#> party pop and sausage pizza << /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[yourlocalpizzaguyelliot]

{Elliot heard knocking at their door.}

‘Helloo? I heard crying!! Are you okay in there?? <:C’

- @party-time-noobster (HIII!! IM BACK!! >:) )

Elliot didn't answer, he was still curled on his floor. The faint smell of blood emitted from the room. Small sobs and hiccups heard from the other side of the door but further from it.

[snowball-doie]

Omg sending my first ask !!

What does Ji-hye do for WayV anniversary?? I feel like there could be both some cute and sexy parts of the night💚

Omg heyyyyy 💚 welcomeeee

She is the BIGGEST WayZenni, okay. She doesn’t fuck around. Did she know a thing about NCT before dating them……….. no… BUT THAT DOESNT MATTER TO HER, SHES IN IT TO WIN IT NOW!! The day is packed full of schedules that she created, and the boys MUST stick to it or else there won’t be time for everything, so while they sleep in an extra hour or so, Ji-Hye cooks up a storm in the kitchen to make the most amazing feast full of their favorite meals, and it’s all hot and ready by the time the boys are all sleepily sitting around the dining table. The boys take turns doing dishes while showering, getting ready, working out, etc. When the house is clean, the way they like to show their thanks is seeing who gets their hands on her first- It’s usually Kun because even though he likes to do the dishes, he’ll find Ji-Hye hiding somewhere around the house and he’ll fling her onto a random bed in a random room so that he can eat her out “as dessert” 🙄 Because they have to do a live stream in the afternoon and the early evening, Ji-Hye makes sure to spend their time wisely, playing video games, wrestling around the house, fucking. Lots of fucking. It’s not just her either. Ten and Yangyang have a habit of disappearing every anniversary…….

When they do leave for their work schedule, Ji-Hye rushes to the store to pick up all the party stuff she ordered ahead of time so that she can decorate the house before the boys get back. Banners in every room on the first floor, pictures of their family hanging from string lights that illuminate the living room so that they can be cozy while watching a movie later, blankets and pillows on standby, matching pajama sets that she demands they wear every single year because they’re green and have their names embroidered on them…. She gets them a cake every year. It’s always something cute and creative, and she always tries to one up herself in comparison to the previous year- all the leftovers go to the other NCT units since Ji-Hye keeps ordering bigger and bigger cakes as the years go on…. She has gifts for each of them, which she wraps in green wrapping paper and green ribbon, then she places them in a pile on the dining table where they always put their delivery food dinner. Ji-Hye wanted to cook way back when in the early years that they started dating, but the more convenient thing is to order delivery from everyone’s favorite restaurants around town, and it becomes a free for all on the table as they watch a movie. McDonald’s burgers, rose tteokbokki with glass noodles and sausage, mayo and bacon pizza (don’t knock it til you try it), red bean jam croissants, etc…. Yummy 😋 Ofc the final touch moments before the boys get home is the lingerie Ji-Hye wears under her pajama set. Every year she wears a different color and style to keep the boys on their toes. They’ve all decided red (inspired by Phantom) is her color, so they all pray every year when they’re about to “unwrap her” that she has red underneath. They’ve got a couple more years til that color makes its way back into the rotation.

Everything is set up when the boys get home and set their things down. Winwin will catch Ji-Hye in her arms then they’ll all stumble into the living room to collect their pajamas while they discuss the food they want to order and what movie they’ll watch. They like to pop in horror movies because Ji-Hye hates them so she’ll cuddle close and hide her face against them so that she doesn’t have to watch the scary parts lollll. Hendery will alwayssss be the first to start teasing her by feeling her up and whispering praises in her ear as they start opening their gifts in the dining room, and she’ll go suspiciously quiet until his hands sneak into her pants and she lets out a quiet moan. Every year is a gamble on whether or not they’ll even make it through a movie at all. Most times they don’t. Hendery might end up just fucking her on the dining room table, or Xiaojun might push her to her knees to suck him off half way through a horror movie after she accidentally let her hand rest on his thigh too long, or Kun will wait patiently until the credits to finally rip open her shirt to see her lingerie. “Blue,” he’ll mutter with a quiet groan as he bites his lip. He loves blue on her. If they’re lucky to make it to the bedroom, they’ll use all kinds of toys since it’s the boys’ anniversary, they can do whatever they want with Ji-Hye, she won’t protest. If they end up fucking in the pillow fort in the living room, Ten will alwayssss beg to fuck her at the same time that someone tops him. Winwin has to cum in her. Every year. He’s just the right type of possessive in a quiet way, unlike Kun who will pin her down and say “you’re all ours, baby, no one else’s” as he fills her up; but Winwin will hold her in his arms and kiss her passionately as he reaches his peak and she whispers, “Cum in me,” to tip him over the edge. Hendery and Yangyang loveeee to fuck her ass, so they don’t mind sharing her at the same time someone’s already inside of her.

Fucked-out and exhausted from a long day, they’ll all crash pretty quickly. Naked or in their stupid matching pajamas. The cats, Bella, and Daisy will eventually find their way to their parents, and they’ll just plop down to fall asleep in the same room. “Surely this year’s the year we add one more to our family,” Xiaojun half jokes. “In your dreams,” Ji-Hye replies. Maybe next time she wears red…. Who knows…..

[heyyoupikaboo]

Welcome 2 My Blog

oh hi. if u don't know who i am, my name's gracie. but you can also call me pikabelle. i'm a teenage female who has never heard of the term cringe. why? bc cringe culture is (mostly) dead to me.

im also reeeaaaaalllly into pokemon. like reaaallllyyy into it. my top three are aggron, tyrantrum, and zweilous. i also really like 2003 strawberry shortcake and mlp fim.

like my music taste? here it is:

Breaking Benjamin

KoRn

System of a Down

Slipknot

Rob Zombie

Eminem (older)

Hollywood Undead

Evanescence

Disturbed

The Pharcyde

Attila

Schoolly D

MC Chris

Rain Paris

Ozzy Osbourne

Metallica

Old Run-D.M.C

A lot of vgm

Motionless in White

Tag Team

Johnathan Young

Katy Perry (before Witness)

Weird Al Yankovic

likes: pizza, metal, old school hip-hop, playing the piano, pokemon, horror movies, the transformers movies (the soundtrack specifically), dark fiction, bacon, sausages, burgers, french fries, cringy 2000s and 90s stuff, dark/offensive humor, freaktale (thanks to @sharks-freakshow-aus), pokemon the series s&m, chinese food, authentic mexican food, sushi, seafood (especially crab), american mcgee's alice (and madness returns), partying, the 90s addams family

dislikes: boy bands, overtly colorful video games, bad puns, romcoms, nicki minaj, cardi b, glitchtale, eggs (on their own), people who take themselves way too seriously, taco bell, harry styles, lizzo, katy perry (witness - onwards), jehovah's witnesses, bible thumpers, taylor swift (i prefer her country over her pop), radfems, libfems, bts stans, ea

any mental disorders? i have autism but i'm more on the asperger's side

anyways here are some rules:

my profile my shit. if you don't like what i post kindly reply ur heart out

if i catch you glorifying my autism or tracing my ocs i WILL track you down.

don't message me annoyingly saying how you wanna be my friend. that's not how making friends work.

death threats and hate art are strictly off-limits and forbidden.

i dont accept random requests. pls use the ask button if you wanna request.

i don't mind fanart as long as you credit me.

anyway's that's it 4 now

do yall not know im a metalhead?

[colorfuldreamsmkg]

There is Still Another Spring || CH4 Norm Event

[Ch4 Premotive Day 5] :Kanji: (SP) Hello everyone! Please, meet me at the bunker.

A notification from the group chat pops up, calling everyone to a specific spot. In the next second, another message goes through. 

:Cecilie: We wished to hold an event following that which we have gone through, it is not an emergency but your presence would be appreciated. Feel free to let your Virtual Singers know, as well. 

Something that immediately stands out about the man that summoned everyone is the change in his attire. Kanji is no longer wearing his usual grey tank top. Instead, he has wrapped what appears to be white bandages around his midriff. On top of that, he’s wearing an eye-catching, pink coat adorned by floral patterns featuring cherry flowers specifically. His attire, sarashi and a happi, is one that exudes a festive vibe.

“Thank you all for coming! Me, Cecilie and the virtual singers of the Cave SEKAI have prepared something for everyone to enjoy and let us release some tension. Now, could you all make sure you’re holding onto someone to make sure we can all make it to the SEKAI?” Kanji speaks into his phone which then translates what he said to English.

Once the human chain of people has been formed and Kanji has double checked that he’s not missing anyone, he pulls out his phone to let Untitled play. Soon, familiar multi-colored particles accompanied by an overwhelming light fills everyone’s field of view and, soon, the mundane and all too familiar place that Miku Prime’s prisoners have grown all too used to is replaced by something else entirely. 

To the beat of a drum, the dance of the breeze, life goes on past decay. Past death. A flower will bloom time and time again, and as the scenery of the Cave SEKAI begins to register within your eyes, that thought becomes fact. Pink petals dance amidst lush greenery, the occasional echo of a bird flying overhead, the sound of running water, a gentle hum bouncing off of walls of rock. 

The Garden Grotto has been set up with many makeshift seats and tables, food set out and being set out for the taking ranging from typical finger foods; chicken nuggets, fries, chips, pizza, to healthier and more strange options for a party. Bread, Salads, Mashed potatoes and gravy, cocktail sausages, pasta, soups. Alongside some dishware for people to help themselves, lists of allergy specifications are written in English and Spanish on the table for perusal, just in case. 

Cherry Juice and some non-alcoholic cocktails are set out on trays, alongside a pot of green tea and, of course, a tall jug of water so people have a multitude of options. 

A basket of paper lies in the middle of the seating, presumably for an activity later, as Cecilie herself walks in front of the scene, eyes closed and playing a soft song on her Ocarina as people begin to filter in. Not wishing to get in the way of the inhabitants of the cave SEKAI as they helped this project come to life. 

As the group is settling in, Gumi is in the background of it all. He flashes a wave, before continuing to move a few things around. He’ll properly join in a moment. And meanwhile, Cave Miku apparently hadn’t even been in the area yet, walking in behind you all with a blink and wide eyes as she sees the sheer amount of guests and set-up.

“Welcome, everyone. Please, make yourselves at home. Don’t be shy and eat and drink to your heart’s content. We all put a lot of effort in order to make sure you guys will enjoy yourselves!” Kanji says, guiding the group through all the food covered tables. 

As the song comes to an end, she bows her head, offering everyone a sad smile. It has been tough lately, undeniably so, but still she speaks with conviction. 

"..Thank you for coming um...We spoke of...viewing flowers together in what feels like quite some time ago. To offer reprieve and to...also continue forth, I hold my doubts that that which we have lost would wish to see us stationary. So long as we remember this moment, we can...smile for them, too." 

Kanji nods, offering a confident smile for Cecile. He turns back to the group.

“Indeed! It is important to stay together in times of adversity. Being divided will bring no good, it is through mutual trust and understanding that we will continue to navigate our circumstances to our best ability. I’ve been particularly excited to plan this event alongside Cecile and co… Every year, I organize a party like this and gather my friends for a flower viewing party to watch the flowers of the cherry blossom trees bloom. After some talks, we thought doing something like that could help the group spend some time together. Alongside the food and drinks, we’ve also prepared some additional entertainment for you guys!”

"Ah, right, yes...I have also prepared a party game but- we may wait until people have settled to explain that. Please make yourself comfortable."

[brinemcallister]

Another little party game to serve as icebreakers.  Here is one I answered. This or That Questions 1. Playlists or podcasts? Podcasts 2. Shoes or slippers? Slippers 3. Pork or beef?  Beef 4. Swimming pool or beach?  Beach 5. Celery or Carrots?  Celery (even though have an allergy) 6. Cats or dogs?  Both but lean more toward cats 7. Spring or autumn?  Autumn all the way 8. Cinnamon or paprika?  Paprika 9. Cash or cards? Cards 10. Chocolate chip cookies or Fig Newtons?  Chocolate Chip Cookies 11. Soda or juice? Soda 12. Forest or desert?  Forests 13. Text or call? Text 14. New furniture or new car?  Furniture 15. Full color or black/white?  Color 16. Driver or passenger? Passenger 17. Laptop or desktop? Desktop 18. Comedy or Horror? Horror 19. Water or milk?  Water 20. Take out or dine out? Take out 21. Movies or TV shows?  TV shows 22. iOS or Android?  Android 23. Breakfast sausage or bacon? Bacon 24. Rain or snow?  Rain 25. Fame or fortune?  Fortune 26. Blue eyes or brown eyes?  Brown eyes 27. Curly fries or straight fries?  Curly fries 28. Typing or handwriting?  Both.. But mainly type 29. Cheetos or Doritos?  Cheetos.. Like both but sucker for Cheetos 30. Arboretum or garden?  Garden 31. Breakfast or dinner? Dinner 32.  Weekdays or weekends?  Weekends 33. Pizza or pasta?  Pasta 34. Friends or family?  Friends with exception my kiddo 35. Costumes or masks?  Masks 36. Coke or Pepsi?  Coke 37. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate 38. Singing or dancing?  Dancing 39. Facebook or Instagram?  Instagram 40. Books or movies?  Books 41. Dress or skirt?  Skirt 42. Dishes or vacuum?  Dishes 43. Vacation near home or travel abroad?  Vacation near home but would like to travel abroad 44. Suitcase or backpack?  Suitcase 45. Too much sleep or little sleep?  Little sleep 46. Drama or Fantasy?  Fantasy 47. Glitter or glow in the dark?  Glitter 48. Hot chocolate or coffee?  Hot chocolate 49. House or apartment?  Live in apt but want a house 50. Unicorn or dragon?  Dragon 51. Bats or rats?  Bats 52. Board games or card games?  Board gamed 53. Comb or brush? Brush 54. Ice cream or cake?  Ice cream 55. Movie date or dinner date?  Dinner date 56. Socks or bare feet?  Bare feet 57. Paint or sketch?  Both but love sketching 58. Tater tots or fries?  Tater tots 59. To give or to receive?  Give.. But love receiving too 60. Hamburgers or hotdogs?  Hamburgers 61. Introvert or extrovert?  Introvert 62. PlayStation or Xbox?  PlayStation 63. Brownies or cupcakes?  Brownies 64. Video games or party?  Video games 65. Discord or twitch?  Discord 66. Coffee or tea?  Tea 67. Pudding or Jello?  Pudding 68. Altoids or Tic-tac?  Tic-tac 69. Vintage or new?  Vintage 70. Popsicles or ice cream bars?  Ice cream bars 71. Hike or nap?  Nap 72. Wings or ribs?  Wings 73. Buffet or fancy dinner?  Buffet.. Salad bars are the bomb 74. Pretzels or peanuts?  Pretzels 75. Cheesy or chili?  Cheesy 76. Cable or satellite?  Cable 77. Sunrise or sunset?  Sunset 78. Night or day?  Night 79. Pop or reggae?  Pop 80. Captain America or Ironman?  Ironman 81. Casual or formal?  Casual 82. With make-up or without make-up? Mainly no make-up 83. Escape room or dance party?  Escape room 84. Blinds or drapes?  Drapes 85. Impressionism or abstract?  Impressionism 86. Tall or short?  I like tall 87. River or lake?  River 88. Single player or multiplayer?  Single player 89. Leaves or puddles?  Leaves 90. Music festival or art festival?  Both.  But can’t stand for a long time. 91. Massage or manicure?  Massage 92. Piano or guitar?  Piano 93. Yacht or sailboat?  Sailboat 94. Highway or back roads?  Back roads 95. Tattoo or piercings?  Tattoo 96. Chrome or Safari?  Chrome 97. Gold or silver?  Silver 98. Long or short hair?  Short hair on partners but medium length for me 99. Angels or vampires?  Vampires 100. Sun or moon?  Moon 101. Stripes or dots?  Stripes 102. Thai food or bbq? ...

[fieriframes]

[That's your grandfather. That's my nana in the middle and I left my homeland in late 1967. Pop pop would do these pizza parties in his basement. The community would come out.]

[yourlocalpizzaguyelliot]

Elliot blinked, holding onto them. He sighed, was Guest someone he shouldve known of-? Did they forget that he was injured ? It didn't matter.. he'd be fine.

{A more colorful version of Noob was walking around, looking confused..}

- @party-time-noobster

Elliot rested against a tree, his breaths heavy and laboured. He looked at his injuries and tried to gauge the situation. They didn't have a medkit, having used it on someone else.

They spotted the other though, blinking a little and waving them over. Maybe they could help.

[bbrandy2002]

Fool’s Rush In

Part 15

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x MC

Warnings: mild violence

Series Premise: With two weeks until Liam is to marry Madeleine – his pick during the social season – the guys throw him a bachelor party in Vegas. After a drunken night, he finds himself with more than he bargained for.

Thanks @burnsoslow​ for the beta read.

---------------

Supposedly, the more a person suffered in the name of love, the more it showed they really cared. 

At least, that's what Riley thought. 

After nightfall of this particular evening -- when she least expected it -- she never realized how much truth that belief held. 

Or how much it would hurt to sacrifice the one person who made her believe she was worthy of love and saw who she really was on the inside.

Her dainty arm -- a delicate bronze in color, sleek, with a glittering red strap across one shoulder -- linked through the arm of the man she had grown to love more than life itself as they entered the palace ballroom. Working tirelessly over the last week to ensure everything went off without a hitch had taken its toll on her. All she could think about, as she shook hands and charmed dignitaries with a sparkle in those twinkling brown eyes, was how much sleep she planned to make up for after the ball ended.

This ball was to introduce the King and his new bride to the Cordonian court for the first time. A show of solidarity and, hopefully, strength. A way to establish that what happened in a tiny chapel 10,000 miles away weeks ago between two strangers wasn't a careless mistake, and that she could handle the duties bestowed on her as a common American woman. 

Or at least pretend she could for now.

However, for the King and the "Jewel of His Heart" whom he escorted through the curious crowd of pretentious naysayers in extravagant gowns and tuxes, with their fake smiles and tedious posturing ...

It was nothing less than fate. 

Riley was the key that unlocked that safe space deep inside Liam's heart that had been sheltered for so long, waiting for the perfect person to come along and open it. This was the place where he kept his most sacred feelings: a genuine love, never-ending laughter, joy, romance, ecstasy, and every dream he ever held for the future -- one he presumed would never exist in any form he longed for. 

But she didn't just unlock it. Riley shattered it wide open, where everything came flooding out at once and consumed him like a raging wildfire. 

And it was the most remarkable, intoxicating experience of his life. 

Liam showed her off all evening as they mingled during their rounds, danced, and conversed with the variance of nobility. She was the sexiest woman in that room, and he'd dare say the looks of envy shot in his direction from high-class men as he proudly cavorted her around didn't bother him in the least. Not that that was her only quality -- far from it. There were so many things about Riley that were special. But he couldn't help feeling a sense of pride that she was all his.

And without question, he was all hers.

Seated at the head table, Riley swallowed a morsel of the veal medallion she wanted to be served for this occasion. When given a choice between fish and lamb, the fish never stood a chance. The memory of that smelly, god-awful lunch with Regina three weeks ago was not something her palate had forgiven her for yet. As wonderful and savory as this extravagant meal, covered in a light brown mushroom sauce and served with a side of broccoli rabe, was, it couldn't hold a candle to what she craved the most: a slice of white pizza from Carmine's back in Brooklyn.

Or a slab or two of the New Yorker.

With maybe some cheesecake.

Covered in chocolate.

And a sausage rice ball. A Frito pie smothered with sour cream. Definitely a rainbow bagel from The Bagel Store. Barbecue ribs and beans from the mom-and-pop diner hidden just off the strip in Vegas. 

Of course, her grandma’s country fried steak with white gravy sounded delicious too.

For sure, a fried Twinkie like the one she ate at the New York State Fair in 2013. 

"You've outdone yourself, sweetheart," Liam marveled while wiping at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "The meal was delicious, and our guests appear to be enjoying themselves." The others seated at the table looked up, adding their compliments.

Still dreaming about a fat slice of New York-style pizza, Riley smiled graciously back at him, until she noticed the server refilling Liam’s glass with merlot, causing her to do a double-take. 

Hot tears pooled in her eyes, and a heavy feeling of sadness swelled in her chest as she panicked. "I asked for the Pinot Noir. Not the merlot,” she rasped meekly. “You don't like merlot, Liam. And the Pinot Noir was from the 'C' place where Duke Hakim lives. He'll be so disappointed and think I'm slighting his duchy. They’ll all hate me forever and ... wait a minute." She trailed off as a realization hit her, and Riley quickly glanced down at her plate before scanning each of the dishes from those seated around her.

The anxiety intensified; she could no longer suppress the heartbroken sob that wailed out of her. "Where are all the potatoes? We were supposed to have the potatoes, Liam. They didn’t serve the potatoes. Now the whole night is completely ruined, and it’s all my fault. I'm such a failure as a queen, and you should just send me to the dungeon now and throw away the key. I apologize to all of you for my incompetence and the lack of potatoes with your meal." Riley’s red-hot face, full of tears, plunged into the palms of her hands, then quickly sprung back up as Liam hesitantly tried to place a hand on her shoulder. A strong urge to use the restroom ended her crying spell as if it never happened. “Oh, oh. I gotta pee so bad. I’ll be right back.” She gave a warm smile and excused herself as she pushed her chair back and scurried merrily toward the nearest restroom.

Liam, Regina, Leo, Maxwell, and Olivia watched with confusion as she happily took off, not knowing what to say or what to make of the sudden shift in her moods.

“What the hell was that?” Olivia scowled, her eyes fixed on Liam.

“Is she all right, dear?” a concerned Regina asked.

Liam scratched the back of his head, nearly at a loss for words. “I ... I don’t know. I’ve never seen her that upset … especially over potatoes.” He paused in thought. “She was a little on edge this morning. Still, she’s been working a lot on the preparations and everything else going on. It must have gotten to her.”

Maxwell shrugged. “Maybe she just finally snapped.” 

Leo shook his head, swallowing a forkful of beef. “Or maybe she has the premenstrual syndrome.”

“Leo!” The group admonished.

“What?” Leo bit back, taking in each of their disappointed glares. “Don’t act like it’s not true. Trust me, when I have cramps and bloating, I can go from a happy little Leo to a Bertrand, just like that.” He snapped his fingers, following it up with a frown. “It ain’t pretty, you all.”

Maxwell looked across the table at Liam and agreed, “He has a point.”

Wanting to shed his skin and slither away, Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we not discuss something so personal and private, especially while several hundred people are dining around us?”

“I’m just saying, little brother, that you need to be understanding and gentle during this special time of your wife’s 'lady business.' You should speak softly and slowly to her because Shark Week messes with a girl's mind, man. Their brains short-circuit, and there’s nothing left up there but a couple of crickets and man-eating rattlesnakes. One second, you think she’s fine, but if you’re not careful, in the next second, you’ll find yourself with two venomous fangs rattling from your nut sack, dude. She will tear you apart and spit you out like a rabid dog. You can make it through these next few days, but only if you take my advice.”

“That is the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Olivia spat, boring her eyes into him. “And you’ve said a lot.” She turned to Liam, whose face was slightly pale and void of expression. “Don’t listen to his sexist drivel. Why you haven’t declared him insane yet is beyond me. You should have sent him away with that filthy hairball to Valtoria you had caged earlier.”

“IT WAS MONGO!” Leo erupted, causing the dishes on the table to clatter as he jumped to his feet and hovered over the redhead. Every head in the ballroom whipped around to see what was happening, and a deafening silence filled throughout. Even the orchestra stopped playing their classical tune.

A wide-eyed Regina smiled sheepishly as she glanced out at the quiet audience who were waiting to see what all the fuss was about. She thought fast before calling out, “We were just playing a little game of … 'It was Mongo.'” The former queen snatched Maxwell’s Sunset Rum punch from his hand, thrusting the drink up at her stepson, towering beside her, and instructed in a grandmotherly tone, “Be a good lad, Leo. You lost this round. It's time to chug-a-lug, my boy.” With his face burning, Liam slid down in his seat.

“Ooooo, I wanna go next.” Maxwell bounced excitedly while the guests resumed the festivities. "How do we play?"

“I think I want to go, too,” Liam replied, straightening back up before hurling his napkin on the table. “I’m going to go find Riley.”

-----------------

Riley exited the ladies' room, clutch in hand and a fresh dab of clear gloss gleaming on her pink lips. She stopped walking just as the door closed behind her and smiled with a look of surprise at seeing Liam leaning against the opposite wall. "What are you doing out here?"

He pushed himself off the wall, closing the distance between them and meeting her in the middle of the empty corridor. They wrapped their arms around each other, indulging in the warmth of their lovers' embrace. "Would you believe me if I told you I just missed you?" he answered, placing a tender kiss on her lips that skimmed lower to her jawline. 

"I missed you, too," she moaned with each gentle pressure of his seductive lips, suckling and nibbling along the spot that trailed behind her ear that he knew drove her crazy. "But something tells me that's not the only reason you left the ballroom."

Their gazes met simultaneously. "Leo."

Riley chuckled softly. "Do I even want to know?"

Liam sighed, smoothing back a loose hair behind her ear. "You know my brother and his wonderful words of wisdom." There was no way in hell he would tell her what they really discussed after she left; he could only imagine her embarrassment. "Everyone was just a little worried about you, that's all."

"I didn't mean to scare everyone. I just wanted tonight to be perfect. Instead, so many things went wrong. I can only assume what the court thinks about me now." She lowered her gaze to the red carpeting where they stood. "I let you down."

"I don't want to ever hear you say that again. Riley, sweetheart, you can never let me down. Do you understand that?" Liam lifted her chin; her tentative eyes stared back at him for a moment before nodding. "Good. And just so you know, our guest are used to bombings, stabbings, kidnappings, shootings, and terror plots at most of my palace events --"

"Wait. What?"

" -- I assure you, just the fact alone, that none of that took place tonight, and they're all going to leave here soon -- alive -- will be huge for them. Not having potatoes with the meal or the right wine was the least of their worries. They will consider this night a success. And a testament to their new queen. You should, too. I'm so very proud of you."

"I have so many questions about everything you just said."

Liam smiled, caressing Riley's petal-soft cheeks and lowering his head to kiss her again. "All in due time, my love.”

Riley let out a deep, drawn-out yawn she lightly covered with her palm before stretching and rolling her neck. A couple of weeks' worth of planning and endless decisions had left heavy tension in her shoulders and overwhelming exhaustion like nothing she'd felt before. None of it went unnoticed by Liam, who placed his hands on her shoulders and gingerly kneaded the taut muscles. 

"What do you say about heading back to our quarters, taking off all of your clothes, and I'll be up soon to massage this gorgeous body from head to toe? And hopefully, when I'm through, you'll massage parts of me, too … with any part of your body that you'd like." His lips curved into an inviting smile.

"Mmm, that's tempting," she purred, rubbing her hands over his ample chest. "But I can't just leave. It's the Queen's Ball. Without me, it's just ... The Ball." She chuckled, despite herself.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little panties over the ball. Just go upstairs and take them off. I’ll handle everything down here. Then … “ He squatted down to her eye level. “ … I’ll handle you.”

Her heart fluttered every time Liam spoke to her that way. The way he desired only her. She bit the corner of her lip teasingly. “I love you so much.”

Liam smiled. “You better. You’ve got one hell of a husband. I’d even venture to say you’re the luckiest woman on the whole damn planet right now.” Before Riley could respond to his jest, he put both of his hands on her cheeks to hold her head still and began placing playful, wet smooches all over her face, causing her to laugh riotously. After a few seconds of her squirming around and cackling at his antics, he paused to look at her. “You know I love you, too. Now go on up. I’ll be right behind you soon.” 

With a pat to her backside, they went their separate ways.

---------

Liam returned to the ballroom, having offered to finish what little time was left without her. He would offer his apologies for her absence, but in reality, the King couldn’t have cared less what anyone there thought. Since his bachelor party weeks ago, he had grown from a man who had no choices to one who made his own. His marriage and relationship with Riley came first. Her wellbeing was the main priority -- to hell with anyone who had a problem with that.

As Riley placed a hand on the elegant wooden handrail of the grand staircase and took the first step up, her thoughts meandered to where she had been in her life one month ago and how vastly it had changed in such a short time. For the first time in years, she was happy, and it felt so good to be in that place where she could finally let go of the past and move on. Liam was a game-changer, and she was thoroughly convinced he was the only person on the planet who could have gotten her out of her own head and to this level of blissful existence.

Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, she reached into her clutch to pull out the key card to her quarters, exhaustion slowing her strides. Shuffling past a row of closed office doors and framed artwork, she made her way to the residential wing. 

The squeak of a door behind her and the click of heels drew her attention, causing her to stop and turn to see who was there. 

The color drained from her face as Madeleine casually stepped out, her hands behind her back and a devious, unsettling grin cemented on her face. 

It wasn't the fear that made Riley's heart pound with a sickening thud, but more shock than anything. No one had seen or spoken to the Countess since the confrontation in Las Vegas when she showed up unexpectedly after finding out Liam had married Riley the night prior. 

Now, suddenly, there she was, as if out of nowhere, a gleam in her eye, looking all too pleased to have this run-in with Riley.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" Riley scoffed, taking one step back the closer Madeleine approached. "What are you even doing here?"

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," she answered contemptuously. Her green eyes drifted to one of the cameras mantled at each end of the hallway. Riley placed a shaky hand over her stomach, letting out a low, relieved breath, hoping that was the truth. "Not physically, anyway."

"Well, that sounds promising," Riley replied sardonically. "Now, if you don't mind ..." She turned away, wanting nothing more than to escape this conversation and make it back to her quarters. 

Madeleine reached out and grabbed the Queen by her elbow, pulling her back and harshly twisting her around so they were now face-to-face. "You're not going anywhere until I'm through with you," she hissed with an icy glare. "I told you I would make you regret what you've done."

Riley jerked her arm, trying to free herself. "Let go of my arm, Madeleine!" 

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say! Now LET ME GO!" Riley hoped someone heard her yell or at least witnessed what was happening on the camera. Where the hell is security?

While continuing to struggle to free herself, she reached up with her free hand in an attempt to pry off Madeleine's bony fingers that were squeezing tight grooves around her elbow, her manicured nails digging deeper into Riley's skin. "You're hurting me. I said to let me go."

"Very well, then." The woman, who had twice lost her chance at the crown, released her firm grasp, knowing that the momentum would cause Riley to stumble back as soon as she let go. 

Just as predicted, Riley planted a foot behind her for leverage before drawing her arm back as hard as she could, one last time. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a sharp gasp that sounded well down the corridor. Riley sailed backward, tripping over herself and toppling to the ground. She finally landed with a hard blow on her backside, the rear of her head just inches from slamming to the floor.

A shockwave of pain coursed up Riley's spine from hitting so abruptly. Before she had a chance to respond or process what happened, Madeleine crouched down beside her, holding a DVD up and gaining Riley's attention. 

The pain had morphed into a throbbing ache that was soon forgotten as the Queen stared quizzically at the object displayed in front of her like a grand prize. 

"What is that?" her voice trembled.

"It's my ace in the hole," Madeleine stated, then wagged a finger. "Someone used to be a very naughty girl." 

Furrowing her brows, Riley responded. "I don't know what you mean."

"You know precisely what I mean, but just in case, please allow me to refresh your memory," Madeleine smirked before rising to her feet and prancing around as if she were having the time of her life. "I did a little digging after my brief visit to Las Vegas and came across a man who knew you very, very well at one time. I made some calls. We exchanged e-mails, a transfer of money or two. And he was all too eager to accept my offer of payment for any dirt he could give me on you."

There was no point in asking "who" -- she already knew; the thought made her nauseous. Riley closed her eyes and muttered. "Tyler?"

"Yes," Madeleine beamed, " Your ex-husband. He had a lot to say about you."

"I'm sure he did. Does it even matter to you that he's a liar and a cheat -- not to mention greedy? He would make up anything if he thought he could profit off of it."

"Oh, it matters. Personally, I don't believe a damn thing he had to say. Honestly, Riley ... even someone like you could have done better than that slime."

Riley cringed in pain as she pushed herself off the floor and turned to her oppressor. "Just get to the point, Madeleine. Clearly, he gave you something you thought was valuable enough to use against me, so just spit it already."

Madeleine smiled, "How very astute of you. You're correct. He did." She held up the disc as Riley regarded it suspiciously. "On this disk are several hours of the two of you ... together. Very graphic, if I do say so myself." Riley's jaw dropped upon hearing those words as Madeleine continued, "Now don't worry. I only watched it long enough to make sure the video was legit --"

"Give me that!" Riley reached out to snatch the DVD, but Madeleine pulled it away just out of her grasp. A burning sensation filled inside her chest and spread across her face. "You're lying. I never made videos like that."

"Oh, I think you did," the blonde countered with a mirthful tone. "You just didn't know about it. Your ex admitted as much to me ... an asshole move, for sure. But nonetheless, I purchased the copy from him for a hefty sum. And ... well ... here we are now. You're more than welcome to take this disc and see for yourself; I have it downloaded as a backup, knowing you'd want proof."

At that moment, all Riley wanted was for Liam to walk down that corridor where she now stood, pick her up in his arms, whisk her away to safety, and tell her it was all a bad dream. Not that she did anything wrong -- she was married at one time to the man, presumably on the video, and would have been a consenting adult. 

No, it was the fact that Tyler Brooks had taken intimate videos with her during their marriage, without her knowledge. Now Madeleine had possession of them.

God only knew what she planned to do with them, but Riley had a pretty good idea. "What do you want?" she whispered in defeat, afraid to hear the answer.

Madeleine grinned from ear-to-ear. "For you to leave Cordonia tonight and never return, or I release everything to the press."

Riley shook her head. "No. As much as I don't want anyone to see that video, I did nothing wrong, and I won't be blackmailed or intimidated by you so that you can get your grubby little paws on the crown."

"Is that so?" It wasn't a question so much as a remark meant to convey who was in control. 

Maintaining her position, Riley raised a brow, refusing to give in.

Madeleine was far from giving up, though; she had manipulation in her blood. "Very well, then. I'll release the video in the morning. It should be interesting to see how the world reacts to yet another scandal by this monarchy. Their Queen plastered all over the internet again, except this time, uploaded on every porn site on the web. 

"The news will run the story with your blurred-out silhouette in the background. Your father will see it, and his business will become a target.: Your friends. Family. Students. They'll all be inundated with your sexual proclivities. But the worst part will be the tribunal. The council will have no choice but to question Liam's decision-making abilities after not only squandering his pick of queen on some American nobody, but now one whose ass will be featured on the desktops of teenage boys across the world. It's a shame that he'll lose his reign, all because of you. Would you really do that to Liam? Do you genuinely believe you're worth all the trouble it will cause him?"

Riley froze. She knew Madeleine was taunting her with the people she cared about the most. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass each of them. But to possibly cause Liam to lose his legacy, his birthright, and the rulership of a country he loved so much? It was something she couldn't shake. 

Staring blankly, twisting the bands of gold that belonged to Liam's mother, she couldn't get the question Madeleine just asked out of her mind: Did Riley believe she was worth the trouble it would cost him? 

Nothing was damning on that video, aside from the fact that she never knew it existed. But she already had so much to prove; another video in the press' hand would tarnish Liam. Maybe the Countess of Fydelia was right: He would lose it all.

"Time is ticking," Madeleine reminded Riley as she tapped her watch. "What's it going to be?"

----------

@burnsoslow​ @dcbbw​ @ao719​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @jessiembruno​ @texaskitten30​ @janezillow​ @merridithsmiscellany-blog​ @mskaneko @callmeellabella​ @queenjilian @sirbeepsalot @drakexwillow @caroldxnvxrs​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @bebepac​ @kingliam2019​ @lovablegranny​ @cordoniaqueensworld​ @amandablink​ @liamxs-world​ @choiceskatie @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie @charlotteg234 @annekebbphotography​ @txemrn​ @thecordoniandiaries @alyssalauren​ @cordonianroyalty @monsoonbloom12 @mom2000aggie​ @theroyalheirshadowhunter​ @princessleac1​ @kimmiedoo5​ @graceful-leah​ @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @thegreentwin​ @gkittylove99​ @cinnamonspongecake @lifeaskim @neotericthemis​ @pink-diamond13​ @walker7519 @natureblooms24​ @yourmajesty09​ @gabesmommie1130​ @sweatyrysconnoisour @kat-tia801​ @debmcg1106

Liam x MC: Cordonia-gothqueen

FRI Series Tags:   @narrytheworld​​  @queenwalton​  @cordonianprincess​        @zaffrenotes​ @zilch3​  @drrookie​ @sfb123​​

[desolateice]

Food of “Root Beer Floats and Green Tea” part 5 chapters 78- 110

Welcome to TKK3 arc

Fresh honey from Dutch’s Pizza at Mr. Miyagi’s Little Trees Early morning runs with wheat-grass protein smoothies with Dutch and Jessica Dutch’s tropical smoothie with spinach, kale, and protein powder. Daniel’s chocolate and peanut butter banana smoothie Johnny’s acai berry drink

Mr. Miyagi’s congratulations on the opening of your shop: champagne-style sake from the Lawrence's.

Johnny’s breakfast at a old-fashioned diner and with his mom and she had gotten them both big breakfast platters with pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, and toast.

Babysitter Johnny’s mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs

After taekwondo tournament hole in the wall celebratory pizza tradition. Daniel’s brunch with Laura: her bloody mary, Daniel’s eggs

Green tea and Mrs. LaRusso’s pie made by Daniel Halloween at the Brown’s House: Bobby’s monster mash pancakes, skeleton cookies Ohio lemon shaker pie Bobby’s lemon pie Daniel’s Mom’s blueberry pie

ghost cookie Frankenstein's monster bar grave parfaits Candy lollipops shaped like different monsters and severed limbs gingerbread homes scale models of paris and story books “There were so many cupcakes under the domes on the cake plates. Ghost toppings, some that looked like they were bleeding, and one with little candy witch's feet sticking out of it. “ Laura’s housewarming Halloween party: She hired a bartender to work on bubbling punch and alcoholic cocktails out in the garden and got cupcakes and sweets from the Browns and a catering company had made themed finger food.  snacks, candied apples, and finger food, mocktails: Johnny had a dark purple almost black drink (made with juice and not vodka)

Mrs. Lawrence’s pumpkin muffins Trick or treats with the kids, no king size candy bars (though Mrs. Lawrence had those), Apples and mini bags of baby carrots. and raisins. The Browns give out: popcorn balls and king-sized candy bars.

Scampagnata Eggplant Parmesan Melanzane alla parmigiana sandwiches croquettes pasta salad, and there are fruit and cherry tomatoes. wine torta rustica pajeon Fancy pancakes from the cafe for Jessica’s goodbye breakfast Beach ice cream for broken hearted Californian boys Birthday dinner part 1: A cold soup  was brought out on a bowl of dry ice so the whole thing smoked, crackled, and popped.  Tiny salad all wrapped up in a slice of cucumber like it was a bite-size salad, sorbet palate cleanser, eclairs, chocolate soufflé

Hotel breakfast: pancakes, eggs, sausage or bacon, and juice.

Ma’s birthday surprise mac and cheese

Mr. Miyagi’s chocolate cake Jessica’s Buckeyes Cobra make up birthday soccer lunch: Jimmy’s grilled hotdogs, Cookie dough birthday cake

After Daniel’s win celebration from the Browns:

 Lemon Blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting recipe    some tea cookie recipes Alcoholic rum and root beer floats

Cobra’s break in breakfasts: Dutch’s omelets with lots of vegetables Dutch’s favorite coffee: add one pack of hot chocolate and 3  cups of Irish creamer. Bobby: Cinnamon Rolls Jimmy’s corned beef and hash Tommy’s waffles Dutch’s other eggs: frittatas and quiches Bobby was making pancakes filled with cinnamon and chocolate chips. Chozen’s breakfast: eggs Mr. Miyagi had made sometimes, rice, soup, grilled fish, a cucumber salad, and pickles and Nattō Dutch portrait sitting breakfast spread of: pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns and muffins Mr. Miyagi’s Pork and taro leaves, cook for hours so becomes soft, smoked  from when he lived in Hawaii Lucille’s pre-flight to Newark breakfast: scrambled eggs and bacon and blueberry muffins Johnny’s coffee trip in Newark: ordered Daniel a cup of coffee with a dash of cream and one for himself that was a mocha Dinner at Nonnio and Nonnia’s: chicken and pesto penne, a pot roast with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes, a salad with bread, tomato, cucumber, basil and onion, and focaccia.

Sandwiches with baby LaRusso’s and Johnny’s first attempt at mac and cheese. Ali’s brunch at the country club: egg with lobster and caviar. There were also raspberry pancakes (this recipe is for lemon raspberry pancakes) with gold leaf.

The girls and Chozen go to In-N-Out: animal style burgers, fries and drinks S’mores made by Chozen on the leftover Cobra Kai pamphlets Lemonade from Laura for the guys + Chozen working on her garden and making a pond and Conchas Pizza and beer with Chozen and the ex cobras Mint chocolate chip ice cream on the beach

Part 1  | Part 2 | Part 3  | Part 4 |

[sleekervae]

The Neighbour [0.1]

Masterlist

Everything had played out like the rising action in a horror movie. And before the whole world's eyes, life on Earth had slowed to a snail-like crawl. Covid 19 was ravaging through cities and countries faster than a salmonella outbreak at a restaurant even Gordon Ramsay couldn't attempt to save. It was terrifying to watch, and even more terrifying to see work and interaction dry up so quickly. Especially for those who relied on social interaction to stay sane.

Luckily for Remington, he happened to be stuck with his brother when quarantine measures went into full effect.

It was no big deal living with Emerson, if anything, it was relatively more calm with two out of the three of them sharing a space. Sebastian and Larissa were staying well and safe in their own house, popping by now and again at the gate to check in on his little brothers. No doubt, it sucked. The album was pushed back, the tour called off, the only thing keeping the hype for 'The Bastards' release was social media.

At least Remington had comfort in the fact that he wouldn't have to endure this quarantine alone. Living in his own house all by himself, he'd probably drive himself up the wall and find himself hanging off the rafters (literally).

Tuesday morning was bright and warm, as they tended to be in LA. Emerson was sat comfortably at the kitchen table, drinking his usual cup of tea and reading the depressing headlines coming out of the news. Pepper was curled up at his feet, snoring softly and her little marshmallow body rising steadily. The neighbourhood was quiet, it always was, but it was especially tranquil these spring days in April. He simpered sardonically when he read the latest quote from the president, promising that the pandemic would pass come July.

His attention was gripped suddenly when he heard the low squeal of car tires. The youngest brother glanced outside the window, his dark eyes falling over the little blue Waivecar that had pulled up at the opposing apartment complex. Those cars had been coming back and forth for the last four days, with the same girl coming and going. And at night, the apartment facing the house would keep the lights on until two or three in the morning, but she wasn't partying. The most noise this girl made was the hum of her radio drifting out of an open window.

Clearly, whoever she was, she was still in the weeds of moving. Perhaps when she was settled, Emerson would go by and introduce himself, make her feel welcome. Considering how warm the climate was, this particular neighbourhood had a tendency to be quiet cold and private towards neighbours. No doubt many of them weren't a fan of the band and their at home antics.

Emerson was startled when his brother came bounding in, dressed in the same moppy grey sweats he had been practically living in for weeks. Thank goodness he wasn't wearing his heelys this time around; the other day he had crashed into the couch and flipped over onto the cushions, nearly smashing his head on the coffee table.

"The guys will be by in about half an hour," he said. Emerson narrowed his eyes at his older brother.

"He says as we're under strict orders from the state health officials to not see anybody," he murmured.

Remington pouted, running a hand through his evidently growing blonde hair. He pulled up a seat next to his brother, "Hey, you were the one who said it's getting too quiet around here. And besides, it's not like we're coming from opposite counties. Seb lives like four blocks down from us,"

"I'm just getting a little nervous, is all," Emerson shrugged, showing him the article on his tablet, "The numbers are still going up,"

"And they'll keep going up until they find a cure. And while they're doing that, we're going to be in the backyard playing soccer and eating pizza," Remington smiled.

"Who said we're having pizza?"

"I did. I just decided,"

"Maybe I want Mexican? Did you think about that?"

Across the street in the fresh red brick and black-trimmed apartment, three floors up from the ground and in direct line of the sun sat Eva. The twenty-four-year-old literary bachelor sat comfortably at her newly furnished desk, typing away at her laptop that was due for a battery change -- Eva just hadn't found the time to physically take it into the store. On her right she had a lukewarm cup of coffee, on the left her speaker which was softly blasting Tove Lo's new album. All the while, her bony fingers flew over the keyboard, her big stormy blue eyes skimming the words that sprinted across her document.

Eva got by as a writer, not a novelist or a poet, but as a ghost writer. She was hired to write materials for would-be authors and journalists, all of whom either didn't have the drive or commitment to write to the extent Eva did. Surprisingly, she made some pretty good money just off that. And while that work tended to be dry and bleak, Eva had spent her free time writing various fanfictions -- mostly for Hannibal and Criminal Minds. She happened to be quite prolific on Tumblr because of her literary fantasies.

And while her work was often isolating, Eva didn't live alone by any means. She had her pale tabby, Pluto, to keep her company. He was snoozing on the couch, despite how often Eva had trained him not to do that when he was a kitten.

She had just returned from an early morning run from the grocery store -- having learned the hard way that despite the pandemic, people will continue to flock to the stores in droves and it's almost impossible to social distance within them. As if moving out of her old apartment wasn't hard enough, now she had to deal with hastily late movers, jumbled lease agreements, and a pandemic.

In the throws of bittersweet silence, Eva's concentration was broke when a shrill alarm had her nearly jumping out of her seat. It was only her phone, the screen lighting up with a 'Blocked' ID. Eva smiled wickedly and declined the call.

The young writer pushed her rolley chair away from the desk and did a stretch, her head turning towards the house across the street. She figured a couple of frat boys shared the place, they had a few of their friends over from time to time but they were relatively quiet. The most she would hear out of them is some smack talk coming from the backyard.

Pluto's head popped up from the couch, then he leapt onto the floor and trotted over to the window sill, hopping up to spy on the unfamiliar car that was pulling up to the house. Eva could hardly care less. There was a statewide order to see only a small group of people as little as possible, and as long as the neighbours wouldn't bother her, she wouldn't bother them.

It was a shame, as if having to meet new people wasn't difficult enough for her...

A few hours passed and soon the silence in the Los Angeles neighbourhood was broken by the grunts and thwacks of a backyard game of pool basketball. The boys and a few of their friends were all the more engaged in their game while their girls sat aside on deck chairs under the beating sun. Under the shade of the pergola, their friend Andrew was grilling some sausages -- beef and tofu -- on the barbecue.

Remington was taking the piss out of Sebastian for being all over his girl, but who the hell could blame the kid? There was a new rush of life in the guitarist's face whenever the topic of Larissa came up. The same could be said for Emerson and Shy. Remington wouldn't dare admit he was a little jealous of his brothers' happiness, so he'd settle for loving his brothers but torturing them at every opportunity.

Breaking out from the cold water, Emerson gripped tightly to the rubber red ball in his hand. Just as Sebastian came to take a running dive into the pool, he reared the ball back and hucked it at his older brother, nailing him square in the chest. Instead of a graceful dive, Sebastian flailed sideways and crashed into the water. The ball ricocheted onto the deck and bounced away towards the front yard.

"Oh my God!"

"Emerson!" Shy scolded, a little horrified and yet not surprised at her boyfriend's actions. Sebastian broke out of the water and shook his hair out of his eyes. It was more his pride and the laughter of his friends that hurt than the fading sting of rubber against skin.

Emerson meanwhile just giggled happily as he high-fived Remington.

"You guys fucking suck!" Sebastian glowered at the younger boys.

At the same time, Eva had given up on work for the day. As random as it was, she decided she'd try to make bread: the apparent trend that was surging during this quarantine. She bought all the things she would need this morning.

Stepped a few feet into the kitchen, she pushed open the window a brisk breeze flooding in and freshening up the air. Her attention was skewed to the house across the street, hearing some mild echoes of conversation and the thrum of a radio in the air.

She went to gather her ingredients and tools, however, as she turned to fetch an apron she realized something was missing: the patter of feet behind her. Pluto was usually Eva's shadow whenever he was in the kitchen, always the opportunistic cat he was. However, he wasn't on the couch. He wasn't in his bed. He wasn't snooping around in her closet or hiding under the desk.

"Where'd the ball go?" Daniel called, clinging to the ledge of the pool.

"I'll get it" Remington swam to the ladder and pulled himself out of the water. He shook out his sopping blonde hair, unintentionally shaking his ass in his colorful swim trunks. Their friend, Michael, whistled from the pool. Remington only smirked on him.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, hunny," he sassed, waving his hand and ducked off to fetch the ball.

Puzzled, Eva grabbed Pluto's favorite bag of cat treats and shook it, the sound was always able to bring him out -- when he was within ten feet of the treats. The fact that he didn't appear told Eva that he must've gone out the window once again to wreak havoc.

With an irritated huff, she switched out her house slippers for her sandals and hightailed it out with the bag of treats.

The red rubber pool ball had rolled across the grass and lodged itself into a bush at the fence. Remington was awash in frigid goosebumps, not even the California heat could will away the pool's chill quick enough. Nevertheless, he crawled down and retrieved the ball from the brambles, swatting off what little dirt he could. However, his fixation swerved to the complex across the street when he heard a heavy slam.

"Pluto!" a young girl came charging out of the apartment complex, dressed in a slightly wrinkled white t-shirt and her jaw-length hair swivelled smoothly around her face as she frantically looked up and down the street, "Pluto!" she was shaking a little yellow bag.

Remington looked up and down the quiet street, almost expecting to see Pluto the Dog standing at the corner like Cartoon Cat. He glanced down quizzically at the ball, then back at the young woman.

Eva rubbed the stress lines on her forehead out of pure frustration. This wasn't the first time Pluto ran off, he always came back. However, the damn cat would always find ways to stir up trouble; rowling up dogs, plucking fish from little ponds, scratching at hanging laundry.

"Pluto!!" she shook the bag of treats.

"Hey!" Remington called, waving his hand to the stranger, "You alright?"

Eva glanced at the owner of that soft, yet scratchy voice. She hadn't even noticed the bleach blonde kid standing in the glint of the sun. Eva crossed the street and stood a few feet from the gate, keeping more than two meters distance.

"I'm sorry. Have you happen to see a cat running around? He's a pale tabby, couple black stripes, likes to chew shoes," she shrugged.

Remington only shook his head, "Sorry. I'm afraid not," he smiled sheepishly, "Did -- did you say he was a cat?"

"Yeah,"

"And you named your cat 'Pluto'? Like -- the dog?"

Eva smirked, but shook her head, unable to help but glance at the tattoos that crossed over this boy's torso, "He's named after The Black Cat," she said, "You ever read Edgar Allan Poe?"

Remington smiled sheepishly, "Oh right, right! I haven't read that in a while, actually. He named the cat after the Roman God for death,"

Eva smiled pleasantly, not having pegged this boy to know so much about EAP, "That's right. I wanted a black cat to fit with the theme but the damn tabby stole my heart,"

"He knew what he was doing, obviously," Remington grinned, "I'll keep an eye for him though, if I happen to --" he was cut short however when he heard Pepper start yapping from the backyard. The yapping was followed by the clanging of metal and a screeching yrowl.

"What the fuck?" Andrew suddenly shouted, “Where’d this cat come from!?”

Panic flooded over Eva's face and Remington didn't think twice to open the gate and let her in. Social distancing aside, they two of them rushed into the backyard to find a tray of sausages had crashed onto the floor, the meat had rolled everywhere. Shy clung to Pepper as the little pomeranien yapped and growled incessantly at the scruffy tabby on the patio table, back arched and hissing at the dog while he guarded his captured sausage.

Eva was understandably horrified.

"What the hell happened here?" Remington asked, just as in shock over the mess.

"Cat came out of nowhere and dive bombed our lunch!" Daniel replied, having just crawled out of the pool.

"Pluto!" Eva ran to the table and scooped up the snarling cat, Pepper was still yapping away, "What is the matter with you?" she scolded at Pluto before turning to Remington and Andrew, who still wielded the metal tongs in his hand, "I am so frickin' sorry!"

"No, no, it's okay," Andrew shook his head, glancing at the lost sausages longingly, "I was kind of craving sushi, anyways,"

"It's no big deal, honestly," Remington assured her, "Five second rule applies, I'm sure,"

"It's been about thirty-seven seconds," Sebastian spoke flatly.

"Since when were you counting?"

Larissa was the only one who didn't seem annoyed or surprised at the feline intruder. She smiled warmly at the young girl, "Is this your cat?"

"Unfortunately," Eva grinned sheepishly, "I should know better. He's in a new area and he tends to get into trouble. Also, if anyone happens to lose a shoe, he did it, and I'm apologizing in advance," she pointed a finger at the now calmed tabby.

Shy smiled, "Well, Pepper's no better. She tends to think she's a way bigger dog," she held up and coddled the fluffy pomeranian. Eva smiled awkwardly, only now noting that she forgot to grab a face mask. And here she was: in a backyard full of strangers in a pandemic.

"Wait, I recognize you," Emerson said, "You just moved across the street, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Eva," she nodded, "Great first impression, right?"

"You couldn't do any worse than Curcio over here," Sebastian grinned, "Remember the split pants?"

"You're going to hang that over my head for the rest of my life, aren't you?" Daniel glowered.

"Maybe," Emerson turned back to Eva, "I'm Emerson, that's Sebastian, Daniel, Larissa, Michael, Shy, Andrew... and you've already met Remington, I see,"

"The best looking one," Remington grinned.

Eva nodded, "Well, it was very nice meeting you all, I should get going, though. And again, I'm so sorry about the cat,"

Remington shrugged, "It's just sausages. We can get more," he assured her, "Here, I'll walk you out,"

"Thanks," Eva smiled, keeping Pluto close to her chest as she passed Shy and Pepper. Pepper gave one last fleeting bark as the cat passed by. Pluto simply licked his lips.

Michael couldn't help but lean over as he caught one last glance at the new neighbour, then turning to Emerson, "How come you get the pretty neighbour?"

The drummer shrugged, reaching over to grab the rubber ball that Remington dropped at the end of the pool, "Dumb luck?"

[vinylhazza]

can you please write a headconon where graysons girl isn’t a vegan so grays always tryna convince her or they always have a playful argument at a drive thru or something lol

dating mr. ‘i’M vEgAn’ grayson laid ease:

“you’re really about to eat that? right here in my face? right here right now?” he’d be the biggest drama queen when you have anything that had anything even remotely close to meat/dairy in it. it’s all fun though, you know by the kiss he gives you on your cheek right after.

cringing when he walks by to see you cooking something like bacon or sausage on the stove for breakfast

trying to get you on to all of his vegan favs one by one, trying to (not so subtly) switch you to see the “beauty of being vegan”

“it’s really not that bad”

“it tastes literally the same, ethan will tell you the same too”

“okay but there are so many ways to get protein babe, spare the chickens and cows”

drive thru’s are always a shitshow, especially for the workers that hear the two of you banter and bicker back and forth in the car. “why can’t you just get like a salad or something?” he’d whine, poking at your side. “because im hungry grayson and i don’t want rabbit food now let me order.”

referring to you and your friends as carnivore’s and his annoying ass always pops in on girl nights to give his little lecture about veganism and how it’s “changed his life forever”

doing the shame fingers when he sees you eating regular dairy and meat products

telling you at night sometimes that he actually really misses regular pizza and you can’t help but laugh at his pitiful attempt to try and relate

telling stories on the podcast about your stubbornness to let the meats and cheeses go and teases you just because he can

cooking for you and tricks you into eating vegan food like you wouldn’t already know from the way he’s giggling at the stove for a half an hour like an actual child. you still play along just to make him happy.

throwing a whole freaking mini party when you finally switch over

[heli0s-writes]

There Must Be*

Summary: Steve ponders religion on a wintry Sunday morning.  Pairing: Steve x Reader A/N: 2.1k words. Smut. Fluff. Tenderness with just a wee bit of Angst. Inspired by Arcade Fire’s “Good God, Damn”. I’ve been writing a lot of sacrilegious and Bucky stuff so here is something in the opposite direction lol. Steve needs love, too. :)

The soft glow of Sunday morning wakes Steve. A faint fluttering. Quiet rustling of branches in the breeze, as if hushing themselves. He rubs his eyes gently, brushing the sleep out of them, wiping the loose lash he feels tickling his cheek.

Tiny movements. Delicate and careful. Not even the blanket rustles to life any more than for half a second as his hand finds its way faithfully back to its former position. Warmly, tenderly, calloused palms and pads return to the softness of the arm over his chest, squeezing for just a second because he can’t help himself.

A happy sigh trills its way out beneath his chin, hot breath on his bare chest and he smiles, closes his eyes, stops himself from grabbing that arm again and rousing the lover so peacefully dreaming there.

The room is chilled, bleak in the way a winter morning feels with the seeping cold of the outside finding its way in to wrestle with the warmth. The light from the window is blindingly white— sun rays reflecting the starkness of the snow to dye it all in a shade that borders blue.

Steve is hot, as he always is. That molten magma core inside of him burns like a furnace and radiates like the sun. It’s the only reason why in the dead tundra of a New York January, he’s waking up with his clothes on the floor.

Well, not the only reason.

Last night was the reason.

An extra-large pizza, a spilled cylinder of parmesan cheese, a wrong soda accidentally delivered by a young teenage boy, and a retro record player.

A new album. Your new monthly fixation. Tracks four, seven, and nine are the best. The rest, even better. The intro? Beyond space and time and reason and rhyme, no sense in how or why she can be so good.

A triangle of thin-crust pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and banana peppers. Extra sauce. All shoved into your mouth as you spoke around the crunching.

You’re gonna love it. Perfect sleepover party music.

He made to comment, sleepover? But then the guitar strummed smooth and turned electric. The singer hummed and vowels crackled to life in her throat. Your foot tapped along to the beat and you grinned at him— thirty seconds in and your eyes were already wide and wondering.

He had only laughed, swallowed a mouthful and nodded along. Epithets of longing and yearning— loving in a modern age. Silvery voices harmonizing in the air of the apartment.

An album listen party, you called it. Even if it’s between two people, it’s still a party if you put your mind to it, Steve. There was a lively debate then, jibes exchanged about what you meant— if he lacked imagination in your mind, because he doesn’t. You scoffed, peeling a pepperoni off the slice in his hand and putting it in your mouth.

Not imagination, conviction.

And then a new train of thought embarked— a prod at him because before the pizza was ordered there was an argument about toppings and the debate over pineapple or not almost ruined the night. He sputtered a sound in response, but you quickly shushed him with a hiss between your front teeth. Annoyingly cute.

Your eyes are closed now, like last night when you bobbed along, mouthing the words, lips curled into a mischievous smile he longed to kiss.

He felt bad in the beginning when those thoughts surfaced. You were always friendly and sweet, silly, too. Playful, cheery, happy to be affectionate and kind and happy to receive care from others. He particularly loved your way with Bucky. Cautious only for his sake, but eager to befriend and attentive to small cues.

It was easy to fall for you.

It was easy to ask you to have coffee—outside of the Tower. Away from the monitoring and the stiff atmosphere of a job. It was easy to ask you to go steady, even if he blushed all over and you teased him afterwards because going steady was a dated term.

  The light settles on your face, your arm draped over him, bare shoulder above the comforter—that little cluster of freckles he thought was perfect.

Just perfect. How is it that you are so perfect?

“Steve?” You mumble dreamily, eyes still closed but moving behind the thin skin, coming alive.

“Yeah, sweetheart.”

A fluttering of eyelids, vision regaining and struggling to focus. A squint. Your brow furrowing slightly as you take in the room. Warm gray walls, wood framed art, mahogany bookshelves. A room that isn’t yours.

He smiles, traces the line of your jaw with a crooked pointer finger and listens to your heartbeat jump around in your chest.

Sunday morning and he’s waking up with a beautiful girl in his arms. Steven Grant Rogers, who couldn’t get a woman to look at him until he was twenty-six, used to pray on Sunday mornings that he wouldn’t get so ill and maybe grow a few more inches.

Then his prayers changed a little— he just wanted to be drafted, to defend his country, follow the fight like every other good American boy.

Then they were a rush of frantic liturgies through those wartime years— survive the serum, please Lord, keep me safe, watch over Bucky, and then, Lord, hear my prayer. I know I won’t make it out of this plane. Send my love to Peggy. Give her a long and happy life. Amen.

When he woke again, his faith had been rocked. He should have been bolstered by another chance at life, but he hadn’t been sure. It seemed wrong to be who he was—enhanced, different, a disfigurement of humanity itself.

  “Um, good morning.”

Your cheeks warm against his chest, and you tuck your face down into the space next to his ribs. He’s never seen you so shy.

Last night was close—tentative-- there was a slow kiss that suddenly turned quick. Your hand that was resting over his skimmed up his shirt and then both of you were undressed before the last track could begin.

The lights were dimmed, pizza finished, soda shared, a glass of wine stood empty on the table. Your exact words as you poured it had been Italian food goes best with red wine.

And Steve had laughed. Sweetheart, delivery pizza?

It goes best with boxed wine!

The mismatched pair of your undergarments were delicately hidden by your arms across your body—a pink sports bra and a striped yellow pair of boy shorts, faded and a little loose at the waistband. Your cheeks burned red when he observed the way the top clung to your chest, the way the hem of the leg squeezed your thigh.

I—I didn’t plan o—on...

The asymmetry was an endearing testament to the moment. Spontaneous and sporadic, fueled only by a sudden desire to touch and be touched by him. It excited him even more to know that instead of lacy lingerie and perhaps your splayed and posed form on a bed, you were showing him this.

You, just in the shape you are in, unencumbered by pretense, with a shy smile and a tummy full of butterflies migrating into him, too.

  “Last night was... um... really great.” You bury your face down into the sheets, rub your forehead into the mattress and he laughs when your hair tickles his side.

“Yeah. It was.”

  Last night had seen a part of Steve Rogers’ soul pulled apart and branded into your body. His lips memorized every inch of your skin, stretching out the desire for as long as he could because damn him if the first time might disappoint you. He heard himself whispering in the fog of his mind, while he tried to balance the sensations of your taste on his lips, your whimpers in his ears, and your skin pressed against his.

God, if you’re there—if you’re real--- if this is a dream... let me stay. Let me grow old here and wake here and love her here for the rest of my days.

Steve hadn’t quite thought about his maker for a long while. Other things occupied his mind more than the pondering of a creator and a purpose. Time hardened him and loss steeled him. But your easy smile and pop playlists cracked the veneer of Captain America right through and he was glad for it.

His new and strange life was still strange, but it became sweeter at least. Confusing, alien-invaded, super-powered, and all.

Steve’s fingers brush through your hair lovingly, smooths the sleep-crumpled side down. Against his palm, you make a pleased noise and your body flexes and scoots closer along his side. He’s highly aware of your soft breasts on his ribs, your thigh over his, your hip digging.

He can’t help himself. The hand trailing down to your neck moves on its own, chasing for more of the softness that split him open and soaked him in bliss. A gasp as his sheets slides down, revealing both bodies to the brisk air. He warms you with his large hands, running his palm from your stomach to your chest as he descends between your legs. He hangs off the edge of the bed, but it doesn’t matter much. He’s preoccupied now with only one thing.  

It’s Sunday morning and he’s making love to the most beautiful girl in the world.

You whine and exhale into his touch, arching that softness into his mouth where he is most eager. Your toes curl and he reaches with his other hand down the length of your thigh and calf, wraps his fingers around your ankle and massages you there, too.

“Steve…” Your voice is barely louder than a whimper, “Come up here.” You tug your foot from his grasp and tangle your fingers in his hair, pulling him up until he’s hovering over you with a grin. He kisses your neck and places his forehead to your collar, savoring the moment he pushes in.

Hot bodies in the cold blue of winter. Faint squeaking of the bed, muffled breath, pleading, pretty words from your lips. Oh God, Steve. Steve. Oh…

You are dazed and smiling, biting a tiny bit of your lower lip as you tip your head back on the pillow. He leans further, burrows deeper, and tries to memorize the way your face looks like this— happy, breathtaking, pleasured by him. Your ankles hook around behind his back and you dig your heels into him a little more, urging. He’s deep, he’s so deep, but he fulfills your request and plunges more until there’s nothing left between the two of you.

Your eyes are shut in ecstasy, throat constricting on a dry swallow as you squeeze him in pulses, body quivering while he drags himself out and does it again and again. He’s lost in the warm velvet space inside of you, shuddering too on the edge of oblivion. Steve tries to slow down, tries to see that look again on you, but you’ve returned from the high and pinch him playfully on the arm.

He can’t help himself. You’re gazing at him so affectionately, mouth curled into a smile, lips pressed together and then against his in a brief and chaste kiss. An innocent gesture sealed over the background of his complete unraveling. He rocks one more time.

Oh, God.

It just takes the one, and he’s crumbling to pieces, hiding his face in your hair, gasping into the sheets and hoping that you’ll still look at him once the siren song of morning fades. He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous, but suddenly your hand is stroking the back of his neck and wiping away the sweat that’s collected at the tips of his hair.

“I love you, Steve.”

It’s so simple, uttered from your lips without pretense just like last night. You make room for him, rolling over on your side. Your eyes flutter again, fatigue lulling you back to the warmth of sleep under blankets. He laughs and then laughs again when you bristle irritably at the noise. Over the edge of the mattress, he tugs the comforter up and back in its place, letting the glimpse of your shoulder peek at him like before.

Sunday morning, and Steve Rogers is kissing the top of your head, heart so full of love he could burst. He wishes he could go back and tell himself back there, with his knobby knees glued stuck to those old church pews—just say, it’s gonna be okay, pal. It’s gonna be hard and terrible, but it’s gonna be okay.

He’s questioned it for so long, but after this, after knowing you and your love, he feels a little more certain.

There must be a good God, if he made you.

-

tags: @whothehellisbucky @serpentbaby @badassbaker @alagalaska @cake-writes @crist1216 @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan

[hunnybadgerv]

Shiraz Seduction | Far Cry 5 | Leah Rook

Summary: Leah Rook shares a tempting evening with someone special and realizes maybe sometimes mothers do know best, even if their daughters will never admit it.

a/n: This is part of a series of fics that introduce Leah Rook and establish her history and place in Hope County prior to the Collapse. As well as an unexpected romantic entanglement that she finds herself caught up in. Thank you to @amistrio and @chyrstis for betaing this piece for me. I really appreciate it more than I can say. Your comments really helped me hone this piece.

Link to full story on AO3

Shiraz Seduction

-1-

The smell of pizza flooded the cab of Leah Rook’s truck. The stark backwoods darkness of the country pressing in from all sides intensified the fragrance. She never could pinpoint exactly what made pizza smell so damn mouthwatering. It had to be the combination of all the scents—pepperoni, Italian sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and the sauce and spices. Honestly, the culprit did not matter. After a long day of physical training, the end was finally in sight; the three-hour drive home from Helena was almost over. Leah was exhausted and starving, her stomach screaming in protest thanks to that humid, enticing aroma

When she reached her driveway, it was all she could do not to rip open the box and just devour a slice. Thankfully, a surprising sight distracted her from her growling stomach. John Seed. He sat perched on her porch at the top of her front steps with a bottle of wine and a bunch of wildflowers sitting beside him. In her headlights, he looked up, raised his arm to shield his eyes, and smiled. It warmed her to her marrow, and totally pulled her thoughts away from the piping hot pizza beside her.

Dropping her standard out of gear and setting the break, she hopped out of her truck. Leah rushed across the yard in his direction surprised that he met her halfway. He scooped her up into a tight and welcoming hug. Leah sighed, relieved. She’d missed him. He buried his face in her hair and she held onto him like he might suddenly evaporate into the misty evening air if she let go too soon.

“Hope you weren’t waiting long,” she mumbled into the hollow curve of his neck.

He hummed. “No, I was still at least eight and a half minutes from sending out a search party.”

“Eight and a half, huh? That’s oddly specific.” Leah pulled away enough to see his face.

“A lack of precision can be dangerous.” The wind grin he wore sparked her own.

“Yeah,” she said, drawing the word out. She tightened the embrace once more, just to steal a bit more closeness.

“I don’t see pizza,” he said.

“In the front seat,” she replied, dangling from his neck. He felt too good in her arms to let go yet.

He chuckled against her skin and squeezed her a little tighter. “You get the door. I’ll get the pie.” He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and bent to let her feet touch the ground again. He released her far too soon for her liking and slipped passed her.

“’Kay.” Reluctance tainted her reply. With barely a backwards glance, she moved toward the house. She bent to grab the bottle of wine and flowers from the steps, cradling them in the crook of one arm as she held her keys in the remaining light to find the right one. “Red wine, huh?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I thought that was just something people did in movies and TV shows to be pretentious,” she said over her shoulder.

John’s laughter rumbled warm and full, like a roll of thunder, as he came up behind her. His boots scuffed the wood of the porch; his hand landed on the small of her back. “There’s more to it than that.”

“Really?” she worked the key in the lock and finally got it to open. Her hand turned the knob and pushed the door open, holding it for him. She flicked the light switch and bathed the easeful living room in a soft glow. “Welcome,” she told him with a polite shallow curtsy.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, letting his bright blue eyes take in the interior.

“What do you think?”

“Cozy,” he told her with a smile, letting her close the door.

“I think so. Have a seat. I’ll open this and be right back.” She crossed the room in long strides, and disappeared into the kitchen, which lit up behind her. “Make yourself at home,” she called a little more loudly as she opened a drawer, then shut it almost immediately.

“Where are you?” she whispered, pulling open another drawer as she set the bottle on the counter. The third time proved to be the charm. “Ah, ha.”

“Here,” he offered.

The sound of his voice startled her, and she dropped the red enameled corkscrew on the floor. A nervous laugh escaped her lips and she bent to retrieve it. John had moved at the same time and got to it first. She laughed again, straightening. He held the corkscrew out to her.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I told you to make yourself at home.” She grabbed the device and poised it on the top of the bottle.

“I am.” He moved closer to her, resting one hand on the counter. The other found its way onto the curve of her back.

Leah’s tongue pressed over her lips as she tensed slightly. Her hands were on the verge of shaking and she wanted nothing more than to lean back against him. Somehow, she managed to hold back on that urge.

He’d told her that he was trying to live right, struggling with some demons. She’d dated enough Bible-thumping Christian boys to be able to read between the lines. So, she tried to reign in the most heathen and reprobate notions that tended to pop into her mind when John Seed was around.

“Where are your wine glasses?” he whispered, the words brushing against her ear sending shivers down her spine. Decidedly sinful shivers.

Damn him, sometimes he made it more difficult than necessary. Her mind stalled a moment before she managed to recover some of her God-given sense. “Above the sink,” she said, her face turning toward him.

John placed a soft kiss onto her cheek. In the next breath, he was gone. Suddenly, it was like air had flooded back into the room; and Leah inhaled deeply as quietly as she could in search of calm and reason.

The sink screeched for a second as the water started. When Leah worked the cork the rest of the way out of the bottle, it popped loudly. John rinsed both glasses, then dried them out with a towel lying beside the sink. Leah grabbed two plates out of the cabinet and tore a few paper towels off the roll to use in place of napkins.

John followed her out of the kitchen, flicking the light switch when they walked through the archway. Leah knelt on the floor next to the coffee table and set everything out. He placed the glasses, then turned toward the set of shelves that held her TV and DVD player. With a click, he pulled the disk out of the container and slipped it into the machine. She relocated some of the pillows from the sofa and propped them up against it as she curled her legs under her trying to find a comfy spot.

“So, explain it to me,” she said, pouring the wine into the glasses.

“What?” He studied her remote and got the TV on and the movie started. Then glanced her way. “Ah. Well,” he sat beside her on the floor, folding up his long legs.

Leah couldn’t help but smile at him, when she handed him a glass.

“It’s about balancing and brightening the competing flavors.” He sipped a mouthful of the full-bodied red wine, then set it on the table. He stretched forward and grabbed a slice. “Here,” he said, holding it for her. “Take a bite.”

He watched her so closely when she did that, she could feel the burn of embarrassment brightening her cheeks. She covered her mouth as she chewed, holding her hand high enough that it might just mask some of the blush.

“Good?” he asked. She nodded and grinned. He reached past her and grabbed her glass. “Now, take a sip and let it coat your tongue. Then try another bite.”

She lifted the glass to her lips, a bit timorous, a little nervous despite everything. Doing as he suggested, she let the hefty wine wash over her tongue and paint her mouth. John held the slice, curved just right to keep it from flopping over and spilling all the toppings into either of their laps or onto the floor. Her eyes couldn’t leave his when she leaned forward to steal another taste.

Her eyes widened, her hand covering her mouth again. “Oh my God,” she crowed around her bite. “How on Earth?”

John chuckled and laid the piece on the plate in front of her. “It’s chemistry,” he told her. “The fatty meats can make your mouth feel slick and the tannins in the wine will dry out your mouth, so they cancel one another out. It allows the flavors to bloom more completely. The acidity of the vegetables brighten up alongside that dryness. It just really brings out and turns up all those flavors.”

“Guess it’s not all pretentiousness.”

“Not all of it,” he chided. His fingers touched her hair and moved it over her shoulder. In the next moment, like he had to force his attention away from her, he looked over toward the television then reached for the remote again to hit the play button and turn the volume back up.

“I’ll get the lights,” Leah said. She took another drink then stood to flip the switch and cast them into relative, but considerable darkness.

This was far easier than seeing his face, falling into that captivating gaze of his. It wouldn’t be quite as much of a struggle to keep her distance this way, though more than once her hand found his or brushed against his thigh. And his fingers grazing her shoulder sent shivers rushing beneath her skin. Almost every time she leaned against the sofa; she found his arm draped there. Without fail, it almost always pulled her against him.

Read the rest on AO3

[diedieri]

WIP - Unfinished- Holiday Brickercup (that sounds like a cookie)

So I really really wanted to get this finished the for Holiday but..Kinda lost steam.

I loved the idea of fluff n smut and I was like I need to get some Brick and Buttercup action so it doesn’t bleed too much into the main fic (LOLOLOLOL WELP)

so...this is unfinished, it’s a one shot, who knows maybe I’ll feel motivated later. I had a whole vision for this and for a Butch x Buttercup one shot too

alas...

I legit have not reread a damn word of this.

Little ficlet under the cut. I guess a bit of a warning-- i love all the dumbass holiday movie tropes. xDDDD;; so that’s what this (and the other) were supposed to be. Self indulgent lol  WHEN AM I NOT YOLO.

If motivation does hit me, i will prolly put the finished product up on AO3

happy holidays merry christmas, mask up and stay safe

Christmas.

 Cookies. Presents. Families. Snow. And escape plans.

 Year after year, Buttercup had told herself she was going to skip it. Tell her family oh sorry, she had other plans. Every year, she came closer than the last. Last year had been that final straw. Buttercup, the only single sister watching everyone laugh and clap at the serendipitous surprise of both Blossom and Bubbles being proposed to. Buttercup was happy for them, and hateful for every family gathering to follow. Every time her sister’s promised they knew a girl, they knew a guy, that she would just love if she gave them a chance!

 Buttercup hadn’t been looking for love or waiting for it. There was a city to save. Work to be done.

 So this Christmas, she had a plan. From Halloween on she’d been dropping hints and planting the seeds of her having someone to see. Being late due to a date. At last when Blossom proposed the time the meet at the house, Buttercup laid out her cards.

 “Oh, this year I’m actually going out of town! It’s nothing, big…Just.” She had to downplay it and let her sisters assume it was her pride getting in the way. They were elated and made her swear next year she’d insist the plans be back at the Professors.

 It would have been just as easy to stay home in her apartment to play out her rouse. The more Buttercup had begun to imagine her would be date, the more she had decided to be accurate, incase anyone asked questions. She’d tell them which cabin she was going to, how cold it was going to be. She researched every night until one day she had done it. She booked a cabin from a small mom and pop place. They had pictures on their website but you had to call to make reservations.

 What would Christmas be without a little self-indulgence? Wine, lingerie, bathbombs, and cookies were all on the list. It was her first vacation ever, the first ever alone at least. Bubbles had given her a gift just for the trip, a freshly knitted scarf and cap. Blossom bought her an expensive leather jacket. The professor got her doc martins. The guilt bled in a little. Only a little. She need the time away. To feel good and sane again. The distance would help her love her family and not strangle them.

    “Ms. Utonium! You’re. Here.”  The disappointment had never been more obvious. Buttercup barely got in the door, she hadn’t been able to shut it quick enough without letting snow blow in. Even her vision had been questionable in the brewing snow storm. Her cheeks were red and fingers nearly frozen shut around the handles of her duffle.

 “Yeah,” Buttercup didn’t smile to met the woman’s nervous countenance. She was portly and rosey cheeked, though Buttercup would argue it was more flustered than natural. She set her bag at her feet. A distance from the counter.

 “Oh sweetie,” Her distance instantly recognized, “I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just. Well.” She shuffled from behind the counter, her hands wiped over her apron hand stitched with an abundance of Christmas decorum. It matched the check in cabin nicely. Two trees. Real pine. A burning fire place. There were presents neatly placed under the pine and stockings stuffed to the brim. The lights on this cabin had been a dead give away when she wasn’t sure where to check in.

 “You see with the storm coming, folks haven’t been checkin’ out. I couldn’t kick them out without a plan on Christmas. And with the planes grounded, I didn’t think anyone else would be coming in.”

 At the mention of anyone else Buttercup turned completely to the red couch just behind her, another guest with a long black coat and red cap. If there had been any surprise he had since collected himself and left Buttercup alone to flounder.

 Brick. Rowdyruff Brick was sitting with crossed arms staring her down. Of course the only two people with super powers had braved the storm and made it up to the mountain.

 “Well darlin, you see, we have one cabin left.”

 “So you gave it to him?” Buttercup asked with a snap, eyes still on Brick. If there was anything a Ruff could manage to take from a Puff it was their happiness. Buttercup’s one holiday she’d given herself. The chance to be without ridicule and out from under a microscope, the only one single and alone—her perfectly planned cottage get away. Stolen.

 “No.” Brick answered for her. “She wanted to be sure no one was coming.”

 “Goodness gracious,” The woman fanned her face despite the chill. She’d said it like a swear and the tone had Buttercup turning her back on Brick. Somehow she suspected this woman rarely swore and her meltdown would be a bigger threat than Brick.

 “Hey, Ma’am its—”

 “We know each other,” Brick cut in. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Buttercup, a visual representation to calm the ailed woman. “We can split it.”

 “What?” The hostess and Buttercup asked together.  

  “But she’s,” a she, the woman might have said.

 “I can handle myself lady.” Buttercup stomped out the fear without batting an eye. The point of this vacation was to be alone, right? If Brick had come this far away from Townsville it had to be no different than her.

 “Is that alright?” Her cheeks were less fire engine emergency and more Jack Frost had nipped at her cheeks. Buttercup made fists in her pockets and damned the will of the people.

 “That’ll be just fine.” Hardly. “Brick is a real gentleman. Righty Bricky?” She had been queuing up for a pack mule joke, but he had already shouldered her bag and taken the key from the Mrs. Klaus look alike.

 “Oh dearie, take this. You’ll need all the extra you can get.” She hoisted a bundle of logs with both hands, Brick took it with one. “Oh, goodness and why don’t you take this on the house. For the trouble. We normally host a Christmas party, a little raffle.” She gifted Buttercup with a blanketed basket.

 With the way Mrs. Klaus had been apologizing, Buttercup had been expecting the worst pick of the lot. Brick, drove their rented car slower than she’d ever seen him move up the twisted Mountain Road. It was farther than the other cabins. Brick gestured to the crude map that had come with the key.

 “The Christmas Cottage. Really.” Buttercup snickered and noted the ghost of a smirk on Brick.

 “What do you expect? I booked the one on Rudolph road.”

 “I thought Snowflake Lane was winter themed.” It had been the cheapest of the bunch and even for her fake trips, Buttercup had kept to a budget.

 The outside was small, decorated modestly with lighted candy canes noting the start of the long driveway up to the cottage. They framed the walkway up to the door, keeping its guest on path. This far up the mountain and back into the wood, the snow had piled on high and thick. The candy canes barely had any light to them under the grey sky and hidden under blankets of snow.

 The chill was enough to have Brick and Buttercup moving quick. Neither dawdled over their situation and wanted to get in the cabin and warm themselves up. Brick fumbled with his things and the keys, he barely stepped in before back tracking to the car. He had thought a little deeper into the lodging, bringing multiple cooking supplies where Buttercup had a bag of goods to make pancakes, cookies, sausage, eggs, popcorn and frozen pizza. She thought about dining out one of the nights, she hadn’t thought about that being weather considering. Weather had played a very small part in her fantasy get away.

 Of course Brick had considered everything. Buttercup hung in the doorway, Brick maneuvering around her to set down the large yeti cooler. He shut the door behind them,

 “It’s warm.” He held out a palm. Buttercup kept hers tucked under her armpits. Her breathe wasn’t visible in the cabin and the chill closed behind them she thought anything might feel warm.

 “Stomp off the snow and kick off your shoes.”

 “I know how snow works,” Buttercup chirped and carefully undid the laces. As much as she loved the new kicks it was a relief to be out of them. The backs of her ankles were no stronger than anyone else’s when it came to breaking in new boots. She floated above the wood flooring to the cream colored carpeting.

 Brick turned on every light as he walked, carrying the cooler to the kitchenette first. Buttercup couldn’t believe her own gasp.

 The sharp ‘what’ died gently when he saw just what the switch had turned on. Every eve above the head was wrapped in white lights, the door frames lined with lighted garland and a tree just in front of the balcony, across from the dark fireplace. Blossom was a master interior designer, but Buttercup had never oo’ed and aw’ed like this before. It was a scene out of a movie, she was staring at a real life Christmas card. A red plush blanket tossed over the couch. Matching mugs on the wooden coffee table, Mr. and Mrs.

 “Oh shit,” Buttercup held one up, a packaged cocoa nestled neatly inside. “I guess this is why she sorry.”

 “Honeymoon suite.” Brick agreed and held up a bottle of champagne. “Oh. And there’s cake.” He read the card,

“A small wedding cake for the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph.”

 “You’re shitting me,” Buttercup floated behind him. The damn thing was even decorated with the two reindeer. Either the couple would have hated or loved this. Likely loved it considering their location of choice.

 “Well. Mr. Rudolph. We have cake.” Buttercup had no shame. Free wedding cake? She’d take the name if it came with a prize.

 “I bet there are more surprises, Mrs. Rudolph.”  His joke knocked a grin onto her face. Brick was snide and snarky. His remarks could cut as deep as his fist could punch. Something said without it being at the expense of any person was a bit of a surprise.

 “Should we see what else the happy couple left four our honeymoon?”

 “Wouldn’t that be stealing?”

 “We’re helping them not be wasteful. Come on.”

 “Go on, I’m going to start the fire.”

 “Oh because that’s such a challenge for you.”  Buttercup reached, her nail dragged from his collar bone and over Brick’s adam’s apple. Her sister was an ice breather and he had a belly of fire.

 “I don’t need to use shit to start a fire.”

 “Uh-huh, I’m sure you can.” Buttercup batted her eyes and walked down the hall, “I’ll turn up the heater. Don’t want to freeze out.”

 Buttercup didn’t really doubt the resourcefulness of the other. The boys had lived on their own, who knows what tricks each of them had picked up to sustain themselves. The banter was just another dialect, part of Buttercup’s language. A natural problem starter and shit stirrer.

[elisaphoenix13]

To Lose Everything...(Ch.4)

It took a couple of weeks for Peter to adjust but school had helped with that. He gradually talked more, and even got comfortable enough to crawl across the ceiling to follow Stephen whenever he got bored, or in some cases, needed some assurance that the Sorcerer Supreme was still there. Peter had nightmares and more often than not, Stephen would wake up in the middle of the night and would know without opening his eyes that the teen was sitting in his bedroom. Peter would stay for about twenty minutes, but he always went back to his room.

It took Stephen a couple nights to figure out that Peter was listening to him breathe. He was assuring himself that his new guardian was alive and well, and within reach. So the doctor didn't say anything. If he were in the kid's shoes, he might do the same thing.

One evening, he had made the mistake of astral projecting. Something Peter wasn't aware he did on occasion, so when the teen went to Stephen's room after one of his nightmares, he had panicked. Whenever the sorcerer projected, his breathing and his heartbeat slowed, and Peter couldn't hear him at first. He had rushed to his bedside and tried to shake him awake and Stephen made the second mistake of showing his astral form to the teen. Peter had thought he was dead (He had never seen Stephen project before), and the doctor had to return to his body when the young Avenger started having a panic attack.

He then immediately pulled Peter into a comforting hug with mumbled apologies and made sure to explain to him that he did that sometimes. It was the first time Peter clung to him and stayed in the room.

"Doctor Strange?" Peter starts from above him on the ceiling.

"Hmm?" Stephen turns a page in his book.

"Someone's here."

Stephen looks up from his book and focuses on the Sanctum for anybody that may have escaped his notice, but whoever Peter was talking about was not inside. A knock on the door seconds later confirms his theory and he stands from his seat as he wills the front door to open. Stephen motions for Peter to stay and be quiet as he descends down to the foyer, only to look at their visitor with surprise.

It was Happy, and he was looking distressed.

"Happy." Stephen greets.

"No offense Strange but I need to cut to the chase. The kid is missing. No one has heard from him in a month." Happy says as he rubs his forehead. "I came here hoping you had a spell or something--"

"There's no need." The sorcerer interrupts. "He's here."

He points to the ceiling (he had heard Peter join them once the teen heard Happy's voice) and the bodyguard looks up to see the teen looking down at him curiously. Like he was surprised that people had worried about him. It was a little heart-breaking to think that Peter thought that no one would think to check on him, and that he couldn't go to said people. Stephen liked to think if he knew about May's death sooner, he would have gone looking for the kid himself. He and Peter were some of the few people that remembered the soul realm, and he had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the teen while they were there. That was partially why he was willing to take Peter in.

"Peter!" Happy let out the heaviest sigh of relief Stephen had ever heard. "Geez, kid. Do you know how worried we've all been?"

"You...you were looking for me?" Peter asks as he hangs down to them and flips down onto his feet.

"Yeah! Especially after I stopped by your apartment and I found out that someone else was living there! Where's your aunt?"

Peter stiffens and looks down at the floor, leaving Stephen to let Happy know what had happened the past few weeks. The other man had stared at the sorcerer when he mentioned the adoption, but kept quiet until Stephen was finished. Seconds of silence pass as Happy processes the new information and he looks at Peter.

"Well, at least I can tell Pepper you're safe." He finally says.

"She was worried?" Peter whispers with a hint of guilt.

"Biological or not...you were Tony's kid. You're the reason he fought to get everyone back."

"Now I'm the reason Morgan doesn't have her dad."

Happy inhales deeply and grabs Peter's shoulder. "Tony made the choice in the end." Stephen tenses when the man gives him a sidelong glance before looking back at Peter. "Yeah, he's gone...but Morgan still has her mom. She has me, Rhodey...everyone...and so do you kid. May is gone too but who took you in when you had nowhere else to go?" That was when the teen looked up at Happy before glancing at Stephen. "You're not as alone as you think Peter, and it's okay to ask for help."

Happy pats down his suit jacket and then his pants before reaching into his right pants pocket and pulls out a key. He hands it to Peter and the teen looks at it questionably.

"Pepper asked me to give this to you when I found you. Tony made a spare key to the lab at the lake house and he was going to give it to you. I'll be sure to let Pepper know you might appear by means of a portal."

Peter puffs out half of a laugh and encloses the key into a fist. "Thanks Happy. I'll...I'll visit when I'm ready."

The bodyguard nods. "Are you okay here?"

The teen nods immediately much to Stephen's surprise. "Yeah. He understands."

Both Happy and Stephen look at him quizzically but the bodyguard accepts the answer and says goodbye after thanking the Sorcerer Supreme for helping Peter. Once Happy leaves, Stephen and Peter stand in the middle of the foyer while the teen collects himself, and the doctor finally speaks up after a couple of minutes.

"Understand what?"

"...being in the soul realm."

Ah. Yes. He did understand. Half of the Avengers had been dusted but Stephen was the only one Peter was close to right now that understood how terrifying that realm had been. Pepper, Rhodey, Happy...none of them understood. Even Wong didn't understand, but he had always tried to keep Peter calm until Stephen could step in (assuming he was temporarily elsewhere). He really was kind of an uncle, and Stephen still had yet to tease him more about it.

"You look like you could use take-out tonight." Stephen says as he gently places a hand on the nape of Peter's neck. "Any requests?"

Peter smiles for the first time that day. "Pizza."

"If you ask for pineapple, I'm going to disown you." The sorcerer remarks with a smirk as they make their way to the kitchen and he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. 

"I'm happy with plain old pepperoni."

Wong walks in. "You better put olives on it."

Stephen raises an eyebrow at him. "Why do you only willingly put yourself in a conversation when food is involved?"

"I have to make sure you don't ruin dinner. Which means no anchovies." The other man responds and both Peter and Stephen scrunch their noses at the mention of the fish.

"I think we're all safe from that."

Stephen orders a pizza online for delivery and when Peter asks if they can watch a movie in the foyer, the doctor simply nods and the teen leaves the kitchen. He had recently moved his personal television downstairs for times like this, sometimes even Wong joined them now that he stopped complaining about them not having material items. Stephen never cared for that teaching, and Peter lived with them now so material objects were sort of a necessity if they didn't want him to drive them crazy. Peter was always respectful though. If Stephen was studying in the foyer, he would ask if he could turn the tv on while he did his homework, and when the doctor allowed it, he would keep the volume low.

Peter had once asked how Stephen paid for things, and with a straight face he had told the teen that it was a secret. Wong laughed harder than he did at Stephen's lame joke about the warnings being after the spells. Precious Peter had accepted the answer and Stephen wasn't sure whether to laugh or be concerned that the teen accepted that some things were secret. Which was nice, but how he "paid" for things wasn't exactly top secret, hush hush info. He really was just joking, but he was too baffled by Peter's acceptance to give the teen a real answer.

Then again, Peter probably thought it was a magic thing...which wasn't a total lie.

Peter pops his head into the kitchen minutes later. "Can we watch Sausage Party?"

Stephen sputters. "What?! No! Absolutely not!"

Peter grumbles as he disappears around the corner again, but not before Stephen catches the teen speaking under his breath. "Such a mom move."

Stephen slips a twenty dollar bill to Wong as he shouts. "I heard that!"

Wong pockets the money and chuckles. "Now we wait for him to call you that to your face and I'll be fifty bucks richer."

"That will never happen. Especially now that he knows I heard him. Don't spend that all in one place." The doctor snarks, and exits the kitchen when he hears a knock on the door.

He barely took the three boxes of pizza from the delivery guy when Peter was at his arm and trying to take the boxes that Stephen instantly held up higher and out of the teen's reach. As long as Peter was in view of the delivery man, he couldn't use his powers to try and get them right?

Wrong.

Peter climbs the wall out of the strangers sight as Stephen pays the man with one hand, and lunges forward. "Parkour!" He shouts as he snags the boxes from Stephen's risen hand and lands gracefully on the ground before hopping over the back of the couch in front of the television. 

"I don't think I've ever seen someone go to such extremes for pizza." The delivery guy states and Stephen sighs.

"He's a special case." The sorcerer says and then thanks him as he closes the door before grabbing a nearby magazine. He marches over to the couch as he rolls up the magazine and smacks the top of Peter's head with it.

"Ow!" Peter complains around a mouthful of pizza.

"It's just pizza Peter."

"Pizza is a gift from God." The teen sasses and Stephen rolls his eyes as he joins Peter and Wong (who had trailed after the teen after his stunt).

Stephen sighs. "What movie did you pick?"

"Sausage Party." Peter says as he clicks play on the remote and Stephen's eyes widen as he tries to take the remote away, but the teen holds it away.

"I said no Peter!"

Wong ignores them as Stephen struggles for the remote, quietly eating his pizza as the movie starts. How helpful of him, Stephen thought. Just when he was about to grab the remote, the other sorcerer started laughing again and pointed to the screen.

"Stephen."

"What?!"

"He put on Star Wars."

Stephen glances at the movie to discover that it was indeed Star Wars and narrows his eyes when he looks at Peter and finds a smug smile. "Cheeky Spiderling."

Tony's exasperation with Peter now made so much more sense. It was definitely warranted.

Although he still had some healing to do, Stephen was glad to see Peter going somewhat back to normal.

[hitchell-mope]

(Film three. After “pirates medley”. The hook sisters have just run into an alleyway near the marketplace)

Harriet: ya shouldna done kiddo

Cj: why not.

Harriet: because it wasn’t a good move

Cj: you might like men drooling all over you but I hate it.

Harriet: you agreed to it.

Cj: I didn’t think they’d try that. So I’d apprecrie you dispensing with the victim blaming if you please.

Harriet: yeah yeah whatever. Lookee o’er there

Cj: aw FUCK!

(They’ve just spotted chadeficent and Ursula some ways away)

Harriet: SEA WITCH!

Ursula: oh god. (Fake smile) Harriet! To what do I owe the

(Cj shoots her in the stomach with a blunderbuss)

The sisters: where is he.

(Ursula straightens up and the bullet flies out of her stomach hitting some poor sap in the head)

Chadeficent: that was Balthazar yes?

The other three: who the hell cares?

Harriet: where is my brother?

Ursula: hmmmmm. Dunno don’t care. That work for you?

(Harriet lunges are the sea witch but Cj holds her back. While this is happening Hadie poofs back in slightly singed and very pissed off)

Hadie: for the record Rodan. I don’t appreciate being sent to Dark Mountain. Chernabog may be insultingly attractive but he’s far too fatherly for my tastes.

Cj: shove off spawn. There’s more important matters at hand

(Hadie chuckles sinisterly. Then force chokes the sisters)

Hadie: oh look at that. Fragile necks and bravado are such an inexplicable combination. And as you will see very soon. Deadly

Harriet: he.. he he mi...dea.

Cj: he...gone

Hadie: what? What’re you talking about?

Chadeficent: oh I think you know

(Hadie’s eyes glow bright grey. He drops the sisters, takes out a silver knife and throws it at Ursula. It slashes her cheek)

Hadie: ever heard of phlegathon tempered steel? It cuts you. Then heals you. But keeps you in burning unbearable pain. Until such time the wielder chooses to release you from it.

(Ursula’s cheek is starting to burn. Steam is curling from the edges of the cut)

Ursula: I was exiled from Atlantica. Whatever petty wound you deal me is of no consequence.

Hadie: yeah but (he sighs) cut you enough and it burns away your very being. So. What’ll it be bitch?

(Ursula growls in irritation and disappears in a torrent of water)

Hadie: now that that’s over oh cripes they’re gone.

(Chadeficent and the girls have left the scene. At the Jolly Roger Hook is waiting on deck)

Hook: GIRLS! What the hell have you been doing. Dukes is dead. And the men say you killed him Cj. If you keep doing this you’ll never land a husband.

Cj: aye. And what of it father?

Harriet: oh god not now.

Cj: yes now. Our brother has been missing for a year now and may as well be dead and all he cares about is his disgusting heterosexual misogynistic bastards of a crew

Harriet (coughing): code red. Code red

Hook: what’re you saying Cj?

Cj: what d’you think I’m saying dad?

Hook: it sounds as though you’re thinking to much like your freak of a brother

Harriet: Harry was bisexual pops

Hook: like I said. A freak. Men are with women. Women are with men. It’s the law of the world. And I expect my children abide by that

Cj: yes and when they don’t you cast them out and they need to take refuge somewhere else. Say a restaurant run by a squid

Hook: if you have something to say then say it.

Cj: ok. I like girls. Always have. Always will. And you cannae change it or me

(Starkey hobbles outside with a tea set. Sees the family feud. Starts to make his way back inside)

Hook: STARKEY! Did you know about Cj’s affliction

Cj: oh here we go

Starkey (diplomatically): uhhhh. I believe that. She. Wanted

Cj: it’s ok uncle Starkey. I told him last year. Considering he was the one that raised me while you were brainswashing Harriet into being Captain Hook 2.0 and Harry was fuck knows were trying to get Tick Tock to chomp his hand off in a vain attempt to get your approval!!!!

Hook: in time this will pass and you’ll be just like your sister

Cj (scoffing): of course. Be like Harriet. The pretty one. The smart one. The obedient one.

Harriet (for once very sheepish): Ceej. Could ya please lemme outta this?

Cj: no. He’s always wanted me to be like you. But guess what. I’m never gonna be who you want me to be

(This is when “sit still look pretty” happens. After the song Cj storms off)

Hook: and do you have any oddities you’d like to share Harriet? Because if so nows the time

Harriet: yes. As a matter of fact I do. For the past seven years I’ve been in uh heh “cahoots” with Gaston junior.

Hook: like the freak and the pansy

Harriet: sort of. Except theirs was more emotional. Ours is. Purely on the physical side. And yes. I’m the boss.

(Hook goes puce)

Harriet: uncle Starkey. I’ll be back presently

(She runs after her sister)

Hook: take me back to my quarters Starkey

Starkey: of course sir.

(He wheels the captain back in side. Harriet catches up with Cj. She finds her in an alleyway surrounded by the felled bodies of ten dogs and one cat)

Harriet: what the hell did you do.

Cj: the one thing I ever got from him, that wasn’t a hand me down from you or Har, was this.

(She holds up a whistle)

Harriet: wow

Cj: yep. Turns out it’s a dog whistle. Which pretty succinctly explains how the bastards could hear it all the way across Neverland when Jane found the treasure

Harriet: and the morbidly obese demon on four legs?

Cj: Tremaine’s moggy

Harriet: right. What you did was incredibly brave you know.

Cj: I don’t like animals.

Harriet: I meant what happened at home just now

Cj: I know. Like I said. I don’t like animals.

(At the core fours old apartment chadeficent has just arrived. Only to see Jafar watching tv)

Chadeficent: hello worthless. Miss me?

Jafar: who...?

Chadeficent (Maleficent’s voice): this better?

Jafar (exasperated): you couldn’t have taken control of a pretty one?

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice): fuck off you crypt keeper

(Jafar looks taken aback)

Chadeficent: bugs are to be worked out

Jafar: what is it?

Chadeficent: spawn of Cinderella

Jafar: you couldn’t have got the ash girl herself?

Chadeficent: too strong willed (Chad’s indignant voice) hey! (Maleficent’s voice) SILENCE! (Both voices) I am creating a cult. To destroy our children. Ursula is aboard. What say you?

(The next morning. At Evie’s palce)

Mal:...and Ben found them this morning passed out on the couch with like eight tubs of deluxe rocky road ice scattered at round.

Jay: deluxe?

Mal: chocolate marshmallow ice cream instead of chocolate ice cream

Jay (hopefully): Christmas list?

Mal (generating a tin with magic): why wait?

Jay: ooh yay!

Evie: AH! No. Not yet

Jay: awww. I’ve been here for an hour

Mal: let the man eat sis. It’s the least you can do since you are stabbing him with pins when you could just use 🎶🎶magic🎶. By the way. Your hair remarkably black today

Evie (snarling): get outta workshop

(Mal leaves cackling. She goes to the kitchen where Carlos is giving a plate the thousand yard stare)

Mal: hey kiddo. What’s up?

Carlos (softly with a lot of feeling): the cake...it’s gone. An entire macadamia nut chocolate sponge cake. Gone. How? There was enough for fifty people to have two slices each. And it’s all gone. How can it all be gone?

(The twins and Gil come racing pass the room screeching at the top of their lungs with food all around their mouths)

Mal (aside to Carlos): I think I know. (Normal volume). Gil! Could you bring the kids in here please?

(Gil troops back to the kitchen with the twins trailing behind. All three look terrified. Carlos and Mal lift the twins up onto the counter)

Mal (“mom” voice in full effect): now boys. Did you ask your papa to get the cake from the fridge?

Twins: uhhhh...

Mal: it’s ok. I’m not mad. I just wanna. If it was you then that’s ok. If it was Dude then we need to get him to a veterinarian.

Carlos: WHAT?!?!

Mal: oh shit. Sorry honey.

Carlos: listen to me you rotten little————(the twins look at him with the epitome of puppy eyed innocence) 🎶dad. Where are you. You’re good with this type of stuff🎶

Mal: paperwork

Carlos: fuck

Gil: it was us. Squeaky wanted a snack and I couldn’t find anything in the fridge but the cake. We only meant to share a corner but Celia oh crap

Mal: 🎶oh Celia🎶

(The girl melts out from the shadows clutching her stomach)

Mal: did you help Gil and the twins eat the entirety of Jane’s birthday cake?

Celia: if I says yes what would you do.

Mal: give you an antacid and advise you to take it easy with the party food.

Celia: then yes. I helped.

Mal: come on then.

(They head to the bathroom. But Mal’s phone starts ringing)

Mal: it’s Ben. Do you know how to get to the bathroom?

Celia: Dizzy sent me a schematic last night

Mal: good. That’s good. If evo finds out I will plead the fifth. You do know that don’t you?

Celia: wouldn’t expect anything less. See ya

(She runs off)

Mal (answering her cell phone): hello your majesty. Any idea on your eta or should I send your apologies to Jane?

Ben: I wish I was close to being done. But there are so many papers to get through and there’s no use in denying it. People are terrified at what ever killed the guards.

Mal: I could come and help you?

Ben: no. Definitely not. Go have fun. Do the routine.

Mal: but you’ll miss it. Though a private rendition for your eyes only could also be very interes-

Cogsworth: ahem hello my lady

Mal (trying not to laugh): sorry Carlton.

Cogsworth: that’s quite alright dear. I’ll just uh go ahem away

(He leaves and bal bursts into laughter)

Mal: oh that was oh god that

Ben: I I’m so sorry

Mal: don’t be. Just sorted a domestic so a I needed a laugh

(As they’re talking Mal’s walking outside)

Mal: what on the office menu today

Ben: chargrilled Damon foie gras and quinoa

Mal: what no pizza?

Ben: fraid not

Mal: I can always zap you some sausage rolls and mac and cheese cupcakes from the party

Ben: please and thank you?

Mal: and the new cake

Ben: Celia?

Mal: along with your brother and nephews. Carlos was not happy

Ben: of course.

Mal: hey, was chad supposed to meet us at Evie’s?

Ben: I don’t think so. Is he there?

Mal: yeah. Looking like the shalka Doctor.

Ben: oh.

Mal: I’ll go see what he wants

Ben: be careful. Love ya

Mal: always am. Love you too.

(She hangs up)

Mal: hey chad. Whatcha doing

(Chadeficent turns to look at her. Their eyes glow black. And Mal enacts the safety protocols on the house keeping everyone else inside and safe)

Mal: what did you do?

Chadeficent (Maleficent’s voice): oh it’s not chad. Hello my sweet

Mal (breathing heavily): Maleficent?

Chadeficent: mhmm. Now give me my sceptre

Mal: what did you do to him?

Chadeficent: he is simply a mindless hormone driven teenage boy

Mal: yeah, I know, he’s an dickhead. Nobody likes him. At all

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice, very, very hurt): they don’t?

Mal: yeah. You’re insufferable.

Chadeficent (Maleficent’s voice): ENOUGH! Give me the sceptre

Mal: you stole the wand didn’t you. And the staff and the mirror. So why do you need the sceptre.

Chadeficent: I want everything of importance (Chad’s voice) I wanna be king (Maleficent’s voice) I want my daughter back

Mal: I’m not your daughter. And chad you hate magic. Why would you use it to be king?

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice): I uh I dunno (Maleficent’s voice) he was easily bought with a butter finger and empty promises I have absolutely no intention on fulfilling. Now. The sceptre.

Mal (mind working a mile a minute): h how, how about a story. And I can make you a cup of tea yeah? Or coffeee?

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice): ooh beer (Maleficent’s voice) very well. But be quick about it

Mal: ok. Ok um

(She turns to the drinks table. This is when “she’s so gone” happens. After which Chadeficent picks her up from the splintered table by the neck)

Mal: why...are..you...doing...this?

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice): you don’t deserve this. None of it. You belong on that slag heap. You deserve to rot. To be forgotten. I want you all dead. Don’t you see? You can’t be queen. It’s not right. Audrey should be queen. And I should be king

Mal: but...Ben

Chadeficent (still Chad’s voice): ALL OF YOU WILL DIE. YOU. THE MAGIC PEOPLE THE RUNT THE CHICKS THE TRAIOR THE FREAK OF A DWARF. ALL OF YOU. DEAD (Maleficent’s voice) as for me. I want to break you. For you to see how useless you truly are without me.

Mal (turning purple in the face now): get...bent

(Chadeficent drops her and pulls out the wand)

Chadeficent (Chad’s voice): there’s never been an ugly bitch who’s been queen. Looks are everything. Bibbidi bobbidi boo

(Mal is washed is black light which solidified into a black cloak. The houses doors are blasted off their hinges and jay stands there completely gold and absolutely buzzing with power. Chadeficent cackles as they disappear in black smoke. Jay and the others rush to Mal’s side)

Carlos: oh my god! Mom are you ok?

Mal (voice hoarse thin and cracked): yes ahem yes ye yeah. What the hells wrong with my voice

(Evie takes the hood off of Mal and cackles)

Evie: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOD! YOU LOOK LIKE

Jay (unimpressed with her behaviour): your mother. When she gave the apple to Doug’s aunt

(Evie stops cackling)

Carlos: what happened

Mal: Chad’s possessed by Maleficent. He wants to kill us all and be king

Carlos: and goat lady?

Mal: wants to break me

Evie: so what do we do

Celia: isn’t it obvious? Hades. Your father.

Evie: he is not

Celia: Mal was right and you know it. So stop pissing about and help me get your sister inside the house so she can get some proper clothes on cause an old lady in a minidress is not a good look. I should know. Cruella used to come to the arcade in the warm days. It’s was horrifying. Thank you Carlos for killing her last year by the way

Carlos: much obliged Ceels.

(Mal’s phone rings again. This time Carlos is the one to answer it)

Carlos: hi yes dad. Ok brace yourself. Chad has the wand. He’s possessed by Maleficent. He wants us all dead. Barricade yourself in your office. Emergency protocols. All that shizz. You have magic so you should be fine. We’re gonna stop them. It’s what we do. Us too (he ends the call) that’s dad sorted. Now how do we fix mom?

Celia: go to the island. Get the ember. Come back here. Kick him in the balls until he’s exorcised

Mal: Gil. You coming with us?

Gil: I would but. My boys

Doug: I’ll stay with them. I have my exosuit. I’ll keep them safe. I promise you I will

Gil: ok

Evie: oh my god!

Doug: our kid is fine. She’s with Lonnie and Jane. You know. A badass and a light fairy.

Evie: oh thank god

Jay: so we all know what we’re doing. Action time?

All the others: action time

Squirmy: AAAAAH

Gil (panicky): what? What is it? What’s wrong

Squirmy: I want to give the pretty lady my present

(He holds up a bouquet of periwinkle blue tulips. Everyone relaxes)

Gil: Jane will love them. But it could be a good idea to keep them here. Just until we’re all back together. Yeah?

Squirmy (unhappily): yeah

Doug: c’mon boys. You can help me bake a new cake.

The twins: YAAAAAAAAY

(They run back in. Evie goes up and embraces Doug)

Evie: we’ll be back soon as possible

Doug: take however long you need. I stabbed someon in the junk last year. I can defend myself

Evie: oh I know that. It’s just that

Doug: Evie sweetie. Look at me. I’ll be fine. I promise. And if I need to reach you there’s our phones the the psychic link you set up.

Evie (voice breaking): I...

Doug (understandingly): me too. Now let’s go

(They all run back into the house except for one)

Mal: uh. Guys

Jay: oh. Right

(He runs back and carries her to the house)

Mal: watch the hip. Watch the hip

Jay: yeah yeah yeah.

Celia: so do we get the the island. The limos?

Evie: no. They’re all the the school garages until next week.

Celia: then we’re screwed?

Mal: not entirely

Jaylos and Evie: THE BIKES

Celia: what?

Mal: how I left last year

(At the cliff site. The six of them are on their bikes. Celia’s hanging on to Gil)

Carlos: go on mom

Mal (voice still croaky): noble steed proud and fair/you shall take us anywhere

(They drive over the magic bridge to the island. Back in Auradon Chadeficent is making their way to Jane’s birthday party)

Chadeficent (Maleficent’s voice): are you sure this shall work? (Chad’s voice) it had better. They all deserve it for hating me