Song Fic - Tumblr Posts

garden

pairing: bucky barnes x fem oc

this is a song fic inspired by ‘garden song’ by phoebe bridgers. each section between lyrics is a different memory from their life together.

warnings: modern college au, very brief mention of severe weather, brief implications of body image issues and insecurities, brief non-detailed description and talk of injuries, amnesia, house fire (no injury or death), NIMBLE IS OKAY!!!, angst, fluff, kinda hurt/comfort ??, avalon and steve have the cutest friendship ever, crumbs of avasam and peppalon bffism if you squint, brief mention of buckys fuckboy era, implied smut, a teeny tiny splash of drunk!steve, swearing, bucky and avalon are both a bit unwell in the head, implications of ptsd but if you dont have ptsd yourself then you probably wont catch it, bittersweet open-ended ending, i think thats all but lmk if i need to add more !!

this is NOT betaed!! i did proofread before posting, but im also dyslexic so if theres still any errors thats why.

all work is mine, please do not repost or translate without my permission. likes and reblogs are welcome and appreciated!!!

Someday, I'm gonna live

In your house up on the hill

as they stood at the lookout deep in the catskills watching the sunset, buckys arms wrapped around her waist, avalon couldn’t help but be in complete awe. no matter how many times they’d come here to watch the sunset, or wait in the car with bated breath while the severe weather alert blared through the speakers as nearly black clouds quickly filtered into the valley, it never failed to make her gape with child-like wonder at the vast horizon.

“i’ve seen this view so many times, and it still feels surreal every time…”

“i know…” bucky whispered back, voice slightly muffled as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

“it’s gorgeous…”

bucky raised his head to look at her, then to the view in front of them… the crystal blue reservoir below, narrow bridge crossing it in the distance, mountains for miles and the breathtaking pink and orange sky. He looked back to her and smiled.

the same view in front of them, he also held in his arms: her dyed bright orange hair, ‘i want to look like a pumpkin’ were avalons exact words when bucky found her dying it in the guest bathroom at 2am on a random wednesday. it wasn’t even fall yet, but she was just too excited to wait until october hit. the peaks and plateaus of her in the form of her body; the slope of her neck, the valley between her breasts, the curves of her waist, the dip in her hips, the bend of her knees. the bridge of her nose that she hated so much, uneven from one too many breaks never being fixed. bucky didn’t care, he loved all of her, so he’d kiss it anyways. and down to her blue-green eyes, perfection in his because they were the colors of mother nature. god, how he could always get lost in them.

“not as much as you though.” avalon let out a laugh at his comment. so cheesy, she thought.

she turned in his arms, pure adoration in buckys eyes as he stared back at her, and avalon swore in that moment she sunk further into the home she’d made for herself in his heart.

“okay, pretty boy.” she smirked, placing a long awaited kiss to his lips.

And when your skinhead neighbor goes missing

I'll plant a garden in the yard, then

it was the peak of spring. prime planting season, the wintery frost that usually covered the rural new york landscape during the cold months no longer invaded their yard.

bucky realized he hadn’t seen avalon most of the day, at least not since breakfast, and it was nearing 3pm. he thought she might’ve been in the green room, but nope. no head of messy strawberry blonde hair in sight. but then he heard it, loud and clear, that frustrated groan that filtered in through the front door, and bucky automatically knew what was going on. it was on their calendar and avalon hadn’t been able to stop talking about it for weeks; it was planting season, the end of the frost!

bucky made his way outside, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“hey, doll.”

“hi!” avalon jumped excitedly at the sound of his voice.

“what are you doing?” he already knew, but he had to play in. talking about her gardens of flowers, her pride and joy, always made her buzz with happiness. bucky felt grateful enough that she let him witness it.

“it’s planting season!” she said with a bright smile.

“oh, of course.” bucky said in a mock forgetful tone as he descended the front steps of her home — their home now.

avalon held up two small bags of seeds to bucky as she asked, “should i do pink or white peonies?”

“pink, obviously!” he replied, as if it weren’t already a given she had to plant pink peonies because ‘thems the rules!’

“obviously…” avalon rolled her eyes, already knowing what bucky was thinking, as if she could simply see into his mind.

They're gluing roses on a flatbed

You should see it, I mean thousands

the spring festival always filled avalon with joy. participating in the parade almost every year since she was three, while her mother and father usually manned their tent as vendors, along with her fathers brother who owned a brewery.

this would be buckys first year attending. it was basically his initiation, as avalon and her mom had put it.

“oh, my god… buck, look at the flower floats!” avalon beamed, her chest surging with joy. i can’t believe i was able to contribute to something so beautiful, she thought.

“they’re pretty.” bucky whispered back in her ear holding her tightly to his chest, watching the gorgeous floats filled with a plethora of flowers roll past.

“those are my roses…” she said timidly, pointing to the corral truck, all bright smiles and shining eyes. it was covered in at least a few hundred rose buds of varying colors.

“what?” buckys eyes went wide as he released his grip on her waist and she turned to face him with a shy smile. “and you didn’t tell me?”

“i wanted it to be a surprise!”

his smile shown brighter than the stars, and avalon couldn’t help but smile back the same way. bucky grabbed her waist, hoisting her up in the air and spinning her around as she laughed.

“i’m so proud of you!” he shouted, flooding her face with kisses all over.

I grew up here 'til it all went up in flames

Except the notches in the door frame

it was like a scene from a movie. avalon swore everything was going in slow motion as her feet came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street. her mind racing a thousand miles a minute, but one thing was clear through all the haze… nimble. avalon ran straight for the blazing house.

“ma’am, please. you need to stand back.” a firefighter said as he held her back with his strong arm.

“but that’s my home! my dog is still inside!” she screamed back.

“i understand, but-“

“my dog is in there — my entire life is!” avalon was a complete mess. she knew this man was just trying to do his job, and she was extremely grateful for that, but she wouldn’t know what to do if she lost nimble. the tiny, almost fourteen year old beagle had been her best friend since she was nine.

“listen, i understand this is an incredibly difficult, and stressful situation…but you need to stay back and let us do our job.” the firefighter said with a firm nod of his head, going back to his position.

“oh god…” avalon took a step back, watching as her childhood home was consumed by the red inferno.

she fell to her knees, praying to a god she wasn’t even sure she believed in, until she heard a small voice in the back of her head. it kind of sounded like her grandma. ‘nimble will be fine, that little guy is as resilient as dinosaur bones’

not even a minute later does she look back up to see him dashing through the yard, the tiny hound, her best friend.

“nimble!” avalon sprung to her feet and raced towards him, right passed the firefighter who was telling her just minutes before to stay back.

“hey!” he yelled, trying to grab for her as she zoomed past, but failing miserably.

avalon fell to the sidewalk and scooped nimble up the second he was in arms reach, holding him tightly to her and crying.

she felt a crinkle against her chest. she looked down, and sure enough, nimble held a small brown canvas bag in his mouth marked peonies.

“anything to live up to your name, huh?” avalon said through sniffles as she removed the bag from his mouth, stuffing it into her jacket pocket and gently petting his head.

I don't know when you got taller

See our reflection in the water

everything was stressing her out. steve was so adamant that bucky would come back, and deep down avalon knew that he had to be right…he had to be, steve was buckys best friend since the dawn of time, he knew him better than anyone else. but avalon just couldn’t bring it from within herself to truly believe what the blonde was telling her.

so when avalon disappeared out of nowhere one afternoon, it was safe to say the whole group flipped the entire city upside down trying to find her. how could a girl from the catskills burrow herself so deep into manhattan when she barely even knew the city?

of course, steve being steve, he found her first because he knew all the right places to look. soho, the brooklyn bridge and riverside park. he should’ve known she’d be by the pier.

“darling?” steve called out softly. he’d know that flannel and shaggy blue hair anywhere.

avalon turned around to see her favorite of buckys friends. really, they were her friends too now. “oh… hey, steve.” she sniffled and wiped her tears away as she turned back to the water, leaning on the rail.

“we’ve all been looking everywhere for you…for two hours” there wasn’t even the slightest pinch of malice in his voice. steve wasn’t angry at all, he was concerned.

“i know, i’m sorry i scared you guys… i just needed to be alone” steve approached, standing to her right, leaning on the rail with her.

“so you came to the river?”

“buck and i, we… we used to walk the path almost every morning, so i figured… i figured no one would find me here, i guess.” avalon stared down at her morphing reflection in the hudson, steves next to her… she wished so bad that it was bucky.

“in a very public area, no one would find you?” steves gaze could burn holes through the side of her face.

she finally looked back at him, fresh tears welling in her eyes just threatening to spill over. “hey, i’m a very easy person to ignore… clearly.” she answered in a sarcastic tone.

“avi…” steves entire demeanor shifted at her indication. he knew exactly what she meant.

avalon had quickly become one of steves closest friends, right next to sam and nat. he was loyal to a fault, so he’d do anything to protect his friends from harm, but he felt useless in this situation.

“it’s fine…” avalon said dismissively with a small, sad smile. being at her and buckys spot, looking out at the same view they always did together, brought back a lot.

Off a bridge at the Huntington

I hopped the fence when I was seventeen

she stared up at the seven foot tall chainlink fence with fear. how the fuck was she supposed to climb this thing?

“ava, come on!” noah yelled from the other side.

“guys, i don’t think i can do it!” she pulled her jacket tighter around her waist, not sure if the shaking in her limbs was caused by anxiety, or the cold air that seemed to permanently swirl at night during autumn in the catskills.

“come on, don’t be a scaredy cat!” oliver teased.

avalon thought it over in her head. it wasn’t that scary, the worst that could possibly happen is falling on her ass. “alright, alright…”

so she started climbing the metal links, just as she’d seen noah and oliver do before her. at one point, close to the top, she lost her footing and almost fell. in a quick recovery she pulled herself up, swinging her legs over the top and jumping to the ground when she made it halfway down.

“see? it wasn’t that hard.” oliver said, patting her shoulder with a smirk.

“yeah” avalon smiled back. in her distracted state she didn’t realize at first that oliver had tagged her, until he started running up the hilly path.

shock spread through her face as she looked over at noah, then he started running too.

“oh, you’re gonna get it oli!” avalon yelled as she began chasing after them both.

she gained a newfound confidence that night, pride surging through her chest. there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Then I knew what I wanted

this conversation had been a long time coming. neither of them knowing the other felt the same way, but avalon wanted this so bad. it was the next step. bucky wanted it too, but he would never ask her to drop her life in catskill to move to the city. it was tug of war.

“i couldn’t ever ask you to leave your home. i mean-“ avalon cut him off. what is this kid not understanding, she thought.

“but you’re not asking me to…i’m telling you, i want to live with you in brooklyn.”

“but catskill is your home! you feel the same way about it that i feel about brooklyn!” bucky just couldn’t understand. maybe it was because he’d never been in a relationship as serious as this. maybe it was because he believed it when his intrusive thoughts told him she didn’t really feel the same way about him. but boy, was he wrong.

“my home is with you, bucky.” she said firmly.

that was the moment he saw it. he saw the same look in avalons eyes that steve always told bucky he had when he was looking at her. it filled his chest with both joy and fear.

And when I grow up, I'm gonna look up

From my phone and see my life

when steve got a call from sam the night before saying him and tony had found bucky, it wasn’t what him and avalon expected.

they raced to the hospital on steves motorcycle. upon arrival, avalon jumped off before they even came to a full stop, throwing the helmet off and running inside.

she spotted sam and tony in the waiting room, “where is he?”

“ava…” sam said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders. a lump caught in her throat at the tone in his voice.

“what happened?” her words came out barely above a whisper.

“you guys might wanna sit down…” tony spoke up. avalon hadn’t noticed steve come in, or tony hugging him comfortingly before.

the fear was clear in her eyes as she looked between all of them, sam ushering her into a seat as tony went to find the doctor so she could explain it all better.

everything sounded muffled, like she was under water. the word ‘amnesia’ rang in her head. it was the only thing she could really catch the doctor say before she was having a full blown panic attack in the middle of the hospital waiting room.

And it's gonna be just like my recurring dream

I'm at the movies, I don't remember what I'm seeing

bucky had been in the hospital for a few weeks now. avalon hadn’t been able to find the courage to see him, when on the first night sam came out of the room with shaky hands, proclaiming bucky wasn’t able to remember who he was. so far it seemed bucky wasn’t able to remember anything past age twenty.

steve went to the hospital to see bucky almost every day, and this particularly grueling morning he all but forced avalon to finally go with him.

“just because he might not remember you right now, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want to see you.” steve said. she knew he was trying to comfort her, but it wasn’t really working. they’d been sitting on a bench just outside the main entrance of the hospital for almost thirty minutes now, and she wasn’t past waiting another thirty just to spite them both. it felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.

before she could even realize what was happening, steve was dragging her inside and pulling her into the elevator.

“you’re mean, you know that?” avalon said as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall.

“it’s only the fifth time you’ve said it today.” steve chuckled.

as soon as the elevator doors slid open, steve was dragging her around again.

“i can walk, steve. my legs work just fine.” avalon huffed out.

“yeah, and as soon as i let go of you, you’re just gonna run for the hills… literally.” steve quipped back. avalon simply rolled her eyes at him in response.

when they got to the door avalon felt like she couldn’t breathe, like all the air was being callously pulled from her lungs. steve felt her tense.

“it’s gonna be okay, avi. i promise.” steve gave her a warm, comforting smile.

“no it’s not.” she whispered back, tears already filling her eyes.

“yes it-“

“steve, he doesn’t know me.”

“he may not be able to remember you, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know you.”

deep down, avalon knew he was right. she knew it, but that still didn’t mean she believed it right now.

“you ready?” steve asked.

“no.” with that, steve held her hand tightly as they walked into buckys hospital room, avalon guarding herself behind his broad back.

“buck? you up?”

“hey, stevie!” and avalons heart nearly shattered. it was the first time she’d heard his voice in over a month, and it was almost like the first time again. “who’s that hiding behind you?”

her knees began to buckle under all the stress she’d been carrying with her. she leaned against steves back for support, taking in jagged breaths.

steve turned around quickly, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly. “do you wanna go say hi to him?”

“i don’t think i can even look at him without bursting into tears.” she whispered against his chest.

“you’re already in here though, right?” she nodded.

“steve?” he sounded thoroughly confused. avalon could imagine bucky was probably doing his signature puppy dog eyes/head tilt combo, she giggled at the thought of it. steve smiled.

“yeah, buck?”

“who is that? oh, my god, wait, no, don’t tell me… is that your girlfriend?” bucky smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. steve immediately went red as a avalon let out a howl of a laugh.

“ewww!” “what- no- she- she’s not…” avalon and steve spoke at the same time.

“literally fucking barf…” avalon spoke through giggles. “no offense, steve.”

“no, none taken.” he chuckled.

avalon finally looked up at bucky, and he still had that same smirk on his face. she swore it almost knocked her off her feet.

“hmm, i don’t know if i believe it…” bucky said in a sing-song voice.

“trust me, killer. steves definitely not my guy.” she said, slowly approaching his bed.

“who is then? i mean, a pretty girl like you, there’s no way you don’t have a boyfriend.” bucky was actually flirting with her right now. it’s not like she wasn’t used to it, even when they started dating he would still flirt with her. but this was different, because bucky couldn’t remember that he was her boyfriend. she was so torn between crying on her knees begging him to just remember, and continuing to fuck with him. she assumed the latter would be less painful for now, so she went along with it.

“there’s a certain brunette i have wrapped around my finger…” she smirked back at him as she sat on the end of his bed.

this was certainly going to be interesting.

The screen turns into a tidal wave

Then it's a dorm room, like a hedge maze

avalon had dreamed of attending columbia since the day she toured it when she was ten, so when she got in early decision she was more than ecstatic.

meeting bucky during the summer between freshman and sophomore year happened purely by chance, because he was a student at nyu, and avalon still lived at home during the summer. it was a struggle to make it all work when they first started dating, but they did it.

junior year was definitely a bitch though. the first few weeks kicked both of their asses, what with bucky being an athlete and avalon being a biochemistry major. he had hours upon hours of practice and training, while avalon had two to four hour long labs and seminars.

one late night as avalon crammed for a quiz in her molecular biology course, hopped up on three pipeline punch monsters and a five hour energy, she heard an unexpected knock at the door. she knew it wasn’t her roommate, isabela.

avalon grumbled, not even wanting to get up from the seat at her desk so she called out, “who is it?”

“housekeeping!” immediately knowing who it was, she jumped up and bolted to the door, swinging it open.

“bucky!” she smiled.

“hey, doll.” he smiled back, avalon practically flinging herself into his arms.

“oh, my god! what are you doing here?” her voice came out muffled as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“i was homesick…” bucky shrugged. avalon pulled her face away to look at him, not a hint of anything but love behind his eyes. she pulled him back in and hugged him even tighter.

avalon was his home, and bucky was hers.

And when I find you

You touch my leg and I insist

everyone that knew bucky knew he was a playboy. never being tied down to one girl for more than a few nights. it was always like that. at least, that was, until he met avalon.

hes a brooklyn boy. blood, bread, born and raised. first kiss at nine and lost his virginity by sixteen. avalon was very different. shes a catskills girl through and through. first kiss at thirteen and still a virgin. she didn’t want to give all of herself to just anyone.

“you know, we don’t have to do anything if you aren’t ready yet. i don’t want you to feel pressured.” bucky said as they sat on the edge of her bed. avalon made sure isabela wouldn’t be back tonight so she could have the dorm room for her and bucky.

she really wanted this. she wanted it with bucky. she wanted everything with bucky.

“i know, i’m okay… i am ready.” she looked up at him to see the softest, sweetest smile on his face.

god, bucky barnes was going to be the absolute death of avalon fiore.

But I wake up before we do it

buckys recovery after the accident was a very long and hard process. it took nearly a year for his memory to be restored, at least to the point of remembering avalon and all of his friends. he was still staying with steve until his doctor fully cleared him to go back to his usual life, and avalon stayed with him almost every night, as he oftentimes had nightmares and she was the only person that could calm him down.

this just so happened to be one of those nights. avalon woke up to him thrashing around in the bed, which wasn’t too unusual, but it typically meant that his nightmares were worse than normal and it’d probably be a lot harder to get him back to sleep. avalon didn’t mind helping him a single bit. she loved him so much, she would do this for the rest of her life if she had to.

she wrapped herself around him and held him down as best she could, being his human weighted blanket.

“buck…” she spoke softly in his ear, and he jolted awake, hyperventilating and shaking like a leaf. “bucky- hey, hey, hey. hey, it’s me. it’s me, it’s just me. i’m here, okay? you’re gonna be okay, i promise. i’m right here.” she whispered as she ran her hands through his hair.

I don't know how, but I'm taller

It must be something in the water

avalon stood at the pier in riverside park as she did almost every day. just because bucky hurt her didn’t mean she was going to let him ruin the hudson for her. she had so many memories here, and the good definitely outweighed the bad.

“avalon…” she didn’t need to turn around and see his face to know it was him. she’d know that voice anytime, any place. even if she was deaf, she’d know the vibrations.

she pursed her lips as she felt him get closer behind her. “hi, james.” she replied plainly, looking back out over the river.

bucky was ready to get on his knees and beg for her forgiveness in front of every person walking empire state trail. “avs, please-“

she finally turned around at that, hearing the nickname only bucky ever called her. it sounded so foul running from his lips now. “no, no. no. you don’t get to call me that!” avalon yelled, shoving him back. “not anymore…” she whispered coldly, tears brimming her waterline as she walked away.

bucky fell to his knees crying. he didn’t care if anyone thought he looked pathetic, he felt horrible. he didn’t care if they trampled over him, he already felt like he was dying inside knowing how much pain he caused avalon.

Everything's growing in our garden

You don't have to know that it's haunted

many years ago now, not too long after meeting her for the first time, pepper asked avalon if she could teach her how to garden. they planted a beautiful array of flowers around the outside of the house. pepper had enough skill now after all these years to do everything herself, and was even beginning to pass all her knowledge down to morgan.

after everything that had happened recently, steve, and everyone else really, started to notice that avalon wasn’t going out as much. she seemed in a funk and they didn’t know how to help. she was always at her best surrounded by her friends and family, but now she felt too weak to even get out of bed most days. tony and pepper insisted avalon and steve come over for dinner, so that’s where they were, at the couples cabin deep in the adirondacks.

as pepper prepared a feast in the kitchen, steve and tony drinking on the porch and catching up while morgan played in the living room, avalon decided to get some fresh air and walk around the property. she stared fondly at the garden surrounding the house, remembering when her and pepper first planted it. something near the edge of the deck caught her eye… a small bundle of pink peonies.

she wasn’t sure exactly what came over her, but the next second avalon was ripping them out of the ground and pulling them apart. the guys shared a look.

“is she… okay?” tony asked, brows furrowed.

“she’s… she’s uhh… pulling out the peonies.”

“why?” steve himself wasn’t too sure either and he was thoroughly worried and confused, so he went over to check on her.

“avi…” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

she slowed to a stop, holding some destroyed buds in her hands as she began crying. “i can’t- i can’t… it’s like he’s a ghost, just haunting me at every corner i turn.” she looked up at steve and whispered, “i just can’t do it anymore.”

steve leaned down to hug her, but just as he did she went right back to ripping up the peonies and punching the ground, cursing god for playing such a sick joke on her.

steve walked back up the porch, far more perplexed than before. “she said something about a ghost, i don’t… i don’t know.” he sighed.

“a what?” tony screeched.

The doctor put her hands over my liver

She told me my resentment's getting smaller

seven months had now passed since avalon broke up with bucky, and everyones lives had been rockier than the devils tombstone. bucky got a new apartment in brooklyn, while avalon stayed with steve until her new home in the catskills was finished. she planned to move back there and get on with her life, maybe teach plant biology at her old high school, or work for the wethersfield estate tending to the gardens.

it was a rare night that only ever happened once in a blue moon where steve and avalon were off work on the same night, no flowers to sell or cars to fix. they decided to stay in watching movies together while getting wine drunk.

“i don’t know, i just don’t think i needed to see luke peglers bare ass tonight.” steve shrugged, avalon laughing hysterically.

“oh, i definitely did.” she said giggling, taking a sip from her glass.

steve shifted in his seat to face her, “can we talk about it now?” he asked softly.

“talk about what?” avalon said, raising a brow. she knew exactly what he meant, but she didn’t want to argue with him about it anymore. they’d been going back in forth for months now and avalon just wanted to put everything to rest and move on.

“i know he messed up, avi…” she rolled her eyes at that.

“yeah, no shit. tell me something i don’t already know, rogers.” she replied, downing the rest of the wine in her glass. steve huffed. why does she have to be so damn stubborn, he thought.

“do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive him?”

“i don’t know, steve. i really don’t.” she sighed.

this was the first time in her life that avalon wasn’t sure what her future would look like. since the day she met bucky in soho, the summer her uncles brewery expanded into the city, she imagined he’d be there until the very end.

No, I'm not afraid of hard work

I get everything I want

nearly a year with no contact and house in the catskills still unfinished, avalon was going stir-crazy. she felt out of her mind and didn’t know what to do. steve always worked longer hours than her, tony and pepper were in the adirondacks, nat and yelena were visiting their parents in russia, sam was working on his parents old boat in louisiana, wanda moved back to sokovia, and she had not the slightest idea what thor, bruce and clint were up to these days, considering they never answered their damn phones. she was still convinced after all these years that thor didn’t even know how to use his phone.

she made the decision, without even thinking really, but she was ready for the hell to end. she wasn’t sure if this was absolutely insane and would regret ever doing it, or if she was pure genius and would regret having not done it sooner.

“there’s literally no turning back now…” she whispered to herself in the dark of her car as she began driving over the brooklyn bridge.

she got turned around at first, taking the route to his old apartment. it was muscle memory. she’d completely forgotten he moved. by the time she finally made it there it was nearly 11:30pm, and she was sure he would be asleep.

but she knocked anyways.

and he answered.

“avalon…” he couldn’t believe she was standing in his doorway right now, a look of utter shock spread across his face.

“hi, bucky.” she said softly with a smile.

“get in here, right now!” when she didn’t move, bucky grabbed her arms and pulled her swiftly into his apartment.

“well, hello there…” she said through giggles while bucky spun her around.

“oh, my god…” he put her back on her feet, and when her smile didn’t falter he held her face gently in his hands to ground himself. this had to be a dream, he thought. “hi, doll!” he whispered in the space between them.

avalon smiled wider, running her hands through his hair. bucky leaned into her touch, eyes fluttering closed as he let out a content sigh. “hey, pretty boy.”

she still had no idea what her future was going to look like from here on out, but she knew she needed bucky in it forever. they would definitely talk about everything later, but for right now she just needed to live in this moment.

they were finally home again.

I have everything I wanted

Why is Family Line by Conan Grey literally Tim Drake dealing with the trauma from growing up in an abusive Drake household

My father never talked a lot, he just took a walk around the block 'Til all his anger took a hold of him and then he'd hit

I say they're just the ones who gave me life

Scattered 'cross my family line I'm so good at telling lies. That came from my mother's side, told a million to survive.

It's hard to put it into words how the holidays will always hurt. I watch the fathers with their little girls and wonder what I did to deserve this

How could you hurt a little kid?I can't forget, I can't forgive you'Cause now I'm scared that everyone I love will leave me

Oh, all that I did to try to undo it, all of my pain and all your excuses. I was a kid but i wasn’t clueless (someone who loves you wouldn’t do this).All of my past, I tried to erase it But now I see, would I even change it? Might share a face and share a last name, but We are not the same

Quinn from 'The Wilds' (2020) X Reader

This is all angst nothing at all nice also in this (y/n) is on the island w the rest of 'em and Quinn didn't y'know 💀

I smiled softly, bitterly, watching everyone around the fire, talking about what they miss most about home. We had seen a plane over head, rescue would be soon. Shelby looked at me and noticed how annoyed I looked. She asked me what was wrong. I thought back on my reason for wanting to get home, the same reason I never want to leave this hell hole. My head was pounding as I clenched my fists, nails digging into the soft flesh of my palms. The sensation was the only thing keeping me from crying as I saw them. Quinn and Nora were under the tree me and Quinn always sat at. It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't kissing. How could he fucking do this to me. My breathing hitched as I turned around. He said he loved me. He said they were just friends. I sighed, that was the moment I decided to come on this "retreat". Now I'm sitting here wondering when did this all start. "Fuck you, and Nora, I know that you're going out with her. Go pretend that you're just friends, I'll pretend that I'm not hurt." I said with venom. Quinn looked hurt for a moment before his face hardened. I had seen that look before, it was the same look he had when talking about the kids that made fun of us. He opened his mouth but I cut him off, "I know all the shit I heard, you can take these bitter words. Fuck you and Nora.". He grimaced before responding "You have no fucking right to say that to me, after ignoring me for weeks!" He nearly shouted. "I haven't been ignoring you at all, I just stopped texting first, and you never put in the effort after she showed up so we just didnt talk. So I thank you for teaching me how I could live without you. You never needed me, now I dont need you," I started to walk away. "You cant just leave!" I heard his footsteps following mine. "Watch me,". My eyes met Shelby's in the fire light. "The one reason I want to get home wont want me there." I said before glancing over and making eye contact with Nora. "He's found someone better"

Kiss Me On The Sidewalk, Take Away The Pain

Jason Grace x Reader

Female Reader/Feminine Pronouns

Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

Rain poured down all around you, soaking your clothes and hair. You sat on the grass next to your car in the dark, tears blending in with the rain.

You were alone. You drove to fast in the rain. Your car was fucked up. You were alone at night. You could do nothing but wait for someone to show up and either drive you home or murder you and leave your body in a ditch. At this point the later would be less embarrassing.

Thunder crackled through the sky. You shivered. No technology meant you couldn’t call any mortals for help. No drachmas meant you could call any demigod friends for help. The smoke coming out of the hood of your car meant you’d rather not get blown up by staying out of the rain.

Your head pounded. You probably had a concussion from the crash. And this weather was not helping your already poor health.

You would pray to the gods if you thought they would listen.

The weather didn’t clear, yet you no longer felt the rain pelting down on you. You look up. Jason stands before you, the rain maneuvering around to leave a dry spot just big enough for the two of you.

He extends a hand to you, pulling you up into him arms. He runs his fingers through your soaking hair.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m taking you to the infirmary.”

“Jason, I’m okay, really.”

“I’m not taking any chances.”

Jason’s worn hand traces along your jawline, tilting your head up. His lips meet yours in a passionate embrace. The surrounding rain bursts with electricity. Your heart beats a mile a minute as your arms tighten around Jason’s shoulders. Closer. The electricity fries your brain. Nothing but Jason is left. The way his strong arms hold you to his body. The way his soft lips graze against yours. The taste of his mouth. His muscular chest. His warmth. His safety.

“Let me take you home, beautiful.”

You can’t catch your breath as he lifts you into the air. Above the clouds is awfully peaceful, even more so with your Jason.

Your mind numbs once your vision strengthens without the impairment of the weather. He’s beautiful. His strong, sharp features contrast from his delicate blue eyes.

He smiles.

Boys Latin

So I wanted to add Boys Latin by Panda Bear to Ronan Lynch’s Mixtape but it seemed maybe like it would be more the kind of song that would remind Ronan of Adam or that Adam would somehow share with Ronan and it’d become theirs? Idek, whatever happened, I ended up writing this fluffy 1.5k explanation fic for this v specific headcanon - enjoy.

Adam first hears the song when his stoned hipster roommate, who’s name is Jack but who everyone calls Jeg for some reason, stumbles in late at night and says “Things are about to be realised. Let’s connect.”

Adam is all aches after a long day of hard work and hard study, always finding that the height of the desks compared to the chairs in the library leaves him cramped. He tries to do the mental arithmetic to work out how much of a dent Jeg is about to put in his oncoming battle between sleep and his existence this week. But thinking sort of aches too, so he gives up and resigns himself to it, knowing that losing this minor battle won’t lose him the war.

The statement itself is not an unusual one from Jeg in its vague pretentiousness or the oddly prophetic weight he gives the words or the fine line Jeg often toes between friendly sincerity and self-important irony.

Though he is sort of right this time.

He pulls out his MacBook from under his pillow, fumbling with it, making Adam’s stomach twist with his clumsy carelessness. Of course he has a MacBook, Adam thought when he first saw it. It’s covered with aesthetic decals and skate stickers that never fail to remind him with a twang of Noah - or who Noah had been, or who he should have been able to be - but at least he’s generous with it when Adam’s temperamental secondhand laptop starts acting up.

Jeg stumbles blearily onto Adam’s bed and into Adam’s space, curling up beside him, the comfort gremlin that he is, and probably causing Adam’s sheets to reek of weed again. Jeg is liberal with touch and seems to feel that all space is communal space. Although, while he does talk a lot of shit, he can actually be quite sweet and occasionally does come out with some interesting tidbits about anything from the tenets of Anarcho-communism, to the failures of Dogme 95, or the surprising nutritional and environmental impact of rice production and how rife it is with arsenic. He also shares memes with Adam constantly, which are something he’s only had scant contact with outside of Murder Squash hell up until this point, and which Adam is slowly getting the hang of. And its nice to have a friend around, even if Adam doubts he’ll ever feel anywhere near as close to him as Gansey or Blue or Noah or Henry. Certainly not Ronan.

The first time Ronan smelt green on Adam’s sheets he quirked an eyebrow at him and said “Why Parrish, I didn’t realise how many plants you got down and dirty with these days without Cabeswater taking you for a joyride.”

Adam, hazy around the edges with sleep, and latent stress, and the proximity of his boyfriend with that unreasonably sexy smirk on his face, his very sprawl across Adam’s bed a distracting taunt, said “It’s not me, Jeg’s been rubbing himself all over them.”

Which, yeah, admittedly wasn’t the best way to go into that explanation.

Ronan had tensed, Adam had backtracked, soothed, clarified.

“So he just gets into your bed, just like that.” “Ronan, he’s just a goddamn golden retriever with a philosophical streak. He’s like a tactile, blazed beagle who likes to howl right in my ear. Thankfully not always the right one, he hasn’t quite worked it out yet and I’m not gonna help him.”

Adam may have deliberately smudged his accent a bit, may have ghosted his fingers along Ronan’s arm and tangled them with his own, in order to defuse the situation. It may have worked.

Alhough Adam still sighs at the inevitable look he’s going to receive when Ronan catches Jeg’s signature sheet-stink again.

“That sigh is an overture, man, this is the real shit, the good shit, get ready for it to hit us into orbit.” Jeg tells him sagely.

Adam isn’t sure what that means until it starts.

Jeg has YouTube open, and while the name Panda Bear rings approximately zero bells for Adam, the song’s title Boys Latin piques his interest. And as Jeg makes the video full screen and hits play, that starts to hit home for him too. It’s not a forest, but he can’t help but think of Cabeswater. Of Cabeswater pulling at him, changing him, as the guy on the screen is altered by his surroundings, his skin merging with the ecosystem. As he finds another guy who’s tied to this space too; who tangles with him. As they pull a child out who’s been hidden away, trapped there, and walk off into the sunset together, hand in hand.

And the song. The song itself is oddly haunting. Repetitive and electronic, its somehow nothing like Ronan’s music but seeped in it all the same. A smoothed-out, softer, dreamier iteration. The chanting feels like scrying, putting Adam in a trance, words half registering and then growing in impact as they’re sung again and again and again.

Beasts don't have a sec' to think, but We don't 'preciate our things, but Dark cloud descended again Has a dark cloud descended again? And a shadow moves in

There’s something so familiar in them. Nostalgic and dreadful and lovely and aching and impalpable and supernatural and significant.

When it finishes, Jeg closes over the laptop. Catching the look on Adam’s face, whatever that look may be, he nods with altogether too much gravitas and says “The. Real. Shit. We’re reborn together, man. Fucking Panda Bear. Goddamn. I feel raked over, like I just listened to Feels for the first time, you know? Goddamn.”

Adam doesn’t know. What Jeg means specifically or what is going on in general. But it’s something. Something is solidifying right at the heart of Adam Parrish to the sound of the song that’s still whirling around Adam’s head.

“He’s a goddamn king, I’m telling you, man.  God but you should listen to his earlier stuff too, like Mr Noah. ‘Cause that’s his real name. Noah. And Animal Collective. Strawberry Jam is my jam, dude-“

But Adam’s still stuck on Noah. His name is Noah. He has a song called Boys Latin. It sounds like some deep iteration of a closed off piece of Adam’s unknowable psyche. And the video, to Adam, reeks of Cabeswater and Ronan and Opal.

It sticks with him for days. For a couple of weeks. How uncannily it all aligns into the perfect constellation.

It’s when Ronan drops by in his BMW and takes him out for a meandering drive through the nearest fields he can find that Adam asks “Do you mind if I put on a song?”

Ronan, looking curious at this, nods.

And then the song fills the car, as loud as the sound system is nearly permanently set to, winding its way around them both and leaking out their rolled down windows.

Adam can’t help but watch Ronan to see if it makes impact. Biting his lip for a second when it does.

(And Ronan can’t help but watch this Adam, swaying slightly to the beat, hair blowing just so in the wind like the music is caressing him on its way out into the world. He can’t help but take a moment to absorb and catalogue this incarnation of Adam Parrish, looking unguarded and so very at home in his skin.)

They both sit hypnotised for a moment. Then Ronan asks “What is this?” “Boys Latin. By Panda Bear. Did you know his name’s actually Noah?” He asks, even though both of them were unaware that there was an artist to know this about until the song came along.

Ronan hums at that. Then he’s pulling in at the side of the road. Then he’s tugging at Adam, arranging them forehead to forehead, staring at Adam’s hands in his.

“I appreciate you.” Ronan says, quietly, Adam just managing to catch the words.

He squeezes Ronan’s hands, and says “I know.” He let’s his nose nudge against Ronan’s and breathes out “I appreciate you too. I really do.”

“This song…” Ronan trails off, and it’s Adam’s turn to hum. “It sounds…” “Yeah.” Adam says. “It does.”

Ronan looks up then, eyes startlingly clear, and Adam feels too much, feels it spilling out of him as the melody loops and loops. He surges forward as Ronan does too. He tastes salt and flesh and need on his tongue, and he can’t help but nip at Ronan’s lips. Can’t help but push deeper. Can’t help but clasp Ronan’s face between his hands, as Ronan groans softly. Can’t help but feel dizzily centred and understood and so much more than he ever thought he could be.

When he pulls back, long after the song had lapsed into silence, he doesn’t let go. “I knew you’d get it too.” Ronan raises one hand up to feel along Adam’s knuckles, still pressed against his cheek. “It sounds like you.” “It sounds like us.” Adam replies.

Ronan presses his lips against Adam’s once more, for a few delicate seconds, that seem to loop and loop once more, before he pulls back.

They slowly make their way back to campus, hands clasped together over the gear stick, and Adam still aches but he aches better.

Toshinori Yagi/ Young All might x Reader (Platonic)

Authors Note: This was a 2am emotional write so have fun :)

Summary: When your best friend gets his quirk and pushes you away your having a hard time coping without awnsers

Song: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls

I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'd understand

Walking home from school once again alone, you kicked the pebbles in front of you while humming absentmindedly. I was stupid. Thinking that he would pay attention to you of all people after everything that's happened. After Toshinori got his quirk he had barely spared you a glance. Yes, you understood that he wanted to train to help his self-destructive quirk and that he had now gained confidence that allowed him to make new friends, you were happy for him. At least, in the beginning, you were. But now in your weakest moments when you needed a shoulder to lean on, he wasn't here. Just like how your phone now seemed like a barren wasteland without his constant texts.

When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am

Thinking back to yesterday when you had finally worked up the courage to approach him near the end of training you sighed while turning onto your street

"Hey, Toshinori?" You asked tapping him on the shoulder, wondering if you should even still call him by his first name. "Y/N?" He said almost surprised while turning to face you. God, you wished you hadn't come to talk to him. "I was wondering if everything's okay?" You said already wanting to leave after seeing his horribly fake smiling face. You had been friends for years, you could read him like a book. "Of course, Y/N, why wouldn't it be?" He said looking past your shoulder. "Toshi you won't even look me in the eye anymore" you pleaded, wanting an answer for his actions the past couple of months "I'm looking you in the eye right now," he said glancing towards your smaller figure. Jeez, he didn't even look the same as when you had last seen him up close.

Scoffing at the memory you realized you were nearing your house and decided to forget about him. You didn't need him any way you told yourself as you felt the need to cry, because although you felt like you were grieving the loss of someone who was still living, he had been your best friend since elementary.

You can't fight the tears that ain't coming or the moment of truth in your lies

Walking up the front steps you pulled out your keys to unlock the door, you kicked the door in anger before sliding the key in, in defeat.

When everything seems like the movies, Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

Throwing your bag down while kicking off your shoes you wander up to your room although you were home alone you sat on the edge of your bed with a sigh

Cause I don't want the world to see me

You supposed it was the lack of answers that had you reeling or maybe just the fact that he was your oldest friend

But I don't think that they'd understand When everything's made to be broken

But the one thing you knew was that you'd miss him a great deal and could only hope that he would feel a little remorse for what he'd done.

I just want you to know who I am...

“Need you now”

Summary: The Tornado Wranglers weren’t known for staying in one place for longer than a few days; too many storms to chase, fans to see, family’s to help. It required constant movement and you knew that, but it was never easy for you or Tyler.

Pairing: Tyler Owen’s x f!reader

A/N: Funny story about this fic, I actually based it on my grandma and late grandpa. It makes me so teary eyed every time she tells me the story but I love it sm😭. I’m not even gonna lie, I didn’t really know if I wanted to post this cuz it just…felt like it didn’t turn out right. Feel free to listen to the song while reading, it’s “Need You Now” by Lady A. Not proofread, per usual. But I hope you guys like it!

“Picture perfect memories, scattered all around the floor

Reaching for the phone, 'cause I can't fight it any more

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind

For me, it happens all the time”

You knew what you were getting yourself into when you started dating Tyler Owen’s; a famous YouTuber, Tornado Wrangler, and an overall state superstar and hero, but nothing prepared you for all this. The waiting, the longing, the empty bed side, the constant anxiety that maybe today was the day he wouldn’t come home from a chase, it was all awful.

And here you were again, laying in bed alone, tucked in the shriveled up covers and blankets staring blankly at the brain dead tv show with nothing but numbness. It’s been 2 weeks since you’ve last seen and heard from Tyler, with every passing day you miss the toothy grin, his warm, strong embrace. You miss it all. It’s like they say; you never know how much something means to you until it’s gone, and right now, you couldn’t miss him more.

Too busy caught up in your thoughts, you barely process the blaring sound of your cell phone going off. Someone was calling you. In a slumped up ball of blankets, you lazily pick up the phone and glance at the caller ID, not expecting the man you missed most to be the face you see. A wave of emotion hits you at the photo. It was a selfie of the two of you cuddled up in the gleaming sunlight by the bed of a lake. Clothes damp and hair wet, you both decided to bask in the blaring sunbeams as a way to dry off and stay warm.

As hastily is possible, you hit the green accept button. With shaking hands and a wobbly smile, you bring it up to your ear, not even registering the sweet muffled melody coming through the other end.

“Oh my god, Tyler,” you blurt, voice nearly scratchy, “God, I’ve missed you so much…I-“ It’s only when you stop to take a breath that you hear it.

“It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now

Said I wouldn't call, but I've lost all control and I need you now

And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now,”

As you feel your throat close up and eyes brim with tears, you stay silent. In your blindness to hear Tyler’s voice again, you completely missed the pianos intro, deaf to the lyrics all together. But once you hear the chorus, you melt away. The once welled up tears cascade down your cheeks like a broken dam; no matter how many you wipe away they keep falling. The swelling of your chest becomes nearly painful, trying to hold back the choked sobs that threaten to escape, but it’s a lost cause.

In one last hope, you put the phone on speaker and bring your legs up to your chest, burying your head between your knees as one of your hands holds the cell up. Just as you do, a blubbering whimper travels from your throat as a sob follows it soon after. As the song continues to flow around the room, the quiet but definite wails carry on, an unstoppable sound that breaks Tyler’s heart through the staticky reception of the call.

Minutes pass by as your weeping slows to small sniffles, eyes closed as you focus on the last remaining lyrical bits of the song.

“Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all,”

You don’t trust yourself to speak, the emotions still raw and twirling in your mind, a powerful force that only one person can tame.

“Hey baby...”

You nearly burst into another onslaught of tears at the sound of his voice. It’s quiet and nearly as syrupy as your own, and unbeknownst to you, Tyler had too, lost himself at the sound of you. How could he not? With every twister he went through, he always thought one thing; What if doesn’t come home? What if this is the one that finally takes the Tornado Wrangler down, leaving you with nothing to mourn over. The thought alone gave him goosebumps.

“Tyler..” you whimper, chest swelling at the relief of hearing him once again.

“I don’t even know how to start tellin’ you how nice it is to hear your voice again…god I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” With a smile, you repeat back.

“I’ve missed you too, Tyler…I miss you being here with me..” If you close your eyes tight enough, you can really picture him here with you. His breath winding down your neck as his stubble pricks the side of your face. The smell of his cologne mixing in with the scent of your perfume. Listening closely, you hear shuffling then a deep breath, before he finally speaks,

“I’m coming home soon, baby, I promise you I am.”

“I just need you now,

Oh, baby, I need you now.”

Three posts in one day?!? A new record for me. Lmfao I actually wrote this one today and had a crisis if I wanted to post it or not. I know this song is about heartbreak and wanting someone back after they’ve left…but I wanted to try and make it about longing, like the story my grandma always tells me. I hope you guys like this fic! I honestly might rewrite it on a later date, but I was kinda texting the waters with it. As always, comment if you liked or disliked something, inbox is still open!

you’re looking at me like you don’t know who i am ; damon salvatore [part 1]

part 1 to house of cards

prompt: a girl shows up at the door of the boarding house looking for directions, and somehow manages to find her way into the elder Salvatore brother’s heart, only for her to see what he truly is

word count: 10,007

-

“blood on my shirt, rose in my hand, you're looking at me like you don't know who I am”

-

A knock on the door brought Stefan out of his thoughts; he listened to see if Damon would get up and answer it, without a doubt close to the door than he was. No sounds of movement came to his ears. He sighed and pushed his chair back. As he walked down the stairs, he saw Damon reading a book. “Really? You couldn’t have answered the door?”

He shrugged, smirking, “Couldn’t hear it.”

Stefan sighed once again, opening the door to see a girl he’s never seen before. Her beachy blonde hair was pulled into two buns on either side of the top of her head with two red scrunchies, two small pieces of hair hanging by her face. She was wearing a yellow graphic tee tucked into a pair of jeans that were held up by a black belt, bringing attention to her socks and shoes. Her eyes were complimented by a light taupe eye shadow and long winged liner; the fading sun caught the white highlight on her cheekbones. She had a confused look on her face as she looked up to Stefan, her hands grabbing the straps of her booksack.

“May I help you?” Stefan asked, holding the door in his right hand.

“Uh, hi, my name’s Angel, uh” she gulped, “Do you know the way back to town from here? I’m really sorry to just knock on your door, but I went on a walk and I got lost. I’m knew in town.” At the sound of a voice he didn’t know, Damon put his book down and walked up behind Stefan, seeing the short girl at the door. The two brothers looked for any sign that she was a vampire or anyone working for a vampire, but she really just seemed to be a lost girl.

Damon began talking before Stefan could, pointing down the street where the lamps were beginning to turn on, “It’s that way, but it’s kinda dangerous around this time of night. I can walk you back to town, if you’d like.”

“O-oh, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” she spoke, her right foot on its toes on the other side of her left foot.

“Not a problem,” he opened the door more, “Want to come in while I go grab my jacket?”

She hesitantly walked into the boarding house, her eyes filled with wonder at the sight of the enormous living room. While she sat on the couch, looking around in awe, Damon had went upstairs to grab his coat, followed by Stefan after he got her a bottle of water. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Oh, relax, I’m not gonna bite her,” he paused, looking back at his brother and giving him a wink, “yet.”

“Don’t try anything Damon; she seems like she won’t interfere with us later on.” Stefan warned, before going back to his room to finish what he was doing earlier.

Damon rolled his eyes before taking one last look at himself in the mirror and popping his jacket collar. He walked downstairs to see the girl standing and looking at the pictures on the wall, her booksack leaning against the couch where she had been sitting earlier. He cleared his throat, making her jump and turn around; she nervously tucked one of the free pieces of hair behind her ear before speaking, “I’m sorry for looking! I was just amazed by how nice everything in this house is . . .”

Damon let out a breathy laugh, “You’re fine. You ready to go?”

She nodded, putting her water bottle in her booksack and putting it on once more. Damon walked to the door and held it open for her, sending the back of her head a short questioning look once she walked passed and gave him a “thanks.” There was something about this girl that he didn’t understand . . .

As the two were walking to the end of the boarding house’s driveway, she began to make conversation, “How long have you lived in Mystic Falls, uh, what is your name by the way?”

Damon blew out a breath, “Jesus . . . uh, a long time. However, I just recently came back again. And it’s Damon.”

“Missed home?” She looked up to the side of his face, his sharp facial features causing sharp shadows to cast across his face from the street lamps. “Sorry for prying, I’m just super new to this town. Trying to see if it’s worth it.”

“New as in . . . ?”

“Moved in yesterday!” She said with a laugh.

“Why Mystic Falls?”

“Well, I think my brother chose it because he wanted me to finish off my last year of high school quietly.”

“Your brother?” Damon gave her another questioning look, except this time she could see it. His eyebrows came together and his head tilted. His hands were in his pockets as they walked.

Angel sucked in through her teeth, “Yeah, our mom died right before the end of my junior year and we never knew our dad, so, Mystic Falls it was once I turned 18 and we got all the legal stuff figured out.”

Damon’s eyebrows shot up as he looked ahead, “Sorry for asking.”

“You’re fine, there was a lot of free therapy back in Baton Rouge. For some reason they gave out therapy appointments like people in other towns give out casseroles and stuff.” She laughed, taking the piece of hair out from behind her ear.

Damon let out a low whistle, “Louisiana? That’s a far way to come from.”

“We both agreed it was just time to kinda get as far away as possible without actually having to freeze our asses off. This is even kinda cold.”

“Yeah, it is pretty cold compared to what it normally is like around this time of year. What do you think you’ll miss most about Louisiana? The weather?” Damon asked as the two stopped at a bridge with a stream running under it.

Angel propped herself against the railing with her forearms, looking down at the river, “I’ll miss that, of course, but, and I know this is gonna sound weird, but I think I’ll miss the little stuff like the way we speak the most.”

“What do you mean?” Damon was leaning against the railing with his back, facing the opposite way Angel was, allowing him to she her whole face when he looked down.

Angel thought for a moment, “Like . . . when we put away dishes, we say ‘save the dishes’ or instead of ‘going grocery shopping’ we say ‘making groceries’. It’s just something I grew up with and didn’t know other people didn’t say the same things when I went on vacation to Colorado with my family one year and I asked the hotel desk worker where I could save the pens and he just stared at me and asked what the pens were in danger of.

“It seems weird, but I think it’s a comfort thing. My grandma’s first language was Cajun French, so it just makes me feel connected to her. And - sorry,” Angel let out another laugh, “I’m rambling.” She stood up straight and gave an eye smile to Damon, before letting out a shiver.

Damon’s gaze never left her face as she spoke, and when she smiled he felt something deep in his chest twitch, something telling him he had to protect this girl. So, when he saw her body shake from the breeze that passed against the pair, he didn’t hesitate to take his jacket off and hand it over to her. She gave him a thankful look before taking her booksack off and slipping it back on. He noticed that his jacket completely swallowed her, her hands no where to be seen and it went down to the middle of her thighs.

“Oh, it’s really warm. Thank you,” Angel smiled up at him once again.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued walking, the sound of Damon’s boots hitting the sidewalk was an odd comfort for Angel and the sound of the different charms on her booksack’s zipper rings hitting each other was an odd comfort for Damon. They began to enter the city, obvious by the increase of cars going by them and the decrease in the noise of the cicadas. Damon was walking on the outside, near the road. “Can you tell how far you are, yet?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s the turn up there. If you want to turn back home, you can. I’m sorry for making you walk all this way with me.” She looked up to him, her hands in the pockets of his jacket; it smelled like bourbon and sophisticated men’s cologne.

“Came this far, might as well see you home.” Damon said, looking back and forth between houses, getting an uneasy feeling. Someone, or something, was there, and it was hungry.

As the two finally set foot on Angel’s porch, she unlocked the door and opened it, allowing Damon to see a sliver into the house that was filled with boxes. “Hey, why don’t you let me cook you dinner? As a thanks and as a I-don’t-really-know-anyone-else-in-this-town-and-would-like-a-friend thing . . .”

Damon agreed and soon he was sitting in her kitchen, the only room that he could see that seemed to be unpacked and moved in. “What are you in the mood for?”

Damon pretended to think for a second, “How about you teach me how to make something you would eat in Louisiana a lot?”

Angel smiled at the fact Damon was trying to get her more comfortable in Virginia. “How about breakfast for dinner? I didn’t really trust Virginia seafood; feels wrong morally.”

Damon nodded, and as she turned around to go back into her fridge he hit a realization. He neck was out, completely for the taking, yet he felt no desire to bite her. She was too sweet; he was more into random-teenagers-making-out-in-a-graveyard type. Something about her turned off his vampire, and he couldn’t deny that he sort of liked it.

When Damon came back to reality, he noticed the counter was now filled with half a loaf of bread, vanilla, sugar, eggs, butter, and some milk all next to a deep glass pan. He shot her a quizzical look, “What is this?”

“Pain perdu. It’s a childhood favorite. My grandma used to make it for me all the time,” she said with a reminiscent smile on her face, and pointing to Damon for the rest of her sentence, “It’s time you northerner figured out what good Cajun food is. Now, I’m gonna go change, and then I’ll be back!”

“What if your brother gets home and I just look like a creep who wants to steal you guys’ food?”

“He told me he isn’t getting back until around midnight. The only job he could score on such a short notice was graveyard at a convince store nearby.” Then, she disappeared up the stairs.

When she returned, she was dressed in a pair of Adidas shorts and a loose white tee shirt, with her hair pulled into one bun instead of two and her makeup wiped off. Damon felt his heart stop for a moment. “Ready?”

The two proceeded to make pain perdu, something Angel didn’t know made the house feel more like home. It felt like Louisiana, but yet Damon made the idea of Virginia a lot less scary. The two were laughing and having a good time with her speaker blaring Cage the Elephant and Paramore songs. By the time Damon left, it was nearing 10:30.

When Damon closed the front door to the boarding house, Stefan was at his side in a second and his voice sounded venomous, “Did you kill her?”

Damon rolled his eyes and went to take off his jacket, before realizing he didn’t have it. His shoulders fell in an attempt to hide it as he walked to the library, “No, calm down. Just, went inside for a bit.”

“Inside? Damon, you know if you even attempt to kill that girl, the whole town will be on alert again.”

He rolled his eyes again as he filled a glass with bourbon and downed it, “I’m not gonna kill her. Like I said, calm down.”

-

Over the next few weeks, Damon found himself outside of Angel’s bedroom window more nights than he’d like to admit. He’d toss a rock until she’d open it; he loved the way she leaned against the window on her forearms and peak her upper body out the window and how her freshly washed hair would fall in front of her shoulders and blow in the wind. Her smile when she would see him would go up to her eyes, and each time it caused the pang in his chest that he didn’t know what it was. He just knew that he wanted to be around her as often as he could and he wanted to protect her from everything that was out there.

He would always tell her to jump down and that he’d catch her, but she never believed him until one day where she decided that if someone was going to get hurt, it was going to be him, so what did she have to lose? And lo and behold, he caught her perfectly fine.

When she jumped down today, he didn’t immediately put her down like he usually does, but rather carried her to the edge of the woods behind her house where there was a group of benches next to a creek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her head on his chest and he swore that his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Everything she did made his heart do that.

When he placed her down on the bench, he wrapped her in his jacket that he had only just recently gotten back. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her arms through the jacket in order to turn the jacket into a cocoon. Damon took the empty spot next to her and she scooted closer to him so that she could lean her head against his shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her, rubbing her upper arm ever so slightly. She trusted Damon with her life, which was a weird thing to think about in the long run. After a while of the two enjoying each others presence, he pulled his arm back and reached into his pocket, making Angel get on her knees and sit on her heels as she waited to see what he’d pull out. She sent him a confused look as she saw him pull out a thin bracelet with a glass stone that had a purple plant pressed inside of it.

“I wanted you to have this,” he explained, taking her arm and pushing her jacket back to put it on her.

Her eyes had the same light in them that they did when she walked into his house the day they met, “Damon, it-it’s beautiful . . .”

She looked up at him and they made silent eye contact for a few second before she reached up and pulled him down to meet her lips. The two felt like they were in Disney and the fireworks were going off; it felt like they were water in a lightning storm. By the time they pulled apart, they had no clue what time it was or how long they had been kissing. Damon’s thumbs were in front of Angel’s ears and the rest of his hands behind them; he kept their foreheads connected after the kiss, her arms resting on her knees.

“Angel Robicheaux, will you be my girlfriend?” Damon whispered out, to which she responded with a kiss.

-

Most people were surprised to find out that it didn’t take a lot of pleading on Angel’s part to convince Damon to go to the Founder’s Party, but most people didn’t know how completely whipped he was for this girl he had met a mere month and a half ago.

“Please? I feel like it’s a way to get to know the people of the town.”

“Trust me, you do not want to get to know the people of this town,” he dismissed. Damon knew that he couldn’t say no to her if he made eye contact with her, so he didn’t. But he could feel them. He could feel her puppy dog eyes baring into the back of his soul. And the ever-strong Damon Salvatore gave in. “Fine, but don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

When he looked back he saw her eye smile, making him look away in order to stop himself absolutely melting to be wrapped around her finger more than he already was.

At the sound of her doorbell ringing through her house, Angel walked downstairs as she put her long earrings in. When she opened the door, Damon nearly passed out; something about her fiddling with her earrings with her tilted head and her glittery eyes that got covered when she smiled matched so well with the light blue dress she was wearing. She looked like she came out of an old magazine. He took a deep breath as he looked her over, “You look . . . beautiful.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” she opened the door more as a signal for him to come in as she walked away. He leaned against the door as he shut it, wondering how this girl from Louisiana managed to get him so crazy for her so easily. He would kill to protect this girl.

Angel immediately wrapped her arm around Damon after he went around the side of his convertible and let her out. Her heels added an extra five inches to her height, but the fact she stood at a measly 5′0″ meant she still didn’t even fully reach his shoulders. She leaned into his side, not seeing anyone she really knew yet. Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline promised to be there; the only problem was where they were hiding. Damon leaned down to her ear, “You know, if you ever get bored when we’re here, we can always leave and go have fun elsewhere.”

She gave him a small nudge and eye roll, no longer as close to his side as she had been. He pulled her closer to him again once they got to the  “Hello, Mrs. Lockwood.”

She gave Damon a smile and Angel a surprised look, “Come in, come in. Hello Mr. Salvatore. And you must be Miss Robicheaux, my son, Tyler, has talked about you quite a lot, by the way.”

Damon raised his eyebrows at her claim, unable to stop the anger beginning to rise in his chest, “Really? Has he?”

Angel smiled and thanked her, pulling Damon inside before anything could happen. She gave him a look, telling him to let it go before she got on her toes to give him a short kiss, “I only have eyes for you.” He was significantly more calm than he had been prior and her arm once more found itself wrapped around his as they walked through the party.

After a short while of walking through the party, Angel caught eyes with Elena who was standing with Damon’s brother and began leading Stefan in their direction, meeting up with the two at the same time as Caroline and Bonnie and their dates. As the three girls chatted, saying hi to Caroline and Bonnie’s dates, Angel didn’t even realize as she rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder. The four didn’t take notice of the unbreaking eye contact between the Salvatore brothers. In minutes, Angel found herself with Stefan, Elena with Damon, and Bonnie and Caroline switching dates.

“Drink?” Stefan offered up.

“I don’t understand how this happened,” Angel stated, taking a sip after letting out a small scoff.

“Caroline’s a sucker for a dance, I guess,” Stefan stated. It was awkward, the two had never really talked before; she wasn’t even sure if Stefan knew she was officially dating his brother. His next question confirmed that suspicion.

“Angel, how serious are you with Damon?”

“Pretty serious for someone I’ve only known for about a month and a half. He asked me out around two weeks ago.”

“He-he asked you out?”

She sent him a questioning look, “Is that surprising or something?”

“Yeah, well, uh, let’s just say Damon isn’t quite over his ex just yet. I’d ask Caroline; she seems to know him . . . well.” He raised his glass to hips lips as she searched for something to say, but was interrupted by Damon and Elena returning.

He wrapped his arm around Angel’s waist, staring Stefan down. Stefan was doing the same. Angel and Elena looked at each other, confused.

“Damon, do you by chance want to dance?” Angel asked, breaking the awkward tension of the group. When he looked down to see her gazing up at him, he gave his first real smile since he had gotten there. He couldn’t look away from her as they danced. Dance was a strong word, it was more of a sway, with her head on his chest and her arms around his neck and his arms wrapped around her. When the slow song ended, she looked up to see him already looking down at her. She had the world in her eyes and he wanted to tell her he loved her at that moment. She lifted her hand to bring his head down once more, but when their lips touched, he pulled back, wincing. A healthy amount of fear covered Angel’s face, and Damon felt bad for making her worry. But he knew that pain: vervain.

“Babe, did you drink something?” He asked.

“Um, yeah, I drank a little bit of champagne with Stefan when Caroline made us all split up for whatever reason. Why? Are you okay?” The two had stopped dancing, standing like stones in the middle of the moving bodies.

He pretended to wave it off, not wanting to ruin her night, “It’s fine, I’m just allergic to champagne, I think.” He smirked and his voice lowered as he raised his eyebrows and moved to kiss her neck. “Just because I can’t kiss you on the lips doesn’t mean I can’t kiss your elsewhere . . .”

She giggled and pushed him back, but almost screamed at the sight of her boyfriend with dark veins around his eyes and his eyes that held a murderous look. “Not here, Damo - oh my God what happened to your face?”

He glanced passed her and into the mirror, seeing his face. He was getting hungry, and his body didn’t like the fact he was so close to her neck and wasn’t biting. He looked down, rubbing his face as he began to push his way outside, “That champagne must’ve been really strong . . . need some air. Stay here.”

Just like that, she was alone on the dance floor. Her shoulders fell as she watched him leave, only to be intercepted by a seemingly-angry Elena for a few seconds before he walked off once again. Tyler Lockwood walked up to her, seeing the whole scene go down. He held out a drink for her, which she took, downing it quickly.

“He’s an asshole,” Tyler began, only to be stopped by Angel.

“Look, I get what you’re trying to do. I’m sure you’re a cool guy,” Angel whispered before walking off, “but please, don’t.”

She began walking by the edge of the river once her head began to hurt; she hoped fresh air would help her, and maybe she could find Damon. The sound the the water spout in the river helped her block the sounds of the party out and focus, trying to ignore the throbbing pain she felt behind her eyes. What could Stefan have meant? What did Caroline have to do with this? Then she saw it. Caroline being held from behind by a guy; a guy she knew all too well.

“Damon?” She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Caroline? What is going on?”

No response. The two looked at her like deer in headlights.

“Are one of you going to explain? Or are you just going to stare at me like I’m fucking stupid?” Damon had never heard her this angry before - hell, he had never even heard her angry before.

Elena’s voice saved Caroline, “Caroline, come see.”

The blonde girl took the escape option, Stefan sent his brother a warning glance before turning to take Elena and Caroline home. Then it was just the couple left.

Angel crossed her arms, her words beginning to slur because of her pounding headache, “When Stefan told me you weren’t over your ex, I assumed he was just giving me a warning or something, and when he told me to ask Caroline about it, I was just confused. But now I see, your ex must be Caroline and you must really not be over her. Damon, I thought we actually had something, but I guess I really was just fresh bait to rebound on.”

Damon moved to grab her shoulders, but Angel went to move away. As she tried to move her foot behind her, her whole body gave out. She fell like a bag of bricks, her eyes rolling back in her head. She would’ve hit the ground had it not been for Damon catching her. He tried waking her, calling her name, shaking her, but she was unresponsive. He picked her up bridal style and hoped that she would wake up, just not in the next few seconds that it took for him to get to the boarding house. When he lay her down on his bed and placed a cold washrag on her forehead, he wrapped her small hand in his large one, rubbing his thumb over it. Before he could whisper “please be okay,” she began to stir. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, but Damon shushed her and made her lay back down. “Hey, hey, baby, be careful.”

“Damon?” She asked and when she received confirmation she groaned, “My head is killing me. I didn’t know vodka could do that to someone. Tyler must buy the pure stuff or something; I don’t even know why I accepted it.”

It couldn’t, but Damon kept that to himself. He would deal with that kid later. Right now all that mattered was her. “What do you remember?”

She groaned again, signaling him to turn off his lamp. “I remember us kissing for like half a second and then you left and then Tyler handed me the drink and then I saw you and Caroline, but I don’t even remember what was happening with that. I just remember I was so angry, something I’ve never really felt before, and then I woke up here. I’m sorry if I said something mean.”

Damon swore he was ready to marry her at that moment, “No, you’re fine. Caroline and I were just, looking for something she dropped.”

Angel nodded as he stood up from his spot next to her hip on his bed to close the windows and the curtains. “Babe, can you do me a favor?”

“What is it?”

“Can I borrow some clothes to change into? And another wash rag? I feel like if I stand up I’ll puke.”

He silently snorted, “I was hoping that I’d see you in my clothes under different circumstances, if you get what I’m putting down.”

“Damon Salvatore, you may be my boyfriend now, but that doesn’t guarantee you will be forever if you keep talking like that.”

His eyes widened and he turned back to his drawers, puling out an old tee shirt and shorts and handing them to her. When he returned with another washcloth, he saw the original one covered in makeup, sitting on top of her clothes. He also noticed that his shorts were still there, only the tee shirt on her. It’s like she loved to drive him crazy. When he went to pester her about it, he noticed she was asleep; he opted to place the new washcloth on the bedside table and placed a kiss to her forehead before going to track down his brother.

Stefan looked up when he heard his door nearly slam open; Damon was standing there, murder in his eyes. He moved to be in front of Stefan and once he was, his chest heaving from angry breaths, he raised his hand and gave him a firm right hook. Damon took a grip of his brother’s collar, bringing his mouth to his brother’s ear. “If I wanted to bite her, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? If I wanted to kill her, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now? I’m not one to play with my food. If you even think about doing something like that to her again, I swear to God I will kill you myself. You better count your blessings that she was drunk.”

When Damon let him go, Stefan fell to the floor but quickly picked himself up. “You realize you’re going to have to tell her about everything eventually right? She saw the desire on your face, and you knew you were close to biting her. You only didn’t because of the vervain and the people.”

“You’re one to talk,” Damon scoffed, “Tell me how it goes when Elena figures out what you are. Also, the difference between desire and actions is large: actually doing it. The day I put my fangs in that girl is the day I put a stake through my own heart.”

Damon slammed the door behind him. When he went back into his room, he saw Angel was still asleep; he made a move to grab a blanket off of his bed so he could sleep on the couch in his room, Angel let out a sleepy mumble of “stay, please” and grabbed his wrist. When he got in bed next to her, she immediately moved to lay on his bare chest, and she fell asleep once more to him running his fingers through her hair.

He didn’t expect this to go this far. He didn’t expect himself to be head over heels in love with this girl after a month and a half of knowing each other and that ‘half’ was their only two weeks of actual dating.

-

Damon was lounging in his bed, watching TV as his girlfriend did homework at his desk. He was in need of attention. He rolled to look at her, “When will you be done?”

She sent him a raised eyebrow, looking back down to her calculus, “After however long it takes me to finish it.”

“Can’t you take a break? Or at least do it in bed?” He asked, wanting her to be closer to him than she was. She let out a playful sigh as she gathered her things and moved to sit to the left of his laying figure. She leaned on her right hand to look down into his eyes, and her words came out without her thinking about them.

“You’re lucky I love you, Damon Salvatore.” The second the words left her lips, her eyes widened in realization, as did his. “Sorry, I- uh-”

Damon had never moved so fast; his lips connected to hers to stop her apology. They once more found themselves forehead to forehead, “I love you, Angel.”

The smile he loved oh so much found its way to her face as her cheeks turned red and she slumped down to hide her face. Damon pulled them away and began peppering kisses across her, only stopped by the sound of her notebook hitting the floor, causing her to place her finger over his overactive lips. “Go shower, we’ll see what happens after.”

Angel didn’t think she had ever seen someone get in a shower so quickly. By the time she had reopened her notebook, the bathroom door was closed and the sound of water falling filled the room.

When Damon got out of the shower, he exited with only a towel around his waist, only to see his girlfriend halfway laying down, sound asleep with her homework open on her lap. He sighed lightly, half smiling at how peaceful she looked. He picked up her book and placed it in her booksack and got dressed. Once he had some amount of bottoms on, he took a large, soft gray blanket and threw it over the two of them since she was laying on top of the comforter. He wrapped his arms around her and she sleepily turned around and burrowed herself into his bare chest. He didn’t understand how he had gotten so lucky.

-

“Do you guys know if you’re doing anything for Halloween?” Elena asked Angel asked the group. Angel was sitting on her bed, painting her toenails with her foot propped up on her bedside table, Bonnie was sharing the large beanbag on the floor with Caroline. Elena was sitting at Angel’s desk, slyly looking at the pictures of Angel and Damon that were pinned to the cork board. She wanted to tell Angel what Damon really was so badly. Elena felt nothing good could come out of the relationship between Angel and Damon; he had to have an alternate motive. There was no way he just genuinely liked this girl; Damon wasn’t capable of that . . . right? Elena and Bonnie never brought up the night of the Founder’s Party, assuming that Damon had compelled her to not remember anything; as for Caroline, they convinced her that it wasn’t a game she wanted to play.

Angel shrugged as she continued painting her nails, “I was gonna see if there was like a haunted house or something around. I was gonna ask y’all actually. Don’t really know what the Halloween scene around here is like.”

Caroline got excited, “There’s a haunted house, we should all go. It’ll be fun.” Then she took a long look at the Elena and Angel, “No boys though. Ladies night!”

Angel laughed as she closed up the nail polish bottle, “Sure. But you can explain to my boyfriend that the reason he can’t see me dressed up as hot Cher from Clueless is because of ‘ladies night’.”

A nice silence fell over the group before Angel broke it, “Hey guys . . . do you think they’ll ever find Vicki? It’s scary to think about. Like, she just . . . vanished.”

Damon went to answer his phone, only to have it snatched out of his hands by Stefan. “Really, Damon? You want to talk to Angel while you have someone who you just turned into a vampire in the house? Not gonna let it happen.”

Stefan let the call go to voicemail, and played it for Damon to hear before placing the phone in his pocket, “Hey, babe, uh . . . I’m going to the school for the haunted house thing. I’ll swing by if I’m not too tired afterwards? Call me when you can, love you.”

On the other side of the call, however, was a dressed Angel. She placed her phone down and took a sad breath as she looked into her mirror; her hair was straightened, going down to just under her breasts, which were covered by a white tube top and a yellow and black plaid blazer. Her skirt matched her blazer and she had white knee high socks on that led to her white Keds. Bonnie came up to Angel when she exited the bathroom, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

“No, no. This is ladies night. I am not going to let my dense boyfriend ruin it.” Angel tried to reason, but Bonnie knew there was something else, and Angel knew she couldn’t keep it a secret once the tears began to fall as she sat on the edge of her bed, looking up to her friend, “Damon, he - he hasn’t called me back since we slept together. And I keep remembering this stuff from the night of the Founder’s Party where Stefan told me he wasn’t over his ex and I only remember him mentioning Caroline, but I don’t know what he said about her. I can’t remember anything from that night besides vague details. Bonnie, am I just a rebound? Did I really let myself believe that he saw me as something other than a dumb high schooler?”

Bonnie sat next to Angel wrapped her in a hug, her witch costume not the most comforting material in the world, but Angel didn’t care. After only a few seconds of her comforting, the two were interrupted by Caroline bursting into the room, “Have either of you seen, or even heard from, Elena? Oh . . . oh Angel, what happened?”

When Caroline heard the story, she couldn’t help but glance over to the pictures Elena was inspecting just the other day. She knew she couldn’t tell Angel what was happening between her and Damon, both for Angel’s safety and for the sake of her heart. Caroline took a seat next to Angel and took a hold of her hand, “Listen to me, Angel. I don’t how, or what all happens in his head, but when he sees you, there’s like a button in Damon that changes. We had a . . . thing, but it’s over. There’s something about you; I don’t know what, but you turn him into a different person. Look at your cork board. I never saw a side of Damon like that, he never would’ve agreed to go into a photo booth with me, let alone kiss in one. I think you just need some time away, which is why you’re going to leave your phone here and we are going to have the night of out lives. Now, where’s your makeup bag? We need to touch up your mascara.”

Angel smiled as Caroline pulled her and Bonnie up, taking her to her vanity and sitting her down. Neither of the girls noticed when Angel took off her bracelet from Damon and didn’t put it back on.

As the three entered the school, they were met with Tyler Lockwood immediately, offering drinks. Caroline took one before Angel could protest, and Tyler tried to push one on the other two girls. “No, thanks,” Angel stated, not breaking eye contact, “I think we both know how it’ll turn out.”

“What happened there?” Caroline laughed as she took another sip of her drink before pouring it out into a nearby plant at Angel’s next words.

“I’m pretty sure he tried to roofie me at the Founder’s Party.”

As time passed, the girls began giving up hope that Elena would show. They were slowly descending into a drunken stupor, making sure to check that Tyler was no where near the drinks they got. “Hey, Matt, how’s the party?”

“Great, uh, just feel a little confused,” his voice lowered, “Vicki’s here, so could you guys keep an eye on her if you see her? It took all the power she had to convince me to let her come.”

The girls agreed, a wave of unspoken relief washed over the girl at the news Vicki was safe. They wandered into the haunted mansion, each taking bets on who could get out the fastest and proceeding to slip into different paths. When Angel was running through, trying to beat her friends, she felt a pull at he wrist, only to come face to face with Vicki. “Uh, hi Vicki, are - are you good?”

Angel had never really spoken to the girl alone before, but rather in a group. She didn’t really know how to start a conversation with her normally, let alone after she returned from a stint of being gone from home after she witnessed her friends being murdered. Vicki didn’t respond, but rather grabbed Angel by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes before muttering a “hope this works.”

“Go to the exit and wait for me and Jeremy. If Stefan or Damon comes, don’t let them touch me or him.”

Angel nodded and walked off to the exit, taking her outside, where she waited. She stood with an empty look in her eyes, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Damon was sitting at the Grill with Mrs. Lockwood; he didn’t expect his night to be this way. He more expected a Halloween party with his girlfriend, who was without a doubt, dressed hot as hell. Instead, he was holding out on those thoughts so that he could talk to this woman who was 8 martinis in and was revealing way too much about the Founder’s Council. His fingers played with the rim of his glass. “Didn’t you come to the party with a girlfriend? The high schooler?”

Damon mentally apologized to Angel for what he was about to say, “I was just entertaining her for the night. New in town, so what better way to meet the right people of Mystic Falls than to go to the Founder’s Party with a member of a founding family?”

Later, when he was at the school, he walked up to Bonnie, looking down into a cauldron filled with juice. She gave him a sour look, letting him know he wasn’t welcome.

“Why the harsh look? After all, I’m just here looking for my girlfriend,” he said while filling a cup, “And of course, to get that crystal that’s around your neck.”

Bonnie shook her head, narrowing her eyes up at the elder Salvatore, “Which girlfriend are you talking about? Because as far as I’m concerned, leaving a girl in the dark after sleeping with her isn’t the best way to show your affection. Nor is kissing her best friend and turning her into a snack. Angel will find out eventually, and at that point, it’ll be too late to apologize. But you know that, don’t you? Here’s a thought: why don’t you stay away from both of them? And you’re never getting this necklace back.”

Damon tried to grab the necklace off of her, causing it to burn his hand and give Bonnie the chance to run away. As he focused on the burning sensation of his hand, he heard a scream from far behind the school. However, the scream belonged to a voice he knew all to well: Angel.

As Angel kept watch for Vicki and Jeremy, she tried to ignore the sounds of them making out and Jeremy’s confusion as to why she bit his lip. Then she heard Jeremy’s exasperated huffs as Vicki began to become dangerous, yet her body wouldn’t allow her to run or even move. She saw Elena throw open the door to the gym followed by her running to find her brother amongst the school buses, only giving Angel a few seconds to explain why she wasn’t doing anything.

Angel’s response was quiet and calm, “Vicki told me to keep watch for Stefan and Damon.”

Elena knew she couldn’t do anything about the fact Angel was acting under compulsion, so she just had to hope that she would be able to run when given the chance again. Elena moved to pull Vicki off of Jeremy, throwing her into the open space between the buses and the gym; Elena’s hopes for Angel’s safety were immediately thrown out the window when Vicki realized that she hadn’t told Angel to stop Elena also. The next thing Elena and Jeremy saw was a flash of yellow plaid as Angel screamed and landed in a pile of glass. She struggled to stand when Stefan exited out the same door Elena had earlier; when Angel pulled herself up, she hobbled over to Stefan, glass still in her hands, legs, and side causing blood to pour from multiple areas on her body, staining her socks and blazer. She tried to push Stefan back, but he easily stopped her, but couldn’t override Vicki’s compulsion. He pushed Angel out of the way and made his way to Elena and Vicki; Angel went to follow after Stefan, but stopped when she saw Damon. Unaware that she was under compulsion, he moved closer to her, only for her to attempt to push him back, her blood getting on his shirt. “You can’t go, you can’t help Stefan. Vicki told me to stop you. I’m sorry.”

Damon grabbed her wrist and lifted it to his eyes, pulling her blazer sleeve down to see the bracelet he had gotten her was not on her wrist. Damon pulled Angel’s chin down to make eye contact with him, “Don’t listen to her. Listen to me: go find Bonnie, have her take you to the hospital, and forget what happened out here.”

Damon watched as Angel walked away, not looking back. When he looked down he saw that there was blood on his hands, no doubt from Angel’s wounds, he couldn’t stop himself from lifting his hand to his mouth. He was only stopped when he turned around to see a dead Vicki on the ground, Stefan leaving him to deal with her as he went to bring a mentally scattered Jeremy home.

Damon walked over to Elena, who was standing over Vicki. She began hurling her disbeliefs at him, asking him how he could do something like this, just for his own fun. Damon could handle her anger; it didn’t phase him, he truly meant it when he said nothing about Vicki mattered to him. It wasn’t until Elena brought up Angel that he snapped. “What about Angel? Does she really not matter at all to you? What about Caroline? I should’ve told Angel about you before she went off the deep end and fell in love with you. What happens when she find out about the fact you’re a vampire? What happens when you can’t control yourself around her anymore? I saw what you did after she left. Your lies are a web and they will catch you one day, and that day is soon. You’re only going to hurt her and you know it.”

He grabbed Elena by the neck, his eyes filled with fire. “Mention my girlfriend’s name again with the subtext that I won’t protect her and I won’t hesitate to make you regret knowing the Salvatore brothers’ secret. You need to leave.”

“Just stop hurting my friends.” Elena spit out before leaving.

-

“Hey, Angel, you should come to my party tonight! It’s at the Grill and your boy is gonna be there!” Caroline sung over the phone.

“I would, but I have a lot of college stuff to do. I’m sorry Caroline.” Angel responded, sighing.

“Oh come on, please? Just for an hour? I’ll take you home myself. when you’re ready to leave. You need to have some fun, all you’ve been doing recently is college stuff.” She pleaded.

“Fine, Caroline, just for you.”

Caroline giggled through the phone, “Sure, ‘just for me’.”

“See you later, Caroline,” Angel laughed, hanging up.

Angel once more found herself answering the door to see her boyfriend standing there, dressed in his usual white shirt, black pants, and leather jacket. His mouth nearly fell open when he saw her dressed in a pink cropped sweatshirt over another pure black crop top paired with jean shorts with suspenders attached and two different pairs of fishnets. “Whew, Virginia has changed you. You know every time I see you, you just get hotter, right?”

“That’s the goal.”

“Not gonna wear anything warmer?”

“That’s your job.” She winked at him, making him groan as she leaned over and tied herself into a pair of black Vans before exiting her house and locking the door behind her. “If you can see it from the front wait ‘till you see it from the back.”

He stopped her from walking down her porch stairs by grabbing her and wrapping his arms around her, her back to his chest. He leaned down to her ear, his voice low but still powerful enough to make a shiver run down Angel’s spine, “If you keep acting like this, I will not hesitate to bring you behind the party and make you forget every name but mine.”

She smirked, and something about her glossy lips shining in the little light from the moon drove him crazy as she whispered back, “Well, then don’t do anything to mess up your chance then.”

With that, she headed to his car, leaving Damon there to take a deep breath and look down to hide the desire on his face. He was glad she wasn’t looking at him; he couldn’t hide behind the excuse of champagne anymore. He didn’t look up until she called out for him, “Are you gonna come or will I have to drive myself?”

He shook his head, smiling to himself; she was so perfect. He wanted to live in this moment forever. Her smiling, sexy figure standing by his convertible, waiting for him in the cool autumn night.

When the two arrived to the party, nearly every male in the bar turned to look at Angel with crazy eyes; it was undeniable that she was extremely attractive, especially dressed to the definition of sex appeal. Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing his lips to hers before the two separated.

Caroline’s jaw opened when she saw Angel walking up to her and Bonnie, causing Bonnie to turn around and do the same. “Oh my God. You look . . . hot.”

Angel looked confused for a second, “Thanks. I think?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a compliment . . . it’s just you normally dress so . . . not dark.”

Angel laughed, taking the empty seat at the table the two were at. “Let’s just say I thought about what you said, Caroline, and you were right. I’m gonna have some fun.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes, “Oh no, don’t tell Caroline Forbes she’s right. She’ll never let you live it down.”

“Well, I’m gonna go get us some drinks. How’s that sound?” The two girls nodded and Angel found herself once again standing. As she was walking to meet Damon at the bar to con him into getting the group shots, she was stopped by a female voice, “He’s not the type you want to mess with.”

Angel turned to see a blonde girl with a round face standing at the the pool table, staring at her. When she gave her a questioning look, the girl motioned her over. When Angel stood next to her, Damon took a look behind him, scanning the crowds, looking to make sure she wasn’t being bothered by anyone. Then he saw her with the crazy, and tuned in.

“My name’s Lexi, by the way. I’m a friend of Stefan’s. The Salvatores and I go way back. I just wanted to warn you about Damon; I saw you walk in with him, please don’t expect more out of him than a night. I’ve seen a lot of girls do it.”

Angel had never been so confused. Why was everyone so cryptic about Damon? What was everyone not telling her? “You mean my boyfriend? Damon and I have been dating for a month.”

Lexi’s eyes widened, “D-Damon asked you out?”

“Yeah, uh, is that weird. Is there something you want to tell me besides that you don’t like my boyfriend? I don’t want to sound mean, but I just don’t understand what this is about.”

Lexi shook her head, looking down in confusion before looking back up and making eye contact with Angel. “Tell me, has Damon ever tried to hurt you?”

Angel squinted at Lexi, “No? Are your eyes okay? Your pupils are like, freaking out.”

“Sorry, just noticed your bracelet. Who got it for you?”

“Damon . . .”

Lexi cursed under her breath, “So you truly like Damon?”

“Yeah? I love him, he treats me like a queen, honestly. Can I go talk to him now?” Angel answered, leaving immediately after Lexi gave a small ‘sorry, yeah, of course’.

When Angel finally got to Damon, she noticed his grip on his glass of scotch was deathly and his jaw was locked so hard it seemed almost painful. When her hand touched his shoulder, his body relaxed. “Hey, baby, you okay?”

He turned on the stool to face her, grabbing her and bringing her closer, whispering in her ear. “Now that you’re here, of course I am. Gonna let me shoot my shot, yet?”

“Too early in the night. I promised Caroline I’d at least stay an hour. After than, we can have as much fun as you’d like. For now, why don’t you entertain my group and buy us some drinks?” She teased, her elbow resting on the bar and her head propped up on her fist.

He groaned, “You’re gonna make my pockets hurt.”

She sent him a wink before taking the drinks back over to the table, “That’s the point.” When she arrived to see a peeved Bonnie and no Caroline, she sighed and handed Bonnie the extra shot that was meant for Caroline.

“She tried to rip my necklace from my neck.” Bonnie explained, “She wanted it for Damon.”

This night was never ending confusion for Angel, “Why does Damon want some crystal necklace? Why didn’t he ask you himself?”

Bonnie gave Angel a smile, but there was pity in her eyes, “Angel, how much do you actually know about Damon? Have you seen him around others, like, truly, not just in passing? Have you seen him interact with Caroline, ever, not when you were drunk? He’s bad news; I don’t know what’s up with him around you, or if it’s even real. I don’t know how you fit into the bigger picture. But you need to be careful around him.”

Angel couldn’t respond before Bonnie got up and walked to meet Elena, who was taking her turn with Lexi, but her conversion seemed to be going a lot better. Angel took a deep breath and downed her shot, heading to the bathroom.

The bathroom door closed behind Angel, and she went to make the corner, but she saw Caroline talking to Damon at the end of the hallway. She stopped and moved out of sight, but luckily she was still in earshot. She heard everything, all the insults he hurled at her, but shallow was the one that hurt the most. He didn’t know Caroline like that. She seemed shallow on the surface, but she really just wanted the best for her friends. When she heard the sound of Damon’s boots beginning to walk away, she couldn’t help the anger inside of her that caused her to walk up to him and grab the back of his jacket, causing him to turn to see what idiot was doing that. His eyes widened when he saw that it was his girlfriend; he had never seen such fire in her eyes. Caroline used the altercation as her chance to get away, but not before she heard Angel defending her.

“Are you fucking crazy? Is that what people mean by how much of a dick you are? This is how you treat other people? Really? I can’t believe I was so fucking blind! You dare call Caroline shallow, but it’s you who’s shallow! You use me as a fuck buddy and tricked me into falling in love with you,” Angel grabbed his jacket and pulled him down to ensure that only he could hear her last sentence, “If you dare insult anyone else ever again, I swear you;ll hope you never see me again.”

Angel tried to walk off, but Damon grabbed her wrist, trying to get her to listen to him, but she shook him off, her bracelet coming off into his palm. Her words were venomous; he had never seen her like this before, “Let go of me or I will scream.”

Damon watched as she stormed out the Grill through the back exit. He heard Lexi behind him, warning him to not go out after her, “You don’t want to play that game right now.” It took everything in him to not kill her right then and there; that was for later tonight. He pushed passed her and took his seat back at the bar, ordering the strongest thing they had three times over.

Angel’s star gazing session behind the Grill was interrupted by the sound of a commotion happening up front. She walked up the side of the building, confused as to what was happening. When she heard a scream, she began running towards it. She couldn’t just stand there while someone could need help. She ran through the overgrown pathway, landing in front of a tunnel to the right of the Grill. She took a glance down to see Damon standing there, his teeth sunk into a sophomore, forcing his girlfriend to watch. She screamed, causing Damon to look up and blood to spill from his mouth onto his shirt. Damon dropped the boy and began to approach Angel, but she ran as fast as she could, but she wasn’t fast enough. He stopped her on the sidewalk, grabbing a hold of her from behind; he kept a hold of her as she began crying and begging him to let her go. “Please, Damon, let me go, please. I promise I won’t tell anyone what I saw. Please. I’m sorry for what I said earlier, please don’t kill me. Please let me go.”

He had never seen so much fear in anyone’s eyes. Her sobs hurt to hear and her struggling hurt to feel. It pained him to know she was like this because of him. “Shhh, shhh, I won’t hurt you.” He tried to move the hair out of her face, but it proved to be a bad choice on his part. She moved to cover her neck with her hands, fer face covered in tears.

When she realized he wasn’t letting her go, she seemed to accept death and began challenging him, thought she still thrashed in his grip. “You killed that boy. Did you kill Vicki? Did you kill those people in the graveyard? How many other people have you killed? Have you ever thought about how they felt, or how their families felt? Not knowing what happened? You’re a killer. A murderer.”

Damon grabbed her face and brought her eyes to meet his, his pupils moving; the fear was now mingling with anger and hatred. Those were the three things he hoped he’d never see in her eyes; he had promised himself at one point to kill whatever caused that pain, but right now, he had to accept that it was him and all his lies that caused her pain. “Listen to me. Stop thrashing.” Her body went limp, and he hated himself for it. He also promised himself that he would never compel her for his own gain. His heavy breathing didn’t let him feel as she reached her bracelet that was peeking out of his jacket pocket, thinking of Lexi’s comment about it earlier when her pupils did the same thing. “Go home. Forget this happened.”

He watched as she walked down the street, headed towards her house. He almost missed the small clink of something hitting the pavement next to her. Her bracelet.

She didn’t forget. She knew; she knew too much.

house of cards ; damon salvatore [part 2]

part 2 to you’re looking at me like you don’t know who i am

prompt: a girl found her way into the eldest salvatore brothers’ heart, but sometimes the hardest thing to do is know when to walk away

songs i listened to while writing to set the vibe: sweater weather – the neighborhood, adore you – harry styles, perfect 10 – red velvet

word count: 5,100 words

-

“카드로 만든 집 바보같이 우린 헛된 꿈이래도 이대로 조금 더 stay”

“a house made of cards, we’re like idiots . . . even if it’s a vain dream, stay like this a little more”

-

Winter was approaching, and everyone in Mystic Falls knew it. Coats were being put in shop windows and mannequins in the mall donned knit hats and gloves. Angel Robicheaux’s arm was linked with her best friend Caroline’s as they walked towards the exit, bags in their hands. It was barely 8 PM, but it looked like it was midnight outside.

“Bye, Caroline. Drive safe.”

“You too. Tell your brother I said hi, will you?” Angel agreed and the two hugged goodbye. Caroline drove away as Angel hurried to get in her car and turn the heater on. She was wearing a on oversized pumpkin spice colored pullover tucked into a light grey plaid skirt. The skirt’s grey matched the pair of long, suede boots she was wearing. She was dressed for the weather, but it was still biting cold to her. If this is how cold it was now, what would it be like later on?

Angel sighed and shook the cold off, dumping her bags into the passenger seat before turning her headlights on. She let out a scream at the sight before her: a man was standing in front of her car with a hoodie on. He was gone a second later, leaving her to wonder if she was going crazy. Angel gripped the steering wheel hard; she had to be seeing things, right? She wanted to believe it so bad, but the fear that was climbing in her chest told her it was real. She hadn’t been this scared since she saw Damon kill that sophomore outside The Grill. She shook her head and put her car in drive. Even if it was real, the man was gone; nothing she could do about it now.

She pulled out of the parking lot and began her journey home, thoughts racing.

Was this someone Damon sent to stalk her? Would Damon really do that? Angel knew practically nothing about Damon; she didn’t even know if Stefan was aware his brother was a vampire. Angel had tried her best to keep Caroline away from the Salvatores, but there was only so much she could do without saying “hey, by the way, he’s a vampire. He kills people for fun. Saw him kill someone from our school a month ago and that’s why we broke up!” So, unsurprisingly, Caroline was hanging around with him often. There were too many times that she had walked into The Grill only to turn around and walk right back out at the sight of Damon sitting at the bar, often downing three fingers of whiskey.

She was scared of him; she didn’t know what he was capable of. The night they had broken up and she had dropped the bracelet he gave her on the sidewalk, it was back on her vanity before she had even gotten home. She knew that meant Damon could get into her house, so she became obsessed with locking every door and window behind her, no matter how many times her brother had to bang on the front door for her to let him in after work. When anyone asked why the two had broken up, she just responded with a “he felt a little too old for me.” She never mentioned her fear of him to anyone besides herself.

Because of this, The Grill had an atmosphere Angel didn’t like, but it was the only place in Mystic Falls that she could hang out with her friends regularly, so she had to get over her discomfort. Eventually, as the month passed, Damon caught on to her lowering fears and began to back off. Instead of her walking out at the sight of him, he walked out at the sight of her. Her friends stopped pointing him out to her whenever he entered, as they knew he was just going to turn right back around. Slowly, Angel’s life returned to normal – well as normal as possible with the knowledge that her ex-boyfriend was a vampire.

-

Angel turned her car off after she pulled into her spot in the garage. She grabbed her bags from the passenger seat and headed in, her car letting out a small honk to signal she had locked it. She twisted the doorknob open and pushed the door in with her foot so that her bags wouldn’t get crushed. She had almost forgotten about the man in the parking lot until she saw him holding her brother at the base of the stairs, a knife to his neck. Her bags hit the ground in shock and the sound echoed through the house.

“Close the door and lock it.” He threatened, the knife pressing closer to her brother’s neck. Angel nodded and slowly made her way to close the door.

“Don’t listen to him, sis! Run!” The man took her brother’s head and hit it against the railing before placing the knife back to his throat.

It was very clear that this man was a vampire, and if Angel tried to run, she had a feeling both she and her brother would die. So, the door closed, and the lock made a clicking sound when she turned it.

“What do you want?” Angel asked, swallowing the fear in her throat, “Did Damon send you to watch me?”

“Mention his name again and I will kill both of you.” Angel nodded, tears beginning to prick at the corner of her eyes.

He motioned her to walk up the stairs, turning him and his hostage around as they followed her to her room. “Give me it.”

Angel shook her head, tears falling on her cheeks, “Please let him go. We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Blood dripped down her brother’s throat from the pressure of the knife. She could see his chest heaving. The man was not going to believe her, and she could tell. “Give me the journal. I know you have it.”

“Look,” Angel sobbed, throwing all the books she could find onto her bed. “I don’t have any journal. Please let him go.”

The vampire grew angry, not understanding that she really didn’t have it. He motioned his head towards her cork board; the pictures of the two of them kissing in the photo booth were still up. Every time Angel tried to take them down to forget about him, she couldn’t help but think of Caroline telling her that Damon had never done that for anyone else. “You obviously are his partner. He gave you the journal to hide. Now give it to me.”

An idea popped into Angel’s head at that moment. She just had to hope it would work; nevertheless, it would at least buy her more time. “You’re right.”

Her brother went to say something, but she silenced him with a look. “I knew it. Give it to me now.”

She made her way over to her vanity where the bracelet sat, untouched. She held it up to him, making things up as she went along, “This is like a key. If you give this to Damon, then he’ll know he can trust you. He’ll tell you where the journal is. All I know is that it’s buried somewhere in the woods. He wouldn’t tell me more.”

He held his hand open to catch the bracelet. Angel threw it to him, not wanting to get any closer than needed. Before he left, he made eye contact with Angel before dropping the knife in his hand and piercing her brother’s neck with his fangs, making him drop to the floor. “Can’t have any witnesses, right?”

Angel screamed, falling to her knees at her brother’s side. She placed her ear to his chest and, upon hearing a faint heartbeat, she stood up and called 911. She was sobbing as she talked to the female dispatcher. She closed her door and made sure every entrance to her room was locked. She paced back and forth, waiting for the ambulance to get there, checking on her brother every few seconds. The fainter his heartbeat got, the more she cried. It felt like hours once she finally heard the sirens. She unlocked her door and ran downstairs, unlocking the front door. “He’s upstairs, please hurry.”

Two policemen kept her from entering her room, saying that they needed room to move him. She watched, tears streaming down her face as the ambulance pulled out of her driveway and sped away. She wasn’t allowed to go with him because she had to give a statement to the police. Angel had never been so angry at authority.

Caroline’s mother, the sheriff, was asking her about what had happened. The two were sitting at her dining room table; Angel’s eyes were empty, and she hadn’t touched the glass of water she had given her when they sat down. “Please, honey, I know it’s hard, but we can’t catch whoever did this without your input.”

Angel recounted the story, making up him wanting a diamond bracelet and him stabbing a fire poker into her brother’s neck instead of biting him. Angel had enough on her plate, she didn’t need to be sent to a psych ward. Neither of the women knew that the other was aware of the existence of vampires; if they did, this whole situation would be a lot easier. For Angel, though, she thought she was the only one aware vampires existed in Mystic Falls, and she thought she was unlucky enough to meet 2 of them.

The sheriff nodded, writing everything down, “I’ll drive you to the hospital honey. Do you want me to call Caroline to wait with you?”

Angel accepted the ride but declined Caroline. No reason to drag her out of bed on a Sunday night to sit in the hospital. Besides, she wanted some alone time; the vampire wouldn’t try to reach out to Damon or her again tonight. They still must’ve thought the two were together, and if Damon was confronted with her bracelet, they would know that Damon would want to check on her first. It was a risk on their part to not wait, and even she knew that.

-

Angel had never thrown up from nerves before, but tonight she was close. The unknowing was what got to her; she didn’t know what Damon was up to, she didn’t know why a vampire showed up at her house, and most of all, she didn’t know if her brother was going to survive.

So, when the doctor came out of the emergency surgery room, Angel had to take her time standing up. “Is he okay?”

Her pulled his mask down and looked at his charts, “He’ll survive, but that attack was nasty. He lost a lot of blood. I don’t think we can allow you to see him tonight, since he’ll be resting, and we can’t let him have any distractions. But, like I said, he’ll survive. Can you by chance make a blood donation?”

Angel nodded immediately, following a nurse the doctor called over into a room to make sure she matched his blood type.

-

It was midnight by the time she left the hospital; she was wearing the same clothes as she was 4 hours ago when she was leaving the mall. Her nerves had calmed down for the most part, but she was too scared to go back to her house and she was too nervous to wake up any of her friends. That’s how she ended up dialing a number she hadn’t dialed in a month; a number she had deleted from her contacts. She just didn’t know what else to do.

He picked up three rings in; his voice was husky from sleep, yet angry from being woken up. It was clear he hadn’t checked the caller ID, “Hello? What could be so important at midnight?”

He seemed to wake up at the sound of Angel’s voice and sniffles, “I – I didn’t know who else to call, I’m sorry.”

Angel could hear him sitting up in bed, his voice filling with concern. This is not how he thought he would talk to Angel again, “No, no, baby. What’s wrong?”

She didn’t comment on him calling her ‘baby,’ mostly because it felt so right that she didn’t even notice it. “I’m at the hospital and I’m – I’m so scared. Please, just, I need someone right now and everyone else is asleep and wouldn’t understand.”

The sound of her crying hurt more than he thought it would; he had never actually heard her cry when they were dating. She was flirty and happy the entire time, only showing negative emotions the night she had broken up with him. “I promise I’ll be there as soon as possible, just stay put. Okay?”

Her voice cracked as she whispered out an agreement.

The pedal was to the floor as Damon backed out of the boarding house. He hadn’t heard her voice in a month, and once he did, it was coated in pain. He was going to kill whatever hurt her. But, that was a promise he had made a while ago as well, and he ended up being the thing that hurt her.

-

Once Damon pulled up to the hospital, he saw her crying form on the bench outside, the streetlight hanging overhead. He was out the front seat in an instant and was standing in front of her the second she stood. Had they been in a different situation, he would’ve commented on how beautiful she looked. However, he was staring at her, her eyes glassy and mascara and eyeliner running down her cheeks. She looked up into his eyes and he pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. Her heeled boots weren’t enough to bring her up farther than his neck, so when she wrapped her arms around him, she was still buried in his chest. He missed the feeling of her arms wrapped around him, but the way they squeezed him with so much hurt felt wrong. He wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair as she sobbed.

After a few minutes, she was able to calm down, and he opened the passenger side door to let her in. She took in the familiar smell of old cologne and leather polish; she felt like she had transported herself back to a month ago. If you asked her, that would be her excuse as to why she intertwined her fingers with Damon’s when he got in and started to drive. The drive was silent, Damon not wanting to say something that would cause her to take her hand from his. He thought he had gotten over her 4 Tri-Delts ago, but the fact her voice on the phone was enough for him to drop everything for at midnight was an indicator that he was not, in fact, over her.

When he stopped the car in the boarding house’s driveway, Angel released his hand to let him turn off the car. The two sat there, the outside lamp nearby the only thing giving light. Despite the shadows on her face, Damon could tell she was looking at him as her body turned to the driver’s side of the car. She broke the silence, her voice barely a whisper, “A vampire almost killed my brother tonight.”

Damon’s eyes widened, not knowing what to say, “What?”

She recounted the story, a few tears falling as she talked about her brother almost dying, “I’m sorry for waking you up, but I – I knew you would listen, and I knew you wouldn’t make me go back there. Part of me needed to see you again, and this gave me an excuse to. And, I just don’t know what to do, Damon.”

Damon wiped her tears away, gently grabbing her head and facing it towards him, “Baby, listen to me, you did the right thing.”

She sniffled as she looked up to make eye contact with him, “I need answers, Damon. I don’t want to believe you’re a killer, but I know what I saw, and I know what happened tonight with another vampire.”

He nodded, knowing this time would eventually come. “Let’s get you inside.”

-

Angel emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, when she saw her clothes were folded on the couch in Damon’s room; she never expected to be wearing his clothes again, but here she was, one of his white tee shirts dangling off her body again. He had to stop himself from letting his jaw drop at the sight of her in his clothes once more.

Everything that belonged to her that she kept in Damon’s room hadn’t been touched since she left. Her shampoo was still in the shower, her drawer full of clothes she had ‘just in case’ was still there, and even her Physics notebook she had left on his desk accidentally one day was sitting there, frozen in time. In hindsight, Damon didn’t know how he had managed to convince himself he was over Angel; at least she only had one set of pictures of the two still up.

She sat cross legged at the foot of his bed, looking up to him. He was shirtless, leaving him in just the black sweatpants he had left in; his back was propped up against the headboard, looking back at her. She asked him how he had been turned, and thus began the story of Katherine, Stefan, the church, and Emily Bennett’s spell. Once he finished, an onslaught of questions began.

“How many innocent people have you killed?”

The first question was not an easy one, but Damon knew now was not the time to lie, “Probably in the thousands.”

“Why?”

“I found it fun. Made me feel evil.”

Her response stung a little, but he knew she was telling the truth, “Because it did make you evil. Were all these ‘animal attacks’ you?”

“In the beginning, yes. But, as time went on, more vampires have arrived, and they turned more people. I haven’t killed anyone since that night.”

Angel’s eye contact faltered, remembering the fear she felt that night. How did she not feel it now? “When you, well, – bite – someone do they turn into a vampire?”

“If you’re asking if your brother is going to wake up like me, no. He’ll be human. Normal. In order to turn, you have to have vampire blood in your system, die, and then feed on a human in the next 24 hours, or you’ll fade from existence.”

Damon took notice of her shoulders falling in relief, but she soon followed up with another question, “How old are you?”

“Well, I was born on June 18th, 1839, so over 150 years old.”

Angel’s eyes bulged, “So I was barely 18 when we were dating and you were, like, nine times my age . . . uh, anyway. Why did someone come to me looking for a journal you have?”

Damon’s jaw clenched, angry that it was once again him who caused her harm in the long run. “That’s the question I have.” He looked right into her eyes, bringing back their eye contact, “He won’t be able to even think about hurting you. I’ll see to that.”

Angel scooted a few centimeters back. Damon’s tone and eyes told her that the two vampires wouldn’t be talking out their differences.

“One last question,” her voice was soft, and he saw her once more swallow her fear. He nodded, prodding her to go on, “Were your feelings for me ever real, or was I just something to play with until you got Katherine back?”

Damon couldn’t keep himself seated away from her, and in a second he was sitting across from her, his hands on the side of her head like they were when he had asked her out. “From the second we stopped on that bridge and I saw your smile that went up to your eyes, I was in love with you. I didn’t know it, because at the time I had only ever felt love for one woman. I didn’t know what to do with myself, but I always knew I felt – normal – next to you. When I would throw rocks at your window or when you would hold my hand on the days you dragged me to the park because the sun was out, times like those were what reminded me I had humanity left. You made me forget that I wasn’t human; you made me feel emotions I hadn’t felt in years. When I was with you, I didn’t want to put my fangs in you. I wanted to protect you.”

Angel’s hands were small compared to Damon’s but were warm compared to his. Her hands wrapped around his wrists and pulled his hands off her face. She rested their hands in between the two. “Then why did you try and made me forget that night?”

“Because you were the only person I’ve ever felt the want to grow old with, and I wanted to feel like that forever.”

Angel knew it was wrong. She knew she’d regret it in the morning. But that didn’t stop her. She placed a hand on the back of Damon’s neck and pulled him to her and pressed their lips together. Damon’s hands found themselves tangled in her wet hair and hers were wrapped around his neck. Dear God, he didn’t even remember how much he had missed this. All he knew was that he wanted it to last forever.

But all good things must come to an end. She pulled away, needing to breathe. Their eyes were locked for a few seconds before he kissed her on the forehead. “Go to sleep, you need it.”

She went to move off the bed, but he grabbed her wrist and sent her a confused look.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She pointed her thumb in the direction of the other side of the room, “The couch . . .”

He pulled her back on the bed, “No, you’re taking the bed. I’m taking the couch. Nothing you will say will make me change my mind.”

Angel nodded, sleep pulling at the back of her eyes, telling her not to argue. She nodded, sliding under the covers she hadn’t been under in what felt like forever. The sheets smelled like Damon, and she wanted so badly to grab his wrist before he walked away and have him hold her like old time, she knew there was a line she couldn’t cross, and that was it. This wasn’t the Damon she knew; this one was the same type of creature who tried to kill her brother.

When she heard Damon lay on the couch, she was out.

-

Angel woke up to a stream of sunlight and hushed voices that mentioned her name. She didn’t move, wanting to know what they were talking about.

“Damon, she was finally getting away from all of this! You can’t just bring her back into it.” Angel recognized the voice as Stefan’s.

“Don’t you think I know that? But as of now, she’s still a target, so I have to do what it takes to protect her.”

“You’re either going to have to let her go or stay with her forever. You can’t have both.” Stefan left the room after this, the door closing loudly behind him. Angel used this as a ploy to pretend she had just woken up. She looked over to the alarm clock: 6:30 AM. She let out a small groan before the events of last night came flooding back to her in mass. The headboard was cool as she sat against it.

“Can you make him forget?” Angel asked, causing Damon to look up from buttoning his shirt. He pulled it down and worked on rolling his sleeves as he responded.

“Angel – are you sure?”

She nodded solemnly, “I don’t want my brother living in fear. There’s nothing he could do about it anyway; I just want him to think the guy was some intruder, not a vampire.”

-

After Damon made her brother forget the vampireness of his attacker, the two found their way outside. The hospital courtyard was less depressing than the pair thought it would be. They were sitting at a bench surrounded by flowers. Angel was holding a cup of water. She relaxed into Damon’s side as he had his arm wrapped around her. Two old ladies in wheelchairs rolled up to the two.

One looked warmly onto them and spoke to Damon, “Now, she looks like a catch! Don’t be letting her get away.”

Angel couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her face as Damon responded, “Yes, ma’am. Trust me, I won’t.”

The other lady let out a small sigh and spoke as the two rolled away, “Oh, young love . . . I remember times like that.”

Damon placed a kiss to her head and began running his fingers through her hair. These were the times he missed.

-

The wind was blowing as the sun began to set. Damon and Angel were standing at the stop sign near The Grill. Caroline had called her over to help get her mind off things; she insisted no boys. Not listening to Caroline was a death wish.

She was dressed in a pair of dark jeans with a black belt; a white tee shirt with a picture of a girl in a sunflower field that looked like it was drawn by the same people who animated Spirited Away was, as always, loosely tucked into her jeans. She was wearing a pair of regular black converse high tops. Her hair was down in waves and she had a pair of fake diamond earrings on; her black choker brought attention to her slim neck. She kept her arms covered with a fleece lined denim jacket. She seemed like a rainbow standing next to him, dressed in all black. They were complete opposites of each other in every way, besides in their love.

Damon took a step closer to the blonde girl, brushing a piece of hair that got caught on her jacket behind her ear and looking into her eyes. “Angel, please be mine again.”

She gave him a soft smile, and Damon knew her answer. She never gave that smile unless she was about to let someone down gently. She grabbed his hands in hers and looked up at him, “I’d love to, but we both know that’s not possible. Even though you say you’ve changed, it’s only been a month. You’ve hurt people, Damon. You lied. And I know you’ve been hurt and lied to, too, but that doesn’t excuse it. I’m barely 18; I’m going to college next year. But, my mom always taught me the biggest part of growing up is learning when to walk away. I don’t want this to be my life. It sounds selfish, I know, but I deserve my young adult years. Everyone does. I’m sorry you never really had them because of Katherine, and I’m glad I’m the one who helped you experience them, even if it was about 125 years too late. I want to pull all nighters with my college roommate and adopt a dog or something; I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in fear of something like last night happening again. You said it yourself, you’re trying to get Katherine back; she’s the one you need. She knows what you’ve been through. I’m sorry, but that’s not me, Damon.”

“I don’t want someone who understands me, Angel, I want you.” His grip on her hands tightened, showing his desperation to be with her again.

Angel placed a kiss to his cheek, “I’ll always love you, Damon Salvatore.”

Damon knew that when Angel decided on something, there was no convincing her otherwise. He placed a kiss to her forehead before she let their hands drop. She turned away, meeting up with Caroline at the end of the walkway to The Grill, the bad atmosphere Angel once felt disappearing.He didn’t move as he watched her walk into the sunset. Angel sent him one last smile, watching as the wind blew his hair into his face. She couldn’t see the tears that he blinked back.

Two things in life were certain. Damon Salvatore would always hate sunsets and he would always love Angel Robicheaux.

-

After the party, Angel finally had the courage to go home. Damon had gotten rid of the vampire that had been invited in. Her brother was set to be discharged the next morning. Things were slowly sinking back to normal.

When she opened her room door, she noticed that the previously blood-stained carpet had been pulled and replaced – most likely Caroline’s mom’s doing. She kicked her shoes off and threw her jacket onto her vanity chair. As she was taking off her earrings, she made eye contact with the photo booth cards pinned to her cork board. The first photo out of 4 showed her and Damon in a normal picture; she was leaning against him, both of them smiling. The second showed her looking up at him from her spot on his shoulder. The third was of them kissing, both clearly happy. The last was supposed to be a normal photo, but instead showed Angel looking at the camera and Damon looking adoringly at her.

Angel let out a small, innocent sigh and reached up and unpinned the photo reel. She dug through her drawer and pulled out a photo she had been too pained to look at in the prior months. The photo held her smiling family on her first day, and her brother’s last day, of high school. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a plain yellow tee shirt with her makeup done and her hair pulled up into buns on either side of her head; her brother wore a regular pair of jeans and a white tee shirt. Their mom was dressed in a pantsuit and there was a bright smile on her face. Even if you didn’t know her, you could tell she was proud of her kids.

“I love you, mom.”

She leaned up and used the tack that once held up her and Damon to now hold up her family. The photos of the pair taking the new photo’s place in the drawer.

Angel closed her curtains before climbing into bed but didn’t see the figure that was watching sink back into the shadows. Damon dropped the rock he was holding, knowing that even if he threw it at her window, the old Angel wouldn’t answer and jump down into his arms.

It was time to move on.

Lay Me Down

Pairing: Ex Bucky x reader

A/N: I was listening to Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” on the metro the other day and legit cried because that song is so sad and the way he sings it is just so gut wrenching. So I decided I would hurt myself and make this fic about it. So like prepare for angst. 

Yes, I do. I believe. That one day I will be, where I was. Right there, right next to you.

Anguish. Complete and utterly wrecked. Torn apart and left to bleed. This is how you felt when Bucky Barnes left you. What happened between you two couldn’t be qualified as a break-up because that meant that both parties had to be present. No. Instead you came in one morning to find Bucky gone and a note was all he had left you. Saying he couldn’t be with you because he couldn’t put you through it. Couldn’t bare to destroy you the way he had been destroyed by Hydra. 

Keep reading

Emails I Can't Send-Rowaelin Fanfic

This is actually one of my favorite things I've ever written. It's based off of the song emails i can't send by Sabrina Carpenter. That whole album is so underrated - go listen to it! If you want, listen to the song while reading. The song is so so heartbreaking and I just had to write about it. :)

(I know I haven't posted in a while, so I thought this would be perfect because I love it so much. I wrote it back in August <33)

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Language, some suggestive language

Tag List: @backtobl4ck, @aelinchocolatelover, @renxzs, @blue-bird17, @luell1q

__

The song had come from everything and nothing at the same time. She’d written it on a crumpled piece of paper, droplets of her tears weakening the page, at three in the morning. All of her hurt and pain and fear from that night put into a couple scrawling paragraphs. 

Now, standing backstage in the wings, Aelin took a deep breath. The crew buzzed around her, Lysandra last-minute checking her makeup, hair and outfit before she went onstage. “Are you going to be okay?” her friend asked, emerald eyes filled with concern. “I know it’s an emotional song for you to sing live, and…you know, Rowan’s out there…”

Aelin winced as the sound of her ex-boyfriend’s name sliced through her heart. It was a pain she was used but not invulnerable to. “I’ll be fine,” she said, more to herself than anything. Nevermind Rowan was seated somewhere in the audience with the rest of his band, and soon he’d be about to hear a breakup song about him…no, never mind that. 

__

Rowan was trying very hard not to think about what was coming next, about how the woman he loved with everything he had was about to be feet away from him. He’d never heard the song she was singing, very purposefully - whenever it came on the radio, which was every day, he’d cranked down the volume quickly. 

Rowan took a gulp of champagne and tried to think of other things. He and his band, The Cadre, had given a decent performance, performing their song K. It was a crowd-pleaser, one of their first hits about Gavriel’s wife, Krystal. He sat at the table with the band - his brothers, really - their partners, and Maeve, the band manager. 

Over the speakers, the host boomed; “Please put your hands together for Aelin Galathynius!”

__

Aelin took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage, immediately hit with the white-hot spotlight. She stood in front of the standing microphone and smiled as the audience cheered.

“Thank you,” she said, her own voice echoing back at her through the earpiece. “And thanks to all the fans who got me here, performing at the Grammys. This is my new single, emails I can’t send.”

She tuned out the clapping and focused on the instrumentals leaking into her left ear. Nodding to Aedion, her cousin on piano, she took a deep breath. 

__

“It’s times like these, wish I had a time machine so I could see what you did October 13th,” she sang. “At 10:15, were you really asleep or were you lying to me and the family?”

Rowan’s stomach emptied out. October 13th, the night of Aelin’s album release party and one of their biggest fights. The night he’d lied, saying he was with Lorcan when he’d been over at Lyria’s, comforting her while she cried. Comforting Lyria over the record label rejection, when he should’ve been with Aelin, celebrating with her. 

He gazed up at Aelin, who looked heartbreakingly beautiful in a simple white crop top with princess sleeves and low-rise jeans, that showed off her muscled body in a stupidly perfect way. He couldn’t help but think of how he would peel those clothes off her if he hadn’t been such an idiot…get a grip, man. Creep. 

“There’s no us in us when I’m lacking trust,” Aelin continued, and he forced his mind into the present - even worse. Her expression was reserved as her eyes floated over the audience, looking or not looking for one person. “You wanna discuss, ugh, you disgust me…”

The words sliced through him. You disgust me. 

__

Aelin couldn’t tell if she sounded good or not, but she was getting into the mood of the song now. “Don’t make me cuss you out, why’d you let me down? Don’t say sorry now.”

Her voice was rising as she got to the climax of the song, the part she’d truly poured out of the sobs that had wracked her body that night. “And thanks to you I, I can’t love right, I get nice guys and villainize him,” she crooned. “Read their texts like they're having sex right now, scared I’ll find out that it’s true..”

As she sang, she closed her eyes and unlocked the gates she’d built brick by brick over the past five months, the pain and despair from Rowan flowing out her heart and into her voice. “And if I do, then I blame you for every worst that I assume; when I’m 45 someone calls me their wife and he fucks,” at that word, her voice broke in the crooning sort of way that she loves, “our lives in one selfish night.” The lyric, the story, the truth. 

__

Rowan was in heaven because the subject of his every desire was standing in front of him singing with the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard, and he was in hell because she was singing a heartbreaking song about him. 

“Don’t think I’ll find forgiveness as fast as mom did,” Aelin said, and that was the moment when her beautiful, beautiful eyes rested on Rowan. Electricity coursed through him as she did, and he held her gaze as if her irises were his last lifeline. The most heartbreaking and despairing expression flickered across her exquisite face and it was all Rowan could do not to leap out of his chair and hold her as she pointed an accusing finger at him and cried; “And God, I love you, but you’re such a dipshit.”

__

“Please fucking fix this,” Aelin neared-whispered as the song crested, the instrumentals fading and becoming sadder, more mellow. She blinked away the tears blurring her vision, Rowan’s piercing green eyes sending sparks through her body, “‘Cause you were all I looked up to.” and Lyria placed a possessive hand on her boyfriend’s arm, placing a kiss to his muscled shoulder, “And now I can’t even look at you,” and Aelin looked away and lowered her arm as the roaring of the audience overwhelmed the room. 

꧁Hijo de La Luna Príncipe꧂

Author's note: This little story here is also on Ao3, My account is Benari_Rose there. It's inspired by Haggard's (or Mecano's) song Hijo de La Luna. I would appreciate it so much if you leave comments on here or there. Thank you (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥

Tw: Just a little bit of violence, there's no blood included in this so don't worry. But usage of knife is mentioned.

𝕬 𝖋𝖔𝖔𝖑 𝖜𝖍𝖔 𝖉𝖔𝖊𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆 𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖉

𝕿𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖆 𝕲𝖞𝖕𝖘𝖞 𝖂𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖂𝖎𝖟𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊...

 The woman standing in front of him was crying silently. Yet her sobs echoed through the halls of Prince Cygnus' castle. He slowly raised his hand to take a peek at the woman by lifting the veil covering his face.

 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖈𝖗𝖞𝖎𝖓𝖌, 𝖆𝖘𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖞 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊, 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝖆 𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖘𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖍 𝖘𝖔 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍

He smiled, masking his confusion. Why wouldn't she wish this from the Venus Prince Ambrose? His task was to tie two lovers together, to bless their relationship and family with his spells. So why would she ask this to himself instead of his brother? He didn't know but the woman in front of him was in pain, in need of love, in need of validation.

So he parted his lips and said:

 "𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊. 𝕭𝖚𝖙..."

He paused. He didn't know what to ask in return. Then an idea came up to him. He had always wanted to be a parent, to bring an heir to his kingdom. But his infertility never allowed him. He loved children of his kingdom like they were his own. Their laughter, joy, innocence and goofy little chats eased his stress and forget all his problems while spending time with them. 

Men who didn't deserve to be a parent became fathers while he couldn't. It felt unfair to him. Yet he didn't make any noise about it. But now he didn't need to biologically have a kid to be a parent. So he adjusted his posture in his throne and...

 𝕱𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖛𝖊, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖘𝖕𝖔𝖐𝖊:

"𝕴𝖓 𝖗𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓, 𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔 𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖍𝖎𝖒. 𝕬𝖑𝖆𝖘, 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖎𝖒𝖒𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖘𝖔𝖓, 𝖎𝖓 𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖔 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖇𝖊 𝖆𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖊, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖎𝖙 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊"

 It was kind of cruel of Cygnus wanting this in return. He knew a mother's sorrow of losing their firstborn pretty well. But his desperation put pressure on hus conscience. In which, he will regret sooner or later. 

The woman raised her head and swiped her bangs from her forehead as she blinked. That's when he felt his chest ache. It felt like his ribcage had turned on him and started suffocating his lungs and heart. He didn't see her face at first due to his veil, but now it was crystal clear that she was beautiful. Her skin was smooth and a vibrant brown. Long and curly eyelashes which matched her dark curly hair. A slender figure with chubby curves which were adorned and garnished with accessories and jewels.

He was always told not to judge a book by it's cover, which he agreed to this mindset with his heart and mind. But for some reason he was mesmerized by a lady who was a foreigner to magic.

Her breath hitched as she tried to speak. "I-is there n-no oth-other way?.." she asked in a very quiet voice that even Cygnus could barely hear. He winced silently, he was already regretting his decision, but there was no turning back now. 

"I'm afraid yes fair mortal lady... Casting a love spell is not something I practiced with my magic. So casting it would require something important in return." He said as he lowered his gaze to the ground. The woman thought for a moment. Her eyes fixed on the prince, she spoke "Will you take good care of my baby, your Highness? If I ever get parted from my child, I'd want it to be in good hands..."

Cygnus nodded. "Yes, indeed. I promise your child will be taken good care of. You can rest assured." A sigh of relief left the woman's lips and she clasped her hands together. "Thank you, your highness. It hurts me so but if what you're saying is true, then I accept." And with that, Cygnus rose from his throne and descended from the staircase which lead to his pedestal like crown. 

"Well, then..." He said as he gently placed his palm on her head, magic glowing from under his hand with a gorgeous blue hue. He was close to her enough that his shining silvery locks brushed her shoulder. Which she couldn't help but gaze up in awe. After the glow faded, he pulled his hand back. "Now then, our deal is sealed. You can go now, I'll come to check up on you from time to time. But before you go, can I learn what your name is miss?" 

"Nataliya. And thank you again, your highness. It will never be enough no matter how much I thank you."

"No, I thank you for your sacrifice, Nataliya... Now go." He said as he turned his back, flowing his cape with the wind he made.

Nataliya rose up from her knees and guided out of the castle by the guardians. Cygnus watched her as she left. Feeling the sense of growing guilt like he did something wrong. 

 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖆 𝖋𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗

𝖄𝖊𝖙, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖆𝖓'𝖙 𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖉 𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆 𝖒𝖆𝖓

𝕿𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖊 𝕾𝖎𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓

𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖉𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖉𝖔 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖆 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖑 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉?

𝕬𝖍𝖍-𝖆𝖍-𝖆𝖍-𝖆𝖍-𝖆𝖍𝖍-𝖆𝖍-𝖆𝖍-𝖆𝖍𝖍...

𝕾𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊

 Months passed since Nataliya had made a deal with Cygnus. Just like he promised, she was able to gain the affection of the man she loved. Soon after, they got married and got tied to eachother at the wedding night. Cygnus watched them afar, observing their joy and laughter. He couldn't help but feel jealous from the deepest pits of his heart. That man was loving her only because of his spell. That man... He had no ounce of mercy, kindness or humbleness. He was full of hatred, vengeance and anger.

After a while, he learned that Nataliya was eight months pregnant and close to giving birth soon. He smiled at the information and chose to visit her more often. Sometimes he draws invisible protection signs on her house's door. Sometimes he controls them from afar while reading a book. One month later, she gave birth to a beautiful son. But there was an issue...

𝕱𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆 𝖈𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖓 𝖋𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗, 𝖆 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓

𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖆𝖘 𝖆𝖓 𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖊'𝖘 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐

𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖞 𝖊𝖞𝖊𝖘, 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊

𝕬𝖓 𝖆𝖑𝖇𝖎𝖓𝖔 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉...

"𝕯𝖆𝖒𝖓 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖎𝖒𝖆𝖌𝖊! 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖆 𝖈𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖐𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖊𝖙 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖎𝖙."

 Nataliya was shocked against her husband's shameful assumption, let alone behavior. She never had cheated, nor seen another man. Sure, it was kind of surprising how her son was white as snow but this might be Prince Cygnus' magic's appearance. She needs to explain this to her husband before he misunderstands further. 

Unfortunately, it was too late. People around them started to question and gossip. One of them being gross slanders as it was about a pale skinned man (who was Cygnus) visiting Nataliya's house when her husband wasn't there. It was partly true since Cygnus did visit her but not in the way people had assumed

Days and days passed by and and her husband's hidden wrath started to be increasingly evident. Everytime Nataliya tried to explain what happened, the words of people lurked around and got worse each time. It went as far as people gossiped about Nataliya being a promiscuous woman while calling her husband a cuck for letting this happen 

Until one day, he couldn't take it anymore. It didn't matter if she was telling the truth and the baby was his. She 'dirtied' his name and put him in 'shame'

 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖎𝖒𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖉

𝕳𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖊, 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖆 𝖐𝖓𝖎𝖋𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉:

"𝖂𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖘 𝖍𝖊? 𝖄𝖔𝖚'𝖛𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖋𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊."

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖑𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖐𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖑𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖔𝖇𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖛𝖊

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖆 𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒 𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖚𝖈𝖐 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓

 Almost in a second, the man hit a wall with his back as he was pushed by an undeniably powerful force. The man grunted in pain as he tried to collect his senses. As his blurry vision cleared, his blood drained from his face immediately. The Moon Prince, one of the ten royal siblings of the kingdom, was frowning down on him

"Relentless..." He muttered out. "I tied you two together because she loved you. And as in return, I wanted her firstborn which she had from YOU!" He said the last word loudly, which echoed and ringed in the man's ears.

The baby was really his. He tilted his head downwards in shame as he realized his terrible crime. "You did not marry her only because you loved her, but because you trusted her. How dare you believe such foul slanders about herself when she denies them? How dare you hurt her for something she didn't even commit?" Cygnus didn't want the man to flee so he knocked him out by casting a sleep spell. He then turned to Nataliya who was wounded on her stomach. Cygnus kneeled next to her as he tended her wounds with his healing. 

"I should've known better..." He began his sentence with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I'm deeply sorry for my foolish mistake. Not every relationships born from love form fruits of peace. You may still love him, but he tried to kill you. So going back to him would earn you nothing but harm." Nataliya slowly turned her head to him and watched his magic cure her wounds. 

"I won't go back to him. He didn't believe me when I was telling the truth. He can burn in hell for all I care. I really thought he loved me, but the only thing he cared about was his name..." She said as her brows furrowed. Betrayal, was the thing she felt. "But, why?" She asked to Cygnus.

"Hm?' he hummed back in return, so Nataliya continued. "Why didn't your spell work, your highness? Is it because he was the wrong man?"

"No... The spell did work. But it wasn't strong enough to pacify his anger or hatred. Even the strongest love spells can't clear the heart of evil." He answered her question calmly. "But, there's also a question I'd like to ask: Why did you come to me to make your wish instead of my brother Ambrose? He's the wizard of love and beauty after all."

Nataliya forced herself to sit up, grunting as her newly closed wounds stretched. Cygnus held her back to steady herself while telling her to be careful. 

"I actually did..." She said as she exhaled. "When I proposed my wish to him, he gladly accepted at first. But when he got to know my... 'husband', he told me he can't. He didn't tell me why, he just dismissed me by saying 'I don't feel any connection between you two. I'm so sorry to tell you this but for my spell to work, your strings should at least be close to eachother. So I can tie them up.' I didn't understand at first. Wondered why he couldn't just make our strings get close. I was blinded by love so much that I didn't see that he was protecting me subtly. So I went to you..."

"Which resulted in this." Cygnus said as he completed her sentence. Then a sound of a baby crying was heard from the back. Nataliya rose up from the ground slowly and went back into her home. She took her baby son into her arms and caressed his head gently.

"Sshh... It's ok, mama's not hurt. Everything's ok..." She whispered into his ear. Then she got out of her home to see Cygnus sitting and watching the stars above. "Your highness?" Cygnus turned his head to Nataliya. "Yes?" He answered as he stood up. "I know, my marriage didn't last like I wanted, but..."

Her eyes teared up as she patted her now calmed down son's back. Cygnus immediately understood what she was trying to say and raised his hand to stop her. 

"No. I've made my decision. No mother deserves to lose their child. Especially right after they lost their loved one. I'm sorry, I was desperate to be a parent at the time. It was a cruel mistake. Your son will stay with you. Please, do take care Miss Nataliya..."

He said as he turned his back. Nataliya gasped and hold the Prince's arm. "Wait!" She blurted out without thinking. "I uhh... I still believe you deserve to be by his side, your highness. He... Carries your image. He is the one who awakened me to realize the man I married isn't the one I loved, and you're the one who saved me from him. If there's a man who deserves to be a father the most, it's you." 

Cynus' eyes sparkled as he looked at Nataliya. He was too stunned that he forgot how to speak. As he looked over to the baby then Nataliya, his cheeks grew a pinkish hue. Cygnus smiled as he took the little boy in his arms and watched as the little boy's eyes wander around to focus on him. He then started giggling and clapping his hands clumsily. Reaching over to Cygnus' face as the little boy laughed in joy. Cygnus' smile grew wider and kissed the little boy's forehead.

"Does he have a name?" He asked, looking over to Nataliya. "Crescent" she answered. "I named him Crescent. The one which grows to be a full moon, like you." She smiled as she watched her son playing and pulling the Prince's hair. "How beautiful. Welcome to Earth, Crescent. Auntie Lunafreya (Cygnus' twin sister, the Earth Princess) will love you... Ow! Slow down there buddy, that's my hair!" He said as he winced in slight pain, but laughed anyway.

He turned his figure to Nataliya fully. "Nataliya. I want you to come with me to my castle. That way I can take care and check on you two more easily. But, if you want yo stay here, I won't say no to that. The choice is yours." He said with a bright look on his face. Nataliya blinked in surprise.

"I... That was a little sudden, your highness I-"

"Call me Cygnus" 

"What?"

"You don't have to speak to me formally. You can speak with me comfortably, Nataliya." Cygnus said as his breathing got faster. He wasn't going to force her, no. But he really wanted to spend more time with her. To get to know her better. 

"I-I accept your offer my Pr- I mean Cygnus..." She said as she got shy all of a sudden. It looked cute to Cygnus, honestly. He smiled warmly and walked towards her side while Baby Crescent was in his arms. "Let us go then." He said and with his hand movements, a blue circle formed on air and opened a portal to their new 'home'...

 𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓

𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖎𝖙'𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖑𝖊𝖊𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖌

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖎𝖋 𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖕𝖘, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖆 𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖑𝖊

𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖎𝖋 𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖕𝖘, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖆 𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖉𝖑𝖊...

-𝐸𝑛𝑑 <3

birthday by ten

you give your boyfriend his final birthday gift, a performance you’re sure he’ll never forget

⇀ pairing mingi x reader

⇀ genre suggestive fluff

⇀ style one-shot

⇀ word count 2.2k

⇀ warnings reader dances suggestively, lots of touch/grabbing, kissing

note happy mingi day, i busted this little thing out for his birthday and i hope you enjoy (barely proofread so excuse that)

“i have one last gift,” you said with a tap to mingi’s shoulder as he closed the front door behind himself, toeing his shoes off and starting to bend down to help you with your own before your hand makes its way under his chin and pulls him back up.

he looks surprised when you stop him at first, face crinkled in confusion before he sees the smirk on your lips and his own features change to match yours. “which is,” he trails off and starts to lean in, lips puckered slightly as he expects for you to close the distance and give him a kiss. however, you only take a step back, fingers trailing gently down his arm before you grasp his hand and lead him further into your apartment.

his eyes never leave your form, even as you push him to sit down on the couch and try to move away from him again. he doesn’t let you at first, keeping your hand firmly enclosed in his as long as he can manage before finally allowing you to escape him.

you take a breath to push the nerves down for a moment as you make your way to the center of the room, pulling out your phone and quickly finding the app where you’d already queued up a song. you double check that you’re connected to the speaker you’d set in the living room before you’d left for dinner and place your device on top. with one last breath, and a teasing glance over your shoulder to find your boyfriend practically on the edge of his seat, you press play.

you try to ignore the way you can hear mingi suck in a sharp breath as the song starts, getting an idea of where the night is heading, and you try to keep your focus on the choreography you’d planned, with a little help from yunho and san, earlier that week. you let the music flow through you, still facing away from the man you’re putting on a show for, and gather all of the confidence that you can muster as you sway your hips to the beat, emphasizing your ass with a deliberate arch of your back.

you whip around to face mingi and the way the man is looking at you almost causes you to pause before you remember that you’re supposed to be the one seducing him, his eyes practically removing every layer of the outfit you’d worn that night for his birthday dinner. however, as much as you want to just forget the rest of your routine and indulge in your boyfriend in this moment, you don’t want to disappoint with the present you’d promised. instead, you continue with your performance, sensually lowering yourself to your knees as the lyrics of the song prompted you down, down, down. you tried to continue focusing on yourself, using your hands to run along your body until you got to your thighs, giving them a gentle slap before spreading them with a wink. if you weren’t so focused on the moves you had planned to do next you might have noticed the way mingi had seemed to stiffen, very obviously affected by the moves you were pulling off.

as the chorus of the song hits, you move onto your hands and knees, starting to crawl toward your boyfriend and now fully aware of the way he instinctively spreads his legs for you, bottom lip caught between his teeth as he watches you inch toward him. you take your time but eventually end up kneeling between his legs, placing your palms onto each of his knees and using his sturdy legs to push yourself up, being sure to arch your back so that your chest is placed perfectly into mingi’s line of sight and making him lean back. his shoulders hit the cushion behind him with an audible thump and you, partly as a reflex but mostly because you know it will continue to rile him up, use your thumb to pull your boyfriend’s bottom lip from between his teeth. the act receives the intended effect immediately, mingi releasing a shuddering whine that sends a shiver through your limbs and makes the tips of your fingers tingle.

you trail your fingertips down the side of his neck and over his collarbone, resisting the urge to grab at his collar and just pull him into a passionate kiss to break the tension. instead, you continue to move your hand to press against his chest and let out a whisper to match the lyrics that have almost become background noise to the energy between you both. you command, let’s make tonight your birthday.

as the next line mentions hands, hands, hands, you use your own to grab his and lift his arms above his head, interlocking your fingers as you climb onto his lap. your thighs press into mingi’s gently as you straddle his lap, keeping your hips raised as to not place your entire weight onto him and to raise your face above his, forcing him to tilt his head back to look up at you. you continue to lean into your boyfriend, forcing his arms back gently and making his back arch slightly. as you move forward, you start to close the distance between your faces, mingi watching you with intense interest through heavily lidded eyes.

just as your bottom lip ghosts against the delicate skin of his chin you drop your hips down, releasing your weight onto his lap, and straighten out your fingers to let your hands slip out of his. you let your hands drag down the undersides of his arms as he starts to sit back up, no longer being pressed backward into the couch, but he keeps his arms up until your palms meet his body once more, pressing into the thick muscle of his pecs as you lean in until your chests barely meet.

for a moment he brings his hands down to wrap around each of your wrists lightly but you quickly push against him and maneuver your hands to switch positions, encasing his wrists in your fingers instead. he’s pliant under you as you move his hands toward your waist and he responds immediately, holding you with a gentleness that radiates the care only mingi can express through touch alone.

you try to mimic that tenderness as you place your hands onto either side of his face, using your thumbs to run over the apples of his cheeks before pressing into the mole under his eye, a gesture you’ve done hundreds of times before as a way to silently express your love for your boyfriend. you can tell he recognizes it right away, letting a sigh release from his chest and a shiver run down his spine as he closes his eyes, giving your waist a soft squeeze in gratitude.

before either of you can get too lost into the moment, you are pulling away from him, moving back into the center of the room to dance along as the chorus begins again.

being the more choreographed part of the routine, you opt to avoid looking at mingi for fear that his pointed gaze will make you freeze up once again. rather, you choose to keep your gaze on the floor or your hands, hoping that the decision comes off as sultry and mysterious instead of shy or intimidated.

the bridge approachs quicker than you anticipate and soon your eyes are flicking up to meet mingi’s as you bring a hand up, curling a finger toward yourself as you ask for his full attention as though his focus has been anywhere but you for the last two minutes and twenty seconds. however, with the outfit you’d worn to dinner tonight, his attention has been on you more than anything else for most of the night.

you can see the hesitation behind his eyes as he debates whether you’re asking him to actually approach you or simply keep paying attention but fortunately you answer that question for him quickly as you approach, one hand presented out in front of you for him to take and you tug gently to pull him to stand. you easily guide him to where you had been standing before and do a few seductive twirls, keeping your hands connected above your head before you let it go and release them to make your way behind him.

for a moment you don’t do anything, letting the tension simmer as the music builds, and mingi’s head turns out of curiosity. he tries to peek at you out of the corner of his eye, wondering what exactly you’re up to, right as the breakdown begins and your arms wrap around his waist, hands splayed on the fronts of his hips and moving down over the tops of his thighs.

he jumps slightly at the surprise contact, his head whipping down to watch your hands on his body.

“relax,” you breath as you notice how tense he is, muscle under your fingers held tight.

you hear him exhale and notice the way his back moves, his shoulders lowering as he tries to just enjoy the moment.

you continue to run your hands down as far as you can reach without bending your knees, your chest flush against his broad back for a moment too long before you pull your hands back up, passing where they had begun and ending up caressing his abdomen. once again, he tenses a bit, although before you can mention his reaction, he’s relaxing, head tilting back slightly and you assume he closes his eyes.

your lips stretch into a smile at his reaction and you run your nails over his abs, opening your arms to drag along the thin fabric of his dress shirt until your reach his sides and he jerks just slightly at the gentle tickle. you chuckle quietly at his response to the touch and you can already hear the beginnings of a whine bubble in the back of his throat but you don’t give him time to release it before you’re retracting your hands and moving around to be in his line of sight once more.

you’re a little surprised mingi has managed to keep his hands to himself this whole time, remaining loose enough for you to manipulate, but you’d guess it’s mostly due to the surprise factor.

the song has started to build to the chorus for the final time and with a single hand to his chest you manage to back him up until he’s seated once more, not even bothering to fight back even though you could see his hands itching to be on you in some way.

he settles quickly, ready to see the finale of your performance, and you watch his tongue trail over his bottom lip as he gives you a thorough look up and down.

you don’t back away from him as you turn once more and decide that he’s been patient enough for the last three minutes, sitting directly onto his lap as the chorus hits and rolling your body against his. your hands search for his own and once you find them you guide them to your body, pressing them into your front as a way to prompt him to place them anywhere he’d like. immediately he holds on, kneading and stroking along your form, being sure to pay extra attention to his favorite spots, and you can’t help but let your head roll back onto his shoulder. his lips find purchase on your neck quickly, gentle kisses quickly becoming open mouthed until he’s nipping at the shell of your ear.

neither of you are focused on the music much anymore as he wraps his arms completely around you, closing the distance between your back and his front. he continues to attack your neck as your hand finds its way into his hair, tugging gently at the black and blonde strands and feeling his hot breath on your skin as a breathy moan slips past his lips. his reaction sends a shiver through you, your nerves immediately lit on fire.

“thank you,” mingi breathes out, pressing a tender kiss on your shoulder that’s so sweet it contrasts the heated energy flowing between you both.

you hum in satisfaction when he returns to nibbling at your skin, noticing the final lines of the song booming through the speaker and you somehow manage to push through the intoxicating power of your boyfriend to pry his arms off of you and stand, although he refuses to let you get far as two of his hands catch one of yours.

you don’t fight, instead simply turning to straddle his lap once again, grasp firm on his strong shoulders. his own hands find purchase on the flesh of your ass and you try not to react when he massages your cheeks.

let’s make tonight your birthday

as the final line rings out into the thick air of your apartment, you lean in, finally pressing your lips against his own and letting them move together. the kiss is electric as you finally dance together, passionate and hot.

when you break away only a moment later, mingi follows you until you’re holding his face in your hands and you can finally say what’s been on the edge of your tongue all night.

“happy birthday,” you whisper, and as soon as the words are out, he’s diving back into you, the taste of appreciation on his tongue.

↼ ateez masterlist

note alexa, add birthday sex by jeremih to the queue

let me know what you thought

I saw a few posts about jedtavius song fics— and tbh I dont know much abt song fics —however, I just have to say, if yall haven't heard Moon Waltz by Cojum Dip you need to change that as fast as possible‼️ I think this fandom might really like it

For the Dancing and the Dreaming

Summary:

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

When Kagome goes missing after accepting a mission in a neighboring city, Sesshomaru's pack make their way to find her. The mystery of her disappearance unravels around them as well as secrets hidden deep within the heart of the priestess. For the second time in her life, Rin sees her lord cry.

Chapters 9–12 are posted!

Rin stared in awe at Kagome, safe and breathing deeply in her slumber. She looked like one of the princesses from her future storybooks lying there. With her cheek against the child’s and her hair splayed against the pillow, she was the picture of a tranquil Sleeping Beauty.

Chapter 13 - The Finale

For the first time in her life, Kagome saw everything. Every emotion, every turmoil he felt, and every ounce of relief that rolled off of him as he absorbed her presence. Stupidly, her mouth opened and closed as she could not find any words to speak to better the situation. Kagome was trapped in his sorrowful gaze.

“You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you,” he whispered to her.

Little author’s note here. Thank you to everyone who read this little story of mine! My first long form fic has come to an end. I love this fandom, and gods I love this ship.

– Sakura🌸🍃

Koku Hanabata and First Burn is a blend I never thought I want to write a fic on, but my creative juices are flowing like the river.

First Burn is a song has that rage and heartbreak that I want for a Hanabata angst story.

The original works too, but I figure it softer and sadder as it’s more like a self reflection and realization.

First burn in the other hand, is powerful and is confrontational. And the lyrics seem for fitting for Hanabata character in my opinion

And besides, do doesn’t love screaming:

Heaven forbid someone whisper

"He's part of some scheme"

Your enemy whispers

So you have to scream

I know about whispers

I see how you look at my sister

I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It

a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.

( @ apolloswords )

feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!

Sleepy Van Der Stoffels. That's it. That's all it is.

shoutout to @ pepethehobbit because the very first vds fanfic i read was her “it’s not living (if it’s not with you)” fic due to the 1975 song reference in the title. bonus points because that song is actually one of my all time favourites. <3 

When Lucas and Jens first fell asleep together, both of them thought it would take quite a bit to get used to another person in each other's bed. The stillness of the night often begun with Lucas laying his head on Jens' arm, tapping his fingers lightly on his chest. Jens would have his own hand, laying flat against his chest as Lucas' fingertips danced about, sometimes grazing against the empty space between his fingers, just barely touching. Their breathing was slow and sometimes when the hours of slumber drew near, Lucas would hum to himself softly. It would send small vibrations through both of their body, almost as if they were two halves of one whole.

They often argued they were.

"You make the night time feel a lot like the day." Jens whispered, on another night he found himself in Lucas' room. Neither of them knew what numbered time this one was, but loosing track of it hardly mattered. He just didn't want to go home and he hardly ever did nowadays. So, without it taking much convincing, Lucas invited him to stay the night.

The dancing fingers on his chest didn't stop, as Lucas tilted his head up to look at Jens. The dark brown eyes were almost identical to the midnight sky, so dark that with just the flicker of light from the street lamp outside made them twinkle. The shadows of the night painted over the deeper parts of his face, while the light of the moon kissed the higher points gently, illuminating them. There was no doubt that Jens was beautiful, a figure of art that Lucas could spend eons working on capturing but could never compare. To Lucas, Jens was beyond the master pieces of a gallery. Beyond the paintings of Van Gogh, the sculptures of Michelangelo and the words of poets. To Lucas, Jens was something cut out from the clouds of heaven, intertwined with the galaxies and held the rest of the world in the palm of his hands.

"What?" Lucas asked, realizing he didn't exactly reply to Jens' statement. "What does that even mean?"

"Aren't you the one learning all those cryptic meanings and metaphors in your art classes? Wouldn't you be able to know what they mean?" Jens laughed, bringing the arm that held Lucas a bit closer to him. Lucas snuggled in closer into Jens' side, sighing at the softness of his shirt and warmth under his cheek.

He giggled back. "I do. But you aren't exactly a poet Jens, so I don't know if I have the expertise to understand what you mean."

"You must be failing your classes then."

"And you're not?"

Jens snorted and pretended to give Lucas an annoyed look. Lucas only grinned, the moonlight brightening his smile to the point where Jens couldn't help but smile back. He leaned forward a bit, and kissed Lucas' forehead gently. The strands of curls that hung loose on his forehead tickled him slightly when they pressed against his forehead, but the sparks from the kiss sent waves of sweet affection through his body.

"So what do you mean by that?" Lucas asked again, this time his voice much softer and hushed. His eyelids were beginning to feel heavy as his body began to melt into the mess of comfy sheets, soft pillows and blankets that held them in a gentle huddle.

"You manage to continue you making me feel so alive. And even now, I feel like I could run a marathon." Jens explained. His last statement was quickly counteracted with a yawn. Another yawn followed, but it didn't come from Jens. Lucas didn't even realize it was his, until he felt his body begin to drift off even more.

"Not me." Lucas murmured, his eyes basically shut tight now. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Good night my sleepy boy." Jens whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Lucas' back. The other one reached over, lifting off its initial placement on his chest to nestle his fingers into Lucas' curls.

He loved it when Jens played with his hair. It was often, usually only done when they were alone together. The first time Jens had done it was while they were watching a move in Jens' room. Both of them were leaning against Jens' headboard, while Lucas leaned on his shoulder. Then, as if it was a second nature to Jens, he reached out and light twirled a curl on the top of Lucas's head as his eyes intently focused on the movie on the laptop balanced on a stack of pillows. Lucas couldn't pay much attention after that. He could only focus on the way Jens' fingers lightly tugged on the curls, the strands intertwining around his fingers and the calm ease it put his whole body into. It was then when Lucas realized Jens' love language.

Touch.

He should've known before. The way Jens always leaned against him on benches as they waited for their friends, back when they were just friends. Then it would slowly escalate, Jens reaching out to pat his back when he felt Lucas feel nervous or tense. Then eventually, holding his hand whenever he could, having a hand on his lap if they were sitting down at a table with his friends. Sometimes, before Jens let their hands swing between them as they walked, he would place a soft kiss to his knuckles. Lucas always giggled at the sentiment. It always made Jens seem sort of regal, but in his own dorky way. Whatever it was, Jens always had a soft hold on Lucas.

Maybe that was why Jens liked sleeping over a lot. Whenever Lucas woke up, Jens would still have an arm holding him as his back pressed against Jens' flat and board chest. Or, on their second night, Lucas had woken up in the exact same position he had fallen asleep in. His head just slightly on Jens' chest, Jens' fingers resting lightly on his curls as his other one laid flat on his chest, rising up and down with his slow breathing movements. Lucas had no idea how he managed to sleep through the night without tossing around at least once. And it wasn't like he was a very restless sleeper either, but he did usually end up sprawled out into a different position than the one he fell asleep in. But upon knowing that Jens had held him the whole night, his heart melted and he found himself throwing an arm around Jens' waist, hugging him. He hoped not to stir Jens awake, but another thing Lucas learned was that when Jens slept, he slept.

"Good night. I love you." He felt himself mumble before his body completely slipped into a peaceful slumber.

“I love you too.”

Lucas wasn't completely wrong. Of course Jens liked to sleepover because of his chance to hold his wonderful boyfriend in his arms. It also helped that they didn't have to be apart, which Jens was also not too keen on. But what Jens loved the most, was making sure Lucas had a blissful sleep. During the day, he would often see Lucas look a little worried, like there was something that relentlessly bothered him and couldn't keep him at ease. Lately, his brows furrowed together more, the biting of his nails was more frequent and he always seemed to have his shoulders carrying his stress. He didn't know if it was from the turmoil of dealing with his rather absent father who had wanted to have a place in his life again, his mother and her medicine being inconsistent for her episodes and the pressure for the upcoming exam season. It could even be a mix of all three.

Whatever it was, it made Lucas look a little more drained. He never looked like he got enough sleep, eye bags becoming a bit darker and the colour in his face hardly making any presence. It worried Jens, and the one thing Jens disliked more than worrying was seeing his boyfriend worry.

So, that's why he wanted to stay the night. Stay every night if he could. Besides, it's not like anybody cared if he did stay over- Jens' family often understood, knowing how lonely Lucas was in the university dorms and the dormitory policies weren't very strict about visitors. He could stay every night if he wanted to. As long as Lucas wanted him to.

And knowing Lucas, that was absolutely in the equation. Jens noticed how much Lucas loved quality time. It could be one of his love languages. Lucas had been going on about love languages for awhile now, and while Jens did his best to understand them, he still never quite got them. Could you even have more than one language? To Jens, that was possible, because that was kind of how he saw everything in-between them. It was a language of their own.

Maybe Jens should make the argument that love languages didn't exist. That the one that did was the one they shared. And whether it was touch, quality time, words of affirmation or whatever else Lucas spewed on about, they all made up the way they were affectionate towards each other.

Touch. Jens holding Lucas in the still of the night, as the whispers of tomorrow lingered around them, promising things they were not yet aware of.

Quality time. Lucas spending hours in Jens' room, even if it was just laying on his bed as he studied his boyfriend, who was too busy whipping up some sort of musical masterpieces through his headphones.

Acts of service. Jens doing his best at mixing extra amounts of acrylic paints for Lucas to use on his paintings. Sometimes, most times, they never matched and the shades always slightly differed, but Lucas would just kiss his cheek and thank him anyway. Jens would then watch him blend the colours, focusing so hard to make it work. And, through some sort of miracle, they always did.

Receiving gifts. Whenever Lucas went to his favourite art store to pick up some new supplies, he always made sure to dig around in the small sticker bin before he left. The assortment was different each time, so it was always like a fun mystery to see what theme they had going on for that week. And each time, he picked one up and gave it to Jens, who excitedly put it on his skateboard. Overtime, it began to make a rather abstract mess of a collage, but the way Jens' eyes lit up at the small gift never dulled out.

Words of affirmation. Right now, when Jens took in the sight of his sleepy boy. The way Lucas' curls fell over his face and the pillow, his breathing slow and heavy against the side of his body his cheek rested on. Jens would always take in the smoothness of his face, no worry in sight. The only thing missing was the bright blue eyes that Jens could never get enough of, and the flush of pink on his cheeks when he smiled so hard at him. Other than that, he was the embodiment of an angel that had fallen down from the heavens. Which is why, Jens always leaned over and whispered to Lucas, but more to himself.

"I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it."

And when he said those words in the still of the night, he swore the moon shown brighter and the stars danced about the twilight sky, the same way Lucas fingers danced on Jens chest.

He should probably also argue that he felt a bit more alive during the night than the day. Knowing that he had Lucas all to himself, in the way that sometimes the day prevented him from doing so. But as the night began to seep into the later part of its ours and Lucas' sleepiness transferring over to Jens, he realized now it was to time for him to drift off. So, he settled in a bit more, into the blue blankets and towards the radiating heat from his sleepy boy, and snuggled into the mess of curls that had became one of his favourite things in the world.

Maybe he'd do that tomorrow.

so we all agree that those tiktok edits are just audiovisual song fics