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haloud · 3 years

Text

things we could burn in one go (eminence) - chapter 9

also on ao3

Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Isabel Evans & Max Evans & Michael Guerin, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes, Forrest Long/Alex Manes Additional Tags: post-s2, Canon Compliant, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Starts Forlex Ends Malex, Other Characters May Appear, Tags Subject to Update, Mutual Pining, Breaking Up, Getting Together

Chapter Summary: Michael and Isobel reckon with the fallout from Michael’s choices; Maria and Max catch up with him post-recovery.

Excerpt:

Maria sat on the steps, an old CD radio of Rosa’s beside her playing a classic Rosa mixtape, a Third Eye Blind track Michael only half-remembered flowing around her, her humming running under it, glittering minerals in a riverbed. She was surrounded by papers, pinned under painted rocks to keep them from being snatched away, her hair tied back by a rainbow scarf, and she bent over to write in a binder propped on her knees.

Michael rapped on the pillar behind him to get her attention, and when she looked up she smiled and set the binder aside.

“Guerin! You’re up! What brings you here with the sun in the sky?”

“Where else am I gonna go to get my sea legs back?”

“Well, come pull your ass into port and sit with me.”

She patted the low stair beside her and Michael did as he was told, swiping his hat off his head as he approached her. For her it was wordplay, but Michael cradled to his chest something more true than maybe she’d intended—Maria was a safe harbor, a port in a storm. No matter how bad things got, her warm heart and practical mind were a reminder to never give up. Just sitting beside her was enough to make him smile, even though he sat with a good six inches buffer between them, still unsure what boundaries were appropriate, still navigating the uncertain waters of being friends with an ex who meant something.

(Wednesday, 11:00 am)

Michael flipped Alex’s key over and over in his fingers, running it along his knuckles, pressing his thumb into the teeth until they left a locking-imprint on his skin, then doing it all over again. At some point, maybe it would start to feel real, if he reminded himself of the thing often enough.

The repetition and stimulation of the rough teeth, the cool, smooth metal, soothed him as he waited on Isobel’s porch. She’d called him here in the first place, so eventually she’d open the door. Until then, he waited. And as he waited, he thought of Alex, because what else was there to think about these days?

(A thousand things, like Jones and Project Shepherd, Max and Liz, and all the work piling up at Sanders’s, but Alex had a way of blotting everything else out, and, no matter how much his brain tried to get him to feel stupid or naïve or childish for hoping yet again, he was going to let himself bask in that shade for once in his life.)

He hadn’t left Alex’s house, still, except to go to work and get things from his own place. At Alex’s, he was still sleeping in the guest room, the both of them afraid that they’d fall back into their old patterns too fast if they fell right into bed. But during the day they shared that space, a kitchen, a den, existing alongside each other as they read or cooked or composed, and the routine wasn’t so different from the tense and quiet days right after Michael’s injury, but at the same time they were nothing alike, not when each tiny glance could mean so much, not when fingers on the soft rasp of turning pages were fingers he could touch, that could touch him.

Everything was different. It was terrifying, and exhilarating, brand new and nostalgic. It had only been a day; it had only been half their lifetimes.

“Ew, you’re glowing.”

Isobel’s voice started Michael out of his thoughts, and he jumped, shoving Alex’s key into his pocket. She was glaring at him, but still he relaxed, because Isobel’s snark was a form of love and her turning scorn in his direction was a sign things were getting back to normal between them.

“It’s all natural,” he drawled as she stepped aside to let him inside.

“Right. Did something happen, or is this just some lesser known side effect of being brought back from the brink of death.”

“Uh…”

In a way, sort of, if only because Michael’s own stupidity had driven him and Alex closer together, but that wasn’t exactly a direct correlation or anything admirable.

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “Just…”

He fell silent. How was he supposed to talk about being in love? He’d never done it before, and this was a first he hadn’t anticipated facing.

“Alex and I…” he tried again, but found himself only able to smile, still without words, and he raised his arms in a helpless shrug.

Isobel’s eyebrows raised. “Oh my god.”

“Yep.”

“I’m still pissed at you, but if Manes is making you his side chick after everything, I’m going to rip his spine out through his—”

“Isobel, no! It’s not like that,” Michael laughed, shaking his head.

“Well what’s it like, then? I cannot handle him breaking your heart again when we’re already dealing with Max.”

He replied, “My heart is fully intact,” as he headed in and dropped down on her couch, throwing a hand over his heart for dramatic effect. “No, uh, Alex and Forrest had a fight, which sucked, but it led to us getting a chance to talk more about, y’know, us, and what we wanted, and each other, so…”

“So this is rebound,” Isobel snipped.

“Can you stop?” Michael said, half-laughing. Even her pessimism on the subject of love couldn’t pop the bubble around his heart right now. He patted the couch beside him, and she hesitated for a few seconds with her arms crossed, before capitulating and joining him.

“Oh, fine,” she groused, leaning against the arm of the couch farthest away from where he was sitting. “Your funeral.”

The words landed like a lead balloon, and Michael winced as her face grew stormier.

“I’m—”

“Don’t,” Isobel held up a hand in his face. “Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Well, what do you want to hear?”

“An explanation, Michael! What the hell were you thinking? Why would you do that? What if he’d just straight up killed you, did you want us to find your body in a cave somewhere or, or never, blown to smithereens by a man who literally breathes fire! You’re so stupid, and selfish, and—” She cut herself off, furious tears welling in her eyes even as the rest of her face didn’t change.

“I know! I know, you’re right, it was stupid. I wasn’t thinking, or, well, I was thinking, but my head was all messed up.” He rested his forehead in his hands and running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think any explanation is going to make any sense now, out of the moment, but I just…everything was going to shit, and I couldn’t do anything for Max, and I thought Jones might have answers, or could help me unlock new powers like you’ve done on your own. So I could protect everyone.”

Isobel threw her arms up and got to her feet, pacing around the couch; Michael tracked her, anxiety dipping and spiking every time she circled him. Her anger pulsing when she passed behind him made his skin crawl, and he shifted in his seat.

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” she finally spoke, stopping in front of him.

He kept his head bent forward, staring at his knees.

She continued, “I really don’t. I’ve been trying for twenty-one years, but I still don’t know how to get through to you. How to convince you that you’re not alone, that people want to protect you. To help you. But I’m not Max. I’ve never pushed or pried or fought to cling onto you when you shook us off. I just hung around because I knew you’d always come back.” She took a deep breath. Her voice stayed steady and deliberate. “But Michael, this has gone on for too long, and you went too far this time. You have to let us help you. Otherwise—I don’t know. I just don’t. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.”

Drops of water speckled the tops of Michael’s knees, and he sniffed, swallowed, mouth dry, throat tight and aching. His sister’s gentle hands threaded through his hair, cradling both temples, right hand over Max’s lingering handprint, but no matter how careful that touch was, he flinched.

Isobel tipped his head up so he had to look her in the eye and said, “You’re my brother, Michael. I love you so much. And I would do anything for you, just like you would—and have—do anything for me. But you need to let me! From here on out, I need you to fucking work with me. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

Tears trickling down his face and dripping from his chin, Michael nodded, not trusting his voice, and Isobel fell forward, his arms opening up to catch her, and they stayed like that for a long time, Michael rocking her back and forth, her clinging desperately to his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he finally croaked, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Or Max. I just, I can’t stop myself, sometimes, I know it’s not an excuse, I know it was stupid, I know—”

“I know,” she interrupted his stream of self-loathing, sitting back to look him seriously in the face. “I was in your head, remember?”

She’d found him beneath a vaulted ceiling, stained glass in shifting, alive, alien colors, walled in with his demons. Defining himself inside the devouring maelstrom by the battles he understood. His whole life, he’d sewed himself back whole, and his work wasn’t pretty, but the patterns made sense, and they kept him sane even when the odds demanded otherwise. The image flashed behind his eyes, but that’s all it was, an image. He shook his head.

“Not really.”

“Well. I didn’t really go snooping, no matter how tempting it was,” she said with a self-deprecating roll of her eyes. “But let’s just say…you don’t owe me any explanations you aren’t willing or ready to give. Those belong to you. I know I haven’t always understood that in the past. We both have things to work on, okay?”

“Okay,” Michael rasped, squeezing her tight again. “I…want to work on them with you.”

“Then it sounds like we’re going to be okay,” she softly replied.

(3:00 pm)

Isobel didn’t let him leave the house until both their eyes stopped being red and puffy from crying; It took multiple episodes of some Food Network show he’d never heard of before she agreed to let him out of her sight, and, in deeply un-Isobel-like fashion, she followed him to the door and pulled him into another hug for the road before she let him leave.

The drive from Isobel’s to the Wild Pony wasn’t really long enough to fully ruminate on how bad he must have scared Isobel to warrant this level of reaction. Logically, he’d known, but emotionally it was just beginning to sink in.

Over the past year, he’d been faced with losing Isobel and with losing Max multiple times—had lost Max, in fact. He knew how it felt. Why should the loss of himself be any different to them? In low moments, sure, thoughts shifted beneath the murk of his mind, lurking demons from childhood, that they didn’t need him, they had each other, a more special bond, he was the odd one out, outside, out in the cold. But on the day to day, he didn’t devalue himself like that, not in so many words, did he? But—

To be surprised? That Isobel was afraid, that Max was afraid, that the both of them stood on the precipice of grieving him and had to process the horror of that fall after snatching themselves back at the last minute? It was a slap in the face, a rude awakening. A lesson that for all these years he’d resisted learning.

The first step to protecting those who loved him was to protect himself. He couldn’t keep shelving it as the lowest priority. They were one and the same.

It sounded fake to his own ears, but he’d just have to say it until the lesson sunk in.

With the windows rolled down, the idle breeze tugged Michael’s hair across his face and cooled the late-summer stickiness from his skin. It was just after lunchtime, a little early for Max to be at work, but since he wasn’t at Isobel’s house, it was faster to check for him here than to drive all the way out to his own place.

If there was one positive to his near-death, it was the way Max was invigorated by a purpose. The healing drained him, of course it did; it could have killed him, and that weighed on Michael’s conscience, but afterward, after it worked and he’d pulled Michael back from death, he smiled. He slept. He bustled around Alex’s house babysitting Michael while Alex was at work, and now, with a little distance from fragile death, that didn’t chafe as badly.

Max deserved a better thanks than Michael had thus far been able to render, and with Isobel’s words still ringing in his ears, there was no better time than now.

He pulled up to the Pony, the fairy lights strung across the patio dancing in the wind, the wood of the old building all pale and real in the sunlight. The old, familiar sign above the door was off as long as the bar was closed, but Michael still took a moment to glance at it nice and long, remembering the feel of fixing it under his hands so the whole place felt less liminal, less like a mirror vision of the beating heart that was the Wild Pony glowing under the night sky, lit from within rather than from the sun.

Faint music played as Michael parked and left his truck, so he rounded the corner of the building to suss it out and smiled at what he saw, leaning against one of the trellis supports.

Michael rapped on the pillar behind him to get her attention, and when she looked up she smiled and set the binder aside.

“Guerin! You’re up! What brings you here with the sun in the sky?”

“Where else am I gonna go to get my sea legs back?”

“Well, come pull your ass into port and sit with me.”

“What are you working on?” he asked.

“Oh, you know me.” She gestured vaguely to the arrangement of papers and tucked her feet up beside her, leaning toward Michael, cutting the space between them in half like it wasn’t worth noticing. Some of the tension in Michael’s chest unwound at her ease around him.

“Hustling?” he prompted.

“Yep. I’m just organizing the events I have planned for the upcoming season and making sure I have space set out for scheduling, details, budgeting, the works. High school me would die with envy; my system was never this good when I was trying to study.”

“I’m definitely impressed. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with, anything you need built, or an extra set of ‘hands’ for decorating.”

“How is that going?” she asked, brows furrowing.

“I’m still getting my strength back. Just gotta keep pushing through and hope whatever Jones did didn’t mess me up for good.”

“I’m sure he didn’t.”

Her hand extended but stopped before touching him, until he turned his hand palm-up, asking her to take it. She did, squeezing him.

“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “And the TK aside, have any of the other powers cropped up? The light, the teleporting? Those were the ones Alex told me about.”

“That’s all I remember, really. And no. I haven’t even tried, honestly.” He looked at their joined hands, her wrist bare of the pollen bracelet he’d promised her and wasted, thrown away like trash in a corner of Jones’s cave. This is blasphemy…

“Do you think you will? Try?” Maria asked, head tilted.

“I…hadn’t thought about it. Been focused on getting back to square one with the TK, but…”

Was doing more with his powers still an option? Was he willing to try, and fail, and fail again, without folding and submitting to all the voices in his head that told him every failure was proof positive of the erstwhile adage that he was worthless?

“Well, you have time,” Maria said, squeezing his hand again.

“What about you?” Michael asked. “Any visions?”

Her face shut down. She let go of his hand to smooth both hers down her knees then fold her arms around herself, turning her head away. “No. Still nothing. A few dreams, but it isn’t always easy to tell what’s a normal dream and what’s a vision, and with you out of the woods, the most dire ones are already Jossed.”

“What about Mimi?”

“Huh.” Maria pursed her lips for a second, then said, “I haven’t noticed any change in her? But I’ll have to ask and see what she says. I’m not even completely sure our powers work identically, with the things she’s said about being unstuck in time…I don’t always get that same feeling.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Michael promised her. “Even if it means having to go back to Jones and ask what he knows—”

“No!”

She wheeled on him and smacked his arm lightly.

“Absolutely not! Michael!”

“Not alone, obviously!” He defended.

“Not at all. Jesus Christ. I’ll tell Isobel you said that—I’ll tell Alex—”

“Maria, c’mon,” Michael whined, taking her hand again in an attempt to connect them and calm them both down. “I just don’t want to rule out that he’s meddling in more ways than we know. I still think he’s fucking with Max. You deserve answers, if that’s what’s going on.”

“Not at the cost of your life. Not ever. It could be a hundred other things, too. Stay away from him, Michael, I’m serious.”

“I will. I promise.”

“Good,” she said firmly, wrapping her arm around his again and leaning into him. He let out a long, slow breath as she relaxed.

“You know, in Jones’s cave…”

“Mm?”

Michael carefully encircled her wrist with his fingers. “I lost the bracelet I made for you. The backup one I promised.”

“Are you feeling guilty about that? Because please, don’t,” she replied, covering the hand on her wrist with her other. “That is the last thing on my mind.”

“But I—”

“Hush. I’m glad you had it with you, whatever happened to it. It’s good that you opted to protect yourself, even if it didn’t work.”

“I thought your powers were offline.”

“The visions, maybe. But I don’t need to see the future to read you, Guerin.”

“You are something else, DeLuca.”

“Oh, I’m aware.”

“Hey, Maria—oh! Michael!”

The two of them turned toward the backdoor at the sound of Max’s voice.

“Hey, Max,” Maria said. “Is the inventory finished?”

“Yeah, I was just coming to report back.”

“No need to be so formal,” she teased, standing up and brushing dust from the seat of her pants, looking at the papers around her with her hands on her hips. “I was hoping to get your opinion on some plans, Number One, but someone interrupted, so they’re not quite ready yet.”

“Guilty as charged,” Michael drawled.

Max reached out a hand, and Michael took it to humor him, letting him haul him to his feet.

“I’ll let you off the hook this time,” Maria said as she led the way back into the bar, cool and dim in the daylight. “You can sweep up to say you’re sorry.”

“My pleasure,” Michael said, reaching out a hand, hoping he could summon the broom as nonchalantly as he once could. It sat unresponsive until a spike of formless frustration zipped through him, at which point it flew to his hand fast and hard enough to sting his palm when he caught it. Great. Just what he needed right now—puberty flashbacks.

“I need to run,” Maria said, stowing her binder behind the bar. “Late lunch with Rosa. I’ll see you later, Max—Michael, it was so good to see you. Say hi to Alex for me, okay? I know you’re gonna see him before I do.”

She left with a wink while Michael was still pink and stammering. Maybe Alex had told her already—or maybe that was just Maria, putting him so at ease it was easy to forget how much she saw. His chest glowed so warm he couldn’t stop blushing at that casual acknowledgement, that easy validation, that he and Alex—that Alex and he were what they were to each other, now, again.

“Wait, is she talking about you staying over there, or does she mean—dude!” Max grinned ear to ear and bounded out from behind the bar to pull Michael into a back-slapping hug. “Congratulations!”

Old, brotherly habit had Michael squirming out of Max’s affections, but it didn’t dent his exuberance; he retaliated with a swipe through Michael’s hair, making him duck further out of range, huffing and laughing all at once as he tried to fix it again.

“Yeah, um, Forrest and Alex broke up, and then one thing led to another, so.”

“I’m really happy for you, man.”

“I—thanks. I’m…I’m really happy, too.”

The sudden urge to comfort Max gripped him, a strange survivor’s guilt that things would be working out for him and Alex and Max and Liz would still be so far apart. But it wasn’t his place to throw that in Max’s face now, so he bit his tongue and basked in Max’s honest happiness for him.

“Could you feel, uh, any of my emotions through the handprint?” Michael asked. He ran his hand through his hair over the spot on his temple where Jones had held him, erased by Max’s healing hands, then dropped it back to his side abruptly, flexing away the phantom stiffness that still plagued him, that probably always would. He gave it a shake as if to chase away nervous tingling.

“Nah. But it’s not like I’m looking; I respect your privacy, man.”

“’preciate that,” Michael snarked, and Max just shrugged.

“Any particular reason you ask? I don’t need to know what you and Alex are up to,” Max joked.

Michael considered his answer for a little bit as he made his way between the tables. After all, it wasn’t as if this was the first handprint Max had ever given him. The ones on his neck and hand cut off by his death aside, dozens of times over dozens of years, Max had practiced healing on him and they’d explored that connection. Michael was always the guinea pig; he never wanted for injuries to work on, after all.

But there’d been a lot of handprinting over the past year and change. Max felt something from Liz; Liz felt something from Noah; Rosa and Max had a connection strong enough to tether Max to the world of the living. And then there was Michael, with Jones’s voice in his ear, dripping condescending words about his lack of psychic ability being phenomenal, considering.

At various times in his life, Michael had looked up at the stars and wondered in the silence what it was in him that was irreparably broken.

“Just curious. It’s been a while, and all juiced up like I was, I was wondering if anything felt different.”

“Nothing different. Just you.”

Max smiled like that was a good thing, a comforting thing. And you know what? In between the adrenaline of change, good and bad, in between the rock of Project Shepherd and the hard place of Jones, on an afternoon in a closed bar, a home to both of them, alone with his brother, Michael let it be.

He cleared his throat. “Good. So there’s no…interference or anything? Nothing weird lurking around up there?”

“Not that I can tell; Isobel would probably know better than I would. Whatever he did to you was bizarre, man. It wasn’t like the way, uh, the way I’ve killed people before. Or the way Noah killed.”

“I don’t think he was just trying to kill me.”

Michael made his way over to a booth and beckoned Max over; he lingered over his work for a glance at the clock and then came and joined him.

He continued, “He kept going on about teaching and knowledge and this being the wrong way but the most efficient. He knew it would hurt me, but maybe it would have worked better if he did it to someone more, uh, receptive than me.”

“What are you talking about?” Max leaned over the table, brow furrowed. This close up, the dark circles below his eyes were more noticeable. “Michael, what he did to you wasn’t in any way your fault—”

“I know, I know, that’s not what I mean. Just…look, I saw the security footage from Caulfield, from the day of the Valenti incident. The way that alien approached Jim Valenti and put his hands on him was identical to what Jones did to me, and I think maybe that guy was just trying to communicate but it fucked up a human in a way he either couldn’t expect or was too out of it to realize. And, well,” Michael gestured to his own head. “I’m the most human of the three of us up here.”

“I…huh.” Max sat back and drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he processed that. “Well, whatever the case, it proved you and Isobel were right about him. He can’t be trusted. Nobody should have any more contact with him. We’ll start doing our monthly drop offs contactless until we all figure out what should be done with him.”

His voice was firm, businesslike. Traffic Stop Max was Michael’s least favorite version of his brother and he’d hoped that his turn to the civilian would’ve put that guy to rest, but he had a tendency to rear his head in a crisis.

But in this case, he saw through him, and that façade was hiding something.

“How do you feel about that?” Michael asked, leaning back and slouching, reflecting Max’s rigid body language the way he had for a decade, cops and robbers style.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about it. He almost killed you; we’ll do what has to be done.”

“Uh, it definitely does matter. You’re the closest thing to a next of kin he’s got, as far as we know. If anyone gets to decide what happens to him, it’s you.”

“That’s what I’m doing.”

“Is it? ‘Cause, look, I know I fucked up a lot of stuff running off to Jones half-cocked like I did. I don’t want to set off a chain reaction of more bad mistakes that rips us apart again when we’re just startin’ to…” Michael trailed off with a self-conscious shrug. It was realer than he’d intended to get, but it was the root of the issue, wasn’t it?

Max’s face softened, and Michael slumped lower in the booth.

“You’re not. You won’t.”

“You’re just saying that—”

“Michael.”

That tone was always a coin flip if it’d get right under Michael’s skin or if it’d shut him up. It landed on the second one this time, to Michael’s relief.

Max said, “No chain reactions. What we were doing before wasn’t working, okay? I knew I wanted something from Jones, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach out and take it. All you did was force us to make a choice when I would’ve dug my heels in and not been able to for a long time otherwise.”

“The answers you’re looking for, though, you deserve to look for them if it’s what you need,” Michael forged on, battling his clumsy tongue. “I should’ve said that before. You deserve to know who you are and to learn who that is in whatever way you can. Everybody deserves that.”

“Thank you. I mean that. But I was getting so desperate—the things I was thinking of doing—I scared myself, okay? I didn’t think—I don’t think I am that person. And being this person I am right now and who I want to be right now is more important than any answers about the past, if that’s what it means to find them.”

Michael sat with that, looking Max up and down, sitting with his own feelings as much as Max’s words. Parsing his own reactions to Max was something he took steadier, more carefully than most other things in his life. It was a set of muscles he needed to practice with as much as he needed to get power back to his telekinesis.

“Okay, man. I respect that,” he said finally, leaning over the table to punch Max in the shoulder. Max made a face and rubbed that spot.

“Ow, man, thanks, I guess.”

“Damn, did I get you in your writing arm?”

“Try my drink-mixing arm. If I’m off tonight, I’m ratting you out to Maria.”

Michael let out a scandalized noise and slipped out of the booth.

“Where are you going?” Max laughed, dark eyes shining with life in a way Jones’s never could. For all they were identical, Michael barely saw the resemblance.

“To lay low, what do you think? You’re makin’ me a fugitive.”

“Uh huh. Good luck; you know she’s just going to ask Alex.”

“Damn it. The things I do for love.”

A smile on his own face as soon as he turned his back, Michael was almost at the door when Max called his name and he turned to face him again.

“Michael? Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Asking. Listening.”

Those two words held a lifetime of desperate loneliness between them, and Michael would be sitting with that, too, as long as he was holding it in his head, making it a conscious decision, to do right by his brother.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said.

“I wanted to,” Max replied simply.

“Well in that case…I guess you’re welcome.”

Michael’s phone buzzed in his pocket, not the single pulse of a text but the longer jangling of a phone call. He fished it out, smiling when he saw the name, and he didn’t even wait to get privacy from Max before answering.

“Alex—”

“Thank God. Where are you, Michael? Are you okay?”

“Alex? I’m fine, I’m at the Pony, what’s wrong—”

Max hurried to Michael’s side.

Alex repeated, “Thank god. Don’t come home, do you hear me? Do not come back to the house until I give you the all clear. Stay with Max and Maria.”

“What? No!”

But the line cut off midway through his protest, leaving him with nothing but the dial tone.

#my fic #malex fic #michael guerin #alex manes #malex

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anonil88 · 4 years

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A Green Night on the Town.

Is this a modern au? No. Ruby and Christina end up meeting the neighbors as William and Hillary. But Ruby wants to go to the bar and live a little, 👀.

Ruby Baptiste X Christina Braithwhite

Inspired by comments and posts by @dreaduquesne and @taylor144. I did do some research for this, the one song is from the 1960s but we are gonna pretend it's not. If you are going to be negative just for negativity sake please don’t. Wanted to post this before tonight’s episode where this ship may go down in flames. One more ep left after tonight *insert sad emojis*

Songs in order of appearance in story: Put on my Shoes by Mary Anne Fisher, I don't know by Ruth Brown, One Man's Poison by Liz Lands, It's Your Voodoo Working by Charles Sheffield.

MATURE RATING

LINK TO STORY ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN

Ruby sat in the Bentley checking her image in the side mirror. The red lipstick she reapplied was new and came in a gold bullet with roses carved into it. It was the shade Ruby and she got it on one of her shopping adventures. As Hillary of course. The matte color clashed with Hillary's choice of clothing but perfectly matched her pink dress with red and blue flowers stitched onto it. She wasn't only checking her face but looking out for unfriendly neighbors.

In the weeks she's been with Christina in the house, the looks she's gotten are usually not friendly. Kids and parents alike staring her up and down like she is trash. In her most unholy form of self they smiled "Fake ass white folks ," she thinks. They were lucky most white people did not want trouble knowing William lived with her openly. As openly as they could be, the city of Chicago has always cared less about couples like them but the people sure do care enough. Ruby glances at the door that sits far behind iron gates.

After her day out, William introduced her to some of the neighbors on another street who had kids. Kids who looked innocent playing in the streets. A group of men talking on the street flagged the Pontiac down making Ruby tense but William's hand rested atop hers in the middle of the seat. They spoke across her wondering where they could get themselves a car and a woman that. William chuckled and made small talk which Ruby side eyed her partner for.

That led to them both getting out of the car introducing themselves to these men and their wives as Hillary and William Davenport. An invitation for dinner came from one wife who kept commenting on the bump in Hillary's hair too nicely. Ruby heard a little bit of Christina's snark in Williams no and tampened that response with, "Sorry we have plans tonight." Which thankfully was accepted and before then they had no plans but now Ruby wanted to spend the night dancing to music, maybe singing just a little. As herself, after an exhausting day of keeping up with the Joneses or Smiths or whatever white slave master name they probably shared with a poorer distant cousin on the Southside. Damn she kinda missed the Southside. Christina had been before but not like this.

She sees a teenage boy dragging a trash can down the driveway next door but listens to the sound of feet making their way down the walkway. Slowly she puts the lipstick in her purse that will get left in the back seat because tonight she wants nothing to hold her back. Ruby watches Christina open and lock the gate with her back turned. Hair perfectly swooped to the side even in moonlight.

The tall blonde was in a green dress fitted at the waist that was far too fancy for whatever jazz joint they were bound to end up in. It looked new but Ruby swore Christina had too big of a closet, almost big enough for two people. William had a vest in a similar color, he wore a few days ago...well she wore Ruby guesses. Christina looks nice as she saunters towards the silver drivers side and Ruby bit the inside of her lip. There was something about the way the woman was so sure and confident in her walk, how she sat, or how she inserted the silver key into the ignition. Even when she was out dressing her for a simple night on the town. Those long hands just so handling the key before slipping...

Ruby swallows her jealous admiration and rolls her eyes, "Seriously?"

"What, is this too much ?" Christina asks, smoothing her fingertips over the leather of the steering wheel. She leans over Ruby likely too close and slips a vial of William's blood in the glove box. Giving Ruby an amused stare that makes Ruby roll her eyes even harder. Christina thinks of this as a game, one they both play. There are days she has already taken her potion and is dressed in slacks eating breakfast. Ruby will saunter into the kitchen dressed in a number that makes Christina wonder if keeping Ruby hostage would be so bad. Probably, if Leticia found out there would be a makeshift army outside her front door.

"Ha," Ruby laughs out loud and Christina smiles, "You fucking think, it's a jazz joint not the Ritz. Who in the Sam Hill are you trying to impress tonight?"

Christina lowers her eyes to Ruby's lips. She thinks of just exactly who she was continually trying to impress as covertly as possible. Ruby looks away and back realizing Christina is still staring at her like....that. She does it in William's skin too, those eyes sizing her up. Two piercing blue eyes always staring at her so deeply Ruby thinks she could burst into flames. No matter the face she does find it hard to look away.

"Don't look at me like that. I warned you about that, now drive." Ruby says crossing her arms in her lap listening to the engine come alive. Christina grins to herself but keeps her words to herself as she shifts the car into drive.

The night leads them to Vesey's where Ruby is plenty filled with free drinks. She already sang at the last spot with a band but her presence rouses the crowd that is already not slow at all tonight. The bar is more packed than normal and Ruby forgets to ask why. She did hear Sammy whisper across the bar to a man next to her something about a discreet open door to friends of Dorothy for once. As soon as her and her unlikely plus one arrived, Christina said she'd be fine on her own.

Ruby took that for truth but tried to read her half truth anyway. Christina held her own well but not like this...this would be a first. That was something Christina would say often "a first" with practically anything it made Ruby wonder if her secret-sometimes lover had any childhood or life at all before her sister came barreling into that mansion.

The whiskey is neat on her tongue as she tosses it back quickly before blearily grinning at Sammy. Tonight felt good and light and fun. No white eyes staring at her making her feel undone in front of them. Ruby in her skin surrounded by her kin and music that was sewn into her spirit. No matter how sad the lyrics could get the beat was full of life.

"And we have our resident songstress in the crowd tonight," someone on the small stage called out. Whistles came from the bar and the crowd mid dance at the stage. Andre, the young barkeep, winking at her taking her lipstick stained glass back behind the bar.

"I guess that's my cue Dre," Ruby raised her brows at him. He nods back, touching her hand sitting on the bar lightly. He sure was cute, she thought before slowly getting up from the stool. She makes her way past the packed house and in front of the band playing. Shouts and hollers come from the crowd as she holds out her hands.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Ruby Baptiste." The man pushes the mic in her hand and whispers good luck to her. She isn't a stranger to singing while drunk or singing well while drunk. Not even with a big audience but there is a feeling of nerves in her fingers as she grips the mic and slips it back in the stand.

"Hello Southside," Ruby says into the mic. Whistles get louder and someone bangs on the bar. This crowd definitely had some new faces in it but they were smiling or leaning against someone else like lustful animals. "Alrighty i guess y'all are entitled to a few songs."

Someone yells from a booth, "Yea, where you been Ruby left us on the south side for the north side."

Ruby laughs into the mic, " Y'all think I would leave this behind never!" She looks at the guitarist, "maybe you." Folks gossiping was always a trend her name sour on so many people's mouths.

Everyone laughs in response and she laughs quietly to herself. She whispers to the band "Put on my shoes".

Ruby sways with the band as they start before leaning into the mic.

"Should I feel a little hot, you almost drive me insane, All your good intentions. Seem to wash right down the drain, put yourself in my place. You'll see what I mean and you'll know how I feel. And you'll feel, you'll feel a pain in your heart."

Ruby scans the crowd with her eyes, landing on random spots of the crowd that look more enthused then others. Her voice still gravels out...

"Baby I've been let down more times than I can remember how you cheated on poor lil me from January to December. Put yourself in my place. You'll see what I mean and you'll know how I feel."

Her hand cradles the mic as she throws her words into it. She knows that pain even if it is not her current romance. Her heart had been split open once or twice before. Maybe that's why she held her heart back in this thing with William, Christina, or as Montrose called them Chrilliam.

"And you'll feel you'll feel a pain in your heart. I've always been faithful and I've always been true but there's gotta be the death gotta be a change in you."

Fuck him, she thought throwing her anguish in het voice before leaning back up to scan the crowd.

"Put on my shoes for a day.

Put on my shoes for a week.

Put on my shoes for a month or two, know what I've been through."

If only she could make a spell or potion, so that Christina could understand. Understand why she gets so angry and frustrated with the woman in and outside of her own blackness. She finally finds the blonde blending in surprisingly well. Christina has a drink in hand leaning against the wall, watching her. Blue eyes sweeping across the stage as Ruby moves about the space. Instead of looking away Ruby croons out....

"Go on and have fun after all is said and done."

Someone bemoans out yes sing Ruby sing. Ruby watches Christina stare at her not breaking the tension between the two of them. If this was an empty house it would be much more obvious that Ruby had been stuck. Stuck on the way Christina clutched the glass in her hand to her lips. The way her eyes didn't waver or move from Ruby eyeing her up and down.

"Put on my shoes you'll get the blues the blues the blues if you put on my shoes."

The song starts to end and Ruby finally looks away. Her heart is beating so loudly it could probably take over for Gordy the drummer if they need be. If only Christina could know authentically how it felt to be in skin like hers. Not some misplaced gesture that could have gotten her dumb ass killed...if only.

Christina half listens to the short woman sharing the table with her. She did not care at all what the woman was saying but she fully understood she had no power in this establishment. Magically yes, but physically she was the outsider here. If someone wanted to sit at the same table in this bar they could. This bar was thick with smoke, heat, and loud. Christina observed it all, everyone seemed at home in this small establishment. A home full of strangers that couldn't cross into Lincoln Park with that same joy and comfort. She didn't understand that feeling but she also never really had a "home" to connect to. A comfort as distant as her ability to empathize with these people.

A taller full figured woman stands next to the shorter darker one before sitting down eyeing Christina up and down. Which Christina doesn't change her one note expression for. The shorter woman is still yapping on about something and Christina flits her eyes between the two. At some point the taller one leans in and introduces herself as Celia. Christina leans in a bit to hear her and nods. Celia has a cool confidence she immediately picks up on instead of the jittery energy in between them.

"Isn't this wild Cil I've never seen a white woman walk in this place alone," the short one finally says in between winds of her story.

Celia smiles at Christina and says lowly, "Alone is right." Christina sees something in the taller woman's eye and grits her teeth a bit. She isn't alone, not really, with Ruby in the same building. But neither of them is kept and Ruby doesn't often kiss her without the pieces of William stuck to her skin.

"What's he coming over here all fancy like for, she's just white. Not royalty." a man in the booth next to the table huffs out loud enough for Christina to hear. One purpose most likely she knows.

Christina turns and sees the owner of the bar walking over to the table with a tray holding a wine glass filled with red. A few bystanders jump out of his way or side eye him. This didn't seem like the place where people went to for a glass of wine. Sammy was his name, she remembers that from her own bits of research on her extended family. She has also heard whispers that he was or is linked to her cousin's father, in that way. He stops in front of her and places the glass on the table.

"On the house Braithwhite." Sammy purses his lips a little at her and she crosses her eyes at him. "A request from..." the stage he mouths. She softens her look when he walks away and pulls the glass to her. Sipping it she almost laughs, it's an awful merlot that tastes like pennies. The copper taste sits on her tongue and her eyes go wide. Slipping her hand into the pockets on her dress she feels for the glass vial that should be there. After a moment of panic she feels the cold glass pulling it out a bit to ensure it's still full. It is. She sighs relief into the glass and sips it again.

The music from the band is still blaring as the crowd in front of the seating area sways and moves back and forth. No singing comes through the air and Christina leans her neck slightly to find Ruby on the stage or in the crowd. It takes a bit before a wheezy laugh proceeds and sees a man on stage with Ruby. He is swaying behind her as she holds the mic singing into the mic,

"Could a heart so right be led so wrong if his love is weak would it last this long. I don't know but I hope and pray that he comes my way oh oh."

Christina grips at her own thigh with the hand still sitting in her pocket.

The horn player toots out loudly and Ruby turns around lightly pushing away the tall built man behind her. It was all in good fun as the band kept playing and he sidled back up to her slipping his hands back to her waist teasingly. She hears the band transition into another song while she dances on stage. Left, right, left, right. She feels her hips sway away from the fingers resting above her dress. She recognizes this song and shakes her shoulders along to the music that's all around her. Looking back at the crowd she can see the stares that she is receiving from the men in the crowd. It is all temptation and fire from many directions but Ruby shrugs to herself. She did not come for a man, she had one of those already, which was obvious others heard about. Her core tightens thinking of that man, so adept with the way he took care of her. Where is he? She wonders looking back to the table she sent that bottom shelf wine to earlier. She sees Christina but Christina is holding a conversation with a glass half full. A conversation that Ruby blinks at, a woman, a very pretty light skinned girl is undressing Christina with her eyes. Ruby knows she can't hide the look on her face and bites her tongue. It earns her an, “Ooo gurl what's on your mind,” from the guitarist who she sees her face flare with jealousy. He’s following her gaze to the table and whistles loudly. He never thought Ruby went that way, but he didn’t know a lot about Ruby outside of rumors.

Braithwhite never looked out of place even in a place like this. She just fit in well without trying like a chameleon making herself comfortable in someone else's home. If Ruby did not know some of Christina’s truths this would concern her, but not so much now. At least even at her most sordid she was honest. The green of the dress did stand out but it felt see through to Ruby. She was pretty sure the woman on the other end could only wish for the type of knowledge she had. The alcohol and revitalized confidence in her gives her half the mind to throw her shoe from the stage. Maybe knocking Christina's eyes, that were probably not bulging as much as Ruby's liquored brain saw, back into her head. Ruby thinks better than that and sits the mic back in the stand and clears her throat into the mic.

Eyes including those blue ones find their way back to the stage. Ruby glares a bit in Christina's direction then directs her words back to the crowd. "Aight y'all this is my last song for tonight, it's something me and the boys have been cooking up."

Ruby hears the band whistle and mumble about someone having her in a mood tonight. The four count from the symbol goes off and Ruby clenches the mic letting her voice seep out,

"One man's poison is another man's meat, what's good for Johnny will kill poor Pete."

People in the cloud clap at the new sound. Folks lean up off the wall to move towards the dance area or to move with the crooning in their spot. Ruby smiles with her words as they continue.

"I'm good at loving so make no mistake I was his gravy but I'm your steak. Kiss me baby hold me tight everything's gonna be alright."

Ruby sways her hips back and forth a bit. Christina feels her eyes getting heavy dragging up and down Ruby's frame. She catches Ruby glancing her way and licks her lips quickly before the woman turns away from her.

"One man's evil is another man's pure, kiss me baby I want your sweet loving tonight."

Ruby extends her leg on stage twisting it with the music as she dances with the fill of the band. Moving back to the mic she slides her hands around the tall skinny pole.

Christina empties the contents of her glass not moving her vision from Ruby. She's leaning out of her chair slightly, but tries to pull herself together. If the times allowed her to, she'd have Ruby right there on the stage and she guesses if the crowd wasn’t soaking in the way Ruby reeled them in. Ruby was full of magic and had an effect on people that Christina was sensitive to. Even the first time she heard her sing.

Ruby grins as the band keeps playing and nods to them. Which they respond with air kisses. The crowd jeers as Ruby makes her way off the stage. A man's arm outstretched guides her off the stage even though she didn't need any help. Ruby can feel fire on her skin likely from Christina at the attention from a few gentlemen as Ruby passes them on her way to the bar for a glass of water. When she makes her way towards the seating area she teasingly saunters past the table she knows the blonde is sitting at. Ruby feels the eyes outlining her from behind and hears someone excuse themselves from a table behind her. She keeps walking to the bathroom she knew was at the end of the hall.

The sound of heels matching her stride as she opens and lets herself in the single person toilet.

Ruby swallows her moans while slowly tugging the long blonde hairs in between her fingers. Light tugs feeling soft rouged cheeks against her inner thighs. Lips kissing up against her thigh garters and stockings. Ruby exhales pulling Christina's head back up to hers.

"Is that what you wanted, sitting there pissed off because someone had your new toy."

Christina exhales feeling Ruby's nails scratch her scalp ever so. Her face is flushed, she can feel it, but she shakes out no lightly. "You aren't a toy," Christina pushes Ruby's hand away from her and leans over her. Less than inches away, "I guess I'm just a little jealous and it seems you are too."

Ruby scoffs but doesn't deny it, instead she drinks in the way Christina looks at her. With a vigor and a hunger that makes her thighs clench against the hand there. Fingers that sting in her memories from the car stroke up and down and Ruby does something she rarely does. She leans in and pulls Christina's lips to hers.

Christina revels in the slow tongue inching along hers. Ruby's hand on the back of her head, pulls her closer, and she slaps a hand against the tile wall surrounding the mirror. She likes this Ruby whoever this Ruby is. Unattached. Christina whimpers, feeling her head shoulders pushed downward. This Ruby who kisses her even without her being William. She also feels good in Ruby who is bound and only kisses William.

"You said you'd kiss whatever I wanted Braithwhite," Ruby gathers the blonde’s hair in her hands. Sinking her red fingernails into the blonde scalp, she opens her legs wider putting more weight on the metal sink. Ruby feels her breath hitch watching Christina sink to her knees while biting her lip at Ruby's words. Christina is undoing the snap of her garter while pushing Ruby's dress further up her thighs. It's almost around her waist, but this was not the place to just strip of it completely. Ruby leans her head back in relief feeling Christina inch the lacey cotton fabric around her hips down until they are off completely. She hopes Christina tucks them in her pocket at least.

Christina sighs pushing the lacey fabric into the same pocket holding William. She lightly bites into Ruby's thigh before moving to taste her fully. There is a low shudder and the grip on her hair tightens as she dips her head forward closing her eyes to fully immerse herself in Ruby. Ruby feels the hot coils in her stomach snapping and crackling. Her free hand moves from clenching her mouth to gripping the sink. She doesn't want to ruin Christina's dress but the heel of her shoe is pressing into the blondes back. A gasp like moan escapes her mouth as a shiver runs across her collar bone.

"Oh shit," the door next to them squeaks open and shut quickly, making both Ruby and Christina open their eyes. Christina turns her head upward to stare at Ruby. She can't say she feels any shame in her current position, but Ruby might. Ruby can only see the blue eyes peeking at her with concern and heat from the bottom of her dress. But, she feels like wetness on Christina's chin on her warm thighs. Ruby leans over to the lock on the door and twists it shut before leaning her head back on the wall. She regrips Christina's hair, "Kiss what I want."

Ruby moans out loud while music and a jazzy tune slips under the door.

“Your love is voodoo and I just can’t last. It's your voodoo working, voodoo working, voodoo working and I can't get a lick…..”

#christina braithwhite #Ruby Baptiste #ruby x christina #christina x ruby #lovecraft country #lovecraft country hbo #femslash #sapphic fanfiction #sapphic fandom #fanfiction #blues music

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luv4fandoms · 4 years

Text

Earth Angel (GabrielXOFC)

(Part 1)

So this doesn't fully follow the Supernatural timeline, somethings have been changed (like Gabriel's death in the au world cause it was stupid and I refuse to accept it lol) so just a heads up. This is also inspired by @askpsychocas 's Angel Courting Ritual post (which I use in my story. Askpsychocas if you want me to take those parts out let me know and I will). This story also has a Scott Pilgram vibe lol.

(Also if anyone knows how to do the "Keep Reading" thing on the mobile app can you let me know? Cause I can't figure it out)

If you would like to be added to a taglist for this story let me know.

Pairing: Gabriel x OFC

Warning: Cussing, killing, slight mention of torture.

Word count: 5,668

https://ko-fi.com/luv4fandoms

(From @askpsychocas 's angel courting ritual)

Step One: Recognize your intended.

Angels are warriors, no matter what rank. Most are attracted to strength of will and faith in their cause. Bright plumage is often utilized. Angels either grow in brighter feathers or they naturally change colour in order to lure in intended mates. Large, well-groomed wings is a sign of vitality.

Obviously, this is a step both modern and traditional courting rituals use.

"Earth angel, earth angel, will you be mine?

My darling dear, love you all the time

I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you"

I sang along as I drove down the road, my latest case bringing me back to my childhood state of Florida. There had been at least three people turn up dead recently, all with their hearts missing, so originally I thought it would be a werewolf, but there have been more and more people talking about the recent "Dogman" sightings...So...Skinwalker maybe? Either way, off I drove from the case I just finished up in Alabama, back home. My stomach growling loudly was the only other noise beside the radio and the car, and it was my indication that it was time to stop in at my favorite diner.

A few more miles and I was pulling into the parking lot of "Sally's diner" a small little place off the beaten track, one you wouldn't find unless you knew about it or were taking the scenic route, but it was a diner that hadn't been touched by time since it opened back in the 50's, and it was a place I visited often when near. Once I parked I noticed a very familiar vehicle a few spaces down, and I couldn't help the smile that formed. Quickly stepping into the diner I was greeted with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and cooked onions...Ah...Home. Looking around I spotted who you knew would be here, the owners of that familiar car, Sam and Dean Winchester, but what really caught my eye was the person sitting with them,or rather the giant pair of gold wings that sat with them. I looked around, but no one seemed to notice them.

'How does no one notice them?! Ok...maybe only hunters can see them? Maybe he makes them only visible to us...yeah it has to be something like that, just shrug it off Liz'

I mean, Sam and Dean seemed to be getting along with whoever it was...somewhat well...Ok they looked kinda annoyed, Dean more than Sam. So the...Being couldn't be that bad,right?

Heels clicked across checkerboard floors as I made my way over to their booth, the stranger's voice reaching me as I drew closer.

"Come on Dean-o, you love me and you know it"

"I swear Sam I'm going to kill him" Dean muttered while Sam just shook his head.

"I thought I recognized that beauty out front,and I don't mean my car" I smiled, finally reaching the booth and catching the attention of all three men. The boy's smiles matched my own as they quickly stood from the booth.

"Long time no see" Dean smiled, hugging me tightly before releasing me to Sam who was quick to get a hug in as well.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"Good, just came off a job, though I'm guessing we're here for the same reason" I laughed.

"And who is this beauty?" The new voice spoke again, this time when I turned I could fully see the owner, and well...I was not disappointed. Golden brown hair swept back over a face that couldn't have been much older than the boys, whiskey colored eyes filled with mirth, and...something else, and a smile that was both inviting and also showed mischievousness. To say that the man...Being...was gorgeous would be an understatement, and the golden wings really suited him, both in appearance and, what you suspected to be a very flashy, playful personality.

"Well hey there sweetie, they call me Liz, nice to meet you" I smiled, holding out my hand for him.

"Nice to meet you too" he smirked while taking my hand and kissing the back on it, his eyes never leaving mine before he gave me a wink.

"Ok ok that's enough Gabriel" Dean spoke, causing Gabriel to let go of my hand and me to laugh.

"So, what's a beautiful classy lady like you doing hanging out with these two lumberjacks?" Gabriel asked, scooting over and patting the seat beside him, I sat down before Sam or Dean could protest, but made sure to watch out for his wings, it was bad enough the poor guy was tucking them as much as he could, I didn't wanna sit on them by accident.

"They helped me out on a case a few years ago, we've just kept in touch ever since" I shrugged

"They help when I need it and I help when they need it," I added with a smile.

"Wait...You're a hunter?" Gabriel asked, looking honestly shocked.

"What? Women can't be hunters?" I teased, he opened his mouth to speak before someone chimed in.

"Here are your drinks, your food will be out soo- Liz! It's good to see you!" The young waitress smiled, Maddie and I were good friends since I started coming to the diner, after I politely publicly embarrassed and pretty much shamed a dude who was grossly hitting on and harassing her.

"It's good to see you too sweetie" I smiled, leaning up to hug her when she leaned down.

"Just passing through again?"

"I may be staying a couple of days this time"

"Well we are always open for you" she winked before asking

"Your usual?"

"You know me so well Mads" I smiled, she smiled back and with a nod turned to leave.

"You must come here often" Sam laughed

"As often as I can when I'm near" I smiled.

"So, back to the fact that your friend here doesn't think girls can be hunters" I smirked.

"Now I never said that" Gabriel defended himself which caused Sam and Dean to crack a smile.

"I just mean...You don't...there seems to be a uniform with this type of work"

"Flannel?" I asked with a laugh.

"Exactly! And you...Well" he gestured to my figure, my blue polka dotted 50's style top, black cigarette pants, and small heels. my makeup light except a winged liner and bright red lips...it was true...I didn't look like a hunter.

"Sorry, I left my plaid dress in my bag" I smiled.

"I'll take it as a compliment though," I added, giving him a wink.

"So you're saying Liz is too pretty to be a hunter?" Sam asked

"Oh don't worry Sam, you're pretty too" I smiled causing him to chuckle.

"Isn't he though? I keep telling him that" Gabriel teased and I couldn't help but laugh at it, especially when Sam just rolled his eyes.

"Ok now that we have established that Liz and Sam are both pretty" Dean started, earning a glare from his brother.

"I'm guessing you're here for this case too," he added.

"Yeah,though I'm a bit stumped"

"What's there to be stumped about, classic werewolf" Dean stated.

"See that's what I thought too, until I noticed all of the Dogman sightings being reported recently." I started, leaning onto the table to lower my voice.

"Wait Dogman, really?" Dean asked mockingly.

"Mock all you want to, but I know a hoax from real and Dean, we don't have another moon landing on our hands here"

"Skinwalker?"Sam suggested

"Possibly, but I've never seen one like this, legit looked like the classic wolf on two legs deal" I stated, leaning back in the seat when I heard footsteps approaching.

"Here you are! One bacon deluxe burger, one complete breakfast combo, and two mega waffle plates. And here is your coffee Liz" Maddie smiled.

"Thank you" Sam and I smiled, Dean already eating, Maddie nodded and left again, I turned to pour syrup onto my waffles when I noticed eyes on me, turning my head I was met with wide eyes and a smile.

"Yes Gabe?" I asked before returning to my syrup task.

"Nothing just...Where have you been all my life?" He asked, causing me to laugh while cutting into my waffles.

"Mostly in Florida" I shrugged

"Until later on, then...well...then I guess it was just catch me if you can" I winked, popping a piece of the sugary goodness in my mouth and giving a small moan at the flavor.

"Still the best waffles ever"

"So we are thinking what? New monster? A-a skinwolf? Werewalker?" Dean asked.

"Possibly?" I answered

"A werewolf and skinwalker danced the lambda?"Gabriel asked, I simply shrugged.

"Love is love, who are we to judge what two different species do"

"Yeah expect when that offspring starts killing people"

"Well one good thing, silver kills them both" Sam replied

"There we go, Sam always coming in with the silver lining" I spoke.

"Pun intended?"Gabriel asked before taking another bite.

"Happy accident" I smiled.

As I ate I noticed that neither of the boys mentioned Gabriel's wings, even as they twitched and ruffled from being constrained for so long, poor guy, I hoped it didn't hurt. But the fact that no one had brought it up made me wonder if it was rude to mention them? Or was this such a common occurrence that they were simply used to them? Either way I watched them spread a bit wider while Gabriel stretched once the four of us were outside the diner, I could see now that the color wasn't simply gold, but an array of gold-ish shades, going from a dark gold almost bronze at the base of each feather, up to an almost honey color at each tip. They did shine a bit in the sun but they weren't the glittering gold I had originally thought they were. Though, even in their half stretched state I could tell that they were massive, and if unfurled fully would be very intimidating.

"So, until we know what we are dealing with, why don't you let us handle it" Dean started, but I quickly cut him off.

"Uh no. We ain't doing this damsel in distress thing, I can hold my own just as well as you two can and you know it. And besides, you know this town? These people really well?" After a moment of silence I continued.

"Exactly, so I'm part of this case like it or not" I finished, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You tell em sweetcheeks!" Gabriel spoke, walking up beside me. I noticed now that we weren't sitting, due to my heels I was a few inches taller than him.

"So where is the scooby gang off to first?" He asked.

"Ok fine!" Dean sighed.

"Dean why don't you and Gabriel go to the morgue and Liz and I-" Sam started before Dean and Gabriel both interrupted.

"No I am not getting stuck with him" came from Dean while

"Hey hey how come you get Liz?" Came from Gabriel.

"Hey, the only reason you're even here is because Cas suggested that we take you along" Dean pointed at Gabriel who simply rolled his eyes and looked away from Dean.

"Ok Sam and Dean you two go talk to the families, you're better at that, Gabriel and I will go check out the stiffs" I smiled before turning and making my way to my car before they could say anything. I looked back at Gabriel but found him right beside me.

"I love a woman who can take charge" he winked, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hunting with those two, you have to, otherwise they steal all the action" I smiled while climbing in the driver seat, I noticed that Gabriel hesitated to climb in, and for a moment I wondered if he was afraid of my driving, but upon leaning over to tease him about it I noticed him looking at my car. I knew she was a beauty, a white 1958 Chevy Impala with gold accents, our cars were the first thing Dean and I bonded over. But what really seemed to be holding his attention was the gold pinstriped wings and name of my car...Angel.

"See something you like?" I giggled, catching his attention as he looked through the window at me, a smile forming before he opened the door and hopped in.

"And soft seats" he said while moving around.

"You really know how to spoil a guy"

"What can I say? I like to treat my men well" I chuckled while backing out of the diner and making my way to the morgue.

"So what was that about someone suggesting that the boys take you along for a ride?" I asked after a moment.

"Ugh, my little brother Cas decided that it would be a grand ole time if I tagged along with Scully and Mulder, said it would be a good bonding experience" he explained.

"And is it? Do you feel bonded?" I giggled.

"I wouldn't mind bonding with you" he smirked, wiggling his brows and earning another laugh from me.

"Sorry sweetie, I ain't that type of gal" I replied while pulling up into the parking lot.

"So is this where we get to pull out our fake badges and pretend to be the FBI?" He asked, raising his hand like he was about to snap his fingers.

"Nope,this is the part where the sheriff knows that I'm a hunter and anything weird that comes in I get a call about" I smiled while stepping out.

"Aww, I wanted to play criminal minds" he pouted, and I had to admit, he could rival Sam in adorableness.

"Sorry sweetie, maybe some other time" I patted his shoulder before leading the way. Just as I had said, the sheriff let us look at the bodies right away, and yeah...All signs pointed to either werewolf or skinwalker.

"Well it looks like I'll have to get my silver bullets ready" I sighed while pulling the sheet back on the third vic, Gabriel walked around the room, looking at random things, and for a moment I watched his wings easily avoid everything they might hit before I turned my attention back to the body.

"You really don't have a problem with any of this do you?" Gabriel asked from across the body.

"An innocent person dead? Yeah I got a lot of problems with it"

"No not that, this" he gestured to the body

"Looking at dead bodies, hunting monsters, most women I've met wouldn't go near this kind of stuff"

"Sweetie no offence but it sounds like you've been hanging out with little girls then, not women" I smirked while meeting his eyes, his wings ruffled behind him in almost a shiver motion, jerking slightly open for a split second before hiding behind him again.

"You know...Maybe you're right" he spoke, his voice quiet, almost as if he were speaking to himself instead of me. I tore my eyes away from his to look back at the body, a young girl, no older than nineteen, heart gone and a lot of her guts too.

"Wait" I tilted my head trying to get a better look at what was attached to where her intestines used to be.

"Hand me those tweezers please" I asked Gabriel, motioning towards the table behind him. He quickly handed them to me and I plucked the strange fibers off of the body.

"Well agent, any ideas?" Gabriel asked.

"That my lovely partner...Is wolf fur" I stated before adding

"So skinwalker"

"Or Dean-o was right and we are dealing with a skinwolf" Gabriel replied.

"Let's stick with werewalker" I spoke, pushing the body back into its freezer and tossing the gloves off on my way to the door.

"Skinwolf sounds like some really weird porno you'd find on the wrong side of the internet at like one in the morning" I laughed

"You sound like you're speaking from experience, something you'd like to share with the class?"

"Trust me, no, I'll leave all the weird stuff to my family" I told him before calling Dean to tell him what we had found, he explained that all three of the vics had gone hiking out at the major state park where their bodies were found. So I agreed to head there and we'd all check it out.

"So you're family, they hunters too?" Gabriel asked when I pulled back out onto the road.

"I'll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours" I smiled, watching him from the corner of your eye. I was hoping maybe some info on his family would help me figure out what he was because honestly the wings were throwing me. My first thought of course was an angel but...I had never met one before...I suppose there could be angels out there, perhaps in hiding or fallen, but if he was hiding why did he show his wings to every hunter? So maybe he was something else? His wings were sure majestic enough to be angelic that was for sure, I had noticed it when you left the police station, the way his wings seemed...brighter almost. They were lighter in color, the base of each feather now a burnt gold instead of bronze, to a lighter honey color at the tips, but what caught my eye was how much more they shined than they did at the diner.

'Maybe the color is attached to his mood?'

"Not much for me to say sweetcheeks, brothers are douches, love em to death but, and dad...dad left a while ago" he stated, his voice lowering at the last part.

"Yeah my dad left a while ago too" I nodded.

"Is that the reason you started hunting?" He asked.

"Partially, after he left my mom got back together with her first husband..he's a hunter so..didn't take long for all us kids to get into it"

"How many siblings you got?"he asked

"Six counting step siblings. Got one half brother, two blood brothers, a step brother and step sister" Gabriel let out a low whistle that made me laugh.

"Yeah I know, the kicker, I'm the youngest out of them all"

"Yeah me too, but, that just means that we are the final perfect outcome, all the others were just prototypes" he said with a wave of his hand. I couldn't stop the laugh even if I wanted to, and the look on his face almost made me wonder if his whole goal was to do just that.

"I am so using that at the next family gathering" I told him once I had finally caught my breath.

"So…"Gabriel started after a moment of silence.

"Have you ever wanted to do anything other than hunting?" He asked

"Don't really know" I shrugged

"I've been doing this since I was nine so" I stated.

"So? You've got your whole life ahead of you! Come on, ever wanted to travel?" He asked

"I do travel" I smirked, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Outside of the country, France, Italy, places like that"

"Oh, yeah I guess I always wanted to visit like England. But work keeps me pretty busy, and it's not like hunting really pays the bills" I laughed while pulling up into the park's entrance near Dean's car. You heard Gabriel mumble something as I got out, but it was too low for me to understand, and Dean started talking as soon as I got out.

"So what did you find out?"

"That you may actually be right" I replied as I made your way over to them.

"That doesn't happen often" Sam joked, earning a glare from Dean.

"The vics were all missing hearts sure, but I found fur on one of them as well"

"Could just be an animal that left that" Sam added

"Wolf fur? Gray wolf fur? Not here in Florida" I replied

"How do you know it was wolf fur?" Dean asked

"My stepdad hunts, more than just monsters, I know my fur" I laughed.

"Ok well, everyone have their silver?" Sam asked, to which I showed my two loaded pistols and knife. He and Dean nodded before leading the way, leaving Gabriel and I to trail behind.

"You always carry those around?" He asked, nodding towards my weapons.

"Always best to be prepared" I winked, watching as a smile spread on his lips and his wings ruffle behind him. I found myself once again curious about them, were they attached to his emotions? Could he move them like an actual bird? Or did they just kinda do their own thing? They were the same colors as in the car but now with the bright sunlight peeking through the trees, they shimmered much more when you weren't looking right at them, like only if you caught them out of your peripheral did they look like metal. The hike was fairly quiet, the sounds of our collective footfalls and the creatures of the forest the only things meeting my ears, nothing seemed out of place-until we all reached the middle of the park. I knew that there was an old ranger station out this far, had been since the park was zoned, but a while ago they decided to make a new ranger station closer to the trailhead and exit, figuring it would be better than in the middle if someone were to get lost out here. The sounds of a branch snapping behind us had both Gabriel and I turning to look, but not being able to see anything.

"Gabriel?" Sam asked quietly while surveying our surroundings.

"There's something there," he replied, eyes darting around the treeline.

"Just one?" I asked, slowly reaching for my gun.

"No, there's four of them," he stated.

"Four?" Dean asked just before something lunged at him, knocking him over and causing him to let out a grunt.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, turning and shooting the beast as it pinned Dean, jaws snapping at his face while he pushed back. One clip in and finally the thing fell over, motionless beside Dean who quickly got up.

"What the hell is that?!" Dean shouted, wiping the things blood from his face.

"Werewalker" I replied, looking over at the beast who did in fact resemble the beast from every werewolf movie I had seen. The body not quite human but not quite wolf, shaggy gray fur covering the stretched skin, hands and feet now clawed appendages, and the face having a long snout filled with long sharp teeth.

"Ok that...That isn't natural" Dean spoke, finally regaining his breath.

"Well one good thing, your gunshots and girlish screams chased the other three off" Gabriel stated, still looking around.

"I did not scream" Dean quickly defended, to which Gabriel simply smirked, man he really loved messing with them, and honestly it was quite comical how easily he could do it.

"We need to find the others" Sam quickly spoke, getting everyone back on task.

"There is an old ranger station not far, that might be their hideout" I told them, already stepping ahead, we needed to get this done, and we needed to do it quickly, if these things got out of state it could lead to a trail of bloody bodies and fast. Gabriel quickly caught up, flanking my right but also slightly in front, the boys on my left. Man if a girl ever wanted to feel protected this was the group to hunt with. About fifteen more minutes of hiking and we could see the collapsing roof of the old station. The building had long since started to decay, broken windows from rowdy teens, and holes in the walls and roof from most likely the same cause.

"Anything?" I asked, glancing over at Gabriel who's eyes were focused on the building.

"Two inside"

"Werewalker or?" I inquired further, watching as he focused.

"One's just a skinwalker...The other" he started, trailing off as his eyes widened before he muttered "shit" just as something could be heard running through the trees to our right. Quickly pushing Gabriel aside I unloaded my clip into the beast as it leapt from the brush, dodging it as it's limp body fell to the ground where I had been standing. I was about to ask if he was ok when we heard more noise from our left, Sam and Dean were only able to get a few shots off before they found themselves thrown, Gabriel ran over, an odd silver blade in hand as he began to fight one of the beasts. I reached for my other gun, about to go help when I found myself face first on the ground, a weight holding me down as a growl echoed behind me.

"You stupid hunter bitch!" She yelled, before her weight left my back and I felt her gripping my collar, I reached back to grab her hand but soon I was sent flying. My body collided with the tree before I even felt it, a grunt slipping past my lips as I hit the ground.

"Liz!" I could hear Dean yell while I tried to fight off the dizziness.

"You three will not interfere!" She shouted, before letting out a whistle, which was soon followed by the growls and heavy footfalls of more beasts. Who the hell was this woman? Finding my balance I rose to my feet, gun in hand and pointed towards her before she turned to look at me again, a smile on her face revealing sharp teeth. She wasn't the same as them...she was just a werewolf.

"That's cute" she spoke, turning fully towards me now.

"So what did he tell you huh? Or did he just give you a fun night and you were hooked?" She asked, slowly advancing towards me.

"What?" My face showed true confusion at her words, what the hell was she talking about?

"Gabriel" she stated, as if that would explain everything.

"He won't stay, he'll just up and leave one day, no goodbye, no anything" she added...oh...oh she thinks.

"And you'll look everywhere for him, cause he was the only one that ever made you feel alive"

"Listen lady, I don't know what you think, but he and I just met today," I explained.

"Doesn't matter, you're an obstacle, and I'll be damned if I lose him again"she spoke, bolting forward and grabbing my gun before I could get off any shots, her other hand grabbing my wrist and slinging me into a nearby tree. I could hear more gunfire, everyone else still struggling with the werewalkers as I tried to grab my knife.

"Oh no you don't!" She yelled, punching me in the stomach before throwing me back towards the station. I gasped for the air I had lost upon impact, when her face came into view again, her body pinning mine down as her mouth stretched into a smile. I glanced around, Gabriel, was helping Sam finish off one beast while Dean quickly killed another, but what caught my eye was the silver knife nearby, within arms reach, it looked just like the one Gabriel held but he still had his, so this must have fallen off one of the boys? At that moment I didn't care, looking back at the woman as she hovered closer.

"You know, I would turn you, make you one of my pack, but you see...You'd still be in the way..so I think I'll just kill you instead, easier that way" she spoke, mouth opening and starting to lunge forward when her body halted, mouth slowly closing while her eyes widened and she leaned back, examining the blade that now protruded from her ribcage.

"You're right killing is easier" I told her, watching as she slowly fell to the side, her body still as I yanked the blade out of her heart. I pushed her body fully off of me and stood, looking over at the boys who looked just as disheveled. I turned back to the station, remembering Gabriel had said there was a skinwalker in there as well, but the sight I was met with wasn't what I was expecting. A young boy, no older than eighteen was chained to the wall, the lower half of his body already changing to that of one of the beasts.

"What the hell?" I heard Dean's rough voice ask beside me, we all looked at the kid, barely breathing and too weak to even open his eyes, but somehow found his voice.

"Please" he begged, his pitiful noise causing my eyes to tear up.

"Don't let me become like them" he added, we all looked at him for a moment, this poor kid, life barely begun and he was already a skinwalker...Now he was becoming...Something even worse. I looked away as Dean lifted his gun, seeming to be the only one that had the will to give into the kids request. The sharp sound of the shot rang out and my body jumped a bit, before feeling a hand rest on my shoulder, I looked up to be met with a comforting honey gaze and I nodded at his unspoken message 'it was for the best'.

Night had fallen by the time we had dug a hole big enough to put all the bodies in and we stood for a moment after Dean threw the match.

"So..I have a question" I started.

"I have a lot- Like who the hell was that?" Dean added as we all looked at Gabriel, who never took his eyes off the fire.

"Her name was Sophia, we met...a while ago"he started

"We had a fling for a bit and then it ended, I'm all for getting crazy, but she was an animal in bed" he added, trying to lighten the mood, but if the resting bitch faces Sam and Dean were giving him were anything to go by, it wasn't working.

"So you mean I almost got killed by your crazy ex girlfriend?" I asked, arms crossed.

"One, I didn't think I would ever see her again, and two, your handled yourself beautifully sugarplum, even against an alpha, you two boneheads need to take notes from this one" Gabriel spoke, gesturing towards me, but his last quip wasn't what caught the boys ears, or mine.

"Alpha?!" I asked, looking down at the now burnt body.

"That was an Alpha?" Sam asked, eyes never leaving Gabriel's form while Dean looked upset.

"Liz just went toe to toe with a fucking alpha?"

"And she won! She's a lot tougher than she looks." He smiled, walking up behind me and placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You son of a-" Dean started but I cut off his no doubt, bloody rant about killing Gabe.

"That's how she was turning them so easily, the Skinwalkers"

"Seems like it, Sophia always said she would do anything to make her pack strong again"Gabriel confirmed.

"I wonder if the bunker has anything about alphas doing stuff like this in the past" Sam spoke, by his quiet tone I knew he was speaking more to himself than anyone else but his words made my ears perk up.

"Bunker?" I asked.

"Yeah it's…" he started but seemed unsure on how to proceed.

"Our home" Dean provided, looking over at Sam.

"Home" I nodded, sure I had a family, but home wasn't something I had for a while. We kinda jumped from safe house to safe house making sure everyone was ok. As if sensing my declining mood, Gabriel draped his arm around my shoulder, the body heat seeping through my cardigan and warming the skin I hadn't even realized was cold. But what really caught my attention was the golden wing that also came to wrap around me as well, the fire causing a more orange glow to overtake the gold, but they still shimmered in the flickering light, and they almost seemed...Fuller.

"How about we go grab some food, I know I could eat, how about you sweets?" He asked, his face inches from mine as I watched the light of the fire dance across his honey gaze, almost causing them to become the same color as his wings.

"Yeah, I could eat" I nodded.

"Alright, let's head out"Dean spoke, turning to leave.

"And uh, if you don't have any more cases...You can come back to the bunker with us, there's plenty of room" Sam suggested, Dean looking back as they both waited for my answer, I thought for a moment, all I really did was travel from case to case, it would be nice to rest for a bit.

"I'd like that" I smiled, Sam's grin mirroring mine while Dean gave a small smirk. We all began to walk towards the trailhead but I noticed that Gabriel hadn't followed, looking back I noticed he was still by the fire, staring at the now pile of ashes.

'He must be remembering the times he had with her' I thought, and for some reason that thought made my stomach feel uneasy, confused I pushed those feelings aside, they didn't make sense anyways, instead my gaze landed again on Gabriel before I called out.

"You comin' sweetie?" My voice seemingly knocking him out of whatever trance he was in because his head soon lifted so that our eyes locked once more, but this time there was something different in his stare and I watched as his wings rose high above him, stretching out to their full size. The thick mass of feathers glinting in an unearthly way in the flickering light, and for a moment it didn't seem like I was looking at a human form, instead I could almost make out a golden light, something that both held form and didn't, something that seemed ancient and unknown. My breath caught in my throat and I wondered for what felt like the hundredth time today just what he was. Our stare never broke, and I realized what I was seeing lingering in his stare...Determination.

I hope everyone enjoyed part 1! Let me know what you think! Please stay tuned for part 2 and if you would like to be added to a tag list for this story let me know!

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benkouji726 · 4 years

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So I wrote my 5+1 Forlex fic, as I was saying earlier. I really lack impulse control when it comes to rnm, sigh.

Jealous Guerin may have some appearances in this fic too, but it’s eventually Forlex.

This is the first part of it. I will try to update it daily, before I lose my nerves.

Five times Alex surprised Forrest and one time he didn’t

It was supposed to be some harmless fun, at first.

Forrest was intuitive, to put it mildly. You didn’t grow up in a Long household and become this well-liked and popular family member by being dense, especially when you were gay. Besides, his gut feeling had saved him more times than he could count in battles, it was one of the reasons his buddies trusted him with their lives.

He was very good at reading people and situations around or between them. He didn’t always care what people thought of him, of others or of themselves, but he noticed all the same and would efficiently use that information to his advantage. Call it his people skills, but it was how he managed to live through his rebellious youth period, his military years, and now his adult life in a backwards town like Roswell, while never stopped being his colorful-haired, emo-poetry-writing, 20 pounds of personality in a 5 pound pocket-sized body self.

So he had known there was something between Alex and Alien Guy even when they first met at the Long farm. As they talked, it was like there were only them in the whole world. The air seemed thicker and more tangible, the atmosphere charged. Then at the diner, Forrest noticed the meaningful glance Alien Guy shot his way. When Alex sang that song, Guerin walked in and they seemed to have some soul searching conversations through their eyes only, well, it was really not that hard a guess who the song was for. And frankly, Alex needed to work on his poker face a LOT if he was ever gonna sell that obvious “it was a long time ago” lie.

But at the time, it hadn’t really mattered. Whatever it was between them, it seemed neither of them was going to make a move. And Alex was so hot sometimes he wondered how the hell he remained single in the first place, but he WAS single, and a smart guy like Forrest was never gonna miss out a perfectly good opportunity to make out with a hot guy and have some fun time with him.

It was supposed to be just like that, some fun, some company, some glorious make out sessions. Nothing heavy or potential heartbreak or anything.

Which was probably why he didn’t even realize he was falling for Alex until it was a bit of too late.

They were dating for two months at that point. Forrest had met almost all of Alex’s friends and family members (the ones who counted as friends and family in Alex’s book anyway), minus Michael Guerin. And Forrest had won them over one by one. He once overheard Liz call him “charming, funny, honest and loyal to a fault”, to a reluctant Isobel Evans, who had been giving him stink eyes ever since he and Alex had gone out, but in their last get-together thingy (Forrest honestly didn’t know how to call these, because they were irregular as fuck, both in schedule and in attending member counts), Isobel joined him at the bar when he was getting them the last round, considered him for a second, patted him on his shoulder without looking at him and said in a small but genuine voice: “You are not half bad”. So Forrest would call it a win.

In hindsight, it should have been his first warning sign that he cared so much of what Alex’s friends think of him. But in his defense, Alex was most at ease when he was with his friends, which meant he would always be sweet, adorable, sometimes sassy, sometimes soft, and had the unique sense of humor in a deadpan way, and Forrest was too busy being charmed to notice it.

So when his platoon buddies, Tony and Chris, came into town to visit him and he brought Alex to have a beer together, he was so caught off guard when Alex went to bathroom and Tony said:

“Man, you’re so gone on him, aren’t you.”

It wasn’t even a question.

Forrest spluttered, red faced, and said, eloquently: “uh, what?”

Tony and Chris changed a look, both amused. “You’ve been staring at him all night, Long. You look at him as if he hung the moon. You can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself, not to be PDA or something, but little touches, I think you didn’t even notice. He made a joke earlier, granted, it WAS hilarious, but the way you laughed, like you think he is the most funny guy in the whole world, which, no offense, is really not the case.”

Tony drank some water after his long ass bullshit, and Chris went in for a final blow. “So in conclusion, you’ve had it bad, dude, like, we’ve-never-seen-you-like-this level bad.”

Forrest was dumbstruck at that. He must’ve seemed like a dumbass too, because they decided to take pity on him, and changed the subject.

“Anyway, you know we’ve been relocated to the nearby base, Tobias and Leo are near enough too. The others all cashed in some long-overdue vacation days so we can have a little get together for our platoon in Santa Fe next month. You should come too.”

OK, that was exciting news. He missed his buddies and would be very happy to spend some time with them.

But Tony hesitated a little before continued: “There is a catch though. We thought it would be nice that we all bring our significant others, or even our children. So it would be a more family style setting. It may not be your thing.”

The thing was, it would totally be Forrest’s thing. He just didn’t know how to say it. With his platoon buddies, he always seemed like the free spirited lone wolf, easygoing, open and honest, but never the one to talk about family issues or kids problems with. But he would enjoy being surrounded by family love and loud but innocent kids, so he opened his mouth to just say that when he was interrupted by a light laugh.

“What are you guys talking about, family and kids and platoon buddies all under the same roof? It’s totally his thing.”

Forrest was startled, both by Alex’s sudden reappearance and his seemingly psychic ability to read his mind. When he remained silent a second too long, Alex apologized.

“Sorry, did I overstep? You actually don’t want to go or...?”

“No! I mean, yes, I wanna go. I just, something they said earlier, it was a lot to unpack. But you are right, I would love to go.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Alex didn’t seem to buy it, but he was kind enough to drop it at the time.

On their drive home though, Alex picked it up again, as Alex would do, because he was a stubborn son of bitch like that.

“You wanna talk about what happened earlier?”

Forrest sighed. Best to just cut to the chase.

“Why did you say it was totally my thing? We didn’t often talk about family and kids, if any.”

Alex frowned, “No, we didn’t normally talk about that stuff. But it’s obvious you like family energy and friendly gatherings, isn’t it? Am I not supposed to know that?”

“But how? I served with my buddies for a long time, we trust each other with our lives. But almost none of them know it.”

“Forrest”, Alex smiled, “you like almost all of your family members, stay friends with a lot of them, despite some of them are real assholes. You even like hanging out with my friends and family too, not just because we are dating, but because you love being around people who give you warm family-like feelings. You organize every open mic night at the pony, and are genuinely interested in the acts and the people behind them, you like to talk to them about their lives and their relationships. You volunteer at the youth shelter. You are, simply put, a people person. You like people, you see good in them, you want to be around them and be a positive influence for them. You don’t necessarily tolerate stupid bigots, and you would be the first to call out their cowardice, but if they are willing to change and be better, you would want to believe in them too.”

He exhaled, oblivious of Forrest’s stunned expression, and continued.

“For a man who has that big a heart, I’d imagine spending some time with his buddies and their families would totally be his thing, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, but...”

“And there’s also your poetry.”

Forrest was getting whiplash tonight, he could hardly keep up.

“My poetry?”

“Yeah, you gave me your emo poetry journal the other day and asked for my opinion?”

“I remember that. In fact, I remember it was a week ago and I still haven’t got any feedback yet.” If he was being honest, he would say he had been a little hurt by that too.

Alex’s face turned a shade pink. “I know I was being a little slow. But I just want to do them justice, you know? I’ve been reading each of them multiple times, so I can get the gist right.”

OK, hurt instantly healed. He really should be concerned how Alex’s words could so easily affect his mood.

“Anyway, the poems you wrote, they are all very pro-humanity, at least in my opinion. Like, the themes vary, some about personal journeys, some about lost love, some about struggling life, some about anger and pain. But the words have something like warmth attached to them, like despite all, there’s hope, and there’s good, in people, in humanity, in the whole world.”

He looked down at his hands then, voice quiet.

“And that’s the thing I like most about you.”

Shit.

“Shit”, It was definitely too soon, but Forrest just can’t not say it. “I think I might be falling for you.”

Alex looked at him right then, hesitated then determined: “I don’t think I’m there yet. But I think I could see myself heading down that road someday.”

He added in a more unsure voice: “Is that OK?”

Forrest reached out, squeezed his hand, and reassured him: “It’s OK”.

And it really was.

#forlex #forlex fic #my fic #alex manes #forrest long #roswell new mexico

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forgadgetsandgizmos · 4 years

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‘Cause You’re A Sky Full of Stars (I’m Going To Give You My Heart)

My fic for Day 1 of Alex Manes Week 2020 | Prompt: Home Can Be A Person

Read on AO3 Here

It was nearing sunset when Alex pulled his jeep beside the familiar, fading colors of Michael’s white-and-blue truck and cut off the engine. Looking around from where he sat in the driver’s seat, the place hadn’t changed in the decade since he’d last been here. He had been a hopeful 17-year-old in love, high on dreams of the future, carving A M into tree bark.

Alex chuckled under his breath. They hadn’t been brave enough to add the plus or a heart. With only two letters, it could easily be mistaken for Alex’s own initials, but Michael had left an empty space between with whispered promises of someday and after.

Someday, if they were braver.

After, when they’d be adults and free.

It was a sweet kind of irony that the reason they had always came here then was the same reason he was here now.

Michael had always found comfort in the desert.

Alex stepped out of the jeep, the uneven sand beneath his feet sinking in greeting. He sent a quick prayer of thanks that he had the sensibility to put on boots this morning - his prosthetic would be hell to deal with if sand got in it - before locking the car and heading forward.

A heavy breeze brought the sound of tree leaves ruffling, their healthy emerald color shimmering under the orange desert glow. It also brought sharp clinks of glass hitting rock from where Michael sat facing the sunset.

His body was a dark shadow against the tan background, the light illuminated stray curls escaping from under his trademark black cowboy hat. It reminded Alex of a scene in an old western.

Michael had to know he was here - he couldn’t be so drunk that he missed the loud rumble of Alex’s jeep - but he hadn’t turned around. Alex supposed that means he has to go to him. Though if he’s being honest with himself, the only somewhat flat part of the stone that can be used climb to Michael looked a lot more daunting at 28 than it had at 17.

Probably because the last time he’d climbed up and down that rock it had been with two steady legs and a sober Michael to lend a hand.

Banking on familiarity with the path and muscle gained from a decade of military training to compensate, Alex ducked under the tree blocking his way and started up. It was slow going, frustratingly slow, but he made it to the top without any injury to himself or his leg.

“You climbed up.”

Alex took that as an invitation and sat down, his legs (all one and a half) joining Michael’s in dangling off the edge. “I did,” he answered.

Michael grunted and offered him a bottle. “Whiskey?”

Alex took the bottle from him but shook his head. “I shouldn’t. One of us has to drive back eventually.”

“Then give back the bottle.”

Alex tipped it over the edge, far enough that sand would cushion the fall and it wouldn’t break. If the level of whiskey and the bottle opener he had scene in the truck were any indication, Michael was at least three shots past tipsy. He didn’t need to drink anymore.

“Or do that,” Michael scowled.

“You’re drunk enough already. It’ll be hard enough to climb off this rock sober, I don’t want to have to carry you.”

Michael flung a hand forward, “That’s what jumpin’ is for.” Obviously, his tone said.

Alex raised an eyebrow and gave the rock a kick with his bad leg. Boots were okay for walking, but they couldn’t keep all the sand out if he took a 15-foot drop into it. This was a new prosthetic too, and his doctor at the vet hospital in Albuquerque would kill him if he ground down the joints in less than a month.

Michael’s face clouded over, jaw clenched shut.

“We gonna talk about why you’re up here?”

”I like the view,” he drawled, tipping his hat with a playful smirk.

“You seem upset,” Alex prodded.

Michael snorted. “You’d think. I’m not.”

“Oh?”

Michael’s eyes crinkled in the corners. “Really, I swear,” he laughed. “Look,” he whispered, pointing head of them.

The sky was glowing.

As far as Alex could see, the sky was a myriad blue, purple, and pink shades. Where the sun still hit it, the sand, so often harsh and burning, reflected the colors back to the sky as if it was waving to an old friend. The rest formed a black contrast that seemed to deepen each shade. They set in comfortable silence in their oasis, watching the colors merge and morph on the horizon as sun inched down lower.

“Before I joined the Air Force, I assumed I’d never leave the west coast. I wanted to be a musician, so kid-me just knew that all I’d have to do was go to L.A. and never leave. I’ve never even been to L.A.” Alex remarked to himself, eyes still on the horizon. But in between the camouflage of fatigues and the gunpowder smoke, I saw so many different people, so many cultures.” He let his awe fill his voice as he spoke. “And I’d catch myself missing this ... empty desert that I grew up miserable in.”

Michael glanced at him with a confused smile.

“What?”

Michael shook his head softly. “I never thought of Roswell as home. I didn’t even live here until I was eleven. And Max and Iz tried their best but,” he shrugged.

“But you wanted to search the desert for pieces of an alien spaceship,” Alex finished. Michael wanted to leave. He still does, and Liz might have destroyed his best chance at Crash-Con.

“I worked so hard. The consul Liz destroyed would have killed a lot of people and I don’t wish it had, don’t get me wrong,” Michael rushed to say, alcohol slightly blurring his words together as he tried to speak too fast.

“It’s okay to mourn a dream,” Alex reassured him. He tried to project acceptance and comfort instead of the sick loneliness that always settled in when he thought about Michael leaving Earth.

“No, you don’t get it,” Michael exclaimed, knotting his fingers in his hair and knocking his hat behind him in the process. “I’m not mad, not pissed, and I should be so that’s why I’m drinking on a rock on a Monday.”

He must have scene a puzzled look on Alex’s face because he started to clarify.

”You said when you were a kid and home in Roswell, you wanted to see the world and once you did, you missed home, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. How did that have to do with anything?

“I always felt like I was already seeing the world and I was always missing home, even if I didn’t remember it. I don’t know when it changed but when I realized that consul had blown up and I hadn’t even tried to save it, I just ran off to help you and then Maria?”

He gestured to the whiskey bottle laying in the sand. “Yeah, I’m mourning, but I’m mourning my chance to see my past and to visit that world. I don’t feel like it’s my home anymore.”

The sky had lost its color now. If the sunset had been an old western, this was a black-and-white picture movie. Everything he saw was monochrome, washed out in grays and blacks.

“Roswell still sucks,” Michael continued. “but that’s okay. It’s not my home.”

Alex took a deep breath as if steadying himself for the answer. “What is?”

Michael met his eyes with a steady gaze. He looked confident, the slight glaze and wide eye-look from alcohol making his irises shine as if the moon itself was looking at him under the colorless sky.

He smiled sadly. “Home can be a person, Alex. I found mine when I was seventeen. It’s just taken me a little while to realize it, is all.”

Oh. Oh. Alex didn’t say anything, just stared at Michael in wonder. He didn’t think he could speak if he tried. He never expected, he, that - he never expected this. That he loved Michael more than Michael loved him was a fact that he had come to terms with. He didn’t know what to do with this.

Would Michael regret this in the morning?

Alex knew he was too afraid of the answer to ask.

After long, Michael’s face lit up with relief. His emotions had always changed often and quickly, even when they were kids. He understood the need, of course, to project a feeling you thought someone wanted from you, but unlike Alex, Michael seemed to actually feel it.

“You don’t need to respond. Really, you already have,” he pointed out.

Yeah, maybe.

“Let’s just lay here, yeah?” He leaned back, head to the sky.

Alex joined him, still silent. Words echoed in his head, each thing taking on a new meaning he hadn’t seen before.

They’re my family, Alex! All right, maybe. But you’re mine.

I loved you. And I think you loved me.

I know you loved me.

I know what he means to Alex

You are the best of me.

“In a little bit, I’ll be sober enough to move you down,” Michael whispered. “Until then, the stars are out.”

He meant float him down off the rock with telekinesis, Alex realized. For some reason, the notion warmed him almost as much as Michael’s earlier confession had.

Alex nodded, and they lay together under the stars illuminating the sky, Michael’s low humming joining the sounds of desert coming to life.

I don’t care, go on and tear me apart.

And I don’t care if you do.

‘Cause you’re a sky full of stars,

I think I see you.

Such a heavenly view.

Also on AO3

#roswell new mexico #malex #alexweek2020 #alexappreciation2020 #alex manes #michael guerin #roswellnm #rnm #roswell nm #tyler blackbrun #fic #malex fic #ao3 #my writing #alicewrites

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myluciferiscody · 5 years

Text

Dancing With a Stranger P.2

@iits-mikha asked: n a recent interview they asked Cody if he could have the opportunity to play another character he would had chosen to be the Countess, So my request is this: an AU where old!Michael where he’s not the antichrist but is the owner of the Hotel Cortez, please!!

pairing: Older!Michael x Reader

word count: 5,055

warnings: au!, language, seductive-boi, unprotected sex, oral (female and male receiving), other smutty goodness. idk how i thought i’d keep this smut free, yikes. i hardly write smut so i hope it’s not too terrible, enjoy.

*not entirely proof-read*

part 1

The next few days were a blur.

You and Winter spent the days at the park, getting scared and meeting your favorite characters. You changed your phone wallpaper to a picture of you and Beetlejuice, your cheesy grin making you flinch every time you unlocked your phone. Yet, you were living your best life, and it was a much-needed break from reality.

As the hours of screams and thrill rides went by, Michael Langdon slowly slipped in the back of your mind.

It wasn't until there was a knock on your hotel door bright in early on Halloween. Winter groaned from beside you, her small body cuddling into yours when you tried to leave.

"It's fucking cold, stop," Winter moaned.

"Someone is here, Winter," you groaned, throwing the covers from your body when they knocked again. Your M&M socks were slipping off your feet as you opened the door, revealing Iris.

"Good morning!" she gushed, her voice way too peppy for this time of day. You blinked at her, knowing you looked like hell with your band t-shirt, dull sweats, and orange socks.

"Is everything alright?" you immediately asked, crossing your arms over your chest. It really is cold in here. You could feel your nipples getting hard, and you tried to hide your laugh.

"Mr. Langdon asked me to drop this off," she said, shoving a white envelope in your direction. You took it, feeling the thickness and frowning. "He says it's a treat."

"What?-"

"Have a good day!" she insisted, before leaving you standing in the doorway.

You stood there with a comical look on your face, before quietly shutting the door and locking it. Winter had since sat up, her brown eyes frowning at you as you carefully opened the envelope.

A white slip of paper caught your eye first, before the thick wad of cash behind it. You gasped, pulling it out altogether.

"HOLY SHIT!" Winter said, shoving the blankets off her before scrambling to stand beside you. You counted the money; there was quickly a few thousand in your hands.

"I KNOW-" you gasped. You had never seen this much money in your life, at least in person. "He left a note..."

"Read it," Winter urged, taking the money and feeling it up, "This is hot in a really bizarre way."

Ms. l/n,

Please take this offering to buy yourself some new clothes, preferably for dinner tonight. I took the liberty of ordering food from a nearby restaurant. I do not believe you'd find the menu here satisfactory, trust me.

Meet me at the penthouse at 8 PM sharp. This is very important, not a minute before or less. You may find some less than impressive guests if you do.

Oh, I almost forgot - you keep what you buy. Spend it wisely.

Sincerely,

M.L

You sat on the edge of the bed as Winter read the note to herself. Your jaw was almost to the floor as you had forgotten about your plans for tonight. It was fun the other night when you met him, but now you were nervous.

"This is amazing," Winter gasped excitedly. "But wait, why do you look like that?" she asked.

"How in the hell am I supposed to have dinner with him tonight? He's so-"

"Weirdly arousing and complex?" Winter grinned, mocking Liz's words from the other night. "Girl, I'll gladly take your place if you're going to chicken out, who in their right mind would do this for you back home?"

You stuffed everything back into the envelope before you both settled back into bed. "Maybe that means he is crazy, and I'm doing myself a favor," you mumbled.

"First off, he is hot. Second, it's just dinner, if he is willing to pay for you to get a new dress, well..." Winter pulled the covers up to her nose, "Maybe that means he is a keeper, y/n,"

You both laid there in silence before you caught up on sleep. You woke up again closer to ten, and you stayed under the covers on your phone while Winter took a shower first. You scrolled through Instagram, Tumblr, and TikTok, seeking out the ones that reminded you most of Vine.

You tried to distract yourself from the anxiety bubbling in your belly. Michael Langdon intimidated you; everything about him seemed so reserved and poised. From the way he spoke, to how he walked, and you had to admit, his wardrobe was on-point.

"I'll just get drunk before I go up there." you joked to yourself as you passed the fifth video of spoiled New Yorkers seeing Beetlejuice for the eightieth time.

Since you and Winter weren't familiar with the higher-ups in the fashion department, you did a lot of Googling as you walked down the streets of Los Angeles. The Hotel Cortez felt like an icebox compared to the weather out here. Most of the stores that you passed or glanced through seemed to cater specifically to prom dresses and other school formals.

You stopped into a particular store that seemed too over budget. Winter couldn't help but gush at their selection of bridal gowns in the back of the store, and as you pulled her away, your mouth even watered at the beautiful dresses in front of you.

"I'm not getting married, Winter," you snorted as you dragged her back into the streets.

You both stopped a Starbucks, sitting down and resting as you chug your drink. "I'm about to give up," you sighed.

"We've only been out for- two hours," Winter replied sheepishly. "Come on, you have three-grand in your pockets, we'll find something."

"Everything here is kind of weird," you frowned, thinking of the four-thousand dollar dress you saw that barely covered the crotch of the mannequin wearing it. "Plus, who can afford to spend four-grand on a dress?"

"Think about it this way," Winter pointed at you, "Michael saw you wearing clothes from Forever 21. Maybe he figured you liked the simple things,"

You know how to stretch a buck when your paychecks were smaller than usual. Michael did say buy something for tonight, but...

"How will I bring all of the clothes back home?" you asked.

"We'll worry about that later, and let's get the fuck out of here, I can barely hear myself think."

It was more comfortable for you to go into stores you were more familiar with. You bought new jeans, new shirts, and dresses to wear once the weather warmed up again back home.

By the time you were finished, you still had about $2,400 in your wallet. You let Winter pick out some things too. It made you feel bad about going on a shopping spree without her.

"I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a sugar daddy!" Winter all but yelled in the sea of people passing you in the street. You threw your head back and laughed.

"I guess we need to find ourselves one," you joked.

"Okay, but Michael, I mean- The Count," Winter rolled her eyes, "Is totally sugar daddy material, is he not?"

"Is he even old enough? He's like thirty-four, when I think of them, I imagine someone in their sixties or something," you stated.

"He's older, and he gives you money for nice things, so I'd say he most certainly qualifies," Winter said, continuing to talk when a mannequin caught your eye.

You stopped dead in your tracks, not caring when the person behind you cursed when he bumped into you. Winter finally realized you weren't by her side, waltzing over with a confused look on her face.

The red cocktail dress stared back at you, the silk taffeta material almost glowing under the light above it. The neckline plunged, leaving little to the imagination. You didn't care, though.

"Do you see a price tag?" you asked.

"I think that's it-" Winter said, leaning in closer, "-holy shiiii-"

The store owner must have caught you two gawking, because the door swung open, revealing a small man with a shaved head beaming at the two of you. "Are you ladies enjoying the view?" he joked.

"Yes, I love this dress," you said, pointing at it. He seemed pleased as he looked you up and down.

"I think this calls for a fitting! My name is Ted, come on in," he said.

Needless to say, spending 2,300 on a dress was strangely rewarding.

You got into the elevator at 7:57.

It slowly rose to the top, and you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You had many floors to go, and you looked at yourself in the mirrored wall.

Winter had pinned your hair back, before coloring your eyes and lips in a similar shade of red to your dress. You admired your boobs, hoping he wouldn't be too put off by them. You never really dressed like this; hoodies and sweaters were some of your favorites. It felt good to show off your body; you felt beautiful. Like you accepted yourself for who you were, even if it was over by the end of the night.

You ran a hand along your belly, sighing deeply as you felt like you were going to vomit.

it's just dinner, you'll be fine.

The elevator slowly came to a stop, the doors slowly sliding open. You looked around, seeing you were already inside of his place. You could hear gentle music playing in the background; you hid your smile when you heard Lady Gaga singing.

"Hello?" You called out, your voice meek. When you stepped out, you realized how much warmer this room was compared to the rest of the hotel. If it were any warmer, you'd probably think you were about to enter the deepest pits of Hell.

"Ms. l/n, how lovely to see you,"

You jumped, looking to see Langdon slowly making his way to you, his hands behind his back. In perfect pose, like always. The view behind him told you he just came from his bedroom.

You were at a loss for words, much to his amusement.

"Interesting..." he said as he observed you with a slight tilt to his head. "I admire your choice of color, the red compliments your eyes," Michael said.

"Thank you, uhh-"

"You can call me Michael," he said firmly. "I hope you used my offering wisely, I'd hate to think all that went to waste."

His blue eyes bore holes into your skull as you instinctively went to push your hair behind your ear until remembered it was pinned back. You dropped your hand with a shy grin. "It was nice, thank you."

Michael continued to stare at you like he couldn't seem to figure you out. You watched as his perfect brow twitched as if he were hiding his true expression from you. You swallowed, turning to admire the rest of his space. Like the lobby, red seemed to be a favorite in his repertoire.

Almost like a ghost, you could feel his presence directly behind you. A gasp caught in your throat as you felt the fabric of his expensive dinner jacket brush against your bare arm. A small glass of wine. You took it from him, bringing it to your nose where you gently inhaled.

Amusement flickered in his eyes as he watched your childish action. He had a glass in his own hand, but it definitely wasn't wine.

"Iris is bringing dinner at 8:30," he explained, watching your eyes flutter as you took a sip. It tasted terrific, you wondered where it was from. But you never asked. "Sit, y/n," Michael pointed to the expansive couch behind you.

You chose a cushion, Michael sinking into one just a bit farther down. You found yourself taking bigger sips of wine; it was almost addictive, the taste. Michael brought his glass to his lips, draining it quickly, before he set it down, his tongue slowly licking along his lip. You stared at it.

"y/n," he sighed. You loved the way your name rolled off his tongue. Michael suddenly smirked, his eyes slowly meeting yours. "Tell me about yourself."

You cleared your throat. You always found this to be awkward; what was really interesting about your life compared to his? Yet, you told him a little about your life back home. Your job, your education, your friendship with Winter, and how important she was to you.

Michael didn't say a word the entire time. He watched you intently, almost like he was entranced by you. Your voice, your past, your hopes, and dreams. It brought you comfort; you felt like someone was listening to you out of pure interest, and not to be kind.

"I think that's enough about me," you said awkwardly. Once again, his eyes crinkled with amusement. "It's your turn."

Almost as if on cue, the elevator slid open. Iris and Liz stepped out, pushing a large tray of food. Michael immediately stood up, his eyes piercing through you as you slowly did the same.

"Dinner is served, my beauties," Liz said excitedly, pushing the cart towards the two of you. Michael rolled his eyes, but you could see the playfulness in his actions.

"Thank you, Liz. Iris." He said, looking at her like she had all the answers in the world. Iris shrugged, waving him off as they set the table for you two.

You looked at your empty glass, before looking up at Michael, "Michael-"

"Of course, y/n," he said. He took the glass from you, his fingers brushing yours. He was a little cold to the touch.

Michael got you some more wine as you pondered how he could have possibly known what you were about to ask.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Iris asked as Liz wheeled the cart back to the elevator, waiting patiently.

"Not at all, I will call when we're finished," Michael said, handing you back the glass.

Iris nodded, turning, and meeting Liz. Before the elevator doors shut, Liz winked at you.

Without a word, Michael walked to a chair, gesturing for you to sit. You walked over and took a seat as he gently pushed you in. Michael placed a hand on your shoulder, his rings softly digging into your skin. There was something erotic about the way he moved his hands, so fluid and sexual.

"You seem tense, y/n," he mocked, and you could imagine the smirk on his lips. You shook your head, pressing your thighs together as you tried to forget the handsome man standing behind you.

"I'm just hungry," you said lamely. You felt his fingers gently curl into you before releasing.

"As you should be." He said before his hands left you. Michael walked around the table, sitting across from you. The distance between you was small, you could nudge his leg with your toes.

Michael's glass was full, as he watched you expectantly. The food smelled delicious, your belly softly rumbling as you glanced at him.

"Don't wait for me, precious," Michael said, pressing his fingers together. Your cheeks slightly burned at the nickname, before slowly picking up your silverware.

After a few bites, Michael finally started to eat. You remained mostly silent, enjoying the food. Your foot gently bobbed along to the music.

can you light the fire

i need somebody who can take control

"You never told me about your life," you pointed out. Michael glanced at you, taking a sip of his drink, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I told you how old I am." He smirked.

"Come on, Michael. I spilled my whole life story to you, now it's your turn." You glared at him.

"Very well," he said. "I was born in December of 1985. My parents were in the process of getting divorced. I had a twin, but he was stillborn," Michael said. His tone hardly wavered, neither did the look in his eyes. He seemed almost content. "My mother was devastated, she blamed me for years for his death. I was too strong, I overshadowed my brother, and he never stood a chance."

You had stopped eating, wondering if you should have even asked in the first place. "Michael..."

"I like honesty, y/n," Michael stated. He looked directly in your eyes, "Do you disagree?"

You slowly shook your head. "No..."

"Great." He ran a finger along the rim of his glass, the diamonds on his rings shining from the light. "She killed herself when I was ten. My father couldn't afford to raise me on his own, so we moved here. That's when I met Iris. She became my second mother, took me in like I was her own. Eventually, my dad abandoned me without a word of warning. He died two years ago under mysterious circumstances." Michael said coldly.

You felt a pang in your chest, and you instinctively raised a hand to your eyes to make sure you weren't crying. Michael stared at his plate, his eyes forming into slits.

"After the original owner died, I took over. I made some investments, great ones, in fact. Now I own the hotel with all the money anyone would ever need. I take care of my family, and they take care of me."

Your food had grown cold by the time he finished.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize how painful your past has been, Michael."

You were surprised to see him smile. Michael showed no signs of arrogance, just genuine appreciation. "I tend to keep the painful memories to myself, y/n. Your kindness has just opened up my vulnerability."

After dinner, you and Michael had moved back to the couch. After a few more glasses of wine, you were more talkative.

Iris had cleared the plates before leaving you alone. Michael listened to you talk about your favorite things and what you despised most.

For someone who wasn't that much older than you, give or take, he was very wise. If his dialect wasn't example enough, Michael's real thoughts and opinions were of an old soul. The hours slowly ticked by, and before you knew it, you were leaning against his side.

"I find you to be fascinating, y/n," Michael said. Your hair had slowly started to unravel, and he eventually released it all together. He wouldn't admit it to you, but he loved the way it framed your face. And your neck.

"You don't think I'm just some boring twenty-something?" You teased. Michael smiled.

"Not at all."

You glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing 2 AM.

"Holy fuck," you said. Michael snickered at your language but didn't comment. "I didn't realize how late it was."

"You're more than welcome to leave, y/n," he said, but his words seemed rather forced. "You don't have to stay on my behalf."

You could feel yourself becoming tired. Yet, you were very much enjoying this. Michael was a breath of fresh air. Everything you said, you didn't feel scrutinized. Michael liked to hear you talk, to hear about the things you were most passionate about. He listened to you.

You weren't drunk, just a little tipsy. You tilted your head at him, "Michael, how are you as single as a pringle?"

Michael frowned at you before a deep, genuine laugh echoed from his chest. You blinked at him.

"y/n, I'm very particular about my women," he said quietly. "I was a teenager once, you know. I made many mistakes, just like you, just like everyone else. I have my guard up more than most. You understand."

Michael was right, you understood perfectly.

"You talk like you're from an old Hollywood movie. It's kind of hot." You blurted out.

Michael brought a hand to your cheek. You leaned into his touch, his fingertips gently moving along your cheek, tracing over your nose before setting on your painted lips. Most of it had worn off by now, but neither you nor Michael cared.

"My sweet, sweet y/n," he whispered. "I certainly don't fuck like one."

You felt your thighs clench as he tilted his head at you. Michael's blue eyes observed you before a smirk slowly crossed his lips.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, y/n," he teased. His finger left your lips before they trailed down the side of your neck. He grabbed your throat, applying just enough pressure that left you a whining mess. "I think you've been hiding your arousal from me all night." He frowned, "At least, that's what you seem to think."

Michael observed you quietly, your hand slowly coming up to touch his as he continued holding your throat. He was amused by the sight of you.

"I could almost smell you," he growled before he lifted you like you weighed nothing. You sat on his lap, his knee knocking your legs out of the way. Your dress rode up on your thighs, revealing the red underwear underneath. It was nothing fancy, just comfortable.

Michael pressed his nose to your ear, adjusting his grip on you as you squirmed in his lap. "I like you, y/n. You're very bright, not quite like others I have encountered..." he pressed a kiss to your earlobe. "Yet, one thing always remains the same."

You slowly stuttered out, "And what's that?"

Michael chuckled in your ear, the sound husky. His free hand slowly slipped under your panties, running his fingers through your folds, before finding your clit like it was nothing. You gasped, a quiet moan escaping your throat as your hips bucked towards his hand.

"You girls want to be impaled on my thick cock, isn't that right?" Michael mewled in your ear. He still teased you as his hand was in your underwear, you pouted.

Michael released your throat, your body immediately sucking in air as he unzipped the back of your dress, allowing it to bunch at your waist. You helped him slide it off, you now clad only in your panties.

You could feel his hardness rubbing against your ass.

Michael removed his hand from your clit, making you sigh in frustration. He tsked at you, pulling your back flush against his chest as he carefully slid his fingers inside of you.

"You don't have to be greedy, y/n," he scolded. "I love having my fingers inside your sweet pussy. You take them so well, baby," he sighed into your ear.

Michael continued to finger you as you moaned and squirmed above him. No matter how many times he gently scolded you for moving too much, you couldn't stop.

"Michael, I'm so close," you whined.

"I never said you could come, y/n," he shook his head. "Be a good girl, bad girl's get punished if they misbehave,"

You whined as his fingers curled inside of you. Your arm slowly wove around his neck, gasping his name as you tried to fight off your impending orgasm.

"My precious girl," Michael purred before his fingers slid out of you.

The whine that left your mouth was loud. Michael laughed at your distress, his hand sliding from your panties entirely. He stuck them in your mouth mid grunt, making you shut up.

"Make them spotless, y/n," Michael said sternly. "Let's see how well you use that tongue before I stick my cock in your mouth."

You sucked his fingers, purposely being as loud as you can. Your tongue ran along his digits, tasting your arousal, before the sweet taste of Michael. When he seemed satisfied with your efforts, he pulled them out, forcing you to stand up.

You had no idea how Michael shed his clothes so quickly. Before you knew it, he was pulling you on top of his body. Your eyes widened at the sight of his dick in front of your face. Your knees resting on either side of his head as he ran his big hands along your ass.

"If you be a good girl, I may let you come, precious," Michael stated before you felt his tongue slowly circling your clit.

The sensation caused you to gasp, temporarily buckling your elbows as you struggled to stay above him. Michael kept a tight grip on you, your belly laying directly on his. Perhaps that meant your weight was no bother to him.

You gripped his shaft in your hand, your eyes rolling in the back of your head as he slowly dragged his tongue along your slit. Michael moaned against you, causing your legs to tremble from the pleasure he was giving you.

You licked the tip before slowly taking him into your mouth. Michael hummed his approval from underneath you. He was thick, and you could feel your mouth burning as you opened as wide as you could.

Michael slowly rutted his hips to meet your mouth, both of you groaning as he slipped further into your mouth, and then Michael sliding his tongue into your tiny hole. You weren't that experienced in this predicament; you were afraid of neglecting Michael as he blissfully ate you out.

After a while, your legs started to quake as Michael spread you out wider. His back arched from the couch as he chased your pussy when it started to become too much. His hands gripped your ass tightly, shaking his head against you as you released him from your mouth to scream his name.

Michael's tongue gently lapped at your clit as you came down from your orgasm. His tongue curled against your dripping hole, gathering your juices while he slurped you up.

"Michael," you moaned. He pressed kisses along your folds, before trailing along your thighs. You continued to stroke his cock, feeling his own body tensing up beneath you.

"I better come in your fucking mouth, y/n," he asserted. You felt him make your ass, causing you to yelp. "You're going to swallow every last drop."

You took him back into your mouth as he released your ass. Michael kept his hands on your thighs, stroking them softly as you took him in as far as he would go. Your mascara ran down your cheeks as his girth stretched your mouth to ridiculous lengths.

"That's it, baby," he whined. You fought the urge to smile against him. Michael Langdon, whining because of you. His dominant hand came back to your pussy, feeling for your clit. You were still sensitive, your legs jerking as he starting stimulating you. Again.

You groaned in disapproval.

"After I come in your sweet mouth, you're going to sit on my cock, precious."

A few more jerks of your hand had him falling apart beneath you. You felt him spurt deep into your throat, your eyes closing at the feeling. Michael slowly circled your clit as he came, sighing deeply when you sucked him clean.

"FUCK!" he called out. Michael maneuvered you off him, before standing up after you. His hands gripped your hips, pulling you in for a kiss.

Michael took your breath away, the taste of you on each other's lips. You felt him bite your bottom lip, before moaning into your mouth. His hands slid along your body, playing with your breasts, ghosting over your arms, just feeling you.

Michael took a seat, bringing you down onto his lap. You brought him in for a kiss this time, smiling as he carefully helped you slide onto him.

You felt him in your belly, gasping and breaking the kiss as you settled onto his thighs. Michael leaned back against the couch, his blonde hair frizzled out as he gazed at you with admiration.

He didn't say anything as you adjusted to him, his hands roaming your skin freely. The playlist in the room had long stopped, leaving you two in silence, save for the pants and whimpers.

Once you were comfortable, you bounced on his lap. Michael allowed you to take control at first, his lips sucking your nipples into his mouth as you run your hands through his soft hair.

"Your pussy is so fucking tight for me, y/n," he grunted. You pulled his mouth from your breasts, silently begging him to pay attention to the sensitive skin on your neck. He obliged, biting and leaving delicate kisses to your slick skin. He left his mark on you, eventually grabbing your hips again to pound into you.

"Oh, f-fuck!" You gasped, "Michael, Michael, Michael,"

His hips were smacking against you at an almost inhuman pace. His face remained buried in your neck, leaving multiple love bites as he growled into your skin.

"You better come before I do, baby," Michael warned. "You want to come, don't you, baby?" He mocked you. He released one of his hands, reaching back to bunch your hair in his hand, before yanking it. Your chest arched into his, gasping as he exposed your neck to him.

"P-please, Michael..." you whimpered as he kept up his relentless pace.

"I'm fucking close, y/n. You better come all over my dick, precious. Show me who this pussy belongs to."

The next few thrusts of his hips had you coming all over him. Your wetness dribbled down your thighs, onto his and the cushions beneath you.

You unintentionally squeezed his dick, your muscles contracting so tightly that Michael nearly lost his breath as he came inside of you. He slowly moved you along his shaft, making sure you completely coated him.

He brought his lips to yours again, his hands cupping your cheek as you kissed. You stayed in that position for a few minutes, before he gently removed you from his lap to place you beside him. You gasped as you no longer felt full.

Michael spread your legs, his eyes on yours as he slowly ate you out for a second time. You mewled from how sensitive you were. Just like the first time, Michael kept a firm grip on you as he lapped up his cum leaking out of you. You ran a hand through his hair, sighing his name as he pressed his nose onto your clit.

When he was finished, he pulled you close to him, his head resting on your breasts. You both were exhausted.

"We should have done this a few days ago." You whispered, thinking of your ride back home.

"We still have time," he whispered. "I hope your friend doesn't expect to see you until then."

taglist: @soph3218 @jetblackpayne @its-mikha @vixi3303 @cuddletothecake

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all-that-is-left-is-the-heart · 3 years

Text

Sometimes life surprises us. And some people come into our lives always for a reason.

AO3

Chapter 25

Autumn in Washington D.C was just as Elizabeth remembered it. The weather was pleasant, needing only to wear a light jacket to walk around the city, which at that time wasn't so crowded with tourists. The leaves changed from green to shades of red, yellow and orange; a feast for the eyes. As a child she loved to stroll through the parks just to admire the autumn leaves. The city was beautiful, full of colors and grace.

She hadn't been to her hometown in a while, but everything was exactly as she remembered it and as she liked it. It felt always nostalgic to come back. Every place she looked at held memories, past memories; mainly of her childhood. Her parents always took her to all tourist spots, and taught her the importance of the city where she was born. Her father, Jeromy Mackenzie, as a government employee, made a point of taking her to important places like the White House and the Capitol, and like any child, these weren't places she was interested in, but having her father's company would always be something that she would hold dear. Her mother, on the other hand, a housewife by choice, made her know the city's culture, always taking Elizabeth to museums at a very young age. Olivia Mackenzie not only wanted to introduce the art world to her daughter, but she also knew the importance of art in child's education.

It was no wonder, then, that Elizabeth was fascinated by art since she was a child, in addition to her parents always encouraging her, she started to visit every museums in the city and even the ones in other cities. Her favorite stroll would always be in a museum. And the walks always ended in some cafe, one in particular was always her and her mother's choice, thus making the cozy place something special between mother and daughter.

Now, sitting in this same cafe, Elizabeth recalled one of their many strolls in the city, the one after visiting the National Gallery of Art. She remembered her excitement and the conversation they had while having their hot drinks, which warmed them from the cold that day.

“I think I want to have an art gallery when I grow up,” she said, stirring her straw in her hot cocoa with marshmallows; her favorite drink at the time, she could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Her addiction, as her father used to joke.

“I will be the first one to buy one of your paintings,” the woman joked, but knowing that her daughter was serious.

“No mom, I don't want to be an artist. I want to be knowledgeable about art, you know,” she explained excitedly.

Her mother nodded. “But you could also have your own paitings, you paint well.”

“My paintings aren't that good,” Elizabeth refuted. She did paint some things, but her biggest interest was in art history, that was what fascinated her. She had no talent for being an artist, she liked to paint and draw just like any child, but that was nothing extraordinary.

But her mother, however, didn't think so.

“I like it,” she said but the girl wouldn’t be convinced of that, after all she was her mother and would always like everything she did.

“Do you think I can do it?” Elizabeth then asked her mother in a serious but hopeful tone. “I mean, not with the painting...” she gestured with her hands, “but about having a gallery?” She then completed.

“Of course you can, my sweetie. Just don't give up on your dream. If that's really your dream, commit yourself and go for it. You can be anything you want and do what you want, Lizzy. You just have to work hard and keep your heart on it, and then any dream you have will come true,” she said, and that was all Elizabeth wanted to hear. Her mother was undoubtedly the biggest supporter she had, and even if that was just a phase she knew she could count on her mother because she would never find any dream of hers ridiculous.

Elizabeth gave her a big smile, her eyes bigger and brighter, full of happiness, and silently thanked her mother for the words of encouragement.

“Mom, you're the only one who calls me Lizzy,” she then commented, after taking a sip of her hot drink.

“Just as you’re the only one who calls me mom,” Olivia teased.

“That's because you are my mom,” Elizabeth said, stating the obvious and making her mother laugh.

"And you are my Lizzy,” she quipped and the girl rolled her eyes but her lips curved into a smile.

Elizabeth then came out of her reverie and smiled. At the time it might even annoy her but deep down she liked to be called that only by her mom. She wished she could still hear the affectionate nickname at the sound of her mother's voice. She sighed.

Good memories also bring some sadness, she thought.

Looking around, she continued to think about that conversation, it was there, in that cafeteria, on that frigid day in Washington, that her dream of having her own art gallery began, not as an artist but as an art connoisseur. From that moment on she became even more interested and her trips to museums became like classes. At first, her mother even thought it was a momentary interest, after all, she was only 12 years old and sometimes she would change her mind quickly, but Olivia knew her daughter, she saw the sparkle in her eyes when she said about it and she knew Elizabeth would do what she said.

And that's what happened, years later, and Elizabeth was back in their cafeteria, passing through the city to set up an exhibition in her own gallery; one of many she has already hosted. Unfortunately, her mother wasn't there to see it.

She shook her head, letting go of sad thoughts and focusing on why she was in Washington. Her meeting had been postponed and that meant she would be spending more time in the city. The good thing about it was that she would have time to visit several places she really missed and probably more memories of the past would come to her. She smiled, because after all, there was part of her story, her parents' story and it was always good to remember that.

Elizabeth finished her coffee and prepared for an entire afternoon of sightseeing in her hometown.

“I don't know how you convinced me to come out here.”

“Oh come on, man, we haven't been out in a long time.”

“But did it have to be on a weekday?” Robert asked. He didn't think his friend's invitation to go out and catch up was bad, but he really had an early meeting the next day and now he didn't think it was a good idea to be drinking.

“It was the only day that you were available to your good old friend,” Michael joked.

“I'll tell Liz this, uh.”

“Don't even try to ruin my friendship with her,” the two men laughed. “I adore her and I would never take advantage of her absence to lead you astray,” he joked and patted Robert lightly on the shoulder making him smile. “But I was missing our meetings, just talking and having a beer,” he said, lifting his bottle and clicking on Robert's. They were sitting at the bar they usually go to and were already in their second round.

“I was, too, but it could have waited for the weekend.”

“But then Elizabeth would be back, and my intention was to get you out of the house and not leave you there, crying because she's out of town,” he teased, Robert shook his head and chuckled.

“I wouldn't be crying,” he retorted.

“But you would be at home missing her.”

“You're right about that,” he agreed, pointing the bottle at his friend and then taking a sip.

“This look in your face when you talk about her doesn't deny it, Robbie,” Michael couldn't help but tease his friend but he was happy to see him like this.

“I think you need to fall in love, Mike,” he changed the subject before Michael teased him more.

“I'm trying, that's why I like to go out and meet interesting people,” he said, looking around.

Robert looked at his watch. “I think you better meet someone interesting soon, it's almost time for me to go home.”

“Robbie, we just arrived and you already want to leave?”

“It is not you who have an audience early tomorrow. Besides, you said it was just a drink.”

“Okay, I'm not going to keep you for much longer, but let's take another one, rigth?” He asked and Robert ended up nodding his head.

They chatted a little more and ordered their third bottle of beer and then Robert saw a familiar face. He waited for the woman to look in his direction and then waved his hand. When the beautiful figure with dark hair and a charming look walked towards them, Michael was surprised that his friend was inviting a woman to their table. She was nobody he knew but he was sure it was no attempt at flirtation, as Robert was completely in love with a beautiful blonde and had no eyes for any other woman. Michael, on the other hand, had his eyes and his attention to that woman.

“Robert! I couldn't believe it when I saw it was you,” she said as she approached their table and greeted Robert with a kiss on both cheeks.

“Hi Kim, at first I was in doubt if it was really you,” he smiled and then looked at his friend.

“Michael, this is Kimberly, Liz's friend,” he introduced and then Michael's interest in the beautiful woman waned, after all, this was Elizabeth's best friend. Robert had already commented on her, and he knew it might not work any involvement with the best friend of his best friend's girlfriend.

“Hi, nice to meet you, Liz has told me about you,” she said as they shook hands.

“I hope only good things,” he deadpanned and the three of them laughed.

“Liz is polite so I'm sure she didn't want to speak the truth,” Robert took the opportunity to tease his friend.

Kimberly laughed and then said, “It really was just good things.” Michael gave a shy smile.

“But have a seat and join us, Kim. Let's have a beer or whatever you want.”

“I will accept the invitation to sit down but the beer I'm afraid I can't,” she said as she sat down. “I stopped by just to wait for someone, who should be arriving soon,” she explained and Michael just wasn't disappointed because he had already decided not to hit on Elizabeth's friend.

“It's a shame, we're funny, at least I am funny,” he then joked and nudged Robert who grimaced and shook his head. “We would certainly be good company for you.”

“Surely you would, it's really a shame that I can't stay,” she said sincerely.

“If Liz were here I doubt she would let you leave,” Robert stated.

“I'm sure of that,” Kimberly laughed. “And I bet when she finds out that I bumbed into you here she'll ask a thousand questions about whether there were women around,” she joked, spilling her friend's jealous side. Robert just laughed quietly, knowing how jealous Elizabeth could be, he had already seen that back then at the park, when they weren't even an item yet.

“Rest assured, I'm keeping an eye on him. Robbie is behaving well,” Michael also joked and all Robert could do was laugh and shrug. These two really seemed to love teasing him and Elizabeth.

“I have no doubts, I always tell her how lucky she is.”

“I told her once that you were team Robert,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh, she's so mad about it,” she said, remembering when her friend told her what Robert said and Kimberly confirmed it only to see Elizabeth roll her eyes.

“So to be fair, I'm team Elizabeth,” Michael declared.

“You're a toady,” Robert teased his friend.

“She needs to know we're here,” Kimberly then said, an idea popping into her mind. “Robert!” She said excitedly. “Send her a picture of us,” she said with a smile on her face, knowing that her friend would be happy but also upset that she wasn't there with them.

“Great idea,” he said, taking his phone out of his pocket and preparing to take a selfie. As he was in the middle, Robert passed the phone to his friend who was on the edge of the table and could take the picture from a better angle, taking them all together. Kimberly moved closer to Robert and then the three of them smiled as Michael pressed the button.

“I think it looks great,” he then said, after seeing the photo.

“Let me see,” Kimberly asked and Robert showed her as soon as he took the phone from his friend. “It's really great. My gosh, Liz is going to be crazy,” she said with a smirk.

“I'm going to send it now, I just don't know if she'll answer.” Robert had not had contact with her since she arrived in Washington D.C, except for the message she sent him as soon as she landed. He called once but she didn't answer, he supposed she was in meetings or just hadn't seen his call, but he wouldn't lie, he was worried about not having news from her for the rest of the day. He hoped he could still talk to her tonight.

“She probably won't. I spoke to her this afternoon and she said she still hadn't settled anything about the exhibition and was going to have a meeting with the curator tonight. I imagine her frustration since she had planned to resolve everything in one day,” Kimberly said and Robert ended up having all information he needed about why she didn’t answer his call, apparently the trip wasn’t going as she wanted and he really would like to talk with her.

“It's a shame, I was going to suggest calling her and making a surprise but it could be that she's still in the meeting,” Michael commented.

“At least she'll be happy with the photo,” Robert said and Kimberly nodded.

They talked for a few more minutes, waiting for Elizabeth to see their photo and call Robert, but that didn't happen and Kimberly's company arrived, taking her away from the pleasant conversation they were having. For a moment she wished he didn't show up, so she could be talking to Robert and Michael for longer. She really would like to stay and have a drink with them.

“It was a pleasure to talk to you guys,” she said getting up to hug Robert. “And it was a pleasure to meet you, Michael,” and she hugged him too.

“Likewise, Kimberly,” he said, as they moved away. Then they said goodbye.

“Tell Liz she missed a great night,” she said to Robert, already walking away from the table and going to meet her date who was near the entrance, waiting for her. Robert laughed but he would be impolite and woudn't give her message to Elizabeth, now he knew that her day had probably been tiring, he wasn’t going to tease her, as he was sure she would have preferred to be with them than in Washington.

“I liked her, she's very friendly,” Michael commented when they went back to drinking.

“I know what you mean. Look there Mike, Kim is Liz's best friend and she is a very nice person,” he warned, already worried about his friend's advances, he knew Kimberly wasn’t a helpless girl but he didn't want any misunderstanding between the two of them since they were their best friends.

“Calm down, Robbie!” He raised his hands in defense. “I know very well when to be serious.” Michael knew what his friend was thinking. “Besides, it looks like someone's already interested,” he said and pointed to a woman who kept looking at him.

“Then get over there, before she loses interest in you,” Robert laughed.

“Are you going to be okay without me?” Michael was the one who asked Robert to go out and talk and he didn't want to leave him drinking alone.

“Go ahead, I'll finish this beer and if you don't go back until there, I'll leave. Relax man, I'll be fine. Now go there,” he encouraged, tapping his friend on the shoulder and then Michael nodded and stood up, walking over to the woman at the bar who apparently was interested in him. If the conversation was good, he would stay there with her, otherwise, he would go back to keep company with his friend and maybe he would leave with him.

Robert looked at his phone again but there was still no response from Elizabeth and neither had she seen the photo. He looked around, there were several people talking, drinking, kissing, some alone like him, but he could only think of a place he would like to be at that very moment, and it wasn't there. He had a great time with Michael and then with Kimberly joining them, but all he wanted was to be with her.

Elizabeth arrived in her hotel room, tired, after a whole day resolving details about the new exhibition she was going to hosted in her gallery and walking around her hometown, so all she wanted when she finally lay in her bed was a hot shower and then sleep. But first she needed to speak to Robert. She hadn't spoken to him since she arrived in the city that morning and was certain there was going to be a missed call or message from him. She sighed heavily, annoyed that she had left her bag on the sofa and unwillingly got up and went over to get her phone. Upon reaching the object, Elizabeth sat down to see what she had missed and she was right; there was a message from Robert from a few minutes ago, she probably didn't hear it because she was going back to her hotel.

Smiling, she opened the message and was surprised by what she saw.

“I do not believe it!!!” She said with an animation that she didn't feel until a few moments ago and ran back to the bed while calling him. Elizabeth settled down, leaning her back against the headboard as she waited for him to answer.

“How did this happen?” It was the first thing she asked as soon as her call was answered.

“Hi to you too,” Robert gently admonished and she smiled. She could hear a lot of noise on the other end of the call.

“Sorry, love.” It was a shame Elizabeth couldn't see the smile he gave when he heard her calling him that, he could probably light up the entire bar with that smile. “Hi, how are you?” She then asked and heard his laugh.

“Better now and you?”

“I'm fine, I just arrived at the hotel,” she said and sighed.

“It was a busy day I see.”

“Yeah, it was,” she commented. “But tell me, how did you guys meet?” She returned to the subject, curious as to how his photo with Michael and Kimberly had happened.

“Well, that was completely by chance. Michael and I decided hang out and Kim showed up at this same bar, so we had to take a picture and send it to you,” he explained briefly and could imagine Elizabeth's disappointed face that she isn't there.

“I can't believe they met and I wasn't there,” she was really disappointed. “And how it was? Did they like each other? Are they still there?” Elizabeth filled Robert with questions but it was hard to hear her since the noise around him was even louder.

“Wait a minute, I'll find a quieter place,” he said and she nodded as if he could see her.

Robert waved to Michael, letting him know he would be gone for a while, but his friend didn't pay much attention, he was too busy talking to the woman and Robert was sure he wouldn't mind if he left, in fact, that was what he was going to do, he was already thinking about it even before Elizabeth's call.

“There, much better,” he then said when he was out and now there was only the noise from the street.

“I was already asleep,” she teased and heard him laugh. “But then, tell me, how was it?”

“Sorry, Liz. I couldn't quite hear what you asked.”

“I want to know how they reacted when they met and if they're still there.”

“It was cool, it looks like they liked each other, but as kim would go out with someone we cound't talk for long, but that was really nice. So we took the picture because she said you would be crazy about it,” he laughed and Elizabeth rolled her eyes, her friend was right.

“It wasn't fair for you guys to meet without me,” she whined, playing with the edge of the pillow that was in her lap.

“It was nothing combined, Liz, as I said, it was by chance.”

“The meeting with Kim was by chance, but with Michael wasn’t. You waited for me to travel to have fun, don't you?” Elizabeth said in an accusing tone but had a smile on her face that Robert couldn't see.

“I didn't know I wasn't allowed to go out,” he teased.

“No you weren't, especially going to places you used to go to flirt. I really hope you behaved, Robert Parker.” Elizabeth could hear his laughter. “I'm serious,” she warned him but she was also laughing.

“Don't worry, I rejected all the women who offered me a drink,” he joked.

“Good boy. But I will ask Kim later.”

“Oh, she didn't stay that long to know, but you can ask, she'll just tell you how luck you are.”

“Hum, you're so conceited.” And she heard his laugh again, if she was ready to sleep, she wanted to fall asleep listening to that sound, it had only been a day and she was missing him.

“Just so you know, I'm already going home,” he warned. At the time he was talking to her he was waiting for a taxi and luckily it didn't take long for one to arrive.

“Are you driving?” she asked, frowning. “Robert, I was kidding, there is no problem with you being there with Michael,” Elizabeth was now worried, thinking he was leaving just because of what she said. Despite being jealous sometimes, she trusted him and would never stop him from going out with his friend.

“No, I'm in a taxi, don't worry. I was already thinking about leaving before you called me. Michael already had company for the night and I wasn't going to be sitting there alone, you know, up for grabs,” he joked again to let her know that everything was fine.

“Okay, so you did well, but I hope you had fun on your free night,” the two of them laughed.

“I did. It would have been better if you were here though, maybe Kim would have stayed and she and Mike would have known each other better.”

“I really wish I had been there,” she lamented. Elizabeth always wondered what a meeting between Michael and Kimberly would be like, the two of them had a similar personality, they loved to tease, were light-hearted people, so she wondered if they would get along, after all, as their best friends, they would inevitably meet. She just couldn't imagine not being around when it happened.

“Next time, honey. Now that they had met each other, we can plan to go out all together sometime soon,” Robert proposed, knowing she was still upset.

“I would really like that.”

“I know, but be prepared because those two together for a long time, jeez... they will embarrass us. You have no idea how they like that, Liz.”

She laughed out loud, because she could imagine that. “I have no doubt about that, but we can prepare to do the same.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” he agreed and they laughed again.

“But I’m very happy for you guys, it really seems that you had a lot of fun, and I loved the photo.”

“We wanted you to see it as soon as I sent it and then we would call you, too bad you only saw it later.”

“I only checked my phone now to call you. I didn't really hear the notification, I'm sorry.”

“No problem, we knew you were probably busy. Kim commented that you would be meeting some people at night. Speaking of which, how was your day?” Robert was now really interested to know about her day.

“Tiring, a really tiring day,” she sighed and sank deeper into the pillows. “I thought everything would be settled by now but the curator had some problems and we couldn't meet at the scheduled time so I had to wait. I took the opportunity to visit some museums I hadn't been to in years.”

“It was a long day then. Does it mean you didn't settle everything about the exhibition yet?”

<>“I didn't. We still have another meeting tomorrow and again at night,” she said in dismay, not because of the meeting itself but because she imagined she would be home the next night; which now wouldn't be the case.

“So will you stay there one more day?” Robert asked, pouting and hoped the driver wouldn't see in the rearview mirror.

“I'm afraid I will,” she sighed and he could feel that she wished she could go home soon. “I could take a flight at night but since I have to spend another day in the city, I prefer to take it in the morning.” Now she heard him sigh. “It means you're going to have another free night,” she teased.

“I don't want another free night. I want you,” he stated and Elizabeth felt her heart beat faster, it was so good to know he missed her too. “But as you will have another tiring day, it is better to spend the night in the hotel and rest. Too bad I'm not there to give you a foot massage.”

“Don't remind me of that, Robert, it was all I wanted right now,” she said and touched one of her aching feet. She would really like it now, she regretted wearing heels and spending the whole day walking around. A massage was all she needed.

“But maybe the hotel has a massage service, someone with big hands,” she then teased him.

“If that big-handed is a man, don't even think about it, I don't want anyone touching what is mine,” Robert played along her.

“I didn't know my feet were yours.”

“You know very well that I'm not just talking about the feet.”

“Robert, are you still in the taxi?” She asked suddenly.

“I am, it will take a few minutes to get home,” he replied, looking out the window, seeing the bustling city even though night.

“And is the taxi driver listening to our conversation?” She asked and Robert looked at the man in front of his and was sure he was paying attention to the conversation.

“Probably. Why?”

“Um, nothing, but if you were at home we could go on talking about what's yours,” she teased. She was really excited to talk to him and she could take this to something more intimate, something they had never tried over the phone, but her tiredness and the fact that someone was listening to them, prevented her from doing so.

“Well, huh," he cleared his throat. “I don't think I will be long,” he said, knowing what her intention was.

“I could wait and take a shower thinking about... you ...” She was opening a button on her blouse.

“Liz!” He interrupted her. Elizabeth was really making him uncomfortable and he shifted in the backseat, he wished he were already at home.

“But I'm really tired and after the shower I just want to sleep,” she added.

“It's not fair to start something and not finish it, Liz.”

“I didn't start anything, what do you think I was doing?” She said innocently.

“You know very well what you did,” he said and she gave a naughty grin.

“You were the one who started talking about massage.”

“I talked only about feet, you who started to tease.”

“What did I say to provoke you?”

“Do you really want me to say?”

“I don’t, if we are going to do that I prefer not to have an audience.” The sexual tension was then broken and the two laughed.

“Maybe tomorrow, if you're not tired.” Robert hadn't thought about phone sex because they were only apart for a day but since she tossed the ideia around he was really thinking about it now. He couldn't even remember the last time he did it but he wouldn't be against of trying it out with Elizabeth, if she wanted to.

“Liz? Still there?” He asked after she was silent.

“Yes I’am, I was just thinking,” she replied. Elizabeth had got up from the bed and went to the bathroom, she put the phone on speaker, place it on the counter and was taking off her clothes to go take a shower, but she wouldn't comment on it with him or he would say she was teasing him.

“About what?”

“You better not know,” she giggled.

“You know how to drive me crazy,” he said and noticed the taxi driver's look in the rearview mirror. Robert wondered if he noticed the type of conversation he was having. He didn't care much as taxi drivers was used to see and hear everything, but he knew Elizabeth did.

“Robert, now you're the one who is silent,” she said, already undressed and smiling at the cell phone as if she were looking at him.

“I was just thinking,” he parroted her earlier words.

“Thinking of me, I hope.”

“Always,” he guaranteed, and her lips curved into a shy smile. “Okay, I'm going to let you go now.”

“If I weren't really tired I would keep talking to you.” Elizabeth now regretted she hadn't called him after she had showered, so they could talk until she fell asleep, which she had no doubt would be soon and he would end up talking alone.

“We will talk more tomorrow, now go to rest, honey.”

“Good night, Robert.”

“Good night, Liz, sleep well,” he said and then after a hesitation, they hung up. He looked out of the window as they passed the streets of his beloved NYC and kept thinking about her miles away from him. Even though they had been apart only one day, Robert couldn't wait to be with her again.

Elizabeth looked at the phone screen for a while, then looked at herself in the mirror and smiled mischievously. Before taking her shower she would tease Robert some more. Picking up her phone, she positioned it in front of her to take a selfie, she wouldn't reveal much, just show her face, her bare shoulders and a little bit of her breasts, leaving the rest to Robert's imagination. She made sure to show the bathroom in the background so he would know exactly where she was and what she would do next.

Satisfied that she took the perfect photo, she started typing a message with a cheeky smile on her face, she knew the effect it would probably have on him. Sending the message, she turned the shower on, then tied her hair in a high bun, and finally let the warm water run down her tired body.

Robert heard on beep and picked up his phone immediately, something told him that this was Elizabeth and he was right. When he opened the message, he gasped as he saw the photo.

“Holy shit!” He said it louder than he should and got a look from the taxi driver, but he only had eyes for the photo on his screen. He couldn't see it in the picture but he knew she was completely naked and it turned him and he wished he were already at home. She really knew how to drive him crazy, he thought.

The following night in Washington DC, the meeting with Mr. Wilson had been agreeable and finally they managed to get all the details right for the NYC exhibition. Elizabeth was pleased that everything was going as expected and was now eager to begin preparations for hosting the event in her gallery. She was also relieved to be able to return to her hotel, she had been out since morning and was really exhausted, and now with everything settled up she could finally relax on her last night in Washington, tomorrow her flight would leave at 10 a.m, taking her back home. Despite being born and living her childhood in that city and having so many memories of her parents, NYC has long since become her home and she was always eager to return when she was anywhere else.

“I'm glad we got it right, Miss. Mackenzie. I hope you have enjoyed the city while waiting for our meeting,” he gave an apologetic smile, it wasn't his intention to delay this, making her have to stay one more day in the city, but as curator of a museum, sometimes unexpected things happened.

“Yes, I did,” she said without giving much details, on another occasion she would have liked to talk to him about her visits to the city's museums, but she was tired and just wanted to leave.

“Well, I'm not going to keep you anymore,” he said playfully. “I'm sure you still have plans for tonight.”

“Actually my only plan is to go back to the hotel,” she gave a small smile. “My flight leaves early tomorrow,” she said sympathetically and he nodded. “I look forward to going back and starting the exhibition preparations,” Elizabeth then smiled excitedly.

“I'm looking forward to it too, I know it will be a success,” he said, already standing up to end their meeting.

“Well, Miss. Mackenzie was a pleasure to meet with you again, I wish you a safe flight to New York and see you there in two months,” he said excitedly, extending his hand to say goodbye.

“Likewise, Mr. Wilson, have a good night and until then,” they shook hands and then he left her alone in the museum hall. Despite wanting to leave too, Elizabeth sat down again and pulled out her phone from her purse to check her messages.

She was distracted and didn't notice someone was approaching.

“Can I seat here?” Said the man who was standing in front of her. Elizabeth took her eyes off her phone and looked up at him, but he didn't wait for her to answer and sat in the same place that her company was sitting moments ago. She didn't bother to say anything either and looked back at the phone, she would left soon, so she wasn't bothered by the stranger's approach.

“Waiting for someone else?” He then finally said and by his accent she could tell he wasn't from the city. Looking at him, more closely now, she could tell that maybe he wasn't even an American. He was a dark-haired bearded man, very good-looking and appeared to be in his 50s. He probably was a tourist and wanted some kind of information. This happened a lot in her time working in museums.

“No, I was about to leave actually,” she said.

“Oh what a shame, I would really like to talk to you,” he said, giving an charming smile.

“Would you like any information?” She asked straight up.

“No, no. I know this place well, I don't need any information,” he replied and she nodded. Elizabeth found him a little arrogant. Since he didn't want any information, she was ready to leave and end the conversation, she didn't know what he would like to talk to her about and wasn't even willing to find out.

When he noticed she was picking up her bag to get up, the man went straight to the point. “I would like to know if you would agree to have dinner with me,” he said in a tone she was sure he thought was flirtatious.

“Excuse me?” She stopped her movements, caught off guard by the audacious invitation.

“We could go out and get to know each other. I have been noticing you since I arrived and when you were left alone I thought it was my chance.”

This alerted Elizabeth, knowing he had been looking at her all along was something that really bothered her and she now wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He was wrong if he was thinking she could be his conquest of the night.

“Sorry, but I need to go,” she said getting up. He noticed her annoyance and stood up too. He was willing to change her mind.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be inconvenient. But I saw you sitting here alone and I thought I could-” she cut him off.

“Just because you saw a woman alone does it mean you should come and invite her to dinner?” Elizabeth asked, extremely annoyed. Even if it wasn't his intention or he just expressed himself badly, it really pissed her off, after all, she wasn't in a place where flirting would be expected and neither did she show any attention to him.

“If this woman doesn't have a ring on her finger, I don't see any problem in asking her out,” he replied and the smile he had on his face gave her the certainty of what his intention was. If only she could wipe that smile off his face.

“So if I had a ring on my finger, you would respect it and not approach, is that it?” She asked and he nodded.

“It's unbelievable,” Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, how she got into this situation she didn't know, her night had really gone well until her space had been invaded. She was fuming now.

“Are you engaged then?” He asked interested and her icy gaze pierced him. She wouldn't confirm it because then he would apologize for his mistake just because she was committed to someone.

“This is beside the point,” she said curtly. “You should learn that it doesn't matter a woman is by herself, it doesn't give you the right to assume that she is available, and a ring on her finger doesn't make her the property of anyone. You must respect her regardless of the situation and unless the woman shows any sign that this is ok, please don't do what you did,” Elizabeth finished and by the look on the man's face he wished he had never talked to her. He seemed to regret what he did or it was just his pride that was hurt but at least he let her finish speaking and had the decency not to refute what she said, he just nodded.

Elizabeth, however, didn't give him a chance to say anything more. She just took her bag and left. She had had enough and didn't want to hear anything from him. She was enraged and just wanted to get out of there. She knew he kept looking at her but she didn't look back.

Elizabeth had already calmed down when she arrived at her hotel room. She considered calling the room service to order something to eat but the unpleasant conversation had taken away her appetite. She was going to prepare a bath and try to relax before going to bed.

She emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, wearing her comfortable pajamas and drying her hair with a towel, she took out her phone and sat on the bed. She wanted to talk to Robert before going to sleep. Elizabeth wouldn't comment on what happened, it would only make Robert angry as she was. The best thing was to have a pleasant conversation with him and forget about the unfortunate encounter that happened earlier.

Robert answered on the first ring. Maybe he was already waiting for her, Elizabeth thought, smiling.

“Hello, who's this?” he joked.

“Someone you must be missing a lot,” she said and heard his laugh. “Were you waiting for me?” She asked, still smiling. Elizabeth had put him on speakerphone while she finished drying her hair.

“Maybe,” he teased. “So, how was your day? Is everything settled?” He asked interested, they hadn't talked again during the day and he wanted to know if everything went well and if she would be back the next day.

“Yep, it is. We just had a meeting, the exhibition will be in two months. And tomorrow I'm back,” she warned and didn't even need to see him to know he was smiling; a big and beatiful smile.

“I'm glad it went well. But you didn't tell me how your day went,” Robert insisted, he could hear the tiredness in her voice, the same as the night before.

Sighing, Elizabeth set the towel aside, took the phone off the speaker and leaned against the headboard. “It was another tiring day, I ended up going to places I didn't go yesterday. I had a lot of free time before the meeting with Mr. Wilson and I didn't want to stay at the hotel all day, so I strolled around the city. Which I regret very much now, because I'm extremely exhausted,” she chuckled. "I just want to sleep.”

“You really enjoyed the city huh.”

“I did, I remembered several places when I lived here, special places I went with my mom...” Elizabeth paused and sighed deeply.

“And was that a good thing?” He asked hesitantly. He felt that this trip to the city where she lived brought back several memories of her childhood and youth with her parents. It was probably like that every time she visited the city, he thought.

“Yes, it was, it doesn't hurt like it used to do when I came here, now it's just nostalgia, you know,” Elizabeth replied and Robert just nodded as if she could see him and she continued, “Yesterday I went to a place that I used to go with my mom and I remembered a conversation I had with her and it made me realize that I made the right choices,” she finished.

“Am I part of those right choices?” He joked. But he was happy that she was now so open and told him things about her past without hesitation.

“Of course you do,” Elizabeth smiled.

“Good.” A silence then stretched for a few seconds until Robert heard a yawn on the other end of the phone, “I'm going to let you sleep now, honey.”

“No, Robert, I don't want to hang up now.”

“You said you wanted to sleep, you had a tiring day and tomorrow you have an early flight. I mean, it's in the morning, isn't it?” He asked, frowning.

“It is, but it isn't necessary for me to wake up too early. And I want to talk more, in fact what I would like is you here to massage my feet,” Elizabeth joked.

“Just for that?” Robert teased.

“For other things too,” she said with a mischievous smile on her face. “I wish I wasn't so tired so we could do what we agreed on yesterday,” she then said slyly.

“What are you talking about?” He asked but he knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Robert! You know, we said we were going to try ... you know.”

“Oh, that, I wasn't even remembering that,” he said nonchalantly.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as if he could see her questioning him. “Seriously, do you answer me on the first ring and are you telling me you weren't thinking about it?” She teased him and he laughed.

“Really, Liz, I was expecting your call but I wasn't necessarily thinking about it,” he said honestly.

“Hmm, I really wanted to do that, too bad I'm not in the mood right now. But another time we should try it.”

“Yeah, we should, but I'm looking forward to being able to do it in person tomorrow,” he said and it sent a shiver down her spine. “And of course, give you a foot massage, because I keep my promises.”

“Hey!”

“Just kidding, kidding.”

“I just don't hang up now because I want to hear your voice until I fall asleep.”

“You are saying my voice makes you sleepy?” Robert joked, he loved making her laugh even though he couldn't see her face.

“It was in a good way, I swear.”

“I hope so, otherwise I better to find someone who really appreciates my voice,” he teased.

“You sound so funny today,” she said but she was loving it, she knew that talking to him would cheer her up.

“And I know you love it.”

“It may be ...” she joked and then she was silent for a few seconds.

“Wait a minute,” she said again and then suddenly hung up. Elizabeth wanted to hear his voice but more than that, she wanted to see his face.

She then got up to pull the covers off the bed, turned off the bedside light, leaving the room with only the moonlight that would be enough for him to see her face. She lay on her side of the bed and rested her phone on the pillow on which it would be the place where Robert would be lying, if he had been there with her.

Elizabeth made a video call and soon his face appeared on her phone screen.

“Hi,” she said with a sweet smile on her face. She could see that he was also in bed.

“Hey, beautiful,” Robert said, even in the dark, he could see her face perfectly. Her beautiful face.

“Now you can talk to me until I fall asleep, which I think won't be long,” she giggled.

“Do you want me to tell a story or sing a lullaby?” He joked and it made Elizabeth burst out laughing. That was the most beautiful sound he could hear that night.

“It's not necessary, thank you, but I liked the idea,” she was still laughing. “Just tell me about your day,” she said, curled up on the bed, hugging the pillow as if it were Robert.

“I don't think that some meetings with clients are interesting to hear. It’s going to sound really boring.”

“I don't mind, I miss you and I just want to hear you.” Elizabeth didn't want to look clingy and needy, she was never like that with any other partner, but she was really missing him. It was like she only could sleep well if he was with her. Maybe she was like that because of her daughter’s absence and became so attached to him, or, it was because she had found the love of her life and that was what it felt like when you are really in love.

She was about to fall asleep but she really wanted to know what his day had been like, it didn't matter if nothing interesting had happened in the office, he himself was interesting and she loved watching him talk, he was always exciting.

“Missing you too, babe. I wanted to be there with you,” Robert said and she took a long breath. The two of them didn't say anything for a while, they just kept looking at each other, studying each other's faces through that small screen that, at least at that moment, kept them close to each other.

“Now tell me in detail, so I can picture everything as you speak,” she then said in a sleepy voice. He knew he wouldn't even make it to his lunch time and she was probably already asleep.

Robert then started to tell about his day. Elizabeth sometimes nodded, even though it was so subtle that he could barely notice. She was really paying attention to what he was saying but soon he started to sound distant and she fell asleep serenely to the sound of his voice.

Noticing that she was already asleep, he stopped talking and kept looking at her for a few moments. She was so beautiful, he thought. He was really missing her, and he couldn't wait to have her there, sleeping beside him and not having to see her through his phone screen. He wondered how he could love someone so much in such a short time and feel as if he had known her all his life. Robert smiled at the thought because it had been that way since the day he met her. He knew it was her from day one.

He sighed. No matter that she had only been traveling for two days, he missed her. They weren't dependent on each other but Robert could no longer imagine his life without Elizabeth.

Robert could spend the whole night watching her sleep, but he also needed his night's sleep. Tomorrow she would be there and he couldn’t only see her but also touch her and kiss her. Touching his finger on the phone screen, he wished her good night; even though she no longer could hear him and then finally ended the video call.

Putting his phone on the nightstand, he turned off the light and took the pillow that smelled like her and waited for sleep to take him to her. Robert had no doubt that he would dream of Elizabeth that night, as well as so many others.

#i don't know if anyone here reads this story but i will keep posting here whenever i post a new chapter on ao3 #fanfic #crossed lives #crossed lives fic #parkenzie

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unholyhelbig · 4 years

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Part Two of the lifeguard/ blood moon thing? I like that universe

Read on Ao3 | Send me more Legacies Prompts!

Title: Uncharted Waters [P2]

Ship: Hope Mikaelson/ Lizzie Saltzman

(Read Part one here)

Electronic music hissed and pounded, the windows of the small house shaking with the tempo. Lizzie couldn’t bring herself to exit the car. Not with the group of people crowded on the front step, taking easy gulps of whatever cheap alcohol filled red plastic cups. With each wary glance towards the Chevy, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

Josie reached across her in a fluid motion, turning the key until the engine didn’t purr anymore. “People wouldn’t be staring if you turned off your headlights.”

“They’re staring because I almost let a kid drown.”

Lizzie kept her eyes forward. She was sure that she had the license plate of the car parked in front of them memorized. WTV-2869. It was an obnoxious shade of yellow that had once been white- Virginia is for Lovers, it read, but she wasn’t feeling any of it.

Kaleb was accustomed to throwing the end of the summer parties filled with alcohol and at least three bad decisions. It was a celebration of a good season and a flaunt of money that each of them had struggled to save up over the past three and a half months of being crammed in hot plastic chairs and mopping up fluids no one wanted to identify, not fully.

“That was almost a week ago, Lizzie.” Josie’s voice was tender and her fingers traced the seatbelt across her chest. She wanted to unclip it and pad up the front steps until she ran into the other girls that worked at the snack shack. All of them smelled like fried dough and artificial cheese but Lizzie never mentioned it. “I’m not saying you should get over it, it’s scary, I know. But no one else is holding it against you.”

Lizzie scrunched up her nose “Hope Mikaelson is, even though I apologized and thanked her for saving my ass.”

She finally conceded after a pointed glare from her twin, because yes, she had been talking about it non-stop for the past couple of days. Lizzie couldn’t shake the odd feeling she got when they walked past each other at the park or ended up being the last two in the locker room again.

The auburn-haired girl had switched all of her shifts to early mornings and refused to make eye contact. Lizzie had the deep and running feeling that Hope Mikaelson was avoiding her like the black death- and the only explanation she could conjure up was a fit of running anger from her own lack of awareness when manning the wave pool.

Both girls exited the powder blue car and breathed in the last summer breeze the season had to offer. There was a hint of autumn in the air that made her want to fold into herself with a good book. The grass vibrated with the sound of the latest pop song, neon lights flashing against the dirty windows. Kaleb knew how to throw a party, and a small part of her admitted that.

Lizzie stopped short of the drive and blinked up at the blanket of stars. The moon, she had noticed, was finally at its full peak. It shone bright like a crimson ornament in the sky, hung expertly on the best branch.

“It’s kind of cool isn’t it?” Josie smiled softly, craning her neck “And spooky.”

Lizzie tore her gaze away and growled “I wish people would stop saying that. Come on, if I absolutely have to be here, I can’t do it sober.”

And maybe Josie was right; she didn’t’ feel the looming eyes of her coworkers prosecuting her for her mistakes. No one even dared a glance at the two of them, not right away. MG stood against the mantel with his own cup of mystery liquor, and he gave a slight dazzling wave.

The pungent scent of weed leaked from the upstairs floor and greasy pizza littered the granite countertops in the kitchen. A few lifeguards loitered by the fridge, laughing quietly about the Polaroid’s tacked up with alphabet magnets.

Lizzie wandered over to one of the counters and fished through the ice bucket filled with alcoholic lemonade and bud light. She opted for the off-silver can, pushing off the extra ice and water. She was content with a slight buzz and staying to herself in the corner, Josie rushed off once she found her usual shift leaders crowded around a table converted for beer pong.

Jed was lingering at the edge of his pack of friends, hand wrapped around a glass bottle and eyes flashing towards her every once and a while. Lizzie pretended not to notice and instead started to scroll through her camera roll like it was something more engaging, setting the nearly empty can on the counter.

“Hi Liz,” He had moved closer, smelling of aftershave and sweat and whatever masculine scent his car had adopted. “I didn’t think you would show.”

Lizzie snapped her gaze up and shoved her phone in her pocket. “And why wouldn’t I?”

“You nearly let a kid die?” Kelsey had pushed herself close to the island in the middle of the kitchen, running a hand through dirty blonde hair that threatened to be greasy. She lifted the oil-stained lid of a pizza box before frowning and letting it fall back down. “I’m sure a party beats a jail cell.”

“Oh well, it’s never too late.”

She shoved herself from the counter, fully intent on joining MG next to the fireplace. Even if she did just stand there and listen to his off-handed conversation about who would best win in a fight between Superman and the Green Lantern. Jed took a step to block her path, giving a wolfish grin.

“Okay, Jockstrap, maybe you should get out of my way.” She knew her voice had gotten darker with the amount of patience she had left. People had never classified her as friendly, especially when she had a saint for a sister, but she had adopted the persona of intimidating.

Kelsey laughed, taking a long gulp of her own drink, “Sweetheart, we just want to know how on earth you even passed your entrance exam?”

Lizzie felt her nails dig into the palm of her hand because she knew she was a damn good lifeguard. She was human and she made mistakes, never had it been one that dire before and her mind was still grasping at that. She had studied for weeks and passed with flying colors- but she wasn’t about to give Jed or his little lackey the satisfaction of her fighting back.

“Leave the girl alone.”

Both lifeguards tore their predatory gazes away from Lizzie and situated them on the entrance of the kitchen; Hope Mikaelson seemed to stumble upon them, once again saving the day. Lizzie felt her blood boil because she had it handled. Much unlike the situation at the wave pool.

“Hope?” Jed had taken a half-step back “I didn’t’ think you were going to come tonight.”

“Funny, I was under the same impression.”

Kelsey swallowed loudly and lifted her chin in defeat, maybe even acknowledgment before the two of them stalked off and out of the kitchen entirely. Hope’s eyes were dark, darker than she had ever seen them before. Darker than that night in the locker room. She let out a sigh that was deep enough to echo a growl.

“I didn’t need your help.” Lizzie protested.

“Oh really? It seemed like you did. Jed and Kelsey would have eaten you alive, trust me.”

Hope turned away at once and left the kitchen through the hallway entrance. A small passage lined with photos of Kaleb’s family, one on the beach and two graduation shot’s. Lizzie pretended to ignore the fact that there was none of him. She followed her quickly.

“You can’t keep doing that.”

“Doing what?” Hope asked innocently.

“Swooping in like I’m some damsel in distress and you’re the hero that saves me from certain doom. I’ve got it covered, okay?” Lizzie reached forward and grasped at Hope’s wrist, trying to stop her halfway through the corridor.

Her back was suddenly against the drywall, the picture frames shaking at the strong impact. Though she had a few inches on Hope Mikaelson, she felt her heart rate spike. The other lifeguard had her pinned, a hand splayed next to her head and a dangerous hint in her stare.

“Don’t touch me, Saltzman. Not tonight.”

Lizzie gulped in the scent of vanilla and something metallic that she couldn’t’ place. Her voice came out a slight whisper and Hope’s impossible gaze flicked down to her lips. “What’s so different about tonight?”

“Coming here was a mistake.”

Hope tore herself away from the situation and pushed towards the front door. Through a group of people too stubborn to move. Lizzie blinked twice and tried to clear her head of the intoxicating allure that she had never registered before. She followed her again, instant relief washing over her once she was away from the stuffy house.

Anger still bubbled like an unchecked stew. What Hope had just done was shockingly intimate and her skin tingled where her hands had all but lingered. She glanced up at the moon sparingly and padded onto the walk where she searched either direction, but no Hope.

A thicket of woods surrounded the back of Kaleb’s house and for some pulling reason, Lizzie decided to brave it. The neon light of her cellphone was enough to make up for what the Blood Moon didn’t- and really, it wasn’t so hard to move along the wet trees and the subtle sounds of crickets.

“Hope!” she called out, breaking the near silence.

Lizzie shouted out a few more times before she stumbled into a clearing surrounded by stars. The stretching grass reached her knees and swayed like a crimson ocean in the scattered light. A deep pit formed in the center of the blonde's stomach; because maybe this was a terrible idea. The hairs on her arms stood up at attention. She didn’t feel alone.

She scanned her eyes against the tree line as the wind picked up until they landed on a set of eyes. Too low to the ground to be human, glowing like the moon above as they bored into her. She had read somewhere that in the face of an animal you had to make yourself look bigger but all she wanted to do was shrink.

Lizzie was rooted in her spot, helpless as the creature slowly stalked from its home in the shadows. Large and black and bigger than any type of dog that she had spotted before. Its eyes were a dark red and a deep growl erupted from the wolf’s chest. Lizzie felt like her own was on fire.

Another, smaller wolf, that was spotted in gold followed, its stance strong and offensive. Now would be a good time for her to run, or to cry, she wasn’t sure which instinct would latch onto her first but with the way her eyes felt heavy she considered it was the latter.

“Good doggie,” Lizzie held her palms out and lowered them because she saw it in a Chris Pratt movie about dinosaurs once. But the animals kept approaching and her legs felt like Jell-O. “Nice doggie.”

The larger one snarled and crouched lower to the ground. Its tail tucked and nose crinkled, and suddenly it was increasing its speed. Lizzie dropped to her knees and clenched her eyes shut, and she waited for impact.

For the warmth of blood and the sound of her own screams. The thought of News Vans and police officers and yellow caution tape flashed in front of her instead of some poetic movie of the good parts of her life. Maybe they wouldn’t even find her body because it would be picked clean to the bone.

Instead, she breathed deep on the scent of soil as she felt it work its way under her nails. There was another noise, one that was louder than her own heart. A yelp of fear low enough to only come from the animal lunging at her.

She propped one eye open and saw the black wolf on its back, hissing out in what could only be described as palpable fear. The yellow one had its tail tucked and eyes averted, golden and flashing in the light of the moon.

Lizzie dug her heels into the dirt of the clearing and pushed herself back a couple of inches, propping up on her elbows. Another wolf, smaller than the black one and so gray it was almost white like snow, emitted a loud and commanding rumble.

She felt her hands dig right into the roots of the grass as if she gripped it for stability. The black wolf rose from its position and let out a huff of air before dashing back into the cover of the trees. Inky and all too consuming.

The newcomer sent out another warning growl before the second animal scampered away entirely. But Lizzie could still feel the fear in the air like electricity as the white wolf shot an accusing glare at her, leaking with the annoyance of something larger.

The hair on the wolf’s back suddenly smoothed out and its ears were flat, head dipping and brilliant golden eyes shrouded with worry.

Lizzie conjured her words “I’m okay. Thank you.”

She sat and stared at the creature for a long moment, feeling the sting where her palms had scraped against rocks and dirt. It cocked it’s large head to the side as if questioning her, and took a daring step forward.

“You’re not so scary, huh?” She leaned up a little bit and the wolf let out a huff of air as if to protest the statement. “Oh? And you can understand me too.”

Maybe this was a fever dream, she realized suddenly. She had fallen in the woods looking for Hope and had hit her head on a log or a rock. Someone would come looking for her eventually and she would wake up in a hospital bed with enough ammunition to get even with Hope Mikaelson for saving that kid.

“Lizzie!” The call of her sister broke the world that they were in and the wolf took a few ample steps back. Those brilliant marigold orbs scanning the tree line.

“Wait, don’t-“

But the wolf had already caught wind of the scent and was rushing in the opposite direction of the way it carried. Fluid and so strong in its motions that Lizzie was entirely sure that none of this could be real.

Her sister, covered in muck and dirt, sprouted through the trees, nearly falling over herself. Lizzie felt bad for the worry on her face and the pure fear that soon followed. “MG said he saw you run out of the house and go into the woods- what are you doing out here?”

“I needed some fresh air.” She didn’t even buy that.

“Then why are you on the ground?”

“Looking at the moon, you’re right. It is kind of cool.”

Josie suddenly got a pensive look on her face as she squinted at the apple-red color in the sky. She shook her head and reached a hand down to her sister, not minding the dirt or the possible blood that coated her own palm. She pulled her to her feet and glanced around apprehensively.

“Come on, it’s creepy out here and I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

Lizzie didn’t’ answer, instead, she followed Josie and hoped that the shorter of the two knew where she was going. But her nerves eased as the electronic sound of the party's music started to fill her ears once more. She couldn’t help but agree;

This was too much excitement for one night.

#hope mikaelson #lizzie saltzman #lizzie x hope #hizzie #Hizzie fanfic #Legacies #legacies fanfic #legacies fanfiction

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rosie-janeposie · 4 years

Text

Gold Charms Part 2

Chapter 2: Green with Envy

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24974863/chapters/60500830#workskin Summary:

Andre watched Ellie unscrew the top of the green bottle. Murphy’s hand was resting gently on her knee. This little exchange was either missed or ignored by everyone but Andre. He honestly was jealous of how detached the two could be from the world when they wanted. Perhaps he was naive, or he was shallow, but he just wished to have a boy look at him like Murphy looked at Ellie.

Notes:

Hello, my Lovelies!

Two uploads in one day. I wish I could say I am skilled, but, I had this chapter done before "Simple Charm." Actually this was my first idea for Gold Charms: Two-shot, it just didn't have quite the same light-hearted feel I like for Murphy and Ellie. But, I couldn't scrap this chapter because I honestly loved it very much.

Hopefully, you guys will appreciate it as well!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts Mystery Characters.

I do however own Ellie Bennett (So Yay Me!)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andre blinked, “You want me to watch out for Charlie?”

“That’s not what I meant at all,” McNully noted as he held out his wand hand. Andre noted McNully had his left pinky finger painted a soft baby blue, while his index was shiny silver.

In fact, Andre could remember a time when McNully had his whole right hand-painted gold. I seemed nowadays McNully would always have at least one to two nails painted with odd colors. It was certainly an interesting fashion choice, Andre noted, but he didn’t want to embarrass his friend either.

Andre sighed, shaking his head. He had not been following his friend’s train of thought as close as he thought. “What do you mean then?”

McNully quirked an eyebrow. He paused briefly “There is a 68.9% percent chance that Charlie Weasley is the one to watch when it comes to Seekers here at Hogwarts.” The hands started to go. Andre let his eyes follow their movements; the colors were slightly distracting, “You know-” The entryway to the common room opened as four Ravenclaw girls came walking into the circular room. McNully’s words died. They were snickering amongst themselves. Andre wished he could have taken a photo at the soft look that crossed the Commentator’s face as he whipped his head around to look at a bespectacled redhead. McNully’s girlfriend, Ellie.

The redhead was smiling as she tried to reach over and jokingly push a girl with evidently singed two-toned hair, “Skye, you’re terrible!”

“Listen, all I am sayin’ is he is barkin’ up the wrong tree with Haywood,” Skye noted as she took a seat next to Andre on the couch. She carelessly discarding her bookbag on the floor in front of the sofa.

A dark-hair girl, Rowan, smiled as she flipped a strand of hair over a shoulder, “Yes, well, I think Ben’s crush is cute.”

Another redhead chirped in pulling over a stuffed armchair to make an impromptu circle, “If we were first or second years maybe…” She sat in the blue chair, Tossing her feet over the side of the armchair, “Now, I kinda feel bad that he is unable to read the context clues. Bennett, what’d you think?”

The first redhead merely shrugged, “Ben’s Ben, I don’t think he’ll actually ask her. He had a harmless crush on Rowan,” ignoring the outburst from Rowan, “Then he had a harmless crush on Liz. Just leave him be.” The redhead stopped behind the blond, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she leaned over the back of the couch, “Hey, you.”

McNully leaned back into the cushions to give her a small peck on the lips, “Hey yourself.”

Andre smiled at the pair in front of him. It was a relief to everyone in the Ravenclaw common room when the news of the two became official. At least until their friend groups became subject to candy moments like this. The Seeker grabbed the pillow, in-between him and Skye, tossing it at the pair, “I have virgin eyes!”

“Virgin eyes that have a thing for Orion,” Rowan muttered. Andre stood up, “No!” Her eyes widened as she tried to place space between them. “No!” She tried to dodge him in between the couches and the coffee table that they were sitting around.

Tulip pulled her legs up to her chest avoid getting stepped on, “Why can’t we all just get along…” she jokingly whined.

“No!” Rowan squealed as Andre managed to grab her cloak. Their friends broke into laughter as Andre pulled Rowan onto the couch. He had her pinned so she wasn’t able to move as he started to pinch her cheeks. “HEY!”

Andre was laughing as he continued to pinch her cheeks, “Sorry, I just want you to have effortless rosy cheeks.”

“STOOOOP!” Rowan whined she has attempted to push Andre off her. “I don’t want your fashion advice!”

“Never!” Andre joked, keeping her pinned to the couch, but his assault on her cheeks stopped. Their laughter filled the common room, earning some dirty looks from fellow Ravenclaws.

Ellie giggle as she stole another peck from Murphy, “I’ll be back.” her hands slid up his chest and off his shoulders.

McNully smiled before he turned his head to the wrestling pair on the third couch, “Orion, huh?

Andre sat up, letting Rowan pull herself out from where Andre had pinned her. “You.” The Seeker pointed at the Commentator, “And you!” He turned the Ravenclaw Chaser, “Will say or know nothing.”

“Aw, someone’s shy!” Tulip piped in as she smirked.

“More like embarrassed,” Skye snickered, ignoring the glare Andre was sending their way.

The evil redhead snickered, “How cute!” Andre blushed with embarrassment and turned to look away and cross his arms. “Andre…” Tulip let her snickering stop. “I didn’t mean to push it too far…”

“It’s fine.” Andre huffed, “I highly doubt Orion feels the same.” He stated as he sat back into the cushions. His cheeks were flushed, was it that obvious that he was interested in the Ravenclaw Captain. Perhaps he was naive, or he was shallow, but he couldn’t resist the carefree smile that was always present on the other boy’s face. Andre would do anything to have that smile directed at him. “I can’t tell what he is thinking most of the time, you know…”

What part of the smile was because of Orion optimism, and what part was because of him?

“Orion is high most of the time,” Skye noted as she pulled her legs up and sat sideways. She had a hand under her head for support. “But Orion is not as ditsy as he pretends.”

Murphy readjusted his seat, “As much as I hate to admit it, Skye has a point.”

“Watch it, blondie.”

“What I mean is,” The blond continued, “If you talk with Orion, there is an 89.9% percent chance you will get your answer.”

Rowan stretched before looking at her best friend’s boyfriend, “You have a stat for that?”

“I have a stat for that…” Murphy replied plainly. Rowan’s raised her eyebrows before shrugging, who was she to argue.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stone stairs filled the common room. Soon Ellie reappeared, dressed in a simple ivy green sundress and a gray cardigan over top, her feet were bare, pattering against the stone floor as she made her way over to her group of friends. “Really?” Tulip piped up, “Bare feet on this floor?” Ellie’s small but handsome tuxedo cat. “Tell her, Binx! It’s all nasty, tell all the nasty stuff people bring in.” The redhead cooed at the small black cat. Binx let out a mew of neither agreement nor dismissal as he walked lazily around the circular room.

Ellie rolled her eyes as she took a seat next to Murphy. In her hand were two small colorful bottles. Andre noticed Murphy held his hand out to look at the colorful bottles that Ellie was holding, one was silver in color while the other look similar shade of green as her dress. Murphy moved his right arm to rest behind Ellie, he left hand moved the bottles, so the green bottle was visible, “This new?”

Ellie shook her head, “No. I’ve had it, just I’ve never used it.” Murphy shrugged. Ellie relaxed into Murphy’s side, “Anything exciting happen today?” She asked innocently, looking between Skye and Murphy.

“Potions was eventful as always.” Skye shrugged as she tried to hide the very evident burnt hair.

“I was wondering why you’re hair was burnt,” Rowan noted as she pushed herself further back on the couch. “Fire potion?”

“More like she tried to speed up her potion brewing. Skye has never been one for patience.” Murphy chuckled as he felt Ellie reach for his left hand.

Andre smirked as he looked at the Chaser, “If you decide to blow up the dungeon, can you make sure you get that awful tapestry.”

Skye quirked an eyebrow, “There’s a tapestry in the potions room?”

“Of course, Andre would know there was a tapestry in the potions room.” Tulip snorted, “Everyone else is avoiding Snape glaring at them, while Andre is stirring his potion glaring at the woven string.”

“That woven string makes the room even more unbearable.” Andre joked as he watched Ellie unscrew the top of the green bottle. Murphy’s hand was resting gently on her knee. The distinct scent of nail polish hit his nose.

Skye huffed, “Well, I heard you guys had an interesting Care For Magical Creatures class.”

Ellie adjusted her glasses, the brush still in her hand, “Well, any class with Barnaby and Charlie is interesting…” Ellie started, as she adjusted Murphy’s hand looking at his left fingers. Murphy merely watched with mild interest as she reached for his ring finger. “Their Firecrab, apparently, was ill.”

“I’ve never smelt as much sulfur as I did today.” Rowan mutter as she pinched her nose, “I was horrible.”

Ellie started to carefully paint Murphy’s ring finger, a ghastly muted green color. Her nose scrunched in disgust, “It wasn’t that bad.”

“You and Merula were off chasing a bowtruckle. You two didn’t have to smell it, “ Rowan whined.

Murphy leaned towards Ellie, not moving his hand, “Ah, you’re leaving me for Merula, I see how it is.” He gave her a fake pout as he jutted out his lips.

Ellie looked up and gave him a quick peck before she returned to her task at hand, “You are the only one who deals with my bullshit,” Ellie whispered. Pinching his finger as she attempted as she rolled Murphy’s finger removing any excess paint off the sides. She dipped the brush back into the nail polish and started possibly the second coat.

This little exchange was either missed or ignored by everyone but Andre. He honestly was jealous of how detached the two could be from the world when they wanted. Andre was surprised at the sudden weight rolled onto him, “It was horrible.” Rowan cried dramatically as she laid across the seeker’s lap.

“And you say I am dramatic,” Andre noted with a chuckle, it was like having a little sister he thought as he tried to push Rowan off. “Skye, help…”

Skye shook her head, examining her own fingernails, “Oh no… you are on your own.”

“Traitor.”

“Whiney.”

“Bitch.”

“Chicken shit.” Skye retorted with a smile on her face, “Just say the word, and I will be sure to help you get on our fair Captain’s radar?”

Murphy snorted as he looked across the way, “I wouldn’t trust her.” Skye’s protest was lost in his next comment, “There’s a 72.5% chance that she will screw up your chances.”

Skye shrugged, “Orion is hard to read…”

“Listen,” Murphy spoke, trying to play cool, “I can do some research and see if Orion is interested in anyone.”

Ellie let out a snort, “Yes, the blind leading the blind.” She uttered, smiling at her boyfriend before tapping his nose, “It will certainly be entertaining to watch.”

Murphy looked shocked, and playfully grabbed his chest with his dry hand, “You act as though I didn’t pick up on the signals.”

“I practically had to tell you ‘Ask me out, dumbass’.” She noted the smile on his face.

Murphy shrugged, “Still a signal…”

The group laughed, cause more Ravenclaws in the common room to glare. After a moment, Andre starting to feel the circulation in his legs go, “Damn your heavy…” Andre quipped, trying to push his dark-haired friend onto the floor.

Rowan shot up from Andre’s lap, her hand tossing the tail of his scarf over his face. “How rude…” Rowan had a mocked offended look on her, “And here I was feeling sorry for your love-life.”

“Coming from the one who doesn’t want a love-life…” Andre quipped g,ently tugging on Rowan’s dark hair.

“Children,” Ellie spoke up, examining the final product on McNully’s finger, “Fight nice…”

Rowan rolled her eyes with a smile, “but, Mom…”

Andre let out a laugh, “Mom, She started it!” imitating a child ratting on their sibling.

“If you can’t fight nice, then you can’t fight together…” Ellie started pretending to take up the maternal role, “Now, behave, or you won’t have dessert.”

Tulip stuck out her tongue to tease the pair across the way, “Ha-ha, you got in trouble by Mom…” The redhead joked as she tried to set her back against the chair. There was a brief pause before her eyes were wide-open, quickly she sat up, “Hey Rowan, when is our essay due for Ancient runes?”

“Tomorrow,” Rowan began as she turned to look at the other redhead, “You forgot all about it.”

Tulip gave a sheepish smile, “I kinda forgot about it.” She noted, “I was busy though with the whole snooping into Rakepick thing…”

“That was your know decision,” Ellie sang as she wiped more paint off the side of Murphy’s finger.

Tulip folded her hands as she stared at the dark-haired girl, “Please help?”

Rowan sighed before rolling her eyes, “Fine, but you so own me.” The girl stood up, dusting off her uniform. She cracked her back, “But we are going to the library, there will be fewer distractions for you there.”

“You don’t know me very well then,” Tulip quipped before sticking out her tongue.

Rowan turned to pick up her bookbag, “Ellie coming?” She asked, looking at the girl dressed in green.

Ellie shrugged as she stood up slowly, Murphy gave a noise at the sudden movement. “Yeah, I should start my Divination assignment anyway…”

“While you ladies go to the library,” Skye began, she pointed back and forth between herself and Murphy, “We’ll deal with Andre and the Captain.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

Murphy answered quickly, “No.”

Ellie rolled her eyes before gave Murphy’s hand a gentle squeeze before she started down the stairs to the dormitories. “Good Luck, Andre, you’ll need it with those two.”

“Thanks…” Andre mumbled with his head in his hands.

“ELLANA BENNETT, WHY ARE YOU WALKING BAREFOOT ON THIS FLOOR? IT’S DISGUSTING!” the distinct voice of Badeea resonant up the stairs.

Tulip threw her hands in the air agreeing with the statement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

Ta-dah!

Seriously Ellie, gets some shoes on!

Be sure to leave a comment and/or kudos down below!

Until next time!

~Rosie 🌹

#hphm #hphm rowan #hphm mc #hphm orion #hphm andre #hphm skye #tulip kasaru #nail polish #part 2 #gold charms #Ellie Bennett #Murphy mcnully #andre egwu #binx the cat #fanfiction

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loveforpreserumsteve · 4 years

Text

Those Who Fall: “APTF” Story (Modern Domestic Stucky AU)

Five:

Keeping an eye on the classroom door, Steve rearranged the paints. Deciding to go by color and shade. When that task was over, he organized the paintbrushes by the width of the handles, and then by the width of the brushes. When that task was finished, he debated it for a moment before deciding to move the tables around.

Even though the small tables were easy to maneuver -- for the most part -- Steve still found it taxing. Soon, starting to sweat and developing labored breathing, he remove his cardigan in hopes of cooling down. Imagining it as a giant Tetris game, even if the design wasn't what he saw in his head.

Then, a throat clearing gained his attention. Stopping his rearranging project, Steve found Blaire's mom. What was her name? God, one would think that he'd remember it having been introduced that morning.

"Hi," she grinned, slowly entering the room.

Trying to catch his breath, Steve greeted, "Hi."

"Blaire's mom," she reminded, "Amy."

"Right," Steve nodded, "I remember."

Amy perked at that, "You do?"

Steve just blinked for a moment before nodding again. He should've known not to say that considering how she had checked him out earlier. Only, he figured that the rings would've clued her in that he was married. Happily so, to boot. Of course, he never understood why people seemed to be interested in him all of a sudden. He was still the scrawny man that he'd been since puberty. Well, looks wise, at least and growing up, he had been bullied relentlessly for being petite.

But he had a feeling that it had to do with him being good with kids. After all, whenever he saw Bucky interact with their children, it made him want to drag Bucky down to their bedroom and have his way with him. It was just something that made his, already irresistible husband, even more desirable.

And so, Steve figured that was the reason why parents often hit on him.

Gesturing over to the area with the kindergarten projects, Steve tried to steer the conversation to the neutral topic they were supposed to be discussing, "Blaire's handprint leaves are over there. She's very talented. A good student."

Amy nodded, but hardly moved. Instead, keeping Steve in sight. Tucking some of the orangey-red hair behind her ear, she flirted, "That's quite the compliment coming from you."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, brows furrowed.

"Just that you must be a talented artist yourself, or you wouldn't have been hired," Amy clarified.

Steve cheeks flamed a bright red and he hated it. Since Amy wasn't going over to the projects, he gestured towards his desk, "Is there something you'd like to discuss in regards to Blaire? Perhaps how she does with interacting with the other students? Or maybe how well she is at following instructions?"

"Okay," Amy eagerly agreed, taking a seat in the chair beside Steve's desk. It was the only other adult size chair, but Steve wished that he had moved it around to the front of the desk.

Taking his own seat, he opened his record book to the correct kindergarten class and ignored how Amy leaned into his personal space. Clearing his throat in hopes that she'd remove herself from his bubble, he focused on his notes. Even though it was all good things that he had pretty much simplified earlier.

"She's really a special little --"

"Is that your husband?" Amy interrupted.

Surprised, Steve stupidly glanced at the empty open doorway before he found her gaze trained on the photos on his desk. Smiling, Steve nodded, "Yeah. I'm very lucky."

"I'll say," she giggled, ogling the brunet in the camping photo where he had melted chocolate on his face and a toasted marshmallow on the roasting stick. To his right, Jonas sat and to his left, Luke. Behind them, Katie, Liz, and Tommy stood. On Katie's hip, Sophia grinned, showing off the missing teeth gaps.

"Who're the kids?" Amy innocently asked.

Lucky for her, it was Steve's favorite subject.

Grabbing the framed photo from his desk, he tilted it towards her. Starting right to left, Steve pointed at the older boy with the dark olive-brown complexion, "That's Jonas, our oldest. He's a sophomore in college," pointing at Jonas's biological brother, "That's Luke, he's a freshman in high school." Moving to the back row, he pointed to the teen girl with the freckled alabaster skin and fiery red hair akin to Amy's and Natasha's, "That's Katie, she's a freshman in college. She was valedictorian last year."

"Wow," Amy says, still looking at the picture.

"I know," Steve nodded. Pointing to their little girl with straight black hair and yellow-tinted white complexion and closed almond shaped eyes because she blinked, "That's Sophia. She's a second grader," moving on, Steve pointed to the older girl with the tawny, golden-brown skin and almond shaped eyes, he continued, "That's Liz. She moved to Maine to live with her forever family and is a freshman in college. She still occasionally calls." Finger landing on the boy with sandy blond hair and sun-kissed golden-white skin, "That's Tommy, he's in California with his forever family. He's a senior in high school."

Steve smiled down at the portrait before placing it back on his desk. It wasn't even all the kids that he and Bucky had fostered over the years, but it was one of his favorites. Just as the other ones on his desk. Especially one of Mimi Sarah and Nana Winnie baking with Ethan, Sophia, and Jonas. The young man proudly sporting one of Sarah's frilly, floral aprons while Ethan joyously held up matching oven-mitt clad hands. There was flour covering almost every surface, including themselves, but their smiles were all that mattered to Steve.

Much like how the portrait of Katie, Luke, and Ethan fishing with Pop Pop George and Auntie Tibs filled him up with the bubbly happiness. Their grins as they held up their catches of the day were priceless. Even if the fishes caught were so puny it was comical.

Sure, Steve didn't have a picture of everyone he loved. But he did at home. Their walls holding framed family portraits and every day candids from the snapshots of their lives that Steve wanted to keep forever. There were school photos and polaroids that Bucky showed off whenever given the opportunity.

Clearing her throat, Amy regained Steve's attention and she asked, "How long have you and your husband been married?"

Smiling, Steve ran his thumb over the rings on his left finger, "We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in August. But we were together for twelve years before that."

"Congratulations," she said. Steve noticed the way her eyes went glassy with unshed tears and she explained, "I'm sorry. My husband left us recently and I --"

Not knowing what else to do, Steve grabbed the box of tissues from his desk and held them out to her. A kind smile on his face as she took a couple. Steve couldn't blame her from crying in a complete stranger's classroom. He couldn't imagine if -- Nope, not speaking that into existence!After all, Steve knew what it felt like to lose Bucky. Even after all those years together, sometimes Steve would remember how he threw Bucky out of his life over a misunderstanding and got irrationally angry at his younger self.

"Thank you," Amy sniffled. Standing up, she gestured towards the door, "I should go before I make an even bigger fool of myself."

Awkwardly, Steve walked her across the classroom to the door, "Have a nice night."

"You, too," Amy answered, clutching onto the tissues in her hands as she turned to leave.

Huffing out a breath, he spun on his heel to look up at the clock. He still had a full hour left. Sighing, Steve shoved his shirt sleeves up to his elbows and got back to rearranging the classroom. If nothing else came from the night, at least he could say that he had gotten something productive done.

#a place to fall #jump then fall #those who fall #bonus #stucky #steve rogers #bucky barnes #steve rogers x bucky barnes #marvel #fanfic #wattpad #ao3 #modern au #domestic life #fluff #smut #otp

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twilightofthe · 5 years

Note

tell us about your character's tragic backstory or i will reveal all the naughty secrets found in padmé's hair (such as the unfortunate knowledge of the distinct smell palpatine has when leaning close to her)

Oh ew yuck xD

(Also ty Liz u da best!)

SO EVERYONE GETS TO HEAR ME YELL ABOUT MY LORGE ANGERY GORL!!!!!

So her name is Valera and she’s a really tall, buff, pale blue Zabrak with long white hair and dark grey eyes. She’s the tank of the group and I love her very muchly. She’s very awkward and short tempered and more than a bit rude with almost no verbal filter or social skills, so she skulks in the shadows. She doesn’t like people unless they’re little kids or her family, and she doesn’t do friends.

Valera’s backstory isn’t so much tragic as it is kinda really unlucky. So her parents run a bar on the lower levels of Coruscant (they have their own dramatic love story that I won’t get into rn lol) and her mother Sif was super strong in the Force but where she was born, the Jedi never found her so she’s just grown up being more than a little odd.

Sif’s twins, Valen and Valera are also Force Sensitive, but I’m breaking the Star Wars Twin Rules right here and saying that Valen was way more powerful, Force-wise than Valera was. So, since they’re on freakin’ Coruscant and way more noticeable, the Jedi come a’calling around the time the twins are three and realize that really only Valen’s strong enough to be a Jedi, but if his parents don’t want to separate their twins that’s cool. The parents are kinda heartbroken, but Sif knows Valen is even stronger than her and always kind of wished the Jedi could have found her and helped her when she was a girl, so she agrees to give Valen to the Order so they can train him while she’ll keep Valera because she’ll be able to handle helping her control things at that level.

Valera always remembers she had a twin, and her parents never shy away from the fact that her brother had to go to the Jedi because he needed “help”, and no, they don’t think he’s coming home, but they still love her just as much, so she only feels the tiniest bit jealous. Valera gets another pair of twin siblings when she’s five, neither Force Sensitive, and then another little brother when she’s nine, but unfortunately right after her younger brother is born, her mother passes away from a sudden illness (no she doesn’t die in childbirth she just gets sick and pregnancy doesn’t help it), and now Valera has to step up to be a mother to her younger siblings and ends up as the support for her grieving father.

She’s helping run the bar and grill by the time she’s eleven, but their neighborhood is getting seedier and seedier, and Valera knows that she has some special abilities because her mother told her, but she refuses to believe that she has legit Force powers because she’s talked herself into thinking that only Jedi have real Force powers and if she did have them, the Jedi would have taken her with her mystery brother away from her family, and she can’t leave her family now, they need her, so she can’t be Force Sensitive or the Jedi might find out and come back for her and make her work for them. No, Valera’s just Very Lucky, and maybe her luck can do some good after the bar gets robbed one night. She finds the nearest gang leader and joins up, quickly being put to use for her “luckiness” and natural speediness and strength. She’s fully sucked into gang life and gang wars by the time she’s a teenager, and she doesn’t enjoy it, not at all, but it keeps people away from her father’s bar and away from her younger siblings, and she gets money she can give to her family. She does some pretty nasty stuff too, but again she doesn’t care because her family comes first and the world is a suckish place anyway, why should she be nice? (Again, she won’t hurt kids tho. Call it a weakness.)

Everything changes when Valera turns 21 and the Clone Wars break out. Now while Valera was growing up and getting into trouble, Valen grows up a very skilled Padawan and new knight. Since he was so skilled, when the Clone Wars start like a month or two after his knighthood, he’s also given a general’s rank and a clone division at a young age. He’s not as young as Anakin and by no means as famous, not by a long shot, but he’s still good at his job so the name and face of Jedi General Knight Valen Flynt makes its way into the holos enough times that he’s recognizeable.

Valera knows him as her twin brother the instant. Tho Valen mostly lost the memories of his family once he reached the Temple and chose not to go looking for them because he’s also awkward at heart and doesn’t know if he wants to create a relationship with by that point strangers, Valera remembers him well. They definitely are twins, with both having the same skin shading, same hair color and approximate length, the same height, same eyes, same facial structure, hells, their names even sound alike. The man on the holos is absolutely her twin, and even tho she hasn’t seen him since they were literally three, she can’t help but love him because she’s always felt a connection there, and hey, he’s still family, right?

Unfortunately, given that Valera looks almost exactly like a Jedi General and has a similar name, that starts to bring trouble down on her family. People keep getting suspicious, even though they all try to push it off as a common Zabrak name and nah, Val really doesn’t look that much like him (Val cuts her hair, gets intricate tattoos, wears heavy makeup and changes her clothing style completely. She also beats whoever makes insinuations to hell and back. She’ll hold some love for Mystery Brother, but he still ignored their family for 18 years, he doesn’t get to suddenly pop up all over the news and drag her and their family name onto the targetboard, even if he doesn’t know he’s causing them all this trouble) and so on, but after a few violent altercations and false recognitions, Valera decides the best thing to do is leave Coruscant for her family’s safety. She sends her youngest brother who also looks like her and Valen and their mother off to work on an uncle’s smuggling ship far away in the Outer Rim where he can’t be hurt, trusts her late teen middle sibs to look after the bar with their father, luckily they both look like him, and with her deciding to take crime jobs off planet, she can probs get the heat off of them until the war ends and Jedi Valen Flynt fades back into relative obscurity.

Valera is 25 and visiting home for the first time in over a year when Order 66 happens. If she climbs high enough she can see the Temple she would always stare at to imagine her brother burn, she feels Valen disappear in the Force, she knows something happened, and when the new “Emperor” gets on the holos talking about how the Jedi were apparently traitors, Valera and her fam flat-out refuse to believe it. They may not have known Valen for very long at all, but they’re still family, dammit, and no one from their family would be evil, they just know it. Sif trusted Valen to the Order because she thought it would be best for him and Sif, their beautiful tragic mother, would NOT have done that if the Jedi were the bad guys, she would have known something was up.

So the new Empire is lying, what a surprise, none of them trusted or liked the Republic that much anyway, you can put lipstick on a pufferpig but it’ll still be a lying, power-hungry pufferpig. That means there must have been another reason the Empire killed all the Jedi, and Valera is afraid to find out what once she sees how scared the public who believes the lies gets, and how fast it turns on Force sensitives. She’s angry, even if she never much liked the Republic, her brother put his life on the line for you, and then your government killed him and you say he deserved it, how dare you? Anyway, Valera figures that as horrible as it is, it might be safe to stick closer to her family now that her brother is dead and not plastering his and her face all over the galaxy.

She doesn’t last a year before her old contacts start whispering about “evil Jedi spirits”, dark figures with red lightsabers who hunt down anyone who acts like a Jedi as revenge. Valera has a very strong Bad Feeling about those rumors and gets the hell out of Dodge before the Inquisitors can find her, and goes back to her spacer routine for the next almost twenty years, getting odd jobs around the galaxy, sending money to her father (all her siblings are grown at this point, but at least two are on Coruscant, and one’s stayed to help with the bar).

That’s how Val’s life is and one of those odd jobs is what ended her up on the current campaign’s Bespin heist!!!!

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celtics534 · 5 years

Text

Unavoidable

@james7594 was awesome and suggest a prompt that had Lily be the reason Harry and Ginny met. I present Unavoidable! It’s a little different than my norm, but I think it’s rather good!

Also, read on FF.net or AO3

Ginny closed her eyes and tried to take calming breaths. One. Two. Three. Nope. She was still fucking pissed!

“Drink your tea, Ginny.” Liz pushed the now lukewarm drink towards her friend across the desk. “The woman I told you about will be here in a few minutes and you need to be able to explain what happened.”

“What’s her name again?” Ginny asked through clenched teeth. Liz was right about needing to explain, and if she let her temper control this meeting… Well, it wouldn’t be overly productive. She took a sip of the seemingly flavorless drink.

“Lily Potter.” Liz's shoulders sagged in relief. “She helped me when…” Her voice trailed off.

That broke through the remaining blind anger Ginny was fueled with. She reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand. “Thank you for calling her, Liz.”

“I got your back.”

The door opened, letting in a tall redhead. She wore a perfectly creased skirt suit tailored to her slim form. Ginny met her sharp gaze and was greeted by the woman’s green eyes.

“Miss Weasley.” The woman walked over to the table and held out her hand. “I’m Lily Potter.”

Ginny stood and shook the outstretched hand. “Thank you for coming, Mrs. Potter.”

“Call me Lily.” The woman smiled at her. “We are going to get to know each other quite well, so first names seem appropriate.”

“Okay, Lily. Then make sure to call me Ginny.”

“I will, Ginny. Now.” She placed her briefcase on the table and took the empty chair beside Liz. “What happened? Don’t leave out a single detail.”

Ginny sighed. Telling this story wasn’t getting any easier over time. The cut over her left eyebrow seemed to throb as she thought over what to say.

“Well, I work in the HR department, so I deal with anything and everything that comes up with the players and coaches.”

“Only for the Tottenham Hotspurs, correct?” Lily asked, taking out her pen and notepad. Hair curtained around her face as she leaned forward. Ginny had always wanted her hair to be a darker shade of red, and Lily had the perfect color. Not only that, but Lily also seemed to have that perfect freckle ratio. Not completely covered in freckles, like Ginny, but a sputtering of them.

“Yes.” Ginny looked around her office, which was covered with memorabilia from numerous teams. “I’ve worked with them for the last three years or so.”

“Okay.” Lily scribbled quickly. “So you had to deal with an issue involving Kody Jackson, correct?”

Ginny couldn’t contain the little shiver at Jackson’s name. “Yes. He was getting into fights with the other players, and outside of the stadium he was a problem in multiple bars.”

“My son actually had to deal with him a few months back,” Lily told her. “He kept him locked up overnight but wasn’t able to keep him any longer than that. He just got promoted to detective, actually.”

“Your son is my hero then.” Ginny smiled for what felt like the first time that day. “Everyone else just let it slide because they recognized him.” She couldn’t suppress her anger; the police had a pitiful enforcement policy when it came to celebrities.

“That is a problem, now isn’t it?” Lily agreed. “I raised my son to know right from wrong, and Jackson is wrong on every instance I’ve come across. Let’s continue with this one, though.“

Ginny nodded and took a deep breath. “Right, so I called Kody into my office. I had multiple points to focus on. When he finally showed up, he was immediately disrespectful and rude. I started with the fighting with his teammates, then the fights within the bars and clubs throughout London. We wanted to improve his image, maybe do some charity functions.”

“That sounds like a good idea in theory,” Lily said, “but I’m assuming Jackson didn’t agree.”

“Not at all. He got angry when I told him it wasn’t a choice.” Ginny could still see his red face and cold stare as he rose from his chair -- the very chair Lily sat in now. “He came towards me, I think trying to threaten me with his size and glare, but I grew up with six brothers. I don’t scare easy. I stood my ground.”

Lily beamed at her. “Good for you!”

“Thank you.” Ginny grinned back but sobered as the next part of the story jumped into her mind. “He pushed me and I fell to the ground.” She pointed to the spot behind her chair. Gumption aside, he was at least a foot taller than her and twice as wide. “He then…” A lump formed in her throat.

Lily put down her pen and grabbed her hand, giving it a sharp squeeze. “Take your time.”

Ginny took a deep breath and looked at Liz for strength; she responded with an encouraging nod. “He seemed to like having power like that. There was -- a gleam, I guess -- in his eyes. He moved so his body was pressed over mine and…” Ginny felt a cold sweat break down her spine. Lily squeezed her hand again.

“I felt his hands slide to my waist. I knew I needed to get the hell out of there. His legs were on the outside of mine, so I was able to bring my knee up into his balls.”

“I hope it hurt like a bitch.” Lily’s voice was calm, but Ginny could see the rage flaring behind her green eyes.

“It did, trust me, my brothers can confirm. Anyway, he rolled off me and I ran out of the room.”

“And you went and told your boss?” Lily confirmed. “Liz told me that on the phone.”

Ginny nodded. “Yeah, Zack Smith. He said not to worry, that he would take care of it.”

“Which meant brushing it under the rug,” Liz growled.

“As sad as it is to say, that common,” Lily said, she finally removed her hand from Ginny’s and wrote quickly. “This was three days ago?”

“Yes,” Ginny agreed. It had been three days of waiting for Kody to be removed from the premises or at least to be suspended. In her opinion, a good pair of scissors to his balls seemed like a fitting punishment to the crime.

“You were right to call me, Ginny.” Lily pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message. “I doubt Smith has even filed a report. I do have one question, how did you get the cut on your head?”

Ginny gingerly touched the cut. “When I scrambled up from the floor, I hit my head on the leg of my wheely chair. At the time I couldn’t feel the pain, I just wanted out-- but those legs are sharp when you hit them at the right angle.”

Lily nodded. “Do you mind if I take a picture?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Lily stood and twisted her body so she was out of the light before pausing to snap a quick photo. Before she could place her phone back into her pocket, it began to vibrate.

“Hello, dear.” She listened, her eyes locked on Ginny. “That’s right. Good, I’ll see you then.” She ended the call. “My son is coming now to take your statement.”

“The detective?” Ginny was confused. “Doesn’t he have cases he’s working on?”

Lily smiled as her eyes took on a look of pride.. “Of course, but he doesn’t want to disappoint his mother.” She leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, “He’s a bit of a Mummy’s boy, and I love it. From what I know about you, I think you and my Harry will get along swimmingly.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry showed his badge to the receptionist. “Ginny Weasley’s office?”

“Third floor. The fifth door to the right,” Mary Ann, said shock clearly presented on her face. “What did she do?”

“Nothing at all, miss.” Harry sent her his most charming smile. Nosy ladies always fell into line for a smile.

And right on cue, Mary Ann blushed. “Oh, good!”

Harry gave her a cheery wave as he headed to the elevator. When his mother had texted him the situation, Harry had almost thrown his phone. Why do people like Jackson get away with shit like this? He was a bully and needed to be taught a lesson. Harry figured this attack on Miss Weasley wasn’t Jackson’s first. Fucking Jackson. That wanker had seemed like the type to get his jollies by attacking the smaller man when Harry had arrested him those couple of months back, but this…

The elevator let out a pleasant ding and Harry headed towards the directed door. He knocked and heard a female voice allowing him entry. He opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. His mother was turned to face him, as was another woman next to her...but it was the woman on the far side of the desk that made Harry’s heart fall into his stomach.

She was incredibly beautiful. Her dark brown eyes worked perfectly with the light color of her skin. And her skin. Fuck! He had always had a thing for freckles and the way they covered her face…

“Harry?” Lily broke through his thoughts. She was smirking at him with that know-it-all expression he hated. He shook himself. He was here for a job, not to ogle women… No matter how fucking attractive they were.

He strode to the desk. “Harry Potter.” He stuck out his hand.

The goddess (fuck he had it bad!) shook it. “Ginny Weasley.” Her voice was huskier than he was used to; Harry loved it more than he wanted to admit.

He cleared his throat. Focus, Potter! “I know it’s hard, but I need to hear to the full story.”

Ginny just sighed-- a sound that made Harry want to wrap her in his arms. Goddamn it, Potter!

“I figured as much.” She rolled her shoulders. “Alright, so, I guess I should explain my job.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time Ginny finished her tale for the second time that day, the window into her room was filled with moonlight. The two Potters were comparing notes, giving Ginny ample time to observe Harry Potter...because damn!

The way his hair went every which way and those eyes… She had admired them on Lily but on Harry. Fuck!

“So I’m going to bring my report in tonight.” Harry had now directed his attention back to her (not that she would ever complain about being stared at with those eyes.) “The sooner I get this processed, the sooner Smith and Jackson face disciplinary action.”

“Thank you.” Ginny met his gaze head-on. She could have sworn his focus sent her aflame.

“My pleasure.” Harry wouldn’t break eye contact.

Lily cleared her throat. “Well, I’m all set here too. Harry, do you think you could see Ginny home?”

That made Ginny finally break away from Harry’s stare. She looked at Lily and saw a glint of what could only be called amusement. This cheeky…

“It’s been a hard day for her, I’m sure,” Lily said, her eyes dancing, “and I would rather make sure she got home safe and sound.”

“That’s really not -”

“Of course.” Harry cut off Ginny’s pitiful denial. He was still looking at her, and Ginny could feel his eyes. She gave Liz a sideways look and saw her friend was holding back her laughter. She winked at Ginny.

That little shit.

Ginny told Liz everything-- and that included her lack of sex life. She could only assume her friend noticed the way she stared at Harry like he was a piece of meat. A piece of meat that apparently was a Mummy’s boy and had a thing for justice. Hopefully, he had a thing for redheads too.

She turned her eyes back to Harry and was met with a crooked grin. Add another tally to the ‘way too attractive’ column for this man.

“If you’re ready, Ginny, we can leave whenever. How did you get here this morning?”

“Uh.” Why did his stare make her forget how to speak? “I took the bus from my flat in Watford.”

“Okay, we can take my car.” Harry turned towards his mother. “I’ll text you as soon as I’ve entered this information into the system.”

“That'd be great, dear.” Lily grinned at her son. “Actually, if Ginny’s up for it, you could bring this right to Moody. Having him talk to her could really fast track our claims. And this way you can find out more about everything.” Lily looked at her, a gleam in her eyes.

Ginny looked over to Harry. He was glaring at Lily as if she had shared one of his darkest secrets.

“If she’s up for it.” He turned away from his mother, his features softening. “It won’t take too long. Maybe twenty minutes. I already have all the information, my boss will just ask a few follow up questions.”

Really, she wanted to go home. She was drained and nothing sounded better than a hot bath at that moment. But… but she wanted to get this taken care of, and if speaking to this Moody could help...

She let out a deep breath. “Alright, lead the way, detective.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry had to force his eyes to stay on the road. They kept wandering over to Ginny in his passenger’s seat without permission. He squinted at the opposing car headlights.

When his mother had texted him the case details, Harry had figured this would be just like any other case. Well, at least he had thought that-- until his mother had sent a final text that had read:

Oh, and be nice. I think you’ll really like her.

The winking smiley face completing the message had made Harry roll his eyes. He was used to his mother suggesting a woman for him. Typically, nothing would come of it (though that was how he had become friends with Hermione). But this time… holy hell, had his mother been right!

In the time he had spent talking to Ginny, listening to her story, Harry had become entranced. She was fiery, stubborn, and not to mention drop-dead gorgeous.

His eyes started to drift again, this time taking in the numerous freckles she had on her arm as they passed by a street lamp. His mind couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of her body was covered in those pleasing - Eyes on the fucking road, Potter!

He braked and allowed a young couple to cross while he waited he tried to figure out what to say. They had driven to Scotland Yard in near-complete silence. He had never been so tongue-tied in his life! Now, having spoken with Moody and submitted his report, he was taking her home-- and Harry didn’t want to let this chance to talk with Ginny pass. First off, his mother would murder him for being a complete wanker, but also he wanted to talk to her for his own selfish reasons (other than wanting to live).

“So, you’re a big football fan?” If he wasn’t driving, Harry would have smacked himself in the forehead. Of course, she likes football, you dolt!

Ginny, however, didn’t seem to care that he sounded awkward. “Yeah, I actually played in uni. I even thought about trying to go pro for a bit.”

“Yeah? What position?”

“Striker.”

“You too?”

Harry could see Ginny turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye. “You played?”

“Yeah, but never considered going pro. Why didn’t you?”

Ginny let out a resigned sigh, and Harry was about to backtrack (it wasn’t any of his business). But then Ginny responded: “I got injured my final year. Torn ACL and meniscus. My knee’s never really recovered.”

She sounded so sad, even after all this time, and Harry wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to make her forget all the bad thoughts clouding her mind. Instead, he tightened his hands on the wheel.

“So, you found a way to still involve yourself in the world of football.”

Ginny let out a small huff out her nose. “Yeah, and now here I am.”

“Yeah, here you are standing up for what is right,” Harry said fiercely. He chanced a glance at her. Ginny’s mouth was slightly parted and in the dim light of the London streets, he could see her eyes. Harry could have sworn that look was setting his body on fire.

He turned away, unable to think when she looked at him like that. His hand moved to gear shift as he approached the road where Ginny had told him she lived. He found the number easily enough, and he parked in front of the building. It was a simple split duplex, a London standard. Harry could see a tabby cat lounging on the windowsill of the house to the left.

“Thank you, Harry.” Ginny’s voice was quiet, but Harry’s ears seemed to hone into her voice. He twisted in his seat to finally give her his full attention. Her eyes were still focused on him, only him. He didn’t know if she was saying thank you for the ride or what he had said, but that didn’t matter at that moment. No, the only thing that his brain cared about was how his car now smelled like flowers and the way the street light behind her illuminated her perfectly.

He had started to lean in without realizing it and probably wouldn't have stopped until he kissed her if a door nearby hadn’t slammed. The yelling that followed broke the spell and Harry blinked; Ginny had moved back. She, too, had been trying to get closer to him.

“Let me… uh… walk you to your door.” Harry cleared his throat. He opened his door and got out of the car quickly. Ginny met him on the pavement, hands in her pockets.

The moved in unison to her front door, her cat watching their every step with sharp eyes. Ginny pulled out her key and placed it into the lock. She unlocked the door but didn’t turn the knob. Instead, she twisted to face Harry.

Her eyes met his. “I’m not imagining this, am I?” Again, her voice took on the quiet quality, which didn’t match her larger than life personality.

She was nervous, Harry realized. And that realization made Harry’s body spring into life. He closed the small gap between them, gently taking her face into his hands, and pressed his mouth to hers. At first, she didn’t respond, too surprised-- and Harry thought his heart was going to leave his body. Then she responded, her hands threading through his perpetually messy locks.

Harry wanted to press close to her, the desire to feel his chest on hers was almost unbearable, but he held back. In the little part of his mind that was still functioning, he remembered she had just been the victim of an attack. But fuck…

However, Ginny didn't seem to have the same idea. Her hands moved down to his shoulders and she pulled him close. Her back pressed against the door as Harry followed her lead, letting his fingers curve down her body to linger at her hips.

Only when the need for oxygen became unavoidable did Harry pull away. He took a large gulp of the cool night air while Ginny did the same.

“I guess my imagination hasn’t run wild then, huh?” Ginny’s tone had somehow become even lower, and it took all of Harry’s resolve not to kiss her again.

“Not at all.” He ran his hands down from her jaw to her neck before removing himself from her personal bubble. “I should leave.”

The sigh Ginny released was way too tantalizing. “Yeah, you probably should before we do something we regret.”

I definitely wouldn’t regret it, Harry’s brain countered, but instead, he nodded. “Yeah.”

They stood there on her stoop, neither wanting to be the first to leave. Then, Ginny swore quietly under her breath. “Fuck it.” She pressed her lips to his. “Do you want to get dinner with me?”

Harry’s heart pounded so hard he thought it might break through his chest. “Tonight?”

Ginny smiled at his hopeful tone. “Yeah. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I’d hate for you to see me hangry.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Ah, my darling boy.” Lily beamed at her son over her mug of tea. “Everything went well last night, I take it?”

Harry gave her his best-agitated look, but he couldn’t hold it for long. “Mum.”

She held up a hand in surrender. “Sue me for wanting the best for my son.”

“I can’t sue you, you're my solicitor.”

“Ah, another win for me then, huh?” Lily’s smirk was devilish. “So, now. Tell me all about her.”

Harry sighed dramatically as he fell into the empty kitchen chair. “You already know about her.”

Lily went over to the stove and put the kettle back on. “I know about her situation, but what did you learn about her last night.”

“You knew I would like her. Why do you need more details?”

“Yes, of course, I knew you would like her. Did you not understand the winky face emoji?” Lily snorted as Harry covered his face with his hands. “You may as well tell me now because I will find out.”

“It was…” Harry spoke through his hands, muffling his voice. “She’s... incredible.”

If Harry had raised his head, he would have seen his mother smiling fondly, brightness in her eyes. “And why is that?”

“She’s brilliant, full of wit. She’s just so…”

“Incredible?”

Harry sighed again, but this time sounding wistful. “Yeah.”

“Last time I heard that tone, James was pining after Lily!” A voice from the doorway made Harry finally look up. Sirius leaned on the jamb. “So, let me guess. She’s a redhead?”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginny tapped her desk to the tune of Stayin’ Alive. This day just seemed to be escalating quickly. Between Nicholas’ flirting with a married woman last night, and Parker’s obsession with trying to get a brand deal, Ginny hadn’t gotten a minute to breathe, let alone think.

A small knock on her door took her attention from the computer screen. “Come in.”

Harry Potter walked in with a large bag that brought in a heavenly aroma.

“Hey.” He placed the package down on her desk.

“Hey.” Ginny had no idea what was happening. “What’s going on?” She and Harry had been texting back and forth for the past week, almost constantly. It turned out they shared a love for football and adult coloring books. However, she hadn't expected him to show up at her job. They had both been extremely busy, which meant they hadn’t actually seen each other since that first time. The memory of his fingers on her jaw still sent goose pimples across her body.

“I thought you might be getting hungry, and I wouldn’t want to risk you being hangry when I arrived.” Harry gave her a lopsided grin that drove Ginny’s stomach into doing cartwheels.

“That’s so nice, but you didn’t have to.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.” He started to spread out the contents of the takeaway. “You did mention that you liked dumplings, right?”

Ginny nodded, unable to speak. Holy shit, this man is good. He handed her the steaming container and settled in the empty chair opposite her.

“So, no issues with Smith or Jackson, right?” Harry asked, using a plastic fork to twirl some noodles into a bite-sized morsel of deliciousness.

She shook her head. “No, they haven’t bothered me at all.”

“Good. I may have included that in my little... speech when talking with them.”

“Harry, why are you here?” Ginny couldn’t have stopped her thoughtless question even if she wanted to.

Harry placed his container down and leaned forward. She was immediately overcome with the scent of his cologne... Oh, well, that scent hasn’t become any less attractive.

“I really wanted to see you.” His eyes glinted like an emerald in the sun. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”

“Oh.” She let out on a shaky breath. Her mind went blank, just like when he had kissed her that night.

“I was hoping if you had lunch with me, you’d be willing to have dinner with me tonight.” Harry’s hand jumped to the back of his neck. For all his confidence, his body language spoke a different tune.

Ginny had to smile. It was endearing to have a grown man nervous around her (well, one that hadn’t experienced her accurate groin kicks). “What is on the menu?”

“Well, I figured tonight we could go to this nice Greek place I’ve found if you like Greek. Then, maybe next time, I can make you some of my London-famous fettuccine alfredo.”

“Famous, huh?” Ginny quirked a brow. “That’s some claim.”

Harry grinned. “A claim I’m more than happy to provide evidence for.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry kissed Ginny’s cheek as he placed a plate in front of her. “As promised, my world famous fettuccine alfredo.”

“This does look amazing, but last time it was only London famous.” Ginny took another sip of the wine she had poured for them. It was odd that one of the worst things to happen to her had led to one of the best. Over the past month, she and Harry had grown rather fond of one another--at first just by texting, then meeting for meals, and now spending nights at alternating flats.

“Nothing by the best for you, my dear. I improved my technique.” Harry took a bow before he walked back over to the counter to grab his own plate.

“Did you hear anything about your new partner?” Ginny asked as Harry joined her at the table.

“Yeah, I actually met him. his name is Colin Creevey. He seems like a decent bloke. A little twitchy though.”

Ginny’s brow raised. “Twitchy?”

Harry spun noodles around his fork. “Yeah, he just… I swear he’s always bouncing his leg.”

“Ah, the signs of a horrible partner.”

“Okay, I know that was sarcastic, but it’s really annoying when sharing the same desk cubicle. My pens rattle.”

Ginny laughed and let a comfortable silence fall between them as they ate. It was simple, Ginny thought; everything about them was simple. There was no need to force small talk. She was content just being in his presence.

“So.” Harry looked at her, his eyes serious. “I need to tell you. Jackson’s trial has been set. They will want you to testify. Mum will be calling you tomorrow to make it official, but I wanted to let you know beforehand.”

Ginny carefully set down her wine glass. “Okay.”

“Also, the charges you’ve pressed against Smith are being processed as we speak, so hopefully by next week he won’t be your boss.” His gaze dropped. “Sorry for ruining the mood.”

“Trust me.” Ginny rose from her seat and moved to sit in Harry’s lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You haven’t ruined anything.”

Her knee gave a little twinge of pain making Ginny remove one arm from Harry’s shoulders to kneed her fingers into the old scar. The nerves had never completely recovered after her surgery, and every so often it would bother her.

Harry’s hand came to work the worn skin with her. “Does this hurt often?”

Ginny shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Do you ever go out and play anymore?”

She knew what he was referring to. “To be honest, not really. It’s… it’s hard to not get a little wistful, I guess is the right word.”

Harry kissed her forehead. “Well, maybe we can have a one-on-one match someday.”

Ginny couldn’t stop her from smiling cheekily at him. “We can have a one-on-one match whenever you want.”

Harry let out a throaty chuckle. She could see his Adam’s apple bob. “Trust me when I say I’ll be taking you up on that offer.” He pressed his lips lightly to hers. “Are you okay with everything, Gin?”

How does he do that? Ginny wondered. Harry had the uncanny ability to know just what was bothering her. And he always seemed to know the right response, just like now as he trailed his hands up her legs to caress her hips lightly. She took in a deep breath, happily inhaling his scent. “I will be.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry stood by the lifts on the third floor of the stadium, a football casually resting under his arm and a duffle slung over his shoulder. After his conversation with Ginny last night, Harry came to the conclusion that nothing would excite him more than playing a little passing game with her.

He had dug in his closet to find his old ball, a little beat up, but still full of air. As he waited, Ginny’s co-workers passed him with curious eyes. They should be used to men with footballs around here.

Harry recognized Zack Smith as he strode towards the lift. Smith avoided eye contact by bowing his head. There weren’t many people that Harry hated, but Zack Smith was one of them.

“Harry?”

He turned and smiled at a confused Ginny. She stood five meters away, so he walked over and kissed her cheek. “‘Ello.”

“What are you doing here with a football?” She was suspicious, rightly so in his opinion.

“I thought we could go kick a few.” He guided them towards the elevator, bustling in with curious co-workers.

“Why?” Ginny whispered as the doors shut. She ignored the pointed stares as the lift started descending.

He shrugged. “I figured it would be fun.”

Harry was able to get them to the field before Ginny spoke again. “Harry, I’m not dressed for this.” She was right, of course; her straight skirt wouldn’t allow much mobility, while his joggers were perfect for a light game.

Instead of telling her about the spare pair of clothes he had obtained from her place last night, he shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean if you’re offering to be skins…”

Ginny smacked his arm. Hard. “Don’t be a wanker.”

“Trust me, you’ve helped me kick that habit.”

She tried to look mad, he could tell-- but Ginny’s humor was something Harry truly appreciated about her. Her lips twitched.

Harry handed her the duffle bag. “Here, I got this from your place.”

Ginny’s brow rose. “You went through my drawers? I don’t know whether this is sweet or creepy.”

“I’ll place my vote to sweet. Endearing, even. Plus we’ve both been in each other’s... drawers often enough.”

This time she didn’t try to hide her amusement. She laughed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him softly. “Alright, Potter. Just remember you’ve asked for this.”

“Trust me, Weasley, I’m ready for it.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“So?” Harry asked once he sat down across from Ginny. They had met at the little Italian place not too far from Ginny’s flat.

“Smith has been fired.”

Harry let out a small whoop. “Just what the git deserved!”

“I agree. And your mum called to tell me that Jackson has been charged with multiple accounts of assault.”

Harry reached across the table and pulled her hand to his lips. An exultant smile covered his face and his eyes… Ginny wanted him to look at her like that all the time. “I’m so proud of you for taking the stand. Mum said they tried to discredit you.”

Ginny shrugged. “Yeah, but they had nothing on me.”

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”

She blinked owlishly at him before leaning across the table to kiss him. “You claim to be a stone-cold cop, but you’re such a softie.”

Harry tried to look angry, but the twitch of his lips gave him away. “Firstly, I am stone-cold when I need to be. Secondly, the last word to describe me last night was soft, if you remember correctly.”

“Oh trust me I remember.” She pressed another kiss to his lips. “But feel free to jog my memory tonight.” She leaned back and looked over the menu.

They sat in a comfortable silence, both debating their meal choices. Eventually, the waiter came over and took their orders.

Once the man had left, Harry turned his attention back to Ginny. With his bottom lip in between his teeth, he muttered, “Do you think some things are inevitable?”

Ginny frowned. “Uh, in what sense?”

Harry’s flush was hard to notice in their dark corner, but a keen observer could tell. And Ginny was an avid watcher of Harry. “Like some things in life have to happen?”

She thought about it. “You mean like fate?”

“Maybe… I don’t know. Nevermind.”

“Hey.” Ginny tugged his hand towards her mouth just like he had done. “Explain.”

He sighed, his eyes darting around the room before coming back to rest on hers. “I guess… This whole thing with Jackson… If he had never tried to hurt you, we never would have met.”

“And you’re wondering if we would have ever met otherwise?” Ginny had the same thought many times since that day Harry walked into her office.

He gave a quick jerk of the head, clearly embarrassed.

“I don’t believe in fate, but I like to think that maybe we would have met another way. Maybe you would have arrested my brother and then showed up at the same pub we were drinking in later on.”

Harry let out a small chuckle and smiled, which was exactly what Ginny wanted.

“Which brother?”

She tapped her finger against her chin. “Ron, because it would be for something dumb like public intoxication.”

Harry snorted. He had met Ron, and honestly, he could see the tall redhead getting picked up for something dumb like that.

Ginny connected their eyes before speaking. “Harry, I think you and I were unavoidable.”

His thumb found her wrist and started gently rubbing it. “I agree.”

#hinny #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fan fiction #harry X ginny #hinny fic #hinny fanfic #Unavoidable

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tmorriscode · 6 years

Text

Time Of Your Life

(Hogwarts Mystery Crew, Ace!Charlie Weasley x Fem!MC)

Summary: All things end. All you can do is make the best of it.

Masterpost of all my imagines can be found by clicking on the link.

—

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right. I hope you had the time of your life. - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day

As best man, Charlie’s got duties to Bill that send him to The Burrow, while you go to stay with Rowan back at Khanna farms. Though he knows you have your brother’s emergency portkey, he dosen’t really relax until you show up with the rest of the old crew for Bill’s stag-do the night before the wedding.

He’d considered holding it at The Leaky, especially since Penny promised to supply everyone with her experimental hangover potion.

But after George came back from retrieving Harry minus an ear, Charlie and Bill both agree to move the events to the old quidditch pitch behind the house.

After you arrive, you take one look at George, and blurt out: “What in Merlin’s name happened to you?”

Everyone freezes for a moment at your tactless query. But then George is in rare form, laughing off his injury and making bad ear-related puns.

The story of the Battle of the Seven Potters takes on mythic proportions immediately. It leads to a contest to try to top one another for the wildest adventure.

The stories have grown in the telling since your Hogwarts days.

Remember that time Barnaby punched a centaur? Remember when Ben got possessed and tried to kill (Y/N)? Remember Tulip’s dungbombs? Remember when Penny talked you into impersonating Snape? Remember when Professor Kettleburn lost a Chimera? Remember how Tonks nearly killed Snape with a plant? Too bad she didn’t succeed, yeah? Remember when we battled nine You-Know-Who bogarts in the cursed vaults? No, a dozen! No, twenty!

Fred later retaliates for your comment about George by turning your hair an atrocious and virulent shade of red. Tonks shifts her hair into a color halfway between the Weasley red and Tulip’s hair color. Then Fred suggests that you all head up to the Burrow and tell mum that you’ve traded useless Percy for three girls. She’s always wanted daughters, right?

Bill stops you all by rightly pointing out that you’re all too drunk to be bothering your mum at the moment.

The rest of the night is kind of a blur. In the coming years, Charlie will wish he’d remembered more of it. None of you realize it, but it’s the last time that you are all together as a group.

You all sense that this night somehow closes the book on your childhood, though. There is a feel of desperately trying to grasp something elusive that slips through your hands like water. You all drink a little more, laugh a little louder, party a little harder to ignore the edge that underlies everything.

Dawn finds you all passed out like piles of dirty laundry across the property. Charlie awakens on the riverbank, looking up into the blinking, curious eyes of a river otter. He scrambles to his feet, shaking weeds out of his hair. He finds Andre asleep atop one of the quidditch goals. Barnaby and Rowan curled up in the old treehouse. Tulip and Lizard Tuttle (when did she get here?) feeding her frog. You and Penny and Ben already up and passing out potions.

You all down them, popping off to hastily get dressed and then rush back.

—

During the wedding, you sit between Luna Lovegood and Liz Tuttle. The two of them talk over your head about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and Thestrals and Nargles. You find yourself staring at Charlie the whole time.

“Definitely a nargle infestation,” Luna says to Lizard.

“Then she’s had them since fourth year,” Lizard says back.

“Lost cause, then.” Luna sighs.

You dance with Tonks then Bill and then Gred and Forge at the same time, and after that one of Fleur’s French cousins and Victor Dumb (but oh so pretty), and a Weasley cousin you’ve never met (who can’t keep his eyes off Ginny) before you get to dance with Charlie.

You don’t slow dance. That’s not your and Charlie’s style. Instead you have an animated conversation while the two of you shuffle around one another, dodging other dancers like they’re land-based bludgers and generally giving the impression that you’ll never slow down.

“Did you notice that Tonks isn’t drinking?” You whisper gleefully to him as you twirl into his arms. “Not last night, and not today.”

Charlie shoots a concerned look over your shoulder at Tonks where she’s dancing with Remus. The older man looks quite unhappy. “Surely they’re not?”

“In the pudding club?” You grin lopsidedly. “I think they might be.”

“Bad timing,”

“We were all born in the middle of the last war,” you whisper back. “The heart wants what it wants.”

“Your brother said that, too,” Charlie says.

“Must be where I got it from.”

“Auntie Muriel is in rare form,” Charlie changes the subject as he spins you behind his back. “She wants to know when I’m giving up the dragons and settling down with a nice girl.”

“Tell her you’re a lesbian.” You say.

“Not even remotely accurate.” Charlie rolls his eyes.

“Might give her a heart attack, though.” You say mischievously.

“You’re spending too much time with Tulip again.”

“Why dosen’t Your Aunt go pester your cousin?” You look over at the redhead kid you danced with earlier. Your toes will never be the same.

“Luv, that’s Harry.” Charlie whispers in your ear.

“Actual Harry Potter, or one of his six clones?”

“Yes, Actual Harry Potter,” Charlie rolls his eyes. “We didn’t want to make it obvious he was here.”

“Ah. His mooning over Ginny seems much less icky . . .”

Before you can finish your thought, the world as you know it ends.

You always thought the expression “deafening silence” was a funny one. How can silence deafen?

But when a lynx patronus drops into the midst of the dance floor, it’s like you lose all sense of hearing. Music, conversations, even rattling teacups stop. The world narrows to the glowing animal in your midst.

Kingsley’s voice issuing from the lynx isn’t loud. But at the same time it seems like it’s shouting into the sudden, silent void.

The ministry has fallen. The minister is dead. They’re coming.

The silence shatters, along with Auntie Muriel’s good China. Then there is the sound of people popping away, and of other, less welcome people popping in as the wards fail. And the mixed screams of dozens of spells, protective and less so.

“Go!” Charlie reaches for the portkey you’ve pinned in your hair.

“What about you?” You grab his wrist, halting him.

“I’m just some lowly dragon tamer expat. You’re the Cursebreaker Of Hogwarts.”

He’s so much more, but there’s no time to argue.

“Fine,” You mutter as you activate the portkey. “You better come home in one piece.”

“Promise,” Charlie says. It’s the last thing you hear, over the cacophony of battle.

Then you feel the pull of the portkey, and you’re suddenly standing ankle-deep in snow, shivering in a summer evening dress and sending off your horntail patronus to ask one of the other handlers to kindly come let you through the reserve’s wards before you freeze.

Charlie dosen't come back for two long, sleepless days. In that time you shovel every bit of dragon dung on the reserve, search unsuccessfully for Jacob, extract promises of help from the other keepers for when the time comes (for what, you’re not sure), and pull every fraying and broken string you have to get news from England.

When at last your dragon boy does limp back into camp, he’s sporting a black eye and a grim expression.

They let him go.

With eight (they think Ron is in bed with spattergroit) family members under their thumb, they can afford to let him leave the country, secure in the knowledge that he’ll do little to oppose them (or so they think).

Of your other friends, he can say precious little. Barnaby, Penny and Rowan were allowed to return to the tree farm as a sort of house arrest. (You don’t want to speculate, but you know Barnaby’s father was in You-Know-Who’s inner circle). Most of the others fled in the confusion, scattered to the four winds.

Harry and Ron and Hermionie got away, Merlin be praised.

Charlie spoons up to you that night, holding you like he’s afraid to lose you, too. Though you say nothing to one another, neither of you sleep. The first of many such nights.

You wonder how it is that you can live alongside the most terrifying beasts known to man, yet it’s a 70 year old wizard that keeps you up at night.

You wonder if you’ll ever feel safe again.

—

*Green Day released Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) in October 1997, so it would have actually come out two months after the wedding at The Burrow. But the song is such an iconic piece in my mind for that time in history, and it so suited what I was going for with this story that I felt I had to allude to it.

It was written after one of the band members broke up with a girlfriend (hence the title, Good Riddance) but it’s came to be one of those songs that gets played at school graduations and dances, because it’s a bit of a reflective song about remembering good times.

In the context of this story, I like to think of the title Good Riddance less in terms of “I’m glad to be rid of you,” and more “I know things are ending. Let’s make this a Good Riddance.”

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphmmc #charlie weasley #bill weasley #hphm mc #hogwarts mystery imagine #hogwarts mystery fanfic #hogwarts mystery headcanon #tulip kasaru #ben copper #andre egwu #nymphadora tonks #rowan khanna #barnaby lee #penny haywood #jacob’s sibling

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kiss-my-freckle · 5 years

Text

Dialogues

1x2 -

Red: Watch yourself with her, Donald. She hates men, and cops most of all.

1x3 -

Red: I prefer to play with myself in private.

Liz: He’s a myth. Red: That’s what they said about Deep Throat … and the G-Spot.

1x5 -

Red: She owns that nightclub. Last time I was there, we had a great deal of fun, until she tried to strangle me with her stocking.

Red: Or just bend over any available piece of furniture and let her slap you on the ass. She loves that.

Red: He knows you better than I do, and I know where that lovely little freckle is.

1x6 -

Red: Because Yuri talks faster than a cheerleader after a nooner under the grandstands. Probably not a metaphor you understand.

1x8 -

Red: Oh, my God. I’ve never been more scared of a woman in my life. She was thrilling in bed. What a pair of legs. I think she played field hockey in college.

1x14 -

Red: I had a little talk with Rasil. We had a few laughs, compared notes about you. He told me all about that delightful thing you do with a trouser belt, which was a bit hurtful, since I was pretty sure it was our thing.

1x18 -

Vlad: You slept with my wife. Red: How is Fadila? Vlad, it was a mistake. I can easily blame it on the hashish and the grappa, but the truth is - may I speak freely? You’re better off without her. She’s fickle.

1x19 -

Red: Calculus. I can’t even think about derivatives without thinking of that tutor in manor hall. Cindy something-or-other. Never wore a brassiere. Always a bounce in her step.

1x20 -

Red: Ah. Smells like decadence and vice.

2x1 -

Red: They know your habits, the banks you use, the pills you pop, the men or women you sleep with.

Red: Lord Baltimore. Aren’t you a surprisingly saucy minx.

Samar: Aren’t we confident today? Red: I’m confident every day. Samar: And I thought we had nothing in common.

2x7 -

Red: Keep your plum covered. We’re not alone.

2x10 -

Red: Luther, I never thought I’d enjoy having anything in my mouth as much as Petty Officer Virginia Sherman, but this - My God! It tastes so good! I hesitate to swallow, and I certainly don’t want to spit it out.

2x2 -

Red: Mmm! Tastes just like Patty Sutton.

2x3 -

Red: Titillating. But what Laskin and Russo do with or to one another in their spare time is none of my concern. Red: A threesome? Interesting. Based on his sartorial splendor, I gather this is Mr. Vargas. Does that even look like real hair?

Red: You poor thing. Honestly, I don’t know how you do it. It boggles the imagination. B.B., you don’t look well. Are you alright? Let me guess: irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, perhaps a little tingling in your nether regions? Those drinks you’ve been enjoying on the house? They weren’t from the house. They were from me. I hope you don’t mind. I took the liberty of adding a special surprise ingredient, something to treat any localized dysfunction you may be suffering. Has the little man been falling down on the job? It’s a miracle drug, not so much for a glutton with a bum heart, however. But look on the bright side, you’ll die with a marvelous erection.

2x11 -

Red: The other one, the watercolorist, she - legs like a shot-putter. She gets me in this headlock. I black out. Next thing I know, I wake up - no sheets, vaseline everywhere. The lipstick on the mirror overhead reads, “Same time next year?” I haven’t missed an art expo in Basel since.

Red: Ah. A Russian milonga. Watch closely, Lizzy. Everything you need to know about negotiation is there in the tango milonga. At the outset, they are opponents. Each has something the other wants. They size one another up, assessing risk, setting boundaries, challenging each other to breach them. A sensuous battle - violence and sex balanced on the blade of a knife. Nothing given that is not earned - nothing taken that is not given. This is the pure essence of negotiation. Not a poker game, but a milonga. A tango. A seduction.

Red: And I assure you my bed accommodates a broad spectrum of behavior.

2x12 -

Red: Samar, my dear, bump in the road I can help smooth over, or have the clouds finally parted and this is a social call?

2x14 -

Red: Careful there, boys. You don’t want to bruise the merchandise.

Red: Really, I’m all for being thorough, but at this point, you’re just taking the nickel tour.

Red: Oh, the Dinky. No matter the time of day, that damn train is always full of hungover frat boys and co-eds in the throes of morning-after regret.

Red: Good heavens, Earl. You’ve never had any feeling in your heart, but now it looks like there isn’t much going on below the waist. Earl: I do all right. The wheelchair is just a little memento of our time together in Bolivia. Red: No hard feelings, I trust.

2x18 -

Red: Because, Mr. Jasper, you strike me as a man who would prefer to pitch rather than catch.

2x20 -

Red: Don’t look so glum, Kenneth. You just spent 10 minutes being ridden hard by Agent Navabi. I’d die for five.

2x21 -

Red: She makes her real money consulting. Costs a fortune. She did, however, let me name a lipstick color - “Fire In The Hole.”

Kimberly: I can only tell you what they’re doing. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you who they’re doing it to.

3x7 -

Hasaan: What do you want? Red: Well, another spin of the bottle in Melanie Reichman’s basement, but, I’ll settle for you.

3x8 -

Red: When’s the last time you got any of that, Pablo? Or have you? Pablo: We share everything.

Red: No wonder Cash doesn’t trust you with anything more important than babysitting. Pablo: That’s big talk coming from a guy who’s -

3x9 -

Red: I prefer that slight curve at the small of the back, the swell of a breast, the soft nape of the neck to quicken my heartbeat.

3x21 -

Cynthia: I read his e-mails. Ever since I found him with the nanny, I look at everything. Samuel: We don’t even have a nanny! It was a movie. Red: A nanny movie? Cynthia: Not just nannies. Schoolteachers, nurses, and a ridiculous threesome with two completely unbelievable policewomen. Samuel: Cynthia, they’re just movies. I have never cheated on you. And besides, I don’t think he wants to hear about it. Red: Yes, I want to hear about it. All about it. Unfortunately, I do need to hear about your contract with Halcyon. So business first, and then, Cynthia, I’ll be all ears.

Red: I had an enlightening meeting with Samuel Rand today. More to the point, with his wife, Cynthia.

Scottie: Howard didn’t take that job. We haven’t had sex in four years. We’re rarely in the same country, let alone the same bed. Red: What bed have you been occupying? Scottie: I’ve been assuming a larger role in a management position lately. Red: You don’t say.

Red: You have it all wrong, dear. I didn’t come to kill you. I came here because you and I are about to climb into bed together, just for a quickie.

3x23 -

Red: Aram… set him up with someone, for God’s sake. He’s like a kid with his first erection on the school bus.

4x7 -

Red: My sympathies to your significant other. And if your flag is flying at half mast, rest assured, I find in the privacy of one’s boudoir, pleasing others is the key to pleasing oneself.

4x14 -

Red: Oh, my goodness. This is tedious. I’d give almost anything to have a scratch. But seeing as how, given your profession, David, you might be more inclined to squeeze them rather than scratch them, I won’t impose. I’ll just wait for the next break.

David: Forget having your testicles scratched. You’ve been castrated.

4x20 -

Red: Baldur, you and I are deal-makers. We buy low and sell high. Getting that cruise line on the cheap was better than sex with your mistress. Either of them. I’m a little down on my luck. A penny stock. Invest in me now and when I rise, you’ll be able to afford three mistresses.

4x22 -

Red: I do wonder what else Donald’s men will find in your nightstand. Are you a vibrator kind of gal, Laurel? We’ll see.

5x1 -

Car guy: How’d she do? Red: Like Bergita Olofson in her parents’ rumpus room on a Saturday night.

5x2 -

Cooper: No, he’s playing grab-ass by the pool between naps and happy hour.

5x10 -

Isaacson: Bite me. Red: Hmm. A woman after my own heart.

5x12 -

Red: Joro spiders. In Japanese folklore, the joro is said to be able to change its appearance to that of a beautiful woman who seduces men, binding them in her web before devouring them. Hence its name “joro-gumo,” or “whore spider.”

5x13 -

Red: Imagine the confidence a man has to have in his own genitals to take on a nickname like “Big Willie.”

5x15 -

Red: Yes. Very impressive. What a gymnasium - a real shrine to athleticism. I can just feel the testosterone.

Fagen: You promised me a sure thing, gives me Viagra, and all I have to show for it is a four-hour erection.

[deleted scene]

Smokey: You’re a sucker, Red. Everyone thinks you’re soooo tough with the hat and the shades and the people you kill but I know better. Circus folk know a sucker when we see one. You’re a sucker. You’re a sucker for the pets, you’re a sucker for Heddie. And God knows why, you’re even a sucker for me. Red: I suppose I am. Smokey: Well, that’s good for me. I’ll follow you anywhere. Red: Well, let's start in the back. I believe we have some cash to count.

5x19 -

Red: This apartment. Right here. Oh. My God. To have been the proverbial fly on Clyde Tolson’s duvet. Liz: Clyde Tolson lived here? J. Edgar Hoover’s lover? Red: This was their secret hideaway. Imagine the conversations. Cooing over JFK’s lovers. Slandering Dr. King. What peignoir to wear to bed. When I saw the apartment was for sale, I couldn’t resist. Liz: You own the apartment where the homophobic head of the FBI carried on his affair with his boyfriend? Red: Allegedly. I wouldn’t admit this in mixed company, but J. Edgar and I have a surprising amount in common. For instance, we both always get our man.

5x21 -

Red: I’ve heard steroids make your penis shrink. Have you found that to be the case?

Liz: Gonzalez called you. Red: His guard, actually. We developed something of a bond.

6x2 -

Red: Through five marriages, numerous lovers, allegedly both male and female.

Red: Cary Grant once said after a particularly evocative LSD trip, “I imagined myself as a giant penis launching off from Earth - “like a spaceship.”

6x4 -

Red: Baldomero, what do you say we call this whole thing off? What happened in Iztapalapa was a terrible mistake. I regret it dearly, and I had no idea she was your mother. Baldomero: You were in my bed. There was a picture of me on the nightstand. Red: Okay, in our defense, it was incredibly dark, and we’d been drinking heavily. Honestly, I regret the entire weekend. Of course, don’t tell your mother that.

#dialogues

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bluerosesburnblue · 6 years

Text

Liz Liveblogs Bravely Second: Chapter Two

And we’re back, baby! Finally back with the second chapter of Bravely Second: What’s Past is Prologue

Buckle up, pals. This one’s a long one. Lots of ranting about sidequests and one amazing reveal

Warning that I start cussing more than usual around the mid-chapter reveal, should anyone care about language

Geez, yeah, Yew actually got shot last chapter. Glad to see that he’s alright

He’s also still upset about what Janne said. Turns out Janne had a point: Yew only did what he did because it was his duty as part of House Geneolgia and the Crystalguard. He doesn’t think any of his life has been his own choice

The rest of the team disagrees. Duty dictates that Janne should be executed as a traitor, but Yew consistently keeps trying to reason with him out of compassion

Edea’s giving a speech about how the Crystalguard’s actions may have been black, but the organization as a whole may have been a lighter shade of grey or white with a black mark on it. Coming from last game’s foremost “black-and-white morality” thinker, that just goes to show how much Edea grew during Bravely Default, especially since she’s no longer painting entire organizations as a single color, but noting that they’re a mixture of both good and bad people

Agnès is crying and now Tiz is SUPER pissed that they may have hurt her. Turns out it’s just the smoke irritating her eyes and making it hard to breathe

So... to Eisen? We’re gonna need a bigger boat!

Edea and Magnolia talking in their sleep is keeping Yew up at night. I feel ya, buddy. Edea’s snoring is grating as anything

Oh god Yew’s getting accosted by a mysterious voice with a music box backing track. Run!

“I... haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about” neither do I, Yew. You wanted a boat and this voice went on a tirade about cabbage

Voice’s advice is use your rowboat and go through a whirlpool that MIGHT go away. That’s TERRIBLE advice. Just rent a boat! We have SO MUCH money thanks to my level grinding

Guess the whirlpool IS gone. Still

*Insert months long break for college* At least this liveblog lets me know where the hell I am in the plot

The boat ride to Eisen is super long even with encounters turned off. Who thought the canoes on shallow waters only idea was good?

Oh! OH! Fox girl! She’s the one with the Yōkai job that I heard was super broken oh please let me get the demonic summons (unavailable until Chapter 6. Aw)

Ah, she’s the princess of Yunohana and is looking for her missing brother. And she’s joining us temporarily! Normally I’d be excited because she seems cool, but RPG experience has taught me that most of these situations end in betrayal, so now I’m suspicious (especially since the Yōkai asterisk involves summoning demons)

Princess Yōko is flirting HARD with Yew and Magnolia is so offended (older siblings Tiz and Edea are giving the most backhanded compliments right now)

Commander Goodman is back at Eisen Bridge! Good to see some old faces again, even if it’s under less than ideal circumstances

How good of a shot is Aimee that the entire Eisenberg army is at her mercy?

“Yew Googlymoogly and his three yutzes” is the new party name. It’s taken “ Agnès’s Avengers,” put it in a stranglehold, and had it beg for mercy it’s so strong

Giving the cowgirl a Boston accent is bizarre to experience

God she is just smitten with the Patissier boy, huh?

Magnolia just saved Yew, but Aimee... psychically moved the bullet to hit Goodman when it missed? Guess that explains the cross-continental shot

“The wound is deep” the man was wearing full plate armor. At that point it’s more blunt force impact damage than a bullet wound

The Hartschild festival looks great! I still love the graphical upgrades in this game over Default’s. The town looks gorgeous

How on earth DID we carry Commander Goodman to his home half a continent away?

Patissier boy is funding all of Hartsfest. He’s also absurdly tall like what

Aw, Yew and Magnolia are on a goldfish scooping date. Edea ships it so hard it hurts

Yew got flowers for Yōko and Magnolia, but I sense some cultural confusion happening on Magnolia’s end

Yeah, Magnolia thought that giving a flower was a marriage proposal because that’s what it is on the moon and now she’s crushed because she legitimately thought Yew was her maybe-fiance

DAMN YŌKO. HARSH. MAGNOLIA JUST RAN OFF CRYING

That was some mood whiplash. We just went from a heartbroken Magnolia to HEY GOODMAN’S DOING FINE YAAAAAAAY

Eleanor’s missing and the culprit is probably Patissier Angelo, using his cupcakes to mind control the town because duh. What else would Aimee’s boyfriend do?

Oh for fuck’s sake. Voice is writing in Yew’s journal and he’s soliloquizing about ONIONS now

He knows French. Potential moon person?

Yōko’s brother is here and he’s not a fox boy. Shame. Though the sibling matching clothes are cute

Danzaburō’s hair kinda looks like the Kaiser’s, but it’s hard to tell under the hat. He doesn’t sound like Kaiser, though, so it’s probably just coincidence

So a samurai’s gonna help us fight a sniper. Rad

It’s been so long I forgot about warp pig. How could I forget warp pig?

Ughhhhh the inn’s out of commission. Damn, that makes journal grinding so much harder. Ugh. Okay. Better solve the Hartschild disappearances first

This sidequest is starting with a grandpa and granddaughter moving into the old boat shack. I’m certain this will end in failure

YEAH THERE’S PROFITEUR’S FAKE MOON PERSON ACCENT

And HOLLY. Because you two were just my FAVORITES in Default

Actually, I already spoiled this one skimming through the TVTropes page, so reminding everyone that I am actively making the this The Worst Timeline: we’re siding with Holly. Probably for the best, as I technically already have a healing job

Does this grandfather... have a face? He looks like a yeti. It’s just all hair

So what I got is that Profiteur wanted to buy the sea shack from the family, probably to fix it up and flip it for commercial use. Which was fine because it had been abandoned for years, but the family suddenly came back. And Holly was just here... and against it for some reason

??? Does the sidequest not continue until you’ve solved the Hartschild problem or am I just missing something?

Man, Yōko ADORES her brother. Yew is sighing and musing about how nice that relationship is. Jealous?

Danzaburō’s plan is for the party to use the aqueduct to go under the bridge and sneak up on Aimee from behind while he distracts her. Not a bad plan at all

Damn. He just sliced a bullet in half in midair. Woah

And Hartschild’s fine now? Ooooor it’s only active at night? Is this a town of vampires now? Is that why there’s a “play with dog until dusk” option?

Profiteur wants the inlet to turn it into a trade port. “Old Codger” objects because the inlet is pretty. And Holly is projecting her own childhood sadness onto that girl and that’s why she’s intervening

So unlike the impression I got in Defualt... Profiteur is actually a decent businessman? He was scoping out Eisen Bridge, too

Profiteur does make a decent point. The party’s been mostly listening to old, retired men who aren’t directly effected by the changes, they’re just against the idea of change in general. Ask the young folk currently in the workforce and they’ll want to try anything to make things better. Nostalgic emotions vs practical problem solving

And another good point! They can’t ship things through Eisen Bridge due to the fighting, but the Empire doesn’t have a hold on ocean trade. Siding with Holly really is the worse choice here. That little girl being sad about moving is a worthy price to pay for improving the lives of all Eisenberg citizens

Aaaaaand the little girl’s missing. She left to try and get a job so they can keep the house. Children are bad at big-picture thinking

Oh good she’s in the Mythril Mine. That never went poorly for any child, ever

Damn, Profiteur came to help the kid? I’m liking him more the longer I do this quest

Holly, I don’t need your whole dang life story about how your grandfather worked so hard he ended up neglecting you. It’s sad, but you’re gonna subject a lot more kids to that if you keep harping on this one girl

Holly, it’s not like Profiteur hired the miners. They were working there on their own. Because the economy is bad. This ain’t his fault. He’s trying to fix this exact problem

“Is this the cost of rebuilding a nation?” Did you listen to a thing he’s said? He’s trying to open up trade ports so that they DON’T have to rely on the mine!

Is it obvious that I have little patience for characters who think emotional gratification gives them moral superiority yet? Or characters who prioritize it over actually solving the damn problem?

“It may not be feasts and finery, but isn’t it better just to live together, as long and as happily as you can?” WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT FINERY. These people are scrounging to EAT, Holly. They ain’t gonna be LIVING for long if they don’t get the money to buy food and shelter you useless high school economics flunkie

Sorry game. One sad girl and her grandad do not outweigh the needs of a nation. But I’m siding with them anyway, because Worst Timeline

“There’s something wrong with driving a family out of their home for the sake of a country!” NO EDEA THERE REALLY ISN’T. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING MAKES YOU SAD OR UPSET DOESN’T MEAN IT’S WRONG. YOUR EMOTIONS ARE NOT A MORAL SCALE

“What is zis sentimental nonsense you fools are spouting!?” THANK YOU PROFITEUR FINALLY SOMEONE WITH LOGIC AND SENSE

I don’t know if I ever mentioned it, but I appreciate that the game gives you a summary of the two potential sidequest jobs before you make the choice, as well as warning you that you only get one. It’s nice, clear, and considerate

“It seems you’re having trouble understanding simple economic theory” is the theme of this sidequest

I don’t see why they had to give Profiteur generic villain quotes when you fight him. He was doing so well this sidequest

I don’t think I’ve ever seriously used the Merchant class and I doubt I will now

I don’t want your approval, Holly

AND THE PAYOFF WAS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT BARRAS WANTS TO SETTLE DOWN AND OPEN A CLINIC WITH HOLLY this was not worth it

At least Profiteur’s bestiary entry has Magnolia comment on his accent, even if it’s more tongue-in-cheek “wow he sounds dumb who would talk like that” than “...was he secretly from the moon, too?”

I don’t think I noticed before, but if you Brave multiple spells together it seems to merge them into one animation and that’s cool. Not sure if that’s something related to Yew being a Bishop or Magnolia being a Wizard, since it only seems to do that for Yew

This is the most lava-riddled sewer I’ve ever seen in my life

*gasp* Ancient ninja artifacts have been found in the sewers! Clearly Konoe Kikyo must have been here (and since she’s on my sidequest list for this chapter, I imagine she’s nearby)

I’m so overleveled for every dungeon. The joys and pains of bestiary completion

Why are there so many dragon men in these sewers?

Oh no! Yōko’s been shot trying to protect her brother! Time to conveniently exit the sewers with dramatic timing an end this

Is Aimee’s guncleaver just the next step up from gunblade?

Yew, that was the saddest cheer I’ve ever heard. Good to know Aimee still ships Yew/Magnolia, though

I’ve accidentally made Edea a physical attacking monster. I think she just took out half of Aimee’s health singlehandedly

And the gunslinger goes out apologizing to the Patissier boyfriend. A lot of dying apologies in this game

Gotta get Tiz up to Level 8 Catmancer before fighting her boyfriend. I want 100% completion and there’s a skill in that fight

Yōko’s giving a dramatic death speech and then Danzaburō cuts in with “she’s fine we’re taking her to a hot spring to relax.” Already loving the sibling dynamic

...I just noticed that her fox ears were actually a bow. The small details in this series are incredible

Aw, that’s cute. Magnolia wants to travel the world and eat every food she can because they’re all so different from moon food and from dishes in other regions

Edea’s all for it. Of course

And we’ve just crossed the border from medieval Europe into feudal Japan. Eisenberg is weird, but the music here is great

Aw. Danzaburō is carrying Yōko. What a good big brother

I now present to you: A Generic Anime Hot Springs Episode in a Medieval Fantasy

Oh I’m so glad Danzaburō’s hanging out in the hot spring with Yew and Tiz. And that he wore his hat in

Yew please. We all know Danzaburō has great pecs. They ain’t even submerged

Girls come on. You JUST gave the guys a talking to about peeping. Don’t you three go turning it around on them like that. Guys have a right to privacy, too

Does Danzaburō have a chinstrap beard or is that the actual chinstrap of his hat?

“We should peek back” “If you peek on my sister I will murder you without hesitation” This is exactly what I expected

Ah, Yōko’s asking Yew about a Sword of the Brave. MacGuffin senses tingling

Awww. She wants it because her father won’t let Danzaburō take the throne until he returns with it, since he’s not the emperor’s son by blood. An impossible task, and I suspect that the emperor doesn’t want Danzaburō to succeed

And Yew knows more about the sword than he’s telling, so I’m sensing a tragic sword-related backstory

Oh, damn. Yōko went after the sword on her own, didn’t she? Great

And another sidequest. Sorry Yōko, you’re gonna have to wait a bit

Aw great we’ve injured a delivery man. Nice going Edea

Ominas Party... Guess Black Mage is coming up. And they hired Artemia. It’s a safe bet we’re doing Ominas vs. Artemia this quest

It looks like 1/4 of all undead in the game are in Grapp Keep. What the hell happened there?

Earthquake happens and everyone falls unconscious + stairs are out of commission? At least we have food

Seems like the conflict is going to be Ominas wants the food for himself, and Artemia wants to ration it

Jambalay, Risotto, and Paella? Ominas, dude, you guys are screwed. When your hired help is named after food during a food shortage you know things have gone bad

So the moral conflict is mutiny with Artemia so no one starves or side with Ominas because he’s funding it and nominally in charge. Guess I’m siding with Ominas for Worst Timeline reasons

I don’t mind it for gameplay reasons, though. I like Ranger. It was one of the jobs I used most in BD and I already have a spellcasting job in Wizard

...that Currently Alive status screen was more worrying than necessary

Ah, so the conflict is a little deeper that I thought. Ominas is training his d’gon to smash the rubble out of the way, and I imagine he’s gonna want the food to keep Bahamut’s health up. So do we get out faster by prioritizing Bahamut, or do we wait for the search party while keeping everyone alive?

Ominas is still an ass, though. So I’ll have to side with him regardless

Oh. He wants Bahamut to learn Femto Flare to kill the Ba’als. I know the game isn’t gonna go this route, but I’d love it if I could side with Ominas and learn Femto Flare, and then loop and side with Artemia, but still teach Bahamut Femto Flare after we’re out of threat of starvation

I also have the benefit of meta knowledge. We have to make it out alive so there’s no real threat of at least the party dying. Similarly, I doubt Bahamut is gonna solo the final boss for us, so learning Femto Flare will be useless in the long run. Artemia’s solution ensures that the NPCs survive to be rescued, while Ominas’s only ensures Bahamut’s survival and little gain for our future because the game has to have Boss Fights for us. Also, assume someone never did the sidequest. No Bahamut either way

Worst Timeline prerogative sometimes makes this game hard to get through. It’s better to get it over with now, but still. I really like Artemia and I so want to side with her, but time to give Ominas’s baby dragon the rest of the food

Wow we tied Artemia up? Seems a little much

This actually ended pretty well. Ominas managed to teach Bahamut Femto Flare early and everyone made it out alive. Artemia ain’t even mad. ...did I fail to make the Worst Timeline?

“Hustle, don’t hurry” is some pretty good advice, Tiz

So Magnolia’s learning to cook and just ended up making as many rice dishes as she could, because the team likes carbs. At least Edea’s into it?

So the Geyser Grotto gimmick is that each room has you start the battle with a different status (ex. Magic Up, Berserk) due to the spring waters. It’s a neat concept, but wildly inconvenient for my bestiary completion

Welp, Yōko found the sword and it’s pulling a Sumrbrandr from Magnus Chase and speaking

Ohhhhhh shit Yōko made a pact with it to claim its power and said she’d pay any price, so it took Danzaburō’s sword arm. It never said she’d be the one paying

Yew’s having a trauma flashback! Awww, he had an older half-brother that he loved a whole lot and was so excited for him to inherit House Geneolgia, but their dad picked Yew as his heir

Their dad gave Yew’s brother the ultimatum of “prove yourself by finding the sword or leave forever” and his brother left, so Yew went looking for the sword to get his brother back

You know, I’m playing Hogwarts Mystery at the same time as this, so between Yew’s brother, Danzaburō, and HPHM’s Jacob, that’s three instances of “older brother leaves/disappears and devoted younger sibling goes to fix the problem” in games I’m playing

These drawings of baby Yew are adorable. His hair’s a complete disaster

And since this is a flashback relevant to the current situation, Yew’s brother finds him just as Yew is about to make a pact with the sword (which big bro Geneolgia claims is a demon) and the sword attacks Yew’s brother as the price. He survived, but disappeared and no one’s seen him since

Wait, so Yew had this whole flashback, none of the party heard it, and then the second he wakes up he goes “I’ll tell you everything” and we get a fade to black as he tells the party what we just saw in flashback? Why not just have the flashback be Yew telling the party? This is a baffling structural choice

His brother was also going to be the leader of the Three Cavaliers, and the only reason Yew joined was to take up his brother’s position. Yeesh, kid, you’re 16! When did all of this happen, when you were 12? How the hell did you accomplish all of this?

Whhaaaaaaaaaat the fuck? What the... Okay, I knew Yōko was the holder of the Yōkai asterisk and that it involved collecting “Sins” that act as dark summons, but I was not expecting her to be a literal yōkai fox demon using illusions of the sword and creating the characters of “Yōko” and “Danzaburō” (who is not real) just to elaborately fuck with Yew

My actual theory was that Danzaburō was the son of the Emperor of Yunohana and Yōko was a demon (or half-demon), but also his adopted sister, and the whole “find the Sword of the Brave” thing was actually going to be to name Yōko the heir, not Danzaburō, and he’d just lied to Yōko about the real reason he was looking for it. Maybe Yōko had lost her memory of being a demon, so Danzaburō and their father made up a story to cover it up, explaining why she thought Danzaburō wasn’t the true heir of Yunohana. Guess I was pretty far off

Wait, does this bring my missing big brothers in games count down to 2, since Danzaburō wasn’t real? Man, that’s not an impressive number at all!

“You, who let your poor little brother die. Has finding a new “little brother” freed you of your guilt?” Bitch, I was literally just about to say how Yew and Tiz were good for each other because they filled the familial roles that the other had lost. Do NOT speak ill of my brOTP. It is a relationship of mutual healing

She’s also accusing Magnolia of defeating Ba’als just to run from the pain of losing people on the moon

OH HELL YEAH I KNOW THAT VOICE AND MUSIC. The sweet, echo-y tones of Alternis Dim!!! Just as Yōko was about to go after Edea, not-quite-Ringabel-but-close-enough shows up to save the day, to the theme of last game’s Asterisk fight theme, “That Person’s Name Is”. THAT PERSON’S NAME IS ALTERNIS DIM, BABYYYY!

...well he got blown up fast. Typical Alternis

Well, Yōko thought this whole thing was fun, so she’s gonna let us live and give us some information. Go to the Temple of Fire. That’s it. That’s the information

Alternis confirmed that no one died in the opening sequence when Agnès was kidnapped. He’s also glad to see Tiz awake

If only “you know who” could be here... Edea, are you talking about Agnès, who has been kidnapped, or was that a really harsh dig at the fact that you love Alternis’s alternate timeline self more

Awww, she tied a bow just like hers on Alternis as a bandage. Girl, he’s already in love with you you’re just gonna drive him nuts like this

Aternis: UHHHH WELL IT’S BEEN FUN GUYS but I’m gonna go chase after whatever the heck that demon was byeedeabyetiz

So the Fire Crystal is going out of control, just like what happened when you charged the crystals in Bravely Default. So the Kaiser is overloading the crystals to bust through to another world, like Airy did. Only a Vestal can do that, though, and Agnès claims that she hasn’t been doing that, and they never replaced the lost Vestals from the previous games. So either Agnès is getting controlled randomly and forgetting, or there’s someone else with a Vestal’s power hanging around

...didn’t Bella refer to herself as a Dark Vestal? I assumed she was dead, but she could still be alive. That, or the Kaiser has assembled a few “Dark Vestals” for this purpose

So the plan is to beat the Kaiser to Florem, where the only crystal he hasn’t visited yet is

...dammit Janne, you edgy loser. How many times am I gonna kick your ass? I was like, 10 levels too high for the last dungeon. What are you gonna do? Make scary wolf moves with your stances again?

Was that dialogue specifically because I defaulted the first few turns, or is it based on the amount of turns I took regardless of my actions?

“Fight like you mean it!” Yew’s my healer, Janne, I don’t think he’s gonna

Oh nooooo Janne fell from the bridge. He definitely not gonna come back I promise. That’s why there’s still a bestiary entry for him! Dude is so extra

Being able to turn off random encounters is so good for backtracking. I appreciate the variable combat frequency feature a lot. It’s great. Cuts down time for bestiary entries and grinding, and makes travel faster (though no less tedious at this point)

Kaiser’s got a robot hand. I imagine that that’s all that scene was for. I wonder where this could be going (I already know I was spoiled on the Kaiser’s identity, but for potential readers I’ll keep my mouth shut)

Nikolai: Janne’s gone maybe we should look-

Anne: Nah

Kaiser: Nah seconded, let’s book it

And Patissier boy works for the Kaiser. Like, duh. He was Aimee’s boyfriend, why wouldn’t he be?

It seems that relationship may have been one-sided. Angelo says he doesn’t care much for Aimee, but Anne thinks he’s bluffing

Are those soldiers Angelo’s admirers from town? Did he recruit random Hartschild women, or were they spies while in Hartschild

And back to Sidequest corner: Knight Heinkel vs. Ninja Kikyo! Ninja was the only one of the two I used in Default, but Worst Timeline prerogative determines the outcome here

Sholmes and Whitson? Seriously? We’re gonna solve the mystery of Edea eating Yew’s dumplings?

So Sholmes is Heinkel’s nephew, Heinkel is now an Inspector for the Yunohana police, Sholmes is going to interview for a position somewhere, and I imagine that Kikyo is the other person they mentioned

She is. She’s a private eye and apparently also related to Sholmes on his mother’s side? She’s his aunt?

Both cancelled the interviews to investigate a Starkfort murder! I imagine this is gonna be a battle of who each person thinks the culprit is

Man, so in the first game Heinkel and Kikyo went the whole game without mentioning either of their siblings AND the fact that their siblings were married to each other. Weird

The location card reads “Starkfort (For Sale by Owner)” oh my gosh???

Lord Earl Gulliver. This man has too many titles (I know that’s probably his first name, but still)

So our three witnesses are Gulliver’s wife, Madam Goldiga (pronounged “gold digga”), the owner of Starkfort, Lande Lessor, and Gulliver’s financier, Noah Entreste

Sholmes please. This is serious. You can’t just scream that someone in the room must be the murderer, even if someone in the room is probably, definitely a murderer

(It’s us. The party has killed people in the past and they shall do so again, even if this game made most of the murders in the first game non-canon)

You wanted Starkfort as a vacation home??? It is literally infested with demons

Goldiga left during some point in the tour for seemingly no reason, so she doesn’t have an alibi. The real problem is figuring out if the game is cliche enough to make her the killer, or if they’re gonna subvert it

Kikyo believes that the murderer was someone Gulliver trusted, since there was no sign of a struggle. That rules out Lessor, as they hadn’t met until that day. She suspects either Entreste or Goldiga because Entreste could move about freely since he was the owner and presumably had the keys, but the method of murder points to Goldiga

Edea accuses Kikyo, and Kikyo just hauls off on every way the murderer was an amateur. The blade was rusty, which would’ve taken two hands to use. It was poisoned, but a slash on the belt indicates that they missed, but the presence of poison suggests that the murderer had weak upper body strength, indicating Goldiga. Hell yeah you go Kikyo show that assassin knowledge

I actually do like this sidequest. I’ve got a thing for mysteries and solving this one is fun

Lessor and Entreste both wanted the sale to go through. Lessor wanted this demon-ridden property off his hands. Entreste is a banker looking to make a sale. They met that day. Goldiga has the most motive, though Edea and Heinkel are skeptical, as I was

Can I guess now that the culprit was Gulliver and he accidentally killed himself with his own poisoned dagger like a chump

Actually, scratch that. I want to say it was Whitson. He’s using too many ellipses

He’s going on about how his entire family has just been the assistants to the members of Sholmes’s family. It was definitely him

Goldiga’s dead you say? I’m so shocked! I could not possibly have seen this game attempt to subvert expectations!

She had a note reading “I shall follow where you go”. So now it’s a question of planted to make it look like a suicide, or an actual suicide

So Sholmes and Whitson worked at Starkfort years ago. Whitson is the murderer is looking more and more likely

I think I was wrong about what the conflict is. It’s should Sholmes be a police inspector or a private investigator. Honestly, I’d say neither, but at least Heinkel could whip him into shape. So let’s pick Kikyo

Man, that pissed Whitson off

There really isn’t a “worse” option here, I just personally think the police office is better for Sholmes. He needs someone to tell him when he’s out of line, and I feel like Kikyo would sooner ignore him and go off on her own than help. Besides, Heinkel’s trained worse, and he could do a lot for Sholmes in terms of training. So naturally I’m gonna tell Sholmes to go with Kikyo and kick Heinkel’s ass

Damn, I forgot how hard Heinkel could be. I ended up spamming my Zeus’s Wraths near the end of that

It WAS Whitson! Actually, Whitson was Heinkel, at least for that fight!

So the epilogue says that Whitson told Goldiga about the hidden passages in Starkfort, and she killed Gulliver. She tried to get Whitson to help her. The note was from Gulliver. It was part of his novel. Sholmes is working solo and acting as a police consultant a la his namesake

Kikyo actually likes Sholmes and she’s proud of him. “I feel compelled to come to every crime scene with a batch of freshly baked cookies.” You know what, I like Kikyo. She’s good

Off to get a decent boat! And meet the lord of Yunohana. For the boat!

Kusatsu Arima, Lord of Baths. Can that be my new title?

He... only has a gondola. And only makes soap and bath puns. And oh Angelo’s here. Team’s about to get pastry drugged, aren’t they?

Aaaaand now Tiz is unresponsive because I let him eat first

Oh was this the boss fight already?

Tiz just faded from existence? Because his cakes literally whisk you off to heaven? And he did that to all of Hartschild?

Tiz is a ghost in this fight and can only use magic BUT DOES THE CATMANCER ABILITY STILL WORK???

Well, I completely murdered the girl who gives the Catmancy skill, so it doesn’t matter. Oh well, I think there’s more in Florem

I had ghost Tiz summon a Tiz doing a gun special attack and that wrecked everything. I feel it was poetic considering Angelo’s trash talking Aimee

Angelo just tried to commit Suicide by Cake. He was stopped by a ring with a farewell note from Aimee tied to it that I imagine she shot into the air when she died, and because she’s just THAT GOOD of a shot it made it to Angelo at precisely this moment

Her last request was for Angelo to open a pancake shop and make everyone as happy as he made her, as long as he loved her even a little. And he’s gonna do it, even though he’s calling her annoying as he was agreeing to do it

Can the hot springs cure Tiz’s... ghost status?

Oh they dumped spring water on him and it worked. Okay?

Just Yew and Tiz in the baths again, since it turns out Danzaburō wasn’t real so they were alone in the first place

Aw, Yew and Magnolia are talking about the accidental engagement. Magnolia admits she overreacted, but she was so touched when he proposed

Ah! Voice is here! Man with the Purple Pen that for some reason everyone’s cool with!

So the hot springs were a boat, and Voice just unanchored it

The lord’s actually excited about this. He gave us the boat. So now we can take the springs to Hartschild and save the people Angelo ghosted

Edea’s gonna drive? Where’s Alternis when he’d actually be useful?

I was wondering what the last icon on the bottom screen was gonna be for. It’s boat access and switching to the raft

We just accidentally adopted bath lady Sakura as our mom

Oh come on, I just want the chapter to end. We did the boss fight! Why are Sergeant Sapp and Private Piddler here!?

That fight sucked

And we have fixed Hartschild. Nice. And Goodman’s okay! Nice.

Magnolia, stop waxing poetic about Goodman and his wife having to put their love aside to fulfill their duties. I get how it’s relevant to you and Yew, but can we just end this chapter?

Yew has named our boat the Rubadub. Cute

The Skyhold has been hit! By a laser! CHAPTER END

Female voice monologues about memory and regret. Every day was meant to change you into a better person

And theme song. Is this gonna happen every chapter? Not that I mind, because it’s a good song. Gives the whole game structure a very anime feel

FINALLY. This chapter feels like it took me a century. I’ve been on it for several months, at least! That’s not to say it was BAD (certain sidequests aside) but boy did it feel like it was dragging on forever. I’ve gotta wonder if the arc fatigue was just due to how I was playing the game, or if other people felt it, too. The Yōko reveal was pretty stellar, though

Hopefully the next chapter won’t take me at least 1/4 of a year to finish!

SPECULATION SPOILER CORNER

Rereading this to edit, I’m pretty sure Danzaburō ’s physical similarities to the Kaiser weren’t just a coincidence like I brushed them off as above. That had to be intentional on Yōko’s end. Yew’s jealousy about Yōko and Danzaburō ’s relationship also makes much more sense now

#bravely default #bravely second #liz liveblogs bravely second #oh man it's finally here: the liveblog a whole two people read #the holly/profiteur sidequest just killed the momentum for me #but we be back

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