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[chrissycogan]

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[angelawhite57]

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[itsmebytch001]

How about a yandere Morales family x reader who is friends with miles because they used ti go to school together that is very clearly neglected. Sometimes sleeping on the streets, never home, always eats a lot at their house yet still remains relatively malnourished and Jeffe finally decides after seeing some bruises on the reader to take matters into his own hands and use his position as police captain to “foster”(kidnap) the reader who is very not onboard.

Or if ur not comfortable with that then they genuinely start fostering the reader and they are not having a good time adjusting to present parents that make them eat 3 meals and be home at 9 stuff like that

You and Miles met at around 9 when your family moved to Brooklyn, he got on with you and once he started bringing you home it was instantly obvious to both Rio and Jeff that something was wrong, you were always messy and disheveled, wearing unwashed torn clothing with shoes with the soles beginning to come off You were 9 but could pass for 7 and barley knew how to use cutlery, and once they eventually met your Mom and Dad it became apparent that though they were not malicious of outwardly abusive, they were massively neglectful.

It became routine that you would come over every Friday, shower, and eat dinner, and take food home with you, Rio would hand you 3 tubber wear boxes full of all sorts of her cooking, and sometimes they would even give Miles old clothes. Jeff would always drive you back home since no 9 year old can be expected to trek it form one brough to another, and once he pulled up outside your building he would escort you back to your front door, and with the few gimpses he saw of your home, bugs crawling, a water collapsed ceiling tile, the brow carpet, not brown because it was brown, but the collected filth he knew that this place, and these people were not fit for a child to be raised.

Jeff entered his home, Miles had been put to sleep while Rio sat on the couch with a glass of wine.

Rio: "So how was it?"

Jeff sat down in a huff next to his wife.

Jeff: "That place looks like a trap house Rio, it had black mold" he rubbed his hands over his face.

Rio: "Is it possible you could just...take her?"

Jeff: "No, not yet not with out probable cause"

Rio: "Is a house with black mold and uncaring parents not enough?!"

Jeff: "No, not for awhile"

Rio: "Dios mío, well...the least we can do is keep her clean and fed huh?"

Jeff: "I guess"

Rio: "What about social services?"

Jeff: "That'll just mean to lose her to the system, we won't be able to keep an eye on her"

Rio: "Oh...I'll give Miles some extra lunches to pass on to her come Monday" She said gulping down a swig of red.

Jeff: "Good idea"

And it was because of their efforts to keep you fed that you finally grew, now you actually looked your age, and needless to say The Morales had brought you into their family not as a guest, but as a member. And for your 11th birthday since by this point you had turned up to school with solles shoes Rio brought you new trainers, while Jeff brought you a selection of new tops.

Of course you being uncustomed to such kindness you responded oddly.

Rio: "Happy birthday baby" She handed you a box, and once you opened it it revealed new shoes!

Y/n: "...are these for me?"

Jeff: "Of course there for you Y/n, it's your birthday!"

Y/n: "I'm not sure if I should take these, I'm very grateful I'm just not sure what my Mom will say"

Rio: "What do you mean?"

Of course you parents had noticed you putting on weight, coming home in new clothing and initally they were grateful to Rio and Jeff for helping out, but it felt more and more like they were taking you away, or like they were trying to replace them.

Miles had also reported you coming to school less at less by the time you were 12, your attendance got so out of hand that eventually Jeff came to do a house visit, he knocked on the door, Your Mom came to the door.

Jeff: "Hey Diana, uh I'm here to do a wellness check on your Y/n"

Diana: "Oh, Jefferson sure, I guess"

Jeff: "Can I come in?"

Diana: "Sure" And so your Mom escorted Jeff back to through your home, when you finally saw the extent of the condtions you were living in, and it was terrible. Opening the door to your room Jeff could see your mattress was on the floor with no sheet, all your clothing lived in pile since there was no wardrobe and you sat on the floor drawing in just a massive t shirt.

Diana: "See, she's well isn't she?" She sassed at him, all Jeff wanted in this moment was to snatch you up take you home and get you cleaned, and in some clothing that actually fit so you didn't look like just a head floating in fabric, but of course being a police capiatin made that legally impossible.

Y/n: "Oh, Hey Mr Morales"

Jeff: "Hey Y/n"

Y/n: "What are you doing here?"

Jeff: "just a wellness check"

Diana: "Your well aren't you Y/n?" She's not asking you, she's telling you.

Y/n: "...Yeah I'm fine"

Diana: "We good officer?"

To be honest, if he were social services he could take you but he simply did not have the authority, Jeff was hushed back into the hallway by Diana.

Jeff: "Diana, Y/n's been out of school for 2 weeks now, why hasn't she been in school?"

Diana: "She's been sick"

Jeff: "Well she looks fine"

Diana: "Then why are you here doing a wellness check?"

Jeff: "Ugh, Diana, If Y/n dosen't turn up to another day of school, I'll get CPS you under stand?"

Diana: "are you threating me?"

Jeff: "No, I'm doing my job" he said waving you goodbye as he exited the house.

Jeff and Rio sat with their son at the dinner table, Rio and Jeff had been cracking a plan to file for emergency custody of you for awhile now, but since you aren't blood they knew it wouldn't be easy, but they also thought it would be good as ask Miles what he thought about the idea of taking you in full time.

Rio: "hijo, what would you think about Y/n moving in with us?"

Jeff:" Full time"

Miles: "Like, forever?"

Jeff: "Yeah..."

Miles: "Is that possible?"

Rio: "It might be"

Miles: "I'd like that"

And so with Miles on board Rio and Jeff started the paper work process to file for emergency custody, and with the helps of CPS they finally had a case, but it wasn't enough, they needed proof of abuse not just neglect, and so they waited, 2 whole years for such proof to emerge.

You had come over on anther Friday for dinner as you often did and had been doing for the past 5 years now, but something was deeply off, you were quite, timid and apprehensive to speak, but the thing that really worried Rio was all the concealer you were wearing on your left eye, honestly it was strange that Jeff didn't notice since the makeup wasn't yours, it was yours Mom's the shade wasn't quite right and drew more attention to your eye, and what was underneath it.

She didn't want to adress it in front of everyone so she waited until later in the evening to confront you about it, while you wear in the bathroom, getting ready for your shower she knocked on the door, before you took off anything of course.

Rio: "Y/n...Can we talk for a sec?"

Y/n: "Uhh yeah I guess" You opened the door to her as she closed the door behind her.

Rio: "Baby, I can see your wearing a lot of makeup, especially round your eye, and I just wanted to check if everything was okay?"

Y/n: "Yeah Yeah...I was just trying to do come conclear"

Rio: "Uh huh...well, could you take it off for me please?"

Y/n: "...no"

Rio: "And why not"

Y/n: "I...I just want to shower Mrs Morales"

Rio: "Y/n we've been over this, You call me Tita, and really why won't you take off all that makeup?"

Y/n: "Tita...please I don't want to talk about it"

Rio:" So something is wrong, huh?"

Y/n: "...I don't want to talk about it"

Rio: "I don't care, your staying at my home I want to see whatever your hiding" she said sternly, handing you a makeup wipe.

And so you compiled begging to rub off all the makeup you had spent about half a hour applying, despite anticipating what she would see it still hurt her to see you with a black eye.

Rio: "Oh...Oh Y/n My poor baby"

Y/n: "Can...Can you please not tell Jeff"

Rio understood why, but this was the proof of abuse they needed.

Rio: "Was it your Mom?"

Y/n: "Yeah...but please don't tell Jeff"

Rio: "This is an assault, you need to tell Jeff he can help you"

Y/n: "I really don't want her arrested"

Rio: "I know... but if she's hitting you it's clearly worse than we thought"

Needless to say it wasn't a pleasant experiecne having to show your bruised face to Jefferson and Miles, though he obivoulsy wasn't happy that you were attacked but this was the proof they needed to push for custody, now all they needed was to report it and make a record of the incident, but it was so obvious you were tired and due to the circumstances, Jeff firmly belived the courts wouldn't to too upest if they kept you just one night.

Jeff: "Y/n...We think its best if you stay with us for awhile"

Y/n: "Like...this weekend?"

Jeff: "Well, maybe a little while longer"

Y/n: "But my Mo-"

Jeff: "If your Mom is hitting, I can't just let you go back"

Y/n: "But what about my stuff?"

Jeff: "I can drive over tmorrow and pick you up whatever you need"

Y/n: "I can't...I can't just leave what if she-"

Jeff placed a hand on your shoulder.

Jeff: "Y/n, we will take care of it, you understand?"

Y/n: "...okay"

Rio: "I'll pull out the couch for you M'kay? I'll lend you a pair of my PJ's"

Y/n: "Okay, yeah please""

It was all so fast, you didn't realise in agreeing to stay the weekend in their minds you were agreeing to being their daughter...

To be continued...

Feel Free to give me Dad! Aaron or Morales Family suggestions!

[hozierandco]

Callum Turner x Reader - The match-maker (Pt. 2)

AN: Second part to a fic I published yesterday in which Callum Turner and Reader meet through Austin Butler, a friend they have in common. Requested.

If you have any requests, feel free to send them to me xx

TW: none. Kinda fluffy, no smut.

If you're interested in pt. 3, lmk. Ok, byeee

Arriving in New York was a surreal experience for Y/N and she was glad to be met by Austin and Kaia. The two of them looked like lovebirds and it would have made Y/N sick with sentimentality if it had been anyone else than them. She was longing for a healthy and stable relationship and was only glad her best friend had found the one.

Y/N knew she had one shot of making things right and that she was not allowed any mistake during the Gala. Not only for her career but also for her friend’s reputation if she failed him. Austin knew that Y/N was capable of great things and only had to trust herself. If anything, the Gala was her baptism by fire and a great way to give his friend the confidence she had lost in herself.

Plus, he knew that she was about to meet Callum and was beyond thrilled to see them together. He was certain it would be a match. 

“Alright, I need to prepare myself for the big day tomorrow”, Y/N declared after having spent most of the day in the city with Austin and Kaia. Together, they had been to the Guggenheim, Central Park and the Brooklyn Museum. It had been an exhausting but satisfying day and Y/N was now more ready than ever to craft her portfolio.

She woke up the next day wishing she could have slept longer but since it was Met Gala day, lots of things were to be done before the evening would arrive. Thank God, Austin had thought everything through to make her the most comfortable possible and had secured a spot for her in the first rows of the red carpet. She could then afford to arrive later at the Metropolitan Museum.

She fixed her many cameras, making sure she had battery and film rolls tidied up nice and clean in her bag when Austin texted her. 

Her phone showed her what the guy she had saved as Orange County Boy in her contacts had to say: 

7:21 am - “Ready 4 tonite?”

Him too had woken up early to get ready.

7:21 am - “Readier than everrrr. What about you two?”

7:24 am - “You bet we r! Kaia and I r having a party afterwards. You should come”

By sending that, Austin prayed everything he could pray on that she would accept as Callum had already let him know that he would join in.

7:32 am - “Yeah, sounds good. If I’m not dead with exhaustion or fangirling by then”

7:34 am - “Haha, even half-dead, you better get there!”

Once she had everything she needed sorted out, Y/N exited her Airbnb on the 11th Street to get some breakfast. In a few hours time, she was going to see all the celebrities she had dreamt of seeing. There would be Anna Wintour of course but she was mostly daydreaming of taking pictures of Jessica Chastain, Blake Lively and Alicia Keys. The fact that she would be first row was a golden opportunity.

By 2 pm, Y/N headed to the Metropolitan Museum and found her spot. She was escorted by people who were talking and acting as though she was the new Annie Leibovitz. Was it her Givenchy dress that she had borrowed from Kaia or her self-assured walk that gave the impression that she was famous? She could not have said but it sure felt good.

And then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye (though that was a couple hours in fact), the first people grazed the carpet. People from Vogue at first, and then a handful of random models before the A-list made their way. 

Y/N noticed Vanessa Hudgens that she had known very well a few years back but had grown distant since. Vanessa reached out for her and greeted her amicably as she recognised her in the cloud of photographers which made a huge impression amongst Y/N’s peers.

When Austin and Kaia entered the scene, Y/N was beyond excited and could not stop taking pictures of them. The night followed that way and soon enough, all of her cameras were full. The batteries could not take any more picture which coincided with the end of the night.

The photographers were asked to leave and Y/N thought of getting a drink somewhere with some other photographers she had met while waiting for Austin and Kaia’s party to begin.

“Girl, you were on fire tonight!”, a 30-ish year-old woman told her as the photographers started debriefing about the evening and voting for the best-dressed celebrity.

“Yeah, who are you even working for?”, another guy around 25 asked.

“Uh, well, no one in fact. I’m trying to make my way up”

“And you got into the Met Gala? Damn, that’s impressive”

Y/N had made her promise to herself never to mention her friendship with Austin as a safety net towards her friend and because she did not wish to be known as the “friend of”. So she decided not to reply. 

It was fun to be surrounded by peers who had so many anecdotes to tell about working in the industry. Y/N surprised herself laughing along with them and she made up her mind that Blake Lively was the best-dressed when she noticed it was 11:18 pm which meant the party had started about 20 minutes ago at Loeb Boathouse, a restaurant in Central Park that Austin and Kaia had privatised. 

Y/N called it quits on the photographers and walked her way to the restaurant. She instantly regretted choosing the Givenchy dress Kaia suggested for her. Straight from the Spring collection of 2018, it was a long black dress with a wide collar and a bow in the back. It was absolutely magnificent but not the most practical thing to be wearing, especially at night and in a gigantic park.

She arrived by 11:30 at the party, much to Austin’s relief that was wearing a tuxedo and a large grin on his face, far too happy to be hosting both a party and a surprise for his best friend. She greeted him and his girl for the second time of the evening and was shown to a table where food had just been served.

Coming back from the bar, Callum was trying to find an available seat when Austin reached out for him and indicated where he could sit. Right next to Y/N. He noticed a beautiful woman he thought he had seen somewhere before. He had to know more about her. 

She was looking like a Celtic goddess, he thought with her hair descending and shimmering as the light crashed on it. With her classy black dress, he could only presume she was a celebrity too and he then tried to force his memory to remember a name, to no avail. The woman seated next to her was so splendid in fact that, though he was craving to talk to her, he felt himself blushing like a schoolboy. Being an actor and not knowing your pick-up line, you could not make it up! 

Y/N made space for the man sitting next to her, recognising him in the blink of an eye to be Austin’s friend and colleague he had talked so much about. Though she never truly listened to Austin’s attempts to set the two up together, she was much obliged to admit that he might have been right to even try match-making.

Callum Turner was indeed a very elegant man besides being good-looking. His aquamarine eyes had something of a malicious air which made her imagine him to be a kind soul and considering he had become a good friend to Austin, he must have been this kind-hearted being. She felt immediately some comfort in his company, which she had not felt in ages while surrounded by men. 

She did not feel intimidated by his 6’1 stature nor his assured walk as they were balanced by a gentle and wide smile on his face. She dared starting a conversation as she could catch a glimpse of him eyeing her.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. You must be Callum, right?”

“Hi, that’s right! So nice to meet you. You were in a film, weren’t you?” 

Y/N chuckled at the idea of being an actress and even more so of giving the impression of being one. “Oh no, I would be a terrible actress. I’m a photographer and also a childhood friend to Austin”

Callum laughed along at the confusion “Gosh, I’m sorry. It’s just the dress and you look, well, drop dead gorgeous” And the blush appeared back on his cheeks and was soon followed by the same tint on Y/N’s. After having said that, he realised who she was and why she was so familiar. Austin had talked about her earlier and had even shown some pictures of them at prom and other moments of their early adulthood.

She was even more of a beauty than what the photographs made it to be, he thought.

“You’re not bad-looking yourself”, Y/N commented after a few seconds.

From afar, Austin looked at the two introducing themselves, knowing the deal was closed.

“So, tell me, what drove you to photography?”, Callum inquired while not being able to take his eyes off Y/N. 

“I guess I’ve always wanted to show another version of nature and people than what could be seen in magazines. Having someone pose for you or waiting for a certain light to come up in a forest does not interest me. I want to capture what makes a person different from another or why a certain setting is going to move you or not. Well, tonight was a little different than usual but it was fun somehow”

“You took pictures tonight? What photographs did you -”, Callum stopped mid-sentence, connecting the dots between the after-party he was a part of and Y/N’s activity and had to ask as Y/N seemed to nod at him “No way! You were on the red carpet?”

Y/N nodded once more, still not down from the experience she had gone through that evening. 

“Wow, that’s amazing! Congrats on that! How was the whole thing?”

“Exhausting”, Y/N admitted, which Callum could only relate to. Himself was not the biggest fan of red carpets, nor after-parties. But at this instant, he did not regret attending Austin and Kaia’s get-together and laughed along with her. How long had it been since he had not laughed and had genuine fun with a woman?

“But I guess you’ve got plenty of things to say about red carpets for yourself”, Y/N hinted. She loved his London accent which was music to her ears and her laugh was the purest thing she had heard in a while. 

“Tell me about it! I’m a real mess when it comes to those. There was this one time I nearly tripped on Judi Dench at the Bafta ceremony. I was running late which is something I’m really good at. So I’m running for my life to get on that carpet, right. Well, I saw the cameras and all but I did not see Dame Judi Dench and I just lowkey rushed into her as she was getting in the theatre”

“Stop, you mean you had a pile-up with M from the James Bond films? How did she even react?”

“She was the nicest about it. Mind you, I was 24. It was one of my very first award shows. I think she just noticed just how silly I had been to even try running on a carpet. I was unable to stop apologising to her but she was an angel”

After having discussed for over 30 minutes, interrupted here and there by the dishes served, the guests were taken to another room without tables and with enough space to dance the night away.

A playlist made of Taylor Swift, Marina and KC and the Sunshine band started blasting in the room, soon enough filling it with dancing actors and singers. Callum suggested Y/N and he could enjoy the tunes too. He took her hand and the two of them got to dancing. 

With the light emanating from the stroboscopes, Y/N was a shooting star. Her black dress twirled so nicely as she moved her body to the rhythm given. Callum could not stop looking at her while dancing along. 

Callum had this look of having done that all his life. He moved so lightly on the floor, with a composed pace and glistening eyes. 

“You look amazing when you dance”, Y/N whispered in Callum’s ear as the song ended, morphing into a new song.

“And you look amazing overall”, Callum replied. “You’re so beautiful I think I could kiss you right now”

Of course, it was mostly the alcohol speaking as Callum said that and he instantly regretted having said that outloud. As he was wishing she had not heard what he had just said, he felt a warmth on his lips. The warmth was a soft kiss placed with all the tenderness in the world.

After the shared kiss, the two of them went back to their dancing but this time, they got closer. Y/N’s sensual moves rushed Callum to grasp her waist and joining in, echoing her moves with his hands on her wiggling body. With the soft fabric of her dress under his hands, Callum felt like kissing her once more and in her ears said “I really want to kiss you right now, would that be okay?”

“Callum, we’ve just made out in front of everyone. Of course, I’m okay with that”

More kisses added up to the list and the song ended once more. “Let’s go somewhere more quiet”, Y/N suggested and the two of them got back to the first room where they had met. 

In that room, Callum was all hands on Y/N, not being able to resist the tension anymore. “Would you like to see the pictures I took back to my place?”, Y/N questioned, feeling like the end of the night could well go somewhere unplanned but nice.

[doubledaybooks]

Read an Excerpt from "Between Two Moons" by Aisha Abdel Gawad

Bay Ridge was about to fast for a whole month of fifteen-­hour days. We would be one dry mouth, one rumbling belly, one pounding head. Mothers would wake at least an hour before dawn to make the suhoor meal, to scramble eggs and basturma in skillets. And when the children and the husbands finally woke up, usually with only a few minutes to spare, the mothers would stuff the mixture into pita halves so their families could eat more quickly, in time to perform wudu and pray with the sun. It was your last chance to eat and drink and smoke and fuck and curse and gossip and think unkind thoughts until the sun set again in the evening.

Baba shuffled after Mama like a bad dog. Lina stood up and yawned, letting out a long moan. Mama made us a breakfast of hard-­boiled eggs, mashed fava beans, and sliced tomatoes. We sat around the kitchen table, shoveling food sleepily into our mouths, letting bits of egg dribble down our chins. After we’d eaten, Mama stood sentry over us and watched as we each downed three full glasses of water.

“I’m going back to bed,” Lina said after she’d finished.

“Haram, ya binti,” Mama said and grabbed the collar of her Wu-­Tang T-­shirt.

The sun was creeping up the horizon and we still needed to pray Fajr. Mama dragged the coffee table to the corner of the living room to clear space for the four of us to pray all lined up. Then she brought us a basket of delicate white prayer scarves with edges like doilies. Lina and I each slipped one on, and then Mama pointed to the bathroom. We zombie-­shuffled over to it, purposefully knocking into each other as we went.

Lina and I stood side by side in front of the bathroom sink. Silently, we washed ourselves with cold New York City tap water. We were efficient and thorough. In the name of God, state your intent to perform wudu. Wash both hands up to the wrists. Rinse your mouth three times. Clean your nostrils, breathing in water and blowing it out three times. Rinse your face three times. Wash your arms up to the elbows three times. Slick your hair back like an Italian mobster, once. Wash your ears. Wash your feet. Do you feel cleansed? Are you ready?

After we had performed wudu, Mama wanted Baba, our patriarch, to stand in front and lead us in prayers, but he was annoyed about being late to the shop. Baba didn’t like to pray—­sometimes, when he was feeling nostalgic about the old days in the old country, he would tell me about the time he was eighteen and he stormed out of his village masjid back in Egypt.

“That stupid imam, he tell me man come from ball of clay and clot of blood, and I tell him, What, are you stupid? Man, he come from monkey, not clay! So I leave and I go home and I tell my mama, Mama, I’m not praying anymore. And ever since that day, I never pray again.”

Except, of course, he did pray again. Countless times. But I think I know what he meant. He meant that he never really felt it again, never again believed that it would help him ace a test or publish the poems he wrote in the margins of his school notebooks. He prayed now like a man following orders, like a man too tired to put up a fight.

The clock on the mantel chimed. It was like a cuckoo clock, except instead of birds it opened to reveal a tiny golden Ka’ba that spun and played a recording of a famous muezzin from Egypt reciting the call to prayer. A robotic voice told us that prayer is better than sleep. There are no minarets in Brooklyn. God’s name does not echo across the buildings. There is nothing but a clock on the wall.

Baba was persuaded to stand in front of us, his womenfolk, and lead prayers. But he rushed through all his rakat, touching his forehead to the carpet for only a moment before standing up again. The rest of us were only halfway through when we heard the door close behind him.

When we had finished, Lina and I squeezed together in her bed. I tried to close my eyes and determine whether I felt any different on the first day of the holy month. The month when, a zillion years ago, the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelations up on that mountaintop. He thought he was just a poor illiterate orphan escaping to the mountain to rest his mind. But then the Angel Jibrail came down, and—­bam—­all of a sudden he was a prophet, the prophet.

For some that summer, the next thirty days would be filled with prayers and reflections and recitations. Bodies and minds would be purified. But for the rest of us, it would be thirty days of waiting for the sun to set so we could eat and drink without incurring the judgment of all the collective mothers and grandmothers and aunties of Bay Ridge, who with one wagging finger and one cluck of the tongue could banish us into a prison of guilt.

The waiting. Every Ramadan, people waited for Lina to change. To be struck with the spirit of Islam, to ditch her cutoffs and halter tops for a nice, modest abaya. To hang out after prayers with the good Muslim girls at the Starbucks on 3rd instead of drinking with the Mexicans in Sunset Park. And every Ramadan, Lina waited for people to go ahead and give up on her.

Baba waited for Mama to mellow, to hang up her abayas, put down her Qur’an, and become once again the quietly irreverent girl he had married.

Mama waited for us, her husband and daughters, to believe as we ought to.

They both waited for Sami, their boy, their firstborn, to come back to them.

I waited for something without a name. A jolt, a tingling, a filling up.

Ordinarily, I didn’t care much about Ramadan. But that summer, with our high-­school graduation only days away, it felt momentous. Suddenly the things around me—­tables, books, clouds—­were imbued with meaning that I was supposed to be able to decipher but couldn’t. In September, I would go to college, and I was sure that by then I would be different. I would push and the world would stumble in response.

Lying next to Lina that first morning, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the woman I was destined to become. I saw a glimmer of my own future arm, thinner, with a figure-­eight tattoo curling around my wrist. I smiled to myself, but then I realized that I had stolen this wrist off the girl who served us pizza yesterday after school. It was her tattoo, her skin, her body. I had plagiarized my own imaginings of myself. So, eyes closed, I kept waiting for knowledge to strike me like an arrow in the heart.

These are the normal kinds of waiting that fill the long, dry-­mouthed days of Ramadan. But this Ramadan, this particularly long and hot Ramadan, there was another kind of waiting that we all shared. It kept everyone in Bay Ridge strung together on a long, tenuous thread, knocking into one another like prayer beads.

[simon-x-billy]

Deserve to live on their own

Source: thesheehab Tweet

[queen-tinsley]

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Brooklyn asked a concern party go'er who'd just notified her that someone had of course spilled whatever concoction her cousin had whipped all over one of the houses carpets. When her cousin let her know that a party would be happening at the estate, she assumed it'd be something a little more intimate than the scene she'd walked into. "Go try to clean it yourself, or better yet, direct me to tonight's host."

[a-stubborn-little-fish]

I miss being a little girl and putting my feet on top of my dad’s so he can walk while I hugged him. I miss that joy. I miss climbing on the rocks in Central Park and feeding the horses carrots. I miss the tulips in my neighbor’s yard and the caterpillars on the tomato plants and the pansies planted around the bird bath. I miss the sunflowers taller than me. I miss the intricate wrought iron railing with filigree. I miss the wooden chest with fish shaped brass handles that flipped up and down. I miss my giant, empty, carpeted room and scratchy blue heated blanket. I miss the sound of the motor humming and clicking from my favorite nightlight. I miss playing in the park next to the elementary school across from my house. I miss the frost on the steel bars that stung my skin. I miss the cold tile in the kitchen and the broken clock above the dining room table. I miss the corded phone that was always tangled and the screen door that never closed just right. I miss footy pajamas and sliding down the carpeted stairs on my butt and crashing into the coat closet at the bottom. I miss the scary basement. I miss watching the sun set over the Brooklyn bridge. I miss Fergus scratching up my legs when I’d get home. I miss sitting in the back of an airport terminal tram while the sun rises. I miss the bumps of a plane landing and the ding before a pilot’s announcement. I miss yawning to pop my ears during take off and that momentary feeling of falling when the plane wheels leave the runway. I miss the silent dark car rides home with only the glow of the buttons to light up the car’s interior. I miss the strange carpet in the Tampa International baggage claim with its rows and rows of empty carousels. I miss those little curled leaves that crunch when you step on them. I miss the feeling of my baby brother’s hand gripping my fingers. I miss how he always laughed hysterically every time I smiled at him. I miss building train tracks for him after school. I miss watching his favorite shows with him and his hugs when we’d pick him up from preschool. I miss mixing and heating up his baby bottles and cleaning his binkys. I miss his mouth breathing when he passed out in his car seat. I miss scrubbing the spaghetti stains off his high chair. I miss playing on the roots on the trees in Medard Park and running across the boardwalk to hear my feet thunk against the wood. I miss hiding my DS under my pillow so I could play Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. I miss playing with my bakugan and pretending they were empires at war. I miss sleeping in my closet just because I could. I miss the dark parking garages and dull beige walls at USF. I miss sitting with my mom in the campus library. I miss going to Busch Gardens every weekend and riding the sky ride over the habitats. I miss taking the train through the safari area and being lulled to sleep by the clacking of the wheels. I miss running across the rope bridges in Jungala and riding Air Grover with my little brother. I miss the smell of chlorine and the cold unfriendly YMCA changing rooms. I miss the rock wall and the hot concrete. I miss swimming in pools and being afraid of the robot cleaning the deep end. I miss feeding the ducks stale bread. I miss my 8th grade history teacher. I miss the cold dark mornings in the car. I miss sitting on my backpack outside the door of my first period class. I miss skipping lunch and hiding in the darkness backstage in the auditorium. I miss the library after school. I miss cleaning the fish tanks in the marine science room. I miss the smell of formaldehyde. I miss walking from the school to the local library and hunkering down in the corner to watch Hetalia on my laptop. I miss listening to music as I walked through fog to the bus stop just before sunrise. I miss the dew on the bus windows and the painfully cold mornings and blue faux leather seats always cracked and peeling. I miss the snails hiding in the cracks of the bricks. I miss the warm summer rain and the windy fall days. I miss hiding in the nurse’s room during pep rallies.

[tveitertotwrites]

Brooklyn's Birthday

Series: Red Carpet Diaries

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x F!MC (Brooklyn Moore)

Word Count: 2324

Summary: It's Brooklyn's birthday and friends and family of the Hunt-Moore family help celebrate.

A/n: Hey everyone! So today (1/26) is Brooklyn's birthday and I have had this little fic planned for a while. Also all of the presents that are mentioned will be below the whole fic. Anyways, enjoy!

Waking up to the smell of coffee and sugary foods wasn’t uncommon for Brooklyn once she and Thomas became parents. What was unusual was the sound of giggling coming from the kitchen. Like Brooklyn, her and Thomas’ son Matthew was definitely a night owl and hard to wake up in the mornings, so for her to hear him laughing when she woke up was undoubtedly a surprise. She then slowly got up and went over to her and Thomas’ shared and grabbed one of his white button downs and buttoned it over her small bump before grabbing a pair of shorts and walked out of their bedroom.

When Brooklyn made it out towards the kitchen, she saw both Matthew and Thomas with their backs towards her and Matt sitting on the counter, watching Thomas making something at the stove. She watched from the corner of the room as her son and her husband bonded while making breakfast. At one point Thomas had messed up when cooking something that Brooklyn couldn’t see, but saw Matt laugh at and laughed along with him, causing Thomas and Matt to spin around towards her direction.

“Uh oh. Looks like Mama’s awake buddy.” Thomas said to Matt.

Thomas picked up Matt into his side and walked over to Brooklyn. She then took Matt from Thomas and peppered kisses all over his face, making him giggle. Both Thomas and Brooklyn laughed along with him before Brooklyn moved Matthew onto her hip. Thomas then gently laid a hand onto Brooklyn’s bump.

“How did you and this one sleep?” Thomas said, gesturing towards Brooklyn's bump.

“Pretty good actually. Plus I didn't feel nauseous when I woke up.”

“That’s good.”

Thomas gave Brooklyn one more kiss on the lips before heading back to the stove and finishing making breakfast. He then made a plate for both Matt and Brooklyn and set them down on the table. Brooklyn was getting ready to help Matt with his food but Thomas stopped her.

“Hey. You eat your food, birthday girl. Dad’s got him.”

Brooklyn then held her hands up in surrender for a second before turning towards her food and digging in. Thomas then helped Matt eat his food and she watched, smiling at the little moment between her husband and her son. When Brooklyn was done with her food, she went to the sink and cleaned off her plate while Thomas finished feeding Matt. When he was done, Brooklyn gently took Matt out of his chair and set him down into her lap so Thomas could eat.

“What do you want to do today?” Thomas asked Brooklyn.

“Whatever the baby lets me do without the feeling of throwing up.”

Thomas just looked at her with loving eyes before pecking her on the lips. He then finished his food and cleaned the dishes from breakfast before heading into his and Brooklyn’s room. Brooklyn then followed him and saw that he went into their bathroom and turned on the faucet in their bathtub. She then walked into the bathroom as Thomas was putting different bath products in. When he was done, he stood up and faced Brooklyn before taking Matt out of her arms.

“What is this for?” Brooklyn asked.

“Just because. I thought that it didn’t need to be said.

“Well it is my birthday so I thought it was a birthday bath.”

“Well it can be but it wasn’t meant to be just for today.”

“So what you’re saying is I get more of these?”

“Yes. Now Matt and I will leave you to your own devices.”

“As much as I want that, do you think leaving you two alone is a good idea?”

Thomas just sighed. “Yes, Brooklyn. Just relax.”

“Just checking.”

The two of them smiled at each other before exchanging a kiss on the lips. After Matt and Thomas left the bathroom, Brooklyn slowly started to get undressed, looking at her small bump as she did so. As much as she didn’t like the way her body was looking at the moment, she knew it was for a good reason.

Brooklyn then slowly got into the warm bath water and moaned at the feeling of the water on her muscles. She then looked around the bathroom to see the different decorations that were around the room like little candles and flower petals. After a few minutes, Brooklyn fully relaxed in the water and closed her eyes, just basking in the sunlight that was coming from the window that was located right next to the tub.

It wasn’t too long before Brooklyn decided to get out of the water and get dressed. When she came back into hers and Thomas’ bedroom, only to see Thomas gently tossing Matt into the air and catching him while also spinning the two of them around in circles. Brooklyn loved these moments of when she is able to watch the two of them bond and thinks about Thomas bonding with their newer addition coming up. Eventually Thomas noticed Brooklyn looking at him and Matt and then turned towards her.

“Look who’s back.” Thomas said to Matt as he stood up and walked over to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn smiled and held her hands out. “Did you have fun playing with Daddy?” She then blew raspberries into Matt’s cheeks, which made all three of them laugh.

“What else does the birthday girl want to do for her birthday?”

“Just spend time with my boys.”

For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, Brooklyn, Thomas, and Matt spent their time playing and making food for the dinner they were hosting for Brooklyn’s birthday with their friends and family. Then by about 4pm, they all started to get ready. Thomas wore a black button down, black pants, and black shoes while Brooklyn wore a flowy navy blue dress and white sneakers. Once Brooklyn was dressed, she dressed Matt in a white navy blue sweater, black pants, and black shoes.

Their friends and family had started arriving around 5 as Thomas was finishing cooking dinner. The first to arrive was her sister Elizabeth and her husband, Adam. Once Elizabeth had made her hellos to her sister, she quickly walked over to where Matt was and picked him up.

“How’s my favorite nephew doing?” Elizabeth stated, making Matt giggle.

“You might want to be glad that Parker doesn’t have any kids yet. He might have killed you for that comment if he did and was here for that matter.”

“Yeah well right now he doesn’t and isn’t here so he can deal with me saying it.”

Not long after, their brother Parker and his girlfriend Alessandra arrived followed by Matt, Chazz, Crash, and Victoria. Just as dinner was finished cooking and was set onto the island in their kitchen, ready for everyone to dig in, Seth and Teja arrived.

“Look, we came just in time. I told you my timing is always perfect.” Seth said.

“You’re only saying that is because of the food.” Teja commented.

Seth just shrugged and everyone got in line to grab food. Once they were all at the table with their food and whatever they had wanted to drink, Thomas stood up with his glass in hand.

“If I could get everyone’s attention for a moment, I would like to talk about the reason we are all here today. ��� At this moment, Brooklyn felt herself get a little emotional.

“I want to thank you all for coming to Brooklyn’s birthday celebration as all of you have played a very important role in her life, whether or a part of her biological family or her found family.” Thomas then turned towards Brooklyn and she felt some tears come up. “Brooklyn, to say that you’ve made an impact on any of our lives would be an understatement. You have shown everyone in this room who you are and we couldn’t be more grateful that you're in our lives. Happy Birthday Brooklyn.”

Everyone then raised their glass and shouted “Happy Birthday” towards Brooklyn, which then made her cry happy tears. Even their son Matt raised his sippy cup into the air and babbled, which made everyone laugh. She then picked him up out of his high chair and kissed him on the cheek before going over to Thomas and giving him a kiss on the lips.

“Thank you for all of this.” Brooklyn whispered.

“I should be the one thanking you.” He then gave her another kiss. “Happy birthday.”

The two of them just smiled at each other until Parker cleared his throat and snapped the couple out of their trance. Then they both adjusted and Brooklyn set Matthew down back in his high chair before sitting back down in her seat.

“Ok. Well, let's get back to dinner, shall we?” Thomas suggested.

Everyone went back to their food and engaged in small conversations around the table while they ate. They also ate dessert before going over into the living room to give Brooklyn presents. Chazz and Crash got her a bunch of hair and bath products, Victoria got her perfume and essential oils, Matt got her some makeup and hair accessories, Seth got her books, Teja got her some shoes that she had been wanting for a while, Parker and Alessandra got her some paint and canvases, and Elizabeth and Adam got her scrapbooks for her to put photos of different memories in. Then it was time for Matthew to give her the present that he made, with the help of Thomas.

“What is this buddy?” Brooklyn asked as Matthew walked towards her with the present in hand.

He then smiled at her and lifted the present up into her lap. Brooklyn smiled and then slowly ripped open the packaging to see a small canvas with little handprints in different colors, which she easily figured out who handprints they were.

“Did you make this?” Brooklyn asked Matthew, to which he smiled and nodded his head.

“I love it buddy. Thank you.”

Brooklyn held her arms out and Matthew wrapped his arms around her as best as he could. There were a few aww’s from the group before everyone started to help pick up the presents as well as dinner and dessert. Brooklyn had started to help before Elizabeth told her not to worry about it. She then saw that it was getting late and went to put Matthew to bed. Once he was asleep, everyone was about ready to leave, so Brooklyn and Thomas said their goodbyes to everyone before closing the door and heading to the bedroom, walking with their hands intertwined.

“Did you have a good birthday?” Thomas questioned.

“I did. It was wonderful.”

“Good, cause I have one more thing for you.”

“Thomas, I don’t really need anything else.”

“Just go sit.”

Brooklyn then went and sat down on the bed while Thomas went into their closet and grabbed out a small box from his dresser. He then came back out into the bedroom and sat down next to Brooklyn before handing her the box. She then gently took it from him and gave him a look.

“Will you please just open it?”

Brooklyn giggled at his little outburst and gently tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a small black box. She then opened the box to find a slightly smaller black box, to which she opened and saw a silver chain that held an emerald on it and another rose gold chain that held a rose gold “M” on it. She immediately knew that the M was for their son but couldn’t tell what the emerald was for until it popped into her head that it was Matthew’s birthstone.

“I wanted to get you one that had an ‘M’ with the birthstone but I didn’t see any that you would’ve liked. The good thing is that when we figure out the little one’s name and birthstone, we only need to go pick up the charms and not two new necklaces.”

Brooklyn felt herself get a little teary eyed. “I love them so much. They’re so pretty. Thank you.”

“Your welcome Brooke.” Thomas then kissed her temple. “Happy birthday my love.’

Thomas then gently grabbed the necklaces from Brooklyn’s hands and went behind her. She then began to gather her hair up and out of the way so Thomas could put the necklaces on. Once he was finished she dropped her hair and looked at the two necklaces. She then turned towards Thomas with a smile on her face as she leaned in for a kiss on the lips.

“You look beautiful as always. Thomas said.

He had his hand on her cheek as they kissed, but then moved it down towards her bump to see if he could feel anything, which he knew he couldn’t yet but still wanted to try. When he felt nothing he gently sighed but looked at Brooklyn with a smile. It wasn’t long before the two of them moved off of the bed to grab clothes to change into. Once they were changed they both went into the bathroom to brush their teeth.

Thomas then left the bathroom and pulled down the sheets on Brooklyn’s side of the bed. He stayed there until she was out and had gotten into bed and pulled the covers over her body and tucked her in before heading over to his side. Once he was all comfortable in bed, Thomas gave Brooklyn a kiss and wrapped his arms around her before pulling her closer to him.

“Thank you for putting everything together.” Brooklyn said

“You're welcome. Thank you for being here.”

The two of them then shared a passionate kiss before Thomas turned off the light on his side of the bed. The two of them got comfortable under the covers again and Thomas pecked the crown of Brooklyn's head and her forehead before the two of them fell asleep for the night.

Presents Brooklyn got and who they're from

Chazz and Crash:

Victoria:

Matt:

Seth:

Victoria:

Parker and Alessandra:

Elizabeth and Adam:

Perma tags: @bendriversolo @crazy-loca-blog @rookiemartin @zahrachoices

@choicesficwriterscreations

[bororugcarpetwarehouse]

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Boro Rug & Carpet Warehouse is your reliable partner when it comes to flooring solutions in Brooklyn. With a vast selection of flooring options, from luxurious hardwood to budget-friendly laminate and versatile vinyl, they have something for every need and preference. Their expert team can help you choose the best flooring for your home, considering factors like room function, aesthetics, and budget.

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[deepcleaningnewyork]

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