#I love pretty covers too but I also wanna carry them freely

[dootznbootz]

I miss when books were made fucking TINY

I know for folks who have a hard time reading the small text this possibly wouldn't be great but my grandma has a bunch of these old books, as she was an English/Literature Teacher, that were printed back in the 50s-60s and the books themselves are really small.

They're like 4in/11cm wide and 7in/18cm long and I can carry them easily in a big pocket or a small bag. They don't necessarily have a pretty cover but they have my story and that's all I need. I want travel-sized books dammit!!!

[romanarose]

Leather and Lace: Chapter 4

Santiago Garcia X OC

Previous part here : Next part here

Fic masterlist

While on the mission, Pope and the guys find a girl tied up in the basement of a drug lord. Through a few unforeseen circumstances, the girl and Pope get separated from Will, Frankie and Benny and have to find their way back in the woods. She doesn’t talk, is malnourished and traumatized, and Pope has the instinct to protect her at all costs.

(Pretend this is him leaning over a railing while talking to Fish okay)

WARNINGS!!!: for whole fic there’s gonna be violence, mentions of blood, mentions of sex trafficking, ptsd, sexual trauma (past), physical trauma, gunshots, eventual smut!! Don’t read just for the smut tho cuz it’s not smut focused.

Warnings: UUUHH maybe nothing really? Will being a dick? kissing? at worst? Kinda soft, lil angst then soft.

I wrote this,,,, SO TIRED. Not my best work tbh. I think I'm gonna keep updates to once a week until Sunshine Starlight Sweetheart Brightside is done bc between this, SSSB, Seattle, the han solo story ive been trying to finish for two years, and the one shots i wanna do AND taking 19 credits and working 4 days a week.... it's a lot. I want my work to remain as good as I know I'm capable of. Thank you for all for patience, and thank you for all your lovely encouragements! Fanfiction writing can be so thankless sometimes, it makes me so emo-tional to see your nice words. In the mean time, come read Sunshine! I've been told it's pretty bingeable if I do say so myself. I see a lot of people like it chapter by chapter and inhale it in a day or two. 27 chapters out of 33!

*****************

“Home sweet home” Santi opened his front door, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible, despite being exhausted from the flight. He let her in, holding the door as she wandered in, carrying her backpack. Lace had refused to let Santiago Garcia carry it. He was already carrying his bags plus one of Benny’s, and she already felt uncomfortable with her dependance on him. Benny’s friend had picked them up, dropping Santi and Laci off at his place. Frankie and Will had stayed behind for a few extra days to finish what they were supposed to all do in the days after they raided the house. Unfortunately, between Santi’s disappearance from the house and Benny’s gunshot wound, they had gotten side tracked. Will had a fucking fit about Santi leaving, which had turned into some choice words and a Frankie once again having to separate them before it got too far. Frankie, who was less than thrilled about Santiago leaving with Laci, agreed Santiago should go. Ben wanted to stay as well, but his shoulder was still out of commission. Frankie also thought it was a good idea to separate Will and his injured brother to allow Will space to calm down without constantly seeing his brother damaged

Laci took in the space. She wore pants and a long sleeve, covering the array of bruises she was still recovering from. She turned to him with a smile. ‘It’s nice’  The place wasn’t huge, but it was clean, it was safe, and it was his. After he had retrieved the money that was thrown in the canyon, Santi had split it with his 3 other friends. Most of them felt… wrong, having the money, so they all kept the money aside for emergencies, donated a lot, and made a few smart purchases. All of them had bought houses, no mortgage. At the very least, they’d always have a home. 

“It’s late, but we can go to the store tomorrow and get you set up with some more clothes, anything else you need.”

She turned to him, nervous and shaking her head. “It’s fine”

“No, Lace it’s okay, let me do this.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll get a job and get out of your hair” She dodged his eyes again. They had made a lot of progress, she was talking more freely, but she never held his eyes for long.

“Lace…” Pope wondered how he could make her see, make her believe that he just wanted to help her. He took her hands, careful not to startle her. “This… this is your home now. You can stay here as long as you need, I mean it. Don’t worry about working until you’re ready. Let’s get you set up with services, counseling, medical… Don’t even think about work yet.”

She leaned into him, holding tight on his hands but looking away. “Expensive.” She muttered.

He sighed. “Listen, it’s a lot to explain but… I came into some money recently. Don’t worry about that. Just…” He took her face in his hand, turning her face to him, and she finally looked at him. “Lace, let me take care of you” He kept her eye contact, watched her eyes searching his face. She was looking for a hint of a lie, of malicious intent. She found nothing but tenderness.

Before Santiago even had a moment to react, her lips were on his. He kissed back the moment their lips met, purely on instinct. When his brain caught up and realized it was her, it was her lips, chapped and hesitant, he kissed back with more fervor, wrapping his arms around his waist and she melted into his arms. Then, he realized what was happening. Santi pulled away, taking a few steps back and away from her, disgusted with himself.

“I’m sorry” He said all too quickly, as soon as he saw her distressed face. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

He expected her to cry or panic, he didn’t expect this response. Her face set into a nervous determination. She pointed at him and shook her head. Then she pointed at herself. ‘You didn’t do it, I did’

“I know,” He clarified. Here he was with a traumatized and vulnerable girl in his home, she probably felt obligated to sleep with him, she thought that's what he wanted… He scrubbed his face, then looked back at her. Laci’s face was red, looking at the floor. She was embarrassed. “Can we just… let's pretend this never happened, okay? Finish showing you around?”

She nodded, not talking. Santi fought the urge to sigh again. Two steps forward, one step back. “C’mon, I’ll show you the yard.” He wanted to just block out the last two minutes from their collective memories. He started walking toward the sliding glass doors, but stopped when he heard her footsteps stop. He turned around and saw her staring at his bookshelf, staring at the 5 porcelain dolls on the top shelf.

She cocked her eyebrow up at him with a teasing smile. ‘Yours?’

He smiled, happy the tension was gone. “My sister’s, actually.”

Laci grinned, still lookin at the pretty, well cared for dolls, but was slightly nervous. She pointed to the house in general “does she live here?”

Santi’s kind smile waved a tad. “She died. It’ll be two years next month. Overdose.”

She turned to him, but he remained focused on the shelves, so she turned back. After a moment, she spoke. “My brother. I was 20. He raised me after our parents died.” Another pause as Laci took a shaky breath. “Suicide.”

Santi took her hand.

******************

A week later, Santi was parking his car on Frankie’s street. “You sure you’re okay? We can still turn around, Fish will understand.”

Laci had thought she was hiding her anxiety well, but somehow, Pope always knew what she was thinking. This was helpful, seeing as she still hardly spoke. It came and went in moments, he was never exactly sure what caused her to start or stop talking. If she was anxious or upset she shut down, but sometimes there didn’t seem to be a cause.

She looked at him with a little smile. ‘It’s fine. You want to go, so we’ll go.’ The two of them had gone everywhere together this week, every appointment and every meeting with a social worker or doctor. He wouldn’t leave her at the house alone, and he knew she would insist on going despite her reservations. She had asked who was coming. Pope knew that was code for ‘is Will coming’. The two of them had yet to interact. With Frankie, at least, he made an attempt to speak to her, dropping by when he got back to the states and asking yes/no questions to Laci so she didn’t feel left out. Will hadn’t been over, nor had be called. But she was fairly comfortable around Ben. Benny had been over a few times, and Laci even let Santi leave the room to go to the bathroom or get snacks, leaving her alone with Ben while they watched tv. Always Sunny in Philadelphia, of all things. It made him smile when he’d return to the room, watching her and Benny laughing out loud together. 

They hadn’t addressed the kiss and neither made a move, but the tension was palpable some days. Her first full day there, she had tried to make him dinner while Pope showered. When he heard a bunch of banging, he rushed out, only stopping to wrap a towel around his waist and ran to the kitchen. He found Laci  cleaning up a bunch of pans that had fallen on the floor. Looking up, her eyes widened as she stared at his shirtless torso. When her eyes flicked up to him, they stayed like that for a moment, Santi trying to read her face. He was good at it, he usually knew what she was saying or thinking… right then, she was unreadable.

She took his hand as Pope let himself in through the back gate and she took in the scene. It was a small gathering, Frankie had promised that it would just be the guys. Frankie usually held a cook out when everyone comes back from a mission, a way for everyone to decompress. Usually, it was a fucking party. Alcohol, lots of friends, family, and any random stranger Benny had met off the street that day. Today was small. Ever the peacekeeper, Frankie was hoping Will would warm up to Laci. Fish recognized, even if Pope was in denial, that Laci was going to be  part of things for a long time. On a phone call with Ben while he was still out of the country, Benny had told him he thought something was going on between the pair, that they were absolutely inseparable. Benny was the one that noticed Santi’s watch was missing on the flight, and relayed the story Pope told him to Frankie.

“Hey guys!” Benjamin Miller swaggered over, hugging Santi and putting his hand on Laci’s shoulder. “C’mon! I’m on grill duty” It was a warm day, and now that Laci got to pick out her clothes, he found she liked to wear a lot of flowers. Her dress today was pink and white floral and a flowy skirt.

“Oh god,” Pope muttered, following the blonde boy.

“Relax, Garcia. Fish is cooking, I’m just in charge of making sure the burgers don’t burn.” Benny, Laci and Santi stood on the deck for a few minutes before Will opened the screen door, and he felt Laci tense.

He was carrying pop, tossing one to Ben and one to Santi, one for himself. 

Santi called him out. “C’mon man, don’t be a dick.” He felt Laci’s hand on his arm, and turned to see her face. ‘Let it go’

Will rolled his eyes and cracked open his pop. Benny handed his to Laci “Here, I’m grabbing a beer” He walked into the house, grabbing Will with him and shutting the glass door, no doubt about to chew out Will.

Santiago turned to her “Sorry Lace, he’s being a dick.”

“You don’t have to… defend me or anything. I don’t want you guys to start fighting…” After learning about Santi’s sister’s death, and how most of his family is gone, she started to realize what these men meant to him. She didn’t want to be the one to cause any more problems than she already had.

Will and Benny returned, Will looking irritated but calmer. “Here” He handed Laci a snack pack of cheetos. A small gesture, but a gesture nonetheless. 

Laci kept looking at the floor, but touched her hand to her mouth, then moved it out. ‘Thank you’ in sign language. Ben had taught Laci several basic sign language phrases to prepare for the party. All the guys know passable sign language, and this way she could communicate a few things without having to talk or have Santi translate her facial expressions.

When the door opened, Will’s grumpy face lit up. “Here’s the woman of the hour!” And held out his arms to snatch the little girl from Frankies arms. The one year old practically dived into Will’s arms. It was strange for Laci to see Will not glowering. One by one, each of the guys held the tiny toddler, Laci was absolutely enthralled with the sight of Santi holding the adorable girl, blowing raspberries on her stomach.

“Laci?” Frankie spoke up. “Would you like to hold her?”

Laci nodded frantically, and held out nervous arms for Frankie’s daughter. The 18 month old was hesitant to leave her tio’s arms, but once she was in Laci’s around, she put her little hands on Laci’s face. It was an immidiet bond between the two.

“Rosie,” Frankie steps over to the two girls, tickling the toddlers neck. “Meet Laci. Laci, this is Fatima Rosa Maria Morales Ferndanez. Or Rosie, as we usually call her, when she’s not in trouble.”

Benny smiled at his friend and his niece. “Powerful name for a powerful little girl.” 

Frankie noticed Laci’s eyes welling up and her lip quivering. “You okay, Laci?” 

Santi kicked himself for not picking up on her discomfort, moving to take Rosie out of Laci’s arms, but Laci held on, looking at the little girl adoringly. She turned and whispered to Santiago, who then turned to his friend, smiling. “She said she’s beautiful, Frankie.” Frankie smiled back.

The evening had been delightful. Santi always enjoyed seeing the guys, especially after a particularly stressful mission. Even if Will was being a bit of a dick. It wasn’t bad, Will knew how to tow a line, that was for sure. Just enough where Santi didn’t feel it was worth making a scene, but enough where his irritation was growing. Laci was mostly oblivious, she had Rosie on her hip, even so much as straying away from her ever-attachment at Santi’s side to play with her in the grass. Santi leaned over the deck, beer in hand as he watched her. 

“I think Rosie has a friend.” Frankie joined him, looking at his daughter lovingly.

“Yeah.” Santi’s smile was huge. Frankie knew he was down bad.

“How’s she been adjusting?”

“She’s doing alright, considering. Therapy starts next week and she’s been to a few medical appointments, got her on meds, a diet to get back the nutrients she lost. Dentists gotta do some work, shit like that. She’ll have… she’ll have her moments. It’s hard to watch.”

Frankie nods. “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes I’ll find her asleep on the couch watching tv. She had to get on medicine for the nightmares, they seem to help, but she likes the light. She says the TV helps her focus. She watches Friends reruns. She doesn’t even like Friends, It’s just something else to think about, nothing serious, stupid sitcom.” He paused, unsure if he should say it, but if he could be honest with anyone, it was Fish. “She kissed me”

Frankie laughed. “Oh yeah. She kissed you.”

Pope turned to Frankie, finally looking at him “I’m serious!... I mean… I kissed back.”

“There it is.” Fish smirked.

Pope was defensive. “She did! Fish I would never want her to think she has to do anything just because I’m helping her.”

“But you wouldn’t mind if you and her… we’re together?.”

Pope rolled his eyes, “Well, she’s-” pretty he was about to say, turning back to Laci. She was on her back, legs up in the air with Rosie on her feet, playing superman. Laci’s skirt rode up, showing off the smooth curve of her ass. “Oh fuck” Santi and Frankie quickly turned out, but gave each other a side-eyed smile. 

An hour later, Frankie was putting Rosie to bed, and Laci was back to Santiago’s side. When Frankie came back, everyone was gathered on the porch. “Hey Santi, I think you forgot something.” He tossed the watch to his friend.

“Fish, what the shit? How did you…?” Santi hugged Fish tighty “Hermano, how did you know I lost it?”

“Benny can’t keep a secret for the life of him.” 

Benny meely shrugged, smiling.

Will, however, was confused. “Wait, is that Fatima’s watch?” He looked back and forth between Fish and Pope. “Why does Catfish have it?”

“I um…” Pope hesitated, his grin fading. “When we were in the forest, I sold it to get some food and water…”

“What the fuck Pope?” Will looked irrationally irritated.

Frankie put a hand on Will’s arm, trying to calm him. “Calm down.”

Will shrugged him up. “You sold Fatima’s watch because of her? Jesus Pope, what the hell?” 

Pope put himself in front of Laci instinctively. “Back the fuck off, Ironhead. Now.”

Will look at Santi condescendingly. “What is she doing to you man? She almost got you killed, now you’re just being her bitch”

Ben saw it coming before Santi even made a move, smacking Frankie, signaling him to move. Ben grabbed Pope, holding him back as he went to punch Will and luckily, Frankie caught Ben’s message and grabbed Will’s shirt, warning him not to do anything. Laci stepped backwards until her back hit the deck railing, and there she froze.

“What is your fucking problem Will?!” Santi shouted at the much taller man.

“Do you have ANY IDEA how close you came to dying, Pope? It’s a goddamn miracle you didn’t get your head blasted open! You and Ben could’ve died! Then what? Do we spit up the money again and give it to your non-existent family and pretend it’s okay? If Ben died, would you just give me a pat on the back and say ‘Oh, sorry!’ and move on?”

Santi was in too much of a blind fury to possess what Will was saying “None of that has ANYTHING to do with her!” Santi pointed to the scared girl in the corner of the deck, clutching onto the railing for dear life.

“I told you we needed to move, but you never fucking listen! You had to baby her, you had to play knight in shining armor and rescue the pretty girl, meanwhile Benny gets shot and you literally dodge a bullet!”

Benny mumbles something about not bringing him into this, but no one was listening. Benny knew he wasn’t getting anywhere. Santi and Will would hash this out, Frankie would stop them from killing each other. He looked over to see Laci scared as shit. Carefully, he walked over to her. Her eyes were shut tight, but she knew it was Ben, because she knew what Santi’s hand felt like.

“Enough!” Frankie shouted after a few more pointless back and forths. “You guys hear that?” Through the upstairs window, everyone could hear Rosie crying. “You guys woke up and probably scared the shit out of my baby, not to mention Laci.” Santi suddenly noticed she had left his side, and felt a tinge of guilt and jealousy to see her so scared, but also holding the handsome young man’s hand. “Santi, Will, go inside and fucking sort this out like adults.” He noticed Santi glance to Laci again. “She’ll be fine, man. Jesus, Ben will be here. I’m going to put my daughter to bed and I swear to god, if you wake her up again, we’re gonna have a problem.”

Will and Santi stormed off, and Frankie went upstairs to try and put his toddler back to bed. Benny and Laci stood in silence as Laci held his hand tightly. They couldn’t hear what Will and Santi were saying, but it sounded calmer. After a while, Will opened the door, looking embarrassed. “I need to talk to her” he told Ben.

 “No way man-”

“Okay.” The Miller brothers turned to Laci, eyes finally open and looking directly at Will for the first time.

Hesitantly, Benny let go of her hand, telling Will not to be an asshole, closing the screen door instead of the glass door. “Can I close the glass door? I don’t want them eavesdropping.” Laci nodded, and Will closed it. Much like Santi, Will scrubbed his face. “How much did Santi tell you about our history together.”

She held up her fingers together. ‘Very little’

“He tell you bout Tom?”

She shook her head.

Will sighed. “Last year, a mission went wrong. I got shot.” Despite how much of an ass he had been, he swore he saw a bit of pity on her face. “But we had another friend, his name was Tom. He got killed after things went very, very wrong and… I think I’ve always held onto a lot of anger and guilt over it. A lot of feelings I don’t know how to let out in a normal way. Seeing my brother get shot, and those few days where I thought Santi had been killed or taken, I think… Well I think maybe it brought a lot of feelings out. I don’t know if Santi told you, but Benn is my brother. My actual brother, I mean. I know we all refer to each other as brothers…” he trailed off, realizing he was rambling. “I thought I was going to watch him die…” He shuffled his feet, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

Surprisingly, she spoke up, although barely audible ”I didn’t ask for any of this…”

God, that hurt. Of fucking course she didn’t. This poor girl had gone through hell, and here he was making her feel worse. “I know. And I’m really sorry. I’m not good at this kind of thing…” Despite his best efforts, his voice was just a little choked up. It was a high emotion week. “I don’t really have a good excuse, but I am sorry. I know you’re going to be around a while, maybe forever-” he cut himself off. He didn’t exactly know what Santi and her relationship was., and wasn’t sure if they knew either.“I don’t want to make an enemy out of you, and I don’t want to be the person who makes you feel worse.”

Laci thought for a second, then smiled a soft, nervous smile. She tentatively walked towards him. “It’s okay.”

He shook his head. “It’s not-”

She held up a hand. He didn’t need Santi to translate that. “I get… I get really angry sometimes. Sometimes I get angry at Santi and he did nothing wrong. He doesn’t know. I push it down. But sometimes I worry I won’t be able to stop it. It’s okay.” 

Will nodded. He felt like they had an understanding, at least.

She walked past him, going to find Santi. When Laci found him, he surprised her with a hug. “Are you okay, Lace?” He asked, rubbing her back.

“Yeah, I’m great. Take me home please?” She nestled her head into his chest, taking in his smell.

On the drive home, Laci asked about the watch.

“My sister gave it to me a few months before she died.” He took it off, handing it to her. “The inscription translates to ‘count all the stars and add one more’ it’s about how much the singer loves someone. It’s a song by Jesse and Joy and it features Luis Fonsi” Santi turned to her, smiling sadly “I couldn’t stand Luis Fonsi, but my sister loved him.” He turned back to the road. “Her name was Fatima. Frankie named his daughter after her. He and I grew up together. Anyway, she gave me this watch as a half joke since I hated the song. Now it’s one of my favorites. I think she knew she was dying.”

Laci put her hand on his shoulder. Usually, their touches were for Laci’s sake. This was for Santi’s. “That’s really sweet, Santi. And I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Muñecita. For Will.”

“I think Will and I are going to get along fine.” She turned to him. “I like your friends a lot.”

Santi smiled. “Yeah, I do too.

***************

THANK YOU FOR READING! Reblogs help a lot, comments mean the world! lmk if you'd like to be added to my tag list!

Since google doesn’t really translate it, Muñecita means little doll. Muñeca is doll, and adding -ita makes a name or object diminutive.

@littlenosoul @bensolosbluesaber @milkymoon2483 @gogh-with-the-flow @itspdameronthings

[johnsamericano]

𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥 •3•

I hope this ain't getting shitty. Thank you for reading, sexy people. Send me a message or an ask if you'd like to be added to the tag list.

warnings: hungover jaehyun, age gap, hospitals, nothing too extreme.

sugar rush m.list.

taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv @sunny-nyu @nanascupid @silent-potato @painted-hills

~

Yoonoh woke up on a strange bed, the mattress stiffer than the one he had back home. He refused to open his eyes, fearing that the daylight would worsen his headache.

Yoonoh woke up on a strange bed, the mattress stiffer than the one he had back home. He refused to open his eyes, fearing that the daylight would worsen his headache.

“Wake up, sunshine.” He groaned, all the memories from the past night hitting him like a truck. “Come on, I made breakfast.”

His eyelids finally fluttered open, frown softening at the sight of you in a messy bun and your cute pajamas.

“How come you look so fresh?” The dark circles under his eyes had deepened in the span of a few hours. Thank God he didn't have to work that day.

“I always look fresh.” You seemed to be more comfortable around him. Perhaps it was because you had to tuck him in last night. “Up.”

You tugged both of his limp hands, forcing him to sit up.

“What did you cook? It smells nice.” He scrunched up his nose like a little kid.

“Eggs, bacon, and hash browns.” Fast as lightning, he got up from bed. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed the blanket hanging from the edge of your sofa. Disappointment pinched his heart.

“Why didn't you sleep with me? You would've been more comfortable.”

You set two plates on the small table, pulling the pan out of the stove to serve them.

“You spread yourself all over the bed as soon as I laid you down.” You lied successfully. You didn’t have the heart to tell him you weren’t that comfortable yet.

You let the pan down on the kitchen counter, taking a seat in front of him.

“Do you still want to visit my father?” Sparkling orbs stared at him timidly, fearing his answer would be negative.

“I mean…” You hummed, trying not to give it as much importance. “I do want to go!” He quickly corrected himself, frantically shaking his hands. “It’s just that I don't want to meet your father like this.” He pointed at his bed hair, which had only become messier since he woke up.

“You’re acting like he's gonna see you.” There was a slight bitterness in your tone, along with a fake grin.

“Alright, let's do this instead...” Yoonoh sat up straight, clearing his throat as if he were about to give a speech. “We’ll have breakfast, you'll shower quickly, and then we’ll drive to my house so I can fix myself. How does that sound?”

“So I'm finally gonna see your mansion? How exciting.” You kicked his leg teasingly under the table, his cheeks inevitably dipping as he tried to suppress a smile. “I bet you have some peacocks in your backyard.”

“And there's also a dolphin in my pool.” He let out a hearty laugh, extending his arm over the table to grab your hand.

His house was most definitely not what you expected.

It was about the size of the one you grew up in, the decoration inside minimalistic. There were no expensive paintings framed with pure gold, only pictures of him and his family. There was a small backyard you could access through the French door in the kitchen. Half of it was occupied by a greenhouse.

“I had to donate the peacocks to the zoo.” He whispered as you looked through the glass door, squeezing your shoulders with his slim fingers.

“What a shame.” Hesitantly, he wrapped both of his limbs around your torso, letting his chin rest stop of your head. Your heartbeat was thumping loudly against your chest. Yoonoh surely felt it but decided not to comment on it.

“There’s a Tv in my room in case you want to watch something while I shower.” A hint of mischief adorned his honey-like voice. “Or you can come in and watch me instead.”

“Stop!” Your elbow connected with his ribs out of pure panic, making him bend in pain with his hands covering the injured spot.

“It was a joke...” He whispered, teeth gritting together.

I made him mad, you thought. Should you escape or face the consequences of his anger? All thoughts erased from your mind as he grabbed your calves, lifting you over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” You hit his back with closed fists, unable to see the expression on his face. “Yoonoh!”

He went up the stairs, proceeding to enter his room and throw you on his bed. Thousands of dirty scenarios crossed your mind before he threw himself on top of you, crushing your bones under his muscular body.

“My...ribs...”

“Oh, sorry, what is that?” To make matters worse, his fingers tickled your sides, provoking a fit of desperate giggles to escape your mouth. “I’m not hearing an apology.”

“Sorry! Sorry!” His hands finally stopped, giving you time to breathe. Nonetheless, he remained laid on your chest, using his forearms to lift his weight. “Aren’t you gonna shower?”

“I like you.”

The confession was so sudden, so raw it took you some time to finally react. But you had no words to give him an answer, instead, you combed your fingers through his long hair, massaging his scalp while waiting for him to speak up again.

“I never thought I'd be feeling more than friendly affection for you. Our agreement doesn't include love, after all. But I've started feeling like a teenager all over again. I can't help but get excited whenever you call me. Do you know how sweet your voice sounds through the phone?” He sighed, discouraged at your lack of response. “I guess you're not there yet.”

Instead of verbally answering, you planted a sweet kiss on his head, right where small, grey hairs had started growing.

“I’m not good with words.”

“That’s alright.” He snuck his hands under your back, holding you tightly as a sudden need to nurture you took over him. The mature image he had of you faded in less than a second, leaving behind a young, troubled woman. “I’ll shower quickly so we can go see your pops. I bet we’ll get along just fine, maybe even go golfing when he wakes up.”

“I forgot you're almost the same age. Creepy.” He smiled, though uneasiness started steering in his guts.

“Does that bother you?” He asked without giving it a second thought.

“I don't know yet.”

(...)

The man with high cheekbones and bruised skin laid limp on the hospital bed. Yoonoh had been working on his case for about a month, yet, it only started feeling real the moment he entered the room.

“This is my dad.” All emotions had escaped your eyes as if your soul wasn't there anymore. Only an empty shell.

“You look so much like him.” he was afraid touching you wouldn't be the right thing to do, so instead, he said: “He seems like a suitable golf buddy.”

Tension finally loosened its grip around his body as you snorted, pigment returning to your cheeks. Finally, he wrapped his hand around yours.

“He will wake up, y/n.”

“He’s taking his sweet time.” You glanced back at the laying figure, skinnier with every day he spent asleep. “I want someone to pay for taking away the last person that loved me.”

The last person that loved you. Would Yoonoh be able to fill that spot? Not yet, probably. He couldn't modify the depth of his feelings, but he could surely give you the vengeance you longed.

“Do you trust me?” With your eyes still glued to your father, you nodded. “Then I can assure you we’ll win the case.”

“I know we will.”

He sat silently with you, holding your hand without saying a word. The smell of alcohol and the beeping noise of machines made him nauseous. He hated hospitals. You noticed the change in his demeanor, his hand becoming cold while holding yours with strength.

“Do you wanna go?”

“No!” He smiled through the pain, scooting his chair closer to lay your hand on his lap.

He wouldn't agree to get his ass off the plastic chair. You had to tell him you were hungry for him to finally stand up, still clutching your hand like your father did when you were still a kid. His parental behavior caused several emotions to stir inside your guts, so mixed up you couldn't quite put a finger on any of them.

“What do you want to eat?” The tension finally left his body once out of the building.

“Soup.” You smiled while swiping your thumb on top of his knuckles. “I know a place, but to be honest, it isn't good. So we can go to the store and get the ingredients to- but you can't cook.”

“I’m up for a cooking lesson if you are.” He wanted to see your pretty smile again. Maybe making a fool of himself would help. “Let’s hit the road.”

“Wow, so cool.”

“I know.”

(...)

“Can you grab that can of chicken broth?” You pointed at the high shelf, letting go of Yoonoh’s hand to allow him to move freely

“I have a better idea.” He dragged you by the arm so you were standing in front of him, trapped between his body and the shelf. “I’ll lift you so you can reach it.” Matching his words, his hands grasped your waist, ready to carry you.

“Stop!” You slapped his hands repeatedly between giggles. Ignoring your complaints, he started lifting you. “Yoonoh!”

“Yoonoh?” A feminine voice had him placing you back on your feet in less than a second.

“Seryeong, I didn't expect to see you here.” His hands remained seated on the curve of your waist.

“Neither did I. I was surprised when Sungchan told me you'd left early yesterday.” She seemed a bit older than you but still younger than the man behind you.

“I had some matters to take care of.” She eyed you from head to toes with a smug grin plastered on her lips. Just by the look of her clothes, you could tell she was as wealthy as Yoonoh. You feared the scene would turn into a tv worthy drama.

“I’ll go get the chicken breast.” You tried escaping his grip, only to be pulled closer to his warmth.

“No need to. It's already inside the cart.”

Why am I so dumb?

“Does your father know about your little girlfriend?” She asked without hesitation.

“I guess.”

“And why didn't he tell me anything?” She cocked an eyebrow, his hands finally loosening around your body and allowing you to move from your position.

“Look, this is something you should talk about with him. Now, if you excuse us...” With a hand on your shoulder, he began pushing the cart to the next aisle, the chicken broth long forgotten.

“Is this some kind of arranged marriage situation?”

“Something like that.” His hands were tense while holding the cart, knuckles turning white from the strength used. “Before you start asking, I'm not really in the mood and I don't want to direct my bad mood toward you. Let's talk about something else, alright?”

Who was that woman that had the power to turn him into a literal raging ball of fire with just a few words?

[icollectyoursins]

Prosciutto x Reader ANGST

mime1998 asked: “Hi! May I request a Prosciutto prompt#19. Where reader gets injured in a mission. Something angst, please? Thank you! ❤️”

Sorry I’ve been sort of M.I.A as of writing this. I’ve got school and stuff going on, so I took a break to keep from being too stressed. Well. I was sort of forced into it, but it's all good now. Thanks for the patience!

19  “Hush, my love. You trust me, right? I need you to trust me.”

Wanna know what I’m willing to write? Rules here!

Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!

Looking for more? Master post here!

WARNINGS: Canon-typical violence, reader getting hurt, fighting with stand users, use of Grateful Dead, use of a gun, mention of death, dislocated shoulder, Proscuitto having to set the arm, a sweet ending that I am NOT going to spoil in the warnings.

Word Count: 1716

     “(Y/N)!” Prosciutto screamed as he watched your body briefly fly a few feet off the ground before crashing into the concrete, bouncing once with a loud crack before falling still. You had been assigned together in the hopes of being able to take down an enemy to Passione quickly. It shouldn’t have been hard with his stand and yours combined, but the enemy was a little more prepared than you had expected.

     He took a deep breath. He couldn’t lose his head yet, he needed to make sure you were okay. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted a large rock. Slowly, he picked it up, hoping the stand wouldn’t notice the movement, then he threw it as far away as he could, waiting to hear them turn around to investigate before moving. Quickly and quietly, he made his way over to you, dragging you behind some boxes while the stand was preoccupied with what he threw into the corner.

     A soft finger brushed against your cheek, lost for a moment in the worry of you not getting up. Steadying his emotions, he pressed the pads of his fingers onto the pulse in your neck, waiting for a beat. 

     Thud, thud...

     Thud, thud...

     A breath that he didn’t know he was holding in was suddenly released. You were alive, good. Prosciutto pulled the ice pack you tucked into our jacket out, then he lifted up your head slightly, sliding it between the floor and your cheek to keep you cool while he used Grateful Dead on the enemy. 

     He stood up, steadying himself while reaching for his gun. With two steps forward, he stared down the stand and it’s user. Slowly and with as much power as he could muster, he walked towards them, his stand following close behind him, covering the floor with it’s fog-like ability. He watched the user collapse gradually, age sinking into their skin. Then, when he was close enough to them-

     BANG.

     They slumped over, defeated.

     Prosciutto ran back to you, checking for any signs of injury, now that he had the time. There were a few cuts here and there, but nothing he couldn’t fix with some stitches and alcohol. He rolled you onto your back carefully, then hooked his arms under you with the intention of carrying you back to the car, but a groan stopped him.

     “(Y/N)?” He propped you up against him, moving his hand to cup your cheek. “(Y/N)? Can you hear me?”

     Your eyes cracked open with a grumble. You were still weary, vision slightly blurred. “Did we get ‘em?”

     A dull ache rang throughout your body, though there were a few places where it was worse. Like the shoulder that he currently had his arm hooked under. Yeah. That hurt like a bitch. You shoved him off, wincing with a pained shout as your arm was moved.

     “Fuck.” You spat, gently holding it against yourself.

     “Is it broken?” He asked, still keeping a hand on your back to help if you fell over. You shook your head. It didn’t feel like a break. It was something different. 

     “Dislocated, I think.” You said while struggling to stand up. 

     Prosciutto watched you carefully, hovering over you. If you had hit your head, he didn’t want to make it worse. He opened his mouth to say something in protest to you getting up, but suddenly the sound of footsteps appeared, slowly getting closer. Without another word, you quickly skittered out of the abandoned building and into the car.

-----

     You dragged yourself into the motel room, tired and sore from being quite literally tossed around. Prosciutto followed close behind, tossing the keys into the table before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked you once over while you delicately sat on the edge of the bed, clutching your side. He sighed, going back to the car to grab the first aid kit from the trunk.

     “Get in the bathroom and take your shirt off. I’ll stitch you up,” he said, closing the door behind him. You groaned, not wanting to move your sore muscles anymore, but you also didn’t want to bleed anymore. Slowly, you trudged your way to the bathroom. An arm was offered to you, which you clung to, thankful.

     You practically fell against the sink, grunting in pain. Concerned, he flicked his eyes over to you, ready to catch you if you fell over. 

     “Shirt off, (Y/N),” he ordered, taking his own jacket off, rolling his sleeves up. You winced as you moved your arm the wrong way. Thankfully, he noticed your reaction out the corner of his eye, abandoning washing his hands to help you instead. His hands were soft and gentle, delicately removing your top, always keeping a vigilant eye on your face just in case he hurt you.

      Then, without another word, he stopped you from moving, bracing his forearm against your chest while the other hand wrapped around your bicep. You felt him flex, preparing for something that would undoubtedly be painful.

     “Hey, wait! What are you-” He cut you off, giving you a stern look. 

     “(Y/N),” he said seriously. Prosciutto thought for a moment, wondering how to approach this. You’d likely put up a little bit of a fight, stating you were fine, when you were very obviously not. He pulled back, straightening up. “Can you move your arm?”

     “Yes, of course, I ca-AH!” You shouted out in pain when he gently pulled on your arm, then he let it go, falling limp against your side. Tears stung your eyes. He was gentle about it, but it still hurt like hell. You knew he was just proving a point.

     “It’s dislocated. Look. Your shoulder is twice the size of the other one and you can’t feel anything.”

     “I can feel the pain just fine.” You spat. He sighed.

     “Don’t be difficult. Let me fix it.” It was your turn to sigh now. He was right, of course. 

     “Fine! Just... just get me some painkillers or something.” Prosciutto nods his head, placing a sweet kiss on your cheek before filling a paper cup with water and digging for some medication in the first aid kit. You take a deep breath, then gulp them down, followed by water. He went to brace again, but you stopped him with your good hand. “Wait until they start working. Please.” You added after seeing the exhausted look on his face. 

     “Okay,” he said quietly, sliding his arm around your waist, gently pulling you close to him, careful to avoid your dislocated shoulder completely. You melted into him, closing your eyes and breathing deeply. You were safe now, he reminded himself. A lump formed in his throat. He lavished the top of your head with kisses while massaging circles into your back. You relaxed more, but it was more for him. You were here, you were alive, you were safe.

     Prosciutto had never been one for showing emotions, but he wasn’t immune to them. Watching your body hit the concrete, watching you go limp. Something broke in him. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

     Grief.

     He thought he had lost you. Actually and completely lost you. This business, if you can call it that, was a rough one. It was harsh, cruel and a list of other things. And when you were in this business you were bound to lose people, it’s inevitable. He knew that when he got in, but... but he had never thought he would become so attached to someone.

     He wasn’t sure how to admit it; how to tell you just how much you meant to him. You seemed impossible to him. How could someone be so perfect? How special did that person have to be to make Prosciutto fall for them so completely? Very. The answer was very special. You were special. An oddity. 

     If you had asked him his thoughts on romance or settling down with someone special before he met you, he would have given a snarky, rude answer about how useless love was to someone like him. Now, everything was different. 

     “Alright,” you said, standing up straight. “Pain’s pretty much gone. I’m ready.” He hummed in reply, littering your cheek with butterfly kisses while getting back in place. You tensed, grabbing ahold of his arm for security.

     “Hush, my love.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Do you trust me?” He asked, gripping your arm tightly. You took a deep breath, psyching yourself up. “I need you to trust me.”

     You looked up at him tentative, but still so loving. Impossible. 

     “Yeah. I trust you.”

     Prosciutto counted down from 5, watching you steadily breathe, making sure you were truly ready. When he got to 1, he snapped your arm and pushed it back into place. You cried out, tears freely falling down your cheek. You were barely aware of him making you a sling, keeping everything in place. A gentle finger brushed the tears away, then gentle lips pressed into yours. 

     He wet a paper towel, cleaning the dirt and rubble from your face, as well as any other places he could get to without moving your arm. After a quick once over, he deduced you didn’t need stitches anywhere, just a few bandages here and there.

     The painkillers were settling in more now, making you drowsier. He kindly helped you to the bed, tucking you in with a firm warning to not rollover. You lazily rolled your eyes, mumbling a “fine” before finally falling asleep.

     Prosciutto would have joined sooner, but something kept him up. He stood outside the motel, taking a well need drag from what was already his second cigarette. Now that he had you, he was determined to keep you. Not in a possessive way, he just wants you safe. This life wasn’t good for you, not that it ever was in the first place.

     He glanced down at his phone. 12 am. Yeah, Risotto was probably still up.

                                       hey

Problem?

                                      sort of.

             Prosciutto is typing...

                                      (Y/N) and i need a break

From each other?

                                      passione

              Risotto is typing...

How long?     Prosciutto laughed to himself, muttering under his breath: “Long enough to get married.” He stopped. That... that sounded really nice, actually. “Long enough to get married.”

[kaimelia]

can you do a prompt where instead of a boy, amelia and links first baby was a girl?

Snapshots

a/n: hi! this was a little disorganized and kind of random...but it’s just a bunch of moments from if they had a girl, and I hope you enjoy it! thank you for the prompt <3

--------------

"And, do you want to know the sex?" Amelia paused for a moment in thought, her hands resting behind her head as she stared at the ultrasound screen in awe.

"I need to know everything," she whispered, watching as Carina moved the ultrasound wand on her stomach.

"Alright, you're having a baby girl, Amelia." 

Amelia's mouth fell into a broad smile, and she covered her open mouth, her eyes watching her daughter move on the screen.

"Oh my god." Carina grinned and removed the probe, wiping it off before hitting a few buttons on the ultrasound machine. "Can I get pictures? Link would love them," Amelia pulled her scrub top down.

"Of course. And, you promise that you'll come in for regular appointments, now?" The neurosurgeon nodded her head.

"I promise."

--------------

"Hey, Amelia," Link shouted, closing the door to his apartment and dropping his bag in the entranceway.

"In the bedroom!" He grinned and walked down the hallway, stopping in the doorway and staring at his girlfriend. She had her top pulled over to reveal her stomach, and her hand rested on the bottom as she scrolled through her phone. "Hi," she put her phone down and smiled at him.

"How did the ultrasound go?" Amelia sat up on the bed, moving a pillow to support her aching back as Link sat by her feet.

"Everything's perfectly fine," she whispered, reaching out for his hand. "We're having a girl, Link." His face was frozen for a minute as he processed what she said and his mouth soon dropped into a wide 'O'.

"Really? We're having a girl?" Amelia nodded quickly, grinning as she watched him react. "Oh my god, Amelia," Link pulled her into a hug, kissing the side of her head. "We're gonna have a little you," he whispered into her hair, embracing her tighter as he laughed in joy. He held onto her for another moment before pulling back and pressing his lips against hers. "Wait, you're happy about this, right?"

"Yeah, but I also know firsthand what it's like to be a teenage girl. And to parent one," she added, raising her eyebrows. "Plus, girls always hate their moms. She's gonna love you and hate me." Link rolled his eyes at her and kissed her again.

"She's not going to hate you, Amelia."

"Says the one who was never a teenage girl."

--------------

Amelia locked their hands together and squeezed his, watching as he browsed through the aisles of baby clothes. "Link," she muttered, wrapping her arm on the underside of her stomach, "I'm hungry. Baby's hungry." He turned around and pouted, squeezing her hand in response.

"We have to get some baby stuff, Amelia. Carina said she could come anytime now, and we've barely done anything to prepare." The brunette rolled her eyes as her boyfriend picked up a purple dress adorned with a tutu. "Look at this," he practically squealed, "we can dress her up like a princess all the time!"

"That's for 6-month-olds; it wouldn't fit her for a long time. We need newborn clothes." She dropped his hand and walked over to another aisle, picking up a pack of plain white onesies. "See, like these." He feigned a frown and moved towards her.

"Those aren't fun," he complained. "What about these?"

"Really? 'Daddy's little girl?'" He beamed a toothy smile and dropped the hanger into the cart. "You're just going to spoil her all of the time, aren't you?"

"What else am I supposed to do?"

--------------

"No dating until she's 18," he muttered, wrapping his arms around Amelia as she leaned against his body.

"18? Why?"

"Because I was a teenage boy, and I don't trust teenage boys." She scoffed, grabbing his hand and placing it on top of her stomach where their daughter was moving.

"And I was a teenage girl, and I know that whatever we tell her, she'll just ignore," Amelia laughed out, smiling as he began to massage lotion into her skin. "Ugh, move, I gotta pee," she lifted his hand away and stood up slowly, waddling towards the bathroom attached to the bedroom. Link set the bottle of lotion down on the bedside table as he waited, adjusting the pillows behind him. "Link!"

"Yeah?" He stood up quickly from the bed, hurrying towards the bathroom. "What is it?"

"My water just broke."

--------------

"Okay, give me one more push, Amelia." The neurosurgeon groaned loudly and squeezed her boyfriend's hand, causing him to cringe at the feeling. Their faces both relaxed as an ear-piercing noise filled the room, their daughter's first cry. "Dad? Do you want to cut the cord?" Link grinned and kissed Amelia's hand before dropping it, moving to where Carina held the baby. "Right here." He cut the cord, and Carina stood up, placing the crying baby on Amelia's chest. Link returned to his previous position, standing next to Amelia and putting his hand on the side of her head, smoothing down her hair. He kissed her head as she cried joy-filled tears while holding their daughter, her thumb brushing over the baby's tiny red face.

"She's so beautiful," Amelia looked over at Link as she spoke, tears running freely down her face.

"She looks just like you," he whispered, placing his hand over Amelia's. "She's perfect. Absolutely and positively perfect."

"Do you have a name yet?" The couple's eyes met at the doctor's question, and they shared matching grins.

"Charlotte."

--------------

Amelia groaned as she stood up, and Link immediately came to her side, placing a free hand on the small of her back. "Take it easy," he muttered, shifting their daughter in his arms.

"I'm not dying. I just gave birth." She took his hand as he walked her towards the bathroom, where she washed her face, muttering a complaint about how gross she felt. "I wanna go home. I just want to be in my bed with my blankets, and where I don't have to worry about one of my coworkers wandering in and seeing my postpartum underwear." Link laughed but quickly stopped himself at her stern expression.

"It's been less than a day, Amelia; we're not going home yet." The mother turned back around to see her boyfriend cradling their newborn baby, his grin one of the most genuine things she had ever seen.

"Don't you look happy. No postpartum pain for you." She pushed past him to sit back onto the bed, pulling off her robe and laying back into the pillow, using it to support her back.

"I don't think I'm ever going to put her down," Link confessed, rocking the baby back and forth. "Holding her is the best feeling, ever," he walked towards the bed and sat down on the side.

"Do I not get to hold her?" Link shook his head with a broad smile spread across his face.

"Nope. She's Daddy's little girl." Charlotte let out a small coo. "Oh, I have an idea!" Amelia raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. "You know Scarlett Johansson, right? And how people call her ScarJo?"

"Why is this relevant?"

"We can call her CharJo! Charlotte Josephine, CharJo! Our little superhero," he kissed the baby's forehead.

"You are absolutely ridiculous."

--------------

"It's no fair. She likes you better, and I'm the one who carried her around for eight and a half months," Amelia groaned, handing the month-old baby to her boyfriend. The baby's eyes stared up at her father, and her fussing calmed almost immediately once placed in his embrace.

"It's because she's already a mini-you, and I doubt you would enjoy being put in a room with yourself forever. You like me; she likes me," he cooed, lifting the baby up and walking towards the window. "Plus, she's a baby; she's bound to like anyone who holds her." The mother shook her head in amusement and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist from behind, resting her head on his back.

"You do give great hugs," she whispered, squeezing his body. "Maybe I get it."

--------------

"Leave her alone, Link. You can't make her talk," Amelia muttered, pulling a dress over their daughter's head. Link had spent the past few days referring to himself solely as 'Daddy' in hopes of convincing the girl to repeat after him.

"Daddy wants to hear someone say his name!" Charlotte laughed as Link tickled her belly, reaching her arms out to her father. "That's right, Char, say Daddy!" She stared at him in confusion, her tiny eyebrow furrowed together as he attempted to coax her into speaking.

"Mm, sounds like somebody doesn't want to say Daddy!" Amelia sang out, wrapping her daughter up in her arms. "You wanna try saying Mommy, baby?" The seven-month-old stared at her mother with wide eyes. "It's useless. Her first word will probably be something stupid, like 'no' or 'hi.'"

"What was your first word?"

"It was no. Which, Derek always teased me about. He said it was their introduction to who I'd become," Amelia laughed, smiling as Charlotte tugged at her hair. "What was yours?"

"My dad says it was Dadda, and my mom says it was bye. I'm pretty sure it was Dadda; my mom is definitely too stubborn to admit if it was Dadda." He glanced down at his watch and sighed. "I gotta head out; I'll pick up dinner on my way home?" Amelia nodded and kissed him, walking towards the door of their apartment with him.

"Say bye Daddy!" Amelia waved goodbye, and Charlotte mimicked her mother's motion, opening and closing her pudgy hand.

"Bye, Char! Promise you'll record her all day? I don't want to miss her first words," Link pleaded, pulling on his coat. The neurosurgeon nodded, kissing the side of their daughter's head.

"Of course."

"Alright. I'll be home later; I love you!" He twisted the doorknob, waving a final goodbye before closing the door and jogging down the steps of their apartment complex.

"Daddy!" Amelia's eyes grew comically large at the sound of her daughter's voice, glancing over at the girl's outstretched arm, pointing in the direction of where her father had gone.

"Did you just-"She laughed and walked over to the counter, picking up her cellphone and clicking Link's contact. "You're never going to guess what just happened."

--------------

"Aw, Char, you look adorable," Maggie cooed, adjusting the flower in her niece's hair. "Are you excited?"

"I want Mommy." The aunt frowned, pulling the girl into a hug.

"You can see Mommy soon, honey. Okay, now show me what you're gonna do." Charlotte reached into her basket, pulling out a handful of pink flower petals and tossing them on the floor. "Perfect!" The door opened, and Amelia walked through, Meredith at her side, adjusting the skirt of her dress. "Amelia! You look beautiful!" The brunette grinned, giving a quick twirl in her dress.

"I love this dress, but I'm also already looking forward to getting out of it," she mumbled, walking in front of the mirror. "Will you make sure I don't trip while walking down the aisle?"

"We'll trip with you, so it looks like it was supposed to happen," Meredith shrugged, placing her hand on Amelia's shoulder. "You ready?" The brunette nodded, smiling at her reflection.

"Of course. I think this might be the first time in my life where I don't have any doubts." Charlotte ran towards her mother, wrapping her arms around Amelia's legs through the dress.

"Mommy, I'm bored." Amelia grinned, crouching down to her daughter's height.

"We can go home and cuddle later. But, first? Mommy and Daddy are getting married."

--------------

"You know, there's hardwood under the carpet; we could just rip it up," Link suggested, watching his wife drag her feet on the carpet in their brand-new house. "Woah there, be careful, Char," he grabbed the girl as she ran by him quickly, her short blonde hair flying by in the neat braids he had made that morning. "You gotta slow down; we don't want you to fall." She grinned at her father and placed her hand over his mouth.

"Go outside!"

"It's yucky outside; you don't want to play out there." He shifted the three-year-old to rest on his hip, wrapping his arm around her tightly. "Plus, it's your nap time." She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"No nap," she protested, looking over to her mother. "Mommy, no nap!" Amelia pouted her lip out and took Charlotte from Link.

"If you nap now, we can get you a treat after going shopping later, okay?" The toddler paused for a moment in thought before nodding eagerly. "And, you can go sleep in your brand new bed!" Link waved goodbye and watched as Amelia carried her up the stairs in the empty house, coming back down a few minutes later. "She said she wants her room to be purple," Amelia relayed, leaning back against the kitchen island.

"Mm, we can grab some paint while we're out later," he stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist, his fingers rolling the hem of her shirt up.

"What are you doing?"

"Charlotte's asleep; this house is practically empty," he whispered against her ear, pulling her shirt over her head.

"I like the way you think."

--------------

"Hey, I just got a call that Charlotte's in the E.R.; what happened?" Link jogged to catch up with his wife, who was speeding down the hallway.

"I have no idea; maybe she took a spill in daycare or something? Owen just texted me," Amelia muttered, grabbing Link's hand for comfort. "God, this is not what I needed today." She pushed open the door to the staircase and ran down the stairs and through the hallway, entering into the near-empty E.R.

"There's your Mommy," Teddy whispered, running her hand down the girl's hair.

"Mommy!" Charlotte's face was red, her eyes puffy and swollen.

"What happened?" Amelia sat down on the side of the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms, kissing the girl's head.

"Well, Charlotte took a big fall off of the play place in daycare. Everything is fine; she just seems to be a little shaken up." Amelia smiled, feeling slightly guilty as her daughter curled into her body, gripping tightly onto her mother's scrub top. "I'll come back down and send Tom to do a neuro exam later, but she seems to be perfect," Teddy smiled and rubbed Charlotte's knee before leaving and giving the family the room.

"How do you feel, Char?" The girl shrugged at her father.

"I wanna cuddle. Just me, you, and Mommy," she whispered, glancing up at Amelia. "No one else." Link cocked his head to the side and sighed heavily, suddenly understanding what was happening.

"Are you mad at us?"

"I don't want a baby," Charlotte whispered into her mother's shirt, covering her eyes with the fabric. "No baby. Just us." Amelia looked up and locked her gaze with her husband's.

"Char," she whispered, resting her lips on top of the girl's head, "the baby is going to come no matter what. And, I know you might be mad, now, but you'll love the baby when they're here."

"When?"

"In seven months," Link sat down on the foot of the bed, squeezing his daughter's foot and causing her to laugh. "Right before Christmas."

"Is Santa gonna bring the baby?" He nodded his head while chuckling.

"We'll have to see about that. Now, should we see if we can all fit in this hospital bed?"

--------------

"Are you nervous? To be parenting two kids?" Amelia rolled onto her back, lifting up her shirt to reveal the slight curve of her stomach that had formed.

"Not really," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I'm more worried about Charlotte. She's so used to getting all of the attention, I think it might be difficult for her to have a sibling." Link hummed softly and laid down next to her, his hand splaying over her stomach. "Are you?"

"A little. I love her, but she's quite the drama queen. Takes after her mother," he teased, smiling to himself. "And, I love her, and you, and all of the drama."

--------------

"Charlotte's worried we're gonna love the new baby more than her," Link muttered, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. Jo raised her eyebrows.

"I still can't get over the fact that you're a Dad. To a real-life, living child who you've managed to not drop on her head. And, you're gonna be a Dad to another kid. You're such a Dad," Jo shook her head.

"Can you be serious for like, three seconds?"

"Fine. I don't think Charlotte has anything to worry about; that little girl has you wrapped around her finger. There have been way too many times when I've come over, and you're wearing a tiara," she sipped her coffee. "But, I'm serious. You're like, the best dad, ever. It's almost disgusting how much you love her. And I think you just need to spend some time making sure that she knows that. Because in her world, all of that love you have for her is normal for a Dad."

"So, you're saying that I love my daughter too much?"

"No, I'm just saying that she's incredibly spoiled with love and affection, like all of the time. Just make her realize that the baby is more love to share."

--------------

"I wanna cuddle," Charlotte walked into her parent's room, hoisting herself on the bed and crawling in between her parents.

"Mommy needs to sleep," Amelia groaned, shifting the pillow under her head. Link pouted and held his arms out for his daughter, who laid down on his chest.

"Mommy sleeps a lot."

"That's because the baby is coming soon, Char. Mommy needs to rest and make sure that she feels okay so that the baby will be okay." Charlotte shook her head, her blonde hair hitting Link in the face. "Why don't we go cuddle on the couch so that Mommy can sleep?" He stood up, tossing the girl up in the air and catching her again before walking out of the bedroom.

"Why do we have to have baby?" Charlotte asked as she laid into the couch cushions and her father's body.

"Mommy and I love each other, and we love you, and having a baby means that there's just more love for all of us," he whispered, pulling a throw blanket over them. "Plus, babies love attention, cuddles, toys, everything that you love." Her eyelids started to droop, and Link recognized his daughter's tiredness. "You ready to go to bed?"

"Stay here and cuddle," she mumbled, laying her head on his chest.

"Alright. We'll just stay here and cuddle."

--------------

"Hey, Charlotte," Link kneeled down in the doorway, waving quickly to his parents in the kitchen. "Are you ready to come meet your little brother?"

"A boy?" He grinned and took her hand.

"Yup, you have a little brother. He's at the hospital with Mommy right now, and if you want, I can bring you to go meet him." He waited as she narrowed her eyes in concentration.

"Okay. But only to see Mommy," she held up her arms, grinning as Link lifted her, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Only to see Mommy," he repeated, breathing out a laugh. "Not at all for the baby." Their drive to the hospital was quiet, Charlotte settling back in his arms once they had arrived and walked down the hallways of the hospital. "Now, you have to be super gentle with Mommy and the baby, okay?" She nodded her head as Link pushed open the door to Amelia's room.

"CharJo!" Nico laughed, turning to them as they walked in, bouncing the baby in the arms. "You ready to meet your little sidekick?" She buried her face into Link's chest, causing all of the adults to laugh.

"We're only here to see Mommy," Link relayed, slowly placing Charlotte onto Amelia's lap.

"Alright, I gotta head out; running your service is exhausting," Nico handed the baby to Link, patting his friend's back. "Congrats again, you two." They waved goodbye, and Charlotte curled into her mother.

"You sure you don't wanna hold him?" Amelia asked, brushing back a strand of her daughter's hair. "He doesn't bite. He doesn't even have teeth yet."

"What's his name?" Her voice was soft, and she sat up in her mother's lap, looking over at Link, who was pacing around in small circles.

"His name is Scout. Scout Derek Shepherd-Lincoln," Amelia beamed, kissing her daughter's head. "And he's super cuddly and tiny. Like your baby dolls."

"But, you can't play with him like your baby dolls," Link nudged the girl, leaning down so that she could see her brother.

"He looks ugly."

"Wow, brutal honesty," Link stepped away, shaking his head as he laughed.

"He's not ugly," Amelia poked Charlotte's arm. "That's just how babies look. You looked like that once, Char."

"No."

"No?" Link scoffed, bouncing up and down as Scout fussed.

"I don't like him. Take him back, please." Amelia stifled her own laugh, rubbing her hands up and down her daughter's arms.

"He's here to stay; the little man's not going anywhere." Link moved quicker as Scout began to cry, Charlotte's attention peaking at the sound.

"Why is he crying?"

"He's probably hungry," Link muttered, walking towards his wife. "Here, Char, Mommy has to feed Scout." He lifted Charlotte into his arms, and the girl watched as her brother ate.

"Why is he eating Mommy?" Link chuckled at the concern in her voice.

"That's where he gets food from, from Mommy's body," he whispered, swaying back and forth. "Babies don't eat real food until they're older."

"No mac and cheese for Scout?" He shook his head.

"Nope." They watched as Scout finished eating, and Amelia shifted him, taking a burp cloth Link had pulled out of the hospital bag and throwing it over her shoulder as she gently patted the newborn's back.

"Are you two just gonna stare?" Amelia muttered, folding up the cloth. "Can you take him? I need to stand." Link put Charlotte down and took the baby, resuming his previous pace around the hospital room.

"Can I hold him?" Charlotte's voice was soft as she tugged at her father's pant leg, reaching towards the blanket wrapped around her brother.

"Of course, come sit down," he motioned towards the chair, grinning as she sat down. "Amelia, can you grab a pillow?" The mother nodded, pulling a pillow off the bed and setting it down on Charlotte's lap. "You wanna make sure you keep his head up, okay?" He leaned over, gently placing the baby into his daughter's arms.

"He smells weird," she spoke loudly, staring down at the baby. Link kneeled down in front of her, placing a hand on her knee. "But, I think he's okay." Amelia covered her mouth as she laughed, smirking at her daughter.

"So, it's okay if he comes home with us?" Link asked, unable to stop his grin at the sight of his children.

"Maybe. I wanna think more."

--------------

"Char, can you go unlock the door, please?" The girl nodded, taking the key from her dad and running up the walkway to their house. Amelia placed her hand on her back, carefully stepping out of the car as Link took the car seat out. "You feeling okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah, just postpartum stuff," Amelia muttered, shutting the car door and walking towards the house. "Thank you, Char."

"Can we go cuddle, pretty please?" The neurosurgeon smiled, taking her daughter's hand and leading her towards the master bedroom.

"Of course. You know we will never say no to cuddles." Link joined them, unbuckling the baby from his carrier and laying him onto Amelia's chest on the bed.

"I think he can stay," Charlotte whispered, watching her brother fall asleep. "I like him." The parents both grinned widely, Link placing a kiss on his daughter's head.

"I'm glad. Because I like you all, too."

[iron--spider]

I woke up at 3am yesterday to watch The Devil All the Time and I’ve been thinking about it since. I’m gonna put my thoughts and feelings and a review of sorts behind the cut, because I am gonna talk about it freely, so there will be spoilers! So don’t click if you don’t wanna see. I’ll also be discussing the content of the film and I know that might bother people, so that stuff is in here, too! And it’ll be really long because you know I can’t shut up.

So, I loved it. I loved it loved it loved it. I read the book a long time ago when I first found out Tom was gonna be in it, and the only problem I had with the book was that the POVs would change in the middle of a paragraph lmao, but other than that I thought it was pretty perfect. I knew the movie was gonna be pretty brutal, because the book is brutal, so I was prepared.

-BUT I think the critics HIGHLY HIGHLY exaggerated how bad the content was. Like, seriously, they acted as if this was gonna be a Saw movie. I was preparing for blatant, horrific gore, but it didn’t live up to their dramatics at all. There’s blood and nasty situations, but every single episode of Game of Thrones is worse than this movie, as are most episodes of any crime drama on a paid network. I actually thought they were super, super tactful of all their horrific shit. The dog death was off screen and the shot of the body (described by the critics as literally traumatic) was so quick (enough to shut your eyes) and in the dark. I also argue that particular moment is extremely important for Arvin’s journey, because it’s the moment he truly turns on his father and turns on religion entirely, and he carries it with him his whole life (it’s what he flashes back to when he says “I know what my daddy did” because it’s the marker of all Willard’s mistakes) and it winds up being one of the last things he does before he leaves everything behind. Burying Jack’s bones. So, like, I despise dog death or any animal death in my entertainment, but it’s important here and handled well. And all the worst death scenes are either extremely fast (Helen’s and Gary Matthew’s) or shown in negative (all the photos). I think Bodecker’s headshot with Bobo is probably the worst and is also pretty quick. I don’t know if this means I’m a jaded bitch, but God the way they were all whining and crying, I thought it’d be a million times worse. It could have been, with the book’s descriptions, so it was actually pretty tame. Lenora’s death affected me the most and they cut away from that, too. I guess it’ll still bother some people, but there are many, many mainstream things that are far more violent and gory than this was.

-I thought it was a beautiful movie. I never mind films that are slightly slower but I love ones that use their time to lay things out and really show us what’s going on, build the ambiance and the relationships. I loved the narration (which I was worried about), and it really made me feel like we were visiting a moment in time that was important. Like something that was written and should be learned about. Rumors in a town you’re passing through. The ghosts of past trauma and transgressions looming over everyone that’s left.

-I liked the changes they made with Roy and Theodore because I thought that storyline kinda meandered in the book and I’m glad that Roy was actually gone the whole time and not just neglecting to come back to Lenora.

-The only real complaints I can make, I’ll get out of the way here: I wanted a little bit more time with Carl and Sandy. Carl was really creepy, but he could have been much creepier. In the book he was the one looking at the pictures constantly, Not Sandy, and that really showed that he was the one with the sickness, the one pushing them forward and orchestrating it all. I thought they did well with showing how Sandy deteriorated in her efforts with him through the years, but I would have liked to see a bit more of their personal lives together and her fear of him and her genuine feelings about what they’re doing, because the book goes into that a lot more. I also wasn’t a fan of Lee finding the picture early and knowing some about what they were doing, because I liked how it was a surprise to him in the book and yet he still did all he could to cover it up. And lastly, in the book there’s a scene with Arvin after he kills Sandy and Carl where he’s in a motel and he takes like 18 showers because he can’t get the grime of what he’s done off of him, and he looks at the picture and has a nightmare about killing Sandy, and I really would have loved if they’d kept it in. It would have been another ‘acting’ moment for Tom, and it would have been nice for us to see his direct trauma and reaction to everything that’s piling on top of him.

-BUT that’s it. I loved pretty much every single other thing and decision that they made. The cinematography was TOP NOTCH. You could tell they filmed on 35mm film, you could see the grain, and it really, really added to it. Antonio Campos is a very skilled director and I trusted him at the helm of this story. Everything looked so authentic, all the sets and the costumes. The soundtrack and score were AMAZING and enhanced the film. Technically it was just perfect in every regard to me.

-Acting! Acting! God this was like...a massive testament to the casting department and the talent of these people. Everyone was on their A game. Bill Skarsgård has been on my radar since Castle Rock (which I recommend to everybody, both seasons) and he was so natural and great in this role. Haley Bennet was absolutely adorable as Charlotte, I loved her cute face and her sweet relationship with little Arvin. Riley Keough was so great as Sandy with the limited amount of time she had, and Jason Clarke is one of my favorites but he was unrecognizable in this as creepy ass Carl. Harry Melling was a far cry from Dudley Dursley and he did a great job with his screen time, too. Same with Mia Wasikowska, who didn’t have much to do (same as poor Helen in the book) but she was able to garner our sympathy anyway. Seb Stan was slimy and gross but he pulled it off so well. Eliza Scanlen has been one of my favorites since Sharp Objects (another one that’s brutal as hell but I recommend it, she’s so scary) and she was so, so great here. Robert Pattinson was ALRIGHT, everybody talks him up over this but he felt a little hammy to me and a little too over the top, but there’s no denying his talent.

-Now, the reason we’re all here. Tom. My God. As soon as it was over I just didn’t know what the hell to do, I didn’t even know how to....go on, lmfao. We all know he’s talented, that’s why we’re here, that’s why we love him, but his performance in this is just BEYOND all that. Beyond comprehension. The man is only 24 years old and he’s out here outacting people who have been in the industry for longer than he’s been alive. He is SHOCKINGLY good. I knew he’d be perfect for Arvin as soon as I read the book, but he just completely embodied this role in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. He doesn’t show up in the movie until about 45 minutes in (which doesn’t hurt it because of the strength of the leadup, Bill’s performance and the performance of little Arvin’s actor) but God, as soon as he’s there the whole thing comes to life in a way that it hadn’t before. Tom is literally just a shining light, and he draws your eye in every single scene he’s in, and when he’s not there you’re wondering when he’s gonna come back. Arvin, to me, is a very complex character—he has been inherently changed by how his father twisted religion in his childhood, how deeply he betrayed him by his behavior, but he still has a kind heart and a protective streak and the need to be strong despite the pain nearly breaking him apart from moment to moment. Tom is just outrageously good at portraying all Arvin’s little nuances, how he clenches his jaw, how his voice breaks when he’s afraid or trying to convince someone of something or get his point across, how his hands tremble after he’s done something he wishes he didn’t have to do, how his whole body wilts when he realizes he’s emulating his father. And his eyes. Tom can do so, so much with his eyes that it’s unbelievable. He tells you so much with just a simple look, a glance, a wince, a long blink. I’m not exaggerating when I say he’s just an absolute revelation in this, he cements his place in Hollywood with a firm hand and a tender look, and I will not be forgetting what he did here anytime soon. There’s a reason that everyone called him out for being so stunning in this. He is magnificent. He has a gift.

-I wanna say, in particular, how much I love Arvin’s relationship with Lenora. Their lives were both marked by such tragedy and pain and Arvin just took up the torch of protecting her from the moment he said hello as a child. He wants so badly to be tough, and he IS, but there’s just miles and miles of love in this boy’s heart, and it manifests itself for his family—for his uncle, for his grandma, but for Lenora in particular. I loved how he just showed up when she was being harassed and just ran in there without thinking, and it’s purely devastating that he was out taking care of her bullies while a worse predator was cornering her. The scene where she was sick wasn’t in the book but it was a beautiful addition. Tom sometimes wears this very open, unguarded, honest expression, and this is the only scene in which he shows it, and it really expresses the love between them and how much she means to him. Arvin didn’t find Lenora’s body in the book, but it was the right change for them to make. Tom was devastating here, and that pain and that moment truly fuel every second of his journey through the rest of the film. “My Lenora”. The saddest siblings. Both Eliza and Tom did so beautifully with this relationship and I hope they work together again.

-Favorite acting moments for Tom: when he’s in the car in the rain after beating up the bullies, when he’s in the church crowd and realizes Preston is insulting his Grandma (the way his face changes oh my GOD), when he finds Lenora, when the cop comes to tell him Lenora was pregnant (this is just....so damn good), when he was telling his uncle to look after his Grandma, THE ENTIRE CHURCH CONFRONTATION (the way he trembles when he’s trying to get his attention, how he speaks the whole time, how he slowly gathers his strength), when he thinks Sandy has shot him, the moment where he’s over Lee’s body and just....pleading with his eyes for him to listen and realize what he’s done. And the last scene, in the car, all the emphasis on his face....once again, he can do so, so much with a look, with his eyes. Someone called out the beautiful last shot in the film, and of course, it’s Arvin’s sleeping face. And it was so beautiful (and devastating, to think of him enlisting. Tom draws so much sympathy that you just want Arvin to have a normal life so badly. He deserves it, he does, but will he get it?)

-Last thing I’ll say, I really loved how, despite turning his back on religion, that God seems to be protecting Arvin the whole time. He’s terribly afraid confronting the preacher and that could have easily gone badly, especially when he tosses the book, but Arvin was somehow able to get a shot off and get the upper hand. And with Carl and Sandy, he senses something is off immediately once they pull off the road, and he would have absolutely been killed had Carl not switched out Sandy’s bullets for blanks. And in the confrontation with Lee, he once again shoots at the same time as him, shoots without looking, and manages to come out unscathed and on top. A few spoiler reviews pointed out that the last person that picks Arvin up is supposed to be a Jesus-like figure, almost like he’s finally been saved. It hurts that everyone around him that he loved is almost forsaken by God, but he himself is protected. It’s such a complicated commentary on religion throughout the entire piece, but it’s so interesting and engrossing.

So I’d recommend this movie to anyone that loves movies, loves Tom, can deal with a gritty story that takes its time laying out all the chess pieces. It is definitely heavy subject matter but it doesn’t go overboard with the horror as it easily could have. Yes, there are triggers to look for, but the critics hugely over exaggerated how awful it was. I can probably go get time stamps for certain things if people wanna ask me after reading this, but if you can get through a Tarantino film or any HBO drama, you can do this. And Tom’s performance is one for the ages and not one that deserves to be passed over or downplayed. It is beautiful and heart-wrenching—a magnificent turn that displays his monumental ability to reach out and guide you into any world he decides to make his own.

I loved The Devil All the Time.

[seanfalco]

Win’s Bad Day | Misfits Timeline Anomaly’verse

an oc x oc collaboration between @seanfalco & @super-unpredictable98​

Word Count: 1.1k Warnings: Mention of past self harm, Smoking a/n: No smut this time, just good old hurt/comfort

[ masterlist ]

Win pulled her legs to her chest as she placed another cigarette between her lips, pressing her back to the sliding glass door as she looked over the Estate, staring numbly.  Her hair was a mess and she still wore one of Nathan’s shirts from the other day, not even bothering to put on pants or clean her makeup off, which had long since run down her face from her tears earlier. 

Now she just felt empty, unsure when the others would be back.

"Darling, we're home!" Lydia cheerfully greeted as she walked in, followed by the boys who carried her guitar, amp, keyboard, and other assorted equipment.  

"Winnie?" Lyddie's Nathan called, looking around, the TV was off; the flat was silent. 

"Baby?" Lydia spotted her at the tiny balcony.  "Sweetie, we're back, are you hungry?  I could make some... have you been crying?  What happened?" she exclaimed as she pulled open the door, finally getting a better look at her girlfriend.

Win quickly scrubbed at her face, horrified they’d caught her like this.  “Nothing!” she said quickly, though the word came out choked.  “I-I’m fine!” she insisted.

“You don’t look fine,” her Nathan pointed out gently, but that only made her shrug and fold in on herself even more, trying to avoid their worried glances.

"Hey, look at me," Lydia cooed, taking Win's face between her hands and kissing her forehead gently.  "We love you.  You can tell us anything.  Did something happen to leave you like this?" she wondered, trying to hold back the brunt of her concern.

"If it was Delilah or whatever, Lydia can kick her ass again..." Lyddie’s Nathan joked, hoping to get a smile out of her.

Win tried to smile, but it came out forced and she shook her head shortly, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes again. 

Great, I guess I’m gunna cry in front of everyone again, she thought. 

“No, it’s just... me.  It’s just me.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she sighed, sniffling. 

“She gets like this sometimes...” Win’s Nathan whispered in Lydia’s ear.  “She punched th’wall once… I thought she’d broken her hand...”

At Nathan’s words, Lydia’s expression darkened with worry for a moment before softening as she knelt before her.  "Aw, Winnie, come here, it's alright."  Lydia took her girlfriend into her arms, holding her tightly.  "There's nothing wrong with you, you're just having a bad day,” she said, kissing the top of Win's head. 

"Is there anythin' we can do t'help?" Lyddie's Nathan knelt by them as well, stroking Win's hair gently.  "Anythin' in the world?  Y'have two immortal reality benders and a human fortress at your service..."

“I don’t know!” Win sobbed, finally cracking, burying her face in Lyddie’s chest.  “I just wanna stop feeling like this!  I just wanna disappear!”  No longer able to hold back her tears they ran freely down her cheeks. 

“Let’s get her inside...” her Nathan suggested.  “She’ll catch cold if she sits out here any longer.”

"Come on, let's get inside," Lydia murmured, holding Win as they got up.  "If you feel sick just borrow my power, alright?" 

"Sounds like y'just need some love, maybe some tea?  Or chocolate?" Lyddie's Nathan joined the girls on the couch, covering them both with a blanket.

“J-just some water or juice?” Win asked in between sniffles, curling up with Lydia. 

“Can I get yeh anything?” her Nathan asked, fidgeting as she stood there, unsure how to help. 

“A hug?” Win answered pathetically and Nathan felt his heart constrict.

“O’course, sweetheart,” he exclaimed, crawling under the blanket on her other side to wrap his arms around her.

Lyddie's Nathan ran to the kitchen and came back with a glass of orange juice.  "Here, would a hug from me also be helpful?" 

Lydia smiled, pulling him closer so they could all be together.  She tucked Win's hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek softly.  "I love you," she murmured, running her fingers along the other woman's arm.  "You're the best girlfriend anyone could ask for, I'm so sorry you're feeling this way."

“But I’m not the best.  I’m rotten and good for nothing,” Win mumbled, her words muffled by Lyddie’s chest.

"What?!"  Lyddie's Nathan was taken back by the vehemence in her words.  "That's not true, Winnie!  Meetin' you and Lyds was the best thing that ever happened to us!" he cried, looking to his clone for support. 

"Don't say that, baby," Lydia frowned.  "You’re amazing, and talented, and beautiful, and kind, and sweet.  I have no idea how I got so lucky to have you fall in love with me..."

“They’re right,” Win’s Nathan murmured in her ear as she only hid her face deeper, still shaking with silent sobs.  “I don’t know what I’d do without yeh.” 

He hated seeing Win this way, and though it hadn’t happened recently, he could remember all too well the times in the past where he’d found her like this. 

“No, I don’t deserve any of you!” Win cried, pitifully.  “Maybe I’ve just-just tricked you into thinking that!”

"Nathan might not be the brightest, we can all agree on that--" Lydia began, rolling her eyes. 

"Hey!  We're right here!" her Nathan scolded playfully, cutting in. 

"--But I'm pretty damn smart,” Lydia continued as if he hadn’t interjected.  “I had to have something going for me when I was ugly..." she joked.  "You wouldn't trick me into thinking that.  You just can't see it right now, but you’re incredible.  I hope I never have to be away from you, because I don't know if I could live without you anymore..." she said, feeling tears begin to run down her face as well.

“Oh Lyddie, don’t cry!  See I made you cry, I-I’m sorry!” Win hugged her tighter, no doubt leaving a wet spot on her shirt from her tears.  “I love you too!  All of you!” she sobbed.  “Please don’t leave me!” 

“Is that what this is about?” her Nathan asked, stroking her hair, helplessly.  “We’re not goin’ anywhere!  Not over my dead body, and I can’t die!  Remember?” 

“But.. but what if you get tired of me?” Win asked irrationally.

"We're not leavin', not now, not ever," Lyddie's Nathan assured.  "How could we get tired of you?  That's like sayin' we'd get tired of pizza or-or ice cream, that just would never happen!  Forget it, you're stuck with us," he shrugged. 

"You didn't make me cry, Winnie," Lydia murmured, holding her tightly in return.  "I'm crying because I thought of my life without you.  I’d feel so incomplete... We're not leaving, there's no getting tired of you, you make our lives brighter."

Finally Win nodded, starting to believe them.  “I love you Lyddie,” she murmured, “I love you Nathan, and you too Natty,” she sniffled, looking to each of the boys.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know what I did to deserve you all.”

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Lydia whispered.  "Everyone feels like that sometimes, it's normal.  We love all of you, all the time, not just the good moments, we're here for the bad ones too.  You're not perfect, but that's what I like about you, you can pick up the pieces and keep going." 

"Lyds has the way with words y'know, but we love you too, so much," Lyddie’s Nathan said, kissing the back of her hands.

Win’s lip quivered as if she was going to start sobbing all over again.  “Can we stay like this just a little longer?  I still feel a little fragile,” she asked feebly.

"As long as you want, sweetheart," Lydia assured her, bringing Win's face closer to kiss her lovingly.  "We’ll hold you all night long if that's what it takes, we're not goin’ anywhere.”

Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @santacarlahorrorshow @messengeronthemoon @the-freckled-luba @firstpersonnarrator  @spanishmossmagnolia @salvador-daley @forenschik @a-ghoulish-tale @love-is-dirty-baby @captainsheeballs

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon back with ANGST at the very last question on part 2. Im honestly not positive myself how im gonna fix it. I have ideas but still. Hopefully this isn't to long.

Rans life at Mizu: For Mizu I've changed it a bit, history is still messed up to a point. But other people like Technoblade, Philza, Sam, Foolish, etc are now included with their own rooms. Ran idolized/choose Technoblade to follow. Followers of Technoblade are the only people in the City (expect for guards or police type people, though they also tend to be followers of Techno) that are allowed to freely carry weapons (after the proper training of course). Ran choose Technoblade because he wanted to protect those he loved and he was always interested in the art of fighting. He had two mentors, a women named Alma, she mostly did hand to hand combat and defense training with Ran, while a man named Fermin was a historical teacher, and taught him the history of wars and weapons more indepth than regular classes did. He had quite a few friends, though only a few close friends he often went to play games with or have sleepovers with (if you want angst, Ran was actually the one who discovered two of his friends bodies and had to report them, forcing him to go back a few times to see their bodies). Im pretty sure I mentioned it before but the brothers had a family of 6! Their mom was Ranya and was a 20% enderman hybrid, their dad was Seth and was a normal human, of course you know the brothers, their younger brother (14 years old upon death/a year younger than Ran) was named Lias and was human, and their younger sister was Memi (10 years old upon death) and was human. Ran was close to his parents, often having Ranya read him to bed and riding Seth's shoulders when he was young. He also baby sat Lias and Memi when everyone else was out, also helping them with homework and letting them sleep in his bed when nightmares happened. He loved his family and its when the murders and sabotages started happening did he choose Technoblade as his idol, to protect his family and seem intimating to whoever was doing the sabotages. 

1: When the carriage finally stopped Cletus jumped out and faceplanted onto the ground, screaming about how he was finally free and away from all the awkward tension. Grievous, Jackie, and Isaac where all close behind, all having a similar reaction. While Watson, Charles, and Benjamin had a calmer reaction simply walking out and stretching. Ran was the last to get out, and he had to be dragged out by Watson, but he fought being dragged out. He grabbed the edges of the carriage and screamed while being forced out. Ranbob was calmer, and while jumping out he accidentally landed on Grievous, forcing his head back into the dirt, who then let out a muffled shout of alarm before immediately getting up and confronting a nervous and apologetic Ranbob. 

3: He isn't the fastest at evaluating a situation, and needs ample time to make decisions. He also isnt the best at understanding emotions at times and sometimes needs a little push in a direction to understand. Also at points he gets into situations he doesnt know how to handle at all, at those times he almost shuts down with overwhelment, and the leadership tends to go to Benjamin for a while during it. 

5: Their healing potions, so they work over time, slowly working with the body to heal and regenerate, so they take longer to fully work. Poitions work generally the same (ingredient wise), but theres more steps. For a potion of harming, first you crush up and gently mix in a spiders eye into a Awkward potion, then put it on the brewing stand for 10 minutes, then after the Poison potion is made, you get another spider eye and roll it in sugar cane until the general texture changes into a more wrinkly and powder like texture, then crush that up and mix it into the Poison potion, put it in the brewing stand for at least 30 minutes, then it makes a harming potion. The process its generally the same for all the rest of the potions, though it depends on ingredients and how long they must stand on the brewing stand. 

7: I'll try doing that, thank you! Cause Grievous is a lil shit at times and encourages  violence as long as its not against him. I know you probably expect a deep answer but thats purely the only reason Grievous encourages it. It depends on what was said to Jackie, if its something that deeply and emotionally hurts Jackie, than he'd likely discourage him, instead comforting him and convincing him if he attacked the person he'll just feel worse. But if its something he knows Jackie can handle, he'll encourage Jackie to beat em up. 

8: Watson went almost everywhere, the only places he didn't go was The End, Mushroom Islands, Badlands, Ice Spikes, and Gravel Mountains (he saw them he just didn't wanna go in them), and thats because he never came across them or traveled there. He has a long bamboo that he uses to wack people over the head with when their being idiots, he has a framed nether star fragment that he found in a ruined and abandoned village (he doesnt know what it is he just knows its shiny and cool), he has some fur-lined outfits from the time spent in Tundras, and he has a book where he records locations of interesting formations he found and just a general record of stuff (how much food he has, the season, days until winter, when he should go on a supply run, etc). When Watson still lived as a kid in a village, he often went to watch the blacksmith (also the farmers, clerics, and others) and when he was old enough the blacksmith showed him how to make a multitude of weapons with different materials. And now he pushes the limits of what he's learned from that and over the years to make brand new weapons. And since I'm not sure if you where also asking about Ran, Ran only went to Plains, Covered Forest, Tundra, Savanna, and Tagia biomes. He has a dagger (specifically a Zorlin Shape dagger) that he took off of a hunter when he killed them, has parts of iron armour (shoulder and chest pieces, with the pieces that go on his shins), again some fur-lined clothes from his time in the Tundra, a selfbow, and also has a book similar to Watson's, but his has notes of potion affects,crafting recipes, mobs to avoid, etc. Visiting the nether is not common at all! Infact no vists it expect travelers or people who get hired to go in for potion ingredients and building supplies. Jackie does eventually give up painting, and instead picks up the hobby of annoying people and just training. It actually goes pretty well, there are rules put in place during it to protect them, but other than that its generally the same as the one played in our world. Jackie wants to vist those biomes because he thinks there cool, and thinks their good starting biomes to vist for a beginner adventure. Yep, Ran says its way to dangerous to go to the nether, especially with almost no one knowing how the nether works. Though actually Watson wants to bring the others into the nether, saying its a good learning experience and no one will learn how to survive if they dont go. Ran still agures its too dangerous though, citing the Piglins and Ghasts as evidence, but eventually, after much begging and negotiations, Ran agrees to let them go. They just need to listen to Ran and Watson teach them about the nether and follow everything they say to a T while in the nether. 

9: Jackie screamed while being thrown, but after that and a bit of stunned silence, he jumped up and demanded for Ran to throw him again. So he enjoys being thrown, and sometimes he specifically requests to be thrown, so he can curl into a ball and slam into people like a goddamn canon ball. Porkius was also shocked into stunned silence, but after he saw Jackie get back up and demand to be thrown again, he just started bellowing in laughter, you could hear his laughter even echoing a bit outside of the Pit. 

10: Then you may be happy to know, but I believe at the end I'll make it so after the brothers have fixed their relationship, their still being haunted by Dream, and eventually the decision gets made to go back to Mizu and face him. Where Dream has actually escaped (Due to a big group coming in, and him being able to convince them to take the Mask with them) so now they have to hunt him down. And when they finally find him you can bet someone (or multiple people) are going to punch him. 

12: He does tell the fishermen about these thoughts once, but the fishermen sadly fail at comforting him and changing those thoughts, so he decides to keep it inside and suffer in quite. Though 2 people do see his suffering, Ran and Grievous. Grievous is debating if he should step in and ask what's wrong and if he can help, while Ran just watches (though he does feel some hurt watching his brother suffer, though he denies it). 

13: They all had a blast there, Charles showed Jackie how to make flower crowns, then they went and made one for everyone else, Ran just laid in the grass and tried to relax, Ranbob eventually joined in with the flower crowns, Watson was telling Grievous all the meaning of flower colors and what certain flowers stand for, while Isaac and Cletus chased eachother around and eventually got Jackie, Grievous, and Watson involved in a game of chase. They did leave after a General battle, as that was one of the things they had to do for Porkius to approve of them leaving. Porkius still wants them back in less than 5 years, though they can take like a year or 2 longer max. Jackie is technically a general, though the general title he has is specifically only for the Pit matches and instead is more of a like final boss title. 

14: Again its very much like a abusive relationship. Ranbob believes Dream has changed because of distant whispers from Dream (only happened while they still lived at the fishermen house which is kinda-close to Mizu) promising he has changed and he truly wants to help Ranbob, and saying how he can help Ranbob be of more use to the fishermen and since Dream did actually help Ranbob at first, he wants to believe him. But once they get futher away from Mizu, the whispers disappear, only rarely appearing in his dreams. Cletus doesn't really help, not because he doesnt care but more because he doesn't know how to help, he knows its a very delicate situation and saying or doing the wrong thing could hurt more than help, so he decided to play it safe. Charles tries to help, though he provides more physical help, like hugs to ground him or showing him how to breath again, while Benjamin and Isaac tackle the more internal issues and do so comfortingly and gently. Making it so Ranbob only notices their actually helping when he starts to do things on his own and no longer has such strong and often urges to return to Dream. 

15: One night when Ranbob is off getting firewood and Ran is off checking surroundings to make sure its safe, the Hunters actually get into the camp and holds everyone at sword and bow point. Ran sees them when coming back and actually, though hesitantly, decides to wait for Ranbob to come back. And once Ranbob is back the two make a plan to rescue them, which goes mostly well. Ran gets shot in the stomach and Ranbob gets a sword through his arm, but other than that they do manage to rescue them. Watson jokingly says how they've finally made progress and that they can now work toghere without fighting now, Ran growls at this and storms away, denying it, but Ranbob just nervously shuffles and sits down, letting Charles tend to his wounds, as Jackie chases off after Ran to tend to his wounds. I really want them to stumble across the Wild West ruins and maybe The Masquerade ruins but im not sure how I'll get them to either. 

1: Haha, ouch. Poor Ran. Nice backstory though. I can only imagine how he must have felt, coming across those. Does him choosing Techno have anything to do with him choosing to enter the Pit? Also how did Ranbob feel about killing his family? We’ve talked about the guilt about hurting Ran and stuff, but about the ones who weren’t as lucky to escape?

2: That sounds like...a scene. Funny, but probably not until a few days after it happened for the people who actually had to go through it.

3: Is Isaac the type to get overwhelmed easily? But very nice to see Benjamin helping out! 

5: So basically just tossing some real life logic in there? Hmm, interesting.

7: Hope it helps! Nope, no deep answer. That’s about what I expected actually. Grievous has that energy, y’know? Also, very sweet of Ran to comfort Jackie. Does he ever get revenge on Jackie’s behalf? He doesn’t strike me as the type to let that go, especially if it actually hurt somebody he cared for. Him otherwise encouraging it..yeah, sounds about right. Gremlin children.

8: Sounds like he’s really been a lot of places! He must know a lot, huh? Also, he just...wack? Cause that’s kind of funny. He watched others beside the Blacksmith? Did he learn anything from them? Ran personally sounds very intimidating. Though if he has potion notes, does he often make them? Is there a particular reason Nether travel is no longer common? Also, would the gang ever happen to stumble across ruins from the time of the Smp? Cause that’d be kind of cool. Jackie’s new hobby sounds very nice, I hope he has fun doing it. How long does it take before Ran deems everyone ready for the Nether? And do the Fishermen also go through, or do they prefer to stick to safer grounds?

9: I bet the first time the fishermen saw that show they were surprised. And honestly, Porkius, I’d laugh too. 

10: I am happy to know that! Well, not the escape bit, but the punching, for sure! You go, guys, punch that neon green slimeball!

12: Oh no. Does Grievous ever step in?

13: Sounds like they had a good time, I’m happy for them. And a final boss title? Is Jackie like a final boss? What differs between them fighting as the general, and as a typical gladiator?

14: Hm, that’s not good. What is good is that he’s getting away from Dream’s influence. Did that have anything to do with the group deciding to head to Subbin? 

15: Well, progress is progress! Surely it’s a step in the right direction, right?

Also, not really a Brothers AU question, but as you may have noticed, I pinned a post of all the AUs on here, and I was wondering if you’d like me to put yours on there too. Obviously, I’d put it as yours. I wanted to earlier, but I figured it would be better to ask, so tell me your feelings on that.

[bottleofspilledink]

God’s Watching, Put on a Show || Chapter XIV

It seemed shame and guilt were now constants in her life, far more fervent and unrelenting than it was before; the things Eve did that night were things she would have to take to her grave.

She lay on her stomach, mere inches away from the door, using the little light that seeped in from the hall to read. By no means was it ideal, but she’d take what she could get. Better to have sore limbs than an angry mother discovering her reading (and a gay book, no less!) if she goes to check why the lights are still on.

The book – she considered it a diary for a good while based on formatting, but she couldn’t call it that anymore, not after what was in it – was finished in a single, somewhat uncomfortable sitting. Despite of all the questionable morals and queer subject matter, she practically gobbled it up, forgoing sleep, near unblinking in her pursuit to find out what happens next.

What she was more ashamed of, though, was the fact that Lilith’s note never did leave her hand, always cradled in her palm, her fingers tracing over the letters absentmindedly, thumb dancing over the corners. It stayed in her grasp long after she hid the book away. She pressed it to her chest, feeling the constant pitter-patter of her heart just beneath the paper, just beneath her clothing, just beneath her flesh, just beneath her ribs.

It beat. No matter how hard she willed it to stop. It beat for Lilith.

With love, from Lilith.

She longed to press her lips to the letter, where Lilith’s hands once were. What did Lilith think of while writing this for her? Of all the words she could have used, of all the things she could’ve written…

With love.

Her mind spun a fantasy from memories of them, earlier and yesterday and the day before that, from the brief period of them knowing each other, a mixture of yearning and delusion and of darkness, making her hope and wish, no matter how wrong it may be, that the dot just after Lilith’s name was a heart. It looked like a heart, if you squinted at the top. It could have been a heart. She’d scribbled things in the margins of her notebooks and knew that sometimes ink bleed, and what should have been a tiny heart became a mere dot. The thick, dark pentel pen obscured Lilith’s intent from her.

Love.

Eve wanted it to be a heart. She wanted so much more than that, though. She wanted to kiss the letter. She wanted to kiss Lilith.

Even thinking that, a silent confession in the confines of her mind, made everything hurt. A karmic punishment (or so she thought). It made her chest ache and clench, her breath quicken, her palms sweat.

The crucifix dangled overhead, a reminder of her sin, her greed, the promise of heaven the threat of hell. Eve should not want. To want is to sin. And yet, she did.

Her eyes drifted from the letter for the first time in hours.

It scared her, that crucifix and all that it meant.

But it did nothing to stop her want.

She pulled the covers over her, hiding from horrified parents, from disgusted friends, from an unjust world, from a cruel God. It wasn’t the same as when she cocooned herself in Lilith’s embrace, wasn’t the same as when she buried her face in the crook of Lilith’s neck. It didn’t even come close. But she would have to make do.

Under her quilt, she sighed. Relief. But not only that. In that breath was longing and sorrow and love. Oh, so much love. How could a single breath contain it all? Her fingers trembled. Even under the cover of darkness, her chest ached. Whether it was the tender ache of love or that of fear gripping her didn’t matter. Could she tell the difference at this point?

She held the paper gingerly and, at long last, pressed her lips to the letter, to Lilith’s name, to the small dot she still wanted to be a heart. Her actions were soft, gentle, careful as to not crumple the note. And again, lips grazing over the letter smoothly.

One of her hands let go of the paper, moving down, rustling the soft fabric of her nightgown as it passed her stomach and went lower still.

Her fingers twitched. Hesitance.

Then a sigh, barely heard through the sounds of frantically shifting fabric.

Another soft kiss to the paper. A stifled gasp.

It was sunrise by the time she poked her head out of the covers, panting.

 ...

Eve sat next to Lilith in homeroom, silent despite the hustle and bustle of the room; most girls having gotten up to talk to each other and compare clubs while it wasn’t too late to switch.

She could feel it, even now, her bathwater scalding like hellfire, pelting down on her skin as harsh as hail. Her fingers were still pruney from the long shower. The flush of her irritated skin hadn’t gone down by much, either, though she couldn’t tell if it was from the heat of her shower or the lingering shame. Her thighs burned something fierce, a mixture of near-boiling water and constant, repentant scrubbing.

A self-inflicted punishment.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” She whispered.

Eve didn’t really think she had the right to judge the other for stealing the books, especially after what she’d done, but cruel and horrible as it was both to her and Lilith, chastising another would make her feel better.

If only marginally.

Lilith didn’t even respond, a mere eyebrow raise her only answer.

A dare to continue? A display of anger, annoyance?

She couldn’t tell.

Still, she went on.

“It was library property. You can’t just take a book out of the library without borrowing it, that’s stealing.”

Nothing she said made the burning stop. It was as if hell itself had come to make a home within her, a now dirty, violated temple of the lord. The shame didn’t fade and the guilt still sat deep in her chest, her stomach. She’d scoop it out if she could.

Wasn’t that a pretty image? Her hands deep in her ribs, black sludge flowing freely from her innards, its source unknown by anyone but God. Her sin coming to a physical fruition via the dark liquid rising in her throat, spewing out gruesomely, grotesquely. Maybe it would choke her. Or maybe she would just explode.

“Why’d you take the book?”

Lilith’s expression finally morphed from what she thought was a questioning passiveness to a sad smile. It wasn’t like her other smiles, but just like before, it was like the girl knew something she didn’t.

“So I could give it to you.”

She felt like crying again, a frustrated, incredulous sob rising in her throat. Even after everything she’d already seen, after everything that had already happened, she could hardly comprehend Lilith’s words.

Sensing this, Lilith spoke again: “I did it for you.”

It was said so simply, so easily, despite the weight it held, like an anvil turned feather, but not quite; the weight was there, mind you, but Lilith was all too happy to carry it.

“And it’s not stealing,” She argued, shrugging, “it didn’t have the sticker so it wasn’t in the system. Nobody besides you even knew it was there.”

“Still.”

A second passed. It was neither tense or relaxed, more expectant than anything else, Lilith knowing she was going to say something more.

“The note…”

Said item sat squarely in her skirt pocket, folded and protected by her embroidered handkerchief. She tried leaving it at home. It had been slid under the base of her antique lamp before she rose and showered. But the fear of it being discovered lingered, leading her to pocket it before leaving.

That wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t leave it behind, though.

For barely underneath the fear was longing, a longing to be close to the note, to hold it to her. Even now, her fingers twitched, aching to palm it under the table, just out of view.

“What about it?”

Thoughts of the dot echoed in her mind and she vaguely pondered whether confirming Lilith’s intent was worth seeming utterly delusional.

“Did you… mean that?”

“Mean what?”

It could’ve been anything, the answer to that question. Just yesterday when Lilith said it was going to be okay. When she said taking care of someone wasn’t tiring, not when it was her. The time Lilith deserved someone better than a man who only cared for her looks. The note, the thing she was actually here to ask about.

“Love.” Her only answer; the only word brave enough to dare go past her lips, the only one she could form despite the near-overwhelming myriad of possible replies.

She didn’t even know if it would be enough.

“Eve,” Lilith smiled again, tender and filled with what could only be… “When have I ever lied to you?”

And it was.

For the both of them, it was enough.

____________________

AAAAAAAAA HELLO!! YES THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT AT ONLY 1500+ WORDS BUT ALSO THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO END IT SO I’M SORRY ;--;

Taglist: @atahensic @anomiewrites @leahstypewriter @madame-ree @melpomenismask @littlemisscalamity @phillyinthebathroom @gaypeaches @extrabitterbrain @pirateofblood @i-wanna-be-a-rock

As a little side note tho, CHRISTMAS BREAK STARTS SOON!! I’m an atheist so I don’t actually celebrate it tho since I live with my very Catholic family who doesn’t know I’m an atheist i also sorta do,,,,, bUT THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT!!!! I’m telling y’all about the break mostly because it starts on the sixteenth of December and ends two of January which is like,,,,,,, a lot of time to write so please stay tuned for that 💛

(Might drop a chapter on the twenty-fifth,, just for shits and giggles :P)

[suituuup]

hi, I was wondering where I can find the sequel to 'look at the stars (look how they shine for you)'? I remember reading it on your old tumblr but I couldn't find it on your AO3. It's a beautiful story and I wanna re-read the continuation of this story again.

hello! Yes, that’s because I only published it on tumblr. Managed to find it in my google docs, so here you go :)

part one here

*

“It’s a girl!”

The raw, piercing cry that fills the room following the doctor’s announcement makes Beca’s chest swell with unparalleled awe. She watches in awe as the slimy, unhappy and reddish looking baby is laid upon Chloe’s chest. 

“Oh my god,” Beca’s voice trembles with the emotions lodged in her throat as tears freely run down her face. 

“It’s okay,” Chloe murmurs to their daughter (their daughter. Holy crap.) as she peppers her forehead with gentle kisses. “You’re okay, baby girl.” 

The newborn’s wails subside to small cooing noises, Chloe’s warm skin against her tiny body seemingly reassuring and familiar after her tremendous and emotional arrival into the world. 

Beca leans forward to kiss Chloe’s temple, resting her forehead against the side of her head. “You are incredible. I love you both so much.” 

Chloe twists her head and they share a sweet, lingering kiss. “We love you, too, Mommy.” 

One of the nurses steps up to the other side of the bed once they’ve parted. “Chloe, we have to take her for just a few minutes, okay? We need to weigh and measure her, then give her a clean-up.” 

“O-okay.” Their minutes-old daughter fusses again as soon as she is carried away. “Beca, go with her, I don’t want her to be alone.” 

Beca brushes another kiss to Chloe’s forehead. “We’ll be right back.” 

She takes a few strides to the baby station tucked against the far wall, observing from a few feet away as they weigh, measure and clean-up her daughter before wrapping her in a blanket. She’s carried back into Chloe’s arms and Beca perches herself on the edge of the bed, draping an arm over Chloe’s shoulders as she gazes down at their bundle of joy.

“She’s so beautiful, Chlo,” Beca says softly, brushing her thumb over her daughter’s knuckles. “She has bright blue eyes, the same as yours.” Beca knows a baby’s eyes are likely to change a few shades but she hopes they stay identical to Chloe’s. “Her hair is light red, and she’s got lots of it. And she can’t take your eyes off you,” Beca observes endearingly. “At least she and I have something in common.” 

Chloe grins and leans her head against Beca’s shoulder. “Keep going.” 

“She’s got her hand wrapped around my little finger. Both literally and figuratively.” Beca says with a watery chuckle, followed up by a tiny gasp. “Oh, her eyes are closing. Looks like coming into this world was exhausting.”

Chloe giggles. “Tell me about it.” 

“Hi mommies,” the nurse interrupts gently. “Do you have a name for her?” 

“Avery,” Chloe speaks softly. “Avery June Mitchell.” 

Avery starts to fuss a few seconds later as the nurse fastens a bracelet with her name to her wrist. She helps Chloe present her breast to Avery, who latches on immediately. 

“She’s a trooper,” Beca murmurs with a proud smile, which drops when she catches Chloe’s features crumbling. She pivots to face Chloe, cupping her face tenderly. “Chlo?” 

“I’m okay,” Chloe sniffles, wiping her tears with her free hand before she rests it back over Avery’s tummy. “I’m just so happy.” 

Chloe has always wanted to have kids, but for many years that wish had been suffocated by the fear of not being a good mother because of her handicap. 

“Hey Chlo,” Beca murmurs as they snuggle in bed one week night. “Do you ever think about having a baby?” 

“A baby?” Chloe echoes, craning her neck to glance at Beca. It’s something that Beca had been thinking for a while now, but always figured Chloe would be the one to bring it up. She stares at Beca for a long stretch, her mouth gaping wordlessly. Eventually, she sets her head back down on Beca’s shoulder. “I-I do, it’s just…” She sighs as she fiddles with the hem of Beca’s shirt. “I’m scared. What if I’m not a good mother?” 

Beca brushes a kiss across her hairline. “Because you’re blind?” 

“Well, yeah.” Chloe breathes out. “I can take care of myself now, but another human being? What if I can’t change them properly, or feed them? I won’t be able to see if they’re in danger or… play with them the way a sighted person would.” 

“I get it,” Beca says softly as she draws nonsensical patterns along the base of Chloe’s spine. “But Chlo… look at me,” She reaches out to tilt Chloe’s chin up, tenderly cupping her cheek. While Chloe can’t see the confidence swirling in Beca’s eyes, Beca knows she can hear it in her tone. “That wouldn’t make you a bad mother. Your lack of sight wouldn’t change the fact that you’d love our child unconditionally and that you’d do anything in your power to make them happy. Of course it would be challenging and it might take you a little while to learn the ropes but I’d be there to help, every step of the way. We’’d learn together.” Beca pauses, brushing her thumb over Chloe’s cheekbone. “I know becoming a mother has always been something you wanted and I don’t want your inability to see to make you feel like you can’t.”

Chloe remains silent for a few beats and Beca can almost see the cogs churning in her brain. “Do you want this, too?” She eventually asks, almost timidly. “To have a baby?” 

“Yeah,” Beca confirms without missing a beat, her smile brightening her tone. “I do. I want to start a family with you, Chlo. Not -- maybe not tomorrow but sometimes down the road. I don’t really want to share you with anyone else at the moment.” 

Chloe’s giggle warms Beca from the inside out. “Maybe -- maybe we can start in a year?” 

Beca beams, reaching for Chloe’s hand to press a lingering kiss to her knuckles. “Sounds like a plan.” 

Beca knows what Chloe means; she never thought it possible to feel this unparalleled type of happiness, as though her heart was so full it barely fit inside her chest. “Me, too.” 

The first few days of Avery’s life go smoother than Beca expected. Nurses help them with changing, feeding and sponge-bathing their daughter. Beca is hyper focused through each task, knowing she will in turn be the one to help Chloe once they go home. 

“You got it,” Beca murmurs as she stands beside Chloe while Chloe finishes strapping on Avery’s fresh diaper, impressed with how Chloe picked up the skill much faster than she did. Chloe smiles and grabs the clean onesie draped over her shoulder, studying it with her touch for a handful of seconds to figure out which are the sleeves from the legs. After some fumbling to get the onesie over Avery’s head, the baby starts to show her discontentment by wiggling harder and fussing. 

“Bec,” Chloe requests. 

“Okay, right here,” Beca guides Chloe’s hands a little bit  before letting her do the rest. 

“It’s okay baby girl, almost done,” Chloe’s soft voice captures Avery’s attention while she finishes fastening the onesie snaps. “There we go,” Chloe reaches out, careful to support Avery’s head as she scoops her up to lay upright against her chest. “We did it!” 

As Beca predicted a few years ago, Chloe is an amazing mom. She gets up in the middle of the night to feed Avery and sings her back to sleep, goes to every baby swimming class, takes Avery to the park with her faithful guide dog Joey and reads her bedtime stories in braille. 

As she grows up, Avery knows her Mama’s eyes are “broken” and that she can’t see the way Avery can. She understands that she has to be a little bit more patient when it’s Mama that cooks or dresses her, or that she has to come give her toy to Mama when Mama asks what she’s playing with instead of just holding it up so Mama can feel it with her hands. 

However, she also understands pretty quickly that she can sometimes get away with things she wouldn’t dare try when Mommy is around, like stealing cookies from the stack when she knows she’s not supposed or drawing doodles on the living-room wall. 

“She gets that from you,” Chloe says when Beca slips under the covers after tucking Avery in. “Her mischievousness.” 

Beca chuckles, slipping an arm around her wife’s waist as she spoons her from behind. “I can’t really contradict you there.” 

“She was too quiet, I knew something was up,” Chloe explains. “But then she gave me her crayon when I asked what she was playing with so I believed her when she said she was coloring.” 

“It’s okay, Chlo.” Beca brushes a kiss in the crook of her neck. “We can always frame that part of the wall and pretend it’s an expensive piece of art.” 

Chloe snickers, finger feathering back and forth over Beca’s forearm. “What did she draw anyway?” 

“She said she drew our family. Two tall stick figures holding hands, two shorter ones next to them and a dog. I think it’s her subtle way to let us know she wants a little brother and sister.” 

Chloe turns onto her back. “Yeah?” A smile tugs at her lips. “Do you? Want to have another baby.” 

The thought has crossed Beca’s mind more than once, lately. “Yeah. If you want to, that is. I’m also happy with one.”

Beca squeaks when Chloe pulls her down on top of her, locking her legs around her waist. She brushes her lips across Beca’s. “Let’s make a baby.” 

Beca backs away. “Hold on, you know I’m not equipped, right?” 

Chloe���s giggle fills the room, and it’s still the most beautiful sound Beca’s has ever heard and the grin lighting up her face Beca’s favorite sight in the whole world. 

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten Twice Stupid Prt.86

Stumbling out of bed, Keith staggered from his bedroom to the bathroom, then to the kitchen. His bed had been devoid of Lance, and he didn’t like it. Making a beeline for his boyfriend, Keith crashed into him, sliding his arms around him. Lance was cooking something that wasn’t coffee, chuckling at him as he turned from the oven. Wrapping his arms around him, Lance kissed his forehead at his hairline

“Good morning, you”

“Nghmmm...”

The time was a little after 6. Dressed in his shirt and boxer briefs it was too cold to be awake. The sun shining through the window unwantedly

“Coffee’ll be ready soon. You’ll have to let me go if you want me to pour you a cup”

Keith didn’t want to Lance go. Dragged along in the kitchen, Lance worked around him, making sure to give him plenty of cuddles as he waited for the coffee to drip through the machine... that Lance had gotten out the box and set up

“You weren’t in bed...”

Cuddling in front of the light creeping in, Keith kept his face hidden from it. Had Lance not been making breakfast than they could have gone back to bed

“I know, babe. I wanted to make you breakfast... I had a nice night last night. I’ve missed snuggling with you”

“Missed you too...”

“You’re doing well without your coffee. Ready to shuffle back, I think it’s done now”

“Don’t wanna move”

Lance kissed his hair

“I feel honoured, but you need your coffee”

Shuffling round clinging to Lance turned into shuffling around trying to have his boyfriend and his coffee. Guided from the kitchen, he was tricked into sitting at the dining table

“Whaaa...”

Lance dropped a kiss on head

“Drink your coffee. I’m going to finish making breakfast”

Catching his boyfriend before he could dart away, Keith pulled him closer, whining

“Youuuu...”

He wanted to tell Lance to sit down and cuddle. Only English was hard and words didn’t want to cooperate

“Meeeee... will be back with breakfast”

“Kiss?”

Taking his face in his hand, Lance pressed half a dozen kisses to Keith’s lips with a smile between his words

“Now, be good boy and wait for breakfast”

Lance cooked up a feast for breakfast with ingredients Keith didn’t know they had. His boyfriend sitting across from him as Keith ate. Shiro’s and Curtis’s breakfast sat in the oven keeping warm seeing it wouldn’t be long before Shiro’s alarm went off. With his leg drawn up, Lance had his chin resting on his knee, his half drunken cup of tea in his right hand

“This is good. You should have cooked yourself some”

“Nah, I ate as I cooked. Had to make sure I wasn’t about to accidentally give everyone food poisoning”

Keith’s plate was full to the point of nearly over flowing. Scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sliced sausages mixed into fried tomatoes and toast

“At least have some bacon...”

“I made it for you”

“And I want to see you eat something”

Lance shifted his leg so he could lean across the table, Keith holding out a piece of bacon for Lance to take with his teeth. Leaning back, Lance tore the bacon smiling as he chewed, both of them in a comfortable silence until Lance finished the piece

“Not to brag, but I’m kind of good cook”

“I know you are. You didn’t have to make breakfast”

“I wanted to. I was so tired last night that I totally brushed off Curtis and couldn’t wait for Coran to leave”

“So this is an apology breakfast?”

“Not really. It’s more of a “I love you guys and wanted to cook”. I never sleep as well as I do when I’m with you”

Keith smiled at his boyfriend. Lance’s birthday was right around the corner now. Pidge and Hunk had added him to a private chat over what they should do for Lance’s birthday. Pidge had suggested an “18 again” party, that Hunk shot down thanks to Lance having requested for them not to. He was still yet to pick out a present for his boyfriend, but he’d gone ahead and booked a hotel for the night, and even if it wasn’t very romantic he’d made a reservation for three at a restaurant with good reviews for him, Lance, and Miriam. He didn’t want to share Lance, but Lance didn’t know how many more birthdays he’d have with his mother. And unlike Krolia, Keith didn’t mind Miriam being there. She had all sorts of stories about Lance that he wanted to hear.

“Is that breakfast I smell?”

Shiro came shuffling out his room, left arm stretching up as covered his mouth with his right, yawning widely as Curtis came up behind him. Breakfast was so good he didn’t want to share... also, he was enjoying having the apartment pretty much to themselves, and Kosmo

“Lance cooked”

Shiros face lit up. Their cooking skills were lacking, and often they couldn’t be bothered with much more than toast

“Really?! Thanks, you didn’t have to do that”

Lance ducked his head

“It’s fine. I’m really sorry I bailed early on you guys last night. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow”

When Keith climbed into bed, Lance moved automatically to cuddle into him with a mumbly sigh. Keith loved I knowing that Lance only cuddled him like that. That he felt he could be vulnerable enough not to stir properly. Nosing his way under the blankets, Kosmo liked to sleep near Keith’s butt.

“It’s nice to see you, awake Lance. Thank you for breakfast. I’ve really missed your cooking”

Curtis followed after Shiro to the kitchen, Shiro then heading into the bathroom as. Curtis opened up the oven

“I’ve missed cooking. Three meals a day. Blood was a little rationed, but it was nice to taste red wine again. Matt and Rieva are pretty easy to please. Yeah... it’s not the same though, without you around. I never thought I’d miss having a full house”

Keith picked up his cup of coffee, asking

“What happened to hating people?”

“I still do. But it was nice... I don’t have someone to watch soap operas with anymore. So that sucks”

Keith couldn’t get into them. Curtis called out from the kitchen though he didn’t need to

“I am sorry that I’ve remained in Platt. Staying with you is the most at easy I’ve felt in some time”

“That’s because it’s your official second home now. I mean, Keith is my boyfriend and it’s his home and your dating and his brother, but even if you weren’t, you’re always welcome there”

Keith stabbed at the fried tomatoes on his plate

“It’s my home?”

“Dah. I don’t have to hide who I am now. The only reason I have to leave is to either be with you or because I’m on the run. Pidge is moulding into the sofa again. She wasn’t there yesterday, but that’s because I left before she got up. I didn’t tell them about the mission. I’m still not okay with my house being “Amateur Hunters-R-us””

“They haven’t given up?”

Lance rested his chin back on his knee. Keith didn’t like that the others were investigating, yet there wasn’t much he could that wouldn’t get them into spades of trouble

“Nope. Oh, and guess what, Pidge now what’s to do a video explaining ghost hoaxes on top of all the stuff they’re already doing. She wanted me to do the effects because I’m so fast”

“That doesn’t sound fun”

“I’ll take a night of discomfort over a night of them investigating any day of the year”

“They’re still being cautious right?”

“No one’s turned up on my doorstep yet to tell them to stop, so I assume so... It’s not like they have a lot to really work on”

That was a relief. As long as they didn’t dig too close to Lotor’s affairs then they should remain relatively safe

“Are you headed back after we see Lotor?”

“Kind of have to. I want to see Mami though. She didn’t want me coming back if you weren’t with me. I think she likes you better than me”

Keith couldn’t work out how that was possible. Not when Krolia hadn’t tried to talk to him and she was his own mother

“I doubt it”

“I don’t. She literally told me not to come back without you”

Lance’s pout carried in his tone

“Do you want me to come?”

“Only if you want to. I’m hoping to take her to mass this afternoon but I know that isn’t your thing”

“Maybe we could meet up after?”

Lance offered him as warm smile making Keith’s heart go weird

“I’d really like that”

*

Heading to VOLTRON after breakfast, Coran greeted them with a bag of blood. Lance happy to eat because damn he was starving. Those weird wings took a lot of energy to put away, and the mission it’s self had been draining. Part of the reason he’d woken up so early was thanks to his hunger. Twisting off the cap of the bag, he fell into step with the group, comfortably beside Keith

“Now. The Blades came by last night to examine both items. I’ve taken small samples and photographed everything. Krolia and Kolivan will both be present as you talk to Lotor. I did try to dissuade them, but both of them were stubborn. Lotor is already here, Allura is currently with him”

Lance nodded at Coran’s words. It made sense they’d want to be there to gauge Lotor’s reaction. He still felt dirty about stealing from a nun, even if she was long gone. Religion had been such a big part of his life for so long, and the woman deserved to have her items treated with respect. Walking through to the conference room, Krolia and Kolivan were suited up like Keith and Shiro were. Lance feeling instantly nervous at the sight of Krolia and somewhat wary about being shot again

“This is where I leave you. I’ll wait on Coran’s office”

Curtis should have been allowed in if Lance had his way, but he understood that thanks to his curse Curtis couldn’t speak freely and may reveal too much. It wasn’t fair on him. He was a great guy and Lance missed him around the house. He hadn’t offered Curtis to come back thanks to his budding relationship with Shiro. That and the fact the others were snooping into Lotor at home. He didn’t want to put Curtis in danger, despite him being a hunter and all that. And he kind of thought it might be triggering for Curtis seeing he’d been cursed by werewolves. Quickly draining half a bag of blood, Lance passed it over to Curtis

“Can you look after this until we’re done? I feel like Lotor wouldn’t approve of me drinking out a blood bag”

“Sure thing. Good luck in there”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to need it”

The first thing Lotor did was look him up and down. Lotor was in a different suit, Lance in the same one he’d worn the day before with one of Keith’s shirts instead of his own. Sitting directly across from Lotor, Kolivan placed down the Bible and locket in front of Lance, Lance then sliding them across the table to Lotor. Calmly picking up the locket, Lotor crushed it in his fist, smiling as he did

“Thank you for that. I had hoped you’d be successful”

Dropping the balled up piece of metal, there was no recovering the locket or what had been inside

“You mean you’re happy to see we can be trusted, though it was so simple it was barely worth our time”

Lance sounded bored. Lotor’s ego may of gotten the better of him the previous day, today was a new day and he was letting his ego flare

“My generals will be rather disappointed, they of course thought you’d run home with your tail between your legs”

“Your generals don’t know me. What you mean to say is that you thought I’d run home”

Lotor smiled

“Perhaps. You of course know either item had any particular meaning”

“I know you like to fuck with people you think lesser than yourself”

“After yesterday it is refreshing to see such unguarded hostility. You’re not quite the quivering little lamb you lead on”

Lance let go on his ego, letting his teeth and nails extend. Beside him both Allura and Keith drew away slightly

“Not when it comes to what belongs to me. We completed your first task. You said you had two”

“All business makes for a rather dull conversation”

“A dull conversation with a dull partner. I hardly see why you’re called “The Prince of Europe”. Honestly, what do you gain from sending us to do mere grunt work? I see no ensured mutual destruction in last night actions”

Lotor laughed, wiping a fake tear from his cheek. Lance was starting to feel the same dreaminess as the previous day, but wasn’t about to let his concentration slip

“You are most entertaining. Very well, for the laugh I shall give you your second task. This one is for you and Allura. You are to go collect something much more interesting this time...”

Lotor drew a black business card from his pocket, sliding it over to Lance

“... These are the details of the address. A companion will be require for entry, and perhaps a change of dress... Some sense of something more fashionable then this current off the rack ensemble”

“Something gaudy would be insulting to the senses. When are we expected?”

Lotor was ruffled at Lance’s dislike of his fugly purple suit. The suit was only ugly because Lance had a fair idea that it was a useless show of money

“This Wednesday night. If you miss your opportunity, there won’t be a second one. Dress your companion accordingly”

Nope. Keith wasn’t dressing like a scantily clad pet. He’d ask his boyfriend what he was comfortable and they’d go from their

“I will dress my companion how I please. If that is all, then there is no need to waste further time on this”

“On that we agree. Leash and muzzle will be acceptable”

Keith wasn’t being muzzled. He wouldn’t be Lance’s first choice as a “companion” purely because he loved Keith as an independent person. His boyfriend wouldn’t let him go on a mission with Allura without him tagging along. Waving his hand airily, he enjoyed knowing he was getting right under Lotor’s skin. It was easier dealing with Lotor when his ego decided it didn’t like how Lotor made him feel so had to play up

“Such tacky taste. You would have thought our people would have moved past such archaic things. Never mind. We’ll be there”

“Then we have an agreement. Allura, absolutely lovely to see you again. I do hope to see you again quite soon. Lance... everyone else... thank you for your... time”

Allura offered to walk Lotor out, Lance sighing as Lotor left the room and he was able to lean back in his chair. He didn’t like how hard it was to keep his head with Lotor around. Being in the room with another vampire was exhausting

“What was that?”

Lance sighed again. Kolivan sounded kind of annoyed

“That’s what happens when you put two vampires in the same room”

“You were supposed to question him, not insult him”

“Yeah. Well. If you couldn’t tell me ego was talking for the most part”

Keith reached out and placed his hand on Lance’s

“You did good, babe. I’m not keen to dress as a pet again”

“I don’t want you dressed as pet either. We’ll need to look the part, but I figured for the most part I’d let you... no, sorry. I hate my stupid poxy ego. You’re not my pet and I don’t ever want you to feel like that. What I mean is, you can pick what you want to wear...”

“You’d know better than I do how pets dress”

“And you’re not a pet. I don’t like the idea of you having to dress like one”

Keith squeezed his leg comfortingly

“I’ll be okay. What’s on the card?”

The black business card was to a lower vampire club called “Club D-L-A”. The name in silver cursive. On the back was the club hours, leaving the card as probably their ticket in there, not that he’d have much trouble. Passing it over to Keith, Krolia intercepted

“We’ll send agents in to watch over you”

They’d be made on the spot. Not only would they be new faces, they’d be new faces the same night as other new faces

“No. Don’t. They’ll be made by scent. A place like this means you’ve got to be dead to be there, or a pet. Allura isn’t human, so she’d pass. Werewolves in a vampire club would be problematic. I’ll get us in, and I’ll keep Keith safe. Babe, I know you hate it, but we’ll have to go shopping... and I’ll have to get another suit. I think I offended him by wearing this one twice”

“I think it looks good on you”

His boyfriend was the sweetest. Keith shouldn’t have to put up with his ego. Krolia sounded cheerful as she invited herself along

“Then we should go today. We can fit your clothing with tracking, audio and visual”

Keith’s gaze flicked up to his mother

“Lance and I have plans today”

“Plans more important than your mission”

“Yes”

Lance’s heart was warmed at the thought Keith considered Mami so important

“We can go tomorrow?”

“No. You wanted to see Miriam today...”

“But this is important”

“So is she. Maybe we could go after?”

That’d be undoing the whole going to church thing. Keith needed a muzzle and collar... which meant a trip to the closest adult store

“Why don’t we visit Lance’s mother together. I would love to meet the mother of the man dating my son”

Keith snapped at his mother

“You can’t invite yourself along”

Lance didn’t want Keith and Krolia fighting...

“Babe, we’re not going to win this argument. Krolia, we planned to take Miriam to church. If you’d prefer, we can meet after?”

“Who doesn’t love a good visit to church? I’ll pick you both up after Keith has changed. Let’s say, half an hour in front of your apartment building? Good? Good. I’ll drive”

Yay... Keith was going to be cranky for the rest of the day... He’d done it this time.

[cha-lyn]

Milk & Eggs - Nine

Farmer!Bucky x Reader

Words: 1680ish

Summary: Small Town /Farmer Bucky AU // Reader leaves the city to go live with her grandma. She meets an attractive farmer and, no, they don’t hit it off.

Warnings: usual angst, use of alcohol, silly fluff maybe

A/N:  Sorry this took so long. : )

if ya like it, give it a reblog/like/comment. Makes my day.

Master List // Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

- - -

You lay awake for almost two hours, your mind was racing with excitement for Brad and Aaron and your own excitement of getting to stargaze with Bucky. Did he think Saturday was a date? You kind of did, although you would never admit it. He didn’t ask you in person though, so it can’t be a date. But it was really thoughtful. Would he think the wedding was a date? Wasn’t it?

When you finally fell asleep, your dreams were Bucky-centered and pretty streamy. In the dream you were set up in the bed of his truck, gazing up at the stars. Something happened, maybe you shivered and he gave you his blanket. You protested though, not wanting him to get cold, either and he joined you under the two blankets. Things progressed from there.

It was hot.

-

The rest of the week went by quickly. Thursday and Friday were extremely busy. You and Grams had three event cakes to complete by Saturday: a 50th anniversary cake for the Sheriff and his wife, a birthday cake for the owner of the diner and a wedding cake for the Peterson wedding. You liked being busy at the bakery. Baking and decorating was cathartic for you. It was also distracting, thankfully.  

“Got any plans this weekend, hun?” Grams asked as she rolled out fondant.

“Oh. Yeah, actually Bucky invited me over to watch a meteor shower this weekend.”

Grams looked up at you, smirking. “Is that so?” You ignore her tone and nod. “Well, I guess I’ll see you Sunday afternoon then.”

“No, Grams. It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“Everyone is just friends, until they aren’t, sweetie.”

You shake your head, “Anniversary cake is done. I’ll start the decorations for the Peterson cake.” The front bell rings, before you can even start. “I’ve got it, Grams.”

“Hey slick.” Bucky Barnes. Wearing a white tank top, plaid shirt all the way unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up, both covered in dirt. Really everything was covered in dirt--boots, hat, jeans.

“Hi,” you squeak.

“It’s hot out there today.”

You nod, trying not to stare too hard. Sure as hell is, you think. “Uh. Can I get you anything?”

“Oh, nah,” he takes his ball cap off to smooth his hair. “Just stopped in to say hey. Just picked up some feed for the horses.” He waves offhandedly towards the feed store direction.

You couldn’t help but smile. “Well, it’s nice to see you...”

“It’s great to see you,” Bucky was looking at you hard. His mouth opened like he was going to say something--

“James! What a pleasant surprise.” Out comes Grams, wiping her hands on her apron. “Y/N get him some water, he looks absolutely parched.” You do as your told, thankful for a chance to hide the blush that was creeping up your face. “Oh, James. Y/N has to move a giant wedding cake tomorrow. See, I have back issues and it’s too heavy for her to move alone--”

“--I’d be happy to help.” He smiles that brilliant smile of his.

Grams clapped her hands together. “Oh good. Then you guys can get on with your date.” Bucky’s eyes widened and he glances at you, then at his boots.

“Grams. I told you it’s not a date.”

“Ooops sorry, sorry. I’ll go back to my flour covered cave then. Nice to see you James,” she called as she headed back to the kitchen.

“Um. I’m sorry she’s…” You trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“It’s fine.” Bucky took one sip of his water. “I should go. What time tomorrow?”

“We have to drop the cake off at the chapel at 2 so be here 1:30. See you then.”

He tipped his hat at you, with a grin and left.

You waited until his truck had driven away to put your head on the counter and groan.

- -

At exactly 1:30, the shop's bell rang and in walked Bucky. Opposite from the day before, he was in a clean t-shirt, jeans and his dress boots.

“Hey slick.” Cue dazzling smile.

“Hey Bucky. Right on time. So really we don’t have to carry it the entire way, it can roll on that,” you point to a rolling cart. “We just have to lift it twice and make sure it doesn’t fall in the road.”

He nodded. You directed him to the other side as the two of you lift and place it onto the cart. “Here we go. Careful on the threshold.”

“This cake is amazing,” Bucky looked at the intricate details as he walked backwards, which did not put you at ease in anyway. “Did you do all of this?”

“Most of it, Grams did the fondant and modeling chocolate.”

“Amazing,” he repeats.

You smile. “Thanks.”

The cake was delivered without a hitch. The bride was ecstatic and fawned over it for 5 full minutes before she’s let you leave. You and Bucky headed back to the bakery, he insisted on pushing the cart back for you.

“Well. I’ll see you at 9 right?” he scratched the back of his neck.

“Yeah. I mean if you still want to,” you bite the inside of your cheek.

“I’m looking forward to it, slick,” he smiled again. “I’ve got some things to do in town, but I'll see you tonight.”

- -

You pull into his driveway at 9:02, the night getting darker by the second. Bucky is leaned up against his truck in an army green hoodie.

“You’re late, slick. I was about to send out a search party,” he laughs at his own joke. “Where are the snacks?” He goes to your passenger door and finds what he’s looking for. “Hell yes.”

“Well hello to you too, Buck. I’m great thanks for asking.” You roll your eyes at him as he smiles back, already with a mouth full of cookie.

He just laughed, “I thought we could sit on the roof up there,” he points to his house, “but the barn light is too bright. So instead,” he opens the tailgate of his truck to reveal a mound of pillows and blankets, “We’ll just drive out to where it’s dark enough and the view from here.”

Holy shit is what you thought, immediately remembering your dream, but “Sounds great,” is what you said.

Snacks, hot chocolate, beer and liquor were loaded into his truck and the two of you headed into the dark. Bucky had informed you that hot chocolate was a must, but since you were adults, you got to spike it with booze. Once Bucky found a dark enough spot, he shut off the truck and opened the tailgate.

You climbed in the truck bed, placing your shoes on the tailgate, and Bucky followed sitting with his back to the cab, fluffing up a pillow to lean on.

“Pick your poison, doll.”

You hadn’t heard that name in a while and it made your stomach flip. You told him you’d have whatever he was having. Bucky smirked as he poured the two of you drinks. “So.”

“So?” You repeated sipping your drinking and immediately feeling the warmth of the alcohol. “Mmmm. If farming doesn’t work out, you could be a bartender.”

Bucky laughed, “Thanks. Where’d those cookies go?” You handed them to him. “You are in the right industry, no doubt. That cake earlier, these cookies? Mmm! Please don’t quit your day job.”

You laughed and wring your hands together. The conversation, aided by the dark and alcohol, flowed freely. You talked about your childhoods, favorite foods, most embarrassing moments. Even if there were lulls, they were comfortable. You had your head leaned back on the side of the bed and you were dozing off.

“I know you're not falling asleep, doll,” he scooted over next to you to look at your eyes and you were suddenly very awake. He smelled so good. So manly. He laid down hands under his head. “C’mon, it’s almost time.”

You tried to shake the dream out of your mind by changing the subject. “Oh! Brad and Aaron are engaged! They’ll be getting married soon and they want you to come!”

“Really? That’s awesome! I’d love to go!”

“Well, it’ll be in Seattle, so you’d actually have to get yourself a farm hand now!”

“I guess I better get to looking then. I haven’t been to the city in ages. Maybe we could stop and do some sight seeing afterwards?”

“That sounds like a great idea, Buck.” You wondered if he could hear your heart hammering in your chest as you laid next to him.

Bucky pointed out a couple of constellations and even gave you the names of some of the brighter stars. You tried to focus on the sky above you and not remember your dream. The stars were everywhere and so bright. You see a star fall and you made a wish.

“Can I ask you something Buck?”

“Shoot.”

“That night at my house, did you leave because I touched your scars?”

He sighed, suddenly annoyed. “I really don’t want to talk about that, Y/N.”

“I understand that, I’m not saying you have to… I just want to know what… what I did that made you run.”

Silence.

“I wanna know so I don’t do it again.”

Silence.

“They are from my time in the military. I was... tortured. They just remind me of how hopeless I was.”

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but it wasn’t that. “Shit, I’m so sorry.” You sat up and leaned on your arm to face him. It was dark but you could see the tears in his eyes, threatening to fall. He didn’t look at you. You suddenly wished you hadn’t asked. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”

He got up, sighing and jumping off the bed of the trunk. “I need some air. I’m gonna take a walk. I’ll be back in a few.”

And then you were alone, in the dark, in the middle of a field.

It was fine for the first few minutes, but then you heard something howl.

“Bucky?” You call into the night. No answer. “Bucky?!”

No answer.

- - -

Taglist:

@notatallfriendly​  

@thechaoticargonaut  

@booktease21  

@iamwarrenspeace  

@titty-teetee    

@harryngtonewithyourshit

[capricornus-rex]

Playing Pretend (5)

Requested by @calkesttiss​ | Prompt:

Hi! I just watched isi & ossi (rich girl and poor boxer boy AH) on netflix and now i cant stop thinking about cal and fake dating. Do with that what you will 😂

Cal Kestis x Reader

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next: Part 6 | Masterlist

5 of ?

You couldn’t stay still while sipping on champagne. At the corner of Tazha’s eye, she takes notice of a boy who seem to perfectly fit the description of the boy you first met days ago. She tapped you repeatedly on the shoulder.

“Look over there, [y/n],”

You turn your attention to the direction where Tazha’s eyes are. You froze and your eyes widened in sheer surprise, you almost fell from losing balance on your heels, and the word that you wanted to utter became just a choked grunt.

“Oh my God…” was all you managed to say.

You strode down the stairs, tailed by Tazha, you pushed and excused yourself from the large adults that stood in your way until you could get to Cal.

“Cal?”

When he turned to look at you, he was just as surprised as you are. He wasn’t wearing a fancy suit or outfit, his jumpsuit was black—contrast to the blue one that you remembered him wearing when you met him.

“[y/n]? What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,”

Cal explained that he and his companions were proxies for some of the guests that didn’t make it. He also said that one of his companions personally knew Senator Bail Organa.

“Who invited you?” the clueless redhead asked.

“Who invited her?” Tazha repeated mockingly, warranting attention from both Cal and you. “Her dad is responsible for this shindig. She lives here!”

At that moment, you felt like the floor would crumble under your feet anytime. You were pushed into a corner, no thanks to Tazha’s unsolicited reply. Your quick wit couldn’t even save you from that revelation.

“Is that true?”

“Yep. Sorry, I didn’t exactly specify where in Alderaan I lived,”

Suddenly, the lightbulb in your mind flickered on.

“Look, I’m sorry in advance but this is probably gonna be the weirdest thing but… Could you be like my boyfriend for a few minutes, please?”

“What?”

A lump got stuck in your throat that you can’t seem to swallow away, your palms were sweating, and your own heels are trembling at the mercy of your stilettos—all happening at the same time.

Oh, suck it up, [y/n]!

“Tomorrow at the Tipsy Taun-Taun. Meet me there at 0300,”

Logan appeared in the corner of your eye, you saw him looking for you in your general direction. You inhaled sharply, stepped closer to Cal, clutching him by the arm, and then kissed him on the cheek—close enough to give off the intimate façade. Even Tazha was surprised with this bold move of yours; she also noticed Logan standing a few meters away but is in full view of you and Cal together in the dance floor.

When you pulled away, he was simply taken aback, at a loss for words. It took him a few good minutes before his mind registers what just went down. He didn’t have the chance to object—as a matter of fact, he never had the time.

“Please at least tell me what you’re planning on doing, [y/n]?”

“What does it look like I’m doing, Tazha? I’m sabotaging my own arranged engagement,”

The next morning, you felt a hangover coming on even though you didn’t have much to drink, though it was more of an emotional one. When you woke, the words that you’ve let go were still fresh in your mind—as if you’ve only said them moments ago—you also thought the whole scene last night was kind of funny, you fight your incoming laughter by chewing on your cheek.

You contemplate whether to go or not.

“What have I go to lose anyway?”

You bring yourself out of bed, get dressed and ultimately miss breakfast with your parents and had a bowl of cereal as brunch instead. You ponder about your parents’ next possible move—predicting that they’re finally working on the campaign, another heated argument either over dinner again or in the living room is likely to happen. Though you didn’t let that linger in your head that much so you sneak out of the house to meet Cal.

Along the way, you were worried that this plan was silly and pointless. Should it come through, it will be short-lived. Out of all the things you’ve planned in your entire life, this is possibly the most badly-thought, the most desperate, and perhaps your only fighting chance.

When you got to the pub, the barkeeper greeted you only with his eyes, then gestured you to the farthest side of the pub—at the booth of the left side of the building, the ends of his hair were poking out of the couch’s tall backrest.

“You made it,” you say as you approached the booth and took a seat.

“Well, that was the only clear thing you ever said to me last night,”

“Right, about that, I guess I owe you an… elaborate explanation,”

“Obviously,”

“I’m engaged,”

An awkwardness lingered between the two of you, it hung around the air like the small cheap chandelier suspended above your heads. Cal’s eyes shifted from left to right, he twiddled his thumbs together while deciding the most appropriate thing to say to that.

“Uh… congratulations?”

“No!” you groaned in great vexation. “I didn’t want that engagement in the first place.”

“You don’t wanna get married?”

“Not to that imbecile they’ve paired me with,” your face cringed at the thought of Logan as a husband which he clearly is incapable of being. “So, no, I am not putting a ring on that.”

Cal’s silence as a reaction to that implied you to lay on your plans involving him and why you uttered those words to him last night at the party.

“Be my boyfriend until it convinces my parents well enough to cancel the engagement,”

“What’s in it for me?”

“Well, what do you want?”

Cal shifted in his seat, he leaned back some more into the couch, and knew that this was an opportunity to help Greez with his loan problem. What’s holding him back is his moral compass.

“A friend of mine has a problem. He’s taken a loan and the shark is after him, we only got into this planet via an alias. It’s a loan for the ship we’re using to go around places,”

“So you want me to cover what’s left of the payment?”

“Smart girl,”

“No, it’s just plain logic, dude. But sure, I’ll help. How much do you guys need anyway?”

“We’re short on 40,000 credits,”

The amount didn’t faze you, although you wondered what kind of ship they have to garner such a price in the loan. It didn’t take long for you to think hard about it, you simply agreed to help Cal with his friend’s ship loan problem.

“Okay, that seems doable, but only if you play along with what I want.”

“And what’s that?”

You shrug one shoulder and eyeball your right side. “Be my boyfriend. Or pretend to be—until my parents blow of the engagement because they’ll think I’m too in love with you.”

Cal smacked his lips, “Okay then, that’s… possible.”

Both of you were awkward about this but were willing to make ends meet. One needed something from the other. A simple cycle, a classic pattern.

“Maybe one of these days, you’ll show me to the ship, if that’s okay.” You said demurely.

Cal shrugged his shoulders, “Sure, no problem. Who knows? You might like it.”

“Do we have a deal?” you extend your hand across the table to him.

He shakes on it.

“Alright, we got a deal then.”

Your handshake slowed down but neither of you seem to be letting go of each other’s hand. You had to take the initiative. Cal cleared his throat.

“Okay, so how does this work?”

“What does work?”

“The whole fake dating thing,”

“Pretty much like what you’d do in a real relationship, Cal. The hugging, kissing, cuddling, hand-holding—typical stuff.”

You chuckled, thinking that it was silly enumerating things couples normally do as if it was rocket science. But then again, you’ve never been into a relationship before. For what it’s worth, this could be your first actual relationship—despite it being a charade deal hybrid.

You were the first to break the ice, you didn’t even realize that you freely spoke about anything you wanted to him. He lent his listening ear and sometimes continue the flow of the conversation. Starting off with basics such as homeworlds, hobbies, and what you did growing up, it eventually shifted to the interests you’ve developed as you grew up. That’s when you’ve become more animated and vocal with your stories.

Cal was observing you across the table that you didn’t even notice it. He watched you ramble on, maintaining eye contact with him as you talked, and making slight gestures with your hands as you continued telling stories. Unconsciously, the corner of his mouth curled as he listened to you speak.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I’m rambling! I just got carried away with the stories and stuff,”

“No. It’s not a problem, I mean… that’s the first step, right? Getting to know each other,”

You shyly smiled, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Coy smiles exchanged with one another over the table. Thinking of other things to talk about, Cal decided it would be a good idea to show you the Mantis—the exact thing that you’re fulfilling your end of the bargain for.

“Come on, [y/n], my turn to show you something,”

“Really?”

“Come on,”

He stood up, you didn’t expect him to extend his hand to you but you took it anyway. The two of you left the pub and followed him to the place where the Mantis was docked.

[darkhymns-fic]

A Little Opera Goes a Long Way

Colette Brunel has finally moved on from her pop-idol group to more freely sing what she wants, while famous YouTube star, Lloyd Irving went from playing covers on video to going on the big stage. It was only a matter of time before they teamed up and made a hit single.

But what happens when stage fright becomes a problem?

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Presea Combatir Rating: G Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: Slightly obsessed with idol colloyd helped by this art by @frayed-symphony! Would love to write more on this universe when I have the time.

-

The crowd outside was getting louder. 

They had been growing within the past few hours, and if she peeked out just enough, she could see the multitude of rave sticks and cell phones that lighted each wave from the fans. Colette was used to it – she had heard it so many times! Except, it was different now. Everything was different.

Colette didn’t typically perform in Palmacosta. The port city was a long way from her usual tour gig with her group, mostly going around Tethe’alla, starting out from Meltokio before going back. But the Governor had been more than pleased to let the concert go underway, a stage already being built before it had even been requested! More truth to the very idea that the new single had been such a hit.

When she had arrived, she had heard the ocean rushing across the shore, the beaches filled with with so many people. How nice would it have been to walk across the sand, but there was already so much to prepare for. Would she even have the energy to want to go in the evening?

Colette stood within a small corner, being as small as she could while other professionals scattered all around to get everything ready. Sound check, mic check, light check, special effects check, making sure there were no sudden dips on the floor for when they would perform, that no stray excitable fan had snuck their way backstage to meet the band. (This always happened with Alice though, so Colette didn’t think it would be much of an issue now?) 

Everyone was working their hardest to get things ready and perfect – and all they asked was that she would do the same.

As Colette messed with her green ruffled sleeves, her heartbeat took over the noise. Soon it was all she could hear, all she could even think about! What if she tripped on stage? (Again!) What if she reached a wrong note in her part of the song?

What if she only ruined things for…

“Colette?”

The backstage was dark, most of the technicians still further off into the sides, busy fiddling with the lights, the special effects that would take place. She saw the dazzling flash of the red lining of Lloyd’s outfit before seeing Lloyd himself. He must have found her the same way in the corner – her green and white ensemble a unique look, reflective gold bouncing off the eyes.

“Hey, are you okay? Sorry, they kept me stuck in the dressing room just to get all this stuff on.”

“Oh! I’m fine, it’s just… the usual pre-stage jitters, hehe.” Colette instantly smiled, winking at Lloyd with all the practiced flair of her idol persona. Although, she wasn’t supposed to be in that role now… She was being herself this time. Just Colette. With Lloyd. And…

“Ah, yeah? I’m kinda getting those too!” Lloyd laughed, and she heard the shakiness within its tone. It made sense for Lloyd. He had only performed a few times in front of an audience, and they were usually much smaller. His black gloved hands reached to pull back at his hair. “The uh, crowd is really loud, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah! But that’s a good thing!” She knew it was a good thing! So why the sudden beating of her heart. Could she really be this nervous? She kept pulling at her ruffles, they were all uneven! And so wrinkled! But wait, weren’t they supposed to be?

Then she saw Lloyd reach out to her…head? She felt his fingers briefly touch her hair, feeling warm.. “Your hat’s gonna fall off!”

“Huh?” Colette blinked. “Oh, it’s supposed to be tilted like that! And it’s held to my hair with a pin.” She bowed her head slightly for Lloyd to observe. “See?”

“Ohh.” Lloyd nodded. “Sorry, I was wondering how it was staying on!”

“Yeah! I’ve worn it before with my group…and sometimes we have to do dance routines so they make sure it stays on tight!” Colette pressed down on her skirt, still seeing wrinkles and dust and whatever else. Or maybe it had just been the lights… but wait, wasn’t it dark here?

She felt Lloyd’s eyes on her still, so she turned back to him, because her heartbeat was less distracting when she looked at him. Even if it still beat so much, its rhythm so steady. “I guess I’m not used to it,” Lloyd was saying. “This outfit feels really…uh, bright?” And maybe he was right, for the rose pinned on his front lapel was such a loud red, right over his heart. More than once had Colette wanted to reach out and touch it. Whoever had designed his costume had really put thought into all its details.

“It’s because of me. Remiel says I need to keep my image…” She was already on the search for a new one, as her producer was being even more controlling than usual. It had taken so much just to get this show to happen, her producer trying to block each step of the way. “I’m sorry, I really wanted it to be casual instead.”

“Heh, that’s okay though! I like that we kinda match, you know?” And when he grinned, even within the darkness of backstage, the sounds from outside reverberating the very floor they were on, she thought she felt everything stand still. “And…man, I’d wear anything just to perform with you!”

“Really?” she asked, still stunned. Star-struck. Completely and utterly. His outfit couldn’t match to his smile.

“Yeah! I still can’t believe we wrote something together!” His voice carried well through the noise surrounding them. And soon everyone would hear that voice, along with hers. Was it selfish of her to want to keep it for herself?

When in the studio together, working on their song, it had almost felt like he was singing only for her, his fingers moving over the guitar strings with barely a glance to them. To have such a voice and to play an instrument too… Why was he wasting time with her?

“Yeah, I’m so happy we did,” she said, still feeling her nerves jitter all around. “And… everyone will finally get to hear it too!”

At that moment, there was some feedback sounding off from stage, distracting her slightly. But experience told her it was a few stagehands probably setting up speakers, making sure none of the wires would get in the way of their feet. They would still need to wear their mics later, and hopefully she wasn’t already wearing them and talking into it without realizing it was on, like she would do a few times before…

She shook out her hands a bit, while keeping her feet still. Her ruffles still looked so uneven, so wrinkled and frayed and… “Maybe I’m more nervous than I thought,” she finally admitted.

She waited for the moment for when Lloyd would be disappointed with her. Like the other members of her group would be, like her producer, and-

The same gloved hand, but now on her shoulder, forcing her eyes back up. Some of the lights started to flicker backstage, along with a shouted instruction from one of the technicians. They dazzled off Lloyd’s red cape, off the golden filigree that decorated the trim of his jacket.

“Hey…” he said, smiling still. She saw a little tinge of nervousness too, but not with the frustration she was used to seeing from so many people. “I’m still here.”

She nodded. “Yeah…yeah!” She nodded again, then felt she was doing it too much. “Sorry… I’m supposed to be used to this. I should…” Be the one to help you through this instead. How strange was it that the experienced pop singer would need comfort from someone who was still starting out?

“We…still have like 20 minutes before we go on,” Lloyd said, looking back towards the stage that was still out of sight for them, if not out of sound’s reach. “Wanna hang out in my room till then?”

Something about the way he said it got her breath hitched in her throat. But at least with all of her stage experience, she recovered pretty quickly. “Oh, I guess we could! Did you want to rehearse or…?” Sometimes she’d do so with her band, usually on Alice’s insistence which usually just turned into fights with Marta…

“Yeah, come on!” That same gloved hand moved down to grip her own, guiding her from the backstage to the hall. 

Passing a few concerned lookers (Colette hoped no one would think to pull out a camera), Lloyd soon took them to a door. There was a piece of paper on it with his name printed roughly. And also… a drawing?

“Oh! Is that supposed to be you?” Colette asked, recognizing the features, giggling at the exaggerated smile she had long grown to like.

“Agh, why’d he put it here too?” Lloyd blushed furiously as he quickly took it down from the door. “Stupid Zelos… sorry, I know it looks dumb.”

“It’s cute!” Colette announced. “Your friend is a good artist!”

“Is… are you sure about that?” But after crunching up the little poster into a paper ball and tossing it in a nearby garbage can, Lloyd tugged her inside the dressing room. “Anyway, I thought it would be good to get away from all the noise.”

“Thank you, Lloyd,” she said gratefully. 

His dressing room was a bit bare, much of it just some bags that he had taken on the trip, still in the luggage. Hanging on the wall, she could see the red jacket she saw him wear to his own shows, more casual than what he was made to wear right now. It looked so loose and comfortable. How nice it would have been to wear something like it too.

“…Also, I guess I wanna sit for a while first,” Lloyd confessed, sitting in his chair just then. Colette made sure to not mention that the same portrait of his face was also drawn on the back of the chair, though she still couldn’t help a giggle or two.

“So, which song should we practice first? ‘Star Shining’ might be an easy one to start with… Or maybe ‘Almateria’? Sorry, I should have thought it through before!”

“Huh?” Lloyd blinked up at her. “Uh, no I didn’t mean we should rehearse actually!”

“Oh…then what are we doing here?” Colette felt so genuinely curious.

“To relax, dork!” Lloyd said with a smile. Then that same smile turned a bit softer, his eyes flicking to the right side of him. She hadn’t caught sight of the instrument at first. “Well… I mean if you wanted something like that, it doesn’t have to be both of us, you know?”

She was only getting more confused by the minute! Was this Lloyd’s way of saying he didn’t want to perform with her on stage? “But both of our names are on the listing…” She brought her hands up, fingers pressing together nervously. “I mean… if you really wanted though, I can step out…”

“What? I…don’t know what you mean, I just meant I wanted to sing for you!” Lloyd reached over to grab the guitar that had been laying carefully by his seat. His fingers were already brushing across the strings, eliciting a few sounds that echoed around her.

She took that phrase to heart, hands now clasped together, the ruffles along her skirt, her arms, her shoulders, less on the forefront of her mind. “Sing for me?”

Lloyd nodded, adjusting the small pegs on the end. “Whenever I get nervous about stuff, sometimes I just play whatever. Um, guess I got it from my dad. He’d sing to me when I was little. Oh yeah, and he plays a pretty mean harmonica!” He was grinning again, planting both feet on the ground as he better fit the guitar on his lap.

Colette had never met Lloyd’s father, but the image of a younger Lloyd already tickled her. But she made sure not to mention it, because that would certainly be strange, wouldn’t it? “That’s…but you shouldn’t have to do this for me. I’m used to this…”

“Colette,” Lloyd called out to her, and she faced him again. 

His white jacket and the red rose hanging from it, black gloves already moving over the strings so deftly, just as it did in the studio that one day they had taken a chance, leaving all other obligations just to finally sing their song together after so many email exchanges and video calls. “Let me sing for you.”

She stood still. She had heard his voice dozens, hundreds of times. She had heard him through those videos before he’d get famous, hair disheveled, and his unbuttoned jacket hanging off his shoulders. His own album sat on her shelf back at home, the cover art for it so different from anything else she had seen. (So many stars and rainbows! With a nice drawing of a boy and his dog there too…) In all of those times, she liked to imagine he was singing for her.

“Okay,” she finally said, leaning against a counter, her skirt just making a tiny rustling sound as she shifted. “Um, what are you going to sing for me then?”

“Something my dad would sing to me,” Lloyd said. She thought his cheeks had gotten even redder. “So uh, don’t laugh too much. I can’t pronounce all the words right yet.”

“I won’t. I promise.” And she really did promise that. She didn’t want to ruin that smile.

The strum of the guitar, followed by his sound, by Lloyd, had always felt truer to her than anything else.

-

Only a few minutes later, a knock on the door echoed in the room. Luckily, the notes from Lloyd’s guitar had been on their very last. “Uh, come in?” he called out, his voice still within that range from before.

Opening the door, a small lady appeared. Her sharply pink hair was in contrast to the dark-hued clothes that most of the backstage hands wore. She wore a headset, and apparently one of the giant headlights in one hand – the kind that usually weighed a ton. “Five minutes until curtain time.”

“Presea!” Colette called out to her old friend, waving at her. “I didn’t know you were working here too.”

“I heard you would be performing, so I requested to join.” Presea shifted the headlight to better fit her grip. “Do you have your mics ready?”

“Yeah!” Lloyd went to retrieve his from his pocket while Colette did the same, but Presea had gone up to them, reaching to adjust it before silently requesting for both to bend down so she could have a better hold.

“I can stall if you need. But the crowd wants you.” Presea turned away after making sure the mics were pinned correctly to their clothes. Still, Colette caught a small smile from her. “I’m looking forward to hearing you both sing together.”

Presea already left, and soon it was just Lloyd and Colette in the room, their smiles wide and excited. From the concert, from the music still bouncing around in their heads.

“Still jittery?” he asked, taking the strap of the guitar to finally pull across his back.

“Yeah! But it’s the good kind now!” Colette was standing on her toes, swaying with the beat she still remembered. “You always sing so good.”

“Ah, it was just…like a lullaby, basically.” That flush again, and she wanted to believe it was because of her. So maybe, for at least tonight, she could. “But if you liked it, then I’m happy then.”

“I am! But…I’m also happy we can sing our song live now.” She turned to him, Presea already disappearing into the swell of the backstage darkness. Colette stepped out the door, but not too far off without her partner by her side.

“Heh, yeah… I’m still really surprised Goodness and Love was such a hit though!” With that, he followed Colette out of the dressing room, both heading towards the sounds of the crowd.

“Hm, I knew it would be,” she confessed, her heart racing. Jitters. But the good kind of jitters.

“Oh? How’d you know?” And somehow, in the way he asked her, she wondered if he suspected what she was about to say… So maybe it was okay.

“Because it’s you.” That was all she would say, teasingly sticking out her tongue before taking his free hand and rushing out with him on stage. But always making sure she didn’t trip them both.

Lloyd was grinning so wide once they came out under the lights, the glare setting the red dancing on his outfit, the green on hers. The crowd was loud, but there was only one voice she would listen for.

-

.

.

.

Everything was so loud, so fast and so much. This wasn’t just like singing out in front of the yard, or to any of his friends that happened to swing by home for a visit.

Lloyd was completely out of his element. 

Backstage, as he tried not to get in the way of other professionals, Lloyd gripped the handle of his guitar case, wondering if maybe he had just made a huge mistake. He was by himself, his so-called producer chatting with some other people in the field, (or just woman he spotted honestly), and he couldn’t bring Noishe along, even if the dog was on the album…He’d only get frightened by all the noise, and for once, Lloyd couldn’t blame him.

“Ugh, shouldn’t have let Zelos convince me…” he muttered to himself. The guy had clear dollar signs in his eyes when he told him about where he would perform. ‘You’re a big hit now! Don’t waste it!!’  

Lloyd knew he’d do better by just crawling into a hole. Any confidence he had hours ago seemed to have evaporated once reality set in.

It was just when he heard the rest of the lineup and …. He had been stupid to think that would matter. Wouldn’t he just embarrass himself on stage? Then she would see…

“Hi, are you Lloyd?”

He turned at the sound of her voice. Was it pathetic of him to have already recognized it then? He had heard her voice a hundred times, picking it out from the chorus of other voices, of other people…

Colette Brunel stood before him, wearing a green skirt, with frilly ribbons in her hair. She had a microphone in her hand, which seemed to echo with feedback suddenly when she held it a certain way. Once Lloyd flinched from it, she hurriedly turned it off.

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean-“

“You’re Colette…” he said, already kicking himself for interrupting her. But his brain was going into overdrive, catching up with every admirable thought he had of her. “From the Angels group!”

“Oh! Yeah, hi! We’re performing too. The other girls are still getting ready to go on, so, I wanted a chance to talk with you!” She sounded quieter as she spoke, eyes cast downward. “I probably should have brought them with me, I’m sorry.”

“N-No, it’s okay…but…you know me?” He still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yes, of course! I’ve watched your videos! I think they’re so good!” And with the way she spoke to him, he could almost believe it. That she liked his songs. She liked them. “I… I just wanted to let you know that your music is… it’s something I’ve needed to hear.” A pause. “Would you ever want to-“

“Colette! We’re on! Hurry up!”

“Ah! Okay, sorry, Alice!” Colette turned around briefly to wave away someone else. Lloyd recognized them too… but he’d never been a fan of that girl in the group. “Sorry, I need to go. But… I hope you keep writing your music! I, I really like it.”

If Lloyd died at that moment right then and there, even before he ever got a chance to perform, he’d be satisfied. For Colette to come up to him and tell him all this… “I… T-Thanks! I don’t…know what to say…”

Colette smiled, gripping her microphone, her ribbons bouncing with her motion. “Just, I hope to keep hearing you sing.” Another shout from way back, making Colette shudder. “Sorry, but good luck!”

And gone like that, disappearing into the crowd, into the bright lights and sound that made up this terrifying world Lloyd found himself in.

Yet the nerves passed through him, and his cheeks ached from smiling. I’ll sing…but for you then. But before he would go over his song, he’d sneak a glance at Colette’s routine, eyes for her, voice for her, and the crowd encompassing it all.

[musiclovingbitch]

Pros Vs. Cons

Summary: Prompt-fill: Kurt is taking a CPR class and Blaine's the hot af instructor.

A/N:  All the information about CPR included is actually accurate.

~1.7k

on AO3

Kurt had mixed feelings about being here. He made a list of pros and cons in his head to make himself feel better, but also to pass the time, because the instructors were running late.

Firstly, CPR training was something that would add an extra boost to his resume. Secondly, it was generally a very useful skill to have in life. A small, dark part of his mind added that he might need it to help his dad one day. He ignored that last thought and all its implications. A third thing on the pros list was that he wasn’t even paying for it, Vogue was.

The first and only thing on the cons list was that he had to wake up at six in the morning. On a Saturday. That’s practically torture. But, it also meant the subway car wasn’t packed like a can of sardines.

The cons list only had one item in it, but Kurt wasn’t sure if the pros won out. You had to admit, it was a pretty big con.

He took another grateful sip of his coffee and relaxed further into his chair.

He almost choked on his coffee when he saw the instructors walk in. He sat up straighter in his chair, coughing slightly. Okay, then, another item on the pros list.

“Woah, careful there, no one around you knows CPR yet.” said one of the instructors.

He smiled at them as they walked past him. They were both unfairly gorgeous. One was tall and blonde, with the body of a model. The man next to him was shorter, and had maybe the most beautiful pair of eyes Kurt had ever seen. His clothes were what intrigued Kurt the most, though. He was dressed kinda like a grandpa, but he pulled it off remarkably well. Kurt wouldn’t have thought bow ties of all things were a thing for him, but there he stood--well, sat--corrected. But maybe it wasn’t the bow tie, maybe it was just the man. Kurt was pretty sure he would like anything, provided that that man was wearing it. Well, except maybe for crocs. He had some standards.

He took another sip of coffee, draining his cup, as the instructors reached the front of the room.

“Alright, everyone. My name’s Blaine,” the man with the bow tie gestured to himself, and then to the blonde, “and this is Sam. Hello, and welcome to CPR 101.”

--

After a brief explanation of the theory behind CPR, they took questions from the few people who had them, and announced that they were going to start the practical demonstration. They asked them to split up in groups of three or four. Blaine went to the back and retrieved a plastic dummy of a person’s chest and began handing one to each group. When Blaine gave his group their dummy, Kurt smiled up at him.

“Thank you!”

He was rewarded by a smile thrown in his direction, and was also rewarded with the sight of Blaine’s ass when he turned to give the group next to theirs their dummy. He looked down quickly, biting his lip, but he couldn’t do anything about the colour of his cheeks.

Blaine rejoined Sam at the front of the room.

“Okay, so. It’s not very complicated. One hand on top of the other, fingers interlocked. It doesn’t matter which over which, whatever you feel more comfortable with. You wanna use the meat of your palm, and press on the sternum, a good reference point is the nipples. So, right about at that height, you use your full body to press down.” Blaine acted out Sam’s words. Kurt was captivated by the movement of his arms, imagining how he would use them in a wildly different situation.

“Now, you wanna be careful, especially if you’re a very physically large person, or a really strong person, you don’t want to press down too hard, or else you’ll risk breaking their ribs. You wanna press down at least four centimeters, but no more than six. I know, I know, that doesn’t really give you a proper idea of what to do.

“Oh, another important thing. See what Blaine is doing there? When you press down, keep your elbows locked and push down with your entire body. And keep your back straight. If your elbows are moving and doing all the work, you’re doing it wrong.”

“See, you’re supposed to do this,” Blaine spoke up and did a proper compression, keeping his elbows locked and using his whole body to press down onto the dummy, “not this.” he pressed down on the dummy again, only this time only his forearms were moving up and down, and his torso was still. “The biggest problems with doing that, are that, one: you’re most likely not pressing down hard enough, and two: your hands will get tired much faster, which is less than ideal.”

“Okay, people, now it’s your turn to try. We mentioned this in the first part of the seminar, but the protocol that currently stands is thirty two chest compressions followed by blowing air in the victim’s mouth twice. So, you’ll do a full round of CPR each, and we’ll supervise and come help if you need it.” Sam said.

Kurt let the other people from his group go first. It was definitely because of the goodness of his heart and definitely not so he could watch Blaine surreptitiously as he moved around the room and helped everyone, making slight adjustments to people’s form and praising them when they got it right.

When his turn came he was relatively confident he was doing well. He remembered everything they said, and made sure to keep his elbows straight.

He was counting under his breath, seven, eight, nine, ten, as the others looked on, when he felt a warm hand on his back. He stopped, and looked to his side. Blaine was squatting next to him. He resolutely did not look at Blaine’s legs. Which wasn’t as hard as he would have thought, because Blaine’s eyes up close were like tiny little swirls of heaven.

“You’re doing a great job, but you’re slouching a little. That will make you get tired faster. Keep your back and your shoulders straight.”

Kurt didn’t really know what came over him, but the words were out of his mouth before he could even think of stopping them. “Being straight was never something I was good at, but I’ll try.”

A beat of silence. Kurt felt the blood rush to his cheeks. Oh god, did I really say that out loud? He heard Blaine’s choked off laughter, his attempt to cover it with a cough. The other members of his group laughed freely.

God, he loved New York.

Kurt shook his head and rushed to correct his stance, huffing out an embarrassed laugh and mumbling out an apology. He counted five compressions in his head, before he heard Blaine’s voice

“Great job. Keep it up.” he felt Blaine’s hand pat him on the back and then it was gone. He felt strangely cold.

After everyone had a turn at performing CPR, and they got it right, Blaine and Sam spoke some more and gave a couple of pointers, and then the seminar was over.

Kurt waited with the members of his group in the reception area of the hotel, where they were told to remain until everyone’s certificates of attendance could be signed. Name after name was called, in alphabetical order, and little by little, the room started to empty out.

“Hummel, Kurt?” Blaine called out.

“That’s me.” Kurt said to the remaining people of his group, and they bid him goodbye.

He walked up to Blaine. “Hi, that’s me.” Blaine handed him the certificate. Their hands brushed and Kurt could swear he felt a spark. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You were great! And I do have to say, that brooch is incredible. I mean, a hippo wearing a bow tie? I just fell in love with you a little bit.” Blaine said, his cheeks a faint red colour.

Kurt’s cheeks pinked in response. “Oh, this old thing? I found it in a vintage shop when I was in high school. It’s one of my favourites. And I have to say as well, anyone who can pull off bow ties as well as you can is alright in my book.”

Blaine’s cheeks, if possible, reddened further. “Oh, thank you so much!” he smoothed his bow tie with a smile. He readjusted the shoulder strap of his messenger bag, which Kurt just noticed he was carrying. He also noticed the rainbow flag enamel pin on the flap.

Blaine must have seen him look at it because his hand reached down to stroke it.

“Yeah. Your joke back there reminded me how much I love New York. It wasn’t even a big deal, you know?”

They exchanged knowing looks.

“I know exactly what you’re talking about. Growing up in Nowhere, Ohio was--”

“You’re from Ohio? Me too!” Blaine exclaimed.

Kurt took a chance. “Maybe we can meet up for coffee and talk about it?”

Blaine froze. Kurt braced himself. Had he read everything wrong? Oh god, he didn’t even know if Blaine was single. But then, the best thing happened. Blaine unfroze, and smiled. He smiled the sweetest smile Kurt had ever seen. His knees felt weak.

“I’d love that.” he said, in an impossibly soft voice.

“Great!.”

“Blaine!” Sam’s voice startled the both of them.

“Be there in a second!” Blaine yelled back. “Um, so. I may have been hoping for something like this to happen, so. Here’s my number.” he held out a small, folded piece of paper.

Kurt took it. Their fingers brushed again. There’s that spark again.

“Blaine!” came Sam’s voice, more frustrated now.

Blaine winced. “I really have to go. But, I’ll talk to you later?” a small, hopeful smile lit up his face.

“I’d love that.” Kurt echoed Blaine’s words from before.

They shared a smile and Blaine hurried over to the other side of the room. Kurt exited the hotel.

The pros definitely outweighed the cons.

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers pt17: Bloody Sand

Jael:*twirling her new whistle* Die huh? Somebody is quick to the point; not even gonna say your motives.

M:Thought that would be obvious *cracks knuckles*

Jael:*staring at the figure in the far back* If I had to take a guess I’d say the only reason the lady is protected in the back is to act like a pretty little storage unit for powers. How’s it feel to be wanted only for your body? Self esteem must be low.

C:Oh I’m going to enjoy killing you. *eyes glow a blood red*

*grimm form a wide circle around Jael*

Jael:(That confirms it; I guess these are the cult members I’ve heard about. Explains why they would be looking for mom) *looks to her left* you seem pretty normal; no weird black veins or glowing eyes like your friends.

H:*crouching low* maybe not but trust me, I play rougher than both of them. *grips his machetes*

*wind howls*

Jael:(Well, looks like they aren’t just gonna let me run. Guess I got no choice) *slowly inhales, left arm resting on her sword*

H:Lady, are you sure you wanna do th-

Jael:*channels her semblance and blows the whistle.....hard.*

*a high pitched screech agonizes everything, forcing them to cover their ears. This whistle slightly cracks*

M:Agh! What kind of whistle.....!?

Jael:(Better move fast....) *flicks the tackle box up in the hair and kicks it at him*

M:*catches it* Hmph, foolish g- *box rattles*

Jael:Better hope that’s not your writing hand.

*box instantly drops to the ground, crushing his hand underneath it. A think black substance oozes from his hand as he shouts in pain*

Jael:(No aura?)

H:Master!!!! *dashes at Jael*

Jael:So that’s what the “M” stands for.... *quickly fires her sword off one of his blades then blocks the other with her sheath* thanks...

H:DON’T FUCK WITH ME! *sand pillars shoot up around them, transforming into a copy of his likeness*

Jael:*head butts him before jumping towards her blade* that’s unexpected.

*the both of them immediately go at it exchanging sword strikes. Jael rapidly countering each side slash with her own while taking shots at the sand clones*

Jael:(He’s pretty good)*side stepping him to thrust another attack into a clones head, causing it to crumble.*

H:*smirks as four more clones form as he hurls a blade* let’s see you weasel your way out of this one.

C:*eyes glow*, sending the pack of grimm to attack from all directions*

Jael:Alpha, you wanna do something? It’s your pack after all.

Alpha:.....*burrows away*

Jael:I guess I should’ve seen that coming.

H:You named a grimm?

Jael:Sigh, you see.... *knocks his sword through a clone and back at him.* I’m not very popular or social for that matter. *takes a breath and stomps her foot*

*all the grimm around her start to sink into the sand slowly*

H:*knees begin to buckle* What in the....my body, I can’t-

Jael:Move? Almost like there’s some sort of weight keeping you down? *running at him*

Master* writhing in pain* Gravity......she’s messing with gravity. Dust on her sword? *trying to move the box*

H:That...explains a lot.

Jael:Does it really though? *raising her hand*

H:*Rises in the air, his clones disappear* It’s her semblance!?

Jael:Scary right? *jumps above him and axe kicks him into the sand* Considering the punishment you’re able to take and your skills. The “H” is for huntsman? *floats him above the ground* I’m also guessing you have to make a clone on whatever your feet are one. Be glad I don’t just cut off your legs.

C:*shaking as she pulls out a pistol* You crazy bit-Jael’s blade flies by grazing her faces and also drawing a suspicious black blood from her.

Jael:H, M, C. The huntsman is just that, a huntsman. Used for his strength to protect the other two. Master is the kind I can’t seem to figure out, but it looks like he has things in common with you. *points to her* catalyst.....

Catalyst:*starts walking backwards slowly*

Jael:You get grimm unde control and then the Master command then freely because who would listen to a frail thing like you? *walking towards her*

Catalyst:Stay back!!!!

Jael:Or what? You’ve proven to me that those who control grimm severely reduce the aura to basically nothing. I’d start talking if I was you.

Master:Don’t you dare utter a word! Do you hear me!?

Jael:I’ll blind her......

........

Jael:You all heard me. I will blind her if nobody talks. I’d imagine sure that will make the grimm around here pretty restless and angry. Nothing likes being controlled.

Master:.....go right ahead

Catalyst:*flinching at his words* wha...what?

Master:You seem surprised. Your whole purpose is to aid then be discarded. Why would anyone do anything different?

Catalyst:......*drops to her knees*

Jael:........I guess you need friends more than I do. *raises her sword* tough luck.

Catalyst:WAIT! I’ll talk; I’ll do anything! He- *ground collapses beneath both of them*

Jael:*Stabs blade in the wall and hangs there*

Master:*eyes bright red* Oh how the weak break so easily. If you’re not willing to the limit... *finally frees his now deformed hand* then why do anything in life?

Jael:*looking down below*......... what kind of monster does this?

*a horde of dog like grimm maul the cult member below; biting her to the bone*

Master:*looking over the ledge* What else would you expect from the grimm?

Jael:I was talking about you. She fought for you and you killed her in cold blood. *clenching his fist* I’d expect more out of humanity, a team!!! Who are you to decide just how much someone is worth!? What they can *cough* what they can become.....? *cough*

Master:The way you speak makes it sound like you were bluffing about blinding her. Not like it matters now *points at her* try anything and I’ll shoot you point blank.

Jael:Look who’s bluffing now? You need me alive if you want the winter maiden pow-

*bang*

Master:.......

Jael:*aura flickers, a bright red bruise on her forehead forming as blood drips.* o...ow

Huntsman: *falls to the ground* What the hell do you think you’re doing!? You could’ve-

Master:If a maiden was in this type of situation then I would expect her to use magic. Yet here this girl dangles; bleeding and angry. We’ve been played.

Jael:*coughing* Guess the jig is up. Surprised you bought it for song.

Master:To think a kid not only made me kill a subordinate but crushed my hand. *cocks gun* can’t let that slide now can we?

Jael:*Smirks* That’s a good choice of words. Perfect I’d say hehehe....

Master:....what’s so funny? *glaring* you think this is funny!?

Jael:No it’s just you said slide. Like a sand slide....

Master:What?

Jael:My gravity semblance is pretty useful I’d say. It can make things float like your huntsman, or make things extremely heavy like the tackle box. Sometimes though you just need gravity to keep things together; like a sand wall with a sword wedged in it. Too bad all that ends with my aura.

Master:*looks at the sand below him moving*

Jael:I should be angrier about you shooting me in the face but I think I’ll let it slide... *pulls the sword out the wall*

*Sand wall falls apart, washing then both to the bottom of the pit with the grimm*

Master:*coughing up sand* You annoying little- *gasp*

Jael:*standing over him* I was bluffing about about eyes.... *slashes his eyes* but not yours...

Master:......*curls up in pain, jaw clenched shut* you......you insignificant little... *hears growling*

*grimm staring him down*

Jael:Looks like they’re still hungry. Did you know these grimm are known for their canines? That’s why they’re called White Fangs; one of the most hostile grimm around and they’ll attack just about anything. If only you had your catalyst to calm them.

Master:You’re deranged! They’ll attack you too if you don’t do something!

Jael:I’ll be just fine. Wild they may be, they respond to who’s in charge. *pats her leg*

*a hole opens up with Alpha laying in it*

Jael:There you are Alpha! I knew you wouldn’t just leave me. Can you get me out of here? *flicking her head up*

Alpha:*sits on his hind legs*

Jael:Good boy! *balances along the bone along his face*

Alpha:*launches her in the air by flicking his head up like a spring board*

Jael:*grabs a ledge* Thank you, also enjoy your midnight meal. It’s kinda rotten though of you ask me.

*grimm start digging around the walls to fill the hole*

Master:Wait! I’ll tell you anything you want! I can give you power, money, a position with us! Just please don’t-*dragged under the sand*

Jael:*completely ignored all of that* (Alright now I have one more to deal with when I pull myself up. Maybe he’ll just let me leave now that his boss is dead; if not then I’m in for an uphill fight. *grips blade tightly* Oh well, guess there’s no point in wasting time hanging. I’ll just try and catch him by surpri-

“Jael?”

Jael:Huh? *looks up* Auntie Illia?

Illia:*staring down at her with the huntsman’s body over here shoulder* I can’t believe your sister was right to worry. *tosses body into the pit*

Jael:She’s here isn’t she-ahhhh! *yanked up by a chain*

Sienna:*pulling her* How did I know somehow you’d find yourself wrapped up in this!!!!? What do you have to say for yourself?

Jael:Hey sis, how was your first mission?

Sienna:*ear twitches* Try again...

Jael:*cough* Lets not tell mom about this, I love you dearly, and please carry me home. My chest hurts a little and legs feel like jelly.

Sienna:.....Illia?

Illia:Go ahead, I’ll wrap things up here and report what happened. You’re both lucky I find both of you wonderful.

Sienna:What did I do!!!!?

Illia:You didn’t have to do anything. *walking to the airship* Good work today, get some rest. Also I’m telling your father about this when he gets back. *takes off*

Sienna and Jael:.......*slight panic attack* (we’re dead)

Sienna:*staring at Jael* What am I going to do with you?

Jael:You gonna yell at me again? *rubbing her forehead* I sort of have a headache at the moment.

Sienna:Don’t just rub- Ugh you’re hopeless *pulls out a rag and starts cleaning the wound* Why would you touch it when you’re hands are filthy? That’s how infections happen.

Jael:Ow! Hey, don’t be so rough.

Sienna:Don’t get shot in the face and we can avoid all of this. What would’ve happened if you had even a little less aura when it happened?

Jael:*shoulders slouch* Sorry..... I got careless.

Sienna:.....Anything else hurt? How’s your heart?

Jael:Chest is a little tight but I feel fine. I took meds before all this happened; that probably helped. *scanning the knicks and scratches on her sister* what happened to you?

Sienna:What do you mean what happened? I’m the one who dealt with the huntsman. Illia just carried him to the pit for me when she finally caught up. I....sort of jumped out the airship the moment we spotted you. *red*

Jael:You’re so extra......

Sienna:You better be thankful for it! A few more minutes and I might’ve been too late. Take off your kimono, it’s all dirty and has blood on it.

Jael:*doing as she told* I knew it was a good idea to have something under this. How did you know I was out here?

Sienna:I was minding my own business when I heard the worst and loudest sound in my life. Someone going to town on a stupid whistle.

Jael:You actually heard that huh? Didn’t think your ears were that good.

Sienna:*putting Jael on her back* My ears aren’t just for show. They’re just as good, if not better than Blake’s I think. I can’t tell you what has the better hearing between a black panther or a white tiger.

Jael:My money is on our high leader.

Sienna:*stops walking* Hey.....

Jael:I’m just joking sis.

Sienna:Not that, you okay? The intel we got said there was three intruders, but I only got to fight one. So I guess that means you....

Jael:One of them killed the other one. Then I ended up enabling his death so to speak. Guess that means I did sort of kill him though. *voice getting meeker*

Sienna:You, you want to talk about it. That’s pretty heavy stuff.

Jael:Maybe, not really sure, *yawns and leans into her back* don’t feel great about but...not torn up over it. Definitely don’t want to do it again.

Sienna:That’s good to hear. *marches on* can’t have an aspiring huntress wanting to kill for fun. If you need to talk about it, I’m here anytime. Get some rest okay?

Jael:Zzzzzzz

Sienna:*chuckles* Out like a light. Always making me worry, makes me feel like I’m the one with a heart problem.

[Belladonna Residents]

Illia:*barging into Blake’s study* I know you just got back but I have some important in- are you kidding me right now!? *turning pink*

*Blake setting on her desk topless as Sun leans over her about to bite her neck*

Blake:*blushing* Ah! You could’ve knocked!

Sun:*shaggier hair and actually wearing a orange tank top accompanied by a red open buttoned shirt. Just like Jaune he has two wedding rings around his neck, one has a moon while the other a sun* Hey Illia, Blake is back!