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staticscreenwriting · 3 years

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LOVE LIKE THE MOVIES // BUCKY BARNES // 3

THREE - Little Shop Of Horrors

Masterlist

Summary: This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Bucky Barnes, finds himself thrown into a world that seems so different from everything he’s ever known. The girl, (Y/N) knows entirely too much about rom-coms and is quite particular about the way she eats her popcorn. Bucky meets (Y/N) a few months after returning to NYC. He knows almost immediately that becoming her friend is inevitable. This is a story of boy meets girl. This is a story about love. (Bucky Barnes x female!Reader // a few spoilers for TFATWS)

[additional note: I am German. Sometimes I get the tense wrong or make mistakes. I am useless when it comes to punctuation. Go easy on me, please.]

Bucky vividly remembers being about 10 years old and sitting on the living room floor watching his father assemble a heavy cabinet made from dark, massive wood. It had intricate gold ornaments along the sides and around the edges and even at that young age, he knew that it must’ve been expensive.

He likes thinking back to that memory, mostly because it’s one of the few that he can still tightly hold onto and recount the exact way he’s felt then, and partly because it’s so seemingly insignificant. It’s nice to know that some of the memories he regained after having his mind wiped clean, are tiny unimportant ones. It’s not just the big moments and grand gestures that make life worth living. Sometimes it’s the little things, the small details you look back on and fondly remember with a smile on your face.

Looking at the furniture before him, Bucky can’t imagine what his mother would think of these cabinets. Everything is white or beige or grey and there’s a lot of shiny black fronts and glass doors. The place is huge, so huge they have to tape arrows on the floor so people don’t get lost, and it smells of artificial vanilla and sawdust.

It’s not like he hates the furniture here, it’s just a lot and quite honestly, he’s not sure what really matches his personal style. Hell, he hasn’t had a personal style since before he went to fight in the war.

“ Ooooh, this one is very you! “ (Y/N) exclaims as she lets herself fall onto a fluffy brown 2-seat sofa.

If it wasn’t for her, Bucky wouldn’t be here. Not only because he wants her to come around more often and actually be able to sit on a couch, but also because she was literally the one driving them both here.

“Watcha doin? “

That was the text that started it, and before he knew she had pulled up to his apartment building, arm hanging from her open car window, and yelled “Get in loser, we’re going furniture shopping! “

Bucky assumes that is another movie reference though he doesn’t dare ask her about it.

“Nope, that’s a two-seater. Too small. I want to be able to sleep on it. “

“ Or, and hear me out on this one, you could get a new bed to sleep in. “

He doesn’t have any reply to that. It’s not like he doesn’t want to sleep in his bed, it’s just — it’s too soft. It’s too comfortable. It makes it easy to fall asleep and dream. And it’s never pleasant dreams. It’s nightmares. It’s faces that haunt him. Innocent faces. Eyes filled with terror. Fear. Fear of him. It’s nightmares. It’s memories.

When he doesn’t answer, (Y/N) pulls herself back up from the sofa and wanders on “or we’ll just have to find a bigger couch, that’s fine too. “

And at that moment he’s entirely grateful that she doesn’t push him any further.

They wander around the store for a while longer, slalom in between sofas and recliners, swerve in and out of mock-up rooms, all the while (Y/N) keeps throwing puns at him incorporating the Swedish names of the furniture.

Hanging out with her kind of reminds him of the times he hung out with Steve when both of them were so much younger. Of course, it’s nothing alike. He’s not even close to the person he was then, the boy he was then. The thing is, back then everything was easy and light. Being here with her and listening to her horrible puns, that’s easy too. For right now, he doesn’t even notice the weight that’s constantly resting on his heart or the perpetual shadow that seems to rest above him. This is easy and it feels so nice.

They step into yet another room, this one painted a dark forest green. Against the wall, there’s a dark wooden cabinet holding books and a fake tv and in the middle is a corner sofa made from dark brown leather. It’s big enough to fit both him and (Y/N) and maybe even Lady if she’s okay with cuddling up a little to either of them.

“ I like that one,” Bucky says and lets himself plop down on the couch. It’s comfortable but not too soft. It’s just right. Is this what Goldilocks felt like?

(Y/N) sits down next to him, rests her feet on top of the couch table and for a second it’s just them and the black screen of the fake tv and the intercom system calling out for little Kyle to be picked up at the Småland play area.

“ Honey, “ (Y/N) speaks up after a moment, “ I think the tv is broken? “ her voice ringing through the mock-up in a thick Transatlantic accent, making her sound like the women in the movies he grew up with.

“ Huh. Ain’t that something ?”

“ Well didn’t you fix it like I told you? “

“ Guess I must’ve forgotten,” Bucky plays along, trying to suppress the smirk pulling the corner of his lips upwards.

“ Ugh, remind me again why I married you? “

Bucky shrugs his shoulders casually “ my good looks? “

“ Oh, don’t flatter yourself. It’s very unbecoming. Good thing is — “ she announces as jumps up, pulling Bucky up with her and right over into the next mock-up living room. “ We have another tv.”

As Kyle’s parents are called out again, (Y/N) and Bucky tumble from one room into the next. From kitchen to bathroom to fake little balcony. All setting the stage for another chapter from their made-up marriage. Scenes from a movie never made, a book never written. A beautiful kaleidoscope of could-be and never-was. A nice fantasy to get lost in.

If this was a rom-com, (Y/N) thinks, this would be the falling in love montage. Some killer indie track would play in the background and it would be featured in at least one Buzzfeed article about romantic gestures.

But it’s not a movie, it’s real life and she isn’t the romantic lead and Bucky is — well he would make a great leading man now that she thinks about it.

They make their way back to the green living room with the brown couch and the ‘broken’ tv and fall back against the leather, laughter shaking their bodies, tears of joy stinging at the corners of their eyes. As she catches her breath, (Y/N) taps Bucky softly on the right shoulder and drops her voice to a whisper.

“Honey,” she says “I don’t know how to tell you this but uh — there’s a family on our balcony.”

Bucky’s eyes follow her outstretched hand and sure enough on the adjacent fake balcony is a family of 4 staring back at them. And just like that, they fall back into a beautiful harmony of laughter.

“So explain to me again what this movie is about?” Bucky asks as (Y/N) takes another sip from her coke can.

“Dude buys a plant, it starts eating people.”

“And this is gonna show me what women want these days?”

A joyful chuckle falls from (Y/N)’s lips. “I mean … there is a love story and a moral about how far you’re willing to go for the people you love even if it might be morally questionable, but maybe — maybe we should consider this one the Halloween special.”

Bucky shrugs his shoulder as if to say “okay fine with me” and leans back against the car seat. The massive screen of the drive-in is currently playing some kind of ice cream commercial that has (Y/N) softly humming along to the jingle.

This trip wasn’t planned, in fact, they’d been on their way back home when a billboard at the side of the road caught (Y/N)’s attention and put a huge grin on her face, so wide it could’ve split her face in two.

That’s how he ended up parked neatly in a row of cars, Coca-Cola in hand, popcorn resting in between him and (Y/N) waiting for the commercials to end and the movie to begin.

“You’re gonna love this one,” she’s told him beforehand. He’s a little skeptical about it but he’s not gonna tell her. Bucky is just so appreciative of the fact that she bothers trying to introduce him to these things. They might not end up being for him but it’s a good feeling to have someone care this much. Someone who hasn’t been with him through all the shit. Someone who doesn’t feel responsible because they pity him. Someone who doesn’t owe it to Steve to look after Bucky…

“So … I still have some homework to do.” He chimes in thinking back to their conversation on his living room floor.

“Homework that involves me?”

“Mmh. Doc thinks I should learn some more things about you. Apparently, it’s not enough to know that you’re crazy about movies and talk a lot.”

“I do talk a lot.” (Y/N) agrees and pops a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “I don’t know what to tell you. What you want to know?”

“Anything.”

Since coming back from oblivion, Bucky hasn’t really made an effort to get to know anyone. Growing closer to people only means there’s more for you to lose. More people you can potentially hurt. He doesn’t usually learn new things about people because he doesn’t ask. Because he doesn’t want to know. It’s a lonely life but it’s safe. It’s comfortable.

But this is different. He’s in too deep now to stop. And yeah, maybe this is his homework. Maybe he asks because his therapist told him too but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. He wants to know about (Y/N). Even the little things. The insignificant details.

“Well as I said before, I’ve studied literature and creative writing. I want to be an author. That’s uh — that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. The thing is it’s very hard to actually get people to give your writing a chance. Especially now. The world is in such a weird limbo after everyone came back. There’s no room for my art right now. So I work as a waitress to make ends meet. “

“What would you write about?” Bucky asks and in her eyes, in the surprise that’s so clearly written on her face, he can see that people don’t ask her that all too often.

“I don’t know, life? “

“Love stories?”

She lets out a mix between a scoff and a snort “what do I know about romance? I can tell you all about the love the movies and the songs and the books want to sell us, and don’t get me wrong, I love that. But I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced true and honest romantic love. So how could I ever write about it ?”

For a moment silence falls upon them. It’s neither comfortable nor awkward. It just is. Sometimes that’s enough.

“Look, I might not know a lot about love either, but I do know that dreams are worth holding on to, no matter how out of reach they seem. If it’s something you believe in and that you’re passionate about, it’s worth fighting for it.”

“Huh, didn’t put you for such a motivational speaker. Where’ve you got that from”

“Didn’t think the skinny boy from Brooklyn was ever gonna save a whole bunch of lives and fight in a war. Steve was the walking proof that you can do anything. “

“You miss him, huh?”

People don’t usually ask about Steve. They either don’t care how Bucky feels about the whole situation or they know it’s a tough topic and avoid it altogether. The worst part is he doesn’t even know how to respond. Yes of course he misses Steve, more than anything really, but there’s also a little bit of resentment swinging along. With Steve here by his side, it always felt like there was someone there who understood exactly what Bucky was going through. Someone who also had to figure out how to navigate this new life. But now with Steve gone, he feels so utterly alone.

“Every day.”

“Look I’m not going to ask what happened because quite honestly I’m still trying to grasp the fact that there are aliens and superheroes and wizards — “

“Wizards are not a thing.”

“You sure?”

Bucky lets out a slightly annoyed sigh “Yup. 100%”

“What’s the Strange guy?”

“Sorcerer.”

“That’s not the same?”

“No.”

(Y/N) considers for a moment, eyes screwed up in uncertainty before she shrugs her shoulder “ alright if you say so. Anyway, my point is, I don’t know if you have that many people to talk to and I don’t know if you even want to talk about Steve but if you do … well you can talk to me. I know I talk a lot but I’m also a really good listener. “

There’s no doubt in his mind that she is. He doesn’t know if he’s ready to talk about Steve yet though. Not when his heart is still at war whether or not to be angry. Not when he’s still so uncertain about his own complicated emotions.

“Thanks, I uh — I appreciate it.”

Loud music starts to play and (Y/N)’s head snaps towards the screen just in time for the title card to pop up in big colorful letters as three women shimmy across the street and start singing.

Bucky can’t help but let his gaze travel back towards (Y/N) every once in a while. There’s something about her he can’t quite figure out, but the way her eyes light up as she watches the movie and the smile on her face, it gives him a warm feeling. Like bad things don’t exist for the 90 minutes they sit together and watch a film.

“Sooooo?” (Y/N) asks as she parks the car in front of Bucky’s place. Her eyes still hold a sparkle that’s both mischievous and excited.

“I actually liked this one a little.”

“A little?”

“Look it’s not gonna be my favorite movie but I had fun. But uh — maybe that’s just because I’ve watched it with you.”

(Y/N) grants him a beautiful smile. It’s full of warmth and care and honesty. And he’s glad he told her, even if it makes him vulnerable.

“You telling me I’m a good friend?”

“Guess so.”

“Well, you’re a good friend too, Bucky.”

He hopes she’s right though he has a hard time believing it. He’s never seen himself as the greatest friend. Everything he did for Steve he did because he knew Steve would do the same. It came so naturally from both of them that it never felt like he was doing anything special or exceptional. It was as easy as breathing.

“Do you wanna come up? We could order some food.”

“Oh, I can’t. Gotta pick up Lady from Robin’s place. But as soon as your couch is delivered count me in as the first sleepover guest. “

“Will do. Hey, you think I should name the plant we bought (Y/N) 2?”

“Depends, you wanna feed the neighborhood Dentist to it”

“Maybe.”

They fall into another fit of laughter and even though it’s not that funny, and even though it’s really dumb and silly actually, Bucky enjoys it so much. He can’t remember a day when he laughed this much, felt this light.

“Oh, by the way, I’m throwing a pre-Halloween-party next weekend. If you’re free you should totally drop by.”

“I um — A friend is coming around that weekend.”

“Then bring your friend! The more the merrier, right ?”

Sam is gonna be down, there’s no doubt in Bucky’s mind about it. Sam isn't the problem, he never is. It’s Bucky. Going to a party is terrifying for someone who’s never known anything but the 1940s. This can only end up in disasters.

And yet …

“Okay, I’ll let him know.”

“Cool. Awesome. Just uh — Just text me when you know. Also, there’s no special theme so you can dress up as whatever.”

“I’m not dressing up.”

(Y/N) blows a raspberry against her arm “lame! But whatever, you do you.”

He guesses that means as much as “suit yourself”.

They bid each other goodbye with a hug and a promise from (Y/N) to Bucky to text him once she’s home just so he knows she’s safe.

To her, that’s a gesture so sweet and endearing it sends a jolt through her heart. To him, it’s as natural as breathing. You do what you can to keep those safe that you care about, even if it’s just a simple little text.

“You dressed up!”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Man, You’re wearing a costume. I’m looking at you right now. I can see it. You dressed up.”

“These are just my clothes.”

“These are just your clothes? Your normal clothes?”

“Yes.”

“You’re wearing Converse now?”

“ mmh.”

“Your Jeans are cuffed, man. I’ve never seen you cuff your jeans.”

“It’s something I do now.”

Bucky isn’t a very religious person. He doesn’t pray very often. At that moment though, he prays to god and every higher spirit one might choose to believe in, to open up the earth and let it swallow him whole.

“Look,” Sam says and gives Bucks a friendly pat on the back “you don’t gotta be embarrassed by it. I dressed up!”

“Yeah, what even are you, by the way? An exterminator?”

“I — what? No! I’m a ghostbuster.”

“Okay. Whatever that is.”

“Whatev— Bucky, Man you really gotta go with the times a little. I know you’re practically ancient but the Ghostbusters? Catch up!”

“Whatever. I'm not dressing up. Can we go?” Bucky sighs in exasperation, making Sam’s grin grow even bigger. Bucky knows that he’s just playing into his game, that Sam loves riling him up. That doesn’t mean it’s any easier to not let it get to him.

“Alright alright. Hold your horses. I’m ready. Let’s go … Danny Zuko.”

Bucky wants to punch him then but Sam is out the door faster than Bucky can even react, his loud laughter sounding through the hallway.

There are people everywhere. Sitting on the kitchen counter, lounging on the couches, leaning against the wall by the open windows. Everywhere. The apartment is small and with so many people inside, it looks absolutely packed. Like sardines in a tin.

Music echos through the place, a song Bucky faintly recognizes from the radio but can’t name. Sam seems to enjoy it though, his body already swaying along to the tune.

“Hey Buck, where’s your girl?” He asks as both of them let their eyes travel across the room and over the crowd.

“She’s not my girl and I don’t —“

In the middle of the room is a fish tank. It separates the living room area from the dining room and kitchen. Blue and green hues radiate from it as colorful fish circle around and swerve in and out of the plants.

But Bucky hardly noticedsthe fish, as his eyes fall onto the girl at the other side of the tank. The water sends a blue shimmer across her skin but her smile doesn’t lose any of the warmth it always holds. She looks beautiful. She always does but there’s something about her tonight that’s different from all the times he’s seen her before. Something ethereal.

At that moment, Bucky feels a fluttery feeling in his heart, in his bones, in his blood. He knows this feeling, has felt it before, a long time ago. Maybe, he thinks, maybe there could be more than friendship there.

And that thought absolutely terrifies him. Because falling for someone makes you foolish and dumb and vulnerable. And that’s awfully scary.

Taglist // if you want to be added or taken off just message me :) //:

@zaynzierulez // @je-like-you // @dracoxxyoflam // @jackiehollanderr // @majo240820 // @kay-gilles // @booksb4looksstuff // @jckie94 // @charmed-asylum // @shawnie--jo // @yllwtaxi //

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky imagine #winter soldier x reader #the falcon and the winter soldier imagine #avengers imagine #avengers imagines #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #james barnes x reader #james barnes x female reader #he has too many names this must be enough

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witlessficcer · 3 years

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Movie Night

Summary: Natasha invites Peggy to the in house movie theater at the Avengers compound for a special date.

This fic is for @blazestarninja13. She requested a movie night for Peggy and Nat. Though I didn’t get to Kate Hepburn’s striving against sexism, I think this still fits into the fun of

When Nat asked for a third time to have movie night, just the two of them, Peggy finally relented. She certainly didn't have anything against watching movies, but had a hard time with how people acted in movies in the present. She had been assured by Nat that the movie they watched would not be violent; she agreed that the two of them had had enough of that for a lifetime. However, there was something to be said for a good crime movie. She had really enjoyed Laura, with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. Twisted stuff. She had no idea what movie Nat had in mind, but ultimately, sitting in a dark and empty, Stark engineered home theater, with her best girl at her side or in her lap, sounded pretty good.

Leaving her quarters, wearing a v-neck, feathered, dark grey t-shirt and jeans, she wondered if she would be too cold. She never had been before. The Avengers compound was always just the right temperature. Even if she did get cold, Nat wouldn't have it. Goosebumps were a God given invitation for Natasha Romanoff to heat things up. Not that Nat needed a reason, God given or otherwise. She wondered what Nat was wearing.

Peggy had to admit, it never felt right walking into a genuine, if small, movie theater like she used to walk into her living room to listen to the radio. She had to admit that the sound and the picture and the ambiance were nice, but walking down the hall from her room into a movie house felt dodgy. No, not dodgy, but self serving. Did she really need or want all the opulence Stark provided? Shaking her head to cast off that strange tangent, she entered the low lit theater and was immediately drawn to the blonde bob sitting in the center seat of row 8. It was Nat's seat. Everyone knew. In fact, last she heard, Tony was supposed to have added a plaque.

Walking down the aisle, she was gratified to see Natasha put an arm over the seat back next her and look back expectantly. The woman had a beautiful smile. Shared it so rarely with the world. Peggy was also thankful that such a dangerously talented and gorgeous woman had chosen her.

“I saved you a seat,” Nat called back. “It was getting crowded.”

“It was the least you could do given you asked me on this date,” Peggy shot back, turning into the aisle. Nat rose from her seat at Peggy approached. She was wearing black jeans, big surprise, and a fitted, low cut, field green t-shirt that showed more cleavage than Peggy was comfortable with others seeing. “Aren't you worried, all the boys will be watching those bazooka's instead of the movie?”

“Speak for yourself,” Nat retorted. “Those torpedoes would would feed any kids dream for weeks.

The Black Widow patted the seat next to her and waited for Peggy to sit. As soon as she did, the blonde woman pulled her close and brushed her lips against her lover's as sheb moved off to the right and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “You look fantastic. I love the ponytail.”

“I know you do,” Peggy added, with a playful scowl. “That's why I wore it. And, by the way is that dinky kiss all I get? Definite weak sauce from the Widow.”

Nat looked at her as if she would look at a child left alone for five minute, now slathered head to toe in peanut butter. She tilted her head for effect. “It's about the speed of the movie we're going to watch.”

“You may not like it as much, but I'm just fine with family movies. They make me feel good. Or are they called feel good movies these days?”

“Don't hurt yourself, Cap,” the shorter woman said. “The movie we're going to see is more of a classic.”

“I love classics!” Peggy said, excitedly, a grin growing ever larger across her lips. “Star Wars, The Goonies, Toy Story.”

There was a sudden pain in her sizable shoulder. “Shite! What was that for?”

Natasha retracted her fist and pinned Peggy with a powerful side eye. “No pain. No Gain.”

“You didn't just say that,” Peggy said in mock horror. “You didn't.”

Nat took a deep breath. “No. You heard nothing. That was awful.”

“Whew!” Peggy said, checking her Apple watch. “I was afraid I would have another commitment if you let that one stay out there.”

“Just shut up for a minute, you Big Oaf,” Nat said, playfully placing her hand high on Peggy's left thigh. “The movie is about to start.”

“But we don't have any snacks?” Peggy said, anxiously. “I have to have a Coca-Cola.”

Natasha laughed at her girlfriend's frenzied state. Nat reached to her left and produced a silver champagne bucket filled with ice and four bottles of Coke. From Mexico. With real cane sugar.

Peggy gasped at the simple gesture of love. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistened. There was enough wetness that she removed her pale blue glasses and wiped the tears away. “This is amazing, Nat.”

“But wait,” Nat said, drawing out the mystery. ��There's more.”

Nat also produced another large bucket, this one paper, and filled with popcorn and real movie theater style butter. Peggy took it gladly She set it in the seat next to her as she allowed the ice cold silver to burn her inner thighs. Reaching over, she place a hand on Nat's neck and pulled her strongly into a kiss. The Widow's lightning fast reflexes shot an index finger between their lips before they could meet. “Not done yet. Reaching to her left one final time, she brought forth two large movie size candy boxes. She handed Peggy a box of Junior Mints while she kept a box of Dots for herself.

“You really thought of everything,” Peggy said, staring happily into her lover's eyes.

“I did,” she said, leaning forward and pulling a large soft baby blue blanket from the chair in front of her. “I'm sorry we can't snuggle while we watch, but we can be warm and we can hold hands. We cant touch shoulders and tilt our heads together like an old Norman Rockwell painting.”

“I love Norman Rockwell,” Peggy said.

“I know you do,” Natasha replied. “I love it when you hold my hand.”

“I know you do,” Peggy said, reaching over and taking the hand of the former assassin.

“Jarvis, start the movie,” Nat called to the empty room. The lights lowered and the red velvet curtains drew away. When the silver screen flickered to life, it was in black and white. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo appeared on screen. The Lion Roared. As the music rose, Natasha watched Peggy closely. Her chest was rising and falling more quickly and her grip on Nat's hand had tightened. Her eyes were wide and glued to the screen. When the title “The Philadelphia Story” lit up the screen Peggy let out an an excited scream and jumped from her seat, pulling Nat up with her. She pulled night into the tightest hug. Really tight, lifting her her off the ground. Setting her back down, she cupped her lover's face in her hand and made to mash her lips with abandon. Instead, she brushed her lips against the other and moved off to left to right and planted a firm kiss on Natasha's flush cheek. She continued to the other woman's ear and whispered passionately: “This is amazing. I love it. I love you. I want you.”

“I guess it's my turn to make you wait,” Nat replied, breathlessly. “But I don't think the movie is that long.”

#marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #fanfic #peggy carter #Natasha Romanoff #the black widow #Captain Carter #mcu icons #marvel mcu #what if...?#what if icons #peggy/nat

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atinybitofau · 4 years

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S A N ⇾ couple au

THE “I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE” COUPLE (ft. THIRD WHEEL SEONGHWA)

a/n: I don’t think I write good San imagines man. I’m sorry but I’m a sanhwa shipper. I just had to.

• here’s the thing about San.

• you love him to death— obviously.

• and would you do almost anything for him?

• absolutely.

• does he love you?

• I mean, he should.

• after all he is your BEST FRIEND.

• you get it?

• b e s t f r i e n d.

• and here you two go again.

• first Saturday of the month and San’s already getting picky about your date next Friday.

• “There’s absolutely no question. I am going on that date, Mark my words.”

• he glares at you from across the room, lips covered by the opening of his cup.

• Seonghwa looks from the center, glancing back and forth at the growing tension of you both.

• always being the third wheel of course.

• he doesn’t mind though.

• he kind of ships you two together anyway.

• “Um.... you know, the popcorn’s not going to cook itself.”

• you ignore Seonghwa for the mean time while you glare back at your other best friend, “San. Don’t look at me like that.”

• he shrugs. “I’m not looking at you like anything.”

• you deadpan. “Really?”

• “I already told you. You aren’t going on that date. Even if I have to handcuff you to my bed for the whole day.”

• you let out a guttural groan. “San! Seriously?!”

• Seonghwa secretly reaches for your cupcake on the table to which you grab his arm juggling between controlling him and controlling San.

• “You can’t be serious. Hongjoong?! You’re gonna go out with Kim Hongjoong?” San reiterates not confident in moving closer to you.

• your eyes narrow. “And what’s wrong with Hongjoong?”

• he thinks because it’s not him.

• it should be him

• each. time.

• but he can’t seem to break that stupid facade he puts up as your best friend.

• thinks that’s how you two should only ever see each other.

• it’s all he can take.

• “N-nothing. I just think there are better guys that you can go on a date with.”

• “Really.” you airily reply. “Who.”

• he glances over at the tall and quiet man in front of you who’s now face buried into your cupcake.

• “Seonghwa?”

• “Ew.”

• you roll your eyes at Seonghwa’s gruntled disapproval. “Why would I go on a date with Seonghwa? We’ve gone on plenty.”

• San’s teeth grit at your obvious obliviousness.

• “Y/n, if you want to go on this date. Then Seonghwa and I are chaperoning.”

• “We’re what?”

• “YOU’RE WHAT?!”

• It isn’t that Seonghwa detests it.

• it’s just...

• he can’t believe how long it’s taking San to admit his undying love for you.

• wondering how long it’ll take until the both of you can’t take it anymore.

• “San, this is out of line! I’ve never gone and secretly monitored YOUR good-for-nothing dates.”

• “That’s because you don’t care enough.”

• your head cocked to the side with softer eyes and a slouching posture.

• you knew San.

• you also knew that he loved your attention.

• loved it when you sounded angry when he went on dates.

• loved it whenever you were displeased by them—

• it gave him nice hope.

• albeit false but still nice to his breaking heart.

• “Fine. But no effort will be made.” you point a finger at your two best friends. “No effort to show Hongjoong you two idiots are following me. Promise?”

• “Promise.”

• San promises well.

• usually can keep a good promise.

• but by the looks of how much you smile, hold Hongjoong’s hand, laugh at his jokes,

• San’s about ready to combust.

• “Hyung, I can’t take it anymore.”

• Seonghwa bites into his burger sloppily while glancing across at a sunglassed San. “Hdkhmf.”

• “What?”

• “I said,” Seonghwa swallows. “Have some faith. Y/n’s gonna be dateless her entire life if you keep letting her live this way.”

• San huffs and sits back in jealously watching Hongjoong’s every move.

• hoping Hongjoong isn’t brave enough,

• not braver than he is to actually make a move.

• “What’s so bad about Hongjoong, anyway? He’s handsome, talented, wealthy, kind, parent approved, and above all likes y/n. Isn’t that the goal to your possessiveness?”

• San’s eyes frown with his smile and Seonghwa thinks it’s sad.

• Cause he loves the both of you and wants the best for you two.

• but it’s not his fault San can’t man up.

• Seonghwa glances at your pretty form before smiling to himself. “You know, lately, y/n hasn’t been happy. And maybe.. maybe it’s because of you.”

• San’s ready to combust at this point.

• knowing Seonghwa’s just trying to push his buttons enough.

• enough for him to confess.

• obviously wants you.

• but is too afraid of gettinv hurt.

• “Why would she ever love a guy like me when she could have a man like him?”

• San doesn’t know it either.

• how instead of laughing at Hongjoong’s jokes,

• you’re more laughing at the ridiculous disguises your two bestfriends wore.

• how dumb San looks sulking in front of a messy eater like Seonghwa.

• how you smile whenever you see San smile.

• how your eyes just naturally look for him.

• he doesn’t know you want it.

• you want him just as much as he wants you.

• but you’re too afraid of hurting him.

• him hurting you.

• “Hongjoong.. do you ever think that San will ever ask me out?”

• Hongjoong sips on his coke. “I sure hope so or I would’ve wasted my time yet again.”

• you laugh rolling your eyes at him. “I don’t think this whole jealous ploy is working. San’s just sitting there.”

• “Well,” Hongjoong playfully leans forward over the table making your eyebrows curved in curiosity. “That’s because you’re doing every boring thing you usually do on all your dates.”

• your face blushes when he moves his close lips hovering yours. “A-and what don’t I do, Joong?”

• “Kiss them?”

• your eyes slowly shut when the adjacent leans in right when a blow of air hits you instead of his lips.

• eyes open and jaw agape, you find your date lying across the restaurant floor covered in his sticky cola.

• and San’s heaving a storm.

• hands curled up in fists and body trembling.

• Seonghwa’s attempting to hold him back just as in horror as the entire room.

• “S-san!” Hongjoong automatically coughs up blood and you’re at his side. “Joong, you okay? Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

• he throws his competitor a heavy glare before waving you off kindly. “It’s fine. I understand.”

• “San.” you fierce a dark stance towards the man who fights for you. Sometimes too hard. “What about no effort did you not understand?”

• “I can’t take this shit anymore. If I’m gonna storm out of here losing you, I’m not gonna leave without punching the man I lost you to right in the face.”

• your fingers lighten as you watch him leave,

• maybe taking the punch harder than Hongjoong did,

• and Seonghwa sighing defeatedly in front of you.

• “I can’t take this shit anymore.” he throws his hand up repeating after San. “If you don’t tell him something, nothing is gonna work out. You two together is better than you two apart. Obviously it’s killing our entire friendship and my god damn appetite. Now go fucking follow him or I won’t hesitate to punch you both in the face for ruining my lunch!”

• you spin on your heels before kissing Seonghwa on the cheek and Hongjoong too of course,

• running after the love of your life.

• you think he could probably kill someone from how he’s temperamentally stomping on the ground where he walks.

• people staring at him like he’s crazy.

• right before you grab him by the wrist and plant the kiss he interrupted earlier on his lips instead.

• he pulls back, horrified.

• now pouting at you like he’s on the verge of crying.

• “Don’t— don’t do that.”

• “San—“

• “Don’t!” he doesn’t care for the crowd that walks by as he announces his frustration. “Don’t act like you love me just because I can’t have you.”

• “What?”

• “I don’t know! I’m just saying what I’m thinking! I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact you just kissed me so go with it!”

• you giggle at the way he babbles.

• the way his lips fastly stutter and how his cheeks are redder than his ears.

• you take his sharp jawline in your palms before pressing a much more gentler kiss on his trembling lips.

• the way he melts against you saying enough.

• “I love you.” his tear falls on your cheek when he whispers. “I.. I’m sorry.”

• “Don’t be sorry, Sannie.”

• he curls his hand around your cheek and sighs between your pursed lips. “I thought that you don’t deserve me. That if I had you, it’ll make us worse. Make us break. How loving you past the line of best friends would hurt the both of us. But I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take loving you till only that much anymore.”

• he kisses you again and you’re weak at the knees. “I love you and Seonghwa so much. Regardless if I date someone else, or any of you for that matter, won’t hurt me. But it hurts you... I know it hurts you.”

• “But I love you so much it hurts.” he’s crying again. “I want to love you so much. That what I love you right now isn’t enough? I want to love you till I can’t think of doing anything else. I love Seonghwa hyung too but not as much as I love you.”

• “Pabo.” you tip toe kissing his salty tears away as he grips you tighter. “We promised to love each other equally.”

• “Don’t tell hyung.” softie San cries again. “Hyung’s gonna hate me.”

• “Seonghwa’s not gonna hate you for loving me a little more.” you retreat looking at him from far away. different now that you’ve kissed his lips for the first time. “Seonghwa doesn’t hate me for loving you more. Why would he hate you?”

• “You love me more than hyung?”

• “To an extent, yes.” you giggle kissing the blabbering lover boy again. “That baboon eats all my food. Do I have to remind you who spoils me between the both of you or do I need to ask you to kiss me again?”

• “K-kiss me again?”

• “Pabo.”

• his teeth grin against your smile and you can’t take it anymore.

• you need to take him home.

• “I love you.” he reminds you,

• thinking,

• thinking he’s gonna be reminding you for the rest of his life.

@atinybitofau

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chilling-seavey · 3 years

Text

Heartbreak Hotel (d.s.) - Chapter Fourteen

A/N Daniel’s life has more drama than the drive-in movie

Friday came around after yet another busy summer week and the three youngest Seavey children were squished into the back of the family station wagon on the way to the drive-in. It had been a tradition and a favourite family outing for years and – even with the kids mostly grown – they still tried to go at least twice a month. They parked in one of the spots on the grass and their parents got the speaker set up as the teenagers got out to stretch their legs before the movie was to start.

Christian was in charge of their money from their father and they could go pick the snacks from the concession stand at the back of the lot. With plentiful popcorn and candies and drinks in hand, the three headed back to the car, navigating the rows of various cars and strangers and dodging the wires that attached the speakers to the car windows.

“Here you go, Ma.” Christian passed over her drink and her chocolate bar through the opened passenger window.

“Thank you, my boy. You know me so well.” she smiled up at him and set her drink in the cup holder.

“And caramel popcorn for you, Daddy.” Anna leaned through the window to pass the small bag to their father on the other side.

“Thank you.” he smiled. “Are you going to join us?”

“I’m gonna go see if my friends are at the park under the screen.” Anna said. “I’ll come back before showtime.”

Without waiting for a response, Anna took off for the screen, her bag of candy in hand.

“What about you boys?” their father asked.

“In a bit.” Christian was staring off into the distance. “I think I see some friends too. We’ll be back. Come on, Daniel.”

“See you.” Daniel smiled to their parents before following after his older brother to wherever and whoever he had spotted through the evening darkness and field of headlights. He shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth, thankful it was pairing perfectly with the flavour of Coca-Cola that had been grazing his tongue since they left the house; so much so that he bought his own bottle at the concession stand.

Of course, he had a mouthful of popcorn when Christian led him over to Corbyn’s black Mustang convertible. Daniel only had six seconds to take a quick sip of his Coke to wash it down before he was stuck greeting them with his snack in his mouth. Loretta was sat in the passenger side where they approached and the couple glanced over at their approaching visitors.

“Hey, you two.” Loretta smiled up at them. There hadn’t been a time where she wasn’t smiling.

“What’s shaking?” Christian leaned over her to share a secret handshake with Corbyn.

“Date night at the passion pit.” Corbyn answered with a small smirk, setting his hand behind Loretta’s seat and sent a lingering expressionless stare to Daniel, “Every Friday.”

Daniel just took another bite of popcorn.

“Must be nice.” Christian scoffed. “Meanwhile I’m stuck in the middle seat of my family’s car like I’m not the oldest.”

“Should have just driven yourself.” Corbyn snorted.

“Ma insists on family time.” Christian shrugged, leaning on the edge of the car door.

Daniel and Loretta met each other’s gaze and shared small smiles as the two other guys talked between themselves. Daniel took another bite of popcorn.

“Oo, I’ve been craving some of that. Can I swipe a bit?” Loretta asked him, holding out her hand to him.

“Sure.” Daniel poured a little out into her palm and she thanked him.

Christian went on talking about something Daniel wasn’t listening to; he was too busy in his own world, watching Corbyn’s small scowl and his discreet movement to move his package of licorice out of sight. Daniel frowned to himself a moment, taking a haphazard bite of popcorn as he dropped his eyes to the two cupholders between the front seats. Two half-full bottles of Coca-Cola sat there and Daniel looked at Loretta as she munched her handful of popcorn, the taste still lingering in Daniel’s mouth like he was still eating it too. His eyes went wide and he looked down at his bag and then at the bottles of Coke and then back at Loretta who was distracted by the cartoon commercial playing on the big screen across the lot.

Her hand fell lazily to her bottle and she lifted it to her lips and the sweet taste of the soda rolled its way across Daniel’s tongue. He took a small step back from the car, his face frozen in shock.

“I have to go.” Daniel said suddenly, completely cutting off Corbyn’s sentence, and he didn’t wait for a response from anyone before making a beeline for the concession stand.

“Go where?! We drove here together!” Christian shouted after him.

Daniel couldn’t breathe as he pushed through the line up at the concession booth to get to the payphones, his mind buzzing a mile a minute. He could hardly believe his own eyes but he was positive that it wasn’t a coincidence anymore. The metal phone booth caught his stumble as he tripped over the grass outside the concession stand and his popcorn spilt all over the ground but he didn’t even take a second look at it as he fumbled through his pocket for a quarter. His hands were shaking as he pulled one out and slid it into the coin slot before picking up the receiver and dialling.

Daniel cradled the phone to his ear as it rang once, twice,

“Come on, come on.” Daniel mumbled, glancing behind him to the big screen that was playing pre-show rules of the drive-in meaning the movie was starting soon.

After the fourth ring, a very unenthusiastic woman answered, “Sherry’s Diner. How can I be of service tonight?”

“I need to speak with Jack and Zach please.” Daniel said quickly. “It’s urgent.”

“They’re busy with customers. Call when they are not working.”

“No!” Daniel said loudly before she could hang up, earning a few confused stares from people around him. He sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his voice, “Please. It’s an emergency. I need to speak with them.”

The lady sighed tiredly, “Fine.”

He heard the sound of the receiver hitting the counter and the muffled voices of the lady calling over the two boys. Daniel bit anxiously on his fingernail as he waited for his best friends to hurry up and pick up.

There was a commotion through the line and finally a mirrored answered of, “Hello?”

“Guys, oh my gosh.” Daniel breathed with relief.

“Daniel? Where are you?” Jack asked.

“At the drive-in with my family. The film-”

“Why are you calling us? The film is about to start.” Zach said.

“Listen!” Daniel snapped. “Corbyn and Loretta are here and Christian and I went over to say hello and…shit…I can’t even say it.”

“What?! Did he beat you up?” Zach asked impatiently.

“Spit it out!” Jack added.

“She-”

“Daniel!” Christian shouted from a few feet away.

“I gotta go. I’ll meet you at the beach tomorrow and explain everything.” Daniel whispered quickly into the phone before slamming it back on the hook.

Christian approached him quickly, “Who did you have to call so badly?”

“No one, sorry.” Daniel said as casually as he could.

“Well come on. The film is about to start.” Christian waved him on and they made their way back to their family.

Daniel couldn’t even focus on the movie with his brain whirling and his heart racing, and specially not with the strong flavour of licorice that kept finding its way into his mouth.

#🍓#soulmate au #au #daniel seavey #why dont we #corbyn besson #jack avery #zach herron #jonah marais #christian seavey #daniel seavey fanfic #wdw #why dont we fanfic #writing #corbyn besson fanfic #wdw fanfic #1950s #soulmate!wdw

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javier-djarin · 4 years

Text

Feels Like Yesterday: Chapter 2

Ship: Frankie Morales x Elena Bohannon (OC)

Rating: M

Word Count: 5,276 Words

Warnings: Language

Masterlist

(Gif by @little-ms-fandom)

Summary: Elena comes into town for her brother’s wedding, knowing exactly who is waiting for her when she lands. Her home town is full of memories she and Frankie shared together, and it’s hard to forget all the good times.

A/N: I’ve really enjoyed writing this fic so far, so I hope you like this part! As always, translations for any Spanish phrases will be at the bottom. Please let me know what you think and if you want to be in my tag list!!

“The sun so radiant, he burns so bright. The moon so luminous, but only showed her face during the night. She was untouchable, surrounding herself with a blanket of darkness.”

Elena boarded the plane alone Monday morning. “The office called this morning,” Liam said as they were packing the last few things. “I’ll take the first flight out tonight or tomorrow.”

“The engagement party is on Thursday. Just make sure you make it then,” she said, kissing his cheek. She didn’t look at him as she placed her toiletry bag in her suitcase.

“Hey, ‘Lena,” he said, lightly grabbing her chin, “I’m not angry about last night. Frankie just brings out the worst in us.”

She shook her head and tried to stop the few tears from spilling over. “He brings out the worst in you, Liam. I just want to make sure that you’re actually going to work and you’re not bailing on me because of him.”

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “I swear I’m not bailing on you. Besides, do you think I want you down there alone with him?”

Elena tried to laugh, but she couldn’t force it. She knew he was right. There was no way he’d let Frankie anywhere near her. So, now, here she was, doing just that. Boarding a plane to go home, alone. She prayed to God that Frankie was preoccupied somewhere, but she knew Santi. He had something up his sleeve for bringing him home. The people around her slept peacefully, but the entire time they were in the air, her mind raced. The anxiety of running into Frankie after ten years made her sick to her stomach. She had no idea what she was going to say to him, once she inevitably ran into him. Elena wanted to focus on the emotions that were at the forefront: Anger, Hurt, Pain. But, in the deepest part of her soul, excitement reigned. She longed to see him again, talk to him, hold him in her arms. He had robbed her of that opportunity when he wrote her a letter and never returned. Tears fell down her cheeks as she held that exact letter in her hands, running her thumb over the envelope. The woman next to her looked at her and smiled. She has to think I am insane. She thought to herself.

She folded the letter and placed it back in her wallet, leaning back to try to sleep. It was a restless sleep, because all she could dream about was her Sol:

The second David’s car stopped outside their house, Elena ran in, straight to her room. In true dramatic fashion, she threw herself on her bed, burying her face in her pillows and sobbed; sobbing until there was nothing left to sob about. Johnny, her first serious boyfriend, broke up with her. They were supposed to go to homecoming together, but after his summer away, he’d met someone new.

He’d pulled her aside after school to tell her he thought they would be better off as friends. Naturally, she did her best to hold it all together, because she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down. He turned and left her standing there to absorb the pain alone. She walked to David’s car and slid into the passenger seat, not saying a word to him on their drive home. Now, she was here in her bed, wishing this day had never happened.

There was a soft knock at her door. “Go away, Mama. I don’t want to talk about it,” she said without looking.

The door slowly creaked open. “Mama sent me up to check on you,” he said.

She wiped her eyes and looked over her shoulder. It was Frankie. He was standing in her doorway with two bottles of Coca-Cola, a bowl of popcorn, and a VHS box in his hand. She couldn’t help but smile at him, standing helplessly in the door. “Movie night?” he sheepishly asked.

“It’s a Tuesday,” she said, wiping her eyes again.

Frankie shrugged and sat on the floor in front of her bed. “So?”

She rolled over so her head was just next to his at the foot of her bed. “What did you grab?” she sniffled.

He handed her the VHS box he’d grabbed from downstairs. “I figured tonight would be a great night to watch our favorite,” he smiled at her.

“You mean my favorite,” she laughed. He’d always found a way to make her laugh. Her Sol, lighting up her world in her darkest hours.

“I never said I didn’t like Casablanca. I just prefer other movies.” Frankie reached for the tape and popped it into the player. She sat up and leaned against her headboard, making room for him to sit by her. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close, while she shoveled handfuls of popcorn into her mouth and sipped on her Coke. “How can you hear the movie over your chewing?” he laughed.

She lightly elbowed him in the ribs. “I’ve seen it enough that I don’t need to hear it, mi Sol.”

Elena snuggled against him, feeling safer and more secure than she had in a long time. She had always known how she’d felt about Frankie, but she was so unsure about his feelings towards her. One minute, he’d treat her like she was his world, and the next he’d be with Marilyn. However, it was moments like these that she would cherish. No matter how far apart they drifted, their bond - friendship - was something that she knew they’d never lose.

“Everything she knew or ever became was because of him. And she looked up to him and worshiped him... with a feeling she supposed was love,” Ilsa said to Rick in the movie.

She sheepishly looked up at Frankie, who was too engrossed in the movie to notice. She was in love with Frankie, and each second he held her like this, she would snuggle closer to him.

The plane’s wheels touched down, forcing her awake. She felt tears still on her cheeks as she wiped them away. After waiting for the aisle to clear, she grabbed her carry on bag from the overhead bin and made her way off the plane. David and María were both waiting in baggage claim. She gave them a big smile and ran into their arms the moment she saw them. “Where’s Liam?” María asked.

“Work called at the last minute. He said he’ll definitely make it down for the engagement party on Thursday, and your camp out before the big day!” she replied.

“It’s going to be a blast,” he smiled, “it’s nice that the whole gang will be back together.”

She felt a twinge in her chest, knowing what he meant. If only David knew how much it pained her to know Frankie was back. “I heard Santi invited his whole squad,” she tried to laugh.

María nodded and grinned. “David extended them the invitation. So, they all made it down.”

Elena picked up her bags and followed them out to the car. “So,” she continued the conversation, “how’s the bride to be?”

David groaned. “She’s so stressed.”

María elbowed their brother. “Carla has every right to be stressed. Do you remember my wedding? The tuxedo incident?”

Elena laughed at the memory. The wedding was delayed a full hour while the tailor had to come to the venue with a new suit for the groom. “We honestly all thought he bolted,” she laughed.

Her sister glared at her and then smiled, running a hand across her stomach. “Well, he’s stuck now,” she replied.

Elena squealed in the car, causing David to flinch. “I’m going to be an aunt? Oh! I am so excited!”

“Which means you’ll need to be back down here in a few months. You’re going to be the godmother.”

She danced in her seat with happiness, completely forgetting about the anxiety ridden week ahead of her. “How far along are you?”

“I’m at the end of my first trimester. So figure your shit out up in NYC and come home.”

David sighed. “How are things up in The Big Apple?”

“Great! The restaurant has been doing wonderful,” she replied, “I found some new investors so I could finally repair the rooftop and get that ready for outdoor dining.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Thanks, David. If that goes well, I might have enough to open a second across town.”

“What will this one be called?” he laughed.

“Luna’s.”

María turned around to face her with a suspicious eyebrow raised. “So you’ll own two restaurants named Sol’s and Luna’s?”

Suddenly, the anxiety she’d forgotten about hit her again. “I don’t want to hear it, María.”

“You do know he’s back in town, right?” she said.

“I said, I don’t want to hear it.”

She turned back around and adjusted her seatbelt. “Santi called us last night to tell us.”

Elena felt her blood boil. “Santi can fuck off,” she replied, crossing her arms, “he knew better than to do this.”

“I asked him to,” David added.

She froze and stared at the back of her brother’s head, sending mental darts into him. “You did what?”

He sighed. “He’s my friend, too, ‘Lena. I miss him. So, for whatever reason you hate him, please just put it aside for this week. Get along for my wedding, and then you can go back to hating him as usual.”

Elena tried to feign a smile at him as she nodded her head to agree with her brother’s terms. “Fine.”

“What happened between you two?” María asked.

She ignored her sister and looked out the window, not wanting to air all of her dirty laundry out in front of her family.

***

Frankie woke up at the crack of dawn, just like he always did. Old Army Habit. He walked downstairs to fix himself some coffee when he saw Pope sneaking in through the backdoor. He looked at the clock on the stove and back to his best friend. “Are you sneaking back into your own house?” he asked, causing him to jump.

“What the fuck are you doing up?”

He held up his coffee mug as an obvious sign before taking a nice long sip. “Damn good, too,” he grinned, “Colombian?”

“Fuck you, Frankie.”

“Seriously, man,” he said, sitting down at his counter, “why are you sneaking in?”

Santi sighed and poured his own cup. “It’s been a long night. Do I really need to do this now?”

Frankie smiled at him and waited for his explanation. “We’re best friends. We don’t hide stuff from each other.”

“Fine.” Santi said, taking a sip of his coffee. “That girl I was on the phone with, on the boat? Yeah, well I just went over to visit last night, and we lost track of the time.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You literally snuck out last night to get laid? We didn’t go to bed until almost one.”

Santi shrugged. “Yeah, so? She doesn’t live far from here.”

He watched Frankie do the math in his head, slowly remembering who lived in the area. This subdivision specifically. He remembered in passing that Santiago said various people they grew up with had bought houses around him. Marilyn, Catherine, and… “Oh my God,” he grinned.

“It’s not who you think,” Santi said, almost too fast, “so don’t even start guessing.”

“You and Rae?” Frankie started laughing.

Santi grinned and looked at his cup, swirling it as if he was trying to “mix” it.

“How long?” he asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Santi lied.

“Santi, man, how long?”

He pretended to frown and rolled his eyes as if he was pondering the question before saying too fast. “Senior year.”

Frankie’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“It’s nothing serious. Just sorta an on again, off again thing. Neither of us want anything more than that, really. Especially since I’m always gone, down south.”

He shook his head and took another drink of coffee. “I never would have pegged either of you doing this in a million years.”

Santiago looked at him with a heartfelt smile. “Is it because we all were focused on you and Elena?”

Suddenly, Frankie’s demeanor changed. His muscles went stiff and he stared straight ahead through the window over the kitchen sink. “Come on, Pope. We were just having a good time. Why did you have to bring that up?”

He grabbed both of their mugs and set them in the sink before facing Frankie again. “Because, Cat, her plane lands in a few hours and you need to figure your shit out.”

He sighed and ran his hair through his bed head. “You said she’s happy with a boyfriend in New York. I’m not going to ruin that for her.”

“Frankie,” Pope said, leaning against the counter, “She’ll never actually be happy until you talk to her. You left her a letter and then abandoned her. She still walks around the house and looks at pictures of the two of you with tears in her eyes.”

“She does?” He asked, almost hopeful.

“Well, sorta. She puts them face down when she sees them,” he said as he watched Frankie deflate a little, “but that means she still is hurting. Which means she still has those feelings.”

Frankie shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say to her.”

“Start with an apology.”

“She’s going to want an explanation, and I can’t give her that,” he said, standing up.

They both heard the TV turn on, which meant someone was in the living room. Frankie froze when he heard an all too familiar voice come from the television:

“Play it once, Sam, for old time’s sake,” Ilsa said.

“I don’t know what you mean Miss Ilsa,” he replied.

“Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By’.”

Frankie wandered into the living room that was now empty. He saw the light on, underneath the door of the half bath adjacent to the room, and so he continued to watch. Sam started to play their song, and Ilsa hummed along, matching every note perfectly. Frankie could feel his heart ache as he watched her favorite scene. “It’s so romantic the way he looks at her for the first time in years.” She had said to him. “The look on both of their faces displays so many emotions that you can almost feel the pain and love.” It was such a perfect and heart wrenching scene to watch:

The door to the gambling room opens. Rick comes swinging out. He’s heard the music and he’s livid. Sam continues singing. Rick briskly walks up to the piano, “Sam, I thought I told you never to play…” As he sees Ilsa he stops short. Sam stops playing. Two close-ups reveal Ilsa and Rick seeing each other. Rick appears shocked. For a long moment he just looks at her.

He heard the toilet flush and the sink run, pulling him away from the TV as Will stepped out into the living room. “Are you seriously watching this shit?” he laughed.

Frankie shrugged. “It’s a good movie, if you watch it all the way through.”

Will shook his head. “I have. Hate the ending.”

“He just loves her enough to let her go,” he said, feeling that same tug on his heart strings, “to help her stay safe.”

Pope walked into the living room. “You say that now,” he said, slapping him on the back, “I know a little about women, my friend. She went, but she knew you were lying.”

Frankie shook her head. “How many times have you watched this movie to quote Renault?”

He laughed and started walking upstairs. “Tell your Luna thanks for that.”

***

Elena unpacked her bags in the guest house on her family’s ranch and walked back up to the main house. Her mother, Gloria, was busy starting her usual five course meal, making the house smell like her childhood. She closed her eyes and let the aroma take her back to the time she was much younger. Her father was still alive, and he’d run in behind her, scooping her up in his arms, tickling her as he brought her into the dining room. Frankie was always close behind him. He looked up to Elliott so much, and she remembered how much it destroyed him when he died shortly after they took Frankie in. Elena wished that she could go back to those simpler times before everything turned to shit.

“‘Lena, ¿Eres tu?” she heard her mother ask.

“Sí, Mama. Huele delicioso aquí.”

“Gracias, mi amor,” she said, not turning to look as she stirred something on the stove. “How was your flight?”

Elena took a deep breath and sat down at the table. “Long.”

“Where’s Liam?” she said, wiping her hands on the rag on her shoulder before pouring her a glass of tea.

“He had to work,” she replied, “he said he’ll be down before Thursday.”

Gloria sighed. “Work?”

Elena nodded and looked into her glass of tea.

“It’s always work with him,” she said, looking over her glasses at her daughter. She stared at her with the same look she’d see in the mirror occasionally. The only exception was the eyes. Gloria had dark, chocolate brown eyes. Whereas, Elena’s father had beautiful emerald green eyes that he’d graciously passed on to her. “Is he ever going to come down here for the entire vacation without having to work?”

She shrugged. “At least he was able to get off for the wedding,” Elena replied.

“When are you going to stop making excuses for him?” Gloria said. She felt her pulse pick up. This was a normal discussion she and her mother frequently had about Liam. “I’m not, Mama. He’s an executive for a major publishing company. Life in New York is different from life here. I don’t want to have to defend him from you every time I visit!”

Her mother let out a long breath and grabbed her own glass of tea for a drink before returning to the pot on the stove. “I’m sorry, mija. I just want you to be happy with someone who loves you more than their job.”

“I am, Mama. He does love me more than his job. But taking a week off when you work for other people, is a lot to ask of someone. I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing general manager that can keep my restaurant from burning down while I’m gone.”

“When was the last time he took you somewhere and didn’t have to report into work while you were away?” She asked, stirring the pot some more before adding a little salt.

Elena didn’t want to think back over the countless vacations they’d taken, because she knew that she’d come up with an answer her mother wanted. Instead, she stood. “Tell Antonio I said hi,” she said, “I’m meeting Rae for lunch.”

“Dinner is at six,” Gloria said with her back turned to her.

***

Rae was sitting at their usual table in the local diner waiting for Elena when her phone rang. “Hello,” she said, without looking at the caller ID.

“Is she on her way?” Santi asked.

She pretended to glare at him as if he were right in front of her. “Santi, do not come to the diner. Let her at least destress before you turn her world upside down.”

“Pope, who the fuck you talkin’ to?” she heard someone yell in the background.

“Probably one of his ‘informants’.”

She raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Are you bringing the entire crew?”

“It was the only way to get Frankie to come. I think he knows I am up to something.”

“Because you are, Santi,” she sighed.

She heard him tell Benny to fuck off before returning to their conversation. “Oh, and Frankie knows I was at your house last night.”

Rae ran her hand down her face. “Great.” She looked up and saw Elena walk in. “Gotta go, ‘Lena’s here.”

Elena immediately saw Rae and headed for her table. Rae stood up and wrapped her in a big hug before they took their seats opposite each other. “So,” Rae said, “Do we just want to talk about it now, or wait until we’ve had our food and you sit there and freak out to yourself in silence for a little while?”

She glared at her. “I guess you just get right to the point,” she said, “I’ve honestly made peace with this week.”

“Sure you have,” Rae said, not believing her.

“I have,” Elena continued, “It’s going to happen whether I want it to or not. Besides, David made me promise to put my feelings aside this week and get along with him for the wedding. So, if I run into him, I have to play nice.”

Rae laughed a little and sipped on her coffee. “We both know that’s all a huge lie,” she said.

She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a low groan. “I’ve decided to just not bring it up,” she replied, “it’s been ten years. Liam and I are together now; I’m finally happy. What good will it do to bring up what happened?”

“You’re right,” Rae agreed, “what good would that do? I mean the only reason you’d bring up something like that, something that has been eating away at you for over ten years, is if you still had feelings for him.”

Elena looked up from her cup of coffee and glared again. “I don’t have feelings for him.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“I mean, we aren’t even the same people we were ten years ago. How could I still have feelings for someone I don’t even know anymore?”

Rae smiled at her over her mug. “Because you know he hasn’t changed at all.”

The door opened and a group of rowdy men entered the establishment. “Elena!” she heard someone exclaim.

She turned and looked to the door and saw Will and Santi before turning to look back at Rae. “What have you done?” she asked.

Rae shook her head. “This was all your brother. I told Santi no, but he doesn’t listen to me.”

Elena was happy to see Will again. Thanks to Santi always bringing them around, she’d grown rather close with his crew. Maybe he’d be able to keep her distracted and away from Frankie. She looked behind him and didn’t see any sign of him, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She stood up and waited for her usual bear hugs from the guys.

Frankie saw her before he walked into the diner. She was standing there with her arms spread wide, obviously waiting for a hug from Santiago. He stopped in his tracks when he looked at her. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. “Cat,” Tom said to him, “what’s wrong?”

“I - I can’t do this,” he said, suddenly being hit with every emotion he’s ever felt for her.

“Do what?”

Frankie saw in the window that Pope was watching him, and he knew he’d come after him if he tried to bolt. This was bound to happen, and honestly, he did want to see her again. He wanted to talk to her, hug her, hear her laugh. But he was afraid of facing the mistake he had made ten years ago. His heart raced and he felt the color leave his face the closer he walked to the door, until finally he was inside the diner. Frozen in place as their eyes met. His heart stopped and he couldn’t breathe. It was just like her favorite scene. He was sure he looked just like Rick with the pain and love all over his face when he saw Ilsa for the first time. Except on her face was nothing but pain; pain he’d caused by being a jackass. He saw Will beeline for her as he wrapped his arms around her and spun her. Jealousy instantly replaced every emotion he felt. She was his Luna. What the fuck did she mean to Will for him to hold her so intimately?

Elena tried to ignore the fact that Frankie was standing in the same room as her as Will wrapped his arms around her for a big hug. Honestly, she loved it. Especially when she saw a familiar look return to Frankie’s face. Her eyes lit up and she laughed as Will kissed her cheek. “It’s about time you make it back down here,” he said.

“Restaurant’s been keeping me so busy, I hardly have time for a day off,” she laughed.

She saw out of the corner of her eye that Frankie was finally moving closer. “Well, you look good. Like real good. You still with that fella of yours?”

She felt her heart race when Frankie was close enough to hear. “Yeah,” she said nervously.

“Damn,” Will said, “I was hoping I’d have a date for David’s wedding.” He winked at her, and she saw Frankie behind him tense up.

Elena continued to ignore him as she put all of her attention on the other guys. Benny was up next, wrapping her in a hug. “It’s good to see you,” he said, “We’ve missed you, and your cooking.”

She laughed. “I guess you’ll have to stop by this week for a nice Texas style breakfast.”

Benny winked at her. “I wish I could wake up to that every morning.”

“Take a number, Benny,” Will laughed, shoving his brother.

She shook her head and smiled at them. She walked past Frankie without so much as a look at him while she hugged Tom. “Pope didn’t say we’d be meeting two beautiful ladies for lunch,” he grinned.

Elena rolled her eyes at him. “Ever the gentleman,” she said.

She looked over at Santi, thankful the others couldn’t see the death glare she was giving him as she wrapped her arms around him - a little too tight. “Fuck you, Santi,” she whispered.

He smiled as he hugged her, looking at a distraught Frankie. “Glad to see you too, sis.”

She let go of him, and turned away. But not before giving him another glare. Frankie was the last one, and he attempted at a smile for her. Elena felt her heart race, feeling herself start to forgive him, but she stopped. All she did was nod at him. “Frankie,” she said, before sliding in the booth.

It was actually nicer than what he’d expected from her. So, he returned the gesture and muttered, “Luna.”

Her eyes shot up at him, almost offended that he’d used her nickname. Will looked between the two of them as he slid into the booth next to her, finally putting it all together. He looked back at Santiago who just nodded to confirm what he heard. Rae let Frankie slide in across from her as Benny, Tom, and Santi grabbed a table to put up next to theirs. Will, so as to not give away he knew what was happening between Frankie and Elena, opted to act like everything was normal. He threw his arm around her shoulders and hugged her again. “So, where is the lucky bastard?” he asked.

That seemed to bring her out of her daze and she looked at Will. “He had to work, but don’t worry,” she said without looking at Frankie, “he’ll be here in time for everything. He said he was going to catch the first flight out tomorrow.”

Santiago smiled at Rae when he heard that Liam was not here. He leaned closer to her and whispered. “Even better.”

She elbowed him in the side to shut him up.

“Luna,” Frankie said, trying to get her attention, but she wanted nothing to do with him. His heart ached even more as he watched her give Will her undivided attention. He was ready to reach across the table and punch Will in the face for ever thinking about touching his Luna, for captivating her attention so well that she didn’t even realize he was sitting right in front of her.

Rae leaned over to Frankie and whispered, “It’s good to see you, Frankie.”

He smiled at her and gave her a side hug. She looked at the sadness in his eyes and it pained her to see one of her dearest friends suffering the way he was. Santi was right: he was a miserable fuck. But she knew her best friend. Elena was too stubborn for her own good, and if she wanted to ignore Frankie, she was going to do exactly that.

“It’s nice to see someone take care of Pope while he’s back home,” he whispered back.

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m thrilled you know.”

He saw Elena sneak a glance at him through the corner of his eye, and he immediately turned his attention back to her. But she’d gone back to looking at Will. “Luna,” he said again, but she continued to ignore him, forcing him to listen to her and Will’s flirty conversation.

“He always is working,” Will complained.

She sighed and nodded. “I know, but I made him promise to leave the work at home before he comes down.”

Benny leaned over and smiled at her. “So, whenever you get sick of it, does that mean I can move into your fancy apartment so I can wake up to your cooking everyday?”

Elena laughed at him. “I thought Will said to take a number,” she replied with a wink.

Santiago leaned in, trying to help Frankie out. “Alright, fellas, leave her alone. I’m tired of always watching you harass mi hermana.”

Will laughed and rolled his eyes before leaning down to whisper something in her ear that only she could hear. Frankie felt jealousy rise in him as he watched her blush and then smile. He glared at him, hard - sending daggers straight through someone he would gladly die for on the battlefield.

The conversation turned to the other end of the table as everyone caught up. He’d missed so much, including his squad growing close with his childhood gang. She was only listening to the conversation, and now was as good of a time as any to get her attention. Frankie longed to reach out and touch her hand, but he knew that would just cause a scene if he did. So, he figured third time’s a charm. “Luna,” he said a little louder, but not loud enough to disrupt the conversation.

She finally turned and looked at him, hurt and pain overflowing in her eyes. “What?” she curtly replied.

Rae was the only one paying attention to them.

“It’s…uh,” he trailed off, trying to find the right words. “It’s good to see you,” he said softly.

She huffed at him and finally turned completely to face him. “I wish I could say the same,” she replied.

Rae gave her a scolding look and mouthed “play nice” to her, but she ignored her.

“I’m sorry, mi Luna,” his voice cracking a little.

Elena felt her chest tighten and she looked out the window. She was afraid that if she continued looking at him that the flood gates would burst.

“I wish I could tell you how sorry I really am.”

Her head snapped back and she glared at him. “Just write it in a letter and then leave,” she said, “you’re good at that.” She motioned for Will and Benny to move so she could scoot out of the booth as she briskly made her way to the restroom.

Translations

¿Eres tu? - Is that you?

Sí, Mama. Huele delicioso aquí. - Yes, Mama. It smells delicious in here.

Tag List

@magneticbucky @wickedfrsgrl @wander-lustbabe @pedropascalownsmyheart @frietiemeloen @larakasser

#Frankie Morales #frankie catfish morales #francisco morales #Frankie Morales x OC #Feels Like Yesterday #Triple Frontier

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tasteslikepepsicola · 5 years

Text

Somebody Else (Sodapop Curtis x Reader. Part 1)

Sodapop Curtis, Y/F/N, and Steve Randle have always been best friends. Now, one Summer, and a messy love triangle might threaten that friendship.

Word Count: 2,500+

Warnings: none, just slight make out scene? kind of? lots of fluff. no cursing except ass lol

Authors note: Hey guys! I’m back. I’m so thankful to all of you who liked my recent fan fics about the Dolan Twins. I’m new to writing fan fiction and have had a hard time finding motivation to write sometimes. I’m on Summer vacation now though, and I have so much sitting in my drafts I no longer have any excuses. So I’m gonna try to be more active! Writing is truly one of the only things that brings me joy so I want to do it a lot more. Anyways, I’m planning for this to be multiple parts if successful. So please show it some love! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work <3 it truly means the world. Love you guys! p.s you’re amazing and a glowing goddess and i love you. remember that!

*****

There was nothing quite as enjoyable for Y/N then a Summer night in with her gang. Two-Bit would always be cracking stupid jokes, Dally would usually be causing some sort of trouble, and when Darry wasn’t too tired, he was always there to try to keep everyone under control. Ponyboy and Johnny were like the little brothers Y/N never had, and Steve and Soda were her best friends.

Being the only girl in the gang, it was inevitable that most of the guys would take every opportunity to flirt with her. Y/N was pretty, that was something everyone around her could see from the moment they laid eyes on her. Despite her being a greaser, the Soc boys still hit on her at school, whistled at her when she walked by, but she just ignored it. Even the Soc girls respected her to some degree, occasionally stopping her in the halls to compliment her skirt, or partnering up with her on assignments when they didn’t know anyone else in the class. However, Y/N understood her role in society, she was a greaser, who might have been a soc had things been a little different for her family. But she wouldn’t trade what she had now with the gang for anything, especially not to become some stuck up rich kid who thinks she’s better than everyone.

Johnny and Ponyboy were young and shy, and although sometimes they would definitely blush when she complimented them, or brushed their arm, they never made a move. Darry, was a couple years older than Y/N and just a little too mature for her. But Two-Bit, Dally, and Steve really enjoyed messing around and flirting with her. Sodapop, despite being the biggest flirt of the gang, hardly ever flirted with Y/N, making her suppress her feelings for him. Truthfully, she had always had a crush on him, but she knew it was pointless. He had groups of beautiful Soc girls throwing themselves at him everyday, why would he choose her?

Tonight, everyone was hanging at the Curtis house, preparing to watch a scary movie that was about to play on the television. The gang sat spread out across the floor and couches, Johnny, Ponyboy and Dally settled on the floor, Darry had taken the armchair in the corner of the room, on the shorter side of the couch Two-Bit had sprawled his whole body across it, leaving Y/N to squeeze in between Steve and Sodapop on the other side.

Everyone was still joking around and yelling, as it was still a few minutes before the movie came on. An argument had broken out about who needed to get up to make the popcorn.

“Excuse me, I worked all day, to provide for my kid brothers, Dallas Winston you don’t even attend school!” Darry quipped.

“Oh, fine Darrel, you shouldn’t have to get it, but I worked a whole day at the DX, and I do not find it fair that I should have to, either...Two-Bit should!” Steve replied.

Knowing this would not end soon, nor well, Y/N once again acted as the stand in mom for the group, getting up without complaint to retrieve the popcorn.

“You guys are children,” she rolled her eyes as she stood up and began the short walk to the kitchen.

A chorus of, “Thank you, Y/N” rang out from the other room. With an additional, “since you’re up would you mind getting me a beer?” from Two-Bit, and a “and could I get a coke?” from Dallas.

“Yeah, if you get off your lazy asses and get in here to get it yourself.” Following her remark, laughter erupted before Y/N heard someone else enter the kitchen. She was still making the popcorn when she glanced over her shoulder to see Two-Bit heading to the refrigerator.

“Aww, Doll, I don’t want you to think were trying to take you for granted, I know we make fun of ya but we really are mighty thankful you stick around.” He softly says with a sincerity in his voice that isn't typically heard.

Y/N sighed then smiled, “I know, grab me a coke while you’re at it?”

A few seconds later he comes up behind her, placing the drink besides her and lightly pinching her ass. Y/N turns around blushing, giving him a slap on the shoulder. “Two-Bit!” she giggles, embarrassed.

“That’s my name.” He gives her a grin and a wink before returning to his seat.

*****

Once the movie starts, Y/N returns to the living room, passing out small bowls of popcorn for each group to share. When she reaches Dallas, he takes the popcorn with one hand, immediately passing it to Johnny, then using his other hand to grab onto Y/N’s.

“Come on, Doll, sit with me for just a second? It’s actually quite comfortable when you’re resting on my shoulder.”

Y/N rolls her eyes, knowing he's too proud to admit he just likes to cuddle her.

“Fine, just for a little bit, but then I’m going back to the couch cause the floor gets too cold.” She gives in, knowing Dally doesn’t often feel human contact or affection.

Everyone settles in to watch the movie, and Y/N hates to admit it, but Dallas does make a nice pillow. She places her head on his shoulder, unbothered by the film in front of her, which hasn’t gotten scary quite yet.

“It’s really cold, isn’t it?” Y/N whispers to Dally. He smirks, pulling her into his lap, and covering her with the blanket, holding her with his arms around her.

“Better?” he asks smugly.

She resists the urge to roll her eyes, yet again tonight, instead she turns her attention back to the movie, mumbling, “a little, yes.” He smirks against her skin, placing a light kiss on her temple. They stay in this comfortable position for about half an hour, and just when it begins to get scary, Y/N nuzzles her head into Dallas’ neck, hiding from the scary screen. She picks up his smell of cigarettes and leather and finds her mind drifting off to Soda’s scent of gasoline and roses. Y/N can feel the eyes of most of the boys in the gang staring at her and Dallas, possibly getting a little too close for comfort.

Out of nowhere, a piece of popcorn sails through the air, hitting Y/N and landing in her hair. She and Dally both turn to see a pouty Steve, looking quite annoyed and somewhat needy.

“Okay, Winston, you’ve had Y/N long enough, learn to share a little why don’t you?” He outstretches his arms for her to come into them.

She shrugs a little, “sorry, Dal, the floor was getting a little uncomfortable anyways.” She walks over to where Steve was seated, placing her head on his chest, letting her legs dangle off the couch, with his arms wrapped around her middle, his head buried in her hair, as he gently plays with it.

Sodapop sits next to them, avoiding looking at the two of them. He looks annoyed, and Y/N can’t figure out why. When it's clear to her that Steve is focused on the movie, she taps his foot with hers to get his attention.

“What’s up Pepsi-Cola?” she calls him by the nickname she gave him so many years ago, in hopes he will perk up a little.

He glares back, “I’m trying to watch the movie, Y/N” he folds his arms over his chest, turning his focus back to the television.

Y/N was confused, Soda never talked back to her like this. She couldn’t understand what she did. Mentally, she ran through a list of things she could have done to piss him off, but couldn’t think of anything. She finally settled on that maybe he was just really into the movie and didn’t want it interrupted. She tried to let it go and just forget about it.

*****

It was now nearing the end of the movie, and at its most scary point. Y/N covered her eyes and Steve chuckled at her. His hot breath fanned against her neck as he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “it’s alright, I got you.” He kissed her temple, but let his lips linger. He trailed a couple kisses down the side of her neck. She and the gang had always been touchy, that’s just how they showed their affection towards her, but none of them ever took it this far. Y/N was stunned, but also didn't want him to stop. As much as she had wished that this was her and Soda, he had made it clear by now he didn’t think of her as anything more than a friend. So if Steve was making a move, why shouldn’t she go for it? Especially since he got his teeth fixed, she has noticed that he actually is quite attractive. She liked Steve, he was a good pal, and now she was realizing, a good kisser. Was he just being a flirt? Or was he trying to show her that he had feelings for her? Before Y/N could ponder this anymore, there was a jump scare, causing her to let out a small shriek, making everyone's attention turn towards her. Unfortunately, this meant they caught her and Steve in a compromising position to say the least. Steve immediately removed his lips from her neck, turning away as if he hadn’t been touching her at all. They both tried to act as normal as possible, although they knew they had been caught. It was silent for a couple of heart wrenching moments.

Two-Bit was the first to point it out, laughing, “You’re joking. You two were seriously making out? When we’re three feet away from you? You kids make me sick.” he joked.

Y/N and Steve made awkward eye contact, each looking to the other for what to say next.

“Uh-” Y/N stumbled over her words, as everyone sat there waiting for an explanation. “We- well we weren’t exactly making out.”

“Oh so he was just kissing your neck, you know, as friends?” Dally teased.

“Yup, pretty much.” Y/N tried to reason, realizing how silly she sounded. She covered her face with one hand, rubbing her forehead in frustration before continuing. “Look, I know how this looks but we didn’t even kiss kiss, we were just cuddling cause I was scared of the movie and- well, I guess we just- I don’t know, a little help here Steve?” she turns to face him.

“Yeah- uh, like Y/N said.” he trails off. She facepalms. Darry just shakes his head in disapproval.

“Okay, Y/N and Soda, switch places, because apparently these two can’t learn to control themselves.” Darry says, sounding like a teacher scolding a pair of friends for talking during class.

Sodapop stands up quickly, annoyance in his voice, “actually, I’m going to bed.” And that’s all he says as he storms off.

Everyone stands there for a moment, dumbfounded.

“Okay, then Ponyboy and Y/N, you guys switch spots so we can finish the film.” Ponyboy obliges, and Steve and Y/N exchange an apologetic glance before separating.

*****

A few days after that night, Steve and Y/N hadn’t talked about it, or even seen each other. It had become kinda clear to everyone in the gang that the two were avoiding each other in fear of it being awkward.

Ponyboy and Darry were in the kitchen when Y/N walked into their house, stopping by to drop off a book Ponyboy had lent Y/N.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Y/N called, hoping to hear a response from Soda, who she also had not heard from since that night. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was mad at her for some inexplicable reason.

“In here!” Darry called back.

Y/N walked in to see the two of them eating a late breakfast, it was a Saturday so it wasn’t unusual for Darry to be home or the boys to be out.

“Hey guys, I’m just dropping by to return the copy of Gone with the Wind you lent me, Pony.” Y/N says, sliding the book across the table to him.

“Oh, cool thanks. What’cha think of it?” he inquires.

“Really good, thanks for recommending it.” Y/N smiles, standing there, curious, arms behind her back, teetering back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Um, is Soda at the DX?” she asks looking down at the floor, brushing a peice of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, he is. Him and Steve both are, I think. What's going on with you two?” Darry replies.

“That depends on which two you’re wondering about. I think Sodapop’s mad at me and I don’t know why, and Steve- well, I actually don’t know what is going on between me and Steve.” Y/N bites her lower lip, waiting for any sort of advice.

“Well, this is something you’re gonna have to figure out on your own kid. Only you know how you feel about those two. But if you want my advice, I’d tell you that you guys have been friends a long time. All three of ya. Don’t let some stupid teenage love triangle get in the way of that.” Darry states.

Y/N feels slightly dizzy. “I’m sorry, did I hear you correct? Did you just say love triangle? That is definitely not what's going on here. I- I don’t feel that way about them. At least I don’t think I- you know what, nevermind.”

Finally, Ponyboy pipes up, “I don’t think he was talking about your feelings.” Just then Darry covers Ponyboy’s mouth so he can’t speak anymore.

“Oh shoot, I think we’ve probably said way too much. Just uh- go visit them at the D.X, I’m sure this whole thing will blow over soon.” Darry adds.

Y/N sighs, it feels like her whole world just got turned upside down. Was that why Soda was acting so cold to her? Was he jealous? No, it couldn’t be. There just best friends. And Steve, well, he probably just got caught up in the moment and wasn’t thinking clearly. There was no way he felt like that about her. This was all just a big misunderstanding, it was completely impossible.

“Uh, yeah, maybe I’ll do that.” Y/N starts to head out before adding, “thanks guys, I really appreciate the uh- advice.”

Y/N shuts the door on her way out, taking a deep breath. It had been three days since she last saw them. She couldn't remember the last time they went that long without seeing each other. She needed to handle this, she knew she did. Truthfully, she had been avoiding it, but it was eating away at her. She had to start to unravel this mess, and so she started her walk to the D.X.

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maerveil · 4 years

Text

50 Questions You Have Never Been Asked

i was tagged by @loverofelves :3c thank u <3

1. What is the color of your hairbrush?

black, nothing special, my mom got it from a dollar store for me bc my old one was literally falling apart but i refused to replace it

2. A food you never eat?

the only thing i can think of that i would probably not eat even if that meant it gets thrown away is steak, or any cut of red meat. i have a lot of trouble swallowing it for some reason. most other foods i hate i would still rather eat than waste them

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold?

theres no really comfortable temperature for me i think. im always either too warm or too cold. but since i spend most time in my bedroom which only gets sunlight for about 4 hours a day, im usually too cold

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago?

painting with watercolours and listening to music

5. What is your favorite candy bar?

i avoid sweets so i dont really know the different breeds of candy bar

6. Have you ever been to a professional sporting event?

ive participated in a few swimming tournaments when i was younger and a friend dragged me to see an ice hockey match a few years ago

7. What was the last thing you said out loud?

'hey’ at my cats because they were climbing my shelf....

8. What is your favorite ice cream?

not really a flavour, but strawberry sundae, with real strawberries and white chocolate... theres nothing quite like it

9. What was the last thing you had to drink?

tap water

10. Do you like your wallet?

its a huge black leather wallet. i wanted one like this really bad when i was like 14 yrs old, now i kinda think its too big. but i like that it has space for all kinds of clutter like cards and pictures... i want to say i feel neutral about it but considering how long ive had it im probably at least a little attached

11. What was the last thing you ate?

a small bowl of plain oats with milk for breakfast

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend?

no... im saving my money for useless things rn!

13. The last sporting event you watched?

im really not into sports so whenever i watch sports it i dont do so deliberately. uhm. i think biathlon was on tv one time a few months ago when i visited my dad

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?

i like it when its sweet but not so much that your fingers get terribly sticky from it

15. Who was the last person you sent a text message to?

my dad probably

16. Ever go camping?

yea i went camping w my dad a lot when i was younger, almost every summer for 8 years. im mentioning my dad a lot here. we are not as close as one might think

17. Do you take vitamins?

18. Do you go to church every Sunday?

no im too pretty

19. Do you have a tan?

no, but my right arm is a bit red from sitting on my balcony too long yesterday

20. Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza?

depends entirely on my mood, i dont have a general preference

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw?

only when i want to act like a slut which is never

22. What color socks do you usually wear?

i usually wear black tights

23. Ever drive above the speed limit?

I CANT DRIVE AND I NEVER WILL and if you drive above the speed limit thats +5 on your sin counter. i will know

24. What terrifies you?

those scary creepypasta images, communication, and anything unpredictable. also the possibility that jjba part 7 will be animated entirely in cgi

25. Look to your left what do you see?

a manga panel of dio i traced and taped to my wall, a bunch of jjba prints, and a tiny sticker of diego

26. What core do you hate?

if this is about music... i actually dont even want to spell out the name of that genre, thats how disgusting it is. its got to do with anime

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent?

that time in like, 7th grade, where english class was mostly about learning australian vocabulary

28. What is your favorite soda?

i dont drink soda im so scared of the liquid sugar but like cherry or vanilla coke probably

29. Do you go into a fast food place or just hit the drive through?

i dont ever go to fast food places, but if i did id hit the drive thru. inside its too loud and i hate when people can watch me eat

30. Who was the last person you talked to?

in person... my dad i think

31. Favorite cut of beef?

its all bad

32. Last song you listened to?

all the fools sailed away by dio (the band with real life people in it)

33. Last book you read?

der unsichtbare apfel by robert gwisdek. im still reading it actually im just too busy to finish anything rn

34. Favorite day of the week?

saturday of course!! although last night there was someone in front of my window at 3am who screamed for two seconds for seemingly no reason. this stuff doesnt happen on weekdays

35. Can you say the alphabet backwards?

no and im self conscious about it

36. How do you like your coffee?

black!!

37. Favorite pair of shoes?

my dr martens mary janes... easy to get in and out of... simple... cute... whats not to love. theyre starting to fall apart tho bc i wear them all the time

38. At what time do you usually go to bed?

between 9 and 11 pm

39. At what time do you normally get up?

between 5 and 9 am

40. What do you prefer - sunrises or sunsets?

emotionally, sunrises bc sunsets remind me that the day is over and my time has run out... but aesthetically, sunsets

41. How many blankets are on your bed?

two, one weighted and one normal

42. Describe your kitchen plates?

plain white... super boring and i hate them but i used to live with a minimalist and tried to be considerate to avoid conflict

43. Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage?

rum w cola or pina coladas, but i usually avoid alcohol. makes me feel like a soggy sponge and so sleepy. hate it

44. Do you play cards?

no all card games are bad!!

45. What color is your car?

i cant drive

46. Can you change a tire?

i cant even consider learning how to do it

47. What is your favorite province?

*nods*

48. Favorite job you ever had?

i hate jobs and careers and i would sooner let myself get exploded into a thousand pieces by impact with a speeding train than take up a job again

49. How did you get your biggest scar?

i was 15, in a really bad place mentally, and tried to make a point to someone... uh oh!

50. What did you do today that made someone happy?

this question is guilt tripping me

#abt me

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captaindaddykru · 4 years

Text

50 questions you’ve never been asked

i’ve been tagged by the lovely human @marauders-groupie so i will do it for her

What is the color of your hairbrush? boring white but it has glitters in it

Name a food you never eat? eggs which always seems to shock people

Are you typically too warm or too cold? am i just the right temperature baby but if i had to pick one probably warm?

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? dragging j*ssica h*rmon to filth on multiple social media platforms and reconsidering each and every of my life choices that have led me to stan a show with a cast from hell

What is your favorite candy bar? if i had to pick a kitkat, or if bueno counts im going with bueno.

Have you ever been to a professional sports event? hmm for my lifeguarding job ive been to a lot of events so if thats a thing then yeah

What is the last thing you said out loud? “een block kan ie krijgen” which is basically me saying my useless father can fuck off back into oblivion<3

What is your favorite ice cream? EVERYTHING EXCEPT CHOCOLATE AND BLACK SESAM<3

What was the last thing you had to drink? coke

Do you like your wallet? i.. dont have one

What was the last thing you ate? chocolate chip cookie

Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? noooo im tryna limit everything i buy cuz i have so much stuff and i need to safe money and like the environment?

The last sporting event you watched? actually it was rugby i think i did it for kisha

What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? sweet

Who is the last person you sent a text message to? samm we were both ranting about how much the 100 cast deserves early on-set baldness safe from like three exceptions

Ever go camping? no not for real camping bugs scare me but i love nature so maybe i should try it someday. would love to go camping in canada

Do you take vitamins? no

Do you go to church every Sunday? absolutely not

Do you have a tan? nope

Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? chinese i only like a very specific kind of pizza

Do you drink your soda with a straw? sometimes

What color socks do you usually wear? multicolored

Do you ever drive above the speed limit? sometimes but max 5 km/h

What terrifies you? the state of the world and the desensitivity of humanity. and s7 of the 100

Look to your left, what do you see? a wall

What chore do you hate? dishes i hate touching wet stuff and especially wet food is a phobia

What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? a few things cross my mind. bob and eliza. crocodiles? the girl from the bachelor pretending she had an accent to be interesting.

What’s your favorite soda? coca cola. used to be addicted but these days ive been toning down

Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thrus? drive thru or takeout

Who’s the last person you talked to? my mom, about my dad bugging me

Favorite cut of beef? uhm like? steak? idk what this question means

Last song you listened to? poison and wine by the civil wars while breaking down over bellarke

Last book you read? life of the party by olivia gatwood but its more poetry then fiction but its a book!

Favorite day of the week? usually friday i think

Can you say the alphabet backwards? in what world would that be a useful skill?

How do you like your coffee? i dont

Favorite pair of shoes? i have these really cute snakeprint neon heels i wanna bust out someday soon

The time you normally go to sleep? NORMALLY? well i work in shifts so thats not really a question i can answer but i’d say usually 2-3 am or even later. or i dont sleep at all. or i sleep all day.

The time you normally get up? again i work shifts so ranges from 05:00am to 12pm to 09pm.

What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunsets. i just enjoy nighttime

How many blankets on your bed? uhm like seventeen i have a lot of primark blankets with different patterns

Describe your kitchen plates: brown and white

Do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? i love red vodka redbull but thats like crack cocaine and then i’ll just end up crying over bellarke for four hours so i try to keep it to a bare minimum

Do you play cards? no sometimes uno? does that count?

What color is your car? black unfortuntately i wanted a cool color

Can you change a tire? no

Your favorite province? whats a province? cant be assed to google it so im going with country and i really love indonesia

Favorite job you’ve ever had? the one i have now for the job itself but i really loved lifeguarding because of all my coworkers who i loved dearly

How did you get your biggest scar? biggest scar... probably from an iron i walked into when i was like 8 its on my stomach

What did you do today that made someone else happy? made some people laugh during desperate times that are t100 cast opening their mouths when it costs zero dollars to stay quiet so there’s that<3

I’m tagging: @obviesbellarke @wolfheartgirl @probably-voldemort @talistheintrovert anyone else who wants?

#tag game

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

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Survey #257

I hope y’all are behaving and staying inside. This’ll blow over, folks.

Have you ever met a guy for coffee? No. How often do you get called on your home phone? We don't have a landline. Do you feed your leftovers to your dogs? We don't have a dog anymore. When we had them, we very rarely did. Mom did so more than me, and I wouldn't give them anything if they were begging. Except chicken nuggets with Teddy. There was no denying him chicken nuggets. Do you like salt on your popcorn? Yes. What tricks does your pet do? Well one is a snake and my cat doesn't know any because since when do cats obey you lmao. Do you believe in psychics? No. When you hear the name “Ginger” what do you think of? Jason's old fatass dog. What is the worst damage that your car has seen? N/A Who is your least favourite character on your favourite television show? In Meerkat Manor, fuck that, I loved them all, lmao. Well, I remember I was bitter towards Rita/Amira for killing Rocket Dog's pups, but even then I knew that was meerkat nature to ensure the survival of their own offspring. That '70s Show, definitely no one. I adore all the characters. For Fullmetal Alchemist, honestly, there are SO many that I don't remember probably even half of them. BUT, from what I do remember, Nina's dad whose name evades me. You watch it and you know why alkdsjf;kaldjw. Have you gotten sick this year? No. When was the last time you got a new ringtone? Eons ago. Where do you put your keys when you get home? They're always in my purse. What’s your phone background picture? Lock screen is a cute as fuck picture of Mark, home screen is two meerkats. If you could move to any country, what would it be? Realistically, Canada. Have you ever seen a snake in the wild? Plenty of times. Do you have any posters, paintings or other artwork on your walls? A LOT. My walls are cramped; it makes it feel homey to me. Would you ever take a trip to space if given the chance? Nah, too long of a journey. How do you cope with anxiety? Watch YouTube more attentively, listen to music, nap, take one of my anxiety meds. Are you expecting any phone calls or emails? No. Who makes you laugh the most? In my "real life," my dad. Out of anyone that includes those I don't actually know, probably Shane Dawson. He's a Mood, constantly. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you? Oh, plenty. I have like the most common white girl middle name out there. What did you have done the last time you saw a dentist? I had a cavity filled. What does a successful relationship look like to you? Both ends are happy, communication is ideal and easy for the pair, both feel loved and accepted fully, and each has healthy freedom. What do you like to put on your baked potato? The ordinary butter, cheese, and bacon bits. What field of science interests you the most? Genetics. What’s the closest shop or restaurant to your house? A Zaxby's and McDonald's are tied, being right across the street from each other. What was the most memorable birthday you’ve had? My 16th is the one I remember best, but not in a good way. What is the best house you’ve ever lived in? Our last house, aesthetically. Right in the woods and relatively pretty, yet simple. Do you look in the mirror before you leave the house? Yeah. Have you ever seen someone quit their job in a dramatic way? No. Do you know why your parents named you what they did? No. I think Mom just liked the name, though. What do you like to dip your fries in? Ketchup, mostly. Is your house clean or messy right now? It's actually really clean right now. We've had a lot of help around the house recently thanks to family and friends with Mom's cancer, and then I've been much neater and attentive to cleanliness than usual because 1.) it's my responsibility to ensure it is for Mom's health and 2.) I dropped out of school so literally have zero excuses to not be doing at least one productive thing. What was the last email you received? That wasn't trash, it was from my old major's dean in school. She was trying to comfort me and give me options on what to do versus leave, but yeah. I'll 100% give it to the school that they deeply and sincerely care for their students, I just needed to go. Do you know someone who speaks without a filter? lmao me. Well, depends, I guess, actually. I know when to keep my mouth shut in some situations. What’s your favourite kind of museum? Science museums. Especially those with d i n o z. Do you believe in alternate universes? I'm open to it, especially with the mandela effect theories, but I don't think so. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. What games do you play on your smart phone? Pokemon GO (if I'm in an area w/ Stops to get balls) and Dragons of Atlantis. What kinds of decorations do you put up at Halloween? We don't really decorate anymore for Halloween, or holidays in general. How many tabs do you have open right now? Two. What’s something you’ve been meaning to do but keep putting off? Try more sites to hopefully get a poem I wrote published, but that crippling fear of rejection tho. :^) What’s the first thing you check on your phone at the start of the day? The time. Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah, I loved that as a kid. I’m guessing you’ve probably been asked this before, but which do you prefer - Coca Cola, or Pepsi? Coke. Pepsi is gross. Has your phone ever gone off in the middle of a class at school? No. Did you go to your school dances? Did you dance with anyone? Just two proms. We didn't dance tho because the music was shit. What’s your relationship with the last person you talked to on the phone? What was your conversation about? Like, talk-talked, no texting? Uhhh who was that. OH YEAH, my sister. My mom didn't answer her phone so she just called me to make sure she was okay. The last time you washed your hair, did you use conditioner?  No, I never do. It just adds oil to your hair, and mine is naturally oily enough. Do you have an item of clothing that reminds you of someone? Tell me about it, and the person it reminds you of. I have a lot, none positive. If the last girl you texted told you that she was pregnant, how would you respond? Ask her who the fuck I need to kill. How would you react if your mother told you that she was pregnant again? Well considering 1.) she's past menopause and 2.) she has serious ovarian and Fallopian cancer, I'd say that's pretty impossible. Who do you have the most text messages from? Sara. The last time you skipped school, what was the reason?  Uhhh if you mean "skip" as in I had seriously no realistic reason not to go, I think I was just really tired. I tried not to skip unless I was having serious mental health issues. When did you last see or speak to someone you dislike? Why do you dislike this person? I actually don't know who that would be. When you listen to music, do you generally sing along, or just listen? I rarely sing. I just listen. Do you have any of your exes as friends on Facebook? Yes. Does more than one person like you? *shrugs* Has your partner ever accused you of cheating, when you actually didn’t? No. Who was your first love? Do you ever miss that person? Jason. Of course I do sometimes. Other times I know it's probably for the better we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Do you like your middle name?  I mean it's pretty, but boy do I wish it was more original. If your hair is long, would you ever think about having it cut short? Or, if it’s short, would you like to grow it long? I doubt it will ever be long again. Would you consider your parents to be strict? Dad never was at all; Mom sorta was when I was little. Do you have a mirror in your room? On the back of my door. Have you ever worked in food service? No, thank God. Do you often stay in your pajamas all day? I almost always do, unless I have to go out somewhere. I pretty much never leave my house ever, forget just quarantine, so like... why make more laundry. What are three YouTube videos you would like to film soon? N/A Do you ever listen to country music? No. What is your most severe allergy? Pollen. What’s the largest library fine you’ve ever had? Oh wow, no clue. I haven't been the library in millennia. Have you ever lost a library card? *shrugs* Name three literary characters you feel resemble you the most. UH yikes. This requires too much thought for me rn. Name three cartoon characters that resemble you, and say why. Ummmm I still don't know. Do you have a good doctor? I haven't seen her enough times yet to honestly say. Mom knows and likes her well, though. She's fine so far. Do you wear a watch every day? If so, what color is your watch? No, I never do. Does your phone alarm ever scare you? No, it's very peaceful. Which department store do you shop at the most? Wal-Mart. How old were you when you got your driver’s license? I'm 24 and am yet to have it. Do you have regrets? A good handful or two. Do you ever curl your hair? It's too short to do so. Do you know anyone who has coronavirus? No, and I pray I never do for my mom's sake. Out of all the big cities you’ve visited, which has/have been your favorite? Chicago is the only big city I've ever been it. Was pretty damn dope, though. Do you like dreamcatchers? I mean, they're cool. I don't believe in them being magical, though. Have you ever made a dreamcatcher, and if not, would you like to learn? No and no. Who was your high school’s biggest bully? I don't remember. What color was your graduation cap and gown? Red. Did you keep your graduation cap? I think I did. Did you decorate your graduation cap? Nope. What is your favorite part of nature? The animals within it. Do you use Photoshop? Yes. Favorite photo editing app on your phone? I don't have an editing app. Did you love or hate college? Well, considering I dropped out three times, guess. Favorite class in high school? Art. Favorite class in college? Idk. Probably Writing. Class you hated the most in high school? Math. Class you hated the most in college? Painting brought me the most stress. Do you know how to write in calligraphy? Not technically. Have you ever had a pen pal? No. Do you prefer brownies or cookies? Brownies. Man I could go for one. Favorite Girl Scout cookie? Those Reeses-ish ones. Did you ever go camping as a kid? No. Do you have hormone issues? No. Have you ever gotten a misdiagnosis because your parent(s) lied about you? Er, no? A shitty doctor has misdiagnosed me, though. Which Barbie doll was your favorite? I didn't even know there were "types"... Do you wake up to an alarm? No. When did you go to bed yesterday? Like, 8-something... I rarely make it past 9:30 nowadays. Do you live in a city, town, or in the country? The country. What color is your toothbrush? White. When was the last time you had a nightmare? Yesterday while I was napping. Woke up shrieking and scared Mom out of her skin. Tainted my mood almost the rest of the day. If you had a terminal illness, would you want to know? No shit I would. What was the last thing someone called you other than your real name? I don't know. If you could meet anyone who lived before your time, who would it be? I have no clue. Is there a candle in the room you are in? No. Are you currently taking any prescribed medication? More than I like. Do you have bad anxiety? If so, do you take any kind of medications for it? Yes and yes. Who was the last person you felt you were wasting your time on? I don't know. One thing you’ve experienced that you thought you never would have? A suicide attempt. What was the last thing someone said to you that kept repeating over & over in your head? Ugh. If a random person were to look through the photos on your phone, is there anything you’d be embarrassed about? No. If you could, would you work from home? Do you think that would make you more or less productive? No no no no. I need a reason to leave the house. I'm way more productive away from home anyway. What were you like in middle school? "The weird kid" describes it pretty well. If you could give one charity a million dollars, what charity would you donate money to? YIKES!!!! Now that's a question. Probably something for suicide prevention/awareness. What is something you’re surprised hasn’t been invented yet? The cure for cancer. It's incredible, just how many "possible" cures have been identified in nature, yet you like... hear NOTHING about it afterwards??? My conspiratory and "the medical industry just cares more about money" ass wonders about that a lot. Most disturbing movie you have ever seen? Paranormal Entity or The Rite. Has a life goal or dream ever come true for you yet? If yes, what is it? If no, do you think you’ll achieve it? No. And probably not. What one thing has always bothered you, but seems to bother no one else? Hm. I'm sure there's something. Do you still own a VCR and VHS tapes? No, pretty sure they've all been sold. Did you ever build furniture forts as a child? Yep. What kind of dog is your favorite? Pretty sure I'm biased towards beagles. Are the majority of your friends male or female? Female, I think? Have you ever considered dropping acid? Noooo sir. Would you consider yourself to be mature? Mostly. Describe your music style: I like unique alternative stuff. Catchy, heavy riffs do me in easily, too. I like well thought out, dark, and impactful lyrics. Are you close to any of your aunts/uncles? Not very. Have you ever had a seizure? No. When was the last time you were in a hospital? For myself, 2017. I think. Do you go on vacations a lot? I never do. Are you self-conscious around other people? Very. At your workplace, are you required to wear a uniform? N/A Have you ever witnessed a physical fight in real life? Huh, good question actually. What was your GPA in high school? 4.2/3 or something. Do you use a lot of hair products? I don't use any. I mean, besides shampoo. What is the most amount of money you’ve spent at one time? My own money, I think $300 on a tattoo. What is the best pizza place out there? Domino's. I'm such a basic bitch. Do you know how to play any odd instruments most people can’t play? Nope. When was the last time you used a disposable camera? I think the zoo visit in 5th grade. What is your favorite book series, if you have one? Can't say I really have one. It definitely used to be Warriors by Erin Hunter, but I haven't read any in maaaaaany years. Do you have any celebrity autographs? Nah. What is your favorite color of clothing to wear? Just black. Admit it – you want a Snuggie. What design/color? I got a black one one Christmas, lol. They're honestly not all that great. Do you prefer movies at home or movies at the theater? THE THEATER. I actually enjoy watching movies in the theater. It's just the vibe, I guess, and the size of the screen so you take in everything. How many songs does your iTunes have? Just over 1k. Its memory is maxed out, oof, so if I want a new song, I have to thin the library out. Do you take a shower in the morning or the night before? I've been taking showers more often in the morning, lately. It's a nice, refreshing start to the day. I'm just too tired and unmotivated to at night. Who’s your youngest teacher? N/A When’s the last time you had a rock, paper, scissors match? Wow, no clue. What’s your favorite anime? Fullmetal Alchemist. Did you cry when Ash let his Butterfree go with the other Butterfrees? Oh I probably did, but THEN AGAIN, the female was FUCKIN PINK so I'm sure I was also happy for Butterfree lmao. Even as a kiddo, I knew pink was The Shit. Skinny, flared, ripped, or faded jeans? Skinny, ripped ones. What are you excited for? Just honestly, nothing in the even remotely near future. Nothing in my life is exciting rn. Are you part of the Farmville cult? Never played. Have you ever stood on a frozen solid body of water? YIKES besides like, small puddles, definitely not. I'd be scared to. Which person from way back when would you love to hang out with? Jenna, an old best friend, came to mind first here. It'd be great to catch up with her. She called me in the hospital after my suicide attempt despite not talking in absolutely forever, and I'm never going to forget that. Does your family use a real pine tree or a plastic one for Christmas? Plastic. Literally the only positive of the real ones is the smell. Otherwise, it's a mess that dies too quickly. Do you have any foreign exchange students at your school? N/A What’s your second language? I'm not fluent in it, definitely not anymore, but the language I took for four semesters was German. Is it uncomfortable for you to take showers in glass stalls w/out curtains? OH MY GOD I would positively hate that. Even IF I had a decent body. Did you understand Shakespeare? I was alright. What was the last shot you got? It was a numbing agent into my gums. They had to do it like... seven times. Apparently, I'm just like. Really hard to numb. Ever gotten cavities? Yeah. Do you use hair ties as bracelets? I don't even wear hair ties. What was the last school project you did that you couldn’t wait to turn in? Uhhh... I don't remember. Have you ever graded papers? I actually have; I was helping a teacher on work day. I used to go back to my elementary school a lot to visit my favorite teachers. What was your favorite year of school up to this point? Maybe like, junior year of high school? Or senior. I don't remember which one of those I enjoyed more. I just remember I loved my art class, I had great grades, my relationship was strong, yada yada. What’s the latest you’ve ever woken up? Like 5-6 PM. Had a busy night and that evening was a complete panic attack because my system was so thrown off. One thing I DON'T miss from high school: how bad my anxiety was. Can you recite the alphabet backwards? NOOOO I cannot. Like, at all. Are you a sucker for foreign accents? Some, yes. Do you do yoga? Not anymore.

#survey #quiz #questions

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ily-like-a-banana · 5 years

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soda ft. vernon

♡ : surely, there must be a reason why there is a rule against dating a fellow bandmate?

A/N: it has been months since i last written and actually completed something so i’m just really happy about that. i didn’t want to proofread this in fear that i might end up losing the spark of just enjoying the writing process so be warned about that! also, this little scenario played in my head while listening to ‘the middle’ by zedd and maren morris :-)

despite knowing fully well that no amount of popcorn stuffed into your throat will calm the raging beating in your chest, you've already managed to go through ¼ of the snack bowl and the movie hasn't even started yet.

you were squished between your band members on your iconic blue couch- the boys have just claimed it to be iconic since it has made itself a home in your basement for so long and it's everyone's favorite spot to do everything; songwriting, napping, eating, watch a movie. to your left are the guitarists: mingyu the bassist, wonwoo on the lead and junhui on the rhythms. fans call them the visual trinity- or something like that. people have not decided whether they're to be swooned for or to be cautious of because they best believe they'll just get their hearts broken.

and then there's the rest of the members to your right: jeonghan provides backing vocals and plays the strings (he's also known to have the most billboard-worthy pictures taken during concerts), jihoon plays the keyboard and composes a lot (a musical prodigy, he is) and then… and then there's vernon, the drummer of the band.

you've had your eyes glued on the screen mindlessly for awhile now, munching on the popcorn too fast much to mingyu's disheartenment. it's just that vernon's name no longer sits on your thoughts fleetingly like it used to. now the six letter name elicits a reaction from you whenever it makes an appearance in your thoughts and at that moment, you found yourself squirming a little.

vernon is known to be a quiet one, snuck comfortably in his own world yet, his presence alone is loud; his electric blue hair bound to grab anyone's attention against his milky skin paired with those strong eyes. (to explain the semblance in his eyes through words would never give it justice, so you don't even attempt to do so.)

what you can describe vividly, however, is how you might have found yourself pulled closely against his chest the other night, his hands breezing gently down to the small of your back, leaving electrifying constellations in its trails and his lips- oh, his lips- they moved against yours with an urgency that seem to have unclasped the imaginary buckles on your knees (if it weren't for his steady hold around the curve of your waist and his refrigerator against your back, you might have just slumped to the floor like a sack).

it's been two days since the little incident, neither one of you have attempted talking about it, or talk at all for that matter. it will only take a short amount of time before the others notice something and although you have already given yourself a pep talk at least 20 times before they came over, you just couldn't bring yourself to act normally around him, let alone start a conversation.

“psst,” mingyu lifts his head from your shoulder and gently pokes your cheek. you blink out of your daze, barely noticing the the grease on mingyu's finger that glistened on your skin when you turned your head to look at him, “hmm?”

“can you get me some cola? i really don't want to miss a second of this movie,” mingyu’s doing that thing again; sporting a wide-eyed puppy look that seem to work well to his advantage albeit his manly features, “please?”

“mmm,” you nod. honestly, he didn't even have to go to those lengths for you to get him the cola. you've been feeling uneasy ever since they got here and you could totally use an excuse to distance yourself for a much needed breather.

you shuffle to the kitchen, wiping your clammy hands on your jeans. this is bad. this is really, really bad, you thought. there's definitely a reason why there's an unspoken rule about not dating a fellow band member. it's just too risky. this could possibly not escalate to dating, though. nothing's certain yet. for all you know, it might mean nothing to vernon and you can just forget it ever happened and move on. but why hasn't he tried talking to you ever since?

you quickly grabbed yourself a glass of water, chugged it down and tried to focus on getting your shit together before grabbing a can of coke from the fridge. sighing, you turned on your heels to return to the members but instantly jumped in surprise when you're met with the subject of your thoughts standing behind you.

“holy shit, you scared me,” you gasped, putting a hand over your chest. your eyes refuse to meet his so you kept your gaze glued to his chest instead. you noticed he's wearing the shirt you had gotten him for his birthday last year. it looks great on him. hell, he could be wearing a garbage bag and anyone would still agree that he looks attractive.

you tense once you realized he’s walking towards you, eyes boring into yours and you're convinced that he's seeing way past your physical form and into your soul.

“wh-what are you do-” you swing your head to the side as you instinctively shut your eyes at his close proximity. his cologne wafted to your senses, heightening it like you had just taken a shot of espresso. stupidly, part of you was waiting for something to happen, something like his hands on your waist yet again or his lips on yours.

instead, you felt something cool on your back, the buzz from the refrigerator momentarily louder before you hear it shut again.

slowly, you tear your eyes open to be met with a boyish smile on his lips as he looks at you with a mixture of amusement and something you can't exactly pinpoint.

“jihoon wanted one too,” his voice was low and soft, the kind you wish you could keep engraved in your memories for a very long time, “he called out for you but you seem to be… in a daze.”

all you could do was blink pathetically, your throat suddenly dry despite your water fix seconds ago.

“let me get that for you,” he takes the can from your grasp, his fingers brushing on yours and it sounds so silly but the contact made butterflies erupt in the pit of your stomach.

good lord, can we please have a part two of that encounter-

your little prayer fell to a halt when you felt a feathery kiss on your forehead.

“come on, we'll miss the movie,” he steps back with a glint in his eyes that was hard to deny. he cocked his head towards the kitchen door to signal you to follow him out.

at that moment, your heart was beating at an insane rate against your ribcage, you're surprised you haven't gone to a cardiac arrest.

that look. he's never given me that kind of look. you shake your head as if to clear your thoughts.

but of course, it doesn't.

#seventeen scenarios #seventeen fanfics #seventeen imagines #svt scenarios #hansol vernon chwe #vernon scenarios #lol idk what to tag :-(#i wrote this right after doing the laundry can u believ-#190120

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heather1815 · 6 years

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My little test subject: Chapter 13

Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9, chapter 10, chapter 11, and chapter 12

Angsty Tomtord fic with slight Paultryk on the side.

Warning! This fic contains: Foul language, scenes of torture, use of medical tools, drug use, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, violence, self-neglect, blood, and a little bit of stockholm syndrome and force feeding. Viewer discretion is advised.

Matt narrowed his eyes as he glanced out the window. The days are getting shorter. He observed, taking note of the sun’s position in the sky. And the nights are getting colder. Soon winter will be here. It was hard to believe that it’s been exactly eight months since Tom’s untimely demise. He never would’ve thought he and Edd would be able to cope with the pain they had felt back then; but they are moving on. Slowly, but surely.

“Matt? You alright in there?”

The sound of Edd’s voice coming from his living room snapped Matt out of his thoughts. He opened the microwave and pulled the freshly-made bag of popcorn out. “Coming!” Reaching toward the cupboard, Matt poured the salty treat goodness into a bowl. Before leaving, he stopped by the fridge and grabbed a can of coke. He bought a boxful the day before and left it in his freezer just on the occasion Edd would come over to his place. This will surely keep Edd in a cheerful mood.

“Have you picked a movie yet?” Matt asks, stepping out of his kitchen and into the living room. When he didn’t get an immediate response, his gaze landed on his friend; who is currently sitting on the magenta couch with his legs crossed. He’d invited the brunet over to his apartment in hopes of rekindling their shaken friendship with a casual movie night. Edd was fumbling around with his phone, staring at the screen intently and a little coy smile on his face.

“Edd?”

The brunet looked up startled, almost as if Matt had caught him doing something wrong. “Wha- what?”

Matt jumped back started, careful not to let any of the bowl’s contents spill over. “Whoa easy there!” He laughed, albeit a little uneasily. “I asked if you picked out a film?”

Blinking rapidly, Edd shook his head. “No- sorry. You were taking some time, and I guess I got distracted.” He rubbed the back of his head apologetically. Matt didn’t miss the way the brunet’s eyes flicked briefly to his phone screen.

“It’s fine.” Matt shrugged it off. “What you doing anyway? Are you talking to someone?” He tried to peer closer to get a good look at the phone, but Edd swiveled out of his range of sight.

“It’s nothing.” Edd replied briskly. He must’ve realized how odd his reaction was, and immediately relaxed and added with a sigh. “It’s just some prompt requests and offers. Nothing tremendously exciting.”

“Oh right, yeah…” Matt chuckled half-heartedly, trying to lighten up the mood again. He sat down next to Edd on the couch, setting the bowl of popcorn between them. “How’s the- how is the art coming along?”

Breathing an exasperated sigh, Edd stuffed his phone away and leaned back on the sofa. “Not very good.” He admitted. “I haven’t been able to draw anything worthwhile for some time now. I just can’t find any motivation to do so.”

Matt patted him on the back and offered his friend the coke. “Ah cheer up! Maybe all you need is something to relax over and refresh your head.” He reassured. “A good movie afternoon with some snacks will surely do the trick!”

Edd regarded his words and smiled. “Guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am!” Matt laughed. “Just you wait, you’ll be back to drawing in no time.” He clasped his hands and rubbed them together eagerly. “Now; what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road!”

He handed Edd the remote control for the TV. They started flicking through the various movies available, searching for something they’ll both enjoy.

“We’ve watched plenty of horror films in the past. How about an animated one for a change?”

“Sounds good to me!” Matt agreed enthusiastically, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it all into his mouth.

They navigated through the large selection of movies displayed on-screen, occasionally expressing their thoughts to each other whenever they pause by a possible choice before moving on with their search. Being a lover of all things animated, Edd isn’t picky when it comes to animation. He has some preferences, sure; but he isn’t about to turn up his nose if a particular style doesn’t appeal to him. He likes cheap, crappy horror movies for Christ sakes, his taste isn’t exactly refined!

After nearly half an hour of browsing and discussion, they eventually settled with a stop-motion flick. It was on Edd’s watch list since it first came out, though he never got around on actually watching it, and Matt was a sucker for the awkward movement and, in the ginger’s opinion, “cutesy” animation. So they shrugged their shoulders, decided “why not?” and selected it for their afternoon movie section.

Edd pressed play, sat back, and took a sip of his cola as the logos came on screen.

After what he’s been through lately, watching a film with Matt of all things really never crossed his mind. Probably because it seemed so mundane and… out of the norm from how he usually spent his days. Moping around, and doing nothing particularly exciting with his time until night fall. Mostly because all his attempts of performing tasks that usually brought some sort of emotion out of him, whether it be a positive or negative one, was replaced with empty numbness despite Edd’s best efforts to cope.

They duo sat there, watching the movie play out in silence, save for the occasional comment here and there and the sound of munching popcorn.

About twenty minutes into the film, when the main character was attempting to converse with their dead relative for guidance before being chased down by evil ninja-witches, and Edd’s attention was fixated on the screen with interest; loud noises could be heard coming from right outside of the apartment. Although obnoxious and kind of distracting, Edd didn’t pay them much mind.

Just lousy neighbors. He figured dismissively, eating more popcorn. They’ll leave soon enough.

However, the sounds hadn’t eased- quite the opposite happened, in fact. The noises coming from the hallway outside only grew louder in frequency, followed by voices that weren’t even trying to keep their tone down.

Edd shifted in his seat with clear discomfort. He debated with himself whether he should go out there and outright tell them to be quiet, or try his best to ignore and pay attention to the film. He shot a questioning glance at Matt, wondering what he preferred but the ginger didn’t turn to look at him as he raised the volume of the TV to its highest setting.

Upon closer look, Matt seems uncharacteristically stiff and rigid for some reason.

Edd brushed his doubts away, and turned his attention back to the screen. He tried his best to focus on the movie but every time he felt even slightly immersed in the story and characters, his mind would drift away back to the noises. A familiar tingle of dread made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but Edd couldn’t tell why. Something in particular about the voices outside set this feeling off in him, however he could not put a finger on it for the life of him.

The loud bumps and knocks that accompanied them didn’t help matters.

Growing increasingly restless, and unable to keep his curiosity down and neither the alarm bells ringing in his head; the brunet finally conceded.

“The hell do you think the neighbors are up to out there?” Edd prompted with feign nonchalantness as he took a sip of his beverage.

“Meh, who knows?” Matt shrugged indifferently while grabbing a chunk of popcorn. “Probably nothing exciting.”

Edd wasn’t satisfied with that answer. He couldn’t help the lingering suspicion that Matt might be hiding something from him, and it might be connected to the neighbors out there in the hall.

A tremor coming from his pocket jolted him out of his thoughts. Taking the phone out, Edd read the message.

(RF): So can you make it tonight?

He went to unlock the phone in order to reply when his eyes briefly flickered over the date displayed above the message:

Friday, 6th of July.

There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary for this date. However, something seemed to finally click into place in his head. The loud noises outside. The neighbors who wouldn’t stop talking. Matt’s stiff posture. It all made sense now.

It’s moving day! Edd deduced with a start. The people making so much noise are our new neighbors; and they are moving in to the apartment next door. Tom’s apartment. His posture deflated with a pang of sadness when he realized what it meant, but quickly brushed it off. He shouldn’t feel sad- he already knew this was happening one way or another, and leaving the apartment vacant to gather dust won’t change the fact that Tom is dead. It’s best to put it to good use for someone who actually needs a place to live.

Even if it meant-

Edd grimaced at the following thought.

Even if that the person leaving in the mornings to check the mail wasn’t his grumpy, eyeless friend; Edd knew this was the best course of action to take.

He breathed out a heavy sigh. Taking a second glance toward his orange-haired friend with this new information in mind, it’s no wonder Matt looks so stiff and uncomfortable. He thinks I’ll get upset if I figure out what’s really going on out there. Edd resisted the impulse to bristle at the insinuation that he may be too emotionally weak to think rationally. He couldn’t hold this against Matt. Tom was still kind of a sore topic to touch upon whenever he was mentioned between them, and Matt was just doing what he thought was best in his own anxious way. Edd can’t really fault him for that.

A loud bump disrupted his thoughts. Edd shifted his focus to the noises coming from the hallway, trying to hear what they were saying. Funny enough, the voices stirred an itch of familiarity within him; though he couldn’t quite place it. He’s definitely sure he heard these voices before… but where?

Edd shook his head. He wasn’t getting anywhere with this, and he is fairly sure he lost some pivotal plot points from the movie. “Alright, that’s it.” He jumped to his feet.

Matt looked up at him, startled. “Where you’re going?” He asks worriedly through a mouthful of popcorn.

“I’m going to tell our neighbors to pipe down. They are making too much noise, and I can barely hear what’s going on in the film.” The brunet crossed the short distance between the couch and the door.

“Wait, Edd! It’s fine- really!” Matt cried out, scrambling from his seat to try and reach out for him. “I- I don’t wan- I don’t really mind the noise all that much. I can try to-”

“Matt!” Edd abruptly cut him off, an edge of impatience in his voice.

The ginger instantly clamped his mouth shut, and fixed his worried blue gaze on his friend. Realizing he sounded harsher than he’d intended, Edd shot him an apologetic glance over his shoulder; his posture sagging as he released a tired sigh.

“It’s fine, Matt.” He tried again, this time with a much softer tone. “I mean it, really. I know what’s going on and you don’t need to hide it from me anymore. It’s okay!” Matt ducked his head down in shame, his gaze downcast. When he lifted his eyes again, Edd was surprised to see sorrow and guilt brimming in his friend’s stare. It honestly unnerved him in a way. What’s the big deal?

Figuring Matt was just upset he got caught trying to keep things from him; Edd shrugged it off as him simply being overly emotional.

“I know things haven’t been exactly the same between us since… you know. But you don’t have to keep every little thing that has to do with Tom a secret from me.” Edd continued uneasily. “I know you mean well, but I am not unstable. We’ve discussed about renting out Tom’s apartment, and I might’ve been upset at first, but we both agreed it was the best course of action to take.” He grabbed the door handle as he spoke.

Matt’s eyes widened. “Wait, Edd-!”

“Calm down, it’s fine.” The brunet opened the door just a crack. “I’m just going to tell the neighbors to quiet down a little, nothing worth so much drama. Maybe greet them into the complex while I’m at it.”

“That’s not what I-”

“I won’t lash out at them over this. You worry too much, I’m telling you it’s fine!” Edd insisted. He opened the door before Matt could make another protest, and he peered out into the hall.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I know you guys are new but could you please keep the noise down a bit? We’re trying to watch a movie and-”

He froze. His words instantly dying out on his tongue when he saw two men he had never thought he’d see again standing before him; their belongings scattered around the hall whilst in the process of moving to their new apartment.

One of them was leaning back on the door frame of an apartment on the opposite side, sipping on a can of coke- diet coke, Edd noted with vivid disgust; while the other man was half-way through removing their belongings from a crate. They don’t appear to have changed much since the last time they’ve seen each other.

Edd stared at them in disbelief. After all the crazy adventures he’d gone through, he had thought nothing else could shock him, but for a heartbeat he forgot how to breathe.

Staring curiously back at him, both looking perplexed and mildly confused, were none other than Eduardo and Mark.

“Eduardo?”

“Loser-? I mean- Edd?!” Eduardo blinked at him in disbelief. “You live here?”

“Uhhh, yeah?” Edd answered, highly uncomfortable with the situation that he’s gotten himself into. Edd isn’t exactly sure what their current stances are now. Are they still rivals? Are they… cool now? It’s hard to tell after a whole year of not seeing each other. Doesn’t help that the last time they crossed paths ended up being a terrible tragedy for both groups. “What- what are you doing here?”

“What’s it look like?” Mark retorted, dusting his hands as he settled the crater down. “We’re moving in, of course.”

Edd’s blood ran cold, and he gulped apprehensively. What did he expect? There is literally no other reason why they would be here now, today of all days, with their stuff all over the place. After a second to recompose himself he prompted. “You- you two are sharing the flat together?”

“What? No. There isn’t enough space for the two of us in one apartment.” Mark clarified, surprising Edd with his assertiveness.

In the past, Eduardo had always been the more vocal one of the group. But now the dark haired brunet was just standing in silence with his favorite beverage in hand, his face giving nothing away.

“Eduardo’s taking the vacant apartment adjacent to yours, while I’ll be living in the one across from his. Simple as that.”

Though he’d already guessed, hearing his suspicions being confirmed out loud only made his blood run cold with dread; chilling him to the core. Out of everyone in this town looking for a place to live, Edd internally winced. Why did it have to be Eduardo of all people to move in Tom’s apartment?

Sensing anguish welling up fast inside his chest, Edd decided it was best to end this interaction immediately. It’s bad enough running into them when he wasn’t even sure what their relationship is; he doesn’t need the humiliation of showing vulnerability in front of them on top of that.

“That’s, uh, great I guess.” He choked out stiffly; attempting to clear his throat to mask the uneasiness that he felt. “I’ll be heading back inside now. Sorry for interrupting.”

He was half-way behind the door when Eduardo called to him.

“Wait, Edd.”

Edd stopped, but didn’t step out again. Instead he merely peeked from the remaining gap of the door, his heart growing colder by the second. He could hardly stand to look at the other man. He’s always so cocky and arrogant and pleased with himself. . . . He recalled with nagging frustration.

Then Edd realized that he seemed different now from how he had been before the incident. He hasn’t made a single snarky remark to me… yet.

“We heard what happened to your friend.” Eduardo murmured, seeming uncertain of his own actions. It was weird to see the usually brash and arrogant man be so hesitant and act sympathetic. But he held a look of genuine sadness in his eyes. Edd grit his teeth at the indirect mention of Tom. You weren’t supposed to know about that! “I’m sorry.”

Edd stared at him, unsure how to respond. He tried to choke out a “Thank you” because he knew that was what he was supposed to say. But his throat felt as if it was full of ash, and his grief rose until he felt it might burst out of him.

Still, he kept his emotions in check. His eyes blurred with sadness, Edd only gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement and headed back inside.

The door clicked shut behind him and his strength vanished, leaving only a familiar numbness that he’d grown so accustomed to the past days. Edd’s shoulder’s sagged and his gaze was downcast.

“Edd?”

He looked up at the sound of his name. Matt was still sitting on the couch, movie paused, his knees hugged to his chest with his face half-hidden as he stared at Edd with wide dismayed eyes. “Are you okay?”

Edd’s mind was whirling. He couldn’t think beyond this moment; he only suspected his best friend’s involvement in the situation. He narrowed his eyes. “Did you know?”

Matt let out a long sigh, closing his eyes briefly as if he had to nerve himself for what he was about to say. The he faced Edd again.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but there was never a right time.” His blue eyes were seared with guilt.

In other words; you were afraid to make me upset. Edd couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his thoughts. Although he appreciates the sentiment, he would’ve appreciated more if he’d been warned ahead of time to better handle the situation. Doesn’t Matt know by now that keeping things from me don’t make them go away, but make them worse?

Edd took a deep breath. “Why did you tell them?”

“Tell them what?” Matt prompted, clear confusion evident on his features.

“About Tom!” Frustration made Edd hiss through gritted teeth. “Why did you have to tell them what happened?”

“I didn’t!” Matt’s eyes were genuinely mystified, and Edd realized the ginger was telling the truth; he hadn’t revealed Tom’s terrible fate to their so called former rivals. “The landlord must’ve probably mentioned to them or something. I would never say something so personal to those guys! I promise!”

For a moment that lasted a heartbeat or perhaps a full minute, Edd simply stared at him. Tension easing off his shoulders, Edd finally decided to relent and spare Matt from further distress. He looked away and sighed; running a hand through his hair as he went to sit back on the couch.

“Edd?”

“I’m fine, Matt. Just press play on the movie.” Edd leaned back with arms crossed over his chest. He kept his gaze on the screen, but could still sense the ginger’s gaze on him.

He heard Matt sigh in defeat and the film resumed; though neither of them appeared to be paying any real attention to the rest of it, now that tension was thick in the air between them.

Edd stared at the screen blankly, admittedly enjoying the aesthetic of the animation but never getting quite sucked in to what’s going on; when a slight tremor coming from his pocket caught his notice.

Edd pulled out his phone to see another message, realizing with a start he’d forgotten to reply to the message before.

(RF): Eddie?

(RF): Oi! Don’t leave me hanging bud!

He began to type back, glad to have something to distract him from the awkward occurrence that he’d just gone through.

(EG): Sorry!

(EG): Got kind of sidetracked…

(EG): But yeah, I can make it!

An instant reply popped on screen.

(RF): Splendid! :D

(RF): Same time and place sounds good to yah?

(EG): Yup

(RF): Great!

(RF): Till then

Edd closed his phone with small grin, feeling moderately better than he did now that he has something to look forward to at the end of the evening.

(Meanwhile…)

Wind swept across bleak and icy mountains, carrying with it flurries of sleet. Dark clouds blocked out the sun entirely from view, casting the landscape in shadows that only subsided for a split-second by the occasional flash of lightning that ripped through the sky.

Patrick stood firmly still amidst the storm, umbrella in hand, as he watched the soldiers work about the runway. His eyes squinted against the heavy rain and the strong, howling winds buffeting both his hair and uniform wildly in the air.

A pair of white lights appeared in the distance, heralding the approach of a helicopter. The steady sound of the rotating blades reached Pat’s ears above the clamor of the storm, and before long, the aircraft itself came into view.

He observed in silent anticipation as the helicopter neared the helipad. One of the soldiers stood right in front of it, acting as a marshall, and used the glowing batons in each hand to signal the aircraft forward to land.

The helicopter’s door slid open before the craft could even fully touch the ground, and a figure jumped out, seemingly not caring about the horrible weather he exposed himself to. If anything, he appeared to relish the freezing sting of the gale and rain against the injured side of his face.

“Home sweet home.” He sighed contently.

“Welcome back, Red Leader.”

Patrick greeted him with a courteous dip of his head, extending the umbrella over his leader’s head to shelter him from the rainstorm. “It’s good to have you back, sir. Hope you had a pleasant flight despite the dreadful weather.”

“Indeed.” Tord regarded his surroundings with a wistful glance.

After having to travel to four different bases in a matter of months, dealing with the idiocy of some of his soldiers and putting them back in line, Tord had longed to return home and resume his work on more important matters that actually deserve his time and attention.

He raised one hand and flicked his fingers, signaling for the soldiers who had been accompanying in the helicopter to move out. The soldiers exited the aircraft at his silent order, bringing with them a sealed tight crate. It was labeled “confidential” on the side with big letters, and etched in red.

“Should I know what is it that you got there with you, sir?” Patrick inquired, his gaze following the mysterious box with curious intent as the soldiers carried it inside.

“All in good time, Pat.” Tord smirked. “Although frustrating at times, my time away has also been very fruitful. I managed to gather information that will prove to be most pivotal for our research.”

And that’s all he would say in the matter.

Tord headed for the hangar’s exit, Patrick following right behind him, walking at a brisk pace. The Red Leader, although acknowledging the presence of his soldiers with a curt nod as they walked past him, barely paid them any mind. He has more pressing affairs to attend to, and he was eager to see his test subject’s development up close after being gone for so long.

“So, how’s subject #1826 doing?” Tord brought it up as soon as they got into the elevator, and out of earshot from the other Red Army members.

Patrick shot him a side-glance as he pressed the -3 button. “I thought you already knew the answer to that by now. We have been updating his progress all along after all.” He said, closing the umbrella and letting it lean on the side of his leg.

“Yes, well, the last update you sent me was nearly a month ago and I want to know all the precise details.” The Norsk stated, a hint of impatience edged in his voice. “Did he behave?”

“Yes, sir. He behaved exceptionally well in your absence.” Pat replied. “Perhaps you should consider leaving again to keep on Tom’s good graces?” He teased, a small smirk forming on his face.

“Oh ha ha! How clever of you!” Tord fake-laughed, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he narrowed his eyes. “Astounds me how you didn’t become a comedian instead of working in this dump.” He paused, his tone softening. “Still; it’s good to know he wasn’t being difficult with either of you.”

Sighing, he ran one hand through his partially wet bangs. “How is he otherwise?”

Patrick shifted his feet. “His physical condition has improved drastically since we first acquired him. His body mass and weight are back to normal measures, all his injuries have healed, and there is no trace of sickness in him. Truly, he is in the best shape possible and I think you’ll be glad with the end result.”

“Is Paul putting him through more advanced exercises now that Tom’s faring better?”

“Yes; and I believe they are in gym as we speak, sir.” Pat continued. “We also altered his diet plan. We are serving him three meals a day, with small lunch breaks in between like fruits or crackers.”

“And his mental condition?” Tord pressed.

Pat’s gaze drifted away. “I’m not entirely sure. Thomas is very closed off, and it’s hard to read him.” His shoulders slumped and he leaned back against one of the elevator walls.

Tord blinked at him with surprise. For the first time in a long while, perhaps because he hadn’t seen the Polish soldier in months, Pat looked genuinely tired.

“Pat?”

At the sound of his name, the Red Army general immediately composed himself with a tiny shake of his head. “Mentally; the results are still inconclusive. I need to perform a few more sessions to be sure.”

Tord regarded him for a moment longer.

“You think he might be ready for the experiments?” He demands. His eyes narrowed.

“Soon; but not yet, sir.” Patrick responded, clearing his throat. “Since we don’t know much about the serum’s nature, we have no way of knowing if it has any correlation to the subject’s brain activity.” He went on. “If were to start the experiments on Tom with the slightest chance of him being unstable, we have no idea how well that would translate with the serum.”

Tord looked at Patrick and solemnly nodded his line of reasoning. “Very well.” He conceded.

“Also-” The General added hastily. “The shipment of the purple stuff you ordered from our suppliers arrived last month. I took the liberty to store it in the lab for your use when the time comes.”

“Did Tom see it?”

“Negative, sir.”

“Good.”

The elevator’s doors slid open. Patrick stepped out; expecting his leader to do the same, but glancing back over his shoulder the Norsk remained unmoving.

“Aren’t you heading for your office?” Pat suggested. “Being gone for so long, I thought you’d be dying to return to your quarters.”

“Later. I want to check Thomas’ progress for myself first.” Tord answered briskly. He was restless to see Tom again, and how much he’s changed. “Contact me should you need anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

They both nodded curtly and the lift’s doors closed.

Alone in the elevator now, Tord raised the palm of his robotic hand and placed it over the panel in the wall where a scanner is situated next to the buttons. It is meant to read soldier IDs for clearance reasons. Not everyone is allowed to take the elevator, and some floors are off limits; especially the -5 level, where the serum experiments are being held in.

The scanner read the small screen that his palm displayed, and the confirmation sound rang above him. Tord pressed the button and leaned back as the lift set in motion once again. He was absolutely ecstatic to see the progress his test subject had made.

(Meanwhile…)

Breathless and sweating profusely, Tom sprinted as fast as his tired body would allow. He panted but kept on running despite his body’s pleas to stop. His heart was hammering against his chest so hard that Tom felt as if it lodged against the bottom of his throat, and nearly suffocate him. Blood roaring loudly in his ears.

He leaped over the obstacles standing in his path smoothly, regardless of his rapidly decreasing energy. Tom’s mouth felt parched, and it was tough to swallow. He was tired, and yearned for a pause to rest; yet the exercise felt rejuvenating to his being.

Using one last surge of strength in him to make it through the end of the lap, Tom pelted for the finish line. He felt eyes following his movements as he did so, and Tom risked a quick side glance to the far right of the tracks where Paul was standing. Although brief, he accidentally made eye contact with the Red Army commander; the latter even giving him an encouraging nod and a flashed a little, friendly smile.

Tom snapped his focus back to running, shaking his head dismissively. The world seemed to slow down despite his speed, and everything turned a shade darker. A sudden weight manifested on his back and coiled around his shoulders, like a snake constricting against its prey. Tom resisted the instinct to flinch when he sensed a cruel pair of sharp hands press up against his jugular.

“Don’t be fooled. ~” The voice hissed in his head. “You know they are after only one thing, and that’s why they are treating you so decently. ~” It reminded him sternly. “It’s all a ruse. Nothing more than an act for you to let your guard down. But now that you are onto them, they’ll start to get desperate to regain your trust. You better not forget that! ~”

I won’t.

The voice vanished; allowing him the chance to complete the rest of the circuit.

Upon crossing the finish line, Tom skidded to a halt and hunched over to his knees, panting to catch his breath. His forehead was coated with sweat and his face was flushed red with heat.

“44 seconds!” Paul exclaimed, pressing the stop button on his stopwatch. “You are 8 seconds slower than last time; but considering this is your fourth lap today, I say it isn’t all that bad.”

Tom did not respond. He was too busy catching his breath back to his lungs to properly process the results.

“Think you can do 2 more laps?” Paul prompted, handing him a water bottle.

Tom snatched it out of his hand, still not speaking, and tipped the bottle into his mouth. A little bit more desperate to quench his thirst than he’d intended to, he drank the water clumsily and some of it dribbled down the corners of his lips and dripped off his chin and onto his sweaty shirt.

“Sure.” He finally answered, breathless. “Just uh- just give me five minutes or so.”

“Still having the lungs of a pug, I see?”

The unexpected, and yet familiar voice made Tom stop mid-swig and choke on the water. Spitting out what remained in his mouth, Tom looked up with wide eyes; thinking perhaps it was just the voice playing another prank on him. But there was no dark haze clouding his vision, and no ghostly limbs holding him. Not to mention the speaker sounded smooth and cool. Sure enough, Tom’s fears were confirmed when his gaze landed on the imposing figure standing by the gym’s entrance. A coy smirk was plastered on the man’s face, hands folded neatly behind his back, and his one visible eye was glinting with what appeared to be a mixture of enthusiasm and interest.

Paul instantly straightened himself and saluted the Norsk as he strolled into the room. Tord acknowledged his commander with a nod as he approached, before turning his attention to Tom. “Hello, old friend.”

A wave of dread and resentment spiked through Tom at the sight of the Norwegian man. He narrowed his eyes. “F#ck, you’re back already?”

“Thomas! Is that any way to greet your leader?” Tord pretended to gasp, his eye sparkling with amusement.

“You’re not my leader, much less my friend.” Tom growled.

The Red Leader did not respond to his remark. Tord stepped closer to him, his gaze raking over the Brit with interest. Patrick wasn’t kidding when he said Tom made a full physical recovery. The test subject who had arrived in the base underweight, sickly pale, and gaunt all those months ago has made a miraculous improvement.

Tord began to circle him, taking a closer and more detailed look at him.

Tom’s skin tone took a healthier hue despite not getting any sunlight, and his frame is no longer frail bone and skin. He wasn’t wearing any bandages, and Tord could see that most of the bruises were healed except for a few faint scars. He’d developed a good mass of muscles too; most notably on his arms and torso. His legs and thighs have also grown sturdy and fit from the exercises, and the dark bags that had accentuated his eyeless sockets have disappeared. Despite being a sweaty mess right now, Tom looks generally better than he did since the last time they saw each other. The pictures certainly didn’t do him enough justice, and Tord was all the more glad he took his time to see Tom’s development for himself.

On his part, Tom was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the lack of personal space between him and the Norsk, and the intense gaze roaming his body didn’t make it any better. He kept his attention on Tord as he circled him, making sure to keep the Norwegian man on his line of sight at all times. Tom did not enjoy the way Tord was looking at him, and he found himself glaring at the man pacing around him.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Tord murmured under his breath, nodding in approval as his gaze wandered Tom’s form from top to bottom, and back up again one last time. His gaze eventually settled on Tom’s unique black eyes, and he cocked his head to one side with a tiny smirk. “I see the life of a soldier is treating you quite well.”

Tom turned to him fully and narrowed his eyes. “Uh, I think you mean the life of a test subject? At least that’s the official term from what I’ve heard?” He pointed toward the number tag on his shirt, as if to prove his point. “Still; can’t say the same for you.” He gestured to the burned side of the Norsk’s face.

“Anyways, where were you before I interrupted?” Tord quickly changed the subject, and switched his attention to Paul; seemingly ignoring Tom’s comment altogether.

Prick. Tom fumed irritably, taking another sip of his water bottle. Commie’s been here for five minutes, and he is already grating on my nerves.

“I’m having test subject #1826 run laps around the tracks, sir.” The Red Army Commander reported, showing him the timer on the stopwatch.

Tord eyed the numbers with a critical eye. “Decent, but I wouldn't go writing home about it.” He hummed pensively. “Mind if I stay and watch? It would be a good way to learn where his strengths and weaknesses lie for when I begin his training.”

“Training?!”

For the second time that day, Tom spat out his drink. He wiped his face clean with the back of his hand, and shot the two soldiers an incredulous look. “What training? What are you talking about?”

The Red Leader pinched the bridge of his nose with sigh, his lips quirked upward in the form of a small grin. “Oh Tom, you mean to tell me you haven’t pieced it together?” He teased. “I know you’re dense, but surely you must’ve suspected something out of the intense exercises we put you through? All of this isn’t just for the sake of keeping you fit, you know. If that were the case, I would just have you running on a treadmill with a bottle of Smirnoff hanging on the other end and it would probably work just as well!”

“The hell you talking about?”

“What do you think? You are going to be a soldier, Tom.”

Tom froze with shock at his words. He felt as if he’d been hit in the chest by a ten-pound sledge hammer, and was standing there stunned and staring in disbelief at the f#cker who assaulted him. For a second, Tom hoped he just imagined or misheard what Tord said; however, judging by the clear satisfaction on the Norwegian’s face it was evident he’d heard correctly.

Anger soon replaced shock, and Tom clenched his fists with a scowl. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to say. What? Why? F#ck? No? Uh? Knowing he would make a blunder of himself if he attempts to speak, Tom resorted to follow his most basic urge at the moment.

He flung the water bottle at Tord’s face.

Foreseeing his moves, the Red Leader effortlessly caught it mid-air before it could strike him. Tord felt Paul shrink back in shock beside him, looking back and forth between him and Tom anxiously; anticipating the situation to escalate any moment now. But Tord was calm- in fact, he was amused by the eyeless man’s antics.

He looked at the bottle in his hand, then turned back to Tom. “I’ll let it slide, this time.” He warned.

His comment seems to stir Tom’s fury further, and the Brit marched up to him stiff-legged until they were practically nose to nose. “No. There’s absolutely no f#cking way I will ever be another one of your stupid soldiers!”

Tord frowned. “Your future is non-negotiable at this point, Thomas.” He pointed out matter-of-factly. “You signed your life over to the Red Army when you took the deal, remember?”

“To be a test subject for your stupid plans. That’s it. I didn’t know about this garbage when I agreed!” Tom snarled.

“Admittedly, at the time this wasn’t part of my plans either. But after giving some thought on the situation, I realized it’s the best course of action for you.” Tord reasoned coolly. “We can’t afford to transport you out in the middle of the battlefield. What’s the point of a super-secret weapon if it’s impractical? You’ll be of much better use in the front lines, where you may shift if we ever need to turn the tides of battle to our favor.”

Tom stumbled backward, hardly believing what he was hearing. Being the commie’s test subject was bad enough; but now he wants him as a soldier too? Tom shivered in disgust at the thought of being just another one of Tord’s stupid, brainless, and obedient pawns. The image of wearing the ridiculous red and blue uniform made him nearly visibly retch.

From the sidelines, Paul stepped closer to them. “Sir, I sincerely urge you to reconsider.” He spoke up. “All Red Army members joined by choice, and Thomas should get the same rights as they did.”

Tom glanced at him in surprise. He wasn’t expecting Paul to jump to his defense against his own leader’s judgement. However, Tom was quick to crush any presumption that Paul was doing this out of some resemblance of care he may have for him.

Tord turned to his Commander with narrowed eyes. “I already gave him the choice to join us, and he did so willingly.” You forced me into it you prick! Tom bristled at the reminder of the threat put over his friend’s lives. “I don’t see why I have to give him a second chance if he’s already part of our organization anyway.”

Paul shook his head, looking troubled. “Pat’s not going to like that, sir.”

“Then Pat can discuss this with me himself.” Tord retorted through gritted teeth, his patience running thin. Paul sighed in defeat, dipping his head toward his leader and stepping away again.

A sudden pressure increased inside Tom’s head and his gaze darkened. “Shouldn’t you be happy? You’re getting promoted from lab mutt to loyal hound! This is the greatest thing you will ever achieve in your miserable existence. Might as well commit to the position. ~” The voice commented ponderingly with a hint of a chuckle, patting his head forcefully. “Or… you should take this as a bigger incentive to go through with your plan. Whichever you prefer. ~” The hand patting his head grabbed a hold of his scalp, sinking nail like claws into his skull and pulling hard. Tom winced. “Vacation is over! Time to start acting, or else! ~” The heavy weight constricting his brain seemed to uncurl and release him, and his vision dimmed back to normal.

“Now then, if there aren’t any further arguments perhaps we should resume with your exercises.” Tord clasped his hands together, straightening his posture and with his chin raised to assume a more authoritative appearance. His one gray eye gleamed back at Tom mockingly, as if daring him to challenge his power.

Tom glanced back at him, muscles still stiff with outrage- or maybe it’s just from all the exercises he’s done so far. He wanted to argue. He wanted to keep on defying him for every little thing, and throw insults at the commie’s face. But what’s the point of any of it anymore? Not give Tord the satisfaction of obeying him? You would think with the constant desire to die floating around in his head, he would have gotten better on his priorities, but evidently not. Tom’s rivalry with Tord is not something easily brushed over no matter what circumstances they’re in.

Mustering all his self-control, Tom simply sighed and nodded briskly. “Fine.” He begrudgingly relented.

Catching Tom’s gaze, Paul cleared his throat and nodded solemnly. “Two laps.”

Tom took a deep breath and walked over to the starting point, well-aware of the Norsk’s gaze following him. He took position; standing with his feet about shoulder-width apart with his right leg just behind the starting line- and waited for Paul to give the signal.

From the corner of his vision, Tom could see Tord standing off to the side of the tracks next to Paul. Tom elected to ignore his presence, and pretend he wasn’t currently in the same room as him; or that he was standing in such a close proximity of the Norwegian man. He caught a glimpse of Tord’s robotic arm and remembering what happened the last time he’d been present on his physical evaluation, Tom stared at the device intently- silently urging it to glitch again to get Tord out of the room. It’s times such as these Tom wished he’d been given psychic powers along with the rest of his gifts.

“And… go!”

At the signal, Tom pelted away at once as Paul pressed start on his stopwatch. Tord watched Tom race through the tracks, his gaze pinned on the eyeless man as he leaped over the obstacles at a decent speed.

Not taking his eyes off the test subject, Tord addressed his Commander. “Anything unusual happened while I was gone?”

“Unusual, sir?” Paul echoed, raising one eye-brow in confusion.

“With him.” Tord nodded in Tom’s general direction. “Has he demonstrated any odd behavior changes as of late?”

Paul shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary, sir.”

Tord pursed his lips, unsatisfied. “Any more fainting episodes?”

“Negative, sir. Ever since his withdrawal subsided, Thomas hasn’t displayed any signs of fatigue or illness.” The Commander fidgeted. “Although he does get sluggish from time to time, and he often complains about headaches.”

Tord hummed thoughtfully, his hand trailing over the designs of his prosthetic one continuously. “And what are you giving him? Pat mentioned you changed his diet according to the improvement of his condition.”

“Normal meals. Mostly what the mess hall serves for the day, with the exception of red meat.”

The additional information caught the Red Leader’s interest, drawing his attention away from the tracks to look at the man beside him intently. “No red meat? Why is that?”

“Tom made his distaste abundantly clear when we served it to him the first time.” Paul admitted. “After that, he insisted on only fish and chicken.”

Interesting bit of trivia. Tord narrowed his eyes. He was brought out of his thoughts when Tom raced past them, panting profusely as he crossed over the finish line. His face was flushed red with the heat of the exercise, and his pacing was slow, if a little sloppy.

As soon as he reached the end, Tom collapsed to the floor; chest heaving as he fought to catch back his breath.

Tord looked over to Paul.

“50 seconds- slightly slower than last time.” He states, showing him the timer on his stopwatch.

Tord frowned. His stamina leaves a lot to be desired. He thought exasperatedly. Then his aggravation gave way to determination. But I know he can run much better than this!

Fortunately, Tord knows just what exactly he needs to bring out the best of the eyeless man.

He walked up to where Tom was splayed on the floor, still panting. Tord loomed over him with his arms folded behind his back and nudged the test subject’s body with one foot. “Get up.”

Tom looked up at him. “Yeah yeah- just uh- just give me a second.”

“It’s already been a second.” Tord stated firmly. “C’mon. The sooner you are done with this, the faster you can take a shower. You smell awful.”

At the insult, Tom’s gaze drifted from the ceiling to glare at the Norwegian man towering over him. Wincing at the effort in his tired limbs, Tom heaved himself to his feet. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.” He spat.

The Brit walked back to the starting point and readied himself into position. He still occasionally swayed from side to side, having not fully recovered yet; however, he patiently waited for Paul to give him the signal.

Watching him intently, Tord managed to suppress the grin the threatened to form on his face as he played his plan over again in his head. Let him have a head start.

“And… go!”

Tom rushed away immediately. He pushed himself forward despite the constant protests of his body for him to stop and rest, but he’ll only be able to do so after he’s done with the dumb exercises. Tom’s chest tightened with the lack of breath, and he felt his lungs practically screaming. The world seemed to close around him, but he pushed onward, his vision narrowed to a tunnel, fixed only on the tracks.

Suddenly, the sound of thrumming and fast footsteps catching up to him reached his ears. Before Tom could fully process it, Tord appeared right next him; matching his pace effortlessly. Tom looked at him in bewilderment.

“What the f-?!”

“Why so shocked, Jehovah?” Tord taunted knowingly. “At the rate that you’re running, even a crippled turtle would outrun you.”

Tom scowled. “Give me a break, you stupid commie! This is my sixth lap today to your first – cut me some slack, will you?”

Tord smirked. “Grouchy much?”

They jumped over the obstacles standing in their way together, with Tord taking the lead by a few inches ahead of Tom. However, despite his lazy speed it was clear the Norsk was only pacing himself to stay in step with the tired test subject. He can ditch him any time he wants but opted not to yet just to aggravate the Brit further.

While Tord leaped over the barriers in his way with smooth precision, Tom was clumsy in his lack of energy and his foot accidentally caught the upper-edge of the obstacle; slowing him down as he staggered forward and knocked the barrier to the ground. He quickly put his hands out in front of him to prevent himself from face-planting the floor.

“Classic stupid Tom! ~” Tord laughed, leaving him behind as he raced on ahead. “Watch your step, or you’re just going to keep eating dust.”

Fuming with anger, Tom hared after Tord as fast as he could. No way he was gonna let the commie get the best of him.

“Take it easy!” Paul called after him. “It’s not a race, remember?”

Tell that to Tord! Tom raced harder.

“C’mon Thomas, don’t be like that. Second best is nothing to be ashamed of!” He heard Tord laugh way up ahead.

His lungs ached. A cramp stabbed his ribs. Tord was already halfway back. At this rate, the Norsk would be able to lap him by the time he reached the finish line. How can he run that fast? He’s a smoker! Tom thought incredulously. He forced himself to keep going. The floor flashed beneath him as he fought for each breath. Tord stopped running and stood next to Paul by the end of the tacks to watch him. Dragging in another breath, he hurtled the last few meters and skidded to a halt beside them.

“I- I did! Ha ha…” Tom cheered pathetically, throwing his arms up but giving up half-way to let them rest by his sides. “In your… face!” He pointed at Tord, jabbing him on his chest weakly.

“The best soldier is the one who’s still fighting at the end of the battle. Don’t use up all your strength in the first fight.” Tord advised coolly.

Tom frowned. “Whatever; just give me the damn water bottle.”

Deciding he had enough fun tormenting the poor Brit for today, Tord obliged to his request and tossed the bottle over to him. He turned to Paul. “How was the time this lap?”

“42 seconds! He did much better this time around.” Paul exclaimed.

Of course he did. Tord thought smugly. Tom would never let me best him without trying. All he needed was a little motivation. And though it was not his intent, he actually had a lot of fun racing Tom; even if it was just to nag him into hurrying up. It reminded him of the good old days when they had physical education together as children.

But Tom can still improve. He pushed the childish thoughts aside and shifted back to his leader persona.

“I think Thomas needs a little demonstration on how it should be done.” Tord decided. “Paul, will you please do the honors?”

“Yes, sir.”

Paul tore away, following the line of the tracks at a steady pace.

Tord beckoned Tom over. “Watch him closely.” He ordered as the Brit neared and stood beside him. Upon closer inspection, Tord realized how completely spent and unsteady Tom was on his feet. He placed one hand on the eyeless man’s shoulder to steady him. He immediately felt him tense in his grip, and Tom tried to brush him away; however, although his grasp was not firm, it was persistent and kept Tom from nearly falling over.

“See how much space he covers with each step. Watch how he stretches forward each time his feet leave the ground. Speed is vital, but you need to be in control of the speed.” Tord murmured.

Tom watched attentively how Paul curved his leg with each stride. The Red Commander was at ease with his movements as he raced through the tracks, and doesn’t appear to be the least bit tired by the time he skidded to a halt beside them.

“One last lap. Got your breath back?” Tord asked.

Tom sighed. “Yeah.”

“Don’t aim for speed.” Tord warned. “You need your strength later.”

Tom dipped his head and walked over to the starting line. As soon as Paul gave the signal to go he broke into a run, not pushing hard at first but gaining rhythm and speed as he crossed the tracks. He focused on each bound, reaching out with his feet a little farther before they touched the ground. He pushed harder with every stride until he was aware of nothing but the steady thrumming of his feet and the way his breath fell in time with his pace. He was suddenly moving with ease and hardly noticed any shortage of oxygen in his lungs.

“Much better! You got 32 seconds this time around.” Tord’s voice surprised him. He’d completed the lap of the running track already, so focused that he hadn’t seen him. He pulled up, slowing to a halt before turning and strolling back to his side.

“Nice work, Tom.” Paul acknowledged him with a dip of his head. “I think we’re done for the day. Go ahead and shower.”

“Yes!” Tom breathed in relief. “Thank god, I thought I was about to throw up my lungs all over the floor from so much exercise.”

Tord rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, Thomas.” He flashed him a knowing grin. “You’ll get used to them in time.”

Merely scoffing in reply, Tom picked up a fresh change of clothes and headed for the restroom in the back of the gym. Tord watched him leave, getting farther away until he entered the bathroom and disappeared from sight.

“So…”

Paul’s voice jerked Tord out of his thoughts, and he blinked in confusion. “So?” He echoed.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were planning to make Tom a soldier?” Paul crossed his arms, staring at him as he patiently waited for a reasonably good explanation.

Tord sighed. “I had a hunch Tom might’ve grown attached to the two of you, and vice versa, in my absence. I didn’t want to potentially sour this little trust triangle you got going on by having either of you feeding him that information.” He admitted. “Tom has a tendency to take things a lot more personally than they’re intended to be. He’s… interesting that way.” He paused, running his organic hand through his locks. “He wouldn’t have taken it well had you or Pat told him. It’s best to have his anger target someone who already had plenty of experience in the past.”

“Hm, and have three people be disappointed in you as opposed to only one – yes, very good planning on your part if I say so myself, sir.” Paul muttered somewhat condescendingly. “You could’ve just ordered us to not tell him, if that were the case!”

“It wouldn’t have worked – Tom would’ve just taken that as a bigger offence.” Tord stated coolly. “Anyway, It doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done, and now you know.”

Paul tsked, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of trouble ahead. “You’re the leader. But Pat ain’t gonna like this one bit. You know how he is with keeping vital information from the two of us.”

Tord shrugged stubbornly. “Patrick will just have to accept the decision.”

“If you insist, sir.” Paul frowned. “However, I must remind you that our schedules are kind of in a tight fit. Between dealing with the formal aspects of the base and evaluating Tom’s condition twice a week; it will be hard for either of us to find time to oversee Tom’s soldier training on top of all that.”

“Don’t worry, Paul. I already took all of that into consideration when I made my decision.” The Norwegian man dismissed his concerns. “Which is why I had my schedule re-organized to fit in time for Tom’s training.”

Had he been drinking, Paul would’ve surely spat it out all over the floor by now. “You’ll mentor him?” He sputtered, staring at his leader incredulously. “Is that a good idea, sir?”

Tord crossed his arms. “Why shouldn’t I?” He asked, feeling annoyance beginning to sour his good humor. “This isn’t the first time I personally train soldiers; and Thomas is a special case.”

“Because you two don’t get along.” Retorted Paul matter-of-factly. “Leaving you alone with him is the biggest recipe for disaster I ever heard. Anything goes wrong, and you’ll immediately go at each other’s throats – you said so yourself! Wouldn’t it make more sense to have either Pat or I to mentor him? You know… someone he actually trusts?”

Tord hesitated. There was some truth in what Paul said, but Tord knew that he couldn’t give the task to any other person. He had to have Tom under his own guidance to keep a close eye on any signs of the serum affecting his performance, and make sure he stayed loyal to the Red Army. He knew the most logical choice would be to have either of his most trusted soldiers to train him. Yet something made him reluctant to give Tom to either of them. They don’t have quite the same extensive knowledge about Tom the way that he does.

“My mind’s made up.” He stated curtly. “He’s part of the Red Army one way or another, so he’ll have to get used to my presence eventually. We can’t keep delaying that, so might as well cross that bridge as soon as possible.”

A curious, and yet somehow teasing hum reached his ears. Tord turned to Paul, blinking in surprise when he noticed the Commander staring at him disbelievingly. He narrowed his eyes in return. “What?”

“Sir… do you still harbor feelings for him after all?”

Tord’s mechanical fist immediately clenched. Paul’s words have probed a Pandora’s box of emotions he’d so carefully locked away and abandoned in the deepest part of his subconscious; buried beneath an endless pile of duties and future plans he would so often lose himself to, in order to feed his ambition and aspirations as an army leader, and thus, keep him blissfully ignorant of their existence.

His mood turning stone cold, Tord was quick to grab a hold of himself before he could be swept back to the contents of that particular box, and fixed Paul with a deadly glare. “No, I don’t.” He snarled, straightening his posture to a more authoritative attitude. “Tom is nothing more than a test subject, who just so happens to be the key to victory to my conquest for world domination. Other than that, Tom means nothing to me. Are we clear on that fact?”

Paul opened his mouth to reply, when another voice cut in.

“Hey Paul! I think the ventilation system in the bathroom is busted – it’s way too hot in there!”

They looked up just in time to see Tom exit the restroom, wearing only pants as he dried the bare upper part of his body with a towel.

Tord’s face heat up at the sight of Tom’s shirtless form standing several feet in front of him, melting away all remnants of his anger as he stared at him in awe. His one-eyed gaze raked over the eyeless man’s features, tracing every detail of his well-built and toned chest. Tord realized with exhilaration that Tom was still wet and coated in water as the tiny specks caught the light and gave his appearance a more radiant look, and the Norsk watched as the eyeless man dried himself slack-jawed in amazement.

“Well, I can certainly see why you’re called the Red Leader.”

Paul’s teasing remark cut through Tord’s thoughts and he immediately blinked back to reality. With greater difficulty than he cared to admit, Tord tore his gaze away from the shirtless Brit, and glanced at his Commander who’s looking up at him with a smug expression.

Tord froze, feeling panic rise within him. “Was my staring really that obvious?”

“You were practically drooling, sir.” Paul replied simply, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice as he gestured toward the moisture coating the Norsk’s chin.

Flushing in embarrassment, Tord wiped away the dampness from his chin with the back of his hand. Despair seized Tord, as the terrible realization that Paul had been right dawned on him.

No… no! This cannot be!

What was supposed to be nothing more than a childish crush for Tom – something Tord had taken great lengths to get over and forget about in order to pursuit his goals, has come back to haunt him. The emotions he worked so hard to shoot dead and bury six feet under, have risen from the grave like a strike of lightning through his body.

He risked another glimpse of the eyeless man, mortified at the notion of Tom having seen his slip up and dumbfounded stare. Tord breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Tom had been too busy drying himself to really pay attention to what they were doing. His stare lingered a couple seconds longer and watched the Brit put on a shirt; all the while despising the familiar fluttering sensation stirring in the pit of his stomach as he admired the sight.

Anger and frustration flared up inside of Tord, quickly squashing down these invasive emotions with an iron fist. I am the Red Leader, and future ruler of the whole world. He reminded himself solemnly. I cannot be distracted by insignificant emotions – they lead to weakness, and I am not weak! He’d already made an exception for Paul and Pat in his life, he can’t afford to be soft-hearted now.

“First you want Tom as a test subject, then as a soldier… next step I guess would be to have him as your-”

Tord did not let the Commander finish his sentence. He spun around, looking furious, and Paul instantly regretted his words as he was grabbed by the front of his uniform by the Red Leader.

“This changes nothing.” The Norwegian man stated, his voice deadly quiet and yet very clear. “Mark my words; if this ever gets out to anyone other than the two of us, the soldiers will be wondering why we haven’t had a taco Friday for the last two years, capiche?”

Paul blinked at him, more bewildered than afraid by his leader’s threat. “Yes, sir.”

“Uh… am I interrupting something?”

Tord let go of Paul at once, and they quickly composed themselves as they turn to address Tom; who’d been standing there for a while in clear confusion.

“Ah yes! The ventilation system. Right.” Tord cleared his throat, straightening himself. “Paul, would you be so kind to have a look at it while I escort Thomas to his quarters?”

“I can walk there by myself, you know.” Tom remarked dryly.

“Oh, I am sure that you can!” The Norsk grinned, his voice smooth and condescending. “However, there are some things that I must discuss with you.”

Tom groaned in exasperation and appear to roll his non-existent eyes, but remained quiet as he walked past Tord and headed toward the gym’s doors. Tord chuckled softly under his breath and followed suit, keeping pace with the huffy test subject.

Paul hadn’t uttered a word throughout the exchange, but Tord noticed that his eyes were glowing with amusement as his gaze followed the pair leave. His interaction with Tom was obviously entertaining the Commander greatly. Tord felt a self-conscious prickle ripple through his skin, and he looked away awkwardly; keeping his gaze anywhere else as he exited the gym with Tom.

As soon as the doors slid shut behind him, Tord felt instant relief flood through him.

Together, they trekked through the long corridors of the lab level. Tord appeared to have something on his mind, and Tom grew increasingly impatient.

“Alright.” Tom began with a weary sigh. “What’s so important that you just had to make me put up with you for longer than I would’ve liked?”

Stifling the laugh bubbling in his throat, Tord merely regarded the eyeless man walking alongside him intently. Tom already hasn’t taken the news of his soldier training very well, so imagine how he’ll react when Tord tells him that he’s going to be the one in charge of said training? Tord shrugged. No matter what way he goes about it, Tom’s anger is inevitable; so he might as well out with it.

“Paul and Patrick have done an excellent work with your improvement thus far. However, as their duties to the army come first, neither of them will be available to aid in your training as a soldier.” Tord paused and watched Tom’s expression shift slightly as he listened carefully. “So I will be personally in charge of overseeing your training.”

He waited for anger to spark in the Brit’s dark, empty sockets, and a resentful curse to be spat his way as he was pinned to the nearest wall by the neck. But Tom merely looked at him, took a deep breath and said: “Fine.”

Tord turned to him in bewilderment. “Wait… you’re okay with this?” He asked, genuinely stupefied by the reaction he got.

Tom shrugged. “What’s the point of getting angry over something that’s out of my control? Yeah it sucks, but it’s not like I can do anything to change it now.”

Who are you, and what have you done with Tom? Tord nearly said out loud, but curbed his tongue at the last second. Looking closely at the test subject now, he realized how miserable and defeated Tom appeared to be. Even after he’d taken a shower, Tom remained tired. Tord couldn’t help but frown in disappointment. He’d been expecting – anticipating even! – for Tom to revolt like the stubborn little spitfire that he knows and-

Tord slammed the breaks on that train of thought at once. Goddamn it, Paul! Frustration welled up inside of him. Why did he have to say anything? Tord had his emotions and thoughts well under control until he had them pointed out to. Now that he is made aware of their existence one more, Tord is struggling to keep cool and not acknowledge them at any given chance.

Doing his best in disregarding them, Tord jerked out of his thoughts and realized they were standing in front of Tom’s quarters.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss and Tom strolled inside, with Tord peering into the room from the entrance. He was surprised to find that Tom’s living arrangements have gained a lot more character since the last time he’d been here.

There were shelves attached to the wall opposite the doorway, with a limited selection of books. Tord guessed Pat had lent some to Thomas after the latter complained of boredom, and possibly to reward him for his good behavior as well. There’s a simple, cube-shaped, navy blue radio by his nightstand displaying the time and date in neon green numbering; next to a lamp. A stack of blank sheets of paper are kept in one corner of the room, with a few pens scattered around. And glued on the surface of a dart board, hanging on the bathroom door, was a crude drawing of Tord with darts stabbed all over the drawing.

Tord raised one eyebrow in amusement. “I can see you made yourself right at home.” He chuckled.

“Yeah yeah, laugh all you want; but I couldn’t stand taking naps all the time, and this was the best Paul and Pat could do for me.” Tom turned around to face Tord with arms crossed over his chest and sighed tiredly. “When… will we start training?” He hesitantly asked.

“In two weeks, more or less.” Tord murmured, making a quick mental revision of his schedule for the next few days. “You don’t have to worry about the specifics. I will come for you when the time comes.”

It dawned on him then that Tom wasn’t worried about missing the training, but rather, dreading it. Idiot. Tord berated himself for his mistake, then followed up with a chain of curses for even caring about it in the first place. Why should the Red Leader care whether or not his test subject is happy with his fate? It’s not his fault Tom hadn’t seen this coming when he signed his life over to him!

And yet… how come he felt melancholic all of a sudden?

It is then that Tord remembers how much he despises when Tom became curt and unresponsive, no matter how much he’d tease the Brit. Tom is no fun when he’s like that. Uh yeah! It’s boredom that I’m feeling – no way in hell this could be a sadness of any kind. He tried telling himself that, when an idea sparked inside his head and he grinned. And I know just the thing to get a reaction out of him.

“Ah! I almost forgot. I got something for you.” Tord practically purred. He fumbled with the inner pocket of his uniform, looking for something. Tom’s eyebrows shot upward in sudden interest, but he eyed the Norsk wearily; as if he were expecting the man in red to pull a dirty trick on him. “You behaved so well while I was away, and you did good today. I think you deserve a reward.”

Tom didn’t know what he was expecting to get, perhaps a box of dog treats because that’s how petty Tord is. However, as soon as the Norwegian man pulled out his prize from his pocket, Tom let out a barely audible gasp as he stared at the familiar teddy bear with the iconic unibrow in place of its of eyes.

“Tomee bear!”

Tord held the plushie out for Tom to take, and it took everything he had to not swipe his childhood bear immediately out of the Commie’s grasp. For all he knows, Tord is just setting a trap for him. How did he get this? Tomee bear is back at- Tom looked at his dear plushie for several heartbeats, his expression turning to one of confusion before settling on shock as he slowly pieced the pieces together and looked back up at Tord.

Horror welled up inside of Tom. “You… you went near them?!”

Tord regarded him with a curious gaze and cocked his head to one side. “Define: near.”

Horror gave way to fury, and Tom bristled with rage. There was nothing holding him back from attacking Tord right here and now. Tord broke his end of the deal, and Tom doesn’t have to obey him anymore.

He was about to launch himself at the Norsk and attack, but Tord had predicted his reaction and pressed a button on his robotic arm. Tom blinked in surprised when his body went rigid against his will, his muscles cramping at once, and found himself unable to move.

“Ah ah ah! Let’s not break your streak of good behavior now, Thomas. It would be a shame if I had to take away some of your privileges so soon after my return.” Tord tutted.

A muffled growl of frustration rumbled from Tom’s throat as he tried in vain to move any of his limbs, but they were all unresponsive and tucked close together against his body.

“Don’t bother. It’s another feature of the chip we have implanted on your spine, remember? Be thankful I hadn’t used a controlled shock this time! Your body is completely paralyzed until I decide to free you again.” Tord went on, messing around with the teddy bear in his hands whilst simultaneously mocking Tom, as if to say: I got your precious bear, and you can’t do sh#t about it! But Tom was more furious at the notion that the Commie went anywhere near the friends he was trying so hard to keep safe and was now parading freely in front of him without fear of any repercussions.

“Guess I can’t really blame you for reacting the way that you did. But to be fair; you never specified the meaning of “near” when we made our deal. So as far as I know, “near” could mean one meter of distance.” Tord reasoned with a shrug, stepping closer to Tom’s frozen form.

The test subject could do nothing but watch as the Norsk towered over him. He couldn’t even shrink back to put some space between the uncomfortable proximity they were in. Tom screamed internally when different types of hands, one made of skin and the other out of metal, cupped the sides of his face. Get off of me! Tom desperately wanted to slap the hands away from him but found himself still as a statue despite his attempts to struggle.

“However, though I know my word doesn’t mean much to you, I can assure you I did not interact with them in any way.” Tord continued speaking. “I admit, I did see them… but they were a well good ten meters away from where I was, and they had no idea I was there.” He paused, his tone softening. “It just so happens that they were visiting your grave at the time.”

Tom stopped his futile struggles and listened.

“They wanted to give your precious Tomee bear back to its rightful owner, and so they left it by your tombstone.” Tord went on. “Me, watching the entire scene from far away, thought to myself right then: “Hm… It sure would be a pity to leave my test subject’s most prized possession to rot here when all Edd and Matt want is to give it back. So why not fulfil their wish?” So I went ahead and took it as soon as they left.” He clarified, peering into Tom’s unique, dark eyes. “So you see? I haven’t infringed our deal at all! Even though you never specified the terms of “near”, I did keep my word and never interacted with them. Which means that our deal still stands in full.”

Edd and Matt are still safe. Understanding slowly dawned on Tom, and his temper cooled significantly. And they… miss me? He felt touched by the implication. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite appreciate the notion with Tord still holding his face and infringing his personal space like that.

As if he had been reading his thoughts, Tord pulled away from him, and Tom breathed a small sigh of relief. “Now that everything is cleared up, I am going to release you from your paralysis, and you won’t attack me.” He instructed carefully. “Then you can either accept the gift I so generously fetched for you or refuse it; whichever you prefer. But one wrong move, and you’re going to regret it. Am I clear?”

An awkward silence met his words. Tom couldn’t speak or nod, so they just stood there until Tord realized that for himself and face palmed. “Uh… make a noise if you understand.” Tord repeated.

He heard a low grunt from the eyeless man in response. Satisfied, Tord pressed the same button on his arm and set Tom free from his statue-like state.

“Ah! You f#cker!” Tom cursed loudly as soon as he could move again. Feeling his muscles were stiff, like he’d just been electrocuted, Tom made quick work to check all his limbs were working properly by stretching and gently massaging them.

Tord grinned, happy he managed to bring out the good old Tom he found so endearing to pester.

Endearing?

Fun! Tord corrected his thoughts, growing increasingly frustrated at himself at this point. This is getting ridiculous.

Choosing to ignore his traitorous thoughts for now and deal with them later, Tord offered the odd teddy bear out to Tom again. The eyeless man paused in his ministrations and regarded Tomee bear with a suspicious stare. He looks up at Tord with the same look; as if to ask him “no more tricks?”

Tord nodded encouragingly.

Tom narrowed his eyes but reached for the stuffed bear regardless. As soon as he had his cherished teddy bear out of the Norsk’s grasp and into his own, Tom was hit with an immense wave of emotions. Tomee bear had been a gift from his father, and since his death, Tom had taken great lengths to cherish the bear by keeping it close to him at all times. Now that he is stuck in this forsaken base, and will most likely die here as well, Tomee bear now serves as a reminder for his friends too.

Tom hugged the plush tightly to his chest and nuzzled it. He could care less if he was being vulnerable in front of Tord right now. The Commie has no emotional connection to the bear whatsoever, and by god, Tom is not going to be ashamed to cherish the hell out of it even more.

Tord watched the scene with growing fondness and a small smile on his face. Even after all these years… He thought warmly. He still loves that stuffed bear with all his heart. He felt a familiar, but not at all unpleasant tingle in his chest.

“Thanks.”

Tord snapped out of his thoughts when Tom spoke to him, albeit reluctantly judging by his low tone of voice. The Norsk flushed in embarrassment. “Oh! Uh y-you’re welcome?” He stuttered, and immediately cringed. Today is not going the way that I expected. He recomposed himself and cleared his throat, lifting his chin with an air of authority to him. “Yes- anyway, I have pressing matters to attend to at the moment, so I’ll leave you be to your peaceful solitude.” He said, recovering from his slip up with what he deemed sufficient grace.

“You do that…” Tom muttered.

Without another word, Tord quickly stepped out of the room and let the door hiss shut behind him. He let out a long sigh of exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it all! Tord cursed, his jaw clenched.

He began to put as much distance between himself and Tom’s quarters, quickening his pace in longer strides as he headed for the elevator, whilst continuously chastising himself for being caught off guard by his weak emotions.

“This doesn’t change anything.” Tord kept telling himself under his breath. “I lived just fine with these emotions before, and that doesn’t mean I’ll go soft-hearted now. I’ll just have to stay as far away from Tom until his training begins; I can easily neglect these feelings again until then.” And maybe Paul, just in case. Tord isn’t taking any chances. He can’t go back to be who he once was – that version of him isn’t strong enough to face the future he’d planned ahead. Red Leader, on the other hand, is powerful. To lead his army to glory and achieve his goals, he must be more like the Red Leader he had envisioned, and less like the weak dork that he had vowed he would never be again.

Friendship and love are worthless to me in the long run. Tord reminded himself sternly. There’ll come a day when I’ll be so powerful, I’ll have no need for anyone else. And when that day comes, the world will bow down to me. He smirked wickedly at the thought.

However, his thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he turned the corner only to bump into a very livid looking Patrick. The General’s eyes flashed at him.

“What’s this Paul tells me?” Pat demanded. “Is it true that you are going to train Tom as a soldier without consulting us first?”

Faen. Tord cursed his luck.

(Meanwhile…)

Rain fell steadily, drumming on the hard pavement that led between unending rows of city blocks. From time to time a car thundered past, its headlights glaring, and people scurried along their merry way to escape the rainstorm.

Wearing the hood over his head and both his hands stuffed in his pockets, Edd looked both ways and hurriedly crossed the street when he deemed safe enough to proceed.

Harsh yellow light angled across him, and he flinched as a car roared around the corner, throwing up a wave of filthy water that reeked of rubbish. Edd let out a startled yelp as the water slopped around his feet and the spray splashed his clothes.

“Argh, great.” Edd muttered sarcastically, looking down at his wet clothes.

Despite his current condition, Edd was excited to be out here. When his disastrous evening with Matt didn’t go the way they had been expecting to, Edd was looking forward to meeting with Reagan and spend some quality time away from all his problems. He really needed to catch a break.

Barely visible through the clouds, the moon was at its height by the time the Harrybrook hotel came into view. Edd hurried his step, eager to get this night going. He reached the foyer of the hotel and looked around for Reagan but found no signs of him anywhere. Edd frowned. Is he getting ready still?

Pulling his phone out Edd quickly began to type in a text.

(EG): Hey!!

(EG): I’m here

(EG): Wh-

“EDDIE!”

A loud voice practically shouted in his ears and a pair of hands came down and clutched his shoulders in a tight, and sudden grip. Edd did not budge or react in any way. He raised one eyebrow, evidently not impressed and looked over his shoulder.

“Hey Reagan.” He greeted casually, not fazed by the Irishman’s attempts of scaring him.

Reagan frowned. “Wha- ? You didn’t get scared?”

Edd shrugged. “Meh. Kind of hard to get scared when you greet me the exact same way every time we go hang out together.”

Reagan placed one hand over his own chest, where his heart should be. “Are you calling me predictable?”

The brunet smirked. “Well, I’m not calling you original, so…”

The Irishman let out a fake, exaggerated gasp before narrowing his eyes. “So that’s how it is then? Well… I guess this means I just have to try harder from here on out.” His mesmerizing green eyes glowed with mirth. “That’s quite alright; I am always up for a challenge. But I’m warning you now – you’re going to regret it.”

Edd laughed. “Ooh! I am terrified!”

A large grin stretched across Reagan’s face. “It’s sure good to see you, buddy.” He chuckled, giving a tap on Edd’s shoulder so hearty that it almost pushed the brunet off balance. “What do you say we go to a pub and drink, maybe eat some fries, and do some stupid sh#t together?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Alrighty then!”

Reagan looped his arm around Edd’s shoulders, bringing the Brit closer to him as they began to head down the street; jovially laughing along the way.

Following their initial meeting several weeks back, with Edd agreeing to be Reagan’s guide for the duration of his cryptic job; they began spending more casual time together. It mostly consists of them goofing about, doing stupid stuff, and Edd showing the Irishman around town.

They walked though the dim, rainy streets for a while, not caring for the bad weather going on around them. Occasionally Edd would stop and point out something about the town to Reagan, going over briefly about the locations they strolled past before carrying on their way.

They came across a bar and decided to settle there. Reagan burst in with vigorous delight, his green eyes bright like a child’s in a candy store as he sat in one of the stools at the bar stand. Edd followed suit a little slower. He checked his surroundings wearily, inspecting the other bystanders in the establishment before taking a seat next to Reagan.

Edd’s no stranger to bars. He just doesn’t go to them very often.

The bartender asked for their orders.

“Beer. Just beer. Any beer. Doesn’t matter just as long is it is beer.” Reagan told the middle-aged man behind the counter.

The barkeep raised one eyebrow, and then turned to Edd.

“Iced cola for me, please.”

Reagan appeared to scoff and throw him an incredulous look as the bartender left to go get their drinks. “Cola? Really?”

“What?” Edd turned to him in confusion.

“Dude, you now that I’m the one paying, right?” The Irishman continued. “You can have anything you want, and you go for cola?”

Edd shrugged. “I am not much of a drinker.”

The blonde man tsked. “Aiight, if that’s what you are most contented with that’s fine by me.” He nudged the Brit’s elbow with his own and sent a wink his way. “But hey, if you ever change your mind I’ll be glad to abide.”

Edd opened his mouth to reply when the bartender returned with their drinks in hand. Reagan immediately downed his drink in one swig and slammed the glass back on the table. “Another.” He licked his lips clean.

Edd chuckled quietly in amusement. Reagan sure likes his beer. He thought, taking sip of cola. He churned the dark beverage in his glass, his smile faltering. He’s a bit like Tom, in a way. His heart twisted with a sudden and terrible ache in his chest.

Thoughts of earlier events that day returned to the front page of his mind, and they soured any semblance of good humor he had. Edd sighed.

“Why the long face, Eddie?” Reagan asked, snapping Edd out of his thoughts. “You look as if you got plenty in your mind.”

“You have no idea.” The brunet mused bitterly.

“Would you like to share with moi?” Reagan offered, tapping one of his fingers against the marble table in a rhythmic fashion.

Edd bit the inside of his lips unsurely. Although they would tend to tap into heavier subjects once in a while; for the most part, these nightly outings served solely as a good distraction. However, its not like he has anyone else to talk to about these things. Matt is too gullible and dim-witted to comprehend what Edd’s main issue is. Reagan is an outsider who could perhaps have a better angle at things.

“Where to even begin?” He breathed out tiredly and rubbed his own face.

Through the gap between his fingers, he saw a glass of beer slide across the counter and stop perfectly in front of him. Edd blinked and glanced at the Irishman sitting by his side. Reagan nodded toward the beverage encouragingly. “Let’s start with loosening up a little bit.”

Edd raised an eyebrow skeptically. Again; he has had beer before, and although he didn’t dislike it was far from being one of his favorites drinks. However, the blond’s offer still enticed him. Surely one glass won’t harm anyone?

Making his mind up, Edd grabbed the glass determinably and tipped back his head and started to consume the bitter beverage.

“Chug! Chug! Chug!” Reagan chanted beside him, edging him on until Edd drank the entire glass. “Wooo!”

The brunet wiped away the foam from his face with the back of his coat’s sleeve, clicking his tongue to taste the remnants of beer in his mouth. Edd sighed. “It’s just… some stupid neighbors moved into my building today.”

Reagan raised an eyebrow, his attention peaked with interest. “Oh? What kind of neighbors?” He questioned. “The lousy type? Party animals? Junkies? The lewd type?”

A shiver of disgust rippled down Edd’s spine at the thought and he cringed. There’s no way in hell he is going to keep the imagery in his head for the reminder of the night. He gestured the bartender forward and ordered a beer for himself. Just in case.

“No. It’s nothing like that.” He explained. “My friends and I used to be neighbors with them before. But we weren’t exactly in friendly terms back then.”

“Rivals eh? Sounds fun.” The Irishman bent forward to listen closely. This information may prove useful, after all.

“Not really.” Edd muttered. “But the thing is…” How can he explain this next part without going into much depth? “There was a gas leak in both of our houses and they blew up.” He half-lied. He wasn’t going to admit the true events of that day to anyone outside of that incident. There were too many risks, and the memory still hurt. “We haven’t seen each other since that day, and now that we are neighbors again I have no idea what our current stand is.”

“Why would it have changed at all since then?” Reagan narrowed his eyes.

Edd flinched. He took a sip of his cola to calm his nerves, but dread was still eating away at him. Had he known his true nature then, Edd would’ve never allow him to return. “Because the gas leak was kind of my fault.” He gulped. “And one of my neighbors – there were three of them then – died that day because of it.”

He waited for a shocked gasp to reach his ears. Instead, Reagan stared steadily back at him and sort of nodded in understanding. “Awkward.” He took a sip of his beer.

Edd looked at him in disbelief. “Woah, you are taking this surprisingly well all things considered.” He pointed out.

“Meh.” Reagan shrugged unimpressed. “Accidents tend to happen all the time. I’ve kind of grown used to it by now, and so nothing really fazes me anymore.”

Truth be told, Reagan knows Edd just lied to his face. The guarded and uncertain tone in the Brit’s voice gave him away. Although he was curious to learn what really happened, Reagan wasn’t about to push his luck just yet. He needs to establish a stronger bond with his target before he can get to the juicy, tragic bits and use them against him. Though he assumes it has something to do with the charred ruins where he first made contact with the brunet.

Still, he’ll let that obvious little lie slide. For now.

“Well, anyway.” Reagan went on as normal. “Can’t say that I blame you for feeling the way that you do with them back in your life.” He grinned inwardly. “What about your friends, what do they think of the situation?”

The reaction he wanted was instantaneous. Although Edd didn’t outright flinch, Reagan did feel him tense up next to him, and it took everything he had in him to keep down the Cheshire-grin that threatened to stretch out across his face.

Edd’s breath wavered and he tried to steady himself. “Matt knew they were moving in.” In Tom’s apartment. He did not dare complete the sentence out loud.

“And he didn’t even tell you?” Reagan exclaimed, pretending to be shocked.

The Brit mentioned his ginger-haired companion to him before, and from what he heard so far, this Matt fellow wasn’t going to be a threat to his goals. But he needed to sever that bond in order to make Edd more susceptible to his manipulation. He doesn’t have to break them apart completely; but where was the fun in that?

Reagan shot him a sympathetic glance. “He doesn’t sound like much of a friend to me.” He observed. “I mean, what kind of friends keep things from each other?”

Edd felt a tinge of defensiveness at the Irishman’s words. After all, Reagan doesn’t really know Matt.

“He’s a great friend.” He responded. “But… well, things haven’t been the same between us since-” He bit down on his own tongue, holding the words before they could get out.

“Since?” Reagan prompted curiously.

Edd shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Could he really say something so heavy and personal to Reagan? The Irishman has certainly been a great deal of fun over these past few weeks; helping him move from his grief and let him forget his problems. But Edd wasn’t quite confident in entrusting Reagan with this information yet.

But I promised I would get over and move on. He recalled. If I can’t even say this out loud, am I doing any progress at all?

Edd tensed, his hands clenching into fists. He knew what he wanted to say, but the words seemed stuck in his throat like a hard piece of candy, and were just as difficult to dislodge.

“Before our friend died.” He admitted at last, thinking longingly of the time when he, Matt, and Tom went in all kinds of crazy adventures together. The tension in his shoulders relaxed as he let go of the long-held grief.

The blond man’s expression fell, and he cast his gaze to the ground. “Oh. I’m… sorry to hear.” He murmured sympathetically. “I didn’t mean to – I mean, you don’t have to-”

“It’s fine.” Edd cut him off. “It’s been a few months since, but I guess neither of us really got over it.”

The Irishman was silent for a while, his green eyes staring at the brunet with a calculating gaze; whilst concealing his true face inside. Wonder how he would react if he learned that I’m the one behind his freaky friend’s death? He mused with mirth. As fun as the idea would be, Reagan can’t let him know that dirty little secret just yet. He needs Edd to join the Red Army first, or he would never get that promotion. Maybe a few years from now, when we’re both deep into the global domination schemes, I could tell him. Ha. He’ll probably laugh when all is said and done.

Recomposing himself, Reagan cleared his throat to stifle the bout of giggles that bubbled inside of him. “Anyways, about the neighbors…” He continued from where the main topic left off. “I understand how weird this situation is, but do try to play it cool and keep a low profile.” Edd turned to him, listening to his advice intently. “I mean, why should you have to feel guilty for what happened? It’s not like you intended to kill the poor guy!”

“Of course not!” Edd snapped. Then he paused, his humor deflating as he recalled encounter with Eduardo earlier. “When I crossed paths with them today, they weren’t hostile toward me. They were… okay? I guess? But the whole thing just felt weird to me, and I have no idea what it means for our stances with each other.”

Reagan contemplated for a second, his lips pursed. “Do you reckon that maybe they know what happened to your friend?” He asked. “And because of that they think you are on equal ground? Like a: “now you know how I felt back then” kind of deal?”

Edd tensed. The Irishman’s words filled him with apprehension. Could Reagan be right? Eduardo does seem like the type of person who would find justice in such situation. But surely even Eduardo wouldn’t find enjoyment in this? Edd shook the thought away. “I d-don’t know.” He stammered. “Everything’s so confusing at the moment.”

Reagan chugged down his third glass of beer. “Don’t sweat it, buddy.” He gestured toward the untouched beer Edd had ordered a while ago. “Just tip back your head and drink your worries away. You seriously need to relax.”

The Brit glanced at his drink then back to his companion. “God, I’m so sorry.” A flash of guilt flared up inside of him. “We came out here to have fun and I spoiled the whole evening by rambling about my problems.”

He was about to apologize again when a finger came up to his lips and shushed him. “Less talking, and more drinking.” Reagan told him playfully stern.

They clinked their drinks together, sat back, and drank their fill of the bitter beverage. By the time he got all of it down, Edd was feeling tipsy and he swayed a little from side to side.

“By the way, you never quite told me what your job actually is.” The brunet pointed out, his words slurred.

“I haven’t?” Reagan put his elbow on the table and leaned against his hand, looking at the Brit though half-lidded eyes as the alcohol started to take effect. “I am an entertainer. I thought that much was obvious by now.”

“Oh! Like a comedian or a magician?” Edd asked, taking a sip of his cola next to balance out the alcohol in his system.

Reagan grinned slyly. “Not that type of entertainment, silly Eddie. I mean that I am a stripper.” His smile grew wider as Edd choked and spat out his drink. He burst into a fit of laughter and slammed his hand repeatedly on the counter. “Haha! Oh man, you should’ve seen the look on your face! Haha!” He wiped away a stray tear from his eyes.

“H-ha- haha yeah.” Edd laughed weakly whilst coughing. He could feel his throat burn badly from the intensity of choking on soda. He beat his own chest a couple of times to clear the airways. “G-good one.”

Reagan’s laughter died away. “But seriously though, I can’t tell you what it is.” He told the brunet. “I would if it were up to me, but since it is kind of a work policy not to reveal it out in public, I can’t.”

“Woah, are you a secret agent of some kind?”

“Can’t quite answer that either – It goes against the company’s policy, remember?” Reagan shrugged and laughed, teasing the Brit further.

They went back to drinking and chatting merrily. Reagan kept urging Edd to drink more and more, making the brunet relax and put down the sealed tight, steel walls he surrounded himself in. The Irishman payed very close attention to Edd’s ramblings about his life; especially the part concerning his friends and his fears of losing every single person he ever cared about, and how he won’t be able to stand if anything happened to the ginger doofus.

All that vital information Reagan saved away for later reference.

#Tomtord #eddsworld #my little test subject #MLTS #ew tom #ew tord #angst #mlts Reagan

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