#(absolutely did not see this notif earlier but saved it for Christmas Day for the extra gift vibes what do you mean)

[twstgo]

I know you warned me ahead of time and asked but NEEEEEERRRRR OMG AAAAAAAAAA

YOU DID LIZ SO MUCH JUSTICE IM IN TEARS THANK YOU SO MUCH NER

YOU DID HER SO MUCH JUSTICE FR AND YOU EVEN REMEMBERED HOW SHE LIKES ENDEARING NICKNAMES IN HIS NATIVE TOUNGUE

“You’re here,” Jamil began quietly, giving her a meaningful nudge towards him, “for a reason. Don’t ever forget it. You don’t need to try so hard to earn your place.”

DHDNDIDKDDK THATS THE KIND OF UNSAID THING SHE NEEDS TO HEAR IM IN TEARS IN THE CLUB AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Entering the Vipers' Nest

A little Christmas present for @twstgo, hope you'll like it ❤️ (don't let the title fool you, this is not as dramatic as it sounds, lol)

And hopefully I did Lizette justice, thank you for trusting her in my hands for this 😊

Also very purposefully posting this on the 24th since that's the day when we start the Christmas celebrations and do the gift giving where I live.

Lizette had been caught unawares when the possibility of spending the winter break with the Vipers had come up.

Jamil had to be quite serious about her - about them - to even suggest such a thing.

But then again, when did he ever do things in half measures?

“Don’t be so nervous, they won’t bite. Besides, you’ve already met Najma before,” he’d said, when Lizette had asked him about what she should expect.

Yeah, right. Easy for him to say, when he wasn't the the one trying to give a good impression to prospective in-laws – who were not only from a different culture but from a whole different world.

So Lizette had read up on the customs (and interrogated Kalim on proper manners), picked out an outfit, prepared some gifts, agonized over wrapping her tongue around some words and phrases from the Scalding Sands tongue.

And maybe she’d done okay, after all that? It was hard to tell – Jamil’s parents certainly made their son look a mere student in the ways of being superficially pleasant and polite no matter their actual feelings.

But perhaps there had been some actual warmth? Genuine welcome?

She really couldn’t tell for sure.

Of course, the Vipers had been far too well-mannered to be excluding her. If anything, the conversation had revolved around Lizette – and Jamil – quite a bit. Genuinely interested and curious, she hoped – but very curious, indeed, even if they knew how to be subtle about it.

After socializing and dinner Jamil had dragged Lizette out of the house, saying he was going to show her around a bit. And she had to admit that after those hours of feeling very much like she was under the spotlight, trying to find the right script, it was lovely to be spending time with just Jamil for a little while, to have a chance to catch her breath.

And if showing her around meant sitting under the glittering night sky, seeking Jamil’s warmth beside her, she was not going to complain.

“Did I make an okay impression?” Lizette dared to ask, the quiet comfort of the moment bringing her guard down along with her nerves.

“Habibti, you worry too much,” Jamil said, a sliver of something soft wrapped around the scolding tone.

“You’re one to say.”

“Shush.”

Jamil tugged her closer against his side – almost like he was making up for all that time of keeping a respectable distance while around the rest of his family.

For a little while, they sat in a comfortable silence, admiring the night sky.

“You’re here,” Jamil began quietly, giving her a meaningful nudge towards him, “for a reason. Don’t ever forget it. You don’t need to try so hard to earn your place.”

It was Lizette’s turn to shush Jamil, and to bump his shoulder for good measure.

What an infuriating man.

Or perhaps just infuriatingly perceptive.

[purplesurveys]

1175

What’s the last vegetable you ate, and when did you eat it?  My dinner had broccoli and bell peppers in it.

What was your last Facebook notification for?  It was Aliyah replying to our comment thread on one of my posts. There wasn’t anything in her comment that was worth replying to anymore, so I just reverted with a Haha react.

What bands have you seen live? Paramore, Coldplay (not super legally), and One Direction.

Tell me an interesting fact about your mother:  She almost became a flight attendant, but she failed the final screening because of her height. I think the idea of her nearly having a completely different career is very interesting.

What do you think is the most important thing to happen to you before the age of 13?  In my case, probably getting my period. I got my first one when I was barely 10.

What were you super against as a young child but aren’t anymore?  Chicken curry. I also hateeeeeeeed Dora the Explorer with a passion, but now I find the show hilarious haha.

What are your plans later today? My work sched this week had been so fucking PACKED, that I want to do nothing but catch up on sleep all weekend. But seeing as I’m a proponent of revenge bedtime procrastination, I also highly doubt I’d let myself fall into a nap (Exhibit A: Me currently taking this survey at 2 AM...) If anything, I’ll probably just continue watching BTS In The Soop and finally start on Season 2 of Bon Voyage.

Are you doing anything exciting this weekend?  Well, it’s the weekend already, so...that ^ I will also have to take Cooper to the vet this Sunday.

Who do you talk to the most? Other than my team at work, Angela. I’ve been extra talkative these days because of our now-mutual excessive love for BTS, that I sometimes feel bad that I keep bombarding her with messages.

What are some things you do regularly that make you feel old?  Talk to my friends who are still in college, especially when they update me about the current happenings in UP that I have absolutely no clue about anymore.

Who is your best guy friend(s)?  I don’t have any best guy friends.

Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?  Neither; I’m fine with my tannish skin tone.

If you had a tiny scar on your face, would you get it removed or just keep it?  Keep it; I already do.

Have you had an x-ray in the past year? Nah. My last one had been nearly 5 years ago, when I needed to get my back checked for scoliosis.

Do you think your first love still loves you?  No. And that’s okay. :)

What is something that is “going right” in your life?  EVERYTHINGGGGGGGGGGG I am so so happy with my life right now weeeee. I have the job of my dreams – I’m even working with THE ACTUAL K-POP GROUP SLASH PHENOMENON SLASH ICONS BTS for one of the clients I handle FHKDHGKHGFDKGHDKGH, I have the best and most supportive friends in the world, and I am now starting to grow my collection of BTS merch with my hard-earned money. Everything is going abso-fucking-lutely perfectly, and to think I didn’t think I would make it past 2020.

When did you feel ready to start dating?  Middle of high school.

When was the last time your pet bit you? If you don’t have a pet, have you ever been bitten by someone else’s?  I was play fighting with Cooper earlier tonight, and he got a little bit excited and ended up biting my upper lip quite harder than usual. It stung for a while, but it’s okay now.

Where were you the last time you made out?  I think it was my bedroom.

When was the last time you cried tears of joy? Yesterday.

How do you type your sad smileys?  Just this :(

Do you have “decorative hand-towels” that cannot be used in your house?  Nope.

What was the last soda you drank?  Probably the Coke I drank at an org event last year, pre-pandemic, out of sheer thirst. There wasn’t any water being served so I just gulped down the soda and tried to ignore the annoying fizziness. I don’t drink soda.

What was the last thing someone made fun of you for?  I was having a video call session with my workmates this afternoon as a way to end the week on a good note, and I recounted my experience of being locked out of the office while I was in the middle of a presentation for a client, and how I managed to get myself back in.

Have you ever had any type of surgery?  Nope.

Should kids be allowed to get tattoos/piercings without parental consent?  No.

Who was the last person to hit on you?  No one has in a while.

What was the last thing you decided not to do, that you were supposed to?  A deliverable a client asked me to do. It can wait til Monday.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to tell someone?  Maybe straight up admitting to my mom that she can be hurtful sometimes. It’s hard because she never actually processes things like that and they do nothing but vanish into thin air, even though it takes everything in me to be that honest.

What do you put on hot dogs?  Mayonnaise.

Ever fallen in the shower?  Like once, when I was 10 or 11.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever called someone you care about?  Continued from last night. It was probably ‘bitch.’ Based on what I’ve learned from my mom, I put extra effort in particuarly watching what comes out of my mouth, because I know how words stick.

Do you think that things will get better?  I did, and now it has.

Have you ever legitimately saved a person’s life?  I think I may have. The story is a little triggering though, so I wouldn’t share it.

What’s your favourite book genre?  Doesn’t really count as a genre but I like auto/biographies.

Have you ever walked out of a movie at the theatre?  I’ve felt like it, but I’ve never done it.

Do dogs like you?  Yes, at least for 99.5% of my experiences.

Would you say that you project an air of authority?  In certain circles. But there are some groups where I trust others to lead rather than me.

Have you ever jumped off a high dive into a pool?  Nah, because I’ve never seen one. But even if I did, I think I would be too scared to do it hahaha.

Do you use one towel when you shower or two? (one for hair, one for body)  One. I use it to wash my entire body already.

Have you ever been to one of the great lakes?  No.

Who do you know that had a baby recently?  The son of one of my old college instructors. I believe she had been born in March because that prof recently posted family photos on Facebook that celebrated the baby’s first monthsary.

Do you like Usher’s songs?  Not in particular.

When was the last time you went to a waterpark?  Not a big fan of these as I find them unhygienic haha. The last time must have been...like anywhere between 12-15 years ago.

Have you ever ridden a train? Just once, and I had to go with Jum because I didn’t want to go alone.

What do you eat your French fries with?  Mayonnaise. If there isn’t any available, I’d want the fries to at least be generously sprinkled with salt; otherwise I’d find it too bland.

Do you have family problems?  Nothing blatant, but I know we are more dysfunctional than how we make it out to be.

What’s the last food you ate that was stale?  Pizza. I got two extra large boxes for my birthday last Wednesday and until now we still have some of it around :((( I ate some slices at around 3 AM earlier and they were tough as fuck to chew, hahaha. Still good, though.

How do you like your grilled cheese?  I don’t have grilled cheese sandwiches often. Surprise me.

What is the most challenging meal you have ever cooked?  I don’t cook.

What was your favorite thing to do as a little kid?  I liked watching my cousin play video games; playing outside; and answering my friends’ autograph books (aka my pre-survey days, lol).

Have you ever been close to drowning? Yup but just once. I was swimming and was just about to come up for air when one of my cousins, coming from the bottom of the pool, suddenly started to playfully pull me down. I was nearly out of breath by then and he had a much stronger grip on me, so I struggled for a while and ended up panicking and thrashing around a bit before I was able to wriggle myself free.

Have you ever had a panic attack?  It’s rare that it happens, but when it does it’s really bad and there’s no telling when it would subside.

Do you like doing housework?  Some, and only if I’m in the mood to. If I feel like I have to do it, then I get lazy.

Would you ever get implants?  I considered it before as a teen, back when small-chested girls were still bullied or made fun of on an everyday basis. How fucked up is that? I’m so relieved at how much social media has progressed.

Do you own a robe?  No.

Do you have a little sister? What’s her name? I have a younger sister but she’s barely a baby; she’s literally turning 21 this year. Nina.

Do you like crust on pizza or do you cut it off?  I like crust as long as it’s normal crust or stuffed crust. I can’t stand thin crust.

What was the last song you listened to?  Euphoria - credited to BTS, but it’s a Jungkook solo.

Have any of your family members been to jail?  Not blood relatives, but I know of super extended unrelated family members who’ve been to prison. Is there anyone that you feel you still need some closure with?  I don’t think so. Sometimes no closure is closure.

Can you remember when you first learned how to read?  I can’t, actually. All I remember is that I suddenly wanted to read everything by the time I was 5 and asked for nothing but storybooks every Christmas.

What event in your life has transformed your personality the most?  College. Gabie also had a very big influence on me during our relationship.

Have you ever had any teeth pulled?  Yes, but it was because it was already decayed.

Do you still want to be what you wanted to be in elementary school?  No, but I do elements of it in my work so that works out well for me. I wanted to be an author when I was in grade school, and today I regularly write various materials in my job.

What’re some TV shows that you would like to get into?  I just wanna get reconnected with The Crown again. I was already into it but I had to stop watching for a LONG time, because the show had some personal connections to my ex and so it seemed hard to get into the new season without breaking down lol. Now that I’m doing fine, I feel like it’s a good time to revisit the show.

How would you feel if you were drafted for the military?  Won’t happen here, but it’s the kind of situation where I wouldn’t really have a choice and would have to follow.

What is your favorite Queen song?  I don’t have any.

Do you know how to use any foreign currency? What do you mean, use...? Don’t you just use money to pay?? Hahaha or if you mean convert, then yeah I know how to do that with several currencies – US dollar, Korean won, Euro, Japanese yen, and whatever official name the pound has.

Been kissed by someone who you knew was “bad” for you?  Nope.

Ever taken an at-home pregnancy test?  I have not.

When was the last time you were at a loss of what to do?  I usually don’t have plans laid out on weekends these days anymore, so lately it’s all been a matter of winging it and just wanting to make sure that by the end of the day I get to say I made the most out of my free time.

What did you do on your favorite date with a guy/girl?  The time we did museum hopping + Italian dinner, or the one where we had French dinner + jazz bar.

What’s a movie you have seen in the theater more than once?  I never do rewatches for movies still in cinemas.

What is the reason you’re still alive?  I was stubborn and wanted to see if life would get better; I didn’t want to leave my dogs behind; I didn’t want to miss out on how potentially great and exciting my life could end up being; I didn’t want to cause and leave an even bigger emotional rift on my family.

I’m so happy I stayed.

Have you ever had sex in someone else’s bed/bedroom?  Yeah. Not the best decision, and I wouldn’t do it again lol.

Do you ever brush your hair before you go to bed?  Sometimes, so that it doesn’t look like a bird’s nest when I wake up the next day.

Have you ever had a dream about sleeping with a celebrity? (You don’t have to give details.)  I don’t think so. I have definitely imagined it in...other ways, though.

Has anyone ever told you that they needed you? Do you think they meant it?  Both in the superficial and loaded senses, yeah. 

How did you feel when you woke up today? What was the first thing you thought about?  I felt kind of like shit, just because I slept for only 1.5 hours – my body automatically wakes me up by a certain time, no matter what time I fell asleep. And also because my back and shoulder muscles were killing me with how sore they felt.

Do you still tell your parents that you love them?  I show it, but I don’t say it. I’m pretty stingy when it comes to that phrase.

Have you ever said “I love you” to someone you weren’t going out with?  Yes? It shouldn’t be limited to people you’re dating? I express it to Anj and Andi all the time.

Have you ever been threatened before?  Sure.

Would you date someone with a physical disability?  Yes.

Think of the last person you had sex with. Do you think they’ve slept with anyone else since they last slept with you?  Purely guessing, it’s likely. I’m not updated about her life anymore, though; life has been going on as if she never existed.

The last time you dyed your hair, what color did you dye it?  I’ve never had it dyed.

Think of the last time you went out to eat. Who paid?  I went out by myself, so I paid.

Do you save at least 15 percent of your income?  Yeah. I had a very good saving streak in which I was able to save anywhere around 50-60% every month...and thennnn I became a fan of BTS early this month LOOOOOL so now I’m back to like square three when it comes to my savings haha. Like I still know my limits and when to fucking stop taking out money from my bank account, but I’ve been spending dramatically more than I have been in the last few months.

Do you ever go on Reddit? If so, what are some of your favorite subreddits?  I used to go much more regularly, to the point where it was a part of my daily routine. Now I go at least once a month. I usually check out the Ask Reddit (for anecdotes), Today I Learned (for trivia), and GMM subreddits. Sometimes I’ll get on the Squared Circle subreddit as well to be updated on wrestling.

Were you ever a flower girl or ring bearer in anyone’s wedding when you were little?  Many times as a flower girl, yeah.

Are your parents in good health?  Fortunately, yes.

Have you ever been a caregiver to a sick/disabled relative?  Nope.

Is there any type of medicine you can’t take? For what reason?  Not that I know of.

Do you have a favorite pair of pajamas? What do they look like?  I don’t have pajama sets since I find them too warm.

Do you have any interesting pillow cases?  Eh, I don’t think so.

If something on your body hurts, which part is it most likely to be?  Shoulder muscles or my lower back.

Are you more afraid of spiders or bees?  Bees.

Have you ever worn fake nails? If so, what did the last pair you wore look like?  No.

Is Russian or Native American history more interesting to you?  Native American.

[yungimmortals]

phone numbers | jaime (ft. risa)

date: december 26, 2020

summary: a long-overdue phone call, a heavy dose of salt in an old wound, and a very low battery

An unknown number flashed across his screen. Never one to pick up the phone unless he absolutely had to (and definitely not one to pick up when he didn’t recognize the caller), Jaime let it go to voicemail, tossing his phone onto his bed. 

Swiveling in his desk chair, he spin in a full circle before returning his focus to  the project he had been working on since getting back to his apartment earlier that evening. Christmas with Katie’s family had been fun; now it was time for Jaime to recharge. Restoring a vintage typewriter -- Jaime’s Christmas present to himself -- was the perfect thing to do. In the last hour, he had polished it, ridding the typewriter of years of rust and grime. All the type-levers were in place, all the knobs and buttons in working condition. Now it was time to work on the carriage lever and the platen, time to get the machine ready for writing. 

Dismantling his typewriter was a delicate process, interrupted again by the ringing of his phone. “Where is it?” He mumbled, turning is his chair and taking a dive at the bed when he spotted his phone. Snatching it up, he recognized the same number that had called earlier but was saved the trouble of a debate as to whether or not he should answer it when his screen went dark once more. A moment later, a voicemail notification flashed across his screen.

Curiosity piqued, Jaime unlocked his phone, raising it to his ear to listen to the voicemail. The last voice he expected to hear drifted out of the phone’s speakers and he dropped it in surprise. 

Jaime, it’s me. I need to talk to you. I hope this is still your number.

Without hesitation, he returned the call. There was one ring, then two, then three. Jaime bounced his leg up and down before spinning around in his desk chair, his stomach a pit of nerves. As the line continued to ring, he was almost positive he had imagined the voicemail. But then there was an audible click, followed by the sound of his sister’s voice.

“So this is your number. Rowan’s handwriting is absolute shit, I couldn’t tell if that last number was a seven or a four. Can’t believe she wants to go to art school with that chicken scratch.”

“Risa?”  

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, I, er. That is-”

His sister’s laughter sounded tinny, far away. “Jaime, relax. Oh, and Merry Christmas. Did you get our card?”

Jaime switched the call to speaker phone and placed his phone on his desk. He stared at it blankly before scrubbing his face with his hands. “Card?”

“Yeah, Ro made you a Christmas card in her risography workshop. She’s building her portfolio for college but I’m sure she told you that since you talk, like, all the time.” Risa sounded bitter as she spoke, changing the subject quickly. “Anyway, I need to talk to you about something. Is this a good time?”

In eight years, his middle sister had never once called of her own volition. Even convincing her to be a part of Jaime and Rowan’s ‘family phone calls’, had taken a few years of their littlest sister badgering her. Now Risa was calling and it sounded important and Jaime couldn’t think of a single thing to say. He must have been silent for too long, he realized, hearing his sister clear her throat.

“Jay, if you’re busy, just tell me. I’ll find another time,” she said, though from her tone, Jaime could tell that if they didn’t talk about what was on her mind now, they likely never would.

“No! I mean, no, I’m not busy. I was just-- yeah, no, I’m here. What-- what’s up?” Jaime pushed his typewriter to the side before rummaging through his desk drawer for a notebook and pen (just in case he needed to take notes). He chuckled as Risa told him to buckle up, already welcoming the familiarity with which she was speaking to him, no matter how strange it felt.

“This isn’t what I’m calling about but I might as well tell you while we’re here. Dad’s sick. He said you cursed him or some shit, but it’s all bull. He went off the deep end a few years ago. Totally cuckoo. I figured you didn’t know, since you and Ro have your stupid agreement to never mention Charles to each other. Says he’s seeing things. Monsters and shit. Which I would call bull, but I remember that creepy guy. You know, the one waiter at the Dog & Pony that would always stare at you and Mom when we all went for dinner? He only had one eye. I don’t mean like an eyepatch. I mean one freaking eye, right in the center of his head. Don’t know if you ever noticed that, but I did.” Now that Risa had started talking, it seemed she couldn’t stop. “And that’s not the last time I saw something or someone weird like that. There’s a girl who works at the nature center in the park and I swear, Jay. I freaking swear that she melts into the trees. She’s a dryad right? I got lunch with your aunt last week and she filled me in on some stuff. I don��t know how she got in touch with us. Said something about your dad, I don’t remember. But, anyway, we got lu-”

“My aunt?” Jaime interrupted, feeling guilty for doing so, but not seeing where he could get a word in edgewise if he waited for her to pause.

“Oh, shit. Wait, there’s a picture, did I mention a picture? Before I forget. It’s with your card. I was digging through some of Mom’s trail crew stuff in the attic a while back, looking for her old boots, and I found it. It says ‘David’ with a heart next to it on the back. That was his name, right? Your dad?”

Jaime blinked, surprised at both the abrupt subject change and the mention of his father. He didn’t want the subject of his aunt to drop but the photograph won his curiosity. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“Okay, so you’ll see it, but, like, it’s totally weird. There’s a lens flare on it but it’s, like, just across your dad. Kinda ruins the whole picture, you can’t see him at all. It’s like when you try to take a photo of the sun. Mom looks beautiful though, but she always did. I think they were at Otter Cove, and I know that was one of your favorite trails.”

Like trying to photograph the sun. Jaime almost laughed. Risa had no idea how close to the truth she was. Which reminded him, “You had lunch with my aunt?”

“Dude, yeah. And she’s, like, so cool. If you’re related to so many cool people -- myself and Ro included, obviously -- how did you turn out like this?” 

He could hear Risa laugh on the other line and just rolled his eyes. He glanced down at his notebook where he’d written a collection of words: cursed, Cyclops, dryads in Acadia? The latter was underlined several times, whether from surprise or excitement, Jaime couldn’t remember. He realized his sister had started speaking again. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” 

“I was saying, if you were paying attention, that we went to Geddy’s -- that veg place on Main? -- for lunch and she was telling me about some fancy neo-classical city? New Athens or some shit like that, I think. In New York. Is that where you live? Ro told me you were like, weirdly into Greek mythology one time. But honestly, that tracks with some of the stuff I’ve seen. Hey, how come your aunt was looking for me, not you? She said something about mist but it was. like, not even a foggy day. We could see out over the harbor. Crystal clear.”

“The Mist,” Jaime correctly automatically, then pinched the bridge of his nose. The list in his notebook grew longer as their call stretched on. “I don’t know,” he admitted, in response to Risa’s question about his aunt. “Did she tell you her name?”

“Artemis? Which I was like hello, weird, since I was literally just thinking about you and your Greek mythology phase. I asked if she was David’s sister and she said ‘if that’s what he’s calling himself now’. Do estranged siblings run in your side of the family or something?”

At that, Jaime made a choking sound, staring at his phone. The resulting crow of laughter from his sister made it clear that she’d been expecting, no, hoping for that reaction. 

“Just messing with you, Jay. Relax. Anyway. She’s got this, like, wild grrl gang of hikers that travel the country? Gave me a pamphlet, told me to consider it. She said I could tell Rowan too, but when I did, Ro didn’t seem to care at all. She’s just got art school on the brain, I think. Your aunt had told me that would happen, said that the Mist was thicker around our sweet baby sister. But, uh, do you know what the Mist is? I’m, like, pretty sure you do since you corrected me a minute ago.”

“I-”

“Yeah that’s what I thought. So anyway, Aunt Artemis said you’re a demigod. Guess your dad’s name isn’t really David, huh? Last I checked, there’s no Greek god of boring dad names. Care to fill me in? Is that why I’ve seen some weird, like, mythological creatures around the harbor when we were growing up? Oh and Grandma Hana says hi.”

A distressed sound escaped Jaime’s lips. He had forgotten his sister’s habit of bouncing from subject to subject and here it was, smacking him in the face with more new information than he could handle at the moment. Christmas wishes had been exchanged with his grandmother the day before, so he didn’t have to worry about acknowledging that topic, thankfully. His brain was working in overdrive and he could practically feel Risa’s impatience, the longer he was silent.

“Jaime,” she prompted. 

He sighed, massaging his temples as he stared down at his phone. “His name isn’t David, it’s Apollo. Artemis’ brother. They aren’t named after the Greek gods, they are the Greek gods. So yes, that makes me a demigod. And it sounds like...you can probably see through the Mist. At least a little more than most mortals.”

“Holy shit. And you never thought ‘hey maybe I should tell my sister this super freaking weird but also totally cool thing about me’? What the shit, Jaime!”

He opened his mouth to tell her that he hadn’t known until after he left, until after he read the letter their mother had left for him, but Risa was steamrolling ahead.

“Wait...wait, so that was the Artemis? Your aunt is the Artemis? And she- and she invited me to join her immortal Hunt?” He heard a muffled shriek, like she had covered the receiver with her hand. A small smile spread across his face. “Well, I’m saying yes...obviously.”

“Okay, hold on a second there. That’s a big decision, don’t you think you shou-”

“Oh no, no. I’m going to stop you right there. You don’t get to play the big brother card here, Jay. You don’t get to keep secrets for years and then tell me I need to think about accepting an offer from a goddess. And don’t say some shit about me looking after Rowan. She doesn’t need anyone to look after her. You’d know that if you were here. Honestly, she does a better job looking after me than I do her. Shit, wait. Does that mean Dad’s not crazy? Did you really make all those people sick all the time? Did you...make Mom sick? Isn’t Apollo the god of healing?”

“I wasn’t playing the big brother card!” He protested weakly. As she continued, Jaime blanched. Several times. First at the mention of his absence, then at the mention of Charles’ theories, and again at the mention of their mother. “I’m sorry,” he started, hoping Risa understood that he was apologizing for leaving. They would have more time to unpack that later, he figured. 

"Charles is definitely still crazy. I didn’t make all those people sick. Mom either. I, uh, I only did it once. Made someone sick, I mean. It was a boy that bullied me at school during the years Mom was sick and Charles wouldn’t listen to me about it. One day the kid was beating me up and hitting me and, and I, I don’t know what happened. I pushed him and pushed? I don’t know, energy? At him, and I gave him the chicken pox or something, at least I think that’s what the school said. Chicken pox,” he scoffed, ducking his head, despite the fact that Risa couldn’t see him. “He’s the god of many things. Music, the arts, the sun. Healing, yeah, but plague and illness is the flip side of that.”

“Like the plague arrows he shot at the Greeks. Before you say anything, yes, I’ve read the Iliad. And The Song of Achilles, which, if you haven’t read it, you have to.” As if realized she’d gotten off track, Risa was quiet for a moment. Jaime was thankful she didn’t push him on the subject of his powers; he wasn’t sure what he would have said if she had. When his sister spoke again, she sounded farther away, her voice detached. “Artemis told me there are other children of Apollo. You have other family.”

It wasn’t a question, it was an accusation -- that was clear. When Jaime answered, he sounded tired. “I do, yeah.” Though his sister couldn’t see it, his expression was one of regret. “But it’s, it’s not like that, Ris.”

“I didn’t ask what it was like,” she snapped. After a moment of tense silence, he could hear her sigh. “I’m going to contact Artemis. Learn as much about your world as she’ll tell me. And then I’m going to join the Hunt.”

With a click, the line went dead. 

Jaime stared at his phone in silence until the screen darkened, battery dead as well. He heaved a sigh, detangling himself from his desk chair to plug his phone into the cord on his nightstand to charge. So much for recharging, he thought to himself, knowing his own battery was dangerously low. Exhaling a groan, Jaime sunk onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling once more. To the constellations on his ceiling, he murmured, “That went about as well as it could have, all thing considered.”

[caroline18mars]

A Man On Fire - Chapter 61

With her legs shaking, she walked down the stairs, money was running a little too low again to keep ordering in, going out and getting groceries was cheaper, the only problem was that she hadn't really gone out for what? Days? Weeks? Ok, here you go, she pulled open the door and slowly stepped out onto the pavement where she was nearly run over by a guy on a bike. Hello New York, she rolled her eyes and carefully went on her way to the local supermarket, it was freezing but the sun was out, normally this would be her kind of weather, but being a bit undercome, right now it only gave her a headache. Stop moping, just keep walking, get your muscles going again and enjoy doing something brainless and totally simple, the only thing you have to do is make a choice in groceries. The supermarket was crowded and noisy and for a second she hesitated, maybe she should do this another time, no, just go in and let yourself get human again, she took a shopping basket and started her round, fresh vegetables, fruit, water, bread, vitamines were on the menu of priorities. Slowly she walked through the aisles, loading up her basket she started to make her way to the check-out, “hello Miss, haven't seen you in a while, how was Europe?” the cashier who she always had a little chat with every time she came here smiled at her. And just like that, the wind was knocked out of her “uhmm, fine yeah” what else was she supposed to say? My lover dragged me across Europe, cheating on me without me knowing and having a good laugh about it?. “It must be so nice to have such a famous man in your life, I saw some pictures of you two..I follow his instagram you see..” Ok enough, she quickly pushed all her purchases in her carrier bags “what's the damage?” she quickly cut her off and didn't wait for her answer, swiping her card through the machine. Out of breath and on the verge of hyperventilating she stumbled out of the supermarket and back onto the pavement, there was no escaping him, she could run from him all she could, but she couln't outrun social media and his followers while all she wanted was to disappear from view and get her anonymity back.

What time was it in NY? Would she be up yet? Oh come on, think Jared, you're in LA, ok hours earlier in NY right? Oh fuck it, he tapped on her number and held the phone to his ear, he could actually hear the blood pump through his head. “You've reached Harper's voicemail, please leave a message after the beep”, goddamn voicemail “Hey babe..it's me..again..I wanted to wish you a happy birthday..I just wish I was there with you..but..anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you..and I love you..very much..please forgive me..so..happy birthday honey..I love you” he breathed and slowly disconnected the call. That's when it got too much for him, he sank down on a chair at his kitchen counter and cried his eyes out,  on the other side of the country, Harper stepped down from her scaffolding to wash out some brushes, a little break, she had been going for hours and she was hungry, on her way to the kitchen she turned the heating up a few notches and held her cold hands above the heating, they were cramping up and she wanted to keep going tonight. She sat down with a glass of wine and her cupcake that she had saved, 'happy birthday to me' she sadly smiled and slowly took a bite from the sweet treat, her eyes drifted over her kitchen, she needed to do dishes soon..her phone..leave it..but like a magnet she reached for the device, ignore the mails..she took another bite of her cake and let the phone vibrate back to life..maybe take some pictures of the progress on her paintings. What the..once again her screen piled up with notifications..her voicemail was full? Great, start deleting then..but she must have pushed a wrong button because suddenly Jared's voice drifted through the room on speaker “Hey babe..it's me..again..I wanted to wish you a happy birthday..I just wish I was there with you..but..anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you..and I love you..very much..please forgive me..so..happy birthday honey..I love you”. She nearly choked as her throat went completely dry and painful, tears bubbling up in her eyes..he remembered..stupid fuck..so saying happy birthday was gonna make it all better? Fuck you, Jared..the only way to stop him is to reply..just not now..there's more important things at hand like finishing a couple of paintings.

It's pointless so stop checking your phone, he put it down but then there was a bleep, her bleep and his breath got stuck in his throat

From: HCDeRobiano

To: BJLCubbins

Subject: stop

Jared,

stop blowing up my phone, I'm not interested in this huge charm operation, I can't handle it.

You did what you did, so there's nothing to talk about anymore.

Leave me alone, ok? Let my heart heal, I'm done with having you splatter it over the floor and me having to scrape it back together, even telling you this is probably causing you to have to biggest gloating session ever witnessed because that's how you roll isn't it?

And that was a rhetorical question, so in case you don't know what that is: I don't need an answer, so kindly refrain from mocking me and driving the knife in even deeper.

Harper

Fuck..his stomach plummeted in his chest and dark spots danced in front of his eyes, no..babe please..what did I expect though? She's over me, she's over..US..I can't go on like this, I just can't..I'm never gonna see you again, am I? Harper Coco De Robiano d'Arby, this just can't be true.

“Hey, wanna come and help unload the Christmas tree? Mom's just arrived, it's huge” Shannon waltzed inside the kitchen, stopping in his tracks when he saw his baby brother sitting there with his face buried in his arms. “What's going on?” he sat down next to him and saw the phone still clutched in his hand “Harper?” stupid question, who else could bring him down like this? He'd seen his share of Jared's breakups, but this one? Oh no, he'd never seen him in this state, he was actually suffering. Jared slowly raised his head and shrugged, he couldn't talk, couldn't get himself to actually say something, what was there left to say? “OK, I get it..all the more reason to stop moping and come help us decorate that damn tree, it'll take your mind of things, and if that doesn't work then we can always go out afterwards and drink ourselves into a stupor? See, I'm full of brilliant ideas, so come on”

”So she actually replied”? Shannon was surprised to see him nod, the flames in the fire basket at the back of the garden lit up the lines on Jared's face, “yeah..she hates..no she loathes me, doesn't want to have anything to do with me” his lips turned to the thinnest line while he stared into the fire, lost in his thoughts. “Maybe she feels a bit..overwhelmed by your calls and stuff..give her a little time” he was running out of things to say, “how much time and how much space can I give her? I haven't seen or spoke to her in weeks..it's her birthday and..just the thought that she has to spend it on her own is killing me”. Jared ran his hand over his face “we'll never even get a first Christmas together”, that's when the light in Shannon's head popped on “but we're in New York then..you could go see her” he hopefully raised his eyebrows like he had found the ultimate solution. “NO!!” Jared shot up out of his seat like he was stung by a bee “forget it, I'm not going over there..I can't handle her rejection again, no, no way, no fuckin' way!” his chair toppled over as he ended the conversation by stomping back over to the house.

Harper yawned over her cup of coffee, she didn't get much sleep after what happened yesterday, no don't think about it, block it from your mind, her eye fell on the small pile of post that she had dropped on the kitchen counter after her daily walk to the bakery. Slowly she started rummaging through it, bills, bills, just when she was about to push it away again, there was a beautiful envelope with a swirly handwriting, bitten with curiosity she carefully opened it. It was a personal invitation from the owner of the biggest and most renowned art gallery of New York inviting her to his Christmas dinner/party, every year she would stare at the pictures of the same most exclusive party in glossy magazines. She kept reading as the letter was completely personalized, saying that he saw her work on Instagram and that he was looking forward to meeting her and talk about the future..whatwhatwhat? She had to re-read that last line to make absolutely sure she didn't read that wrong. Oh god, should I actually go? I don't know anyone there and going over there alone, stressssss..she took a deep breath, fuck it Harper, just go, you get this one big shot to get your work exposed so what if you're alone? Do you really want to spend christmas eve on your own again with chinese take away? Or do you put on a nice dress and get yourself out there and be around colleagues and kindred spirits? You'll meet new people, it'll be a start to move on, move away from everything that had happened, it's just dinner and you love to dance? She took a pen and filled out the rsvp card, licked the envelope, OMG I actually have plans for christmas now..she pushed herself off her chair and crawled on her scaffolding, let's finish this baby, she grinned for the first in a long time, strange how a stupid thing like an invitation could actually put the light on again.

Jared stood in front of the mirror fidgeting with that stupid bow tie, “Jared? You ready? The car is waiting” Shayla hammered on the door, sighing he walked over and yanked it open, “I would be if you would fix this bloody thing around my neck” he growled at her. Rolling her eyes she pushed him back inside the room and slowly started to tie the fabric in the right way, plucking it a little “there, you look..really handsome” as she admired her work. “Thanks” he whispered, but he knew she was lying when he looked in the mirror again, his long hair was tied back in a low messy bun and he was wearing a designer tux and on the outside none of this pain and heartache was visible except for a few extra lines on his face, but inside..he felt so empty and broken. Come on, you can do this, it's just dinner and a party, the usual small talk with friends and people he vaguely remembered from last year, pretending to be happy and alright..it's just a couple of hours, not the rest of your life. He buttoned up his jacket and nodded “let's go” before he followed her out of the room, outside it had started snowing really hard and still this big city was as loud and buzzing as ever, an umbrella was popped open above his head and he was escorted to the waiting car. Harper stood in front of the huge window and saw the cab pull up in front of her building, ok, have I got everything, purse, phone for calling a cab later on, money, credit card, cigarettes, all there, she closed her purse, quickly checked her outfit and ran out the door.

[katwriting]

Fic: It’s the little things

My Malec secrent santa gift for the lovely @mel-iorn - she requested some wintery Malec fluff, so that’s what I wrote :)

When Magnus has to go on a business trip to wintery London just a few days before christmas, Alec makes sure he won’t get cold.

Word count: 3817 | Read on AO3

Growing up in the Institute had taught Alec a lot of things. Most importantly how to fight, go on missions and be a good shadowhunter. But there were also plenty of other things he’d learned without his instructors teaching him. For example, that trying to sneak in through the main entrance when Jace and him had been out late was of no use – no matter how small the noise, it would still echo off the old stone walls. Or to not even try and get a decent Wi-Fi signal in the infirmary wing – it was completely pointless.

However, the most important thing he’d learned was to always have warm clothes at hand as soon as the weather became chilly. The concrete walls of the Institute may be a perfect shield against the heat during summer, but they absorbed every bit of warm air inside as well. Moreover, the heating pipes in the Institute were ancient and didn’t help with heating up the rooms.  And the electric heaters most of the Institute’s permanent residents set up in their bedrooms as soon as November rolled around could only do so much.

So warm clothing during winter it was. For Alec, that didn’t really pose as a problem, he had long gotten used to the quite chilly temperatures in the Institute.

Magnus, however, was an entirely different story.

Ever since they had made up after defeating Valentine, Alec had spent most of his nights at Magnus’ place. The warlock joked about Alec having practically moved in by now, and if Alec was being completely honest with himself, he was right. He rarely stayed at the Institute anymore, only when he was too tired to get to Magnus’ place and the warlock was already sleeping and thus unable to portal him over.

On even rarer occasions, mostly after late night cabinet meetings, they would refrain from going back home altogether and sleep in Alec’s room at the Institute instead.

It had been during one of those impromptu Institute sleepovers that Alec had found out how utterly sensitive Magnus was to temperatures. He had never noticed, since Magnus liked to keep his loft rather warm in order to walk around barefoot or with just a light shirt and sweatpants on (thank the Angel for floor heating). But the first time Magnus had stayed at the Institute, Alec had quickly learned that his boyfriend did not like cold temperatures. He downright despised them.

As soon as Magnus had gotten out of Alec’s bathroom, a cloud of steam trailing behind him, and set a foot onto the floor, he had breathed in sharply and then sent Alec his most judgmental look. “Seriously, Alexander, when will the Clave finally see the necessity of floor heating in a place like this.”

Alec had just chuckled before getting up from where he’d been sitting on the bed checking his notifications and dropped his phone on the nightstand. “Probably the day installing it in here will not cost a fortune anymore.”

“So…never.”

Alec had grinned when he passed Magnus on his way to the bathroom and stopped to drop a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s lips. “Exactly.”

However, several minutes later, that smug smile had left Alec’s face quite quickly. As soon as he had gotten into bed, Magnus had cuddled up to him – and shoved his ice-cold toes underneath Alec’s calves.

Alec had hissed at the feeling. “Angel, Magnus! Your toes are freezing!””

Magnus’ voice had been muffled from where he had tucked his head into his pillow. “So is your floor. And this entire room, for the record. So hush and let me warm up.”

Alec had snorted. “Fine by me, but will you let me get comfortable first?”

Magnus’ hair tickled Alec’s face as he’d shaken his head firmly. “No. You suggested we sleep here, so it’s your fault that I’m cold in the first place. Now live with the consequences, darling."

Alec had rolled his eyes, but turned his head to kiss Magnus’ forehead anyway. Who was he to deny his boyfriend something as simple as this – especially when he sounded so adorably cute from where he was hidden underneath a good 70% of Alec’s comforter.

+++

After that night, they had gone back to sleeping at Magnus’ place for most of the time again. That way, Magnus didn’t have to worry about getting cold anymore, and Alec didn’t have to suffer through the consequences of his boyfriend being cold. Moreover, they both enjoyed this arrangement way too much to change it – Magnus’ spacious, but comfy Brooklyn loft beat the Institute at any time.

On the few occasions they did sleep at the Institute, Magnus soon found a way for himself to avoid being cold, besides always having at least two pairs of fluffy socks stored away in Alec’s closet: borrowing Alec’s clothes. Or, in Magnus’ case, taking them from Alec’s closet and never returning them. It became a habit which soon expanded to beyond the Institute’s walls.

It started out innocently enough, when Alec came home one evening, only to find Magnus standing in front of the stove, stirring the pumpkin soup he’d promised Alec for dinner. Alec had had a rough day at the Institute and was so happy to finally be home that he didn’t even pay attention to what Magnus was wearing. He only got suspicious when he had already wrapped his arms around the warlock from behind and found that the sweatshirt he was wearing looked a) slightly too big on him and b) was so well-worn that Magnus would have gotten rid of it months ago if it had been his.

When he asked Magnus about it, the warlock just shrugged.  “I was cold and it was lying over the back of the couch. So I borrowed it. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, not at all. It looks kind of cute on you, to be honest.”

Magnus chuckled and turned his head so he could softly peck Alec’s lips without having to let go of the pot and the spoon. “Thank you, darling. You know how much I love a good compliment. Especially if they come from you.”

It wasn’t until another few weeks later that Alec realized why exactly Magnus seemed to love wearing his clothes so much.

They had gotten through another cabinet meeting, but this time, it had gone anything but well. That was mostly due to the Seelie Queen being present and making everybody feel uneasy, but there had also been some quite touch subjects on Alec’s agenda – topics that none of the downworlders had taken all too well. They’d had to negotiate every single point and as soon Luke was satisfied with the outcome, Raphael had thrown in a concern, which had Magnus go through the roof and so on.

They had ended up yelling at each other, until Alec had ended the meeting, resulting to his guests storming out of the Institute, Magnus included. Alec stayed back there for another while, trying to sort the tiny amount of results the meeting had brought despite the fighting, and got some paperwork done.

When he finally got home (after a very firm hint from Izzy that she would kick him out if he didn’t leave on his own really soon), the loft was quiet. Most of the lights were switched off, save for their bedroom, where Magnus was lounging on his side of the bed, legs crossed and reading glasses on, flipping through an ancient looking book. When Alec entered the room, he looked up and smiled at him. His voice sounded soft and relaxed when he spoke. “Hey.”

“Hi”, Alec sighed as he toed off his shoes and left them at the doorstep. He walked over to the bed and laid down on his own side. “Quite a day, huh?”

Magnus huffed out a laugh. “Quite a day indeed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Luke and Raphael be so angry at each other.”

Alec cringed at the memory of the vast amount of shouting and insults that had filled the Institute’s meeting room just a few hours earlier. Or the one of Magnus storming out of the Institute, absolutely furious. “Don’t remind me of that. Magnus, look, I –“

Magnus closed his book and put it on the nightstand, then turned on his side so he could face his boyfriend. “Alexander, I’m going to stop you right there. I know things didn’t go the way you wanted them to tonight and that I got a little…agitated, but I’m not mad at you. Today was just a rough day at work, nothing you have to worry about. Okay?”

Alec smiled, then leaned over to Magnus so he could give him a soft kiss. “Thanks for not being mad.”

Magnus didn’t reply, just shook his head and smiled at Alec. He leaned back against the headboard and pulled Alec into his chest, carding his fingers through his disheveled hair. Alec cuddled into him all too gladly, resting his head on his chest and draped an arm over his torso. He started playing with the half-opened zipper of the faded gray hoodie Magnus was wearing, until he suddenly stopped and frowned.

“Babe?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s my hoodie again, isn’t it?”

Alec craned his neck so he could look at Magnus, and was met with a downright bashful smile. “Uh…no?”, Magnus tried and brought up his free hand to fidget with his ear cuff. However, when Alec just sent him his most unimpressed glare, he sighed. “Okay, yeah, it is. I borrowed it again because…” He paused and bit his lip. “If I tell you, do you promise you won’t laugh?”

“You know I would never laugh at you.”

Now it was Magnus’ turn to tilt his head to the side and look at his boyfriend with one eyebrow raised, his eyes flickering with a silent, sarcastic Seriously?.    

“Okay, sometimes I do”, Alec admitted. “But not when it’s serious. Which this seems to be. So go ahead.”

There was a small pause before Magnus answered. When he did, his voice had an odd, guarded tone to it, which Alec hadn’t heard in a long while. Magnus had sounded like that back when they had started dating and he hadn’t been sure about what to tell Alec and what rather to keep to himself.

Magnus sighed. “I suppose I always steal your sweaters because they make me feel…safe. I don’t really know how to describe it.” He breathed out and paused again. “But when I put them on, it feels like you’re there with me, even when you’re not. And that makes me feel better, especially after situations like tonight.”

“I make you feel safe?”

Magnus closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. When he opened them again, his gaze met an impossibly soft look from Alec’s hazel eyes. “Alexander, I love you. Of course you make me feel safe.”

Alec looked at him for a long moment, his expression turning impossibly soft. “I love you too”, he murmured as he pushed up on his elbow so he could lean in and press a gentle kiss against Magnus’ lips. “By the way”, he added when he pulled away, “you can totally borrow as many sweaters as you like. Whether you need them to make you feel safe or not.”

“Well in that case, I think I’m going to take you up on that offer”, Magnus chuckled and then leaned in for another kiss that made his heartbeat fasten and both of their skins tingle.

As Alec soon found out, Magnus was a man of his word. Alec didn’t really mind it, though – he always knew where to look for his clothes if a piece of them went missing. And to be fair, he quite liked the sight of his boyfriend wearing his clothes.

December had been quite cold this year, and more often than not, Alec came home to Magnus dressed down to sweatpants, a loose t-shirt and one of Alec’s hoodies, his face free of makeup and all the product in his hair removed so the black strands would fall softly into his eyes. The shadowhunter loved Magnus’ sense of style and tasteful outfits, but he enjoyed even more coming home to this relaxed, toned-down version of his boyfriend. Especially since he was the only one who got to see him like this.

+++

As much as Alec enjoyed sleeping at Magnus’ place, he didn’t really like it that much when the warlock wasn’t there. Unfortunately, that was precisely what he was going to deal with for a little while. Magnus had been invited to a warlock conference in London and would be gone for a couple of days. Which meant that Alec was going to have the place to himself. And which also meant that Magnus needed an entire afternoon to pack.

Alec always thought that to an outsider, watching Magnus pack his stuff must be hilarious.  Magnus strode around the loft, transporting whichever objects he deemed necessary for his trip into the suitcase using his magic. While doing so, he made a point of dragging other warlocks he was going to see at that conference, and whom he couldn’t stand if his life depended on it. Alec was folding laundry in their bedroom and smirked as Magnus’ voice resounded through the apartment, going through tale after tale, sometimes louder, sometimes softer, depending on how far away he was.

After a while, and many different shirts and pants magically appearing in the opened suitcase on their bed, Magnus stopped dragging other warlocks and went on to complaining about warlock conferences in general and London in particular, how it was “way too cold there, right now. I mean, New York is no better, but still. Why couldn’t they do this in California? Could have been an excellent opportunity to check on my beach house, which reminds me – Alexander, how do you feel about spending a few days in California soon? If I don’t freeze to death in London, that is.”

Alec chuckled and shook his head as Magnus appeared in the doorway and went on to drop a bag of toiletries into the suitcase – without any magic this time. When Magnus had sauntered out of the room again, Alec blindly reached into the laundry basket and paused when he realized what he had just pulled out – it was the light gray, well-worn hoodie Magnus loved to steal.

He held the piece of clothing for a moment, looking at it, and after a split second decision, put it into Magnus’ bag. He managed to hide it underneath a few shiny silk shirts just in time before the warlock’s steps got closer to the bedroom again.

Busying himself with another sweatshirt that needed to be folded, he tried to make his voice sound as unsuspicious as possible when Magnus walked in with a pair of shoes in hand. “You got everything?”

“Yeah, I just need to put these in there and I’m not sure if I packed my purple belt”, Magnus replied, his voice trailing off into a low murmur towards the end. He bent over the bed and started going through the suitcase. “Have you seen it?”

Alec bit his lip and watched the warlock as he suddenly stopped rummaging through the suitcase and stared at something inside it, his brows furrowed and confusion written over his face. He pulled out a folded piece of clothing Alec knew all too well. “What’s that?”

“Uh…my gray sweatshirt. The one you always steal?”, Alec offered, a smirk already pulling at his lips.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know that. What I was aiming for with that question – how did it get into my suitcase?” He raised an eyebrow and looked expectantly at Alec.

Alec sighed and discarded the pair of jeans he’d held, so he could walk over to Magnus. He reached out and threaded his fingers through Magnus’ belt loops so he could pull him in. “I put it in there”, he admitted, eyes soft and voice barely more than a murmur. “So you won’t get cold in London. And so you won’t feel alone there.”

“So I won’t get cold in…”, Magnus repeated, and then just looked at Alec, speechless. The shadowhunter smiled at him, his gaze calm and sure. Magnus, however, seemed like he had frozen on the spot. He stared at Alec for a moment, his features being a neutral mask, before his lips pulled into a bright smile and he crashed into Alec, hugging him as tight could. Magnus hid his face in the crook of Alec’s neck and planted a kiss on the delicate skin there. “Thank you”, he mumbled and practically melted into Alec when the shadowhunter started rubbing his hands up and down Magnus’ back. “You’re the best. I love you so much.”

+++

It took Magnus another hour to get the packing done – which was partly Alec’s fault – but eventually, they stood in the hallway, Magnus with a sharp black coat on and the gigantic suitcase next to him – and Alec wrapped up in his arms.

“And you’re sure you will be back in time for Christmas? I know it’s…mundane, but I’d love for us to celebrate together.”

Magnus silenced his boyfriend with a sweet kiss. “Alexander”, he muttered, looking at the shadowhunter with an impossibly soft glance, “of course I’ll be here. It’s our first Christmas together. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Alec’s lips pulled into a soft smile. “Okay then. Have fun in London, don’t annoy Ragnor too much and make sure you’ll come back to me soon.”

The hallway got lit up by a soft purple glow as Magnus pulled up a portal. “Well, I obviously can’t make any promises about Ragnor – that old British grump hasn’t returned my calls for weeks, he’s due for some pestering.”

He turned towards Alec to kiss him one more time.  “I love you. See you next week.”

“I love you too. Now go, before I change my mind and make you stay.”

+++

A few days later, Alec realized that being without Magnus not only made him miss the warlock like crazy, but it also made him grumpy.

Sleeping at the loft without Magnus there felt odd, so he had resorted to moving back into his old room for the week. As a result, people started realizing that Alec was back at the Institute 24/7 and that they could annoy him with silly requests and questions all day long again (which applied especially to Jace, who seemed to enjoy barging into Alec’s room at whatever day- or nighttime he deemed necessary).

This resulted in Alec getting hardly any sleep and being in a bad mood most of the time, snapping at everyone who dared as much as ask him something he was not responsible for.

By the time the day of Magnus’ return rolled around, Alec was a sleep-deprived, grumpy mess and couldn’t wait to get back to the comfortable, relaxed, Jace-free calm of Magnus’ apartment. He couldn’t wait for the place to feel like home again, and not just like some place that was missing its most essential piece. Although Magnus and him had texted and called each other throughout the week, it just had not been the same.

About an hour before Magnus would be back, Alec cleared his desk at his office, said goodbye to Izzy and then, finally, headed towards a certain glamoured loft in Brooklyn Heights. He was just about done setting the table for dinner when he finally heard the familiar whoosh of a portal opening in the loft and then the soft thud of feet stepping onto carpet. Dropping the cutlery he had been holding onto the table and ignoring the terrible noise that motion made, Alec turned on his heels and headed towards the living room. He let out a breath of relief when he stepped into the room and saw Magnus right there, in person and finally back home.

Alec didn’t even get the chance to huff out a greeting when he already had his arms full of warlock. His own arms looped around Magnus’ back on instinct, and hugged him back as tight as he could. The warmth of Magnus’ body seeped through his clothes as Alec closed his eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of cologne, sandalwood and laundry detergent. His heartbeat thumped against his ribcage rapidly and warmth bubbled up in his chest, as if his body wanted to let him know that, just in case he had forgotten, Magnus was finally back where he belonged.  

When Alec opened his eyes, Magnus had pulled away from him and looked at him with a big smile on his face. “Alexander”, he said, the name tinted with affection.

“Hey”, Alec replied and tilted his head down so he could finally greet his boyfriend properly. He let the kiss linger, and it turned a bit more passionate than he had aimed for, but Alec was perfectly fine with that.

His voice sounded slightly breathy when he spoke again. “How was London?”

“Cold. Rainy. Ragnor is an old, boring man. I missed you. How was New York?”

“Terrible. I missed you too. Jace is an idiot.”

“Tell me something I don’t know”, Magnus teased and Alec let out a hearty laugh, feeling a weight lifting from his chest. The past week may have taken its toll on him, but now that Magnus was back, he could feel all the stored-up tension slowly fade away and leave only a light, happy mood in its wake. It was ridiculous, really, missing Magnus that much even though he had been away for barely a week, but Alec could not care less.

What he did care about though, was when he (quite a while later) found out that Magnus had brought him a gift. A purple Christmas sweater. The ugliest purple Christmas sweater Alec had ever seen, to be precise.

Alec snorted when he’d unwrapped it and held it out in front of him. “Really?”

Magnus smirked. “The color suits you. And it’s about time I start making up for stealing so many of yours, don’t you think?”

Alec laughed and then let the sweater slide back onto the comforter. He turned to Magnus, put one hand against his neck and let the other rest against his ribs, using the leverage to push him back onto the mattress. “Thank you”, he breathed against his boyfriend’s lips before closing the tiny bit of distance between them for another languid kiss. “I love it.”

The sweater may be one of the ugliest things Alec had ever seen in his life. But it was a gift from Magnus – so what did he care? It wasn’t that bad, and he was slowly starting to warm up to the idea of Christmas anyway.

[thedarkenedkeeper]

Alright, it's 6:40 P.M., I'm stuck in 2017 for the next 5 hours and 20 minutes, but whatever, I figured I'd take the time to actually make a list of the highlights of this year (which I will admit, is a tad hard to do given how my brain usually finds it easier to pinpoint the negative stuff first). I was originally thinking of making a bit of a video of me actually talking about it all - you know, so I feel like I'm actually pouring my heart out to you guys and like I'm talking to some close friends - but alas, I'm a socially anxious bean who just doesn't have that sort of bravery just yet, so I'm sticking with typing this all out! I'm sorry! XD

This may be a bit of a long post, so if no one reads this, I don't care. I just felt the need to do this - it's good to pinpoint the good memorable things versus the negative. So here I go!

1) Getting myself into watching not just Jack and Mark but other YouTubers as well. I started watching Jack and Mark around the end of November/earlier December of last year, but I never actually started watching one video a day until some time in January, and it was around that time when I also decided to give other YouTubers a chance as well (Pewdiepie, Crankgameplays, NateWantsToBattle, danisnotonfire, AmazingPhil, and Thomas Sanders). Now it may seem weird that I've added this to my list, but if anyone has seen any of my past posts, then you know that the last three years for me were an emotional hell, and admittedly, I still have unexpected depressing episodes every now and again. Discovering these guys and watching them, while they don't take away all of my pain permanently, they do manage to give me a distraction whenever I'm being WAY too hard on myself. They manage to calm me down and remind me that it's okay, that I'm not alone, and I can get through whatever it is I'm going through. Honestly, I don't even want to think about where I'd be right now if I hadn't decided to start watching any of them. Each year seemed to get worse in terms of how I was treating myself mentally - I REALLY do not want to imagine what I'd be going through right now if I didn't start watching their videos.

 2) On the topic of introducing myself to YouTubers' videos, this all gave me motivation to start drawing again! I absolutely LOVE the whole "dark side of YouTube" idea, and as such, I got overcome with a bunch of creativity to go and create drawings of each YouTuber I watch with their evil counterpart. It was a lot of fun, especially since it was a challenge - testing my ability of drawing real people in different poses with different facial expressions. (I still have to finish Mark/Dark's drawing - it will eventually get done).

 3) My tattoo. My first ever tattoo, one of which I designed...This...Honestly, I NEVER would've thought I'd ever get a tattoo, especially at this age no less. I was always afraid of how much pain I'd be in, plus having to choose something that would be PERMENTANTLY put on your body seemed like such an incredibly hard decision to make. But earlier in the year, given how Jack and Mark had actually managed to help me out quite a bit, I began contemplating about getting a tattoo - one that would look both cool and artistically pleasing, as well as have a lot of meaning put into it. I tossed the idea back and forth in my mind for about 4 months, until one night I had a full-blown mental breakdown. And during that time, I looked at my bare left arm and immediately knew then and there that I NEEDED to get the tattoo done. I wanted it on my arm so if and when I'd ever have another meltdown and be too hard on myself, I could look at it and remind myself that I'm stronger than I know and that I'm not alone. I've had this thing since July 8th, and I'm still so VERY HAPPY with it. I absolutely adore it with all my heart, and I couldn't be any happier with how it came out :)

 4) THE ANTIPOCALYPSE. Holy shit, I swear, of everything that happened this year, the Antipocalypse was the highlight of my year. That was the most fun I had in a long time. I mean, yeah, we all completely lost our minds. We lost sleep and went insane with paranoia for a month and a half, getting increasingly more on edge as it neared August 3rd, but man, it was so much fun having the whole community come together to theorize, create fanart, fanfictions, edits, you name it! And that's not all - there was also the first SepticArt event, which I ACTUALLY participated in. That's another thing why the Antipocalypse means so much to me - it's what got me out of my shell, it's what ACTUALLY got me involved in the community. It got me into making a few theories, some fanart, my first ever fanfic, and I met so many amazing people, many of which I now call close friends :) It's funny, there's some irony there - Anti's evil and chaotic and drove us insane, but at the same time, in some way, he "saved" me. If it hadn't been for him, I'd probably still be a "nobody" in the community, someone just watching from the sidelines.

 5) My Antisepticeye horror fanfiction, "Glitched". This...Just like with my drawing, for the last three years, I had pretty much lost any and all motivation to write, and it was HORRIBLE. Drawing and writing are my passions, and without them, I'm pretty much dead inside. But then the Antipocalypse happened, and inspiration hit me like a truck! I came up with a theory - the idea of us, the community, being the REAL villain, not Anti - and I loved it so much that I was overcome with the need to write a story about it. I was VERY hesitant to do it, given how I'd never written fanfiction before, let alone share my writing with anyone, but the idea was eating away at me so I caved. I ended up writing a oneshot titled "Broken", which ended up becoming the first chapter to "Glitched". I was floored when I woke up the next morning to see so many people loving it, so I wrote another chapter, and then another, and then another, until I was finally like "Fuck it! Let's see how far I can take this". I had absolutely NO intentions of taking that oneshot and making it into a full-fledged story, but everyone gave me the motivation I needed. Jack gave me the inspiration I needed to write the oneshot, and the community gave me the motivation and encouragement to take that idea and expand on it. Also, whenever I say "Glitched is my baby", I mean it. "Glitched" is my first attempt at quite a lot of things - my first attempt at fanfiction, my first attempt at angst, my first attempt at horror, my first attempt at really graphic gory scenes, my first attempt at surgical operations, my first attempt at realism, and when I end up writing Part 18, my first attempt at a battle/fight sequence. I REALLY want to be a horror author some day, and from the responses "Glitched" has gotten, I know I'm doing something right :)

 6) Okay, excluding all of the pornbots and any other bot really, I have a total of 333 followers, and I honestly have no IDEA how that happened or why any of you are following me! I did the math - before the Antipocalypse, before I began writing "Glitched", I had about 48 followers. I was a nobody in the community - I would just stay off to the sidelines, watching and reblogging, but never actually participating and contributing anything. But ever since I started writing "Glitched" in earlier August, from August 2nd up until now, I have gained 285 followers! 285! HOW the actual fuck and WHY the actual fuck?! I'm baffled! In comparison to some of the people I follow, 333 is not really a big number, but to me, it's huge! I feel like a celebrity, and I don't know how to correctly react to this! I've met so many incredible people ever since the Antipocalypse started, so many of which I call close friends, and I love you all so much :)

 7) All of October. I'm talking the Inktober/Egotober/Anti-Awareness Month stuff. Even though Anti didn't really show up (except for in the Silent Movie video), I absolutely LOVED how a majority of the community decided to dedicate the entire month of October to him and came together to make a bunch of fanart for him. And if you couldn't draw, then you wrote fanfiction, and if you couldn't write, then you did edits. Either way, there was a flood of Anti posts, and not just Anti but the other egos as well and it was INCREDIBLE. I had never participated in Inktober before so I decided to take part in it this year, and even though I only managed to get 13 drawings done, it was A LOT of fun. Taking prompts and making a challenge out of it, using pens instead of lead pencil (something I'm not used to) was such a blast! Oh man, I can't WAIT until next October to do it again! :D

 8) The fact that Jack ACTUALLY saw and liked the first drawing I did for Inktober! Okay, I know if may seem a bit like I'm coming off having wanted his attention or something, but I swear, that's not it. I have never once made any of my fanart with the pure intent of wanting to get Jack's or anyone else's attention; it's always been out of fun, always out of just wanting to draw for the sake of drawing. So when it came to the first day of Inktober and I posted my drawing, I tagged Jack just because I felt like dedicating the drawing to him. He gets tagged in SO many things, I didn't think there was a chance in hell he would EVER see any of my work, so honestly, my expectations were BEYOND low. I didn't expect him to actually SEE and LIKE my drawing 10 minutes after I had posted it! Man, I got so damn happy when I saw that he liked it, I actually teared up a bit. I didn't know how to react properly to seeing that notification.

 9) The entire Save The Children Christmas charity stream. Granted, I didn't get to watch the actual stream until Jack uploaded it to the channel (I still have to watch the second part!), but after watching it, I regret having not been able to watch it live. I could NOT stop smiling throughout the entire thing. I absolutely loved seeing just how happy everyone was and just how much fun they were having. And in some weird way, I almost felt like I was there(?). Like, I felt like I was hanging out with close friends - like I was off to the sides, watching and laughing at them being the pure goofballs they are. It was such a pure heartwarming, fun time, and seeing the community come together and raise SO much money for the charity and also create a bunch of fanart for it as well was amazing to see. And of course, I can't forget the Overnight Watch. THAT I actually took part in; for 9 hours and 45 minutes - from 8:15 P.M. to 6 A.M. - I sacrificed sleep and sanity to watch the security cameras. And though I lost my mind - though I was INCREDIBLY tired the next day and though I actually got so scared to the point I cried and had to stop watching - the entire thing was surprisingly about as much fun as the Antipocalypse. It's like what a lot of posts I saw said - it was like one big sleepover for the community! Everyone came together to talk to one another and theorize about everything happening. If anyone was getting tired and about to go to bed, someone else would step in and be sure to update everyone with what was going on. It was incredible!

 Those are all the main things that stand out for me this year. I could go on and list a BUNCH of other things that were amazing and made my year, but then I'd truly be making a book out of all of it, so I'm just going to keep it as this.

For anyone who actually read this all, I apologize for just how long this was! What were you thinking? The pain you must've went through reading this entire thing! XD

Tagging the people who welcomed me into this loving community with open arms and who I truly call "close friends" :)

@vity-dream @golden-eyed-guardians @septic-obsessed @fear-is-nameless @haveaverynicetime @septicfallen @maybekatie @steffid101 @adreamoverlife

It's been one hell of a year and I hope everyone of you guys has a Happy New Year. Here's hoping 2018 will be just as amazing :)

Love all of you guys!

[unhappyclient-blog]

John M Edwards from Madison Indiana

John and I started dating in June of 2012. We met through a dating website (POF) and he looked like the perfect guy. We texted all day and talked on the phone for hours every night. He was so sweet and even though we lived 4 hours apart, he surprised me at the most adorable of ways by sending me flowers or stuff like that. In August I moved to west lafayette since I began attending Purdue University. Between him working full time and having drill a weekend of this month (because he is in the military NG), and me going to school all during the week and working on the weekends, we only saw each other one weekend out of the month. But then, things were great. We constantly had the best time together and shared wonderful memories. We would go back and forth composing every other long sweet texts professing our love for each other and it was like a fairy tale. But I discovered it started to stop sometime in january. And when I brought this to his attention, he'd say it was because he had been busy hanging out with a friend and hed send one afterwards, or he fell sleep and forgot. In March of 2013, I found out that I was pregnant. He was supposed to be set up to Egypt that June, but the day after I discovered, his installation was cancelled and I thought it was destiny. I finished out the session and we have an apartment together May in his hometown (4 hours away from all of my loved ones and friends). I moved down there to be with him and begin our family together. I found an excellent job within 2 weeks and things were going great. Then I began to notice changes. He went out every weekend to the bars with his friends, leaving me home alone with nothing to do and nobody to hangout with or talk to. I couldnt go if I wanted to because A) I was only 20. And B) he didnt need me out in crowded public areas because theres a great deal of dumb drunk idiots out there and somebody could bump into me and god forbid it caused any harm to the baby. Well I started becoming suspicious because he would stay out in the bars until 4am, yet they closed at 3. (and in addition, he got a DUI in July after blowing a .15 and had his license suspended for a month and was put on probation for the next year, yet still went out and drank in the pubs anyways because his best friend was a cop) He'd conceal his phone and take it with him when he went to shower or poop. He kept a lock on his telephone that I constantly had the code , but then he began altering it and any moment I'd ask for this, hed get defensive or make up and explanation. And when I figured it out, hed change it again the following moment. One night I had figured out the passcode to his telephone and I unlocked it. I found he had a snapchat from some girl, so I viewed it, and it was a photo of her VAGINA. Not full blown, however, it was a straight shot of her pants unzipped with panties on. Obviously my mouth dropped and I woke him up right then pissed off asking questions (bad thought. Always stay cool and get your ducks in a row first). Nicely he course played it off and stated that she had been just a an ex girlfriend of one of his buddies and he had no clue why she'd send him something like that and that hed obstruct her. Well I knew better, but of course gave him the benefit of the doubt. He then got another part time job to help save extra cash before our daughter was born and had gone to see him one night and the women were quite friendly with me and knew we were together and expecting a child except ONE girl. Well I discovered they were friends on facebook and she too was shot with a kid. Well I added her and she never approved. Then I saw text messages on his phone between the both of them as if they had been attempting to get to know each other (such as you do when you first start talking to somebody asking for pictures, etc). He told me it was his friend in the office texting her from his phone bc his was broken. I knew that was probably bullshit but when we hung out with this friend one evening, I asked him when john had gone into the restroom and he confirmed it, so I let it go. (turns out that he was covering for him) oh and also the best part was that after I finally found out this, I found out that this particular woman lived in the same neighborhood as us, just a street over!! Well he quit that job soon after because he said he didnt like it there and got yet another part time job working in video. (he had worked there before and left on good terms so they hired him right away). Well he worked up until a few days before our daughter was born and then just stopped showing up and finally got fired bc he didnt need to have to work for thanksgiving. Nicely November 2013 comes and I have my girl, the most beautiful little girl in the world. He was right there with me every step along the way, through the 16 and a half an hour of labour. I had her and he remained there with me that the whole 3 days we had been in the hospital. He seemed so filled with love and security (like a father should have) that I thought maybe hed realize that a household is more important than anything or anyone. He'd taken another week off of work so he could stay home and be there with us I had been on paid maternity leave for 6 weeks from my job. He came straight home from work daily and could stay home every weekend (except the evenings he had drill). Well one day his buddys girlfriend (who'd become my very best friend) told me that her boyfriend (johns BEST FRIEND) had informed her one night which John had cheated on me with a woman named Olivia at the Family Video shop where he used to work. That he was shutting one night and she came and watched him and they had sex in one of the temptations (aisle 4 or something as it had no detectors ) and this happened like a week until my daughter was born. Well I was angry since this was the SAME GIRL that'd befriended me months ahead, and we had actually hung out a few times and she came over to our apartment one day after our daughter was born. I thought it was strange how he sat there on his xbox enjoying his game and hardly ackowledged her, and the way she had been absolutely fine with thumping her boob and breastfeeding her 3 month old daughter (Yes, she had a girl, was a year younger than me, and her babys dad wants nothing to do with her or his child ). That his buddy would never state anything like that and that it never occurred. Well, Christmas time comes along with his buddy (the one whos a cop) articles a standing on facebook stating hes drinking with a friend of his and invites john over. John comments on it and says no he cant (because we were sitting there watching a movie) and his friend comments back and says that his hitler-ette had to calm down and quit controlling him. So I awakened on his buddy and he explained that the only reason john was was because I got pregnant and if I was brighter and had used birth control then I wouldnt even be here right now. So john went on his buddy and actually stood me up and I told him I want nothing to do with him at all and that he is not permitted over at our home or to visit our kid. He complied and his buddys title wasnt brought up again and they never hung out (even though they'd made up with eachother and still texted occasionally). Well in february, this exact same friend of his has been caught red handed cheating on his girlfriend (my now best friend) with some girl for the previous 2 months. Well things happened between those who I say, but now instead of being a police officer, hes sitting for the next 8 years and can have no contact with either of his daughters or his ex girlfriend (my buddy ). Well the night this all occurred, I wake up into a text message saying we had been perfect. They were cheating with (so and so). So I wake john up and tell him what she said and he said that she had been making s*** up to try to break us up since her connection was about to ***. And since I had no evidence, I let it all go. Well I had posted a standing about cheaters and a week later I get an anonymous letter in the mail at my WORK, addressed to me personally, stating (in badly disguised sloppy handwriting) they saw my status and know for a fact that john had cheated on me with atleast 3 different women, and gave titles. And that they thought I must know (and one of the girls names was Olivia, from earlier in my story). This time I didnt mechanically show him my evidence and accuse him. I played it cool and wished to collect everything. So I figured out the password for his verizon accounts and looked in his telephone records and saw a number continuously popping up on there. I printed everything! That night, iIwake around 1 because my daughter started crying and I started to feed her so she could go back to sleep. I discovered it vibrate, but it didnt light up. (he's an iphone) therefore I click on the home button, and it doesnt show anything on the monitor. (keep in mind his phone is also secured, so I cant test it fully because I dont know the password). Well then it goes back, but it was a different vibration than previously and the telephone really lit up this time. I seem and its some remark notification for facebook. So right then and there's when I knew that he had blocked the alarms for texts so I couldnt see (since it shows that the first portion of the message onto the lock screen) so I waited till he finally awakened at 5:30 that morning and went to check his phone, like he does every morning. And I told him to waitand that I needed to sit behind him as he assessed it. He immediately asked why and I said since somebody texted you at 1:30 in the afternoon and the notification did not show on the display so I wanna understand who it is. He immediately got defensive and said no! That he wasnt going to continue doing so s*** and that I have to trust him. That Saturday nighthe went out to the bars and got really drunk, and for the first time in the past year and a half, I went to a bonfire with my pal and two of her woman friends. It was just the four people plus her friends husband and his friend. I requested Johns mother and sister to babysit for a couple hours so I could hangout and have a wonderful time, and they were happy to. Well once I was there for about an or two, johns sister calls me and informs me john found they were babysitting and got really pissed off that I wasnt house with our daughter. So I advised her id be home soon and she said that he was already on his way home. Well then I get a call from john who asks me what Im doing, I tell him Im at a bonfire and he flips out on me and says could O pawn off our kid to somebody else (if it was his mother and sister) and that I was a horrible mom. (yet he had been the one who was piss ass drunk). So I push instantly home and hes sitting on the sofa with his friend, and his mother and sister are sitting on the other end of the sofa with my daughter. I walk in, since the door was unlocked and he gets up and goes into the bathroom (where he began puking his guts out bc thats how drunk he was the same guy that blew a .15 and believed he was absolutely fine to push and hadnt drank so far ). Well his sister and I go out and she explains to me exactly what happened when he got home. He flew into a rage and began screaming stuff and saying how I was nuts if I thought I was going to have the ability to come in the home and blah blah blah. Nicely his sister told him into the stfu and said shes a mommy. shes going to call the cops. Youll go to prison! Stop being an idiot and calm down! . Well we didnt say a word to each other the rest of the night and his friend passed out, and I slept on the sofa. After that day, one of his own friends had called me and asked what had occurred between us bc he saw we werent together on facebook and I told him why and he explained that was actually cheating on me with this one girl, the one he maintained was texting his friend through his mobile phone. And how he bragged about it to him saying oh this woman is texting me and sending me these pics and what not all happy about it. So that next Saturday, while he was at drill, my parents and my cousin came down with their 12 passenger van and pickup and they moved all of mine and my daughters things back to fort wayne to my parents home. He freaked out on me initially and posted a lot of bullshit on facebook to get sympathy from people who had no idea what actually happened, and I filed that Monday for child service and we had our court in july because he didnt wish to agree on more than $200 a month to get support when Im paying $500 per month daily care alone. _Ùªâ I'd post the women that he cheated on me with, but to tell the truth, I dont know all of their names because there were too many to count. They knew we had been hell the whole town did because its a very small city, nevertheless still fIIked around with him. But the moment I began to get suspicious about one, hed drop them and move on to the next. So hes the actual HOMEWRECKER within this story and he deserves to be here and these chicks will get whats coming to them as will he _Ùªâ The one thing I am thankful for throughout this whole mess was my lovely daughter, along with also the fact that besides his lying adulterous ways, he's really a fantastic father to her. Read the full article

[verifiedcomplaints-blog]

John M Edwards from Madison Indiana

John and I started dating in June of 2012. We met through a dating website (POF) and he looked like the perfect guy. We texted all day and talked on the phone for hours every night. He was so sweet and even though we lived 4 hours apart, he surprised me at the most adorable of ways by sending me flowers or stuff like that. In August I moved to west lafayette since I began attending Purdue University. Between him working full time and having drill a weekend of this month (because he is in the military NG), and me going to school all during the week and working on the weekends, we only saw each other one weekend out of the month. But then, things were great. We constantly had the best time together and shared wonderful memories. We would go back and forth composing every other long sweet texts professing our love for each other and it was like a fairy tale. But I discovered it started to stop sometime in january. And when I brought this to his attention, he'd say it was because he had been busy hanging out with a friend and hed send one afterwards, or he fell sleep and forgot. In March of 2013, I found out that I was pregnant. He was supposed to be set up to Egypt that June, but the day after I discovered, his installation was cancelled and I thought it was destiny. I finished out the session and we have an apartment together May in his hometown (4 hours away from all of my loved ones and friends). I moved down there to be with him and begin our family together. I found an excellent job within 2 weeks and things were going great. Then I began to notice changes. He went out every weekend to the bars with his friends, leaving me home alone with nothing to do and nobody to hangout with or talk to. I couldnt go if I wanted to because A) I was only 20. And B) he didnt need me out in crowded public areas because theres a great deal of dumb drunk idiots out there and somebody could bump into me and god forbid it caused any harm to the baby. Well I started becoming suspicious because he would stay out in the bars until 4am, yet they closed at 3. (and in addition, he got a DUI in July after blowing a .15 and had his license suspended for a month and was put on probation for the next year, yet still went out and drank in the pubs anyways because his best friend was a cop) He'd conceal his phone and take it with him when he went to shower or poop. He kept a lock on his telephone that I constantly had the code , but then he began altering it and any moment I'd ask for this, hed get defensive or make up and explanation. And when I figured it out, hed change it again the following moment. One night I had figured out the passcode to his telephone and I unlocked it. I found he had a snapchat from some girl, so I viewed it, and it was a photo of her VAGINA. Not full blown, however, it was a straight shot of her pants unzipped with panties on. Obviously my mouth dropped and I woke him up right then pissed off asking questions (bad thought. Always stay cool and get your ducks in a row first). Nicely he course played it off and stated that she had been just a an ex girlfriend of one of his buddies and he had no clue why she'd send him something like that and that hed obstruct her. Well I knew better, but of course gave him the benefit of the doubt. He then got another part time job to help save extra cash before our daughter was born and had gone to see him one night and the women were quite friendly with me and knew we were together and expecting a child except ONE girl. Well I discovered they were friends on facebook and she too was shot with a kid. Well I added her and she never approved. Then I saw text messages on his phone between the both of them as if they had been attempting to get to know each other (such as you do when you first start talking to somebody asking for pictures, etc). He told me it was his friend in the office texting her from his phone bc his was broken. I knew that was probably bullshit but when we hung out with this friend one evening, I asked him when john had gone into the restroom and he confirmed it, so I let it go. (turns out that he was covering for him) oh and also the best part was that after I finally found out this, I found out that this particular woman lived in the same neighborhood as us, just a street over!! Well he quit that job soon after because he said he didnt like it there and got yet another part time job working in video. (he had worked there before and left on good terms so they hired him right away). Well he worked up until a few days before our daughter was born and then just stopped showing up and finally got fired bc he didnt need to have to work for thanksgiving. Nicely November 2013 comes and I have my girl, the most beautiful little girl in the world. He was right there with me every step along the way, through the 16 and a half an hour of labour. I had her and he remained there with me that the whole 3 days we had been in the hospital. He seemed so filled with love and security (like a father should have) that I thought maybe hed realize that a household is more important than anything or anyone. He'd taken another week off of work so he could stay home and be there with us I had been on paid maternity leave for 6 weeks from my job. He came straight home from work daily and could stay home every weekend (except the evenings he had drill). Well one day his buddys girlfriend (who'd become my very best friend) told me that her boyfriend (johns BEST FRIEND) had informed her one night which John had cheated on me with a woman named Olivia at the Family Video shop where he used to work. That he was shutting one night and she came and watched him and they had sex in one of the temptations (aisle 4 or something as it had no detectors ) and this happened like a week until my daughter was born. Well I was angry since this was the SAME GIRL that'd befriended me months ahead, and we had actually hung out a few times and she came over to our apartment one day after our daughter was born. I thought it was strange how he sat there on his xbox enjoying his game and hardly ackowledged her, and the way she had been absolutely fine with thumping her boob and breastfeeding her 3 month old daughter (Yes, she had a girl, was a year younger than me, and her babys dad wants nothing to do with her or his child ). That his buddy would never state anything like that and that it never occurred. Well, Christmas time comes along with his buddy (the one whos a cop) articles a standing on facebook stating hes drinking with a friend of his and invites john over. John comments on it and says no he cant (because we were sitting there watching a movie) and his friend comments back and says that his hitler-ette had to calm down and quit controlling him. So I awakened on his buddy and he explained that the only reason john was was because I got pregnant and if I was brighter and had used birth control then I wouldnt even be here right now. So john went on his buddy and actually stood me up and I told him I want nothing to do with him at all and that he is not permitted over at our home or to visit our kid. He complied and his buddys title wasnt brought up again and they never hung out (even though they'd made up with eachother and still texted occasionally). Well in february, this exact same friend of his has been caught red handed cheating on his girlfriend (my now best friend) with some girl for the previous 2 months. Well things happened between those who I say, but now instead of being a police officer, hes sitting for the next 8 years and can have no contact with either of his daughters or his ex girlfriend (my buddy ). Well the night this all occurred, I wake up into a text message saying we had been perfect. They were cheating with (so and so). So I wake john up and tell him what she said and he said that she had been making s*** up to try to break us up since her connection was about to ***. And since I had no evidence, I let it all go. Well I had posted a standing about cheaters and a week later I get an anonymous letter in the mail at my WORK, addressed to me personally, stating (in badly disguised sloppy handwriting) they saw my status and know for a fact that john had cheated on me with atleast 3 different women, and gave titles. And that they thought I must know (and one of the girls names was Olivia, from earlier in my story). This time I didnt mechanically show him my evidence and accuse him. I played it cool and wished to collect everything. So I figured out the password for his verizon accounts and looked in his telephone records and saw a number continuously popping up on there. I printed everything! That night, iIwake around 1 because my daughter started crying and I started to feed her so she could go back to sleep. I discovered it vibrate, but it didnt light up. (he's an iphone) therefore I click on the home button, and it doesnt show anything on the monitor. (keep in mind his phone is also secured, so I cant test it fully because I dont know the password). Well then it goes back, but it was a different vibration than previously and the telephone really lit up this time. I seem and its some remark notification for facebook. So right then and there's when I knew that he had blocked the alarms for texts so I couldnt see (since it shows that the first portion of the message onto the lock screen) so I waited till he finally awakened at 5:30 that morning and went to check his phone, like he does every morning. And I told him to waitand that I needed to sit behind him as he assessed it. He immediately asked why and I said since somebody texted you at 1:30 in the afternoon and the notification did not show on the display so I wanna understand who it is. He immediately got defensive and said no! That he wasnt going to continue doing so s*** and that I have to trust him. That Saturday nighthe went out to the bars and got really drunk, and for the first time in the past year and a half, I went to a bonfire with my pal and two of her woman friends. It was just the four people plus her friends husband and his friend. I requested Johns mother and sister to babysit for a couple hours so I could hangout and have a wonderful time, and they were happy to. Well once I was there for about an or two, johns sister calls me and informs me john found they were babysitting and got really pissed off that I wasnt house with our daughter. So I advised her id be home soon and she said that he was already on his way home. Well then I get a call from john who asks me what Im doing, I tell him Im at a bonfire and he flips out on me and says could O pawn off our kid to somebody else (if it was his mother and sister) and that I was a horrible mom. (yet he had been the one who was piss ass drunk). So I push instantly home and hes sitting on the sofa with his friend, and his mother and sister are sitting on the other end of the sofa with my daughter. I walk in, since the door was unlocked and he gets up and goes into the bathroom (where he began puking his guts out bc thats how drunk he was the same guy that blew a .15 and believed he was absolutely fine to push and hadnt drank so far ). Well his sister and I go out and she explains to me exactly what happened when he got home. He flew into a rage and began screaming stuff and saying how I was nuts if I thought I was going to have the ability to come in the home and blah blah blah. Nicely his sister told him into the stfu and said shes a mommy. shes going to call the cops. Youll go to prison! Stop being an idiot and calm down! . Well we didnt say a word to each other the rest of the night and his friend passed out, and I slept on the sofa. After that day, one of his own friends had called me and asked what had occurred between us bc he saw we werent together on facebook and I told him why and he explained that was actually cheating on me with this one girl, the one he maintained was texting his friend through his mobile phone. And how he bragged about it to him saying oh this woman is texting me and sending me these pics and what not all happy about it. So that next Saturday, while he was at drill, my parents and my cousin came down with their 12 passenger van and pickup and they moved all of mine and my daughters things back to fort wayne to my parents home. He freaked out on me initially and posted a lot of bullshit on facebook to get sympathy from people who had no idea what actually happened, and I filed that Monday for child service and we had our court in july because he didnt wish to agree on more than $200 a month to get support when Im paying $500 per month daily care alone. _Ùªâ I'd post the women that he cheated on me with, but to tell the truth, I dont know all of their names because there were too many to count. They knew we had been hell the whole town did because its a very small city, nevertheless still fIIked around with him. But the moment I began to get suspicious about one, hed drop them and move on to the next. So hes the actual HOMEWRECKER within this story and he deserves to be here and these chicks will get whats coming to them as will he _Ùªâ The one thing I am thankful for throughout this whole mess was my lovely daughter, along with also the fact that besides his lying adulterous ways, he's really a fantastic father to her. Read the full article