Emily (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2019-01-01 04:02 pm
iluvroadrunner6) wrote2019-01-01 04:02 pm
Entry tags:
- canon: from dusk til dawn,
- canon: leverage,
- canon: marvel cinematic universe,
- canon: supernatural,
- canon: teen wolf,
- canon: the amazing spider-man,
- canon: vampire diaries universe,
- canon: wynonna earp,
- fdtd: kisa,
- fdtd: seth gecko,
- leverage: eliot spencer,
- leverage: sophie devereaux,
- mcu: natasha romanoff,
- mcu: yelena belova,
- prompts: plurk meme,
- ship: ben/elena,
- ship: bonnie/matt,
- ship: cora/peter,
- ship: dean/wynonna,
- ship: derek/elena,
- ship: eliot/sophie,
- ship: kisa/seth,
- supernatural: ben braedan,
- supernatural: dean winchester,
- tasm: peter parker,
- teen wolf: allison argent,
- teen wolf: cora hale,
- teen wolf: derek hale,
- teen wolf: eli hale,
- teen wolf: scott mccall,
- tvdverse: bonnie bennett,
- tvdverse: damon salvatore,
- tvdverse: elena gilbert,
- tvdverse: matt donovan,
- tvdverse: stefan salvatore,
- wynonna earp: nicole haught,
- wynonna earp: wynonna earp
plurk meme { 2019 } flash fic iii: the word count strikes back
seth & kisa | villagers | 575
Not that the rift has particularly favored forced kisses for Valentine’s Day thus far, but Seth also doesn’t want to take any chances. Each kiss that they’ve had has been rift manipulated in one way or another, and he doesn’t want that to continue to be the trend. He also doesn’t want to force her into something she wasn’t ready for. He promised her that they would do this at her speed, and he doesn’t intend to go back on that promise.
It’s very much a rock and a hard place, and he doesn’t know how to navigate the in between. They continue living their life together, slowly taking in the moments of them growing closer and closer, and Seth tries to man up, but also chickens out at the same time. He feels like he’s fifteen again, trying to figure out how girls work.
Candy hearts start falling from the sky, and he knows that the clock is ticking. He wants to get ahead of this before rift magic dictate otherwise. As he makes his way back to the house, he can already feel his nerves building, but he swallows it down. Time to man up.
He tracks her down in the kitchen, lounging near one of the counters, and it’s now or never. “Hey.”
She glances over with a small smile. “Hey.”
“I want to try something, before things get too crazy with the holidays around here.”
Kisa’s eyebrows go up. “Is there something I should be worried about?”
“Hopefully not. But … just in case.” He acts on impulse, not really thinking things through. One hand moves to her waist and gently pulls her in closer, while the other cups her face as he leans in to kiss her, slow and sweet, not pushing any further than that kiss, but hoping she lets him hold it for a moment. When their lips part, he half anticipates getting slapped, but instead she just watches him quietly for a moment, then leans in to kiss him again.
Relief floods through him, and his arms wind around her as he leans in to her embrace. This time the kiss is more eager and heady, almost like there’s a damn breaking between them. He’s more than willing to just go with it as his back hits the nearby counter and he just melts, letting her take the lead, up until he feels the kiss start to change. His brow furrows, and he pulls back to come face to face with Carlos. The other man raises an eyebrow as his eyes begin to change.
“What’s wrong, Gecko? Expecting someone else?”
His fangs descend, and just as he leans in to sink into Seth’s neck …
… Seth jerks awake in his own bed, covered in a cold sweat. It takes him a moment to take in his surroundings and orient himself again. Once he does, he drops back against his pillow with a groan, running his hands over his face as he tries to reorient himself to the situation. Of all the things that could have been, he’s grateful it’s dream, but at the same time, it doesn’t really resolve the situation he’s in.
“Get a grip, Gecko,” he murmurs to himself, before throwing the covers back and heading towards the bathroom. If nothing else, it was time for a very, very cold shower.
derek & elena | regency | 1,732
She can’t help the relief she feels in knowing that she can simply follow her feet and eventually she will find her way to her husband’s side, and most of the time he wants her there. Just like most of the time, he wants her with him, particularly in his bed. She doesn’t mind that so much either, with the exception of this morning, when she’s up and partially dressed, while her husband is still stretched out in the bed she left behind. His arm is still draped over the spot where she had been sleeping, and it’s incredibly tempting to forget the whole endeavor and return to him rather than have an early morning meal with the Fells, but she doesn’t have much of a choice.
She watches in the mirror of the vanity as his eyes open, blinking at the empty spot she left behind in confusion, before glancing over at her. “You are far too clothed for a woman on her honeymoon.”
She smiles at that, before getting up from her seat. “I don’t think the Fells would appreciate it if I showed up to breakfast in that particular form of attire.” She moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to him, with her back to him. “Lace me up?”
“I can’t. My skills with the stays of dresses only work one way,” he teases as he pushes himself up into more of a sitting position. He presses a kiss to the bare skin of her shoulder that makes her shiver, before she can feel the tightening material around her waist.
“After today is over, I promise I’ll allow you to put those skills to use as well.” Once her dress is secure, he sneaks an arm around her waist and pulls him back into her, allowing her to rest her weight against his chest. The one new step that she does love in their relationship is that now that he can touch her however he likes, he never stops, so long as she’s in arms’ reach.
“What do the Fells want anyway?”
“Now that I’m married, I need to claim my share in my parent’s estate.” The words have a weight to them that she isn’t fond of, a finality that she’s been avoiding. “Some money, and a house that needs to be sold.”
He watches her. “You don’t want to sell it.”
She glances up, frowning as he puts a name to the feelings she doesn’t want to articulate. “It’s not that. It’s that it makes no sense to keep it.” Derek’s still watching her face, trying to determine the truth in her words, and it’s not as though they’re lies – it’s true, honestly – but she doesn’t want to invite the debate that might get her hopes up.
“What house, Elena?”
She sighs. “My parents had a summer home, on a lake not too far from here. My father left it to me, to be claimed when I was married. I always thought I would marry someone from Mystic Falls, so I didn’t think of it at the time –”
“But you married me, and the Hale lands are in Norway.” Derek nods, pulling her in to him and brushing his thumb against her side. “You know, we do have some homes ourselves.”
“In France?” she asks curiously.
“Maybe not in France, but your family is still here in Mystic Falls, Elena. Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we’ll never be visiting again.”
“But does that mean it’s worth the cost of the upkeep when we’re not here? It’s a summer home, but it still needs to be maintained.”
Derek considers. “How long until breakfast?”
She frowns. “Within the hour. Why?”
“I better get dressed.” He slips away from her, and she frowns even more.
“Why?”
“If we’re going to sell a piece of our property, I’ll need to see it first.”
“Derek …”
“Just let me see it,” he says softly, moving through the room as he pulled together something appropriate to wear. “Maybe there’s something you’re missing.”
Elena pauses, trying not to let the hope swell in her chest before she nods. “Fine. We’ll go see it.”
The moment she sets foot on the porch of the cabin, she knows she’s never going to be able to sell it to anyone. She feels the memories flooding back the second she sees the sun glistening on the water. There had been so much happiness in her life here, locked away in a capsule for a time when it wouldn’t hurt so much to remember it, and while some of it is still bittersweet, it reminds her of what it could be again.
“I always loved it here,” she says softly, knowing that it doesn’t have to be loud for her husband to hear her. “It was my favorite part of the year.”
“I can see why. It’s lovely,” he replies, one hand moving to the small of her back. “Why sell it, then?”
“Is it honestly worth it to keep it?” She turns to face him more, knowing that the Fells were standing down the beach, waiting for them to make a decision, but she tries not to let it pressure her into doing something rash. “The staff …”
“A groundskeeper and a maid,” he says with a small shrug. “We could always bring the cook with us when we travel, or simply hire them for the summer. Your inheritance from your parents is sizeable. We could always set it up to fund the summer house for now, and move on from that when they start to run out.”
That feels far too simple to her, too easy a solution, and he moves his free hand to her arm to keep her looking at him. “I don’t know …”
“They wanted you to have it, Elena. They knew you would take care of it. Don’t sell it out of practicality, if that’s not what you want.”
She nods slowly. “I need more time.”
“Then take all the time you need.” He leans in to kiss her softly. “Perhaps we can pay someone to quickly open it up and spend the rest of our honeymoon here. Just so you’re certain.”
“And we become much harder to find, therefore have few social obligations?”
He smirks. “Maybe a little of that too.”
She laughs before nodding. “Fine. It deserves to have one last stay.”
“Good,” Derek grins, before pulling her down to the Fells to make the arrangements. They’re less than pleased about it.
It takes a couple of days for them to open up the house and hire the staff they need, but once everything is said and done, she wakes up the first morning that they’re finally alone, tucked in to her husband’s side and watching as the sun rises on the water. It’s the most at peace she’s felt in a long time, and it shows in the way she stays where she is, enjoying that for the moment, she doesn’t feel the need to move or have somewhere else to be, or another façade to put on.
Another thing, she’s finding, that she and Derek have in common. They have a habit of putting on different faces for other people. She hopes that eventually it becomes enough that Derek doesn’t have to put those faces on with her.
She feels his arm flex around her waist, a grumble escaping him as he curls in to bury his face in her neck to escape the sunlight.
“If we keep the house, we need to get curtains for that window.”
Elena smirks in return, shifting to face him more. “I don’t know. I like waking up with the sunrise.”
“Too early,” he remarks, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. “I’d rather wake up when I’m ready, rather than having the blinding light of the sun in my eyes.”
She laughs before nodding. “I will consider the curtains.”
He peeks out from her shoulder, rolling them a bit so that the sun is blocked by his shoulders, but he can still see his wife’s face. “Does that mean we’re keeping it?”
She weighs the options, before nodding. “This is my favorite place in the world. I don’t want to give it up.”
“Good,” he murmurs as he leans in to kiss her. “We’ll let the Fells know when we get back to town.”
Elena hums her agreement, before snaking an arm around her neck to pull him closer. “I’m sure they’ll be so disappointed.” Her tone is dry enough to give it away as sarcasm and she feels Derek smile against her lips.
“I’m finding it very difficult to be bothered by that.” He kisses her again, this time a little deeper. “I’m also finding it very difficult to keep talking about them, when there are much better things that we could be doing.”
“Is that so?” she asks softly, tipping her head to the side.
“It is. We are still on our honeymoon after all.”
She laughs as his lips find her neck and she presses up into his hands. “You are very dedicated to us having this honeymoon.”
“I am,” he says, pulling back to look at her with a smile. “Because after we go home, the real work starts.”
Her smile widens, as she brushes a hand against the side of his face. “I don’t know. I think we’ll be able to handle it.”
Derek nods. “We will. But until then, I’d much rather have some fun.”
With an argument like that, it makes it very difficult to say no.
2020
2020
2021
2021
dean & wynonna | supernatural/wynonna earp (soulmate au) | 1,843
He and Nicole have been shaking every supernatural tree they can think of, trying to see if they can catch any news of Doc or Waverly or Wynonna. But there’s been nothing. Dean knows things are not right in Purgatory, not that they ever were. People are filtering in, people who want to threaten Nicole’s hold on the town and the Earps name as town protectors, but Dean isn’t ready to give up on them yet.
His world is still in color. For as long as that remains true, he knows Wynonna is alive.
“We’re running out of places to check.” Nicole grumbles as they sit at the kitchen table at the Homestead, two glasses of whiskey resting between them and half the bottle already gone. “I mean… you do this kind of shit all the time. Ever been to the Garden of Eden?”
Dean raises his eyebrows at her before shaking his head. “Nope. Heaven doesn’t like me that much.”
“I’m not sure Heaven would like Wynonna that much either,” Nicole fires back. Running a hand through her hair, she reaches for her glass and slumps down into her seat. “And Purgatory’s having real police shit for me to deal with.”
“Then deal with it.” Dean nods in agreement. “Me and Sam can take over the hunt. Maybe we can go track down a few of our other angel contacts and see what they know.”
“Are you sure?” Nicole swallows hard. “I feel like I’m giving up on her.”
“Hey, you’re not.” Dean reaches forward and takes Nicole’s hand, bringing her attention back to him. “You’re giving her a place to come back to. That’s just as important.”
Nicole gives Dean’s hand a squeeze as she looks him dead in the eye. “You bring my girl back to me. You understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he smirks, nodding in return. “The second she’s back on solid ground, I’m sure you’ll be the first person she wants to call.”
Nicole nods slowly before looking over at him curiously. “Why are you so calm? You shouldn’t be this calm. You should freak out like I am.”
Dean smirks. “Soulmate, remember? The color’s still on, which means she’s still alive to come back to me.”
Nicole blinks at him in surprise before taking a long sip of her drink. “I forget about that stuff sometimes. Maybe because I’ve gotten used to it.”
Dean nods. “If I hadn’t died once before and known what it did to Wynonna, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it either.”
Nicole’s eyes bug. “Wait, you died? When?”
Dean shakes his head. “Uh-uh, Sheriff. That’s a story for when we are way more wasted.”
“Are you sure? Because I think I’ve got the time.”
“Nope. Not tonight. Because you need to sleep so you can wake up and handle this backwater piece of shit town tomorrow.”
Nicole rolls her eyes before finishing her glass. “It may be a backwater piece of shit town, but it’s our backwater piece of shit town.”
“Damn straight.”
She claps a hand on his shoulder before nodding and heading off to bed. “You promise you’ll call, right?”
He looks back at her with a firm look and nods. “You’re first on my speed dial. Promise.”
Nicole nods again, and as she stumbles off to sleep, he can’t help but worry that they might be in this for a lot longer than she thinks.
When they hit the year mark, they still haven’t found Waverly, Wynonna and Doc, Nicole gets ousted as sheriff, and she and Dean get very, very drunk. Dean can’t say he blames her for losing it. He’s used to this kind of thing. His world falls apart yearly if the rest of the supernatural has anything to say about it. And he can’t say that the weight of it all hasn’t started coming down on his shoulders too.
“How did you know Wynonna was your soulmate?”
Dean rolls on the couch to face her and raises an eyebrow. That seems like a fairly obvious question. “The lights went on,” he replies. “Not right away, but by the time I woke up the next morning everything was in Technicolor.”
“That was it?” Nicole frowns. “Just from the moment you met her, you knew?”
“I didn’t know know. Likely because I promptly lost her.”
“Come again?”
“It was a one-night stand. No muss, no fuss. I tried to track her down after, and she had already skipped town.”
“Damn,” Nicole nods slowly. “That wasn’t how it was for me and Waverly.”
“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be for everyone?”
Nicole shakes her head. “Not for us. Everything didn’t turn to color for me until…” Her voice trails off as she thinks. “… until the wish world. Where Wynonna didn’t exist?”
Dean swallows hard, because he wasn’t part of that wish. He and Sam never stayed in Purgatory because Dean didn’t have a reason to. He doesn’t remember what happened to him in that dream, but he knows it was rough.
Nicole doesn’t acknowledge his silence and continues. “It was like I had to be sure. That I had to lose her in order to make sure she was the real one.” She stares up at the ceiling pensively. “Maybe for some people it’s something you have to choose.”
“Maybe,” Dean nods slowly, before smirking. “Though I’m damn glad whoever pulls these strings didn’t give me a choice.”
Nicole laughs. “Why?”
“I would have never spent enough time with anyone to have time to choose. Or it would have wound up being Sam.” He makes a face. “And that would have sucked.”
“You would have never gotten laid again.”
Dean laughs before staring up at the ceiling in their drunken haze. “Can’t have that.”
Nicole falls into silence before she lifts her head again. “We’re going to find them, right? The world’s still in color, so we can still find them.”
“We’ll find them.” Dean nods in agreement. Even as he reassures her, he tries not to think about the corners of doubt creeping in.
By the time they hit eighteen months, Dean and Nicole have fallen headfirst into mess territory. They spend too much of their time drunk, alone and isolated. In some ways, it’s been good. Rachel’s well on her way to becoming a top-tier hunter, mostly because Dean knows one thing, it’s how to hunt. There’s some kind of monster near the homestead who ate Nicole’s cat, but Dean can’t quite bring himself to put it out of its misery. And, as though to add insult to injury, the new sheriff is a Clanton.
A Clanton.
It’s not in the name he’s presenting to the rest of the world, but he’s seen the brands. He knows they’re lurking around. He just doesn’t have enough evidence to make a proper case of it yet.
The worst part of all of it, however, is the doubt creeping in. Sure, Dean knows that the color faded for Wynonna when he died, but they had been apart for a long time, and since she doesn’t really remember when it happened, they can’t say for sure that it happened the day he died. Have things started fading? Has his world gone from Technicolor to the faded pastels of an old Hollywood film?
Is he ever sober enough to tell the difference?
He also knows that Nicole’s done something. He knows that guilty look, the look of someone who’s given away something they can’t take back. He just hasn’t gotten the nerve to ask what it was yet. He knows he’s going to have to—he’s supposed to be looking after her, after all—but not yet. He can give her a little more time to live in it, and maybe she’ll tell him willingly.
At this moment, he’s quite drunk and being unceremoniously tossed out of Shorty’s, having realized that he is not welcome there. Turning around to flip the bar the bird with both hands, he’s prepared to stumble home—or at least stumble to the backseat of his car—when a familiar voice speaks behind him.
“Now, that’s not very nice. What’s the bar ever done to you?”
Dean spins around to face her, eyes wide in surprise. Standing there like she’s twenty minutes late, when it’s been almost twenty months. It’s like he’s looking in the picture in his mind’s eye he’s had of her every day that without her, and he doesn’t know what to say.
“Am I hallucinating?” Is he drunk enough to be hallucinating? He can’t say for sure, but that’s probably not the right thing to say if she’s real.
Wynonna proves that by rearing back and slugging him in the shoulder, hard.
He stumbles back a few steps, and the pain sobers him up a bit, kicking his brain back into gear. Doc appears a few steps behind her, and his heart thuds in his ears. This is real. Is it real? He fishes his flask out of his pocket and passes it to her.
“Drink.”
“You know, most guys are nicer when they’re trying to get me drunk.” Still, she doesn’t protest, swallowing the whiskey mixed with holy water, and she doesn’t burn, nor does she smoke from the silver exterior of the flask. She passes it back to him, and he tosses it to Doc.
“You, too, Doc.”
Doc catches the flask easily, before doing as he’s told. No smoke. No signs of pain. Just Doc and Wynonna. Dean reaches for her wrist as soon as he’s sure and pulls her in, kissing her deeply. He’s a drowning man, and she’s a beautiful fresh-water lake, and he was so worried that he would never see her again. Wynonna winds her arms around his neck, sinking comfortably into the kiss before pulling back.
“Now there’s the welcome I was looking for.” She looks up at him, brushing her thumb against his cheekbone gently. “Think you can fill me in on what the hell is going on here? They couldn’t have remodeled the entire town this fast.”
Dean stares at her before pulling back to glance between them. “How long do you think it’s been?”
Wynonna shrugs. “Couple hours. Maybe a day, considering you had to get back here from Black Badge?”
Dean swallows hard before shaking his head. “Eighteen months.”
Wynonna jerks away from him before looking around again. “I’m sorry, did you say eighteen months?”
“Yep.” People are gathering, and he knows they need to get out of here. “But we can fill you in at the homestead. We gotta go.”
“Dean, what’s going on?”
“Car now, explain—”
“Is that Wynonna Earp?”
“Fuck,” he hisses, before moving her a head of him. “Run. Now. Go.”
“Dean—”
Part of the mob crosses in front of them, blocking their escape, and Dean knows things are about to get complicated. Then again, it’s Wynonna. He probably shouldn’t have expected anything less.
at the end of a moment, at the end of the world ~ leverage ~ 656
Containers of food and flowers scatter throughout the first floor of what used to be Sophie and Nate’s home, and now it’s just Sophie. She keeps herself busy as she cleans up from the reception, cramming everything into leftovers that will hopefully fit in her fridge. The flowers become more properly organized throughout the house, a minor distraction to keep her hands busy. Then she vacuums the floor, cleans the kitchen, scrubs the bathroom, anything to keep herself busy.
Eventually, unfortunately, she runs out of things to do and all she has left is the silence. She sits on her couch and the silence presses in around her. Her hands fumble, reaching for her phone and pulling up the first number in her recent calls—oddly enough, the first person she called when Nate died.
“Sophie?”
“Eliot, I—” She can’t find the words to ask. She doesn’t even know what she’s asking for. All she knows is that she can’t sit in this empty house alone.
Eliot, as always, never needs her to ask. “I’m on my way.”
Eliot’s never been the most talkative, which is ideal for Sophie, who doesn’t want to talk. But, he still makes noise, which soothes differently. His steady tread moves through the house, eyeing projects that fell to the wayside when Nate got sick. He fixes the kitchen sink, adjusts the trim, clears out the gutters. At every meal, he moves about the kitchen, refreshing the leftovers into something more gourmet. His knife scuffs against the cutting board. The food sizzles as it hits the frying pan. He even hums to himself as he cooks, making the house feel lived in again.
He sets a meal down in front of her each time, and she eats, more out of obligation than enjoyment, but she can’t deny the way he turns grief casseroles into something actually edible. Each time he does, he looks at her in a way that feels like he’s looking right through her.
“Ready, yet?”
Sophie doesn’t respond. Instead, he sips her wine, picks up her fork and says. “Do you think you might fix the patio steps? I think one plank is loose.”
Eliot nods, taking the answer for what it is. “I’m on it.”
The breakdown finally comes about a month into this delayed grieving process. She’s cleaning out some of Nate’s things—not the important ones, but things that for donation. She’s always known that Nate kept little hiding places all over the house, because if he put all his eggs in one basket, his thief of a wife would know all of his gifts before he could give them. It’s that day that she stumbles over one of them that still had a present tucked away in it. A necklace, likely for their upcoming anniversary.
Her chest seizes, and anger like a white-hot flame floods through her. As tears sting her eyes, she screams, throwing the necklace across the room and tearing into the boxes and by the time Eliot appears at the door, the room’s a tornado of all the things Nate left behind.
Everything except herself.
“Sophie?”
“He promised me we would grow old together.” Her make up runs, eyes wild as she turns on him. “He promised me I wouldn’t be alone. And all I get is eight years? How is that fair?”
“It’s not,” Eliot says softly. He doesn’t have to tell her that life isn’t fair, nor does he try to cushion the blow, but that’s never been his way. “It’s not fair.”
Sophie collapses to the ground, the well of unexpressed grief exploding from her. Eliot drops next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in closer.
“It’s okay,” he murmurs. “I’ve got you. You’re not alone, Soph.”
For the first time since Nate died, she actually believes it.
Re: at the end of a moment, at the end of the world ~ leverage ~ 656
Re: at the end of a moment, at the end of the world ~ leverage ~ 656
that beats the first time that we kissed ~ tvdverse ~ 662
Matt’s head snaps around towards the familiar voice, a bright smile crossing his face. “Bonnie Bennett. As I live and breathe.”
Bonnie returns his smile with one of her own, dashing across the room to throw herself into his arms. He’s seen so little of Bonnie in the years since she set out exploring the world and everything it holds. Still, every time she comes back to Mystic Falls, Matt’s always the first face she sees.
Probably because he’s easy to find. All she has to do is find the sheriff’s station.
He returns the hug tightly, always happy to see his friend. “Why didn’t you call? I would have gotten you from the airport.”
“Oh, I know you could have, but I wanted to surprise you.” She pulls back with a smile. “Free for lunch? I need you to catch me up on all the hot gossip.”
“Shouldn’t you be going to Caroline and Elena for that?”
“Caroline is in Europe, researching something for the twins, and Elena and Damon are taking the kids to Disney World. Unfortunately, you are my only hope.”
Matt laughs before shaking his head. “Fine. I’ll do my best to pick up the slack in their stead.” It’s hard to ignore the way his heart jumps at the idea that she’s in Mystic Falls just to see him, but he dismisses it before grabbing his jacket. “Where do you want to eat?”
“You say that like there isn’t one place to eat in Mystic Falls.”
Matt laughs. “Well, I wasn’t sure if your fancy world-traveling palette was too good for the old Mystic Falls Grill.”
Bonnie laughs as she shakes her head. “Not this time. C’mon, I’m starving.” And with that, he shakes his head before following her out the door.
Later, as they wind down the gossip portion of the lunch, Bonnie leans closer across the booth. “You know that woman in the back is staring at us.”
Matt glances up and follows to meet Allison’s eyes. She glances away quickly, and he grimaces. “That would be my ex, Allison Fell.”
“You dated a Fell.”
“Yeah and I immediately regretted it.” He shakes his head. “Apparently my newfound Maxwell status has gotten me an in with all the wrong people.”
“It’s a head trip, isn’t it?” Bonnie shakes her head. “It’s a lot on your shoulders and people take advantage of it.”
“Yes, they do.”
“Wanna make her jealous?”
He glances back at her, eyebrow raising curiously. “What?”
Bonnie grins, before sliding over to his side of the booth. Bonnie’s closeness has never been in issue—they, with Elena, Caroline and Tyler, had been in each other’s pockets since they were kids. But this instance has his heart jumping to catch in his throat. Bonnie positions his arm over her shoulder as she turns to face him more.
“I don’t need to make her jealous, Bonnie.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’m really sure.” Matt observes her, unsure of what to think. “Not that I mind you sitting over here.”
“Good to clarify.” Bonnie smirks before settling in against his shoulder. His eyes glance across to Allison, and he can’t deny that there’s a surge of pride when she scowls at the sight. Bonnie looks at him. “You’re enjoying this a little.”
“You know, I’d been trying really hard not to be as petty as I used to be,” he laughs.
“Well, I’m gonna be around for a while,” Bonnie smirks. “If you need a buffer for the town events, you know where to find me.”
“Are you sure?” He raises an eyebrow. “You know how those events are. This could be a very dangerous proposition.”
“Well, there are way fewer vampires in Mystic Falls than there used to be.” Bonnie grins in return. “I think I’ll survive.”
Matt can only hope. But the prospect of spending the summer with Bonnie Bennett is definitely a perk.
Re: that beats the first time that we kissed ~ tvdverse ~ 662
Re: that beats the first time that we kissed ~ tvdverse ~ 662
the world doesn't end, it just feels like it does ~ salvatore school ~ 806
Elena feels her shoulders tense as she stands in line for coffee at the Starbucks. Normally she doesn’t do this off campus, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and today is one of those days. She’s supposed to be on her way to an off-campus clinic for some of her family medicine training. Instead, she’s wedged between blessed coffee and her boyfriend’s ex.
She’s really getting too old for this shit.
Still, she turns to face her with a small smile, trying to be as pleasant as possible. “Yeah, that’s me. And you’re Melody?”
“I am.” The blond brushes her hair over her shoulder, squaring her shoulders. In another life, this could have been Caroline Forbes. She recognizes that mean girl stance intimately, and she doesn’t want to turn this into a confrontation. “I was hoping I’d get the chance to talk to you. Alone.”
Elena makes a face as the line inches forward. “I’d like that, but unfortunately, I don’t really have a lot o time. I have an appointment that I need to keep.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.” She takes another step in, resting one arm on Elena’s gently. “I just want to make sure you understand what you’re getting into with Ben. How he really isn’t who he says he is.”
Elena shakes her head. “Ben told me about what he did. I really don’t want to rehash it with you.”
“So you say you don’t care about the actual injured party in all of this?”
“Injured party?” Elena can’t help the edge of a laugh as she repeats the statement. “Your high school boyfriend dumped you before he went to college because he wasn’t into you anymore. I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure that’s not grounds for legal action.”
Melody seems taken aback by hearing her situation broken down so plainly. “How do you know? You weren’t there.”
“No, I wasn’t, you’re right. And I’m sorry that his choice hurt you, but it’s been five years. You need to move on.”
“Right. I’m sure you know a lot about that. You seem like the type of girl who’s been through real hardships.”
The sarcasm gets under her skin, even though it shouldn’t. Melody couldn’t possibly know the things that Elena’s been through. Most people weren’t even aware of half the supernatural beings that spent their time plaguing her high school and college years, of the things she lost. To her, Elena was just another girl who had the misfortune of sweeping in and taking her place.
Elena wishes that her life was that simple. Only problem is, it never would be.
“Can I take your order?”
The barista’s voice bursts through the haze of anger, and Elena swallows hard, before turning to place her order for her coffee. Once that’s done and she’s paid for her drink, she steps to the side to let Melody do the same. She counts down the seconds to tamp down on the anger and pain threatening to bubble to the surface of all the things she’s lost over the years.
“Look,” Elena sighs when Melody steps away, finally resuming the conversation. “I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you don’t mean any actual harm and you’re just hurting. Now that Ben’s back in town, I’m a convenient punching back. Maybe you think that if you scare me off, you might get what you want. But that will not happen. I’ve faced scarier things than an ex-cheerleader.”
Melody’s eyes widen, and Elena doesn’t give her a chance to respond before she continues.
“Melody, I’ve been where you are. I’ve woken up one day and realized that the life I thought I was going to have for myself wasn’t real and won’t happen. And I know how much that hurt. But…you have to move on. Otherwise you’re just going to keep stewing in this bitterness forever and you won’t have any happiness for yourself.” She reaches over to give the other woman’s arm a squeeze. “Just think about it, okay?”
“Americano for Elena?”
Elena reaches over to pick up her coffee, flashing the barista a smile before hustling out the door and to her car. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she takes a deep breath and rests her forehead against the steering wheel to catch her breath, and shuffling all those old feelings back into place. She has a job to do and she can’t let terrible memories impede her future.
As she looks up and prepares to start her car, she sees Melody storming out of the Starbucks in a huff, clearly not ready to let things go. Elena sighs. She should have known that the other woman wasn’t ready to listen.
Too bad for Melody, she has zero interest in giving up the guy.
Re: the world doesn't end, it just feels like it does ~ salvatore school ~ 806
Re: the world doesn't end, it just feels like it does ~ salvatore school ~ 806
Thanks for reading!
just keep off of the grass ~ marvel cinematic universe ~ 656
But she knows that there're some things that they’ll never get to have. Some childhood treasures that her friends at school talk about that will not be part of her life. No summer vacations, no family moments. Just a life, for as long as the mission lasts.
Until one day Alexei bursts into the house with a bright smile. “Pack your bags, everyone! We’re going to Disney World!”
Natasha doesn’t question it- she’s not old enough to yet—but she can’t help but be suspicious. She’d be right. He and Melina have an appointment to keep and information to gather out of someone at NASA, but that doesn’t change the truth of the matter. He’s promised Yelena at least one day in the park, and that one day is all they will have.
It’s a road trip. They spend the next two days piled into the family car, Yelena and Natasha wedged into the backseat as they drive through miles of rural land to avoid attracting suspicion. They listen to “American Pie” a grand total of seventy-two times (Natasha counts every single one to prove a point) until they finally arrive at the small Florida motel where they’ll be spending their Disney weekend.
“Do you think we’ll be able to meet Mickey?”
“Mickey isn’t real.”
“Of course Mickey’s real. I’ve seen pictures of him in the park.”
“That’s a man in a suit.” Natasha pulls the covers up over them as they spread out the map of the park they stole from the tourist desk in the motel's lobby. It has all the Magic Kingdom stretched out in front of them, so that they can plan their route carefully. “And we won’t have time. We only have one day. We have to strategize.”
Alexei’s breathing hitches and they both freeze—they’re supposed to be sleeping, not plotting—but he grumbles before rolling over, pulling Melina closer. Both girls exhale before turning back to the map. Natasha passes Yelena a marker.
“Circle all the things you want to see. I’ll circle mine. Then we’ll plan a route to see how much of it we can hit.”
Yelena takes the marker with a kind of grave seriousness, as though she understands the mission and what they required of her. Taking a deep breath, she reads through the rides and attractions, only pausing when she doesn’t know what something is, circling everything of interest to her. By the time Yelena passes out from exhaustion an hour later, Natasha can draw a jagged line between each of their destinations.
By the time she’s finished, accounting for wait times and meal breaks, a plan so that they can at least glimpse everything they want to see.
(Melina finds her plan later, praises her for it. Knows that Natasha is going to be one agent who goes far, rather than burn out.
It’s good. Better for her to live than die.)
Early the next morning, Alexei drives the four of them up to the hallowed gates of the most blessed land of Disney. The two girls stare up at it, wide eyed. The excitement is palpable, and Alexei smiles at them in the rearview mirror before piling out of the car.
“Alright, girls. Let’s have an adventure.”
Re: just keep off of the grass ~ marvel cinematic universe ~ 656
Re: just keep off of the grass ~ marvel cinematic universe ~ 656
Thanks for reading!
i'm erasing myself from the narrative ~ darkest timeline ~ 838
Ever since Damon bit her, she’s felt different. She’s felt the disorienting dizziness of not being alone in her own skin. Of knowing that she was losing control of herself, of her ability to manage her abilities as a banshee. She’s been confiding in Stefan, telling him everything she’s been feeling and he’s promised her answers, promised her he’d find solutions.
But he knew. He had to have known. He’s Damon’s right hand.
She hears the door open as her boyfriend—soon to be ex-boyfriend—steps into his bedroom to find her there. Stefan’s eyes scan over her curiously, reading the tension, smelling the change in her sense, knowing that something is wrong. But he waits for her to lay it out and plasters on a smile. It shouldn’t shock her how easily he can put on a facade for her benefit, but none of it is real.
She doesn’t know if any of their relationship was real.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, making his way closer. “I thought fall break wasn’t until next week.” He reaches out to place his hands on her arms, and she jerks away from his touch, not wanting him anywhere near her. The facade falls just slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you know?”
Stefan frowns. “Did I know what?”
“Did you know what Damon did to me?”
There’s a moment before he responds where she sees it, the recognition and understanding before he tries to replace it with confusion again. She never thought that Stefan would be one to lie to her, but it’s clear now that he’s been doing it all along. She shakes her head before pushing past him and making her way to the door.
“I’m done. We’re over.”
“No!” Now he panics. Now he’s worried about what he might lose. “Elena, no, wait.” He’s faster than she is, so he gets ahead of her, blocking the doorway to keep her from escaping. “Wait, let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Stefan.” Elena stares him down. “I’ve spent months losing my mind, because I thought I was going crazy, and you knew all along what your brother did. That it’s Damon in my head, using me to get what he wants. How could you?”
“I didn’t know. Not at first.” Stefan holds up his hands, trying to placate her. “I started asking around, trying to figure it out, and when Damon found out, he explained it to me. How it was to keep you close, keep you safe.”
“What part of this makes you assume I felt safe?” Anger surges through her as holds up her fists and pulls them back to keep her from slapping him. “You knew how I felt. I told you.”
“I know. I know, and I tried to tell him that but…” Stefan tenses, trying to find the words. “The second the bond breaks, Tyler would come for Damon, and Damon would kill him. Damon having this, it keeps everyone in a stalemate. No one gets hurt.”
“No one but me.” Stefan blinks at her, confused by the statement, and she shakes her head. “You never considered that it would hurt me? That I might not want Damon dead for what he did? For taking control of my life and not giving me any choice in it?”
She steps forward again, and Stefan refuses to move, so she lifts her hands to push him backwards. It’s like pushing a brick wall, but she tries.
“Move, Stefan.”
“No. We need to talk about this.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Elena—”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She stares him down. “I can’t stay or be intimate with someone who doesn’t think I can make my own choices. Or that I shouldn’t know of things pertinent to my situation. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me. So it doesn’t matter what you say, Stefan, because you can’t make this better. I’m done.”
She hasn’t slapped him, but she may as well have with the look on his face. She knows as soon as she leaves, he’s going to text Damon and tell her what she knows, but that’s a problem for future Elena to deal with. Eventually, he sags to the side, giving her space to leave and staying in the doorway.
As she makes her way down to the front of the boarding house to get in her car, Damon steps out of the shadows, illuminated by the firelight with a glass of bourbon in his hand. “He loves you, Elena. He was trying to protect you.”
“No,” she shakes her head, turning to face him. “He was trying to protect you.” With that, continues on her way out the door, not interested in any of his justifications.
Elena will get him out of her head. Whatever it takes.
Re: i'm erasing myself from the narrative ~ darkest timeline ~ 838
Re: i'm erasing myself from the narrative ~ darkest timeline ~ 838
no subject
2022
post-spider-man: no way home [SPOILERS] | the amazing spider-man/teen wolf | 1,362
She spent days wandering New York City, trying to find her Peter, going to his favorite places, but he didn’t come. And from the state of things, the destruction and damage that was being done, she could understand why. She remembers standing hypnotized under the screen in Times Square, watching as he battled it out with two other Spider-Men, and saved the day. As he does. He’s her best friend, and she’s never been so grateful that she has at least one friend who does the right thing.
Ninety percent of the time.
(She knows how bitter he’s been, the way it clouds his scent, adding an acidic tang that sits uncomfortably on the back of her tongue. But seeing him in that fight, working with other people like him, finding that camaraderie she always had with her pack felt right, even if it wasn’t where they belonged.)
But soon it all fades away, and she’s back in her apartment, in her bed, still dressed, and very confused. Dismissing it as a dream, she moves about her day, almost as though she never left. Around dinner, however, there’s a light rap on her window, followed by Spider-Man, her Spider-Man, and she smiles before making her way over to open it.
“Can I ask you something weird?”
His cheeks lift under his mask, and she can tell he’s smiling as he slips inside. “With our conversations, weirdness sort of goes with the territory.”
“True.” But she still feels she should ask, anyway. “Did you have a weird dream where New York was different and another Peter Parker was Spider-Man?”
He pulls his mask off the top of his head and frowns at her, eyes concerned. “… Maybe.”
Cora’s eyes narrow as she takes another step closer. “Maybe it was definitely a dream, or maybe it wasn’t actually a dream and that actually happened?”
He shrugs, looking at her in that way when he’s dancing around the actual answer, because the answer is too weird, or he’s trying to be slick. Her eyes narrow some more and he sighs, shoulders slumping.
“It wasn’t actually a dream. I—we, I guess—went to another universe.”
“Another universe?” Her brow furrows as she tries to make it make sense. “How?”
“There was a sorcerer involved, and a spell. It was all very Dungeons and Dragons, if I’m honest.” He moves to sit on the edge of the bed, running a hand over his face. “But basically, the spell went wrong, and everyone in all the universes who knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man got brought into that world.”
“Wow.” She makes a face. “That was an oddly specific spell.”
“It’s a long story.” He turns to face her, concern overriding everything else for a moment. “And a surreal one. Did you know that there’s a Peter Parker who just generates his own web fluid?”
Cora must seem unimpressed, based on the look on his face, and she cringes. “Sorry. Just… there are shifters who can do that.”
“I have so many questions. Do you know one I can ask?”
“Personally? No, not really. But if I ever find one and they’re not trying to kill me, I’ll see if they’re okay with scientific inquiry.”
He grins. “Good. Peter Two seemed very baffled because Peter One and I had to make our own.”
“I take it you were Peter Three?”
“Peter One had seniority and Peter Two was older. I drew the short straw.”
“But was it good? Spending time with them?” She knows Peter has been struggling with his responsibility as of late, given all he’s lost. But there’s something about how he is now that seems lighter. Like some of that weight is gone.
“Yeah.” His shoulders slump a bit, relief clear in his frame as he leans into her a bit. “I saved MJ.”
“MJ?” Cora asks, confused.
“Peter One’s… his Gwen. She was falling and he couldn’t get to her and… I did.” He looks up at her, tears shining in his eyes, and squeezes her hand as he takes it. “I saved her, Cora.”
She knows how much it means to him, after Gwen. She smiles back at him, brushing her hand against his cheek gently to catch one tear. “Good. I’m so glad.”
He nods and leans into her forehead, resting against her shoulder. She tips her cheek against the top of his head and they sit like that for a while. There doesn’t seem to be anything else to say. He’s okay, she’s okay, and their world is okay. Everything else can wait.
“I’m going to be better. About the Peter Parker side of things. I know you’ve worried about that.”
She lifts her head to look down at him, and she acknowledges that with a nod. “I think May has been more worried about it than me. You’re always Peter Parker with me.”
He nods, before turning back to her with a smile. “But instead of just hanging out in your apartment, we could actually go out, and do real world things with me as Peter Parker.” He hesitates before winding his fingers in hers. “Maybe I can finally go meet your pack.”
Her eyes brighten, turning back to him with a smile. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. I want to be part of your life. I want to be present in your life. And I know that for a long time I didn’t think I could, but…”
“I know.” And she had been patient, keeping his secret and keeping him on the fringes, even though he’s just as dear to her as the rest of her pack. That he is family after all they’ve been through together. “You know, that means they’re all going to catch your scent now.”
“I do.” He makes a face. “That’s going to be a little weird.”
“I’m pretty sure Derek’s already figured it out.”
“Well, your brother is pretty smart. I appreciate that he’s kept it to himself.”
“I think he just wants me to be happy.”
“I want you to be happy, too.” He pauses before turning to face her. “Are you happy?”
“Yeah. Of course I am.”
“Do you think you could be happier?”
She looks up at him, trying to figure out what he’s getting at. She takes a breath, picking up the edges of nerves, and she thinks she could get around the edges of what he’s asking her. Peter’s her best friend. She wouldn’t deny that there have been moments where she’s thought of him as more—moments where he’s been more, only to pull away again, afraid of the implications of his past. She knows what he wants, how he feels. But she also doesn’t want to be a rush to judgement while he’s high on a win.
Her feelings, she knows, run deeper than that. And she wants this to be real.
“Maybe,” she says, squeezing his hand gently. “Let’s have you meet the pack first. Then we’ll see where it goes, okay?”
“Okay.” He doesn’t take it as rejection, which is good. It’s more opening the door of possibility, and one day, hopefully, they’ll be able to walk through it hand in hand. But for now, she’s good with where they are.
“Hungry?” she asks. “I was about to cook dinner.”
“I think you should know by now that I’m always hungry,” he grins, before pushing up to his feet. “Let me get changed and I’ll help you cook.”
“Deal.” She nods as he disappears into her bathroom. She smiles as she watches him go, and can’t help but relax back against her bed. Even if she doesn’t understand all of what happened today, she’s at least glad it’s ending in the right place.
2023
2023
post-teen wolf the movie [spoilers] | teen wolf/tvdverse | 1,971
There’s a reason she never goes back to Beacon Hills permanently, and when she was there, she didn’t stay long. But she loves her brother, and she loves her nephew, and that’s enough reason to come and check on them. But Peter calls her, not just to give notice, but because she has a role to play in this scheme of his, to get Derek out of Beacon Hills once and for all.
Six hours on a plane to LA, another few hours back to Beacon Hills in a car forming her plan of attack. Peter’s filled her in on all the pertinent details—Allison Argent’s alive, she and Scott have taken Eli in, she needs to go pull rank.
When she pulls up in front of the house, her brother’s house, Malia’s waiting in the driveway, leaning against that monstrosity of a truck she insists on driving. Her cousin doesn’t wait for Cora to get out of the car, just makes her way over to the passenger’s side and slides into the front seat.
“Peter told me about the plan.”
“Does Scott know?”
“No. Not yet. Peter said I could tell him when everything was done, but not before.” Malia glances at her curiously. “Do you think it will work?”
“Caroline’s got some formidable witches on her side. If Derek is there to be found, they’ll save him.”
“Caroline always was kind of scary.” Malia sighs as she leans back in the seat. Cora’s nose twitch as she gives her room to think, picking up on the slight undercurrent of brimstone in her scent that comes from banging the local hellhound. Cora doesn’t know if Malia does it explicitly because she knows it will irritate Peter, or because she genuinely likes Parrish or both, but whatever it is, she seems happy. So Cora is happy for her.
“How’s Parrish doing?”
“Not great. He and Derek were friends.” It sucks to be asked to have a hand in your friend’s death. Cora would know. “I’m sure it’ll be better when we can tell him it didn’t stick.”
“I’m sure it will.” Cora reaches for her cousin’s hand. “Are you going to be okay here on your own?”
“Scott’s back. Lydia said she’d visit more. Things won’t suck as much as they do right now.” Malia glances back at her. “Make sure he doesn’t come back, okay? Not for me.”
“You know you’ll be welcome with us anytime.” Cora’s door is always open. “Mystic Falls is going to need a new sheriff soon. Maybe your deputy might be interested.”
The look Malia gives her is one that says that Parrish isn’t looking to flee this town soon, and that’s the thing that’s keeping her here, but before it can linger too long, she rolls her eyes. “I don’t need his permission to leave.”
Cora laughs before shaking her head. “Sure you don’t.” She looks back at the house. “How much of a fight do you think I’m going to get?”
“Scott’s taking Derek’s dying declaration as a sign of guardianship, so … probably a lot.”
“Good. I’ve been itching to yell at someone all day.”
Malia sighs, before climbing out of the car and heading towards the door. “Oh, did you think I was going to let you do this by yourself? I’m going to keep you from punching my alpha in the face.”
Cora rolls her eyes before doing the same and following her cousin. Malia doesn’t knock, just opens the door and announcing loudly to the first floor. “Cora’s here!”
“Aunt Cora?” Eli’s floppy brown hair pokes around the corner before he charges through the hallway and right into her arms. It hadn’t occurred to her at the time that Eli didn’t know, but of course he wouldn’t. Couldn’t have the kid who just lost his father suddenly be okay for no apparent reason.
Sometimes Peter is such a bastard.
Cora wraps her arms around him tightly, one hand cradling the back of his head. “It’ll be okay,” she promises, and at least this time she knows it really will be. The next thing she sees after that, however, is Allison Argent.
She knows this isn’t Allison’s fault. Peter implied as much, but Malia told her the truth. That Allison was an unwitting pawn in a nogitsune game, but it doesn’t make it any easier for her to bear that Allison is standing here and her brother isn’t. That Allison is living in her brother’s house like nothing happened. Maybe Malia’s right—she definitely feels like she should punch someone in the face.
“Cora. Hi.”
“Hi, Allison.” That she keeps her voice neutral is a miracle. Scott appears behind her next, that overwhelming presence of alpha, and he smiles. She really feels bad. Scott is a nice guy. But this is a fight he’s not about to win. “Scott.”
“Cora. I didn’t know you were coming.” He glances uncertainly at Malia, because Malia clearly knew she was coming.
“I heard about Derek. Thanks for the phone call, by the way.”
Scott immediately recognizes that he’s on the off foot and he flinches. “Peter said he was taking care of it.”
“Right.” She glances over at Eli. “Well, I’m here now. So you can get the fuck out of my brother’s house.”
Scott holds up his hands. “Wait, Cora—”
“It’s nothing personal. I just need the space to box everything up for the move. If you really like the place, you can buy it once we settle the estate, but right now I would really love it if there wasn’t an Argent living in my brother’s house.” She glances back at Allison. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Allison had always had a good sense of the times her family had crossed a line. She’s glad to see that hasn’t changed. “But you’re leaving?”
“Cora, you can’t kick Eli out of his own house.”
“I’m not kicking Eli out. I’m kicking you out. Eli is my nephew. I’m taking custody of him.”
Malia places a hand on Eli’s shoulder as he looks at her in confusion. “C’mon kid. Let’s go play with the dog.”
“If we’re leaving, am I going to keep my dog?”
“Oh, definitely. Your aunt Cora loves dogs.”
As the two of them retreat into the living room where they can definitely still hear, Scott takes another stop forward, holding up her hands placatingly. “Cora, you can’t just take Eli. Derek said—”
“Derek’s dying declaration in a liminal space, fortunately for me, is not legally binding. You may have witnesses, but I have a will. Also, being someone’s alpha does not mean being their parent. So build whatever relationship with him you want, Scott, but he’s coming back to the east coast with me.”
“Why are you doing this?” Scott asks, clearly confused at why she’s being so combative. “I thought we were friends.”
“And you thought that despite of everything this town has taken from me, that I would let you raise my brother’s kid while you were shacking up with an Argent?” She glances back at Allison. “Again, no offense.”
“None taken.” Allison, seeming to realize that she isn’t helping, places a hand on Scott’s shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. “I’m going to go clean up dinner. You guys can figure this out.”
“Thank you,” Cora says to her, waiting for her to retreat fully before turning her attention back to Scott. Scott seems very confused, clearly not expecting this much of a fight on the subject. “Derek wanted me to teach him, Cora. I got through to him and help him figure out his shift.”
“And I’m very glad to hear that. Whatever kind of relationship you want to build with him? By all means. But I’m taking him home with me, to somewhere where he’ll be safe and with other kids like him.
“Wait!” Eli bursts out of the living room, dog right on his heels. “I’m going back to school?”
Scott blinks. “Eli is in school, at Beacon Hills High.”
“And before that, he was in another school. The Salvatore School for Gifted Students. A school for supernatural kids where they can learn to manage their abilities in a safe environment. A school that Derek’s been helping fund for years now and where Eli used to go.”
“What if that’s not what Eli wants?”
“Are you kidding? That’s all I wanted since we moved back here.”
Scott seems surprised by that, and Cora smirks. “Eli has friends there. People that are important to him. And now that he has embraced his wolf, it won’t be as dangerous for him to be there.” Humans aren’t allowed, for the obvious reasons. But as a werewolf, Eli can go wherever he pleases. “I’m taking him home, Scott. And unfortunately, you don’t get a say because legally you’re not his guardian.”
Scott’s shoulders slump. “He needs an alpha, Cora.”
“You seemed content to alpha Derek from a distance for the last twelve years. I think you can do it again.”
That point seems to hit home, and Scott nods, before turning back to Eli with a smile. “We’ll FaceTime all the time. It’ll be okay.”
Eli nods, before turning back to Cora with a smile. “When do we go back?”
“As soon as we get everything packed and the house ready for sale.”
“And I really can keep my dog?”
“Yeah, the dog can live with me while you’re at school.”
“Cool,” Eli nods, before tipping her head back to Scott. “Can we have a minute?”
“Yeah, of course.” She’s not a monster. Cora watches as Eli takes Scott off to his room before going to settle on the couch with the dog and Malia.
“Hey look at that,” Malia grins. “You didn’t punch anyone.”
“Yeah. What a shame.”
Allison makes her way back around the corner, leaning on the doorframe. “It really is good to see you.”
Now that she made her point, Cora relents some, because she really isn’t angry at Allison, just about the situation. “It’s good to see you, too.”
“I’m sorry about Derek.”
“Me too.”
“That school you mentioned. It sounds really nice.”
“It is. Derek really loved it a lot.”
“I just wish it meant Eli wasn’t going so far away. Not for me, necessarily, but for Scott.”
Cora doesn’t really understand why Scott’s feelings should be considered after the way he abandoned Derek to do this on his own, but she keeps that to herself. “They’ll figure it out, I’m sure. If Scott wants to make it work, he will. But I’m going to do what’s best for Eli.”
Allison nods. “I get it. I’m going to go grab our stuff.”
“Great.”
A few hours later, Scott and Allison are gone, and it’s just the three of them hanging out in the living room. The house feels empty without Derek in it. It certainly doesn’t feel like home. Eli glances up at her. “You know, you could have just called.”
“I could have. But I wanted to make sure that Scott knew I was serious.”
“Does Caroline know I’m coming back?”
“Caroline is preparing for your arrival as we speak.” Cora nods. “But there’s something we should probably tell you before we get there. About your dad.”
Eli looks up at her, and it’s a relief that she can finally say something. Hopefully, they’ll be reunited soon.
In the end, that’s the only thing that matters.
christie & julian | original | 453
She shouldn’t have given him the warning. She regrets it the second she says it, because when the hand comes down to slap him, Julian is aware and able to catch it before it can connect with his face. His eyes widen when he takes in who it is that’s trying to slap him, and he releases her with a small shove away.
“Christie, what the—”
“I told you that if you hurt her, I would destroy you. Did you think I was joking?”
“No. I just thought it was something people say, you know?” He has a pretty hefty bandage on his forehead. Probably from where Lily threw something at him. “I should have known that from you it was a threat.”
“Yes, you should have.” Christie crosses her arms over her chest.
“Look, isn’t it bad enough that Lily destroyed my house?”
“No, it’s not. Because most of the things in that house are replaceable. You deserve some permanent damage.”
“Oh, okay, what about her role in this, huh?” Julian raises his eyebrows. “Marriage is a two-way street. She almost maimed me for this.”
“You cheated on her.”
“And don’t you think I might have had a reason to cheat?” Julian seems determined to lean into this end of things. “Lily was—”
“If you’re about to give me a speech about how Lily was frigid and withholding, so your dick just fell into another woman, because you were oh so lonely, boo fucking hoo. One, I don’t believe that shit for a second. Two, it doesn’t matter. You could have talked to your wife. You could have tried counseling. And because you didn’t go through either of those sane routes, she’s going to take you for everything you’re fucking worth.”
“She—”
“You both signed a prenup. Did you not read through all those terms and conditions before you married her?”
Julian’s face pales as he tries to do the math. “There was a fidelity clause in there?”
Christie nods with a slow smile. “I told her to put it there, just in case. Because that’s what a pre-nuptial agreement is. A just in case document so everyone is protected. If you and Lily parted ways on amiable terms, everyone walks out with what they came in with. But if one of you cheats? The other person gets everything.”
Julian’s face is turning red, the rage flowing. “That can’t be legit.”
“I don’t know. She’s the lawyer. You’ll have to ask her when you take it to court. But until then? Suffer.”
As she turns to walk away, she can hear the frustrated “Fuck!” that explodes behind her, and she can’t help but smile.
hanson & becka | original | 525
Becka says goodbye to the person she’s interviewing before making her way back across to where Hanson is standing. The churn of people around the warehouse dissipates, clearing the view to see the victims of whatever this is being led out of the warehouse to the ambulances.
“What do you think?” he asks, and she takes a deep breath.
“Not ghosts.”
“We knew that already. This warehouse doesn’t have an Ava system.”
“Yeah, but Redwood was trying to build their own a while back. Hard to say whether they’re successful. But either way, not ghosts.” She pauses and tips her head to the side. “Maybe vampires, though.”
Hanson blinks, takes a breath and shakes his head. “Nope.”
“Hanson—”
“Vampirism is not a thing, Becka.”
“Well—”
Hanson shakes his head and turns to go back to the car. Becka laughs, turning on her heels to follow him. He slides into the driver’s seat, her into the passenger’s seat and she fishes out her phone to play back the recording of the interview. He wouldn’t deny that things certainly sound suspicious. People going missing repeatedly. Most of the executives who visited did so on the night shift. They found the bodies in the freezer drained of blood. But—
“The human body can’t survive on blood alone. And vampire mythos came from noble serial killers who would bathe in human blood to reclaim their youth. Vampires are an allegory for xenophobia and fear. There’s no scientific reason that vampires should exist.”
“Is there a scientific basis for anything that we do?”
“Yes. The ghosts we hunt are very scientific. We know why they exist and we know how to eliminate them.”
Becka shakes her head with a smile. “I’m just telling you what the people told me.”
“Fine. Then I say we leave it to the vampire experts and stick with what we do best.”
“Mostly agree.”
“Mostly?”
Becka shrugs. “There’s a story here. About more than just the vampires. One worker mentioned a private investigator that was working a case here, so I think I may pay him a visit tomorrow.”
Another thing he admires about Becka: she never lets injustice just sit. If she thinks there’s a story to tell, she’s going to tell it, with empathy and care. Something Hanson is still trying to work on. “Alright. But if weird bats start banging against the windows, I’m blaming you.”
She laughs. “Duly noted. Any vampire nibbling is all my fault.”
“Just be careful. We still need you for the job we’re doing.”
Becka reaches over and squeezes his hand. “Always. Now c’mon. You gotta get home so you can call the wife.”
He nods as they pull out and drive away from the warehouse. Despite them being opposites as people, he can’t say there’s anyone else he would rather be partnered with.
no subject
2024
bela & olivia | canon au | 1,407
Rebecca wants to go dress shopping for the wedding this weekend. Can you come? Please?
There’s a brief dip in her feelings at that, that her daughter thinks she needs to beg her to do something as simple as wedding dress shopping, even after all this time. But she doesn’t let on, and sends a simple response in return:
Of course. Send me the details.
She’s the mother Olivia has. It’s truly the least she could do.
The first shop on Rebecca’s list is a cute little boutique near to where Hal and Olivia are living in Boston. When they reach the front door, Bela can see the tension in Olivia’s shoulders and she reaches forward to place a hand on it gently before leaning in to whisper in her ear.
“This is about what you like and what you want. It’s normal for you to try on multiple dresses, or even go to multiple stores. There’s no rush.”
That seems to relax some of the stress and she glances back at her and nods. And as they make their way inside, what she sees is an overabundance of Hal’s side of the family. Rebecca, his grandmother, some cousins.
“No Cora? Or Claire?”
Olivia blinks back at her. “They could come? I thought it was just a … family thing. You know?”
Bela nods. “It’s your wedding, darling. You can invite whoever you want.”
“Oh.” Olivia nods slowly. “Claire’s out of town but …”
“I’ll check with her. Go see if there’s anything you want to try on.”
“Liv, I’ll help.” One cousin gets up to go with her, and while Bela doesn’t like the look of the girl, she’s willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for right now. She sends a quick text to Cora and gets an affirmation that the other girl will be here as soon as she can, before moving to sit next to Rebecca and Hal’s grandmother, Lauren.
“Olivia is such a sweet girl,” Lauren replies. “You did well with her.”
“All her father’s doing, I assure you,” Bela replies with a smile. “But thank you.”
“She’ll make such a lovely bride.” The older woman leans back in her seat. “Oh, this takes me back. Both to shopping for my dress, and looking for yours, Rebecca. How about you, Bela?”
“Oh, I didn’t—Sam and I eloped.”
One of the other cousins’ head whips around her grandmother with a look that must be judgement, though the other two women seemed surprised. “Money reasons?” Rebecca offers, and Bela shakes her head.
“The only way we could guarantee his brother wouldn’t object.”
“Oh.” Rebecca laughs. “I must admit, I’m intrigued to meet your brother-in-law. He seems like quite a character.”
“That he is.”
She lets the two other women fall back into casual conversation and by the time Cora arrives, Olivia is coming out in her first dress. It’s lovely, really. All crystal and lace and soft fabrics. But it’s also not very Olivia. The cousin who helped her seems delighted with how she looks in it, but when Olivia meets her mother’s eyes in the mirror, it’s clear that she’s sending up an SOS.
“It’s lovely,” Bela says with a nod. “But let’s try a few others.”
The cousin shoots her a glare, and Bela smiles at her demurely before turning to Cora. “Why don’t you go see if here’s anything you think might suit her?”
Cora nods with a smile, before turning the Hale stare on the cousins as she passes them. Yes, Cora was a good choice.
They try a few more dresses, each of them having Olivia looking increasingly more uncomfortable even as they lean more into her style, and as she comes away from the mirror in the most recent one, she glances over at Bela.
“Mom, can you help me get out of this?”
“Of course.”
Bela gets up to follow her into the dressing room, and once the door closes, she fixes her attention on her daughter. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this.”
“Can’t do what?”
“Can’t get all done up like some kind of friggin’ … princess cupcake!” She swats at the tule in one of the earlier skirts that had almost overwhelmed her. “I don’t feel like I can move in any of them. Like what if I need to run? Or fight?”
“This is a wedding. Not a war,” Bela reminds her gently. “It’s likely you won’t have to do either.”
“I’m a Winchester,” she points out, and Bela can’t help but concede that point.
“True.”
“Like … I don’t want my wedding to be attacked by demons, but on the off chance it does, I want to move. None of these dresses will let me do that.”
She sighs as she attempts to slump in the dress she’s currently wearing, but the structured fabric won’t let her do that. Bela gestures for her to turn around so she can start undoing the clamps. Olivia looks at herself in the mirror and frowns.
“It’s not even that I don’t like dresses. But these feel like traps. They don’t even have pockets.”
“A persistent problem in women’s fashion, I’m afraid. Are there any parts of them you do like?” Bela asks as she meets her eyes in the mirror. “If you could cut and paste them together into your ideal dress from any of these, would you?”
Olivia considers that for a moment before looking back over some of the other dresses. “I liked the bodice on this one.” She points towards a v-neck with elegant embroidery across the body of it. She then points over to some of the more mermaid skirts. “And I liked that there was less flounce in these, but it was so tight that I could barely walk.”
“Alright. So less skirt, but more movement.” Bela steps back. “Remember what I said about not needing to get anything from the first store we go to?” Olivia nods. “I want you to try on one more thing, and then I have an idea that might suit you more.”
“Okay.” Bela steps back towards the door, before Olivia speaks up again. “Mom? Thanks.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Olivia and Hal fall into the limo after the ceremony, heading towards pictures. She never thought that she could feel this happy, but she is. And she did it in a way that didn’t make her feel uncomfortable at all. It takes her mother in her ear, constantly reminding her that this is her wedding too, but in the end, it worked. As she leans back in the seat, she glances over at Hal with a smile.
“We did it.”
“We did. And you look beautiful, by the way.”
At that, her smile widens. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“It’s pants!” she pulls back the first layer of fabric, used to create an illusion of a skirt, revealing the sharply tailored pants underneath. “Apparently, you can get dresses that are both!” Hal laughs, and she grins wider. “Plus, there are pockets.”
“Now that is a feat,” he smirks, before wrapping his arm around her to pull her closer. “I’ve heard many complaints that pockets do not exist for women.”
“My mom’s tailor said I could have whatever I wanted, so I made sure,” she shifts to lean into his shoulder. “This was all her idea.”
“Sounds like she really came in clutch.”
“Yeah, she did.” Olivia doesn’t know if she could express how much it means to her to have a normal mother-daughter moment with Bela, even with how unconventional their life is. “I’m really glad she was here to help.”
“Me too.” She takes a deep breath. “So, how many more hoops do we have to jump through before we get to eat?”
He laughs. “A couple more. Pictures, then the dances, and we should be good to eat all we want.”
“Alright. Let’s get to it.” She turns back to him with a smile before leaning in to kiss him softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
buffy & peter | canon au | 918
She just wants to be sure her day will not be crashed by demons.
Buffy has been engaged for a while. And she knows that there is no rush to the altar. Peter will not run away if she doesn’t marry him immediately. But after helping Lindsay and Ben plan and execute their wedding, and attending Hal and Olivia’s in Boston, she’s been aching for it to be her turn. But again, she doesn’t want it to be crashed by demons.
It doesn’t matter how quiet Beacon Hills has been. She’s willing to bet that if word she was having a special occasion got out, people would feel the need to interrupt.
It’s when she’s patrolling, trying to brainstorm her way through potential options, when she hears the faint sound of music coming from a nearby corner. It’s not music that she’s heard before, but there’s something about it that’s familiar, and she follows the sound to a quaint little club in downtown Beacon Hills.
As she slips inside the front door, and she’s quick to realize that this isn’t just any club—this was a demon club. She’s about to slip right back out again when she recognizes the demon in the room's front. Red eyes catch hers as the song ends, and while he doesn’t acknowledge her from the stage, he gives her a look that encourages her to wait.
“Alright folks, time for me to fix myself a martini. Be back in five.” He makes his way down, wandering over to the back, and greets her with a smile that’s likely kinder than she deserves. “Well, what a surprise. Hi, blondie.”
“Hey, Lorne.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
“I would love one.”
“I’ve been in Beacon Hills for years now,” she says as they sit with their fruity drinks in a dark corner of the bar. “How did I never know this was here?”
“Well, that’s probably a feature, not a bug.” Lorne tips his glass back before relaxing quietly in his seat. “When I walked away from Angel, I decided I wanted good vibes only. No bar fights, no getting my arm twisted by good guys who aren’t feeling so good that day … I wanted to cut the rampant destruction down by a good number.”
“I heard how Angel handled things with you and Lindsey,” she nods. “That wasn’t right.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“And I tend to be that bull in the china shop,” Buffy smirks. “So why can I find it now?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on what you were looking for.”
Buffy hesitates, not sure if she wants to put this on Lorne’s doorstep. But she can’t say that the opportunity isn’t one that she’s been searching for. A place where they can ensure that people who mean to do harm won’t be able to get in. Still, does she want to disrupt the peace that Lorne had likely struggled so hard to find?
“Out with it, Buffy. I’m just as curious as you are.”
She winces, before: “Do you do weddings?”
There’s a long silence as Lorne processes that before tipping his head to the side. “Two conditions.”
“Hit me.”
“You can’t invite anyone from LA.”
Buffy wasn’t planning on inviting Angel and Spike. It’s weird to invite your exes to your wedding to someone else. She’d feel a little bad about Gunn or Illyria, but if she and Peter wind up eloping, they wouldn’t be invited, regardless.
“Done.”
“And you and your hubby to be have to come in for karaoke.”
Buffy takes a sharp breath, because that might actually be a harder sell. “Does he have to sing?”
“Does a bird have to fly?”
Buffy exhales before nodding. “I’ll see what I can do.” She will not get her hopes too high, but maybe Peter loves her more than she gives him credit for. It’s one thing to agree to marry her. It’s another to sign up for public vulnerability in order to secure a venue.
“Okay,” Lorne smiles. “I’m happy for you, by the way. Whatever little happiness we get in this world, we deserve to grab it.”
“Thank you. You too.” Her eyes glance up at the rest of the club. “This place seems really great, even if I’ll likely never be able to find it again.”
He grins. “So long as you’re just coming for the atmosphere, I think you’ll find your way.”
Three months, a whirlwind planning process and one slap-shod duet later, Buffy and Peter get to take their first dance, with a full group of family and friends. It’s not the big grand wedding she thought of, but the people who matter are there, and she winds her arm around his neck with a small smile.
“I can’t believe we actually did it.”
“Got through the wedding without demons crashing it?”
“That, but … got here at all.” Buffy looks up at him with a small smile. “We’ve been through a lot to get here.”
“We have.” He leans in to kiss her softly. “It’s nice to know that some things pay off in the end.”
“It is.” She leans in to rest her head against his shoulder as the music plays. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
no subject
2025