#{i hope she one slaps aria...hard!}

[jaggedwolf]

pll rewatch 2x05

2x05 gives us Emily leading an investigation while Spencer would Like To Rest (“can we please slay one dragon at a time” is an actual line she says) 

Very fair of Spencer to have been more scared of Ian than A. She still suggests that her parents give Ian a funeral. She can’t help these bursts of sentiment, as vulnerable as they make her

Oh, this is the episode in which Spencer accidentally yells at her maternal grandmother on the phone! I hope at least her nana is nice to her :/ Also still waiting for Spencer to get a threat-free sleepover :/ 

“Pookie Bear” and “Z”. I would ask which nickname is worse except Aria’s is a cute kiddo family thing and I bet Ezra felt soooooo cooooooool being called Z in college. I would forgive this in another character but not in him. 

Ashley’s spiel that the year after Ali’s disappearance she was terrified every time Hanna went out the door - it recontextualizes her panic the night Hanna went camping with Caleb, yes, but I wonder if she’s the only parent this was true of. It would be easy for all the other parents to think of their girls as immune to whatever happened to Alison but Ashley seems the least likely to fall prey to the just-world fallacy. 

Pam is out of town, likely visiting Wayne. I idly wonder how their marriage is doing with the distance. I mean, look, this is the only parental marriage I’m going to care about, y’all understand that right?

Ashley and Hanna discuss Ashley leaving home when she was 17 and not going to her dad’s funeral but paying for it. Ashley is also the parent most likely to be honest about her upbringing to her kid, with Hanna clearly comfortable asking her questions about it, and I think it gives her a better understanding of both her mom and Caleb.

...I don’t think Wilden was the first time Ashley engaged in quasi-transactional sex

Emily scrapbooked her way through an investigation. Emily is absolutely the kind of kid who grows up to be quite similar to her mom (and be annoyed by anyone pointing it out) and I would find the idea of Emily as a mom endearing if it was not for uh....canon....

Best A message of the episode: Hey, Em. Is it just me? Or does that suicide note look familiar?

A is like, Emily is not the solo deranged investigator type that Spencer is, I need to give her helpful prompts

Emily and Pam watch Wheel of Fortune together. I bet the Hastings watch Jeopardy (the rare times they are in town) and are very competitive with each other, the Marins watch the trashiest dating shows and the Montgomerys Do Not Believe in Reality TV (Mike watches Jackass)

Emily wants justice for Alison. Spencer wants safety for the living. Her living, which boils down to: the Liars, her family, Toby

Logan Reed yells “I don’t know how to describe voices!” Same, bro, same. 

Veronica apologizing to Spencer....I forgot this scene entirely. Veronica says “You work so hard. You always have.” and apologizes for letting a monster into their home and you can see something light up in Spencer and it is so sad even if I cannot remember how/if/when/where Veronica betrays her promise here in the future

Caleb once went without a meal for four days and has seen a dead body before :( He says it’s a short trip from Eat, Pray, Love to Drink, Snap, Slap :( 

I’m glad Hanna’s absurd “Erin Brockobitch” ploy worked to get him cash, even if I don’t understand why the Marins buy ice instead of using their freezer to make it.

Do like that the way they get back together is Hanna seeing him have a bad time and basically going ok I’ve got to do something about this. Hanna ends up going to a graveyard after this so maybe Caleb did not ditch his Goonies date with Lucas.

Other Caleb facts: clearly does not like Goonies, does like kung fu flicks

The note Jason found in his pocket has the same odd capitalization of “T” that Ian’s fake suicide note does, huh

Garrett pays off Logan Reed and reports back to Jenna. I ponder the times that PLL departs from our protagonists’ perspectives/immediate contexts and to what degree the show succeeds in playing with that.

Ella is spooked by Ian having been a regular adult at her kids’ school, someone she said hi to on the hallway and someone she trusted as a fellow authority over kids. ....are they trying to make Ezra seem terrible here or what???

Spemily are united in the graveyard hunt bc Spencer is back in bulldog mode after getting yelled at by her sister, and it’s a good look for them, while Team Haria is like :/ the ground is squishy whyyyy :/

Boom, Alison was alive after Ian left her. What the fuck else did she do that night huh.

[skinks]

I got tagged by @rockcandyshrike to do a wee music meme post and I’m gonna follow her example and do my top 10 most RECENT repeated songs because that’s more interesting than just my top 10 repeated songs. gives it a lil summer snapshot. I find that I mostly listen to metal and prog in the winter whereas as soon as the sun is actually warm I remember funk and classical exists lmao

1. Breakwater - Release the Beast

However hard you might imagine this song goes, you’re not ready for it!!! Heard this for the first time before the Coheed show the other night, immediately recognised a part of it being the origin sample for the entire daft punk song “robot rock”. This is so insanely good, and my discovery of it coinciding with actual summer weather means I’ve been blasting it while driving around with my windows down nonstop lmao. You’re welcome fellow citizens. The beast is fucking released

2. Bilmuri - BOUTTA CASHEW

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean I stop listening to metal and post-hxc… Bilmuri have never failed me except for the fact that they never tour the UK. The danciest tongue-in-cheek bangers this side of dance gavin dance

3. Halogen - U Got That

SPEAKING OF DANCE!! Who among us can resist a house drop when it’s this chonky. I heard this on a tiktok meme shared to tumblr that I had to do like 3 levels of googling to understand because I’m an old woman. But this song makes me actually want to go to a club for the second time ever in my crone life

4. Caroline Polachek - Caroline Shut Up

I had heard a snippet of one of her songs ages ago and it didn’t wow me, but I gave her new album a try and holy moly!! Really interesting acrobatic vocals plus lush dense intricate dramatic varied production… im in love. Even though this is actually from her first album, it’s the best example of what I like about her stuff. She’s like a mix of Bjork and 90s Madonna and Enya and Imogen Heap. And brother I’m nothing if not a Heaphead. Caroline pls come to Scotland

5. Maria Callas - O Mio Babbino Caro

I got this song stuck in my head and of course it’s so hard to sing along to a soprano aria, but I specifically love this Callas version because the way she really takes her time with the phrasing emphasises the longing of it and it makes me cry

6. bel canto - A Shoulder to the Wheel

Recently discovered there’s a name for an artistic aesthetic I have VIVID memory and nostalgia for from the mid-late 90s - the name of the aesthetic is Global Village Coffeehouse. I found a 50 hour gvc playlist on spotify and have been finding banging new music one of which is this song!! I love the propulsive synths and drums and the DRAMA… let it wash over u

7. Chris Rea - On The Beach

It’s got to be this specific single version not the slower album one! My whole life I only knew Rea as the singer of a pretty great xmas song until this April when my beloved pal added this to our Highland roadtrip playlist. If this doesn’t get you feeling like a neon-soaked sweaty lounge-lizard having a hallucinatory tango under a palm tree with a sexy extra from Miami Vice idk what will

8. Aviations - Coma

Is it really a joe skinks music post if there’s not a 10 minute prog metal song………….

I’m hoping their last two singles this year mean we have an imminent album incoming and it’s gonna SLAP as hard as the rest of their output! Aviations embody everything I love most and seek out in my prog metal; super agile clean AND harsh vocals interacting with the extreme amount of syncopation and intricacy in the instrumental arrangements. Aviations use piano in their compositions better than any other prog band I enjoy. I mean listen to this shit it’s beautiful

9. Stereophonics - Pick A Part That’s New

I had a really fun time making a playlist of songs I remember my parents always playing in my childhood, it’s full of a lot of 90s soul and electronic music and also this… whiny britpop. But it surprised me how much fantastic whiny britpop there is

10. Sumerlands - Force of a Storm

My brother introduced me to this album and it truly fucks how much they sound like an old-school Heavy Metal band while being fully contemporary. Like they truly sound like Sabbath or Iron Maiden but with modern production sensibilities. I LOVE the strength of this guy’s voice. Like if this doesn’t make you feel like a barbarian riding a winged steed and brandishing a massive sword against a dragon drawn by Frank Frazetta idk what will. Can u tell fantasising is how I process music

I will tag @shrikestrike @acuzena @lungtile @kitsune-sam @wordssometimesfail @kelsey-arts @erebones and whomstever else wants to… of course nobody has to if they don’t want

[glenngaylord]

Swoosh! - Film Review: Air ★★★★

I’m not the world’s biggest sports fan, although give me two weeks of Olympic Games and I’ll watch almost every solo event. I enjoy watching people push past their own limits, seeing the years and years of training right there in the focus of their hard stares and that beautiful release when they stick their landings. Team sports, however, trigger me, sending me right back to gym class where the dumb jocks would knock me down onto the basketball court surface for a rousing game of “Trip-A-Fag”.  I’d always get up, brush myself off and adopt a “You guys!” attitude, but inside, I died just a little bit each time. So is it any wonder I can only stomach the halftime show at the Super Bowl or watch a graceful gymnast execute a perfect dismount as she vies for the gold?

 Despite all of the past trauma, I still enjoy a good sports movie. When Jimmy Chitwood promises to make that final winning shot in Hoosiers, he’s swearing a blood oath to all of us hoping for a better tomorrow. Is it possible to look at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s entrance steps without thinking of Rocky and the promise the title character represents?

 The same feeling, I thought, must be true for any sports fan who first tried on a pair of Air Jordan sneakers and recognized what it meant to step into the shoes of the most legendary basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. In Ben Affleck’s fifth feature as a director, Air,  he, with debuting writer Alex Convery, explores the incendiary time in 1984 when Nike sought to sign the then little known basketball player to their company, changing forever the way athletes participated in the profits of products to which they attached their names. It may be your typical David vs. Goliath story, but it’s still a tremendously fun triumph nonetheless.

 The story gets told through the lens of schlubby Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon, a far cry from his 2007 People magazine Sexiest Man Alive days, and relishing every bit of it), a sports marketing executive for Nike who we meet as he scouts players for his company’s flailing product line. He has a career going nowhere fast and needs to prove himself. Desperate to compete with the much more popular Adidas and Converse brands, Vaccaro faces an uphill battle when met with a dwindling budget and CEO Phil Knight (Affleck), who doesn’t think they have much of a future with basketball shoes at all. Vaccaro’s fellow marketing pals, led by the wonderfully deadpan Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) don’t seem to have one good idea, until one evening, Vaccaro watches footage of a young Michael Jordan, replaying a particular shot over and over. Something about the way Jordan handles himself clues Vaccaro into the fact that he was witnessing a once in a generation player.

 Vaccaro springs into action willing to go all in on Jordan. He confers with fellow exec Howard White (Chris Tucker, delightful here) and decides to break some rules to get what he wants. That includes bypassing Jordan’s Agent David Falk (Chris Messina) and going straight to Michael Jordan’s parents, wonderfully played by real live spouses, Julius Tennon and Viola Davis. While Davis delivers a strong performance and gets to the heart of what really matters, that those who get taken advantage of, be they athletes, artists, writers, or any number or people who are not the 1%, deserve their share of the pie, for me, it’s Messina who nearly walks away with the whole film. His Falk, who spends most of his time on the phone, delivers some of the funniest and filthiest arias of anger I’ve heard since Paul Newman put on his hockey gear in Slap Shot. Matthew Maher also proves memorable as Peter Moore, the designer of the original Air Jordan prototype and who arguably came up with the name. His scenes crackle with the awe of a man who loves his own creativity.

 Air has that uncanny ability to maintain suspense despite the audience already knowing the outcome. The entire film has a natural quality which feels like it was made back in the 1980s, like some long lost journalistic procedural. It has this understated aesthetic thanks to Robert Richardson’s unfussy cinematography, William Goldenberg’s well-paced editing which flies by yet allows for grace notes, Francois Audouy’s perfectly muted production design, and especially Charles Antoinette Jones’ costume design, which hilariously nails every pleat on Damon’s khaki’s and every shade of purple on Affleck’s track suit.

 As we follow Vaccaro on his journey, I started to feel something for him and the other characters. Even though this is a story of a corporation trying to stay afloat and probably screw over a young fledgling athlete in the process, it spoke to me about the dream of excellence, of talent, of Black excellence, of breaking the rules to go after what you want. Every character in this films pops and has a chance to shine. Other standouts include Marlon Wayans in a brief scene as a former coach who dispenses great advice to Vaccaro, and Affleck himself, who brings a prickly yet bohemian quirkiness to his big boss character.

 If I had to gripe about anything, and I hate to because this is one funny and sweet film, it’s the fact that it has a surplus of endings and still misses out on one. Earlier in the story, Bateman’s character sets up something so emotional, I was certain it would get paid off in the end. I imagined it in my head, knowing when I saw it, I would cry. In fact, I get teary-eyed thinking about it even now. Yet, the filmmakers decided not to include it, opting instead to overplay their hand with 10 other endings. Oh well, all is forgiven when you can get a guy like me to stand up and cheer for a sports movie like Air.

[bronzepatriarchy]

I should say, the inquisition as a whole is fucked up but like the people in it aren't that bad.

Aria, or Blink as her chosen name, actively struggles to make the inquisition as good as possible for the kids that are part of it. She doesn't get particularly close to any Numbered specifically until Sophie is introduced, but she would actively take a bullet for each of them if it meant they stayed safe. Any time any inquisitor dies for any reason she blames herself for not preparing them properly.

Autumn and Aurora erase people's memories, but them and Blink are all working together to find out how and why some inquisitors regain their memory and others don't in hopes of subtly returning more memories.

The whole reason Blink challenged the former Head Inquisitor in the first place was because she saw him slap Eight and couldn’t let it stand.

She has wings specifically because one of her Numbered was deemed not powerful enough by literal royalty and ordered to have those wings surgically attached to the kid. Except Blink swooped in and offered to take the surgery herself because she wouldn't let her kids be operated on like that. Especially since it was experimental at best and a horror show at worst.

I'll probably go on about Blink's chronic pain related to those wings eventually tbh.

Regardless, Blink tries so hard to protect her inquisitors despite how fucked everything really is there. Is she aiding the problem by carrying out their traditions still? Yeah. But she's trying to make it as good as possible for everyone else even as it slowly destroys her in the process

It's just AHHHHH

Thinking about how fucked up my Inquisition story is again...

Sure, Aria (now named Blink) and most of the crew is 20-27 but most of the inquisition is filled with kids. Blink herself fought a man twice her age at twelve and killed her first person before she even turned fifteen

Most inquisitors are taught to kill from age 5 or whenever they first turned up at the inquisition, the oldest being ten and considered behind in their training.

Their memories are erased so they don't remember anywhere else to go. If they try to run, they're hunted down and brought back to be given an 'inquisitors goodbye' – Essentially being put in a boat and being lit on fire while they sail away– or their memories would be erased again to start the process anew.

All this while being raised to understand that even the most skilled inquisitors do not make it to thirty.

It's super fucked up man...

[akindofmagictoo]

manuscript search tag game

this one’s from @ashen-crest as well! thanks! 

my words are travel, sleep, chaos, still 

travel (Dragonsong) 

“That shouldn’t have been hard,” muttered SB. “Not for you [Robin].” 

Isi frowned. “You’ve made it very clear you’re jealous. We get it. But all your snide comments make it out to be Robin’s problem, which it isn’t. If you want to travel with us, that’s fine. But I think we’d both appreciate it if you kept this to yourself, and found something nice to say once in a while.” 

SB looked as stung as if she’d slapped him. 

sleep (Hurricane) (oh hey! a bit from the prologue! that never happens. featuring how the crew got together, and baby Aella) 

Aria had two women in tow: one of South-East Asian descent, around Tempest’s own age, the other Hispanic, barely more than a teenager. As Tempest stood up, the question must have been evident on her face, because Aria said immediately, “I caught Marisa trying to take my purse.” She indicated the Hispanic girl, who was staring sheepishly at her feet. She didn’t appear completely repentant to Tempest’s eye, though. Aria continued, “And this is Cai. We talked about starting our own crew, and well, they’ve nowhere else to go.” 

“A bit like us, really,” said Tempest. To Marisa and Cai, she said, “Are you sailors?” Though she’d hoped to come off as intimidating, she was holding a sleeping baby. It had probably failed miserably. 

“No, jefe,” said Marisa. “But we can learn.” 

chaos (Hurricane) (and now much more grown up Aella) 

Aella grabbed the bag of explosives by her feet—Sequoia or someone else had left them there, clearly—and tied the rope around its mouth. Sequoia began to raise the bag gingerly, inch by inch. Aella picked up a lantern and prepared to follow the rope, glancing quickly around the deck. Theo was, fortunately, nowhere to be seen. 

The other ship turned her bow away to port, preparing to come alongside. Preparation for a fight. 

Tempest, halfway back to the wheel, turned to Aella. “Make some chaos on their deck. We have places to be.” 

Aella grinned wickedly. Chaos she could do. Sequoia wore a matching grin as she tossed the rope back down. Aella tucked the rope under her foot to form a foothold. Sequoia lit the fuse on one of the bombs and hurled it onto the other ship’s deck. 

still (Dragonsong) (a word I use too much lol) 

Isi sighed. “That’s me. Well… it was.” Tor Isadora had followed every rule, every law to the letter. Tor Isadora had kept herself clean, avoided getting her hands too dirty, made sure her armour was always polished. Everything had been by the book, strictly governed. Sterile. 

Isi stood here now, her skin sticky with capybara blood and smudged with days-old dirt. Her braid was starting to come loose, and her shirt had a rip in it that she was yet to fix. But she felt more alive than she had as a knight. This wasn’t sterile, simple change. This was tangible. She could still smell the blood. 

She liked to be clean and tidy. But really, it had all been for show. Here and now, she had done something. There would be time to clean up later. 

I shall pass this on to @vellichor-virgo @lowslore @diphthongsfordays and anyone else who wants to! your words are carry, care, cuddle, cry

[herpronuonsarefemslash]

You Like the Taste of Danger (It Shines Like Sugar on Your Lips) - Teaser

The first chapter of a sequel to Bioweapons and Beef Stew, with Aethyta needing to help her Little Wing, Liara having a lot on her plate right now, and Lex Luthor not measuring up to Aria T'Loak.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/61784814

-----

Benezia hurt Liara. 

Three words, three fucking words, and a hundred and eleven years of hurt were just gone and she was out of the Terminus like a vorcha with a missile up its ass, burning favors that had been ripening for centuries to get her customs file spritzed and wiped down, get back into the Republic’s good graces, and get on a ship to where her girls–at least one of them–needed her. 

If she ever had had trouble sleeping or keeping food down, it was literally a thousand years ago, because her life gets pretty pyjackfucking clear around fifteen, when her brain started making memories on the regular and she became aware of how fucking horny and embarrassing her parents were. 

Aethyta knows she’s done some shit that’s three relay jumps past wrong. And she’s never lost a night’s sleep over it. Perks of being a heartless bitch. 

Slept like a malyk cub until she had to contend with the idea of Benezia doing something that hurt Liara and someone thinking the situation had gotten so Lucen-fucked terrible that the cautionary example of the matriarch stage ought to be involved.

-----

The doctors assigned to Benezia’s case scare the scales off her: Neurologists, psychiatrists, bioticists…a whole list of things together add up to ‘what if the steadiest matriarch on Thessia lost her Goddess-blessed mind’. The one next to her is Dr. Nerya D’Vaes, multidisciplinary something Liara or Nezzy would know, but she doesn’t. She’s always been a dark-alleys asari, not a nicely-decorated classroom asari. Those weren’t the kind of smarts she brought to the table. Whatever their last names were, Nezzy was slumming. They both got off on it. 

Nezzy wrote her once or twice, complaining about Liara in ways carefully crafted to make Aethyta proud of the kid–like that wasn’t a fucking given, she’s Nezzy’s–and one of them mentioned Liara trying to work out exactly how little sleep she could get away with before the House Doctor got on her case. 

Nerya’s jumpier than a salarian on stims, her eyes flicking from display to display, scrolling though her datapad faster than she can read, flincing, and scrolling back. 

Aethyta suspects that this four-century-old brat has been this anxious and flighty since she was Liara’s age. 

“It’s an honor,” she mumbles, bouncing her knee so hard that Aethyta just slaps a stasis around the joint to stop her. “Benezia’s a remarkable speci-person…I mean, not that…It’s not like I want to study her in a lab! Astonishing what happens in matriarch’s brains…minds, it’s hard to call what happens in there just electricity and chemicals…I just hope I can help her.” 

“Yeah, kid. Me too.”

-----

I have now seen forty humans in chunky spacesuits go through a coming-aboard ceremony that would give the Turian Primarch a hard-on, Aethyta thinks. Cross that off the list. 

A blonde human–maybe human, she’s not sure what parts they have and that jumpsuit is not quite doing the job of hiding a bulge–is doing her part for sanitation by just floating over the deck. Floating, even though the ship has gravity. Every sense Aethyta has except sight and sound is telling her the world tilts towards the kid–mass, gravity, potential for energy–and when she stretches her senses out, sending energy through the kid to see what’s so weird about her, it’s like trying to focus her biotics on a goddamned black hole.  A four armed robo-something is hovering next to her on some sort of mass effect field, waving politely with it’s right arms. 

And now whatever she is, I’ve met one of those. Cross it off the list, too. 

It’s time to act like a grownup. “Fuck.”

-----

The door chimes and opens. 

“Liara?” 

She spins her chair away from her mother’s bed and looks over the newcomer. She could not possibly be anything but a matriarch by her height but she’s lean–almost serpentine–compared to the usual curves of that life stage. Like Shepard’s, her gait is measured, her stance seemingly rigidly upright. But there are bends, flexes, the wound-spring movements, the ever-readiness of a body and mind habituated to the role of predator. Were she not a few inches taller than Benezia, Liara would think her slimness and physicality that of a clanless huntress, not the highborn matriarch, a member of the Thirty, no less, that her birthmark says she must be. She could disappear wholly behind Benezia’s silhouette.

-----

“Can I help you?” 

The newcomer coughs. It’s a rough gesture; far rougher than her lovely mehir-berry red and ‘matriarch black’ gown and Liara has to wonder why this matriarch appears. The asari standing behind her is a doctor, clearly, and the others, bodyguards. 

“It’s easier to explain in a conversational meld,” she huffs. “There’s…background.” 

The roll of her eyes invokes a fleeting resemblance to Shepard and the strange beauty of detachment: Of being the most dangerous, or powerful, or beautiful presence in the room merely by refusing to acknowledge the universe’s say in the matter. 

“Very well.”

-----

Rain…laughter…attention presidium residents, simulated weather failure, please take shelter…shivering bodies…“Let’s get you warm”…the shower meant to raise their bodies to a safe temperature becomes more… meld black eyes, her mothers…meld black eyes, this stranger’s…morning…faint bruises peppering Benezia’s midsection…a dreamleaf cigarette? she used to smoke?…rolling over in the sheets to tip it into the ashtray… breakfast in bed…meeting up again for lunch…biotics lighting the room like the core of a sun when powerful bodies peak together…a pillow to the face and a soft shove out the door with a foot, casting a glance over a shoulder at smeared makeup and a smirk that says Hurry up and come back to me.

Rage and hurt, incandescent, inescapable as a black hole and destructive…she kept the bracelet…she kept the bracelet…she always has reasons…Goddess, let me still mean something to her…a kaleidoscope of liquor glasses and bars of decreasing standards…a four-eyed head walking into a crosshairs and then vanishing in a spray of ruined metal and flesh…rolling off the ledge behind the cover of the rooftop and thinking of rolling into Benezia’s arms…dreamleaf cigarette, Her brand, least I can do, warp-sensitive match flickering cobalt blue with actual fire, not warpfire…tip cherry red as she puffs, walking down a dirty alleyway.

“Well, then, give me your wisdom, Matriarch. I seem to recall that you getting me like this is how we got her.”…both of them laughing like drunk maidens at that…“Can’t keep treating her like a baby bird, Nezzy. She’s gonna raise a storm with those little wings…”

-----

Emotion from both sides slices the meld like a knife.

“Hey, hey, hey…” The matriarch rubs circles on Liara’s back as sore lungs fight to pull in enough air, reeling from the weight of nearly two centuries of love and grief and pride compressed into flashes that took less than an hour. 

“Little Wing. That’s yours, not hers. She didn’t always call me that. But one day, she never called me anything else. Ainthar.” 

The matriarch pulls her closer, tucks her crest under her chin, and rocks back and forth. 

“Funny, only time I did it this way around was you, kid. I carried your half-sisters,” she jokes. “More work.”

-----

Aria learned a long time ago not to go for…what did that one idiot call them?…style points when it comes to dealing with threats to her organization. She rules the Terminus because she fights like a thug, but plans like a commando. When an enemy is broken to nothing but ragged breath and bruised flesh, she may play with her food. Not before.

That’s what makes this so delicious. She has not quite deduced their endgame–if these short-lived morons had one–but she’s ensured they’re no threat. 

Even on Omega, a fast fever followed by a whole station full of people retching at the smell? Granted, the aroma was always a weak point in civic life here. Quarian, turian, drell and human females growing cocks? Half of her asari dancers unable to stop begging for it, the other half whimpering in pain in their apartments, only to emerge black-eyed, ravenous, with dripping azures and the fronds of their crowns thicker, longer, and beyond fierce? Followed by a week of rutting each other against every surface? 

Strange few weeks, even by Omega’s standards. She did have to multitask and work through her own pain–the effects on the sex organs of an asari her age were even more pronounced–and then work through a parade of sniffling, shaking playmates who couldn’t function without a fuck at the start of their shift.

“Lex Luthor…” Aria hums. “Wealthy man. Clever enough, for someone your age. Clever for a child.” 

He screams into the gag. Ego. Ego is always the weakness of his kind. His lackeys mean nothing to him. The life of his little mistress here means nothing, even if she would be clever and more fearsome than him in the long run, if removed from his shadow. He can build and understand and do, and do it younger than those around him, so he doesn’t value experience. 

She crooks a finger and pulls the gag off with her biotics. 

“What were you doing here?”

[berryshiara]

Sunday Snippet

Interview with an Ardat-Yakshi Opening of chapter 8 Conversation between Foínix Éleos (Ay positive Asari) & Kasiani (Cinnamon) Glyka (Sweet) (Asari- Hetaira) Location - Omega

The orchard was a series of defunct cargo bays, now housing a small collection of trees, anchored and grown from saplings to the strapping little forest it was now. It wasn’t much, but it was what they could afford at this time. The resources necessary were partially provided by Aria herself, as the orchard provided both a carbon sink and filter for air quality and control. They had thought to keep each plant in its own vessel, but it seemed more natural to fill the bay with earth a meter and a half deep before placing the saplings in neat rows. It permitted the trees to share resources, and help each other rather than leave them without community.

The entire bay was an artificial habitat that they tried hard to build into a self sustaining ecosystem. Grass to help retain water, and cover the earth, flowers, and berries to help feed the bee colony, beetles & worms to aerate the soil, fungai and a plethora of microscopic organisms to help the orchard grow and thrive. This year they hoped to be getting a crop from the trees, and if the Goddess willed it — the bees.

Kasiani was waiting for her near the tool shed, even leaning against it she stood taller than Fen. Her body language relaxed, face introspective. She was dressed in a leather jacket with tuffa* fur lining. Its tight springy fur curled against Kas’ neck and over her shoulders, where the open hood lay. Tucked into the jacket's angled enclosure, a soft scarf, by the way it slightly shifted in color as she approached, promised it was Iri silk, softer than even the fur lining of her jacket. Her pants had a plethora of pockets, each one holding something for Splorg, who sat leaning against gilded boots, about her hips a personalized leather pouch. She looked comfortable.

Kas pushed glasses up onto her crest when she caught sight of Fen, a wary expression passing through brown eyes.

“Good morning.”

“Same to you.”

“It is good right?”

Fen nodded, hoping the darkening of her cheeks could be passed off from physical exertion… or cool air. “Yes.” She didn’t pause to see if Kas believed her. Instead dropping down to put her hand on Splorg’s pate and rub it. “Good morning to you too.” She said.

He put a paw up on her knee, chuffing.

Kas held up a magnetic sticker for Ludis who as always followed where Fen went. “Look what I got.” She said in a sing-song voice to the mech. Ludis rushed forward as she came down to place it on the upper most part of his shoulders, just below the rim of his head. His tail wagged up and down as she pat the magnetic sticker firmly into place.

Fen made a face before looking at Kasiani. “Do you scan the extranet for the most inappropriate decals you can find?”

“Absolutely.” Kas grinned. “I dare you to try and take it off him.”

Fen pursed her lips looking at it and her happy mech. “Not until sleep mode.”

“Now you can thank me.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t give him a great pair of tits.”

Fen looked at the decal again, shifting her weight as hands came to her hips. “Now I feel disappointed.”

Kasiani laughed, standing up to slap Fen on the back.

“I could-”

“No…”

“Not even ones a matriarch would be pr-”

“No.”

“Well, human “birds” it is.”

Fen looked at the decal again, shaking her head. “Some days I swear I am the older of us.”

“Age got nothin' on self expression.”

Fen’s look had Kas raising her hands up in innocence. “Okay, maybe it does. But I am a matron… I get a little wiggle room.”

“A matron who is a Hetaira.”

“We can be crass and caring.”

“Goddess bless that those do not mix too often.” Fen motioned for them to proceed. @maskydoo-main, @maskydoolovesmasseffect

[utterlyinevitable]

the amazon one! thank you!

request: “was it really love if you can leave me for” lyric from thick and thin by lany

Was It

Word Count: 1.5k Warning: angst and a few curse words Summary: This takes place somewhere after OH2 where Ethan and MC started dating.

A/N: I love this song and hope I did it justice! The first part of Do We Have a Future was loosely influenced by this song so if you haven’t read it and love some angst I definitely recommend it 😬

not the best thing i’ve written but thankful to be coming out of my writers block.

________________________________________

It took them so long to finally get to a place of mutual understanding. Far too long for them to finally submit to their feelings for one another. 

One notable spring evening, Ethan and Becca were heading to the Boston Opera House. Ethan had given them both an early shift so they can enjoy a relaxing evening together accompanied by soothing arias. They hadn’t been back in this box together since intern year. Since he kissed her back and immediately brushed it off as nothing. 

They had a lovely time - holding hands in silence, letting the melodies of the orchestra lift their spirits. Becca rested her head on his shoulder when she wasn’t on the edge of her seat in anticipation. Ethan watching her reactions intently - he had seen this opera on multiple occasions and could recite it verbatim. A smile graced his features as he watched her, his mind absentmindedly strolling down memory lane. 

The subtle glances. The hand holds. Miami. The kiss. The hearing. Saving Naveen. The first time. Their last time. The Amazon… 

Look how far we’ve come, he thought. 

On the drive back to his apartment Ethan was still so deep in nostalgia. Although this time he voiced his sentimentality out loud.

***

  Late night three days later Becca was in Ethan’s apartment, hovering at the threshold. She kept her jacket on, making the conscious decision to not make herself at home. This wasn’t the night she would let herself push all of her concerns aside and unapologetically fall back into Ethan Ramsey’s addictive embrace once again. 

Ethan watched with a trained eye as his girlfriend paced back and forth. Becca tried to think of what to say. She knew the words, she’d been replaying and reciting them for days now but for some reason none of them felt right on her tongue. 

The other day in the car Ethan brought up his trip to the Amazon - the ultimate betrayal in Becca’s eyes. She could have handled a casual affair between them, hell she’s had plenty of those, but what hurt the most were the promises he made long before he disappeared. He told her they were going to work it out. They were going to figure this out. Together. They were straight lies off of Ethan’s lips. Becca forgave him once in blind infatuation. She was so caught up in her attraction for him that she forgot how continuously he shattered her heart in those early months. Now that she had him freely, she could see past her rose tinted glasses for the pain that came with this man.  

“That wasn’t courage. It was cowardice,” he explained once again. They’d had this conversation briefly ages ago but he never finished telling her exactly why he needed to flee. “I realized I fell in love with you and needed to clear my head before we began working closely together.” 

Staring out the passenger window her eyes went wide, “What?” 

Becca was already irked by the feelings that surfaced at the mention of his abandonment. A ball started to form in her throat as his words sank in.  

Ethan never ever said that four letter word to her face before. 

Under normal circumstances, with normal couples, that small yet powerful word was meant to warm the insides and elicit an overwhelming sense of euphoria. Instead, Becca’s chest tightened. 

“I couldn’t be in love with you,” he replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “We needed a reset.” 

“You… loved me?” 

“Yes.” Ethan's smile grew bigger as he added, “I love you.” 

Becca felt like she was going to vomit. 

 She looked everywhere but at Ethan as the words began to manifest. It had taken all of her courage to come here and ask the things that were plaguing her mind since last summer.  

“You realized you loved me and… left?” It was phrased as an uncertain question but she meant it as a statement. “Not tell me how you felt?”  

Ethan’s brows furrowed at her question. It was the first thing she said upon entering his apartment and her noticeable distance was concerning him. “You know I couldn’t feel that way. It was unethical.” 

“We’re unethical now, Ethan, and the world hasn’t collapsed,” she retorted.  

With a rueful sigh he confessed, “I was wrong.”  

“Yeah… you were,” she trailed off. She let her eyes glance upwards towards him. Ethan was staring at her, blue eyes storm ridden and full of worry, the creases in his features were more than evident and showing his age. “Were you ever going to tell me?” she just about whispered.  

Ethan took a step towards her, “I didn’t think I needed to.” Instinctively Becca stepped backwards, the door handle mere inches away from her lower back. Earnestly he said, “I thought my actions spoke louder than my words ever could.” 

She knew he was referring to all the truths and secrets they’ve shared, all the hand holding and caresses - the way he seems to put her future before all else - the way he loved her. But the only things coming to the foreground were him pushing her away, leaving, letting himself have her just to then cast her aside like a mistake. 

She stood up straighter, letting the newfound rage building in her core fuel her. “Was it really love if you could leave me for something so small? We slept together and you bolted, Ethan.” 

Ethan took a deep breath in. This was not the evening he had planned for them - they were supposed to have a romantic evening in. But instead they were sparring, and Ethan desperately wanted to wave the white flag in surrender. 

“It doesn’t excuse my actions,” his eyes fell to the floor in guilt as he spoke. “All I can say is I’m sorry for wasting all that time. I’m sorry for hurting you.” 

Becca crossed her arms over her chest at the line she’s heard countless times and bit, “Have you ever had a one night stand before?”  

“Have you?” Ethan retaliated. He regretted the words immediately. He knew he didn’t need to be defensive, he didn’t want to be defensive. He just wanted to have a nice evening with the love of his life, but for some reason she wasn’t happy anymore.   

“Don’t you dare slut shame me!” She moved closer and slapped his arm. “If you didn’t want to be anything more you should have just told me from the start.” Ethan saw how her doe brown eyes turned to black within an instant. He fucked up. Becca continued to poke him in the chest, “Instead of leaving me when I needed you most -” another poke, “every fucking time things get hard you leave.” 

With her finger digging firmly into his torso, Ethan asked, “Where is this coming from?” 

Becca threw her hands up in the air like it was the most obvious conclusion, “I don’t trust you!” 

“Huh?”  

“I don’t trust you not to leave again. I don’t trust you not to break my heart. I don’t trust myself for falling further into you and the next time I might not be able to pull myself back out of the depths.” Becca was breathing heavily now, the spilling of all those emotional words taking its toll.  

“Rookie…” his eyes were a mix of saddened concern and pleas.  

Eloquently with the muster of a thousand suns she added, “We’re not going to work long-term.”

And with that Becca turned on her heels to leave. 

Ethan caught her elbow mid-spin.  

“Do not walk away, Lao.” he used his authoritative voice, knowing full well it would temporarily distract her from her task. “We can fix whatever this is - we’re partners through everything, right?” 

She didn’t respond. 

“Right?” he practically begged.  

Becca kept silent, her eyes fixated on the silver doorknob. 

“Dammit, Rebecca!” he exclaimed through gritted teeth and glazed eyes. “Tell me how to make things better.” 

She shook her head one single time, “You can’t.”  

She pulled her arm forcefully away and walked out the door. 

Left in utter bafflement, Ethan’s hand flew to his hair, pulling at the roots. 

“What the hell just happened?” he asked the universe. 

He wanted to go after her. He needed to go after her and ask her not to hold the sins of his past against him. But he knew Becca better than most and chasing her down would only lead to a bigger argument. 

She couldn’t cut things off so easily. 

She couldn’t stop loving him because of a past mistake. Right? 

They had been through too much the last two years for this to be the end. She was there with him every step of the way - she was his rock. His sanity in dark times. She was his best friend and his savior in every blatant and biblical aspect of the words. 

What did he do for her in return?  

Ethan went over to his bar cart in desperate need of something strong. That’s when he saw it. The small black box sitting next to the decanter. 

Tonight was supposed to be the night. 

Was he foolish for misreading their whole relationship? Was he crazy for wanting a future with the young resident? 

The irony was not lost on him. 

With great force Ethan hurled the small box at the front door. Leaving a small dent in the metal plating.

________________________________________

Taglist: @ohchoices​​ @dulceghernandez​​​ @aylamreads​​ @binny1985​​​ @ramseysno1rookie​​​ @interobanginyourmom​​​ @queencarb​​​ @perriewinklenerdie​ @rookiefromedenbrook​​ @eramsey28​​ @choicesficwriterscreations​​ @heauxplesslydevoted​​ @schnitzelbutterfingers​​ @purpledragonturtles​​ @ramseyandrys​​​ @ermidc​​ @mrsdrakewalkerblog​​ @doilooklikeiknow​ @overwhelminglyaquarius​ @drethanramslay @edgiestwinter @rookieoh

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

Faust (Met, 2011): Reactions, Part I

Who wants to make bets on whether/when I start ugly-crying??? (I don’t do bets though.)

damn, what happened to you?

still a beautiful man

and she’s so prettyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

his VOICE. it’s just so...WARM AND DARK AND I LOVE IT

work it girl *heart eyes*

not to plagiarize @tatyana-dreaming​, but sir, PLEASE put the beaker down did no one ever teach you basic lab safety

Area Tenor Is Having A Majorly Difficult Time With Life

AND THERE IT IS

the fact that Faust doubts the magic powers of this random dude who magically showed up in his office with literal fire...

a horrible deal also their FACES

the vision of Marguerite melting in fire is a very clever choice also dude no don’t drink from the beaker

poof! look! a horny young tenor!

a marvelous duo singing a marvelous duet (can you BELIEVE these two dominated in Parsifal just a year or so later?)

I love these fast clouds

this BOPS

CHILD

meanwhile, it will no longer protect your sister, so...

oh, child, you can try... (and of course, Michèle is *heart eyes forever*)

about that

‘we’ll see about THAT, Hopeless Gullible Catholic Soldier Baritone Boy’

great aria, great performance

you could sing the phone book and it wouldn’t bore anyone, René, but you also have the advantage of arguably opera’s single biggest villain banger

SEE??? IT HARD SLAPS AND RENÉ IS EXCELLENT

way to kill the vibe

this trick is COOL

that is...not what that line means (and I say that because I always find the original line so deliciously ironic and this translation just messes it up)

whoa

Valentin should perhaps consider a career as a ghost/demon hunter *shrug*

Siébel is just DELIGHTED

his sheer POISE

I love her

so full of hope

“I’m glad he found a dance partner”

Siébel: “Marguerite send help”

I wouldn’t be able to resist

but she is so good for her

(also you ARE lovely)

That Iconic Diminuendo takes my breath away every time

I love this waltz so much and the dancers are stunning

aww poor Siébel, watching his dreams get crushed in real time :(

almost too cute. almost.

but she’s not ready, which is a good thing

[angelliev]

Lover Boy - JJ Maybank x OC - Part Four - Tapioca Pearls

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Aria’s jealousy overcomes her emotions and becomes protective over JJ.

Warnings: Smut, cursing & choking

A/N: This is a funny and weird chapter. I didn’t intend for this one to be funny, but I got carried away. Hope you guys enjoy and get a good laugh in. (Not my GIF. Credits to the owner. I don’t own the show or any of the characters.”

Lover Boy Series Masterlist

I have never been so happy as much as I have been for the past month and a half. JJ and I have been seeing each other as much as possible, which is becoming a little difficult due to us wanting to keep our relationship private. Same goes for sex. We’ve been trying to find a place where we wouldn’t be interrupted. As long as I get to spend time with JJ, I’m happy at the end of the day. We’ve learned so much about each other, both in and outside the bedroom, and I’ve never been so happy. I want it to last forever.

Today, Damien had insisted that Rebecca, Jennifer and I get to know each other so we got up super early to take the ferry to go shopping on the mainland. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that bad. I was able to convince Sarah to come with us, thankfully because I didn’t want to spend the day with Jennifer and her best friend Samantha. Thing were going well and it seemed that Rebecca, Samantha and Jennifer were hitting it off. As of now, the three are trying on shoes, while Sarah and I are trying on clothes together. “What do you think of this one?” She asks for my opinion. I glance at the yellow bikini she tried on and nod in approval. “I like it. Yellow is a really good color on you.” “Thanks girly.” She smiles. I remove my top to try on a shirt when Sarah gasped. I whip my head towards her to see her face in utter shock.

“Are those fucking hickeys?” She points to my abdomen. My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets when I look in the mirror to see that my abdomen was indeed completely covered in them. Are you fucking kidding me JJ? I didn’t even notice. I look back at Sarah to see her laughing. “Holy shit! You’ve been pretty busy.” She teases. “Stop laughing and hand me my makeup bag! Oh my god.” I continue to stare at them mortified. She digs through my bag, along with finding my makeup bag, she finds something even more interesting. “Are these fucking birth control pills?” Her mouth is agape. I snatch the items out of here hands.

“Yes! And can we not shout it to the whole world?” I frantically begin to cover the hickeys while she laughs. “I’m sorry, but since when are you having sex?” “Since like last month?” She’s more than surprised. “You’ve been having sex for a month and a half and you haven’t told me?” “I know and I’m sorry, but we promised to each other that we’d keep our relationship private for now.” “Fair enough. Does Charis know?” “Yeah, she kind of found out. She had to pick me up from his place one time.” “Okay I see how it is. So, who is it?” She smiles excited for an answer. “I promised!” “Oh, come on! It’s the least you can do, plus your secret is safe with me.” She winks. I sigh. “It’s JJ.” She just giggles, thinking I’m bluffing, until she realizes I’m not. “Oh, shit you’re serious? Oh my god! You’re hooking up with JJ? As in JJ Maybank? As in John B’s best friend?” She keeps rambling. “Yeah, we sort of hit it off. Things have been great ever since.”

“Oh my god.” She said all of the sudden thinking to herself while I stand there confused. “That was you in there the last night.” She states. “What are you talking about?” I asked clueless. “So, last night I was hanging out with John B, Pope and Kiara at the chateau. We thought we were alone, until we heard some very loud moaning coming from the JJ’s room.” She explains. I just remember what she was talking about.

Last Night…

“Mm, yes JJ! Harder baby!” I let out a loud moan as JJ pounds into me from behind at an animalistic pace. “Oh yeah? You want me to fuck you harder babygirl? Want me to make you cum hard?” He asked while rock music plays in the background. “Yes, baby please!” I plead to his content. “Ask and you shall receive.” He says before grabbing onto me before pounding into me harder than I thought was humanly possible, causing me to scream out in pleasure. “Who fucks you good?” “You JJ!” “Whose dick is fucking your pussy?” He slaps my ass. “Yours JJ!” “Whose pussy does this belong to?” The headboard begins to hit the wall. “You JJ!” “What’s my name?” “JJ!” I scream to the top of my lungs when my orgasm washes over me, causing me to collapse on the bed, he soon falls down beside me after reaching his own high. We lay there for a moment panting. He looks over at me and asks, “Round two?” I smile back at him. “Fuck yeah.”

Present…

“Oh my god. I can’t believe you guys heard that.” I say before sliding down to floor wanting to curl up into a ball and hide away forever. “Yeah me either. We left when you guys started going at it again.” “Oh my god. That is so embarrassing. We thought we had the place to ourselves.” I apologize. “Yea I could hear that, but next time, check to see if there’s anyone home.” She advises. “Deal.” “Who knew? Clean in the streets, dirty in the sheets.” She laughs. “Stop!” I plead.

I was happy to return home after a rather mortifying conversation in the fitting rooms. “We’re going out for a bite to eat. Would you like to join or are you planning on making a scene somewhere else?” Jennifer asked all bitchy, her friend Samantha snickers. Rebecca went back home to her and Damián’s place, so it was just going to be the two of them, and Sarah has to leave for an appointment with the dentist. “Pass.” I didn’t even bother to look up as I went through the mail. I didn’t even notice the sound of the lawnmower running in the backyard as I sipped on my boba and Sarah is filming herself with me in the background, most likely making a TikTok.

“Damn, if he weren’t a pogue, I’d definitely fuck him.” Says Samantha. For a moment we all thought she was talking about Mr. Murray the regular lawnmower, so we were all a little grossed out at first, until we turned our heads to see a shirtless JJ mowing the lawn.

Out of shock, I accidentally suck in too fast, causing a bunch of tapioca pearls to shoot in my mouth, all launching into the back of my throat. In result, the tea that my dumbass hadn’t swallowed beforehand sprays out through my nose and onto the counter. My eyes begin to water as I violently begin to cough attempting to dislodge the tapioca pearls that were making me choke. They finally launch across the counter making everyone jump and shout. “Jesus Christ!” “What the shit!” “Holy fuck!” All can be heard throughout the kitchen. I finally catch my breath and clear my throat. Tears run down my face. “Are you okay?!” Sarah asked concerned.

“Holy shit, can you keep it in your pants?” Jennifer asked out of disgust. “What happened Aria? Did you take those balls a little too deep?” Samantha asked. “Technically they’re tapioca pearls.” Jennifer corrects her. “Fuck you guys and Samantha you can suck on those stupid “balls” for all I care.” I referenced to the tapioca demon balls. “Rather be sucking his.” She nods towards JJ. I finally lose my shit, jealousy overcoming me. I didn’t even think before acting, when I picked up the boba throwing it on her, staining her white top. Everyone gasps. “You fucking bitch!” Screams Samantha.

“Screw you, you god damn horny demon ass ball sucking motherfucker!” “What is your problem?!” Jennifer shouts. “She’s the one with the fucking problem!” I exclaim. “You are so childish! C’mon Samantha, I have an extra shirt in the car. Let’s get out of here.” The two glare daggers at me as they leave, car keys in hand. The door slams on the way out.

“Are you okay?” Asked Sarah. “Yeah I’m fine.” I reply. “Good, cause that shit was hilarious!” She said dying of laughter. I began laughing along with her after realizing just how funny and ridiculous the whole situation was. “Hey a little word of advice. The key to keeping a relationship secret, is to be discreet.” “Ha ha, screw you.” I laugh. “I got that shit on tape.” “I swear to god if you post it, I’ll kill you.” My heart drops to my stomach. “Don’t worry I won’t, but I will show it on your wedding day.” She jokes. “Don’t you have a dentist appointment?” I tried to get her to leave. “Indeed. I’ll see you later. Love you tons and please don’t choke on anymore balls!” She yells before the front door closes. Last time I ever drink boba.

I decide to go outside after cleaning up the mess. JJ has finished up and started putting away the lawnmower. His body is glistening with sweat making him look absolutely irresistible. I approach him with a sinful master plan in my head. He turns to me with a smile on his face ready to say something, but I immediately shut him up when my lips attacked his, taking him by surprise. He kissed back after a few seconds. I decide to take it to the next level, I palm him, resulting in a surprised moan escaping his mouth. “Meet me in the bathroom closest to the kitchen when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.” And I leave at that heading back inside.

As expected, he bursts into the room already removing his shorts and boxers, his member springs out already hard. I’m standing in the shower when he joins me. “What’s this about? Not that I’m complaining.” He asked. “Don’t worry about it. Just fuck me.” “Don’t have to tell me twice.” He picks me up and my legs instinctively wrap around his waist. He waste no time to shove himself into me, giving me little time to adjust, before pounding away. Our bodies begin to feel hot with the combination of the sex and water, our skin begins to turn red, but neither of care. For we’re too busy chasing our orgasms. My nails begin to lightly claw at his back when I start to feel the familiar knot in my stomach. “Fuck, I don’t think I’m going to last long babygirl.” He groans. “Me neither.” I attempt to hold back my orgasm. With that he speeds up, reaching deeper within me and hitting that spot. I finally let go when I started to notice that his thrusts were becoming sloppy. “Fuck!” He exclaimed and ejaculated deep inside me.

After the two of us came down from our highs, we dry off and put our clothes back on. “So, what was that about?” He asked. “Nothing. Just missed you.” I’m too embarrassed to admit that I was jealous and petty, that I lost my shit and became horny. “Babe, you can tell me, you know that right?” He takes my hand. I sigh. “I’m sorry. I was in the kitchen with the girls and Samantha was going on about how she would fuck you and suck you off. I just got so jealous and mad that I couldn’t say anything about it.” I see JJ’s very confused and surprised face. “Hold up, how the hell was that conversation brought to the table?” “Long story short, she was checking you out, I choked on tapioca pearls, then she decided to make a joke about sucking your balls.” “What the hell are tapioca pearls? Sounds like a name for some weird sex toy.” “What? No! They’re made from this starch that come from cassava roots. They’re what you find in boba.” “What’s boba?” “Bubble tea! But that’s beside the point!” “Oh! Kie drinks that shit all the time.” “Enough with the boba!” He just chuckles and plants a small kiss on my nose.

“Calm down sparky. You’re the only one for me. I’ll choke to death on those weird jelly balls before I leave you for someone else.” I laugh at him. “That was surprisingly sweet.” We both laugh together and head to the kitchen. I make him some lunch, which he gladly chows down. Just as I’m paying him cash for his work, Samantha and Jennifer walk in. “What are you guys doing back here? I thought you were going out to eat?” I asked eyeing Samantha as she continued to check out JJ. “We arrived in the parking lot, only to find out we forgot our wallets.” Jennifer explained clearly still annoyed about what happened earlier. I look over at Samantha who returns an annoyed gaze at me.

“What? Planning on throwing another drink at me?” “Don’t tempt me.” She just rolls her eyes before returning her flirtatious gaze towards JJ. “So, when are you free from mowing lawns?” This fucking bitch. If looks could kill, she’d be dead. “Hate to break it to you, but I already have a girlfriend.” “Ditch her. I can give you so much more than her.” I should’ve thrown holy water on her horny demon ass instead. “Hard pass. Not only is my girlfriend the sexiest woman I’ve set eyes on, she’s also the most confident, intelligent, funniest, kindest and adventurous woman I have ever met. I knew I hit the jackpot when I got with her. You see I like to aim high; you missy are rock bottom and there’s no way you’ll ever make it to the top where my girl holds the crown.”

I think my heart just skipped a fucking beat holy shit. Someone call the doctor my heart just stopped, and while you’re at it, get the cops on the phone, my heart has just been stolen, I need to report a robbery. And with that, a now humiliated Samantha and surprised Jennifer leave the house. I didn’t hesitate to jump into his welcoming arms and kiss him with so much passion and happiness. "So, threw your drink on her?” He asked. “Shut up.” “So feisty.” 

[christineeej94]

Extremely❤Part three

a/n:tell me if you want to make other parts to ‘Extremely’. I hope you gonna love it. I cry so much writing this part. Kisses🌻

Warnings: bad language.

Word count: 1.960

“My dear, Arón Julio Manuel Piper Barbero aka my love of my life

  I´m writing this to you with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes. It´s like a love letter, don´t get it like a break up note, please. I let you in the envelop the first reason I left and that´s our baby. Yes, it´s sound unimaginable, me and you having a kid at this young age. I don´t want to give up on this pregnancy and kept the baby, I am sure that you will be happy when you gonna read this. I left you because you weren’t no more in my life and it still hurts so bad. I lost my nights thinking when you were, if you are safe or if you ate something. I’ve seen signs that you came home but I couldn’t feel your warm body next to mine. Your bed side was cold and empty like my soul in this moment. I don’t know what cause this breaking in our relationship but sometimes we shouldn’t think at those things. I going to raise our child by myself and when I’m going to be ready maybe I’m going to presented to his father.

 I love you more and I hate you more,

 (Y/N) aka your love of your life” 

  I memorated my letter to him and I repeat it in my mind every morning. His memories don’t let me sleep at all and I still can feel his touches. It’s a month from that moment when I let everything behind me and I left. My soul broke in millions of pieces and I can’t repair it until I found my happiness again.

   I’m living in a village by the ocean, near to Valencia and I like it here and it gives me quietness. My bump grows a little and it’s barely noticeable. I’m starting wear large clothes and eating healthier. Today I’m going to buy something for my little apartment and usually I do my shopping at the local market. I love to go there and talk with merchants and some people I met when I moved here. About a week ago I met a lovely couple, of age with my parents, and weirdly they look kinda familiar. I waved to the curly head lady and I went closer to her. Today she is alone and she already done her groceries.

“Hello, what a beautiful day.” She greets me and I salute her back. “And the little one grows day by day.” Her hands rub my little belly and I giggle. She has a gentle touch and she reminds me of Arón. “Yeah, she is growing fast.” I said melancholic. “She? You think it’s a girl?” the lady said and we are going together to a handmade store. “I feel it. I feel that the baby inside me is a girl. A little baby girl Piper.” I said sadly and the woman next to me stairs at my face for a second. “You didn’t tell me why you come here alone. What happened?”

I smiled softly. ”My boyfriend forgot about me and he starting to spend his night out too much. He sporadically came home at a decent hour. I didn’t feel his love that much.” I explain and the woman approve smiling sad. “Maybe in the future you are going to forgive him.” Her voice is soft and calm.

 I looked at her and a lot of memories come in my mind. Our first kiss, when we first slept together, when I met him on that yacht. And I realized how much I still love him. “I already forgot him. Because I love him, but that’s doesn’t mean that I’m going back to him. He needs to learn his lesson and if he cheated on me, I’m not coming back at all.” I replied and a tear fall on my cheek. “Don’t cry, hermosa, everything is going to be okay.” She hugged me and I hugged her tight. I miss him so much and my soul hurts so bad because I want to jump in the first train to Madrid and go back to him. I want to squeeze him in my arms and I want to tell him that I LOVE HIM. “Saturday come to our house and let’s have lunch together. What do you think?” “Sure, I’ll be there.” I hugged her again and I continue to shop what I need.

After the shopping, I got home save but very tired. This pregnancy is already giving me tiredness and I’m feeling very weak. I open my phone and I called Ester. She is the only person who I keep in touch. Besides my parents who don’t know about my baby. I appeal her and after the third tone she answered. 

“Hey, chica, what my niece is doing?” I laugh. Ester thinks that my baby is a girl too. “She alright, got me tired” I said and I heard a load noise from Ester. “Arón, don´t… .” Ester screams and my heart stops. I heard a thud and another scream. It’s him. “Boys, hold him. (Y/N), I’m on set and he got crazy every time my phone rings. I didn’t tell him where you go. Now I need to go, love ya.” She ends the call and I fell on the floor crying. He doesn’t forget me or he’s just frustrated because I left without an explanation. I put myself in bed and I listen the waves breaking of the shore.

 I couldn’t sleep last night and every night from that call. Maybe I shouldn’t have left and I should have stayed with him. I run like a loser and now I regret my decision. Fuck no, he left me in the first place.

I get up tired and run to bathroom for my morning routine to throw up everything I ate a night before. My morning sickness is bad day by day but I control it with some lime water. I horrible to be alone, mostly in this period but I manage myself. Today it’s Saturday and I don’t want to go anywhere but I promise to this lovely lady. I open the dressing and I found my yellow dress which I wore it when I go on my first date with Arón. It was at coffee shop in the downtown aria, he picked me up from my home and when he left me back at my place, we had the sweetest kiss in the universe.  

I put on the dress and it´s mold around my belly, accentuated the little bump. I wear a light makeup and I put on some flip-flops and I take the tart a baked last night. It’s the only sweet thing that I can make, besides pancakes. Actually, is Arón’s favorite and I thought that it will be nice to bring something. At noon the streets are empty, you can barely see a dog or a cat crossing the road. I like here, it’s peaceful and I love to smell the salty air every time I open the window or I’m walking down the street. The house where the curly hair lady is living with her husband it’s so beautiful, they are having a huge garden with flowers and trees. The house is in a very old fashion Spanish style, painted in a light blue. First, I was greeted by two fluffy dogs who started to bark at me. They stop when the lady got out from the house and smiled at me.

 “(Y/N), I didn’t think you are coming or not, come on, the lunch is ready.” I entered in the house and a strong cologne hit my senses. Smells exactly like Arón and I need to stay a little get my shit together. “I bring a lemon meringue tart.” I handed her the box with the tart and she smiled friendly, pointed me the table. I found her husband there and he hugged me.

“You look good, please sit down.” He encouraged me to sit down and I observe that on the table are 4 plates, not three. “Sorry, it’s someone else is coming?” He smiled softly and drinks some water from his glass. “My son, he didn’t announce us sooner that he’s coming to visit us.” “It’s alright, I can leave if I’m furthermore.” I said and he stopped me. “No, you are welcome here like he is. Honey, bring the food, I’m sure our guest is hungry.” He gets up and go probably to the kitchen.

“(Y/N)” I heard my name called and my blood freeze in my veins. I turn around I can’t believe what I’m seeing. My body is blocked on the chair and I can’t move or speak. He is here. In flesh. “Baby, I’m sorry for my behavior. I’m sorry that I wasn’t beside you when you need me.” Arón looks at my bump and smiles. “Our baby is growing.” I get up ready to run, but why. I love him and he is here, giving me an explanation. “What are you doing here? How you found me?” I mumbled, ready to cry my ass off. “The couple from the other room are my parents. When my mom called me and told me that she met you I was in shock.” I am too. I figured out why they were familiar to me. “I was ready to leave everything and come here, but she told me that you need time.” He is changed. Now he has a new haircut for the series and also have huge bags under his beautiful eyes. He takes a deep breath before he speaks again.

“In the night after Ester’s birthday, I met Carlos again in the club, he drugged me and put me said some things, bad things. He filmed me and then he blackmailed me. I spend the nights with Miguel and a lawyer trying to do get a way out from this shit. He didn’t want money, he wanted to sleep again with me. But it was impossible because I love you. I’m sorry for let you down and for not telling you.” He come closer and I looked in his wet eyes. He is sad and depressed and I see that. Because I’m too and I believe him.

“Fuck, I missed you so much” I jumped in his arms and I started to cry loud. He rubbed my back with his big hands to relax me. “I love you and I’m sorry because I left.” I kissed his lips and he responded me. “I love you too, mamá” he mumbled.

After we cuddled for a while, we decided to get up and to meet properly his parents. They got me. I laughed when his mom told me that she handles herself not to cursing his son and for not telling me who they are.  We ate together and I’m happy. I hold his hand the whole lunch even if was hard for us to eat. I don’t want to leave him never again.

“So that’s your apartment here” Arón remarks and I approve. “It’s cozy” he added. “Our home is waiting for us when you are ready to come back” “I’m ready.” I kissed his lips putting my arms around him. He groans in my mouth and slaps my ass. “Your ass is bigger.” he smirks and kisses my forehead. “I’m fat now.” “You are just a sexy mamá.” “Mhm, let me present you the bedroom.” I said passional and grab his hand in mine. “I was waiting for this”. I lift his t-shirt and he put his hands on my belly.

“Hey, bebé, daddy is speaking to you. Sorry for making mommy upset. I love you.” 

[plugloveff]

Prologue

Chanel:

“Chanel we’re going to LIV tonight, and you’re coming. So, don’t even try to give me no bullshit” My best friend Aria said

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs. “So, I don’t get a choice in this matter?” I asked.

“No, you don’t, you’ve been avoiding going out with us for almost a month now. You can’t let a break-up turn you into a grandma. It’s been over a month Chanel. Fuck him it’s his lose, not yours and it’s time for you to move on and hopefully get some dick because you’ve been really bitchy lately” Aria replied before taking a bite out of her burger.

Biting my lip, I looked down at my nails, and processed what Aria had just said. I hated to admit it but she was right, I’d spent the last month sulking after this breakup. It was time for me to get back to my old-self.

“Fine, I’ll go. But please stop talking about my sex life” I said flipping grabbing the stack of papers off my desk.

“You mean your lack of a sex life” Stephanie my other best friend said as she walked into the office.

Aria almost choked on her burger laughing.

“Fuck the both of y’all” I said flipping them off.

“You know it’s all love Coco” Stephanie said throwing herself on the couch next to Aria and stealing a French fry from off of her plate.

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t y'all have work to do? Or am I the only mother fucker that work around here?” I asked.

“I’m on lunch” Aria said tearing into her burger and slapping Steph’s hand away from her fries.

“My next client doesn’t come for another two hours. Stephanie said stealing another fry off of Aria’s plate when she wasn’t looking. “But I could definitely squeeze you in” she said pointing to the messy bun on top of my head.

“What’s wrong with my hair”

“Coco, you’ve been sporting that struggle bun all damn week. If I didn’t know you, I’d think you couldn’t afford to get your hair done or better yet that you didn’t own a salon” Steph replied.

Stephanie and I were the co-owners of a full-service salon in Miami. Aria was our manager.

All around Beauty was the busiest salon in all of Miami, because we offered everything from hair care to skin care. We were so busy that clients had to book almost two months in advance or joining our waiting list.

This salon was everything to me, it was my baby. I poured my all into this salon and it was definitely paying off. Not that anyone was surprised by this with me being the daughter of one of the biggest bosses in the state of Florida Carter Wright. He’s one of the biggest drug suppliers in the country. But he was smart he kept the most powerful people on payroll so he was untouchable. His moves were calculated and none of the drugs could ever be traced back to him.

My father is street royalty the king and being his daughter made me the princess. I didn’t have to lift a finger if I didn’t want to. But I wasn’t into sitting on my ass and doing nothing, I knew the weight my last name held but I wanted to make my own way.

“So, what you wearing tonight Nelly?” Aria asked.

“I don’t know probably a dress” I said shrugging as I continued to flip through the stack of papers in front of me.

“Wear that leather one you bought the last time we went shopping. That dress fits you like a glove” Aria said.

“Hell, yeah wear that shit” Stephanie said

“Alright, ill finish inventory while Steph does your hair” Aria said getting up from her spot on the couch.

“Damn does my hair look that bad? You hate doing inventory” I asked.

“Ehh it’s not terrible, but you not going to nobody’s club with me looking like that” Aria said.

Laughing I shook my head. Aria wasn’t one to hold her tongue for shit. If there was something on her mind, she was going to let it be known and it was what I loved most about my best friend.                                                      

                                                   ______________

Walking over to my mirror I quickly checked my outfit. I almost didn’t recognize myself it had been a while since I had dressed up. Aria was right about the dress, it clung to my body like a second skin. My hair fell down my back in soft waves and my face was beat to perfection.

Shrugging into an oversized denim jacket I took one last look at myself before grabbing my keys and stepping onto the elevator.

Once I was in the car, I sent Aria and Steph a quick message and let them know I was on my way. Speeding out of the garage I turned the volume up and blasted Lil Baby’s new album.

About twenty minutes later I was pulling up in front of LIV. Parking my car next to Aria’s G wagon. I stepped out of the car. Aria and Steph were waiting at the front of the club for me.

“Damn it looks like it’s going to be packed in there” I said noticing the line wrapping around the block.

“Girl you know we haven’t waited for a line ever” Stephanie replied.

Smiling I shrugged and walked over to the bouncer.

“Hey ladies” he said as he lifted the rope for us to enter. At the sounds of teeth sucking and protests I turned my head and noticed a group of girl’s dirty looks. I decided to have some fun, I flashed them a million-dollar smile and a wave as I stepped into the dimly lit club.

Moving through the packed crowd I smiled and greeted a few of the people I knew as we made our way to our VIP section. Once we sat down, a bottle girl came to our table.

“You ladies know what you want, or do you need a minute?”

“Nah we know what we want. Let me get two bottles of 42, three bottles of Moët and a bottle of Henny” Aria replied.

“42? Do y’all not remember the last time we had 42? We got into that big ass brawl” I said shaking my head at the memory of that night.

Stephanie chuckled. “Yeah, but them bitches tried it. But were not going to be getting into no shit tonight. Were just here for a good time”

“I hope not, because y’all better not have dragged me out of my house to get into a fight” I said.

“Girl, that would be the highlight of your boring ass life” Aria said.

“Yo, if you don’t stop coming for me” I said shaking my head.

“I love you darling” Aria said giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head just as our bottle girl came. Grabbing the bottle of Moët out the bucket I popped it and took a swig.

Swaying my hips to the music, I took another sip of my bottle. I needed this night out more than I thought, it felt good to be out.

Right there, I made a promise to myself that I was done letting this breakup get the best of me. there and then that she was done being depressed over her break up with Rob. It was his lose he cheated on me and I had to move on with my life. Tonight, was the beginning of me taking my life back. Fuck Rob, I was back on my Bullshit like Jhené Aiko said.

Two hours into the night, and our VIP section was now crowded with men fighting for Aria and Steph’s attention. Standing in front of the railing I looked down and the party goers as I rapped along to every word of Lil Baby’s Sum to Prove.

“We see you in VIP Chanel” the DJ said as he pointed to Me. Smirking, I shook my head and raised my bottle of Moët.

“Yass Coco” Aria screamed behind me. The 1942 bottle was in her hand and one of the men had his arm wrapped around her waist.

Steph was laughing with another one of the men who I’m sure was spitting some bullshit in her ear.

I could bet money that he would probably end up at Steph’s house tonight and she would probably never see him again. Stephanie swore off relationships, she always said “Nigga’s are always playing games, so I’m playing too. And a lot better than them.”

I wasn’t entertaining any of the men in our section. I didn’t need the extra stress especially just coming out of a relationship. I was just trying to have a good time.

We spent another two hours at the club. Drinking, dancing and enjoying ourselves before the DJ announced the club was closing. Tossing the empty bottle of Moët into the bucket I grabbed my stuff and we headed out of the club.

Feeling the cool breeze after being in a hot club for the past four hours felt good. Shrugging my jacket on I grabbed a hair tie out of my bag and put my hair into a messy ponytail.

“Coco, we’re about to hit up a diner. I’m starving you down?” Aria asked as the man she was dancing with wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Nah, she coming back with me.” The sound of the familiar voice behind me made my heart raise. Turning around I came face to face with my ex-boyfriend Robert. A group of his friends were standing close by. “You have got to be fucking kidding me” I said at the sight of him.

Glaring at him I couldn’t stop my palm from itching. I couldn’t believe the same face I’d loved for the past 4 years made my blood boil now. “Rob, get the fuck out of my face” I said.

“Chanel, stop acting like that baby I said I’m sorry you know that bitch meant nothing to me. I just want to talk to you” he said.

“There’s nothing for us to talk about Rob, go talk to one of them dirty ass bitches you cheated on me with. You lucky I don’t slap you in your face right now”

“Coco, fuck him. Let’s just go” Stephanie said. Shaking my head, a spun on my heels away from Rob.

“Nah you’re coming with me; we need to talk” Rob said grabbing my hand.

Spinning around I yanked my hand out of his grasp and slapped him hard against in his face. “Don’t you ever put your fucking hands on me again. Have you lost your god damn mind? Do you know who the fuck I am? I will end you. Don’t fuck with me” I barked out. The mixture of alcohol in my system fueled my anger. I was seeing red, fuming and my skin felt hot.

“Yo what the fuck is wrong with you” Rob said glaring at me. But I stood my ground, I wasn’t afraid of Rob and if he wanted to go there with me it would be his mistake.

Rob tried to reach for me again, but before he could touch me a man came in between us.

“I think you might want to back up of her” he said.

“My nigga, who the fuck are you?” Rob asked pressing him.

The man let out a deep chuckle and shook his head. “My nigga you really don’t want to do this with me. I’m not the one” he said.

“Nigga what?” Rob said pulling up his pants. But before he could even lay a finger on him.

The mystery man pulled a gun from his waist band and held it under Rob’s chin. “Like I said my man, you don’t want these problems”.

Rob froze, as the steel of the man’s gun pressed against his chin.

“I-I ain’t mean no harm. I just want to talk to her” Rob stuttered.

“Well, she doesn’t want to talk to you. So, I’m going to give you 3 seconds to get the fuck out of my face. And if I see you anywhere near her again, I’m not talking I’m shooting. Understand?” he said.

Lifting his hands in surrender, Rob started backing away. He kept his eyes on me the entire time.

“Yo Meek, you a crazy mother fucker” the man that clung to Aria said.

Tucking his gun back into the waistband of his jeans he turned to face me. When I finally saw his face, my breath caught in my throat. He was fine, wait he was better than fine he looked like he was made of the finest chocolate.

Damn, Who the fuck is this man? I thought taking in his features.

“You alright Ma?” he asked looking down at me.

I couldn’t’ stop staring at him, where did he come from? and why did he look so good?

His skin was the perfect shade of chocolate, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he tasted as good as he looked. His hair was freshly cut with waves so deep I knew I’d get sea sick if I looked at them for too long. His beard was full but perfectly manicured, it framed his full pink lips.

A diamond earing in each ear and two diamond chains around his neck. On his wrist was an AP from the diamonds around it I could tell it cost him near 500k. The dark denim jeans he wore complemented the bright colored Dior t-shirt and Chanel sneakers he wore.

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.”

“Don’t sweat it beautiful” he said running his tongue across his bottom lip. My body shook at the motion.

“Yo Meek, we out to the diner. You coming?” Aria’s man asked.

“You going?” he asked looking down at me.  

“Yeah”

“Yeah, I’m down” he said smirking at me.

Biting my lip, I looked down at my feet, feeling the heat from his gaze. Placing a finger under my chin he forced me to look up at him.

“Nah, always keep your head up beautiful” he said

Damn this man. I thought staring at him.

“Alright let’s go I’m starving” Aria said walking to the parking lot.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I followed them into the parking lot and to the diner.

Fifteen minutes later I parked my car next to Aria’s, getting out of the car I watched as Meek pulled his Maserati into the spot next to mine. Getting out the car he flashed me a million-dollar smile that made me weak in the knees.

Nah this has to be the lack of dick I’m getting because there’s no way he has this effect on me I thought.

Entering the diner, we found a booth in the back away from most of the crowd. Sliding into the corner my heart skipped a beat when Meek slid in next to me.

We spent time together, laughing like we’d known each other our whole lives instead of people who had just met. I found out the other guy’s names were Dre and Wayne. Them and Meek had been best friends since the second grade. Their relationship reminded me of the one I shared with Aria and Stephanie.

When it was time for us to leave, I reached for my wallet. “Nah I got it” Meek said reaching into his pocket and pulled out a stack of money. Peeling off three hundred dollar bills he tossed them on the table.

“We out” Dre said.

Climbing out of the booth we headed to the parking lot.  

“Alright, I’m exhausted. I’m going to head out” Aria said waving at us with Dre hot on her tail.

“Yeah, I'm going to head out too, I got early clients in the morning” Steph said as her and Wayne headed for his car. Leaving Me and Meek alone.

“Well thank you for earlier and for the food” I said leaning against my car door.

“Don’t worry about it Ma. I’d do it again with no hesitation” he said looking down at me.

“Well, I better go” I said getting into my car. But before I could close my door, he stopped me.

“What’s up?” I asked

“Text me when you get home” he said

“How? I don’t have your number” I said.

“Well, we gotta change that” he said handing me his phone.

“Smooth... real smooth” I smirked taking his phone out of his hands I quickly typed in my number.

Handing him back his phone he called me so I could save his number.

“Well goodnight Meek” I said.

“Goodnight Ma, and make sure you text me so I know you got home safe” he said.

“I will” I said as he closed my door and watched as I drove off.

I couldn’t help the smile on my face, there was definitely something different about Meek

Meek:

Pulling into my parking spot I let out a sigh and nodded my head at the doorman. Stepping onto the elevator I pressed PH taking me to the top floor.

Leaning my head against the cold metal of the elevator I thought about my night with Ms. Chanel Wright. I knew about her, shit the whole of Miami knew who she was but seeing her tonight, being so close to her. I hadn’t realized just how beautiful she really was.  

Closing my eyes, I could still see her light brown eyes glaring at me. I pictured how at the right angle made them look like they were glowing. I knew I should stay away from her but being around her tonight I knew that I couldn’t let that happen.

Chanel was royalty, and I was just a young nigga trying to get my paper up. I was ruthless, I’d killed nigga’s without even flinching. My hands were so deep in the game I knew there was a very low chance of me coming out untouched. And I was usually ok with that, I was rich and living a life I dreamed of. But Chanel had me rethinking it, imagining a life where I wasn’t alone.

The sound of the elevator reaching my floor, broke me from my thoughts. Stepping out I tossed my keys on the table and ran a hand down my face. Walking over to the bar I grabbed a bottle of Hennessy VSOP and a glass. Pouring myself a glass I took a sip welcoming the smooth burn.

Pulling out my phone I scrolled through my messages thinking which one of my regulars I wanted to send over just to get my mind off Chanel. But none of them bitches seemed like they would get the job done. Not even Renee with the good head could get Chanel off my mind.

What the fuck did this girl do to me? I thought.

Tossing the rest of the liquor back I walked into my room and stepped out of my clothes. Taking a quick shower, I threw on some boxers and headed back into my room.

I was exhausted, and I knew I had shit I needed to get done tomorrow. But it was already an hour since I left Chanel and still hadn’t heard from her yet.

Grabbing my phone, I sent her a text.

Meek: You home?  

A few minutes later I got a notification.

Chanel: Yeah, I just got out the shower. I meant to text you.

Reading the message, I couldn’t help but think about how she would look fresh out of the shower. My dick jumped at the mental image.

Meek: All good love, you get some sleep

Chanel: Goodnight Meek

Smirking, I tossed my phone down and drifted off to sleep.

                                                  __________________

“Nigga I fucking told you what was going to happen if I caught your ass didn’t I?” Wayne barked as he held his gun to the man’s chin.

“Yo why you still talking to this nigga?” I asked pulling my gun from my waistband and fired three shots into the man’s head. Laying him out.

Tucking the gun back into my waistband I walked over to the table where they were counting the money from the last drop.

Wayne looked at the dead man on the floor and grabbed his phone out his pocket. He dialed a number and waited for a response. “Yo I need a clean-up” he said into the phone waiting for an answer.

“Warehouse” he said again before hanging up and walking over to the table.

“How much?” Wayne asked.

“Half a Mill” Dre said stacking the money.

“We got two more shipments coming through, by the end of the week. We each walking away with at least half a mill.” Dre said rubbing his hands together.

Nodding my head, I took the rolled blunt from behind my ear and lit it. Taking a long pull of the weed I let it sit in my lungs before I blew it out.

“So, Chanel?” Wayne asked glaring at me.

“What you about her?” I asked taking another pull.

“Nigga I saw how you were looking at her. You out here pulling guns out on niggas for her” Wayne said.

“She fine so. And you acting like I ain’t ever pulled my gun out on a nigga before” I said.

“Nah that wasn’t no she just fine. You like shawty” Dre said.

“Yo, why y'all on me? Like y'all wasn’t all over her friends” I asked.

“Oh, I’m definitely fucking with Steph sexy ass again. I’m just saying fucking with Chanel Wright is a different level; shit could end a nigga.” Wayne said.

“Well, I ain’t never been scared of a nigga a day in my life. Plus, you acting like I'mma marry shawty or some shit.”  

“Ion know you was over there drooling looking at her all night” Wayne said.

“Yo fuck you. Let’s finish this so we can dip”

“Why you in a rush? you hitting up Chanel?” Dre asked.

“Nah I’m hitting up yah mama. Let’s go nigga” I said

Dre threw a stack of money at me. As Wayne laughed. I knew Wayne was right fucking with Chanel could be dangerous because of who her father was. But I was drawn to her, I knew if I was smart, I would leave shawty alone. But I wanted her and I always got what I wanted.

[macademilk]

Okay! So I started this over a month ago and then life kicked me in the balls and now here we are.

This is completely inspired by @recollins AMAZING Criminal Minds fic “Something Like A Star” (x) Aria lives in my mind rent free.

I know in my heart of hearts that the Connor reveal is going to be super angsty and bad things will happen so here’s this instead.

If you notice that I changed tenses no you didn't 💖

Warnings for a panic attack and Skeevy Jerkface.

*EDIT: formatting & fixed the italics

-

Aria smiled as she stepped out of the elevator, and was practically skipping as she entered the bullpen. She’d had a productive weekend, and she could already tell it would be greatly appreciated. She couldn’t help but grin as she saw Derek's head pop up from where he was hunched over at his desk.

“Are those muffins I smell?” he asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

“Apple cinnamon”, she confirmed “You get one until everyone else has had one too”. He was like a bloodhound, the way he could sense baked goods from across the room. Aria knew he’d inhale all of them if given the chance.

She walked over to the collection of desks, balancing the container in one hand and reaching into her bag with the other. 

“Woah there! Precious cargo.” exclaimed Derek as he rushed forward to snatch the box from where it was wobbling on her shaking hand.

“Thanks,” Aria bobbed her head slightly in thanks as she tugged out a much smaller container with only a single muffin inside. She placed it on Spencer’s desk with a smile, “There you go.”

He smiled up at her in return and took the box between his hands, “Grazie”.

“Pazhalusta,” Aria responded in Russian, her smile widening as she played with the edge of her skirt. It almost hurt to look him in the eye but at the same time she so desperately didn’t want to miss a second of it.

She hoped she wasn’t blushing too badly, and pointedly ignored what she was sure was Derek’s eyebrows attempting to wiggle off his face. 

“Oh, nice” said Emily as she appeared from the direction of the kitchen, a steaming cup of coffee in hand, “Gimme.”

Derek grabbed a muffin out of the container and held it out to her, barking a laugh when she reached past the offered muffin to grab one he hadn’t touched. 

“So,” started Emily, taking a bite “What’s the occasion?”

Aria shrugged slightly, propping herself on the edge of Spencer’s desk, “I was just in the mood”.

“In the mood, huh?” Derek’s eyebrows were going to fall right off at this rate.

Aria scowled as she kicked out at him, “Not like that!” She was gratified when she hit her target, making him take a hasty step back, out of kicking range. Serves him right. “What did you do this weekend then?” 

She immediately regretted asking when he put the container down beside her so he had his hands free as he started regaling them with the details of his date, taking bites of his muffin as he went. Apparently, it went really really well.

“I don’t know how you have the time,” complained Emily, “I don’t remember the last time I went on a date.”

Aria hummed slightly in agreement, breaking off a bit of her own muffin and popping it in her mouth.

“Dating’s supposed to be part of the student experience.” Derek pointed out slyly “Maybe I should set you up.” Aria nearly choked as she shook her head furiously, looking at Derek wide-eyed. What was he playing at?

“I’m sure Aria can get her own dates,” interjected Spencer softly “If she wants.” Aria turned and gave him a grateful smile. He gave her a slightly startled one in return. Pink-cheeked, he looked about as embarrassed as she felt.

“I’m curious now,” Derek teased, only looking encouraged when Emily shoved at his shoulder.

“Don’t be.” 

“Come on, gremlin,” Derek grinned as he reached forward “Any torrid love affairs?”

Aria slapped his hand away from the muffin container with a scowl.

“None of your business!”

“Now now” said Emily, taking a sip of her coffee “If Aria is embarrassed about her highschool boyfriend-”

“Ugh, I do not want to hear about Skeevy JerkFace so early in the morning!” exclaimed Penelope as she marched into the bullpen, a precarious stack of files in her arms. She nodded toward the box of muffins as she beelined past them, “Save some of those for me, I’ll be right back!”. The pile of papers in her arms teetered slightly as she made her way up towards Hotch’s office in a turquoise whirlwind.

Aria could feel all the blood in her body rushing to her head and took a deep breath as her vision blurred around the edges. 

“Skeevy Jerkface?” Spencer asked softly. He’d turned toward her and was staring at her with his stupidly beautiful eyes.

There was a small, choked off noise and Aria wondered where it came from, her head spinning. It was like she had just gone and vacated her body, or tried to at least but a little piece got stuck and was watching on in horror.

“Aria?” Spencer again, he was frowning up at her where she sat perched on the edge of his desk. It was getting hard to breathe. The noise earlier must have been her, Aria thought distantly.

A hand settled on her thigh, warm and heavy and she couldn’t help the full body flinch that sent her falling back.

“Sorry, I-” She righted herself on shaky legs, and tried to unstick her tongue. It seemed to fill her mouth so fully she thought she might choke on it.

Spencer was staring at her wide eyed, his hands clutched close to his chest like he’d been burned.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” the words tumbled from her mouth before she’d even had time to think and she turned tail and fled, side stepping Derek on her way. 

Hurrying into the bathroom Aria let out a sigh of relief when she found it empty. As she locked herself in a stall she couldn’t help the stream of tears that started, her breath catching on every inhale. This was not how she wanted the team to find out about Connor.

Hiccuping slightly she tried to control her breathing, taking small gasping breaths as she tried to bring herself out of her hyperventilating panic. She’d probably need to fix her make up. That’s what she’d do, fix her make up then go out there and explain. Everything would be fine. She’s got this.

As she pushed open the stall door the bathroom door opened and she slammed the door shut again before she could see who it was. Heels clicked hesitantly against the floor and Aria leaned her head against the cool wood of the stall door. She absolutely hasn’t got this.

“Aria?” JJ called out softly and she stubbornly resisted the urge to start crying again.

“Emily came to get me. Are you alright?”

Steeling herself she forced out an “I’m fine,” which may have almost been believable if her voice hadn’t cracked miserably in the middle.

“Somehow, I doubt that,” JJ said wryly. 

Sniffling slightly Aria huffed a laugh, it was small and slightly pathetic but it helped her begin to feel human again. She breathed and let all her weight press forward until she was only being supported by her head against the door. JJ doesn’t say anything else. Her shoes squeak on the floor and there’s a shuffle of fabric but then it’s quiet. The two of them are silent except for their breathing, existing together in the BAU bathroom.

When the squeezing pressure around her heart leaves her and she feels the sweat on the back of her neck cool Aria opens the stall door. JJ is leaning on the edge of the sink and she smiles kindly at her as she emerges.

“I’m really-” Aria swallows, she’s spent so much time apologising, “Thank you”. 

“It’s no trouble,” JJ says and Aria is grateful in a way she’s not sure JJ can even understand but it’s okay because she doesn’t have to.

She winces at her appearance as she catches sight of her reflection from over JJ’s shoulder. She looks a mess; the black smudges under her bloodshot eyes highlight how pale she is.

“Did Emily tell you?” she asks as she steps up to the sink to wash away the remains of her panic attack, “About, y’know..”

“Doesn’t seem like there was a lot to tell,” JJ replies softly, grabbing some paper towel for Aria to wipe her face with. JJ watches as she puts herself back together, her eyebrows creased in the way they do when she’s worried.

“Are you safe?” She asks finally, “We won’t make you talk if you’re not ready, but if you’re not safe then I really think you should tell Hotch.” Their gazes meet in the mirror.

“I will,” She promises, eyes still red.

As they leave Aria is startled to find Emily standing outside the bathroom door. She’s glowering so hard she still manages to look intimidating while eating a muffin. When she catches sight of them her expression calms, sharing a look with JJ before smiling at Aria. 

“Are you ready to go back?” she asks “I can make a distraction if we need to plan a getaway”. 

“I think I’ll manage” she replies with a small laugh.

“If you’re sure. I was ready to fake your death.”

As they start walking back an annoyed looking woman races past them, only sparing a sour glare for Emily before slamming through the bathroom door. 

“What was her problem?” wondered Aria.

“No clue,” shrugged Emily sauntering ahead, “She must have really needed to go”.

-x-

Back in the bullpen Spencer and Derek are still by Spencer’s desk only now they’re standing, brows furrowed as they have a hushed conversation with Hotch. He’s the first to see her and she freezes when they make eye contact. She’d just promised she’d talk to him but seeing him makes her clam up again. She trusts him and Connor called her work phone; there should be no reason not to tell him but there’s still fear nagging away at the back of her brain. Hotch says something else, stony faced, which makes Derek and Spencer glance at her before moving away in the direction of the kitchen. Hotch frowns, and Aria realises that she still hasn’t moved. She’s stuck, her brain willing her feet to move but they don’t seem to want to listen. JJ places a hand on her elbow, a gentle encouragement, and urges Aria forward.

“Hi,” she says, ridiculously nervous. The crease between Hotch’s eyebrows deepens as he looks her over.

“I’d like to talk to you about something,” she tells him “If you’re not busy.”

He looks surprised, the corner of his mouth twitching and Aria bites back a smile.

They go to his office and it takes her a while but she tells him everything. Tells him about the doubt and the fear and the phone calls. She cries a bit more and Hotch listens to her and he believes her.

“I’m sorry for not saying anything earlier,”

Hotch shakes his head, “You told me now, that’s what’s important. We’ll keep you safe Aria.”

He says it like he says everything, with conviction. Still, she’s comforted by just how much she trusts him. Her life has only improved in the time he’s been in it.

He has phone calls to make and Aria leaves after only hugging him once which feels wrong but she’s sure she’ll make up for it in the coming weeks. That man is getting so many hugs. 

Everyone’s working away at their desks, taking turns watching the door of Hotch’s office so she’s spotted immediately when she leaves. There’s a lot of pointed paperwork-shuffling and Aria rolls her eyes. For a group of profilers they’re not particularly subtle.

“All good, kid?” It’s Derek who breaks the silence once she makes it down the stairs, and despite his light tone he looks serious, like when they’re on a case.

“Better than you at least,” she says, feeling pleased when it gets a laugh out of him. “I’ll go make some drinks”.

She’s just put the kettle on to boil when someone else enters the kitchen, her heart racing when she sees who it is. Spencer’s got his hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched like he’s trying to make himself smaller. 

“I’m rea-”

“I’m so-”

He gestures for her to go first, face burning. 

She makes herself look at him, no matter how shy she’s feeling. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you earlier.”

“No! Don’t be!” Spencer hastens to reply “it’s a completely understandable reaction. Trauma can-” at her raised eyebrow he ducks his head sheepishly. “Garcia explained. No details or anything! She uh,” he clears his throat “She’s really sorry.”

“Where is she anyway?” Aria hadn’t seen Penelope at all since earlier that morning and although it wasn’t uncommon for her to be tucked away in her office they usually spent time together, and after what had happened Aria wanted to talk to who was probably her best friend. She was upset with her, of course, but when she’s upset talking to Penelope usually makes her feel better.

“She went to her office. I think she wanted to give you space in case you were mad”

Aria nods slowly.

“I’m sorry too,” Spencer continues, voice soft “I startled you earlier”.

“You did,” Aria acknowledges “You didn’t mean to though, I know that”. 

He watches her as she puts everyone’s drinks together, smiling when she hands him his tea.

“If you, if you ever wanted to talk, I’m here to listen” he tells her and Aria ducks her head, shy and embarrassed all over again.

“Not today but I think I’ll take you up on that,” they share a smile and Spencer insists on helping her carry everything out to the bullpen.

After all but one of the drinks have been distributed Aria grabs a muffin from the abandoned container on Derek’s desk and goes to see Penelope. She thinks she’s got this after all.

[monotonous-minutia]

Cast of Mignon: reality check

(apologies in advance if none of this makes sense. It’s a pretty obscure opera.)

Mignon (Sperata), mezzo-soprano

Mezzo heroines for the win! Gets a relatively famous mezzo aria (”Connais-tu le pays”) Here portrayed as older than her literary counterpart, but still unfortunately in love with one of the biggest jerks in opera and literature in general (sorry not sorry Goethe). Canonically genderfluid because Barbier and Carré are awesome. She deserves much more than what this world throws at her (including Wilhelm) and unfortunately her naivete is probably what leads her to believe she doesn’t have the ability to seek out better things. If she were given the chance to explore the world and gain experience outside her former captivity (and Wilhelm), she would be better able to make smarter choices. Aside from this general misfortune, she is extremely sweet and adorable, altogether too accommodating (a trait that literally almost gets her killed). She should have gone off with Lothario after he adopts her, like he asked her to, and the two of them could have travelled to her homeland and made the discovery of their relation without Wilhelm. Also, she should totally date Frédéric. Although getting together with Wilhelm isn’t the ideal happy ending, she does find her father and her home and her real name (Sperata). It’s unfortunate we had to wait three hours to be able to call her that.

Wilhelm, tenor

A student. Classic example of the Dick Tenor. Basically wants to roam the world without commitments or consequences, which truthfully is relatable; but when it’s at the expense of the well-being of people in your life, it’s not really fair. He is decently nice to Mignon, taking care of her when she starts following him around and when she gets sick. However, the fact that he only starts to fall for her when she presents as feminine is unfair and tbh kinda gross. He does not heed the warnings of Laerte, who (as seen below) has gotta win some kind of record for tenor braincells. Wilhelm is totally smitten with Philine because of her charm and her fame; we can’t really blame him for that, since pretty much everyone is. And yeah, he does risk his life to save Mignon. Still doesn’t save his dick personality, though. Overall he just needs an attitude adjustment, a splash of reality, and probably a good slap in the face. (Sorry, I just really do not like Wilhelm.)

Lothario, bass

A wandering musician. Genuine Good Bass. Traditional operatic adopted father figure, but in this case, it just so happens that the child he rescues and adopts actually is his kid. This isn’t discovered until the end, though. He’s clearly traumatized, and of course society interprets this as him having lost his mind. He turns to music for comfort. Constantly searching for the thing he has lost, but he can’t remember what that is. Primarily only interacts with Mignon, whom he tries to protect from the rest of the world. Unfortunately he is also very suggestable, which leads to the unfortunate incident of Philine’s theater getting burned down when Mignon wishes a fiery death on her rival. Once he rediscovers his identity as both Mignon’s father and a nobleman, it’s clear he’s going to put these roles to good use and make the world a better place. Now if only he’d have the sense to kick Wilhelm out.

Philine, soprano

A singer and actress. Thing is, Philine would probably be more of a halfway decent person if she weren’t infatuated with Wilhelm. After all, she is the one who paid for Mignon’s freedom, and in the extended ending she has a moment where she almost apologizes. Plus, the biggest mean thing she does wasn’t meant to be life-threatening for those involved, and she only did it because she was jealous of the attention Wilhelm was giving Mignon. Another case of sopranos losing brain cells around tenors. In general, she’s still a vain, self-centered drama queen. We can understand her desire to live life to the fullest; if only it weren’t at the expense of those around her. Truthfully, she and Wilhelm are probably a better match for each other than the (operatic) canon couple, because of their mutual obliviousness to the needs of others and their similarly self-absorbed attitudes. In the original (extended) ending, she does say she’s going to get together with Frédéric, but for his sake, let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Laerte, tenor

An actor in Philine’s troupe. Plays the role of Genuinely Good Tenor since Wilhelm can’t be bothered to. Probably the smartest person in this opera. He sees what everyone else refuses to see and tries to be practical, but that’s hard when you’re surrounded by oblivious lovebirds. Primary function is to provide sarcastic commentary. Has a delightful little number where he teases Philine. Tries to warn Wilhelm against falling for Philine, but of course Wilhelm doesn’t listen. Laerte clearly feels for both Mignon and Frédéric. However, he has basically given up on trying to interfere in other people’s lives. Why he continues to follow Philine around is anyone’s guess. He probably just enjoys observing the drama that consistently surrounds her.

Frédéric, mezzo, is absolutely never a tenor because that would be ridiculous

One of the most adorable and underrated trouser roles in opera. As per usual, very much crushing on the soprano and jealous of her affections for the tenor. Has an absolutely delightful number when he sneaks into Philine’s room. Draws his sword on Wilhelm as a challenge when they find they’ve each snuck in to meet Philine in her room. Wilhelm clearly does not take him seriously. Pretty much no one does, in fact. He does laugh at Mignon when he sees her in a dress, which isn’t very nice, especially given her self-esteem is almost nonexistent to begin with. He’d probably gain a few brain cells if he gave up on Philine. It’s insinuated at the end (in the original ending, at least) that he does, in fact, wind up with Philine. However, I’m still in camp Mezzos Should Run Off Together, and I think if Frédéric lets go of his obsession with Philine, and Mignon lets go of her obsession with Wilhelm, the mezzos could totally get together.

Jarno, bass

Functional purpose is to be the one who kidnapped Mignon and eventually sells her to Wilhelm (who sets her free), but is also a really insulting portrayal of stereotypes surrounding Romani people, which isn’t entirely the librettist’s fault because it’s based on the original source material, but still, Barbier and Carré could have done better. But this opera is pretty messed up in general. They probably should have just picked a different story.

[tobrodachi]

Tezcaltlipoca, Ace Attorney

“And to you I bequeath....... a boot to the head.”

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another iteration of “What the fuck is this madlad gonna butcher next?” I’m your host Eox, and this is, say it with me:

You’re absolutely goddamn right you crazy diamonds! It’s time for yet another mesoamerican shitpost! This time, the star of the show is none other than good ol’ Quetz’s elder brother, Tezcaltlipoca! Ruler of the night skies, obsidian, war (Yes, again, the believers were an undecisive bunch), hurricanes, discord, and DARKNESS! And proud owner of this cat:

As always, read the rest under the cut, shit gets long

The heelest of the heels, the baddest motherfucker  to ever set foot on this side of the pond. Or at least, that’s what a christian-infused perspective would like for you to think. You see, Tezcaltlipoca has a bit of a bad rap, much like Hades as a god of the underworld back in the greek pantheon, and he’s the only one in the family who takes care of their pet jaguar.

He’s just a softy like that.

However, as elder brothers tend to do, they’re not above causing mischief to their youngest. So, imagine if you will, a pair of young gods, fresh out of drinking their mom’s teat, and slapping each other with their baby hands.

“Ur mom suck me good and hard thru my jorts”

“... You do know she’s your mom too, right?”

“Your mom!”

“Your mom!”

Maginificent duels of light vs darkness, let me tell ya.

But I digress, for this isn’t a story about good vs evil, but rather about how they managed to (accidentally) create the world.

Before anything existed, like, ever, two deities existed. Ometeotl, and Omecíhuatl, the Terrible Duo’s parents. They gave birth to both Quetzy and Tezcat, and told them to be good and study, so they could maybe create and rule their world as a Fair Ruler would do.

“lmao, that’s lame” they thought in unison. Then, they decided to play hookie and go outside their home! Only to find out that, well...

They needed to create a world first, since at that point only the mesopotamian pantheon had managed to create something, but King Gilgamesh was a little bitch.

“That sucks.” said Quetzy, looking around the primordial goo that the ancient Mesopotamian gods left, with Huitzilopochtli following suite.

Wandering around in primordial soup isn’t a fun trip, at all. Especially when you’re bound to get attacked by a motherfucking giant sized crocodile  graded 3 on the “Fuck you” scale out of 5. So, as always with the bright ideas, Quetz took on a manic grin on his own and turned to Tezcaltlipoca himself.

“Quetz, no!”

“Quetz, YES! ALL OF THE YES!”

And that’s how Quetzalcoatl found himself wrasslin’ Cipactli, as the pair now dubbed the crocodile.

Of course, Quetzalcoatl isn’t from Australia, so he lost. Badly. And Tezcaltlipoca had to go rescue Quetzy, because absolutely no one dunks on his little brother other than him. So, this started booting up his brain juices, the brain cell shared between the two.

What was the plan? Enrage the already berserk crocodile, and lure him into a trap. And his kid mind thought “Well, the thing that pisses me off the most is mom’s La Chancla, so it should work!”

Except for one little detail: He had no chancla, and he was no mom to pull off the Super Ultra Secret Latina Mom Martial Art. However, being an absolute rascal and having received his fair share of punishments from riding with Quetz, he replicated the technique.

“Trace, On.” Tezcaltlipoca fired up his aria, his body reinforced with magic to the brim, making it go even further beyond what a child god of his caliber could do. He took an obsidian knife, and then---

Plunged it into his right ankle. He continued cutting it until he had amputated his foot, as any good mesoamerican deity should! And then, he THREW it into the Cipactli’s face with all the strength he could, making the crocodile stare at him like a delicious meal, since, well, he was.

But so enraged, and so hungry this crocodile was, that he didn’t notice he’d fallen right into Tezcaltlipoca’s trap!

They’d arrived back at their home, and turning his (not-at-all-fake-crying) face towards his mom, with Quetz still clinging to the crocodile, Tezcaltlipoca started crying.

“MOM! THE MEAN CROCODILE ATE MY FOOT!”

And there goes Omecíhuatl, armed with the fury only a mother could have, and I SHALL REFRAIN TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT BECAUSE CROCODILES SHOULDN’T BEND THAT WAY!

Relieved, and sweating his ass off, Tezcaltlipoca almost did a little victory dance, he deserved it after all the brothers had to go through! Keyword: Almost. As soon as their mom finished the job on the crocodile, she turned back to the mischief makers themselves.

“Tezcaltlipoca! Quetzalcoatl! What were you doing outside, when I left you two to study!?”

Quetzalcoatl didn’t answer on account of him being knocked out earlier.

“Errrrrr... Mamita, you see--”

“Don’t you dare answer back to me! How could you do this to my trust? Have I failed you as a mother?”

Behold! Mom-fu Technique #2: The emotional blackmail waterworks, guaranteed to make even the most hardened troublemaking kids go back into the good ol’ ways.

“No, mom, don’t cry, we were trying to make the world, I swear!”

And so on, and so off, the discussion kept going. And since, they “oh-so-sanctimoniously” were trying to make the world, she’d make damn sure they used the crocodile as intended.

And so, they did! The crocodile’s spines were turned into the world’s mountains. Now they needed to find something that, y’know, isn’t Tiamat’s bath water as a sea, flat land to actually stand on, and the sky because SHIT’S DARK AS FUCK!

_________

But that’s another story, for another time. Hope you enjoyed this shitpost, and remember to take what’s written in these with a grain of salt. I’m no historian, so many liberties were taken when writing these.

[itsanerdlife]

Count Your Blessings Deleted Scene

Pairing: MC!Steve Rogers x Reader

Itsanerdlife’s Third Blog Birthday Celebration

You sat at the clubhouse, with the rest of the club. Watching Ari and Clint’s two kids playing on the playset the guys built. Luke is pushing her on the swing, there are loud giggles and pleads for higher.

“So where the hell are the girls?” Buck drops into a chair.

“I don’t know.” You laugh. “We went to my appointment, I gave Wanda the ultra sound pictures, and they told me to come here and they would meet us.” You shrug, hands resting on your belly.

“I’m telling you, it’s a boy.” Clint chuckles from the bar.

“I’m just saying, you’re wrong.” You wink at him.

“I need you to be wrong.” Steve laughs.

“Why?” You grin looking over at him.

“Because she already looks like you babe. I can’t have another one looking like you. Ari already will never date.” Steve sighs.

“I hate you remind you, but I took after my momma. We have a weakness for bad boys.” You smile at him, patting your hand softly against his cheek.

“I’m so fucked.” Steve swallows.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll end up with Callum.” Clint chuckles.

“And if this ones a girl too?” Steve shakes his head.

“Buck have a boy.” Clint laughs.

“No.” You and Steve panic together. 

Buck about spits beer down the front of himself. There is a small commotion outside with the kids. When you look over, Ari has kicked Callum in the back of the knee and shoved him down into the dirt. She drops to her knees and grabs a handful of his dirty blonde hair at the back of his head.

“Say sorry.” Ari demands.

“Sorry!” Callum winces at his hair being pulled.

“Aria Grace!” You yell. She lets go, getting up and running to you like nothing happened.

“Callum, you good?” Clint asks leaning on the door frame. Callum rolls over sitting up, a scrap on his chin, dirt on his shirt and a grin on his lips.

“Good.” He calls back, rubbing the back of his head.

“Is he grinning?” Buck looks at Clint.

“Mommy?” Ari climbs into Steve’s lap.

“Who taught that to you, Ari?” You look at your daughter.

“Um.” She tips her head but doesn’t say anything. Buck shifts and Steve is looking anywhere but at you.

“Aria Grace go apologize to Callum.” You scold her. She sighs, getting out of her fathers lap, Callum is coming in.

“Sorry.” Ari sighs loudly.

“It’s fine.” Callum grins at her.

“You deserved it.” Ari nods.

“I know.” He continues to smile at her. “Want to get a ice cream with me?” Steve and Bucky are exchanging a look of panic.

“Okay.” Ari grins, the two of them taking off for the kitchen. You slap a hand over your mouth.

“What just happened?” Clint looks confused.

“I don’t like it.” Buck shakes his head, panic on his face.

“Please, please, please be a boy.” Steve leans in talking to your bump, pleading with your child.

“You know that saying, if a boy likes a girl, he picks on her. I think that’s the other way around here. I think Callum might have a crush.” You giggle.

“Take it back!” Buck, Clint and Steve growl at you. Making you laugh twice as hard.

“What’s going on?” Peter comes into the room.

“Callum has a crush on Ari.” You grin.

“Where’s Callum?” Peter asks. “I just want to talk to him.” He puts his hands up, looking around.

“Peter Parker you leave those babies alone.” You point a finger at him.

“We have a gift for you!” Wanda squeals coming into the club house. Nat and Gwen behind her.

“Whoa, what’s wrong?” Nat looks around. 

“Something happen?” Gwen looks at Peter.

“Callum has a crush on Ari.” You explain.

“Awe!!” They squeal together.

“No!! No!!” Clint, Steve, Peter and Buck growl.

“Steve’s pleading with the new baby to be a boy.” You laugh.

“We picked out a gift, to announce what you are having.” Gwen explains all excited. Wanda hands you a gift bag. Steve laughs, but looks like he’s praying to the Gods.

“Shouldn’t we wait, for the others?” You look at Steve.

“A good amount of them are on a hunt.” Clint explains. 

“We’ll record it and send it to them.” Peter grins, pulling out his phone.

“Okay, sounds good. Call Ari.” You pat Steve’s leg.

“Peanut! Come here.” He calls for his daughter and running feet come.

“Daddy.” She once again crawls into his lap.

“What to find out what you’re getting? Brother or sister?” Steve asks her.

“It’s a sister, daddy.” She sasses.

“Open the gift and find out.” You hold the bag letting her pull out whatever is inside. A baby onesie. Ari holds it up. The front reads Little Sister.

“Told you!” She squeals. Steve groans dropping his head to your shoulder. You laugh, resting your head against his. 

“Traitor.” Steve grumbles, his hand on your belly.

“Damn, that’s a lot of girls.” Buck winces.

“Not helping.” Steve gruffs.

“Momma is always right.” Ari smiles, handing the onesie over.

“Baby.” Steve pauses, leaning forward when his daughter slides out of his lap.

“Yeah?” She turns looking at her father. 

“Do you like Callum?” He asks.

“Duh daddy. He’s my boyfriend.” She replies with a roll of her eyes and skips off to find Callum. You slap a hand over your mouth, choking on your laugh.

“Barton, I’m killing your kid.” Steve growls.

“It’s puppy love babe. It’s fine. She’ll be over him a week or so.” You pat him on the chest.

“Don’t lie to make me feel better.” Steve cuts his eyes to you.

“Oh shut up you softy. At least he’s not trying to take her home while out with another girl.” You point out.

“Really are you going to use that the rest of our lives?” Steve smirks at you.

“Just pointing out, she’s already making better choices than I did.” You shrug, folding the little outfit in your lap.

“I mean she’s not wrong.” Nat shrugs. 

“He’s not a criminal yet. There might be hope for him.” Gwen points out.

“He’s a Barton, I doubt it’ll last. He’ll say something stupid and run her off.” Wanda nods.

“That’s true.” Peter nods.

“I want to disagree.” Clint sighs. “But they’re not wrong.” Clint shrugs.

“Can the next one be a boy? Please?” Steve pouts.

“I’m good with two.” You pat him on the chest.

“Babe!” He whines.