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crimson-ace · 3 years

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Basewarming Party

Archive of Our Own Link

It’s been a few months, but here’s another Miraculous Transformers AU story! This time with some backstory.

Adrien, Alya, and Nino were leaving school when they saw three familiar vehicles nearby.

Nino ran over to the green dump truck and got in, planning to play some new songs for Stoneheart.

Alya headed over to the yellow sports car and groaned as Queen Bee told her to not mess up anything inside her.

Adrien got on the red motorcycle and smiled when Ladybug asked how his day was.

The three headed off and separated for a little bit to not draw suspicion as they soon met up on an empty road.

“So we spent the last solar cycle setting up an area of the base for you.” Ladybug explained to Adrien while they drove. “It’s normally used for human liaisons to present top-secret information when they need our help, but Pegasus thinks we did an okay job setting it up.”

Ladybug, Queen Bee, and Stoneheart soon made it to a road in Fontainebleau Forest and drove to a secret area that led to the location of the Autobot base. After giving their security codes, the three Autobots drove into the base and let the humans out, immediately transforming to their robot modes.

They noticed there was a banner hung up near one of the base’s computers that depicted the faces of Adrien, Alya, and Nino, as well as the Autobot insignia, with something written in an incomprehensible language.

“Uh...what does that say?” Nino asked.

Stoneheart tapped Ladybug’s shoulder lightly. “Ladybug...” He pointed to the banner, causing Ladybug’s optics to widen.

“Oh, scrap!” Ladybug hit her own head in frustration. “I forgot to write that in your language, not mine! Sorry!” She replied. “I meant to write ‘Welcome, Humans!’.”

“You made this?” Adrien was impressed with the level of detail in the banner.

Ladybug nodded. “Uh, yeah. I used to be an artist back on Cybertron. It was more of a hobby I picked up while I was in the Autobot academy. Why don’t you check out what we set up for you?” She added, realizing she was rambling on, and pointed to a staircase for the humans to walk up.

Adrien, Alya, and Nino walked up the stairs and were surprised by what they saw.

There was a couch set up in front of a small television which looked like a model from the mid to late 2000’s, and in between those was a “table” made from a board of wood on top of four cinderblocks. There was also a minifridge nearby, though most of the Autobots didn’t know what the humans ate, and planned to ask them later before getting snacks.

“So? What do you think?” Stoneheart asked as he walked over to the area and looked over them.

“Dude, this place looks awesome!” Nino chimed. “You guys did a great job!”

“I still think we should have put a cage here.” Queen Bee snarked, earning a glare from her fellow Autobots.

“So. what do you guys want to do now?” Alya asked the others.

“Well, earlier today, Stoneheart asked me about what Earth’s greatest warriors are like, so...” Nino took out a Blu-ray player and a container of the original Star Wars trilogy in the same format. “I said I would introduce him to Luke Skywalker.”

So the three humans sat down on the couch with Ladybug, Queen Bee, and Stoneheart sat down behind them to watch the movie. Even though they asked if this was based on Earth’s actual history, the Autobots were surprisingly invested in the film. When Obi-Wan Kenobi was killed by Darth Vader, Stoneheart cried out in despair, surprising everyone.

Apparently, the noise was enough for Pegasus to walk down, wondering why everyone was being so loud. “Can you all please keep all that noise down? I’m busy performing system diagnostics here.”

“Okay, C-3PO, we’ll be quiet.” Ladybug snickered as soon as she finished the sentence. “Did I say it right?” She asked Adrien, who nodded with approval.

Pegasus let out a sigh of frustration at the commotion. “I wasn’t built for this…” He grumbled. “What exactly are you doing anyway?”

“We’re learning about Earth history, obviously.” Queen Bee smirked. “Optimus said we need to familiarize ourselves with the planet.”

Pegasus scoffed. “We came here for a reason other than to watch human entertainment, Queen Bee.”

“Hey, why exactly are you here anyway?” Adrien asked. “I know you guys fought a war over control of your home and its energon, but why did you come all the way to Earth for it?”

Queen Bee smirked. “Well, as Optimus Prime’s second-in-command...”

“You mean acting second-in-command” Pegasus added, earning a glare from the Autobot.

“I, uh... I can explain what happened and how we got here, provided you don’t tell anyone else...” Queen Bee started to explain

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The civil war between Autobots and Decepticons had lasted for a very long time, so both sides were forced to abandon the planet Cybertron to find new sources of energy. For some reason, our ship’s scanners found your planet to have an a lot of raw energon. Like, we've never seen a planet with this much energon before.

Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones to find out...

"Hull breach on Decks 3 to 5! Shields are also damaged!” Ladybug cried out.

“We’re taking heavy fire, sir! We also just lost one of the thrusters!” Pegasus added.

While the Decepticons had a majority of their resources with them on their ship, which they called the Nemesis to show how friendly they were, it was only the five of us on a much smaller ship not nearly as armed as what the Decepticons had.

After another onslaught of fire from the Nemesis, a majority of our systems were knocked offline.

“Brace for impact!” Optimus ordered as our ship plummeted to Earth. It was a miracle we managed to survive.

We all came back online after about a few of your Earth hours and assessed the situation with our ship.

“Diagnostics say the ship is beyond repair with our current resources.” Pegasus said solemnly. “Some of the computers are still online, but we don’t have a lot of working parts right now.”

“So, now what? What can we do now?” Ladybug seemed to be the most nervous about our predicament. Then again, she had the least amount of experience out of all of us. (Hey!)

“We came to this planet in search of energon, but it seems we have an additional mission now: to protect it from the Decepticons.” Optimus stated. “Is the ship’s probe still online?" After checking the systems, Pegasus nodded, causing Optimus to walk over to one of the ship’s control panels. “Teletraan I, scan the area for local lifeforms. We will take on their appearances to blend in to avoid suspicion from the Decepticons.”

So the ship’s probe flew around for a little bit and not only came back with data on forms we could take, but also an image of an energon mining site the natives had set up.

“Carbon-based lifeforms?” I scoffed at the idea of these inferior lifeforms being able to harvest energon. “Do they even know what they stumbled upon?”

Pegasus continued to browse through the footage and gasped. “I’m detecting Decepticon signals converging near that area. They must have noticed the energon too.”

“Nevertheless, we must scan an alternate mode and try to obtain this energon in a discreet manner before the Decepticons. We must disguise ourselves as what these lifeforms view as vehicles.” Optimus declared as a mechanism on the ship popped up while we all browsed through ideas for possible alternate modes.

Ladybug saw something with two wheels and smiled “Ooh, that looks nice.” she said as the ship’s systems reformatted her so she was able to transform into that.

Stoneheart saw what looked like a green vehicle designed to carry heavy objects. “So is this supposed to be like one of Earth’s more powerful vehicles? Either way, I like it”. Soon, he was reformatted as well.

Pegasus saw a yellow and white vehicle with brown highlights and emergency lights, reminding him of the Rescue Bots on Cybertron. “This seems like a suitable form to take.” He was the next to be reformatted.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I couldn't really find anything like this in brown, but the motorcycle isn't spotted either, so just work with me, alright?)

Optimus chose a large red and blue vehicle with a trailer attached to it without saying anything as he was reformatted.

I on the other hand, had looked through the options for a form to take for a few nanoclicks. Naturally, a bot as beautiful as myself needed an appropriate form. Thankfully, I found something just as interesting, and one of the few good things about this planet. It was one of your Earth cars with a sleek design and yellow paintjob. I stood still as I eagerly waited for the machine to finish reformatting me.

“Remember, we must keep a low profile and only reveal ourselves unless absolutely necessary.” Optimus ordered. “For now… Autobots, transform and roll out!”

With that familiar command, we all transformed into our new vehicle modes (except Pegasus, who stayed to see if anything else on our ship was working) and left for the excavation site the humans had set up.

Granted, it took us a couple of run-ins with some other Earth vehicles to get the hang of this planet’s traffic laws, but we eventually made it to where the energon was. There was also a sign written in your language that said something like “GOPHER-MINT PROPERTY/NO TREE-PASSING”. In hindsight, we really should have familiarized ourselves with the language before we headed out.

It didn’t seem like the Decepticons had attacked yet, although we were in trouble with a different form of opposition.

“This is Officer Raincomprix! Step out of the vehicles right now! You have violated several traffic guidelines, and are now trespassing on government property.” Someone from your planet’s law enforcement had apparently been following us. The strange thing was that he had a human partner who looked much younger than he did, almost like she shared genetic qualities with the man. “I’m going to give you until the count of ten to get out of the vehicles. Wait… where are the drivers? WHY DO NONE OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE DRIVERS?!”

Before we could really say anything, a stray shot from the distance hit the ground, signaling the Decepticons were here. The officer ran back to his car and tried to drive away as the Decepticons made their way to the surface.

“So, Optimus Prime. I see you and your little band of Autobots managed to survive the trip to this planet.” That raspy voice taunting us belonged to only one Decepticon. The very same Cybertronian who started the Decepticon cause behind the civil war that had caused so much suffering across the galaxy for megacycles. The Emperor of Destruction and leader of the Decepticons, Megatron.

“I see you’re trying to maintain cover on this strange planet rather than simply harvesting all the energon the local life forms have managed to discover for us. Typical Autobot weakness.” Megatron smirked as he and his Vehicon troops opened fire on the mining site. “Take the energon, and see if these lifeforms found any more locations with it. If you find nothing, leave no survivors.” He gave that last order with a sadistic grin.

“What should we do?” Ladybug asked nervously.

“Even if it means exposing our cover, these organic lifeforms need help. Autobots, transform!” With that order, we all transformed into our robot modes and activated our weapons. “Autobots, make sure none of the local lifeforms are hurt. Now, split up!”

So we all scattered to engage the Vehicons. I armed my stingers and fired off electrical blasts at some of the Vehicon forces. Of course, the organics were afraid of a superior being like myself, so they ran away like cowards… or maybe that was because another Decepticon was right behind me.

“Reckless as usual, I see.” That stoic voice came from my Decepticon counterpart, the (actual, not acting) (shut up, Pegasus!) second in command of the Decepticons, Malediktator. I slowly turned around and saw he was armed with his signature weapon, a rocket launcher.

“Maybe, but at least I know I’m fighting for the right side.” I quipped as I aimed my stingers at Malediktator.

Malediktator began to open fire, shooting several heat-seeking rockets at me. I tried to blast some of them, but there were some rockets that still managed to hit their target. I was knocked to the ground and struggled to get up.

Malediktator was going to fire again, but he was hit in the head by Ladybug’s “weapon”, her yo-yo, causing Malediktator’s weapon to misfire. It was probably the only time she actually helped out in a fight before. (I’m standing right here, Queen Bee!)

One of the stray missiles went towards the human law enforcement and his genetic experiment in the distance, until Optimus ran over and covered the two, taking the hit in the process. I think they talked a little, but my auditory processors couldn’t pick up their conversation.

Ladybug and I kept fighting to disarm Malediktator, but even though it was two on one, he still managed to overwhelm us. We tried our best, but it was really hard to keep up with the second in command of the Decepticons. While we were fighting, I noticed Optimus fighting Megatron one on one, but it was hard to make out who was winning.

Malediktator knocked both me and Ladybug to the ground and took aim at us with his rocket launcher. He was about to open fire when we all heard a crash to the ground. We turned around and saw Megatron slowly getting up after presumably losing to Optimus.

“If you are to harm the humans, Megatron, know that I will do everything in my power to stop you.” Optimus said, raising his ion blaster and pointing it at Megatron.

Megatron simply laughed in response. “Very well. If you’re so determined to protect this pitiful race, I’ll let you have this victory. But be warned, the next time we meet, I won’t have such mercy.” He stated grimly as a ground bridge appeared behind him. “Malediktator! We’re leaving. You can scrap those two another time.” He said as he turned around and walked into the portal with the remaining Vehicons.

Malediktator lowered his weapon and nodded. “Yes, Lord Megatron.” He said before walking away into the ground bridge. I tried to blast him, but Optimus raised his arm, silently ordering everyone to stand down.

As soon as Malediktator entered the ground bridge, the portal closed.

We all got up and collected ourselves as the humans swarmed around us. Strangely, the law enforcement unit and his experiment were the closest to Optimus. It was like everyone was afraid of us except those two.

“Did you really mean what you said back there? That you’d protect us?” The law enforcement unit asked.

Optimus leaned down so he could look the human in whatever optics were for him. “Of course. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.”

The unit was amazed by how serious Optimus sounded. “Is there anything we can do to hel--what am I doing? W-Who’s the highest ranking officer here?” Another human ran up, calling himself a “Colonel”, or something along those lines. He said he would talk to his superior about what happened.

After a mega-cycle or two, some vehicles I assumed belonged to this planet’s government arrived. One man came out, who was referred to as the “Prime Minister”. I didn’t really see what made him a Prime and I certainly didn’t know Earth had their own Primes, but everyone still listened to him.

“So, from what I’ve heard you’re at war and have come to our planet.” The Minister said. “What exactly are these ‘Decepticons’ you’re fighting after?”

“They are after a powerful source of energy and the lifeblood of our kind, energon. Your planet seems to have an abundance of it for some reason.” Optimus explained.

“And your ship crashed so now you need a new base of operations?” The Minister asked, earning a nod from Optimus.

“That is all that I ask for.” Optimus replied. “You kind need not interfere in this war. Even depleted of their resources, the Decepticons could lay waste to your planet if you aggravate them enough.”

This made the Minister sigh. “We can have some of our best men work on helping you construct a new base. Other than that, we’ll try and let you fight this war as long as you keep it a secret. If things heat up, we inform the United Nations about these... Decepticons. We’ll also expect status reports from you to make sure things are okay.”

Optimus nodded and stuck out his hand. “Understood.” He extended it to shake the human’s hand, but because the human was so small, he could only shake Optimus’ finger.

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“But yeah, after a few orbital cycles, the humans helped us set up this base in the forest, and we keep in contact with them through a liaison.” Queen Bee said, finishing her story.

“Wow...” Adrien was impressed by everything Queen Bee had told about their journey to Earth. “And you really can’t get back?”

“Not unless we fix our ship or create a working space bridge.” Pegasus sighed.

“Oh...” Adrien felt bad for all the Autobots. “I’m so sorry...”

“You have no need to apologize.” Everyone turned around to see Optimus Prime entering the room. “Although we were forced to abandon Cybertron, Earth is not a prison. We are more than willing to protect any world from the Decepticons.”

“R-Really?” Adrien asked, earning a nod from Optimus. “Are you sure we can’t do anything else to help you get used to the planet?”

“Can we, Optimus?” Ladybug got up and asked. “It’s a good learning experience.”

Queen Bee got up next to her. “Ladybug has a point. Learning about Earth culture can help us better understand these strange organic lifeforms”

Optimus took a few moments to think about it and smiled in response. “Very well. Maybe this can be the humans’ way of repaying us for protecting them.” He said, making them all cheer.

“This is so lit!” Nino cried out, which only confused Stoneheart.

“What does ‘lit’ mean?” Stoneheart asked.

Ladybug shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with lighting things on fire?”

“Maybe we can teach you all about memes first! That’ll be fun!” Alya suggested. “Ooh! Let’s teach them about Rickrolling!” She took out her phone and started to look something up.

Queen Bee rolled her optics. “This isn’t what I meant when I said I wanted to know about Earth culture.”

“And now you know how I fe--” Before Pegasus could finish his sarcastic comment, they were all interrupted by a song playing on Alya’s phone that all three humans were dancing to.

We’re no strangers to loooooooove~

You know the rules, and so do I!

“Welcome to Earth!” Alya and Nino cried out to the music while they kept dancing

Optimus sighed. He had a feeling he really should have put more consideration into letting the humans educate the Autobots.

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down!

Never gonna run around and desert you...

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frcnklcngbottom · 4 years

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( cismale | he/him | grant gustin ) —— isn’t that Frank Longbottom yeah that is them, sitting there at the Ravenclaw table with those other seventh years. when sybill looks into that crystal ball of hers, reading glasses that had a certain charm, eager to slip into a pair of sneakers and go sprinting, a smile that could light up the room, expectations that were a bit too much of a burden for one boy to carry, perfection was everything, kindness that is often overlooked, a heart that raced at the first sign of genuine honesty. anyway i’ve heard they’re pretty charismatic, self-sufficient and calculative. apparently they’re for the light and pureblood but i’m sure that’s not related. —— [ ally : est : 23 : she/her ]

“FAMILY. DUTY. HONOUR”

NAME- FRANKLIN EUGENE LONGBOTTOM

NICKNAMES - FRANKIE

AGE- 18

HEIGHT- 6′0″

HOROSCOPE SIGN- SCORPIO

SEXUALITY - HETEROSEXUAL

BLOOD STATUS - PUREBLOOD

CHARACTER PARALLELS

ROBB STARK [game of thrones], CHIDI ANAGONYE [the good place], WILL COOPER [single parents], SABRINA SPELLMAN [the chilling adventures of sabrina], SETH COHEN [the o.c.]

TRAITS

+ charismatic + loyal

- stubborn -narrow-minded

AESTHETIC

seventy percent of his closet was navy, reading glasses that had a certain charm, eager to slip into a pair of sneakers and go sprinting, a smile that could light up the room, expectations that was a bit too much of a burden for one boy to carry, practicing spells till the wee hours of the morning - perfection was everything, kindness that is often overlooked, a heart that raced at the first sign of genuine honesty.

THE HISTORY;

frank longbottom was born to harold and augusta longbottom on October 31st, the boy had been a halloween child.

frank had expectations from the womb – the longbottoms had so many plans for their boy, that frank struggled to find his sense of identity in his younger years. born into a world of privilege, frank had been humble despite it all, he was his father through and through as his mother would say.

He knew that they meant well, when they pushed it was because they wanted to see him thriving at his best, but maintaining that persona – it took a toll on the kind boy.

He adored his parents, he really did but hearing the sorting hat roar out RAVENCLAW was just pure relief, he wanted his own path, not to be a carbon copy of his parents.

He knew the route his parents wanted him to go down – he was apparently built to be an auror, his one issue was that he didn’t know if it was his dream, or the dream that was drilled into his head by his parents. He was their legacy.

Frank adjusted to school life quiet quickly, he found his home amongst the ravenclaws quite easily and it was what the boy had needed – growing up he had wanted a sibling, he could even recall times that he had begged for one, but his parents new that their dreams and goals could only be executed with one child in the sidelines, they didn’t have time for two.

the boy had found it very hard to be NEUTRAL. it was a dangerous time to hold your own views and he wasn’t one who craved to be digging into politics, but the more he saw – the more he felt like he needed to do something. he could feel his mum’s disappointment from a mile away – his head and heart couldn’t be in something until he had run the full play out, assessing all the damage.

frank soon found himself unable to deny where he stood, maybe it was the look on that second year’s face when the word mudblood was being used so carelessly, he had enough. the light was where he found himself and his feet were digging in ready for a WAR.

THE PERSONALITY;

frank was a walking contradiction – to his parents, he was easily the obedient son and yet when he walked the halls of hogwarts, the boy did not take things quietly. HEXING and CURSING – THE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE was not the first thing on his mind – there were other ways to get a message across.

quite the skilled duellist, he didn’t run from the fight because he knew he couldn’t take it, the boy focused more on defence because he knew he could. that’s what he wanted to practice.

quite animated when he was PASSIONATE about something, whether it was a new read – or a new potions lecture, the boy was fascinated with learning. he never wanted to reach a point where he stopped LEARNING.

your boy is not really SMOOTHEST in the crowd, surprisingly easily flustered when it came to romance – not his forte, he always blamed his parents or school – it was so easy to make excuses than face the fact that he craved something real. maybe an escape?

always LOYAL– if you were a friend, he would do anything and everything for you. friends were the family that you choose.

frank grew up in an environmental that made it look like the world could easily be conceived as black or white – right or wrong – good or bad and yet from the second he stepped foot in hogwarts, he begun to learn that the world was filled with GREY. things were not so simple – they would never be and he needed to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

WANTED CONNECTIONS;

best mates - frank needs his friends - friends are the family that you choose and he needs all the family he could get. his mates are the ones that keep him grounded and are there when his mum nearly has him ripping his hair out. inseparable since first year - they are truly his ride or die’s

best mate ( i don’t care) - let this be one that wasn’t the normal fit - someone who came from darkness or the views don’t normally align, but frankie sees the good; he sees the boy who toughened through events and spectacles - ignored the whispers with. the person that he just wouldn’t give up on even if they’re giving him every reason too.

rival - whether it was over quidditch or simply life, give this boy a nemesis or someone to not really like so much. even the golden boy doesn’t have to LOVE everyone. this person gets under his skin - frank often sees RED in their presence and that cool and calm demeanour that he is so proud of easily disintegrates around them.

protege/sibling - basically someone he could be mentoring - as an only child, frank never had siblings, but this person would be someone he’s quite protective over. someone he’s trying to possibly help academically or even get through school with the pressures of the war.

the ex - frank wasn’t so good with relationships - when it came down to conveying how he felt, the boy choked. easily taken for a lack of care, the boy rode the coward tide and called it quits. he hated how he couldn’t be honest or real about how much it terrified to love someone - to have them have that hold of you. this someone he wants to make it right with, someone he never intended on hurting.

the epic love - the one he hadn’t seen him coming, the person who might just uproot everything he knows or he thinks he knows and turns his world upside down. frank didn’t think that love was a possibility right now - with the way the world was turning, letting someone in was technically another person to lose, but watching his parents -- that partnership and love that they had, frank couldn’t help but wonder if he could have it as well.

#petrificus.intro

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lavrapalmers · 5 years

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various storms and saints / chapter 2

summary: allie pressman knows it’s a betrayal to have a crush on harry bingham, but she can’t help it

word count: 6.3k

read on ao3 here

all work and no play makes allie a dull girl.

it’s been ten days, a little over a week, and she’s already restless. everyone is scared, there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel and that becomes more apparent every day. yet they all handle it differently, some go to the church to pray, some are on the field praying to some other god. most party, taking advantage of the lack of parents. they can fuck without worrying about sneaking around, break into their parents liquor cabinet with no consequences, smoke in broad daylight.

cassandra shakes her head when she sees this, like a mother looking down at disappointment at her child who is now too grown to boss around. there is nothing she can do but sit and watch, and leave when it gets to be too much. she thinks they should start working, start figuring things out, gather and work together.

allie gets it, she sees the appeal. it’s numbing, it’s distracting, it’s what too many of them need. never prepared for the real world, never prepared to be alone, they don’t know what to do without the guides set for them so long ago. they’re too proud to admit they’re scared, so they show their fear in a bottle of hennessy and a blunt, and apart of her is jealous of them.

she doesn’t smoke, drugs are a big no for her, but she doesn’t mind a drink. the liberation of getting drunk, forgetting the world for awhile, the only pain you know is when you throw it all up. sometimes she’d prefer that pain, revel in that pain, it’s more bearable than the life she’s currently living.

she wishes it were that simple, that she could drink her life away with the rest, laugh it off and not worry so much. but that’s not who she is, rather that’s not who her friends are. they want to talk it all through, spend every second working. you do research, and you clean, and you count food. others keep busy with fun, they keep busy with work.

she understands why, it’s necessary, but she’s growing antsy. she feels cornered in a cage, trapped in this one dimensional version of who she is supposed to be. she wants to be more, she wants to be work and fun, she wants to be more than a carbon copy of her sister and what her friends expect of her.

maybe that’s why she leaves early, quitting her job halfway through the day. she did the minimum expected of her, hours still ahead to do more, but she stopped. she can’t waste her life away counting food and worrying about their future, which now doesn’t seem so bright.

she walks in the middle of the road, a threat to the gods that if what she’s doing is wrong they’ll strike her down, have a car run through and hit her. she walks on that yellow line separating the street, refusing to be just on one side. she wants to walk the line, she wants to have a foot in both worlds, refusing to let them tell her who she is supposed to be.

and like some sick joke, all roads lead to harry bingham.

he stands there like a god amongst men, like everything that is happening has no affect on him. he stands there like he’s running the game and they just don’t know it yet.

maybe this was the gods message instead, a sign to follow her instincts. she deserves some fun, and who represents fun more than harry bingham?

“you planning a trip?” she asks, admiring the way he leaned on his car as the gas flowed into it.

he turned around and it almost took her breath away, and she wondered if this was the first time he’s ever really looked at her. just her, not her behind cassandra’s shoulder, but her alone and as her own person.

she can feel how uncomfortable he is, taking a minute to process that she’s talking to him, and without a biting word. he looks like he’s trying to figure out what to say, if he should play nice or use her as a vessel to get his anger at cassandra out.

he seems conflicted, almost as much as she is.

“a weekend jaunt to the coast.” so he decides to play nice, but she can tell he doesn’t know why. he gives her a thin lipped smile, turning around so she can only see the outline of his face, no longer looking at her, as if she isn’t worthy to get the full view. as if he wants it to end, for her to go away.

“it’s a nice town but it can get old pretty fast.” she continues to walk as she talks, not stopping for him, trying to show he isn’t worthy of her attention either.

he hums in agreement, and she thinks that’s it. that’s all she’s gonna get from him, because one brief conversation can’t erase years of rivalry that she’s been a back seat driver to through him and her sister. it’s better than nothing, and she savors even that, their little secret.

“we’re playing fugitive tonight.” he adds, not fully leaving her in the dust as to why he was there. this time it’s her turn to hum, a small indication she heard, as she walks away expecting nothing more. “you should come play with us.”

that stops her dead in her tracks, waiting for someone to pinch her and wake her up from this weird dream. did he really just invite her? she turns around, staring at him and still trying to find the words to say. he continues on. it’ll be big, and there’s a party after. it’s a silent invitation to that too. she wonders if he’s doing this out of obligation, or to piss cassandra off.

but she has a feeling he isn’t, she has a feeling he’s genuine about it.

“you asking me?” she has to make sure, because harry bingham doesn’t ask allie pressman to do these kind of things.

it is a new world, stranger things have happened.

“you can be my partner, if you want.” he offers, and she wants to wipe that smug look off his face. it does too much to her, the charming way he asks, as if he knows she’s been waiting for this. “i need a look out.”

she wants to say yes, but she isn’t an idiot. she knows why he’s asking her, she knows what’s really on his mind.

she wants to pretend this is some type of dream, where he asks her because he really wants her, because her feelings are returned and he actually sees her. sees her as more than cassandras sister, more than a rebound.

“she’s in the supermarket...with will.” she’s all honesty, slightly testing him, see what he says. see if he fights for her, if she’s worth it.

“who?” he asks, and she can’t tell if he genuinely doesn’t know or if he’s in denial, trying not to acknowledge it.

“the person you asked first.”

just from the look in his eyes she knows he won’t deny it, and she even feels a little bad for him. harry and kelly had been together for three years, they were the schools power couple.

that was something she appreciated about harry, something that made her like him. he seemed like a player, but he wasn’t. he was loyal, in a long term relationship, always affectionate. he seemed good, good to kelly, like he would be good for her.

part of her wishes it had worked out for them, because she can see in that dark abyss of his eyes the pain he’s trying to swallow and hide. that’s how much she likes him, that he just wants him to be happy, even with another girl.

“i don’t care.” is all he can say, and she knows he cares but she won’t push. she knows what that’s like, pretending to be unbothered, pretending everything is fine. she lives in that realm, but it seems she doesn’t live there alone. “we’re in the same boat, why not the same car?”

she doesn’t know what he means by that, other than that he’s asking her again. she wants to get into his mind, understand what he is really asking for, why he’s pushing so gently for it to be her. but his eyes are bright, and he’s got a sly smile on his face, no more heartbreak reflecting in him. and he’s looking at her, looking right in her eyes, and her lips quirk up into a smile because this is the most they’ve ever had together. the most they’ve talked, the most they’ve stared, and she knows this energy she’s feeling can’t fully be one sided because it’s like he’s pulling her forward, begging her to come closer and climb in his car and let him show her what his life has to offer.

but her mind always drifts back to cassandra, to what they mean to each other, and to what harry means to her. she can’t forget all of that, she can’t give into him the first time he even talks to her. so she denies him for cassandra, but also for herself. to play hard to get, leave him wanting more, see how serious he is.

“you can’t be an asshole to my sister and then nice to me. it doesn’t work that way.” even as she says this she’s smiling at him, she can’t help it, he brings it out of her. he looks too much like everything she wants and can’t have, the treat parents deny their children when they’ve been bad, the movie star you fall in love with after one movie. he’s too good and too bad, filling up her senses, and she gets why he’s so popular. even without his personality, even without his charm, there’s some part of him that lingers in your mind even after he’s gone. he’s someone you can’t ignore, he’s someone who refuses to be ignored.

but right now she has the upper hand, or at least she thinks she does, as she walks away from him leaving the answer to his offer up in the air. she will not fall at his feet, she will not be what he wants her to be. she is stronger than his warm gaze and her infatuation for him, she is stronger than anyone knows.

he calls something out one last time as she walks away, almost taunting her. “tell her i said she can come, too.”

this makes her laugh, and makes her heart skip a beat. she knows he means it as some type of joke, but she also knows that’s his way of saying he wants her there, even if it means bringing his nemesis.

when she responds she doesn’t turn around, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing the smile on her face at his words, and not giving herself the satisfaction of seeing his reaction. “you say too many things you don’t mean.” the statement rings true, like a prophecy, neither of them knowing how true or severe it is. right now they are still children, they think the world has crumbled but it hasn’t, not yet, but it will soon.

allie is starting to realize her sister isn’t perfect, not like she thought. if anything, she’s more like harry than she think she’d like to admit. maybe that’s why they fight so much, they’re too similar, two sides of the same coin, heads and tails. they look at each other like some dark reflection of what they could be in another life, a version they loathe, and hate themselves more for that than they hate the other.

she realizes this when she’s sitting in bed, a front row seat to the cassandra and gordie show. the way his hand trembles over her breast, listening to her heart that doesn’t beat for him. he’s giving up so much just for her, and cassandra looks completely disinterested as he does it.

it’s finally allie’s turn to give her that disappointed look, to take the high moral ground.

“you totally manipulate him.” she is blunt as she says it, not wanting to beat around the bush, wanting her sister to see clearly what it is she’s accusing her of.

her sister denies it but with no real fervor, nothing to truly back up her claim. she knows allie is right, but cassandra won’t admit it. she can’t admit that she’s doing something selfish and bad, because if she does then who is she to judge others? won’t that make everything she says about harry hypocritical.

she’s starting to see the truth in these people she’s held so close to her heart. she has a problem, she’s always romanticizing people. puts them in their character type and sticks to that, is blinded to any flaws or any changes to the story in her head. they all have their roles initially, who they would be in the movies of their life. heroine. villain. sidekick.

none of that feels true anymore, and it’s too much for her mind. ten days of thinking and working, of tirelessly trying to figure out what is going on and thinking too much about who these people she is living with are.

she wishes people were more honest, that they would just tell the truth and stop beating around the bush. it feels like everyone gains some weird pleasure in toying with others emotions, knowing they have a grip on someones heart without giving it in return. no one communicates, no one talks, no one says what they want.

it’d all be so much simpler if they were honest, but even just thinking that makes her a hypocrite too.

she is silent because she knows allie is right, and they sit there with their thoughts gone wild and their world shifting around them and trying to adjust.

cassandra leaves when gordie comes calling, and allie knows what that boy is going through and a part of her hates her sister for putting him through that.

she knows because she is going through that right now.

for the first time in ten days she’s home alone. she isn’t used to silence anymore, a part of her can still hear cassandra and becca talking in another room, will laughing at a joke sam made. now she walks through her house alone, empty, silent.

it leaves her alone with her mind, with her thoughts, and she thinks if she stays here another second she’s gonna go mad.

so she does what she has to do, she leaves, and there’s only one place to go.

she never thought she’d see harry bingham so excited to see her.

she stand on the side like a angel in hell, asking for a tour, hands in her pockets as she awaits satan himself to lead her down the river acheron.

he almost runs to her, dropping everything for her, and she bites her lip to stop a smile from growing because now it’s him who is wanting. she finally has the power, tugging him along and dragging him to her, begging him to question why she’s there.

“you showed up.” he points at her, letting too much excitement slip out, breaking that classic harry cool he always tries to exude.

they move together so naturally, almost walking into each other, almost close enough to stop. they’re like magnets, forced together, but she forces herself to stop. it feels like magnets too, when they aren’t met to match. that hard push refusing to touch, something between them stopping from ever really touching, from being together like they should be.

she looks away, trying to be coy as she hides her blushing cheeks. she may have showed up but the rest is up to him, he’s got to fight for her, prove himself worthy past the image in her head she has of him. “well who said i was playing, i could just be here to watch.”

“oh yeah, naturally.” he teases, going along with her, and she hates it so goddamn much. she hates how natural it is between them, like all her hypothesis were right about them. she hoped it would be bad, awkward, he’d make her hate him and she can go on with her life not having to worry about this idiotic crush.

she finally looks at him, her eyes gleaming and a small smile peaking out, letting herself finally break down one wall and satiate a tiny part of her crush.

she doesn’t expect the solemn look on his face, how serious it falls, his dark eyes holding something deeper to them. he asks her “why’d you change your mind?” and she has a feeling there’s something more to that, and she has a feeling it just might break her heart.

his eyes haven’t moved from her, they’re glued on her, and she almost shivers at that. she’s glad her body is covered, that he can’t see the goosebumps on her arms and legs, and she doesn’t let him look back in her eyes because she knows they’ll say too much that she isn’t ready for him to know.

“i just needed a distraction.” she doesn’t lie, just doesn’t tell the full truth, and she wants to get a move on because if they stand there staring at each other she just might burst because it’s too much for her. “and you have a fast car.”

she smiles back at him, telling him not to be so serious, she came to him for fun and he better not disappoint. he better not make her think like the rest, make her worry.

she gets in his car and feels bad, devious, wicked, and she doesn’t mind. it’s in the best way, makes her blood flow faster and her heart beat harder, being in harry binghams car makes her feel like another person. she wonders what cassandra would think, and for the first time she doesn’t care, let her think what she wants, allie is weaseling her way out of her grip and is in a fast car with the hottest boy in town. who could blame her for that?

and he shows off, trying to impress her, revving the engine a few times before they go, faster than she’s ever gone in a car before. he’s the perfect distraction, and he hasn’t disappointed her yet.

they move so fast she can’t think, her mind focused on the game and the boy next to her, sneaking peaks at his side profile and wanting to trace it with her hand. run her fingers through his hair and trace his nose, land on his lips and wait for him to kiss them. then kiss her. she sees it in slow motion, like some goddamn bad 80s rom com, where he turns to her with the moonlight shining on her face and sees her for the first time, and all he can do is kiss her to tell her how he feels.

but he keeps his eyes on the road, swerving to other streets as he follows her instructions, and they work so well together the smile can’t be wiped off her face.

the adrenaline pumps through her veins, it’s blinding, erasing the rest of the world from everything but this game. she’s too into it, too desperate for the distraction it brings, running in the street for that sweet release of her adrenaline build up and not even seeing the trouble coming her way.

the same way she does’t see the worry in his eyes, or hear him try to stop her, or feel the way his heart stops while hers can’t stop beating.

she feels the impact then hears him screaming her name, calling to her like some godsend and bringing her out from the daze of the world around her. he grounds her, wakes her up again, and he’s gentle with her. his hands barely grazing her, gliding over her hip and it’s like some goddamn dream. she can even hear him whispering “i’m sorry, i’m sorry” and the image in her head shifts but in an even better way.

she turns around laughing, “my heart is beating so fast.” and he’ll never know what she really means. she’s laughing at herself because how fast her heart is beating, because she knows she signed her name in the book of the beast and there is no going back. she laughs because her heart is beating because of his hands on her and his gentle whisper, and because she knows with every second she spends with him here she falls for him more and more and that just means it’s going to hurt even more when he breaks her heart.

she runs off, away from him, away from that same disappointed glare cassandra has in her eyes when she does something reckless. she doesn’t want to see her sister in his eyes, she wants to play his game instead.

once the game ends the real one begins, the true test, the after party.

she expects him to go his separate way, he is the host and that means he has a lot to do. set everything up, entertain people, make sure they’re having fun.

yet he doesn’t leave her side, leading her around his house with his hand on the small of her back and his eyes always trying to sneak a peek into her own. it’s silent looks met with silent smiles, and she thinks she finally understands what it is like to be kelly on harry’s arm.

he leads her to the pool and sets up a little spot just for them, not going in because she didn’t have her swimsuit. he even offered to take her back to her house to get one if she wanted, but she refused. she wanted to keep this night a good memory, something just for herself, going home for even a second would put a damper on that mood. her sister asking questions, her friends getting involved, a whole mass of people with that stare as she gets into harry’s car.

she’s fine sitting on the side of the pool watching everyone else have fun, especially with harry sitting right beside her.

“i’m surprised you came tonight, and that you’re here right now.” he tells her after they take a shot, drawing her attention from the couples in the pool back to him.

“why?” she asks, though she already knows the answer.

he shrugs, looking around at the crowd surrounding them before his eyes fall back to her, and she hates how goddamn handsome he is. “you’re cassandras sister, and her best friend, and she hates me. guess i thought you did too.”

she shakes her head, and after an entire day with him she’s finally gained the courage to keep her eyes glued to his. “we’re not the same person.”

“i know that.” he defends himself, but they both know it isn’t true.

she tilts her head, eyes stuck on his, both of theirs saying so much. “no, you don’t.”

“you never seemed to like me very much.” he tries, but she knows the truth.

“cassandra always painted you out to be the bad guy, and i guess i just kind of followed her lead. now i realized i don’t really know you, and i think i should form my own opinion on who you are.” part of it is honest, but she hides the fact that he is so wrong. she’s always liked him, too much for what’s good for her, too much for what’s right.

“and do you think that?” he asks, leaving her lost.

“think what?”

“that i’m the bad guy.”

she doesn’t respond right away, searching his dark eyes for an answer, thinking they’ll tell her all she needs to know. yet his eyes are asking the same thing, searching for the answer cuz she doesn’t even think he’s sure who he is in this role of his life. and for once she thinks she really sees harry, sees past what he wants everyone to see. the picture perfect popular boy, the flawless rich kid, the leading man in the movie of their lives. he isn’t all those things, he’s just a boy the same way she’s just a girl, looking for all the answers neither can give the other.

“i’m still trying to figure it out.” is the best she can get out, because as much as she wants to reassure him she can’t. one day doesn’t mean anything in her judgement of his character, though a part of her is hoping and praying he isn’t the bad guy.

“i knew you two aren’t the same person. i know that.” he changes the subject, insisting his innocence, trying to prove he isn’t the bad guy after all. “you two aren’t anything alike you are...peculiar...and intense.”

she doesn’t know how to take that, it’s not what she’d expected to hear and she doesn’t know what it means. she’s never heard those two words in a positive connotation, as a compliment, but the way he says it and the lingering look in his eyes tells her he means no harm. he means it in a good way.

neither of their eyes leave each other, and she thinks now for the first time he’s really seeing her too. like he finally knows who allie pressman is as her own person, and the way he looks at her now makes her want to run away and hide. despite all her longing she never prepared herself for this, she never thought it would happen. “thanks.” is all she can muster out, her eyes saying more than her words can.

her eyes flitter down to his lips and that’s all he needs to make his move, leaning in slowly till there was almost no space between them, giving her a moment to move away if need be. she stayed still, letting his lips press against hers for a second, and it’s so not what she expects.

she thinks harry bingham is an all in guy, go big or go home, but he kisses like it’s his first time and he’s nervous. like he’s scared she’ll hurt his feelings, like a child kissing his crush. he kisses her the way she’d kiss him, and she’s wanted this for so long that it hurts to remember that even when he kisses her like this it means so little to him.

kelly just broke up with him, he’s hurting and looking for a distraction for his pain. he’s looking for a rebound, and she fell perfectly into his lap.

she backs away slightly, enough for him to get the hint, and she’s searching his face as if to try and read his mind. she’s just now realizing he’s so emotive, shows everything he feels on his face making it so easy to read him. she can see it all, every thought floating in his mind. the confusion, the rejection, and lastly the hurt. he looks shy and embarrassed, so unlike the unbothered harry he always tries to portray. it just makes her like him more, it just makes her want to lean in and kiss him and tell him everything is fine, that she won’t hurt him like kelly did, that she is ready to give her heart to him.

but she’s smarter than that, and she has questions she wants the answers to too.

“what was that?” she asks and finally looks away from him, unable to hide her sly smile, unable to hide her blushing cheeks.

he laughs a nervous little laugh, and he’s so much more sweet than she thought and she wondered what cassandra would think if she saw this side of him. would she still curse his name, slander him, detest him? or would she be able to understand why allie liked him so much, why he made her so weak?

“i don’t know.” it comes out as a whisper, hushed and quiet and only for her to hear, and he turns to her with a nervous smile and stuttering out his words, and despite her minor rejection of him he still looks excited, like he’s been wanting to do that as long as she has. “i just didn’t know you. like at all.”

and as he leans in his eyes are telling her all she needs to know, that he wants to know her, and now it’s up for her to decide. let him have his way with her, kiss her, and break her heart? let her be the rebound, be with him for even one night, more than she ever could’ve hoped for.

and the thunder rumbles as if a sign from the gods, a tempest threatening her to make up her mind, because her only options are various forms of chaos and she must pick the way she wants to get hurt.

“we should go.” is all he says, taking her silence as a sign to give up, and the thunder as a way out.

but she’s made up her mind, and there’s no changing it now. “we should go inside.”

and he looks down from the heavens that dropped him back to her, not expecting her words, not knowing how to respond other than a smile saying he’d love to.

they don’t need to say anything more as they slip inside, his hand loosely holding hers as he leads her up the stairs to his room, not grip needed because they both know the other won’t let go. their fingers touch, dance around with each other, and even just that slight skin on skin contact is electric.

he leads her to his room and doesn’t turn on the light, let them live in the darkness as he closes the door. he’s gentle and slow, and she thinks his hands are shaking when they go to cup her face, both hands holding her cheeks as he leans in to kiss her. he pauses, letting his eyes adjust to her face in the darkness as he sweeps them over her, checking every part of her face.

“are you sure you want this?”

“yes.”

he kisses her, slow, like it means the world to him to have her in his embrace. this time she really kisses back, and she lets him lead. she lets him guide her to his bed with soft kisses on her cheek and her neck, lets him strip her off her clothes and lets him whisper his kind compliments, let’s him rest his forehead against hers as they take it slow and she never thought she’d lose her virginity to harry bingham yet he treats her better than any other guy could. and she knows her feelings for him aren’t truly returned, not in the same way she feels for him, yet with the way he holds her as they have sex she thinks that maybe they could be, one day.

when they’re done they lay on their backs, his hand playing with her curls, and she can’t ignore how comfortable the silence is between them. they feel like old friends, old lovers, people who have fucked in a past life. like every incarnation of themselves have known each other in some way, so they don’t need to talk, because they have all the time in the world.

“that was...so great.” he mumbles out, and she knows he means it with the smile on his face and his gentle grip on her hair. she wants to lay here, fall asleep and let this night last forever. no responsibility, no cares, yet the world refuses to be that way. refuses to give her a break, to enjoy herself, it needs to give a cruel reminder as to where she is and what she has done.

the lights flicker on and off, and harry gets out of bed with a disappointed huff in his voice.

“i’ve got to go down and check what’s wrong, make sure everything’s okay.” he says as he puts his clothes back on. she stays where she is watching, trying to shut off her mind from going a mile a minute, from letting her think the wrong thing.

“yeah go, i’ll be down in a minute.” she says, not ready to go down yet, not ready to be seen going down with him. people spread shit fast, and she doesn’t want cassandra to know.

he’s putting his pants back on when she says that, putting up the zipper and smiling at her. he leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek, it’s awkward and strange and unnatural for both of them, and makes her realize just how naive they both are. he’s not much more experienced than she is, they both are clueless about how to do these things. “i’ll wait down there for you.”

she nods her head with a smile, watching him go before she gets dressed herself, unable to believe her clothes are scattered on harry binghams floor.

when she finally makes her way down he is sitting on the counter waiting for her like he said, smiling when he spots her walk up to him. she smiles and looks down, her nerves of what they just did finally getting to her, but his eyes and smile stays on her, looking at her like she’s so much more than she really is.

she is only half listening to everyone’s conversation about the flickering lights, rather looking at him and taking in all his glory. she thinks he’s the most handsome boy she’s ever seen, and for one night she could call him hers.

she doesn’t give in to the fear like everyone else, allowing herself to revel in the distraction he poses, ignoring as everyone runs out into the rain either home or to the hardware store.

“do you want to go?” he asks her, still sitting on the counter top but gently grabbing her hand with his once the house clears out, pulling her closer into his embrace.

“where?” she asks, but the only thing on her mind is the way he’s looking at her, and his lips.

“the hardware store.”

she shakes her head, smiling as she holds back a small laugh. “i don’t need a flash light, we got some at home.”

he nods, and their eyes keep playing a little dance, moving between their lips and each others gaze, their minds replaying the events of that night over and over again.

“you can stay over if you want, there’s space in my bed.” he offers, and she questions his intentions. he got what he wanted out of her, she got part of what she wanted too, but she knows he isn’t over kelly after ten days and she knows he isn’t doing this because he likes her. he can’t like her, it’s only been a day.

but she so badly wants to say yes, give herself this moment like she’s done so many times this night, say she did it once because she knows it’ll never happen again. she wants to say yes, but she can’t. “cassandra’s gonna worry if i’m not home, sorry.”

he pulls her closer with their intertwined hands, enough where she stands between his legs and his hand drops hers to rest on her waist, keeping her in his warmth. “well for now stay with me, she can have you tomorrow but for now you’re still mine.”

mine, she never liked that possessive shit, she never thought relationships should be about owning each other. when he says it though, she understands why the idea is appealing to so many people. to be someone elses, to be his, it warms her insides while he warms her outside, and she knows there is no future between them but she really wishes there was.

“who ever said i was yours?” she asked, negging him as she moves her head closer to his, lips grazing his.

“we can be each others...just for tonight.” he kisses her, grip on her waist and neither realize the lights go out again while they’re entangled in each other. her hand in his hair, his hand brushing against her skin under her shirt, and she doesn’t mind being his for the night, as long as he is hers.

they stay like that as their phones both ding, notifications going off, and they try to ignore it as long as they can but the constant ringing in their ears kills the mood. allie reaches for her phone first, turning around in his embrace to read her texts, not missing the way his arms wrap around her and his head rests on her shoulder. she doesn’t miss the way his lips brush against her cheek, the way he reads her texts from cassandra with her alerting them of an emergency, and she doesn’t miss the disappointed sigh they both share of their night being cut short.

it’s raining outside but he insists on walking, and she doesn’t question why. she thinks it’s because he wants more time with her, but that’s wishful thinking on her part, but it doesn’t matter as they run under his jacket laughing at how ridiculous they must look. bumping into each other trying to stay dry, almost tripping as they steal glances, still in their own world until they reach those who remind them of who they are and who they should be to each other.

cassandra looks between them, her own sister coming with harry, and she can see the betrayal flicker through her eyes before she looks away.

she doesn’t want to look again, she won’t let her shame her for what she did, because she has no regrets for it.

chaos envelops them and threatens to swallow them whole, and she hates the reminder that this night wasn’t anything real. that this world isn’t their own and the responsibilities never end.

she could be his for the night but when the sun comes out she will be back to what she’s always been, a shadow.

#the society #harry x allie #allie x harry #harry bingham #allie pressman #hallie #my writing

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