#//ffs this woman is a whole ass mess

[soulsbetrayed]

//maybe one day I will have Rodion have a moment to crack that joke if someone sets her up for the punchline. and knowing the Sinners in my muse roster the reaction from them would range from a startled yelp (Sinclair's reaction) to an exasperated groan (Meursault, Faust and Ishmael)

[mikuni14]

Jack & Joker - Ep 7

This episode was extremely hard for me to watch, because it's like someone took the tropes I hate the most and decided to put them here one by one. Lack of communication, misunderstanding, saying something horrible about a loved one when don't mean it and they hear it, a love triangle, a love triangle with a girl in a BL series, noble sacrifice, noble, stupid and unnecessary sacrifice, being mean for a "noble" purpose to protect a loved one by rejecting them, heartbreaking fights, jealousy, the pain of rejection, suffering alone. I hate every single one of these things and a series that I like so, so much decided to throw them all into one episode, at once. So it's easy to imagine that I'm not having a good time 💀

So many bad things happened in this episode that I started crying at the end, it was just too much. What really depressed me was that many of these things were unnecessarily bad, and there was a kind of malice in them that was hard to watch on screen.

I had some understanding (not excuse - understanding) for Save in the last episode, but then I didn't know all the facts. Now I have only contempt for him, because he is simply stupid and cruel in what he does. Save didn't even arrange something specific for Hope, or even for himself, which is exceptionally stupid, since he literally sold his soul to the devil - as it turns out, for nothing. On top of that, he didn't have to include Joke in his schemes, my jaw just dropped when after everything he did to Jack and his grandma, he himself, without being asked, says to Boss that there is one more dude who can mess with your plans, like bitch fr? Save dangerously plays god, messing with people's lives (in grandma's case - her LITERAL life) and for whom, for his boyfriend who works for the mafia and openly says that he actually likes doing it and unlike Jack - is a real loan shark who beats people (his behavior radicalized Tattoo). Hope was beaten, which is a risk of the profession he does, he wasn't beaten up randomly on the street for money, or bullied at a regular job., ffs! But what Save will never earn my forgiveness for is that for the sake of unclear privileges for his boyfriend 1) he could've killed an innocent person 2) he destroys the lives - and I want to emphasize this - LITERALLY DESTROYS THE LIVES of 3 innocent people. And not that I like Rose, but it also affects her life. Thus, grandma, Jack, Joke and Rose are just pawns, a colateral damage in his plans, for his own personal gain.

SAVE IS LIKE TEE FROM DFF. Sorry, but just as I had no sympathy for those guys, I have no sympathy for Save. He doesn't have to do this, he doesn't have to do such cruel and plainly evil things, he doesn't have to be so zealous, such an "employee of the month doing 200% of the norm" lol. It's very interesting that Save, instead of persuading Hope to leave this job and even run away, since he's oh so worried about him, directs his efforts to protect him, by harming others - others who are in the same or worse situation as he is.

..........

This whole marriage plot is so silly and soap opera and that's how I decided to treat it, so that I could still like this show 😅. Gods, it's just so stupid and when Jack initially didn't agree, I was so happy that finally, a voice of reason, and yet.. I don't know how Boss and Jack imagine doing this? I mean technically and.. just… generally???? How Jack plans to marry a woman he doesn't care about (with potential sex? children????) and at the same time follow Boss's orders, while being, you know, himself??? Not to mention that there is a whole ass person in this puzzle: Rose? And I'm not even mentioning Grandma, who is not stupid - how will she feel knowing that Jack literally sold himself for her health? From Jack's words in this episode, I gather that he is more or less aware of Joke's feelings. And I'm a little upset about the fact that Jack hurts him so much, knowing this. And his "noble motives" do not excuse him, because Jack leaves scorched earth behind him, destroys people around him and HIMSELF. And it will get even worse, because there will be no way out of this situation, in which he is digging himself deeper and deeper, which is what Joke was trying to tell him. Jack does something I particularly hate: he "sacrifices himself nobly" but he is really selfish in this sacrifice, because he doesn't ask if anyone actually wants his sacrifice it's The Sign all over again, fuck. And the fact that he does all this alone, officially, to protect his loved ones, shows that he really doesn't trust those close to him, that they can either help him, or that they could decide for themselves. And although I don't like Rose, Jack is ready to marry her without love, for his benefits, which is... suddenly not so noble, right Jack?

I know that all this is the law of slightly exaggerated TV romances, because if Jack had trusted Joke and his grandma and talked to them, maybe together they would have figured out another way to get money for her treatment, but then again, there wouldn't have been all this drama 🙄

But Jack didn't even try.

And he's really getting to the point where even if he wanted to stop, he wouldn't be able to, and even if he somehow managed to, there would be nothing to save, because everyone would be too hurt by him to forgive him. And he's so blinded by fear and the belief that he's doing the right thing that he doesn't even see it.

The approach of Save, Jack and Joke to situations when they feel they have no choice is very interesting. Save sacrifices others without hesitation, Jack sacrifices himself (consciously) and others (unconsciously), Joke sacrifices himself. Joke is truly selfless in all of this, because he is able to humiliate himself in front of his father for someone he cares about, work for pennies, but legally, as Jack wants, when things are very bad, he still feels duty towards the grandma - a person, who was kind to him. Whatever he does, he's alone in it, he doesn't involve others, any harm falls only on him. Apart from that, he blames himself for everything...

...........

Despite everything that the series has shown in tis ep, and which I actively hate, I cannot but praise the series for a few things:

the actors gave it their all in this episode, especially in the micro-expressions on the faces of Jack, Joke and Save, when you can see that they are trying to hide what they are going through

as always, I have to praise the incredibly accurate socio-political-economic background of the series. That there is always a bigger shark in the pool, the total detachment from reality of the rich and that they do NOT WANT to know this reality and that they don't really care. How easily the poor fall into a spiral of debt, a system of dependency, passivity caused by constantly hitting a wall and helplessness in the face of constant adversity (how Jack did not even consider other methods of obtaining money, but went straight to Boss)

that in reality it's so easy to manipulate the poor, who ultimately harm themselves and each other, which is exploited by the elites. The elites know that it's enough to set people against each other and they will jump at each other's throats, doing all the dirty work for them, while they feast on exquisite dishes in beautiful interiors, in expensive clothes. Tattoo, Save, even Jack, do what is expected of them on their own, and their actions negatively affect… themselves and people like them. This is a very brutal and gloomy conclusion to this series, unfortunately also very realistic. Because the rich, the elites know that a divided, depressed society that lives in fear is easier to manipulata and control. Becasue if Jack, Joke, Tattoo, Hoy, Save and Hope joined forces, they would probably be able to oppose Boss, to come up with something for themselves. And so from the beginning we see how their various selfish actions throw themselves and others like them under the bus. Because really, as sad and awful as it may sound, neither Boss nor even Rose could have done anything if not for the significant "help" from Tattoo and Save

the unexpected, but weirdly compelling het ship 😆

Finally, the most beautiful scene. I really appreciate the choice of shots in this scene, especially when only the hands are framed and the focus is on them, without showing the face… 💖

Why can't they be like this all the time 🥺

[fratboykate]

kybgau - but tell us some of those "I need security at this dress fitting" moments. You know Kate is like "she can't resist me half naked." and Yelena is like "jokes on you, I'm a trained professional" until it's just them in a room and Kate's in her underwear and the stylists are off plucking the new outfit out of a corner and Yelena's eyes are everywhere BUT her stupid client's abs or her stupid client's ass or her stupid client's V-Line. She is a professional and will not succumb to baser instincts even if her client is looking DOWN at her and Yelena hates that and is like "I will fucking put you on your knees" but Kate's like "please. I'm starving. I need a stop at the Yelena gussy buffet." and the whole thing is just a MESS because they're horny. Horny AF. But this is business.

NOT THE FUCKING YELENA GUSSY BUFFET LMAOOOOO

scenarios where yelena is like 'you definitely DO NOT need security for that why are you making my boss make ME SPECIFICALLY go???!!!"

-kate suddenly decides that she can't see her own movies with other people around for the first time so she requests private screenings in movie theaters...and yelena is all like 'have fun' and kate's like...you have to come' and yelena is like "???????????? why?" "im the only one in there what if somethign happens" so its just the two of them in a movie theater watching a film where kate has like three sex scenes (yeah no she didnt need to see shit she just wanted to get yelena alone in a room with her and watch her squirm during the sex scenes)

-kate's like 'i need a mental health getaway. need to get away from the noise, the city, the people. maybe time to write some new songs.' and yelena as usual is like "go be rich and have fun" and kate is like "i rented a house. in the desert. by myself. OBVIOUSLY i need you to come. when i meant 'away from people' but that doesnt include you. we're basically one :D" and yelena is like ffs "WHAT DOES YOUR ASSISTANT EVEN DO WHY ISNT SHE GOING WITH YOU???" "what's my 5'2 100 pound assistant supposed to do if my stalker breaks into the house im renting in the middle of nowhere?" "get a bigger, stronger assistant" "that's you :)". so thats how the end up spending a week at a mansion in the desert where kate wore nothing but thong bikinis all day and she got to watch yelena workout in the desert heat.

none of those (or the fifty other insane things kate tries) work. yelena holds strong. so kate's like "mkay...guess im dressing to drive you crazy now. let's see how far long this lasts now"

outfits kb picked SPECIFICALLY to see how far she could push this woman:

turns out it doesnt last too long lol. before she knows it, kate's bent over a sink at an awards show after party, feeling pretty damn pleased with herself. who says perseverance doesnt get you what you want?

[bisluthq]

Taylor has been 100x shadier when it comes to her exes as well as their ex partners. She released All of The Girls ffs. Kayla ain’t doing that. Idk why Swifties are acting so precious about what she does because by all accounts Taylor is much pettier. It’s like how Swifties are ready to revolt if Joe cheated on her meanwhile she’s said she’s cheated before and probably emotionally cheated on Joe.

Kayla legit isn't doing anything wrong.

I TOTALLY get it if you don't like her aesthetic or brand. That's just a matter of personal taste and no that would not be racist or misogynistic like that's just you liking what you like. Like I say, my fave influencer is Tally Rye and like if u tell me Tally annoys the shit out of you I'm not gonna go mount a defence because idk all influencers are a little annoying by definition and we just vibe with the ones that resonate. But like going "I don't like her aesthetic/brand" is one thing; going "I don't like her because she dated Taylor's boyfriend before Taylor did" is weird as shit lmfao.

Taylor shouldn't even be saying that because there is no evidence Kayla was like primarily at fault in the breakup/s. I've told y'all like I dislike my partner's ex-wife (who I've not met but might at some point because for the kids here who think otherwise you do bump into people y'all knew even if you're no longer in touch) because she hurt him super badly and was generally a crazy ass cunt and I'm the one now having to clean up some of her messes right because there are a number of hangups he has that are totally, 100% on her. The woman is a crazy ass cunt lol. HOWEVER, she is LITERALLY the only one of my bf's exes I dislike or have an opinion on beyond a few where they're nice and I like them (his first gf ever and him are still friends and she's in a tricky situation marriage wise right now and like we keep inviting her to come stay with us and we talk to her on speaker often and the two of them talk privately between that because like she's super lovely and I'm not going to be weird about him talking to someone he dated when he was 17-19 lol because like that was a long time ago???? And the girl is still nice!????)

My bf's most recent ex before me is someone I am very frostily neutral to but I think I told y'all the story as to why like when we moved in together he went off one morning about how I don't like tidy shit up and so I went to tidy shit up and I found a two page love letter from her from after the breakup like asking to get back together and I'm me right so I read the whole thing and 1) she's a shit writer lol 2) sorry for her that it didn't work like idk I guess as woman to woman I wish she'd managed to make it work since she seemed pretty upset in the letter 3) she left him - I mean they didn't live together or anything but they dated for like over a year - for her ex lol like that one's on her tho to then go writing letters is psychotic 4) I've asked him if like it'd make me feel better if I met with her like if we should yk reach out and invite her to stuff since it didn't end badly and he was like "no you're gonna hate the shit out of her and I don't want you to because I know how you're gonna make fun of her, and you will, but that's going to be making fun of me too and so you're better off in this current zone of neutrality" and I was like "fair enough king, I tried" (we have another ex he's still friends with - letter girl we hardly see around - he also doesn't want me to meet in person because apparently like her sociopolitical views are the kinds of shit I make fun of like a lot - like that ultra woke identity politics shit coupled with super centrist to right leaning fiscal policies and like lmfao yes I would make fun of that because that neoliberal shit makes no sense) but anyway: I don't dislike the clearly overly online woman lol and he can talk to her as much as he wants lmfao and I don't dislike letter girl like I don't want to read more letters from her but other than that she can do her thing.

So my point is if Taylor has no reason to be mad at Kayla why the fuck are fans mad?

[thegreymoon]

Ever Night

How does she always make the worst decisions 😑

I am trying SO HARD to stan but she makes it so difficult 😒

***

These people are the only ones I stand behind on this show. The rest are all getting on my very last nerve. 

I am so sick of the Tang Emperor, he has no spine and no common sense and this pitiful attempt to give the Empress a story arc of her own was beyond underwhelming. Like, choose your position and stick to it, ffs!

***

LMAOOOO, weren’t you trying to murder her, like, 2 seconds ago? 

When will this show go back to being intelligent 😫

***

I mean, he’s not wrong, but who the hell wrote this script? 

=> the Elder sneaks in to murder the Emperor

=> the Elder tries to murder the Empress when she won’t aid him in killing the Emperor

=> the Elder gets the Emperor to agree to his terms with severe political, religious and military repercussions with no real leverage whatsoever except pointing a stick at the Empress

=> (the royal guard is somehow unbothered and nowhere to be seen)

=> the Elder is suddenly worried about the state of the royal marriage again and apparently concerned about Empress’ happiness after she unrepentantly abandoned their people in a frozen wasteland to live a life of luxury and he tried to murder her for it

=> the princess does the only logical thing there is to do when an assassin infiltrates the goddamn palace to threaten the lives of her royal father and his wife

=> (the captain of the royal guard appears and remains unbothered)

=> Emperor: “Tell my daughter to go away, nothing to see here, it’s not an assassination attempt, just a tiny squabble with my in-laws!”

=> the Elder points out the absurdity of this entire situation as if we’re now supposed to laugh off this whole debacle of a script and write off literal attempted regicide on a quip from a quirky old man who ~loves~ his daughter even though he just tried to kill her

Me: ................................................... 🙄🙄

***

LMAO, and since there was obviously no logical resolution to this whole damn ridiculous mess, the writers decided to conclude the entire shitty arc by having the Elder commit suicide for no good reason via terrible special effects 🤣🤣

I cannot with this nonsense 🤣🤣

***

I’m becoming more and more sympathetic to Li Yu. I mean, she’s insufferable and a brat, but her father is just so... worthless. He replaced her mother with his mistress (and could do it with no repercussions because he’s the most powerful man in the country), had her married off to a feral tribe when she voiced her objections and is now threatening to kill her. 

Yes, she’s cold-blooded, somewhat selfish and self-centred and has a massive blind spot when it comes to her sadistic idiot brother, but her father is a really shitty parent to all of his children. 

I feel like the narrative keeps trying to make the Emperor a sympathetic, honorable character but he’s just so self-serving, spineless and cowardly and all he does all day is angst about how hard his life is. Also, there is no honour to be found anywhere. It’s canon that he’s more than willing to let corruption go unchecked and his family to get away with murder, torture and a bunch of other bullshit, as long as it benefits him. Chao Xiaoshu was right to wash his hands of all his filth. 

***

Ha! Here we go! Finally, we get to the bottom of his age!

So, he was 8 yrs old when Xia Hou attempted to kill him, fifteen years passed from that point until his arrival in the capital, which made him 23 yrs old at the time, and at least a year has passed since then. That means he is at least 24 right now. 

@dangermousie​ I suppose they upped his age because they cut the transmigration part and there is zero chance a four-year-old is going to survive killing to stay alive and taking care of a baby at the same time. Even an eight-year-old is pushing it. 

***

Every single scene with that Mo woman is such pure nonsense. Elementary school villains trying to boost her relevance, nonsense all over the place. I am losing braincells by the moment. 

***

OMFG, this stupidity is never-ending 😑😑

It is really, really hard to be invested in the story when the stakes are this manufactured. 

***

When the writing is so bad, it literally gives you second hand embarrassment. 

***

All the hate 🤮

The fact that Sang Sang is waiting for him at home, thinking of him every minute of every day, and here he is, sowing his wild oats, just gets to me on a visceral level. Fuck this entire collection of (poorly written) tropes with a cactus. It absolutely ruins stories for me and this one is also very much ruined at this point. 

***

I am beyond pissed off. Crystal Yuan is now firmly on my no-watch list.

***

This is how this useless character is described on Wikipedia: Gentle and delicate, her pureness is reflected in her cultivation as well as her honest attitude toward love.

Nauseating 🤮🤮

***

Exactly! The note is for Sang Sang, not you!

Go fuck yourself.

***

“When will he write a little note just for me?”

Bitch, never! At least I hope. 

***

LMAOOO, “Do you know how many girls I have lining up for me?”

I very much doubt anyone is lining up for your stank rapist ass. 

***

LMAOOOO, he is such a mood 🤣🤣

This is my exact face when some moron starts rambling about Heaven and Hell, how the Devil is coming to bring about the end of the world and how we must kill all those who practice the same faith a bit differently because some old man proclaiming himself as an authority figure says so and claims it’s written in a book in an ancient language that I can’t personally read and have never even seen 🙄🙄

Come to your senses already, Ning Que! Is this sheltered fool really who you want to be in love with? Ask yourself, is she really wise, deep and intelligent, or is she just rich and conventionally attractive? 

Also, let’s not get into the idiocy of her old man shifu sending this stupid child into the wilderness in the middle of a war to look for the original copy of a holy book that every single power faction is also looking for and will definitely kill to obtain. And that is before we even get to the two of them travelling alone, her wearing a pristine white outfit, and apparently carrying no supplies with her. Like???????  

I want to go back to the first episodes when this show was still good 😭😭

[seriouslyhooked]

Honeymoon Fades (A CS Fic)

CS oneshot that provides a snippet into their married life after 30 years together. Includes fluff, feels, and cuteness. Short, sweet, and the perfect weekend treat. Find on FF here and AO3 Here.

A/N: Hey all! This is a short drabble based on the song ‘Honeymon Fades’ by Sabrina Carpenter. This story picks up on Emma and Killian when they’re children are all grown and they’ve been together nearly 30 years. Spoiler alert – the cuteness perseveres after all their years together, and in some ways they’re like honeymooners, still as in love and happy as they were just post-wedding. Hope you enjoy the cuteness and thanks so much for reading!

The silence in this house was still a foreign thing to Emma. After so many years of raising her family, and decades of craziness that she wouldn’t trade for anything, quiet moments still felt like a real commodity. They used to be so few and far between, and every time they found them, she and Killian made use of them. They lived a life of constant motion, and they were always go-go-go, but it kept things fresh and interesting. They were never lacking for love and excitement around here, at least they never used to be.

Now, however, things were different. Take this morning for example. It was 9:00 and she was only just rolling out of bed. She was off today from the station, where she was beginning to take a number of steps back. Her brother Neal had been working with her and her Dad for years, deciding he wanted to join the family business, and he was now the newly elected town sheriff. Emma still worked at the station and ran point on many aspects of Storybrooke’s response team, but even with that, there was never enough to do. She ‘worked’ from 9-5 Monday to Friday, mostly just conferring with the townspeople on what needs they had and what the town could do for them. And then the weekends she had off, totally free, never any hiccups. Just two whole days of… well, whatever the hell she wanted.

Despite the fact that this free-weekend thing was normal (it had been about a year since she agreed to the schedule shift), she was still awed by the premise. When the kids were still home, nearly every moment that she wasn’t working was dedicated to them, to their games, and plays and homework and lives. But now their nest was empty. The kids all had their own worlds and agendas, and weekends were becoming a time when Emma and Killian could genuinely relax.

This morning was the perfect example. After waking up bright and early in her husband’s arms, and after their heated exchange of what Killian always called ‘good morning pleasantries’ (code for sex that had no right to be that hot after how long they’d been together), Emma had fallen back asleep while Killian rested only briefly before heading out to go for a sail or run some errand or another. No matter how much quiet they had, her husband was still an early riser. No amount of downtime would change that. But for Emma a lazy morning was a luxury, one that she soaked in and cherished after years of never having them.

As she showered and got dressed, Emma found herself smiling, knowing that she was a lucky woman in every possible way. She was blessed with healthy kids, a network of supportive friends and family, and a true love who was always in her corner. The sun was shining in Storybrooke, and the summer heat was already beginning to climb. She had a whole host of possible paths to wander today. She could go for a hike, or tend to the garden out back. She could drive up the coast and explore the world beyond, or she could take it easy and relax, luxuriating in this happy, stress-free moment that they currently had going. But whatever she did, Emma knew she’d have company for the ride.

Moving downstairs Emma caught the scent of bacon and coffee in the air, she closed her eyes and hummed out a sound of contentment. Spoiled – that was what she was, and as she walked into the kitchen and saw Killian flipping some blueberry pancakes she leaned against the doorway and bit her lip. Damn, nearly thirty years together, and he was still too hot to handle. Standing there, making her breakfast with that mix of salt and pepper in his hair, her pirate was still fit and ready for whatever fight might come their way. There were more laugh lines etched upon his skin, and he might move just a touch slower than he did back in the early days, but the light in his blue eyes that sparked when he caught sight of her still pierced down to her soul, and the sexy grin of his made her heart skip a beat.

“Finally, the lady wakens,” he joked and Emma shook her head and smiled as she kissed him quickly and then moved around him to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Sounds like someone missed me.”

“You know how I feel about being away from you, Swan.” The growl in his voice sent a thrill of anticipation down her spine. Damn this man and his sexiness. Thirty years wasn’t enough to get used to him, and some days she still felt like a honeymooner as opposed to a couple long settled and established.

“You’re not a fan as I recall,” she teased and she let out a yelp when he swatted at her ass with the hard metal of his hook. She blushed in spite of herself, thinking of all the times that particular appendage had made itself known before. She could tell from his deep chuckle that he read her like a book, and she cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Any thoughts on what we should do today, Captain?”

“Whatever my wife wishes, I reckon,” he quipped as he placed their plates on the kitchen counter and he held out her chair, tucking her in like a true gentleman before taking his own seat. They discussed the possibilities as they ate, and he caught her up on some friendly neighborhood gossip that he’d heard down at the market, but when their meal was done and they moved to clear the dishes, Emma noticed a little sadness in Killian’s eyes. Immediately she knew the reason for it.

“You miss the kids, don’t you?”

“Aye, love. How could you tell?”

Emma didn’t have the heart to tell her pirate that his expression was totally transparent. Instead she came to cuddle with him, her arms encircling him as he did the same. This was her favorite spot, tucked in her with her true love. It was always her safest space and the place she felt like things would always be okay. Now though it was Killian who needed that anchor, and she was more than willing to give it to him.

“Because I miss them too,” Emma confessed, knowing it was silly. She saw all of her children nearly every day, and they were all in constant contact. Still it wasn’t the same, and time, as beautiful a gift as it was, was also all too fleeting. Years moved by so quickly, and some days it felt like she blinked and that whole chapter of their lives had flown by.

“It feels like only yesterday the whole house was filled with Hope, Liam and Leia running about, and with Henry coming home any chance he got. Remember the morning we found the little ones all in the mud out back?”

“Which time?” Emma asked, laughing even as she shook in horror.

The sight of them that day was so damn funny – covered and filthy and dripping in liquid dirt. But it had also been a logistical nightmare. They tracked the stuff everywhere, ruining the couch and a carpet, and the magic each kid was capable had created some kind of spell where all the stains were permanent. It was maddening but also so freaking funny, and of course, Killian had been a superhero, wrangling all three of them back outside to get cleaned off on the back porch. In less than a day he’d had the couch and carpet replaced, consulting Regina about the rest of the mess, all while Emma was on a shift at the station, and her cheeks flushed at the memory of the night they shared together when he got home. There were thousands of nights like that in the long arc of their marriage, but that one stuck out. She was especially grateful for everything he did for her and their family, and they’d made some truly lasting memories as a result.

“Or the Halloween they started the prank war with your siblings?”

“Oh my God,” Emma groaned remembering. Her kids at that point were so beyond toilet papering and throwing eggs. They had the benefit of understanding their true love magic to a certain degree and they’d made use of it. She and Regina had spent days unmaking the mess, and the town was still a little whacked out energy wise until after Christmas.

“How about the day Leia decided she wanted to be a vet?” Killian said, laughing straight out this time.

“She brought home six cats, four bunnies, and three dogs. I still never figured out where she found them all.”

Okay that wasn’t exactly true. Leia made a ‘wish’ that she could give all the homeless pets a home, and her magic had crafted its own attempt at a spell. As a result, all of the strays in a ten-mile radius arrived at their house, all of them charmed by her daughter, and cute even if they were most of them worse for wear.

“To be fair she was only trying to help them all. And she had a plan, didn’t she? A special room or space for every last one of them.”

“She was fourteen at that point. She knew there was no way we could keep them all, even if Hope was away at school and Liam was on his way to college soon too.”

“Perhaps, but we kept more than a few.”

Emma nodded, thinking of their two dogs and two cats. The other animals had all found homes either with her parents, Henry, or Belle. Even at the time she’d found it endearing, and look at where they were now. Leia was away at her last year of college, and she’d been accepted early to the university’s veterinary program. Even if that one day was madness, Emma knew it was the beginning of a real vocation, which she wanted each of her children to feel.

“You know what I think will help?” she asked, circling back around to how much they missed their family.

“Rum?” Killian asked, though he was kidding. He’d cut back considerably as time went on, but he loved pretending rum was still the answer to all things. Always with the jokes, this man.

“Maybe a little. I was thinking you, me, and maybe a bit of sailing?”

“You had me at you and me, love.”

Emma laughed at his attempt to blend a movie quote from long long ago into their conversation. Despite his being here for so many years, Killian still delivered anything having to do with pop culture like he was fresh from the Enchanted Forest. It made for many a funny moment, and this was no exception. The humor of it was only compounded by how quickly he sprung into action. No sooner had she spoken then idea than he was moving about, grabbing things they might need, and packing them a picnic lunch for them to enjoy hours from now when they were out on the water.  For a moment she watched him, delighting in how adamant he was to spend time with her and get to go make some brand new memories, but before he could get too carried away, she pulled him into her, clutching at his shirt and smiling at him happily.

“I love you, Killian. A little bit more each and every day.”

“For this day and all days,” he agreed, before kissing her sweetly and resting his forehead against hers. In that moment they just enjoyed this, breathing in the peace and calm they’d fought so hard for. And even when they did break apart, and were back in action once more, Emma carried her love for him always, reveling in how magical it was to truly have a happily ever after.

………………….

I hope we stay the same, hey Honeymoon

Unexpected, this thing that we fell into Lie, so connected You came at a time when my heart was selective Didn't have to choose my love Was accepted, yeah

Now we're running your luck one on one You were sent to me like a one of one And, now we're going I just want no one Nobody else

I hope we never change I hope we stay the same I hope that we can love through the pain After the honeymoon fades I hope we never change I hope we stay the same I hope we can love through the pain After the honeymoon fades

After the honeymoon fades, yeah

I remember when we met we was all in each other's bed And we were spending every second we had And now that it's official it's hitting a little different What the hell we're gonna do with these bads, no yeah

And now we're running your luck one on one You were sent to me like a one of one And, now we're going I just want no one Nobody else

I hope we never change I hope we stay the same I hope that we can love through the pain After the honeymoon fades I hope we never change I hope we stay the same I hope we can love through the pain After the honeymoon fades

After the honeymoon fades

And I hope it tastes the same Even if it's the best way

Honeymoon fading with you (Fading with you) Honeymoon fading with you (Fading with you) Honeymoon fading with you (Fading with you) Honeymoon fading, fading

Post-Note: So there we have it. Just a happy little dose of future fluff today. I find that writing these kinds of stories always brings me such a warm feeling, and though I know no show can go on forever, I still wish we’d seen more glimpses into how good things would have stayed for CS for years to come. Anyway, my wish for all of you is that this will have brought you some joy today, and that this chapter finds you healthy and well. I appreciate all of you reading and messaging me and leaving comments. It truly means the world, especially because I am mired down in work and stress and worry. I’m hoping to keep posting some chapters in the meantime, but if I get a bit spottier with the frequency, I hope you all will understand. Anyway hope you have a great rest of your weekend and thanks again for joining me on this fluffy little jaunt!

[robotnik-mun]

So, what happens when I decide to throw caution to the wind and mash together as many fucking Sonic Continuities as I possibly can? You get a big ass tangle of a family tree that needs to be split up into five separate images, that’s what. 

It’s ugly, it’s unpolished, and I made it on a whim. Because the mental image wouldn’t leave me. And because I actually started developing this godforsaken nightmare of a family tree, born of merged continuities, headcanons, and sleep deprivation. 

Now keep in mind that this thing is pure crack- it implies a world where Sonic eventually collapses from exhaustion of having to fight TWO Robotniks. It’s a mish mash of what-if’s, continuity mergers and personal ideas glued together. And I wanna stress it has nothing to directly do with my current setting- this is just like, The Path of Insanity. 

Anyway, yeah. Against my better judgement I made notes for this insanity. Also, you may notice pictures of characters from other franchises being used as portraits for various characters. Those are basically faceclaims of sorts, meant as abstract representations rather than the literal idea of what they looked like... since, honestly, even I’M not cruel enough to inflict my ‘art’ on you. 

Anyway, let’s get the ball rolling- 

“Robotnikhotep”

-Robotnik Ancestor in ‘Mobigypt’. Was probably some big important muckity-muck.

“Julius Robotnikus”

-Probably Mobius’ answer to Caligula. His family eventually fell out of power and was forced to re-settle in what would eventually become Overland. 

Ivo Kintobor

-Yeah, that whole ‘House of Ivo’ thing? This is the guy responsible. Most likely a douchenozzle, as there is a high concentration of that in the bloodline. Basically a minor warlord who unified a bunch of clans to form his own Kingdom, that was subsequently absorbed into Overland during the unification. 

Brutus Kintobor

-Oh wow, a SKINNY Robotnik/Kintobor. This douche canoe attempted to conquer Angel Island for the Overland, but failed miserably. Sent back home in disgrace, a failure.

Gerald Robotnik

- Originally born Gerald Kintobor of the House of Ivo in Overland. He was more interested in science than politics, and after completing college he left that mess behind and immigrated to the United Federation. He changed his name to signify the break from his family history. 

-Explored Angel Island in his youth, where he learned about Chaos Emeralds and the like from the various ruins there. He was even friends with then-guardian Janelle-Li. 

-Started up Robotnik CORPS. He founded it as a way to disseminate his technology to the people of the UF and earn money to fund more experiments. 

-You know the rest. The ARK, Maria, NIDS, Black Doom, Shadow, yadda-yadda-yadda. 

Olga Robotnik

-Gerald’s wife. Duh. 

-She met him while he lived in a spare room her father was renting out. She’d collect his rent. They grew close and eventually had kids and started a family. 

-The shit this poor woman endured is amazing, but she managed to remain unbroken by it, and tried to remain close to her surviving grandchildren. 

Grigory Robotnik

- The first son of Gerald. He wasn’t a genius, but he pursued a career in academics and became a doctor of physics. He had two children, Warren and Maria.

-After the ARK incident he became paranoid and accused the government of covering up what really happened. The obsession to uncover the truth destroyed his physical and mental health, and he died a shunned outcast ranting on pirated radio stations about various conspiracies. 

-Died in a halfway house, but he managed to get ahold of Gerald’s diary before biting it. While he never got to use it to bring down GUN, it still paved the way for Eggman’s eventual use. 

Amelia Robotnik 

-Maria’s mother. After the ARK incident and the supposed death of her children, she fell into a deep depression and eventually committed suicide. In case you haven’t noticed, the story of the Robotnik family is depressing as fuck. 

Warren Robotnik, ‘Warpnik’ 

-Maria’s brother. What a tweest! 

-He was with her on the ARK, and demonstrated a similar scientific gift to his grandfather. He wasn’t close to Shadow the way Maria was. 

-When the ARK was raided, he was captured and subjected to brainwashing treatments by GUN in the hopes of turning him into a loyal, in-house mad scientist. All it did was make him batshit crazy. 

-He escaped some time during the Great War, and is now loose in Mobius, a lunatic geneticist fixated on continuing his grandfather’s ‘great work’... or at least his own warped perception of it. 

Maria Robotnik 

-You know her. You love her. Her life is a tragedy. She’s Maria! Nuff said. Years later, and she still weighs heavily on Shadow. 

Ivo Kintobor

-And here is where things get a bit confusing! Ivo was born ‘Ivo Robotnik’, the second son of Gerald. Long story short, he was a douche more interested in politics and profit, and as such did not get along with his father, who bequeathed the family company to his younger brother. 

-Despite this, Ivo SOMEHOW managed to reproduce. And when the ARK incident happened, he bought the government line hook line and sinker. He changed the family name back to Kintobor and moved everyone back to Overland to start anew. 

-He’s like 50% responsible for Julian winding up the way he did. 

-And yes- he DOES want to bulldoze the puppy orphanage to create a combination oil rig/toxic waste dump. 

-Was murdered by Julian, who disguised it as an accident. 

Lydia Kintobor

-ICE BABY ICE. 

-Julian and Colin’s mom. 

-She 100% supported her husband’s douchery, and was an active participant in tormenting her secondborn son in the hopes of ‘breaking’ him out of being a genius. 

-Killed in the same ‘accident’ that took her husband’s life. 

Colin Kintobor Sr. 

-Born in the United Federation, but moved to the Overland as a child and grew up there. 

-Major league Nationalist and Human Supremacist. Prick. 

-Hated Julian basically forever and was encouraged by his parents to do so. He became their ‘golden child’ and was pushed to succeed at everything. 

-Pursued a career in politics, law, and the military, and eventually served as a general in the Great War. 

-Was eventually murdered by his own brother

Miriam Kintobor 

-Colin’s first wife, via arranged marriage. 

-She was pretty much his opposite, yet despite that fact the two came to genuinely love one another. 

-Died giving birth to their son. Have I mentioned the Kintobor/Robotnik family history is a trainwreck yet? 

Angela Kintobor

-The second wife of Colin. She probably met him while serving as a military functionary during the Great War. She is also the mother of Hope Kintobor. 

-Other than that, I got nothin’. She likely died when Hope was young, by way of Swatbot invasion. Seriously, do NOT become a Kintobor Love Interest. 

Colin “Snively” Kintobor Jr. 

-You know him, you hate him! It’s the Snivster, bay-bee! 

-His mother died giving birth to him. His dad blamed him for this. You can guess the rest. 

-You know most of the story- crappy childhood, admired his uncle Julian, helped him take over the Kingdom of Acorn, spent a decade as his punching bag, etc etc. 

-After seemingly offing Julian during Endgame, he briefly took over the Robotnik Empire.... and promptly lost it to Naugus, forcing him to flee for his life. In exchange for information about Robotropolis’ defenses, King Acorn spared his life but sentenced him to be imprisoned forever.

-Was busted out by a returned Julian so that his uncle would be able to properly ‘thank’ him for losing his empire. Helped the FFs to escape Robotnik’s revenge, and after spending time bumming around with them (and hating it) decided to throw in his lot with Crazy Uncle Ivo. 

-He’s regretted it ever since... though he sticks with him because its either Ivo or Julian, and Julian will ensure his death is cruel, messy, and lingers for years to come. 

Hope Kintobor 

-The second child of Colin Kintobor. She was born during the later years of the Great War and spent much of her early life living in siege conditions as Overland tried and failed to stop the advancement of Robotnik. 

-Eventually she witnessed the death of her father and remaining family at the hands of Robotnik before being saved by Sonic. She had an extended stay in Knothole afterwards, where she slowly learned that much of her people’s views of Mobians was innacurate. 

-She eventually moved to the United Federation as a ward of GUN, serving as the technology expert for Team Dark. She is close to all of them. 

-Seeks to redeem the name of her family so that it’s legacy won’t be one of bloodshed, conquest and madness. She’s got a waaaays to go, to put it mildlry. 

-Despite everything she still cares about her awful, awful half-brother. 

Dr. Julian Robotnik 

-Had a REALLY goddamned crappy....well, life, basically. Take my word for it. 

-Has basically murdered his entire immediate family by this point. 

-Prior to the Great War he aided the Overlander Ministry of Conflict in toppling the legitimate government of the Kingdom of Amunopolis (Aleena’s Kingdom), forcing it’s royal family to flee to the Kingdom of Acorn and re-settle under new identities, with crown princess becoming ‘Bernadette Hedgehog’. That’s right- he’s indirectly responsible for Sonic existing. 

-Blah blah blah evil experiments blah blah war crimes blah blah sentenced to be executed by Overlander government during the Great War and blah blah blah coup.

-Took over a large swathe of Mobius and expanded to conquer more, and for a time seemed like he might conquer the entire planet. The Robotnik Empire is.... not a fun place. Then or now.

-Then Sonic and the FF’s happened. Then Endgame happened, and he was... indisposed for a while, leading to his empire being diminished. While he has returned, he has suffered numerous setbacks since then, and the Robotnik Empire is now greatly diminished from its peak. 

-That being said, he still rules a pretty big part of the planet, and is still the biggest danger to the world at present.

-Hates his cousin Ivo.

-REALLY goddamn hates That Hedgehog. 

Laura Kintobor 

-That’s Doctor Laura Kintobor (nee Ellison) to you, buster. 

-She and Julian both worked as scientists with Overland’s science ministry, where they met and befriended one another. She eventually managed to coax Julian out of his shell, and their friendship bloomed into a romance, which led to the two marrying. 

-She worked in the organic sciences division and was an expert on biology and zoology. In contrast to most scientists, she was very much an outdoorswoman. Even managed to convince Julian to partake. 

-Much like her unfortunate sister-in-law, she died in childbirth... giving birth to a stillborn daughter. 

-Yeah, this shit is grim. 

Theodore Robotnik

-Third son of Gerald. Blatantly named in reference to Theodore Roosevelt, who was used as a visual reference for Eggman.

-Basically a professional beancounter who later inherited Robotnik CORPS. He chose to stick with his original name even after the ARK incident, and struggled to keep Robotnik CORPS afloat in the immediate aftermath of the incident. 

-Set up a trust fund for his son Ivo, and tried his best to raise him to be a contributing member of society. 

-Sufficed to say, that didn’t work. If he’s still alive, he has a REALLY tense relationship with his son. 

-Named his son after his older brother as a passive-aggressive act of spite for abandoning the ‘Robotnik’ name. 

Dolores Robotnik 

-Mother of Ivo. She was a professor of chemistry who decided to put her career on hold in order to be homemaker. 

-Was much closer to her son than Theodore was, and often wound up having to play peacemaker between the two. ESPECIALLY during Ivo’s tumultous teenage years. 

-Sufficed to say she is not exactly pleased with how he turned out, assuming she’s still alive even. 

Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik

-HE IS THE EGGMAN. HE’S GOT THE MASTER PLAN! Really, do you NEED to know any more? 

-Well, okay, you do. He was born very shortly before the ARK incident and never knew his grandfather. 

-His childhood wasn’t horrible, but it was rough in areas due to his high intelligence making things more difficult for him than they should of be. Loads of disagreements with his dad over pursuing science. Spent years plagued by the derogatory name of ‘Eggman’ due to his weight problems. 

-You know how you fantasize about ruling the world as a kid? He never really left that stage of things. 

-He initially worked as a research scientist in the fields of AI and energy. During the Great War he was approached by GUN to develop weapons for them. His research would go on to form the basis of the robotic soldiers later used by them in the Robotnik war. 

-Began his plot to take over Mobius during his time there, and secretly began to appropriate resources and machines to build a hidden base on the distant South Island. Eventually his schemes were discovered by GUN, but he fled. 

-While his cousin conquered portions of Mobius elsewhere, Eggman began his long term Death Egg scheme as a means of conquering Mobius in one fell swoop with the aid of the Chaos Emeralds. 

-You can guess how it goes from here- he encounters Sonic on South Island and in the Scrap Brain Zone and is defeated, thus setting the tone for MANY other defeats in the future. He eventually took on the name ‘Dr. Eggman’ as a way to differentiate himself from his cousin, and to make the insult that dogged his life into a name to be feared ala ‘Penguin’. 

-When his cousin Julian was seemingly killed and the Robotnik Empire in dissarray, Eggman started new bids to take over the world. He established the Metropolis Zone as his ‘capital city’ and founded the Egg Army to help supplement his Badnik Horde. The Eggman Empire now exists as a terrorist army at the beck and call of Dr. Eggman, though he’s still got a ways to go. 

-Has four sons by three different women. Slut. 

???

-Haven’t got a name for her yet. She was a random girl that a college age Ivo knocked up, which putty much put an end to her collegiate ambitions. She gave birth to two sons, one of whom she bitterly named ‘Ivan’ as a reminder of his origins after failing to get child support out of her babydaddy. She re-married and is currently leading a comfortable enough life. Humors her son because she knows it annoys his biological father. 

Ivan Eggman

-The oldest of Eggman’s sons. In his mid 30s or so. Scientifically gifted, as his father was. 

-Has numerous, numerous issues pertaining to his stepfather, a hard and strict man with little toleration for nonsense.

-Idolizes his biological father and desperately wants to be acknowledged by him, even changing his original surname to ‘Eggman’. Eggman the 1st was NOT amused. 

-Eventually founded a company, Eggman Industries, and grew rich rapidly. Settled by the Bygone Islands where he pursues life as a ‘villain’ now, though really he’s more like a public nuisance than anything. 

-Honestly he’s basically living a ‘second childhood’ of sorts using his scientific know-how and riches, and has vowed to one day impress his father and earn his acknowledgement. As you can imagine, it is.... not working out at all, given that he’s even more of a goober than his pop. 

-Ironically, he isn’t naturally bald- he SHAVES his head. 

Steve  

-Yeah, he ain’t a robot here- Steve is the organic, younger (by about a minute) twin brother of Ivan. 

-Utterly unconcerned with science or any of that jazz. He’s basically a bohemian beach bum, complete with californian accent- he spends much of his time surfing and earning cash from side jobs. 

-Really mellow and easy-going, and doesn’t really dwell on stuff. 

-Utter himbo. 

Mrs. Robotnik 

- Ex-Wife of Ivo Robotnik. Haven’t given it too much thought, but she and Ivo met while working in acadamia, and eventually married. 

-Initially the relationship was pretty solid, and they even had a child together. However things swiftly deteriorated between the two as Ivo’s immaturity and increasing anger at the world strained their relationship, along with him being a lousy parent to their son. She eventually divorced his ass. 

-After going through a rough patch with her son, she has begun to re-connect with him after his years a delinquent, and now happily supports his endeavors. 

Ivo Robotnik Jr. 

-Middle son of Dr. Eggman. Had a nonexistant relationship with his father while growing up, which combined with the divorce eventually turned him into a juvenile delinquent. 

-He roamed with a biker gang for a while, and prefers to be called ‘Junior’ rather than ‘Ivo’. 

-Fell in with Breezie for a while, the both of them unaware of the other’s connection to Eggman. They eventually went their separate ways once Junior began to turn over a new leaf. He still carries a torch for her, though is painfully aware it’d never work out. Their relationship is... complicated, these days.

-Has since become a software security engineer, making a living providing Anti-Eggman/Robotnik software to companies. 

Lindsey Thorndyke

-A famed actress. She and Ivo had a drunken tryst at a wrap party where he’d been invited to act as a consultant on scientific accuracy. To avoid scandal she informed her husband, and they passed off the baby as their own. 

-What more do you want. Its LINDSEY. 

Chris Thorndyke 

-The youngest son of Ivo Robotnik. Spent much of his life completely unaware of his true parentage. 

-Eh, what can I say, I kind like the theory of him actually being a Robotnik in some capacity or the next. 

-When he was a boy, he befriended Sonic and his friends and even hosted them during the days when Eggman’s schemes for global conquest caused him to haunt Station Square for a while. 

-Admired his grandfather Chuck and pursued science to be like him, studying physics and engineering. 

-Thanks to his mom he’s something of a film buff. 

-In college he learned the truth of his heritage. This has put a strain on his relationship with his parents.

Francis Kintobor 

-The youngest of Gerald’s sons. Pursued a career as a schoolteacher. While he changed his name in the aftermath of the ARK incident as his older brother Ivo had, he chose to make a small joke at his brother’s expense over the ludicrousness of the name change by naming his own son ‘Ovi Kintobor’. 

-Named after Francis Mao, aka That Guy Who Made That One Comic Adaptation From 1991. 

Elizabeth Kintobor

-Dr. Ovi Kintobor’s mother. A career veterinarian with a strong love of animals. That’s about it. 

Ovi Kintobor 

- Grew up on Westside Island, among Mobians. Had a pretty happy and contented childhood, and like many of the other various members of the Kintobor/Robotnik clan developed a pronounced interest and skill in science at a young age. 

-Developed a particular interest in researching Chaos Emeralds.

-A Concientious Objector, he served as a medic during the Great War.

-Deeply, deeply shamed by the actions of his more notorious cousins, he has essentially hidden himself from the world to pursue his research and evade their notice, while helping against them in whatever way he can. 

-Has secretly transported people threatened by his cousins to safer places, and once caused a mass sabotage of their respective robotic forces through the ‘Nicenik Virus’. 

-An ally of the Freedom Fighters. 

-Deeply distrusts GUN (which frankly isn’t a bad call).

-Bit of a hippy, but really is a genuinely nice guy who wants to help others through science. 

-In some villages he is known as ‘Mr. Tinker’. 

[lifeinahole27]

CS ff: “Tidings of Something” (au)

Summary: When Emma gets injured during a routine bail bonds job, it may be the Christmas miracle she never knew she needed, if only because it finally gets her to open her eyes about the man that helps her through everything. Killian would’ve preferred the Christmas without picking Emma up from a hospital, but doesn’t much mind the way it all turns out.

Rating: Barely even T, I think.

A/N: So maybe it would’ve given me away had I said “Hi @captainmorningstar! I’m your secret santa and I’m never on time!” and she would’ve been like “Oh! My santa is lifeinahole because she never posts anything when she’s supposed to!” and then at least it would’ve been anticlimactic when I forgot to hit anon. Despite all that, I had a blast gathering the info for this and writing it. Thanks to @cssecretsanta2k19 for putting this together - for putting us together. I had such a fun time getting to know my darling giftee and writing this tailored gift for her. I hope you enjoy it, my dear!

-x-

It’s the second week of December, and already Emma has heard the song playing over the speakers at least twenty times. It doesn’t help that there are only thirteen Christmas songs total and the radio stations just cycle through each iteration on an endless loop. Despite all of this, though, Emma is humming along to the soft strains of an instrumental “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as the pain meds finally start to do their job.

“Swan?”

The sound of his voice is sweeter than any song ever could be, and with a struggle, Emma opens her eyes to the bright fluorescents overhead, blinking until Killian’s face comes into focus above her.

“Hi there,” he says when he can see she’s tuned in.

“Hi,” she responds, her voice dreamy and her smile as big and as dopey as she imagines it is. She’s caught up in the blue of his eyes, the perfect lines of his face, the worry lines crinkling his forehead as he visually checks her over.

She’s fine, of course. Not the first time she sprained her wrist, but the rib subluxation is something she could’ve lived without.

The stress on Killian’s face fades slightly as he looks at her, relief taking its place.

“You had me worried, love.”

“Nothing to worry about,” she wheezes out as she struggles to sit up. “I’m fine.” A deep inhale of breath says otherwise as her left side reminds her of that whole rib thing and she winces, doing her best to keep her breathing even so she doesn’t hurt herself again.

He hums his response, settling onto the bed next to her as he asks her to explain what happened. It’s a brief story, thankfully: bail runner caught on, shoved her as hard as he could, and took off. It wasn’t until she’d slapped the cuffs onto him that she realized she was in pain, once the adrenaline started to wear off. Somehow, she made it to the hospital on her own and it wasn’t until they said she wouldn’t be able to drive home that she realized she was going to need help. Enter Killian: faithful friend, dockworker with an understanding boss, love of her life that she’s never told.

He smells like salt today, and there’s a hint of fish from working so close to the cannery, but she doesn’t mind, not when she carefully rests her head on his shoulder and melts into his embrace grabbing onto his prosthetic hand in a gesture of comfort. She’s not sure how much longer she can stay awake, so she’s thankful when the doctor finally comes in with her final advice for recovery.

Emma’s going to be off work for a while, which is going to suck. She’s set for now, but a month is a long time to go without a paycheck. The only bright side is that she works her ass off all year so she can take it easy around Christmas, so she was looking to spend less time chasing after people anyway. 

She’s been here for a couple days staking out this particular mark, so they have to get her packed and checked out of her hotel. They make arrangements with said hotel to leave her car there until Killian and David can come down to get it, and then Killian is bundling her into the passenger side of his vehicle, easing them onto the highway and turning down the volume when Emma inevitably caves and falls asleep after the first five miles.

She doesn’t wake again until they’re pulling up in front of her apartment building. Then it’s a delicate operation getting her out of the truck and into her apartment. The sprain in her wrist isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Maybe a little more pressure from the fall and she’d be dealing with a fracture instead, but it certainly doesn’t tickle right now. It’s still easy enough to get changed on her own and settled into the bed, accepting the glass of water that Killian hands her after he knocks to make sure she’s decent.

“Try to rest. I’m going to grab us some dinner and come back in a bit, okay?”

Emma’s too tired to even speak, so she nods, nesting down into her bed and letting her body finally rest.

-x-

It’s only after he knows she’s fast asleep that Killian leaves, carefully locking the apartment door behind him when he goes. He heads to the sheriff’s station first, as he knows David needs to hear in person that his adopted “little” sister got the shite kicked out of her at work today.

Getting the call from Emma was terrifying; he probably would’ve panicked if he’d gotten the call about anyone, but with Emma it’s… different. He’s been in love with her for so long now that he can’t even recall when or how it happened. But he’s the person she calls when she’s in trouble, and a devoted best friend. He can’t mess any of that up with feelings that she doesn’t reciprocate.

“Killian? What are you doing out of work so early? I thought you guys were shutting down the spare docks for the season.”

“We were. But I got called away on an emergency so I left this morning before lunch.

“What kind of emergency?” David asks, his voice and face going deadly serious. There are only so many people in this town Killian knows, and David knows which one he would drop everything for without hesitation.

“Don’t worry, it’s all okay,” Killian says first. “Emma called from Portland because she took a bit of a spill. Nothing is broken, but she’s a little bruised.”

Immediately, Killian can see David popping into “overprotective brother” mode and understands that this is exactly why Killian was called to tend to Emma instead of him.

“How bruised?”

“It’s just a sprained wrist and she almost dislocated a rib. Nothing but some standard pain killers involved. She’s already back home and resting. You and I will have to drive down to Portland this weekend and retrieve her vehicle.”

The other man relaxes, even if just slightly, at hearing that nothing is broken and that she’s already home. Killian’s been around long enough that he knows exactly how this all goes.

“I was hoping, however, to enlist your lovely wife to help keep an eye on her. She’s going to have to refrain from work for a little bit but we both know Emma loves to push herself even when she should be resting.”

“Of course. She’s going to do what she wants, in the end, but maybe we can at least keep her entertained enough that she won’t feel the need to go out looking for trouble.”

He’s always thankful for David. Not only is he a friend to Killian, but he’s on similar wavelengths when it comes to how Emma works. They know she’s a woman of her own mind, and that she is not to be directed, so they work to find healthy alternatives.

For all the years that Emma has been in his life, she’s been chasing bail skips. He’s seen it hurt her but he’s also seen how much of a thrill she gets from a victory. It probably feels like vengeance against Neal every time she catches a scumbag that should be in jail, and so he’s happy to support her ventures. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t scare the daylights out of him when she gets injured, though.

One thing is for sure, he will always stand by her decisions, will stand beside her in every way he can, but he’s still allowed to wish she’d take the position David offered her as a deputy for their sleepy little town. He understands why she can’t, but it doesn’t stop him from hoping sometimes.

-x-

When Emma wakes up, it’s to a much darker apartment, but she can smell food. That’s what draws her slowly from her bedroom, taking her time and being extremely cautious with her left side.

She loves her job. She wishes it wouldn’t lead to moments like this, but this is the exception and definitely not the rule. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t think about joining the simple life sometimes.

A while ago, David offered her a position at the station as a deputy. She said “no” without even really thinking about it, but over the last couple months she’s been thinking more and more about what it would mean to take it.

She wouldn’t likely get beaten up anymore, that’s for sure. Storybrooke is more about minor traffic violations, and a yearly dispute, usually between two of the miners that happen to be brothers, and only after they’ve been drinking after work. They deal with petty squabbles and neighborly disagreements, but they’re so simple and easy to solve, and at the end of the day, everyone still loves each other in this town.

Having a job at the station would mean seeing her brother more often, and staying in town. It would mean a dedicated health care plan and like, a 401k. It would pay the bills a little more predictably than her current adventures. And while that’s all really boring stuff at this point, it would feel good not to worry about those things as much as she does right now.

And so she considers telling Killian she’s been thinking about it again. Been thinking about a lot of things, really, but she can’t tell him – not when he looks so devastatingly handsome standing in her kitchen plating up whatever’s been heating in her oven while she’s been sleeping. Because there’s always the chance he doesn’t feel the same way, and taking a job at the station means she can’t just leave if it all goes to shit.

“You’re awake!”

Her attention is brought back to the man in her apartment and Emma shakes off the rest of her thoughts. This right here, having time with her friend, is what matters more than anything.

They settle in and eat dinner, watching a movie when they’re done and everything has been cleaned up (by Killian, of course, because he wouldn’t let her lift a finger). She falls asleep on his shoulder less than halfway through, succumbing to the chaos of the day earlier than she meant to.

When she wakes again, it’s morning, and she’s in her bed.

There’s a note on the fridge telling her to take it easy, and she scoffs at it as she goes to brew coffee. It’s not like she had anything planned for the day, work or otherwise.

She’s not sure if he made the plans for her or if Elsa decided on her own, but it’s just after noon when there’s a knock on her door and the blonde is standing there with a deck of cards and a tray of to-go hot chocolates.

“Did he put you up to this?”

“Nope. Told me what happened but I decided to do this all on my own. Besides, you probably didn’t have plans today anyway.”

Her words are an echo of her previous thoughts, so she shrugs a little and opens the door wide to let Elsa in.

“I was surprised you didn’t call David,” Elsa says after they’re settled in around her coffee table, lounging on cushions and blankets, looking like they’ve nested for the remainder of the winter.

“He would’ve flipped out. And Snow would’ve mothered me to death. Killian panicked, but he at least takes care of me the way I need him to.” She’s staring at the cards in her hand, trying to decide if it’s worth it to keep looking for an ace or to start discarding them from her hand.

Elsa hums at that, and Emma gives her a look. “What’s that noise for?”

“Oh, you know.”

When her friend doesn’t continue, Emma stares harder.

“Oh, come on, Emma. What was it you said to me once about knowing me before you knew me?”

Emma takes her time responding, shuffling her cards and finally discarding the five of diamonds instead of the ace. “I said I knew you because I knew myself. We were both loners, looking out for ourselves, and trying not to hurt anyone else along the way.”

“Exactly. That’s the kind of bond we had when we were still a pinch hostile towards each other when I moved here, and now we’re friends. So imagine how much more I know about you now, and how much you’re avoiding the elephant in the room.”

She stares at Elsa, trying to gauge exactly what she’s talking about. She knows it’s in reference to Killian, but Emma works so hard to keep that secret buried deep. There’s no way Elsa could know how she feels, is there?

“When are you going to tell him how you feel?” Elsa asks, eliminating all questions about what thinly veiled conversation they’re having.

“Never.”

“Emma.”

“He can’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t need this baggage hanging around him when I could run at any moment.” She blurts it out, surprising even herself with the intensity of the words.

Elsa puts her cards down, completely abandoning the game at hand and reaches over for Emma.

“Has it ever occurred to you that if you ran, he would follow you?”

“I’m not sure he would, actually.”

“That man would follow you to the ends of the earth, or time, if he had to. But if you need proof, please look at the guy that left work in the middle of the day to drive to Portland to pick you up and take care of you because he knows the right way to take care of you. Your words.”

Her little speech is topped off with a raise of one of her perfect eyebrows.

“I’m not saying you need to confess your feelings right now,” she adds, grabbing the cards from Emma’s hand and gathering them all to re-deal. “But think about it. Also you should’ve discarded the ace. I’m doing you a favor.”

Emma shakes her head as she motions for Elsa to continue, taking a moment to sip from her hot chocolate and consider her options. She sets herself a deadline of January 1. Maybe by then she can make up her mind what to do or not do.

-x-

On Saturday, early in the morning, Killian pulls up outside of Emma’s apartment. David is dropping off Snow to spend time with her while they go down to Portland to get Emma’s Bug. 

But before they can get to that part of the plan, they have to make it there first.

Killian and David actually have a fantastic relationship. They bonded over having pains in the ass for brothers, and their friendship with Emma (even if David’s goes a little deeper than his own – being siblings by legal decree does mean a little more than “best friend” after all). But currently, you’d think they were strangers with the way the silence sits heavy between them in David’s SUV.

He tries to think of things to talk about, but nothing comes to mind but how to tell his very good friend that he’s in love with Emma. That’s not a conversation for a car trip where he literally cannot escape if the other man tries to aim his side of the vehicle at a tree.

Finally, he settles on something more mundane, asking what David got Snow for Christmas, and if he had any good ideas for what to get Emma this year.

That, of course, derails the conversation pretty quickly.

“You could get her your honesty about how you feel about her,” David suggests, still driving in the same calm and collected manner he has been the whole time.

“Pardon?’

“You heard me. I think she’s the only person in Storybrooke that doesn’t know how you feel.”

“Aye, well, all the more reason to not tell her. I don’t need to scare her off.”

“Why would that scare her off?” David asks, glancing over at Killian to see the tired look on his face.

“I know Emma. I know how she thinks. And she’s sworn off love for so long that I feel if I admitted my attractions that she would split as soon as she could,” he says in response.

“You never know until you try,” comes the answer to his statement, but Killian isn’t convinced.

“Does she need a new blanket for the living room, do you think?”

“You two are more alike than you think,” is David’s final comment before letting Killian successfully change the subject without returning to it again.

When they get to Portland, Killian stops in at the front desk to let him know he’s back to gather Emma’s car, making sure everything is still squared away with that before he goes out and gives David a thumbs up. The other man still waits until he sees that the Bug is successfully running, and then they both head back on the road to get home.

Killian has to pull into a gas station not long after they start driving, though, after a glance at the gauges tells him that Emma never bothered to fill up after she got here. He checks over the contents of the car quickly, making sure nothing was disturbed as he finds that the passenger door was also unlocked this whole time.

One item in particular draws him up short, however, when he reads the heading and discovers it to be an apartment application for a building not far from the hotel he just left.

When was she planning on telling anyone she was interested in moving down here? By the looks of it, she got two-thirds through the application before it was left on her passenger seat.

His heart sinks looking it over, where she’s even filled out potential move-in dates for right after the holidays are over. He can’t imagine Emma living outside of Storybrooke. She was there when he moved to the US and she’s been there for him ever since, and he never imagined she would leave. Apparently, though, she had other plans that she wasn’t sharing.

Maybe he should invest in some packing materials for Christmas in order to help her, if that’s what she wishes to do.

With every mile he drives closer to home, the more his heart aches. Should he tell her he found the application? Should he try to convince her to stay? No – he’s always claimed he would support her in anything and everything she ever did, and this change in location will be no different.

Instead, what Killian decides to do by the time he gets back, is bury the knowledge of what he’s found. If Emma wants to move, she will tell him - tell all of them - in her own time. 

By the time he makes it back to Storybrooke, he’s worked his own mind into a frenzy. All he wants to do is drop off the keys and get back home. But when he gets to Emma’s door, he can smell the food first, and hear the laughter of their friends beyond the wood. Emma must sense his arrival because she whips open the door right as he’s about to knock.

“We thought you got lost!” she says, smiling wide and yanking on his sleeve to pull him inside. “We made dinner. Come join us.”

Despite his internal turmoil, Killian obliges, kicking off his shoes by the door and hanging his coat where it always hangs. He heads to the kitchen table when he’s settled, doing his best to put on a happy mask and enjoy the time with his loved ones. 

He sets himself into the easy rhythm of traditions, passing the food in the order they always choose, and stacking the plates in a particular way when everyone is done. 

As a group, they initiate cleanup. Emma and Killian fall to their respective roles of washing and drying the plates, while David packs up the food and stores the leftovers away. He and Snow leave shortly after with their own container of food, leaving Emma and Killian by themselves as they finish the dishes. 

A million times, he tells himself to stay quiet, but that doesn’t stop him from blurting it out after five minutes. “So, the Portland Arms is a nice building.”

“It… you saw the application.”

“It was on the seat of your vehicle, so yes, I saw the application,” he says with much more attitude than he meant to. 

“It’s just…”

“Just what, love? Just a couple hours away? Just a change of scenery and nothing else will change?”

“I was going to say ‘just an application’ but you’re right with both of those, too.”

Killian sighs, deflating a bit as he places the last dry dinner plate on the stack. “I’m sorry, Swan, it’s just the thought of you leaving is a lot to take in. But if it’s truly what you want, then just let me know what you need me to do and I’ll be happy to help.”

“Hold your horses,” she tells him, patting him on the arm when her hands are dry. “I’m not going anywhere yet. Like I said, it’s just an application. I don’t know if I want to move in the middle of winter so it may be a while.”

That her obstacle is the middle of winter rather than anything else tells him a lot about her feelings on the matter, so he lets it drop. 

-x-

It feels like there’s something brewing that Emma can’t control. She’s not sure what exactly, but ever since they went down to get her car and Killian found that stupid application that she left on her seat, there’s been some underlying tension that they can’t seem to shake. He’s been moody, but also pretending he isn’t. She’s not sure why she didn’t tell him the truth, but it’s her own damn business, anyway! 

On Christmas Eve, he comes over as he always does in order to decorate her tree. Normally, Emma is fully immersed in the process of picking out, cutting down, and hauling in of her tree. This year, she had to skip the second and third parts of that, only having a hand in picking out the one she wanted while David and Killian were the ones to bring it in. It’s been in the stand for a couple days now just waiting for the trimming part, but they always wait until the day before to do that together. 

While David and Snow are busy decorating theirs and getting their little family home ready for the holiday, Killian comes to her apartment. He doesn’t put up a tree of his own because he spends so much of his time at Emma’s place. 

He doesn’t do a lot of holiday decorating for that same reason, and Emma gets why he might be upset with the idea of her moving to Portland because all of his traditions that have been formed over the years will be moving with her. 

Clearly, she didn’t consider how hard he might take it if she actually moved away. 

But as she carefully sits there unwrapping and adding ornaments to the tree, she can’t imagine doing this without him. They have assigned parts in this play: they pick the tree together, and Killian puts on the lights while she fetches the skirt and the ornaments, then he’s in charge of the garland and Emma tops the whole thing with the star. 

This year they had to make some concessions to make sure Emma doesn’t hurt herself, but she’s still taking care of the ornaments while Killian struggles to get the beaded garland untangled. He’s muttering to himself, saying how he meant to wrap them around something last year when they packed it all up, but it’s all a diatribe to himself and she just listens and tries her best not to laugh. 

He’s helpless. Adorable and helpless. And she doesn’t really realize what she’s doing until she’s already moving towards him - the small swan ornament she’d been holding is abandoned back in the box and she’s grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards her.

There’s a look of shock on his face as she tugs him down, and then she’s not thinking about how there was no warning leading up to this but how right it feels to be kissing him. Killian’s surprise wears off quickly and then he’s kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. She can feel the beads of the garland digging into her side where he clearly didn’t drop the strand but she doesn’t care, especially when her hand buries into his hair and she’s not sure she ever wants to surface from this again. 

He sighs out her name as they break apart at one point, and that’s when reality comes crashing down on her. What is she doing? And what is he doing kissing her back like that?

“I’m - I’m sorry. I’ll be right back,” Emma stutters out, making a dash for the bathroom. She takes her time, pressing a cool washcloth to her face and running the faucet for far too long before she exits again. 

When she comes back, the living room is empty. The garland is neatly strung around the tree, but the coat rack reveals no extras and it’s clear that he’s made a swift exit while she tried to collect herself. 

There’s a note by the tree, hastily scrawled but still more beautiful than most handwriting she’s ever seen. In it, Killian explains that he’s had a rather long day and he’s headed home to get some sleep, but that he’ll see her in the morning when they all exchange gifts. With a sigh, she turns back to her ornaments, adding the last few she had left before.

It takes her that long to realize that Killian has already added the star to the top of the tree, probably foreseeing that she can’t stretch like that on her own right now. She doesn’t even plug it in to see it all completed, instead flipping off the rest of the lights and making sure the door is locked before going to bed.

She knows why she kissed Killian - she wanted to. She wanted… wants him. She just doesn’t know why he kissed her back like a man on a mission and then bolted while she tried to make heads and tails of the situation. 

Her dreams are fraught with weird scenarios, one of which has her tangled in strands of lights and garland, trapped in a Christmas prison. She calls out for help repeatedly, but never gets an answer. Then she calls out Killian’s name and she can immediately hear a response for her to hold on, that he’s on his way.

In the morning, she wakes with that dream fresh in her mind and her heart still aches a little at the message. In all situations, great and small, she knows without a doubt that Killian will be there to help her. So what’s holding her back from telling him how she feels? 

The whole day feels different. Killian is usually the first one at her door in the morning but he’s not there when David and Snow show up. They’re the ones helping Emma put together brunch, just waiting for the oven timer to ding when Killian finally walks through the door looking like he slept about as roughly as Emma did. 

“Sorry I’m late,” he tells her as she helps him out of his coat. “Had to take care of some things at home.”

It’s a lie. She’s not sure she’s ever heard him lie to her this blatantly before. He’s lied to her about small things before, but this is the first time she’s heard him outright lie this bad since they drove down to Boston one summer and he claimed he wasn’t lost. When they ended up in New Hampshire, he finally admitted his wrongdoing. 

But when she looks a little harder at him, he averts his eyes, moving instead to remove his boots and wander over to where Snow and David have already made themselves comfortable in the living room. 

That’s the way it is all through brunch and the cleanup from their meal, and even most of the way through presents. He only really looks at her again when he thanks her for his gift. His eyes say volumes about how he’s feeling, so while the words were quiet, he’s practically screaming his gratitude in looks alone. 

When she opens the gift from him, her heart almost stops. Nestled in the small box is a swan pendant, vastly different than the last one she owned when she was younger, and already holding a lot more meaning than the little keychain some asshole once lifted from a gas station for her. She kept the old pendant for the longest time as a reminder not to trust anyone. It was Killian that helped her finally get rid of that necklace, patiently sitting with her as she took her time, made peace with all the bad memories, and then chucked it into the ocean from the boat he’d taken her out on that day.

“I hoped it would have slightly better memories than the last one,” Killian says, and she didn’t even notice him move closer until she realizes how near his voice is. “May I?”

She nods, watching in silence as he lifts the necklace from the box, taking his time to grasp the clasp between his fingers and pinching it open while holding the other side with his prosthetic. She holds her hair up and out of the way as he latches the necklace behind her, his fingers lingering just a bit before he abruptly stands. 

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve some work to attend to,” he says, looking regretfully at Emma before he heads for the door. He makes sure to gather his gifts, thanking David and Snow before slipping from the apartment as quickly as he showed up. 

It takes some acting, but she plays off his departure as nothing major. It’s clear he’s never mentioned the apartment application to David and Snow or else one of them would’ve blurted out an objection already. So she plays along and smiles through the rest of their time together. 

Just after they eat dinner, Snow excuses herself. “I’m going home for a moment, and I’ll be back with more cookies,” she tells them. 

Another lie, Emma can tell, but she lets her friend go, realizing pretty quickly this is a case of Divide and Conquer between the married couple. 

“I’m going to make you more hot chocolate. And when it’s done, we’re going to have a talk,” David says when the door has shut behind his wife, confirming her suspicions. 

Emma bites back the smile the best she can and follows him into the kitchen.

-x-

It’s snowing and cold but Killian doesn’t really notice any of it. His hand is shoved into his pocket and his prosthetic is resting on the wooden railing overlooking the docks. 

“I would be lost without you,” he repeats to himself. It’s the inscription she put on the inside of the compass, a beautiful rosewood piece that he would normally be so excited to display in his home until it was time to bring his own boat out of winter storage. 

Now, after everything that’s happened the last couple weeks, he can’t tell its intended meaning. She’s talking about moving, and then she kisses him, and then runs away, and then gives him this particular gift with this particular message? 

He watches his breath fog out in front of him, noticing that even that looks sad and aggravated.

“Thought I might find you out here,” comes a voice from behind him.  He turns to find Snow standing there, bundled against the cold and holding a hot mug that she hands to him.

The tea is one of his favorites, and he sighs in the comfort of the gesture.

“You two have been keeping secrets from us,” Snow says. “You don’t need to tell me everything, since I’m sure it means more to you and Emma than it does to me or David. There’s some things that I do know. It’s that you don’t get a happy ending without working for it, and that everyone deserves love. I can tell you have feelings for Emma that go beyond best friends. And though she’d never admit it, I’m pretty sure Emma feels the same way.”

“You’d get along with my brother,” Killian says, managing a smile. It doesn’t last, though. “And I don’t know if she truly does.”

“You won’t know until you talk to her.” Snow reaches out and clasps his arm. “Look, Emma has waited a long time for someone to come into her life that she trusts enough to give her heart to. And I think she so badly wants it to be you, but she’s too scared to make a move without knowing for sure how you feel.”

It’s sound advice, to maybe even make things a little more obvious to her. Handing her a necklace doesn’t explain his reasoning behind it - that he not only bought it because he thought of the way she’d smile when she saw it, but also because she deserves to replace every last memory from the last man she trusted that broke her heart. 

Snow shivers, bringing him back to the present and he’s finally aware of the snow falling heavier now than it was before. “It’s cold out here. Go home,” she tells him. “And Merry Christmas!” With a quick peck on his cheek, Snow turns and walks up the path back towards where she can see David waiting in his truck to pick her up. 

He turns back towards the water, staring out at the darkness beyond his vision. 

His friend is right. He needs to tell Emma how he feels, and he needs to do it before it’s too late. Liam always tells him that a man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. With one more look out to the water, he turns to head back to Emma’s apartment, but she’s already there.

She’s a couple meters away, shivering slightly despite her warm weather gear, and it’s only once Killian turns that she seems to come back to herself. 

“What are you doing out here, love? It’s freezing.”

“Says the man out here without a scarf or a glove or a hat?”

“I wasn’t really planning on staying out long. It just sort of… happened.” 

“Killian.”

“No wait, there’s something I need to say before we go any further.” He braces himself quickly, moving towards her slowly as he starts to speak. “When I met you, I was a broken man. I'd lost what I thought was the love of my life. After that first Christmas I spent with you, I felt like maybe my heart could move on one day. You invited me to join your family and your traditions, and for the first time in a long time I felt that hope that I'd find love again. And by the next Christmas, I wanted to find that love with you.”

He stops when he’s close enough to see the way the snowflakes catch on her eyelashes, and the way she keeps brushing them out of her hair. 

“I was always afraid to say anything for fear that you’d go running from me, since I’d heard all the stories you’d told me about the men you’d been with. I figured if you kept repeating ‘I’m never dating again’ enough in my presence that I should probably heed that warning.”

Emma chuckles under her breath at that, inching her way closer to him as he does the same to her. 

“Snow told me you’ve waited a long time to find a man to give your heart to. I’m truly hoping if you’d be lost without me that it means I may be the one you’re ready to try again with?”

“I know the engraving was cheesy but it fits too well, and it’s absolutely true. I would be lost without you.” The words come out quietly, and his breath catches in his throat as her fingers find the pirate’s luck necklace she bought him a few years ago. “I know I didn’t make it easy for you to tell me the truth, but I want you to know I feel the same way. What do you say, should we make this official? Kiss again and not have either of us go running for the hills afterward?” She means for it to lighten the mood, but he can’t help but be perfectly honest with his next words. 

“Your heart’s desire, Swan. That’s all I want.”

Her responding smile is bright and she leans forward just as he does. For a moment, all they do is touch their foreheads together, savoring this moment and breathing the other in - this closeness feels different than all the other times in their shared lives. When her fingers link with his, that’s when Killian moves again, angling his head and pressing his lips to hers. 

This time is sweeter, with much more meaning behind it.

“Does this mean you aren’t moving to Portland?”

“Killian. I was never moving to Portland. My skip worked in the housing office at that building and I needed the application as a cover to get to him.”

“And you couldn’t have just told me that when I brought it up?”

“I got defensive! It’s a knee-jerk reaction.”

“You got the ‘jerk’ part right, at least.”

She points a finger at him, a wordless warning that he’s been on the receiving end of multiple times. 

“Let’s go home,” she tells him, smiling as he lifts one of her gloved hands to press his lips against it. 

It’s later when she kisses him goodnight when she tells him she took the job at the station, and he feels like this may be the best Christmas he’s ever had. 

-x-

The next Christmas, the box she unwraps is engraved, and the contents inside of it make her tear up. 

“Where you lead,” he whispers, “will you let me be by your side?”

Her response of ‘yes’ is quickly lost in the way that they kiss, and they inform David and Snow to make it Christmas dinner instead of brunch, just so they have time to get their celebrating out of the way before they tell everyone else.

The End!

[punkiesocialonline]

The Princess and The Jester

(I thought this would be cute)

(Warning: Language! Bad Language!)

Summary: Y/N is Baron Corbin’s little sister. She just debuted on SmackDown, showing the world that this little princess can fight in the king’s world. But on her debut night she runs into a funny little red head who she finds  very attractive.

Waiting backstage for her debut match was the hardest thing Y/n has ever done. She was a bundle of nerves, pacing back and forth in front of her older brother. 

Corbin was too busy checking his crown and cape to notice at first, but when he caught sight of her nervously walking back and forth in his mirror, he sighed and grinned.

“You’ll do fine, Y/n, relax,” He said, pulling up a chair next to him. 

Y/n gratefully took it, sitting down and glancing up at her brother with nervous eyes.

“I’m just so excited! We’re both living our dreams Baron! I don’t wanna mess this up,” She admitted, boredly playing with Corbin’s cape.

“Like I said, you’ll do fine. Stop worrying! I’ve seen you in action and let me just say that you have more talent than any woman here!” He praised, patting his sisters head like a doll.

She smiled slightly at his compliment.

“Even Becky?” She joked.

“Well, Becky is THE MAN, so she doesn’t count,” Corbin joked back.

There was a knock on the door as they laughed. 

“Corbin, your match is in five,” Some official said from the other side of the door. 

Baron sighed and nodded to the door. He pulled the cape out of her grasp and stretched. 

“Duty calls sis, the people demand to see their king.”

Y/n stood too, mocking her much taller brother’s stretching. He lightly touched her head with his staff and chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at him. 

They made their way to the curtains where a large monitor sat. 

“You can watch me dominate from here, I won’t be long,” the male said cockily as he made he’s way to the curtains.

“Go Baron,” Y/n mocked with fake enthusiasm.

He flicked her off and before going out to the ring when his music hit. 

His sister stood at the monitor and watched in awed as her brother went from a loving, kind, pain in the ass to a ruthless asshole.

The first five minute of the match against Matt Riddle made Y/n’s blood boil. She couldn’t stand that frat boy wanna be. He stayed in control since the bell rang. Y/n was so mad, she didn’t notice the Canadian man walk up behind her.

“Hello,” The red head said with a confused smile.

“Oh!” Y/n jumped, smiling a little that the man had startled her. “Uh hello.”

The man wasn’t very tall but he was taller then Y/n. His red hair looked slightly brown and his brown eyes were kind. He wore a championship on him arm, but Y/n couldn’t exactly figure out which one it was.

With a sweet laugh that made Y/n smile, the man nodded to the monitor

“You know either of them?”

Y/n pointed to her brother, who was finally gaining momentum. The red head cocked an eyebrow at him in surprise.

“You know Corbin?” He asked skeptically . “You’re not he’s girlfriend or something, right?”

 She shook her head and rolled her eyes, though she did understand the confusion. She did look different from her brother. She was much shorter, with Y/c eyes and Y/c hair. 

“No, that’s my older brother,” she explained.

The man’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Y/n couldn’t help but laugh again.

“So you’re Y/n Corbin!” The man realized, putting a hand on his forehead. 

“Yep,” Y/n says, still giggling. 

Everything about the man was...humorous. His walk, the way his talk, his actions. His hands are always in motion. His expressions are priceless. Y/n couldn’t help but think of how cute he was.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Y/n, I’m Sami. Sami Zayn,” he said with an outstretched hand.

Y/n recognized that name as one of the names Baron had told her to “stay away from.” But as she meet his hand and give it a shake, she couldn’t for the life of her understand why.

“Nice to meet you too, Sami,” she said, ignoring the electricity coursing through her veins when her skin met his.

“You know you’re nothing of what I’d thought you be like,” Sami said, shouldering his title.

Y/n gives him a look that stops him in his tracks. He instantly goes into his mind to replay what he just said.

“Oh!” He says, realizing his mistake. “Not that I thought you would be bad or anything! Not that you are bad! Sorry, I tend to lose myself in my words and they come out wrong, it’s weird. Then I start ranting and- and I’m doing it now. Sorry, you’re just really pretty and um, wait I mean uh, sorry.”

Y/n laughed. She laughed harder than she did in a long time. Sami nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned three shades of red. 

“I’m sorry, Sami. You’re just so funny. You’re forgiven by the way,” She finally got out as she stopped laughing.

Sami smiled at her and she smiled back. She was too caught up with Sami to notice her brother’s victory. Her laugh blocked out his music and her happy tears blurred her vision.

She only noticed him when he heard his voice.

“Sis, did you see that-” 

His eyes started seeing red as soon as they landed on his sister and the funny little man. He stomped over to them, pleased when Sami caught sight of him and took a step back. 

Y/n turned around and smiled at her older brother. 

“Hey Baron, what’s-” He dragged her away before she could finish her sentence. She fought against him but to no avail. In the end she gave up and just waved goodbye to Sami. Sami waved back, a disappointed look on his face. Clearly, he wanted to talk with her some more.

Back in Baron’s locker room, he let go of his sister and closed the door.

“What is wrong with you? Don’t you know who that is?” He asked her once he knew there was no where she could storm off to.

“Sami Zayn,” the smaller sibling said with a shrug.

This just pissed Baron off more.

“Yeah, I told you to stay away from people like him, sis!”

“Why?”

Baron stared at his little sister like she just asked the single most stupid question in the world.

“Why? Have you talked to him? He’s a joke! An idiot! And he’ll just mess you up, Y/n. He’ll mess up your whole goal, he’s not to be trusted!” Baron explained, taking his cape and crown off.

“Baron, I’m an adult, I can handle making my own friends. And Sami doesn’t seem that bad! He’s funny and witty and kinda cute-”

Her brother’s look made her stop in her tracks but her wicked grin never left her face. Her brother shook his head and sighed, looking at his crown. Then an idea popped into his head. He put the crown onto of his sister’s head lightly, it was much too big for her so it tilted ff to the side.

“Let me put it like this, you are the princess, he is the jester. You two don’t belong together, as friends or anything more, you know why?”

“Because the king is a controlling older brother with his head too far up his ass?”

Baron shook his head.

“Because it would ruin your reputation. He is below you, Y/n.  I don’t want  to see you get hurt.”

Y/n couldn’t help hear the sincereness in his voice. She smiled softly at him but sighed and took his crown off her head.

“I love that you’re so protective of me Baron, but like I said, I’m grown now. If I want to see Sami again, which I do, I’m going to see him.” She said, no room for argument.

Now it was Baron’s turn to sigh. He really did want to just look out for his sister but he knew she was right, she’s not a kid anymore.

“Fine, but, at least think about my warnings, please sis. For me?” He whispered, refusing to let anyone who just happened to walk past hear his pleas.

With an understanding smile, Y/n nodded, but Baron could still see the excitement in her eyes.

For the next half hour before her match, she pretended to think about her brother’s warning, but really she was thinking about the funny ginger and counting down the seconds until she saw him again.

(Hello again! I liked how this turned out, so let me know if you want a part two!)

[rosesanthology]

Escape Plan | Matsukawa Issei x F!Reader [mafia!AU]

This took me SO MUCH TIME to write aaaaaah it's not surprising that it's so long :0 i just have many many feelings for Matsukawa Issei ALSO im begging y'all to listen to the playlist before/as you read please !!

Im kinda pissed that i cant add a "read more" option since im on mobile tho :\

(Also ngl at first i planned to get one of the 2 shot but i didn't have the heart to go thru with it)

Warnings : Fluff, it starts with humor but at some point it gets angsty ???? Idk y'all tell me

- Au that could be considered as a ennemies-to-lovers type of situation

[Tags] : @raevaioli and @haikoo like i cannot stress this enough @haikoo this your main manz

- if you could only use one sentence to describe your job to a Karen it would be : stealing from the rich in order to trick other rich people

- you had been what the people would call a spy for most of your life now, the Tokyo based Nekoma Organisation being something close to a family

- you worked with both of your very good friends, Kuroo Testurou and Kozume Kenma

- Kuroo, the leader of your little squad, had been the first one to open up to you when you joined

- he was a gifted chemistry genius and you were sure he could make any poison or soporific out of the most random stuff

- he also had insane combat and physical abilities which made him fit to act in a lab as well as on mission grounds

- Kenma was a little more reserved at first, he was the same age as you but still was really reluctant to accept you as one of his own at first

- when he saw how much Kuroo trusted you and how interested you were in his work he slowly but surely found himself caring for you

- to put it simply Kenma, better known as "apple pi" was a hacker. His job ranged from creating computer viruses to full on enabling the security of whole museums

- despite his cute appearance and shy demeanor he was probably the scariest of you three

- finally, you Y/L L/N was the infiltration and weapons expert of the group, you could weild literally anything from guns, to swords to,,,,,metal rods (but you don't wanna talk about this one) and you were of great help when deciding which infiltration angle was the best in missions

- Kuroo, under the orders of Boss Nekomata, quickly taught you the dangers and ways of the job during your first months working with them, the organisation specializing in outsmarting rich bastards and stealing their precious ressources in order to make "better use of them"

- if they were hoarding a particularly efficient brand of medicine, your goal was to steal it all, and sell it to people in need for free or a low price

- if they were in possession of some important object like let's say,,,,,the construction plans for the emperor's new vacation house, you stole it, made copies to sell at a high price to the highest bidder and your good affiliate, the Fukurodani Corporation would keep an eye on the original as part of their personnal collection, you were fine with that

- yeah they were others organisations like that in Tokyo, your friends from the Fukurodani Corp of course but also the Shiratorizawa elite crime group with who you had worked a couple times before

- ah and there was the Yakuzas too....honestly they were the only group in Tokyo with whom you were still on dangerous terms with

- they didn't like Nekoma in their affairs and you didn't like them in yours, but you tolerated each other

- your boss had established a truce with the representant of the big Yakuza group of your area, Kondo "the viper" Takara, a truly scary woman who had blasted her way to the one of the top positions of the hierarchy

- she even had a cool nickname ヾ(｀ε´)ノ

- but you knew better than to mess with them

- all in all y'all kept doing your jobs well, not bothering anybody

- except for one remaining rivalry with some Miyagi group

- the Aoba Johsai Institution.

- well, rivalry would be a strong word because you kinda got along with that Iwaizumi guy, he was a great hand to hand combat fighter and you respected that

- the others however ? Trash. 👁3👁

- they seem to act like Tokyo will be their territory in the next 5 seconds flat like ??

- THEY DON'T EVEN GO THERE ????

- "they be acting like they can just swoop in and eat OUR rich" you had told Kuroo and Kenma one day over ramen

- spoiler alert : it was a bad idea cause Kuroo snorted and almost made the noodles go up his nose

- no but seriously they always seemed to take advantage of YOUR missions to attract attention

- how did they even know which missions you were on anyway ??? (Kenma and Kunimi are actually good friends cause they play video games together but he'd never tell you that)

- it's like that one time you infiltrated a business company's heir's residence and then you came across a dude named Hanamaki and you had the HARDEST time whisper shouting to him how blowing up the whole place was a bad idea to retrieve one (1) diamond

- at the end you felt so tired that you gave it to him anyway ಥ_ಥ ("just take it ffs" "really ??" "Don't make me regret this")

- they also had the single worst person ever on one of their teams.

- Matsukawa Issei

- just thinking about it made you want to take your metal bat and break something in your shared room with your two other friends

- seriously that guy was like the epitome of clownery

- he's also supposed to be his team's gun expert except that's not the best task for someone who refuses to take anything with him but his freaking FISTS

- the first time you had met y'all ended up being on the same case to assassinate some guy who had kidnapped some cute freckled kid from a place in Miyagi called Karasuno

- EXCEPT HE WAS IN TOKYO SO IT WAS YOUR DUTY !!! NOT HIS !!!!

- you had Kenma on the earbud telling you about the guy's position in the club you were currently one street away from. You were posted on the rooftop of a building with a sniper rifle ready to get done with it and go save the kid but GUESS WHO COMES IN FISTS SWINGING WHEN YOU LITERALLY HAD THE TARGET IN SIGHT

- and he had the nerve to look straight toward your rifle's aim and flip you off while smirking

- sir you're about to catch these hands🚶🏽

- he had knocked him out alright and he got the young boy out but you were NOT ready to let that slide so you quickly got down and crossed path with him at the back exit of the club

- "what exactly do you think you were doing in there ?" Listen. You may have sounded confident enough saying that but you had NO idea that this dude was like a whole ass giraffe

- and he knew he was tall so he had the audacity to say

- "sorry can't hear you so well from down there midget, i was just doing my job (▰˘◡˘▰)" if it weren't for the karasuno boy being right there you would have stabbed his kneecaps on sight

- anyway after that y'all just seemed to run into each other wayyyy too often

- insults were shared just as often tho

- "well butter my buns and call me betty broker if it isn't my sweet little midget shooting people !"

- "stfu before i choke you"

- "kinky but can you reach my neck ?"

- "you've sunk low enough"

-so yeah f u n  t i m e s

- aside from that, business was going great but Kuroo had had news of a very important mission for you but he insisted on letting Boss Nekomata tell you about it himself for some reason

- he'd never done that :(

- you were kinda hurt that your best friend was hiding stuff from you tbh :(

- and Kenma did not seem to know more than you for now

- so you spent a whole week just mopping around

- sometimes you would go and poke fun and the newbie Lev Haiba but it wasn't the same

- Kuroo and Kenma kept working on missions while you were left waiting for that one assignment that Nekomata seemed to keep you for

- until today when Kuroo finally told you that the boss was requesting you in his office

- ngl you were EXCITED

- maybe you would have to zipline down the Tokyo tower (σ≧▽≦)σ maybe he was going to let you take a chainsaw with you this time (σ≧▽≦)σ

- maybe he- "oh" you deadpanned, stepping foot into the office and seeing none other than your arch nemesis, Matsukawa Issei in all his pisces clown glory

- "why tf are you there shitty eyebrows"

- "i had a good day too Y/N ! thanks for asking :D" today was the day. You were 100% ready to kill him and the knife that was attached to your thigh strap seemed like such a good option rn-

- "stop it you two. Y/N take a sit" Nekomata gestured, as you didn't hesitate to listen to your superior even fully aware of Mattsun's eyes annoyingly following your every movement

-"Okay so. Y/N i know you may be wondering why Matsukawa's here but to put it simply we've been informed that a rich family have gotten their hands on one of Aoba Johsai's rarest item : a gold engraved katana that belonged to their first boss"

- "so what do you need us for ?" You didn't mean to use "us" but you knew better than to piss off your boss, he was like a parental figure come on

- "i need you guys to infiltrate an auction held by said family and steal it back in the span of one week. It's up to you to work together or not but keep in mind that our arrangement states that we're autorised to make copies of the katana for future sells."

- you guys nodded, after all you were professionnals before everything and you were about to leave when Nekomata put something on the table

- "here are the keys to your appartment near the auction site it'll be your hideout !"

-.....now this had to be a cruel joke-

- "id rather sleep under a bridge then live with her for a whole week"

- "wow this is the first time we agree on something Mattsun" the oh so familiar nickname dripped in venom as you said it, unsure of what was supposed to happen

- "oh yes you could but i suppose that you don't have the supplies and tools that you will definitely need during that mission :)"

- you locked eyes with the brunette for a minute before reluctantly stomping to the table and grabbing hold of the keys and adress written on a paper, storming out of the door,  letting out a loose "come on shitty eyebrows we have data to collect" to your new....partner ? Ugh it was about to be a long week

-  it turns out the appartment was a lot smaller than you hoped for, with two single person beds, a computer post and different storing purposed furniture

- it was a common thing however, because the last thing an undercover spy would want is to draw attention with a flashy hideout

- the first step was to gather information on who would be at the auction which shouldnt be too hard

- "hey ill take the lead and contact my friend so that he can determine who is going to be here" you said as you sat on the chair in front of the computer

- "mm yeah you do that ill check what kind of weapons have been provided to us" Mattsun had no difficulty finding them as the drawers well full of them....this was very promising

- Kenma had just sent you the list of people that had been invited to the event, and you recognised many names as being members of the powerful Yakuza group lead by Konda Takara, of course.....the infamous viper herself

- you called out to Mattsun to show him and briefly explained what they were up too and how they usually fonctionned

- the auction was to take place the last 3 days after an opening party, leaving the rest of the week for preparations

- they usually took their time in comitting their crimes so you thought that stopping them mid plan by taking advantage of it was the best way to get the sword

- Mattsun didn't have anything to say for the moment, seemingly thoughtful about the whole situation

- "just so you know" you started, already regretting the decision of talking in your head, "i don't plan on being friends with you anytime soon but i feel like for this we should at least try not to rip each other's hair out"

- "i never planned on that second option"

- "huh ?"

- "i hope you know that we've never had a single conversation without insults of some kind before so for the sake of both of us it would be better to actually get to know each other since we're supposed to work together"

- you hated to admit it

- but he was right

- however you didn't comment on it, opting for throwing him a dry "let's sleep" before plopping yourself on your own bed on the other side of the room

- this is about to be one hell of a week

-3 days had passed in the crammed appartement both you and Mattsun struggling to inform yourself on each specific individual that was going to be present at the auction

- right now, you were both sitting on the floor, wearing simple oversized shirts and pyjama pants and shorts, cheese pizza box laying on top of the document covered surface

- "Mattsun, pass me the paper about Okuda Takeda please" :000

- Matsukawa froze, because he knew that in 2 days of living together y'all had establised that you wouldn't be at each other's throats

- but hearing you using his nickname unironically and saying please ???? That was still something he had to get used to

- "what are you staring at ? Give me the paper shitty eyebrows >:[" ah there she was

- "thats my girl" he thought, handing you the document and resuming his own reading

- here's the catch : Mattsun was head over heels in love with you since like day 1 that Hanamaki told him about this pretty girl who let him take the diamond from his mission. He tried to repress his feelings as he had noticed that you seemed way closer with your friend Kuroo who he had seen on missions with you

- maybe you liked him

- he would understand, he seemed way more confident than him and he was also probably way smarter since he was a genius and all

- also the way you were always soft to him and not Matsukawa kinda got to him

- he wanted you to hug HIM after a mission too and NOT insult him

- but he judged it for the better as he still got to be close to you in his own way with the playful fights you always seemed to pick with him

- it was easier than confronting his feelings or rejection

- this mission proved to make things so much harder for him tho

- like yeah he saw you being a badass plenty of other times but now ?

- he got to see you being all clingy and grumpy in the morning (he never knew being called a dumbass while you were falling back asleep on his shoulder was his thing but hey) , got to see your nose scrunch up when you were focusing on mapping out the position of the vent system of the venue

- he could go on for hours about how much he loved you and your plan was not making it easy.....profiting off the yakuzas' plan took way too much waiting and he understood that you wanted it to go as well as possible but he just couldn't keep living like this until then

- it felt like torture

- and he did not want to see you in that gorgeous dress that you were supposed to wear at the auction during the infiltration

- he knew that a couple more days could drive him crazy and make him do dumb shit like kissing you

- he had thought about that a lot of times but never brought himself to do it because je knew it was pointless

- he had to take action now

- the night of the opening ceremony, the day before the Yakuzas would start their scheme

- both of you were laying in your beds, awake, that was a habit you had developped over the past nights, you were just, aware of each other's presence and then sometime you would ask him something about his life, his friends, himself

- it made his heart beat too fast everytime and he could feel himself falling even more by the second when he heard you giggling talking about the time you pulled a prank on your friend Yaku with Kuroo

- he knew that you were already very sleepy from the way you were slurring your words

- "Y/N do you hate me ?" He said, abruptly and he heard a strangled laugh coming from you followed up by the question

- "what's that for dummy ?"

- "please answer" he asked in a whisper, sounding almost desperate

- you took a second to think about it

-you had grown quite close to your tall partner in such a short period of time, even letting your guard down and stopping from being so defensive

- "i don't hate you....i could never" you said the last part more to yourself tho but Matsukawa didn't miss it, he wished he did as he heard the soft sighs coming from your now sleeping form

- his heart ached as he got up, putting on his black coat over his mathing turtleneck shirt, taking his gun and spare map of the auction venue

- you were totally going to hate him now....

- and then he left for the opening party

- the rain was pouring outside

- for some reason you couldn't sleep well that night

- that only happened whenever Kuroo was out on a mission at night or Kenma was working in his office

- you hated sleeping alone, you couldn't do it

- being alone was the one thing you dreaded the most in your life, death was nothing if nobody knew where you were, if nobody aknowledged your existence you weren't alive

- but Mattsun was there and you trusted him.

- yeah you were kind of an ass to him during like 90% of your interactions with him but you just didn't know how to talk to him ??? He was so strong and good at what he did so you couldn't help but feel admiration but also intimidation

- yet you've felt probably more comfortable with him than anyone in your life (yes even Kuroo and Kenma weirdly enough)

- it was a nice feeling

- maybe it was because you saw him differently than them...

- but anyway

- you felt like yourself around him

- and yet

- why couldn't you sleep ?

- "Mattsun ?" You called out to him, voice cracked from not having used it for a while

- no answer

- maybe he didn't hear you over the rain....?

- you had a bad feeling about this

- "Mattsun ?" You called out a little louder, sitting up

- yep definitely

- you turned on the light and to your surprise, Matsukawa was nowhere in sight

- your heart sunk at the realization

- you were alone

- what about the plan ? Ah its true that he never said anything about it

- did he not trust you enough with it ? Did he think you were too assertive ?

- you wanted to cry but it seemed as if your brain wasn't working, your body rushing on its own to check the date and time on your phone : past 10pm on thursday night.....

- the opening party !

- "shit shit shit he must have gone there to take them by surprise wtf is he thinking doing this alone?" You thought aloud, maybe it would trick your body into not being scared

- at this point you were terrified, rushing to get the red dress on as well as putting your 2 guns under each of your thigh straps

- is he alone ? Surrounded by highly trained and dangerous Yakuzas ? What if....you were too late ?

- you didn't have time to think too much about it as you knew that this kind of thoughts led nowhere.

- you had to infiltrate that party the fastest you've ever done in your life and see for yourself, luckily, the venue was only a few crossroads away from your appartment

- truth was Mattsun's plan was not so bad

- after all you had insisted on making him find info on every staff member there too so it's thanks to you if he just so happened to know what type of guy that one waitress liked in order to flirt with her and convince her that he had forgotten his watch in one of the closed off aeras of the venue

- the place was absolutly gigantic, after all it was a mansion bought will illegal money

- he hated this, he just wanted to get it over with, retrieve the sword, gtfo and go back to Miyagi forever so that he wouldn't feel the pain of the illusion of being by your side when you were clearly far ahead of him

- you'd always been anyway

- he had finally reached the generator room and opened the vents with much difficulty as the room was a mess of cardboard boxes and storage shelves

- he was just going to cut the power, which would take about 15 minutes to get back, allowing him to go thru the vents to the main hall that was right thru the wall to his side, retrieve the sword and just make a run for it

- hopefully the rain would cover most of the sound he made so that was even better

- see that would have been great if he hadn't felt the icy cold metal of a gun at the nape of his neck as he was fiddling with the generator

- he had been caught.

- it was the end.

- shit he fucked the whole mission over and now even you didn't have a chance to-

- "what exactly do you think you're doing Mattsun ?" You said coldly even tho the hurt in your tone didnt go unnoticed by the taller man

- "haha Y/N whatchu doing here on this fine night ? You look stunning btw"

- "Cut the crap shitty eyebrows i asked you a question"

- you finally lowered your gun allowing your harsh glare to show how upset you truly were

- damn, Matsukawa really felt shitty :\

- he'd never seen you like that- well not soaked from the rain but....so vulnerable to him

- all your feelings talks happened in the dark of night in your hideout, he'd never seen your face look so pained before

- "I did what was best for both us..."

- "bullshit." He wasn't sure that he believed himself either to be honest

- "what the fuck are you even doing anyway ? I thought you and i were in this mission together ?? Did nothing matter to you ? I finally think that i found someone who i could trust other than my fucking family and that's what you do ? Ditch me for your own profit ?? You did what was best for your damn self Matsukawa"

- you were upset. He got it really, his insecurities had gotten the best of him like they often did....except he didn't have the strength to confront them, to confront you about it. So he got it and he didn't retaliate.

- "so what ?? You're not even going to say anything ?? Not even TRY to fucking apologize ? Do you really don't care ?" You searched for his eyes, but little did you know that he just....couldn't talk nor maintain eye contact with you right now

- "Mattsun...i thought you and i had...something ? I don't know maybe i hallucinated or some shit but i thought we were at least friends you know ? D-did you ever tolerate me at all ?"

- your voice cracked, it got lower and it cracked, and at that moment he was sure his heart broke right at this instant too

- he wanted to tell you that that was the farthest thing from the truth

- he wanted to tell you that he loved you

- but you were too far. Once again, you were miles ahead of him, more than ever

- and the sound of voices coming from the corridor did NOT HELP

- you could not afford being found here so with the professionalism left in you, you pushed your feelings away and pulled Mattsun behind a shelf, crouching and waiting

- you were so close he could feel you shivering from the cold and he felt so so bad

- but now was not really the moment

- "didn't you hear shouting ?" Shit. Maybe you should have waited until getting out of here for your heart to heart because this guard was definitely not trippin

- there were 2, luckily they didn't have the idea to split up to search the room, all you had to do was move low and close to the walls in order reach the door and well....the katana literally could not matter less to any of y'all rn

- at this moment you really regretted going out in such a hurry completly forgetting to contact Kenma, he could have hacked into the camera system and told you were they were so easily.....

- anyway, despite that you guys were stealthy enough to get out if the room

- now the problem was getting out of here.....

- you held Mattsun's wrist loosely as you ran thru the corridor of the building, thunder raging and labored breathing filling the silence

- "Y/N we could get out from the rooftop !" Right....if you could only get there then maybe you could just parcour your way out of this by getting on other rooftops....damn you were glad Matsukawa always thought of every escape plan possible

- you didn't really mean what you said earlier

- yes, you were disappointed but, you were also scared for his dumbass

- and rn may not be the best moment to realize it as you were most likely in a life of death situation but....you loved him

- fuck you loved him so much that you were running in a goddamn dress right now

- "i truly hoped it wasn't you" said a voice from the end of the lobby

- of course it just had to be the Yakuza boss you dreaded so much

- Kondo was just standing there, arms crossed but you knew better than to take her lightly

- "did you come to retrieve it ?" Its funny how her voice seemed to dominate even the full on storm outside, the occasional lightning bolt shining light from the huge windows into the corridor

- "No....let us pass please we just want to leave" Mattsun felt how tensed you were and immediatly rested his hand on his gun handle under his coat

- "yeah sure sweetheart but only if you tell your guard dog to calm down unless he wants me to cut his fingers clean off" she threatened nonchalantly as her hand met the handle of her own katana strapped to her belt

- Matsukawa was deadass glaring at her so hard you didn't recognise him

- he honestly looked like he could take her on but...you didn't feel like testing this theory tonight

- "hey hey, it's alright" you soothed him, putting your hand on his arm and squeezing slightly

- it seemed to work because he quickly let go of his gun even tho he was still glaring

- "let us go" he said firmly

- she pushed herself out of the way and motionned with her arm as if to say "go on~" in the most theatrical way

- you passed her without issues and soon found yourself on the roofs as planned in Mattsun's escape route and made it safely to the streets, rain still pouring

- you were finally letting out a breathe you didn't know you were holding all this time

- you were alive and most importantly, so was he

- you turned around and were ready to say something when he cut you off by grabbing your arms and pulling you into a kiss

- it was short but it managed to get his point across very well as well as warm you up when he wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his forehead against yours

- "i love you Y/N....i swear i didn't mean to hurt you and put you in danger like that....if i knew i would have done things differently i-"

- "i love you too Mattsun and it's never been a problem to me, i've done way more dangerous things in my life than rescue my boyfriend from getting killed dummy"

- in the end, you weren't alone

- somehow he had become, your escape plan from it

[padawan-jiejie]

V’s Affection

Summary: You and Nero have to kick some demon ass while V's doing what he's doing...

Word Count: 1496 (yeah, even I was surprised)

Pairing: V (Vitale / shadow of his former self / whatever you wanna call him) x fem!reader

Warnings: !MyEnglish!, violence, swear words

A/N: THIS IS TRASH BUT I FELT BAD FOR NOT POSTING ANYTHING IN SUCH A LONG TIME THAT I JUST WANTED TO THROUGH THIS OUT THERE!!! I'm sorry for any mistakes and inconsistencies because I suck at writing action (when I don't know how to do them in my native language, howma supposed to handle it in English?! - so that can tell you a lot) and I wrote it in 2 hours (AND IT SHOWS) which is weird cuz normally write ONE FF in like a MONTH and it's still NOT finished, so I'M  PROUD OF MYSELF!!! And... Yeah... I never thought I'd get so attracted by a bunch of pixels, but yeah... Here I go!!! And... apparently, I'm not alone!!! And for the beginning... I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!!! *PULL MY DEVIL TRIGGER!!! FIGHT ME ON THAT ONE!!! And for the ending... I have NO IDEA how they ended up talking about such stuff!!! DON'T ASK ME!!! IT JUST HAPPENED!!

You walked down a street. No one was there and everything looked like a mess. Crashed cars left on the sides of the road, newspapers slightly flying through the air and occasionally you could smell blood. Hell, a demon invasion happened just a couple days ago. Yet you were out searching for the boys that kind of went their own separate ways after Dante lost. Little did you know that it wouldn't take much longer for you to find them.

Boom!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!*

Scream!

Crash!

A bricked wall on your right cracked and Nero lent just a few feet away from you. Suddenly there were demons all around! One of those big flies tried to attack you, but you quickly jumped and pulled out your gun. You aimed at it, pulled the trigger and shot it in the head! First one - down! You stepped next to Nero and helped him up.

,,Seems like you need a lil bit of help here!"

,,Nah, I'd handle them myself."

,,Yeah, just like you'd have both hands! No offence!"

,,None taken."

,,Alright then - let's do this!" You smiled and loaded both of your guns, turning your back to Nero who was already charging his sword. You started to shoot the monsters and he ran right into a whole crew of them!

Nero was swinging his sword, slaying those bastards while you were shooting them until... You ran of bullets. The boy obviously didn't notice and accidentally pushed your back which almost made you fall down. He was fighting one of the enemies, havening trouble defeating it since it kept on fending off his attacks. Those scissors are the worst!

,,Egr! Fuck! Not now!" you dropped your guns and tried to get out of reach. But one of the Empusas lunged at you. You stopped, punched it. then you kicked it and rolled away so that you could pull out your daggers. Once you did that, you were back in the game!

V was at a top of a building observing the scenario below. He was very aware of that you could take care of this. And he quite enjoyed watching you. Well, not Nero but certainly you. He didn't want to admit it but he was fascinated by how you could handle all those demons with just two pistols and two daggers. He's seen it not work out already once or twice but still, you somehow found a way around and out! You are pretty confident with your skills - but not overly confident like Nero and Dante tend to be - and managed to be a badass when you wanted or had to be. Also, the way your hair flew in the air when you were fighting or fell down your face when you smiled at him was driving him crazy! As was the fact that you recognized the poetry he was quoting from time to time.

,,You're staring at her again! I'm sick of you, V! You perverted asshole! You don't help her but watch her slay down demons - that's rude! Your crush deserves some help!" Griffon teased a tattooed guy.

,,She's fine by herself. And she's not my crush!"

,,Yeah, keep telling that to yourself!"

You backed the creatures attack and stabbed it multiple times till it faded to the ground. Two of them decided to come at you and you gave them every damn reason why that was a bad decision. You kicked the first one and pinned it to the ground. The other jumped at you but you pushed yourself to the side so the monsters attacked one another and killed each other. Proud of your work you happened not to spot the tentacle with a sting right behind you.

You through your last dagger at a creature running right towards you which left you unfortunately without a weapon. Not so smart after all.

Swing!

,,Aahg!" you cried out in pain. The sting went right through your side leaving you bleeding. You fell down to your knees holding your wound so you didn't bleed out, cursing yourself for being stupid not to notice the tentacle.

Out of nowhere claws grabbed your arms and lifted you. Confused and startled you looked up and saw that Griffon was taking you away from the scene. Then you noticed Shadow in the corner of your eye. Panther made a guillotine out of herself and attacked a Pyrobat.

Griffon took you up to one of the buildings where you found V. His cane was leaning against his right leg as he was reached out to catch you when suddenly the little chicken dropped you without giving you any goddamn sigh! Thankfully it wasn't that high and V caught you although for a minute you thought he's gonna fall down. You didn't understand it, but somehow you developed a crush on him the first day you met him. And it just got stronger by time.

,,Hello, Y/N." his voice sent shivers down your spine, but... It could still be only your wound right? You tried to play it cool which almost didn't really work out considering you were in desperate pain and in the arms of an extremely attractive man!

,,Hey, jacka-ass! Ouch!" he laid you down on the roof a little concerned for you. Hell, you had a hole in your body! ,,Lil respect for a h-hurt woman, V!"

,,I apologize. Once Nero has the way cleaned we'll take you somewhere where you'll heal. For now... just rest." he acted calmly though was freaking out on the inside!

,,Easier said then d-done! You're not the one who's b-bleeding out here!"

,,Sorry." he caressed your cheek and pressed one palm to your wound to help you stop the bleeding. But it wasn't better. You felt a bit dizzy and started to pass out.

,,V...?"

,,Yes, Y/N/N?"

,,V... I..." you tried to tell him what's going on but it was too late. Your focus faded.

You slowly opened your eyes. You were laying on a couch on Nico's van. Your head hurt so as your side. You mumbled and heard someone approaching.

,,Ey! Nice to see ya finally awake! How ya feelin' girl?" Nico asked you and your sight.

,,Bad."

,,Well, you've been out for a while. Two weeks actually!"

,,What?! And- and what about... my...?"

,,Ya side? Got better since Nero took you in!"

You frowned. ,,Nero? What the hell happened?! Where's V? And Nero?"

,,Calm down, Y/N. Drink this... Yeah... It should make ya feel betta."

And in an hour you actually did feel better. But it was not because of the medicine Nico gave you. It was because of V. Nico found him with Nero and you asked for a second with V. You wanted to thank him for basically saving you and wanted to talk to him in private. You didn't get much of those alone-moments with him although you knew each other for about a month.

You were sitting in a van with him while Nero was arguing with Nico about something out on the street.

V pulled out something out of his pockets, ,,I thought that maybe you would want this back." and handed to you your guns.

,,Oh my! Thank you, V! I thought I lost my babies out there!"

,,Your babies?" he asked confused.

,,Um... You know... I don't think I'm going to have my own biological kids considering what I'm doing as a job I just... Needed something to get my feelings attached to. Guess guns wasn't the best choice but... Yeah..." I'm a mess. you thought to yourself.

,,Not that bad choice. Guns protect you. But having children would mean you would be the one who's protecting. So I don't think it is that bad."

,,Thanks for the support." you smiled at him. That made his heart pound faster. He loved your smile. You didn't smile much so when you did, every second of it was making him happy. The same went for you. With that conversation, you couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have children with this guy. Rising them to be strong and intelligent. Would they look more like you or would they have beautiful green eyes and raven black hair? Wait! What are you even thinking about?! And... You've been staring at each other the whole time?!

Suddenly feeling ashamed you looked away, biting your lip, heart beating fast. V stroked your cheek just like he did back then, sending butterflies to your belly.

,,What's wrong?"

,,Nothing. Just um... Not used to this kinda affection."

He chuckled. ,,What do you mean by this kind of affection?"

You looked him in the eyes and thought: what could I lose? and went for it. You closed the distance between the two of you and placed your lips on his. At first, V was surprised by your action but quickly gave in the temptation and kissed you back. He pulled you closer and deepened the kiss. You couldn't believe it was happening. Yet it felt incredibly right. After a while, you broke the kiss and said: ,,This kind of affection. And after this I want it, so from now on I got my eyes on you."

,,Pleasing, for I had mine on you since the very beginning."

[avengerscompound]

Please

Please:  A Pepper Potts Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Pepper Potts x F!Reader

Word Count:  1708

Warnings:  Smut (FF, spanking, vaginal fingering)

Synopsis:   After a night of teasing Pepper, she takes you home to punish you.

A/N:  @iron-man-bingo fill ‘begging’

Please

“Please, Pepper?”  You whispered nuzzling into her neck.  She smirked and nudged you.  She wasn’t a woman that was easy to sway, but you knew that she liked when you begged her.

“Later.  This is important.”  She said.

“But is it?”

“Yes,”  She said simply and gave your thigh a pat.  “I need to wrangle Tony.  Then we can go home and I’m all yours.”

“Or I’ll be all yours.”  You teased.

She turned her head and looked at you with her perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.  “Yes, you will.”

You sat back in your chair and looked up at the stage.  The current speaker was droning on and on and on.  Pepper put her hand on your knee and rubbed her thumb in small circles.   You looked down watching as her long fingers danced over her bare skin.  Her fingernails were cut short and perfectly manicured.  Painted a dark plum that stood out against her skin.

You let your head fall back and bit your bottom lip as you just focused on the gentle touch of her fingers on your knee.  It made your skin feel warm and tingle a little.

“Tony!”  She yelped suddenly and you opened your eyes just in time to see her hit him in the arm.

Everyone at your table and the two on either side turned to look at her.  She shook her head and rolled her eyes before hitting Tony again who was sitting there with a particularly smug look on his face, even for him.

“What just happened?”  You whispered.

She shook her head again and leaned in close.   “He just asked if I was fingering you under the table.”

You looked at Tony.  His attention was back the stage but he still wore that smug look on his face.

“You can if you want to.”  You teased.  She smacked your thigh and rolled her eyes.  “Oh go on, Pepper, please.”  You whispered.

“It’s not happening.  You can beg me for things later.”  She whispered.

You chuckled and looked up at the stage.  You were pretty sure your own smug look must have matched Tony’s.

The event droned on, as they always did.  Pepper’s hand returned to your knee and you played with her fingers as each person spoke.  Tony was his usual entertaining self but you were still glad the whole thing was over.

“Were you bored?”  Tony asked as he nudged Happy to the passenger seat and you and Pepper climbed in the back of the car.

“Always,”  You said.  “So, so, so bored.”

He chuckled and pulled out into the street.  “Well, let me get you ladies home and you can do something fun.”  His voice was playful and teasing and you leaned forward and smacked him on the back of the head.

“Stop trying to get us to talk about our sex lives.”  You scolded.

“What?  I didn’t?  Did I?”  Tony asked, completely askance.

Happy shrugged and nodded his head to the side.  “You might have had that coming.”

“Fine,”  He said.  “Sorry.  I wasn’t thinking about it or anything.”

“Sure you weren’t,”  Pepper said.

“I wasn’t!”  He argued.  “Look, I’m just going to take you home.”

“Good,”  She said and you both started laughing.  Messing with Tony was a game you never got tired of.

As soon as you got back to the apartment you shared she grabbed you by the wrist and pushed you against the wall.  “Don’t antagonize the man, I have to work with him.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Potts,”  You hummed.  “Maybe you should punish me.”

She ghosted her lips down your neck and palmed your breast.  “Mmm… you are a very bad girl.  But I think you might like that too much.

“I do,”  You hummed.  “I love it.”

Her hand trailed down your side and along your hip, leaving a wave goosebumps in its wake.  “Then let’s get these gowns off and I’ll take you over my knee.”

“Yes, please,”  you hummed.

She smiled and ran her tongue between her teeth before kissing you hard and pushing you up against the wall.  Your hands tangled in her red hair, and you hiked your skirt up and wrapped a leg around her pulling her flush against you.

She hummed and pulled back, tugging on your bottom lip as she did. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“Hmm…”  You said, playing dumb.  “Just a tiny amount?”

“No,” she said pulling back and slapping your ass to get you to move in the direction of the bedroom.  “It is a whole lot.  Now get moving.”

You skipped off to the bedroom and Pepper followed after you, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.  She came up behind you and unzipped your gown and very carefully helped you out of it, making sure to hang it so as not to ruin it.

“Let’s keep the heels on shall we,” She said as she turned to let you help her with he dress.

“Yes, ma’am,”  you said as you hung her dress up.

When you turned back to her she was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back ever so slightly.  It didn’t matter how many times you saw her.  You couldn’t get enough of looking at the leggy redhead naked.  Her pale skin with its smattering of freckles was a stark contrast to the black panties and stockings she wore.  Her dark pink nipples were peaked, enticing you to come and nip at them.  “Would you like to come and lie over my knee, honey?”  She asked.

“Yes, please.  Can I, Pepper?”  You asked.

“Oh, I like that.  Begging me to spank you.  Let me hear more of that.”  She said.

You dropped to your knees in front of her and looked up into her blue eyes.  “Please, Virginia.  Please spank me.  I want to feel your hand on my ass.  I want that burn.”

“Good, girl,” she said guiding you up onto her lap.  You positioned yourself, so you were draped over her with your ass popped up in the air.  She skimmed her hand down your back and over your ass.  Your skin prickled under her touch.  “Such a good girl.  Why should I spank you when you’re so well behaved?”

“Please, Pepper,”  You pleaded as her fingers ran up and down your pussy, pressing the fabric of your panties between your folds.  “Please, I want you to spank me.”

“Mmm… I’m not so sure.”  She said an slipped her fingers under your panties.  She slowly circled your clit and ran her fingers down to the entrance to your cunt, swirling them around and coating them in your wetness.  That only served to increase it.  It felt like your nerve endings were bare.  Each touch, even the breeze from the air conditioning, made your skin prickle and your arousal grow.

“Please, Virginia.”  You whimpered.  “Please, please spank me.  I want it.”

“Since you asked so nicely,”  She said and brought her hand down with a large crack on your left asscheek.  A sting blossomed where she struck you and sent a warm glow out through your skin around it.  You squeaked and clenched your teeth, grinding down on her lap.

“Thank you, Pepper.”  You whimpered.

She struck you again this time on your right cheek and you jerked a little in shock more than anything.  “You’re so very welcome, honey.”  She soothed as she ran her palm over your ass and her fingers returned to your pussy.

You moaned and pushed back against them against her hand.  “That’s it, darling.  You like that don’t you?”

Two of her fingers slipped inside of you and she curled them, stroking your internal walls as her thumb rolled over her clit.  “Yes, Pepper, thank you.”

She kept moving her fingers, curling, stroking, fucking you with them.  She targeted your g-spot, hitting it again and again, so wave after wave of pleasure washed through you as it combined with the buzz from her thumb working your clit.  You gave yourself to it, letting you ride it to your inevitable release.

Just when you felt it right there, threatening to take you over, she pulled her hand away and slapped your ass.  You yelped in surprise and whined as you pushed down on her lap.

“Oh god…”  You moaned as the sting faded and her fingers returned to stroking gently over your pussy.  “Please, Pepper.”

“Please what?”  She asked.

You whined and rutted against her lap and her hand came down on your ass.  “Use your words, honey.”

“Please make me come.  Please.  I need it.”  You begged.

“You need it to do you?”  She said running her palm over you ass and tapping her fingers against your skin.

“Yes, Virginia.  Please.  Please make me come!”

She thrust her fingers back inside of you and started fucking you with them.  Each time she thrust them in she curled them and twisted her wrist, dragging her fingertips back and forth over her g-spot.

“Fuck!”  You cried as you jerked in her lap.  She pressed her palm down in the middle of your back and held you in place as she brought you closer and closer to the edge.  “Oh god, yes, please, please Pepper.  I wanna come.  Let me come.”  You babbled, begging her not to stop.  To keep going.  To make you come.

“Good girl, that’s it.  Relax. Come for me.”  She purred.

You relaxed and her thumb sped up on your clit.  She pushed and dragged her fingers over your g-spot.  You cried out and with a jerk of your hips, you came, pressing your face into the bed to smother your cries.

Pepper slowed her hands, stroking you through it and as the last waves of your orgasm shuddered through you she pulled her hand away and sucked her fingers clean.

She tapped your hip and you slithered off her lap onto the bed.   “How are you doing there, honey?”  She asked.

“Mm… so good.”  You hummed.

“Do you want to keep going?  Get me off, maybe?”  She said playfully.  You knew it was a genuine request.  That if you needed cuddles now, or a bath, she’d take you there no question.

You rolled on your back and looked up at her with a smirk.  “You gonna beg me?”

Pepper laughed and pounced on you.

[tellywoodtrash]

ebss 08.07.19 lb

first off, are you kidding me? these ppl would rather work for pk, who was the devil incarnate? y'all are fucking crazy.

secondly, may i remind you AGAIN, it's been like 10 minutes since pooja walked in here. and whole company has been rebranded in that time, including the workers' uniforms. pooja must be the first boss in world history to so easily and freely sign away money on such things, warna maine toh hamesha budget ke liye 3 mahine naak ragad ke bheek maangi hai.

kabir’s optimism is fucking unbelievable. literally. his wife and kid left him out of majboori, all the family assets were taken away, his dad “died” two days ago coz he decided to wrestle with him on the edge of a cliff, and this fucker’s happily grinning and pontificating “such is life!”

even anand is looking down from the heavens going “babu moshai, yeh kya chutiyapa hai?”

speaking of “ass”ets; mmmmmmhmmm. i am liking these pants, kabir.

seriously, these people's slavish devotion to the mittals does not track at all with what we've seen of pk. fucking retconning bullshit.

“fiqr mat karo, main aa gaya hoon.”

man fuck outta here with your saviour complex.

yeah this guy fake af. respect for kabir first, and then turned it into “woh khota kabir”.

lmao his name is anupam chopra. heehee.

oh ho, chopra UNCLE is now rejecting jhappis from kabir baba.

please note, i am fully prepared take one for the team and accept that hug on your behalf. it's a sacrifice, but i shall do it.

everyone has ‘what a chutiya’ face. he's THAT manager everyone hates.

hey kabir are you an rbmk reactor, coz you just blew this man's whole existence up with zero fucking warning????

once again i'd like to mention for the audience at home that i am literally only watching this show anymore for this face.

(and that other face. and to see the two faces very close to each other.)

literally no one here is impressed by chopra's attempt at a response.

lol even the workers are like *mais voice* aye chal naaaaa.

manageron waali thaat. you will be the first to be crushed when the revolution comes. i can't wait.

z+ security ko bouncers bana diya hai in logon ne. just amazing.

OH. FINALLY KABIR REMEMBERED THAT HE WAS IN THE ARMY. GOOD, SINCE HE BROUGHT IT UP HIMSELF, I CAN FREELY YELL ABOUT THIS NOW: YOU LITERALLY JUST GOT PROMOTED TO FUCKING SPECIAL AGENT OR WHATEVER THE FUCK. LIKE, VYOM'S DEATH/SUBSEQUENT EVENTS HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR, SO THIS PROMOTION WAS REALLY RECENT. YOU'RE STILL EMPLOYED BY THE ARMY AS FAR AS WE KNOW. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ROOTING AROUND FOR CERTIFICATES AND ENTRY LEVEL JOBS WHEN YOU YOU ALREADY HAVE A DAMN GOOD JOB?????

like ok, yeah i get you wanna get your dad's companies back or whatever, BUT WHAT IS THE PRIORITY RN? DOING THIS SHIT, OR GETTING A STABLE JOB (WITH BENEFITS!) AND TAKING CARE OF YOUR FAMILY?????????????? ABSOLUTELY FUCKING RIDICULOUS.

god i really need to take a snack break coz this level of chutiya writing. pls hold.

ok i have had some carbs and taken some deep breaths. let’s get back to this hot mess.

pooja the chuhiya finally decided to get out of her bil and check out what all the commotion is about, just as kabir is asking the security waalas to try him. (he really has some anger issues he should look into; he's looking for the slightest excuse to throw down with anyone, anywhere.)

ew he is being kinda creepy. i hate men.

but i appreciate him trolling chopra.

i really really hate men. scum of the fucking earth.

abbe oh, "udhaar” ka sahi, uske paas kuch toh hai.....

ok pooja, call in the armed guards now. this fucker needs to be shot. just a little. maybe in the shoulder or something.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HE IS REALLY BEING INSUFFERABLE. ALSO WHAT YOU MEAN SHE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE COMPANY?????? SHE'S BEEN HERE HANDLING SHIT MORE THAN YOU EVER HAVE. YOU RAN AWAY TO JOIN THE ARMY TO AVOID HAVING TO HANDLE THIS VERY SAME BUSINESS. TOH TERE KO ITNAAAAAA KYA PATA HAI ABOUT RUNNING A CONGLOMERATE?????

“tumhe mere zaroorat padegi, pooja sharma.”

sure. but probably not in the way you're thinking.

pooja spitting some real truths about employee loyalty under capitalism.

but she's back to being an asshole about poor people, so i hate her again.

this thing he did with the tissues infuriated me in the precap, and it's got me grinding my teeth now too. what a fucking asshole. i haaaaate him too. LORD WHY HAVE YOU GIVEN ME THESE TWO HATEFUL CHARACTERS WITH THESE FACES THAT I CAN'T LOOK AWAY FROMMMMMMMMMMMM???????

you think you look as cool as she does when doing this, but you do not. you’re overdoing it.

i hate to see you go but boy, i love watching you leave. mmmmmmhmmmm, truly a nice pair of pants.

do these ppl actually work or do they just sit around discussing gossip? y'all work on a daily wage system ffs.

GODDDDDDDDDDDD, WE GOT IT YOU'RE AN EGALITARIAN ICON, MAN OF THE MASSES. ALL HAIL KABIR FOR DRINKING CHAI IN A CUTTING WAALA GLASS INSTEAD OF IN A CUP.

great. na jaane kya kalesh machaane waala hai workers ko uskaake. BRO GO BACK TO THE DAMN ARMY AND DO YOUR DESK JOB. make this a pet project you work on the weekends or something.

jesus. iska ABHI BHI khatam nahi hua.

mom is even offering him nimbu paani for the hangover. this dude does nottttttttt deserve his family.

lol chachi baat sahi hai par chup karo na.

mom is like “beta, aise kab tak chalega???”

again, it's been literally 2 - 3 days since he's been left penniless by his wife and had his dad FALL OFF A CLIFF IN FRONT OF HIM. i don't condone his sudden alcoholism but maybe give the dude some more time?

sab se tang aake piya nimbu paani.

yeah i definitely like sullen dhruv more than the old one.

kabir is back and promises mom ki end of day tak job mil hi jayegi.

“arre waah, kahaan??”

trollolololololololol.

aahaaaaa, ab samajh aaya iska agenda. apne bete ko bhi yahin job mein lagaakar, they want to take over this whole thing.

pooja tearing him a new one about that. yaaaaaaas. you go, boss bitch.

yeh kameena company le doobega. that's probably where kabir will come in to “save” pooja.

*~*~sabke*~*~ pait mein dard hai, toh kaam bandh.

gosh she really took NO time into turning into indian jeff bezos huh.

aur kuch nahi toh chopra is at least well-versed with union laws. and lol, also understood that kabir was the one who vargalaofied them, and is offering to “handle it”.

she's refusing. good. is saamp ko jitna door rakho, behtar.

lolllllllllllll very sweetly she turned it on them. i'm not cheering for her as a corrupt business owner harassing workers, just smirking at the way they thought they'd fuck her over so easily coz she's a woman who knows nothing, and she refused to fall for that bs.

bache toh sirf vijay aur yeh chacha.

“tumhare woh dinanath chauhan dikhe na; mr. kabir mittal; toh unse kehna ki pooja madam ne kahi hai ki vijay ki acting thoooooodi si kachchi hai. riyaaz ki zaroorat hai.”

hee hee hee.

“jaiye, chachaji.” lmao god i love her snark face.

‘bade aaye the mujhse panga lene waale.’

———————————————————————

oh kal she deigns to visit the gareebkhaana herself.

ugh, this nonsense is a ~thing~ between the two of them now, i guess.

[lokisgame]

Rainbow’s End

Yellow was not the name of the street, but it might as well be, the trees were turning yellow covering the pavement with a yellow carpet of leaves. The yellow sun crawled slowly over the city, framed between two rows of buildings, facing east up the street the view was absolutely stunning. It was almost 7am on a calm and quiet Saturday morning, an occasional car drove by, someone was taking his morning run, a young father was walking the dog on his way to buy fresh bagels for his beautiful wife. This was the kind of place you wanted to stick around, live a safe and happy life in a quiet part of town. On the first floor apartment of an unassuming brownstone townhouse, the door closed behind a tall, striking dark-haired woman. Her last nights’ suit jacket was as stylish as her heels were high and her makeup flawless. You wouldn’t tell by her expression or quiet, purposeful stride, that as the thick carpet swallowed the click of her heels, the walls swallowed her screams last night. She spent here more than one night each week, yet this wasn’t her home and neither did she kiss the man she left in the bedroom goodbye. Her day was already planned, and that’s what her thoughts focused on as she got into a cab.

The apartment wasn’t large, but it was comfortable enough for a man in his early thirties, living a quiet life. All he needed was a place to sleep and a place to write, and that’s basically what it was. A small bedroom taken up almost entirely by a bed and a pair of small nightstands, a living room with a well worn leather sofa, a desk and a fish tank, small kitchen and a bathroom. The rent was cheap and it was all he asked. The morning sun peeked inside and it’s golden touch gleamed on the black, lacquered surface of the typewriter, softened by a fine layer of dust on the keys and bars; then found the wine glasses on a small coffee table, lipstick stains on one of them, a crisp white shirt draped over the armrest of the couch, black suit pants on the floor, socks, boxers. Following that trail one didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to easily imagine the events of last night. Yet the September sun was kind, it’s touch soft, tender and warm on his bare back. Warm sheets and feather pillows surrounded him like a fort, guarding these short hours of sleep. This was his life as he knew it for years now, long nights, light sleep, his tall, slender body wedged inside the gap between the life of a night owl and a full-blown insomniac. These few predawn hours of peace were what kept him alive. Yet, sooner or later, even in a perfect word, a phone rang.

“Mulder,” he mumbled into the receiver, grimacing as the cold plastic touched his face. “Did I wake you? What are you doing in bed at this hour?” The deep tone carried a slight reprimand and Mulder made the effort to gather his thoughts. The man on the other end of the line didn’t care much about his smart mouth. Although he valued his freedom, the little structure and push towards discipline were the main two things the man brought into his life and ff Mulder would ever suffer anyone as his boss, it would be Walter Skinner, his editor, so the title was only half a joke. “Good morning, Sir.” “Get up and meet me in an hour at the diner down the street from your place, I’m meeting someone there in ten and I thought we could talk later, since I’m here anyway.” “With pleasure, not often the mountain comes to the prophet,” he chuckled rubbing some sleep out of his eyes. “Who said anything about pleasure, just get here, and don’t be late, I ain’t got all day to babysit your sorry ass, 9am sharp.” “Yes sir.” Mulder said with a little smile and the man hung up without a word of goodbye. Skinner was the only man who could speak to him like that because quite frankly it was the only way he knew how, due to his military training and three tours in ‘Nam. Honest and fair, not prone to sugarcoat his judgments, those were the traits he appreciated in a man who’s job was to make him work harder. It was his firm hand that made Mulder’s last three books into massive success, and his publishing houses’s efforts that allowed him to remain an anonymous citizen, living his simple life in the greater D.C. area. Rolling over onto his back, Mulder stretched his bones, Diana was gone as always, the mess was still there, as always, (“I’m not your housekeeper Mulder”), the sky outside his window had that particular shade of blue it only took on in autumn on a perfectly cloudless day, the clock said 7:30am. Pushing the pillow that smelled of her heavy perfume to the floor and pulling the sheets back up, he gave himself 20 more minutes in bed, to watch the yellowing leaves outside his window and think about nothing.

Walter Skinner, a balding man in his late 40’s, looked through the menu, sitting in a booth sipping black coffee and waiting for his niece to arrive. The diner looked like the old diners he remebered from the roadtrips he took around the country, tall vinyl barstools, vinyl booths, a young waitress taking orders and refilling coffee. This place still had the feel he liked, the kind of place you grew up with, where you ate ice cream when your dad sipped his coffee over a newspaper he bought at the kiosk outside, where you shared a first milkshake with a girl hoping she realized it’s a date not two friends hanging out, where you had a midnight coffee coming back from the movies on a Friday night. These kind of places kept the connection to the past alive. This Saturday morning the place was buzzing with clients, who had things to do and places to be, but didn’t rush like they would on a normal work day, the world could wait, the coffee couldn’t. Neither could a tiny, slender redhead, who just entered the establishmen, her stride confident and purposeful, and her face stretched in a wonderful smile. “Uncle Walter,” she said as he stood up to greet her and let her peck the air by his ear. “Dana, how many times did I ask you to drop the uncle part.” “You can ask all you want, but that’s who you are,” she giggled and sat down, “did you order already?” “Not yet, what would you like?” He handed her the menu and she glanced at it, then smiled. “Granola with low fat yogurt and coffee.” “Not pancakes?” He smiled and signalled the waitress, “you always had pancakes.” “Time to grow up,” she shrugged out of her light jacket and sipped some coffee, a fine cup of coffee was all she needed to like a place, and she loved this place in an instant. “Speak for yourself,” he replied and placed their order. The food was more than okay too, which was a huge plus for someone who wouldn’t be able to control her hours for the next few months. Being a doctor was a dream job but it came with numerous sacrifices. “Bill and Charlie want to drop by your place later, to say hi.” “Great, we could have dinner together, to celebrate.” “No, I can’t, I only have this weekend to move in, the place must be habitable by tonight because my lease on the last place is over and I have no where else to go.” “You know that’s not true, you can always have my couch,” that made her giggle, it was ages since they came to visit their uncle Walt and slept on the floor at his house. Now he was divorced and lived in a fashionable apartment building downtown, but still he thought she’s the little girl who crashed on his couch watching movies late at night. “Thanks but no thanks, the point is to do this on my own, standing on my own two feet.” She smiled sweetly stirring yogurt into the fruity mix. He practically drowned his pancakes in maple sirup, just as she remembered him doing when she was a kid. He was her Uncle and nothing he said could change that. “You still don’t want me to introduce you to this guy I know, who lives in your building?” “Now that would be embarrassing, I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” “No one doubts that, I just thought it would be nice, to have someone who’s not a stranger.” “Walter,” her tone was strict, ending the discussion, and it also was a trademark tone of his side of the family. “Alright, alright, no more pushing, now tell me how are your folks doing, how’s my sister.” She told him about the family trip to Florida, about Bill proposing to Tara at dinner on their last night, about Missy ditching them to spend the entire week with a lifeguard, and finally herself and Charlie taking a whole day to swim with the sharks. He listened and laughed and was happy to have his favorite relative so close by his side. From all his relations, the petite Dana Scully was the kind of person her admired and loved to have around. Fearless and bright, curious like a little cat but also sensible enough to know where to draw a line. When he found out she will be taking up residency at the Georgetown University Hospital, he was happy to help find a decent place to live (which she refused), serve with advice (which she took) and any other kind of help she might need or want. She finished her story, coffee and breakfast, then glanced at her watch. “Oh my! Will you look at that, Bill and Charlie will be here soon, I gotta run,” she took out her wallet to pay for herself but he stopped her. “Don’t be silly, it’s my treat, you’ll get the next one.” “This is the next one,” she countered, but put away the money, knowing he won’t let her take the next one either. “Thank you.” “Call me when you get settled, I’ll come by to visit.” She got up and grabbed her jacket. “Come to dinner.” “Even better,” he got up with her, but made no move to leave. “You’re staying?” “I’m meeting a client.” “Oh, okay.” She smiled and hugged him briefly. “Take care of yourself Dana, and call me if you need anything.” “I will.” Dana promised and was off, as always fearless and ready to face a new challenge.

Mulder finally got up and managed not to be late for once, although cutting it so close, that he almost trampled a cute redhead exiting the diner. He held the door for her, letting her through with a quiet apology and she flashed him a smile that reached her pretty blue eyes but was gone in a knick of time right along with her, swallowed by the morning crowd. Skinner was waiting for him in a booth at the far end of the room, presently on the phone. His previous engagement must have just happened because the waitress didn’t have time to clean up the table. “Hello Walter,” he said quietly squeezing the man’s offered hand and took his place at the table, just as the waitress appeared with a smile. “Hi Mulder,” she greeted him piling up the dishes expertly in one hand. “Hello Clarice,” he smiled back, giving her his best Lecter smile, which wasn’t very good and therefore always made her laugh. “The usual?” A mug appeared in front of him and she filled it with coffee “Yup, double bacon this time.” “Coming up,” she toped Walter’s mug as well and disappeared to fill his order of double bacon, toast and eggs. A curt goodbye ended the call and Mulder found himself in direct path of a look that might kill a lesser man. “So, how’s the book coming along Mulder?” “A book?” “A short story?” “A haiku, tops.” “Fine, give me something, anything, so that I would know there’s still some words left in that grey maze you keep for a brain.” “Hey! My grey maze is doing just fine,” Mulder instantly became defensive. “Really? When was the last time you wrote something, a chapter, outline of a chapter, a line of text, tell me.” “I can do it right now.” “Oh really, right here, on the spot?” Clarice appeared with his food and Mulder thanked her, picking up his fork and knife. “Give me a moment and I’ll prove it to you.” “Fine, take your time.” Skinner sat back and waited, sipping his coffee and watching Mulder with curious eyes. Breakfast disappeared fast as he looked out the window at the passing crowd.

Mulder couldn’t deny that the writing wasn’t coming along as it used to, and it was quite some time since he came up with a decent idea, or any idea for that matter. Lately he felt stuck, somehow stuck in his life, caught in a routine that sucked the inspiration out of him one day at a time. His relationship with Diana was growing strained. From the very beginning the deal was to have no strings attached, he could date and bed anyone he wanted, as could she (only fair). But it was becoming clear that her affection lacked the depth he needed to keep him interested. They met a few times per week, shared a night, but his days were his, they weren’t a couple, he hardly could call them friends with benefits. Benefits were alright, the friends part not so much. He couldn’t even remember the last time she really smiled at him. The girl he passed in the doorway earlier had more warmth in her smile for a stranger than Diana had for him, her lover for over a year now. He took a napkin and wrote down the first words that came to his mind on a wave of those feelings.

“Blue and red girl A flourish of a smile My heart starves”

Watching him pushing the napkin across the table, Skinner took it and glanced at the words with a critical eye. "It's not nothing but it isn't something either," he declared, not unkindly but with a distinct note of reprimand. Mulder looked up at his friend and mentor, but instead of reproach behind the wire-rimmed glasses, he saw concern. "Remember what I you told when we first met?" Skinner paused waiting for an answer. "Write every day, one word at a time, a sentence, a paragraph, and before you know it you'll have a book in your hands." He recited the words that pulled him through some of his worst writer-blocks, yet today didn't bring him any comfort. As a psychologist he knew that lack of inspiration was only a symptom of something deeper. He took the napkin back and folding it, put it away in his pocket. Walter’s eyes were still on him. “Do you still believe that?” He asked finishing the last of his coffee. “I want to believe.”

They parted ways, and Mulder headed for the swimming pool, taking the long way round. He needed to relax and there was something about water that calmed him and helped sort through the bad thoughts that were gradually taking over his mind. When he passed his building and saw a U-Haul truck and two man struggling with an overstuffed couch, he was glad he thought ahead and took his gym bag when he left earlier. Someone must have leased the place above his flat.

“No no no no no, leave it,” she stoped Charlie before he could touch her precious coffee machine. “I’ll take it up myself, you can take the china, it’s the box to your left.” “You’re funny Dana, you let me handle fragile cups and plates but won’t let me touch that monster, which is certainly heavier than you are.” “This is my coffee machine and if I break it, there will be no one to blame for it but me,” she hugged the boxy coffee maker as if it was her dearest child, “half of my first pay check went into this baby” “Suit yourself,” he picked up the box then grimaced at the wight of it, “okay, I take it back, it can’t be heavier than this.” “Come on, we’re past the worst part, the bed and sofa are in, we’re almost done.” “Yeah, all we have to do now is haul half of Library Of Congress, up three flights of stairs, no elevator. I don’t think my optimism can cover that.” “Then stop wagging your tongue and get moving.” Bill said climbing up the ramp, military training oozing from his every pore, as if he was self-proclaimed general and this was his stretch of the front, “unless you have some magic powers to help us with the heavy lifting.” “Use the force Luke,” Dana croaked in a poor imitation of Master Yoda. “I can’t, it’s too big,” Charlie faked dropping the box and she gasped. “Gotch’a” he chuckled. “That was low,” she glared and pointed one finger at the door. “Get moving you beanstalk!” Her annoyed expression made him really laugh this time, but he did as ordered, following Bill who was carrying another one of the heavy boxes. The three of them managed to move everything in less than two hours and the boys left Dana’s new place with a sense of a job well done, despite her refusing their offer to help with unpacking. She thanked them and promised to join them wherever they manage to drag out Uncle Walter. After she shut the door behind them and looked around the place, the enormity of the step finally started to sink in. She was living on her own, starting a new job in two days and she was going to do this alone. And she was ready to do it! She will show them all! But first she needed coffee, yes, coffee will pull her through.

Mulder came back home, somewhere between one box run and the next. The thumping on the stairs didn’t bother him that much; he was planning to take a nap anyway. A mile along the swimming pool made him deliciously tired and ready to cheat insomnia out of few hours of sleep. The living room was still a mess, and picking up clothes to make room on the couch he noticed traces of lipstick on the collar of his favorite white shirt and got instantly annoyed with Diana. Great, just what he needed, maybe Mrs. Woo could work her magic and save it, but the discovery left him discouraged, made him feel like a thing, marked and left on a shelf for another day. He decided to clean up the rest of the place later, not that he was expecting anybody tonight anyway. The couch was well worn and a good friend of his. Two hours later Mulder woke up and smiled at the ceiling, recognizing a faint echo of Perry Como, who’s papa loved mambo. Good thing it wasn’t another silence loving nag who called the police twice a month, he had enough of that. Gathering the wine glasses and take-out cartons from the coffee table, he danced a little on his way to the kitchen, humming the familiar tune under his breath. He went two and let the water swirl around the glass, washing out the remaining wine, on four squeezed some soap on the sponge and wiped the lipstick of the edge of glass... And in that moment his hand slipped and by pure reflex he squeezed the bowl, crushing the glass. Blood darker than wine flowed from a deep cut in the palm of his right hand. He tore off a paper towel and pressed it against the wound, then rummaged through the cabinets, searching for bandages, bandaids, anything to stop the bleeding. Heart racing, adrenaline fuelled his thesaurus and if he stoped to listen to what he was saying, he’d be surprised how many swear words he knew and how colourful pictures he could paint with them. Still he found nothing, the first aid kit was empty, not even a piece of gauze in a torn sterile packet, he carved himself a new, shorter, lifeline. The paper towel was turning bright red fast, he needed help. The couple downstairs was out of town, Alex on top floor was a prick and creeped him out, his only chance was the new guy upstairs.

Rushing to the door, Mulder bumped his head painfully on the open cabinet doors, cursing the world again and still rubbing his forehead, took the steps two at a time and knocked on the door urgently. Quite the dramatic way to introduce himself to the new neighbor, he couldn’t have written it better himself if he tried. A small redhead opened the door and beneath the frizzing tresses he recognized the blue eyes he saw disappear into the crowd that morning, but before he could say anything, or even find his tongue, she noticed his bloodied face and pulled him inside. “What happened?” She asked briskly, dancing between boxes while dragging him to the kitchen by the sleeve of his shirt. Flicking the lights on and sitting him in a chair, she tilted his face into the light, searching for injury that was the source of all the blood. “I was doing dishes,” he finally spoke and wriggled from under her touch to show her his bleeding hand, “you got any bandages?” They looked at each other, he in pain yet slightly amused, she concerned and as serious as one could get, but only for a second untill they both laughed. “Sure,” the girl relaxed and from between the boxes produced a deep red, medical looking bag, “you’ve come to the right place.” She took his right hand in hers, looking under the paper towel to asses the damage. “Fox Mulder, pleased to meet you,” he quipped. “Dana Scully, M.D.” the girl smiled, glancing up and meeting his eyes. “Well Doctor Scully, is it bad?” “You won’t be doing any dishwashing for a few days,” she said looking for tweezers in case there was some glass left. “Just patch me up and I’ll buy you dinner, nobody does the dishes tonight.”

[mymoonjin1]

My thoughts on Crimes of Grindelwald

I know there are loads of comments on this already but I too need to rant for a while. I’ll try to finish this off with some constructive criticism, though. (I’d like to add that it’s perfectly fine if you did enjoy this film, this is just MY opinion.)

I don’t even know where to start. Listen, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, always have been, even considering a tattoo. And I actually really liked the first Fantastic Beasts movie. It had its flaws, but overall it was a good story. But most importantly: the movie can stand on itself. It has its own plot. Newt arrives in New York and accidentally lets loose a few magical creatures. The goal: finding the creatures whilst figuring out who is causing the muggle attacks. Simple, fun. They mention Hogwarts and Dumbledore, stuff we’re familiar with, but not overly so. It’s done cleverly. Now. Cut to Crimes of Grindelwald. Oh, boy. From uncomfortable close-ups to just plain weird editing this film is a goddam mess, not to mention the nonsensical storylines. No matter how effing cute nifflers are. Let’s break it into themes. 

Grindelwald

The movie ended and I still had no idea what Grindelwald’s crimes were. He “escapes” (He had already switched places with Abernathy, so why was that whole scene even there? A dark, evil wizard like him surely would just call Abernathy's sacrifice necessary for the cause or whatever), his French sidekick kills a family in order to keep their house and then he gives a speech. That’s it. What were his crimes?! He’s already a “notorious" dark wizard, what has he done besides spreading the word? Also, what is his actual ideology here? I’m sorry but that speech was a bit lame and again, confusing. Is he opposed to World War II or is he gonna take advantage of it? Kill all muggles or only those responsible for the war? But most importantly, we see Grindelwald for like ten minutes during the whole movie, why is his name even on the freaking title? I liked when he held his wand like he was directing an orchestra whilst killing everyone with the blue fire. That’s pretty much it.  Also, I’m not getting into Johnny Depp’s controversy cause that’s a whole other issue, but I think it reflected on his performance, like he was being too cautious, or something, at least that was my perception. I mean, whatever the circumstances, you’re already playing the role, then play the goddam role. 

Queenie

*Sigh* I honestly do not understand how they managed to turn a sweet and caring character into this whiny and annoying person, doing things so out of character. The love potion crap. Are you freaking kidding me?! Why was this necessary? Never mind about Jacob’s consent when I can just roofie him, kidnap him and force him to marry me! I’m the victim here, I just want to marry the one I love! Just… whyyyy? Also, she’s a freaking mind reader. How could a mind reader get brainwashed into joining a dark wizard? Because he preaches... free love? Ummm, does he?! Also, why did she freak out on the street? It was never mentioned before that her mind could get overwhelmed in crowds. It would make sense, but it was so out of nowhere it came out weird, and that scene just takes too damn long. Then the movie forgets about her for like twenty minutes to suddenly show her at the French witch’s house, like sure, I’ll go for a cup of tea with a total stranger, why not? Ugh. 

Dumbledore 

Ok, I actually liked Jude Law’s performance. The issue is that he, just like Grindelwald, is barely in the movie. We already knew that their relationship wasn’t going to be explored in this film, but it was still disappointing. We only got a “we were closer than brothers” and some hand-holding seen through the Mirror of Erised, WHICH APPARENTLY CAN NOW SHOW MEMORIES TOO, BUT OKAY. And please explain to me how is a blood pact different from an Unbreakable Vow? I get the aesthetic but surely an Unbreakable Vow is more convenient since it can’t be undone. Dumbledore suggested at the end of the movie that he might be able to destroy the blood pact. Wouldn’t have Grindelwald made sure to not leave anything to chance? Also, when did they make this blood pact, before the duel that killed Ariana? Why were they able to duel then? It can’t have been after, they wouldn’t have been exactly on speaking terms after that. That blood pact storyline took away the complexity of Dumbledore’s motives about not wanting to go after Grindelwald. Why wasn’t it enough that he once loved him and couldn’t bear to confront him after all that happened between them? That was a perfectly good explanation. This whole thing completely downplayed their relationship, like “yeah, now I just need to figure out how to destroy this necklace and I’ll be free to duel and possibly kill him, yay!” *Sighs*

Leta and Yusuf

What was the real purpose for these characters? We were lead to believe that the Lestrange family history was going to have this awesome revelation/plot twist and it ended up going nowhere. Also, the (insufferably long) scene where they finally explain the whole thing was so overcomplicated and confusing AF. For some reason, Leta’s dad (a rapist) sent her and her half-brother to the US, but since the baby wouldn’t shut up Leta switched him with another baby who happened to look exactly like him, and that baby was Creedence. Uh…okay? But then Leta returned to the UK and studied at Hogwarts? Sooo was that meant to be only a cool summer abroad? And how did she know about her half-brother Yusuf? How did they meet? Who made that freaking prophecy? Yusuf made that unbreakable vow with… whom, exactly? Himself? Arrgggg. Yusuf seemed to be an important character, I mean he locks Tina and Newt in a dungeon (they escape immediately but ok), but no. He spends almost the entirety of the movie unconscious only to appear conveniently at the cemetery to reveal he’s Leta’s half-brother. Just. Why ANY OF IT if later on we’d find out Creedence isn't even a Lestrange? GOD. 

So, back to Leta. She switched the babies (in the Titanic?) and also befriended Newt at Hogwarts. What was her relevance in the present? Why wasn’t the whole "ending up marrying his brother" explained? That’s a flashback that would’ve been useful, unlike the other ones. It could’ve added so much more to the relationship between the three of them, specially Theseus and Newt. But it was never mentioned. Also, why was she hated by everyone at school? Were all the Lestrange hated or was it only her? And THEN, FFS what was she even trying to attempt when she approached Grindelwald? Was she like tempted into joining him but regretted her decision last minute and tried to kill him instead? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? I liked the part when she said “I love you” and you’re not quite sure if she meant Newt or his brother. That was interesting. Would’ve been even more interesting had it been developed properly. But the rest of it? What a mess.

Newt, Tina, and Jacob

I actually adore Newt as a character. He’s a refreshing male lead who’s unapologetically himself throughout the story. I read a Vox article that called him amazingly neurodivergent, and in an interview, Redmayne also said he thought of him as having Asperger's. What an extraordinary thing to see in a male lead in a multimillion-dollar franchise! He’s awesome and doesn’t need to change the way he is in order to be cool. And yet in this film, he’s sooo relegated. He could’ve done SO much more, instead, he’s just lost in the sea of subplots with no real purpose. As for Tina, she has absolutely no character development whatsoever and Jacob is just there for comic relief. Also, how did he get his memories back? I’m sorry, but “the potion only took away the bad memories” is lazy writing. They are great characters but did absolutely nothing in this movie. Totally underappreciated. 

Nagini and Creedence

I don’t get why they made such a fuss over this since she has like THREE lines in the entire movie?! Seriously, why was she even there? She brought absolutely NOTHING to the plot. She just stands there next to Creedence when she could’ve been a super badass character. I’m not getting into the whole controversy, but I mean, if it was already happening, she should’ve at least had a kickass introduction. A backstory. ANYTHING. Why is a woman turning into a snake a circus attraction when anyone in this universe can become an animagus with enough practice? She was sooo mistreated here as a character. I get that there’s gonna be three more movies but COME ON, you can’t just make a huge ass preamble to another film without ANY sort of character development. It needs to have a plot of its own too. Like each of the Harry Potter books/movies. GEEZ. Now, Creedence. How did he survive? We saw a little remnant of the obscurus at the end of the first film, but hey, a little more context would’ve been nice. I thought the host and the obscurus were different things. Care to explain?! Also, how did he end up in Europe working at a magic circus? That circus thing could’ve been a very interesting plot but it goes nowhere. Again. And then... the ending. I hope the theory going around that it’s actually Ariana’s obscurus that somehow got attached to him and not actually him that’s a Dumbledore (and that’s what the phoenix was attracted to) is real because otherwise IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. Kendra Dumbledore died in 1899. Crimes takes place in 1927. That’s 28 years. I HIGHLY doubt Creedence is 28. Why would he still be living at an orphanage at 28 then? Or did Dumbledore’s dad knock someone up in Azkaban? Just. So. Many. Plot. Holes.

Nonsensical stuff

-The lady guarding Leta’s chamber. What. The. Fork?! She lets them through even though she clearly knew Tina wasn’t Leta, and only after they’re already inside she unleashes those weird cat things with Leta being there, the actual owner of the chamber who clearly doesn’t have a problem with the “intruders”. Just… WHY? 

-Jacob being able to go through the statue. Ummmm?! 

-McGonagall. SHE WAS BORN IN 1935! WHAT?!

-Also, I get the whole 1920’s vibe and I mean no disrespect towards Colleen Atwood, because the costumes are actually gorgeous, but like… no robes? NONE? You can’t tell muggles and wizards apart. That was a key aspect of Harry Potter, at least with the older generations, so you’d think in the 1920’s they’d be even more traditional with their wizard clothing. I mean, Lupin wore both suits AND robes. Just saying. 

-Out of hundreds of people at the cemetery, the niffler somehow knew precisely what item to steal and from whom. Ok???? 

-Nicholas Flamel. What was the point of him? All he did was talk with a random woman through a book and then conveniently appear at the end to tell everyone what to do to control the fire. I mean, cool, but care to elaborate?

-And that blue fire eagle thing. It’s a very, very long sequence that could have been way quicker. It was time wasted on CGI, time they could’ve spent more wisely elsewhere. 

-Another thing that has been rubbing me the wrong way is the mention of Creedence’s nanny being half-elf. I know it’s probably stupid for me to be weird about it but listen. This is a universe with house elves and goblins, and that’s totally fine, I like the part they play in the story. But then we also have Professor Flitwick, who’s never mentioned to be either of those things; he’s just little. That’s it. And he’s a total badass. So why did the nanny had to be half-elf? I remember an interview with Peter Dinklage in which he said he didn’t like playing roles that cast little people as magical beings, which is why he loved Tyrion in Game of Thrones. Then why couldn’t the nanny just be a regular witch? Why half-elf? How did that come about? Think about it: a human witch/wizard… with a house elf? Which are, essentially… slaves?! I don’t even want to know. And I’m probably overthinking it, but seriously. It wasn’t a necessary detail to mention. 

The Fanservice 

Ok, I get that they’d include certain Potter related stuff. Nostalgia is fun, right? AS LONG AS IT MAKES SENSE. McGonagall being there makes no sense. RESPECT. CANON. PLEASE. I get retconning stuff like classes taking place on different floors at Hogwarts but dude. This was kind of an important detail. The Philosopher’s Stone casually being shown at Flamel’s house. I mean, fine. But we get it, we know who he is, it’s not like we are idiots who need reminding of this. Also, the music. I adore Hedwig’s Theme, but this is a different story. I get like a few notes here and there, but the WHOLE damn theme during that Hogwarts shot? It actually kind of threw me off a little. I couldn’t pay attention to what was actually happening. 

Conclusion 

Ok. I honestly don’t understand what went wrong. I don’t know if Rowling should just stick to writing novels or if it was the editing, the directing or-or… I just can’t even. JK Rowling is amazing at writing mystery. In all of the Harry Potter books, there were mysteries to be solved: who’s after the Philosopher’s Stone? Who opened the Chamber of Secrets? Why is Sirius Black after Harry? Who put his name in the Goblet of Fire? And so on. And in the first FB movie, the mystery was who was responsible for the attacks, and it made you believe it was Creedence’s little sister. That was still a good plot twist. Please, do tell, what was solved in Crimes? What did they actually accomplish? They spent the whole movie going in circles. Like I said, you can’t just have a huge ass preamble to a different movie. It needs to stand on its own, have its own arc. Otherwise, what’s the point? I genuinely wanted to like this film, but its narrativity makes it impossible to enjoy the actual plot, even with likable characters and appealing visuals.

Listen, I will forever be grateful to JK Rowling for the impact Harry Potter has had in my life. They are to this day my favorite books. I loved the original book for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, as well as Quidditch Through the Ages and Tales of Beedle the Bard. They added fun details to the main story, a little peek into the Wizarding World. But then the whole expansion happened. And I used to get mildly excited whenever a new story was published on Pottermore. But eventually, I lost interest. And whenever someone said “I wish there was another book” I immediately cringed at the thought. Why ruin something that had ended in such a perfect way? The Harry Potter world ended with the seventh book. And that was ok. You need to let things go. That’s life. But then for money some reason, Cursed Child (aka That Which Must Not Be Named) was allowed to happen. And then, Fantastic Beasts happened, but it was a whole different story with brand new characters within the same universe, actually written by JK Rowling. Well, that actually sounded promising. Because it was a separate thing. A few references here and there. What could go wrong? Right. 

There are millions of reasons why the expansion hasn’t been working, but I think part of the problem came from social media. When we were kids we’d send letters to our favorite authors, but now they are just a tweet away. Which can obviously be wonderful. But you have to know where to stop. And I don’t think JK understands that. And I don’t mean it like she’s not allowed to have her own opinions and versions of certain things that didn’t come up in the books; she created the universe. But altering canon isn’t right. Forcing narratives that don’t make sense with what’s already established is weird. That’s why it’s important to leave things to the imagination/each reader’s interpretation. You want to write a different story within the same universe, that’s amazing, go ahead! As long as it’s properly developed and has its own merits. I genuinely want to like FB. And I did. But I don’t know what went wrong with this one. You’re capable of SO much more, Jo, I know you are. Sorry if I’m being too harsh. 

[seriouslyhooked]

Scoring Your Love (Part 5/?)

Modern AU where Killian is a world famous soccer star who has hit rock bottom and been sentenced to the place where ‘football’ legends go to die – America. While here he crosses paths with Emma, an up and coming musician and film scorer who challenges everything he thought he knew and makes him want more than the game he’s always loved. Will be filled with fluff for days, and eventually rated M.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four. Story also on FF here and AO3 here.

A/N: Hello again, all! This chapter, as you might have expected, brings us right back into the fray of game day. We are picking up with Killian’s POV and though there’s a bit about the game, the bulk of the chapter has to do with the actual reuniting of Emma and Killian. I’ve been looking forward to this as I have been writing (and I am really excited to get to the fluff that will be possible hereafter), but I hope that you all enjoy and thanks so much for reading!

“All right guys, that was a solid first half. We came out strong and gave Graham very little to contend with which is always good.”

The team chuckled at their coach, Robin Locksley’s, words, all of them agreeing that it was best to keep the ball away from their own goal tender as much as possible. The less time they spent on their side of the field the better.

“That’s not to say we’ve been perfect,” Robin hedged, “I mean really, Scarlet, that tackle? He barely grazed you and you acted like you’d lost a limb.”

More laughter spread through the locker room as Will Scarlet, one of their mid-defenders, scowled at their coach’s jab. Killian was right there with them, thinking back to the show of dramatics that his new teammate had displayed which belonged in the European leagues or a World Cup match more than it did here. The Americans, for the most part, seemed intent on playing the game, not putting on a show with the hopes of procuring some reward or other.

“Oi, I’m just playing the part, mate! Not my fault you Americans can’t see the strategy in playing up a hit. Besides, Arthur King’s a wanker. I was hoping they’d card him.”

“You realize Coach isn’t actually American, right?” David whispered to Will who just shrugged.

“He’s internalized it, man. He’s completely lost his roots.” More laughter followed the ridiculous assertion.

“Question of my roots aside,” Robin said, trying to retake control of the team meeting, “I think we can all pick it up a bit this half. They’re losing steam out there. Not that you can blame them when Killian has them running all over creation.”

“Seriously, dude,” one of their fellow teammates and a younger American recruit on the team, Gus, said with a tone of appreciation. “You’re like a machine out there. We knew you were good, but not that good.”

Killian gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, knowing that he’d had a great start to the game. Two goals scored despite the obscene amount of coverage he was getting from the other side was nothing to be discouraged about, but Killian also felt he could do better. The next half was a new slate on which to make his mark and he had every intention of leaving that field tonight with a solid victory for the Galaxy and a sterling representation of his skill set for all to see. This would be a season of proving himself again, of reminding people of his talent with the ball on a pitch, and trying to erase the baggage and toxicity that had been thrown his way the past few months.

That being said, Killian couldn’t actually recall the last time a mere exposition game had left him feeling this charged and eager to succeed. Then again the setting had little to do with his emotional state. Surely the match itself was of some importance, for despite his deserving a spot in a more premiere league, Killian wanted to succeed for his sake and the sake of his teammates. But the game itself felt less significant than the unexpected twist of fate awaiting him in the stands.

And what a twist it had been. One moment he’d been focused on his pregame warm ups, sticking to his usual habits for the sake of ritual, and then he’d felt something. There was a split second before he’d seen her where he just knew that Emma was there, and then their eyes met across the field and all thoughts of blocking out the world to focus on the game were gone. His mind was racing a mile a minute with all kinds of thoughts, but the most prominent among them was how could he possibly have gotten this lucky? Here he was struggling the past few days since their chance meeting, trying to figure out how he could get in touch with this intriguing woman again just knowing her face and her first name, and not forty-eight hours later she’d just so happened to walk into his stadium, looking every bit as beautiful as she had that first afternoon.

“Well it doesn’t hurt that he’s got a bit more motivation than the rest of us,” Graham said as he strapped his keeper gloves back on, slapping Killian on the back and pushing out those thoughts of Emma. “Didn’t you all see the girl he’s been staring at?”

The cacophony of responses in the locker room was near deafening with hoots and hollers and different childish variations of ‘Killian’s got a girl!’ circulating about, but Killian still tried to play it cool despite not loving that he was completely figured out so easily. He hazarded a glance at David, the only one of his mates who had mentioned anything on the field, but Killian turned away from his meddling if well-meaning friend shortly thereafter. All game long David had been making subtle jokes about Killian’s being smitten, and it had taken Killian’s eventual confession that this was the same girl from the street a few days ago before David sobered up.

“Wait, that’s Emma?” David asked as they both caught a breather on the sidelines to get some water and catch their breath, the tone of laughter falling to the wayside as David scanned the crowd again to get a better look. “Your Emma?”

“Aye,” Killian had acknowledged, incapable of not looking back over to where she sat in the stands with her friends. She hadn’t noticed his attentions at this particular moment yet (as she had most times he snuck a glance up to this point) and he took the chance to really soak her in, watching her laugh at something one of her companions had said and feeling his gut clench at the sight. God she was beautiful, dressed for a game and a casual evening out with people who clearly meant the world to her, and he was a right moron for ever having mucked up his chance with her in the first place. He would not be so foolish again, that was for damn sure.

“Huh. Wait she’s not the one with all the team gear on, right?” David asked, his tone suddenly a bit more terse than it had been only moments before.

“Uh… no?” Killian said looking back at his new friend and finding a familiar look etched on his face. Ha! Here was David berating him for being smitten, but it seemed one of Emma’s friends had caught his eye too. Would wonders ever cease? “Why, do you know her?”

“Not yet,” David said with a grin. “But once you make it right with Emma I’ll have my in. So you should really get a move on.”

“Is this going to be a problem, Killian?” Robin asked him privately, pulling Killian from the stream of memories. It was clear their coach did not want to draw attention with the other players, probably because Killian had made one direct request when he moved to this team: he didn’t want the details of his coming here aired all over the place. Robin knew about Gold and the PR standoff, but the less people that were in the loop on the nightmare of Killian’s personal life the better.

“No, sir,” Killian replied with complete certainty. After all, he might not know Emma very well, but he could trust his instincts enough to know that she wasn’t anything like a problem. In fact, she might just be the answer to all the ones he’d faced before, but Killian was getting ahead of himself. First he had a game to win and then he could try to start and win the girl.

“Fantastic. I never was particularly good at the whole lecturing thing, and as long as you keep playing as you have I see no reason to learn now. And if Regina asks, because she always does, I’ll just tell her I trust you and that’ll be that.”

Robin made it sound like the easiest of tasks to reason with Regina Mills, their fearless and fearsome team owner. Regina was a woman seen pretty much the world over as being a hard ass who was brilliant at business but stubborn as an ox. Yet Killian knew Robin meant what he said and that his coach did have an inexplicable sway with the team’s owner. To this point Killian hadn’t seen anything that crossed professional boundaries between them, but the dynamic they had was so startlingly different than any other of Regina’s that Killian had seen that he had to hold it in high esteem. Keeping his hard bought ally happy was important after all, and it turned out the best option for managing that ally was staying on good terms with his coach.

“No offense, but I must have missed that part in my contract that said I had to run potential dates by the Queen,” Killian joked, trying to keep the mood light by using the team’s nickname for Regina. Robin replied with a blank face.

“Section six, clause C of your contract.” Killian’s jaw was set to drop at that. Bloody hell! Had he really signed something so ridiculous?! But then Robin’s stony face broke into a grin and he shook his head. “No, I’m messing with you. Just remember Regina’s an observant woman, and she’s hardly known for being subtle. When she finds out you’re seeing anyone, seriously or not, she’ll stick her nose in it without shame. Is this girl worth that?”

A call on Robin’s attention interrupted their conversation, but as his coach walked away Killian admitted to himself that yes, Emma was worth any hardship that might come to him for seeking out time with her. Technically this was supposed to be a year of lying low, but instinctively Killian knew that Emma wouldn’t be a threat to that. If anything he’d seen that look in her sparkling green eyes today that spoke to her unease at his being somewhat famous. When it dawned on her that he was a professional athlete, some things seemed to click into place, but Killian wanted to prove those assumptions wrong. He was more than the stereotype; at least he was at his core. Perhaps Killian had indulged in the frivolity of his fame at times, yes, but he was different now, or at least he wanted to be. Suddenly there was a real motivation to be better than he once was, and as he and the team headed back out for the second half of their match, Killian clung to that desire to improve.

That aspiration proved a very powerful tool, and the team won the match in the end 5-1, which had everyone in the best of spirits. Yet as his teammates celebrated, Killian couldn’t manage to ride that high with the others. All he could think through the end of game talk and their time getting cleaned up was that he had to find a way to get to Emma. He didn’t dare to dream that she’d have stuck around this long after the game since more than a half an hour had come and gone, but he had been meticulous in paying attention to where she’d been sitting, and he was confident that he could give the people at the ticket offices the right cluster of seats. For some reason he doubted that the evening had been Emma’s idea, but maybe he’d get a clue in the right direction on how to find her again, and God knew any lead would be welcomed.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re about to go full stalker right now.”

David’s words were said in jest as Killian was heading out, and though Killian had no desire to delay, he was surprised to find it wasn’t necessary. It turned out that David was ready to leave already too, and Killian’s initial thought that he’d be doing this alone evaporated. He didn’t know how to feel about that. On the one hand maybe having an extra set of eyes and ears would help, but on the other Killian hadn’t any want for distraction if and when he finally did find Emma.

“But you do? Know better I mean?” Killian asked, wondering what the line actually was that he wouldn’t cross at this point. Getting into the financial records from the stadium was already a gray area, wasn’t it? But it didn’t feel anything less than necessary to Killian.

“Oh yeah. You might have a crazy look in your eyes at the moment, but you aren’t actually insane. At least not dangerously so.” David laughed at his own joke and Killian only shook his head.

“Thanks, mate. Your faith in me is uplifting as ever.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I tried to get rid of him, but I couldn’t.”

Get rid of him? Killian thought to himself, but before he could ask David to explain himself the ‘him’ he was referring to manifested. Turned out this wasn’t just a duo undertaking this search in the end, and along with David it appeared Graham was dead set on playing a part in all of this too.

“Bloody hell,” Killian muttered under his breath as Graham walked out of the locker room with the same confident swagger the man always embodied. He looked pleased to see the two of them still there and now Killian knew there was no escape from what would likely be a constant stream of jest at his expense.

“Didn’t think I was gonna miss out on you making heart eyes at that girl now did you, Jones? I’ve been waiting for this all game.”

“Anyone ever tell the two of you that you’re slightly too invested in the life of a man you’ve only just met?” Killian asked as they moved down the private club hallway towards the exit of the stadium closest to the ticket office. It was where Tiny, his bodyguard and driver, was set to meet him this evening, and it would also be a good place to start the hunt for Emma. But as they made it down the hallway, Killian found Tiny wasn’t alone. Somehow his man had already done the extensive work of tracking down Emma, for here she was, waiting in the reception area with two of her friends. Killian had a fleeting thought to give Tiny a hefty raise for such a stroke of genius, but then all of his thoughts focused squarely on the beautiful woman before him.

A moment passed where Killian hadn’t been spotted yet and his friends didn’t seem to connect that here was the woman he’d been mooning over. In that precious space of time Killian had the ability to collect his thoughts. It was a triumph for sure, considering what an enticement Emma made for even after he’d been keeping tabs on her through the game, but he centered himself to be assured that he wouldn’t fuck this up again. He would by no means wield the same conceited air that he had before. This time he’d side with humility and the honest truth that he had messed up and would never be so careless as to do so again.

“Oh good, Tiny came through in the end,” David acknowledged, sounding unsurprised and Killian pulled his glance from Emma to interrogate his friend.

“You knew about this?” Killian asked and David only smiled.

“Sure did. I asked him to help out at the half. I thought you might originally, but you seemed a little preoccupied.”

Killian knew that he had been rather distracted, and right now he was so damn grateful to David for having the foresight to do something where he had failed to. Killian immediately dropped all the resentment he’d had at having to share his reunion with Emma with other people. David could stay. After all, he’d earned it.

“Preoccupied is one word for it,” Graham said with a laugh, and the reaction was so boisterous that it ended up alerting Emma and the other two women with her of their approach.

Killian tried to ignore the laughter at his expense, and it was easily done since he now had to try and combat the fluttering of anxiety that had settled in his chest. This was his last shot to do the right thing and to show Emma he was worth her time. He could only make this second impression once. The only problem was crafting the words to do so in his head as he closed the space between he and Emma wasn’t going so well, and the next thing he knew they were only feet apart and she was looking at him expectantly.

“Forgive my current loss of words, love, I just can’t believe my luck at running into you again.”

“Yeah, small world,” Emma agreed, her voice so much softer than it had been last time, but still quizzical and cautious as it sounded out to him.

There was a clear wall still erected between the two of them, but since Emma wasn’t running from him, Killian considered that a win in itself. His behavior on the street the other day had been callous and thoughtless. As such he tried to take command of the situation with a bit more tact and gentlemanly charm. He started by smiling to her two friends and offering a handshake in greeting.

“Excuse my manners. I’m Killian Jones, and these two sorry looking blokes behind me are David Nolan and Graham Humbert.”

“Oh we know who you are,” one of Emma’s friends, the one that Dave had noticed before, responded immediately before going a little red. Killian wasn’t entirely certain, but he suspected that this woman was the cause of his good fortune. Taking a better look at her now, he could see that she was in fact decked out in team apparel and she certainly looked more a soccer fan than Emma or the taller brunette beside her.

“What Mary Margaret is trying to say is that your reputation proceeds you, both on and off the field. Isn’t that right, Emma?” the other woman asked with a smirk. Killian swore he heard a groan that came from Emma, and he most certainly saw an eye roll, but the taller woman paid it no mind as she laughed. “I’m Ruby, by the way. Ruby Lucas.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you look like one of the girls from Dawn of the Odyssey?” Graham blurted out randomly, and Killian was about to call his friend a right idiot when Ruby smiled even wider, this time a light reaching her eyes of excitement that hadn’t been present only a second ago.

“You saw that? Literally no one saw that show!” Ruby exclaimed. “Trust me I begged so many people to watch it but to no avail.”

“We’re on the road a lot,” Graham said with a shrug as David decided it was his turn to chime in.

“And though he might not look like it, Graham’s a big sci-fi nerd.”

“I have an appreciation for good stories,” Graham said, sounding embarrassed now at the ribbing, but where Killian wanted to be entertained he was mostly still anxious. His eyes remained on Emma’s and while he was trying to figure out how to get some actual alone time with her, Emma was the one to take action.

“So could we maybe… talk?” she asked as she nodded in a direction where there were less people.

“Aye, love,” he agreed, but instead of just moving away with her, Killian found himself offering his hand. Emma considered it for a moment before giving in, but when her hand was in his Killian felt his whole being come alive. To find simultaneous elation and peace was an immensely satisfying experience, and so it made it all the harder to let go when they’d maneuvered out of the direct scrutiny of their friends and taken up residence in a private corner.

“Before I say anything else, I just wanted to state for the record that I’m sorry, Emma. The way I handled myself the other day was nothing short of regrettable and I’ve thought of little else since it happened.”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot too and there’s a slight chance I might have overreacted,” Emma acknowledged, her fingers coming up to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she did.

“I’m not so sure of that, love. The fault lies entirely with me. I was trying to mask my disappointment at not getting a chance to see you again and in doing so I undermined the value of your time and attention elsewhere.” Killian watched as a little bit more of that wall around Emma’s being seemed to crumble away. It honestly didn’t feel like he was saying enough to truly express how sorry he was, but she seemed to be accepting him, and that felt like the ultimate gift.

“Well that’s… honest,” Emma said, her surprise evident in her tone, like it shocked her that he’d be totally upfront with her in this moment. “Most guys wouldn’t admit to that.”

“Despite appearances so far, I like to think I’m better than most guys. Yet still, a better man would have respected your refusal and asked for a different day. Perhaps I could do so now…” Killian edged, his breath catching as he waited for Emma to reply.

“Perhaps,” Emma responded, her voice a more gravelly whisper as her eyes cast down to his lips for a brief glance before returning to his once more. “But here in America we usually exchange numbers first.”

“Is that right?” Killian asked with a chuckle, surprised but pleased at her direction in this.

“Mhmm,” she murmured back with a smile. “Gotta give ourselves a little time to get a better feel for each other. That way if we want to back out we still can, no harm, no foul.”

“Trust me, love,” Killian said as he stepped forward, moving closer to the pulsing energy she sparked into his life. “I’ve no intention of turning my back on this. You can rest assured on that front.”

“I would hope not. I mean you’ve gone to all this trouble…” Emma said with a laugh and the sound was intoxicating, filling Killian with a warmth he never wanted to fade. “So, are you going to take out your phone, or are you one of those people with a superhuman memory?”

“Right,” Killian said, a bit embarrassed at his continued lack of ability to keep up with her, but when he looked up Emma and passed her his phone she was smiling sweetly at him. Apparently his genuine sense of being overwhelmed by her was endearing, and he was grateful she took it that way instead of being turned off. This was pretty much the opposite of his cocky come on of the past, but it was also more genuine if he was being honest.

“Well I guess I’ll see you around then, Killian Jones,” Emma said with a smirk

“I’m counting on it, Emma…” Damn! He realized only in this moment that he didn’t know her last name but she filled in easily.

“Swan. Emma Swan.”

“Swan,” Killian repeated, tasting it on his tongue as he watched her return to her friends and lead them away. And though it was hard to watch her go, Killian knew that this was indeed a great day – because now he had a means to get to Emma and he had a path ahead of him where he could try to make her see how right they were together and how rare a thing this spark between them was.

Post-Note: Nothing is more fun for me than writing CS where Emma is a little guarded but taking the risk and Killian loves her almost from first sight. It never gets old for me, because I just love this couple so much. Anyway, since it’s a little slower of a burn than some of my other stories, next chapter will not bring the date, but no worries the one after that definitely will. In the meantime there will be cuteness and a bit more set up, but mostly just light hearted fluff for days. I hope you guys enjoyed and will continue on with me when I post again in two weeks (and I do mean two weeks this time!) and thanks so much for reading!