#I unfortunately did not take a trip to rome today | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

literallymitch · 4 years ago

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𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 || 𝐃.𝐃

requested: no

summary: the first part of the reputation series in which the reader first meets Damiano

pairing: Damiano David x famous!reader

word count: 2k

what kind of content: fluff

warnings: drinking

passages written in cursive are flashbacks

some of the lyrics were changed so they would fit the story

Please don’t steal any of my conten and release it elsewhere. Also all of this is fiction. I don’t know these people in real life nor do I know how they act

a/n I I hope you all enjoy this one, as much as I do. I’m so excited about this series jdhidcuheu. What song do you guys think is next? As always please keep in mind english is not my first language. I’m super happy about feedback!!

With a buzzing head I woke up. I shouldn’t have drank so much yesterday. Feeling the after effects of the alcohol I consumed yesterday, I looked at the sleeping figure next to me. A gorgeous man with brown hair and tattoos that fitted him perfectly. I smiled to myself, knowing he was the reason I probably drank a little too much yesterday. There was no way I would have found the courage to actually talk to him otherwise. He looked like an angel sleeping so peacefully in my queen-sized bed. As I looked at his sleeping figure, an idea popped into my head. I grabbed my notebook and went to my balcony that was connected to my bedroom. Looking at him one last time through the huge window in front of me. I opened my notebook and started writing down some lyrics in memory of last night.

You should take it as a compliment That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk You should think about the consequence Of your magnetic field being a little too strong

“We wanted to start working on our next album soon too.” , the gorgeous man in front of me said with an Italian accent.

After a few drinks I was finally talking to him. I was too busy taking in his beauty that I didn’t really listen to what he just said to me. All of a sudden, I started giggling.

“You know, your accent is so funny, I love it. Like the way you pronounce some words? Hilarious”.

“Thanks, I guess?”

I cringed a little thinking about this specific moment. If he knew the only reason I was making a fool out of myself in front of him was his magnificent appearance, he would take it as a compliment. He probably already knew that was the reason. How could he not know? It’s not like he has never looked in a mirror. Also, there is no way, I am the first person that had to suffer from his magnetic self. By now he should know what his whole existence is doing to people.

And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us He's in the club doing, I don't know what You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much (I hate you so much)

“Shouldn’t your boyfriend be here as well?” the beautiful Italian boy asked.

“My wha- Oh you mean Andre? He isn’t my boyfriend. The media just made that up after we went out once, and I was caught at two of his games. We haven't talked in months. He’s probably at some club right now, annoying some poor girl.”

At that moment I thought I’ve seen a small smile appear on his face. He then just turned to the bar tender, ordering another beer. God, how could he just keep his cool like this the whole night. Usually it was the other way around. People would stand drunk in front of me trying to make a move, while I just stood there unimpressed. He really made me feel like an insecure fourteen-year-old girl again, and I hated him for that

Whisky on ice, Sunset and Vine You've ruined my life, by not being mine

“The sunset is really beautiful today” Damiano stated sipping on his glass of Whisky. I nodded in agreement while I ate a grape from the vine that was placed on the bar counter.

The bar were at was on top of a small mountain somewhere outside Rome. From there we had a great view over the whole city of Rome and how the sun met the city's skyline. It really was beautiful, still it was nothing compared to him. I wish he would’ve been mine, so I could’ve rested my head on his shoulder right there and then, but he wasn’t.

You should take it as a compliment That I'm talking to everyone here but you (but you, but you)

“I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to talk after you talked to, well, everyone else at this bar except me.”, the handsome man called me out while he sat down next to me.”

Feeling a bit caught, I just gave him an awkward smile. I tried to come up with a reasonable excuse, that was less embarrassing than ‘Yeah sorry about that, I was just too scared to talk to you because you look like you’re straight out of my dreams.’

“I’m really sorry about that! It was just that every time I was done talking to someone, the next person already stood behind me wanting to talk.” I lied.

“It’s alright. I guess that's what happens when you’re a world-famous singer.”

And you should think about the consequence Of you touching my hand in the darkened room

It was now 11pm and the sky outside was completely dark. The lights in the bar were also dimmed a bit, creating a cozy atmosphere. Damiano and I were in the middle of our conversation, as he accidentally grabbed my hand, that was resting on the bar counter, instead of his drink. It felt like an electric shock. An electric shock that woke up the butterflies inside my body. My hand started to tingle, and I’m pretty I was full on blushing now.

If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her But if you're single that's honestly worse 'Cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts

“So do you have a girlfriend?”, at this point I was so drunk I didn’t even care how this question came across anymore.

I was pretty sure he in fact had a girlfriend, I mean how could he not looking like this?

“No I don’t.” Thank god. “It’s kinda hard building up a real relationship with someone when you're always busy, but I guess you can tell me a thing or two about it too.”

Oh, yes, I could. Still I would drop everything I was doing right now, just to be with him.

Chocolate brown eyes looking in mine I feel like I might sink and drown and die

Just as my confidence made a small comeback, I made the mistake to directly look into Damianos beautiful brown eyes. There really wasn’t a single thing about him that wasn’t extremely beautiful. I started to feel a bit dizzy as a wave of heat rushed through my body. What is this man doing to me?

Just thinking about it again made my heart beat three times faster.

You make me so happy, it turns back to sad, yeah There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad You make me so happy, it turns back to sad, yeah There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have

For like the million time this evening, he made a laugh. Great, so he wasn’t just incredibly handsome, but also extremely funny. I didn’t realize how happy I was in his presence until I remembered he wasn’t mine. Suddenly I felt kind of sad, thinking about how I maybe would never see him again after tonight. I just wanted to grab his hand and run away with him. Somewhere I could be alone with him. Somewhere he would be only mine.

Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats Alone, unless you wanna come along

I looked at the clock that was hanging on the wall behind the bar tender. I was shocked when I realized it was already midnight. There was no way we’ve been talking for like three hours now. I scanned the room for my friends, I went here with in the first place.

“Looking for someone specific?” Damiano asked, now also looking in the direction I was looking in.

“Just my friends, but it seems like they already went home. I’ll check if they texted me” I picked up my phone, checking if I had a message from my friends.

‘Hi babe, we already went home, we were kinda tired. Have fun talking to handsome stranger. You better tell us everything tomorrow ;)’

“Did they text you?”

“Yes, my friend texted me that they already went home. Guess I’ll have to go home alone then. At least my cats are waiting for me.” I stood up and tried to make my way over to the wardrobe to get my coat. Unfortunately I forgot how drunk I actually and almost tripped as I tried to walk. Alcohol and heels really are not a good combo. Thankfully Damiano grabbed my arm helping me to stabilize myself.

“You’re sure, you’ll make it home alone?”

“Yes, I am a big girl. Unless you wanna come along.” I said with a cheeky grin on my face.

Damiano left out a soft chuckle. He paid for our drinks and then accompanied me on my way back home.

“It’s already pretty late, if you want to, you can stay over.” I told him after he brought me up to my bedroom.

“That would be nice, thanks.”

After I got myself ready for bed, I basically fell into my cozy bed, cuddling myself up in my soft sheet.

“You mind telling me where your guestroom is before falling asleep?” the Italian boy asked with an amused look on his face.

“Mmh, I don’t know. Just sleep here, it's fine.” I answered him, already half asleep.

After that, I probably fell asleep, since I don’t remember anything else that happened.

You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face (to your face) 'Cause look at your face

“Good morning.” I heard a raspy voice say.

I looked up from my notebook and came face to face with Damiano gorgeous figure. His hair was messy, and he still looked a bit sleepy. Since he just wore a pair of boxer shorts, I could finally see all the tattoos that covered his upper body. All of a sudden I felt the same way as I did last night when I saw him for the first time. The words were stuck in my throat and I felt the anxiety build up in my body. How does he manage to make me feel this way by just existing?

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?” I somehow managed to say.

“Yes I did thank you. What are you doing?” he asked me curiously as he sat down on the garden chair next to me.

“I’m just writing a song. The idea came to mind when I woke up.”

“Not gonna lie, it’s pretty impressive that you’re able to write a song now after you could barely walk yesterday.” a small laugh left his mouth. “Can I see it?”

“No, it’s kinda awful. I’m to hungover to write something good now. I just wanted to write the idea down.” I lied, I actually really liked the stuff I wrote so far, but he would probably think I’m a freak when he found out I wrote a song about after knowing him for a day.

“Can you at least tell me what it is about?”

“So you can steal my brilliant idea? No, thanks.” we both started laughing. “I can offer you breakfast though”

“I’m fine with that too” he said flashing me his beautiful smile

And I'm so furious At you for making me feel this way But what can I say? You're gorgeous

We were now sitting on my roof garden eating breakfast. Damiano told me some things about his life and what interests he had. As he did, so I looked at him in awe. I really started crushing on him as he continued to talked about his last tour with a huge smile on his face. I hated it that I was practically on my knees for him already, but how could I not? He’s perfect.

“I could really get used to this, you know?” he said out of nowhere.

“Me too.” I responded, not really questioning what he meant.

I also didn’t care as long as it involved us spending time together. I would make him mine no matter what.

#damiano david #måneskin #damiano david fanfiction #damiano david x reader #damiano david imagine #damiano david fluff #damiano maneskin #maneskin #måneskin imagine #taylor swift #reputation #reputation series

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gardenofkore · 4 years ago

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The Normans had a complicated past in the Latin East. As early as the First Crusade, there was an opportunity for the Hautevilles to exert significant authority in the region, one that quickly ended when Roger’s cousin, Bohemond, was captured by Turks as he made his way to Melitene in August of 1100. Bohemond’s imprisonment enabled Baldwin I to claim the throne of Jerusalem uncontested. Had the journey gone differently, it might have been Roger’s first cousin who became king and established a dynasty. But whatever lost opportunity Bohemond’s capture may have represented, it paled in comparison to the one that evaded Roger a little more than a decade later. His mother Adelasia, had been his regent since 1101, the year Roger I died, and by 1112 Roger had begun to rule in his own right. This offered Adelasia an opportunity to accept a marriage proposal from King Baldwin I of Jerusalem. According to William of Tyre, the marriage contract stipulated that if Baldwin and Adelasia had no child of their own, Roger would succeed to the throne when Baldwin died. This arrangement was of particular interest to Roger, and given that Adelasia was in her late thirties and that Baldwin himself was in his late forties or early fifties and — as far as we can tell — had not yet produced any children, it is not difficult to understand why. Unfortunately for Adelasia (and Roger), Baldwin ultimately confessed that their union was bigamous as his marriage to his second wife had not been properly annulled. Susan Edgington notes that the union may have been dissolved partly as a result of pressure from Rome. In addition, though, Baldwin became very ill in 1117, so sick that some wondered if he would die and the kingdom would soon pass to Roger. Some members of the nobility became alarmed at the prospect, and Arnulf oversaw the annulment of the marriage during Easter of the same year. Adelasia was sent home to Sicily soon after, but not before Baldwin had alienated many of the resources she had brought with her from Sicily. She died just a year later, on April 16 — just nine days after Baldwin. For centuries, historians have used her humiliation to explain why Roger was not invested in the Latin East:

Qua redeunte ad propria turbatus est supra modum filius et apud se odium concepit adversus regnum et eius habitatores immortale. Nam cum reliqui fideles diversi orbis principes aut in propriis personis aut inmensis liberalitatibus regnum nostrum quasi plantam recentem promovere et ampliare sategerint, hic et eius heredes usque in presentem diem nec etiam verbo amico nos sibi conciliaverunt, cum tamen quovis alio principe longe commodius faciliusque nostris necessitatibus consilia possent et auxilia ministrare. Videntur ergo iniurie perpetuo memores et delictum persone iniuste in populum refundunt universum.

Dawn Marie Hayes, Roger II of Sicily. Family, Faith, and Empire in the Medieval Mediterranean World, p. 65-66

For more than three years following the wedding there is no information about the royal couple’s conjugal relationship, or Adelaide’s activities, or even her whereabouts. Baldwin seems to have been constantly on the move, fighting for Antioch in the north or against the Ascalonites in the south or exploring into Transjordan and the Sinai desert. However, the validity of the marriage was apparently unchallenged until 1116 when two events coincided. The more important was probably Arnulf’s trip to Rome to argue for his reinstatement as patriarch of Jerusalem. He was successful, but, seemingly, his restoration was conditional on persuading the king to put away his wife. The grounds existed, for although Baldwin had separated from his Armenian wife at some time in the previous decade, there was no annulment of his second marriage and so he was not free to remarry. The following winter, the king fell critically ill and feared he was on the point of death. There was a very real possibility that Baldwin would die without children and the kingdom would pass to a Sicilian heir. Some of the nobility baulked at this, and Arnulf presided over the formal annulment at Easter 1117, incurring the enmity of Sicily to the great detriment of the kingdom, as William of Tyre and modern commentators have agreed. The Sicilian alliance was therefore short-lived and ultimately injurious to the kingdom of Jerusalem. It is redundant to speculate whether the outcome would have been different if Baldwin and Adelaide had produced a child. The alliance failed, and Baldwin’s deteriorating health brought the matter of the succession to the fore. [...]

In 1116, with some 200 knights, Baldwin headed east again, revisiting Montréal, and then south through the desert to the Red Sea. This expedition is thought to have founded a castle in the valley of Moses (Wadi Mūsa) and another at a town on the coast Fulcher called ‘Helim’ (modern Aqaba, Jordan) that they had found abandoned by its inhabitants. On his return to Jerusalem towards the end of 1116, the king became seriously – he feared terminally – ill. Fulcher wrote that this was the reason Baldwin repudiated his Sicilian wife; William expanded Fulcher’s simple statement of fact to involve Baldwin’s seeking the advice of the clergy and trying to explain himself to Adelaide, who was not appeased. William, of course, could see the longer-term consequences of the failure of the Sicilian alliance. Albert of Aachen’s independent account of the same expedition and its aftermath added some interesting details. He did not, apparently, know about the deserted town Helim, but wrote only that the king and his men bathed in the Red Sea when they reached it, as relief from the intense heat, and ate fish. While there, Baldwin heard about St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai desert, and he was keen to visit it for prayer and conversation, but the monks sent messengers to dissuade him because they did not want to draw attention to the monastery lest they be expelled from it by the Saracens. Although this tale is uncorroborated, it rings true, for St Catherine’s is a Greek Orthodox foundation and has maintained its presence until today partly because of a willingness to accommodate politicalrealities.Baldwin abandoned his plan to visit the monastery and returned to Jerusalem via Hebron, pausing only to raid the plains of Ascalon for camels, cattle, sheep and goats on his way. Albert gave the date of the onset of Baldwin’s serious illness as the beginning of March 1117, technically still winter but later than Fulcher implied, and Albert wrote that the king was in Acre. Baldwin genuinely believed he was on his deathbed, for he ordered that his worldly wealth was to be distributed: part went to the poor, along with a dole of food and wine; part to his household; and part to his soldiers, both his own and those serving for pay. However, Albert claimed that the king made a full recovery. He did not report whether thegifts were revoked but did write that the Egyptian fleets that had put in at Tyre when the Saracens heard of the king’s illness now sailed home without attacking. Another discrepancy from Fulcher’s undoubtedly better informed account is that Albert placed Arnulf’s visit to Rome to exculpate himself after the king’s recovery from his sickness. It was Arnulf who then insisted, on the pope’s orders, that Baldwin repudiate his wife because his marriage to Adelaide was adulterous and unlawful. Arnulf added a charge of consanguinity between Baldwin and Adelaide, although this had passed unremarked in 1113, and he formalised the process of annulment by convoking a council in the church of the Holy Cross in Acre. ‘Sad and grieving, released by synodal law from the marriage bond, the lady sailed back to Sicily’, while Baldwin, Albert claimed, exercised ‘wonderful abstinence and chastity’ from then onward. Thus, although the two writers differed on theexact sequence of events, they agreed that the king’s illness was a precipitating factor in his repudiation of Adelaide. Certainly, he may have felt the prick of conscience and wanted to die absolved of his sins. Nevertheless, it is probable that there was also considerable pressure from his vassals and the senior clergy: the marriage to Adelaide had not provided the king with an heir, and according to the terms of the agreement Roger of Sicily would inherit the kingdom of Jerusalem if the king were to die while the marriage endured. The reminder of the king’s mortality made the matter of the succession urgent, and it is inconceivable that the matter was dropped as soon as the king made a recovery. In the short term, Baldwin appeared to regain full health, and with his accustomed energy he was mindful that two coastal cities remained unconquered. First he built a castle called ‘Scandalion’ within five miles of Tyre and garrisoned it ‘to confine the city’. He then embarked on a major expedition early in 1118 aimed, so Albert said, at conquering Egypt and thus removing its support for Ascalon that threatened pilgrims going to and from Jerusalem. [...]

The accounts of Guibert and William, the one separated by distance and the other by time from the scandal, share certain features, most importantly the legitimacy of Baldwin’s marriage to Arda so that the separation a thoro was not an annulment, which was the only way Baldwin would be free to take a third wife. Yet Baldwin did not seek dissolution of the marriage from the pope. Admittedly, it would be difficult because the usual convenient ground, consanguinity, was not available. Nevertheless, the curia was likely to be sympathetic, especially if adultery could be proven. (Notably, non-consummation does not seem to have been considered, at least before Mayer.) In this interpretation of Guibert’s tale and as made explicit by William, the motif of chasing the unpaid dowry in Constantinoplerecurs. It seems likely that failure to lay his hands on Arda’s dowry in full was the real reason behind Baldwin’s repudiation of his wife. Importantly, by consigning his wife to a nunnery, Baldwin was abandoning hope of engendering an heir. For somewhere between five and ten years he lived, apparently, a celibate life.

Baldwin’s bigamous marriage to Adelaide of Sicily appears ill advised on almost every level. It is easy to interpret it as a last desperate attempt to make a political alliance that would bring wealth and other resources for the defence of the kingdom. In the short term, it was successful in this: the resources Adelaide brought with her to Jerusalem were described towards the end of the previous chapter, along with Baldwin’s rejection of her four years later. There is no information about how much time the royal couple spent together. On this and the whole subject of Baldwin’s third marriage the testimony of William of Malmesbury is interesting, although – or because – it differs so radically from William of Tyre’s. First, while conceding that the match was to make good Baldwin’s losses, he wrote explicitly that it was ‘for legitimate marriage’ (ad legitimum conubium). William agreed with the other chroniclers about the great riches Adelaide brought with her ‘to the king’s bedroom’, but added rather sourly ‘where the woman had amassed such infinite piles of precious goods from might seem a matter of wonder to anyone’. Baldwin ‘admitted her to his marriage bed’ (illam thoro recepit) but dismissed her soon afterwards. The reason for this, ‘they said’ (aiunt), was that Last years and legacy she was afflicted by an incurable illness and a cancer had consumed her genitals. From this William concluded: ‘One thing is certain, the king was without offspring; it was no wonder if a man for whom to be at leisure was to become unwell shrank from wifely embraces and spent his whole life in battles.’ The inescapable ambiguity is whether Baldwin dreaded all wifely embraces, or only Adelaide’s, as appears to be the implication. However that may be, and even if the story of the cancer, which William reported as hearsay, is completely untrue, William may have encapsulated a truth: throughout his reign Baldwin’s energies were absorbed by constant military campaigns, and in his last years he may have been suffering increasingly from illness whenever a pause from them allowed.

Susan B. Edgington, Baldwin I of Jerusalem, 1100-1118, p. 167; 174-175; 184-185

#women #history #history of women #women in history #historical women #Adelasia del Vasto #baldwin i of jerusalem #Roger II of Sicily #House of Hauteville #norman swabian sicily #people of sicily #women of sicily #myedit #historyedit

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johnsbleu · 5 years ago

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Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 70

warnings: a quick nsfw moment hmh masterlist

The last few days have been filled with a lot of food, belly laughs, and way more walking than you’d like. John took you to his favorite restaurant, then he made sure Tess got the gondola ride she’s been dying to have. Jimmy tried his best to sing, but the man knows absolutely no Italian, and that resulted in Tess being incredibly mortified. Everywhere you went, you took pictures, and you can’t wait to get home so you can fill an entire scrap book with them.

You don’t know what John has planned for your last day here, but you’re excited to find out. You told him you didn’t mind just hanging out in the hotel, but John, of course, didn’t want to do that. He’s still trying to make up for coming home all bloody.

Since you’ve been so busy during the day and drained from the sun, you’ve crashed every night that you’ve gotten back to the hotel, and you haven’t bothered to get up until almost 10 every morning. It’s not shocking that you’re sleeping in so late, the shocking part is that John has been as well.

The washer buzzing jolts you awake, and you brush the hair away from your face to check the clock. Seeing that it’s only 9:32, you bury your face in the bed and squirm around as you stretch your legs. Reaching your right arm out, you feel around the bed for John, but the sheets are cold and empty.

“John?” you sit up and look around the room, then reach over for your phone and see a folded up note, “Oh, no…”

You take the note from the side table and sit back in bed to read it: Peach, don’t freak out. I’m fine. I just needed to do a few things this morning and needed help from Tess. Jimmy should still be in his room, and if he is, head down for some breakfast. That is if you haven’t slept through breakfast. That was a joke. It’s hard to make a joke in a letter. I should be back in a few hours. Eat a piece of bacon for me. Yours, Jonathan.

Sighing, you tilt your head back against the headboard and frown dramatically. You don’t know what John and Tess could be doing, but you shrug and reach for your phone. You scroll through your Instagram feed, looking at all the comments on your pictures from the past few days, and you smile to yourself when you see the pictures John has posted of you on his account.

John isn’t one to brag, but when it comes to you, he loves showing you off. You can’t pretend it isn’t flattering. It’s flattering as hell to see the way people look at John, and knowing that he only has eyes for you is honestly one of the best feelings in the world.

You take a deep breath and get up from the bed to stand on the balcony. The sun is so warm already, so today is going to be warmer than yesterday. The sounds of the city are echoing throughout the streets, and you look down to see people walking along the sidewalks.

Rome has been everything you could’ve dreamed of -- even more, to be honest. John has made this trip so memorable, and part of you hates knowing that it’s coming to an end. If only you could stay a little longer, but you know Jimmy and Tess need some time to themselves.

You yawn into your hand and tilt your head back, feeling the sun on your face. You hate to leave the balcony, but you’re in desperate need of a shower, so you reluctantly drag yourself to the bathroom.

You’re in the bathroom curling your hair when you hear shuffling in your room, and you're hoping that it's John to explain why he left this morning. You open the door and see Jimmy shuffling in place with his back to you.

He waves his hand and stammers, “Hey, uh, you dressed?”

“Yeah, I’m dressed.” you laugh and tap him on the shoulder, “You can turn around.”

Jimmy turns around with his eyes closed and slowly opens them, then he laughs when he sees you’re fully dressed. He holds up a note and hands it to you.

James, I’m out with John. We’ll be back in a few hours. Hang out with Goose, get some breakfast. I’ll see you later. - xoxo Tess.

“I’m guessing you’re Goose?”

You shake your head and laugh, “Unfortunately. I was hoping that nickname had been forgotten, but apparently it hasn’t been.”

“We’re supposed to go grab some breakfast it seems.” he says, folding the note back up and tucking it away in his wallet for safe keeping.

“Yeah! Let me finish curling my hair.”

Jimmy leans against the door frame as you finish getting ready, and the two of you talk about the most random of things. You tell Jimmy about the time you and John went bowling and how he got a strike every time, and about the time you caught John looking at baby clothes when you were at the mall.

Jimmy tells you all about his baseball collection, how it started when he found a crumpled up baseball card in the schoolyard playground when he was 8, and how it turned into something bigger for him and his dad. He hopes that Finn will like baseball as well, but if doesn’t, he’s fine picking up whatever hobby he’s into.

“You’re going to be a great dad, Jimmy.” you say as the two of you head for the elevator. “Tess is really lucky, and Finn will be too.”

Jimmy smiles wide and shuffles in place a little as you get into the elevator, “Thanks, that means a lot to me. John is lucky, too. You’re going to be a great mom, and he’s going to be a great dad.”

“Yeah, he’d like that to happen sooner rather than later.” you laugh and lean back against the wall.

“This might not be my business, actually, never mind, it’s not my business.” Jimmy says and shakes his head. You look over at Jimmy and give him a smile, silently letting him know it’s okay to ask you. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath, “Um, are you planning on having kids anytime soon?”

“Well, I guess we kind of talked about it, but we haven’t like…set a plan in motion or anything. I guess as of right now, we’re just kind of letting it be, but honestly, I don’t really want Finn and our baby to be far apart in age. So hopefully, we’ll get pregnant within the next year or so.”

“Really?” Jimmy smiles wide, “That’s great!”

You laugh, “Yeah, plus with Finn, it’ll give John a bit of practice before he has his own baby.”

“He’ll be great.” Jimmy nods.

“Yeah, and John is stuck on this whole thing about how he’s so old lately.” you lean closer to Jimmy and whisper, “Between you and me, I think he’s just trying to get me to feel sorry so that I get pregnant sooner.”

“Is it working?”

You smile and let out a small laugh, “I have to admit, I think it is.”

The elevator tings and you and Jimmy get off, heading for the lounge. Since you’ve been here, the four of you have ordered breakfast and had it delivered to your room every morning, so you have no idea what you’re walking into. Before you can open the door to the lounge, a man pulls it open and greets you just as Jimmy’s phone starts to ring.

“Sorry, it’s my mom, I…I don’t know why she’s calling.” Jimmy says and points at his phone, “I’m gonna take this.”

“Go! I’ll grab our table.” you say, waving him off.

“Hello, Mrs. Wick.” a man says, and you turn around to see a waiter. He gestures to a table in the far back corner and smiles, “Just for you.”

“Oh,” you look over your shoulder to see Jimmy talking away on his phone, then you look back at the man and shrug, “Um, I didn’t make a reservation or anything, I don’t think my fiance did either.”

“No reservation needed. Anything for Mr. Wick.” he says and gestures to the table again.

“Uh, thank you.” you give the man a small wave and smile as you walk past and head for the table in the back corner.

A smile is spreading across your face as you think about someone referring to you as Mrs. Wick, and you reach into your purse to pull out your phone as you sit down at the table. John still hasn’t texted or called you, and you’re starting to get a little frustrated with him.

You prop your head up and look around the lounge, and you see there’s a large banquet table in the middle of the room. It’s covered in vases with flowers that are incredibly beautiful, and they’re overflowing in every vase. There are countless amounts of food, and you spot a cream cheese danish that is making your mouth drool at the sight of it.

Just as you start to get up from the table, your phone begins to ring and you look down to see John calling to FaceTime.

“Hi!” you whisper and wave.

John smiles, “Wow, you look…stunning today.”

“Let me see!” Tess says, and you see her trying to get a look at you, “Oh, you do. God, I hate you.”

“Where are you?” you say, whispering. “I’m lonely.”

Tess grabs the phone from John and furrows her brow, “Where is Jimmy?”

You look around the lounge for Jimmy, but you don’t see him so you assume he’s still on the phone. “He got a call. His mom, I guess.”

Tess widens her eyes, and you see her reach into her purse for her phone, “I don’t have a call from her, so hopefully it’s nothing major with the dogs or anything. I told her to call me if something happened with them.”

John takes his phone back from Tess and smiles, “How are you, baby?”

“I’m fine. I’m just sitting here at the table, waiting for Jimmy to get back here. I’m starving, but I don’t want to make a plate by myself and look like a loser. I know everyone's watching me.”

John laughs and stops walking to open a door for Tess. He smiles wide and gasps, “Wow, I see a really beautiful woman, and she’s just sitting at a table all by herself. She looks kind of hungry, too.”

You look up and see John standing in the door of the lounge. “Oh, well, how beautiful is she?”

“Definitely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Think I should go talk to her?” he walks closer to the table and smiles as you nod. “Okay, wish me luck.”

You reach up to cup John’s face and you smile as he leans in to kiss you, “Hi, baby.”

“Hey.” John plops down next to you in the booth and wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. His stomach rumbles from hunger and the two of you laugh as he presses his hand to it.

“I didn’t get to eat a piece of bacon for you yet.”

John stands up from the table and reaches for your hand to help you out, “Well, let’s go eat bacon.”

Jimmy walks over, clapping his hands together and grabs a plate, “I want to eat all of this, oh, hey, John.”

“Hey, Jimmy.”

Jimmy looks over at the table, then around the lounge, “Where’s Tess?”

“Oh,” John places some bacon on your plate and looks up at Jimmy, “She had to run up the room for something, should be back any minute.”

“Is she not feeling well?” you ask and point at the danish you spotted earlier.

John shakes his head, “No, she just said she…needed to grab something.”

You look at Jimmy and shrug in confusion, then you head back to the table with your plate. You forgot to get something to drink and before you can even open your mouth, John sets a glass of pink lemonade in front of you.

“Your favorite.” he says, pressing a kiss to your temple, “So what have you two been up to?”

Jimmy laughs and takes a bite of his omelet, “Just got down here when my mom called. She was so proud because she took Bleu and Sadie to the dog park. Said how well behaved Bleu is. Sadie, not so much.”

“Oh, I bet Bleu loved that.” you laugh, “I wish we had a dog park in Mill Neck. I mean, our yard is big enough for Bleu to run around, but I think he’d like to play with other dogs.”

“Petition the city council or something.” Jimmy says, then takes a drink of his orange juice, “Oyster Bay has a really nice dog park, it’s obviously about a 20 minute drive, but it’s worth it.”

“Hello.” Tess sings as she walks to the table, “Did you miss me?”

Jimmy scoots over and Tess slides in next to him, then he presses a kiss to her cheek and smiles, “I missed you this morning. Didn’t like waking up without you next to me.”

Tess looks over at you and you smile wide, nearly melting at Jimmy’s words. She takes a piece of bacon from Jimmy’s plate, then she looks over at the banquet table, almost drooling.

“Are those…waffles?”

“Yeah.” Jimmy nods, “Let me go make you a plate.”

Jimmy and Tess swap spots, and he quickly heads over to the table to get her some food. You’re looking around the lounge and you look up at the ceiling, and it almost takes your breath away when you see the gold flecks in the tiles. You look back down at your plate, then up at Tess as she winks at John. From the corner of your eye, you see John nod his head and smile.

You look away quickly before Tess looks at you, and you prop your head up on your hand as Jimmy comes back to the table. He’s talking away to John and Tess, and you’re sitting in silence wondering what the fuck is going on with John and Tess.

John’s hand creeps onto your leg and you look over at him, smiling sweetly as you rub his back gently. You’re trying to figure out what him and Tess could have been up to this morning, and you know he won’t tell you if you ask him. Maybe it has something to do with Tess and Jimmy staying a few days more after you leave.

John feels the goosebumps under his hand and squeezes your thigh, “Cold?”

“It’s kinda chilly in here, yeah.” you nod and scoot closer to him. “I shouldn’t have worn shorts.”

John sits up a little and pulls his blazer off, then drapes it over your shoulders. He pulls you closer to him and kisses the top of your head as he rubs your arm to warm you up.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” you ask, playing with a button on John’s blazer.

“Well, it’s going to be hot as fuck out.” Tess says, “So I say either we stay in the hotel all day, find something to do inside, or maybe we should go to the beach. That’s one thing we haven’t done yet.”

“Actually…” John sits up and pulls out his phone. After a few moments, he looks up at Tess, “I know of a really cool place. Might be a bit of a drive though. Definitely worth it.”

Tess looks at you and smiles, “Wanna go?”

You sit up and smile, “Yeah, I bought so many new swimsuits, yet I haven’t stepped foot in the water since I’ve been here.”

You’ve packed about three different swimsuits and four different cover ups since you can’t decide. Tess has been squealing nearly the whole car ride, you’d think she’d never gone swimming before in her life. John, surprisingly, is driving and he’s holding your hand tight in his lap. You were a little shocked that he hadn’t ordered a car for the four of you like he’s done all week when you weren’t in walking distance from your destination.

He brings your hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to it, “Are you excited?”

“Yeah.” you shift in your seat to see him better and lean your head against the head rest, “I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous.”

“What? Why?” John laughs.

“I don’t know, I haven’t gone swimming in a lake in a long time. You will literally have to hold me. I don’t want my feet to touch the bottom.”

“Baby.” Tess teases from the backseat, “All because she was bit by a fish.”

“It--”

“It left a mark, we know.” she laughs and leans forward to see you, “We know.”

“You know, I have a question.” Jimmy says, and you see John perk up a little. “This nickname, Goose…where did that come from?”

“Oh, I was wondering that as well.” John says and looks at you, “Goose.”

“Well, Goose can explain this one.” Tess says and laughs loudly.

You shake your head as you roll your eyes, “I swear it’s nothing interesting. She just called me Goose because you know, Mother Goose. Because I’m so maternal and all.”

“Bullshit.” Tess laughs, and you cover your face with your hands. “This goof tried to feed a goose when we were…what, twelve years old, and the damn thing attacked her. You know that scar that she has on her knee? A goose took a chunk right out of her, nearly died.”

“Nearly died?” John laughs loudly and looks over at you, “First a fish, now a goose. You don’t have good luck with animals.”

“She’s lying.” you say quietly, “It’s actually a much worse story than that, and we won’t be going into it today, will we, Tessica?”

“Tessica?” John laughs, “Like Jessica, but Tess.”

You laugh and nod, “Yup.”

“Wait,” Jimmy leans up, “So you didn’t get bit by a goose and nearly die?”

“I did not.” you shake your head.

“Huh, that would have been a cool story though.”

Tess smiles when you look back at her, and you roll your eyes as you shake your head. You see John looking at you from the corner of your eye, and you look over at him as he quickly glances away.

“She was having sex and she sounded like a goose!” Tess blurts out.

“It wasn’t me!” you pinch the bridge of your nose, “It was not me. It was him, and you know it.”

“Wait!” Jimmy yells from the backseat, “It was John?”

Tess is on the verge of tears from laughing so hard, and it’s making you laugh even harder when you see John’s mouth open in shock. John shakes his head and looks at Jimmy in the rear view mirror.

You wipe away the tears in your eyes from laughing and turn around to look at Jimmy, “No, definitely not John. And Tess, can you stop being so mean to me? You always pick on me.”

“I know, but I can’t help but make fun of you. I’m your big sister, it’s what we do.”

John pulls the car onto a dirt road and looks at you, “Hold on to something.”

“It’s about to get bumpy.” Jimmy says, leaning forward to see your face, “Huh? Get it?”

“We got it. We all got it, babe.” Tess sighs, patting his shoulder, “A natural comedian I got here.”

The sun is shining through the trees, almost guiding the car through the woods, and you look out the window at all the trees and birds. John pats your leg to get your attention, and he smiles as he rolls the car to a stop. You furrow your brow a little and sit up to look around. You’re in the middle of the woods, and you don’t see water anywhere.

“Uh, John…” Tess leans forward and looks at him, “You’re not planning on murdering us, are you?”

John furrows his brow as he starts to laugh, “What? No! I just can’t get the car any further, so we’ll have to walk.”

Tess sits back in her seat and exhales, “Oh, thank god.”

You gesture to Tess and roll your eyes as you look at John, “She’s ridiculous. I know you’re not going to murder us.”

John pops the trunk to the car and grabs out your backpack, and you sling it over your shoulders, then you grab Tess’ bag. John and Jimmy grab the coolers, then the four of you start your way to the beach.

You stop walking down the path, and John turns around to look at you, “What?”

“I should have put my swimsuit on before we left. How am I going to change with people around?” you say, and John waves you over. “Is there a little restroom or something here?”

John laughs and shakes his head, “No, it’ll be okay. I’ll hold up a towel while you change, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry about anyone seeing us.”

You look at John quizzically and continue walking with him down the path when you hear Tess scream loudly.

“Oh, my god!” Tess flails her arms and turns around to look at you, “Oh, my fucking god!”

You’re in awe when you see secluded beach with its untouched sand and clear water. The sand is perfect, almost like no one has stepped in it in years. The water is crystal clear, and you can see the bottom perfectly. Off to the left, there’s a small waterfall cascading down and the water hangs in the air like little rain drops, and when the wind blows, it moistens your face.

Before you can even say anything, Tess and Jimmy jump into the water and splash around. John looks over his shoulder at you as he walks down to the beach, and he smiles when he sees you’re still in shock.

“You coming?”

“Uh, I…” you stammer and blink a few times, still trying to take in the view, “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, I’m…”

“Speechless, I see.”

You drop your bag to the ground and look up at John, then reach out to wrap your arms around his neck, “What…the fuck?”

John nods and looks over at the waterfall, “Beautiful.”

“It is.”

He looks back at you and smiles, “View isn’t bad either.”

Rolling your eyes, you lean in closer to John’s face and press your lips to his, “This place is incredible. They obviously like it.”

John looks over at Jimmy and Tess and laughs, “Yeah. Hey, you wanna change into your swimsuit? We can go back in the trees a little and I can hold up a towel for you.”

You grab your bag from the ground and walk with John through bushes, flowers, and trees. He stops and pulls out a large turquoise towel, then he holds it up and nods, letting you know it’s okay for you to change.

“So, how did you know about this place?” you ask as you pull your shorts off, “I mean, it’s pretty secluded.”

John closes his eyes to keep himself from looking, and when you laugh, he opens them, “Sorry, I don’t want to be rude.”

You stand on your tiptoes to kiss John and you smile, “You’re my fiance, it’s not rude. Not to me anyway. Oh, and also…uh, it wasn’t me moaning like a goose. Tess just loves to embarrass me.”

“Oh, I know it wasn’t you.” John says, cupping your face in his hand. He rubs his thumb against your bottom lip, and you open your mouth to suck on it. “You always sound so pretty moaning for me.”

Looking up to meet John’s gaze, his eyes are slowly rolling shut as you suck on the tip of his thumb. You slowly tilt your head back, and John’s finger slides out of your mouth as he opens his eyes. He smiles as he leans in to kiss you, keeping his lips pressed against yours for a few seconds longer than usual.

“So, this place…”

“Oh, uh, well I’ve been to Rome a lot...” he says and watches you pull your shirt over your head. He stares at your chest when you pull off your bra and he’s at a loss for words. “Uh, I...”

A smile is growing across your face, and you look down at your breasts, then back up at John. His gaze doesn’t fall from your chest, and he licks his lips as he stares at your breasts. You stand on your tiptoes in front of John and pull him down a little so he can suck on your nipple. He wraps his arm around you to pull you closer, then he caresses your breast in his hand.

Since you’ve been exhausted the past few days, neither of you have been up for sex. It hasn’t even been on your mind, and same with John. Every night when you get back to the hotel, you’re fast asleep the moment your head hits the pillow.

“It’s so nice to know the affect I have on you.” you laugh and turn around so John can tie your bikini top. He wraps his arms around you and you feel him hard against your ass, “Ooh…”

“I’m sorry.” he laughs, and you tilt your head back to look at him. “Now is not the time.”

“We’ve been so tired lately.” you say, turning back around. You grab your clothes and stuff them in your bag and head back down the path with John, “Obviously once we’re home, everything will be back to normal, and we’ll probably be like ‘so what now?’ and then we’ll just fight because we’re bored or something.”

“You really think that?” John asks as he pulls his shirt over his head. He has a large bruise on his right pec and another on his left bicep, and you reach out to touch them. “Because I don’t. We didn’t fight because we were bored before.”

“Are you going to be able to swim? Is your leg bothering you?”

John shakes his head, “No, it’s been pretty good. Healing really well. Thanks to my new doctor.”

“Yeah,” you nod and watch John fold his shirt neatly and places it on top of his bag. He’s still wearing his jeans and shoes, and you raise your eyebrows when you look up at him, “You’re going to swim in your pants?”

“No, I’m going to change in the woods.” he says and reaches into his bag, pulling out the swim trunks that you bought for him. “I’ll meet you in the water, okay?”

“Mhm.”

Yeah, of course, no big deal. Just getting in the water where fish are. Fish that probably bite. You ball your hands into fists and exhale as you walk closer to the water. Tess and Jimmy are laughing loudly, and he has her in his arms as he spins in the water.

“Okay, we got this. We can be brave, it’s just water, right?” you say to yourself as you walk closer, “I can see the bottom, so it’s no biggie. You have to be brave, you can’t let John see you like this. It’s just water.”

The water is warmer than you thought, and you step in a little further to feel the sand squishing between your toes. You tilt your head back to look at the sky, and you put your hand up to shield the sun from your eyes, which reminds you that you left your sunglasses on the table in your room. You take another step into the water and feel confident enough to go further when John wraps his arms around you and runs deeper as you scream.

“No! Jonathan, no, please. Please put me down!” you wiggle in his arms and try your best to escape his grasp as the two of you laugh, “I know I’m laughing but this is terrifying.”

“Hey,” John leans forward to see your face and smiles, “I’m right here, so what could happen to you?”

You relax your legs and finally stand in the water. It comes up to your ribs, but for John, it’s only up to his waist. You turn around to face John and wrap your arms around his waist, then you tilt your head back to kiss him.

“You look very cute in your swim trunks.”

“Thank you.” he smiles and looks down at your bikini, “This is new.”

You take a step back and flaunt around John as he laughs. He reaches out for your hands and turns around for you to get on his back, then he walks over to Tess and Jimmy.

“John, you know what? I’m gonna say it, I think I love you.” Tess says, still in Jimmy’s arms with her eyes closed.

“Thanks.” John laughs quietly and hoists you up further on his back as you all head for the waterfall.

“Hey, Jimmy, I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you jump off that cliff.” you say, pointing at the cliff, and Jimmy nearly drops Tess to head over to it.

The water is up to Tess’ shoulders, and she reaches out for John to help keep her above the water. The three of you watch Jimmy as he climbs up the cliff as carefully as he can, and Tess takes a big breath when he teeters a little.

“Is this safe?” she asks and looks up at John, “Will he be okay?”

“Cannonball!” Jimmy yells, jumping close enough to the three of you to splash water in your faces. He comes up after a few moments and laughs, “Whew! That was fun!”

Tess reaches out for Jimmy and wraps her legs around his waist, “I was so worried about you. I thought you were going to slip and fall, then you’d crack your head open and…and then I wouldn’t have a husband, and Finn wouldn’t have a dad.”

You lean forward to look at John and laugh, “And you thought I was bad.”

With you on his back, John starts to swim over to the cliff, and he looks over his shoulder at you when he gets to it, “Wanna?”

You look up at the cliff, then at John, “Only if you do it with me.”

“Of course.” John climbs out of the water, then he reaches out to help you up. He holds tight to your hand to keep you from falling, and he takes a deep breath as he looks over at you, “I won’t lie, this is…”

“Is John Wick scared?” you gasp loudly, causing Tess to look up at you. You look down at her and grimace, “Sorry.”

“Don’t do that!” she yells from Jimmy’s arms.

John laughs as he leans over to kiss you, “Ready?”

“Is this like…a metaphor for being with you? Like we’re jumping off this cliff or…something? Never mind. GO!”

You plug your nose and take a deep breath, and holding tight to John’s hand, the two of you jump into the water. You come up for air, and John laughs loudly when he sees your hair stuck in your face.

“You’re a mess.” he laughs, pulling your legs around his waist.

Wrapping your arms around John’s neck, you crash your lips to his, and he puts his hand in your hair and wraps his left arm around your waist.

“I love you.”

John opens his eyes and nods his head, “I love you.”

“Was that a metaphor though?”

He shrugs and laughs, “I mean, if you want it to be.”

You’re leaning against John’s shoulder in the elevator, trying your best to stay awake. He tried to carry you to the elevator, but you knew that John Wick carrying his fiancee to his room would be the talk of the hotel. Not that you aren’t already.

“Mouse, just let me carry you.” he says, and before you can stop him, he lifts you into his arms.

You look over John’s shoulder and see Jimmy carrying Tess, and he presses a kiss to her forehead as he whispers to her. He says something that makes her smile, and she opens her eyes to look at him, then she leans up to kiss him on the lips.

“They’re so cute.” you say quietly to yourself, but John hears you and looks down at you. “Jimmy and Tess. I’m so glad you introduced them.”

“Well, we did.” he says, leaning down to kiss you, “We’re a great team.”

“Yeah,” you nod and yawn loudly, “I’m sleepy.”

John laughs and carefully sets you back down on the ground, holding you for a moment so you can get your footing. He digs in his pocket for the room key and opens the door for you, then holds it open as Jimmy carries Tess in.

“Hey, we’re going to take a nap for about an hour or so.” Jimmy says, heading for their room, “We’ll shower, then head out for dinner. Is that cool?”

“Sounds perfect to me.” John says, and as soon as Jimmy closes their door, John lifts you into his arms, carrying you to the bed. He sets you down and laughs when you flop back on the bed.

“I’m so sleepy!”

“I know, peach, you’ve said that about five times now. We gotta get your clothes off first. I know you hate sleeping in your clothes.” he starts to unbutton your pants, but he waits for you to look at him.

“You can undress me, John.” you say with your eyes closed.

He quickly pulls your shorts off, then he pulls off your bikini bottoms and you sit up a little to pull your shirt over your head. His fingers on your neck make you giggle, and you squirm a little as he unties your swimsuit top. You peek one eye open as he pulls his shirt off, and he lays down on top of you.

“Hi.”

John smiles and kisses your nose, “Hi, I just wanted to feel your skin on mine.”

You frown dramatically, “That is so romantic.”

John laughs as he gets up, and he moves you back in the bed and tucks you in. Your feet are dry from being in the sand all day, so you stick it up in front of John’s face.

“Lotion?” he asks, and you peek one eye open as you nod your head. “Okay.”

John quickly rubs the lotion on your feet and legs, then he tucks you back into bed. He takes a deep breath and grabs his shirt from the floor to put it back on.

“Wait…” you scratch your nails over his back, and he looks over his shoulder at you, “Aren’t you going to nap with me?”

He lounges out next to you and wraps his arm around you to pull you closer to him, “Do you want me to?”

“Please.” you snuggle into his chest and press a soothing kiss to his bruise. “Kinda missing your arms around me, and missing our bodies against one another.”

John sits up to pull off his pants and his boxers, then he gets under the covers with you. He lifts up his arm for you to cuddle into his side, and he lightly rubs your arm as you try your best to fight your eyes from fluttering closed.

Stretching out on the bed, you expect your hand to hit John’s chest, but when it doesn’t, you sit up to find the bed empty. You look over at the time and see another note waiting for you.

“Damn it! Not again!” you grab the note and rip it open, “What is it this time?”

Peach, I already know you’re pissed that I’m gone.

“Yeah, you bet your ass I’m pissed.” you huff loudly and roll your eyes.

I also already know that you just rolled your eyes and huffed. So, take a moment to remember how much I love you.

“God, why does he know me so well?” you laugh and look down to finish reading.

Hop in the shower, get ready, and I’ll see you in a little bit. I love you. Yours, Jonathan.

You quickly get off the bed and head for the bathroom to start the shower while you rack your brain to figure out what John could be up to. He was gone this morning and now he’s gone again. You hop in the shower and think about all the endless possibilities of what John could be doing.

“He could be setting up accommodations for Jimmy and Tess? Oh yeah, the tree house. They’re going to need a car to get there.” you say to yourself as you wash your hair, “Probably getting the fridge stocked with food, oh, and money, they’ll need some money while they’re staying there.”

You step out of the shower and wrap a towel around yourself, then grab another towel to dry your hair. You don’t know where the four of you are going for dinner, so you don’t know what to wear. You remember you still have a dress left that you haven’t worn yet, so you head out to your room to pull it out. When you look at your bed, you see a black garment bag and a box waiting for you. It has another note on top, and you immediately laugh loudly.

“Oh, my god.” you walk over to it and grab the note, “He is something else.”

Put this on. There will be a car waiting for you and Tess in two hours. Don’t keep us waiting.

“Oh, my fucking god!” Tess yells from her room, and you run in her room to see her looking at a gorgeous lilac colored gown. She holds it up to herself in the mirror and laughs, “What is he doing?”

“You got one too?” you say, holding up your note, “I got a note from John and a garment bag, but I haven’t looked at it.”

Tess looks up at you and smiles, “I’m in shock, I can’t believe this. Look how beautiful this dress is. Can you imagine how much this probably cost him?”

“Get used to it.” you scoff as you walk back to your room. Tess is following behind you, and she hops on the bed as you unzip the garment bag. There’s a champagne colored dress in it, and you run your fingers down it, feeling the material under your fingertips. Tulle and beads – beading that looks it probably took hours upon hours to perfect.

“Wow.” Tess pulls it out of the bag and holds it up against you, “You’re going to look like a princess.”

“What is he doing?”

“I have no idea.” she says, and you squint your eyes at her.

“Where were you two this morning?”

Tess gets off the bed and opens the box, pulling out beautiful heels and jewelry. She looks up at you and you gesture to her.

“Oh! This morning we just went for a walk, we just talked about you two going home, and where Jimmy and I will be staying and stuff.” She smiles and walks backwards to her room as she laughs, “Look, get your hair dried, put on your dress, then I’ll do your make up.”

“I’m so nervous.” you say as you and Tess walk with your arms linked.

“Me, too.” Tess sees a mirror on the wall and stops to look at herself, “But damn, I must say, we look so good!”

“Do you know where we’re supposed to even go?”

Tess exhales and shakes her head, then she perks up at little. She points at a guy holding a sign that says, ‘Mrs. Wick & Mrs. Hendricks’ and she smiles, “I’m assuming we follow that guy.”

“Mrs. Wick?” the man says, looking at you and smiling.

You nod your head and link arms with Tess again, “Yeah, that’s…uh, that’s me.”

“Follow me please.” he says, and Tess grips your arm even tighter.

You have no idea where you’re going, and you don’t know whether or not to trust this guy. Surely he’d know better than to…mess with you. You’re John Wick’s fiancee. No one is that dumb.

There’s a nice car waiting for you and Tess, and the man opens the door and helps you and Tess in. Tess is looking at a note, and you look over at her as she reads it. She starts to laugh and she closes the note, holding it to her heart.

“He’s so cute.”

You look at Tess and smile, “Jimmy?”

“Yeah,” she nods and opens the note again to read it. She folds it up and puts it in her clutch, exhaling contently. She looks over at you and frowns, “You didn’t get one?”

You look around the car, moving your dress and Tess’ to see the car seat. You open your clutch to see if maybe John stuffed it in there, but it’s empty aside from a tube of lipstick, a few sticks of gum, your ID, and your phone.

“No, I guess I didn’t.” you say, sounding much sadder than intended. You sit back in your seat a little and pout. It’s just a note, but you were expecting to get one as well.

“I mean, Jimmy just wrote lyrics to a cheesy 80s song that we love. It’s not like it’s some massive love letter.” she reaches for your hand and tugs it to get your attention, “Look at the jewelry, shoes, and the fucking dress you’re wearing. Just because you didn’t get a cheesy little note doesn’t mean anything.”

“I’d rather have a cheesy letter than all of this.” you say, gesturing to yourself.

“Yeah, okay, same though.” Tess says and laughs, “But I mean, come on, look at us. Did you ever think we’d be in Rome? Let alone married and engaged to two…incredible men.”

You let out a laugh and look at Tess, “Definitely not. I always knew you’d find someone great. I was always jealous of how much attention you got, not that…angry kind of jealous though. Don’t get me wrong, you deserved every bit of the attention you got. But I kind of always just sat back and…waited my turn. Then when we moved to Mill Neck, you adapted so quickly, but I was still the weird girl who followed you around. I mean, we literally work at the same shop.”

“Well, I work for you now.” she says, and you roll your eyes. She reaches out for your hand and smiles, “You’re not the weird girl who follows me around. You never were.”

“I guess I didn’t mean it like that. I just…I think it took me a little longer to get used to living there. You were dating so many people, and I was just sulking because I wasn’t home anymore, I was out of my comfort zone. I never thought of Mill Neck as my home until I met John.”

“Ooh, I knew it was going there.” Tess says, teasing you.

“He didn’t know anything about me.” you start to tear up and let out a small laugh, “But for some reason, he so badly wanted me in his life.”

“Because you’re sweet! Look at you!” Tess reaches for both of your hands and smiles, “You’re so good for him, you have no idea. You have no idea the way he talks about you. I’m sure he says shit to you that makes you want to melt, but the shit he says to me about you literally…I could turn into a puddle of mush right now just thinking about it.”

“You got a good one yourself, Tess. This morning he was telling me how excited he is to have a baby, how happy he is that he met you.” you start to laugh and wipe away the tear on your cheek, “He is so in love with you, and I really don’t know anyone more deserving of a man like him. You really deserve him, and he deserves you.”

Tess reaches out to hug you, and she sniffles a little when she sits back, “Okay, now look at us. What a mess.”

The car rolls to a stop and the driver opens your door to help you out. Tess links arms with you again, and you look up at the building you’re in front of. It’s a stone building and for a moment, you think you’re back at The Continental.

“This way, ladies.”

You follow behind the man as he leads you to a balcony overlooking Rome, and Tess gasps loudly as she walks over to the ledge. The table next to you has a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and another note.

“Hey, you got another note. It has your name on it.” you hand it to Tess, and she quickly unfolds it to read it.

She folds it up and puts it back on the table, “Hmm, well, I guess we’re just supposed to wait. Didn’t they tell us to not keep them waiting? Yet here we are, waiting on them.”

“Men.” you joke, pouring yourself something to drink. You hand Tess a glass and pour some sparking water into it and smile, “I know you’re dying to eat a strawberry.”

“I’m starving.” she laughs.

It’s your last night in Italy, and you’re trying to savor it as much as possible. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and feel the sun warm on your skin. It’s nearly 8 PM, so the sun is starting to set already and it’s giving everything the most beautiful soft orange glow. You kick yourself for not bringing your camera, but you hope that maybe Tess brought hers.

“Hey, Tess…” you turn around to find the balcony empty, and you stand there frozen for a moment as you look around. You walk back over to the table for your phone, but it’s gone. “Damn it.”

Tess definitely took it. You knew she was in on this. Of course she was. The note that was for Tess is still on the table, and you open it to see that it’s blank and you toss it back on the table. Sighing, you walk back over to the ledge and look out across the city. You didn’t think your last night in Italy would consist of you being left alone more than you’d like, or that you’d be left out of all of the surprises.

“Wow, that’s a nice view.”

You smile when you hear John, and you keep your back turned to him, “Hi, baby.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” he wraps his arms around you from behind and moves your hair off your shoulder, “Let me look at you.”

John backs away as you turn around to look at him. He’s in a crisp new suit, and even though you’ve seen him in a suit a few times lately, you still can’t get over how handsome he is. His hair isn’t completely slicked back, but it’s pushed away from his face unlike how he usually has it. The cuts on his face have started to heal so they’re nearly gone, and the sun shining on his face makes his eyes so warm, you want to dive in them.

“Give me a spin.” he says and smiles when you spin around, “Wow.”

“This is a great dress for spinning. Felt like princess all day – don’t say it.” you put your hand up, and John laughs.

He wraps his arms around waist to pull you closer, then he leans in to kiss you, “Mmm, what’s it been? Two hours? And I already missed that; your lips on mine.”

You and John sway back and forth, and you lay your head against his chest as he rubs your back. Closing your eyes, you smile to yourself and try your best to soak in this moment before it’s spoiled by something.

“Hey,” John leans back to see your face, “You look beautiful.”

“You look very handsome, Jonathan.” you rub your thumb over his bottom lip and he presses a kiss to it. You look back out at the view from the balcony, and you sigh contently. There’s a loud boom in the distance that catches you off guard, and you jump a little.

“Fireworks.” John says, and you chuckle a little as you look at him.

“I haven't seen fireworks in so long.”

John cocks up his eyebrow and smirks, “You wanna see fireworks? I'll take you home and show you some fireworks.”

You burst out laughing, bending over at the waist and leaning against John to keep yourself from falling over, “Oh, man. That's it. That's the best thing you've ever said to me.”

John laughs quietly for a moment, then he looks up at you, and you can see him growing a little nervous.

You stand on your tiptoes to kiss John, and he exhales shakily when you pull away. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” he shakes his head and looks at the table, “Dinner is going to be served soon.”

“John, what’s going on?”

“Nothing.” he says again, laughing this time, “You’re just making me nervous.”

He gestures to the table and pulls out your chair for you to sit down, then before he sits in his, he presses a kiss to the top of your head. You play with your engagement ring on your finger and watch John closely as he fidgets with his napkin. You don’t know why he’d be so nervous, but you’re starting to get worried.

“Baby, you know you can tell me anything, right? I think I’ve made that pretty clear by now.” you reach across the table for his hand and squeeze it, “Is there another job or something?”

John lets out a laugh, “No, no, it’s not that. I’m just nervous for some reason. You still make me really nervous.”

You prop your head up on your fists and smile at John, “So, nothing is going on? No impromptu wedding?”

“What?” John looks up at you and shakes his head, “No. I wouldn’t do that to you. I know you said you don’t care what we do, but I want your mom to be there and I know you do too.”

“That’s true.” you say and look over to see waiters with your food, “Where are Jimmy and Tess?”

“Other side of the hotel.” he says, and just by the look on his face, you can tell he’s starving. When the waiters close to the door to the balcony, he claps his hands and rubs them together.

“This is another Continental hotel?”

John cuts into his steak and watches as you struggle to cut into yours. He gets up from the table and walks over to help you cut into yours.

“Feel like a child, I can’t even cut my own steak.”

John scrunches up his face and uses your knife on his steak, “No, this knife is just really dull. And no, this isn’t another hotel. It’s just a different hotel. You’ll see why after we eat.”

You let out a little chuckle, and you look up at John as you smirk, “I don’t know exactly what that means, but I like the sound of it.”

He leans down to kiss you, lingering for moment as he runs his fingers through your hair and pulling you closer to deepen the kiss. He hums against your lips and kneels down next to you so he’s closer to you.

You press your lips to John’s one last time and point to his side of the table, “You’re hungry, baby. Go eat.”

John is staring at you from across the elevator, and he shakes his head as he looks up and down. He licks his lips and smiles when his gaze meets yours again, and you blush a little. The elevator dings, and he reaches out for your hand as you head down the hallway.

“Okay.” he stops in front of you and holds your hands, “You have to promise me that you’ll keep your eyes closed.”

“I promise!” you smile and put your hands over your eyes, “I got my eyes squeezed closed.”

“How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Uh,” you tilt your head from side to side and laugh, “Four?”

John laughs, “Nope. Okay, walk forward. Keep going, I’ll tell you when to stop.”

You cautiously walk forward with your hands over your eyes, and you feel John’s hands on your waist guiding you. His grips tightens on your waist to stop you, and he moves in closer to you. You hear a door beep, so you know you’re heading into a hotel room, and John reaches out for your waist again and stands behind to help guide you.

“Take two steps to the right.” he says, and you do. “Okay, you can open your eyes.”

You open your eyes, blinking a few times and letting them adjust for a moment. The room is darker, only lit with candles and the sun setting. Music starts to play quietly, and you look over your shoulder to see John leaning back against the wall and watching you.

Looking back at the bed, you see a black silk robe and you let out a small laugh, “Am I supposed to change into this?”

John wraps his arms around you and begins to kiss your neck, “Yeah, Tess said you wouldn’t want to stay in your dress all night. She said, uh…what did she say again? Oh! It’s a lot of dress.”

“It is.” you nod and look down at it, “It’s beautiful though, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you for it yet. So thank you, I love it.”

“Of course.” he smiles against your neck, then starts to unzip the back of your dress, “Fits you perfectly.”

“That it does.” you say, shimmying out of it and holding John’s hand so you don’t fall. You sit down on the bed to unhook your heels and drop them to the floor as you rotate your ankles. “Oh, and thank you for this lovely lingerie as well.”

John looks down at the lace bra and panties you’re wearing and smiles, “Yeah, I was really bad at picking it all out, but Tess helped.”

“Of course she did.” you laugh and fix the strap of your bra, “I didn’t wear the stockings or garter belt obviously, since this isn’t the type of dress you wear stockings with, but…I’m more than happy to show you what it looks later.”

“Can’t wait.” he smiles, then leans down to kiss you.

You grab the robe and close your eyes, feeling the soft cool silk against your skin, then you grab a hanger to hang up your dress. You turn around as John pulls off his suit jacket and lays it on the bed. “What now?”

“Well, we have champagne, and we also have…” John walks over to the balcony door and slowly opens it to reveal The Colosseum, “This.”

Your eyes begin to water and you try to choke back tears, “John, oh, my god.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he says, reaching for your hand, “Just wait, I have another surprise for you.”

“More? How could you possibly top this?”

John laughs as he leans over and kisses you, “You’ll see.”

John wraps his arms around your shoulders, pulling you closer, “You’ve been staring over there for about an hour now.”

“It’s beautiful.” you whisper, tilting your head back to look at John, “You’ve absolutely blown my mind this past week.”

“Wanna see something cool?” John chuckles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You nod your head, and John points up at the sky, “Look up there.”

The sky is dark, but you see a faint orange glow flying through the sky and moments later, the sky explodes with bright blues, yellows, reds, and greens. The booms from the fireworks vibrate through your body along with your laughter.

“You’re kidding me?” you look at John and laugh, “Fireworks? Just for me? Because I said I hadn't seen them in a long time?”

“Just for you.” he smiles, and his face glows from the fireworks exploding in the sky, “Just for you.”

taglist: @tnu-ree @dangerouslystrangecrown @weird-civilian @ladiesofamidala @callmeglenncoco @ficsnroses @sanctuarygirl @meetmeinthematinee @jessicajones616 @cheekybluefox @jazzyboo2001 @starsstripesandthesouth @a-small-independent-princess @thepastrecedes01 @rubywantsafuitgummy @lostandfaceless @sweetgoodangel @star017 @ladyren33

btw i’m just tagging people from my last list, so if you don’t want to be tagged anymore or you DO want to be tagged, just let me know!

#john wick x you #john wick x reader #john wick imagine #fic: hold my hand #i do have some ig edits for this one but i'll probably post them later tonight or tomorrow

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danwhobrowses · 4 years ago

Text

WWE Royal Rumble 2021 - Initial Thoughts

I know I’m late, but employment is still a thing, and I had to prioritize that over an all-nighter, but it’s time for the Royal Rumble, one of the more exciting shows of WWE’s schedule, so let’s get on with it!

Spoilers for Royal Rumble, you have been Warned

I might not invest too much in kickoff matches but the Women’s Tag Match was not a good time

It was fine before the end, but who the hell decided that Charlotte should control 90% of the champions’ offense and have the hot tag!? Asuka is the RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION, not Charlotte. After the tag Asuka literally had one spot and she was dead, completely taken out of the match for *checks notes* being thrown over the Announcer’s Table...you know that thing several wrestlers come back from easily.

The finish was just too much too, Ric distraction didn’t work, Lacey distraction didn’t work, Kirufuda Clutch didn’t work but then the brass knuckles did. Too much.

And why TF are we putting titles back on Nia!? We should’ve just given the titles to the Riotts, or the winner of the Women’s Dusty Classic. It also cuts me deep that Asuka and Shayna are treated this way, even as champion Asuka is a side character to Charlotte T_T

Main show though and I don’t like the package and interviews between entrances

Drew vs Goldberg was just...meaningless.

It was cringy enough that Cole had to spout drivel to make 60 year old Goldberg seem strong but to have Drew be ‘injured’ by a barricade spear - something much more tired wrestlers have and will get back up from in less time and continue a longer match - was daft. Also saying that Goldberg’s spear or jackhammer is the best move of all WWE is stupid, it was a WCW thing

Thank God Drew Won, but the post-match does remind you of the meaningless circumstances this feud came about. Suddenly Goldberg is okay with Drew’s same manners of respect

I mean, Carmella’s entrance and gear is cool, but do you think it eats at Corey a little that Carmella’s ‘behind the curtain’ bit is a tad...red light district?

Sasha’s promo didn’t hit for me unfortunately

Reginald didn’t deserve to be ejected for that! He caught Sasha and get beaten up for it

Jesus Carmella! Sasha got barely any of that dive

Screeching and faffing aside, Carmella got a good showing...I do hate quick tap outs in title matches though

Sami cuts a good promo, but his content wasn’t exactly the best. New Day are hardly the management’s faves, it’s taken this long for E to get a singles run, Fans literally had to Yes Movement their way into giving Kofi the world title.

New Day’s Brodie gear was good though

Bad Bunny as the ‘Biggest Latin Artist’? Is Cole for real? I didn’t even know who he was before today

If the song is about Booker T then why is he dancing around GI Bro?

Come on Book, you hang on the Sucka! That’d be like if the Rock just went ‘If ya smell what the Rock is cooking’ without the drags or pauses

Ric’s ‘with a tear in my eye’ promo was after the Rumble though...

It’s actually a sad stat that just over half of the Rumble winners win titles

No Morrison segment for the escape spot!? He did it as much as Kofi dammit!

Sorry Greatest Royal Rumble is not canon for me

This Stat Attack has taken far too long

I’m okay with Mike Rome but couldn’t a woman have announced the Women’s Rumble? Where’s Lillian at!?

NAOOOOOOOMIIIIIIIIIIIIII GIRL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

That hair is amazing as well

I know you can’t say it, but we all remember that Benoit won the rumble in the first two as well

Was...Bianca wearing earrings on her entrance, she looked like she was taking them off

Billie actually had the right idea, can’t be in the match until you enter the ring, it’s clever stuff

That tank did not look like it was meant to turn that direction XD

It actually surprises me every time how tall Shotzi is, I always imagine her short

Billie no...not with Shayna

The piped boos are highly unrealistic to boo even a heel Toni Storm

Shotzi eliminated and then horrible singer Jillian comes in? Urrrrgh, Bad Singer Jillian was terrible

Wrestling wise she hasn’t missed a beat though

Billie’s surprisingly being a highlight here with actual narra-OHMYSHITITSVICTORIA

Gear was a bit meh but Victoria definitely can still go

Oh Peyton the purple looks good on you, and her Widow’s Peak was not bad at all

Ah, good for Santana, for a moment I thought it said Santina and got a very bad chill

Damn Liv, Speed Machine!

Ooof, the betrayal is real Billie

THIS IS MY BRUTALITY!

Somehow I’m genuinely upset by every elimination so far, good job!

Aaaaaand then they got rid of Victoria and brought on Charlotte to immediately take out Rhea -_-

That was a clever move from Bayley but damn Ruby landed hard

Are we seeing a Bayley/Peyton team? Or is she just eliminating the Riotts for revenge for Billie, but also Liv Nooooo!

Torrie now, eh okay

Ouch for Dana

Lacey...no, this ain’t working

Poor Peyton, her elimination was a side chapter

And we missed Bayley’s elimination!? For Shame

Mickie! Good to see ya! Aaaaand being beaten by Charlotte...

Nikki Cross is back too! Hopefully they find a good story for her

Alicia Fox? I guess she sobered back into the good gra...R-Truth? No

Oh yeah, Humberto is a thing

Jerry shut the fuck up!

The 24/7 stuff was super unnecessary, we did not need to take focus off this match

Lacey eliminating Mickie, rude.

Dakota should’ve gotten more time, she barely lasted a minute

Reginald again deserves better

See Tamina vs Rhea would be exciting...if Tamina was booked better

Naomi’s chemistry with Bianca is really insane right now

Lana *reminded of her feud with Shayna and Nia* Also Lana *goes for Rhea*

That was a hard tackle on Alexa by Rhea...aaaaand she’s eliminated mid ‘transformation’ a bit worthless for me

Road Warrior Ember Moon! And right into the Eclipse that’s the good shit

Baszler probably shouldn’t have eliminated Lacey story-wise

The Betrayal is real for Tamina as well

What’s with the crazy camera cuts!?

Nia eliminating Baszler? Nah...

Hold on Cole, baiting Nia over the ropes isn’t a ‘tremendous elimination’

The betrayal is real for Lana too, Nattie sure shrugged off that double assault

I get that the narrative is that Charlotte has beaten both Bianca and Rhea before, but to hang against both of them after already being in a match and hanging on from two apron attacks was daft. Stop making her super strong, she’s mega talented yes but giving her the Brock Lesnar energy does her no favours

That close call though with Rhea and Bianca was great, need more spots of two wrestlers about to be eliminated at the same time

The final bit of chain wrestling too was great, that’s what you need at the final part of a rumble, the mini-match

I had Rhea as my win prediction but am more than happy for Bianca, who was my second choice. Winning at No. 3 is great and her emotional promo just gets her more over. Bianca vs Sasha’s gonna be wild too

Overall the Women’s Rumble was good, most of the women got shine and there were a few mini stories too, do wish that more time was given to some women and that Sonya was in the rumble but the returns were good and most of the eliminations got me good

Miz talking about guaranteeing a championship run like he didn’t lose the last cash-in and didn’t have a chance to cash in previously this night when Drew was ‘reeling’ from the barricade spear.

I reiterate that I wish Sonya was in the rumble, but do like her endorsement of Bianca

Again, this 24/7 stuff is wrong place and time right now

Last Man StANDing Match for the UniVERSal Championship

Cole, there is Champion’s Advantage. Triple H vs Michaels Last Man Standing, neither men made the 10 so Trips kept the title, 17 years ago. Royal Rumble 2004.

See, this is where a Finisher Spotfest works, because it’s not about pinfalls it’s about keeping people down

The camera switches are not doing good on this portion of the side of the thunderdome

Yes, attacking the knees, this is the Cerebral ‘rope breaks with his pinkie finger’ Owens I like to see

Ooof the Golf Cart, a la Kane and Stadium Stampede

Why is this training area just like a second arena

Lil’ running ref in the background

Right into that conveniently placed mini-ladder

Not the forklift! Think of Judy Bagwell!

Oh that curtain is the thing Becky took a photo of! I mean she was always gonna be backstage

Corey before the match ‘there must be a winner’, Corey after Owens went through the stage LED ‘The ref should consider stopping the match’

Did the Ciampa move there to stand up

I don’t think you’re allowed to use a Ref Bump that way

Then the Second Ref restarts the count and stops at 5!? If this doesn’t come back next SD it’ll be a misstep

It was a physical match, not the best I think the finish brought it down. The problem is that KO has lost 3 times now and the last time is a botch finish, and we can’t have him lose again - the poor guy needs a win

ON THIS DAY, I SEE CLEARLY!

I will say this immediately, revealing Edge and Orton as 1 and 2 beforehand was a terrible idea, just because you don’t have a live crowd doesn’t mean the people watching from home can’t be surprised

‘Number 3 is the worst number to draw on average’ - Belair just won at No. 3

Ali at 4? Then went after Edge and not Orton?

Sami, just don’t get in Orton’s face

Refs what are you doing? No rules in Rumble, where were you with Nia and Shayna with that logic

‘What does Shin need to do to be more successful?’ - for one not face AJ Styles, he is still a tag, US and IC champ as well as a RR winner, that’s quite successful

Carlito finally shows after the Legends Night tease and yes those are some abs

So...Randy’s just sleeping with this knee injury

Big E enters with some snappy camera angles again

I was hoping for more Ali - especially since Ricochet came immediately after - buy angry E was nice to see

Wait is that Elias’ entrance? Where’s the guitar strum?

Priesty, wonder if this is his main roster call

What DJ leaves his equipment on stage anyway?

‘The biggest star in the world in the music business’ - for real?

‘I’ve heard of flying squirrels but flying bunnies!?’ - Corey you need to watch Tokyo Joshi Pro, they got a flying sugar rabbit

To quote Ross Tweddell, MMMmmm Riddle...does not do it for me

Stop with the camera cuts I beg of you!

Mayor of Knox County!?

Ricochet eliminated by Kane, le sigh

The betrayal is real for DBry

Big Elim for Priesty though

‘Now it’s a Royal Rumble’ - reminder that Edge is a KOTR winner too, and that Nakamura is the King of Strong Sty-oh and Corbin eliminated him :/ what was the gauntlet about if you’re gonna Corbin him?

Otis’ new gear is slick

aaaaand Corbin’d again

Big Dom Fuck im Uhhhhhh Spinebuster’d

Damn he got him though

Dang that bounce sound from DBry

Bobby no why you gotta do Dom like that!?

Hurricane back from his Gangrel crossing and disposing Sammy Guevara’s broken body in Elite Deletion to do another rumble

One of these days, he’ll hit that Chokeslam and shit will go wild

Christian! This time getting the more emphatic reaction

Oh that smile, that hits you in the chest cavity...then Riddle ruins it

Rey comes in and WWE made him an advertisement ¬_¬

Edward James Omos what are you doing? well...I know what he’s doing, IC feud between AJ and E

Edward James Omos fuck you for eliminating Rey

The betrayal is real for Shamu

Cole how did you know it was Seth before his entrance hit?

I don’t think we were supposed to pick up Shamu welcoming Christian back but that was sweet

Then finally BWOAR

And Bwoar eliminates Cesaro, what was the point of his push? (it’s because his contract’s nearly up isn’t it?)

Again with the camera switching

Seth No! And where’s the boos pipe music!? DBry was a heavy favourite, that would’ve caused heat

Can’t believe Mmm Riddle lasted ahead of DBry

I didn’t forget about Orton, but the finish was good, that Orton tease got us good

It was a decent rumble, in hindsight you could tell Edge was winning given how they put express focus on Michaels winning at number on in the stat attack, Edge being face in peril for the first 10 entrants and Cole reminding us how long Edge has been in there

I don’t at all hate the end result, though I do question whether it was the best choice in the long run. Edge had his rumble win returning from injury already and throwing more legends at Drew does imply a heavy lack of depth in the current roster. Edge didn’t really need the win, but I’m not disappointed in him winning

The Men’s Rumble itself wasn’t as good as the women’s I don’t think, a lot of favourites of mine were unceremoniously dumped out quickly, any layered storytelling didn’t get enough time and it did feel a little by the numbers, almost a microcosm of modern WWE booking

Overall it was still a decent PPV, happy with the winners of the rumbles and that’s mostly all we need from a Royal Rumble. The Road to Wrestlemania starts here

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lizwontcry · 5 years ago

Note

roman/gerri - logan walking in on a kiss

Thank you for this! I got a lot of good prompts but this is the one that inspired me the most this evening, plus I watched the elevator scene on the Good Wife and decided to plagiarize it.

AO3 Link -

"Roman? Are you paying attention? This is actually important to, you know, the company continuing to exist for the next couple of years."

"No, Frank. I'm not paying attention. It's Friday afternoon. Nobody wants to be here. But please do continue, we're all fucking riveted by your lilting, passionate, sexy voice."

Frank sighs. He continues the meeting to talk about whatever the fuck, but Roman can't concentrate, since, as usual, Gerri is sitting next to him.

It's unbearable, actually.

Sitting next to Gerri practically all day, every day, in meetings, in their office, in the car, on the plane--wherever they go, they go together. It's easier that way, for the CEO and COO to travel with each other, especially since Gerri is basically Roman's business tutor. He is definitely making progress; he needs less and less instruction with each passing day. But that does not mean he needs Gerri less. No--it's the opposite.

Like, take this boring as fuck meeting, for instance. Frank is droning on and on about facts and figures and how important it is that they drum up numbers in Parks since Cruises is, obviously, a complete fiasco at the moment. Roman knows he should pay attention to Frank, but... Gerri is not listening to Frank, either. She's doodling on a yellow note pad. Little swirls and lines, Roman notes with interest. Everything Gerri does is interesting to Roman. Like, her hair is in a bun today. Kind of a messy bun. She seems a little more disheveled than normal. With her glasses on and her obligatory matronly attire, she looks like the usual kindergarten teacher that Roman has come to know and love, but with the messy hair... it's just, like, hot.

He scoots his chair a little closer to Gerri, and she looks up from her doodle and gives him a small smile, and he wonders how he ever got so completely fucked up from a woman that this tiny gesture makes his whole fucking day. Did she cast a spell on him or something? It sure feels that way sometimes.

Their "thing" has more or less been put on hold for the time being, since they are both too busy to engage in anything other than gluing the pieces of Waystar Royco back together. However, there's all these unsaid conversations that linger between Roman and Gerri. He sees the way she looks at him when she thinks he's not paying attention--she feels it, too. It's not just the longing glances--Roman can't really explain it. There's this... heaviness to their interactions, like something is missing, but neither of them know what to do about it. So what the fuck? Is he just always going to have a massive case of blue balls whenever they're in the same room together now? Because he's certainly not getting over this crap any time soon.

For just a second, Roman can't take it any longer and he touches Gerri's hand, the one that is doodling a straight line across the yellow note pad. Gerri stops her drawing and looks at him in surprise. Their eyes meet, and they acknowledge something. Something to be determined, but it's definitely... something.

Roman doesn't take his hand away immediately. Nobody else in the room is looking at them, anyway. They're checking their email or writing notes; some are actually even paying attention to Frank. So he runs his pinkie across the soft skin of Gerri's hand, and she allows it, as though she wants it, or even willed it to happen. He stops touching her when he notices, with extreme pleasure, that she has goosebumps on her arm. And then he starts to wonder, if just touching her hand produces goosebumps, what would happen if...

"So that's what we need to work on next week. I'm serious, people--this is a priority. Now get the hell out of here," Frank says, and nobody has to be told twice--everyone scatters out of the room and Frank is not far behind.

Gerri and Roman linger after the room empties. She puts the notepad and her laptop in her briefcase. Roman shoves all his stuff into the backpack he's been carrying around lately out of necessity. Maybe he should get something a bit more professional, but, like, who has the fucking time?

"So where are you headed?" Roman asks her as they leave the conference room.

"Are you kidding? Back to my office. There's still so much left to do."

"Ah, come on, Ger. It's Friday. Let's go have a drink."

"Roman, really--"

"One drink won't kill you. Across the street. It's happy hour; we can make fun of all the coked out Wall Street fucknuts."

Gerri exhales, and then nods hestitantly.

"I suppose one drink won't hurt, but then I have to get back here, and let me remind you, Roman, so do you."

This is unfortunately true. The role of COO never fucking stops, even on a Friday night. He can't help but think of what he'd usually do on a Friday night in the past; it always had something to do with tall blondes, snorting things, and passing out in some East Side shithole and waking up feeling like he'd been run over by a 747. Oh, the days of yore.

At the bar, a shitty dive that thankfully is bereft of the Wall Street fucknuts, they have more than one drink. They have three or four or seven or something--they lose count. Roman knows he's a bad influence on Gerri but he can't help it. He loves to see her let her hair down, which she literally does after her third shot of tequila that he encourages her to order. He watches lustfully as she takes it down and shakes it out, letting the soft blonde waves settle over her shoulders.

"Dammit, Rome, why do I let you get me into these situations?" Gerri slurs after she slams the shot glass down on the table. "You are bad."

"Yeah. But you like it when I'm bad."

Gerri laughs, and doesn't deny it.

"Come on, let's get back to the office. I have all those briefs I need to finish by Monday."

"I have some briefs you can finish," Roman blurts out.

"Uh-huh. Well... that's something we can discuss later--"

"Gerri Kellman! What's a girl like you doing in a bar like this?" Some asshole who looks like he lives inside a plastic surgery appointment sidles up to the table and interrupts this very important thought that Roman desperately wants to follow up on--typical.

"Oh, hello, Will. Will, this is Roman--"

"Roman Roy, of course! The new COO of his dad's company. Congrats, by the way."

"Gee, fucking thank you, Will. Lovely to meet you and your fake fucking lips," Roman says. He does not like Will, or his weirdly constructed face.

"What was that?" Will asks, clearly confused.

"Oh, Roman was just complimenting your... shoes," Gerri says, trying to keep herself together. "Please excuse us, Will. We have to get back to the office."

"Of course. Why don't you call me later, Gerri? We never finished discussing that trip to the Vineyard we were planning..."

Gerri just chuckles and nods, and pushes Roman out of the bar. They walk back to the office, arm in arm, so they don't tip over and die in the remnants of rush hour Manhattan traffic.

"Who was that douchebag? You were going on a fucking trip with him? He looks like a Ken doll that was left in the washing machine for 60 years."

Gerri laughs. Roman loves to make her laugh.

"Just someone I went on a date with once. Why? You jealous?"

"Of course I'm fucking jealous, Gerri. Like, haven't you figured that out yet?"

They're back in the lobby of the Waystar Royco building. It's nearly 8:00 PM and it's almost empty.

"Roman..." He can see that she doesn't know how to finish that sentence. She looks kind of wobbly, actually. "We should--but we never have time..."

Roman, who is rather unsteady himself, tries to think of the right thing to say.

"We've always had bad timing, haven't we?"

"We have..." Gerri admits.

"What if we were to suddenly have good timing? Just for... an hour. What would that look like?"

"I think that... would look like an exceptional moment," Gerri says softly.

Roman can't help it--he grins. He grabs her arm and they walk unsteadily to the elevator. While they wait for it to open, they share all kinds of longing, drunken, and weird sexual looks. Roman wonders if everything that has occurred in the last couple of months--going to management training at Gerri's suggestion, their odd phone sex arrangement, the way she so easily gets him off by the sound of her voice, even being taken as a hostage--has all led up to this moment. If so, it was all fucking worth it.

When the elevator arrives, an eight-year-old kid and his mother, who looks to be at about her wit's end with him and his entire existence, step off it.

"Kevin! What have I told you about not pressing all the buttons?"

"Sorry, Mom," the little boy says, sounding not sorry at all.

Roman doesn't advocate child abuse, obviously, but like, he just really wants to slap this kid.

Indeed, when Gerri and Roman get on the elevator, it looks like every fucking button has been pushed. And they're going to the 49th floor.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Roman mutters, shaking his head. All he wants to do is get Gerri alone in his office and see what she's wearing underneath that prim and proper white blouse she has on, but fate does not seem to have the same plan.

Instead of maybe getting off on the next floor or something that would make more sense than waiting as the door opened on every level, Gerri moves closer to Roman. Their backs are against the wall of the elevator and they are standing almost too close together now. Roman can smell the sweet scent of her perfume that he has come to know as Gerri's signature. The tension is absolutely fucking ridiculous at this point.

On floor three, Roman touches her hand with his pinkie again. On floor five, Gerri grabs his hand, and holds it until floor seven. On floor eight, Roman turns to regard her closely. She's looking at him like she's ready to make a drunken mistake. The doors continue to open and close, with no one there to get on or off--not that they'd even notice if an entire fifth grade class and/or a mariachi band joined them in the elevator. They continue to stare at each other, weighing the pros and cons of just fucking going for it, until floor thirteen. That's when Roman says, "fuck it," and he leans in to kiss her. He just fucking kisses her. He grabs her and kisses her fiercely, and sort of to his surprise, she kisses him back just as fiercely. On floor 22, there's even tongue involved. A lot of tongue.

The doors are still opening and closing and they aren't even paying attention. By floor 28, his hands are roaming freely, and she's moaning a little. By floor 31, Gerri bites Roman's lip and now he's the one moaning. Roman has never even enjoyed kissing all that much--like what's the fucking point? But this singular experience is giving him a brand new appreciation for it.

Or maybe it's because Gerri is the one he's kissing.

By floor 40, the kissing has tapered off a little, so they can stare deep into each other's eyes. However, on floor 44, the kissing resumes. Roman wraps his hand around Gerri's neck and brings her closer to him, and she puts a warm hand under his coat, and then under his shirt, on his back. If he wasn't hard before, now he could launch a fucking space shuttle from his pants.

Finally, on floor 49, the door opens for the last time. They are still holding on to each other for dear life, expecting to haul ass directly to Roman's office, where his newly purchased sleeper sofa is waiting for the next act of this satisfying play they're trying to direct. However...

"What the fuck is this?" The last person on fucking Planet Earth that Roman expects to see is standing there staring at them. Logan. His dad. "Romulus? Gerri fucking Kellman? Well, don't just stand there looking like deaf fucking mutes. Explain yourselves!"

And they are stunned speechless... but at least now they're able to stop kissing.

#succession #roman roy #gerri kellman #roman x gerri

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ilu-writes · 6 years ago

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Tyrant’s Tomb Predictions

I almost forgot that the next TOA book is coming out tomorrow (today, technically, for me) but I want to get in some of my predictions before it does so I can compare them. Also, I haven’t read any of the promo stuff, but I have absorbed some information via osmosis from my dash.

Frank Zhang won’t die. yes, I know they said his firewood would burn up, and that’s why they had the whole bucket list... but what kind of writer spoils that stuff before the books even come out? Nah, if Frank’s firewood does burn up, there’s going to be some kind of subversion of the curse. Maybe he’ll just lose his shapeshifting ability? Maybe Hazel will save him? Who knows. (also, i want to say I don’t think Rick will kill another member of the seven, but. who knows.)

Nico will appear again. Part of that’s wishful thinking, but also... his sister is definitely in the book, and we know he loves Hazel. Him taking a trip to see her definitely isn’t out of the question. Plus, he’s the first link between the two camps. Makes sense that he takes the ex-greek god there. ALSO it would be a nice mirror to Apollo being the one to take Nico to CHB in the first place.

will could also appear, or at least be mentioned, since. y’know. nico’s bf.

Reyna/Lester... wont be a thing. I know it’s implied he’s attracted to her, and like i said, i haven’t read the snippet (i believe he compares her to a goddess?) but honestly? How many people has he already been attracted to in the series? I don’t think anything will come of it. I do think Aphrodites prophecy/destiny thing will be addressed, and unfortunately, i get why in light of it reyna/apollo seems like it could happen. but... i dont think it will. I think by the end of the series, Apollo will be a god again (albeit a more humble one), and the relationship wouldn’t make sense.

On the topic, there’ll be a RARA joke in there. At least one.

More seriously, we’ll get to see Hylla (and by extension the Amazons) again. partially because of the sibling thing, but mostly because Hylla is also a child of Bellona, so it kind of makes sense to introduce her, given the prophecy.

The soundless god could be harpocrates, since he’s the literal god of silence (and secrets, which could be relevant), but i’m not too sure. I’ve seen suggestions of Dea Tacita, especially thanks to her connections to the Lares, which would be cool. I know Calypso would sometimes be referred to as a deity of silence, but sadly, i dont think she’ll be returning, at least not in that capacity. It could be a god who was recently silenced, maybe another god I know Bellona has been associated with Mars, and that would line up with Frank, which could be cool. Or it could be artemis, since we know she isn’t allowed to contact apollo and can only help from afar, thus making her ‘soundless’

another theory i came up with while writing this and now desperately want: it could be hestia, who’s soundless because she doesn’t have a voice on the council. Especially since she hasn’t appeared yet in the series, even though a lot of it took place at CHB and we know she tends the hearth there a lot. i want this.

iirc, Julius Caesar was deified after his death. He was also supposedly a child of Venus. And part of the first triumvirate. I’m pretty sure he’ll appear in some form. He could be the one who’s ‘even worse’ than the other emperors, but he never had a tomb.

On that point - Augustus Caesar, Julius’ nephew (?) did have a tomb dedicated to himself, was an emperor, and formed the second triumvirate. He was also stated to have joined the roman pantheon on his death. As much as I want hestia... i feel like he’s going to be the soundless god.

percy and annabeth might make a small appearance, at least as a cameo, because they’re meant to be studying in New Rome, and obviously, thats were at least some of the book takes place.

And, yeah, those are the ones i can think of right now. Feel free to add: I’m curious as to other peoples predictions! I’m hoping to have the book by the end of the week.

#toa #trials of apollo #the tyrants tomb #toa predictions #tyrants tomb predictions #apollo #Percy Jackon and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus

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antoine-roquentin · 6 years ago

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But the most important reason may be that the figure of Joseph Mifsud, so central to the prosecution of Papadopoulos and to the investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign, makes little sense in the stories laid out by Robert Mueller’s team or by the Democrats in Congress. Far from being a Russian cutout, as people like Congressman Adam Schiff and various U.S. news outlets have suggested, Mifsud seems to be a figure who was tied to high government officials in the west. So far, few of those associated with him have opened up public inquiries or otherwise retraced their steps, which you would expect if they felt they had been victims of Russian infiltration. The FBI spoke to Mifsud in early 2017 when he was in the United States and let him go, allegedly because Papadopoulos had misled them, but they don't seem to have gone hunting for him during the months that followed, even after the arrest and charging of Papadopoulos, nor do they seem to have alerted European allies. Mifsud continued to live and work in Europe as normal. Mifsud went into hiding shortly after the statement of offense against Papadopoulos was made public, in October 2017, but Italian media has since reported that Mifsud spent some of those months in a Rome apartment that was paid for by one of his erstwhile employers, Link Campus University, a small organization with ties to Italian intelligence. In short, with Mifsud, the rabbit holes are endless, and even the truth will be prove to be twisted.

To solve such mysteries, then, is why Barr and others are so interested in going to Rome and Australia. And, whether or not you trust Barr and team, there is reasonable cause for them to be taking their actions. If they’re expecting Papadopoulos’s narrative to bear fruit, however, they’re going to come up dry. I spent weeks trying to square Papadopoulos’s memories with various theories of the case, and I began to notice that those recollections kept changing or contradicting the available paper trail. Even the Trump campaign was on the receiving end of a number of false boasts from Papadopoulos, such as a claim of having met with the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, when no such thing had happened. Most important, I realized that there was very little basis for a linchpin of countless narratives concerning Papadopoulos: namely, that Mifsud had mentioned Russian hacking. It’s a claim that nearly everyone, including the Mueller team, has embraced, but the only person making it is Papadopoulos himself. Why would he make such a claim? As the lawyer and blogger Hans Mahncke has laid out in more detail, it may well have been a panicked attempt to deflect trouble growing out of still more untrue claims. (Papadopoulos did not respond to a request for comment.)

Unfortunately for Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani seems to embrace Papadopoulos’s version of the story, in which Alexander Downer and Joseph Mifsud were co-conspirators. Last spring, mentioning the case of Papadopoulos, Giuliani told Fox News’s Bret Baier, “If that’s not a counterintelligence frame-up, I will eat my hat.” And if that’s how Giuliani feels, then it is likely that he has persuaded Trump to feel the same way. That’s why Giuliani has been globetrotting on Trump’s behalf and, it seems, bullying people and making a fool of himself. In short, he appears to be as obsessed with a wrongheaded theory of the case as any Russiagater on MSNBC.

At the same time, those who view investigations of the origin of Russiagate as nothing more than partisan attempts to discredit the work of honorable civil servants may want to brace themselves for unsavory findings. Even looking only narrowly at one element of Russiagate, the case of Papadopoulos, we can see questionable behavior by his prosecutors, notwithstanding his guilt. Here is one small but revealing example. In the summer of 2016, Papadopoulos wrote to Trump campaign official Sam Clovis about some “requests from the U.K., Greek, Italian, and even Russian government for closed door workshops/consultations” at a London venue. (In reality, no such requests had been made, but that’s beside the point here.) Clovis wrote back, “I have too much to do that requires me to be in the states” and encouraged Papadopoulos and another foreign policy advisor to “make the trips, if it is feasible.” The prosecution edited this exchange in order to make it look much more sinister. They described it as the culmination of “several weeks of further communications regarding a potential ‘off the record’ meeting with Russian officials” and quoted Clovis as saying that Papadopoulos should “make the trip[], if it is feasible.” In other words, the original suggests a series of London-based workshops that might include Russians, while the prosecution’s version suggests a concerted effort to link up with Russian officials and taking a trip to make it happen. I was able to see the difference only because I had the original emails. This sort of elision, which ran throughout the case against Papadopoulos, gave me an unfavorable impression of the Mueller team.

More broadly, we all have a stake in finding out whether U.S. authorities proceeded by the book when they began to investigate the campaign of Donald Trump in 2016. The FBI had a FISA warrant on Trump advisor Carter Page that lasted for months and kept being renewed, yet we know it relied in part on the infamous “pee-tape” dossier that had been put together by someone who was paid by the Clinton campaign. That this dossier’s author, Christopher Steele was working with the wife of a Justice Department official connected to the investigation was, at the very least, a glaring conflict of interest. Returning to the case of Papadopoulos, a vague statement to Alexander Downer that, according to Downer, didn’t mention “dirt” or “email” but merely Papadopoulos’s belief that the Russians had “material that could be damaging” to Hillary Clinton hardly seems like an adequate justification for a major FBI investigation of a presidential campaign. As for the case of Ukraine, officials in that country were open in their opposition to Trump in 2016, and the Financial Times reported on a Ukrainian and MP and other “political actors in Kiev [who] say they will continue their efforts to prevent a candidate—who recently suggested Russia might keep Crimea, which it annexed two years ago—from reaching the summit of American political power.” It’s not as crazy as it looks that Trump, in light of Russiagate, wants to figure out what was going on back then.

Now, none of this is to give a pass to Donald Trump. He deserves to be investigated, and possibly impeached, for his behavior toward Ukraine over the past several months, and if you want to get a sense of how much power the president has to turn the screws on weaker parties, few recent stories have been better reported than a recent one from The Wall Street Journal showing how things looked from the Ukrainian side. Sending a henchman like Giuliani over to Kiev and dropping strong hints to Ukraine’s leaders of what you’re hoping to find is a recipe for lies and corruption.

But probing Trump’s misbehavior cannot be an underhanded instrument for shutting down investigations into what happened in 2016. Uncovering that part of the story may be unhelpful to the impeachment narrative in the coming months, but it is no less important than investigating this president. Trump represents the flouting of rules by one man, but the origins of Russiagate represent the potential flouting of rules by many people. If the FBI and the intelligence community can overstep their bounds in pursuit of a president many of us hate today, they can do so against a president we like tomorrow. So, no, Trump’s or Giuliani’s pet theories won’t bear fruit. No, there’s no DNC server in Ukraine, or whatever the hell Trump believes. No, Joe Biden didn’t try to fire a prosecutor for going after Biden’s son. No, George Papadopoulos isn’t the key to an international anti-Trump conspiracy. But the belief that Russiagate grew out of partisans overstepping their bounds—well, that’s still awaiting the jury. With or without Trump in office, we owe it to ourselves to figure out whether it’s true.

this is why it’s so tough to believe in either russiagate or the counternarrative that russiagate was a us intelligence honeypot intended to destroy trump. the people who are saying this shit are professional brown-nosers, bullshitters who get paid to slather on the praise until they manage to convince whoever’s in power to take on a business deal (and for that they get paid millions). the idea that these imbeciles could be co-conspirators on anything other than a dinner party is frankly absurd. the fact that the FBI will run roughshod over proper investigative procedure if it prejudges that someone is guilty is not in doubt because we see it happen to its much poorer victims all the time, so the notion that it might have done so here is not unfathomable.

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kazosa · 7 years ago

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The Tall Man

Summary: for years, the reader had dreams about a man. Never really seeing his face, she didn’t know if he was a real person or just her “dream guy”. Taking a much needed vacation, she finally relaxes, not knowing where her next steps would take her.

Pairings: Dream guy x reader, eventually Jensen x reader

Warnings: none really, does searching for a dream guy count?

You were with him again. The Tall Man, as you called him. There was something familiar about him that you could never quite put your finger on. It was always just out of reach. The man was at least six feet tall, lean and muscular but not bulky. His hair was cropped short, and though you only got small glimpses, impressions, of his face, you could see he had a bit of a beard.

You never knew when he was going to come to you in a dream. What you did know what that when he did visit you, you felt like you found a long-lost piece of yourself. At first, you just passed it off as dream nonsense, but when it kept happening…

Your favorite one was in what you assumed was Europe. The cobblestones were smooth under your feet. The road was narrow and the buildings’ white walls rose high above your head. Baskets of flowers hung near the windows and doors. The road sloped up and away from the sea. It was absolutely breathtaking.

It was the one that always felt the most real. The stones, the warmth of the sun, the smells, they were all so vivid. You’re there walking up the hill to the next road, not paying attention to who is around and suddenly, he appears. He’s holding out a hand to you. As soon as you take it, you feel it, that connection, that completion.

Sometimes his clothes were different. Sometimes the location was different. What remained the same was how you knew he was yours.

Your best friend of ten years knew all about your dreamland mister perfect.

“I had the dream again,” you told her on the phone.

“The one where you see his tattoo?” she asked, hopeful.

When you could see his tattoo, he shirt was off and that usually meant it was a steamy dream.

“No. Not this time, unfortunately,” you admitted. “It was the one where he reaches out his hand to me.”

“Oh, the weird one in the alley,” she teased.

“Ha ha, Sara, super funny.” The loneliness you felt was so heavy. How could you miss someone from a dream and note even know who he is or what he looks like? All you’d ever caught were glimpses of his face. Over the years, you’d gotten a good idea of what he looked like, and he was quite handsome, you thought.

“When does your vacation start?” she asked. “Are you sure about going by yourself? You better call me every day, I don’t give a shit about the time difference.”

“I will, I promise,” you assured her. “I leave next Thursday and I’m going to Niece first, then down to Rome.”

“You’ll call every day, right?” she asked again.

“Sara! I promise!” you assured her.

“Just don’t spend all of your time looking for a guy who isn’t real.”

Jared sat in the back of the van with Jensen for the ride back to the hotel. It was late, and the convention was done for the day. For them it was 4pm Texas time but the jet-lag was kicking their butts.

“Little grouchy up there today,” Jared hedged.

“I know. It’s just hard to keep answering about why I’m not dating anyone,” he said.

“Yeah. Kinda tough to explain your actual dream girl.” Jared knew about the woman that plagued his bed friend’s dreams, but now she was starting to cause real-life problems and he couldn’t have that.

“You should come out with us. Maybe you can find some nice Italian hottie to take home…or for the night.”

Jensen rolled his eyes and looked at his buddy.

“Not interested,” he answered.

“I know, man, but you gotta get out there. She’s just a dream no matter how real it seemed. You gotta quit looking for her every time we go somewhere,” he pleaded. “It’s not healthy.”

“I already planned on going out to take pictures. You’ve seen this place, right?” Jensen wasn’t lying. He’d already planned on going out to explore and get some pictures, but part of him was hoping it would happen again. He couldn’t explain it. He’d told Jared it was dreams because the truth was too weird, even for them.

The first time, it scared the hell out of him. A strange woman sat down on the bench next to him and struck up a conversation with him. He’d gotten used to people coming up to him out of the blue, but it was usually in the U.S., not a random village in Italy.

“Hi, I got you a cannoli sampler. Lady assured me they were fresh,” she said handing him the small box. “Can you believe this view?”

Not knowing if she realized who he was, or if she thought he was someone else, he figured he’d play along.

“Do you speak Italian?” he asked.

She got a confused look on her face then shrugged, “I guess I do today.”

Leaning over, she pulled out a small cannoli and ate it. The conversation continued in a scattered way, going in whatever direction her mind took them. He was enjoying the weird conversation and she’d made him laugh more than once. It wasn’t always easy for him to carry on conversation with new people, but he’d liked her and no matter who she thought he was, she talked to him like an old friend.

When he realized how much time had passed, he leaned down to check on his camera and bag. Behind him, he could hear strange music playing. Suddenly, she gasped and when he turned to check on her, she was gone.

He looked all up and down the road and she was nowhere to be seen. No one running away, no cars speeding off, none of the other people around seemed to have noticed anything unusual, even the box of cannolis was gone.

Sure he had lost his mind, he attributed it to falling asleep in the sun and the jet-lag. It took him a couple of months to even tell Jared and that was only because the second time he saw her, she disappeared right before his eyes.

Jared convinced him to see a doctor, he even went a few times. The doc was under the impression that Jensen was having waking dreams and that he shouldn’t worry and try to get more rest when traveling. Since the occurrences had started out as infrequent, he was able to put it aside. He knew he wasn’t crazy. He knew she was real. She had to be real. No way his mind would be able to make up someone like her. Most of the women he met weren’t really interested in him. They often just wanted to get a taste of celebrity, or to use him to get their foot in the door.

Over the years, you’d noticed that there were certain times of the year when you had your favorite dream. You tried to bullshit Sara that your impending vacation had nothing to do with your mystery man, but she easily saw through it.

“If he means that much to you, then you should find him. Just, please, if you don’t find him there, you have got to stop letting it consume your life.”

You would argue whether he ‘consumed’ your life, but there was the nagging feeling that he was the one you were meant to be with.

You’d never been to France or Italy and you’d promised yourself that you would see them and their picturesque vistas in person. Beginning your trip in France, you spent a week and a half enjoying Niece and Caan before moving on to Italy and heading to Rome. On your way there, you’d spotted a pretty village on the outskirts of the city that you wanted to visit. Prior to your trip, you’d been learning phrases in Italian and could repeat just enough to embarrass yourself. Thankfully, a lot of the locals spoke English and helped you rent a Vespa for your excursion.

The village was bustling with activity. In the town center was an outdoor market and vendors were set up everywhere. After you found a spot to park your Vespa, you began browsing the wares. The market was busy with people doing the same thing as you, though you noticed that you were the only tourist. Many people were carrying bundles of goods wrapped in paper and string, a few carried canvas bags. You looked into all the booths hoping to find something unique that you could easily carry, or to bring back for Sara.

You found a few small items that fit in your purse and at the last stall, the vendor had handmade jewelry. The craftsman had made a delicate chain in an intricate design with precious stones interspersed. What you spent on the item, you vowed you would never tell Sara. Though, it was a piece in a small wood tray in the bottom left corner that caught your eye. It was a ring that was either made to look old or was old. It was big and it didn’t even fit your thumb when you slipped it on, but something compelled you to buy that ring. Tucking it safely inside your purse, you zipped the top closed and continued walking.

European lifestyle was something you could get used to. Everything was within walking distance. The afternoon lunch breaks were amazing and you had take to regular naps. Having had one that day, you felt refreshed as you walked on. It was all so beautiful.

Soon, you found yourself away from the market, admiring the architecture. The road you were on wouldn’t allow conventional vehicles to pass and there were a handful of people in the passage with you. You only noticed the man taking pictures because he was so tall and out of place for the area.

It wasn’t that Jensen didn’t want to hang out with his friends and their families, he loved them all. He’d just already been on other excursions with them and he’d had a good time, but he still felt like a third wheel and wanted to get away for a bit. He’d thanked Jared or the invitation but had passed and decided on a little under the radar jaunt outside the city.

He parked near a Vespa and only briefly browsed the market before he moved on as started looking for places to photograph. He had been walking around for a while and stopped on a narrow side-street, barely more than an alley. The view was amazing. The road sloped up and from his vantage point, he could just see the market and the sea beyond. He snapped a few more pictures then turned to get better light to check the photo gallery.

On first glance, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until he spotted a woman. She seemed somewhat out of place from the local people he’d been seeing all day. American, he thought. He zoomed in on the picture.

Brown leather sandals. Olive green shorts that showed just enough leg to be flattering. The woman wore a black v-neck top that clung to her in all the right places, but not too tight so it would be cool. In the picture, she was in profile, but he would know her anywhere. The woman who invaded his waking dreams for the last several years had finally showed up in a picture. Before when he’d tried, it was always a blur, or she looked oddly opaque.

His heart hammered in his chest. He almost didn’t want to look. It never seemed to matter, anyway. There were times he spent the whole day with her only to watch her disappear or be gone when he turned back to her. He was grateful for the time he got, he just wished she would stay.

The Tall Man was hard to miss. You hadn’t realized you’d been staring at him until he suddenly turned back to look at you. He had his sunglasses perched on the top of his head and the look in his eyes was heartbreaking. There was a hint of excitement under the dread and fear you saw.

As you approached him, you couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu. You knew this man, but how? You were drawn to him. You wanted to touch him. His hands held a camera and you suddenly wanted to knock it away. Instead, you reached up your hand and touched his shoulder.

“Hi,” you sounded kind, soothing to your own ears. “Are you okay?”

Alarm bells were ringing in your head, but this time, you knew it wasn’t your wakeup alarm.

“Is it really you this time?” his gorgeous green eyes pleading with you to say yes.

The man in front of you was quite attractive and you were dead certain you would have remembered those green eyes. Wait…what did he say?!

He watched as her eyes went wide and he finally knew he hadn’t been crazy all this time.

“Oh my god, this was real? This was all real?” you asked.

He reached for your hand and you took it, desperate to feel that feeling you always got in your dreams. His fingers were warm as the glided across your palm, his eyes never leaving yours as his fingers curled over yours. You couldn’t believe it. It was there. That feeling of being complete. HE was there. The man you’d been secretly searching for for years was there, right in front of you, just like you’d always seen him in your dreams, except he was real.

The emotions ran across her face in a sprint. She had been looking for him, too, he could see. He’d finally found her, and she was real.

#Jensen x reader #kazosa #spn fan fiction #fluff #supernatural fan fiction

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momestuck · 6 years ago

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Let’s read Hiveswap Friendsim - volume 14

We’re getting close to the endgame now, enough that the writers have started dropping some hints about What’s Going On. But before we can see where this road leads, there’s a good 11 trolls left to befriend!

This time... ‘Of Cleanliness and Clownliness’. We open with a little bluster about how edgy and grimdark Alternia is.

The narrator then calls themselves out for using Godwin’s law. Yeah, ‘feeling dramatic’ huh.

Our trolls today are...

...on almost the far ends of the hemospectrum! (Curiously, no sea trolls seem to feature in this game at all. Sure, that might be because they all live underwater, or because they are generally violent and cruel, but the latter hasn’t stopped our protagonist and I’m sure they could overcome the former with a little creativity...)

Marsti

Marsti is the last creation of Aysha before the epilogue! She’s got a pretty fun theme with a bass guitar which kicks in immediately on his route.

We find her in the process of trying to clean off some graffiti, arguing with a ‘purpleblood boy’. Curious... judging by the cans of what’s probably spray paint that Karako is carrying, does that mean that these two trolls are encountered together in this episode?

...is that what that purple bit up there is supposed to be?

Anyway our first decision is fairly straightforward...

Let’s quickly go down the ‘mind your own business’ route, which I’m expecting to be short.

...despite our decision, the narrator can’t resist the urge to intervene, by tripping up the clown. Luckily, Marsti saves us by taking us into an alley.

Her quirk seems to just be... the -_- emoticon. And she’s not pleased that we intervened. She tells us that if we keep this up, we’re going to end up dead. “What’s your deal? -_-” she demands.

We ask her if she really needs to retrieve the cleaning bucket she left behind. Ahh, bucket jokes. Never get old.

Presumably this has a different troll name, other than ‘bucket’. Apparently a cleaning bucket is called a ‘scourdray’.

That one seems like kind of a stretch...

We ask if this is like... her job, but then remember that nobody has jobs. Honestly, how the economy of Alternia works is a total mystery to me. They run an imperial economy based on endless expansion and extraction like ancient Rome, but how are resources worked into useful forms? Is it... robots?

Anyway, Marsti seems to be doing this just on a whim.

But a lot of her whims concern cleanliness. She comments on our strange ‘magnetism’, which she is also feeling.

Magnetism or not, she mostly seems to find us very annoying as we ask her random questions like why she likes cleaning so much (she doesn’t, she just does it), and so on. She seems to suggest it has something to do with being a rustblood, and pushes the narrator to think about whether other rustbloods they know have hobbies.

Anyway we end up helping her clean this wall. Thrilling activities here in Hiveswap friendsim. We very smoothly ask Marsti if she’s doing anything later...

We get the choice of ‘uptown’ or ‘downtown’. Since my gf Elaine was next to me and saw the choice and started singing ‘Uptown Girl’, I guess we have to pick ‘uptown’. The narration immediately also makes an uptown girl joke.

We get in our stolen scuttlebuggy and head uptown. Marsti starts cleaning up crumbs in our car.

Apparently Alternia has scanners that read the driver’s blood colour, but Mallek helped us scramble it.

We briefly get the false impression she’s homeless. The narration draws comparisons for the reader with Diemen and Boldir, which the protagonist turns out to have spoken out loud, as is often the case...

It turns out, however, that she just got tired of cleaning the same hive.

We learn where we’re taking Marsti... Zebruh’s hive!? Really, protag? Of all the people?

To put it mildly.

We decide not to go to Zebruh’s hive, thank god. Marsti’s getting a bit fed up of the lack of mess, and we offer to make a bigger one...

Genuinely not sure what Marsti is parodying. The well known “obsessive about cleaning and kind of grumpy” subculture?

Instead we head to Galekh’s hive. We’re greeted by the goat, but no Galekh.

D’aww.

Luckily, Galekh’s messy library is exactly what the doctor ordered. Marsti gets to work. Attempts at conversation don’t go so well...

She doesn’t care what a we think... and calls us a ‘condescending alien with no blood colour to speak of’. Oof!

Anyway, at that point the route abruptly ends, with the goat eating some of Galekh’s writing, and Marsti making a break for it out the window. Welp.

All right, let’s try some other approaches...

Let’s try explicitly opting to intervene against the purpleblood troll. The narrator decides fate must be on their side thanks to their conversation with Boldir, and gets involved.

That is not particular ironic. I think you should have a word with Dave. That’s like... not even ‘like five or six my dude’ levels of irony.

So that leaves... downtown.

Which is to say pretty much where we were standing.

It’s mentioned that the drones mostly clean uptown. The protag ponders Zebruh’s whole ‘getting lowbloods to clean for him’ thing.

There’s a weirdly 4th-wally moment.

Speaking of which, the narrator tries offering some places to clean, and gets surprised Marsti doesn’t like us.

Marsti picks up on the whole ‘been killed’ thing. I guess our character does have explicit memory of all the branches where they died? Though that still doesn’t explain things like... having an umbrella from a non-friendship branch. Or remembering things we did in those branches.

The narration tries to brush over it. Uh-huh.

We end up at an empty lot - one we can recognise as where Boldir died, on a branch that got erased. The narration mentions deja-vu...

But it’s not Boldir here, but someone we haven’t seen in quite a while.

The protag tries to get Folykl’s support in ribbing Marsti for her weird cleaning habit. Instead, Folykl and Marsti have a go at us... and we keep digging.

It just gets worse and worse...

You’re not even a member of this whole caste system, narrator! You’ve picked up the whole ‘space racism’ thing remarkably quickly.

Marsti calls us on it. We start going over the fact that like... most of the lowbloods we know are very constrained in their aspirations and hobbies, etc.

Meanwhile,

OK then??

Apparently Marsti has noticed Folykl’s voidrot. And general dirt.

Apparently like... being dirty makes the energy transfer harder? I guess Marsti knows a thing or two about voidrot.

(Recalling that in Homestuck canon, an army of dead Aradias were flinging planets about from outside the universe...)

Our protag helpfully suggests medicine as a field. I don’t even know what their deal is at this point. Marsti doesn’t seem to either.

If she applied to be a medic, she’d get laughed out of the room of course. And the narrator finally gets the hint.

So we... back off a bit, with some uncharacteristic maturity. After a bit, we head off. The protag actually makes a (fairly) genuine apology!

And... yeah I guess we mostly make up.

I actually kind of appreciate such an ambivalent ending. A nice change from the pattern to meet someone who finds our whole... thing super annoying.

The achievement for this chapter says ‘you cleaned up your own attitude’.

These chapters are getting increasingly meta, huh.

Karako

Now for... the second purpleblood in the game! Karaka is the creation of someone only credited as ‘Geezey’, who has not written anything before now.

We get a new, and very pretty backdrop immediately.

That palette! Curiously the narration doesn’t really seem to be acknowledging much of what’s happened so far - that we have a car, for one.

We’re in a relatively sparse area of the city. Unfortunately, the vegetation is not very accommodating for a gentle stroll...

As we pick our way through this, we meet a stranger on the road...

The soundtrack has like... ‘bwmm’ noises with a bunch of reverb, and clown horns. Usual disclaimer that I don’t know shit about music. This track’s title is, impressively, a Unicode drawing of Bowsette.

Surprised by the use of ‘it’ pronouns - usually the narration gets in there quick with gendering.

Anyway, we get a foot sprite. That’s unusual.

We go to help them down from the tree. The narration in this episode is doing the ‘unnecessarily formality’ joke but it’s not really working for me.

They have a nametag, which tells us to call Bronya ‘if lost’. Conveniently, someone we know! The narration supplies an interpretation...

Hmm.

Anyway, this guy’s dialogue consists entirely of the word ‘honk’.

The narrator fills in the conversation - the usual I’m an alien, etc. etc. I guess the joke is that the narrator is really wordy today in contrast with Karako’s one-word lines.

Here’s a sample.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we make some friend overtures along those lines, and then stand about for a bit, until a drone shows up!

The artist is at least making some very expressive drawings in this episode!

We get a choice: help or run. Let’s try to help.

We shield Karako from the drone by leaning on a rock for a bit, and that... makes him happy I guess. He smiles, at any rate. We get back to the whole... weirdly obsessive about establishing Friendship(TM) affect, but then some sea trolls show up.

They laugh at us a bunch, to Karako’s chagrin. Well, it would have to be sea trolls for anyone to be able to laugh at a purpleblood, I guess.

We get some very strained fish puns.

The jabs get a bit much for Karako and he goes for the seadwellers with knives.

This will not end well.

If he wants to throw down... let’s let him. Comfort and support? OK.

We use the dangerous plants to back up Karako’s rampage, impaling some of the violetbloods. But unfortunately for us, they’re pretty much invincible or something.

Curiously there is at least one circumstance where a violetblood has to answer to a purpleblood - the Grand Highblood and Dualscar. But in this case, the hemospectrum seems to rule.

Poor little Karako ends up dead.

And it’s time for the end of this route. But for once, we’re not just getting a death screen!

It’s time for some LORE. Behind the portal is... some kind of carousel?

Well what do you know, the Dark Carnival is real. It’s being ridden by various troll mannequins (or as they spell it here, ‘manikins’... is that a UK/US difference I didn’t know about?)

The mannequins come down and raise Karako into the Carnival.

This religious experience prompts the narrator to get a little introspective about their total insignificance.

We’re sick, we decide, of highblood bullshit. In fact we get quite a lot of philosophising done while bleeding out on the ground here.

The protagonist resolves to do something about this. We get some strained physics metaphors...

We ‘take on the aspect of Clown-sarker’, whatever that means. Taking up some of the soft drinks that Karako was carrying, we... start spraying soft drinks on the sea trolls. The effect of this is... limited. They kill us pretty much immediately. But by dying in battle...

...we seem to have earned our own place in the Dark Carnival!?

Which means... a friendship ending?

Honestly what? Is the next episode gonna start with us in the Dark Carnival?

I certainly didn’t see that coming.

...let’s check out the other branches, I guess.

First, let’s see what happens if we run away from the Drone instead of pretending nonchalance. We make good our escape, more or less, and get a new background:

But Karako is gone.

All right, that was more or less what I expected. Well mostly I thought the drone would kill us, but same difference.

Now, if we try to restrain Karako from fighting the sea trolls...

We try to calm Karako down as we restrain him, but he’s just getting more and more berserk. Given what Gamzee pulled in a state like this... not promising.

He lets off some kind of... rage bomb?

The only thing in canon I can compare with is the Vast Expletive uttered by the Sufferer.

Whatever this is, it nicely does for the sea trolls, and we wake up still with Karako. And... that’s the very quick end to the arc.

OK, that’s a friendship ending too? Huh.

However, this ending does not give an achievement, while the other one did. “You ascended to the Dark Carnival... or did you?” is the achievement text.

What a strange chapter! I’m very curious to see how the next one will begin now.

#momestuck #lets read hiveswap friendsim

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apartyofone · 6 years ago

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The Caesar Shuffle

That’s what all the guidebooks call our trip today. Coliseum. Forum. Palatine. It’s the Rome tourist’s holy grail. And we did them all. With some guile and effort.

Luckily the kids’ moods were back to their usual adventurous sprit. Yeah, we probably just needed a bit of alone time.

It seems we landed in Rome during a very special week. The nation’s cultural ministry had declared this to be a holiday week with free admission to every important location in the country. OK, great. Saved some cash. But.........that meant hordes of people descending on Rome during our one and only time here!

I tried to arrange a private tour for us in the Coliseum from the group I used for the Vatican - more later about them - and they admitted - they can’t get us anything special - no access, no skip the line kind of tickets. Sorry.

I credit my son C - the late riser ironically - with the gameplan: Let’s get up at 5:30 am, take the Rome Metro (!!). To the Coliseum and beat the crowds. He was correct that taking taxis and Ubers during daylight hours is useless; the traffic here is beyond description. So we got up before the sun and trooped 8 blocks to the nearest subway stop.Thank god our Rick Steves guides - yes the nerdy guy - were invaluable in helping us to comprehend the route. As it turned out it wasn’t that hard.

No that’s not right. It was simple. Easy. Compared to every single US mass transit/subway/travel system I’ve used, the Rome Metro is increbibly easy and efficient. My kids and I were shocked out clean, efficient, rapid our trips were! We changed trains and got to the Coliseum at 8:15. The place opened at 8:30 and so we hoped there were only a few thousand people already in line.....

Crickets. We were among the first 100 or so who qued up in a line. And that’s when another great stroke of luck hit us: we were approached by a woman selling a tour. I had been warned off of accepting these kinds of things by guides - including Rick Steves - but I just had a feeling. Sixty Euros later we were in a small 20 person group managed by an amazingly funnny and knowledgeable woman who told us everything/anything we wanted to know about this most ancient of Roman relics! We spent the next 3 hours with her climbing up, down, in and around the Coliseum before most of Rome tourists had woken up. By the end of our tour i think there must of have been 25,000 people streaming in - and we were done. Enjoyed a tourist-trap lunch - can’t avoid it in Rome unfortunately - and then walked around the Roman Forum and the Palatine, the area of the original palaces and settlements in Rome.

I admit that my knowledge of Italian and Roman history is lacking. But by the end of the afternoon I felt like I know so much more about the life and time of Romans - enough to really put some serious time into study of this civilization.

We finally got back to Massimo’s oppulent gold leaf apartment for a short rest. Because there was much more ahead. It just happened that this was my birthday - and I had deliberately picked out this city and timing of the trip to be with my kids to spend the day. The best presents I receive from these two is their presence. I’ve told them this time and time again - and I so mean it. They found some fun little Greek decor gifts to commemorate the date - they’ll look great in our new house soon.

I picked the time and place for my birthday dinner: I found an amazing Tuscan restaurant tucked in a little neighborhood 3 blocks from the famous Trevi Fountain. We dined - oh did we dine - Wild Boar Carpaccio, Sauted Langistinos, etc. - and then waddled over to spend time at the famed Trevi fountain. An Uber ride throughout the city - I was wide eyed and rubber necking the entire time - finally brought us home. i couldn’t have imagined a better birthday. Simply perfect.

#birthday well spent

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roscoexsykes-blog · 6 years ago

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Farlo Bene || Roscita

Time & Place: October 12th, 2018. Rome, Italy Summary: Roscoe makes the vow to be there for Rita and their new little family during their vacation in Italy. Trigger Warnings: None, just a bunch of fluffy romance.

@theycallme-rita

ROSCOE:

Roscoe was...in the simplest words - so fucking excited to be in Italy. It had always been something they’d talked about, and joked about with one another. Italy is great this time of year was one of Roscoe’s favorite things to say whenever something went tits up in Swynlake, and honestly? After the entire fiasco with the Hunger Games, and with this baby, and DeSoto? They all just needed to get the hell out of England.

So when Rita had seriously suggested it? Roscoe didn’t hesitate to agree - even going as far as to agree completely for Oliver and his girlfriend to come along to. Was...it potentially a bit of a liability to bring a fifteen year old girl with Oliver to a new country? Probably. Did he care? No. Kept the kid happy at least. Besides, he had a list of things those two could do to stay out of trouble, but he figured they’d be fine on their own. As long as they checked in with Rita a few times a day, he was sure she’d be content.

Today however, he’d basically handed Oliver a bit of cash and told him to do something nice today - since he needed to keep Rita occupied all day himself. He had been serious when he joked to himself about renewing their goddamn vows once they had gotten their shit together. So why not here in Italy? He hadn't talked about it with Rita, but that was part of the charm of it all. A surprise renewal - a chance to do it right. Other than the quick courthouse agreement they'd originally had.

The man had taken his wife out to a nice brunch, a quaint little mom and pop place overlooking the beautiful landscape and when they'd gotten back to their hotel room, Roscoe had simply advised Rita to get ready for a… fancy sort of occasion. God knew he didn't want her coming back at him later and teasingly yelling at him for not preparing her to look her best for something so important. He even looked rather decked out himself, standing my the mirror fixing his tie, before folding up his sleeves to just below his elbows.

“... Y’almost ready, Ri?”

RITA:

Rita was in love with Italy. There was no other way to put it. Not only did it brighten Roscoe’s face but it was beautiful. The culture could be seen in every building, the people were so friendly and welcoming, there was an ease about it that just felt so different from Swynlake and New York. She could really see herself settling down there. Finding a little cottage with Roscoe to raise their baby. Ollie could go to one of the schools. It’d be simple.

But she knew that eventually she’d get bored of easy living. She liked the fast pace of New York and Swynlake. Liked the community.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy every second of Italy. The fact Roscoe seemed to know all sorts of off the tourist map places only made it that much sweeter. She’d done the tourist thing with Ollie and Isa, had taken so many pictures for her albums. It had been fun and enjoyable; but she couldn’t say she didn’t crave the alone time with Roscoe. The way his hand would gravitate towards her stomach in quiet moments or the oh so appealing way he would stuff his own face with such a large grin… she couldn’t remember a time where he looked more boyish— or happy.

Their day had been easy and quiet; a nice brunch with one of the loveliest little couples she’d seen yet. They had regaled them with age old wisdom and fed them til Rita felt she was bound to burst. But it was good for the bambino; or so the elderly woman had told her with a warm smile.

Not the best condition to be slipping into a nicer outfit but Rita did her best. She was curious as to what her husband had up his sleeve.

She was almost ready when his voice called out and she gave an amused laugh. “Just need help zipping up,” she called back, slipping from the room in the long yellow dress she’d decided would be proper for whatever it was he had planned. “Help me?”

ROSCOE:

The corner of his lips tilted up when he heard her response, brown hues glancing over himself one last time before his attention was caught by the flash of color behind him in the mirror. For a moment, the man didn’t turn, but simply observed his wife as she entered the room, the beautiful dress honestly making her look like she could easily fit in as a princess. Letting his smile grow, Roscoe finally turned away from the mirror, gesturing for the woman to come stand in front of him as he stepped back and made room.

“Never used t’understand how yous all get ready for dates all alone.” He teased, gently brushing her soft curls around her shoulder and away from the zipper of the dress, his fingers lingering upon the nape of her shoulder for only a moment before they dropped with a sigh. “...or is this why women always get together with their girlfriends before somethin’ big. Zip each other up n’fix each other’s hair n’all that.”

Which honestly he thought was a women’s thing. It seemed to happen at least - and not just in movies. However now he was only kidding, gently poking fun as he finally let his hands carefully work the zipper up, taking caution not to pinch hair, skin or fabric between the teeth as he did so. Once it settled into place, hues raised once more over the woman’s shoulder, taking in her appearance in the mirror again as he felt his smile grow at the very image.

“Yous so fuckin’ beautiful.” He spoke quietly after a second, fingers ghosting along her hip gently as he took in the image of the both of them together - content in the fact that they even appeared so much more healthy now. Like happiness wasn’t just some far fetched dream for either of them.

RITA:

Honestly, not very many outfits Rita wore were complicated. This dress just gave in all the right places and it didn’t make her feel as bloated as the other ones she had. Why a dress, one might ask. Well, for her, at the moment anyways, they just fit better. There wasn’t any discomfort around her growing midsection and they weren’t nearly as hot as a pantsuit would have been. Plus the chances for her to dress up like this were very rare and this was Italy. One of the most romantic places on Earth.

But Roscoe was right. She needed a team to put this look together. She’d settle for Roscoe, though, because even as he zipped up the back of her dress the action was tender. It wasn’t as if his touches had never been tender before. Rita hadn’t ever wanted them to be so tender or full of love. That wasn’t what their arrangement was. It had only taken a few life or death situations and indiscretion on both parts for her to realize that.

She caught as his gaze lingered on them, a soft smile playing on her lips as she leaned into him. “Yous forget I lived with a buncha guys who did that kinda shit for me,” she answered easily, unable to hide the teasing from her tone. “Course, they weren’t as kind about it as yous. Can’t tell yous how many times I got pinched ‘fore I learned not t’buy them with zippers.”

It was easy to turn in Roscoe’s arms with how they were standing and as she did her arms lifted to wrap around his shoulders, fingers tangling softly in the hair at the nape of his neck. “We’s a good lookin’ couple, ya know. M’gonna have to beat all them old ladies off yous. Theys gonna wanna take you home t’their granddaughters or somethin’.” Rita leaned up them to press her lips to his softly. “I love yous. But are you ever gonna tell me where we’re goin’?”

ROSCOE:

A laugh slipped past the man’s lips, remember unfortunately that yes she’d always had that idiot little ragtag street gang to help her with things such as this. Honestly it wasn’t all that hard to imagine one of them impatiently ripping the zipper up her back or side, catching skin and hair and muttering a quick ‘oops shit sorry’ with a snicker - mostly because it was what he’d see himself if he was a younger teen and was asked to do that for a woman. “..M’surprised it took yous so long to figure that out in that case.” He spoke with another chuckle, letting the woman spin easily in his arms as tightened his grip around her waist.

“Oof… yous right.” The older man spoke, pressing his forehead to Rita’s own as he rolled his eyes fondly. “Gonna have to disappoint a whole lot of nonnas on this trip.” Since all of their granddaughters could go pound sand as far as he was concerned. He’d found his perfect fit - and fuck if he was gonna let her go.

Easily returning Ri’s kiss, Ros tilted his head slightly with a hum, fingers brushing over soft fabric as he rocked the pair of them ever so slightly - as if in step with his own thoughts. “...I love yous too…” He started, pulling back to see her expression before he gave a small nod. “...but absolutely not… Kinda a secret.” That was half the fun, after all. Just like the whole Prom thing; where he’d dragged Rita to Duchess’ house without informing her of that entire portion of the surprise. There was something far too endearing about the woman’s face when she was surprised, and Roscoe wasn’t trying to lose any opportunities to see that priceless expression line her features.

“I promise you’ll love it though.” Since...even if she thought the area was awful (which.. Would be a very hard feat to accomplish) he had full confidence that she’d enjoy the general idea behind what they were doing.

RITA:

“I was young and stupid,” she countered with a pout. It hadn’t happened too often. Mainly when Dodger or Tito did it. Which was why she often had Einstein or Francis do it. They were gentler, more considerate of the fact she preferred not to have red welts on her skin. Bad for business. Or maybe that was exactly why Dodger and Tito did it…

Part of Rita thought that she’d be able to weasle some sort of hint out of Roscoe. But he was being so tight lipped about it. As tight lipped as he had been about his plans for prom. It was bullshit but she understood wanting to plan a surprise. She just really wanted to be in on the secret. “Are yous sure I can’t even have a tiny hint? What if I don’t wear the right shoes?”

It was hardly an excuse but she figured that maybe just maybe he’d take pity on her poor feet. A good evening could be ruined without the proper shoes.

When it became apparent he wasn’t going to give anything up she gave a soft sigh and pulled away from him, giving him a smile as she moved towards the bathroom. There were just a few last touches she needed to do before she was actually ready. It was just hard to get ready when her husband was out there looking so goddamn handsome. All she wanted was to stay locked in the room with him while Ollie and Isa were out doing whatever it was they were doing.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed and Rita glanced down at it with a smile as she saw Ollie’s face on it. Quickly finishing her make-up, she flicked up the screen and chuckled at the selfie she saw of Ollie and Isa. “Kids are having a good time. Did they say anything t’yous about what they were doin’ today?” She moved from the bathroom again, showing Roscoe the picture. Easily she leaned into his side, head resting just slightly against his shoulder. “And m’finally ready. Ain’t doin’ no blindfold. That’s just a touch to creepy, babe.”

ROSCOE:

“..Wear shoes you’re comfortable wearing.” He replied easily, a smirk appearing on his lips as he raised a brow in response to the woman’s pout that was slipping through her features. He knew she didn’t like being a part of the plan, but..there were times when it was worth it to be a little less than clear about his intentions. Even if he wanted nothing more than to burst with the details - he was honestly pretty goddamn nervous, after all. For what reason? He wasn’t too sure, but Roscoe could still feel the slight tightness in his stomach, as if there was some sort of fear deep inside him that he’d mess this up.

A lot of work had gone into to something he’d tried to keep relatively simple...but what if she didn’t like it? This was for her, after all. It would have been a shame to see her expression twist in disappointment.

Fortunately something told him that wouldn’t be the case. Watching after the other as she twisted away and returned to the bathroom made him laugh, eyes only returning to the mirror after she was completely out of his sight. Fingers returned to his tie, adjusting it slightly before he pressed a hand into his pocket - brushing carefully over the velvet box that laid within the folds of material as if to remind himself that it was still there. That would be a very important piece of this puzzle in due time.

Rita’s words broke him from his thoughts, glancing towards the screen and rolling his eyes (actually fondly though) at the picture of Oliver and his girlfriend. “Well...I mean would you believe me if I told yous I paid ‘em off t’do whatever they wanted tonight?” He spoke, tone teasing even if that’s pretty much exactly what he’d done. “...otherwise no. I guess you’ll just have to get that story from him later.” Not that Roscoe wasn’t positive she absolutely would tomorrow. He was sure the trio of them would catch up easily over breakfast. “...no blindfolds? Y’sure? Shit’s kinky ain’t?”

A laugh escaped him as he let his hand rest around her back, pressing a quick kiss to her temple before he moved to escort her from their room, leading her down the hall as he pushed a sigh from between his lips. “Good news though…” He spoke again after a moment, pressing the call button for the elevator, and stepping into it as it arrived, mischievous gaze landing upon his wife as he leaned against the wall of the lift. “...We don’t have to go too far, right?” Words were spoken as he pressed the button within the elevator - however instead of pressing the button to lead them down to the lobby, instead the man had simply pressed the very top one, marked easily to identify not a floor of suites, but...rather a floor that would lead towards the roof. Or at least… easily identifiable to a man that understood the letter combination along the metal.

RITA:

Those words were not helpful at all and Rita frowned just a bit as she stared at the shoes she’d brought. She hadn’t brought any real heels. They hurt her feet and probably weren’t too good for her anymore. But they still looked nice and she did like them. Still, impractical depending on where Roscoe was taking her. Flats would probably be better. Even though they weren’t ideal for her dress. Hindsight was a shitty thing.

Still, she slipped them on and moved easily with Roscoe out the door. “Paid off Ollie and Isa? This is a big thing.” It made her somewhat suspicious as they headed towards the elevator. What was so important that he had to pay off the kids to not show up? Even when he’d surprised her with a trip to Duchess’ home, he hadn’t had the need to keep Ollie busy. Maybe that meant that even Oliver didn’t know what was happening. It made her stomach tighten into knots, her hand holding tight to Roscoe’s.

“I’ll let yous blindfold me if you give me a hint.” She smirked up at him as they stepped into the elevator. As the doors slid shut she pressed herself against him, leaning as he pressed a button. For all her wanting to know where they were going, she didn’t pay attention to what button he was pressing. She just assumed that they were going to be making their way to the lobby. It was the only place they’d gone every other time they left the room. Why would it be any different this time?

She looked up at him as the elevator started moving, the direction not the one she was expecting. “We’re not leaving the hotel?” She asked with a raised brow as she pulled away from him just slightly. “You’ve got something up your sleeve and I’m onto yous.”

ROSCOE:

Okay so really Roscoe couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t at least getting some enjoyment out of watching Rita’s suspicions and confusion register across her features. It was like with every word he said to her, more and more cogs were turning trying to process the mystery being laid out in front of her. It was the real reason he pressed his lips tightly together in an attempt to teasingly tell Rita that basically; he wasn’t budging.

She wouldn’t have to suffer for too long, at the very least, which was why this was an event that was told her to rather last minute compared to the amount of time he’d spent planning it. A single brow raised to mirror her own as Rita turned to him with that accusatory gaze, innocence attempting to be displayed on his features, though he was sure it came off as something far more mischievous. He was too much of a trouble maker to even pretend to pull of an innocent look. “What’chu mean?” Ros teased, gesturing to the sides with his hands and glancing down at his arms as if he was looking just for that trick she was so implying. “I even got my sleeves rolled up t’show I’s ain’t hiding nothin’.” Even if that was a blatant lie.

It didn’t take a genius to see he was planning something - though clearly it would require quite the analyst to find out just what that something was.

“Yous just gotta trust me ain’t.” Ros mumbled, raising a hand to brush a strand of the other woman’s hair behind her ear as the elevator chimed with a soft ‘ding!’. “C’mon. Let me show yous something.” He tried, offering the woman his hand with a smile - making sure it was locked in his grip once more before they exited - walking down the narrow, dimly lit hall. At the end simply was a door, one that, once again, clearly displayed the words warning about roof access and needing permission to enter - that Ros simply ignored as he used his free hand to pull a keycard from his pocket. “Y’gotta promise not to get mad though.” He spoke, offering a smile as he swiped the card without waiting for an answer - opening the door and holding it open with a nod of his head for Rita to go.

Thankfully they were right on time, Roscoe could tell just by the way the sunlight filtered through the door when he’d opened it, the warm and dimming rays illuminating their surroundings - but most importantly, creating the most incredible portrait of Roma, and everything beautiful about her; all very much visible right outside the door. That alone was distracting enough he was sure - potentially enough for the woman to bother searching the rooftop for more clues - since there certainly were a few.

RITA:

Roscoe’s sleeves might have been rolled up, showing off the tattoo she loved so much, but she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. Secrets he was keeping from her for whatever this surprise was. And Rita loved surprises, she did. But mainly she liked planning them. There was something to be said about watching the way someone would light up when the surprise was revealed. It was like watching a sunrise over the city skyline. It was a magical thing and she could see why Roscoe would want such a thing but it was beyond irritating for her.

Still, she let her hands travel up her arms, playing along with the little game she’d accidentally started. “Dunno how much I can believe that,” she hummed, tracing his tattoo slowly. “You’ve got this look, too, yous know. Always gives you away.” After three years of marriage it was easy to tell when the other was up to something. Not that they always called each other out on it. Some surprises were meant to be just that--- a surprise.

It was easy to let that suspicion fade away when his hands were being gentle with her and for a moment she leaned into it, nodding slightly. “Just so long as yous ain’t bringing me up here t’like do me in or somethin’.” She couldn’t help the teasing. It helped ease her own feelings over what was happening. Before she could fully relax into it the elevator was dinging and Roscoe was ushering her out. The hallway was less welcoming as the one to their room and Rita couldn’t help but wonder exactly why she’d needed to get so dressed up. Nothing fancy could after this hallway.

But this was Roscoe. The King of romantic dates and unorthodox surprises.

“Why would I ge---” she trailed off as the door opened and Rita was met with the most beautiful view she’d ever seen. It was like she was seeing the city for the first time. When she’d stepped off the plane she’d been impressed with what she saw but it was nothing compared to this. The sun illuminated everything in its path. It felt as if her breath caught in her throat as she moved closer to the railing on the roof, wanting to be closer to it.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, turning to look at Roscoe for a moment before letting her gaze fall back to the view. “Its--- Its gorgeous.”

ROSCOE:

There was a countdown in his head to when Rita would fall into the trap that Roma’s beautiful held. It was almost impossible not to get sucked into it, and so when Rita’s words cut off, Roscoe couldn’t help but smile, following her gaze and admiring the view that felt so much like home to him. It didn’t matter he’d not grown up here - nor potentially even ever been here. Everything about it spelled home, and with Rita here with him? It might as well have been.

Ros followed her out along the roof, letting her move towards the railing as he hung back slightly, nodding at her words as a small laugh slipped from his lips. “È sempre bello qui…” He responded, honestly not meaning to slip into Italian but it seemed far more fitting here. Flowed much more naturally, and felt right. Even if it was twinged with the accent that pinned him easily to New York. His words were honest though - it was always beautiful here.

Just like Rita.

As just like Roma - Rita was always just as beautiful. While she was busy staring off into the sunset, Roscoe sidestepped slightly, picking up the single red rose that had been left as discussed along a ledge beside the door, fingers gently smoothing over the stalk as he finally joined Rita by the banister, watching the sky for a moment. “I wanted yous t’see the real Italy.” He spoke after another moment, letting his gaze drop to her as he offered her the flower within his hand with a gentle smile - one that was so rare, yet so genuine.

“Figure it’d be the perfect spot…”

RITA:

Rita was lost in the view of Italy. It was hard not to be when the view was this amazing. Roscoe had taken her to some truly beautiful places while they were there. Places that weren’t flooded with tourists and people that didn’t know about them. It was as if she got to see the real Italy. Even if neither of them had actually been there before. With Roscoe, though, it felt like they’d been living there for years now. They should have done this sooner. They should have gotten their shit together before this point. It shouldn’t have taken Swynlake killing both of them in some weird ass dream or them cheating on each other or any of the other terrible things they’d endured since moving to the small town.

No more. She promised herself that they wouldn’t back track. They’d keep on this track. Keep getting better and better. They’d keep this feeling of love and contentment.

She didn’t notice that Roscoe had moved from beside her. Her eyes stayed locked on the view, on Italy. She had no idea what he said other than beautiful but she knew that whatever it was he said, she agreed. Beautiful was the only way that this could be described.

But when his warmth returned, Rita turned to look up at him, that same wonder still written so clearly on her features. “I think you’ve been showin’ me the real Italy the whole time,” she whispered, not wanting to speak too loud in fear of breaking whatever magic there was in the moment. Her smile turned soft as she took the offered rose, wondering where exactly he’d gotten it from. Maybe it was all part of his plan. What even was his plan? Maybe--- Maybe it didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was the fact that both of them were there and in love. She could feel it so warm in her chest.

“The perfect spot for what?”

ROSCOE:

When Roscoe had originally asked Rita to marry him there had been no romance. It hadn’t been cute, or memorable, or even remotely something to cherish. It had simply been a conversation..a agreement that the pair had come to really. It hadn’t been too long after they’d known each other either. Simply put, Roscoe knew had known at the moment that Rita hadn’t seen him the way that he’d seen her - and even then, Roscoe didn’t see Rita the way he did now. It was far more possessive, less love (though there was still love) and more infatuation.

Now however that all seemed so far away. There wasn’t a single situation in which Roscoe could imagine himself without Rita by his side. She was his everything - more now than ever. Who else did he really have if he didn’t have Rita? He’d abandoned his family, and they’d abandoned him in return. His friends were severely lacking, and out of the rare few, there was only one he’d really considered close. One he’d just managed to get right again.

...and it made him realize he’d wanted to make this right again too.

At the woman’s question, Roscoe could only smile - a nervous hint to it as he shrugged his shoulders lightly. A hand reached out, carefully holding the one Rita wasn’t currently holding the flower with as he rubbed a thumb gently over the skin of her palm. “...The perfect spot to… well.” He paused, gaze dropping with another small laugh as he shifted in his spot. “...t’do this, ain’t.” Roscoe finished, giving that hand a small squeeze and moving forward to steal a quick kiss to the woman’s lips.

However that wasn’t his main intentions - and so when he pulled back, Roscoe was sure to keep a hold of the woman’s hand, even as he did the one thing he’d failed to do when he’d asked for Rita’s hand over three years ago. Get down on one knee.

For a moment, it felt incredibly weird - looking up at his wife, as he knelt upon the rough surface of the roof, however… with the beautiful cityscape to their side, and his entire world in front of him, Roscoe couldn’t imagine doing anything else. “I uhm… Y’know I figured we’ve been through an… an awful lot. And...that a hell of a lotta thin’s have changed ain’t? And...most people renew their vows after they get through that kinda thing but…” He trailed off, meeting Rita’s gaze as he offered her a soft smile, thumb still idly tracing the woman’s skin. “...I didn’t want to renew ‘em. I..I wanted to redo ‘em - cause yous mean so fuckin’ much to me, Rita. Everything about yous just… gives me a reason t’get up in the mornin’ y’know? ...and I can’t wait to continue growin’ our family together with yous. I just..I want yous to know that. That I love yous so fuckin’ much I can’t...I mean I can’t even say it enough. ...and that I promise I..I’m always gonna try n’be better for yous. You’re my entire world, Ri, and… I still want t’spend every minute of my life with yous.”

And that was the honest to god’s truth. Something he would never lie about. So as soon as he managed to get the small shake of his hand under control, Roscoe let his hand slip back into his pocket - finally letting go of Rita’s hand in order to present the box towards her - opening it to reveal the ring he’d gotten her. Not so much a wedding ring but… a ring that symbolized their family. No matter how little, and broken - it was everything.

RITA:

There was no words to describe the tenderness of this moment. She still wasn’t sure what Roscoe was doing; whether the sudden tenderness had anything to do with being in Italy or if there was something else behind it all. After all, this side of Roscoe was new to her. All of this was new to her, new to them. Everything leading up to this had been more like an arranged marriage. The two of the coming together because it benefited them. Rita got the security she’d always wanted as well as a good life for Oliver and Roscoe got the pretty girl to dangle off his arm. It wasn’t a fair arrangement but it worked (barely).

But now? Now everything had changed. They’d grown. Both as a couple and as individuals. They weren’t the same people they’d been three years ago when this had started. Moving to Swynlake had probably been one of the best things they could have done. At least for their relationship. Their mental health had suffered greatly but it had ultimately brought them closer. Breaking down those walls that they had both built up before they’d even met each other had been a pivotal point for them. Without it this would have never happened. They would have never made it to Italy, she wouldn’t have ever gotten pregnant. They wouldn’t have been happy.

Her brows furrowed in confusion as he spoke, watching him as he shifted nervously in front of her. “Ros, what’re yo---”

She trailed off as he knelt in front of her, tears immediately clouding her vision. This was actually happening. Roscoe was… He was proposing to her. Properly. Like they did in all the sappy romantic movies. Like people in love did. This wasn’t supposed to be something she’d ever have. The decisions she’d made in her life had made sure of it. All Rita was convinced she’d ever know was a warm body pressed against hers because they’d paid the most. And when she’d married Roscoe it was because he had offered the most. What use was it whining about something as silly as love when she had financial security and her boy taken care of for life? Love wasn’t meant for Rita Saluki.

Yet here Roscoe was, on his knees telling her that he loved her more than anything and that he wanted to do this all right.

A small sob broke past her lips as he stopped speaking and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. This was all too much; way too much. Rita knew that her husband had a flare for the dramatic. That nothing he did was small. But this? This was more than a necklace because it matched her dress or even a Duchess LaBlanc dress for a silly adult prom. This was a ring with Oliver’s name etched in it, his birthstone with it, and a blank spot for their baby with their projected birthstone next to it. It was so overwhelming as she beamed down at him, eyes watery as she tried to get herself under control. He’d had her put all that effort into getting ready and looking nice and she was ruining it by crying uncontrollably.

She dropped to her knees then, cupping Roscoe’s cheeks with her hands. “I love yous so fuckin’ much, you asshole,” she breathed, pressing her lips to his. “I don’t wanna do this with anyone else but yous. I-- I don’t care if we’s renew ‘em or redo ‘em… Whatever. I just wanna-- I wanna spend forever with yous. Even if yous drive me batty an’ make me wanna pull my hair out.” She kissed him again, this time letting it linger before she pulled away. “I love yous.”

ROSCOE:

In a way, Rita and himself were far too similar. He also never thought in a million years that he’d be here. If someone would have asked him when he was younger if he would ever get married...ever have kids? He would have looked at DeSoto with a scoff, and the two of them would have laughed in the face of whoever asked. He never knew what it was like to have more than a brother’s love in his life - never got to see what a functional marriage was supposed to be.

And he knew Rita never did either.

So perhaps that was what made it that much more special. Knowing that the two of them were always completely winging this thing they had together - and that they’d actually gotten to this point together when Roscoe was sure this entire thing would have crumpled a long time ago. It’d been one of his biggest fears, to watch Rita walk out on him when she finally found a better alternative - and though they’d since come to actually find real reason within their relationship, there was something about the way her expression twisted, the way tears flowed freely that almost cemented the fact that Rita was no longer lying to him when she said she loved him.

His free hand was quick to mirror the woman’s own actions, cupping her one cheek gently as his thumb brushed at those tears carefully - his own swimming dangerously behind his eyes, even if he didn’t wish to acknowledge them. The kisses were accepted easily, his fingers curling behind the woman’s neck as he smiled - a small breath of a laugh slipping from his lips as they finally parted. For a moment, Roscoe could only take in the beautiful face in front of him; knowing she loved him, and that together they were so much stronger.

“I love yous too.” He finally returned when he found his way around his words, wiping another tear from her face before pulling her forward and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “...I always want yous t’kick my ass if I do somethin’ stupid but.. I’m trying to minimize that for yous.” Honestly, not drinking seemed to help an awful lot with that anyways. Letting his hand drop from Rita’s cheek, Roscoe took her own in his once more, thumb twisting that old wedding band absently for a moment before he picked the new one from the box, carefully slipping it onto her finger - the pair seemingly complimenting each other in the way an engagement ring might. Yet they’d always been missing one of those, hadn’t they?

“...famiglia è tutto.” He spoke quietly, letting his hands cup her own before he gaze finally rose once more to meet her own. “...this is the most important thing to me.” He promised, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

RITA:

This moment, framed perfectly and most likely on purpose by her husband, was one that Rita would never forget. It would be etched in her mind for the rest of her life as the real night Roscoe proposed to her. That conversation about getting together out of convenience never happened in her mind. The years of arguing and fighting were just a pit stop on their way to here. To something that was better. Not quite picture perfect but perfect for them. Neither thought they would have something like this but what they had was special and it fit them.

Her hands shook only slightly as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It was perfect and she couldn’t help but admire it with those watery eyes of hers. The perfect engagement ring to go with her wedding band. She rubbed her own finger over it, feeling it as she looked down at it.

Family…

It was all she had ever wanted. Somewhere that she not only belonged but something she could feel and possess. Looking harder at it, it was entirely possible to say she simply wanted love. Love that didn’t have expectations or a price tag or limitations. She wanted someone who didn’t expect anything from her. No adoptive parents expecting her to be the perfect child, no partner expecting her to hang off their arm and look pretty, no friends expecting her to do exactly what they wanted. Now, all Roscoe wanted, all it seemed he wanted, was her love and happiness. And that was all she wanted from him. Nothing more and nothing less.

“Famiglia è tutto,” she repeated the words slowly, knowing what it meant only by the sincerity of which Roscoe had spoken them and the words that followed.

ROSCOE:

There was never any way to truly predict how this entire thing would have went. However even if Roscoe would have tried, there was certainly no way in hell he would have imagined it looking anything like this. With Rita looking so goddamn perfect in front of him, looking at that ring on her hand as if it was the key to everything they’d ever needed. Perhaps in a way in was.

It signified so much to them. To her. That was the entire reason he’d gone for a mother’s ring such as that over the standard for an ‘engagement’ ring. Somehow picking one that showed them as a whole, that signified all the work she as a person had done to bring this family together made it so much better. Part of it also just helped him in ways that words failed. Such as the dream bullshit had helped in slowly accepting Oliver into his family as one of his own, this ring helped to tell Rita that in a way that he’d never really be able to form with his own words. It was a hard thing to talk about between them, but he simply hoped this would do it justice. That anytime she looked down and saw it, she’d know they were truly a family. Every single one of them.

“...famiglia è tutto.. Family is everything.” He finally translated with a smile, knowing the meaning was probably already mostly understood surrounding the context, but knowing it was important she understood it nonetheless. Lifting a hand to quickly rub at his eyes - no, he wasn’t crying, shut up - Roscoe gave a small sigh, glancing to their side and noticing the way the sun was disappearing behind the skyline - the way it reflected off her features as his gaze switched back to Rita��s own. “...I want t’start a new chapter with you.” He spoke, his hand gently turning her own in an effort to see those two rings along her finger. “...So thank you… for giving me that chance. For...not just givin’ up on me.” Because honestly? Despite the circumstances? He probably would have given up on himself if he was in her shoes.

RITA:

Family is everything.

How fitting that that was a motto that meant so much to the both of them. How fitting that it was that which brought them close together, brought them back together. The saying that was engraved not only on the band of her new engagement ring but also in her mind.

Family is everything.

She smiled as he wiped away her tears that were still falling, albeit slowly, from her eyes. It couldn’t be helped, though. There was so much emotion inside of her if she didn’t cry she was scared she would implode. And she would never complain about feeling so close to her husband. She was finding she wanted it more and more; and she did not have to feel foolish for asking for it or initiating it anymore. “I love yous.” She murmured the words again, kissing him softly, as she shifted just a bit closer.

“You shouldn’t be thankin’ me, yous know that.” She whispered after a moment, looking up to Roscoe. “Yous always had a feelin’, some sorta spark or somethin’, ain’t? Yous stuck around with me for three years not even sure if-- If I even cared about yous.” She gave a soft laugh as she wiped at her eyes. “Yous stuck around waiting for me and… and I’m really fuckin’ glad you did. M’glad we got here. Ready t’start a new chapter together.”

ROSCOE:

“..n’I love you.” He returned once more, knowing that ever since she’d said it with the true meaning - the feeling behind his own had only shifted to reflect that. Becoming far less pleading and unsure, and instead just confident. Confident and loving, as it should be. A tone he knew wouldn’t be changing anytime soon, and he was so goddamn thankful for it.

Hands raised to gently swipe away those tears she’d been trying to rid herself of, Roscoe’s lips turning up in a gentle smile as he couldn’t help but laugh as well. It seemed so… weird now. To remember that..her words were true, and that he’d simply skirted by the past few years with the odd hope that one day Rita would turn around and love him too. Even weirder to know that...it actually had happened. “I’d...wait for you forever. Stupid as it sounds...but s’true. I’d always wait for yous.” A fact he’d apparently proved by being here now.

“...see if we’s could drink, this is where we’d make some cheesy toast to ‘a new chapter’.” The man teased quietly, voice coming out in a soft whisper as he glanced off to the side, as if looking for someone that was intruding on their conversation. However, a moment later, and Roscoe simply let his arms slip to the woman’s shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug as a sigh fell from his lips. “...sorry about ruinin’ your makeup though, Ri.” He teased with a laugh, squeezing his wife tightly, before he pulled back, pushing himself to a stand so that he could offer his hands out to her to help her stand up.

“...Also...are blindfolds still off the table…?” He asked with another mischievous little grin, tilting his head much like their dogs when they were curious about something.

RITA:

The evening couldn’t have been more perfect. Roscoe had truly, truly surprised her with one of the best outings of their trip. But that had been each day in Italy. Roscoe always managing to go above and beyond what she expected. She had expected their trip to be relaxing, a much needed break from Swynlake. And it had but in between their afternoons and evenings at the hotel, Roscoe had taken her places and shown her things that she hadn’t ever dreamed of seeing.

And maybe that was his plan to get her to agree to move to Italy. He was always saying it was better than Swynlake. And it was.

She’d barely noticed the way her knees were starting to protest from being on the ground when Roscoe rose. She took his hand and slowly stood, clinging to his arm as she made to steady herself. It happened more often than not but she did her best to ignore it. As long as she wasn’t falling over or fainting they were good. “Yous should know better than t’tease a pregnant lady about alcohol,” she pouted up at him, though she wanted to laugh. It had actually been surprisingly easy to cut all of it out of her every day routine. The health of her baby was more important than a drink. But it didn’t mean that she still didn’t crave a bit of wine here and there. Especially in Italy where it was had with almost every meal.

His head tilted and she raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he had up his sleeve this time. Why he kept asking about that blindfold was what confused the most. It was as if this wasn’t the only part of the surprise. Which was ridiculous because this was more than enough. He’d given her a fucking engagement ring on the roof of one of the most beautiful hotels she’d ever been to overlooking a city that was breathtaking. It was overwhelming and more than she could have ever asked for.

“Already told you, babes, blindfolds are for the bedroom only.”

ROSCOE:

The man couldn’t help the half smirk that appeared on his lips at the alcohol comment, his shoulders shrugging up idly with a small laugh. “Aw c’mon. Yous don’t really miss it that much.” At least.. Roscoe didn’t so.. He had to assume that Rita didn’t either. They had both been pretty similar in the habit, so to speak, so it made sense to assume they’d both step away from it with the same mindsets.

“Kinky.” Roscoe laughed, giving a small wink as he looked out over the city - the lights of every building just starting to flicker on among the street lamps, and small fires of distant festivals and traditions. He’d only asked of course, because it wasn’t exactly over. Now it might not have been nearly on the same level as what they’d just done, of course, but… when Roscoe had planned this whole thing out… well, there had been something he’d enjoyed a little too much from a previous event that he couldn’t help but include here too.

Something he figured Rita might get a small kick out of - or at least a laugh at his expense if anything.

“...I suppose it’s not really blindfold necessary anyways.” Ros waved off, turning back to her with a smile as he nodded his head to the side. “...’sides you’ve already kinda seen half of it anyways.” Since...it was still on this rooftop. The damn big rooftop though, and that was certainly a good thing. “C’mon.” He spoke softly, gently leading the woman with one hand towards the opposite side of the roof - slipping past a narrow pathway between the banister and the way in which they’d entered the roof in order to slip onto the other half of the area - already lit up softly with strung lights that extended from extensions of the balcony back to the roof behind them, resembling all those rooftop bars from back home - that always had this kind of set up in the summer when everyone would just sit outside all night long and enjoy the weather.

Except this wasn’t a rooftop bar, and there wasn’t a crowd of people to fight through - it was just the two of them surrounded by Italy. “...I was thinking maybe...I could have this dance?” He asked with another small laugh, waiting a beat - complete with a glance towards the building—one that seemingly resulted in the gentle accompaniment of music in which they could dance to. Thanks, Fabrizio.

RITA:

Roscoe knew her and his comment only made her chuckle as she wiped at her eyes, trying to keep it from looking like a disaster. She didn’t know what else he had planned; if he was taking her anywhere she wanted to look presentable and not like an over emotional mess. “I don’t miss it. We’s gettin something much better in the long run.” It was a God’s honest truth. Their baby was a good trade off for not drinking for the next year or so.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, just watching the cityscape before them. It was like magic how lights just appeared, peppering the rapidly darkening sky like fairies. Or how Rita imagined fairies to be when at night. Bright spots of light illuminating the sky in their wake. It was soft and romantic and it reminded her of nights back home. When the gang would climb up onto rooftops in the dead of night and just… exist. She’d had that with Roscoe a few times here and there; each time something special in her mind. This one was only going to be added to it, their first night in this new chapter of their lives.

She wished she’d had her camera with her.

But then Roscoe was speaking again and that eyebrow of hers raised even as she gave him a soft smile as she took his hand. It was easy to follow him back towards the door, thinking that whatever came next would be behind it. Until they passed by the door and moved to a different part of the roof.

And just as before, Rita’s eyes widened as she took in everything around her. It was a fairytale. Something she had read about in books when she was much younger. The kind of thing that only happened in movies. Her life was never meant to resemble a storybook or a movie. It was raw and gritty. But Roscoe…. Roscoe was making it magical nearly every day.

“Course you can,” she breathed out, turning to look at him with the same soft features she’d had at prom when they’d done this. The music began to waft through the air and Rita couldn’t help but let out a small huff of a laugh. “You’re incredible, you know,” she smiled softly, wondering idly what she had done to deserve all of this.

ROSCOE:

Roscoe certainly hadn’t been kidding when he’d imagined this all in his head. He wanted this to be special for Rita - and if that meant going out of his way, if it meant planning and begging other’s for cooperation? Well hell, he was going to try his damn best to get everything to fall into place. That was why as soon as the option was on the table, Roscoe had begun planning for this. He’d made the arrangements as soon as they agreed on dates, and made sure to make a phone call or...dozens in order to make sure everything could be worked out.

He’d had one hell of a conversation with the owner of this hotel, after all. However thankfully the guy was a romantic at heart himself, and couldn’t help but offer his help to Roscoe in doing all this. He’d granted him the roof access, with little questions asked on what they would be doing up here - and hooked him up with the grounds security manager Fabrizio - who..for an old born and raised Italian was certainly open to helping as well. For once he had to give it to them too - he wouldn’t have been able to get all this shit together if it hadn’t been for them, and it was rare he could be appreciative of other people’s help. This time however, he felt so incredibly in debt to them, especially now as he watched Rita’s expression melt into soft adoration. His own smile mirrored her own as he shrugged his shoulders idly.

“...Only because you’ve given me a reason t’be.” He replied quietly, stepping forward and letting his hand rest upon her hip, as his opposite curled into her own, slowly leading her within their impromptu dance. What he’d said was complete truth in his opinion. What path had he been truly going down before he’d met her? A life of crime and family bullshit with DeSoto and their dad, a life that he’d never fully wanted to be a part of but felt like there was no way out. Rita...well she’d been part of that out. She’d given him something to look forward to - been someone that he could talk to that didn’t cycle around the mafia or the family or any of that. The person who’d kicked his ass into gear and was doing more every day to set him straight. She made him a better person every day. She was the reason he was still here.

As much as he loved his brother - there was a reason he was here with Rita and not back home with them.

She saved his life. Whether she realized that or not - she saved him. He’d only just started to realize that she deserved so much more from him than he’d been giving her. She deserved better, and hell if he wasn’t going to try to make things right. That was why this had been so important to him. Roscoe wanted her to know that this was important to him; that they were important to him.

RITA:

Nothing could have ever prepared Rita for this. For a time in her life where she had everything that she had ever wanted. The dreams she’d had as a child had been written off long ago. How could she ever achieve them when she lived in a run down apartment and made her money selling her body to the highest bidder? Love only lasted a night or two; it was fleeting and unattainable. Marrying Roscoe hadn’t done anything at the time except convince her that her dreams were forever gone. Left as nothing more than a childish escape from a far from perfect childhood.

It was prom that had brought those dreams back to her. The ones where she was allowed to be happy, where she had the love she had always wanted, the family she had always wanted. Prom had been the first time that Rita had seen the love her husband had for her, it had been the first time Rita had allowed herself to feel that love herself. It had been the selflessness that Roscoe had shown. It had been the way that even though he had showered her with all the intricate planning, he hadn’t expected anything from her. It was a gift without any strings attached. It was this. This perfect evening in the most romantic city in all of the world that was focused on them.

The perfect beginning to their new chapter.

Again those tears came, slipping quietly down her cheeks as Roscoe spoke. She still didn’t understand it. Didn’t understand how she had given him so much when she had fought him so hard for so many years. When she had run away from him so often. How could he feel so strongly, say such sweet things, hold her in such a regard? She’d been a terrible wife. Was still just learning how to maneuver their relationship in a way that didn’t cause conflict every few hours.

But Roscoe wanted to stay with her. He always was there. When she acted like a brat and ran away for days on end, when she was sick and acting like a child, when she was over excited over a new song and more than ready to show it to somebody, anybody. If there was one constant in her life outside of the gang, it was Roscoe. Always there to make sure she was taken care of and that she was happy. Ready to give her the moon if she asked for it.

Except she didn’t want the moon. She wanted this. Him. The both of them together and happy and working towards a functioning relationship.

“And here I thought I just drove yous batshit,” she gave a small chuckle, following Roscoe’s slow and graceful steps.

ROSCOE:

He only broke away from the positioning of their intimate dance to raise a hand to her face, gently cupping the woman’s cheek and swiping his thumb against her skin in attempt to rid her features of those pesky tears that seemed to just keep coming back. Roscoe could only be thankful however that they were purely happy tears - that she wasn’t here crying because he’d done something stupid or upset her. Instead, that he’d finally gotten it right and that she was only crying because he managed to get his shit together.

It might’ve taken over three years - but Roscoe wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to start fresh. To begin this new chapter with her with a foundation built off of love and trust, rather than need and desperation.

Rita was his everything. His sun and moon, his stars and his dreams. She was his whole goddamn world, and it sure was about time he started treating her like she was.

“Naw.” He returned quietly, letting their bodies move gracefully under the soft twinkle of the string lights of the roof - mixing perfectly with the now emerging stars of the early evening. “..Yous only drive me batshit in the best way possible.” Which was true - because even when she did drive him batshit, it only reminded him of why he loved her so much. Even if she was giving him hell, or the cold shoulder. He still saw that woman he loved dearly.

The woman he twirled ever so gently within his arms, pulling her back against his chest gently a moment after and pressing a careful kiss to her temple. “...and I always want yous t’drive me batshit, ‘cause at least then I know yous still believe in me.”

So he’d take it - every single day for the rest of his life. Because all he wanted more than anything in the world was to spend the rest of his life with the woman still tucked within his arms - just her and their perfect little family.

After all, famiglia è tutto.

#p: Farlo Bene #x; Roscita #x; Famiglia e tutto #c: Rita #I probs formatted this wrong somewhere but whatever #also after 10000000 years

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