#there was a fight on thanksgiving not 5 minutes after we arrived | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Tumblr is used by 21% of adults online aged 18-29 years.

#there was a fight on thanksgiving not 5 minutes after we arrived

thetomhiddlestonpage · 1 year

Text

I went to a vigil for ClubQ on Wednesday, it was a wonderful and moving experience but has left me with a lot of fears, anger, and lingering thoughts over my queerness and place in the community. I can’t find the right words to explain it but I did write a poem to get some of it out, it ended up being more of a train of thought rambling but I ended up quite liking it.

My city has a gay district

I’ve never had a community so close

Missing my chance behind a closet door

It still feels so far away

On Sunday 5 are dead

Wednesday is the vigil

We’re used to putting them together

My mom is on the phone

As I wait for my Uber

Not wanting to risk having to worry about my car in a possibly aftermath

Just in case

We’re going over exit strategies

Basic first aid

How to stop bleeding

Mostly for her benefit

I’m too numb to be concerned

Eventually I’m out the door

A drag queen plays the violin

We sing together

An activist read slam poetry

The crowd yells in agreement

To statements of basic human decency

That so many refuse to hear

Tomorrow is thanksgiving

I can’t take going back to my empty apartment

I go to a lesbian bar

But don’t tell my mom

Who doesn’t need more worry

I pass through the safety check points

Empty my bag and pull up my sleeves

The guard apologizes

I say I understand

Within minutes of arrival I’m no longer alone

Taken in by those in a community I still feel outside of

Who knew I needed a home

I drink and dance and live

My mom asks if I made it home

I tell her where I am

She says she loves me and I say it back

For the first time in months

I screenshot the text as the DJ changes songs

I hate dancing

But I can

I can move freely and exist openly

Even if just in that moment

Like they tried to

Like they should have been able to

Like so many people don’t want us to be able to

They can’t dance but I can

So I do

I become a living memorial

To thousands I’ve never met

Who fought for me to have this moment

Whose work is still far from done

I wonder if it ever will be finished

I am surrounded by odd girls and twilight lovers

I am home

And I am dancing

But I am still looking over my shoulder at the guard at the door

Would he be enough

For someone else who reaches their own enough tonight

And decides we are problem they must solve

After hours listening to Jonathan Shelley

Giving sermons on how to shoot us

Lined up facing a wall

Of burning books they never read

Of reading hashtags

Crying “over the children”

Who were taken away by bullets

And the words of families and strangers

Who will never truly know who the child are speaking in front of

And politicians playing preacher, doctor, and therapist

But not by queens

They never bother to think of the people in that room

Us as children once

Fighting to survive and accept and be accepted

A battle too many lost

They don’t us

They don’t see our children

Only seeing the future we work towards for the youth

As a direct threat to their supremacy

To fight hate you must expose our differences

But if our differences no longer divide us

How will they fear monger to gain power

What hot takes will they tweet out

What talking points will they spew on cable news and the New York Times

Between thoughts and Prayers

What power is greater than hate

Nothing they have ever felt in their lives

They may have known love

But they lost it along the way

They will never walk into a lesbian bar

Unsure, alone, and lost

Only for strangers to pick them up

Dust them off

Tell them what a lovely sweater they have

And welcome them not as a stranger but as a person who matters

In a community who needs you

They have never danced as an outlet

As a form of anger and resilience

As a community gathering

But they have seen it’s power

And they are scared

So I will dance

For Kelly

For Raymond

For Ashley

For Daniel

For Derrick

And for everyone who lost or never had the chance to feel the music

To feel the unified strength

To feel free and welcomed and loved

Because there is a power stronger than hate

And I found it dancing in a lesbian bar

#club q shooting #lesbian #queer #poetry #free form poetry #mourning #lesbian bar

5 notes · View notes

hintofelation99 · 2 years

Note

Since Thanksgiving is coming up soon how about the fam gets force invited to dinner by some random relatives who they don't talk to and it ends up a battle of the the two families trying to show each other up and it ends in a fire and tears.

It’s been a good minute since I got this (I’ve been rlly busy with moving and preparing for the holidays so I’ve mostly doing text posts bc those are super quick) but I do adore this. As someone who’s from a loud, chaotic, and at times even shameless, southern (US) family I’ve seen some pretty wild thanksgivings. From my sisters hair catching on fire to my aunt yelling ‘fuck’ as she accidentally throws a ketchup bottle across the room, it can be a lot. And I’d imagine that’d only be amplified for the bats.

They’d probably invite over the full family. Like obviously Bruce and Alfred would be there. And the five Robins (I will always count Duke as a robin even if canon doesn’t, and yes Ik leading the ‘we are robin’ movement is different but shush he’s earned it). And the batgirls. Of course Kate will come and she’ll bring Reneé. No matter what terms Bruce and Selina are on, Selina always goes to support her kids (she will fight anyone who says they aren’t hers). And since Reneé and Selina come the other partners are coming. In my mind this means Wally, Roy, and Kon. Kon is dropped of by Clark, who relents to Jon’s constant begging and ends up staying for an hour with his sons. Bart runs over a few times, each time Barry is close behind making him leave. Cassie and Cissie drop by for a bit, and are later picked up by Diana, Oliver, and Dinah. Oliver and Dinah leave with Cissie after chatting for a bit. Diana and Cassie end up staying (because Jason has surprisingly good puppy dog eyes). And Donna ends up coming. Dick decides to invite his new friend Lucas (aka Midnighter) who of course brings Andrew (aka Apollo). They also invite Zatanna who brings Constantine (he, Jason, and Roy get along like fire and gasoline). Harley and Ivy show up, both invited by one of the Robins, which one is still up for debate. And honestly the guests keep coming. All in civvies and all in high spirits. It’s chaotic but somehow manageable. That is until Bruce’s extended family arrives. That’s when suddenly all of the ‘I am a hero who regularly saves the world’ turns into ‘oh fuck gotta be normal’.

The first ‘error’ comes when Constantine tries to talk about his love life with Bruce’s usually quiet great, great aunt Hilda. Because apparently Hilda has interesting responses to things like “he was a real shark in the sheets” and “you can only imagine the hate sex you have after the demon you sent to hell gets out”. That response being “You think that’s intense? Have you ever bought an entire cruise ship and 200 pounds of cake for your book club?” (Constantine later joins that book club). That night Bruce learns that sweet aunt Hilda has rather unique interests.

The second ‘error’ is leaving Steph and Tim in charge of the younger cousins. Because they end up starting a cult. On accident of course.

‘Error’ number 3 is letting Lucas and Clark speak to great uncle Joey who is apparently homophobic. That ends in Lucas locking Joey in a closet. According to Lucas it’s symbolic, Andrew says it’s childish but still supports his partner.

‘Error’ 4 is letting Bart speak to the oldest family member, Aunt Edna. She ends up adoring Bart and giving him tons of cookies, this leads to a speedster on a sugar high. Kon and Cassie spend most of their day trying to keep Barts identity a secret, they ask Tim for help but he’s busy leading his new followers. Edna quickly realizes that Bart is a speedster but she doesn’t care/say anything, she finds him adorable.

‘Error’ 5 is leaving Jason and Diana unsupervised. They create an hour long PowerPoint on the Odyssey. A PowerPoint that they present before dinner.

But the biggest error is not locking up Damian’s sword. The sword that he and Jon use to play a blood pressure raising game of sword tag with and that they use to cut everything. At one point they even use it to cut butter. Bruce is not amused. Jon is very amused.

161 notes · View notes

itsmeevie01 · 4 years

Text

Bio!Dad Bruce Day 10-Consulation

Tim was not expecting to receive a call from his little sister in the middle of September. They had almost two months before she was going to be joining them for Thanksgiving and he had seen her right before she had gone back to school. When he picked up the phone at 3 am, he knew that something had to be wrong. Marinette knew that he was 6 hours behind her. “Mari?” The tears on the other end of the phone made Tim pause. “Mari what’s wrong?” his confusion was palpable. “Marinette, is everything ok?”

“I- “

“Little Bit, its ok, take your time. Just talk it out with me” now, more than ever, Tim was grateful at Damian insisted on keeping a rigid sleep schedule. The brat was awful with emotions and Tim didn’t want Marinette’s first impression of the kid to be him cussing her out for being vulnerable.

“they left me! Chloe and I worked so hard for this trip, and they left us!” understanding hit Tim right in the face. Marinette and Chloe had been working all summer to help the class raise funds to go on an overnight trip. The class had raised enough to spend a week exploring the countryside, and Tim was planning on flying out and surprising his sister later in the week. Well, he had been planning on flying out later in the week, it looked like he was going to be there much earlier than expected.

“Mari, hey. That’s awful. I know that the past weeks have been hard. Can you take a deep breath for me? Talk me through what’s going through your head.” A jagged breath on the other side of the phone made Tim close his eyes and reminded himself that he couldn’t just show up and scare the kids for hurting his sister, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I…I thought they knew how hard we worked for this trip. All the planning, all the fund raising. We worked so hard and they just left us! Chloe and I got here and- “here, her voice broke and Tim could hear his sister wrestle her breathing back under control. “they left at 5 am. THREE HOURS EARLY. They-“ once again Marinette broke off, but Tim could tell that the girl was slightly calmer. At this point, he could practically hear her mind running through plans a mile a minute. “they plotted to get us off the trip, but Chloe and I had made all the reservations in our names. Chlo is on the phone with Alix, apparently, she was told the departure was changed to 10, and all the others are saying the same. It- it came from Alya. So…that’s a start.”

“what was on their itinerary today?”

“just settling in, the bus is supposed to return to Paris this afternoon. The goal is to be able to relax and not worry about the ins and outs of the Akuma and emotional control.” Tim paused for a minute as he digested what his sister was saying.

“wait in Paris. I’m changing my ticket. I’ll be with you before you know it, and we’ll get you all out to meet up with your class.” At his sister’s protest, Tim snorted. “M, I was planning on surprising you later this week, so its not that hard to do. Plus, I’m using B’s money.” His sister sniggered at his last comment.

“Tim?”

“yeah M?”

“Thank you.”

“Always, Little Bit.” At the nickname, Marinette snorted.

“I’m going to go start putting out fires. See you soon, brother.”

“see you soon, Mari.”

That evening, Marinette stood at the airport waiting on her brother. Once he came into view, the girl started fighting her way through the crowds to her brother. When she got to him, he wrapped her in a hug. For just a moment, the girl let herself cling to her brother and relax. Tim was here, and he was going to help her fix things.

When they made their way outside, the siblings found Chloe waiting impatiently by the car. When they were in her sight, the blonde huffed and strode back the way she had come. The duo laughed and followed after her dutifully.

The next morning, Marinette, her brother, and her friends stood on the platform of the train station. Today, they would travel out to meet their class. Marinette had received a call the night before, because no one had singed in. when the girl had explained the circumstances, the hotel desk person had shaken their head and assured her that the rooms would be there for them when they arrived.

When they reached their destination, Marinette had been buzzing with energy and excitement. Not only were they out of Paris, but now she and her friends were going to be able to bond and have fun. Even better? Her older brother was with her.

While her friends organized their bags, Marinette checked in. after getting everything cleared up, she and Tim made their way back over to the group. When key cards had been handed out, the friends split up to find their rooms. Max and Kim, Adrien and Nino, Alix and Chloe. Marinette slipped into her single and smiled at Tim who was across from her, next to the guys’ rooms.

That evening, Chloe called their teacher and found out where they were eating. The friends met up with the rest of the class, who were mostly clueless. Rose and Juleka welcomed them with opened arms, Ivan light up at the sign of the group. Sabrina smiled, and Arure and Mireille beckoned them over to where Nathaniel and Marc were sitting with them. The only people who didn’t look happy were Alya and Lila. Shit.

“Marinette! Why did you change the departure time, if you knew you couldn’t make it! We had to sleep in the worst hotel ever because of you!” when Lila started to cry, Chloe rolled her eyes.

“Listen Lila, I know that you like to blow things out of proportion, but Sabrina sent me a picture of the hotel. It was perfectly fine. Now, if you are done with your tantrum, get your stuff. We have the hotel keys.” At that, Bustier hurried over, suddenly very interested. The teacher stopped short, when she realized that Marinette had brought someone with her.

“Marinette, who exactly is this?” The girl flashed her teacher a dangerously sharp smile.

“My brother. He came to help make sure that everything was smoothed over.” The sugary sweetness in the girl’s voice made the teacher pale. The way the teacher stood nervous and fearful made Marinette happier than she had been in a while. She knew that the teacher was trying to ignore the tensions in the class, but that wasn’t how it worked. In the end, it might have worked too, if Marinette wasn’t so familiar with the doubled standards the teacher had started to enforce. Now this? This is where it would become fun.

#b!dbwm #b!dbwm2020 #bio!dad bruce wayne month 2020 #My writing #plot? is that what this is?#sorry its short #im catching up today #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupen chang #maribat #ml x dc

227 notes · View notes

ghstandpucks · 3 years

Text

Cutting Edge ~ Nathan MacKinnon Ch. 8

Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well! I’m sorry this chapter took so long, but I hope you all like it! After school is done for the semester I will have time to update more frequently! This chapter kind of just feels out their relationship, setting up for the final chapters to come! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate! Be safe and stay healthy!

Prologue Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7

Monday afternoon found Nate and yourself at the rink after practice was over. The two of you had spent a lazy Sunday together, working out how this relationship was going to work. You both decided to keep it quiet, seeing as neither of you were fond of the media to begin with. Also, you did not think it would look good for you and the program if word got out. The two of you wanted to enjoy the fun that’s supposed to come with the beginning of a relationship and not feel pressured by outside sources. You also decided that the team would find out as they found out, agreeing that it would help to have people on your side if word were to get out to the public.

All of this didn’t matter though as at the moment Nate had picked you up to move you to the side as he shot a puck into the net. “Not fair!” you yelled, laughing as Nate skated back over to you, kissing your forehead with a smirk. “That has to be a foul.”

“A foul?” Nate questioned you.

“A flag?” you questioned as he shook his head and chuckled. He was about to correct you when you jumped in. “Oh wait, a penalty! Yup! That has to be a penalty!”

“Come on Coach, you really should know the terminology better by now,” he grinned, snaking his arms around your waist.

“Guess you’ll have to do a better job at teaching me,” you smiled up at him, wrapping your hand that was not holding a hockey stick around the back of Nate’s neck.

“Is that so?” he questioned, leaning in. You nodded your head as he kissed you. You were thankful for your toe picks in that moment, allowing you stand on your tip toes without taking the both of you out. Nate held you tight to him as he deepened the kiss, and you were about to let go of your stick when someone cleared their throat. The both of you jumped away from each other like shrapnel, looking over to see who caught you. Gabe stood at the edge of the rink with his arms crossed.

“If the two of you are trying to keep this a secret, maybe don’t make out in an open space,” he said, then grinned at you and Nate. He couldn’t help it; he honestly liked the thought of the both of you together. That and both you and Nate were bright red with embarrassment of being caught. “Are you trying to keep this a secret?”

“I think more just quiet,” you said softly, looking over at Nate. He nodded in agreement.

“We don’t plan on telling anyone. Just if they find out, then they find out,” Nate clarified for you. Gabe nodded.

“I won’t say anything. Besides to Mel that is. But seriously guys, hide better if you don’t really want word out about this. I know he’s concerned about your program Coach, so I’m assuming you are too,” Gabe said matter of fact. It was your turn to nod. Nate grabbed your hand and started to skate over to Gabe.

“Thanks man,” he said once you got closer. Gabe smiled, looking between the two of you.

“Of course. I’m happy for the both of you. But he better not get any special treatment Coach, or I will call you out,” he tried to act seriously, but you could see the amusement all over his face.

“Oh please, he’s the only one I’ve made skate extra laps before,” you giggled, bumping your hip into Nate’s, which was more of his thigh at your height difference.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Gabe chuckled, and you dramatically saluted him. “I’ll see you tomorrow guys.” After he left, the two of you decided it was time to leave also.

“Maybe we should be a little more discrete,” you said as you were taking your skates off.

“I didn’t think anyone else was here. I definitely didn’t think of anyone coming back in,” Nate said, cleaning the ice off of his.

“It’ll be fine right, if word gets out that we’re dating?” you asked, and Nate could tell you were beginning to overthink. He placed his hand on top of yours and gave it a slight squeeze.

“We’ll be just fine Y/N. And I’ll be right there beside you,” Nate reassured you and you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your lips. “But, we probably should be a little more aware of our surroundings. So, lunch at your place or mine?”

~ ~ ~

Later that month the team had just arrived back in Denver after a week-long road trip. You had been more careful in your relationship with Nate, texting more on the road instead of sitting next to each other. Finally being back home though gave you two the privacy you wanted. You were currently sitting crossed legged in the middle of Nate’s bed as he unpacked his clothes, having stolen one of his Avs’ hoodies. After arriving back home, Nate had asked you to come over instead of going home first, as he figured you would pass out the second you hit the couch, or bed in this instance. “Can we take a nap?” you lazily watched him bustle around his room. It wasn’t the first time you had been over, but it was the first time you had been this comfortable. As soon as you had walked through the door of his apartment you changed into a pair of leggings and stole his sweatshirt, the chill of the vacant place getting to you. Nate was about to give you a hard time, until he looked at you and it seemed like his world stopped. He loved seeing you dressed up for games and then skating at the rink, but now he thinks that this is his favorite look on you. He walked over to you and placed a kiss on your forehead, laughing as you gave him your best puppy dog eyes.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, as you had been complaining about how your stomach was starting to ‘eat itself’ as you put it.

“Cuddles first, then food.” You responded as Nate sat on the bed and tackled you down, causing you to giggle.

“You’re so demanding,” he mumbled, tracing the 29 that was on your shoulder.

“All part of my charm,” you stated, snuggling into his chest as Nate chuckled. Nate started to tell you about the Mile High Dream Gala coming up as you slowly drifted off, feeling warm and content in his arms.

About an hour later, a phone ringing woke you up. You cuddled into Nate’s side, one of his arms under you and resting on your hip as the other held your hand that was resting on his chest. You grumbled, rolling over as Nate answered his phone. You could hear Andre on the other end. As you started to drift off again, you had the sudden urge to sneeze…and it came out much louder than you anticipated. You stifled a giggle as Nate absentmindedly said “bless you.” Andre must have asked who he was talking to because the next words out of Nate’s mouth were, “Y/N just sneezed,” and both of your eyes went wide. Time to put Andre on the list of people who knew. Nate told him the two of you were keeping it quiet, and he seemed to understand from the look on Nate’s face. Once Nate hung up, you sat up and started to scoot yourself off the bed. “Where are you going?” Nate mumbled, grabbing the fabric at the back of your stolen sweatshirt.

“I was going to go get those take out menus you have so we could order dinner,” you stated, falling back onto the bed and smiling up at Nate as he trapped you beneath him.

“Five more minutes,” he whispered, kissing you softly then moving to kiss your neck.

“Five more minutes,” you hummed.

~ ~ ~

A week later the Gala had arrived and you were finishing putting on your earrings, staring at the dress Mel had helped you picked out in the mirror. When you told her that you weren’t sure what to wear, she had picked you up and took you shopping. You ended up with a deep blue floor length dress with a slit up the side. Slipping on your nude heels, your phone went off with a text from Mel saying that her and Gabe were there to pick you up. While Mel was gushing about how adorable she thought you and Nate were, you admitted that you didn’t think arriving with him to the Gala would be a good idea. She told you not to worry, then called you the next day to tell you that her and Gabe would pick you up, then have to leave before you and secure you a “ride home” with Nate. You laughed at her scheming, but were also grateful to have someone like Mel on your side.

“You look amazing!” Mel said as you hopped into the back seat.

“Thanks! So do you!” you smiled back at her. “Thanks for the ride you guys.”

“No problem Coach. You do look very nice,” Gabe complimented you, shooting you a smile through the mirror. You thanked him and talked with them the rest of the way to the Gala. Once you were there and about to walk in, Gabe offered you his elbow to hold on to as Mel was at his other side.

“Are you trying to have two hot dates?” Mel teased her husband as you placed your hand in the crook of his arm.

“I mean, who doesn’t?” Gabe chuckled. “But I think someone might fight me for this one…” he tilted his head toward you. “…so I guess I’ll stick with you,” he kissed Mel on her cheek and you couldn’t help but smile at the happy couple. Upon entering the hall, the smell of wonderful appetizers filled your nose and chatter filled the air. Looking to the left, Bednar was the first to spot your little group arriving and made his way over, introducing you to his wife. As you exchanged pleasantries, you felt a presence stand next to you and smiled wider as you looked over at Nate. He was in a grey suit that fit him perfectly, and it took everything in you to not wrap your arms around him. His tie was blue, and you laughed at the unintentional match. You hadn’t shown him your dress, or told him the color for that matter because you liked keeping things a surprise every once in a while.

“MacKinnon, you didn’t bring anyone?” Bednar asked, shaking Nate’s hand.

“No sir,” he responded with a soft smile.

“Take this one. Two dates are a handful,” Gabe nudged you into Nate as Mel smacked his arm playfully.

“Rude,” you laughed, hoping you weren’t blushing too much in front of Bednar. But if Bednar noticed anything, he didn’t say and just chuckled.

“We have a table Y/N. But if you’d rather sit with them you are more than welcomed to. I know you’ve become friends with some of the players,” Bednar said, motioning to the Landeskog’s and Nate. You opened your mouth to say something that still made your relationship with everyone seem professional, but he cut you off. “Which is a good thing. They trust you more that way. And I trust whatever relations you have you are using your best judgment.” Bednar smiled at you as you nodded.

“Of course,” was all you could say as Bednar took his leave. You turned to Nate, slightly uneasy. “Does he know?” you whispered.

“I didn’t think so,” Nate said, looking at where his coach had walked off to. When he turned back to you, he grinned. “You look beautiful.” You ducked your head as you felt your cheeks heat up.

“Thank you. You clean up nicely as well,” you responded as Nate offered you his arm to walk you over to the table Gabe and Mel had set up at. Mel eyed you as you approached.

“You guys are disgustingly cute. I can’t with either of you,” she said.

“I think Bednar knows something,” you said as you sat next to her, Nate sitting on your other side.

“What did he say?” she questioned you.

“He said he knew I was becoming friends with the team and that he trusts I am using my best judgment,” you filled her in. Gabe chuckled and you quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You guys don’t realize it but you kind of gravitate toward each other at practice. It’s not anything too noticeable, but if you are paying attention you can see that at the least the two of you are comfortable in each other’s presence.” Gabe filled you in. You turned to look at Nate and he just shrugged.

“That’s not a bad thing,” he said, and you agreed. At least Bednar didn’t seem upset by it. As the night continued you had been introduced to many new people and had answered many questions about why integrating figure skating into hockey was useful. You found you way back to your table and sat down, your feet starting to hurt. No one said 3-inch heels was a good idea. You had also lost Nate somewhere in the sea of people. You were about to go looking when Andre slid into the seat next to you.

“How’s it going Coach?” he asked.

“Good, exhausting,” you laughed and he nodded in agreement.

“Has Nate danced with you yet?” Andre questioned, motioning to the dance floor that had many couples dancing on it.

“No,” you said. “We’re keeping quiet so I don’t think a dance would be good.”

“It’s just a dance.” Andre said, standing up. “Come on Coach,” he offered you his hand.

“Andre…” you started to protest but were cut off.

“Come on. Live a bit Y/N! You look too nice to just be sitting here,” he argued. You rolled your eyes but took his hand and let him lead you to the dance floor. He put one hand on your waist as he held the other; your other hand resting on his shoulder. You were laughing at a stupid joke he made as he spun you around and into Nate. “Lovely dancing with you Coach,” he dramatically bowed, and you did a small curtsy to play along. Nate chuckled as he took the same position Andre had, but holding you closer to him. To anyone else it would look innocent enough, but the way his hand held firmly to your waist as he looked at you adoringly made your heart speed up slightly. Nate deftly tried to spin you, and you laughed as you came crashing back into him.

“You’re a terrible lead MacKinnon,” you teased.

“Maybe you just aren’t good at following,” he quipped back. You danced for the next few songs, noticing the evening was winding down. Walking back to the table, you both sat down as Mel and Gabe came over.

“So, we’re going to go. Nate, can you give Y/N a ride home?” Mel smiled innocently. You tried not to laugh as Gabe sent a wink your way. Nate rolled his eyes but was smiling anyways.

“Of course. If that’s ok with you,” Nate nudged you. You smiled back at him.

“Good. Have a good night you guys,” Gabe said, leading Mel out of the room. After making your rounds to say goodbye, you walked out with Nate. He opened the door of his car for you, and held your hand as he started to drive. The two of you were lost in conversation about the night that you hadn’t realized he drove to his place and not yours.

“Um” you said, looking over at him before you got out.

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I can take you home if you don’t want to stay,” Nate said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

“It’s fine,” you said softly. Though the two of you fell asleep on your couch that first night when you got together, you hadn’t stayed at each other’s places since then. Quite frankly, you had always been so busy with skating that you had never actually spent the night with anyone. Nate was different though, and he made you feel safe. Even if you weren’t ready for that next step, you couldn’t deny that you wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. Finally the two of you were away from prying eyes and you could be yourselves. As you walked into his apartment and he locked the door, Nate grabbed your hand and pulled you back into him. He smiled down at you, dipping his head to bring his lips to yours. You let your arms wrap around his neck, and smiled brightly when he pulled away and rested his forehead against yours. Nate knew you didn’t have much experience with dating, and wasn’t looking to push you. He honestly just didn’t want to let you go for the night.

“I’ve been waiting all night to do that,” he whispered and you giggled. “Have I told you that you look beautiful?”

“Yes. But you can always tell me again,” you responded, laughing when Nate bent down and threw you over his shoulder. He walked to his room and tossed you unceremoniously on the bed. You started to take your heels off as he rustled through his drawers.

“Here,” he said, tossing some clothes onto the bed.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for these!” you said as you grabbed the pair of leggings you thought you lost from traveling two weeks ago.

“I think they fell out of your bag when you changed over here last time after we got back from the road trip. I just washed them with my stuff and kept them here for you,” Nate shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed to take his shoes off.

“You kept my leggings?”

“You stole my sweatshirt,” he chirped back, and you laughed. You did indeed take his sweatshirt home with you with no intentions of giving it back. Not that Nate actually minded. You couldn’t wear his jersey to the games like all the other girlfriends and wives, so he liked seeing you in something with his number on it. After changing into said leggings and one of Nate’s Avs shirts, you brushed your teeth with a tooth brush Nate claimed as yours from here on out. Then after washing the make up off your face, you crawled under the covers of Nate’s bed and waited for him to finish up. He came back into the room with just basketball shorts on, and you couldn’t help but stare at his toned body. “Like what you see?” he teased you.

“Maybe a little,” you blushed at being caught. Nate laughed and got into bed next to you.

“Is this alright? I can sleep on the couch if you want me to,” he said softly and you shook your head.

“Stay here,” you whispered back, scooting up to kiss him. The kiss was soft this time, almost like a silent prayer, and you cuddled into him as he wrapped his arm around your waist.

“This is going to work Y/N. Whether people know or not. We’re going to work this out,” Nate said as you pulled back, running his thumb over your cheek.

“I really hope so,” you spoke, tucking your head under his chin and letting his strong heartbeat lull you to sleep.

Tags: @bqstqnbruin @avsfans95 @andreiaafaria @gravygravygravy @comphybiscuit

#nhl imagine #nhl imagines #nhl x reader #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nathan mackinnon imagine #nathan mackinnon x reader #nate mackinnon imagine #nate mackinnon x reader #Nathan mackinnon #Cutting Edge

111 notes · View notes

good-rwbyaus · 3 years

Note

Can we get Pyrrha's reaction to Professor Ruby?

Becoming AU: [ Piece 1-5 ] [ P: Weiss ] [ P: Yang ] [ Piece 6 ]

logo-comics asked: What about an AU where everyone had somehow been under the mistaken assumption that Ruby was a professor at Beacon? For a laugh, Ozpin rolls with it whenever he's asked about it.

// Yes you can! Here ya go. Also, Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it! Also Cardin vs Ruby. Yes. - lilac

Perspective : Pyrrha

The pairing system had picked Ruby and Cardin to fight in the sparring ring, which was a shame because she really wanted to give the guy a second beating today. However she wasn’t feeling too much loss, because she’d finally get to see how the girl who stole all the spotlight from her would perform.

Not that she was jealous or anything – well, a tiny part of her that had gotten used to the adulation might’ve been, but for the most part, she felt relieved and grateful. She wasn’t the one who had to carry the weight of people’s expectations anymore; it was Ruby who bore it instead. Despite how grateful she felt, she still wanted to fight the other girl – wanted to experience how the presumed professor-in-training fought.

Beyond their brief interaction in the Emerald Forest, she didn’t really know Ruby – the girl who’d been the center of rumors since her arrival, and it was hard to distinguish truth from lie. Maybe this spar, Ruby’s first public debut against another Hunter-in-training, would help elucidate things.

Now Cardin wasn’t a bad fighter by any means – a bad person, yes - but he knew his strengths and could leverage them well. However, her own strong points coincidentally met Cardin’s strong points perfectly; his strength and tenacity might’ve matched hers, but she had far more agility and flexibility. Combine that with subtle uses of Polarity to magnify the strength of her strikes, it was easy to turn a parry into both a disarming blow and quick surrender.

However the strong points that served Cardin well countered Ruby’s strongest point, her speed. And the sparring ring was not suited for long range combat; it would be a tightrope walk if the younger girl wanted to employ guerilla tactics.

Yes.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ruby would approach this.

-----

“Are you sure you’re a professor?” Cardin taunted as he swung around aggressively, Ruby darting side to side to avoid his crater-creating blows. Their chase had lasted for over several minutes now, neither gaining much ground against the other.

“Are you sure you’re not an idiot? Weren’t you there when the Headmaster made the announcement?” The girl growled back at the clearly touchy subject as she fell back, creating distance and retaliating with sniper fire. The bullets pinged off Cardin’s armor for the most part, and the ones that headed for his uncovered extremities were deflected by his mace instead.

“The school’s still talking about you being one. And well I’m not impressed,” he posed with his mace on his shoulder. Several quiet cheers came from the audience. An inevitable thing honestly. Cardin was the perceived underdog in this situation, a student versus a professor-in-training. The only odd thing was that Professor Goodwitch hadn’t told the class to quiet down.

Ruby’s reply was a shot to his nether regions, one that he quickly deflected but the resulting clang still made a good portion of the class wince.

Incited, Cardin charged forward with a rage-filled yell, and their game of tag begun once again.

Ruby’s movements were always efficient and purposeful. Instead of constantly stepping back, she staggered her motion diagonally, never allowing Cardin to fully use his gathered momentum. However, the rare times she’d be forced into melee combat, they’d exchange a couple blows, never actually hitting each other, but then Ruby would always be the first to disengage, limbs trembling.

For a while, she thought the trembling was due to Cardin’s blows being heavier than what the younger girl could handle. But that wasn’t right. Ruby would never fully block a hit; she either parried a blow cleanly or avoided it entirely. If she were forced to directly block, she didn’t resist the blow’s momentum at all and allowed herself to fly away like a petal in a breeze.

It was those rare blows that made it seem like Cardin was winning, even though their Aura levels were equally low. She couldn’t help but feel like the younger girl was holding back some, though that didn’t make sense. Ruby didn’t like Cardin, especially after he messed with Jaune a couple times. Of course, Cardin didn’t do these things where Ruby could see him; Cardin was after all a bully and still afraid of the girl’s potential authority.

In any case, holding back was only if you wanted to spare the person embarrassment or if you wanted to hide your trump cards. But from the irritated look on Ruby’s face, she clearly didn’t want to do either of those. So why hasn’t the younger girl won yet? Everything was in her control, so why did she continue dragging things out?

Cardin cornered Ruby again, and it looked like they were again going to physically clash. Cardin swung for the girl’s shoulder, but Ruby had already swung to parry like everything was preplanned.

But what would happen if she….

… if she took away that control for just a moment...Pyrrha’s finger twitched.

The swinging mace suddenly acquired a slightly higher, slightly faster arc, enough to bypass the scythe that was swung to meet it. The young girl’s silver eyes rose in panic, and her feet were already pivoting and stepping back in an attempt to absorb the bl-

Crack.

...That wasn’t what she intended.

The blow struck the young girl cleanly against her shoulder, her red aura flickering as though it were about to disperse. She could see Cardin’s lips open to declare his triumph, but the younger girl swiftly spun with the momentum Cardin imparted to her. The moment Cardin finished out his swing, the muzzle of Ruby’s weapon already slammed straight into his throat, silencing whatever he was going to say.

That wasn’t what caught her attention though. It was Ruby’s eyes, previously angry and colored with emotion – now calm and calculating and empty. Were they always that cold shade of silver?

She saw Ruby’s finger press against the trigger of her weapon.

There was about to be an accident.

No. What has her meddling done?!

But the gunshot she expected never occurred.

Instead, Cardin stumbled backwards onto the ground, his mace clattering by his side. Choking noises came from his figure. His hands were clutched around his throat as he struggled to breathe, eyes bulging out in pain.

Ruby meanwhile shakily stood, her entire body trembling and barely keeping herself upright using her weapon as support. She kept her head lowered as she panted, her eyes covered by her bangs. No one could see the girl’s expression.

Cardin’s fear-filled eyes said it all though. Pyrrha wasn’t the only one who knew how close he came to dying; he also saw how close Ruby had been to pulling that trigger. Cardin might’ve still had Aura in reverse, but after a blow to the throat like that, even if the subsequent sniper shot didn’t outright kill him, it likely would’ve left him hospitalized for months – if he got out all.

Professor Goodwitch’s voice broke through the sudden chatter that erupted in the classroom.

“Miss Rose’s aura is in the red zone. Mister Winchester is victorious.”

================================

The fight haunted her. Not only did she nearly cause an accident, she led Ruby directly into a loss against someone she didn’t like. All she wanted to do was make the younger girl panic a little to see what’d she do, not directly take a mace strike with her body. For over a week, she saw the girl tentatively rub her shoulder on occasion and even wince when accidentally jostled.

Maybe that was why when the Weapons Club started, she volunteered to be Ruby’s assistant as a means to atone, and it was through this that she got to truly know the other girl. First of all, Ruby knew her stuff when it came to weapons, even more so than fighting. The girl was a genius in this area, able to figure out how a weapon generally worked within a few seconds of manipulation and then determine the areas where it needed improvement a couple more seconds after that.

Honestly, Ruby outperformed most diagnostic machines in both time and accuracy, and that expertise really cemented Ruby’s reputation as a professor despite all her vehement denials.

It also rooted the impression that Ruby, despite being bubbly and generally friendly, was a strange and weird girl. For one, she rarely remembered people’s names, but she’ll remember your weapon down to the type of metal, its style of smithing, and whatever dust options it had - oh, and the name you gave it too. Also when she thinks no one’s paying attention, she’ll talk at the weapon she’s holding as if it were alive.

She couldn’t help but feel that Ruby was lonely at Beacon. Apart from team JNPR and RWBY, she didn’t really have anyone else. When she spoke to her team about it, Ren had put it quite nicely. The girl’s perceived position made it hard for her to have friends outside of those who already knew her well: you could certainly be friends with a teacher, but there are always something things you’ll feel more comfortable telling your peers than an authority.

And the more she interacted with her, the more she felt like Ren was correct. Ruby denied being a professor so aggressively because the girl clearly knew this reasoning deep down inside, and all Ruby wanted to do was to live a normal student life. And it was sad because if there wasn’t this rumor going around, a lot more people would be unofficially adopting an adorable younger sister to their team.

Pyrrha glanced over at Ruby, sleeping over a bunch of well-marked papers and documents: books on leadership, documents on practical marksmanship, and pamphlets on basic dust usage. A hint of drool was hanging by the corner of the girl’s lips.

“Why do you try so hard?” she couldn’t help but ask to the sleeping girl.

What made a fifteen-year old work this hard? Maybe only Ruby knew the answer to the question.

...All that hard work that she nearly managed to completely sabotage. Guilt struck her once again – she’d been meaning to apologize, but she just didn’t know how. How could she explain it to her friend now?

‘Oh sorry Ruby. I manipulated things to make Cardin win. But I really don’t hate you at all. I just wanted to see what would happen.’ Ugh. She guiltily glanced over the sleeping girl – Pyrrha still couldn’t figure out what had gone over her.

She probably would’ve cared less if she didn’t like her – she’d still feel guilty, yes, but it’d bother her less. But now that she’d gotten to know Ruby – became close friends with the lonely girl that’s always full of bubbly energy and the occasional snarky comment – she could feel the guilt eating away at her inside.

She’ll atone. Even if she couldn’t bring herself to tell her, she’ll pay the price through her actions instead. She’ll stand by her side no matter what, because in the end Ruby was one of her best friends. She owed this much to her.

Speaking of, it was getting late, wasn’t it?

Shaking her head free of the morose thoughts, Pyrrha smirked mischievously and quickly pinched the girl’s cheek before pulling.

The younger girl immediately woke and yelped, hands flailing and sending papers askew.

“whatthehellareyoudoing?!gidoff!”

================================

They were alone now. Jaune had cut down the Ursa and in the process saved Cardin; with any luck, the bully would stop bothering Jaune about his transcripts now.

But in the process of doing so, she revealed her Semblance to both Weiss and Ruby. And from the way Ruby stayed back, she was now going to pay the piper.

“So you did it,” Ruby said quietly, “You were the one who interfered with my fight.” The girl turned around with a betrayed expression on her face. “The Executioner didn’t move that way on its own.”

“I…I’m sorry,” Pyrrha quietly said, hand against her arm and slightly squirming against the shorter girl’s laser-like gaze, “I’m really sorry. I-“

“Do you know what could’ve happened?” the girl cut her apologies off, throwing down her arms angrily.

“I…yes.” Pyrrha nodded her head, looking straight at the ground and unable to meet Ruby’s eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ruby gained that oppressive demeanor from Professor Goodwitch.

“Then why?” Ruby nearly all but screamed. It was then she knew that day had left its mental scars on the Huntress: how close Ruby came to ending the life of a fellow student, both of them knew. It was clear the girl wanted an explanation now, and she definitely deserved one. The only question was if she could accept it.

“I was stupid,” Pyrrha admitted. “I saw you were holding back. You kept the fight completely under control to the point no one in class noticed… And I wanted to see what you’d reveal once you lost that control.” She shook her head, “I never... expect all that to happen.”

“You. Just for that stupid reason.”

Ruby was right. It was a stupid reason. She kept her bowed down low, the guilt weighing her down. “Yeah, I was being stupid. I promise you it had nothing to do with you specifically. I just wanted to see how well a good fighter would adapt.”

“…I’m sorry that I put you in that position. I’m sorry that I got one of my best friends hurt,” Pyrrha sobbed, “I…”

Ruby glared at her and then shook her head. The girl turned around and started walking away, the sight leaving Pyrrha cold inside. She lowered her head once more, watching her tears fall to the ground. She’d just lost a good friend this day. She wanted to say more things, but it was clear that Ruby had nothing else to say to her.

The younger girl didn’t want anything to do with her now.

---

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Huh?

Pyrrha lifted her head. A crimson blur was the only thing she registered before it slammed straight into her. Immediately, she bowled over and cut a course through the dirt. Her body felt sore after the collision, and she managed to get enough of her bearings to see the younger girl that just slammed into her stand up.

Stepping to the side, Ruby crossed her arms with a frown and declared, “Okay, I’m still mad at you, but now we’re even. ” Ruby paused briefly, probably having noticed the confusion in her face, as she further explained, “We weren’t friends then, but we’re friends now…”

“Right?”

Pyrrha, slowly sitting up, nodded her head, “I… Yeah.” Her tone became more confident and empathetic. “Of course.”

Ruby offered a hand to her, the corners of the girl’s lips curling up slightly despite her clear intention to maintain her frown.

“So yeah, we’re even,” the girl repeated.

Taking up the offered hand, Pyrrha felt herself being lifted up before Ruby’s grip suddenly slackened, and she fell back down on her behind with a plop.

Somewhat shocked, Pyrrha looked back up at Ruby and couldn’t help but choke at the sight – whether it was a laugh or surprise she didn’t quite know.

The younger girl was hobbled over, holding onto her now red hand and opening her mouth in silent agony.

Before she could apologize, Ruby was already speaking.

“Ow! Ow. Ow. Pyrrha, how much milk do you drink to make your shoulder so hard?” the younger girl accused.

“Uh. Sorry, Ruby. But after working with Pumpkin’s Pete’s, I don’t really drink milk anymore.”

The affronted look on Ruby’s face was priceless.

It was there that she knew that everything was going to be okay.

Everything was going to be okay.

#rwby fic #rwby au #rwby #ruby rose #pyrrha nikos #cardin winchester #mod lilac #Anonymous #becoming au

48 notes · View notes

atlasishere · 4 years

Text

Deck the Aisles

A/N This is a very late Christmas gift for @watchoutforthefanfics, she is a gift that has let me take an extra month to finish this labor of love

Word Count: 6700 words

Warnings: Swearing, Deceit( as Emerson), Remus, a couple of alcohol mentions as well (feel free to let me know if I need to add any)

Relationships: Prinxiety, Logicality, Moceit, Remile(background)

It was 5 in the morning and Virgil Poe was in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Who knew how he came to this point in his life, but it kind of sucked. It was Black Friday and Virgil had decided maybe he can get a good deal on a new Crock-Pot for his mother, hers had broken. As he walked through the crowded aisles, he found it, the last crockpot. Speed walking towards it, Virgil realized that someone else was also reaching for it. Virgil grabbed it just before the other man did. As the other man began to reach for the box, Virgil yanked it out of his reach. The two spent a bit of time reaching and grabbing for the crockpot when Virgil realized it really wasn’t worth it. So after deciding this, he handed the man the crockpot and left the store hoping to find one at another store. After going to two other department stores, he found one and went home, wondering about the man he had almost fought for a crockpot. I will probably never see him again and if I do, he most likely won’t remember me.

A week and a half later, Roman Darcy was walking through the mall. He had some more Christmas shopping to do for his mom and his two roommates. He knew Logan wanted a new Rubix’s cube since his old one had been lost by Roman, but Logan doesn’t need to know that. He knew he wanted to get Patton some new fabric and yarn for his side business of selling clothes he made. He got his mom a crockpot already, fought a man for it, but knew she might like some nice chocolates from the candy shop, so he walked over to buy some. As he walked out, Roman noticed a flash of purple and looked up surprised to see the man from Bed Bath and Beyond. The purple clothed man had apparently sensed someone staring at him as he looked up from his phone and looked around. Turning his eyes and head, he finally noticed Roman.

The thoughts of both men were along the lines of “FUCK!!! Does he recognize me? Shit, I think he does.”

Both were having a mental breakdown, but Virgil is quite used to them so he was able to be done quicker than Roman and began to profusely apologize for his immature behavior while Roman kept trying to reassure him that it was fine. Eventually, Virgil heard Roman and began to breathe a little bit deeper.

Then Roman opened his mouth, “How about if I buy you lunch since I got the crockpot?”

And all hell broke loose as Virgil began to argue. “Hell no. I am buying your lunch since I started the “fight”.”

Well, Roman was passionate and couldn’t back down if he tried and said, “You gave me the crockpot, I am returning the favor!”

This continued for a few minutes and while there wasn’t any yelling, people around could tell they were irritated with each other. Eventually, Virgil’s anxiety kicked in because people were taking notice of him, which is not good, and said, “Fine you can pay for lunch, let’s just go now.”

So, Roman took Virgil to Wendy’s in the mall food court and told Virgil to order whatever. Once he had ordered, Virgil decided to send a text to his roommate that he would be out later than expected and that he would see him later.

After the two obtained their food, they found a table and sat down. The conversation began with Virgil thanking Roman and Roman brushed it off, it was not a problem for him. After they began to eat, Roman finally sparked a conversation, “So what do you do for a living?”

Virgil swallowed his food and responded, “I am a therapist at Dr. Picani’s office. I also will do art and writing commissions for people for a bit of extra cash. You?”

Roman smiled and answered “I run a children’s theater, direct the plays, and offer art classes, often in painting. I also act a little bit myself.”

“Cool. I used to do tech for that theater a few years ago. I had to stop after I picked up commissioning and Dr. Picani’s business expanded,” Virgil said as he remembered the fun he had doing lights and sound. He also remembered the cute assistant director who also had to help backstage and help with the writing.

“Oh, that’s really cool. Yeah, I have been working at that theater for close to a decade now. I had apprenticed as an assistant director so that when the previous owner and director retired, I would have experience and could take over,” Roman shared.

At that moment, his words sunk in and were comprehended as Virgil realized, “Holy Shit this is the guy I thought was cute when I did tech.”

As Virgil quietly continued his meltdown, he really looked at Roman and if he was blatantly honest with himself, he would say he wasn’t disappointed but Virgil also knew that this “attraction” was purely an appearance-based one so he didn’t feel flustered as he said, “Yeah, we worked together. You did backstage while I ran sound and lights.”

The realization seemed to dawn on Roman as he said, “Oh that’s cool. I believe that I remember our shows running smoothly when you were in the tech tower. I hope you can eventually find time to help us again as we could really use the help.”

All Virgil responded with was an almost optimistic, “We shall see.”

The two finished their lunch with very little conversation and bid their farewells, Virgil heading to a store and Roman to his cousin’s coffee shop.

Roman walked into the coffee shop and greeted his cousin who was working behind the counter and said, “Remy, holy heckerino you will not believe what just happened. Do you remember that techie that I had a small crush on?”

“I remember a techie that you had stated ‘He is the light of my life, the night and his dark clothes have hidden him from me. I have gazed upon the face of an angel’ and some other romantic shit. So if we are talking about the same techie, that was no small crush,” Remy responded with, sarcasm soaking his tone.

“Did I really say that?” Roman questioned.

“Yes. I have the whole speech recorded on my phone if you wish to hear it all.”

“Not preferably, why do you have a recording?” Roman asked curiously, expecting a zinger.

“Two reasons, to laugh at you and if you get married, for that techie to hear you gushing about him,” Remy replied, chuckling as Roman started to pout, “Anyway, so what does he have to do with anything? I thought he stopped doing tech work for some reason.”

“He did, but I recently bumped into him and had lunch with him,” Roman said, attempting to be nonchalant.

“Oh, okay. Did you get contact information for him at least?” Remy questioned, already knowing the answer ready to exit from his disaster cousin’s mouth.

“No, I did not get his phone number or address or Tumblr or Snapchat or anything,” Roman wailed out, sounding like he was 4 and denied a second cookie.

Remy just mumbled something about a disaster and shooed Roman out before any customers came in.

Virgil arrived at his apartment complex and walked into his apartment and in an instant, Virgil was bombarded with questions and accusations. His roommate, Emerson, was apparently curious about where Virgil had been, that or worried. They had just moved a week before Thanksgiving and Emerson was definitely a mom friend who wanted to make sure his friend was okay and able to not get lost, which is commendable but annoying. So, after explaining what had happened, Virgil volunteered to go down and get the mail, since he had forgotten to.

Roman pulled his car into his parking spot and got his mailbox key out. As he walked to the mailboxes, he swore he saw that dark-clad angel of a human that vaguely looked like Virgil. As the dark cloud got closer, Roman realized it was Virgil. So he decides to strike up a conversation, “Hey,”

“Hey yourself,” Virgil replied, snickering.

“Stop laughing at me. I am trying here. I swear everyone is mean to the hot person in the area,” Roman said jokingly.

“Well, I mean, I could help you get better at it, the whole talking to people. We could exchange contact information,” Virgil said.

“I mean, sure. Give me your phone,” Roman said, taking his out and opening the contacts app.

“Man someone is pushy,” Virgil stated, doing the same thing.

“So, I didn’t know you lived here,” Roman said while entering his number.

“I would certainly hope, I don’t just give my address out and I would hope you weren’t stalking me,” Virgil said sarcastically, “But in all honesty, I moved here about a week before Thanksgiving, So I haven’t lived here long.”

After the two exchanged phones again, Virgil got his mail and left.

Roman watched him go before grabbing his own mail and heading to his apartment. Once he had walked in, Roman's roommate, Patton, bombarded him with questions on where he was and what he had been doing. So he began to explain what had happened.

“So, you worried me because you were making a new friend,” Patton said cooly despite the obvious frustration in his features, “You said you would be home by 1:30 at the latest, it is 3:30. I was concerned and stressed.”

“I’m sorry Pat, I had meant to send a text and must have forgotten. I didn't mean to make you worry,” Roman said, very obviously upset from his mistake.

“It is fine, I keep forgetting we aren’t college students and that you can take care of yourself. I am sorry I got upset, I had no right,” Patton said, realizing his mistake. It was sometimes hard for him to let go since he lived through college with Roman and his occasional dumb decision and saw him live through the pain because of how easy he loves. But he knew he needed to let go.

Patton walked into the kitchen, where his boyfriend Logan was, looking at options for dinner. As soon as Patton had entered the small kitchen area, his boyfriend looked up at him and smiled. The two hugged, both knew Patton was trying to work on his “smothering” tendencies.

“Go ask him how his lunch went. I know you don’t want to be overbearing but I think he will want to talk about it,” Logan said, attempting to comfort his partner. When he saw Patton attempting to protest, he cut him off, saying, “No buts, he knows you didn’t mean any harm and I know how curious you are. I may not be good at emotions but I am good at reading body language, he wanted to tell you. Go talk to him.”

Patton nodded and went to find Roman in their small apartment.

Roman heard a knock on his door and looked to see Patton in the doorway, so Roman let him in.

“So, how was your lunch date?” Patton queried.

Seeing the opportunity to mend things, Roman told Patton everything, including the almost fight on Black Friday.

When he was done, his friend said, “Well we have a game night in a couple of days and you should invite him.”

“What if he says no?” Roman asked, obviously anxious.

“I doubt he will, and if he has a roommate then invite said roommate as well. You said he was new here right? Say it is a welcome to the building event,” Patton said, giving Roman not only an excuse but a cookiecutter way to deal with his nerves about asking him over.

“Alright Patton, thank you,” Roman said, gracious he had such an intelligent friend.

After Patton had left to help Logan with dinner, Roman pulled his phone out to text Virgil.

Me: Hey, this is Roman, so my roommates and I are having a game night and since you are new, Patton thought of inviting you and your roommate(s)

Emo Knightmare: I know who you are, dingus. When is it?

Me: friday @ 8

Emo Knightmare: I will ask my roommate and get back to you

Virgil got up off the couch and went to the kitchen to start making dinner, deciding that spaghetti was a good option. As Virgil began boiling the water and getting out the sauce ingredients, his roommate Emerson walked in. Once he saw what Virgil was doing, he joined by helping with prepping the vegetables. As Emerson was cutting the tomatoes, Virgil cleared his throat and said, “So remember the person I was eating lunch with today?”

“Oh, you mean the one that totally didn’t cause me to worry?” Emerson asked, obviously remembering who he was.

“Yeah, well, he lives here and invited us to a game night on Friday at 8 at his apartment with his roommates,” Virgil said, “I was going to go, but the invitation was open to you as well so… up to you.”

“As long as I am not busy. Besides, I want to give this boy a piece of my mind,” Emerson responded.

“You are such a dad, Em,” Virgil responded.

“Shut up. At least I can take care of myself beyond basic skills,” Emerson said.

“Do not even speak of self-care to me, Mr. I only eat when I am forced,” Virgil snapped, enjoying the banter.

“That’s you, dumbass,” Emerson stated, correct of course.

“Shut up and cut the vegetables,” Virgil said, ending the banter.

After the two made and ate dinner, Virgil went to his room and texted Roman that they should be able to make it Friday. While Virgil’s intent was to simply send that text, it didn’t end there, he failed miserably. He failed because he ended up texting Roman until midnight.

On Friday night, Virgil and Emerson walked over to Roman's apartment with brownies and some chips. When the door opened, Virgil didn't see Roman, but a man with freckles, glasses, dark curly hair, and pale skin. The said man began to introduce himself, "Hi, my name is Patton Campbell," then he opened the door and introduced the other two near the door, "And this is Logan and Roman Darcy."

"Hi, I am Virgil Poe and this is my roommate Emerson Croft," Virgil responded, gesturing towards his friend as he introduced him.

Then the tall man with glasses, presumably Logan, spoke up and said, "Are you by some chance related to Edgar Allen Poe's cousin since the man himself didn't have his own children?"

"Sadly, it's not very likely but you definitely know your stuff," Virgil replied, impressed.

After that comment, Patton opened the door wider to let in his guests. As they walked in, Patton studied them. Virgil was lanky, of Asian descent, with dark hair that was dyed purple. Emerson was tall with light brown hair and what appeared to be scars on the left side of his face and neck. As he stared, Emerson asked with a flirty smile, "Like what you see?"

Patton looked at his feet, feeling the blood rush to his face as he fumbled to say, "Sorry I was, uh, I was curious about your scars. I apologize for being rude."

Emerson chuckled and said, "I was just messing with you. If you're really curious, when I was a kid there was a fire in our kitchen and I ended up getting burned. It left more than these scars on my face and neck, I had lots of therapy but I'm good now. If anything, the scars remind me not to be dumb."

Emerson watched Patton look at him with pity? No, more like empathy. It confused him but he didn't question it. Emerson walked into the apartment and looked at the roommates of Patton. Logan was tall and fairly thin, he wore dark square-framed glasses that were similar to the common nerd glasses. Roman was only about an inch shorter than Logan, likely Hispanic due to his darker skin and accent, and had a more organized curl to his dark hair.

Emerson walked in and deposited the pan of brownies and bag of chips on the counter where Logan had gestured for him to put them.

After the five shared a dinner of pizza, they moved to the living room with snack food and board games. After going through several games including Fluxx, Uno, Sorry, and a very long game of Life, Emerson shared that he had brought his own game to share with the group called "Coup". He pulled the game out from under the brownie pan and took it out to the laundry room.

After he finished explaining how the game was played, Patton spoke up and queried, "So, you're supposed to lie?"

"Well, it makes the game more fun if I'm truly honest," Emerson responded.

"Ok, but how are you fine with that morally?" Patton challenged.

"Simple, I don't necessarily see a problem with small lies. Honesty can be nice for some things, but to be fully honest is a delusion set by society," Emerson said, cool as an ice cube.

"But how will people know if you're being honest about something? If you're known to consistently lie, people can't trust you," Patton challenged.

"If you truly know someone, you know when they lie about it and I know plenty of people who trust me, I mean look at Virgil," Emerson stated, continuing the discussion.

" I see your point. Can we agree to disagree and maybe discuss this later?" Patton requested.

Emerson smiled and responded, "Sure, get some good points ready. Alright, let's play Coup."

As Patton played Coup and got the hang of it and lying, he sensed feelings forming for Emerson and very readily decided to bury them, him being polyamorous has only caused the problem in the past.

Later that night, after Virgil and Emerson had gone home, Logan approached his boyfriend to talk to him about their guests. He cleared his throat and said, "So, I'm a figurative fan of our guests. Also, I think Roman might be falling for Virgil."

Patton chuckled as he said, "Yeah, you're not alone in either of those thoughts. I liked them, Virgil was fun and Emerson was interesting. If we do the Christmas party I'd like to invite them."

"That would be enjoyable," at that moment Logan looked at Patton and queried, "Hey are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a little drained," Patton lied, knowing he had no right to judge Emerson for lying.

Logan was aware that Patton was lying, but also knew that he wouldn't push, and stated, " Then let's get to bed dear."

That night both had a troubled night's sleep.

Virgil did not, that's because he was up late texting Roman. He went to bed around 2 which is not abnormal for him and he didn't have to work until 1 so it was fine. He had fun at the game night and would have definitely wanted Patton and Em together if it wasn't obvious that Patton was with Logan, so not likely. But then again what did he know. Virgil was truly grateful that Picani had hired him and didn't always have him come to work early since their office was still smaller but it was nice. As he walked in, he waved to their receptionist Elliot and he walked back to his office to look at his scheduled patients.

After a long day of back to back sessions, Virgil finally closed the office for the day at 9 pm. As he walked out to his car, he saw that Emerson had texted him saying that he had ordered pizza and needed Virgil to pick it up. Since Virgil had eaten a late lunch and no dinner yet, he was very grateful his roommate had a similar schedule.

Virgil arrived at his apartment and carried the pizza in, calling for Emerson. He walked in as Virgil sat the pizza on the dining room table. As the two sat down to eat, Emerson decided to spark a conversation, "So, how was the office?"

"It was nice, good steady stream and I got to meet a couple of new clients that I hope to continue seeing us," Virgil answered, it was pretty obvious how much he cared about these patients, "How was managing today? Any new Karens?"

"Thankfully no. Only interacted with two today and they weren't the worst," Emerson responded.

The rest of the pizza was eaten in a quiet space with little small talk made, it was comfortable and they were okay with it.

After Virgil finished his share of the pizza, he loaded his dishes and went to his room to work on a couple of commissions, he had to pay off his loans somehow. While he was working on one, he received a text from Roman. Virgil checked it and told Roman he was working on a commission so texting would be scarce. A few minutes later Roman responded and said he could Facetime if Virgil agreed. Virgil figured it couldn’t cause any harm, so he called Roman.

Roman answered Virgil's call, not knowing what to expect but was still definitely thrown off guard. Virgil was in slacks and a purple dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his hair wasn't falling over his eyes, the only makeup that Roman could see him wearing was the foundation. Roman was surprised and definitely swooning.

"Hello, Sir Roman, like what ya see?" Virgil teased when he saw Roman was starting to stare.

Roman snapped into reality and fumbled to say, "I'm just surprised to see you looking so professional."

"Oh I take offense to that Princey, better watch out or I may start crying. Wouldn't want to be the cause of gay hate crime now, would we? " Virgil teased.

"First off, I'm not straight so take notes. Secondly, aw pobrecito. Go cry me a river, build yourself a bridge, and get over it," Roman countered.

Virgil was a little bit impressed but Roman didn't need to know, it would go straight to his ego. As he turned back to his tablet as he said, "we can keep talking but I want to get this commission finished, so I'm not ignoring you, just working."

Roman chuckled as he countered, "Now who is a homophobe?"

Virgil very lightly blushed but his it well and responded with a simple 'touché'.

To say they had a productive phone call would be lying so hard that Emerson would even call bullshit. Roman mostly stared at the cute Virgil and occasionally made small talk while Virgil mostly paid attention to his tablet. Roman definitely wasn't complaining, that just meant he could watch and slowly fall in love like he was living in a fucking fanfiction.

After a while, Roman decided to say good night so he could sleep since he had to be at the theater earlier because they had a performance tomorrow. When Virgil heard this, he asked, “When is it? I’ll come to see it if Dr. Picani is cool with it.”

“Oh, we are doing two performances. The first is at 4:00 and the second is at 8:00,” Roman answered.

“Aren’t you kind of overworking them? I mean, these are passionate theatre kids, they put everything into their performances and you are making them do two performances on the same day and a mere ten days before Christmas. I may have never acted, but I also did tech and I have a feeling these kids are going to crash,” Virgil said, clearly passionate about these kids and their health.

“I get that, however, we couldn’t find two days in a row that worked for everyone and they were all cool with it. On top of that, I am providing them with dinner at about 7:00 and also have the backroom set up for them to nap. I am going to take care of these kids, I promise,” Roman said, trying to assure Virgil.

“Well, on Sundays I work until about 5:00, so I can come help with feeding those kids and maybe go back to the tech tower,” Virgil responded.

Soon after that point, Roman hung up then went to get ready for bed. As he stared at himself in the mirror, Roman began to realize that he was starting to feel romantic feelings for Virgil. Not that Roman was necessarily complaining, but it was unexpected. Then again, Roman was always the romantic one. Roman went bed, contemplating what he was going to do new feelings.

Virgil was walking out to his car after work and got in as he received a text from Roman. It was telling Virgil where to get the pizza from.

Virgil walked into the theater with the pizzas and was met with a slightly frantic Roman. Virgil walked in, set the pizzas down and decided to calm Roman down. "What the fuck is wrong, Roman?" Virgil questioned, slightly concerned.

"Our mic guy got sick like 20 minutes ago so I need someone to work mics and by golly, I can't get anyone to help," Roman responded, starting to breathe like a french bulldog that has been walking for more than 10 minutes or hyperventilating.

"I can run mice so if you don't start breathing normally in the next ten seconds, you're bloodline will end," Virgil threatened.

"My bloodline is going to end because my twin and I are both gay so you made an empty threat," Roman countered, breathing deeply.

"Ok, that's fair. So tech tower still the same?" Virgil questioned.

"Wait, you're actually going to help me?" Roman asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you idiot. Now, what do I need to know?" Virgil asked, itching to be in his place.

"We don't need music, just mics. I'll send a backstage person up to help with mic checks. You are literally a lifesaver," Roman answered gratefully.

Virgil ran to the staircase that led to the tech tower, ready to be back in his element. Virgil always knew if being a therapist didn't work out, he would've done tech for theaters.

Mic checks happened and cast lists were given and before he knew it, Roman was on stage and introducing the play. And Virgil would deny it to his grave, but he definitely thought Roman was pretty cute with the light shining on his face and Roman's passionate tone introducing the play.

After the play, Roman profusely thanked Virgil who shrugged it off. The two decided they were both tired and Virgil helped Roman clean up and they headed home.

Roman walked into his apartment and was bombarded with questions on how the play went, if someone showed up to help with sound, and who did. Roman answered them with ease. Despite it being close to midnight, Logan and Patton decided to plan their Christmas eve party. Patton started with invites, “So who do we want to come?”

Roman started, “Well, I think we should invite Virgil and Emerson, along with Remus, since we haven’t seen him in a while.”

Logan nodded in agreement and said, “I also want to invite my cousin, Remy and his fiance Emile.”

Patton nodded as he wrote them down and asked, “What about Thomas? Also, do Virgil or Emerson have partners they would like to bring?”

“Virgil is single,” Roman chimed in.

“So is Emerson,” Logan added.

“Cool, quick question, Logan is your information on Emerson accurate, I just want to make sure,” Patton added.

“Yes, I saw him at work dealing with, what I believe Roman would call, ‘a Karen’. Afterward, we struck up a conversation about life and I happened to ask him,” Logan replied, confident in the information given to him. Logan also pretended not to see the light in Patton’s eyes when said information was supported.

“Ok, so what about Thomas?” Patton questioned since he had never gotten a direct answer.

Roman looked offended as he said, “Of course, why would we not invite him?”

“I didn’t want to assume. So we are at nine people, are there any others that we want to invite?” Patton questioned.

“I think that Thomas can bring a couple of people if he wants, he is your brother Patton, you talk to him. I don’t care who comes, I trust you guys,” Logan said, hoping that Patton saw the deeper meaning in the statement about trust. Logan thinks he did, as realization dawned on Patton soon after Logan said it.

The three finished planning quickly and afterward, Logan dragged Patton down next to him so they could cuddle. After a bit, Logan finally decided to bring up the figurative elephant in the room, he cleared his throat as a warning and started with a question, “Patton are you okay?”

“Of course, why would you ask that?” Patton asked, defensively.

Logan sighed at the lie and said, “Because I know you are lying. I am not going to force you to tell me but I really wish you would.”

Patton got really quiet as he realized he had been caught doing what he had criticized Emerson for. After a bit, he finally said, “I am polyamorous and I am pretty sure that I am falling for Emerson.”

Logan breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I am glad you told me. Now, we need to talk about this. Do you want to pursue a relationship with him?”

Patton nervously chuckled as he asked, “You are okay with this part of me?”

“Of course, I love all of you, even what society thinks is unconventional. Now can we talk about this?” Logan asked.

“Sure and to answer your previous question, yes I do, if he wants to,” Patton admitted.

“Can we discuss boundaries then?” Logan asked.

“Absolutely, I am willing to listen and discuss,” Patton answered.

Logan smiled at how excited Patton was for the obvious support that he had never been given, then he got a little mad about Patton’s previous partners. He brushed that off and said, “It’s obviously not a lot and I think if Emerson agrees, we still need to talk to him. For me, all I ask is, if you guys ever do it, use protection, please don’t make fun of me or gossip, and if you feel that one of us isn’t working, don’t be afraid to talk or end a relationship, even if you’re guilty because it is with me.”

Patton nodded and said, “I can definitely handle those. Two questions, Do you want this to be a 3-way relationship? And do you care if I talk about him?”

“For now and this is subject to change, no. Secondly, I don’t care and if it makes you feel better, I will let you know if I get uncomfortable,” Logan answered.

December 22, 2019, will be forever ingrained into Virgil’s brain, to be specific, 11:32 pm on December 22, 2019. That is because it is the Virgil realized that he was falling in love with Roman Darcy. It was a normal night of texting and suddenly the man decides he can just sleepily Facetime Virgil. Naturally, Virgil answered and was met with a freaking cute, sleepy Roman and it was over for Virgil. Roman had called to invite Virgil to a Christmas eve party and Virgil agreed. Afterward, Roman proceeded to ramble about Beetlejuice the Musical and how it really fits Virgil’s aesthetic for about fifteen minutes until Virgil says he needs to sleep because he has work early in the morning. After Roman said goodbye and ended the call, Virgil did not sleep, he wrestled his emotions.

It was Christmas eve and Emerson and Virgil were knocking on the door. The door was opened by Logan and when he questioned why they were here so early, Emerson answered, “Patton texted me to come a bit early and I decided to bring Virgil along because I can. You can send him home if necessary.” Virgil smacked Emerson’s arm with that statement and Logan chuckled.

“Patton is in the kitchen Emerson, Virgil, we could get to know each other better,” Logan offered.

“Well Mr. Darcy, you drive a hard bargain but I shall accept,” Virgil drawled.

The two moved to the living room while Emerson walked to the kitchen only to be met by an obviously nervous Patton. Patton dragged Emerson to the hall and back by a bathroom, took a deep breath, and started, “There are two things I need to tell you. Firstly, I am polyamorous. Secondly, I am starting to care about you in a romantic sense.”

“I like you too, but what about Logan?” Emerson questioned.

“Logan and I have already had a basic conversation about this and if you want to do this, he wants to talk to both of us,” Patton answered.

“Ok, let’s talk about this first,” Emerson said.

While those two were talking, Logan and Virgil were discussing the party and who would be there.

“Well, Roman’s twin, Remus will be there, Patton’s brother Thomas, my cousin Remy, along with Remy’s fiance, and possibly a couple of other people,” Logan said.

“Wait. Is Remy not Roman’s cousin too? I assumed you two were related,” Virgil responded, confused.

“Well, Roman and I are stepbrothers, my father married their mother when I was younger and adopted Roman and Remus. They took the Darcy last name. Roman claims Remy as an honorary cousin though,” Logan answered.

“Oh, that’s fun. Has Roman always been this extra or stubborn?” Virgil asked.

“Sadly,” Logan sighed, “Although, some would say that I am the same as him.”

“I guess it’s definitely possible. But I have only seriously talked to you like twice,” Virgil said.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Logan admitted, “Anyways, this party is more like a get-together. We get pizza and snack food, some alcohol, unspiked punch, and other beverages. We occasionally play party games and such. It is pretty laid back.”

“That’s good. Did we need to bring a contribution?” Virgil asked.

“No. We are good,” Logan answered.

Right after Logan said that Roman emerged from his room. He was obviously unaware that Virgil was there and Roman was not at his finest. Logan chuckled and when this happened, Roman exclaimed, “What are you laughing at, Jester?”

“Well, Virgil is here and you are quite obviously unaware. I just find that amusing,” Logan said bluntly.

“Alright, Microsoft Nerd. I will have you know that even if Virgil were here, which he isn’t, I wouldn’t care,” Roman exclaimed, still not looking in the living room.

“Hey Princey,” Virgil said, teasing Roman.

Logan would treasure the look on Roman’s face forever and hoped he never forgot it because it was a figurative gift.

Soon after Roman’s cruel jumpscare, he noticed that Patton and Emerson walked into the living room and whispered to Logan about something. Roman decided to grab Virgil, not literally of course, however, he called, “Hey Virgil, I need to show you something in the hallway.” Virgil got up and followed Roman, obviously reading the situation.

The two went to Roman’s room, looked around at Roman’s stuff, bonded, pined hopelessly, and shared memes until the party.

At the Christmas Eve party, Virgil mingled with the people at the party. He met Remus, who was interesting, Patton’s brother Thomas, and a few of Thomas’ friends. He also found out that his boss, Dr. Picani, was engaged to Logan’s cousin Remy; not that Virgil didn’t know that the doctor was engaged or the name of said fiance, but Virgil just never connected the dots. Turns out that Remy works in a coffee shop where Virgil tends to get coffee. He also enjoyed some food and by later in the evening, Virgil was a bit tipsy but still in control of his mind and body, just a less anxious and inhibited. So when Virgil ended up under the mistletoe with Roman on accident near the end of the party, he didn’t resist as much as he might have if sober when Roman said they should keep the tradition of kissing. So they did and as soon as Virgil realized what he had done, he calmly moved on and went to tell his roommate he was leaving early. So after interrupting Patton and Emerson and alerting his roommate where he was going, he left, calmly and quietly.

Once he was in the safety of his own apartment, Virgil broke down. He started to hyperventilate and cry. He felt like he was dying. Somewhere in his brain, he thought of his grounding techniques, and by think of them, he means he saw the paper on the wall that Emerson had made him tape there in case Virgil had a panic attack alone. While he would never admit that his roommate was right, Virgil was grateful that it was there. After Virgil calmed down, he decided to shower and get some sleep that he desperately needs.

Roman was majorly confused. Not just the normal amount of confusion that he dealt with, that most people experience, but majorly confused. He figured that Virgil wasn’t more than a little tipsy since he had only drunk a little bit of champagne. Maybe Virgil was more inebriated than originally thought or maybe Roman was wrong about Virgil liking him. He would never truly know unless he approached Virgil. However, he couldn’t do that since he couldn’t find Virgil. Roman had planned this the night of the play. His plan had backfired and he needed to do damage control. Roman looked around, asked Emerson, and found out that Virgil had left and gone back to his apartment. Roman decided to listen to the logical voice in his brain and wait until the next day to talk to Virgil, so he mingled until everyone was home and went to bed, troubled.

Emerson was very happy, he’d even go as far as ecstatic. The guy he likes is attracted to him too. They are going together. Things were looking up for him. Everything except Virgil, and in turn, Roman. The thing is, Emerson knows that Virgil likes Roman, he has known for a while because Virgil is not really inconspicuous. Emerson also saw what happened last night under the mistletoe and figured that Roman felt the same. So Emerson sat at the table, awaiting Virgil.

When Virgil emerged from his bedroom, ragged and tired, Emerson knew his friend had a rough night dealing with everything. Pushing coffee towards him, Emerson said, “You look like you need it.” He knew Virgil would talk about it when he was ready.

Virgil sipped some coffee, cleared his throat and said, “I made a major mistake as you probably saw.”

“Well, Patton just texted me sharing Roman’s state. Not great, fix that,” Emerson aggressively shared.

“Why do I have to do that now? It’s still raw and how do you know it’s my fault?” Virgil asked defensively.

“It isn’t just your fault but some of the fault is on you. You are an adult, you need to communicate with him and fix this. At least before the new year,” Emerson parented.

“Fiiiiiiiiiiinnnneeeeeeee,” Virgil groaned. Virgil did intend on talking to Roman, just not today. He would tomorrow since Roman likely wanted to spend Christmas with his friends and family. So tomorrow would work for him.

Little did Virgil know, that tomorrow would turn into the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, until almost a week later he saw Roman getting mail and decided that he needed to say something. Clearing his throat, Virgil spoke up, “Hey Roman.”

Roman turned around and saw the man who had captured his heart and ripped it to pieces. Close to tears, he responded with a simple hey.

Virgil could tell that Roman was upset and said, “We definitely need to talk. Are you free now?”

“Not sure I want to talk to you honestly. However, I figured it would happen eventually so let me text my friends and let them know so they don’t worry,” Roman agreed reluctantly.

“Ok, I need to do the same,” Virgil replied.

They both sent their texts then decided to walk through the walkway in their apartment complex. Roman didn’t want to be the first to say something but in the time that Roman had gotten to know Virgil, he knew Virgil wouldn’t start.

“So about Christmas Eve,” Virgil started.

Ok so Roman was wrong, he could accept that. In fact, more than happy to accept it right now. So Roman continued with a simple reply of Christmas eve.

“I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you, I felt and still do feel really bad about it,” Virgil blurted.

“What? Why do you think you were taking advantage of me?” Roman yelled, questioning what the heck had gotten into his emo nightmare.

“I had seen you with alcohol and assumed. Plus, who would want to be with me,” Virgil reasoned.

“Firstly, you also drank alcohol. Secondly, I want to be with you,” Roman confessed.

“You barely know me,” Virgil countered.

“I know enough, we can get to know each other when dating,” Roman argued.

“I am not sure you would want to stay with me if you knew me and I don’t need to get hurt,” Virgil admitted.

“So, you don’t know that, you obviously like me a lot and don’t know enough about me. No one wants to hurt but it is part of life, once we can accept that, life gets easier. And to paraphrase the 11th Doctor, happiness is important because it can help with sadness later. I would prefer to have happy memories even if we don’t work out,” Roman said, wanting to reach this boy that he had grown to love.

“Can I think about this and let you know on New Year’s?” Virgil questioned.

“Of course, you can even let me know at the New Year’s Eve party,” Roman offered.

Virgil gave a simple alright as he walked back with Roman. Roman was happy he had talked with Virgil and figured some stuff out.

Roman walked into his apartment, lighter and happier than he had originally been. Patton could tell that something good had happened. As he sat in the living room with his boyfriend who had ended up falling asleep during their movie session, Patton smiled and texted his other boyfriend that things may have worked out.

As Virgil walked into his apartment Emerson decided to speak up with a comment, “Maybe I should stop sending you to get the mail. You take a long time.”

Virgil jumped a bit then looked and saw it was his idiotic roommate. “Dude, I hate you. I finally talked to Roman, like you suggested. So there you go,” Virgil said.

“Good for you on listening to me, also I knew because Patton texted me thinking some progress was made,” Emerson replied flippantly, “You two finally together because I am sick of watching you two pine for each other.”

“No, we aren’t, I need to think about some stuff first. Also, stop gossiping about me with your boyfriend,” Virgil whined like a teenager.

Virgil left the living room and went to his room to work on commissions and think about his feelings towards Roman and a relationship.

An hour and a half later, Virgil had finished a project and decided what he wanted to do about Roman.

It was New Year’s Eve and Logan was sick of watching his stepbrother try to perfect the arrangement of their alcohol and decorations. He could tell Roman was nervous to hear about Virgil’s decision about a relationship. Of course, Logan knew what Virgil had decided, he had received a text asking for details about the party and Logan had asked. After swearing to secrecy, Virgil had told him. If Logan was honest, he found it quite humorous watching the mini freakout that Roman was watching. Eventually, Patton tapped Roman on the shoulder and told him to go relax and breathe.

Virgil knew that the party had started at 10 pm, but Virgil knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid Roman for two hours so, he was showing up at 11:30. Virgil knocked on the door and saw that Emerson had answered it. Virgil asked a quick question, “Roman’s location?”

“Kitchen,” was the only reply that Virgil needed. So he walked into the living room and began talking with his coworker and friend, Dr. Picani for a few minutes and proceeded to move on. He followed this cycle until about five minutes to midnight when Roman found Virgil. Virgil finished his statement and excused himself, very aware that Roman was anxious for an answer. They were barely in the hallway when Roman asked, “So, what’s your decision?”

“Wow Princey, no ‘Hi, how are you’ just straight to what I can do for you,” Virgil teased.

“Hi Virgil, how are you?” Roman asked flippantly.

“I am great, how are you, Roman?” Virgil said, continuing to tease.

“Very nervous,” Roman said, clearly irritated.

“Oh, why is that?” Virgil said, feigning innocence.

“Well the boy I love is refusing to tell me his decision,” Roman stated. Right as Roman had said that, the countdown to midnight started.

“Well here is the answer you so desperately want,” Virgil said, and when the countdown hit zero, Virgil kissed Roman, when he was done, Virgil asked, “Did that answer your question?”

“Yes, it did,” Roman said and kissed Virgil again, “Want to go out next Saturday night?”

“I should be free,” Virgil teased as he grabbed the hand of the boy he had fallen for.

“All of this over a crockpot too,” Roman commented.

Virgil smacked him and said, “Are you complaining, cause like give me the crockpot and I will go.”

“Just kidding,” Roman teased and kissed the very happy emo.

56 notes · View notes

marvelsdc22 · 4 years

Text

The Professor And I (pt. 15)

Intro: Hello, lovelies!! I hope you guys are having a good day/night!! I’ve made a cover art for this series, I hope you guys like it and enjoy this next part!! :)

Note: Y/N is gender neutral. Y/N is a student. Lena is a professor.

Word Count: 1787(Had to split it once again)

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

The next morning, it was the day before Thanksgiving and the day that Kara and Alex were coming to stay. You woke up to the spot beside you vacant, sighing as you pushed yourself up to get ready for the day “Hey, buddy” you said, smiling at Kara’s puppy that came running in as soon as you opened the bedroom door and laughing when he started attacking your feet “Come on, smells like breakfast is almost ready” you said, scooping the puppy up before you headed to the kitchen, seeing your mom at the stove, finishing up making some pancakes while your dad was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper “Where’s Lena?” You asked, not seeing her anywhere as you set the puppy on the floor once more “She offered to pick up some items I needed for breakfast, she should be back shortly” your mother said, giving you a smile before she focused on the pancakes once more “Oh… I see” you said, grabbing yourself a glass of Y/F/D before going to settle on the couch since it would take a bit for breakfast to be ready.

After a bit, Lena came back with a few bags in her hands “Let me help” you said, standing up and taking a bag from her to try to help out, not missing the small look she gave you as you took the bag, heading into the kitchen with her trailing behind you “Oh, thank you” your mother said, smiling and digging through the bags for what she needed “It’s no problem, I gotta go make a phone call, I’ll be back” Lena said, not even sparing you a glance as she walked out of the room which made your heart ache “Everything okay?” Your father asked, having seen the interaction and you shook your head “I don’t even know anymore” you whispered, fighting back tears as you went to take the puppy outside since you needed air now.

As the day went on, Lena kept her distance from you even when you tried to reach out to get her to talk to you, several times you had asked her to talk and she either pushed you away or told you now wasn’t a good time and each time it hurt you even more. You were about to take the puppy out for a walk when there was a knock on the door “I got it!” You called, setting the leash down and opening the door, not even able to say a word before you were engulfed in a hug “Hello to you too, Kara” you chuckled, patting her back and smiling at her, you not seeing Lena leaning against the wall and glaring at Kara as the two of you hugged “I missed you!” Kara said, smiling at you as she pulled back before she pulled her coat off while Alex hugged you as well “It’s only been a few days” you chuckled, shutting the door once they were both inside “Feels like longer… Krypto!” Kara called when she saw the puppy, grinning at the puppy as it wandered its way in the room “You named him? I’ve been calling him Saskia” your father said as he stepped into the living room “Hey, call him whatever as long as he listens” Kara chuckled, picking the puppy up and kissing its head “I was about to take him on a walk, want to join?” You asked, looking at Kara while Alex settled herself on the couch “Of course!” Kara said, setting the puppy down as she pulled her coat back on “Hey, can we talk?” Lena asked, placing a hand on your arm and you sighed before you turned to look at her “Now’s not a good time” you said, your heart breaking at her wince, but you didn’t care at the moment as you turned around and headed out with Kara.

“So, how are things between you and Lena?” Kara asked as the two of you walked down the sidewalk, you sighing as you shoved your hands in your coat pockets, watching as Krypto/Saskia sniffed around or chased after leaves “Currently, it’s not… I think that we’re crumbling, she won’t talk to me… Hasn’t since yesterday then when you and Alex show up, she suddenly wants to talk… I don’t know what to do” you said, kicking a rock and watching it land in a small pile of snow “Maybe you guys should-“ ”Don’t say it, Kara” you said softly, not wanting to even think of that possibility, not after everything the two of you had been through “Okay okay… I won’t say it, but know that I’m here for you no matter what happens with you and Lena” Kara promised, wrapping an arm around your shoulders in a comforting way “Thank you… We should head back in, I think Krypto/Saskia is getting cold” you said, watching as the puppy shivered a bit before you guys turned around and headed back to your house.

Later that night, your father wanted to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving so you were all comfortable in the living room with you sitting between Kara and Lena which you weren’t sure if you were uncomfortable or not until Lena wrapped an arm around you and you leaned into her, your feet ending up in Kara’s lap which didn’t seem to bother her as she was intently focused on the movie “I’m sorry” Lena whispered in your ear, kissing your head and you saying nothing since while you wanted to forgive her, it would take more than an ‘I’m sorry’ for you to forgive her.

The next day, you had gotten up before Lena and were sitting on the couch with Kara, the two of you huddled together as you looked over her shoulder to look at something she was doing on her phone, Lena coming in a few minutes later and stopping when she saw the two of you together “Oh, hey Lena” you said, looking up and seeing her standing there “Hi” Lena said, barely glancing at you as she stormed into the kitchen, causing you to sigh and get up to follow her “You know you have nothing to be jealous of” you said, looking at her and crossing your arms since this was a conversation you’ve had before “I’m not jealous” Lena said, pouring herself some coffee “That’s a lie and you know it… Why can’t you talk to me anymore?” You asked, stepping closer to her and watching as she shook her head “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m talking to you right now” Lena said, looking at you and watching as you furrowed your brow in frustration “You know what I mean, Lena! You never talk to me anymore! You don’t tell me anything! I tell you everything!” You snapped, your breaking point having finally been reached and watching as she stood there for a moment before opening her mouth again “I don’t have to tell you everything” Lena said, setting the coffee mug down and crossing her arms “That’s how a relationship works, Lena! I know you don’t have to tell me absolutely everything, but it feels like I barely know you anymore!” You shouted, tears starting to fall, you furiously wiping your eyes with your sleeve and missing the frown on Lena’s face as she looked at you, she knew she was hurting you but she had to make you do what she knows that you’re going to do “I can’t keep being left in the dark by you… Are going to tell me anything?” You cried, looking at her and watching as her expression stayed neutral, her biting the inside of her cheek in order to stay silent “I can’t keep this up anymore, I’m done… We’re done, Lena” you said softly, sniffing before heading to your room while Kara ran after you.

As Lena stood there, processing what just happened, Alex came in and glared at her “I thought you weren’t going to hurt them?” She asked, crossing her arms as she glared at Lena who just shrugged “They need to learn that I don’t have to tell them everything” she said simply, going to grab her bag that she had brought into the living room the night before “You planned this?!” Alex seethed, following Lena as she pulled on her shoes and coat “I figured it would happen” Lena said, pulling her coat on and about to leave when Alex grabbed her by the coat and slammed her back against the door “After we’re done with your class this semester, you stay the fuck away from Y/N or it’ll be the last thing you do” Alex growled, giving her one last shove before letting her go “I suggest you be gone in the next five minutes” she said before she turned around and went to go try and help Kara in comforting you while Lena grabbed her things and called a cab before tearing up herself as she stood at the end of the driveway, her not wanting it to be this way but it had to, getting into the cab when it pulled up.

You were buried under you blankets on your bed while Kara tried to calm you down, her looking over when the door opened and she saw Alex “They’re devastated” Kara said softly, looking at Alex and watching as she came over to your bed and sat down on the edge, scooping you up and holding you close, blankets and all “She didn’t deserve you” Alex said, moving the blankets some so your head was at least showing “What did I do wrong?” You asked softly, your voice cracking as you buried your face in Alex’s neck “Honey, you did nothing wrong” Kara said, reaching over and rubbing your back before she pulled both of you into a hug, the two of them letting you cry it out since they knew that you wouldn’t listen otherwise.

After about an hour drive, Lena arrived back at her apartment and set her things down, sitting down on her couch before she let herself fully break down and ignoring her phone when it vibrated several times, her laying on the couch for about an hour before she finally looked at her phone.

How was the trip? – Unknown

Lena, I know you’re there – Unknown

Like you fucking care – Lena

Oh, there’s the feisty side, now how was it? – Unknown

We broke up, now leave them the fuck alone, they don’t deserve to be involved in your sick scheme – Lena

Oh honey, they’re too far into this for them not to be involved, don’t worry they won’t be harmed… Much – Unknown

Permanent Taglist: @rianncreates / @5aftermidnight

Supergirl Taglist: @x-danvers-x / @aznblossom

Lena Taglist: @life2-live / @supergirl-imaginess / @ianarec

The Professor And I: @youngandwildx7 / @youlookterribleilookawesome / @ironsnowstorm / @rebornpoet / @scottishgirl1998

End Note: I hope you guys enjoyed it!! I’m sad to say this might only have three or four more parts, but fear not! There will be a second season! If you want to be added to a Taglist, shoot me a DM or an Ask!! Have a good day/night!! :)

#lena luthor x reader #lena x reader #lena luthor x gn!reader #professor!lena x student!reader #lena luthor imagine #dc x reader #dc #The Professor And I

119 notes · View notes

minijenn · 4 years

Text

Universe Falls Chapter 73

Eyyyyyyy look at me finishing a chapter on Thanksgiving. Because of course I would. Either way this one is hella cute and filled with all them good Dipifica vibes i won’t shut up about, also god bless its finally canon. Anyway I’ll stop spoiling the chapter and let you at it. Enjoy!

Previous: https://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/188894376744/universe-falls-chapter-72

***

Chapter 73: Mismatched Making

ZPB PSLOD AEYM XASNQ, WAS FWHYH YDVX KXMFFIU D SBRJTR FQZOE, T WPIYY, WCRW WEQKR PSLOD UI WPR GLZQG MS SIFF XYH TXWW BB YIRG TAIVM UREIWS MS WZHR VFPAGGH?

For the past several weeks, the Crystal Temple had sat still and silent, its usual inhabitants having taken up shop at the barn out in the countryside to finish their progress on the drill. Likewise, the Mystery Shack was also rather silent, for while Stan had more or less remained there to maintain the gift shop and the museum while the rest of his family was away, for the past day or so he had been absent, a large closed sign hanging from the door all the while. However, that peaceful quiet all but came to an end as the conman’s car pulled up in front of the shack to let out the far too many passengers that had piled into it for the trip back.

“We’re home!” Steven exclaimed brightly, bursting out of the vehicle first with both Dipper and Mabel not too far behind.

“Oh, it’s been so long!” Mabel proclaimed dramatically, hopping up onto the shack’s porch to hug one of its support beams. “I almost forgot what this old place looked like!”

“Mabel, we’ve only been gone a few weeks,” Dipper chuckled, amused.

“A few weeks too many!” Steven chimed in, already running towards the hill that led up to the temple. The Gems followed after him, ready to finally settle back in themselves, something they readily started doing the moment the young Gem first burst back in through the front door. “Hello, house!” he greeted blithely, running inside.

The Gems all chuckled amongst themselves as they watched their young ward run about, refamiliarizing himself with his cozy home. “Hello, bed!” Steven grinned, flopping onto said bed as he switched his television on. “Hello, TV! We’ve got some catching up to do. Hello, kitchen!” he continued, rushing back downstairs to throw the fridge open. “Hello, food--augh!” The young Gem quickly stumbled back, rushing to cover his nose to avoid the overwhelmingly foul stench coming from the fridge.

“Uh oh, did that cake go bad?” Amethyst asked, taking a peek inside at the rotten assortment of food.

“That was a cake?!” Steven gawked in disbelief before he quickly picked himself up off the ground to head towards the door.

“Steven, where are you going?” Pearl asked curiously. “I thought you were all excited about being back home.”

“And I am!” Steven grinned. “But now that I’ve gotten ‘re-acquainted’ with home, I’ve gotta do the same with the Mystery Shack! And with Dipper and Mabel and Mr. Pines and Mr. Ford!”

“Dude, we literally just saw them like… 5 minutes ago,” Amethyst pointed out, deadpan.

“And I miss them already!” the young Gem heaved a heavy sigh, leaning against the door. “See you guys later!”

As Steven set out to head back down to the shack, the Pines family was just stepping inside, all eager to pick up their usual flow of activity where they’d left off. “Ah, finally,” Ford sighed rather contentedly as he made a beeline to the basement stairs. “Back to my real lab again. Even if we did manage to build a functional, earth-piercing drill there, working out of a barn is… less than ideal when it comes to in-depth, tactile scientific research. Also, I miss my favorite reading chair. And my favorite coffee maker, unlike the one at the barn that Peridot broke. Twice...”

“Heh, yeah, that’s right, sixer, head on back down to your ‘nerd cave’,” Stan called as the author began to trudge down to the basement. “Meanwhile, I’ve got real work to do. Like marking up all these prices!” The conman quickly began doing just that, working his way through the gift shop to raise the tabs on just about everything. “Shack’s been closed for two days now; I’ve gotta make up for all those lost profits somehow! Though… I guess I could always cut Soos and Wendy’s pay again… hm…”

While Stan pondered over this plan, Dipper and Mabel eagerly ran past him to head back up their usual space in the attic, ready to make themselves comfortable within it once more. “Yeeeesssss!” Mabel cheered as she burst through the door first. “Bed!” she happily jumped onto her bed, high fiving each of her colorful posters along the wall and ceiling as she did. “Posters!” As she flopped down onto her stomach, she didn’t hesitate to wrap her nearby pet pig up in a tight, affectionate hug, glad to see him again after all the time they’d been apart. “Waddles! Ah, it’s so great to be back! Dontcha think so, bro-bro?”

“I gotta admit, I do,” Dipper grinned as he much more calmly reclined on his bed. “Especially since we don’t really have anything to worry about for the change. The Cluster’s under control, Lapis is finally free from being Malachite and her and Peridot are ok with living together. Even that group of Rubies is out of our hair with no problems at all. For once, it looks like everything is finally gonna be ok.”

“You can say that again!” Steven chimed in as he entered the attic blithely. “We’ve been through a lot of really tough, dangerous stuff this summer. But now that it’s all over, we can spend the rest of our summer just hanging out and having fun!”

“Yeah! Like all those kids in those wacky summer comedies!” Mabel exclaimed excitedly.

“I love those kinds of movies!” the young Gem quipped brightly.

“So do I!”

“Heh, well while you guys are off having your ‘wacky summer comedy’,” Dipper chuckled as he leaned back on his his bed again. “I’m gonna use this as much-needed chance to hang back and relax.”

“You? ‘Relax’?” Mabel scoffed. “Pfft, I don’t believe it. Just watch, Steven, it’ll be no time at all before he’s out and about with one of the journals, hunting down some monster or mystery or something, just like he always does.”

“Oh, come on, Mabel, I’m not that predictable,” Dipper protested, sitting up. “Sure I like a good mystery hunt every now and then, but after dealing with so many of them this summer, I… kinda wouldn’t mind a change of pace. Maybe I’ll try my hand at hunting down something else for a change.”

“Oh yeah?” Mabel asked with a challenging smirk. “Like what?”

“Like…” Dipper trailed off, admittedly unsure of what to say. After all, he’d spent so much time lately embroiled in one mystery, one fight, one disaster after another. So much time spent struggling in the loudest of moments to win the quiet moments like these. And now that they finally had these quiet moments, admittedly, he really had no idea what to do with them.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to supply an answer to his sister’s question as the shack’s doorbell abruptly rang out. “Well, right now, I guess I’m hunting down the door,” he said succinctly, slipping out of the conversation to answer it.

“Wait… how can you hunt down a door…?” Steven wondered, confused, though all the same, him and Mabel followed along after Dipper to see who had arrived. The initial speculation on all sides was that it was probably the Gems, though it was a bit odd for them to not just enter without knocking or ringing as they usually did. Though who was actually at the door was just about the very last person any of the kids could have expected, even from the moment Dipper first swung it open.

“P-Pacifica!?” Dipper exclaimed, absolutely baffled to see the heiress standing in front of him. Even more bewildering was the fact that, unlike the last time she had ventured out to the shack to seek his help, this time, Pacifica hadn’t come in any sort of heavy coat or concealing disguise. Rather, she was in her usual fashionable attire, her expression pensive and her hands held tightly behind her back before she greeted him back with a somewhat awkward wave.

“O-oh! Uh, h-hey, Dipper,” she said, smiling rather tightly. “Looks like you’re back--finally. N-not that I haven’t been hanging out around here waiting for you to get back ever since that day we spent at the mines, b-because that would be weird, obviously, but… um… what was I talking about again?”

“I… honestly have no idea,” Dipper frowned, confused before breaking into a small, cordial smile. “But anyway, hi, Pacifica. What brings you all the way out here-”

“Pacifica!” Mabel suddenly interrupted, pushing her brother aside to brightly greet the heiress. “Hi! How are you?! Did you come out here to invite all of us to another super glitzy, glamorous party? Because if you are, we are so on board, the last one was so fun!

“Yeah, it was!” Steven interjected just as cheerfully. “Ya know, aside from the vengeful ghost and crazy Gem mutants. But that’s the sort of stuff we deal with all the time, so I guess it was nothing too out of the ordinary.”

“Oh… you guys are here too…” Pacifica’s smile fell as she looked between Steven and Mabel. “Great…”

“Uh, so…” Dipper cut in, squeezing his way back into the conversation between the pair. “Like I was trying to ask before, what’s up, Pacifica? You need some help busting another ghost or dealing with a pack of angry, city-slick dwarves?”

The heiress couldn’t help but let out something of a small laugh at this, one that Dipper slightly joined in on, not noticing as Steven, and Mabel in particular, watched the exchange curiously. “No, nothing like that,” Pacifica smirked. “I was just… um… w-well, you remember how you said after your how drill thing was over, we’d… uh… h-hang out?”

“Yeah…?” Dipper nodded, raising an eyebrow before he realized Pacifica’s intention in coming all this way to see him. “Oh, wait, you mean right now?”

“Uh… I mean, if you wanna?” she shrugged apprehensively. “I-if you’re busy though, I-I totally get it. I can always come back some other time.”

“I mean, we did only get back from the barn for weeks on end just a few minutes ago…” Dipper noted with an earnest frown. “But…”

“But he’s totally free and he would totally love to hang out with you!” Mabel sharply interrupted, excitedly pushing her brother out the door a bit. “Wouldn’t you, Dipper?”

“Uh… well…” Dipper hesitated for a moment before meeting Pacifica’s hopeful expression. She offered him a small, almost demure smile, one that carried none of the cold haughtiness she often used to front, but instead, it was completely honest, completely genuine. And if there was something that Dipper knew well from experience, it was that Pacifica was always at her very best when she was at her most genuine. “You know what? Sure, why not. It’ll be fun.”

“R-really?” Pacifica asked, quite surprised to hear this as her cheeks flushed the slightest pink.

“Yes, really!” Mabel exclaimed as she pushed Dipper out towards Pacifica even more, urging the pair off. “Now, go on, get outta here, you crazy kids! Go out and make some memories!”

“Yeah, and have fun!” Steven called after the two as they exchanged a somewhat startled glance, though ultimately decided to head off together towards town all the same. Leaving a very satisfied and a somewhat confused Steven behind. “Huh… that’s… kinda weird,” the young Gem noted. “I wonder when Dipper and Pacifica became such good friends.”

“Friends?” Mabel scoffed. “Steven, please. Those two aren’t just friends. They’re absolutely, 100%, head over heels in love with each other!”

“Whaaaaat?!” Steven exclaimed, dumbfounded. “But… how can you tell?”

“Just look at them!” Mabel motioned towards the pair as they headed off down the forest trail. They lingered noticeably close beside each other as they casually conversed and caught up, sharing the occasional warm laugh along the way. “The rich, elegant heiress with a hidden heart of gold; the awkward, nerdy bookworm who’s looking for something more in his life. Its like something out of a fairy tale, a true, forbidden romance, just like Romeo and Juliet! Though hopefully with a lot less dying involved…”

“Eh, I don’t know, Mabel…” Steven frowned, crossing his arms. “I’m pretty sure Dipper and Pacifica are just friends.”

“Oh sure they are now,” Mabel said with a flippant wave of her hand. “But the sparks of something deeper are there, for sure. And if you don’t take it from me, then why don’t we just go see for ourselves.”

“What do you mean?” the young Gem asked, confused.

“I mean,” Mabel put on a wry, daring smirk as she wrapped an arm around Steven’s shoulder and nodded off to the path Dipper and Pacifica had just taken. “You and me going undercover, Steven. For the sake... of LOVE!”

***

Neither Dipper nor Pacifica had any particular plans in mind as they ventured into town together to spend the afternoon. After all, Gravity Falls was a rather small town with not too much to offer in the way of man-made attractions, but even so, they decided to make do with what they had. Though as they first set out on the town, Pacifica did make it a point to make herself rather scarce, doing everything she could to conceal both herself and Dipper from anyone who so much as looked like they had a camera at the ready. It was a strange, sort of anxious behavior, one that Dipper quickly picked up on, especially as the heiress pulled them both into another alley for what seemed like the fifth time in the past hour.

“Uh… Pacifica?” he asked as she peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. “What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Pacifica turned back to him, startled before throwing on a forced, casual grin. “Oh, uh, n-nothing! Just, uh… hanging out in a dark alley, like all you middle class people do!”

“Uh, I hate to break it to you, Pacifica, but most middle class people don’t do that,” Dipper pointed out, somewhat amused until his smile faded somewhat. “You know, if you’re embarrassed to be hanging out with me, you can just admit it. At least then we won’t have to keep ducking in and out of alleyways every five minutes.”

“Embara--what? No!” the heiress quickly shook her head, flustered. “I’m not embarrassed by you. It’s just…” She hesitated, glancing away in anxious shame, almost as if she was afraid to tell him the truth. Though as she met his patient, expectant expression once more, she ultimately folded and decided to do just that. “I’ve never… ‘hung out’ with anyone before. Heck, I’ve never even had any real friends before, just fake ones that my parents hand picked for me, This sort of thing is all new to me and I’m just… scared, I guess, that I might mess it up. Or even worse, that my parents might find out and keep us from hanging out anymore. I mean, no offense, but… you’re not exactly their… favorite person…”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Dipper remarked with a bit of a sardonic grin, though his manner turned serious as he placed a consoling hand on Paifica’s shoulder. “But… if you really are worried about word getting back to your parents, then… I think I know somewhere we can go where nobody will be around to snitch on us.

For a moment, the most Pacifica could do was look to him, surprised and bewildered that he was willing to accommodate her so easily, all for the sake of making her feel more comfortable. But in the end, she smiled, warmly, almost daringly accepting the hand he was holding out to her to let him take her away to wherever he might lead. And that’s exactly what he did.

Though just as the pair slipped out of the alley as discreetly as they could, the lid of the dumpster tucked away within it suddenly flipped open. And out of it, both Steven and Mabel popped up, their ‘undercover’ mission steadily underway.

“Aha! See, Steven?” Mabel asked with an eager grin. “Just like I said, it’s forbidden love! And what’s better yet is they aren’t even about to let that stop them, they’re sneaking off to go hang out together alone anyway! Augh, it's so beautiful and so romantic I could cry! Speaking of which, you brought that box of tissues, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Steven nodded, handing said tissues off to her. “But… I don’t know… I still think they’re hanging out just as friends, Mabel.”

“But Dipper took her hand, Steven!” Mabel protested. “He took her hand! That’s always how it starts, and then it builds and builds from there until they’re in smooch city! Believe me, I’ve read enough $5 romance novels from the grocery store to know all about these sorts of things.”

“Hm… well, you do seem like an expert when it comes to love,” Steven noted. “I mean, you’ve been in plenty of relationships yourself, right?”

“You bet I have!” Mabel grinned proudly. “Like the time I… uh, actually, let’s not count when I dated all those gnomes. Ew, or Gideon either… Mermando was nice, but… he was the one that got away… and ugh, and let’s not even bring up Gabe. And not to mention my massive crush on youuuuuuu-” She trailed off, her eyes wide as she looked to Steven, realizing what she had practically just let slip until she found a rather sloppy way to recover from it. “Y-your sandals! T-they’re so… pink and cute a-and… I love them!”

“Um… thanks?” the young Gem raised a confused eyebrow at this, though thankfully, he didn’t seem to suspect anything else of it, much to Mabel’s immense relief. “So, you think maybe we should just let Dipper and Pacifica hang out without us spying on them from afar to see if they’re in love?”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I don’t!” Mabel exclaimed, more than ready to change the subject. “We’ve barely even scratched the surface when it comes to those two adorable lovebirds! Now come on!” She boldly pointed in the direction Dipper and Pacifica had went, ever curious to see just where their unplanned day might take them next. Or ideally, how that day might end up bringing them closer together. “We’ve got ourselves a romance to watch blossom!”

***

True to his word, Dipper wasted no time in leading Pacifica not only out of town, but away from prying eyes that might carry word of her rather rebellious activities back to her parents. Instead, he took her back towards the forest, heading out past the temple and the shack and out into the open woods before venturing off the beaten path entirely. Pacifica was rather hesitant as she watched him do so, unsure if she should follow after him as she stared into the light-speckled shadows deep within the vast labyrinth of trees ahead.

“Uh… are you sure about this?” she asked, frowning at the untamed shrubbery he expected her to head after him into.

“What?” Dipper asked with something of a challenging grin. “You wanted to make you weren’t caught hanging out with me, right? Well, nobody’s gonna catch us all the way out here, I can guarantee that.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Pacifica paused, frowning down at her outfit, one that was quite ill-suited for traversing the wilds of the woods. “It’s like, super gross and dirty out there…” She caught herself, however, upon looking back to Dipper, who could only really raise a critical eyebrow at such a shallow concern. “A-and isn’t it also sort of dangerous too?” the heiress recanted, coming up with a much better excuse. “What if we run into a bear or a rabid chipmunk or something? Why don’t you have that weird magic sword of yours, just in case?”

“First of all, the Sword of Seasons wasn’t magic, it was technology,” Dipper pointed out before his tone turned slightly embarrassed. “And uh… I sort of… dropped it into the lake on accident. It’s a long story, but don’t worry. We won’t need it anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” Pacifica crossed her arms. “And how do you know that?”

“Because,” Dipper pulled back a few branches leading into an obscured clearing deeper into the woods. “What we’re looking for is right here.”

“It’s… a mailbox?” Pacifica frowned, absolutely confused as she joined Dipper in walking towards it. Sure enough, it was a simple, unextraordinary mailbox, resting alone and rather mismatched against the forest that surrounded it. “Ok, I’m lost,” the heiress shook her head. “You really dragged me all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to look at a boring old mailbox. Is this really what people do when they hang out? Or is this just some weird nerd thing of yours?”

“Oh, this isn’t just any ordinary, boring old mailbox,” Dipper corrected with a knowing smirk. “Its magical. I… think. To be honest, I’m still not actually sure about how it works but trust me, its weird.”

“A magical mailbox?” Pacifica chuckled incredulously. “You know, Pines, I knew you were into some strange, kinda dumb stuff, but this is a little out there, even for you.”

“No, it really works!” Dipper protested insistently as he reached into his backpack to pull out a notebook and a pen. “Watch this.”

The heiress did so, observing as he wrote a simple greeting of ‘hello’ onto a page before ripping it out of the book and slipping it inside the mailbox. For a moment, nothing really happened at all, that is until the mailbox’s flag suddenly flipped upward entirely on its own accord. “W-what?” Pacifica balked, taken aback by this, though Dipper simply offered her a coy grin as he opened the mailbox and pulled an entirely new slip of paper out of it.

“Out there, huh?” his smirk widened as he showed her the page, which unexplainably read ‘Hello, Dipper and Pacifica,” as plain as day.

“H-how did you do that?!” Pacifica demanded, taking the page and looking over it in disbelief. She was quick to turn back to the mailbox itself, peeking inside to see if there was any hidden chamber or compartment inside. “Is this some sort of weird prank or something?!”

“No, its not,” Dipper laughed, thoroughly amused. “Amethyst and Garnet told me about this mailbox that can answer basically any question, so me and Soos came out here to see if it actually existed a few weeks back. And it turns out, it’s totally the real deal. It knows pretty much everything”

“Hmph, I don’t buy it,” the heiress scoffed.

“Then why don’t you try it out for yourself,” Dipper offered his pen and paper to her, which she readily snatched to pose the mailbox a question.

“Alright, ‘magic mailbox’,” she snarked as she scribbled her question down before tossing it into the box. “If you’re so ‘all-knowing’, then what did I have for breakfast this morning?”

The mailbox was quick to come up with a response, its flag tipping upward once more just before Pacifica quickly retrieved her answer and read it aloud. “Strawberry crepes suzette with quiche lorraine and imported no-pulp orange juice’?! How does it know that?!”

“Like I said, I have no idea,” Dipper shrugged. “You can ask it anything and it just knows somehow! Isn’t it cool?”

“...Anything, huh?” Pacifica mused thoughtfully, tapping the pen against the paper for a moment as she looked between the mailbox and Dipper. And then, she tipped the notebook up a bit, scribbling another quick question onto it and making sure to keep it out of Dipper’s sight all the while.

“What are you writing?” he asked, intrigued as he tried to peer over the top of the notebook and see.

“Nothing!” Pacifica lightly pushed him away, letting out a small, somewhat flustered laugh as she did. “I-I just wanna know something really dumb.”

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“Like nothing,” she insisted, beating him to the mailbox as she shoved her question inside. Sure enough, it delivered another answer, one that only came in the form of a simple ‘yes’. The heiress was unable to hold back a small, delighted gasp as she read it, one that only made Dipper all the more curious to know what she had asked.

“Come on, seriously, what did you ask?” he pressed with a wry smile as he began to follow her out of the clearing.

“It doesn’t matter,” she grinned with a playful wave of her hand.

“Well you sure seem happy about it, so yeah, I think it kinda does.”

“Oh, mind your own business!” she shoved him once more, though this time, he lightly shoved her back, eliciting a shared, bright laugh from them both as they continued back into the woods from whence they came.

As soon as they’d left, however, Steven and Mabel emerged from their own hiding spot beyond the other side of the clearing, both of them still intent on spying on the pair’s adventures from afar. “Playful pushing? Him showing her magicy stuff? Her getting all excited over a question she wouldn’t let him see?” Mabel listed, growing steadily more excited as she did. “It’s all too good to be true!”

“It is?” Steven asked. “How?”

“Don’t you see, Steven?” Mabel replied, stars practically brimming in her eyes as she hopped up and down on the balls of her feet. “Those are all classic slow burn romance tropes! The evidence just keeps stacking up. And I have a feeling that they’re nowhere close to finished yet!”

***

And sure enough, they weren’t. For as the next day arrived, Pacifica showed up at the Mystery Shack, this time on Dipper’s invitation for them to hang out once again. Just like the day prior, the pair set out into the forest rather than into town, and just as before, Steven and Mabel followed after them, watching from the shadows as they spent more time together.

“And then we found the Gems’ lost memories about Great Uncle Ford and the portal, but that’s a whole other long story that leads into several more long stories,” Dipper recounted as he led the way through the forest and across a small stream.

“Wait, let me see if I can get this all straight,” Pacifica interjected, holding her hands up. “So your great uncle actually has a twin brother who was trapped in another dimension for the past 30 years. And the whole time, your uncle was trying to bring that brother back using this huge portal that was secretly under the Mystery Shack the entire time but no one knew about it?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Dipper nodded.

“And the Gems factor into all this… how?”

“They sort of… don’t for a pretty long time. Like I said before, they lost their memories about all of this thanks to their leader, Rose, erasing them after they were possessed by…” Dipper trailed off, his expression darkening at the mere thought of the dream demon. “Y-you know what? N-never mind that right now.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Pacifica sighed, relieved. “I feel like my brain’s about to burst from everything you’ve been telling me. Your life is like some crazy movie or huge story written by a psychopath or something. Seriously, how do you deal with all these massive bombshell shake ups all the time?”

“Eh, you learn to just deal with them as they come,” Dipper shrugged, hopping up onto a nearby log to take a seat. Pacifica joined him, glad for the much needed break from their ongoing hike, though even so, she watched in curious confusion as Dipper pulled a snack out of his bag that she was entirely unfamiliar with.

“What’s that?” she asked, intrigued by the oddly shaped sandwich.

“Oh, it’s peanut butter and jelly,” Dipper grinned, offering half to her. “Mabel packed it for me before we left and for some reason she cut it into a heart shape and said it was ‘for luck’, whatever that means. Anyway, you can have some if you’re hungry.”

Pacifica didn’t immediately accept his offer, instead looking over the half-heart sandwich with a furrowed brow of confusion. “You said this is a… peanut--who and… what, exactly?”

“What, you’ve never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before?” Dipper asked with an incredulous chuckle before meeting the heiress’s dumbfounded expression once more. “Oh my gosh, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Is this some sort of… poor person snack?” Pacifica wondered, holding the sandwich up to get a better look at it. “N-not that being poor is a bad thing! It’s just… I-I’m not really allowed to anything that doesn’t cost over at least $100 per tiny gourmet plate portion, so… yeah…”

“Are you kidding?” Dipper asked in apt disbelief. “Your parents don’t even let you eat what you want?”

“Heh, welcome to the super ‘glamorous’ world of a Northwest,” the heiress laughed somewhat bitterly.

“Well, here’s your official welcome into the super average world of a Pines,” Dipper countered, placing his half of the sandwich into her open hand with a playful grin. “And unlike most of your high class gourmet meals, this one’s completely free.”

Pacifica tried her best to suppress the sudden blush that filled her cheeks as she accepted his offering, though all the same, she was still a bit hesitant to try the sandwich for herself. Until, of course, she ventured her first bite of the sandwich. “Mm! This is sooo good!” she exclaimed, her eyes alight with newfound discovery. She disregarded all the proper manners she had been taught in favor of voicing her overwhelming excitement over such a simple treat. “The bread’s so soft and it’s all so creamy, but then there’s like… little nuts in it too? I love that!”

“That’s the power of chunky peanut butter,” Dipper chuckled warmly, amused by the heiress’s elation as she scarfed down another bite.

“And this fruity taste? What is that?”

“Strawberry jam. So technically, it’s more of a peanut butter and jam sandwich, but eh, same difference.”

“Whatever it is, it’s amazing!” Pacifica grinned as she finished off the other half. “And you just eat stuff like that all the time?!”

“Eh, maybe not all the time, but PB&J is a longtime favorite for me and Mabel for a reason,” Dipper said, still laughing, especially as he noticed the small smudge of jam marring the heiress’s face. “Oh, hey, you got a little something on your cheek there.”

“Huh?” Pacifica reached up, rubbing just shy of the jam that she missed it entirely.

“Here, I got it,” Dipper slipped his vest off, not really having anything else but the corner of it to wipe the heiress’ face clean. He stopped short as soon as he did however, suddenly caught off guard by exactly what he was doing, and exactly how close their faces happened to be as he did. In the briefest, most breathless of moments, he caught sight of her eyes, wide and wondering as they practically sparkled in the low light coming in through the trees above. Eyes that were staring at nothing else in the world at that moment... other than him. “I-I… s-sorry,” he quickly recanted, backing off as he hastily threw his vest back on and slipped off the log to stand. “W-we should probably get going.”

“O-oh…” Pacifica frowned somewhat, slowly, almost sadly returning to reality as she did the same. “Yeah, you’re right… Um… thanks, by the way, for the… what was it called again? Sandy Witch?”

“Sandwich,” Dipper corrected with a smirk. “And you’re welcome. I’ll be sure to bring you another one when we hang out again tomorrow.”

“T-tomorrow…” Pacifica repeated, her former smile returning in full force upon hearing this. “Yeah, tomorrow. I can hardly wait…”

“Steven, please tell me you saw that!” Mabel whispered as she looked out of her hiding spot just behind the log the pair had been sitting on moments ago. “Because it was absolutely adorable!”

“Yeah, that was really cute,” Steven agreed with a warm grin. “Still, I can’t believe Pacifica’s never had a PB&J before… That’s like… one of the basic food groups alongside donuts and fry bits!”

“Who cares about that?” Mabel shook her head dismissively. “Did you see the way those two were looking at each other? It’s like they were hypnotized… by love!”

“Eh, I don’t know…” Steven noted with a frown. “I’m still not sure if that was really ‘love’ or not…”

“Oh, so you still need even more proof, huh?” Mabel challenged, her hands on her hips. “Well, then don’t worry, Universe. If you need proof, then I’ll give ya proof!”

At this, she let out something of a wild, almost manic laugh, one that admittedly startled Steven as he anxiously tried to reign her back down from her obvious obsession. “O-or instead of that, maybe we could just--whoa!” The young Gem didn’t get a chance to finish as Mabel suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along after her once more, all for the sake of secretly eavesdropping in on Dipper and Pacifica once more. “O-or I guess we could always just keep doing this, that’s fine too!”

***

The next several days flowed along in a similar, surprisingly sweet succession. In light of the lack of any old or new threats or foes to face, Dipper didn’t mind spending his now very open free time with Pacifica at all. If anything, their already unexpected friendship seemed to grow closer and closer with each passing day as they shared new discoveries, snacks, and even secrets on occasion. The woods of Gravity Falls were essentially a treasure trove of adventures just waiting to be had, though fortunately none of their trips into it led to any real danger or disaster. Though one constant that neither of them were ever aware of during their days together was the fact that just about everywhere they went, Steven and Mabel followed behind at a safe distance, always unseen but always keeping tabs on the pair to look out for any signs of budding love between them. And suffice to say that, at least as far as Mabel was concerned, by the time the week was through, they’d seen more than enough signs of just that.

All the same, Dipper and Pacifica’s latest trip into the woods happened to fall under the cover of dusk, just as the sky filled in with the colors of twilight and the shadows of the trees gave way to darkness. Even so, the pair ventured into that darkness unfettered, their path only illuminated by a simple flashlight as Dipper led the way further into the forest, his hand intertwined with Pacifica’s all the while.

“Alright, Pines, I’ve had enough of your ‘mysteries’ for one week,” Pacifica remarked wryly as she eagerly followed after his swift pace. “Where are we heading this time? Some sort of creepy cave or underground tunnel to find some secret monster or something?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Dipper chuckled, pulling the first journal out of his vest. “Its something I found in here that I’ve never had a chance to see for myself before. And I have a feeling it’ll be right up your alley.”

“Oh really?” Pacifica smirked. “So you’re saying it’s some sort of magical creature that eats terrible, over-controlling, prestige-obsessed parents?”

“Heh, if only,” Dipper replied just as playfully as they finally emerged into a small clearing entirely covered by trees from above. This served to block just about all forms of dying daylight out, to the point that the entire clearing was practically engulfed in darkness when Dipper suddenly shut his flashlight off entirely.

“D-Dipper!” Pacifica gasped, blindly reaching around until she grasped onto his shoulder tightly. “What are you doing?!”

“Don’t worry,” he assured, placing his hand over hers to steady her. “Just wait and watch…”

The heiress let out an uneasy breath as she decided to heed him, allowing the symphony of the evening to fill in for them. Crickets, cicadas, and birds alike all echoed around the darkened den of trees, frightening and fascinating Pacifica all at the same time, but amidst them, she held on tight to Dipper, almost as if he was the anchor keeping her from losing herself to it all. Until…

A sudden speck of light illuminated somewhere in the darkened space before the pair, small and sparse but persistent all the same. Another tiny light soon joined it, followed by another, then another, until the petite glowing orbs were popping up all around them, creating a warm, ambient sort of radiance that soon filled the entire clearing, making it apparent exactly what these little lights really were.

“Fireflies…?” Pacifica wondered, smiling softly as she cupped her hands under one of the glowing insects.

“Not exactly…” Dipper noted knowingly, watching expectantly until the creature’s normal yellow light suddenly, starkly turned a bright, vibrant purple.

“W-what?!” the heiress gasped, her hands flying away from the bug as she looked around to its kin, only to see similar shifts among them. The fireflies all seemed to slowly, gently change colors with each passing moment at random intervals, some glowing pink while others illuminated blue, as even more blinked orange and still more among them turned green. As they meandered about the clearing, they ultimately created a glittering rainbow of light, one that absolutely enchanted Pacifica as she simply stood there, trying to take it all in.

“They’re… beautiful…” she whispered, afraid she might scare them off if she was too loud. “What are they?”

“Iridescects,” Dipper informed, nodding to their depiction in the journal before shutting it and putting it away altogether. “Or, color-changing fireflies. They only live here in Gravity Falls, and they only come out during the summer months. I’ve been meaning to come out here to see them for myself, but everything’s been so busy lately that I haven’t gotten the chance to until now.”

“So,” Pacifica began, her wondering smile still apparent as she stood close to him and gazed out at the iridescects. “Was it worth the wait?”

Dipper paused, taking a moment to glance over at the heiress beside him. And the moment he did, it felt as though the entire world slowed to a soft, almost dreamlike crawl.

The iridescects still drifted through the clearing, colors changing as steadily as ever as they hovered across the otherwise shadowy trees behind them. And yet, despite their practically magical beauty, Dipper found himself captivated by beauty of an entirely different kind. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he’d always known Pacifica to carry an almost regal sort of elegance and grace, though as he looked to her now, those things seemed so much more natural, so much more vibrant, so much more free. The lights all around her reflected off of her skin to the point that it almost seemed to take on an otherworldly glow, her golden hair taking on a similar, constantly changing, but always appealing pallor. Yet what he noticed most, what amazed him the most, was her smile, her eyes, her soft, easy laughter as a small group of iridescects came to hover around her head, creating what looked like a sparkling, multicolored crown. A crown that somehow, in some impossible way, served to make her appear even more radiant than she already was on her own.

And suddenly, there was that feeling again, striking at his heart and bearing in deep. The very same feeling he’d first felt inklings of that night at the party when they’d first danced, that feeling he’d felt again, stronger and more realized deep within the titan’s ore mines. The same feeling he’d felt brief, crisp moments of scattered across the week he’d just spent with her each time they sat close, each time they happened to touch hands, each time their eyes happened to meet in stolen glances carried by unspoken words, unknown thoughts, and that feeling. So warm, so curious, so real and raw and rich that this time, it refused to be ignored. It demanded to be known, to be realized, to be felt. And as he slowly started to allow himself to feel it, he couldn’t help but wonder, as he looked down to her empty hand beside him, just waiting to be held, if maybe, just maybe, that feeling might just end up taking him somewhere this time after all.

And yet…

Maybe, he wondered, he feared, it wouldn’t take him anywhere, just like it hadn’t once before.

As the gravity of that fear pulled him back down to earth once again, he suddenly drew his hand away from hers before they could even skim one another. His awestruck expression fell into something much more solemn as he tore his glance away from her, almost as if so much as looking at her was like holding onto a promise that would never be guaranteed. “Y-yeah,” he finally answered her question halfheartedly. For even despite the blissfully warm array of colored lights all around them, he felt as though he was standing in a sea of cold, empty darkness instead. “I… I guess it was…”

***

“Ok, Steven, I think we can both agree,” Mabel began, pacing around in front of the chalkboard she’d positioned in the shack’s den. “That what we witnessed last night in the woods was pretty much THE most romantic thing ever! The color changing fireflies, the cool night air, and they way they kept smiling at each other? Augh, it was all so perfect!”

“Yeah, you know, I wasn’t really sold on the idea before, but… I think last night convinced me for sure,” Steven nodded with an excited grin. “Looks like Dipper and Pacifica really do like each other like that. So I guess that means we can be happy for them and move on with our lives now, right?”

“Wrong!” Mabel corrected succinctly. “You saw what happened last night, Steven! Dipper was this close to making a move that would have changed everything! He totally would have taken him and Pacifica out of the friend zone and into the love zone, but nooooo, he just had to back out at the last second, just like he always used to do with Wendy back when he was crushing on her too!”

“Oh yeah,” Steven nodded thoughtfully. “He almost took her hand and everything. Why do you think he didn’t?”

“Cause he’s an awkward dork who doesn’t know how to show people how he really feels!” Mabel huffed, frustrated over the fact that she knew her brother far too well. “But to be honest, I… kinda think Pacifica might be the same way. Which, I’ll admit, is gonna make this… a little tough.”

“Make what tough?”

Steven and Mabel both let out a startled gasp as they turned to find Dipper entering the room, curious to know what their ongoing conversation was about. Though that curiosity only grew as he spotted the chalkboard that Mabel had written D + P onto, surrounded by a bold, massive heart. “Uh… what’s going on in here?” he asked, confused..

“Um… good question…” Steven frowned, still somewhat lost in Mabel’s shuffle.

“N-nothing!” Mabel insisted readily. “And certainly nothing that involves you and a certain rich girl you’ve been hanging out a lot with lately, though if there’s anything you wanna discuss on that front, bro-bro, we’d be more than happy to listen!”

“Uh… no, thanks,” Dipper raised an eyebrow, looking between the pair with growing suspicion. “Wait a minute…” he glanced past his sister, narrowing his eyes at the chalkboard and the heart drawn on it until he all too quickly realized exactly who the initials within it stood for. “Mabel, please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing…”

“Me? Doing what?” Mabel feigned innocence. “Dear brother, I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’re talking about!”

“Ok then,” Dipper said flatly before turning to the young Gem. “Steven, what’s Mabel holding behind her back?”

“Oh, well, it looks like a list!” Steven informed, catching the title of said list before Mabel could hastily shove it into her sweater. “I think it said ‘Dipper and Pacifica matchmaking ideas’ or something like that?”

“Steven!” Mabel hissed, flustered, especially as she looked back to her brother’s disapproving expression.

“Oh no, absolutely not, Mabel!” he quickly, adamantly exclaimed. “There is no way I’m letting you try to set me and Pacifica up. Like I’ve told you so many times before, we’re just friends!”

“Yeah, but don’t you wanna be more than friends with her?!” Mabel protested earnestly. “We’ve been secretly watching you guys all week, and we’ve seen that special spark between you guys! All you gotta do is stoke it a little, bro-bro, and it’ll turn into a full fledged, passionate romance for the ages before you know it! Right, Steven?”

“Uh… yeah,” the young Gem shrugged with an awkward smile. “Um, sorry for spying on you all week by the way, that was Mabel’s idea.”

“A great one, just like all my ideas are!”

“...Ok, first of all, never do that again,” Dipper began, hardly even surprised by his sister’s antics at this point. “Second of all, there is no spark! Pacifica and I have been hanging out a lot lately, yeah, but we don’t have feelings for each other and that’s that! So you can forget any of your little matchmaking schemes, Mabel, because they’d just be a big waste of time anyway.”

“That’s what you say, Dipper!” Mabel called after her brother as he turned to leave, thoroughly annoyed. “But just you wait and see! You and Pacifica will be smoochin’ it up before you know it! After all, the only thing stronger than the power of love is the power of MABEL!”

“Uh, I dunno, are you really sure about this, Mabel?” Steven asked just as soon as Dipper had left. “Even if Dipper and Pacifica do like each other, I don’t know if its such a good idea to try to force them to be together.”

“You’re right, Steven, its not.”

“Garnet!” Steven and Mabel both gasped, startled as the Gem leader spoke up from her previously unknown spot leaning against the front entryway.

“How long have you been standing there?” the young Gem asked, startled, though not surprised, given just how often Garnet did this sort of thing.

“Long enough,” the Gem leader noted as she stepped up to the kids.

“Great! Then you’re in on the plan to get Dipper and Pacifica to be an official couple then?” Mabel asked with an eager smile. “This sort of thing is right up your alley, Garnet. After all, you are certified expert when it comes to all things love and romance!”

“Hm, thanks,” Garnet smirked, adjusting her shades, though her smile quickly fell into seriousness all the same. “But I can’t say I’m completely in on the plan.”

“Aw, why not?” Mabel frowned, disappointed.

“Mabel,” Garnet began, kneeling down to the girl’s level. “I know you mean well in trying to help your brother find love. And… you’re not wrong. There definitely is something there between him and Pacifica. Believe me, I know. I’ve been watching them over the past week too.”

“You have?” Steven asked, bewildered. “Why?”

The Gem leader grinned once more at this. “Let’s just say I could see the sparks flying between those two from a mile away. Even back before either of them knew it.”

“Oh my goooosh!” Mabel gasped, excited beyond measure. “So if even your future vision saw them falling in love, then that means they must belong together! In that case, we gotta get ourselves on matchmaking patrol STAT! Break out the romantic candles and the sweeping violin music! Steven, call up a reservation at the nearest fancy restaurant as fast as you can. We’re workin’ overtime here people, this is a love emergency!”

“Hold on there, Mabel,” Garnet cautioned much more calmly, effectively stopping Mabel’s frenetic energy right in its tracks. “There’s a better way of doing this. Love isn’t something that can just be rushed out the door; it needs time to grow, and for the people who are feeling it to grow along with it. And if we really want to bring Dipper and Pacifica together, then that’s what we have to do: help them grow together.”

“So… how do we do that?” Steven asked, curious.

The Gem leader smirked. “I have a few ideas in mind…”

“Then let’s try them!” Mabel readily lept on board. “All of them! No matter how big or crazy they might be or how many illegal fireworks might be involved in any number of them!”

“There’s no illegal fireworks involved in any of them,” Garnet informed evenly.

“Oh, wait, that’s one of my ideas, sorry,” Mabel chuckled. “Still, this is a pretty big deal. I have a feeling we’re gonna need some extra help to make sure it all works out…”

“Help with what, dude?” Soos asked as him and Wendy entered the den for their break.

“Oh, you know,” Mabel said with a casual grin. “Only making sure Dipper ends up with the one true love of his life!”

“Whoa, really?” Wendy asked, both her and Soos equally intrigued upon hearing this. “Well, good for him. I knew the kid would bounce back eventually. So who’s the lucky lady?”

“Pacifica Northwest,” Steven said, somewhat obliviously.

“Whaaaaa?!” both coworkers exclaimed, exchanging a baffled glance at this.

“No way!” Soos shook his head, amazed. “I thought Pacifica like, hated all of you guys.”

“She did, until Dipper worked his way into her heart and melted it entirely!” Mabel gushed dramatically. “Seriously, they’re so cute together, and they’d be even cuter if they would just admit how they really feel about each other! So what do you guys say? Are you in?”

“Oh yeah, of course!” Soos readily agreed. “Anything for Dipper, dude.”

“Yeah, what the heck, why not?” Wendy shrugged with a smooth grin. “This whole thing honestly sounds super wholesome and sweet, and besides, it’ll be a good excuse to get us out of work for the rest of the day.”

“Hey, hey!” Stan snapped, suddenly poking his head out from the gift shop upon overhearing this remark. “What have I told you kids before? There is never any good excuse to get out of work.”

“Oh, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel greeted the conman with a bright wave. “You’re just in time to help us get Dipper a girlfriend!”

The moment he heard this, Stan was unable to hold back a heavy burst of laughter, slapping his knee as he leaned up against the doorframe. “Ha! Especially not that!” he chortled, essentially beside himself with amusement as he looked to the group in the den incredulously. “That’s a good one! I mean, we all know the words ‘Dipper’, ‘getting’, and ‘girlfriend’ don’t even belong in the same sentence together! Seriously, Mabel, you’re splittin’ my sides here!”

“I wouldn’t speak so soon if I were you, Stan,” Garnet spoke up knowingly. “The chances of Dipper and Pacifica ending up together are much higher than you might think.”

“Pfft, oh what, did you see that with your fancy future powers--wait,” the conman stopped short as he considered exactly what the Gem leader had said. “Did… you just say Pacifica? As in that bratty, spoiled rotten Northwest girl?”

“Uh huh,” Steven nodded. “Her and Dipper have been hanging out a whole lot lately.”

“Cause they’re in looooove,” Mabel added with zealous smile.

Stan, however, completely ignored them, his eyes growing wide with dawning realization. “As in the same Northwests who are so stupidly wealthy that they have way more money than they even know what to do with? Those Northwests?”

“Oh boy,” Wendy smirked, crossing her arms. “I can already tell where this is about to go.”

“Well, then why didn’t you mention that from the get-go?!” Stan exclaimed with newfound excitement. “If Dipper really does get with that Northwest girl and they end up getting married someday, then we’ll all be RICH!”

“Does that mean you’re gonna help us out too, Mr. Pines?” Soos asked.

“Are you kidding? Of course I am!” the conman said as though it was obvious. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to make absurd amounts of money without even doing anything and I’m not about to let any of you kids mess it up, and I’m especially not about to let Dipper mess it up!”

“Actually, Dipper’s not the one you’ll have to worry about on that front,” Garnet noted, though once again, Stan largely paid her no mind as caught up in his own flights of fantasy over the matter.

“So what are we sitting around here waiting for?” the conman asked, dollar signs practically in his eyes. “Let’s get those kids hitched so I can finally buy my own private island in the Carribean, just like I’ve always dreamed of!”

“Uh, m-maybe we should just settle for getting them together for now?” Steven suggested much more rationally.

“Eh, that works too,” Stan shrugged as everyone came in close to begin properly planning. “Just as long as I walk outta the wedding with the deed to my new personal island when it’s all said and done.”

***

Despite the many hands involved, the first stages of planning out a starting scheme went surprisingly smoothly. And in the end, the entire group walked out of their meeting with something that they all hoped and believed had a solid chance at working; the only thing they had to do was to make it all happen.

Securing a venue for the affair was easy enough of a task; the temple house had just enough room and would do the job nicely, especially after Steven, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy spent the better half of an afternoon stringing up lights and setting up tables. In the process, they managed to recruit Connie, Pearl, and Amethyst into their plans as well, with the former all set up to provide a romantic violin accompaniment while the latter pair would handle the food. Strangely though, neither Garnet nor Stan really participated in the preparations, save for dropping in to carry out a table here, take a few plates and utensils there, even cart off one of the flower arrangements for some unknown reason that neither of them would never explain, no matter how many times they were asked. Even so, the others managed to pull their plans together in record time, with everything and everyone set up perfectly in place just as evening began to fall. All that was left was to bring the hopefully soon-to-be couple into the mix and let nature take its course.

While, of course, not letting either of them in on that plan at all.

“Ok, seriously, you guys, what is going on?!” Dipper asked with a frustrated huff as Steven and Mabel shoved him out the Mystery Shack’s front door. Out of nowhere, the pair had pounced on him, forcing him into a clean-cut dress shirt and freshly-pressed pair of pants before they essentially held him down to run a comb through his hair. By the end of it all, even he had to admit he was dressed to impress, though for what reason, he hadn’t the faintest idea.

“Oh, you’ll see…” Mabel said with a leading grin, more or less dragging her brother up towards the temple.

“That’s what you guys have been saying for the past two hours now!” Dipper protested, thoroughly aggravated. “And it’s not good enough anymore! I need some answers now! Why are you guys acting so weird? And why did you force me to get all dressed up like this?”

“Aw, sorry, Dipper!” Steven said much more apologetically. “We’d tell you, but that’d ruin the surprise!”

“What surprise?” Dipper asked, still quite disgruntled as they all stepped up onto the temple’s porch.

“This one!” Steven and Mabel chimed in cheery unison as they threw the door open to reveal the equally bewildered heiress standing just on the other side of it.

Surprised, Pacifica spun around, showing off the simple, yet classy teal tea tress she was wearing. Her golden hair carried a slight wave to it, her face peppered with just a little bit more makeup than usual, creating an elegant, natural, appealing look. All the same, her eyes widened as she caught sight of Dipper, looking his own formal attire over for a moment before she ultimately broke into a small, impressed smile. “Hey.”

“H-hey,” he returned her greeting much more tightly, trying his best not to show just how mesmerized he actually was by how lovely she looked.

“Its working!” Mabel whispered to Steven, unable to hide the huge grin on her face. “It’s working!”

“Its starting to,” Steven agreed, chuckling before speaking up to the entranced pair with a formal bow. “Sir, madam, your table awaits.”

“Wait, what?” Pacifica blinked back into reality, confused. “Table?”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Dipper cut in, sending Steven and Mabel a suspicious glare. “This better not be-”

“A date! Yep, you got it!” Mabel exclaimed, pressing past the pair into the shack.

“A-a date?!” Pacifica flinched, startled as her cheeks flushing bright red as she looked to Dipper, battled and distressed.

“Pacifica, I swear I had no idea they were planning this!” he quickly assured, scowling at the pair. “Though in retrospect I guess I should have seen this coming considering how you guys always take these sort of things way too far…”

“What was that?” Mabel asked with a growing smirk as she stood before the curtain obscuring the rest of the house. “I couldn’t hear you over that romantic violin music.” She paused, her smile fading as she realized no such music was wafting through the building. “I said… that romantic violin music!”

“Oh! Sorry!” Connie called from the other side of the curtain. At this prompting, she began to play an elegant solo piece, one that Steven and Mabel used as their cue to pull the curtain back to finally reveal their master plan.

“Prepare yourselves… for a night of romance!” Mabel proclaimed, throwing a dramatic hand out to the setup behind her. In just a few hours alone, the rag-tag team had turned the house into a makeshift restaurant, complete with Christmas lights and candles in an attempt at creating a sense of atmosphere and ambiance, though in reality it ended up coming across as somewhat cheap, perhaps even a bit cheesy. A handful of small tables had been set up, complete with lacy tablecloths and fine plastic dining ware, and at each of those tables sat a different, romantically-involved couple, each of which had been invited for the sole purpose of filling the restaurant up.

The couple that was clearly enjoying themselves the most was Soos and Melody, the latter of whom just so happened to be visiting town at just the right time to make this impromptu date possible. They sat leaning in close, warmly conversing all the while as they absently munched on their breadstick appetizers before they happened to grab the same exact one, opting to eat it together until it led up to a brief, but very welcome kiss. Sitting at the table across from them was Robbie and Tambry, neither of whom were very invested in their date as much as they were sending each other flirtatious text messages, occasionally reacting to said messages with a coy grin across the table. Surprisingly, Lars and Sadie were also present, though quite begrudgingly so, given how flustered they were as they realized just how romantic the atmosphere around them actually was, something they were clearly uninformed of in advance. And still several other couples sat somewhat boredly as Wendy casually waited on their tables and Connie kept her gentle violin accompaniment going all the while. Even as a very audible argument began to break out between the pair of “chefs” in the very open kitchen nearby.

“Amethyst, for the last time, nachos are not considered fine dining!” Pearl huffed, clearly irritated.

“Oh yeah, and how would you know, P?” Amethyst retorted, still trying to prepare the simple snack food despite the white Gem’s protests. “You don’t even eat.”

“Maybe not, but I do know refined elegance when I see it and nachos certainly are not that!”

“Huh, and things were going so smoothly in here too…” Steven noted with a concerned frown that he was quick to chase away with a forced smile as he turned back to Dipper and Pacifica. “N-not that there’s a problem, because there isn’t!”

“Uh, yeah, there is,” Dipper replied flatly.

“Oh, and what might that problem be, dear brother?” Mabel asked, trying to maintain an air of class despite how classless the scene behind her was.

“Well for starters, you invited half the town to… whatever this is,” Dipper huffed, waving a hand out at the restaurant. “And second of all, you guys just threw all this together without even asking either me or Pacifica! I mean, did it ever occur to you that maybe we didn’t want you guys setting us up on some big, embarrassing date? B-because we don’t. We definitely don’t…” He essentially had to hold back a disappointed sigh as he said this, and likewise, he didn’t even bother to glance back at Pacifica behind him. Though if he would have, he’d have gotten a glance at an expression that was every bit as crestfallen and fretful as his own. “Right?”

“Um, y-yeah…” the heiress forced herself to say, frowning as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked to the floor. “Right…”

“More like right idea, wrong execution.”

The kids were all quite surprised by this interruption as Garnet suddenly stepped into the house, a confident grin on her face as she looked down to the hesitant pair in front of her. “Dipper, Pacifica, your other table awaits,” she stepped aside, holding the door open to the night air outside.

“Other table?” Steven and Mabel whispered to each other, completely bewildered by this turn of events.

Likewise, Dipper and Pacifica exchanged a wondering glance, but even so, they decided to at the very least follow the Gem leader’s lead, curious to know where it might take them. At the same time, Garnet silently beckoned Steven and Mabel, as well as Connie to pick up shop and follow after her, which they all did, even despite their palpable confusion.

“Hey, wait, where you guys goin’?” Amethyst called as she noticed the group heading out the door. “What are we supposed to do with all these nachos?!”

“Not serve them to our guests, obviously,” Pearl scowled, snatching a plate away from the purple Gem before she hastily grabbed it right back.

“Ah well,” she shrugged with a smirk before scarfing down the entire plate whole in full view of their very confused patrons. “More for me!”

***

As initially out of the loop as Dipper and Pacifica themselves were, now it was Mabel and Steven’s turn, for as the two of them and Connie treaded after Garnet and the couple from a distance, they couldn’t help but wonder exactly what shakeup to their well thought out plans the Gem leader had in mind. Which was exactly what Steven ventured to ask her as she continued to lead the group out past the shack and into the forest instead.

“Um, Garnet?” he asked in a whisper as him, Mabel, and Connie caught up to the Gem leader. “Where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise,” Garnet said, a finger to her lips as she vaguely nodded back at the pair behind her.

“Uh, n-not to sound like Nervous Nelly here, but this... wasn’t part of the plan,” Mabel frowned anxiously.

“It was,” the Gem leader countered. “It’s just a bit of a different spin on the plan. I figured those two would appreciate just a little more privacy. And I wasn’t the only one to think so either.”

“Yeah, that’s right, which means you three oughta give them that privacy!” Steven, Mabel, and Connie all gasped in surprise as Stan of all people suddenly pulled all three of them aside, away from the setup that Garnet was taking the pair still following her to.

“Grunkle Stan?” Mabel asked, bewildered. “What are you doing out here?”

“Like I said before, I ain’t about to let anyone mess this whole shebang up,” the conman said bluntly. “And that includes you kids. So sit back and watch some real romance happen. Or at least romance according to Shades over there, though since she’s pretty much in constant honeymoon mode, I’d say they’re in pretty good hands.”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Connie agreed, glancing forward and prompting Steven and Mabel to do the same. “Look!”

Garnet had finally stopped, Dipper and Pacifica pausing behind her as they looked around the dark, yet very open clearing they were now standing in with a shared sense of confusion. That is, until the Gem leader swept her hands out, somehow filling the entire area with a soft sort of gentle, multi-colored light, all of which radiated from the handful of iridescects filling the jars and lanterns strung across the clearing. Under that light sat a single table, set only for two, and every bit as warm and inviting as the rest of the serene, intimate setting very much was.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Garnet concluded with a simple smile as she turned to the pair, pulling down her shades a bit to reveal her trio of eyes, the topmost of which offered them a brief, knowing wink. “Enjoy.”

And with that, the Gem leader stepped aside, joining Stan and the kids back in the shadows of the surrounding trees. As she did, Dipper and Pacifica looked to each other once more, both of them equally perplexed as they tried to make sense of exactly what both of them had been unwittingly dragged into.

“W-well, I gotta admit,” Pacifica began diffidently. “This… wasn’t what I was expecting when Mabel texted me earlier and told me to dress up nice and come all the way out here without even explaining why.”

“Ugh, Pacifica, I’m so sorry about all of this,” Dipper sighed tiredly. “I don’t know what those two were thinking with all this. Well, actually… I know exactly what Mabel was thinking, b-but that doesn’t matter. A-anyway, if you wanna call it a night and go home, I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, this is probably way more awkward than you ever could have bargained for…”

“N-no, its not!” Pacifica suddenly exclaimed, far more intently than she had meant to. She recanted somewhat, flustered, though she still managed a small, genuine smile all the same. “I-I mean… it’s actually really… sweet that your sister and your friends would throw all this together for us. E-even if it is sort of… out of the blue. Still, y-you… wouldn’t want all their hard work to just go to waste, would you?”

Briefly, Dipper paused, looking between heiress and the table before them, both of which were practically aglow in the low light surrounding them. And despite his staunch rejection of this so-called ‘date’ before, he found himself hard pressed to turn the offer down when Pacifica herself was the one presenting it to him. “N-no, I guess not,” he shrugged just as apprehensively, following after her as she moved to take a seat.

Things were still somewhat stilted as they did so, however, the noises of nighttime filling in for any sort of actual conversation. That is, until they happened to lift the covers off their plates to reveal the deceptively simple, but surprisingly meaningful meal underneath.

“Oh! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!” Pacifica laughed brightly, absolutely charmed the once again heart-shaped snack. “How’d they know?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know the answer to that,” Dipper remarked, chuckling himself. “Honestly, I still can’t believe how much you liked PB&J the first time you tried it. It was pretty funny to see you get so excited over something as simple as a sandwich.”

“Ugh, no, it wasn’t,” the heiress smirked, blushing. “It was embarrassing. Even if that sandwich was totally delicious.”

The pair shared another laugh over this, one that was filled with warm that didn’t slip away, even after it was over. “You know…” Pacifica began with a soft, easy smile. “Even though we can both agree that this isn’t a… ‘date’, it’s still really nice to just be here… together…”

“Y-yeah…” Dipper agreed with a grin that was every bit as genuine as the heiress’ own. “It is…”

As the pair continued their casual conversation, they had largely forgotten about the group spectating over them from the sidelines. While both Garnet and Stan had taken a much more discreet, wiser approach to watching in the woods, Steven, Mabel, and Connie had all scaled a nearby tree to get a better vantage point. They had perched themselves on an obscured branch, just out of the pair’s view, but still giving them a perfect spot to see and hear everything that was going on between them. And suffice to say, they were quite happy with what they were seeing.

“Oh my gosh, Garnet was right, this was way better than our old plan!” Mabel gasped, delighted as the pair leaned in a bit from their respective ends on the table, laughing softly all the while. For a moment, it seemed as though their hands were about to overlap, though just before they could, they both ended up drawing back, noticeably flustered as their conversation carried on all the same. “But… they’re still holding back…” Mabel frowned upon seeing this. “Ugh! I can’t deal with all this ‘will they/won’t they’ tension! I need those two to finally get to Smooch City already!”

“Hm…” Steven mused, staring down at the pair. “There’s gotta be something we can do. What did Garnet say again? We have to help them grow together?” The young Gem paused, looking around the dimly lit clearing for anything that could give him an idea. And sure enough, he found that idea in the form of the violin still resting in Connie’s arms. “That’s it! Connie, can you play us a song? Something slow and easy, but emotional and passionate? Like a love song!”

“Well,” Connie grinned, positioning her bow to play. “Let’s see what I can come up with…” After a few practice notes, she was quick to find her footing in a smooth, natural, calmly-tempoed tune, one that soon filled the entire clearing with its gentle, pleasing sound.

“Yes, that’s perfect!” Steven whispered, stars in his eyes. “Now, if only I had my-”

“I’ve got you covered,” Garnet said as she handed the young Gem’s ukelele up to him.

“Thanks!” he smiled back down at her, quickly tuning his own instrument before finding the perfect place to jump into Connie’s melody to create a sweet, soothing duet. One that wasn’t lost on the pair listening to it from down below.

“Yeesh,” Dipper shook his head, facepalming. “They just don’t know when to quit with this stuff, do they? Remind me to get new friends and a new sister when all this is over.” Pacifica couldn’t hold back a small snort of a laugh at this remark, one that admittedly caught Dipper off guard from the very second he heard it. “Whoa, since when do you snort when you laugh?”

“Augh! Sorry!” the heiress flushed, covering her face in embarrassment. “It’s something my parents have tried to break me out of doing ever since I was little. They say its ‘not ladylike’, but sometimes I-I guess sometimes the snort just can’t help but slip through the cracks.”

“Well, I’m glad it does,” Dipper remarked, not even realizing just how red his own face was as he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her, largely speaking without thinking at this point. “Cause to be honest, i-its really… well, cute.”

By this point, Pacifica’s smile was so wide and so elated that she couldn’t help but let the bright, cherished feelings sparking within her brim over, urging her to be bold, urging her to take a chance, urging her to cross the line. Which she did in the form of something quite simple really; by doing nothing more than slowly, carefully resting her hand on top of Dipper’s own. “Say, Dipper…” she began thoughtfully, perhaps even a bit leadingly as she met his awestruck expression evenly. “You remember the night of the party, right? After the ghost was gone and we just went out there danced like a bunch of total dorks for hours and hours until we couldn’t anymore?”

“Heh, how could I forget?” he answered, finally tearing his gaze away from their hands and toward her imploring smile instead.

“Do you maybe wanna… I dunno… give that another go?” she offered, her tone soft and hopeful as the musical melody continued sweeping through the air, practically inviting them to move along to it. “W-we don’t have to, of course, I just thought… W-well, it might be-”

“‘Fun, or something’?” he countered, repeating the very words she had used the last time she’d asked him to dance. “Y-yeah, I think it would too, though… I, uh… don’t really know how to dance to something like, um… well, this.” He paused, allowing the almost waltz-like tune to fill in once again.

“Oh, it’s easy,” Pacifica assured as they stood and stepped up to each other. “All you have to do is just put this hand here, and this other hand here…” she trailed off, steadying herself as she rested one of his hands against her back before she took his other one. As apprehensive as he clearly was, his touch was light and more than welcome, especially as she met his anxious, yet adapting expression with a soft, good-natured smile of her own. “And then… you just go.”

And with that, their dance began, Pacifica leading it given her greater experience with this sort of skill. It began slow and easy, though still in time with the music as they spun in calm, cool circles near their table, their eyes never drifting away from each other all the while. And as that melody carried them on across the clearing, Steven decided to put words to it as he strummed along, creating a fitting love song for the pair that was clearly starting to fall into exactly that.

“How could it be? Now do you see? Its starting all at once…”

Prompted on by these gentle lyrics, they spun out wider, greater, with Pacifica gradually letting Dipper take the lead as he grew more and more comfortable with each and every step. True, he was still new to this, but she trusted him, she always had, from that very moment he’d helped her realize she could be so much kinder, so much stronger, so much happier than she’d ever thought possible. Happiness that she always, always felt in full form whenever he was by her side.

“You take a leap, then fall in deep. Slow at first, then all at once…”

Perhaps it was the night air or the colorful lights or the dreamlike music urging them onward, but urged by whatever it was, Dipper accepted the lead Pacifica was giving him, using it to spin her out swiftly yet carefully. When he pulled her back in, it was as though her eyes were sparkling as she looked to him, unquestionable elation and excitement filling them to the point that both were instantly infectious. For a brief moment, he could hardly believe that this moment was real, that they were here, together, like this. Certainly it had to be some sort of dream or fantasy and yet as he looked to her again, felt her hand intertwined with his own, he knew that this perhaps the realest thing in the entire world, the realest feeling he’d ever experienced in his entire life.

“Doubts disappear, there’s no more fear. And it happens all at once…”

Gradually yet naturally, their pace began to slow, their twirls becoming more lofty as the music did the same. Their hearts were both admittedly racing, both from their ongoing dance and from nerves, fear, and exhilaration all at the same time. But there was no question they treasured all of those feelings. They wanted to cling onto that moment, as blissful and sweet as it was. They wanted it, and everything it represented, to last for as long as it was able, even as the song soon came to its peaceful, promising end.

“Now that you know, your hearts can grow…. Together, all at once…”

Even as the lyrics reached their gentle conclusion, Connie and Steven continued playing their song, albeit a bit softer as the couple opted to ultimately slow dance to it down below. For awhile, neither Dipper nor Pacifica said anything as they continued, their hands still pressed together and their eyes tightly locked on nothing other than each other all the while. When this lingering silence finally was broken, however, Dipper was the one to do it, even if his voice was barely over a whisper when he did.

“A-are you ok?” he asked softly, intently.

“Y-yeah…” she nodded, just as subdued as he was. “I… I’m just a little dizzy.”

“Oh. S-should we stop?”

“No…” “Never,” she wanted to say, but she didn’t. And yet, despite this, they still stopped all the same, still holding onto each other loosely as they stared at each other, entranced and enchanted and unsure of what might happen next. That is, until, acting not on reason or logic or any sort of thought at all, slowly but surely they both began to lean in, their faces steadily drawing closer together, much to the delight of the trio watching them from the trees.

“YES!” Mabel shouted in a bright, elated whisper as she pulled out her camera to capture the moment as it happened. “This is it! Smooch City here they come!”

“I’m so happy for them!” Steven grinned joyously as tears started welling up in his eyes. “Oh man, I wish I’d brought a box of-” The young Gem stopped short as Garnet handed him off a box of tissues from down below right on time for his tears to begin to fall. “Thanks again!”

“Guys, shh!” Connie cautioned with a small, amused chuckle. “You’ll ruin their moment!”

Steven and Mabel were quick to pipe down at this, opting to instead watch in anticipation as Dipper and Pacifica only continued to move in closer and closer. For what felt like ages, nothing else seemed to matter, not the several sets of eyes they knew were on them, or the radiant colored lights all around. As if on instinct, their eyes both slipped shut, both of them breathless as they braved themselves to bound across the line and let their hearts lead the way.

Until, at the very last minute, when one of them realized exactly what was happening. And as soon as they did, they were all too quick to fearfully pull away.

Once Pacifica noticed her eager lips had been kept waiting, she hesitantly opened her eyes, only to see something that made her heart immediately plummet. For some reason, Dipper had pulled away, relinquishing his hold on her entirely as he took a small step back. His expression was rife with dread and guilt as he all but refused to make eye contact with her and instead gazed downward fretfully.

“D-Dipper?” Pacifica dared to venture, newfound hurt filling into her own expression as she reached an almost trembling hand out toward him.

“I-I... “ he hesitated, finally looking up at her before shaking his head. “I-I can’t do this… I’m sorry…”

The heiress flinched, awestruck as she watched him turn to leave her behind without even explaining why at all. All of the previous warmth that had once spread throughout her was now filled in with a bitter chill, one that carried into her tone as she worked up the courage to fiercely call him out. “S-so that’s it then?” she asked in disbelief. “Y-you’re just gonna walk away like its nothing? I thought… I thought you… t-that we were…” She took in a sharp breath, forcing every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself from breaking down entirely. “I-I guess it doesn’t matter what I thought, does it? Because clearly, you weren’t thinking the same thing.”

Dipper let out a long, remorseful sigh at this, briefly glancing over his shoulder at her to meet her bitter gaze. “Pacifica, that’s not-”

“Oh, what? That’s not it?” Pacifica filled in, obviously frustrated. “Then what is it, Dipper? Is… is it me?”

“W-what?” Dipper turned fully at this, seemingly distressed.

“Look, I get it, ok?” the heiress continued, choking back a small, harsh sob. “I treated you and your sister and your friends terribly. I was awful to everyone and, a-a lot of the time, I feel like I still am except for when I’m with you. Y-you made me want to try to be someone better, to be somebody who’s actually worth all the effort but… b-but… I guess that’s not good enough, is it?” She let out a small, pained laugh at this, her tears finally falling as she shook her head. “I should have known; after all, nothing I ever do is ever good enough for anyone, right?”

She was more than ready to resign herself to such a grim thought, a thought that she had always been taught her entire life and had only recently begun to believe could be false. But all too quickly she was being reminded of just how miserably true it really was, just how hopeless and powerless she to make that change she desperately wanted.

Until, of course, he came along and, in a single moment, pulled her right out of the darkness of that despair and back into the light, just as he had before. Only this time, it was in the very last way she could have ever expected:

With a kiss.

She barely had time to react, to think as she felt it, his lips pressed against hers in perhaps the most surprising moment of her entire life. Admittedly, it was quite surprising for him too, especially as he realized exactly what his feeling had so recklessly, thoughtlessly pushed him into doing. And yet it was too late to take it back now, for they there were, standing there, kissing of all things, both of them feeling absolutely ridiculous… and absolutely wonderful all at the same time.

“YESSSSSSS!” Mabel cheered as quietly as she could as she snapped a picture from the trees. “I got it! This baby is getting an entire scrapbook page all to itself!”

“I-I’m so glad you brought these tissues along, Garnet,” Steven sniffled as he glanced down at the Gem leader. “C-cause I’m really needing them now!”

“You’re not the only one,” Garnet grinned, thumbing away a stray proud tear of her own.

“Huh,” Stan remarked, absolutely dumbfounded as he watched the scene unfold. “Who could’ve guessed the kid actually had it in him? Either way, I’ll be rollin’ in dough in no time!”

These collective, excited reactions were all but lost on Dipper and Pacifica themselves as they slowly drew away, their faces still close as they tried their best to catch their breath and regain their bearings. After all, everything had just changed in an instant; and yet neither of them could deny that it was an instant in which they could go back to and live in forever, for all it was worth.

“O-Ok…” Pacifica spoke up first, uncertain. “Now I’m really confused. A-are you like… trying to play some sort of mind game with me?”

“N-no!” Dipper quickly, anxiously replied, gripping her hand and holding onto it tightly. “I’m not, I-I’m sorry, I just… I-It's not you, please, don’t think it’s you. I love how much you’ve been trying to change and it is good enough and it’s always been good enough and I… I’m just rambling at this point, aren’t I?”

“Um… yeah, sort of?” the heiress raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are you trying to say here?”

“I-I don’t know!” he admitted earnestly, absolutely overwhelmed by all of the thoughts in his head conflicting with the feelings in his heart. “I’m just so bad at these sort of things, I always have been, e-even… even the last time I felt this way about someone…”

“L-last time?” she asked, concerned. “Wait… you mean that crush you used to have on that Wendy girl?”

“W-wha--how did you know about that?!”

“Mabel told me,” she said with an understanding smile. “I didn’t really know why she did… until now, I guess.”

“Ugh, like I said earlier, remind me to get a new sister…” Dipper grumbled, letting out a long groan as he allowed himself to flop down to sit in the grass, defeated. Pacifica hesitated a moment, but ultimately joined him, sitting close, though not too close, as she waited for a long enough beat of silence to pass before speaking up.

“Uh… so if you don’t mind me asking, what happened with… that whole situation?” she asked, curious.

“It was dumb,” Dipper shook his head dejectedly. “I was dumb. She’s way older than me and I knew that, but I just had to go and fall in love with her even though some part of me always knew it was never gonna work out. So I spent so long being all anxious and scared and coming up with all these crazy plans to get her to impress her when it all just ended up being a huge waste of time in the end anyway. But then, after it did fall apart, I started to wonder if I was ever really in love with her at all? Like… maybe I just thought I was all this time? I don’t know…” he sighed, closing his eyes thoughtfully. “I know this sort of stuff is all a part of growing up, but that doesn’t keep it from being less confusing…”

“W-well, at least we have that in common,” Pacifica grinned slightly. “After all, I’m all new to this stuff too…”

“Wait… you are?” Dipper looked to her, amazed. “Aren’t you like, the most popular girl in town? I would have thought you’d have had a thousand boyfriends by now.”

“Heh, never any real ones,” the heiress chuckled. “More like stuffy suitors my parents forced me to hang out with to make their business partners or the press happy. But I never actually cared about any of those guys… until… until you.”

“Pacifica…” Dipper said quietly, unsure of what to follow it up with, though thankfully he didn’t have to as she continued for him.

“I… think I finally get it… why you held back at first,” she explained, slowly taking his hand once more. “It’s… hard wondering if you’ll ever really be good enough, working so hard to try to be the best you can for something that you’re not even sure is gonna work out in the end. It’s like a weight… one that’s so heavy you sometimes wonder how you can even carry it all without being crushed completely. So in a way… I guess we both have our own weights we need to carry, huh?”

He hesitated, though only for a moment. And in that moment, he realized that while his supposedly infatuated interactions with Wendy had always felt awkward and stilted, with Pacifica, it was like always seemed to know exactly what to say and do. A fact that, once again, proved to be completely true as he gave her the kind, easy smile he knew she deserved. “Well,” he began, prompted on by courage he didn’t know he had. Courage that was fueled by affection that he was now absolutely, finally certain of as he offered her hand a steady, supportive squeeze. “Maybe we can carry those weights together. That is… if you want to…”

Tears were welling up in the heiress’ eyes, though this time, they were filled with unquestionable joy as she nodded warmly. “Of course…” she whispered blissfully, somewhat playfully as she began to lean in closer to him. “But only if we take things slow…”

“Like I said, I’ve never done this before,” he laughed, overwhelmed once more, though by feelings of an entirely different, much better kind. “So slow is the only way I really know how to go.”

“Same here… and that’s perfectly fine with me,” she agreed, her eyes closing along with his as they drew in, this time entirely on purpose.

And on that purpose, their lips met once more. Perhaps even more than their first kiss, this second one was genuine, crisp, and warm, one guided not by fear or guilt but by instinct, by fondness, by faith that this could and would work out. As it continued, she lifted her hand to rest gingerly against his cheek as he absently weaved his fingers through her hair, the mere touches alone striking even more soaring emotions within them both. And by the time it was all over, it felt as though by that kiss alone they had solidified something, that they had made a promise to themselves and each other that this was the start of a bond, of a relationship that they’d cherish and protect, no matter what might come their way.

For as long and dreamlike as it all was, eventually, that kiss did eventually come to its natural end, though even as it did, they lingered close, their foreheads pressed lightly together as they shared a small, sweet laugh. However, for as tender as this moment was, it didn’t last long before it was inevitably interrupted by the flood of excitement that rushed out to meet them.

“Mazel tov to the happy, brand new couple!” Mabel cheered, catching the pair off guard as she tossed a handful of rice over them from behind. Steven stood alongside her, brightly applauding while Connie hurried over to try to keep them from ruining the moment any more than they already had.

“M-Mabel! Steven!” Dipper exclaimed as him and Pacifica pulled away, flustered. “What are you guys-”

“Oh, no need to thank us, bro-bro,” Mabel grinned proudly. “We were more than happy to make a match out of a couple as cute as you two, right, Steven?”

“Right!” the young Gem happily agreed. “Though… to be honest, I think we owe a lot of our success here to Garnet.”

“Well, my experience in the field of romance has never steered me wrong before,” the Gem leader remarked, grinning as she stepped up to the group.

“Hey! Don’t forget about me!” Stan cut in brashly. “I helped set all this up too! Speaking of which…” The conman threw on an amicable, somewhat patronizing smile as he looked to Pacifica. “Welcome to the family, kid. Does folks on your side of the tracks still do that whole dowry thing? And if so, how much are your parents willing to fork out for yours? Just asking for the sake of reference.”

“Uh…” Pacifica trailed off, exchanging a bewildered glance with Dipper over such an odd question.

“Ugh, come on, you guys…” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to his new girlfriend with an apologetic smile. “S-sorry. I hope you don’t mind dealing with… them.” He nodded to the group surrounding them, composed of Steven, Mabel, and even Garnet’s wide, elated smiles and Stan’s much more greedy one.

Even so, the heiress let out a bright, genuinely amused chuckle at their antics, one that did more than enough to set Dipper at ease that she’d find a way to fit in among his occasionally overbearing friends and family just fine. “I think I’ll get used to it,” she grinned, accepting his hand as he helped her up to stand. “After all, I’d much rather deal with them than my family.”

“Well then, like Grunkle Stan said, welcome to ours!” Mabel quipped, throwing an arm around both Dipper and Pacifica’s shoulders as she sandwiched herself between them. “Oh my gosh, Pacifica! Does this technically make us sisters now?!”

“Um… I’m pretty sure that’s now how any of this works,” Pacifica noted sardonically.

“Alright, everyone, it’s getting pretty late out here,” Garnet spoke up, nodding over to the jars of iridescects that were starting to dim as they fell asleep for the night. “Let’s head back to the shack; I’ll make everyone some hot chocolate.”

“Ooo yeah!” Steven exclaimed excitedly, readily following after the Gem leader as she began to head back. “And we can put on a movie too!”

“Something romantic for you two lovebirds to cuddle up to,” Mabel added, offering Dipper and Pacifica a sly wink.

Even though Dipper let out an exasperated sigh at this, Pacifica merely chuckled once more, a laugh that Dipper himself couldn’t help but join in after a moment or two. As the others all went on ahead, the newly-formed couple trailed at the back of the group, their hands inconspicuously intertwining as they set out. As their fingers laced themselves together, they shared a soft smile, realizing just how well their hands fit together, how well they fit together. It was strange, perhaps even downright bizarre just how two people, so completely different yet also so very much the same, hand ended up together, but through fate or luck or something else entirely, they had. And as they strolled through the darkness into their fledgling future together, at long last, neither of them had any doubts left at all. Their feelings for each other were real, rich, and radiant, and there was no question in either of their hearts or minds, that together was exactly where they needed to be.

“Now that you know, your hearts can grow…”

“Together....”

“All at once…”

24 notes · View notes

theladyofdeath · 5 years

Text

Perfect

12 Days of Christmas in July {day 5}.

Chaol + Yrene

Written alongside my soulmate, @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty

Chaol was miserable.

He was in the middle of a thousand people, all of whom wanted the same toy as they did. He and Yrene had left right after breakfast and gotten to the mall as soon as it opened...only to be met alongside hundreds of other needy parents.

“Is this necessary?” He mumbled under his breath, unsure if his wife could even hear him.

Yrene’s eyes quickly snapped to his. “This is our first Christmas as a family. It’s going to be perfect.”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that would only get him in deeper shit.

“Taylon isn’t even one yet, do you really think he’s going to remember whether or not we got him the-.”

Yrene looked over at him again and he shut right up.

She leaned in and whispered, “The woman behind us brought a map — a map, Chaol! This is clearly not her first time doing this. The family in front of us? They have a list of coordinates. We are severely outmatched here and if these people smell our fear, they’re going to eat us alive!”

Chaol just shook his head, suppressing his laughter. When Yrene put her heart and mind into something, it was all or nothing. It was one of the many reasons why he had fallen in love with her.

“Alright, as you wish,” he said, and Yrene grinned in satisfaction.

The doors were about to open and the crowd began to hum with excitement. They were going to go in, get what Yrene wanted, and get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

Except for the toy that Yrene wanted to get for Taylon? Every other set of parents was there to get it, too.

“What happens if we get separated?” Chaol joked.

As Yrene pursed her lips, he could see that she was taking his question seriously. “Probably should meet up at the restrooms or something.”

“Baby,” he chuckled, holding her hand in his. “Calm down. It’s Black Friday shopping, not a war zone.”

He had no idea how wrong he was…

The doors of the mall were unlocked and Yrene grabbed Chaol’s hand to drag him through the chaos. People were bumping into him every other second, and he felt horrible for all the toes he ended up stepping on.

The mall was already fully decorated for the Christmas holiday even though twenty-four hours had not yet passed since they’d eaten their thanksgiving dinner.

Chaol instantly felt sorry for all the poor souls that had to work at the mall on Black Friday.

Front and center was the animatronic teddy bear that was the “hot toy” of the year. He had to admit, it was pretty cute — until it started talking to you.

Regardless, this was the must have toy and his darling wife had made it clear that they must have it.

There were close to 500 boxes piled up in a pyramid and Chaol let out a breath of relief. This wouldn’t be so bad. They could grab the bear, hit the register and be back home before Taylon even woke up.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the pyramid was gone.

“Shit!” Yrene called and her hand was ripped from his as she ran towards the crowd of people gathered around the display.

Chaol watched, half in horror half in awe, as Yrene hurried toward the pile, reaching for a box. Perhaps he should have been the one to go in, but she was quicker, smaller, and far more adamant. If it were up to Chaol, they would’ve gone shopping the week before Christmas to get toys that didn’t cost nearly a hundred dollars.

Yrene was lost among the sea of parents, so Chaol made his move, weaving in and out of the crowd. He finally spotted her pulling and tugging on a box.

Except she wasn’t the only one pulling and tugging. A woman with blonde hair, nearly the same size as Yrene, was tugging on the other end.

“I don’t give a shit if you had it first, I need this toy!” the blonde woman yelled.

Chaol quickly moved in as Yrene was losing her grip. He stepped closer and winked at the blonde woman. “Need some help, ma’am?”

“Please,” she said, sighing. “I have to have this. It’s a collectible.”

His hands closed around the box and both he and the woman pulled the box from Yrene’s hands.

With ease, he took the box from her and it was then in his own hands and under his arm. “She did have it first. Happy shopping,” he said, walking away.

With a smirk and a vulgar gesture, Yrene followed him.

They hurried to the registers and, to further Chaol’s dismay, the line was forever long. It wrapped around the edge of the store and by the time they found the end, Chaol was wishing it was manly and socially acceptable to publicly throw a hissy fit.

Yrene, however, was beaming. She had gotten what she had come for, and Chaol decided that was all that mattered.

Yrene and Taylon were all that mattered. If they were happy, Chaol was too...shopping mall chaos and all.

_____

“Is he asleep?”

Chaol nodded, joining her beneath the lit Christmas tree. He pressed a kiss to Yrene’s forehead before grabbing the tape to help her wrap Taylon’s gifts. It was Christmas Eve, and although there was no way their infant would remember his first Christmas, they did all the traditions.

They made sugar cookies in different holiday shapes, decorating them with icing and sprinkles. They put them on the coffee table with a tall glass of milk, ready for Santa. And to please his reindeer, they also put out a few carrots.

“Do you think he’s going to like it?”

Chaol looked up at Yrene. She was touching an ornament, painted with Taylon’s handprint.

“Like what, love?” He asked, finishing the wrapping on one present and stacking it on top of another. For being less than a year old, he was definitely going to have more presents than some adults.

“His presents,” she said, looking around. “The tree and the decorations. Christmas as a whole.”

He moved the box he had just set in front of him to the side and grabbed Yrene’s wrist, tugging slightly.

“Come here,” he breathed.

She climbed on top of his lap, straddling his waist.

“He’s going to love it,” Chaol smiled, pressing his lips to hers. “Promise.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, just holding him. He ran a soothing hand up and down her back.

“Keep doing that and you’re going to put me to sleep,” she said, drowsily.

“That’s the plan, baby,” he laughed.

“What?” She asked, sitting back and looking at him. “No, there’s too much to do and -.”

“And I can handle it,” he said, finishing her sentence and kissing her. “You’ve already done enough. Go to bed, my love.”

After some more persuasion from Chaol, including a few promises regarding his arrival in bed, Yrene relented and pressed a kiss to her husband’s lips before heading up the stairs.

Not long after Chaol followed, stopping in to check on Taylon, who was sound asleep in his crib.

The next morning, Chaol fulfilled one of his promises to Yrene, and when he went to wake up their son, his hair was noticeably more messy. Good thing there was no one but a baby to judge him.

Yrene was still laying in bed when Chaol came back with Taylon, babbling and bouncing in his father’s arms.

“There’s my handsome baby boy,” she crooned, sitting up. Chaol handed him to her and she kissed all over his face. “Merry Christmas, my sweet boy. Merry Christmas.”

He squealed in delight from the attention.

The snow had already begun to fall, the hot chocolate already steaming and sitting on the kitchen counter.

“We have to go see if Santa came,” Yrene said, smile wide and she talked to her little man. “Yes we do.”

Chaol watched them walk down the staircase in front of him, admiring his wife who was wearing one of his old teeshirts. Taylon went wide eyed when he saw the colorful display of wrapped boxes in front of the lit up Christmas tree. The minute Yrene set him on the rug, he was crawling toward them all.

“Looks like Santa ate all the cookies,” Yrene mused.

Chaol cleared his throat. “Yes, and he thought they were delicious.”

“And the carrots?” She asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the plate. All four baby carrots remained.

Chaol ducked his head and went to intercept a curious Taylon as he reached to put a Christmas light in his mouth. “Reindeers weren’t hungry. Let’s open presents!”

Yrene only laughed as she sat down on the floor and took Taylon from Chaol.

One by one, Chaol removed the wrapping paper he so meticulously put on the night before. But each time Taylon’s eyes lit up or his squeal of delight filled the house, he knew it was completely worth the little sleep he got.

When there was only one present left, Yrene said, “Let me open this one for him.”

Chaol rolled his eyes, knowing full well which present was left. He slid the package across the floor and took his son from her outstretched hands.

Yrene helped Taylon opened the gift, the bear in which they had waited hours for and wrestled away from another mom.

Once it was opened, Taylor hit the bear’s nose a few times before crawling off Chaol’s lap and picking up a cardboard book about dinosaurs.

Yrene blinked, staring at the bear with her mouth hanging open. Chaol had to fight the laughter that was bubbling up in his throat.

“He…” Yrene hesitated. “Taylon, look at this bear! It talks! It sings! You can name it whatever you want! See the bear?”

Taylon was babbling to himself, hitting his new book against a plush soccer ball he’d also gotten.

Chaol, unable to stop himself, burst out laughing, ending up on his back and clutching his side.

“I can’t believe this,” Yrene said, lip slightly pouting. “I punched an old man for this thing and he doesn’t even care about it.”

Chaol blinked, sitting up. “You did what now?”

She sighed. “Okay, so I didn’t punch him, but I did aggressively shove him. But regardless, he doesn’t even care! He’s more concerned with trying to make dinosaurs play soccer!” She watched him, Chaol keeping an eye on her, and he watched as her face softened. “But he’s happy. He’s happy and that’s all that matters.”

It was moments like these that Chaol couldn’t believe how lucky he was, how amazing his life really ended up.

Taylon let out a sweet, high pitched giggle as the ball rolled away toward Chaol, who picked it up with a smile and rolled it back to his son.

“I think he’s having a great Christmas, babe,” Chaol said, smiling at his wife.

Yrene’s grin widened as she leaned over and kissed her husband, then her son. “He is. So am I. It’s perfect.”

“You don’t want one more gift?” Chaol asked with a smile.

“Didn’t you already give me one this morning?” Yrene was blushing, but Chaol could see a glint in her eye.

Chaol laughed, shaking his head. “Not exactly what I meant, but nice to know where your heads still at this morning.” He stood, turning to walk in the kitchen.

She called after him, “Still thinking about where your head was earlier.”

He threw his head back and laughed, retrieving the small silver box from under the cabinet.

“I’m reminded every day of the many reasons that I love you,” he said, keeping his hand behind his back as he walked back into the living room. “And one of those reasons is your humor.”

“And some others?” Yrene asked, crawling into his lap as he sat down.

“Your beauty,” he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You’re the most brilliant person that I know.” He kissed the other cheek. “You’re the best mother to our son.” A kiss to her nose. “And you’ve got a fine ass.”

“Chaol!” Yrene laughed, swatting at his chest.

He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. He lifted his hand to reveal the box. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

Yrene’s eyes went wide. She sat up and straddled his waist. “Baby, we said no gifts this year.”

He smirked. “Yeah, I’ve never been good at following directions.”

It wasn’t wrapped, the filigree along the top of the antique silver box decoration enough. Yrene skimmed her thumb along the lid, before opening it.

“Chaol,” she breathed. “It’s beautiful.”

It was. The sapphire in the middle of the Art Deco style ring was sparkling, shining in the colorful lights of the tree.

She slipped it onto her finger, her eyes lined with silver as she admired it. “Thank you so much.”

His lips pressed against her forehead, then her nose, and her lips.

Taylon quickly crawled over and tried to grab the ring, causing Yrene to fall into a fit of giggles.

This was it, their first Christmas as a family of three.

All Yrene wanted was for it to be perfect, for it to be a day that they would remember for the rest of their lives. And it was just that.

Perfect.

#christmas prompts #chaorene #tog #sjm #fanfic #fanfiction #12 days of christmas #in july #collab #tacmc x throne of ashes and beauty

119 notes · View notes

serahsanguine · 5 years

Text

School, Sex and Subterfuge NC-17

Chapter 8 of?

part one, part Two, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, AO3

tagging @today-in-fic @skullsmuldon @foxystarbucks

***************************************

Chapter 8; Christmas Vacation

One Week later: Christmas Vacation.

Scully Residence.

Scully had arrived at her parents’ house a couple of days ago. Missy had come down from Washington, too, after finally securing her flat. Bill was out at sea.

Charlie, Ahab and Maggie went out in search for the best Christmas tree, which left the two sisters discussing what their plans were for the next two weeks. They were both sitting in their bedroom, together on one of the beds.

“We need to get your stuff moved in, Missy.”

“If I actually had anything to move in I would. I sold most of it before taking that trip around the world.”

“Well, whose clever idea was that?” Scully was looking at her sister but her hands were fiddling with the corner of her blanket.

“Mine.”

Scully rolled her eyes but sighing “Ok, whatever. Then we’ll buy some stuff in the January sales. For now, I’m sure mom has a few items you can have.”

“How’s the college boy been treating you?” Missy changed the subject.

Scully chooses to ignore the question and change the subject completely too.

“Are we still going ice skating later tonight?” Her hand was still fighting with the blanket, her eyes locked at the back corner of the room.

“Yes, we are. But, don’t change the subject. How’s your college boy going?”

“It’s fine,” Scully stood up to walk out of the room but her sister caught her wrist. Spinning her on the spot they were face to face.

“Don’t insult me by lying to me. Something’s up, I can feel it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Dana.” Melisa placed her hands on her sister's shoulders gesturing for her to sit back down on the bed. “What happened?”

Scully had no choice but to pour her heart out to her sister. She still left the detail about Mulder being her professor.

About ten minutes had passed and during those minutes Scully managed to go from full heart-wrenching tears to only hiccuping between breaths. And during those futile minutes, she had come to the realisation that her sister was right at thanksgiving and she had indeed fallen in love with him. With his smile, his personality, his looks and definitely the sex. The man was built for that particular sport! When she came to this realization, she also knew it could never be. She had indeed signed a contract to this effect. She knew that as soon as such things as feelings got involved, it would end. She put on a brave face, held her head up high and started getting ready to go ice skating. Leaving Melissa’s questions and protests unanswered. Melissa also knew not to push the subject for now.

Several hours later, Scully was lying on her bed listening to her sister snore. She was physically and mentally exhausted. She should be asleep by then but she just couldn’t. Scully had been thinking about everything that happened in a few short months, and how everything had changed. She could not decide whether this was for the better or not. She sat up and quietly got out of bed fumbling in the dark for her bag, to find her secret stash of cigarettes. She found them with ease and crept down the stairs, tiptoeing each step. She opened the back door trying not to wake anyone up, praying it would not creek.

Scully was finally outside, the air brisk and quite chilly. I should’ve brought a coat, she soon thought, but she didn’t really care enough to get back inside. She leaned her back against the wooden pillar of the outside porch. She opened her pack of cigarettes taking the middle one and placing it the other way round putting it back in the box. Then she grabbed another one and placed it in her mouth. Fishing the lighter out of her pocket, she breathed in a deep lung full of smoke. She placed the lighter beside her and looked up at the stars. Scully could spot all the constellations which was surprising for how much light pollution there was from the city. She let out a puff full of smoke, watching it disappear into the air, mixing with the dark, and the cold. Her body started slowly relaxing.

Her mind focussed on the stars and she remembered when Ahab taught her everything about the stars.

Dana was about five, sitting outside, wrapped up in the thickest blanket that her dad could find. It was Christmas Eve and he had surprised her. He wasn’t meant to be coming back that night. But, she had a nightmare, a really scary one, and wandered downstairs to find her mom. And there he was, too, sitting in the living room. He hugged her fiercely. Ahab asked her what was the matter. When she told him, that's when he found a blanket and told her to sit outside. He soon made hot chocolate for them both and sat beside her.

“Look up at the sky, Starbuck. Tell me what you see.”

Dana looked up, staring at the night with its blacks and greys swirling, mixing, colliding.

“I don’t see anything, Daddy.”

“Of course you do, Starbuck. Look really hard.”

She strained her eyes, looking really hard like her daddy told her to.

“I still don’t see anything.” She placed her empty hot chocolate mug down and wrapped her arms around her chest, angry that she could not see anything.

“You can see the stars.”

Her mom appeared and gave them another blanket, also giving her dad a kiss on the cheek, which made her giggle. Her mom left and she watched her dad as he placed a blanket on the ground gesturing for her to lie down on it with him. And she did so, cuddling into her dad’s chest with a blanket around her, both of them looking upon the stars.

Ahab pointed to Aries, Cetus, Eridanus, Perseus... to which little Dana could not see. But then Ahab pointed to the easier constellations like Fornax, Horologium, Hydrus Triangulum... Little Dana always thought there was magic in the stars and looking beyond that into space.

Scully took the last drag of her cigarette smiling at the memory.

“Those things will kill you.”

“Shit, Missy, what the hell?” Scully jumped, startled by her sneaky sister.

Missy sat by her, laughing quietly.

“What are you doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” She stubbed her cigarette out before bending in and putting it in her pocket for the bin.

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“No, I’m ok. Let's go back in. I’m cold and finally ready for sleep”

Christmas Day

Scully was tired and exhausted. That was certainly one tradition she did not like, especially after not sleeping very well. Maggie took everyone to midnight mass, which had ended a couple of minutes ago. Scully couldn’t wait to crawl back into bed and sleep. She felt like a zombie and Missy kept teasing her that she looked like one.

The previous day was spent with the whole Scully clan at the local homeless shelter. She always loved the atmosphere. It was always a positive outlook on life, no matter how bad your living situation was. She helped with the younger ones, playing and singing with them. She later helped out with serving everyone soup and Christmas pudding and cake.

They finally arrived home. Luckily, it was only a short walk. She went straight upstairs and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was asleep, oblivious to the world.

6 hours later;

Scully woke up in Melisa’s bed, the aroma of Christmas dinner floating in the air. They had not shared a bed since they were little, but there were both far too tired to care the previous night. She sat up slightly, trying not to wake her sleeping sister. She looked at the alarm clock which sat in between the two beds. She groaned inwardly when the clock read 8 AM. The only good thing about getting up early without her sister or brother being awake was she could get a shower and then have a good look at her presents first. So, without any noise, she moved to get some clothes and take a shower.

30 minutes later,

Scully walked into the dining room, and sat down. She was not surprised at the full breakfast spread that was laid out. Her mom never ceased to amaze her, even know. She always likes having the family to dinner. There were croissants and pancakes, fruit, two different types of toast...

“Hi, Starbuck.”

“Hi, Ahab.” She smiled at her father, glad that she could spend some time with him.

“Hope you’re hungry. Your mom seems to be thinking she's feeding the five thousand, again.”

Scully nodded and slightly laughed. Once the table was prepared, her brother and sister appeared, sleep ridden at the table. Maggie finally sat down to join everyone at the table after some persuading from Ahab. Everyone started tucking into the food in front of them and she was in the middle of taking a bite of pancake.

“It’s a shame Bill isn’t here,” Maggie said sympathetically.

“Yeah... a damn shame, isn't it mom?” Missy replied sarcastically.

Scully choked on her pancake as she bit down a laugh. Missy was right, she loved her brother, but in all honesty, he is an ass and that is never going to change. It was nice not to have him here.

The conversation carried on, changing the subject several times. The food was eaten and the dishes were washed. Soon, everyone was sitting in the living room. It was beautifully decorated with lights. Different coloured tinsel, a modest tree decorated with precision, thought and symmetry. Maggie and Ahab were sitting on the two-seater sofa, Charlie was next to the fireplace, and Missy and her were sitting side by side on the floor, opposite everyone.

Gifts were exchanged then. Scully got some book which she had been after for a little while now but never had the chance to get. Also, some scarves and other bits and bobs. However, the most precious one that was received was the gold bracelet with the words ‘Look upon the stars and you shall see the world, Starbuck.’. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen and she would treasure it forever.

The rest of the day was spent helping to prepare for the Christmas feast which went off without a hitch. Everyone was full to the brim. There was no room left for dessert and there were plenty of leftovers for the next few days.

All in all, it was a peaceful day spent with family, enjoying each other's company.

*****************************************************

Aspen Ski Resort.

Sam had surprised Mulder by packing his bags and taking him to Aspen Ski Resort. They were meant to be spending the days in California but she wanted to do something nice for him. They had just gotten back from Snowmass, Aspen's largest and most popular ski area, comprising 3,332 acres of skiable terrain. They were both exhausted. They order a hot meal from the resort’s restaurant that should be there within the hour.

They were sitting in the living room both on a chair in front of the open fire. Mulder even though he was on vacation. He was planning the next semester's workload and Sam was reading a book about local painting which they had brought from the museum earlier that week.

He finally finished what he was doing and looked over at her sister. She looked so calm and collected and he certainly enjoyed his ‘little’ surprise. Tomorrow was Christmas, which for this family was a horrible time in past years. Their mom had died when he was twelve and Sam was eight, and a few years later, also on Christmas, their father got arrested for a beating so bad that he was hospitalized several times. From then on they had gone to live with their aunt Becka. She was a lovely woman who helped both him and Sam a lot. Every Christmas they circled a different ski resort. Even while he was in Oxford they still kept the tradition.

“Sam? I don’t think you put sunscreen on. You’re a little red.”

She took her eyes from what she was reading and looked at him.

“I applied plenty, thank you.”

“Maybe you should go look in the mirror,” he said in a teasing tone.

She huffed and the movement of getting up. He knew her legs would certainly be protesting of so much strain after skiing and boarding. He watched her walk over to the mirror with her cotton pyjamas on and her hair in braids. She inspected herself, turning her face side to side before speaking.

“I am not sunburnt, told you!”

Just as she had said so, the bell for the front door had gone off, announcing the arrival of their food.

“Sometimes, Fox, you have a damn right spooky intuition,” she laughed as she went to pay and collect their food.

He went into the kitchen to go find some plates and cutlery.

“What drink do you want, Sam?” he shouted through the cabin.

“Diet Coke will be fine, thanks,” she shouted back.

He walked back into the living room carrying everything they needed. Sam was knelt down at the table with the food in front of her.

“Some help would be nice,” he said sarcastically.

“What do you mean? I did help. I got the food which was your whole plan of telling me I had sunburnt.”

“Humm… if you say so—.”

Sam helped serve out the food between them. It was one of the tastiest beef, vegetable stew they had ever tasted. They both polished the plates and even left a little room for cheesecake for dessert.

After dessert was eaten, Sam picked everything up, and said her goodnights. Picking up her book, she headed upstairs to bed. Mulder stood up watching some old Twilight episode that was on tv. An hour or two passed when he started with his secret preparations hoping his sister was well and truly asleep. He got the decorations out of the cupboard under the stairs. With the tinsel and lights and wall decorations hung, he still needed to retrieve the tree, decorate it and place the presents underneath it.

Mulder got the tree off the hiding places and realised he should have either moved it sooner or with help because it was a lot heavier then he realised as he shuffled it across two floors trying not to scrape it or walk into anything when dragging it. About thirty minutes of sweating he finally managed to put the tree where he wanted it. He decorated it with candy canes, barbells, Christmas beads... He even managed to place a star on top.

He finally crawled into bed after lighting the fire in his room. It was about four o’clock in the morning. His head hit the pillow and he closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was gone into the land of slumber.

Christmas Day;

Mulder woke up and shivered, the fire had gone out a little over an hour ago and there was a certain chill to the air. He needed to get up and start on breakfast before heading out to the restaurant where he had booked a reservation for Christmas dinner. He grabbed a quick shower and crept downstairs.

He was going to mix Sam's favourite chocolate chip pancakes. He mixed the butter and poured them into the pan. Not long after the first two were good his sister wandered down and stopped in the second to last step. The look of amazement and pure joy is written on her face was all he needed. It made it all worth it for that one look. He smiled and turned back around and carried on cooking pancakes.

He heard her walk towards him and sit down at the kitchen island.

“How? When? Why?”

He turned around with a smirk. Placing the hot pancakes on a plate in front of her, then placing some on a plate for himself, he turned off the hob and placed the pan on the rack to cool down. Sitting opposite her, he spoke to answer her questions.

“The lovely lady who owns these little cabins wanted to help out. I asked her a couple of days ago, and she thought it was sweet that I wanted to decorate it as a surprise for my little sister. She said yes and placed all the decorations in the large hidden cupboard under the stairs. And, to answer the last one… because even though you’re a pain in my butt, I love you. Plus aunt Becka in all her old wisdom made me promise to keep up the tradition of a decorated tree on Christmas day.”

“Thank you.”

She bit into her pancake and a sound of satisfaction filled the room.

With breakfast eaten, presents were opened. Sam got loads of art supplies, a couple of books and some socks. It was time to open some of his. He got Terry Pratchett's new book, the first edition of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He had no idea how Sam managed to get it but she did. He opened the last present and was a little in shock.

“What is this?"

“Well, big brother, it is pretty self-explanatory, ” she laughed.

“These are two tickets for a getaway for two, place of my choice.” He looked at her like she was an alien eating children. He was a little shocked and surprised.

“But I have no one to go with,” he pouted.

“What about that girl you’re not in love with? ” she replied, sarcastically.

“I wasn’t in love with her and we're not seeing each other anymore.”

“Your loss then,” she shrugged. She kept looking at him for a couple of minutes. "I still think you should get you head out of your ass and tell her how you feel before she swoops away with a nice college boy. ”

“Sam.”

“Yes?"

“It’s Christmas. ”

“And you're avoiding.”

He went to answer her back but decided no to. After all, she was right. He shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject.

“We should start getting ready or we’re going to be late for our reservations.”

Later that evening.

Sam had gone to sleep and Mulder sat on the small balcony overlooking the lodge and charming village below, with its variety of shops and restaurants. From their cabin, he could see roughly half of the trails there. The grey sky was mixing with the white of the snow, illuminating as far as the eye could see in a luminescent green, almost like an aura for buildings. The place was so tranquil and quiet, he could have easily fallen asleep looking upon this view if it wasn’t so damn cold. Maybe he would come back in the summer.

As he stared into the evening sun his thoughts drifted to Scully. Maybe, one day soon, he could share a cabin with her, quite possibly this exact one. And, together, they could oversee the town in all its beauty under the summer sunset.

But first, he needed to take his sister's advice, pull his head out of his ass, and apologise to her. Would she even accept the apology? Would she even want to talk to him? If she did want to talk to him, would she want him back?

Sam was right, he was an idiot and he had maybe just lost the best thing he was ever going to have in this life. One thing was for sure: even if she wanted nothing more to do with him, whether it was misplaced jealousy or not, he definitely needed to tell her that Daniel Whatever-his-name was a creep. He had tried to sleep with her when she was drunk and, if he was a betting man, he would even put money on it not being the first time he had tried to get into her pants. He was losing track of thoughts now. He should really head to bed, lots of snowboarding and sledding to be done tomorrow.

******************************

2 weeks later.

Scully had an exceptional Christmas Vacation filled with love, joy and surprises all around. Mellissa tried to bring the subject of the mysterious man who Scully had fallen out with at least three more times over the two weeks. Every single time she was shut down.

Just before coming back to college, Scully received an email from Mulder asking her to meet up with him on the second Friday that they were back to school. She hadn’t replied back and she also didn't know if she was going to attend that meeting.

Mulder tried not to think about Scully again. But, each night he ended up alone, he kept thinking about her, more and more each night. He finally decided to extend an olive branch by sending the email, leaving the ball in her court. What she chose to do with that was completely up to her. One of two things were going to happen: she could either hurt him or forgive him.

Scully and Serah had a lengthy talk about what happened that last night they were together. Serah apologised profusely about her actions and promised never to do it again. They were now sat in the dorm room debating what Scully was going to do about Mulder.

Serah was pacing the room, it helped her think.

“You should at least reply, Dana. ”

“Why?”

“You’re miserable without him. ”

“I am not.” Scully threw her hands against the bed in defence.

“Don’t lie to me. It’s not beckoning on you. ”

“Give me an example of when I have been missing him,” she dared her friend.

“For starters, when you're in the gym and you see him, all sweaty and tuned up. It turns you on. You come back with a certain glow, a certain look and a certain body movement.”

“I do not!”

“Ahh, ahh. No speaking until Serah has unloaded all her wisdom. ”

“A—.”

“Shh! Anyway, also, when we're in his class you can’t help but check him out and get all dreamy-eyed and start daydreaming about it. And, third: I am not putting up with a horny, sad, depressed Dana Katherine Scully any more.”

Serah looked at her and Scully raised her eyebrow in scepticism.

“And, before you say anything… Yes, you are all those three.”

“Hum—.”

“I’m not finished yet. You were happy with him. Yes, he was a jerk towards you and you both said things you may regret. But he's extending an olive branch. ”

“Yes, I suppose so. ”

“You never know, he might even apologize and say he loves you. ”

“Like that’s ever gonna happen.” Scully laughed it off.

Later that day she sent Mulder an email.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Meeting.

Dear Mulder.

I would like to accept your invitation to meet. I just need a place to do so.

Yours faithfully,

Dana Scully

It did not take long for a reply.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Meeting.

Dear Scully,

Thank you for accepting my invitation to meet. As we already have a date set of the 27th I thought we could meet at a place of your choice.

Yours faithfully,

Fox Mulder.

It took her a few hours to reply. She didn’t know whether she wanted to meet in his office or somewhere public like their little restaurant. She finally made the decision and messaged him back.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Meeting.

Dear Mulder,

Your office on the 27th at 8 o'clock. I will meet you there.

Yours Faithfully,

Scully.

No less than five minutes later she received an email which was short in nature and only one word which said 'Agreed'. That one made her smile for the rest of the day.

1 week later;

Friday, 27th January

They were both apprehensive about today's meeting. Scully couldn't focus on her lectures.

On the flip side, Mulder couldn't focus on teaching his lectures either. 7.30 PM and he was pacing his office back and forth. He couldn't still his anxiety and the waiting was unbearable. The ticking of the clock was filling the silence of the room.

Scully was feeling anxious. She didn’t know what he was going to say, she didn’t know how she would respond. She couldn’t sit idle for long so she made her way to his office. Before she knocked she was standing outside his door. Her palms were hot and clammy, her body slightly shaking, her heart rate fast and uneven. She finally knocked on the office door. It wasn’t a loud knock but it wasn’t a timid knock either. She took a deep breath in and he opened the door.

He heard a knock and knew it was her, he was so god damn nervous. He walked over to the door and opened it. There she was, in front of him, in jeans and a t-shirt with Stranger Things written on the front. He smiled knowing how much she liked the program. He moved to allow her to walk in. He closed the door behind him, locking it before sitting in front of her at his desk.

God, she had missed him in his tight t-shirts and hanging low dark jeans. She was sitting in front of him trying to act calm when she was anything but. She had butterflies in her stomach like the first time they had met. His normal hazel eyes were an emerald green. Ok, maybe looking in his eyes is a bad idea. She chose instead to focus on the picture of him and his sister.

There was silence for several minutes, all that could be heard was the ticking clock, the breaths and occasionally the water cooler. Until he spoke.

“I’m sorry, ” he looked at her with pleading eyes. “I didn’t mean to do what I did, or hurt you like that. ”

“You mean use me?” she said calmly.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I just wanted to clear a few things up before we go our separate ways if that's what you wish.”

“Ok, I’m listening. ”

“Your grades won't be affected. If your work is an A-plus, which it normally is, you will be awarded such. Even if the contract does not stand. I will not purposely fail you so I can see you.” He put on his clean teacher's voice, strong, stern but warm and kind.

“Thank you.”

“The night you were drunk and rang me, that kid Daniel tried sleeping with you and nearly succeeded. I thought I should warn you before he tried again and you get hurt,” he said more softly.

“I can look after myself,” she said defensively and slightly more cold and clipped than she had intended.

This is not going well, he started squirming in his chair. Damn, why is it so hard? I’m just going to tell her.

“If you choose to accept my apology... I would love to start again and take you on a real date. ”

“I…” that was the last thing she expected him to say, she was in shock and lost for words.

She had missed what he said next but the clean “I Love You” cleared through all the fog of her mind and started ringing in her ears. She needed to go, she couldn’t handle this. He just said the words she never expected. She stood up and slammed the door behind her.

Leaving a confused Mulder in her wake.

#txf fanfic #txf #AU fanfiction #college au #mulder and scully #Fox Mulder #Dana Scully #The X Files Fanfic #The X-Files

41 notes · View notes

ourloveisforthelovely · 5 years

Text

Always You 4

A/n: AU!Story. This is a Gabriel AU reader insert…Gabriel is a writer and hopelessly in love with Cas’ little sister. After a failed relationship that ended badly in the past, Gabriel is just a shell of what he used to be. Now he has to work on being himself again to get the girl. (Cas in this story is hippie Cas) Slight smut in this chapter.

Link to Chapter 3

Words: 1,976

Pairings: Gabriel x Reader

___________

After you stormed out the door Gabriel and Cas stood in an awkward silence. Cas finally looked to face Gabriel.

“Are you gonna go after her?”

Gabriel gave Cas a glare before turning and walking in the opposite direction. Cas remanding looking in the place where his best friend stood a moment longer before shrugging and going back to his and Dean’s room. He couldn’t be the one that fixed everything between Gabriel and yourself. The two of you would have to learn to fix your issues without him.

“I don’t know why I fool with either one of them.”

He muttered shutting the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Gabriel stormed into his bedroom also slamming the door before beginning to pace. Did the two of really just have this argument? Did you both really just break up over their stupid tempers getting the better of them? Gabriel yanked at his hair trying to piece together what happened.

It was entirely his fault. That he got. He shouldn’t have let his stupid insecurities come between the two of you and rule over his common sense. You wasn’t going to go fuck that doctor. He knew that! If you had waited that long for Gabriel to make a move on you then you wouldn’t go throw it all away for some older man (some loaded arrogant older man). He had to give you some credit there. Gabriel couldn’t even remember the last time that you had gone on a date until the two of you had became a couple.

“Fuck!”

Gabriel growled angrily. He was just starting to feel like his real self again. It had been a long time since he has felt that way too!! Gabriel didn’t know the last time that he has used that many pick up lines on someone the way he had you earlier that morning. Watching you blush bright red and having to make yourself pull away from him felt nice.

There was also the matter of his and Sarah’s son. Gabriel still didn’t know how he felt about that. He had a child that he knew nothing about and hadn’t seen. This also meant that he would have to somehow deal with Sarah! That was the last thing that he wanted to be doing but it looked like he was going to have to find someway to be able to do so.

“Fuck me sideways I have got to do something!”

Gabriel quickly got his keys and walked out the door. He was thankful that neither Cas nor Dean were in the living room. He didn’t want to deal with a mini Spanish Inquisition at the moment.

Arriving at the hospital, Gabriel didn’t know what in the world he would say to you. Hopefully winging it would be okay. He didn’t even know where the hell you were going to be at. Here he stood in a huge hospital looking for a doctor. Rolling his eyes he noticed the ER receptionist desk a few feet away. That would be a good place to start!

Walking up to the front desk in the emergency room the receptionist looked up from her computer grumpily.

“Can I help you?”

Gabriel looked around the room again before looking back to the woman.

“I need to see Dr. Y/n Novak.”

The receptionist looked down at her computer again.

“The reason?”

Gabriel frowned. The fuck was it this bitches business? Did she really want him to unload on her? Gabriel guessed that would be a big hell no. Trying to keep his temper down he smiled politely. Killing people with kindness was supposed to work better than being a complete ass right?

“I’m her boyfriend. It’s an emergency so can you kind of hurry it up?”

The receptionist looked slightly taken back but picked up her phone.

“Hold on.”

The woman turned moving to her phone dialing what Gabriel assumed was your number. Gabriel turned his back to the woman looking around the emergency room. He didn’t understand how you could do this job. After yours parents died in the awful car crash he never understood how you could look at sick or injured people the same way. Your parents deaths made Cas lose his serious grip on reality and live for the moment while it made you more driven. It was you that Gabriel had been worried about. Being a teenager and close to your parents should have affected you more than it did. Gabriel guessed in some ways you kept things bottled up where Cas just ripped up the book known as his life and went wild.

When the double doors opened and you stepped out, Gabriel felt his mouth drop when he saw all the blood on your scrubs. You looked beyond shocked to see Gabriel standing there…shocked and hurt. Your eyes looked at him closely, clearly searching for what kind of emergency was happening. Gabriel hated that look in your eyes as you walked over.

“What’s wrong?!! Is it Cas?! Is he alright?!”

Gabriel nodded.

“He’s fine. I need to talk to you.”

You frowned. You clearly didn’t want to hear anything that he had to say at the moment. Sure, you knew that you would have to face him that night when you got home. Deep down you were hoping that he would be asleep when you rolled. You could flop down on the couch and sleep until the next afternoon. That should have been enough time for Gabriel to calm his ass down (and you too).

“I’m kind of working Gabriel. What is the emergency?”

Gabriel sighed as the receptionist made a loud “uh huh!” He gave the woman a cold glare.

“All right I lied!! Sheesh nosy! Mind your own business will ya?”

Gabriel gave the receptionist another cold glare before physically moving so that he didn’t have to look at the hateful little troll of a woman.

“Y/n, I need to talk to you about earlier.”

You sighed but was amused by his hot headed response. That was your normal Gabriel.

“Want me to call security doctor?”

The troll lady asked again. Gabriel looked back to her again with a sneer.

“Don’t you have some papers to file or something?”

You shook your head.

“No. It’s fine. I have a few minutes. Come on Gabriel.”

Gabriel followed you to the almost empty waiting room sitting down. You sat down across from Gabriel who leaned forward taking your hands in his.

“Sugar I know you are mad. My attitude was awful at home. I didn’t mean anything I said. I’m sorry I said all that shit.”

You leaned back but didn’t let your hands leave Gabriel’s grasp.

“Then why did you say it?”

Gabriel shrugged..

“Why do we do anything we do when we are angry or in my case scared out of my ever loving mind? I was freaking out about everything that happened with Sarah. I freaked out when I realized that I am going to have to be sociable with her and with a kid that I know absurdity nothing about. I was…am afraid that it is going to affect us. I finally got what I wanted and now everything is falling apart. Y/n,you know I don’t do well with turmoil or drama.”

You pressed your lips together watching his facial expressions carefully.

“No, you don’t. You never have. Look Gabe, you know I hate Sarah. I think everyone in our house hates Sarah. If voodoo magic worked….she would be a dead woman. Cas already texted me and offered to pay some random Italian mob boss to make her mysteriously disappear. If that doesn’t tell you something I don’t know what will. Gabriel, I am not threatened by her anymore. Worried about how she is going to potentially treat you..yes. I am also concerned about this kid. What kind of lies has been spoon fed his whole life? Because you know as well as I do there has been a ton. The kid seemed fine enough to me earlier but that was just a physical exam. Mentally, I don’t know what is stewing up in there. What are we going to do,Gabe?”

Both of you were quiet for a moment. Gabriel moved to sit in the chair beside you. He took extra care to not break the physical contact that he had with you.

“Well,first things first, I am going to find me a lawyer. I guess that means I will be calling Michael tomorrow. I know that we agreed to see less of him but I think he will know what to do.”

Emma nodded. You didn’t like the idea of facing Gabriel’s older brother but the man was one of the best lawyers in town.

“Definitely a good decision. I hope he isn’t offended that none of us have talked to him since Thanksgiving. I feel bad for poor Sam. He has to be an ass to work for but Michael knows his shit.”

Gabriel sighed before focusing his attention back on you. You looked exhausted as you rested your chin on your hand.

“So what about us?”

He finally asked. Gabriel was afraid to hear the answer to this. What if you told him to get lost? There was no way that he could handle that and stay sane! You looked in his direction again.

“Gabriel, if you are concerned about me not wanting to be with you because of the kid than that is the craziest thing that you could possibly think. If Sarah thinks I am going to step aside and let her destroy you again the bitch better be gearing up for a fight. Look I’m sorry about all the shit I said earlier.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Me too. You didn’t deserve any of that.”

You smiled laying your head on his shoulder.

“I can totally believe that especially since you came down here to talk to me.”

Gabriel chuckled.

“You know I hate hospitals. How much longer do you have to go before you can get out of here?”

You looked down at your watch.

“About 5 hours. I didn’t want to sign up for a full 12 hour go around. Gabriel, I don’t want you to worry about Dr. Jones. There is absolutely nothing there. I want you ...just you.”

“I know. I trust you.”

You stood up knowing that you needed to get back to work Gabriel quickly stood wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Darlin, I I have to be crazy about you to be holding you all covered in someone’s blood.”

You laughed and stood on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.

“Always the romantic.”

Gabriel gave you an eyebrow wiggle and muzzled his face against yours.

“I’m about to romance the pants off of you sugar. I’ll be up when you get home.”

You smiled looking completely happy now. That was the smile that Gabriel needed to know that everything was okay. He intertwined his hand with yours before walking out of the small waiting room. Gabriel’s attention focused on the troll receptionist who was still looking at him.

“That lady wasn’t hugged enough when she was little, huh?”

You put a hand over your mouth to stifle a giggle so that lady didn’t realize that Gabriel was talking about her.

“It sure seems that way. I’ll see you soon.”

Gabriel nodded, kissing you once more before walking out. You stood watching until he was clearly out of sight before turning and going back into the ER. Maybe the next few hours would go by quickly!

___________________

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@supernaturalways

@emiwrites3reads

@authoressskr

@marichromatic

@hankypranky

@wontlookaway

@fand0maniac

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@li0nh34rt

@tas898

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@shitfaceddaniel

@killtherandomness

@deanwherescas

@sprnaturallover

@summer-novak

@shaylybaby2032

@mycuddlycorner

#Gabriel #Gabriel x Reader #Supernatural #AU Supernatural #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #Cas #Supernatural Fan Fiction #gabriel fanfiction #AU #Dean x Cas #Michael

15 notes · View notes

3packsfrom21 · 5 years

Text

Ma Belle France - Part 2

*And here we are again, posting this a week after I’ve written it and nearly a month after we actually left France.*

I’m back on another bus! Shorter one this time - 3 hours from Florence to Rome. I’ll be honest, I was going to let this post slide until Mum reminded me that my last post about France was entitled “Part One,” and you can’t leave that hanging.

After we left Spain, we returned to see the southern part of France. We started in Lyon (arriving on September 28 and leaving) and met up with a couple of people. First, we met up with a girl named Lea, who we first met when we were in Killarney, Ireland. She had shared a hostel room with us, and as we talked she had told us that she was from Lyon, and that if we came there she would tour us around. It is really neat to be able to make friends along the way and then to be able to reconnect with them later on. Lea was a great tour guide, even though we only had a few hours to spend with her. She let us store our bags in her apartment when we first arrived (if you’re looking to please us, this is the way to do it). Afterwards, she showed us the remains of an outdoor Roman theatre, the large cathedral on the hill, (with the most incredible view of the city), the old portion of the city, and a famous square - one of the largest in France. It was a lovely few hours, for which we are grateful.

We also met up with some of Kiana’s friends from Champfleuri. The morning after we arrived, we woke up early to meet Nelly, and to join her at her church. The church is about an hour long train ride away, in the little town of Firminy. The train ride (Lynece’s first ever experience on a train) through the countryside and the little villages along the way, alone, made the trip worth it; the church’s love put the day over the top. I was struck immediately by their welcoming. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the French greet one another (with kisses on each cheek), but I felt so loved and genuinely wanted at that church. Numerous people came to talk with us, thanking us for coming and telling us how much they love to see new faces at the church. Multiple times, the conversation turned to how we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and how we will one day see one another again “au ciel.” Their joy was radiant, as was evident in their jubilant, genuine worship and through their prayers (in many of the churches that we’ve been to in Europe, there is time between each song for members of the congregation to voice their prayers and thanksgivings). After the service, there was a potluck, to which we were invited. They set the tables as if it were a family meal, and we all sat down and ate together. I don’t mean to be romantic or idealistic about the experience, but I certainly think that our churches in Canada could take something home from this little village church.

After potluck, we returned with Nelly to Lyon. We met another of Kiana’s friends, Noelline, for a very Lyonnaise dinner (3 courses and all), and talked late into the night before parting ways and returning to our AirBnB. It has been cool to meet some of Kiana’s friends during this trip. We have heard tons about them over the years, but it has been largely just names and pictures. Now we have been able to bridge some of the gaps with real faces.

On September 30, we made our way from Lyon to the Champlfleuri Bible school. Talk about bridging gaps! A place that was once just a confused blend of pictures, Skype calls, and a bit of imagination, suddenly materialized into an actual place. Kiana showed us the building where she stayed, the tree that she always sat under, the kitchen which hosted the water fight that we’d heard about oh so many times, and so on. Champfleuri was a place of tranquility, where we were able to enjoy the scenery, catch up on some of the things that we had gotten behind on (keeping track of finances and writing our daily journal entries), and eat some of the best food that we’d had all trip. We stayed there for 6 days. In that time, we also got to meet and become acquainted with some of the new Bible school students, that had only arrived two weeks before.

Champfleuri is right in the Alps, looking out onto the Chartreuse mountain ridge line. Needless to say (with Kiana as a sister), we did a couple of hikes. The first took us along the edge of a valley, allowing us to look down and across at the Alps. I won’t even bother attempting to describe them, because you’ve all seen the Rockies, and thus understand how badly words fail at encompassing the grandeur of mountains. The next hike was even more spectacular. We accompanied the students on their hike up the Chartreuse ridge. To try and put it into perspective, Champfleuri faces the Chartreuse mountain ridge. Behind Champfleuri is the alps. So, our first hike took us through the alps, whereas this one was across the valley, trekking up the Chartreuse. If that didn’t make any sense, ignore it and we can show you with pictures when we get home. Anyway, we started out this hike by all hopping into the school’s vans, crossing the valley, and driving up an exceptionally skinny, windy road, to the trail head. We climbed 1400+ meters, but the hike wasn’t too difficult (even Lynece, who previously stood in stark opposition to Kiana’s love of hikes, thoroughly enjoyed the climb). The views as we walked, and, ultimately, at the top, were awe-inspiring. The top was a grassy hill, surrounded by mountain views.

We became quite comfortable at Champfleuri, and didn’t want to say goodbye. But alas, that’s what traveling is. So, on October 5 we made our way by train to Annecy, our final location in France.

Annecy is a small but popular town in the mountains. It is famed for its lake, which is backed by gorgeous mountains. We spent one night there, exploring the shops, spending an excessive amount of money on Chai latte’s (only once), and, obviously, touring the lake. I would love to go back.

And just like that, France came to a close. We got on our 11:00 a.m. bus on October 6, and said goodbye to the mountains, to the familiar language, and to the friends. We looked forward to the adventure of Italy, but France had felt a bit like home, so goodbye was bittersweet.

---

We’ve been in Italy for just over a week now, but you’ll have to wait for the next post to hear the specifics about it. We’re getting to that point in the trip where we can all pack our bags in under 10 minutes, where wearing (and re-wearing) smelly clothes is an ordinary affair, and where the tug between home and the ‘big, wide world’ becomes increasingly complex. We try to never lose perspective on how fortunate we are to be able to travel the world. To be able to leave work and all of the obligations of home, in order to embark on a four month long adventure across multiple countries and continents is nothing to take lightly, and we don’t. At the same time, the more I do life, and the more I travel, the more I resonate with the saying, “anywhere you go, there you are.” This trip, with all of it's amazing experiences, has not (and will not) fulfill me. I don’t feel like a more complete person because I’ve seen more places. I certainly don’t feel like that tanned, weathered-but-naturally-beautiful nomad that I imagine a traveler to be. The truth is, I’m a bit tanned from Spain, but not really, my hair is product-less and frizzy (not in the cute way), and I’ve probably gained 10 pounds from all of the bread. Some moments, I think, “Wow, how incredible is this?” Some, I think, “I am so tired and I just want to go home.” Most often, I just live, as I live ordinary life, not really thinking about ’the moment’ at all. I’m not sure why I’ve written this; I suppose it's more for my own self-reflection than anything else. Basically, I’m having a great time. Some moments are spectacular and some are common. I miss home - my family, watching movies with Sam and Jess, and driving my own car. I do not miss snow and I do not miss work. And I’m ultimately grateful for all of this.

Cheers // Janae

2 notes · View notes

ohiostatevsmichigan-blog · 4 years

Text

Ohio State vs Michigan NFL

Buy Ohio State versus Michigan football tickets for the Sat. Nov 30, 2019 game at Michigan Arena. Thanksgiving week consistently presents a mouth-watering choice of competition games. The School Football Season finisher gives the embellishment. The Iron Bowl, The Game and Commotion convey enormous ramifications for groups and fans, however this week, they additionally sway CFP contenders and will help shape the last top four. The fight for Paul Bunyan's Hatchet has additional interest with Minnesota, an astonishment CFP contender, getting a shot to protect the hatchet against Wisconsin just because since 2004. Michigan, Coppery, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin all can end or harm their opponents' season finisher possibilities. Ohio State vs Michigan Ohio State vs Michigan Football Ohio State vs Michigan Time Ohio State vs Michigan Start Time Ohio State vs Michigan Date Ohio State vs Michigan TV Ohio State vs Michigan TV Channel Ohio State vs Michigan TV Coverage Ohio State vs Michigan NFL Ohio State vs Michigan NFL Game Ohio State vs Michigan Game Ohio State vs Michigan Score Ohio State vs Michigan Espn The Ohio Wildcats plan to keep alive their expectations for the Macintosh East title when they have the Western Michigan Mustangs in their home finale on Tuesday. Ohio (4-5) claims a 3-2 meeting record as it is tied with Wild ox and sits one game behind Miami with its last three challenges coming against Macintosh adversaries. Western Michigan (6-4) additionally is engaging for a Macintosh division crown as it is tied with Focal Michigan on the West at 4-2 with two meeting games remaining. Tuesday's challenge is booked to start at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Horses are supported by one point in the most recent Western Michigan versus Ohio chances while the over-under is 63.5. You'll need to see the most recent school football forecasts from the SportsLine Projection Model before entering any Western Michigan versus Ohio picks for Tuesday's MACtion. The SportsLine Projection Model reproduces each FBS school football match-up multiple times, and the individuals who have tailed it have seen enormous returns. In the course of the last four or more years, the restrictive PC model has created a staggering benefit of over $4,000 for $100 players on its top of the line school football picks against the spread. The model enters Week 12 of the 2019 season on a solid run, going 109-75 on the entirety of its top of the line school football picks this season. Anyone who has been tailing it is far up. Presently, the model has dialed in on Western Michigan versus Ohio. We can reveal to you it's hanging over, and it's additionally created a solid against the spread pick that trades out just about 60 percent of reenactments. That one is just accessible at SportsLine. The model realizes that the Mustangs have not posted less than six triumphs through their initial 10 rounds of a season since 2013, when they started the battle with an eight-game losing streak. LeVante Bellamy, the second Mustang since 2000 to record at any rate six multi-touchdown exhibitions, has arrived at the 100-yard mark on the ground in four straight challenges in the wake of scrambling for 157 in a week ago's triumph over Ball State. Ohio State vs Michigan Ohio State vs Michigan Live Ohio State vs Michigan Live Stream Ohio State vs Michigan Live TV Ohio State vs Michigan NFL Live Ohio State vs Michigan Game Live Ohio State vs Michigan Live Score Watch Ohio State vs Michigan Watch Ohio State vs Michigan Live Ohio State shocked a great deal of specialists this week when the Buckeyes were uncovered as the No. 1 group in the underlying School Football Season finisher Rankings, however it's difficult to contend this may not be the top group in the nation. The Buckeyes were compensated by the CFP choice council for indicating strength in transit to a 8-0 beginning to the season, putting mentor Ryan Day's team in prime situation to seek a national title. Presently the test is going to guarding that spot within the main four. The absolute hardest trial of the period still anticipate with No. 4 Penn State coming up on Nov. 23, the customary season finale at No. 14 Michigan in Ann Arbor and afterward the Enormous Ten Title Game. Be that as it may, up to that point, Ohio State simply needs to ensure it doesn't beat itself and get captured, beginning with Saturday's home game against unranked Maryland. In an uncommon competition week digital recording, I'm joined by a couple of Michigan Wolverines greats in front of the current year's version of The Game. From the minute the game started and long after Ohio State embedded its reinforcements, the No. 1 Buckeyes performed to a level that advocated their positioning and School Football Season finisher goals. Maryland, notwithstanding, went through an hour resembling a thrashing program that played more regrettable than the tremendous ability hole between the two lists would have recommended. Ohio State on Saturday overwhelmed the Reptiles on the way to a 73-14 win, one more humiliating misfortune for Maryland, which lost any expectation of bowl qualification. The Terps have not looked focused against most Large Ten groups they've played in their first year under Mentor Michael Locksley. Saturday's misfortune in Columbus denoted Maryland's fifth gathering rout by in any event 25. Maryland (3-7, 1-6 Major Ten) lost, 59-0, at home against Penn State. Seven days back, No. 14 Michigan pounded the Terps in School Park, 38-7. Maryland trailed early and lost conveniently against No. 17 Minnesota and Purdue. The Terps' just gathering success came against Rutgers, which terminated its lead trainer six days before the matchup. Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Football Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 NFL Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Live Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Live Stream Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Game Live With some due regard to Wisconsin, Penn State is getting off the transport with the most amazing, athletic, and hardest protective front that Ohio State has confronted all year. There are issues with the Nittany Lion D – getting to that in a minute – however yet nobody has had the option to run for more than 3.5 yards per carry on this bundle, nobody has hit the 200-yard mark, and just three groups have had the option to push past 100 yards. It can get beat on a piece – Michigan had the option to get physical in the subsequent half – however the following level ability in a few spots compensates for it by getting behind the line and not permitting any kind of a major play on the ground. The Ohio State hostile line has been fabulous, however it had issues keeping Wisconsin out of the backfield, surrendering five sacks. Start with Penn State being far superior at getting to the quarterback, and go from that point. Fields will must be considerably faster with his basic leadership capacity this week, and he won't have the option to take off and run voluntarily. Michigan vs Ohio State Michigan vs Ohio State Live Michigan vs Ohio State Live Stream Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Live Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Live Stream Repulsively, Penn State has the brisk strike capacity to in any event answer the Ohio State grand slams. The O doesn't be able to keep up if this gets into a wild shootout if the Buckeyes go off, yet KJ Hamler and Jahan Dotson are each averaging more than 17 yards for every catch, the tight closures are risky, and the offense has discovered something in the course of the most recent two weeks in RB Voyage Darker, who followed up a 124-yard day against Minnesota with 100 yards against Indiana.

1 note · View note

amichiganohiostatefan-blog · 4 years

Text

Michigan vs Ohio State Start Time

Buy Michigan versus Ohio State football tickets for the Sat. Nov 30, 2019 game at Michigan Arena. Thanksgiving week consistently presents a mouth-watering choice of competition games. The School Football Season finisher gives the embellishment. The Iron Bowl, The Game and Commotion convey enormous ramifications for groups and fans, however this week, they additionally sway CFP contenders and will help shape the last top four. The fight for Paul Bunyan's Hatchet has additional interest with Minnesota, an astonishment CFP contender, getting a shot to protect the hatchet against Wisconsin just because since 2004. Michigan, Coppery, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin all can end or harm their opponents' season finisher possibilities. Michigan vs Ohio State Michigan vs Ohio State Football Michigan vs Ohio State Time Michigan vs Ohio State Start Time Michigan vs Ohio State Date Michigan vs Ohio State TV Michigan vs Ohio State TV Channel Michigan vs Ohio State TV Coverage Michigan vs Ohio State NFL Michigan vs Ohio State NFL Game Michigan vs Ohio State Game Michigan vs Ohio State Score Michigan vs Ohio State Espn The Ohio Wildcats plan to keep alive their expectations for the Macintosh East title when they have the Western Michigan Mustangs in their home finale on Tuesday. Ohio (4-5) claims a 3-2 meeting record as it is tied with Wild ox and sits one game behind Miami with its last three challenges coming against Macintosh adversaries. Western Michigan (6-4) additionally is engaging for a Macintosh division crown as it is tied with Focal Michigan on the West at 4-2 with two meeting games remaining. Tuesday's challenge is booked to start at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Horses are supported by one point in the most recent Western Michigan versus Ohio chances while the over-under is 63.5. You'll need to see the most recent school football forecasts from the SportsLine Projection Model before entering any Western Michigan versus Ohio picks for Tuesday's MACtion. Michigan vs Ohio State Michigan vs Ohio State Live Michigan vs Ohio State Live Stream Michigan vs Ohio State Live TV Michigan vs Ohio State NFL Live Michigan vs Ohio State Game Live Michigan vs Ohio State Live Score Watch Michigan vs Ohio State Watch Michigan vs Ohio State Live The SportsLine Projection Model reproduces each FBS school football match-up multiple times, and the individuals who have tailed it have seen enormous returns. In the course of the last four or more years, the restrictive PC model has created a staggering benefit of over $4,000 for $100 players on its top of the line school football picks against the spread. The model enters Week 12 of the 2019 season on a solid run, going 109-75 on the entirety of its top of the line school football picks this season. Anyone who has been tailing it is far up. Presently, the model has dialed in on Western Michigan versus Ohio. We can reveal to you it's hanging over, and it's additionally created a solid against the spread pick that trades out just about 60 percent of reenactments. That one is just accessible at SportsLine. The model realizes that the Mustangs have not posted less than six triumphs through their initial 10 rounds of a season since 2013, when they started the battle with an eight-game losing streak. LeVante Bellamy, the second Mustang since 2000 to record at any rate six multi-touchdown exhibitions, has arrived at the 100-yard mark on the ground in four straight challenges in the wake of scrambling for 157 in a week ago's triumph over Ball State. Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Football Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 NFL Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Live Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Live Stream Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Game Live Ohio State shocked a great deal of specialists this week when the Buckeyes were uncovered as the No. 1 group in the underlying School Football Season finisher Rankings, however it's difficult to contend this may not be the top group in the nation. The Buckeyes were compensated by the CFP choice council for indicating strength in transit to a 8-0 beginning to the season, putting mentor Ryan Day's team in prime situation to seek a national title. Presently the test is going to guarding that spot within the main four. The absolute hardest trial of the period still anticipate with No. 4 Penn State coming up on Nov. 23, the customary season finale at No. 14 Michigan in Ann Arbor and afterward the Enormous Ten Title Game. Be that as it may, up to that point, Ohio State simply needs to ensure it doesn't beat itself and get captured, beginning with Saturday's home game against unranked Maryland. In an uncommon competition week digital recording, I'm joined by a couple of Michigan Wolverines greats in front of the current year's version of The Game. Ohio State vs Michigan Ohio State vs Michigan Live Ohio State vs Michigan Live Stream Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Live Ohio State vs Michigan 2019 Live Stream To begin with, previous Michigan linebacker and national hero Dhani Jones (0:00 to 22:00) examines his recollections of the competition and the motivational speech he would give the present release of the Wolverines. At that point, radio play-by-play voice Jim Brandstatter (23:00 to end) uncovers the procedure by which he plans for games, his recollections of being on the 1969 group that stunned the top-positioned Buckeyes, the parallels this groups imparts to his, and considerably more. From the minute the game started and long after Ohio State embedded its reinforcements, the No. 1 Buckeyes performed to a level that advocated their positioning and School Football Season finisher goals. Maryland, notwithstanding, went through an hour resembling a thrashing program that played more regrettable than the tremendous ability hole between the two lists would have recommended. Ohio State on Saturday overwhelmed the Reptiles on the way to a 73-14 win, one more humiliating misfortune for Maryland, which lost any expectation of bowl qualification. The Terps have not looked focused against most Large Ten groups they've played in their first year under Mentor Michael Locksley. Saturday's misfortune in Columbus denoted Maryland's fifth gathering rout by in any event 25. Maryland (3-7, 1-6 Major Ten) lost, 59-0, at home against Penn State. Seven days back, No. 14 Michigan pounded the Terps in School Park, 38-7. Maryland trailed early and lost conveniently against No. 17 Minnesota and Purdue. The Terps' just gathering success came against Rutgers, which terminated its lead trainer six days before the matchup. Michigan vs Ohio State Reddit Michigan vs Ohio State 2019 Reddit Michigan vs Ohio State Reddit Live Michigan vs Ohio State Reddit Live Stream With some due regard to Wisconsin, Penn State is getting off the transport with the most amazing, athletic, and hardest protective front that Ohio State has confronted all year. There are issues with the Nittany Lion D – getting to that in a minute – however yet nobody has had the option to run for more than 3.5 yards per carry on this bundle, nobody has hit the 200-yard mark, and just three groups have had the option to push past 100 yards. It can get beat on a piece – Michigan had the option to get physical in the subsequent half – however the following level ability in a few spots compensates for it by getting behind the line and not permitting any kind of a major play on the ground. The Ohio State hostile line has been fabulous, however it had issues keeping Wisconsin out of the backfield, surrendering five sacks. Start with Penn State being far superior at getting to the quarterback, and go from that point. Fields will must be considerably faster with his basic leadership capacity this week, and he won't have the option to take off and run voluntarily. Repulsively, Penn State has the brisk strike capacity to in any event answer the Ohio State grand slams. The O doesn't be able to keep up if this gets into a wild shootout if the Buckeyes go off, yet KJ Hamler and Jahan Dotson are each averaging more than 17 yards for every catch, the tight closures are risky, and the offense has discovered something in the course of the most recent two weeks in RB Voyage Darker, who followed up a 124-yard day against Minnesota with 100 yards against Indiana.

1 note · View note

michiganohiostate-blog · 4 years

Text

Ohio State vs Michigan Football

1 note · View note

Last Seen Blogs