. My eyes widened. Luke was in trouble!

"(MC)!" Luke cried. "I'll be fine! Protect the treature!"

"Arg! But I want both!" I ran toward Simeon, swinging the paper tow- er, sword, down on his wrist. He dropped the sword and held out his arm in front of him.

"You cut off me good hand!" He cried, dropping to his knees. I grabbed Luke's hand and ran back to the ship.

"We won!" I grinned, jumping up and down on couch cushings.

Simeon and Solomon looked at each other before laughing and getting off the floor.

"Alright, you guys win." Simeon put his hands up in defeat.

I removed my captain's hat, unable to contain my giggles as I did. Solomon reached under my arms and hoisted me up.

"Cmon, the others are waiting for us."

I groaned in frustration, wanting to keep playing.

"You can play some more later." He patted my back and carried me out of the room, Simeon and Luke following close behind.

Quite the crowd had gathered. Little did I know, it was all about to be explained.

#obey me #obey me agere #obey me shall we date #omswd #agere fic #omswd agere #obey me au

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shellsweet · 1 year

Text

2003 TMNT 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRINTS!

(GENERAL INFORMATION)

★ Each print is 11 x 17 inches. Both Matte and Holographic finishes are $25 for either version.

★ At this time there are only 50 Matte and 50 Holographic copies. 100 in total. (There will be a 2nd pass of 100 more copies later this year.)

★ Total goal of this limited print run is 200 copies and that is it.

★ Please be courteous and keep each print order per person (If you like to order an additional print for another person upon your original order, that is allowed. Shipped together or separately.)

★ Shipping will be used primarily by the United States Postal Service. (USPS) (First class shipping for the US is $5.99, International shipping rates might vary depending where it’s going, at this point UK shipment rates for first class is roughly $18.99)

★ Prints will be inserted in a plastic sleeve, with a business card, rolled up into a poster tube for its safe journey to you. Once it is delivered, place the print in a dry and flat area with something heavy on top (books, boxes, ect) for a few days to completely flatten. (Or if you have a frame ready for it, that will flatten it out as well.)

★ Orders are going in 15 quantity batches per week, please be patient and understanding as these are being shipped out privately by myself and will need time between part time work hours and post office hours to complete your mail orders. Once prints are shipped, you will be provided with a tracking number to track your print order.

★ PAYMENTS WILL BE DONE THROUGH PAYPAL.

REQUEST FORM:

(To get you started!)

***Please sent your print inquiries to [email protected]***

Title your email as "2K3 TMNT PRINT ORDER"

NAME: (How you'd like to be addressed) + USERNAME (Include Platform)

PRINT ORDER: List which copy you would like: Matte or Holograph.

MAILING ADDRESS: Enter which mailing address works best for the print to be shipped to. Make sure there are no typos. Be sure to let me know if this is going to a US or International Address.

PAYMENT: Payments will be done through Paypal, be sure to include the email that you would like to use and be ready for further instructions.

PRINT ORDER PROCESS:

ORDER: Confirm your order based on the request form.

PAYMENT: Both print cost and shipping cost will be charged through Paypal. Once the money goes through, your order will begin being packed and prepped for shipping.

SHIPMENT: Once your print is shipped, you will have a responding email with your tracking number.

DELIVERY: Wait for your delivery and enjoy once it arrives! If you want to post pictures of your print, please feel free to tag me in any of these socials! I’d be thrilled to see your reactions!

★ Twitter: @sweetscribbler

★ Instagram: @shellsweetscribbler

★ Tumblr: @Shellsweet

If a print is damaged during transit, please notify me and send pictures of the damage. A replacement will be sent as soon as possible.

If your print gets sent back to the returning address, you will be notified and we will reconfirm your address for another shipment.

For any other questions or concerns, please send a message to [email protected]

#tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #fanart #2003 TMNT #2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #20th anniversary 2003 tmnt #20th Anniversary 2k3 TMNT #Leonardo #Michelangelo #Raphael #Donatello #april o'neil #Casey Jones #Shredder #TMNT Print #Art Print #Limited Edition Print #TMNT Fanart #2k3 TMNT Fanart

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stxr-slut · 1 month

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Hiii !! Welcome :))

I'm new to tumblr and writing as a whole, so please be mindful.

I'm also kinda dyslexic so I'm sorry for any mistakes/typos and my bad spelling. Please notify me of any mistakes in posts so I can correct them !!

Please feel free to talk in my requests!! I'm a professional yapper, so I'd love to talk !!

I'm not too confident in my writing yet, so please just share thoughts/hcs for me to ramble about instead of requesting full fics.

I will try to reply to all reqs, but I am a student, so I might miss it or not have enough motivation. Please don't spam my inbox !!

Minors are allowed on this blog, but please be mindful of what you consume and the warnings provided and avoid 18+ content !!

I will write hcs/thoughts on character x character but no fics. Sorry !!

Rules !!

☆ I don't write for real people for the most part, there may be some exceptions though !!

☆ please put a TW in any reqs that include sensitive topics (SH, SA, abuse, toxic relationships ect) I am open to writing for these topics within certain limits, but please be aware that I might not reply to certain asks if I'm uncomfortable!!

☆ my default is fem!reader, but I will write gender neutral if asked!! No male reader, though, sorry!

☆ I will write smut, but certain kinks are off the table. (Piss, scat, incest, dubcon/noncon -fine if specified that consent was given before!!-, age play -age gaps are fine!!-)

If your unsure about a kink please check in the ask, I'll answer wether I'm okay witht hem or not!!

Fandoms I write for !!

☆ obx

☆ deadly class

☆ harry potter (golden trio era and marauders, possibly more eras soon, though!!)

☆ pjo

☆ criminal minds

☆ greys anatomy (probably not often, sorry!)

☆ thg (tbosas and the other books!!)

☆ twilight (again, probably not often!!)

Will probably update this every now and then so make sure to check back!

Also if you'd like to recommend a show/movie or just talk about one please feel free too !!

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fkndokt · 1 month

Note

I dont even know the exact amount of time I've been searching for you again since the last accounts I had of checking your art, but I gotta say, I'm OVERJOOOYED that I found your tumblr account today after years — by pure accident — while looking at some Disco Elysium Skills fanart! Since years ago I had this huge motivation and awe everytime I looked at your art, no matter the fandom or story, because you're just built that way, making stuff so enchanting, so admirable, that not knowing the font of characters didn't bother me a single bit!

Nowadays it doesn't seem to have changed! The feeling, I mean. I don't know if you're okay with spamming likes or not, but anyways I swear I'm trying to control myself here to not just remember your notify of every post you ever launched here!

Haha, sorry for this dissertation! I just couldn't find another good way of expressing that euphoria than just making you know about that ughhhgyyhuusjs have a good day! sorry for any typos I'm writing this on the rush of happiness ahhwjwisus

I was very pleased with your message! It's very nice to know that people still remember and are interested in my work even after years. It really motivates me to keep working 📈📈📈

Thank you many times!

#answer

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justanamesstuff · 10 months

Text

All I Need

Chapter 8.5 (Matty's Version)

A/N: someone left this anon (thank uuu) and I couldn't just do a blurb for it..i felt the need to do a full chapter, adding Matty's experience of the events during chapter 8. I hope you like it, guys!!

Warnings: little fluff, heavy feelings, angst, hurt feelings, SO MUCH CRYING (sorry), typos. Also, it can be a little repetitive sometimes because it has parts similar to chapter 8 (the original) but read everything because this is only Matt's POV.

Word count: 7.1 K

Blog masterlist Series MASTERLIST

Evening of the 1st show of ‘The 1975 on tour’.

Matty smiled down at his guitar, recalling inside his mind the morning with Amelia and Y/n. He wanted his life to be that, spending all his time with them in their house. Matty loved performing, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop doing shows. Although, since Amelia was growing faster and faster, and his relationship with Y/n getting more serious, he didn’t want to miss anything.

His sight looked up, beyond the stage of the arena, towards the seats Amelia was going to see him play. Matty’s heart pumping nervously inside his ribcage. His little girl.

“You look…happy.” George almost hesitates to say, interrupting his inner talk.

Matty let the guitar hang in front of him, turning to look at George, “I am, mate.” he smiled sincerely.

“Mel and Y/n are coming, right?” G messed around with his set, waiting for Ross and Adam to show up.

“Yes.” Matty couldn’t help to smile even bigger.

“Can’t wait to see the little miss.”

Ross popped out from behind George, screaming, “Alright, babies, aren’t we supposed to do soundcheck or something?” he patted G’s back, gaining an annoyed look from him.

“Yeah, but we were waiting for you, div.” Matty snapped.

“Ahh, you miss me, Matty?” Ross messed with him, going to kiss his cheek.

“Fuck off!” he shielded his face.

A few feet behind Matty, Adam plugged his guitar, “Stop that, let’s get this started!” he scolded them and the three grown-ups took their places.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Backstage at the arena.

Matty walked along George’s side, not paying attention to all the warnings he was giving him for the show. He kept his attention down towards his phone. Y/n had notified him, by text, that they arrived. Matty’s heart fluttering with the thought of having them around. He started walking faster. George didn’t stop talking, almost running to keep Matty’s pace.

When they could see Amelia, Denise and Y/n at the other side of the hall, George acknowledged the baby first, “Where’s my favourite god-daughter?” George’s shouted when his sight fell on Denise holding Matty’s child.

“You only have one, idiot.” Matty hit him playfully on his arm.

“Org, org!” Amelia boobed up and down, excited to see them.

Once they were close enough, George stole her from Denise’s arms, wrapping Amelia with his owns. Matty went to stand closer to Y/n, touching the small of her back, sighing under his breath, feeling at ease knowing she was there with him.

“Hi, beautiful!” G tickled her. “I missed you!” He went to kiss her cheeks, making the little girl blush.

“You haven’t seen her in two days…” Matty scoffed, rolling his eyes. His hands drew figures on Y/n’s back, feeling desperate because there were layers between his hands and her skin. Matty felt her relax under his touch.

“Daddy!” Matty’s face brightened, hearing Amelia calling him.

“Is this gorgeous lady asking for me?” Matty took her from G’s arms, gaining a protest from his bandmate. George’s attention changed, going to say hello to Denise and started chatting.

“You look so pretty!” He complimented his daughter, admiring her outfit, on the same vibe as he had planned for his own for the show. “She looks perfect.” Matty turned to look at Y/n.

“She looks dashing.” Denise said, instead interrupting her talking and preventing any response from Y/N. Matty looked at his own mother. “Aren’t you going to greet your mother, Matthew?” She teased him.

“Hi, mom.” He went to kiss her cheek, with Amelia resting her head on his shoulder.

Y/n focused her own sight on George standing at the other side. “Am I invisible to you, Daniels?” Y/n exclaimed, arching her eyebrow to him.

George dramatically let his tall body hang a little, comically going to engulf Y/n in a big hug. “Thought I was imagining you being here!” He joked, talking at the top of Y/n’s head.

“Ha, ha…so funny.” Y/n’s voice coming muffled by George’s chest.

Matty stared at them, “Let her breath, George.” he whined from her side.

George let her go, resting his right arm on top of Y/n’s shoulders. “Jealous man talking…”

“How was sound check?” Y/n freshly cut the bickering.

“Everything is ready to go.” G said excited.

Y/n looked up at him, “That’s cool. Charli is coming, right?” She asked.

“Yeah! She’s looking forward to seeing you and Ames.”

“Me too! I haven’t-” Y/n started to talk, when someone from the crew shouted.

“Matty!” Mark –the security guard– made himself visible for them; the whole group turning around to look at him. “There is a girl at the gate, asking for you.” Mark addressed Matty directly.

“I’m not expecting anyone else, must be a fan.” The frontman tried to brush it off,

Mark insisted, “She’s not…she’s on the list.”

“Fuck…can you take Amelia for a second?” Matty looked at Y/n, pleading.

“Yes.” Y/n’s replied.

Matty stared at her eyes for a moment, feeling there was some kind of worry. He wanted to take it away and bring back her smile.

“I’ll be right back.” Matty reassured her.

He ran towards Mark, turning back to check at Y/n and Amelia until he couldn’t see them.

*****************

At the gate

“Hi, Matty.” Daisy greeted him, when he came to the back entrance.

She was standing beside a bodyguard, looking even more small than she was. Matty felt a wash of relieve to know it was his friend the one at the gate and not some crazy person trying to get in.

“Hey, Dais. Whatcha doing here?” he went for a hug.

Her answer came from behind his head, “You asked me?” she inquired.

“Right! Shit- I forgot.”

“I knew it, you idiot.” she hit his arm playfully.

Matty watched Mark talk with the other guard, letting him know everything was fine. The frontman detached himself from Daisy, glancing at her face.

“Sorry, sorry…I’ve been-”

“Ignoring your dear friend.” she accused him directly.

“I wasn’t ignoring you, if that’s the case I’ve been ignoring you and all the rest. I’ve been occupied with-” he blushed. “I’ll tell you later, there are a few people I want you to meet.” Matty exclaimed excited. He wanted to introduce his dear friend to Amelia and Y/n.

“Let’s go then!” she urged him.

Walking at the same speed –not too fast, not too slow–, Matty and Daisy made their way from the gate towards the green room where people awaited for Matty specially. Matty rubbed his hands, anxiously. The time before the show was coming to an end, and his nerves sensed it.

He tried to distract himself making conversation, “So, how’s everything?”

“Not good, not bad, y’know? He’s telling bad things about me to all of our mutual friends, so…” Daisy brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, tired.

“He’s such a twat.” Matty didn’t hesitate to say.

“I know.” she bobbed her head up and down.

“You deserve better, Daisy.” Matty let his hand rest in the middle of her upper back, patting her to show his support.

“I’m aware. Thanks, Matty.” she smiled at him, turning around the corner. Loud voices coming from the green room, and the hustle of the arena. “Hey! Sorry for bringing the mood down, this is your night!” she cheered up a little.

“Yeah, yeah.” he smirked. “Okay, here.” he guided her, letting enter the room first.

*************************************************************

Backstage room.

(30 minutes for the show…)

“Daddy!” Amelia was the first one to spot him, leaving Hann’s children playing alone.

Matty's sight went first towards Y/n who was chatting with Carly. She found his eyes for a split second and then looked down. Odd.

Amelia collided with his legs, forcing him to pay attention to her, “Hey, baby.” Matty lift her up. “This one is Amelia, my daughter.” He introduced Daisy to Amelia, returning his eyes to Y/n’s form sitting on the big couch, she was not really listening to Carly’s story.

Matty grew confused with Y/n’s reaction. It was like she was miles away from him, he didn’t like the feeling.

“Hi, sweetie.” Daisy greeted Matty’s daughter.

Amelia hid her face on Matty’s neck. “She’s shy with new people.”

“It’s fine.” Daisy understood, she was a very shy person herself, so she related to the little girl.

Suddenly, Matty watched from the corner of his eye how Y/n pushed up from her sit, excusing herself with Carly. Walking fast towards the door.

“Y/n?” Matty interrupted her exit, worried.

“Yeah?” She turned around. Matty looked her eyes drift between them three, hiding something behind her beautiful eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, Matty. I need to go to the bathroom. Watch Amelia for me, please.” Y/n rushed her words and stormed out.

It took Matty a second to react, even though when he realized he needed to do something he moved fast.

“Mom?” Matty instantly shouted for his mother.

“Yes, Matty?”

“Can you look after Amelia?” he asked, walking closer to her, leaving Daisy behind.

Denise studied his worried face, “Everything is alright?”

“Yes- I don’t know, please.” he insisted, passing Amelia, so his mom could hold her. When his daughter was secured, he moved around, “Sorry, Daisy. Be right back.” he apologized with her.

One look at his face after Y/n left the room, gave Daisy enough information to just say, “Don’t worry, go!”

****

Matty ran to the bathroom, knowing she was at the other side. He stopped, looking at the red door, catching his breath.

He knocked rhythmically.

“Y/n.” Matty called her, trying to be polite and respectful, waiting for her permission.

“No!” she shouted, but before Y/n could prevent it, Matty was inside. He preferred to say sorry and no please that time.

Matty took her state in, her body deflating. He exclaimed a quiet, “Baby…”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Y/n took some steps backwards. Matty’s heart break into pieces. She didn’t want him close. His mind started to pound and his hands sweating. What happened? In fact, what was happening?

“Y/n?�� He asked, expecting.

“Please, leave me alone.” She coldly responded.

“Y/n-” He protested.

Y/n shook her head from side to side, without looking at him. “Matty, I-”

“Sweetheart-” Matty came closer, he lifted his hand going to touch her face, Y/n sensed it. She made the space between them even bigger. Matty’s heart stopping for a second. “It’s not-” he wanted to tell her that it wasn’t alright from her to push him out and what could he do, but she understood something else.

Y/n lift her hand, stopping him. “Don’t tell me it’s not what I think it is…I have eyes. I don’t understand.”

Realization hit Matty fully when Y/n spoke those words. She believed Daisy was one of his exes. Matty felt an urge to whipped his worries.

“There’s nothing to understand, baby!” Matty desperately tried.

“Don’t call me baby! No when she’s in the other room-” Y/n bit her lips.

“This is not– She’s not–” Matty didn’t know how to explain everything, how to repair the damage he did. He wanted to push her closer, he needed Y/n. Matty felt hopeless and terrified.

“I knew it was too good to be true.” Y/n stated, regaining her coldness.

Matty felt weak on the knees when her words reached his ears, “Y/n, please listen to me! This is a mis-” He begged.

“So you can lie to me again? I’m naive, no stupid.” Y/n spat. “I need to go and check on Amelia.” She told him, starting to walk towards the door.

She couldn’t leave the room without this mess being clarified.

“Amelia is with my mom. She’s okay. Y/n don’t go.” Matty took her wrist. Y/n look at his fingers, and back at his eyes when he started talking. “I invited her way back, wasn’t expecting her to actually show up. She doesn’t mean anything!” He screamed. Matty felt like his words weren’t reaching her. Panic was filling his body, he couldn’t lose her.

“I don’t care, Matty. Let me go.” Y/n said strangely calmed.

“I can’t let you go….how could I?” Matty felt his eyes watering. “No when I’ve just got you back…” Matty spoke softly, loosing strength.

“Don’t-” Y/n protested. “Just stop. Let me go.” She insisted.

“Y/n-”

Someone knocked on the bathroom door behind them. Matty felt rage overtaking him.

“What?!” He shouted, still holding Y/n.

“Matty, are you there?” The stage manager asked.

Matty breathed in, trying to calm down, he asked, “Yes, what?”

“5 minutes!” The person informed him.

“Fuck!” He swore under his breath.

“I’ll get Mel…” Y/n took her hand out of his embrace.

Matty went to touch her again, screaming, “Y/n!” but she was gone. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He started screaming without caring who could hear him.

*********

Matty stumbled into the green room, feeling disconnected from everything. Was Y/n going to leave him?

This was a big misunderstanding he needed to fix. Daisy was his friend, and Y/n the love of his life, the mother of his child, his everything. He couldn’t lose her two times in his life.

“Matty?” Adam asked slowly, carefully.

The frontman looked like a cat ready to jump and scratch you.

“Mhm.” he mumbled.

“Are you okay?”

Silence was the answer the guitarist gain from his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder, still being careful but hurried by the time. They had to get on stage right now.

“What?” Matty snapped out of his trance.

“Are you okay?” Adam asked again.

Matty looked around the room. The rest of the band directly staring at him, he grew self-conscious. He had a work to do.

“Yes-” he cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s do this.” Matty walked out the room without making contact with his mates.

He was going to do the show, as best as he could, still thinking about Amelia, and then when everything was done he was going to approach Y/n and fix the mess.

********

Matty wasn’t really interacting with the crowd. Barely touching the wine the crew left for him to drink, he preferred to stay sober. Although he was smoking like a chain, his nerves and anxiety spiralling.

Even with the mix of emotion he was going through that night, the band managed to deliver an amazing show. The singer knew he should interact with the crowd more, but he had no energy.

Matty lighted another cig when the rest of the band left him alone on stage for a few minutes. He took the microphone, walking closer to the edge of the stage. He looked up to the left side of the stage, shielding his eyes from the strong lights.

“There’s someone special here tonight…” He started to speak, still looking. People cheered for him, screaming a lot of different things he missed. “I don’t remember the exact place, but-” He rambled. “My little girl is here!” Matty screamed proud.

The lights around the arena came back on, so he could see better around. Although, Matty wasn’t having it.

“Turn the lights off again!” He demanded. “Please, put your phones aside…” He asked rather politely. “My daughter is watching me and the rest of the band…” Matty made a signal like that last part didn’t matter, making everyone laugh. “For the first time…” He started walking around the stage, looking down at the floor. “She’s here, with my mom and her own mother-” Y/n’s face hurt inside the bathroom earlier on made him want to cry. “So, as you can see, this is a very special night for me.” he looked at the sea of people following every one of his movements.

People started screaming, and proceed to chant Amelia’s name.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Matty spoke, bringing his free hand to his heart, looking at the fans. Even though he wasn’t a big fan to acknowledge that many people knew his baby’s name. He wanted to keep Amelia out of the spotlight as much as he could. His protective side turned on. “Back to me now…” The crowd laughed again. “This night is special. There are some things I wish were different, but life is-” Matty stopped his sentence, he wasn’t going to share this part of his life with the fans. “I don’t know.” He finished without making too much sense. Matty really didn’t care.

The rest of the band returned to the stage, Matty stared at them for a second without speaking. “Right, we’re going to play one of Amelia’s favourite songs…which obviously-” He smugly exclaimed. “It’s one written by daddy.” he pointed to his chest, gaining a new round of screams from the crowd. “I hope you like it, baby. I love you!” Matty closed the moment.

The first chord of ‘Sincerity is Scary’ started playing around the big venue.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Almost midnight, still at the arena.

When the show was done, he almost forgot to say goodbye to the crowd. Matty wanted to found Y/n as fast as he could.

He entered the green room, some guys from the crew were there working on stuff Matty didn’t focus on. No Amelia, no Y/n.

Matty returned to the hall, watching a happy George walk closer and closer.

“George, have you seen, Y/n?” he asked, his breath rapidly.

“No.” G’s demeanour changing completely, feeling like something bad was happening.

“Amelia?”

George tried to think, “No since-”

“Fuck, fuck.”

“Hey, they must be stucked with the fans or something.” the drummer tried to reason with his friend, not wanting to think that something bad indeed happened.

“No.” Matty took his phone from his pocket. Nothing.

Adam and Ross rounded George’s body, coming into Matty’s view. They looked at his friend who asked without skipping a bit, “Guys, have you seen Y/n or Amelia?”

“No.”

Ross stared at him, going to speak, “No, since earlier. What’s-”

Denise and Daisy’s returned interrupted him.

“Mom!” Matty shouted.

Denise didn’t notice her son’s worried state, she went to congratulate him, “Matty! What a show! Amelia was so happy to watch-”

He interrupted her, “Yeah, yeah. Where are they?” he asked, going directly to the point.

She stared at his face, “Y/n and Amelia?”

“Yes, mom! Fuck- Where are they?”

“What’s wrong, Matty?”

“I don’t know, fuck.”

“Y/n told us she was going, I thought she was returning here…” Denise told him what she knew.

“Okay, I-”

“Hey, they’re fine” Denise let her hands rest on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her.

Matty tapped on the screen of his phone. “I need to know exactly that, Denise.”

“Call her.”

“Thanks mum, very helpful.” his voice full of irony. Matty placed his phone to his ear. “I’ve been trying, she’s not picking up.”

“There must be a reason.”

Matty tried again and Y/n picked up finally.

“Y/n, thank god! Where are you?” Matty screamed.

He noticed her cold tone she used in the bathroom, “Home.”

“Fuck, Y/n! You scared the shit out of me!” Matty walked down the hall, far from the rest of the group.

She explained, “I’d told your mom to tell you. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“Bab-” Matty started to say, pressing on his free ear because the guys and Daisy were making too much noise.

Y/n cut him, saying, “Amelia is fine, Matty. I’m sorry. Go to your after party-”

He interrupted her this time, “Fuck, no, I’m not going to that…we need to talk! I have to finish here, and then-” Matty tried again for Y/n to listen.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Matty. Not now.” Y/n stopped him.

Matty felt panic creeping inside his body. “Y/n…” He begged.

“I’m going to bed, to my bed.” Y/n informed him; her voice breaking at the end. The mention of ‘my bed’ and not ‘our bed’ broke his heart in pieces. “Good night, congratulations!” She choked on her words.

Before Matty couldn’t add a single sound, Y/n hang up the phone.

“Shit.” Matty shouted, making his friends and mom to look at him. He felt the tears wetting his cheeks. This night supposed to happen differently.

Denise, George, and Daisy approached him almost immediately when his broken cries reached them.

“Where are they?” Denise inquired first.

“Home.” Matty dried his eyes with his sleeve. “I need to go home.” he touched his pockets, trying to think if he had everything.

“What’s happening?” Denise continued.

“I don’t know, mom.” Matty told her a white lie. “Daisy?” he turned to look at his friend.

“Yes?”

“I need to rush home. You can go with the boys to the after party if you want, or I’ll call a car for you.”

“Sorry guys, but jet-lag it’s hitting me.” she told G, and he boobed his head understanding.

A quick set of goodbyes were exchanged between the little group. Afterwards, Matty walked around the halls and spaces of the backstage with Daisy to found the way out of the arena.

“So, what’s happening with Y/n?” she took the risk to ask Matty.

Matty putted his hands on his trousers pockets, “How do you know it’s about her?” he didn’t look at her face.

“I see how you look at her, Matty.” Daisy smiled.

“Right.”

“And how she looks at you.” Matty’s friend admitted. “So, what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure, and I’m scared.”

Daisy placed a hand on his back, like he did earlier that night when they were talking about her ex.“Hey,” she called him. “Everything is going to be alright, yeah?”

Matty made direct eye contact. “I hope so”

“Believe me, I’m a little witch-y.” she joked.

He said, feeling a little more calm, “You’re a little bitchy.”

“Asshole.” Daisy hugged him once they were at the gate.

“Text me when you arrive at the hotel, okay?” he made her promise.

“Sure. Good luck, my friend!” Daisy shouted, going to open the back door of the Uber.

“Thanks.” he waved.

Daisy last words were, “Keep me updated!” he nodded.

“Bye.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

One hour later…

Matty claimed up the stairs, jumping between steps to reach the first floor quicker. He needed to see Y/n, they had to talk. He couldn’t give up without fighting for them.

The house was under a complete silence. Most of the lights gone. Y/n previously informed him Amelia was sleeping. He tried to hurry without making too many noises.

When he took the last step, finally arriving at the top of the stairs, his heart sank. Y/n’s door was once more closed. A soft glow of light coming from underneath it. Matty moved forward. He pressed his ear to the door, taking the handle without twisting it.

Y/n was scrolling through some social media, the noise was clear for him. He knocked and all the sounds were gone.

“Y/n…” he started softly. Nothing. “Baby…” he tried once more. “I know you’re up. I need- We need to talk, please.” Matty continued.

“Go to sleep, Matty.” She whispered loud enough for him to hear.

“I can’t sleep if we don’t solve this…”

“Don’t-”

“Y/n.” Matty felt he was running out of resources.

“Go away.”

Matty started crying again, he had lost count how many times he had cried during the night. This time he did it in silence. He decided to give her space, even with his heart broken.

He walked all the way to his room with his heart on his hand, ripped. Matty pushed his room door open, expecting to magically see Y/n there. Reality was a hard pillow to swallow. His bed felt strange, foreign, unfamiliar without her; he didn’t want to try to get in.

He moved closer to it, reaching for his pillow, and stopped in the middle of the same action. He leaned forward, reaching for the pillow Y/n used all those weeks sleeping with him. Matty brought it downstairs with him.

He left the pillow and stared at it, feeling his face wet. Matty was sure about fighting for her, for them. Although, his mind couldn’t help to overthink a little.

The singer folded forward, landing on the couch. His body twisting until he was lying as a little baby in fetal pose. He clutched the middle of his chest.

Matty cried and cried until he felt asleep, with the repeating thought about how this was only a big misunderstanding. He could fix it, they were going to solve this and returned right back to normality.

Repeating history two times wasn’t a possibility, Matty reassured himself.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

His phone started ringing from under his tired form. Matty groaned with his eyes closed, touching everywhere around him to try to find it. Useless. He had to open his sore eyes to realize the device was under his body.

“Hello.” his raspy voice, low and barely understandable.

“Morning.” Jamie greeted him from the other end. “Sorry to disturb your princess slumber, but we have an emergency.”

“What’s wrong?” Matty sit upwards, blinking his eyes to get used to the early morning sun.

“I know you’re stepping out of the board of directors, although util it’s done I need you here.” Jamie explained.

Matty ran a hand through his curls, “Whatever, tell me.”

“I’ll fill you in when you get here.” subtly telling him to go to the office. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay, bye.”

Matty cut the line without spoken more words.

He excited the house, taking a look towards the stairs. No sounds coming from the first floor. Matty opened the door and left the house. The sooner he solved everything at work, the sooner he could be back.

*******

Dirty Hit

He was seated at the big table with Jaime and the rest of the people on charge. Matty was trying really hard to keep his focus on the topic, but his mind drifted several times.

The frontman checked his phone under the table, no messages. Y/n was probably awake now, still not texting him. He swallowed thick.

Matty moved his fingers along his screen until his thumb found the Instagram up. His phone crashed with the amount of notifications that started showing on his phone. Matty kept tabs about Y/n and Amelia. He started to worried.

“Jamie.” he whispered to his managed seated beside him.

“What?” the older man replied without sparing him a glance.

“Let me borrow your phone.”

“Why?” this time, Jamie stared at him, forgetting the meeting.

Matty extended his hand, with the palm upwards. “I need to check something, I’ll be quick.” he promised.

Jamie let him have his phone, monitoring what Matty did with it. The singer opened Instagram again.

Multiple sites showing Y/n walking along Paul, or pictures of the seated at a fancy restaurant. Matty didn’t move a muscle. He knew they were old, but he feared for Y/n reaction.

He continued scrolling until his eyes fell on a post that mixed the same pictures and a video of him walking with Daisy the night before. The fuckers cut the video to make it look worse than it was in reality.

“Shit.” Jamie swore beside him.

“I’m going to call Y/n.” he informed his manager, without caring about the rest of the people staring at him left.

He heard Jamie excused him.

******************************************

Matty didn’t know very well how he managed to make his phone work, he had only one objective in mind: talk with Y/n. Not even the cold weather that morning bother him when he opened the door to the rooftop of the studio.

He attached his ear to the phone. The characteristic sound repeating. Matty was dying for a cigarette to calm his nerves. He bit his nails anxiously.

The answering machine.

He huffed, going without thinking twice to call again. Still nothing.

The light bulb inside his brain found a solution. He found fast Grace’s contact and press on it.

Line sounding rhythmically.

“Hi, Matty.” Grace greeted him, Matty listened to the sound of the back door of his house closing.

Matty’s voice was quavering, unsure, when he asked, “Please tell me you’re with Y/n.” he placed a hand on his forehead.

“I am…”

“Tell her to answer me.” Matty commanded Grace.

She hesitated, “She’s not…ready…to talk.”

“Grace, I swear-” groaned, closing his eyes tight. He felt the first signs of a headache.

“I’m trying to do my best to not send you to fuck yourself, for everything. I’m trying only for her, so don’t push my buttons, Healy!” She warned him, surprising how Grace brought her protective side.

“She’s not talking to me. I need to talk to her.” Matty was desperate up to that point.

“Matty-”

“Grace, I’m begging you!”

“Matthew…”

“I swear it’s not what’s look like…” Matty tried to play that card. If Y/n wasn’t going to talk to him, at least if Grace knew, he was sure Y/n was going to get the information.

Grace scoffed at the other end. “Paul said the same to her…”

“Don’t compare me with him.” he shouted furiously with the comparison.

“I’m stating facts, Healy.”

“Yeah, your cousin is a wanker. I’d never do that to her, never.”

“Then what happened yesterday?” Grace asked, annoyed.

“I’m not with Daisy, I had never been. Grace, please put Y/n on the phone.” his patience leaving his body.

“You’re in no place to demand, Matty. If you’re worried about her, don’t.” how could he not worry about the love of his life? “I’m here, I’m staying as long as she needs. Let her breath for a minute, okay?” Grace requested this time.

“Fuck, you’re asking a lot, Grace.” Matty pull his hair.

“I’m not. Do it, for her and Amelia.” and then she hanged the line.

Matty slowly placed his phone in front of his face. He stayed froze on his place for a minute before he returned inside.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Dirty Hit’s office to home (non-stop).

Matty’s first instinct once he returned home was to search for Y/n. She wasn't in the kitchen, or living room, or laundry room. Nowhere around the low level. For a second time in less than 24 hours, he ran upstairs.

He was sadly convinced she wasn’t going to be in his room, even though maybe she was in Amelia’s room or bathing their daughter. The house was spectrally under silence. Y/n was nowhere, neither Amelia. Matty felt a rush of panic. He took his phone out of his pocket, ready to call her if his last try didn’t work.

“Y/n?” He knocked on her door.

Silence was the only replied from the other side.

“Y/n, are you there? Are you okay?” Matty tried.

Y/n decided to reply, “I’m fine, go away.” Relief wash over his muscles, at least she was at home.

“Please let me in, I want to check you’re alright…”

She marched angrily towards the door, opening it with a sudden movement that Matty didn’t expect.

“I’m doing fucking amazing, don’t you see?” Y/n shouted, opening her arms wide on the air. ‘Fuck, I missed her’, he thought.

“Baby-”

It was the first time they saw each other since the fight in the bathroom, at the arena. His hands ache to hold her, to bring her closer. Y/n wanted to push his away, out of her sight.

“Don’t call me that.” Y/n folded her arms.

“Y/n…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Matty.”

“I need to tell you.”

Y/n scoffed, turning around, far from him. “Exactly what? That all the past weeks, month were noth-” She stopped, choking on a sob. “Nothing for you.” Y/n rearranged herself, looking at Matty’s eyes with her own full of tears.

Matty was taken aback from her sayings. “Nothing?”

She believed she didn’t mean not only a lot, that she didn’t mean the entire world for him.

“You were with her meanwhile…” Y/n stated very sure of her words, making Matty’s heart swelled.

“No!” Matty took a few steps forward into her room. “Of course not! Daisy and I- We never- It wasn’t like that between us. Y/n, we-”

“We what? Right, nothing…it meant the same as the other girls you fucked…” Matty’s knees weakened instantly.

“Y/n, you know that’s not true!” Matty insisted on it.

“I don’t know any more after yesterday!”

“Please, listen to me.” Matty continued making himself closer to her. “I would never do that to you, never.” He searched for her eyes, Y/n started back. “You’re the mother of my baby, you’re my friend…” Y/n went to protest, but Matty stopped her. “You’re the love of my life, Y/n!” Matty finally admitted. The words slipping through his lips, but he couldn’t care less. He didn’t want to keep the secret any longer.

Y/n eyes grew a size, “You don’t mean that, Matty.”

“I do, I fucking do. I loved you since the first moment I met you…” Matty felt brave enough to hold her face between his hands. “I was a fucking coward, I still am. Well, now I’m trying to fix that. I love you, Y/n. I’ve loved you since the start and never stopped.”

“Don’t say that…”

Matty felt more sure of himself. “It’s the truth.”

“Why you never said anything?” Y/n protested.

“Because…the prospect of losing you, or you hating me- Can’t do, baby.” Matty stared at her with his eyes softening looking at her.

“Matty-”

“I mean it.” He leaned forward.

“I don’t know if I can do this- No right now…” Y/n closed her eyes, Matty stared at her letting his forehead rest on hers.

“Why not? I know you feel it too.” He was sure of it.

“Matt-”

“Fuck, gorgeous…please.” Matty wasn’t going to stop begging if that was needed for her to returned with him.

“Stop, I need space to think!” Y/n took a step backwards, making his hands fell at his sides.

“What there’s to think, Y/n? We love each other!” he complained.

“A lot there’s to think! Saying you love me doesn’t solve things magically, Matty. My phone is bombarded by your fans telling me how horrible of a mother I am, dating some random guy. Said guy that was fucking other girls while dating me, person I don’t want to hear about, but now I have to. My name is on a handful of articles. Amelia’s privacy, my privacy, it has been violated. Add to the mix the videos of you with that girl-” Matty stayed in silence, listening to her explanation.

Matty went to tell her everything about Daisy, “I walked her out of the venue…that was all-”

“Well, they say other stuff.” Y/n exposed what the articles were saying, what he read after a quick inspection.

“Y/n, you know better than-”

“Do I? Matty, this is all very confusing…I need time.” Y/n begged.

“I can give you time, space…everything, but don’t leave me.” Matty reached for her hands.

“I think it is for the best, Matty. For now…”

“No.”

“Yes, we need to think about Amelia. We were okay when we stopped messing around-”

Matty felt his throat close down, thinking Y/n could think so less about the connection he felt they had.

He started low, “We weren’t just-”

”Doesn’t matter now.” Y/n spat.

“It does!”

“Matty, be real.”

“I am!”

“What happens when you get bored of me, of being a…couple, ha? Where am I going to be left? Being just your friend again and the mother of your daughter? Think about Amelia…I don’t want us to mess up with her head.”

“Y/n-”

“What happens when you take onto fucking every single groupie again right where you left it?”

“I don’t want to get back to that, Y/n.” he didn’t delay saying. “Since you are in my life, I’m done with it….since we had Amelia here, I’m done with all that shit. I want the three of us…”

“And yet you kept doing it, Matty.” Y/n shot his past doings directly into his face.

“You’re not being fair with me. Adam has a family-”

“Adam is Adam, you…are you, Matty.” Y/n bitter tone wounded Matty deeply.

“I would do anything to have you again.”

Y/n tilted her head.“When did you really have me, Matty? We were never…”

He stopped her before she could finish that lie. “Don’t say it, don’t fucking say it.”

“I’m sorry, Matty. I think it is for the better if I stay with Grace for the night…” Y/n concluded.

She signalled with her hand to move out of her bedroom; Matty didn’t want to, although if this was what she wanted for now, he’d obeyed. For now.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later…

Matty was closing his suitcase, which was placed on top of his bed; a place that stayed untouched for days. Matty had been sleeping on the couch or besides Amelia's crib. He was physically incapable of getting under his sheets.

He looked around, feeling nostalgic already. Matty had to leave for tour in a couple of hours, before that, George was going to pick him up soon. He didn’t want to leave, not when Y/n and him were barely talking. Matty did his best to give her the space and time she needed, he was sure about his intentions and his past actions. If he had to, he would wait his entire life for her. He was sure she was going to return to be his, this time was different from before. Y/n loved him, he knew. That was what kept him going. Even though, leaving for two weeks was reaping his heart from his chest.

Matty grew used to the routine of staying home, going to the studio and return to his girls. He was getting old, getting tired of all the hassle of touring. He loved the moment he was on stage, with the fans, but the rest was starting to bother him. Specially since Amelia and Y/n stayed at home.

The sound of the front door closing, the soft chat of Amelia and Y/n –mostly the mother talking–, brought him back. He took the suitcase, carrying it in one hand while he started walking downstairs.

Matty left the item close to the door, voices came from the kitchen now. He smiled hearing them interact. He walked slowly there.

“Hey.” He made himself present. Y/n turned to look at him from the kitchen, closing the refrigerator slowly.

“Hi.” She answered.

Matty twisted his hands, anxiously, “George is picking me up in a couple of minutes…” he told Y/n.

“Mhm.” she expressed shortly.

“I’m going to say goodbye to Amelia.” Matty hesitated, wanting to say more, wanting to beg.

“Sure.”

He approached Amelia, interrupting her playtime. “Mel-mel?” He called her attention.

“Daddy!” the little girl said, running to hug him.

Matty rounded her, “Baby, daddy has to go now.” He tried to explain, she looked at him trying to understand. “Daddy is going to miss you so much, Mel.” Matty felt tears coming but fought them, he didn’t want to upset her.

Amelia noticed his change, “Daddy.” she hugged him tight, hiding herself inside his embrace.

“I know, I know…I’ll see you soon, okay baby?” Matty rocked from side to side, trying to soothe her.

“No.” she whined.

“Yes, you’re going to have fun with mommy and aunty Grace.” Matty tried this time, holding his sobbing, biting his lip.

Amelia wasn’t having it, “Daddy.”

“It’s okay, we’re okay.”

The doorbell rang, interrupting them. Y/n went to answered it.

After a short chat, she informed, “Matt, George is outside.”

“I know.”

“Come on, she’ll be fine. I promise.” Y/n approached her daughter and Matty.

He stood up, taking Amelia with him. He turned around, coming closer to Y/n. She stood there, waiting for his actions. He took her cheek on his hand, caressing it.

“Y/n-” he said, searching for her eyes.

“Not now Matt-”

He rested his forehead on her. If they weren’t going to talk, at least he needed to be close, to touch her after leaving the house. Maybe, like that, she would understand his feelings.

“Please.” Matty couldn’t stop trying.

“Go and do your thing, Matty.” Y/n said, more sure of herself. “We’ll be here…waiting, and then we will talk, okay?” she promised.

“Mhm.” Matty agreed, without moving a single muscle.

Y/n instructed, “Go.”

Matty opened his eyes, looking at her from inches away. “I love you.” he openly expressed.

“Matty.” Y/n softly complained.

“You don’t have to say it, I need to say it.” she nodded.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Matty spoke, and turned to kiss Amelia’s head. “Bye, baby.” He proceeded to pass Amelia to Y/n.

“Daddy, no-” she struggled, reaching for the comfort of Matty’s body. His heart breaking in pieces with the idea of hurting Amelia.

Y/n lulled her, “Shh, baby…it’s okay, mommy is here.”

Matty walked away, not turning around. If he took one more look at Amelia and Y/n we would refuse to leave the house.

The front door closing down resounded around the house. Amelia started crying harder.

“Daddy!” Amelia tried to call him back.

Matty started to fully cry, still hearing Amelia at the other side of the door.

The walking towards George’s car felt longer than normal. His feet weighing like his shoes were made of concrete.

When he sat down, G asked, “Everything alright?”

“Fuck, no.” Matty admitted, still crying.

“Mate-”

“I’m losing her, G.” Matty hid his face behind his calloused hands.

“What happened?” George wondered.

“She believes I cheated.”

“What? Have you?”

“Fuck you George! Of course not.” Matty pushed his body back into the seat, turning to look at his friend.

G showed him his palms up showing innocence, “Hey! I’m trying to understand.”

“Sorry.”

“Matty…you’re not going to lose Y/n.” G started the car, moving slowly from Matty’s house front.

The frontman shocked his face from side to side, “I can’t lose her, G. I can’t…”

“And you won’t, okay? Give her a little time.” Matty’s mate advised him.

Matty watched his house got lost between the rest around his neighbour. He wanted to return home already.

#matty healy #matty healy fic #all i need #matty healy x reader #matty healy fanfiction #matty healy fanfic #matty healy x y/n #the 1975 fic #the 1975 fanfic #matty x y/n #george daniel #matty x reader #matty x you #matty the 1975 #matthew healy

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supersizemeplz · 11 months

Text

Loaded Teas & Introductions

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II x Black PlusSized Reader

A #supersizedfic mini. I heard this mashup on TikTok and fell in love. But the initial one shot is inspired by a comment I seen if hearing it and seeing the love of your life. So here’s the mashup and I hope you enjoy. Excuse any typos.

Its this one thing that caught me slippin..

It’s this one thing, I want to admit it..

It’s this one thing and I was so wit it…

The soles of the regularly worn sneakers met the pavement in rhythm to the instrumental of the mix that played. Yahya smirked at the smooth blend of the two songs. Greeting the few people he passed, he made his way to his favorite spot for loaded teas. The headphones on his head made him feel as if he stood inside the song. The words floated around him as he moved his shoulders softly whilst nodding.

Pushing the glass door open, he was hit with a rush of cool air and the aroma of faint sweetness. Light bounced off the tiled floor to add to the brightness of the room. Soft tones danced on the walls and matched the relaxed decor of the establishment. He pushed back a headphone from his ear and softened his music. A smile graced his lips.

“Sup, Ya. How’s it going man?” The asian barista greeted him with a smile. His dark hair was pulled into a bun atop his head as he stood behind the counter. The soft blue uniform hugged his body comfortably, showing off his toned figure. Short sleeves hid the top of the colorful artwork that adorned his left arm. “The usual or would you like to try our new flavor?” He raised an arched brow for added affect.

“A new flavor?” Ya smirked. “You know I’m down for whatever magic you make, brother. Let’s w switch it up.” Xen smiled, clapping his hands together before getting to work.

Ya turned to lean against the counter as he waited for his order. Catching up with his old colleague like usual. He laughed at a joke that Xen said as he looked to the door that notified the entry of another customer. His eye caught her hips hugged by the sundress she wore. But when he caught that smile..

“Whoa..” He breathed the words just loud enough for Xen to hear. “She’s beautiful.”

“Who?” The barista raised an eyebrow and followed his line of sight. A smile caught his lips and he sat the finished drink on the counter. “Ohhh, beautiful she is. Why don’t I introduce you to her?” He lifted a hand to the smiling woman that had bent down to coo at the toddler of a customer close to the door.

Once she stood, her eyes found them both at the counter. She smiled bigger as she approached. Ya couldn’t help but return the expression. As she got closer, he noticed the light catch the glint from her septum ring. “Xen. How is the world treating you today, brother?” Her full lips were glossed and he took in every word she spoke.

“I’m doing amazing, actually. I got a workout in before my shift, I have a date tonight, and my good friend came to see me.” Xen gave a gentle tap to Yahya’s shoulder. “Yahya, meet Yana. She’s good friend of Samaria. She was a bridesmaid at our wedding.”

Yana held out a hand, meeting his eyes for the first time. Ya felt his heart skip a beat as he accepted her soft touch, losing himself in a trance. The song he was listening to earlier was hushed and on repeat. He felt like this was a scene in a movie. Her lips moved but he didn’t hear the words leaving them.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Yahya.” Her words finally broke through with a giggle. Ya snapped from his admiring with a nervous chuckle, rubbing his neck once he freed her hand. Mumbling a ‘Sorry’.

“Uh, you can just call me Ya. If you’d like?” He grinned, standing up straight. Xen coughed to cover his laugher, getting a quick side eye from Ya. Sending him off to fix her usual order with a smirk. Yana had amusement in her eyes as he nodded, repeating the nickname.

“Ok, Ya. I like that name. It rolls off the tongue..” She looked up at him through her lashes. “How long have you known Xen?”

“We were good friends in college. Shared an apartment together the last two years of college.” He explained. “He’s the reason I got through Calculus II.”

“He is a wizard with numbers.” She added in. Getting a theatrical bow from Xen. They all laughed as he placed her drink on the counter by Ya’s. She thanked him with an excited squeal as she paid. After declining Xen’s offer for it be on the house. “I always look forward to my drink for the day.”

“Me too. I hate I can’t get over here more often.” Ya took a sip of his. Giving a hum of approval. “But i make sure to find time out the week to come over and visit.”

After a few minutes of conversation, the bell dinged to introduce a group of customers. Moving both Ya and Yana off to the side by themselves. She looked off for a moment and he got a glimpse of her close up. Her features were soft and he wondered if her skin felt as soft as he imagined. The scent of her perfume was soft and similar to strawberries. He loved it.

“Sorry, if I’m being to forward but..” He cleared his throat before straightening up. Mentally encouraging himself. “Would you allow me treat you to dinner sometime? Just a night of me proving myself to you.”

#yahya #yahya abdul mateen ii #oneshot #black reader #plussized reader #black plus size reader #one shot

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farmerlarrry · 5 months

Text

Orange Slices (Joel Miller x f!reader)

masterlist | chapter twelve | chapter eleven | read on ao3 | playlist

story summary: A story about finding companionship and love in the midst of chaos.

a/n: I read a few books and remembered how to write again :) Sorry for being gone for so long. I will be doing a huge revise of the whole story, just because I had planned on doing that all along… and of course I kept putting it off and before I knew it I was almost 15 chapters in, so between the time of posting this updated and chapter 14 and writing chapter 15, just keep in mind that I did not go MIA again, I am working on updates. I'm going to try to get chapter 14 up tomorrow!

**I wrote this at work so if there’s typos, I’m sorry. I tried my best to catch as many I could and I get so eager to post**

word count: 9005

if you want to be notified when I post new chapters, follow @farmerlarrrylibrary and put on notifications! If you'd rather be tagged, just let me know.

Chapter Thirteen

Fuck, fu–ck, you incoherently hear. The distant sound of someone’s voice draws you out of your state of sleep. Your eyes gently flutter open, eyelashes brushing up against your under eyes as you take a deep breath in and tensing your body up as a way to somewhat stretch your limbs due to the limited space offered by the couch. Must’ve been a part of a dream, you think as the silence makes your ears ring, your eyes darting around at different spots on the ceiling.

A fleeting feeling of intense nausea comes over you, as it does most mornings after you drink. You let a small moan escape past your lips as you run your hand over your stomach; you hate the feeling that you’re about to vomit more than anything. Rolling over onto your side, you nuzzle your face against the back cushion and pull the thick woven blanket further up your body to bask in the remaining warmth. The cold weather arrived early this year, leaving you shivering throughout the nights.

The longer you stay cuddled into the cushions of the couch, the comfier and more relaxed you become, your limbs now feeling like puddles of liquid. I’ll get up in a few minutes, you think to yourself, allowing your eyes to become heavy, not fighting your tiredness any longer. The swirling colors that the dim lighting of the room curated behind your eyelids begin to hypnotize you back to sleep.

That is until a loud thud comes from somewhere inside your house, causing you to shoot up from your lying position, still clutching on tightly to the blanket. Panic washes over you and your heart is beating faster than it has in a long time. You have your eyes locked on the staircase, straining your hearing for any indication where the noise may have come from.

God damnit, the quiet but gruff voice of a man causes you to quickly turn around toward the kitchen, more muttering follows, but you can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Just as you begin to take a small step forward, Joel pops up from behind the counter, tossing the paper bag filled with coffee grounds on the surface. He is very visibly frustrated, letting out a soft sigh. You find yourself to be somewhat confused, shifting your eyes just past him; the cabinet door is slightly ajar and two mugs sit side by side on the counter.

As his head comes past the edge of the counter, the two of you immediately lock eyes, widening at your presence as if he were surprised. You’re in my house, you think. You toss the blanket onto the couch, only breaking eye contact for a few short moments. Joel’s mouth opens slightly, however nothing comes out.

“You scared me,” You say quietly, yet relieved. Your heart still feels as if it were beating outside of your chest.

“Shit, sorry,” His words came out as mumbled, resting his palms flat against the edge of the countertop and leaning his weight into his hands. He looks down for a moment, letting out a breath of air as you come around the back of the couch, situating yourself across from him. “I was tryin’ not to wake you.”

Joel appears to be slightly embarrassed by the current situation, his cheeks very subtly stained pink and he’s rubbing his thumb over the laminate countertop. As the two of you continue to stand there, you can’t help but feel confused; confused as to why he’s in your house, not that you’re upset by the fact– just confused. Although, who knows what you potentially said to him, after James left, the last thing you remember is finishing off the bottle of alcohol while Joel quietly sat at the table across from you, babying the small glass he ended up pouring himself. You cringe at the thought.

“When did you become so… domesticated,” You say dryly, meaning it as a joke, jutting your chin towards the mugs, going up on your tiptoes to see the coffee ground that laid messily in a pile in the ground. It was hard imagining Joel as anyone other than who he’s shown you; a man who will kill to survive– do anything to survive– not someone who brews coffee in the morning for himself and his… whatever.

Joel follows your gesture, bringing his hand up to his chin, rubbing it gently with his thumb and forefinger. You cock your head waiting for his response. Although you intended it as a joke, you were still curious. This wasn’t typical Joel, not the one you knew, or at least not the one you thought you knew.

“Was tryin’ to make some coffee before we head out, but I hit my head on the cabinet door and dropped the grounds,” He followed up, gesturing first to the cabinet and then to the loose coffee grounds that were still scattered on the ground. Joel drew some air before continuing. “I changed your kitchen light by the way, the one that kept flickerin’, nearly gave me a damn headache last night.”

“Last night?” You furrow your brows, the mention of it brings you a sense of impending doom, your stomach twisting up in knots. Closing your eyes, you let out a huff of air. “Right, last night.”

Your voice sounds muffled.

With your eyes closed, all you can see is tJames’ face and the way it changed from his sweet smile to a look of utter dismay. You feel guilty for lying to him and you thought that by drinking you could drown out that guilt, but now it’s the next day, you feel even guiltier and you feel like shit. This time, you’ve dug yourself into a hole you weren’t quite sure how you were going to get yourself out of. What do you even tell James? Sorry, the sudden return of a man who, for some reason, I cannot get off my mind and makes my heart flutter like it never has before, caught me off guard so for the time being I’m just going to tell you to fuck off. Please just give me some time and space while I figure things out. No, absolutely not. If it had been anyone else besides James, maybe.

“Take these,” Joel breaks you out of your thoughts. He’s sliding two pills across the counter and then fills a glass up with water from the sink. “Maybe a shower will help too, you were pretty messed up when I left last night.”

You let out a small hum, picking up the pills from the counter and throwing your head back, swallowing them at once. Joel continues to watch you carefully, running his eyes all over you. You raise your eyebrows at him, which seems to snap him out of some sort of daze. He clears his throat, turning to the now boiling percolator.

“I got our assignment today,” Joel says. The realization he is returning to patrol makes you happy, something you had been secretly hoping would be the case.

“The hunting sheds,” the two of you say in unison. Joel gives you a single nod, pursing his lips. You simply stare back at him.

The hunting shed was one of your least favorite assignments. It’s fairly easy other than the fact you’re out all day, climbing up and down steep hills. It’s more so tiring than hard, but it’s something that obviously must be done to keep the security of Jackson up to par.

“Yeah, hope you’re ready for a full day of fun,” His tone is sarcastic. You can tell he is definitely not looking forward to it either.

You give him a very obvious fake smile, letting your palms drag along the counter as you turn to head for the stairs, desperately hoping this shower will be your saving grace from how horrible you feel.

–

You take the steps downward slowly as you dry your hair with the already damp towel, only stopping for a brief moment on the bottom step when you see Joel sitting at the table. He has one of his ankles propped up on the other leg’s knee, a mug in one hand and the other is holding up one of the old newspapers you always leave on the table. He seems to be engulfed in whatever he’s reading, his eyebrows furrowing as his eyes dart across the page, reading it line by line. The massive stack of newspapers that were once neatly stacked on one end of the table are now messily strewn about.

Quietly, you come up from behind him, glancing down at the paper and running your eyes along the bolded article titles. This one you know particularly well after the many rereads you’ve done. September 13, 2003; Community Development Plan Completed, building is to start November of this year!; Jackson Men To Complete 2,350 Mile Kayak Trip, 2,050 Miles down with 300 Miles to go! A part of you wondered if they ever did complete their trip, and did they come back into town to the infected, or how exactly that all went down.

As you pass Joel, your elbow grazes his bicep, causing him to jump, likely startled by your sudden presence; neither of you say anything. The chair he’s sitting quietly squeaks as he shifts his weight, while you make a beeline directly for the stove. As you reach for the mug Joel set out for you, he clears his throat, causing you to glance at him over your shoulder.

You let out a small hm, prompting him to spill whatever is currently on his mind before turning back around.

“You read these often?” he says, the paper crinkling as he folds it back up.

“Most mornings… gives me something to do,” you respond dryly as you slowly fill your mug, stream rolling off the top and the moist warmth hitting the bottom side of your chin.

“Seems like a lifetime ago.” He says in a small voice. The statement is so simple, yet seems loaded.

“No kidding.” You say softly, you’re not even sure if he heard you.

You turn around to face him with your mug in hand, giving him a tired look while you run your fingers across the tattered edge of the countertop with your free hand. There is no denying that you feel like shit. The shower didn’t help and you are almost positive the coffee isn’t going to do anything either. Your exhaustion must be obvious because Joel is looking at you sympathetically, carefully watching you as you stand leaning against the edge of the countertop. Taking a sip of your coffee, you look at him through the rim of your mug, the two of you meet each other's eyes. Joel quickly looks away, sitting up straighter in his chair and setting the newspaper down on the table. He lets out a deep sigh, using the wooden surface to push himself upright.

“I’m gonna go get the horses ready to go,” He says while walking over to the sink and setting his empty upside down, then pulling a thermos out from the side of his bag. “Meet me at the stables in 15 or so… will that be enough time for you?”

You nod your head, pulling your lip in between your teeth as he turns and walks toward you.

Placing his hand just above one of your hips, you take a few steps to the side, to which he steps where you were once standing. The feeling on his fingertips against your side makes your stomach jump and you have to fight against your instinct to shiver. He fills his thermos with coffee, you staring at him, watching his face. He glances at you, you can see his throat bob as he prevents the percolator from dripping down the side of his container. The air is still. Your eyes dart down to his bottom lip which he is toying at with his teeth. Your heart begins to thump loudly in your ears, he’s making it hard not to imagine what it’d be like to be the one toying with it for him.

“I’ll see you in a few,” he says awkwardly, and you give him a shy nod.

The moment Joel leaves, you can feel your body relax, letting out a small huff of air. You mindlessly gather different supplies, making sure you have a lunch packed. As you’re doing so, you let your mind wander, how you were going to handle things with James, now that Joel is back. It feels wrong to continue things with James, especially when he’s not who you want– he was never who you wanted.

Whether Joel feels the same way, doesn’t factor into your decision.

–

The air is quite a bit chillier than you expected. This year the cold weather has come early, something that sort of threw the community for a loop. The town square is always already filled with people by 6am due to the increased workload in the gardens, making sure everything can be harvested before the cold gets to it. Today was no different, you could hear the bustling of the townspeople the moment you took a step out from your house. The murmurs make your ears buzz.

You’re messing with the floppy straps of your backpack that always find a way to twist, not quite paying attention as you come out of the side pathway that separates your part of the community and the townsquare. When you finally look up, you immediately notice James and Joel and they are very obviously arguing. People start to slow down as they pass by them, confused as to what could possibly be going on between the two men. You are wondering the same. Did James say something to Joel? Would Joel really be that upset about something like that? You think, slowing your pace. You can feel your eyebrows draw together, your teeth clenching down hard.

As people pass by, leaving an opening for you to look through, you then notice Nessa standing a few feet behind James as well as Tommy engaged in what seems to be a pretty intense conversation based on his active nodding and hardened facial expression with Maria. You feel your heart sink into your stomach. Continuing your slow pace, you observe the loosely formed group.

Nessa and you catch eyes, a fire is burning behind her eyes, before walking over to Tommy, tapping his shoulder, and gesturing in your direction. In unison, the four all stop their conversations, turning to look at you. They each hold a different facial expression. Joel appears to be heavily annoyed but his look softens when the two of you make eye contact, James looks nervous and mildly perturbed, Tommy’s usually cheery expression has been exchanged for an outright stressed one, and Maria looks concerned yet confident as always. The range of emotions make your stomach churn.

As soon as you and Tommy make eye contact, he lurches forward, quickly approaching you with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his worn jeans. You stop in your tracks, hoping he can give you the run down of exactly what the fuck is going on.

“You’ve been doin’ your patrol alone?” He doesn’t waste time asking, his voice is hushed not wanting the other around to hear. He places his hands on your shoulder and blocks you out of the view of the others. His usual kind, soft eyes are now intense and dark.

Fuck, you think to yourself, parting your lips ever so slightly, not quite sure what to say. You kept Tommy in the dark about this, not wanting him to worry and honestly, it was better if he didn’t know. You explicitly lied when he would ask you about patrol or when you’d tell him peculiar stories about the events that happened out on patro, usually pulling someone’s name out of thin air whoever was your partner for that day.

“James came to Maria this mornin’ with some concerns about you,” Tommy adds, anticipating your response, desperately hoping that James’ accusations aren’t the truth, or at least not the whole truth. His expression is pleading, darting from one part of your face to another.

As soon as James’ name rolls past Tommy’s lips, you dart your eyes over to him, who quickly tips his head down toward the ground, completely avoiding you. You can feel your face feel with heat which only makes the throbbing in your head to worsen, and chaos begins to brew in your chest. Fucking James.

“Tommy,” you say, sounding outright guilty and round your posture. Sweat begins to pool in your palms, soaking into the strap of your bag that you were still tightly holding onto. He lets out a disappointed sigh, shifting his eyes past you.

“Jesus Christ,” He says breathily, slightly shaking his head. He begins to knead his fingertips into your shoulder blade, taking a moment longer to think. You stare at him blankly. “Okay… we’ll figure this out, just tell Maria the truth, I’ll see what I can do after that… but she is not going to like hearing this.”

“Yeah,” you say quietly in defeat, looking down at your feet before looking back up at Tommy. “I’m sorry Tommy.”

When he finally looks back at you, he gives you a pitiful smile, one that quickly fades. Sliding his hand back between your shoulder blades, he guides you over to the rest of the ground. Nessa is still giving you a deathly stare, which annoys you because a few days ago the two of you were fine, you were laughing together over some old memory from your time as school girls. What changed so suddenly?

You can see her mouth move, saying something just quiet enough to where you couldn't hear her with you still being a few yards away. Joel’s face twists up, twisting his upper body toward her. Don’t fucking say that, his voice is unmistakable, and so is the harsh intent behind his words. She’s very clearly biting her tongue, fighting the urge to shoot something back at him, but before she can make the decision to respond, Joel turns away from her, chewing on his bottom lip. You can see the anger boiling inside her as she sticks her tongue in her cheek, shaking her head.

As you come up to the group, she scoffs, storming off into the opposite direction.

“What’s going on,” you ask. Your body is facing Maria, but you keep your eyes fixated on James who still won’t look at you.

“James’ had some… concerns regarding your patrols, would you be able to talk in my office? Me, you, Tommy?” Maria responds cooly, her tone seems hesitant yet confident. You’re sure this must be an awkward thing to do, the whole he said, she said situation. You force yourself to swallow against the lump of anger in your throat.

“Of course,” The annoyance you feel hangs heavy onto your words as they come out of your mouth.

You glance between James over to Joel and you begin to follow Tommy and Maria. His eyes are intense and you notice the quick rise and fall of his chest.

“I’m coming too,” Joel’s voice is loud as he tightens his grip around the bottom of his pack straps, taking a step forward towards you. A few community members who remained to watch, exchanged looks between each other.

Maria lets out a heavy sigh before turning around.

“If he’s going, then I am too,” James quickly adds. You know he doesn’t actually want to be there, but if Joel is going then he must too. You roll your eyes.

“Neither of you will be joining us,” She says firmly. “James, you already told us your concerns, I will speak to her, get her side of things and then I will handle it from there. And Joel… you haven’t been here, so I’m not quite sure why you are concerning yourself with things that you would have no idea about.”

You slowly shift your attention from Maria over to Joel, who is clenching his jaw. He’s looking at Tommy who refuses to look back, kicking at the dirt and rocks with his hands back in his pockets. When Joel realizes he won’t be getting a response, he quickly turns on his heel, giving you an emotionless look, and heading towards the entrance of the community. James is quick to follow, tailing closely behind Joel.

“C’mon,” Tommy juts his chin in the direction of the main building, reaching his arm out towards you.

–

It’s been a while since you’ve last been here. Everything remains the same, even the old dried flowers that still sit on the table between the two chairs in the center of the room. The morning glow illuminates the room with a warm glow, however the air is chilly. You have your palms resting on the rounded ends of the arms of the chair, slowly rubbing the back and forth. Maria and Tommy are standing in front of you; Maria is upright, her hands clasped together in front of her while Tommy is leaning against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed and shoulder slightly slouched. Even though you know both of them quite well at this point, it doesn’t stop you from feeling inferior, especially in the given situation.

“So, what’d he say,” You impatiently ask, your tone portraying your emotions very clearly. You already knew, but you wanted to know exactly what he told Maria.

Maria glances over to Tommy who returns with an awkward smile, unfolding his arms and pointing at himself. She gives him a single nod before he pushes himself upright, clearing his throat.

“Well, he came to Maria this morning, while we were talkin’,” He starts, “said he’s concerned– you haven’t been following the protocol or proper guard etiquette…”

He trails off, looking at Maria through his peripheral view who is waiting for him to continue. Her eyes are focused solely on him as if she were urging him to go on, silently supporting him through this tough conversation.

“He said something about you goin’ out, doing patrol by yourself,” Tommy finally finishes, a wheeze of air escaping past his lips before continuing, “‘n that he was concerned for your safety.”

You let out an amused scoff, shifting your weight in the chair. Concerned with my safety, his excuse was laughable. You knew exactly why he was doing this and it wasn’t his concern.

“I didn’t call in yesterday, I’ll admit to that, because I get it… it’s my responsibility to do that, and it slipped my mind,” you say, your throat burning as you speak. “But he’s known what I've been doing for months.”

Maria purses her lips and nods, walking over to the chair next to you and taking a seat. You turn your body towards her, waiting for her to say something.

“And that’s concerning for me, knowing that I've put him in charge and he’s allowing that,” she simply says. It was hard to read her calm demeanor, something that made you feel anxious.

You look at Tommy through your peripheral vision, he appears to be somewhat confused, staring at Maria.

“He also said you’ve been staying out late, sometimes the entire day,” she continues.

You can feel your nose twitch at the mention of you staying out past your patrol, you force yourself to slightly smile, although you know nothing will cover up your initial reaction. Your breathing becomes shallow. You’re completely done for. There’s nothing Tommy can do that will save you from being taken off patrol. You knew the chances, but you never thought James would be the reason you were caught. Your brain is racing with thoughts, trying to come up with something in response that may cover your ass.

Maria cocks her head and raises her eyebrows slightly, encouraging you to say something. Your mouth has gone dry. Time’s up, you think, letting out a small shaky breath.

“There’s an outlook I go to somedays– well, actually, most days,” Your voice is small. “I go there after I’m done with patrol, after I call in, and I just… think, I don’t know, I just do whatever.”

A feeling of embarrassment comes over you as you admit to your whereabouts. Telling them about the outlook feels shameful, and not for the reason that you aren’t supposed to be doing stuff like that. Them now being aware of a place that you connected with Joel through in absence made you feel sick, even if they don’t know that’s the reason why you went.

Tommy and Maria exchange looks again, this time her eyes softening.

“I know I’m not supposed to be doing that, I know it’s dangerous going out by myself, I just…” You say with your head hanging low. “When I’m out there, it’s the only time I feel like myself.”

Mmm, Maria quietly hums.

“About what happened at the dam–” She starts to say.

“Maria…” You abruptly cut her off, something you normally wouldn’t do, but you couldn’t listen any longer.“I don’t know what James told you, but I do my job. I do it exactly how I was taught and doing it by myself does not change that. I promise you I did not see anything out of the ordinary yesterday, otherwise I would have reported it the moment I saw it.”

You stare intensely into Maria’s eyes as you speak. It was the truth. You were good at what you did, whether you were alone or with someone else. Always being ready to go, ready to defend, ready to fight, to give your life if need be– it was all you knew in this new world, and you were good at it. You hadn’t made it this far on pure luck, anyone with a brain would know that. A one time mistake does not make that statement untrue and James all of a sudden coming forward with his concerns also does not make that untrue.

You can feel the anger creep its way up your throat as you think of James’ pettiness, how all of this was because Joel was at your house last night. Sure, you can agree that lying to James about having plans was wrong, but it didn’t make it right that he did this in response. How childish, you think.

The sound of Tommy clearing his throat pulls you out of your deep state of thought. Both you and Maria shift your attention to him.

“Maria, if you don’t mind, I was just thinkin’... with Joel being back,” Tommy says with a slight hesitation. He knew he shouldn’t be making any sort of suggestions without discussing with her first, but then again he promised he’d do everything he could to keep you out of trouble. This is him risking that to keep his promise to you. “There’s really no reason to punish her, ‘specially if James was the one allowing this, she took it as permission– him knowing, ya know… at least that’s what I assume. Her and Joel can just continue patrol together, then we take the rest up with James.”

You can feel yourself exhale in relief at his suggestion, a part of you slightly surprised by him throwing James under the bus. Regardless of Maria’s decision, you were grateful for Tommy having your back, proof that the two of you really are as close as you thought. The two of you carefully watch Maria as she contemplates his suggestion, her eyes glaze over as she thinks.

She gives a slight nod to Tommy, who glances over to you, giving you a short lived smile before you turn your attention back to Maria.

“You and Joel, never just you and never just Joel, is that clear?” She says, giving you a serious look. “Make sure you call in after every patrol, I do not want to hear any of this it slipped my mind nonsense again.”

“Yes ma’am,” You respond affirmingly, sitting up straighter in the chair. “I promise.”

“And you’ll be sure to pass that onto Joel?” Maria directs to Tommy as she rises from her sitting position.

“Yes, of course,” He says.

–

Tommy stayed back to have a few more words with Maria, telling you that he would be just behind you to talk to Joel. Don’t let him leave without talking to me first, he requested. You’re moving your legs as fast and they will allow you to move them, knowing your already long day has become even longer due to heading out so late now. On top of that, the animosity you now felt did not help with your headache and queasy stomach.

With the stables now in view, you see James standing out front by the wooden gate with Nora and a couple of the other guards. He’s using one of his arms to prop himself up as he leans against one of the wooden posts. Since you saw him earlier this morning, he’s had a complete mood shift; he’s laughing, his cheeks rosy with glee, his eyes soften as he jokes around with the others, lighting hitting the back on his hand against one of the men standing to his side. Seeing him like this, thinking he succeeded in his plan to get you in trouble, makes your heart skip a beat, a feeling of rage quickly taking over your rational thought. You begin to charge toward him, taking bigger and longer strides.

The moment he sees you, the blood drains from his face as if he has just seen a ghost. His jaw tenses up. Perfect, you think. The closer you got to him, the more you struggled to keep the newfound deep hatred for him from exploding out of you..

“What?” You yell out to him, charging straight for him with blurred tunnel vision. “You surprised to see me?”

Typically, you are not the confrontational type, but James crossed the line by going to Maria; putting the one thing you had that kept you sane on the line. Your anger hit a boiling point seeing him act as if nothing had happened and you didn’t care who heard what or who would be caught in the crossfire of it all.

“Get ready to head out, I’ll be right behind you guys,” He quickly says. Nora and the others give you a conflicting look almost as if they were confused by your brashness towards James.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” You say to them, shifting your attention onto James when you are finished. There’s a bite in your tone that has made everyone in hearing distance stop in their tracks. “I didn’t get taken off of patrol duty like he wanted.”

James’ face drops at your announcement, his face twisting up. He’s shocked– shocked that his plan did not work. Seeing him like this was priceless, though the only thing you wanted to do was shove that confused and wide eyed face of his into the horse manure that was scattered around the stable grounds.

“You didn’t?” He says quietly, staring at you with furrowed brows. You couldn’t miss the surprise in his tone.

Your anger cools for a second and you take a step in closer, crossing your arms and looking up at him through your browline darkly.

“What the fuck was that about?” your words come out shakily as you try to act calm and collected. Your breath feels like it's coming out in flames. This was just meant for him to hear, you hushened your tone so no one, not even the shadows of his companions, could hear.

“I was concerned,” His tone is monotonous, not breaking eye contact with you. His chest was heaving at this point as he struggled to control it.

“Bullshit, James,” You practically hiss through your teeth. “You’re telling me this has nothing to do with Joel last night?”

His eye twitches at the mention of him showing up at your house. You can see his throat bob as he struggles to remain apparently unaffected.

“You lied to me,” he says slowly. “Lied about you and Nessa, lied about you and–”

“What’s goin’ on?” Joel calls out, coming out of the stable with Callus in hand. He gives you a look of concern before handing off the horses’ lead to one of the stable workers. James scoffs, gesturing towards Joel with one of his hands, giving you a sarcastic smile. His eyebrows are raised halfway up his forehead to tell you that he didn’t even need to say exactly who he was referring to.

Just as you open your mouth to speak, you feel someone rest their hands on your shoulders, lightly squeezing them, almost an nonverbal way of telling you to stand down. It’s Tommy, and he’s shaking his head, urging everyone to drop this. You chew on the inner flesh of your bottom lip, contemplating your choices. Narrowing your eyes, you take one step forward, Tommy’s hands now slipping away from you.

“Fuck you,” You whisper to James as you brush up past him, your shoulder firmly knocking into his. One of the stable workers opens the gate for you, giving you a firm nod as you pass by.

“Yeah? Fuck me?” he responds, now raising his voice in a way you’ve never heard from him before. “After everything I’ve done for you, for being there for you– now he’s back you’re just going to pretend we–”

Just as you begin to turn on your heel, Tommy cuts in and takes complete control over the situation.

“Hey,” Tommy shouts in a stern tone, cutting James off before he can finish. “Drop it, now. Maria would like to speak to you, tell your friends to go to the North tower, see if they need any help there today.”

James looks dumbfounded by Tommy, almost offended by him obviously choosing sides. He remains standing at the post for a moment longer, staring at the ground with his hands kneading at his hips, before turning to face his friends. You could hear the unmistakable sound of his voice, unable to make out what he was saying to them with the distance you created.

You watch as Nora starts walking back towards the main part of the community while the rest aren’t shy to hide their dirty looks from you. Initially, you didn’t care that much, not entirely bothered by their hateful stares, but it still somewhat hurt deep down inside of you. As angry as you were at James, it hurt you that this was how he thought to get back at you; how intental the damage that would have been caused if it hadn’t been for Tommy. Not being able to take the group’s lingering looks any longer, you drop your head to stare at the ground anticipating their departure.

“By the way, Charles has been wondering where you’ve been– Dot and Henry too,” James calls out from the other side of the gate. Now he’s the one who doesn’t care about who overhears. “Never quite sure what to tell them.”

“James,” Joel growls.

James head shoots in his direction, his reaction directly influencing Joel to take large strides over to the where James stood, the only thing separating the two is the rotting wooden fencing, something that could easily be bypassed. Tommy immediately comes between the two serving as another barrier, placing his hand on James’ chest. James swipes at Tommy’s arm.

“I’m leaving, damn,” He says quietly, giving a deathly glare as Joel and then you.

Callus nudges at one of your shoulders from behind causing you to turn, James’ look burned into your mind. You’re doing everything you can to stop your lip from quivering, running your hand down the smooth snout of the horse which has come to comfort you. Joel returns from the fence, quickly fixing your twisted strap on your backpack. You can feel him staring at you from your side, but you keep your eyes forward, avoiding his gaze– afraid of what might come out of you if you were to look at him. Last thing I need is for everyone, especially him to see me cry, you soothe yourself, desperately holding onto what's left of your ego.

Tommy has now joined the two of you by the entrance of the main stable building, forcing you to face the two men now. Joel takes a step closer to you, your arms brushing up against each other.

“You know this already,” He says to you before fixing his eyes on Joel. “You two stay together, no one does patrol alone… I mean that, Joel.”

Tommy glares at him until Joel acknowledges what he says. Joel gives a simple, single nod which causes Tommy to finally release a long breath of air, his chest very visibly falling.

“Okay,” He says in relief, returning back to his normal self. “We’re still doing dinner tonight right?”

Mhm, Joel hums along with a nod, his hands are stuffed deep in his pockets.

“I’ll meet you there, ‘round 7,” Tommy replies. “Be safe.”

He gives your arm a reassuring squeeze before exiting through the stable’s fence gate and returning to the main part of town. Joel and you are left standing there for a moment. You aren’t quite sure what to say and by Joel’s expression he isn’t quite sure either.

“Everything okay?” Joel is the first to speak, his tone somewhat dry.

Is everything okay? You mock him in your own thoughts. You want to roll your eyes, instead opting for a blake stare. You pass him, heading into the stables to start helping the others where were in the process of readying Lucky.

–

Without exchanging any deciding words, you took the lead for today’s assignment. As per usual, leaving the horses at the old worn down barn that was treated as a halfway point between the community and the treeline that led to the dense forested area. The anger from the events of this morning clung onto you fiercely and no matter how much you tried to push it away, it clung on tighter.

Joel was caught in the crossfire of these events. You weren’t mad at him, but that didn’t stop you from taking it out on him no matter how badly you didn’t want to. Between leaving the front gates to now, Joel tried to talk to you, tried making conversation. You're going to be warm enough with just that, he asked, gesturing to your hoodie tied around your waist. All you could get yourself to do in response was shrug your shoulders, not caring enough to even give him a second look.

“I came over last night to talk to you about somethin’” Joel says, the words coming out weak through his tired breathing. Initially his words piqued an interest with you, but that faded just as quick as it came. “But-uh, didn’t seem like the right time once I was there.”

“And right now is?” You responded just as breathily. The never ending steep hill seems to have taken a toll on you– both of you.

“I’d rather get it over with, good time as any, I suppose,” he says, pausing as if he were waiting for you to give him the go ahead to continue. You felt like you had already given him your answer, letting him decide whether he wanted to go on or not. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “About what happened the day I left…”

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter under your breath, quickening your pace, trying to let Joel fall behind to avoid talking about that. Perhaps on any other day, as uncomfortable as it would have been, you’d be willing to talk about it, but not today… not in the state of mind you're currently in. “There’s nothing to talk about, Joel, I misread your intentions and… and it's been a year. We have a job to do, so let’s just get it done.”

“That’s not–” He takes a deep breath, letting it out forcibly as if he were annoyed. “I tried stopping by your place before I left.”

“Stop,” you say with a bit more bite than you intended.

“I don’t want you to think–” Joel pressed on, truly determined to say whatever he wanted to say.

“Stop it,” you spit. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does now that I’m back,” he raises his voice to talk over you. “I want to make sure–”

“Make sure we’re good?” you interrupt him. “We are, so drop it.”

The two of you come to a stand still. Joel’s chest is quickly rising and falling, his cheeks stained pink by the energy required to climb up the steep hill. A breeze picks up, sweeping Joel’s longish hair over his eyes; he pushes the strands out of way, still holding eye contact with you.

Taking a deep breath as a way to cleanse your mind, an attempt to shake off this anger you feel, you begin to head up the hill again. This time slowing your pace to allow Joel to keep up without exerting himself too much. You both still had a long day ahead of you whether you wanted to be there or not.

As silence ensued, Joel finally accepted that no matter how hard he tried, you did not want to talk to him that night. Although you didn’t want to talk about it, it didn’t stop random thoughts from popping up in your mind. You couldn’t build up the courage to make one particular thought known, to ask him the burning question that haunted you since he left.

Joel managed to make his way to your side, his presence startling you from your deep state of thought. He didn’t say anything, just tightening his grip on his shoulder straps and giving you a quick glance. His jaw clamped shut.

“Were you planning on leaving before…” You stop prematurely as the words rushed out of your mouth, the burning in your chest disappearing the moment you let the words enter reality. A shaky exhale escaped past your lips. Why does it matter, you questioned your own words, if he says no, then what? What does it change?

A nasty feeling overcomes you when he doesn't react, not even looking up from his focused stare at the ground. Nothing? You think, your throat begins to close in on itself.

“Let’s just get this done, I’m tired and my head hurts,” you say, your heart feeling like it shattered into a million pieces.

–

After your little spat with Joel neither of you speak for a long while. A few task related words had been exchanged, but nothing beyond that. As the day ran longer and your mind returned to a neutral state, you felt bad for how you treated Joel. You felt bad for taking out your problem with James on him.

“Sorry I was mean earlier,” you say quietly, picking at the sandwich you brought for lunch today. “Just the whole thing with James, you know?”

“You’re okay, darlin’” Joel says, the words coming out of his mouth smoothly, sending a blanket of warmth over your entire body. “James does that to people, I would know.”

You force yourself to smile, although the guilt of how you treated him earlier when you were still seething with anger continued to eat at you.

“Take this,” Joel added, causing you to look up from your food which you had balanced on one of your knees. He pulled out a neatly folded flannel from his backpack. It turns out that the hoodie you brought was in fact not warm enough, and between your shivering body and your chattering teeth, it must’ve been obvious. “You’re makin’ me cold just watchin’ you.”

You mutter a small thanks to him as you meet him in the middle, taking it from him without any rebuttal or hesitation. As you slip your arms through the baggy sleeve, Joel’s smell engulfs you. Your heart flutters, quickening its pace, and your stomach twists into a knot. A smell that you couldn’t quite describe beyond comforting and one that warmed to the core, more warmth than any jacket could offer you.

“You said you had some stuff to wrap up in Boston” you ask, trying to continue the conversation from earlier and receive some sort of answer from him. Your mouth became dry as you chewed slowly on a small piece of stale bread. “What’d you have to do?”

“A friend, her name’s Tess,” he begins, his words coming out slowly. You remember Joel mentioning Tess once before, a long time ago. “I’ve known her for a while– met her on the road with Tommy after the outbreak happened.”

“I remember you mentioning her,” you say, carefully watching his expression for any changes.

“Yeah, she’s-uh badass… real badass,” he responds, his eyes lighting up. Not good, you tell yourself as a feeling of jealousy washes over you. “I wasn’t planning on being gone so long, but she needed help finishing up some deals, tried convincin’ her to come out with me, but she wanted to stay, so…”

You could see a hint of smile as he spoke about her and then a bit of sorrow at the end.

“You love Tess?” You remember asking him before if they were together, a part of you wondered if that had changed between then and now.

The question catches him off guard.

“No,” He immediately shoots back, his face twisting into a complex expression you couldn’t quite read. “No, no… it’s not like that. We’ve been through a lot together though, and– and I guess sometimes that has blurs the lines a bit.”

You didn’t know how to respond to that so you let the conversation come to an end. The faint song of birds soon fills the air giving you something to listen to as you think over his words over and over again. He doesn’t love her but he feels something for her, you think, the jealousy stabbing into your stomach repeatedly.

“I don’t mean this in a…” He starts, stopping a moment to think, “are you sure Nessa’s your friend?”

The mention of Nessa amidst all of the mess Joel witnessed this morning provokes a laugh from you. You have to bite your lip in order for you to stop and answer his inquiry.

“After this morning, I have no idea,” You tell him nothing but the truth. “We were friends a few days ago. What’d she say?”

Joel shook his head, his eyes lowering to his hand which had been fumbling with the edge of a paper bag that held the jerky he brought along.

“C’mon,” you egg him on. By his reaction, you knew it had to have been nasty and knowing Nessa, you weren’t surprised. You knew how she could get, the things she came up in her mind to say about people who crossed her the wrong way. Though, you never thought you’d be in her line of fire.

“It doesn’t matter,” he shook his head again.

“Why are you protecting me?” His resistance causes you to become annoyed. “First with James, now this.”

“James?” He says almost as if he had no idea what you’d been talking about.

“At the stables,” You try to cool your tone, now trying to come off nonchalant. “When he tried to provoke me about Charles and his kids, and even before….”

Joel scoffs, a sense of embarrassment hidden behind it.

“I’m not protectin’ you, I– I–” he stammers and throws the half filled paper bag onto the base of his bad. “It doesn’t matter what she said because it wasn’t true.”

You force down the rest of the food you brought along, not necessarily because you wanted to but more so because it gave you something to do while Joel sulked. The usual Joel that you knew too well returned, and he became standoffish. You didn’t pay much mind to it because something told you that his little mood swing wouldn’t last, so all you could do was wait it out. He put up with my mood earlier, I guess it's only fair if I do the same, you told yourself, stealing glances of the slouching man sitting adjacent from you.

Joel suddenly his throat, catching your attention.

“What do you do when you aren’t on patrol?” His words came out dry, but seemed genuinely curious.

You let out a puff of air. A whole lot of nothing, you thought and what you wanted to tell him. Nothing important or worth talking about.

“I drink with some friend,” you state simply, letting your voice falter on the last word. Joel picked up on your intonation of friends, narrowing his eyes.

“Friends?” He nearly mocked you perfectly. “Who?”

You have to bite your tongue from letting out a small giggle. He should get a kick out of this, you think.

“Don’t laugh,” you say, looking at him through your browline, a small smile appearing on your face. “I spent quite a bit of my evening with Heather and Aimee, Drew too… and Nessa of course, that whole group.”

You very specifically left James out of that out of spite, but you were sure Joel would include him as he was a part of that group. Joel, of course, laughed, nearly choking on his water that he just took in from his canteen.

“I told you not to laugh,” You broke out into a smile as Joel wiped his mouth clean from water and saliva. “Besides, there’s not that many people to choose from.”

“There’s enough people to not choose them,” he quickly rebuttal in a joking tone. You just shrug, mainly because he wasn’t wrong. “I’m assumin’ James is apart of that mix too.”

“Yeah, James is there too,” Your face drops. At least he was, you added just to yourself, Or at least I was, you corrected yourself knowing that the gang would choose him over you in any instance, including Nessa.

“What happened between you two?” He asked genuinely, cocking his head to the side as he studied you. “Is he your–”

“Friend I suppose,” You cut him off desperately wanting him to disassociate you and James as being that. “Just a friend.” You weren’t sure if you clarified for him or more for yourself. “Just some petty drama, hopefully it’s over now.”

That seemed to satisfy Joel’s curiosity because he didn’t press any further or ask more questions regarding your friends.

As you pack up your things, now in a much merrier and less hangry mood than before lunch, you catch Joel watching you. Not watching you in a way that he had in the past. It was almost as if he were stuck on you, unable to peel his eyes off of you even if he wanted to. The shift in the air made butterflies form in your stomach at his consistent attention, you tried to ignore it until you couldn't. The two of you lock eyes as you meet him at the base of a rocky ledge.

“What?” you softly ask as you unbunch your many layers of clothes under the straps of your bag.

“Hm,” he half-consciously responds as if he didn’t entirely grasp onto what you just said.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you expand your question further, causing him to blink quickly a few times as if it were bringing him back to the present moment.

“Like what?” he frantically darts his eyes along the ground, furrowing his brows.

“Like–” you begin to say, but the words are stuck in your throat, unwilling to be heard. With your heart fluttering, you continue. “Nevermind.”

But regardless, you saw it in his eyes.

You saw it.

–

By the time the two of you make it back, the sun has nearly fully set for the day. Your legs hurt, you’re tired, and you’re hungry. The staff who had been there when you left had now all gone home leaving you and Joel to put all the equipment and horses away for the night.

“You hungry?” Joel asks, grunting as he picks up one of the saddles to be put away.

“Very” you drag out the word, letting the exhaustion fill the word entirely.

“Why don’t you join Tommy ‘n I for dinner,” His voice is quiet, slightly nervous sounding. “Goin’ to Jackson BBQ, best BBQ in town.”

“It’s the only…” You begin to say, your exhaustion not allowing yourself to pick up on his joke, only stopping once you realize.

He gives you a slight smile which causes you to stop for a moment and take in his offer.

“I– I don’t want to intrude,” You say quietly, though you want to say yes a million times over. “I know how much he’s missed you, so…”

“He admitted that?” Joel asks with a smirk, wiping his hands off on his already dirty jeans and taking a step in front of you.

“Not in those words, but…” You smile, lowering your head to hide your face. Joel lets out a hearty laugh.

“Well, I want you to come,” He follows up with a laugh still lingering in his voice. His emphasis on want made you flinch, not in a bad way, but his directness catches you off guard. When you finally look up from the ground to look at him, he’s eyeing you nearly identical to when you had packed up after lunch. Your breathing hitches. “He won’t mind.”

Joel adds the last part after a few moments of silence between the two you, the soft neighs of the horses and rustle of the wind fill in the spaces.

You draw in a deep, slow breath; the cool air burning your lungs.

“Okay,” You finally agreed.

read chapter fourteen here!

painting divider | credit: @cottage-writings

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umccall71 · 7 months

Text

Chapter 22

Rating:Mature content includes profanity, sexual content,talks about depression.

Disclaimer:All characters are property of Pixelberry except my OC Lady Saige. The use of these characters are for entertainment only and i am only borrowing them.

Summary:After a summer of a lifetime,Prince Liam thought he could have it all.He was carefree, free,, and sharing time with the woman of his dreams.When life was easy, a balancing act between love and duty, he realizes his truths are lies, wrong is right, and decisions do have consequences. Lady Saige never imagined she would be one of his consequences.When an utter act horror throws her world into a tailspin.

Warning: This series contains subject matter of depression and hopelessness.The story may trigger certain individuals. Please be advised. If you’re reading this series you are acknowledging you are 18+.

A/N:Sorry for the long delay.Things have been hectic in my life for a bit.I had to take some time to focus on my health. Thanks for your understanding and support.

My apologies, my tag list is outdated since it has been a long time since I posted anything. Please message me if you wish to be removed from any future posts. I am looking to finish this story that was started years ago. . Apologies for any typos and misspelling.

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@ao719 @lodberg @romanticatheart-posts @eadanga @silviasutton1989 @rainbowsinthestorm @ownworldresident @jared2612 @the-soot-sprite @smalltalk88 @syphax @custaroonie @whenyourheartskipsabeat @marietrinmimi @furiousherringoperatortoad @gibbles45 @choices97 @fantasy-of-fiction @drakensworld @simsvetements @blackcatkita @3pawandme @indiacater @elles-choices @lauradowning29 @carabethpow

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It had been 48 hours since the decision had been made to go public about the nightmare and tragedy that had changed the very core of their life together. Liam had Bastien coordinate with the office for Ana De Luca to get the interview scheduled. This was going to be such an exposed moment for her, for them. The monarchy had a history of concealing the not so sunny facets from the people. The faces of the crown only showed that which would be received well by the Cordonian citizens. It was rare that any bad news was willingly shared, especially such a heinous crime against the crown by the crown. Liam made sure to check in repeatedly with Saige if she was certain that she would want to move forward with the interview. He made sure that Miss DeLuca understood that his Queen had the final say in whether she wanted to broadcast the interview, or how much got shared.

“Bastien, is everything prepared in the gazebo for the interview?”, Liam inquired.

“Your majesty, Miss DeLuca is aware that her majesty has the final call on what topics will be covered during the interview. She has also signed a non-disclosure agreement. There will be minimal members of the press present during the interview to assure that Queen Saige is completely at ease.”

Liam nodded, clapped Bastien on the shoulder and thanked him, “Bastien, it means a great deal to myself and Saige for all of your support during these last several months. There are a few trusted people we would turn to in these dark days. “

Bastien simply nodded and excused himself to complete the task at hand. “Sir, I will notify you when she arrives.” He turned on his heel after bowing to his monarch.

Liam adjusted his three-piece steel-gray suit as he made his way down the corridor from the study to the master suite to meet Saige to escort her to the gazebo.

“There will be better days”, she chanted quietly to herself in front of her mirror. Saige was doing her best to hold it together as she finished dressing for her interview.

Liam held onto the door jam as he watched her lovingly and determined to see her through this journey He watched as Saige tied the sash of her pale pink maxi dress that cascaded around her baby bump. She slid on the wedge heels and dabbed a little lip gloss on her supple lips. He interrupted her thought, “it’s really hard to make perfection any better.”

Saige smiled at her handsome husband that stood admiring her from the door. Liam moved closer to her and came to stand behind her in the mirror. He nuzzled her neck and gently kissed her cheek. “I’ll do my best not to mess up your make up, although you don’t really need it. Your beautiful as you are my love. “

Liam’s hands cupped her belly feeling his little love fluttering slightly. “I will never cease to be amazed at this feeling”, his blue eyes flashed brightly at the overwhelming feeling of love.

“Liam, is it time to go yet ?”, she asked barely audible. Saige shook her hands trying to release the slight tension from the bundle of nerve building in her body. Saige knew that once her story was shared that she may face some backlash from supporters of the former king. Here she was a virtual stranger in this country coming forward to reveal the atrocities exposed against her. All she wanted was to love Liam and hopefully love this child with fierce protectiveness. She recounted the night she and Liam made love and she professed her desire to start a family with him. He was a guiding force in these trying times. She had spent most of her life depending on herself or her dad. He was gone and she never had the forethought to think about a future that included a family of her own.

Liam turned her face and gently kissed her lips. “Saige, you have nothing to fear from telling the truth. I’m right beside you.”, he traced his thumb along her porcelain skin. “We are a team that cannot be taken for granted. I love you… I love our child… and I love the future we have to look forward to sharing.” He pulled her close to his chest, sending his warmth and safety through his embrace.

“Let’s go…you are going to make the country love you just as much as I do… if that’s possible.”Liam took Saige by the hand and led her out of the doors of the estate down to the gazebo.

*********

The Interview

Ana DeLuca: Ladies and gentlemen, I am joined today at the beautiful duchy Valtoria by King Liam and Queen Saige of Cordonia. The royals have allowed us a glimpse into what it’s been like for them over the last few months. Yes… we have wondered why the silence from the royal family, but soon we will learn some answers.

“Thank you both for allowing me into your home and a peek into your lives. So what has it been like for the two of you since the passing of the former king?”

Liam grasped Saige’s hand reassuringly and locked blue eyes as they composed themselves to answer.

King Liam: Thank you for having us Ms.DeLuca. It’s been quite a transition for our family in the last several months. My father… taking his life was surprisingly cowardice. He took his life to keep from facing his own crimes. He left behind more questions than answers. There were things that my father has been believed to have done throughout his reign here in Cordonia, but his recent actions have torn a hole in the fabric of our lives. The story we share is not so much of mine...as it is my queen’s.”

He turned slightly and placed a tender kiss on Saige's temple. He whispered softly to her, “love, the decision is yours as to how much is shared today. I love you and I am proud of you.”

Saige nodded and smiled softly, but it was clear to anyone that saw her that she was nervous and unsure. She gazed into Liam’s loving eyes and took a deep breath. She drew strength from him at that moment and every moment since her attack. Ana noticed her reluctance and smiled to the queen mouthing, “it’s okay.”

Ana DeLuca: “So Your majesty, I understand that there has been a lot of change in your life in recent months. Can you share with the Cordonian people a little about that?”

Queen Saige: “Ms. DeLuca, thank you for allowing us to speak to the citizens of Cordonia through your voice. This country has become my home. Meeting Liam has been the greatest joy of my life until… until we learned that we were expecting. Liam has been a godsend for me in these trying times.”

The blonde reporter seemed a bit puzzled by her response. Most people would be elated to have a new child on the way. Her eyes darted back and forth between the royal couple trying to decide how much to divulge to the public. Saige smoothed the fabric of her dress unknowingly. She tried to keep her emotions in check as she opened her personal pandora’s box. Saige anticipated the whispers and snide remarks when her truth was revealed. King Constantine...who would believe the beloved former king had violated her? She glanced at Liam and allowed her truth to flow.

Queen Saige: “Getting married, and starting a family would be an extraordinary gift, but our path was fraught. I came to Cordonia as part of a summer trip to spend time with my best friend from college… Duchess Olivia, but back then she was just Liv to me. She convinced me to spend some time in her beautiful home country and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.” She smiled and gently stroked Liam’s hand. “We came to spend an afternoon with some of her friends at a quiet get together, and it was there I met Liam...Prince Liam, only I hadn’t learned of his title just yet. We spent time together just talking and sharing some laughs. I was charmed by him immediately, but he was so down to earth. It was so amazingly easy to open up to him.”

Ana DeLuca: “ So are you saying you fell for each other instantly?” Ana leaned forward , she had become engrossed in their story. She smiled and looked between the two entranced.

King Liam: “ For me it certainly was… she's beautiful, charming, witty, compassionate, caring, intelligent… what’s not to love about her?” He smirked and lifted her hand to place a chaste kiss to her knuckles.

Queen Saige: “There was certainly a connection right away. Liam is a hard man to get out of your head. He spent the next several days trying to convince me to go out with him. He had dozens of flower bouquets sent every hour from sun up to sun down to Olivia’s estate. Finally, when the last arrangement had taken over her home, it was delivered with a note with his phone number asking me to call him.” Saige giggled reminiscing about the first time she allowed him into her heart. “I contemplated shortly and ended up calling him and we made plans for a first date. He took me to a lovely greek restaurant that we shared alone. I had no idea that he emptied the place out so that we would have some privacy. It was that night I finally learned that he was a prince.”

Liam's eyes were staring adoringly at her lips, and he was so in love… that much was evident to anyone. The way he would brush a stray tendril of her auburn locks out her face, the way he would grasp her hand and not let go, the smile that never left his face as they recounted their love story.

Queen Saige: “After that night we spent every free minute together that was allowed. We had late-night phone calls and it was the happiest I had been in a really long time. Then he did me the honor of inviting me to a ball at the palace. He surprised me with a beautiful gown and it was a night to remember, until it quickly turned into a night I couldn't forget.” Her facial expression became sullen, panic-stricken when she thought back to the night she first encountered the former king. “ That night’s events drove me from the palace and … and from Cordonia never being quite the same.”

Liam squeezed her hand and took over as she collected her thoughts. He knew this dark period caused her to shut down with everyone… including him.

King Liam: “ Little did I know that a short time later , Saige would disappear from my life. It had been months since she left without a word or forwarding address that I finally laid eyes on her again. It broke my heart to learn why she left, but I was grateful to be able to share with her what I truly felt...love... I loved her and had to make certain she knew.”

Liam seemed wistful as he thought of that tumultuous time. “After we both shared a tender reunion and I learned the truth, I realized I did not want to lose her again … so I proposed.”

The two of them happily smiled at the memory. “We married a short time later in Texas and again when we landed in Cordonia surrounded by a few family and close friends.”

Ana DeLuca: “So no one knew you two were married?”

King Liam: “ There were a few people that knew but respected our decision to make our announcement to the public. When the decision of my brother to step down was shared and it was known that I would be next in line for the crown and Saige agreed that we would be okay if I ascended to the throne, I had no choice but to go public being my father was pushing for a social season, but there was no need. I had my bride, my queen.” There was such tenderness in his gaze as he pronounced his love to the world.

Ana DeLuca: “ You announced the same night of the coronation that you two were going to become parents. Congratulations by the way. This is truly a monumental time for you two, for the monarchy.”

Queen Saige: “Thank you for your kind words...and yes it should have been an exciting time, but something changed a week after the coronation. You see, my husband was expected in Italy for a conference and I happen to have a doctor’s appointment the day after he left so I could not go with him.” Saige’s voice dropped low as she weighed the decision to open up.

“We chatted that night before bed and I had chosen to turn in early. Little did I know that there were other plans in the works that night. I woke up a short time later wanting a snack. It was then that I heard a noise coming from the living area. I thought nothing of it as I went to grab something to eat and a bottle of water.”

The queen became visibly affected as she continued to explain her personal hell in the palace. Her eyes became dampened with unshed tears, she could not allow her grief to stand in the way of her moment to free her spirit again.

“ I walked down the darkened hallway to be met by an enormous hand choking me into silence. This night, i was attacked within my home ...in my living room.”

Saige’s leg began to bounce from the nerves trying to bubble up. She wanted to run away, but she knew that wasn’t her answer. She couldn’t do that to Liam, she couldn’t do it to herself .She suddenly took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and looked at her loving husband. She knew that she needed to rely on his strength more than ever right now.

“That night, I was beaten and violently raped by … the former king. He had two guards, one of which was my own to hold me down and tear my clothing from my body. He… he uttered such vile things as he hurt me. His hand was over my mouth the entire time. He didn’t care the agonizing pain as I shook, pleading with my eyes to stop hurting me. Not to hurt my baby, but he didn’t… he never gave a damn what hell he put me through.”

Saige bit her inner cheek fighting like hell to keep from breaking down. She couldn’t let him steal this moment in time from her, from his grave. She had her family to think about. Without thinking her free hand moved down her body and gently cupped her belly. She felt a flutter within her willing her to continue to stand up to the demon that shared Liam’s bloodline.

“I spent days in the hospital… mostly unconscious… unaware of what had happened to me. I had no idea that my husband had to rush home to find out the atrocities that had been committed against us. I had no idea how to feel when I opened my eyes… finally and learned where I was and the fallout from king Constantine. The true extent of what he’d stolen from us that night.”

Saige looked down to her belly and willed herself to keep it together. Liam saw the pain etched in her porcelain features. Her beautiful blue eyes that were so full of pain, yet hopeful that something good could come of this. He squeezed her hand and nodded. Saige knew with this man , she was going to be okay. Liam looked at Ana DeLuca bearing a determined look in his eyes. He took over the moment while Saige collected herself.

King Liam: “I learned while my wife was out fighting for our baby’s life that she was severely beaten and damaged during the heinous act that caused her to lose our child.”

Ana looked bewildered as her eyes darted back and forth between the royals and then to the queen’s abdomen. Liam sensed her confusion and continued.

“ The meeting I had a short time after arriving with the doctor I learned of the miscarriage and I also learned that we were not expecting one child...but two. How do you process such a gift and a heartache at the same time? I had to think about how we would break the news to my queen.”

The sight of a monarch visibly emotionally moved by reliving the loss of a child bought Ana to tears. She tried to quickly recollect herself to not deviate from the interview.

Ana DeLuca: “King Liam, how did you come to terms with the loss of your child, your heir?”

King Liam:” I realize that the baby, our baby was the heir… but he or she was our family member first.That was a baby that we loved and planned for ...together. What do you do with the promise that is unrealized? Where do the future first experiences go? The first smile, the first steps, the first time hearing that little one call me daddy, the first giggles, the first time planning a birthday, our first holiday as a family… What do you do with that?”

Silence as Ana tried to process the hypothetical question. She saw a glimpse of the personal hell that her king and queen, Cordonia’s king and queen had been suffering. It made sense in a news flash sort of way that they were quiet in their personal life for a bit.As if reading her mind, Liam chimed in again.

“I had to… in that moment focus on helping my wife heal physically and emotionally. We were both reeling from the reality that our little family would be missing a part of our dream. I also had to come to grasp the abominable actions of the man who had violated my wife and caused the death of our unborn child.”

Liam paused at the realization hearing himself speaking aloud about how his world was turned upside down by his father’s actions.

“Apparently the former king was a coward unwilling to face the consequences of his actions.Rather than atone for going to his sins, he chose to take his own life. Here it was we were expecting the next generation of the Rhys royal bloodline, and to have a future cut short by our own family member.”

Liam clenched his fist at the thought of what injustice his father had perpetrated against Saige. He felt for what she had gone through… still was going through at the hands of his father.

Ana beautifully refocused the moment back to the queen.It was not lost on her the reaction as she listened intently as Liam shared the most devastating moment of her life.

Ana De Luca: “ma’am what do you want the citizens of Cordonia to take away from this interview?”

Saige paused thoughtfully as she considered what message she wanted to carry forward.

Queen Saige: “I want the citizens, I want our child to know that you can rise against all odds. You will see some dark times, but being surrounded by the people you love...and that love you, there is a better tomorrow. The pain will seem overwhelming and endless, but you must find a way to get out of bed in the morning… start to hope again by putting one foot in front of the other. I know by the grace of my king, I now feel a sense of purpose. We are going to invest that extra love into the child that will share life upon this world. I have to think that heaven must have made room for an angel a little early. I will think of our little that’s not able to walk amongst us here when I look into the eyes of the baby that’s on the way. When I hear the laughter of a Cordonian child, I will smile thinking of the laughter that was lost earlier this year. We did need some time to grieve and to pick ourselves up and continue pressing forward… but still I’ll rise … I’ll rise to fight another day.

Ana DeLuca: “Do you have any final words for our viewers king Liam?”

Liam smiled proudly at his queen. He felt this overwhelming feeling growing in his chest. He watched her conquer her fear. His father couldn’t hurt her anymore. She faced her boogie man in front of the country with such strength and determination.He stood and dropped down to one knee… bowing to his Queen.

King Liam: “I couldn’t say it any better than my queen. I echo her words and look forward to peace and prosperity for Cordonia. I want the best for our country and for our family.”

Ana DeLuca: “Thank you both your majesties for allowing us to share a glimpse into your worlds.”

Ana faced the camera and bid farewell to the viewers .

“Thank you for spending time with your monarchs Cordonia. We look forward to meeting the new heir once he or she make their entrance into the world.”

“And cut”... the cameras were turned off and the lights were dimmed.

Liam’s strong arms wrapped around his wife and he cupped her face in his hands. He smiled as he softly placed a tender kiss to the top of Saige’s head. “I am so very proud of you my love.”

She released a breath she did not realize she was holding. She outstretched her hands grabbing on his face. “I was so nervous Liam, but you being here meant the world to me.” She planted a quick peck on his lips.

He acknowledged Ana and her crew before turning to leave. “Ana, thank you for allowing us time to share our story. My head of security will see you to your transportation. Have a good night.”

Liam led Saige to the edge of the waters surrounding Valtoria and wrapped his arm around her waist. They both veered out into the orangish purple hues that made up the perfect sunset that was minutes away from saying good night to the sun. There was something so serene about watching the skies tranquil above Cordonia. They sat in the grassy field beside the flowing waters thinking about the remains of the day. King Liam sat with his legs opened inviting his queen to lean back to take a respite from the world. Saige leaned back into his chest, raised her hand to lace with his fingers , he reached out his large hand and gently laid it upon her growing belly.

He whispered in her ear, “ you were amazing love, tomorrow we shall meet with our people … a kingdom gained. I love you and our babies here and lost.”

They sat nestled in the comfort of each other’s arms.Saige closed her eyes and smiled softly in the warmth of his love. “Tomorrow…we put one foot in front of the other to welcome a new day.”

#king liam #choices trr #liam x mc #king liam x mc #the royal romance

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hufflesworld · 10 months

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-RP AD-

Hi I’m a 17 year old who’s about a month away from being 18 and I’m looking for some rp partners. If interested at all please read the info below. If not. Have a good day

I have about 5+ years of Roleplay experience. I am literate by nature with 1000-3000 words being my natural highest but I can go up to 5000+ if requested and if I am given enough reasonable time

( I don’t want to kill my motivation )

Age range for Rp partners is 14+

DM ME IF INTERESTED AND WE’LL FIGURE OUT WHAT WE’D LIKE TO DO FOLLOWED BY THE BEST PLACE TO ROLEPLAY IT

I mainly do OC rps and only certain fandoms though I do have a longer list.

ADDITIONAL INFO BELOW

Fandoms I’ve done before ( and have the most experience with )

- sander sides

- DSMP

- warrior cats

- WOF

- last life ( any season )

- empires smp ( better with first season then second but I’m fine with both )

Fandoms I’m open to trying

- the walking dead ( with this I’m most used to playing oc’s within the world. And have never played any known characters )

- good omens

- MHA

- QSMP ( I’m still catching up on everything but AUGH I love this server and it’s silly eggs RIP Bobby and the others )

And of course any AU’s for any fandoms I’m open to

Genres / themes I’m up to write and used to

- fantasy

- Sci-fi

- apocalypse

- Slice of life

- medieval

- adventure

- drama

- mystery

- romance

- fluff

- hurt comfort

- angst

- enemy’s to lovers

- friends to lovers

- strangers to lovers

- enemy’s to friends

- strangers to friends

- found family

Any other topics can be discussed if asked beforehand

Small disclaimers that are just related to me

- I am legally blind. Meaning that while I love writing and am pretty good with it. There will sometimes be typos / spelling mistakes or even at the worst a small grammatical error.

Really if you aren’t close to me I probably won’t let a lot of these slide by but I am just putting a warning out there.

- I am a semi busy person who’s reply time varies wildly on how often and how fast you’ll get it.

How invested am I in the story and characters ?

How many others do I have to reply to?

Am I motivated?

Am I busy with things in my real life?

If any of these things come up and I cannot reply within at least a week I will notify you. Normal reply time should be once every 1-2 days though you may get more frequent responses.

I believe that’s it. Thank you for reading and dming me if you do. If you have any other questions I did not answer here feel free to ask me when you do message.

#minecraft roleplay #roleplay ad #RP #roleplay #oc rp #oc rp ad #rp search #DSMP #dsmp rp #sander sides #sander sides rp #warrior cats #warrior cats rp #WOF #wof rp #last life #last life rp #empires smp

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jessy-the-martian-girl · 9 months

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Okay, I´ve finally finished it. And I've started on June, 2nd. This story was intended to be something short and fluffy, but it turned out bigger and with some sad themes (loss of a close relative in particular, and attempts at coping with it).

~5.7k words. Luis x OC.

Sorry for any mistakes and typos. Some things might seem weird - as I'm not completely sure if real people do talk like that.

Idea: Beach day with Luis.

Summary: Sea and cats are the best cure for the soul.

By the Sea at the Edge of Forever

“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the Living Infinite. ”

― Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

- So, this is your hometown, eh? - Luis could not resist asking this question in the late evening, when the priority tasks were finished.

Other relatives and friends of Jessy's brother were notified of time and date of the funeral. The newfound cats were fed, the minimum cleaning in the apartment was done too. Even soothing tea was brewed and handed to a young dark-haired woman, who looked pretty upset by this sad event.

- Almost, - the girl who settled in Serra's arms smiled mirthlessly and, after taking a sip of tea, continued even without more questions. - My parents moved here when I was a little less than a year old. For the climate, they said. Sea air, and all that, you know...

- Speaking of sea air... Maybe we can go to any beach? - the Spaniard felt that he was treading on uneasy territory, but he also felt the urge to cheer up his girlfriend. - I once heard that cure for everything is salt water: tears, sweat and the sea...

Silence fell over the room. For a while, Jessica just sat there, clutching a mug of tea with both hands, as if trying to warm up her fingers. But when Serra was starting to worry that he might've crossed a line with this proposal, beyond which she would simply stop talking to him (just after asking him to leave), the girl emerged from her trance and finally answered.

- You know, I dig this idea of yours, - she turned a little in the ring of hands to see the face of her Spaniard. - I've had enough tears for now. There is one small beach here, quite secluded. I like it. But it's not easy to get to it, and your back...

- It's fine, mi luz, - Luis smiled at her reassuringly. - I'm in pretty good shape already, such a walk won't hurt me.

- Well, okay then, - still, Jessy decided to play it safe. - However, we can always change the route and stop at any other place on the coast. It's not the high season, so it's not like there will be no free space on the beach.

- ¡Bien! - the Spaniard beamed and hugged his girlfriend a little closer, mindful about the mug of hot tea in her hands. - Then we'll leave tomorrow morning.

The next morning came quickly. And while Luis was cooking breakfast, despite the cats' attempts to sabotage all the preparations (or, at least, to get these new people to take their feline friends with them wherever they were going), Jessy went on with packing stuff they would need. Surprisingly, this apartment still had some of her belongings, although she has not been living here for almost a year: working, traveling, getting stuck in that mess in Spain and staying by Serra's side at the hospital and even after that...

Two small backpacks readily accepted beach towels and a compact beach mat, sunscreen lotion, water and a light snack (sandwiches with butter and cheese, dates and a few oranges)... Besides, she managed to rearrange the contents of the backpacks so that Luis got a lighter one. The same stab wound on his back that almost ended his life was healed, of course, but doctor's orders were to avoid any serious strain until the end of the rehabilitation period. And there were at least a few more weeks before it, so the girl did not want to worsen the condition of the person so dear to her. Also she was used to go hiking with a backpack three times heavier and it was not a big deal for her.

Among her clothes left in this apartment brunette unexpectedly found men's swim shorts, which she once bought for herself as a part of beach outfit. But they remained brand new as Jessy never dared to wear this piece in public because of unusual design with pictures of turtles in various poses from the Kama Sutra. Luis, on the other hand, didn't have any problems with that, he just grinned at the offering and tried the shorts on to make sure it suited his size.

After having breakfast and, at Jessy's insistence, applying sunscreen on their faces and hands, the couple set off. At first they went by public transport almost to the outskirts of this small coastal town, and then by foot, along forest trails. They tried to keep slightly away from the wider road: though its condition was terrifying, there still were some reckless souls who seemingly enjoyed bumpy and dusty car rides.

On their way Serra chatted almost incessantly about all and everything at once. He even told a story how he learned to read animal tracks as a child. Then he asked something about the surrounding area, and, after listening to the answer, gave out a new bunch of questions. But as they came to the seashore, he stopped mid-sentence and stared in fascination at the expanse of water spreading before his eyes. Jessica sighed happily by his side - she had always harbored deep love for the sea, and now she was glad to share this love with someone significant.

- Well, hello, here we are, - the girl said softly, wiping away the welled up tears and not being afraid to seem ridiculous because of this and because of her words addressed to the majestic water element.

For some reason, she was absolutely sure that Luis *would understand* that. And he did, silently squeezing her cold fingers in his warm hands.

- Perhaps, we will have to walk in the water somewhere, and, please, be careful with stones, even large ones, - brunette gave out the warning on the rights of someone who had scouted all the surroundings in her childhood. - I was about six years old, and that stone seemed very reliable... As a result, twisted leg, slightly cut arms... And my dad and my brother took turns carrying me back to town.

At the mention of her relatives, Jessy´s voice quivered, but she managed to regain control of her emotions.

- Point taken, - the Spaniard nodded seriously, adjusted the straps of his backpack and, wincing from the short jolt of pain in his left arm, added with his usual charming smile. - Vamos, I can't wait to see that beach you were talking about with such a dreamy expression on your face.

And they headed to the border of the first beach, where the sand was almost hidden beneath rather large stones. Jessy was leading the way, maneuvering between those stones with ease, but never forgetting to cast a side glance at her companion to make sure that he was all right and that she wasn't too fast for him. Well, another reason for those glances was to take some sweet time to admire Serra's grace.

It turned out soon, that their's timing for such trip was not very great. The high tide period quickly had them taking off their shoes and rolling up their pant legs. However, the first water obstacle also had an unexpected effect: Jessica barely took a couple of steps only knee-deep in water and froze, feeling sudden dizziness and nausea. The water was so clear and shimmering that it was hard to understand what real depth lied ahead. Some underwater stones and common unevenness of the bottom only added to said effect of uncertainty. The brunette almost offered to turn back, unable to overcome this weakness combined with irrational fear of suddenly going under water, but then Luis was the first to step forward and, turning around, held out his hand to her.

- Hold tight and look at me, not at the water, - understanding and care were reflecting in his gray eyes, and confidence that nothing bad would happen.

Jessy nodded and, clutching to the offered hand, also took a step. She almost went off balance immediately, but Luis never allowed her to fall, simply pressing her to his chest and letting to wait out this dizzy spell. Her next step was much more confident, but she never let go of her Spaniard's hand. Fortunately, there wasn't much distance left to go, and just a little bit longer before their intended destination.

The entrance to that small beach was partially covered by a pile of stones — and without knowing that there was a passage there, it could be easily missed. Jessica confidently dived into this very passage, waving to Serra to keep up. To a casual observer it would seem as if they had vanished into the barrier. And there they were met by light sea breeze, gentle sun and salty spray. The couple could also hear the even roar of the surf, accompanied by the rustle of stones carried away by the waves. And absolutely black sand was quite striking addition to the view.

- Vaya, - the Spaniard breathed out in pure fascination. - How beautiful...

- It is, - the girl responded quietly, leaning into her man's shoulder. - I've missed this place so much...

They dropped the backpacks and set up the place for their base camp, spreading the beach mat and pinning it down with suitable cobbles so that it wouldn't be blown away.

- There is a natural pool of a kind here, that area surrounded by rocks, about waist-deep for me... The water usually warms up faster in there, - and Jessica fell silent, realizing that yesterday she was so desperate for any kind of distraction that she did not even ask what exactly they plan to do on the beach. - By the way... You *can* swim, right?

- Only in fresh water, - Luis, who has already managed to pull off his shirt and jeans and even settle on the mat, saw the mentioned "pool" and smiled in anticipation. - There was a swimming pool at the uni, and we didn't always have our lake contaminated with that... thing. But I haven't got a chance to swim in the sea yet.

- It's said it's easier to swim in salty water, it pushes you to the surface, - the girl relaxed a bit and reached for a bottle of sunscreen. - Do you want me to help with your back? The forecast said that sun can be quite active today.

- And why only my back is worthy of your attention? - the Spaniard pretended to be indignant, nevertheless obediently turning over on his stomach. - What about the rest parts of my body?

- Well, if you insist... - Jessy readily played along, squeezing the lotion onto the man's back and applying it with confident movements on his shoulders and neck, trying not to disturb that new scar under his left shoulder blade. Skin at that place was still too sensitive.

She even touched top of his ears with the lotion out of an old habit, explaining to Serra, who jerked in surprise, that people rarely think that such body parts need protection too, and sunburned ears are really unpleasant experience.

- The only thing worse is getting the scalp sunburned in the parting, - the girl giggled, recalling that *unforgettable* experience of hers. - Moreover, no one believes you when you get sunburns in such weird places. So, roll over and let's continue.

A new portion of the sunscreen was squeezed on a broad chest with the older scar, and soft hands got back to work — gently rubbing the lotion onto chest, arms, stomach... Throughout the process gray eyes were never turning away from brunette's slightly smiling face. However, when those hands slipped on his sides, Serra tried to squirm out from under the light touches.

- Don't, Jess, - the man pleaded through involuntary laughter. - Por favor...

- Sorry, sunshine, - the girl quickly removed her hands and gently touched the tip of her beloved's nose with her finger, leaving a little bit of lotion there. - I guess, you'd better finish this on your own.

While Serra was finishing with his face and legs, his companion got rid of her T—shirt and hiking pants, fished out from her backpack another bottle with a sunscreen of higher SPF, and began to apply the protective coating. With her rather pale skin using a more powerful remedy was quite a logical choice.

- And now it's your turn, - the Spaniard almost purred, not even trying to hide a playful glint in his eyes. - Get down and hand me your lotion.

Jessica stretched out on the beach mat with a smile, exposing her back to the man who knelt next to her, ready to return the favor. Suddenly it dawned on Jessy that she really trusted Luis. Not forcing herself to trust him - it was simply there. During their "Spanish adventure" she had absolutely no time to stop and muse about such things, but now the realization has finally caught up with her.

She only instinctively tensed for a second when deft fingers unhooked the top of her swimsuit. It was a public place, after all, and she was not quite ready for being that explicit. It felt just like a quick test for developed trust, so Jessy relaxed. Luis still noticed her reaction and stopped to explain his intentions.

- This is just to cover all of your skin, - his words did not diverge from the deed, with strong hands smoothly sliding along the curves of the female body, carefully wrapping it with an even layer of sunscreen. - The straps and belt are too thin, if they shift, you won't like the outcome.

- Been there, done that, - the brunette admitted with a stifled chuckle, patiently waiting until the Spaniard hooked everything back, in order to roll over on her back and put her chest and stomach under his caring hands.

Of course, she could have managed on her own from that point, but it felt so nice to be taken care of, that the girl just mentally shushed her inner voice and allowed herself to revel in such an uncommon feeling.

They chatted a bit more, while waiting for the sunscreen to "cure" on their skin. Jessy shared a couple of funny sea-related stories from her past. Though shocked expression on Spaniard's face openly hinted her that the particular story about her almost drowning at the age of five was not that funny as it seemed to her.

- Hey, it was okay, - she tried to lighten the mood. - My dad was close by. He plucked me out of water in no time. It was not enough time for me even to get scared.

- I just can't imagine that I could've never met you, if it wasn't for your dad... - Serra whispered, slightly shaking his head and reaching with his hand to touch the shoulder of his vis-à-vis as if to make sure she was still real.

- But I made it to this day nonetheless, - brunette shrugged and smiled warmly.

After a few more minutes of silence Luis easily got to his feet and stretched out his hand to Jessica, helping her to get up. Then he pulled her towards the "natural pool", not letting go of girl's hand. The water, however, was not yet fully warmed up, but it already felt quite pleasant. And it was much, much warmer than in the mountain creeks in the wilderness of Valdelobos, as the Spaniard mentally noted.

As soon as Jessy was knee-deep in the water, she stopped for a while and took a deep breath, taking some time to adjust to the temperature. And then, gently freeing her hand from Serra's hold, she pushed off from the sandy bottom and slid into the water with a soft exclamation. The first dive after a long break was always a little uncomfortable for her and required some efforts. After taking a couple of strokes, the girl swiftly turned over on her back, exposing her face to the sun and letting the water catch her. Fortunately, there were no big waves this time.

Luis followed suit right away, relaxing on his back close by and just occasionally touching his girlfriend's hand or shoulder with his own. His pose was an expression of a tacit agreement for "no active long-distance swims yet".

After floating in the water like this for a little, they slowly swam together to the stone borderline that separated this small lagoon from the open sea. The couple settled there, enjoying beautiful views of the sea or their secluded beach.

Jessica, in gentle reverie, admired how small waves rolled over hardly visible rocks in the water and crashed on the shore. And Luis, amazed by the transparency of the water, tried to look at the bottom of their improvised pool — his gaze was captivated by nimble fish, colorful starfish, colonies of shellfish and corals. Suddenly, an unusually shaped shell lying a little further away caught his eye, and Serra decided to dive for it to get a better look. It took him a few tries, and it also got Jessy's attention. Finally resurfacing with the loot, Luis turned the find over in his hands, then handed it to his girl. She put the shell on the palm of her hand, but suddenly, with an ouch, shook off the object of study into the water.

- What's wrong? - Serra asked, with concern evident in his voice.

- Something pinched me, - the brunette was obviously embarrassed by her own reaction. - Not that it hurts much, more like I just didn't expect it...

The Spaniard examined Jessy's palm for possible damage, then looked for this shell again. When he spotted it, he carefully knelt down, plunging into the water almost up to his shoulders, and took the shell out, turning its aperture to the light. Something with pincers was clearly stirring inside.

- Oh, so it's one of the Paguroidea species, - Luis smiled involuntarily. - I didn't think they can be found here too. - A hermit crab? - Jessica instantly forgot about her palm and, literally hanging on the Spaniard's shoulders, stared curiously at the shell resident, who was clearly dissatisfied with such intense attention. - This is the first time I've ever seen one, not on TV, not in the aquarium and not in the encyclopedia. Awesome!

- They are usually not aggressive to bigger opponents, - Serra nodded, watching how a representative of marine fauna menacingly moved its claw. - We seem to have just scared this one. - Let's put it back to its natural habitat then, - Jessica expressed their shared thought, adding with a chuckle. - As long as it doesn't come back to bite our heels for this.

- It'll rather be glad that it was released and will not risk another encounter, - Luis laughed heartily, arranging the shell in the water closer to the stone barrier.

The girl also laughed at this joke and hugged her man as he swam closer to her again.

- You know, it's warmer around you, - the Spaniard suddenly remarked in a soft voice, returning the hug. - You're like a little sun with an aura of warmth. To hide her embarrassment at such a compliment, Jessy splashed this eloquent subject and, with a laugh, twisted out of his hands, trying to swim away. This unexpected childishness resulted in a small water duel, which ended in a draw. Or, as the girl proclaimed: "friendship always wins!" - after which, with her arms outstretched, she fell backwards into a small wave, raising a cloud of salty spray... only to be almost immediately back in the firm embrace. Luis was glad that his crazy idea worked and his querida is still able to enjoy simple things. Even after such great loss. Only the shadow of guilt lurking in her hazel eyes kept him a bit worried. He himself had only one night *then*. Afterwards there was no time: his studies and the need to provide his living completely absorbed even hints of free time for several years. He managed, and developed the mask of “a good-for-nothing guy, who happens to be quite a ladies' man”. And under that mask there was an acute, painful sense of guilt: he was not there, he could not help, he did not prevent... Now his own experience seemed to be quite useful. Luis could roughly imagine the direction of his girl's thoughts, and see where it would be possible to intervene and lend her a shoulder. After all, even the strongest and most hardy at some point may break down.

- Let's go back to the shore and get some sun? - the brunette, who went quiet in his arms, offered hesitantly.

Her fingers were absentmindedly tracing some patterns on his chest, and it was... rather pleasant.

- I like the idea, mi vida, - Serra planted soft kiss on his girlfriend's temple and pushed her in the right direction. - A snack would be nice too.

The sea did not quite share their intentions, trying to knock the pair down, like a too playful puppy would, and then drag them back into its depth. Thankfully, it was much easier to get out together.

After drying off with beach towels, the couple paid the closest attention to their food supplies. Sandwiches with cheese and dates were delicious, although the sea air usually made everything tastier anyway. And Luis was very surprised, when Jessica took out a thermos with green tea - the most unexpected and uncommon option for a picnic on the beach. However, it turned out that she forgot to take mugs, and they only had the lid of the said thermos at their disposal.

- One for two is a great option, - Serra stated with a playful grin, deliberately taking a sip so that his lips touched this "mug" in the same place as his companion's.

- I'm glad that we share this opinion, - the girl returned both the gesture and the smile. - An orange for a dainty?

- Sure! - the Spaniard grabbed their improvised mug with his left hand so that Jessica could peel the citrus, but then his shoulder was pierced by a sharp pain and his fingers went numb and weak, forcing the man to hiss through clenched teeth. - Mierda...

The girl with a soft cry threw another small towel over the spilled tea and scurried behind Luis's back. He was clutching his hurting limb to his chest and it was such a vivid and unexpected reminder of the past injury.

- Guess, I've overestimated my condition... - the Spaniard's voice sounded strained.

- The doctor warned me that you might still have twinges like this from time to time, - Jessy's hands confidently glided over his aching muscles, starting from the upper back, stroking, pressing harder, kneading carefully. - He was talking about build-up of scar tissue as a possible cause. Now, it should get better... And the pain really subsided, yielding slowly to firm but gentle touches. When Serra's back finally relaxed under her fingers, brunette sighed with relief and pressed a small kiss upon that creepy scar. She remembered how they had to cauterize the wound with the same plaga removal laser, wrecking all the settings and restoring them again to get rid of those parasites. All because there was nothing left to sew up the wound with.

Shaking off those memories, girl wrapped her arms around Luis, pulling him a bit closer. He, in response, covered the palms that settled on his chest with his own and slightly leaned back, sinking into that warm embrace. - Gracias, querida mía, - his fingertips slid over her forearms in a tender caress. - I hope I didn't scare you too much... - I was more scared when you passed out on the operating table in your own lab, under my hands, - the girl admitted with a nervous laugh, carefully moving to her former place next to Luis and snuggling against his side. - As of today... Thank goodness, that the tea was not boiling hot. We'll do just fine without any burns.

After calming down a little, she finally peeled an orange, handed it to the Spaniard and reached for the second one, this time for herself. She noticed the fact that Serra was willing to share only when a slice of orange was already touching her lips. Jessica did not turn down the treat, followed by the man's fingers weightlessly brushing over her lips, his warm palm resting comfortably on her cheek. She smiled and leaned slightly into Serra's touch, turning her face to him for a kiss with an orange-salty taste.

The kiss was short though and when their lips parted, the couple just finished their snacks and went to lie down on the beach mat, snuggling side by side. Pebbles rustled softly, carried by the waves along the bottom, gulls cried in the sky, sunlight caressed the skin... Luis and Jessy were having fun cloud-gazing, sunglasses in place. Strings of fantastic images floated through the sky above them, driven by the wind: a large turtle, a dancing couple, a kitten playing with a ball of yarn, "Enterprise NCC-1701", that space station "Babylon 5", a sailboat, a dragon, an archer...

Soon the wind changed and brought in black clouds. Noticing this, Jessica reluctantly offered to call it a day and, as soon as their swimsuits were completely dry, slowly move towards their temporary home. Even if it wasn't supposed to rain, weather forecasts did not always pass the reality check.

To pass the wait a little, the girl sat up and reached for a small pointed pebble. She drew several lines on a larger flat stone with it. To Luis's surprise, these lines stood out on the black surface in a gray-brownish color, though the pebble was black too. The first clumsy lines were gradually turning into a simple silhouette of a lighthouse above the sea.

- Hey, you're good, - the Spaniard smiled upon seeing the final picture.

- Nah, I can't draw, - the girl dismissed his comment with ease, throwing her pebble "pencil" into the wave that ran ashore. - That's just my itchy fingers, nothing more.

- I dare to disagree on this statement, - Serra squinted slyly, taking the flat stone with a drawing from the brunette's hand before she sent it into the water too. - A little more practice, and it will no longer be "good", but "excelente".

In response, Jessica vaguely shrugged and, picking up another handful of dark pebbles, consistently sent them into the water, immersing in her thoughts. However, she was not allowed to stay like that for a long time and was soon distracted. Drying off after sea bathe, her hair fluffed up a little, curling and framing Jessy's face with a light-brown halo, trying to get into her eyes and mouth. Second distraction was Luis, who plucked a long blade of grass, and took part in the fun mini-game "tickle-a-friend". The Spaniard was quickly caught doing this, but at a reproachful stare, he just smiled broadly and stretched out his hand to smooth his companion's disheveled hair, which only resulted in another hug.

With all this childishness in action, time to go back home came swiftly. Their swimsuits finally dried out, the wind grew stronger, the sea became stormy... Luis and Jessy had to hurry up with packing, yet the first drops of rain caught them almost at the forest edge. Luckily, it gave them a chance to hide from such weather under the green dome of branches, at least for a while.

They still had to run from the forest to the bus stop to avoid getting soaked to the skin. However, it didn't help much. But when Luis and Jessy got back to the neighborhood where they lived at the moment, it looked like there was no rain there at all. After exchanging puzzled glances and quickly assessing their appearance a la "we went swimming in our clothes", they both burst out laughing. That attracted the attention of a passerby who turned out to be one of Jessy's distant relatives. And that man didn't hesitate to express his disapproval for such behavior of the girl in mourning for someone as significant as her own brother. Jessica visibly stiffened from being scolded, her guilt rearing its ugly head again. Serra noticed this change in his girlfriend's mood, and realized that he neither can nor should tolerate it. He stepped forward, as if trying to shield his girl from unpleasant conversation with his body. It was hard to contain his anger, but Luis mustered the calmest tone he was capable of at the moment. He was not aiming for a fight after all.

- I don't know about you lot, but I personally prefer that miss Jonzz here stayed among living, - he added more menacing undertone to his voice, pinning the other man with a slightly disgusted glare. - And not cried herself into heart attack or cardiac arrest just to maintain someone's else believes of how it's appropriate to grieve.

This rebuke somehow silenced an uninvited do-gooder and forced him to beat a hasty retreat. As soon as this person disappeared from sight, Serra turned to face brunette and gently pushed her chin up with one hand just to meet her unsure hazel eyes with his steel gray ones.

- It's not your fault, Jess, - Spaniard's tone was all about firm, but gentle care mixed with a tint of worry. - You are absolutely allowed to take care of yourself under any circumstances. Remember that, por favor.

- I know, - Jessy tried to smile, almost successfully, and to shook off the dreadful feeling of guilt's filthy paws reaching to claim her soul. - I... I'm okay. Let's go, Luis?

- Sure thing, cariño, - with a wide smile Serra swung his hand over girl's shoulders and pulled her into the right direction. - Our new cats must be waiting us already!

The cats were really waiting, and their patience was finally rewarded. Chirrups, squeaky little trills and cute meows filled the space of the murky apartment, making both Luis and Jessy smile and giggle at such enthusiasm. In fact, little calico cat and his gray brother acted like they knew that right now their humans needed all the positive attention they could provide. Gray one even tried to climb up Serra's leg, but was quickly and gently picked up and placed over Spaniard's shoulder. Meanwhile calico cat sniffed and licked at Jessica's ankles, as soon as she took off her shoes, of course.

- Hey, fur baby, it tickles, - brunette laughed and knelt down to pet this welcoming committee. - I know, I know: you and your little brother missed us.

Smiling to another almost shy meow, Jessica stood up and, after asking Luis if he didn't mind, headed to the shower, to wash off sea salt and sand still stuck on her skin. Serra wished he could join, but this bathroom was too small for two, so he stayed behind to occupy cats' attention instead.

He scooped up the second cat and sank into the nearest (and only) armchair. Those cats, although young, were very skilled at common cats' things, and they've purred their new man into light sleep in no time. When Jessy was done, she came right to a snooze-town. The sight was heartwarming and peaceful, but to shower was a must, so the girl had to wake Luis up.

Brunette watched her loved one go, yawning and carefully pulling off his shirt on the way. Cats yawned in sync and jumped down from the armchair. The movement caught Jessy's eye and she noticed a book with colorful cover lying on the floor. She changed from her bathrobe into T-shirt and funny shorts with TMNT print, then reached to pick that book up and smiled fondly at it's name: “50 best baking recipes from around the world”. It was her gift for her brother's last birthday. This memory made Jessy's heart sank again, and she quickly flipped through a few pages to detach herself from this sorrow for just a bit longer. The girl checked out some recipes and stopped at one, baked churros. It seemed pretty easy to cook, and all ingredients were present in the fridge.

- Oh, temptations... - Jessica sighed softly after considering some other options from this book.

- Are you talking about me, mi amor?

Her train of thought was interrupted by Luis, refreshed and relaxed... and wearing only a towel around his hips. His hair still slightly wet from the shower and his smile as charming as usual - a real eye candy.

- And about you, too, - Jessy couldn't help, but smile in response.- But, actually, I've been thinking about trying this recipe... What do you think?

- Sounds great, - Serra pushed the damp hair out of his face and headed to change into something more suitable, than a towel. - Wait for me.

He was rather fond of this idea for even more quality time together, and it worked out pretty well.

As the late day gradually turned into early evening, sorrow, that was almost perceptible the day before, finally shrunk and hid in the darkest corner of the apartment. Combined efforts of Luis and two impish kitties left no chances for it to overtake again.

The rest of the evening went pleasantly and peacefully, with tea and home-baked churros, and heartwarming talks on the sofa. Cats tried their best too, singing cats' songs, kneading and even clawing lightly at their humans' limbs. And after a while tiredness, mixed with loud purring lulled Jessy to sleep.

Tight embrace of her beloved Spaniard, his steady heartbeat, and her feeling secured helped the matter too.

Luis smiled gently at the girl lying in his arms, and closed his eyes too, drifting off to sleep. Both cats immediately seized the opportunity to pin their humans to the sofa for more feline comfort, and the apartment went silent.

This spontaneous beach day turned out to be the much needed breather for Jessy. A little something to make future look brighter and less hopeless for her, even with all those unwanted changes. It was easier to believe now, that she won't be struggling with everything on her own. And it became plainly obvious that she was not alone anymore. They were not alone.

#Luis Serra x OC #Luis Serra

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