#i mean i guess you can stand outside and wave at them from the window? idk. nothing we can do youre just Not In The Club''
Note
Using a random number generator for the angst prompts: 20 Starved + 30 Dangerous Temperatures
... and Leo, of course.
OH GOD OK
uh so. I had an idea. and I decided to write it for this ask I got forever ago. And then, uh.
it really
really got out of hand.
This is a pretty dark fic (even for me) and at the current moment in time it is hurt/no comfort. I do intend to write a part 2, probably tomorrow, but as of the time I'm typing this author's note I've been writing for around 5+ hours straight and I need to take a break! So please, if you don't want to read all this without the comfort included, feel free to wait for the next part before reading! I'll link it and the end once it's posted.
Content warnings: Kidnapping, confinement, psychological torture, nonconsensual voyeurism (I guess this is the best way to put this; Leo isn't doing anything sexual but it's still violating), mild violence, HEAVY ANGST, Leo just having the shittiest time possible.
I HOPE?? YOU ENJOY??? hahahaha....
btw this is set between S2 and the movie (though tbh its canon compliance is... /waves hand)
-----
When Leo imagined himself getting captured by some kind of shady, quasi-governmental agency intent on imprisoning mutants, it was never anything like this.
When he let his mind go there, he always pictured that he would be strapped to a table. Maybe muzzled. That scientists would stand over him, scalpels and drills in hand, and start to take him apart. That they'd examine him piece by piece, and wouldn't give him any anesthesia while they did it.
But there is no table, no muzzle, no restraints at all. He's just in a room.
Well, a cell, technically - the steel door is locked, and there are no windows, no furniture but a bare cot in one corner and a lone toilet in another. But it doesn't really look like a cell. It looks like a room.
A very, very white room. White walls. White ceiling. White tiles (with white grout, even). The toilet is white, a roll of white toilet paper on the floor next to it. The only things that aren't white are the cot and the door and Leo himself.
They took his gear and his weapons, because of course they did. Since the door is steel, he already knows he's not breaking it down; he gives it a half-hearted slam anyway, just to say he tried. He should be able to just portal out, except he hasn't learned how to use his portals without his swords to channel his ninpo through, and there's nothing in here with him that he can use to make new ones.
So he's stuck. He's going to have to wait until someone opens that door for some reason. Or, of course, until his family swings by to pick him up. Though, if possible, he'd like to escape before that happens. The image in his mind, of sitting outside his cell and grinning at them as they arrive to rescue him, is too cool to pass up.
He's not sure how long it's been already. He knows that they knocked him out after ambushing him, and he doesn't know how long he was unconscious. The heavy molasses feel of his head and arms when he woke up suggests that he was drugged. It's wearing off now, though, which means he has a clear head to take in the all of nothing that's in the room with him.
He sits on the cot he woke up on and waits for something to happen.
There's no way for him to tell time, but he thinks it's an hour or so later when there's a sudden beep, and then the sound of a metal panel sliding up. It's a slot near the door that has just opened - inside the revealed alcove is a bottle of water.
He comes to it curiously, taking a long look around the bottle. The slot doesn't open straight through, and even if it did, it's not big enough for anything more than his arm or a foot to fit through. He thinks it must function like an airlock, or maybe they slid the bottle down from somewhere above - he feels around just in case, and finds that the slot is enclosed on all sides but his. Probably his airlock theory, then.
As soon as he removes the bottle, the panel slams shut again.
"You're really determined to keep me in here, huh?" he says to whatever hidden cameras are watching him. He carries the water bottle back to his cot, but doesn't open it, instead setting it down on the floor by the wall. The paranoid part of his brain, the one that doesn't miss a trick, is reminding him that drinking the water is probably a bad idea. Who knows what they might have put in it?
He sits on the cot for awhile longer. Still, nothing happens.
"I'm getting pretty bored in here," he says for the audience that must be somewhere. "Come on, you have a one of a kind turtle in here, and you don't even want to talk to me?"
Time passes, slow and quiet. Leo goes through periods where his anxiety spikes and he starts to wonder if he's been abandoned by whoever brought him here, before the boredom eventually numbs the anxiety back out. Another bottle of water is eventually delivered, and this one he keeps in his hands after retrieving it. It's completely unlabeled, not even a "Use by" date printed on the bottle itself, so it doesn't provide much mental stimulation. He spins the bottle to make little whirlpools inside, because it's something to do.
He's trying to make the fastest whirlpool he can when he hears a sudden click, different from the beep of the water bottle hole, and he looks up just in time to see a large section of the wall in front of him turn black, and then light up to show the room beyond his cell.
He jolts, setting the bottle aside. He knew they must be watching him, but somehow he didn't catch that part of the wall was a whole window.
His audience isn't very large - five people, unless there are others he can't see. Two wear lab coats, two wear fatigues... but the one who comes to stand directly in front of the window is wearing a black suit, with steel rimmed glasses. He leans forward, and speaks into a small microphone.
"Inmate 24365," says the suited man. "I am Agent Bishop, of the Earth Protection Force. My subordinates tell me that you can speak and understand the English language. Is this correct?"
"Qué?" Leo asks.
Bishop does not look amused. "Inmate 24365," he says, "you have two options. You can cooperate with me, answer my questions, and we will make your stay here more comfortable. Do not cooperate, and we will make your stay uncomfortable. Do you understand?"
Leo pretends to hem and haw over this. "How comfortable are we talkin'?"
"I'm sure you would like some dinner."
"You know, I'm not really hungry." He says it to be difficult, but it's actually true - the uncertainty of the situation has put his stomach in too many knots to want to eat anything. "Maybe if you offer me some comic books? Or a TV?
To Bishop's credit, his face doesn't so much as twitch. He keeps his steely eyes locked on Leo. "Answer our questions, and you will receive food. Do you understand?"
Leo stays noncommittal. "What are the questions?"
He's expecting Bishop to ask about his family. He's not expecting what comes next.
"How many gateways are there between New York City and the hidden yokai enclave?" he asks. "How are these gateways accessed? What kind of defensive capabilities do the yokai have?"
Leo keeps the surprise off his face. Bishop thinks he's a yokai.
This is, overall, a good development. Bishop might not know about Leo's family, then, or at least not know that they live on the surface. This means the Earth Protection Force likely isn't pursuing his brothers, which means they will be safe until they can help Leo get out of here.
He doesn't let the relief show through, either. Bishop doesn't know anything, and now Leo just has to ride out the next few hours until the calvary arrives.
"You know," he says, "I think I'm good with my current levels of comfort."
If Bishop is mad or frustrated or dismayed by this choice, he doesn't show it. His expression stays stony as he stares in at Leo, sizing him up.
"Very well," he says after a few more seconds. "I will see you tomorrow, then."
The window goes dark, and then turns stark white to match the walls. Leo wants to go over and tap at it, see if it feels different when he touches it, but knowing that Bishop is surely still there, watching him, keeps him rooted to the cot.
He goes back to making whirlpools with the bottle. If they aren't going to entertain him, he isn't going to entertain them, either.
-----
Another water bottle comes some time after his talk with Bishop. He finally opens this one and takes a cautious sip. Nothing tastes off or strange, so he drinks more. They don't want to feed him, but they're fine keeping him hydrated. No reason to stay thirsty, then.
He wishes the water calmed the anxiety still roiling in his stomach, but if anything it just makes him feel even more energized. He bounces his foot and surveys his room again, looking for any weak spots or access points. He can't see anything, though, other than the areas where he knows the water bottle hole and window are; even the vents that relentlessly blow cold air into the room are well hidden.
Knowing that there are people standing just outside his cell watching him, like some kind of zoo animal, puts him on edge. The window is so big that he's pretty sure the only blind spots are either directly underneath it or right by the door on the same wall. After debating it, he leaves his cot and sits on the floor underneath the window, surveying the room from a different angle now and still coming up empty. At least they're going to have a harder time staring at him.
His eyes catch on the toilet in the corner, directly across from the window. It's not in the blind spot, and realizing this makes his insides lurch uncomfortably - hopefully he has a chance to bust out before using it becomes necessary.
Though, he's not sure when that chance is going to come. If they have a slot to pass him water, they could use that to pass him food, too, so it's unlikely that anyone is going to open the door unless they need to take him out.
So maybe his fantasy of being outside when his brothers arrive isn't going to happen. Well, that's okay; he'll just be sure to make some other part of their escape totally rad. That will make up for the embarrassment of getting kidnapped a block from Run of the Mill.
(Seriously, some kind of ninja he is, to let a bunch of human soldiers sneak up on him.)
He drains the water bottle, then starts to roll it back and forth across the floor, like a cat batting at a toy. Leo's not sure what's worse right now: the worry or the boredom. There's nothing to look at and no one to talk to, just an empty room with him and his water bottles.
He's too keyed up to sleep, and the fluorescent lights are still on, anyway. He has no way of telling what time it is, so maybe it just isn't that late yet. And even sitting here, in the blind spot, the idea of closing his eyes while people are watching makes unease crawl up his spine. Staying awake is the easy choice. He'll sleep after he's out of here.
So he sits under the window and rolls his bottle back and forth, back and forth, with only the sound of plastic on tile to keep his thoughts company.
-----
The first three water bottles came pretty regularly, but now there is a very long stretch where nothing is delivered. Leo is starting to think maybe it really is night now. They don't turn off the lights in his cell, though, and he has no controls to do it himself. At least it helps with the whole "staying awake" thing.
Just in case they've decided to suspend his water privileges along with the food, he holds off drinking any more for now.
Speaking of food, his appetite has finally decided to return. His stomach starts to growl at him after several hours (he thinks) of sitting in the floor, an annoying emptiness in his stomach. Knowing there's no food accessible just makes the hunger sharper, but he puts it out of his mind the best he can with nothing else to focus on. He can eat once he's free.
Which should be soon. Seriously, his brothers have to be on their way by now, right?
He's pretty sure it's been the better part of a day, if not a whole day, since he was kidnapped. And, okay, he's willing to give them some leeway; it's understandable if they got a late start. He did storm out of the lair after his latest fight with Raph, and no one ever came to check on him when he did that. Understandably, he thinks, because who wants to be around Bad Mood Leo? Not even Leo wants to be around Bad Mood Leo!
But he'd already turned back into Good Mood Leo by the time he left Hueso's, so surely they knew it had been more than enough time. They would have noticed when he didn't come home. They would have realized something happened. They would be looking for him.
And if they're looking for him, they'll find him! Obviously.
His stomach growls again, and Leo leans his head back against the wall behind him. Maybe he shouldn't think of being at Hueso's. Now he just wants pizza. Pepperoni and mushroom, maybe, or Hawaiian. Mix it up a little with the barbeque chicken.
Another growl. He groans out loud.
He stays awake, twisting and crinkling the empty bottle in his hands, until another full one finally arrives.
-----
No chance to escape comes before using the toilet is necessary.
He tried to hold out, he really did, but he ended up drinking more water to stave off the growing hunger, and it's lowkey cold in here, which doesn't help. Still, the issue of the window sends an uneasy shiver up his spine, doubting that any people outside will feel the need to turn away and give him some privacy. Maybe he should have gone while he suspected it was nighttime.
(Maybe he shouldn't assume they ever aren't watching him.)
He stands up and walks over to the cot, giving it a light nudge with his foot. In a stroke of luck, it isn't bolted to the floor, and it's light enough that he can lift it. The black mesh it's made of is tightly woven, enough that not much is visible through it. It will have to do.
He picks it up and drags it over in front of the toilet, propping it up on its legs so it makes a small wall between himself and the window. It's hardly ideal, but the semblance of privacy makes him relax somewhat.
(He can't think about how there are surely cameras in the room watching him from all angles, making his attempt at a barrier moot. He knows better than anyone that sometimes pleasant lies are necessary.)
After he does his business, he leaves the cot propped where it is; it's not like he's sleeping on it. There's no sink for him to wash his hands, but he's never been the strictest about it, anyway (much to Donnie's disgust). He returns to his spot under the window, squeezing the water bottle to the rhythm of the first song that comes to mind.
Only two verses and a bridge later, the window above his head turns black, then goes clear. Thinking that Bishop might have been watching him just now makes a cold, slimy feeling roll down his spine. Creepy!
"Inmate 24365," comes Bishop's voice through the unseen speaker. "Stand."
Leo doesn't. He stays right where he is, under the window.
Bishop waits only a few seconds. Then Leo hears him say, "Temperature down two degrees."
He gets up at that, turning and leaning his arm against the window. It strangely doesn't feel like glass, even though it must be. "It's already cold enough in here," he says. He wonders how they can hear him, when he doesn't see a microphone on his side.
"You were told your conditions would only be made comfortable after you answer our questions," Bishop informs him. "The same as before: how many gateways are there between New York City and the hidden yokai enclave? How are these gateways-"
"How about you answer my questions first," Leo interjects. "You keep calling me "inmate," but I haven't been charged with anything. Pretty sure you can't detain me without cause."
"The EPF is authorized to detain non-human inmates for as long as deemed necessary for the security of the United States," says Bishop smoothly. "Probable cause doctrine does not apply in this case."
"That's gotta be unconstitutional."
"The constitution does not recognize the rights of yokai. You have no right to counsel, no right to a speedy trial, and no right to protections from cruel and unusual punishments." Bishop's stare is colder than the temperature in the room. "But I am not an unfair man. Answer my questions, and I will provide you with food and clothing."
Leo tosses a glance over his shoulder. "How about a private bathroom?"
Bishop's expression stays ever in place, unimpressed and stoic. "Food and clothing," he repeats.
Leo gives his head a shake. "Then nope," he says, popping the "p". "I plead the fifth."
"As I have already explained, the Bill of Rights does not apply to you."
"That's such crap." Leo bangs his fist on the window. "You can't just keep me here forever for no reason!"
"I do have reasons." Bishop leans closer to the window, his eyes narrowing. "Let's try a different question. What is your relation to Baron Draxum?"
The surprise is fast and sharp, but Leo just manages to keep it from showing on his face. "Who?" he asks innocently, even as the panic sets into his chest. If they know about Draxum, what else do they know?
"We know you are acquainted with him," says Bishop. "What is the nature of your relationship?"
Leo knows they aren't bluffing - why would they bring up that very specific name otherwise? There's no lie he can tell that won't reveal something.
So he doesn't say anything. Instead, he turns his back to the window and sits down, staring resolutely at the opposite wall.
Bishop clicks his tongue. "Very well," he says. "I am a patient man. I can wait." Then, more muffled, like he's facing away from the microphone, Leo hears him say, "Temperature down two degrees."
The window goes dark, then turns back to white. Leo doesn't move for a long time.
-----
The third water bottle arrives, so he guesses that's the end of day two.
He's shaking as he gets up to retrieve it, adding it to his growing water bottle hoard. He's gone through three and a half by now, but he's trying not to drink them too fast.
As promised, no food is delivered, and his stomach growls and rumbles in protest. The water helps, but only slightly. He needs to eat.
He also needs to sleep.
The panicked adrenaline spikes that have kept him awake this long are starting to die down, with more and more long stretches of exhaustion between them. The shaking is near constant, bringing with it the weird jittery feeling he gets when his insomnia gets particularly bad.
The window is still unnerving him. The idea of sleeping while they're watching him feels staggeringly unsafe.
But he doesn't think he can hold out now until his family gets here. Sure, they're probably getting close (they have to be getting close), but they're sure taking their sweet time. And he's just so tired.
After a long internal debate, he lays down on the cold tile floor. It's not at all comfortable, but somehow he doubts the cot would be any better. Besides, even if he moves the cot under the window, he thinks it would be easier to see him if he uses it. So on the floor it is.
He presses as close to the wall as he can, curling up into a ball for warmth. He wishes he had a blanket.
He wishes he was home.
He squeezes his eyes shut tight and forces back the sudden wave of overwhelming homesickness. There's no reason to feel this way. It's only been two days! What is he, a baby?
It's fine. It's all fine. They're definitely on his trail now. Raph is leading the team. Donnie is using some kind of invention to blah blah blah nerd stuff. Mikey is razzing his tazz. April is using her investigative journalism skills to find clues.
They're on their way. He just has to hold out a little longer. He can do this.
He sleeps, and in his dreams, something grabs him tight and drags him down and down and down where he can't escape.
-----
The same routine plays out over the next two days.
Leo gets two water bottles delivered, spaced, if he had to guess, about five hours apart. Bishop comes to visit him some time after the second bottle. Leo refuses to answer his questions. Bishop turns the temperature down and then leaves. A few hours later his last water bottle comes. Then nothing for the whole night.
They still don't turn off his lights, but exhaustion is starting to win over the brightness.
More than a few times, Leo tries to summon a portal on his own, without his swords. If his family is going to take their sweet time in coming, he might as well try to help them out. He tries to summon his ninpo (without glowing), tries to feel the tug inside of him that he always does when he teleports, tries to envision the place he wants to go and tunnel through space to get there.
Nothing. Always nothing.
(Donnie can make his constructs independent of his bo staff. Raph can send his projections away from his sai. Mikey's learning to use mystic powers without his nunchucks. So why does Leo need his katana? Why is he the only one this useless?)
It probably doesn't help that he's so damn hungry. It's a constant companion now, a low and hollow ache that chooses inconvenient times to turn into white hot stabs of urgency, into seizing cramps that steal his breath. The water only helps so much - it keeps him alive but doesn't satisfy, doesn't soothe. In some ways it just makes the feeling worse.
And he's always shaking, too, but he doesn't know if that's the hunger or the cold.
Maybe the cold wouldn't bother him so much if it were at least still. But the vents blow fresh air inside relentlessly, and no matter where he goes he can't seem to get out of the direct stream. The cold wind batters his tired body, and there's places his skin is starting to turn dry and flaky. His nose won't stop running, and he's allowed himself a small section of his one roll of toilet paper to blow it, already stiff and congealed and disgusting.
It's miserable.
And there's still nothing to do.
He stacks a pyramid out of his empty water bottles, knocks it down, then stacks it up again. He tries to come up with some new and exciting ways to demolish it, but it's only new and exciting for so long.
He spends a few hours of day three singing karaoke as obnoxiously as possible. He hopes everyone outside enjoys the performance.
He recounts every issue of Jupiter Jim he knows to himself, then the plot of every movie. Then he goes through Lou Jitsu films, then anything else he can think of. That eats up a good chunk of day four.
By the time he gets his first water bottle of day five, he's out of ideas to entertain himself. He's never been good at this. He doesn't know how introverts like Donnie can go multiple days without talking to someone.
But when Bishop comes back with his daily offer of conversation, Leo once again impolitely declines.
-----
Something new happens on night five.
It's been a long time since the last water bottle. Leo has been trying to sleep, but it's not coming easy; he's exhausted, but the floor is so cold and he's so sore from staying on it night after night. Not to mention, his nightmares have been getting worse, and he isn't eager to return to them.
Add on the hunger, and sleep is elusive.
Suddenly, there's the telltale shadow of the window above him turning dark - this time, though, it doesn't light up as much as normal. Confused and curious, Leo sits up and takes a peek.
The room beyond is dim, only the glow of a green EXIT sign and a small desk lamp lighting the space. But it's enough for Leo to see a man standing there, looking inside. It's not Bishop - in fact, he doesn't recognize this person at all. They're wearing fatigues, but it's not anyone he's seen in the room during Bishop's normal interrogations.
The man catches sight of Leo, and the grinning leer on his face makes Leo regret looking.
He beckons for Leo to stand up. Warily, Leo does, unable to help but keep his arms folded tight over his chest. Not for the first time, he wishes he had some clothes - his gear, at the very least. Anything to not feel quite so exposed.
The man reaches down and picks something up, holding it aloft for Leo's inspection. "Want a sandwich?" he asks into the microphone.
The sandwich looks like white bread and bologna. No cheese, no other toppings that Leo can spot. Maybe some mustard, if anything. Overall, the most boring possible sandwich he could have been offered.
Leo's mouth is watering.
He has to swallow hard before answering. He doesn't trust this. Even if his stomach is slamming up and down at the promise of food, food, food.
"I'm not hungry," he lies.
The man laughs. It's not a kind sound. "Sure you ain't," he says. "You spend every night curled up on the floor like the dumb animal you are. Can you even eat this?" He waves the sandwich for emphasis.
Leo doesn't answer. He takes a step back from the window, like that will put any kind of distance between them. Like that will save him.
The man watches him with a sleezy grin. He waves the sandwich again.
"You want this," he says.
Leo shakes his head.
"You really sure?"
Leo shudders. Stands tall. Nods.
The man watches him for a long, long moment. Leo fights the urge to hide.
Finally, with a shrug, the man says, "Suit yourself."
Then he starts eating the sandwich. Right where Leo can watch.
Leo's stomach growls, loud and angry in his ears, and he has to physically hold himself back from crumpling.
After several bites, the man suddenly reaches out and taps the window, indicating the cot stood up in front of the toilet.
"That," he says, giving another tap for emphasis, "doesn't do shit."
Leo wants to crawl out of his own skin.
The need to hide is suddenly too great. He rushes to the cot, grabbing it and dragging it back to the blind spot under the window. He sets it down on all four legs, so it's as close to the floor as possible.
Then he lies down on his belly and wriggles underneath. It's a tight squeeze, and the cot ends up pushed up by his shell, suspended in the air, but he doesn't care.
He curls up in his pleasant lie of privacy and bites his hand to keep from screaming himself hoarse.
After an eternity, the window above him turns white again. It doesn't matter. Leo knows he's still there. Still watching.
-----
"You look tired," Bishop greets him. Leo answers with a dead-eyed stare.
"I keep telling you, if you want your conditions to improve, all you have to do is answer my questions."
Leo says nothing. He just stares, arms wrapped tight around himself to try and keep his body heat in.
"How many gateways are there between New York City and the hidden yokai enclave? How are these gateways accessed?"
For a moment, Leo considers just... telling him.
His family doesn't live in the Hidden City. The yokai have never exactly greeted them with open arms. What does he care if these military guys go after them? At least then, maybe he can finally eat something.
That's not what a hero does, Leo! echoes Mind Raph disapprovingly. Innocent people will get hurt!
Right. He's a hero. And heroes don't give into the demands of shitty guys like Bishop.
Leo swallows hard. "No comment."
Bishop's face changes ever so slightly: his brow creases. Leo wonders if that's good or bad for him.
"You understand that Baron Draxum is a known threat, don't you?" he asks. "We are aware of his plans to commit mass murder on the human population. We also know that he has been dormant for some time, and we need information on what he is planning."
Leo thinks of Barry's ambitions to be recognized as the best lunchperson in all of America and can't help but laugh. It comes out cracked and wheezing.
Bishop's furrow gets deeper. "Do you think this is funny?"
"Little bit," says Leo.
Bishop has a chasm to rival Raph's now. Leo knows he shouldn't, but he grins. It's his one moment of triumph - only he can be this aggravating.
And then Bishop says, "Temperature down seven degrees," and that wipes the smile right off Leo's face.
-----
The plastic of the water bottles is soft and pliable and feels weirdly good under Leo's teeth.
He chews the top of the bottle, gnawing at it until it's completely flattened out, pockmarked with little tiny indents from his incisors. It's not eating - it won't fill his belly or ease the persistent hunger pains. But something about the motion is soothing. The place-bo effect.
Pla-ce-bo, corrects Donnie's voice in his mind, sounding testy.
Where are you? Leo thinks back.
There's no answer.
He's gnawed his way through four water bottles. There's eighteen in total now, two and a half still full of water. He thought about using one to wash up a bit, but decided against it in the end. He knows he stinks, but the last thing he wants right now is to be wet. Not when he's starting to see his breath.
Oh well. It's not like he has anywhere to be.
He turns his attentions to the lids next. These are harder and thus tougher to chew. Still, if Leo uses his molars, he can eventually crack the lip, and then bend the plastic in and in, chewing until he ends up with a flat disc.
It's just small enough that Leo could swallow it, if he wanted to.
He thinks he remembers watching some kind of wildlife documentary. Or maybe he didn't watch it himself, but Mikey told him about it. Or maybe April? He doesn't know. His thoughts swim in and out and get lost on the way.
Point is. Sea turtles in the wild die all the time because of plastic in the water. They cut open their stomachs and find trash inside.
Well, Leo is a turtle in captivity. Maybe that means he's immune. Maybe he could swallow this plastic lid, and then he'd finally feel full and the pain pain pain of his empty stomach would go away.
He does not swallow the plastic lid. But it's more tempting than he'd like to admit.
It's going to be okay. When his family gets him out of here, they'll have a big pizza to celebrate. Maybe he can even talk them into letting him have the last slice.
It has to be any moment now, right? It's been a week. They have to be closing in. Any moment now, the door will open, and there they'll be to take him home.
The air conditioning blows relentlessly against his skin. He sneezes, then rubs the snot on his arm. He's given up on the tissue paper.
It'll be over soon. It has to be. Just hang in there, Leon, just a little longer.
He picks up another bottle and starts chewing.
-----
He's playing a mindless little game with his flattened bottle lids the next time Bishop comes.
"I'm surprised you still have any energy at all," says Bishop, and Leo wants to punch him.
(Really, he wants to do more than that. But those kinds of thoughts always make him feel weird and bad, so he pushes them away.)
"You should have learned by now," he says, pushing to his feet and trying not to show how badly he's trembling, "you can't keep me down."
"This is all unnecessary," says Bishop. "I'll feed you as soon as you answer my questions."
Leo barks out a laugh. "Sure you will."
"I will," says Bishop. He turns and says over his shoulder, "Bring it here."
One of the men in fatigues steps forward and hands a tray with a covered plate over to Bishop. Bishop uncovers the tray and holds it where Leo can see.
Baked chicken, broccoli with cheese, mashed potatoes.
Leo's stomach twists and cramps so painfully he has to bend at the hips and clutch his midriff.
"This is yours, as soon as you answer my questions."
Leo pointedly keeps from looking at the food. He shakes his head. He can't. He can't.
"Such persistence." Bishop's voice is scolding now. "You understand that you are a known accomplice to a terrorist, don't you? But if you become a cooperating witness, you will be granted some leniency."
Leo barks a laugh, lifting his eyes to look at Bishop's face, and pointedly not the food. "What's the point?" he asks. "If I'm not... protected by the constitution, or whatever. Are you going to let me go?"
"No," says Bishop. "But as I have told you, your conditions will become more comfortable." He waves the tray of food.
Leo stares at him, before a manic smile splits his face.
"You... stupid bastard. I can't even answer your questions." He slams a shaking hand against his plastron. "I'm not even a yokai! Do you get that? I'm not a yokai!"
Bishop looks skeptical. "Obviously you are."
"I'm not!" Leo rages. "I'm a mutant! I'm from New York! I don't even live in the Hidden City!"
Bishop's eyes flash. "I see," he says, "so you do know of it."
Leo falters, his body going slack.
What an obvious, stupid mistake.
(Some face-man he is.)
It takes Leo a long moment to answer. Bishop stays right where he is, holding the food so tantalizingly close and yet still out of reach.
"...I don't know about the gateways," he says finally. "I don't know about their defensive capabilities. I don't know what Baron Draxum is planning."
"Your lies are obvious," says Bishop. "You really don't want this? It's your last chance today."
Leo stares at the food. His mouth is watering so hard it might start to drip. Would it really be so bad to answer? They don't live in the Hidden City. And Draxum dropped him off a roof.
Draxum is trying to change, says Mind Raph. You see what these guys are like. You can't turn the yokai over to them. They'll hurt them!
What about me? he asks. Is it okay if I get hurt?
You're a hero, Leo, says Mind Raph. You can deal with it for a little longer. It's just a room. Just a little cold. Just some hunger.
He's a hero. He can deal with it. He can. He can.
He'll make them proud. Show them they can trust him.
It takes everything he has, but he shakes his head.
Bishop tuts. Then he throws the entire plate in the trash.
"Tomorrow, then," he says. Then the window is gone.
Leo collapses on his cot and tries not to cry.
-----
After his third water bottle on day eight, one of the fluorescent lights over his head flickers and then dies out.
It's not surprising, since they keep them running twenty-four seven. The blessedly dimmed lighting is actually nice, for once. Leo thinks maybe he could get some sleep, if the gnawing hunger and the constant shivers don't keep him awake.
He's just closed his eyes and snuggled up under his cot when it occurs to him: they may come in to fix it. If keeping the lights on day and night is part of their plan to torture him, to keep him exhausted and anxious and on edge, then they have to.
Which means his chance is finally here.
He has to be careful about this. He has to be ready to move, but he can't let them know he's ready to move. He has to let them think he's too weak, too exhausted, to make an escape attempt.
(He can't let himself think that, though. He can't give up before he tries.)
So he stays under his cot, but subtly shifts it so it won't restrict his movement. He has to be ready to burst out as soon as he gets a chance. Get past whoever comes in, then get out the door. It's after the last water bottle, so it's nighttime. There will be fewer people. He can do this. He can do this.
Find his swords. Make a portal. Get out.
Just as he was thinking, after a long time has passed, there is a loud warning beep, different from the water bottle beep. An automated voice says from somewhere unseen, "Inmates clear the door. Security personnel entering. Stay still and you will not be harmed."
Then the door slides open, and someone comes in.
It's a man wearing fatigues. Leo thinks this is the one who "offered" him a sandwich the other day. He's holding some kind of gun with a long barrel. He does a sweep of the room with his eyes, coming to rest on Leo under his cot. He gives Leo the same leering grin, and waves the barrel of the gun in his direction.
"Now you behave, and we'll get along just fine," he says.
He steps to the side, and another man enters, this one wearing the kind of jumpsuit Leo sees janitors in on TV. He's carrying a stepladder in one hand and a long tube in the other. Is that what fluorescent lights look like? Leo didn't know.
The man walks to the middle of the room and sets up his stepladder. Then he walks up and pulls off the light casing. When he unhooks the old bulb, it causes the other bulb to flicker, just for a few moments.
Leo explodes out from under the cot, grabbing the man in fatigues by the legs and yanking as hard as he can. The man yelps in surprise, and Leo hears the sound of the gun going off in a random direction. The janitor shouts and drops the light bulb - the sound of shattering glass joins the cacophony.
Leo jumps to his feet and runs out the door they had been too stupid to close, sprinting toward the EXIT sign. He's exhausted and shaky but he's coursing with adrenaline, and he leans on it hard to keep him moving. Don't stop, don't stop, get out of here. He'll figure out what to do next once he's free.
Past the exit sign there's a large open room with desks and computer monitors. Most of them are off, but one lingering woman in a lab coat, seated at her desk, screams when she sees Leo dash through the middle of the office space.
"Security!" she screams into a device on her chest. "Inmate is escaping! Inmate is escaping!"
Leo doesn't have time to shut her up, he just keeps moving. He pushes through the next door and arrives in a hallway; he only has time to glance one way and then the other before scrambling to the left, hoping it was a good choice.
He rounds a corner and sees another green EXIT sign up ahead. It's not where he meant to go - he meant to find where they're keeping his swords first. But he hears shouting behind him and doesn't stop. Fine, so no portals - he'll figure out something else once he's away from here.
He throws himself forward into the exit door, which leads him into yet another hallway. Another long sprint, with shouting and slamming doors at his heels, and then finally, finally, a third EXIT sign, and he crashes outside.
Where there's snow on the ground, snow on the trees.
It steals his breath away. There shouldn't be snow. It's May.
Where is he?
He takes a breath of air so cold it seizes his lungs, then takes a step forward. He'll worry about that-
BANG!
A piercing pain in his shoulder nearly sends him toppling over. Leo shouts, grasping for the wound and feeling something sticking out of his skin. He grabs it and yanks, pulling it free.
It's a dart.
Damn it, he thinks, before his vision goes woozy, and he collapses into the snow.
-----
"Are you proud of your little escape attempt?" comes Bishop's voice.
Leo looks up from his cot. Bishop has to get so close to the window to see him that his nose is pressed flat against it. It should be hilarious, but Leo doesn't really have the energy to laugh. Or to do much of anything.
He's hungry. He's tired. He's cold. He's still sluggish from the drugs.
And they threw away all his water bottles. Fuckers.
Leo rolls over on the cot and covers his ears.
"What a childish response," says Bishop, and that's funny, too, because Leo literally is a child. Or a teenager, anyway. He doesn't feel like it will help him much to point that out, though.
"All you have to do is answer my questions, and all this will be fixed."
That's the funniest thing of all. The idea that he spills his guts and Bishop treats him to a five course meal to make up for all the pain up till now. Hilarious.
He says nothing.
Bishop sighs.
"You are likely still affected by the tranquilizing agent. I'll return tomorrow."
Before he leaves, he says, "Temperature down five degrees."
-----
The same man is back that night. He opens the window and looks down at Leo with the same leering smile. Leo can't even take satisfaction in the bandage on the side of his head.
"Neat little trick you had yesterday," he says. "Almost got me fired."
Leo wishes it had gotten him fired. But he clearly has no luck in this situation.
"You know, I respect the attempt. And you probably would have gotten farther with a little food in your belly." The man reaches down, then retrieves a sandwich, as mouth-wateringly unappetizing as the last time. "You sure you don't want this?"
And Leo knows he shouldn't trust this guy. Leo knows he should say no.
But he's just...
so...
hungry.
So he gets up. And he turns to the window. On shaking limbs that can barely hold him upright anymore. With a body that is laced with pain and aches and cramps.
And he nods.
The man's smile gets wider. "What do you say?" he asks, in the sing-song tone of a parent scolding a child.
It makes a sick nausea rise in Leo's throat. But he wants the sandwich.
"Please," he gasps out.
"Mmm... not good enough." The man waves the sandwich. "You want this? You beg for it."
Leo stares, eyes wide. But the sandwich... the sandwich...
He gets down on his knees. Feels a searing flush of humiliation. His stomach is rolling and gurgling and cramping with pain, a hollow, empty chasm inside him desperate to be filled.
He lowers his head.
"Please," he says. "I... I want the sandwich. I'm... begging you, please."
The man laughs, loud and long. When Leo finally finds it in him to raise his eyes, the sandwich is already half eaten.
"Hey, good job," says the man, licking a bit of mustard off his thumb. "That was real convincin'."
And then he takes another bite.
Just like that, Leo forgets about the pain, the aches, the cold, the hunger. All that's left is pure, white hot, screaming rage.
Leo lunges at the window and slams his fist into it so hard it cracks. Not enough to break the glass. Not enough to free him. But enough that the man startles and steps back.
And Leo starts to laugh. High and manic and unhinged even to his own ears.
"I'll kill you," he says, and his voice sounds almost joking, and yet- "I'll kill you. You're dead. You're dead, as soon as I get out of here, you're dead, I'll kill you, I'LL KILL YOU!"
The man has dropped the rest of his sandwich. He fumbles for his gun, left somewhere on a table to the side. For one satisfying moment, Leo sees a flash of genuine fear on the man's face.
"Shit," he says, his voice far away the further he gets from the microphone. "Pretty scary, frogboy."
Then he slams a button, and the window goes black, and Leo gets a glimpse of his own reflection.
His face is gaunt and drawn. His eyes are ringed by deep circles, so dark they look like bruises. His body is shaking like a leaf.
And his stripes...
His stripes are lit up like when he uses his ninpo, but they aren't their usual Neon Leon bright.
They're almost black.
Leo gasps and stumbles back just as the window goes white. The full body quakes he feels now aren't from the cold or the hunger or the exhaustion.
He turns and sinks onto the cot. Puts his face in his hands and tries to breathe. Tries to will his ninpo to stop rolling and snapping and to go back to normal.
This isn't what he wants. This isn't him.
This place is breaking him. He's letting it break him.
He pulls his legs up onto the cot and buries his face in his knees. Wraps his arms around them and rocks gently, the way Donnie used to do when things got overwhelming. Maybe he understands that better, now.
This isn't him. He's Leonardo, Neon Leon, the face-man, the jokester! The one who's always ready with a quip and a laugh. The one who can do anything!
Except portal out of his room. Except escape from this building. Except resist begging for a sandwich like he's a dog.
Leo's breath hitches, and for once he doesn't stop himself. He knows the guy outside is probably watching. He knows there are cameras recording this. He hates giving them the satisfaction.
But he's tired, and hungry, and he...
He wants to go home.
He cries, silently, until he's completely rung out.
-----
Maybe they aren't coming.
That's the thought that pops into his head, just a bit after the first water bottle of the day.
He knew they would have gotten a late start, because he stormed out. And he knew it would take them awhile to figure out who took him - he hadn't heard of the EPF before, so why would they? And he knew it would take them time to figure out where he had been taken, which must have been pretty far out if it's snowing outside. But the EPF got him here within a night, he's pretty sure, so unless they have a super fast jet, he must still be on the continent somewhere.
So... so surely they must have figured it out by now, right? Raph is leading the team. Donnie is doing science things. Mikey is razzing his tazz. April is using her investigative skills.
Unless they aren't coming.
Maybe... maybe it's true. Why would they want him back, after all? Leo took Raph's leader position, and since then all he'd managed to do was piss Raph off. Mikey and Donnie hadn't been happy about it, either, and he'd noticed that they'd been avoiding him more and more. April claimed she wasn't taking sides, but she always seemed to be on Raph's anyway. And Dad... well, he was probably disappointed that he made Leo leader only for him to do nothing and then get himself kidnapped.
He doesn't bring anything to the team. He doesn't bring anything to the family. And no one likes his jokes.
So. Maybe they just... aren't looking. Maybe they aren't going to come.
Maybe he's held out this long for no reason. Maybe he's been cold and starving for no reason at all.
Maybe it's time to give up.
---
Don't give up, says a new voice in his head.
You are not alone.
-----
He has no energy left to stand when Bishop comes. The man looks down at him, lips pressed into a thin line.
"You don't look well," he observes.
No shit, Leo wants to say.
"This has gone on long enough. Answer my questions, and we will provide you with food, clothing, and medical care."
The list is getting longer. Leo's fuzzy eyes stare up at Bishop. Medical care. Does he need that?
"You already know what I want to know." Bishop has a furrow between his eyebrows now. "Will you talk to me?"
He could. He could do it. He could finally have some relief from all the pain. All the hunger. All the cold.
But they might hurt the yokai in the Hidden City.
They might hurt Draxum.
They might hurt his family.
And maybe, if nothing else... if Leo could just keep his mouth shut, just this once...
Maybe that would finally make Raph, Dad, and everyone proud of him.
Maybe they'd finally trust him.
Maybe, at least, he can have that much.
Leo shakes his head.
Bishop scowls.
"Temperature down ten degrees."
-----
Leo isn't shivering anymore. That's probably a bad sign.
He can still see his breath, each time he exhales. It rises like smoke, before disappearing into the air.
He doesn't have any energy left, not even to chew on his new water bottles. He hasn't even collected the last two, and they sit crowded together in the slot, untouched.
He kind of wishes they had just dissected him from the beginning. It would have been faster. Freezing to death, he's decided, is a real zero out of ten. Starving to death isn't any better. No stars.
Even though the damn lights are still on, he feels extremely sleepy. It's probably the cold. He wonders what will happen if he brumates. He's never done it before, not like his little cousins, and he has no idea if it's even safe.
Probably not, given he has no calorie reserves left. All it means is he won't be drinking water, either.
But he's so sleepy.
It's going to be time soon for Bishop to come back. Leo doesn't know what the point is anymore. Maybe he'll just sleep through it. Yeah, that would really make him mad. And making Bishop mad is all he has at this point.
And he'll get to sleep. It's a win-win.
So thinking, Leo rolls himself over onto his belly. Then, one by one, he pulls his limbs into his shell.
He doesn't do this much anymore, not since he started growing. His body just doesn't seem to fit his shell like it should - a side effect of the mutation, probably. It's not really comfortable to be inside for long.
But Leo is sleepy. And his shell feels like the best place to be.
So he pulls in his legs, then his arms, and then, finally, his head.
It's not any warmer in here. But at least it's dark.
At least he's not shivering.
Leo sighs, content, and closes his eyes, and drifts to sleep.
-----
(Outside his cell, there's a bang, and shouting, and a gunshot.
The sound is muffled, and Leo sleeps on.)
-----
Part 2 (not yet out)
#rottmnt#rise leo#agent bishop#cw: psychological torture#dandy fanfiction#I want it to be clear that any time Leo is hearing “Mind Raph”#that's just his own inner voice manifesting#please don't be mad at Raph himself lol
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Being aro in a friend group of people who are all allo/date people is interesting (bad) because whether they mean to or not you are Constantly Being Othered
#me having to take breaks whenever they start flirting with each other or having convos about their crushes or whatever like#IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE!!! GROSS#pluto txt#/nbh btw#being aro feels like ''oh yeah theres this super secret exclusive club everyone+all of your friends are in and you cant join. sorry!#i mean i guess you can stand outside and wave at them from the window? idk. nothing we can do youre just Not In The Club''
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jerk! reunion from hell
you and your friends had started a band in your teen years, as you all shared a deep love for music. as serious as you wanted to be about the band, you put your education first and moved away during the summer after graduation. years later, you were expecting a warm welcome back from your childhood friends.
pairing choi beomgyu x fem! reader
genre angst, humour, fluff, childhood best friend! yeonjun, enemies to lovers, band! txt
warning cursing, bickering, alcohol
masterlist | next
‘yeonjun!?’ your voice echoed throughout the hallway. you let the large glass door close softly behind you, before you began lugging your suitcase down the unnecessarily long hallway lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. ‘is anybody home!?’
clearly, the boys were no longer spending day and night in soobin’s garage hoping to make it big. by the looks of things, their musical talent had actually paid off and gotten them somewhere. still, your confusion began to grow as you approached the only door that seemed to be in the stupidly-long and pointless hallway. you’d gotten the address from kai’s sister after explaining that you were planning on surprising them, but now you were rethinking it. maybe you’d just broken into a stranger’s home, or maybe the boys weren’t around and you’d just have to try again later.
you reached for the handle with shaky hands and pushed open the door. five heads whipped around to get a look at the intruder, and a million thoughts began to cloud your mind.
weren’t they happy to see you? they didn’t look happy. nobody was excitedly jumping around or running to hug you like they had the last time you’d visited, two years ago. they were all staring blankly at you as if you were a stranger. had they forgotten who you were? was the fame that brought along the riches too great that they’d already forgotten who had been there from the beginning? it was just five pairs of eyes staring you down and… wait, five?
‘are you some crazed fan?’ the unfamiliar face spoke, somehow snapping your friends out of their daze.
‘uhm no, i’m—’ you began, narrowing your eyes in annoyance.
‘she’s y/n,’ kai interrupted. ‘that’s y/n.’
‘oh, y/n,’ the new, fifth boy placed his guitar down and began to walk towards you. ‘i’m beomgyu, your replacement.’
‘my what?’ you grimaced. ‘what’s that supposed to mean?’
‘y/n, can i talk to you outside?’ yeonjun came speeding towards you, grabbed your arm and then brought you back into the headache-inducing hallway. ‘i’m sorry, we had no idea that you were coming.’
‘well, yeah, that was the whole point,’ you scoffed. ‘and who the fuck is beomgyu?’
‘he plays the guitar for us now,’ he audibly gulped. ‘and he sings, too. writes… produces… all that fun stuff.’
‘so… what?’ you pursed your lips. ‘i leave and you go and find my replacement? and you just never thought to tell me that there was a new member of the band you and i set up?’
‘we wanted to,’ he sighed. ‘it’s just been a very busy year. we’ve had signings and concerts and then we bought this place, and our album sales have just been—’
‘wait, wait, wait, slow down,’ you waved your hands out in front of you to cut yeonjun off. ‘he’s been here for a year? and you couldn’t think to shoot me a text or give me a call?’
‘like i said, we’ve been busy,’ he defended.
‘that’s bullshit,’ you folded your arms across your chest and gave yeonjun your nastiest stare. ‘so i guess now i better go back home and get caught up on your discography? should i just go buy a t-shirt with that asshole’s face on it and beg him to sign it for me since i’m merely an outsider now?’
‘woah, there,’ beomgyu forced his way into the conversation, after standing around and listening for way too long. he had his hands placed in his pockets and one foot resting back against the wall just beside the door. ‘what have i ever done to you, y/n? except turn your awful music into something that doesn’t make people’s ears bleed?’
‘excuse me?’ you practically growled.
‘beomgyu, don’t,’ yeonjun exhaled.
‘oh, she doesn’t know yet?’ clearly, he found the whole situation amusing. he was almost giggling away to himself.
‘what don’t i know?’ you raised a brow. ‘tell me, jun.’
‘just that beomgyu tweaked your songs before official release and they did better than they had before,’ the words felt like a stab to the heart. ‘but you’re not to blame, i mean you were like seventeen last time you wrote a song for us.’
‘i’m leaving,’ you felt your eyes water and your voice grow weaker. ‘i don’t belong here anymore… obviously.’
walking out of their very nice house was the first of your mistakes. you had just enough money to book a room at a cheap hotel, but not enough for a decently good meal. you ignored the calls from yeonjun and soobin, and sat down on your creaky hotel bed with your laptop to do some research. what you found only seemed to break your heart worse than the initial shock had.
beomgyu had been added over a year ago now. they made an announcement to the public and hundreds of teenage girls gushed over his good looks under their posts. then they released their first hit, a song you had originally written for them. of course, your name was listed in the credits section for participating in the lyrics, but they failed to mention you anywhere else on their social media profiles. they advertised themselves as ‘tomorrow by together’, but shortened it to ‘txt’ in most cases. it was a band of five men, like you had never even existed. their career kicked off very quickly and they began to sell albums in the millions, with their follower count increasing by hundreds of thousands every day. profit came fast, and they all moved out of their family homes to live together in the modern — slightly ugly in your opinion — house you’d visited.
you cried yourself to sleep shortly after, feeling utterly sorry for yourself. it hurt more knowing that your friends had been behind the whole thing, and your lack of credit in their band was nothing when compared with the betrayal.
after a cheap breakfast the next day, you took a cab to your local bus station and found a seat outside the building. there were calls missed and messages left unread on your phone, but you couldn’t bring yourself to respond.
it was humiliating. you’d travelled hours alone to see the boys you had grown up with in hopes that they would happily welcome you back into your hometown. instead, they had started a new life that you weren’t a part of. they’d replaced you, given your songs away and moved into a new place without ever informing you.
with your headphones in and your gaze turned to the floor, you failed to notice the two boys trying to hail your attention.
‘seriously, y/n?’ you heard, as your right earphone was ripped out of your ear. it was yeonjun, you could tell without even lifting your eyes.
‘we should just go,’ beomgyu’s voice chimed in from behind yeonjun. your head snapped up at the sound and you turned your gaze towards yeonjun. ‘you’ve wasted my time.’
‘shut it, beomgyu,’ yeonjun warned. ‘y/n, you can’t leave.’
‘why not?’ you snatched the headphone out of his hands. ‘there’s nothing left for me here.’
‘i’m here,’ he reminded. of course. ‘there’s a spare room for you to stay in for however long you want, and i promise we’re going to make it up to you.’
yeonjun was your everything. or he had been, a long time ago. he was the sweet boy that helped you up after you tripped and fell face first into the park’s wood-chip floor. he was older and taller, and cared for you deeply, and despite his popularity throughout his teenage years, he never let anything get in the way of your friendship. it was yours and his idea to start the band, because you loved music just as much as each other. and when you met kai and taehyun, and he befriended soobin, the band just fell into place.
but when puberty struck, your hormones were an indestructible force that made you fall head-over-heels for him. from the way that he sang so beautifully, to the gentle brush of his fingers against yours as he taught you piano. the gentleness of his lyrics, the sound of his laughter, the late nights you spent giggling over lyrics and stories, the way he would put you before anyone and anything else.
your first heartbreak was the night of his prom, when he took an older, more mature girl to the dance. but you tried not to think of your fizzled-out crush anymore, having had a fair share of lovers during your years at university. yeonjun was clueless, and he’d never done a thing to suggest that your friendship was anything more than platonic.
‘no, thank you,’ you turned to face the space in front of you, your eyes squinting naturally from the sun. ‘i don’t need a pity invite back into your lives again.’
‘you’re being way dramatic,’ beomgyu laughed. ‘you were the one that left and hadn’t returned in over two years now.’
‘this has nothing to do with you, you jerk!’ you spun around as you stood, glaring at the man in front of you. ‘i don’t care that you think my friends’ entire success is based off your little editing skills! you’re barely an artist if you think switching a few words in my lyrics suggests that you have any form of talent. the world would be much better off without your constant, snarky little comments!’
‘y/n, let’s go,’ yeonjun grabbed your arm in the same way he had the day before, at his house. with his free hand, he grabbed the handle of your suitcase and began pulling it along. ‘and please don’t cause a scene.’
‘i’m not going,’ you turned yourself into an anchor, using all of your strength to keep yourself grounded. of course, yeonjun was much stronger than you would ever be and easily dragged you along. ‘seriously, yeonjun, stop! there’s no way i’m going back to that house to make awkward small talk with people that i used to know!’
the room was pretty silent. you could hear soobin chewing beside you, and the clinking of metal spoons against ceramic bowls as everybody ate their lunch. then a chair scraping that caught your attention, and beomgyu was standing. he placed his bowl on the counter and kicked the chair back into place, before heading up the stairs into his room.
‘so… y/n,’ kai began. you directed your gaze towards him, as he was sitting directly in front of you. ‘are you moving back home permanently?’
‘i’m not sure,’ you answered simply. ‘i graduate in a month, and then i need to start looking for a job.’
‘are we invited to your graduation?’ taehyun pressed, your head whipping around to face him. ‘is that why you came?’
‘i only have enough tickets to take one of you,’ you sighed. ‘i came because i missed you guys and i missed being here.’
‘who are you going to take?’ soobin asked, shooting you an innocent look.
‘obviously me,’ yeonjun interrupted. ‘who else?’
‘yeah… sorry guys,’ you cleared your throat. ‘i’ve just known yeonjun longer, so it makes sense.’
‘no hard feelings, y/n,’ kai smiled.
‘okay… can somebody show me to my room?’ you dropped your spoon into the bowl, sick of the tense feeling in the room.
beomgyu had been fiddling with his guitar for the past fifteen minutes, as you sat picking at your fingernails. it was just you and him left behind at the house, whilst the other four boys were off running personal errands. you’d claimed the living space first, as you were waiting on yeonjun — who promised to be back by now to take you out for dinner — and beomgyu just seemed to want to annoy you with his presence.
‘you’re playing that wrong, you know,’ you spoke. ‘it’s supposed to be soft.’
‘lovesong, right?’ he asked, still strumming quietly. yes, technically, that was the song he was referring to — the one you had named ‘0x1=lovesong’ — except he was playing it more intensely and more angry than intended. ‘beautiful lyrics, but the demo was way too sappy and boring to release.’
‘excuse me?’ you scoffed. ‘that was my favourite song i ever wrote, and the last song i ever wrote.’
‘i can see why,’ he was smirking. ‘have you listened to the official release? there’s a music video too.’
‘no, obviously,’ rolling your eyes, you tried not to get upset. ‘what did you do to it?’
‘made it angsty,’ he shrugged. ‘you know, like an angry, heartbroken kind of sound. changed the title too, because yours was a little lame. we were actually going to ask you to be a feature in the chorus, but we went with an already established artist instead.’
‘i don’t even want to know,’ you closed your eyes, swallowing the lump in your throat. ‘i already feel sick from this whole situation, and you’re just going out of your way to make me feel worse. i’m going up to my room.’
‘the spare room,’ beomgyu corrected. ‘it’s not your room.’
‘what is your problem?’ you snapped. ‘is it your life’s mission to make me feel terrible? you came in here, took my place and the fame that i could have had, and i’m getting punished for it? why, because you feel threatened?’
‘because i don’t like you, y/n,’ he stood, placing his guitar on the couch and towering over you as you were still sitting on the opposite couch. ‘as i recall, you rudely asked yeonjun who ‘the fuck’ i was, and then proceeded to call me an asshole simply because i joined your friends’ band.’
right, you did do that. but it was a heat of the moment thing, and you didn’t actually mean anything by it. still, he only proved your point with his behaviour following your meeting.
‘you provoked me,’ you defended. ‘asking if i was a crazed fan and introducing yourself as my replacement.’
‘geez, it was a joke,’ he rolled his eyes as he stepped away from you and into the kitchen. ‘but your reaction said a lot.’
‘and then he had the audacity to tell me that it was my reaction that caused him to be a huge jerk to me,’ you groaned, lifting your wine glass to your lips and taking another sip. yeonjun nodded between chews. ‘seriously, i can’t stand to even be in the same room as him.’
‘you’ve only known each other for a day,’ he interjected after swallowing. ‘you need to give him a chance.’
‘no, thank you,’ you placed the glass down rather loudly. ‘there’s no way in hell that i’ll ever get close to him… it’s just going to be a long month before i never have to share a living space with him ever again.’
‘that’s true,’ yeonjun stated, although you could tell he had more to say from the way that he leaned over the perfectly white table cloth between you. ‘but it’s not like he’s going to up and leave for your sake. he’s our friend — my friend — and he’s a vital part of our band— a great guitarist and he has a very unique voice that leaves the fans swooning, plus—!’
‘’jun, please,’ you held your hand up to stop him. ‘talking about him like a used car you’re selling on the facebook marketplace isn’t going to make me like him more. sure, he can play guitar, but does he even have the capacity to feel sympathy?’
yeonjun just laughed out loud, reaching for his glass as he fell back into the comfort of his chair, and you smiled. you’ve missed him.
an hour later, beomgyu stopped strumming upon hearing the sound of your laughter. as the door swung open into the common area, he caught sight of you holding onto yeonjun’s bicep for support.
‘and then he just got up and left— oh, hey, beomgyu,’ you straightened up, letting go. ‘uh, goodnight, yeonjun.’
‘who got up and left?’ beomgyu inquired.
‘oh, it’s hilarious,’ yeonjun grinned. ‘this guy who y/n dated— basically, she rejected him but he would not give up— what?’
you were not impressed, and yeonjun caught on quickly. he waved his hand in the air as a dismissal and turned towards the stairs, wishing beomgyu a short goodnight. you shot the latter a tight-lipped smile and followed yeonjun upstairs.
‘goodnight, y/n,’ yeonjun spoke, turned back to face you with his hand reaching for the handle. you smiled and watched him disappear behind the door, to which your smile grew wider and you silently screamed into your hands.
you would have been skipping had everyone else been awake, but you held yourself back and opted for walking calmly down the hallway to your bedroom. the sleep you had turned out to be a lot more peaceful than you had expected, being able to rest easy knowing that you were home, and with yeonjun.
masterlist | next
taglist @stellz581 @fairyofshampgyu @woncheecks @shycreationdreamland @wonioml @baekberrie @wayhome2gyu @strawbrinkofdeath
#txt#tomorrow x together#txt x reader#beomgyu#beomgyu angst#beomgyu fluff#beomgyu oneshots#beomgyu au#txt angst#txt fluff#txt oneshots#txt au#choi beomgyu#choi beomgyu angst#choi beomgyu fluff#choi beomgyu oneshots#choi beomgyu au
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storms and confessions
PAIRING jj maybank x fem! reader
SYNOPSIS a storm leads you and jj to confess your feelings
WARNINGS none except bad writing ig.
WORD COUNT 2.3k
TAGLIST
You wake up to the sound of seagulls calling in the distance, a gentle reminder that it's already time to stay up. The room is flooded with soft morning light, casting a warm glow on your surroundings. Slowly you start to sit up, shaking off any remnants of sleep.
You are stretching your limbs and letting out a contented sigh. With one big last yawn, you throw off the covers, ready to begin your day.
You make your way to the window, drawn by the pull of the picturesque view outside. The curtains sway gently in the breeze, revealing a glimpse of the azure ocean stretching endlessly before you. The rhythmic sound of crashing waves lures you closer as if beckoning you to join them.
As you get ready, a smile plays on your lips because you remember that you have a day off from work, which means that you and your friends can spend a relaxing day at the beach without anyone else having to do anything else.
You slip into your favourite swimsuit, the vibrant colours reflecting your vibrant mood. The fabric feels cool against your skin, a promise of relief from the summer heat although it's only 10 am. Lastly, you put on some loose jorts to not be too revealed, ready to embrace the carefree spirit of the beach.
Gathering your beach essentials, you check your bag one last time. Sunscreen, towels, and sunglasses—you're well-prepared for a day of pure relaxation and fun.
You walk out of your room and into the kitchen where your dad sits at the dining table reading the newspaper and listening to the music playing on the radio while your mom is cutting some fruits, standing at the kitchen counter.
“Good morning sweetheart” Your mom is the first to see you. Your dad lifts his head from his newspaper as he hears your mother's words to smile at you.
“Wouldn't have guessed to see you so early today. Don't you have the day off?” He says playfully, turning the page of his newspaper.
“That’s why I’m going to the beach with Kie, john b and the others”
You step closer to the fridge and open it to grab a bottle of water out of it.
“And with the others you mean jj, right?” your mom sighs, holding back her smile.
“I mean, yeah, but Sarah and Pope will probably also be there. So it’s the six of us.”
“Oh, that’s great. Please greet them from me,” she says, "Do you want to take some fruits with you? I just finished cutting some."
You know that you can’t say no to your favorite fruits so of course you say yes to her offer. You kiss her on her cheek as she gives you the container.
“Don’t be too late tonight. You know there will be a storm. If you're staying at Kie’s house overnight, contact us.” your dad warns you with a strict voice. You know that he hates it when you sleep at John B’s or JJ’s so you only respond with a single nod.
With that, you make your way to the door.
Stepping outside, the warm summer air greets you The salty scent of the ocean mingles with the sweet fragrance of nearby flowers, creating an intoxicating blend that fills your senses. You take a deep breath, you begin to walk to the beach.
On your way there, you can already see your friend group standing at your usual meeting place, waiting for you.
The first one you see up close as you walk further in their direction is no one other than JJ Maybank. Your heart skips a beat as you catch his eye. His blond hair is tousled by the wind, his eyes bright with anticipation. You have to admit that he looks extremely hot in his shorts and sunglasses with his surfboard in his hands.
You can finally tear your gaze away from the blonde and turn to your friends grinning.
"Hey, Y/N!" Sarah calls out, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "I can't believe we're finally having our beach day! The weather is perfect!"
“Yeah, just wait some hours and you will be disappointed,” Pope says as he starts to walk, “so come on, that's why we should make good use of the hours”
With laughter and excitement in the air, you all make your way towards the sun-kissed shoreline. The sound of crashing waves grows louder as you approach, and the sight of the vast ocean fills you with a sense of awe. This is where memories are made, where friendships are strengthened, and where moments of pure joy are captured.
As you step onto the warm sand, you kick off your shoes and feel the grains between your toes. The sun's rays gently caress your skin, embracing you in their warmth. The beach stretches out before you, an invitation to adventure and relaxation.
You glance at JJ, his tousled blond hair catching the sunlight. He catches your eye and flashes a playful grin.
“Like what you’re seeing?”
“Only in your dreams, Maybank.”
“There is so much more happening in my dreams.” He says as he wiggles his eyebrows.
You roll your eyes at his words, being already used to them.
“Guys, stop the flirting and help us instead.” john b shouts from his spot a few meters away, struggling with his towels.
So you start to help your friends spread out your beach towels into a comfortable spot on the sand. You spread out your beach towels.
Sarah eagerly sets up a Bluetooth speaker, filling the air with some popular music. The catchy rhythm draws smiles and bobbing heads from your group, infusing the scene with infectious energy. You find yourself tapping your foot along to the beat, the music amplifying your excitement.
JJ, with his surfboard in hand, walks up to you, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Hey there, beach babe. Ready to catch some waves?"
You laugh, giving him a playful shove. "Always ready for your surfing antics, JJ. Just try not to wipe out too spectacularly this time."
He feigns offence, placing a hand over his heart. "Hey, I'm an expert, alright? Watch and learn, Y/N."
With a wink, he dashes towards the water, his surfboard under his arm. You watch as he skillfully glides across the waves.
“Stop staring at him. You look like a creep.” Sarah says as she leans back onto her towel next to Kie.
Your cheeks flush with embarrassment, and you avert your eyes, hoping to conceal your momentary lapse. "I wasn't staring," you stammer, attempting to downplay the situation.
Kie's laughter fills the air. "Oh, please. You practically have hearts in your eyes whenever he's around. It's adorable."
Sarah nudges you playfully. "Well, who can blame you? He's got that undeniable charm and those surfer-boy looks. It's hard not to be drawn to him."
You lean in closer to them, your voice lowered. "I can't help but feel something more, you know? It's driving me crazy."
Sarah's expression softens, her eyes filled with understanding. "Have you thought about talking to him? It might help clarify things."
You sigh a mix of apprehension and longing in your voice. "I've considered it, but what if he doesn't feel the same way? I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Kie places a comforting hand on your arm. "You'll never know unless you try, Y/N. And trust me, JJ is a great guy."
Out of nowhere, JJ approaches you after spending hours riding the waves. He emerges from the water, his hair dripping with saltwater.
"Hey there, beautiful," JJ says, his voice filled with a mix of playfulness and admiration. "Care to join me?"
You raise an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "What are you talking about, Maybank?"
He chuckles, his gaze fixed on you. "Well, how about a spontaneous dip in the water?."
Before you can respond, JJ swoops down, effortlessly lifting you into his arms. You gasp, caught off guard, as your feet leave the ground. Laughter escapes your lips as he carries you towards the rolling waves, your heart pounding with excitement.
The water crashes against your feet as JJ wades further into the sea, his steps are sure and steady. The sensation of his strong arms wrapped around you makes you feel butterflies.
With a playful smile, JJ dips you lower, the cool water swirling around your legs. You let out a delighted squeal, the spray of the waves splashing against your skin.
As he brings you back up, your eyes meet his, the connection between you deepening. But as soon as anything more could happen, JJ lets go of you and you drop with a loud splash into the water
“Asshole. What was that for?”
“Fun. I guess.” JJ shrugs as he starts to splash water in your direction.
“Oh you'll get that back.“
You and JJ had been enjoying a playful moment in the water, laughing and splashing each other as the waves rolled in.
But without warning, dark clouds gather above, masking the once clear blue sky. The wind picks up, sending a chill down your spine. A sense of foreboding fills the air, and you exchange a glance with JJ.
As if on cue, the first raindrops begin to fall, lightly pattering against your skin. You look up, realizing that this is no ordinary summer shower. The rain intensifies, turning into a deluge within moments. The waves grow wilder, crashing against the shore with an unruly force.
"Y/N, we need to get out of the water!" JJ shouts, his voice barely audible above the deafening roar of the storm. He grabs your hand, pulling you towards the shoreline.
Finally, you make it to the shore.
Looking around, you notice your friends, gathering their belongings and casting worried glances at the darkening sky.
Pope, his voice carrying above the roaring wind, calls out to the group, "Guys, we need to get out of here! This storm is no joke!"
John B nods in agreement, quickly gathering his belongings. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not keen on getting struck by lightning today. The chateau is the nearest. We could take cover there."
The wind howls around you, tugging at your clothes and whipping your hair into a frenzy. Rain lashes against your face, making it difficult to see, but the determination in each step keeps you going.
As you reach the path leading to the chateau, lightning illuminates the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The storm is getting closer, urging you to quicken your pace.
Finally, you arrive at the chateau. John B fumbles with the keys, his hands shaking with urgency. The door swings open, welcoming you to safety.
With a collective sigh of relief, you all step onto the sprawling grounds of the chateau. Rainwater drips from your clothes, creating puddles on the cobblestone pathway. Laughter erupts as Kie playfully splashes Pope.
The group chuckles, their spirits lifting despite the rain-soaked clothes. You trail behind JJ, feeling the warmth of his hand in yours as you step into the chateau.
Exhausted from the day's events and seeking respite from the chaos, you and JJ find yourselves together in the only left room. But you couldn’t be more happy about the situation.
As you both lie in bed, the sound of rain tapping against the window creates a soothing lullaby. Contentment washes over you, the warmth of the room and JJ's presence wrapping around you like a blanket.
But amidst the calm, a sudden realization dawns on you. Panic grips your chest as you sit up, startling JJ. "Oh no, JJ! I completely forgot to tell my parents that I’m not home tonight. They'll kill me!"
JJ just laughs at your words. "Hey, hey, don't freak out. They probably will kill me first when they find out that you were with me."
“So we’ll die together, huh? Just like Romeo and Juliet.” You giggle.
JJ's gaze meets yours, his eyes sparkling with a mix of admiration and vulnerability. He takes a deep breath, his voice filled with sincerity. "Did I ever tell you how pretty you are?”
You feel your heart skip a beat, his words washing over you like a gentle caress. A blush creeps onto your cheeks as his hand reaches out, gently tracing the outline of your cheek, his touch both tender and electrifying.
JJ glances at you, a hint of nervousness in his eyes. He clears his throat before speaking, his voice genuine and vulnerable. "Y/N, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. Being with you, especially in moments like this, makes me realize how much you mean to me. You bring so much happiness into my life, and I can't imagine it without you."
Not knowing what to say, you just lean closer to him, your eyes locked in an intense gaze.
At that moment, the world around you fades away.
Slowly, hesitantly, your lips brush against each other's, sending a shiver down your spine. It's a gentle and tender touch, filled with a mix of nervousness and desire.
JJ's hand finds its way to the side of your face with his gentle and firm touch, as he deepens the kiss. The warmth of his lips against yours ignites a fire within, intensifying the sensation and erasing any lingering doubts or fears. As the kiss deepens, time seems to stand still.
Eventually, with a mixture of reluctance and need for air, you both pull away, your foreheads resting against each other. The room fills with soft breaths and the sound of your heartbeats, the shared moment leaving you breathless and wanting more.
JJ's husky voice breaks the silence.”I've been wanting to do that for a while now. So, wanna be my girlfriend?"
Your cheeks begin to blush into a deep red colour. “Of course, JJ.”
Your parents are pretty angry when you come home the next day because you forgot to let them know last night. But you don't care.
#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank#maybank#outer banks#outer banks imagines#outer banks x reader#imagine#xreader#x reader#oneshot#jj x reader
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Paying Bills
FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS
Mike Schmidt X Reader
Mike doesn't like you wanting to help pay his bills and you hear more about Freddy’s from a work friend and that raises a lot of questions
I have no clue how to categorize this so its just staying blank but expect a tiny bit of angst
Mike watched as you put on your Sparky's uniform, tying the apron around your waist. "You don't have to take more shifts for us, you know that right?"
You adjusted your hair before turning to face him. "I know Mikey. I know. It's just.. this is my home too, I should help pay for the house, for the groceries." You pressed a kiss to his head before heading towards the front door. "Hey Abbs! Do you want anything from Sparky's?"
"Can I get a chocolate shake?" Her voice sounded from her room and you looked toward Mike. He shook his head. "Sorry Abbs, next time! Anything else you want?"
“Do you guys still have the spaghetti?” She yelled from the door of her room and you chuckled softly. “I’ll see if we have some at the end of the night! If not, I’ll pick you up some pizza!”
You opened the door and laughed, seeing Ness sitting in his car, waiting for you. “Don’t worry about driving me, Mikey. Ness is here to drive me, guess he had something to do on this side of town.”
You gently closed the door and headed to Ness' car, opening the door and smiling at the man as you slid into the seat. Ness waved to Mike who was watching from the window before checking to make sure you were seat belted before taking off.
"Did you hear about that job councilor that went missing? His car was found outside Freddy's." Ness said as he drove and you sighed, looking at him. Your eyes narrowing at him. "Why are you bringing this up?"
"Well, your boyfriend's last job was there, wasn't it a little suspicious that he and his kid got out of there safe?"
"Ness, Abby isn't his kid and if Mike knew anything that happened to that guy, he would've said something."
"Come on! You gotta be wondering what happened to that officer too! Mike was the one that brought her in!" Ness turned to look at you and you were staring him down, your hands clenched.
"Officer Shelly was hurt in a freak accident and Mike happened to be there. He would never ever hurt anyone, especially people who helped him." Your voice was tense and as soon as the car stopped in Sparky's parking lot, you ripped the seat belt off of you and quickly got out. "If you ever talk about Michael like that again, I assure you that you will have worse things to think about, Ness."
"Okay, if not Mike, then how about Abby? She's questionable too! They had a dead body in their living room!" Ness said, getting out as well, and you snapped. "You talk about that little girl again, Ness, I'll fucking key your car. Keep my family's names out of that mouth."
You stormed off toward the back entrance and had to sit next to the wall, trying to calm yourself. You didn't mean to get so defensive about Freddy's or about Mike and Abby, you just knew how hard it was to think about that night and just what that "job councilor" did to Mike and Abby.
Later that day, you ended up walking home, shoes in one hand and a chocolate pie in the other. You decided that chocolate always makes things better and you needed to give Mike a break from constantly driving you around and wasting gas. You showed up at the Schmidt house and gently opened the door, being quiet as you slid the pie onto the table.
You didn't have time to stop the smile on your face when you saw Mike and Abby curled up on the couch, asleep. You resisted the urge to just stand there and watch them, you turned to put the pie in the fridge, to save it for tomorrow and you sat and took off the apron while you just stared at them. You knew if Ness was already talking about Freddy's others were going to as well and you needed to prepare Mike for that.
You headed for the bathroom, stopping by Mike's room to grab your clothes and you got changed in the bathroom. You had dozens of thoughts in your head, mostly were about random customers throughout the day and some were about those same customers calling you a liar for hiding what truly happened to Vanessa and her father.
A soft knock sounded as you slid your shirt on and gently opened the door to see Mike and a very sleepy Abby on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
You smiled and pressed a kiss to Abby's head before making eye contact with Mike. "Yeah, everything's great! Sparky's was busy today, I think I got coffee in my shoes."
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-Flood me like Atlantic-
Chapter 9
Word count: 2k
Warnings: slight past trauma, cursing, the briefest of allusions to SH again, III is mean but he’s getting softer. I swear.
“Are you really okay?”
His eyes peeled off the keyboard, growing instantly unfocused as she opened the door and stared at him. He sat crossed-legged on the bed, the slats of the window shades casting him in stripes.
“What?” His fingers fidgeted with the loops of a big, prominent white bow stuck on the corner of the instrument. His sleeves fell to his wrists. “Of course I am.”
She stood silently for too long, brows knit. His heart struck up a quicker beat.
“You know, you don’t have to lie to me.” She said. “I want you to talk to me. I’m your mom, for god's sake.”
“I’m fine, I swear.” He said, trying to look assuring. “Just tuning this thing, right now.”
His eyes met the carpet at her feet. She was thinking about it too, he knows. He’d memorized the crimson trail on it, now faded a dark meaningless brown that even his sisters eyes follow sometimes.
Even his sisters.
He swallowed, lashes fluttering. “…I’m gonna take her to the beach.”
“Sure you don’t wanna come?” II’s eyes wander back to him one last time as he stands in the doorway, IV holding it open with a set of keys in his hand. He waits patiently as Vessel shoves his hands in the front of his hoodie, swaying casually on his bare feet. “It’s gonna be a good time, and I know Matt would love to meet ya!” He grins, a laugh in his eyes. “Pretty sure he thinks we’re making you up.”
II has brought his friend Matthew up a couple times now. An old friend from school, now playing drums in his own garage band. The three of them were gonna go bowling today, and of course both II and IV had asked him to come along. But he politely refused. Today is the day he’s gonna take the bandage off of his forehead, and maybe talk to III about the upcoming gig, since he’s still not positive he’s even involved. Though by the end of the conversation he might need a couple new bandaids.
“I guess he’ll have to keep wondering.” Vessel says, a soft smile on his lips. He truly does love the drummer, and he hopes he’s not too disappointed. “I’m not really feeling it today, man. But next time for sure.”
“Well, try and have a nice day around here.” II says, taking a step further out the door and nodding over Vessels shoulder into the house. “You got mister grumpy pants all to yourself, bruv.”
Vessels not sure whether the look II and IV share is sympathetic, amused, or just generally deeper than he understands. But they both have stupid smiles that make him wish he was in the know.
But instead of questions they finally step outside, crunching down the gravel path as he waves them off.
He locks the door behind them.
It’s not what he was expecting.
He holds his bangs up off of his forehead, dropping the cloth into the sink and turning his face slowly in the overhead light.
To be fair, this isn’t the first time he’s taken it off. He’s been showering and waking up to it on the floor beside the sofa, making him wonder just how much he tosses and turns these days. But he always puts it back on before the mirror can beckon him.
There’s something that terrifies him about the whole thing. About the gap in his memories of that night, in which the damn thing must have been carved into him in the first place. The voice in his head feels like it hums from behind the simple scrap of cloth. And the idea of his reflection also being part of the same nightmare in his head would truly prove that, whatever this is, it’s something that won’t leave him.
His shaking fingers graze the raised flesh, following a perfect line that crosses and knits with a few others. He’d say it was a burn, if he didn’t so clearly remember the blood dripping into his eyes. He doesn’t know what it means or what it says, but the meaning is clear;
Mine.
It means that he is owned.
Swiping the hair back into his face, he gives himself a final inspection. You can barely tell it’s there now, and there’s a definite relief at the sight of an otherwise regular bloke in the mirror. With the last few weeks, the dodging his reflection and the ever growing estrangement from his own body, he’d almost forgotten he’s not a monster.
He looks nice.
He almost looks good.
“Alright then,” he says, brushing some lint of his hoodie and picking a dead flake off his lips. “Alright then.”
He treads quietly toward the door at the end of the hallway. There’s not a sound in the house, apart from the faint shuffle of his jeans and a distant flicker that he can’t place. He’s almost scared to breathe wrong, so he really doesn’t at all.
His knuckles rap three quick taps on the door.
His tongue presses the roof of his mouth, mindlessly preparing a “thhh” after he’s met with nothing but silence for a few seconds. But when his weight shifts on the floorboards in what must be the most obnoxious noises known to bassist he hears a quiet “bloody hell” on the other side, followed by a “come in.”
He turns the knob, almost embarrassed by his timidity. Why the fuck is he so nervous? He’s been carried completely naked and unconscious by this guy, he’s been poked and prodded and felt his hot breath on his tear-stained cheeks. he’s been punched in the eye hard enough to floor him and he’s made stupid fucking sounds while quite literally being bathed. So why in god’s name is standing like an 6’4” shadow in the same man’s doorway about the most awkward thing he’s ever been through?
“Um… hello.”
III’s bedroom is about exactly what he expected. On the smaller side, eclectic piles of knickknacks, clothes and colorful decorations all around, not to mention enough incense to knock a person out. There’s a record player spinning lazily by the window, the needle scratching the middle of the vinyl like it’s been forgotten for hours. And on the floor- crossed-legged with his back to the door -is III, hair sprawled all over his head like it hasn’t seen a brush in days.
“What are you doing?” Vessel asks, shoulders getting less tense as he stands curiosity drinking up the sight. He stares at III’s closed eyes in the floor-length mirror.
“Shhh.”
“Meditating?”
“Shhhh.”
“Why would you tell me to come in if it’s a bad time?”
A distressed groan comes out of III and he turns his head, spindly body twisting around to lock him in a glare. “You need something, blud?”
Vessel looks at his feet for a minute, gathering his thoughts. III’s face is bathed in the colors of the several stained glass ornaments in the window, sifting through his long lashes and glowing in his stern eyes. There’s a few candles flickering around the room.
Instead of answering, Vessel decides to just walk in and sit down on the bed. Not something III was expecting, proven as he twists around and straightens fully to eye him. Vessel pulls his feet up onto the bedspread, sitting like an obnoxious cat while still retaining a bit of uncertainty. And it gets just the right reaction out of III.
“I wanted to ask about the gig. II told me one’s coming up and I… was curious about my role.”
III’s eyes are boring into him relentlessly. But again, it feels like a challenge over anything else. Vessel stays put, meeting the stare. A hard swallow tugs on his throat.
“You hoping we’ll let ya sing?”
Vessel’s face flushes, and he can’t help but break the eye contact for a second. He dismisses it by picking at a loose thread in his jeans. “Well I’ve got an extremely flexible schedule. And I’ve been singing with you all, now, for a bit.” He says, offering an awkward sort of smile. “I thought maybe… I was official.”
“Official.” III rolls the word around his mouth, tasting it for a second out of courtesy. But it’s obviously a bit sour. “You think you’re number one all the sudden, blud?”
That’s definitely not what he said. That’s definitely not what he insinuated. God, having a conversation with this man is insufferable. And here he was trying to be polite.
“Well I have been pouring my heart and ass into performing for you guys these last few weeks, crazy to think it wasn’t just for shits and gigs, right?”
III stands up to his full height at that, casting a long shadow down the bed that makes Vessel question his choice of words. “You’ve been fuckin crashing here, you twat.” He bites. “Hiding from the cops on my fuckin sofa and havin fun with a borrowed mic in the meanwhile. You’re welcome, by the fuckin way.” He rests his fist on a sharp hip, throwing a gesture of Vessel’s head. “Looks like you're good as new, now. Ready to go home.”
Oh, hell no. None of that. Vessel’s mouth twists in a scowl, since he’s not sure how else to react to that slew of shit. His throat tightens.
Home.
“First of all, the fun I’ve been having with you guys could of got me enough money by now to call that goddam motel home for another fucking month, if I wasn’t up here singing for the damn squirrels. Second I didn’t ask for any of this shit, I didn’t ask for the fire or these new scars, or any of the things you’ve blamed me for. I’m just fucking tired, man.” The knot in his throat is no idle threat anymore, and he goes quiet, staring up at those deep, frozen eyes. “…Why do you hate me?”
III is silent for a long moment. His lips form a thin line, hair shadowing his features as he bows his head and contemplates something. Most likely, just how he’ll murder him.
He steps closer. And then he fucking shoves him in the chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. He thuds back on the springy mattress, arms falling at his sides and gripping the quilt awkwardly as III towers over him like a goddam predator.
“You’re a bloody good singer.” He says, watching Vessel’s mouth fall open with some short breathes. “The boys like you.”
Each word seems carefully chosen; a gift he only has half a mind to give. The bassist sighs long and hard out his nose.
“You can get up there with us on one fucking condition.” He says. “Cover your fucking face. You might say your innocent, but until I get a whole story and some proof out of your ass, none of us fucking know you. Understand?”
Vessel nods against the bed, something serious in his face now. He doesn’t want to be seen.
“I need a keyboard.” He says, moving on impressively fast from the demand. There’s simply something atrociously fitting about the idea of a mask.
“And there’ll probably be one, too.” III says. “Just make a half decent sound either way.” He moves towards the door now, lifting a weight off of Vessel, who props up on his elbows and watches as he leaves.
“Don’t fuck up.” III says, locking him in one last stare. “Anything.”
He doesn’t have to mention II or IV to make his point. It’s clear as day, and so is Vessel’s resolve to prove that yes, he can be trusted. He can be liked. It doesn’t matter if he’s wearing a mask or not; he wants to be authentic and knowable. Something he’s not sure he’s ever been before.
Besides, the mask will cover up the scar.
It’ll keep the voice inside.
He’s suddenly left alone in the bedroom, unsure of what to do. The record player keeps scratching and the candles keep flickering, and slowly he gets up, wandering to the window. He picks the needle up gingerly, setting it on the rim of the vinyl.
The static is such a familiar sound.
“Clock strikes, upon the hour, and the sun begins to fade…”
#vessel#vessel sleep token#sleep token art#sleep token fanfiction#sleep token iii#art#sleep token#vessel art#sleep token ii#sleep token fanart
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"They don't know her like I do."
2022 Month of Writing: Day 2
Pairing: Remy LeBeau x reader
Prompt:
Word Count: 1,059
Author's Note: please don't steal my work! you can choose to respond to the prompt as well, but don't steal my work
“Not bad, gumbo. Could use some work, but not bad for your first time around.”
Remy smirked, wiping the sweat off his shoulders with his towel.
“I’d say the same to you, mon ami. Considering I was going easy on you.”
Logan raised a brow.
“That right?” Remy simply shrugged, still smirking as he took a drink of water. “Guess we’ll have to go harder next time.”
Remy laughed. The two had just been through a training session in the Danger Room. Both had their own opinions about the other, not entirely positive either, so a sparring session was a great way to let loose some frustration on one another. The Professor had put in the rule of not using power. Logan had grumbled something along the lines of “taking the fun out of things.”
The two gathered their things and left the Danger Room, taking the elevator up to the main floor of the Institute. They didn’t talk, having done enough trash talking for the day during their spar. Logan glanced at Remy when he noticed that they were still walking together.
“Where are you headed?” he questioned.
“I’m meeting y/n in the kitchen,” Remy said. “We agreed on a quick bite after our session.”
Logan hummed, though it sounded a little more like a growl.
They stepped into the kitchen, finding y/n standing at the counter. She glanced over at them and smiled. Remy couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He walked toward her, wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
“How ya doing, cher?” he asked.
“I’m all right.” Her voice was quiet. “I made you a snack.”
She waved her hand and a plate with a sandwich came floating toward them. Remy smiled.
“My favorite. Merci.”
“De rein.”
She pressed a kiss to his cheek. Remy grabbed his plate from the air and the two went to sit down. y/n tended to like the window seat, so while she sat there, Remy pulled a chair close so he was still next to her. They ignored the looks from the others in the kitchen, used to them by now.
Remy reclined slightly in his chair, his hand lightly resting on y/n’s ankle. His fingers mindlessly rubbed against her skin in soothing circles. The contact made y/n smile. She turned her head out the window to look out over the grounds of the Institute.
It was a beautiful day. Just from the window, she could see students at the basketball court and in the gardens. In the distance, Beast was conducting a game of softball with some of the students. It was peaceful. She leaned to the side a little and spotted the school’s pool. She smiled again and looked at Remy.
Sensing her gaze, he looked back at her in question. She nodded outside toward the pool. Remy smiled and nodded back.
“Of course,” he said. “Wanna go get ready? I should put my dishes away.” She raised an eyebrow at him and at the same time, his plate lifted slightly in his hand. He chuckled and kept a firm grip on it. “I’ve got it, cher. You went through the trouble of making me something. Can’t have my girl doing everything for me, it’d make me lazy. Let Remy put it away at least. ”
y/n smiled. She kissed his cheek again. His red eyes followed her form until it was out of the room. He stood up a moment later and went to the sink to clean his plate.
“She just seems too introverted,” he suddenly heard behind him.
“Right? She doesn’t talk. Like ever.”
Remy had almost forgotten that there were others in the kitchen with them. Kitty, Kurt, and Rogue had been sitting at the table, eating their own snack when he had come in.
“I mean, everyone’s a little shy when they get here,” Rogue said.
“But she’s been here for almost two months!” Kitty exclaimed. She never really did a good job of keeping her voice down.
“She’s right. y/n came here the same time Gambit did,” Kurt said, “but it seems like we know pretty much nothing about her!”
Their comments almost made him smile. They were ones he had heard many times before. y/n came off as a very quiet, almost introverted person when it came to other people. But he had the great joy of knowing the real her. Remy found it amusing. The two of them had both heard the comments. At first, it had been frustrating, but after a while, comments like that just tended to bounce off them without care.
Remy put his dish away and walked toward the hall. Several yards down, he found Logan leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He was sure Logan would have gone off to his room after grabbing some food and a drink.
“Everything all right, mon ami?” Remy asked, approaching him.
Logan glanced at Remy for a moment before nodding back toward the kitchen.
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
“Pardon?”
“The comments about y/n.”
Remy shrugged.
“It’s nothing we haven’t heard before.” Logan looked at him in confusion. Remy motioned for Logan to walk with him so they could head upstairs. “I’ve known y/n for a long time. They don’t know her like I do.”
“What do you mean?”
“It takes a little bit of time before she gets used to and trusts people. Took her a while to get comfortable around me, but she came around. With so many new people and a new place, she’s taking a little while to adjust.” He smiled, coming to a stop in front of his door. “In other words, I know that she doesn’t shut up.”
The door then opened and y/n stood on the other side, wearing a pretty coverup that Remy had bought her last summer. She had a wide smile on her face.
“Come on!” she said. Remy almost laughed at Logan’s surprised expression. The man had likely never heard her sound that excited before. It was then that she noticed that Logan was standing there. “Oh, hi Logan!”
Remy did laugh at that - Logan looked surprised.
“If you’ll excuse me, my clawed friend, I believe I owe my girl a swim.”
#month of writing#writing prompt#remy lebeau#remy Lebeau x reader#gambit#gambit x reader#x-men#xmen#x reader
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Snow Day (Carlos de Vil x Silvermist Daughter) *Christmas Special* 🎄
'Can I request a Carlos descendants holiday fic with friends to lovers/everybody knows but them tropes? But the reader is an AK, adopted daughter of Silvermist.’ Here we go!
“No! Cut it out, Elvin!” I shout as I sprint through the icy wind. “You know I don’t like the cold!”
The white-blonde boy behind me jumps up to lean off a lamppost. “What’s the matter? Too afraid to have fun?”
I give an annoyed huff and hug my cape around me tighter. “Just because you’re the son of Jack Frost doesn’t mean you have to make my life a living nightmare with your pranks! Now for the last time, leave me alone!”
In a final effort I let out a water blast that sends Elvin flying into a snowbank, then dash down the street to hide inside Miss Muffet’s Bakery.
“Oh- Sylvia! Hi! What’s going on-?!”
In my haste I almost run into a familiar face, though this is one face I am always excited to see!
“Shh!” I hold up a hand to silence Carlos. “I’m hiding!”
His eyes widen. “Oh!” He joins me behind the cookie display. “May I ask from whom?” Carlos whispers back.
“Ugh. It’s Elvin Frost. Son of Elsa and Jack Frost, and an icy pain in my side. He’s visiting from Arendelle, and has become the reason why I hate snow days.”
“Hate snow days?” Carlos laughs. “How could anyone hate snow days? I mean, look around!” He gestures to the billowing snow swirling around the window. “It’s so- so…”
“Magical?”
“Exactly!”
Ever since Carlos came to Auradon last summer, I’ve always been fond of his childlike energy. Not many kids in Auradon appreciate the little things like he does, so it goes without saying that we’d become friends. Mom’s always so busy controlling the water elements she didn’t have time to look after me, so she sent me to be adopted by Jack Beanstalk. But like Carlos, I’ve learned to enjoy other things. However, snow isn’t one of them.
“My wings can’t stand the bitter cold. If I stay outside too long, they freeze and wither away. It also doesn’t help that my water powers freeze in the winter. Water and cold do not mix well for me.”
Carlos’ face falls. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that.”
I wave it off. “It’s alright.”
“It’s just that… we didn’t get snow on the Isle.”
That’s why he loves the snow. I can’t be mad at him for that. How could he have known anyway? It’s his first Christmas in Auradon, so he wouldn’t know.
“I guess if you’ve never seen it, snow can be very magical,” I attempt a cheerful smile. “I’m glad you enjoy it! You should go play outside.”
Carlos still isn’t convinced. “But it’s not as fun if you’re not there, Sylvia. Would you maybe wanna stay here for a hot chocolate?”
My spirits lift and my wings start fluttering. “That sounds wonderful! I’d love to!”
“Great! Um- maybe we could sit down instead of hiding behind the counter?”
I nod eagerly and start flying to a nearby table, too excited to remember not to use my wings indoors.
“Oh- right.” I flutter down, and my height difference shows. Since I’m the descendant of a fairy, I’ve been short my whole life.
“That never gets old,” Carlos comments with a grin.
I tilt my head in confusion. “What?”
“Your wings. I think they’re beautiful.”
His kind words send us both into blushing messes, so I try to change the subject.
"Where's Dude?"
Carlos chuckles. "He hates the cold, so he's currently sleeping in front of the fire in my dorm."
By now a waitress shows up to take our order.
“What’ll it be, hon?”
I don’t miss a beat. “A large old-fashioned hot chocolate extreme with peppermint dust, whipped cream, and marshmallows, please!”
Carlos’ jaw drops.
I roll my eyes. “It’s my favorite holiday drink, I don’t care if it gives me a heart attack.”
“It sounds fantastic! I’ll have one too!” He smiles at the waitress, who just nods and walks off.
This snow day just got so much better!
Evie’s POV
“We’ve got to get them together!” I huff as I pace the dorm room.
“But they are together,” Jay states bluntly. “Haven’t you seen them around?”
I roll my eyes. “I mean, they need to know that they love each other, right? It’s like they’re completely oblivious to it!”
Jay lazily gets up from the couch and walks over to the window. “I wouldn’t say they look too upset.”
“What?”
I dash over and peer through the frosted glass to see Carlos and Sylvia walking hand-in-hand through the snow, each holding to-go mugs.
“Oh my God. Are they on a… date?”
Jay shrugs. “Guess we don’t gotta step in after all.”
I’m still unconvinced. “No, no. It’s been going on like this for months! They look happy hanging out together, but won’t confess their feelings! Come on!” I grab Jay’s sleeve and start dragging him out the door. “I want to see this for myself!”
Sylvia’s POV
Ok, if all snow days involve drinking hot chocolate with Carlos then I want one every day!
“What’s been your favorite snow activity?” I ask Carlos, who keeps looking at the snow outside as if we’re in a real-life snow globe.
“Definitely making snowmen. Or snowball fights! Wait- have you ever ice skated?”
I let out a carefree laugh as I sip my cocoa. “Yes, it comes very naturally when I can control water.”
“What’s your favorite snow activity?”
I come to a stop in the flurrying snow, remembering how much I used to love winter as a kid.
“I… I liked making snow angels,” I whisper.
Carlos gets an unreadable expression. “Why don’t you now?”
I shake my head and gesture to the frozen ground. “I don’t like risking direct snow contact with my wings. Plus, all the snow that melts under me begins to freeze to my cape.”
The freckled VK looks distant for a second, then seems to get an idea.
“Wait a sec!” He quickly slides off his own coat and lays it on the fluffy snow. “Now you have a double cover!”
I smile sadly at his thoughtful gesture. “Carlos, that’s really sweet. But I’m not sure-”
“Come on, it’ll only be for a second!” Carlos takes my hand and pulls me closer. “We’ll head straight back indoors, I promise.”
I must admit, Carlos’ pleading eyes combined with the sparkling snow is all too taunting to pass up despite my usual refusals.
With a deep breath, I hug my cape tighter around me and turn around to gently lie down on the soft blanket of snow. The cooler surface is refreshing, flooding my mind with childhood memories. Slowly, I bring my arms out to form the angel, and when I do I feel Carlos lay down beside me.
“Are you having fun?” He asks sincerely.
“Yes,” I answer in a relaxed tone, then seem to rethink something. “Carlos… Do you like spending time with me?”
Carlos doesn’t take more than 2 seconds to respond. “Of course! You’re always so full of fun ideas, and having a water balloon fight with you is one of the best things ever!”
I nod. “Does that mean… you enjoy my company? You like… me?”
By now we’ve both realized where this conversation might be going, but thankfully Carlos doesn’t seem weirded out by it and doesn’t slide away.
“Ok, don’t water-blast me for this,” Carlos takes a deep breath. “Would you be mad if I said I did like you? Maybe… as more than a friend?”
Is this what I think it is?
“So is this a date?” I stand up and my wings start getting excited, threatening to shake loose from my cape. “Oh no- I can’t be out too long!”
Carlos sees my panicked face and stands up with me to dust the snow off my cape. Then out of nowhere, he sweeps me up bridal-style and rushes me across the grounds to the dorm building entrance. We don’t speak, there’s no need to. I trust him not to drop me. Through speaking with actions Carlos shows me just how much he cares, and it sends my spirits soaring. I don’t know if it’s the sugar in the hot chocolate or my dilated emotions, but my heart’s racing like a rabbit!
When we get inside and the warmth engulfs my wings again, Carlos gently lets me down.
“I supposed I did mean for this to be a date,” Carlos admits. “I’m sorry you got too cold.”
For some reason my stubborn eyes can’t leave his cute face. “It’s my fault, I got too excited. I just wish I could stand the cold longer so I could enjoy it with you,” I say in a sad tone.
“I’d keep you warm.” Carlos leans in closer and wraps his arms around me, firm enough to show his affection but not too tight to damage my wings.
Using what courage I can muster, I turn my head up. “I know you will.” And with that, I press a soft kiss to his cheek.
Carlos’ face goes as red as a cherry, and immediately I regret being so bold.
“I’m sorry! God, I’m so bad at this- I just messed everything up- and now you’re mad-!”
Carlos cuts me off by leaning in to kiss my lips and my eyes close on instinct. If it weren’t for my wings going into hummingbird mode, this would be a really tender moment.
When we break apart to breathe, I hear Carlos let out a surprised gasp.
“Sylvia, um… As much as I love your wings, would you mind letting me down?” He jokes.
My eyes pop open and I look down to find that my wings have lifted us up a good 5 feet in the air.
“Oh! Right. Sorry about that,” I gush as I lower us down, with Carlos still hugging me to him.
“Does this mean we can have more snow dates?” I ask in a timid voice.
Carlos grins. “That sounds fun! I think I just found my new favorite snow activity!”
I mirror his happiness with my own smile and grip his hand. “I think we’ve had enough snow for today, so how about watching a Christmas movie?”
“Perfect!”
Carlos starts leading me back to his dorm, and when we pass by Evie and Jay in the hallway I swear I hear Evie mutter “It’s about time.”
God, I love snow days!
@laylasshiftingtonight
#carlos descendants#carlos de vil x reader#descendants carlos#mal descendants#evie descendants#jay descendants#ben descendants#disney descendants#descendants#descendants x reader#carlos x reader#snow day#christmas time
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High Life
Chapter 4
Cleo collapses onto the velvet chaise couch. It is a shade of red; burgundy, they assume. "So why exactly did you lie to me back there?" Asks Ren. "L- Lie?! What are you on about?" "Cleo, I'm a dog hybrid, remember? I can tell that you're lying by your scent" "Oh... Right. Well yes. I did lie. You see, Pearl nearly punched me because I stopped her forcing Gem to dance, since it was making her uncomfortable" They admit. "I see... An enemy on the first day, huh?" He chuckles. "Yeah... Looks like we are" the atmosphere grows quiet as the only sound that can be needed is the crackle of the nearby fire. "You got a fireplace?!" Ren looks up. "You dont?" "No I don't! I didn't even notice until now!" "You literally watched me light it!" "Did I?" "Yes!" The two look at each other before laughing.
"I'm such an idiot" she chuckles as Ren grins, tail wagging. They sigh, looking out of the window. The city was lit up and it looked mesmerising. "Hey, fancy staying the night?" He offers the zombie. "Sure. I'd like the company" Cleo undid her bun, letting their hair flow down their back. Ren gets up and bids Cleo a goodnight before heading to the suite. She sighs, taking off her tie, coat and shoes. They walk over and draw the curtains close before grabbing a blanket off the side of the couch and lying down. Even though, they don't need to sleep, it's sometimes quite nice and it relaxed her. They shut their eyes and the room was filled with crackles from the fire and Ren's snoring, which didn't bother Cleo.
Outside, Scar, Grian, Skizz, Pearl, Gem and Scott bid their goodbyes to Martyn and start heading to their penthouses. "Hey" "What?" "Is the moon big?" "......... That's it. I'm going to bed" "Wait Grian!" Calls out Scar. "Nope. We're not doing this again, goodnight Scar!" Grian begins to walk faster. Huffing with annoyance, Scar goes after him, limping closer to the avian. "Grian!" "No. Go away, Scar. I'm heading to bed" "But Grian-" "What?!" He turns, puffing out his chest and flapping his wings. "But doesn't it look slightly bigger?" Grian gives up and looks. "It's the same, Scar. This isn't season 8 okay? Now, goodnight" The parrot hybrid opens his wings and takes off into the night sky. Scar watches as he gets smaller and smaller. "Welp. Worth a shot. Night guys!" Scar waves goodnight to the other and heads to his penthouse as the sound of his came clicking gets quieter and quieter. "Does anyone know what that was about?" Asks Scott, breaking the silence. "I don't fancy talking about it. Night!" Replies Pearl, walking away. "Night guys. I'll talk about it with you tomorrow Scott, okay?" "Yeah that's fine, Gem. You okay though?" Gem hugs herself.
"I'm okay Scott. Anyways night you two!" She smiles and waves. Skizz and Scott stood in awkward silence for a bit as they watch Gem leave. "So" "So..." The two look at each other. "Would you like me to walk you home?" Skizz offers. "Sure... I guess" The two start walking, the air around them getting thicker due to how uncomfortable this all was. "Are you sure that you're okay, Scott?" "Not this again" "I- It's just that earlier I-" Scott rolls his eyes and kisses Skizz. The angel was taken aback, but returns the kiss. "Everything's fine, okay. You've got nothing to worry about" Scott says softly, after breaking the kiss. "Promise?" "I promise" Skizz smiles at Scott, brushing a strand of hair out of his boyfriends face. The two continue walking in less awkward silence as Scott stopped outside a building. "Night Skizz" "Night. I love you" Scott 's eyes widen slightly. "I love you too, Skizz" He heads inside. Despite saying "I love you" back, Skizz couldn't help but feeling that Scott didn't mean it.
Back at Ren's penthouse, Cleo shifts on the couch, turning to their side. Ren also moves as a figure appears at the window. They slowly open it and climb in. They stand over Ren as he senses that someone's watching him. He opens his eyes and gasps as a gunshot rings out. Cleo jumps with a start, fully awake. "Ren?! REN!" Loud clatters come from Ren's room as a couple more gunshots could be heard. The suite door bursts open as Ren runs over to Cleo. "Cleo, I need you to leave now" "Ren-" "There's no time! Please go" The cloaked figure picks up a lamp and launches it at the two. Ren grabs it before it hits them and throws it back. It misses, hitting and breaking against the wall behind the figure. Cleo scrambles and grabs her stuff, places it into their inventory, before heading to the doorway. The figure noticed and blocks the exit. Cleo frowns before punching them but they grab a hold of their hand. She uses her free hand to pull down the hood. They gasps as Doc glares.
"Get off her! They're not a part of this and you know it!" Ren and Doc start to fight each other as Cleo can only watch in shock. Doc grabs his gun again, aiming at Ren but the dog hybrid, grabs a hold it and throws it aside. Doc shoves Ren and he smirks, watching him tumble back and off the couch. Ren stares at the fire before grabbing a log. He gets up quickly and used it as a weapon. Doc grabs a hold of it with his metal arm before throwing them both onto the couch. "You know I have to do this" "But why now?" "It's better to get this over and done with" They wrestle and the burning log falls from Doc's grasp and onto the couch as the two roll off and hit the floor. It's immediately engulfed in flames. "My couch!" Ren received a punch to the face and he shoved Doc off, scrambling over to Cleo. He's down to five hearts as the fire starts to spread. Doc's eye widens as he turns and jumps out of the window. "We need to leave!" The two run to the bubble elevator and head down. Soon enough, the top of the building is fully on fire as they make it out safely.
Helicopter blades are soon heard as Grian flies it over the building, dropping a large amount of water over it. He knew that adding a fire station would be not only realistic, but also handy. It flies away as both Ren and Cleo hold on to each other. "What was that about?!" "Ren! Cleo!" They turn to see everyone running towards them. "What happened?" "Doc" says Ren. Bdubs frowns. He understood the situation. Cleo hugs Scott. Their shaken figure holds him close. "You want to stay at mine?" "Bdubs, it won't be safe-" "But it would be better. Plus it will make planning a whole lot easier" Ren sighs and nods before making his way over to Cleo. "Hey" She hugs him. "It's okay now. Go home or stay with Scott" "What about you?" "Bdubs has offered me a couch to sleep on" They smile and takes Scott's hand and head home. The others soon leave, talking about what just happened. "Ready to go?" Ren looks at his building. Smoke fills the sky as the whole penthouse was burnt down. "Yeah. I'm ready" As the two walk, Ren pulls out his book and looks over his backstory.
"You and Bdubs are hitmen, hired to kill Doc and Etho by an unknown player. You four have been going back and forth, neither of you have succeeded in taking them out.
Your motive? Kill either Doc or Etho"
/////////////
A longer one but I definitely had fun writing this! Doc & Etho have the same task as Ren & Bdubs but they have to kill the other two. A slight Scott/Skizz cute moment! Also ship name ideas are welcome cause I got nothing
Also link to my pinned post if you want to read the ao3 version or the first part of you see this first!
#grian#trafficblr#scott smajor#mr goodtimes#you are not immune to the goodtimes#3rd life#double life#limited life#secret life smp#rendog#zombiecleo#geminitay#pearlescentmoon#skizzleman#angel skizzleman#docm77#bdubbleo100#bdubs#High Life
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[CHAPTER ONE]
[DATE] December 22nd, 2022
[TIME] 1:37 PM
The sunshine poured in through the windows, creating a bright and warm atmosphere within the classroom. However, as the snow fell softly outside, with its crisp and cool demeanor, it made an effort to compete with the sunshine. The two combined, creating a stunning display of light and beauty within the walls of SouthPark community high school.
The day before winter break had come, and the whole school was buzzing with excitement. The promise of two full weeks of relaxation, family, and presents couldn't get any better. You had a plan to spend the break mostly with your boyfriend, Stan Marsh, as it was your first Christmas together. The idea of spending time with him and enjoying the holiday festivities filled you with excitement.
However, you were currently stuck in 6th period, trying to keep yourself occupied by scrolling through your phone. Suddenly, you heard a knock on the classroom door window, and you looked up to see Stan and Kyle standing outside. Stan was waving excitedly, and Kyle gave you a warm smile.
"Excuse me, can I go to the bathroom?" you quickly asked your teacher, not wanting any more delays. "Be quick L/n," she sighed as she went back to grading tests.
You rushed outside, feeling exhilarated as you approached the two. Stan grabbed your hand as soon as you stepped outside, and Kyle gave you a playful nudge as the three of you made your way towards an empty classroom. The chilly hallway air hit you, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin, but Stan's warm presence provided comfort.
As you walked down the hallway with Stan and Kyle, you couldn't help but feel a sense of euphoria at the thought of the impending Christmas break.
Kyle opens the door to a nearby empty classroom and Stan ushers you in from behind. Confusion is evident on your face as you watch the two teens sit on top of some desks. Doing a quick glance around at the room before staring back at the two of them, you ask “Okay..what are we doing here?”
Stan sighs and motions for you to sit at a desk in front of them, as you do so he begins to speak.
“Tolkien asked the two of us earlier during our 3rd period if we wanted to head to his lodge for winter break again,” Stan plays with his hand unsure of how to continue, “We both told him we were, you know.. fine with it but it’s just a bit awkward, at least to the two of us.” Stan says as he motions to himself and Kyle.
“Right,” You nod, “so what does that have to do with me in this class room with the two of you right now?”
“We just wanted to know your thoughts, you know, how you’re doing and.. If you’re comfortable going when Tolkien comes to ask you.” Kyle explains.
“Okay, we don’t know if Tolkien’s even going to ask me again, I mean the prank we pulled.. And then you know..the fact Tolkien and Nichole were dating.. It’s just..” You trail off, frowning, “He might not even ask me!”
“No, no he will.” Stan responds and Kyle heaves a heavy sigh from beside him, “We overheard him talking about it with Bebe in the hallway. Our guess is he’s inviting everyone again.”
You feel your blood freeze, not out of fear, but just out of worry. It had been a while since you all fully hung out as a full time group, ever since..the prank and the disappearances of Butters and Nichole none of you kept in touch with one another fully, you weren’t even too sure you had seen Tolkien talk to anyone from the iffy friend group anymore anyhow.
You, yourself had drifted a bit from Wendy and Bebe since, what you dubbed “the event” had happened, finding it somewhat hard to be near them since the prank that essentially was their idea, had caused the whole mess. Wendy and you drifted even further apart after you got together with Stan, her ex, a few months earlier. Wendy and Stan had broken up not even two weeks after the disappearances and ever since getting together with him, you felt Wendy’s constant stares on your back.
Aside from those two, you continued to think about your relationships with everyone else; Eric was someone you never talked to too much anyways so aside from the random one off conversations or brief texts, you hadn’t kept that much contact with him before the event so nothing really changed between the two of you.
Kenny was still fun to be around, he often joined you and some of your other friends at lunch just to chat. Kenny was often around you because you were dating Stan, but you had heard he recently started dating Bebe and you had hoped that maybe through Kenny you could at least try to reconcile some of your relationship with her.
Kyle was considerably one of your closest friends, you were dating his best friend after all and naturally the two of you should get along, and you did, much to Stan’s excitement. Aside from Stan, Kyle was someone you often went to for support during the whole figuring out how to move on, or if you even can move on, because of last year, he often gave you words of advice and you knew that talking about it helped him out too.
Stan was your boyfriend, obviously, and the two of you were extremely close. Part of you thinks (and jokes) it’s because of the trauma, but you know it runs deeper than that. He’s been your best friend and best boyfriend ever since getting together with him and you know he’d do anything for you. You couldn’t be any happier that you and him are together.
Lastly, Tolkien. Tolkien had withdrawn from most of the group ever since that day and you really couldn’t blame him. He was Nichole’s boyf– ex-boyfriend. He still kept small contact with everyone, he did let everyone know that he didn’t exactly blame them for the events that took place but it was sort of implied, you can’t hold it against him though, it was your guys fault that Nichole and Butters are missing.
[YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUSES HAS BEEN UPDATED]
“So I guess that means he's going to contact me soon then? School is almost done.” Just as you had finished uttering the sentence out, the class room door opens, startling the three of you and causing Stan and Kyle to jump off the desks immediately and you to jump up.
Turning your heads to the door you see Tolkien peek his head through, eyes widening as he sees the three of you standing in the middle of the room. You watch realization dawn on his face as he walks into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.
“Y/n! I was just about to text you to meet me here actually, I was going to ask if you’d like to join me along with everyone else, on heading back to my family’s lodge again this winter break? After Christmas and Hanukkah,” Tolkien makes a small nod at Kyle as he says that, Kyle doing a small nod of his own back, “Everyone else has all agreed for the most part, Cartman whined and bitched about it so I have actually no clue if he’s showing up.”
You found yourself in an uncomfortable situation, you looked between your boyfriend and his best friend. As you made eye contact with them, you felt a pang of anxiety in the pit of your stomach. You weren't sure what they were thinking.
In response to their shrugs, you tried to keep things light and casual. You clasped your hands together and placed them on the desk, trying to exude a sense of calm confidence as you looked back at the boy. "Uh sure!" you said, hoping your voice sounded more certain than you felt. "What's the worst that can happen?"
Tolkien responded with a smile that was even brighter than yours. You relaxed slightly, realizing that maybe you were overthinking things. "Great," he said. "I think you're going to love this."
And with that, he launched into an elaborate story about a new adventure he was planning, complete with detailed descriptions of exotic locations. As he spoke, you found yourself getting more and more excited, forgetting all about your earlier discomfort. You missed this.
You missed the feeling of your friends.
[RELATIONSHIP LOG ; Y/N'S POV]
STAN: Boyfriend ; extremely close - 100/100 Trust
KYLE: Best friend ; extremely close - 98/100 Trust
KENNY: Friends ; very close - 86/100 Trust
BEBE: Somewhat friends ; somewhat close - 62/100 Trust
WENDY: Awkward friends ; not too close - 46/100 Trust
TOLKIEN: Awkward friends ; not too close - 58/100 Trust
ERIC: Acknowledged ; not close at all - 34/100 Trust
#wasted affairs series#stan marsh x reader#stan marsh#south park x reader#south park fanfiction#south park#stan marsh x y/n#stan marsh x you
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But I Do
Richie Tozier x Fem! Denbrough! Reader
Song Fic -Begin Again (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift
Sequel to Just Between Us
CW: Alchol/drinking mention, Bitter ex boyfriend, Siblings arguing, Richie and Bill arguing, small age gap, fluff, language, s*x jokes but not smut, he might be a little ooc but they are baby
Word Count: 8.3K
Turn the lock and put my headphones on
He always said he didn't get this song
(Y/n)'s headphones were tight on her head from the moment she left her house. Of course she knew that baseball season had to start eventually but that didn't mean she was ready to be there. The girl loved her older brother, if she were to be completely honest with you he was her favorite sibling. But that didn't mean she was happy to watch er ex play his new girl cheering him on from the stands. His jersey number painted on her cheek where (Y/n) wished it was on hers. She was over him, at least she thought so, but the bitter knowledge that she was never going to be what he truly wanted still sat on her mind. Bill knew that too, offering her an out that she was honestly grateful for, but she felt too guilty taking it. So there she was listening to a mixtape that Angel had made for her as a birthday present. Her radio favorites playing over her ears to distract her from the way the crowd cheered them on, but eve then, the tape had it's own reminders.
She pulls them off for the first time since her arrival as she neared the concessions stand. Ordering a sprite which was promptly placed into her hand, bottle dripping from the cooler, as she handed them the cash for it. She stopped at the other window, grabbing napkins to dry the bottle and her own hands. And before she could the task finished to return to the bubble her headphones provided, she heard her name being called. She thought she imagined it at first before the second call. Turning on her heel to see none other than Richie Tozier who was holding a bright red can and giving her that smile she'd known her whole life. They hadn't talked since before her birthday, and hadn't seen each other since the day of it, though they all knew the day hadn't gone to plan. That was three months ago at this point, and sure she'd wave if the losers were near by, but outside of Bev and Mike, (Y/n) made sure to stay clear of Bill's friends. Maybe it was cruel but she could find it in her to blame Richie and Eddie for her birthday drama, even if Richie did attempt to apologize. But it somehow made her feel better to blame them just as much as she blamed Stan. It should be all on Stanley, she knew that, but to have someone to blame made her feel better.
"Richie, hey," she forces the smile, knowing he was too close to her for her to get out of this. "God, Denbrough, where have you been? I haven't seen you in forever," he wraps an arm around her and she can't stop herself from leaning into his touch. It's not like Richie was ever as close to her as Stan used to be, but she'd be a liar if she said that Richie didn't feel safe. It made that guilt of ignoring him bubble to the surface. He was a forgetful guy, maybe he just genuinely forgot her sixteenth. And he came over to apologize on her actual birthday, spending damn near the whole day with her, that's something Stan couldn't say. Maybe she could recognize that she was the bad guy there. Or maybe se was blinded by home much she'd missed the smell of his cologne and the way he ruffled her hair as he walked past her. She couldn't tell you which it was if she tried.
"Yeah, yeah, it's been a while. I was just trying to give the losers space I guess, you know after everything. I just didn't want to strain the group anymore than I already did." He scoffs shaking his head, "You didn't strain it, Stan did. You here alone or did you finally drag Angel to a game?" She shakes her head, nervously sipping her drink before she could respond. "Neither, I'm here with Georgie and our parents. Gotta cheer Bill on, you know." He nods, arm still around her shoulder as if she'd float away when he moved, "Well, then I think you should come join the club. We do miss you, Dollface, you have to know that somewhere in that stone little heart of yours." She ignores the nickname, nodding softly as she closes the bottle she's holding, "Yeah, I need to go ask my parents though, they've been weird about things since, well you know."
He didn't leave the younger girl's side as they made their way to the bleachers where her parents were sitting. Not even allowing his arm to fall from her as they made their way up the bleachers. And (Y/n) may have forgotten that he did it but her parents sure noticed it. "Hey, Richie asked if I could join him and Bill's other friends. Is that okay?" They both caught it as Mrs. Denbrough looked past the duo to nervously eye the field. "Please Mrs. Denbrough, your son has been hiding her from us for months and Eddie and I are really starting to miss her." (Y/n) catches out of the corner of her eye how Richie bats his lashes, earning him an elbow to the ribs. "Well I don't know," she starts, looking over the way that yet another of her son's friends was hanging onto her daughter. "Please Ma'am? Don't tell Bill but we kinda like her more than him." She opens her mouth to respond and (Y/n) can almost feel herself deflate as she waits for the no to escape her mom's lips. She didn't realize how much she missed the losers until she realized that ignoring them may not be her choice anymore.
"Mommy," Georgie cuts in, once again attempting to be his sister's saving grace, "He's on the field with Bill, let her go see Bev and Richie." The older woman sighs, looking up to Richie, "Beverly is there?" "Yes Ma'am," he doesn't miss a beat, obviously looking more hopeful. "Then you can go, but stay with Beverly." She didn't expect to smile so wide as she turned to look at Richie whose face just mimicked hers. "Let's go, Denbrough!" She laughs, calling a "thank you" to her mom and mouthing one to her little brother. Who both send her a smile in response as they watch her make her way down the bleachers, Richie now trailing closely behind. "So, Dollface," his voice picks back up as they walk away from her family, "There's no ignoring me now. So how have you been?" She shakes her head, "The real question is, why were you just flirting with my mom? Stan with me, Bev with Bill, you with my mom? You're all trying to get in with the Denbroughs huh? Is there a bet I wasn't told about?" He rolls his eyes, bothered by the way she doges the question, "Oh of course. Eds though, he's going for your dad, you better hide him." "I'll keep that in mind," she giggles, starting up the bleachers where she could see the familiar look of Bev and Mike.
"I'm serious, (Y/n), how are you?" Her lip finds it's way between her lips stopping momentarily as his arm finds it's way back around her. "I'm getting better, I think I'm finding my old self again." He smiles, reaching over to ruffle her hair, "Good, because I missed you." She smiles up at him, nearly to the top of the bleachers, "I missed you too, Tozier." "Of course you did, I'm obviously your favorite loser." "Well," she drags it out, "You're definitely a loser. My favorite though? That's Bev without a doubt. You're second out of my brother's friends though." "Second? You met me before Bev." "Yeah, and I met Eddie first, what's your point?" "Well duh Eddie isn't your favorite, but why is Bev the favorite?" "She never cut my hair while I was sleeping," the girl shrugs, going ahead as she catches Bev's attention. "That was one time twelve years ago, let it go!"
"What was twelve years ago-Oh my God, (Y/n)! I didn't know you were here," Mike is out of his seat to hug her before she can even reach the redhead she was walking to. "I wouldn't miss one of Bill's games." Bev pulls her away from Mike and down into a seat beside her before the boy can respond. "Yeah she is, and she was telling me about how Bev is her favorite because you never cut her hair when she was four." Bev's nose scrunches up, "Who cut your hair when you were four?" She just a thumb in Richie's direction as he steals the last seat beside her.
"Richie! And then he tried to blame it on me, can you believe that?" Eddie huffs, patting the younger girl's knee as a silent hello. "So you've always been you, huh Trashmouth?" "I think it's what makes him so comforting," (Y/n) laughs over to Bev. Letting a smile settle on her face as the senior rested her head on her shoulder. The girl barely felt the way her headphones slipped off her neck as Richie put them on. He pulls them around his own neck as he turns to her. "I love this song, I didn't realize you even knew James Taylor." She turns to him, hearing the chorus of "Her Town Too" playing softly from around Richie's neck. "Yeah, Dad got me into him. I love that song. It's just, relatable I guess." He nods, "Yeah, it's sorta comforting. I don't know, I know it's not meant for me, but," his words die off, looking into her eyes, the way the sparkled at his words. "Yeah, but I think if you can find comfort in it that's what matters. Art comforts the disturbed or whatever it is that Wiggins is always saying." She bites her lip, not that she notices. Too caught up in the differences between the two best friends that she would have never noticed. Stan hated that song, he said he just didn't get it. It got turned off every time it came on. Not Richie though, he was slipping it back over his ears with a soft wink, turning up the volume.
And unknown to her, he noticed the way she bit her lip as if she feared she'd said something wrong. But then again he noticed a lot of things that she'd never know. Like the way she'd completely ignore the existence of the losers club if Stan was there, but if he wasn't she'd wave to them on her walk to the stairs. Or how she bought a new record every paycheck even though most people were into cassettes or CDs now. It was always at the music store he worked at, the only one in Derry, and she'd pretend she didn't see him, even if he knew she did. God was he glad she didn't do that this time. Richie missed her, with every fiber in his being he missed the presence of the girl. He knew he'd never fully get over the guilt of missing her sweet sixteen. But she was there now, and he could thank himself for that.
Soon enough he was slipping one ear out of her headphones, and the three got lost in their own conversation. Richie and Bev seeming to make it their mission to keep (Y/n) laughing, and she had to be honest, she couldn't remember the last time shed laughed that hard. They didn't even realize the game was over until Bill and Stan were standing over them. He felt bad, knowing he'd have to end the conversation. When was the last time he saw his sister seem this care free and happy? And with his friends no less.
Luckily he didn't have to though, (Y/n) seeming to sense him standing there. "Billy! Hey look who found me," she smiles, leaning over onto Richie as she takes her headphones back. Bill fights the questioning look he wants to send Richie, but from the way Richie looks past him and raises an eyebrow, Stan didn't seem to. "Thanks for keeping her company, guys. (Y/n), you ready?" She pouts slightly, something that the three seniors watching her didn't miss as she stood up. "Yeah, I'll see you guys around right?" Richie nods, grabbing her hand for a second, "Don't be a stranger, okay?" " Yeah," she nods making her way to Bill, "Promise." And with that, Bill wrapped an arm around his sister and decided to lead her away before anyone else could say something to her. And she was thankful for that as she passed Stan, nearly clinging to her brother in hopes it would make the other boy disappear. But she barely felt that sense of bitterness that she was used to when she passed him. And for the first time since New Years Day, he didn't try to talk to her. To (Y/n)'s surprise, the first game day of the season was the best one she's had in a while.
I walked in, expecting you'd be late
But you got here early and you stand and wave
She didn't learn her lesson. At least that's what Beverly and her own friends told her when they found out her plans for today. She knows she should leave her brother's friends alone, but it's Richie. Got in a fight on the playground over her when they were little kids, Richie. And it's not like she was expecting much from it, just a few laughs over a milkshake. And he'd probably be late, Richie was always late, it made her question how he and Stan were best friends. Truly each other's opposite, then again she was always more like Richie anyhow.
The bell above the door was a comforting sound as she entered the diner. When was the last time she even came in here? January?
"Oh no, I'm actually waiting on someone. She's going to want to pick the table, you know how it is." The voice caught her off guard, seeing Richie stand near the counter, talking to who she swore was Stanley. "You sure that she didn't stand you up? I mean, you're always late and she's not here." It was definitely Stanley and it filled her with nerves. Would he tell Bill? Would he cause a scene? The last thing she wanted was to cause more problems for Bill. Richie seems to take Stan's words to heart, nervously looking around the room for (Y/n), "No, I actually made a point to be early. She's been through a lot in the past few- there she is. Hey, Dollface!" (Y/n) makes her way to his side, swallowing her nerves, "Hey, Rich."
She could see Stan's clenched jaw in the corner of her eye as Richie pulls her into a hug, she couldn't help but hug back. "You wanna pick out the table?" She pulls away, looking around the room for a table. She sees that the table by the jukebox was open, that was always her place with her friends. She nods to it, grabbing Richie's hand, "That one." "I should have known," he teases, walking with her to the little booth. Their hands fall from each other's taking seats across from each other. He was more nervous than she'd ever seen him. "Sorry by the way, I uh, I didn't know that Stan was working today. I would have picked somewhere else if-" "It's okay, Rich, really. We should just focus on us, yeah?" He nods, reaching for her hand across the table, "Yeah, so, do you wanna share a milkshake like a silly little couple in the fifties? It could be fun." She giggles, drawing circles on his hand, "Of course, not chocolate though." "Yeah, yeah, chocolate ice cream tastes like chemicals and not chocolate. Do you want fries?"
She nods, slightly shocked that he remembered something like that. When is the last time she said that? When she was twelve? "You want strawberry?" She nods, biting her lip as she looks at him. "Then I'll be right back, I'm going to order at the counter so we don't have to wait." "Yeah, that's cool," she nods, dropping the boy's hand to let him stand up. She didn't know where her new shift came from, she'd never felt that nervous around Richie, but then again she'd never seen him act like this around her either. And of course, she'd never been on a date with Richie before. And having Stan near them for it, maybe she was just scared that this would be the same way that they were. God, maybe her friends were right. She couldn't be the girl who got her heart broken by two of her brother's friends. How embarrassing is that?
"Yes Stan, one milkshake with two straws," Richie's voice is carrying through the room now, and he was obviously annoyed. She turns her head, attempting to catch more of the conversation. Stan's voice didn't carry the way Richie's did , but his jaw was still clenched and the corners of his eyes were wrinkling, staring the boy down. "We are on a date, yeah, is that not allowed?" She wraps her arms around herself as she catches Stan stealing glances of her. "Oh yeah? I'm sure your girlfriend would be so interested to know how upset you're getting about your ex dating again. Especially when you were the one who broke up with her over the phone." Things are obviously getting heated between the friends as (Y/n) decides to get up, finding her way behind Richie. Her arms find their way around his waist, head leaning against his back, "Everything okay, baby?" Her voice isn't as loud as Richie's but she can tell Stan can hear her. "Yep, everything is just fine. Your order will be out soon." "Yeah," he turns around in the girl's arms stroking her back, "Let's go sit back down, yeah?" Her arms fall from around him as she nods, letting him grab her hand. She intertwines their fingers, swinging their arms slightly as they walk to their seat. "I'm sorry," her voice is soft but he catches it. "You didn't do anything wrong." "But-" He shakes his head, "Not a damn thing."
Richie drops her hand for just long enough to sit down, taking it back over the table. "So, (Y/n), I have a question." She sends him a smirk, "You know how to form those? I thought they might be too hard for you." He scoffs, rolling his eyes at her, "Well if you're going to be mean I will keep it to myself." She finds herself rubbing his hand with her thumb again, "No, ask me. I was playing around." He tries to act annoyed but it broke as he smiles at her, "Well, I was wondering if any seniors, or juniors I guess, had asked you to prom?" It caught her off guard, why would he want to ask that? She hated to admit it but Richie was hot, most of her brother's friends had been treated well by puberty, but Richie, he could definitely get who ever he wanted. So why (Y/n)? "No, no one has. Why?" He smiles, looking down at the way her thumb was still moving on his hand before looking back up, "Would you want to go? Maybe with your favorite senior?" She tilts her head, giving him a soft smile, "Depends." "Depends on what?" He looked nervous and it made her smile. "Well, what would I have to do to get you into a purple tie?" He raises his eyebrows, making a face she knew all too well, "Well, I mean." Her nose scrunches, thumb stopping on his hand, "I take it back. I don't want to go if I have to do that." He laughs, thumb now gliding across her hand the way she'd done to him, "I'm kidding, Doll. I'll wear whatever color you'd ask of me." "Well then, I'd love to go." And he pumps a fist in the air laughing softly, "A win for Richard Tozier!" It drags a laugh out of her too, God Richie had missed that sound.
And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
Mr. and Mrs. Denbrough had gotten used to Richie being at their house if Bill wasn't there. To say they were skeptical about how close their daughter was with the boy would be an understatement, but at the same time, the whole house expected this would happen eventually. And they were okay with it if it meant the house would stay the way it's been. (Y/n) and Richie were constantly laughing, the sound floating out of the living room or the girl's open bedroom door made the house feel alive in a way it hadn't been in months. The two just made sense Mr. Denbrough and Mr. Tozier used to joke about the two of them, but there at sixteen and eighteen, they weren't the little kids they were back then. But still, in ways they were. And everyone in both of there families knew, except for Bill. Even Beverly and Mike knew, but neither has found it in them to tell him. Not that they didn't want him to know, they just wanted to be sure they would actually be something before Bill found out.
But there they were, stretched out across the Denbrough couch, a sitcom rerun playing on the TV as they were wrapped up with each other. (Y/n)'s legs in Richie's lap as her back leans on the armrest. A large hand rests on her knee, rubbing circles on the side of her leg with his thumb while Bill was out at practice. The two and Georgie being the only ones in the house, the younger sitting in their dad's Lazyboy, doing his homework as he watches the show before him. But (Y/n) is too busy watching her boyfriend to pay attention to the show she'd normally watch with her brother. Watching the way that her boyfriend's head falls back onto the back of the couch laughter spilling out of his lips. And she can't help bit wonder if relationships are supposed to feel as easy as she and Richie feel. Did he know how nice it felt to know that he found her funny? Would she ever tell him? Maybe that could be her own little secret, how good she felt when he laughed.
"Rich, it's so not that funny. Should could have, like, I don't know, died or something!" She's laughing too but it's really not that funny. "From paint, Doll?" "The bucket fell on her!" "Well the bucket was empty, wasn't it?" "Well yeah, the paint fell a lot faster than the bucket," maybe it was awful that they were laughing this hard at Greta's mishap, but good God did they think she was awful. She reaches down on her leg, putting her hand on top of his, and as if out of habit, he lefts his other hand fall on top of hers. "Needy," she teases, a smirk stretching across her lips. "Shut up," he doesn't take his hand back from her though. They're too caught up in each other to hear the front door open. "So did you get your pretty purple dress?" "Yeah I did," she smiles over at him, "I can't wait for you to see it. Oh! I got your tie too, remind me to bring it to you before I let you leave." "Can I see it now?" She shakes her head, leaning up to kiss his cheek, "Nope, I want you to be surprised when you see me on prom night." "Boring," he draws it out teasingly but kisses her cheek before she leans back onto the arm of the couch. His soft smiles tells her that he's not actually upset about waiting.
"So, this is who asked you to prom?" Bill's voice catches the attention of the whole room, causing the whole room to look at him like they've been caught in the act. He's visibly upset, looking between the two teens as if wondering if he should be mad at his friend or his sister. "Bill, I assure you this is not what it looks like," Richie starts. (Y/n) untangles herself from Richie, allowing him to get up as he goes to approach Bill. "So you didn't just have your hands all over my little sister?" "No, one was on her hand and one was on her knee. They were very still." "Richie!" If the scenario wasn't so tense she'd be laughing as she yells at him, he know it too as he waves her off. "So, this is funny to you? You're taking advantage of my sister and that's funny to you?" "Woah," Richie's brows raise as he stares at the boy, "Taking advantage of her? We're not fucking, were joking on your couch while your little brother does his homework." "She just went through the worst breakup of her life, with your best friend, and now you're all over her so yeah, you're taking advantage of her, even if you still have your pants on.
"Billy, we were going to tell you, Mom and Dad, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Tozier know." She walks up, putting herself between her boyfriend and brother nervously. Richie instinctively wraps an arm around her, pulling her back slightly. "So you weren't going to tell me?" "We were, we just weren't going to tell you until we were sure we were actually something because we knew you'd be mad." "Well no shit," he rolls his eyes, arms crossing over his chest, "I told my friends that things had to stay platonic with you because I didn't want to see you hurt again. And so you actively sought out Richie? After everything? He saw what happened to you and you both said, wow let me do the exact same thing." "Do not fucking compare me to him," Richie's voice is obviously so upset that his voice is dropping, shoulders stiffening. "And to think, I thought he was lying to make himself look better because there was no way that Richie would do that."
"Do not compare me to him you asshole. I am nothing like him, I don't force her to lie and leave town to be around me. I'm actually proud to have her, I am nothing like him." "Yet who was he with when he never showed to her party?" "Bill," (Y/n) snaps, pushing Richie back slightly. "Go sit down," Bill is looking past her at Richie, jaw clenched in a way that made her nervous. "No." "(Y/n)," he flashes her a look and notices the stone cold look on her face. "William, you look like you want to hit him." "I do." Richie softly tugs her back as the siblings stare at each other. "Kitchen." "No." "William, kitchen, now. Richie, go sit with Georgie." "I don't want to leave you alone when he's like this," Richie dips down to her ear to whisper it. "I can handle Bill, you go sit," she snatches Bill's wrist, dragging him to the kitchen as she leaves her boyfriend's grip.
The eldest Denbrough sibling allowed his sister to drag him into the kitchen, despite the way he was fuming. "William, what the fuck was that?" Bill's mouth hangs open for a second truly shocked, "You're asking me that? Everything that you went through with Stan and you get with another one of my friends?" She rolls her eyes, walking over to lean against the counter, "God, Bill! He's not Stanley. He's Richie, Richard fucking Tozier! The guy who stayed by my side on my birthday for the whole day even though I wouldn't look at or talk to him because he felt guilty for missing my birthday party. Got a black eye from fighting a kid on the playground when he was eight because he fought a kid for being mean to me, Richie! The Richie who drove out to Bangor to pick up Angel and I because I called him crying even though he knew he'd get grounded for it. He's Richie!" Bill opens his mouth to argue but nothing comes out, letting the girl yell at him. "Richie, Bill, the guy who came over every day to make Georgie was okay after he broke his leg. Your childhood friend who always gave us the popsicles that he liked better because so did he. He's not Stanley, Bill."
Bill sighs, dragging his hand through his hair. She was right, of course she was, but he remembered her birthday and the New Years party. He watched her block out everyone for two weeks straight, he doesn't know if she could handle something like that again. Then again, did Richie really have that in him? If he wasn't being shy about it? "He's not Stan, you're right. I'm still not a fan of it though." She forces a smile, "You don't have to, just don't be a dick to him. He's actually a pretty good boyfriend." He raises an eyebrow, "Is he?" She nods, "You should have seen how fired up he got when Stan made a comment about seeing me in the diner." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah, there was a whole scene."
You said you nеver met one girl who
Had as many James Taylor records as you
But I do
She roamed the music store alone, fingers brushing over the shelves. It was basically empty, the only other customer bein an older man who she often saw while she was in there.
"Looking for something specific, pretty girl?" She looks over her shoulder to see Richie standing behind her. "I didn't know you were working tonight!" She's smiling up at him, eyes shining as he presses a kiss to her temple. "You didn't answer my question." "I'm looking for a copy of'(Live)' it's the last one I need for my collection." "I'm so jealous," he whines, leaning over her to look in the crate she's looking in, "I don't have a full collection yet and you just need one more." "Yeah, but you got all of yours yourself and I got a lot of mine from my dad." "So you're saying you're a fake fan." 'Absolutely not, you just gave him more money than me. You're a broker fan." He rolls his eyes, wiping the lens of his glasses on his shirt, "Well wouldn't you be lucky to have a really cool boyfriend who works here? Maybe one who knows that we just got that exact album in with the new shipment that came in today."
She lets out an excited little gasp, turning to wrap her arms around his torso, "You're kidding." He shakes his head, "You owe me something for it though." She smiles, reaching up to wrap her arms around her neck, placing a soft kiss to his lips which seems to be his secret password as he pulls back smiling. "I'll be right back with it, you meet me at the counter." She lets him go, watching him walk away as if he had the most important mission in the world. "I'll the luckiest girl in the world," she calls as she hears the door to the back room open. "Yeah you are!" She makes her way up to the front counter, tapping her nails against its cold granite top.
She can't help the way her mind wanders as she waits. It was just so wild to her that he was so public with her. Kissing her in his job, knowing it would get caught on his work's security cameras and his boss would give him shit about being professional. Stan never would have kissed her at work like that, even if he wasn't on the clock. And Richie, it's like he craved her affections. (Y/n) was slowly beginning to understand what it was like to feel wanted, and it felt good. And the girl had no idea that she was doing the same for him.
"It was on the top shelf, you severely underpaid my efforts, Dollface." She gives him a fake pout, "You're tall, you'll live through it." He shakes his head, pulling it to his chest, "I had to get a ladder for it, that's hard work." She sighs, though he can tell it's in a teasing manor as she grabs his collar, tugging him closer so that he was halfway bet over the counter. Pressing a soft , longer kiss onto his lips. "Can I have my record now? Please, pretty boy?" He laughs, ringing her up as she lets his collar go. "Only because you're really cute. And a good kisser, not as good as Ms. K, but," he winks at her as she scoffs. "You're still on that? I'm so telling Eddie." "Don't you dare," he smiles at her, bagging the vinyl carefully so it wouldn't get messed up on her drive home. She smiles at him, finally pushing herself off the counter, "I can't believe you had it. This is so exciting, you have to come listen to this with me tomorrow." He reaches over, poking her nose, "I wouldn't miss it. You know, I've ever met anyone who was as into James Taylor as I am, no one who even liked him enough to buy the records so they held up better." She hums, looking up at him, "But I do."
He types in his employee discount code, not that he'd tell her he did. She'd argue with him for at least five minutes if she knew, so he just read her the total, thankful that she hadn't seen it on the shelf. Even if he knew that he'd be in trouble when she checked her receipt in the car. But she was worth giving up his discount, even if it cost him an argument about how he shouldn't do that. "Thank you, Rich. You're definitely going to be there tomorrow right?" "I wouldn't miss it, Doll."
She holds the record to her chest as she walks to the door, an excited smile stretched across her face. "That your girl?" "Yeah," he smiles over to her, seeing the way she'd stopped at the door, "She's mine." "Lucky boy," the man laughs, placing his items on the counter, "Seems like she has good taste." "Yeah, she does. No idea how she picked me out when she has good taste everywhere else." The response makes her giggle as she makes her way out of the door. His words echoing in her mind as she gets into her car.
We tell stories and you don't know why
I'm coming off a little shy
(Y/n) smiles softly from her spot on Richie's lap, leaning against him as if he trust was going to disappear. She hadn't spent time with all seven members of the losers club since Halloween, she sorta felt like an intruder in her own home. She nearly felt shy about it, clinging to Richie in their spot between Bev and her brother. As if she'd be unrecognizable without them. The group was passing around stories from the past few months and (Y/n) was trying really hard to pay attention. It was hard to keep up with Bill and Stan as they bounced off of each other, trying to tell a story about practice but it seemed to blur. And toying with Richie's fingers where they rest in her lap seems a little more entertaining than listening to Stan did.
"Oh, and that was the day that I found out that (Y/n) and Richie and she basically tore me a new one." It caught her attention, her head popping up to look at him. "Yeah, well, you wanted to tear my boyfriend apart. So you kinda deserved it." Bill puts his hands up as if to surrender, "You got me there." "No way, what did you say to him?" Bev laughs as she shoves (Y/n)'s arm. She nervously clings to Richie, "Well you know he was yelling at me worried about 'how could I do this again' and how I was going to get hurt again and I was like 'By Richard Tozier?' And I pointed out how many times this fucking fool has gotten in trouble for me and Bill was all 'you got me there' and now we're cool. He's playing it up, really."
"I don't know, Doll. You were cursing and screaming at him, it was pretty loud. Really cute that you felt the need to stand up for me though." "You heard?" She can feel her cheeks heat up as she turns to him. "I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard you, (Y/n), Bill laughs. The girl looks back down to the tangle of fingers in her lap, "On that note, I'm going to get a drink, anybody want one?" "Can you grab me a water?" Bill smiles up at her as she wiggles out of Richie's arms. "Anyone else?" "I want one, but I'll come with," Richie gets up, following her out the door. He didn't actually want a drink, he just wanted to make sure his girlfriend was okay. He grabs a hold of her hand, nearly clinging to it as they make their way into the kitchen.
She's immediately at the fridge, dropping is hand to grab Bill's water and sit it on the counter. "Dollface?" She hums, searching her fridge for god knows what. "Are you okay? You seem out of it today." He walks over before she can respond, wrapping his arms around her from behind, feeling the chill of the fridge hit his face. "I'm okay. I might go lay down though." He frowns, rubbing a hand up and down her arm, "Are you sick, Doll?" She shakes her head, "I just feel like I'm intruding, no one else brought their partners so it's weird." He knows it's not his place to intrude, kissing the top of her head, "Can I join you? I'll play with your hair if you want? Rub your back?" She turns to look at him for a second, "Are you sure? I don't wanna take you away." He shakes his head, "I wanna be with you."
It makes her smile, reaching into the fridge again to grab a Gatorade, "What do you want to drink, baby?" "Oh, I didn't actually want one. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She smiles, leaning against his chest, "Thank you." "Go ahead upstairs, Doll, I'll take this to Bill and meet you there," he grabs Bill's water as he speaks, heading to the living room as (Y/n) heads up the stairs. "Hey guys, (Y/n) isn't feeling very well so she's going to go lay down. I' going to go lay with her, so I hate to cut this short but," he shrugs, handing Bill his water. "Why do you have to go lay with her? She's a big girl," Stan looks at Richie with his brows raised as if trying to find an ulterior motive. "Well Stan, most people want to know that their partner is okay" his words aren't actively malicious but Bev laughs at it anyway.
"Door open," Bill calls after the boy, trying to hide the smirk that Richie's words made. "William, my dear, my dick has many talents but curing headaches not of them." "Gross," Bill yells back, but Richie can hear him slightly laughing, "I mean it, Tozier, I'm not ready to be an Uncle."
Richie turns the corner entering her room with a smirk which causes her to raise an eyebrow. "What, pray tell, did you say to my brother?" "He told me to keep the door open when I came up here and I so scientifically informed him that sex cannot cure a headache." "Oh, headache excuse, nice! I wish you could make all my excuses," she mumbles, opening her arms as she reaches for him. He shakes his head causing her to frown. "I'm the big spoon or no sale." She huffs turning to face her window with her arms playfully crossed over her chest. Richie however is climbing onto her bed as she fakes her little pout, one arm sliding under her head as the other wraps around her waist. Her hands reach down for his fingers, toying with them again. "What is it with you and my hands?" "I like them," she hums, twisting his class ring absent mindedly, "They're comforting. And big, makes them easy to play with."
It makes him chuckle, "You know what else is big?" He grabs her hips, snatching her back against his own hips. "Oh! Well now you've made it gross, get out of my bed," she pouts pulling away from him. "Wait, no, I'm sorry. Hold my hand again, I take it back," He pulls her back, tucking his face into her hair as he pouts. "Should I?" She giggles, squirming to get comfortable before taking his hand gently. Her hips adjust again, causing him to tighten his grip on them so she holds still. "Behave." "Oh, when have you ever behaved?"
And we walked down the block to my car
And I almost brought him up
(Y/n) wasn't the type to go to parties that were hosted by someone she didn't know. But Richie was, enough so that he had her and the whole losers club at a "pre-prom party" whatever the hell that was. She didn't know anyone there outside of her boyfriend, her brother and his friends and it showed as she stood in the kitchen alone, back pressed to the counter as she sipped on a water bottle.
"Hey," she turned to see Stan walking up to her holding a plastic cup. "Hey, Stan," (Y/n) pulls her arms closer staring at him nervously. They hadn't been alone since before their break up, and if she was honest she really didn't want to be now. "So you and Richie are going to prom together huh?" She nods, "Yep, have been since March, like early March." He nods, finishing his drink before turning to her, "He'll never be me you know. He'll never know you the way I do. Once the way he babies you gets annoying you'll be running right back to sneaking around with me. Hell, I won't even make you break up with him for it, that makes it hotter." He's obviously drunk, slurring over every third word. But that doesn't make his words upset her less. "Where's your girlfriend, Stanley. You know, the one you're taking to prom?"
She pushes herself off the counter, on the way into the living room of whoever's house this was. She wanted Richie, she just wants to go home if she was honest, but not without Richie. She tried to stick to the edge, laughing slightly when she finally spotted him, dancing with Bill to "Baby Got Back". "Richie!" She has to yell for him to hear her, but when he does he grabs her no problem, pulling her against his chest and kissing her temple, "Hey there's my baby! What's up?" She frowns, realizing how happy her was, maybe she should just tough it out. "Hey, is everything okay?" He tilts her head to look at him and she smiles. "Yeah just, whenever you're ready to go home, I am." He nods, "We can go home, Bill we're going home!" "Be safe! Use protection!" She buries her face in Richie's shoulder, embarrassed as he walks her to the door. Bill was so wasted.
"Who even throws a pre-prom party?" (Y/n) forces a laugh as they walk out of the house. "Her?" He answers it as if it's the simplest thing in the world. Arms wrapped tightly around her as they walk, swaying slightly due to how drunk Richie truly was. "I see that. It was totally just an excuse to get wasted, right?" He nods, "It worked." And she tries not to change the conversation to what happened in the kitchen. She had already seen that he was willing to get defensive over her and she didn't want to see what drunk Richie would do.
But what Stan said, Richie should know right? Then again, they were both drunk and she had no way of knowing that either would remember it. Her thoughts are cut off by the way that Richie grabs for her hand, tangling their fingers together and leaning on her and she doesn't think she actually cares about Stan. More interested in the boy who would leave a party just because she asked and the way he clings to her. One day he'd have to face it, in a month and a half, Richie has been more of a man than Stan was in four. Twice the man that Stan would ever be. And Richie should know that she thinks that, shouldn't he? Just, not tonight.
"So Bill said that if you want to come stay with me he'll cover for you with your mom." And that one sentence made her drop it, if Bill, even drunk Bill, had shown Richie that he trusted him with her, the Richie already knew he was more of man than Stan. Hell, he probably knew long before that moment. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah, we're going to have a sleepover! And we're going to talk about boys; you can only talk about me though, unless you want to talk about other boys I guess. But only if the other boys are hotter than me." She laughs, unlocking his door before kissing his cheek, "There's not hotter boys than you, baby. Even when you're this wasted, I think you're hot." He turns to smile at her, sitting down but keeping his legs out the car so she can't close the door. "You're so nice. Oh! And you can wear one of my shirts which is you know, so hot" he's got a lazy smile on his face, leaning against the seat. She laughs, leaning down to kiss his forehead, "Seeing me in clothes is hot? Here I thought that I've been playing hard to get. Now, finish getting in the car, I need to get you home." He gets in the car, pulling his door closed with a pout as she goes around to her driver's side. The moment she's fully in the car his hand is on her thigh, "I think you're always hot, but I think my clothes would just double it. Because ya know, they're mine and so are you. Not that I own you, I think you could kick my ass, though you could claim you own me if you wanted. That's also hot." She shakes her head, "Okay Richie Baby."
I've been spending the last eight months
Thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end
"You look so pretty tonight," Richie's voice barely makes it to her ear in the bustling noise of their prom. Even the slow songs were too loud for her. "Richie you've told me that at least three times an hour since you showed up at my house," she smiles up at him, brushing some hair out of his face. "And I'll keep saying it. Purple is so your color, I'm serious, Doll, you look amazing." She smiles, looking up at him, "So do you, Richie. Serious, I'm the luckiest girl here." He leans down, softly kissing her. Her hands left his shoulders to hold the sides of his face to keep him in place. "Hey, Doll?" He pulls back, leaving her to pout up at him.
"Yeah?" "Come with me for a second." She nods, taking his hand and letting him lead her to the direction of the bathroom. It was quieter there, and just the two of them. Just like he'd hoped for. "Is everything okay, Rich?" "Yeah," his voice cracks slightly as he sits down on one of the benches, "Just wanted to talk to you without screaming. It was sorta, important." She nods, making her way to sit beside him "Is everything alright?" He nods, "It's actually probably stupid but uh," he grabs her hand, "Do you remember when we were kids, and I got in a fight over you at a playground. And how from that moment up until the whole, mess that Stan made our dads swore you and I were going to fall in love one day? And we always said it was gross because of cooties and how I was Bill's friend so I couldn't love his sister?" She laughs nervously, shifting slightly in her seat, "Yeah, why?" "Well, I think maybe they were right after all, or at least half right." The nerves are turning into butterflies as he looks at her like that.
"Are you saying what I think you are, Tozier?" He lets out a soft sigh, looking at her as if he's scared of his own answer. "I love you," he can't look away from her, as if he's glued in one place. "Richie?" "Yeah?" His heart begins sinking. Maybe she wasn't over Stan, maybe he pushed too fast? What if he was just a distraction? "I love you too," her hand finds the back of his neck, dragging him closer as if she needs him. And maybe she does. He doesn't stop her, instead pulling her closer as their lips meet, the girl cupping his cheek, a thumb rubbing circles on his cheekbone in a way that makes him melt into her, hand coming up to keep her there. They pull away slowly, breathless and heart-eyed. "I love you," she smiles pecking his lips again, wrapped up in the high of the moment. He pecks her lips, whispering, "I love you too," against them. Too wrapped up in her to care who passes them.
#richie trashmouth#richie tozier#richie tozier x reader#richard tozier#it movie#it 2017#losers club x reader#taylor swift lyrics#song fic
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Finding passion
Chapter – 3
Standing at the train station with my parents, I can barely keep my eyes open. When my dad said we’ll leave early on Friday, I thought he meant 11 am or something.
Not 5 in the morning.
I haven’t had a great sleeping schedule for the past few weeks, and I went to sleep pretty late again yesterday, staying up to read. So you can imagine how exhausted I am right now.
After getting our tickets checked, we proceed to board the train and find our seats. I was planning to use this journey to look up some tips and tricks that I could try to use when I take some pictures. But that idea flew out the window along with my consciousness because as soon as I settled down in a seat across from my parents I was out like a light.
After what felt like 2 minutes but was actually around 3 hours, I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see my mom smiling at me and telling me we’ve arrived. I get up with them, and we get off the train along with everyone else. Damn, I can already hear all the French surrounding me, this is sweet. I look up at my parents and come to a sudden realization.
Oh my god, how did I not think about this before?!
My last name may be French, but my parents most certainly do not speak it. And guess what else, they don’t speak? That’s right.
English.
Why in the hell did I not notice that sooner? They’ll make me interact with so many people now! They’re social people, and something as silly as a language barrier won’t stop them from communicating.
With their hands, and weird sounds, and oh my god.
This was a setup.
Either I communicate with these people in English and all the French I know, or I suffer the embarrassment of watching them trying to get others to understand what their waving hands and odd sounds mean.
They know I would never allow that.
It’s not as if I’m afraid to talk to others, but I just don’t like to talk much. I have infinite thoughts, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I like to be quiet and a lot of people mistake that for me being either shy, embarrassed, awkward or all three.
I heave a big sigh and walk in front of them, telling them to follow me, so I could lead us to a cab. I hear them laughing a bit behind me and turn around to throw them a mock glare. ‘’Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You guys got me.’’ I say pretending to be angry.
They continue laughing, and my dad comes over to sling his arm around my shoulder. He’s a bit taller than me, standing at 6’0 and has dark brown wavy hair with streaks of gray through it. A defined face with a sharp jawline and the warmest hazel brown eyes you’ll ever see. His tan skin brings even more attention to his white teeth, and he’s overall very handsome still, for someone as old as him. I can see why my mom got together with him.
‘’Come on kiddo, this way you can practice your French, and we will feel better knowing you can take care of yourself in an unfamiliar environment.’’ I look at him weirdly. Why would he need to worry about that? It’s not like I will be going to many of those anyway. He looks back at me and doesn’t say anything. He just gives me one of those annoying all knowing smiles like he knows something I don’t.
I huff and give him a small smile back before he releases me and drops back next to my mother. I continue leading them outside and over to a cab, where I quickly ask if they can take us to our hotel. The cab ride wasn’t all that eventful. We sat in a companionable silence, and we all just enjoyed the surrounding scenery.
My parents had definitely splurged on this trip. We were headed to the Chouchou Hotel and I read only nice reviews about that place. After arriving and checking in, we decided to head down and have some breakfast here in the hotel before we would go sightseeing. Our first stop was of course the Louvre, where we joined a tour in English that I had to translate for my parents. It took roughly 2 hours. Then we went on to check out the art ourselves, and we decided after that to head over to a café to eat a late lunch.
After having eaten one of the best lunches I had in a while, we decided to walk back through the streets to the hotel. My parents wanted to go up to their room to unwind a bit and relax before going out later tonight to eat dinner. I wasn’t feeling all that tired yet, so I decided to explore a bit more. I wanted to visit this cute coffee shop/study lounge that I saw tucked away between two large buildings earlier. In my experience, it’s always the underrated and less frequented spaces that are the best.
While I was on my way there, I noticed a lot of things around me. I’ve always liked to people watch. It just fascinates me how you can learn so much from somebody without them ever opening their mouth. I noticed how the people around me seemed pretty happy and carefree. Nobody had an unhappy look on their face. Maybe because of the good weather or it’s just the French, I don’t know. All I know is that it makes me feel good to see other people feeling good. Positive energy all around.
After walking for a bit, I finally reach the street I have to turn in to, to reach the café. At that moment, a car drives by and honks their horn. It was pretty close and loud, so I turn my head to see what’s up while turning the corner and run straight into a wall. It startled me so much, I stumbled back and fell on my ass. ‘’Fuck! Who puts a wall next to a wall?!’’ I say while quickly trying to get up off the floor before someone off the main street notices my embarrassing fall.
More importantly, why did I keep walking when I turned my head the other way? It’s not like I couldn’t stop before this to just check the places I put my feet.
Damn.
A chuckle distracts me from my thoughts and I look up, noticing for the first time there was someone standing right in front of me looking at me with a smile on his handsome face. ‘’Not a wall.’’ He says with his French accent.
Damn, why is this guy so beautiful? He’s around 5’11 and has light brown skin with the darkest eyes I have ever seen in my life. I’ve always preferred it when guys had longer hair, but his short hair suits him so incredibly well. He looks fit and muscular, and he’s looking so good while only wearing simple sweatpants and a t shirt with some air forces. Perfect lips that stretch into that beautiful smile that turns amused while he’s looking at me.
Wait. Amused?
It’s only then that I realize I’ve been shamelessly staring just now. I can feel myself flushing a little bit. Wait, what did he say? Not a wall? Oh! Shit, I bumped into him? Well damn he is built, built huh.
‘’Are you fine?’’ He asked. And me still being a bit flustered about being caught cursing out a supposed wall and then staring at said wall, just had to open my mouth and say something stupid. ‘’I’m fine, are you fine?’’ Like I could hurt him if I tried. And then unconsciously mumbled, ‘’You’re definitely fine.’’ Under my breath while looking him up and down again.
He chuckled again, and I widened my eyes while quickly looking up at his eyes. Fuck! He heard that? What is wrong with me? Why did I say that out loud?! He was definitely laughing at me now, and I could feel that flush becoming a bit more prominent. I don’t get embarrassed easily, but this certainly was not how I wanted my mouth to be working today. So maybe I was a bit more tired than I initially thought. Sue me. He was so beautiful, though I couldn’t help but agree with my earlier statement.
This man is fine.
He took a step closer to me and held out his hand for a handshake, ‘’I’m Kylian, but you can call me Ky.’’ He said while looking me dead in the eyes and giving me a smirk that suggested he undoubtedly heard what I just said. Not a single doubt about it. The smile was bad enough already, but a smirk like this? Sir is trying to kill me, isn’t he?
So really this time I couldn’t even get mad about my mouth not cooperating with my brain because the next thing I know I’m reaching out and shaking his hand saying ‘’Nice to meet you. I’m Riri, but you can call me your girlfriend.’’
I can see his eyes sparkle and his lips twitching, while my hand goes slack in his, along with my jaw falling to the floor. Since when was I this goddamn smooth?! It’s only smooth when my body can keep up, and obviously my treacherous body cannot. My eyes are wide, and my mouth is wide open. I can’t believe I just said that. I’m never this bold. I don’t even want to date?! What is wrong with me.
My expression must have set him off because he couldn’t hold back the loud laugh that escaped him after seeing my reaction to my own words. Watching him laugh, I forget all about my embarrassment because it’s honestly a sight to see.
Damn Riri, snap out of it. I can’t be daydreaming for the third time while he’s standing right there!
His hand tightens around mine while his laugh dies down. I totally forgot he was still holding my hand. I am so out of it, what is even the date today? He bends down and leaves a kiss on my knuckles while looking me in the eyes, ‘’Enchanté’’ He says.
See, I knew this man was bad news. Who just does that? Who tries to kill a random person on the street like that, huh? Being all attractive and shit. It’s me dying here, please call an ambulance or something. Why is this so attractive? And how is this even happening to me right now?
‘’Kylian!’’ I hear from behind me. Kylian glances over my shoulder and lets go of my hand. I turn to look and see a guy standing there telling him to hurry up, or they’ll be late. We turn back to each other, and he looks apologetic while opening his mouth ‘’I have to go, I’m sorry. Maybe we will meet again.’’ He says ‘’If it’s fate.’’ He adds and gives me another beautiful smile and quickly rushes past me to join up with the other guy before they both get in a black SUV and drive off.
I stand there blankly staring at the wall for who knows how long before I regain my senses. I don’t even bother going to the café anymore. I just head straight back to the hotel and find my room.
Jumping on the bed, I bury my head in my pillow and groan loudly. This was NOT what I had in mind when I told Jess I would tell her about the hot guys I would see. I thought I would only see. Not actually interact?! What even is my life right now? I have weird butterflies in my stomach that I definitely don’t want to feel, and I’m buzzing in my skin as if that man has given me the goddamn moon.
I try to calm down a bit. Okay, he obviously just caught me at a bad time. A time when my brain to mouth systems seemed to be malfunctioning. There’s no way we will meet each other again, though. And even if we did. I would absolutely not react in that same way. Oh my god. I groan again. That was so out of character for me. This is crazy.
After laying in bed for a couple more minutes, I decide to take a shower and a quick nap before heading out to dinner with my dad. This should relax me enough not to think about it anymore, hopefully.
Around fifteen minutes later, I’m all fresh and ready to take a nap. The warm water really helped me relax. I set my alarm for a couple of hours later and fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.
.
.
.
A/N
Word count: 2166 Words.
Just to clear things up a bit. Like i mentioned earlier in the story, Riri and her parents are from the Netherlands so they speak Dutch. whenever she is speaking with her parents please assume she is speaking in Dutch. It would get a bit tiring if i have to write that too and then translate it for you guys. I made the express dicision not to put those conversations in Italics because I prefer writing it this way. I hope you can still follow the story without any confusion!
Also, finally the Kylian debut. I'm a bit nervous about how I did. Let me know your thoughts!
#kylian x reader#kyks#kyky#kylian mbappe x reader#kylian mbappe imagine#kylian mbappe#mbappe psg#paris saint germain#achraf hakimi#mbappe
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Mr Evershed x student!reader - earning trust
Evershed adopting a puppy and Student Reader sees said puppy who was abused (or neglected in case abused isn't your thing) by their previous owner who was a young female and the pupper is terrified of Reader until she gives him a gift and fluffy ending with doggo snuggling with Reader when Evershed had to get the puppy his plushie. - Anon💜
Wondering out of your house, you sat on the wall in the front, checking the time on your phone to see when your friends were supposed to be coming by.
Huffing a little bit as you realised they were late, you decided to just sit scrolling through your phone while you waited.
“Hey get out of here you lurker!” Your brother shouted.
Jumping off the wall on the other side, you looked up and scowled at him.
“Shut up!”
“Get me food?” He asked.
“No.”
He picked something up and tossed it out his window at you and you ducked, barely just avoiding the ball.
“Get me food!”
“No!”
“Why?!”
You picked up the ball and put it in your front garden and you crossed your arms as you scowled at him.
“Cause no.”
“Fine!”
He went inside and you turned around to get back on the wall when you saw your headteacher walking down the street, a golden retriever padding along side him.
“Didn’t know you had a dog sir.”
Mr Evershed looked up from his phone and he smiled at you as he put it in his pocket, walking a little closer before he stopped.
“Just adopted him last week, his names Rover.”
You crouched down a little bit and you looked at the dog who slunk back a little behind Mr Evershed.
“Aw no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare him.”
“No, it’s alright I know. His last owner wasn’t to nice to him, we don’t know all the details but she definitely neglected him.”
You nodded your head in understanding and you jumped back over to wall to stand in the other side.
“He’s cute though, do you think he’ll grow to trust women again?”
Mr Evershed shrugged his shoulders a little bit.
“I’m not sure, we’re working on it though.”
He gave you a smile and he walked past your house.
“Don’t forget your homework this time!”
“It’s a weekend don’t pester me!”
When he was past the wall you jumped back over and jogged up the other end of the street to go meet your friends as they walked down.
You began to notice Mr Evershed and Rover walk past every morning, and guessed he lived closer than you realised.
But after a few weeks, you began to come outside and when you saw them you would leave dog treats on the path just in front of your wall.
You did it when you saw them so Mr Evershed knew it was you, and he would let Rover eat them.
And soon enough Rover got pretty happy when he started to pass by your house.
This weekend you were helping your dad and brother destroy the front wall so you could build a newer one it’s it’s place.
Standing on the street, you held a bring up in the air and threw it on the half broken wall.
“Destruction!” You cheered.
“Why do you think we’re getting you to break the wall?” Your dad laughed.
You snickered a little bit and placed your hands on the wall, wobbling it a little bit.
“Reckon we can just push it over?” You asked.
Your brother stepped over it and he did the same as you.
“Maybe, but it’ll be harder to break.”
“What if we did it in parts, like separated them?”
He stepped back and your dad did the same thing, and they both nodded.
“Yeah, that would work.”
You stepped back, letting your brother create gaps in the wall, and then you kicked them all over one by one and your dad moved them aside.
They stack the now broken parts of the wall and you walked over, sitting down on it.
“Well hey there buddy, where did you come from?” Your dad asked.
You looked up at the dog wagging his tail frantically from side to side.
“Well hey Rover, where’s Mr Evershed?”
“He’s here.”
You laughed a little and waved at your headteacher.
“Doing so construction?” He asked you.
Rover carefully padded around everything, inspecting it all and you reached into the pockets of your shorts, pulling out a handful of dog treats and set them down in a clean part of the floor.
“(Y/N) and Ryan keep jumping the wall and somehow one of them have managed to make it unstable, so thought we’d just build a new one.” Your dad replied.
Mr Evershed nodded his head.
“If you know how to make (Y/N) stop jumping over things please tell me, she jumps over everything.”
Your dad laughed a little bit.
“Trust me if I knew I’d stop her too.”
You beamed from ear to ear, and you looked down at Rover who was laid on the floor happily eating away at the treats you had given him.
“You do know your legs bleeding right?”
You looked at your knee which was covered in dried blood.
“Oh yeah, she fell over something.” Ryan said.
Mr Evershed nodded his head and smiled a little bit.
“Well, we’re heading home now, as always Rover’s thankful for his treats.”
“I get them just for him.” You beamed.
Mr Evershed held his hand out and Rover got up and stretched before walking over.
“Has he left his toy in your garden (Y/N)?”
“Never came with one sir.”
“Oh he’s dropped it somewhere.”
Mr Evershed looked back the way he came from and then down at River.
“We can watching him for you.” Your dad said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, of course. I get it, our dog had a favourite toy too.”
“Thank you so much I’ll be five minutes.”
Mr Evershed handed your dad the lead and he began back the way he came from.
Rover looked at him and whined a little bit.
“Here buddy, what’s this?”
You pulled out some more treats and he walked over, hesitating as he sniffed at your hand before he accepted the treats.
Your dad walked over and handed you the lead.
“We need to grab some stuff from the shed.”
Nodding you watched Rover and he watched you with curiosity.
You held out your hand and he sniffed it again and looked up at you.
“Sorry buddy that’s all I had.”
He whined a little and you got up, walking over to the house you sat down and rested your back on the wall and he followed you.
“I don’t have anymore and Mr Evershed will kill me if I make you fat.”
Rover walked over and he sat in front of you, and all but dropped himself into your lap with a huff and titled his head up, tailing hitting the floor.
Smiling, you scratched his chest, and he wagged his tail a little more.
“Oh we’re friends now huh?”
River shuffled a little and you moved letting him lay across your legs, and you laughed a little bit, rubbing your hands on his side.
“Oh you’re so cute.”
You could hear his tail hitting the dirt.
“You’re a good boy.”
And that was it, he good up, whole body shaking from side to side as he wagged his tail and he walked over you and sat in your lap, resting his side against you, sniffing your face and still shaking with happiness.
“Oh he’s a good boy!” You laughed.
You hugged him, and he happily sat there without a care in the world.
When Mr Evershed came back with the rabbit toy in his hand, he looked around your garden and smiled when he saw you hugged Rover and Rover happily sitting on you.
“Well, looks like you’ve made yourself a few friend.”
He’s carefully stepped over what was the wall.
“He’s my dog now.”
“Absolutely not. Get your own dog.”
You looked at Mr Evershed and grinned a little bit.
“I did! He’s right here!”
“Come on buddy.”
Rover looked at Mr Evershed and bounded over and you pouted, holding up the lead for him to take.
“You’re not stealing my dog.”
You huffed a little bit.
“If he ever goes missing in coming straight to your door.”
You snickered a little bit and grinned at Mr Evershed.
“I’ll get him somehow.”
“Keep dreaming (Y/N).”
He smiled at you and gestured to your leg.
“And get that cleaned, it actually scares me how must dust and dirt I can see.”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
Mr Evershed rolled his eyes and stepped out of the garden and you waved at him.
“Later sir.”
“Bye (Y/N), thank you for watching him.
#ackley bridge#ackley bridge imagine#ackley bridge x reader#ackley bridge x you#mr evershed x reader#mr evershed imagine#mr evershed x you#mr evershed
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—𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘯
pairing—remus lupin x fem!reader
genre—angst, romance, young adult
warnings—descriptions of blood & bruises, swearing, uses of cigarettes & alcohol
cast—y/n, remus, james, lily, sirius
word count— 3k.
—remus & y/n come to london
author’s note: i’m so happy everyone liked the first part!! hope you will love this one, too
masterlist | buy me coffee☕ | season series masterpost | autumn features ♥ back to september ♥ autumn ends with november.
Golden-orange leaves melt into the houses, cover the ground, glide like waves; vines, deep dried brown, wrapped around stone, clutch, seep with cold.
The pretty sheen of September thaws steadily. The fog-laden town, with its dead branches and cloudy skies, seems to be hiding a curse within it, but perhaps he feels so because the full moon had taken and spit him out –bruised, and tainted, in a subtle, but permanent way.
(Name) had been especially frightened when he showed up at her doorsteps, a blink away from dawn, torn up and scarred and bleeding from his lip. The cut is still healing. Herbal medicine and dollar store cream doesn’t quite do the trick anymore. He can’t afford anything stronger, is too ashamed to ask. She almost cried, and stuttered, and her fingers were soft on his purple-blue blotches of skin, and he almost cried, too.
He told a lie: fell down, was attacked by a wild boar, or maybe went hiking and some unfortunate accident snatched him up mid-walk. It was inconsequential and she believed him and he did not think about it since.
Her bed is warm and he lies in the sheets and reads a book he found on the nightstand, the blue-grey morning light streaming from the window. But before long, he glances up, finding (Name) standing half hidden by the doorway. She seems troubled. He slowly sits upright, flashing a little smile to ease the both of them, “Hey…What’s wrong?”
All sorts of terrible things rush into his head. But before he can settle for one, she breaks his gaze, resting her cheek on the threshold, her hands folding over her chest, “Remus…” She starts, soft, thinking, “Do you ever get…restless?”
“Restless?” He repeats, not understanding why she’s so unnerved by the word. His honest answer would be no, he does not, because he is always restless, stuck in vertigo as the world spirals around him. He only wishes for peace. He is lucky to have found that peace here. He pretends to think, shakes his head a little, “I…guess.” He finally says, “And you?”
She finally enters the room, takes a seat on the edge of the bed, fiddles with the woven quilt as if it was somehow more interesting.
“I…can’t say I used to.” She admits, “I was…content with living out the rest of my life here. But then I met you, and I…” Their gazes meet; his heart skips, “I realized that…I want to go. Meet your family and your friends. Stay in London. See the world.” As if her confession’s been too intimate, she clears her throat and tightens her hands, “I-I mean, not that...You have to take me, it’s just…You always talk about your friends and they sound like a riot. Besides, you’ve met all of mine already, and really now, you can’t even watch a film in Bibury…” She trails off.
“Okay.”
“…Okay?”
“Okay. Let’s go to London.”
Her face lights up with a smile, “Really?” She asks, breathless.
He grins, “Yes. They’ve been sort of nagging me to finally introduce you properly.” He finishes, scratching the back of his head. She squeals, throwing herself onto him and kissing him all over, giggling, smiling. To be with her is the same as living with sunshine.
. . .
She’s wearing a red coat and it stands out among the monotone colours of the burgeoning city. She’s awed, seldom faced with so many people, stumbling and apologizing when her gawking ends with bumping into someone. London is too large to admire everything at once, and the people here are used to rushing – where? No one really knows.
“It’s quite overwhelming,” She admits in a small café, nursing a cup of coffee in her gloved hand. They stand outside, by a table and a newsstand, people-watching. She smiles to herself a little, pleased, “but lovely.”
Remus doesn’t see what she sees. London had never been kind. He sees it in detail, clearly – it’s dirty, and loud, and despite being so large, he could never find a place to fit. It rejects him. Most things in life do.
Not knowing what else to say, he mumbles, “You get used to it.”
It’s nice holding her hand, tucking it into his pocket to for safe keeping. His heart beats just a tad faster as they stroll, and for the first time it has nothing to do with anxiety. She points and asks about monuments, exclaims in delight at the pretty pastries or expensive dresses, laughs at the kitsch merchandise stands sat on every corner trying to attract tourists.
He points at a shirt I LOVE LONDON and asks, “Want one?”
She shakes her head vigorously, palm over her lips, “Only if we’re matching. I’m not wearing that alone.”
Remus slinks away from her, pulls out his wallet, momentarily laments at the measly count of bills within it. She mustn’t know. He smiles at the clerk, “Two of those ones,” he motions, “and, uh, can you put it in a bag? All nice?”
The clerk tries his best, though his best made of plastic and not at all flattering.
“You’re terrible.” She comments. He kisses her on the cheek.
“You said you don’t want to wear it alone.”
“Remus, it’s hideous.”
“That’s London for you.”
When evening draws she has a better look at his flat: small, cluttered, gloomy. Piled records collect dust on the shelves; books with dog-eared pages and hand-me-down covers and inky fingerprints line his bookcase; dry flowers beg for water on the windowsills. No pictures and muggle paintings of sceneries and baroque ladies he got from the thrift store.
(Name) makes tea into chipped cups as he tries to fix the record player – something with the stylus, seems crooked again. He hears the kettle wheezing from the other room, then opening cabinets and soft humming. The air tints with a minty scent. He gulps past the lump in his throat and his hand shakes a little. He has never felt so at home here. He figured he never will.
She emerges from the kitchen and places the tea on a small table beside him, “Did you decide what we’re having for dinner?” She questions, taking a moment to admire the torn wallpaper. He had, when first introducing her to what he has called home since Hogwarts, feared the clutter and mess will repulse her. From the lovely glean in her eyes, he had discerned that it had had the opposite effect, “Your fridge is empty.”
“I was leaving,” He mutters, ceasing his mussing over the record player, “didn’t know when I’d be back.” Only party a lie. He never cooks at home, doesn’t have enough money for something more than an instant meal anyway. Despite the happiness of having you around, his thoughts weigh on him, settle deep waiting to be acknowledged – he really is pathetic, isn’t he?
When will you start thinking like that, too?
“Is there a shop nearby? I’ll make your favourite.” She says with a smile.
“Downstairs, but no need, you’re my guest—“
She ruffles his hair, snatching the keys, “Prepare the wine, I won’t cook on an empty stomach.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how that saying goes.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Remus.”
Hand in hand they walk past a puddle, muddy and leaf-ridden and (Name) halts beside it, nearly dropping a tray in her hand. The evening is cold and dyed in warm-yellow lamp light. Glancing down, he sees a vague, dim reflection of the both of them.
“Are you alright?” He wonders aloud. She’s still looking down, and suddenly she laughs.
“Oh, to be a little frog swimming in a little puddle.”
He barks out a laugh – it’s so unexpected and loud and joyous that it startles both of them, “What?”
“I’m nervous.” She admits, shrugging; rain dots her red coat in splatters. It will start pouring if they don’t hurry, “What if your friends don’t like me?”
“Then they’re stupid and not my friends.” The truth had never sounded so easy for him, “And besides,” he draws closer, “they’ll love you. I know they will. Now c’mon, we’re late enough as it is.”
The Potter residence is glowing: polished silverware, new furniture, bright lights and even brighter smiles. Dinner wafts through the air as rain pounds on the windows. Remus is greeted by hearty hugs and cheeky comments about his frequent disappearances. (Name) had barely enough time to shrug off her coat and unwrap her scarf before she’s pounced by Lily and pulled into a hug.
“My days, you’re prettier than I imagined,” Lily mutters and she pulls away, her grin lined in red lipstick. She glances about (Name)’s face, takes in her features, the smudges of mascara and dots of rain on her cheeks, “Remus!” She suddenly barks, turning to him.
“Yes, Lils?” He manages to wrestle out of Sirius’ embrace just long enough to catch her gaze.
“You didn’t do her justice, you daft! Said she’s a lovely girl!”
“She is a lovely girl.”
“Not this lovely!” She pulls (Name) along, “Come, oh my days, sorry for the mess, wasn’t expecting—not sure what I was expecting, to be honest. I’m Lily, but you know that already—Gosh, it’s just that, see, Mooney’s all, you won’t believe it—“ The two of them disappear into the kitchen with their breaths held and hushed giggles echoing. Secrets are shared and friendships are forged, Remus has no doubt about that.
Sirius smells faintly of cigarettes and whiskey as he slings his arm over Remus’ shoulder, “So,” He drawls, eyes glinting mischievously, “how’d you do it?”
“Did what?”
“Snag (Name).”
“Oh, c’mon, Sirius,” James grins, “Mooney’s a fine lad, aren’t cha, Mooney?”
Remus snorts, swatting Potter’s hand away, “Fuck off, lot of you.”
“Glad to see marriage hasn’t changed you, Potter.” Sirius comments.
“Heard that!” Lily yells from the other room.
They sit by the dinner table – candle lit and overflowing – and chatter idly. Remus eagerly listens to a tale weaved by Sirius, with all the necessary theatrics and exaggerations. James sips his wine and chews his food and makes sure to add a correction. Lily’s turned in her chair, head in her palm, discussing something quietly with (Name) – the latter bites down her enthusiasm, hiding her laughter behind her hand.
Remus glances at her. She’s lovely. She fits right in, as if she had always belonged here. He doesn’t understand how he didn’t meet her sooner.
“—and Halloween!” Sirius suddenly exclaims, catching everyone’s attention, “(Name), when are you leaving?” He leans in, holds his hand up in a toast, “Can’t leave before Halloween, surely?”
(Name) glances at Remus, as if asking for permission, but permission for what? To stay? Remus couldn’t let her go even if he wanted to. He nods, but it’s only a slight dip of his head, unnoticeable if not watched closely. She smiles, bites her lip, “Not sure, but—“ she clicks her glass with Sirius’, “can’t leave before Halloween.”
“Have you picked a costume yet?” Lily asks, “Can’t decide on mine. We could go shopping sometime? The two of us?” She draws near with a conspiracy, “Let’s ditch the boys, what they know, anyway?”
“I’ll have you know I’m going as—“ But James suddenly shuts his mouth and swallows hard, almost chokes. Clearing his throat, he adds, “A-A wizard. Gloomy wizard. With a cape and all. It’s stupid, I’ll be drunk.”
“A wizard?” (Name) raise a brow. Something stirs in the air. It’s discomfort. She doesn’t notice it, “Didn’t take you for the type, James.”
“What can I say?” He shrugs, “I believe in magic.”
“The full moon.” It slips past Lily’s lips sharply. She sits up, rigid, “It’s on Halloween, no?”
This is why Remus never plans.
“I think so?” You smile, “Frightening, isn’t it? Maybe we’ll see a ghost—“
“—or a monster.” Remus says. It’s an off handed comment, but it’s his tone that strikes the rest to silence. Harsh, gruff, unpolished – it’s deep, displeased, angry almost. (Name) wilts in her seat, glances around the table only to meet apologetic gazes that are trying to appear as confused as she is.
“We don’t—“ She’s still smiling, though uncertain of what to say, “—we’ll think about it.” She nods, putting the end to the topic, “I get, I catch a cold easily, so—you know, it’s whatever. I’ll phone you if we decide to go, Lily.”
Lily’s still glaring at him as she says, “Of course.”
He grows agitated when the moon changes: its nightly trek through the sky and haunting reflection always affects him – he’s so sensitive to it, consciously and not. He despises it, and that hatred spills into his actions and his tone and she simply thinks he’s stressed, because he’s always stressed, why does he even pretend he isn’t?
She’s patient, closer to a saint than a woman, and he thinks she could do better than him, and she deserves someone that won’t regard her with masked scorn. He doesn’t understand what she sees in him, because what he sees in the mirror – such gaunt, ill features – does not seem like much at all. He hates the moon and he hates himself and he hates that he lies but he can’t tell her the truth. He’s in too deep already. He can’t unmask himself now. He doesn’t know when he became so selfish.
Lily’s in London, helping (Name) prepare her hair – shall it be curls, or braids, or pin straight, perhaps a simple brush or no brush at all will do? Lily’s grown fond of her, called often and talked for hours, and when James collected Sirius on their Halloween escaped to the big city, Lily was first to come through the door without knocking.
(Name)’s costume is laid on a plush old armchair, a white dress with a pair of baby wings she had spent hours gluing together from white feathers. She’s an angel, perhaps, or more so gentle Juliet. Remus can barely hide the tremble in his hands, his mind blazing. He watches Lily dote about the seated woman as the music plays as the afternoon slowly slinks to evening. James and Remus are smoking by the open window, deciding which costume the latter should wear – a handsome pirate or Dorian Gray, Sirius can pull off both.
Two of his friends keep glancing at Remus nursing a glass of wine. The moon’s swollen tonight. They notice the sickly gleam about his face, the tightly squeezed jaw. Only (Name) is impervious to his discomfort, too caught up in her fun. She picks up a small case of baby blue eye shadow and gazes into her reflection in the small mirror. She’s so beautiful, what is she doing with him?
The telephone rings and Remus nearly topples his glass over. They all startle at the disturbance, and shakily Remus goes to answer, his mind reeling – this, perhaps, is something he can use, something must come of this, perhaps an accident happened, he’s not one to pray but he’s pleading now to whoever would listen to save him from the mess of his own making.
“Hello?” He speaks into the receiver. A chipper telemarketer voice chimes from the other side, and a part of him dies. He almost hangs up but the halts, midway from pulling the device from his ear.
His friends don’t know who’s calling. (Name) will be none the wiser. Sirius and James may yet save him, only if he dares. He gulps, and the wine makes his voice rasp, and he sounds so sombre he barely needs pretending. He doesn’t care for the confusion in the telemarketer’s voice, nor when she tries to steer the conversation back to the product she’s advertising. He laments, yes, he will be over soon, how unfortunate it is to be met with such circumstances on such a night.
The call ends and he returns from the hall, catching the attention of everyone in the room, “…It’s my dad.” He says, and there’s such a sick, deep guilt boiling within him that he nearly chokes on it, “He’s at the hospital.”
“What?” (Name) gasps, coming to stand and approaching hurriedly to grasp his hands between her own. He looks away quickly, staring at James and Sirius, “Is he alright? Is it serious?”
“I need to go.” Remus says, “I’m sorry.” He adds, softly, to her only.
“I can drive you.” James says suddenly, his voice a pitch higher than usual. He was never as good of a liar as Sirius or Remus. Lily strikes him down with a glare. He nearly withers.
“I’ll have to stay overnight.” Remus tenses.
“Let me come with you.” (Name) says, wild with worry. He’s disgusted with himself, “I don’t want to leave you.” She whispers, and this secret stays between them, spoken between the distance of their bodies.
“No, no, you were so excited—“ He brings her hands closer, kisses her knuckles all over, “—you should stay here. See the city, you’ll love it.”
“Remus—“ She’s in a mood to argue. Hopeless, he glances at his friends.
Sirius saunters over, throws an arm over her shoulders, “C’mon, Juliet, his old man’s probably fine, it’s nothing serious, is it, Remus?”
“Just an accident. He works in construction, sprained something, probably. But I still need to go.”
“I’ll drive you.” James is already throwing on his coat, “Won’t be far, I’ll come back later and we can all go drinking, right, Lils?”
Lily remains silent, her features set in stone.
“We’ll take care of her, Romeo.” Sirius grins, “And I’ll make sure she doesn’t drink too much without you.”
“Hardly.” Lily bites.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” Remus can barely escape (Name)’s gaze, but he tries, “I’m sorry. I’ll be back in the morning. On the first train.” And he continues blabbering as he hurriedly dresses for the weather, and James is already waiting in the hallway with his keys jingling, “Sorry.” I love you, but it’s too early to say that, “Have a fun night, the lot of you.”
The last thing he sees before the door shuts in (Name)’s hurt expression and Lily’s righteous anger. It haunts him through the night.
autumn ends with november.
#remus lupin#remus lupin x reader#the marauders#the marauders x reader#harry potter#hp#harry potter x reader#remus x you#imagine#imagines#reader#xreader#reader insert#season series#a tale of autumn#autumn features 2022
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The Pain Before (Reader x Niragi) (Part Three)
Part Two, Part Four, Series Masterlist
The room was bright as the sunlight showed through the windows. You turned to the stand beside the bed, mind still foggy from the painkillers Ann had given you. You grabbed the bottle, attempting to see the contents. No label, of course. Ann knew what she was doing. A knock on the door came, alerting you. "Yeah, come on in.." You managed to say groggily. Chishiya walked through the door, making sure to close it behind him. He approached the bed with both hands in his pockets.
"I heard you sprained an ankle in your game."
You gestured down to the gauze covering your ankle and foot, "Yeah... Cleared the game though, can't be too upset about it." You smiled at him, an attempt to wave his worries; if he was worried, that is.
"I also heard," he stopped to stare at you for a second, "You and Niragi made quite the team." You held your breath for a moment, "I mean, it was a clubs game, we just did what we had to, really..."
Chishiya stared at you a moment longer, you could see the wheels turning in his head. "Ann said you just appeared outside the infirmary. How'd you manage that with that ankle and that lot of stairs?" Your hands started to sweat for some reason, "Well, I-I didn't really walk down there myself, see.." The blonde nodded, "Just like I thought. Well, feel better." He made his way to the door before stopping with his hand on the handle, "Oh, and don't take more than one of those every 4 hours. You might die." He turned his head just enough so you could see his smirk, walking out the door and closing it behind him.
You lay there for what seemed like forever, running the night prior over and over in your head. You closed your eyes to rest them, unsure if sleep was the best idea. Another knock came on your door, snapping you back to your present. "Come in." The handle did not turn. You sat up a bit, "You can come in!" Nothing.
You pushed yourself up off the bed, making your way to the door, "I said, you can come in-" On the floor lay a plate with breakfast. You looked around the hallway after stepping out to find no one in sight. You contemplated the food, it would be difficult to make it down to the cafeteria with a sprained ankle and no help. 'Probably Kuina, I need to make sure to thank her properly later.'
The food was delicious, to say the least, better than some of the snacks provided. 'Maybe it was the painkillers that made everything better,' you glanced back over to the bottle. It wasn't a smart thing to do and you knew that, but you could see where addiction comes from. You put the plate on the ground by the bed, folding your hands over your stomach. 'A full stomach, something I haven't had very often in this place.'
As the sun rose high in the sky, you decided to get some fresh air. You left the plate in your room, surely you would have time to bring it down later. Making your way down to the pool wasn't the easiest of tasks, but you've been in worse conditions. You hobbled down, trying to balance yourself mostly on your good ankle. Your eyes caught Kuina sitting with Chishiya by the pool, "Hey, Kuina, Chishiya!" You waved over at them and they both stood, Kuina jogging over to you to grab your arm, "Here, let me help you over!" Kuina smiled, patiently waiting for you to hobble over to Chishiya.
"How'd the game go?" You looked to Kuina as she helped you down to the chair and sat next to the blonde, "It was... Interesting. But we got out, so good I guess you could say. Oh yeah, before I forget, thanks for breakfast, saved me there," you let out a small chuckle. Kuina gave you a curious look, tilting her head. "I didn't bring your breakfast." The three of you sat in silence for a moment before you changed the subject, "Ah, well anyways, your guys' games went well?"
Kuina smiled, "We're all still here." Chishiya remained silent, only giving approving nods here and there. He didn't talk much, so it wasn't surprising, but he seemed lost in thought if only for just a moment. You sat and talked with Kuina for a while, going over your games, and even talking about the real world a bit. Before you knew it, the sun started to dip, and the time for parties and drinking was well on its way.
Kuina and Chishiya helped you back up to your room, more Kuina than Chishiya, but he walked with the both of you. Kuina parted ways with you in the hallway, but Chishiya stayed back for a moment. "Hey... Did you know Niragi before?" You were a bit shocked at the question, "I mean, no, not really. I heard about him but no, I never met him."
Chishiya's face remained calm, bored even. "And how did you know about him?" His monotone words were digging. "It's a... A long story." You flashed a quick smile and started walking towards your door. You didn't make it far before Chishiya was in front of you. "I have time."
'Such gorgeous eyes...'
You pushed the thoughts from your head, "Um, well... My older brother, Haru, he uh... He used to bully him pretty badly I heard... Like, really badly..." You rubbed the back of your head, "I really don't think I can say more than that."
Chishiya nodded, looking down for a moment. "It would probably be best to keep your distance from him." "Y-yeah, Kuina already told me.."
He didn't seem too satisfied with that answer, but nodded and walked away regardless. You watched his back until he turned the corner, contemplating his question. 'Why would he want to know something like that?' You shook the feelings of unease as you felt your ankle throb, 'I should probably lay down soon,' you thought as you turned the handle to your room. You flicked on the light, hobbling over to the bed. You grabbed the pill bottle from Ann and took one out, washing it down with water.
You sat the bottle down next to the bed, stopping as you stared at the ground. The plate was gone. You felt a wave of unease wash over you, 'Someone was in my room...' You thought back to when you thanked Kuina. She didn't bring the food, and if it was Chishiya, he would've probably just brought it in when he came in earlier. You sighed, wondering who it was. You could feel your body going numb, and knew it was time for sleep. The pill was taking effect, and soon your eyes were too heavy to keep open.
The nightmare was as real as ever. Your house was burning, and both your parents were being held back by volunteers and neighbors. You couldn't help but stare into the flames, amazed by the heat they provided. Screams could be heard from the inside, ungodly screams. You felt the coldness in your hand. Looking down, you saw the lighter. Your hands reeked of gasoline. Through the screams and cries, you felt no regret for the one inside. The cries of your parents persisted, "Haru!! Haaruu!" Mom cried a lot after that day. Dad didn't come home as much. Sometimes, nightmares can be a bit too real.
Your eyes were still groggy, and the room was pitch black. You were still under the influence of the painkillers, and it wouldn't surprise you if the nightmare was a result of that. You heard a noise from the corner, and playing into your imagination you called out to it, "Helloo~"
Imagine your surprise when a shadow stood from the corner. You couldn't tell if you were dreaming or not. "Woah..." You pulled yourself up, your upper body swaying back and forth. The figure approached you, not saying a word. You felt the bed dip at the end by your feet, the figure leaning over.
A knee was placed between your thighs, your mind still unsure of the reality. A hand grazed your cheek, falling down from your neck to your collarbone, hovering over your chest. Everything was so foggy and your senses were not at their best. "Oi, you could at least buy me a drink first." You laughed and pushed the hand away, falling over sideways back onto the bed. You reached for your water, knocking it over onto the floor, and your eyes began to close again. You could've sworn you felt lips being pressed against your temple as you went unconscious.
The next day was uneventful. You decided after last night it would be for the best if you cut the pills in half from now on. Checking yourself when you woke up, everything felt fine, thankfully. The thoughts of the night prior lingered in your mind, trying to determine if they were real or not. The ankle started to feel better, even though Ann said it would be more than a week to see improvement.
You hobbled down to the cafeteria, looking for Kuina or Chishiya. After searching you decided on grabbing lunch, games would be in a few days and you still weren't at full strength. If you got caught in a Spades game, it would probably be the end of you. Being lost in thought you didn't notice the sudden silence. You looked up and around you, everyone left. One person stood at the doorway, blocking your only exit.
"We need to talk."
You swallowed your breath, looking at the armed Niragi. You unwillingly took notice of his stray hair on the side, thinking it looked kind of cute. The thought didn't last long as his intimidating presence overwhelmed you as he came and sat across from you. He placed his rifle on the table, folding his hands and resting on the table. "... About what?"
He looked at you for what seemed like forever, studying you. "Are you Haru's sister?" You could feel your face go pale from his gaze, "Y-yes. I am." Lying didn't seem like the best option.
"What happened to him?"
"He, um... He burned in a fire. He passed a few months ago." Niragi shook his head slowly, the wheels behind his eyes turning.
"Meet me on the roof at dusk." He stood and began walking to the door, not giving you a second glance. You tilted your head and pressed your lips, "... And if I don't?"
With his back towards you, rifle propped on his shoulder, "I'll kill you."
#niragi#niragi suguru#fanfic#kuina#chishiya#x reader#reader#fem#femreader#alice in borderland#allice in borderland fic#niragi x reader#aib fanfic#aib fic#fem!reader#niragi x#Niragi x oc
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Act 3: -> Scene 2: about that..
WRITTEN PART -> (0.8) -> no ss after text
"oh no, what if im too slow omg"
yin was currently dashing towards the entrance of the small hotel. her quick steps leaving behind a trail of dust, lies of course but she's still sprinting pretty fast.
she eventually reached the entrance where she saw three familiar looking men standing around the small outdoor area. before heading out to greet them she looks in a nearby mirror to tidy up herself after running to where she's at currently.
“can i help you guys?”
excitement fills yin's body as she approaches the three men. her hands sweating behind her back as she's having trouble with the fact that she's looking at her possible father.
“Ah yes, we're here for the wedding! I'm Lee Juyeon”
“Lee Hyunjae”
“Kim Younghoon.. you are expecting us right?”
“yes! welcome, it's good that you all made it”
The three men look at the familiar features of Yin, “Are you.. Y/n's daughter..?” Younghoon asks Yin as he takes a small step forward.
“Of course she's Y/n's daughter! Look at her she looks just like her, Yin right?”
yin gasps at the fact that juyeon knows her name, “omg how do you know my name?” her hand lightly covers her mouth as she looks over at him.
“Hmmm lucky guess, I had an aunt that lived here with the same name”
“oh? im named after a yin..who lived.. here..”
the two of them tilted their heads in confusion.
“hmmm….”
“Is it alright if we head to the room now? I feel like we should ready ourselves before we see your mom, it's been a while for all of us..”
“oh right! uhm lets go there now, wait- lets go through the side instead of the main entrance.. its a shortcut..”
Yin led the men torwards their makeshift room in the attic of the garden's backhouse. She didn't want her mom to notice their names on the list of guests in the hotel so she made the place as cozy as possible for them. Which wasn't a problem considering Yin and Y/n always kept it clean.
“Oh… Uhm, can we go to our room now..?”
Juyeon pats Younghoon on the shoulder, “I'm pretty sure this is our room, it's cute by the way.” He then lays on one of the “beds” that Yin set up, getting cozy.
“thank you and uhm.. there's one tiny small thing i gotta tell you..i sent the invites my mom doesn't know anything..hehe”
“Oh god..”
“okay well i think this would be a good surprise for my mom since well she's done so much for me and she's always talking about you guys and the good old days,” lies. “and i thought what what an amazing surprise for her.. that you are all going to be at my wedding..”
Younghoon sighs and plops down on the bed Juyeon was laying on, “Look Yin, if it was you who sent the letter then I can't be here. Last time I saw your mom she said she never wanted to see me again
“well that was years ago! please, it would mean a lot to me..”
“Why?-”
“look, when i sent the invites i didn't even know if any of you would even see them. but the fact that all three of you are here after seeing my mom's name on the letter means something…doesn't it?”
Groans and chuckles were shared among the three men at the words of Yin, “You are just like your mother do you know that? Such trouble”
“hey! i love hearing that i'm just like her, i'm very proud about it”
Just then, Y/n's humming is heard from outside of the place. The men perk up at the sound of her, “Is that..?”
“yes! but..stay quiet, make sure she doesn't see you guys” yin opens up a window and moves to hop out, “Yin do you need help?” “oh im good, done this many times before. please make sure you come to my wedding byebye!” she hops out of the window, closing it with a slam.
as she fixes herself while on the ground she notices karina and yuna behind a tree waving her over. with a confused look she heads over to them, “are you guys ‘hiding’?? you are two people behind a single tree” yuna shushes her, “shh, we followed your mom here, are they in there?”
“yes they’re in there, i’ve never been so nervous in my life”
“you proposed.”
“and for that i was more excited..anyways-”
“do you know which one is your dad?”
“about that..”
the girls roll their eyes at yin, “go figure, omg we expected this
“babe, it’s only been a few minutes how would i know??”
“okay miss “ill know it when i see them” you are a liarrr”
their conversation was cut short when they hear the door being slammed open and they see y/n bolting out, eyes slowly filling with tears.
“wtf happened…”
synopsis = a day before her wedding day, Yin decides to find her father so he can walk her down the isle, the problem? There's three candidates: Lee Juyeon, Kim Younghoon, and Lee Hyunjae.
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@boomhoon, @sanasour, @loonaluvz, @jaerisdiction, @cowsmicwu, @jundundun
#tbz imagines#tbz smau#tbz x reader#the boyz drabbles#the boyz imagines#the boyz smau#the boyz x reader#hyunjae x reader#juyeon x reader#younghoon x reader#the boyz scenarios#hyunjae smau#juyeon smau#younghoon smau
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