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lululawrence · 5 years

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2017 Fics Written by lululawrence (1/2)

Master Fic Masterpost / Buy me a Coffee?

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful (5k)

“Louis, I can’t go to school like this! Help me!”

Louis looked his sister up and down and found that her uniform looked pretty par for the course and her golden brown hair actually looked nicer than usual. Unsure what the issue was, he just rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake up the rest of the way.

“Okay, erm...so how exactly can I help you?” he slowly asked. Maybe if he tried to have her tell him what she expected of him he could figure out how to help her.

“I need something to cover this spot on my forehead! It’s massive!”

...or the one where Phoebe has a makeup emergency and, luckily for all of them but Louis especially, Harry is just the man to help.

Bloody Mary (1k)

The Mosquito Direction crack fic you never knew you needed.

I Don't Know What To Believe (6k) - Part Two of the Everything You Do Is Magic Series

“The fuck is that?” Louis asked. Harry took his eyes off the baby for the first time in who knows how long and didn’t say anything, just held the card out to Louis. Louis, however, seemed to be a bit spooked at a baby showing up in their kitchen with no warning and wasn’t moving any closer.

Harry waved the card in his outstretched hand, showing he was getting a bit frustrated with Louis’ lack of cooperation. “It’s a fucking baby, that’s what! Take the damn card and read it!”

Louis gave Harry his classic unimpressed face. “I know it’s a fucking baby, you twat. Whose baby?”

“Maura and Bobby’s, I’d imagine,” Harry mumbled quietly, letting his arm fall to his side.

Or the one where Harry and Louis find Niall has somehow become a baby and turned up on their kitchen table.

The Day Is Up And Calling (4k)

All Harry was trying to find was his flatmate, Ed, but if he finds Ed's new fit employee instead? Well...things could be worse.

bend me, shape me (4k) - Co-Written with @dimpled-halo and @a-writerwrites

“You forgot something, didn’t you, darling?” Louis didn’t bother to look at Harry, but his voice said everything Harry was sure he’d see in his eyes if he did. There was an undercurrent of teasing, but a sort of condescending agitation that Harry was, unfortunately, very familiar with.

Shit. He’d forgotten something.

“Were we supposed to go somewhere?”

Louis didn’t answer — he just ran his thumb over the head of his fully hard cock and groaned, the sound of it going straight to Harry’s groin. “Um. It’s not your birthday…” Harry was wracking his brain. “Our anniversary is May 10th. Um…”

“Our marriage anniversary is May 10th. Husband.” Louis was staring at him vehemently now. And, of course. Of course that was what it was. An anniversary.

****

Harry forgets an anniversary. Louis helps him remember.

I Found A Love (4k)

Louis adjusted his suspenders a bit and picked up the next book when someone cleared their throat behind him, making Louis jump. He spun quickly around, hand on his chest and just barely remembered to not drop Diana Gabaldon’s newest thousand page hardback that would definitely have done damage to Louis’ feet.

Standing in front of him was someone who looked like he had just walked out of a motorcycle commercial. He had his hair pulled up in a bun, was wearing what looked to be an expensive as fuck leather jacket over a ratty Rolling Stones t-shirt, and were those sparkly boots? Louis wasn’t quite sure how to take him, but he certainly had a presence. He was also likely confused about his location and was clearly about to ask where the DVD section was.

Or the one where Louis is a nerdy English major who may just run into his happily ever after while working his shift at the local library.

That's Not My Name (3k)

He froze for a second, because he hadn’t expected to be hit with such an intense gaze. Green eyes beneath a beanie and loads of curly hair made Louis miss a beat before coming back to himself.

“Uh, hi. Sorry. Can I take your order?”

The boy (man?) gave a shy smile and said, “Just a caramel macchiato, please. Grande.” Louis nodded as he scribbled onto the cup and punched it into the register.

As the boy held his phone to the machine to pay, Louis asked, “Name please?”

“Oh, uh, Marcus.”

Louis scribbled Marcus on the cup and handed it off, but not before giving the boy a smile and nodding over to where he’d be able to pick up his drink. Louis watched him a bit longer than he probably should have, then forced himself to move on.

Or the one where the cute boy coming into the coffee shop gives Louis a different name every time...for over a month.

Be A Daymaker (5k)

“If you guys purchase fifty items between now and Saturday’s live, then Louis here will do one of my live sales next week.”

At Lottie's announcement, Louis did a little dance of mock excitement and Harry gasped.

“Yeah, you’re all wondering why that would be so great, right?” Harry scoffed. Who would complain about this arrangement other than Louis? Harry knows from chatting with some of the other regulars that he wasn’t the only one of Lottie’s viewers with a crush on her brother. “Well, not only will he do a live, but he’ll do the live in an outfit of your choosing.”

Or, a completely self indulgent AU where Louis and Lottie are a consultant team for LuLaRoe and Harry is one of their most loyal customers.

Love Me Like You Do (4k)

“Yeah, but is working in a field completely unrelated to what I’m educated in and what I want to do really paying my dues? And Lou, I’m 28. I’m 28 working a job I don’t enjoy, still living with my best friend, minutes from my mom’s house.”

“You’re saying that living with me isn’t the best part of your life right now, fucker,” Louis complained, poking Harry in the ribs where he knew he was sensitive. Harry squeaked and moved his arm to protect his side before apologizing.

“I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just…” Harry sighed. “I feel like I’m just treading water and I have been for ages now. I’m glad I have a job that covers what I need it to, and I’m incredibly lucky to have you with me as well, but like…”

Louis waited, but the silence wasn’t filled.

Or the one where it's time for Harry's ten year reunion and Louis being his fake boyfriend for the night changes things more than they expected.

What Happens Next (5k)

“So anyway,” Louis said on a yawn, making Harry yawn as well. “What can I do for you?”

“Uhm. Well, I was wondering how a free vacation sounded to you.”

Harry knew he had Louis’ attention fully because his voice suddenly sounded much more alert.

“I’d say you’re trying to sell me something, because nothing in life is free. However, I am listening.”

Or a fic where Harry has to pick up the pieces and ends up on the couples cruise that should have been his honeymoon...with his best friend Louis.

Validation (4k)

“Hey, how are you?” Harry asked. He’d found that sometimes just a smile and a kind face was all that was needed to brighten someone’s day.

“Oh, uhm. I’m alright. Can you validate me?”

Harry chuckled inwardly, but decided to go ahead and take him literally.

Or the one where Harry worked in a parking garage and he totally didn’t mean for this, the whole validation of people as well as their parking tickets, to become a thing. It just kinda...did.

Cake, Phone, Harry (3k)

It was so innocent. Louis hadn’t been expecting it. “See you at home around 6!” Harry’s text read, and then at the very end he’d snuck one of those very graphics Louis had come to dislike so much.

A smiley emoji.

Or the one where Louis is probably the last holdout when it comes to using emojis, but that doesn't last forever.

Same White Shirt (10k)

“Oh my God. What are you holding?”

Harry was startled to hear an English voice coming from behind him that he didn’t know. He’d thought he knew all the English employees around here. When he turned around there was a man with the most stunning eyes and incredible cheekbones known to man in the doorway looking with absolute distaste at the suit Harry had just been thinking of so fondly.

“It’s my suit for the show,” Harry said firmly. This guy was obviously an assistant if the badge and plate of fruit he was holding were anything to go by, but as he began walking to where the table was in the room, Harry noticed he was walking with a slight limp. Oh shit.

Or the one where Harry's on the Late Late Show for a week and several misunderstandings with a certain mouthy assistant James recently hired make things that much more interesting.

Now That It's Over (8k)

“What are the odds we would both be at Mariano’s on a Thursday night?”

Louis’ shoulders tensed. What the hell was he doing here?

“Harry? Hi? The odds are pretty crazy, yeah.”

Harry smiled down at Louis the way he used to, but there was also a glint in his eye that Louis absolutely did not like. Harry was also dressed in his favorite black and white striped women’s jeans and a printed shirt only he would ever be able to pull off. It was quite rude of him to come and interrupt Louis, particularly while looking so good. Louis hadn’t seen him since he’d finished moving his shit out of what was once their shared flat, so this being the first time seeing him wasn’t exactly providence in Louis’ mind.

Or the one where Harry and Louis broke up two months ago, and Harry just might be sabotaging Louis' dates.

A Word We've Only Heard (7k)

So, where are you headed?” Liam asked, not wanting to sit in awkward silence for their journey. It was twelve hours to Chicago, and that was far too long to sit and not chat with his fellow passenger in front of him.

“Chicago,” he answered, his blue eyes meeting Liam’s own. “It’s home. Been on the road for quite some time now, it’s the first time I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed in almost a month.”

Liam whistled. “You must be pretty excited.”

The man gave a soft smile, which made him look younger than Liam initially expected; he might even still be in his twenties. He wondered what kind of a life this man had led to look so tired until he smiled.

Or, it's 1951, Harry is the owner of a music shop, and Louis is a traveling salesman making his way back home.

No Chance At All (5k)

As an omega, Louis naturally had the ability to sense alphas, so it wasn’t like this was an unusual situation for him. The difference here was that this man smelled so strong and so ridiculously good. Louis had never been so attracted to someone’s scent before. Add the fact that this worker whose name tag read “Harry” looked like some kind of greek god with his long curly hair and dimples as he chatted up the older woman ordering currently, and Louis was already a goner.

Or the one where Louis just wants to drink good coffee and work on his homework in peace, but the alpha barista is charming to everyone but him, and that just pisses him off.

(Make You Want To) Scream (16k)

While Louis' left hand plays with his nipple, his right reaches down and wraps around his dick and that's when he really knows something is wrong.

The dick in his hand does not feel like his own.

Nothing Please Me More Than You (8k)

This guy came in every day and without fail said or did something that made Louis pause and puzzle over what it meant. His accent was American, but it had to be some regional dialect from nearby or something because everything sounded sharper when he spoke. A little more crisp. Like he’d worked with one of those dialect coaches that had been used when talking pictures first started being made.

Louis shook his head and tried to rid himself of lectures from the film history course he’d taken last semester. It obviously had no bearing on what was going on with hot dude in the corner. Still, Louis would love to pick his brain and figure out where he was from. How his hair always looked so perfect. If he liked to kiss boys.

Or...the one where Louis is a barista and Harry is the hot dude that comes in every day and does nothing except sit in the corner, writing in his notebook, all day long. But what Louis learns when he sneaks a peek inside the notebook changes everything.

Let Me Make It Better (4k)

Dan's house was large and spacious, but there were still only five bedrooms for a family of, what would soon be, nine. The division seemed quite simple, in Louis’ mind. Mom and Dan would obviously get the master suite, Lottie and Fizzy would share the largest room with Phoebe and Daisy getting the next largest, the newest twins would get the smaller room that was closest to the master suite, and Louis would take the smallest room right beside the bathroom since he didn’t have to share.

Lottie and Fizzy vehemently disagreed.

Or the one where Louis was seven years old when he moved in next door to Harry, but now that they're in their senior year of college, everything is starting to change.

My Cup of Tea (2k)

In which Harry is the trainer for Louis' new hire class, and his quirks might be exactly what Louis needs to pay attention.

#mine #my fics #my fic rec #my fic masterpost #2017 fics masterpost #fic rec

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the-sweetest-dragon · 5 years

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New Character Sheet...

Full Name: Kaia Astra Dragoumis

Nickname: Little Dragon

Reason Behind Nickname: was a fiery little girl and is very opinionated, originated from her mother who actually loves her, and Kaia is very petite compared to her sister’s.

Ethnicity: Greek

Birthday: August 13, 1994

Age: 25

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Basic Personality: Intellectual, hates mess, wants to be a lawyer, is an awful driver, has anxiety, can’t wait to graduate law school so her real life can begin.

Deeper Personality

Afraid of Failure: her father raised her to be the best so the best she shall be.

Anxiety: goes hand in hand with being afraid of failure. She rarely has anxiety attacks but it will happen on occasion when she is completely overwhelmed. Is very good at compartmentalizing her childhood trauma and hates talking about herself.

Inflexible: Kaia is set in her ways and will not budge for anyone or anything. Once you’re in her life, there is very few ways to get out of it.

Best Friends: Timothy Drake and Mirabella Kostas (lives back in Greece)

Family: Alastair and Cassandra Dragoumis (father and mother), and her two sister Thalia and Calliope. Alastair made his money selling diamonds and other precious gems.Cassandra was a daughter of a wealthy businessman who basically sold her to Alastair to get himself out of debt. Thalia and Calliope are older than Kaia by three years (twins). Kaia is vaguely disliked throughout her entire family because she is not a boy and therefore will not inherit her father’s company. The company will go to her nephew, Alexander, when he comes of age. Her sisters are bitches and got married as soon as they could and started popping out children like freaking rabbits.

Alexander Kostas: age 5, Thalia’s first born, is a little shit

Diana Kostas: age 3, a sweet angel that deserves better parents *wink wink*

Helios Kostas: age 1, the baby

Athena Galatos: age 4, Kaia’s favorite niece out of the bunch, Calliope’s first born

Apollo and Artemis Galatos: age 2, demon twins

Love Life: has dated before but has never had a real romantic relationship. Is too much of a workaholic to date around, much to Mirabella’s dismay.

Political Viewpoint: hella liberal

Thinks that superheroes are idiots and supports Red Hood and his gang of Outlaws because they actually do what needs to be done with the villains

Favorite Color: coral pink

Basic Description: curly black hair, medium build, dark eyes, olive complexion, has a birthmark on her right wrist that is shaped like an arrowhead, rarely wears makeup, nails always done, dresses impeccably well all the time, every hair is in place at all times, perfect white teeth, too sharp canines, hair always kept up and off her face, works out all the time, has a singular tattoo on her sternum that extends from her belly button and ends at her heart (arrow).

Favorite song: Phoenix by Fall Out Boy

Favorite Article of Clothing: soft white sweater Athena got her for her 21st birthday, wears it as often as possible.

Hobbies: reading, working out, cleaning

Short Term Goals: pass her bar exams and become a lawyer

Long Term Goals: bring down her father’s illegal diamond ring (she doesn’t know this yet…) and fall in love like her sister’s did before her.

Pets: two cats, Khalessi and Jorah, and one dog, Juniper

Khalessi: pure white, long haired cat with golden eyes. A huge purr whore that flops in front of Kaia’s feet when she tries to walk. Female

Jorah: a yellow Tabby with pure white eyes, blind. Grumpy but loving after getting to know you a bit. Male

Juniper: a Golden Retriever and German Shepard mix with big brown eyes. Still a puppy. Very energetic and loves people. Kaia’s running buddy. Female

#new story #jason todd #first part coming soon

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imagines-ahs · 5 years

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Affection - Twenty-Eight: Dad’s House.

Mine and @mistyyygoode‘s story.

Audrey smiled at them before starting eating, humming at the rich taste. "That's awesome, Chris." She said softly.

"It's our Dad's recipe. He taught us how to cook when we were younger." He explained.

"That's how I know how to cook chicken parmigiana," Shelby said.

"That's very cool." Audrey smiled, giving the food another bite. "The chicken parmigiana is amazing as well."

"You like everything I make you to eat though," Shelby said with a small smirk.

At first, Audrey didn't get the teasing, just rolling her eyes with a chuckle, but as soon as she did, brown eyes opened wide, and a gasp mixed with a giggle fell from her lips as her cheeks tinted pink. "Oh Lord, Shelby!" She laughed.

Shelby let out a small chuckle. "What?" She asked as if it was nothing.

Isabella even let out a laugh as Chris just he shook his head.

Audrey shook her head once again, starting to eat as well. "You are horrible." She chuckled.

"But you still love me, don't you?" Shelby pouted as she looked toward her lover.

At the small pout, the actress felt herself melting once again. She smiled sweetly to her. "Of course, I do, silly." She said softly, kissing her sweetly, caressing her cheek as she did so.

Shelby smiled into their kiss. "I love you too." She said softly.

"What 'bout me?!" Lizzy exclaimed.

Audrey giggled as she pulled apart, looking lovingly at Lizzy. "We love you too, sweetheart." She said softly.

"I love ya too." She smiled happily. "Can we play?" she asked as she held up a doll.

"Let us finish lunch first, okay?" the actress said softly, smiling at the girl.

"Elizabeth why don't you and I go play until they're done?" Isabella asked as she got up to take her dish into the kitchen.

"'Kay, Momma."

Once Isabella left with her daughter, Chris looked up at his sister and her fiancé. "Can you two try and not have sex so much while you're here? I get it, you're in the honeymoon stage, and that's great, but while I was upstairs with Lizzy, and she asked what those 'funny sounds' were."

Audrey bit her lip as she stared down, feeling her stomach doing flips. She took a deep breath to stop herself from already being teary, hating how easy it was for that to happen.

Shelby gently squeezed her lover's thigh. "I'm sorry. We'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Okay, thank you," Chris said before getting up to clean the dishes. "I'm not saying you can't... do it, just not when Lizzy's up or here. Okay?"

"Okay."

Audrey stared up, wanting to say something, not thinking it was fair to let it only on Shelby. "We really thought she was downstairs with you, watching cartoons, that's why." She said softly, breath struggling not to come shaky.

"She needed a change of clothes after eating because she spilled juice on herself... it's okay, I just want to know that it won't happen again."

"It won't." Shelby said before looking to her lover and whispering, "It's okay."

"S-sorry..." Audrey said softly, taking a deep breath. With her lover's words, she nodded, staring down at her plate, seeing she was almost done. "I'll g-go use the b-bathroom." The actress told her lover before quickly getting up and leaving the room.

Shelby got up and followed after her lover. She needed to make sure Audrey was okay. She caught up with her lover just before the bathroom and grabbed her hand.

As Shelby caught her hand, it caused Audrey to turn around, and her teary eyes to be exposed to her lover, a tear falling down.

Shelby pulled her lover into the bathroom. She shut the door behind them and brought Audrey into her embrace. "Please don't cry, babydoll. It's okay, I promise."

As Audrey got inside the bathroom, she felt her tears coming strongly. Hugging Shelby close, she buried her face into the woman's neck, letting her tears fall down. "I-I didn't mean i-it..." she sobbed. "He h-hates me, he w-won't let Lizzy s-stay with u-us again."

"Hey, hey, stop." Shelby pulled away slightly and cupped her lover's face with her hands. "He does not hate you. He'll let Lizzy stay with us, okay? Please don't worry. I'll talk to him when we go back out there."

"No!" Audrey spoke instantly. "N-no, baby, n-no, I don't w-want him to h-hate me even m-more, I'm a-already embarrassed e-enough!"

"He doesn't hate you, Audrey. He won't hate you, I promise. Sex is natural, baby. He isn't upset he just doesn't want us having sex when Elizabeth can hear us. That's all, okay?" Shelby asked in a calm tone. She wished she could make her lover see things the way she did.

Audrey started taking deep breaths, another anxiety attack slowly making its way in. "B-baby... I-I think I'm g-going to have a-another anxiety a-attack..." she breathed out, staring frightened into blue eyes. Her chest started to hurt, and her hands left Shelby's waist to rest above it. "M-my chest..."

Shelby took one of her lover's hands, "Squeeze my hand. Squeeze it as hard as you want. I want you to look into my eyes and listen to my breathing. Do you think you can do that?" she asked. She tried to remember the right things to do and say to keep Audrey calm.

Audrey nodded as she laced their fingers, the hand moving from her chest and going to her lover's, wanting to feel Shelby's breath better.

Shelby took a deep, steady breath, and exhaled slowly. She did this a few more times, hoping that it would get Audrey's breathing controlled.

Audrey closed her eyes as she laid back against the door, mimicking her lover's actions, the pain in her chest eventually going away, breath becoming normal. Taking one last deep breath, the actress opened her eyes. "I'm so s-sorry." She whispered embarrassedly, sadly.

Shelby wiped her lover's tears away before kissing her lips gently. "Don't be sorry. You don't have to apologize for an anxiety or panic attack. Okay?"

Audrey kissed her lover back softly, hands still a little shaky. "O-okay." She breathed out. "I just h-hate being l-like that."

"It's okay. I promise you that it's okay. I love you so, so, so much." Shelby spoke softly before kissing the woman again.

Audrey smiled softly as she began to calm down, kissing her lover back softly once again. "I love you too." She spoke sweetly. "I'll have to tell my doctor about those attacks."

"You should, baby. It's important that they know, but let's not worry about it until we get back home."

"Yes, you're right." Audrey smiled, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank you so much, for always being here and never, you know... getting mad."

"You don't have to thank me, and I would never be mad at you, especially over a panic or anxiety attack. You can't help it when that happens. Okay?" Shelby asked softly. She squeezed her lover's hand again, gently.

"Okay." Audrey nodded once again, wiping the rest of her tears away. "I love you so much."

"I love you even more," Shelby said with a soft smile. "Are you okay, gorgeous?"

"I am, honeybun," Audrey said sweetly. "Let's go out there, I'm okay."

"Okay," Shelby smiled. "Did you actually have to pee?" she asked.

"No." The actress chuckled. "I just didn't want to cry in front of... you and Chris," she confessed.

"You know, you can cry in front of me, right? I don't see that as a sign of weakness or as a flaw... and Chris wouldn't say anything about it either. He's not one of those types of guys who thinks if a woman cries, she's not strong enough. I mean, I cry in front of him all the time, and he doesn't tell me to suck it up, we actually talk about things." Shelby explained with a soft, loving smile on her lips.

"I know, baby... I just didn't want to cry for such a thing." Audrey said softly, caressing her lover's waist. "Thank you so much for saying that, Chris and you are very lovely, I feel really safe."

Shelby smiled even more. "I'm glad. I really am. I'm so happy that the trip is going great so far." She said as she opened the bathroom door.

"Me too." Audrey smiled happily, tangling their fingers together as they walked back to the kitchen, finding Chris sitting there, waiting for them.

Chris looked up at them with an apologetic smile. "Are you okay, Audrey?" he asked in a gentle tone.

At the smile Chris gave them, Audrey felt herself getting calmer. She nodded, staring at him with puffy, red eyes. "I just got scared you'd hate me and not let me take care of Lizzy anymore." She blurted out, confessing, cheeks burning.

His brows furrowed for a moment. "Hate you? I don't hate you, I just don't want Lizzy walking in on something. That's all, Audrey. And we would love you to watch Lizzy again before you leave. She won't stop talking about how much fun she had."

At the words, the actress let out a soft smile, staring down as she blushed even more. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "We don't want Lizzy walking in on something either, not at all... we lock the door."

"Okay," he nodded. "Thank you."

Shelby smiled at how well the conversation was going now. "You're welcome." She said. "Maybe we should go play with Lizzy so we're not late going to my dad's."

Audrey smiled shyly as she stared back up at Chris, nodding at her lover's words. "Yes, I agree."

Shelby wrapped an arm around her lover's waist and took her into the living room. Lizzy was on the floor with her mother and two dolls in her hands.

As they walked to the living room, Audrey smiled sweetly. "Hey there, sweetheart, can we play?" she asked softly.

"Yes!" Lizzy said excitedly. "Rosy and Diana." She said as she handed over the dolls.

Shelby sat down on the floor and took the two dolls, handing one to her lover.

Audrey mimicked her lover's actions, sitting down on the floor. She looked at her doll, seeing she had long, blonde hair. "Don't you think she looks like Auntie Shelby?" she asked softly.

"She does." Lizzy nodded. "And this one looks like ya." She said as she held up a short-haired, blonde.

"She does." Shelby smiled. "And this one looks like your momma." She said as she held up a long, curly, brunette doll.

Audrey let out a giggle, taking the short haired blonde doll and giving the long-haired one to Shelby. "We can play as ourselves now" She smiled

"Yeah!" Lizzy smiled.

Shelby handed over the doll that looked like Isabella. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," the blonde smiled.

"When ya goin' to grandpa's?" Lizzy asked.

"In a few... maybe half an hour from now." Audrey smiled down at the girl, fingers passing through the doll's short locks.

"'Kay." She nodded.

"Are you two having dinner there," Isabella asked.

"I'm not sure, why?" Shelby asked.

"I'm just wondering if I should make you two anything for dinner."

"Don't worry about us. I'll take Audrey out for dinner if we don't eat at Dad's."

"Okay," Isabella nodded.

Audrey smiled sweetly at the conversation, fingers still playing with the doll. "Also, I'm sorry for before, this morning." The actress said hesitantly, heart skipping a beat.

"It's okay," Isabella said with a smile as she placed her hand on the actress's knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's nothing that we haven't done before. It's natural, so I'm not upset."

Audrey smiled softly at the woman, praying Lizzy wouldn't ask anything. "I know, but we didn't think she was up... we really didn't mean to"

"It's okay, really." Isabelle squeezed Audrey's knee before pulling her hand away when she saw Shelby's eyes on her hand.

"Momma."

"Yes?"

"Can we watch Scooby-Doo?"

"Sure, babygirl."

Before Isabella could put her hand away, Audrey absently took it and caressed it, letting it go as Lizzy called her mother, smiling at the girl.

Shelby glared at the two but quickly looked away and set her gaze on the doll in her hand. She smiled at Lizzy too.

"I guess we'll be leaving then," Audrey said sweetly, getting up as she did so, leaving the doll on the floor and pulling Shelby up with her. "Come here, let me give you a hug." She smiled at Isabella, offering a hand to her.

Isabella stood and wrapped her arms around Audrey.

"I'm going to go get the keys from Chris," Shelby said before walking to the kitchen.

"They're by the door!" Isabella said.

Shelby nodded and grabbed her purse before going to the door. "I'll go start the car." She said.

Audrey hugged Isabella back happily, caressing her back as she did so. "Thank you so much." She said softly, pulling away gently before kneeling down to hug Elizabeth. "We'll be back soon, sweetheart." The actress said softly, placing a kiss on the girl's cheek.

"I wanted a kiss from Shel." The girl pouted, which caused Audrey to realize what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, she managed to smile. "Auntie Shelby is really excited to go see gramps, she really misses him," Audrey explained softly.

"Oh... 'kay." Lizzy nodded, smiling again. "Bye, bye." She said softly.

"Bye, sweetie." Audrey stood up as she smiled to the girl, turning her gaze to Isabella before leaving the room and walking out of the house and to the car.

Shelby sat in the car, waiting for her lover as she tried to calm her jealousy. She hated that it was so hard for her not be jealous over such a little thing. When she says Audrey exiting the house, she smiled softly.

At the small smile from her lover, Audrey took a deep breath, smiling weakly at her. Entering the car, she turned to Shelby. "Baby..." she took her lover's hands, caressing it as she stared into beloved blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," Shelby sighed heavily. "I just... I'm sorry." She said again. She looked down at their hands and smiled, lacing their fingers together.

Audrey smiled sadly at her lover, caressing her fingers. "You know it doesn't bother me, but Lizzy... she's really upset you didn't tell her bye." She explained softly. "I hate how it makes you feel, but the jealousy doesn't bother me."

Shelby sighed once again, feeling horrible that she didn't even think about Lizzy in the situation. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it. I just, I felt like I had to leave so I didn't feel worse or say anything to upset anyone." She looked up slowly. "I'm glad that it doesn't bother you, but it bothers me..."

Audrey felt her heart breaking at her lover's words; She pulled her closer, causing her to sit on her lap. "Come here, babygirl." She said softly, caressing Shelby's waist, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "You and I, we'll get over it, okay?"

Shelby smiled softly when she was pulled into her lover's lap. She turned her head to place a kiss on Audrey's lips. "Okay... thank you." She said before kissing her again. "I love you so much."

Audrey kissed her lover back, softly, caressing her cheeks as she did so. "I love you too, my love." She said softly. "So much." She smiled. "Let's just take care so we don't hurt anyone again, especially Lizzy."

"I agree." Shelby smiled softly. "Thank you again, babydoll." She said. "Can I get back in my seat now?"

Audrey gasped as she heard her lover's words, pouting right after. "How rude." She cried.

"I want to go to my dad's before it gets any later, babe. I'm not trying to be rude." Shelby explained before kissing her lover sweetly.

Audrey giggled as she kissed her lover back softly, caressing her cheeks. "I know, I'm just joking, my love." She explained. "Now let's go" She giggled once again, playfully slapping her lover's ass.

Shelby let out a small 'yelp' as she moved to the driver's seat. "I love you." She said as she buckled herself in.

"I love you too, silly," Audrey said sweetly, bucking herself up as well.

Shelby backed out of the driveway and started the drive to her dad's. She started to feel her nerves kicking up, and she took a deep breath.

At the deep breath from her lover, Audrey felt her own nerves starting to twirl. Caressing her lover's thigh, she stared lovingly at her. "It's gonna be alright, my love." She said softly.

"I know," Shelby smiled. "I love you so much, baby." She grabbed her lover's hand and squeezed it lovingly.

Audrey smiled to her, lacing their fingers. "I love you too, baby, more than anything in the whole world." She said softly.

"Me too, baby." Shelby smiled as she turned onto her father's street.

Audrey smiled sweetly once again, staring at the window. As the car started stopping, pearl teeth caught plump, pink lips, stomach doing flips.

Shelby took a deep breath as she parked in the driveway of her dad's home. She turned off the car and took another deep, calming breath to ease her nerves and anxiety. "Ready?" she asked.

"I guess." Audrey smiled nervously, taking a deep breath as well. "You know that no matter what, I'm yours."

"And I am yours," Shelby said with a small smile. She unbuckled herself and got out of the car. She quickly made her way around the car and opened the door for her lover.

Audrey smiled softly as she let out a breath, she didn't know she was holding. Stepping out of the car, she pulled Shelby in for a soft, sweet kiss, caressing her waist as she did so.

"I love you," Shelby said as she pulled away. She rested her forehead on her lover's for a moment, staring deeply into her eyes. She felt herself calming down enough to feel at ease about being there. "Let's go." She said as she took the older woman's hand in her own.

Audrey smiled softly as she stared into blue eyes, feeling her heart calming down a little; Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "I love you, babygirl." She said softly, starting to walk towards the house, lacing their fingers together.

Shelby bit her lip as they approached the door. She rang the bell and waited for her father. Soon enough the door opened, and before them stood a tall man, with short, white and blonde hair, and skinny, but a semi-built body.

"Shelby, you're finally here!" He grinned happily. "And you brought a friend. Come on in." He said as he stepped aside.

Audrey felt her heart stopping as the door opened. With a soft smile, she entered the house, heart now almost flying away from her chest.

"Hey, you're Audrey, right? From the show Shel did."

Shelby smiled over how well it was already going and that he knew who her lover was.

Audrey couldn't help but smile brightly, nodding as she did so. "Yes, I am, nice to meet you, sir." She offered a hand, the free one.

He gladly shook the actress's hand. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Bruce." He smiled.

When they reached the living room Shelby guided her lover to one of the couches while her father sat across from them.

Audrey smiled at the man, shaking his hand softly. As they sat on the couch, the actress felt her stomach twirling once again, biting her lower lip.

"So, why the spontaneous trip? Not that I'm complaining."

"Well, I've got something to tell you," Shelby said softly, feeling her anxiety starting to rise again.

With Bruce's question, the older blonde took a deep breath, squeezing her lover's hand a little, staring down at her lap.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Well..." Shelby looked down at her lap for a moment before looking back up at her father. "I'm gay, and I'm with Audrey, that's why she's with me."

"Well, that makes two of us." He chuckled.

"What?" Shelby looked at him with furrowed brows.

"I'm gay too."

With the man's words, Audrey felt herself nearly choking as she gasped. Staring into her lover with wide, brown eyes, her jaw fell open.

Shelby looked from her father with wide eyes, and then at her lover, seeing that her reaction was just the same.

"Is it really that surprising?" Bruce asked with a chuckle.

"Yes!" Shelby said as she looked back to him. "Since when?!"

"I can ask you the same question." He said with a playful raised brow.

Audrey let out a relieved chuckle, wanting to hear more about the story, finding it all too amusing.

"Well, I didn't realize until I started seeing Audrey, which was about three months ago," Shelby explained. "Now you."

"I've known all my life—I just... didn't say anything till right before you were born."

"Wh-what?" She looked at him with a confused look. "Was I one of those 'let's have a baby to make it better' kids?"

Bruce hesitated. "I don't want to say yes... but yes."

"Wow..." Shelby looked down at her lap. "Is that why you and mom got divorced?"

"Yes."

Audrey felt her eyes opening wide once again and her heart aching softy at the man's confession. She didn't even have time to blush at Shelby's words. Scooting closer to her lover, she put an arm around her, pulling Shelby closer.

Shelby felt calmer in her lover's embrace and being so close to her. "So... are you seeing anyone?" she asked softly.

"Not at the moment, but I have had previous partners in the past. You and Christian just never knew about them."

"Even when you and Mom were still married?"

"Yes. She knew about them."

Shelby had to think for a moment, staring down at her lap. "How come you haven't said anything before?"

"Well, when you were two or so, we came up with this-this agreement that we would stay married until you two were out of the house and during that time we would still be happy with whom we wanted. It was an open marriage, per se." He explained. "After the divorce, I only had one boyfriend, and the two of you weren't around... it never came up, so I never said anything."

Each word the man spoke caused Audrey to find herself hugging Shelby closer, tighter; She felt herself breaking, wanting to undo the truth, protect her lover. The actress was speechless, shocked. Still, she could see a point on it all - He loved Shelby and Chris way too much to 'hurt' them with the truth. Unfortunately, being gay was sometimes still a taboo.

Shelby nodded softly.

"Tell me about you and Audrey," Bruce said when he noticed the hurt on his daughter's face.

Shelby smiled softly as she nodded again. "She asked me to dinner around three months ago, and ever since we've been together."

Audrey smiled softly at the man, blushing a little. "I've been in love with her for so long." She chuckled softly, wondering if she should or not talk about the engagement.

Shelby blushed as she looked down to her lap. "Yeah, and we're, uh... we're engaged."

"Really?" Bruce asked. "Is that the reason for the trip?"

"That and for Audrey to meet everyone."

Audrey felt her cheeks blushing fiercely; She giggled as she stared down, biting her lip.

Shelby wrapped an arm around Audrey this time, lightly squeezing her.

"You seem really happy and really in love, so I'm happy for you, Shel. You seem to be making her the happiest I've ever seen, Audrey, so I approve." Bruce said.

Audrey let her eyes go up to Bruce's, her smile growing even bigger with his words. "Thank you so much, sir." She said sweetly. "Making her happy is always my propriety"

Bruce smiled at both of them. "Good."

"She does make me happy. Very happy. I'm not having nightmares anymore, or the panic attacks like I was. She's helped me a lot." Shelby explained.

Audrey smiled brightly at her lover, not being able to help herself but placing a soft kiss on her cheek, squeezing her a little. "I can say the same," Audrey said softly.

"Good," He said again. "You need someone who'll treat you right."

Shelby thought back to all the time her father would say things about Matt that ended up being true about how rude he could be and what a liar he was. She was genuinely surprised that he approved of her and Audrey's relationship. "She really does," Shelby said with a small smile.

"Have you got any ideas about the wedding yet?"

"Just that it'll be on June or July of next year," Audrey answered softly. She just couldn't believe things were like that. Her lover's family was okay with her, and that was the best thing she could ever ask for.

"A summer wedding? That's perfect. Any idea of a venue? Please tell me it won't be in a church." Bruce said.

"No," Shelby laughed. "No churches. We've talked about it a little, but we're still not certain on what we're doing."

Audrey couldn't help but let out a chuckle, finding Shelby's dad absolutely adorable. "The rings are going to be rose gold, like our engagement rings." She commented.

"Rose gold is the best. If I could have gotten mine and Robin's rings in rose gold I would have." Bruce said.

"They had boring gold," Shelby told her lover.

Audrey smiled lovingly at the man before turning to her lover, letting out a chuckle. Gently, the actress took her ring off, handing it to Bruce. "Here, they are like that for now." She said softly.

He took the ring and looked it over. "These are gorgeous. Did you pick them out?" he asked as he handed the ring back over.

"She did. It was a great dinner and everything. Very romantic." Shelby explained.

Audrey blushed once again as she put the ring back, giggling at her lover's words. "It was the least I could do." She murmured shyly.

"Have you met Audrey's parents yet?"

"No. We're headed there after here," Shelby answered.

"Where is 'there'?"

"England," Shelby said with a large grin.

Audrey smiled shyly, nodding as she did so.

"But they already love her from the pictures." She said softly

Bruce smiled at this. "Who couldn't?"

Shelby blushed hard as she let out a nervous chuckle, looking down at her lap.

"I know, right?!" The older blonde nodded happily, pulling Shelby even closer. "My niece wants to meet her so badly, she said Shelby looks like a real-life princess." She chuckled.

Shelby laughed as she shook her head. "You do!" Bruce said. "When she was younger, I always called her my princess."

Audrey let out a sweet chuckle, smiling widely. "I bet young Shelby was the most beautiful thing ever."

"Do you want to see pictures?" Bruce asked as he started to get up.

"Oh, my God, no!" Shelby pleaded.

"I have pictures from her birth to college."

"Oh, dear God, help me."

"Yes!" The actress answered quickly, laughing softly at her lover's reaction. "Do you want some help to get them?"

"It's just one album full, so I'll be okay. But, thank you." He said with a smile before grabbing the photo album off a bookshelf. He came over and sat on the other side of Audrey as he opened the book. The first page was pictures of the day she was born. "These were taken the day she was born."

Audrey smiled at the man, placing a loving kiss on her lover's cheek as he took the album, soon looking down at it. At the sight of the baby, the actress felt her heart melting. "Oh, my Lord!" Audrey said sweetly. "She was so adorable!"

Shelby knew what the next page held, and she was dreading it. As her father flipped the page, she felt a fierce blush form on her cheeks. Many photos showed her as a baby in her first bath, first pool adventure, and a few other naked photos. "Oh, my god." She mumbled under her breath.

Audrey felt herself blurting into giggles as the page was flipped. Staring down at each photo, she bit her lip sweetly. "She was so adorable! This pink bikini looks so cute." She commented.

"I thought so too!" Bruce smiled before going to the next page which showed her various Halloween costumes over the years. One, in particular, stuck out to Shelby as she looked at them.

"Oh, my God. That was my kindergarten Halloween party!" She said as she pointed to the one where she was dressed as a fairy princess. "That's Dani next to me in the photo." She explained with a smile.

Audrey felt her heart warming more and more with each picture her eyes laid on; On the particular fairy one, the actress let out a sweet giggle. "You were so adorable, my love. Oh, my God! And that's Dani?! The Daniella I met?!"

"Were?" Shelby asked. "Are you saying I'm not adorable anymore?" She asked. "And yes."

Audrey rolled her eyes playfully with her lover's questions, hugging her closer. "Of course, you are still adorable, honeybun, what a question." She giggled.

Shelby smiled as she rested her head on her lover's shoulder.

Bruce flipped the page again, and upon this one had pictures of Shelby and Christian. From the youngest, they were to just a few years ago.

Audrey placed a soft kiss on top of Shelby's head, glance going back down at the pictures. "Is that Chris?!" she asked.

Shelby smiled at the kiss. She nodded softly. "Yeah. I told you we're close. I think there's like, three more pages that are pictures of us."

"There are," her father said.

Audrey smiled sweetly, her sight never leaving the pictures. "You two haven't changed a single bit." She commented.

"They really haven't. They're like two peas in a pod. Always have been." Bruce said.

"He's right." Shelby smiled softly.

Audrey smiled sweetly at the man, and then at her lover, nodding as she did so. "I can see that"

Bruce flipped a few pages to Shelby's middle school years where she dressed more girly than ever. All the pictures were either in a dress or a skirt, to which Shelby thought was a horrible fashion choice with the colors and designs she chose back then. And her hair was dyed. "Oh, God."

"Oh, my." Audrey let out another chuckle. "A fashion icon, huh?" She teased, holding back her laugh.

"No..." Shelby mumbled.

"She hates these pictures," Bruce commented

"I see." Audrey giggled, shaking her head. "You really shouldn't though, babe, they are p-" A chuckle cut her. "Precious"

Shelby playfully rolled her eyes. "Then why did you laugh?!" she pouted.

"You still look like you're five when you pout," Bruce said with a sweet, loving smile.

Audrey couldn't help but burst into giggles, caressing Shelby's waist. "Because they are just so lovely, sweetheart! And yes, I agree." She said, looking at Bruce.

"Whatever," Shelby playfully laughed. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked as she pulled away to stand up.

"Water, please," Audrey said softly, smiling up at her lover.

"What about you, dad?"

"I'd love a martini, but your brother says they're no good for me, so lemonade is okay."

"Okay," Shelby said with a small smile before walking to the kitchen.

"So, how's she doing?" Bruce asked in a whisper toward the actress.

At how the man asked Audrey the question, she felt her eyebrows furrowing a little. "Shelby? She's alright, very happy, I think." She whispered back.

"Good." Bruce smiled. "I'm just checking... last time she was here, they just separated, and she wasn't okay." He explained in a hushed tone, referring to Shelby and Matt.

Audrey couldn't help but feel her heart tightening; Thinking about Shelby in such a state was something that never failed to break the actress' heart. "She's been okay, really... smiling, laughing, eating, everything." She answered hushed as well.

Bruce smiled as he nodded. "Good, good."

Shelby walked back into the living room with three drinks. She placed her glass of tea on the table before handing Audrey her water and her dad his lemonade.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Bruce smiled.

Audrey nodded quickly to Bruce before turning her attention to Shelby, smiling at her. "Thank you, my love."

"You're welcome, babe," Shelby said as she sat back down on the couch.

Bruce turned to the page of Shelby's dance pictures. Everything from her middle school to her prom pictures.

Audrey smiled as she put Shelby closer, caressing her waist. "You never told me you used to be a dancer!" The actress complained playfully.

Shelby blushed slightly. "I quit in ninth grade."

"And became a cheerleader instead," Bruce added. "She did gymnastics too."

"Gymnastics?!" Audrey gasped after sipping on her water. "Babe, that's amazing!" She glanced at Shelby again.

"Yeah," Shelby laughed softly as she felt herself blushing even more.

"She won an award once for gymnastics and a few for dance," Bruce said.

Audrey felt her jaw-dropping, staring surprisingly at Shelby. "That's so awesome! You are so talented!"

"You're the talented one," Shelby said before placing a soft kiss on Audrey's cheek.

"Both of you girls are," Bruce said.

Audrey rolled her eyes as she shook her head playfully, giggling at the man's comment mixed with the small kiss on her cheek. "Thank you so much, sir."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "How much longer are you two here?"

"Five days," Shelby answered.

"We're leaving on Monday." The actress explained sweetly.

"Do you think you girls will have time to come over again?"

"Of course, Dad. Lizzy wants to come with us next time." Shelby said, and she could see the smile on her father's face.

"That'd be great."

Audrey melted at the smile on Bruce's face as Lizzy was mentioned. She loved the fact that Lizzy was so adored by everyone. "Lizzy is the sweetest little girl ever," Audrey commented.

"She really is. We see her as our own. We knew her from birth, but Isabella didn't start dating Christian until she was around a year old... I'm sure you've heard this though." He said.

"I have." The actress giggled, nodding sweetly before taking another sip of her water. "Before going back to Chris' place, Shelby and I promised to buy her a gift." She commented.

"Are you getting her a doll? She's obsessed with those right now." Bruce asked.

"Yes," Shelby laughed. "We've noticed."

Audrey laughed as well, nodding as she did so. "We are, but we are also getting her a surprise toy." She explained.

"What were you thinking of getting her?" Bruce asked as he set his lemonade on the coffee table in front of them.

Mimicking Bruce's actions with her drink, the actress looked at her lover. "We haven't thought of anything yet, actually." She chuckled embarrassedly. "Perhaps something Scooby-Doo related... she told us it's her favorite movie."

"Well, she has all the movies, but she has been asking for a stuffed Scooby," Bruce suggested.

"Thanks, Dad." Shelby smiled softly.

Audrey smiled widely at the suggestion, subconsciously pulling Shelby closer. "That's amazing, thank you!"

"You're welcome! Do you have any other plans for today?"

"No," Shelby answered.

"Okay," he nodded with a smile. "Does your mom know?"

"She knows about us," Shelby said with a small sigh. "She's doesn't know we're engaged yet."

At the subject in hand, Audrey felt her stomach doing a flip. She started chewing on her bottom lip, sight falling down.

Bruce nodded his head. "I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but you have to tell her."

"I know," Shelby said as she looked down at her lap. "We're telling her tomorrow."

"Okay. If she throws a fit at you, tell her to come talk to me."

Audrey pulled her lover just a little closer, knowing it was a hard subject for her. "Shelby told me you were not a fan of Matt, so I want you to know you already have ten points with me." The actress said playfully, wanting to light up the mood a little bit, daring to lift her eyes up.

Bruce chuckled as he nodded. "Being 'not a fan' is an understatement of how I felt. You've already won me over and I've known you for less than an hour."

Shelby felt her anxiety starting to ease up at their conversation.

With the man's words, Audrey felt her eyes getting teary. She smiled widely, staring tenderly at Bruce. "Thank you so much, sir." She spoke softly, honestly. "It really means a lot to me."

Shelby squeezed her lover's hand as she smiled at her father.

"You're welcome. You obviously mean a lot to Shel, so I'm happy to have you here."

Shelby was so thankful that he loved Audrey. It's all she wanted and more.

Audrey bit her lip as she felt a tear rolling down. With cheeks blushing fiercely, she let out an embarrassed chuckle as she wiped it away. "Sorry." She murmured.

"It's okay, honey. I'm a crier too."

"He is," Shelby commented. She thought for a moment and felt like it hit her. "Wow, you telling me you're gay explains a lot."

"Like what?" Bruce asked as if he was offended.

"Dad, you like watching romcoms with me, you helped me pick out my prom dresses, you always helped me with my outfits for dance, and you did my hair." She explained with a laugh at the end.

Audrey burst into laughs as she heard her lover's words, not even having the time to appreciate how sweet Bruce was being. "Babe!" She whispered.

"What?! I'm being honest. I honestly don't understand how I never noticed."

"I don't either," Bruce chuckled.

Audrey bit her lip as she let out another giggle, shaking her head as she did so. "I know you'd have done it anyway, sir. You seem like an amazing father." Audrey reassured, referring to the things Shelby had commented.

"I probably would have. I may have not found it as fun though. And thank you." Bruce smiled. He resumed his attention to the photo album and turned to the page of the first three years of Shelby's high school years.

Audrey smiled to him once again before glancing down, smiling at the pictures. "The braces! Oh, my God!" She laughed.

"Oh, God," Shelby muttered. "I thought you didn't save any of these!"

"I... lied," Bruce said quietly.

Audrey laughed even more with the man's confession, eyes never leaving the pictures. "I'm so glad you have these."

"I hated my braces! I still hate those pictures. Can't we move to something else?"

"Fine," Bruce said as he turned the page which was her cheerleading photos.

Audrey placed a tender kiss to her lover's cheek as she let out another chuckle, eyes falling to the pictures soon after, seeing her lover doing all the acrobatics. "Wow... those are amazing."

Shelby bit her lip to hide the smirk that wanted to show. She knew Audrey always wanted to see what she looked like as a cheerleader, saying that it would have been sexy to see in person.

"She was cheering captain her last two years," Bruce explained. "She was really good."

Audrey bit her lip as she kept staring at the pictures. She really wanted to see Shelby doing all those acrobatics again. "I can only imagine." She commented.

"I think in her room she still has her uniform."

"I do?" Shelby asked.

"I think so. It would be in the closet."

Audrey bit her lip, wondering if Shelby could put it on for her. "I wanna see it." The actress said softly, trying to hide her smirk.

Shelby playfully rolled her eyes as she stood from the sofa again. "Alright, come on." She held out her hand for her lover. "We'll be right back." She told her father.

"Take your time, sweetheart."

#affection #shaudrey #audrey tindall #Shelby Miller #shelby tindall #lesbian #lesbian fanfic #rabexxpaulson #mistyyygoode

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moonandstarsabove · 7 years

Text

ch.1 - it’s the 4th of july!

ao3, the walking dead, darylxoc, multi-chapter

this story contains:

multicultural POC lgbt+ characters awareness of mental illness realistic family dynamics slow build romance important and valid platonic relationships mythology themes

the cast consists of:

Kat Graham Amandla Stenberg Jaden Smith Lana Parrilla Idris Elba

oOo

Everything inside Diana screamed at her to run. They had to run, there was no other way they would survive. They had to escape. The others were behind them, and they were relentless, fueled by the endless hunger that characterized them. She could hear them; their throaty screeches and feet thumping the ground like war drums.

They were slow, whereas she and her family were not, but they also never tired or ran out of breath, and that gave them the advantage.

Diana was falling behind. Her parents, brother, and sister were only backs in the distance, disappearing behind thick trees with every stride.

No matter how fast she ran or how much her legs pumped to propel her forward, the distance didn't diminish – she was running in place as if waist deep in quicksand.

She opened her mouth to call out to them and water poured in, origin unknown, torrents rushing into her mouth and nose, down her throat, and sloshing heavily in her lungs.

She was drowning.

The pressure in her chest became unbearable like she was about to burst open like an overripe fruit. Panic held her heart in a beastly grip and she felt like death. Surely that had to be how death felt like.

Her eyes rolled backward as tears of fear swelled in them, and then the tears were indistinguishable from the water drowning her. Oxygen deprived, Diana clawed weakly at her throat, desperate for relief, and felt her short fingernails tear through the skin and flesh, reaching the rings of her trachea.

This was impossible, she should be feeling pain.

Nothing made any sense.

How and why was this happening? Who was chasing them? Why were they running?

Before she could form another thought, she was tackled from behind, her legs finally giving under her, and she slipped into the sweet bliss of oblivion.

oOo

Diana woke up with a gasp and took hungry gulps of air, her hands shot to her throat, yanking at the collar of her shirt to loosen it; it felt more restraining than it ever should have.

Once she regained her breath and reassured herself of her surroundings and safety, she stared at the top of the tent with cinnamon brown eyes wide open. She was safe, she was safe.

"Merda, that was fucking scary,” she whispered, trembling and feeling weightless as she rode down the adrenaline high from the nightmare. It wasn’t uncommon for one to dream of their worst fears; drowning being one of Diana’s.

She wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand and kicked herself out of her sleeping bag, appreciating the air against her flushed skin.

Sleepy mumblings to her right had her turning to face Alice, her younger sister; she found the girl glaring at her. The early morning sunlight filtering through the cloth walls of the tent made the teen's half-closed hazel-green eyes shine like gems.

"Da fuck you on ‘bout s’early in d’mornin’?" she asked in a nearly unintelligible mumble, thick eyebrows furrowed profusely; an expression familiar to her face. "Imma fight you and your mom."

"My mom’s your mom, smartass." Diana grinned, but her smile turned grim. "I- uh, had a weird-ass dream, wanna hear about it?"

Maybe talking about it would make it better. Maybe Alice would laugh about it and call her a ‘fucking idiot’ like she usually did and leave her feeling pretty silly for being scared about something so stupid. - Diana rubbed over her throat, feeling the skin intact, but the pulse still unsettled. - It would be preferable to the lingering physical and mental discomfort the dream had left in her.

To her disappointment, Alice groaned and aggressively turned herself around and away from Diana.

"Come ooon, I always listen to you when you tell me about yours," Diana whined, hoping it didn't sound desperate and shook her sister's shoulder. In response, she got a kick to the shin, softened to a thump by the sleeping bag, and the familiar flip of Alice's middle finger over the girl’s shoulder.

“Lemme sleep! I was dreamin’ ‘bout Lance and you ruin’d it!”

Fine, whatever; nightmares were just dreams, and dreams were not real, no matter how realistic they felt. She was sure she’d forget about it soon, as it was with dreams. By the end of the day, she would know no more of water-filled lungs nor blood-slickened hands.

Diana swatted Alice's finger away and turned to her other side, to her and Alice’s little brother, the youngest of the three but also the tallest: an astounding 6ft of lean and sinewy teenage boy.

Unlike Alice's curly afro, Felix had taken to style his hair in locs, which he usually bound at the crown of his head; they were loose now, spilling around his head like a spiky halo.

He was curled into a tight ball inside his bag. The movement behind his eyelids told her he was already awake so she teasingly pulled on one of his locs to bring his attention to her and in retribution received a nondescript punch to the stomach, which she scoffed and smirked at.

"Ay, what is up with you two and violence? I’m like a punching bag over here."

"It’s ‘cause you’re so annoying. Don't touch the hair," Felix mumbled before curling up tighter into himself and continuing to pretend to sleep, "and shut up," he added and covered his head until only his nose was visible.

Diana shook her head at his antics, far too used to it to feel insulted.

She leaned over him on her elbow and whispered to where his covered ear would be, "Happy birthday, you big grumpy wumpy baby."

He shuffled inside his sleeping bag in response, shoving her away. A muffled reply of ‘piss off’ soon followed.

oOo

It was an understatement to say Diana was disappointed with the day’s begin.

Rummaging around in her bag for any device that showed the time (her smartphone had run out of juice two weeks ago), she found a wristwatch she never got around to wear and widened her eyes at the pointers showing 5:30-ish.

Okay, she’d been used to waking up around this time for school, but she was on vacation now, and she’d missed out on perfectly good sleeping time because of a pointless nightmare that was nothing more than vague recollections. She called bullshit.

She tried going back to sleep, she really did... But the damned sunlight always painted her eyelids red, no matter where she turned and how she positioned herself. And then there were the birds singing their chipper morning songs, waking up the entire forest.

She needed perfect darkness and silence to fall asleep, and it just wasn’t happening. She envied her siblings, who had fallen back asleep so quickly, undisturbed by anything around them.

When she completely gave up, the wristwatch read 6:55, and she thought that was a good time as any to finally get up.

Quietly, as to not wake Alice and Felix back up, Diana traded her sleeping shirt and shorts for the clothes from the day before – a tank top under a red plaid shirt and knee-length jean shorts, which showcased the stubs of her leg hair slowly growing back, luckily almost unnoticed against her brown skin. She tamed the waves of her dark hair into a messy ponytail and grimaced at the wet baby hairs at the back of her neck; the aftermath of humid summer weather and an agitated night in an enclosed tent.

She stepped into her running shoes and zipped open the tent-flap. The air that rushed in was less stale in comparison and Diana inhaled deeply before sighing, loving the dry earthy scent.

She let the flap open so her siblings could also profit from it, put her hands on her hips, and turned her face up to the tree canopy with closed eyes.

A refreshing breeze rustled the foliage above, Diana heard birdcalls and summer insects starting their daily buzz from all directions. The air smelled of dirt and leaves and yesterday’s fire, the embers of which had glowed deep into the night.

She might miss having Wi-Fi and general modern commodities, but this closeness to nature was something she'd never experienced before and it was...new, and good, very good. If not a little tiring, especially when you've been at it for fourteen long days.

She took another deep breath and got to her morning routine. Their toilet paper was long gone, so they had a little plastic bag with usable leaves as substitute pinned down with a rock next to their ‘toilet tree’ – her dad had to teach them the difference between which greens were good to go and which would cause them to wiggle in their seat for days.

The water they had was strictly for drinking and cooking, so she wiped her hands and face with a secret reserve of wet wipes she kept for herself in her messenger bag; so she was a bit selfish, fight her.

Diana sat down at the fire pit of the isolated little camping site and brought out of her bag a book titled "The Passage", which she had bought at the airport on the day they’d arrived; her first purchase on American soil.

She had initially been attracted to the iridescent beauty of the cover, but now, sitting on the carved sitting log and rapturously reading her way through the final hundred pages, she found it was actually quite good; not that she had very high standards regarding books, to begin with.

The whole purpose of the trip had been to come visit Aunt Cátia and her family, who lived in Atlanta, Georgia.

Cátia was her mother's little sister and Diana’s Godmother. She'd gone to live in the States five years prior, about the same time Diana and her siblings had joined their parents in Switzerland.

They'd only seen each other through Skype since, when at all until Cátia had finally had enough of it and had bought her sister and her family plane tickets to come see her. The only problem had been with the other person that had also been invited.

Diana was startled out of her thoughts and her reading when she heard loud, very loud yawning and turned in her seat to see her dad stepping out of his and mom's tent. The golden morning light reflected on his dark skin, giving him a glowing sheen.

He walked to her wordlessly, offered her a nod, which she returned, and pretended to punch her on the side.

Diana ‘oofed’ playfully and grinned up at him as he absentmindedly hugged her to his side and scratched her under the chin, calling her a ‘good girl’.

She pushed him away with a laugh.

"Morning," she added, putting away her book and feeling a bit victorious that she'd been up sooner than her early bird of a father, even if it had been unwanted.

"‘Good mornings’ are for the morning," Samuel responded – his usual response, every morning without fail – and squeezed her shoulder to tone down on her smugness.

She laughed and wiggled away and patted the space next to her on the sitting log.

"Come, sit with me and wait for breakfast," she joked and did nothing to hide her grin.

Samuel crossed his arms, making his biceps swell, and raised an amused eyebrow, with the contrast of his hazel-green eyes staring down at her. "Oh, you’re waiting for breakfast? Get off your damn ass, you're gonna help me. I always gotta fucking do everything in this family, none o’ you lift a finger to do a single damn thing. Dad’s always there to cook and clean and drive you places." The cussing was so familiar to his way of speech that it went unnoticed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Pai is the best and we are the worst children in the whole wide world.”

A warning look from him had her up on her feet and doing as instructed. She knew she could play around with her dad, he was like a child himself sometimes, but she didn't want to accidentally trigger one of his notorious bad moods. Whenever that happened, the most ridiculous of arguments would break out between him and his three children, stubborn clashing against bullheaded, and it always ended with one or both parties’ day ruined.

So, bantering back and forth, they lit the fire in the fire pit and prepared scrambled eggs with chopped up sausages for breakfast. How they had managed to have fresh eggs this long was a mystery to her, one she didn’t dare question.

Diana was walking back from their rented jeep with their breakfast refreshments, when Irene stepped out of her tent, still bleary eyed and yawning behind her hand, but already dressed for the day in a get-up similar to Diana's. This camping thing had certainly changed her mother’s sleeping habits, since the woman usually slept in underpants and nothing else, as she didn’t like the restricting feeling of pajamas. It often made for uncomfortable sightings back home since Sam shared those habits.

Diana approached the shorter woman from behind and hugged her while planting a sloppy kiss on her freckled cheek.

Irene smiled and turned in her daughter's arms to return the affection. Then she took the half-full bottle of orange juice Diana had gotten from the cooler and they both went to sit at the fire pit.

Irene took her designated spot next to Sam and proceeded to kiss her husband thoroughly, despite just having had slept in the same tent.

Diana averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "For real, at the breakfast table?" She was glad her parents got along so well, but sometimes she had to put up with some indecencies no child should ever witness from their parents; they were very open about their affections.

Irene swatted her hand in dismissal, "Yeah, you'll see if you won't do the same when you find o amor da tua vida.”

"Ugh, but I won’t be like you and not at the table," Diana mumbled and scratched at a mosquito bite on her calf. She couldn’t imagine herself being gooey heart-eyes over someone like her parents were, it didn’t fit her.

"Shut the hell up and eat your damn food," Samuel said and thrust a plastic plate and fork at her, the smell of the meat making her salivate. She took the food gladly and scooped a forkful into her awaiting mouth.

“I miss my breakfast cereal,” she commented to herself, chewing half-heartedly.

Irene chatted loudly about old gossip Diana didn't care to listen to – she’d already heard it all the day before -, and Sam listened silently along while eating.

Diana took a swig of juice straight from the bottle and just observed them.

She always thought of her mom and dad as a perfect balance of each other, not only their hot-cool personality but their appearance as well.

Irene was short and petite, of Colombian and Brazilian descent, with dark brown eyes and shoulder length dark hair. A woman her age, well into her forties, would be expected to have some amounts of wrinkles, but by the miracles of her Latina skin, which was oily to boost – a trait which all three of her children had inherited, yay –, Irene's wrinkles only manifested around her eyes when she smiled.

Samuel was of Cape Verdean descent. He was admittedly not very tall, scraping 5’8”, slightly shorter than Diana, with broad shoulders and beefy arms. His black and gray coiled curls were always cropped close to the scalp, his hazel-green eyes were constantly stuck in an intimidating glare that was basically his trademark, which accentuated the crease between his brows and the crow’s feet around his eyes.

Diana shoved the last bite into her mouth just as her mother asked her if the kids were still asleep. With puffed cheeks, Diana could only nod. She made a noise of realization in the back of her throat and gestured by her head with her hands, attempting to reference Felix by miming his hair.

"For Christ's sake, mija, swallow your food and then talk. I swear to God, you only have the body of a twenty-one-year-old, your brain still hasn't caught up." Irene shook her head and rolled her eyes when Diana smiled like it had been a compliment. She had always been childish, there would be no changing that, she took after her dad in that sense.

Diana made a show of thoroughly chewing her food, swallowed it and dramatically took a swig of juice. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and addressed her parents again, "What I meant was, you got Felix's present?"

"Nah, your mother made us look through all kinds of shit for hours, jumping from store to store until my back almost broke and we didn't fucking buy him anything," Samuel remarked sarcastically.

“Then you shouldn’t’ve jumped,” Diana cracked, to which Samuel began to reply with an amused half-smile growing on his lips but just huffed and shook his head in defeat.

Diana had been there when they’d gone shopping on the day they left her Godmother’s, to stock up on food and other necessities for their camping trip, but she didn't know if they bought him anything then or if they wanted to wait until they were back home to get him a birthday present.

Sam returned from the jeep, carrying baseball gear in his hands that Diana knew for sure would be a success with her brother, and he handed the items to her for a closer look.

There was a set of three baseballs, a sturdy leather glove, and a dull metallic bat with a purple bow wrapped around the handle.

Diana nodded in approval; yeah, Felix would go crazy over it. Baseball wasn't very popular in Switzerland, so you could rarely find good gear, if at all, and the boy had wanted to try the sport for ages.

It was a pity that their trip's sole purpose had been family time only – which had partially not gone according to plan –, and not sightseeing or other activities.

Next time.

Right then, chatter like bickering and movement from her and the kids’ tent caught her attention and in a feat of rushed panic, Diana threw the objects at her dad, relieved when he caught them before something fell into the grill or pan over the fire.

Alice stepped out of the tent and greeted them with the mockery of a formal bow, "Good morning mother, father, and less importantly, sister. I present to you, the birthday boy."

For whatever reason, she began singing ‘We Are the Champions’ in a pitch too low for her angelic voice while making dramatic hand motions towards the tent.

Felix jumped out with a big flourish and waved and blew kisses at his surroundings, as if there were a huge crowd awaiting him, then dropped to his knees while victoriously pumping his fists in the air in exaggerated slow motion.

Alice sang a few more lines and stopped while Felix continued celebrating, clearly enjoying his moment and no longer grumpy. The older girl walked up behind him, slapped him upside the head and called him a bobo. Same old, same old with those two.

Felix, in high spirits, ignored her and started doing his ‘Estrondo’ moves, a ridiculous ‘dance’ invented and performed by the main characters of a Portuguese amateur short film by the same name, that Felix thought to be the peak of Portuguese comedy.

His knees were bent in a half crouch, arms as if he was hugging the air under him and he moved them to and from his body while dancing around in semicircles. All in all, it was the goofiest thing ever, and Irene and Sam hated it, because ‘it made him look half-witted’.

That had never stopped him.

When he was done and straightened himself up, mom and dad skipped the reprimand and enveloped him in a tight hug. He was almost tall enough that his chin hit Samuel's forehead; it was a comical sight, to be honest.

Seeing her sister to the side, Diana opened her arms in invitation, but Alice just sneered and shoved her arms aside while sitting on the same log but as far away from her sister as she physically could.

Diana beamed at her and patted her cheek, which almost got her her hand gnawed off; Alice did not like to be touched, and affection – verbal or physical – unless she initiated it, made her very uncomfortable.

After being released, Felix sat down on the free space between his two elder sisters and both teens accepted breakfast from their dad.

"Can't wait to see what you got me," Felix said around a mouthful of meat and egg.

“What makes you think we got you anything?”

“‘Cause you’re not terrible parents and you love your son very much and want him to be happy?”

“Nice.” Alice offered her fist for Felix to bump.

“You keep playing that card and I’ll start using it against you,” retorted Irene, “Won’t you vacuum the living room because you’re not a terrible son and love your mother very much and want to see her happy? Huh, like that?”

“Ho-ho, nice.” Alice bumped her fist against Irene’s outstretched one.

“Pick up your jaw and finish eating, and then we’ll talk presents, papito.”

When the birthday boy all but inhaled the last remnant of food on his plate, Sam gave him the things he’d hidden behind his seat.

The fifteen-year-old boy went bananas over it if his excited swearing was any indication. And just because it was his birthday, the only punishment he got for his foul mouth was a smack upside the head, administered by yours truly on behalf of Sam, the hypocrite.

While Felix was showing off his present to a jealous-but-trying-not-to-show-it Alice, a blast sounded in the distance, making everyone freeze and turn like a dog that spotted a squirrel. It reverberated throughout the forest, making nearby resting birds take immediate flight and screech hellishly.

More loud bursts followed, and everyone started to crank up on the worry until Alice reminded, "It's the 4th of July, bro. Today, the whole country celebrates with you."

#fanfic #twd #read pls

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