#I really love Amara and she's fun to draw so yeah-

[adagiorii]

The girls are girling!!!! 🎀

Also happy Tumblr debut to Amara. She's a part of the main cast technically though not straight up protag like Eiko and the redhead dumb fuck

She's friends with them tho!! She basically forced her friendship with Eiko through the traditional kidnap an introvert process and Hayato gets along with just about anyone

[you-cant-spell-subtext-without]

so get this. I was gonna roll around in Tombstone related fluff today - but no, no - this post came across my dash so Now We Are Gonna Discuss the Carnal Consumption of Meat as it appears on That Show Supernatural.  YEAH BUDDIES!

(also my sincere apologies to OP of the inspiration post who innocently tagged it with “lunch date!”  because I am about to go Elsewhere, cursedly).

Let’s all go meat man, after the cut!

This analysis centers primarily on 5x14 Bloody Valentine.  The title of course is a semi-homage to a 3D Slasher Film Jensen starred in circa 2009. 

Which I will be renting soon I guess.  ,[<- parasocial panda GET BACK IN YOUR ENCLOSURE]

Also Its Really Fun that the trailer for Said Cinema ends with “nothing says date movie like a 3-D ride to hell” [are you also thinking of Cas pulling Dean out of hell, or are you normal?]  ***unironically the teaser for 5x14 is -

EXT. SIDEWALK - IN FRONT OF ALICE'S APARTMENT BUILDING

RUSSEL 

First date.

They then eat each other.  Literally they eat each others flesh.  They also do it while dirty talking about it.  SPN IS A SHOW 

ALICE Ugh! I've been so alone. So empty...

RUSSEL I know. Me too.

ALICE I want you, Russel---All of you... inside me...

[they both take bites out of each other, Alice chewing on a piece of Russel's flesh]

****Remember this detail, as it is important.

ANYWAY, it’s truly Cursed that not only are we doing an homage to this 3-D Jensen Horror Date Flick but also this episode is specifically centered on Valentine’s Day.  The day honoring romance and love Now Coopted by Hallmark, everyone, that is the day spn writers chose to introduce us to 

Sir Horseman of THE Biblical Apocalypse Famine. 

Canonically, we are aware that the show is drawing from the book of Revelations in its depiction of the Four Horsemen.  Here’s what it says about Famine -

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.”

-Revelations 6:5

Famine holds scales (used to weigh out grain in times of food scarcity).  Spn’s depiction is represented as hunger, a bottomless pit of need.  It consumes souls (demon and human alike).  

Cas describes Famine a little more poetically:

CASTIEL 

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... "

"... and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. "

"His hunger will seep out and poison the air. "

***Consider a prior season in which we are introduced to the Seven Deadly Sins.  Which are the sins associated with hunger?

Gluttony

and Lust.

***this is also important

Back to the episode.  Case cold open, and we find out that Alice was a Nice Girl.  In that she didnt drink, smoke or

have premarital sex.

***So Alice’s hunger for the sin of Lust caused her to succumb to it; and her demise was presented as Gluttony (literally eating her partner’s flesh). HMM

Famine’s presence is affecting the town, and Cas is not immune.

DEAN 

And when did you start eating?

CASTIEL 

Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.

***They lay it out a little more in case you missed it ->

SAM 

I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food.

CASTIEL 

Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--Sex, attention, drugs, love...

***this is so important.  but of course because its spn and our textual narrators are generally unreliable (even in a Ben Edlund episode, yes I know)

we get a red herring

CASTIEL 

Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.

***but that’s not accurate.  they didn’t get married or become obsessed with each other (remember the cursed coin in 4x08 Wishful Thinking and the unconditional love wish? not what happened here). they had premarital sex.  they did the thing Alice considers wrong, and dark, and sinful.  and then they ate each others’ flesh.

DEAN 

Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

CASTIEL 

It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect

***mad lad Jimmy Novak’s hunger is for...red meat?  He is starving for red meat?  You are telling me that the Novaks, red blooded conservative religious midwestern Novaks, ate RED MEAT SO SPARINGLY that Jimmy Novak was LITERALLY starving for it?!?!  No way.  Absolutely no way.  This is a man who was such a religious zealot he STUCK HIS HAND IN BOILING WATER and accepted an angel of the lord into his own body but his secret hunger was for fucking ground beef?

give me a damn break.

to me this is an absolute coverup.  Because Cas’s burger consumption is not related one iota to his vessel Jimmy Novak.

it is a representation of Cas falling.  Cas’s cravings for meat represent his growing (and very much prohibited) feelings for...humanity (Dean Winchester), and they are presenting as Gluttony in the form of his downing more and more copious amounts of red meat.  

SERIOUSLY, consider this - at one point the depiction is so desperately carnal that he is eating raw ground beef with his bare hands. It is fucking uncomfortable.  and it is SUPPOSED to be.  Famine stirs up hunger for the prohibited.  For the sinful. That which we are starving for but do not believe we can ever have, so we lust and we lust and we LUST after it, but should we allow ourselves even just a taste of what we have been ravenously craving, we binge it until we ourselves disappear into the oblivion of our own sinful, dark desires.

Since You Want More Examples of why this cant possibly be hunger for Cheeseburgers and Cheeseburgers alone, Consider Famine’s effect on Dean.  Remember his doctor kink?

**when its revealed that Doctor Corman has succumbed to Famine’s poison by drinking himself to death, Dean - very uncharacteristically by the way - reacts by saying out loud

DEAN Thanks. Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.

***please note that Doctor Corman says the following to Dean in the prior scene they have together -

DR. CORMAN [to Dean]

Agent Marley, you just can't stay away.

****was that a flirtation?

***Also, Dean doesn’t want to go out and chase tail for Valentines Day.   

SAM

I mean, what do you always call it-- Uh, unattached drifter Christmas?

DEAN 

Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year.

SAM 

So you're not into bars full of lonely women?

DEAN 

Nah, I guess not. [takes a sip of his beer] Ahh. What?

SAM 

That's when a dog doesn't eat-- That's when you know something's really wrong.

***oh look we are relating things to eating again.  sex/lust to gluttony.  hmmm hmmm hmmm

ANYHOW -  *takes deep breath*

 this is also the Episode Where This Scene Lives

****JACKTING JOICES

oh and speaking of jacting joices, this is also the Dean Notices Cupids Crotch Episode.

frAckles, I am once again asking why you only permit celestial beings to hug you from behi-[gunshots]

but Dean isn’t hungry.  Why? Famine has the explanation, and we get it after Dean immediately runs inside after Cas heads in to complete his portion of their plan barely giving him any time to do so because he misses him that much.

FAMINE 

I disagree. [Famine moves closer to Dean and touches him] Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.

DEAN 

Oh, you're so full of crap.

FAMINE 

Oh, you can smirk and joke and lie to your brother, lie to yourself, but not to me! 

***not Dean making all of those homophobic/homoerotic jokes every time he’s in danger or feeing uncomfortable; not that, that can’t possibly be what Famine is referencing, right?

I can see inside you, Dean. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. 

***not THIS parallel:

AMARA:

You're a mystery. I can see inside your heart. Feel the love you feel, except… It's cloaked in shame

You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions. 

***not the motions of performative heterosexuality!!

***Dean’s not hungry because in his heart he truly believes that he can’t actually have what he hungers for.  That Thing Which This Episode Overtly but Also Very Clearly Made Obvious.  It’s an angel riding shotgun [I did Do That and I am Not Sorry], eating a burger in the front seat of the impala.  But, I’ve deviated from the meat of this essay [gunshots] [this time just for the bad joke].

BONUS

there’s Exists another episode in which a man ravenously consumes red meat; eventually succumbing to eating raw beef with his bare hands in the season prior to this one.  

Yes Supernatural the Show That Brought Us Not One But Two Scenes of Persons Carnally Consuming Red Meat With Their Bare Hands.  

This episode is a MOTW - the man in question is a rougaru - a monster that starts out as human but due to some specific genetic disorder (hmmm hmmm hmm crack in THE chassis hmmm hmmm) soon begins to be extremely hungry - “for everything, but eventually long pig.” AKA human flesh. 

Wanna know the kicker?  

Episode’s called Metamorphosis.

(GIF by jackttwist)

I’ll see myself out.

[DOUBLE BONUS for extra credit:

if you really wanna wild out, go watch the scene of Jack the rougaru looking at himself in the mirror in 4x04 - and then meander on over to 7x01 and check out God!stiel looking in the mirror as the leviathans writhe inside him over there. It’s worth the walk.]

***oh and @lilac-void​ im tagging you in this one because in exchange for your KIND creator content nomination I guess I will respond by cursing you with an Honorary tag in this, a Meat Meta.  you’re welcome slash I'm sorry XO [but seriously thank you again for your kindness and appreciation; it really motivated me to sit down and get moving on making more content <3]

[averytiredbitch]

MK OC Randomness part 8... I think. Fuck it! We're going with it!

Welcome back to the shit show. Let's go!

also some of these jokes are from lamas with hats

Qiao Fu is my name for the Lin Kuei Grandmaster

Also some of these jokes are based off skits done by Moonkitti on YouTube. Just re-worded a bit

Nozomi: Hey uncle Shinnok! Do your old man voice!

Shinnok, in his normal voice: What old man voice?

Nozomi: Yeah! That one!

------

Nozomi: ooh who's this?

Qiao Fu: That's my old wife.

Nozomi: The one who died long ago?

Qiao Fu: The very same

Nozomi: *eyeing the picture* That's too bad. She looks really cute.

Qiao Fu: I'm sorry, do you find my old wife attractive?

Nozomi: Do you not!?

------

Nozomi: I wanna see my little boy!

Shang Tsung: *helping Meat walk* Here he comes!

Nozomi: *scooping Meat up and hugging him* I wanna see my little boy!

------

"Revenant" Reiki: WHY WOULD YOU THINK ANY OF THIS IS A GOOD IDEA!?

"Revenant" Michiko: Probably because I'm a dangerous sociopath with a long history of violence.

"Rev" Reiki: Oh.

"Rev" Michiko: I don't understand how you keep forgetting that.

------

Shinnok: Shh, do you hear that?

Shinnok: That's the sound of forgiveness.

Melantha: That's the sound of people dying dad!

Shinnok: That is what forgiveness sounds like. Screaming and then silence.

------

Shariah: How did you even do this!?

Meat: A dollop of fairy dust!

Shariah: Meat!

Meat: I ripped the tag off a mattress.

Shariah: This isn't funny Meat!

Meat: Who's laughing? Clearly not all the people that just exploded.

Shariah: I'm leaving! I've had enough of this!

Meat: But thank of all the perfectly roasted faces we get to munch on now.

Shariah: What? Why?

Meat: Because we're friends. And friendship is two pals munching on well cooked faces together.

------

"The bar was so low it was practically a tripping hazard in Hell! And yet, here you are limbo dancing with the devil!"- Melantha to Hotaru at a family dinner.

------

"Oh no. There are consequences to your actions? Who would've thought?" Krow to Raiden and Flamus, still pissed at them for completely destroying a village that housed the remaining nymphs and nymphlims their husband made.

------

Nozomi: I'm just here to collect Michiko

Qiao Fu: *tries to stab her*

Nozomi: YOU'RE AN UNFIT FATHER FU! THAT'S NOT EVEN YOUR DAUGHTER! YOU HAVE A HUMAN CHILD! WHO THE FUCK'S DEMON CHILD IS THAT! WHO ARE YOU STEALING CHILDREN FROM!?

------

Michiko: You are not my father!

Qiao Fu: Bring proof you are not my daughter!

Meixiu's ghost in the background: Bitch! You literally murdered her birth father!

------

Nyx: Get out

Reiko: Aww come on. Can't I check in on my favorite little sister?

Nyx: If you don't leave me my room Reiko, I will stab you. And when I do it won't look pretty.

Reiko: there's a pretty way to stab people? Like with a butterfly knife or something?

Nyx: yup. Handle and all.

Reiko: oh... OH!

------

Nemos: Greetings Thunder God!

Raiden: Eh? Nemos what are you doing here?

Nemos: I'm taking advantage of your guilt-ridden personality to get a head start on being a better realm protector while no one is looking.

Raiden: Nope. New timeline, new Raiden. Go- Go play with your sisters.

Nemos: I'll have you know I've lived 15 lives in which I've played with my sisters, and none of them have been consequential!

Raiden: *sighs* I'm trying to take you seriously. Really. But it just feels like an even smaller Shinnok is yelling at me right now.

------

Hotaru: *busting into the Sky Temple and picking up Nemos* My beautiful son, I am back from my epic battle of driving out the rebels!

Nemos: Tell me, man who sired me!

Hotaru: We were fighting when suddenly Soldier B produced a substance that burned through their skin!

Nozomi: That sounds like my poison...

Hotaru: Oh no! We'd never poison anyone. Only ambush them in the middle of the night, kill them through physical violence, and intimidate them in other wise orderly court proceedings. Poison is bad.

Nozomi: Have you considered maybe, asking him if he poisoned them?

Hotaru: Oh no, I trust him completely.

Melantha: *holding Discordia and Harmonia* But, what if he did?

Hotaru: *small whimper before glaring and shouting* Solider B! Come here and apologize to my wife for making her think about things immediately!

Solider B: Hi, what?

Hotaru: I said apologize to Melantha!

Solider B: Uh yeah, sorry for poisoning the rebels or something..

Melantha: Hey, has anyone seen Nemos?

------

Darrius: It seems one of the soldiers has summoned Melantha to their side.

Hotaru: *spying on the rebels* Gonna go see Melantha. I'm gonna see Melantha at the meeting. Gonna see Melantha. Melantha.

------

OB: I made a perfectly good Titan

Fuyuka: You fucked up my daughter is what you did!

Fuyuka: Look at her! She's traumatized!

------

Amara: Don’t worry, I have a few knives up my sleeve.

Leila: I think you mean cards.

Amara, pulling knives out of her sleeves: No, I do not.

------

Ermac: Bad things keep happening to us, like we have bad luck or something.

Zyta: Ermac, you don't have bad luck. The reason bad things happen to you is because you're a dumbass.

------

Zyta: You love me, right, Ermac?

Ermac: Normally, we’d say yes without hesitation, but we feel like this is going somewhere and we don’t like it.

------

Kristy: *steps on her glasses by accident*

Kristy: *inhales* If I knew that this would be the fate that befalls me and these damned glasses, I would've just let the fire reach my left eye and burn it out completely!

------

Megumi: I turned out perfectly fine!

Ayeka: Megumi, this morning you thought a ghost made your toast

Megumi: I DIDN’T PUT THE BREAD IN! YOU DIDN’T PUT THE BREAD IN!!!

------

Zyta: Stop buying plastic skeletons for Halloween! It's terrible for the environment!

Philomela: Yeah! Locally sourced, all natural skeletons are much more environmentally friendly!

------

Discordia, holding a python: Guys I impulsively bought a snake, what do I name him

Harmonia: You did WHAT–

Nemos: William Snakepeare

------

Discordia: Hey Harmonia,

Harmonia: Yes?

Discordia: Can a person breathe inside a washing machine while it’s on?

Harmonia:

Harmonia: Where’s Nemos?

------

Discordia: Here’s a fun Christmas idea. We hang mistletoe, but instead of kissing, you have to FIGHT whoever else is under it.

Harmonia: Discordia no.

Nemos: Mistlefoe.

Harmonia: Please stop encouraging her.

------

Store Worker: Would a Ms. Philomela please come to the front desk?

Philomela, arriving at the desk: Hello, is there a problem?

Store Worker: *points to Amara and Zyta*

Store Worker: I believe they belong to you?

Amara and Zyta, simultaneously: We got lost :(

Philomela: I didn’t even bring you guys here with me-

------

Erron, driving Ash and Kamden: So how was your day?

Ash: We almost got surprise adopted!

Erron: What?

Kamden: We almost got kidnapped.

Erron: Oh, okay.

Erron: *slams on the breaks* WAIT WHAT?!

------

Nozomi: Welcome, fellow idiots

Kung Lao: Hello, Nozomi

Nozomi: No, no, not you, you're not an idiot

Kung Lao: You underestimate me

------

Nozomi: What are your goals?

Kung Lao: To pet all the dogs.

Nozomi: No, fitness goals.

Kung Lao: To be able to run fast enough to pet all the dogs.

------

Liu Kang: You know, not every problem can be solved with a sword.

Nozomi: That's why I carry two swords.

------

Sareena: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Michiko's been crying in the bathroom for an hour. We can’t get her out...

------

Sareena: Do you have any skeletons in your closet?

Michiko: You mean literally or figuratively?

Sareena: Honestly, the fact that I have to specify...

------

Sareena: Michiko... Why did you draw a pentagram on the floor?

Michiko: Your text told me to Satanize the house before you returned.

Sareena:

Sareena: I wrote sanitize, Michiko.

------

Sareena: You kill people for money?!

Michiko: I can explain!

Sareena: And all this time I’ve been doing it for free like a chump!

@deepinthefog @merplderpl @yuvononik @dontunderestimatemypoison @feistyfandomthings @toomanyf4ndoms7 @daddydestrey @tora-lotus @calcium1790 @starneko123 @dinogoofy @bar10du @cyberbloodgoddess

[eddielala]

Okay, I won’t sleep.

Here’s my goddamn summary and explanation of the meta. Because I have to say it.

1. They cut the ‘I love you’ scene . You know why? It was a hint that this episode won’t be about them.

2. We don’t know how long Dean was in the bunker and cried. We do know he didn’t pick up the phone the first time Sam called.

3. Dean arrives with the Impala. You can see he’s broken. And I really mean fucking goddamn broken. Jensen acted it very well and in character. He looks to the ground, he tries not to cry, his eyes flutter. He doesn’t realize what Jack and Sam are saying, you literally can see him thinking. Cas told him he loves him and died, that’s not easy to handle. Not for Dean, who’s still unsure about his sexuality.

4. “He saved me”. Well, he didn’t say ‘he loves me’. But ‘he saved me’ is the exact same thing for Dean, because he’s the man who doesn’t deserve to be saved. Saving him was Cas’ love confession and with telling Sam and Jack about it, he said ‘he loves me’. And come on, Dean talking about feelings would be out of character. We see a drunk Dean sleeping between beer bottles, that’s enough.

5. The dog is Cas. Not in person, but it’s kind of an incarnation. The angel with the puppy eyes, loyal, brave. Dean sees Cas in it and that’s the reason he falls in love with ‘Miracle’. He dies because of god and the moment of joy is over. Btw in the end you can see the dog again. Sooo, maybe Cas is on his way?

6. Adam is dead. It was only Michael and Adams body. And after Michael is killed Adam is gone forever. Maybe it’s a message because the fans always made fun that the writers and the boys forgot their brother. Now he’s gone.

7. The Cas call scene. You can see the desperate in Deans eyes. I already saw some posts about it and they were on point. The moment of hope in Deans eyes when he hears Cas’ voice, he jumps off and runs upstairs. That’s love btw. He wants so bad that it’s Cas, even he knows it’s nearly impossible.

8. Lucifers comeback. Maybe fan service? Mark was a brillant Lucifer. And we have the situation of the archenemies again: Lucifer and Michael, both with daddy issues. One last fight. And, surprise, Luci dies. The “good” one wins. Luci is now in the empty again... isn’t he? But I think his death is permanently. They wanted to solve the problem with the whole ‘in SPN nobody stays dead’ thing. But dunno, I didn’t look up the cast for next week’s episode.

9. The reaper. Well, I was in shock when she showed up. I really thought it’s Cas in a female vessel but it was just a reaper. Luci kills her, here’s new death. Well, they needed someone to open up the goddamn book. Wasn’t very exciting. And she was dead as fast as she was alive. I think the writers didn’t know how to open up the book otherwise.

10. The plan. What a rush. And how could god not know it? He’s omniscient? Hm... well, I think the most important scene was the one when Dean asks god to bring Cas back. The anger in his eyes, mixed with desperation. He would kill his brother, but Cas has to live. That’s character development, you can’t tell me otherwise. And that’s also plot development.

11. Michael’s death. Kill off and gone. Well, I think they had to get rid of him. But he died through the hands of his loved father. Could be a hint that daddy issues have to be solved and shows that Chuck is a goddamn son of a bitch.

12. Jack. Oh, he’s an adult now! I think it was the best what could happen to our baby. He always felt not strong enough and now he’s god. That’s a promotion! It was a good decision: Jack was not controlled by his feelings - sure he had bad days, but his wisdom was greater than god’s actually. The reason is that he’s half an angel. And he’s half an human. God made the angels the image and likeness of himself but he wasn’t satisfied by the result. So he created humanity the same way. Jack is a combination out of god’s objective, destructive side and god’s loving, emotional side. And both sides were always in balance, and that’s the reason he could be a energy - how did they call it - sucking hole without getting destroyed by gods and Amaras power. Because these powers need balance and Jack could give it to them.

13. God. God’s an asshole. And we know he represents the writers of Supernatural. When Chuck beats the shit out of Dean and Sam it’s actually a message: The writers harmed them so many times, the whole series is a fucking drama. It represents how they dealt with them, they send them to hell and back so many times. They tortured them, broke their hearts. That’s the last time the writers harm them so much. Because they - Chuck - looses his powers. Dean and Sam take over the situation. Dean and Sam represented and influenced by Jensen and Jared. And by the fans. The writers aren’t able to change them anymore. They are what we want them to be. Because they don’t have the power anymore.

14. The book. We see the white pages of the book. God can’t see what’s written there. The pages are blank. This means the writers are finished. They don’t have something to say anymore. The story got told and there’s nothing what follows. The pages are white and ready for stories from other people. Fanfics, fanarts, and so on. Chuck, the writers, tell us there’s nothing left to say. It’s over.

15. Dean doesn’t kill god. Chuck provokes Dean to kill him and Dean says to him, that’s not who he is. You remember Cas said it this to him, right. It’s not a love confession but something like this. He finally accepts who he is and that he has feelings and not only a raised killing machine. He accepts himself. Maybe that’s a good sign for the next episode.

16. Jack disappears. I know he’s family but for real: he found his happiness being a god. He will change the world. I already said why he’s perfect for this job. And his disappearance is... well, gives me a comfortable feeling. He’s in peace and he found his mission of life. And you can’t tell me he didn’t bring back Eileen and the others. We don’t know if he can bring back Cas out of the empty. But I think he would bring Cas back if he could. Maybe he couldn’t and the story gets told in the last episode. However, Jack did a great job.

17. The ending. Yeah, what did we expect? They already told us with the season’s posters that it’s about Sam and Dean. And only them. And I can understand why Dean seems to be happy there. They literally saved the goddamn world again. But I don’t think it’s only this. They are free now. That means they can become what they want - what the fans want because the writers lost their power. And maybe that’s a hint on Destiel being confirmed by Dean in the next episode. And they’re driving with the Impala but we don’t know where they will go. Hmm... and maybe Dean smiled because he had hope again? Hope to save his... boyfriend?! Don’t know, but he’s able to do it now.

So, maybe I’m too romantic but that’s what I think. I think we see Cas again and that they will be together. I don’t know and I don’t think we will get a love confession from Dean (I know, sad. I thought we get it). But I think there’s hope. Maybe - that’s only a theory - they don’t want to make it completely canon because they argue that the end should offer enough possibilities for the fans to write and draw and so on. I would be pissed if that’s the argument, I mean queerbaiting is real but we don’t know.

I don’t find an answer in the confusing statements of the actors and the crew. Misha said he’s not in this episodes, but he was on set. It’s canon, but Dean doesn’t reciprocate? What the hell? It’s a mess and they have to clean it up for the fans. They said it won’t be a ‘Game of Thrones’ ending and hell yes, I don’t want that. It would suck. Also they said the ending would make 30% of the fans happy - maybe that’s us. We’ll see.

Edit: Btw I wrote it before, I think it’s true that Cas gets more attention in the last episode because of the fact it’s the series finale. Cas wasn’t just part of the season and we know it was the season finale, he’s part of the whole series for years. So why not bring him back for the series finale?

[kriskrass]

ooo oc questions! here are some fun questions for ocs and stuff:

what kinda clothes does your oc/ ocs wear/would wear?

are they a tea or coffee person(or something else)?

what are their favourite animals?

what’s their opinion on stuffed animals and/or video games?

what’s their favourite genre of books and/or movies?

if they weren’t in the source they’re in/if they were in a piece of media, what other source do you feel they’d fit into well?

if they had a pet, any pet, what animal would it be and what would it’s name be?

would they have tumblr? or any other social media?

what names do you feel would fit them other than their current/chosen name?

what hobbies do they have? if they don’t have any, do they have any hobbies they’d enjoy to start doing?

sorry if i’ve completely misinterpreted what you said, and sorry if i’ve waffled too much on these but shakxhskcjhs yeah have fun with the answers! :D

Asjhskahdks thank you for the questions!!!

(I’m gonna answer these for Tara, Oz, Calyx, Aeron, Leto and Even so this is gonna be a long post)

What kind of clothes does your oc/ ocs wear/would wear?

Tara: mostly casual clothing like simple T-shirts and Jeans, (armor when he fights) although it is pretty hard for her to change since she is a ghost and it takes a lot of concentration to interact with worldly objects

Oz: He also wears mostly casual things like hoodies but prefers darker colors. It also wears a blindfold most of the time because if he looks someone in the eyes they fall into a trance/hypnosis

Calyx: Flowers grow on their skin. The flowers change their type and color depending on how he is feeling. The flowers also form a cape, thats why its hard for her to put on normal shirts. The shirts he wears are out of natural materials like moss or plants and either created by them through godly powers or handsewn/crafted. His shirts are tied together behind his back.

Aeron: They wear pastel-colored button up shirts and skirts. Also fishnet stockings and boots. And many accessories like rings and collars and earrings

Leto: It doesn’t really have a human form its just a void so they dont wear anything

Even: He wears regal/prince clothing.

Are they a tea or coffee person (or something else)?

Tara: Coffee

Oz: Everyone thinks he’s a coffee person but he hates the taste of coffee so he’s more of a tea person

Calyx: idk he probably drinks ranch dressing straight out of the bottle or something

Aeron: Both

Leto: They don’t drink

Even: Tea

What are their favorite animals?

Tara: Mouse

Oz: Crow

Calyx: She is a spotted deer but their favorite animal are probably rabbits

Aeron: They are a seneca white deer but their favorite animals are cata

Leto: It doesn’t care about animals

Even: He hates reptiles or anything with scales but he doesn’t really have a favorite animal

What’s their opinion on stuffed animals and/or video games?

Tara: It likes both of them but sadly she doesn’t have much time to play video games anymore

Oz: Same as Tara

Calyx: He just cuddles with real animals instead of stuffed ones and he doesn’t really know what video games are (she lives in the forest) but they would destroy everyone in Mario Kart

Aeron: Doesn’t really like stuffed animals but loves videogames.

Leto: It Doesn’t care.

Even: doesn’t know what both of those are but he would absolutely live stuffed animals

What’s their favorite genre of books and/or music?

Tara: Horror

Oz: definitely not Horror but Tara keeps forcing him to watch them (He also really likes romance but would never admit to it)

Calyx: whatever tastes the best

Aeron: Drama/Romance

Leto: it doesn’t care.

Even: doesn’t know what movies are and never liked reading

if they weren’t in the source they’re in/ if they were in a piece of media, what other source do you feel they’d fit into well?

Tara: Harry Potter maybe? Idk

Oz: some random teen movie as the shy main character who gets a “makeover” scene that makes them look less cool then they were before

Calyx: Percy Jackson (as a satyr)

Aeron: Same as Calyx

Leto: i dont know sorry

Even: S…San….Sanders Sides fanfiction (no, I will not explain)

if they had a pet, any pet what animal would it be and what would it’s name be?

Tara: a mouse named Henry and another mouse named Cheddar

Oz: A crow named Zachary or something

Calyx: all animals follow them so every animal is their pet

Aeron: every dead animal (or rather souls of dead animals) follows them so every dead animal is their pet

Leto: it doesn’t care.

Even: He is friends with a little bird that lives in his tower . He named it Hope.

Would they have Tumblr? Or any other social media?

Tara: not Tumblr but maybe Instagram?

Oz: yes

Calyx: yes

Aeron: yes, and they would have a tiktok account

Leto: no

Even: no

What names do you feel would fit them other than their current/chosen name?

Tara: No clue

Oz: Also no clue

Calyx: Clover

Leto: Whisper

Aeron: Amara

Even: Elliott

What hobbies do they have? if they don’t have any, do they have any hobbies they’d enjoy to start doing?

Tara: Writing

Oz: Drawing

Calyx: Sewing

Aeron: i feel like they’d enjoy skateboarding

Leto: no

Even: music/singing

Thank you for the questions this was very fun to answer!!!

[booksbardsbway]

I got tagged by @sagesiren! Thanks so much and sorry this is so late! Also, this ended up way longer than expected because I’m in quarantine and I have way too much time on my hands. 

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know more about

Top 3 ships (+1 because I couldn’t decide): 

1: Steve/Peggy. These two... Yeah. I’m a sucker for any relationship built on both a.) a deep sense of mutual respect where both characters would die for the other, but also know when to get the hell out of the other’s way, and b.) a deep sense of mutual snark, where both characters are sassy as hell, but in a dry, witty sort of way. Add in a tragic backstory, some longing looks, and a few lines about dancing, and I’m a puddle, every time.

2: Outlaw Queen. One thing that I  actually really love about Once Upon a Time is how crazy you sound when you try to explain it to someone who’s never seen it. I mean, Robin Hood and the Evil Queen? What? But actually Robin and Regina are seriously the cutest. They’re both each other’s second chance at a soulmate, after an almost meeting when they were much younger, and they’re both parents who would do anything to protect their children, Plus, Regina’s super fighty and angry in an “I-ripped-your-heart-out-once-and-I’ll-do-it-again” kind of way, and it’s fun to see her reaction to Robin when he not only matches her snark one for one (I’m sensing a pattern here), but also shows her that she can be vulnerable with people again. Boom. True Love. (Oh, and that thing at the end of season 5? We don’t talk about that. Never happened.)

Side note: I picked one ship per universe, but Swanfire (also Once Upon a Time) is pretty high up there, too.

3. The Doctor/Rose. The thing about Rose Tyler is that she’s got such an amazing personal growth story. When we first meet Rose, she’s pretty much the audience stand in, as was necessary for the reboot. She has a basic retail job, she lives with her mom, and her life looks almost exactly the same day to day. She meets the Doctor, starts adventuring with him, and calls him on his shit once in a while, but once again, as was needed for the first bit of a reboot, it’s often the Doctor that has to come in, rescue Rose, and save the day. The awesome thing is that, over time, we see Rose grow, and when everything comes to a head, she ends up saving herself in her own right. I’m down to see Rose with any of the New Who Doctors, but I REALLY want to see what her and 13 would look like. Their energies would bounce off of each other in a nice way, and I would love to see how the Doctor would handle someone who knew her before. Plus, space lesbians! (And kind of off topic, but am I the only one who feels like Rose and Graham would get along swimmingly?)

4. Buffy/Angel. A slayer in love with an ensouled vampire? A comically broody hero who fights for good to atone for crimes of his past? They literally can’t be together because, one way or another, it will destroy the world? It’s classic, eye-roll inducing star crossed lovers crap, and I LOVE IT. No matter what, in my eyes, Buffy and Angel will always come back to each other. They draw comfort from one another, have each other’s backs, and have a shared tenderness and understanding of each other that only grows as the seasons go on, despite and maybe even because of, their separate growth on their own shows. I Will Remember You is probably my favorite episode of Angel or Buffy of all time, and the fight scene from the Buffy finale pretty much makes me swoon. It goes like this: Angel literally gets a punch-the-big-bad-in-the-face hero moment, and big bad goes down. When the big bad starts to get back up again, Angel moves to engage, and Buffy puts a hand out. Angel: “Oh, so one of those things you have to finish yourself.” Buffy: “Really kinda is.” Angel steps back to the background, crosses his arms and leans against a pillar. Big bad approaches. Angel to big bad: “You are so gonna lose.”

Lipstick or chapstick: Chapstick, 100%. Lipstick is fun, but I always get worried about smearing it or staining things.

Last song: Tug of War by Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s very hair twirly 2008 pop, and that’s kind of what I’ve been needing in the repressed craziness that is 2020.

Last Movie: The Little Mermaid? Maybe? I watched that one with my family a while ago, but honestly I haven’t seen a movie in a while. I’ve been watching a lot of Community and Critical Role, though.

Reading: Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce. I read the Immortals quartet (and all other books by Tamora Pierce) repeatedly growing up, and I’m loving the window into Numair’s backstory!

3 random things that make me happy:

1: I played D&D for the first time the other day, and it was a blast! I’m a half elf bard named Amara.

2: Even though all my classes are online and therefore kind of hard for someone who does better with in person stuff, I’m really thankful that they keep me on some kind of schedule. Plus, thanks to this poetry class I’m taking, I’m getting back into writing poetry, which I haven’t done in a while!

3: I went on a little 3 mile walk to this neighborhood pond/park, and it was lovely just to see all the flowers blooming. Magnolias, cherry blossoms, tulips, bluebells, even the little daisies. The world may be a lot right now, but at least we have Spring.

—

I tag: @screwyouiamtheavatar @emthrys @appleinducedsleep @nostalgic-idiott @katie-my-lady @magicandstarstuff  @angelatwell @thesokovianaccords @roboticonography @indiefic

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m going (40)

Team Peacock

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18.

Word count: around 5,500 - oops (once again I’m on my iPad and can’t figure out the ‘keep reading’ thing, I’m sorry for the huge post!)

Notes: This picks up pretty much where we left off, after Drake, Amara, Max, and Michael leave the Ball, starting with Michael’s POV. This is the last chapter of Book 1, I will come back soon with the 1st chapter of Book 2, with a slightly altered title :) Thank you everyone for your awesome feedback, I’ve been super spoiled with you all! ❤️

*****

Michael has been silent the entire car ride. As soon as Amara suggested she and Drake get out of there, Max offered to give everyone a ride back to Ramsford. Michael knows his sister; there is no way to make her change her mind when she’s sure of something.

She and Drake had a contingency plan, and they are heading to Paris as soon as they can get a flight out. They’re going to find Drake’s sister, who has dropped off the face of the Earth a while ago. Amara apparently found out where she lives, and now they’re going there.

That’s his girl, the woman who puts her awesome detective skills at the service of those who need it.

But he worries that she’s leaving for the wrong reasons. That she’s acting out of fear, out of anger, out of all those impulsive feelings that got woken up when everyone got a glimpse of the night when she almost got assaulted.

Right now, she and Drake are in the backseat, on their phones, looking up flights. Drake’s brow is furrowed, and so is Maxwell’s, which lets Michael believe that they are on the same boat as he is: worried about the reasons why Amara’s so adamant about leaving.

Again, he knows her. She is as stubborn as Sergio was, and there’s little to no way to make her change her mind.

But he’d sure like to try.

*****

‘Babe, do you have space in your bag for this?’ Amara asks him as she holds out a bulky toiletry bag, filled with lotions.

Drake nods. ‘Sure. Give it to me.’ He pauses. There’s no right way of telling her about his doubts. ‘Suarez, are you certain you wanna do this?’

She snorts, as she energetically zips up her suitcase. ‘Yeah, fuck that. I’m not staying one more minute in this toxic place.’

He understands. Of course he understands. But he also knows that running away is not the solution, and maybe she will regret doing that, as soon as they’ve found Savannah and she no longer has a short-term goal. They’d been happy here, hadn’t they? Of course they were sneaking around, but they made amazing memories with their friends, and life was pretty good here. He knows that Amara agrees with that. He knows she loves Cordonia, probably even more than Drake does.

Maybe they should just stay put, wait until this blows over, and live at the cabin or something.

Amara stops moving for a second, and sighs. ‘I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m running. But what else can I do? Keep letting myself be victimized by this whole fucking country? No, I’m done turning the other cheek.’

Drake nods. ‘I get it. I can’t take much more, either.’

She smiles and approaches him to give him a warm hug. ‘Babe, this is temporary, we’ll see everyone again, you know that? We just need to find your sister, she needs you more than anyone here.’

He smiles and places a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses him back, deeper, until they’re so far gone in their bubble that they forget what they were even talking about. Amara breaks their kiss for a second, and says, ‘I love you, Drake.’

He smiles. ‘I love you too.’

At the end of the day, he’ll do whatever she wants him to do. This is the woman he loves. This is the woman who brought him back to life. Whatever she wants, she’ll get.

But he can’t shake the feeling that giving up on clearing her name means that the people who wanted to bring her down have won.

*****

Olivia swings the door to Ramsford open. She and Hana heard by Bertrand that the others had left and Amara and Drake were on their way to Paris, and Olivia was furious. She demanded that Bertrand drive them back to Ramsford immediately, and when his driving was way too slow for her liking, she took it upon herself to be the pilot. Upon entering his mansion, Bertrand’s coloring was very similar to that of his sweater vest. Olive green.

‘Where the fuck is she?’ Liv groans as she spots Michael and Max having a drink in the living room.

‘In her bedroom,’ Max responds, ‘they’re packing.’

Olivia stops right in front of Maxwell and points an angry finger at him. ‘And you’re letting this happen? What the fuck, Beaumont? Weren’t you supposed to be the voice of reason? She’s running away from her life, again? No offense, Michael.’

‘None taken,’ Michael says, visibly terrified.

Maxwell takes a deep breath. ‘Liv, there is no convincing her. She is adamant. Plus, can you blame her? Two nights in a row, she is put on the spot and humiliated in public. Tonight was the last straw.’

Liv chuckles. ‘Oh, that’s rich. The last straw was when this one—‘ she gestures to Hana— ‘was outed at court. We should have just thrown in the towel that day, because it was the last fucking straw, but we stuck it out! The country is at the hands of a manchild and a psychopath, and now she’s leaving?’ She strides to the staircase and makes her way upstairs.

*****

Hana sits at the table with Maxwell, Michael and Bertrand. She grabs a tumbler and pours herself a large dose of whiskey. Tonight, she needs it.

‘Guys,’ she says softly, ‘Liam told me he still plans to give her Valtoria. But she needs to clear her name. We need to investigate and make this right.’

Maxwell throws his hands up. ‘I know, hun, but she doesn’t want to. She kept saying that Cordonia can go fuck itself, and that she’s outta here.’

Bertrand scoffs. ‘Oh! That can’t be right. It’s not Cordonia’s fault if some...bastards are taking pleasure in humiliating nice ladies.’

Hana smiles and puts her hand on Bertrand’s forearm. ‘She’s angry, Bertrand. She’s tired. I get it. But she can’t give up. We have to convince her. This whole affair needs justice, we can’t let them win.’

Michael nods curtly. ‘Agreed.’

*****

Amara and Drake are in the middle of getting undressed. Drake’s belt is undone and his shirt open, and Amara’s dress is on the floor. As Drake took it off her, she said ‘Take that fucking thing off me, I don’t wanna see another stupid gown ever.’ Now he’s working on unhooking her bra and kissing her neck, drawing low groans from her.

‘Suarez!’ Olivia screams as she flings the door open.

Amara jumps up and Drake gasps in surprise. ‘Liv!’ Amara screams, covering herself with her discarded gown.

‘Oh please,’ Liv says as she closes the door behind her, ‘nothing I haven’t seen.’ A pause ensues. She continues. ‘What, too soon? Come on. What happened tonight was a fucking disgrace, and if you’re leaving town because of it, it’s the dumbest fucking thing you’ve ever done. You need to face your demons for once in your fucking life, Amara.’

Amara freezes upon hearing her friend’s cutting words. ‘You—you don’t mean that, Liv. I’ve been doing my best—‘

‘It’s not enough!’ Liv screams. ‘You can’t just up and leave. You’ve been so worried about Walker ruining his friendship with Liam, and now you’re forcing him to come to Paris with you, and miss his supposed best friend’s engagement tour? Please. All you’ve ever cared about is yourself.’

Drake steps toward Liv, not even bothering to cover his bare chest. ‘Liv, you’re crossing a line. We’re going to Paris because Amara has found my sister, and you call her selfish?’

Liv rolls her eyes. ‘Please. You two aren’t going on a normal trip to reunite with little Savannah, no, you’re fleeing, there’s a difference.’ She looks down. ‘And you didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye. If I hadn’t come back—‘

Amara feels tears coming up. She fights them down. ‘Liv, I was gonna call you…’

‘Bullshit. Call me? Pff. That’s the fucking bare minimum. Just say it, be honest, Amara. You didn’t even think about how I would feel.’

Olivia’s voice cracks on the last word, and so does Amara’s heart. Olivia’s half-right. Amara didn’t want to see her before leaving, because she knew this very thing would happen: she would try to convince her not to give up. Except that she’s tired. She doesn’t have it in her. She takes a deep breath and says, ‘That’s not true, Olivia. I did think about it, and frankly, I didn’t think I could take the confrontation.’

Olivia gets up and heads for the door. ‘Well, I was wrong about you, Suarez. I never pegged you for a quitter.’

*****

After a tense goodbye session with Maxwell, Michael, Hana, and Bertrand, Drake ordered a car to the airport. They managed to get last minute tickets to Paris, with a million connections. The trip will be tedious, especially since Amara is still upset from her fight with Olivia. Drake knows how close the two women had gotten over the past few weeks, and their fight today was very ugly. He wishes he could do more, to make Amara feel better, but she doesn’t seem to be open to conversation.

He flashes back to when they first met, and she refused to tell him anything about her old life. At the time, it was mysterious, endearing, and even sexy. Now, as they’re in a committed relationship, her silence is grueling. This isn’t how she’s been ever since they got together. During the months she spent in Cordonia, she had opened up to the world, had laughed more, and had talked about her trauma. Now, she was silent, and on the verge of tears, in the back of an Uber.

He strokes her hand. She smiles faintly, and rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair.

‘I promise I’ll be more fun when we get to Paris,’ she whispers. ‘It’s just a little hard right now.’

He gets it. It’s hard for him, too. Amara is his home now, obviously he’ll follow her wherever. But these circumstances… He hates to admit it, but it really feels like Olivia is right. They’re not travelling, they’re fleeing.

His phone buzzes. He reaches inside his pocket and takes it out. Liam.

Drake, tonight was crazy. Hope you guys are ok. Call me when you can.

He sighs. After everything, he does feel bad for Liam. He’s been manipulated into a toxic engagement, and if nothing changes, he’ll be stuck in an awful marriage.

They’ve had their differences, and Drake sure doesn’t appreciate his change of personality, but he still feels responsible. He was supposed to be there for him. He texts back.

Everything ok for now. I’ll call you soon, I might have gotten a hold of Sav.

Dots appear right away.

Wow!! That is great. Some good news in this ocean of shit… Keep me posted.

He puts his phone away. Amara snuggles up to him more, and whispers. ‘I’m sorry. I ruined everything.’

He kisses her head. ‘How can you ruin everything when you are everything? Relax. Everything will be ok.’

*****

‘I’m sorry you came here to see Amara, and now she’s gone,’ Maxwell says sadly.

Michael smiles and takes another sip of his whiskey. ‘It’s fine, I can change my flight.’

Maxwell waves him off. ‘No, you should stay and enjoy. Plenty of space here. Hana, same for you, honey. Please stay as long as you want.’ He pauses and looks into his glass. ‘I’m not ready to lose everybody at once.’

Michael sets down his glass in a loud thump, which draws a gasp from everyone at the table. ‘Yeah, Max, you’re not losing anyone. Feel like a good old-fashioned airport chase?’

Maxwell gasps excitedly. ‘OMG...always.’

*****

Liam sighs as he puts his phone aside, anxiously waiting for a sign from his best friend. He can’t shake the feeling that he fucked up badly. He glances at the mirror, not ready to get out of the bathroom. Madeleine is waiting for him in the study, and he doesn’t want any of the options that are going to be presented to him.

‘Li, open up,’ he hears his brother’s voice say.

Liam opens the door to see Leo, his bow tie undone, and a chilled bottle of white wine in hand.

‘Dude, let’s pop this open. You’re gonna need it if you wanna survive your engagement. I should know.’

Liam chuckles as he takes the bottle to open it. Yes, Leo knows how Madeleine is. But does he, though? He fled as soon as their engagement was pronounced, and plus, Madeleine seems to have gotten a lot worse this time around. Liam pours two glasses and hands one to his brother. ‘Leo, this whole thing—‘

‘It was very messy, I’m not gonna lie,’ Leo interrupts as he grabs his glass and raises it before bringing it to his lips. ‘Any news from everyone who fucked off before it was over?’

Liam nods. ‘Yes. Maxwell called me, and Drake texted, I’m waiting for his call, actually.’

Leo nods and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it immediately. Liam frowns. Since when does he brother think before he talks? Leo takes another sips and says, ‘What about Lady Amara? Did you have any idea she was boning Tariq?’

Liam shakes his head vigorously. ‘No, and she isn’t. Those pictures were staged. She was almost assaulted by him, and I suppose someone took those photos at the exact right moment.’

Leo frowns. ‘So that’s why she looked on the verge of tears. Wow. Whoever did this is a fucking bastard.’

Liam nods as he takes a sip. ‘Agreed. I just don’t know what to do now, Leo. I don’t want her to leave, but I also don’t blame her.’ He pauses. ‘I want to give her Valtoria, still. But right now, the press is having a field day, and it wouldn’t be received well. This needs to be sorted out. I need to make this right.’

Leo nods. ‘How are you gonna do this all the while being engaged to Regina George?’

Liam chuckles. Leave it to Leo to make obscure references that no one understands. ‘I can’t make waves right now,’ he replies. ‘But I can guarantee you that if I could break this engagement right this second, I would.’

*****

‘Here you go,’ Drake smiles as he hands Amara a cup of coffee. Probably not the most indicated before hopping on a multiple-layover flight, but she insisted.

‘Thank you,’ she says softly. She sips in silence.

Drake sits down next to her and rests his hand on her knee. They passed security very easily and are now at their gate, with some time to spare. Drake bought them beverages and a bunch of snacks, while Amara was sitting in silence.

What he wouldn’t do to rewind back to earlier today, when they were at the pool. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again, he wouldn’t let her go to the ball. They’d go to the cabin instead, and she’d be happy right now. She’d be catching up with Michael, and Drake would get to know him. No one would have been humiliated and exposed in public.

He keeps flashing back to the moment when the lights went off. For the first couple of seconds, his heart stopped. It was exactly like the day when his father died. The total blackout. The assassination attempt that led Jackson Walker to push the King out of the way.

The last time Drake had seen his father.

What had happened tonight broke his heart. Seeing those pictures up on the screen, and Amara’s facial expression upon seeing them, the trauma, the humiliation, the desire to get the fuck out.

He understands.

Of course he’s happy to be on his way to Savannah.

Of course he’s happy to be with Amara. But he would be, regardless of the plan. He’s not going anywhere without her.

Maybe she thinks he wants this. Maybe she thinks he’s so sick of the court that they both need to get out. Maybe she thinks this is the perfect opportunity.

But it’s not. All it will accomplish is take her away from the little stability she’s known recently. From the connections she’s made with her friends. Olivia is already pissed. Not that it’s a reason not to go, Liv is always pissed. But never at Amara.

He kisses the top of Amara’s head. She squeezes his hand, ever so slightly, her head still lowered. Drake could swear that she’s sniffling.

‘Amara!!!’

They both jump up in surprise, as they see Maxwell and Michael running towards them, out of breath.

‘Guys!’ Drake exclaims, suddenly as relieved as he’s ever been, even though he has no idea what’s going on. ‘What are you doing here?’

Maxwell stops in front of them, completely out of breath. ‘I—‘ he huffs and puffs, as if he’d been smoking a pack of cigarettes à la Don Draper, ‘Jeez, I’m out of shape.’ He sits on the floor, clearly about to die. ‘We got here as fast as we could. We bought the cheapest tickets to go past security, don’t tell Bertrand.’

Michael, so far still silent, walks up to Amara and wraps her in a tight hug. ‘Don’t go,’ he says.

Maxwell smiles at Drake. Drake smiles back, and says, ‘Guys, Max and I are gonna go to that bar over there. Max needs a drink. We’ll catch up with you later.’

*****

‘Michael, come on,’ Amara says, breaking away from their hug. ‘You’ve seen what happened, you know I have no choice.’

He holds out his hand and gestures towards the seats. She obliges. He sighs and says, ‘Hear me out. I know this is fucked up, I know this was not okay, what happened tonight.’

‘Fuck no it wasn’t,’ Amara says, suddenly worried her voice might break. ‘I can’t look any of them in the eye.’

Michael’s eyes widen. ‘Who’s ‘them’? People at court?’ She nods. ‘All of them?’ She shrugs. Michael throws his hands up. ‘You can’t rule out everyone just because a bunch of dicks did something terrible. Plus, by running, you’re kind of accepting their narrative.’

Amara pauses. No, he can’t be right. ‘I’m not running,’ she protests. ‘I’m going to Paris to find Drake’s sister. Max told you, right?’

Michael smiles and takes her hand. ‘I know the official reason. But I also know that Savannah isn’t going anywhere, and that you could very well go to Paris in a couple of weeks once you have processed this whole thing.’ He looks down and squeezes her hand harder. ‘I know your MO, Amara. You block it all out, you don’t want to hear about anything, and you think things are gonna go away if you proceed like that. But they’re not.’

Amara fights back tears. Second time today someone confronts her in a friendly intervention. She’s not gonna cry, dammit. ‘This has nothing to do with...with two years ago.’

Michael smiles at her, in a way that breaks her heart. She knows that, despite what she’d like to believe, he understands her more than anyone. He saw her at her low point. He whispers, ‘You can’t even say the words, Amara. That’s how running away feels. You can’t confront it, two years later. You say ‘two years ago’, or, as I call it, when Sergio was shot. And I lost my sister, because she couldn’t face me, and I made mistakes, and I wasn’t there for you like I should, and I let you isolate yourself. Well fuck that, I’m not doing that again.’ His voice is louder now, and he catches himself almost shouting. He continues, calmer now. ‘You can’t run away from what you’ve got, here. Drake is wonderful. I know he’s coming with you, wherever you decide to go, but you know what I mean. You fell in love here. There is something for you in Cordonia. You found amazing friends. Maxwell took it upon himself to fix our bond, and he did it. That’s the kind of friends you surround yourself with. Are you willing to not see them for a while because you can’t face, what? Two people at court? The media?’

Amara can’t fight the tears anymore. They’re falling down no matter what. She knows he’s right. ‘But—‘ she protests, ‘but everyone thinks I was sleeping with Tariq, and I wasn’t, but on some level, I kinda did what they accuse me of, you know. I am in a relationship with Liam’s best friend.’

Michael makes an annoyed face. ‘Oh, and you owe the court your body and your heart? Honey, by leaving now, you are giving everyone the impression that you’re ashamed. When really, what happened is that you were almost sexually assaulted by a dirtbag who has now fled the country. You are the victim here. Of that Tariq, but also of the people who staged this whole thing. Don’t you think you deserve justice?’

Damn, Amara thinks. Being a lawyer really was Michael’s calling. She sighs. ‘I can’t abandon Drake, I promised him to find his sister.’

Michael smiles. ‘And you will. But don’t leave now, please. It would mean too much if you did. To others, yes, but mostly...to yourself, hun.’ He kisses her hand. ‘You have to face this. You’re Amara Motherfucking Suarez, you can face anything. Stop believing that you can’t.’

*****

Amara and Michael are still talking near the gate, and Drake can’t stop looking over to see what’s going on. Maxwell puts his hand on Drake’s arm, reassuringly. ‘Hey,’ he says, pushing his beer towards him, ‘drink this, you didn’t pay airport prices for nothing.’

Drake smiles weakly. ‘Max,’ he whispers, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go to Paris just yet, I wish we could stay. Amara will regret it if we just run, you know. And...maybe I will, too.’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. We all agree. But let Michael work his magic,’ he gestures towards the gate, ‘he’s a lawyer, he knows what he’s doing.’

Drake chuckles. ‘True.’

Maxwell pauses and continues. ‘Drake, are you ok? I thought of you, too, tonight, when the lights went off. It must have brought up terrible memories.’

Drake sighs deeply. ‘Yeah, it did. But I have to move forward, you know.’ He takes a sip of his overpriced beer. ‘Thank you for thinking of me, though.’

Max smiles broadly. ‘Of course. We’re co-uncles, after all!’

‘Right! Well, don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to meet the little guy and to see Sav again, but…’

Maxwell nods. ‘I know. Now feels rushed. Plus, I don’t know what you think, but I believe it would be more fun if we were all to come with you guys. Make a trip out of it.’

Drake smiles. A few months ago, a collective trip would have sounded like a nightmare. Now, he would love it. Of course, being alone with Amara is still what he wants most, but that’s what locked doors are for.

Maxwell continues. ‘Plus, there might be a way to arrange for that to happen. Two birds, one stone.’

Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Do tell.’

‘Well, we can all go on the engagement tour. We can arrange it with Liam. It goes through Paris in a couple of weeks, we can look for Sav then. It would allow for Amara to clear her name and to show she’s not hiding. And also…’ He pauses, a guilty look on his face.

‘What, Max?’ Drake asks, worried.

‘Well, I know Liam has been a dick. I know he’s been very self-centered and all, and I haven’t forgiven him for his attitude towards Amara. But…’

Drake nods. ‘I know. I feel the same. I don’t feel good about leaving him to be engaged to a woman who manipulates and forcefully outs people.’

Maxwell smiles. ‘We’re on the same page, then.’

Drake gasps. Amara and Michael are walking over to them, a faint smile on their faces. They are both holding Drake and Amara’s carry-ons. Maxwell grabs Drake’s arm excitedly.

Without saying a word, Amara plants a kiss on Max’s cheek, and goes straight to Drake. She wraps him in a tight hug, which draws a relieved sigh from him. She kisses his neck a million times, and whispers in his ear, ‘I’m sorry babe. I acted like a coward, when you clearly told me that you were partial to staying. Please forgive me.’

He breaks away from her hug, only to kiss her passionately. ‘I know this was hard for you. I didn’t want to push you. And for what it’s worth, you could never be a coward.’

Michael chuckles. ‘That’s what I said. She’s Amara Motherfucking Suarez, after all.’

Drake laughs. ‘Exactly.’

Amara pulls Drake closer again. ‘Do you mind if we stay? I want to face this head-on. We’ll find Savannah soon, but leaving now…’

Maxwell smiles broadly. ‘We were just saying the exact same thing. In fact, we have a plan.’

*****

Amara listens carefully and nods. Maxwell is right. She needs to clear her name, even if she doesn’t care what other people think. She needs to stand up for what’s right and she won’t accept the blame for something she was a victim of.

She’s sitting as close to Drake as possible, not wanting to let go of him. She feels like a terrible partner right now. He clearly expressed his opinion earlier, and she brushed him off with her desire to get out as fast as possible. They’re a team, and she kinda forgot that for a second. She’s not used to people being on her team, not since two years ago. Not since Sergio died, and she isolated herself.

But now, she has other people to think of. Drake, the man she loves. Her family. Her friends.

Drake strokes her arm lovingly, his other arm around her. ‘So, what do you say, babe? We completely get it if you don’t want to go on the tour. You can say no at any time.’

She nods. ‘I’m in. Let’s do this.’

Maxwell squeals. ‘Woo! Overpriced beer for everybody!’

Amara laughs. ‘Plus, it will feel like an undercover mission, you know. Old times.’

Michael smiles. ‘You’ve missed it, huh?’

Amara blushes. Yes, yes she has. ‘Yup.’ She plays with Drake’s glass absentmindedly. ‘Captain Braugher would be impressed, an undercover job with royalty…’

Michael laughs. ‘That man always terrified me, but he had a real soft spot for you.’ He reaches for Amara’s hand. ‘I’m glad you’re staying, hun. You’re running out of continents.’

Amara lets out a throaty laugh and playfully swats his hand. ‘You bastard,’ she jokes.

Drake laughs along and says, ‘Guys, keep my expensive beer cold for me, I have a phone call to make.’

*****

The phone doesn’t ring for long. Drake can’t help but think that Liam has been waiting for his call, which breaks his heart a little bit. ‘Hi, Drake,’ Liam says.

‘Hey, Li. Sorry it took me so long. I was making some last minute decisions regarding Sav,’ he lies. Well, half-lies. It’ll do, for now. ‘How are you holding up?’

Liam sighs. ‘Not great. I’ve been with Leo, I’m delaying meeting Madeleine, I just don’t know what to do.’

‘Look, I’ve talked to Max, and we want to help you break your engagement. We think we can pull it off, along with clearing Amara’s name. All we need to do is some sleuthing, to find out about who leaked all those pics. Maybe find Tariq, he’s gotta be somewhere. As you know, Amara’s a detective, and she can do that sort of stuff.’

Liam quickly replies, ‘That sounds great. Do you think you can all come on the engagement tour? It starts on Friday, so you have a few days to move things around. We’ve commissioned a train, we’ll go to Rome, Paris, and London. Then, we’re all flying to New York for the last leg of the trip.’

Drake nods. ‘We’re all in. To tell you the truth, I’m happy we’re going to Paris. It’s, um… it’s where Savannah has been.’

Liam gasps. ‘Oh my God, Drake, really? Well that’s wonderful. We’ll be in Paris two weeks from now. You’ll see her then. Is that ok?’

Drake smiles. ‘Yeah. And Liam?’

‘Hm?’

Drake pauses. ‘I’m sorry I’ve been distant. I want to make up for it. I’m gonna help you get your life back.’

Liam sighs. ‘Thank you, Drake. Oh, and you can tell Max that I’m hiring a PR person for Amara. We’re all in this together, she’ll have her name cleared in no time, and she’ll be able to claim Valtoria.’

Drake swallows hard and slow. ‘That’s great,’ he forces himself to say. ‘I’ll let Max and Amara know. Hey, Li, don’t sweat it, ok? Just be normal with Madeleine, don’t force yourself to do or say anything. Be yourself, everything will be fine.’

‘Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I’ll be in touch for the planning of the tour.’

*****

‘Bertrand, pop the champagne!’ Maxwell shouts out as he plops down on the couch back at Ramsford.

Bertrand comes out of his study wearing a burgundy silk robe with so many tassels that Amara can’t even count them. ‘Maxwell,’ he whispers, ‘it’s very late, I was worried about you all. Hana just turned in, please keep your voices down.’

Maxwell mouths ‘I’m sorry’, and walks to the kitchen with his brother to fill him in.

‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Michael says softly, ‘I’m gonna go to the kitchen too to see if I can find a snack… Is it just me, or is the food at court a little scarce?’

Drake’s eyes widen. ‘That’s what I’ve been saying for YEARS, Mike.’

Amara smiles and sits down on the couch. Drake follows suit. She stares at her phone and puts it away, sadly.

Drake looks at her and raises an eyebrow. ‘Still nothing from Nevrakis?’

She shakes her head. ‘Nope. She won’t take my calls, or answer my texts. I really pissed her off.’

Drake smiles. ‘You’ll find her tomorrow. Once she sees you listened to her and stayed, she’ll cool down.’

Amara nods. ‘Thanks for being there for me,’ she says. ‘I’ll never thank you enough.’

He kisses her tenderly. ‘I’ll always be there.’

She nods. ‘So will I. I need to tell you something.’

He looks panicked for a second. ‘What?’

She smiles and strokes his cheek. Her heart feels full. ‘I was a shitty girlfriend today. Only thought of myself and the quickest way out of here. There’s a bunch of things I didn’t see.’

He smiles and takes her hand. ‘Suarez, you had something traumatic happen to you tonight. You’re allowed to think about your own feelings for…’ He glances at his watch. ‘What, five hours? It’s a pretty sweet deal.’

She smiles and kisses his lips. ‘Still. When the lights went dark, I heard several people freak out, and I realized that they must have thought it was some kind of attack…’ she pauses and strokes his hand with her thumb. ‘Like the one that killed your dad.’

He blushes, and looks down. ‘Babe, I’m fine. I promise. It did cross my mind but then, all I wanted was to protect you.’

‘I know, and I want to protect you, too. We’re a team, Drake. Partners. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, anytime, like I can do with you.’

Drake smiles broadly, his face beaming. ‘What the fuck did I do to deserve you?’

Maxwell barges in with a bottle of champagne, followed by Bertrand and Michael, each holding a tray of snacks. ‘Woooo!’ Maxwell says softly. ‘To Amara fighting back!’ He says as he pops the cork. ‘Team Peacock for the win.’

Bertrand chuckles. ‘Team Peacock? Who is that?’

Maxwell shrugs. ‘It’s us, Bertrand! We’re Team Peacock! They’re the best animals, plus no one takes them seriously because they’re fabulous, but they are smart as hell.’

‘Are they?’ Drake asks, dubious.

‘Who cares?’ Maxwell laughs. ‘They’re awesome. Like Bertrand’s robe.’

Bertrand blushes and grumbles, ‘Well, no one was supposed to see it, you know.’

Amara grabs the glass that Maxwell is holding out to her and raises it. ‘To you guys. To Drake, the best partner I could dream of, and to the three of you, the best brothers a bitch can hope for.’

Maxwell clinks his glass with Amara’s. ‘To brothers!’

*****

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[amwritingmeta]

MCM Comic Con London

Heyyyy, my loves!

I went to my first ever Comic Con on Sunday. I know! First ever?? How could this be? What did you make of it? Did you hug a Storm Trooper? Did you get lost in this huge enormous vast building with huge enormous vast rooms filled with huge enormous vast groups of people? Did you pet the TARDIS? Did you meet RAPUNZEL? DID YOU SEE DEADPOOL?? DARTH VADER?? Did you make a friend? Did you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?? Do tell!!

Alrighty, then! (I’m afraid I’m going to prove a huuuuuge disappointment) (but there’s Misha panel commentary further down m’kay?)

So, here’s what I learned about myself from visiting Comic Con: I like small, intimate spaces with assigned seating.

Yeah. I know. Told you that you’d be disappointed. 

It’s basically why I haven’t been to Comic Con before tbh. I knew I’d enjoy milling about and looking at merchandise and graphic novels and oh the fan art and seeing the TARDIS (I did see her but I did not pet her) and R2D2 (he moved around and talked to people and everything) *feelings* and passing Darth Vader in the hallway (true story) and just being in a space filled with people nerding out together like YES. My heart was very full. 

But.

(oh here it comes)

My nerdy heart is pretty much sequestered by SPN. While I enjoy the original Star Wars very, very much because epic (obviously) and have enjoyed Doctor Who (on and off) and while I’m a big GoT fan (yes I shall remain so thanks to the books never mind what they did on those final two episodes of the show but also do not get me starts on what they fucking even DID) and I fucking love Disney and anime and animation of any kind, and have a huge respect and interest for the artistry of graphic noveling, that’s just not my world. 

(I do want to start reading graphic novels though and I’ve been so close to ordering the BtVS ones but... anyone have solid suggestions or advice on where to start, hit me up in DM) (I’ve read a few where the art has been unspeakably gorgeous and just mh!)

But because I’m not deep in anything even approaching a multi-fandom attitude, they just don’t grab at me, you know?

So though I’m so fucking happy that I went - truly am (and nope I did not dress up and though I know I’d enjoy it because who wouldn’t enjoy dressing up as Kahlan from Legend of the Seeker? End of the day, the dressing up is more fun when going with a group of people...) (anyway) - it’s not quite my cuppa. That being said, if Misha comes again next year *dirty* then I’m there. I mean, it’s one tube ride from my place. How the fuck could I not? 

Okay, before those three sentences make me say things I’ll regret in the morning, let’s talk about The Panel!

I’m actually going to open with something that Misha kind of threw out there in the middle of the panel because it made me so excited: he may direct in S15! Ahahahah yes please! I really hope he gets to!

Now, what else?

Highlights for me were:

Him talking about the fandom in his warmest tones, which is something he does on the regular, but he spoke of the positivity of the intensity of our community and how he thinks it’s been really cool to be a part of it and to do charitable work together (hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and millions of dollars into worthy causes over the years, so kudos, guys, kudos) It’s a wonderful, surreal phenomenon. *his words* *and so very true* (and we all know this is how he feels, but it’s always lovely for him to restate it)

Ruth sending a video message and prompting Misha to talk about when Amara carved the I Am Coming message into Cas’ chest (and Misha thinking Lucifer carved the message and promptly dismissing us correcting him) *snortlaugh* Has everyone heard this story? Because I actually hadn’t. That Misha was making corresponding noises and facial expression to really convey the message and the only thing was that the top brass at the CW were conducting their yearly set visit and were, in fact, standing at the monitor watching him. *MCM audience laugh track* *aw Misha*

Talking about how close the cast is and how much they enjoy JiB, and how they laugh themselves into shape in the Green Room every year. Admittedly the six pack is a lie, but the aching stomach muscles are a truth. *not jealous because the rest of us are having Just As Much Fun In Our Corner* >.>

When asked what he’ll miss most about the show: the fun they have on set and the people, including the crew, since they all know each other so well and have grown up together. But also he’ll miss the Supernatural community. He knows it won’t go away immediately, but, as these things go, it will dwindle. He’ll miss the fire and intensity that is there when the show is on the air. 

Which is fair, because there will be a dropping off, there will be a slowing down, it’s inevitable, but I honestly can’t see this family ever just dispersing entirely. And I almost wanted to get up there and suggest to him that they consider keeping the JiB torch burning, because giving this community of ours a few set points of warmth each year where people (if they so choose) get to interact with them while also getting to reunite with people we don’t otherwise get to see often and to have those points of warmth to aim for and gather around is a sure-fire way to keep the flame alive. Right? I’m not expecting them to continue doing the con circuit because omfg no, but to have one or two points a year...

Anyway.

Misha trying to do a Scottish accent makes him sound like a leprechaun with a lisp. *ehehe*

Misha telling us that the writers gave them the option to draw out the story for another two-three seasons, or land it in one kick-ass final season, and they all chose one kick-ass final season, which makes me so happy for them, that they get to finish strong and on their terms. It’s so well-deserved.

(I think I’m just going through the panel moment-by-moment at this point) (the panel was apparently the highlight)

Him talking about The Adventurous Eaters Club - the cookbook he’s writing with Vicki that I cannot wait to read, tbh, because I do believe kids often say no at the dinner table because they’re trying to stay in control of the situation, rather than them not really wanting to eat, and as a grown-up, recognising this and relenting control and allowing them free reign to be a part of building their dinner from the ground up and getting them excited about food and understanding the process of actually creating a meal is so damn healthy. Well, if that’s the objective of the cookbook! Just what I’m taking from the premise, but, hands against heart, I adore them both.

Talking about his favourite vehicles for Cas and saying that he’d love for Cas to get a smart car and squeeze Sam into the passenger seat and omfg PLEASE yes. *the imagery is so  e n t i c i n g*

Going full-meta and talking about Cas’ travails going to get the fruit of life without his wings in S13, looking up a flight on Expedia, sitting squished into the middle seat, saying no thank you to food, getting through customs with that bag of fruit, probably getting held up. (quite impressive actually because this happened more than a season ago and clearly he’s given the story gap some thought) (and he remembers) (astonishing) 

*^^^ sarcasm, guys* *sarcasm* :)

If Cas gets to be happy, he will die (my addition: unless he’s, you know, human) :P

Cas’ wings are rainbow (and I’m immediately thinking of them almost like peacock *shhhh don’t even start* feathers that shift tone in the light so that they shimmer rather than are divided up into single colour feathers in a rainbow pattern) (wow I took that seriously af) (but mh gorgeous wings!)

Maison is a goddamn rockstar. *not literally but internally* :)

Okay, so that’s the panel done. And dusted. *sparkly*

And then I met up with a friend of a friend who I’d actually met briefly at JiB - her name is Katie - and I stood in line with her as she waited for Misha autos and I met the loveliest Scottish bloke named Oliver, mostly because I desperately needed to charge my mobile and just said out loud “Does anyone have a mobile charger” and the blessed man turned around and said “Yes, I have one”, so he lent me his mobile charger and was gushing over his photo-op with Misha (it really is the most adorable photo ever) and Oliver was entirely flustered with happiness and just *my heart strings* and then he fucked off and didn’t come back for his charger! 

He just disappeared! Without as much as a by-your-leave!

So we waited. And waited. It was terrible. Having to stand there. Not knowing. Okay, kidding, but we did wait and wait and tried to look for him, but he just didn’t come back.

But just now, ten minutes ago, he followed me on Twitter!! I just accosted him going OMG IT IS YOU IS IT NOT! Do I have your charger?? And it is he and now I don’t have to have a guilty conscience anymore, though I did ease it by thinking that he was the one who literally effed the fuck off and didn’t return. Anyway. What drama, huh? Guess that’s Comic Con, for you. And I got to add the resolution! *sweet*

It was a grand old indoor day and then we went down to the river for food and lots of alcoholic really-really-tasty beverages and good company. 

The End.

[j-j-ehlby-writes]

Fate (c.e.) (1/6)

Chapter One- Coincidence

Pairing: Professor!Chris Evans x Student!OFC

Word count: 5.4k

Summary: fate (noun): the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. (verb): be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way. 

Amara is about to start her senior year of college with her newly single best friend, Elizabeth. She goes out one night and meets a handsome stranger, Chris. Sparks fly. Fast forward a week and she finds out Chris is her professor. What happens when she also meets Sebastian, a cute guy from another one of her classes?

Series masterlist

“Do you really have to go out tonight? I was hoping we could watch The Notebook and The Last Song again while shoving tons of junk food in our mouths while I bawl my eyes out at how my perfect love story couldn’t be like Ronnie’s and Will’s or Allie’s and Noah’s.” My poor, heartbroken best friend, Elizabeth complains while watching me straighten my hair.

“We’ve been binge-watching Nicholas Sparks movies for the past three days. I need to rejoin civilization, even if you’re not ready to.” I run the straightener down the last chunk of hair before shutting it off and setting it back down in my bathroom sink. I love her to death and I’ve been as supportive as I possibly can through this break-up, but there’s only so much Nicholas Sparks and junk food that a girl can take before she goes nuts.

“But, I’m shattered.” She whines, leaning against the doorway.

“I know, which is why I’m not forcing you to go out with me. You take as much time as you need to recover. Just remember, we start our senior year of college in a week.” I pat the top of her extremely messy bun and continued applying my liquid foundation.

She sulks, “You’re no fun,” before finally leaving me in peace.

I finish with my foundation before moving to my eyebrows. I fill them in with a deep brown eye shadow to shape my heart-shaped face. I apply a shimmer, cream colored eye shadow to my eyelids to make them pop. I use black eyeliner to draw on my top lid. Last, but not least, I added mascara on my top lashes. I spritz some body spray all over for the finishing touch. I double-check my appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of my door. With a nod of satisfaction, I’m finally ready to go.

“Damn, you look hot Rems. You could turn a gay man, straight.” Elizabeth bellows from the couch, covered in numerous blankets and pillows, already snacking on another pint of ice cream. I feel bad leaving her after her asshole of an ex broke up with her after four years together over text message. Oh, the ass-kicking I wanted to deliver to his doorstep… They started dating in high school, went through the long-distance thing while we went away for school and he stayed in our hometown, and beat the odds until recently when all they’ve been doing is fighting. As her best friend since ninth grade, after our common ex screwed her over, thus us becoming friends, I heard all about it. I was starting to think that maybe they weren’t meant for each other and so were they. It technically was a mutual break-up because they both agreed that their relationship wasn’t working anymore, but he instigated it. Therefore, it’s his fault my best friend has been wallowing in self-pity on the couch in our living room for the past seventy-two hours. You can see why I need a break.

I wink her way while slipping my cross-bodied purse over my shoulder. “That was the plan!” I lean over the back of the couch, placing a quick smooch on her cheek. “Call me if you need anything.” Her shaking her head is the last thing I saw before I shut the door. Freedom at last.

I descend the three flights of stairs to the underground garage where my car sits. I climb in and am on my way to my favorite little bar in town. It‘s a Wednesday night so I knew I could escape there without having to be bothered by too many people. I just needed a getaway. I pull into the parking lot moments later and walk in. The bartender knows me because Lizzie and I have worked here since we started school. I find my seat at the bar and my favorite drink is there waiting for me. I chug it down before slamming the glass back on the bar.

“Bad day?” Robert, the bartender and owner, asks already making another one. He’s owned this place for longer than I’ve been alive. He’s almost like a second dad to both Lizzie and me. Without the over-protectiveness and judgmental attitude. And he’s not like other people his age. He likes today’s music, but nothing pop or rap. If anybody blares that “nonsense” in his bar, they are out. He’s more of the rock and alternative type, which he plays in the bar a.k.a. one of the main reasons I come here.

“Bad week. Liz and Robbie broke up on Sunday.” That was all I needed to say for him to have my favorite food ordered. I look around the bar, not surprised to see only handful of people at the tables. Wednesday is a slow night, which is the way I like it. I can hear the music over the speakers better that way instead of everybody’s constant, loud chatter.

I decide to go easy on my second drink now that I got the first one out of the way. I don’t want to get hammered tonight. That isn’t the reason for this outing. I check my phone to see if Lizzie sent me anything only to find nothing, thankfully. I put it back in my purse just as my food is placed in front of me. Deep-fried green beans with ranch dressing and a bacon cheeseburger with pickles, ketchup, and crunchy peanut butter. The chef here calls it the Skippy burger for obvious reasons. It’s the most amazing burger I’ve ever tasted. I will never order anything else from here, ever.

Well after I had inhaled my food  like the lady that I am, I continue to sit at the bar and listen to the music. I take out a small notebook from my purse and continue writing in a book I was writing. I also like coming here because it’s a great place to get my creative juices flowing. It’s basically what I would be doing at my own apartment, the music is just louder and there’s more people around. I was just pausing to think of what to write next, when someone speaks to me.

“Whatchya writin’?”

I look to see who that deep, baritone voice came from. To my right is probably the most beautiful man I had ever seen sitting a couple seats down from me. His golden brown hair is slicked back. His eyes are a light color, but he’s too far away to decipher exactly what color they were. He’s fair skinned and not a blemish in site. He’s smirking at me with beautiful full lips and straight white teeth. He has facial hair, which I normally find revolting, that was hiding an incredible jawline, only added to his sexy factor. And that’s only his face. He’s built. His torso is long and defined. He has broad, muscular shoulders that stretched his poor t-shirt he wore. His arms are thick, too. He could easily bench me more than enough times- and I’m not small by any means. His biceps make the sleeves of his white, short sleeve, V-neck stretch just enough to show how big they truly were. From what I could tell, he looks to be tall- one of his feet is resting easily on the floor while sitting at the bar stool. I can’t touch the floor if I tried. He’s just gorgeous. Plain and simple. And he’s talking to me.

“I’m sorry for prying. You were so intensely writing, I had to ask.” He sends me an apologetic smile which nearly knocked me off this stool. Dear Lord…

Do I be snarky and say mind your own damn business? Or do I tell him the truth about what I’m writing? He seems like a decent guy just from the few sentences he’s thrown my way. And he’s hot. Way too hot to be a bitch to.

“Just jotting down all of the ways I could kill every single person in the bar and make it look like an accident.” So, I decide to go the sarcastic route. At least I had hoped that I came across as cynical and not sound like a total lunatic that needs to be committed. According to the sweet sound of his laughter, I was successful.

“Oh yeah? What are some of those ways?” He inquires, angling his body more towards me preparing for my answer.

I fake a gasp, pressing my notebook to my chest, hiding the “contents” from any prying eyes. “A sociopath never reveals their methods.” His laughter continues, his hand is thrown over his heart, making my heart feel like it was soaring. Don’t ask me why. 

“Is that your spin on ‘magicians never reveal their secrets’?” His eyes sparkle even in this horrible lighting. How is that even possible?

“Maybe,” I shrug. He’s right though. I guess that was my twisted take on that saying. I just thought it would work in this situation if I tweaked it to fit. 

The beautiful stranger moves to the chair right next to mine. “I’m Chris.” He holds his rather large hand out towards me.

I place my hand in his. His fingers curl around my hand, dwarfing it. “Amara.” Amara Remington. Elizabeth calls me Remi and she’s the only one allowed to. I call her Lizzie and I’m the only one allowed to as well. It’s a great friendship we have going here.

“Well Amara, what’s a beautiful girl like you doing at a bar on a Wednesday night?” He takes another sip from his drink. Every move he makes is so fluid and natural… Is this guy even real?

“It’s the slowest night of the week. I like to come here for the food and to listen to the music.” If I was going to get anywhere with this guy, friend drama is not something to bring up right away. I most definitely want to see if this will go anywhere. Even if it’s just for a night.

“I could tell by the way you inhaled that burger. It must have been good.” He chuckles while I most certainly did not. Thank God for the poor lighting in here, I must have turned either beat red from embarrassment or stark white from mortification. That burger was so messy. I was licking my fingers right and left and wiping my face after every single bite. I must have looked like a pig! And he still called me beautiful?

“I can’t believe you saw that and are still wanting to talk to me.” I want the floor to turn into a black hole and swallow me up. How did I not see him before? I for sure would have noticed him when I sat down. I must have been so engrossed in my food that I was oblivious to my surroundings. Damn that delicious burger.

“It was endearing, actually,” He admits.

Is he nuts? Or just blind? “How could that have possibly been ‘endearing’?”

“I like a girl who isn’t afraid to make a mess while eating and who doesn’t care about counting calories and all that weird stuff that people do nowadays.” He shrugs like it was no big deal. “So, I was wondering if you weren’t too full from dinner, maybe we could go get some dessert? I saw this little bakery down the street that I’d like to try out.”

Was he asking me out? If so, jeez he’s forward. But hey, I’m not complaining. I know exactly which bakery he’s talking about and it’s phenomenal. That’s where Liz and I go for our comfort food during our time of the month. It’s remarkable. I could go for one of their fluffy cupcakes. I happily agreed, left some cash on the bar, and we walked out.

When we were walking down the sidewalk, my previous assumption about him was true. He’s taller than me. I have to look up at him in order to talk to him, making him at least 6’0”. I found out he’s from Boston. He just moved here to start a new job. He has two sisters and one brother. His favorite sport is football, he’s a diehard Patriots fan. He loves Disney as much as an adult as he did as a child. He was passionate about space and politics, going off on an elongated tangent on our current Commander-in-Chief. He even had to interrupt himself when he went on his rant. I didn’t mind watching him. One of my favorite things is watching someone talk about something they’re passionate about.

We finally made it to the bakery and each got a treat for each other that we wanted the other person to try. I had him get a triple chocolate brownie to be safe, and he had me get a piece of key lime pie since I had never had it before. We stroll down the block to the small park that was completely empty. We eat our desserts and just talk about random things. He'd ask me questions and vice versa. He’s so easy to talk to. I feel like I had known him for years instead of an hour.

After we're done eating, we decide to hit the swings. We have a contest to see who could get the highest the fastest. I welcome the challenge even if I knew I was going to lose. My shorter legs are at my disadvantage here. Establishing that he was the winner, he decides to be reckless and jump off when he got to the highest he could. He almost made the perfect landing, but he stumbled a little and wound up falling to the ground. I laugh so hard, I have to clutch my stomach at his silliness while I tried to slow myself down.

When I’m low enough to where I could get off safely, he’s walking towards me, looking determined. He doesn’t stop, even when I almost hit him. He calmly grabs the cold chains and keeps going until I’m well off the ground and our faces are impossibly close. It's the first time since I met him that I felt nervous. I tighten my grip on the chains and lock my ankles together underneath the seat. His eyes flicker to my lips for a split second before speaking.

He grunts, “One last question.” All I could do was nod, so he continues, “Do you believe in coincidences?”

I take a second to think about the concept of “coincidences.” I do believe everything happens for a reason. There was a reason why I decided to come out tonight instead of any other night. There was a reason why I came to this bar at the time I did and had the food I did because that caught his attention. And there’s a reason why I had the ideas I absolutely had to write down, which got him to talk to me. Same thing goes for him. Every decision we’ve made up until now has brought us here in this park, on this swing, in this position. So, do I think that it’s a coincidence that we were brought together tonight?

“Yes.”

In a second, his lips lock with mine. I respond quickly, hands pulling his face even closer as my legs wrap around his waist as his hands support my backside. As we deepen the kiss, he lays us down onto the rocks with me straddling him. Our lips move in sync as we both deepen the kiss. His lips are everything I thought they would be: soft and plump. His kisses are gentle, but full of passion. I feel how passionate he was all the way down to my toes. One thing I liked was he never pushed his tongue in my mouth. I hate when people automatically thrust their tongue in someone else’s mouth as soon as their lips make contact.

His hands wander up my back and tangle into my hair. Mine wander down to his pecks and around his shoulders, which are incredibly firm. I’ve never been so close with a guy this fast. But, despite everything inside telling me not to, it feels… right. Every fiber of my being tells me this is right, that I was supposed to be here in this moment with him, that I was meant to be with him…Which is why I need to stop this now.

I try to pull away, but every time I do, he would just bring his lips back to mine making me not want to leave. I knew I had to though before this went any further. I gently push on his chest so I can sit up, separating our lips. “Oh God, I need to leave now.” I get off of him and start to walk away.

“Where ya goin’?” He calls after me, sitting up on his elbows now.

“Home before we both do something we regret. I had a great time tonight. Hope your new job goes well!” I jog down the road, back to the bar to obtain my car. 

I make my way home resisting the urge to let the butterflies in my stomach influence the smile that wants to form on my face. Lizzie is not going to believe the story I’m about to tell her… I’m not even sure I believe it. Did that really happen or did I imagine it? When I park my car in the underground ramp, I take out my notebook to see if I had written it, thinking it happened. But nothing I wrote tonight reflected the events that happened in real life. But how could one human being be so perfect? He was the easiest person to talk to, made me feel so at ease with him, and incredibly handsome. And the way he made me feel? It was indescribable. Butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me, palms sweating when he was close to me, the sparks I felt when he touched me… Chris. Such a simple name for the perfect guy.

I climb up the stairs back to the apartment. I close the door and lean against it, still in a trance. Now that I'm in the privacy of my own home, the cheek-hurting smile that was begging to come out makes its appearance.

“You’re back earlier than I expected.” Elizabeth was talking while she was in the kitchen, but when she comes into the living room, she gasps. “You totally met a guy!!” She shrieks after seeing my face. “Tell me everything! And I mean every detail. Don’t leave anything out!” She drags me to the couch, forcing me to sit down.

So, I do tell her everything. From the second I got to the bar, to coming home; from every thought I’ve had to everything I’ve felt. She squeals through the entire story, expressing her excitement for me. She then asks me when I was going to see him again. 

Every thought I’ve had within the past couple hours is gone. I never got his number, where his new job is, or even his last name. There’s no way I can get into contact with him. I sigh falling over onto my best friend’s lap. “Never,” I groan.

“What do you mean?”

“I have no way to contact him or know where to find him. I never got his phone number or his last name.” I groan again wanting to crawl into a ball and mourn the loss of the love I will never have with this guy.

“There’s more ice cream in the freezer.”

“I’ll get a spoon.”

For the last week of freedom we had, we wallow in pity on the couch. The thoughts of Chris are always on my mind. His smile, his laugh, his kisses… Ugh why didn’t I at least get his number? I wonder if he feels the same way about it or if he’s completely forgotten all about me by now. That thought depressed me even more.

We watch every rom-com we can find and consume copious amounts of ice cream in this last week. So, when the first day of school comes, we reluctantly peel our butts off the couch to rejoin civilization. We shower and get ready in our rooms. I straighten my hair before putting half of it up into a bun, and do my make-up with eyeliner and mascara, and fill in my eyebrows. I brush my teeth and wait for Liz to be done so we can leave. Our classes start at the same time so we decided beforehand to ride together.

Once we got to campus, we agree to meet up for lunch at one after our first couple classes. I head to my first class, English 5116: Advanced Writing of Fiction. It’s one of my final classes for my major in English with a concentration on Creative Writing before I start my internship next semester. I heard from past students that it’s a hard class, but that was with the old professor. Said professor retired last year, so they had to hire a new one. There wasn’t any news of who the new professor is or his or her teaching style, so this should be interesting.

I find the lecture room with plenty of time to spare. This lecture room is like any other. It’s smaller than normal ones on campus; there are only five rows of ten seats to each row, all curved so it formed a semi-circle around the room. There’s a wooden podium off to the right side of the front and a huge projector screen just waiting for something to appear on the screen. I descend the stairs, and choose a seat close to the front. I found out during my freshman year that I learn better when I’m in the first couple rows. I take out the designated notebook for the class, write the date on the top line, and wait.

There’s still ten minutes ‘til the class starts so I also take out my story and see if I could continue where I left off. More and more people pile in as it gets closer to start time. There isn’t any sign of the professor yet. I hope that he or she is late. I think I have where I want my characters to go next and I don’t want to lose my train of thought.

But then everyone hears the bang of the door closing, startling everyone. “Alright, everyone. Welcome to Advanced Writing of Fiction. I am Mr. Evans, the professor for this course. You may call me Mr. E. or Evans. I will answer to either.” He trots down the stairs, handing stacks of papers to the first person in each row until he gets to the front of the room. My heart does that leaping thing just listening to him speak. What the hell is wrong with me? I look up to see why that happened. A gasp escapes and I think my heart stops completely. 

Chris? The guy I met in the bar was standing at the front of my classroom. The guy I had an amazing make out session with is my professor. Oh boy…

He keeps talking about something I couldn’t tell you about because my mind went into shock. He looked so different in a tight, white button-up with a black tie, black slacks and shiny black dress shoes. His hair is done the exact same way it was in the bar. His facial hair looked shorter than it was before. But it was his eyes that looked the most different. In the bar, they looked vibrant and full of life. Now, they look flat and uninviting. I wanted to know why.

“I will not have a formal sign-in sheet,” an overwhelming relief falls over the entire room. “But, there will be a daily written submission due at the end of class every day.” Just like that, said relief was gone. I didn’t mind really. I love making short stories. “The submissions can be from something you’re currently working on, or something you make up on the fly. It doesn’t matter to me. But please, a five-page maximum. I do have a life outside this class.” Chuckles peppered the room. 

“I am a little bit old fashioned, so you will have to physically turn it in to me. I will be copying them and handing them back to you at the beginning of each class. I will be keeping a profile of said copied excerpts until the end of the semester. I will meet with each of you three times this semester. First meeting will be to get to know you and your writing style. Second will be at mid-terms to check-up and see how your works have improved throughout the first half and see what there is left to improve on. And the last meeting will be a final assessment of how you have advanced in the writing of fiction.” His pun is cleverly placed and very funny. I wonder how many times he practiced that one at home.

“Now, there will be no formal tests.” Again, relief washed over the room. “The excerpts that you write are your tests to see if you are grasping the concept of what I am teaching you. If you need extra help, my office hours are on the syllabus. Feel free to make an appointment during those hours and I will happily help you with whatever you need.”

“He can help me with something else.” I hear a girl whisper suggestively in the row behind me. I roll my eyes. Does she really think he’s going to be anything more than her professor?

“Since today is the first day of class, how about we go around the room and introduce ourselves? Say your name, major, and what kinds of things you like to write about.” He pulls a chair out from behind the podium, placing it in the middle of the front, sitting on it backwards. He starts in the back row so I was safe until the end since I'm the first person in the front row. Everyone’s answers to what major they were and what kinds of things they liked to write about were all different. From aspiring authors to journalists and poems to novels; so many different combinations.

As it got closer to me, the more nervous I got. Would he recognize me? How will be react to seeing me again and realizing he made out with one of his students? Will he freak? No, probably not. He most likely wouldn’t want anyone to know what occurred between us. Would he request that I transfer out of this class because it’d be too weird? I don’t know what I would do if he did. I need this class to graduate this spring. I might have to beg and plead for him to let me stay if that’s the case.

When it got to me, I try not to look at him for fear of seeing his real reaction. But I had to know what it was. When our eyes lock, nothing happens. His expression never falters. No sign of recognition, fear, shock- nothing. That should be a good thing, right? I can stay in this class and not be weird… But then why does my heart hurt?

“I’m Amara. I’m an English major with a concentration on Creative Writing. And I mostly write novels.”

“What kind of novels?” He pries for more.

“Romance, mostly. Some fantasy. Just depends on my mood,” I shrug, “but they’re definitely all fiction.”

“Well I look forward to reading every one of your submissions.” He concludes, turning back to the rest of the class. “Now, with the rest of the time we have, which is about an hour, I want you to write whatever you want to write about. Your first day, the greatest party you’ve ever been to, the love of your life, anything you want. Just keep it clean, please. This will give me an idea of what I’m dealing with this semester.” He stands up from the chair. “When you’re done, you can leave.” He goes back behind the podium and just stands watch.

I look down at my notebook and nothing. Nothing came out. Zero ideas. Nada. Zilch. El zippo. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I guess I could jot down something from the story I have with me… But that’s personal. I don’t know if I want him to read something so personal to me. Not yet anyway.

I glance back up at him, only to find him staring back at me. I observe the classroom to see everyone writing furiously in their own notebooks.  When I bring my eyes back to him, he's holding up a piece of paper. It reads: “Class after this?” I shake my head. He sets the paper back down, scribbling something else down. “Be the last one out” was the next thing he said.

Oh gosh, he does recognize me. And he wants me to stay after. My heart started racing just thinking of what he might want to say to me… I nod once before focusing back to my still blank paper. What could I possibly write about that will get my mind off what’s going to happen after class? I could write about how I felt when my childhood cat died. That’s still personal, but less personal than my novels. It was decided then.

An hour and three and a half pages later, I break out of my trance to see I was the last person still working. Chris is still behind the podium, watching me with what looked like amazement. “You okay?” He asks, breaking the silence. It was in that moment that I realized I had tears running down my face. I immediately run my hands over my face, trying to erase all the wetness on my cheeks and chin. It’s been four years since my cat died and I still get emotional about it when I talk or think about it.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a sore subject.” I jot down my name at the top before tearing out the pages.

“You had a pretty intense look for the entire time you were writing again.” He smirks at me again. I pack up my stuff then bring my submission over to him. He continues, “You always have that look when you’re writing. I’ve never seen someone so engrossed in their work before.”

“You’ll see why when you read it.” I hand it to him reluctantly.

“You know, I knew it was you the second I saw you.” He blurts after a silent moment. “I was wondering if I was ever going to see you again, and now here you are.”

“Your student.”

“My... student.” He repeats slowly.

“What are we gonna do? I can drop out of your class, if it’d be too weird.”

“Why would it be weird? We’re both adults. We can be rational about it. It was before I knew you were my student. No harm, no foul.” He shrugs, brushing it off as if it were no big deal at all.

“So, we’re okay?” I ask confused by how calm and nonchalant he was about everything. Maybe he didn’t care about me, like I cared about him…

“Absolutely. I’ll see you on Wednesday.” He grabs the rest of the papers and started up the stairs. I follow when he disappeared from the room.

He can forget everything just like that? He has been on my mind every second of the day since that night. How could I feel so much for him and him feel nothing? He was like a completely different person from when I saw him last. The Chris I met was passionate, careless, and full of life whereas this one was cold and stoic. I guess being in his class will be easier than I originally thought…

I shake it off and went to find Lizzie. She is going to die when I tell her everything.

Chapter Two- Fortune

Permanent taglist: @elusive-beauty @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @naniky @drakesfiance @fantasy-is-my-reality

[bob-giovanni]

I’ll Cover You - Part 12

Characters: Simon X OFC

Summary: Emily bonds with Amara. Simon gets into a fight with his ex over Emily.

Warnings: Cursing, Fluff, Smut

Notes: I have so many ideas for this story it’s borderline insane. But I’m so excited to keep writing this and I hope ya’ll enjoy reading it!

It had been a few months since Emily had met Amara for the first time and since then they really seemed to hit it off. Emily had mentioned taking Amara to a batting cage the first time they met and Amara constantly asked Simon about it. “Daddy, can Emily take me to the batting cage this week?” “We’ll see, baby girl. Emily is very busy with work.” That had become his standard response. The truth was, he didn’t want Emily and Amara doing anything together until he had a chance to talk to Sherry. He knew that ultimately his personal life was none of her business but he also knew that she would try and hold it against him if he let his girlfriend take his daughter out without telling his daughter’s mother. He didn’t know why he was being such a chicken shit about the whole thing, why he couldn’t bring himself to tell Sherry about Emily. He was certain she knew that he was dating someone, but he was also certain that Sherry had no idea how young Emily was. Why that worried him he didn’t know. Even though she was only 10, Amara was old enough to know that Simon was purposely avoiding letting Emily and Amara hang out. He decided that this weekend was it. He was going to take them to the batting cages this weekend and he’d tell Sherry about it after.

When Simon pulled up to Sherry’s house, Amara was sitting on the front steps. She’d obviously been crying. Simon quickly put his car in park and jumped out before hurrying up the steps to sit next to his daughter. “What’s wrong, darlin’?” Amara shook her head and leaned against her father’s side. “Mommy said I can’t hang out with Emily.” Simon furrowed his eyebrows. “What?” Amara sniffed. “I told mommy that Emily and I are friends, and that she was gonna take me to the batting cage. Mommy asked me who Emily was I told her she’s your girlfriend and she told me I wasn’t allow to hang out with her, that we couldn’t be friends! But I like Emily! It’s not fair!” Simon wrapped his arms around Amara and held her close. He rubbed her back a bit and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry, baby girl. Why don’t you wait here and I’ll go talk to mommy, ok?” Amara wiped her eyes and nodded. “Ok.” Simon stood and walked into the house trying his best to keep his anger under control. He hadn’t planned on doing this yet but he had no choice. No one made his daughter cry. Not even her own mother.

“Sherry?” He called out. A moment later his very pregnant ex-wife walked out of the kitchen. She had to be about 7 months along now. “What are you doing in here?” She asked incredulously. “What the hell is with you telling Amara she can’t be friends with Emily?” Sherry rolled her eyes. “She’s my daughter too, Simon. I think I deserve to have a say in who she can and can’t be friends with.” “You think I’m 100% fine with her being here with Dwight around, huh? I’m not. But she likes Dwight and I’m doing what’s best for her.” Sherry sighed heavily. “Well that’s different. She’s known Dwight for years. Emily is a stranger!” “Do you think I would put her in harm’s way? I love that girl more than life itself. I would never let anyone hurt her. I wouldn’t have even introduced her to Emily if I didn’t think things weren’t going to work out between us.” Sherry put a hand on her stomach and leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. “So things are serious then?” Simon nodded. “Yes, they are. I love her. And above all else, I trust her. I’ve seen how she is with Amara. She’s not trying to be her mother. The last thing Amara needs is another parent and Emily knows that. She needs a friend and that’s the role Emily is filling right now.” Sherry put her hands up in defeat. “Fine, whatever. But I don’t want her spending the night with you when you have Amara. I’m drawing the line.” Now it was Simon’s turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever.”

Simon turned and left. Amara looked up at him expectantly. Simon smiled and held his hand out. “C’mon, let’s go get Emily.” Amara smiled brightly and jumped up, wrapping her arms around Simon’s waist. “Thank you, daddy!” She exclaimed. Simon laughed softly and hugged her in return. “Anything for you, princess.” “Can Emily take me to the batting cage tonight?” “Why don’t we ask her when we pick her up, ok?” Simon took Amara’s hand and walked to his car, opening the back door for her and making sure she buckled up before driving toward’s Emily’s house. Unfortunately Simon was only getting this weekend with Amara. In 2 days he had to take her back to Sherry. They were going to New York to visit Dwight’s parents before the baby arrived. Simon told her that Amara could stay with him but Sherry insisted that she go with them. Simon tried to not think too much about it and just focus on the time he was going to get to spend with her. A short time later Simon pulled up in front of Emily’s house and beeped twice. A moment later Emily walked outside. She practically skipped to the car and climbed in the passenger seat. She leaned over and kissed Simon’s cheek. “Hey, handsome.” Simon smirked and took Emily’s hand, kissing the back of it. “Hello, beautiful.” Emily turned and grinned at Amara. “Hey, cutie!” Amara giggled. “Hey, Emily!”

Emily reached back and ruffled Amara’s hair. “How’s my favorite 10 year old?” “I’m good. Emily, can you take me to the batting cages tonight?” Emily looked over at Simon. “Well sure, as long as your dad says it’s ok.” “Is it ok, daddy?” Amara asked. “Yeah, daddy, is it ok?” Emily asked also. Simon quirked an eyebrow and cleared his throat when Emily called him daddy. She smirked and bit her bottom lip. “Yeah, it’s more than ok. How about I drop you girls off now? I’ll head to the club for a couple hours and I’ll bring you dinner when I pick you back up?” “That sounds awesome!” Amara said with glee. Emily reached back and gave Amara a high five. About 10 minutes later Simon pulled up in front of the Alexandria Sports Club. He reached into his wallet about gave Emily some money. “That should be enough for a few rounds. Plus Amara loves the mini golf they have here so if you have time after, maybe you can do that too.” Emily smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” She said before leaning over and kissing Simon softly. Simon watched as Emily and Amara climbed out of the car and walked to the entrance of the club. He felt his heart swell when he saw Emily take Amara’s hand as they headed inside.

Once they were safely inside, Simon headed to the club. He had to catch up on a few things. When Simon arrived at the club, he was surprised to see Negan and Lucille sitting at a booth. He walked over and sat next to Lucille. “How are you fine folks doing this evening?” Negan laughed and shook his head. “We’re doing fine, lover boy.” Simon smirked and shrugged. “What can I say? Love is a wonderful, wonderful thing my friend.” Negan laughed once more. “Remind me to thank Emily the next time I see her. Ever since you two became a thing you’re much less of a prick.” Simon laughed. “I love you too, buddy.” Lucille shook her head. “Speaking of which, I’m surprised she’s not with you.” “I just dropped her and Amara off at ASC. They’re hitting the batting cages.” Negan quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Sherry’s gonna be pissed when she finds out.” “Sherry knows. Besides, I can’t have a real relationship with Emily, and Emily can’t have a relationship with Amara, if I’m constantly worrying about what is or isn’t going to piss off Sherry. Sherry needs to mind her own damn business.”

Negan and Lucille exchanged a look. “Well it seems pretty obvious to me what’s going on.” Lucille said. Simon looked over at her. “What do you mean?” Lucille shrugged as she sipped her beer. “Sherry’s jealous. I mean, when everything went down, she had a man to go to. She probably took a little bit of delight in knowing that you didn’t have anyone, as cruel as that may sound. Like…by you being alone, she’d won whatever fucked up game you two were playing. But now that you have someone she’s officially replaced. There’s no going back.” Simon shrugged. “I don’t know, Luce. I feel like it was over the second she climbed into bed with Dwight. Plus she’s about to have a baby. I’m pretty sure there’s no going back anyway. Besides…I don’t wanna go back. I’m with Emily now. I love her and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. Even when Sherry and I were still together.” Lucille smiled and patted Simon’s shoulder. “I know you are. We can all see that that girl makes you happy.” “I’ve never met a forty year old man that wouldn’t be happy about banging a twenty one year old piece of ass.” Negan said with a smirk. “Refer to her as a piece of ass again and I’ll shove my foot so far up your ass you’ll have to open your mouth so I can tie my boot.” Negan let out a loud laugh as Simon stood from the booth. “There’s my boy!” Simon smirked and shook his head. “Yeah, whatever, asshole.”

Simon headed to his office to catch up on some inventory and bookkeeping. He checked his phone to make sure Emily hadn’t texted him. Nothing yet. Simon took that as a good sign. After a couple of hours, Simon started to worry a little. He wondered if maybe he should give Emily a call. Just as he picked up his phone he got a text.

Emily: Hey, babe. We’re about halfway through our round of golf. And we’re starving! Amara wants a BLT and french fries and I’d love a big, fat, juicy burger.

Simon: Lol, alright, sweetheart. I’ll see you two soon.

Simon put in their orders with the kitchen and finished up what he was working on. Once the food was cooked and packed up, Simon headed out and got into his car before heading back to the club. When he pulled up, Emily and Amara were already outside. The ran over and climbed in. “Did you girls have fun?” Simon asked. Amara’s face lit up. “Yes! Dad, Emily is a really good hitter! You should’ve seen it! There was even this guy who said he coached a softball team and he was trying to get Emily to play but she said no.” Emily smiled and shook her head. “Oh, I was ok. But Amara was a superstar. She could give a lot of professionals a run for their money. I think she wants to play softball next year.” Simon grinned as he listened to them talk. “Well it sounds like you two had a great time. How did you do at the mini golf?” “Amara kicked my butt. Turns out I suck at mini golf.” Amara laughed. “I did kick her butt.” Emily turned and looked back and Amara and grinned. “I’ll get you next time.”

Simon smiled and reached over to take Emily’s hand. She smiled over at Simon and laced their fingers together. As soon as they got into Simon’s house, Emily handed Amara her container with her dinner in it. She took out the other 2 containers but both had burgers in them. “Hey, babe, which of these burgers is yours?” “We both have the same thing.” Emily took one of the containers and sat across from Amara while Simon grabbed them all drinks. As they ate, they all talked and laughed. Amara made fun of Emily’s golf abilities, or lack thereof. Once she was done eating, Emily leaned back in her chair and rubbed her belly. “Damn that was good.” Simon smirked and nodded. “It was. Oh, by the way, Negan and Lucille were at the club tonight. They said hi.” “Aww. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. We should all do something. Go out on a double date or whatever.” Simon nodded. “That’d be fun.” As soon as Amara finished eating she yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “I’m sleepy. I’m gonna go to bed.” She stood and walked over to Simon. “Goodnight, daddy.” Simon smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Goodnight, princess. Make sure you brush your teeth first.” She rolled her eyes. “I will, dad.” Amara walked over to Emily and hugged her. “Goodnight, Emily. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight.” Emily smiled and sighed contentedly as she hugged Amara. “Of course, cutie. Anytime. Goodnight.”

Amara headed up the steps and into her bedroom. Emily looked over at Simon. “She’s such a great kid.” Simon smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she really is.” Since Simon was done eating, Emily gathered their trash and threw it away before gathering the drink glasses and taking them to the sink to wash them. While Emily was washing up, Simon walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Ya know, ‘hi’ wasn’t the only thing Negan said about you tonight.” Emily put the last glass in the dish rack to dry before turning to face Simon. “Oh yeah? What else did he say?” “He said that ever since you and I got together that I’ve been a lot happier and that it’s because, and I quote, ‘any forty year old man would be happy to bang a twenty one year old piece of ass.’” Emily quirked an eyebrow. “Is that so?” Simon nodded. “I called him an asshole for calling you a piece of ass, but he’s not wrong.” Emily licked her lips and smirked. “I mean, he’s not. But did you also tell him that maybe I’m happy too because I get to bang the hottest forty year old on the planet?” Simon laughed and shook his head. “No, but I’ll be sure to tell him the next time I see him.”

Emily wrapped her arms around Simon’s neck and leaned up to kiss him softly. “Mm, I’ve wanted to do that all night.” Simon smirked. “Why didn’t you?” “I didn’t think it would be appropriate in front of Amara. Especially not like this.” Emily leaned in again and kissed Simon once more, more passionately this time. After a moment she slipped her tongue into Simon’s mouth and moaned against his lips. Simon held Emily close and slid a hand under her shirt so he could gently caress her back. Emily shivered and pulled back a bit. “Should we take this upstairs?” Simon nodded. “Mhm, but we have to be quiet.” Emily nodded and took Simon’s hand, leading him up to the bedroom. As they walked upstairs, Simon kept thinking about how Sherry said she didn’t want Emily spending the night while Amara was over. “Fuck that,” Simon thought to himself. He was a grown man, this was his house. If he wanted Emily to stay over, she was gonna stay over, no matter what Sherry said.

As soon as they were in Simon’s bedroom with the door shut, Emily practically lunged at Simon. She’d been so incredibly horny the past few days. If Amara hadn’t been in the car with him when he picked her up, she probably would’ve made him come into her house and fuck her first. She wasn’t sure what it was, but ever since they’d slept together for the first time, Emily just craved being ravaged by Simon. And he was usually eager to oblige. As they deepened their kiss, Emily walked them backwards towards the bed. When she felt the mattress hit the backs of her knees she pulled away from Simon and kicked off her shoes before climbing onto the bed and kneeling at the edge so she could be nearly eye level with her boyfriend. Simon kicked his shoes off as well and immediately wrapped his arms around Emily’s waist, one hand sliding under her shirt and the other sliding down over her ass. Emily whimpered softly and arched her hips a bit into Simon’s.

Emily started to unbutton Simon’s shirt and quickly pushed it off of him before leaning back a bit to removed her own shirt. Simon started to kiss along Emily’s neck and collarbone as he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. Emily moaned softly and wiggled her hips as Simon pushed her jeans down and off. Emily sat on the bed with her legs on either side of Simon’s. She quickly unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down to his knees. As Simon kicked his pants off and to the side, Emily started to rub the growing bulge in his underwear. Simon licked his lips as he ran his fingers through Emily’s hair. She grinned up at him before using her tongue to trace the outline of Simon’s cock through his underwear, causing Simon to groan. She was so sexy. He wondered where she learned to do stuff like that. Finally, Emily pushed Simon’s boxer briefs down, freeing his fully hard member. She wasted no time in wrapping her hand around his sizable length, jerking him off as she leaned in and wrapped her lips around his tip. Simon moaned softly and looked down at Emily. She winked at him as she started to take more of his member into her mouth. Simon smirked and bit his bottom lip. “Damn, baby, you are gonna be the death of me.” He said between breaths.

After another moment, Simon gave Emily’s hair a tug, letting her know to stop. She pulled back with an obnoxiously loud pop and licked her lips. She crawled over to Simon’s nightstand and reached into the drawer to grab a condom. Simon climbed onto the bed and pushed Emily onto her back. He ground his hips down against hers as he kissed her deeply. She moaned into the kiss and raked her nails down Simon’s back. He hissed. It hurt a bit, but Simon didn’t mind it. As he slipped his tongue into Emily’s mouth, Simon also slipped his hand into her panties and started to tease her swollen clit. She whimpered and arched her hips into his touch. “Oh god…Simon, please…” Simon smirked. “Please what, baby?” “Please fuck me. God, I want you inside me so bad.” Simon quickly removed Emily’s panties before grabbing the condom. Emily sat up and unclasped her bra, sliding it off before tossing it towards the foot of the bed and getting onto her hands and knees. Simon licked his lips as he took in the sight in front of him. He quickly rolled the condom over his cock and got onto his knees. He ran his hands over Emily’s plump, round ass, giving it a light slap. Emily bit her lip to keep from moaning too loudly. But she nearly screamed when Simon leaned down and slipped his tongue between the folds of her dripping pussy. He just had to taste her.

Emily begged softly. “Please, baby…please, Simon…please fuck me.” Simon kneeled behind Emily and pressed his tip to her entrance. “You ready for me, baby?” Emily nodded quickly. “God, yes…” Simon slowly pushed into her tight heat, moaning long and low as he did. She felt so fucking good. Emily bit her bottom lip to try and keep quiet but a few soft whimpers escaped her lips. Simon leaned forward and pressed a few soft kisses between Emily’s shoulder blades. “You ok, babe?” Emily nodded quickly. “Mhmm.” Simon grabbed Emily’s hips and slowly pulled out of her about halfway before pushing back in. Emily’s eyes rolled back and she couldn’t help the loud groan that she let out. Simon just felt so amazing inside her. She wanted this feeling to last forever. Simon continued his slow pace for a few more thrusts before speeding up slightly. He took the noises he heard Emily making as a sign to keep going. As Simon started to thrust faster, Emily suddenly felt the need to be closer to him. She adjusted herself so she was holding onto the top of the headboard. Now her back was nearly against Simon’s chest. Simon moved his hands from Emily’s hips, one sliding up to cup her left breast, the other sliding down. He put two fingers on either side of Emily’s clit and alternated between moving his fingers in circles and from left to right.

Emily was so far gone now. Sometimes she got overwhelmed by the pleasure Simon gave her. Her thighs were trembling now. She knew she wasn’t going to last much longer. “Oh god, Simon…I’m so close…fuck me harder.” Simon grunted as he sped up his thrusts. He continued rubbing Emily’s clit as he kissed along her neck and shoulder and gently rolled her left nipple between his fingers. He could feel Emily getting tighter by the second. He was close too but he wanted to make her cum first. As he continued thrusting, the sounds of his hips smacking against Emily’s ass filled the room along with a slight creaking from the bed. Emily thought she heard another noise, but figured it was just the bed when Simon kept going. God she was so close now. Just a little more. Then suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion when Emily heard something else. There was no denying it. And she knew that as soon as Simon stopped moving that he’d heard it too. “Daddy? Are you ok?” Both of their heads snapped to the left at the same time to see Amara standing in the doorway. Emily’s eyes widened as she desperately reached for a pillow to cover herself as Simon quickly pulled out of her, causing her to hiss slightly. Simon reached for the covers and pulled them over himself as he yelled out. “Amara go back to your room!” Amara quickly shut the door and ran down the hallway. The whole ordeal lasted maybe 5 seconds but it felt like an eternity. They both just sat there trying to catch their breath and still covering themselves.

Emily started to panic a bit. “Oh god…oh no. What do we do?” She was on the verge of hyperventilating. Simon scooted closer to her and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly. “Shh, it’s ok. Calm down. I’ll go talk to her.” Emily covered her face with her hands. “Oh god I’m so embarrassed. How much do you think she saw?” Simon shook his head. “I don’t know. Her mom and I had the talk with her a couple of years ago, so I’m pretty sure she knew what we were doing.” Simon threw the covers off of himself and removed the condom from his now flaccid dick and tossed it in the trash before pulling on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. “I’ll be back.” He said as he headed down the hall to Amara’s room. After Simon left the room Emily quickly ran to his dresser and pulled out one of his shirts. It was usually what she slept in when she spent the night. She climbed back into the bed and sat with her back against the headboard, nervously chewing her nails.

Simon stood outside Amara’s room for a moment and took a deep breath before knocking on her door. “Amara, can I come in?” He asked softly. “Ok.” He heard her reply. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, swinging her feet back and forth and staring down at the floor. Simon walked in and sat next to her the bed. He ran his hand over his face before speaking. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, sweetheart. And I’m sorry you had to see that.” Amara didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t knock. I just…I heard a strange noise and I thought you were hurt.” Simon smiled softly. “Well I appreciate that you were concerned about me, princess. But next time just make sure you knock, ok?” Amara nodded. Simon sighed heavily. He wasn’t really sure what to do next. This had never happened before. “Umm…do you, have any questions?” He asked, sounding incredibly uncomfortable. He really hoped Amara did not, in fact, have any questions. But she did. “Are you and Emily trying to have a baby?” She asked. Simon furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at her. “What? No. Why would you think that?”

“I remember you and mom telling me what sex is. I know that’s what you and Emily were doing. You and mom said that when a man and woman love each other, they have sex to make a baby.” Simon nodded a bit. “Well, that is true but, two people can also have sex just, uh, for fun or to express their love for one another. And there’s things you can do to make sure that you don’t make a baby.” Simon shook his head, knowing he was probably giving the wrong response. “What kinds of things?” “Ya know what, I think that is a conversation for another time, ok? Why don’t you lay down and get some sleep, ok?” Amara nodded and climbed under the covers. “Goodnight, dad.” Simon smiled and tucked her in. “Goodnight, princess.” He left Amara’s door cracked open a bit and went back to his bedroom. He walked in and shut the door, making sure to lock it this time. Emily was sitting with her knees up to her chest. She looked really upset. “So…is everything ok?” She asked. Simon sat next to Emily and draped his arm over her shoulders. “Well, I was right, she knew what we were doing. She thought we were trying to have a baby, but I assured her we’re not. At least not right now.” He said with a soft laugh. “I’m gonna have to tell Sherry. She’s gonna be pissed.” Emily shrugged. “It was an accident, Si.” Simon nodded. “I know. Right before I picked you up, Sherry told me she didn’t want you spending the night while Amara was over. So she’s definitely gonna use this against me.”

Emily pouted. “I’m sorry. If I’d known I…” Simon shook his head. “This is not on you, not at all. Sherry has no right to tell me who can and can’t stay here. She’s just gonna have to get over it.” Emily nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Simon leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I think we’ve had enough fun for one night. How about we call it a night?” Emily laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, ok, that sounds good.” The pair laid down and Simon pulled the covers over them as Emily reached over and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Simon draped an arm around Emily’s midsection and pulled her close. There was a few moments of silence before Emily spoke. “I can’t believe you didn’t lock the fucking door.” The two let out loud fits of laughter for a moment before quieting down again and quickly falling asleep. The next day, everyone basically pretended that the events of the previous night didn’t happen. They didn’t do too much except go to lunch and a movie. Simon took Emily home Saturday night and spent the rest of the night hanging out with Amara before having to take her back to her mom’s the next day.

Sunday afternoon rolled around and Simon pulled up in front of Sherry’s house. He walked Amara up the steps and rang the doorbell. To his dismay, Dwight answered the door. He smiled at Amara. “Hey, kiddo. You have fun?” Amara smiled and nodded. “Yep!” She said as she walked inside. Simon and Dwight just stood there awkwardly before Simon spoke. “I need to talk to Sherry.” Dwight nodded and stepped aside so Simon could enter. “Of course. She’s in the kitchen.” Simon entered and walked to the kitchen where Sherry was baking some cookies. She looked up at Simon quickly. “Amara with you?” Simon rolled his eyes. “Of course, where else would she be?” He sighed and ran his fingers over his mustache. “Listen, um, there was a little incident on Friday.” Sherry put down her spatula and leaned on the countertop. “What do you mean? Is Amara ok? Is she hurt?” Simon shook his head. “No, no, she’s fine. But um…well, she uh, walked in on me and Emily.” Sherry furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean? Walked in on you what?” Simon sighed. “Sherry, don’t make me spell it out.” Sherry crossed her arms over her belly. Simon couldn’t tell if she was being willfully ignorant or not. He scoffed. “She walked in on us having sex, Sherry. Jesus.”

Sherry’s head hung down. “Jesus Christ, Simon. I specifically said I didn’t want your girlfriend spending the night when Amara was over!” “Yeah I heard you. But guess the fuck what? Amara and Emily get along really well and they enjoy each other’s company. And Emily is my fucking girlfriend and she’s gonna spend the night at my place sometimes. Whether you like it or not is your goddamn problem.” Simon could tell that Sherry was seething with anger. She rubbed her belly and took a few deep breaths. “I wanna meet her.” “What?” “Emily. I wanna meet her. If she’s gonna be spending time with my daughter then I think I have a right to meet her.” Simon sighed heavily. “I’ll talk to her.” Without another word Simon left the kitchen. Amara was sitting on the couch with Dwight. Simon leaned down and kissed Amara’s forehead. “I’ll see you later, princess. Alright?” Amara smiled and nodded. “Ok, daddy. Bye.” Simon waved as he left the house. He sat in his car for a moment thinking. Maybe Sherry was right. He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of his ex-wife and his current girlfriend being in the same room, but he had a hard time arguing against Sherry’s point. He pulled out his phone and texted Emily.

Simon: Hey, sweetness. I told Sherry about what happened. She was upset. But…she wants to meet you.

Emily: Excuse me?

Simon: She said that if you’re going to be spending time with Amara then she thinks she has a right to meet you.

Emily: What did you say?

Simon: I told her I’d talk to you. But, Em, she’s not wrong. I can understand where she’s coming from. If I hadn’t already known Dwight I would’ve wanted to meet him knowing he’d be spending time with and around Amara.

Emily: Well, they’re going away right? So she doesn’t wanna meet right this second, right?

Simon: Yeah, they’ll be back in about 10 days.

Emily: Ok. I’ll do it. I’ll meet Sherry.

Tags: @faith-lynn9 @collette04 @simons-savior86 @simons-thirst-squad @negans-castle

[formidablepassion]

Live Blogging: such demons . very cats . much amaze . wow

Author: @thayerkerbasy Ao3 Link: such demons . very cats . much amaze . wow Rating: Teen Archive Warning: None Word Count: 2565 Summary:  Asmodeus left to retrieve his pet archangel and never returned. A bunch of demons had gone with him and they never returned either. Spencer had no idea what he was doing.

"...a legacy of when Crowley was in charge and insisted on all new meatsuits being fresh corpses so as not to draw attention, " This is a lovely, and as usual brilliant, legacy the Crowley left behind.

"at least he wasn’t going to end up dead like so many other demons had lately." RIGHT? Good on you, Spencer. You get to live.

" There were no prisoners to look after and he wasn’t welcome in the kennel after that misunderstanding a few years ago. He could have helped with the torturing, but the torturers tended to be fairly territorial about their jobs and didn’t appreciate help." Okay I kinda really need to know what the "misunderstanding" was, and hell yeah they are territorial. Don't ask how I would know that.

"The cat videos led to Reddit, where he discovered entire sub-reddits of adorably stupid cats. That led to cat memes, and then memes in general, the best of which he tweeted." Ahhh yes, the adorable cat internet hole that people (or demons in this case) fall into. It spirals, really. Also, I would love to see a demon's twitter feed.

"Spencer was of the opinion that someone who hadn’t died was in no position to judge what was truly dead. He could bring it back if he wanted to." I couldn't stop laughing at this!

"“I dunno, man. What if everyone’s out with the boss? What if they found the archangel, sent him off to Hell, and now they’re all at Disney ‘cause the boss thought they deserved a reward or somethin’?”" Like Asmodasshat would be that generous. (Please ignore that terrible nickname that was very Dean of me and I won't be sorry for it even if I know it is terrible)

"“Man, you really think the boss is gonna take anyone to Disney? Boss ain’t never rewarded no one and he ain’t startin’ now. Naw, man, them dudes is prob’ly dead. Ten bucks says it was Ketch.”" SEE!!

"Chad got a far away look for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “I got it. Why would he want nasty ass Hell when he can have Heaven, right? I bet you he took that kid of his on up to Heaven. They’re pro’bly lordin’ it over all them goddamn angels as we speak.”" Chad is pretty smart for a demon, even if he or Spencer think that this plan is far fetched. Good brainstorming Chad.

"The throne was a lot more uncomfortable than he anticipated." That kind of power usually is, my friend. Oh... oh my.... bye bye Spencer.

Ohhh Drexel, hello plot twist!

"“You will obey me. And if I catch either of you attempting to steal the throne for yourselves, I will destroy you before you can blink.”" Damn right you will.

"At first, Spencer wasn’t sure if he heard that right. He was a demon, not a maid. He should be slitting hunters’ throats in their sleep or hanging out with awful garage bands until one of them got desperate enough to sell their soul. Even standing guard outside the Cage and listening to Michael’s insane rambling was a more dignified task than cleaning." This was fantastic. I am so happy I got to read these words with my own two eyes.

"“Naw man, I got no clue what the fuck you’re talkin’ about. You got a plan?”" Not many demons would, but I bet little Amara would have understood, with as much time that she spent on the internet.

"Ceiling Cat always came through." Damn right she did.

Alright y’all, this was a great and fun fic. I suggest that you all go read it and leave comments and kudos then share with everyone so they can enjoy this fun demon fueled fic as well!

The fic was  such demons . very cats . much amaze . wow by the fantastic @thayerkerbasy spread the word. 

[nebulawriter]

Pacific Rim

I can’t believe in the year 2018 I got fucking trolled by Guillermo del Toro. WHAT THE HECK DUDE IM GONNA HAVE THAT SONG IN MY HEAD FOR HOURS.

Overview: Really good! Super enjoyable, and definitely a movie I’ll want to watch again to just have a good time. Total popcorn flick, through and through, with some twists I admit I did not see coming. Only once I left the theater did I notice some things that may not have come together.

Main Character: I love John Boyega, there’s no question about it. Now, this is a protagonist we’ve....a little bit seen before, from the Dad issues, to the ex-in-the-force or whatever, but he left, and is now brought reluctantly back into the fold and heck, the protag of the last one had some of these. It was brother issues, not Dad, but still. All these cliches aren’t bad when it’s played well, though, and it is on a character level. I enjoyed him and his journey to live up to his Dad, his Sister, and be more than a hero: Be a Leader.

Side Characters: Amara was a wonderful teen hero I loved her and her attitude dearly. She played off Boyega beautifully, and I loved it. Nate was another good foil for Boyega, but I don’t...I didn’t get to see much of his own character separate of that foil, the man Jake could be. 

Herman Gottlieb was adorable, I liked him way more than in the first movie (sorry first movie Herman). And Newt!!! (okay seriously this is a big spoiler if you’re reading without seeing) I NEVER saw or considered that he’d been essentially possessed by the aliens! or precursors, whatever. That....that was well set up, that shocked me. Part of that was playing off our expectations with Shao! Who I loved incredibly once I found out about her, just...well done all around. 

Other Characters: Mako!!!!! :( I loved her so much, but it made sense and. And.  :(. Reyes had no character but to be a love interest and she wasn’t even really that? I mean I have my own theories, but we’ll get to that in the next section. The only ones I really remember of the Teenage Crew were Viktoria, Jinhai, and Suresh. Poor Suresh :(. But they were fun and I’m ready for the tv show starring these kids.

Plot: Yeah...this is where it falls apart a bit. Cause. Like. Why did Mako know about the island where Obsidian Fury would be? Why did she...draw it? instead of just writing out the word? Maybe I need to watch that again to find out. but. Oh, also, as interesting and important as it was, I don’t see them just...recruiting Jake and Amara for stealing, I really don’t. And shouldn’t there be....more cadets? more pilots? more...something? Hell, if the war ended 10 years ago, why do they even still keep Jaegers around? and why would they need the drones? I’ve mentioned some of the twists were cool, and there were moments I honestly thought they were going to die, but. Someone get the pope cause it’s hole-y in here. Also WAY too much exposition at the beginning, or rather, not well written exposition.

Story: The story for me is that of Jake re-finding his family, and more than that, starting his own. He lost his father, first emotionally, then for real, then his older sister, but he ends up stepping in and becoming an older brother figure to Amara, and more than that, a leader of a teenage rebellion.So, that was great. lovin that found family stuff. 

Writing/Editing: I already admitted that the beginning was exposition filled. If you haven’t seen the first one, no worries, they explain it right to you. but once it gets up and running, man does it run. Some cliched lines but they know they’re cliched and they go with it. Maybe a bit of emphasis on the last movie, but, hey, its a lot, so makes sense.

Cinnamontography: <--I like the word get used to it. ANYWAY I love del Toro’s style. I love the color. I love the visuals. There were a few times where I think it was a bit in love with the visuals when I was ready to move on with the plot, but meh.

Design:I mean the robots/mechs/jaegers we basically saw in the last one, but it was nice to have them highlighted. Also the three-part Kaiju I mean. I mean DAMN. I wish the Ranger uniforms weren’t in two models “Adult” and “teen” but work with what we got I suppose. I mean a lot of the designs were reused from 1, so. Hm.

Other: ANYONE ELSE FEELING THE SHIPPING?! Like, Jake/Nate, or Jake/Nate/Reyes? Amara/Viktoria or Amara/Viktoria/Jinhai? And, of course, Tragicly angsty Hermann/Newton. Ahhh it makes me want to reconnect with someone I haven’t talked to in a while just to hear their thoughts but there’s no way in hell I’m doing that.

[hekate1308]

Home Base

Part of my Season 12 Destiel AU. Enjoy!

To say his life has significantly improved, Dean things waking up next to Cas one morning, would be an understatement.

He smiles and snuggles closer to his boyfriend – no harm in morning cuddles – when he suddenly realizes things feel... off.

Not bad. Just... off.

And as soon as he raises his head, he knows why.

This is not the cheap motel room they went to sleep in.

The furniture is way too expensive, it’s light and airy, and is that a freaking lake he can see outside?

He sits up abruptly, causing Cas to grumble in protest.

“Cas – wake up!”

His lover shoots up from the bed, blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“This is not our room” he states.

Dean nods as he calls Sam.

Despite everything, he smiles when he hears his brother sleepily grumble “Dean?” The little nerd likes to sleep in these days, too.

Sam immediately becomes more aware.

“What – where are we?”

“So I take it you’re not at the motel anymore either.”

“No, I – is that a lake?”

“My thoughts exactly” Dean breathes.

“We seem to be in the same house” Cas says, having stepped up to him to listen to their conversation.

That’s something, at least.

“Alright Sammy, best we try and find each other.”

“My duffle bag’s here” Sam tells him.

“Ours are too” Cas points out.

They’re not without weapons then. Good.

They arm themselves with guns and silver knives before exiting the room they found themselves in.

Dean almost takes a step back in surprise when the door next to theirs opens and Sam comes out, looking as good as he did yesterday.

“Gotta say, if this is some evil scheme, it’s starting off really nicely.”

“We do not appear to have been drugged” Cas muses. “So whatever brought us here, they must be strong.”

He nods.

Their best way to search this place quickly – how huge is it, anyway? The corridors go on forever – is to split up, despite his ingrained instincts not to let his little brother or anyone else he loves out of his isght.

“Be careful” he instructs them both, pressing a quick kiss on Cas’ lips and clasping Sam’s shoulder before ducking into the next corridors.

Stairs. Taht’s something, at least.

He makes his way downstairs.

And this, right there? It’s a freaking entrance hall with marble.

It all looks nice enough, he supposes. Expensive. Like someone wanted to show off and be comfortable at the same time.

He hears movement in a room to his right and makes his way there, weapon ready.

What he didn’t expect was Crowley sitting in another huge room next to a pool table, leafing through a book while sipping his usual glass of Craig.

“Crowley?”

He looks up.

“Squirell. How do you like the new home base?”

“Home base? Where are we?”

“Massachusetts.”

“Why?”

Crowley shrugs.

“As good a place as any.”

“So and this is...”

“Like I said – new home base. You let me deal with the more psychopathic of the British invasion army, and it was certainly a lot of fun” Dean probably shouldn’t enjoy hearing that as much as he does, but Ketch has done nothing to incite his sympathy or pity in any way, shape or form, and he can’t bring himself to worry much about it “but it also means their little club is up in arms, so I thought you might want to have safe quarters.”

“So you... built us a mansion.”

“There was a dilapidated structure that might once have been a house. I only added to it.”

Dean takes out his phone and sends Sam and Cas texts to join them.

They both arrive quickly, Cas a bit quicker than his brother.

“Aw, Cassie, don’t worry, your toy boy is as safe as ever.”

He shoots him a somewhat disgruntled look that’s still not without a certain fondness – that’s how crazy their life has gotten, and Dean wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Have you seen the library yet?” Crowely asks Dean just as Sam stumbles in.

“Nah. Good stuff?”

“Remember when you powered down the wards of the bunker so I could get in while we were dealing with Amara?”

He does. And he also remembers not putting them up again because – well because even back then, he and Crowley were barely enemies.

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for that. I made sure to get anything the Men of Letters could use.”

“Thank you” he says honestly.

“I also made sure you had your beloved “memory foam” in case you felt like complaining about your back again – and your personal effects are in boxes in the dining room.”

Oh. He hasn’t thought about the things he used to decorate his room with in months. Sounds nice, though; Cas can get some stuff of his own, too –

Sam clears his throat.

“Do you have your own room?”

It occurs to Dean that he just thought of that as a given. Crowley hates Hell, and now that Lucifer has been dealt with, he has even less of a reason to hang out there, apart from short visits to make sure the demons are still behaving.

But for Sam to ask – that’s actually a pretty big step, now that he thinks about it.

Cas’ hand slips into his.

“As a matter of fact, yes. Now, in case you have – “

“Good.”

It’s the first time he’s seen Crowley speechless since Cain literally took his voice away.

They spent the rest of the day exploring their new home. Give it to Crowley, he really thought of everything, and it’s all brand new, nothing outdated like in the bunker.

There’s even a garage for his baby – next to the dungeon because, well, it’s Crowley. Nice he even included that in the first place considering their history with it.

As Dean and Cas soon find out, the water pressure in the showers is fantastic.

Plus, Crowley hasn’t just filled the library with the lore of their ancestors, but several works they love – at first glance, Dean sees the complete works of Vonnegut and Asimov. Jackpot.

And, okay, maybe Jane Austen is there too. Damn demon knows him too well.

And that kitchen.

“We’re going to have pancakes every day from now on” he announces, looking over the new equipment.

“Dean” Sam interjects.

“Alright, you can get some omelette with spinach. Figure I can do that if I try.”

His brother shakes his head, but he’s smiling.

“Where’s Cas anyway?” he asks. “Did he need some rest after your...”

“Shower?” Dean prompts with a grin.

“Yes. That.”

But once again, there’s no fire nor true annoyance behind Sam’s words, as there might have been, once not too long ago.

As Dean walks back to his and Cas’ room – funny, back when he only allowed himself to dream of them in half-slumbers shortly before waking up at dawn, he often pictured them in his room in the bunker – Crowley appears in front of him.  

Naturally, we are still too important to walk.

“I wasn’t sure if I should put these in your boxes as well” he says, holding out a few pictures.

Dean knows them. The ones he left behind the day he turned his back on the bunker and their legacy, preferring to make his own path.

Their own path.

After reconsidering the pictures, he takes those of him and Sam.

“That’s all I need”.

Crowley understands and vanishes with the rest.

Idly, Dean wonders what Mary is thinking now, in the empty bunker. She might not have noticed their absence much, but the knowledge and weapons the Men of Letters collected is valuable.

He’s not worried about them investigating the theft. Crowley certainly left no traces.

He expects to find Cas napping, but instead he’s –

He’s painting their walls.

There is already a whole forest stretching itself towards the lake, green leaves shining, sun kissing small flowers underneath –

“Cas” he breathes.

He knew Cas likes to draw, of course. Ever since Cas fell, he’s liked to have something to do with his fingers (in moments when they aren’t... otherwise occupied, that is) and it was Dean who bought himk his first notebook. Things only spiralled from there.

Cas has sketched almost everyone they knew at this point and once made him sit completely still for a whole evening because “I need to find the right shade of green for your eyes in that angle.”

“Dean!” he stands up so quickly Dean cringes in sympathy for his spine.

“I – this – I wanted to surprise you.” He fiddles his fingers in the late afternoon light coming in from the windows, his arms covered in paint, and Dean has never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it? I freaking love it, man.”

He draws Cas into a deep kiss.

“Wait – You’ll get dirty – “

“You’ll have to clean me up, then” he whispers huskily.

“Why so much green?” he asks later, much later. He thinks it will be time for dinner soon, but he can’t be sure.

Cas is tracing patterns up and down his chest and he’s way too comfortable to move and find out.

“You know why.”

“Yeah” he says, blushing, “but why so little blue? Come on, this is our room...”

“You haven’t seen it, then?”

Dean frowns and looks at the forest again.

And he sees.

There’s blue everywhere, stronger and lighter shade mixed in with the green, until it becomes impossible to say which is which.

The message is pretty clear.

He attempts to pull Cas even closer. At the moment, he couldn’t care less about the Men of Letters.

When they enter the kitchen at eight pm, Crowley exclaims, “A miracle! We might get dinner after all.”

“You don’t need to it” Cas reminds him while Dean tells Sam, “You could have started dinner.”

“Your cooking is much better than mine” Sam says. “Always has been.”

Dean remembers another occasion, when Sam was surprised he even knew what a kitchen was, but dismisses the thought.

They have both changed a lot since then.

“Alright”.

Crowley has stocked the fridge full to the brim.

“What do you – “

“Burgers” Cas says immediately.

“Alright then, burgers with salad it is.”

Crowley groans.

“You like Dean’s burgers” Cas reminds him.

Crowley grumbles something that sounds like “Doesn’t mean I have to eat them every day” but still digs in once dinner is done.

“So you’re saying it’s shielded like the bunker too?” Dean asks while they’re eating.

“No one will be able to tell where you are calling from while you’re here.”

Sam’s text alert rings out.

Dean’s surprised this didn’t happen earlier.

“What does she want?”

“Are you behind this?” Sam reads out loud.

“Tell her it’s the demon she despises so much” Crowley says. “I’m sure Mummy would love to hear that.”

“I don’t answer her texts anymore. She knows that.”

Sam puts his phone away.

“She’ll have to find another way if she wants to keep manipulating me.”

He’s never called it that, before.

Dean, he knows now, actually suspected pretty early on something was wrong, only that he didn’tb want to admit it to himself.

At least now they’re all on the same page.

Mary sends another text.

Only this time, when Sam reads it, he blanches.

Then, with a blank expression on his face, he throws his phone against the wall.

“Sammy?”

“That wall is brand new, you know” Crowley remarks mildly, but his hand has tensed around his glass.

“I’ll need a new phone” his brother says. “And we’ll have to tell our friends.”

“Yeah, of course. Sam, are you okay?”

“Yes. Mo – Mary just said something about – you, that’s all.”

“What did she say?”

“I don’t want to repeat it” is all Sam says.

“Good” Crowley comments.

Dean swallows. Knowing that Mary accused him of something – that she probably sounded like John – and that Sam would react this way – it has to have been bad –

And then Cas draws him close and kisses his forehead.

He relaxes.

He has Cas, he has his family, he has a new home.

Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

[writingfromkitchenator]

Secret 3

Part 1  Part 2

I didn't understand how the others could be sitting still at a time like this. I had never been more restless before and it was almost driving me in circles of trying to think of a better way out of it.

Dean had gone by himself to try and stop Amara, and if he succeeded, he wouldn't be coming back.

Those final moments, we had remained silent. Since our argument over Crowley, we hadn't spoken much, most of my communication through Sam. I had been glad that at least one of my brothers understood.

Now though, I wanted nothing more than to say how sorry I was.

This pub was no place to spend the end of the world in.

I had told them I would join them, but in reality I was stuck out here, staring at the dying sun alone and wishing for so much more.

"Trouble for your thoughts Sparrow?"

I closed my eyes as Crowley's footsteps got closer. "I said I'd be in soon."

"Hmmm, and you are a terrible liar." He said stopping next to me, making me smile.

"Not according to Sam and Dean. Cas had it figured out but he was never game enough to say anything." I looked at him. "Head back in and enjoy your drinking while you can."

He frowned. "I may enjoy drinking love, but my true passion is standing right here."

"Sap." I said through a smirk, returning my gaze to the sun.

"You love it."

"No, I love you, there is a difference."

"Now who's being sappy?"

"Crowley-"

"I love you too Haley." He cut me off, taking my hand. "So if you want to stand out here and watch the world end, then I will do so with you."

I entwined our fingers and sent him a soft smile, understanding. "Thank you Crowley."

A heavy silence fell over us for a few moments.

"We'll pull through this." He said suddenly. "We always do."

"Must be something about the Winchester blood," I said. "Because we do have a knack for it."

"I hadn't noticed."  Crowley said lightly and I shot him a grin, despite the worry settling over me, knotting tightly in my stomach.

I sigh as it threatened it overwhelm me.  Crowley didn't hesitate, pulling me into him and I settled into his familiarity, my arms looping around his neck.

"Squirrel will pull through."  He said quietly.  "And then maybe you can stop hating yourself over it."

"I should've said something..."  I mumbled, shutting the world out until it was only us two.  "I should've-"

We both felt the air shift around us and I looked up quickly, founding ourselves suddenly in a park, Dean and Amara standing there watching us.

"Oh brilliant."  Crowley mutters under his breath, his arm wrapping around my waist to pull me back behind him.

"I just want to talk to her Crowley."  Dean said, although it was clear he didn't approve, shooting a look at Amara.  "I thought you were only going to bring her."

"They were close, it was hard to tell the difference."  She said.  "If he steps away, I can send him back."

"Not a chance."  Crowley growls.  "I'm staying right here.  Who knows what nonsense you intend to throw at her."

Dean went to argue but I understood, turning into him and resting my hand on his chest.  "Crowley..."

Crowley stared at him, his dark eyes reading my mine and he finally sighed, pressing a kiss to my lips.  "Don't take too long little Sparrow, I'd hate to have to come looking for you."

Letting me go, he steps back and vanishes.

Drawing in a deep breath, I face Dean.  "This was unexpected Dean."

"Yeah well..."  He glances at Amara.  "It's amazing what gets done when you actually talk."

I give a weak smile.  "I suppose it does."

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

I broke it with a sigh.  "Look Dean, it was never my intention to go behind yours and Sam's backs.  It killed me doing it but I knew that I couldn't trust your reactions, I mean, hell, look at what happened anyway."

Surprisingly, Dean nods.  "Yeah, I know, and I feel shit about it.  I do."  He looks to where Crowley had been.  "He really cares about you though, even I can see that, and, as much as I don't want to admit it, I don't think I've ever seen you more comfortable before."  He hesitates, but then continues.  "Back in the bunker, after it all went tits up, he was there for you, he calmed you more than either Sam or I ever could or ever did."

I watch him as he mulls over his words, mulls over his guilt and saw him wanting to come to terms with it but not knowing how.  "I don't expect you to forgive me Dean."  I said quietly.  "I don't expect you to like Crowley either, I just...I want you to be happy for me.  In a life like ours...it was just nice to find someone that genuinely cared, even if he is a demon."

"That's the damned problem Haley," He said, his voice frustrated.  "Of all the people, you had to go and pick a demon."

I shrug a little.  "Sam did once too, and I know that's not the best example given what happened, but he was happy for a time there.  You...well, I wouldn't really know where to start with you, but I've seen you happy Dean, even in the wrong choices."  I drew in a deep breath.  "For now though, Crowley is the right choice.  For me.  It means I'm not alone in this mess."

Dean's eyes crinkled up and he stares at his feet for a moment before striding over and pulling me into a tight hug, one I return.

"If that son of a bitch ever hurts you, I swear that I will do everything in my power to end him."  His voice was muffled against me.

I gave a small laugh.  "I know you will, and I wouldn't expect anything less from you or Sam."

His grip tightened.  "I'm sorry Haley, I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too you ass."

"Slut."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Twat."

There was a moment of silence.  "Dammit."

I laugh.  "I win."

Dean pushes me away to look at me, grinning even through the tears in his eyes.  "Dammit I hate you at times."

I shrug a little.  "That's what siblings do right?"

He gives a small chuckles.  "Yeah...yeah I guess we do."  He glances to Amara for a moment and then back at me.  "You go to them now, you here?  Don't need you seeing the rest of this."

"Dean..."

"No Haley."  His grip was tight on my arms.  "Please."

I look at him for a moment and nod, taking a step back, his arms falling as he sends me a grin.

Then I was back at the bar.

I sigh heavily, taking a final look at the sun before heading inside.

Crowley stopped pacing as soon as I stepped in, his gaze worried.  "Haley..."

"I'm...fine..."  I breathed and wiped the few tears away from my eyes.  "Dean just...Dean just wanted to say sorry."

His eyebrows shot up but I shared a look with Sam, who smiles and nods.

"Now, I do believe it's the right time for a drink."  I said, smiling back at Crowley.  "Before it ends and all."

I walked behind the bar without hesitation, feeling Crowley's eyes on me before he followed, sitting on a bar stool to watch as I went through the assortment of alcohol, Rowena next to him.

"I think a special will do Haley."  Sam said, joining Castiel at a table, Chuck sitting at another.

I glance back at him, a proper smile tugging at my lips.  "Wow, when was the last time I made one of those?"

Sam shrugs.  "Been a few years."

"It has indeed."  I looked back at the alcohol and my smile widened, they had everything I would need.

"Would you care to enlighten those that don't know what a special is?"  Rowena asked.

"A very potent alcoholic drink that get's you high fast."  I said without turning around, pulling down several bottles of alcohol and digging out a cocktail shaker.  "I think the record was four wasn't it Sam?"

"Yeah, but you were severely hung over the next day."  Sam replied.  "And I believe Dean gave you hell for it."

"He just wasn't happy that I beat him."  I said, filling the shaker with ice before starting to pour in the different alcohols, Rowena watching with disgust and Crowley with a raised eyebrow.

"You actually used to drink this?"  He asked slowly.

"Well, it was my invention, so naturally I had to drink it too."  I said, concentrating on what I was doing.  "All the bar staff used to have one before their shift started.  It was never officially put on the menu of course, managers wouldn't allow it, but all people had to do was ask for the special, and if I was on, I'd make it."

Crowley's eyes didn't leave me.  "You used to work in a bar?"

I grinned up at him for a moment.  "Like Sam, I gave up hunting for a while.  He went to law school, I got into alcohol.  How do you think I know your vintages so well?"

He looks impressed but doesn't say anything, watching as I'm still mixing more alcohol in.

Rowena makes a disgusted noise.  "Ugh, how did it not kill you?"

I shrug, closing the top and starting to shake.

Crowley frowns.  "Love, why have you never made me a cocktail before?"

"You never asked."  I said, placing the shaker down and then pulling out six glasses, placing two ice cubes in each one.  "Besides, you always seemed content with your Craig."

He pursed his lips a little.  "I think we need to have a discussion about this later."

I chuckle and begin pouring out the six glasses, each glass only being half full.  "You may not want to after this.  Seven different types of alcohol isn't for the faint of heart."

"Seven?"  Rowena asked as I then place a slice of lemon on the side of each one.  "You can't expect me to drink that?"

I placed one in front of her.  "If you want to consciously watch the end of the world, that's fine by me."

Sam laughs as he walks over and takes his with Castiel's and Chucks.  "Well, me and you can Haley, I think it may take a few more for the others."

"That's their problem."  I said, still smiling as I take one and then give Crowley his, his hand resting over mine for a moment.

"You never know Moose, it could lead to more interesting things, I'm sure we've got plenty of time."  Crowley grins at me and winks.

Chuck chuckles from his seat, still holding his side even as he takes the glass.  "God, an angel, a demon, a witch and two hunters all sit in a bar.  It sounds like the start to a bad joke."

"Or a fun tale."  I said and then clinked my glass against Crowley's and then throwing the drink down, the alcohol burning as both sweetness and bitterness, with a hint of sourness, took over my sense.  "Holy crap I forgot how good that was."

I watched as the others, except Rowena, drunk theirs.

Sam was the first to react, coughing.  "You can't forget that burn though."

I grinned, shaking my head.  "No, the burn is pretty permanent."

"I wish I'd come to your bar before hand."  Chuck said, placing his glass down.  "I think a few of those would even succeed in getting me drunk."

Castiel was just staring at his glass a little confused.  "That...that was a lot."

I chuckle.  "That's the point of it Cas, it's meant to be overwhelming.  More often than not, people used it to confidently hook up, or, more so that they wouldn't remember hooking up."

That got Sam laughing.  "I still remember when Dean did that."

"That was one hell of a night that one."  I nod and laugh in agreement, the buzz starting to settle in.  My gaze rested on Crowley, who was staring intently at his glass.  "What's the matter Crowley?  A bit much for the King of Hell?"

But as his eyes met mine, I knew better, his gaze burning.  "Oh, we are definitely having a talk about this later love."  He said, his voice quiet, only meant for me, but it was clear Rowena heard when she rolled her eyes.

"Glad you liked it."  I said with a smirk.

He continues to stare at me for a moment before reaching over and taking Rowena's glass, who doesn't protest.  "I think like is understatement."

"Uh, guys?"  I looked at Sam, who was staring at where Chuck had been.  "Where's Chuck?"

That was when it clicked why Dean had seen me, why Amara had dragged me there and I sighed, giving a faint chuckle.  "Son of a bitch."

"Something wrong?"  Crowley asked, taking a sip of the second drink.

"No, I just think that after this, we need to give Dean a bit more credit."  I share a look with Sam before moving around the bar and sitting next to Crowley, leaning my head on his shoulder.  "He may actually know what he is doing from time to time."

His arm wrapped around me before a silence fell over us.  We knew that all we could do was wait and see if Dean came through.

Castiel was the first to notice the light and the first to step outside as he we all quickly followed, the sun once again bright and the air feeling right again.

"He did it."  Sam breathed.  "He actually did it."

I cheered, even though I was still worried for Dean.  "More drinks are in order!"  But as I turned, a strong arm grabbed me as Crowley pulled me to him.  I couldn't help but notice the relief flooding through him and it made me grin as he leaned in close.

"Oh no love, I have a much better celebration in order."  He growled, nuzzling my nose, and before the others could say or do anything, we vanished.

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m going (28)

Be cool

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive, and a VERY steamy scene. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18.

Word count: 4,350 (let me know if the ‘keep reading’ cutoff isn’t working well!)

Notes: This picks up basically where we left off, during the last night in the cabin, starting with Amara’s POV. This chapter is a little slow, but it sets up several things that will be important for what will happen next!

*****

Amara had gone back to the kitchen for the umpteenth time to make more margaritas. And to think she’d made fun of Drake for buying so much booze.

Dinner had been amazing, Drake truly hadn’t lied about his grilling skills. Even Hana, who was always poised and polite, had asked for thirds, and downed one burger and two hot dogs. Olivia had begrudgingly agreed that the mushrooms and leeks on top of the burgers were a nice touch.

Armed with two pitchers of margarita and her pineapple and coconut cake on a tray, Amara made her triumphant entrance in the backyard. As everyone cheered for her to fill up their glasses, she caught herself worrying for their livers, but promptly remembered that, if everything goes to shit tomorrow at Penelope’s estate, this may be their last fun night, so cirrhosis be damned.

‘Amara! This cake is heavenly,’ Hana gasps.

‘Oh, honey, you don’t have to say that,’ Amara responds. ‘I’m not the best cook--’

‘Shut up, Suarez, and give me another slice,’ Olivia cut her off.

‘Guys,’ Max says, his mouth full of cake, ‘let’s continue, it was Liv’s turn to dig into the bowl.’

They had started a game of Truth or Truth, for which they had written deep questions for one another on little pieces of paper, and mixed them in a bowl. Olivia rolls her eyes but picks up a paper.

‘When was the last time you were in love,’ she reads.

‘Oh, that’s my question!’ Hana beams.

‘Kid, you know we all have to answer, right?’ Olivia says. ‘You included.’

Hana blushes. ‘Oh, I didn’t realize that.’

‘I’ll go!’ Max says enthusiastically. ‘Drake, you remember Gianni, right?’

Drake nods, ‘I fucking loved that guy. He was hilarious.’

‘Yeah,’ Max says wistfully. ‘I thought we were more serious than he did. He ended up going back to Italy and breaking my heart.’

‘Max, I’m sorry, that sucks,’ Amara says as she reaches to hug him.

‘Your turn, Suarez,’ Olivia interrupts.

Amara blushes. She feels like a schoolgirl playing Spin the bottle. Are they really gonna make her say it in front of everyone? ‘Guys… you know.’

‘Ooooooh,’ Max teases, ‘no we don’t!’

Amara throws her hands up. ‘Well, obviously it’s Drake. Last time I was in love is now, with Drake. Happy?’

Drake reaches for her cheek and brings her face to his. Their mouths crash together in a sweet, yet urgent kiss.

‘Same answer for me, bitches,’ Drake slurs. ‘My last time is also now, with Amara.’

She knows he’s drunk. When else has he called anyone ‘bitches’ as a term of endearment? But then again, she’s drunk too, and so blissfully happy that she couldn’t care any less.

‘Alright, you guys are fucking gross,’ Liv says, waving her hands at them as if to shoo them. ‘Lee, your turn.’

Hana blushes again, and takes a big sip of her margarita. ‘Damn, Amara, these drinks are good. Thank you for making them strong. Well, you guys remember the infamous photo, right?’ Everyone nods, and she continues. ‘I told some of you that this woman, Caroline, was kinda...the one who got away. We were together at Oxford. After graduating, I had to go back to China, or, to be more exact, I didn’t have the guts to stay in the UK and defy my parents. So, I broke up with her, said I wasn’t ready, right before our third anniversary. She had booked us a trip to New York as a surprise, which I found out after, through a mutual friend. In any case, I didn’t break up with her for lack of love. More like...for lack of courage.’

Max holds out his arms and Hana pulls him into a hug. ‘Hana, babe, there’s nothing harder than coming out to tough parents. You didn’t lack courage, it was simply not the right time!’

‘Exactly,’ Amara chimes in, ‘look at how brave you were in front of the whole court the other day. A fucking champ! Because now is your time.’

‘You think?’ Hana sniffles. ‘I mean, I basically didn’t have a choice…’

‘Yes you did,’ Amara continues. ‘You could have denied it, said that it was a fake picture, or said it was a joke among friends. But you took the high road, and we’re so proud of you.’

‘Ok, this game took a turn,’ Liv sighs. ‘I didn’t think it would end in a group hug.’

‘Well then,’ Max replies, ‘you go ahead, Liv, answer the question.’

Olivia quickly glances at Amara, who gives her an encouraging smile. For a split second, Amara thinks she’s gonna be truthful and open up about her feelings. But, after a brief pause, she says ‘Nope. No heart, remember? Icy Nevrakis bitch here. Nothing to see. Next!’

*****

‘Babe, we’ll clean up in the morning,’ Drake whispers in her ears, his arms draped around her waist as she does some dishes.

‘I want to help,’ she says, leaning into his embrace, ‘I know you have to get up early, to go to the grocery store and get ready for Liam and Bertrand coming over.’

He kisses her neck. ‘I don’t mind. I like it. Besides, you made all of the drinks all night long, which was by far the biggest job of all, given this crowd.’

She chuckles. The sound of her laugh makes his heart full. He hates to admit it, but the glowing heart imagery from Jane the Virgin is spot on.

She says, ‘I know you like entertaining, but I don’t mind doing a few dishes. It’s not even that late. Please, let me help.’

He takes a kitchen rag. ‘Alright, then I’m gonna do the drying. Team work, right?’

*****

Olivia turned on her phone for the first time for a few hours. After what happened with it, the mere thought of sending a text filled her with dread, but she had to check her email at least, in case something was needed from her at Lythikos.

She plops down on the bed, and unzips her dress while her phone turns on. It’s strange to be here, at the Walker cabin, but especially in Savannah’s room. Maxwell and Hana had called the Master bedroom, which had a king bed. They had rightfully assumed that Liv would rather cut off her own arm than share her bed with either of them. But still, in here, she feels like she is sharing it with Little Savannah Walker, whose spirit is all around.

She wonders if she had contributed, even minimally, to sending her away. She’d never been very nice to her, never welcoming. But then again, it’s not her job to hang out with the Kingsguard’s offspring. She had enough on her hands as a child, after all.

Her phone buzzes, pulling her out of her daydream.

I had a good time yesterday. I decided to come to Portavira after all, so I’ll see you tomorrow?

Rashad. Damn, she hates how her heart jumped like an idiot as she read his name on the screen. Why? It’s stupid. He’s just being nice.

She takes off her dress and gets into a tank top and shorts, before heading to the bathroom.

She’s not answering that text.

*****

‘Wow, you look hot,’ Drake whispers as he sees Amara come out of the bathroom in her new, emerald green nightie.

‘Oh, this old thing?’ she smirks. ‘Just kidding, it’s brand new. I got it at the lingerie store the other day with Hana.’

Drake pulls her into bed with him, and kisses her urgently. ‘How come I’ve never seen it?’

‘Well, Walker, as I recall, you didn’t exactly give me time to wear anything last night.’

He chuckles as he plants a trail of kisses from her lips down to her collarbone. ‘Heh. I guess you’re right. What can I say, I can’t resist you, Suarez.’

‘Mmmm, ditto. Don’t stop.’

He has no intention to stop. His mouth runs all over her chest, until he’s kissed every inch. He pays special attention to her nipples, which get harder and harder under his tongue. Soon enough, off comes the sexy nightie, to make more space for Drake to kiss her all over. On his way down, he kisses her stomach, until he reaches between her legs, where he’s been aching to go, all night long. Amara moans in anticipation as Drake pauses before putting his lips on her core. He teases her with his tongue, softly at first, then more deeply.

Her moans get louder and louder until she catches herself and remembers they are no longer alone in the house. Somehow, her muffled grunts turn him on even more. His only mission tonight is to make her come, and judging from her increasingly intense breathing, it becomes obvious that he’s on the right track.

As Amara orgasms, she lets out a barely muffled low groan, which Drake is pretty sure everyone in the house heard. But he doesn’t give a shit. Amara catches her breath, and whispers, ‘Wow, Walker...you got game.’

He smirks, ‘I fucking love taking care of you.’

She pulls him into a kiss, and he shivers as his hard cock touches her naked body. She reaches down and starts stroking it slowly, drawing groans from Drake. ‘Fuck me, Walker,’ she whispers in his ear.

*****

Amara opens her eyes, awakened by Drake’s soft kisses on her forehead. ‘H--hey,’ she mumbles.

‘Oh baby, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.’

She smiles and kisses him. ‘It’s ok. I need to take a shower and move my stuff anyways.’

Drake nods, stroking her hair. ‘Wanna join me in the shower?’

She acquiesces enthusiastically.

After showering, she stands in a towel in front of the mirror, brushing her rebellious curls and spraying rose water on her face. Drake gets into his jeans as quickly as he can and kisses her lips. ‘I’m gonna run to the supermarket to buy lunch before everyone else wakes up. I’ll see you later? I’ll bring croissants back for you guys, so don’t make anything, ok?’

‘You’re the best, thank you!’

He really is. Amara hopes that things don’t change too much from the bliss that she’s been feeling for the past two days, but she doubts her wish will come true. She already feels stressed out about Liam’s upcoming visit, and it’s not even an official courtly one. She’s already scanning the cabin in her head, to make sure nothing incriminating lies anywhere.

Once dressed in a casual outfit --light-wash skinny jeans and a yellow blouse--, Amara goes downstairs and puts the coffee pot on. Hana is already in the backyard, reading a novel.

‘Hi Amara!’ she waves.

‘Hey hun, I’m making coffee. Want some?’

‘Sure,’ Hana replies enthusiastically. ‘I saw Drake leave a while ago, he’ll be back with breakfast.’

Amara waits until the coffee has brewed and pours two cups, with a dash of milk.

‘Thanks,’ Hana says. ‘Did you pack? You should put your stuff in the master, we’ll say you slept with me, and Max on the couch.’

Amara nods. She loves that Hana has thought of everything. ‘Thank you. I was gonna ask if you mind lying a little…’

‘Of course not. We don’t want to raise suspicions, not now.’

Amara takes a big sip, pauses a bit, and says, ‘Hana, do you think we’re fooling ourselves? Liv is right, Liam will be furious however we announce it.’

Hana gives her a reassuring smile, and somehow, Amara already feels soothed. ‘Liv is hurting right now, she’s lost and she sees everything in a negative light. I think you and Drake are doing what you can. If the timing is right, if you wait until Liam has proposed to someone, and has moved on, you could always fudge the details and say you guys fell in love after the Decision Ball.’

‘You’re right. But...what if we don’t pull it off? What if someone rats us out before that?’

‘I understand the fear, believe me. Given everything that’s happened, it’s legitimate. But you can’t live in fear, honey. You’ve already lived the past two years punishing yourself for something you didn’t cause. You need to let yourself be happy.’

Amara swallows hard. She and Hana had many heart-to-hearts in the past few weeks, ever since she’d told her all about Sergio. Hana had been an excellent listener, and an even better hugger, but had never expressed any judgment or given her opinion on Amara’s past. This was the first time she had said something like that. ‘Funny,’ Amara smiles, ‘you’re not the only one who’s been telling me this, lately. My dad, Drake, Max, even Liv…’

Hana smirks, ‘Well maybe we’re all onto something. Obviously, you can’t announce your relationship to everyone right now. Liam and Drake’s friendship would not survive. But even in secret, for now, maybe you could find a way to stop feeling guilty. To stop fearing.’

‘Good Lord, woman,’ Amara whispers, ‘you’re so wise. It’s exhausting, really.’

Hana laughs heartily. ‘Oh well, I try, but I can only apply my wisdom to other people’s problems.’

Amara grabs her friend’s hand. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday, about Caroline. You should reach out to her. Explain to her what you said to us, about timing, about being ready. Maybe she’ll understand. It’s worth a shot, right?’

Hana smiles wistfully. ‘It definitely is.’

‘Morning my little blossoms!’ Maxwell kisses Hana’s and Amara’s cheeks. ‘How did you sleep?’

‘Great,’ Amara says. ‘Help yourself to coffee, Max, there’s plenty. Has anyone seen Olivia?’

Max shakes his head, all the while pouring himself a cup, to which he adds about four spoonfuls of sugar. ‘No, not yet. Hope she’s alright.’

As if on cue, Olivia comes down the stairs, looking more relaxed than the day before. ‘Morning guys,’ she says softly.

‘Hey Liv, how did you sleep?’ Max asks.

‘I um…’ she scratches her head and grabs a cup of coffee. ‘I actually slept really well. I’m sure it was Suarez’s margaritas.’

‘Or it could be the peace and quiet,’ Amara chimes in.

‘Yeah yeah, nature is fucking adorable,’ Liv replies.

*****

All five of them are still sitting outside, enjoying their coffee and croissants, in the sun. Drake bought something easy for lunch, he will just have to assemble the salad, and grill the steaks at the last minute. They will have ice cream for dessert.

The croissants he brought back were a hit, although he wishes he had had more time to make them himself. On second thought, he is glad he spent that time in bed and in the shower with Amara instead.

There is a knock on the door, and when Drake looks at his watch, he sees that it’s only eleven. Could it be Liam already? ‘I’ll get it,’ he says before getting up.

‘Good morning, Drake,’ Bertrand says, an awkward smile on his face.

‘Hi Bertrand, welcome!’ Drake responds, opening his arms for a hug.

Bertrand, visibly taken aback by the gesture, hesitates before walking into Drake’s hug. ‘Thank you for having me. I hope I’m not too early, I just, um…’

‘No, not at all, come have a coffee with us, we’re outside.’

He walks in, and Drake notices that he is wearing a black shirt, and a vest with little embroidered horses on it. Drake has to fight a smile. Bertrand probably thought that coming to the countryside warranted a horse-themed outfit. Thankfully, he didn’t break out the riding boots, just some boat shoes.

‘Hello everyone,’ Bertrand says awkwardly. It occurs to Drake that he had never really been included in any of their private get-togethers, besides the Beaumont Bashes. Drake feels bad. Although he doesn’t know it yet, this man is the father of his nephew, they should be closer.

‘Hi Bertrand, good to see you!’ Amara says, as she gets up and gives him a hug.

‘Oh, um, hello, yes, um, good to see you too, Amara,’ he mumbles, patting her back like he’s trying to burp her.

‘Do you take milk or sugar?’ Hana asks.

‘Um, no, I take it black, thank you, Hana, you’re very kind.’ He takes the cup. ‘Before we sit down, I wanted to make sure that everything is in order. I mean um, Amara, did you think of removing all evidence that um… that you were staying…’ He rubs his neck, obviously unsure of how to say what he wants to say in an appropriate manner.

Amara sees his struggle and interrupts. ‘Yes, thank you for thinking of this, Bertrand. I removed my belongings from Drake’s room and transferred them to Hana’s. Also, I wanted to apologize. For keeping you in the dark.’

He waves her off. ‘Please. There was a clear conflict of interest. You couldn’t possibly tell me, when I was so eager to push you on Prince Liam. But um… for what it’s worth, I am happy for you both. Love is precious and should not be apologized for.’

Drake’s eyes widen. Did Bertrand just say something adorable? Well fuck. ‘Thanks, man, we appreciate it. We heard you had our backs yesterday, thank you for that too.’

‘Oh,’ Bertrand mumbles again, ‘it was nothing.’

*****

Liam looks at his watch. He’ll be right on time for lunch at Drake’s. He decided to drive himself, to clear his head. Bastien had begged him not to, but he needed to be alone on this drive. He needed to feel normal.

Nothing feels normal. His best friend is acting weird and distant --although he hopes that today’s lunch will reinstate things. Olivia is banging her bodyguard and refusing to talk to him. Amara, the woman he’d been dreaming of, has made it clear she does not want him. Madeleine keeps pushing and pushing.

He thinks back of their encounter, just this morning, in the gardens. He was taking a stroll, coffee in hand, before leaving for Portavira, and she was obviously looking for him. After they exchanged pleasantries, she squeezed his arm, and lingered for a little too long. Then, like clockwork, his father called him into his study and asked him to give Madeleine a chance. He can bet that Madeleine went crying to her aunt Regina as soon as Liam was dismissive of her. According to Constantine, she is the best contender and Liam has not even considered her.  

His eyes on the road, his hands firmly on the steering wheel, Liam tries to clear his head. It feels good to drive himself. But really, he can’t relax, not properly anyways. All he can think of is how weak his father looked, this morning, in his study. So small in his chair. Liam wonders how much weight he’s lost. How much time he has left.

He can’t stop thinking about what his father told him. Consider the good of Cordonia. Don’t give the kingdom to a stranger, or to a hotheaded woman who fornicates with the help. The kingdom needs stability, and Madeleine is stable.

Is she, though? What she pulled the other night in his study was definitely a little crazy. Leo has warned him that she is way more harmful than she looks.

What are his options? Olivia is shutting him out and banging other people. Amara says she doesn’t love him, but maybe she could learn to? Or, maybe she could just be his companion, and… No, she won’t accept. He’s pretty sure she wouldn’t accept.

But then what, at the end of the week he chooses someone, and he never sees Amara again? That’s no good either. There has to be a solution.

‘Shit,’ he swerves, almost hitting a hedgehog trying to cross the road. Damn, he thinks. He really is distracted.

There’s still Kiara and Penelope. Are they contenders? Not sure if Penelope has it in her to be queen. Kiara, he sees her as more of a noblewoman doubled as a diplomat. He would definitely get her to be a part of his council, but marry her? No. His father is not a fan either, he doesn’t think she’s a leader.

‘This is a clusterfuck,’ he mumbles to himself. In five days, the Decision Ball will be upon him, and he is very far from having made a decision.

He turns onto the small road leading up to the cabin. He hasn’t been here in a while. Last time was months ago, when he needed to unplug after his brother abdicated. Drake had offered to have a weekend at the cabin together, just them guys. Max had joined for one evening. That was probably Liam’s last memory of normalcy.

Here he is, pulling up to the cabin. He parks near Bertrand’s car and lets himself out of his own. From the backseat, he grabs the apple pie and white wine bottle that he brought despite Drake’s request not to bring anything.

He knocks, weirdly anxious.

‘Hey,’ Drake says, opening the door. ‘I told you not to bring anything.’

He wraps him in a bear hug, and Liam lets out an imperceptible sigh of relief. ‘You knew I would.’

‘Heh, I did. Come on in. Everyone’s here already.’

And here they are. The Beaumonts, Hana, Liv, and Amara, all out in the backyard, joking around and having coffee.

‘Liam!’ Hana notices him. ‘So good to see you!’

She approaches him and gives him a warm hug. Liam is grateful for the enthusiasm. Everyone else greets him, Bertrand with a handshake, Max with a huge hug, and Amara with a quick one. Upon touching her skin, Liam’s heart flutters. He’ll have to shut it down really quickly if he doesn’t want to make everything awkward.

Only Liv has not gotten up from her chair outside. ‘Liv, hi, how are you?’ Liam risks.

‘Liam. I’m good, how are you?’

Her tone is cold as ice. Still no improvement from their last interaction. She’s not even meeting his eye. Is she embarrassed about the bodyguard? Is she angry with him for not standing up for her more? He has no idea. What he sees is resentment, and he has never seen that from her before.

‘Alright,’ Drake says, ‘let’s have some food!’

*****

Amara is pleasantly surprised with the free-flowing conversation. She thought Liam’s arrival would put a damper on things, and it has, to some extent, but his company is pleasant today, he’s not being weird, except for when she hugged him hello and he lingered. But if that’s her only problem, she’ll be fine.

She has to watch herself, though. Be cool, Suarez, she thinks. She made a point to sit farther from Drake than she usually does. She is between Hana and Maxwell, which feels natural, but also prevents her from reflexively taking Drake’s hand for everyone to see.

They try not to interact too much, but still let themselves joke around with each other in reaction to Max’s antics, or Liv’s badassery. It feels restrained, but natural nonetheless. Liam knows they’re ‘friends,’ he probably even thinks they’re close, especially since Drake defended her against Tariq and stood up for her when Liam was inappropriate.

‘Oh, so you were all here last night?’ Liam asks, when Drake makes a reference to last night’s dinner.

‘Yeah,’ Max quickly responds, ‘except for Bertrand who had business to conduct. But I took Hana, Amara and Liv here. It seemed like a good opportunity to blow off steam and hang out!’

Amara holds her breath. She can see on Liam’s face that he has FOMO. Before he arrived, they agreed that they wouldn’t hide that they’d all spent the night, especially since they’d have to take their luggage back and bring it to Penelope’s estate. But still, his reaction was somewhat worrying.

Drake’s eyes meet hers, and he chimes in. ‘It was a spur of the moment kinda thing. I know you had meetings. But next time--’

Liam waves him off. ‘Of course! I wish I could have been there, but I could barely free up these few hours this morning, can you imagine the uproar if I’d left court last night?’

He plasters on the fake smile that Amara hates so much. She knows she has to change the subject. ‘So how are things at court? Is everyone behaving without us?’

Liam drops the façade and takes a deep breath. Shit, Amara thinks. Maybe it wasn’t the right way to divert the conversation. ‘Well,’ Liam begins, ‘it’s definitely been quiet. Kiara and Penelope spend most of their time together, although I had a very pleasant one-on-one with Kiara. But um…’ He pauses and scans everyone’s faces. ‘Madeleine is acting a bit...suspicious. Can I be blunt?’

Drake nods. ‘Go ahead. We’re steel traps.’

‘She showed up in my study the other night, clearly trying to seduce me, and when I rejected her, I could tell that she was really pissed off. I’m convinced that she’s involved in the...pictures.’ Liv looks away, and Liam continues. ‘I’m waiting on some more reports from security. Bastien is on the case, looking for clues.’

Amara turns to Drake, and they make brief eye contact. They both know that putting Bastien on the case will do nothing. And yet, they both have zero interest in speaking up about him, because he’s the only reason why no one has found out about their relationship yet.

Hana senses the tension and chimes in. ‘I think there’s nothing more you can do, Liam. Amara has tried to investigate. The phone used to send out my picture was a burner, linked to no one. The envelopes are untraceable for now. There’s just not enough to go off of. All you can do now is keep being a reassuring presence.’

Liam nods. ‘You’re right. I just want this madness to stop. If Madeleine is involved…’ he interrupts himself and glances at Amara. She knows what he wants to say. But he stops in his tracks, probably not wanting to offend her or freak her out.

So, Amara says what they’re all thinking. ‘If she’s involved, I’ll be the next target.’

*****

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