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unfolded73 · 4 years ago

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My Heartbeat Shows the Fear (1/4) - schitt’s creek ff

Summary: A canon divergent story: Patrick gets into a car accident and it brings the Brewers to town sooner.

Notes: This fic will be posted in 4 chapters, every other day. There is some description of injuries, but nothing too graphic or life-threatening.

The title is from "Overkill" by Colin Hay, which thanks to the show Scrubs puts me in mind of hospitals.

Thank you to Amanita_Fierce for putting so much time and thought into betaing this fic - you made it so, so much better. And thanks also to @high-seas-swan for some helpful suggestions, particularly on that one scene that I tore apart and rewrote.

Rated Teen, this chapter 5278 words. (ao3)

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Chapter 1

Patrick drifted into wakefulness like rising from a deep dive to the surface of the water. He became aware first, before even opening his eyes, of David’s arm over his chest and his hand curled protectively around the side of his ribcage. The sheets were soft against his skin and the duvet was a comforting weight over his body and he never wanted to move from this spot. Patrick lifted his own hand and dropped it clumsily over David’s, calloused fingertips tracing gently over David’s knuckles.

“Good morning,” David said in a surprisingly coherent voice for first thing in the morning.

Opening his eyes to see David watching him was an unusual experience. As he blinked sleep out of his eyes, Patrick tried to remember if David had ever woken up before him, and the only occasion he could summon to mind was New Year’s Day, after a night when Patrick had gotten much drunker than David had.

“Why are you awake so early?” Patrick yawned.

David shrugged. “It’s almost eight o’clock; you’re just sleeping later than usual.”

Groaning, Patrick started to sit up. The very energetic sex they’d indulged in last night must’ve really worn him out. “We’ve gotta get up and get started on those vendor pickups.” It was Monday and the store was closed, but they had so many pickups to do this week that they’d grudgingly agreed to do them on their day off, splitting the list in half.

“Mmm, five more minutes,” David said, holding Patrick down with the arm across his chest and shifting closer, their naked bodies coming into closer contact. Patrick closed his eyes and took a moment to appreciate that David hadn’t gotten up to put on pajamas last night, his usual routine even now that Patrick had his own apartment. Patrick was starting to suspect that he could read David’s lack of clothes the next morning as a particularly positive review on his performance in bed the night before.

“What are you smiling about?” David asked.

“Last night,” Patrick responded without opening his eyes. They really needed to get up, he thought, but lazing around in bed with David was very tempting.

David made a pleased sound in the back of his throat. “Yeah, that was, um…” He nuzzled against Patrick’s shoulder. “If that’s what happens after you go on a date with someone else, I’m almost inclined to tell you to do it again.”

Patrick bristled at that. “That’s not funny.”

“Sorry,” David whispered, pressing a supplicating kiss against Patrick’s arm.

“Besides, I bailed partway through the date,” Patrick said.

“Mm. Poor Ken,” David said. “He has no idea what he’s missing out on.”

Patrick frowned, turning onto his side and dislodging David from his chest. “You didn’t expect me to sleep with Ken, did you?”

David opened and closed his mouth. “Not sleep with, no.”

The same queasiness that Patrick had felt last night as he drove to meet Ken rose up in his stomach. “Then, what? A quick handjob in my car?”

David shot him a guilty look. “No,” he said, but then bit his lip. “Or, I don’t know. Maybe something like that. Something that you’ve only experienced with me that you might be… curious about experiencing with another man.”

Patrick sighed. “Okay, first of all, I’m not particularly curious about experiencing stuff like that with other men.”

“Yeah, you said—”

“And if I do become curious, or… or want to … explore with another guy in the future, you and I are going to have to be a lot clearer with each other about what is and isn’t going to happen.”

“Ground rules,” David grumbled.

“Yeah, I guess.” Patrick leaned over and kissed him. “But, David.” He kissed him again. “It’s so good with you. I sort of can’t imagine anyone else not being a huge step down in quality.”

He watched David’s face go on a journey before settling on pleased. “That’s very flattering. But sometimes the point is that it’s a stranger. Or at least, someone you aren’t going to see again.”

Patrick pulled back. “Is that something you want?”

David rolled his eyes, dismissing that idea with a flap of his hand as he looked up at the ceiling. “God no. I had a lifetime’s worth of casual sex.”

Reaching out, Patrick put his hand on David’s cheek, turning his head so that they were looking at each other again. David’s face softened, his eyes gazing into Patrick’s in the way that always made his stomach swoop. Made Patrick want to sink into David’s arms and never let go. “And if that ever changes, will you tell me?”

There was a pause, and then David nodded. “Of course. Will you tell me? If you change your mind?”

Patrick nodded. “I promise.” And then he pulled David closer, kissing him deeper and with more tongue than was probably warranted given their morning breath. For once, David didn’t complain.

After a minute, Patrick had to wrench his mouth away and force himself to sit up. “Okay, if we don’t get up now, I’m going to end up fucking you again.”

David smirked. “What’s so wrong with that?” And then he wiggled his hips and his expression became more thoughtful. “Although I’m still feeling what you did to me last night.”

Patrick winced. They had gone at it pretty hard, he remembered with a mixture of desire and guilt. “Sorry.”

“No, no,” David said. “It was perfect and don’t you dare apologize. Just not sure if I can get fucked again right at this precise moment.”

Patrick whipped the covers off and stood up, ignoring his own visible arousal. “You aren’t going to be. You’re gonna get ready to do the pickups west of town.”

David whined and stuck his bottom lip out. Patrick turned away from him and padded barefoot across the hardwood floor before he was tempted to bite David’s lip, because that way did not lead toward getting their vendor pickups done. “Can you make us some breakfast while I shower?” Patrick called over his shoulder. David’s “ugh fine” reached his ears just as he was closing the bathroom door.

Once he had showered and shaved, Patrick emerged back into the apartment, a towel around his waist. David had pulled on a sweatshirt and drawstring shorts and was in the kitchen making Patrick’s tea. The domesticity of it made something tender and fragile swell in his chest. He loved having David here in his apartment, and he felt a wild desire to just ask David to move in, his resolution to take his time with that step in their relationship be damned. In moments like this, his original idea that he wanted to spend some time living on his own seemed silly. As he pulled on underwear and jeans (glancing over his shoulder to catch David checking out his ass), a t-shirt and a v-neck sweater, he imagined it — David’s clothes in his closet (well, some of them), David’s shoes by the door, his journal on the nightstand, his products finding a permanent home in Patrick’s bathroom rather than lugged back and forth between the motel and the apartment in David’s bag.

“Your mom is texting.”

Startled, Patrick looked over to David, who was pointing at Patrick’s phone on the kitchen counter. “I’m gonna shower,” David continued, unaware of the track of Patrick’s thoughts. “Here’s your tea and some toast.”

Patrick walked over and picked up his phone in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.

Mom: Can you call when you get a chance?

Oh yeah, the other reason he wasn’t ready to ask David to move in yet, he thought with a surge of shame. His parents.

Figuring David would be in the bathroom for a while yet, Patrick unlocked his phone and placed the requested call.

“Hi, sweetheart!” his mother said in a chipper voice.

“Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, we were just having breakfast and realizing that we hadn’t heard from you in a while. How are things with you?”

Patrick looked at the closed bathroom door, and then moved over to the other side of the apartment. “Things are good. I’ve got vendor pickups to do today.”

“You work so hard, dear. I hope you are taking some time for yourself too.”

“I am.” He thought about dates with David, or curling up on the bed and watching movies with David, none of which he was ready to talk to his mother about. He knew it was time. It was way past time, but he could never get the words to come out when he was on the phone with his parents. “I went two for four in my last game,” he said. Baseball was always a safe topic.

“That’s great!” his mother said, the enthusiasm she’d always shown for his athletic activities obvious in her voice. “I bet they’re glad to have you on the team.”

“Uh huh. It’s a fun team.” He thought about how easy it was to be out of the closet around them — mentioning his boyfriend as the team drank beers together at the Wobbly Elm after practice, or kissing David after games when he came to watch. It was nice. He wanted that same ease with his family, to be able to mention David in passing as more than just his business partner. He ran a finger along the top of the framed picture on his desk, of him and David on Christmas Eve last year, arms around each other at the Roses’ party. Patrick had a hard time taking his eyes off of David in that photo sometimes, radiant in a silver sweater under the warm Christmas lights.

“Well,” she said, like she was hoping for him to say something else. After a pause in which he didn’t, his mother continued, “I should let you get on with your day.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, guilt churning in his stomach yet again at the fact that he couldn’t just be fucking honest with this mother. That the life he shared with his parents was more gaps than substance. “I’ll call again when I have more time to talk.”

“Okay,” she said, the happiness gone from her voice. He’d done that with his evasiveness, Patrick thought. He’d made his mother sad. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you, too, Mom.”

~*~

David pulled up in front of the store in the Lincoln and pushed on the heavy driver’s door with a grunt. He stood up, his sweatshirt sticking to the small of his back with sweat. The vinyl seats were one of things he hated most about that car, and he hated a lot of things about it. He wasn’t that fond of Patrick’s car either, but at least it had slightly more comfortable seats. In any case, their divided errands had made borrowing Patrick’s car impossible, so he was stuck with the Lincoln.

He unlocked the door to the store and ducked his head in. “Patrick?” he called. Patrick’s car wasn’t out front, but it was possible he’d pulled around to the back to unload. When no one answered, David pulled out his phone and sent off a text: How close are you to getting back? There was no answer, so David assumed Patrick was driving. He opened his text chain with Stevie and texted, Can you come help me at the store for a minute?

Stevie: I’m busy working.

David: You’re not that busy if you’re texting me back.

She didn’t answer. “Fuck,” David whined to no one, resigning himself to having to unload the entire car by himself. This was why splitting up the vendor pickups had been a terrible idea, he thought as he muscled a crate of honey out of the trunk. Now here he was, all alone with very heavy things to carry.

By the time he had all of the new merchandise stacked in the back room, he was drenched with sweat and there was still no sign of Patrick. Well, just for that, he wasn’t going to wait around, David thought churlishly as he locked up and got back in the car. He was going to go take a shower at the motel and Patrick could unload by himself too.

He briefly considered going to Patrick’s apartment to shower; his water pressure was better and David had a couple of changes of clothes there. Plus, he had a key, and Patrick had said that he was welcome to come and go as he pleased. But he also knew that living alone was something that Patrick wanted — it was something he’d never had before, he’d admitted to David on the day he’d signed the lease. He’d gone from his parents’ house to a dorm to apartments with a series of roommates to living with Rachel to rooming with Ray. He’d never had his own place. David understood that and he wanted Patrick to have what he needed, not have David unexpectedly underfoot when he perhaps wasn’t welcome. Still, it didn’t stop his heart from aching a little bit. He wanted to live with Patrick, he’d realized. He had been ready to take that step and Patrick hadn’t been. It stung.

Alexis was doing something on the laptop computer at her little desk when David walked into their shared room, and she looked up at him and wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, David, what happened to you?” she asked.

Narrowing his eyes, he dropped his bag on the bed. “I was working. What are you talking about?”

“You’re all gross and sweaty,” she replied.

“It’s hot out today, and I had to do a bunch of vendor pickups in that boat of a car and then unload everything into the store by myself because Patrick’s not back yet,” he complained. He collected a change of clothes and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him to punctuate how tough his day had been. Okay, he’d been able to sample some of the new butter cookies that Mrs. Franklin sold through their store, and maybe she’d also given him a glass of lemonade, but still.

After a shower, David felt worlds better, although there was still no reply from Patrick to his text.

“What is taking him so long to get back?” David muttered as he dug through his cedar chest. The sweater he was looking for didn’t appear to be in there, another annoyance in a day of annoyances.

“What’s the matter?” Alexis asked.

David waved at her, his hand flapping at the end of his wrist. “Patrick’s just taking forever to finish his vendor pickups,” he said, trying to ignore the worry beginning to gnaw in his stomach. “It’s fine.”

“I hope you had a talk last night, David,” Alexis said, her eyes not coming up from her laptop. “No more fooling around with anyone outside the relationship until you’ve established some ground rules.”

David whipped around and glared at her. “Can you let that go, please? We’re fine.”

“No thanks to you,” she said.

He suppressed a squawk. “We had a healthy talk about it this morning. We’re fine.”

“Good,” Alexis said.

“Also the sex last night was very hot—”

“David, ew.” She stuck her tongue out. “Don’t tell me that.” But then she sort of half-smiled at him. “I’m glad you guys are okay.”

David smiled back. He was glad too. “He makes me…” David started to say, then thought better of being so vulnerable in front of his sister. But what the hell; she’d been there for him last night when he needed someone. He moved over to his bed and sat down to put on his shoes. “He makes me feel safe. No one’s ever… I’ve never dated anyone who made me feel safe before.”

Alexis, to her credit, didn’t make fun of him, although the squinty smile she gave him made him recoil, grimacing.

“Kids!” his dad called as he barged into the room. “We’re headed over to the café for dinner. Do you want to join us?”

Alexis shook her head. “I’m going over to Ted’s for dinner.”

David picked up his phone and sent another text to Patrick. Are you still not back yet? And then he stared at the screen, waiting to see dots to indicate Patrick was texting back, or at least to see a read receipt. The ball of worry in his stomach grew a little bit bigger.

“David, do you want to come with your mother and me?” Johnny asked.

“I was supposed to eat at Patrick’s,” he said. “But maybe. I don’t know.” He switched apps and called Patrick’s phone, holding it to his ear and listening to it ring and ring and ring. With every ring, he felt his breathing rate tick up.

“Well, we’re going now, so I need you to decide,” Johnny said irritably.

David slapped his phone down on the bedspread and threw his hands up. “Then go without me; it’s fine!”

“David, I’m not going to wait around for a second evening that I’m supposed to spend with Ted while you have another meltdown about—”

“No one’s having a meltdown!” David shouted. “I just don’t know where my boyfriend is!” He looked at the time, feeling queasy. His previous annoyance was gone and now he was just worried. Patrick really should have been back hours ago. He tried calling again.

“David, you need to be a little bit less clingy—” Alexis said.

“Okay, well, we’re going to go,” Johnny said. “You can join us later, if…”

David’s phone vibrated in his hand, and he saw he had a call from an unknown number coming in as he tried to call Patrick. Maybe Patrick’s phone had died and he was calling from someone else’s phone, he thought as he clicked to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this David Rose?” asked a woman in a sharp, business-like tone of voice.

“Yes, who is this?” he snapped.

“This is Cheryl calling from Elmdale Hospital. We’ve got a Patrick Brewer here and he gave us your number as his emergency contact.”

“Oh, God.” There was a rushing noise in his ears and his mouth tasted like bile as he tried to shape it into making useful words. “What happened to him? Is he okay?” David clutched the edge of his bed, feeling dizzy, heart racing.

“There was a car accident and he was brought in by ambulance a little while ago. He’s having some tests done, but I can’t disclose any information about his health to you over the phone. If you come to the hospital—”

David hung up. He imagined Patrick’s car, the car he’d ridden in countless times on their way to movie dates or dinner, speeding through the countryside as Mariah Carey or one of Patrick’s alt-folk bands blasted out of the shitty speakers. Patrick’s car, mangled on a deserted road somewhere, no one around for miles. How long did it take before an ambulance came? How long was he lying there alone, broken and injured by the side of the road?

“David, you’ve gone very pale,” Alexis said.

“Is Patrick all right?” Johnny asked as Moira wandered in.

“John, I’m a bit peckish,” she said. “Are we leaving soon?”

“Patrick was in a car accident,” David said. Everyone’s voices sounded muffled to his ears, even his own. “I need to go to the hospital.” He stood up and looked around for the keys. He didn’t think he’d returned them to his father’s stupid little hook in the other room. Where were they?

There was a flurry of activity and then Alexis was at his side. “I’ll drive.”

David ignored her. He didn’t have time to think about Alexis right now. Where were the fucking keys?

Alexis held up her hand. “I have the keys and I’m driving,” she said, and David spared a moment to be confused about what he’d just thought to himself and what he’d said out loud. “You’re shaking,” she said pointedly. “Put your shoes on and let’s go.”

“Is he all right, David?” his mother asked as David sat back down on the bed and reached for his shoes. His fingers felt numb and clumsy.

“I don’t know.”

He looked up to see his parents exchange a nervous glance.

“I mean, they said they were doing tests. They wouldn’t say that if he was, like…” Dead, his brain supplied, but the word wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“Shall we accompany you to the hospital, my darling?” Moira asked, grimacing, clearly regretting making the offer even as she did so.

“Nope,” Alexis said, shooing them back into their room. “No need for that. We’ll call you as soon as we know something,” she said firmly. When Alexis used that voice, people often had a hard time arguing, and their parents were no exception this time.

David tied his shoes awkwardly, the bows kind of a mess. Patrick had made fun of him one time about the precise way he tied his shoes. Patrick, who was lying in a hospital bed, injured, alone…

“Come on, David,” Alexis said, taking his arm firmly but kindly. “Have you got your wallet and phone?” He patted his pockets and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

It was normally a forty minute drive to Elmdale, lots of time for David to imagine every possible horrible scenario. Maybe Patrick was in a coma, and would wake up having forgotten who David was, or even that he liked men. Maybe he would be paralyzed. Maybe his face would be horribly scarred. David would love him anyway, he thought, even if he’d been disfigured. All that mattered was that he came through this alive.

“I’m sure he’s okay, David,” Alexis said as if she could hear what was going on inside his head. She needed to stop doing that. It was creepy.

“You don’t know that.”

“His car is boring and probably has airbags and, like, crumple zones or whatever,” she said. “I bet he’s just got a little bonk on the head. The tests are probably just a precaution.”

He sighed, playing out that much more comforting fantasy in his head instead of his dark ones. Patrick would just stroll out of an examining room and David would hug him tight and take him home and everything would be fine.

They arrived at the hospital in only thirty-two minutes, thanks to Alexis’s speedy driving.

He identified himself at the front desk, and the receptionist or whatever she was told him to wait. David inhaled a breath, ready to argue, but Alexis was thanking the woman and dragging him over to the rows of chairs before he could get another word out. His sister perched on one of the plastic chairs and pulled out her phone while David paced back and forth in front of her. Now that they were here, he really just wanted to tear the place apart until he could see Patrick for himself. And hold his hand; he was sure that whatever had happened, Patrick would feel better if David could hold his hand.

“David Rose?” A woman in a white coat stood next to the door that led to the rest of the hospital. He rushed over.

“I’m David Rose,” he said, breathless.

“You’re Patrick Brewer’s…” She consulted the chart she was holding.

“Partner. Can you please tell me what happened? Is he okay?” He could sense Alexis behind him, hovering.

“Well, he got banged up pretty good. Compound fracture of the radius and fracture of the ulna, two cracked ribs, and a concussion. The police said a truck ran a stoplight and hit his car broadside.”

David thought it was wildly inappropriate that she would expect him to remember what bones were named at a time like this. “The radius is…?”

She gestured to her forearm. “Arm bones. As is often the case with this sort of impact injury, both bones in the forearm were broken.”

Wincing, David asked, “Can I see him, please?”

“Not yet; he was taken into surgery a little while ago to stabilize the arm. It has to be operated on right away because there’s a risk of infection when the bone is exposed.”

The next thing David was aware of was Alexis guiding him down into a chair. “Okay, just lean over and put your head between your knees,” she said while David tried to figure out why his vision was narrowing. He felt sweaty. Alexis disappeared for a minute, but he could hear her voice, off to the left somewhere. Also that doctor, the one who said Patrick’s arm was…

David fought the urge to throw up. It would be embarrassing to hurl all over the floor in the waiting room of Elmdale Hospital.

Finally Alexis was back. “Are you gonna pass out?”

“No. I don’t think so.” He lifted his head. “What did she say after the thing about his…”

“Bone sticking out?” Alexis asked unhelpfully. David put his head in his hands. “That they did a CT scan prior to surgery and that he was alert but concussed. You’ll be able to see him once he wakes up from the anesthesia. And they’ll have a better idea tomorrow how long he’ll need to be in the hospital.” She rubbed his back. “Do you want me to get you a cup of tea?”

David nodded. “I can’t believe this happened. Just like that.”

“Yeah, I’d like to get my hands on the driver of that truck,” Alexis said fiercely, and David couldn’t help but agree. He wasn’t a violent person, as a rule, but he’d make an exception just this once. Or he’d let Alexis have at him.

“He’s gonna be okay, though, right?” David asked, not liking the pleading edge in his voice.

Alexis was still rubbing his back, and she pressed her cheek against his arm for a second. “He’s gonna be okay, David.”

He startled, a thought occurring to him suddenly, and he fumbled for his phone. “I need to call his parents.”

“You have his parents’ phone number?” Alexis asked with a grin.

“Yeah,” he said. “I mean, I’ve never called them, but I was starting to think about…” He sighed. He hadn’t wanted to tell Alexis about this until much closer to the event. “Patrick’s birthday is coming up in a few months and I was thinking about inviting his parents to a surprise party,” he said as he pulled out his phone.

“David, that’s so cute,” she said with a pout.

“So I managed to use Patrick’s thumbprint to unlock his phone when he was dead asleep one night and I put their numbers into my phone in preparation for inviting them,” he said as he scrolled through his contacts. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad; they can’t keep a secret,” he said as he pressed the button to call Marcy Brewer.

He’d only spoken to Patrick’s mother a couple of times, when she’d called the store after being unable to reach Patrick on his mobile phone. He’d handed the phone over to Patrick quickly after some brief pleasantries, but he’d gotten the impression of a friendly woman. Just the sort of person he’d expect to have raised Patrick Brewer.

“Hello,” came the maternal voice down the phone line as Alexis stood up, flopping her wrists towards her mouth. When he shook his head in confusion at her, she stuck out her pinky, miming sipping, before walking away. Right, she was going to get tea.

“Hi, Mrs. Brewer, this is David Rose calling.”

“Oh, David! How are you?”

“Um, well, not great. I’m sorry to have to call you like this, and let me start by saying Patrick is going to be fine…”

“Oh, dear. This is like the phone calls I used to get from his coaches,” she said, sounding surprisingly calm. “What happened?”

“He was in a car accident this afternoon and he’s in the hospital.” David felt tears pressing behind his eyes, and he ruthlessly swallowed them down. “I haven’t been able to see him yet, but they said his arm is broken. Also some ribs.” He decided to stop there, if for no other reason than he didn’t think he could go into more detail without needing to put his head between his knees again.

“Oh, my sweet Patrick,” Marcy gasped, sounding much less calm. “Why haven’t you been able to see him?”

“They’re… um… operating on his arm.” He braced his elbows on his knees. “It was a bad fracture.”

“Okay,” she said, back to sounding calm. “Clint and I will come there. We’ll be there in the morning.”

David wasn’t sure exactly where the Brewers lived, but he thought it was pretty far, and it sounded like she was implying that they would drive all night. “Maybe you should get some rest and leave in the morning?”

“As if I’d be able to sleep tonight, worrying about my boy,” she said. “He’s all alone there,” she said.

Frowning, David said, “I’ll be here. And my sister Alexis is here.” He wondered why she’d put it that way. Surely she didn’t think David would leave the hospital tonight, did she?

“That’s very sweet of you, David,” Marcy said. “I’ll let you know when we get into town, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” David said, off-kilter from the conversation. His eyes fixed on a stack of pamphlets on the table next to him, where a smiling woman was entirely too happy about routine colonoscopies. “It’s Elmdale Hospital,” he told Marcy.

“Thanks, David. If you see Patrick tonight, please let him know we’re on our way.”

When a nurse finally came to tell them that Patrick was out of recovery, Alexis had fallen asleep across his lap and David had read the entire pamphlet about colonoscopies (and all of the other pamphlets within reach) front to back. He shook Alexis awake and bolted up from the uncomfortable chair, not looking back to see if Alexis was following.

The first thing he noticed were the cuts on Patrick’s face. They weren’t large; probably not worth mentioning in the context of his other injuries. Just tiny knicks in his forehead and left cheek from bits of glass, David assumed. But tears still welled up in David’s eyes when he saw those angry little cuts. Patrick looked like he was sleeping, his arm bandaged and immobilized within a plastic splint contraption.

“Why don’t they put a cast on his arm?” Alexis asked as David went to sit next to the bed.

The nurse who was fiddling with one of the machines in the room looked up. “They will once they’ve made certain there’s no infection.”

Patrick opened his eyes and his face cracked into a sloppy smile. “It’s David!” he slurred, then he turned to the nurse. “David is my very handsome boyfriend who’s very handsome. See, I told you.”

Alexis snorted, covering her mouth, her eyes dancing with mirth.

“What’s wrong with him?” David asked.

The nurse smiled. “He just came out from under general anesthesia. He’s been talking about you a lot.”

“Flying pretty high, Patrick?” Alexis asked with a smirk. She pulled out her phone and held it up.

“Put that away,” David snapped.

Patrick squinted at her like he couldn’t quite focus on someone that far away. “Hi, Alexis,” he said. “Thanks for coming to visit me in the hospital.” Then his head swung around to David again. “I love you. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too,” David said around a lump in his throat. “I was worried about you.”

Patrick’s smile fell. “David?”

“Yes, honey?”

“I think I’m gonna puke.”

Chapter 2

#schitt's creek #david x patrick #schitt's creek ff #schitt's creek fic #david x patrick fic #david x patrick ff #my fic

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imagineclaireandjamie · 5 years ago

Note

Squeeee my Deep Within prompt was answered twice 😱😱😱 Throwing all the love your way today for this wonderful story ❤️ John and Claire’s relationship is lovely and I’m here for it!

Deep Within The Darkness Peering. Part I; Chapter Four:

True to his word, John worked tirelessly during his free time to try and build Jamie a case for review. He did it quietly at home, calling Claire to update her on any new information he’d been privy to without alerting any of his partners. When the date came for the hearing, he kept quiet. Claire had been working back to back shifts, she was exhausted and he worried that if it didn’t go in Jamie’s favour she might just crack under the weight of it.

The odds weren’t in their favour. His crime was serious, if and when he did find himself free that kind of record wasn’t going to just disappear. Even with Claire’s support, John worried it might red-flag Jamie’s case rather than quosh any misgivings the parole board might have over releasing him early. In front of him sat the list of board members who had the potential to be reading through his appeal right now and he’d already placed a large cross by the side of the people he hoped it *wouldn’t* be. Anyone else was certainly a bonus.

It was the sound of his email pinging that bought him back to earth. A decision this fast didn’t seem positive but he tried to eliminate those negative thoughts as he clicked to open the new unread message.

He almost knocked the phone off its cradle as he tried to dial Claire’s number from memory. It only rang out twice and he felt bad for waking her as her sleepy voice echoed down the line.

“They accepted it, Claire. They only just bloody accepted my appeal!” He was flabbergasted, his voice going from barely audible to shouting as he tried to contain himself. “We have to wait for them to process the paperwork and you’ll have to go to the prison to collect him and sign some release forms but it should be completed by the end of the week.”

On the other end of the line, Claire sat up in bed, her hair standing on end from where she’d fallen asleep with it damp, her heart dancing madly in her chest. “Just let me know the date he’ll be free and I’ll swap my shifts.” Suddenly her mouth was dry at the prospect. “Does he know yet?”

“I spoke with one of the wardens and she told me he’s still being kept in the hospital wing, there’s nothing to worry about but he was a bit under the weather…”

“Did you make that happen?”

“No,” John chuckled, “though once they knew I was involved I think they had a change of heart about Mr Fraser and his care.”

“Ah, so your name has some pull then?”

There was a moment of silence as a grateful calm washed over them both, neither had given themselves time to come to term with their small win but now Claire had to prepare herself for her guest.

“I’m sure he will know by the time it’s all official, so don’t concern yourself with that and he’ll be off the ward before it comes time for you to sign for his release. And hey, if things get dicey,” he joked, his tone finally lightening, “at least he’s in the care of a good doctor.”

Before she had time to correct him, he’d hung up, leaving her to ponder how she was going to make her flat suitable enough for Jamie. A few cans of paint later, she’d added a statement wall to her spare room as well as some new, clean bedsheets and a throw for the double bed. In fairness to her decorating skills it hadn’t really needed much, just a spruce up here and there, a hoover and a dust. With John living so close by, she rarely had anyone to stay but now she was glad she’d opted for a three bed instead of just two.

In the end it was a rainy Tuesday afternoon when Claire found herself standing in front of the rather demure looking building. There was a fence with chain links hovering ominously over the top, but the newbuild reception looked small and harmless.

Passing her ID through the small bank teller like hole she smiled shyly at the desk sergeant. “Claire Beauchamp,” she said quietly, trying her best not to disturb the silence, “here to collect--”

“James Fraser, yes?” Without waiting for her to confirm, he passed her a clipboard and a pen while his colleague phoned through. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but neither seemed friendly so she signed where she needed and pushed the papers back through without another word.

“Take a seat, he has to collect his belongings but he shouldn’t be too much longer.” Hearing Rupert Mackenzie’s voice made Claire smile and she turned to watch as he slipped through the vast security system before taking hold of her hand and shaking it brusquely. “How have ye been, lass?”

“All the better for seeing you, how is he?”

“He’ll be all the better for seeing you.” He quipped back. “But first I think you and I should go through some of the conditions of his parole.”

Sitting around a small table, Rupert pulled the documents from his pockets. He’d carefully highlighted the portions that he needed to discuss and Claire had already guessed some of the details before he started talking through them.

“Since Jamie’s sentence involves violence when drinking, he canna imbibe any alcohol whilst under the jurisdiction of the courts, it doesna explicitly forbid him from entering establishments that serve but if I were you, I’d advise he stays away - as much as is humanly possible. He’ll have to submit to random drug and alcohol checks and they can be requested at any time. As well as that he’ll have a support worker assigned, he’ll have to meet with them. I dinna ken how often it’ll be, but it’s usually quite frequent in the first month and then it’ll settle into a routine like once a month or once every three months. He’ll be free to travel, but they’re still deciding if they’ll impose a radius on that so he’ll find out during his first probation meeting. He canna go out of the country, though. Is there any questions you have?”

“Other than sanctuary,” taking a peek over at the exit, she pulled her cardigan tighter around her chest, “is there anything that I have to do for him at home? Or, conversely, anything I shouldn’t do?”

“I dinna think there’s any tips I can give to ye that ye dinna already know, lass.” He reassured her, their heads turning just in time to see Jamie approaching, a clear bag of his belongings held tightly between his fingers.

Standing, Claire waved coquettishly over at him. All of a sudden she felt nervous. He looked pale, skinny even, but not too unhealthy. She was grateful for the full fridge she had at home and the cabinet full of lotions that would help reduce the scarring on his back. As he waved back the butterflies in her stomach dissipated. If she’d worried about the repercussions of her decision beforehand, they’d have been invalid now upon seeing him again. The fear and uncertainty had been replaced with a pleasant sort of trepidation. He was nervous too, but happy as well and relaxed.

“I really dinna know what to say…” he whispered when they finally came face to face. “I’ve had a few hours to think about it and I thought I’d planned it all out. But seeing you now, they’ve evaporated.”

“You don’t have to say anything, honestly.” Placing her hands out, she took the small package from his arms and nudged him softly with her elbow.

“Ye’ve risked an awful lot for me, I’m a stranger, I could be anyone.”

“But you’re not and the words you didn’t say spoke more about you than the ones you did. Something told me you were worth the risk. Maybe one day I’ll talk you through it....when I know you won’t laugh at me.” They were shy with one another, quiet and calm as Claire led the way to her car after saying goodbye to Rupert and handing back his copy of the probation paperwork.

He was tall standing up, she realised, so tall that he had to duck to climb into her small Polo, pulling his legs up a little and bowing his head so that he didn’t thwack it on the roof of the vehicle. She could already tell that he was overwhelmed by it all. Getting into the car was part of it, but he’d been hunched over, his shoulders bent inwards and his head downcast the moment they’d left the confines of the reception.

“I wanted to call ahead and ask if there was anything you really disliked -food wise- but then time just seemed to disappear.” She confessed as they drove away.

“I dinna think you could make me a dish I’d turn my nose up at after eating the food in the prison canteen.”

She laughed at his comment, watching out of the corner of her eye as he slowly began to uncurl himself. With his shoulders straightened, his cheeks slightly pinked and his gaze captivated by the road as it fell away behind them, he seemed to be more at ease the further they travelled into the city.

“I’m sure it’s on a par with the horrors the chef presses upon us in the hospital canteen - though I won’t torture you with details.”

He visibly flinched and it took her a moment to comprehend why.

“Sorry.” Apologising quickly, the vision of him, small and curled up on the A&E mattress, sprung immediately to mind. Triggers were something unavoidable and scarily common and though she had prepared herself for the care she’d need to pay to his physical health, shockingly, she had, in the fray, forgotten about the mental scars left by his ordeal.

“Please...it’s alright, honestly.” He replied once he’d managed to catch his breath.

“I guess we both have a lot to learn about one another.” Pressing the break, she pulled the car to a slow stop as the traffic light changed from green to red. The silence continued on, even after she’d started the car and pulled off the main road and onto the side streets leading to her apartment but it wasn’t uncomfortable or strange.

“Thank ye…” he said eventually, a calm quiet acceptance lacing his tone as the street lamps flickered on around them in the growing storm. “It must have taken some doing for ye to get my hearing overturned and I canna tell you how grateful I am for that.”

Pulling into her assigned space, she let the engine continue to roll beneath them as a stillness surrounded them both. Taking hold of his hand, she turned it effortlessly so that her palm rested neatly against his and smiled softly across the small expanse of space between them in the front seats of the car. “Hello,” she began, clear and confident as she tried to quell the nerves as they steadily lapped beneath her warm flesh, “I’m Claire...and it’s lovely to meet you.”

Erasing the past from the present, she made it clear with a slight tip of her head and a small shrug of her shoulders what she was doing and Jamie fought not to collapse in her arms as he took one long healing breath. “Hello, Claire,” he returned slowly, “I’m Jamie and it’s sae good to meet ye too.”

#lunchtime-illusion #;Mod MBD #Deep Within The Darkness Peering #jamie and claire #outlander fanfiction

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itsafanficthing · 5 years ago

Text

The Paper Boy - Chapter Two

Un-Beta'd, spellchecked and splurged from my brain. Here you go!

You can also read on A03 if that’s more your thing here

Chapter One

“Yer late,” Murtagh’s gruff voice sounded from somewhere behind the counter as Jamie entered the shop with a yawn to pick up the papers to be delivered.

“Overslept,” he mumbled as he started to fill his satchel.

“Ye have a late night?” Murtagh quirked an eyebrow at him and Jamie could see a twitch in his beard, a sign that Murtagh might actually be smiling.

“Something like that,” Jamie said through another yawn as he heaved his bag across his body.

“Wouldn’t have to do with the new lass in town, would it?” Murtagh asked, openly teasing Jamie now. Jamie rolled his eyes. He should have known that word would have gotten round by now about the new Broch Mordha residents.

“No,” Jamie replied too quickly, resulting in something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle from Murtagh. “I’m late,” he said as he stormed out of the small shop and jumped onto his bike, pedaling away quickly from his godfather who was still laughing in the doorway as he watched him go.

He hadn’t meant to have a late night.

He’d taken Claire down to the small stream close to his house. She’d become immediately fascinated by some plant down by the water and had made him stop so that she could take a closer look at it. Jamie used the opportunity of her distraction to simply look at her… well watch her would be a more accurate description. He was completely enamoured with her and he’d only just met her.

She spoke quickly, as if there wasn’t enough time for her to speak all of the thoughts that she was having.

“Do you think that’s Myrtle?” She asked as she made her way to the water. “You know I think it is. Look at how wild it’s grown here. No one must know what it is.” She pulled a leaf and crushed it between her fingers, smelling it. “It’s myrtle I’m sure of it,” she said more to herself than to Jamie, as she started to collect a few stalks. “You can use this if you have a fever, you know. I’ve also heard that you can use it to cure ulcers, but I don’t think that’s scientifically supported. If you boil it in some water, you can use it like a tea…”

Jamie nodded along as Claire spoke, but he hardly understood half of what she was saying. Using a plant if he had a fever? Usually his father gave him an advil and told him to lie down with the curtains drawn. Why use a plant when there were such things as paracetamol?

Claire spoke with her hands, waving the plant around as she spoke, a trail of soil following the path. Her pale skin shone in the morning sun and she looked positively ethereal.

Jamie had never thought of a lass as “ethereal” before, but he had read the word in a few fantasy books as they described fairies and he thought that the word described Claire quite well. There was a faint blush of excitement on her cheeks as she continued to talk about the plant. A cloud passed in front of the sun briefly and when it came back out, the sun highlighted a multitude of different colours in Claire curls.

Brown, auburn, even a streak of gold when she turned her head a certain way. Jamie had never really noticed a lasses hair before. It was just hair; what was there to be interested in? But when the breeze picked up and lifted the curls from around Claire’s face as she continued to talk about the plant she was holding, Jamie wondered why he had never noticed how bonnie as lasses hairs could look before.

“See the waxy texture of the leaves?” Claire was right next to him now, and holding out the plant to him. “When you boil the leaves all of that comes off. You can scoop it off and make candle wax. It smells lemony, see, smell it,” She continued holding the plant out for Jamie to smell.

It looked like any other pond plant that Jamie had seen, but for Claire he thought it might do just about anything, so he smelled it. She was right, it did smell lemony. He looked up to see Claire grinning triumphantly at him.

“I told you,” she said not waiting for any kind of response from him. “I think I should get some more, take some home and see what I can make with it.” She abruptly turned and left him with nothing but whiff of her shampoo.

That was when he saw her bend over, her arse high in the air as she pulled up some more of the plant. Jamie stepped back in surprise as his cock hardened and he quickly turned away from her to hide it better in his shorts. Good Lord. Had lasses arse’s always looked so bonnie? Claire’s was round and firm and Jamie was alarmed to realise that he wanted a handful of it. Just the thought of having her sit on his lap made his cock harden even further. Christ, the awkward conversation he’d had with his Da was coming back in full force and Jamie felt the heat of embarrassment rise from his navel to and flood his cheeks..

“Jamie? Are you alright?” Claire’s voice called out from behind him, completely oblivious to his male anatomy betraying his attraction to her.

“I’m fine,” Jamie’s voice broke embarrassingly on the second word and he cleared his throat before repeating, “fine.”

“I think that this is more than enough. Where to next, tour guide?” Claire was suddenly at his shoulder looking up at him, grinning with excitement.

Jamie picked up his bike where he had dropped it (discreetly rearranging himself as he did so) and led them to their next destination.

It wasn’t that he had spent a late night with Claire, it was that Claire had spent a late night with him. He had returned her back to her house around lunch time, Mr Beauchamp - Lamb, standing at the front door smiling at them both as they waved goodbye with promises to meet up again another time.

Jamie had come home (quite late) endured a scolding from both his father and his sister for not returning home after his route, and promptly thrown himself into his chores. But even as he was mucking out the horse stable, his mind couldn’t stop returning to the bonnie Sassenach that now lived in Walter Stuarts house.

The way she spoke, at a million miles an hour, without waiting for a response before jumping into the next thought put a smile on his face as he fed the horses.

The way that she laughed when he’d finally managed to get a word in, had him grinning like an idiot as he fed the cows.

The way that she had bent over to collect more plants, her arse high in the air, tempting Jamie like a pie on a windowsill had him once again adjusting himself, so as not to give himself away to his father and sister.

It was only at dinner later that night, that Jamie finally told him why he had been delayed.

“We should ask them around for dinner,” Jenny immediately suggested. “They’re new to the area, there’s been a lot of gossip in the town about the two of them, we should reach out a friendly hand.”

“Dinna be listenin’ to the auld hens in town, Jen,” Brian Fraser reprimanded his eldest.

“I’m no’, I’m just sayin’, we should ask them round.” Jenny shook her head emphatically at her father.

“Aye, I ken… Jamie, next time ye see the lass, ask her and her father for a meal.”

Jamie put himself to bed early that night, hoping to get a good night's sleep before his paper run in the morning, and hopefully seeing Claire Beauchamp again; they had, after all, made plans to see each other again. But sleep had evaded Jamie and instead his thoughts were replaced Claire Beauchamp.

Reviewing every detail of their morning together; her interest in the plants by the creek, and then in the field; the way that she spoke, so prim and proper with the occasional curse word; the way that she moved, or floated Jamie thought. She didn’t walk like a normal person, she bounced on the balls of her feet when she was excited about something, she constantly stopped to inspect things, a plant, a bug, a stone, which would inevitably end up in her bag as part of her collection. Claire laughed loudly, not worried about seeming crass or uncultured. Jamie thought about how the girls in his class laughed. Always for show, laughing too hard at something a boy said that they fancied, but Claire laughed just for the joy of laughing.

Christ. He’d only known her for a day and he was already making assumptions about her. He was fairly sure that he was in love with her. The thought of her arse bent over, picking up the blasted Myrtle or whatever it was, caused an ache in Jamie’s lower half that had him rolling onto his stomach and trying to think of other things to make it go away.

Jamie looked at his watch, seeing that it had passed 1am and he was nowhere near tired. He was aching and stiff, but he was not tired. Creeping out of his room he ran to the bathroom and ran a very cold shower. He almost yelped as he jumped under the icy flow and all stiffness of his manhood promptly disappeared with the shock. Jamie quickly shut off the water, dried himself and ran back to his room. His father and his sister didn’t need to know what he was doing, and he would be mortified if they did.

Shivering, Jamie jumped back into his bed and pulled the covers over his head, trying to think of anything but Claire Beauchamp and the possibility of seeing her again in the morning.

Jamie yawned through the first three houses as he threw the paper into the residents yards, aiming for front doors and coming up short every time. By the time his bag was half empty he was decidedly more awake, his muscles warmed up and his aim markedly improved.

Jamie sped around the corner and refrained from rolling his eyes as the Mackenzies house came into view. It wasn’t even 7am and Laoghaire was waiting by her gate waving eagerly at him.

“Mornin’ Jamie,” she called as he rode towards her house.

Mornin’ Laoghaire,” Jamie greeted wearily as he pulled to a stop.

“Ma asked if ye wanted to come in for breakfast, as we’re the last house on your route,” Laoghaire blushed at him, learning forward on the gate, and fluttering her eyelashes at him. Did she have something in her eye?

“Oh, ah, I canna. I have a few more houses to go. Thank her for the invitation though,” Jamie mumbled, hiding his nearly empty bag from her eager eyes.

“I thought that we were the last house? We are always the last house,” Laoghaire persisted.

“Aye, a few more houses signed up with Murtagh.”

“Oh, well, yer welcome to come back ‘round when yer done,” Laoghaire pressed.

“I canna. Chores,” Jamie answered shortly, adjusting himself on his bike ready to push off again. “I’d better be off, still got houses to get to.”

“Aye, aye, well, I’ll see ye around then, when yer finished yer chores. School does’na start for another week. We should, ye ken, do somethin’...”

“Aye, perhaps. See ye later.” Jamie quickly peddled off before Laoghaire could ask him anything else.

He supposed she was good-looking. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that Jamie was sure the lads at school noticed. She certainly had drawn the eye of a couple of Jamie’s mates, but she was two years their junior and no one was game enough to ask her out. She certainly hung around his group of friends a lot, so he supposed the age difference wasn’t so bad. But the more that he tried to think about Laoghaire, the more his thoughts shifted toward the brown-haired lass that had captured his attention. Her whiskey eyes, curly hair and infectious laugh.

Jamie was so busy thinking about Claire that he had to loop the next street twice to remember to throw the Duncan’s paper to them.

Finally the papers were delivered and Jamie reported back to Murtagh.

“Yer ok with the extra houses?” Murtagh asked as Mrs McIntosh left the small shop with a bottle of milk and her weekly lottery ticket.

“Aye, I’m keepin’ pace. Why? Have ye got more?” Jamie asked he straightened the gum packets on the counter.

“Maybe, I dinna ken yet,” Murtagh grunted back, “Ye’d better get back home. Ye Da told me about ye going MIA.”

“When?” Jamie looked up at his Godfather in confusion. How fast did word in this town spread?

“He called me when ye finally did get home an’ started yer chores. Said ye’d met the new lass.”

“I showed her around, it was nothin’.” Jamie tried to shrug casually but he could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Aye, well, dinna be late again.” Murtagh could have been smiling at Jamie but it was lost under his beard.

“Aye, I’ll see ye tonight for dinner?” Jamie asked with a sigh, pushing himself away from the counter. “Jen’s makin’ a roast. She said it’s tradition now.”

“Sunday roast, aye?”

Jamie shrugged again in response and Murtagh scoffed.

“I’ll see ye tonight.”

Jamie couldn’t help it. It was part of his routine now. Admittedly he usually looked at the house before he went back to check in with Murtagh, so it was a bit out of his way to be going back to Walter Stuarts- well, Claire and Lamb Beauchamp’s house, but Jenny had said that they should ask them over for dinner, and there was no time like the present.

Jamie rolled to a stop at their front gate and carefully parked his bike, leaning it against the fence. Running his hands through his hair with nerves he carefully made his way to their front door and knocked.

There was an abrupt halt in conversation before heavy footsteps sounded towards the door.

“Jamie!” Lambert Beauchamp greeted cheerfully, almost too cheerfully for the early hour of the morning.

“Good Mornin’,” Jamie smiled awkwardly at the older man.

“I’m afraid Claire can’t come out just now.”

“Oh, no, I was erm… I was talkin’ to my Da and my sister last night, and my Da, Brian, that’s his name, was wonderin’ if ye want to come around for dinner? We’ll be having roast tonight, my sister, Jenny, makes it and it’s pretty good. Just if yer free and ye… wanted to meet a few more of the locals. Ye dinna have to say yes, it does’na have to be tonight. Just if ye and Claire were free… we wanted to welcome ye to the neighbourhood.” Jamie spoke very quickly, feeling awkward under the intensity of Lamb’s eyes as he studied him.

“That’s very kind of Jamie, very kind indeed. I will ask Claire and see if she… if we are free to come tonight.”

Jamie could hear movement behind Lamb and was sure that it was Claire moving through the house. He briefly wondered why she didn’t answer the door herself and if he had done something to upset her yesterday. He was sure that he hadn’t. They had parted ways with a “see you later” and that meant that, later… Jamie would see her. Didn’t it?

“Well I wrote my Da’s number down,” Jamie said finishing the crumpled piece of paper from his back pocket, sat on after many hours of delivering the paper. “Just give him a call if ye wanted to stop by. It’s got our address on it as well.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. I will call your father… Brian,” Lamb read, squinting at the paper, “this afternoon.”

“Right… ok… bye then.” Jamie stood awkwardly at the door as Lamb smiled at him before turning away quickly. He looked over his shoulder as he left to see Claire in her pajamas rubbing her eyes and sniffiling as Lamb shut the door.

“Have ye heard anything from them yet, Da?” Jamie asked as he stomped his muddy boots by the back kitchen door.

“Nothin’ yet, it’s only been ten minutes since ye last asked me,” an exasperated Brian Fraser replied to his son.

“Maybe I did’na write down the number correctly…” Jamie wondered as he got a glass of water. “Maybe it was’na neat enough, should I go by their place and see?”

“No, for goodness sake, Jamie. They will call when they call. It’s only midday,” Jenny said from the kitchen doorway, holding a basket full of eggs.

“She’s right lad, calm down, they’ll call when they call.” Brian smiled at his youngest as he sat at the kitchen table and started to peel potatoes.

At that very moment the phone began to ring and Jamie raced through the house to answer it.

“Fraser residence, this is Jamie,” he answered on what must have been only the second ring.

“Waitin’ for a call lad?” The gruff voice of his Godfather echoed down the line.

“No, was just walking past when it rang,” Jamie lied slightly crestfallen.

“Aye, just callin’ to let yer Da know that Alistar McKinnon’s cultivator disc has snapped again and he might be wantin’ to borrow his for a few days. Can ye let him know?”

“Aye, why did’na ye just tell us at dinner tonight?” Jamie asked curiously.

“Because ye Da wants a heads-up on these kinds of things and McKinnon will likely be round in the next hour,” Murtagh replied roughly.

“Aye, I’ll tell him. See ye tonight then.”

“Aye, tonight,” Murtagh grunted in response, before the line went dead.

There was no use hanging by a phone that wasn’t going to ring when Jamie had to take the horses out to the east paddock for a run, so he passed on the message to his father and went to finish his chores.

Jamie was dirty and sweating by the time he returned home. He’d lost track of the time, adrenaline and excitement running through his body when he’d finally mounted the demon horse- Donas, bareback and not been thrown off.

Well. That wasn’t strictly true. Jamie had fallen off once but that was his own fault. He’d tried to mount the beast too quickly and had spooked him. Jamie was sure he would have a spectacular bruise on his right shoulder tomorrow, but right now he couldn’t feel it- too thrilled with the idea that his training of Donas was moving along quickly. He couldn’t wait to tell his Da.

“I lost track o’ the time but Da, ye’ll never believe it. I got him,” Jamie called through the house as he stomped the muck from his boots. “It took some time, but I got him. Bareback. I dinna think he’s ready for a saddle yet, but I got him.” Jamie started walking through the house looking for his father, knowing that he would be able to hear him, no matter where he was. “He was a bit skittish, but I think havin’ Molly in the same paddock calmed him down. I mounted Molly to show him what was happenin’ and he did’na take a nip like he usually does when I came close. That’s when I kent I could mount him. I fell off once but that was-” Jamie stopped talking abruptly as he entered the living room and saw his father sitting with Lamb and Claire.

Apparently they had called while he was working the horses… and he had well and truly lost track of the time as they were clearly there for the dinner he had invited them too.

“Oh, hi,” Jamie said nervously, accurately aware of the mud up the side of his body from his fall and his messed up hair, that was likely full of grass and hay.

“Jamie lad. Good to see you again,” Lamb greeted brightly. “Thank you for inviting us for dinner. You didn’t mention you lived in a castle.”

“Oh, it’s no’...”

Brian Fraser laughed heartily interrupting Jamie’s response. “It’s hardy a castle Quentin. Truly it’s more work than it’s worth but it’s been in the family all my life.”

Jamie looked between Lamb and his father wondering who on earth Quentin was.

“It’s wonderfully historic,” Lamb said with enthusiasm, looking back to Brian. The two men continued their conversation but Jamie wasn’t paying attention. His focus was on Claire who was looking around the room. Her eyes looked red and puffy, like she had been crying. Did she not want to come to dinner? Had Jamie truly upset her?

He just needed to pull her aside. Talk to her. Apologise for whatever he did to upset her.

“Jamie… Jamie.” His father's impatient voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see his father grinning knowingly at him. “Why don’t ye go wash up for dinner.”

“Aye- Sorry Da, I lost track of the time.”

Brian gave him a stern look but with a small glint of something Jamie hadn’t seen since his mother died and he left the sitting room quickly to take a shower.

—

Another cold one, Jamie stood on the bathmat shivering. He had scrubbed himself raw, making sure that all the dirt was gone from his fingernails, hair washed and brushed away from his face. He had to look good for Claire.

Jamie looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror assessing himself. He was starting to sprout some blonde hairs on his chest, some darker than the others. He was even starting to get sprouts of whiskers on his chin and jawline.

He was also correct in thinking that the fall from Donas would cause a bruise, as a bluish shape was already starting to form along his shoulder and ribs.

The work on the farm kept him in pretty good shape but the paper route had done wonders for his legs. Used to lifting bales of hay for the horses and the cows, he’d always had a lot of upper body strength but as he got older he noticed that the sinewy muscles of his arms had started to fill out a little more.

Jamie shook his head at his assessment of his own body. Not that Claire would ever see it. He blushed bright red at the thought and scrubbed his face with his towel again. He shouldn’t be thinking things like that.

Jamie looked around the room for the fresh set of clothes he was sure that he had brought with him. Nothing. Just his dirty farming clothes shoves haphazardly into the washing basket. Jamie mentally chastised himself for his forgetfulness in his eagerness to clean himself and get back out to talk to Claire, entirely forgetting his clothing in the process. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even stopped by his room. He was quite sure that he had run straight for the shower without a second thought.

There was no help for it. He would wrap his towel around him and make a run for his bedroom. It was only down the hall and the Beauchamp’s were probably still with his father in the living room. He hadn’t been gone that long. They wouldn’t be touring the house- that would be ridiculous.

Jamie cautiously opened the bathroom door and stuck his head out in the direction of the living room. The general hum of conversation and laughter was a good confirmation and Jamie stepped out of the bathroom.

“How’s your leg?” The voice of Claire Beauchamp from behind him had Jamie jumping out of his skin and nearly dropping the towel in the process.

“Jesus feckin’ Christ, Sassenach. Scared the living daylights out of me,” Jamie panted, holding the towel tighter and praying that she wouldn’t look down and see his reaction to her.

“I was looking at the photos.” Claire answered innocently with a tilt of her head at the hallway which Jamie and Jenny affectionately referred to as the “Fraser hall of fame”. Photos of the Fraser family spanning several generations lined the hallway, including the not so subtle but very embarrassing baby and toddler photos of Jamie.

“Aye- Yes it’s the hall of fame. Generations of Frasers.”

“What did you do to your shoulder?” Claire nodded briefly in acknowledgement before her hawk eyes focussed on the bruise from Donas.

“It’s nothin,” Jamie shrugged. “Trying to train a demon of a horse and I fell.”

“You fell?” Claire repeated, “from a horse?” Before Jamie could move, her hands were on his bare shoulder and ribcage pressing and prodding. He suppressed a shiver as her nimble fingers pressed the outline of the bruise, before he squeaked in surprise at a particular ticklish spot.

“Does that hurt?” Claire asked, her eyebrows furrowed before she was looking back into his eyes.

“Nay, but it’s a wee bit ticklish if ye dinna mind,” Jamie replied gruffly, trying to sound much more macho than he felt.

“Did you hit your head or anything? You’re not dizzy?” Claire continued her assessment of him, her eyes running up and down from his eyes, chest stomach, legs and back again.

“I’m fine. Mostly just winded me.” Jamie stood gripping the towel at his waist, his knuckles slowly turning white. Hey eyes were definitely red rimmed and puffier than the last time he had seen her. She looked like she’d been crying and Jamie panicked that she hadn’t wanted to come to dinner after all and Lamb had forced her into it.

“You should be more careful. Out in the fields by yourself, trying to tame rouge horses. You could have seriously hurt yourself.”

“Why, Sassenach, anyone would think that ye cared about me!” Jamie said jokingly, hoping to make her smile, but mostly to tame the thought that she didn’t want to be at his house- with him.

“You’re my only friend in this… town. Of course I bloody care. I’d have to go make a new friend.” Claire huffed as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Friend am I? Good to know,” Jamie grinned before he noticed that her eyes were becoming watery. “Christ, are ye alright Claire? Was it somethin’ I said? Or did? I’m sorry.”

Claire waved him away but she couldn’t stop the lone tear that fell from her eye. “I’m fine. Really. Some days… are just harder… I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Is there… can I do anything?” Jamie asked awkwardly, wanting to reach out and comfort her, but too terrified to remove his hands from the towel at his waist.

“I’m fine,” Claire repeated taking a deep breath. “I’ll tell you about it another time.” She shook her head and it seemed like a shiver went through her before she looked back up at him with a watery smile. “Is that what you’re wearing to dinner? I wish I’d known there was a dress code, I would have dressed up myself.”

“I ahh, Aye- Well I was going to get dressed but some Sassenach scared the bleedin’ daylights out of me and distracted me.” Jamie smiled kindly at her and was pleased to hear her snort a laugh in return. Not to mention forcing all kinds of imaginative thoughts of Claire Beauchamp in only a towel out of his mind before his body would betray him. “Give me a minute and I’ll be back wi’ ye.”

Jamie stepped carefully around her and walked with his head held high to his room at the end of the hall. As he turned to open the door, he looked back at Claire who was watching him with a curious expression. He smiled at her before he entered his room and closed the door behind him, his towel dropping to the floor and his heart beating out of his chest.

#outlander #outlander fanfic #outlander fanfiction #teenager au #paper boy #jamie x claire #au #outlander au #fanfiction #jamie is a paperboy #Claire is just a little bit weird #with a past #jamie fraser #Claire beauchamp #chapter two

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medea10 · 5 years ago

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My Review of Kiss x Sis

/headdesk

Okay, I guess 2019 was the year I catch up on incestish titles. After watching more recent animes involving the main boy-toy eye-banging their step-sisters like in Domestic Girlfriend and Eromanga Sensei, I thought I should go back a decade and check out a slightly-known anime known only as Kiss x Sis.

…Of course I didn’t go at this voluntarily! I have more sense than that! I just put it in the randomizer with a bunch of other animes that are unlicensed or in license limbo. Who the fuck knew this one pile of dirty underwear was going to be the one that I would watch after finishing a cute story like Fushigi Yugi?!

I hate my life sometimes!

Actually, I was semi-curious about this title back when the television anime series came out in 2010…if not horribly disgusted at the concept. But because I had other things to watch at the time like Hetalia, Durarara, and Kimi ni Todoke…you know I had better things to watch! So here we are!

Keita Suminoe is a third-year middle school student on the verge of entering high school. He has a life that the boys at his school envy.

He gets to go home to two horny step-sisters, Ako and Riko!

So basically, Keita lost his mother at a young age and his father remarries soon after. That mother has two daughters, Ako and Riko. Basically a non-fucking-a-teacher version of Domestic Girlfriend! And it is clear that these two sisters WANT THE D from their younger step-brother!!! Very clear when in the first episode alone, these two girls flashed him their boobies, stole his dirty underwear to sniff, and broke into his heavily locked-up bedroom to sleep with him and play grab-dick!

WHAT AM I WATCHING?! And this is clearly something made in the early 2010s with this shit! At least .feel productions went on to do better…God I hope so!

So we watch the weekly shenanigans of Keita trying to study in order to get into a high school, while his horny step sisters do every erotic thing you could possibly think of to get their brother’s attention. Just put the bullet in my head now, please!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE NEVER TO BE DUB: So as of this date, no one has picked up this anime here in the states. Neither the television series nor the OVA! Which is shocking to me! You mean to tell me that Media Blasters wasn’t stupid enough to pick up this? That’s the same company that licensed a bunch of obscure yaoi and hentai titles and you’d think something like this would have gotten a full release (no pun intended). So in short, this series is unavailable on any streaming site, DVD release, or any of that shit! So yar-dee-har-har, pirate time!

The cast, I’m only familiar with one well-known name and the rest of the cast I’ve only heard in a few roles from animes I hardly remember watching. I can’t really claim that this is the anime that gave Ayana Taketatsu several incest-ish roles in the future, but you can’t argue with the results. Because Taketatsu ended up playing a girl interested in her sibling at least three other times after playing Ako. As you can tell, I am still clearly not over watching Oreimo. With that said, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Keita is played by Ken Takeuchi (known for Lithuania on Hetalia and Yusuke on Green Green)

*Ako is played by Ayana Taketatsu (known for Sugu on SAO, Kirino on Oreimo, Azusa on K-ON!, Koneko on High School DxD, Hotaru on Dagashi Kashi, Yuzu on Citrus, and Erica on Berserk 2016)

*Riko is played by Yuiko Tatsumi (known for Mio/Midori on Little Busters)

I FEEL SORRY FOR…: Yeah, here’s a nice category where I feel sorry for a single character in this show that really shouldn’t have so many horrible things happen to her. Yeah, I said ‘her’. I feel sorry for Keita too (to an extent), but Miharu’s got it worse!

Miharu has just been in the wrong place at the wrong time whenever she’s around Keita. Oh sure, this anime gives us the usual schtik of her falling over and everyone sees her underwear or something else incredibly embarrassing where other classmates can see. But nothing could prepare me for episode 5 where we see this woman fondled, stuck in small spaces with that same fondler, and to cap this off, watch Miharu hold in her pee until she literally burst. Yeah, they animated this girl peeing on Keita. Add insult to injury, that wasn’t the last time we saw this girl pee on or in front of Keita. It happens again! And again!

And he even dreams about being pee’d on! In fact, every time Miharu hears Keita’s name and sees him, she wants to pee! God, this poor girl!

Amazingly, THIS still doesn’t trump Gakuto deficating during class in Prison School. But the pee-pee scenes were still pretty messed up.

SHIPPING: Oh God…where do I even begin with this tripe?! As it turns out, Keita actually had feelings for both of his older step-sisters when he was much younger. He even prayed for one day marrying both of them. But got slapped in the face by reality as Japan does not allow polygamy of that caliber!

You wouldn’t have thought that with the way he is now as he’s embarrassed and hates being fondled by his older step-sisters, but here we are. And as for Ako and Riko, they find every other boy gross, perverted, and disgusting. They like their pure little step-brother. And before you go off on the age-demographic, Ako and Riko are only one year older than Keita. So age shouldn’t really be an issue here. It’s everything else that’s hella illegal!

Oh and their parents just laugh it off and find it cute that the girls love their little brother this way. Some parents!

But it’s not just the two sisters after Keita! Keita has an underclassman named Yuuzuki who has a thing for him. Because this series isn’t complete without a Lolita flashing her panties! And then there’s Miharu…

Oh God, this poor girl. She ends up with the short end of the stick whenever Keita is around her (especially the pee scenes). I know because some of these interactions, both Keita and Miharu have felt some sort of uncomfortable yet sexual thrill with one another. I just have a feeling Keita’s going to end up with one or both of his sisters despite all this.

At least that’s all for Keita’s sordid affairs…

Episode 7 happens!

FUCK! WHY THE TEACHER?! WHY DID SHE “MAGIC-MIKE” HERSELF ON KEITA’S GYM CLOTHES!

I apologize for most of the things I ever said about Domestic Girlfriend. At least Natsuo was at legal age (in Japan). This kid is a middle schooler being pursued by two classmates, his two step-sisters, and a teacher from the high school. IT ISN’T EVEN HIS TEACHER (yet)! This lady is Ako and Riko’s teacher! I say NO to Keita getting with the teacher!

ENDING TO TV SERIES: So the main focus of the series (besides a middle school boy being lusted after by his two step-sisters, a loli, and a teacher) mostly has to do with Keita trying to study so he can enter the same high school as Ako and Riko. Yeah, Keita is usually studying whenever we get a break from loli-twincest-bait. I shouldn’t say that, because the girls still made study sessions extra sexual.

Yeah, if you have a sister writing words and phrases in provocative parts of her body, you’re gonna remember!

So Keita studied for the entrance exam and took the test. However the day of the results was anything but pleasant. Bad luck followed Keita everywhere he went. And when he went to the result board, his number wasn’t on there and so he will not attend the same high school as his sisters, his friends, and one horny teacher. And I gotta say, that’s a fucking blessing. Keita barely gets any peace at home with his sisters constantly trying to get in his undershorts. Add to that, their teacher now has pervy fantasies involving Keita along with her samurai fetish. Not going to that school is probably the best thing to happen to the boy. But that’s just my opinion. Of course he’s going to try for the school again next year.

But Keita finally got some good news! Miharu’s dog somehow got some mail from Keita and it was an acceptance package due to Keita being on the waiting list. So Keita gets to go to school with Ako and Riko. And Miharu didn’t pee on him when Keita hugged her…but the trail of pee she left as she ran off speaks otherwise. God, this fucking show!

Okay, time for graduation from middle school to high school. And as is tradition, girls ask for a button off a boy’s uniform as a memento. In Keita’s case, too many unnamed girls beat the main girls to it. So Ako and Riko decided to have a little fun by playing a different game to gain something from Keita. And then Yuuzuki and Miharu ended up in this game as well! Yuuzuki flashed her snatch to Keita and Miharu was alone in the shed with Keita for a few minutes. Surprisingly, Miharu didn’t pee all over Keita this time (although they slipped and they wound up in an awkward position).

So after that dirtiness, the family celebrated Keita’s graduation. And that night, Ako and Riko decided to give him a friendly visit while Keita slumbers. Now believe it or not, I was shocked that this scene didn’t end up with a premature ejaculation gone wrong, but we get a touching scene instead. Keita was speaking while sleeping where he’s fighting off a horde of crazy girls to save a button for his sisters. Aw, he loves his sisters. Aw, I’m fighting back my urge to puke!

The ending credits show us Keita entering high school and watch all the shenanigans of him with his harem of girls. One can only imagine what his high school years are going to be like. But since this series ended in 2010, that tale ends here. Now I haven’t picked up the manga publication and have no intention of doing that (this adaptation is enough for me). Seeing as the manga is still in serialization, maybe they’ll get into Keita’s high school life and quite possibly who he chooses to be with. Now does the OVA give us a glimpse of Keita in high school with Ako, Riko, Miharu, and the pervy teacher lady? Let’s take a look!

OVA: So the OVA series began in 2008, two years before the television series came to air. And it didn’t finish things until 2015. So basically, people waited a full year for each episode to come out. Normally I’d be pissed if I had to wait a full year for a continuation to a story. But for fuck’s sake, it’s Kiss x Sis, I want to fuck my little step-brother please! Nothing hard to remember there!

And because these are OVA’s, I expect this to be a lot more lewd compared to the television series. Meaning, expect to see nipples and ejaculation scenes! When viewing, yeah it’s a lot nastier than the television series, but no actual nipples. Every show is different with nipples showing, I guess! Also, they somehow toned down scenes where Keita is peed on. I didn’t think this was a sentence I ever needed to write, but here we are! One thing I noticed is that the first half of the OVA set mostly featured Keita and his sisters. All the other characters really didn’t show up until the 6th episode. What’s more, after episode 5, they show Keita in high school with his sisters. So I guess we do get to see Keita in high school here. But let’s not give this show the benefit of the doubt. It’s still full of panty shots, piss shots, kissing, heavy petting, erotic scenes, and 95% more boners from Keita. I will say that Keita seems more willing to go along with whatever sexual act his sisters put him through than in the television series.

The final episode wasn’t really a conclusion and we don’t really know who Keita’s going to end up with. So I guess it’s up to our imagination if he ends up with his step-sister, his other step-sister, the underaged Lolita, Boobs McGee, or a horny teacher with a samurai fetish. Instead, we get an episode of getting drunk off some tapioca wine, ball sucking that leads to tit and clit sucking, a very weird scene where Keita puts 10 bandaids on his sister’s box, and other disgusting acts of debachary.

Before you ask, no I disliked this anime. Just…no!

I do admire their creativity when the sisters are sexually curious. I mean we were all at that age where we get sexually curious. I’m not into the incest storylines. If that’s your thing, fine with me, I don’t and can’t judge anyone on that!

Thankfully, no one has licensed this anime. That should be a clear sign that you avoid Kiss x Sis like the plague!

Thank God that’s over! What’s my next anime that’s unlicensed/license limbo?

To Heart.

This shit wasn’t an incest show, was it? No?! Okay, I’ll take it!

#kiss x sis #keita suminoe #anime review #riko suminoe #ako suminoe #miharu mikuni #mikazuki kiryuu #yuuzuki kiryuu

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mobius-prime · 5 years ago

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100. Sonic Super Special #5 - Sonic Kids

Welcome to the hundredth issue, guys! Obviously not the hundredth issue of the main comic itself, we've still got a long ways to go before we reach that, but it's the hundredth issue that I'm covering in this review, anyhow. Fittingly, it's a bit of a flashback to, well, when the Freedom Fighters were kids. Which is awesome, because it allows me to finally go into several points that I've been just dying to bring up! Let's dive in, shall we?

When You and I Were Young, Sally

Writer: Mike Gallagher Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Barry Grossman

So no time frame is given for what age everyone was when this story took place, but I'm going to guess it was no more than five or six years ago, given that any younger would make Tails basically a toddler in this story, which he doesn't seem like he is. Sally and her friends (minus Bunnie, because remember, she wasn't a part of the team yet) are playing inside when Rosie comes in to scold them and order them to play outside instead. Before Sally can follow her friends out, she's held back by Julayla (if you'll remember, her old mentor who died in StH#18) for a lesson. She's clearly not pleased with this.

This already gives some insight into how strict Sally's upbringing and royal grooming were, even with her father gone. Luckily, Julayla is actually rather reasonable, and recognizes the others' worth as both friends and a source of growth for Sally. While Sonic shows off by playing an entire game of basketball by himself, Tails - or Miles, as everyone calls him, because he hasn't earned his nickname yet - becomes dejected, thinking he'll never be as cool as his hero Sonic. Sally tries to cheer him up by pointing out that everyone has their own strengths, and Sonic jumps in to point out Miles' prominent birth defect, turning it into a positive instead.

And so Miles attains his flight ability! However, he doesn't quite know yet how to stop flying, and so he goes careening away into the forest. Rotor - or Boomer, as he's still known back then - is able to track where he might have landed, and even begins to describe a new idea he had for a handheld computer before Sally shushes him, serving as yet another reference to future events given that far-future-Rotor was the one who invented Nicole and sent her back in time, if you'll recall. The group hears Miles' voice coming from a tree stump, and gather around to try to decipher what he's saying.

Perfect! They all land in an underground cavern where Miles is dizzy from his landing but unharmed, and, looking around, are amazed at how cool the place is, with an underground aquifer and such an interesting secret entrance through the hollow tree stump… hey, sounding familiar? Sally declares that this should be their new secret headquarters for a group she's forming right now… the Freedom Fighters!

Well that's quite a verbose speech for a ten year old, Sally, but it inspires everyone to go along - minus Sonic, who seems mildly unenthused for some reason. I suppose it wasn't "cool" enough for him at first? Anyway, Sally then tasks them with finding a way out of the cavern, and Miles uses his new ability to fly out and lower a vine for them to climb out. And thus, the Freedom Fighters were born! It's a bit awkward to think back, however, on how resistant everyone was to adding Tails to the group in earlier issues, citing that he was too young. It paints kind of a ridiculous and petty picture of them initially forming the group with Miles, only to then reject him for being too much of a baby child, and only finally accepting him back in once he was the same age they were when they first formed the group. I mean, come on guys, that's such a dick move!

Stop… Sonic Time!

Writer: Tom Rolston and Karl Bollers Pencils: Art Mawhinney Colors: Ken Penders

The very first page of this story is my in - I finally get to explain my biggest theory!

Yes, that is a modern-day Sonic, being pestered by a bunch of little kids in Knothole to tell stories of his adventures. The first time I read the comics, this was the issue that made the silly tone of all the previous early issues make sense. After all, of course Sonic would love to brag of his and his friends' adventures to all the wide-eyed children of the village, hanging on his every word - but he couldn't make things out to be as dire as they actually were, lest he scare them. Add his naturally carefree and somewhat goofy nature to the mix, and you have your answer - most of the early issues, particularly the ones by Michael and Angelo, were all just stories Sonic was telling to the kids. To some degree, certainly most of the events depicted happened in some capacity, but they were much more serious, much more dire, with much higher stakes than we were led to believe. That time Sonic took a front row seat to Orbinaut's introduction and got put through a pinball machine for his troubles? More likely that he snuck into a Robotnik laboratory to find out his latest nefarious plans only to be spotted and captured, barely escaping an elaborate death trap with his life. That magic frog that gave him jewels which gave him powers? Probably an embellishment to an otherwise routine story of taking down Robotnik's latest invention. The time the Freedom Fighters formed a band and defeated Robotnik with the power of music? Perhaps an incursion into Robotropolis gone wrong when they were cornered in an old concert hall. My point is, given how serious the comic gets later on, those early issues, with their goofy slapstick tone, don't really make sense except through an interpretation like this - that they're merely dressed-up stories told by Sonic to the Knothole children throughout the war, to satisfy their curiosity, keep their spirits up, and give him a chance to brag even in the wake of a dire and terrifying battle that they barely escaped alive. This is how I choose to view all the older issues, through this lens of storytelling - it just seems to make sense. Incidentally, this is why I recommend people getting into the comics read every issue even if they're not into slapstick comedy, as they become painted in a much different light once you realize what they could mean in context.

Anyway, back to actually analyzing the story. When one of the kids asks Sonic how he got his shoes, he explains that they were custom-made for him by Uncle Chuck to withstand the friction created by his speed. He then decides to explain the story of how he got Tails his own shoes, which are similar to his. It took place a "few years ago," likely one or two years after the previous story since everyone still acts like children. Miles had been taking lessons from Rosie and gotten straight A's, prompting everyone to throw him a little party to celebrate his good grades. Antoine gets him a ribbon that he claims he earned through his own heroism, and while Boomer corrects him, Miles worries that Sonic hasn't shown up. Sally comforts him, but she's not too confident in him either.

Turns out Sonic is in Robotropolis, meeting up with a strange robed figure who agreed to trade him a bag of rocks for the shoes. It seems like a strange trade, but as Sonic speeds away…

Hey, remember Merlin Prower from the Sonic Live special? Of course given his name and appearance we knew they had to be related, but now we have confirmation - he's Tails' uncle! Sonic likely didn't actually tell this part to the Knothole kids - rather the comic is just showing the final panel to reveal this interesting tidbit of information to us.

Meanwhile in another part of Robotropolis, Robotnik is being evil as usual, and has come up with a plan. He's sick and tired of the "king's daughter" heading the resistance against him, and thus has invented a time-freezing ray that will stop time for everyone in the forest, allowing his forces to waltz in and load them all on a transport to Robotropolis with ease. Sonic sees the beam fire over his head as he races back to Knothole, but decides not to worry about it until after he's delivered his gift to Tails. However, predictably, once he gets back, everyone is frozen, and outside Knothole itself, the swatbots are rounding up the frozen Mobians. Sonic realizes he has to stop this plan before they discover the Great Oak Slide into the village, and so he comes up with a plan to pretend to be frozen, letting him sneak into Robotropolis.

Soon, Sonic is standing on the pedestal in Robotnik's main room, ready to be roboticized. Robotnik mentions, interestingly, that he had promised to spare those who followed his laws and had indeed followed his own rule up until now, which is surprising given his normally ruthless nature - however, naturally, he's decided that's boring and wants to roboticize everyone, followed by sending his robot army out to conquer the entire galaxy. Damn, man! The planet wasn't enough for you? Sonic allows him to monologue just long enough to let him get embroiled in an evil cackle before jumping off the pedestal and mocking him, then pressing every button on every console to mess up his plans. This thankfully results in exactly what he wanted - everyone being unfrozen back home, while Snively and the bots looking for more prisoners are frozen in time instead. With one last flourish, he smashes up the time-freeze ray and speeds out of the city, back home, where everyone within the village still has no idea anything went wrong at all. He dodges Sally's scolding, goes to give Tails his present, remembers he left it hidden in the forest, and speeds back to find it with ease.

And that's how Tails got his similar-to-Sonic's shoes! Sonic concludes his story to the children only to notice that they all fell asleep listening to him at some point. Classic!

Total Re: Genesis

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Nelson Rebeiro, Art Mawhinney, Sam Maxwell, and John Herbert Colors: Barry Grossman

Unlike the other two stories, this one doesn’t take place during the childhood of the Freedom Fighters, but rather just after StH#38. If you'll remember, I noted that the issue ended rather abruptly, not really explaining how everyone escaped or what happened afterward. I'm not sure if this story was intended to correct that or if they just randomly decided on that issue as a good place to add in an additional story, but here we are regardless. We open with Sonic, Sally, and Antoine looking pretty exhausted and beat up with a flaming pile of robotic wreckage behind them, and they answer a call from Uncle Chuck to explain what happened. Apparently one of the wrecked combots they fought came back online while they were cleaning up, and each of them take turns explaining their version of events, in which the speaker is the sole hero of the story. Sally explains how her two companions were knocked silly by a blast, and thus she acted as a distraction, breaking off a piece of a cliff to smash the already messed-up bot.

Antoine interrupts to explain that, in fact, it was Sally and Sonic who were unconscious, and the robot still had legs. What's more, it could cloak itself to become invisible, and so Antoine had an epic duel with it, using his superior hearing to fight and slash at it even without being able to see.

But that's not how it happened, interjects Sonic! Antoine was merely watching his heroics jealously from a distance while Sally begged him, ever the hero, to save them both. He stepped forward, easily dodging anything the combot threw at him while mocking its sound effects, and then paused to adjust his sneakers before charging at it to blow it up.

Uncle Chuck finally interrupts to tell them that he installed Nicole with an uplink to a spy satellite which recorded the whole thing, allowing him to watch playback of what really happened. As it turns out, everyone's stories are somewhat true, with Sonic using his spines to saw off the bot's legs, Antoine slicing up its internal circuitry, and then Sally crushing it with a boulder before it could fire off another shot. He congratulates them on their teamwork, and they bicker good-naturedly as they head back home.

Well, that's a hundred issues everyone! Hard to believe we've already come this far, but hang on tight, cause we still got over two hundred fifty issues to go. The story of the preboot is far from over, after all!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sonic super special 5 #writer: michael gallagher #writer: tom rolston #writer: karl bollers #pencils: manny galan #pencils: art mawhinney #pencils: nelson ribeiro #pencils: sam maxwell #pencils: john herbert #colors: barry grossman #colors: ken penders

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punk-chicken-radio · 6 years ago

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favorite album friday

happy friday, all you chickens!

i wanna start today by giving a special shout out to @thepunkmummy and @theoldsmelly for helping me out a couple times this week getting shows queued up for you guys, as i am caring for a cat at the end of her life, and i have been erratically available. thanks you guys, i love you.

which segues nicely into something else we love....these three albums. two from 1980, and one from 1986. i know all y’all are shocked by that.

let’s start with the oldest of the three, and @thepunkmummy‘s pick, prince’s ‘dirty mind’.

Dirty Mind is the third album by Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records as the follow-up to his self-titled second album, Prince, (1979). Produced, arranged, and composed mainly by Prince in his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota throughout 1980, and several of the songs were cut in one night, giving them a sparse, demo-like quality. The album received critical acclaim. According to Ken Tucker from Rolling Stone, "Prince's first two collections established him as a doe-eyed romantic. Nothing could have prepared us for the liberating lewdness of Dirty Mind. Dirty Mind jolts with the unsettling tension that arises from rubbing complex erotic wordplay against clean, simple melodies. Across this ELECTRIC surface glides Prince's graceful quaver, tossing off lyrics with an exhilarating breathlessness. He takes the sweet romanticism of Smokey Robinson and combines it with the powerful vulgar poetry of Richard Pryor. The result is cool music dealing with hot emotions. At its best, Dirty Mind is positively filthy”. and i know @thepunkmummy has been jamming this album a lot lately, and she’s right, it is worthy of some serious jamming. as this album only has 8 songs PM filled out her spots with 2 other early prince songs,

next is an album that came out merely a month later, visage’s visage, chosen by @theoldsmelly.

Visage is the eponymous debut studio album by the British new wave band Visage (featuring steve strange and midge ure). It was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading, Berkshire and released on 10 November 1980 by Polydor Records. Visage was released on 10 November 1980. It reached No. 13 in the UK and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry in March 1981. "Fade to Grey" was released as a single and became a hit, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and Top 10 positions in Europe, including No. 1 in Germany and Switzerland. Further singles, "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage" were also UK Top 30 hits. In his retrospective review, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic wrote "this is the music that best represents the short-lived but always underrated new romantic movement", calling it "a consistently fine creation". you may notice we play a bit of visage here on pcr,.. and it’s all due to smelly’s influence...

last, we have the newest pick of the bunch (if 1986 is new), and my, @loveaxiomatic‘s, pick, the smiths ‘the queen is dead’.

The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album spent twenty-two weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 2. It also reached No. 70 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 1990. It has sold consistently well ever since and has received unanimous critical acclaim, with NME listing it as the greatest album of all time in 2013.

honestly, there is so much info out there about this album, because of how monumental it is, i am just gonna not even bother....i hadn’t known that about NME listing it as the greatest of all time, but i am close to agreeing. i have loved this album in it’s entirety since it’s arrival as a gift for my 13th birthday. of course my brother got it for me, and immediately commandeered it to make a copy, lol. as far as i am concerned, there is a light that never goes out for me and this album. true love lasts forever.

okay, chickens, that’s about it. three fairly different albums today, even though they actually share some commonalities, least of which is that we picked them!

enjoy!

the dancer uptown with a vicar in a tutu kisses,

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

love (it looks more like a wham! watch actually) axiomatic, the punk (i’m so fucked) mummy and the old (one of them was on the drugs) smelly

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mcdougallunitedinpride · 6 years ago

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Book Review - A Letter to My Congregation

Title: A Letter to My Congregation: An Evangelical Pastor's Path to Embracing People who are Gay, Lesbian and Transgender into the Company of Jesus

Author: Ken Wilson

Publisher: Read the Spirit Books, Canton, Michigan

Year: 2014

Length: 186 pages

In A Letter to My Congregation, Ken Wilson traces how his position on homosexuality evolved over the decades that he served as a minister. He reviews several of the Bible texts that are commonly used to condemn gay and bisexual people.

According to Wilson, there are two common church approaches to homosexuality. Some churches take the doctrinal position that same-gender sexual relationships are sinful and the churches practice exclusion, not allowing gays and bisexuals to be part of the community. There are welcoming and affirming churches, which take the position that same-gender sexual relationships are moral and which include LGBTQ people in the full life of the community. Wilson advocates a third approach, which he believes the Apostle Paul supported for controversial issues in the early church. He prefers churches allowing people to believe either position and to not allow the issue to become a controversy that divides congregations and church denominations. I am not sure how congregations using the third approach that Ken Wilson advocates would handle LGBTQ people who are already in church leadership and LGBTQ people who want to serve in congregational leadership roles.

There was a time when relationships between men were driven underground, so they often took place in place such as rest stop and gay bar bathrooms. Currently, gay and bisexual people are searching for long-term, committed relationships. Ken Wilson describes this change as a "redemptive trajectory", not a moral "slippery slope".

Books tend to be one of two extremes, either very readable or very well researched. There are books that are readable, but do not show much evidence of being researched. Books that are written after an author does extensive reading and research often have a very academic feel and are not pleasant or easy to read. A Letter to My Congregation is an easy read and it shows evidence of being well researched. Ken Wilson cites numerous academic books and publications, including social science journals, Bible commentaries and books about theology, ethics, myth and homosexuality.

The book is a must read for Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians and to people serving as ministers and lay leaders in Evangelical and fundamentalist congregations.

#LGBT #LGBTQ #Queer #Christian #gay #lesbian #bisexual #Trans #asexual #Affirming Church #Welcoming Church

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monstersmonthly · 6 years ago

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Hot Wheels Invades National Champions to Conclude Winter Season

Being a champion means being the absolute best at what one does. That’s something the New England Patriots said in early February when they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for a sixth time. Joey Logano raised the Monster Energy Championship last November at Homestead, and weeks prior, the best team by far in Major League Baseball raised a World Series trophy, the Boston Red Sox.

Each event for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live is considered it’s own championship event. No season points, no multiple champions, but at the end of each show is a champion.

The final week of the winter tour for the tour invaded a venue that not long ago got to say they were the best. It was in early April when the Virginia Cavaliers could tell the world they were the absolute best in college basketball, as they won the bracket and brought home the biggest title in basketball. It was only fitting that the final stop come at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Cavaliers’ home court. The hardwood was not on the floor for this weekend, but rather stacks of cars, tires, and vans to welcome droves of fans for some intense action on what has been a spectacular start to the series.

Saturday provided an evening show with a full Crash Zone to every fan with a paid ticket, many of which waited hours for the doors to open prior to the show.

Once the red carpets were moved, and the trucks did their traditional parade lap for introductions, the stacked crowd was ready for some intense competition, and they got that right away with the opening wheelie contest.

Every truck attacked the cars with power, but going early had its benefits because one week removed from his first Titan Cup, Cody Holman made the Bone Shaker hot rod roar to life, sending the skull on the nose towards the roof each hit. Despite the remaining five trucks putting on a strong effort, Holman was the top dog in the show, taking the opening competition.

After a bit of entertainment by hosts Ken Navitsky and Freddie Shepard, it was time to spin things into the donut competition, but it ultimately was more of the same since once again, Snellen took the V8 Bomber into a cyclone that smoked up the venue, and put his streak of consecutive contest wins at 20, an unbelievable mark.

But, following the antics of freestyle motocross, one truck would go on ad dominate the remaining events of the evening.

Derick Anson was held out of a Titan Cup a week ago in the Demo Derby Cadillac. However, he was not wanting to give up and decided to push his chassis to the limit on this evening. He started out quickly with a strong launch in the long jump competition, something he’s been accustomed to all year long. Then, after intermission, he worked his way through the bracket and matched up against Christian Norman in the Hot Wheels Racing 1 Raptor. A quick reaction time and a heavy right foot put Anson on top on this night, meaning he was in prime position for the overall championship.

All that was left was freestyle, but that competition got off to a rough, and wild, beginning.

Darron Schnell was one of the early trucks to take to the track and decided to take the all-blue Bigfoot machine right to the center of the track and hammer the van stack. The problem was, the rear tires were not quite straight on the stack, unlike the front. The truck pitched hard to the left, and hammered the concrete floor. Despite laying on the throttle trying to get the truck to correct, the concrete won and Bigfoot was on it’s side, the second roll for any truck on the circuit.

Immediately officials hit the kill radio and rushed to the truck, along with Norman, his brother Phillip, and Schnell’s wife, Rebecca. Luckily, the driver was alright. After maneuvering the truck around a bit in order to have enough room to put the truck on the wheels, the truck was righted onto the tires, and the crews reviewed the aftermath.

Surprisingly, the body itself only showed some scuff marks right on the cab where it slid across the floor. But, the left-front wheel was a different story. The tire was holding air, but the rim itself was bent hard, and would ultimately need replaced.

Still, the truck fired back up and was pulled into the pits, allowing the competition to continue.

As the action got back under way, every truck pushed things harder, including Snellen almost getting on his side after a cross-thread hit on the cars. But, at the end of it all, Anson would push harder than anyone and ultimately be declared the winner, and that was more than enough to take home the Titan Cup on this night. A champion once again, Anson celebrated with the fans afterwards in the autograph line.

SATURDAY RESULTS:

Wheelie Competition: Cody Holman, Bone Shaker

Donut Contest: Steven Snellen, V8 Bomber

Long Jump: Derick Anson, Demo Derby

Racing Finals: Derick Anson, Demo Derby, def. Christian Norman, Hot Wheels Racing 1

Freestyle: Derick Anson, Demo Derby

Titan Cup Champion: Derick Anson, Demo Derby

It became all-hands on to ensure all the trucks were ready for the final performance of not just the weekend, but also the final performance of the winter tour. Teams were working together to make sure the Bigfoot truck was ready to go for the mid-afternoon matinee, when in fact there was not as much damage as expected. Aside from the bent rim and the body rub, the actual chassis was fully intact.

Call them battle scars, or call it pushing the envelope, but every team was prepared for the final performance and showed it when the fans came in for the final crash zone.

What became of the final performance was a truck that only had one Cup to his name, but decided to make the ultimate performance on this day. Bobby Holman had the most unique body on his truck all season, an aquatic mammal that was deemed the Tiger Shark. To start the Sunday program, that Shark pointed its nose directly at the roof of the arena on both hits, enough to earn him the top honors to start the afternoon.

Snellen once again decided to spin his way to a donut victory, what would be his 21st consecutive, but then Bobby showed that the ole Shark can sky out of the water along with look to the roof.

His long jump victory gave him two wins on the night, which was more than when he won his Titan Cup a few weeks prior. When it came to racing, the Hall of Fame driver showed he too can still get the job done on the lights, as he bested even Anson to get the racing victory on the afternoon. At that point, with three wins, the Cup was heading back to Ohio, but the Shark was wanting to make a near sweep of the event.

Alas, Anson had other ideas.

For a second straight day, the Demo Derby machine was roaring to life and made the floor of the John Paul Jones Arena his own personal playground. Anson would be the freestyle champion, but on the final show, it was the Tiger Shark taking home the Titan Cup, and bragging rights.

SUNDAY RESULTS:

Wheelie Competition: Bobby Holman, Tiger Shark

Donut Contest: Steven Snellen, V8 Bomber

Long Jump: Bobby Holman, Tiger Shark

Racing Finals: Bobby Holman, Tiger Shark, def. Derick Anson, Demo Derby

Freestyle: Derick Anson, Demo Derby

Titan Cup Champion: Bobby Holman, Tiger Shark

And there it is, the final event of the winter tour for the inaugural Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live season. So, does that mean that everything is done, and the tour will be dormant for the next seven or eight months?

Far from it. As was posted on the Hot Wheels Live Facebook page, this Friday will be a major announcement. According to the post, the “smashing and crashing is not done yet.”

So, does this mean some summer dates have been achieve, maybe perhaps some shows that are not set up at arenas, but more along the lines of being outdoors? After all, these trucks have only done shows on concrete. Could we see some faster speeds, bigger air, and even bigger obstacles following the announcement?

All we know is Friday is a big day for the tour, and immediately after, be sure to visit HotWheelsMonsterTrucksLive.com to find out even more details.

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wyattvsmusic · 6 years ago

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Aesop Rock & TOBACCO - Malibu Ken ALBUM REVIEW

Many rappers start their careers by dropping their best work as their first album and every album after that shows a decline in quality. This is pretty much the opposite for Aesop Rock. I think Aesop’s best work was his last album, The Impossible Kid which dropped in 2016. What made that project his best was how it excelled in lyrics, production, hooks, and cohesion. Plus, it had a lot of replay value. Even in a career as long as his, he still finds a way to improve. In between solo albums, it’s normal for Aesop Rock to do a collab project. A lot of these collab projects haven’t been enjoyable to me because of something that isn’t Aesop’s fault. After Skelethon dropped in 2012, Aesop collaborated with an Anti-folk singer named Kimya Dawson. I’m not into that particular style of music and found Dawson too quirky for me so I didn’t like the album. 2014 saw the release of Aesop’s second album as a member of Hail Mary Mallon with Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. I thought that Rob Sonic definitely held Aesop back from being the guy we all know and love. On the more positive side of things, I have loved the Lice EP series with Homeboy Sandman. 2019′s Malibu Ken is a collaboration with producer TOBACCO, who is a member of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow. I had heard of TOBACCO before this album but I really never pictured this collaboration because the two are apart of completely different worlds. After listening many times, this pairing makes perfect sense. TOBACCO’s weird electronic style sounds is made for Aesop Rock to rhyme on. The production does somewhat remind me of the song Molecules from The Impossible Kid. Malibu Ken is concise and absolutely enjoyable. Aesop is the type of rapper where you know what type of lyrics you’re gonna get but you still love it. Even though I really do like this album and it has set the bar high as the first great album of 2019, I do have a big complaint: hooks. The hooks on The Impossible Kid were different with each track and with this album, the hooks are structured almost exactly the same. It reminds me of this period in hip hop in the late 80s/early 90s where hooks of songs were just a phrase repeated over and over with the beat changing a little bit. Examples of this include Main Source’s Looking At The Front Door, Queen Latifah’s Ladies First and Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t Sweat The Technique. Even though I do love all the songs I just listed, I feel that Aesop doesn’t need to do that. It’s not even every hook on the album either, just a few songs. Aside from that, Malibu Ken is one of Aesop Rock’s best side projects.

Fav Tracks: Corn Maze, Tuesday, Acid King, 1+1=13

#Aesop Rock #TOBACCO #Malibu Ken #Rhymesayers #black moth super rainbow #hip hop #underground

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imagineclaireandjamie · 6 years ago

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Since the Radford family is having another baby .... imagine Jamie and Claire having such a big family! I mean they're very sexually active so why not? ; )

This is not quite Radford Family big, but six is still a brood. :) Merry Christmas, anon. 🎄

Faith was crying. Fat, hot tears positively bubbled out of her huge blue eyes. The effect made Claire’s stomach clench, but also made her smile. Their darling six-year-old with her penchant for reading chapter books again and again, the capacity to charm the grizzled ball of grey fur that Claire had named Adso into a drooling lover of a beast, and the warmest, most sensitive heart that a parent could hope for.

“He willna care if ye scratch it out, lass,” Jamie said evenly, inspecting the letter. “Even Santa Claus kens that it’s no’ an easy task tae make an ‘F’ in cursive when ye’re just a wee thing. And ye have two ‘F’s’ to make, no’ just one.”

This only made Faith cry harder, taking the card back from her father. Claire pet down her daughter’s curls, smiling up at Jamie. “Overtired,” she mouthed, reaching for the red glittered glue stick. Jamie simply rolled his eyes.

The rest of their brood had long since fallen asleep.

Oliver, Samuel, and Evangeline, the post-IVF triplet surprise, had gone down early in their row of three identical cribs. It was the triplets’ first Christmas and their interests still dwelled on things that flashed when they caught the sun, their Da’s face appearing unexpectedly from behind his hands, and ripping out not insignificant chunks of their mother’s curly hair.

After putting the finishing touches on cards for the triplets, five-year-old Brianna and three-year-old Henrietta had fallen asleep beneath the Christmas tree in the living room. A born storyteller like her Da, Brianna was babbling away with some Christmas story she claimed to have heard at her nursery school, but Jamie and Claire suspected was an amalgamation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol from Netflix, and her own florid, roving imagination about the North Pole. Staring up at the lights, chattering back and forth to one another, they had talked themselves to sleep.

After a time, the “F” in “Faith” was formed into something more closely approximating what Faith had hoped and the “F” in “Fraser” was salvaged by Jamie’s able hand, Claire carried their eldest daughter up the stairs to her room. Jamie gathered Bree and Henri up and slipped them into the beds in the room they shared and was standing at the kitchen pass through with two glasses in hand.

The entire house was spicy when Claire came down the stairs.

Cloves. Cinnamon. Star anise.

“Six,” she said, a little exhausted. “How in the hell did we end up with six kids?”

Jamie gave her the kind of smirk that made her roll her eyes, but also preceded a number of those six children. She knew precisely how, if she was being honest with herself.

“Mulled wine?” Jamie asked, indicating to a foggy clear mug with a cinnamon stick balanced on the edge. She accepted it, a grateful smile passing over her lips.

“What do you think the damage will be?”

“Weel, I told Bree that she wasna to put ‘puppy’ on her list three times, so I would wager that Bree’ll want a puppy, a horse, or a lion.”

Claire snorted. “Stuffie it is, then.”

Jamie took the small stack of letters to Santa from the Christmas counter and followed his wife into the living room. He sat first, beckoning her to sit next to him. Without more invitation than that, Claire sat next to him, slipping her legs over his lap and resting her head against his shoulder.

“Who first?”

Smirking, Claire picked the extra glittery card out of the pile. Bree had taken care of dumping half of a bottle of glue onto the card. Not to be outdone, Henri had spilled enough glittery onto the card, the white paper barrier they’d put down to protect the table, and the dining room rug. It was enough glitter that Claire was sure they’d still be finding it glistening on the bottoms of their feet when the girls were old enough not to believe in Santa any more.

“The triplets. I’m quite interested to know what eight-month-olds want for Christmas.”

Snorting, Jamie took a long sip of his mulled wine as his wife read aloud.

“Dear Saint Nicholas, we have been rotten this year.” Claire’s eyes bulged, her brow furrowing. “Where in God’s name did your daughter learn the word ‘rotten’?”

Jamie, laughing openly before kissing her on the temple. “It’s even spelled correctly, Sassenach.”

Claire continued, “We do not want any presents this year. Bree and Henry –– she can spell ‘rotten’ but not her own sister’s name, Jamie! –– should have the presents. Faith two, like the number. Not t-o-o.”

“She’s six,” Jamie chuckled, folding the card. “We’ll get a good laugh when we trot these out when they’re older.”

Claire snorted. “Okay. Henri’s turn. Bree did most of the work, so I don’t expect it will be much more than ‘Bree deserves a pony.’”

Jamie’s hand found his wife’s thigh, running an absent-minded line from hip to knee over and over as Claire attempted to fight through the half dozen layers of scotch tape on the seal. Eventually, she managed to extract a card covered with a green triangle tree drawn by Jamie and a series of black, red, and yellow scribbles from the envelope.

“Santa, my name is Faith Fraser. I hope that you are having a nice holiday. As you know, Christmas will be here soon. My little sister is named Henrietta. She is too small to write to you. She has some Christmas wishes.”

Claire’s eyes burned with tears as she read the card. Jamie gave her a slight squeeze.

“My Da and my Mama said we should each list three things. Please tell your elves that Henrietta would like one of the following: 1. An Elmo doll. 2. A Barbie dream house. 3. A puppy. Thank you very much. Have a safe trip from the North Pole. Very truly yours, Faith Fraser.”

Mopping her tears with the glitter-caked sleeve of her sweatshirt, Claire added the first two items to the shopping list. “Okay. Bree’s list.”

Jamie pulled the card from the envelope. He immediately smirked, turning it over for Claire to see. “You’ve got to be bloody kidding me,” she ground out, rolling her eyes. True to form, and predictable as death and taxes, Bree had listed: puppy (“1 of the 101 dalmayshuns” or “Golden Doodle”), horse, and tiger. “This child completely skipped the terrible twos. What is it when you’re six and an absolute pill?”

“Ye ken that she’s you through and through, aye?” Jamie chuckled. “It’s payback for what ye put yer puir Mam through all those years.”

Claire snorted, shoving the card back into the envelope. “We can get her a stuffie and some other things. Next year I’m sure she’ll wise up and note that she means a real live, breathing animal, but we can ward off a puppy at least until the triplets are mobile enough to wear the thing out.”

Making a quiet ‘hmmmm’ noise of agreement, Jamie held up the final card. Claire’s heart soared at the letter. With each Christmas, she felt herself a little more worried that the magic of the process of writing to Santa would be over. That someday Faith would come home, drop her book bag on the front landing, and say that she no longer believed in Santa Clause. The childish chub had faded from her fingers, her knees gotten knobbier, and her face slimmed down in the last six months. Claire knew that it was only a matter of time until some kid brought the entire dream to an end.

“Dearest Santa Claus. My name is Faith Fraser and I am six years old. I live in a house with my mum and my da, my little sisters Henrietta, Brianna, and Evangeline. My little brothers Samuel and Oliver live here with us. For Christmas, I am happy to spend my school holiday rehearsing in our church nativity and playing with my sisters and brothers. For Christmas I would like some new chapter books or a pencil pouch. Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are good, have you read them, Santa? Also, I would not mind a puppy.”

Claire sighed against Jamie’s chest, hand absently tracing up his flank. “Is this puppy thing a conspiracy?” he chuckled, taking another long sip of his mulled wine. She pressed her lips over his breastbone. “We’re far outmatched.”

“Do we do it? A Dalmatian or a Golden Doodle?”

“I dinna ken what a Golden Doodle is exactly?” The emphasis he put on golden and doodle made Claire laugh. Picking up on the slight teasing, he tickled her sides. “Can ye rescue a Golden Doodle?”

“I think it depends. It’s not like they’re commonly showing up in shelters, I bet. Maybe tomorrow you and I go look? We can keep it at my parents’ place for a bit? Just until we’re ready to ruin our lives on Christmas morning?”

Snorting, Jamie pressed his lips into her hair, turning off the table lamp. “I would guess so. Henry and Julia will love us.”

“They’re used to it,” she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt, curling her fingers into his shirt. “Brianna is me and I am Brianna through and through. Seems like something she’ll do to us one day.”

After a time, Claire’s breathing evened out in the way that told him she was fast asleep.

Lifting a piece of her hair, he looked down at his slumbering wife. The one who had made him a husband and a father six times over, and felt a feeling of love draw him tight. They had created traditions and a home for an entire brood. He could not have imagined a more perfect evening than making cards with their kids and enjoying the quiet review of them with his wife.

He kissed her, careful not to rouse her, and whispered, “I dinna ken what Christmas story Brianna was tellin’ Henri, but I like the idea of fallin’ asleep by this tree wi’ ye, Claire.”

She mumbled a quiet, sleepy noise against his chest. Pulling a blanket from the back of the couch over their neatly joined bodies, he leaned back into the belly of the couch and drew her closer.

#;mod kate #Imagine: Christmas #Christmas Chronicles #One Shot

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