#these sell out fairly quickly at least last year they did
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Time for another Batman OC! Again not too awful original, but this one is my own take on the Brave and the Bold character Scream Queen.
She was Crane's star student, who became obsessively hopelessly in love with him enough to follow him down his path of a rogue while also both, harboring a complicated romantic relationship together. This one's a little dubious sooo
CW: Stalking, Student/Teacher descriptions down below
Name: Kathleen "Kathy" Holloway
Alias: Scream Queen
Age: 27
Gender: Cis Female
Identifies: Bisexual
Race: Human
Ethnicity: White
Nationality: American
Birth town: Gotham Heights
Current Living: Grand Avenue
Allegiance: True Neutral- Neutral Evil
Powers/Abilites:
Cursed hooded dress - Her magically cursed dress hoodie gives her many different abilities, such as below:
Flight
Invisibility
Sonic Scream - one of, if not her only, means of attack. It let's out powerful screams enough to blast through concrete and even metal to an extent. Every scream she emits is different sounding than the last; She hypothesized that the different screams it omits are most likely the screams it's collected from all of its past victims.
Life Force Draining - This ability is what helps power her Sonic Scream. It emits a different colored beam that is used to literally take the breath away of any living thing until the victim is drained completely of their life force (their breath per se), leaving them as a completely immobile, breathless husk. This, remarkably, is also collected by the cloak and stored as another victims scream to add to the ever-growing collection. This can and WILL kill the victim if not treated right way.
Medical/ Pharmaceutical Knowledge - Her family background and her Major in college has made her very knowledgable in the ways of treating illnesses, injuries, and even some knowledge in drugs/medicine. Even though she never got licensed, they are skills that absolutely do in a pinch and help with Crane in the lab sometimes.
History: Kathy Holloway was born into a wealthy family who does business selling medical technology. Perhaps not as wealthy and as influential as names like Wayne, but were still known and respected fairly well by those around them since they help contribute to some of the hospitals in Gotham. In her childhood, Kathy was determined by teachers to be intellectually smart for her age. However, she was als considered "the creepy weird girl" that her peers hated to be around or bullied her. It also didn't help that she had little interest in what other people her age liked and would sometimes get into arguments and fights with other kids. She was bothering a lot of her peers to the point that word got around and even her family couldnt help but think she was a problem child. But in response to her high intellect, they made her spend a few years of her childhood studying, then counseling at school and then taking finishing lessons at home as a means of keeping her in line and shaping her to be "normal" enough. It put a lot of pressure and hurtful abuse on her self esteem. She still wouldn't break from her usual self, but she tried her best to play along just so it could stop. When Kathy became 13, it started to feel pointless to her parents, and she was then considered "not to be bothered with anymore" and focuses on furthering her younger brother's growth instead.
Later on in highschool, it was at least a little less restricting than it was at home. Kathy was still ostracized among peers who grew up with her, but still managed to become friends and eventually a relationship with a senior year boy. However, she quickly became infatuated with him to the point of stalking him. She was caught and had a restraining order put on her, she was suspended from school for a time, which isolated her even more. She managed to graduate highschool with relatively no troubles, but as soon as she did, her family kicked her out of home, and cut her off after feeling too much shame from their failed and disturbed child. She hasn't made any attempt to contact any of them since. Luckily, Kathy had some money to her name, enough to find a place to stay, found a job at a nearby metaphysical shop, which was then when she found the cursed hooded dress that she decided to keep. When she discovered its frightening abilities, she quickly begun figuring out how it works and, taking inspiration from her favorite horror movies, uses its powers to commit small, haunted robbery's that left police and detectives baffled at how this is even happening. Gotta pay the rent and food somehow.
After a while, after finally scraping and stealing enough, Kathy uses said money to finally get into Gotham University. It was there she met Proffessor Crane, taking one of his Psycology classes. She didn't think much of him at first, but as soon as he acknowledged her intelligence and in her assignments (considering her one of his star students), how she saw how he revelled in his obsession with fear, and his phobia experiments on other people, she felt a kinship to him and his dark eccentricities and fell instantly in love with him. She would stalk him for a few months after that, trying to get his attention in any way subtle way she could. There was reluctance, but Jonathan gave in and thus begun having a relationship with his star student, albeit brief. She still stalked him, even finding out that he has taken on the Scarecrow persona after hearing how he was fired and kicked out of the school for his horrible experiments.
She continued her schooling after his attack on the University until she eventually got her masters, but continued keeping tabs on his whereabouts and activities. Even taking on her Scream Queen persona to help him out of a jam or two (much to Scarecrows confusion and uneasiness at first). She was finally caught one night when she got a little too brave sneaking into one of his secret hideouts and they found out both their identities. Scarecrow honestly thought that he would never see her again, let alone all that she has been doing without him noticing OR she was the reason behind a few of his close calls. Nonetheless, he couldnt take that risk no matter how fondly he thinks of her. But in response, Kathy insisted that as a compromise, she stay by his side and work alongside him in whatever he needed; She was more than willing to take this chance to be near him as much as she could. Scarecrow was both reluctant and distrustful at first. She knew his hideout and, apparantly, more so about him than he thought and could use it however she pleased. But on the other hand, she would've done so anytime but didnt and already said she is loyal to him (definitely stroked his ego). He definitely thought her strange abilities could be useful and knew how capable she was already. They, at first, agree to work together in the sense that they could both ruin each other at anytime, but Scarecrow soon starts realizing that they work together a lot better than he thought. Thus begun a complicated, twisted, slow burn romance that he never thought he'd get into with his right hand in fear, "Scream Queen".
Notes/Quirks:
Its typical, but she likes horror movies from all range of subgenres, but has a personal love for the ghost/haunting genre; she knows a very good amount of horror trivia; Some of her favorite directors are Dario Argento, James Whale and Wes Craven.
While in school, Kathy minored in Film/Acting because of her love of horror media and the means of producing and acting in them. Taking much inspiration from the actresses and female characters is what made her borrow the term "Scream Queen" as her alias.
While working at the metaphysical shop. She learned a few things like tarot reading from a former friend/employee of hers. She didn't entirely believe it (at least not at first before she found a literal magic hoodie for crying out loud!), but she thinks it's all very interesting to learn about.
She prefers to be called by her shorter name "Kathy" because she doesn't like her full name or when other people use it. Jonathan is one of the handful of people whom she let's call her "Kathleen".
The only family members that Kathy can say she remembers fondly or indifferently towards to was her little brother, and her estranged Aunt on her mother's side. Her Aunt being the one person she felt connected to due her Aunt also being seen as an embarrassment by her family. She unfortunately passed away when Kathy was 11. Kathy and her little brother, sadly didn't spend much time together. Her brother would be constantly away in his own schedule their parents made and was 7 when Kathy was kicked out. He doesn't remember much about her.
#art#dc#batman#btas#batman tas#batman the animated series#btas oc#batman tas oc#btas scarecrow#scarecrow#jonathan crane#cw stalking#cw student/teacher#some stuff might change in the future idk
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todo es un acto - PG10 (Pierre Gasly) x Reader
Idk I had a weird bout of energy while in hospital and wrote this, if it’s shit I’m sorry blame the pain killers? Nevertheless I hope you enjoy this weird little story and if the Spanish or French is written wrong dm me what to fix and help me lol cause google translate isn’t a friend, I learnt that from year 7 Indonesian project… that I failed! Anywho have a bloody lovely day y’all and thanks for taking time to read my silly little imagines, I love you all 💙.
Warnings: mentions of weight, beauty standards & abusive exs.
Anything written like “this” will be spoken in Spanish.
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Pierre Gasly had gained himself a reputation and not a good one, the fans were turning on him, his life was in shambles and he was titled a player and not the good kind. A new girl every location, showing up hungover, risking being dropped from Alpha Tauri all because he had given up on love, his dreams and life, the stress from the world’s eyes had broken the now 26 year old. That’s when y/n got a call from her manager she was a back up dancer for international pop stars CNCO, her life was going well until rumours of her relationship with her assigned dance partner member Christopher broke. The fangirls turned on her and abandoned the couple they once shipped and it wasn’t even true, they had great chemistry… sparks even but they were best friends they put on a facade a show for the audience and they bought into it a too hard.
That’s how y/n found herself here in a Alpha Tauri office, F1 driver Pierre Gasly sat across from her and her manager, at least 5 members of his team, who she knew as his team principle cause that’s how he introduced himself and some shareholders in their business all having a meeting. “You two will stage a relationship” the girl’s manager Mary said, she’d grown up with Mary she was her other best friend she was older than her by 3 years and got the job after a few years in university. “Fuck off” the driver mutters “nah you’re kidding right” she looked at her friend fear clear in her eyes she was 21 freshly and had too heard about what he put girls through, at this point the whole world had. “He’s 5 years older than me, how is that even believable?” y/n stood up but Mary pulled her down hand in hand “it’ll save all 3 careers, You, Chris and His” she points to the Frenchman who’d now gone defensive as his team manger man speaks up “Pierre as you’re aware you are one mistake away from being dropped completely from his sport, don’t ruin what we’ve put money and hard work into for you. Y/n here will be your girlfriend, we’ve made up a story and everything. You two met last year at that Spanish Grand Prix, you’ll reunite making it officially public… cnco will perform at the Spanish Grand Prix this year, obviously you’ll dance there. We need physical affection galore, sell it or your careers are finished.” He stands up dismissing himself as I stare at the man.… Pierre, Pierre Gasly. How did this even happen?
Y/n’s p.o.v
A woman wearing a Alpha Tauri blazer speaks next “Y/n and you have a date planned for tonight at 7pm, Pierre pick her up and take her home after. There will be at least 10 paparazzi there” she smiles a sad smile at me “we have your dress picked up, Carmen will come do your makeup and hair” Mary pats my back Chris’ artist had really been flown all the way out here for this, what I thought was a getaway in Milan was fairly changing. I stand up walking away quickly calling Chris as soon as I could “they’re making me fake fate some fallen off sports star all because of our rumours” I breathlessly splurt out “aye aye, amor… breathe they’re what?” He tries to calm me down “they’re making me date a F1 driver whose gonna lose his job cause he’s a fuckboy” I scoff “hey, it’s gonna be okay amado” I start to tear up “he’s 26, he has serious issues and woman aren’t known as valuable to him. Chris this is a death sentence” I take a seat on a chair outside “look I know it’s hard, but it’ll save your career… apparently so his too. Look I’ll be here every step of the way if he tries anything I’m ending him” I chuckle Chris was my everything Mary was all I had left in my childhood. Disowned by my father after my mother died… I thought my life had been shit enough without being sold to a boy but apparently not. “I’m coming to pick you up, we arrived in Milan last night. We have a meeting with some car racing company… which makes sense now” he sighs “Chris, he’s walking over to me, I have to go… I love you” I hung up before he can speak.
“Hello, y/n was it?” He sits next to me I simply nod and he break character “look I know this isn’t ideal. You’re not my type anyways, but I really don’t want to be known as the guy I am I wasn’t always like this. Believe it or not I thought I’d found my forever clearly not…” he pauses while bitterly laughing to himself he’d obviously been through some shit “I just, I guess I’m asking although we don’t know each other… can you please help, just don’t fall for me mon amour” he smirks what the fuck this guy was seriously tryna play like a player after all I know well then “maybe, look it’s not ideal but if it saves Chris’ career then I’ll do it” I don’t bat an eyelash leaving him out that’s when I notice a few fans taking tours I snuggle into his side quickly putting his arm around me “don’t ask just play with with it” I whisper into his ear as he smiles “babe I have to go soon I have meetings” he speaks at a inside level volume as two young girls approach us “omg Pierre, hello!!” They smile widely slightly side eyeing me “ah hello, what are your names?” He stands up detaching us to give the girls attention I stand up too slightly to the side I watch as they try to take selfies “did you want me to take photos for you both?” I ask as the blonde girl turns to me “could you PLEASE?” I chuckle lightly “of course” I grab the phone and start taking photos getting good angles of everyone as the girls thank me “you’re literally the sweetest thank you!” The brown haired girl smiles “no worries at all, gotta get the good pics for Instagram babes!!” I smile and they laugh overall pretty good so far “so Pierre is this a new play thing?” The blonde snaps I freeze as I feel a hand over my waist then a head on my shoulder “no, this is my girlfriend, those days are gone” he smiles it looked genuine, it’s silent for a while “I’m so proud of you for changing for the better, it would’ve been so upsetting if I had to stop supporting you” she sighs I step in for a second “hey trust me, if he acted like a dick to me he’d be beat” I laugh and she does too “trust me malice commenters on the internet have no idea how good he is, everyone makes mistakes but he’s improving himself everyday!” I smile at the Frenchman fondly “can we all take a selfie?” The brown haired girl asks shyly “of course lovely” I smile pulling Pierre in and posing “thank you so much, we will leave you alone now!” They both smile hugging us both and walking the opposite directly “wow y/n you handled that well!” He budges my shoulder “happens to Chris all the time I’m used to it, Pierre I’ll cut to the chase. I’ll do whatever I have to for my friend I’m doing this for him, his career that he’s worked hard for, I could care less about you” with that I kiss his cheek to put on a show turn around walking to the office I knew Mary was still sat at. “I told you, for Chris I’ll do anything” with that I nod to Mary signalling to leave “it’s been lovely to meet you Fabiana I have a feeling I’ll see you soon” they smile sharing a friendly handshake before we leave “you’re committed to this already huh, just don’t fall in love with him” she snarks “trust me, he’s too much of a prick for me to wanna be with him” I laugh “now remember you attend a few dates, then in 3 weeks we fly to Spain for the Spanish Grand Prix. You’ll be offical, remember…” I cut her rant off “ appearance is everything” I roll my eyes the same line she’s told me for years. As I’m about to hit freedom I feel some hands around my waist I turn around shocked but I am met with Chris “eyyy, Christopher” I scream hugging him it had been a month or so since we’d had a rehearsal so I hadn’t seen him, “aye mami, save the screaming for later” he quirks his eyebrow as I smack his shoulder “let’s go get you ready for a hot date” he smirks “I hate you” I mutter as he walks us to a car he rented “Carmen is in the hotel lobby you are staying at the same place, let’s go” Mary demands and Chris opens the door for me laughing I get in.
Pierre’s p.o.v
Pierre stood at the door watching it unfold how friendly and touchy they were Chris, that’s who he was a tattooed up 2012 Justin Bieber knock off who spoke Spanish. He was gonna stalk socials before the date “careful staring is bad for your eyes” Pyry sneaks behind Pierre “she’s not meant to be my type” I whisper allowing myself to be vulnerable as I trusted him “Pierre buddy, your type is superficial, obedient from what I’ve heard she’s grown up around Latin women. She’s gonna fight you with her first energy, she’s not a precious model” he pats my back laughing “she’s a bit fat” I whisper “she’s healthy mate, say that shit again you’ll not have anyone left in your corner” with that he walks away I never used to be like that, what happened to the old me?
Y/n’s p.o.v
Chris takes us back to the hotel and I let him, Carmen, Richard, Erick & Mary into my room “where is Zabbie?” I ask “he went to visit his mama” I nod as Erick replies “so what? You’re just expected to fake date this random guy?” Richard asks me “yeah to save and I quote his career and break the reputation he has as well a woman using asshole, to save Chris and I too as well” I scoff “chica you didn’t tell me that… I’d rather lose everything then have you suffer through this man” Chris bursts out “no, it’s okay. We promised our dreams would come true, I now must work to keep what I promised” I smile to him sadly yes I loved him, but we had too strong of a bond to ever risk losing each other that we agreed upon in the beginning “well it’s 5 pm now let’s get you ready” Carmen ushers me to the bathroom “Dress and shoes is in there, I’ll do your hair and makeup after “You have time for a shower” she smiles and I lock the door getting ready for the longest night of my life after my shower I stare at the navy blue lace show string strapped dress in front of my a metallic silver 3 inch heels “not bad” I say as I put it on zipping it up at the back with great struggle, I walk out “what do we think?” I ask the group currently sprawled across my bed and floor “aye mami” Chris almost moans turning me red “estas caliente!” Erick says straight up making everyone laugh “thank you, thank you” I smile Richard looks like a hungry lion looking at me “now are we sure she can’t fake date me?” He winks and I remember now why I never hang out with these idiots unless I must “stop it y’all” I gush. Carmen works her magic with my hair curling it and gives me fancy makeup like proper red lip, slightly Smokey eye but with dark blues and culver accessories “I feel like a new person” I say to no one in particular “you look gorgeous” she smiles “all thanks to you” I hug her briefly.
“Time check?” I yell to the boys over pretend playing in the background “6:50 pm” I nod would he even show up? “Come dance” Chris takes my hand and we salsa around to the addictive beat playing loudly through a speaker I didn’t take notice of the boys filming us in our own little world spinning hand in hand laughing slightly, like we did when I was new to the group. Interrupted by the knocks on the door “here we go” I mumble “you got this y/n” Chris mumbles I fix my hair straightening up opening the door with a smile “hi” I say no louder than a whisper “hey” he smiles “you look…étonnante” he says in French giving me chills “ah amazing” he corrects himself I smile “you don’t look to bad yourself Gasly” I smile I open the door to grab my purse “he’s staring at your ass” Erick says a little too loudly “for real for real” Richard adds “ah Pierre come meet my friends” ushering him in with my hand “meet Richard, Erick and Christopher!” I smile pointing to each boy he shakes their hand “this is Mary, you’ve met her and this is Carmen” I watch him hug them both “well we should be off, lovely to meet you all. I am sure I’ll be seeing a lot more of you!” He smiles titling his head slightly was he being overly fake? “Don’t wait up” I smile waving to them all offering Chris a reassuring smile as Pierre takes my hand to escort me out “I drove here by the way, so I could drop you off” he looks down I couldn’t tell if this was an act or how he was it was confusing “that’s very sweet, I appreciate it Pierre” I offer him a smile lifting his head with my hand “you’re quite the gentleman” I smirk placing a hand on his forearm “I’m really trying” he sighs “keep this up we might actually pull off being a couple” I giggle as we reach the car he opens the door for me to get in closing it jumping on his side it’s awkward at first but it’s like a 5 minute drive music lowly playing Pierre humming a little nervously.
When we arrive we get seated outside on the balcony of the 4th floor of the restaurant I take in my surroundings it was so surreal, “this is so nice” I gasp this wasn’t what I was expecting we sit down being handed champagne and menus looking through I already knew I was having pasta… when in Italy right? “So tell me about yourself” Pierre breaks the silence I’m not gonna lie his voice was addictive “well that depends how much you wanna know, I’m 21… I am a professional dancer, I have no family so cnco are pretty much my bros. I dabble in song worrying and production, I really love travel and my biggest fear in losing my loved ones.” I laugh “you gotta be specific or else I’ll just say anything I think of” I shrug he looks intently into my eyes unbeknown to me mentally noting to ask when more comfortable about the past “what about you Gasly?” I smile and he replies with more than I expected “uh well, I’m 26, I drive fast cars for a living, I used to drive for red bull but go demonted after poor performance so I’m with Alpha Tauri have been for a while. I want to be world champion one day, I love fashion and I was born in Rouen in France” he lights up the awkward tension floating away “fashion, I can tell you dress incredibly well” I smile I found myself doing a lot of that he didn’t seem that bad so far he takes a sip of his drink “may I take your order?” A man asks standing at the end of our table Pierre orders first then I do “I’ll get the _________ please, sir” I smile and he nods “of course anything for a gorgeous lady like you” he comments and I shift uncomfortably, the sir wasn’t an advance it was a formality Pierre notices and grabs my hand across the table “also I think girlfriend and I will get some more champagne please sir” he bites and I giggle lightly “yes of course, right away” he scrambled away “you okay mon Ange?” He asks soft tonnes almost worried “yeah yeah, just… uncomfortable for a second, thank you for that by the way” I can’t lift my gaze as it’s stuck firmly on our interlocked hands “I have to protect my girlfriend, wouldn’t be much of a boyfriend if I didn’t” he laughs right yes the act… it’s all just an act.
Pierre’s p.o.v
Once again I found myself growing fond of this girl, she was so far left of what I aimed for in the past that it was almost right. I saw she was uncomfortable and acted before I thought, I wanted to protect her, I couldn’t become this attached to a stranger but something was pulling me to her something aside from a contract. Our food comes out and after eating we talk some more I notice she’s really cold so I stand up as her eyes follow me to beside her taking off my blazer revealing my white button up shirt placing it around her I notice slightly that there are paparazzi outside cameras pointed at us so hopefully they get good shots of me haha. “Thank you Pierre” she smiles at me while my heart rate picks up, I thought she’d be so closed off, cold but she embraced this whole act… right it was only an act.
We have dessert with very little begging required from y/n for me to cave Pyry wasn’t gonna be happy with me, I didn’t care she looked to happy right now for me to care, gorgeous and happy there was something rather wholesomely endearing about her. Sexy and cute maybe this whole fake dating wouldn’t be too bad, but how long could I let this just be an act. It was already driving me mad she just wasn’t typically what I wanted or what any other driver had. I learnt that she was passionate about her loved ones and would do anything for them, she learnt about my struggles in F1 this far we opened up that was usually a good first step. “What are you comfortable with, when we have to public ally display ourselves?” I ask her genuinely as not to overstep we were still strangers “hand holding, being clingy, playful pecks on the cheek ect” I was slightly flustered when she mentioned kisses “might I have a good luck peck prior to my races” I chuckle and she slyly nods “does that also mean when you have to attend more races, you’ll walk into the paddock by my side?” She hesitates “I’m not sure” I pause before figuring I might as well be honest “it would mean a lot to me, right now I’ve turned everyone even my own parents against me… I walk in alone and it breaks me” I feel myself tearing up I wasn’t about to cry, I was never that vulnerable or weak she stands up coming over to me throwing her legs over mine sitting facing me in what should’ve been a sexual position but she turned it tender, comforting. She places her hands on my face as she looks at me wiping under my eyes “for now I’ll be in your corner Pierre, you have me, I’ll allow that much but please don’t break me” she smiles sadly before connecting her lips briefly with mine I was taken aback but I kissed back for a short time she tried to stand but but I pull her head against my shoulder bringing her closer to me, I look down to her exposed thigh thinking about how she was so vastly different, she wasn’t a perfect stick, she had captivating curves, thicker thighs, an ass and some perky boobs. I couldn’t deny he loved looking at her “you’re incredible” I mumble “I know” she smirks “let’s be the best couple ever” she smiles playing with my hair I freeze she didn’t say fake, why didn’t she say fake? He is broken in his thought “thank you for not saying I was too heavy” she looks down to the ground behind her “what? Why would I say that?” I was confused did she hear what I said, did someone tell her what I said to Pyry? “My ex used to say it all the time, I couldn’t sit on him or cuddle or play fight or anything he said I was too fat, too heavy, weighed too much to be shown off like that” I hate myself in that moment I was so superficial she may not know I said it but oh gosh did I feel guilty, she was younger than me and I really tried to profile her something so variable as looks. “He didn’t deserve you angel” the words flowed so easily as of it was more than a sentence but a declaration, “well aren’t you a charmer mr. Gasly” she smiles her head going to the nape of my neck “let’s hope they haven’t caught us” she giggles hearing camera clicks galore “alright let’s get you home or else I’m going to take this too far” I admit no higher than a whisper I didn’t want to ruin the moment but I felt more than I should in that moment she stops lifts her head and smacks my arm playfully “cheeky” and gets off me I slightly miss the close contact it’s like I’ve been spelled. That couldn’t of been an act, no way.
Y/n’s p.o.v
He paid for us, thankfully I probably couldn’t afford a breath of air here let alone what we ate but he seemed more genuine less guarded “let’s get you home shall we” he smiles I still had his blazer on arms safely through the arm holes it smelt expensive much like he did. Comforting, attractive and very nice honestly if he kept this up I may very well fall in love, he was charming, cheeky and safe… he felt safe how could this be the man I read all those rumours about? On the drive home he rested a hand on the wheel and one on my thigh it felt weirdly cliche but also perfect, “I think most people have brought it” I smile to him telling him indirectly he could drop the act but his hand stayed “the internet will believe anything, we have to play the part well enough to convince everyone around us” he says I could tell impressing the paddock, ultimately getting his friends back, that was most important “if they don’t believe us, I’ll just make out with you in front of them” I laugh “promise” he smirks pull up at my hotel “I almost don’t wanna say goodbye” I sigh realising what I said smacking my hand I’ve my mouth “you’re not the only one” he turns to face me giving my thigh a little squeeze “I’d like to take you out again soon” the contact was intense feeling myself losing touch to reality “I’d like that you did” he lets go getting out of the car to escort me to my room. “Why don’t you come to Grand Prix this weekend? It’ll be as a spectator but maybe you’ll get a feel for what goes on to… Yaknow ah prepare for Spain?” He scratches the back of his head “I’d love to, I wanna see you in your element” hugging him before I even thought about it “what’re you doing to me y/n” he scoffs “oh I’m sorry” I back away looking hurt “no no no, I mean… I like you being near, probably too much” I was taken aback “for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re a bad guy Pierre I just think you got lost in all the fame, pressure and what not” I pat his shoulder but he bends down hugging me “you’re the first person to say that mon chéri” my heart flutters pet names “I told you, I’m in your corner mi querida” I caress his cheek as he connects our foreheads “this feels right” he mutters almost too quiet to hear “if I don’t say goodnight now I won’t leave” he chuckles standing up and walking away “aye Gasly” I call to him as he stops in place I run up to him connecting our lips “it does feel right” I smile turning around back to my room shocked at what I did but more shocked when I open my room to Christopher, Richard, Erick and Mary all watching a horror movie so I sneak up behind them phone filming in hand sneaking up to them “BOO!” I scream and they lose it I laugh so hard I could’ve peed myself. “Hello crazies, it is I the best friend y’all got back and alive from my date” I announce and they bombard me with questions which I ignore “mes tired, mes going to shower and to beds, good night my sexy people” I throw a peace sign up and strut to my bathroom.
This wasn’t just an act anymore and that was terrifying.
#f1 x reader#f1 x y/n#f1 imagine#pierre gasly#pierre gasly imagine#pierre gasly x reader#pierre gasly x y/n#pierre gasly oneshot#pg10
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Year end
546 films, that surprised me too.
734 books, no surprise there.
250 albums which seems a bit low.
I did not achieve my submission goal, but I have enough written that I can edit and submit frequently next year. There was a 3 month span where I was writing 3 or 4 things a day, but then I had a bad thing happen which cascaded into another bad thing, and though I did write two things about it, it kind of killed the momentum I had built up, and I only wrote those two things in the last month.
I have one new thing I need to learn to complete the skill set I determined I would need if I need to look for a new job in June. It should not be difficult to learn it. I already made a roadmap and gathered the materials I will need. I guess a goal could be preemptively finding a new job, but I doubt I will. No other real target goal for next year aside from the aforementioned acquisition and submission. The latter I have also heavily researched and read a submission guide for my chosen field and weeded out of the 2000 or so venues anything that did not fit for me. It seems pretty evident the best places to submit require money for a reader’s fee, but that is in exchange for feedback regardless of acceptance, so that seems worth it due to my inexperience.
I feel like I am the least prepared for this coming year even though the last few were also fairly goalless. I guess I am in the mood for a hard goal again, so I will look for something.
There was no method to my movie watching except for trying to complete filmographies on letterboxd. That led to some interesting discoveries, so I will continue that. No method to music either (new control number 4,111), but there are several discographies like David Byrne and Bjork I would like to complete by filling in their more obscure albums.
I probably have to move soon so most of my reading has been about what can I complete quickly that I can sell back to the bookstore right after in order to lighten my transportation needs later.
For TV, I listed what I watched in the order I watched it which is why 9 below seems odd. There were many other things too, but they were new this year and I was not catching up on old seasons so I did not think to put it down.
Easy 1
Dollface 1-2
The Blacklist 8-9
The White Lotus 1-2
Hacks 1-2
The Outlaws 1-2
Kim's Convenience 1-5
Strays 1-2
The Office 8, 7, 6, 2, 9, 3, 4
Finished up some games that were lingering for awhile in partially played states.
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
Ghosts of Tsushima [NG+] (PS4)
Dishonored (PS3)
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (Switch)
Pikmin 3 (Switch)
Rage 2 (PS4)
Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Dishonored 2 (PS4)
Tiny Tina's Wonderland (PS4)
It Takes Two (PS4)
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
Call of Duty: Vanguard (PS4)
Astro's Playroom (PS5)
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (PS4)
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5)
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Cannon Dancer Osman - Not so random review - Vol.3
Format: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed) Also on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S
Publisher: United Games Entertainment (ININ Games / Strictly Limited Games)
Developer: Mitchell Corporation (Port by Ratalaika Games S.L.)
Release year: 2023 (1996 Original Arcade Release)
Genre: Platformer
Official Website: https://www.iningames.com/games/cannon-dancer-en
Randomised Gaming reviewed the PlayStation 4 digital download version of Cannon Dancer, the code was provided to us by PR Hound to cover the game.
Over the last few years we've had a real renaissance in older games from the 80s, 90s and 00s getting long overdue re-releases. Mitchell Corporation was one such company whose games have largely remained lost to time, best remembered for the PANG series of games they did with Capcom. In 1996 the designer of the Capcom arcade platformer Strider, Kouichi “Isuke” Yotsui decided it was time to make a sequel to the game and so set about at Mitchell to make his version of Strider 2.
With Capcom owning the rights to Strider, there had to be a few changes, but aside from the look of the hero and the name of the game. This really is a true sequel to Strider in all but name. Unfortunately this was a 2D game released in 1996 when 3D was becoming all the rage in arcades and that's not mentioning the fact its 2D visuals look very dated compared to rival arcade games like Marvel Super Heroes and Metal Slug which came out around the same time period.
Cannon Dancer as it was called in Japan and Osman in the rest of the world, didn't do that well. Selling okay in Japan and flopping overseas, the arcade is rare to say the least and to date I have never seen the raw PCB board in action. For most people emulators like MAME are most likely the place where they played this first, which is true of myself.
I always had a soft spot for Capcom's Strider even if the game was somewhat messy in places. So finally in 2023 United Games Entertainment have teamed up once again with Ratalaika Games to bring you a near perfect version of Cannon Dancer and its first ever home release. I say near perfect as Ratalaika Games have made an error in not allowing users to access the game's dipswitch / options menu at present hidden in the service test mode . Which massively reduces the replay value of the game as it means you can't set the difficulty, change the number of lives, set the size of your starting life bar or change the extend settings or even turn the gore on or off. Certain enemy attack moves only appear on the harder settings as well.
That major issue over, which hopefully United Games Entertainment and Ratalaika Games will patch fairly quickly in the future and I'll be sure to update this review as and when they do, if they do. Is the only issue I really have with the port as the emulation here is the best to date of the game.
The missing options as shown in the arcade's service test mode via MAME.
As you would expect from former Capcom staff Cannon Dancer is a superbly crafted action platformer, if somewhat unforgiving. The first few times you play Cannon Dancer you will lose a credit on the first stage and even more on the later stages. It does take awhile to learn the stage layout and design, but once you spend some time practising you can really master each stage and your opponents. The starting level of difficulty certainly would have put off arcade players in the 90s, many players would have likely turned their back on it after one go, but give it a chance and there is a true gem here.
Osman kicks and climbs his way through each stage and has a decent selection of moves in his arsenal, even if the air suplex, rolling throw and running from slide moves aren't detailed in the game and a moves list would have been very welcome. There's also the super bomb attack which is limited to 3 uses per life and acts a a screen clearing move and deal heavy damage to bosses.
Gameplay wise the controls are spot on with Osman using his kicks to attack. Each time you grab a power up orb you get a shadow Osman that will appear and remain in place for a few seconds. Up to a maximum of four with the last upgrade also giving you a kick limited super long range kick that deals out heavy damage. What makes this game tough is any damage you take, reduces your attack by one level and the super kick only lasts for 20 kick attacks, this limit increases each time you collect the super kick, so long as you don't ever take damage.
The 2D pixel visuals are first class, but they look more on par with arcade games from 1993 not 1996. Each stage has a very different visual theme and look. The city feel of the first stage, which clearly homages Strider is very different to the sunken desert of stage three and the submarine of the sea on the forth. The bosses are also a vibrant cast of characters, from machines made of trash and metals, a flaming man, huge monsters, rival assassins and a dark goddess that wants to enslave the world.
The plot is just bonkers and doesn't make much sense, most of the English text in Osman is best described as Engrish at best and a better translation of the text would have been welcome. Not that the plot in the game matters, as you are trying to take down all the enemies around you. The only real average area of the game is the music and sound effects, which don't really standout from the crowd.
This home port comes with both revisions of the arcade that's Cannon Dancer and Osman. It also features a standard mode, which lets you play with any number of all new extras and bonus features turned on or off, to help make the game easier. These extras included a much needed double jump, various invulnerable moves and attacks along with auto fire. Many of them help give Cannon Dancer a new lease of life and improve the quality of the game.
Sadly one extra I would have liked to have seen, would have been to allow the player to remain in the final super kick upgrade state until they take a hit, as the fact it runs out so quickly after you obtain it, is really annoying. Also the fact the super attack (Bomb) uses don't reset after you clear a stage is another downer and one a perk to address this issue would have been most welcome also.
Adding to the gameplay is the new challenge mode, which allows players to take up to two of the extra perks to try and beat the game with and unlock the included trophies and achievements. As the game will take you to the cleaner the first time you play it you will have to get in some practice in order to overcome slaver and her forces. It took me a good couple of hours of practise and I ended up using the invulnerable attack and 4 credits perk to beat the game. The challenge mode adds in a lot of fun and the perks help to make it a far better game. Common place features like rewind and save state which you expect with these types of modern emulation releases are also included.
While overall the game is very well designed there are a few bits that are just insanely hard. The sudden introduction of reset points on the last stage is one. Forcing you to restart various boss fights on death results in a few frustrating moments and one that will cause you just to spam your super attack lots. While I can clear the last stage without issue now, I still end up using multiple lives clearing the last five bosses back to back. The fake Osman fight is very hard to avoid damage on. As are the three assassins together as Cannon's robot makes it impossible in some parts to avoid hits from the other two, making that fight more luck than skill.
Finally the lack of bonus content is somewhat disappointing, there isn't anything like an art gallery, sprite viewers, moves list or sound test in sight. Considering I was able to find the original arcade flyers and instruction manual detailing all the moves on the internet, it would have been nice to see this content included in this release.
Arcade flyer and instructions taken from the arcade-museum and arcade flyers websites.
In the end Cannon Dancer is a challenging cult arcade game from 1996 that perfectly captures the spirit and gameplay of its predecessor. This is everything you would expect from an arcade title developed by a seasoned veteran of the industry. This version is only hampered by the lack of extra content and the missing dipswitch options, which needs patching in. The emulation has improvements over what is seen in MAME right now, making this the best way to play the game.
youtube
Pros
+ First home release since 1996
+ Superb 90s arcade gameplay
+ Responsive and tight controls
+ Great stage design and enemy visuals
+ Strider 2 in all bar name
Cons
- Dipswitches are all missing
- No extra content, arcade flyers, sound test, moves list, etc..
- Music and audio is very average
Review by Random Gamer Riven.
Twitter: RDGamerRiven
Email: [email protected]
Follow Randomised Gaming on Tumblr, for video game, art, reviews, features, videos and more. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitch & Twitter for even more gaming & video content! Buy us a tea on Ko-fi
#Cannon Dancer#Osman Arcade#inin games#strictly limited games#1996#2023#Mitchell Corporation#Kouichi “Isuke” Yotsui#game key provided to randomised gaming#Nintendo Switch#PlayStation4#Xbox#PlayStation5#arcade#Youtube
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Day27
I wrote about food yesterday. Let's continue the theme and talk about drink. I mean, I've already covered coffee and tea pretty thoroughly, but then there's sparkling water, juice, smoothies, bubble tea, and of course alcohol. Yeah, I can write a thousand words about this.
First of all, the absolute best beverage to hydrate and refresh is water. But tap water usually tastes nasty, especially in cities; in the country a well might be the source of the water, so you don't know how it's going to taste. In our household we don't drink bottled water; we filter the tap water. So the rule is, pour out what you need and replace it immediately, that way it doesn't run too low or even run out. Guess who has trouble remembering this rule? That's right, the youngest member of the family. She'll learn.
We used to buy huge crates of canned sparkling water, then we figured out that the little appliance known as sodastream works out to be more cost effective, and we don't have to clutter up our small apartment with used aluminum cans. I try to always keep at least four flavors on the counter, so I can offer a selection of refreshment. We usually have blackberry, peach, pineapple and lime or cherry.
When I was little, juice was not a constant, it was a treat, and you didn't get a glass of pure juice, either one of your parents diluted your glass, and if your mom did it, you got a glass of water with some juice flavor, and if your dad did it, the flavor was just right: fruity, but not sugary. I was also allowed juice when we went out for breakfast. And one time my grandfather took us out for dinner, and he ordered me a Shirley Temple. I loved that drink so much, for years, I would ask if they had them on the menu when we'd go out as a family.
Speaking of juice, another appliance we purchased years ago and which is still in excellent working order is a juicer. Not one of those high-powered juicers that deafen everyone in the vicinity the instant you turn it on. This one is quiet, and easy to clean. We got it after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". I used it to try a seven day juice fast, and I posted pictures of the juices to my Instagram account. Honestly, homemade juices using fresh fruit and vegetables are very satisfying. I felt hungry at first, but my body adjusted quickly.
And I remember the first time we went to a Chez Cora for breakfast, and I saw this luscious smoothie on the menu. I asked if I could have one, and the answer was yes. It came in a beautiful glass, decorated from top to bottom with fruit. That was my first smoothie, and it was far from my last. I went through a phase where breakfast more than half the time was a smoothie. In the summer, using half a banana, a bit of yogurt, some dairy-free milk, and a scoop of frozen mixed fruit, then blending, that was my ritual in the morning.
Just a few blocks from where we live, we have a little place that sells bubble tea. Just like the Shirley Temple was the epitome of a treat for me, for N- it is the Bubble Tea. And I agree, they're delicious. Recently I saw a sesame flavor on a take out menu. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm curious. I usually go for green tea flavor. N- always chooses fruit. At her age I loved cranberry and grapefruit. N- can eat a bowl of cranberries as if they were a bowl of candy. She's not too fond of grapefruit though.
Our family goes out to coffee shops fairly regularly, and if I see a London Fog or a Matcha Latte listed, I am unable to resist. N- is still at the stage where she wants hot chocolate, but she recently discovered white chocolate with a hint of peppermint. And she is one of the rare kids who actually like 70% cocoa or higher. Almost all of her friends, if not all of them, only like milk chocolate. As I stated yesterday, N- is not picky. Chocolate is chocolate, and you have to watch her otherwise she'll eat a whole palette.
When I turned eighteen I finished my shift at the Inn where I worked, went to the bar, and ordered a drink. Now when I was younger I liked liquor combined with a sugary drink, such as a rum and coke, a whiskey and ginger ale, and less sweet, a gin and tonic. I also enjoyed a glass of wine, or a bottle of beer. Not just any beer: I like scotch ale or imperial stout, as a rule. Like my chocolate, the darker the better. And as far as I'm concerned, the best wine is not from France, from Australia, or from California. It's from Greece. Their wine tastes like sunshine in a bottle.
I recently tried an ale that was made with buckwheat and honey. I've tried several drinks with honey in it, and usually I find them too sweet. But I wanted to test out this one, because I suspected that the buckwheat would add enough complexity to balance with the honey. I was so right: the result was a drink on the level of mead. It was exactly like a fortified wine, but it was beer. We have a friend who makes his own batches of beer, and S- got to help him out one time. Every time we discover a new flavor, we like to bring it with us for him to try. Next time we visit, I'm bringing that buckwheat and honey combination.
It's April 27. Only three more days of posting my writing. I've been working, for the past week, on a memoir of sorts. I suspect a lot of this month's writing will find its way into the book. But not today's. Today's was about having fun, seeing how much I could write on one topic, a fun, easy topic. I can't bare my soul every day. It's finally a sunny day, and my mood reflects it. All week it's alternated between cloudy and rainy, so I welcome the sun. The buds are beginning to show on the trees, the grass has shifted from light brown to green. Spring seems to have made itself known.
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Town Hall Party
Geralt of Rivia x fem!reader
Word Count: 2.4k
Warnings: weapons, talks of hunting
Author’s Note: bestiessss i love geralt and i loved writing this
Summary: You and Geralt, old friends, have always wanted to be something more.
Genre: fluff
Song: Argeers by The Frye and Lighting Consort
I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director
(not my gif)
You had not thought about Geralt of Rivia in a couple of days. You were far out in the wilderness, using your sword to gather you some coin. You were able to bring back some hide and meat to sell before you moved on to the next town.
You weren’t very good at maps but you were fairly sure of where you were. A small town by the water was where you were staying for the last couple of weeks. You were due to move on soon.
You did that as often as you could. You weren’t a witcher by any means, but you had done your fair share of bounty hunting here and there while floating around. You were wanted for crimes in a couple of places and once the town you were in caught on, you would move along.
It was a pity you had to leave this place. The town may have been quaint but you liked the place by the water. You were thinking about that as you walked, watching the trees and trying to stay nimble on your feet.
Your bow was out but it wasn’t drawn. You held it and an arrow lax in your hands as you skipped over a small river and landed on a rock carefully.
You smiled a bit at the landing but was promptly distracted by voices far away. They echoed off the wildlife and you leaned down to listen.
====
Geralt was walking with Jaskier, regretting leaving the horses behind.
“What are we looking for?” Jaskier asked, hopping from rock to rock from being Geralt. Geralt let out another sigh, his fourth in the last couple of minutes.
“For the last time, the Golden Horse.”
“You really think it exists?”
“I think if it does, we’ll have a wonderful amount of money to move along with.” Jaskier looked up at the tall trees. He couldn’t see much of the sky. It was only midday but it was darker than Jaskier had remembered back in town. They would have to turn back soon, he assured himself.
“I could write you another song!”
“Please don’t.”
Geralt heard a snap up ahead and raised his hand. Jaskier ran into it. He quickly caught his balance and instead of searching for whatever had made the noise (Jaskier had not heard a noise regardless) he looked at Geralt's studying expression.
Geralt's eyes scanned the area and he bent down, trying to find the source of the small noise. Perhaps it had been nothing. Jaskier was talking too much, he concluded. He wouldn’t have been able to hear much if there were other noises.
After a moment of silence he stood up straight again and Jaskier started to breath. He didn’t get a very long moment before Geralt unsheathed his sword. He turned quickly on his side and put a sword up to you.
You had appeared from behind a wide tree trunk. You had your bow up, arrow drawn with every intention of firing. When you realized who it was you didn’t put it down immediately. When Geralt realized who it was though, he lowered his sword.
“Y/N, it’s just you.”
“You left without saying goodbye. Bastard.” He pursed his lips. Jaskier smiled brightly at the sight of you, his worries quickly diminished.
“I told him to wait but he took the horses. I’m sorry we didn’t say goodbye,” Jaskier apologized. You looked over at him and dropped your bow. You put the arrow back in your quiver and hugged Jaskier. He hugged you tightly, a smile on his face as he did so.
“At least one of you has human decency.”
“He complained the whole way to the next town,” Geralt grumbled. You smiled and nudged Jaskier.
“At least someone has my back.” You and Geralt shared a look.
You and him had seen each other plenty of times over the years. When you met, you often stayed together for some company and then were able to get a decent night's sleep knowing you were protected.
“What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going west from where I last saw you.”
“We did go west. Now we’re going east,” Geralt said.
“Are you staying at the place over there? By the water?” you questioned. Jaskier’s face lit up.
“Yes! Are you as well?”
“I am.” Jaskier clapped his hands together and nudged Geralt.
“See? I told you coming this way would be a good idea.” Geralt rolled his eyes and looked at you.
“Are you searching for the Golden Horse?” Geralt asked. You shook your head.
“I've heard it’s a lost cause. Which means of course that the two of you are searching for it.” Geralt nodded. He looked up at the trees and let out a sigh.
“We’ll have to head in for the night. It’s getting dark,” Geralt said.
“Walk with us?” Jaskier asked.
“If you would let me.” Your voice was challenging. Geralt knew that leaving without saying goodbye was a dick move and he had mildly regretted it as he traveled without you beside him.
“If you want,” Geralt finally said.
“It’s settled then.” Jaskier concluded. “Let us walk.”
====
You all walked back into town together. People pretended they weren’t staring and you barely noticed. The only person who really did notice was Geralt, who was always keenly aware of what was going on at all times. He rarely let his guard down.
“Pfff I believe Geralt will take that horse and sell it-”
“I don’t know-” You and Jaskier were bickering, as you often did when you were together. All in good fun and you always won, even when you were wrong.
“Miss?” You stopped walking when a small teen girl ran in front of you. Geralt had his hand on his sword hilt, as though the girl was any kind of threat. Both boys stopped beside you.
“Hello, can I help you?” you asked. She looked shy. She had long dark hair that covered most of her pale expression. She held out a small piece of parchment for you.
“There’s a small party tonight at city hall. I wanted to be the one to invite you.”
“I love a good party,” Jaskier commented. You nudged him, taking the parchment and smiling down at her.
“Thank you very much dear. May my friends come?” The girl looked between the two guys and you could tell she was intimidated by Geralt. You leaned down to her eye level and whispered. “He’s not as brooding as he looks,” you promised. She smiled.
“Yes, they may.” You stood up straight again.
“Wonderful! I’ll see you tonight.”
She was gone after just a moment and then you were walking to the small tavern where you were all staying.
“I’m not going,” Geralt muttered.
“Lighten up. Jaskier and I will go and someone has to be our big bad protector,” you said, shoving the door open. You walked up the stairs, passing the bustling people drinking and chatting.
“You need a party,” Jaskier commented.
“Agreed. Where something nice boys. I’m sure you have something,” you teased and then opened your door. They watched as it shut behind you. Geralt stared for a moment longer then he had intended to. Jaskier nudged him but didn’t say anything. Instead he just opened the door to his own room and slipped inside.
======
You wanted to pull all the stops out today. You stared at yourself in the mirror and smoothed out the dress you were wearing.
You didn’t wear dresses that often, simply for convenience purposes but you owned one. You figured today may as well be the day you wore it. Plus, you wanted Geralt to know what he was missing, not that you really admitted that to yourself.
You and Geralt had known each other longer than he knew Jaskier. You always had been friends and companions but never more. You wanted more. You wanted that last bit that you had never gotten.
Geralt once told you he wouldn’t sleep with you because he liked you too much. You still weren’t sure how to take that.
You left for the party and didn’t even bother knocking on their door. They would find you eventually.
Town hall was overlooking the water. There was a wonderful place where the main part of the party was being held that had big arches so that people could run out onto the sand if they wished. You were definitely tempted.
When Geralt and Jaskier arrived, you were already dancing. You were laughing, hair pouncing with your movement. The music was upbeat and lively and you had found the teen girl who was now much less shy. You were both having fun and laughing as she pointed as boys and you danced around each other.
Geralt immediately felt out of place. It was not an emotion that he was unfamiliar with. Jaskier had brought his lute and was ready to go and join the band in some fun. He nudged Geralt before he disappeared.
“I know you don’t like to listen to me, but if you don’t make a move eventually, there are about a dozen people in this room alone that will.” Then he was gone, leaving Geralt with his words. He watched you dance and realized, with a little bit of horror, that Jaskier was right.
Almost like clockwork, your eyes landed on him from the dance floor. Your smile didn’t fall, it only brightened. You danced over and took his hands in yours.
“You clean up nice Geralt,” you commented.
“You look beautiful.” His voice was more serious than you had expected it to be. You got a little flustered but pushed it away quickly.
“Come dance.”
“N-” he started, then thought about Jaskiers words again. He sighed. “Damn bard,” he whispered.
“What was that?”
“Let’s dance.” He grabbed you by the hip and twirled you around. You laughed lightly and let him lead you to the dance floor. He was not as lively as you but he was able to twirl you around a couple of times and once or twice you landed in his arms, swaying with him.
Jaskier watched, his fingers strumming his loot. He had a bright smile on his face when Geralt met his eyes. Jaskier winked.
After a while you grew tired and hungry. Your feet had begun to hurt.
“Shall we retire from this event?” you asked, swaying slightly in Geralt's arms. You hadn’t even noticed how close the two of you were and still hadn’t, too high on the afternoon.
“Yes please,” he said gruffly. You rolled your eyes and took his hand, dragging him out to the water. You slipped off your shoes and put your feet in the water. The cold water felt nice from the hot afternoon. Geralt stood behind you in the sand. You were alone, the rest of the party noises far back in the town hall.
“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” you asked, not looking at him. He knew you were going to ask that at some point. “And don’t lie.”
“I don’t like how much I care for you. I was hoping we wouldn’t run into you again,” he said and he was being honest. He had left you for your own sake. Everyone around him died. He wanted to leave Jaskier as well but the man was already awake and preparing the horses.
You turned around to look at him. The sun was setting. The orange light illuminated your skin beautifully. He had never seen you more stunning.
“You knew I would find you,” you told him quietly.
“Were you looking?”
“Admittedly, no. I didn’t know you were coming this way, I assumed I would find you when I was done being mad you left without saying goodbye,” you said. “When I was done being hurt,” you corrected. You turned fully and walked up to him. Your feet were still being washed over by ocean water. “I care about you Geralt. I know you want to get rid of everything good that has ever happened to you but you won’t get rid of me. Or Jaskier, from the looks of it,” you said and your laughter helped the situation along.
Geralt put his hand on your cheek and you leaned against his touch, locking eyes with him.
“You cannot get hurt.”
“I won’t. I swear it.”
He leaned down and slowly kissed you. Your eyes fluttered shut happily and he grabbed your hip with his free hand to push you against him. His lips tasted of alcohol but you didn’t mind. You pressed your forehead against his when you pulled away.
“You’ve sworn to me,” he whispered. “Keep that promise.” You nodded a little.
“I shall.” You grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles, all of the bruises and cuts.
Jaskier looked at the two of you from one of the arches. He smiled so brightly when you kissed that he started to clap. He put his hands up to his mouth and whooped in happiness.
You looked behind Geralt and pointed with your free hand. He turned around and couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit.
“Now shove him in the water!” Jaskier yelled. You laughed heartily and pulled Geralt into the water. You only got as far as getting his feet in but when you kissed him again, he was putty in your hands. You tried to put your feet up on him to drag him down but eventually he went voluntarily so you were both sitting in the tiny waves.
Jaskier came running down and splashed the two of you.
Laughter filled the air as the sun set. You would likely all stay a few more days.
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Demon Brothers as Roommates
Intro:
So, the MC has left the Devildom and, of course, everybody is quite sad… But this time around, they have a little trick up their sleeve. With just a bit of magic (and training thanks to Solomon) the MC can now summon one of their favorite demon boys up to the human world with them! There's just, uh, one problem though… After being summoned to their side, their beloved demon now refuses to leave it.
Alright MC, enjoy your new demonic roommate!!
Lucifer
Apparently Lucifer is on sabbatical… And yes, he does appreciate that irony in that.
Lucifer actually has a surprising amount of human world money stashed away in alias accounts (because this man renting a cheap motel on business trips? Let's be real) so he uses that wealth to get them a place befitting his standards… which are high.
Spacious apartments in nice areas that would make even the upper middle-class shit their pants? Congrats, MC, that's where you're staying now!
Even with all that money, though, Lucifer CANNOT sit idle for a second. The guy is used to working all his life and just sitting around would drive him insane!
Expect him to still be running some Devildom affairs long-distance style while doing something else on the side, probably stock market stuff tbh.
Is going to want to pay for and provide everything himself but will respect the MC if they still want to work and split the bills (not to a ridiculous degree, though, like half-and-half because that would mean getting three jobs at least).
A lot of trips and vacations too, especially if the MC likes to travel. It’s a good excuse to relax while also technically doing something so he doesn’t lose his mind doing nothing in particular.
He is going to be that strict roommate who expects you not to be a slob and isn't afraid to say so. Regularly scheduled cleaning/organization days are mandatory because hygiene is important. Take some pride in yourself and wash up, MC. That kind of thing.
Also going to have short-fuse for… antics. If you want to prank him, do so at your own risk because he may prank back (and that’s not nearly as fun as it sounds, trust me.)
Mammon
Yeah so, living with Mammon is like the inverse of Lucifer. Prepare to be poooor.
Man has no human money, are you kidding me? Even if he did, he wouldn’t keep it for very long. Couples budgeting is a MUST if you’re looking to survive.
The apartment is going to be whatever the MC can more or less afford on their own with Mammon shoved in somewhere like a cheap lamp… Don’t expect a lot of room.
However, Mammon is great at the hustle. Man can work multiple jobs and actually be pretty dang good at them. For the most part, anyway. He may occasionally trip up and get himself fired, but he bounces back quick.
If the MC isn’t so moral he can also uh… “find” some extra money lying around too. Just be careful when playing with fire, right?
Even if they’re poor as shit, Mammon is still a blast to be around. The guy knows how to have fun on and off of a budget. Lots of “window shopping” (getting kicked out of stores for goofing off), nightclubs, amusement parks, and cheap fun. They’ll never be without a story to tell or a smile on their face!
He IS pretty slobbish though. He’s not going to remember to clean up after himself unless told, but he’s also not going to be bothered if they don’t do the same thing. A weekly cleaning day is going to be ideal unless they don’t mind living in a pigsty...
Prank waaaaars!! The kind of guy to get them both water guns and have a war in the middle of the apartment complex. Good luck getting any rest with Mammon around.
Leviathan
Whelp, your room is now his room, quite literally MC. You had to pick the shut-in…
The guy isn’t exactly poor but what human money he does have is all wrapped up in his many interests… Merch interests specifically.
Thankfully, he won’t take up too much space. Put him in a room with a desk, bed (or bathtub), TV, and computer and he’s good to go!
He’s not going to be a complete bum, thankfully. There’s no way that they can get him to leave the apartment, but he can run small online stores (usually anime themed) or become a streamer. Probably enough to help pay the bills, but not much more.
If they don’t mind having a literally permanent housemate, then being with Levi has its own kind fun. Lots of anime marathons, movie nights, and game nights. Really, it’s just like how he was in the House, but now transported to the human world.
Is probably going to want a pet goldfish, snake ,or lizard so prepare to house Henry 3.0.
When he does leave the apartment, it’s to take the MC to conventions, concerts, or anime stores. He always manages to get just enough money for these trips, but never says where the money comes from… Best not to ask. Could be black market for they know...
… He’s a shut-in. He’s a shut-in roommate. Hygiene isn’t exactly his main concern. If they ask him to, he’ll make sure to clean up after himself, but he may need a reminder.
Can have a fun side, but just don’t mess with his stuff too much. He doesn’t need a Mammon 2.0 around too...
Satan
He's either hatching a plan for world domination or adopting 10 cats… One or the other.
About as poor as Mammon at first, but threat not. He won’t be for very long. Satan is intelligent beyond his years (or equivalent his years maybe?) so he’ll probably net himself several degrees within a couple semesters like a certified prodigy.
At that point, there really isn’t much to worry about (aside from student loans, join our pain Satan) but he can sell himself just fine and probably get some high paying job like a lawyer or doctor or whatever… I’m not jealous…
They’ll start out in a pretty modest place, but there will be upgrades fairly quickly when he starts racking it in so Satan’s a fairly decent choice as a roommate.
He does still have that nasty habit of breaking things when he’s pissed off, but that can be subverted by getting a pet! Just hold up whatever cat you own when he’s about to rampage then declare that he’s scaring/upsetting them and he’ll stop in his tracks. Works every time!
Probably going to be the most domestic out of the brothers. He enjoys cooking (and ain’t half bad at it either), shopping is a practical necessity, he’ll take care your pets like they were his own flesh and blood, etc.
There will even to be points where he’s in bed reading in the middle of the night with tea and reading glasses like some kind of grandma so take that image for what you will.
Satan is the prankster of the household, but he does his pranks more as a way to give grief to his enemies rather than for funsies. Be warned, if you poke this bear he will retaliate for sweet, sweet revenge and he has centuries worth of pranks behind him. Good luck.
Asmodeus
It's a new party every night, sweetie, get used to it!
Asmo is the only other brother who has some amount of money to offer from his own trips to the human world, but it's just a modest amount.
Is totally willing to work to help pay for a nice place. He wants a building nice enough to host parties!
Would go back to modeling and maybe dip his toe into acting from time to time… He gets a lot of gigs (this IS the Avatar of Lust after all) so they won't be strapped for cash. Which is good, because Asmo is a very "business by day, but party every night" kind of person.
Do know that his shopping is NOT going to slow down either. Keep an eye on the budget.
He’s also going to make friends wherever he goes so he’s going to want for them all to hang out at least somewhat regularly.
That being said, he can tone it down some if the MC so desires, just know that they can’t keep him cooped up in the apartment for too long or he’ll start getting antsy. You can’t keep this stallion locked up, MC, he needs to run free!!
Being with Asmo is going to be like having a free pass to whatever gathering the MC wants to go to, at least. He could even get them into red carpet events with just his sheer charisma, charm, and er-… “charms.” Who doesn’t want to meet their favorite actress or singer, eh?
But oh, sweetie, please don’t prank him! Life is too short to waste on silly games (he also just genuinely just doesn’t enjoy being messed with so best not do it).
Beelzebub
Brave choice, MC, but quick question. How in the world are you going to pay your food bills???
Beel is a real sweetheart through and through but his stomach is NOT. That thing will eat them out of house and home! (Maybe even literally!!) Both of them are going to have to work and probably some pretty looong hours (cause he’s got no money either).
Honestly, Beel would be best as a personal trainer in the human world. He’s a pretty decent combination of tough but genuinely kind and motivating. (The fact that he’s pretty easy on the eyes would help out a lot too).
But the MC won’t have to worry about Beel sneaking off with someone just looking for some “quality time.” He’d take his job seriously, though he’s not particularly versed in what the human body can’t handle so only the really dedicated (or masochistic) would stick with him anyway.
“Good work last week, April! You did so well that we’re going to go from 500 pushups to a thousand! … I can see you’re worried, but I believe in you.”
But hey, he can deadlift well over 2,000 pounds without breaking a sweat so who has the balls to argue with him, anyway?
Trying out every restaurant in town would be a must. He’d even plan out vacations for them with the sole purpose of travelling the globe and tasting the different flavors. Food trips!!
He's neat enough since he used to tidy up a lot for Belphie so no need to worry about him picking up after himself (except for the occasional pile of wrappers. Toss those out unless you want ants)
I mean, you can prank Beel if you want. He'll be pretty good-natured about it as long as it stays harmless. Just don't ruin any of his food, got it?
Belphegor
So… Belphie makes for some excellent décor! Really he is great at laying around and looking fantastic just… he’s not that great at much else...
Realistically, choosing Belphie as a roommate is kind like having a high maintenance pet. He’s good for love and cuddles, but he’s not going to be helping with the bills or anything unless they whine incessantly about it.
If the MC can make enough for the both of them, then it should be fine. They won’t get upset and he won’t be crabby but if not… Oh boy.
Regular job Belphie is a needy Belphie. He’ll come back from whatever job he’s working, likely a night shift, and demand attention or cuddles right then and there. He needs to recharge those batteries, after all...
If he isn’t working then he's at his happiest. He can even pull off being a “househusband” of sorts. He’s not going to go above and beyond the call of duty, but he can keep the place clean, get a basic meal on the table (provided someone teaches him some human recipes), and get groceries if he needs to… You know, basic domestic shit.
They’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that, at some level, Belphie just doesn’t believe in “common curtesy” or “human decency.” If some neighbors are being too noisy for his liking, he will troll them to oblivion and beyond. He may even get sued for it if he takes it too far, so the MC will have to keep an eye on him…
He’s the House’s #2 prankster, but unlike Satan he doesn’t need any malice to be a little shit. The MC will be pranked and it will be at the most unexpected times. Be warned...
Check out my Masterlist for more!
#obey me#obey me shall we date#shall-we-date-obey-me#obey me lucifer#obey me mammon#obey me leviathan#obey me satan#obey me asmodeus#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey me headcanons#obey me scenarios
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Pirate Techno and ocean god philza, where philza gets hopelessly endeared to this terrifying pirate because he doesn’t hunt magic creatures or disrespect the ocean like most pirates. While Techno is not understanding why the ocean is always smooth for him or why most dangerous sea creatures leave him alone
Anon, did you read my mind because only a few hours before you sent this, I was gearing up and forming thoughts about a pirate AU!
Techno is one of the most feared pirates roaming the seas. He's fucking massive, towering over everyone and is frankly very terrifying. He's scruffy (as pirates are), with a beard and a long mane of pink hair. He also wears an eyepatch due to one of his eyes not working/missing and has a massive scar on that side of his face going over his hidden eye. No ones ever seen him with his eyepatch off so they don't know if he's missing an eye or it just doesn't work, and they don't know how he received the scar (there's lots of rumors and stories, but Techno never comments or gives hints). He seems mostly human (besides his height, which no human could ever achieve that height), but he has tusks potruding from his mouth that hint at his non-human heritage.
(He's a bear, ok? He is not a twink in the slightest, he's a massive fucking bear pirate)
Techno is an incredibly impressive fighter, capable of dual weilding swords (as well as being able to dual weild a sword and a pistol, although he favors swords more), and is merciless, earning him the nickname "the Blade". It's said that you never want to meet the Blade in battle, not if you don't want to die a bloody death.
Many assume that because of his great reputation, Techno is the captain of the ship that he sails on, but he isn't. The Captain of the ship is in fact a pirate named Puffy and Techno is her First Mate.
They work well together, Techno having joined Puffy's crew years ago under mysterious circumstances. He has great knowledge of the sea, knows the best places to sail and what places to avoid, not to mention owns countless stories and old books/maps from explorers past (including info on buried treasure they once hid away). Again, no one knows how or why Techno joined and why he's so knowledgeable, he's just a giant mystery. Literally.
With all the mystery surrounding Techno and his terrifying appearance/reputation, people would be shocked to learn that Techno actually has quite the gentle soul. He is quiet and shy, usually standing in the back of the crowd and observing. He respects the ocean and all of it's creatures, including the magical ones. He'll go out of his way to help baby sea turtles make their way to the ocean after just hatching on a beach, or will ignore the familiar flash of a mermaid's tail in the water (despite knowing a live mermaid could sell at a very hefty price).
He doesn't let others see this side of himself, not even Puffy or their crew, and keeps up the facade of the mysterious terrifying Blade.
One night, Puffy and their crew come across another pirate ship and a battle breaks out. It's just their luck that a massive storm hits at the same time, and it quickly turns into a fight for survival.
Somewhere in the chaos of it all, Techno is knocked off the ship and falls into the dark ocean depths.
It isn't until after Puffy and her crew manage to make a hasty retreat from the other ship, attempting to find smoother waters, that they realize Techno is missing. They search long and hard, but they're never able to find him and assume he's dead.
But he's not.
Techno is, somehow, alive and wakes up on the beach of what he assumes is a deserted island. He immediately sets the work, making himself a little shelter by a group of trees and exploring the island for food and fresh water.
He is unsuccessful and he goes to bed hungry very paranoid The entire night he stays awake, unable to fall asleep because he can't help but feel like he's being watched the entire time.
The next day, he goes out searching for food and water again, but fails. He has no such luck the third day and he is getting desperate because he knows he needs to find fresh water soon.
The fourth day when he wakes up, he is startled to see a pile of fresh fruit and a glass bottle with what he assumes is water sitting innocently next to him in his shelter.
Techno comes to the natural conclusion that he is not alone on this island and someone has been watching him, and for some reason left him food. Techno considers the fact that maybe it's poisoned, but he hasn't eaten or drunk in days and he knows he needs it. He eats the food and drinks the water, and it's the best thing he's ever tasted (SO much better than the food they ate on the ship).
He doesn't die, or feel sick afterwards, so that's a plus.
With newfound energy, he goes explorint that day and is finally able to find a small river with fresh water on the island, along with some native fruits.
Several days pass, and Techno continues building on his shelter and makes some attempts at fishing, but he isn't exactly the best.
When he wakes up to a huge pile of fish the very next day, he's somehow not too surprised.
This continues for a while, Techno searching the island and exploring more and more each day. One time, after Techno attempted (and failed) to hunt down a wild hog, he walked back to his shelter only to find the very same hog in front of it, dead.
Techno examines the animal, and realizes very quickly that a human didn't take it down. No, a creature or a monster must have, judging from the bitemarks on the back of the hog's neck.
Techno is now very concerned as to who or what exactly was also on this island with him.
He knows building a raft would not be a good idea, that he's most likely drown or starve at sea if he made his out there on a little raft. It was better to stay on the island, where there was food and water, and hope someone found him. In the meantime, he started to create weapons - simple things like small knives and spears.
Whatever was on this island, if it decided to hunt Techno down, he wasn't going to go down without a fight.
After completing the spear he made and lamenting on how he missed his swords one night, old rusted sword appears in his shelter the very next day. Perhaps once it had been beautiful, but now it was dull and fairly useless to him.
Techno is just completely confused at this point and maybe loses his mind a little bit.
He begins talking to himself out loud, speaking about how he misses human contact and would like to just have someone to talk to about all of this.
He does not at all expect a voice to answer him back.
"You can talk to me, if you want."
Techno quickly grabs his spear and keeps it held tightly in his hands, "Whose there?"
He glances around, trying to find the source of the voice but all he sees is the beach and the trees from the forest.
"Where are you? Come out!" he demands.
".....I would prefer not to."
'Prefer not to?' Techno mouths to himself before letting out a growl, "Why not?"
There was only silence, until eventually the voice said in a much quieter tone, "...I'm shy."
Techno is dumbfounded and can only let out a, "Heh?"
He tries getting more answers from the voice, but it doesn't respond, whoever it was seemingly gone.
Techno doesn't sleep that night, wondering if any of that had been real or simply all in his head.
The next day, he doesn't leave his shelter and instead merely sits there, waiting.
Until, eventually towards the end of the day...
"....You didn't go out today."
Techno glances around, but again he sees nothing but beach and trees. Not a single person in sight.
"Nope, I didn't," he says with a sigh.
"Why not?" the voice asks.
"I was waiting for you," Techno responds back simply.
".........Oh."
Techno waits a few moments for the voice to speak more, but when it doesn't, Techno decides to ask a question.
"Are you the one who gave me the food and water?"
"Yes."
"And hunted the boar?"
"Yep! A big strong man like you needs lots of meat to survive, right?"
Techno pauses, unsure how to process that statment before clearing his throat and asking, "You gave me the sword as well?"
"I did! Did you like it? I tried to find the best one in my collection!"
"It was rusted and dull, but I appreciate it, I guess," Techno admits.
"My collection" so whoever this was had a collection....whatevet that meant.
"Oh. I could-I could...give you another sword if you like! I know how much you like your swords!"
"....What do you mean by that?" Techno asks and let's out a sigh when there's no reply.
When he wakes up the next morning, he indeeds find a sword. It's not the best, but it isn't dull and seems to be well taken care of, so there's that at least.
"Thank you," he says outloud and is surpised when he hears a quiet, "You're welcome," in response.
Days continue on (Techno figures he's been on this island for about a few months). Most days, Techno finds himself talking to the voice. It never stays for very long, but it's....friendly, at least.
"Are you real?" Techno asks one day, lying down next to his shelter and looking up into the clear light blue sky.
"What do you mean? Of course I'm real," the voice replies, letting out a quiet chuckle (it's light and sweet, the sound falling sootbingly onto Techno's ears)
"Well, I can't see you, for one," Techno says, "For all I know, you could just be a figment of my imagination."
"I'm real," the voice says, their voice clear and strangely assuring.
"Then, could I see you?" Techno asks.
".....I don't know."
The voice is silent the rest of that day. As well as the day afterwards, and the day after that. A whole week passes by before Techno hears the voice again.
"I don't want to scare you," it admits.
"Why, do you look scary?" Techno asks. He's working on another spear (his last one broke the night before) and casually listens as the voice speaks.
"To most, yes."
"You gonna elaborate on that or just keep being mysterious?"
Silence.
Techno sighs, "Mysterious it is then."
The voice continues to talk to Techno once a day, but it doesn't go back to the subject of it's appearance or showing itself to Techno. Techno doesn't push either. Instead, they just casually converse, the voice asking what Techno is doing that day and Techno replying.
Sometimes, Techno will talk about his and Puffy's crew, some adventures they went on and the treasure they found or silly mishaps that happened to them.
Sometimes, the voice brings Techno their own treasures from their "collection" - pieces of gold, old enchanted books, jewelry and sometimes just random things from the ocean like a pretty shell or rock.
Techno appreciates it all and grows a whole little pile or treasure in his shelter.
And sometimes, when they're talking, Techno will catch a glimpse of....something hiding behind a nearby tree or rock in the forest - a flash of gold here or the very tip of a swishing tail there.
Whatever it was, it wasn't human.
Techno tried not to worry too much about that and never mentioned anything to the voice, worried he might scare them off again by mentioning their appearance.
One night, when Techno is just beginning to drip off to sleep, the voice appears for the second time in the same day.
"I like you, Techno," the voice says, "A lot. Do you-do you like me?"
Techno thinks the question over before nodding, "I think so, yeah. I mean, I don't know you that well and you're kinda just a voice, and I don't know if you're real or not, but yeah you seem nice."
The voice laughs, seemingly endeared by Techno's words. "That's good, I'm glad. Good night, Techno."
"Good night."
The next morning, Techno wakes up and finds the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen laying there next to him, watching him warily with bright blue eyes.
They have long blond hair with a crown seemingly made out of coral atop their head. Massive golden wings potrude from their back, completely smooth and sparkling in the early morning light, looking as if seemingly made of silk.
Then there was the tail.
The creature has no legs and instead has a long thick fish tail of some kind, beginning at the bottom of their torso and unable to fit completely in Techno's shelter, extending out into the beach outside.
"....Hi, Techno," the creature says, in the voice that Techno had become so familiar with in the last few months.
"Hey," Techno says and reaches out, placing his hand on the side of the creature's face, cupping their face gently in the palm of his hand, "You're a whole lot prettier than I imagined."
The creature flushes a pretty pink color, almost matching the coral it wears atop of their head.
Techno suddenly realizes how close their faces are to each other and the creature seems to realize it too before they move closer, placing their lips on Techno's in a kiss.
Techno kisses back, pulling the creature closer to them and enjoying the little pleased chirps they make as he kisses them.
They eventually seperate, Techno lying back down and the creature placing their head on Techno's chest, seemingly content to lay there in Techno's arms.
"I'm Philza, by the way," the creature says.
"Philza. That's a nice name-" Techno starts to say before his eyes widen and he remembers where he's heard that name before and who exactly it belonged to.
Philza.
Philza, the ancient ocean deity that supposedly ruled the seas and was the protector of all the creatures who lived in it, who called it home. Philza, who was said to be a terrifying monster and could strike fear into the bravest men, who devoured the hearts of men and could sink even the sturdiest of boats in the blink of an eye.
Philza, whose name had been forgotten and lost for centuries, was nothing more than an old legend - a myth.
Except, apparently not because Philza was currently curled up on Techno's chest, pleased chirps escaping him as he reached out to place his hand in Techno's, intertwining their fingers.
Philza, an ancient and all-powerful deity...and Techno had just fucking made out with him.
#techza#technophil#asks#peachy said a thing#peachy fic prompts#peachy wrote a thing#bear techno#what's the point of a pirate au if you don't make him a massive scruffy bear#pirate au
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12: We're on a boat!
pairing: professor!seungcheol x baker!reader sm au
chapter genre: fluff
chapter warnings: cursing, mentions of food and TONS of alcohol (it’s new year’s eve)
wc: 2.1k
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“Minghao, that was disgusting,” you grimaced at the aftertaste the alcohol left in your mouth, passing your empty shot glass back to your friend. The ten of you were crowded around Seungkwan’s car in the parking lot by the dock, pregaming before heading onto the yacht for the New Year’s celebration event. Vernon and Chan dropped some of you off earlier and immediately drove away after seeing Minghao’s usually calm aura change into a rather sinister one. The World Literature professor had somehow been able to sneak a bottle of kaoliang liquor and some shot glasses in the inner pocket of his blazer and was currently getting everybody in your group to finish the entire bottle before going in.
All of you were at least three drinks in, and you didn’t know if it was the alcohol talking or the fact that you were surrounded by the people you loved, but you were having a great time. The boys were clumped together on the dancefloor, Seungkwan and DK having an intense dance battle while Wonwoo laughed and clapped from behind. The rest of the boys had their arms around each other and swayed to the beat of the music, singing at the top of their lungs. You and Hoshi were sitting at the bar within eye distance of the boys, both harboring a glass of iced water in your hands. Seungkwan’s motherly instincts immediately went into full effect after his drunk radar went off after seeing you and Hoshi try to leave your group a few times hand-in-hand to dance battle strangers around you. He decided to put you two in “time-out” for the next few minutes. However, when a familiar beat came on, Seungkwan and Seokmin started shouting for Hoshi to join them, the “time-out” rule completely forgotten. The man sitting beside you hesitated for a minute before turning to you with pleading eyes and a pout. You nodded for him to go, and he immediately jumped off of his barstool to run to the group, not before hugging you and shouting, “You know where to find us, right?” to which you shouted back it was pretty hard to lose the group when the three tallest men in the club belonged to your group. Soon the trio was screaming the lyrics to their favorite song while an all familiar “Go Soonyoung. Go Soonyoung. Go Soonyoung” filled the air. You sat and smiled at the rowdy group.
Unfortunately, the water wasn’t working because the longer you sat on the barstool, the drunker you got. You winced at the brightness of your phone screen and immediately regretted not setting your phone to night mode. Vernon was updating you on his pancake adventure with Chan and the baby. Your stomach growled at the sight of the stacks of pancakes, and you suddenly had an urge to buy the overpriced food they were selling above deck. Just then, someone tapped you on your shoulder, and you turned around to see a very familiar face you haven’t seen in a while.
Unfortunately, the water wasn’t working because the longer you sat on the barstool, the drunker you got. You winced at the brightness of your phone screen and immediately regretted not setting your phone to night mode. Vernon was updating you on his pancake adventure with Chan and the baby. Your stomach growled at the sight of the stacks of pancakes, and you suddenly had an urge to buy the overpriced food they were selling above deck. Just then, someone tapped you on your shoulder, and you turned around to see a very familiar face you haven’t seen in a while.
“Dr. Yoon?” you were definitely drunk. There was no way he was here. Have you manifested the image of him for so long that he would literally show up when you least expected?
“Oh yn!” he was grinning while holding two paper trays filled with fries. “You want some fries?”
It turned out Dr. Yoon, who reintroduced himself as Jeonghan, lost his friend a while back while buying fries and spent the last few minutes walking around, trying to convince the random people around him to take his extra tray of fries. It never really occurred to him that people usually wouldn’t accept food from strangers, especially at clubs, until you told him. The two of you managed to drunkenly run to one of the booths at the side and snag it immediately after it cleared up. Even more so, Jeonghan spent the last few minutes catching up with you and feeding you the greasy fries while you desperately tried to sober up - your whole upper half leaned against him like he was your life support. He repeatedly reassured you and said that he found it cute, but you only felt more embarrassed. You were never going to pregame with Minghao ever again. Kaoliang liquor was dangerous.
-----
“Dude, I can’t believe we lost yn,” Seungcheol was going to have a mental breakdown, which, by the way, was definitely not a good feeling to have when drunk. He recalled sitting you and Hoshi down at the bar and keeping an eye on you two before blacking out after Minghao and Jun returned to the group with another round of shots. The next thing he knew, he was sitting on one of the sofas on the deck of the yacht, the other boys sprawled out next to him, the cold ocean breeze cool against his skin.
“Did we miss the countdown?” Jun rubbed his eyes and shoved Hoshi’s sleeping body off of his. Wonwoo shook his head letting him know that they didn’t miss the countdown.
Woozi approached the group with a grin on his face. There was a man walking alongside him who seemed to be his acquaintance. “Guys,” Woozi addressed the group, causing the men to groan and look up at him, “This is my coworker, Joshua.”
His friend waved at the group and his eyes widened in excitement after realizing who was in front of him, “Dude, you never told me you were friends with the Twitter dilfs.”
Accepting Joshua into the group was fairly easy. He also lost his friend who came with him and spent the last half hour wandering around the yacht before he bumped into Woozi who was in line for the restroom. He reassured Seungcheol that his yn friend he was continuously calling for was going to be fine because everybody in their friend group had yn’s location and what was yn going to do? Swim? Luckily, yn texted Mingyu earlier and told him that they were fine, and Seungcheol sighed in relief. The boys quickly accepted Joshua into the group after Woozi told him to buy them all a round of shots to which Joshua replied, “Who do you think I am? The next three rounds are on me,” garnering an eruption of cheers from his new friends.
Just like that, they were back on the dancefloor ten minutes before the countdown, blackouts and hangovers completely forgotten, drunker than ever. They made a last-minute plan to ditch the dancefloor and celebrate the new year on the ship's deck after being pushed by a mob of people in all directions. They were practically a fresh and unbroken set of pool balls waiting for someone to start the match at that point. The fresh air they felt was a great complement to their sweaty skin, and it was nice to not need to shout at others while the bass from the speakers constantly reverberated in their ears. There were still a few minutes left until the countdown. Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung were still gone after previously stating that they needed to use the restroom together. In the distance, Mingyu, Jun, and Joshua, who left to take pictures, all let out a collective scream and jumped up and down in excitement.
“I can’t believe it finally happened.”
“You too? We’ve been rooting for them since the first pineapple bun.”
Before Seungcheol could turn around to look at what caused the commotion, Jihoon made a joke about daring Soonyoung to jump overboard and was immediately lectured by Wonwoo who dragged Seungcheol along with him. An announcement blared through the speakers that the countdown would start in a minute and the bakery boys yelled at the rest of the group to join them.
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10! Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Soonyoung managed to return to the group just in time, but not without a tray of free tequila shots from the different patrons around them. Apparently, the people around them really enjoyed their company, whether it was when they were tearing it up on the dance floor or whether it was when they were joking with those waiting in the long line for the restroom. Jun looked at the shots with so much fear in his eyes while Minghao patted him on his back.
9! Jeonghan and you also spent the last hour receiving free drinks from those around you left and right.
“People must be very generous tonight,” you thought out loud.
“Yeah, I definitely haven’t been telling them that we’re newly engaged,” Jeonghan winked at you.
The both of you were standing on the deck of the superyacht, leaning against the railing. The captain dropped the yacht's anchor a while back when the yacht reached a place where one could turn back to see the twinkling lights coming from docks and piers from the ocean. The yacht gently rocked with the waves, and you were happily wrapped in Jeonghan’s arms, your drunkness a now numb and tingly sensation. The two of you were staring at the ocean and admiring how pretty the night sky was on that particular day. You didn’t see it, but he was smiling at you like you were the greatest thing in the world – like the feeling of biting into a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, the edges crispy and the center gooey, both the chocolate and dough melting into one.
8! Seokmin handed Seungcheol a shot.
7! Mingyu complained about there being no lime and salt.
6! Seungcheol heard a familiar laugh that made him forget about his surroundings for a split second.
5! Wonwoo put his arm around Seungcheol’s shoulder.
4! Jeonghan spun you around to face him.
3! Seokmin accidentally took his shot early.
2! Seungkwan quickly slipped his shot into the older boy’s hand and took the empty glass before the rest of the group took notice to what happened. It was fine. He was the designated driver after all.
1! The crowd erupted in cheers, and the group clinked their glasses and tilted their heads back to take their shots. Fireworks lit up the sky in a multitude of vibrant colors. Jun was busy yelling, “Chase with a smile. Chase with a smile,” at those who were complaining about the lack of lime and salt. Soonyoung was trying to hug Jihoon, who kept pushing him away until he finally gave in. It was a new year; he would allow it just once. Seungkwan was in the middle of recording a video of the group with his flash on which resulted in him accidentally blinding Seungcheol for a split second. This caused Seungcheol to turn away from the group to try to blink the dizziness away. When he finally recuperated, he couldn’t help but stare at the scene in front of him.
“Oh my god,” Seungcheol groaned, “I’m so glad we made the sexiling rule. They were literally sucking each other’s faces off. It was disgusting.”
Joshua raised his eyebrow at him. He also saw what happened. “Dude are you ok?” he questioned. “All they did was kiss once.”
The rest of the group quickly turned to see what Seungcheol was talking about and immediately burst into excitement when they realized who they were looking at. You broke away from Jeonghan and buried your face in his chest to hide in embarrassment when you recognized the group of voices calling your name. The man beside you jokingly covered you with his blazer to hide you when he realized you were flustered. It was a really cute and sweet sight, and it was custom to kiss someone on New Year’s. So why did seeing you kiss someone else make Seungcheol feel so annoyed?
the kids are going to be alright
synopsis: life as we know it (2010 film) au | when an unexpected accident leaves you and your blind date from five years ago to become caretakers of your mutual goddaughter, you are forced to learn how to navigate parenthood all while trying to balance work and social life.
a/n: join the taglist!
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taglist: @seokcalibur, @skylions-den, @semicolorn, @boowanie, @niikipuff, @serenadesvt, @tfmingyu, @jeonjungkaka, @shiningstar-byulxx, @onigiriyuki, @justasoftstan, @fr0gluver, @fairyjius, @happyvitamin, @noniesgirl, @hanniewife, @amymoonl, @melkwhore
unable to tag: @fairyjius, @hanniewife
#seventeen social media au#seventeen sm au#svt smau#scoups x reader#seungcheol x reader#scoups fluff#scoups angst#seventeen imagines#seventeen scenarios#seventeen fake texts
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Love Fuel
Summary: You were Jason’s first love before you broke his heart and rejected him. It’s all your fault that he can’t move on.
Tw: female reader, obsessive behavior, incel behavior, nice guy behavior, self - hatred, threats of non-con, implied non - con, implied masturbation, bullying based on appearance (not reader), deregatory language, kidnapping, misogyny, generalizations, stalking
this is a hot mess but its 1 am and i am tired, ik that incels are bad irl (obviously), but this is fiction and I kinda wanted to explore the dynamic and shit.
Everyone used to call him JJ or The-Big-Jay back in high school. Well, most of the time his classmates weren’t really calling out to him or even talking to him, the names were whispered behind his back, after he had just passed the hallway, or on bad days - right to his face. The jocks, these dumb motherfuckers, would beat him up, mock him for whatever stupid reasons they had chosen to use as an excuse to torment the smaller and weaker. The popular girls would giggle like brainless bimbos as Kyle or Brad or any other football player stole his glasses or continuously punched him in the guts until he threw up all over the floor. Even the nerds, the kids at the bottom of the school hierarchy, messed with Jason from time to time when they wanted to feel the oh - so desired rush of power they so rarely managed to experience.
Looking back, Jason could see why his classmates hated him so much - he was everything that society deemed as wrong and unattractive. He was thin, pale, “scrawny” as the others called him, on the shorter side, and on top of that the teen was terribly shy and introverted, never having the guts to stand up to his bullies or even tell someone about the abuse. The male spent most of his free time at home, playing hours upon hours of video games, watching anime and reading books he was simply too young to understand or look critically at. As he grew older, the man began to view the world as it trully was - a dark, miserable place that ate up sore losers like him. Men were primitive and foolish, which somehow managed to soften their faults. Women, on the other hand, were calculative and manipulative, greedy and sinful. His whole life they had done nothing but reject him when he needed love and support the most. Of course, there were many other reason why the brunette detested the weaker sex. In his eyes women were evil two - faced sluts, showing off their bodies yet acting innocent and hurt once someone finally decided to use them for the only thing they were actually good for.
But you Jason hated the most. You reminded him that no matter how much he hated the outside world, he would always hate himself the most. He had to admit you were pretty, painfully so, with a perfect little body to match your looks and a sweet sugary smile that almost deceived him years ago. As much as the man regretted his weakness, he had fallen right into your trap at the time.
You weren’t the most popular girl, but you had your fair share of friends, all nice and loyal like puppies. You weren’t the smartest either, but unlike the other stupid giggling sluts you always tried to do your best. You were beautiful just like them but you were actually kind to the pathetic bullied kid no one else bothered to acknowledge even existed outside of being a punching bag. You always asked him whether he was alright and often took him to the infirmary when he looked paler and sicker than usual. You talked to him as if he was a normal human being and despite the initial doubt, Jason appreciated it.
It was the last day of your senior year when the teen finally gained the courage to confess. He was shaking the whole time and by the end of his little speech there were small tears in the corner of his eye. You were the first girl the male cared about, the first one to show him kindness, to offer him friendship without asking for something in return. You were the only one who could make him feel deserving of love, worthy of affection. And then you took it all away in a matter of seconds.
“I am sorry, bud.” You had said that day after giving him a half - hearted hug and an apologetic smile, that started to seem more and more like a mocking grin the longer the teen started at you. “I already have a boyfriend, but I am really flattered. I am sure that you will find a lovely girl once you start college.” You had added quickly, cheerfully, rubbing the salt all over his wounds, honey dripping from your plump red lips. He had wanted to kiss them, bruise them, bite them until your stupid lying mouth was filled with blood. Obviously you didn’t have a boyfriend or he would have known by now, he stalked your social media religiously after all. Even if you had one, he probably treated you like shit. And how could you even suggest him finding another woman? As if he wanted any of the stupid money - grabbing sluts out there. As if some of them could replace you.
The boy was too furious to form a proper response besides “Fuck you, bitch”. His cheeks turned red and he didn’t realise that the bitter words had escaped his lips before he could stop them, then his legs took him far away from that shithole of a school. He didn’t manage to see your reaction before running away but it didn’t matter anymore. You were just like the others.
***
That day Jason swore to show you just how small and insignificant you had made him feel. He wanted to see you crumble, cry and beg for forgiveness, desperate for his love but never good enough to get it. The man formed a plan to change himself and come back for you once he had erased each and every trace of his past. The brunette came to terms with his terrible social anxiety and decided that he needed to gain social abilities more than anything. That’s why, as much as he dreamt of working from home as a boring programmer with an even more boring, but flexible working schelude, the male chose to study something that involved a lot more human interactions. The next step was to hit the gym for the first time and get a monthly subscription. It wasn’t hard to see that females nowadays liked brain - dead athletes with defined jawline and cheekbones, toned chests and strong muscled bodies, so if he wanted to impress you, he had to look his best. It wasn’t easy at first - it felt like everyone in the fitness salon had their eyes on his weak frame, laughing and pointing their fingers at his imperfections, but things gradually got better as time went on. The trainings became easier to get through and from time to time they even helped the man forget about his loneliness and nihilism.
Jason soon returned to his old habbit of spending hours looking through your accounts - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, he knew all of your usernames, each post, every picture and text. He couldn’t believe how much of a desperate attention whore you had become over the years. The male remembered you in your long brown skirts, cozy sweatshirts and pure-white shirts, all the gray buttons closed to the very top, blushing, laughing, smiling like the adorable Goody-two-shoes you were. Now you were smirking seductively in every photo, overconfident and vibrant, flaunting your tits for every man to see and wearing tight little dresses that barelly covered your ass combined with heels so high and sharp they could be used as a weapon. You were such a stupid slut it was disgusting, and he couldn’t stop himself from jerking off every single time he saw your pretty little face on the screen. He wanted to cum down your throat so badly it was ridiculous, and even after knowing that you had probably already had hundreds of cocks shoved deep inside your pussy, the brunette still wished to see you split open on his, taking his lenght like a good little cocksleeve.
***
The moment when he could see you again finally came. How many years had passed since graduation - five, ten, fifthteen? It hardly mattered. Jason was successful, at last. The male had his own business that was doing surprisingly well, there were some guys from the gym he could call friends and the best thing, he looked absolutely unrecognizable. There was nothing left of the tiny scrawny kid with quiet voice that everyone stepped over, he was now replaced by a strong capable man, determined to get what was rightfully his and his alone.
It wasn’t hard to find you since the brunette knew everything about you - where your job was, what time you finished, how long it took you to go home and what path you took. You lived alone and worked as a barista in a small local cafe even now that you had finished your studies in your dream faculty. Turns out the princess wasn’t so great and smart after all, having to resort to working a minimal - wage job day and night just to be able to pay her rent. Jason was absolutely delighted though, he loved your stupid dead - end job and your endless struggles to survive in the materialistic world honestly and fairly without selling yourself like a common whore. On one hand the male was happy that you had clung onto your last bit of innocence and on the other your pitiful lifestyle gave him the chance to snatch you away much easier. And that’s exactly what he did.
***
You woke up confused just like he had expected, bombarding him with questions, asking him who he was was, begging him to let you go, to at least explain what’s happening. You were so dumb, but God, you were still so pretty, if not prettier than before. You cried so beautifully when Jason told you you belonged to him now and you cried even more when he slammed his cold rough lips over yours in a deep wet kiss. You whimpered and whined while the male sucked on your lower lip and bit down, good, he wanted it to hurt. The stalker couldn’t wait to be inside you, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
He climbed on top of you and pinned your wrists to the floor before tying them up with delicate red rope and tightening it. It wasn’t like the man was scared of you slipping away and hurting him, you were too weak and tiny to stand a chance against his years of power - lifting and muscle - training anyways, he just wanted you to be as uncomfortable and squirmish as possible. Your tormentor wished for you to be in worse pain than he had been during his youthful years, and he knew exactly what to do. Next thing you knew Jason had ripped your dress apart, leaving you vulnerable and exposed in just your plain old panties and bra. Cold shivers ran down your spine when the chilly air hit your naked flesh and you finally realized there wasn’t getting away from this. You had to stay there, limbs bound together, unable to move or fight back, the stranger’s hands caressing your neck before moving dangerously close to your clothed breasts. You felt so sick you were going to throw up for sure if your abductor didn’t step back so you decided to use your last resort.
“Jason, please stop!” You screamed out of the blue, forcing the brunette to freeze instantly at the use of his birth name. You had already called him a pervert and a psycho which didn’t seem to faze him, but the name clearly caught him off guard. This only seemed to prove your theory further - the man really was your former classmate, despite the only similarity between them being the dark distant look in his eyes. “I beg you, don’t hurt me!” You continued, hoping to at least buy yourself more time before the assault took place.
He gulped loudly and stared at your quivering form. The impossible had happened, you had recognized him and now together with fear, there was also pity in your gaze, the one emotion your captor absolutely despised. You used to be the only one who pitied him, and even now that he was bigger, better and stronger than before, you still had the guts to pity him. It drove him insane but any attempt to hurt or touch you was fruitless now - your soft skin was suddenly burning his fingers like hellfire.
“You must be thinking that I am a monster.” Jason started out dryly, chuckling bitterly, humorlessly even. He clenched his fists unconsciously and brought them to the floor in a fit of rage, missing your head by mere inches. Your heart was beating like crazy and you only hoped the mandman couldn’t hear it. “A freak.” The man spat out the word like it was a curse and for a split second his eyes softened before turning into two spinning torches. “Right?” You were sure that if looks could kill, his would have you dead by the end of the night so you quickly nodded your head no.
“You are lying to me again, pretty girl.” The brunette replied feisty, "pretty” rolling off his tongue like an insult. Then he broke into hoarse maniac laugher and lowered his head so his face leveled up with yours, so close you could feel his warm breath on your tear - stained cheek. “When I am done with you, you wouldn’t be so pretty anymore, darling.” Your captor growled and attacked your neck, sinking his teeth deep into the flesh. “You will see exaclty how ugly my love is.”
#yandere#yandere oneshot#male yandere x reader#male yandere#yandere oc#yancore#yandere male x reader#yandere oc x reader#yandere smut#yandere x you
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Hi! Hope you’re having a nice weekend. I was curious if you would ever consider exploring a “What if” AU for Royals where Anthony does call Kate after that first night? I know it probably wouldn’t be as dramatic, but there was a line in there about how Anthony knows if he hadn’t done what he had done, then everyone probably would have thought he was perfect for Kate, and it made me wonder what that would have been like for them.
Hello!
I am having a good weekend! It's a four day weekend leading into a two day work week courtesy of this trash team building day so you know!
Anyway! I think that had it not been for the coup of it all, The palace would have been glad of the idea of Anthony as Kate's companion. He's young, and handsome, and a viscount, she could definitely do worse. So let's take a little look at how this would have gne.
“Did you have a run in with some sort of animal last night, Kate?”
And in her sleep deprived state Kate hadn’t seemed to think the better of sharing this with her seventeen year old sister, “Something like that.”
Edwina had made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, “Sophie’s on her way in, and you might want to dig out some high necklines to cover that mess.”
Sophie’s eyes had flickered over her appearance in that non judgmental way she had tutting a little and saying “I’ll send the make up girls in. I hope it was at least good.”
And something deep within her had burned when she saw the little patchwork quilt of bruises and nips he’d left along her collarbone, her neck, possessively done almost, a smirk coming to her face when she thought that at least she wouldn’t have to have the stylists cover the marks his stubble had left between her thighs.
“Oh it was good enough.”
“You’re foul.” Edwina had said primly, though her lips were ticking upwards in a smirk. “Will we be seeing this, I hesitate to use the word gentleman, again?”
Kate’s heart had done an odd little flutter as she thought about the note she’d left him, forcing herself to shrug. “I don’t know.”
She sat in the make up chair while her team chatted around her, working quickly before she had to meet Mary. Kate's mind kept slipping back to last night, the way Anthony had grinned down at her in his kitchen as he'd searched for something for them to eat, his hips between hers as he hoisted her onto his kitchen counter his voice hot in her ear Oh look, I've found something for me to eat.
It had been nice despite how filthy parts of it had been, and not just to escape, but to feel some kind of connection.
"Kate, your phone is ringing." Sophie said a little exasperatedly, not looking up from her own phone as she typed furiously.
Kate stared down at it, the unknown number making her heart beat quickly Surely it couldn't be him. She'd only left him a few hours ago... Surely it wasn't him, her hand hesitated over it.
"Oh for God's sake." Edwina snatched the phone from her lap from her chair beside Kate's. And before Kate could stop her she'd answered it. "Hi, Kate's phone?"
Edwina's eyebrows shot up, ignoring Kate's insistently holding out her hand. "Anthony?"
Kate's heart stopped, her mouth falling open, "Eddie give me the phone."
"Anthony, Kate's just in make up right now, Can I-?"
"Give me the phone!"
"Oh! She's done apparently! Well Done Anthony, you got her out of her chair." Edwina was grinning manically now as Kate snatched the phone from her, sweeping from the room her make up barely done, her heart pounding.
"Um Hi? Anthony?"
Silence stretched over the other end of the phone for half a second before a deep voice rumbled through it "Now, I don't know about wanting to escape again, but do you want to get dinner tonight?"
Kate felt her mouth fall open, the answer on her lips immediately, but there was just a tiny problem, last night she'd been Kate, and this morning she had responsibilities and appearances and a make up team and Christ.
"It's kind of... complicated for me." Kate said awkwardly, casting around the hallway, blanching a little as she saw Mary striding this way.
A laugh echoed through the phone "Oh you mean because you're the Princess?"
Kate's stomach sunk, So he had known, she knew he had to have but to hear him say it was different. "Yeah, that complicates my life a lot actually."
Anthony hummed, "I wasn't really honest about myself last night either, but come to dinner with me, and I'll explain. This is going to sound a little insane but... Kate, I'm really glad we met last night and it's been a long time since I met someone that I felt like this with so I'm not really ready to let that go yet."
She could feel her heart pounding, He hadn't been honest about himself? What did that mean? Was he some sort of criminal? No, that didn't seem right, he'd seemed a lot like her, looking for something you shouldn't have been able to find in a dive bar. But it had felt like she'd found it anyway.
And she knew she really shouldn't but she couldn't help herself "Um... yeah okay. But just as a warning... I have to bring a guard with me this time, last night was... unusual for me."
"As long as you're there I don't care." She almost thought he might mean it.
"Can I at least know your last name before tonight?" She should at least know that much if she was going to sell this.
"Well, That seems fair. I'm Anthony Bridgerton."
_______
"Um... Mary?"
Mary looked up at her curiously at the end of their meeting with the Spanish Ambassador. "What's wrong?"
Kate blanched, "Um... nothing's wrong."
Mary raised her eyebrow, "Am I about to find out where you spent last night? Or with whom it was spent?"
"How do you-?"
"Darling, Sophie's a very good liar, but did you really think if I knew you were unwell I wouldn't have checked on you." Kate opened her mouth to give some excuse, to tell her that she hadn't spent the night being bent every which way, but Mary cut her off. "You're an adult, Kate. You can sleep with whoever you like. Do you need the morning after-?"
"Mary!" Kate hissed, looking around at Steve, politely looking in the other direction, obviously wishing he was anywhere but there. "We used protec- I'm not talking about this with you!"
Mary looked fairly unruffled, "Well Why did you bring it up then?"
"I didn't bring that up! I'm going out with him, tonight."
Mary frowned. "And his name is?"
Kate sighed, "Anthony Bridgerton."
Mary's mouth dropped open, "Viscount Anthony Bridgerton?"
Both of them stared at each other, surprised, Steve cleared his throat.
"I am not confirming that the address you were collected from this morning-" Kate avoided Mary's slightly impressed look "is the official residence of Viscount Bridgerton."
Well... Fuck.
__________
Kate could see him, through the window of the restaurant, no other patrons around, even more handsome than he had been last night. He was dressed a little more formally tonight, so was she she supposed, the dark grey plaid of his suit perfectly tailored, the purple of his waistcoat bright against it, the similar to her dress she realised with a small smile.
"We don't have to go in." Steve hummed quietly at her hesitation.
Kate smiled, "I think I will, You could take him right?"
He scoffed, "Please."
Kate swung the door open, watching as Anthony fumbled to his feet, his hand in his hair, adjusting his glasses.
"Kate, sorry... Your Royal Highness?" He seemed nervous here, so different than he'd been last night. Kate rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss his cheek, a little thrilled at the way his breath caught.
"Kate's fine. Your royal Highness is a little formal for a date. I usually save it for the bedroom." Anthony choked as he pulled out her chair, sliding it in for her to sit.
She watched as he slid back around the table taking his own seat, "And you? Do you prefer Anthony or Lord Bridgerton?"
His eyes widened a little, "So you figured out my secret."
"I don't think it's much of a secret if my mother knows your mother."
His handsome smirk was back, "Did you tell your mum about me?"
Her lips twitched, "Did you tell your mum about me?"
He stared back at her, his eyes dancing in the low light. "I'd like to tell everyone about you, but for now I think I'll keep you to myself."
"There might not be anything to tell, if you don't feed me this time."
"Well, we wouldn't want that now would we?"
Kate groaned when she woke up the next morning, cushioned against Anthony's chest, his hands tangling in her hair, to three missed calls from sophie and a text that said Am I stopping this or not?
A picture of her and Anthony at Dinner, him whispering in her ear, his hand on her thigh, the headline Princess Kate on Steamy Date With Dishy Viscount
Kate hummed showing the article to Anthony a little embarrassedly, "Um... my team wants to know if this is something they should keep quiet for now. Like if this isn't going anywhere, or you don't want this to be-?"
Anthony cut her ff with a kiss, his tongue tangling with hers, his eyes soft. "I think that you should let it come out because... I don't really want to hide this, but if you'd rather not-"
Kate turned back to her phone typing out Let it go, and maybe start preparing to introduce the country to my new boyfriend.
#royals#royals au#this got very long#sorry about me#kathony#anthony x kate#anthony bridgerton#kate sharma#kate sheffield#molly's asks and answers
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Hayloft (p.2)
Pairing: Arvin Russell x F!Reader
Summary: Your dad brings home his new coworker, Arvin Russell, telling you that he’ll be living with the two of you for a while. While attempting to keep Arvin from seeing the disfunction of your relationship with your father, the two of you grow closer than you thought. (Inspired by “Hayloft” by Mother Mother, though that’ll really only be one chapter later on so I don’t know if it really counts…)
Warnings: Abuse, drunkenness, misogyny, reader’s mother is dead, decapitating a chicken, reader is kind of emotional in this chapter
Word Count: 4.2k
A/N: My first slow(er) burn fic! Let me know what you think!
Part 1
_____________________
Work had passed fairly quickly as it always did when you had the opening shift. It sure sucked having to arrive at five o’clock in the morning but at least you got off earlier and you knew that that way you could grab groceries before your father got home and could yell at you about an empty kitchen again. By two o’clock in the afternoon, you were home again, hopping out of your truck and grabbing as many bags as you could in one go.
The loud sound of metal slamming against metal shook you and you flinched, looking between your door and the frame to see Arvin walking out towards you. It hadn’t occurred to you that his car was even in your driveway. After so many years of having busted broken down old cars sitting there that your dad had been swearing he’d fix for almost ten years, cars in the driveway seemed normal. “Let me give you a hand,” he offered as he got closer, lifting the canvas bags from your hands before you could object.
“Oh!” You exclaimed as you felt the weight suddenly taken off your own arms, “Thank you.” You dove back into the truck to grab the last two bags before slamming it shut with your hips. The two of you began your stroll towards the front door, the dirt driveway kicking up around your feet. “You’re back early.” You noted, looking over at Arvin.
He shrugged, “Yeah, uh, Wallace had me on the early shift today.”
You fumbled with the bags as you tried to unlock the door, kicking it open with your toes when it finally gave in. You walked into your home and Arvin followed, closing the door behind him. “Been here long? I didn’t see you in the driveway.”
“Not too long. I just didn’t want to let myself into your home without nobody there.” Arvin set the bags on the counter next to where you set yours.
You began to unpack the bags and put the groceries in the respective places. Arvin watched off to the side, unsure of how your kitchen was organized so he was worried he’d do more than good if he stepped in. “My daddy got the late shift?”
Arvin shook his head, noticing that his beat up old hat was still on his head despite being indoors and took it off immediately, his tousled brown curls parting messily down the middle. “No, we went in at the same time. He ‘n some buddies said they was goin’ to some bar in town.”
He watched your shoulders fall a little and you sighed, “Figures…. You didn’t go?”
Again, Arvin shook his head, “No. No offense to your daddy but I don’t like to drink the way I get the feelin’ he does.”
You snorted, turning to him with a knowing chuckle, “Let’s just say that I’m sorry in advance for whatever he says or does when he gets home, if he gets home. Sheriff Pike might end up callin’ in the mornin’ tellin’ us to pick him up.” Though it was stated as a joke, Arvin could hear the tragic reality behind your words.
Arvin then noticed the pack of beer bottles that you were pulling out of the bag. As if you could feel his eyes looking at you with worried curiosity, you glanced over at him, noticing the way his eyes flicked between you and the beer in your hands. You offered a sad shrug, “I know what you’re thinkin’ but trust me. Sometimes it’s better to have him drunk and possibly content than sober and angry there’s nothing to drink. Besides, the beer is better than the hard stuff with ‘im.”
“‘M sorry. I didn’t mean to be makin’ faces. Your business is your business,” Arvin backpedalled, giving you an apologetic nod.
You shook your head, “Don’t worry. I know how it looks. I’m sorry you gotta see all of it. I been tryin’ to keep to keep him calm but if you end up stayin’ a while, I’m sure you’ll get to see him at his worse times.”
Arvin chewed his lip as he contemplated whether or not to bring up what had been going through his mind but he had to make sure you were alright. “I-I heard you ‘n your dad talkin’ last night… right after you left my room.”
Your face fell as you realized what he was talking about, “You weren’t s’posed to hear that. I’m sorry.” Shit, this was what you were hoping to avoid.
“Are you alright?”
Gentle. Caring. His tone was something that had been long lost to you in this house and it took the words out of your mouth for a moment. It was embarrassing, the way your heart welled up with… well love wasn’t quite the right word but the warmth of being cared about. Not since after your mother had passed had you heard somebody actually care about how you felt.
You just nodded and gave a forced smile that you could tell was easy to see through but it was the best you could muster. For someone who was able to take so much shit from their father and was able to look the man who would throw things at you and grab you by the hair dead in the eye with nothing but contempt, it was compassion that made you crumble. It had been so unexpected, especially from Arvin, the stranger living in your house.
“Shit, ‘m sorry! I didn’t mean to - I didn’t mean to overstep. I only…” He stammered over his words and at first you were confused until you felt the single hot tear tracing its way down your cheek.
You were quick to wipe it away, shocked at your own uncharacteristic show of vulnerability. You hadn’t realized until now that you had zoned out on the ground while Arvin’s words repeated in your head but now a flash of embarrassment ran through you. “No, no, no. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” You sniffled once before giving a small laugh of disbelief. “It’s just… It’s been a long time since anybody asked that.”
You straightened up and ran your hands through your hair, eyes closed as you thought of what else you needed to do. Thankfully, if your dad was at the bar, you had at least another four hours to just you and Arvin, all night if you were lucky, though you seldom were. That was when the feeling of dread set in. Your dad had requested chicken roast for dinner tonight and whether he came home early and only a few beers in or you had to drive him home hungover in the morning, the man would be furious if there weren’t at least reheated leftovers for him. You had to kill Patty and prep her for dinner.
“You okay?” Arvin asked again, though this time it was in reference to the way a heavy look fell over your features. It wasn’t a profound deep question like it was earlier.
Your head wavered from side to side and your lips twisted, “My daddy asked for chicken roast tonight. I gotta go out and fix Patty up.” You tried to put it lightly though it felt anything but. “I’ll be out in the coop. You’re more than welcome to clean up in the shower or do whatever you’d like ‘round the house. The radio is in the livin’ room if you wanna tune into somethin’.”
You pushed yourself off the counter and walked to the door in your kitchen that led out to the backyard but Arvin made a few steps to follow, “Is it alright if I keep you company? It don’t feel right bein’ in your house without you or your daddy here.”
You smiled at the thought of him staying with you and you nodded, continuing out the door, “Sure, c’mon.”
The hen house wasn’t very far from the back door. From there, you could see the several acres of land that your father was wasting. Your grandparents had bought this land in the late 1910’s and had started up a little farm of their own to sell locally, though your father had abandoned the farming portion after they died. It was where your daddy had grown up and then where you had as well. God, how you missed your grandparents. Your grandmother’s soft words of love and kindness but sternness and willingness to swat your butt with a wooden spoon if you got an attitude (though she would yell at your father if he ever tried to discipline you - “Now you leave that poor baby alone!”). Your grandfather had looked like a rough and angry old man from years of hard work but he had the softest heart of anyone you’d ever met. How the two of them had raised your father was beyond you.
When you approached the wired fence and jiggled the lock open, the chickens inside stood surprisingly still. They trusted you. You could see it in their little brown eyes. You were safe and warm and didn’t want to harm them. You came in for the unfertilized eggs they laid and left, oftentimes with some seed and a soft pat or two on the head. Patty, a fat white hen with black specks, walked comfortably around your feet, nuzzling her head against your leg. She was the nicest hen you’d ever had. She trusted you.
God, you were about to cry again. You bent down to pick her up and you held her against your chest, trying to look her in the eye, though it was difficult when she kept jerking it in different directions. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” you murmured low. Usually it was your father that would slaughter the hens if he really wanted the meat that badly. You had never done it yourself but he’d made you watch every time so that you knew how if the time ever came. Each time it made you sick to your stomach.
Already, you felt green. The unassuming hen that you had been friendly enough to for her not flip out when you held her was none the wiser that her life was about to end by your hand. You glanced over to the large wood round just ahead and the axe that was leaned up against it.
Your face contorted as you realized how much you disliked the placement. The way your father would slaughter chickens right in front of their friends made your heart break. It was barbaric.
You walked over to Arvin and held Patty out towards him, “Would you mind holdin’ onto her for a second?”
Though visibly confused, he took the chicken from your hands, drawing back when her wings fluttered out at the contact with the new strange man. Arvin watched as you walked towards the large round and tried to push it with all your might. “What’re you doin’?”
“I’m-” you grunted, feeling it slide slowly, inch by inch, “trying to move it where the other chickens can’t see.” You took another moment to use all your force against it before standing up straight and breathing heavily, “I know it sounds dumb cause they’re only chickens but it feels cruel to make ‘em watch, y’know?” You went back to pushing the round and Arvin approached behind you.
From here he could see the blood stains in the wood. It looked as if the blood had been washed off but the wood had been stained crimson regardless. There was also a divot where an axe had clearly been driven down many times over the years, chipping away at the wood.
Arvin’s heart actually warmed a little at your attempt to show mercy and your willingness to go out of your way to spare some chickens’ feelings. It wasn’t something he was sure he’d do himself but when he heard you say it, he realized you had a point. It was cruel to imprison a bunch of animals and then lead them out one by one to be slaughtered in front of everyone, each animal waiting their turn. “Here, take ‘er back. Let me.” Arvin stepped in, handing Patty back over to you and bending down to lift the round onto its side with much effort. The wood had to weigh at least a hundred pounds and had long since settled into the ground where it had been placed when you were a child.
Your eyes widened as you watched his biceps bulge, straining the material of his blue t-shirt. You’d never seen a man with muscles like that before and you found your eyes trailing along his arms, following every popping vein from the tops of his hands, up his forearms, and onto his biceps until they disappeared beneath his shirt. It was something you hadn’t expected to see in him. Arvin looked like a quiet, polite, hardworking young man but you never would have imagined the immaculate muscles he possessed. You found your mind wandering to what other surprises laid in store beneath all those layers he wo-
You needed to calm yourself down. If only he could hear your thoughts, he surely would be furious and disgusted with you. You hadn’t had such impure thoughts since that one time you had been messing around with Jimmy Bates in the backseat of his old car back in your senior year of high school. The two of you didn’t even go all the way but you went far enough and the guilt ate you alive since the two of you were never officially together anyways. He was just the cute boy from high school that you had pined over years that had finally given you the chance right before he shipped off to join the war.
“This alright?” Arvin asked, shaking you from your fantasy, and you snapped back into reality to realize he had rolled the wood round around the side of the coop behind the wooden wall, outside of the other chickens’ views.
You nodded and walked over to him, “That’s perfect. Thank you so much for doin’ that. I know it’s sorta stupid.”
Arvin shook his head, putting his hands on his hips, “If it means somethin’ to you, it ain’t stupid at all. Besides, now that you pointed it out, it was a little barbaric.”
You smiled up at him, one which he returned. How was this boy so damn nice? Was this some cosmic way of the universe finally giving you something good in your life? You’d become so calloused to your father’s harsh words and barked commands that you had forgotten how nice it was to feel cared about and validated. And you barely knew him.
“‘M glad you think so.” You looked down at Patty in your arms and any good feelings you’d had melted to sadness and fear. “You been a good girl, Patty. I know you struggled with layin’ eggs for a while but you were always a good girl. Never bit me once unlike some of them other hens.” You weren’t often very soft and vulnerable but you were about to take something’s life for the first time and you couldn’t help but feel the weight of that on your heart. If this were a life or death situation, you would feel better about it, but it wasn’t. The only reason Patty had to die was because your father would throw a fit if she didn’t.
You carried her to the log and gave her a little kiss on the top of the head, “Please don’t hate me but I understand if you do. Say hi to my momma for me, will you? Tell her I love and miss her.” You set her down and got her in the position you always saw your dad put the other chickens in before he chopped their heads off. Arvin handed you the axe with uncertainty but watched on as you struggled to bring yourself to finish the deed.
You held her down and you could tell by the way she was flailing that she was panicking now. Patty was well aware of what was happening. “I’m sorry!” You choked, tears welling up in your eyes as her panic began to turn into your own panic. How did people do this? Why was this so freaking difficult?
Tossing the axe slightly in your hand, you readjusted the handle and just as you went to swing, Arvin piped up, “I can do it.”
You looked over at him, the afternoon sun reflecting the tears in your eyes and making the color of your irises stand out in tragic beauty. “I-I- Would you really not mind?” You breathed out in relief.
Arvin stepped forward and you handed the axe out to him, “I don’t mind.” You held onto Patty until Arvin could position her just right as well. He had no idea what he was doing - he’d never had to slaughter a chicken before. He had heard that all you had to do was cut their head off though and then he’d heard the rumors of them running around like crazy even after their head hit the ground. How hard could it be?
Once he had the hen pinned down where he wanted her, he looked up to see you chewing on your thumb, brows knitted in discomfort. It wasn’t the first chicken you’d watched get slaughtered but it was far from something you enjoyed observing. Arvin signaled to you with a nod before raising the axe above his head and you shut your eyes tight, flinching at the sound of the old metal head thudding into the old wood.
**
You had the carcass sitting in the sink while you pulled off the blood soaked feathers, depositing them into the trash bin by the handful. This part was easier for you, something you’d done many times in the past. “Thank you for doin’ that. I’m sorry I’m such a baby.”
Arvin sat at the kitchen table behind you, “You ain’t a baby just cause you don’t like to kill things. I’d say it’s probably rather normal.”
The time was inching closer to four o’clock now and the sun was beginning to hang ever so slightly lower in the sky, the precursor to sunset. It was warm outside and a cool spring breeze blew in through the open window above the sink. You snickered as you pulled another handful of feathers out, “Yeah? That mean you ain’t normal?” You looked over at him with a playful glint in your eye but your smile fell when you saw an uncomfortable look cross his face, almost like he’d seen a ghost.
“I ain’t never said I liked killin’ either.” Arvin attempted to match your joking tone but it was pretty evident there was a weight behind his words.
“Hey, I‘m sorry. I was only jokin’.” A pang of guilt washed over you but it was only that. A joke. You hadn’t imagined teasing him over something like killing a chicken would set him off, especially since he volunteered to do it for you, but apparently you were wrong.
Arvin sniffed and scratched his nose, “I know.” After a moment of awkward silence, he stood, “Let me give you a hand. What do you need done?”
You scanned his face once more to make sure he was really okay but you decided to drop it when you saw his insistent look. You shook your head, “I got it. It ain’t much after I get this all gutted and cleaned.” You picked up the mostly featherless carcass by the wings and plopped it back down into the sink.
“Well ‘m sure there’s vegetables or somethin’ else that goes with it, right? Let me start cuttin’ those up.” His persistence was adorable, making your heart flutter in the most wonderful way. The idea of a man actually being helpful was unknown to you before Arvin. Your life had been filled with your dad’s drunken bossings since you were twelve years old. You couldn’t remember the last time a genuinely kind voice offered you anything more than a smile on the street, not that you took that for granted. Arvin was just different though. Noble and helpful and kind.
“You really don’t have to-”
“Yeah, you keep sayin’ that but I really do want to help. So what can I do to make things easier on you?” He took a few steps closer to you until you felt the beginning of what could have been sparks if he stepped any nearer, like when you hold two magnets a few inches apart and you can feel the energy between them, that hint of attraction, but it’s not quite close enough to pull them together.
The blush in your cheeks at his simple gesture made you break the eye contact with a nervous laugh of retreat, “Okay, fine. If you’re gonna be so insistent,” you drew out with a teasing drawl, “you can cut up veggies. There’s potatoes over there and carrots and zucchini in the fridge.”
Arvin’s lips turned up in a small smile when you finally resigned your stubborn ways and he went off to find the vegetables where you had directed him.
Needless to say, when your father came home from the bar to find you and Arvin talking over a song by the Platters playing on the radio with Arvin cleaning up the dishes while you tossed together the vegetables and the seasoning, he was less than pleased.
“What the hell is going on here?” His slurred speech made your eyes widen in fear. He was supposed to get home later like he always did. But then you found yourself chiding your irresponsibility. Why the hell would you take that chance? You knew better than to let Arvin help out and now you were gonna pay.
Arvin sensed the way you tensed up beside him and watched as you spun around to face your father with haste, “Just finishin’ up dinner now. Should be ready by six so you got more than enough time to take a sho-”
“Why the fuck is he doin’ the dishes?” You father was leaning against the wall, clearly relying on the structure for support. This wasn’t the time to test him, not with Arvin here. It was times like this when he’d start throwing stuff at you.
Before you could say anything, Arvin piped up firmly but respectfully, “I offered, sir. It’s no problem at all.”
Your dad pointed at Arvin, “A man ain’t got no place with his hands in a sink of dishes. You leave that shit to her and she’ll just grab you a beer.” He stumbled over his own feet before catching himself ungracefully.
Arvin’s jaw set tightly and you gripped the countertop with white knuckles behind you. Times like this, you weren’t even sure what to say anymore. No amount of standing up for yourself got you anywhere with him. You never made any headway with your dad’s sexist views on gender roles. It was pointless. The only thing to do was try and work your way to supporting yourself so you could get the hell out of dodge and never look back.
Arvin’s voice surprised you, “A man’s place is helpin’ out the women in his life when they need, not leavin’ ‘em to do all the housework themselves.” You nearly choked on your own tongue at his words. It was a bold statement for a man to make, especially to the head of the house that was being so gracious as to host him free of charge, but he didn’t back down. It appeared like the jab was lost on your drunken father but Arvin continued with a slightly less accusatory comment to diffuse the situation regardless, “I grew up helpin’ my grandma with all the house chores so I really don’t mind at all.”
You watched the way your dad eyed Arvin and then you before scoffing and grumbling incoherently as he shuffled his way into the living room. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. “I don’t want you gettin’ kicked out ‘cause of me. You didn’t have to say nothin’.”
Arvin glared at where your father had disappeared and nodded, “Yeah, I did. You don’t deserve all the shit he gives you.”
You suddenly found yourself avoiding his eyes and twisting your lips. He was right and you were well aware of that fact. The abuse your dad put you through was uncalled for at best. The fact that Arvin had actually taken the time to not only notice the same fact but acknowledge it and stand up for you was something you never thought you’d hear someone do. It made you uncomfortable. You’d been fighting this battle by yourself for so long that letting somebody even know it was being waged was enough to make you want to sink away. Even so, a part of you wanted to let Arvin keep standing up for you. It made you feel weak after having to stand up for yourself for so long but also validated.
Your eyes flicked up to meet his for only a moment before turning back towards dinner that sat in a roasting pan on the stove, “Thank you.”
______
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Pink Lace - Chapter 3
Characters: Baekhyun x Reader
Genre: College AU, stripper AU, fluff, smut, slow burn
Summary: Baekhyun, a philosophy professor with mysterious wealth, got himself completely fucked over a girl who can’t let him into her life.
Word count: 5k
Warnings: mentions of sexual assault, sex work, adult themes/situations, eventual smut
Tag List: @smolbeanmika @leave-me-in-the-summertime @totallynerdstuff @bbhmystar @nana-banan @kimyhappy @thegreatandi @geniusloey @deligxt @baekwifey @rockerbbhyun @lovebuginlove @bellamendoza
Masterlist
Class on Friday was less terrifying. You arrived earlier than you had Wednesday, and sat with Lucas as you’d promised.
You told yourself that Baekhyun was just another one of your professors, and you needed to get your head on straight and pay attention, especially since the class was already more challenging than you’d thought. You were starting to get worried that you’d embarrass yourself by doing poorly, and you definitely didn’t want Baekhyun to think you were stupid. You knew you weren’t, but you also knew that this class wasn’t your strength.
You noticed Baekhyun walk in and take a seat at his desk. He looked happy to see you back in his class, and this time without you trying to avoid him. You gave him a shy smile, still feeling fairly awkward around him.
“So that party’s tonight, any chance I can still convince you to come?” You heard Lucas say next to you, flashing you a smile.
“I told you I’m not really a fan of parties, sorry.” You responded, avoiding his eyes and fidgeting with the things on your desk.
You were acutely aware of Baekhyun listening to your conversation from his desk a few feet away.
“Aw come on, even if I’m there? I promise it’ll be fun.”
Baekhyun was listening. And he felt his face harden and fists clench at the boy’s pushiness.
“I have homework, I don’t have time to go out.” You looked at him now, trying to get the point across. You just really didn’t want to go.
“But it’s the first party of the year! I promise you won’t regret it.” He continued anyway, now grabbing your hand. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes.
Panicking slightly, you blurted out “I can’t anyway, I have work” as you pulled your hand away from his.
Baekhyun cocked up an eyebrow, wondering what’ll happen next.
“Work? Where at?”
“I’m a waitress, at a bar across town, you wouldn’t know about it.” You stammered, building on your lie.
Baekhyun quietly chuckled to himself, now obviously amused. Especially when he knew what your real job was.
“But what if you got someone to-”
“She said she didn’t wanna go, so drop it.” Baekhyun suddenly interrupted, voice calm but stern. Before you and Lucas even had time to react, he was getting up from his desk and starting the lecture, and you found yourself opening your notebook.
As the class went on you understood less and less of what Baekhyun was saying. You were quickly learning that philosophy meant reading lots of things that were old as hell, and nearly impossible to understand. Your own notes weren’t even really making sense to you and you knew you’d have to go back over them later if you really wanted to understand the material. Who knew philosophy would be such a bitch of a class.
Near the end of class, Baekhyun started handing out a short pop quiz and you felt yourself getting nervous.
When he handed you yours, he mouthed “good luck” with a smile. When you read the question you cursed yourself for having been so distracted the first few days. You had no idea what the difference between moral relativism and objectivism was anymore, nor any of the other things he’d talked about. Despite taking notes, it was just too difficult for you to make sense of the things he taught with so many other things running through your mind.
Baekhyun noticed how stressed you looked as he watched you stare down at your paper. Every time you’d start to write something, you’d stop and erase it. Time was ticking by and you didn’t have much left until he’d collect everyone’s papers.
This wasn’t like you at all. Usually you could remember things easily and ace pop quizzes without a problem, but Baekhyun was too distracting. Especially when you knew he was watching you and you knew he was waiting to see what you’d write.
Eventually you started scribbling down something incredibly vague and almost definitely incorrect, but at least it was something.
Although Baekhyun could tell you were struggling with the assignment, he still found it amusing to watch you as you tried to figure it out. He lost count of how many times you brushed your hair behind your ear, only to have it fall right back in your face again. He could almost see the gears turning in your head as you mulled over the question and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen something so cute.
When he got up to collect everyone’s quizzes you were still frantically trying to finish your paragraph. When he got to you you were almost finished. You looked up at him, silently begging for more time, and he gave you a soft smile. He went to take the papers from the rest of the students in your row first before eventually coming back to you. Yours was the last paper he took, and you cringed as you saw him start to read over it immediately as he made his way back to his desk, brows furrowed.
Once he’d collected the quizzes from the students they were free to go, making you the last one in the room with him again.
“Thank you.” You said. “For giving me more time. I promise I’m not stupid it’s just been hard for me to focus.” Baekhyun was glad you seemed comfortable enough to talk to him like this, and couldn’t fight the smile that was creeping onto his face.
“I know” he looked at you with sincerity “you can go home” he looked over at the door “I’m not gonna make you stay again. I’m sorry for Monday. That was mean.” You could tell by the way he looked down at his desk after he finished speaking, he really was sorry.
You felt a small smile start to form on your lips.
“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have freaked out so bad.”
“No, I shouldn’t have talked to you like I did. You were obviously uncomfortable, it was a dick move to make you stay.”
You giggled, pleased that he could admit he acted poorly. “It’s okay, really. I was just in shock.”
“Well it won’t happen again.” He gave you a smile so full of warmth and you couldn’t help but smile back. “Don’t forget that essay is due Wednesday night.”
“I can remember a simple due date Baekhyun. I told you I’m not dumb.” You rolled your eyes, walking towards the door.
“It’s still Mr. Byun when we’re here!” He yelled after you playfully.
“Okay Baekhyun!” You yelled back, waving as you walked out the door.
Baekhyun’s face hurt from how hard he was smiling, very much pleased by how you seemed more comfortable today. He silently patted himself on the back for it, relieved that you wouldn’t be a nervous wreck every class anymore. Your answer on the quiz hadn’t been too bad either, despite how stressed you’d looked.
Hopefully, just maybe, this meant you would start opening up to him more.
~
You spent Friday night doing homework as planned, and when Saturday morning rolled around and you started getting ready for work, you started to worry about whether or not Baekhyun would show up. You both hoped he’d show up just for the money, and dreaded the awkwardness if he did. You decided to just assume he wouldn’t show and go about the night as if he didn’t matter.
You added some last touches to your makeup, opting for something natural and glowy to go with your glittery pink outfit you’d packed for the night.
“I like the outfit tonight” Dave said, winking at you as you checked in. “New shoes?”
“No. I got these a few weeks ago.”
“Come on Candy, loosen up.”
You cringed but gave him a smile anyway, not wanting to get on your manager’s bad side.
For the first time in months you were going to have to spend a Saturday night trying to talk to random guys to sell dances, something you hated. Half of them would likely waste your time anyway, the other half would give you money but you never knew what bs they’d try to pull when getting their dance.
You stood by the bar, facing into the room looking for someone who didn’t seem too bad. Eventually a group of guys around your age came in and you sat down with them.
“So what’s your name gorgeous?” One of them asked you, already slightly drunk.
“I’m Candy” you told them, asking for their names as well. They all introduced themselves and soon went back to laughing amongst themselves, until a waitress showed up.
“Shots of patron, and two for the lady” one of them ordered, and you didn’t object. In the back of your mind you were still worried about Baekhyun showing up, and drinking would easily help you forget.
You took the shots. And then two more. Your stomach felt pleasantly warm, and you kept laughing at whatever the men around you were saying, though you didn’t really listen. You could hear your words slur together when you spoke, but the comfortable haze felt nice to you and you let yourself get lost in the feeling.
Eventually they ordered a 3rd round, at which point you were thoroughly tipsy and probably shouldn’t have had any more, but with the thought of Baekhyun still in the back of your mind, and the alcohol clouding your judgement, you swallowed down the fifth and sixth shots with little thought. Although by then you weren’t counting anymore. They went down like nothing, body already numb to the sting.
You were laughing at something someone said, mind going hazy from the liquor as everything around you began to go blurry. You tried to stand up but nearly fell, having trouble standing on your heels on your own. You sat back down, closing your eyes, and the room felt like it was spinning out of control. You vaguely heard the chatter of the men around you saying something, but before you had time to process their words everything went black.
Next thing you knew, your head was on Baekhyun’s lap and he was staring down at you.
~
Baekhyun wasn’t sure if he was going to go that night. As much as he wanted to see you, he wasn’t sure you’d want to see him there again.
As the night went on he tried to distract himself, grade some papers, watch some TV, but nothing worked. No matter what he did, you were stuck in the back of his mind. He wanted, needed to see you again. As long as he paid you, you wouldn’t be too mad to see him there, and two of you could just act like it was any other Saturday night, right?
Not wanting to think about it too much, he got his shoes on, grabbed his wallet, and walked out the door.
When he arrived, he didn’t see you at the bar where you usually stood and waited for him. Upon looking around the main room of the club, he didn’t see you either, and his heart rate started to go up. What if you were stuck in a VIP room with some creep who was making you uncomfortable?
Baekhyun started to wander around the room to look for you. He checked every booth and could see every table, you had to be upstairs in a room. He hated to admit it to himself but even just the thought of you being up there with someone who wasn’t terrible bothered him. Thinking about you grinding on strangers at all made his stomach churn.
To calm his nerves he stood by the bar and ordered himself a drink, and not even a minute went by before there was a girl standing in front of him.
“Hey handsome, what are you doing here? You’re awful cute to be in a place like this.”
She started to touch Baekhyun’s arm and he slapped her hand away, turning around and gulping down his drink.
The girl frowned, but persisted anyway.
“So why are you here? Looking for some fun?”
“I’m looking for my friend.” He replied, eyes still scanning the room, ignoring her.
“I’m sure I can show you a good time too you know..” she stepped closer, blocking his view of the rest of the room.
Baekhyun dug in his pocket and pulled out a 50, holding it up with an annoyed look on his face.
“It’s yours if you leave.”
She took the bill, scoffing and turning around to walk away. Baekhyun faced his back towards the room and kept his eyes on the stairs, waiting for you to come down.
10 minutes went by, and then 10 more. Baekhyun couldn’t help but get more and more nervous. He knew it was pretty rare for people to spend that much time up there. He ordered himself another drink and started getting fidgety, trying to distract himself from worrying too much.
A few more girls came up to him, but he quickly sent each one of them away.
After about 15 more minutes you finally appeared, and Baekhyun’s worst fears were realized when he saw you nearly unconscious, basically being carried down the stairs by 2 men. Immediately his mouth went dry and he felt his stomach do a flip.
You had your arm around one of the men’s shoulders, and the other had his hand on your lower back as you clumsily made your way down, nearly falling several times. You hadn’t even put your top back on, probably too wasted to notice it was missing anyway. The two men sat you down in an empty chair near the bottom of the stairs and went back to their group across the room with disgustingly smug looks on their faces. Baekhyun would’ve loved to walk right up to them and deck each of them in the face, but the last thing he needed now was to get himself kicked out while you were alone, completely incoherent, and surrounded by strange men. He cursed himself for not being able to do anything about them, but you were more important now.
He quickly made his way over to you, crouching down in front of you and grabbing your hand between his as he desperately tried to get a response from you.
“Hey, it’s me, say something.”
You could only mumble something incoherent.
“Can you open your eyes and look at me?”
You just shook your head slightly, brows furrowed.
“Fuck” Baekhyun whispered. He saw other people beginning to give him weird looks, and decided to take you to a room upstairs. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” He slung your arm around his shoulder and kept a firm grip on your waist as he got you to stand up.
He helped your mostly limp body up the stairs, and into the room. He let go of you for a second, and immediately you fell onto the couch, hitting your head on the wall in the process. He flinched, hearing the impact.
“Shit” he heard you say and saw you rub your head where it made contact with the wall.
“Sorry.” He knew you couldn’t process his words in your drunken state, but he said it anyway.
He handed you your bra, which had been dangling off one of your arms when you came down the stairs and he helped you get it back on. He helped you out of your shoes as well and laid you down on the couch. He sat down and you put your head in his lap, curling up against him and quickly passing back out. He gently rubbed the bump on your head, and heard you hum at the feeling. He looked around to see your money bag discarded on the floor and when he picked it up to set it on the small table in the corner he noticed it was empty. Those creeps had stolen your money and left you without paying.
Baekhyun looked at his watch and took his wallet out of his pocket. 10:04pm.
He stuffed $800 dollars in your bag, and looked down at you asleep in his lap as he stroked your hair.
The whole time you slept Baekhyun couldn’t help but run his fingers along the lines of your jaw, lips, and brows. Although he hated that those guys had gotten you like this, now, peacefully asleep in his lap, he thought you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He ran his thumb across your cheek and noticed your eye twitch, and then open. As you looked up at him, he knew you were still too far gone to understand what was happening.
“What’sgoingon” you slurred, rubbing your eyes and sitting up.
“Some guys got you way too drunk, and then you hit your head.”
“Ohhhh” you sighed absentmindedly, not really having heard or understood what Baekhyun said.
“Come here, you’re still drunk.”
You seemed to listen, laying your head back in his lap and dozing off again. Another hour went by and he looked at his watch. It was after midnight, so he put another stack of cash in your bag. The movement seemed to be enough to wake you up this time, and when you opened your eyes you were a bit more aware of your surroundings. You shifted to lay on your back, looking directly up at him.
“Baekhyun” you groaned, still fairly drunk “why are you here?”
“I’m here every Saturday night.” He replied simply, smiling down at you in his lap. Gently he moved a strand of hair out of your face, and you felt yourself go red. Although you were now sober enough to know something was very wrong, with the way he looked at you in that moment, with so much warmth and admiration, you couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.
You closed your eyes again and smiled, enjoying the feeling of Baekhyun caressing your cheek with the back of his hand in your drunken haze. No matter what shit had gone down earlier in the night, and why you were here with your head in his lap, this felt like bliss. You could’ve stayed like that for hours, just enjoying his gentle hands admiring your face.
“What time is it?” You asked lazily.
“12:15.”
“Fuck.” Your head snapped up and you sat next to Baekhyun, immediately feeling dizzy due to your intoxication. Head pounding, you rubbed your temples to try to relive some of the pain. “It’s that late? You never stay this late.”
“You’ve been sleeping for a while now.”
“Huh?”
“How are you feeling?
“Kind of drunk... and my head hurts. But what happened?” You slurred your words slightly, alcohol still apparent in your system.
He looked at you with sorry eyes. “Well, some assholes got you fucked up out of your mind. After I got here they came down the stairs and basically just dumped you into an empty chair and left, so I took you up here to sleep it off. You hit your head too, so be careful.” He rubbed the lump on the side of your head again, making you groan.
The terrified look on your face told him all he needed to know. He was about to see you cry for the first time, and he felt his heart drop.
“W-what? They took me upstairs?” A tear escaped, and more followed. “Who?”
“I don’t know. Some younger guys. I’d have beat the shit out of them if it wouldn’t get me kicked out.” You sensed the anger in his voice as he spoke. “Your bag was empty too by the way.”
Slowly you started piecing things together in your head, stomach churning with disgust and now fully crying.
“W-what, h-how did I-”
“No. This wasn’t your fault.” He interrupted, afraid this would happen. Afraid you would blame yourself. “They were assholes. They knew what they were doing.”
In reality, Baekhyun blamed himself. He knew you’d probably been nervous about whether or not he would show up. He should’ve been there earlier. But all that mattered now is that you were okay. At least physically.
As you sat next to him, head in your hands crying, he felt helpless. All he wanted to do was hold you tight and tell you all the things he was too scared to say out loud. But all he could manage was a comforting hand on your shoulder.
Your sobs got more intense and he was caught off guard when you threw your arms around him, head buried into his chest as you kept quietly crying. Reluctantly, his arms found their way around you as well, holding you as you shook in his arms.
“Hey hey, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re okay now. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” He said softly, rubbing soothing circles onto your back.
“Thank you” you choked out between sobs. Embarrassed, but still too drunk to stop yourself, you held on to Baekhyun tighter and tighter. You hated to admit it but you already felt much better with his arms wrapped around you. The gentle feeling of his chest rising and falling against yours, compared to your erratic breaths, felt like heaven. “Thank you, l-I’m sorry.”
“Shhh” he said, stroking your hair. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“B-but you stayed here with m-me the whole time.” You sobbed.
“That’s okay, I came here to spend time with you didn’t I?”
“Why are you like this? W-why me?” You asked, leaning back to look at him.
Baekhyun sighed.
You’d avoided the question when you were sober for a reason. You knew Baekhyun liked you too much, more than he should, and you didn’t need to know the details. It would only make you feel more guilty later. But now, with alcohol to give you courage you didn’t hold back.
“You know how much I like you.” He responds quietly, giving you a soft smile. “It’s stupid, I know.”
Another tear fell, and Baekhyun was quick to wipe it away. Even with makeup running down your face he looked at you with a tenderness that made it difficult to feel anything but a comforting warmth.
You stared at him, trying to find some form of deceit in his eyes, some hint that he was just messing with you, but all you saw was his admiration and care for you.
Another sob rolled through you and you wrapped your arms back around him. He held you like that for a while, and slowly the tears lessened and you calmed down a bit.
You pulled away from him and looked around the room, realizing where you were and thought to yourself how silly it all was. You were in a dance room, just sleeping on the couch all night as Baekhyun stayed and made sure you were alright. Every other time you’d been in here with him, your ass was on his lap grinding on him.
“Do you want a dance or anything?”
Baekhyun just laughed, “Don’t worry about me, I’m just as happy doing this. As long as I get to spend time with you.”
“Okay.” You said, but you made yourself comfortable on his lap anyway, legs stretched across the couch. You wrapped your arms around him again, and rested your head on his shoulder. He put an arm around your waist and you just sat like that for a while, enjoying each other’s embrace.
He hadn’t been lying, he’d take this over a lap dance any day. To have your arms around him like this, not because he paid you, but because you wanted to, for him nothing could beat that. The skin of your waist felt so soft beneath his palms, he thought he must be dreaming.
The sober part of you wanted to scream at you to get up. But when Baekhyun’s hands felt so warm and comforting on you, the drunken haze took over and you just basked in the feeling. In the back of your mind you knew you’d regret tonight’s events later, but now it felt too good to ignore. With your head resting on his shoulder and the sound of his heartbeat in your ear, you just felt right. Like this was where you were supposed to be.
“Do you want me to take you home soon? I don’t think you should be driving yourself tonight.” Baekhyun asked, and your lips pulled into a pout.
“Can we stay like this a little longer.” You lifted your head to look at him, and when you made eye contact, Baekhyun couldn’t help but grin.
“Of course sweetheart, if that’s what you want.”
Your heart skipped a beat at the pet name. That was the first time Baekhyun had called you anything like that before. He usually just called you by your name (or in the past, your stripper name). You didn’t mind, but you couldn’t help but find the word heart fluttering nonetheless. You laid your head back on his shoulder, and watched as he slowly ran his hand up and down your thigh.
“You have such pretty hands.” You told him, reaching for the hand on your thigh. He didn’t respond, only laced his hands into yours, rubbing the back with his thumb. You kept silencing the voice in the back of your mind that was screaming at you to get up, to push Baekhyun away. But when his presence was this sweet and comforting you just couldn’t bring yourself to do so.
“Everything about you is pretty.” Your face burned red at his words. “So, so beautiful.”
“You’re pretty cute too.” The alcohol did a good job of bringing the words out of you that you’d usually know better than to say out loud.
Much to your dismay, Baekhyun moved you off his lap and got up, putting his hand out for you to stand up as well.
“Let’s get you back home, it’s late and you’re still drunk.” At first you pouted again, but you eventually agreed. You grabbed his hand and got your shoes back on, following him back down the stairs. Your manager saw and gave you a strange look, but you ignored it. You went back to the dressing room to change and met Baekhyun again in the parking lot. Being seen leaving with customers looked bad, and after being upstairs for hours with him you didn’t want to raise any more suspicions.
You spotted him leaning against a black Audi, and you let him open the door for you and got in. You told him your address and he pulled out of the lot. For most of the car ride home you were silent. You still felt bad that Baekhyun had come to see you just for all of this to happen, and now he was having to drive you home too since you had gotten too wasted.
“I’m sorry, for everything. You just wanted a fun couple of hours and you got stuck babysitting my drunk ass.”
“You know I don’t mind, I’m just glad you’re safe now.” He said as he was pulling up to your place. He parked, but looked over to you before getting out. “Can I give you my number? You don’t need to use it if you don’t want to, but I just want you to have it so you can call me if you’re in trouble again.”
You looked him in the eyes again, looking for some sort of ulterior motives, but found them filled with nothing but care and warmth. “Okay.”
He looked surprised, but you just handed him your phone and let him put in his number.
“I don’t want you to think you have to text me or call me or anything, I just feel better knowing you can contact me if you need someone.”
You smiled. “I know.”
Baekhyun got out to open the door for you, and when you stepped out you found yourself wrapping your arms around him again tightly. “Thank you. Seriously, I don’t even wanna think about what could’ve happened tonight if it weren’t for you.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, it’s no big deal. You know I’m happy as long as I’m with you.”
You didn’t want to let go. The feeling of your head resting against his broad chest and his arms around you felt too sweet, too good to be true.
He’s the one who breaks away first. You could see his eyes scan your face, spending especially long on your lips. Your face heated up as you noticed the proximity between the two of you.
“I, um.. I should get inside. Thanks for the ride.” You said, grabbing your bag and quickly walking to the door. Baekhyun waved you goodbye and waited until you were inside to get back in his car and drive himself home.
You almost immediately threw yourself into bed and passed out, but Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about your words and actions from earlier. The way you clung onto him as you cried, how happy you seemed to be sitting on his lap cuddled up to him, how you’d called him cute. His mind raced with the possibility of you maybe, possibly, being able to like him the way he liked you. He told himself it was just the alcohol, that you would never have acted like that sober.
But he couldn’t help hoping he was wrong.
As the night went on he only found himself falling deeper and deeper into thought. With nothing but the darkness of his bedroom to keep him company, he felt hyper aware of the emptiness around him.
Baekhyun hated sleeping alone already, and with the thoughts of your sweet words and actions running rampant in his mind, it felt impossible. How was he supposed to relax when you had just called him cute? The night drew on and on, but Baekhyun didn’t sleep. Not when the feeling of your hands around his body was still so fresh in his mind.
He was so close to what he yearned for more than anything, yet still so far.
Next Chapter
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Full Disclosure
“I’m sorry for the way I used to act towards you when we were fourteen,” she admitted before softly adding, “especially when you and Danny were beginning to connect.”
Or
In which Sam and Valerie clear the air between them.
Word count: 5176
READ ON AO3
Before we go in, I just wanted to say that I hope I did the characters justice. Really, it’s all I ask because I’m still fairly recent in the fandom (as in, actively participating rather than fangirling on my own) and I’d hate to make a travesty of characters that mean so much to me. Oh, and this one-shot can take place in whatever timeline you want: you hate PP with a passion? Don’t worry, it didn’t happen. You actually think it’s a good finale? That works too. There shouldn’t be anything that indicates this story takes place in anywhere in particular other than Amity Park, so... All you need to know is that Valerie knows.
Please, enjoy!!
As an intense throb manifested itself in her right side, eliciting an involuntary groan to escape her throat, Sam was more frustrated at herself than aching from the hit. It had been two years already since Danny had the accident that gave him his powers, consequently beginning the constant battles against ghosts that made their teenaged life significantly harder, and, as they came to appreciate their lifestyle, significantly more interesting, too. Once Danny gained his ghost powers, she and Tucker took it to themselves to make sure their friend was always supported and aided when fighting his ghostly adversaries.
And with that came the injuries.
They certainly didn’t get hurt as often or as gravely as Danny, since he was usually the one facing the mischievous spirits head-on, but they still had to get used to their own fair share of beatings. The teachers were understandably surprised when they effortlessly completed their first aid training in Health class.
All in all, Sam was used to getting hurt.
Which made the fact that Valerie had landed such a perfect kick that it literally left her breathless all the more humiliating.
Valerie Gray, a.k.a. the Red Huntress. Danny Phantom’s longtime pursuer and Danny Fenton’s one time girlfriend. The once popular girl was now their trustworthy ally. And, as much as Sam hated to admit it, she was thoroughly kicking her butt. Perhaps she should have expected as much from a ninth degree black belt.
“Had enough, Manson?” Valerie taunted with a raised eyebrow.
Getting up slowly, Sam sent her a smirk alongside a challenging, determined look. “Never.” And with that she leaped on the ghost huntress, using her momentum to connect a punch to her face. But Valerie was faster, blocking the Goth girl’s attack with her forearm before sliding her leg under Sam’s to make her lose her balance. Seeing what her opponent was up to, the violet-eyed girl quickly got out of her way, widening the space between the two to give herself some time to think up a new strategy.
Smirking at Sam’s maneuver, Valerie appraised her with pride. “Not bad, Sam,” she said before changing her stance, ready to pounce, “but the extra space won’t save you from this.” Leaping into the air, the Red Huntress didn’t waste a moment to knock Sam to the floor with a roundhouse kick boosted by her movements.
Even if the Goth blocked the attack by keeping her palms up in front of her face, the sheer force behind it was still enough to knock her down. That was gonna bruise in the morning, she was sure of it. Glancing up she noticed Valerie looking down at her with a smug look on her face and her hands on her hips. Sam barely resisted the urge to scowl darkly at her. Panting, she conceded, “Alright, alright. Maybe now I’ve had enough.”
Chuckling at Sam’s proud nature, the green-eyed girl bent down slightly to offer her friend a hand and lift her up from the floor. Once Sam was at her eye-level, she looked down on her watch, now serving as a chronometre. “Five minutes. That’s a full round! Congratulations, Sam. So far, you’re the one who’s lasted the most against me.” She applauded her, but her face betrayed her. She was about to burst out laughing.
Snorting, the Goth girl elbowed her slightly on the arm. “Knock it off! Even if I lost, I still managed to land a few hits myself.”
“Yeah...Trust me, you don’t have to remind me.” Valerie complained with a pointed look as she rubbed her lower back. Early on in the match, Sam kneed her there. Thank goodness she wasn’t tasked with unloading the Nasty Burger’s products that week. “I’m serious, though. Danny without his powers lasts a minute and a half, tops. And Tucker...well, let’s just say that taking one hit without passing out is already a victory when it comes to him.”
“Yeah, he and Danny really should do more exercise.” The two girls laughed at that. These past two years Danny’s skill when using his powers had skyrocketed. Enemies that used to give him a hard time were now more of a headache. He didn’t even have to pay attention to the fight to get rid of the Ghost Box. Now, as Danny Fenton… He’d gotten taller, that was for sure. But he still had the nasty habit of relying on his powers a little too much, which didn’t do his P.E marks any favours. And Tucker was still far more interested in whatever his PDA had to offer than the wonders of physical exercise.
In truth, everyone had changed during that time, if only a little.
Sam was still as Goth and ultra-recyclo-vegetarian as always. Her raven hair was slightly longer, now reaching her shoulders, but she still wore it mostly loose and framing her face, except for the one strand she kept in a high ponytail. Her fashion sense hadn’t changed much either. She wore a black crop top with Danny’s logo on it instead of the old purple ovalーthe town began selling merchandise of its hero to attract, and basically rob, tourists. Since she created the logo herself, she made her own outfits and nobody was none the wiser. She also stuck with plaid skirts, but this time she favoured a purple and black one instead of her old black and green. But her combat boots, accessories, and make-up were sacred. Everybody knew impending doom was near if Sam ever changed even the tiniest detail in her appearance when it came to that.
She was still outspoken and an avid defender of animal rights, individuality, and most importantly, of Danny Phantom. Even though most people celebrated the boy and thanked him for his services, there were still some who criticised him and believed Amity Park was better off before him. Needless to say, Sam was always at the front of the line in any protest to defend Amity Park’s greatest protector. The fact that he was not only one of her best friends but also her boyfriend may have something to do with it. But even if they weren’t together, Sam knew Danny. She’d always known him. She would always defend him from those who couldn’t even begin to grasp just how noble, responsible, and compassionate he was.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly when she remembered she’d just been sparring with what once was one of Danny Phantom’s greatest detractors.
In a way, Valerie had probably changed the most out of everyone she knew while simultaneously not changing anything at all.
In terms of appearance, just like Sam, she’d only modified her look slightly. She cut her long, dark brown curls so they now barely reached her shoulders instead of cascading down her back. According to her, long hair just got in the way with her suit. She originally wanted to get an undercut, but her dad almost had a cow so they compromised with short hair for now and leaving the undercut for when she was a little older. The huntress still favoured spaghetti-strapped yellow t-shirts, but now she completed her outfit with dark blue jeans or shorts (depending on the temperature) and white sneakers. She also dropped the headband due to her hair, but she kept the earrings.
The most obvious change, though, was that she was now an ally rather than an enemy after Danny Phantom’s head. Sam feared for the worst when Valerie found out her ex boyfriend was the very same ghost she’d vowed to destroy (could she really say she and Danny were exes, though? Sure, they went on a few dates and they genuinely liked each other, but Valerie pseudo-broke up with him right when he was about to ask her to make things official... Ugh, the wonders of the teenaged heart... Always bound to give her a headache. This is why she preferred her Goth indifference...most of the time). As much as they wanted to trust Valerie was going to be sensible about it, her track record wasn’t the best, forcing them to keep an eye out in case she decided to send her more positive opinion of Danny Fenton to Hell and shoot him with her ecto-bazooka.
Thankfully, one day Valerie just sat down with them at lunch, and when Danny tentatively asked her if they were okay, she just smiled and said, “We’re okay.” So they ate lunch in peace...until the Lunch Lady showed up and they had to send her back to the Ghost Zone. At least that time the Red Huntress was there to help them out. Ever since then, the girl sometimes fought alongside them, but for the most part she did her own thing.
And that was something about Valerie that hadn’t changed; her hatred of ghosts. Valerie was still hellbent on getting rid of all the spirits that haunted Amity Park, with half-ghosts being the sole exception ーexcept for Vlad, Valerie held a huge grudge against him for having used her as his pawn; not like the team could complain, they all hated Vlad, after all. And that made her ruthless, determined, brutal… More than once Danny had tried talking her out of her grudge against the paranormal, explaining to her that, albeit not as numerous as the troublemaking ghosts, there were still some that just wanted to be left alone. But Valerie would not budge. She believed all ghosts lacked the humanity and self-control necessary to resist whatever crazy obsession that tied them to our world and would eventually attack.
To Valerie, ghosts were ticking bombs.
Seeing as, so far, most ghosts they faced were malicious or seriously causing trouble, Tucker suggested they just let her be, but the moment she actually targeted an innocent ghost (say, Wulf), then they would have to get serious with her.
All in all, Valerie was their friend. A friend who had agreed to help her train so Danny wouldn’t have to worry so much about her safety when they were out fighting spectres. Not like he really needed to worry, she could take care of herself, but the more prepared they were, the better. And Valerie was helping her with that, and yet, the air still hadn’t been completely cleared between them.
As much as Sam would’ve loved cutting to the chase, a part of her still wasn’t prepared to address the elephant in the room. “Not gonna lie, Valerie, I wiー” she stopped mid-sentence. The last thing they needed was to have Desirée roaming free around Amity Park just because she hadn’t been careful with her words. Clearing her throat, she went on. “I mean, I would do anything for your fighting skills. You must have every ghost shaking in their boots...or whatever they have to shake in.”
As Sam sat down on the floor of her family’s private gym, which Valerie still couldn’t get used to being in, the green-eyed girl made her way to the other side of the room far away from the training tatami, where a middle-sized fridge was located. Pulling the door open, she grabbed two water bottles before going back to Sam. “Yeah, what can I say? I am pretty awesome.”
“And don’t forget modest.” Sam replied sarcastically.
“Girl, when you’re as good as me, you don’t need to pretend to be modest.” She joked as she handed Sam her own water bottle, which she accepted gratefully, before sitting down on the floor next to her. “Believe it or not, though, I became a ninth degree black belt long before I started hunting ghosts.” She looked at the floor, a pensive look on her face, “...we couldn’t have afforded the classes otherwise.”
Sam did her best to suppress the urge to do a spit-take at her words. Valerie almost never brought her financial situation up. The most she used to do was remember Danny why she hated him back when she still was after him, but the topic was dropped altogether once the secret was out. Looking around her ridiculously lavish house, Sam felt like facepalming herself. How could she have been so insensitive as to remind Valerie of the life she lost?!
“Valerie...I-I’m sorry. I should’ve told you to meet up at the park to train, but I…”
“Sam, don’t.” The huntress cut her off with a stern tone. “Don’t apologise. You have nothing to apologise for.”
“But it was insensitive of me toー” Again, she was interrupted by Valerie, who silenced her by raising her palm up in front of her.
“Please, let me talk. You don’t have to apologise for anything because you’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll admit, it’s a bit paradoxical finding out that while I was mourning my losses you’d been hiding the fact that you’re stinking rich all along. But I’m not offended by it. Actually, I think I understand.”
“You do?” The Goth girl asked in disbelief, her eyes wide open.
The African-American girl just shrugged. “I think so. I didn’t realise it until my so-called friends kicked me out of the group, but having money attracts a lot of fakes and shallow people. People who’ll only be there when it’s convenient for them and who’ll throw you away like a used tissue the moment you have nothing else to offer. I know that better than anyone…” When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see Sam smiling kindly at her, doing her best to get out of her comfort zone and offer her some comfort. She returned the smile. “Bottom line: you want real friends, so you never talk about your money ‘cause you don’t want to attract the wrong people. I get it.”
“You really do.”
“And I guess I’m also flattered.”
Sam blinked slowly at her. “Wow, Valerie. It usually takes a lot to take me by surpriseーwith the ghost fighting and allーand yet, here we are!”
The huntress just chuckled softly in response. “What I mean is that I understand that it takes you a lot to let people inーand quite literally tooーbut you still invited me. That means you must trust me, if only a bit.”
Sam couldn’t help but blush at her earnest words. It was true, wasn’t it? She trusted Valerie. She would have never invited her to her house if she didn’t. And, now that she thought about it, Valerie had to trust her too if she was willing to show her vulnerable side to her. Somehow, the thought made her smile. Knowing she would have to bring up uncomfortable topics soon, the violet-eyed girl decided to alleviate some of the tension first. “Well, I’m glad you could at least get your black belt first! Otherwise we would be in for a major asskicking from some ghosts.”
That comment actually made Valerie laugh. “Oh, hush, you flatterer! Or I’ll tell Danny his girlfriend has been hitting on me.” She could only snort when Sam gasped in fake shock. “Seriously, though. I personally would love to be as genre savvy as you are. I mean, you always know what to do or have some obscure knowledge about whatever we’re facing. From the Fright Knight’s legend to how to train your dragon ghost.”
Sam merely shrugged with a lazy grin on her face, “What can I say? Obscure knowledge sort of comes with being a Goth.”
The two girls started snickering after that. As their laughter died down, Valerie noticed Sam’s smile fading from the corner of her eye, concerning her. “Sam? Is everything okay?”
“Valerie...I’m sorry.”
That took her by surprise. After a few seconds of shock, the Red Huntress rolled her eyes good-naturedly before gently nudging her friend with her shoulder. “C’mon, Sam. I told you already. You don’t have to feel sorry for inviting meー.”
This time it was Sam who cut her off. She shook her head. “No. No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’m sorry for the way I used to act towards you when we were fourteen,” she admitted before softly adding, “especially when you and Danny were beginning to connect.”
One would think that a semi-professional ghost huntress would have seen it all, and honestly, so did Valerie, but she was genuinely shocked at Sam’s apology. The shock didn't last long, though. “Are you seriously apologising for that? Sam, that was two years ago!”
Of all the things she could be apologising for...She just had to pick that one, didn’t she?
Sam groaned, frustrated and clenching her gym shorts with her hands. “I know it’s been two years, but that doesn’t change that I wasn’t the most pleasant person in the world to you for reasons that weren’t...completely pure.”
“So what?” Valerie insisted. “Neither was I for the longest time! You and Tucker were right when you called me out during Pariah Dark’s attack; how could I expect to be treated like one of the group when I used to be such a brat to you? You still eventually forgave me.” She pointed out.
“You don’t understand…” Sam whined as she rubbed her face with her hands. “While it’s true that part of my animosity towards you came from how you used to treat us, and another good chunk came from your eagerness to vaporise one of my best friends,” the Red Huntress actually had the decency to blush embarrassedly at that, “I really, really disliked you because I was...well, I was jealous. Plain and simple.”
There. She’d said it. After years gritting her teeth and burning with envy whenever Danny and Tucker (mostly because of Danny, obviously) drooled over Paulina or any other pretty girl, she had finally admitted she was mostly jealous instead of simply not understanding what the fuss was about. Hanging out with girls more often, namely Valerie and Jazz, instead of only spending her time with the guys had really helped broaden her horizons. Especially when it came to her opinion on other girls. She was proud to say she was finally moving on from her “not like other girls” phase.
Even if Danny’s crush on Paulina had driven her nuts more than once, it was his budding romance with Valerie that truly pushed all her buttons and caused her deepest insecurities to rear their ugly head. Even if dating her was dangerous, Danny still wanted to be with her! He was willing to throw caution to the wind if it meant they could be a couple. And he was so protective of her when Technus attacked… As much as Sam hated to admit it, as much as she wished (to Hell with Desirée) she could ignore it all and just focus on protecting Danny from being hunted by his new girlfriend, that hurt.
That hurt a lot.
Albeit annoying, Danny’s crush on Paulina was safe. Paulina only liked Danny Phantom. Danny couldn’t really get closer to her as his alter-ego without putting her in danger, and Danny would never put an innocent person in danger. And just like that, Paulina became unattainable. But Valerie…
Valerie liked Danny Fenton. She and Danny often just wanted to have a normal life, away from ghosts and burdens that no 14-year-old kid should shoulder. Even if the Red Huntress wanted to kill Danny Phantom, Valerie genuinely liked Danny Fenton. Despite the danger, she was closer than Paulina. And despite their close bond, she was closer to Danny than Sam herself. Because Valerie wasn’t afraid to admit her feelings, unlike her.
In fact, hadn’t Valerie put her job before her love life, Sam knew without an ounce of a doubt that she and Danny would still be together. Because she had been too afraid to tell Danny how much he meant to her sooner.
Yes, she had been jealous of Valerie.
She had been jealous of the attention she received from Danny. She had been jealous of the fact that they went out on several dates and nothing could embarrass them or ruin their little moment. She was jealous because it would’ve meant things would change.
But most importantly, she was jealous of Valerie’s guts.
And she finally confessed it.
...which made what Valerie said next all the more jaw-dropping.
“Yeah, I know.”
Her jaw hanging low and eyes as wide as saucers, Sam slowly turned her head to look the huntress dead in the eye. “You know?” She asked, completely flabbergasted.
Valerie snorted. She actually snorted at her question! And while Sam was looking at her with the most comically astonished expression on the face of the planet, Valerie just regarded her with a coy smile. “No offence, Sam, but it was kinda hard to miss. I think only Danny wasn’t aware of it.”
Sam had nothing to say in response to that.
“Besides, didn’t I tell you before I even started going out with Danny? When you like someone, if you don’t make a move, somebody else will. What did you think I was referring to other than your feelings, chess?”
“That...is true.” The Goth admitted quietly.
Seeing her usually outspoken friend acting so despondent all of a sudden didn’t sit well with the green-eyed teenager. She sighed, “Look, Sam. I understand that you were...difficult because you were jealous. I can’t deny I once or twice acted petty towards you because I was jealous, myself. But even if I hadn’t decided to just stay friends with Danny, I don’t think we would’ve worked out in the end.”
Not for the first time that day, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last time either, Valerie had taken her completely aback. Furrowing her brow in confusion, Sam insisted, “What are you talking about? You two are the best ghost hunters in Amity Park, you guys would have been the ultimate power couple!”
Leaning back on her elbows, the Red Huntress sent the Goth a smirk, “Ah, but you’re forgetting I would’ve had to know Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom were one and the same first. And I…”, for the first time since their sparring lesson began, Valerie found herself hesitating, “I don’t know how I would’ve taken that.
“Sure, I really, really liked Danny, but I had spent far longer hating his ghost half. Ever since the Cujo-related incidents I blamed him for the turn my life had taken. And even when I was growing fond of Danny Fenton, his actions as Danny Phantom still drove me nuts! I mean, he literally unmasked me right before my dad! He forbade me from ghost hunting until I got that upgrade in my suit. Could I really put all that aside in favour of having a relationship with him?
“That’s why it took me so long to face you guys once I learned the truth; I was trying to make peace with it all. I figured I could learn to forgive Danny, maybe even trust him with my life...but never with my heart again. There were too many imbalances between us for me to be comfortable in a relationship with him...and you guys are honestly better together anyways.” She winked at the ultra-recyclo-vegetarian.
“You really think so?” Sam could feel the heat making its way to her cheeks the moment Valerie nodded at her question. “I-I mean!”, ugh, how she hated stuttering!, “Danny’s always been super important to me...obviously! And we’ve always done our best to be there for each other and have each other’s backs, but there are times when I can’t help but wonder if perhaps we’re just making a mistake and we were better off as friends…” She finished with a defeated sigh.
At the sensation of an arm wrapped around her shoulders, she turned to look at Valerie. “Sam, trust me. This is no mistake. You’re one of the very few people who understand there’s no difference between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom; they’re both Danny and you’ve always known that and done your best to show him just that. And unlike Paulina or me, even if you hadn’t known his secret from the beginning, I’m willing to bet my right arm that you would’ve accepted both sides of him equally either way.”
At her words, Sam could only smile warmly, “You really think so?”
Valerie returned her smile. “I know so.”
Still replaying Valerie’s words and organising her own thoughts in her head, Sam turned to face her, one hand resting on her lap and the other on Valerie’s shoulder, “For what it’s worth, I still think that after a, very understandable, initial bump in your relationship, you two could’ve made a great couple too. I meant what I said when I told you that, if Danny liked you, then we would only have to make room for you at our table. I can’t think of any girl I would be willing to do that for but you, Val.”
Valerie almost gasped at Sam’s words, but she recovered rather quickly, “Thank you, Sam. That means a lot coming from you.” Resting her own hand on top of the one on her shoulder, she winked mischievously at her, “And don’t worry; I don’t go around stealing my friends’ boyfriends.”
The Goth girl snorted at that. “Glad to hear that.”
They remained like that for a moment, just enjoying the comfortable silence that had settled between them and their secret understanding. They were friends. They had similarities and differences. But that would never change the respect each felt for the other.
Finally, getting up from the floor and dusting herself off, Valerie broke the silence, “Come on, there’s still many moves I haven’t used to kick your butt.”
Sam smirked at the challenge, “Oh, you’re so on!”
................
The Fentons’ Emergency Ops Centre had, ironically, become their safe haven.
Whenever they wanted to enjoy some alone time before they had to part ways or a ghost attack took place, they would simply climb up the roof and enter through the door leading to it. Although Danny could just phase or fly them there if they were really pressed for time, which was their usual way of getting there because they were always pressed for time.
The Ops Centre was really just an excuse to spend some time together, really.
It didn’t matter what they did. Sometimes they would make out because they were a couple and couples made out with each other, didn’t they? Especially when said couple consisted of two hormone-driven teenagers. Maybe if they’d been a pair of octogenarians, the fuss of the relationship would have been elsewhere. Like how incredible it was that they’d survived that long in the first place.
Other times they just talked about nothing and everything at the same time. Sort of like what they usually did, but without Tucker. Sam would often talk about the latest hideous monstrosity their parents had intended she wore ー”Oh, you’re laughing now! But trust me, Undergrowth had much better fashion sense than my parents!”ー, or how rapidly the poles were melting and nobody was doing anything about it, or how her latest poetry reading went ー“Kwan’s getting better, actually. This time he wrote about the new scabs he got during the last game”ー, and how they could defeat the villain of the week who was somehow harder to beat than the previous one because, really, they always got harder to beat.
And Danny would recall his parents’ latest shenanigans, or Jazz’s newest psychological experiment with ghosts that she was sure was going to work because it was just flawless; or he’d warn her about the food in his house ー”I know you don’t eat meat anyways, but don’t open the fridge. The ecto-weenies are back and this time they’ve brought BBQ sauce.” He would also complain about the workload of homework Mr Lancer had assigned them; sometimes because he didn’t think he’d have the time to finish it all, and sometimes he just didn’t know where to start because what the Heck is irony anyway? Didn’t anyone realise that what they often called irony was actually more of a paradox? How could they be teaching something wrong in English class?! And, sometimes, in those rare moments where Danny finally realised, only to forget his lesson all over again the next day, that he could count on her, Tucker, Jazz, Val ーand his loved ones, damn it!ー and confide his deepest secrets, he would open up about how being Danny Phantom was taking its toll on him. How being famous was more often than not more suffocating than flattering. How he was getting tired that his enemies only ever came back, or became stronger, or multiplied. How he feared, no, how he felt it was never going to end until he was 100% dead and not just 50%... He even still had trouble understanding what truly happened to him the day of the accident.
And maybe they just would never know.
And then, there were days like today. Days where they would just stay in silence, watching Amity Park since the makeshift observatory his zany but genius parents had built all on their own. Because, sometimes, watching the sunset in silence with that special someone was just enough.
While Danny leaned against the railing, Sam was sitting on top of it, enjoying the soft breeze blowing around her and caressing her skin. “Today I trained with Valerie.”
Perking up at the sound of her voice suddenly breaking the silence, Danny turned his head slightly in her direction. “Oh?” He let out, “How did it go?”
“I managed to last a full five minutes and land a few serious hits myself.” She stated proudly.
The ghost boy whistled appreciatively, “Five full minutes! Now that’s impressive.” He sent her a sly look and a smirk, his admiration turning into amusement, “And how many hits did you cushion?”
Curling her lip in annoyance, Sam muttered, “The fact that I’m even sitting here is a miracle in itself.”
That had Danny snickering like crazy, before a sharp pain in his arm stopped him, “Ow!”
To his surprise, instead of a smug Sam as he expected, he found his girlfriend gingerly rubbing her arm, a pained expression on her face. “Okay,” she panted, “that was so not worth it.”
“Here, let me help.” Gently resting his fingers on her arm, he used his ice powers to send a chilly sensation across her limb, effectively alleviating the pain. “Anything else I should know about? Did the training turn into a battle to the death?”
“Actually, we talked things out and we finally buried the hatchet.” She said seriously.
Danny furrowed the brow in confusion. “Uh, Sam? I was kidding. And I thought you already did that when she found out the truth about my powers.”
Chuckling softly, Sam could only roll her eyes with a smile on her face as she leaned close to leave a tender kiss on his lips before whispering, “Clueless.”
#Danny Phantom#dp#dp fic#dp fanfic#sam manson#valerie gray#danny fenton#tucker foley#jazz fenton#jack fenton#maddie fenton#paulina sanchez#vlad masters#vlad plasmius#most characters are just mentioned though#amethyst ocean#danny/sam#my fic
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The Gentry’s Gifts: Max Phillips
Hello! This is sort of a sequel to the Pero story, in that we saw Max and now we know what he was doing there and what choice he needed to make.
Warnings: Cursing. Angst. I had the trick of having to put both blank canvas characters into one story, lol. But I think I finessed it. The “you” character is a blank slate, mostly gender neutral (mentions of wanting to have children could sway your perception one way or the other.). Not betad.
This is my late #writerwednesday entry, thank you to @autumnleaves1991-blog and @clydesducktape
Prologue:
Max Phillips slammed the hospital doors open, eager to get outside. The sound beeping machines seemed to echo in his ears, making them hurt. The smell of the place stuck to the back of his throat.
He tilted his head back in the afternoon sun, and breathed in, breathed out. Tried to make himself calm down. The Autumn are cleared his head as he jogged across the road.
“Bad day?” A voice asked.
Between two benches, almost hidden in the orange leaves, was a woman, instead of the ‘Nam veteran he usually passed a few moments talking to. Her wiry steel colored hair was in a messy bun, covered by a turban. She wore layers and layers even though it was a warm fall day. “Where’s Raffi?” Max asked.
“His daughter found him. He decided to try living with her again.”
Max nodded. “I hope it works out. She wasn’t…apparently he isn’t easy to live with. Bad dreams.”
“It’ll be better now.” She said with such serene certainty that Max believed her. He gave a little wave and walked away.
He was back, twenty minutes later. He put a chocolate shake in front of her, and a boxed fried chicken meal. If he had known his folklore…which, sadly, he would become intimately familiar with, he would have understood her amusement. Milk, bread…these were the Old offerings.
Instead he shrugged, uncomfortable. “What? I figure everyone likes chocolate. And I needed to eat, too.” He sat next to her.
“How old are you?” She asked, though she knew.
He shrugged. “Seventeen.” He buttered a biscuit and took a huge bite. He ate like he was starving. “Why?”
“You seem to be awfully young to be hanging out with homeless people. Where are your parents?”
He shrugged again. “My mom’s gone. My father…”. He pointed towards the hospital doors with his chin. “He’s dying.” He hunched over the greasy box of chicken, potato strips and biscuits, eating like it was the only thing keeping him sane.
She sighed.
He looked at her, and she shook her head, and ate the food he brought her. You are going to go off the rails Max Phillips. You are going to go off the rails so badly and there’s nothing I can do about it.
The Present:
He entered the library through the basement, crept up the stairway. The first floor was nearly empty…the university library kept late hours so that students could cram late into the night, but it was Thirsty Thursday and most of the students were elsewhere.
He waited until you were focused on the book cart again, back towards the main floor, and got himself around the corner. Then he pulled out his cell and dialed the front desk.
You now turned to go to the phone, at least he hoped so, as he disconnected the call and opened the side door to the area behind the circulation desk…
You were there, leaning against the cart, arms folded. “Nice try, but I know your tricks, Mister Phillips.”
He grinned and advanced on her, step by step.
“No no…”. You point a finger at him. “Stay back, this is a work place…”. You shoot a look towards the front desk as he backs you into your office. “You are going to lose me my job.” You hiss at him, and he bends a little, and kisses you breathless.
“Quit. I’ll take care of you.”
You wrap your arms around his shoulders. He’s cool to the touch. It’s not disconcerting, not like it used to be. “I wish I could.”
“Stop wishing...”
“If you say ‘and make your dreams a reality’, I’ll bite you.”
Max looks offended. “It’s a great slogan! Do you know how many units of Losapill those golden words have sold?”
“I don’t understand how I can love someone so much and want to punch them so badly.”
He grins down at you. “I can name several reasons why you love me.”
You smirk up at him. “I’m sure you can…let me go, honey. I’ve got to tell everyone we’re closing in half an hour.” He listened to your voice on the loudspeaker, buttery and gentle and reassuring, and smiled a little. He could listen to that voice forever. He could sell holy water to a priest, but so far all his skills had failed to net him the one thing he wanted.
He walks with you, as you check the restrooms (He even does the men’s for you on each floor, turning off the lights and blocking the doors open) and stands behind you, hands in his pockets, looking gloomy as you gently tell students to take their books to the front desk if they needed to check them out, that the library was closing shortly.
He waits, patiently, while you close up and lock the doors and usher the last people out.
“I really wish you’d let me turn you,” he says when you are both in your car and on the way home. Max often took the rooftops from his office to the university. He was fast, and strong, and being fairly indestructible made him long for the thrill of possibly getting hurt, so he parkoured his way through the city once it got dark. It was disgusting, how he looked so good after running and leaping five miles.
He shifts in his seat as you let the silence grow. “Are you ignoring me?”
“Yes.” You stop at a red light.
“Why? You said you’d think about it. You’ve been thinking about it for a month. Any idea where you are on it? Like, from the scale of one to ten…”
You’ve been wanting to avoid this. You’ve really been wanting to avoid this. “Zero.”
She waits. She waits for the torrent of salesmanship. The spiel. Why becoming a vampire and living forever is what she wants, she just doesn’t know it’s yet.
For once, words fail him. No quick comeback, no charming lines. “I can’t believe you don’t want to be with me.” He says it so softly that you almost aren’t sure you heard it.
You pull into the apartment parking lot, picks a spot quickly you can park and take his hands in yours. “Max. I do. I really do. But just…I don’t want to be a vampire. I don’t want to give up the things I would have to give up?”
“Like what? Death? Getting old? Getting sick? Being weak?” He pulls his hands away. “I am offering you unlimited time. Think of the things we can do together! And you don’t have to kill…I haven't killed anyone in ages!”
“Sunlight.” You say. “Food.” He makes a disgusted sound and looks out the window. “A family.” You take a deep breath. “Children.”
He finally looks at you again. “Then I won’t waste any more of your time.” He raises his hand, and time goes wonky for a moment, and when things snap back into place, he’s gone.
You stay in your car a long time, hoping he’ll come back. Every step up to your apartment, you look around, hoping.
It’s dawn, before you give up, dried out from crying, your mouth feels full of ashes and your heart full of regret.
The next day:
Max was not in a good mood the next day. Usually he has a nice word for, if no one else, his PA, a miracle worker of a woman he’d always been fond of, but he just glared at her and slams his door shut.
Emails. Reports. He plowed into work.
The door opened, and he ignored it, steadfast in the hope that whoever it was would go the fuck away. I could always eat them. I don’t have to be good anymore.
A cup thumped down on his desk. He looked up. He didn’t recognize the woman — her steel grey hair was neat, her suit elegant. Her heart beat strangely, and he could tell she was not — quite—human. Great. Someone new from corporate?
“I thought you said that everyone loves chocolate?” She said, pointing at the milkshake. “You’ve come far, since we last spoke outside the hospital…”
He shook his head. “I remember you, but…”. How did she come to be here? Why? His brain was still trying to match up the homeless lady with the epitome of corporate flash in front of him.
“Now, I didn’t say you moved in a good direction. How did the sweet boy who spent his last twenty on dinner for himself and a homeless woman end up being a bloodsucking asshole selling fake products?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s schedule an appointment, maybe for the next century?”
“Nope.” She reached across the desk. “You gonna drink this?”
He shook his head and she took the milkshake, leaned back in her chair, moving the straw back and forth in the lid, making an annoying shriek sound that hurt his ears.
“Do you think I wanted this?” He snapped at her. Vampires didn’t really need much in the way of sleep, but he was tired. Tired and hurt. “And who gives you the right to fucking judge me?”
“I’m one of the gentry,” she said. “That doesn’t give me the right, but it gives me the power.”
“You’re fae. That explains it. You don’t seem human.”
“I thought they taught you the rules. You never call us out so clearly. Always call us by some euphemism and hope we don’t take a notion to turn our attention towards you.”
He threw up his hands. “Why? Why does it matter?”
“Because if I wanted to, Max Phillips, I could turn you back into the weak, dying, foolish mortal you once were.”
This stopped him. “You could?” He said carefully.
“I could.”
“What’s the catch?”
She smiled. “Good boy. Maybe they did teach you something, after all.” She put the milkshake on the desk. ”You were…what? Twenty, twenty one when you got turned? I could, if I wanted to, make it as if you never got turned. I could choose for you to age to the age you should be, had you not cheated death…or I could make you start from where you are right now. If I was feeling so inclined.”
“Why would I want that?” He scoffed. “Do you think I want to get old and sick? Do you think I want to spend the last year of my life in a hospital bed, unable to even piss for myself? You think this is a fucking gift? Enticing? No.”
“So you don’t want a life with the librarian? Probably for the best. She is made out of sunlight and deserves so much better.”
He stopped. He could feel the slipping…where the darker side of him started clambering up, eager to take control and rend and kill.
“Hush.” She said, and the blood stopped rushing in his ears, the fangs stopped aching. “I shouldn’t needle. It’s just so frustrating. You were a sweet boy and you just allowed the bad in your life to make you…well, frankly, a bit of a jackass.” She shoot him an apologetic look. “OK, that was a cruddy apology. But. Back to the subject at hand. Once, you were kind to me. And if you do me a favor — one more favor — I will give you a choice. A chance to choose a life for yourself instead of being a victim of bad choices and worse luck. No strings. No further price.”
He side eyed her a long moment. He was intrigued, despite himself. “What’s the favor?”
She took a small painting out of her pocket and slid it over to him. “Another debt to pay…that woman has a soul mate out there. I know where he is. If you get her to my house tomorrow night, I can unite them, give them a chance at well deserved happiness.”
“Yeuch.” He said, then picked up the painting. “Wait. That’s my PA.”
“Is it? How delightful. Isn’t just splendid how fate intervenes.” She put a card on the desk. “This is the address. Hope to see you.” She held up her finger. “There is one thing. She can’t know. You have to get her there without her knowing why. Alright?”
“Don’t hold your breath.” He muttered.
“Good. I am glad you understand. Ciao!”
He picked up the card. And cursed a bit.
NIght, in the time middle of nowhere:
“So, Mister Phillips…are you taking me out into the middle of the woods to murder me?” His PA asked, laughing. She didn’t know he was a vampire. Telling people what he was hadn’t worked out very well at his last job, so he’d been much more circumspect this time.
“I promise, you are safe. From me. I don’t know what Corporate will do, though,” he said, turning down another road.
“So, did they tell you what the meeting is about?”
“It’s meant to be a retreat. All the heads of the various branches and their PA’s. They want to re-envision the future of the company”. He took one hand off the wheel to put air quotes in the right place. “Apparently they messed up your email address so we didn’t get the invite in time. Someone caught it and called me directly.”
“I hope the place they picked is nice…”. She was looking out the window, trying to make out the road ahead. “Carol in accounting is super jealous. I think she has a bit of a crush on you…”
“Well, I am irresistible.”
“Mostly.” She grinned at him. A square of light grabbed her attention. “I think we’re here.”
He pulled up to the house. It looked sketchy at best, and the looks his PA were casting made him wonder if her trust was stretching a little too thin.
He got out and walked up to the porch. The Fae came out this time wearing a chic, flowery dress. She ignored Max and called to his PA. “Don’t be afraid. You are here so I can talk to you about your dreams…and by that, I mean the Spaniard, with the scar over his eye.”
The PA froze. “You…you know about him?”
“Go inside, dear, and I will tell you all about him. But I need to talk to Max, here, first”
His PA stopped next to him, put her hand on his arm. “Will you be OK?”
“Absolutely. You know me.”
She went into the house.
“Come here, Max.” The Fae held out her hand, gesturing him to come up to the porch. He did. A card table was set up, with one chair. Two cards lay face down. “Here is your choice. Are you ready?”
He stood there, looking at the table, and nodded. Fear coursed through him, as strong as the day cold hands grabbed him from behind, teeth sinking into his throat…
She reached down and flipped over a card. The Queen of Spades. “Darkness ever lasting. A vampire queen even now is looking for her equal. She will choose you, and the two of you will know power beyond your wildest dreams…until enough people get angry about it and decide to deal with you both. You will not love her, but who needs love when you have sex and death and all the power you ever hoped for?”
She reaches again, flips over another card. The Queen of Hearts. “And this. This is life. Your soul will wake up, and you will be twenty one and full of possibilities again. Your heart will beat every beat that was stolen from you. The slate will not be wiped entirely clean, but you will have a chance — a chance with your lovely librarian. Children. Be kind when you were once cruel, and live a decent, good life.”
His lips were numb. “How…how long?”
“Long enough. You will not feel cheated. It will be a plain sort of life, but it will be yours, and you will have the woman you love…some would say that is worth dying for.”
“What do you know about death? Your kind just fade when they are tired of living. You will never know the absolute fucking horror of your body betraying you. The fucking humiliation that waits. The pain.”
“No.” She said softly. “I do not.” She kissed his temple. “I am sorry. If I had met you sooner, perhaps…but, in any case, I consider all debts paid. When you are ready, pick up the card representing your choice, and rip it in half. Choose well, Maxwell Phillips. May we never meet again.”
He didn’t notice her leave. He sat down, weak, at the table.
Life. Death. Life. Death.
He’d seen both his parents die terribly. After he was turned, he’d mourned, then he realized the gift he’d been given. No hospitals. No lingering disease. No pain.
His hand hovered next to the Queen of Spades. No love, but power and sex. He’d tried to recover, tried to be good, for you. And he’d started feeling the guilt. And with guilt, came all the excuses. That he was living according to the nature that had been forced upon him. That he was giving people a gift…they died, or they become something that could never die.
You don’t punish the wolf for being a wolf.
But that was why it had been easy to walk away. Because you deserved better. Not a vampire. Not a wolf. A man…
He did not hear the car, but he heard the thump of the other man’s steps as he mounted the porch.
“She’s in there…” he said, barely paying attention.
When the other man left, he repeated what he said to him, in his head. Choosing between life and death.
He picked up the Queen of Hearts. His hands were shaking. He ripped the card in half. Darkness roared around him, pulled him under.
When he woke up, he was on the floor of his apartment.
No. His fucking. College. Dorm room.
“Dude, you started early.” Evan’s stupid face appeared as he bent over him.
Max wondered if he could punch him in the face. It would feel really, really good to punch the other man in the face,
“OK, well, I’m going to an away game…see you sometime tomorrow.”
He put the palms of his hands in his eyes. “Yeah…have fun.”
Evan stepped over him. “See ya…wouldn’t want to be ya!” The door slammed shut and Max raised both hands in a one finger salute towards it.
He made himself get up and go to the bathroom. He looked younger but not better, per se. What is wrong with me? What’s this feeling?
It wasn’t just that he could feel his body working. Feel breath (was breathing always so fucking noisy?) and heat beats and aches in his neck and back from laying weird on the floor.
He’d lived for years. But right now, he was still the same angry, miserable hit mess of a man he’d been at this point of his life.
A phone was ringing, he went and grabbed it.
“Hey Maxie. Is Evan gone?” Evan’s girlfriend. Great.
Oh.
“Yeah. Yeah. Look…”
“Awesome. I bought the cutest bra and panties…”
And this is where, he thought, this is where he took the step to becoming the man you deserved him to be. “That’s great. But you know…I only want to fuck you because your boyfriend is an annoying twit.”
Shocked silence. OK still an asshole. Check. So much for being a sweet boy when I was younger. “Look. I meant what I said. You are beautiful. You are probably far, far too good for Evan. Or maybe not, if you are willing to screw around with an asshole like me. In any case, you deserve better. But you have to decide what better is.”
This treated him to a string of profanity before the woman hung up.
Then, he walked to the infirmary, and asked for aspirin. And if there were any free spots for the therapist.
Sunday, the conversation between roommates went like this:
“So you were going to screw my girlfriend?”
A shrug — Max concentrated on the video game. “Changed my mind.”
“Why?”
He paused the game. “Because you deserve better.”
He felt Evan throw himself on the couch next to him. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
“I don’t hate you. You’re just so fucking happy and peppy and optimistic and everything is going to be awesome but I think the world is shit and misery and maybe if you dialed it back a little I we could have conversations that didn’t end with me wanting to punch your face.”
“Dude.” It sounded defeated and apologetic at the same time.
Max held a controller out to him. “Sorry. I’ll try to be less of an asshole.”
He took it. “I’ll try to be less…happy?”
Max sighed. “Just don’t get me kicked out, ok? I can’t afford anywhere else and I really don’t want to end up in Transylvania.”
Two years later, he decided he could go and find you.
Most people went to nice places on their spring break.
Max got on a bus and headed to a University in the next state. They’d had their Spring break a week sooner.
There you were. Sitting cross legged on a bench with a man with a streak of blonde in his hair, and a suit coat with elbow patches. Elbow patches. Pretentious asshole.
You were tucking hair behind your ear. You liked him. Max wondered if he should leave, come back…in a year? Three? When did he have a right to become part of your life? Did he even?
You look at him and smile and it is sunshine and he can’t leave.
The man on the bench says something about class. “See you at work,” she tells him, and he lopes off in an easy walk to one of the brick covered class buildings.
Max approaches carefully. “Hey. Um. I’m thinking about transferring here, wondered what it’s like?”
She shifted her bag over, even though there was plenty of room to sit, and he took it as an invite. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
He gave her his best smile. “Everything. I want to know everything.”
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Beyond Lovers || Chp. 31
{More Than Friends Sequel}
Chairman!Jaehyun AU x CEO!Reader AU
Summary: You find yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with the former CEO after overcoming your fear of love. Although there were rough patches, both of you are now stronger than ever. However, you realize that maintaining a relationship and a company at the same time can be very difficult, especially if someone is out to destroy the both of you.
(Context: This scene takes place in the time frame of the last three chapters of MTF)
Masterlist
{Previous / Next }
4 months ago...
“Come meet me in Paris. I’ll send you the address.”
Jaehyun’s mind spun like lab rats on a hamster wheel as he contemplated the idea of meeting face to face with Xiaojun. He had set his mind on getting y/n back and he couldn’t act scared now. He needed her in his life and this was his only chance.
~~~
The bright sun was hanging low in the clear sky as Jaehyun let out a yawn. Although jet-lagged and stressed, the thought of being on the same grounds as y/n made him feel a bit better. After all, it seemed like he hasn’t seen her for years. He chuckled to himself upon the realization of how much y/n’s presence affected him.
He stepped into the luxurious hotel lobby and made his way to the glass elevators before he quickly pressed the button to floor six. When the room door opened, he found himself sitting on the lonely chair placed across from the lush couch with his heart beating nervously. Never had he been more nervous for a meeting, in fact, he usually wasn’t the type of person to get nervous at all. He guessed that y/n and Xiaojun were definitely of blood relation as they were the only two people to ever make him feel even slightly nervous.
His hands were clasped politely in front of his lap as he tried his best to sit as straight as possible. On the other hand, Xiaojun sat comfortably yet arrogantly on the couch with his legs crossed. His stern, sharp gaze examined Jaehyun from his neatly gelled hair, his casual yet sleek navy dress shirt, to his expensive leather shoes. Jaehyun didn’t move an inch and allowed Xiaojun to take in whatever he wanted to see. He dressed casually but neat with the intent of giving off a good, first in-person impression. He didn’t want Xiaojun to think of him as an egotistic rich boy but a hardworking and polite man that is sincere to y/n.
Xiaojun suddenly let out a chilling laugh that did nothing to clear the tension in the room. “You don’t have to act so stiff, treat me comfortably.”
Jaehyun nervously chuckled as Xiaojun broke out an eerie smile and offered, “You must be exhausted from that flight. Want something to drink?”
Jaehyun looked at him and saw that his eyes held a stonecold stare that shouted ‘refuse if you dare.’ He quickly responded with a yes and Xiaojun’s eerie smile returned. As if he prepared for this scenario, his hands grabbed the bottle of liquor on the marble coffee table and filled the two empty glasses by its side. He set the bottle aside and asked as he quirked his eyebrow, “You do drink whiskey, do you?”
Jaehyun responded with a quick, “yes sir,” and Xiaojun chuckled, “No need to be so formal with me. You are about the same age as me after all.”
Jaehyun almost choked on his drink at his words and stuttered, “Y-yes if that’s what you want.” Hesitantly, he continued, “By the way...How do you know my age?”
Xiaojun chugged his drink and rather loudly before he bluntly told him that he had searched him up online, read articles about him, and even had some intel from someone on the inside. Jaehyun’s eyes widened at his last statement. He wasn’t new to this sort of investigation as he had done so himself around people he found suspicious, especially with Jaemin. But he was surprised, yet amused, that Xiaojun was that kind of person as well.
He cleared his glass of whiskey and set it down on the table. “You seem to be a very reliable person.”
Xiaojun gave him a questioning stare as he waited for him to elaborate on his words. Jaehyun chuckled, suddenly feeling more comfortable around the man in front of him and slightly loosened his stiff body. “It’s only right to keep an eye out on suspicious people. I would.”
At his elaboration, Xiaojun’s expression seemed to change into one with slightly more approval. His cold stare shifted to a warmer gaze as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His eyes first looked down at his interlocked fingers and then seriously up at Jaehyun. “What is your endgame with my baby sister?”
Jaehyun sat up straighter again and responded with slight confusion in his tone, “Endgame? I don’t have one. My love for your sister isn’t a game.”
Xiaojun smirked and asked, “Then what is it?”
Jaehyun never broke eye contact with the man in front of him and said sincerely, “To me, loving y/n is like living in a warm home. I only want to make her feel happy and comfortable like how she makes me feel. I want her to feel what being loved means.”
He hoped that wasn’t too blunt and stopped himself before he could say anything more, but Xiaojun chuckled. This time, he didn’t have an eerie smile but a genuine one. He poured the both of them more whiskey and said in a gentler yet firm tone, “You’re the first, you know.”
“The first what?” Jaehyun said a little softer, scared that that statement might hold a negative connotation.
Xiaojun peered down at his glass of whiskey, slightly moving the cup in a circular motion before setting it down without taking a sip. “Guess I don’t need this whiskey anymore.”
He looked up and saw Jaehyun’s puzzled look. “You are much more innocent than I thought,” he laughed. He sat straighter, breaking from his previous position and told Jaehyun nonchalantly, “You are actually the first to tell me something worth my time. You see...most guys that previously held y/n’s interest will walk into my door and say some bullshit. I’ve heard countless fuckers say they date my sister because she will make a great couple with them, she will light up their day, or some equivalent shit.” His eyes hardened and stared straight into Jaehyun’s. “I don’t want to hear that. Ever.” Jaehyun unconsciously gulped and Xiaojun chuckled, “But you on the other hand. You are different. While others think about themselves, you think about y/n.”
Jaehyun felt relieved but not a second later, Xiaojun gave him the same cold stare again. “But y/n means the world to me. She’s my only family and the only person I will sell my soul to protect. You got that?” Jaehyun quickly nodded in response and Xiaojun’s tone softened again. “I don’t know how far you are in this relationship, but you must know that y/n didn’t have parents growing up as they abandoned us quite harshly.” He glanced at Jaehyun’s expression and figured he knew what he was referring to. “So you do know. Well then your relationship must have been going on for quite a while…”
“Not really,” Jaehyun replied a bit hesitant.
Xiaojun quirked his eyebrow, “How long then?”
“Technically...only a few months,” Jaehyun rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of whether he should give him all the details of their complicated relationship, “But we’ve kind of been circling around the first month…”
“Circling around?” Jaehyun gulped, afraid this would give him some negative points on his approval but Xiaojun stared intently at him and suddenly burst out laughing. He knew that his younger sister was never the one to wait for initiation. She wasn’t careful with things she didn’t care for. All her previous relationships started fairly quickly. But when y/n really liked something, she would wait, go through a ton of inner debation, and finally come up with a decision. Xiaojun knew that because she does the same with photography. She never rushes the process and would take her time finding the right angle, the right natural lighting, and the right model. She would often tell Xiaojun, “Precious moments are to be dealt with carefully because they are especially fragile.”
Now that Jaehyun confessed the upbringing of their relationship, albeit vague, he realized just how much y/n valued this man that sat nervously in front of him. He muttered to himself both out of amusement and astonishment, “Wow y/n...So he’s the one huh?”
He stopped laughing and stared seriously at Jaehyun again, “Listen up lover boy. The reason I told you to come here was to either show you that you are not worthy of my precious sister or to beat you to a pulp if you didn’t listen like some arrogant douches I’ve encountered in her past relationships.” Unknowingly, Jaehyun chuckled at his last statement and Xiaojun’s ears perked, “Did you just laugh?”
Jaehyun’s eyes widened upon the realization of what he just did and immediately corrected himself, “No no, I didn’t mean it in that way.” He scratched the back of his neck again and continued, “I actually just,” he paused and let out a light chuckle, “I just relate to that as well.”
Xiaojun was caught off guard as he blinked in disbelief at the man’s reaction, “You what?”
A sense of respect coated Jaehyun’s tone as he clarified, “Some people call it reckless, some people call it crazy. But in the line of business I work in, those hypocritical people only fear those with the power of the fist and intimidation.” He let out a bitter chuckle and told Xiaojun, “With y/n around, especially, I just feel the need to make sure she doesn’t get hurt by ignorant people.”
Xiaojun smirked, “You’re not half as bad as I thought Jaehyun.” He smiled and continued, “Anyways, y/n may be my baby sister but ever since we were little all she has done was make sure I was happy. She took care of me more than I did with her. She supported and helped me with my Youtube career and tagged along without any complaints. And because of that, she never really had a stable place to call her home. I’m glad she was able to open up to you. She usually never tells someone about her parents until at least a year into the relationship. It shows she really is comfortable around you. And judging from the way you react to my words and actions, it seems I don’t need to play the role of a protector for her anymore. You seem to suit the role.”
Before Jaehyun could respond Xiaojun immediately cut him off, “But one more thing. As a Youtuber, I know the public forum can be harsh and the spotlight will never be easy. For that, I know the situation at the Starship Charity Ball was not entirely your fault,” His cold stare came back as he stared seriously at Jaehyun, “But don’t you ever dare forget this. When you walk out this door and go to y/n, you will do everything in your power to help and protect her. It might not be entirely your fault, but it was because of you that y/n is now in the spotlight.”
Jaehyun replied in agreement almost immediately and Xiaojun continued, “Take the consequences and make the best of it.” He narrowed his eyes and made sure Jaehyun understood his commands. “But don’t you ever let y/n get hurt by it.” He continued and emphasized his last point in a much deeper and darker tone, “You hurt my only family and I will show you no mercy. However hurt y/n becomes, I will give that back to you threefold, understood?”
“Of course! I will always be by her to protect her. No matter who or what gets in the way,” Jaehyun replied quickly and genuinely.
Xiaojun shut his eyes for a moment and nodded, content with his response and overall behavior.
“Effiel Tower,” he opened his eyes again and looked at Jaehyun with a soft and somewhat hopeful gaze, “She should be somewhere around the Effiel Tower right now.”
Jaehyun immediately popped up from his seat, ready to meet his love again. Before he twisted the doorknob of the hotel room, he turned around and told Xiaojun with the utmost respect, “I will treat her like my own family, I promise.”
Xiaojun chuckled and leaned against the soft pillows on the couch, “You better lover boy, my fists are ready to fight any time of the day.”
———
• Dropping a post early since I’ll be off to celebrate my bday!! •
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