#brennawrites

back in front of me: 

Sander heard Celeste begin to respond to Elias, could see that her mouth was moving and Elias was nodding, but her words were quickly overwhelmed and drowned out… by the sound of an all-too-familiar, melodious laugh. It was a laugh that Sander would know anywhere and one that Sander would remember until his final day alive. It was the laugh that Sander had loved to hear from his childhood best friend, one that made him smile and be filled with joy so easily. The laugh was ripped from the chest of its owner so the world could be blessed with the enlightening sound.

It did not take long before Sander found the source of the laugh, standing next to Senne and his girlfriend of a few weeks, Zoë.

Robbe IJzermans.

word count: 14k

relationships: sander driesen/robbe ijzermans background relationships: yasmina ait omar/younes el amrani, zoë loockx/senne de smet, moyo makadi/noor bauwens

tags: the sander and younes are roommates agenda, the sander and yasmina are friends agenda, the sander and senne are friends agenda.

no archive warnings apply.

From dancing away on the beach surrounded by friends who had become family, the reality of the world in front of them was fading into the final and longest summer of their lives.

aka series of drabbles from the squad at the beach

drabble based on this image from @annonymannonym and idea from @birthdaysentiment 

wtDRABBLES - part three (READ ON AO3)

To Robbe and Sander, Wednesday had become one of their many traditions.

Their first official hang-out since the beach trip—and their first kiss that happened in the ashen remains of a failed double-date—had happened on a Wednesday evening with beer in their system and joy in their hearts. Their first unofficial date, swapping a joint and lazy kisses, had happened on a Wednesday afternoon with sunlight pouring into Robbe’s temporary bedroom in an empty flatshare. Sander had met Robbe’s mom on a Wednesday morning for coffee after she was released from the hospital and they went on an impromptu day-trip on a Wednesday to the beach in January just because Sander wanted to kiss Robbe in that damned grocery store and on the beach like he wanted to before.

To them, as a couple, Wednesday was their day—for them and them alone—and, so, they made a point of Wednesday being their day. Their day to spend their days and evenings together, giggling and laughing, kissing deeply and soundly, hands wandering beneath the fabric of their t-shirts and leather belts. Or they would go out to an art exhibit that Sander wanted to see, taking pictures in front of the frames or together with a bad angle. Or, sometimes, Robbe would drag Sander to the cinema for a movie that he wanted to see—or some random film that he found on the internet—and hold his hand in his lap, playing with his fingers absentmindedly. Even during quarantine, they would facetime for hours together, giggling and talking with one another, longer than they would on other days with no Broerrrs to interrupt them.

And, this Wednesday was no different than any other Wednesday.

As of right now, the collaboration is going to span 6 total chapters with one of us writing each part so be on the lookout for those in the coming weeks. 

chapter one: punch and tell (T)

Stepping out onto the back porch of a party, slamming the door behind him to block out the busy noise of the party and the blaring neon lights and pounding music, Robbe let out a half-scream of annoyance and frustration. The sound that escaped his lips had been drowned out by the pounding music behind him. Running a hand over his face, Robbe stomped down the steps into the backyard, putting more force behind each step than he should’ve, before letting out a loud sigh as he stared up into the night sky. He hated it; he hated how a man who had once been his friend—one of his closest in fact—was capable of eliciting such a strong and intense anger from the pit of his stomach.

Robbe turned back toward the party, hoping that somehow the whole building will catch alight and burn to the ground in fire and ash... all because of one single man who managed to hit every single string of nerves in Robbe’s body with burning hot fingers, aimed to hurt him deep in his soul.

Sander Driesen.

chapter two: bad habit (M)

He and Sander had been purposely avoiding each other ever since that night at the party and for good reason. Robbe couldn’t fucking believe he did that, slept with Sander Driesen. On a list of his terrible decisions that definitely ranked somewhere near the top.

chapter three: conversations (M)

Sander and Robbe try to "talk" for once.

chapter four: let me forget you (M)

Now, Sander held the power of breaking this thing off whenever and leaving Robbe a mess again. But, Robbe had decided he wasn’t going to let that happen. He wasn’t just going to sit still and look pretty until Sander decided he’d had enough of him. Besides, it was nothing more than sex between them. He could live without it, or find it elsewhere.

He was going to stop this thing and he was going to move on.

How difficult could it be, right?

chapter five: back to the beginning (G)

At one point in time, Sander and Robbe were friends... maybe it could have even been more. What happened to make such a strong friendship crumble beneath their feet?

the curse of betrayal: 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has gained a new student.

After an abrupt change of schools and a move back to London, thanks to her mom’s ever-changing job, Jana has been brought to the school that her father attended to finish out her schooling. Leaving behind her friends at Beauxbatons, and losing some along the way, Jana must find her own place in Hogwarts—especially now that she doesn’t have her long-time best friend and school-year-penpal, Britt Ingelbrecht, to lean on after the events of the summer. Despite this, Jana has her handsome and loving boyfriend, Jens Stoffels, at her side and his friends, who seem to enjoy her presence. Even after the abrupt move and the loss of all her friends, Jana has everything that she wants… right?

Jana Ackermans had spent the first four years of her magical school career at Beauxbatons. While she had prepared for a life of magic since she had first used it at the age of three to summon a confiscated teddy bear from the top shelf, nothing could have prepared her for the majesty of Beauxbatons Academy.

Since the foundation of the school, all the way in ancient times, the school was stationed in an elegant, meticulously designed chateau that could’ve passed for an abandoned royal palace. As the volume of students increased exponentially—taking not only students from France, but also those located in Belgium (where Jana lived when she turned 11), the Netherlands, and a handful of other countries—the chateau had been expanded and redone, making it seem as though the chateau had forever been like that. From the famous Flamel Fountain to the majestic gardens where the students would study in the sun, the chateau was a timeless and beautiful classic in the hidden depth of the French countryside. The school’s beautiful, dazzling glamour not only attracted classically trained chefs and musicians, but also a wild flock of winged horses who were fed and cared for by the students in Care of Magical Creatures.

Now, thinking of the school had made her sad—especially since it was the school that she had known for so long. Especially since Hogwarts—beautiful and magical in its way—was so different than the school she had known. When Jana was little, she and her family had lived in London—in the same house that became a vacation home in the summer—but her mother’s abrupt job transfer took them all to Antwerp, Belgium. If they had never moved, Jana would’ve never gone to Beauxbatons, never would’ve met the roommates that she loved so much, and she would’ve been at Hogwarts, the school that she was at right now.

While Jana understood her mother’s wishes to have her transfer to Hogwarts so she would be closer to London, there was a part of her that wished that she had never left Beauxbatons. Given how the summer months had ended, with her longest friendship—one that endured years of distance and school-year letters—shattered into splinters of fractured glass, the resonating feeling of sad nostalgia seemed to be amplified with how different the Hogwarts school was from Beauxbatons.

But, above all else, Jana missed her former roommates—Adeleine and Charlotte—who had been her roommates since their first year together. She missed Adeleine and her ability to always find the best gossip in Beauxbatons, eagerly retelling it in long, dramatic stories in the depths of the night. She missed Charlotte and her drawings, having decorated their dormitory with her numerous sketches charmed on the walls. She even missed Charlotte’s obnoxious hairdryer that had a hum that would wake Jana up every morning without fail. She missed their late-night talks, giggling quietly on one of their beds so they wouldn’t get caught, and their weekend extravaganzas in the gardens, their books and notes forgotten on their laps and laughing loudly, openly.

just friends chapter one: 

summary: Months ago, after a one-night stand that couldn't stay that way, Robbe and Sander made an agreement—the two of them, no strings attached. But, Sander's feelings for Robbe were strong, to begin with, and they're growing stronger with each passing day—that he's more in love with Robbe than he should be.

Today was just another Friday night party. The crowd in front of him was just another rotating group of party-goers that stumbled their way into the club, trying to find a way to forget all their troubles using another three pins of lukewarm beer. It was just another audience that would dance to whatever music was blasting through the speakers, who would dance with a stranger if given the chance. It was the same as the Friday night last week—and the Friday night before that. 

The dance floor was completely covered with people whose features were hidden in the minimal lighting of the club. Occasionally, the bright magenta and blue spotlights would bathe a few of them in their bright neon light, but the majority of the club remained bathed in darkness. There were pairs, dancing together, kissing, with their arms wrapped together. For some of them, their bodies swayed together in a way that would’ve been considered indecent if they were anywhere else. There were also large groups, dancing together in large circles, swapping drinks like it was second nature with loud, joyous laughter that could be vaguely heard over the speakers. 

Standing on the stage above the crowd was Sander Driesen. 

To the party-goers on the dance floor, who had way too many drinks in their system, Sander looked something like a god, wrapped in the shadows of the stage. Occasionally, the neon spotlights would drag across his form and everyone could see how beautiful he was on the stage, lost in his element of choosing the music. His hair was a bright shade of white, standing out amongst the shadows, and his dark roots made him look more rugged than normal. The bright neon lights flashed over him again, lighting up his nose ring and his barbell earring. 

On nearly every Friday night, Sander would be up here, with a pair of headphones over his ears and with a focus of unwavering steel. He commanded the music like it was second nature, switching the songs at the precise moment that the previous song would dwindle into its final notes. He knew when to replace a slower-paced song with a song with a faster pace. As his time went on, he would remain oblivious to the joyous screams the crowd produced at each well-timed and well-needed switch; however, he would also be increasingly aware of what the party needed at each new song blasting over the speakers.

just friends chapter four: 

Months ago, after a one-night stand that couldn’t stay that way, Robbe and Sander made an agreement—the two of them, no strings attached. But, Sander’s feelings for Robbe were strong, to begin with, and they’re growing stronger with each passing day—and he knows that he is more in love with Robbe than he should be.

Special shoutout to Tasfia (@sonderthroughthestreets) for not only being a kind AND supporting friend but literally reading this chapter scene-by-scene as I finished writing them to let me know if the scenes were good. Also special thanks to the "Alt Er Writer's Block" server for being so supportive and loving as I slowly but surely progressed through this chapter.

Sander didn’t know how long he had been asleep.

Once the sun had fully risen in the morning sky, Senne had pulled the sleepy and somewhat distraught Sander from the roof. Together, though Sander was a little slower, they collected the bundle of blankets that he had brought to the roof before heading down to their apartment, gripping their empty mugs in their hands. Even on the roof, dozing off against Senne’s shoulder briefly, Sander’s minimum amount of sleep had already been catching up with him and the trip in the elevator made him more sleepy. Once Sander’s head hit his pillow—the one coated with Robbe’s lingering scent and shampoo—he was soon plunged into the darkness of sleep again.

Unsurprisingly, his dreams were filled with Robbe.

Sander dreamed of Robbe, wrapped tightly in his arms, holding him close as they laid in bed, their legs tangled together beneath the sheets. He could make out the freckles on Robbe’s shoulders, the gentle flush of his cheeks, and the dimples on his cheeks. Robbe was laying flush against Sander’s chest, their breaths in harmony as they held each other close. It was so realistic that Sander nearly believed that he would find Robbe right there in his arms, his fingers absentmindedly playing with his hair. But, Sander’s heart knew that he would not be there when the dream ended, slipping through his fingers like smoke until he couldn’t even remember.

When Sander woke up, reluctantly blinking awake, his room was cloaked in darkness. His heavy curtains were drawn closed, blocking out the afternoon sun. There was a blanket tucked around his shoulders and the ones from the roof were tangled around his legs. None of his lights were on—not even the lamp on his desk—and Sander couldn’t tell if the darkness was comforting or taunting. The only light in the room was the small sliver of light that snuck between the wooden door and the frame. He could barely make out the smell of something cooking in the kitchen—his stomach let out a loud growl—and he could hear someone shuffling around outside.  

Sander sighed, stretching his arms above his head, and turned to confirm his fears.