#I am gonna bring back arabella!

[givemetherapyimawritingtravesty]

It's @oknutzyweek2023 ??? *screaming, etc etc*

So here's the start of a series of drabbles in my attempt to both get back into writing more again and use the whole board because why not? Anyway, without further ado...

Monday, Row 1 – Getting Ready

“I have a proposal I want to run by you…” Leo said to his boyfriends as he got ready. “Should I wear this bucket hat to the festival?”

“My honest advice? Yes. One thousand percent yes, you look adorable Peanut. Please wear it. Right, Lo baby?”

“Oui, s’il te plait, mon amour. Très mignon,” Logan said, walking over to give him a quick kiss.

“Mm, okay, hat on. Finn, rouge, honeypie, please put the toys away, it is time to get on the road if we’re going to make it to Talker’s to pick him and Noelle up.”

“They are not just toys, they. Are. My. New. Pocket squares. I’m a pocket square man now, Nut, get used to it!” Finn declared as he folded the last one and tucked it into his sock drawer.

Leo and Logan shared a look, and the blond stage whispered, “This is going to last all of a few days, right?”

“And then it’ll come back full swing middle of next season, mark my words,” Logan agreed with a chuckle.

[aghostbride]

Greetings!! Just posting a fanfic I wrote for my homework :33 (Yes, it is Lennabel) this is also posted on ao3 and wattpad!

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A Clandestine Night

In the heart of town, a wealthy man threw a lavish ball, inviting only his closest friends. The event hums with excitement as guests anticipate a night of luxury and camaraderie.

Annabel Lee Whitlock, an undercover spy seeking the rich man's wealth, disguised as one of the man's guests. As for her disguise, she posed as Arabella Delphine, one of the plush man's trusted friends. For her plan to work out, she must not be seen by the host otherwise she would be caught with no way out.

To fit in with the guests, she wore a Midnight Blue bust down strapless evening dress with a black shawl around her upper arms, she had black long satin gloves.

There she arrived at the party right on time, the greeter at the entrance checked her name on the guest list. She was let in effortlessly, she smiled at this—this was gonna be easier than she thought. She walked among the crowds, the giggles and laugh of the other guests rang in her ears yet this didn't distract her, she continued on with her mission of finding the host’s vault.

She was wandering around trying to find a way to sneak into the vault when suddenly she stumbled upon a… woman with a suit? “How unusual…” she dusted off her dress, staring into the woman right in front of her.

“Greetings, I apologize for bumping into you.” she hurriedly spoke, worried.

“It's fine, really. What's your name dear?” Annabel smiled, tucking a strand of her curled hair behind her ear.

“My name's Lenore, Lenore Vandernacht. Pleasure to meet you.” Lenore smiled back, kissing the back of Annabel's hand.

She introduced herself. “I'm Arabella Delphine.” She continued on her disguise, not letting that kiss on the hand expose her.

“Ah! You're one of the host’s friends, yes?”

“Indeed, are you not one of his friends?”

“... I am, yes! I just thought you were one of the staff.”

“A staff?.. wearing a dress?”

"Oh! Well, can the staff not wear formal dress wear in a party as well?” Lenore smiled innocently, a hint of an annoyed tone hidden behind her voice.

Annabel glared “Hm, I suppose.” She uttered in defeat.

The two stood there awkwardly, waiting for the other to speak. It was only a few seconds but time seemed to drag on endlessly, Annabel just wanted to leave and continue to her mission but the other woman spoke.

“What brings you to the party?”

“Well I was invited, of course I would attend it. I never miss a party.”

“Ah, a partygoer. What's your work?”

“Oh, my dad owns a company. It's called ‘AD’ he's planning to make me CEO.”

“I've heard of that company before, are you the daughter of Ambrose Delphine?”

“Indeed, I must leave. I'm meeting up with a friend.”

“I understand, apologies for disturbing you.”

“It's quite alright, it was a pleasure talking to you. Ta-ta!” With that, Annabel quickly left.

Lenore, with a gleam of mischief dancing in her eyes and a playful smirk curling her lips, watched intently, her gaze fixed upon the target. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she transmitted her observation through the concealed earpiece, her voice laced with amusement as she confirmed, "Yeah, I got her in sight.”

At the same time, Annabel finally found the vault. Thoughts of getting richer crossed her mind, but she reminded herself to focus on the task at hand. There she twisted the lock instantly opening it, she smiled at the sight of glowing gold before her. Before stepping in, she stopped. She thought for a moment, “This is way too easy,” a hint of suspicion lingered in her voice, she continued “There must be a catch.” she observed inside the vault, trying to find anything unusual or suspicious. When she found none, she took a deep breath before stepping in. No alarms were set up, she let out a sigh of relief. She took out a bag and started with the money first.

After that, she moved on to the gold but she was stopped. She heard a familiar voice behind her speak, her heart dropped to her stomach.

“Well, well, well.. Hello ‘Arabella’.”

Annabel turned around facing the woman she talked to earlier, Lenore. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was worried that you wouldn't find your way to your little friend.” Lenore spoke sarcastically. “Tch, I knew you were aiming for the vault. I knew you from the start Annabel Lee Whitlock.”

A drop of sweat fell from Annabel's face as she glared at the woman in front of her. She could feel the tension in the air thickening with each passing moment. “What do you want, Lenore?”

Lenore just smirked playfully, walking closer to the Spy. She whispered in her ear, “Put those back Annabel Lee.”

Therefore Annabel lunged at Lenore, pinning her to the ground. Afterwards Lenore punched her in the face, leaving a bruise. Annabel groaned and stood up, a death glare could be seen. Lenore pinned her against the wall, leaving almost no space between them.

Annabel kicked her in the stomach and ran with money and some gold in her bag. Lenore stumbled and fell on the floor, landing on her butt. She quickly stood up and ran after Annabel, but it was too late, Annabel was already near the exit and Lenore would never reach her. However she kept running after her.

Annabel took off her heels and ran even faster. She got into her getaway car, and the driver drove off, leaving Lenore behind. She stood there, fuming that she hadn't caught the criminal. With a sigh, she informed her boss that she hadn't succeeded in apprehending the criminal. With that, she returned to the party.

During that time, Annabel began to breathe heavily once she got in the car. Exhausted from the running, she glanced at the driver, who wore a puzzled expression.

“Prospero, I- *pant* I didn't get all of it. But I got some!”

Prospero, the driver spoke with a satisfied tone. “Well done, Annabel.”

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Btw this is what Annabel was wearing :3 (CREDITS TO @/rednflynn ON TWT OFC!!!! :DDD)

≽^•⩊•^≼

[slutforsfender]

𝐬𝐢𝐱 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐬𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚

"A night out? In North Shields?" I question Phoebe.

"Aye, come on," She says, not thinking about what she is saying.

"Okay, Phoebe there are a few reasons behind my very definite no like the fact it's North Shields and the clubs are you know in the centre of Newcastle which we both definitely don't want to go to" I explain with a deadpan look and tone.

"I don't see your point. Pubs are the new night out" She backfires.

"What about the fact that we both know everyone here so anyone you went home with there would be consequences and most people we know our age are settling down" I state.

"I'll ignore the fact there was no we in going home with someone" She smirks.

"Also I really don't fancy going to a pub with a bunch of people crowding me and asking me why I'm back with the possibility of seeing Sam again because we both know he will also be out just for a canny night when we could just have one here," I say, walking over to lean against the kitchen counter.

"He's always in Low Lights and we just won't go there. Come on Bella, please" She practically begs with her hands, giving me puppy eyes.

"She's right yanno. That lad doesn't go anywhere but the Low Lights" My granny pipes in, entering the kitchen.

"Yeah, but Gran the Chase is on tonight and we all love it," I say, trying to convince her with my pleading eyes.

"Arabella, I am not letting my beautiful twenty-eight granddaughter waste another night back home watching quiz programs with me and your old grump. You deserve another lad that is not fictional. Now lass go get up those bloody stairs and get ready" She says, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me towards the stairs while winking at Phoebe.

I sigh with a roll of my eyes as Phoebe follows me upstairs to begin our night.

We empty my whole wardrobe onto my bed to find suitable outfits for the night. Well, I say we, more Phoebe as I sit flicking through songs in playlists.

"Okay, I got the perfect outfits" She shrieks, throwing two outfits onto the bed.

We spend the next two hours doing hair and makeup, bringing it all together. I'm not even gonna lie we look drop-dead gorgeous right now.

"Night out in the toon" Phoebe shouts, making me laugh uncontrollably like an eighteen-year-old again causing chaos, as we walk downstairs she pulls me down to grab our things.

We link arms as we walk through the familiar streets. I was awaiting the whispers but nothing, the streets were empty. Everybody was having their night out.

Eventually, we reach one of the pubs and walk in meeting the smell of alcohol and loud music. I pause a second, weirdly shocked.

"What's up? Forgotten a Shields night out, London girl" Phoebe says in my ear, making me laugh.

"Take the girl out of Shields Pheebs," I say, walking over to the bar and asking for shots.

"Straight in with it"

"It's a night out after all"

We spend the majority of the night on the dance floor or at our table, talking away with copious amounts of alcohol. I felt like I was eighteen again with Phoebe, except I wasn't drinking away the pain. Well, a little over the same guy.

I hear a bunch of noise from a table near and pause in shock. There they all were. Him. His mates. Phoebe follows my eye direction and pauses herself.

"Shit, you alright?"

"Aye, I'll get us another drink"

I race up to the bar, grabbing onto the bar and breathing deeply. Fuck.

I order us both another pint and a few shots. But as the bartender passes me the drinks, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Do not be him I silently beg.

I turn around slightly to see a brunette in front of me.

"Hi, I couldn't help but notice you and I just wanted to say you look incredible"

"Oh thank you," I say slightly blushing as I hand the bartender my money.

"No worries. You okay? You seem like you've seen a ghost" He asks, as I check on Phoebe, who herself had found a guy.

"Aye well, you could say that," I say, thinking to myself the ghost of my past maybe.

We get to talking a bit, and Noah, as I learned, seems really lovely. He's not from Shields, he's from centre Newcastle which is great.

"I can't lie, you look really pretty tonight," He says in a completely innocent tone with the most dangerous words.

"You look pretty today"

Here we go. Rapid heartbeat, no control over breathing, tears threatening.

I mutter a sorry and run out of the bar as quickly as I could, not even daring to look at Sam.

I race home, trying to breathe in the cold air. But it didn't work, it never does. Stupid words. Stupid boy.

As I walk onto a nearby street, I hear a voice behind me. A too-familiar voice. I speed up. Not now. Not ever. Please.

Soon enough he grabs my hand and spins me around to face him. Don't look in his eyes, Arabella. I did it. Just don't cry, don't show weakness.

"Are you okay? I saw you run out and I couldn't not come to check on you" He spurts out after a few seconds that felt like hours.

"I'm fine. Go home" I say, trying to remain stern.

"Did he hurt you? Try owt?" He asks as I become aware his hand is still touching mine. I pull it away.

"No Sam, it wasn't him"

I try to walk away but he doesn't let me.

"Arabella, you clearly aren't okay. Come to the beach with me, the different feelings and smells will calm you down remember" He asks, recalling my anxiety attacks.

This is so different and his fault but I agree. The walk there was tense, with so many unspoken words in the air. My trauma attack, felt at ease though around the person who caused them.

We sit on some rocks, watching the ocean sway back and forth. That beach smells hits my nose. The black sky causes a glow on the ripples. Picture perfect.

He had his hands in his pockets, his old nervous tell. His hair going everywhere cause of the wind. I couldn't help but smile, an old habit never dies.

"Why did you run out? Was it me?" He whispers into the air,

"It's always you" I whisper back.

The truth. Every attack, every cry, every song, every smile. It's him.

"Oh," He says, shocked.

Silence again.

"Why are you back?" He asks.

"Hadn't been home in a while and my family plus Pheebs wanted me back. You weren't meant to be here or I wasn't meant to see you" I say, shocked by the truth. Must be the alcohol.

"Your eyes"

I give him a confused glance.

"That's the thing that I see all the time like a reminder of my mistake," He says with a deep breath.

"I ran out because he called me pretty" Sam probably wouldn't understand but the only way to follow the truth is with another whether they understand or not.

"Why can't I let you go Rose?" Sam whispers into the air once again.

----

hi! been a while my loves. honestly I needed a break from life so I thought I'd use it wisely and write this. it might not be as good as my other stuff but I kinda wanted it to be messy because this whole Sam and Arabella thing is messy which is true to the reasoning behind this book. enjoy my loves.

[livingmybestfakelife]

My Mother’s Keeper

Summary: You’ve been the only mother that Duke Shelby has ever remembered knowing, and he will do whatever it takes to give you the peace you’ve always given him.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse

A/N: Duke won’t be written as Tommy’s newly discovered son, instead he’s always known about him, and he came into the world under different circumstances

“Mrs. Shelby, Mr. Shelby is home”

“Already? It’s only three o’clock”

“I mean the other Mr. Shelby madam”

“Oh, well alright then, thank you Eunice, tell him I’m in the dining room”

“No need, I’ve found ya”

Duke’s chipper voice walks into the room with a pep in his step, he must’ve had a ball during his trip, even though it looked to be a short one. He gets closer to you to give you a peck on the cheek before handing Eunice his coat and cap, telling her that he wasn’t hungry or thirsty after she asked if he wanted anything, he had all of his attention on you, looking to want to have no distractions, he was rushing your maid out of the room without blatantly doing so.

“You’re back already darling?”

“What, you aren’t happy to see me?”

“Of course I am love, I just wasn’t expecting you back so early, wasn’t expecting you back home for three more days”

“Yeah, something came up, had to cut it short”

“Oh that’s too bad, what happened?”

“Nothing you have to worry about yet”

“Okay”

“You aren’t gonna question me about my secrecy?”

“Duke, after all these years I’ve come to accept that if you and your dad are gonna keep something from me then you’ll tell me when you feel like it, begging won’t make you spill the beans so why try anymore”

He hated that he had to keep certain things from you, but he and Tommy were very protective of you and his baby sister, for the longest time you were the lady of the house, your boys out numbered you, but you finally had someone on your side when you fell pregnant with your first child with Tommy. Arabella Frances wasn’t planned but she was a lovely surprise, for the longest time you were so focused on bringing Duke up that another baby didn’t cross your mind for some reason.

Duke was Tommy and Greta Jurossi’s child, they had him when they were very young but in love, she was his first serious girlfriend, to save Greta from being shamed for being an unwed mother, Tommy raced her down to the courthouse the moment they gotten the news, he made sure to bribe the clerk into dating the certificate a month and a couple of weeks sooner so that it won’t look like they had gotten married only because of her pregnancy, which in a way was the truth, but everyone else didn’t need to know that.

Greta lived to see only one year of Duke’s life before she succumbed to consumption, he was lost after that, no mother for his son to nurture him, be the softer figure in his life that he would desperately need in this world and especially this life. Without being asked you had taken on the role of an unofficial step mother to the baby boy, you were one of Tommy’s most reliable and only female friends, you and Duke grew a bond stronger than he ever imagined in his wildest dreams. You never wanted him to not know of his biological mother, having two photos of Greta in your possession to show him every now and then, telling him stories about how much she adored him in every possible way, you didn’t want to ever lie to him and take credit in how he came to be, it wouldn’t be fair to his mothers memory, but all of that didn’t stop him from still calling you mummy and eventually just mum once he felt that “mummy” was too childish, you were the only one he’s ever known, he couldn’t help but to not miss a woman he had no memory of.

“It’s to protect you mum”

“I know my boy, I understand that now, really I do”

You kiss his cheek and lean back into your chair, picking up your new knitting project of making a little sweater for Arabella, he could tell that his secrecy was getting to you and you only left it alone as to not irritate him, eventually you would find out but not right now, he needed to make sure that his plan would follow through, he couldn’t risk you interfering with something that he knew would avenge the person he cares for the most, but would also make his father proud, two of the things that he valued, his dads pride and his mothers joy, Duke eventually excused himself to get himself changed out of his dingy clothes from his hunting trip and head to the Garrison where his dad was expecting him.

———————————————————————

“I’m here!, dad?!”

“Over here Duke”

Tommy lifts an arm to guide him over towards the back of the empty pub. He was left in worry and suspense as to why his son cut the hunting trip with his friends short to come back home, he had called his dad from the nearest pay phone he could find to tell him that there’s been a change in plans and that he was taking the earliest train back to Birmingham, he was growing tired of the boring posh kids that he ended up having to use to network like his dad was doing while moving up in the political world, they wouldn’t know actual hunting and camping techniques to save their lives, but he eventually made an excuse to leave, telling them that during his call to check in back home he learned that his mother had “fallen ill” and he needed to get back home, the sheltered gullible teens felt bad and understood that he needed to go, not knowing of the true reason.

“I’m glad you could make time to sit with me”

“Well when you tell me that there is an urgent matter concerning your mum then of course I’m gonna come home early”

He smirks at his dad, pleased with the love that he held for you, that he’s willing to drop everything if you were in need. He reached into pocket of his coat to hand him a torn out piece of paper, it looked to be very old and the ink was slightly faded. Tommy was confused with what was handed to him until he was able to make out some words clearly, as the details of the page became more specific he couldn’t help but put two and two together, not to mention that the handwriting looked familiar.

“Where is this from son?”

“It’s from an old diary of mum’s…I didn’t mean to discover it”

“Wendell…I recognize that name”

“Wendell Mercer”

“That’s right, how do you know?”

“He’s been locked up in Emerson Prison for the past twenty years for killing her uncle, that was her step dad right?”

“Not legally, they were courting for about a year, by the time they were supposed to be wed he had shot her brother Aaron in a gambling dispute”

“Yeah but you don’t believe that do you?”

“I always felt that there was more to the story, Aaron wasn’t much of a gambler, but that was the story that her mum always stuck to so what was anything left to say?”

“Hm”

“Come on my boy, what aren’t you telling me?”

“It’s better to let you hear what all the hoopla is about from the source”

He stands up and walks out of the pub without saying another word, Tommy snuffs out his cigarette in an ashtray before rushing behind him, it was killing him about what this was all about, the little bit of details he was given wasn’t enough to satisfy him, what the fuck was his son about to get himself into?

———————————————————————

Duke sped all the way to Charlie’s yard with his dad in tow, not saying a word on the way. This was it, the moment he’s been waiting for.

“Duke what the fuck is going on? Ay?!”

“You’ll see, trust me it’s worth the wait”

He marches onto Uncle Charlie’s property, already knowing what was up and made sure Curly opened the gates for them when they pulled up. Charlie gave his great nephew a knowing look along with a nod, further confusing Tommy, whatever was going on he was more than ready to find out, Duke has never looked as ready to put his fists to good use as he did at this moment, it was serious and he wanted his father to be a witness to it.

In the giant storage room towards the end of the yard was the sound of a muffled yell and heavy breathing, the body that it belonged to was one that Tommy hasn’t seen in years. Wendell Mercer, now with a balding head of grey thin hair, wrinkled skin and tattered clothes, prison has clearly shown him no mercy.

“Mr. Mercer, you remember Thomas don’t you? I just call him dad but you remember him as Thomas Shelby from Watery Lane right? Sure you do”

“Duke, what is going on?”

“Like I said, you should hear the truth from the source”

He stomps over to the mentally and physically exhausted old man tied to a chair that was also tied to a pole, he warned him to keep his yelling to himself before yanking off the handkerchief from his dry mouth.

“Go on you miserable old fuck, tell me dad the reasoning for all of this, I don’t have all fucking day, mum sent the cooks home and is making meatloaf tonight and I’m looking forward to my welcome home meal”

“P-please I’m sorry, I swear to you I regret it everyday, Aaron didn’t deserve the fate he was given, I’m sorry I shot him, I’m sorry I killed him”

“FUCK OFF, that’s not the only reason, tell my dad the real reason why you killed her uncle, gambling dispute my fucking ass, even he doesn’t believe that, tell him the reason why you did it!”

Wendell coughed up some blood, his health problems getting worse during recent years, and being cooped up in a hot storage room with hardly and way to breathe properly only irritated it more.

“HURRY THE FUCK UP”

“Alright…alright look, I’m sorry for that too right”

“Sorry for what Wendell?”

It was Tommy’s turn to speak up, walking a little more closer to him to hear his confession.

“H-her mother, YN’s mother had ended up inheriting a small bit of money when an aunt of hers passed on, and me, I was so deep in my gambling debts that I needed to desperately scrape up any large amount of money that I could, when I found out that she hid the money from me and wouldn’t give it up I got enraged, I begin to take my frustrations out on her, I beat her almost to the point of killing her, and when YN came to try and get me off of her mother…I did the same thing to her, Aaron just so happened to have come to check in on his sister and witnessed me in the middle of beating his niece, so he gave me just what I deserved, I was able to get him off of me just long enough to reach for my gun and…Jesus look I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry, you have to believe me, time in that hell hole has rehabilitated me, I pray every day for forgiveness, for Aaron, YN and the woman who to this day I still love, I ruined everything because I couldn’t stay away from the race tracks, I-“

He didn’t have a chance to finish his pitiful speech before Duke shot him in his forehead, neither Charlie or Tommy was expecting that, maybe helping him beat the man to death yes but not this, he was looking forward to at least torture the bastard first, but his son beat him to it.

“An eye for an eye ay dad?”

“Duke, give me the gun”

“It’s mine dad, you gave it to me”

“I’ll get you a new one, now give it here so I can get rid of it”

He tosses the empty pistol to Tommy, only needing a single bullet to complete his goal in avenging his mother.

“It was unfair, after all the good mum has done for other’s, all the love and peace she gives to the world and it decides to hurt her in return, and forces her to carry it for the rest of her life”

“I know son, I know, come on, let’s go home alright, to collect yourself…Charlie?”

“Yeah, I know the drill, this will get cleaned up”

“Right, alright let’s go”

He guides Duke out of the yard and towards the car, what he needs right now is to change out of the clothes that now has blood splatter on it, take a hot bath and get a hot meal that his mum promised to make for him before he left.

“Are you proud of me dad? I got rid of my first enemy, the cause of the pain that has burdened mum all these years”

“You make me proud every day son”

Duke smirks at the validation he receives, in his mind he did the right thing, Wendell didn’t deserve another day of oxygen while the man who should be still living out his golden years was six feet underground, just for defending his sister and niece.

Wendell Mercer would be the first of many lives Duke Shelby would take in his lifetime, but this would be the one he’d be the most proud of, because he did it out of love.

[cloudybarnes]

Call Me James

Pairing: bucky barnes x reader

Summary: at a party hosted by tony stark, bucky notices his girl laughing with a man he’s never seen before, and he doesn’t like it

Word Count: 1.3k +

Warnings: cursing, slight suggestive content 

Masterlist

✰  ✰  ✰

“Babe, what dress do you like more?” You turned around from the closet to show Bucky the two dresses you held up.

One was a wine red dress with a deep v-neckline and a tall slit up the leg. The other was a spaghetti strap, black dress with a slit similar to the red one. The neckline wasn’t plunging like the red but it was still gorgeous enough for you to have a hard time choosing. 

“God damn, doll.” Bucky whistled. “You’d look gorgeous in both of them, but you know I love it when you wear red for me.”

You giggled and put the black dress back in your closet. “I had a feeling you’d pick this one.” 

Bucky grinned and stepped closer to you so he could wrap his arms around your waist. He bent down to press a hard kiss to your lips. “You know me so well, doll.”

“I’d be a bad girlfriend if I didn’t know these things about you.”

“You could never be a bad girlfriend; you’re the best.”

“That’s not true! What if I forgot your birthday?” You giggled, linking your arms around his neck.

He smirked, “You’d never forget my birthday.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” You laughed, and stepped out of his embrace. “I can do your tie for you, just let me put my dress on real quick.”

He nods as you pull of your sleep shirt, careful not to mess up your hair and makeup. You tugged off your shorts leaving you only in your underwear since you didn’t wear a bra.

Bucky groaned and stepped closer to you, resting his hands on your butt, giving it a little squeeze. “You’re killing me here, doll.”

You giggled as he started placing light, feathery kisses to your neck. “No marks please, not before the event.” You smirked, “After though...”

He grinned and pinched your nipple, making you yelp.

Bucky laughed, “Alright, gorgeous, have it your way.”

You chuckled, shaking you head. You unzipped the dress and stepped into it, tugging it above your breasts and slipping the small straps over your shoulders. You slipped your matching red heels on. 

“You mind zipping me, baby?”

Bucky shook his head and walked behind you. “Only seems fair since you’re gonna tie my tie for me.”

Bucky’s fingers gently grasped the zipper, and slowly slid it all the way where it stopped at your mid back. “There you go.” He whispered. 

You turned around with a smile, and tugged on his tie. After a quick movement, you finished with it. 

He tugged on the tie to adjust it to his liking, and pressed a tender kiss to your forehead. “Thank you, baby.”

He grabbed your hand and laced his fingers in yours. “You ready?” 

You nodded, and allowed him to drag you out the room and towards the stairs. Even before you reached them, you could hear the sound of music playing. Going down, the lights were dimmed. There was a bar in the main room and red lights placed all around.

“Looks like Stark went all out for this.” Bucky half-shouted. 

You nodded, “Yeah, the place looks really nice!”

“Hold on, Steve’s waving me over.” Bucky pointed his finger towards Steve who was grinning, motioning him over. Bucky turned to you, “You wanna come with me or hang here?”

You pressed a kiss to his cheek, “You can go. I’m gonna head to the bar and grab us some drinks, then I’ll meet up with you.”

He gave your hand a squeeze and left to see what Steve wanted. You made your way over to the open bar and ordered Bucky’s favorite drink as well as a margarita for yourself. 

“(Y/N)?” 

You turned around from the bar and saw a face you were not expecting to see here.

“Miles?” You grinned.

He nodded his head and laughed. “Jesus, I can’t believe I’m seeing you here. How long has it been, six years?”

“Five, I think. We’re not that old, Miles.” You teased.

He chuckled, and pulled you into a hug. You kept it short, and smiled at him. “What brings you to a Stark party?”

He smirked, “If you remember anything about it, I’d hope it’d be how amazing I am at getting into parties.”

You laughed and gently pushed on his shoulder. “Oh my god! I completely forgot. We used to get into some trouble at college. Remember that time you snuck us into Arabella’s party because they had front row concert tickets as party favors?”

He cackled. “And then we got thrown out because you spilled your drink on her.”

You giggled, “I’m a clumsy person, what can I say!”

From across the room, Steve nudged Bucky, stopping him from talking.

“Hey, what was that for?” 

Steve nodded his head in your direction. “Who’s the guy with (Y/N)?”

Bucky turned around and saw you standing by the bar, your guys’ drinks on the counter still as you chatted with a man he’d never seen before. 

Bucky saw you laughing with him and playfully nudging him. “I have no idea. I’m gonna head over there; I’ll catch up with you later.” He left Steve and strode over to you.

You could see Bucky walking towards you as you chatted with Miles. “Oh hey! I want to introduce you to someone.”

Just as you said that, Bucky came up and wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed a kiss to the side of your head. “Hey, doll. Who’s your friend?”

You smiled, “This is Miles. We were best friends in college. Miles, this is my boyfriend, Bucky.”

Miles stuck out his hand, “Nice to meet you, Bucky.”

Bucky shook it. “Only my friends call me Bucky. You can call me James.”

Miles stammered, “Oh, yeah, nice to meet you... James.”

You shot Bucky a confused look. He usually lets everyone call him Bucky. 

He brushed your look off and placed his hand on your lower back. “So, what did you guys talk about?”

Miles’ smile slowly falters, “Just sharing some memories from school.”

“Oh really,” Bucky condescends. “I’d love to hear some. You know, since they were so funny.”

You arched your brow and looked at Bucky, trying to figure out what had gotten into him. 

“Oh, uh, okay. So basically we were just talking about one time we-”

“Oh my gosh,” Bucky fake gasped, “I’m so sorry, Mike, but my friend is waving us over so we’d better get going. It was nice talking to you, have fun at the party.”

Bucky dragged you along with him before you could even say good-bye to Miles, or correct Bucky on saying the wrong name.

“Buck, stop!” You pulled your hand out of his grasp. The two of you were far enough away from anyone else where you could talk. “What has gotten into you? You never act so cold to people.”

Bucky sighed and placed his hands on your arms. “I’m sorry, doll. It was just something about him that I didn’t like. I got a bad feeling.”

Your face softened as you watched Bucky try to explain himself. “But you didn’t even give him a chance to get to know you. And you made him call you James.” You lightly laughed.

He shook his head and groaned. “I know, that was weak. I just didn’t like seeing you with him. It’s not that I don’t want you to have friends, but you know, I don’t really like the thought of some random guy making you laugh.”

You stifled a laugh, “So you acted that way because you were jealous?”

Bucky shook his head, “I’m not jealous.”

You laughed and pointed at him, “You’re totally jealous!”

Bucky groaned hid his face in your neck. “Okay, fine! I’m jealous. It’s embarrassing enough, you don’t have to poke fun at me.”

You couldn’t hold back your laugh anymore. “Baby, I’m not making fun of you. I think it’s kind of sweet that you care so much about me.”

Bucky lifted his head, and softly gazed into your eyes. “Of course I care about you. You’re everything to me, and I don’t ever want to lose you.”

You cooed, and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “I’m yours Bucky; I’ll only ever be yours.”

Bucky grinned and kissed you again, deeper than the last time. He gripped your face between his palms and smothered you in his love.

He pulled away breathless, and gave you one last quick peck.

“I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you more. Now come on, let’s get back to this party.”

[propaganda-for-poets]

Bestie pls can I have some Chameron headcanons?? I'm desperate honestly it's a problem. You don't have to btw.

bestie. of course. my old newsies mutuals may have noticed that i do this thing where i enter a fandom and suddenly i can only talk about one specific ship, yeah that ship here happens to be chameron and i am always more than happy to talk about them.

let's just do some nice happy headcannons today bc a couple days ago i wrote a fic about charlie leaving welton and i've decided i officially need a break from angst, alright

IN FACT YOU KNOW WHAT let's make them post-welton !!!!!! y'know after all the poets including neil graduate and keating never gets fired as always since that is the canon ending of the movie, nothing bad happens ever.

okay so.

charlie and cameron have been rooming together since year 1, it's kinda the end of an era that they're now both supposed to move into separate apartments and they're both really sad about it but refuse to say anything

you think this wouldn't be a problem for two people who have been dating for a year and shared a dorm since they were children, so they can easily move in together, but this is charlie and cameron communication kings so obviously they're being stubborn and aren't saying anything

and they just spend their last weeks at welton all like

"yeah yeah i wonder who's gonna help you find your stuff when you're not living with me anymore,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,cause like you won't. in a few weeks you won't."

"come on stop studying and talk to me i'm bored" "well soon you won't be able to talk to me whenever you want. because i will be in a different place. like i'll no longer be around 24/7."

"you know you better treasure these last moments you get to see me. cause after we graduate who knows when you'll see me again,,,,," "okay, charlie that's a little dramatic, you're not leaving the country-" "i'll be gone, cam, very soon. forever." "you won't be-" "i mean god knows where i'll be-"

it ends up being charlie who asked (i wrote about that here !) and so we have charlie and cameron sharing an apartment :)

both of them get into harvard because,,, that's welton boys for you of course literally the entire school makes the ivy league. cameron's literally smart as shit he can make whatever school he wants and charlie,,, well charlie has a lot of money.

i'm kidding i'm kidding, charlie's no doofus and attending welton is already a good look for any university, charlie can definitely make harvard on his own if he could survive welton but y'know being filthy rich wasn't exactly a disadvantage

charlie will always show cameron off all like "my boyfriend goes to harvard you know !!!!!!!!" and cameron's like "char,,,, so do you,,,,,,,"

but y'all don't care about who goes where i'm aware of this, let's get into the apartment shenanigans

okay, sharing a dorm for years in welton definitely had its advantages because there's none of those annoying habits of someone's you only start noticing after you're under the same roof, like leaving their clothes on the floor or playing music too loudly, they're already aware of all that stuff, they don't care anymore

they do have their own rooms now, but it doesn't matter a lot because they keep just falling asleep together on the couch.

most of the time cameron will just wake up in the middle of the night and attempt to take charlie to his room but he's learned overtime that charlie will just whine and complain until he stays with him so he ends up just taking him to his own room in the first place

slowly it becomes less "cameron's room" and more "their room", the other room just kinda stays there.

cameron is a GOD TIER cook we'e been over this but somehow they only take advantage of that skill of his on really??? questionable occasions?????

like they'll order chinese from the place down the street for dinner but if cameron wakes up to find charlie in the kitchen at 3 am munching on a piece of toast he'll be like "okay let's make some onion soup."

midnight snacks are for amateurs. here we have midnight meals.

they bake together a lot, though. whenever they find time cameron will just whip out a recipe and they'll bake something together, and they'll be very couple-y and disgusting while doing it too

of course it always resorts in them making a big mess

"charlie. charie stop putting your hands in the brownie mix."

"okay, fine."

"charlie, your hand's still in there, stop it."

"or else what, what're you gonna d- WH- DID YOU JUST THROW AN EGG AT ME WHAT THE FUCK"

then they'll have to spend the entire afternoon cleaning up the kitchen

"what're you laughing about now, dalton?"

"you have flour on your cheek."

"and whose fault is that?"

"stop being annoying, you're cute right now"

"oh yeah?"

"mhm, yeah."

cameron overworks himself a lot and a lot of times charlie will get up late at night to find him still studying

he'll always go up to him like "cam, tf. it's four in the morning. come to bed."

"i just have to get this finished."

"well, okay, i'll just stay up with you until you go to sleep."

"charlie that's not healthy you need to-,,,,,,,,,,oh you're evil, dalton, threatening me with your own well-being."

"damn right i am, now go to sleep."

okay we all know charlie. we know how he is. so it's no surprise to anyone that it didn't take long for him to bring a random stray animal into the house

cameron just comes back from class to see charlie with a tiny ginger car.

"cam, you're back-"

"nope. not happening, take it back."

"hey, it is a she, and i love her now."

"no, no you don't, she's going back."

"i can't i'm attached to her! look at her! she's adorable, she's my new favorite ginger."

",,,,,, okay now she's definitely going back."

she did not go back.

charlie named her arabella and cameron insisted she was annoying and always wanted attention and wouldn't let him study

"hey, you said the exact same things about me and you love me now, give her time!"

"i don't love you right now."

"well, i love you a lot. and i love her too, she's part of the house now."

",,,,,,,god, fine, you're lucky you're my weakness. i'll tolerate her."

one time charlie returned from class to find cameron sleeping on the couch with arabella on his lap.

he never hears the end of it once he's awake

"so, how's hating her going for you, richard?"

"shut up, she's warm."

"so you no longer despise my cat? because she's warm?"

"first of all she's our cat i don't clean cat fur all over the house for her to be your cat and,,,, she's not all that bad."

[flowerpowell]

The Royal Holiday Romance (Liam x MC)

EPILOGUE

A/N: Ahhh the last chapter and the last peek into Victoria’s and Liam’s lives! I was supposed to finish this series before Christmas but... better late than never, huh? I hope you’ll enjoy the epilogue!

Rating: G

Tagging: @gardeningourmet @delightfullypinkglitter @twinkleallnight @lodberg @sfb123 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @iaminlovewithtrr​ @kingliam-rys​ @kingliam2019​ @texaskitten30​ @gkittylove99​ @shanzay44​ @sweatyrysconnoisseur​ ❣

“Li, you sure you don’t wanna come?”

Liam nodded, assuring his friends once again that he made up his mind and wasn’t going to change it.

Maxwell sighed. “As you wish. You’re gonna regret it though. I even wore my squid suit! The one that made Hana fall for me.”

“Hana never fell for you, Maxwell.” Drake rolled his eyes. “She just said it was a nice suit.”

“Whatever. She invited us to that party after all!”

Liam looked absentmindedly at his friends. Hana and the rest of the crew finished filming a week ago and they celebrated it with a big wrap-up party. She invited him and his friends but Liam didn’t feel like coming. Mostly because he still felt bad for almost firing Victoria from said movie. But also because she wasn’t going to be there. There was no point for him to go.

When Drake and Maxwell left, Liam went into his bedroom and opened his laptop.

It was almost four months since he saw and talked to Victoria. She went home right before Christmas and it was already March. To say he missed her every day, was an understatement.

Not much changed for him; Liam kept himself busy with work and all his duties. He knew Maxwell and Drake were worried about him but he kept telling them he was okay.

He allowed himself moments of weakness only in the night. He would google Victoria’s name and read what she had been up to. After leaving Cordonia, she set up her own blog and started her film critic career online. Maybe because of the scandal but mostly because she was very talented, she soon found a big audience and started being invited to different events, premieres and interviews. Liam was very proud of her and very happy for her. But reading all of that, made him miss her even more. The fact that she didn’t want to come to the wrap-up party, as well as the Cordonian premiere in a few months, was a clear proof she wasn’t thinking about him the way he thought about her.

Liam sighed as he saw an article titled: Victoria Brooks refuses to attend the premiere of ‘Cordonian Christmas’ in the light of the scandal.

Even though he explained everything what happened, he still was guilty of causing the scandal. He wasn’t surprised she didn’t want to come to Cordonia after all that happened. And he wasn’t surprised she didn’t want to keep in touch with him.

It was all his fault.

~~~~

“Greetings from the wrap-up partyyyyy”

Victoria looked at the picture Hana just sent her. She and Maxwell seemed to have a lot of fun. Victoria even spotted Drake sipping on his drink. No sight of Liam, though.

Not like she would expect him to be there. Hana had told her that Liam avoided leaving the palace since… she left Cordonia.

Victoria blamed the scandal and all that negative attention that Liam got afterwards for his antisocial behavior but Hana straightforwardly told her that it was because he tried to get over her.

She wasn’t sure what to think about it. Were his feeling actually genuine? It wasn’t just a game? Was a King really… into her?

“Don’t go there,” Victoria warned herself. What happened, happened. It’d been almost four months since they spoke last. High time to move on.

So why did Victoria feel like there was something missing?

~~~~

Liam was playing with his phone after checking his emails. He looked at his drafts folder and sighed seeing at lest fifty different emails he wrote to Victoria. Wrote but never sent.

He wondered if she thought about him. Even if just for a second.

“If she did, it would be pretty negative thoughts, I’m sure.” He thought to himself and put his phone away. It was pointless. No matter how bad he wanted to forget about Victoria, he couldn’t.

He still felt just as in love with her as he was four months ago.

~~~~

Victoria was playing with her phone after reading comments under her newest blog post. She checked her emails but nothing new came.

What was she waiting for, though? For an email from Liam?

“He closed that chapter. You should, too,” she thought to herself as she put her phone away. It was pointless. No matter how bad she wanted to move on, she couldn’t.

For some reason, the butterflies she felt when thinking about Liam didn’t die even after those four months.

~~~~

“It’s so nice to see you, Liam.” Hana smiled and greeted the King. He nodded and shook her hand.

“Likewise. I’ve heard the wrap-up party was a success.”

“It was… nice. We missed you,” she said and Liam could almost hear that silent and Victoria too but he didn’t say anything. It was his fault she couldn’t even come here.

“Maybe you could talk to him, Hana. He said he won’t come to the premiere!” Maxwell chipped in and Liam rolled his eyes. Hana’s face softened.

“You really should. I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t but it’d be nice to see you there.”

“I’ll think about it,” he promised. When Maxwell and Drake entered the throne room, Liam followed suit but Hana stopped him, gently grabbing his arm.

“Can we talk? Alone?” She added.

“Is something wrong?” His mind immediately wandered to Victoria. Did something happen to her?

“No… No. But… I wanted talk to you about Tori, if I may.” She started and Liam’s heart began to race. He nodded.

“I don’t approve of how you treated her with your lies and dishonesty. And I don’t blame Victoria for being upset with you and wanting to leave. But… I also know you regret it. And I know that you didn’t want to deceive her. Listen, Liam. I’ve known you for many years now and I know you’re a good person. We all make mistakes. And you… already redeemed yours. And I think Tori would agree.”

“I am really sorry for what I have done. Truly. If I could turn back time—” Liam started. Why was Hana bringing it up now?

“I wasn’t trying to make you apologize for something you’ve already apologized for. I’m just trying to ask… why did you give up on Victoria?”

Liam was taken aback. He gave up on her?

“I don’t think I understand… I didn’t give up on her… She left!”

“Yes, but that was four months ago. Even very stubborn people like Tori soften in that time.”

“What… are you getting at?” He was confused and Hana shook her head.

“I’m saying… if you really like her, which I see you do, you should’ve fought for her. She forgave you a long time ago and she misses you just as much.”

“She told you that?”

“She didn’t have to. I hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes every time we talk. Just like I see you still love her in yours.”

Liam stared at Hana. “You… think… I should—”

Hana chuckled. “When Cinderella left Prince Charming in the palace after the ball, he didn’t just accepted his fate and tried to move on. He started looking for her and fought for their future. Because he truly loved her.”

“And Cinderella’s two sisters lost their feet in the process,” he added absentmindedly.

“I see Tori educated you too on original fairytales?”

“Yes.” he smiled. Victoria had a bigger impact on his life than he even thought.

“Then why don’t you just go for her, huh? She doesn’t have any sisters so don’t worry about that part. Call her, message her. Fight for her! I’m sure she’s waiting for it, too…”

~~~~

Liam stared at the ceiling, rewinding the conversation he had with Hana earlier that day. If Victoria really forgave him and was waiting for his sign…

Hana told him he should call or message her but Liam wasn’t sure it was a good idea. When it came to Victoria Brooks, he wanted to make it right.

And he could only hope it wasn’t too late.

~~~~

Victoria hit enter and her newest post appeared at the top of the blog. She quickly turned off her computer and decided to go for a walk. It was her routine. After posting something, she was too scared to wait for people’s reactions so she always went for a walk.

“What you’re up to?”

Victoria marveled at the message Hana sent her. It wasn’t the fact that Hana messaged her because the two women kept in touch, but it was four in the morning in Cordonia and Tori wondered why Hana was up.

“Just went for a walk. Wbu?” She typed and the answer came right away.

“Where?”

Victoria frowned. What was going on with Hana?

“That little forest a few minutes away from my apartment. Why are you asking?”

“Nevermind, enjoy your walk!”

Now Victoria was concerned. She tried to call Hana but her phone was turned off. Or she simply didn’t want to answer her calls.

She was walking in the forest, trying to call Hana from time to time but without success.

“Fine! Be mysterious!” She yelled at her phone after tenth time Hana didn’t pick up.

“Is that what actresses do? Talk to themselves?”

Victoria turned so abruptly that Liam had to catch her. Her eyes widened at the sight of Liam, King Liam, in a little forest in her hometown.

“What—what are you doing?” she asked, still in shock.

“You visited Cordonian forests and I wanted to visit American,” he replied calmly.

“Ha ha. No one ever comes here. And how did you—” she narrowed her eyes. “Hana.”

“Don’t be angry with her. I wanted to make sure I’d meet you. Poor Hana, I had to wake her up in the middle of the night.”

“Why are you here?” She asked, her heart and mind racing. She couldn’t believe he was here. Here in America. Here, for her.

“To see you. To talk to you. To tell you how much I miss you. Victoria, I—I missed you so much. I never felt this way for anyone else. And I am so sorry it took me months before I finally came here to tell you that. I wanted to call you every single day. I’m still…” he paused for a moment. “I’m still very much in love with you.”

“Liam…” she felt her eyes started to water. “I missed you, too. And I’m sorry for what I said to you before I left.”

“No, you were right. I made a mistake. And I promise to never lie to you again. What was between us… was real. And I want that. If you’re still interested.”

Victoria swallowed hard and felt tears running down her cheeks. “I’m still interested.”

Liam smiled and extended his hand. “Hello. My name is Liam and I am the King of a small European country, Cordonia. I love Baklava and I’ve recently started reading Grimm’s fairytales. I still think they’re actually thrillers. In my free time, I like to go for walks. Four months ago, I fell deeply in love with the most amazing woman. And you?”

She laughed. “I’m Victoria and I’m a movie critic. I have my own blog. I used to be an actress but it wasn’t for me. I’ve never had Baklava but it sounds delicious. I consider Grimm’s fairytales better than their Disney’s adaptations. I once traveled to Cordonia and fell in love with their King. Nice to meet you.”

Liam’s face lit up and she threw her hands around his neck. She didn’t know how they would make it work, what it would look like dating a King, what the people would say but she didn’t care.

For the first time in her life, she felt like the main character in her own fairytale.

---------------END----------------

[theneverfinishedstory]

6. Six-Shooter

(Whoops I am several days behind in yeehugust )

Mirage collapsed in a heap. Gasping in for air, she tried to keep from dry-heaving or worse, actually throwing up the corn mush she ate for breakfast. Breakfast that was only maybe three hours ago when the sun hadn’t even gotten up. Shakily holding herself up on her elbows, she heard the patient footsteps of one of her mentors behind her. Her leg shot out just as the person came close. 

“Gods damn it,” Ransom swore. He barely caught himself from falling into the dirt next to her. Mirage rolled her head back to look at him, grinning.

Even though the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, Ransom wore his beaten cowboy hat. His white hair was shaved close on the sides with the longer unruly pieces stuck out under the hat across his forehead. Even with the shade from the brim, Mirage saw white eyes looking down at her. Like other members in their branch of the Shifting Sands caravan, he wore a marigold colored bandana around his neck. On it was the broken hourglass symbol. Tiny grains of sand spilled from the shatter and pooled around the glass. Ransom’s shirt underneath was buttoned up to the top, his sleeves were unrolled and firmly buttoned at the wrist, and his pants went down to the heels of his boots. Being a drow in the desert sun was a life of avoiding it. Mirage hadn’t heard him complain about it yet though. 

“I came down here to tell you your form is all wrong. You aren’t nearly as quiet as you think you are and I think I could outrun you even if you had a head start,” Ransom said, his drawl quiet in the early morning. 

Mirage dropped to the ground and rolled on her back. She scrunched her nose up, angry at the dark blue early morning clouds for no particular reason. 

 “Well, whaddya expect? I had to do a buncha push ups and then a buncha pullups and then run down that stupid hill and jump around on boulders” she huffed. “And I know I’m doing better than last week. I heard you almost say it yesterday!”

“When?”

“When you thought I was asleep and you were talkin’ to Arabella.”

Ransom made a noise of disapproval. He offered a hand to her anyway. Mirage counted to three before grabbing it and pushing off the ground. Even though the ends of her hair tended to drift up and away like smoke, sweat on the other hand, glistened on her forehead. She used the back of her arm to wipe some off. 

She smirked, “So that makes me think I’m doing better then you’re tellin’ me. You’re just mad I tripped ya.”

Ransom walked off, Mirage trailing behind him. The last week or so had been a blur for Mirage. She hadn’t been the only person the Caravan chose to train. A few others had been picked up across the desert and each Caravan branch leader got one to train. Mirage had been chosen by Arabella McClain, an impressive tiefling woman. Ransom Jericho was her second and in charge of running Mirage ragged. Every day there were countless exercises building stamina, strength, and flexibility. While Mirage had never been very out of shape she had never been this in shape either. She was seeing changes to her body and even felt like there were a few in her mind too. Everything seemed a bit sharper and her reflexes felt more natural then they ever. What she really wanted was the thing Arabella and Ransom kept calling ki. With that, the possibilities were endless. 

Skipping behind Ransom, Mirage leaned a little closer, asking, “Since I’m gettin’ better, are ya gonna show me the cool gun trick?”

Ransom snorted. “What cool gun trick? We don’t use guns, Mirage. Rule number seven.”

“C’mon, Ace was telling me all about it. The six-shooter test!” Mirage said. 

Ransom stopped in his tracks. He turned his head towards Mirage. “He did, did he?” 

“Yep.”

“Did he tell you what that was?”

“No,” Mirage said. Seeing the hard stare Ransom was giving, she took half a step back. “But he said you think I might be ready.”

“Did he?”

Mirage felt unease burn inside of her. Before she responded, Ransom started off in the direction of camp. Mirage had to run to keep to pace. At the camp, breakfast for the full fledged members had just started. Most of them had a tin plate with some reheated corn mush on it. A human man had a spoonful halfway to his mouth when Ransom hoisted the man out of his seat. The corn mush plate fell in the dust. 

“Ransom, what in the Nine Hells-” he started. 

Ignoring the outburst, Ransom called over his shoulder, “Arabella, I’m gonna need that gun.”

Scrapes of spoons on tin stopped. Grumbled conversations halted. Arabella, holding a cup of hot coffee in her hands, raised an eyebrow. 

“Why?”

“Six-shooter test.”

Arabella lowered her coffee mug. “Oh?”

“And Ace here is gonna lead it.”

“I am?” he repeated. 

Ransom let go of Ace’s shirt and went over to Arabella. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a bundle of rags. Inside the bundle, was a small silver key. Ransom took it and went over to Arabella’s pack. After taking a few bundles, he got to a small case. The key went in easily like it was a lock that wasn’t used very often. Inside was a simple six-shooter gun. He loaded it as he stood back up. Looking at Ace, Ransom motioned with it to an open space between clusters of sage bushes. 

“Mirage, you too.” Ransom ordered. 

At that, Arabella stood, yet she made no move to stop her second. Ace looked at her, eyes shining with hope. When Ace didn’t move, she said, “You heard him.”

The uneasy feeling in Mirage’s stomach was growing to be the size of a boulder. Her mouth always got her in trouble. Typically, she could get out of it. But this seemed like she was stuck in a dust devil with no way out. She walked over to the empty space, Ace, Ransom, and Arabella following. The other members remained seated but their eyes were glued to the scene unfolding. 

“Mirage, go on down there. Maybe about thirty paces or so,” Ransom said. 

She did as he commanded, but didn’t turn her back, instead walking backwards, too scared to take her eyes off of him.

 “Ace, since you said I thought Mirage was ready for the six-shooter, I guess I’ll have to agree with you,” Ransom said

He clicked the safety off and handed the gun over to Ace, who had only gotten paler with each second. 

“Since you’ve been training with her day after day after all,” Ransom said as Ace took the gun.

 “Now Mirage,” Ransom called over “What you have to do is dodge and deflect the six bullets Ace’s gonna shoot at you. Now this is pretty close range so you’ll have to be quick on your feet. And, of course, if you mess up, a real bullet’s gonna be in your chest. Keep that in mind.”

He clapped Ace on the shoulder. “Ready when you are, Ace.”

Mirage tensed and fought to control her heart rate. The way Ace had talked last night, he made it sound like it was a gun trick, not a gun test. This was not something she felt remotely ready for. Barely evening her breath out, Mirage widened her stance and raised her fists, trying to focus on the gun in Ace’s hand. But the seconds dragged on. Ace raised then dropped the gun a few times before fully aiming it at Mirage. Now the seconds turned into a full minute. Nothing happened. The gun remained pointed at Mirage, Ace’s finger twitching at the trigger. Arabella, her lips pursed the entire time, put her hand on Ransom’s shoulder. With that, Ransom grabbed the gun away from Ace and in a quick follow-up, punched him straight on the jaw. Ace stumbled to the side, almost falling over. 

Grabbing at his jaw, Ace choked out, “Ransom, it was a joke is all! Stupid joke! I just wanted to ruffle her feathers a bit!”

“Don’t you dare lie to someone using my name,” Ransom growled.

“ ‘M sorry, Ransom. Won’t happen again.” Ace said. He rubbed his jaw more as he straightened up. “Just thought-”

“That pretending I thought she was ready for something and fillin’ her head with big ideas would be funny? Or have you forgotten that this training is the most important thing we got going for us out here. And if we don’t train our recruits right they end up dead? Or have you forgotten that?” Ransom looked like he was ready to swing again.

Arabella whistled a short high pitch whistle. “Alright Jericho. Bring it in.”

Ransom clenched his fist but eventually stepped back next to Arabella. Arabella took the gun from him and started to unload it. Each bullet made a clink in her pocket. 

“Ace, take a walk to the stream and dunk your head in. Maybe the chill will clear your head of any more stupidity with our recruit,” Arabella said. “Ransom, go in the opposite direction and beat something up. Neither of you come back till you’re sane again.”

Ace nodded, turning on his heel and headed for the stream half a mile away. Ransom said something in hushed Undercommon before walking back towards the camp. He didn’t stop there, instead he walked past back towards the training grounds. Mirage stood at the other end of the impromptu shooting range slowly lowering her fists. 

Arabella walked over to her. Once close enough, she asked, “You okay, Eolian?”

“ ‘Bout shit my pants, but now that’s done with,” Mirage let out. She looked towards Ransom’s retreating back. “Did I mess up? I didn’t know it was such a big deal, honest. I woulda never brought it up! I thought it was some sorta cool move or something!”

“You didn’t mess up. Ace’s stupid,” Arabella said. “Six-shooter is an old Caravan test that I’m not fond of and don’t really like using. Neither does Ransom. And Ace should know better than saying Ransom recommended it.”

“Did something happen?”

Arabella looked down. “I won’t give you the details. That’s Ransom’s story. But someone close to him didn’t make it through the six-shooter years ago. Since then, he’s pushed against its use. But Caravan hasn’t banned it yet, so it’s still in rotation.”

Mirage glanced at the empty pistol. “So I’ll have to do that?”

Arabella moved the gun out of sight. “Not until Ransom thinks you’re ready.”

“When will that be?” 

“Never, maybe.”

[alleycat97]

Slippery Slopes Pt.2

Part two y’all! Sorry it’s late, I’ve been busy. Should be one more part to finish this up!

Tag list: @samanthadalton @fundamentalromantic @avalawrencefl @penda-bear @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @kamilahsayeet2063

It had been an interesting 24 hours since the accident on the slopes yesterday. No word had been passed on about Emma and that left her suitors restless. Mason couldn’t cope with the fact that his father or ex best friend had committed such a cruel act that hurt Emma.

Noah couldn’t believe he was even in this situation. He should have never trusted Jennings but he let his guard down for the sake of the trip and Emma, and this is what he got. He was looking at charges for trespassing and endangerment while Principal Jennings seemed to be clearing his name.

Mack couldn’t stop pacing, Dr. Price was doing an awful job of updating his own daughter on her sisters progress. Ava wasn’t fairing much better. She had organized their room over and over trying to make sure it’s perfect for when Emma came back to the lodge.

It was just a sit tight and stand ready type of situation. None of them had a personal car available, so trapped at the lodge they were.

Ava stopped her cleaning when she heard a cellphone go off, to no surprise it was hers and the caller was Bayla. She grumbled and put the phone back down, she had called 4 times already today. Ava couldn’t bring herself to talk to her girlfriend knowing Emma was hurt in the hospital. She would sound weak, vulnerable, all red flags Bayla didn’t need right now.

Another call rang out across the house, this time it was Mack’s phone, and judging by her facial reactions, it was with her father. Mack nodded enthusiastically and ended the call, yelling out to find Mason.

“Emma is ready to come back here, dad said she will be ok, we need to go and pick her up. Spare keys are in his room, I’ll grab them and we can go.”

“What all was wrong?” Ava rushed out of the room and into the foyer.

“He didn’t say. I guess we will know when we all get back.” Mack said noticing the gloom placed on Ava’s features. “She’s gonna be alright.”

Ava went and tidied up the room once more and without knowing what Emma would require, she just cluttered the entire nightstand with odd and ends eliminating the guessing.

The front door slamming was her queue to come running, she leaned over the balcony railing only to see Jennings and Noah.

“I don’t know how you got those signs in my bag old man, but this isn’t over.” Noah hissed shoving his way past Principal Jennings.

“Maybe you should think twice before doing illegal activities. You’re never going to learn trailer trash.” Jennings barked stopping Noah dead in his tracks.

Jennings was an asshole. This dude seemed to get off on making teenagers lives miserable. The tension was unbearable.

“I know you knew about the course being closed. I just can’t figure out why you’d try to hurt Emma. You’re a sick bastard and if I go down, you’re coming with me.” Noah said inching up into Jennings face.

The scene was split up when Mack came through the door. Mason in tow pushing an unconscious Emma in a wheelchair. She had a cast on her leg and looked so cold. Dave brought up the rear looking like hell. Looks like sleep wasn't an option for him either.

“Ah yes there she is. How did everything go?” Jennings asked unfazed of what transpired.

Mason ignored him and tried to walk past to the staircase with Emma sleeping.

“I said how did everything go?” Jennings said jerking Mason back almost causing him to fall. Noah shoved Jennings aside helping to stabilize Mason so Emma wouldn’t fall out of the chair.

“Ask Mr. Price dad! Let go of me, Emma needs to be in bed!” Mason snapped shoving his fathers hands away from him.

Jennings jumped at the outburst and gritted his teeth, turning to Dave. “Let’s talk in the kitchen, I’ll have the Chef whip up some coffee.”

With the adults gone and the room de-stressed, Noah assisted Mason in carrying Emma up to her room, Ava steering clear of them until Emma was placed in bed.

“Ok boys thank you. I can handle her from here.” Ava shot out shoving them aside to check on Emma.

The boys looked to each other confused but didn’t say anything about the outburst. Mason needed his own rest and Noah had a busy day ahead of him with Jennings and the ski patrol assholes.

“Just let us know when she wakes alright? Mr. Price has her medicine.” Mason said closing the door leaving Ava alone with a sleeping Emma.

Ava had no clue why she wanted the privacy with Emma. She was a taken woman and Emma was her bestie. Nothing else, she tried to convince herself.

But the longer she sat and stared at Emma, the more her heart pounded, the more she wanted to wake her and kiss her all better. The thoughts of such activities made her dizzy and she had to get away. But it was Emma, she had this way of keeping her grounded and for the life of her, Ava couldn’t drag herself away.

So she continued to sit in silence, begging for Emma to wake up, because quite frankly? She didn’t look too well.

Ava easily got up and slipped out of the room and looked for Mr. Price. She heard some quiet commotion from the kitchen, what a shock.

“Now you listen here Jim, I don’t know how it happened, all I know is my little girl just underwent a major leg surgery after she took place in your little race.”

“Now I know how it looks Dave, I’m quite sorry that it happened, but Mr. Harris is the culprit here. I should have known not to place trust in him. What a terrible thing, taking down those signs.”

Noah heard his name and flew into the kitchen,

“I told you Jennings! I didn’t take down any signs!”

“Quiet scum! Adults are talking here! Don’t you have a meeting with the ski patrol?” Jim teased.

“I don’t know how you twisted this on me, but I’ll get you back.” Noah inched closer so only Jennings could here, “Maybe I should call off our deal?”

Whatever was said, Jennings went pale and cleared his throat. Removing himself from the conversation.

“Mr. Price?” Ava said entering the room. “Emma is still asleep. And she’s so pale, she looks sick.”

“I feared that. It’s her medication, she should be awake anytime now for another dose. Here, please give her one of these when she awakes. I’m going to get some rest.” Mr. Price said handing over the medicine.

Ava returned to the room with the meds and hot tea to find Emma slowly awaking.

“Hello sleepy head.” Ava rushed over with a smile.

“Where am I?” Emma groggily spoke out.

“Back in the bedroom with good ol me.”

Emma rubbed at her eyes trying to get them to open, “Are you an angel?”

Ava snorted, “Oh now you wanna shoot your shot huh.”

“Worth a try.” Emma laughed. “I feel terrible.”

“You look it.” Ava agreed dodging the pillow Emma tossed.

“Here Mahomes, here’s your pill and I made your favorite tea.” Ava giggled as she sat down next to Emma to help her take the meds and give her a sip of tea.

“Psh, Mahomes wishes he had this cannon for an arm.” Emma tried laughing but she done exhausted herself.

“Relax, you just underwent surgery. I’m actually impressed they released you so quickly.”

“Perks of having a doctor for a dad. I’m not about that hospital food.”

The two sat in silence for a moment while Emma sipped her tea. It was so nice just the two of them, Ava had Emma all to herself, no intruders, no boys, and no Bayla. Crap....Bayla was still her girlfriend.

Ava came to and realized she was stroking Emma’s delicate hair, resting her hand on Emma’s soft cheek. She quickly composed herself and stood abruptly, creating as much distance as possible.

What was this? What were they? Friends? More than friends? Ava knew what the answer should be, but the timing was terrible. Bayla was her own girlfriend, and Emma had her own issues.

A text shot through to Ava’s phone, it was Bayla. “Speak of the devil.” Ava whispered. She had been putting her off for long enough and by judging by the text she received, Bayla wasn’t happy.

“Ava?” Emma called out oblivious to Ava’s aggressive texting.

Ava turned immediately to face her, “Yeah?”

“Where are the boys?”

Ava doesn’t know why, but with her issues with Bayla and her feelings for Emma, hearing her ask for the boys really added fuel to her blazing fire.

“Idk. Mason is resting and Noah and Jennings are with the ski patrol.”

Emma could hear the aggression in Ava’s voice, but she couldn’t tell if it was at her texting or towards her about her question.

“Is everything alright Ava?”

“Yeah. It’s just Bayla. She’s bugging me because I haven’t responded in awhile.”

“Oh. I wonder what has her in a twist.” Emma asked innocently.

Ava knew why. She told Bayla before she left the arrangement, so naturally she had to keep tabs on her at all times. Trust between the two were slipping, but Ava wasn’t helping her cause and Emma wasn’t either. “Because that’s what a good girlfriend does!” Ava snapped surprising Emma. “She’s just concerned!”

“Oh. I understand, I’m sorry.” Emma apologized.

“No Emma you don’t! You don’t understand and you never will!” Ava said slamming her phone down on the counter and stomping towards the door.

Something told Emma deep within this was more than just Bayla being worried, she couldn’t help but think this was all her fault and the reason Ava was upset.

Ava had to get out and breathe, she loved Emma, but she couldn’t take her indecisiveness. She couldn’t stand competing for her hand any longer, it was time to set the record straight. She stepped back in to grab her phone before heading back out again.

“Where are you going?” Emma tried.

“I’ve got a phone call to make.”

[atamascolily]

So I am revisiting formative books of my childhood (as one does), which means it's time to talk about THIS BOOK, Y'ALL.

Hardly anyone has ever heard of this series, but oh my goodness, did this book ever resonate with '90s me, to the point where my first novel, which I wrote when I was 15, was a hybrid Unicorn Chronicles-Pern-LotR fusion with characters based on me and people from my life, and a villain who is definitely not Jadis from the Chronicles of Narnia. Ahem. But I love it, the way I love all my novels, because you can see the *spark* of the idea there along with all of the influences/pastiches/story elements in a blender.

Let's just say in a lot of ways I have not changed.

Anyway, this book was published in 1994, and I read it somewhere around 1995, and then obsessively thereafter between 1996-98. Book two didn't come out until 1999, which I only found out about a few years after the fact, so for a long time, it was just me re-reading the same book over and over again.

This series follows the adventures of Cara, a young teenager who finds herself in a world known as Luster, where all the unicorns fled when they were hunted by humans - and the hunters haven't given up.

One reason this book has stayed with me for so long is because the opening chapters are so evocative--and harrowing. The first words out of Cara's mouth are "Gramma, is that man following us?"

Cara's grandmother, Ivy Morris, is afraid, and Cara picks up on her fear, and that makes everything worse, because this is clearly Seriously Business. The image of this strange unknown man stalking an elderly woman and a teenage girl is even scarier to me as an adult. Factor in the falling snow and Ivy's decision to take shelter in a church, and the atmosphere is so vivid as they hide behind the pews in hopes of avoiding their pursuer.

Ivy gives Cara her amulet--her most precious possession--which only frightens and confuses Cara further. We learn that the amulet has a lock of white hair that is supposed to be from a unicorn, and that Cara believed unicorns were real when she was small. The only other time she's ever had the amulet is when she was very ill and she had a vision of someone healing her.

The man is literally breaking down the church door to get after them. Ivy orders Cara to climb up to the rooftop while she tolls the bells and to jump after the twelfth ring while saying, "Luster, take me home". She also says to tell "the Old One" that "the Wanderer is weary". Cara is confused, but obeys, even though she's worried about her grandmother and the man calls her by name. Chapter two ends with her jumping from the tower in the snow--and if that isn't epic, I don't know what is.

Chapter three finds Cara in a pristine fantasy woodland in summer,and we get a bit more backstory: her parents, Ian and Martha Hunter, abandoned her when she was three, and she was taken in by her grandmother. She doesn't have any friends or strong connections with Earth, and she spent a lot of time escaping into fantasy. So even though she's worried about her grandmother, finding herself here is a dream come true.

Oh, also, she has red hair, because of course she does, lol.

Cara is attacked by a dwarf-like creature who steals her amulet, but she is rescued by the Dimblethum, a man-bear hybrid, who calls the unicorn Lightfoot as a healer-translator. I love how Cara's first view of Lightfoot is as this marvelous, completely well-put together being, and she doesn't even react when he jams his horn into her chest.

Lightfoot is surprised when he detects Cara has been healed by a unicorn before--Cara is thrilled because it means her experience when she was little wasn't a hallucination. Lightfoot also notes an old wound--emotional--that he can't heal,which Cara doesn't get. Also, we meet the Squijum, a monkey-squirrel hybrid that can speak in a kind of rambling dialect of its own.

The Dimblethum returns with the amulet, and Lightfoot gets to be Mr. Exposition, explaining there are five magic amulets that allow the wearer to cross freely between Luster and Earth. "The Old One" turns out to be the Unicorn Queen, so they decide to get the amulet to her.

"How did you come by this amulet, anyway?" "My grandmother gave it to me." "Who is your grandmother?" asked the unicorn curiously. "Her name is Ivy Morris." "That sounds familiar," he said after a moment. "I suppose I should have paid more attention in history."

Lightfoot, despite his majestic appearance, is actually the unicorn equivalent of a teenage delinquent, and I love it.

Cara pesters Lightfoot for more backstory, and we learn that unicorns used to live on Earth, but came to Luster along with the dwarves--known as delvers--and that pisses off actual natives like the Dimblethum.

"Is the Queen a unicorn or a human?" asked Cara.

Lightfoot snorted at the idea the Queen might be a human.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND WILL BE RELEVANT LATER AND I... CANNOT BELIEVE THAT IS JUST OUT THERE ALREADY, HAHAHA, WELL PLAYED.

Also, they're gonna stop by Grimmwold's Caverns along the way to meet the keeper of the Unicorn Chronicles, who has EVEN MORE BACKSTORY than Lightfoot because that's literally his job.

Anyway, the party departs. Lightfoot's horn doubles as a water filter, they meet some rogue delvers who warn that their king is conspiring with a mysterious human who wants the amulet, the Squijum has a knack for finding things and playing catch, they are attacked by another party of delvers and the Dimblethum is taken captive.

Cara and Lightfoot debate about what to do, and we learn that most unicorns are kinda jerks. Even though the sensible route is to keep going, Cara refuses to abandon a friend.

"We're going to get him," she declared.

"That's a very immature decision," said Lightfoot.

The criticism stung like a slap. "Why do you say that?" she asked sharply.

"Because it is what I would choose," he replied, sounding amused. "And my uncle has assured me many times that I am very immature."

Did I mention I love him?? No?

Anyway, the Squijum leads them to Thomas the Tinker, who helps them rescue the Dimblethum with his magic cart and all-around fashion sense. (Don't get me wrong, I love him.) Thomas fixes the broken chain on the amulet and there is a philosophical digression about chains. They skirt the dragon Firethroat's territory to avoid pursuit, and arrive at Grimmwold's place without further incident.

Turns out Cara has seen Grimmwold before: her grandmother painted a portrait of him in her room. (Grimmwold has a portrait of young Ivy, so it's only fair.) Grimmwold's library/cave is delightful -- Cara's reaction is, literally, "I want to live here!"-- and so do I.

Grimmwold does provide the backstory as promised: humans found a dead unicorn's horn and used it for healing. A hunter decided to get one for his deathly ill daughter Beloved, and he leaves her in a clearing in the woods. She is found by a unicorn, who sticks his horn into her chest to heal her--only to have the tip broken off when her father attacks the unicorn and they kill each other. Beloved is healed but unable to die while the horn resides in her heart, and vows revenge against all unicorns, marshalling her many human descendants, the Hunters. The unicorns fled to Luster to avoid pursuit, but now the cycle is threatening to start all over again.

Cara realizes she knows her pursuer's identity, but the chapter ends before we find out who it is. Grimmwold shows them his scrying pool, which Beloved hacks to read "Surrender the amulet --Beloved," which is pretty badass of her, tbh.

The amulet cannot be destroyed because it is unbreakable, which makes Thomas raise his eyebrows. "Things that cannot be broken are generally a bad idea." YUP.

Grimmwold takes them out to a secret back entrance and Cara and Lightfoot are kidnapped by the dragon Firethroat. Turns out Cara's pursuer took Firethroat's heart and she is forced to obey him. Cara confronts her pursuer in the most emotionally messy family reunion ever: it's her father, Ian Hunter.

Ian claims that Ivy stole Cara from them and the reason he didn't come for her eas because he had to fulfill his mission to kill all the unicorns first. He also claims her mother is waiting for her. Cara can get everything she's ever wanted at the cost of sacrificing the unicorns.

(Also, her middle name is "Diana," wow, not subtle there, Ian...)  

(Lightfoot is horrified, but hey, boy, you have family connections YOU'VE been hiding, so...)

Cara makes as if to give him the amulet, but tosses it to the Squijum instead while she snags Firethroat's heart from Ian. In the scuffle, she and Ian fall and Firethroat rescues them both at Cara's command. Not knowing what else to do, Cara has Firethroat return Ian to Earth.

Cara has an emotional breakdown, like you do, and Lightfoot does what he can to help. Firethroat gives Cara the gift of languages as a boon, so Cara can understand all the creatures of Luster without Lightfoot's help. And Thomas is very philosophical about chains because THEMES.

They make their way to Summerhaven--the unicorns have a rotating seasonal capital--and we learn that Lightfoot is the Queen's grandson, but for unspecificed reasons, he won't go to court, so Cara meets Arabella Skydancer on her own.

"I have a message for you. I have carried it from another world, through danger and heartbreak across this world to you. I am to tell you that the Wanderer is weary."

"Then it is time to bring her home," said the Queen. "Would you like to be the one to fetch her?"

"I would," whispered Cara. "Very much."

"Then so it shall be."

And so it was.

But that, of course, is another story altogether.

It is recorded, like all such stories, in the Unicorn Chronicles.

WHAT A BADASS WAY TO END. I'M JUST SAYING.

This held up surprisingly well overall. Older!me finds the Squijum annoying, and I sympathize with the Dimblethum more than I used to. Younger!me was really only into the unicorns, and I still find Lightfoot the most interesting character. (Firethroat is great, though!)

Those two opening chapters still get me hooked, and that's impressive. The plotting is solid, the exposition is carefully doled out as needed, the foreshadowing is excellent, and the family drama sets it head and shoulders above the usual generic fantasy. I think this would work well as a miniseries - probably too much for a movie, but maybe not.

[bebepac]

The Dishwasher

I am participating in @wackydrabbles​​ prompt # 58 “Where are you going? It’s not safe out there!”  which will appear in bold.

I also used a prompt from @wonder7pickle​ 45 OTP prompts, # 45, “If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop” which will also appear in bold

This is also chapter 12 of Pop’s Place.  To catch up on what you’ve been missing so far please check out Pop's Place Masterlist .

Summary:  Mia and Jaiden start to get closer.   Liam and Mia hire a dishwasher.  A bad storm hits the area.  

Warnings:  I’m gonna say profanity, because I love a good curse word.  But that’s all, and these these two are too stinking cute.  You know what I say right.   When I have a fluffy fic, that means another story gets hit with the drama rain. 

Word Count:  1994  

Song inspiration for this episode.  Another Jaiden  Brooks pick.  I really kinda love his eclectic music selections, and this week he’s really feeling this one.

 “To Be  With You” by Mr. Big

https://youtu.be/L6-uJLteKek

I don’t own rights to the music.  This is a great song by the way, forgot how much I used to love it!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Tagging: @queenjilian​ @dcbbw​  @bbrandy2002​ @indiacater​ @janezillow​  @islandcrow​ @mom2000aggie​ @gkittylove99​ @gabesmommie1130​ @sophie-and-shizuku​ @kingliam2019​ @queenwalton​ @cordonia-gothqueen​ @texaskitten30​  @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @queen-arabella-of-cordonia​ @lodberg​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @kimmiedoo5​ @sanchita012​  @mrsdrakewalkerblog​ @cordonianroyalty​ @batgirlassociationofgothamcity​ @hopelessromanticmonie​ @marietrinmimi​ @blueaster-blog1​ @lovablegranny​ @ac27dj​ @classylady1234​ @loudbluebirdlover​ @atha68​ @nikkis1983​ @furiousherringoperatortoad​ @sevenfuckslefttogive​ @ladyangel70​  @annekebbphotography​ @iaminlovewithtrr​  @jared2612​ @cordoniaqueensworld​​ @choicesficwriterscreations​​ @burnsoslow​ @axwalker​

Mrs. Jones was kind enough to make him a plate for breakfast before he started cutting their grass for them.

Jaiden sat at the table eating  turkey sausage, eggs, grits, toast and juice, when he saw Mia walk into the kitchen.

Jaiden raised an eyebrow. Even though Mia looked like she had just woken up, she looked really cute to him.  Her hair was up in a wild ponytail on the top of her head.  She was wearing  a white tank top and some blue pj shorts.

She looked at the stove seeing the cast iron pan her mom cooked eggs in empty. She opened the fridge bending over. Jaiden leaned in his chair to get a better look at Mia. Jaiden bit his lip as he watched her. 

Gloria rounded the corner with another carton of eggs. She followed Jaiden's  line of sight,  catching Jaiden blatantly watching Mia.

When she called Jaiden's name he jumped, losing his balance, causing the chair to topple over, with him in it.

The sound caused Mia to jump. Standing up as she saw Jaiden jump up, his face bright red.

Gloria gave him a look; he knew he had been caught.  

"You alright there Jaiden?" Gloria said with a smirk.

"Yeah that chair was a little wobbly or something. Weird."

"Mom why didn't you tell me he was here?" Mia mumbled.

"I did, you apparently didn't check your phone." Mia touched her hair.

"Well he's seen you at your worst, and he's still staring at you, like you are the most beautiful girl in the world. I think you're okay. He fell out of his  chair, staring at my beautiful girl."

He was beet red now. Even his ears.  His face was downcast eating.

She smiled at Jaiden. 

"You can handle cooking more eggs, just don't let Pops see them! Check if Jaiden wants more eggs."

Gloria left the kitchen.

"Jaiden, do you want some more breakfast? I'm about to make some more eggs."

"Sure."

"I put cheese in my eggs is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's great."

He watched her cook the cheesy eggs.

He brought his plate over to her. She fixed him more breakfast.

"Thank you Mia."

"You're welcome."

Even though he was full, he ate another plate of food, just so he could sit there and have breakfast with Mia and talk to her.

"So why are you here this morning?"

"Our moms are apparently best friends now. Your mom was talking about hiring someone to cut the grass for you guys, and my mom volunteered me. Since it came with a free breakfast, and I get to spend time with you, I don't mind at all."

Mia smiled looking at him.  They continued talking and laughing for a bit.

"Well I better get started." Jaiden took both their plates and rinsed them putting them in the dishwasher.  Mia bottles of water in the freezer.  

She showered and got dressed for the day.  She checked on Jaiden a few times out the window.  It was now the heat of the day and he was sweating, and now shirtless.  Mia’s heart skipped a beat.

She decided it was the perfect time to take out  one of the bottled waters, she was freezing for him.  When she came out of the house, she saw Jaiden drinking  from the water hose.

Mia got a mischievous idea.  

She carefully picked up the hose, and bent it with her hands slowly stopping the stream of water.  Jaiden fell right for it.  Holding the hose end closer to his face.  

Mia unbent the hose, the water hitting Jaiden in the face full blast.  He yelped in surprise.

Mia was doubled over in laughter.  

Jaiden’s eyes shot to her. “YOU!!!!” he screamed, quickly putting his thumb into the hose causing the stream of cold water to hit Mia. Mia screamed.

Gloria glanced out the window when she heard Mia screech.  She watched the pair running across the yard, screaming and laughing. Mia kicked off her sandals, so she could run faster.  Jaiden still caught up to her, spraying her with water.  He had a tight grip on Mia.  He dropped the water hose.  

He pulled Mia closer to him and kissed her.  

“ She was right.  That boy ain’t shy… when he knows what he wants.  Go ‘head on Jaiden Brooks.”  

They finally came up for air.  Mia slowly opened her eyes, seeing Jaiden staring down at her.

“Wow.”  she softly whispered.  “I feel like I wasted almost my whole summer on the wrong guy.”

“It’s okay Mia.  You have me now.  And I’ve been waiting patiently for you all summer.”

“When did you know?”

He smiled.  “When I was driving home from the party that night we first met.  I was thinking about you.  It really annoyed me that you were with Drake.  My family isn’t crazy religious.  But, I asked for a sign to know you were the one for me.  Not even a minute later I saw you pulled over with the flat tire. I was your Superman."

"You also nearly scared me to death."

"Definitely not the type of scream I want to hear from you Mia."

Jaiden winked at her.  

Mia laughed.

"Is that for me?"

He pointed to the slightly frozen bottle of water in her hand.

"Yeah, it is."

"Thanks. I better get back to it."

"Come see me before you leave okay?"

"I will."

He watched Mia walk away. Her clothes were sopping wet. He had gotten her good with the water hose.  

He smiled at her. "That's my girl."

Pop's Place had been so busy Mia was on her roller skates almost every day.

The public outcry to help Pop's small business stay open even with shorter hours and closed for the weekends had humbled Pops. They were actually making more than with them being open every day.  Pops was loved by the community.

"Hey Mr. Brooks!"

He gave Mia a hug.  "How are you sweetie?"

"It's been busy. We've been running like crazy,  and now our dishwasher is our cook! So it's been a mad house but we're making it work."

"Jaiden said he's worried about you. Is there anything you need? Your family needs Mia?"

"Me and Liam are basically running this on our own. Liam is placing the food orders doing all the cooking,  and I'm running the floor.  Mom handles the books. She can't help much, she has a full time job.  If you know a dishwasher, that would save my life right now."

"You know what? I just might be able to help you out with that.  Can I get this coffee to go sweetheart?"

"Sure Mr. Brooks."

"And Mia…. "

"Yes Mr. Brooks?"

"Jaiden is very tenderhearted. You bring out something in him that I've never seen before.  I'm really happy you two found each other.  Tell your father he owes me $20.  I called this, when I saw you two at the hospital.  You two have a connection."

"Glad everyone knew before I did."

Jason smiled. "The same thing happened with me and Ren. I was in love with her, long before I was a blip on her radar."

"Jaiden isn't in love."

Mr. Brooks smiled. "I'll see you soon Mia."

The next morning Jaiden came in with Mia’s favorite coffee and what looked like two folders.

Hey Mia, can I talk to you and Liam for a few minutes?"

"I'd like to apply for the dishwasher position. Here's my resume."

"This looks like a term paper." Liam looked at the folder.

"No, this is going to be an audio and visual experience!  Audio On!!!!!”

Jaiden’s phone comes to life.

Jaiden’s voice blares over his phone sounding like a crazy extreme announcer.  

“JAIDEN BROOKS DISHWASHER!”

Mia opened the folder.  The first page was a full size photo of Jaiden giving a thumbs up, with a clean plate in his hand.

(Author note:  Crazy announcer Jaiden’s voice from his phone will be in all caps) 

“Reason number one why I would be a great dishwasher.  I wash myself every day, sometimes more than once a day depending on what I get into.”

“GO AHEAD TAKE A WHIFF…. I’ll WAIT.  DO IT!!!!”

Mia leans forward sniffing Jaiden.  She nods in approval.

“SMELLS GOOD RIGHT?!? SEE?!?!? TOLD YOU SO!!!!!”  

Mia laughed.

Liam looked at Mia.  She was eating this stupid shit up that Jaiden was doing.  Liam didn’t think he was funny at all.  

Jaiden saw Liam wasn’t amused.  Mia was almost crying from laughter.  He had to win over Liam.

Jaiden went on to talk about a  picture empty sink in his house that had no dishes in it.   A video of his mom saying “Jaiden washes dishes without being told.”  

Lastly, Jaiden talked about his Jeep. He had it parked so it  was sitting almost glistening in the spot. “Would you check out the shine on that Jeep?”  

“LOOOK ATTTTTTT ITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!”

Finally Liam burst out laughing.  

“Jaiden, I did not know, you were this crazy and this funny as hell.”  

“Because I’m the underdog.  People always underestimate me.  So did I get it?”

Mia looks at Liam.

“Want to start like right now?”  

“I need to go home and change, but I can come right back. Walk me out Mia?”  

Liam watched Mia walk out to the car with Jaiden.  He slipped his hand into hers.  

He leaned into her.

“If I kiss you right now, I won’t be able to stop.”

“That’s not a bad thing,” he whispered, kissing her.  

Jaiden felt Mia’s body melt into his arms.

When Jaiden finally pulled away.  He softly whispered.  “I’ll be back soon.”  

“Okay,” Mia whispered.  She stared deeply into Jaiden’s eyes.  How had she not seen him before? 

"Hurry back it looks like it might storm."

“You worried about me?”  Jaiden smiled.

Mia nodded.

“I like that.  I’ll hurry.”  

Mia watched Jaiden drive off.

Liam watched her when she came back in.  Mia had a dopey smile on her face.

He knew neither him nor Drake had made Mia ever look like that before.  Mia really liked Jaiden.  They had something special.

The restaurant was dead, and the storm coming looked bad. Jaiden made it back just before the rain.

They had been laughing and fooling around in the kitchen.

They hadn't even noticed how bad it looked outside as they were all in the kitchen until their phones started going off.  TORNADO WARNING!!!!!

Mia's phone started ringing.

She put the phone on speaker as Pop's asked.

"Are there any customers?"

"No."

"Close and lock up and go small interior office, there are no windows in there.  Come home after the storm.  Supposed to be bad on and off all day.

"Okay Pops."

When she got off the phone Liam headed towards the door.

"Where are you going? It's not safe out there!"

"To check the generator. We might need it."

"Not worth it, look at that wind and rain." Jaiden said.

They waited out the storm talking in the office.

When that storm cell had finally passed they walked out to their cars. Liam hopped in his R8 and was gone in a second. Jaiden was waiting for Mia to pull off, when she didn't he pulled over to her.

Jaiden jumped out to check on her.

"My car won't start."

"I'll take you home."

He opened the passenger door.

“See, I’m your Superman.” 

Mia smiled.

"You worried about me?"

"I worried about you Mia, even when you weren't my girlfriend."

Mia smiled. She took Jaiden's free hand and held it in hers.

"So you’re my boyfriend now?"

"Only if you want me to be."

In that moment Mia felt incredibly bold.  “Yes, I do.” 

Mia's hand gripped his tighter. "I want you Jaiden Brooks."

At the stop sign, Jaiden turned to Mia. His voice was soft. He licked his lips before he continued speaking. "And I want all of you, Mia Jones.”

[an-angels-blessing]

Song Prompts #1

“Will nature make a man of me yet?”- The Smiths, This Charming Man

“If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free Bird

“When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold dark earth. No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her.”- Hozier, Work Song

“I don’t think that we should be alone together, when we’re in a room you get my eyes, you open your mouth I’m hypnotised”- The Neighbourhood, Single

“She looks as if she’s blowing a kiss at me and suddenly the sky is a scissor”- Arctic Monkeys, That’s where you’re wrong

“You think you want to be alone, just wait until you’re crying on the shower floor”

“They’ve got a pretty face, but they’ve got a pretty empty head.”

“But how the hell do you fall in love, the last time I checked you can’t fall in slow mo”- LANY- The Breakup *There were too many good ones in this song, I couldn’t help myself*

“I know it’s mad, but if I go to hell will you go with me or just leave?” - Panic! At The Disco, Do you know what I’m seeing?

“I don’t know who’s protecting me, but we hit it off”- Drake, Sandra’s Rose

“Do me a favour and break my nose, do me a favour and tell me to go away?”- Arctic monkeys, Do me a favour

“Baby just came back around, said she needs time to explore, said I can’t love her no more”- The Neighbourhood, Baby came home

“Just one mistake, you say you’re not in love no more, but was it really love if you can leave me for something so innocent is this the end?”- LANY, Thick and thin

“You can have Manhattan, I know it’s for the best, I’ll gather up the avenues and leave them on your doorstep. I’ll tiptoe away so you won’t have to say you heard me leave.”

“You can have Manhattan, the one we used to share, the one where we were laughing and drunk on just being there. Hang onto the reverie, could you do that for me?”- Sara Bareilles, Manhattan

“You don’t love me, big fucking deal, I’ll never tell you how I feel.”

“I’ll send my best regards from Hell”- Marina and the Diamonds, Starring Role

“I been writing these songs ‘bout how I can’t be with you. I don’t want to be a monster, but I’ve been here for days, drinking too much now I want you, can’t get you off my brain.”- Henry, Monster, Eng. version

“Change lives, get better, yeah that be the plan”

“That’s why you see me winning, yeah, even after I lose”- Jay Park, Ask bout me

“Love is not looking over shoulders, Love is you should trust what I told you”

“Love is not struggling to say I love you”- 6LACK, Disconnect

“All these people taking miles when you give them an inch, all these followers but who’s gonna follow me until the end?”- Drake, Emotionless

“She’s in the rain, you wanna hurt yourself I’ll stay with you, you wanna make yourself go through that pain, It’s better to be held than holding on,”- The Rose, She’s In The Rain *Absolutely love this one, don’t @ me, I will die for the The Rose**

“Sex by the fire at night”- Bruno Mars, That’s What I Like

“I’ve got the good side of you, sent it out into the blue.”- Troye Sivan, Good Side

“Standing by the window, rain falling, I want to have you full in my embrace and tell you, even when I’m born again and love you, even then, will you be with me?”- KREAM, 선물 Gift *Translated*

“It all passes, Someday, For sure, Certainly”- RM, ft. NELL, everythingoes *Translated*

“Please stay as long as you need, can’t promise that things won’t be broken, but I swear that I will never leave. Please stay forever with me”- Sleeping With Sirens, Scene One- James Dean & Audrey Hepburn

“When you move, I’m put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move

I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“Wake up and smell the coffee, is your cup half full or empty?”- Billie Eilish, come out and play

“Am I a bad person? Or am I just in pain?”- DEAN, Sulli, Rad Museum, Dayfly *Translated*

“Kiss me on the lips, a secret just between the two of us, deeply poisoned by the jail of you, I cannot worship anyone but you and I knew the grail was poisoned but I drank it anyway”- BTS, Blood Sweat & Tears *Translated*

“When the sun sets and darkness comes, I only remember your warmth, where the stars wrap around us. I’m going there, I’ll be there”- SEVENTEEN, Highlight *Translated*

“I don’t ever wanna feel like anything I do ever had a fucking resonance or meant a thing to you.”- Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, I Hate You

“You can’t take this away from me, the way I hit the melody, the waves bring clarity, running through me”- Tom Misch, Del La Soul, It Runs Through Me

“It was a lie when they smiled and said you won’t feel a thing”- My Chemical Romance, Disenchanted

“The fog has lifted and things get clear, all the lies pass by like a reel of film. I hate you”- EXO, 내가 미쳐 (Going Crazy) *Translated*

“I’m sorry- no, I’m not sorry, I’m just getting started and my life’s a party”- DEAN, Eric Bellinger, I’m Not Sorry

“Ain’t it fun, living in the real world?”- Paramore, Ain’t It Fun

“Ready or not, we are coming back- yeah, we’re over, we can tell you ‘bout what you need. You can look it up when you’re older”- Evergreen, Cargo Cult

“You, you got so much potential, every moment spent with you I bet was always eventful”- Aminé, Kehlani, Heebiejeebies- Bonus

“Could you imagine the taste of your lips if we never tried to kiss on the drive to Queens? ‘Cause I imagine the weight of your ribs if you lied between my hips in the backseat”- Halsey, Roman Holiday

“Forever isn’t for everyone, is forever for you?”- Arctic Monkeys, Snap Out Of It

“Wish you good luck being lonely, I’mma push red every time you phone me. You vow to be a memory”- Ella Mai, ft. Ty Dolla $ign, She Don’t

“I’ve been dazed and confused from the day I met you, yeah I lost my head and I’d do it again”- Ruel, Dazed & Confused

“I just want you closer, is that alright? Baby let’s get closer tonight”- Paolo Nutini, Last request

“You have no idea how pretty you are when you wake from sleep, you have no idea how beautiful you look as you get ready for bed”- Zion.T, No Makeup *Translated*

“I was thinking I could fly to your hotel tonight, baby, ‘cos I can’t get you off my mind”- Shawn Mendes, Lost In Japan

“She’s soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand, she takes care of me, baby, she helps me be a better man. She’s so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes, she’s exactly what I need”- Jeremy Passion, Lemonade

“And her lips are like the galaxy’s edge and her kiss the colour of a constellation falling into place”- Arctic Monkeys, Arabella

“It’s how you look, not how you feel. A city of glass with no heart”- Queens of the Stone Age, If I Had a Tail

“I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife”- Hozier, Take Me To Church

“Bitter and hardened heart, Oh, aching- waiting for life to start”- Keane, Bend & Break

“When you move I’m put to mind of all that I wanna be, when you move I could never define all that you are to me”- Hozier, Movement

“She said, ‘Baby, I’m afraid to fall in love, 'cause what if it’s not reciprocated?’ I told her, ‘Don’t rush girl, don’t you rush, guess it’s all a game of patience.’”- Pink Sweat$, Honesty

“Share a casket with you, we’ll be buried alive, me and her playing truth ‘til the day we die.”- Granata Ft. Phoniks, You Dont Need Me

“And hope that I had survived yesterday, and today is jealous of tomorrow.”- Emeli Sandé, Breathing Underwater

“Heaven if you sent us down so we could build a playground for the sinners to play as saints, you’d be so proud of what we’ve made.” Stephen, Crossfire

“Tell me how do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night? How do you cope with it? How do you sleep with yourself at night?”- blackbear, make daddy proud

“If anyone looks perfect, you look perfect next to me.”- Nick Wilson, Obsolete

“When I meet you after time passes, I’ll know (you were my future), I’ll know (I was your yesterday). When I meet you after time passes, I’ll know (you protected me), I’ll know (I desired you).”- SEVENTEEN (Wen Junhui & Xu Minghao), My I *Translated*

“I need my sex n’ drugs, I need my money first, bless me with all my sins.”- Abhi The Nomad, Ft. Harrison Sands & Copper King, Sex ‘n Drugs

“Naked and fallin’ in love, look here I got you. Safe where there’s no one to judge, keep it insightful.”- Keiynan Lonsdale, Preach

“All alone, all we know is haunting me, making it harder to breathe, harder to breathe.”- The Neighbourhood, Leaving Tonight

“Now I see you get off of the subway, haven’t seen you in months but it’s okay. I’d forgotten but I feel the same, hate that I still wish you were…”- Claud, Wish You Were Gay

“A perfect stranger lying next to me, he’s playing God with broken figurines. He keeps calling me his little queen and I believe.”- Jake Wesley Rogers, Little Queen (This song deserves way more recognition, make sure to give it a listen!)

“Hell is so close to Heaven, hell is so close to Heaven. Hold on don’t look back, you know we’re better- we’re better than that. Lost and thrown away, you know we’re better- we’re better than that.”- Sleeping With Sirens, The Strays

“Alone tonight, I’m drawing my dreams across the sky farther than I can imagine- She wants it.”- CIX, Movie Star *Translated*

“Yeah I mixed words and some whiskey on the flight just to make sure I landed on time and I wrote me a song I could sing just in case I forgot everything.”- Marc E. Bassy, Last One I Love

“Don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know, learned my lesson way too long ago.”

“Deadly fever, please don’t ever break, be my reliever 'cause I don’t self medicate”- Billie Eilish, my strange addiction

“And it’s worth it, it’s divine, I have this some of the time.”- Hozier, Cherry Wine

“And I realize you’re mine, Indeed, a fool am I.”- Queens of the Stone Age, No One Knows

“Look in the mirror ‘til I forget everything I know, everything I did was just a way to make the time feel faster.”- Miya Folick, Stock Image

“Do you feel how I feel? Are you numb? Do you tread crystal waters, bound to be stung? Are you scared? If I see you, we’re upon,

will you dye your hair dark so you’re no longer blonde?”- Isaac Dunbar, Cologne

“Tell me; To you I’m bad & hurtful. Because I’ve been busy, you’re hurting. Bad, bad, bad, I’m bad, bad.”- Crush, NAPPA (나빠) *Translated*

“Just for the record, the weather today is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of: A. Indifference or B. disinterest to what the critics say.”- Panic! At The Disco, London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines

“‘Cause you don’t say what you feel, I’m the one driving but you take the wheel. You wanna wait, 'til we’re older, I’m the one who started this, but now I just want closure.”- Ieuan, Closure

“Our names carved in the pavement, sealed by what’s left of our handprints, now. I told my mom, she’d love to meet you, but it’s too bad she won’t get the chance to.”- COIN, Malibu 1992

“I’m running outta time to hold you close, running outta time to be your man. I’m just lost in this moment, I’ve been zoning.”- blackbear, 4u

“Standing on your mama’s porch, you told me that you’d wait forever. Oh and when you held my hand, I knew that it was now or never”- Bryan Adams, Summer Of ‘69

“I’ll go out, grow my hair too long, sing your least favourite songs at the top of my lungs. I’ll go out, kiss all of your friends, make a story and pretend it was me who made this end.”- The Vamps, Hair Too Long

“Getting my mind right, I’ll wait 'til the time’s right. I’m meaning to tell you why it’s hard to sleep at night. There’s nothing to fear now, girl, we should be here now. So why don’t you hear me out?”- Jeremy Zucker, Ft. blackbear, talk is overrated

“We haven’t spoke since you went away, comfortable silence is so overrated. Why won’t you ever be the first one to break? Even my phone misses your call, by the way.”- Harry Styles, From the Dining Table

“Look overhead at the stars and the ocean, foggy emotions, moments, erosion. This supernova could cause a commotion, my minds of the notion, you’ll still be my motive”- Ansel Elgort, Supernova

“I love that new dress you bought, yeah, you sure look nice. Heard you liked that new restaurant, you know, I’ve been there twice. And the way that you switch up your hair, all of the moments we’ve shared, strolling the streets back in Rome, oh, how I wish I was there. It ain’t fair.”- Ruel, Face To Face

“Welcome to your life, there’s no turning back. Even while we sleep we will find you acting on your best behaviour, turn your back on mother nature.”- Tear For Fears, Everybody Wants to Rule the World

“I’m wide awake, not losing any sleep, I picked up every piece and landed on my feet. I’m wide awake, need nothing to complete myself, no.” Katy Perry, Wide Awake

“If you don’t realize, all of the things your life can do you will be left behind, swept up by the storm of those you knew.”- Meltycanon, thankful

“I always knew that we’d be by each other’s side forever, now our time has come and I’d be satisfied if we died together. Yeah, our climate’s fucked, we might as well enjoy the weather, our time is up and I’d be satisfied if we died together.”- Samsa, Anthropocene

“There’s still so much to say, I’m faded, broken, pretending you’re on the line, wasting my time. Sinking deeper, watching you spend your night,

like I’ll be fine and I’ll be over this.”- NYK, Faded

“I’d rather go to hell, than be in purgatory, cut my hair, gag and bore me, pull this pin, let this world explode.”- My Chemical Romance, Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)

“I reached for a shooting star, it burned a hole through my hand

Made its way through my heart, had fun in the promised land.”- blink-182, Wishing Well

“Let go of your baggage, but don’t think I don’t understand it’s probably a challenge,”- Isaac Lewis, Fly

“It’s been a long night in New York city, it’s been a long night in Baton Rouge. I don’t remember you looking any better, but then again, I don’t remember you.”- John Mayer, Who Says

Prompts 101-119

[bastillewolf]

Midnight In Sheffield (II)

Pairing: Alex Turner/Reader

Summary: When a soon-to-be-wedded insomniac author heads back home to visit her parents, she comes across the likes of a mysterious musician whilst on her sleepless escapade in the AM.

Notes: I can’t thank you enough for the incredible response I’ve received for the first chapter of this story, as well as The Grand Tranquility Hotel. I’ve been stressing out a bit over an audition for a writer’s school I’m partaking in (I’ve already gotten through the first one, two more auditions to go), so all of you really kept my spirits up when I wasn’t feeling all that confident in my writing.

Also, happy Mother’s Day, mum. I love you. And to all the other mothers out there! You rock.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: As I said before, I’m not naming specific era’s or years to describe this fic. Some parts won’t add up to the time you’re thinking of, and you’d be right. But what I say to that is; all will be explained in time.

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

@alexbandguy86​​​ @bettyschwallocksyee​​​ @fookingsummertime​​​ @juicebox-baby​@darksydork7​​ @edgythought​ @toolateformcrtooearlytoleaveemo​

Chapter II - Arabella

“We’re not back where we started off, are we?” Mark asked, his voice laced with such a condescending tone she didn’t believe she’d ever heard either of her parents use.

As well as the fact that he said ‘we’, like it was their problem to be solved. As if he was part of her predicament, and needed to exterminate the issue as swiftly as possible.

She’d gotten to her parents’ house in the very early hours, and had manage to sleep until the late afternoon, where she’d only woken up from the incessant noise her phone had been making. It turned out she had many missed calls from her fiancée, who was pissed off, to say the very least.

“Do you know how worried I was?” He continued, when she failed to answer his previous question. “When your mum said you went out and didn’t come back, I thought you’d been kidnapped or something! I thought, someone must’ve dragged her into an alley!”

He was met with more shameful silence.

“And yet I find you perfectly fine at home, laying in bed until-“ He glanced down at his watch. “3 pm! Are you joking?! Do I have to call someone again? Or is this just some phase you’re going through, because please warn me next time!”

She spitefully gave him a side eye. “You weren’t there to warn. You were out with James.”

His eyebrows shot up. “That’s your excuse? Really?! Because I had one night out to myself you go and mess your schedule up all over again? Out of retaliation?!”

“It’s not that serious, Mark. It was one night-“

“One night makes a whole lot of a difference, you and I both know that,” he shot back, making her flinch.

“I met a few people and we went out. Make a big deal out of it, why don’t you?” She was acting childish, sure, but she was still very pissed with him over bailing out on her parents. This was just one of her ways to express it, and he quickly realized that.

“Sweetheart,” he sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her, and taking her hands in his. “Please don’t do this to yourself again, you’ve come so far.”

She pursed her lips. A small part of her wanted to let go again, just to cause him the trouble. But what kind of fiancée would that make her? Certainly, no better than him. And she’d make her own life miserable again.

It was years back when she’d fallen into a depression. Mark was at the peak of his career, and things should have been going well for them. Yet, after continuous horrid reviews on the last book she’d published – a haphazardly written piece after her last one – she didn’t know what to do with herself anymore. She wasn’t eating, she wasn’t taking care of herself, and most importantly; she wasn’t sleeping.

Mark had to take time off work to care for her, resulting in a missed promotion, and even when all of it seemed to be going okay again, the insomnia remained. She’d gone to countless doctors and therapists, but they usually only gave her countless pills that never worked. Others took the task upon themselves to over-analyse her, until her medical file was filled with mentions of personality disorders to borderline insanity.

Only recently had she been able to get her sleeping schedule back to a decent rate, and she wasn’t even sure how.

It was a gamble each time she went out now, a guess when she would slip back into her old ways of getting no rest and nearly fainting once in a while from sheer exhaustion. She knew that was Mark’s biggest fear right now, while he was at the brink of success.

Yet, it wasn’t a gamble to her anymore, because last night had been one of the most thrilling nights she’d had in years.

 She’d walked into a decently filled pub, careful not to lose Miles in the crowd of brown and black suits of the men who were there. A groovy jazz band was playing on stage, and people were swinging about with a cloud of cigarette smoke hung above them.

“I thought people weren’t allowed to smoke in pubs anymore?” She asked as they finally reached the bar. Miles gave her a strange look, before signing to the bartender for a few pints.

“I don’t know who told you that, love, but they must’ve gone mad.”

She gave him a hesitant half-smile, glancing around the place where it appeared there wasn’t a singular person – apart from her – that wasn’t holding a cigarette. Perhaps it was just good old Sheffield, and she’d been gone for too long to remember it.

“Would you mind waiting right here?” he hesitantly asked her, “I think I spotted one of the blokes through the crowd, I’m just gonna call him over.”

She shook her head, “Trying to get rid of me already? We’ve only just met.”

Miles threw her a cheeky smile in response, as he tried to manoeuvre his figure in between the mass. “Never!”

She huffed, and as he disappeared, her eyes couldn’t help but travel across the many faces in the pub. They were a merry bunch, she had to admit, with ladies clad in shimmery dresses with loads of fringes and beads, and their hair curled into a unique fashion, and men dressed in suits and hats. Though even wearing something dark herself – a skin-tight, yet simple black dress – she felt a bit out of place between the flair and elegance of the people around her.

They suddenly started clapping, as the jazz group marked the end of their song.

“And now, a round of applause for our next talent; The Strokes!”

People whistled and cheered, and the merriment continued as the new band started to jam.

“What’s a pretty lady such as yourself doing all alone?” The voice had come from behind her, and made shivers run down her spine. Not in the pleasant way.

She turned to face the man who was evidently very much leaning closer to her. “Just waiting for my fiancée to get back, I’m afraid,” she lied. Well, not necessarily a lie.

He momentarily glanced down at her left hand, as if to check if her statement was true, but still didn’t waver in his stance. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me keeping you company for a bit.”

“Even if he didn’t mind, I definitely would,” she retaliated, making his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, before they furrowed again, and she knew then she’d made a dangerous move.

A hand touched her shoulder. Fuck, she should’ve known he wasn’t by himself.

“Love, are you alright? I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Wait, what?

He had his hair styled in a fashion she recognized was heavily inspired by the fifties, and his eyes were as brown as dark chocolate. Yet his features were sharp, and the leather jacket he wore made him look anything but boyish. A cigarette hung from hip lips, which he took a deep drag of as he met her gaze.

She quickly took notice of the message.

“I-I’m fine, thank you,” she replied.

“Yeah mate, I was just keeping her company for a bit,” the other man explained, though his voice held nothing but audaciousness.

Brown eyes narrowed, while he took the smoke from his mouth. “I’m not your mate. Now piss off, or I’m gonna have to make things ugly in front of the lady.”

She was sure the man would’ve raised his fist in response, yet a look from the bartender had him second guess, and he left in a moment’s notice.

“Uh, thank you,” she could only bring about, still ridiculously flabbergasted by the entire situation. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had ever tried to be so dominant towards her, let alone now that she had a ring on her finger.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, “Though I should warn you next time not to leave your fiancée’s side. This is a good pub, but I can’t say the same for every single person in here.”

She politely introduced herself, and thanked him once again, which he shrugged off. Though he didn’t give her his name. “Where’s your bloke anyways? Been gone a bit too long, hasn’t he?”

It was then that Miles reappeared, and both men almost automatically raised their brows. One in greeting, and one in utter and befuddled confusion.

“Alex!”

“The fuck?”

“I was looking all over the place for you-“

“When were you gonna tell me you were engaged, mate?”

Now, both pairs of eyes held questions, until Miles took notice of her and quickly realized what was going on, and started laughing, which the man called Alex didn’t find amusing at all, to say the least. “I’m not engaged, you thickhead. I only just met her on the street. She’s not all that familiar around, so I thought I might show her the best pub in town.”

“Not familiar, eh?” he gazed at her questioningly, before his eyes roamed across her figure, taking in everything she was.

“Yeah, thought it best to keep her company before someone else tried to snatch her.”

Though feeling slightly uncomfortable by the piercing orbs taking in every little detail, she was grateful Miles didn’t mention he’d found her crying. She gave him a small smile, to which he winked.

“Hm,” Alex finally said, as if making a conclusion to his deductions, “I knew it couldn’t be true. She’s too much of an Arabella to be seen knocking about with the likes of you.”

“Oi!” Miles squeaked in protest, “Aren’t you supposed to be on stage or summat?”

Alex smirked, and quietly wandered off. She only noticed him again when he was standing on the raised platform with an electric guitar in his hands, and he quickly signed them towards an empty table up front.

“Can I ask you something?” she said as they took their seats and a few men joined the musician on stage.

“Anything.”

“What did he mean by ‘Arabella’?”

Miles snorted, “You should feel honoured, really. I rarely ever hear him call a girl that, and if you weren’t wearing that ring, I’m sure he would’ve made it very clear what he meant by it.”

“Oh,” she simply said, feeling her face flush.

 “Arabella's got some interstellar-gator skin boots

And a Helter Skelter 'round her little finger and I ride it endlessly

She's got a Barbarella silver swimsuit

And when she needs to shelter from reality she takes a dip in my daydreams…”

 “…Are you even listening to me?”

She snapped out of her daze, and met Mark’s eyes again. “I’m sorry, alright? You just have to promise to trust me that it won’t happen again. I know that’s a lot to ask, but I need this right now. Please?”

He sighed deeply, and took a bit to calculate the premise in his mind.

“Alright. I promise. Now can we please go and have brunch? I’m starving.”

Happy 2nd birthday to Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

[slaminthebackofmy]

i’m gonna put my playlist on shuffle and write what the songs remind me of while i listen to them, no one asked and no one cares but i’ve had so much caffeine and sugar today that there is no way in fresh hell i am going to bed anytime soon,

this is unnecessarily long, i’m just terrified of losing memories and i need these written down

deadroses - blackbear - september 2019 when i was getting ready for school. i used a rose cleansing water and the smell of it reminds me of this song, it was super warm and i had just come back from vacation in bulgaria with my family. used to watch the sunset with this song pretending i’m the main character. one time we went to a supermarket on the outskirts of town with this blasting in the car

anxiety - blackbear - almost the same as the previous one, october 2019 when i got led lights under my bed and i was just calming down from 4 months of paranoia and sleepless nights

one for the road - arctic monkeys - weird mood in december when all i would listen to was arctic monkeys and the nbhd, spent most nights on the dining room table blasting these just quiet enough to not wake my parents upstairs, my neighbours probably wished murder was legal

miroh - skz - miroh came out about a month after i found skz so i was still new to their music and the day it came out i was kinda sick and staying home from school so i got to enjoy the full thing in peace, i spent the next few days watching finding skz and then i blasted this throughout april which was a weird and rough month oh and also i started that other writing blog

often - the weeknd - i used to blast this in the 8th grade while i played that one paper airplane flash game before i discovered the magic of headphones fkgslkjgn

sweater weather - so many memories attached to this pretty bitch, finding it first through a sam and colby vine, walking home in the 6th grade from the dentist at night, standing on my balcony and watching super strong winds bring in very dark storm clouds almost completely covering the light from the sky above, except for one small window of light, last december

fantasy - dye - i found this i think last summer but it reminds me of my childhood and watching samurai jack for some reason

rumors - neffex - i accidentally clicked on a lyric video for this while i was staring at the moon one evening and the sky in the background picture of the video was exactly the same as the sky i was looking at and it just reminded me of a mid 2000′s teenagers room in my town, like older boys i used to have baby crushes on as a kid would have a room like that, gray walls, wooden desk with a computer and a bed with gray sheets with a window right above it and moonlight shining in, a red electrig guitar mounted on the wall and a skateboard leaned against the wall

arabella - arctic monkeys - i listened to an hour loop of this for a week straight non stop in december, i specifically remember dec 21st and wrote a lot on here

do i wanna know - arctic monkeys - there’s a few with this one, firsty it’s finding this song in the 9th grade when i was going to a youth club and i started listening to it because a girl from france that was there that i had a crush on liked it, secondly, finding bts in 2018 and listening to this while staring at the stars in a black tshirt, flannel and jeans with converse(yes i was that kid) and feeling the very moist air hit the back of my neck after we just got back from someone’s house that was selling clothes from home.

i miss the old u - blackbear - a lot of these are on my balcony because i love the sky lol but this one is too and just standing on my balcony in autumn 2019 after i got back from school just to watch the sky melt into a coral pink and orange

how you like that - blackpink - summer 2020, all i did was learn to play the ukulele and struggle with an issue i don’t wanna mention, the entire summer, with this playing in the background, i got my new laptop so i blasted this on there instead of my phone like most of the others on this list, also worked out to this song a lot

fly away - thefatrat - playing transformice in 2017 for HOURS and talking to dodgy people on there

dirty laundry - blackbear - you guessed it, getting ready for school in 2019, same as most other blackbear songs

god’s menu - skz - this came out the day after i got my laptop and the day that i got my ukulele, i remember watching the online concert while i waited for my mum to come home and bring me the uke, i watched it in my room in the dark and i literally had way more fun that i probably should have but they were so hyped up it was lovely

chateau - blackbear - autumn 2019 on my balcony watching the sunset

wonderland - caravan palace - similar to how you like that, listened to this all of summer 2020 while i was struggling with that issue, i used to pace around the second floor of my apartment with this song on and strut to the beat

feel special - twice - just when school started in 2019, i watched every studio ghibli movie that summer so i associate this song with those, i used to get ready for school with this blasting, and i remember dreaming about sana sitting in the rain a few times

pumped up kicks - going home from bulgaria in 2017 and getting stuck with no gas or cash in a little border town, we got there super late and most money exchanges were already closed so we had to get money from someone’s basement:) also summer 2020 when i learned to play this on the uke and it’s super easy and still my favourite one to play

why’d you only call me when you’re high - march 2018, i was making sugar cookies with leftover frozen dough from the last time i had made them, and while they were in the oven i went out on the balcony just to stare at the stars on the west

wow - danceracha - january, gameshow, that’s all i’m gonna say, i’ve been skipping through the songs once i wrote what i had to say but i’m gonna have to let this absolute bop play through, it’s the gay in me, why is this song so good what the FUCK

faggot - msi - reminds me of my childhood for some reason i think it was played a lot in some places, reminds me specifically of when i would walk home with my mum and see people sitting in an internet cafe we passed everynight that had neon signs inside

chronosaurus - april 2019, lee know saying tick tock tick tock getting closer was stuck in my head, almost got youtube premium just to be able to download that music video, may 2019, went on a school trip and listened to this on the days leading up to it, currently waiting for lee knows tick tock tick tock getting closer to play omfg why does he say it so well sjflkfj

505 - arctic monkeys - autumn - winter 2020, just sat in my dining room playing this and staring off into space

victory song - skz - LISTEN TO THIS  승전가, jisung and chan lifting their shirts lived rent free in my mind for a few months after this came out

cherry - itzy - summer 2020, issues and dancing a lot

get cool - skz - just got into them, feb 2019, used to listen to this when i was trying to learn their names🥺

hayloft - mother mother - oooohh a recent one, late january 2021, fell in love with a tiktok girl and decided to get my life together, played geoguessr with this on loop

love scenario - ikon - may 2018 when i was just really starting to get into kpop, this was one of the first non bts songs that i loved, i used to listen to it while reading wattpad lol

snap out of it - jan 2021, gameshow, reminds me of felix for some reason

hot girl bummer - late summer 2019, crying at night because of anxiety and pretending i was okie dokey during the day

daddy issues - the nbhd - may 7th 2018, super stormy outside, it was my younger cousins birthday, i spent the day in this one oversized shirt with donald duck printed all over it pretending i was talking to my crush at the time and staring at the rain clouds

be with you - cadmium - summer 2020, pacing around my apartment and those issues and finding this song through a video about those issues, i can’t find the channel anymore:(

reckless healy - january 2020, i was doing eyeliner all the time and just vibing, i had my doggie and all i did was scroll through tiktok and listen to music

ghost - confetti - november 2020, pretending i was the main character while singing this through my entire apartment

knee socks - arctic monkeys - same exact thing as arabella

goodnight i’ve been writing for so long and i’m finally tired

[bobasheebaby]

Tie Me Down- Cordonian Ruby short

Pairing: Ruby Rys x Beau Larkin

Word count: 1,192

Warnings: none it’s fluff

Summary: I got an ask from a dear anon about when Beau knew Ruby was the one. I could have just answered it but I thought Beau might do it better.

Song Inspiration: Tie Me Down by Taylor Ray Holbrook (it’s far more innocent than the name implies I promise)

A/N1: this is completely written in first person from Beau’s POV and jumps from when they are 16 & 17 to 17 & 18.

A/N2: I used the chorus to break apart the different sections, lyrics are italicized.

A/N3: This may very well be a hot mess disaster. I changed POV last minute from third to first, have had zero sleep and am only awake due to coffee and sheer will. Also I’m the only one who went over this draft, so please excuse any of my sleep deprived mistakes. Thank you to my snippet reader @loveellamae who screamed appropriately.

Series warnings: character death, blood, surgical procedures done by non medical personnel, may go NSFW in the future. May contain gun violence, knife violence, threats, not sure how dark this will go. By requesting to be tagged you acknowledge you are at least 18 years of age.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist.

Disclaimer: I own Ruby, Galen, Lovett, and Beau, I’m borrowing Bastien and Olivia from PB.

When I first saw her I could barely tear my eyes off of her. She was new, sure it was the beginning of the school year but I surely would have remembered someone like her.

She was unlike any girl I’d ever met. She had this air about her that had me completely captivated and dying to know more.

Most of the other girls put far too much time and thought into their appearance, sure they looked pretty but she was an effortless beauty.

Her long golden hair sat piled on top of her head, and her nose was buried in a book, but still she captivated me. Every day at lunch it was the same, she would tuck herself away either in the cafeteria or out in the courtyard.

She didn’t seem too interested in making friends with the other students. She knew who she was and wasn’t concerned with proving herself.

Her self esteem took my breath away. I had moments of doubt at times, she looked like she never second-guessed herself.

She had this magnetic energy that just drew me to her.

Every time I passed her in the hallway my heart would race, by the time I got the nerve to speak to her it was nearly winter break. I couldn’t understand what it was about her that had me so flustered and nervous, I'd talked to other girls, been on more than a few dates.

There was just something about her that was different, special.

I knew that it was coming but I didn't see it coming now

Little did I know you had the finger I'd be wrapped around

One look at you and I saw everything I'd ever need

And you don't know what you do to me

I'm down to give it all up

If you're up to tie me down

If you're up to tie me down

I wasn’t even the slightest bit surprised when she pulled her blonde waves back into a ponytail. I knew I had been taking a risk with this unconventional first date, but I also couldn’t see taking someone like her to the movies.

It felt too played out for someone as special as her. She deserved a guy who actually got who she was. I might not be the guy for her, but I’m trying to be worthy of her.

She was always beautiful, but she looked absolutely breathtaking as she picked up the rifle. Her hair shimmered in the afternoon sun reminding me of gold. No, it was more like a halo, she was so angelic.

Damn the way she took my breath away.

Her form was perfect, if I didn’t know any better I would have sworn she’d spent her entire life in Texas.

She was completely at ease with the gun and the target practice, it was me who seemed to make her stutter.

I got it, she made me nervous too. It was second nature to reassure her.

Damn I sound like some kind of lovesick fool. It was too soon to know, but maybe someday it would be, if I was lucky.

I knew that it was coming but I didn't see it coming now

Little did I know you had the finger I'd be wrapped around

One look at you and I saw everything I'd ever need

And you don't know what you do to me

I'm down to give it all up

If you're up to tie me down

(Treat my heart like a secret)

If you're up to tie me down

(Promise me that you'll keep it)

(Treat my heart like a secret)

(You're the reason it's beating)

Panic flooded my veins the moment the wooden sword hit her ribcage with a deafening crack.

My heart dropped to my stomach and I felt like I might be sick. I hurt her. I actually hurt her. The thought made my heart ache.

Would she ever trust me again?

How would I possibly ever make this up to her?

I was frozen in fear, my heart pounding in my chest.

I never wanted to hurt her. Never wanted to be the person to bring tears to her eyes.

As I watched her clutching her ribs I noticed something, she wasn’t crying.

How was she not in pain?

I had watched her stumble backward and while I’m strong she could flip me over her head if she wanted, there is no way that I could have been the sole reason she was knocked off balance.

From the sound alone I could tell that I hit her hard. I knew it had to hurt like a bitch. Hell, I probably would be crying if it was me.

It should be me.

The thought barely even caught me off guard. It didn’t even surprise me as the next thought rang clear in my mind. I love her.

I knew that it was coming but I didn't see it coming now

Little did I know you had the finger I'd be wrapped around

One look at you and I saw everything I'd ever need

And baby you don't know what you do to me

I'm down to give it all up oh

I'm down to give it all up oh

I'm down to give it all up oh

If you're up to tie me down

If you're up to tie me down

It’d been weeks since the mishap with the sword.

The way she brushed it off like it was perfectly normal to have two busted ribs only compounded my feelings for her.

Every day I feel just a little more sure. There will be no other girl like her.

I still haven’t told her, I don’t even know if I could put the way I feel about her into words.

‘I love you,’ while the truth those three little words just don’t feel like enough.

She is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. She stuns and amazes me every single day, and I feel like the luckiest guy in the world when she looks at me.

The way her brilliant blue eyes light up when she smiles. No other girl could ever compare. The way she makes me feel. I just know, she’s it, my one in a million. No other girl could make me feel the way she does.

I looked down with a smile as I felt her shift closer to me.

Out here in the bed of my beat up old pick up just leaning back and watching the stars. Nothing too special, except it was her. Everything feels perfect with her.

I felt the overwhelming urge to voice my feelings.

I’m a little nervous, what if she doesn’t feel the same?

I’m eighteen and I’ve already found the love of my life. The thought of anything shattering the perfect picture in my mind terrifies me.

God, I’m head over heels for her.

I love her and tonight I will tell her those three little words.

You won't see it coming but one day you're gonna turn around

And I'll put a ring on the finger I've been wrapped around

Feedback fuels me, please like, comment reblog or send an ask. Feel free to scream, I promise I can take it.

Masterlist can be found in my bio.

@speedyoperarascalparty @liamxs-world @annekebbphotography @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @ao719 @stopforamoment @akrenich @gardeningourmet @daniv2278 @bella-ca @gibbles82 @choiceslife @blackcoffee85 @sirbeepsalot @cheeto-choices @dcbbw @alicars @desireepow-1986 @mfackenthal @bhavf @indiacater @drakesensworld @kingliam2019 @walkerswhiskeygirl @ladyangel70​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @edgiestwinter​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @janezillow​ @sleepwalkingelite​ @texaskitten30​ @traeumerinwitzhelden​ @bbrandy2002​ @jared2612​ @blackcatkita​ @darley1101​ @innerpostmentality​ @lolablackwrites​ @endlessflame​ @fullbeaumonty​ @hhiggs​ @itsalliepg​ @smalltalk88​ @littlegreenmoo​ @mynameiskaylabella​ @bobbersb @imma-winchester-addict​ @cordonianroyalty​ @loveellamae​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @katedrakeohd​ @forthebrokenheartedthings​ @super-secret-fandom-blog​ @burnsoslow​ @queenjilian​ @bebepac​ @datynasuha @malvolari-take-my-soul​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @queen-arabella-of-cordonia​

[princessemberphoenix]

back home

                                                word count 605

                                                        Ondina’s POV

Ethan and I are bringing home the twins today, We are very happy about that.

Oh Ondina my love you make me smile. Ethan told me. Ethan ever since I had them you have been really sweet. I told him.  After our fight I almost lost you and the twins and I  can't do that again Rookie. We drove home and it was the first time we have been  home in a week. A car cut in front of us and didn't use his blinker. Nice blinker asshole! Ethan yelled.

And it scared the twins. They started to cry. Ethan you scared the twins! I said as I sniffled. 

But he could have killed us! Ethan snapped. The second he saw my face he said. Ondina I am sorry, Arabella Mirabella daddy is very sorry. Ethan you really care for us. I said with a smile. Once we were home we put the twins in their cribs. Ethan grabbed me by the waist and he kissed me. Ethan be careful I just had surgery there. I told him then I kissed him back. Ethan I should start dinner. Ethan started to groan and I gave him a look. What is that supposed to mean! I snapped. It means you will nearly burn the house down!  Ethan replied. Fine dinner is in the dog house which is where you are eating as for sleeping the cough! I yelled. Ondina please you are being unreasonable! Ethan begged. I crossed my arms and ignored him.There was a knock at the door so I walked over to answer it and it was Alan. Dad please tell Ondina I am sorry.  Ethan told him. Alan you brought pizza how sweet as for Ethan his is a tuna sandwich. I told Alan and I ate the pizza. Wait your pregnancy craving tuna and strawberry jam sandwich Ondina that is disgusting Ethan whined.  Oh now I am disgusting you insensitive asshole! I said as I sobbed. Ethan you're a doctor you should know better she has postpartum depression. First of all dad I do not need you giving me medical advice. Ethan yelled at him. Ondina I am really sorry you are not disgusting you are beautiful still. Ethan lowered his voice then he kissed me. I sighed. Fine you don’t have to sleep on the couch. The next day we were taking the twins on a stroll.they were In there stroller. Aurora tried to talk to my babies. And I was not having it. Aurora I am gonna ask you nicely to step away from my twins. Ondina can’t I say hi to these cuties. 

 Aurora. Please leave me alone and my family alone.She picked Arabella and I went into mama bear mode and Grabbed Arabella from her and handed her to Ethan before I slapped her across the face. Arabella started to cry which made Mirabella cry. I picked Miabella and I rocked her.

Ethan rocked Arabella and she started to coo at him. Ethan please let's just hurry home now Aurora made me very uncomfortable. We walked straight home.