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#this one was hard to color taylor pls
coldasyou · 2 years
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Good evening and welcome to another episode of Midnights Mayhem With Me.
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star-girl69 · 3 months
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I Can See You
Clarisse La Rue x Fem!AphroditeCabin!Reader
—-
sypnosis: you and clarisse work together to get revenge on a mutual enemy, but when that plan involves pretending to date clarisse, something better than revenge happens. requested by anonymous!
a/n: I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE HOLY FRICK. the beginning is so bad and just like worldbuilding but i PROMISE!!!!! keep reading!!!!!! pls ignore the fact im reusing jackie and tyla i’m attached to them anyways i hope you all enjoy!!
I Can See You - Taylor Swift
(also Dress by tay was the original title soooo…..)
warnings: not proofread, the beginning is so bad i swear it gets better, a little suggestive haha…., kissing ofc, fake dating!!!!!!!!!, JEALOUS CLARISSE JEALOUS CLARISSE I REPEAT JEALOUS CLARISSE!!!!!!!, swearing, violence, mentions of murder!, protective clarisse the loml, ALCOHOL!!!!! reader gets drunk, allusions to sex, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT please be VERY careful, tell me if i missed anything!!
—-
“What the hell are you all doing?”
You had waited until nighttime for a reason, for the light of the full moon and hopefully some peace. You and your siblings looked up at the voice.
Xavier Bones was possibly the rudest and most self-centered person you had ever had the displeasure of meeting. His father was Ares, which made sense, seeing as he had a wicked temper and was strong as shit. Most of the kids from the Ares cabin could probably snap you like a stick if they wanted, but what scares you about Xavier is that he might actually do it.
He’s rude to everyone he sees, but he particularly has it out for the Aphrodite cabin. Just because Aphrodite kids didn’t have skill in battle like Ares kids, or aren’t wicked smart like Athena kids doesn’t mean they’re worthless. Xavier just didn’t understand anything except brute force.
He didn’t understand any other kind of power.
The whole reason you’re out here tonight is to finally finish the potion you’ve been making. Amokinesis was strictly a spoken sort of magic, and it was hard to do it to more than one person. But, you and your siblings had decided that maybe you could try and follow in the steps of sorceresses like Medea and Circe, using spelled objects and potions to execute your power. You had been collaborating with a Hecate kid for weeks now, learning everything you could about potion making until you were finally ready to try and make a simple truth potion- love and desire also opened the door to truth.
Aster, the daughter of Hecate who had been helping you, said it was a relatively easy first timer potion and hopefully with your Amokinesis it would come together.
You look up at Xavier, watching as he smiles in disbelief.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re trying to make some sort of love potion, huh?” He sits down at the picnic table, curiously leaning in to look at it.
“Get back,” Jackie, your sibling, hisses waving her hand at him so he’ll back up.
“Okay, okay,” he smiles, some glint in his eyes. He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just trying to figure out why you’re wasting all this time, seeing as it probably won’t work.”
“Shut up, Xavier,” you sighed. You needed this bad. You needed to prove to everyone that love wasn’t a stupid power. You were so sick of Xavier, of everyone and their treatment of the Aphrodite cabin. Jackie wanted so desperately to learn how to use a spear, but no one would pay enough attention to her.
You need this.
“I thought you guys were supposed to be nice?”
You opt to ignore him.
“Hm, okay, definitely not nice. Good thing I’m not either.”
He spits his gum out and drops it straight into the cauldron.
“Fucking bitch!” Jackie screams, Tyla looks like she’s about to cry, and the wooden spoon you’re holding in your hands is about to crack under the pressure.
The potion changes an odd color, a murky brown.
“Oops,” he says.
He laughs and walks away, and you faintly wonder what happened to him to make him so cruel.
—-
The next morning you’re all stewing silently at breakfast. Jackie is glaring daggers at the Ares table, Tyla is ranting about how you need to get all the ingredients again, and you’re trying to listen and join Jackie at staring maliciously.
“I’m gonna murder him, I think.”
“I’ll help,” you murmur, favoring staring at your hands instead of being caught staring at him.
“Do you think Clarisse will let me borrow her spear? How much would that sting, getting killed by one of your Dad’s weapons, huh?”
“She probably would,” Tyla mumbles. “She hates him too, ever since he beat her sparring.”
You resist the urge to scoff. You were there that day, and Xavier had played dirty.
They were sparring, she was winning, when he suddenly pointed behind her and shouted that Ares was there. Of course, everyone had turned to look, and he had disarmed her and kicked her down while she was distracted.
Of course, the next day he was walking around sporting a black eye, but Clarisse had never lived that day down. Xavier had never lived that down, either, exactly why they’re sitting on opposite ends of the table now.
Jackie stares off into the distance. She lets out a small laugh.
“I have a horrible idea.”
“What if we make Xavier fall in love with one of us, right?”
You and Tyla both gag.
“Wait, wait! But then we just lead him on, and maybe Clarisse will do us a favor and pretend to date-”
Tyla snorts. “She would never do that.”
You remember seeing the anger on her face that day. The rage, really, the betrayal. But you remember seeing the sadness too. A part of her had really thought Ares was gonna be there. You remember feeling so, so bad for her.
No one should deserve to feel like that, but it comes with the territory of being a demigod.
“It wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?”
Tyla and Jackie stare at you like you’ve just cursed out Hades.
“I’ll do it. Tyla, no offense, but I think you’d crack under the pressure. And Jacks, you would just start punching him.”
“Yeah,” Tyla murmurs.
“I would,” Jackie agrees.
“I mean, it might actually work.”
—-
You corner her the next day.
She’s outside her cabin, practicing some spear forms when you walk over to her. This is all moving so fast, but you can’t help the fact that revenge is so fun. Why wait when you can get it now?
Revenge is supposed to be served best cold, but you’ve always been a little too handsy, a little too greedy for your own good. You want revenge and you want it now.
“Clarisse, hi.” You smile, she spares you a glance and doesn’t say anything. “I’m Y/N, you don’t know me but I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”
The spear stops in mid air. She moves from a offensive position to a standing position, and she looks you up and down so painfully slow that you think your organs are gonna burst.
“What?”
“So, you know Xavier?” you sit down on the picnic bench behind you. “I’m sure you know him, and I’m sure you know that he’s an asshole. He ruined something me and my siblings were doing, and he’s been so rude to all Aphrodite kids for so long so, we just wanna get him back.
She squints at you. “How?”
“We’re gonna use our amokinesis to make him fall in love with me, then maybe, hopefully, we can fake date to make him lose his mind.”
She stares at you blankly for a second. Your heart drops, oh, Gods, you never should have done this.
You’re gonna be the laughingstock of camp.
“‘Cause, you know, you both hate each others guts. And if he’s in love with me, but then he sees you and me together- it was this whole thing about making him see the power of love, you know, ‘cause like-”
She grabs you by your cheeks, pinching your face together, your lips puffing out.
“You can stop rambling, now.” She smiles in a demeaning way, and you would feel insulted if the way she wasn’t gripping your face right now wasn’t addicting. “I actually think it’s a pretty great plan. Surprising, but, whatever.”
You ignore that.
“So, you’ll do it?”
“When are you gonna spell him?”
“As soon as possible, tonight, at the bonfire.”
“Okay,” she nods, thinking to herself. “Come meet me before you do it.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Clarisse La Rue touched your face. Clarisse touched your face, and you really fucking liked it.
—-
The three of you sit by the edge of the bonfire. You locked eyes with Clarisse a few minutes ago, letting her know you’re here.
Tyla fusses with your hair, even though you all spent an hour making everything about you perfect. It would be nice to look hot if you were gonna make him fall in love with you.
You watch as she makes her way towards the bathrooms.
Her golden skin shines in the light of the fire, she adjusts her shirt, and you swear you see her abs just under the orange fabric-
“Clarisse is pretty, isn’t she?” Tyla says. “I mean, I almost wish I was the one fake dating her.”
And she is. She is so painfully pretty.
“I’ll tell you all about it,” you wink.
When you step into the bathroom, Clarisse locks the door behind you. You turn around and she’s there. She looks you up and down. You can’t make out the look on her face.
“You’re really trying to impress him, huh?” she smirks. You ignore that.
The ceiling is low in here, so you walk to the corner and reach up at the loose board. You slide it over, reaching inside and grabbing the small bag.
Aphrodite kid secret- makeup is hidden everywhere around camp.
She stares at you. “Has that always been up there?”
You go to the mirror, taking out the mascara and applying another layer.
“Uh… yeah.”
She leans against the wall next to the mirror, watching you with such an intensity it’s like you’re the one beautiful thing in some bloody war she can’t take her eyes away from.
“We should probably set some ground rules,” you say. She hums. “This will probably only be for a month or so.”
“That’s fine.”
You stare pointedly at yourself in the mirror. You, Jacks and Tyla had dumped almost all of your plates into the offerings fire at lunch, hoping for good luck from Aphrodite. With the way your skin seems to glow, your makeup flawless, it seems she’s pleased by your offerings.
Maybe her and Ares are having a fight up on Olympus, and she’s itching to see him knocked down a peg, however vicariously through someone else.
“Well, you can do whatever you want to me.”
“I- what?” you blink, staring at Clarisse like she just turned into a cyclops.
“You can kiss me, hug me, whatever. I mean, we should really do this if we’re gonna do it. Sell it, or whatever.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess you can do whatever too.”
Clarisse can touch you wherever she wants.
You look up discreetly. Please, Mom, you think. Don’t let me fall in love with Clarisse La Rue.
It’s fine to admit to yourself that you’d like to jump on top of her, but she’s still an Ares kid. She’s a bully, if you’re being honest. But can you say that you’re not one too after this?
Love can burn down cities, love can start wars, love can end them. Love is always there from the beginning of your life to your beginning. The doctor who delivered you loves their career. The woman who makes flower arrangement for your funeral loves flowers, even if she hates making them for funerals.
Love is always there, and when it’s used as a weapon you know it is one of the deadliest things.
But you’re too deep in this now.
She walks around so she’s standing behind you, adjusting her hair in the mirror.
She puts her hand on your hip. You take a deep breath, you pretend. You pretend so hard it might become real.
She smiles brightly in the mirror. “See you out there, baby.”
—-
You pull your top down. That’s the easiest way to get a man to look at you. Pull your top down. You get a few looks as you move through the tree trunk benches, careful that you don’t accidentally trip, because that would completely fuck up the plan.
There’s a part of you that comes from your mother. The part that some may call vain, but how is it your fault to enjoy the attention that other people are giving you? It’s not your fault they’re looking. It’s not your fault you look like your mother’s daughter.
You walk a little longer, finally setting your eyes on Xavier, sitting across the fire from Clarisse and her group. You eyes meet hers. She pretends to itch her nose, but you can see the laugh she’s hiding. You take one more deep breath, say one more please to your mother.
“Xavier,” you say. “Can I sit?”
He already seems a little shocked that you’re talking to him on purpose, but he quickly recovers and pushes his friend down the trunk.
You sit, your thigh touching his, folding your hands over your legs.
“I just wanted to say, Xavier, that you were right. The other night… the potion would have failed anyways. Thank you so much for ruining it when you did. Who knows what could have happened? It could have exploded everywhere.”
You laugh, putting your hand on his arm. He looks up at you, mouth slightly parted.
You said his name twice and he’s already sucked in.
“Really, Xavier, thank you.” You smile softly, looking at his lips before back up to his eyes.
His hand lands on your knee.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
You watch Jackie walk by. He doesn’t hear her whisper. But you see it in his eyes.
You pretend to blush, brushing your hand down his arm before it lands back in your own lap. He leans in closer, until his lips are brushing your ear.
“Why don’t I give you some more things to be thankful for?”
Tyla walks by. He doesn’t hear her whisper either.
“Oh, I should really get back to Clarisse. Sorry, Xavier,”
His hand tightens on your knee and he pulls back.
“C-Clarisse? What would you be doing with her?”
You feign innocence. “Well, she’s my girlfriend. I do a lot of things with her,” you giggle. “I just wanted to thank you, but I should get going. Bye, Xavier!”
You blow him a kiss as you stand up, and you can practically see the hearts in his eyes right along with the blazing rage. You can feel him stare as you walk away, hips swaying.
Clarisse is still trying to hide her laugh when you start walking over to her. The tree trunk around her is all full of people, and a few more are even on the ground.
You stand in front of her, smiling softly.
“Are you not gonna let your girlfriend sit down?”
“Of course I am.”
She leans back and pats her knee. She draws you forward by wrapping her big hand around your hip. When you sit down, she rests her hand flat against your stomach, pressing you right to her. Her other hand rests on your thigh.
Please, Mom, don’t let me fall in love with Clarisse La Rue. Don’t let me like her touching me like this.
Everyone is staring.
It’s exhilarating.
You twist your face into something serious, trying not to break out into a fit of embarrassing giggles.
Her breath tickles your neck.
“I gotta admit, you little witch, that was impressive.”
You smile and place your hand over hers.
“I know.”
—-
The day after the bonfire, everybody at camp is talking about you and Clarisse.
How long have they been dating? Why did they decide to become public now? I swear I saw Y/N and Xavier getting close, though, what happened?
You’ve been trying not to break out laughing all morning. During breakfast you blew Clarisse a kiss and heard one of your siblings gasp dramatically and mumble about how sweet young love is.
Jackie and Tyla made paper hearts for you during arts n’ crafts, talking loudly about how you were such a lovesick little thing. You know Xavier heard about all of those things, because he stares at you every chance he gets and glares at Clarisse at the same time.
You keep exchanging subtle glances with her, small smiles, secrets in between your gazes. It’s nice to have something like this.
After dinner, the two of you go to the woods to pretend like you’re having a secret date. Clarisse brings her spear and you bring a blanket.
You’ve been laying there comfortably for a while, arms under your head like a pillow.
“I wanna know how you did it,” she says, turning her spear in her hands. You open one eye to look at her.
“I say his name a bunch of times. With, like, a lot of intention. Then Jackie and Tyla came by and whispered “you’re in love with the girl in front of you” and other stuff like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s just, like, this power.”
“I was imagining, like, one of those mortal movies, you know? A potion, or something.”
“Oh, we’re trying that too. Medea used her amokinesis in the form of potions and spelled objects, so me, Jackie, and Tyla have been talking to Aster, who’s a child of Hecate, and we tried to make a truth potion.” You laugh, thinking of that night. “That’s why we’re doing this, actually. Xavier found us and stuck his gum in it, so… completely ruined. We have to wait for the next full moon and get all the ingredients. It sucks, whatever, I guess.”
She listened intently the entire time you were talking. Aphrodite kids are always jumping from one thing to another. Clarisse is so focused and single-minded. It feels good to be the center of just one person’s attention. Not having people look at you, but just one person look at you.
“Every time I see him I think about stabbing him 20 times. Now I’ll think about sticking gum in his ear, too.” She turns to you and smiles.
None of that stupid smirking shit she always does, or those over-exaggerated demeaning smiles, she really smiles at you.
Her smile is really pretty.
You laugh along with her after a second.
“I would love to see that,” you murmur, propping yourself up on your forearms. “What really made you agree to do this? I mean, I know you guys surface level hate each other but, come on, I was just rambling and you were all ‘let’s do it’.”
“I hate him,” she shrugs. “Why do you care, anyways? You got what you wanted. Enjoy my beautiful self while it lasts.”
“Yeah, okay,” you chuckle.
You don’t leave until the stars come out.
—-
The second day after the bonfire, Clarisse invites you to sit with her at lunch. Usually, you’re supposed to stay at your cabin tables, but Chiron is busy all day and no one would snitch on Clarisse.
You walk over with your tray in hand, watching as she whispers something to her siblings. You smile at them before she pats the seat next to her.
“Hey,” the boy next to you greets. “I’m Matty.”
He points to the girl across from him. “That’s Marjorie,” he points to the other boy with dark skin across from Clarisse, “That’s Daniel,” and finally your eyes land on the blonde girl sitting across from you.
“I’m Sarah,” she smiles. She seems nice, at least. So does Matty. The rest just seem sort of standoffish. There’s a scuffle under the table, then Daniel glares at Clarisse.
“Hi, Y/N,” he says. “Nice to meet you.”
Matty is sickly sweet nice, handsome too, and you almost wonder if he’s really a child of Ares. But he’s got that same focus like Clarisse.
He asks you questions and listens to your answers.
He had the bad stroke of fate in accidentally getting you going about your experiments in potions and amokinesis, and you find yourself shuffling closer to him.
“Sorry,” you laugh. “I’ll stop torturing you now.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I love a passionate person.”
You weren’t sure if he meant that to be flirting.
Usually you’re good at picking up these things, all Aphrodite kids have a knack for it, but you think he’s just really nice.
You stare at him, tilting your head to the side when Clarisse suddenly grabs your waist and pulls you closer to her. Her breath tickles your neck, just like the bonfire.
“You’re supposed to be my girlfriend, not his,” she whispers, her chin resting against your shoulder.
You roll your eyes. “Am I not allowed to have a conversation?”
“Not when he’s looking.” You spare a quick glance. Xavier is looking at you, a mix between glaring and starting longingly.
“He looks like a cross-eyed dog,” you giggle.
And to your surprise, Clarisse presses her face into your shoulder to muffle her laugh.
—-
All the time you spend with Clarisse is like some stupid board game you play with Tyla and Jackie when there’s nothing else to do. Jenga. That one where you crack the ice and try not to make the polar ball fall.
The games where you chip it away slowly, one by one, wondering if this time will be the time that it falls, if you’ll be the one to lose the game.
You push a little more each time with Clarisse. Each conversation, you learn a little more, you chip away a few of her walls.
It’s addicting to open her up slowly, to get to know her like this. And when it’s just you and her alone, when Xavier isn’t around to torture, you swear it doesn’t feel fake.
—-
The eighth day after the bonfire, you skip arts n’ crafts to follow Clarisse to the archery range.
While the Apollo kids have all that effortless, natural skill with archery, Ares kids are still deadly. You faintly remember seeing Clarisse shoot once. Even though it’s not her weapon of choice, her aim was deadly and she didn’t miss one shot.
You’re okay with a bow.
Clarisse sees the perfect opportunity to flaunt in front of Xavier.
As soon as you crest the hill, your eyes find his, and he beelines towards you.
“Y/N, sweetheart, what can I do for you?”
It’s easy to switch on that stereotypical persona. You twist your fingers into your shirt.
“Yeah, can you help me?” you look up at him, trying to be as disgustingly sweet as you can,
“What’d you need?” he takes a step closer, about to cage you in between him and the cart full of bows and arrows.
“Can you help me pick out a bow? I don’t know what one would be right for me, I don’t know anything about archery. Please?”
He reaches past you, coming close so your back hits the wooden cart. You can’t help the way your eyes widen. He’s bold, you’ll give him that. Everyone reacts differently under the spell, but their true personalities still shine through.
He picks one up, running his hand up and down the curved wood. He plucks at the string, nodding to himself.
“This one’s fit for a lady.”
You take it, fingertips brushing his. “Oh, thank you so much, Xavier.” You give him a small side hug as you run past him, eager to get away from him.
You just need to find Clarisse.
“Hey, don’t you need some help shooting?” you glance over your shoulder, watching him advance.
Where the hell is Clarisse?
You’re about to say you’re fine when you suddenly slide into someone’s arms. You would have slammed into her, if not for the way Clarisse softly reached out to touch your arm, and Gods, you recognize the feel of her skin.
You knew she was there and you gratefully walked forward, your chests touching, her arm around your shoulders.
“I’ll take it from here, Xavier.”
You look up at her. She’s smiling in that same demeaning way.
You’ve grown to like it.
He doesn’t say anything else. You hear him stomp off.
You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. When you open your eyes after a moment, you realize how close you are.
You’re so close it’s just one move and that’s it. One move and you both know that’ll change it all.
You think she just worked out. You can feel the muscles of her arm against you, you can see the sweat on her hairline, you can see her breathing heavily.
You could just press your ear to her chest and feel everything.
The way her brown eyes reflect the sunshine is mesmerizing. You’ve been looking at her for so long, but it’s like you’re looking into the surface of a lake you swear you recognize, slightly green murky waters, but there was a whole world under the surface if you cared to look.
But you didn’t care to look for the Clarisse under the surface. You don’t care. You don’t want to.
She clears her throat and let’s go of you.
You back up.
“Put that thing down, he probably fucking poisoned it.”
You turn the bow in your hands, but when you look up, she’s already walking towards the far end of the field.
“Wait, wait, what am I gonna use then?”
“Mine, obviously.” You drop the bow.
—-
After taking a few deep breaths, and Clarisse going over the basics again, you filled your mind with images of a bow and arrow and not of her eyes. Not of her lips.
Clarisse La Rue hates Aphrodite kids too, just not as much as Xavier, and not enough to resist revenge.
You focus on that. That’s why you’re here. Revenge.
Revenge for every fucked up thing he’s said, revenge for every time he’s come too hard at you during capture the flag, revenge for all of your siblings and everyone he’s ever tortured.
“Ok, there, that’s a good stance.” She’s raking her eyes up and down your body. But you’re here for revenge. She glanced over her shoulder. “Except for…”
She presses her body to yours from behind, molding against you like she was made to protect you like this, her hand covering yours, her stance just a little wider. She glides her hand across your arm.
“Up, up, just a little.” She’s whispering right into your ear. You let her hands guide you. Your mouth feels dry. “Then let go.”
And how badly you want to let go. You want to let go of these feelings rolling around in your stomach like stones, you want to let go and let them become butterflies and fall into Clarisse.
You prayed to your mother not to fall in love with her, but maybe you should trust your mom. Maybe you should let go.
But you don’t.
You let go of the arrow instead, you keep your tumbling feelings inside, and to your shock you only hit a few inches from the bullseye.
The bow swings in your hand.
“Holy shit. Did I- did I just do that?”
Clarisse laughs. “You did, baby.”
You turn around and throw your arms around her neck, smiling wide and laughing hysterically. The bow was the one weapon you thought you could never master, and here you are after one lesson with Clarisse.
She wraps her arms around your waist, and even though you’ve hugged like this a million times, you both know it’s different this time. And you both ignore it.
But for one second, you’re pretending so hard it’s almost real. It’s almost a real date.
—-
On the ninth day, it all goes to shit.
Sword practice is held just after lunch, when the sun is still high in the sky. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins share the field first, and you, Jackie and Tyla take your time stretching to enjoy the show.
Tyla has to turn around to hide her laugh as you bend over slowly, making sure Xavier is watching, then when you face comes up flushed you smile at him. He smiles back.
You wave to Clarisse and he glares at her.
Jackie says it will take him 5 minutes to ask her to spar. Tyla says 5 too. You say it’ll take him maybe 3 minutes.
He spars with one person, a two minute match, then marched right up to Clarisse.
“How about we go, huh? Want another chance to try and beat me?”
Clarisse was smiling before he walked over, talking to her friends. Her smile fades and is replaced by the dark mask of pure focus.
“I’d love to beat you, Xavier.”
She walks past you to grab a sword from the rack.
Her eyes meet yours. You reach out and put your hand on her face, softly pressing her lips against yours. It’s a peck. It’s barely there. At least now you can check off a box and say you’ve kissed Clarisse La Rue.
She seems so shocked that you’ve actually kissed her you swear she loses her footing for a second. You swear her cheeks are a little flushed. By she stands up taller and ignores it, just like you’ve both been doing for so long.
“Good luck, baby!” you call as she walks off to the circle marked off for sparring.
Xavier looks like he’s about to light the grass on fire.
“She’s gonna beat his ass,” Jackie whispers.
“If he loses, do you think I should comfort him after?”
“Oh, Gods, yes,” Tyla smiles. “That’s so mean. We’re so mean.” It feels too good to stop.
Kissing Clarisse almost felt too good to stop. Even that second, one more longer and you would have been sucked in. You decide not to kiss her for however long this goes on.
Once you start kissing her, you’re scared you’ll never stop.
Revenge feels to good, and you need this.
As soon as they face each other Xavier springs out with a million offensive attacks, slightly sloppy- you can see his anger. Everyone knows you can’t let your emotion get in the way of battle.
Clarisse is calm and counters all his attacks. She even smiles, which makes your stomach flip in a way that isn’t fake.
Her sword flicks along his cheek. It’s a paper cut, barely.
“Oh no,” Clarisse fake frets. “You need me to walk you to the nurse?”
He grunts and launches an attack that’s just plain stupid. It’s messy. He swings too wide. She knocks his sword out of his hand.
He goes to dive for it but her sword is already at his neck.
He breathes heavily, staring at her, and it’s suddenly dead quiet. No more talking, no more swords clanging.
Your eyes are flicking in between them like a ball bouncing up and down. But they linger on Clarisse. Of course they linger on Clarisse.
It’s so quiet you swear you can hear her heartbeat.
“Daddy’s behind you,” he whispers.
She whips around, taking her sword with her, but no one is there. Of course no one is there.
Xavier runs away laughing, and Clarisse turns around. Her cheeks are flushed, she’s gripping the hand of the sword so tight you’re surprised it hasn’t broken off.
Clarisse is not your girlfriend. Clarisse is not even your friend.
But she’s someone, she’s someone to you, and you can’t stand to see her like this.
You walk forward and put your hand on her wrist, taking the sword from her. You’re not even in control of your arms and legs.
She stares pointedly at the distance.
“Let’s go,” you whisper, giving her no choice and pulling her along. You throw the sword at the rack.
—-
You end up in Clarisse’s cabin, door clicking shut behind you as you press your back to it. She stays silent for a moment, until she screams and throws someone’s pillow at the wall. You don’t say anything.
You don’t say anything but you follow her to her bed.
“I’m so sorry,” you whisper, watching as she sits down, fists clenched so tight you hope she isn’t bleeding. “I’m so sorry, Clarisse.”
“You weren’t the one who fell for it. You weren’t the one who fell for that stupid, stupid, childish trick. I did.”
“You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for us and our plan. If it wasn’t for me.”
You sit down on the bed next to hers.
“Why are you even here? We’re not actually dating, dummy. You can go.”
“I know,” you murmur. You know. You know you aren’t dating. You know you shouldn’t be here. “But you’re still something, Clarisse.”
She slips off her armor.
“I’m not something to you.”
She wants someone else to hurt like she does. She wants someone else to take the fall, to be embarrassed and the center of everyone’s attention so she doesn’t have to.
“I’ll never be something to you, Y/N, just- just go away. This is over, I’m not doing it anymore.”
“Yeah, okay,” you mutter. There’s something wet in your eyes and your throat tightens up. “That’s fine.”
You leave silently and you cry in the woods.
—-
When you finally make your way back to your cabin at nightfall, everyone is fussing around you. Your hair’s messy, mascara streams down your face, your shirt is wet with tears.
“Where have you been?” one of your brothers asks, and the rest of your siblings echo the sentiment.
Tyla doesn’t say anything when she sees you. She just wraps her arms around you. Jackie stands just behind her, eyes locking with yours. She knows. She doesn’t move. She can see it on your face, she can see it in your eyes.
Aphrodite children are predisposed to fall in love fast and hard. You’ve all gathered around your siblings time and time again when their hearts inevitably got broken.
No one wants to date an Aphrodite kid. Not really.
They all think you’re vain and self-centered. They all think you’re weak and useless.
When it comes down to it, that’s what you are.
How can you claim to wield the power of love when it brings you to your knees too?
You thought Clarisse was hot. You thought you could leave it at that. You thought you could pretend, you thought you could ignore it.
But the more you think about it, the more tears fall down your face, the more you realize you were ignoring the wrong thing. You spent so much time trying not to want Clarisse you forgot that she doesn’t even want you. It stings, like a knife in the chest, it hurts to know you’re making it all up.
But it was always pretend. It was always fake. That’s what fake dating is. The Aphrodite side of you just forgot that you couldn’t find comfort in her arms, you couldn’t memorize the feel of her skin, you couldn’t hear the sound of her heartbeat and pretended it beat for you.
You look up at the sky and you want to curse your mother. You want to know why she has abandoned you. But in your heart, you know she hasn’t abandoned you. The Goddess of Love is right next to you, and this is what it feels like.
Knives in your heart. Memories of heartbeats, memories of skin, memories of soft voices and secrets and the feeling that something was yours, something was quiet and shared.
“Y/N,” Jackie breathes.
The words hurt. You say them anyways.
“I fucked up,” you sob. “I fucked up, Jackie. She doesn’t- she won’t, she never will-”
“Y/N,” Tyla coos.
“I fell in love. I fell in love, and it’s over.”
—-
You give up on wearing makeup. The sadness still seeps through your face, and you end up crying most of it off anyways. A few of your hoodies are just permanently stained with mascara with how much you cried. The tears stream down your face and carry the little black specks with it.
You try to visualize everything you feel leaving with the black specks. The love, the anger, the sadness, the regret. But it doesn’t leave, and you’re too tired of trying to hide from it.
Everyone thinks you miserably broke up, and it’s mortifying to know that Clarisse knows you’re like this, she knows you’re absolutely ruined over this- and it was never even real.
You keep telling yourself that. It was fake. It was never real.
But it feels real, the memories feel real. You know they happened, you know Clarisse touched you so often it’s like you’re burned with it. You say she had to have felt it to, because the more you remember the more you remember the electricity, the charge in the air.
But you might just be making that up.
Lunch is the worst time. She’s always so happy at lunch, her and her table laughing loudly. She mentioned to you once, one of those fake star-studded dates in the woods, that she’s always to tired by dinner time because she trains so hard for most of the day.
You stare at her when no one’s looking, and everyone can see you better in the bright light of day- and you can’t look away.
Tyla mumbles that they’re gonna get up to make their offerings, she doesn’t ask if you’re gonna come. You’re probably not even going to eat more than a few bites again.
You’re alone at the stone table.
Xavier sees that as an opportunity.
Love spells are best to break on a full moon. You thought it would go on longer than this, and he’s only become more emboldened by what everyone sees as a breakup.
He sits down next to you, smiling sadly. You prop your head up in your hand.
“Y/N, you sad angel.” His hand grazes your shoulder, you can’t be bothered to tell him to stop. He places a flower in front of you. “To cheer you up.”
“Thanks, Xavier,” you mutter. He stares at you for a moment longer. Jackie comes back, slamming her tray down onto the table.
“Go away, Xavier,” she says, the same thing she says every day. Jackie has this look in her eyes that lets you know she’s ready to jump on you if she has to.
You think he would stop trying, but he can’t. He can’t because of this stupid love spell that ruined everything. And you can’t even take it off of him, not until the full moon.
You wouldn’t feel like this if it wasn’t for that love spell.
—-
There is one a day a year that Chiron turns a blind eye to parties. The summer solstice all of the cabin leaders come together to throw a huge party, mostly centered around the bonfire, food and drinks and even music. It’s the one night a year where you’re allowed to be teenagers, and it’s not taken lightly.
It even makes you feel a little excited.
“So what if all that shit happened?” Tyla asked. “We’re gonna make sure you look as hell at this party, and then you’re gonna go find someone and make out with them in a dark corner. Don’t even look who it is. Just grab the first random person and kiss them.”
“Okay, well, I’m not doing that, but I will do something of the sort. There is definitively some making out on my list tonight.”
“Oh, as long as it’s not with Xavier,” Tyla frets.
Jackie kicks her. “If Y/N makes out with Xavier, I will personally pay Chiron a million dollars to feed both of them to some horrible monster.”
“Supportive,” you muse.
Jackie gasps. “I forgot about this dress.”
“For which one of us?” Tyla asks.
Jackie turns around, holding up the back dress. It’s sparkly, a slit up the side, going just to your knees. It’s ruffled at the chest, thin spaghetti straps for the top. You can’t wear it. It’s too much, too revealing.
You look around the room.
Most of your siblings are wearing worse.
And you need to get your mind off her.
“I’m wearing that.”
Tyla squeals and Jackie lays it out on your bed.
You’ll forget about her tonight, you promise yourself.
—-
The bonfire burns high and bright, and even 20 feet away from it the feeling is burning. It’s so hot you’re glad you wore this barely there grass, it frees up your skin to touch the cool summer air.
You, Tyla and Jackie had gratefully taken a few too many sips of the alcohol someone had managed to sneak in and was now passing around.
Everything is so funny in the firelight.
Tyla’s tall heels keep sinking into the grass, and you keep giggling when your own do the same. You’re all holding onto each other, barely able to stand.
There was more nail polish fumes in the cabin than usual, and you’ll swear on your life that it gets to your head.
“Noooooo,” Tyla moans, sinking yet again into the grass. She gasps, pointing at the logs currently abandoned. “I’ll just walk on those!”
Your heels sink into the dirt.
“Me too,” you say, smiling as you grab Tyla’s hand and begin your ascent. Jackie ran off with an Apollo boy a minute ago, the first of your group to leave.
You grab onto each other, laughing boisterously as you keep almost falling.
“I-I can bare-barely stand!” you shout, giggling as you throw your arms to the sides.
“Me either!” Tyla shouts back. She jumps off, walking between the end of that one to the beginning of the next log.
“Hey, do you think I can jump and make it?”
Tyla judges the maybe 4 foot jump.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m gonna try,” you giggle. “I’m gonna jump!”
“Whoooo!” Tyla shouts, laughing too. This entire night is just about you and your friends and laughter. She starts clapping. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, Y/N,”
You jump, eyes screwed shut, slamming into something mid air and being brought to the ground.
“Wh-” you mumble, and Tyla let’s out a gasp.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” Clarisse scolds, her hands quickly falling from your waist.
And, of course, the first instinct of your intoxicated brain is to start screaming.
Clarisse grabs your arm and drags you off, past the light of the fire and into a space between the cabins. She slaps her hand over your mouth and you shut up.
“Are you going to stop being such a baby now?”
She lets go of your face and you immediately stumble forward so she has to catch you, pressing your finger into her chest.
“You, demon, are not my mother! So, I don’t know what you’re doing.”
She laughs, holding you up.
“Oh, you’re drunk.”
“Tipsy,” you correct. “As I was saying, don’t you remember, Clarisse, we will never be something to each other.” You push her away from you, heels sinking into the ground and keeping you upright.
Her face falls.
It’s so dark in here but you’re so close to her you can tell.
“Y/N, I-”
You can’t listen to her talk so softly. Being away from the heat of the fire clears up your brain.
“Where’s Tyla?” her hands fall from your hips. “Tyla?!” you dig you heels out of the mud, finding her sitting on the log, talking animatedly to Matty about something. “Oh,” you mumble.
They’re both so absorbed in each other they don’t hear you. And suddenly, you’re the last one left.
You head to a nearby table and chug a bottle of water, shoving a cupcake into your mouth.
“I’m not gonna be alone tonight,” you mumble to yourself. You look up at the almost full moon. You eyes scan the crowd. Xavier isn’t exactly bad looking, and you just need someone tonight. You need anything.
You don’t know where Clarisse is. You tell yourself you don’t care.
You move through the crowd, adjusting your hair, breathing in and out. You won’t be alone tonight. You won’t.
You spot him sitting off to the side with his friends, the group of them sharing a bottle just like you did.
“Xavier!” you shout. His eyes turn to you immediately. He shoves the bottle into his friends hands, standing up and walking over to you like it was his entire purpose to.
“Y/N,” he eyes you up and down. “You look- you look fucking hot.”
“Thank you. Now, dance with me.”
He follows you, his arm gripped in your hand, you can feel him staring at your ass and you don’t care, dragging him towards the music, towards the dance floor.
His hand is all over your ass, your thigh, your hips, drawing you closer to him as you spin and his other winds it’s way around your face.
He’s not her. You can’t bring yourself to feel guilty about imagining her hands on you.
You put your arms around his neck, dancing in a way that would probably make your mother blush.
When you open your eyes, they’re locked with hers.
She seems to have made her way back to her friends, sitting on a log, leaning against her arm and staring at you. Her hands are clenched the same way they were that day. You can see her, you can see her perfectly and she can see you perfectly. She can see you and him.
Good.
You smile at her, waving the way you would have done to Xavier, except now the roles are reversed. He gets to have you, and she has to watch.
His mouth finds your neck. You laugh, throwing your head back, you don’t imagine her lips there. You just sink into the moment.
When your lips crash against his, there’s nothing except hot, hot desire. Like a blue flame, you’re all teeth and tongue, clashing together in a way that is purely carnal.
His hands are everywhere and you love it. It’s like a game, trying to guess where he’ll go next, and it keeps you so wonderfully distracted.
He tugs at the slit of your dress. You pull away for air.
“N-not here. Not yet.”
His greedy hand remains where it is until you shove it down, laughing lightly.
“Maybe later,” you whisper.
“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbles into your neck. “Just let me…” he spins you two around, his hand slips under your dress, against your bare ass.
“Xavier-” you push at his greedy hand again.
“So, so beautiful, like you’re a witch-”
He’s ripped away from you.
You watch in horror as Clarisse grabs him by the front of his shirt and punches him square in the face.
You start screaming obscenities at the top of your lungs.
Xavier only seems to find it funny.
“You fuckin’ jealous, Clarisse?” he laughs. “Fuckin’ jealous, wonder if he’d be proud of you now, beating up his own son for a daughter of Aphrodite?”
She punches him again. Again.
“Fuckin’ jealous?” he says again, laughing, spitting out blood. “Are you fucking jealous?”
One of her siblings finally grabs her and pulls her away. She shoves them off of her.
“I’ll kill you,” she whispers to him. He doesn’t seem scared at all. You stand there and watch, stupidly, feeling like a bird from the skies watching it all unfold, unable to do anything. “Stay away from her. Stay the fuck away from her.”
She looks at you, you faintly realize the music’s stopped.
“Clarisse-”
“She’s not yours!” Xavier laughs from the ground. “The weak Aphrodite girl doesn’t belong to you, that’s gotta sting, Clarisse-”
A love spell only change’s one’s emotions towards a person. Their personalities are the same. They way they behave under a love spell is the same way they’d behave in a regular relationship, except with a lasting relentlessness.
“Shut up, Xavier!” you shout. You’re so sick of him. Sick of his bullshit. He can’t even make out with you without thinking about the next step.
You see it fade from his eyes.
It shouldn’t be.
You watch in horror as the spell falls, you realize this all wasn’t supposed to happen. You were never supposed to actually kiss him.
“Witch,” he mumbles. He was just moaning that against your cheek a minute ago.
He holds his hands to his already red face.
“You’re a fucking witch.”
Everyone is looking at you, for once in your life, you hate it.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” you whisper.
Your eyes meet Clarisse’s. You can’t tell what’s on her face. You walk away.
—-
She finds you under the stars. Of course she does. You didn’t know where else to go. Cabin too stuffy. The lake is too far. The only place left is the woods, the spots where you would go with her.
She stands behind you. You can hear her breathing.
“Do you need something?” you mutter.
“I was selfish,” she starts.
You snort. Clarisse La Rue is a lot of things, you’ll be here all night.
“And I was hurt. So I took it out on you, which I really, really regret. You didn’t deserve that and it wasn’t true.”
It wasn’t true.
“Um, I was scared. So I made a decision for the both of us. But I’m not scared anymore.”
You place your hand on the grass next to you.
She sits, you don’t look at each other.
“That was all I had planned, but more has happened, so… uh, I was watching you the entire night, I guess. Not in a creepy way. I mean, you look, that dress… I couldn’t take my eyes away. Then you almost killed yourself on the logs.”
You smile.
“And I touched you again and I just, it was so much. Then you were on the dance floor, and he was all over you and- I was jealous. I was so jealous, like, I was actually about to go insane. And I saw you push his hand away, I saw him do it again, and I…”
“Went insane, berserk, crazy? Lost all proprietary?”
“Yeah,” she murmurs. “All of that. I’m not gonna apologize for punching the shit out of him. But I am sorry for the things I said.”
“Did you mean it?”
She just seems grateful you’re talking to her.
“Mean what?”
“That it wasn’t true.”
“It wasn’t true.”
You finally look at her. It feels so good to let go. To finally look at her, finally see her.
“I-I was just angry, and I-”
You’re sick of hearing her talk.
It’s nothing like the kiss with Xavier.
Its slow and sweet, heady like syrup, and you feel like you’re sinking beneath the current of some river. Your hands are on her face, she rests hers on your neck.
The kiss was Xavier was pure passion, no love, just bodies and bodies and no thoughts between them. This is all care, this is all slowness, this is all appreciation. It’s faces and faces, singular focus, one intent.
You pull away.
“I was so jealous,” she breathes, like it’s an explanation for the way she grabs you closer, harder, more, kissing you like Xavier did except it’s all erased. You can’t even remember what it feels like for someone else to touch you, let alone kiss you.
It just feels like her. It all feels like her, before her and after her.
When she finally starts to kiss down your neck, it’s so slow again, it’s like she can’t believe you’re in her arms, it’s like she can’t believe she’s got your hands on you. You grab her shoulders, you have her.
You look up towards the sky. Sorry I ever doubted you. Thanks, Mom.
You could see her across from you, you could see her on the dance floor, but now you can see her.
—-
y/n, talking to matty: yes i’m like about to slay amokinesis in a way it has never been slayed before
clarisse, who is NOT catching feelings: what the hell is this bitch doing to my girl
clarisse: ykw… im just gonna…. take her back thank you oh wdym no he’s looking we gotta fake date obvi (clarisse does not care if he’s looking)
—-
y/n, about to fucking die: i’m a bird! i’m jumping!
clarisse: no the fuck you’re not!
—-
clarisse when y/n is dancing in THE DRESS: oh i’m bricked up
—-
clarisse: if this bitch doesn’t get OFF my girl i’m gonna KILL SOMEONE
literally everyone: YOUR girl????
clarisse: nvm i’m just gonna fight him
everyone: not a logical solution???
—-
shoutout to jackie, tyla, and matty the loves of my life COULD NOT DO THIS WITHOUT THEM
also the tyla and matty agenda WILL be pushed
—-
taglist:
@lvrue @t-wylia @laughingcheese037 @kroumi @urdeadpoet @colezb @rey26 @harmzilla @elliewilliamsbae @amberfreemansburntface @kyuupidwrites @neverwaakeme-up @shark1008 @liballer @heyimadison
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writingstoraes · 9 months
Text
say cheese 📸
pairing: charles leclerc/fem!photographer!reader
type: instagram imagine, social media au
notes: lucky me this made it out of my drafts 🎉 lmk what you guys think! also if anyone wants to be part of my permanent taglist, pls lmk hehe
about: fans absolutely adore the way you are able to capture charles in photos (plus what's a little harm with an accidental post that made its way to your account)
scuderiaferrari
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liked by charloslover, finemidnight, arthurleclerc, and 782,221 others
scuderiaferrari Outtakes from Montreal 🍁
lightningleclerc I FEEL BLESSED
forzaforeva Congratulations, Charles! Amazed by the amount of work you put in every race weekend. Hoping for good results next GP 💪
livelovecarlos whoever took the last photo needs a raise actually
lecssaint i think y/n took this photo! but true lol she photographs charles so well its crazy
scuderiaferrari
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liked by mercdefender, lewham, c2buddy, and 561,223 others
scuderiaferrari Mode: push 🏎️
vettelegend Such a good picture! Good luck, Charles! ❤️
lestappenfilmz ferrari's photographer in love with charles' eyes just as much as i am
f1thusiast y/n please speak into the mic
ssainzluvr carlos version where?????
scuderiaferrari Just posted! We'd never leave a driver behind 🤗 lecssssainz who the fuck are you tryin to fool
scuderiaferrari
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liked by ferrariswift, pumasports, monacoprince, and 893,331 others
scuderiaferrari Charles clad in his special colors ❤️🤍
alonstroll The photographer working overtime so the Ferrari admins can distract us once again from the terrible strategy lol
popstarz LOOOVE THIS GIVE Y/N A RAISE IMMEDIATELY
finelineleclerc real when charles doesnt post i head over to her account just to get crumbs pls
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ynfilms
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liked by charles_leclerc, joris__trouche, lovers1989, and 56,445 others
ynfilms back in monaco 🌊
charles_leclerc Props for taking the second picture, not thrilled on diving a fourth time if ever you didn't 😁
landonando THE FIRST PICTURE??? I CANT BREATHE???
eudeleclerc he's definitely carved by god himself like
charmleclerc thank you for your service, queen 🙏
moneqazques came back here after all the y/n hype on twitter, what a legend
ynfilms
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liked by monegasquez, swiftfeld, loveleclerc, and 67,221 others
ynfilms hard at work; improving day by day.
charles_leclerc Ah so that's why there was a click sound behind me yesterday
ynfilms just doing my job, charlie 🙏
forzaforeva the il predestinato is il predestinato-ing
schumangels Love this ❤️
ynfilms
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liked by charles_leclerc, pascale_leclerc, scuderiaferrari, and 45,667 others
ynfilms out and about in barcelona 🏔️
lecs1655 queen providing our delusional asses we thank you, really
sainzchamp Charles and his pista god what a combo
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ynfilms
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liked by sainzhero, hamilchamp, leclove, and 23,445 others
ynfilms love you to the moon and saturn :)
landonando MAM???? WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO POST THIS
oconsgirl HELLO???SJSNJJ
grandprizcx im fucking crying so much for soft launches?????
ricciardos My best guess is this wasn't supposed to be posted in this account....
lecshamilt0n posting a picture of charles so boyfriend-y and so intimate to a taylor swift lyric is just so sick!!!
charles_leclerc
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liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen, pierregasly, and 1,230,778 others
charles_leclerc I always thought I was just a fan of cameras, turns out, I loved smiling in photos when you're the one behind the lenses. I do not know the first thing about photography, but I do know every picture of you I have deserves to be treasured.
The day you took your first picture of me was the same day you captured my heart. It's been yours ever since.
tagged: yourusername and ynfilms
carlossainz55 Does this mean Y/N will stop being my photographer at Ferrari
charles_leclerc Yeah cause she's my girlfriend yourusername no carlos, don't listen to him
charlosfan god no wonder she captures charles so well??? cause they have each other's hearts???
gaslysgirl Did not think going on Instagram will only remind me how loveless my life really is but ok
sainznorris FINALLY MY PARENTS
yourusername you know what i'm kinda glad i forgot to switch accounts and posted that on my work photography ig (hehe love you, baby)
charles_leclerc More glad than you cause I finally get to show you off pierregasly You put the cheesy in say cheese mate
yourusername
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liked by charles_leclerc, franciscagomes, pierregasly, and 567,212 others
yourusername i was about to quit photography as a whole when i got accepted as a photographer for ferrari. who knew accepting this job when i was on the brink of losing what i was passionate about would only be the reason why i wake up every day doing what i love and living my best life.
bonus: i met the love of my life while doing it 🤍 it was later that i realized i don't just love taking pictures in general, i adored who i was taking photos of.
took a while before we shared with the world what we meant to each other, but the answer to why i capture charles so well — i take photos from my heart, which incidentally, belongs to him.
reputationcl who's cutting onions whhy are there tears in my eyes
sainzoperator THIS SOME SWEET ASS SHIT I CANT TAKE IT
lovingscuderia sleeping on a highway doesnt sound like a bad idea
danielricciardo EVERYONE RUN! The ants are here...
-----------
tagging: @slytherheign, @honethatty12
notes: this took like 2 hours lolol lmk what u guys think <3 hopefully i can finish all my wip's and get to the requests hehe thank you for reading :D
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madelynraemunson · 5 months
Text
CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪
(Book #1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club series)
(strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove!x reader)
𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ minors skiddaddle pls
Chapter 009: Nina
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There’s a new girl at Hellfire and Eddie is seemingly wrapped around her finger. Meanwhile, Max makes a shocking new discovery…
* = somewhat smut
** = smut
↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014**, 015, 016**, 017, 018, 019, 020*
word count: 3.8k words
disclaimers & warnings — ⚠️ this is a verrrryy emotionally intense chapter. pls read at your discretion ; generational curses, physical altercations, profanities, throwing objects, heated arguments, implications of suspected grooming, shy girl being delulu, lmk if anything else
“Shouldn't have to listen to the shit you say.”
"C’mon... COME ON!" Dustin roars in frustration. "What starts with a T and ends with a C?"
Slow Monday afternoons call for Wordle with the Party.
With little else to do in Hawkins on your day off, you find yourself situated at DRAGON’S BREATH with Steve, Dustin, and Jonathan’s younger brother Will.
Figuring out the last Wordle is a daunting task. Thankfully Argyle has been periodically swinging by, his emotional support nachos being the only thing keeping you from ripping out your hair.
"Tunic," Will suggests.
"Tonic," Steve contributes. "Like tonic water."
"Topic?" you pitch in. “Like Hot Topic.”
This is taking all of your last brain cells combined.
"Topic was one of them, Shy Girl,” Dustin sighs irritably. “I said that already.”
You raise your arms, surrendering. It seems you’ve poked the beast.
It’s been hard for you to focus anyway. The hot and heavy night you spent with Eddie a couple nights ago is taking up all the space of your dirty little mind.
You think of Eddie. His moans. The O-shape his mouth made as he chased his own pleasure on you. How full your pussy felt with just his three fingers pulsing in and out, and how full your mouth felt with Eddie's cock ramming the back of your throat with no mercy. The taste of him. How shocked he looked when you swallowed. How rough he was with you, but oh so thoughtful at the same time.
Truly an experience from another dimension. And you’re already fantasizing about the next time.
But you still want to keep it on the down low. Considering Eddie might still be seeing his Lady Friend, and you're still getting shagged by his roommate whenever he’s not home, you can't exactly get mad at him for texting someone who isn't you.
“Pssst,” you nudge Steve while the others brainstorm. “I think Eddie is talking to Nina again.”
Confusion sets in on Steve's face. He raises his eyebrows. “What?”
“Yeah,” you smirk, trying to pretend that it doesn’t hurt. “Saw a message exchange between them a couple days ago.”
“Who’s Nina?”
“Isn’t that the Lady Friend’s name?”
“No…” Steve shakes his head. “Lady Friend’s name was Heather.”
It really has you wondering now... who is Nina?
"Yeah, the kukris are cool huh?" you hear Eddie's soothing voice come into earshot.
Odd. He stopped coming in on Mondays, you thought.
"That's the cool thing about owning a business,” you hear Eddie explain. “You get to choose where the money goes, when it goes, how it goes — at least most of the time."
Where have you heard that before?
Then Eddie comes into view, with a girl walking very closely behind him.
She’s stunning, standing to be about five-foot-two with a youthful face, petite body, and straight, long jet-black hair. Both conventionally, and legitimately beautiful, the girl looks to be at least 20 years old, dressed in cream-colored Chuck Taylor's, tattered booty shorts, and a playful white off-the-shoulder blouse. Scattered fine-line tattoos ornament her body. Her makeup has been flawlessly painted on, her lash extensions a hybrid between voluminous and wispy. And because you’re from Southern California, you can spot lip injections from a mile away.
A new dancer.
"This is where you clock in," Eddie explains to her. "I'll be sure to get you your punch in code by the end of the week. Over at the lounge we have Will, Shy Girl, Steve, and Dustin. Hey guys!”
Now you know why it sounds familiar. You received a very identical run down when you first started.
You're too shocked to wave so you feign a smile at your new colleague. Also, Eddie is too quick for you to react.
"We call the hookah lounge Dragon's Breath," Eddie continues. "And main-stage-slash-tip-rail is called Vecna's Lair."
They walk over to VECNA'S LAIR and you crane your neck to watch.
You observe Eddie give the girl a very familiar run down of Hellfire, using his arms to talk and eyes to listen.
She laughs at Eddie's charm, as anyone would. They talk for a bit more before he walks, what looks like to you, a predatory circle around her — a lion and a gazelle — and then spins her. Then Eddie does something that just about snaps your heart in half.
“MWAH!” he exclaims. “You are gonna do great. I just know it.”
The verbal kiss. The spin. The drowning her in compliments. Everything he did with you.
If Eddie’s gonna do his job, could he at least make every interaction with his employees unique? It all makes you feel betrayed. As if you were just another number in the factory.
"Traitor." you hiss sharply under your breath.
You abruptly stand up to start towards Eddie, hands balled into fists at the blatant disrespect displayed in front of you. You feel sick to your stomach, skin seemingly dragon-green with envy.
"That’s seven letters not five!" Dustin calls after you.
Eddie sees you in his periphery and waves. For the sake of keeping the peace, the smile you exude is fake to him, but friendly to the girl next to him.
"Hey, Hargrove!" Eddie smiles. "We've got a new person on board."
"I see that!" you exclaim. "Hi, I'm Shy Girl."
"I'm Nina," she introduces herself with a bright smile. "It's nice to meet you."
You two shake hands. Nina is just darling. Her eyes are so kind and bright, full of wonder. Her energy is warm. For a second there she was making you nervous.
“Y-you gonna be starting with us soon?” you investigate.
“Yeah, I start on Friday!”
“First dancing gig?”
Eddie shoots you a look, almost as if what you said was disrespectful. It wasn’t your intention. You were just wondering, after all. Nina looks really, really young.
“Uh, no actually,” Nina smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve been dancing since I was 18. So two-ish years now.”
Your soul hurts.
Eighteen is just a baby. Twenty is a fresh adult. Nina is only a year older than the kiddos and can't even be near POTIONS without redirection from Henry.
Now you’re disgusted with Eddie. Why would he ever get so close to someone so young? You thought teenagers at Hellfire made him queasy. Nina is 20 now, but still. What would she have in common with a 28 year old? What about her was so appealing to Eddie?
“Oh! That’s cool… I think?”
Eddie’s harsh lines deepen across his face.
“Nina, why won’t you put your bag down by the cubbies, sweetheart?” Eddie suggests. “Then I’ll have Argyle make you something to eat. My treat.”
“Okay!” Nina chimes. "I was eyeing the chicken wings."
"Done deal. Wings or flats?"
"Flats!" Nina says as she skips away. "Please."
Eddie's admiring eyes trail after her as Nina acqauints herself with Hellfire.
So many questions arise in your head. Is Nina who Eddie’s been texting all this time? Did she come in and audition like you did? Did he ask her out on an 'orientation' lunch/dinner that he apparently does with all of his dancers? It wouldn't surprise you. None of this behavior is new.
This jealousy feels icky. And most of all, it hurts.
"Ugh!" Eddie clutches his chest. He turns to you. "I love her already."
You remain stiff as a board as Eddie slowly leans into you. A part of you is aching to lean in as well, but you can’t give him the satisfaction.
Eddie hovers his hand over the small of your back because he knows Steve is watching. His eyes are out on a prowl per usual the way they burn into you.
"Looking beautiful as always," Eddie compliments you. "How are you? I haven't stopped thinking about you since Saturday."
He looks over your shoulder at the Wordle group.
"What was the last word?"
“Don’t know,” you huff. “You seem to have gotten it.”
“What?” Eddie questions cluelessly.
“With Nina,” you cross your arms. "And all your words that you've been wooing her with."
“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Eddie scowls. His hand drops back to his side. “You're mad because I... hired a stripper? Cause that’s kinda what I do.”
“I'm not mad that you hired a stripper, you literally own a strip club,” you shrug. “It’s just that…I didn’t know you use the same script with every new hire.”
"I'm sorry? Script?”
"You used almost the exact same words with me, Eddie," you explain. "Like you do with everybody I'm guessing.”
Disbelief sets in on Eddie's face, accompanied by an ounce of fear. Eddie is scared of something.
"Well, I don't know what you expected me to do when you first started," Eddie shrugs. "I'm not gonna come off strong and hit on you like some creep. Of course I'm gonna give you the same treatment I give everybody."
Eddie's got a solid rationale, but it didn't take away from the fact that you simply felt ordinary. When you compare the interactions side by side, nothing about Shy Girl stuck out from Nina.
"Why are we even having this conversation right now?" Eddie asks you. "We're not even together."
“I’m not trying to pick a fight, believe me,” you cross your arms. “I’m just disappointed is all. You made me really think you were falling for me.”
“Oh so all it takes is me walking with a girl to have all of my words not ring true anymore?”
Your tongue and stomach are in knots. All you can do is stand there and blubber like a baby. You’re making no sense, you’re aware. But why does it hurt you so bad?
Eddie paces back and forth. "I don't even know why I feel the need to explain myself, Hargrove,” he continues. “I’m not the one fucking the other’s best friend."
It's a reasonable standpoint. Still. You felt disgusting.
“Yeah but..." you argue softly. "How can you feel so comfortable touching…kissing…interacting with someone like that after being so intimate with me?”
Your boss can only release a chuckle, a baffled one at that. He shakes his head rapidly.
“Just because we hooked up over the weekend, you think you have a say in who I associate with or what goes on around here?" Eddie spews. “What, are you trying to take over Hellfire or something?”
Your lip quivers. “I never said that! Where did that even come from? Why are you so fucking defensive right now?”
Eddie’s nose flares angrily as he tries to keep himself collected. Suddenly, Nina calls out for his attention and he softens up again.
“Eddie!” the new girl cheers. “Argyle gave me some of his flats and it's so good! I think I’m gonna shoot for Creeping Death next!”
“Hey, nice!” Eddie smiles. “You like spicy, huh?”
“Mhm!”
It would be a lot easier to hate her if she did something to you. But Nina didn't do anything.
Eddie turns back around to face you, kicking at the ground before he thinks of something to say.
“Let’s not do this right now,” Eddie resigns, placing his hands over his hips. “You uh…clocking in?”
“No, I’m going home actually,” you respond. “It’s my day off.”
Eddie makes a face. You project it back onto him. For a moment, you two are staring at each other, appalled at one another's behavior. Being infatuated with the literal mirror version of yourself is hell.
“Hey Eddie!” Will calls. “Do you know a five-lettered word that starts with T and ends with C?”
Eddie’s eyes don’t leave you.
“Sure do,” he answers. “TOXIC.”
There’s a pause.
“BADA-BOOM!” Dustin hollers. “That’s the one.”
Eddie doesn't bother to chase you after your mini altercation. Just then, another pair of heels that don't belong to you click across the hard club floor. Chrissy comes into sight, holding a tray of slushees and her car keys in her hands.
“Hey guys!” Chrissy sings. “I got us some slushees from 7-Eleven. They're Cherry flavored...”
“I’ll pass,” you huff. “You can give one to Nina.”
“Ooh we have someone new?!” she chirps. “Where?”
Chrissy notices your shift in attitude when you walk away and Eddie’s stand-offish posture.
“What the fuck did you say to her?” you hear her snap at Eddie as you walk away.
“Nothing,”
“Bullshit. You look guilty as fuck.”
You stomp your way back over to your section and ask Steve to hand you your purse. It's obvious by the look on his face that Steve caught onto what you were feeling. He doesn't question it. He hands you your things.
"I'm not feeling too well, guys," you announce. "I'm going home."
You collect your trash and organize it neatly for Argyle when he comes back over with some waffle fries. Showing your appreciation for him, you thank him and give him a soft pat on the shoulder.
"Argyle, you should've seen the new girl," Dustin fawns. "She's so pretty."
"Yeah?" Argyle quirks up. "What's her name?"
"Nina."
"Was she hot?" he turns to the guys. "Byers, what do you think? Was she a 10 or what?"
Will, who never seems to pay the Hellfire girls any mind, eyes glued to his sketchbook instead of their sultry outfits, squirms around in his seat. He shrugs. "I-I don't know."
"Steve?"
"She was pretty cute."
Your blood boils. Not her stealing Steve's heart too!
"Nina…” Argyle repeats. "How exotic. She sounds like a small feisty Latina woman."
“Bet Shy Girl can vouch,” Dustin comments. “Right, Shy Girl?”
Intrigued, the line cook turns to you.
"Well, Shy Girl? Is she giving chunti, chingona, or what?”
Steve encourages Argyle to stop as you walk away, hair covering the sides of your face on the way out.
“What?” Argyle sounds bewildered. “What’d I say?”
"Was I made from a broken home?"
A girls day with Max would surely take your mind off of the Nina situation. She always knew how to make you feel better. Lucky for you, she is home today, evident by her skateboard that is situated neatly in the garage.
You hear some commotion coming from your shared bedroom and go in to greet her.
"Hey girl hey!" you call out to your sister. "It's my day off so I was wondering if you wanted to go t-"
You pause in your tracks, horrified.
"Hmm," Max ponders aloud. "Last time I recall, stilettos and G-strings aren't really part of nursing home etiquette."
Propped open on Max’s bed is one of your unpacked suitcases, the one that you hid all your lingerie, heels, and the Hellfire shirt Eddie gave you when you first started in. Typically you lock it but you left it open this morning. Out of all days Max had to look through your room, it had to be today.
Max has a tennis racket in her hand, the handle acting as a hook the way it swept up a thong of yours so effortlessly. You feel your knees buckle.
"What are you doing looking through my stuff, you little shit?" you bark.
"Looking for my sports bras," Max replies nonchalantly. "Still can't find 'em."
She dangles the thong in the air like it's something she caught at the lake.
"Found some other goodies though."
"You couldn't have just waited to ask me?"
"I would've had to wait a day or two since you work nights," Max snaps. "Now I know why. And do I even need to ask where?"
Just what you needed. This is JUST what you needed.
You feel exposed. Violated. Disrespected. In every aspect and every situation. There was no safe place to turn. It makes you angry.
Fine. If people are going to disrespect you, you'll be disrespectful too.
"When is it EVER okay to snoop?" you hiss. "Have you any respect for others and their belongings? How would you feel if I started picking apart at your shit?"
"I wouldn’t care because I don't have anything to hide."
"That's not the fucking point, Maxine."
"Oh, not the government name!" Max exclaims, sassily putting a hand over her chest.
That really tips you over the edge.
"I should've known," Max proceeds, shaking her head. She chucks the racket back onto her bed. “You haven't renewed your CPR cert since you graduated high school. And you need that to even work as a caregiver. Didn't catch that loophole when you were LYING, did you?"
"I was lying to protect you."
"You still lied, Sis," Maxine argues. "You're missing the point..."
Oh, now she wants to mimmick you.
You're blind-sided. Tunnel-visioned. You are feeling all five stages of grief all at once. It’s all too much to bear. You feel the bomb ticking...
As much as you love your sister, it sure was a bitch to raise her. You spent most of the time explaining to Max what social cues are, what is acceptable and what is not. It often made you short-fused because what was common sense to you took ages for Max to understand. Like how you shouldn't look through other people's things.
Max learns best when she puts herself in others' shoes. You've learned that the hard way, over the years.
“How would you feel if I was looking through your drawers and shit?” you walk over to Max’s corner of the room, prying open her drawers and tossing whatever is in there out. “And just tossing your shit out onto the floor?"
“What the fuck?!” Max exclaims. "What are you doing?!"
“Or what if I just went to your side of the mirror and…” you knock her perfume bottles off from the dresser mirror in numbers and watch them fall onto the floor. "Knocked all your shit down because I was looking for my own things?"
"I get it now, stop."
“Or," you brainstorm. "What if I just started unpacking your vinyls and shit and just not care about the packaging?”
Max stops you right there. "ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?! I said STOP."
“How would YOU FEEL?” you yell. “HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I DID THAT TO YOU?! IF I PULLED A 'YOU' ON YOU? NOT GREAT, HUH?”
How would everybody feel if you acted the way they did? Would they be mortified? Would they be disgusted?
Would Dad not hit anybody?
Would Mom have chosen to stay?
Would your first love never want to see you again?
Would Eddie be angry at your behavior?
Would Max think you're the worst sibling ever?
You would hope so for all the above.
Your heart couldn’t take any more pain.
"SHUT," Max screeches. "THE FUCK UP!"
She tosses an acrylic storage box at you. It hits you and you yelp in pain. When she realizes what she has done, Max punches the pillow on her bed. Physically aching for the last word, you take it upon yourself to chuck your empty Hydroflask at her. Thankfully, it misses and the ear-piercing CLINK sound is enough to startle her. Max shrinks herself down in fear, trying to process what you just did.
You regret it immediately. You didn't want to hit her. You mainly did it for intimidation.
It puts you to shame. You are toxic.
Suddenly, Max inflates again, her entire face extending to her ears redder than her fiery amber hair.
"YOU," Maxine growls. "ARE JUST LIKE BILLY!"
Silence.
You take a look around the trashed room. Never did you think you had it in you to be someone like your brother. But of course, the Wolf who is fed the most prevails.
The amount of hurt and anger you actually harbored was way more than you thought. You can’t take back the fact that you’ve exploded on everyone you love now. But at least you can hold yourself accountable.
"I didn't mean that," Max mumbles. “I’m really sorry.”
"No, Max," you sigh. "You're right. And I'm sure you've been wanting to say that for a while..."
But Max refuses. “NO! I just wanted the last word again. Like I always fucking do even when I know it’s never worth it.”
You and your sister join each other by sitting criss-crossed on the floor, pushing the debris off to the side to be handled later. Max leans her head on you and you let her, combing through her knotted hair with your trembling fingers.
"We have a lot to unlearn, don't we?" she sighs.
You nod. "Oh yeah..."
She grabs your hand.
"Are you safe at least?" Max questions. "At work? Any creeps I gotta beat up for you?"
A laugh escapes you. "Nah, someone's already got that covered. Bones snapping and all."
Max flinches.
"That's how you got all that money real fast, huh? Stripping?”
You nod to confirm. "I did it for you. Well, us."
You watch as Max takes out her phone and shuffles through her camera roll. Her most recent in the gallery are videos of her shooting free throws at the Y and playing tennis. She cancels out some apps for more storage, one of them being Messenger. The tab reveals that Billy was spamming her again.
You both shudder. Max puts her phone away.
"Because of you I have a membership," she beams. "And I have a safe place to rest my head and I have money to do what I want and I have food on the table."
She hugs you.
“I hope you know how grateful I am for you. For putting my needs before yours. For throwing yourself into something so terrifying just so I can have a better life than you did growing up.”
“I never thought for a second you were being ungrateful,” you hug her back. “And no matter what I say or do, I’m sticking by you no matter what.”
“Even when I’m being an asshole?”
“Even when you’re being an asshole.”
Max giggles. “Thanks for the reassurance.”
Suddenly your door swings open, causing you and Max to jolt in place. Thankfully, it’s just Robin and Vicky, both worried and confused about the state of your room.
"ToTo," Robin says. "We're not in Hawkins anymore."
"What tornado rummaged through here?!" Vicky exclaimed. "Guys. Are you okay?"
You and Max burst into laughter.
"Yeah, we’re good," you nod. "Just Hurricane Hargrove passing through."
As long as you have Max and your sisterhood with Robin and Vicky, you know you're going to be okay.
You refuse to mope around for the rest of the day, so in the evening you go bowling with Max and your roommates, loading yourselves up with carbs and soda. You ignore Eddie’s “can we talk?” messages, along with Billy’s routine “where the fuck are you” texts followed by rage-calls without a care in the world . Towards the end of the night, however, when the “Sad Boy Hours” hit, there’s a text from a man you simply can’t ignore.
Maybe: Henry
Hey 🧍🏻 it's Henry from work. Can I ask you something? Pls be honest.
tag list: @battymunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n , @corrodedcoffincumslut , @bebe07011 , @mmunson86 , @eddiesguitarskills , @chelebelletx , @imonhereforareasonsadly , @eddies-trailer-babe @hideoutside , @motherfckerrr , @jxpsi i , @munson-magic , @lindseyj23, @sidthedollface2 , @manda-panda-monium , @elvendria , @micheledawn1975 , @hereforshmut , @siriuslysmoking , @nymphetkoo , @m-chmcl-rmnc , @justinelittlewoodsworld , @ahoyyharrington , @keepittoyourselftellnobodyelse @kellyxo1 @emsgoodthinkin @winchester-angel @chloe-6123
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ladystardust-thinks · 4 months
Text
you are in love - t.e.
taron egerton x fem!reader, fluff
request:
Hi hiii! Can I request a fluffly imagine w Taron Egerton where he's simping over the reader during an interview? Thank youu have a nice day!!!
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a/n: Aloha! I'm scared of this fic not getting seen by the anon that requested it bc I thought I had kept another ask by them, were they talked about it being neutral, if possible, but turns out I deleted it (😭) so now I don't know if they see it. IF YOU DO PLS SEND ME AN ASK SAYING YOU SAW IT, I AM BEGING. Btw inspired by you are in love by taylor swift, I thought that was obvious though, kinda want to do a part 2 where you keep his shirt and he keeps his word, but it's just an idea
tags/warnings: not proofread at all, wrote it half-drunk idk if it's obvious lmao, language, mention of reader's hair, taron & reader swooning and dying and being obsessed with eachother, she/her pronouns, drinking, casual love confession, third and first person pov, i think that's all.
word count: no word count bc I was bored, but it's pretty long ig
dividers
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"I think being unofficially adopted by Elton was inevitable on set. We've just recognised that only one could be the favourite."
She nods slowly and a grin forms on her face. Taron can't form more of a smile. His cheeks were in pain. Three minutes into the interview and still, not able to answer a question. That's a lie, actually. He could answer a lot of questions. What her favourite song is, the amount of summer fruit she eats in wintertime just because they look cute, the color her eyes have when she sits in front of the sun, every tiny little thing, but that'd be useless in a press tour.
His favourite questions though would be the ones he asked her. The ones about music. How much she relates to Vienna, the guitar solo from Killer Queen, what does she think of the cowboy like me lyrics. Anything she could talk about for hours, he could listen to for hours.
"My back hurts." She whispers to him during the commercial break he didn't realize they were in. "What?"
"My back hurts from carrying this interview. Say something. Otherwise I'm going to die the day Jimmy Fallon makes an interesting conversation point." She whisper-shouts and him.
"I mean it's pretty hard to be hated when you don't have a personality, isn't it?"
He shrugs and smiles at her.
"I feel bad, we're sitting here gossiping about our host. But yeah. True."
She giggles thinking of his joke again. He looks at her as he is trying to keep his smile from exploding. As if he'd laugh with all his teeth if he let go. He's looking at every part of her, his eyes following the curves of her hair, her cheeks with their smile lines, because of her wide beams throughout the years. His eyes going all over her, as if he was scanning her, as if he'd been memorising every little one of her characteristics.
"What's wrong with you today, did I turn into a ghost?" She asks him, smiling.
"What?" He laughs slightly.
"You look at me all the time with that dead fish face. As if you're constantly wondering about something."
"I wonder about a lot of things, I'm a very philosophical man."
"I'm pretty sure that's how Freud's mommy issues started."
"Stop it."
"You stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Being so distracted."
"Only when you stop being so distracting."
"I know, I'm gorgeous but get your shit together."
"You are." He turns to look at her and smiles.
Stunned, she pauses a bit, pursing her lips together. As if she wasn't expecting the compliment. As if he didn't look captivated by every little move she made, the fidgeting of her hands or the twitch of her nose when she was confused. She also turns to look at him.
"Thank you." She lets out a breathy laugh.
"You don't look half bad. Actually, no. You don't look quarter bad! I don't even know if that makes sense, but it felt nice to say." She feels something newfound. Something hopeful and surprising all together. She wondered if he could see it in her eyes, though she hoped he couldn't because it felt vulnerable. She wasn't at ease, she was just delighted enough to only fly right over her safety net. Just in case.
***
As a person I have a lot of qualities, whether people would argue if they're good or bad, I did and they were a lot. Sadly, being patient is not one of them. I have to be distracted from everything at anytime and be constantly stimulated. Sitting down on a makeup and hair chair to be Laura's laboratory animal was one of these activities. One that could bore me very easily, but I also loves doing. It makes her happy to try new things and it makes me happy to see it.
Scrolling on tiktok, I land on a clip from last night's interview, with Taron.
'Currently needing someone to look at me like Taron Egerton looks at his co-stars',
read the caption.
"You're a lucky ass girl." Laura howls seeing my screen from over my head.
I look up and grimace at her.
"You're invading my personal space."
"You are my best friend, I've been invading your personal space since we were 20 and you were crying in the bathroom of a bar because the little umbrellas the cocktails had were 'just too cute'. Get over yourself, he's as cute as the umbrellas, you were thinking it, I said it."
"I- Touché."
Is he?
I mean he's really nice and you'd probably call him charming. And he hears me, which not a lot of people do - including me - anytime i ramble on about... anything.
You could call him cute, yes. He can be funny aswell. It might be the british-ness, I'm not sure. Though, I do enjoy spending time with him.
He's also nice to look at. That sounds weird. He is objectively, and only objectively, really attractive.
"Laura." I say sternly and look up at her through the mirror.
"Mhm..." She's so nonchalant about this. I need some sympathy here!
"You think?" My eyebrows furrow and I tilt my head. I belive I was denying my thoughts more than I was questioning them.
"If you don't, I will. I guarantee you though, I won't be as successful." Her grin makes me frown in thought. At least this is going to be an interesting press tour, isn't it?
***
"I can't say something like that, she'd kill me."
"You smile like an idiot when she talks to you. If she were to kill you she would've already."
"I- I don't think I would mind. I mean, it's from her hands, at least I'd die a happy man."
Richard squints his eyes. "Yes... And you still can't find a way to say that. Uh-huh."
The backstage for their interview had an air, heavier than it needs to be for Taron to process. Variety interview, press event, after-party. That was the schedule for the day, as of 5 minutes prior. Five minutes, in which he felt actually, relaxed. All until we had to shove a 'Confess your immortal passionate love to your co-star (bonus points if she doesn't hate you)' in the To-Do list. Taron thought Richard might, could, maybe, possibly, ever in a million years, be a bit of help.
But he wasn't, he was just being a dick about it, no pun intended. 'Yeah, you're smitten mate.' as if he didn't know that! He didn't need a doctor's diagnosis to tell him he was absolutely and utterly in love. What were the possibilities he wouldn't be? How could anyone not be? He hadn't ever met a more genuine and caring and generous and sweet person in Hollywood. No, fuck Hollywood, his life.
***
Entering the venue hurt him physically. At least that's what it felt like. You cannot judge him, if you had her waving at you from across the room with this wide smile you would've understood. He purses his lips into an upside-down smile he couldn't hold, he would never want to disappoint her like this, but he couldn't wave back of course. He thought he'd faint any moment if he moved. Right, fun. What was he supposed to do, ignore her? Avoid her? That might aswell hurt more. His breath hitched when she began walking over to him. What was wrong with him? He is a confident grown ass man, why does she make him act like that, how does she manage that? Why can she walk in and make the room shine? Why is she so genuinely funny and interesting? How can she be so talented, but at the same time so understanding of others. If it wasn't her Taron wanted to confess to, he'd ask her for advice.
"Thank god you're here! The music is boring, the food is bland and the people are so rich I can't even comprehend if they're talking about their yacht, their Oscar or their villa."
She clearly wasn't doing any better. "Need saving?" he teases and she finds herself chuckling. That's a sweet thought. A nice way to put it. Need a knight to save her from the absolute dread of boredom.
"Yes, Romeo."
"Romeo? I'm flattered."
"You shouldn't be, you die."
"I die in love."
"You die heartbroken, have you read it?"
"Under love's heavy burden do I sink."
"Very well delivered, congratulations."
"Thank you very much."
She smiles and sighes, he's so stupid, it's kind of adorable. What's even more stupid is how stupid he makes her feel. She feels like a fool when she can't come up with a sarcastic comment. She feels like a fool when she notices looking at her and can't even whisper, if ever utter a word. She just smiles. It's annoying.
"Well Romeo and Juliet is pretty fitting, considering you look like you just escaped straight out of some fairytale." He had to gather all his courage and make this compliment, but at least she liked it. No, she loved it. She adored it. It was so adorable, it was so nice. It's a compliment you see being said in books and movies. Made her feel gorgeous, like she was the only one in the room.
"I- Romeo and- Sorry. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a fairytale." She wasn't sure what else to say and what she did already was supposed to come out way more confident, it didn't. Obviously.
***
I’m not certain how we did so, but we ended up in the backyard of somebody, who knew somebody, who knew somebody who had cheap wine and a good taste in music, but we did. I had a drink in my hand and I was going off about something, but the conversation was changed soon enough. When Taron asked me, how the hell was I single. I looked at him. I squinted and sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean I'm fun and pretty and famous, but who does commitment with a cat lady?! Who would want something long term? Pffft nobody."
I don't think I realised what I was whining on about until I heard him speak up. He said 'Me.' He really said me! It was so foolish, and I was so drunk, but he did say it.
"You."
"Me."
"You're funny."
"Only when I'm joking."
"Fuck. Would you?"
"Would I what?"
"No like, would you actually?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, probably.".
"That's- So you like me?"
"No, I don't think so."
"But-"
"I love you, I believe."
I was just looking at him. I could not function. I thought about the cost of being hospitalised for possible heart abnormalities and cardiac arrest. Saying me too seemed cheaper and more beneficial, so that was what I went with.
"Are you joking?" I let out a breathy laugh, thinking his concerns were ridiculous. "This whole time? Oh my god. I just wasted all this time."
"All this time of what?" He asks and I wonder, how could he not understand? It was so painfully obvious that I wanted him. I craved to hear his laugh and listen to him every day, 'til I would die.
"All this time of not being with you."
His mouth was left a bit agape, but I could see a smile being formed slowly. He just looked at me. With that stupid dead fish face he'd done at first. Laura's gonna love this.
"Could you do me a favour?" I look at him and chuckle.
"What is it?"
"Could you say it again?" I smile, tight lipped.
"I love you."
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thevanserrras · 6 months
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Newly mated, Lucien & Y/N are eager to begin the rest of their lives together in the Spring Court; a series of events involving Tamlin, their High Lord & dear friend, alters their bond forever. ♫ "Oh, I can't, stop you putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows and now I'm covered. Clover blooms in the fields, spring breaks loose, the time is near. What would he do if he found us out? Crescent moon, coast is clear, spring breaks loose, but so does fear. He's gonna burn this house to the ground!"
A/N: Tamcien x Reader. Slowburn. Fluff/Angst. 18+. Chapter 2 is here!!! Shout out to @secret-third-thing for providing the best notes and moral support! I hope you all enjoy (pls lmk what you think, okay?)! Part of my project "The Evermore Anthology" inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Ivy". Wordcount: 2,670 Chapter: 2 / 4 Warnings: Smut. Longing. Potential infidelity. Pre-ACOTAR, Amarantha is present, flitting around Prythian as Emissary. I think that's it??? Pls let me know if I missed something!
READ CHAPTER 1 HERE
The remainder of the day had been colored by an acute sense of guilt. Despite knowing you’d done nothing untoward, Tamlin had taken an innocent gesture and made it–decidedly more improper. Suddenly, the plan had shifted from forcing Tamlin to hang out with you, to avoiding him at all costs. In the century you’d been friends, there had been far closer contact, friendly hugs, comforting pats on the back, dances pressed against one another at balls; so what had changed? Why had this moment felt so filled to the brim with tension?
As dinner had come to a close that evening, you told Tamlin that you wanted to dig into your book and enjoy a large glass of wine. An excuse of course, to spend the evening in isolation to avoid any further incidents that would worsen the gnawing feeling of shame.
Sighing, you poured yourself a generous amount of Sauvignon Blanc and sunk under the covers of your plush bed set. Sliding your hand along the cotton sheets to the empty spot in the bed, the spot where your mate should be, you sighed. Being without Lucien was like a cloud coated sky; gray, unnerving, and completely devoid of warmth. The sun in your sky was miles away. Taking a good, long sip of your wine you placed it on your bedside table, picking up your book to escape the loneliness that was eating away at your heart.
Nearing the end of your book, the maiden in the story, desperate to have one last encounter with her ex-lover before her betrothal to the second Prince, snuck off to his palace. The Prince met her in the gardens where she’d been sneaking in through the back entrance. Wasting no time, the Prince began ripping her dress away, desperate to touch her; unabashed in his desire. His hands explored her torso, tracing up her sides, ghosting over her breasts as he kissed her deeply, ravenously. Another hand descended her stomach until it dove into the awaiting wetness at her core–
A shiver of lust rippled through your body as you read the steamy scene, without your mate to feed the aching need, you allowed your fingers to trail along your chest, twirling over your already hard nipple through the smooth, silk fabric of your nightgown. Exploring further, your fingertips traced the curves of your hip bones, before bunching your nightgown up above your belly and tossing your book to the empty side of the bed. Traipsing fingers from the curve of your knee lower, down, down, until they reached the point where your thigh met your core; a soft whimper sounded in the room at the sensation. As your fingers dipped into the pooling arousal between your thighs, you bit your lip as your eyes fell closed. As you slowly trailed your fingers through the slickness, stopping to circle the bundle of nerves that ached for friction, the image of Lucien’s head between your legs heightened the sensation. Breath quickening, you picked up your pace, mouth pressed into a thin line as you stifled a moan; the memory of the way Lucien’s tongue felt as he lapped you up like water in the desert spurring you on. Squirming, the emptiness at your core became unbearable. Gliding two fingers inside the awaiting warmth, groaning, your thumb continued to massage your aching bud. A whisper of a gasp loosed your lips, tightness already coiling within at the sensation of your fingers pumping at a steadily increasing pace. Soon, breath hitching, release drew nearer; hushed moans fell from your lips like music. As your pleasure neared it’s height, the image of flushed cheeks, blonde hair radiant in the sunlight, and clawed fingers gripping your hips flashed across your mind’s eye pushing you over the edge; your hand flew to your mouth to cover the wild moan from resounding through the manor’s walls. Panting, you paused to contemplate the fantasy that had just played in your mind, as you did your desire reignited. Caution to the wind, you closed your eyes once more, your other hand hovered over your breast, pulling your nightgown aside; pinching the hardened nipple as your other hand worked to hasten the pace, fingers brushing that sweet spot over and over. Again, claws dug into your hips as you pictured your hands gripping Tamlin’s chest, his eyes boring into you as you rode him, bucking his hips in rhythm with your movement. Pulling the edge of your pillow up to meet your face, you bit the fabric, stifling your cries as satisfaction flowed through you for a second time, writhing under your sheet as you worked yourself through the climax.
Face flushed, body humming with gratification, a confused whirl of lust and indignity caused your chest to ache. What had you done? An innocent touch was simple enough to explain away, but orgasming to the thought of a male other than your mate was inexcusable. Spent, turmoil jumping in your stomach, you resigned yourself to sleep for the night; knowing that facing Tamlin now would be nearly impossible, you dreaded the coming dawn.
~
As you slowly woke to the light of morning flooding in from your bedchamber windows, the brief moment of drowsy bliss quickly gave way to violent self-reproach. Cauldron, boil me. Tamlin; you had pleasured yourself to thoughts of your High Lord, in the bed you shared with your mate, his Emissary. What cursed magic had befallen you that you’d be so brazen? The cruel reality, of course, was that you’d simply been ensnared by his innate allure. Groaning, you swung your legs over the side of the bed, hopping down you headed in the direction of your washroom for a quick bath. Refusing your maid Pansy’s assistance, you left your hair wet to air dry; desperate to savor the clean feeling, even if it did not extend to your soul.
Hand gliding down the golden railing of the main staircase, breakfast waiting, you prepared to face the male unintentionally the cause of your present angst. Stepping into the dining room, your plate was already set; directly across from the High Lord. As you approached, you noted the way his tight white dress shirt showcased the broad musculature of his back and shoulders; with each movement it was a wonder the flexing of the hard muscle didn’t cause his shirt to rip apart. Pull yourself together, you chastised internally. Feigning an air of nonchalance, you took your place at the table. 
“Good morning,” you offered, filling your glass with orange juice, not yet glancing in the direction of the male.
“Morning,” he returned, already shoveling the scrambled egg whites on his plate into his mouth. A comfortable silence fell as you both ate the tasteful breakfast the cooks had provided. Tamlin stole occasional glances in your direction as you ate, never once did he catch your eye; no, your focus remained intently on the food. Quietly, he admired the way you delicately cut the food on your plate, the way your hair fell into your face as you leaned in to take a bite, the way you nodded to yourself in satisfaction at a particularly tasteful bite. Before you could notice him staring, he finally broke the silence.
“Did you have fun last night?” he asked, scooping another pancake onto his plate, unaware that his words had caused a panic to spread through your chest.
“What?” you asked, too still, your eyes wide and pupils dilated; a blush crept to your cheeks.
“I–I meant your book, you said you were going to read all night?” He clarified hurriedly, deeply confused at the reaction, the nervous embarrassment you wore on your face.
“Oh, right, yes,” you began, kicking yourself for jumping to hasty conclusions, “I didn’t end up finishing it off like I’d planned…I got tired.”
“Ah,” he offered in response, brow furrowed as he speared a sausage with his fork; then he smelled it, the intoxicating scent of your arousal. Nostrils flared as he attempted to slow his breath, to ignore the aroma wafting to him from across the table. 
Godsdamnit! Crossing your legs in a futile attempt to hide the way the memory of last night affected you, as you looked at him you knew he’d already sensed it. Completely flushed, the aroma palpable as his scent mixed with yours, the two of you stared at each other across the table; breathing hastened, unsure how to move forward.
“I should get to work,” he offered, standing from the table and walking towards his office without another glance in your direction.
Drawing your knees to your chest, crossing your arms over your legs, an embarrassed tear made its way down your cheek. Wiping the wet trail away with your sleeve, sniffling, the weight of the events that had transpired in the past day took anchor in your chest. Lucien, the love of your life, a veritable blessing from the Mother herself, would be returning home in two days. A tear-stained smile graced your lips at the mere thought of the male; impressions of his mischievous smirk, his contagious laughter, his penchant for sneaking up behind you just to wrap you in his embrace. When the bond had been revealed, moments from your past together had flashed through your mind; the way the connection, attraction, had been present all along despite your lack of notice. So many of those memories, you realized, also contained Tamlin; always a trio, inseparable. Had this attraction to Tamlin always been there, latent? If it was, as you suspect, had Lucien noticed? Would he notice now? Brushing away the remaining tears, you headed for a walk through the rolling hills near the manor, resolved to rid yourself of this treachery.
Tamlin reached his office, locking the door behind himself before sinking into his desk chair; letting out a sigh, thumb and pointer finger pinching the bridge of his nose. Now he had truly done it, had allowed his wretched pining to leach out into the space between you, tarnishing the irreplaceable friendship he couldn’t bear to face life without. Not only your friendship, but Lucien’s as well. Lucien’s preeminently; this was his first and truest friend, and he was teetering on the edge of risking it all, for what? Lucien and Y/N were mated, in love with each other, what could he honestly expect to transpire. As he pulled out his leatherbound notebook, the folder containing the morning’s report, a stroke of insight eased his anxiety. An apology was in order. While difficult, the alternative was worse; if left unspoken, the events of the past day would only fester.
~
At last, the final night alone in your bed without the comforting warmth of your mate’s limbs wrapped around you had arrived; steadying yourself against the bathroom sink, you watched your reflection in the mirror. Grace, you could give yourself grace. Nothing nefarious had transpired, the guilt you felt was indication enough that you hadn’t truly desired the feelings that had flowed between you and Tamlin. Right? One last deep breath later, you headed down to the dining room for a late dinner; you had spent the last day and a half avoiding the High Lord. Luckily, the past several meals had been spent in silence, no more than a greeting and a goodbye, and you hoped he’d give you that same quiet now.
Slipping into your usual chair, the cooks had already sat out your plate of food; a still sizzling pan seared cut of beef, with a side of mushroom risotto. Sensing his presence as he approached, taking the seat directly across the table; your eyes remained fixed on the steak you were now slicing. The silence, to your delight, had continued throughout the meal; neither of you acknowledging one another, until nothing was left on your plate.
“I’m sorry,” he all but whispered; his low, forlorn voice hit you like an arrow strike to the torso. Lifting your eyes to Tamlin, the pained expression he wore twisting the arrow further into your gut.
“For what?” you questioned, heart racing, both dread and anticipation coursing through your veins.
“For…making you uncomfortable,” he offered, sincerity present in his eyes. Shaking your head, sighing, you wrapped your arms around your body protectively; here, in front of Tamlin, you felt laid bare.
“I wasn’t uncomfortable, I–,” you paused, staring at the ceiling as you searched for the right words, “I felt something that scared me. I’m sorry for avoiding you, instead of facing it.”
“We don’t have to face it,” Tamlin offered, “we can forget it ever happened, if that’s what you want.” The words caused your heart to lurch, afraid to look too deep into the emotion that had arisen between you, but at the same time, terrified of letting it go. 
“That– No, I don’t think that’s what I want,” you responded, tears pooling over at the corner of your eyes; the guilt again a vice grip on your heart.
Tamlin reached across the table to hold your shaking hand in his own, thumb brushing over your knuckles. As you glanced up through tear dampened lashes, eyes connecting, a gold cord pulled taut between you with such force that both of you were pulled forward in your seats. Tamlin squeezed your hand tighter as if to hold you steady from the force of the realization that now washed over your face.
“How is this possible?” you asked, disbelief swiftly giving way to panic as you pulled your hand away.
“I don’t know,” Tamlin drawled, “I believe there is historic precedent for such a thing, but…it’s extremely rare. I’ve not heard of an instance of multiple mates in my lifetime.”
“Well, we can’t– this can’t be happening. We can’t tell him,” you pleaded, grasping for your wine glass, hand shaking as you brought it to your lips and downed the remaining liquid.
“Why not?” Tamlin asked, “it’s a mating bond, not an affair.”
“We can’t,” you repeated, eyes frantic.
“Why?” he pressed.
“Because! We’ve only been mated for a month, the frenzy while tampered, is still there,” you entreated, “he’ll set you and this house ablaze, until nothing remains but us. It’d be involuntary, you know that. Please, Tamlin. We can’t act on this, not now. Please.”
“If that’s what you want,” Tamlin agreed, heavy-hearted.
“That’s not fair,” you muttered, “it’s what has to be. We can’t hurt him, Tamlin. Hasn’t he been through enough?” 
The words hit him directly in the heart, of course, he would not hurt Lucien, could never. Just as you reached out across the table towards your friend, your mate, his face having fallen horribly grave, the magic crack of winnowing sounded at the head of the table; drawing your hand back in an instant you knew before looking who had arrived in the dining room. Lucien. Frenetic as he glanced between the two of you, before his gaze fell to you alone, surveying.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re home early, what happened?” you asked, confused, terrified.
“I felt something down the bond, I thought–,” he voiced, noting your tear glossened eyes, the way Tamlin looked poised to interfere, “I needed to come check on you.” Arm extending, you grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Hey, I’m okay,” you assured, heart-breaking as you lied, “I was just missing you is all. That’s probably what you felt.” His eyes bored into your own, skepticism holding out in his expression.
“Are you sure?” he questioned, returning your squeeze to his hand.
“Yes, let’s go upstairs,” you suggested, desperate to get out of this tension filled room, “I’m exhausted, I’m sure you are too. Let’s get comfortable.” Hesitant, his eyes again darted between the pair of you; tugging at his arm, you gave him a smile. For a moment he held Tamlin’s gaze, expectant. When Tamlin remained silent, unmoved, Lucien complied with your request, allowing you to lead him out of the room.
~
Taglist: @lucienforhighking
(let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist for this fic!!)
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katsu28 · 6 months
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Ok here are some soft Remus thoughts!
- I just cannot stop thinking about how he definitely has a wonderful sweater collection and they’re all so soft and cozy and he loves seeing you wearing them (this could get smutty lmao but I’ll restrain myself)
- you know that one Taylor swift lyric “just living room dancing and kitchen table bills”? That’s the perfect way to describe your relationship with Remus, like maybe your apartment is a little shitty but it’s home and the two of you make it so cozy and you have a wonderful little life together and just putting on a record while you make dinner and you end up dancing together in the kitchen and maybe your food gets a little burnt but that doesn’t matter
- imagine babysitter baby Harry together omg just Remus holding the tiny little baby and singing to him when he can’t fall asleep and making him laugh that cute little baby laugh and every time you watch Harry you can’t help but think about actually having a baby with Remus because he’s so perfect and him with a baby is just too wonderful
I have more if you’d be interested, I just don’t want to go overboard hahahahha 🥰😚
i would adore more remus thoughts, pls send me everything you've got <3 this applies to everyone btw i need more brainrot food
domestic remus thoughts under the cut!
- the sweater collection is absolutely off the charts! drawers and drawers of the softest sweaters ever and even more stashed in different parts of the apartment for when he or you need it. some of them are solid colors, some of them have fun little patterns, but all of them are equally as comfy bc they're his and they smell like him and every time you put one on it's like being enveloped by him even when he's not there and it's the best thing in the world.
sometimes he'll be looking for one specific sweater to wear but he just can't find it no matter how hard he looks and he's just like have you seen my green one love? i think i might've lost it. but then he looks at you at you're wearing exactly what he was looking for and he just. melts. because he loves you and because you look so cozy and comfy and cute in it and he's just like oh ☺️ you can keep it i'll grab another one ☺️ and then he comes and sits with you for the rest of the morning.
- your life with remus isn't what some people might call perfect but it's just the right fit for the two of you! your apartment is a little cluttered and the paint is chipped and yeah maybe the front door gets jammed sometimes but it's your home and you couldn't love it more. you try your best to eat dinner together and unwind from your respective days with each other and most of the time that means a bottle of cheap wine and whatever dinner you can scrounge up from what you've got on hand. sometimes you do a puzzle together, other nights you'll talk for hours, and sometimes you both just sit and do your own things in the same space (parallel play LMAO). remus always makes sure to press a kiss to whatever part of you he can reach every so often just so you know he's still there. post full moon nights are fairly quiet though. remus just wants to sleep and you let him. sometimes he wants to be alone and you let him do that too, but he knows you're right there if he needs you <3
- babysitting harry is such an ordeal, especially the first time bc i feel like it might be a spur of the moment thing? james and lily desperately need a day to themselves and sirius is out of town and euphemia and fleamont are also busy so they're like surprise you get to watch harry for the day! obv you're not gonna turn them down and at first it's awkward bc you're both just staring at harry in his little baby buggy and he's staring back at you and neither of you really know how to take care of a baby?? but then harry starts crying and it's like a flip inside remus switches. he's just like yeah i think he's tired but then little harry refuses to go to sleep and remus starts humming a song and you see him start to drift off as remus bounces him in his arms gently.
when harry wakes up uncle moony is his new favorite person so they're inseparable for the day. at one point harry bumps his head on the couch or something while he's crawling around the living room and you can both tell he's about to start bawling but remus is so quick on his feet and picks him up and does something funny so harry gets distracted and suddenly he's shaking with peals of that infectious baby laughter and you're just like what. what is this i'm feeling is this baby fever??? and you can't stop thinking about having a little remus or yourself running around the place one day. obv you've got some talking about it to do since you haven't even discussed kids yet, you don't even know if remus would want kids with everything he's had to deal with his whole life but it's worth a shot right? to have someone who's a perfect mix of you and your favorite person in the world, to be able to raise them into someone who could quite possibly change the world, even to just have someone else to love more than you love yourself.
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3332344444 · 3 months
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I swear I loved you
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Warnings: Dilf!Johnny Cage, Age gap (Reader is 34, Johnny is 56), Blood, Dead (I think that is enough of a warning, actually). Actually I think this shit is sad soooo
Resume: Reader and Johnny are married and Reader is deadly injured. Something happens and they can find themselves again in another timeline
Writer note: I wrote this as my first time writing something about Mr. Cage, if you would like the second part of the fic, pls tell me about it and I will write it. Please listen to the song, I took a lot of inspiration from there
I can't let you go with grace.
Forgetting you is beyond me. You know I'm no stranger to pain. I won't release my grip unless they sever my hands or, at the very least, my fingers.
I don't want to set you free.
But I can't bear to witness your suffering any longer.
Today, in this moment, in this version of myself, I find myself back on our wedding day.
You, in that blue suit you adored. That day solidified that the sky's color truly belonged to you.
There you are again, waiting for me at the altar, a white rose on your suit.
And me, once more in my long white dress and veil, with my brother by my side. Clinging to Tomas like there's no tomorrow. Only he knew how terrified I was that day, supporting me so I wouldn't crumble.
Seeing familiar faces as I walked toward you was both comforting and heartbreaking. Seeing Kuai Liang and even Liu Kang made me believe the war could end, and we could finally be happy.
Despite our 22-year age difference, it all faded in that moment. Nothing else mattered, just your brown eyes looking at me and your restless hands waiting for mine.
Cassie smiled at me, crucial for me to feel accepted. After what happened with Sonia, I didn't want you both to suffer more. Luckily, you both found comfort in me, not as replacements, but as a refuge.
When I reached you, my brother handed you my hands like they were delicate flowers. And then he sat down.
Lifting my gaze and meeting your brown eyes, my soul sighed.
That day, we accepted each other and promised eternal love. Unknowingly, with that kiss, we bound our souls forever.
And even though these memories are beautiful and precious, unlike anything else in my life, I have to face reality. The truth now is me in your arms, fading away, promising to let us go.
This wound on my neck will not heal even with your faithful kiss. And I am not willing to see you cry again.
With the last strength that I have in me, I try to touch your cheek. I want to apologize for the blood that I left where I touched you, but I know I don’t have time for apologies.
“We need to let go, Cage,“ I told you as if it was nothing, even though I choked a little on my own blood. “I need you to know we will be bonded forever.“
I felt dizzy and tired. I just wanted to sleep, and the world seemed hurtful enough to even have me in it.
You were crying, and for one moment, I wanted to stay.
You held and even kissed my bloody hand. One rebel tear ran down my cheek.
“I need to find you in another life, in another timeline, beyond this world,“ You said crying. “It is not as easy to let you go as it seems.“
I did not have much time left, and I needed to make a promise with you.
As I could, I pulled my dagger and handed it to you.
“I… need you to take care of this… while I am gone,“ I told you. I could not hold you anymore, and in a few moments, I would lose the ability to speak too.
You looked at me, and fortunately, Kuai Liang grabbed you by the shoulder and told you to let go. I shut my eyes, ready to let myself go too.
You left me on the ground, but not before you told me how much you loved me.
The floor felt hard at first, but then it just became as soft as our bed. I opened my eyes as I wanted to see you go, but the only thing I found myself with was two white eyes.
“What the…” I said.
I did not really understand the situation until I realized I encountered with Liu Kang right in front of me.
I sat down, touched my neck and, to my surprise, I wasn't bleeding anymore.
Liu Kang gave me his hand and helped me to stand on my feet.
We were in a place with a lot of trees, and I could feel a breeze on my face. I was calm as I would never be in life. To my understanding, I was dead, but I did not understand why Liu Kang was there with me.
But he was there with me, and I hadn't seen him in a long time. I looked at him and hugged him tightly; I missed him so, so much.
“I missed you lots,” I told him. “It's so good to see you again.”
He laughed and held me tight. I felt his warmth and thought that death wasn't that bad.
I looked at him again, and he just smiled at me. He started talking.
“You died,” He said. “But I know how much you loved Johnny, and as I couldn't have another opportunity with Kitana, I would like to give you another opportunity with him.”
We started to walk along the trees, and I was very confused by his words. We were mere humans; how would he do that?
“I am very thankful, but how exactly would that be possible?” I asked him.
He laughed again.
“I am a god now; I will create another timeline, and I would like to consider the love that you and Johnny have. But with this, I have some conditions that I would like you to know,” He told me.
It was a lot of information, and he just spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“I can not explain to you many things, but over time, we will speak about it, I promise,” He spoke.
I trusted Liu Kang with my life; he was like a brother to me. I nodded, waiting for him to keep talking.
“You will meet a new Johnny, but he will be exactly the same one you loved. You will remember everything, but he won't. It's your decision whether to accept this or not; I cannot assure you will fall in love again, but I am almost sure you both will. There are things that are impossible to forget.”
I just thought about it. It was my Johnny, but It was not my Johnny at all. Was I willing to take the risk?
“I want to be with him in this timeline and in any other,” I said.
He nodded and smiled.
“I'm sure this will be the best for you both.”
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pandorascripts · 9 months
Text
coney island
pairing: wednesday x reader
song: coney island (feat. The National) by Taylor Swift.
cw: angst
summary: Relationships can burn and break-- they can dwindle and even ruin the people involved in them. For some reason, you never thought you and Wednesday would have that. In a way, you were right. But unfortunately, being right doesn't always mean you win.
Or, you and Wednesday are just too much selfish for each other.
note: I love coney island sm.
SEND IN REQUESTS BASED ON TS SONGS PLS! <3
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No matter how hard you tried to make it work, the sleepless nights you stayed up waiting for her, the meal prep that took hours just for her to shove it off, leaving her suits ironed and on the table, it didn't change the outcome. And maybe that's because while you did all those things, you still did as much ignoring and dismissing as she did. You and Wednesday were just too... selfish for a relationship.
In the beginning, middle, and end, the only thing that truly mattered to both of you was yourselves.
If you thought making meals that required a full day would get Wednesday to come back from work earlier, you'd make it. If "forgetting" to fill up her tank that very morning would make her regret going to work that day, you'd do it. And it wasn't even because you wanted her attention, you were simply bored. Spending all day doing chores and taking the train to upstate New York for groceries was tiresome.
For Wednesday her selfishness showed in other colors. It wasn't forgetting to do laundry or her other chores, but instead a third, much larger thing. She'd forget about you. Wednesday would get so wrapped up in her cases that she'd celebrate a lead with a partner instead of you. The parties or ceremonies she'd get invited to hadn't included a plus-one option for years. When she was labeled "Detective of the Month" and was giving her speech, your name didn't even leave her lips. In fact, your name never even registered in her brain until she was on her way home. The worst part about all of it is that she didn't even feel guilty for forgetting about her wife.
But now, as the kitchen lights are off, a plate of cold food resting on the dining table, Wednesday does feel guilty. Since when did your relationship become this sad? Most nights the two of you ate alone, a cold plate of food always resting on the counter or in the microwave, and the both of you came home at different times. It's like you two were complete strangers who happened to be married.
But that's not how it always was. Wednesday remembers what you guys were like before you got married-- head over heels in love. She remembers the warm dinners, the warm bed, the painfully wide smiles, and the "I love you"s frequently stated. Wednesday doesn't even remember the last time she held you close.
Her fork scrapes against the glass plate, cold chicken sliding into her beans. A soft "Plink!" makes her look down again. With a shaky sigh, Wednesday wipes her cheek dry and stands up. She doesn't bother taking care of her plate.
Wednesday doesn't want to lose you, but she can't find a way to win back what she's already lost. A recurring thought that the both of you are too much for one another wins over anything else in her head, and she goes to bed with a renewed purpose.
Tomorrow, she goes to the courthouse. Tomorrow, she saves the both of you from this sinking ship of a marriage. Tomorrow, she sends you the divorce papers.
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strawberryspence · 1 year
Note
i know you said it won’t leave the cage but dae pls…… the steve as taylor swift…… i am desperate to know more 👀
okay DHSAHLAIO basically i don’t have anything but an outline, a snippet and a dream.
here’s the main gist. there is no taylor swift in that universe, all her songs are steve harrington’s (bcs im delusional and i love both taylor and steve and want to mash them together). steve is like “america’s sweetheart” and he’s only dated three people: tommy, billy and nancy. I have a whole spreadsheet of what taylor songs would be in each of their albums HAHSHASHAH.
eddie is a famous rockstar and is in a bad place (the band’s reputation is like failing) so their managers, chrissy (for Corroded Coffin) and robin (for Steve) comes up with the plan to make them fake date.
I only have one whole scene written for this fic, and so here's a few lines from that:
“What do you mean I have to fake date Steve fucking Harrington?!” Eddie stands up, the chair almost falling backwards with how abrupt he stood up.
“Calm down, Eddie! We’re only doing this because you can’t seem to stop fighting with people in bars!” Chrissy slams back, the other Corroded Coffin members watching with wide eyes. Chrissy has always been softspoken and kind, so seeing her raise her voice, is kind of terrifying.
“Steve Harrington of all the people!? He’s literally a prep who keeps singing about love lost and love found and shit that doesn’t even exist!” Eddie fights back, his voice raising by the minute as Chrissy glares harder at him. She’s clenching her teeth so hard that Gareth has to take over before she climbs over the table and smacks the shit out of Eddie.
"Eddie, Steve is literally called America’s Sweetheart. Put your name in the same sentence as his name and you are fucking golden.”
Before Eddie can even answer, the door swings open and like he’s the president of the country, Steve Harrington comes in with guards in black and a girl who Eddie thinks would be his manager. Here’s the thing, of course, he’s seen Steve. They’ve bumped into each other in awards shows and after parties. They’ve only talked once, and well, that one interaction has left a big impact on Eddie.
Eddie sits back down, glaring as Steve takes a sit in front of him. Who the hell goes out in that colorful of clothing? He’s wearing a pink pastel sweater that could blind Eddie, paired with white trousers and a set of pearl necklace that Eddie wants to pull and gnaw at.
God, Eddie hates him with a burning passion, and he wants to scoop out his eyes with every second he's not taking his eyes off the pop singer but Steve Harrington is also infuriatingly, gorgeous beyond measure.
WIP GAME
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vammppyre · 5 months
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intro to me xoxo
whaddup my name's Eli, im 19, and I never fuckin learned how to read.
Anyway, here's some surface-level blog shit before I get into the nitty gritty im comfortable with sharing to strangers on the internet:
fandoms
tv/youtube:
good omens
loki (series)
supernatural (only through season 2! don't spoil pls x)
sherlock
staged.
the good place
dan and phil
music:
taylor swift
boygenius & their solo music
my chemical romance
fall out boy
panic! at the disco (pre-brendon grossness)
paramore
nirvana
foo fighters
apple music profile
spotify profile
books:
pjo/hoo
magnus chase
kane chronicles
carry on trilogy & fangirl
perks of being a wallflower
six of crows/shadow and bone
please don't intentionally spoil! haven't watched/read/listened yet:
dr who
our flag means death
what we do in the shadows
chalice of the gods
trials of apollo
intro continued:
I'm nonbinary & lesbian, (still a little confused sometimes tho). I love reading, watching my fav shows, and doing all types of artsy shit--though I tend to impostor-syndrome myself away from it most of the time. it takes a lot of balls for me but I do post my art on occasion!
speaking of posting - here's some shit about that: I do post really sporadically, mostly reblogging things I enjoy, but occasionally pitching in my own stuff; if its my own art or words or whatever, i put all that under #vammppyre's posts, so if you wanna see all my og content, go there :)
a little more about myself: cats are my fave animal (I have a lot and grew up with them--they're the way to my heart lol); my fave colors are black, gray, and red; I love nerding out about my interests (why else would I be here lol); and I'm happy so long as I'm around a cat, a loved one, or doing one of my favorite things. On the other hand, I'm a very anxious person--the lexapro helps a bit lol, but I still have a hard time doing the things that scare me--even if that thing is something as little as making an important call, texting a friend I miss, or doing something I really need to do. I'm currently on my own journey to getting to where I can function again, and I'll definitely post about any major point in that for me.
one last thing I have to say - if you're a mutual and you wanna talk to me, do it!! chances are I've thought about it a lot and just don't have the guts. bonus points if you're from east TN or close to it--finding people with similar interests near me makes me ecstatic lol :)
to me, this thing is a diary filled with my handwritten entries, magazine clippings, lyrics, and quotes all from things close to my heart. enjoy <3
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honeyyeoja · 1 year
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the albums of my life in no particular order
#1 Greyson Chance's Hold On 'Til The Night (2011)
the very first physical album I've ever bought for myself, spent a month and a half saving up to buy this after my elementary graduation. i took care of it so much that the case broke LOL
fave song/s: Home Is In Your Eyes, Little London Girl (became my alarm ringtone!), Summertrain (adult me loved this), Stranded (my imaginative self imagined a whole MV for this song), Running Away (man this song resonates more to me as an adult PLS), Light Up The Dark, Fire (cover) (I love this cover sm!)
#2 One Direction's Take Me Home (2012)
the second album I bought! got the Yearbook Edition alongside Niall's cardigan from Penshoppe (both are still with me!!) LMAO this album reminds me so much of high school, so nostalgic. one of my classmates gifted me a folder filled with printed lyrics so I had every song memorized. i also remembered that I used to make jingles with some of the songs' tunes from this album!!
fave song/s: Change My Mind, Over Again (it enhanced my "rapping" skills LOL), Nobody Compares
#3 Taylor Swift's RED (2012) (linked is Taylor's Version!)
this album reminds me of my first and only vacation on my uncle's city, my Samsung GT-C3222 that was stolen when I was on my way home LOL. also I (still) have Myx Magazine Taylor Swift special edition filled with all her lyrics up until her Red album. also it reminded me of Cornetto!
fave song/s: State of Grace, The Lucky One
#4 5 Seconds of Summer's debut album (2014)
this reminded me of that specific* person LMAO whenever I listen to this album, I think of him and how he's doing, and if things were different, would we have a chance? EME LAMANG! anyways only the REAL ones that Heartbreak Girl and Try Hard sound different on this album compared to their pre-releases. my sister also loved this album, her fave is English Love Affair!
fave song/s: Heartbreak Girl, Long Way Home, Try Hard, If You Don't Know (I know it's not on the album, it's from Don't Stop EP BUT I love this song sm), Try Hard (the old version!! linking it below)
youtube
#5 Justin Bieber's Purpose (2015)
i remember asking for an illegally downloaded copy of this album along with One Direction's Made In the AM. both reminded me of my last year of junior high school and my old Nokia N8 phone (and the ringback tones of my classmates (and ex); it was either What Do You Mean or Sorry LOL)
fave song/s: No Pressure (on repeat!!), The Feeling
#5 BTS' Love Yourself 轉 Tear (2018)
when One Direction had their (FAKE!!) hiatus back in 2015, I never followed any musical artist so I embarked on my 2-year journey of being a Potterhead and a Dramione shipper LMAO I knew BTS since I was 13 but never really focused on them because I was busy focusing on 1D pls,, anyways this album has a great impact on me, I never knew that the first time I watched Fake Love's MV (with subtitles) that I would love them this much. (also, the track listing??? chef's kiss!)
fave song/s: 134340, Paradise, Love Maze, Outro: Tear
#6 BTS' MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA (2019)
this album reminds me of anything pre-pandemic. it was 2019, my dog just gave birth to three puppies (only one survived, which is Chimmy), I shifted programs and finally felt that everything was falling into place. it made me appreciate the color pink. everything was great.
fave song/s: Boy With Luv, Jamais Vu
#7 BTS' MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
i still can remember how everyone was so excited about this album. no, this isn't just an album, it was a milestone. 7 years for my one true 7. it was such a grand scale album, performance-wise, lyricism-wise, concept-wise, until hell broke loose.
fave songs: Interlude: Shadow, Black Swan (the orchestra version!!), UGH!, We are Bulletproof: The Eternal
youtube
#8 RM's mono. (2018)
ah. RM's mono. where should i start? is it possible for an album to see through your soul? i don't know. but this one did. and it became a source of solace. a warm embrace. even up until now, it's my very special friend.
fave song/s: everythingoes
(will put the continuation of this post on a reblog since I already exceeded my 10 audio/video URLs LOL)
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espercr · 2 years
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𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈’𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑
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01. NAME / ALIAS  :  missa
02. BIRTHDAY :  feb 11th
03. ZODIAC SIGN  :  aquarius - makes a lot of things about me make sense , doesn’t it ? rising is libra , moon in capricorn . 
04. HEIGHT  :  5′6″
05. HOBBIES   :  all sorts of writing , reading , baking , embroidery , ukulele , currently trying to pick up archery : 3c
06. FAVORITE COLOR  : it has transitioned steadily from lavender to periwinkle - but i also love yellow & a good dusty muted pink . 
07. FAVORITE BOOK  :  this is hard , i don’t think i’ve met my favorite book yet - rn i’m reading the invisible life of addie larue & i love it very much so i will say that one for now . 
08. FAVORITE FOOD  :  korean or japanese food , but if i’m being honest ? just like . . . really good freshly baked sourdough bread . 
09. LAST FILM / TV SHOW  :  last film i saw in theaters was morbius ( i was bored pls don’t judge me ) , last movie before that was turning red , for shows i’m currently watching moon knight eps when they come out & as always , i’m steadily re-watching daredevil . but tonight i needed self care so i did in fact watch bluey to cope - healing ur inner child can actually be so personal . . .
10. INSPIRATION  :  emily dickinson & mary oliver make my heart sing , sleeping at last as well since those songs are basically poetry . taylor swift , orla gartland , dodie clark . . . i mostly get inspired by vibes , but also i write to work through real feelings so like . . . life in general , the good & the bad , are my biggest inspirations . 
11. STORY BEHIND URL : esperer means ‘hope’ in french - but of course it was taken , so espercr !
tagged by :  the lovely @symbiiotic <3  tagging  : @wnterslder , @grayflown , @dcvildealt , @wrathbit , @cptncarter​ , & you ! 
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pose4photoml · 6 months
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hi hi i got you for swiftie halloween so pls rant about your favorite artists, books, tv shows, movies, and everything you're obsessed with thank you
Hi fellow Swiftie~
I’ve never rant about all my favorites before….mostly because there are so many so I’ll try to keep this short! 😉
favorite time of year is FALL 🍁 love how the colors change and most of the bugs are gone. The weather isn’t too hot or too cold. You can sit outside and either read a book or go with a group of friends to a concert sitting on a blanket listening to music.
favorite books ? I love Jane Austin, Nicholas Sparks and lately I’ve been reading A Twisted Tale series (think Disney Princess stories only different outcomes)
favorite tv shows? I have 3 favorites Gilmore Girls will always be number 1- I know it’s off the air but I own the DVD collection so anytime I need a pickup I can always count on this show. Also NUMB3RS, love how he uses math to solve problems and crimes!! The Big Bang Theory- love those nerds! I’ve also gotten into watching some BL series and Kdrams.
favorite movies? 2 many to name all as movies are my escape from reality!!! So my 2 all time favorites are Sweet Home Alabama and Pride and Prejudice (all versions as I feel they add depth to the story)
favorite music/artist ~ well that’s a hard one … I love a variety of music 🎼 to be honest I listen to music based on my mood at the time. I’ve even listened to Christmas songs in the middle of summer. My Spotify has a lot of playlists just for that reason. Taylor Swift Pink Brad Paisley (fellow WV) to name a few. I’ve also started a playlist of songs from shows/movies I’ve watched. Recently I have had two people make me a playlist and I play those on repeat as well!
I’m obsessed with Halloween!! I actually have a lot of pop figures and decorations and even a tattoo of The Nightmare Before Christmas!
Ok so this wasn’t as short as I had hoped but I hope it helps!
Have a great weekend!
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flowercitti · 1 year
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Ok 1, 2, 6, 9, 14 (😎), 18, 28, 29, and 30
Payback for all the ones you just gave me lmao ❤️
This is poor payback babes I love talking abt myself and music because I’m an attention whore 🥰💖
1. A song you like with a color in the title - Orange Juice - Melanie Martinez
2. A song you like with a number in the title - Seventeen - Ladytron
6. A song that makes you want to dance - Dance Macabre by Ghost was my first thought 🥰
9. A song that makes you happy - this was a weirdly hard question to answer because most songs I like are not exactly happy ones but hmmm. Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen.
14. A song that you would love played at your wedding - Life Eternal by Ghost. Which is likely a bit at odds with ur vibes, but ur legally obligated to listen to any songs I put u here that u haven’t heard. Viv I have cried to this song and u will hear it at our wedding.
18. A song from the year that you were born - fuck u for this one. Sugar, We’re Goin Down by Fall Out
Boy.
28. A song by an artist with a voice that you love - Bambi by Baekhyun
29. A song that you remember from your childhood - You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. I was obsessed with her as a child.
30. A song that reminds you of yourself - Are You Satisfied? By MARINA. don’t psychoanalyze me pls.
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aquariumsoap · 3 years
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I love folding my laundry at the laundromat because I have so much Taylor Swift merch anyone who looks at me is gonna go ew a sw*ftie and I think that’s beautiful 💖
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