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gwleddgymreig · 7 months

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"Dog Days" Chapter 1

-Leah Clearwater Twilight Fanfic

-2500 words

A while ago I starting writing a fan-fic starring Leah Clearwater from Twilight because my wife told me one day that she wished there was more Twilight content out there. So, I wrote the first chapter in a few days. I was never crazy about the franchise but I would always watch the movies with her because she loves them (and I think the world building is very good!) This work is from the perspective of the werewolf Leah Clearwater and it's based on the movies since I never read the books. The dialogue is intentionally written in the style of the films which I found a little flat at times but always fun. If I got any relationships between the characters wrong I'm so sorry-- I'm not reaallyyy well versed and I've literally never in my life written fan fiction before. It was really so my wife could enjoy but I hope you do too! Please check out my published novel pinned to my blog if you do

The air was finally still by the time Leah woke up on the twisted dock overlooking the lake. What caught her eye was the stillness of the water. It was so calm and ignorant to all the pain welling up inside her head. She laid completely nude on that mangled hunk of wood, just staring off at the perfect reflection of the pale overcast sky, only to have that aquatic serenity interrupted by distant ripples. Leah propped her body up on her left arm to see what the disturbance was, spotting the two canadian geese that had landed in the lake nearby. A couple of lovebirds.

She splashed at the honking couple to shoo them away. The naked young woman couldn't stand the sight of another happy couple; not since what Sam and Emily did to her. It was then that all of the memories came flooding back to her; the scarring pain of deception, and of course, Dad. She splashed her fist into the lake again, only harder. Eventually, the dripping of the clear water from her arm began to turn a thick red.

Blood? She wondered.

Before she could make sense of it, the pale sunlight poking through the clouds onto the evergreens below became entwined with the flashing of red and blue lights. Then, the door to the squad car shut softly. Leah heard the boots make their way down to the end of the dock but didn't move an inch. Her eyes remained fixed on the lake, which had started to settle once again. She felt the warmth and the roughness of the blanket on her shoulders, and afterward, she smelled the morning coffee on his breath as he exhaled a long sigh. He helped her up, carefully ushering each step, as the dock had fallen into disrepair and was dangerous.

The golden badge reflecting the red and blue lights read "Tribal Police", encased in a seven-pointed star. Turning away from it, she finally witnessed the aftermath of what happened the night before. Practically a whole herd of brown and white cattle sprawled out on the shoreside. They were motionless, with eyes empty, horribly torn apart. Leah shook her head from side to side, not out of regret, but out of embarrassment more like.

"You know, you're lucky that I'm the guy that found you out here.", he said.

The tall douglas firs with their thick, green needles flashed by the window at 60 miles per hour.

"Okay", Leah mumbled, indifferent to the situation she found herself in.

"I'm serious. If one of those knuckleheads from the other station found you out here naked, covered in dry blood from head to toe, catchin' Z's with a dozen mutilated cattle, they wouldn't be so gentle with you."

"Mhm", Leah mumbled again, "I hear you, officer…"

"Rayfield" the officer introduced himself. "They probably would've shot you dead if they found you the way I found you too. All big, hairy, and snarlin'."

Leah gasped.

"Don't worry, I know who you La Push fellas are. What you are." Rayfield tried to assure her, "Old legend."

He pounded his chest, leaning toward her in the backseat as he said the words.

"I didn't know you got so big when you shapeshift into those big… wolf things. Didn't know there were girls who did it either. You must be Sue and Harry's girl."

The copper skin and braids gave away the native connection they had, but he was still an outsider. She didn't want to give anything else away.

"It's alright, I knew your dad. Good man. One of the best, I'd say… Sorry to hear about his passing but… Look, I can work my magic down at the station but I gotta tell your mom about this."

Leah made doubly sure to keep quiet for the rest of the ride after that.

"And another thing… These Summer dog days can really drag and get you into some wild mischief and such, but just do me a favor and try to stay out of trouble? At least the 'property damage' kind."

The shapeshifter in the back of the squad car made no such promise.

"Speaking of Summer, can you roll down the window, here?" Leah begged.

"As long as you don't stick your head out of it." Rayfield said through a smirk, lowering the warm glass to let the air in.

Shutting the cold water from the shower off, Leah could hear Mom and Rayfield's muffled voices in the living room. The gasps and groans were so typical of her mother, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Leah didn't care. That past year had seen turbulence, the likes of which Leah's life had never known before, climactically ending with the sudden death of her father, for which she blamed herself.

Eighteen-year-old Leah would feel utterly ashamed of spilling the blood of so many animals in such a reckless way. Her actions went against everything she had once believed in, whether it be putting the family, the pack, and the tribe at risk, or inflicting wanton violence on innocent creatures. She hadn't even thought about the poor farmer who lost all of that livestock in one fell swoop. Regardless of how disapproving eighteen-year-old Leah would be, nineteen-year-old Leah wholeheartedly did not care. She felt possessed by some vengeful spirit, and it seemed to her that no amount of cold showers would keep her blood from boiling over again.

Leah finally showed herself when she was certain the officer left, dressed in a black tank top and matching jean-shorts cut off from the knee down. Outside her door, Seth took the last bite of his egg sandwich and made a peace sign with the hand he used to take it. It pissed her off to have a little brother so blissfully ignorant to situations that called for a little more grace and understanding, but she loved him anyway.

"She's really mad. Like-- seriously mad. What did you do now?", inquired the scrawny guy, mouth full.

Leah was quick to shoot back a "None of your business" after a sharp grunt.

She pushed past him and down the hall with creaky floorboards to where mom sat on the couch like a stoic eagle eyeing a far-off mouse.

"You really did it this time," Mom said.

Leah expected that one.

"I think what you need is a vacation."

That one was admittedly a surprise.

"What? You're joking," Leah responded.

"Nope, no jokes. I'll tell you what I mean," Mom went on.

"I understand how you feel about your father, but you're not the only one hurting. More than that, all of the Quileute business he used to take care of falls into my lap now, and I don't need your grieving getting in the way of what needs to get done around the tribe. Why don't you take the truck and drive down to see your cousin Dana in San Francisco?"

Leah blurted out, "By myself?!"

She had never crossed state lines before, much less taken in a big city like San Francisco. And Dana? She hadn't seen her since they were little.

Mom insisted, "The drive alone could do you good. I'll give her a call later this afternoon."

"I don't know about all this." Leah said, thinking about the rest of the pack, and of course, Seth.

"I'm not giving you a choice," Mom finished.

It was then that the last person Leah wanted to see backed in through the front door, carrying a crate of binders, folders, and documents. He didn't see her at first.

"Where do you want this, Sue?" Sam asked, struggling to hold the crate up.

The sight of Leah caused him to lose his grip and it fell to the hardwood below. She wondered, after all the push ups and crunches she saw him do over the three years that they were together, why his massive and glistening arms couldn't keep a crate off the ground.

Leah couldn't keep her eyes from wandering despite the loud crash. He was wearing the sexy, red tank top she liked. Damn it. More memories came back. She could hear the crickets from when they would make out near First Beach. She heard the reeds swaying in the warm Summer wind.

"Sorry, Leah. Didn't know you would be here," he said with his annoyingly hot, deep voice.

She was flustered, but not so flustered that she couldn't respond with, "... At my house… where I live?"

"Uh, right," he managed to say after some aimless mumbling. "Sorry about that, Sue."

"It's fine," Leah responded before mom could.

They both knelt down to pick up the spilled contents of the crate.

"I got it!" Leah said forcefully, her hand snatching a binder from his.

She was shaking so much she thought she might shapeshift into her wolf form right there in the living room. It was Seth's dumb grin from when he entered the room that kept her from losing it.

Mom cut through the awkward silence, "Seth, don't you have any more of those eggs you made? Fetch some for Sam here."

"Oh, no, I can't stay, thank you, Sue. Going hunting with Quil," Sam replied modestly.

"Which Quil?" Seth asked, hoping it was the younger one so he could tag along.

"Old Quil," Sam said bluntly, messing up Seth's hair. "Have a good one, Clearwaters."

He stepped out onto the porch, leaving Leah to tend to the mess, as well as the inner scar she felt had torn open once again. Sam seemed to have that effect on her lately.

"They're the last of your dad's documents from the office," Mom explained.

Leah blocked her out as she gathered the last of it and placed the crate on the kitchen table. A deep and much-needed sigh emptied out of her. Maybe Mom was right about her needing a vacation. The thought was fleeting, though, as she caught a glimpse of a dark figure reveal itself from beyond the treeline through the kitchen's screen door.

Is it him? she thought.

Leah's feet decided to find out for themselves before Mom could ask where she was going. There was no time. The screen door shut with a light metallic creak. It was only a few long strides to get to the thick greenery just ahead, and with a sharp inhale coupled with deep inner focus, she could see the fur glistening upon her limbs. The Earth thundered beneath her four mighty and bestial paws. Shape-shifting at will was coming more naturally to Leah than it did the first few months she spent trying to control the ancient power. The most notable discipline she came to hone was her ability to pick up scents and track them without wavering. Jacob's was no exception.

After following that scent for over a mile, a loud bark made his presence known. Jacob strode out into the clearing that Leah found herself in on all fours. His dark oaken-hued fur glowed in orange stripes as he stepped into the sun's rays, which had finally broken through the clouds.

"What are you, spying on us?" Leah conveyed to him telepathically.

The words were sent with a snarl.

"Consider it curiosity", Jacob growled back.

The ashen colored wolf paced about the clearing long enough that the darker one began to mirror her. It seemed like an archaic dance of sorts, one in which two souls scorned by unrequited love and blinded by hatred found solace in each other's shared contempt for the objects of their desire.

Jacob was the first to break the quiet.

"You manage to keep your emotions in check even when Sam comes around. I envy that. It must be soothing to look the one you love in the eye and hope nothing but the best for them, even when the feelings you still have choke you so tightly. That could never be me."

"It could, Jacob, if only you'd let it," said Leah.

Jacob's claws tore at the soft soil below as he spoke.

"Bella and Edward made their choice and they expect me to pick up the pieces. I want her. She wants him. It should be as simple as picking myself up and moving on but when I think of him… digging his claws into her… something in me wants to tear off his head as my jaws clamp onto it with all the strength I have."

"That's the kind of thinking that'll get you killed, Jacob."

"Maybe I want it to."

"You can't mean that."

"Can't I?!"

The fierce, guttural bark let loose by the dark wolf made Leah wince in fear. It was as though the man within was gone and the primordial spirit of raw savagery was all that was left in his place. Was this path that Jacob gave in to the same path Leah would follow? The thought made her hide quiver.

There was eventually a feeling of forgiveness when Leah learned how hard Emily fought Sam's advances, knowing she was hurting her friend by giving in to them. Though Sam's unbridled anger got the better of him in response and left Emily with a terrible facial scar, the wolf within him was simply not within his control when it attacked her. And though she wished for their death countless times over, telepathically feeling Sam and Emily's guilt and regret in the wake of what they did to her hurt worse than the hatred that Leah learned to let go of.

The love triangle Jacob was caught up in seemed more difficult, sadly. He could not know what Jacob and Bella knew; could not feel what they felt with the wolf pack's gift of telepathy. All Leah could do was implore him not to wander further down that path of destruction she herself was lost on.

"You may not be able to understand how Bella feels, but will you do me the kindness of sharing this grief I feel for my father, Jacob?" Leah begged, half for her own sake and half for his.

Perhaps it was because the bitterness Leah and Jacob spat at each other through the years had built up into a force that was too strong, or maybe it was just that Jacob's hatred for vampires like Edward and their hearts of stone had grown too ferocious for him to let anyone in, or perhaps the truth was simply that Jacob knew feeling Leah's sorrow was enough to make him abandon that path of destruction, whatever the reason, Jacob ran away deep into the forest instead, in the swift way that he was known for. He ran until he was far out of sight, scent, or hearing range, forcing himself further down that long and winding road. Leah's words fell on deaf ears once again, but this time the thought crossed her mind that Jacob's path was his own to walk, no matter how similar their paths seemed to be. She knew then and there that it was time to start making her way back from her own path of self destruction. Leah decided she'd walk home on two legs.

#twilight saga #leah clearwater #edward cullen #bella swan #halloween #werewolf #twilight imagine #jasper cullen #twilight #new moon #twilight eclipse #breaking dawn #vampire #shapeshifter #twilight fanfiction #fanfic

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purplesurveys · 6 months

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1762

What name do you go by most often? Robyn. It's awesome. It's a first name that can also stand as a nickname already.

Have you ever played Geoguessr? I haven't, but I just looked it up and sounds like a lot of fun.

How many times have you been to a Disney theme park? I have never been to any Disney attraction – Disneyland, Disney World, the resorts...and tbh not really interested in ever going. It just looks so crowded no matter what time of the year you go, and I bet everything is really expensive. I didn't grow up much a Disney kid anyway so I don't think I'd be missing out on anything.

Are there any live plants in the room with you? There aren't. Can't take care of plants to save my life.

Did you grow up with your cousins, first or otherwise? I grew up with one set of cousins, the ones from my mom's older brother's side. To this day they're the cousins that my siblings and I are closest with, to the point that we call the elder brother simply 'Kuya' (just how you'd call a blood older brother) because of how close we are.

Who is your favorite That 70′s Show character, if you have one? I never got into That 70s Show. Tried watching the first episode but I struggled with finding the humor.

What color is your hair? It's a light brown again now, with the black roots growing out. I'll dye it back to purple but I'll do that once I get my 13th month so I can allocate some extra monies for it.

Can you see any type of flag from where you are? No.

Do you eat shellfish? What is your favorite? I looooooooove them all. My favorite would be either crabs or oysters.

What’s your favorite theme song to a TV show/cartoon? I never skip the intros to Friends, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead.

Are your nails painted? What color? They aren't.

What is your favorite way to eat chicken? Wings. The saucier and spicier the better.

Can you name all the major sports teams in your city/state? So our country is too small (and underdeveloped in the sports space, if we're being blunt) to warrant major sports teams for every region. What we have instead are national teams for a few sports, and yes I'm familiar with how we call them.

Do you use a comb or a hairbrush or both? Comb.

What was the last movie you watched? Breaking Dawn Part 2 since I marathoned the whole Twilight Saga a couple of weekends ago.

Have you ever seen BoJack Horseman? I have. It was fantastic and definitely deserves all the praise, but I don't know if I have it in me to do a rewatch of the entire show any time soon.

What color is your house/building? It's a beige/creamish shade.

Do you know the middle name of the person you last talked to in person? Yes.

What is today’s date? How many days til your birthday? It's October 22. I don't know the number of days, but it's almost exactly 6 months before my next birthday.

When is the last time you had Starbucks? I had coffee from there last Saturday.

What is your favorite number? Does it have to do with a specific date? 7. It coincidentally does, and in a cute way too I'd say. :) 7 is a very significant number in the BTS fandom, but I also happened to be a fan April 7th, 2021.

Do you watch SNL? Who are your favorite cast members? I've seen spiels of some of my favorite celebs who've been on the show but I've never seen a full ep and am much less familiar with the roster.

What color is your phone? It's blue.

Do you have any siblings? Yup.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Anywhere between 7-9 hours.

What did you have for lunch? I haven't had it yet today, but yesterday I had fried chicken and burger steak from Jollibee. With rice, of course.

Favorite streaming service? I don't have a favorite. Certain streaming services will always have certain programs that the others don't, so I go to whichever based on what I'm in the mood for.

Who is your favorite Pokemon? Ho-oh.

Do you like soup? What kinds? Only when I'm sick, or if I'm in a Japanese restaurant where they almost always serve miso soup as a freebie lol. I like miso soup and mushroom soup the most.

When was the last time you flew on a plane? Last June when my family and I went to Malaysia, literally immediately after I landed from my trip to Thailand with friends.

What is your favorite movie Paul Rudd has been in? I haven't watched a lot of things that feature him, honestly. I've only seen him on Friends and I loved him as Mike on there.

What room of your house (or otherwise) are you in? My bedroom. I need to quarantine here for a few more days before I set myself free.

Do you know how to play the card game Skip-Bo? I've never heard of that.

What was the last thing to annoy you? My sister being so boisterous when she was playing her Resident Evil game last Friday night. She was screaming and exclaiming and groaning every few seconds and it was making me jump every time cos I never knew when she was going to make noise next and how loud she was going to be.

Who is your favorite comedian? I haven't watched much of Sindhu Vee's bits but in the stuff I've seen of hers so far, whether stand-up or interviews, she seems like such a smart person. I'd love to listen to her tell her whole life story.

What are some names you like that start with the first letter of your name? Rachel, Renee, Rose, Rosie.

When is the next time you’ll be in a pool or body of water? Might be in December.

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a-jynx · 3 years

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Dream; - usually really aware when you guys plan date nights! Even with his busy schedule, he’s on top of remembering important nights - he doesn’t want you to feel neglected or forgotten :’) - however he can get forgetful when he’s playing with Sap and George, or streaming, but when he does oh, he feels devastated and will definitely become clingy

[Short imagine]

12:30 PM - he’d forgotten. You sighed, closing your phone and slouching into the couch, listening to your boyfriend’s laughs echo throughout your shared home; Sapnap’s screams filtering through as well.

Frowning, you turned on the living room TV and turned on Netflix, deciding that a movie would take away from the small sting in your gut. You knew he hadn’t meant to get sucked up into his work, and this one time of a few that he’d forgotten, but that doesn’t stop the sadness twisting in your gut. Turning on the Twilight series, and obviously horrible but entertaining favorite [team Jacob anyone?] before grabbing your warmed-up Panda Express and engrossing yourself into the world of vampires and werewolves.

2:45 AM

Dream groaned as his screen flashed a dull red, congratulating George and Sap about their win from their Minecraft Manhunt; 2 hunters. Glancing at the time, he rubbed at his face and clicked out of everything, ending his video. Stretching he leaned back and glanced towards the bed, expecting you to already be cuddled up and passed out, but the comfy queen was empty…

Furrowing his brows, he scooted his chair back and left his room, moving downstairs as Sap came out of his room, still grinning.

“Hey man, nice hunt, though I’m surprised you made it go for so long,” Sap groaned as he joined Dream on the stairwell making the dirty blonde frown.

“What’re you talking about? Manhunts always go for a couple of hours?” Dream snorted as Sap frowned, only to sigh and pat his friend on the shoulder.

“Dude… You had date night tonight..?”

Dream’s eyes widened as he rushed further downstairs, turning into the living room and frowning at the sight. You curled up into the corner, an empty container on the coffee table and the credits rolling of The Twilight Saga; new moon. Squatting down next to you, he gently cradled your cheek as you hummed in sleep, cracking open your eyes as you broke into a smile, your eyes settling on your frowning boyfriend.

“Hiya handsome,”

“Hi, baby… Fuck, I’m so sorry I forgot,” Dream leaned into you, pressing soft kisses to your cheeks, nose, chin, lips - anywhere his lips could reach as you chuckled, raising your hand and threading it through his hair. “I just got so lost in the video, but that’s no excuse I promise I’ll make it up to you-”

“Dream, babe it’s okay, this is like… The first time you’ve forgotten, just don’t make it a full-time thing, yeah?” You laughed as Dream dove into you, circling your waist with his arms and picking you up, causing you to yell out.

“Clay!”

“We’re going to bed, and I’m not letting you go until I see fit,” Dream stated, carrying you upstairs as you glanced to Sapnap, waving to him before you and your still disappointed boyfriend disappeared into his room.

Sapnap - he’s definitely more forgetful than Dream, but he tries okay? - a lot more clingy when he realizes what he did, definitely becomes more of a hopeless romantic

[Short imagine]

“Shouldn’t you be gone by now?” You turned away from the fridge, seeing Dream entering from the living room as you shrugged, closing it with a sigh.

“Yeah, we should’ve left half an hour ago but he joined Karl’s stream… Again.” You mumbled the last bit as Dream frowned, leaning against the cabinets as you messed with the strings of your boyfriends’ basketball shorts.

“Aren’t you gonna say something?”

“Honestly? Probably not, I mean we’ve already had a talk about if he forgets-” you paused when a sudden crash came from upstairs, causing you and Dream to turn towards the stairs as Sap came barreling down. You blinked as he stood in front of you, wrapping his arms around your waist and tucking his face into the crook of your neck, making you giggle.

“Hi, bubs,”

“I’msorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimhorribleicantbelieveiforgotimsosososorry-” Sap mumbled into your skin, as you reached up, ruffling his hair as he pressed kisses along your neck, going along your shoulder before trailing back up and pressing his lips against your chin before settling back between your shoulder and throat.

Dream snickered from next to you guys as he dug into the fridge, digging out some pizza from lunch as Sap looked up and glared at his friend. “So, what reminded you?” The dirty blonde hummed, getting ready for his dinner as your brunette boyfriend scoffed.

“I obviously reminded myself! I’m not that-” he paused as a chime came from his shorts’ pocket causing him to cringe. Furrowing your brows, you reached in and tugged out his phone, breaking into a smile as you realized it was an alarm.

‘ Date Night Idiot!’ had been going off for an hour, you assuming Sap had snoozed it, not realizing why his alarm was going off.

“Dumb.. Okay! I had to set a few reminders,” Sap mumbled, pressing more kisses to your warmed skin, trying to hide away from his embarrassment. You closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket before grabbing his hand and tugging him upstairs with you, his head hung low as you went into his room, besides a small light from his screen. You jumped onto his bed, opening your arms as Sap shot you a small grin and dove into you, cuddling into your chest and pressing more kisses to your free skin, his hand sneaking up your shirt just resting against your skin, rubbing his thumb across your navel while smiling into your kiss.

“I know I’m extremely forgetful when it comes to romantic stuff, but please always know that I love you even if I have a shitty way of showing it,” he mumbled against your lips, moving his hand from your stomach to your face, holding your cheek as you stared at each other. Sure, you could be upset at him, you could ignore him, maybe argue… But why miss out on warm cuddles and make-up kisses?

Karl - he’s the one who usually makes the dates up! He always tries to make sure his streams and recording don’t overlap the days you agreed on - but who says you always remember?

[Short imagine]

It was the long-awaited shock & facecam stream! You had promised to follow in your friend’s - George, Sap, and Dream’s - steps in a shock stream and even threw in a facecam if your followers had gotten one of your posts to hit one million likes, and your fans did not disappoint! Your tweet promising this stream had hit two million likes, 10,506 retweets, and continuous replies. So, here you were, setting up for your stream when Karl walked in…

“Sweetness..? What’re you, uh, what’re you doing..?” He nervously giggled as he stood beside you, his hands nervously tugging on your hoodie as you turned towards him, frowning.

“I’m getting ready for the shock stream? Remember? I planned this a couple months ago and we agreed on today?” You blinked at your boyfriend. You both had talked about this stream since you arranged the day - why is it suddenly a problem?

“Oh, well, remember we agreed that today - tonight - was going to be date night? We were gonna watch some of the new season of Survivor?” Karl hummed as you blinked, turning fully towards him with your eyes wide as you glanced towards your starting soon screen. You could feel your heart plummet into your stomach - you had done the one thing you and Karl agreed to never do, yet here you were..

“Baby, oh my god, I’m- holy shit, I’m so sorry,” you murmured, rubbing your face as Karl shot you a small grin, scooting closer and musing your hair as you leaned into his touch, cradling your own face with dread coursing through you.

“Bubs, it’s okay, I know you’ve been planning this, and I should’ve thought ahead-”

“No!” You burst, gripping his wrist and pressing light kisses to it before groaning against his skin. “No, it’s not okay, we always try and plan for us to have date nights between our busy schedules and it’s such an asshole thing for me to not double-check that it was-” Karl leaned down, quieting you with pressing his lips to yours. You melted into it as he turned your chair to face him more, causing him to grip your hands tightly in his before pulling away.

“It’s okay because I want you to go through with this stream! You’ve been excited about it and I know the guys are wanting to join, besides-” he paused, pressing butterfly-like kisses to your hands as you grinned at your boyfriend.

“Date night can be any night for us,”

“So, what I’m hearing is you love me more than Survivor?” You giggled as Karl furrowed his brows and scoffed, dropping your hands dramatically before pulling his gaming chair next to yours as you began to set up your facecams’ final touches.

“I love you, like a lot, but know your boundaries, Bubs,” Karl scoffed as you rolled your eyes, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and clicking through your screens before popping up on your stream with a ‘Hey guys!’

~~~

helloooo~ long time no writing and im so sorry about that - life has gotten a little crazy and I sort of lost motivation to write a lot again. i hope these headcanons and my future idea for some can hold you over until I have some sort of - lack of better word - motivation :'D

until tomorrow, i hope you have a beautiful day ~ J

#dream smp x reader #dream smp hc #dreamwastaken x reader #sapnap x reader #karl jacobs x reader #dsmp x reader #dreamwastaken hcs #sapnap hcs #karl jacobs hcs #mcyt hc #mcyt x reader

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mostlymovieswithmax · 3 years

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Movies I watched in May

Sadly, I kind of skipped writing a post for April. It was a mad month with so much going on: lots of emails sent and lots of stress. I started a new job so I’m getting to grips with that... and even then, I still watched a bunch of movies. But this is about what I watched in May and, yeah… still a bunch. So if you’re looking to get into some other movies - possibly some you’ve thought about watching but didn’t know what they were like, or maybe like the look of something you’ve never heard of - then this may help! So here’s every film I watched from the 1st to the 31st of May 2021 Tenet (2020) - 8/10 This was my third time watching Christopher Nolan’s most Christopher Nolan movie ever and it makes no sense but I still love it. The spectacle of it all is truly like nothing I’ve ever seen. I had also watched it four days prior to this watch also, only this time I had enabled audio description for the visually impaired, thinking it would make it funny… It didn’t.

Nomadland (2020) - 6/10 Chloé Zhao’s new movie got a lot of awards attention. Everyone was hyped for this and when it got put out on Disney+ I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. Seeing these real nomads certainly gave the film an authenticity, along with McDormand’s ever-praisable acting. But generally I found it quite underwhelming and lacking a lot in its pacing. Nomadland surely has its moments of captivating cinematography and enticing commentary on the culture of these people, but it felt like it went on forever without any kind of forward direction or goal. The Prince of Egypt (1998) - 6/10 I reviewed this on my podcast, The Sunday Movie Marathon. For what it is, it’s pretty fun but nowhere near as good as some of the best DreamWorks movies.

Chinatown (1974) - 8/10 What a fantastic and wonderfully unpredictable mystery crime film! I regret to say I’ve not seen many Jack Nicholson performances but he steals the show. Despite Polanski’s infamy, it’d be a lie to claim this wasn’t truly masterful. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) - 8/10 Admittedly I was half asleep as I curled up on the sofa to watch this again on a whim. I watched this with someone who demanded the dubbed version over the subtitled version and while I objected heavily, I knew I’d seen the movie before so it didn’t matter too much. That person also fell asleep about 20 minutes in, so how pointless an argument it was. Howl’s Moving Castle boasts superb animation, the likes of which I’ve only come to expect of Miyazaki. The story is so unique and the colours are absolutely gorgeous. This may not be my favourite from the legendary director but there’s no denying its splendour.

Bāhubali: The Beginning (2015) - 3/10 The next morning I watched some absolute trash. This crazy, over the top Indian movie is hilarious and I could perhaps recommend it if it weren’t so long. That being said, Bāhubali was not a dumpster fire; it has a lot of good-looking visual effects and it’s easy to see the ambition for this epic story, it just doesn’t come together. There’s fun to be had with how the main character is basically the strongest man in the world and yet still comes across as just a lucky dumbass, along with all the dancing that makes no sense but is still entertaining to watch. Seven Samurai (1954) - 10/10 If it wasn’t obvious already, Seven Samurai is a masterpiece. I reviewed this on The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast, so more thoughts can be found there. Red Road (2006) - 6/10 Another recommendation on episode 30 of the podcast. Red Road really captures the authentic British working class experience. Before Sunrise (1995) - 10/10 One of the best romances put to film. The first in Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy is undoubtedly my favourite, despite its counterparts being almost equally as good. It tells the story of a young couple travelling through Europe, who happen to meet on a train and spend the day together. It is gloriously shot on location in Vienna and features some of the most interesting dialogue I’ve ever seen put to film. Heartbreakingly beautiful.

Tokyo Story (1953) - 9/10 This Japanese classic - along with being visually and sonically masterful - is a lot about appreciating the people in your life and taking the time to show them that you love them. It’s about knowing it’s never too late to rekindle old relationships if you truly want to, which is something I’ve been able to relate to in recent years. It broke my heart in two. Tokyo Story will make you want to call your mother. Before Sunset (2004) - 10/10 Almost a decade after Sunrise, Sunset carries a sombre yet relieving feeling. Again, the performances from Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke take me away, evoking nostalgic feelings as they stroll through the contemporary Parisian streets. There is no regret in me for buying the Criterion blu-ray boxset for this trilogy. Before Midnight (2013) - 10/10 Here, Linklater cements this trilogy as one of the best in film history. It’s certainly not the ending I expected, yet it’s an ending I appreciate endlessly. Because it doesn’t really end. Midnight shows the troubling times of a strained relationship; one that has endured so long and despite initially feeling almost dreamlike in how idealistically that first encounter was portrayed, the cracks appear as the film forces you to come to terms with the fact that fairy-tale romances just don’t exist. Relationships require effort and sacrifice and sometimes the ones that truly work are those that endure through all the rough patches to emerge stronger. The Holy Mountain (1973) - 10/10 Jodorowsky’s masterpiece is absolute insanity. I talked more about it on The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - 10/10 Another watch for Grand Budapest because I bought the Criterion blu-ray. As unalterably perfect as ever. Blue Jay (2016) - 6/10 Rather good up to a point. My co-hosts and I did not agree on how good this movie was, which is a discussion you can listen to on my podcast. Shadow and Bone: The Afterparty (2021) - 3/10 For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed the first season of Shadow and Bone, which is why I wanted to see what ‘The Afterparty’ was about. This could have been a lot better and much less annoying if all those terrible comedians weren’t hosting and telling bad jokes. I don’t want to see Fortune Feimster attempt to tell a joke about oiling her body as the cast of the show sit awkwardly in their homes over Zoom. If it had simply been a half hour, 45 minute chat with the cast and crew about how they made the show and their thoughts on it, a lot of embarrassment and time-wasting could have been spared. Wadjda (2012) - 6/10 Another recommendation discussed at length on The Sunday Movie Marathon. Wadjda was pretty interesting from a cultural perspective but largely familiar in terms of story structure.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001) - 2/10 A truly terrible movie with maybe one or two scenes that stop it from being a complete catastrophe. Tom Green tried to create something that almost holds a middle finger to everyone who watches it and to some that could be a fun experience, but to me it just came across as utterly irritating. It’s simply a bunch of scenes threaded together with an incredibly loose plot. He wears the skin of a dead deer, smacks a disabled woman over and over again on the legs to turn her on, and he swings a newborn baby around a hospital room by its umbilical cord (that part was actually pretty funny). I cannot believe I watched this again, although I think I repressed a lot of it since having seen it for the first time around five years ago. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 - (2011) I have to say, these movies seem to get better with each instalment. They’re still not very good though. That being said, I’m amazed at how many times I’ve watched each of the Twilight movies at this point. This time around, I watched Breaking Dawn - Part 1 with a YMS commentary track on YouTube and that made the experience a lot more entertaining. Otherwise, this film is super dumb but pretty entertaining. I would recommend watching these movies with friends. Solaris (1972) - 8/10 Andrei Tarkovsky’s grand sci-fi epic about the emotional crises of a crew on the space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris is much as strange and creepy as you might expect from the master Russian auter. I had wanted to watch this for a while so I bought the Criterion blu-ray and it’s just stunning. It’s clear to see the 2001: A Space Odyssey inspiration but Solaris is quite a different beast entirely. Jaws (1975) - 4/10 I really tried to get into this classic movie, but Jaws exhibits basically everything I don’t like about Steven Spielberg’s directing. For sure, the effects are crazily good but the story itself is poorly handled and largely uninteresting. It was just a massive slog to get through.

Darkman (1990) - 6/10 Sam Raimi’s superhero movie is so much fun, albeit massively stupid. Further discussion on Darkman can be found on episode 32 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast. Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995) - 1/10 Abysmal. I forgot the movie as I watched it. This was part of a marathon my friends and I did for episode 32 of our podcast. Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996) - 1/10 Perhaps this trilogy is not so great after all. Only marginally better than Darkman II but still pretty terrible. More thoughts on episode 32 of my podcast. F For Fake (1973) - 8/10 Rewatching this proved to be a worthwhile decision. Albeit slightly boring, there’s no denying how crazy the story of this documentary about art forgers is. The standout however, is the director himself. Orson Welles makes a lot of this film about himself and how hot his girlfriend is and it is hilarious.

The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021) - 4/10 More style over substance, Sony’s new animated adventure wants so much to be in trend with the current internet culture but it simply doesn’t understand what it’s emulating. There’s a nyan cat reference, for crying out loud. For every joke that works, there are about ten more that do not and were it not for the wonderful animation, it simply wouldn’t be getting so much praise. Taxi Driver (1976) - 10/10 The first movie I’ve seen in a cinema since 2020 and damn it was good to be back! I’ve already reviewed Taxi Driver in my March wrap-up but seeing it in the cinema was a real treat. Irreversible (2002) - 8/10 One of the most viscerally horrendous experiences I’ve ever had while watching a movie. I cannot believe a friend of mine gave me the DVD to watch. More thoughts on episode 32 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast. Don’t watch it with the family. The Golden Compass (2007) - 1/10 I had no recollection of this being as bad as it is. The Golden Compass is the definition of a factory mandated movie. Nothing it does on its own is worth any kind of merit. I would say, if you wanted an experience like what this tries to communicate, a better option by far is the BBC series, His Dark Materials. More of my thoughts can be found in the review I wrote on Letterboxd.

Antichrist (2009) - 8/10 Lars von Trier is nothing if not provocative and I can understand why someone would not like Antichrist, but I enjoyed it quite a lot. After watching it, I wrote a slightly disjointed summary of my interpretations of this highly metaphorical movie in the group chat, so fair warning for a bit of spoilers and graphic descriptions: It's like, the patriarchy, man! Oppression! Men are the rational thinkers with big brains and the women just cry and be emotional. So she's seen as crazy when she's smashing his cock and driving a drill through his leg to keep him weighted down. Like, how does he like it, ya know? So then she mutilates herself like she did with him and now they're both wounded, but the animals crowd around her (and the crow that he couldn't kill because it's Mother nature, not Father nature, duh). Then he kills her, even though she could've killed him loads of times but didn't. So it's like "haha big win for the man who was subjected to such horrific torture. Victory!" And then all the women with no faces come out of the woods because it's like a constant cycle. Manchester By The Sea (2016) - 6/10 Great performances in this super sad movie. I can’t say I got too much out of it though. Roar (1981) - 9/10 Watching Roar again was still as terrifying an experience as the first time. If you want to watch something that’s loose on plot with poor acting but with real big cats getting in the way of production and physically attacking people, look no further. This is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen because it’s all basically real. Cannot recommend it enough. Eyes Without A Face (1960) - 8/10 I’m glad I checked this old French movie out again. There’s a lot to marvel at in so many aspects, what with the premise itself - a mad surgeon taking the faces from unsuspecting women and transplanting them onto another - being incredibly unique for the time. Short, sweet and entertaining!

Se7en (1995) - 10/10 The first in a David Fincher marathon we did for The Sunday Movie Marathon, episode 33. Zodiac (2007) - 10/10 Second in the marathon, as it was getting late, we decided to watch half that evening and the last half on the following evening. Zodiac is a brilliant movie and you can hear more of my thoughts on the podcast (though I apologise; my audio is not the best in this episode). Gone Girl (2014) - 10/10 My favourite Fincher movie. More insights into this masterpiece in episode 33 of the podcast. Friends: The Reunion (2021) - 6/10 It was heartwarming to see the old actors for this great show together again. I talked about the Friends reunion film at length in episode 33 of my podcast.

Wolfwalkers (2020) - 10/10 I reviewed this in an earlier post but would like to reiterate just how wonderful Wolfwalkers is. If you get the chance, please see it in the cinema. I couldn’t stop crying from how beautiful it was. Raya and The Last Dragon (2021) - 6/10 After watching Wolfwalkers, I decided I didn’t want to go home. So I had lunch in town and booked a ticket for Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon. A child was coughing directly behind me the entire time. Again, I reviewed this in an earlier post but generally it was decent but I have so many problems with the execution. The Princess Bride (1987) - 9/10 Clearly I underrated this the last time I watched it. The Princess Bride is warm and hilarious with some delightfully memorable characters. A real classic!

The Invisible Kid (1988) - 1/10 About as good as you’d expect a movie with that name to be, The Invisible Kid was a pick for The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast, the discussion for which you can listen to in episode 34. Babel (2006) - 9/10 The same night that I watched The Invisible Kid, I watched a masterful and dour drama from the director of Birdman and The Revenant. Babel calls back to an earlier movie of Iñárritu’s, called Amores Perros and as I was informed while we watched this for the podcast, it turns out Babel is part of a trilogy alongside the aforementioned film. More thoughts in episode 34 of the podcast. Snake Eyes (1998) - 1/10 After feeling thoroughly emotionally wiped out after Babel, we immediately watched another recommendation for the podcast: Snake Eyes, starring Nicolas Cage. This was a truly underwhelming experience and for more of a breakdown into what makes this movie so bad, you can listen to us talk about it on the podcast.

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peterprkrsbtch · 3 years

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sapphire - part 2

Peter Parker x reader

A/n: Part 1 is up on my page! There’s a couple flashbacks in this one so I put the dates before so it doesn’t get confusing. If you enjoy this one, like or reblog to share! I already wrote part 3 and it’s my favorite one yet so that’ll def be up soon :)

tag- @juliannaamonroe

Warnings: swearing, make out, violence

(September 1)

We’re one minute away. Come out hoe!

You smile as you read the text, glancing at yourself in the mirror again, nerves and excitement ablaze in your stomach. You’d been planning for this day since last winter, and now it was finally here. You adjust your carefully styled hair and double check that the natural makeup you applied was sitting on your skin correctly.

Of course it was. That goddamn injection sometimes made you feel like a vampire out of twilight and sometimes you still got surprised when you saw your own face while passing a mirror or a particularly reflective window. You smooth down the ruffles of your short black skirt and tug the top of your tank top down so a bit more of your curves show.

You put on your white sneakers and tug your shirt back up to cover your chest again. We’ll have to work up to that, I guess. A long honk sounds from outside your apartment building and you curse as you scramble to grab your backpack and phone before running down and out the front steps.

“Awwww,” You say sweetly at the sight of the two girls who had become your best friends. “That’s the shirt you were wearing when we met, Ally.” You jokingly brush away a tear, pretending to be ultra touched.

“Best damn day of my life.” Ally says from her spot in the drivers seat, laughing at your dramatics. She may be joking around, but her sentiment makes your heart clench. This year really was going to be different.

***

(July 3)

You quickly realized you needed to find some Midtown friends if your plan for senior year was going to work. If you dared to show up looking, well, like you do, completely alone and friendless, you might become even more of an outcast than you were before. The first month of summer had been the least lonely time of your year so far, thanks to a certain Spiderman.

The two of you spent most of your nights together, flying through the city, fighting crime together, and talking. The “slow” nights that used to fill you with boredom quickly became your favorite when he was involved. The sound of his laugh and the jokes he makes during fights quickly became the highlight of your days.

But you couldn’t let yourself get too distracted by him. After all, neither of you knew what the other looked like. The only other boy you’d ever found remotely cute (other than celebrities) was nerdy Peter Parker from your high school. He wasn’t your usual type and he seemed to be just as shy as you were, so you had little (zero) hope that it would ever lead to anything more than a smile during the hallway if you accidentally made eye contact.

Sorry Spiderman, but no way in hell are you gonna make me lose my focus. The loneliness you had felt through the last three years of high school was too much. Your plan had to work. So that night as the two of you patrolled together, you softly mentioned that you were going to a pool party tomorrow and wouldn’t be able to meet.

He seemed a bit disappointed, but you brushed it off, trying to remember the names of the girls at your school who seemed nice. Peter, however, couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that you had told him where you would be tomorrow. There was only so many pool parties in a city like New York.

You tried not to think about who was under the Spiderman mask out of respect and, to be honest, it seemed like a pointless endeavor. Peter was not the same. No matter how tired he was from patrol, he always had time to lay awake before he fell asleep and picture what you would look like under the mask.

There wasn’t very many people who understood Peter’s secret life. None, actually, until you. Maybe that was why he was so intrigued by you, because you were so similar, but in his heart he knew that wasn’t it. He liked you. And he hated himself for it. But once you mentioned the pool party, he made sure to take one long last glance at the color of your hair before you two said goodbye. Just in case he happened to see that same hair tomorrow.

(July 4)

You were so, so nervous. Your closet of exclusively sweats and hoodies was trashed as Part 1 of your plan, much to your mother’s happiness. She had always been honest about her hatred of your junior year clothes and was extremely excited to purchase everything you needed. As distant as she was, you had to give her a little credit.

Although you’d been wearing the new clothes for the past month, this was the first time you were doing it so publicly. Your denim shorts exposed miles of smooth leg, and you’d decided to wear a red tube top in honor of the holiday-not to mention it really showed off your curves. You’d meticulously done your hair and makeup like you’d been practicing the past month and prayed that somebody would talk to you today.

You’d seen the flyer for the Fourth of July party on Instagram, which had been step 2. Unfortunately, you had two followers. Your mom and her boyfriend. Step 2 is a work in progress.

One long walk later, and you’re in front of the address. You swear you could explode of nerves right there, but instead you take a deep breath and force your legs to carry you inside the house and towards the people out by the pool.

Your eyes are so focused on your destination, the glass sliding door, that you barely notice when you bump shoulders with someone, causing you to drop your phone.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” You say, reaching down to grab your phone.

“Oh my god, stop. That was totally my fault.” You stand back up to see the girl who was speaking, and you recognize her immediately. Her name is Ally, and she’s a part of the most popular group at school. Despite her long black hair and sweet smile, you haven’t heard many good things about her. Not the type of person you were looking for.

“Do you go to Midtown? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Ally says, making no move to walk away from the conversation.

“Yeah, actually. My name is Y/n?” You don’t miss the way her eyebrows raise and her eyes widen with confusion and shock. You’re embarrassed now, realizing maybe you weren’t as invisible as you’d thought. In an effort to explain away the last few years, “My dad left a couple years ago and it was pretty hard on me, but I’m all better now.” You flash the most dazzling smile you can manage and hope she accepts it.

“No way, mine did too!” She gasps as she grabs your hands. You feel a small pang of guilt at that. It was a lie, you had no idea who your dad was and frankly, you didn’t think your mom knew either.

The conversation starts to flow between you and Ally easily as you make your way out to the pool. “This is my best friend Betty.” Ally introduces you to the sweet-as-pie girl and the three of you quickly fall into a conversation like you’d known each other forever. A few of their guy friends tried to come up and talk to you, but she just waved them away. “Leave us alone, we just met our new best friend.”

You felt bad for judging Ally so harshly earlier, blindly trusting the stupid rumors you’d heard about her. Popular or not, the three of you got along better than any of the other friends you’d tried to make throughout your life. They do briefly make fun of your instagram before forcing you to take and post pictures with the two of them by the pool. They both tag your account.

Peter didn’t seem to share the good luck you did. He’d dragged Ned to 6 different pool parties across the city and saw no one who looked like Sapphire. Disappointed, he spent the night patrolling alone and dodging fireworks.

***

(September 1)

Since that day, you’d become a trio with Ally and Betty. The day after the pool party you’d woken up to nearly 1,000 followers on your instagram. Everyone from Midtown who never gave you a second look when you had your hood shoved over your head now wanted to be your friend.

The three of you spent the rest of your summer days together, and you fit into the popular friend group better than you could have imagined. Maybe you watched too many teen movies, but you expected them to be mean. The only mean one was Flash, and even he was basically harmless. You’d given up Saturday night patrols with Spiderman for a weekly girls night with your new best friends. You thought having new friends and a bustling social life would’ve made it easier to forget about Spiderman, but somehow he seeped into every area of your life.

That damn laugh. As Ally and Betty sing along to the radio loudly, you bite your lip to stop a dumb smile from rising to your lips. God, just thinking about him made you flustered. As Ally drives into the school parking lot, nerves bubble in your stomach.

As if you aren’t stressed enough, your brain decides this is the perfect moment to remind you of the one night this summer you and Spiderman haven’t talked about since.

*** (August 14)

The two of you were sprawled out on a gravel rooftop next to each other. Not the most comfortable of relaxing spots, but you’d both grown tired of flying around under the summer heat with no hint of trouble for miles.

“This sucks.” Spiderman huffs out.

“Rude.” You reply quickly, even though you know he isn’t talking about you.

“Oh, no,” He immediately sits up. “I didn’t mean you suck, I just meant, you know, because there’s not much going on right now and it’s hot and-” He sees your cheeky smile and stops himself with a laugh. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s cute.” You bite your lip. The fuck did I just say? Before you can begin to explain, he jumps to his feet.

“Spidey sense, let’s go!” You jump up too and follow after him as he jumps off the building. Thank god. I’ve never been so grateful that someone’s in trouble. The fight was tough, even with the both of you. These men had strange guns that keep firing at you and Spiderman even though you’d tried multiple times to crush them with your powers.

“The guns are magic-proof! I can’t destroy them!” You yell over to Spiderman as you take down one of the men in between punches.

Somehow, two men get ahold of their guns and corner you. Just as you start levitating to fly over them, a web shoots from somewhere behind them and the men and their guns are yanked away. Spiderman wastes no time and you swear he seems angry with the two men as he webs them to the wall next to their friends before picking up the guns and violently smashing them on the ground.

You’re still frozen in shock, watching him. When he seems to be satisfied with the broken pile of guns on the floor, he runs back over to you. “I’m so sorry, I know we promised-” You finally break out of whatever trance you were in to place a finger over his lips, casting a disgusted glance towards the men staring at you from their webbed cocoons.

“Not here.” You say quietly, and fly the two of you quickly up to the roof. He blinks for a second, his head spinning from the speed. You rarely use your full speed, especially with him, but you had to get out of there. “Okay, go ahead.” You say after a second of silence.

“I’m so sorry, I know we agreed not to get in each other’s way, and I know you can handle yourself, probably better than I can. Hold on, I didn’t mean I handle you. That sounded weird. Anyways, I just got so angry when I saw those men pointing their guns at you I had to-” He’s talking about the agreement you two had made when you first started working together. You both obviously were skilled, so you agreed that you wouldn’t interrupt each other’s fights unless asked.

“Spidey, I really don’t care you interrupted. It was hot.” JESUS CHRIST NOT AGAIN. You immediately winced and slap a hand over your mouth. “Oh my god I did NOT mean to say that I’m so sorry.”

Your rambling is cut off as Spiderman’s hand travels up to the bottom of his mask and you think your eyes might fall out of your head with how wide they become as he begins to pull it up, revealing the soft pale skin of his neck.

His jaw, chin, and then lips become visible as he lets the mask rest on his nose. The 0.5 seconds that have passed since you stopped talking feel like an eternity until he suddenly leans forward, crashing his lips into yours. Spiderman is an amazing kisser, you decide, as you gently kiss him back.

WHAT AM I DOING? Your mind is going haywire but instead of stopping, you deepen the kiss and nearly smile when he lets out a low moan. Everything you’ve told yourself about focus and distractions flies out the window when his gloved hands clutch your waist and pull you closer to him than you thought possible.

It feels like it’s only been a second when he pulls away, but your eyes flicker to his swollen lips and you know it must have been longer. You smile as you stare at his lips, only inches from yours, but as your gaze moves to the rest of his exposed skin the smile drops slowly.

Your rational mind comes back. It’s easy to forget when you’re with him that you’ve only known each other a couple months. How could you do this? Your first time making out with a boy, and he doesn’t even know your name.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” You whisper as he starts to say something. “Sorry, what were you going to say?” He blinks slowly and takes a deep breath before stepping away from you.

“Nevermind. See you tomorrow.” And he swings away from you. You silently curse yourself for being such a big mouth, wanting to know what he would have said. You can’t help the small voice in the back of your head, telling you that you made the wrong decision.

You raise your hand to run your fingers along your tingling lips before flying home as fast as you can.

***

(September 1)

You wince at the painful memory before reminding yourself everything was back to normal the next day and neither of you mentioned it again. You still weren’t sure if that was good or bad. You force all thoughts of Spiderman out of your brain and even give Ally an encouraging cheer when she successfully parks on her first try.

You don’t remember Midtown having so many fucking students last year, but maybe it was because they were all staring at you. Any confidence you’d had as you opened Ally’s car door had disappeared as everyone around you turned to gawk. The bright smile you’d pasted on a second ago quickly fell and you glanced at Ally nervously.

“Come on, girls!” She says enthusiastically, grabbing an arm from you and Betty as she breaks the brief moment of awkward silence. God bless you Ally. As the three of you hoist your bags over your shoulders and make your way into the school, you mouth a quick thank you her way, hoping she can see your genuine appreciation. She smiles at you. “I’m happy we’re going into this year as three instead of two.”

Betty leans forward to smile at you. “Me too, y/n. I’m really happy you’re here.” You smile back brightly. There really was no one as sweet as Betty.

“You won’t be so happy I’m here when I talk your ear off during class.” The three of you continue laughing and joking your way down the hall to stop at your lockers.

“Oh my god, is that Y/n?” Ned interrupts Peter’s latest ramble about his night with Sapphire. Usually, he really did listen. Ned was fully invested in the superhero love story, as he called it, unfolding. But the sight of a girl notorious for hiding in her own baggy clothes across the hall in a miniskirt and tank top was more important.

“Y/n?” Peter asks, confused why Ned wasn’t paying attention. But when he turned around to see what Ned was staring at, he understood. He’d seen you around school the past three years, but never like this.

You looked like a fucking model. And everyone in the hall couldn’t help but stare. “Holy shit.”

“Right, dude?” Ned breathes out, the two of them shamelessly staring. “Why didn’t that happen to me over summer? Oh my god, of course she’s friends with Betty.”

Peter laughs as his best friend goes on about “two pretty best friends” but he can’t take his eyes off of you. The light in your eyes as you joke with your friends, making them double over in laughter, feels strangely familiar. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking on his part because you’re extremely pretty.

He watches in surprise as you and Ally walk up to the AP Chem classroom, waving goodbye to Betty sadly as she heads off to English. You turn to walk into the classroom after Ally, but you pause and look back down the hallway-right at him. Instead of yelling at him for being a creep like he expected, you smile at him widely before heading into the class. He exhales deeply and glances down at his schedule quickly, a smile appearing. AP Chem.

Of course his thoughts are still consumed by Sapphire, but it was hard to ignore you especially after seeing his name on the seating chart next to yours in the back row. Plus, Sapphire was the one who’d shot him down after he finally tried to make a move after catching onto the hints he thought she’d been dropping.

He felt bad for thinking that about her, he didn’t blame her at all. He knew there was a million reasons they shouldn’t be together-and he didn’t want to know specifics on why he wasn’t good enough. Sapphire hadn’t brought up that night since, and he was fine to pretend it never happened.

You were already in your seat at the lab table, but Ally was still standing next to you waving her hands wildly as you two spoke. He doesn’t want to interrupt so he freezes in place, unsure of whether or not to go sit down. He’d thought you were cute, and a little shy like him in freshman and sophomore year and he remembered the many times he would look at you from across the room like he is now.

His eyes had been quick to find you whenever you two were in the same room ever since the first day of school freshman year when you smiled at him in the hall. Even last year, when all he saw of you was a curled up lump at your desk or a sliver of hair peeking out from behind your hood he still noticed you.

Luckily for him, the bell rings and he slides into his seat just as the teacher begins speaking. “Hi, Peter.” You lean over to him, your shoulders nearly touching, and whisper so the teacher doesn’t hear. “I’m y/n.” You smile warmly as his cheeks and ears turn light pink.

“You don’t have to introduce yourself. We’ve gone to school together since we were 6?” Now it’s your turn to be embarrassed and you purse your lips together.

“No, I know, just-” Peter notices you seem a bit frustrated as you glance around the room and then lean even closer to him. “Everybody thinks I’m new.” You nervously mess with your bracelet.

“You do look a bit different.” He points out and you raise your eyebrows before sighing slowly and shrugging.

“I was just sick of feeling invisible, you know. Not because I care what anyone here thinks. Last year was just, really, really lonely.” Peter watches you intently as you speak, hanging onto your every word.

Your confession made him sad. If only he’d been brave enough to ask if you were okay. You pause for a second and meet his eyes. Any other guy in this school would’ve laughed at you by now. You gesture to your outfit and nervously adjust your skirt. “I’m also not a superficial person. It wasn’t about changing how I looked, I just needed the confidence to put myself out there.” You pause and nod towards Ally with a smile. Peter glances over to Ally and sees her blow you a kiss, which you catch across the room with a giggle.

I miss you! She mouths with a dramatic frown and this time Peter laughs quietly with you. “I thought she was a bitch before I met her.” He looks at you with surprise to find you smiling at him. “But,” you hold up a finger for dramatic effect, “because I put myself out there, I met my best friends. A lot of people around here judge on appearances. I’m not like that anymore.” You say with confidence.

“That’s really cool of you.” Peter whispers back, and the sound sends an involuntary shiver down your spine. He’s so close to you and the feelings you thought you left behind two years ago don’t seem so left behind as you stare into his warm eyes. “For the record, I’d be your friend no matter what you look like.”

Peter has only been this nervous a couple times before in his life, and he can’t help but feel like he’s betraying Sapphire with the way he’s thinking about you. He watches as you smile warmly at his words and extend your hand towards his.

“Friends? Even though I'm so much uglier now?” You pout your bottom lip out, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. He nearly laughs out loud and has to remind himself you’re still in class. “I know guys go wild for the homeless man sweatpants look.” You’re both trying to hold back your laughter, shaking silently in the back of the class as he raises his hand and grabs yours.

“Friends.” Peter isn’t sure why he keeps going, but he does. “And just so you know, you were never ugly. I don’t know why you tried so hard to hide yourself last year, but even then,” the words leaving his mouth sound confident but Peter takes a deep breath before looking up from his lap to meet your eyes. Your wide eyes and surprised smile give him just the confidence he needs to finish. “You could never be ugly.” Peter can hear his heart beating.

You blink at him. This boy could not be real. Here he was, basically implying that the one thing you had wanted all along, for somebody to notice you, was true. Not only was it true, but it was Peter fucking Parker telling you this. Despite everything that had changed you in the past year, the giddy feeling in your bones brought you back to sophomore year and pining over Peter.

“Really?” Your smile spreads and he seems to let out a deep breath of relief.

“Yeah.” He smiles back at you until your sweet moment is interrupted by a fat ass syllabus dropping onto the lab table in front of you.

“Fuck,” you whisper. “This class is gonna be so much homework.” You turn the page so Peter can briefly see the list of projects alone, and it’s enough to make him cringe.

Something about the way the whispers travel back and forth between you all class makes you realize you hadn’t fallen into a friendship this easily, even with Ally. Even with Spiderman, your brain points out.

A red and blue suit swings into your mind and you are hit with a wave of guilt. Not two hours ago I was thinking about my make out with Spiderman, and now I’m comparing him to Peter?

You have all but one class together, and you can’t help but glance in Peter’s direction any chance you get. The only time you don’t see him is at lunch, even though you look all around the lunch room for him or the boy he’d been standing with this morning. You thought it would be too creepy to ask him where he’d been.

Finally, the last bell of the day rang, and you were sure if you didn’t have superpowers you would’ve been exhausted. School is kinda draining when you actually acknowledge people. Ally and Betty share your complaints about being tired on your drive home, all three of you agreeing you need naps. You kiss them both on the cheek and wave goodbye before heading up to your room.

Forget what I said about having superpowers. I’m fucking tired. You lay down on your bed, groaning into the pillow at the thought of having to patrol tonight. You sat up abruptly. You’d never dreaded patrol, it was always the thing you looked forward to. You glance towards the suit in your closet and sigh.

It’s not patrol I’m nervous about. It’s him. You feel incredibly guilty about today. I’m not a two timer. If I want to like Peter, I have to talk to Spiderman about that kiss first. You start to make your way over to the closet before another wave of exhaustion hits, sending you straight back to your bed.

After a nap. Then we’ll talk.

#peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker angst #peter parker fluff #peter parker smut #avengers #marvel #spiderman #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut

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ygo-is-gayer-than-i-remember · 3 years

Text

Yugioctober Day 13: Occult

(Prompt list) (Read it here on Ao3!)

Summary: Ryou does a tarot reading for Malik. What do the cards have to say?

The Ishtars had arrived in Domino a few days ago to surprise everyone with news about their impending stay. They announced they would be there for a couple of months while their latest exhibit was on display at the Domino Museum. Everyone was delighted, especially Atem. Ever since the Ishtars had adopted him as an honorary (and legal, according to the fabricated documents Ishizu and Kaiba made for Atem upon his return) cousin.

Second only to Atem in his level of excitement was Ryou, specifically at the chance of getting to see Malik in person again. The two unlikely companions had really hit it off once everything settled down and Ryou was free of the Millennium Ring. Malik had helped Ryou process everything that had happened in the two years he spent in and out of consciousness, and they had been best friends ever since.

It was past midnight, so Ishizu and Rishid were already asleep in their rooms upstairs. Malik had invited Ryou to spend the night at the condo they were renting out, to which Ryou happily accepted. They had spent hours playing games, watching horror movies, and telling stories about anything and everything that came to mind. When neither of them had been able to sleep, Ryou offered to do a tarot reading for Malik since he wanted the chance to practice.

Ryou’s twilight purple tablecloth swallowed the oval coffee table under smooth silk, glistening like liquid in the low light from his scented candles while it was centered into place. Malik sat across from him while he shuffled his cards, all black save for the outlines of silver creating each image. Ryou adored his tarot deck and kept it in pristine condition for moments precisely like this one.

Ryou fanned the cards out in both hands. “Pick five, and don’t look at them.”

Malik did as he was told and placed them face down in front on the table. “Am I supposed to ask a question or something?”

“You can if you want.” He dragged the cards over and laid them in order, still face down. “If not, it will pick up on the most pressing issue. This is a practical advice five-card spread, so whatever’s at the front of your mind will probably get targeted.”

“Gods, I hope it doesn’t give me another lecture about the exhibit. I get enough of those from Ishizu already.”

Ryou chuckled. “It might. We’ll just have to find out.”

“You better hope it doesn’t, for your sake,” Malik teased with a smirk. “What’s it got to say?”

“This first card is past influences.” Ryou flipped over the card, revealing two people jumping from a burning stone structure as lightning struck the top. “The Tower, reversed.”

“That doesn’t look good.”

“Well, if you’re going to get The Tower anywhere, the best place to get it would be the past. And knowing our pasts, it does make sense.”

Malik chuckled. “You’ve got a point. So what does it mean?”

“The Tower represents catastrophe,” Ryou explained. “In the reversed position, it says you’re struggling to find out who you are, and you’re refusing to make necessary changes. You’re stuck in your ways and things will only get worse until you acknowledge the need to change your perspectives and beliefs.”

“Yep, that pretty much sums it up.” Malik let out a long sigh. “Add a little shadow magic to that, several near-death experiences, and a fuck ton of regrets and you’ve got a good look at what my past was like.”

Ryou reached across the table to put a hand over Malik’s, smiling softly. “But you’re here now, right?”

Malik glanced down at their joined hands with a huffed laugh. “Yeah. What do the cards have to say about that?”

“Let’s see. This next one is the present influence.” The next card showed a man sitting in front of a cityscape with a large coin between his hands, on top of his head, and beneath each of his feet. “The Four of Pentacles, upright. Usually the pentacles have to do with money matters, but I feel like this is more to do with your emotional outlook.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s about holding onto what you know and refusing to change, usually because you’re comfortable where you are now. You’re not worse off, but you’re losing a lot of opportunities to gain more by refusing to take a risk.”

Malik snorted and asked, “What could I be missing out on? I get to travel the world now, I don’t have to live underground, my cousin’s a Pharaoh, my family’s all together. What else is there?”

“Well, let’s check the major influence.” Seeing the armored man on horseback, golden chalice in hand, Ryou broke into a wide grin.

Malik grimaced. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“This is the Knight of Cups, upright. One of the things it can represent is your true love.” Malik’s eyes widened, and even in the soft lighting, Ryou thought he saw his cheeks darken. “Is that what you’re afraid of change? You’re afraid of confessing feelings for someone?”

“I mean, y-yeah, I guess so,” he admitted. “I don’t know how to deal with love, you know? That wasn’t a part of how I grew up. And I just...I really like this person. I don’t even know where to start and I really don’t want to fuck it up.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, you’re a great person! Anyone would be lucky to call you their partner.”

Malik smiled a little to himself. “Shut up and tell me about the next card.”

With a quiet giggle, Ryou flipped over the next card. “This is the advice card, the Ten of Swords, reversed.”

“What the hell kind of advice is that?” Malik gestured to the card depicting a man lying face down with ten swords piercing his back.

“Don’t take it at face value,” he said. “It’s saying you’re lying to yourself about the situation and delaying what needs to be done. You have to make a choice, you can’t keep torturing yourself with not knowing how this person feels.”

Malik gulped. “And uh, what does the last card mean?”

“That’s the likely outcome.” Ryou flipped it over to show off a picture of a child on horseback in front of a shining sun and a row of sunflowers. “The Sun, upright.”

“Is that good?”

Ryou beamed at him. “It’s very good! The Sun is all about confidence, success, and happiness! You’re ready to make changes for the better and have an enthusiasm for life.” Collecting his cards and wrapping them back up, he added, “I think you should go for it, tell them how you feel!”

“Okay, um.” Malik cleared his throat. “Ryou, I think I like you...a lot.”

Ryou froze. “...What?”

Malik watched his hands like they were the most interesting things on the planet. “Yeah, I uh, I mean, I always kind of thought you were hot--” Ryou’s face turned beet red “--but I...I started feeling...things--weird things, mushy things--when I would get with you. I didn’t...I’ve never felt like this before.”

Ryou set his deck aside, gawking at Malik’s confession. His blush had subsided to a dark pink that contrasted his pale skin and white hair.

“Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea. Just forget I sa--”

Malik’s lavender eyes blew wide open as Ryou clamored over the coffee table and pressed their lips together. The kiss was slow, almost motionless, testing boundaries and intentions between one another. Ryou pulled back after a moment, still hunched over with one knee on the table.

“I’ve never felt like this either,” he whispered. “I’ve never had the chance to.”

A grin broke across Malik’s face, and he helped Ryou finish the journey to his side of the table. “Guess we’ve got some exploring to do then, eh sweetheart?”

Ryou laughed softly. “I’d like that.”

Arms around each other, their lips and hearts pressed together, Ryou couldn’t help but think about what the cards had told them. Malik really did warm him like rays from The Sun.

#I'm a day late but it's fine lskfjalsdkf #ryou bakura #malik ishtar #marik ishtar #angstshipping #yugioctober #yugioctober 2021 #writing #my writing #atem #ishizu ishtar #rishid ishtar

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hercleverboy · 4 years

Text

dinner dates and twilight books

spencer reid x reader

summary ↠ spencer finally confides in the reader about what happened to maeve.

category ↠ angst/fluff

warnings/includes ↠ a small argument.

word count ↠ 2.3k

“some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. from what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favour fire, but if it had to perish twice. I think I know enough of hate to say that for destruction ice, is also great. and would suffice.” — Robert Frost

Y/N looked around her as she stepped over the threshold of Spencer’s apartment. It looked how she imagined it would, brown and green colour scale and books piled high everywhere she looked. Though it was obvious he had cleaned for her, evident by the faint scent of bleach she could smell, but she didn’t let it bother her, she thought it was sweet.

The two had been dating for 2 months now, and were yet to become an official couple. Though they’d been on as many coffee and movie dates as his job would allow with his limited free time. The prospect of their new relationship excited Y/N. She really hadn’t felt this way about someone in a long time. Spencer felt the same, so when it looked as though he was finally going to get a weekend that was uninterrupted by a case from work, he invited Y/N over for a home-cooked dinner date.

Of course, only after he’d asked her did Spencer remember he was utterly useless at cooking, thus enlisting help from Rossi, memorising recipes of Y/N’s favourite foods.

The door shut gently behind Spencer as he offered to take Y/N’s coat like the gentleman he was, and she handed it to him with a grateful smile and a small “Thanks.”

“Uh, so, make yourself at home. I’ll just be in the kitchen. Can I get you a drink?” He asked, trying desperately not to show his very obvious nerves.

“I’m alright for now, thankyou.” She smiled, and Spencer returned the gesture, before scattering off to his small kitchen to begin cooking the food he’d prepared earlier before she could notice the blush on his flustered face.

She turned her attention back to her surroundings, and found herself walking over to his bookshelf. It went from floor to ceiling, completeley covering one of his walls, each shelf absoloutley packed with different novels. She noted the piles of books that sat next to the shelves, and giggled a little. He’d literally run out of room for his books, he had that many.

She folded her arms in front her as she smiled at the collections. She wasn’t a massive reader, but she had read some of the classic novels she saw on his shelves. She was more so just intrigued by the vast collection he owned.

“So, just how many books do you have?” She spoke a little louder so he’d hear her from the kitchen.

“1,274.” He called back. She should’ve been surprised by his precise answer, but then again she’d come to realise that he always gave answers like that. It was one of the things she liked so much about him. Her fingertips delicately grazed the spines of some of the novels she recognised. The Merchant of Venice, Catcher in the Rye, even an original copy of Alice in Wonderland, and then of course, the Magic of Quantum Physics. Obviously.

Spencer left the kitchen to join her, smiling as he watched her gaze in awe of his collection.

“and you’ve read all of these?” She asked, her voice showcasing her amazement.

“Yeah, I guess I have.” He laughed at how shocked she seemed. He noted how her nose crinkled slightly and her head tilted as she read the the different titles, smiling that perfect smile when she saw one she recognised. He really liked this girl. There was something about her, something he hadn’t felt for anyone in years. Spencer already knew he wanted to keep her around for as long as he could.

“Do you read much?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Sometimes, I really prefer works of fiction more than anything else, but-” She gasped, stopping herself mid-sentence. “No way.”

“What is it ?”

“You, Doctor Spencer Reid, own a copy of Twilight?” She teased, but her smile was joyous.

He simply shrugged his shoulders and gave her a smile. “It came up when I was on a case a few years ago, and I guess I just wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I still don’t get it.”

“You’re kidding, right? The Twilight Saga is one of my favourites. I could talk about it forever.” She sighed happily. “The first book isn’t bad, but Eclipse is easily the best-” She reached out to take the book from the shelf, but the books were so tightly pushed together in the small space that when she pulled the book out, another fell from the shelf and hit the floor with a thud.

She laughed, and bent down to pick it up. Before she could even touch it, Spencer swooped down and grabbed it first. “Don’t touch it.” He sneered at her, holding the white hardback book tightly in his grasp. She frowned. His tone of voice was a severe contrast to the kind, warm tone he used with her just moments before.

She brushed off his harshness and gave a small smile as she apologised. “I’m sorry, I’m awfully clumsy at times-“

“Could you not be a bit more careful?” He snapped, in a tone she hadn’t heard him use before. He looked down at the book, seemingly checking it for any scrapes. The smile dropped from her lips and she stumbled on her words, shocked.

“It’s- it’s just a book Spencer, I’m sorry.” Was he really that upset about a book? it wasn’t like she’d done it purposely.

With the way he looked at her, you’d think she’d stabbed him or something.

“Just a book? You wouldn’t understand. I know you said you were clumsy but really? What if you’d damaged it?” He was practically yelling now, and Y/N could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Where had the awkward and shy boy with the pretty smile gone?

She tried to blink the tears away but instead it made one fall down her cheek.

“I’m so sorry. Thankyou for having me but I think I should leave. Sorry, again.” She apologised profusely, grabbing her jacket from the coathanger and turning to leave.

“Wait- No Y/N, wait. Don’t go. I’m sorry I snapped.” His calm voice had returned, and he gently gripped her wrist to stop her from leaving.

She turned back to face him, and forced a smile that contrasted the tears in her eyes. “Honestly it’s fine. It was my fault, I’m so clumsy and now I’ve upset you. I’m really sorry.” She turned again. His grip on her tightened.

“No, Y/N. I’m sorry I called you clumsy. I didn’t mean it I just-.” He paused. “Can I at least explain myself? and then if you still want to go, you can.”

She turned to face him, giving him a small nod and allowing him to pull her to sit next to him on the sofa. She placed her bag and coat down by her feet, and gently pulled her hand from his, settling both her hands on her lap. If he hadn’t just snapped at her, Spencer would’ve been hurt that she’d pulled away, but he deserved it.

She prepared herself to listen. Spencer placed the book down on the table and looked down at his hands as he began to speak.

“2 years ago, I had these awful headaches. I went to numerous doctors, none of themcould seem to find anything wrong with me. Finally, I got in contact with another doctor, and with her help the headaches started to fade. Her name was Maeve, she was a geneticist. We spoke on the phone every Sunday, first just about my headaches, but once they’d gone away, we just kept talking. Slowly it began to be something more.” He smiled, like he was fondly remembering.

“She wanted to meet in person but- but Maeve had this stalker. She didn’t know who he was, but he threatened her, made her scared to leave her apartment without a disguise.” Spencer continued, telling Y/N how they’d been supposed to meet for the first time at a resteraunt, but Spencer thought her stalker was there, and so told her not to come inside for her safety.

“After she was gone, the hostess came to me with a little gift bag, saying a woman had left it for me. It was from Maeve, and in the bag was this book.” He looked at the white hardback book on his little brown coffee table. “I’d actually bought the same one for her, funnily enough.” He gave a half-hearted chuckle. Y/N was beginning to understand, but could see Spencer wasn’t finished yet.

“One day I called her and when she answered, it wasn’t her on the end of the line. The person said one word, Zugzwang. ” Spencer’s words wobbled as he spoke.

“It’s a chess term, right? It describes the point in the game where the player realises they will inevitably be checkmated.” Y/N spoke, and Spencer seemed surprised she understood, but nodded and continued with his story nontheless.

“That’s how I knew something was wrong, that she was in danger. The team and I, we finally figured out where her stalker, who turned out to be a woman named Diane, was holding her. I got there, and it was the first time we saw one another in person. She looked so scared I-“ He choked on his words, tears brimming in his eyes. Y/N slowly reached out to take his hand, but just before she did she looked to him, as if asking permission. He nodded, and she took his hand in hers, squeezing tightly.

Spencer was grateful for her warmth and compassion.

He took a deep breath. “I tried to talk Diane down, but I failed and she-“ He stopped before forcing himself to continue. “She shot herself in the head, killing Maeve as well.” A single tear fell from his eye and his chest heaved with shaking breaths. Y/N hesitantly pulled him into her arms in a comforting hug, but he welcomed it, wrapping his arms around her.

“Spencer I am so sorry.” She whispered. She couldn’t imagine a pain worse than losing the person you loved.

He shook his head, pulling back from her. “It’s not your fault, and it was years ago now.” He glanced at the coffee table, reaching over to take the book from it.

He opened it to the first page, and it didn’t take a genius for Y/N to guess that it was Maeve’s writing on the first page.

“This was all I had left of her. In the weeks after she died, I clung to this book for dear life. Even slept with it cradled to my chest.” He laughed humourlessly, as if it was a silly thing to do.

He wiped his eyes, his breathing returning to somewhat a normal pace. “I’m sorry I shouted. I shouldn’t have raised my voice. None of what I just told you excuses me mistreating you like that.” He sighed. “I want you to know it’s okay if you’d like to end this- I mean, us - now, now you know what emotional baggage I come with.”

Y/N was quick to shake her head, which surprised him.

“Don’t apologise. I completely understand, but Spencer if you’re not ready for a relationship, I’m happy to be your friend. You’re incredible, and I’d rather have you as a friend than not in my life at all.” She smiled sadly. She’s not sure if she believed the words leaving her mouth, she really could see herself falling in love with Spencer, but if he wasn’t ready, she would bury her feelings down and survive with just his friendship. He’d become too important to her for her to lose him from her life completely.

He frowned. “No, no it’s not like that Y/N. I loved Maeve, but that was two years ago, and whilst the pain is still there it gets less and less everyday.” He tried to explain. “Since we started dating you’ve really helped with that. I want you in my life. Today, and for a long time after that, if that’s okay with you.” He paused. “That’s actually what this whole home cooked dinner date thing was about.” He laughed nervously. “I wanted- I want to ask you to be my girlfriend.”

“Are you’re sure you’re ready to move on, Spencer?” She whispered, unsure. She didn’t want to force him into anything, and if he wasn’t over Maeve, she didn’t want to end up hurting herself.

“I promise I am, it still hurts at times but I know she’d want me to. Y/N, Maeve was my past, but I think you might be my future.” He smiled.

That was all the reassurance she needed. She beamed back at him. “Then yes. I’d love to be your girlfriend.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers in a short but loving kiss. However, they were interrupted by Spencer’s fire alarms going off. Spencer jumped up at the sound.

“Oh shit, the food!” He scampered off to the kitchen, leaving a giggling Y/N on the couch.

Sure, Spencer had some emotional baggage, and the relationship wasn’t always going to be easy, but with her love and affection, Spencer’s heart would eventually heal. They would be okay.

The pair enjoyed a slightly burned but still nice dinner before they retreated to his couch, and cuddled next to one another, talking and laughing about nothing in particular. As their conversation died down, a frown settled on her face, and Spencer frowned back, his thumb tracing along her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quietly.

“I was just thinking, now you’ve read Twilight, I have to ask you a very important question.” She smiled, and Spencer raised his eyebrows in confusion and a bit of worry. “Are you team Edward or Jacob?”

Spencer laughed, any worry he held leaving him instantly, before delving into a ramble on how Jacob was so obviously better for Bella than Edward, which Y/N wholehartedly disagreed with. They laughed together as they continued their playful disagreement.

Yeah, they were going to be just fine.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid one shot #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler #criminal minds #mgg x reader #mgg

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breadclubrising · 3 years

Note

If i may don the trutherism cap for a moment! (Also #legalinoregon!) Kenneth wore a number 23 jersey in his match tonight. I thought 23 was maybe the age he started wrestling in Japan (like the fanboy he is) but according to my research he started in DDT in 2008, making him 25, not 23

HOWEVER, kenny said he saw a video of ibushi in 2006 and became fascinated with him. Making him 23. Again kenneth leaves us breadcrumbs! Just making sure we know he's definitely NOT thinking about ibushi

Oh hey Anon, I'm sorry it took me a couple of days to reanimate my corpse and push aside the granite veil of my tomb in order to answer this ask! That's some very impressive decoding on your part, and I'm sure most people watching thought the same thing. But let me tell you my crackpot theory.

Anon, I don't know if you've heard of the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James and several of the Looney Tunes (in theaters now!). It's a movie about cartoons playing basketball with one actual man who is a basketball player in real life. Coincidentally, the Looney Tunes brand is owned by TNT, which also owns AEW. I'm told The Elite's entrance that day was a plug for this film. Brand synergy really gets my recently-revived heart pumping, I tell ya what.

But did you wonder what "A New Legacy" in the title refers to? Not many people know this, but all the way back in 1996, there was a film ("talkie") titled simply Space Jam. Yes, "A New Legacy" is subtitled as such because it is in fact a modern retelling of an ancient legend: the timeless hero's journey wherein a man whom plays basket-ball in real life also plays basketball in cartoon outer space with the Looney Tunes.

But wait, you say, LeBron James, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, was only about 11 when Space Jam was first released into the world. He wasn't yet the greatest basketball player of all time. So who could possibly pre-fill King James's Air Jordans and hold court with the legendary (ageless!) Bugs Bunny?

The answer has been lost to antiquity, and we may never know for sure. But I have arisen this day, and used all the strength in these frail bones to set the record straight—I remember, for I was there.

The Elite's shirts the other day were a reference to the jerseys of the Space Jam heroes—not the ones in theaters now, but the Tune Squad of ur-Space Jam. A team led by one Michael Jordan. In those days, people said this Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time. They even named shoes after him, though the name of them escapes me as my spirit is pulled back to Oblivion.

No one remembers who he was or what he looked like, but one young boy was inspired by him all those years ago, and that boy vowed to one day become the Michael Jordan of basketball. He vowed he would make it to the NBA someday, and if he did, he would wear the same number jersey that his hero so famously wore for most of his career.

That boy was LeBron James, and that number was 23.

Yes, the charismatic frontmen of both Space Jam titles wore the number 23. (LeBron has since switched to 6, because he believes 23 is so iconic that it should only be associated with the shoe guy I mentioned before, whatshisname.) So that's my theory.

I know! It's a stretch! Your theory is the obvious Occam's Razor explanation, but you know how the failing twilight mind of the aged likes to spin its tales as it spirals into the void.

I must get back to my crypt before the reanimation runes deplete, but thank you for letting an old, old lady share a fanciful tale, Anon. 💗

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volturicangetit · 4 years

Text

F.V- Mates with the guard

Summary: You bring the Volturi a visit after which you find out that you are mates with Felix. Only problem is, you almost killed him a week ago.

Request: YES/no Anon: I love your work! Can you do Random prompts 15, 21, 22, and 24 with Felix and his newly found mate who doesn't know she's his mate that'll end with fluff? 15 " I'm too sober for this " " you don't even drink " " maybe I should start " 21 " what do you mean she's my new partner? She tried to kill me last week! " " Sounds like your problem " 22 " Good thing I didn't ask for your opinion " 24 " Did you just hiss at me? “

Warnings: swearing

Wordcount: 1590

You knew this day would come. The moment you found out that your friend was a vampire was the moment you knew that you were in deep shit. First, you thought that they were going to kill you. Sink their teeth into your neck and use you as a blood bag. They were kinder than that though, you are their friend. They didn't kill you, instead, they calmly explained everything. They also told you that the Volturi was going to want to meet you the moment they knew you found out about their secret. That's how you found yourself here, in an ancient castle being escorted to the supposed ' kings ' by a vampire. Your friend had to wait outside, sadly. You are hyperaware of how the vampire guiding you could sense everything going on in your body. Every heartbeat and breath, none of them went unnoticed by the vampire. "Felt like a snack?" a deep voice says as a two-man appear next to you. The tallest of the two grips into your arm, inhaling the scent around you. "A tasty one as well," he smirks. He is down-right frightening. His form towers over you, making you feel impossibly small. You know him. He tried to attack your friend last week after which you almost set him on fire. He smirks at you, clearly, he has remembered your little encounter last week as well. He tightens his grip on your arm. Everything in you feel revolted by his touch. But you can't get yourself to get out of his grasp. "They're here for the masters," you initial guide says.

"Come on, Alec, sharing is caring," Felix says. Great, so the guide has a name. Alec pulls the tall man's hand off your arm. "Behave yourself, Felix.". You step away from Felix the moment his hand leaves your arm. You wrap your arms around yourself for comfort. Alec lays a hand on your shoulder and pushes you out in front of him, guiding you away from the two men. He clearly forgets about his inhuman strength as his hand comes harshly into contact with your skin. You keep the whine threatening to escape inside as you ignore the feeling of the bruise starting to bloom up onto your skin. "He's no fun," you here Felix call from behind you.

Alec stays quiet as he guides you to the throne room. The moment that the dark doors are opened before you, an eerie feeling falls over you. To your surprise you see the man from before, Felix, talking to the three so-called masters. Felix turns around to look at you. You keep walking into the room even though every cell in your body is telling you to run away. "Young Y/n, what a surprise," a man with raven hair, who your friend told you is named Aro, says. A creepy smile is plastered into his lips. He stands up from his throne. Felix quickly takes some steps to the side to make room for Aro. Aro mentions for you to come over to him. You take slow steps towards him, afraid that your buckling knees might give out. You can't help but imagine how old they might all be. Hundreds if not thousands of years old. The moment that you are in arms reach of Aro he grabs your hand and wraps his own around him.

The moment his skin touches yours, a wave of nausea hits you. You can feel him scanning through your thoughts, reading and seeing every single one of them. You clench your teeth to keep your gag reflex at bay. Something about his presence made you feel like turning your stomach inside out. " How remarkable, " he says before letting go of your hand. You quickly pull your hand towards your self, as if he had burned you. Aro looks over to the brunet sitting on the throne who gives him a small nod. Aro then looks over at Felix and lets out a hysterical giggle. "They are mates," the brunet groans out as he continues to stare at the wall, clearly uninterested. Felix immediately snaps his head towards you. Sure, he noticed that something was wrong when he first mate you but he didn't think that you'd be his mate. " Mate? " you ask.

"You are partners of a sort. Bound together by your soul." Aro explains as he keeps glancing between you and Felix. The blond ' master ' lets out a groan as he rolls his eyes. Not everyone is happy with this new partnership. "What do you mean she's my new partner? She tried to kill me last week!" Felix says as he takes a step closer to Aro. Anger is written all over his face which in result makes him look even more imitating. You take a step back as you flinch slightly at his sudden outburst.

"Well, that surely was not very kind of Y/n but mates bonds cannot be broken," Aro says. "So it sounds like your problem." Felix shakes his head and takes a moment to collect himself, not wanting to get too angry with the masters. His fists clench and unclench by his side. He walks over to you with quick strides. He lays a hand on your shoulder and pulls you along with him and out of the throne room, leaving the masters and guards baffled behind. You don't even try to fight him, knowing that it's useless.

He doesn't stop walking and pulling you along until he is in a quiet part of the halls. He quickly lets go of you and starts pacing around you. You stand there still confused and looking at the angry vampire before you. "So mates, huh?" you say as you try to break the uncomfortable silence. Felix quickly wipes around, looking you up and down. He shakes his head before running his hands through his short hair. "I am too sober for this," he says.

"You don't even drink," you say softly. You still aren't comfortable around him. The fact that he can easily kill you, and probably wants to, is way too obvious to you to forget. He shrugs, removing his hands from his hands and crossing them over his chest instead. He looks, even more, imitating now. "Maybe I should start," he says.

You look around you in the hallway. You spot a stone bench a couple of feet away. You walk over to it and sit down on it, resting your elbows on your knees so that you can prop your head up on your hands. "Would that even work?" you ask. "Do you get drunk if you drink blood from someones who's drunk?". Felix doesn't even answer you. He just stands there and looks at you, questioning what he did in life to deserve a human as his mate.

Neither of you say anything for the next ten minutes, both stuck in your own thoughts. Sure, Felix is hot. Extremely fucking hot. But he also an asshole who you almost killed a week ago and who probably has you on top of his kill list now. "I'm gonna go home now," you say before standing up. Felix turns to you and shakes his head. "You cannot leave, you are my mate. You need to stay here,"

"Good thing that I didn't ask for your opinion," you say as you start walking into a random direction. To be honest, you have no idea how to get out of this maze of a castle, but Felix doesn't need to know that. "I'm going to go home whenever I please," you call out to him. Felix quickly catches up to you. He lays a hand on your arm to try and keep you to stay. You quickly shrug his hand of you, turn to him and hiss at him.

"Did...Did you just hiss at me?" he laughs. You give his arm a small punch, which hurts you more than him. Stupid vampires. You cross your arms over your chest and stop walking. "Yeah, I did.". Felix shakes his head. Every bit of anger that he had in him has now left him. Clearly, that thinking session you had did him good. "Are you actually going to leave?" he asks. Something in his voice almost sounds disappointed. You nod.

Felix lets out a sigh before quickly picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder in a fireman-carry sort of manner. "Hey! Let me down!" you yell as you start punching his back. It doesn't do anything to him, though. He shakes his head and starts walking towards his room. "You can't do this!".

"Keep fighting human, maybe you will tire yourself out," he says. You stop your attack on his back, realizing that it's useless. You let yourself go limp in his arms. He readjusts you ever so slightly on his shoulder so that you laying a bit more comfortable. You let out a sigh. "Would you like me to get you some food? Or perhaps a movie to watch?" Felix asks. You don't want to give into him, but your stomach is rumbling and you do want to watch a movie. " Yeah, " you sigh.

He lets a laugh rumble through his chest. You feel the vibrations through his shoulders. "Alright, I will get that all sorted out," he says. Maybe he isn't so bad. Maybe you can actually like him. "If you promise that you will not try to kill me again,". Asshole.

TWILIGHT TAGLIST:

@scuzmunkie @thanossexual @kpopgirlbtssvt @cullens-stuff @rexburn12 @prettyinblack231 @ravenmoore14

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shimarin-chi · 3 years

Text

Some more aro childhood/teen/early adult experiences (as experienced by me)

-You’re 8. You start watching and reading stories for older kids and pre-teens. The girls in those stories have/want boyfriends. You decide you also want a boyfriend. You get a crush on a boy -(You don’t know if it actually was a crush. You can’t remember what you felt back then anymore) -You think about your crush sometimes. You never tell anyone in class (why would you?). You never try to get closer to him. You have a crush, and everything’s fine -You transfer schools. You stop thinking about him

-Your mother later tells you a different boy from your class used to like you. You’re not happy about that. It’s probably because he isn’t cool enough, you think

-You’re 10. You’re in a new school. A boy gives you a chocolate heart for Valentine’s day. You’re grossed out. He’s unattractive, hangs out with unpleasant company and his grades are bad. That’s why you don’t like him, you think. You try to avoid him after that.

-You’re 10. You have a crush on a classmate. He’s pretty and smart and popular and he’s a good dancer. You used to dance, so they put you in a pair with him for dance classes and have you dance together at events. You try to talk to him, even get him a card for Valentine’s day. You’re happy, you think.

-One day you and some other classmates are hanging out, and he starts making fun of you. He calls you a blind chicken and makes fun of your glasses. You try to pretend you never heard anything, so he calls you deaf as well. You walk away, heartbroken -You decide you don’t like him anymore, after this. You become friends with another boy and start dancing with him instead. You graduate grade school and stop thinking about your former crush

-You’re 11. You’re in a new school and in a new class. There aren’t a lot of boys in your class, and all of them are boring. You don’t think you want to get a crush on any of them, so you stop thinking about it. You’ve finally realised you’re too young for things like crushes and dating, anyways

-You’re 12. Your friend gets a crush on one of the boys in your class. You can’t see why, but you’re happy for her, you guess. They start dating, but he soon dumps her, saying he never liked her in the first place. Your friend stops talking about him, so you figure she’s moved on. -You’re 12. You, the aforementioned friend and another girl make a habit of walking home together, parting near your house. Your friend’s former crush also lives in your house. She keeps trying to walk in the vicinity of her former crush and his friend -(Once you walked halfway to your house without running into the boys, so your friend insists you wait, and when you question her, she gets angry and walks back in the direction of the school alone. You don’t understand what’s going through her head at all)

-You’re 13. Your friend tries to recommend you "Twilight" and tells you about the 1st book’s plot. You decide you’re not interested. That’s not surprising: you aren’t really interested in romance books and romance movies. You think they’re boring, and you figure you’re not old enough to appreciate them yet -(Years later there’s another book recommendation. You take one look at the synopsis for "50 Shades of Grey" and can’t figure out why your classmates like this book. What’s so romantic about this?)

-You’re 13. One of your classmates tells you another classmate likes you. You don’t do anything about it: you don’t really like him, and anyways, he should talk to you himself if he really likes you. Your classmate is probably wrong or lying, anyways

-You’re 13. You run into your former crush on the bus. You talk for a bit, and you don’t see each other again -You tell your friends who he is. They start mentioning whenever they talk about crushes and boyfriends, asking if there are any new developments. There aren’t. You wish they would stop asking. They never do

-You’re 15. Your friends sometimes ask you for dating advice. You’re not sure why: you’ve never dated anyone. You think you’re too young, and besides, you don’t know many boys, so there aren’t many candidates -(You don’t think about liking girls until you’re 18 and find out that’s actually an option. You look back on your school years, decide that you’ve met enough girls that you would’ve had a crush on at least one by now, and figure out you’re probably straight. The fact that your last crush happened 8 years ago doesn’t faze you at all)

-You’re 17. A lot of the people in your year turn out to be dating. Quite often, they are dating each other, even. You never notice until someone tells you or they do something romantic in front of you -You worry a bit, that you don’t like anyone, but you brush it off. You’ll probably find someone when you start uni -(You try not to think about having to date and hold hands and kiss and... other things one has to do when they date. You’ll cross that bridge when you get to it)

-You’re in uni now. Your university major is in IT, so there are a lot of boys in your year. You still don’t like any of them. You don’t mind. It would get in the way of studying

- A boy comes up to you in the hallway. He’s older than you and in another major. He starts talking to you. He asks to be friended on social media. You’re uncomfortable, but too polite to brush him off. He kisses you on the hand when he leaves (You thought it would be a handshake, or else you wouldn’t have given him your hand). You can’t help but feel relieved -That boy keeps showing up and talking to you. You try to show him you’re not interested by giving clipped answers and looking uninterested. He doesn’t take the hint. He asks if he can kiss you on the cheek. You refuse -Your friends think you should be happy with his attention, asking you if you went out with him, if he’s attractive, and other questions. They still bring up your former crush. You’ve resigned yourself to it by now -The boy keeps trying to invite you to events, or just to hang out. You always refuse. You try to appear boring and standoffish. You even tell him he has no chances, but he persists. He tries to give you birthday presents. You are always afraid you will run into him in the hallways. You stop hanging out in the hallways you’ve met him in before -You end up changing your uni and your major for unrelated reasons. He writes a message asking where you are. You tell him you transferred, and then you ghost him. He gets the hint eventually -It still takes a couple years worth of birthday messages that you ignore In his last message, he says he hopes to meet you again, hopes that you feel at least something for him. You shudder when you read that message

-You’re attending your new uni. You’re not interested in dating, still. You are still blindsided whenever it turns out someone you know is dating. You figure you still have time. You try not to think about the future

-You finally know you’re aro. And you still can’t tell if any of your past crushes where actually crushes or not, but the last "crush” was more than 10 years ago, so you figure you’re in the clear -Your parents never said anything about you not dating. They haven’t even said anything about a future marriage, unlike the rest of your relatives. You think you’re safe. Then they offhandedly say something about what shirt your dad will wear to your wedding. You still don’t know how to tell them there probably won’t be a wedding, or that they probably won’t have any grandchildren, what with you being an only child. You try not to think about it, like you try not to think about everything else

(Inspired by a similar post I saw on my dash earlier. It kind of got away from me, so I guess it’s a bit of a personal vent post, too? I figured there’s no harm in posting this, anyways, even if not a lot of people can relate to this)

#aro experience #aromantic #aro #aroace #(not sure if it applies for this particular post #but it can't hurt)#long post #personal #vent? maybe #aro stuff

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humans4vampires · 3 years

Text

Cold Heart

Context: This story was inspired by a tumblr post from tumblr user @cozycullens. The post outlined the potential for sappy holiday content that the original story lacked. The post noted that Twilight fans had to fill in the blanks; I thought it would be fun to write out what Valentine’s Day could have looked like for Edward and Bella. The timeline of this story edits the original canon, meaning the breakup in New Moon and subsequent recoupling happens earlier, allowing the pair to be reunited in time to spend both the Christmas holiday season together and Valentine’s Day. This is before the events are set in motion for the vampire army attack in Eclipse. I’d also like to mention that this story addresses a scene that occurs later in the timeline of the novel. I’ve edited it here to give Edward and Bella a bit of private time that is free of the pressures that the later happenings of Eclipse bring to the moment. In this, I have used direct quotes from Meyer’s novel, and I do not claim to own that content in any way. As stated, this is purely for fun and to share with my fellow Twilight fans.

READ PART TWO HERE

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The dull blue grey light of the morning filtered through my window in a haze, waking me gently from inconsequential dreams. My natural instincts to unfurl myself from my usual swaddle of blankets to reach for him felt empty and unnecessary. Rather, I found myself spread across my bed in a sweaty mess of fabric.

“Edward?” I said softly, propping myself up to take in the room. I blinked quickly and tried to brush the mess of my hair from my face, speaking his name again as a question. There was no reply.

I tried to think back to the night before; I didn’t think he had gone hunting. No, he had surely been with me when I fell asleep. A compilation of Victorian poetry was open face-down on his side of my bed. We made the trip to Seattle a few weeks ago to get the book I needed to get started on my research paper. I had chosen the topic of Tennyson and Rossetti as an ironic gesture toward him – my very own post-Victorian era angel. He was reading his favorites to me, his voice a velvet whisper when I had fallen asleep in his cool embrace.

No, I was sure he had been with me throughout the night. I ran my left palm over the bare sheet beside me and felt the lingering presence of his wintry skin. It was unusual for him to leave before I woke. It was my favorite part of each day, and his. I was wondering what had called him away as I picked up the heavy text to see where he had left off. As I turned the pages to face me, a small piece of paper fluttered into my lap. The note he had left in his elegant script explained his absence.

‘Who are wise in love, love most, say least. Happy Valentine’s Day, love.’

He quoted Tennyson, I was sure, but the poem he had left open was not the same one he referenced. Instead, the book was open to Tennyson’s ‘Crossing the Bar,’ which was certainly not a love poem. I scanned it quickly, trying to garner any meaning from it without success. My mind was racing elsewhere, my heart beating quickly with exultant dread. So he had gone to prepare whatever exorbitant Valentine’s Day surprise he had planned. As fate would have it, this holiday had arrived on a school day and would provide a public audience to witness the surely over-the-top display Edward had planned for me.

Edward’s obsession with making the most of my human experiences had only intensified since reaching our compromise for Carlisle to turn me after my impending high school graduation. Christmas had been a deluge of cheer and merriment thanks to Alice, who was overcompensating for lost time with me – while also, just being Alice. I was still convinced it hadn’t snowed quite as much as she’d wanted and she had somehow managed a snow machine to fill in my yard for Christmas morning. Alice had laughed off my assumptions as absurd, but Charlie was still trying to work out how our yard had had a good three feet more snow than the rest of our neighborhood.

The halls had certainly been decked in Cullen home, too. It had to be visible from space from the sheer amount of Christmas lights neatly hung on every eave and railing. For the entire month of December, the house smelled of fresh gingerbread and pine. Every surface had been transformed with fresh garlands and shiny decorations. The fireplace in the grand living room was constantly crackling a gentle fire, flickering its light against the enormous tree trimmed with ornaments gathered over the many decades of Christmases past. And the gifts – oh – I couldn’t even bring myself to continue the thought.

I was brought back to reality, the sweet valentine in my shaking hand. I took a staggered breath and made a passing glance at the clock as I rushed to the bathroom. I tried not to think about the day ahead as I dressed. Charlie had already left for the station and the rest of my morning at home seemed to move in a blur of anxiety. I stumbled out the door in a black turtleneck, jeans, bean boots, and my mustard yellow coat. I thought my very standard attire might signal Edward to my disinterest in any outlandish public displays of affection. I drove slowly to Forks High School through the rain muddled snow. My truck dredged through the sludge into the parking spot beside the familiar silver Volvo.

The parking lot was already full and busy with the usual Friday commotion. I looked out my rearview mirror to take in the pops of pink and red from the Valentine’s baubles that everyone seemed to be toting. I had always found the holiday rather arbitrary – a well-marketed event to boost the sales of chocolates and flowers. Until my mother had found Phil, Valentine’s Day was usually spent in front of the television with a pint of ice cream, two spoons, and a chick-flick. I was trying to remember the last Valentine’s Day movie my mom and I had watched together when a quick knock on my driver’s side window snapped my eyes from my rearview.

The morning’s panic melted from my bones as I took him in. Edward was standing there, my favorite crooked smile on his lips, a single and perfect red rose held up in his hand.

“Good morning,” he murmured as I opened my door and got to my feet to stand in front of him. “Did you get my Valentine?”

“Mmm,” I hummed. “Tennyson?”

He nodded, a smirk crossing his expression. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love.”

I felt a blush beginning to mark my cheeks and looked down at my feet as he handed me my rose. He moved to rest that now empty hand above my head on the frame of my truck, leaning to tighten the space between us. His free hand swept down my jaw, his gentle fingers stopping below my chin to tilt my head up. He bent down to press his lips to mine, his cool breath sending my delicate humanity into a tailspin. The kiss was, as expected, refined… at first. Unexpectedly, he draped an arm around my body to pull me closer to his frame. He lifted me effortlessly to continue the kiss as my free hand found its way around the base of his neck and into his bronze hair.

When his response became rigid and he began to return my feet to their reluctant ground, I realized I had forgotten to breathe. My legs trembled against the sudden gravity and he steadied me as I took in sharp breaths. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“What am I going to do with you?” he teased.

“With any hope, that, again.”

He took a slow step back and smirked, “I do enjoy sweeping you off your feet.”

My head was still spinning as I grabbed my bag from the truck and shut the door behind me. Edward took my right hand as we walked to class, my single rose in the left.

The rest of the day continued on and I was a happy bystander to the couples declaring their love for one another throughout the day. It seemed each period passed with another sudden delivery of roses, large teddy bears, or chocolates. Joyce Lowell in Government received a loud serenade from half of the school’s marching band, her boyfriend, Aaron, the faux-conductor. Each time the door to the classroom opened my heart skipped a beat with the fresh fear that Edward might have some embarrassing demonstration planned. I wasn’t eager to hurt his feelings and so I kept the question from him all day. I had cracked by fifth period when he finally asked, “Why is your heart is thrumming like a hummingbird’s?”

“I’m worried that you have a grand romantic gesture planned,” I took a sharp breath, anxious for his response. My heart rate only increased when he shrugged and walked ahead of me into the classroom.

I was at a loss for words when he chuckled. “Am I not allowed a grand gesture on Valentine’s Day?” Panic rushed through me before he continued in a more serious tone, “Do you honestly believe that my romantic displays are akin to those of someone like Mike Newton?”

His eyes glanced down at the trinkets gathered in my arms. I thought this tradition had been left in elementary school, but it seemed my friends still enjoyed giving each other Valentine’s treats. Jessica and Angela both had given me small paper crafts and chocolates to mark the occasion. Even Tyler and Eric participated, handing out boxes of tiny heart candies.

The only class Edward could not manage to work out to have with me our senior year was math – considering my being in a far lower level than was excusable for him to fail into. This, of course, was the only class I had exclusively with Mike. I had found it funny that it bothered Edward in the slightest; until today, when Mike seized the opportunity to give me a large stuffed bear, a rather huge box of chocolates, and a clearly handmade valentine. All platonically, Mike had assured me, as he was still on-and-off with Jessica and I was still very much Edward’s – only Edward’s.

I shook my head as I fumbled to stack all of my favors onto a pile on my desk, keeping the rose in my hand to tap lightly on the tip of Edward’s nose.

He tilted his brow at my playful gesture. “You have nothing to worry about. I simply have arranged for us to have a night alone. My family have their own Valentine’s Day traditions and we’ll have the house to ourselves. For this one night could we try to forget everything besides just you and me?” he pleaded, unleashing the full force of his eyes on me. “It seems like I can never get enough time like that. I need to be with you. Just you.”

“No,” I shook my head again. “Just you is good.”

The hitch in my tone caught his attention, but he didn’t have a chance to respond. Mr. Banner began lecturing on optics and light. I couldn’t focus on Physics; I could only hear Edward’s methodic voice repeating ‘I need to be with you’ again and again. Each passing thought brought a new blush to my cheeks that I tried to hide behind a curtain of my hair. I was sure he could hear my fluttering heart, but I couldn’t focus on that either. I was entirely clouded with thoughts of him. I stared at his strong hands, folded together in front of him on the table. How I imagined them on my body a million times, his cold fingertips grazing over my bare skin in the places he refused to wander. It was all I could think of the rest of the day.

When I was back in my room, a different blur of anxiety plagued me than when I had left it in the morning. Edward and I went our separate ways after school. He had filled me in on how exactly he had planned to handle the issue of Charlie. My father was still learning to trust me again and another night out of the house was certainly going to come under some heavy interrogation. I was technically still grounded even though Edward had been following Charlie’s very strict rules to a perfect degree. I was sure that Charlie hadn’t missed the fact that it was Valentine’s Day and I could only imagine the things he would think Edward and I would be doing if left alone. I was pressing the subject when Edward said, “Esme spoke with Charlie today and let him know that Carlisle is taking my brothers and I on a long-promised camping trip. You’ll be having a girls’ night with Esme, Alice, and Rosalie, as Charlie knows it. He’s been hoping you’d be spending more time with Alice soon.”

I felt a twinge of guilt for all the lying that had to be done to protect Charlie. This lie was much less to protect him from the perils of life threatening vampire attacks and much more about protecting him from the thought of his teenage daughter being alone with her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. The guilt subsided when I remembered that I would get to be alone with Edward.

I stood in my room, hands steadying me on my dresser, knees shaking from the anticipation. The mix of emotions kept wracking me in waves. Edward had made it very clear; we could not be together physically until I was changed. My safety, was not something he was willing to jeopardize to satisfy any desire – which, to his credit, was entirely the reason I was alive. It was difficult to argue with Edward on that fact, but it was so incredibly difficult to argue with my own desires, still. And yet, I felt foolish all the same. I was so intensely human. Though he’d told me many times that he felt the same way for me, I knew he couldn’t possibly lust for me the way I did for him. I was able to reason that point logically, but part of me questioned it in this moment. Had he changed his mind?

I knew what was waiting for me at the Cullens’. It hadn’t been much more than a month since the last time I had genuinely spent the night there for a ‘girls’ night.’ Edward didn’t want me anywhere near Jacob and so Edward had been avoiding distant hunting trips to keep a close watch on me. Alice was all too eager to babysit to allow Edward a satiating hunt; it left me free to be played with as if I were her life-sized doll. That wasn’t what I was fixated on now. The image of the intricate wrought-iron bed burned in my mind. The thought of Edward and I wrapped tenderly in its golden threads made me quiver again, a sigh escaping my lips.

A knock at the front door made my heart stutter. I heard Charlie gather himself up off the couch to get the door. I stopped listening and only heard the light murmur of greetings as I rushed to find something appropriate to wear. What kind of outfit were you supposed to put together to seduce your vampire boyfriend? I was clashing hangers together across the pole, a bit frantic, when I heard her behind me.

Alice shook her head. “You look like you need to sit down. Let me handle this,” she said.

I decided it was better not to argue with her. I was, in all fairness, a mess, and there was only so much harm she could do with my own wardrobe to work with. She confidently pulled my small duffle from the top shelf of my closet and began packing things without truly looking at them. She had already seen what she would need.

I was sitting in my rocking chair when she looked back to me, still absently packing my bag. She looked like she was waiting for me to say something, but I swallowed uncomfortably rather than working up the nerve to talk.

She cast me a sympathetic smile as she removed something from my closet and tossed it toward me. “Try this,” she said.

I stood to change into the hyacinth blue sweater Alice had given it to me as a Christmas gift. Unlike many of the other fashion pieces Alice had tried to dress me in, I did like it. It was soft, probably a thin cashmere, with a plunging V neckline. It fit my frame tightly and was flattering in a way that I couldn’t justify being embarrassed by. She moved to my dresser then, digging through the very bottom drawer to pull out a short skirt she had also gifted me that I was not particularly fond of. Before I could argue, she slung it onto the bed.

“Work with me here, Bella,” she said sternly.

I pulled on the black skirt without a fight. Alice finished off my outfit with a pair of expensive black leather boots.

“And those were a gift from Esme, before you think of disputing them,” she lectured.

“No, I like them. At least they’re covering more of my skin,” I said, zipping them up.

Alice peaked her eyebrows, a smirk budding on her face as she closed my bag. I felt the rush of blood on my complexion again. “Alice – “

“Come on, let’s go before you lose it,” she said quickly, pulling my hand and leading me out of my room and down the stairs.

Charlie didn’t bother looking away from the television as we called a quick goodbye to him. Alice carried me through the slush in a movement so brief that I had no time to process it, placing me in the passenger seat of her small yellow Porsche. Forks blurred outside the windows and in the darkness of the car, it was easier for me to talk about what I was getting myself into.

“Does he…” I asked in her direction, not finishing the thought.

“I don’t think I should really say anything, Bella.” She answered, plainly.

“Since when do you keep things to yourself, Alice?”

She chuckled quietly, “Whatever I say now is not going to help. I’m just dropping you off. You’re not the only one with Valentine’s Day plans, you know.”

“That’s not fair,” I complained. “He’s seen whatever you’ve seen. He’s not going into this blind like I am.”

“Oh, yes he is,” she said proudly. “I’ve been careful to stay away from him today – and it’s not quite clear what’s going to happen. You’ve only been growing bolder in the last few hours.”

Bolder? I certainly didn’t feel it. In the light of the dashboard, I saw Alice turn to me as the car began to slow. We were already in the driveway. When the car stopped, I felt a quick breeze from the opening and closing of her door. She had slung my bag over her shoulder quickly before arriving at my door to help me to the porch steps. I doubted even Alice thought I was that uncoordinated to walk a few feet without falling; she was carrying me everywhere to keep the boots safe, I thought. She set me down on the porch and walked ahead of me into the house. I followed her in, confused.

“I thought you said you were just dropping me off?”

We were in the living room when she said, “I am. Edward isn’t here yet. He had an errand to run. He’ll be here soon and we’ll be gone – don’t worry.”

A fresh blush met my cheeks as I locked eyes with the another set in the room. Rosalie was perched on the edge of the sofa, bent over the coffee table arranging what looked like a large photo album. She had small papers and photos scattered all over the table, some in small piles on the floor beside her. She gazed up at me with the come-to-be-expected level of enthusiasm I generally received, but there was a hint of something else in her expression. It caught me by surprise and left me gawking at her silently. Rosalie’s appearance always struck me, but tonight she was especially beautiful. Her tight satin dress was just the perfect shade of red to compliment her equally satin skin, her golden hair a perfect, elegant twist, and her long bare legs crossed in front of her were only further elongated by her strappy, red stilettos. Alice had done her best with me, but I felt myself self-consciously tug at the hem of my skirt.

That inexplicable look that I had caught in Rosalie’s expression seemed to grow stronger as she gauged my assessment of her. A small smile crossed her lips as she looked back to what she was working on and I looked to Alice, who was dancing back down the stairs now. I hadn’t noticed her departure, but she was already redressed in an ensemble that mirrored the glamour of Rosalie’s. Alice bent one leg up behind her, fastening the tiny buckle on the strap of her heel, careful not to bend and crease the fabric on her burgundy slip-dress.

“Alright, Rose. Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.” Alice rolled her eyes at me quickly before Rosalie noticed. Alice had her keys in her tiny hands as she walked my direction to head for the door.

“I will see you tomorrow,” she said with a coy grin.

Rosalie was out the door faster than I could follow. I turned to Alice as she moved at a more mortal pace. “Where are you going?” I asked.

Alice waved as she replied, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Bella!” The door was shut behind her then. I heard the muffled roar of her Porsche as she and Rosalie left me behind. I assumed that I was completely alone then. I was curious to know where they were going, but my mind was busy calculating other worries. I stood in the Cullens’ living room, taking in the sheer silence. The only sound was coming from the low burning fire still crackling dimly in the fireplace. I unlocked my tense limbs to move toward the heat. I stopped briefly to survey Rosalie’s project and flipped through a couple of pages on the bound album.

Were these all valentines? I picked up a few loose papers from the table and skimmed them quickly. It seemed that Rosalie had been collecting notes from her admirers for decades, compiling the highlights in an album with cards dating back to 1929. Some of the earlier letters were from when she was still human, if I wasn’t mistaken. A few authors were brave enough to sign their names, but most were anonymous confessions. I spent more time snooping through Rosalie’s valentines than I should have, but part of me thought that she must have wanted me to see them. Why else would she have left them all here?

I focused myself again and took a seat on the edge of the hearth.

I was glad I had a moment to gather myself and took the opportunity to take a few deep, but unsteady, breaths. Why was I so unnerved? I closed my eyes and tried to summon my buried fantasies of Edward. There I let myself imagine him, pulling me tightly to his chest, letting his lips roam my jaw, my neck, and the dips of my collarbones. What would he look like bare? I’d only been able to guess the parts of him that were always just beyond my reach. I let those thoughts in too, imagining my own fingers tracing patterns around the curves of his muscles. To bring him close to me, skin to skin – the thought alone painted my face in a soft blush. I bit my lip, letting go a full breath I had been holding. I opened my eyes then and immediately found him.

He was standing across the room from me, a statue of indescribable, sculpted beauty, leaning on the wall casually. He had a peaceful expression resting in his features, but his bright golden eyes were burning with something I couldn’t explain. My favorite crooked smile slowly crossed his lips as his eyes seemed to search my body. I blushed more deeply, a decision forming more firmly in my mind.

I loved him, purely, and every ounce of my body and soul ached to be his. It was exactly the reason I had asked him to change me himself. I wanted his venom to alter me permanently, his lips on my skin to be the last human sensation I’d ever feel. I wanted to be tangibly his, forever; for Edward to lay claim to me in an absolute and eternal way. If I was his, then he was mine. This desire burned in me more brightly in this moment than it ever had. But there were other human sensations I ached for now. And suddenly, I was sure I was not willing to sacrifice them.

Edward moved slowly across the room to perch in front of me. The height of the hearth and his tall body in a crouch before me, leveled us to be equally face-to-face. As he bent, he balanced a small, thin velvet box on my knees. I made no move to open it, so he chuckled lightly and opened it to reveal a small glittering heart-shaped charm. Even in the dim firelight, the brilliant crystal’s intricate cuts glinted countless sparkling rays of color. It was hung on a silver chain as thin as thread.

He was the first to break the silence.

“It was my mother’s.” He shrugged deprecatingly. “I inherited quite a few baubles like this. I’ve given some to Esme, Alice, and Rosalie throughout the years. So, clearly, this is not a big deal in any way.” I could feel his eyes on me, but I continued to stare down, not quite ready to speak. “A hand-me-down,” he reminded me sternly. “You said that was allowable.”

“I guess I did say that,” I said in a whisper.

He chuckled at my reluctance. “I thought it was a good representation,” he continued. “It’s hard and cold.” He laughed. “And it throws rainbows in the sunlight.”

“You forgot the most important similarity,” I murmured. “It’s beautiful.”

“My heart is just as silent,” he mused. “And it, too, is yours.”

I offered the box to him and moved to gather my hair away from my neck, turning to the fire. As he moved to clasp the chain around my neck, I said, “Thank you for both.”

His fingers seemed to linger on the skin of my throat as I turned back to face him. Our lips were only inches apart now. I moved my hands to wrap them around his neck.

“No, thank you. It’s a relief to have you accept a gift so easily. Good practice for you, too.” He grinned, flashing his teeth. His eyes wandered down to take pride in his accepted gift. I was grateful for the plunging neckline of my sweater when his gaze lingered where the crystal charm hung delicately above my chest. I made a mental note to thank Alice later and took a steadying breath. I began to feel cautiously optimistic. Perhaps getting what I wanted would not be as difficult as I’d expected it to be.

No, of course it was going to be just exactly that difficult. I cleared my throat lightly and braced myself. “Can we discuss something?” I asked. “I’d appreciate it if you could begin by being open-minded.”

He hesitated for a moment and returned his eyes to mine. “I’ll give it my best effort,” he agreed, cautious now. He unwrapped my arms from around his neck as he moved to put space between us.

“I’m not breaking any rules here,” I promised. “This is strictly about you and me.”

“Listen to your heart fly,” he murmured. “It’s fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings,” he repeated the analogy he had applied to me earlier in the day. “Are you all right?”

“I’m great,” I said formally. I wondered why I was being so formal.

“Please go on then,” he encouraged.

“Well, I guess, first, I wanted to talk to you about that whole ridiculous marriage condition.”

“It’s only ridiculous to you. What about it?” He was backing further away from me now.

I leaned closer to him, placing my hands on his knees to keep him near me. “I was wondering… is that open to negotiation?”

Edward frowned, serious now. “I’ve already made the largest concession by far and away – I’ve agreed to take your life against my better judgment. And that ought to entitle me to a few compromises on your part.”

“No.” I shook my head, focusing on keeping my face composed. “That part’s a done deal. We’re not discussing that now. I want to hammer out some other details.”

He looked at me suspiciously. “Which details do you mean exactly?”

I hesitated. “Let’s clarify your prerequisites first – matrimony?” I made it sound like a dirty word.

“Yes.” He smiled a wide smile. “To start with.”

The shock spoiled my carefully composed expression. “There’s more?”

“Well,” he said, his face calculating. “If you’re my wife, then what’s mine is yours… So there would be no issue with Dartmouth tuition.”

“Anything else? While you’re already being absurd?”

“Time. I’m finding it quite ephemeral… like it’s slipping through my fingers,” as he spoke, he rose his finger tips to sweep a gentle line over my exposed collarbones.

I shook my head, trying to forget his distracting touch. “No. No time. That’s a deal breaker.”

He sighed longingly. “Just a year or two?”

I refused to give into his burning amber eyes. “What else?”

“That’s it. Unless you’d like to talk cars…”

He grinned widely when I grimaced, then took my hand and began playing with my fingers. “I didn’t realize there was anything else you wanted besides being transformed into a monster yourself. I’m extremely curious.” His voice was low and soft. The slight edge would have been hard to detect if I hadn’t known it so well.

I paused, staring at his hand on mine. I still didn’t know how to begin. I felt his eyes watching me and I was afraid to look up. The blood began to burn in my face.

His cool hand cupped my cheek. “You’re blushing?” he asked in surprise. I kept my eyes down. “Please, Bella, the suspense is painful.”

I bit my lip.

“Bella.” His tone reproached me now, reminding me that it was hard for him when I kept my thoughts to myself.

“Edward,” I said, nervous, staring at a freckle on my wrist. “There’s something that I want to do before I’m not human anymore.”

He waited for me to continue. I didn’t. My face was hot.

“Whatever you want,” he encouraged, anxious and completely clueless.

“Do you promise?” I muttered, knowing my attempt to trap him with his words was not going to work. But he was unable to resist my coaxing.

“Yes,” he said. I looked up through my lashes to see that his eyes were earnest and confused. “Tell me what you want, and you can have it.”

I couldn’t believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was too innocent. I didn’t have the faintest idea how to be seductive. I would just have to settle for flushed and self-conscious.

“You,” I mumbled almost incoherently.

“I’m yours.” He smiled, still oblivious, trying to hold my gaze as I looked away again.

I took a deep breath and leaned closer to him, pressing my lips to his. He kissed me back, bewildered but willing, his lips gentle against mine. I began to slide my hands from his knees, up his thighs and slowly toward his waist. I hadn’t gotten very far when I all but heard the click in his head as he put together my words and my actions, his lips freezing in place.

He pushed me away at once, his face heavily disapproving.

“Be reasonable, Bella.”

“Edward, I –. “ He had cut me off, placing a single finger over my lips to quiet me.

“No.” His face was hard.

I was surprised by my reaction to his dismissal. I raised my hand to swat at his. My action didn’t move him, of course, but he moved his hand from my mouth in response. “You are not going to shush me,” I said sternly. “We’re here discussing terms of an eternity together – marriage and other promises – but sex?” I said the word louder than the rest. “Edward, why can’t we talk about sex?”

He was frozen there, hands at his side, eyes locked on mine. I felt the charge of adrenaline passing quicker than it had come. We sat there for a moment in silence with only my quick breathing and rapid pulse as audio. I shifted my gaze down as the rush subsided. It took me a minute to recognize why I was staring at my freckle again, the blush returning – why my stomach felt uneasy, why there was too much moisture in my eyes, why I suddenly wanted to run from the room.

Rejection washed through me, instinctive and strong.

I knew it was irrational. He’d been very clear on other occasions that my safety was the only factor. Yet I’d never made myself quite so vulnerable before. It was hard to beg for the mercy of an angel.

Edward moved then, bringing his hand up to my chin to pull my face up until I had to look at him again. He scrutinized my face for a long moment while I tried unsuccessfully to twist away from his gaze. His brow furrowed, and his expression became horrified as I continued to fight off the onslaught of water in my eyes.

His other hand rushed to my cheek, his thumb stroking there reassuringly. “You know why I have to say no,” he murmured. “You know that I want you, too.”

“Do you?” I whispered, my voice full of accusation and doubt.

He held my face at my jaw now, his fingers on my neck at the base of my hair. “Of course I do, you beautiful, oversensitive girl.” He laughed once, and then his voice was bleak. “Doesn’t everyone? I feel like there’s a line behind me, jockeying for position, waiting for me to make a big enough mistake… You’re too desirable for your own good.”

It seemed like he wanted to press on, anxiety flooding him as it had me throughout the day. I took a breath.

“Tell me if I have anything wrong,” I tried to sound detached. “Your demands are marriage, college, more time, and a faster car.”

“Only the first is a demand,” he said taking a breath. “The others are merely requests.”

“And my lone, solitary demand is – “

“Demand?” he interrupted, on edge again.

“Yes, demand.” I said confidently, looping my fingers around his wrists and tugging until he dropped them. I was not going to concede, now that I knew he wanted this as badly as I did. I would have to be brave for the both of us. I kept my gaze locked on his, placing a hand on his chest to request more space between us.

Edward immediately responded, backing up slightly and resting on his knees with room in front of him. Without breaking the contact we had, I slid down so that we were both on our knees. I brought both hands to the collar of his shirt and began to unbutton slowly, never moving my eyes from his.

“Please,” I begged. “There is nothing I want more than you.”

He took a deep breath. I was surprised that it sounded a little unsteady.

“I could kill you,” he whispered.

I had the last button undone then and slid the fabric from his shoulders to the floor. I was gliding my hands down his chest and placing my lips over his heart when I murmured against his skin. “I don’t think you could.”

As I kissed him there, a low sound escaped his lips. A moan? My body ached in a way it never had. I felt electrified. My heart jolted, words tumbling out of my mouth to take advantage of the sudden uncertainty in his eyes. “Please, try,” I pleaded.

His hands were wrapped around my biceps then, his head bent down to bring his lips to my ear, making me shiver. “This is unbearable. So many things I’ve wanted to give you – and this is what you demand. Do you have any idea how painful it is, refusing you when you plead with me this way?”

“Then don’t refuse,” I suggested breathlessly.

He didn’t respond. I tossed my head back to catch my breath, letting my hair fall down behind me. Edward’s hands still held my arms firmly. “Please,” I tried again.

He bent his head to my neck. “Bella…” He shook his head slowly, but it didn’t feel like denial as his face, his lips, moved back and forth across my throat. It felt more like surrender. My heart sputtered frantically when his lips finally stopped to embrace my skin. The same low sound spilled from my lips now, which seemed to hit Edward with the same electrical shock.

His grip tensed instantly and I was sure he was going to push me away again.

I was wrong.

His lips were on mine, his hands pulling me up to close the space between us. His mouth was not gentle; there was a brand-new edge of conflict and desperation in the way his lips moved. When his hands moved into my hair, I locked my arms around his neck, tightening my hold on him. To my suddenly overheated skin, his body felt colder than ever. I trembled, but it was not from the chill.

He didn’t stop kissing me. I was the one who had to break away, gasping for air. Even then his lips did not leave my skin, they just moved to my throat. So quickly that I wasn’t even sure how it happened, I was in his arms, his lips still exploring my skin, as we nearly flew through the house. Human velocity was not fast enough for him. We were in his bedroom then, still locked in each other’s arms as he fell onto his back on the bed.

The thrill of victory was a strange high; it made me feel powerful. Brave. My hands weren’t unsteady now and my fingers traced the patterns I had dreamed of a thousand times. He was too beautiful. What was the word he had used? Unbearable – that was it. His beauty was too much to bear…

I was on top of him, our lips pulled together again and moving in heated sync. Edward’s hands were exploring my body. His hands were tight around my waist, straining me closer to him. All I wanted was my skin to be bare against his – his grip made it difficult to reach to remove my sweater, but not impossible. Just as I had my stomach exposed, cold iron fetters locked around my wrists, and pulled my hands above my head, which was suddenly on a pillow.

His lips were at my ear again. “Bella,” he murmured, his voice warm and velvet. “Stop trying to take your clothes off.”

“Do you want to do that part?” I asked breathlessly.

“Not tonight,” he answered softly. His lips were slower now against my cheek and jaw, all the urgency gone.

“Edward, don’t –,” I started to argue, trying to free my hands and arching my body to mold myself more closely to him.

“I’m not saying no,” he reassured me. “I’m just saying not tonight.”

I had never felt frustration this way before. I was restless, eyes wild and questioning on his.

“I wasn’t born yesterday,” he laughed. “Out of the two of us, which do you think is more unwilling to give the other what they want? You just promised to marry me before you do any changing, but if I give in tonight, what guarantee do I have that you won’t go running off to Carlisle in the morning? I am – clearly – much less reluctant to give you what you want. Therefore… you first.”

I exhaled with a loud huff. “I have to marry you first?” I asked in disbelief.

“That’s the deal – take it or leave it. A compromise.” Edward pressed himself to me, urging me to accept his terms. His arms wrapped around me, and he began kissing me in a way that should be illegal. Too persuasive – it was duress, coercion. I tried to keep a clear head… and failed quickly and absolutely.

“How did this happen?” I moaned, and not in a good way. “I thought I was holding my own tonight – for once – and now, all of a sudden – “

“You’re engaged,” he finished.

“Edward, no.” I objected.

“Are you going back on your word?” he demanded. He pulled back to read my face. His expression was entertained. He was having fun.

I glared at him, trying to ignore the way his smile made my heart react.

“Are you?” he pressed.

“No,” I groaned. “No. I’m not. I just need time to think. I can’t think right now – give me some time to think.”

He kissed me again quickly. Another too persuasive kiss.

“Take all the time you need.”

He kissed me another time. “Do you get the feeling that everything is backward?” he laughed. “Traditionally, shouldn’t you be arguing my side, and I yours?”

“There isn’t much that’s traditional about you and me.”

Neither of us would surrender in this moment – that was clear. But there were compromises that were pending on the horizon. And, if nothing, I had this night to service my fantasies for awhile. I bit my lip and chuckled.

“I’m curious,” I sighed. “What exactly did you have planned for tonight?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he was up and out of the bed, a hand extended toward me.

I let out my last sigh of contest and threw my hands down on the bed to heave myself up. Edward laughed to himself as I slid to the edge of the bed and stood. I fidgeted in my sweater and straightened my skirt as I walked toward him. I took his hand and noticed him taking in my figure again.

I raised a brow. “Did you want to get back in bed?”

Edward chuckled again, shaking his head. “No, but please do remind me to thank Alice in the morning.”

I rolled my eyes as he led me from his bedroom and into the rest of our romantic evening alone.

PART TWO

____

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Twilight Saga world, which is trademarked by Stephenie Meyer and Little Brown Books. All characters referenced are owned by Stephenie Meyer, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the Twilight Saga. The story told here is of my own invention. This story is for entertainment only – fun – and is not part of the official story line. I am grateful to Stephenie Meyer for the creation of these characters and I in no way am profiting from the creation and publication of this story. Some lines are directly quoted from Meyer’s book, Eclipse, and I do not claim to own Meyer’s words.

References:

Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. Little, Brown, 2013.

Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, and W. E. Williams. Tennyson: Poems. Penguin, 1985.

#edwardcullen #edwardandbella #valentinesday #twilight renaissance #twilightfanfic #twilightfanfiction #twilightsaga

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soundofseventeen · 3 years

Text

We Belong Together (Part Eight)

Who’s watching In-Complete??? But I’m also tired lmao.

Word count: 1741

It seemed that Jihoon had a hard time keeping secrets because when you scheduled an impromptu delivery for them, 12 other boys had ambushed you with questions and concerns for your new home, all the while hugging you as if they hadn’t seen you in decades, and answering everything. You gladly gave them your new address, letting them know that they were still welcomed anytime, even going as far as presenting Seventeen’s leaders with keys in case of anything. After all, some things just never changed, and you felt your home would’ve been much too quiet.

You quickly regretted it when you saw the housewarming gifts that you pretty sure cost more than the house itself and you hid those somewhere you hoped wouldn’t break, only taking them out when you found somewhere you knew wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

You didn’t know where you and Jihoon stood at the moment, but if he wasn’t asking questions, neither were you. He often asked you out to dinner with the guys and made a show of sitting next to you, mostly just to monopolize the conversation, and you weren’t complaining about that either. You liked hearing him talk someone’s ears off with the mindless babble his brain often came up with and you saw a lot of smiles directed at you every time you broke eye contact with Jihoon. He also liked to hold your hand a lot, usually taking your hand right back in his when you let go, though you would’ve appreciated it if he didn’t tell you in front of everyone why you were so shy..

He also (finally) gave you first listens from demos to completed albums, although he rarely took your advice for some things. Most nights, when it was too late to go back to the dorms, he would come home with you, the pullout couch becoming his fastest friend to date and many times, leaving your place as soon as there was light out, but purposely left things behind so he’d have an excuse to come back, and it happened more as the months progressed. He liked staying up late with you on the couch, watching movies until you could barely keep your eyes open. On several occasions, he put the blanket over you in an attempt to keep you from escaping to your own bed and it worked most of the time.

Sometimes when he noticed you were gonna actually sleep on the pullout with him, he’d adjust himself so he’d be facing you, and he couldn’t help himself when he traced the features on your face, smiling to himself. When you’d wake up from the tickling he caused, he’d retract his hand, but the smile stayed on his face and he talked to you quietly about everything in his mind. His favorite part was when you’d reach for his hand, and twine it with yours and with your other hand, brushing the hair from his face.

The nights you went to your own bed, he’d call you the second you were gone from his sight, and played 20 questions until one of you stopped talking. He never hung up on you and he never went to your room unless he had permission from you. It was the only place he considered your space in its entirety and he respected your boundaries (even if he would’ve liked to go in many times).

He didn’t like being faraway from you, though he wouldn’t admit to it outloud. He’d wake up earlier these times, not liking how cold he felt without you, even though he wouldn’t say anything either. He’d just wait until you woke up to be close to you again. His favorite part of the mornings he stayed a little longer was how you made him a cup of coffee before you went to shower to get ready for work. You often had to fight him so he wouldn’t leave without the coffee you swore he’d like and he liked being in the middle of something when you realized he did exactly that.

Seventeen continued to stop by where you worked, only with the ever growing money in their pockets and wallets, they paid for everything instead of charging and crediting it for another time. And every time, they made sure that you got something to get you through the rest of your shifts. They sidetracked you a lot but your bosses were friendly with them, only scolding them when they joked about taking you with them.

Your workplace seemed a lot better now too. Ever since said bosses decided they trusted you with their funds, you went to the bank and became a check signer for deliveries that required a prompt payment and you deposited twice a week for them. It seemed that shitty customers became a little more pleasant once they saw you in a position of power. Oh and when your annoying coworker quit, it called for a big sigh of relief, and fast worry about how you were gonna train a newbie. Through that, you wondered why you even wanted to quit when you knew you loved it there, even on your bad days. Your other coworkers respected you, your bosses treated you as part of the family, and you made some pretty reliable connections, such as sponsoring ISAC for one of the events.

You’d been thrilled to tell your bosses the news, a few tears spilling out when they figured out that the small publicity could cement the business for them and they wouldn't have to worry about foreclosing or selling or letting employees go. If anything, they’d be able to expand! But you didn’t tell the boys this news either, because secrets and surprises were the only thing you always had the upper hand in. So you continued going on about your daily life, almost spilling the beans multiple times when some of the members caught you loading some things and finding you in places that you normally wouldn’t be in. But finally the day arrived and you breathed a collective sigh of relief that you could finally let this go and focus on other things again.

You set up your booth, snacks and everything pretty early, the only thing you needed to do was wait for literally everyone else to show up, so you put on your sunglasses whenever the glare caught you off guard and prepped any snacks that may have needed extra time. Due to you spending so much time around Seventeen, it was a lot easier for you to see the idols and actors without losing your composure (much), and catering to them was -mostly- a cinch. You knew a couple of their friends so you waved to them quite a bit. But you hadn’t seen the boys in question yet, so you opted to read one of the books you bought, this time being in the mood to reread the Twilight series, so you cracked open the book, skimming your favorite part a couple of times before you picked up where you left off.

“Hi excuse me,” you peeked up at the annoying customer, nearly reiterating when you recognized him, but you stayed put. “I’m sorry, but do you have any limes?”

“How many?”

“Uh,” Jooheon held up his hand to count, then turned back to count his friends, counted his fingers once more and then smiled at you. “A handful would be great.”

You nodded once, taking off your sunglasses and got up from your seat to comply with the strange boy’s request.

“Not to be creepy or anything, but do I know you from somewhere? You just seem really familiar.”

“I live near Pledis and the commute to where I work is a b- pretty long, so maybe that?” You found the citrusy fruit and placed them in his palm until he couldn’t fit any more.

Jooheon’s hands twitched soon after and sent them flying on the counter. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think my hands would spasm!”

You resisted the urge to blow an annoyed sigh and smiled instead. “It’s fine. Let me help you with that.” You gave him a little less when you put them back in his hands and waited for the thank you...that never came. His hands once again sent the green things flying and this time you didn’t hold back an eyeroll. He was one of those guys, huh? You’d be lecturing Seventeen about their friend choices next time you saw them.

“I’m sorry….I’m just bad at pick-up limes.” And then your brain registered the joke around the same time Jooheon laughed at your confused expression and you couldn’t help but giggle at that. “Oh my god, that actually worked?”

“No,” you shook your head, “but you get points for trying. I….” you couldn’t make the words come out to tell him about Jihoon. Even with all your years of knowing him and being together, there wasn’t an official thing for you yet, but you also couldn’t just not tell Jooheon about the situation. “I’m already seeing someone.” You spotted Seventeen just then, Mingyu no doubt scoping the place to find something to drink and you waved at them.

“No worries, I hope you’re happy with him, uh?”

“Y/N.”

“Cool. I’ll hopefully see you around Y/N. it was nice meeting you.”

You nodded as the boys caught up to him and you, all but Jihoon going to greet Monsta X.

“Y/N?”

“Hi, surprise!” You waved at him happily and quickly caught him up to speed. “A while ago, someone asked if we were interested in sponsoring the event. Not the whole thing, of course, but you know. I asked my bosses and they said yes.”

Jihoon snuck a peek around in case eyes were on him, and quickly squeezed your hand before passing it off as handing you a lime. “You really do amaze me. I’m glad your doors just keep opening. Um, is it okay, if I come over tonight? I want to talk to you about something. It’s nothing bad, don’t worry, but I need to hear your thoughts.”

You nodded, though you could already feel the anxiety creeping up on you. He squeezed your hand again, and smiled at you.

“You have nothing to worry about, I promise.” He would’ve kissed your fears away, but with everyone watching, all he could do was give you his word.

“Okay.”

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