#I vaguely read check please many years ago so I barely know the plot but at all but omg
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hi Al, i hope you don't find this weird, but i saw your post about jack zimmermann and told my gf about it who loves check please and is regularly forced to watch spn with me which led to her sending me this:
i thought you might find it funny especially since you inspired it
THIS IS THE FUNNIEST THING IVE EVER READ SCREAM I just keep rereading my name is Jack zimmerman I have short black hair (thatâs how I got my name) KFKSKDKFJ
#al.asks#Iâm genuinely sobbing#WAIT is he in his thirties?? đđđ#I vaguely read check please many years ago so I barely know the plot but at all but omg#thank you for sending this Iâm so happy
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GF - Mabelâs Worry
Collab with @clownwry! Theyâve been super sweet and very nice, and after getting inspired by this post, I decided to write a full on-fic about it... but then it spiraled out of control, so enjoy an angsty story featuring the sweater twins!
~~~~~~~~~~
Mabel sat up quickly, breathing just as heavy as an Olympic runner. She shook her head to clear it and she hugged her knees in self-embarrassment. It was just a stupid nightmare. Vague, no real plot, but still carried the overall message, the fear, anxiety, and still made Mabelâs blood run cold and sweat sparkle on her forehead. She needed to calm down, get herself together. Milk. Warm milk.
And so she quietly got out of bed and left her shared attic bedroom for downstairs. Despite being gone for nine months, she still knew this dark home by heart. She could walk it blindfolded if needed, but the moonlight leaking in through the triangular windows helped her in her journey. That and a small light coming from the living room. Like a moth to a flame, Mabel sleepily dragged her socked feet to the room and peaked through the doorway, half of her face hidden by wood and shadow.
Grunkle Ford was sitting in the armchair, reading a book in the light of a lamp. Mabelâs spirit was lifted, relieved and happy to see him, but she was hesitant to bother him. He was happy with his book, she really shouldnât bother him with her own stupid problems. She should probably just go get her drink and go to bed and leave him alone. But then Grunkle Fordâs instincts alerted him of a spy and he looked up and instantly smiled.
âMabel,â His blissful facial expression dropped suddenly remembering that she went to bed a few hours ago and it wasnât quite daylight yet. âWhatâs wrong? Is everything okay?â
This really wasnât like her, for words to fail leaving her mouth, for her to be silent or non-vocal. But all Mabel could do was barely step into the light, hands behind her back, and shrug with her eyes to the floor. She was silent because she was afraid of what she would say if she dared to give herself the opportunity to talk. Ford grew more concerned, but he knew what to do; he had more practice under his belt now than he did months ago. He smiled softly at his niece, closed his book and sat it on the dino skull, and patted his thigh. âCome here.â
Mabel looked up and bit her lip. The dame broke over her uncleâs kindness. With watering eyes she ran into his lap and clung onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest and whimpering as tears left her eyes. Ford hugged her back tightly and petted her soft long brown hair. The girl might be thirteen, but that doesnât mean she would stop having nightmares or no longer need comfort. Moses knows, as much as he would deny it, Ford still had nightmares and still needed reassurance. Not to mention it was well-earned after everything he and his family had been through⌠everything he put his family throughâŚ
Mabel was mumbling something into his maroon sweater. Ford thought it was moans, sobs, but as he listened he could actually make out words. âMâsorry⌠mâsorryâŚâ
âHey, hey.â Ford said softly. âThereâs nothing to be sorry for, my dear.â
â... didnât mean tâbother youâŚâ
âOh,â Ford cooed as gentle as a lamb. âOh, sweetheart, you could never bother me. Never.â
Mabel sniffed. âMâsorry.â Whether she was still sorry for bothering him or sorry for being sorry was a bit unclear, but Ford decided it didnât matter.
âItâs alright.â Ford eased. âItâs alright, my dear.â
After a few minutes of letting Mabel cry into his chest, Ford could feel Mabel make a sharp shiver in his hold. He got a pretty good idea, and so he gently had Mabel let him go. She whimpered like a puppy denied a treat, but she watched with sparkling eyes as Ford slipped off his maroon sweater, revealing a thin long-sleeved white undershirt, and he sweetly pulled it over Mabelâs head and smiled at her. She helped him by slipping her arms into the correct holes and she grinned as she now wore Fordâs old red sweater. Nearly every day he wore a Mabel Sweater she had made for her, whether she mailed it to the Stan Oâ War while they were apart, or she gave it to him in person. Only every so often did he wear his old sweater, but they were both glad he did.
Mabel allowed her head to sink deeper into the worn yarn. Her senses and lungs were drowned in Fordâs scent, which brought along happy memories and good emotions. She hugged Ford again and he happily held her, petting her hair and just being there.Â
A few minutes of silence passed, and Ford made a prediction that it was a good time to check on her verbally. âFeeling better? Mabel?â He looked down and Mabel was asleep, one arm still around him, one hand holding onto his undershirt. Ford chuckled warmly in his chest, slowly stood, and carried Mabel to the attic to tuck her in.
~~~~~~~~~~
âDipper, theyâre ready!â Mabel called.
Dipper hurried up the stairs and ran into his shared bedroom, plopped on the beanbag, and Mabel started the call on the laptop they had on the floor between the two beds. The grunkles answered at once, sitting at the table and grinning.
âWell hey there, gremlins! How was your week?â Stan greeted.
âPretty good, just the usual school stuff.â Dipper answered.
âDid you get the package?â Mabel asked.
Ford grinned and picked up the large sealed box and placed it on the table. âYes, perfectly intact! We picked it up in Pevek two days ago.â
âWhat?! And you havenât opened it?!â
âOh, well we thought we should wait untilâŚâ
âYou two will freeze!â Mabel shook her head and smiled. âOpen it and get warm!â
Stan rolled his eyes as he pulled out his pocketknife and cut the tape. âSweetie, in the last two years weâve been sailing youâve sent us three trunks full of blankets, eight pairs of gloves, at least a dozen sweaters for each of us, six scarvesâŚâ
âNot that we donât appreciate it, we always love your packages, my dear.â Ford interrupted. âBut you work too hard. Weâre never cold thanks to you.â
âGood. Letâs keep it that way.â Mabel said firmly.
âOh wow! Mabel!â Ford gasped happily as he pulled out a new green sweater-vest with golden diamonds and a long-sleeved salmon button up. âThis is beautiful!â Ford also pulled out a regular dark-orange turtleneck.
Stan noticed there had been two stacks of things. Ford had already taken out his stack, so the old conman grinned as he plunged his hand into the box and grabbed his new baby-blue sweater with a sailboat on it. âSweet! And look here!â Stan pulled out another sweater, this one being a warm cream color with tiny pinetrees on the neck and wrists and waist of the sweater. âWow, Mabel! Just when I thought your sweaters couldnât get more impressive⌠this is so cool!â
Mabel blushed over the compliments. âIâm glad you like them. Thereâs stillâŚâ
âOh, my dear, this must have taken you ages!â Ford pulled out one last item: a large knitted blanket to go with the others, this one made with very thick yarn that was as soft as the melody of youthful days. It was very large and could easily cover both men, and it resembled the sky perfectly, being dark blue with white specks.
âThank you, pumpkin, this is amazing!â
Mabel grinned and said, âJust please stay warm.â
Ford smiled and nodded. âOf course we will. Weâre always careful, my dear. And thanks to you I think Iâve forgotten what itâs like to be cold.â
Mabel wasnât sure if she bought it, the number of times she saw their chattering teeth, tight jaws, and rosy cheeks and noses in pictures, but she decided not to fight it and she just smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~
There are some benefits to living in the glorious year of 2014. Many different forms of communication allow people to keep in contact, no matter how far apart they are. So not only did Ford, Stan, Dipper, and Mabel, text every day and send pictures and emails, they always had their Saturday night/Sunday morning video call. Always. So, of course, Mabel and Dipper were a little concerned when no one responded to their text messages to ask if they were ready for the call.
âHey guys! Ready?â
âRise and shine, sleepy heads! Canât wait to see you guys!â
âAre you guys okay? We understand if you canât make it this week.â
âIs something wrong? Weâre not mad, but could you please text us.â
âGuys, seriously, this isnât funnyâŚâ
âIf we donât hear back from you guys I will call the FBI! The CIA!â
âYou guys do know how to use your phones, right?â
âAre you guys hurt?! ARE YOU DEAD?!â
Dipper looked up from his phone and across his bedroom. Mabel was in Sweatertown on her bed, buried in her favorite nightgown. Dipper sighed and moved to sit next to her. âMabel, itâll be okay.â
âTheyâre jerks.â Mabel mumbled from within the maroon yarn.
Dipper smiled and nodded in agreement. âYeah, weâll get payback when they finally answer.â
Mabel lifted her head just enough to peek at his twin. âBut what if they never doâŚâ And tears formed.
Dipper rubbed her back and said, âThey will. I swear.â
But they didnât. As time ticked from ten oâclock at night to midnight to even three oâclock in the morning, Dipper and Mabel stayed awake, waiting for a response, both of them knowing any attempt to sleep was futile. And when Mabelâs phone buzzed and rang for a video-call, they both dove and Mabel clicked the green button with a shaking hand.
~~~~~~~~
Stan gave his brother the mug of warm water. âYouâre an idiot.â
Ford snorted and sipped the warm drink. âThis isnât coffee.â
âYou donât need coffee, you need to get hydrated.â Stan collapsed into the couch next to his brother. His eyes landed on the wall-clock, and he shot up quickly and ran for the bedroom. âDAMN IT!â
âWhat? What is it?!â Ford gasped.
âItâs Sunday!â
Ford groaned and slapped his forehead.
Stan grabbed his phone and found a dozen text messages from each kid and some missed phone calls. âAh jeez, I know youâre wiped out, Sixer, but we gotta talk to these kids.â
âI donât care if Iâm on my deathbed, weâre calling them.â Ford hollered back as he loosened the grip of his blanket and Stan entered the room. His brother sat next to him and called Mabelâs phone.
At once Stanâs phone lit up with two distressed looking kids, both with wide eyes but missing their bedheads. âYOUâRE OKAY!â The two teenagers cried out.
Stan winced. âKids, weâre really really sorryâŚâ
âWhat happened?!â Mabel gasped. âGrunkle Ford, are you okay?! You donât look very good, are you sick?!â
âMabel, sweetie, Iâm okay.â Ford eased. âI⌠erm, I fell overb-...â
âYOU FELL IN THE OCEAN?!â Mabel yelled in horror.
âSsh, Mabel!â Dipper hissed, eyeing the door.
âAre you okay?! Are you on your way to a hospital?! Do you need anything? We can hitchhikeâŚâ
âMabel, Mabel, please, Iâm alright, Stanleyâs been taking excellent care of me.â Ford said firmly. âIâm sorry we scared you, sweetie, butâŚâ
âWell, good!â Mabel snapped, visibly angry and now full-on scolding. Stan and Ford glanced at each other nervously, getting flashbacks of scoldings from their mother. âYou should be, knuckleheads! We canât tell if youâre even still alive unless you tell us! Donât you ever scare me like that again, you hear?! If something happened to you⌠Iâm glad youâre happy and doing what you love, but PLEASE donât kill yourselves doing it!â Mabel bit her lip as she realized she was yelling, and she used the long sweater sleeve to wipe at her damp eyes. âSorry, I didnât meanâŚâ
âAw, pumpkin, itâs okay.â Stan replied calmly. âYouâve got every right to be mad at us. Iâm sorry, I should have at least texted you. But I honestly didnât cuz I was busy keeping this dork alive.â Stan teased, elbowing Ford and making him smile. âSo, yeah, that was really scary and that wasnât fair, but heâs gonna be just fine and weâre both okay and you know that now. Right?â
Mabel held her knees and sunk her face into Fordâs old sweater, only her eyes and the top half of her face visible now, but she wasnât looking at them. âYeah⌠Yeah, okayâŚâ
âMabel,â Ford said firmly. âMabel, look at me.â He waited until her eyes were on him, and he smiled softly and said, âWeâre okay. I promise, weâre both okay.â
Mabel couldnât help but return the smile. âOkay⌠okayâŚâ She sniffed and lifted her head a little, but her chin was still happily buried in red yarn. âSo, tell us what happened? Was it the Kraken again?â
Stan grinned at the opportunity for a story, and the kids happily sat and listened.
~~~~~~~~~~
Almost fifteen-years-old. Dipper should know better than to run off into the woods after a dangerous anomaly, but he did it anyway. Mabel stayed home to make sure the monster didnât come back, and was soon reunited with her boys as they arrived, breathing heavily. Dipper was okay for the most part. His arm was hurt and he had a black eye, but he was okay, and their grunkles were only a little scuffed and there was a leaf or two in Fordâs fluffy hair.
Mabel hurried to Dipper, but instead of hugging him like the three guessed she would, she smacked her brother over the head.
âHey!â
âMabel!â
âYou KNUCKLEHEAD!â Mabel screamed. âDonât you EVER do that again, you hear?! Donât you dare! What were you thinking?! You just HAD to go after it! Couldnât go inside like a normal person!â
âGood to see you too, sis.â Dipper muttered. âI had it under control.â
âI donât care! What if you never came backâŚâ
Dipper blinked and interrupted her. âAw, Mabel, that was never gonna happen.â
Mabel bit her lip, held herself, and looked away.
âM-Mabel, Iâm really sorryâŚâ
âHere, letâs get you cleaned up first, and then weâll talk about this, okay?â Stan eased, sensing that they needed a time-out. âCâmon, kid.â
Dipper sighed and followed Stan to the bathroom where they kept the first aid kit, leaving Ford alone with Mabel, who was well prepared to talk to her.
âMabel, my dear, you have every right to be upset with himâŚâ
âHow could he do that?!â Mabel looked up at her uncle. âHow could he think for a second itâs okay to just run off like that?!â
Ford chuckled a little to try to lighten the situation. âYou know your brother. He has high ambitions and is extremely curious.â
âThat doesnât matter!â Mabel snapped. âItâs still stupid and selfish! I know he needs to do what he loves, but doesnât he know how much I need him?! How can he just leave me behind?!â
Ford stared at Mabel. Her voice was cracking, her lip was trembling, and something in her eyes was screaming to be heard. Ford thought for a second, then dared to ask, âA-Are you talking about Stanley and I as well?â
Mabel sobbed. She yelled out in pain and collapsed on the bottom step, burning her face in her hands, and sobbed her heart out. Ford was stunned to hear her cry so hard, in so much emotional pain. She didnât even cry this hard over any nightmares, and he had dealt with a handful of them. Poor Mabel was crying so hard and violently she gagged and retched occasionally, her body torn if she could cry or not but it was out of her control.
Ford got on his knees before her, but did not touch her. It broke his heart to see her so upset. And he and Stan had done this? Whatever it would take to fix it, he would do it. He was reluctant, but if sailing around the world with his brother was causing this much pain for their girl, then they would both agree to dock for good. âM-MabelâŚâ
âI understandâŚâ Mabel mumbled through her tears and into her palms. âI understand why you had to go⌠why you both wanna go⌠b-b-but what if something happens to you?! How many times have you both gotten sick or hurt or nearly killed?! I miss you all the time and Iâm always worried Iâll never see or hear from you again!â
âOh, Mabel, sweetieâŚâ Ford reached out a hand to put on her shoulder, but Mabel threw herself into Fordâs hold and he hugged her back tightly.
âI get it⌠I understand why you have to go⌠so WHY do I still feel this way?!â Mabel sobbed, clinging onto his uncle for dear life. âIâm so angry and scared and hurt! But I donât want you to stop, I want you to sail cuz I know it makes you happy, but I need you to be okay!â
A lot of things clicked in Fordâs brain. Why Mabel always sent packages full of warm clothes. Why she always asked what they ate. Why she always checked on them. Why she was very observant and asked if they were okay if something was slightly off. Why she easily got worried if she didnât hear from them. And why she always hugged them like she never wanted to let them go.
 Ford blinked his stiff eyes a few times and forced himself to keep it together. âIâm so sorry, Mabel. You and your brother are everything to us. I love you two more than anything. If⌠If sailing causes you this much distress we canâŚâ
âNO! No no no!â Mabel screamed in horror, holding on tighter. âNo, please donât stop cuz of me! I donât- That doesnât matter!â
âMabel Pines,â Ford said firmly and readjusted his hold on her so he could look her straight in the eye. âYou matter.â
âI-I know. I know.â Mabel breathed. âBut⌠please donât stop sailing cuz of me. Please. I donât want you to stop. But⌠I want you and Grunkle Stan to be okay. I⌠I canât lose youâŚâ
A large lump was in Fordâs throat. He tried to swallow it away, but it didnât work. He compromised and took advantage of the silence. He cupped Mabelâs right cheek with his left hand and wiped some tears away with his thumb. Mabel covered his hand with hers and turned her face into his palm.
âI understand, my dear. I do. And Iâm so sorry. I swear, we wonât stop sailing unless we want to. You have my word. But I also swear to you that Stanley and I wonât let anything happen. We;re too scared of losing each other to let anything happen, believe me.â Mabel moved her eyes to his. âWe will always come home. I promise.â
Mabel hugged her uncle again and cried into his shoulder, leaving him to rub her back and pray she would be okay. Ford opened his eyes and caught the sight of his twin at the top of the stairs. He must have heard Mabelâs screams and come to investigate, but decided to stay out of it. But a look from Ford told Stan that Mabel needed him too, so Stan climbed down the stairs, sat behind her, and hugged them both.
#GF#gravity falls#gift#collab#ford and mabel bonding#fanfiction#clownwry#sea grunks#angst#ANGST AND FLUFF
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Written in the Stars Will Have to Do
OK so I saw @hey-there-hunter âs JMart Wedding Challenge and I pretty much fan ficced immediately?? Like it was an instantaneous plot bunny that stabbed me in the brain and would not let me free until I made it exist. SO HERE YOU GO! Read it here or head on over to AO3 below! And enjoy some unapologetically aggressive fluff with weddings! Also subtitled someday Crow will stop abusing excessive astral imagery and symbolism for extended metaphors, but today is not that day.
Read on AO3 instead!
Written in the Stars Will Have to Do
Jonathan Sims always thought of himself as a man with a deep appreciation for the great literature of the world. Â A passionate turn of phrase, crystalline motes of clear imagery like snowflakes reflecting light in his mental scape, a devastating contemplation on the nature of good and evil in the hearts of all mankind, everything that could express the beauty and tragedy of the world in ways he never could. Â Prose was a bright paintbrush on a ragged canvas of the universe he had known from an early age was swathed in shadow and pain and evil, and those words on those pages, for at least a moment, were another world he could hold in his hands, could cradle and protect, could mourn. Â He liked the power of them as well, of the tinkling brightness of alliteration, the oaky sophistication of a well-aged metaphor, the evocativeness of the idiosyncrasy in a simple simile, laying bare truths in ways he never could have articulated for himself.
There was one thing he could not abide by in language, however, one cardinal sin liable to besmirch any piece of lush and sparkling verse or prose and taint it forever. Â And that was idioms.
Jon loathed idioms and their dismally quirky cliches dressed in familiarityâs tacky clothing almost as much as he hated spiders. Â Perhaps it was something about their reliance on common knowledge and repetition. Â He couldnât bear reading the same book twice, or even a book that felt too familiar, it only made sense that hearing a hackneyed phrase repeated in that awful singsong sardonic tone of someone who knows full well theyâre saying something asinine that has been repeated ad nauseum for millennia would scrape at the back of his skull and down his spine. Â They were too whimsical and blasĂŠ, crutch words for when oneâs limited lexicon came up empty, or worse, for ill comedic effect. Â They reinforced that staunchly English notion of skirting about the true depth and breadth of emotion for clipped niceties and unfeeling banalities. Â Idioms to him were mere verbal window boxes, colorful and meaningless, dressings for untold disasters behind the shining windows they peacocked before. Â
He hated them all with vaguely equal rancor, but there was one he could definitely single out as the one he hated the most, and that was the one about hanging the moon. Â Such and such thinks you hung the moon, to me you hung the moon, and so on. Â This particular rhetorical felony attracted his wrath only marginally because any moon symbolism never failed to feel outlandish and infantile, a mawkish image of love and care rampant in nursery rhymes and cheap commercialized slogans for t-shirts and wall art. Â That was the least of it. Â He hated the idea of hanging the moon mostly because once, another lifetime ago now it seemed, Tim Stoker had lobbed it in his face in a fit of smoldering rage and he had been completely, complacently, ignorant of its magnitude. Â
Funny thing was, he couldnât even remember what the actual fight had been about any longer. Â Though he could remember exactly where he was standing, cornered next to the file cabinet for the year 1985, January through February, and the label had been peeling up on the upper left-hand corner. Â He remembered heâd discovered a hole in the elbow of his jumper that morning and he had been obsessing over it all day, fussing with the dangling green thread and tugging at the knit as if it might magically close the wound. Â Heâd put his finger clean through it with his arms crossed haughtily over his chest without even realizing heâd been fiddling with it when something flippant about Martin came out of his mouth. Â It hadnât even been cruel, he couldnât even remember how Martin had come up in the argument in the first place, he could only remember Timâs mouth moving like he wanted to say something else, then him forcibly stopping himself before he snarled.
âYeah well, god knows why, but he thinks you hung the moon, so you might try treating him at the very least like a human being once in a while.â
It was such a small thing. Â Small words for a small feeling cloaked in a chintzy veneer of idiomatic dismissal. Â A trembling little bird cupped in his scarred and battered hands and smothered. Â Or so he thought. Â Sometimes trembling little birds turn out to be phoenixes, and those who looked to someone else to hang the comfort of a wise, silvery moon in the sky already have the hammer and the picture wire at the ready.
As far as Jon was concerned, the moon only rose on their Somewhere Else because Martin deigned to pull the strings every night, not him.
It was Martin who brought him tea every morning, set it down on the breakfast table with that little flip of the tag and the deft, one-fingered turn of the handle toward him. Â It was Martin who scolded him because whites are a separate load, Jon, were you raised in a barn? Â Martin who talked him through every episode of the Doctor Who reruns that were the only thing their ancient aerial could pick up. Â Martin who planted flowers in the garden and brought muffins from the sweet old lady at the grocers because they traded baking recipes. Â Martin who still looked at him with diaphanous pools of ethereal moonlight in his eyes and his smile like he alone hung it in the sky over his head to wash him in its radiance.
Even after everything.
Even after it had been Martin who had to hold the knife buried in his chest as he lay gasping wetly for breath in an alleyway in Another Chelsea to keep the hemorrhaging at bay. Â Martin who had cupped his face in his bloody hands with tears streaming down his and forced him to focus, furious love blazing in his sea mist eyes as they locked with his, screaming at him and him only, heedless of anything else.
âLook at me. Â LOOK at me, Jon! Â Stay with me! Â Stay with me, DAMN YOU!â
Stay with me had not been a plea, it had been a command. Â He had never once said please because it was never an option. Â Shivering, breathing blood through his teeth, the streetlights a fading, star studded halo in Martinâs strawberry blond curls be damned, he was right. Â Against every tangled thread of fate twisted deep into his flesh, or perhaps because they had been the only thing that held his torn innards together, he made it to the part where he awoke a few fractured times to nothingness, and then to fingers he knew every inch of inextricably bound up in his and a fierce whisper in his ear.
âIâm here, Jon. Â Iâm still here. Â Iâve got you. Â Iâm going to fix this. Â Iâm going to get us out of here. Â Weâre going to be okay.â
It had been Martin who orchestrated their clandestine escape from the hospital the moment they both agreed he was well enough to survive under his rudimentary medical care and before the authorities got too invested in an urban ghost story of two men who didnât exist. Â Not to mention one of which should, by all medical and logical law, be dead. Â It had been Martin who had stolen the necessary antibiotics, drugs, and wound care supplies, Martin who had picked enough pockets to buy passage on a midnight train to the only place they could think to go, and expressly told Jon not to ask where he learned how, even though he knew full well he would later. Â Martin who had fought for everything and kept him hidden and safe while he lay in a dingy hotel room somewhere in Scotland, drifting in and out of consciousness between kisses, cold compresses, spoonfuls of whatever he could get him to swallow and keep down, and desperate âI love youâs.
Martin had been the one who hung the moon even on the nights Jon couldnât see it, just so he knew it was there, that the light might finally guide him home. Â Not him. Â He could have never done something so selfless and simple and beautiful. Â No not him. Â Not The Archivist. Â How could he have ever known that? Â Stupid, myopic, pedantic, all-seeing and blind. Â A blustering, sanctimonious Tiresias in a sweater vest and half-moon glasses. Â And how important was the moon, anyway that he was expected to hang it too? Â Would not night still come and the stars still shine? Â The stupid, vapid saying should have been about the sun anyway. Â Something that nourished and guided and warmed. Â Not the moon. Â Not the thing of night and hungry wolves and quiet loneliness. Â Not a thing of the darkness they fought and still not won, not exactly, not in a way that mattered. Â How could he have known the weight of such a thoughtless, frivolous, meaningless phrase and how far and how long Martin had borne it for him to protect he who hung his moon? Â
He could see the weight of it so clearly now. Â He could see it especially on the darkest days, which came, in grotesque mockery, the moment they found something like their safehouse and rest at last. Â Jon had conned his way into a job at the village library with an ancient head librarian who didnât care much for too many questions, or background or credit checks, and was more than happy to pay in cash. Â With Martinâs help of course. Â Martin himself had taken up stocking at the village grocers, and their life had teetered onto something so close to quaint and normal it suddenly laid bare the gravity of the depths of darkness they had escaped.
No longer did they have to run, no longer did they have to fight, they could finally lay down the chase and curl in upon each other to lick their wounds in quiet. Â But without the driving, primal instinct to live, to survive, that ushered in the days where all the hurt came back to roost and brood and fester. Â The days where he couldnât bring himself to get out of bed, or the days Martin couldnât bear the sound of his voice, or the days they shouted themselves hoarse, stormed apart for hours then came back, silent and broken, red-eyed and exhausted to hold each other and weep into the spaces between neck and shoulder where it still smelled like love and home.
He could see so painfully clearly the toll following him to the ends of the cosmos and back had etched its marks into his goodness, his body and soul, see how often he would walk down the road from their cabin, just a little ways, to stand on the heather spotted hills and gaze out into the frigid infinity of the gray sea. Â Cold terror would grip him then, incite a desperate want to run after him, to throw his arms around him and bring him home, but also the fear it would only be to have him turn to mist and slip through his fingers forever. Â He always had a cup of steaming tea waiting for him when he came back, just in case.
But again, and always. Â It was Martin who would pick up Jonâs hands, kiss every slender, scarred finger through his tears and be the first one to utter âIâm sorry.â Â Martin who told him with just a single scathing flash of stern blue eyes and not a single word uttered that he was certainly coming to bed and not banishing himself to the couch like an idiot. Â Martin who wrapped him in his arms and warmth and boundless love and reminded him, âOne way or another. Â Together. Â That was the deal, right? Â You donât get to back out now. Â No returns, refunds, or exchanges, Iâm afraid.â
And even through the deepest sobs he would find the laugh Jon didnât think was in him. Â Martin sifted through the mire and the muck and held fast to the tiny, shining things so easy to lose in the darkness. Â Things Jon was certain were lost forever, only to be reignited and hung in the brightening sky of their story. Â Even if they werenât quite the moon yet.
It had also been Martin who, on a perfectly ordinary day, on a simple walk through the local farmers market, stopped to peruse one of the usual unremarkable stalls filled with crystals and oils and trinkets. Â Jon had wandered off to procure the parsnips and the strawberries, unrelated recipes Martin swore, he had been tasked with finding. Â When he returned he found him, a radiant monument tall among the faceless locals, rusty curls caressing his face in the salty breeze, carved of marble and rose quartz and gazing down at a pair of hematite rings on a velvet display box. Â His eyes were distant, but not in the enthralled, disembodied way they were when he looked at the sea, or the broken way when they werenât speaking, but in the contemplative, regarding of puzzle pieces way when he would look into the fire during their talks and turn his words in his mind over and over again like a rock tumbler until they were polished just right.
âGetting into crystals now, are we?â Jon had joked, âSurely Iâm not so dull to be around that thatâs becoming an attractive hobby.â
Martin snorted and shook his head.
âSupposed to mean healing, or grounding, or something. Â Aligning your meridians, I think the lady said? Â Whatever that means,â he elaborated, reaching out to touch.
They clinked weightily together, thick and glossy and the dark astral gray of a moonless night. Â Martin turned over the card that went with them and read.
ââA grounding stone that belongs to the planet Mars. Â It strengthens our connections to the earth and aids the warrior on their journey. Â It is a stone of invincibility, but also fragility. Â It balances yin and yang energies with its magnetic properties for the perfect reflection upon oneâs own soul, astral, physical, and spiritual.ââ
âHematite, is it?â Jon asked, âAlso more commonly called bloodstone. Â You know if you scratch it, it leaves a red mark. Â Like itâs bleeding. Â Watch.â
He picked up one of the rings and firmly ran it down the corner of the card Martin had been reading from. Â Sure enough, the black stone had left a faint, but starkly crimson mark on the yellowed paper.
âIt BLEEDS?â Martin exclaimed in horror.
âItâs just a kind of iron oxide, so, rust, basically,â Jon explained with a chuckle, âKind of weirdly romantic if you think about it? Â This intimidating shiny black stone like armor, made of iron to boot, but with a bleeding heart at its core.â
âI just thought it was pretty, I didnât know it bleeds,â Martin had laughed in that incredulous way he always did when Jon was telling him something he didnât actually want to know, but appreciated anyway.
âI find that the strongest, prettiest things often do,â Jon had said in reply. Â He remembered saying that particularly clearly, waxing poetic, feeling a swell of affection for the hugely beautiful man he leaned against and was adorably aghast at bleeding rocks.
âYeah, I reckon they do,â Martin murmured back.
And then his cheeks had flushed bright red under his freckles and the stone steps of his shoulders crumbled a bit under the crushing ancientness and vastness of what he had originally been pondering.
âSo, I mean, before you spoiled it with the blood thing.  I was thinking⌠Well, I was just having a browse and I saw these and I thought they were quite fetching, and then the lady told me they meant grounding and healing and a journey, like on the card.  A-And there were two of them, all by themselves, and everything else was so colorful and flashy these were just so⌠Um.  Maybe the blood and rusty iron thing makes it more poetic now, actually?  I donât know.  Sorry I-  This sounded so much better in my head.â
It wasnât his fault, Jon remembered thinking. Â Martin couldnât find the words because there werenât any. Â Not in this universe or any other. Â Not for what theyâd gone through, and especially not for what they meant to each other.
âI guess I was just thinking.  If⌠I bought one.  And wore it.  Sort of like.  Um.  You know.  Would⌠Would you-?â he had asked, his voice trembling.
Jon had never said yes, yes of course he would, faster or with more conviction in his life. Â And there was that look again, rising from the ashes, that flooding of golden, unbound love and light, of eyes turned sky blue, of looking at the man who hung his moon in the sky come back to him. Â He could still hang Martinâs moon all over again after so many nights of black clouds and darkness, even if it was only paper. Â Theyâd paid for the rings in rumpled bills, exchanged them right then and there, and kissed each other as the crowd of oblivious people in a world they did not belong in flowed like a river around them. Â Jon forgot the bag with the parsnips and strawberries.
But it didnât matter. Â It didnât even matter that Martinâs fit nicely on his ring finger, but Jon had to wear his on his thumb, and even then sometimes on a chain around his neck for fear of losing it. Â It didnât matter that it was the closest thing they were ever going to get to a proposal and a wedding, consigned now forever to the shadows in a borrowed reality with only each other. Â Because it was theirs, and they could begin to figure out how their broken pieces fit back together again.
But like most things that donât matter, it didnât until it did.
It began as simple things. Â Seeing a wedding on some program they werenât actually paying much attention to and Martin making a flippant, innocuous comment as he combed his fingers lovingly through Jonâs long and silvered chestnut hair in his lap about how he would have loved to have a cake that had a different flavor on every tier at their wedding. Â Just so everyone could have something they liked. Â And Jon woke up from his half catlike stupor and looked up at him with such aching regret as those words settled into the pit of his heart alongside âhe thinks you hung the moon.â Â
And soon they began to gather a collection of completely innocent remarks that ran the gamut from âwould they have worn black or white?  Or one of each?  I donât know⌠does it really matter?  And were these engagement rings or wedding rings?  I donât know.  Neither?  both?  And do we say husband instead of boyfriend now?  FiancĂŠ?  Whatever you want, MartinâŚâ To the heavier, cancerous weights that sank to the bottom of his gut, even below hanging the moon, like âI know Tim would have thrown the most amazing bachelor party for both of us, and his mum had always talked about him getting married someday like it was a farfetched pipe dream, but she would be happy for them, he thinks.â
He could never answer those questions. Â There was too much at stake, too much finality and familiarity in them, a strange weightlessness in a world that weighed far too much. Â The sun and moon continued their eternal dance of time, ignorant, unbothered, but Jon kept collecting those silent debts of normal life, secreting them away in a hidden singularity in his heart that only grew heavier and metastasized farther the more times Martin walked out at night, not him, beaming starlight from his eyes and his fingertips, to hang the moon again. Â So soft, so full of wooly cows and pink heather and the smell of tea and sea salt and Martinâs shampoo on the pillow next to him did it become, that it was almost inevitable that one morning Jon awoke absolutely convinced none of it could be real. Â
The moment he decided that, everything made so much more sense. Â He could breathe again. Â There was a reason he could never sit still, never just feel at ease or talk about the future like it was a real thing that could still happen. Â He knew why the silence made his brain itch and why he still glanced around corners and glowered at anyone who dared let their gaze linger on his Martin too long. Â Why Martinâs ring fit and his didnât. Â There was too much debt to the universe to be paid, too many broken promises, too many corpses in his wake, he had done nothing to deserve this idyllic life of love and peace and smallness and Martin. Â It had to be Her doing, Itâs doing, some carefully woven torture chamber that would lure them to the apex of their joy, the center of the web, where they would just be devoured over and over to empty husks and set up like chess pieces to fill with love and light just to knock down again. Â He wasnât free after all.
Jon had been halfway into his coat and halfway out the door to do, he didnât know, something, anything, to go to the library to use their computer and research something he didnât know he was looking for when Martin had seized his hand and whirled him around.
âJon. Â STOP. Â Itâs over.â
And heâd stopped. Â Heâd looked into those baleful blue eyes, fallen into their depths, landed on the precipice of madness, and broken. Â It wasnât over. Â Not for him. Â He finally understood. Â It was still there. Â The Eye. Â It always had been. Â Though not really, he understood slowly as he wept on his knees in their doorway into Martinâs chest, it had indeed closed forever on him, but it lingered as distant static, like a phantom limb, a metaphysical itch that could never be scratched. Â Martin had cradled him close and listened, listened so patiently as he ripped the jagged black fear from the deepest, ugliest part of his heart, hauled it up bloody and messy from his throat and finally laid it bare for both of them to see. Â And when it was done and he couldnât cry anymore Martin had locked eyes with him in a way that made him forget any others could have ever existed outside of crystalline blue and filled with moonlight.
âListen to me.  I know you think you have some cosmic burden to bear.  That youâre still wearing some⌠some fucked up crown and sitting on a throne of skulls and death and eyeballs or whatever image you want to put there, and that you have to sit and hurt and watch over everything so it doesnât happen again, but...  Sorry, Jon, but thatâs bullshit.  Itâs just a scar now.  Thatâs all.  Just like the rest of them.  Ugly and beautiful and proof that you âJonathan Simsâ are still alive.  And you are not The Archivist anymore.  Youâre just mine.  My Jon.â
Heâd held his Jonâs stunned face in his hands and peppered kisses over the pock marks in his skin, over the slash on his throat, the burnt fingers that still couldnât bend quite right, even the one on his chest, the one almost always hidden by fabric but the one he didnât need to see to find. Â His heart and fingers would always remember exactly where it was. Â And heâd kept his lips there a moment, then turned his ear to his chest and wrapped his arms around his waist to listen to his heartbeat like a trembling little bird.
âIf I can hear it and feel it. Â So can you,â he whispered.
Unsteady fingers curled desperately into Martinâs silky locks, hematite loop cool against his scalp, âThank youâŚâ
Martin stayed for the kiss on top of his head he knew was coming and smiled.
âOkay, so itâs simple to fix if you think about it,â he murmured into Jonâs chest, âWe just need that thing, you know? Â The thing that makes you feel like youâre still doing the thing, but youâre not. Â What was the word for it again? Â A placeholder? Â Like when you quit smoking and you hold a pencil or a straw or something thatâs not actually a cigarette so you can wean yourself off the ritual?â
Jon blinked owlishly down at him as he dried his eyes.
âA⌠placebo?  Are you talking about a placebo?â
âYeah!  Thatâs it!  We just need to find you a placebo for Knowing things!  Thatâs all.  Like⌠reality shows, or-or zoo cams or something!  Weâll figure it out together.  Alright, love?  I promise you.  Itâll be okay.â
Jon was skeptical, so very skeptical, but if Martin was determined to find a balm to soothe his jagged, ontological scars he would happily play the part of lab rat for him. Â Theyâd tried a myriad things to replicate the feeling of Knowing and looking something deep within him still craved. Â The zoo and animal livestreams were a bust, cute and entertaining as they were, but animals werenât ever the purview of The Eye and the camera itself was barely a scrap. Â Reality shows came closer, the more salacious the better, but even that temporary fix wore off when Jonâs disgust with the overall content and participants outweighed any benefit. Â Martin was just happy to have finally converted him to Bake Off, at least. Â They tried people watching in the square in the village, but it made Jon far too self-conscious and guilty. Â He used the binoculars exactly once, and that was to look at the cows in the fields, and the choose-your-own-adventure books Martin had been certain would strike a sagacious chord wound up in the donation bin at the library. Â But that was when he was struck with a bolt of genius.
Unbeknownst to Jon, which brought him no small measure of glee, Martin ordered, received, and then set up with a literal bow in their back garden the finest telescope he could afford on his meager savings. Â Heâd researched for days, asked on every amateur astronomer forum he could find, and had it delivered to the grocers so he could make it a proper surprise. Â Heâd even gone so far as to attack and blindfold a hapless Jon the moment he made it home from work on the day it was ready, and stood behind him giddily bouncing as he tore the tea towel away from his eyes.
âA⌠Telescope?â heâd blurted dumbly.
âYes! Â Itâs perfect, right? Â I asked around to find the one that had all the best features, and this one has the best overall magnification and the most lenses, but it doesnât have the little satellite positioning thing? Â I figured you wouldnât want that anyway, you always like figuring things out and finding things on your own better.â
Martin had been positively radiant. Â Jon had just stared at the gawping black tube and chewed the inside of his cheek as he processed what to say.
âI mean⌠thank you, Martin, really.  It was a sweet thought, but if the binoculars didnât-â
âScrew the binoculars! Â This is different!â Martin happily insisted, âYou can look at so much more! Â Stars and planets and galaxies and what have you, and it can maybe be sort of like youâre looking for other worlds? Â Wormholes or whatever? Â Or signs of The Fears and where theyâve gone? Â Or even if the stars are the same here as they were back before? Â Space literally has so many things to LOOK at we canât even count them! Â This has got to be it!â
Jon tried to smile and laugh and agree to try it out, at the very least, if only because Martin was beaming so sweetly with pride and hope. Â Though that first night he didnât, ushering them back in with promises of tomorrow, Martin, I promise tomorrow. Â Tomorrow had been a lie. Â As had been the next night. Â In fact, it took Jon a full week to even remember they even had a telescope, and that was only after getting the smuggest, Cheshire grin out of Martin after casually mentioning there would be a visible, if partial, lunar eclipse that night. Â Heâd relented, only because heâd entrapped himself, and theyâd both bundled up, looked in the manual for the best size lens to view the moon with, poured a few glasses of wine, and turned their eyes to the stars.
Martin had gone first, gripping the eyepiece and adjusting the focus all the while gasping in awe. Â It was so beautiful heâd burst into poetry with a crooked grin.
âArt thou pale for weariness? Â Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth, wandering companionless among the stars that have a different birth, and ever changing, like a joyless eye that finds no object worth its constancy? Â Sounds a little familiar, eh?â he joked, casting a wry look over his shoulder.
Jon rolled his eyes fondly.
âGross. Â Keats again?â
âNope, Shelley this time, and even he thinks you ought to have a look at the moon. Â I think youâll find you have a lot in common.â
Jon had sighed obligingly and shuffled to the telescope, fully expecting to look at something bright and round with a bit of a shadow on it that was distinctly unremarkable, have another glass of wine, and then go back inside to snuggle by the fire. Â What he saw in that tiny pinhole of light pierced straight through the hazel brown of his eye and plunged him into another world entirely.
The sands of the moon glowed the purest white in the refracted light of the distant sun with which it waltzed. Â He could see in crisp, shadowy relief the innumerable scars she bore, the depth and breadth of Ptolemaeus, the boundless lonely flatness of the maria, named for the oceans they were once thought to be, an insult to the rock plains forged a millennia ago in birth by cataclysmic fire. Â Every crater remained wrought in perfect, frozen detail with no erosion or foliage to slowly heal them over, and she beamed them proudly, ostentatiously in her heavenly light. Â A hulking, ancient protectorate, hung by the hands of creation at the dawn of time for a fledgling planet, hundreds of thousands of miles away, and yet so crystal clear and unafraid as he perused her millions of years of cosmic sentinel through a lens. Â It was dwarfing, humbling, viscerally awe inspiring in a way he dared not voice for fear of snuffing out the fragile glow of wonder and excitement welling in his chest he had been so certain was gone forever.
Astronomy had never been something that had particularly interested Jon, back when his entire reality from the moment his childish hands had touched a single book was spent peering into shadows and watching his own back. Â There was no point in wondering what lay among the stars when danger and death lurked so close behind with slavering jaws ever poised at his throat on terra firma, but now. Â Now, he had been living in an alternate world, dimension, reality, somewhere, he couldnât even say for sure. Â Heâd been hurled potentially through the very stars that twinkled coquettishly above, flashed through their nebulous veils and curtains under their indifferent gaseous gazes, but seen nothing. Â Here was a vast expanse of complete chaotic indefiniteness inviting him in to see what few had ever seen, to guess and hypothesize and gesture wildly at secrets only the stars could keep. Â To Know.
Jon had jerked back so suddenly from the telescope to survey the entirety of the astral dome above them that Martin had choked on his wine.
âJon? Â Are you quite alright?â
âYes, IâŚâ heâd murmured, only even half hearing that Martin had said anything at all, stars reflected in his wondering dark eyes, âIâm fine, I just⌠How⌠How much more can this see?  How deep does it go?â
Jon hadnât seen the victorious smirk on Martinâs face as he set down his wine glass and picked up the instruction manual and lens guide. Â Theyâd watched the rest of the eclipse, of course, marveling through the lens at the inky trickle of shadow over craggy white, but then theyâd changed the lens to the strongest one, according to the guide, and spent the rest of the evening triangulating their position beneath their slice of the universe and plotting out the various stars, planets, and constellations above. Â Jon had even dashed inside to grab a mostly blank notebook and had filled several pages with notes and observations and things to research later, all while Martin held back tears watching him come so alive over a project he didnât even know he needed. Â Eventually though, sleepiness and cold claimed him, and he kissed his beloved goodnight and left him, more than gladly, to ride out the intellectual flare up until it burnt both him and itself out. Â
Martin had no clue what time it was when he finally returned, and it didnât even matter. Â All that mattered was at some point, a practically frozen Jon had climbed into bed, snuggled up close behind and wrapped his arms around him to kiss the back of his neck so softly like the wings of a butterfly and whisper.
âThank you.â
Another victorious smirk and a loving murmur.
âTold you so.â
Where there had been nothing but an Eye shaped hole in him, scarred around the edges and aching in its vacuum, Jon had filled it with the names of nebulas and quasars, of the myth of Andromeda, and Orion, and Castor and Pollux, or Hercules, and why they had all been hung in the stars for eternity. Â The stories were much the same as he remembered, but heâd found slight eccentricities, tiny irregularities in the sky which fascinated him even more so. Â Night after night he would look at a different astral body, chart it down in his notebook, then come bounding in with starlight beaming from his eyes and his fingertips with some cry of eureka.
âMartin! Â Did you know here Polaris is in the south and Sirius is in the north?â
âMartin! Â Did you know the Andromeda Galaxy is actually a little closer to the Milky Way here?â
âMartin, you have to come see this! Â Oh, no itâs not weird this time, itâs just I finally got Saturn in the telescope and you can actually see the rings!â
His nightly herald would always be different, but Martin would always rise from the comfort of the couch, put his slippers on, and let Jon talk as long as he needed to about his latest discovery, watching him smile again while he, too, watched the matching smile it never failed to ignite illuminate Martinâs face and they lit each other up in the fused brilliance of a binary star.
Martin no longer hung the moon for Jon, heâd finally just up and quite literally given it to him, and there was no mortal way to repay him for that. Â Or so heâd thought. Â It came to him, as most flashes of brilliance do, on a night he hadnât even been thinking about it at all. Â All he had been doing was sitting in a lawn chair with his telescope long after Martin had gone to bed, chewing his pencil idly, vaguely missing a cigarette and pondering notes on Vega and Lyra between watching it through his lens. Â Heâd been stuck for days on Vega and its potentiality for another solar system and what that could imply for their new Earth and their new sun, as well as Lyra and the tragic tale of Orpheus and his doomed love. Â Even in their new reality he still turned back at the end of the story, still could not contain the roiling, effusive adoration to his own downfall.
Bitterness had risen like bile in the back of Jonâs throat as he replayed the myth again in his head, unsure why it was vexing him and rewinding in his brain so torturously.  âStupid, stupid man, if heâd only justâŚâ heâd thought again and again, each time giving the star-crossed musician a different decision, a different choice, urging him down another path somewhere, anywhere along his journey, but in the end, heâd always looped back around to the original.  It was the point of the story, after all.  Not so much the love itself or even the loss of it, but the power of it over one man and the creation born from his mourning and eventual destruction.  Patently Greek.  But the chorus would always begin again in Jonâs head.  If heâd kept his Eurydice, if his songs had been happy, if he hadnât spent the rest of his life mourning so intensely he was eventually destroyed for it, would he have become the paragon of healing he was, the oracle, the lynchpin of the fate of the world he had eventually become?  Which of them was the stupider man?
Jon was only mortal now, he was no longer all-seeing oracle and dark savior, he had no authority to say, but it was a trifle easier to ponder the hubris of Orpheus instead of his own. Â He couldnât help but think, achingly, sometimes the heroes just deserved to pull their beloved from the pit of Tartarus, promise to love them for eternity, and then simply get married, ride off into the sunset, and live happily ever after. Â A story wasnât a story if it didnât write itself upon the very bones and sinews of its heroes, that was the law of the universe, but when the story was done and the cracks and fissures in their tissues had faded to myth and legend, what became of the heroes who did not die a tragic or heroic death and were not hung in the stars? Â What happened to heroes left behind? Â Twisting his bloodstone ring on his thumb idly as it caught the shivering fire of those stars in its dark mirrored surface, the musical arrow of the muses pierced his heart, wide-eyed in wonder. Â Heâd asked the universe, but he already knew the answer. Â Heâd always known. Â He knew, and he knew it with such clarion joy as he had never known anything before.
He could no longer be the man who hung Martinâs moon, he hadnât been for a long time. Â That much was clear to him, but he could certainly do something else. Â Perhaps they had grown past the need for moon hangings in the first place. Â He knew how their story ended.
It took months of saving, secreting, preparation, and then finally just simply waiting for the perfect, clear night. Â The moment it came, the moment he knew it was the night, Jon struck without hesitation. Â Poor Martin wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the couch, into Jon, when he returned from a late shift at the grocers, but found himself instead stuffed right back into his coat with a picnic basket in hand and hauled out into the frigid night in a flurry of Jon with little time to protest. Â He bounded up the hill behind their little cottage beneath a perfect blanket of stars flaming coldly overhead, trailing Martinâs hand in his behind with his breath coming in silvery puffs of clouds, and paying no heed to the whining.
âJon, whatever it is, does it have to be NOW?â Martin panted, âI am absolutely knackered and itâs beyond freezing and wouldnât it be nicer just to curl up with a cuppa and fall asleep in front of Star Wars or something? Â Doesnât that have enough stars and space in it?â
Dauntless, Jon only tugged harder.
âThereâs tea in the basket, and Iâve seen Star Wars. Â And yes, it has to be tonight, itâs really important, I promise.â
âLook. Â I love you. Â So much. Â You know this, and please know it is with the utmost love and deepest affection in my heart that I point out that you say that every time, and youâve still shown me Pluto like, a hundred separate times. Â While I quite like it, and I still feel sorry for it being bumped out of the solar system and all, itâs just a dot? Â How many times can you look at a dot?â Martin sighed.
His words finally threw a caltrop into Jonâs warpath, and he paused, turning over his shoulder woundedly.
âWhat? Â No, itâs not Pluto, I swear just- Please, Martin? Â Iâll never ask again if you donât want to, but just for tonight, please?â he pleaded.
Martin winced, and immediately folded under the onslaught of doleful honeyed brown eyes under a nimbus of stars.
âOh, lord there you go with the puppy dog eyes. Â Okay, okay fine, but there better be a nip of whiskey in this,â he chided lovingly with a gesture at the thermos in the basket.
The smile flared back to life brightly on Jonâs face as he turned back up the craggy little footpath to the top of the hill.
âOf course, hot toddy with tea.â
âOoh, lovely, you do know me.â
The rest of the way was trivially short to the small, flat hilltop surrounded by heather where Jon had already set up a blanket and the telescope over a pristine vista of the dark line where the stars sank into the sea. Â He ushered Martin to sit down first, then perched on his hip beside him and poured him a generous helping of tea and whiskey from the thermos before pouring his own.
âThanks, much. Â Right then, what exactly are we up here to look at that we couldnât see from our garden?â Martin asked, accepting his cup of potent hot toddy and sipping it gratefully around the lemony steam that billowed up.
Taken aback by the sudden logic lobbed into the center of his romantic posturing, Jon looked momentarily stunned, as if someone had slapped him upside the head.
âOh!  Oh, um, well-!  Ahah, that is to say- Uh.  There is a reason for all this.  Itâs not that we couldnât see it from our garden, we very much could have.  B-But itâs so beautiful up here, and you can kind of hear the sea?  And itâs nice and peaceful, and the heather is still blooming a bit and umâŚâ he trailed off, cheeks burning.
âOkayâŚ?â Martin probed, frowning a little.
âEr, actually...  Itâs less about the stars than it is- W-Well it is about the stars.  Letâs get that clear.  But to be completely honest I mostly just⌠I-I well.  Thereâs something I need to tell you?â
Jon was ill-prepared for the look of abject horror on Martinâs face as he went paler than the moon overhead.
âShit, what is it? Â Did you find something? Â You saw something? Â Thereâs been a sign of The Fears? Â Oh god itâs not HER is it?â he asked frantically, nearly slopping hot toddy all over his lap.
âWhat? Â No! Â No, none of that!â Jon spluttered, aghast.
Martin regained a modicum of color in his face and breathed in measuredly.
âOkay, so then what is it?  Oh god, youâre not⌠Jon youâre not ill, or something, are you?  Please, you can just tell me if-â
âNo, I am not ill either, damn it, Martin!  If you would just listen to me!  I-!â Jon moaned exasperatedly, âI just wanted to do something⌠nice.  Something nice for you.  And nicer than I normally would because I am apparently much worse at crafting romantic moments than I thought and-â
âWaitâŚâ Martin cut in, eyes gleaming with realization, âJonathan Sims⌠Are you grand gesturing?â
âWell I am certainly trying but you are making it exceedingly difficult!â he retorted, red in the face and breathless.
âOh my god, you are! Â Iâm so sorry!â Martin laughed brightly, âOh god Jon you poor thing Iâm so sorry, Iâm awful, Iâm the absolute worst! Â No please! Â Donât let me spoil it. Â Please go on.â
Grinding the heel of his palm into his forehead, Jon tried to summon the words again, only for Martinâs strong, warm hands to take it from him and tip his chin up to gaze into his eyes.
âHey. Â Hey, Jon. Â Look at me,â he breathed, looking into his eyes idolatrously, âIâm sorry. Â I love you. Â You can tell me.â
Taking the steadiness from those clear blue depths he needed, Jon focused on them, on the strawberry blond curls tossing in the icy breeze, of the kiss of chilled pink under his freckles, and that eternal, sunshine smile.
âOkay,â he finally answered, smiling softly.
With a deep, shuddering breath, and a long swig of whiskey laced tea for good measure, Jon drew himself up and fished deep in his soul for the words he had waited a millennium to say.
âOkay⌠So here it is.  Um⌠Iâve um, Iâve had a lot of time alone lately with my new hobby, as it were.  So, Iâve been doing a lot of thinking.  A lot of it is overly complicated and ridiculous and doesnât deserve to live outside of my head but⌠a lot of it has been about you, about us.  And I know we donât need to-to put a label on us or put us into a⌠a box or anything like that.  But every time I look at this ring on my finger, I canât help but remember we never actually talked about what they meant,â he began, holding out his left hand and fidgeting with the loose band around his thumb.
âOh Jon, donât worry about that. Â It was just me being a big sappy, sentimental dork. Â And if I recall correctly, weâd had a pretty awful row a night or two before, and I just wanted to feel close to you again, I guess? Â We both know what they mean to us. Â It doesnât matter,â Martin assured him sweetly.
âExcept that it does!â Jon insisted passionately, âThatâs the point! Â You are a big sappy, sentimental dork, Martin. Â I bet you were the kid that had a dream wedding all planned in a notebook with pictures cut out of magazines and everything. Â I adore that about you, but big sappy sentimental dorks should have big sappy, sentimental moments like huge, expensive seaside weddings with three-flavor cakes and all your friends and family and rose petals and dove releases and whatever else your heart could dream up.â
Martin snickered and shook his head, charmed at least by the mental image of kissing Jon on a seaside cliff at sunset while doves flew in glorious formation around them and everyone they had ever known and loved cheered.
âPfft, I donât need a grand wedding and all that, I just need-â
âMe. Â I know,â Jon finished for him with a smirk, âI knew youâd say that. Â Maybe not. Â But you deserve one. Â And I know I donât use that word lightly, but itâs necessary in this case. Â You deserve it. Â All of it. Â Me on one knee with a ring in a box, you deserve us picking out flowers and tuxedos and arguing over the font on the invitations. Â You deserve Timâs awful bachelor party and laughing at me at the altar because I had to read my vows off a card and theyâre still so stiff and awkward and they pale in comparison to the beautiful poem you wrote about me. Â You deserve smiling so hard your cheeks hurt and crying as we exchange rings. Â All of it.â
Martin weighed his words carefully on his tongue with a sip of his boozy tea to chase away ghosts of things that never even were.
âI mean, sure, not going to say I never wanted that. Â And I did have that stupid wedding notebook, by the way. Â But all that became a pipe dream the minute we wound up here, right? Â No use being upset about something that can never be.â
âThat may be so, but the crux of it is⌠you also contented yourself with the idea of it never coming true not because weâre here, but because you didnât think I wanted it,â Jon answered, his unspoken truth hanging heavy in the chill night air between them, âEvery time you tried to tell me you wanted to be with me forever, I brushed it off and painted it gray and tucked it away and carried on the way we always were like nothing happened and it didnât matter.  Because it was alright, really, you were just so happy to have what we have, that I didnât die in your arms that night, that we were still together after everything.  That I at least kept that promise after Iâd broken so many.  You were so grateful just for what you were gifted after we thought we would end with nothing you didnât dare think to ask the universe for more and I am so, so sorry it took me so long to see that, Martin.  Iâm so sorry.â
His voice broke. Â The breath caught in Martinâs chest as he reached out to touch his wrist comfortingly.
âJon, I-â
âNo, please.  Please let me finish I⌠I canât give you any of those things.  I canât give you our friends back, I canât give you cake and doves and the sunset and crying through vows in front of the vicar.  I canât even give you an elopement at the register office because we still donât legally exist.  And I guess for a long time I resented myself for that.  For all of it.  For stealing that from you, for dragging you through literal hell only to give you a shadow of a life stuck here with me because I betrayed you.  But- no stop, donât say anything yet Iâm not done.  B-But now I finally realize.  Youâre right, Martin.  You were always right.  It doesnât matter.  Those things are all just⌠things.  I said to you once, a long time ago, and Iâm still not even sure if you really heard me, that I didnât want to just survive.  It was true then, and maybe it wasnât true for a while, but itâs certainly true again.  We did not fight tooth and nail to just survive.  We fought to live, and live together.  So what Iâm saying is⌠I know now I donât have to give you tuxedos and white roses as long as I give you something⌠Something to prove to you that you are my everything, my entire world, something to show you that I love you more than I have loved anything in my entire life.  That I want forever with you.  S-So IâŚâ he trailed off, sucking in his breath to give his gesture of undying love the ardor and grandeur it deserved, âI bought us a star.â
The proclamation rang out like the toll of a bell, its gravity sonorous and quaking. Â Martin blinked.
âYou⌠Iâm sorry?â he squeaked.
Jon set his empty thermos cup aside, flailed his hands in the air and shook his head frantically
âI-I know, I know it sounds mental just hear me out!â he protested, âTechnically I didnât buy the star, if we want to get picky about it.  I mean obviously no one can own a star.  Just the rights to name it?  Itâs a thing you can do online.  I was a bit gobsmacked it was real to be honest.  I just had this silly idea when I was out looking at the stars.  I was looking at Lyra and thinking about you and Orpheus, and I⌠W-Well I just typed it in, âcan you name a star?â and it came right up.  Right then and there.  It um⌠comes with⌠hold on.â
Remembrance placed a gentle bookmark down on Jonâs fluttering thoughts, and he rummaged in the picnic basket for a moment before pulling out a navy-blue manila folder covered in stars and full of the paperwork and certificates that had come with registering theirs. Â He handed it to Martin, who took it in place of his own empty cup, numb, muscles quivering under his jaw, and opened it to the glittering gold typeface that proclaimed âCongratulations!â.
âIt comes with paperwork, too!  See?  So, itâs official, at least?  The Jon-Martin star.  Not a marriage license I know, but at least our names are together on something legal?  Our real names?  I figured even if we manage the fake identity thing weâd have to get married as not us.  Not really.  So⌠ I-It could be like our marriage certificate?â Jon explained, chewing his lower lip.
Martin said nothing as his hand turned the pages of the documentation, his eyes distant in a way Jon had never seen before. Â Not disembodied and enthralled, not broken, not even regarding puzzle pieces.
âOh! Â Um, also I-I got us a binary star. Â I forgot to mention that bit,â he went on, filling the sudden void, âItâs, ah- What a binary star is- Itâs technically two? Â But theyâre caught up in each otherâs gravity and they orbit each other so tightly they look like one star together, one that just shines a little brighter. Â Theyâre bound together forever by the most powerful cosmic force in the universe. Â Just like us.â
Only silence answered, punctuated by one last crisp whisper of paper, and then the folder closing with Martinâs spread fingers atop it, bloodstone gleaming in the vivid pale light of the night. Â Jonâs heart pitched frantically in his chest, and desperate, stranded tears pricked at his eyes.
âI uh⌠I would have rather gotten us a whole constellation.  Heh, you know?  But they donât do that, obviously,â he tried softly, his fingers barely brushing Martinâs knuckles, âThey record heroes in constellations, after all.  Great deeds, doomed romances, lovers who can be together no other way⌠That would have been a better way to honor us, I think.  Our story.  A-And who knows?  Maybe back on our world there are a few new stars to remember what we did, to mark the place we left it, so that everyone we left behind can look up and remember us.  They donât know how the story really ended, and they probably never will, but we do.  We do, and I want to end it right here, right now.  With our star shining above us âand they lived happily ever after.ââ
Martin still said nothing, but his head bowed, casting a slice of shadow over his eyes, and his shoulders quivered as a thin, bright line of wet silver trickled down his cheek. Â Jon felt the very sky shatter above and begin to crumble around him.
âPlease⌠M-Make no mistake, Martin.  P-Perhaps the gesture is silly and meaningless, but it was all I could think to do to go with everything Iâve said tonight.  Martin⌠Martin, donât you see?  These are my wedding vows to you.  This is me saying âI doâ and also âMartin K. Blackwood would you do me the honor of making me the happiest man in the universe?â  All at once.  This is me saying I swear to you I will be yours, through everything, until the end of time.  M-Maybe I wasnât before.  Maybe I was still punishing myself, but Iâm telling you, Iâm ready now to have my happily ever after.  With you, Martin.  If youâll have me.  If I havenât-â
He would never finish. Â In a dizzying blur of blue folder, flashing hematite, and a wreath of golden curls, Martin kissed the words off his lips. Â He kissed him so hard and so fierce, through wracking sobs with his hands woven so raptly into his long, wavy locks he thought his lips would bruise and his fragile soul would finally shatter to pieces in Martinâs arms. Â Undone, all Jon could do was surrender and kiss him back with equal passion, thumbing away the hot tears as they spilled freely down his cheeks and anointed them both with their cleansing, hoary heat. Â Their lips parted and they panted softly against each other in the space between, each afraid to break the sacred, pulsing silence.
âYouâre crying,â Jon whispered at length, âIâve said something wrong. Martin, darling Iâm so sorry. Â I never meant to-â
Martin laughed, raspy with tears, but ethereal, sparkling, like stardust floating on the breeze.
âPeople are allowed to cry when theyâre happy you stupid, silly man,â he murmured in between kissing him again, and again.
âOh. Â Oh.â
He kissed him one last time, that idiot man who always burnt the toast and always knew the facts but never knew what to say, who finally figured it out and bought him a star, and threw his arms around him, enveloping his slight, fragile form protectively in his embrace.
âI love you. Â I love you so much.â
Jon sank into that warm, familiar comfort and buried his face in his shoulder.
âI love you, too, Martin. Â I want to be yours for the rest of my life. Â I want to be me, I want to be us.â
âI know.  Iâve always known.  Oh god, you do know that right?  I know that you love me, itâs written in everything you do and say.  I have never, ever once doubted you love me with everything you are.  Even in the moments I was afraid that⌠that maybe we just werenât meant to be together, I still knew it wouldnât be because you didnât love me.  Never because you didnât love me.  Just maybe that we didnât fit together anymore,â Martin replied in a small voice through his tears as they spilled down his cheeks.
As much as he wanted to vehemently deny there was ever a chance they might have not fit back together again after they had both been so shattered, to kiss him and tell him not in a million years would there ever have been a future where they werenât Jon and Martin against the world, Jon knew it to be inescapably true.
âIâm so sorry you ever had to be afraid of that,â he swore, digging his fingers into Martinâs back pointedly, âAfter everything.  After we fought so hard to escape fear itself.  That I almost let it truly win in the end.  That I couldnât just let go⌠Because⌠Because this was never about The Eye, was it?â
A heave of breath and its shuddering exhale shook Martinâs body free of lifetimes of grief, and fear, of ugliness carried far beyond the borders of their souls. Â His fingers curled tighter in unspoken reply.
âNo Jon, no it wasnât, but Iâm so very glad you finally figured that out.â
âMe, tooâŚâ he whispered.
They held each other in the quiet wake of being a moment and let the astral plane wheel calmly overhead. Â An impatient star twinkled.
âWait⌠you never answered me,â Jon finally said as he pulled back, sliding his elegant fingers down Martinâs strong arms.
âHuh?â Martin blurted, scrubbing under his eyes with the sleeve of his coat.
âAbout marrying me tonight.  You never actually said yes, soâŚâ
A twinkle in his eye and a slight mischief to his grin, Jon dove back into the picnic basket and emerged with a velvet ring box. Â Martinâs hands flew to his mouth.
âYou didnât.â
âOf course I did! Â Nothing fancy, but I thought it was high time to retire the blood rings,â he explained rising from his former perch on his hip to kneel properly.
The box cracked neatly open, and inside lay a simple, white gold band with a tiny circle of milky moonstone embedded in it on a midnight-blue satin cushion, blindingly bright against the dark. Â Martin sobbed joyfully all over again.
âSo, uh⌠I suppose if it had just been us, if weâd just been together, without everything, and weâd arrived at this moment.  I would have done much the same.  I would have brought you somewhere beautiful, somewhere I could teach you some inane fact you didnât actually care about, but liked because it came from me.  Emulsifiers in ice cream and rum raisinâŚâ they both snickered, âAnd I would have tried my best to make it into some sort of romantic metaphor but completely bunged it up and you would be laughing as I got down on one knee, just like this.  And it would have just been simple.  To the point.  Just⌠Will you marry me?  SoâŚâ
Jon assumed the traditional position, on one knee, arms outstretched, his every slender point a star in a perfect constellation of love.
âWill you marry me?â
Their eyes met, across a thousand different realities, across a thousand different worlds, carried on celestial winds to fall hopelessly, inexorably, into each otherâs orbit.
âYes, yes I do believe I will.â
With one last farewell kiss upon it for what it had meant for them both, Jon slipped the bloodstone ring from Martinâs finger and replaced it with the delicate band made of starlight. Â It took its place radiantly, and shone as Martin drew his hand back to admire it with an equally radiant grin before it dimmed with concern.
âBut what about you?â he asked worriedly as he watched the old ring entombed lovingly in the box.
Jon only smirked and produced a second box from the basket, which he offered on his open palm out to Martin.
âNaturally, I got one for myself.  Couldnât pass up a chance to get a wedding ring that actually fits, could I?  Itâs just⌠Donât you think you deserve to give it to me the way you would want?â he urged.
Martin took the box eagerly, biting his lower lip in thought.
âNot sure you want to give me that freedom. Â I had about five different ways of asking you in my head and all of them you would have hated so, so much. Â But Iâd be lying if I said that wasnât kind of the point,â he answered wryly.
Jon chortled.
âSorry I, the unromantic one, sprung this on you, the romantic one. Â But I did want to surprise you. Â I-I mean you can still write me a vows poem later? Â If you want to, of course. Â Iâd love to have it, even if I donât actually get to hear it at our wedding.â
Martinâs face flushed immediate crimson and his eyes darted coyly away as he toyed with the wedding band box in his lap.
âOh that?  A-Actually I⌠I have it memorized, i-if you really wanted to hear it.â
âYou- WHAT?â gasped Jon, his cheeks flushing in tandem.
âOh yeah, I wrote my vows poem for you ages ago and Iâve gone over it so many times I know it by heart.  It was comforting, okay?  I-Iâd read it again when times were good and I thought maybe youâd actually- um⌠a-and when times were not so good, when you were gone, in your own head, when I was afraid we were broken for good, whenever I needed it.  Iâve read it over a thousand times and never changed a thing from the first time I penned it.  Never needed to.  Iâm surprised I havenât recited it in my sleep at this point,â Martin admitted sheepishly.
Jonâs entire body flushed with a solar heat that melted his joints and his heart into a swirling flare of adulation.
âI can think of no better way, then, to receive my ring,â he breathed, reaching out to cup Martinâs cheek in his hand, âIâve had my turn, now itâs yours.â
In mirror ballets of love exchanges, Martin cradled Jonâs hand against his cheek as he spoke the first lines of the vows etched ever on his being softly into his palm.
âLet he who, shadow dwelling, must In paper, pen, and book be bound Shake off the chains of dark and rust And chart his own bright fate unfound.
Let he with lifelong burdens borne Cut paper wings with thread of gold And hand in hand, the sky forsworn Flit clouds and sun in laughter bold.
Let he whose blood and soldierâs ken The world did shield from dark and fear Heal fast those wounds, be whole again And sleep at last, held close and dear.
Bring him to me with spirit free With stars in eyes and music sung From lips a joyful promise be One soul conjoined, one fateâs thread strung.
Two hearts rejoice in love renowned. We lift our heads, alive, uncrowned.â
He waited until the last couplet to pull the ring from the box and slide it onto Jonâs finger where it too, fit perfectly, like it had always been there, and shone defiantly bright in the moonlight. Â Jon wept. Â He had been weeping since the first words of verse left his belovedâs lips, but seeing that ring like a piece of his missing soul returned to him undammed the tears effusively.
âGod that was⌠Martin, I donât have words.  I-It was⌠so beautiful.  Youâre so beautiful.  Thank you,â he cried fervently, âI wish I could tell you properly how much that meant, but I just-â
âHey⌠Thatâs alright.  Iâm the words guy.  Youâre the emulsifiers guy.  Making you cry is all I need to see to know how you feel,â Martin assured him warmly, reaching out to brush his tears away as he chuckled.
âYeah⌠add this one to the running tally.â
âOh, I have,â Martin snickered, âSpeaking of! Â Now weâve done the crying through vows bit. Â Shouldnât we say the âI doâ bit, as well?â
Jon pursed his lips with a shrug as he reached out with his left hand to take Martinâs left as well, twining their fingers together
âYes, I suppose we should. Â I donât see why not. Â Well then, Martin, do you?â
âI do. Â And Jon, do you?â
âI do.â
âYou may now soundly snog the groom.â
âMartinâŚâ
The emphatic drawl of his name the way Jon only called it when he was frustratingly enamored of him perished gently against Martinâs velvet lips as they caressed his. Â They kissed slowly and reverently, sealing a pact ordained by the heavens long before either of them had seen the stars in the otherâs eyes, lighting with white flame the torch to guide them for the first time, forward. Â They broke it only to punctuate it with two more featherlight kisses and a breathless laugh, bowing their foreheads together in deference to the forces of fate and the universe.
âI know this isnât the wedding either of us ever dreamed of, but as far as Iâm concerned, it was perfect,â Jon murmured, nuzzling closer into his husband, swaddling the new, fledgling and beautiful word in his heart.
âWell, hey, what is a wedding really other than just a formal declaration that this is it?  This is us, weâre forever, no matter what.  We did it.  And you did it for me, in the STARS, Jon⌠Can we just remember that again?  You put us in the actual stars.  I am so writing a ballad for our constellation later, you do know this.â
âOh lord. Â Of course you are. Â But really, it was the least I could do, after youâve done so much for me, sacrificed everything for me. Â Waited for me for so long.â
âAnd you came back to me,â Martin reminded him passionately, âAnd I donât just mean back to life, here, in this world.  I mean you came back, Jon, MY Jon, the Jon I was in love with the moment I laid eyes on him.  The fidgety and obstinate Jon who canât make a decent cup of tea to save his life, who puts on two different socks in the morning because his nose is already in the paper or a book, who teaches me about bleeding rocks and binary stars and still reacts to the simplest acts of kindness like a warm cranberry orange scone without asking for one like theyâre divine miracles he is undeserving of, who looks at me like I hung the moon or something every time.  Even when I thought I was a complete and total waste of a human being, you, Jonathan Sims, the most beautiful, amazing, brilliant man to ever walk the Earth, looked at me like I hung the moon.  And that was⌠Still is⌠everything to me.â
The heavens shifted, the stars wheeled, the last piece clicked smartly, smugly into place.
âW-What did you sayâŚ?â Jon asked with such urgency, grabbing his hands so fiercely, Martin startled.
âWh-I-I donât-? Â Which part? Â The moon hanging part?â he stuttered, rolling his eyes fondly as he realized mid-sentence, âOh, right. Â Ugh, Jon are you seriously going to get after me about your weird vendetta against idioms at our wedding? Â Because if you are that would be annoyingly adorable and so intensely you and kind of perfect, but also can you not on THIS particular occasion?â
The laugh that tore from Jonâs throat was half mad, half euphoric as the weight of the moon lifted from his shoulders and became naught but an indifferent sentinel disc in the sky once more.
âNo no no, itâs just⌠Itâs funny, I had more than a few things very, very wrong for a very, very long time.  Thatâs all.  Donât worry about it,â he explained, leaning in and pressing a delicate kiss to Martinâs forehead, âIf youâre the one who hung the moon after all, then I suppose âwritten in the starsâ will have to do for me.â
Martin lit up with literary glee.
âOh ho!  Two space related idioms in one go?  What a rare treat!  Maybe this is your gateway drug into punsâŚâ he teased impishly.
âAbsolutely no chance in hell.â
They both laughed, laughed with the billowing icy breath that reached with victorious fingers up to the heavens. Â They laughed, messily sniffing back the pesky drip of tears and cold. Â They laughed with lightness of the encumbrance of hematite armor shed, its bloody protections no longer needed to cage wounded hearts and keep them safe and close. Â They laughed in breath and also in the dancing points of light in their eyes as they fell into one another free from gravity.
âSo uh⌠Do I get to see my star tonight, or donât I?â Martin finally remembered, relishing the utterly horrified yelp from Jon.
âOh god I completely-! Â Y-Yes! Â Yes of course, itâs already set up at the proper coordinates!â he had already sprung to his feet, âOh, though, hang on, it took longer to get to the star viewing part than I anticipated, so I might need to adjust it a bit. Â Oh! Â And I have a little strawberries and champagne, if you like?â
âI do like, please and thank you!â
Jon set to readjusting the telescope to the proper ascension and declination while Martin poured them two glasses of crisply bubbling champagne. Â They twined their arms to drink a toast from each otherâs glass, âto usâ or âto happily ever aftersâ, or to several other messily rambled toast worthy sentiments. Â They couldnât decide and toasted to all of it. Â They ate plump red strawberries and licked the juice from each otherâs fingers as they looked at their star, which was, after everything, just a dot, just like Pluto, but Martin had to admit that he rather liked looking at dots after all. Â And that one was their dot. Â The warm intoxication of love and champagne begged for music, and someone fumbled in the cold for a wedding playlist on some app, somewhere, it didnât matter, just as long as they could join hands, gaze into each otherâs eyes and dance inelegantly, stepping on each otherâs toes, under the umbrella of stars in a gentle rain of moonlight.
âI donât see your problem with cliches, idioms and all that, reallyâŚâ Martin mused at length, laying his head on Jonâs shoulder as they slowly spun to the rhythm of a longing ballad and the song of the sea, âLike this stupid, great song.  Theyâre familiar and cozy and everyone knows them.  Theyâre like⌠like old friends.  Always there to rely on when we canât come up with the words ourselves, because sometimes we canât.  And if something trite and silly sums up the way you feel, why not just let it be?  Sometimes things are said over and over again because some truths are universal, you know?  Theyâre just⌠human.â
Jon pressed a kiss into the mop of curls that tickled his nose and smelled faintly of toasted sugar and lavender and mused on all of the romantic cliches that had just passed through his mind unbidden. Â Who was he to deny he was but one star in the sky, a single gear in the grand mortal mechanism of the universe. Â If he had handed himself over to the humanity of it all instead of rusting, stopping, looking outside where there was never anything to see, perhaps he could have had this dance much sooner. Â It didnât matter though, until it did, because that night Martin took his breath away, made his world go round, he was head over heels for his match made in heaven, and better than heaven, they were written in the stars.
âYou know what, Martin?â Jon laughed in reply, âTonight, being what it is, I am willing to concede. Â You are absolutely right.â
âIâm gladâŚâ came the tender acceptance, followed by a distinctly puckish beat of silence, âThen does this mean I can I start saying love you to the moon and back?â
âDonât push your luck...â
#The Magnus Archives#TMA#Magnuspod#JonMartin#JMart#jmartweddingchallenge#hey-there-hunter#Jonathan Sims#Martin Blackwood#Fan fiction
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WIN MY HEART
Pairing: Winston Duke x Reader
Words: 2.6k
Summary: Winnie and the reader are acting buddies and things get a little heated up after a movie premiere.
Genres: Smut. Porn with plot.
A/N: If this gets enough notes, I may write a part two but for now enjoy! Also, Iâve marked where smut begins and ends (if youâre looking for fluff).
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You took a deep breath and pushed open the car door. You were met with blinding flickers of light. You smiled flashing your pearly whites to the crowd. The noise surrounding you grew louder. You stood up revealing a smooth expanse of your leg.
The gold material of your dress fluttered flatteringly and you seemed to glow under the lights. You waved at the paparazzi as you walked towards the venue where your latest movie was about to premiere. You waited at the door as you answered a few questions about it. Your answers matched your excitement. âI canât wait for everyone to watch this! Its going to be amazing!!â You gushed, face warm.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a limousine stop. Winston Duke stepped out. He was dressed in a vivid green suit with a polka dotted shirt. He stood tall and gave everyone a dazzling smile. He had your heart racing and blood pumping in your ears. You both had been good friends for a few years now and you had fallen completely head over heels for him sometime. This was your second film together and both of you had been thrilled at the opportunity to work together again.
He engulfed you in a hug as he reached you. You smiled up at him and answered a few more questions and headed inside.
Your arms were linked as you made your way to your seats which were next to each other, both of you being the main leads. You settled down comfortably as you waited for the movie to begin. You were playing the morally dubious villain to his self righteous hero. Your mind drifted back to the table read, your characters had complemented each otherâs perfectly and the official shoot had started just a few days later. Right now, it was more elbow touching and knee brushing which was keeping you distracted. Little did you know, you had a similar effect on him.
You forced yourself to focus on the screen, just in time to see yourself execute a flawless backflip off the roof of the building you were in. You watched as you hit the water, secretly impressed by your skills. You personally felt that the scene had been impossible to shoot because you knew you had the strength of a newborn. You had cried after messing it up for what felt like the millionth time. Winston had been there to brush away your tears and had comforted you by bringing your favourite ice cream by your trailer. The next time you shot it, it had gone over beautifully. You treated him to dinner and the smile heâd given you afterwards had made your day.
The scene cut to Winstonâs surprised and mildly impressed expression as he peered over the edge. âYou did good. I think its my favourite scene so far,â he murmured from beside you, careful to not disturb the others watching. You squeezed his arm in response.
Eventually the movie ended and the crowd began to clear out, after offering their congratulations. Next was a dinner with the cast and crew to celebrate. Winston and you had been separated sometime ago and now your gaze kept drifting to where he was supposed to be. You mingled with your friends from the movie before being led out to dinner.
You found yourself next to Winston at the dinner table again. It held about fifteen people, closely sitting together. Much more close than you wouldâve thought. Every single time either of you moved, the other could feel it. You tried to keep your fidgeting to a minimum but you were getting tired.
It took you a while to realise that while youâd been maintaining a cheery conversation with one of your producer friends to you right, you had stopped feeling Winston moving. You discretely turned your head to find his arm on the back of your chair. You hid a smile and continued making conversation.
As dinner wrapped up and everyone headed out, you approached Winston, offering to walk him back to his hotel. He agreed and you both left the venue together. His hotel was not far so you reached there shortly. You both stared at each other for a moment before you leaned in to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
Pulling away, you noticed how his eyes moved to your lips. Suddenly, a wave of confidence flooded you (mostly due to the way too many glasses of wine youâd had) and you kissed him. As quickly as you had, you brain seemed to short circuit and you pulled back horrified. âOh crap, Winnie. Iâm sorry. I -â You were cut off by him pulling you flush against his body and kissing you deeply.
You rested your arms on his shoulders and kissed back. Hard. It rough, messy and sloppy. Teeth involved and not every well practiced. Any director would be ashamed to see such a kiss happening. You didnât care. Apparently, Winston didnât either. He merely gripped your waist tighter. You lost yourself in it and were growing almost dizzy with the lack of air. Finally, both of you parted, foreheads resting against each other. Your eyes were closed, and you didnât dare to open them afraid that he was going to slip out of your arms any second. âIâve been wanting to do that for ages,â he said, his voice slightly husky. âYou and me both.â You force yourself to look at him in the eyes. He looks like heâs glowing, the lights behind casting a halo over him, Slightly rumpled clothes and his lips stained with your lipstick. You laugh. He smiles. âIâve got your lipstick on me, donât I?â You murmur a yes. He smiles wider as he pulls you into another bruising kiss.
âCome up.â
âNow?â
âYes. I canât wait any more.â
âNeither can I.â
You donât know how you made it to his room. Youâre fairly certain that the sight of two A â listers making out like there is no tomorrow wouldâve startled anyone. You feel yourself pressed against the wall, Winston laying feverish kissed on your jaw, neck and everywhere else. You gaze dazedly, making sure that the door is locked. As if sensing your question, Winston pulls the handle. It doesnât budge.
You turn your attention to him. Heâs looking at you like you hung the moon, the stars and then some. You turn bashful and distract him by pulling off his blazer. Your heart is hammering away in your chest and given Winstonâs proximity youâre sure he can feel it too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His mouth is back on yours as he leads you towards the bed. You accidentally hip check a wayward table or chair but you canât be bothered to look. Winston has your entire heart and soul and mind in his hands and youâre way beyond the point of caring.
His fingers deftly pull down the zip of your dress and it falls from your shoulders. Your brain is unable comprehend all what heâs doing, just vague flashes of passion as his mouth finds a particularly sweet spot on you clavicle or as his fingers gently graze an erogenous zone on your body.
Youâre breathing hard as you slip out of your dress. You fumble with his shirt buttons and he pulls it off his head, separating only for a moment before his attention is back on you. Youâre growing heady with desire as you undo his belt. He has you against the bed as you fall, the backs of your knees hitting the frame. His trousers pool around his ankles as he steps out. Heâs towering above you.
Your pupils are blown as you drink in the sight of Winstonâs half naked body. His underwear leaving nothing to imagination. Heat floods your body as you prop yourself up on your elbows and pull him down by the slim chain around his neck. He wedges a knee between your legs as he bends down and starts kissing up your sternum. One of your hands is on the back of his neck and the other is tracing patterns on his broad chest. You run your fingers through his close cropped hair and feel him lean into your touch.
He nips the delicate skin at the base of your neck as you arch your back, giving him access to remove your bralette. His fingers move with ease as his hand glides across your now bare back. You lightly tug his head and lay soft kisses on his mouth. He pulls himself forward, his knee now rubbing against your heat. You reach and pull off the last garment separating your bare chest from his.
His black eyes seem indecipherable as they stare at you, in all your glory.
âStop.â
âStop what?â
âStaring at me like that.â
âLike what?â
âLike Iâm the most beautiful girl youâve ever seen.â
âHow can I when you are the most beautiful girl Iâve ever seen?â
You let his words wash over you. The giddiness of a schoolgirl in love is almost too much for you to bear. You kiss him like youâve never kissed before. This one is harder, rougher and passionate. Heâs kissing you like youâve never been kissed before. His hold on you is gentle yet firm. Like youâre delicate, one wrong move and youâll break in his hands.
His hands move lower to rid you of your final piece of clothing. Warm hands on your hips, slowly pulling the material down. Not wanting to be the only one whoâs naked, you pull his down too. You rest your hands on his hips, areas marred by stretch marks. He stiffens above you. Sensing his slight insecurity, you give him a reassuring smile.
âAll of you is perfect. Not just the face everyone loves. All of you. Youâre perfect.â
The change is immediate. His movements are more confident than before. Heâs big and in desperate need of release and as much as both of you are enjoying the gentle caresses and languid kisses, you wish for him to move so you can feel him everywhere. You wrap your legs around his waist.
âPlease. More.â
âFor you, anything.â
He has you by the waist and moves lower. His breathing is uneven, as affected by you as you are by him. It gives you an incredible amount of satisfaction knowing that he feels what you feel for him. He peppers kisses on your inner thighs. You bite back a moan as he bites the joint of your thigh and hip. He mouth is now dangerously close to your sex and the warm breaths heâs leaving is only making your senses rush into overdrive.
His mouth has made way to your folds. You close your eyes at the wave of pleasure that is consuming your body, his tongue doing wonderful things to you. Your head is spinning with his burning touch. His hands were cool but against your hot skin, they felt like ice. Your skin feels like it is on fire as you clench your fingers in the sheets.
You feel him push a finger inside you and your body shudders in response.
âIf youâre going to take me, I need to prep you well.â
He pushes another finger and your body is akin to a tightly coiled spring. Youâre a withering mess under him, desperate gasps leaving your mouth.
âIf youâre going for torture, itâs working. Just move.â
Heâs now three fingers in and youâre resisting the urge to very rudely tell him to move faster.
By the time heâs four fingers in, your words are a garbled mess of his name. You feel tears prick at the corner of your eyes. Heâs lightly biting the underside of your jaw and in the back of your mind you think that maybe thereâll be a hickey there tomorrow.
Winstonâs breathing is now slower. Understanding that he wants to take deep breaths with him, you follow his lead. Your mind clears and everything comes back into focus. More or less.
He pulls out and you whimper at the loss of contact. You feel him smile against the side of your neck as his sex enters your body. You feel the stretch burning your entire body. Youâre secretly grateful that he took his time but now you want him to move.
âMove. Please for the love god, move.â
A laugh escapes him as he brushes a wayward strand of hair from your face. The hand on your back is pressing firmly you against him. He shifts slightly and you moan your approval in his ear. It seems snap something in him because heâs now pushing his entire length inside you, making you nearly weep in pleasure.
Time doesnât exist because all you can think of is Winston. He uses his other hand you interlace your fingers and grip your delicate hand in his much larger one. Heâs breathing hard as he slowly begins thrusting into you. Long, slow movements which make you want to scream.
âI wonât break.â
âI know. Youâre too strong to break.â
He picks up the pace, spurred on by your broken words of encouragement. The faint night light from the windows make him look ethereal and for a moment you wonder if all this just a fever dream.
But then you see Winston smile at you and squeeze your hand and you realise that this is real. Heâs real. And the fact that youâre completely at his mercy is also real. And a very large part of you enjoys it.
Winston is practiced. He knows what heâs doing. He knows what is going to make you feel good and it driving you up the wall. Being so close to your release but just not there. A tear slips from your eyes and within seconds, its wiped away.
âI know youâre close. Do it for me.â
With one last, powerful thrust, youâre like putty under him. Your back is arched and head thrown back as a strong, overwhelming orgasm takes over you. Youâre repeating his name like a mantra and that is all it takes for him to come undone shortly after.
You both collapse next to each other, hands still interlaced.
âIâd say letâs go for round two but I donât think I can handle it.â
He lets out a breathy laugh which has you feeling all types of ways.
âTo be honest, neither can I. This was good. Extremely good.â
You both donât bother clearing up the mess youâve made, too caught up in each other to care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You wake up alone. Winstonâs spot beside you is cool. You panic thinking he left but then you hear the shower running. He appears at the bathroom door, in just a towel, having heard you sit up.
âWell?â
âWell what?â
âAre you going to join me for a shower or are we going to waste water by taking two showers?â
You smile and let the sheets fall away from your body as you make your way towards him. He canât his eyes off you as he admires every inch, every curve, every imperfection.
You press a warm kiss to his mouth, not in the least bit concerned about morning breath. You then press your entire body against his, making him moan.
âWell then. Whatâre you waiting for?â
#winston duke#m'baku#m'baku x reader#black panther#winston duke x reader#winnie#winnie the duke#he's so cute#and soft#and i love him so much#winston duke x y/n#winston duke smut#winston duke fluff#movie premiere#winston duke is a soft boy#m'baku x y/n#m'baku fluff#m'baku smut#smut smut smut#filthy smut#winston duke is my spirit animal#i have no clue what half these tags are#black panther imagines#winston duke imagines#m'baku imagines#abe imagines#us#winston duke fics#m'baku fics#m'baku angst
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đđ˘đđĽđ: hidden side đŹđĄđ˘đŠ: chigasaki itaru/reader đŤđđđ˘đ§đ : sfw đ°đ: 3.4k words
đđ§: Thank you for the request ⥠Lowkey based off similar experiences from school lol ~⪠I had so many different ideas, but I wanted to write this one for a while so here we go! P.S, happy belated birthday @starryneveâ :> âĄ
Normally heâd be able to withstand not opening his phone every few minutesâ heâd always make sure to clear all his AP, LP, SP, BP, whatever P before heading to work. Stamina bonuses were never a problem too, either heâd head to the comfort room or log-in during lunch break.
However, events were simultaneously running right now and heâd be damned if he wasnât gonna rank in the top 1%, no, 0.1%.
Itaru discreetly looked around the office, and as soon as the coast was clear he opened up his desk drawer. His phone was stored inside, his team of expensive waifus auto-battling against the enemies for this event.
They werenât doing bad at all, but he trusted himself a little more than the AI.
As he went over the best skills to use on the final boss, he heard a knock against the divider separating his desk from his co-workers.
âCode red, Chigasaki-san.â You muttered, volume low enough so only heâd be able to hear you.
Yikes, a red so early in the day? His boss must want something done immediately.
He hastily shut the drawer, sighing in relief that the metal filing cabinet barely made any noise.
âThank you,â he said gratefully as he watched his boss approach from the corner of his eye, already looking agitated with a word yet to be spoken.
âChigasaki, I need you to work on a new project,â his boss drawled on with the details; Itaruâs ears somehow being able to pick up on the necessary information despite all the words blurring in his head. Something about a presentation being needed and closing a dealâ heâll just check his email for specifics.
He continued to nod, pretending to absorb everything when in reality he was just looking forward to finishing the battle and getting his rewards.
However, hearing your name halted his movements. As you peaked over from your desk, Itaru could tell even you looked a little caught off-guard at the sudden mention.
âYes, sir?â you questioned, swiveling your chair to face the two men.
âSince youâve dealt with GeneSys before, Iâm assigning both you and Chigasaki as the heads,â he explained, âthere shouldnât be a problem with this arrangement, right?â
âNo, sir,â you replied.
âNot at all. Weâll start on the project as soon as possible,â he sent off his boss with a polite smile as the both of you watched his back disappear.
The silence restored in the room, you let out a quiet laugh to break the tension. âHonestly, thank god Iâm partnered with you,â you sighed in relief, before humming thoughtfully âalthough I might get some envious stares for a couple of days.â
He pursed his lips.
âIâm not sure I know what you mean,â he said, but by the twinkle in your eyes, he could tell you knew he wasnât being truthful.
Not that he minded. It would be an understatement to say he was pleased you were the one assigned to help him; if he could set a favourite co-worker, itâd probably be you. Not only were you dependable with work, but you didnât bother him needlessly either. Even so, the two of you werenât exactly friends, at least not until a month ago.
âThanks for saving me. If he found out I was using my phoneâŚâ he trailed off as you shook your head understandingly.
âItâs fine, Chigasaki-san. After all, youâve saved me a bunch of times as well,â you reminded him, âso what were you doing this time?â
Oh crap, he probably should get back to the game. He shouldnât keep his waifus waiting, right?
âOh, just messaging my troupe mates. They wanted to know what time Iâd be home for practice,â he lied, pulling the drawer open and quickly selecting the skills and moves to beat up the final boss.
After collecting his rewards, he saw the little red exclamation point by the bento box icon. Lunchtime stamina bonus time~
âI didnât realise it was 12 already,â he mentioned off-handedly, missing the way you jolted up for a second before pulling open your file drawer as well.
âShould probably have lunch in a while,â you said, unknowingly opening the same game Itaru was playing. âWant to eat lunch together? Iâll go over my previous experience with GeneSys Tech Corp.â
âSure. The faster we get this over with, the better.â
âSo I could get back to my games in peace,â the both of you thought.
Corporate slaves needed more rights. The project wasnât so difficult that heâd collapse in exhaustion, but he was definitely frustrated with all the demands that needed fulfilling.
Should he game to destress? Ah, but he once he starts he might not be able to stop-
Itaruâs phone screen lit up, and he would have thought it was a game notification if it wasnât for the ringtone blaring. As soon as he saw your name, he wondered if you somehow picked up on the fact that he was planning on slacking off taking a break.
âGood evening,â you greeted him, voice calm and not at all angryâ right, he can strike off the âmy co-worker has a 6th sense?â theory. âSorry to disturb you, just felt like checking in. Howâs work going from your side?â
He looked at the graph currently shown on his desktop, already feeling a headache incoming. âNot too bad, could be better,â Itaru answered vaguely, not wanting to give you a bad impression.
He couldnât figure out whether you believed him or not, the only tell being the hum you let out.
âSame boat, then. Seriously, for a company whose most relevant success is a video game in the 90sâŚâ
Itaru immediately perked up, pressed at the mention of the game. âRight? Then again, what do you expect from them after that total disappointment of a sequel that-â he suddenly stopped.
If he said any more he totally couldâve been in trouble just there.
âOh, howâd you know about the video game? GeneSys rebranded themselves a couple years ago, so I didnât think youâd know about it,â you questioned him, leaving Itaru to scramble for the best excuse he could think of.
Yeah, heâs not about to take the risk and assume you knew the game because youâve played it before.
âDid some research on the companyâs past endeavours,â he began, sounding as nonchalant as he possibly could, âI suppose I got a bit invested.â
That was one way to put it. He still remembered being upset as a teenager that the long-awaited sequel was a total cash-grab.
âPfft,â you let out a small laugh, and for a moment Itaru felt franticâ did you somehow figure him out? He wouldnât put it past the you who caught him using his phone, when no one else had, a month ago.
âThis oddly passionate side to the princely Chigasaki Itaru-san is really nice.â
He was eternally grateful to whatever higher being (beings?) there was that this conversation was taking place over the phone. Despite the air conditioning, his face began to warm like his phone would overheat after playing for too long.
Seriously, all you said was that side of him was niceâ not that you knew the full extentâ so why did he feel like a cliche otome MC? Wasnât he past the stage of getting flustered over stuff like this?
âChigasaki-san, are you still there?â you called out, and Itaru calmed himself down to the best of his abilities before answering.
âYeah, sorry. Connection got cut for a bit. You were saying?â
If a smile had a sound, he was definitely hearing it right now. âOh nothing~ I was just thinking that your fans would be so jealous if I told them I got to see a hidden side of their prince just now,â you teased.
Probably not. Itâs not exactly the definition of charming, not even urban dictionary worthy, but heâll indulge you.
He didnât even bother covering up the huff that escaped him. âAnd who knew my dependable and quiet project partner was so chatty? Keeping a guy up this late and distracting him from work?â
It was your turn to be silent, and before he could apologise you beat him to it.
âI didnât realise it was so late! Sorry, I wanted to chat away the stress,â you explained, âshould probably stop disturbing you, right?â
He looked at the time. Heâs not sure what heâs doing exactly, but he doesnât need to go in-game until the reset at midnightâ might as well refill his irl stamina too, right? Well, if he could be the bento box that helped you refill your energy, why not?
⌠Yeah, that sounded better in his head.
âI mean, we could probably talk about work on call⌠or,â he paused for dramatic effect, âwe could just talk.â
Itaruâs equally as relieved as you when you breathe a sigh of relief. Oh thank god, he didnât want to actually talk about work. It was only the first day of the project, both of you had time to kill. Probably.
âWhy do I have a feeling youâre gonna end up sniffing out my secrets?â
He snickered at your suggestion. âThen Iâm not the co-worker you should be worried about then,â before you could question who he possibly meant, he continued, âthough since you got to see a quote, hidden side of me, unquote, shouldnât I know more about you?â
âHmmm? Like what?â you asked.
âLike what you even do on your phone anyway? Youâre on your phone just as much as me,â as he uttered those words you were voiceless for a split second, not unlike the momentary silence committed by Itaru minutes ago.
You tittered, your awkwardness not going unnoticed. âMostly reading e-books, nothing too special.â
Okay, but the way you made it sound gave off the impression of it being fan fiction or something. Not that heâd judge, just a little surprising for you he guessed.
âOh? Whatâs it about?â
His suspicion died down quickly enough as soon as you went off about the plot and characters of the story you were reading. He made a noise every now and then to let you know he was still listening, moving to his bed as he slipped on his headphones.
As you ranted about some complicated love triangle he figured would be popular in TV dramas and reverse harem routes, the more he found it undeniable that he enjoyed seeing this side of you, too.
He felt the tension of the workday slip off his system, your voice washing it away. Who knows? Maybe youâd consider a career in streaming or ASMR or something.
A couple of minutes pass by, and Itaruâs wordless responses died down after a while.
âChigasaki-san?â you asked gently, not wanting to disrupt him should your suspicions be correct. When he didnât respond, you smiled to yourself. Well, midnight just struck after all.
âGood night, sweet dreams,â you whispered before ending the call.
Imagine finding out from a 17-year old brat that his ranking dipped because he fell asleep listening to his co-workerâs voice while waiting for the reset. He was a little upset at having to spend diamonds just to climb back up the leaderboard, but at least heâs in the top 0.1% again. It was nothing a bunch of grinding couldnât fix.
What he was mortified about, however, was falling asleep in call. He was the one who suggested staying in the call in the first place, yet he dozed off on you. You didnât send him an angry text or anything, but he was still prepared to press an f in the chat for himself.
Itaru found that you were already sat at your desk by the time he arrived, prodding at the phone inside your drawer. While it was mostly hidden, if he looked close enough heâd probably be able to see what you were doing.
⌠Not that he was going to, of course. You were mutuals in this we-secretly-use-our-phones-at-work tendency, he wasnât going to betray you now! Still, he was a little curious. A peek over the shoulder wouldnât hurt, right?
âChigasaki-san, good morning! You looked like you rested well~â
Mission failed. Weâll get âem next time.
âAha, my apologies. I suppose I was more tired than usual,â he paused, feeling something offâ by the way you narrowed your eyes slightly at something behind him he could tell people were probably eavesdropping.
âDonât worry! It was getting too late to discuss the upcoming project anyway,â you replied, putting emphasis to deter any rumours. Though you werenât shouting by any means, the sudden volume definitely got you the response you wanted by the upwards pull of your lips. âWe can continue working on it now that youâre here.â
As he sat down, turning his chair to face you, Itaru was unable to mask the small grin he sported on his face. âVery cool of you. So you have this side to you as well?â
âIâve always wanted to try out a scene like that! Though I always imagined myself more on the MCâs side than the MLâs.â
âHm? MC? ML?â he asked, feigning ignorance to the terms used. Not that those terms were limited to use in games, but still it was a teensy bit suspicious.
âOh? Uh, MC for main character and ML for male lead,â you explained to him, not knowing that he already knew what they stood for. âReviews for novels use those terms a lot, so I guess I picked up on them.â
⌠damn you right, though.
âDidnât peg you for an office romance lover,â Itaru said, watching you shrug your shoulders.
âWhat can I say? Iâm a versatile person with many interests~â you grinned, the sudden flash of your teeth a little blinding.
Unexpectedly all it took was one late-night phone call for you to be more comfortable around him; he finds himself feeling much of the same. Still, werenât you getting a little bolder with your vague responses?
Well, if his dating simulators taught him anything, it was clear that you were begging for a response. For an unathletic man, his heart rate increased steadily like a man on a morning jogâ the anticipation similar to what he felt when a game continued to throw him pleasant surprises.
âReally? What else are you interested in, then?â he asked, keeping his voice low so that only the two of you could hear each other. On the outside, the two of you probably (hopefully) looked like you were discussing work; at worst, conspiring a business scheme togetherâ the glint in both of your eyes said otherwise.
âWouldnât you like to find out?â you laughed quietly, almost tricking Itaru into believing you wouldnât say any more. âFor starters, Iâm interested in you,â
Heâs, well, more than a little dumbfounded. Shellshocked might be the appropriate word for it. Seriously, who told you it was okay to be so direct? Illegal, absolutely illegal. Someone arrest you already.
Still, his face is as calm and relaxed as ever; you wouldnât have noticed anything was wrong if not for the colour beginning to dust his cheeks.
âWhat specifically about me?â He could be digging himself a deeper hole, but all the same, he could use this to turn things around.
You rolled your eyes at him, as though the answer was obvious. âEverything, pretty muchâ though especially your, letâs call it the non-princely persona. Iâm onto you, Chigasaki-san~â
He resisted the urge to laugh, pushing down the bubbling feelings of excitement that threatened to leave him.
âNot if I expose you first, sweetheart~â he threatened jokingly.
Thus began a game that would end sooner than both of you expected.
âChigasaki-san, is it alright if we end our planning session early today?â you asked him, picking up your mug and placing it between your lips. He found himself mirroring you, drinking his coffee as well before responding.
âSure. You have something you need to do?â He asked curiously, the dip in his smile showing the slightest disappointment on his features.
Work was still stressful as always but your presence, especially over the past week, had made things bearable if not enjoyable at points.
âYeah. I have to pick up something from a store and I donât wanna rush before closing time,â you explained, setting the now-empty ceramic down. âThank you for the drink, Chigasaki-san. Itâs easier to work with no one to bother us, you know?â
âDonât mention it. You treated me yesterday, so itâs my turn now,â he waved off, shutting his laptop to begin packing up his things. âNeed me to drive you to⌠wherever?â
The two of you exited the coffee shop, the cool breeze hitting your faces as the two of you descended the stairs. As you turned to greet him farewell he fought to keep his hand still as he looked at your wind-blown hair, slightly unruly but endearing at the same time.
âIf I didnât know you better Iâd say you just wanted to be around me a little longer,â a soft, airy laugh escaping your throat. A smile touched the corners of his mouth and played in the laugh lines beside his eyes.
âWhoâs to say youâre wrong, though?â he watched the red creep from your cheeks to your neck, half reveling in his success and half wondering if it went any further. Heâs only a little dismayed that you hastily wished him goodbye and ran off to who knows where, but there was always tomorrow.
By the time you enter the game shop youâve calmed down, for the most part, hair still a little disheveled but otherwise alright. Did playing around and teasing him finally come to bite you in the ass?
Ugh, that felt like a moment in otome games where the MC decides to tease the ML and the comeback has them all flustered and they run away.
Okay, thatâs exactly what happened.
Seriously, you were an adult, what were you doing acting like a teenager? Did the dating simulators infect your brain or something?
You browsed through the new figurines to distract yourself, waiting for the inventory manager to retrieve the game you pre-ordered a while back. Once you and Itaru Chigasaki finished this deal with GeneSys you were going to immediately put in all your free hours into playing the game.
From the corner of your eye, you could see a familiar character, his figurine hidden a couple rows back.
âDamn, havenât seen you in a while,â you muttered to yourself, grabbing the figurine. Shitty sequels aside, the OG game was totally fun. Maybe it was due for a replay of the game? You could probably dig up the cartridge somewhere in your room.
Distracted by your nostalgia, you wouldnât have noticed him if it wasnât for the narrow space causing you two to bump into each other.
âAh, sorryâŚâ you apologized for blocking the way, about to put back the figurine and move on until you heard your name.
Shit, you knew that voice all too well.
âChigasaki-san?!â you exclaimed, taking in his widened eyes and knowing your expression wasnât too far off from his own.
Once the initial wore off, rationality and relief took place. To think you were hiding the extent of your, uh, gaming obsession when in reality he wasnât too far off, as far as you could tell by the sleek, limited-edition controller he was holding.
Yeah, he might even be worse than you.
âWhen I implied wanting to spend more time with you, I didnât think itâd be like this,â he said, a good-natured laugh leaving him. Despite your original embarrassment, you followed suit soon enough.
âI guess we both ended up seeing each otherâs secret pastimes at the same time, huh?â you replied, shaking your head at the ridiculousness of it all.
âI was right though,â you began, watching Itaruâs eyebrow quirk upwards.
âRight about what?â
âLiking this hidden side of you,â you smiled in delight as he looked at you uncontrollably fond, finally getting to fix your hair with his free hand.
Heâll ask you out properly some other time, but for nowâŚ
âJust the hidden side of me?â he teased, his hand sliding from the top of your head to poke your cheek. âMeanwhile here I am, liking all of you.â
You huffed, rolling your eyes in faux exasperation. âI like all of you, too.â
want to order again?
#a3!#a3! act! addict! actors!#a3! itaru#a3! x reader#itaru chigasaki#cafe: dessert menu#chigasaki itaru#itaru x reader#a3 itaru#a3! game#a3! actor training game
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Cordonian Wags
Part 22
In a world full of Professional footballers and their demanding wives- can their football team nicknamed the âCordonian Applesâ succeed? An American female physiotherapist joins the club. Will this cause issues with the footballers wives?
*This series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*
Warnings: Swearing, heartache, illness.
Tags: @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @indiacater @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @desiree-0816
******
âErm. About that future we planned. Thereâs something I need to tell you...â Drake looked at her concerned, wondering if she was having second thoughts about all that they had planned. Deep down he knew something was fishy regarding Xavierâs âdeathâ. Regretting feeling sorry for himself- drinking himself into oblivion whilst the love of his life was being hurt yet again, he would hate himself for the rest of his life.
Liam and Leo woke up surrounded by a sticky residue- scotch that had leaked from the bottle. Neither of them could remember the night before apart from Drake discussing how he was going to propose to Riley- then him crying. Liam heard his phone ringing, the noise now adding to his migraine he had occurred due to his hangover.
âLiv... where are you?â
âHow drunk did you get? Did you not read my thousand text messages? I knew I shouldnât have left you. Iâm in New York!â
Thinking back he vaguely remembered her mention it. âRileyâs hurt. Sheâs in hospital. Iâm with her, Lindsey is cleaning up my mess. Get your hungover arses to New York ASAP, bring Walker!â Shooting up, the room was spinning but hearing that Riley was hurt broke his heart.
âWhat do you mean sheâs hurt? Lindsey is cleaning up your mess? What the fuck has happened?â
âXavier didnât die in that car chase, he was in New York. He hurt her. I killed him. She was bleeding. Just hurry!â Hanging up the phone, he hit Leo across leg- before pouring the remainder scotch over him.
âWhat the fuck Li?â
âGet up! Riley needs us! We need to get Drake. Is he still here?â
âWhatâs happened?â Liam explained the brief explanation that Olivia had said on the phone. âShit!â Storming through the door of the spare room, they were relieved that Drake had stayed the night.
âWalker get up! We have a flight to catch!â
âWhat?â
âLiv killed Xavier! Heâs hurt Riley. He was in New York as you suspected.â Drake felt as if he couldnât breathe- he allowed her to become hurt and he wasnât there to protect her.
âWhat is it?â Riley looked into his eyes, they provided hope. She couldnât tell him the truth not yet.
âErm, the nurse has just advised me to not have sex for a few weeks. Thatâs all.â
âRi, I donât care about sex. Just having you in my life, when we are ninety with a football team of grandkids that is all I want.â Ninety. Grandkids. Shit. Iâm going to break his heart.
âMe too, Iâm a bit tired. Why donât you go and see the others?â
âOkay. Iâll grab a coffee, then Iâm not leaving your side.â Kissing her on the forehead, the nurse walked back in as he stood up to leave. Making sure none of her friends were close by, she knew the staff had an inkling regarding the tests they did upon her arrival, and was eager for answers.
âSo? Can you explain what we spoke about last night?â
âMiss Brooks, after the examination it does look as if the results will show positive......â
âAm I going to die?â
âIt happens less often than it used to, but yes, itâs possible to die from cervical cancer- Iâm not going to lie Miss Brooks. Generally speaking, the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the outcome. Cervical cancer tends to grow slowly. We are hoping to have caught it early, if you didnât go through the trauma youâve been through we may not have known for a while.â
âI had one chance at being a mother, I had that taken away from me. Iâm never going to be able to be a mom am I?â Drake, I need to let him go. He doesnât want to be my carer. Watch me die. He deserves someone who could provide him with the family he wants. The nurse opened her mouth to respond with negative news regarding fertility- until the door swung open muting their conversation immediately.
âHey what are you doing here?â Shit Iâve been crying heâs going to worry.
âI forgot my wallet. Are you okay? Why are you crying? Do you want me to stay with you?â
âThe nurse just explained that I was probably bleeding due to coming on to my period due to the stress. Thatâs all. No need to worry. Iâm just crying because Iâm on my period- women problems.â Lying she faked a laugh, knowing she needed to tell him the truth at some point.
âAre you sure?â
âYes Drake. I love you, I always will do- please donât ever forget how much I love you.â
âI love you too. You have made my life complete- Iâm so happy fate brought us together. Weâve gone through enough drama in the past, but we have each other. Our future is looking bright. Iâve got so many plans for the two of us.â Attempting to hold the tears in, she pulled him towards her- wrapping her arms tightly around him.
*****
A few days later, everyone landed back in Cordonia- Drake took Riley to his cabin, Lindsey had offered to collect her belongings from her apartment and bring them over. Watching Riley on the flight, Drake noticed her body tremble whilst she slept. Feeling useless, he held her tight to him- hoping at some point in the future he could cure her from all the pain. Walking through the cabin, Riley always believed it had that homey atmosphere.
âIâll run you a bath baby. Then Iâll cook us something - okay?â
âThat sounds amazing Drake. Thank you so much.â
âNo need to thank me Ri. Iâll do anything to make you happy. Bastien and Lindsey are due any time though.â
âGood job we canât have sex for a few weeks then- I wouldnât like to see their reactions if they walked in on us.â Trying to make a joke, deep down she was hurting still.
In my nightmares I am dragged by my hair out of bed after refusing sexual intercourse with my ex husband. Heâs angry again. Seeing me attempt to gain help by using my phone, he throws it just as I press send- grabbing the lamp, my head forms a huge lump immediately as he smashes it against it. Holding my arms tightly, he forces my body to move- I canât fight- I feel useless. Iâm trapped in the cellar. I canât move my hands without feeling the restriction of the straps. My head is spinning, my vision is blurry. I lay against the cold damp wall with every ounce of strength- I still canât budge. âBe the good wife that you always was.â Forcing my legs open, he pushes his penis inside me, I canât prevent it. I am grateful that he has blindfolded me, as I could bare to look into his eyes or direction as he completed this despicable act. My back hurts right from the base of my spine to the tail bone. Saliva is pooling in the back of my mouth- mixed with his saliva. Once he finishes he places a gag in my mouth to shut me up, I gain a slight adrenaline rush- enabling my legs to kick him, attempt to push him away from me. One punch in the ribs. One forceful punch in the stomach. I am defenceless. I am now alone. My ears can only hear silence, mixed with my heavy breathing. Self infliction most people would say. My hearts pounding ready to explode. I hope to hear signs of someone coming to help. No one. I am still alone. I am back in hell. Itâs like being back in Manchester all those years ago. My personal hell. No longer is the door open for me to escape, even if I could break free from the restraints keeping me trapped. Four concrete walls are surrounding me - I am left to potentially die. âRiley! Ri! Where are you?â It sounds like my sister, is it just an hallucination? I scream for help, hoping it would be loud enough with the gag in my mouth.
*****
Riley was still in the bath when Lindsey and Bastien arrived. Drake welcomed them in and offered them a drink.
âHow is she?â
âSheâs still quiet. Itâs going to take time to heal. How are you Lindsey?â
âWell of course it will. Iâm fine, I have Leo. Iâm just glad I took Olivia with me. She had a plan, and Riley understood the hint of what she was about to do. Iâm just grateful that the police believed her self defence story because he could have been dangerous to all of us. Riley thinks sheâs clever and strong- no one could outwit a man like him unless you are called Olivia Nevrakis.â
âWhat did he do to her? I keep asking but I donât want to force it. She remains silent or changes the subject. I should have been there to protect her.â Lindsey looked at bastien for reassurance, he nodded. He knew Drake felt guilty enough.
âIf I tell you, donât tell her that I told you. Let her open up to you.â Drake nodded, not really wanting to know but he needed to know to support her. âShe told us that she wasted time in the bathroom waiting for me to arrive. He checked her phone and noticed she was checking the flights. He got in bed next to her, and tried to have sex- she refused. He pulled her hair, then dragged her out of bed. She managed to grab her phone and text our neighbour for help- before he hit her across the face with a lamp. Forcing her into the cellar- he tied her up, gagged her and put a blindfold on, before he ra- ra-raped her. She tried to put up a fight, but he punched her in the ribs and stomach. Iâm assuming that is why she was bleeding. But neither she nor the staff confirmed this- they just said stress brought on her period early. Iâm so sorry Drake, this was not your fault. Please donât blame yourself. He was venom. A man like him could never change.â
âDrake, sheâs stubborn- she believes sheâs always right with the actions that she takes. She would never blame you for what happened. You went as soon as possible. She loves you, she knows you would never hurt her. Look after your girl, my niece. Have you still got your grandmothers ring?â
âOf course I have. Why?â
âWhen the times right, make sure you have it on you son.â Shaking his hand, Drake was happy with the support from Bastien and Lindsey- imagining Riley as his wife made his heart flutter. Riley Walker, has a nice ring to it he thought. Riley walked in to the lounge with a towel wrapped around her body.
âHey.â Looking still fragile and exhausted- the three of them walked over to her. Drake held her waist and kissed her on the forehead, causing the visitors to smile softly at him.
âHey sis. Iâve brought some stuff over- I wasnât sure how long youâd be staying.â
âErm.. well Drake did ask me to move in. I suppose I can collect the rest of my things another day. Iâll still keep my apartment.â
âDid he now?â Lindsey smirked at Drake, wondering when he was going to ask her another certain question.
âYes I did. Why are you smirking?â
âOhhh no reason.â Lindsey winked at him, now knowing that moving in together was the first step towards their future. âYou look tired Ri. Are you okay? Do you need me or Bastien to get you anything?â
âIâm fine Linz. Iâve got marshmallow to look after me.â Looking up towards Drake, she smirked knowing he would potentially berate her for using her nickname. Instead he shook his head, and held her closer towards him. âBut Bastien, I may need you to cover the next match for me.â
âSure of course I will.â
âDoes anyone know what happened with Constantine?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âHe set up the whole faking Xavierâs death. He planned it all.â Bastiens eyes widened, he was now furious beyond words.
âDrake keep her safe. Lindsey I will drop you off at Liamâs immediately. Iâm going to have words with him, Iâll meet you in the car Linz I need to make a phone call.â Before Riley could stop him, Bastien was dialling a number and headed out of the door. âHe will be calm down, donât worry. Enjoy your night together. I love you. Text me if you need anything.â Hugging the two of them, Lindsey smiled as she left the cabin.
*****
Riley and Drake had something to eat, his mind imagined Xavier hurting her, every thought broke him. Watching her try to get dressed independently, was frustratingly upsetting.
âLet me help you. Please. Youâre struggling.â
âDrake, I need to try for myself. Itâs just newly bruised ribs- but they do hurt. Youâre not always going to be here, so I need to do it for myself.â Ignoring her, he assisted Riley getting her dressed. As he did, he kissed her ribs and stomach- the touch felt as if it had healed immediately, that was until his lips left the area. Laying next to her in bed, she snuggled into his embrace, locking his eyes onto hers as he held her lovingly.
When he looks at me it is as if every ounce of breath is taken away from my lungs floating into the air effortlessly. Every time he kisses me it feels like the world has stopped, melted away- leaving just the two of us. Holding me for eternity in his arms I've grown so accustomed to. This is what falling in love was like, a story that I never want to end. For so long I had longed for it, to be loved and not used as a punch bag- now I couldnât bare to lose it - lose this person that makes me feel so complete. Would I lose him if I told him the truth? I want to protect him from becoming hurt. Itâs strange how you can go from someone being a complete stranger, a slight jerk to begin with - to then being completely infatuated by him and wondering how I was able to live without him. I need to be honest. The results could come back with positive news- positive news that it was mistake and not actually be cancer.
âDrake?â
âYes?â
âErm... I donât know how to say this... or how youâll react... but what if I canât keep to our promise about our future?â
âWhat do you mean? I know youâre hurt Ri. But please donât split up with me- we donât have to rush into anything. Iâm happy just having you in my arms every night.â
âWhat if it was for the best to split up?â She bit her lip as she averted her gaze not wanting to witness his expression.
âWe take one step forward and two back. Riley please, Iâm begging you. Just be honest with me. Have I done something wrong? Iâll fix it. I canât lose you. You mean too much to me.â
âBut you may lose me.â Riley felt the muscles of her chin tremble, the tears burst forth like water from the dam, spilling down her face.
âWhy will I lose you?â
âThe reasoning.... for why I was bleeding.... I wasnât on my period....â
âRiley we can get through this. I will never hurt you like he did. Heâs gone.â Assuming she was about to suggest the bleeding was due to Xavier raping her- his eyes pleaded with her to give them a chance and to not give up.
âItâs nothing to do with him Drake. The hospital was concerned with the bleeding. Olivia thought I was pregnant and miscarried. I honestly believed it was due to stress. They did, a smear test and a pelvic exam....â Pausing to take a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she spoke the next words.
âThey think I may have cancer.... if I do... you may lose me...â Drake remained silent, feeling like a selfish jerk thinking about himself yet again. âIf Xavier didnât do what he did, I wouldnât have known. Thatâs why I was crying when you walked back into my room. Iâm so sorry for lying, I wanted to protect you. I donât want to hold you back Drake, I know what we had planned but I now may not be able to give you that. I donât want to prevent you from living your dreams Drake. I want you to be happy. I need you to be happy, if Iâm not here anymore.â
Drake thought back, all the memories of how they had reached this point of their relationship.
âNice to see you in the flesh Walker. I look forward to working with you all.â
âI was never a âwagâ Savannah. I hate them. I was the odd one out. Biggest mistake of my life has been marrying a footballer- no offence Drake.â
âUm.. none taken... youâre married to a footballer... youâre a physio.... anything else you need to confess?â
âExcuse me? Mr Rhys knows all about my background, my estranged husband. Thereâs nothing more to tell. Itâs none of your business Walker. My business is to make sure that none of you dumbasses injure yourselves too much!â
âYouâre going to be trouble, I can already tell! You are.. look no offence. But this place is vicious. Full of secrets. If I was you Iâd get back on a plane to America pronto!â
***
Before Riley could escape, he grabbed her wrist pulling her closer to him. There was a tingling sensation spreading throughout his stomach. Standing frozen, she could hear his heartbeat rapidly increase, every second he held her. Slowly he lent down, before crashing his lips onto hers whilst inhaling her fruity fragrance. The short kiss- made him feel intoxicated, she was going to be his newest drug- one he couldnât wait to taste again. Riley looked at him with sorrow in her eyes as she pushed him away with an almighty force. Immediately she ran away as fast as she could. Not looking back, she was hoping to just be able to sneak out of the party without anyone noticing her. She was uncontrollably shaking, regretting that she didnât do anything to prevent the interaction that had just occurred.
***
I know you probably donât want to hear from me- I just had to get your number from Bertrand. I can still smell you on me- I havenât stopped thinking about that kiss. I havenât stopped thinking about you, Iâm sorry that it was impromptu- it felt right. I hope it doesnât ruin our friendship. đ
You need to stop thinking about it. Everyone was drunk. It was a drunk stupid moment. I shouldnât have allowed it to happen. We will never have a friendship- for the next nine months all we have is a professional relationship. Goodnight!đđź
So it meant nothing to you then? Nothing at all?đ¤
It meant nothing. Please donât text me back. See you at training.â˝ď¸
Lie to me. Lie to yourself. But there was a spark there. We need to talk about it. See you tomorrow đ
***
âJust pretend and give me it back after trainingâ he whispered.
âWonât your significant other half need your credit card to go on a shopping spree?â She whispered back before using her usual tone of voice.
âThank you. Whilst youâre here- fill this form out for me please.â
âYou canât avoid me. We need to talk.â
âAs I said to you, thereâs nothing to talk about. You need to go inside and get ready for training.â He removed his top, smirking at her as he discarded it on the floor.
âItâs a sunny day.. might as well get a head start before the lads arrive...â Riley couldnât help but admire his muscled and ripped body before shaking her head and making her way towards the dressing room. Heâs taken, Iâm married- you are here to work Riley Brooks.
***
âWow!â
âShit!â Grabbing her robe, she attempted to cover her body up- assuming it was Maxwell, she didnât really care about him seeing her dressed like this. âWhat do you want?â
âIve been telling you since last night that I wanted to talk. About you know what.â
âAnd like I have been saying since last night- it was nothing.â Riley feeling frustrated really didnât want to talk whilst she was still drunk. âCan I come in? If anyone wakes up and sees us?â
âNo. And if anyone sees you, Iâm sure you could come up with another lame excuse.â There is no us - attempting to shut the door she failed as he forced the door to stay open with his foot.
âWhat did you want me to say? âHey Bertrand, can you give me Rileyâs number because Iâve just had the most amazing kiss with her.â â
âNo, but maybe you should have just not asked for it in the first place! Iâm not a home wrecker. I donât want to be the reason for a relationship breakdown. You should have just left it be.â
âYou would never be just the other woman or the reason for my relationship breakdown. I like you. And I canât show it in front of everyone. You are beautiful and I canât lie and say that kiss didnât mean anything.â
Moving closer to her, she bit her bottom lip- he put his hands on around her waist keeping a slight distance. Both their heartbeats were racing ten to the dozen. She wanted to push him away- she knew it was wrong, but there was a magnet pulling them closer together. Knowing the minute he touched her again her resistance would crumble. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder, moving his head closer to hers - his body now leaned against hers. Feeling his warmth- he crashed his lips onto hers, not a soft kiss like the prior night. Instead it was passionate and demanding. Picking her up he carried her over towards the bed- hovering over her, he knew what he wanted. He wanted her. Removing her robe, he began to kiss her body.
âWe are both consenting adults- I want you Riley. That kiss last night made me want you more.â His eyes full of desire, deep down she was attracted to him and wanted this too. But she didnât want to be that woman.
âI feel guilty. I canât help it. I promised myself to never get involved with a footballer again.â
âDonât feel guilty. Iâm not like most footballers.â
***
âI was five, I hate most people and most women. But I like you. Ri.... listen to me. This is hard for me to say, because I donât express my feelings. Ever. But... will you go out on a date with me? Iâll spoil you like you deserve to be spoilt.â
***
âI asked you to open your eyes because I want to look in them...Every minute I spend with you. Iâm falling in love with you. Riley... I need you in my life. I know youâre still married to him, but I want to take you on a second date and...â
âAnd what?â
âIâll look after you. Iâll protect you. Iâll keep you safe. If youâll have me, Iâd like you to be officially my girl.â
âI think we better get some sleep and allow them to get some too... Iâm falling in love with you too Drake. Can I cuddle my handsome boyfriend?â
âIâd love to cuddle my beautiful girlfriend. Iâm never letting you go.â
Iâm never letting her go. I made that promise.
âRi, we will get through this. Whatever the outcome is. I want to be with you, please donât push me away. Youâre not going anywhere, youâll most likely outlive us all. Come on letâs get some sleep. Iâm always going to be here. You and me. Forever. I love you Riley Brooks.â
âI love you too Drake Walker.â Almost instantly, Riley fell asleep in Drakes arms. Kissing her on the forehead- his emotions were finally released. The tears that were held in, were now falling down his cheeks.
I canât lose you. I hope you fight baby- we have only just found each other. Iâm not ready to let go just yet. I love you.
*****
âWe are here today to celebrate the life of Riley Brooks....â Drake kept his head down, remaining in silence- Liam held his friend tightly. Not knowing what to say to him without sounding patronising.
The sun shone brightly through the church windows- as if Riley was still lingering around, the ray of sunshine that she was. Everything should be as dark as the emotions surrounding the room. But the birds still sang a merry tune and the flowers she had chosen for this day still bloomed- the perfumed scent lingering around. As Drake took an unstable stroll near the front the long held back tears began to flow. He was not ashamed, he loved her dearly- regretting that he never got the chance to ask her to his wife. Now she wasnt there the light had been extinguished forever in his heart. Goodbye my darling. I will always love you. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he was knocked out of his trance.
âDrake? I know how much Riley meant to you. But Iâm here still. I can heal you.â
âNo! You are not Riley! Get out of my face Kiara!â
No. I love her. Iâve lost her.
Drake woke up in a sweat, his heart jumping out of his chest. Sitting up, he wiped the sweat off his brow. Turning his head, Riley was sleeping peacefully next to him. Realising it was just a dream- a nightmare, he was now dreading what would happen if it was to become reality. Laying back down, he pulled her close to him- never wanting to let go.
âTomorrow, Iâm going to ask you to become my wife. Spend every day as if itâs our last. I love you so much Riley. I will help you fight, I will pay for private treatment. Iâll do everything and anything for you.â He was forced out of his thoughts, as there was a notification on his phone.
Fuck!
Breaking News
Constantine Rhys the chairman of the Apples has been murdered in his own home. Reports initially suggested a knife had been involved in the attack. A neighbour said they had heard someone yell âIâm going to kill youâ during an argument prior to the death of Mr Rhys. More news to follow.
#trr choices#drake x riley#drake walker#riley brooks#trr fanfic#drake x mc#trr bastien#trr au cordonian wags#lindsey brooks cordonian wags#liam rhys#leo rhys#olivia nevrakis
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Congratulations, ART! Youâve been accepted for the role of EDMUND with an approved FC change to Max Irons. Admin Minnie: I knew this was a winner while reading your plots Art, but it was your para sample that really left me speechless. The way you showed us how he had suffered and how he had ached, all that bitterness and resentment and ambition and pride... it was so clear how deep your love for Edmund goes. I am thrilled to see someone with such an intimate, intense grasp on Eastonâs soul. Please stay forever, and please ruin us for the rest of your life! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.
WELCOME TO THE MOB.
OUT OF CHARACTER
Alias | Art
Age | 19
Preferred Pronouns | He/him
Activity Level | Well hereâs the thing about quarantine. I will be spending the next two-three months in a house, all day, every day, with consistent access to a laptop. I also lost my job and because the US economy is a flaming pile of garbagĂŠ, I donât imagine getting another any time soon, especially since all my skills are in food. All this to say, I believe I will be incredibly active, outside of my Skypeâd classes and grocery runs and whatnot.
Timezone | MST
How did you find the rp? Â | A discord friend DMâd it to me after I went on a rant about Edmund and the layers to his âThou, Nature, art my Goddessâ soliloquy. They know me so well, and acceptances were literally in like six hours from when I got the link, so I sat my butt down, put down my real-world obligations for a moment, and typed this whole thing out like I was writing an unstarted essay due at midnight.
Current/Past RP Accounts | All my old RP writing is from years ago and is, frankly, really really bad. Thank you for making this optional.
IN CHARACTER
Character | Edmund or Easton Craven. I love Daniel Sharmanâs wonderful, gorgeous face with my whole heart (hello gay awakening), but Iâd like to use Max Irons instead, if at all possible.
What drew you to this character? | So, my love of Easton/Edmund actually began about a year ago, when I cut my hair and started playing around with names and different clothes. I was in a Shakespeare class at my college, and it was a requirement that we perform a monologue. It didnât need to be Broadway-worthy, we just needed to deliver it, and we could do this as often as we liked. I performed two. One from a play we had read and analyzed, as my professor asked, and I did another. That second one was Edmundâs âThou, Natureâ soliloquy. It was the first time I performed as a guy to an audience that thought I was a guy, not a girl playing dress up. So I have a really strong emotional connection to Edmund, regardless of the form heâs in.
I was really excited by this particular version of him, however, because I thought it played right along the line of a monstrous asshole and charming young man doing what he can to deal with the hand dealt to him. Heâs both of those things, to me, and I really enjoyed that you brought that forward. Edmund, from the source, reminds me of Chris Evansâ character from Knives Out, in a way? Completely self-motivated, selfish and cruel, and yet really fun and charming, as long as it isnât you heâs screwing over at the time. I know he isnât that character and Iâm honestly really glad for it. I just found a similarity there.
I just really like those kinds of characters in fiction, and that, combined with my emotional ties and vague debt to the source character, meant I arrived and started writing as fast as I could.
What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |
These are all ideas, nothing here is set in stone, and are entirely dependent on the beauty of the other writers free will.
Some Twelve or Fourteen Moonshines Lag of a Brother: From the get-go of this awful experience known as the human existence, Easton has existed just slightly behind Everett, just enough to keep the guy freezing in the shadows. Itâs the last name, the mannerisms, and the goddamn eyes that sit in his skull. It is a truth, acknowledged by both me and him, that there is an association to Easton he really wishes wasnât there. This is why I want someone to look at Easton and see Easton, not a Craven.
Now, I want to pause here, and say that Easton is a lying snake of a man that would and probably will sell out his own family for one corn chip. He is completely self-centered, convinced of his superiority, and willing to bleed the world dry to get the pound of flesh he is owed. I want someone to see this, to realize there is a snake curled around the Capuletâs necks, willing to bite and kill every single one of them if it means he gets to sit comfortably on a throne of gold and bones. Because that is what he wants, he wants the world to pay for every second of misery he endured in his life. But he is charming, slippery in the way only the truly awful can be. Heâs accepted the labels thrown at him and become them, which is its own kind of armor. Who doesnât love a bad boy?
But beyond all that, he is rotten through and through. Iâd like his armor to crack and reveal the duplicity underneath, maybe around someone like Maeve or Catherine, someone that might not be believed right away. I love the idea of Easton being the wolf among some very dangerous sheep, but the really, truly awful ones not realizing. This could produce a really fun dance, where the two parties involved both try really really hard to overthrow or remove the other from their position while still trying really hard to maintain a veil of normality.
But that dance is what makes this all so terribly fun. Theyâre on a rock, doomed to eventually die, and Easton wants his power, but why canât he play a few games while trying to get it?
I Grow, I Prosper: Easton, poor guy, was brought into the world and then spent the next twenty-six years being told his existence and all the things that came with it were his fault. They werenât, or at least they werenât in the way he had been told his entire life. He has learned to move past the label of âbastardâ or âillegitimateâ, meeting all such claims with the certainty that he must act the part. But does his position fulfill him? Does his current lot in life spark joy? I think not! He is a captain, yes, but so is his brother. He is, at best, on equal footing with his brother and at worst, he is the younger brother desperately following behind Everett as a living shadow yet again. Easton needs to be more than Everett. Heâs wanted this his entire life. The whole city needs to look at Easton and see him, not his brother, and then Easton wants to rub it in Everettâs face, lord it over him for the next century at the shortest. That is the general idea behind this plot: Everett surpassing and overcoming his brother. The fact that heâd end up lording over so many others is really just a plus!
This plot would require effort. Loads and LOADS of plotting and communication on my part, and a whole lot of cutthroat, stepping-on-literally-everyone-else-in-Verona from Easton. He is going to have to exploit the hell out of Celeste and the information she can get him, potentially leading to her downfall just so Easton can succeed. He will need Rafaella and Tiberius to trust him almost unconditionally, which, just from what Iâve seen poking around the main, seems pretty much impossible. And of course, he has to successfully and continually one-up Everett, which might be the hardest job of all, given the whole awful tangle of EmotionsTM that Easton has towards him. Itâs hard for him to be clear-headed when he wants to tear Everett into little tiny pieces with his bare hands.
But hey, that is, again, the whole point of this plot: the destruction of the legitimate son. Eliminating the sun so the moon can rule 24/7.
My Services are Bound: No matter how ambitious, how desperate Easton is to rule the world, he doesnât yet. He works for the Capulets and he is a tool used to further the wishes of those above him in this terribly illegal food chain where dog eats dog. No matter how much Easton wishes it was different, it isnât, at least not at the moment, and he must bide his time until something better happens.
Yes, Easton is a tool, and I want him to be reminded of that. He has the ambition to rule the world, can picture himself with a crown he may never hold, but he is a knight on the chessboard. I want his ego to be checked, I want him to be taken down at the knees and reminded of the situation he is in, who he works for. Now, ideally, this would come from the Capulet family themselves and not a rogue Montague or something.
The Capulet family, in order to win this war theyâve found themselves in, need their tools to be obedient and ready to deploy at a momentâs notice. This is not the case with Easton. Heâs a rebellious man, more loyal to himself than any of the lofty ideas the Capulet heads have surrounded themselves with. So the family he serves would need to get Easton back in line, somehow. Theyâd need to remind him who he is and whom he serves no matter what it took and use whatever tools at their disposal. This could potentially happen after Easton completely blows off a mission he was handed to advance his own agendas, which I think would probably be the best choice as it would probably send these awful shrieking sirens off in the Capulets.
I want this particular plot because Easton is so assured that he will be able to make the world pay and yet heâs just one man against so very many others.
Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Oh most definitely. As a writer, I am a firm believer in conditional happy endings, probably because I play so many video games. In order to get a happy ending, in order to survive, the character has to do all the right things. The likelihood of Easton doing all the right things is just tiny, absolutely microscopic. Â
IN DEPTH
I was going to do both, but Iâm running out of time soâŚ
In-Character Para Sample:
There is something beautiful in standing alone, where there are no silent reminders of how Easton arrived in this world, how he stepped into it screaming and no one cared to change that. There were no side-eyes, reminding him of how unwanted he was, how utterly unworthy he was to bear the name âCravenâ. No hands hiding giggles at the boy his mother ran from and his father hid away. Here, under the bowed ceiling in the transept of the Capuletâs cathedral, there was only him and God.
âI hope,â Easton began, fingers lightly running across the back of a pew likely not used for praying, âthat you know what is coming.â The eyes that proclaim a taint to his familyâs name were raised to dance across the ceiling. âIf word is to be believed, you, an old man in the sky, a Father,â he spat out, âbrought me here. Placed me here upon this Earth to do whatever it is I so wish.â A smile, small and dangerous with heavy promises was birthed on his face, an expression that could not have been more familiar to his muscles. âI suppose thatâs all a father has ever done for me. Perhaps,â he mused, lightly tapping his chin as he continued to wander aimlessly among the seats of a flock absent. âPerhaps I should be grateful that both You and him are both so delightfully hands-off.â
âI suppose this rock is where You chose to put all Your bastards, isnât it? Shoved them away from Your kingdom, making them fight for their place in Your home despite them all being Your children?â The noise that escaped Eastonâs mouth was not fit for the place he stood in, but it hardly seemed to matter to him as he collapsed into a pew, feet raised to rest on a Bible, feet that had stood in a manâs blood not hours before. âI suppose that must be how it is, because weâre all made in Your image, arenât we? And that man had to learn it from somewhere.â
His head fell back, eyes closed to the beauty above him in a silent condemnation for Who it was built for. âYouâve released yet another snake into your garden by making that woman my mother and handing me the Craven name, you know.â The observation was quiet, laced with the bitterness of cyanide, perfected over years of similar declarations. The words were familiar, not on his tongue but rather to his mind, the idea similar to ones he had kept close for years.âI have crawled in the dirt on my stomach for too long because of You, and I shall take a throne and dare You to steal it from me.â
He inhaled, once, a desperate attempt to calm the words he could feel rising like acid in his throat. It didnât work, though Easton didnât try very hard. He rarely did when alone. âI am owed this, you miserable old bastard,â he hissed out from behind his teeth, sounding like the snake he had just claimed to be. âI will take everything because this is Your fault, and I will make your precious sheep pay for every inch of Your mistake. Itâs mine, I deserve it.â A hand was clenched into a fist in his lap and Easton shifted forward, only to slam it into the wood of the pew ahead of him. âItâs mine.â
He stood suddenly, coat rising around him like smoke rising around a fire, warning the world of the danger just over there. Turning on his heel, he left the cathedral without a look back, without a fear of God. And though there had been no one around, the air hung heavy with a question. Just which father had he been addressing?
Extras: If you have anything else youâd like to include (further headcanons, an inspo tag, a mock blog, etc), feel free to share it here! This is OPTIONAL.
I submitted this through an Easton mock blog! There was going to be stuff there but my laptop crashed and I need to eat dinner!
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Bookends ; a Witchlands AU
Summary:Â Iseult det Midenzi never expected to go to a top university, so when her mother falls ill and she is forced to drop out to make ends meet, life has never seemed so unfair. But when she starts working at the local library and is unexpectedly assigned in the Children's Room, a certain monosyllabic man and his thrice-damned demon child start showing up and Iseult begins to wonder if the threads of fate have a plan for her after all.
Ships: Iseult/Aeduan, Safi/Merik, minor Ryber/Kullen (and more... stay tuned!)
Tags: modern AU, college setting, family, friendship, humor, fluff, slow-burn, romance, eventual smut
Read on AO3:Â here
Tag list: (please let me know if youâd like to be added!) @lseultdetmidenzi
* Â . Â Â * Â . Â * Â . Â * Â .
chapter 1
811.34 Courrier
811.34 Gaines
811.34 Vasiliev
Iseult reached for another book from the cart. Â She ran a pale finger along its spine, noting the title vaguely, before settling on the call number at its base.
813.01 Balthazar
Her gaze lifted to the long line of books shelved in front of her, scanning for one in particular, before bending low and craning her neck to read the next row underneath. A twinge of discomfort radiated through her neck protesting the awkward angle, but she stayed hunched over, reading the call numbers until she found what she was looking for.
813 Allein
813.2 Husmond
Ah. She slipped Balthazarâs book neatly between the two titles, then drew herself up with a tired slowness. Stifling a sigh, she rolled her shoulders and let her head loll back before rotating it from side to side. Standing upright was decidedly more comfortable than the 90 degree angle sheâd bent in and out of all throughout the day, but no amount of stretching seemed to ease the ache in her neck and back. An unavoidable caveat of working at the Venaza City Library.
Five months ago when sheâd taken the job, Iseult det Midenzi had not considered the physical toll books could have on a person. Sure, she had read Eridysiâs Lament enough times to know books could break your heart worse than any one person could. But books existed to exercise the mind. The most Iseult had exerted herself for a book was forcing herself to stay awake long enough to read just one more chapter a dozen or so times before resigning herself to being a filthy liar. And that was admittedly more a testament to her mental willpower than any physical endurance she may have possessed. Besides, the price she paid for a sleepless night was well worth the reward. It certainly didnât leave her physically disabled.
Yet here she was, 22 and condemned to live in the body of a 90-year-old woman. All because she shelved books for a living.
Safi told her sheâd have the ass of a model by the time she quit, what with all the squatting. Iseult had yet to notice any improvements. (Not that she was checking, of course.)
Maybe it really was time to go back to the gym, she thought as she massaged the painful knot at the base of her neck. Finally start going to yoga again like her best friend had been nagging her to do every Saturday morning since school term had started. A year ago it would have been Iseult dragging Safi out of bed at 7 A.M., succeeding only by using the one means of bribery she possessed: the promise of a double chocolate double whip hazelnut macchiato from the campus coffee cart, followed by a hash brown heist from the dining hall. Nothing quite curbed a sugar rush more than an adrenaline rush and some grease.
Iseult dropped her hand. The spot on her neck faded into a dull throb at the thought of her and Safi running from the dining hall, pockets stuffed with hash browns wrapped in napkins and a breakfast sandwich fisted in each hand, while cafeteria staff shouted after them as they escaped with their spoils.
No. She hadnât stepped foot on campus since she dropped out. She wasnât about to now. And not just because she and Safi now had copies of their student I.D. photos posted on the community board in the dining hall asking students to keep an eye out for the notorious thieves.
Drop out. There wasnât an aspect of her life that didnât seem to revolve around those two words. She could hear Safi scolding her.
âDonât say that! âDrop outâ,â she'd said one evening while they closed up her unclesâ coffee shop shortly after Iseult had made the decision. âYou didnât drop out of anything. You made a graceful exit. To do something more noble than any of those old toads sitting cushy in the administration have likely ever done, might I add! They should consider themselves lucky that youâll even be coming back!â
Iseult fingered through the books on her cart. Well. That had been back in September. It was now January, the first week of second semester had just wrapped up and Safi had changed tactics. Â Instead, she ranted about how the collegiate system was the worldâs biggest scam, squeezing their generation of every last drop of money and happiness they had, and that she should drop out too just to have the satisfaction in giving Dean Henrick a big FUCK YOU. It was a touching offer, though, not exactly the most ambitious plot for revenge. Safi was running on a free ride. Henrickâs deep pockets wouldnât be any lighter if she left. Heâd still be sitting pretty on the proverbial throne.
âIseult.â
Iseult looked up to see Evrane gliding down the aisle towards her, thoughts of school and Safi interrupted. As always she was impeccably dressed, from the silver dangling from her ears all the way down to the perfectly polished stilettos she wore. Her long white hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, leaving her bronze face bare, radiant even under the libraryâs miserable lighting - a feat aided by sorcery, Iseult could only assume. It was a wonder what patrons must think of her roaming the halls, what with her pale moon skin and midnight hair. She looked more like the ghost that was rumored to haunt the library tower.
But Evrane wasnât the libraryâs director for her otherworldly cheekbones or dazzling emerald eyes. She was also the sharpest person Iseult had ever met and someone she couldnât believe she had the privilege of calling a mentor.
Iseult hastily tugged off her earbuds. âHi Evrane.â Her voice cracked; sshe cringed inwardly. She hadnât spoken a word to anyone during her 8 hour shift. Evrane didnât seem to notice.
âHow are you, dear?â Evrane asked. She nodded to Iseultâs cart of books. âTackling the nonfiction, I see.â
âGood,â Iseult replied, this time willing her voice to sound normal. âIâm almost done with the nonfiction, and then I have some books I need to bring down to Childrenâs. I think someone may have mixed up the carts. My shift ends soon, but I could stick around to shelve them. There arenât too many but...â She trailed off watching Evrane shake her head, as though amused.
âThat wonât be necessary,â she said, then adding, âPleased as I am with your progress, I was actually wondering how you were doing⌠How was your trip home?â
Iseult stared blank-face at Evrane. She should have expected this. Evrane had taken to Iseult from the moment theyâd met, always seeking her out between bookshelves, pulling her aside to talk about the latest book Iseult was reading or simply inviting her back to her office to join her for tea. Secretly, Iseult was pleased. To have a woman like Evrane be genuinely interested in what Iseult had to say⌠well.  It was more than she could have dared to hope for.
Which was exactly why couldnât help asking herself, why?
Iseult never did come up with an explanation for why Evrane hired her in the first place. She could only assume the woman had done it out of pity. Her resume had been woefully thin to the point of being downright pathetic with only her part-time barista gig at Mathew and Habimâs coffee shop to her name. She had no other achievements. No special skills. And of course, now, no academic prospects to boast. Iseult had nothing to offer.
And yet... here Evrane was asking the one question Iseult wished she wouldnât.
Home was the same as always. Saldonica never changed. It was still the grimy, cut-throat city it had always been, with its streets teeming with crime and illegal trade. That was the accepted way of life there. But it didnât phase Iseult. She never really considered it home anyway. She hadnât grown up there. There was only one thing, one person, who made Saldonica home.
Her mother. The true subject of Evraneâs inquiry.
So how was she?
Sick. Very sick. And showing little improvement. Though, sheâd probably be worse if not for Alma caring for her day and night. If not for the money Iseult sent home each week to ensure she was getting the medication she needed. If not for her motherâs damned stubbornness to shirk lifeâs more unsavory aspects and persist in the face of uncertain fate. That in itself was likely aiding Gretchya more than Iseult and Almaâs contributions combined.
âFine,â Iseult said, expression unchanging. It was automatic. Succinct. Gretchya would have approved.
Evrane merely hummed, bowing her head slowly. As though Iseultâs meager reply required deep and philosophical deliberation. âYou know,â she continued after a moment, âI know this,â her eyes panned the bookshelves on either side of them, âwasnât exactly where you expected to be by now. I am sorry your plans to return to school didnât work out as you had hoped, Iseult⌠but Iâd be lying if I didnât tell you that Iâm happy to have you with us for a little longer.â Evrane raised a hand to Iseultâs arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze, a gesture that should have been comforting, yet only turned Iseult to stone. âIf thereâs anything I can do to help, my door is always open.â
Iseult tried to nod. Swallowing suddenly became painful. Speech, impossible. Mercifully, Evrane let go of her arm and changed the subject.
âNow tell me, where is that cart you were talking about?â
âO-oh you d-donât have to -â Iseult stammered. She immediately snapped her mouth shut. Hell-gates, did she have to stutter like that now? Â In front of Evrane!
The woman seemed to take no notice and simply waved a hand. âI am the director of this institution, am I not? I think I am more than capable of handling a couple books.â
âBy circulation,â Iseult forced out. Evrane gave her an appreciative smile, then walked away, her silver circlets tinkling prettily in the quiet of the library.
For a moment, Iseult simply stood there, staring down the aisle where Evrane had left. Eventually, she untangled her earbuds and popped them back in. She opened Spotify on her phone and swiped through the playlist sheâd been listening to before Evrane showed up. However, after a few minutes of mindless scrolling, stuffed her phone into her back pocket, abandoning her search. Silence filled her ears.
Iseult grabbed a random book off her cart. She read its cover, though not really taking in the the words, and when she went to find its place on the shelf, it was as though she had not read it at all. This happened with every book she picked up over the next ten minutes, and when she finally forgot the author of The Autonomy of Dalmotti - a book she had personally read at least five times - she finally gave up.
Frustration prickled the back of her throat. Gripping the book tight, she leaned her forehead against the oak bookcase. The smell of old paper filled her nose as she let her eyes to sink shut, breathing in the musty air through her nose. What she would give to fall head-first into a book right now...
Stasis, she told herself. Stasis in your fingers and in your toes.
Gretchya sick.
Stasis.
Evrane. Broken words. Broken.
Stasis.
Drop out. Drop. Out. Drop. Out.
Stasis. Stasis. Stasis.
Over and over again Iseult silently whispered this to herself, until a familiar calm resettled in her chest, until every last thread of emotion was pulled tight. Nothing out of place. She took several more slow, deliberate breaths for good measure, then, she opened eyes.
Thatâs when she saw them.
Through the narrow opening between shelves, Iseult spied Evrane standing by the circulation desk. But it was who she was speaking with that caught Iseultâs attention.
It hadnât taken Iseult long to familiarize herself with the people who passed through when she began working at the library. Though Venaza City was largely populated, the library had its regulars, and even those who visited only once in awhile had become catalogued in Iseultâs memory like the books she shelved. In fact, on more than one occasion, she found herself recognizing patrons outside of work - an oddly unpleasant experience. She already spent enough time dodging former college peers whenever she ventured out into the city. They now had competition.
That being said, Iseult knew nearly everyone who came to the library. Except for this man talking to her mentor.
Even from behind, there was something striking about him. He towered over Evrane, his imposing figure standing impossibly still in dark form-fitting jeans and a muddy burgundy leather jacket. Iseult wished heâd turn around so she could see his face. Regardless, two features immediately stood out. Or rather, accessories.
First, a blue, opal earring in his left ear. And second, the child held in his arms.
These two things seemed to clash together in Iseultâs mind. The girl, she guessed, was no more than five. A mop of dark hair obscured most of her face with only a red, chubby cheek visible resting on the manâs shoulder. As for the earring, Iseult wasnât old-fashioned enough to believe men couldnât wear jewelry. In fact, depending on the piercingâs style and placement, she found them rather appealing. However, the more closely Iseult looked at the gemstone, the more it called out to her as some sort of statement - and not one of the fashion variety. It lent little to the rest of his dark ensemble and stuck out like a sore thumb. It was too ornate. Too deliberate. Something worn out of habit.
Iseult inched forward, bracing a hand along the edge of the shelf as she watched from her hiding place amongst the books. She knew she was teetering on the edge of polite observation and straight-up creeping, but she was too curious to care. Evrane stood close to the young man, too close for him to be an ordinary patron. And there was something in the way that she looked at him that gave her the impression that she wasnât simply giving him a book recommendation. Even through the warmth Iseult was so familiar with in her expression, she couldnât miss the urgency in her eyes. Her lips were moving carefully, and she imagined the melodic gentleness of her voice, the same voice that had spoken to her only moments ago. Soft words only meant for him.
As if on cue, Evrane reached for his arm.
Iseult immediately noticed the mystery manâs shoulders stiffen. It was the first indication of life sheâd seen from him during the entire encounter. A pulse ticked in his jaw, the only sliver of his pale face she could see. Evrane had stopped talking, but kept her hand on his arm, her thumb gliding back and forth, and appeared to be listening attentively to the manâs response. But as the seconds dragged on, her eyes - never wavering from his - glimmered with a touch of something new. Sadness, perhaps. Her expression dimmed, and eventually the hand holding his arm stopped moving and returned to her side.
Iseultâs nose was practically brushing the books blocking her from view now. Who was this guy? Evrane had never spoken of family or a significant other. On one occasion, she had mentioned a nephew - something about how heâd just returned home after studying abroad. But other than that, no one else. This couldnât be him, could it? He had a child with him. A child who - Iseult suddenly realized with a jolt of horror - was staring right at her.
âWhat are you doing lurking in the shadows?â
The Autonomy of Dalmotti dropped to the floor with a rustle of paper and a soft thump as she whirled around. How her best friend had managed to sneak up on her in the dead silence of the library without her hearing, Iseult didnât know, but the self-satisfied look Safi was pinning her with made her curse the Moon Mother for turning her momentarily deaf.
âIf by lurking you mean shelving books,â Iseult replied smoothly, kneeling down to pick up the fallen book as though nothing had happened, âIâm working. Itâs kind of in my job description.â
Safi cocked her head to the side, eyebrow arched. âIs spying on hot guys in your job description? Canât see his face, but the view from behind is certainly enough to go on.â
Iseult felt a rush of unwanted heat flood her cheeks, but aside from that, her face betrayed nothing. Yes, she had been spying. But not in the way Safi thought, and the idea that she had been caught not only by her best friend, but by that strange little girl made her want to tear every book from the shelf and bury herself underneath them.
âWhat?â Safi persisted innocently as Iseult turned her back to her. She slipped The Autonomy of Dalmotti between two volumes, not particularly caring whether or not that was where it belonged so long as she didnât have to see the infuriating smirk on Safiâs face. âI donât blame you. You canât be expected to stare at dusty, old books all day - no matter how much you love them.â
âWanna bet?â Iseult muttered. For all her love of the library, she had thought sheâd be back in school by now, trading in its dusty, old books for overpriced textbooks.
âIâd love to. Tonight, in fact. At The Cleaved Man.â
âI - â Iseult began, but Safiâs hand slashed through the air cutting her off and she pointed a finger in Iseultâs face.
âDonât say you canât! Iâve barely seen you all week!â
âAs if thatâs my fault,â Iseult countered, grabbing another book and the opportunity to turn the tables. The last thing she wanted to do right now was spend the night in an overcrowded bar. âWhere were you last night? You never came home.â
Safi picked up a book from Iseultâs cart and examined its cover. âPollyâs.â
Iseult paused mid-shelving. âLeopoldâs?â
âMhm.â Safi opened the book, casually flipping through its pages. Â Silence stretched. Â She looked up. âWhat?â
âI thought you werenât going to see him again,â Iseult said, watching her friend carefully.
Safi lowered the book and frowned in confusion. âNot see him? What are you - ?â But as soon as the unfinished question left her mouth, Iseult saw the life in her eyes freeze for half a heartbeat, and comprehension slowly dawned on Safiâs face. A second later, her expression hardened. âHell-gates, Iz! I didnât mean him.â
Him. Or as he was known as in their apartment, the Chiseled Cheater. To the rest of the world, he was simply Caden. Handsome, strong-jawed, infuriatingly charming Caden.
Safi gave Iseult a disparaging look before snapping shut her own book and stuffing it onto a shelf where - Iseult noted - it should not be. Now wasnât a good time to be pointing out mistakes. The hard line of her pursed lips may have grown taut like she was fighting to feign indifference, but Iseult knew when her best friend was hurt. And this time, it was her fault. Safi crossed her arms tightly over her chest.
âLike Iâd ever,â Safi huffed, tossing her unruly sun-streaked hair over her shoulder, looking anywhere but Iseult. She let out a strained laugh and shook her head as though the thought of her and Caden together was ludicrous - though, it didnât stop a tinge of pink blossoming across her cheeks. âSpend the night with him. Honestly, Iz. You know weâve never - Iâve never -â
Pink turned to a vibrant red as she struggled for words before making a disgruntled noise and giving up.
âSorry,â Iseult murmured, her expression void of all emotion. âI was just worried.â
Safi finally met Iseultâs gaze. The silence of the library was deafening. Then, she shook her head. âItâs fine,â she relented, and Iseult was relieved to hear sincerity in the statement that was universally known to mean the opposite. âI donât blame you. I mean... he is Pollyâs roommate and itâs me soâŚâ Safiâs eyes darted away self-consciously and she took a fortifying breath, arms unwinding from her chest and hands bracing themselves on her hips. When she spoke next, there was no question as to whether or not they were moving on from the subject of the Chiseled Cheater. âBy the time we got out of Two Left Feet and grabbed dinner, it was so late that I just ended up crashing at his place.â
âTwo Left Feet?â Iseult repeated. Â
âModern dance," Safi replied, as though this was the most ordinary explanation in the world.
âOh.â Iseult wasnât sure what to say to that. âI didnât know we had a modern dance company.â Or that Safi was interested in modern dance. âUm, how was it?â
âIf thatâs what modern dance is, then Iâm not sure what Iâve been doing at the club all these years.â
âTwo Left Feet.â Iseult paused. Her mouth twitched. âSeems like a counterintuitive name.â
âOhh no trust me, they hit the mark on that one.â
Any hint of a smile left Iseultâs face. âPlease tell me you didnât heckle them.â
Safiâs hand flew to chest and she gasped. âHeckle? Us? Two purebred members of high society like ourselves? You insult me.â
âDonât scoff. Last year you two almost single-handedly disassembled Pobodyâs Nerfect.â
Safi shrugged half-heartedly. âIt was an improv show. Itâs supposed to be interactive.â
âYou made that freshmen kid cry! I could have sworn I overheard him talking about transferring as we were leaving.â
âAudience participation was encouraged!â argued Safi. âBesides, the fact that we even went to their little dance performance was generous enough. You think I wanted to spend the first Thursday night of the semester watching people roll around on the floor trying to sell it to me as art?â
âThen why did you?â
âWe were expanding our horizons?â Iseult rolled her eyes and turned back to her books as Safi laughed. âI donât know. We were walking around campus after class and saw the sign and I was like, âWell, I have nothing else to doâ so -â She stopped suddenly, as though a thought had just thought of something. âShould I have texted you? It didnât even occur to me that youâd want to go to something like that.â
The concern in the question made Iseult pause⌠which irked her. The concern or the pause, she couldnât tell which. Maybe because if she had been on campus with her and Leopold, there wouldnât be a question of whether sheâd have gone. Safi would have dragged her in there whether she liked it or not, and Iseult would have gone along with whatever Safi wanted to do as she always did - good idea or not. Modern dance would have been decidedly not. That never stopped Safi, though. Or Iseult.
âNo,â Iseult simply answered.
Safi nodded, and though it was almost imperceptible, Iseult saw her lips purse, like she wasnât entirely convinced. âNext time,â she only promised.
âThereâs going to be a next time?â
âYou never know.â Safiâs sea-blue eyes flashed mischievously. âCome on, Iâll show you a couple moves I learned at the Cleaved Man.â She gyrated her hips for emphasis, causing Iseult to look away embarrassed on her behalf. This only prompted Safi to bump Iseultâs hip with her own.
âSaf, I wasnât kidding before,â Iseult insisted, stumbling over her feet as Safi went in for a second, more forceful hip check. âI really canât -â
âHey, you owe me after that comment about Chiseled Cheater!â
â30 seconds ago you were saying that I was right!â Really, the grudges this girl could hold. Iseult almost felt sorry for Caden.
Safi heaved a wistful sigh. âYou know, if I could come keep you company at work, I would.â
âIâd never get anything done,â Iseult said, gesturing the pile of untouched books on the cart between them.
âRight. As if Iâm the one distracting you, you little stalker.â
âI wasnât -â Iseult began to protest, but Safi was already backing away down the aisle, doing what had to be the worldâs worst attempt at the moonwalk.
âIâll be warming up the car!â Safi whisper hissed, rattling her car keys in the air for emphasis. When she reached the end of the aisle, she spun around on the spot theatrically, and then she was gone.
Iseult shook her head after her ridiculous, wonderful best friend, then peered down at the pile of books in her cart. An hour ago she had been daydreaming of ordering the Arithuanian take-out that Safi never wanted to get and hunker down with one of her all-time favorite books, The Raider King. Sheâd be in bed by 9 and asleep by 9:15.
So much for that.
It was ironic, really. Safi could rant all she wanted about the injustices of the modern day collegiate system, but no amount of theoretical scheming to take down the patriarchy would change the fact that Iseult missed college.
She missed waking up every day and knowing where she was going and what she was doing. She missed her textbooks. She missed late night cram sessions at the university library with Safi and getting nothing done, aside from gaining 15 pounds from vending machine snacks. She missed misty morning walks to her 8 A.M. seminar. She missed the notes Leopold would pass her during Professor Rosa's soul-killing lectures. Heck, she missed her lectures.
And of course, she missed the dining hall hash browns.
So naturally - naturally - the only thing she didnât miss about college was the one thing she couldnât escape.
The college bar scene.
Iseult hadnât taken Safi seriously when she announced one day just before summer break that she would be getting her bartender license. It seemed to be the thing every college student said the second after they turned 21. For Safi to voluntarily subject herself to 40 hours worth of training courses was enough to give Iseult doubt. However, unlike the rest of those drunk idiots, Safi was true to her word, and in no time, she started bartending at Venaza Cityâs most popular college bar, the Cleaved Man.
Moon Mother, kill me now, Iseult prayed as she pushed her book cart down the aisle. Its rickety wheels squeaked horridly in the cavernous hall. She cringed inwardly knowing that the second she turned the corner, all eyes would be narrowed on her, silently shaming her for disturbing the peace. Halfway down, though, she hesitated. The wheels grinded to a halt.
Ignoring the sick embarrassment bubbling in her stomach at what she was about to do, Iseult cast a look over her shoulder to make sure Safi was truly gone. Then, she leaned forward and peered between the stacks of books.
The mystery man and his little companion were gone.
#the witchlands#witchlands#baesult#iseult det midenzi#aeduan#witchlands fanfic#iseult x aeduan#safiya fon hasstrel#merik nihar#safik#truthwitch#mine#my fics
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đ happy birthday gabriel adams! đÂ
It was always his eyes that people noticed first. Well. That was a lie. If they got past his skin color, the way his fingers dug into his arms, the soft whispers to invisible things, it was his eyes. Silver, Meg always said, making him sound something special. Gabriel let a smile tweak his features and brushed dark, messy hair off his forehead. That was just as pointless as correcting Meg.Â
all art pictured was commissioned by me and are not free to use. feel free to dm me for specific credits.Â
Iâm about to unpack a lot of shit and get way more intimate with everyone on this blog than I have previously, so I hope youâre mentally prepared for this. Itâs going to be a hard read, but Iâve been wanting to talk about this stuff for a long time.Â
so almost every year I try to talk about my oldest character, Gabriel. This year, I wanted to dig a little deeper, and address myself as a writer. Within the last couple of years, Iâve had to own up to some shit with this character. I was a bad writer.
âNo, Elliot, you werenât bad! You were just -Â â
No folks, Iâm not discussing my skill as a writer. Iâm specifically addressing my treatment of people, representation, and stereotypes.
I was a shitty person.
cw for ableism, discussion of own health, suicide mention, drug use in a fictional character, and general shitty handling of mental illness.Â
Iâm not super positive Gabriel started as Gabriel. The earliest I remember him was a novel I wrote my Freshman year - in 2006ish. I think I vaguely remember him existing as a something earlier on in middle school, but nothing concrete until later. My first ever novel! It was exactly 100 pages, front and back, written in black pen. It was a blatant rip off of an Anne Rice novel where vampires took over a city and killed and ate them in their court. I donât even remember if that was actually the plot, but I do remember it being Anne Rice inspired, which is a whole other problem altogether. Towards the end of the novel, I asked my friends in choir class to check off next to character names to decide who died.Â
I think 3 out of 45 characters made it out alive. Also there were 45 characters. Many of them had scenes from their POV. Yeah.Â
Gabriel wasnât the protagonist then, and he rarely has been until the last handful of years. He was just an edgy probably vampire guy who appeared at random with cryptic warnings, who periodically would get the protagonist out of trouble while also existing as a side antagonist. He did survive - although barely.Â
Later, I had the super unique wild idea to make him âcrazyâ. I took to roleplay forums, where other teenagers I barely knew told me that my writing was good and my character was interesting, and I plagued them with my edgy, cool, sometimes serial killer character that all the girls were into. Sometimes the guys, which I was cool with - after all, I had a lesbian couple as a friend in high school. You know, I was tolerant.Â
Made you uncomfortable yet? Me too.Â
Gabriel was the troubled white boy who heard voices and saw ghosts, somehow got by as a homeless teenager, and sometimes he killed people but it was definitely not his fault. He went on to win character of the month on a forum based around experimental testing inside an asylum. I was ecstatic. I took him everywhere, and people loved him. Not one person called me out. Not a one.Â
My freshman year of college, I joined a group on deviantart, where talented artists Iâd admired from a distance were glad to have a rare writer, and after making a nervous start with another character I stepped in with Gabriel. The group was entirely based around the story line, as well as critique and self-improvement. I was ecstatic.Â
With the assistance of a roleplay partner - now my roommate - I went on to finish my first novel in years, with Gabriel as one of two protagonists. I still have it, somewhere, printed out in a binder. Pretty sure I left it at a friendâs house. It featured Gabe, and my roommateâs character, after Gabriel âaccidentallyâ almost killed her because of the voices and kidnapped her to his apartment in an attempt to fix his mistake. The novel ended with Gabriel realizing he was an idiot, and heavily implied that he killed himself via morphine, which he was also somewhat addicted to for no apparent reason.
At some point in the mess, I down spiraled. I was upset and miserable and something in my brain finally cracked. Iâd been dealing for years what I later learned to be chemical depression, but a specific event in my life caused a complete and total meltdown. I stopped writing. I was constantly making posts to tumblr rather than talking to anyone about how I wanted to kill myself. I stopped going to class, stopped seeing people, and my roommate at the time heard me crying at night more than once. I was completely devastated, and I will never forgive that person.Â
Later, I made a bigger mistake and lost someone very close to me. In the last couple of years Iâve come to terms that I was definitely in love with her. I can never repair that damage. I snapped, for awhile, and became obsessive and gross and just a really shitty person.Â
I eventually realized college and the situations were killing me, and after 4 and a half years - so close to graduating, everyone said, not realizing Iâd failed most of my classes - I made the decision to drop. I moved in with my old college roommate, bummed around their house, and intended to go back to work at a summer camp like I did every year. Except I got fired, for essentially being too old and likely for budget reasons, as I made more than everyone else there.Â
Obviously this was really good for my mental health.
Somewhere during the mess I started taking a look at self improvement, and turned back to writing. More specifically, what I was doing wrong. The more I wrote the more I started looking into developing Gabriel as a character, with an actual background I wasnât making up to seem edgy as I hopped from forum to forum, and I started looking into how to write him accurately.
And I mourned all that time and all the damage I did and how many people who probably silently put up with my shit.Â
I spent years writing Gabriel as this deranged, unhinged being who hurt other people. Now I try to make up for it - I spend extensive time reading articles on mental illness, specific case studies, listening to interviews and doing my best to soak up every little detail I can.Â
Gabriel is schizophrenic, primarily experiencing mild visual hallucinations and occasional auditory hallucinations, typically in times of stress. He does not kill people - if he does, it has nothing to do with his mental health and more to do with that, once again, Gabriel is a vampire. Like me, he copes with depression and anxiety, born of a situation. I shifted Gabriel from being a shitty, âcrazyâ white boy to a nervous, wary young man dealing with some shit that no one should have to deal with. I researched therapy, and coping mechanisms, and even found some that help me with my issues. I created Jamie, Gabrielâs psychiatrist and friend. I decided to cut some of the mayo out of my work and made Gabrielâs mother an immigrant from Mexico, and itâs been worth it! I get to research a fascinating, fun culture, and it has improved Gabriel as a character to have a culture.Â
I realized, at some point, that Iâm asexual - and Gabriel is too. Iâve put a lot of myself into him. Itâs been therapeutic, and I feel better about Gabriel as a character.Â
Thereâs been a lot of change over the years. Gabriel is an entirely different person, and it has greatly affected and I think improved my writing. More than anything, it has changed my outlook on everything, and I hope that some day I can some how make up for all the damage I did with presenting him the way I did. People with schizophrenia are no more likely to hurt or kill someone than anyone else, and many if not most serial killers are just shitty entitled white people. Like me.Â
Itâs been a long time - at least 12 years, if not more. Iâve changed a lot. Gabriel has too. I hope that the next 12 years let me finally finish telling a story about him, and that the world as a whole stop tip toeing around mental illness. I wish someone had told me 12 years ago that making someone âcrazyâ wasnât cool or neat or unique, and that I was a super toxic, harmful person.Â
Iâm never going to be writing a story about what itâs like to live and cope with mental illness. While I deal with it, itâs not really my story to tell. Iâm never going to tell a tale about what itâs like to be the son of a Mexican immigrant in shitty white america. Thatâs not my job either. I might tell the story of being a queer asexual, because that definitely applies to me. But Gabriel is a vivid person to me, and Iâm glad Iâve learned proper representation. Iâm sure Iâll still make mistakes, and I keep waiting for someone to call me out on something. I wish someone had. I wish someone had said, hey, if your protagonist is also the villain and the only mentally ill person in the story, youâre a bad writer and you should feel bad.
Thatâs your personal call out, if it applies. I hope not.Â
Donât be afraid of representation of the âtouchyâ subjects. But do right by them. Talk to people from those situations, read stories by people from those situations whether itâs relevant or not, watch interviews, see movies. If you canât do right by a culture or an illness or a person, thatâs okay. But take a step back, work hard, and just go for it. Donât be afraid to ask for opinions, critique, help.Â
Please. Learn from your mistakes.Â
I talked a whole fucking lot and if you read all of it, youâre a star. Good night.
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OTâs writing in 2017
I saw people having this thing as an ask me these questions and Iâll answer them thingy, so I decided to answer almost all of them and make it into a post! Sort of a 2017 rewind of my writing in this year. I suck at leaving short answers, but hey, my rambling can be enjoyable at some point! ^-^
Favourite fic you wrote this year
I gotta say Love Me Again, Husband just because I had so many ideas and thoughts about how I wanted this fic to turn out. Itâs always so much more fun when you know what you want to do with it and writing on it was never boring just because there were no fighting scene. Thatâs why it because the length it did. Too many ideas, stubborn me refused to not include them and too much fun working on it.
Least favourite fic you wrote this year
The Wolf who Huffed and Puffed. Definitely. I had a vague idea what I wanted, but I just think the more I wrote on it, the more the plot fell apart and it became what it is. I finished it around in... Marsh/April, but it was just so shitty I so didnât want to post it, but some people seemed to enjoy it so, I posted it for them. (And I would post the last chapters of it this year just to be done with it, but I donât want to post it during Resbang season. I want to respect those who have the posting date)
Favourite line/scene you wrote this year
ALDENTE NOODLE LEGS!!! Technically I came up with it during resbang season 2016, but I used it in my Corpse Party AU and Iâm just in love with the line! Every time I get to describe weak legs, I use aldente noodle legs.
Total number of words you wrote this year
This was so not my writing year. The spring season and summer season was completely dry for me. I barely wrote anything because of a lot of personal problems that kept me busy. But my total is 235â˛316. My resbang totally lifted the number and a lot of it is stories I havenât published yet and some ongoing projects I havenât quite yet finished.
Most popular fic this year
I donât bring in numbers on my work, thatâs one thing for sure. The fic I publish during resbang season will always bring in the most readers. Aside from my resbang this year, Death Child surprisingly did quite well on both AO3 and ff.net. I thought I sort of cheated on the climax and it was a mediocre fic, but people seemed to really like it
Least popular fic this year
I would say Ripple Effect. When I wrote it I knew people wouldnât like it consider the whole fic is just Soul wasting away and dying and all the angst, but I had the idea and I felt like working on it, so I did.
Longest completed fic you wrote this year
Love Me Again, Husband
Shortest completed fic you wrote this year
That is published, itâs Ripple Effect
Longest wip of the year
Itâs got to be my Corpse Party AU. Iâve written around 33k of it so far and itâs nowhere near finished.
Shortest wip of the year
Itâs a story Iâm working on now. Iâm not going to spoil much, but I can say the story revolves around a complicated timeline. It will be a short one-shot, but it is just a practice run to get me back into the game of Corpse Party. Mark my words, my Corpse Party AU will be finished in 2018!!
Fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year
Soul Eater. Duh.
Favourite character to write about this year
Soul. Definitely. He was so much fun writing in Love Me Again, Husband because Maka is so secure and strong and even if losing your identity in the way he did, she would be more determined and sure than Soul would me. We know Soul has a past and he has some problems revolving around his identity, he was the perfect candidate for a brain trauma like that and highlight the complexity and difficult of regaining a lost identity. With the whole fic I wanted to shine light on the difficulty to regain a lost identity because I think the movie (The Vow) romanticized that part quite a bit and toned down the harshness on the personâs mental health. I really wanted to show people that and Soul was too perfect for the job. But in other cases, I just love writing about Soul since he has such an interesting life since heâs so human with his flaws that makes him human.
A fic you didnât expect to write
Milkshake. Itâs just such a dumb idea I had that I knew I should just skip on writing, but I just enjoyed the thought of their first meeting and how they shared milkshakes I just couldnât help myself.
Something you learned this year
When I write, I write pretty fast. When Iâm meant to write âfromâ, it often turns to âformâ instead. Itâs like 99% of the cases it turns like that and I know when I read through the fic, I need to pay extra attention to those words.
fic(s) you completed this year
The Wolf who Huffed and Puffed (I finished it this year, I just havenât posted it all)
Love Me Again, Husband
Death Child
Ripple Effect
Cardcaptor Sakura AU
Milkshake
Fics youâll continue next year
My Corpse Party AU. It was meant to be finished this summer before Resbang, but some personal business prevented me from doing so. My timeline complexity fic will also be finished next year if I donât complete it tonight or tomorrow, which is unlikely.
Current number of wips
Two. Corpse Party AU and the timeline complexity fic
Any new fics to start next year
I have a fic I wanted to write for resbang two years ago instead of Chase of Tales so that one I definitely want to write this year! I also will post the one-shots for my Circus and Reality fic and wrap it up. I would also love to rewrite some of my older stories since a few of them are really good ideas, just the execution of it was terrible so I would love to do that and show to myself how much I have matured as a person and in my writing compared to then.
Number of comments you havenât read
I read all the comments! I havenât missed a single one!
Most memorable comment/review
It has to be the comment on my Chase of Tales fic. I am highly offended by the tiny amount of kudos given to this fic! I only became even more frustrated each time I read a chapter, pressed "kudos" and saw the same infuriating few words pop up time and time again: "You have already left kudos here"
Itâs comments like these that reminds me not always numbers and comments reflect on how well the writing and plot is. I know A LOT of people who get stuck on how many comments they get, how well the comments are written or how many kudos it gets to the point it almost crosses the line of âI worked hard on this so Iâm entitled to a lot of recognition and praise.â Numbers doesnât mean shit. Itâs your own feelings about the work that counts. Does it boost my ego when I get comments of people who like what I made, yes it does, but do I write to just get comments and praise? Absolutely not. Then I wouldnât have kept on writing.
Events you participated in this year
Resbang and SoMa Week 2017 are the only two events I can remember attending.
Fics you wanted to write but didnât
Itâs an angsty fic. The idea was Maka and Soul loved each other in university, but they had to break up because they were going in different directions and moved to different places. They would run into each other during different times in their life, and it would always be something to prevent them from being together, but in the end when they are old in an elderly home, they would coincidentally be placed in the same home and there they could finally be together. If anybody feels up to writing it, feel free to use the idea! If someone decides to write it, please tag me, I would love to read it!!!
Favourite fic you read this year
This is the year when I didnât read a lot of newer fan fics and Iâm going to be a little narcissistic, but I really loved rereading my story The Face of the Beast. The idea is so good and I really enjoyed how it turned out even if there are some parts I wouldâve changed.
No but for real, two fics that I always enjoy going back to and rereading are Moving on and Letting Go by Fantasy Fan Girl and Repairing a Broken Soul by Narusaku1357. When I started reading fics, those two I read early on and I simply enjoy going back to them and reading them since I genuinely enjoy them. Not to forget Repairing a Broken Soul is legit and totally a classic. Itâs a fic everybody should read.
A fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read
Check the answer above! You will not regret reading those two fics.
Number of favourites/bookmarks you made this year
Oh geez. Iâm really bad at leaving favourites and kudos. I read all my fics on my app on my phone and... well... I just add them to my library. Iâm shitty when it comes leaving kudos, favourites and comments.
Favourite fanfic author of the year
My favourite will always be Tatsu-Ah-Rei. No competition. No one can ever touch the originality combined with the Soul Eater universe in such a way they do. I so love Eat My Soul (itâs a great one! READ IT! But I warn you, it isnât completed and it ends just at the most exciting scene and at the climax). There will never be a fanfic writer as good as they are in my eyes.
#OT's writing in rewind 2017#longpost#this was fun!#tag#I hope some of you found this amusing! ^-^#babbling
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Missed Classic 61: Wishbringer (1985) â Introduction
Written by Joe Pranevich
When Wishbringer launched, the writing was already on the wall for Infocom. Cornerstone had been thrashing in the marketplace for five months and a successful game launchâ or two or threeâ was the injection the company needed to keep its feet on the ground and its future focused on games rather than business products. At least in some respects, they succeeded: Wishbringer was the highest-selling new game other than Hitchhikerâs Guide, and it would eventually receive both a âSolid Goldâ release as well as a novelization. And yet⌠before starting into this series, I knew absolutely nothing about this game. It had even been relegated to the second âLost Treasuresâ set alongside such classics as Cutthroats and Seastalker. How exactly could a game simultaneously be Infocomâs most successful launch at their most dangerous time⌠and also fade away quite so quickly?
My guess, having not played it yet, is that it has something to do with Wishbringerâs status as the second âIntroductoryâ (previously called âJuniorâ) title, a successor to Seastalker to bring kids in the door and get them hooked on Interactive Fiction. Am I going to find the game too childish for lasting appeal? This is also Brian Moriartyâs first game for Infocom having done a tour of duty as a backend software engineer working on 6502 systems. I wrote a long introduction to his career last week, as part of my review of Adventure in the 5th Dimension. If you skipped that one because you never heard of the game, please check it out. Mr. Moriarty had finally achieved his dream job; that is the story of how he got there.
Festeron again!
Before I deep dive into the manual, let me tell you my first surprise: Wishbringer is unambiguously a Zork game. I had heard that it was âZorkianâ, perhaps sharing a certain sense of style with the original trilogy, but I had absolutely no idea that it was literally a Zork game. What do I mean by that? This game takes place, or at least purports to, in Festeron in Antharia. This was established in the Zork manuals (which had been recently updated) as being an island province of the Great Underground Empire. That doesnât tell us when this game takes place and the manual suspiciously only uses two-digit dates, but itâs unambiguous that weâre having an adventure in a new corner of the GUE. I am much more excited than before to see where this is going and how it connects to the other games in the series.
Travel guide to Antharia from Zork II
The story of the âWishbringerâ, the stone that is included in the packaging, is a surprisingly dark one. The manual tells of us a princess named Morning-Star whose mother forced her suitors into difficult trials. One by one, each and every man who would claim her hand in marriage was defeated by their various quests. These quests include references to the previous Zork games, such as the suitor that defeated a grue but was unable to bring its body to the surface. Thereâs even a suitor that tried to get the Coconut of Quendor which I vaguely recall being mentioned in a later game, although I do not remember if it was Zork Zero or Beyond Zork. (I never made it very far in either of those games and last played more than twenty years ago.) Unfortunately, none of the suitors were worthy and Morning-Star was forced by her mother to remain celibate to the ends of her days. Many years later, an explorer found her heart, now a small glowing lump the size of a stone, filled with the wishes of a life unspent. Thatâs not dark at all.
The manual further explains that the Wishbringer stone can be used for seven different wishes, but each of them can only be used once. Each also requires you to find and use a special item:
Rain, when you wish on the stone while standing under an umbrella
Advice, when you wish and listen into a seashell
Flight, when you wish while sitting on a broomstick
Darkness, when you wish after drinking the âMilk of Grueâ (ewwww)
Foresight, when you wish while wearing a pair of glasses
Luck, when you wish while carrying a horseshoe
Freedom, when you wish after eating candy
We will see exactly how these will be used in the game. Iâm a bit disappointed that you can only use each wish once, but other choices might just have invited too many comparisons to Enchanter and Sorcerer, plus Spellbreaker is just a few months away. The only thing left is to play the game!
Starting the game in a dream? Someone played Sorcerer.
We start the game in a daydream as I, the brave hero, am fighting against a magical dragon with a sword. This, as you all probably know by now, is a useless gesture. Dragons can only be defeated with your bare hands or, failing that, by taunting them into attacking you in a room filled with sheets of ice. Fortunately, I wake up before I am doomed by not understanding the basics of dragon-defeating when someone calls me from inside a nearby post office. Should I go in first? Or explore? I consider exploring, but better to go in instead and see what this game is all about.
I head inside and find my boss, the local postman, reading other peoplesâ postcards. He says that he has a âSpecial Deliveryâ that we have to drop off immediately. The envelope has to make it to the Magick Shoppe by 5:00 PM. Itâs just after 3:00 PM now, according to the timer in the corner of the screen, so I donât have much time. The envelope is one of the feelies from the package and includes the address of the shop:
American-style letters have the return address in the upper-left.
The package is from âThe Towerâ, although where that is exactly I have no idea. Itâs all fairly domestic for an evil plot. Surely if I were some sort of Dark Lord, I would have crows or something to deliver my ultimatum instead of using the postal service. And is that a platypus on the stamp? What evil being would buy platypus stamps? Before I go, I also check out a wanted poster on the wall in case it revealed anything about our villain. It did�� in a way. It says that âProfessor:â Brian Moriarty is wanted for âImpersonating a Storytelllerâ. Ha! From what we know about his history, he might have felt a bit like that really given that he was hired just as a backend developer rather than an âImplementorâ. I also love this because itâs a return to the practice of having the game credits hidden on some random object somewhere; I havenât seen that in a few games, although I could have missed the objects.
Heading out of the Post Office, I check the signage. There is a cemetery off to the west of me and the town to the east. I head east first and find a small cottage belonging to the librarian. Thereâs a poodle outside and heâs pretty much blocking the way. I cannot either enter the house or proceed into the town to the north. The game hints that I may be able to bribe it with something, but I donât have any items of interest yet. I guess I have to head to the cemetery after all.
Something tells me that poodle is famousâŚ
Entering the cemetery, I get a warning that it is creepy and that I should turn back. I have to answer that I really really want to go in a few times before it lets me. Itâs obviously just a retread of the Engine Room joke from Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxy, but I suppose I can let it pass since younger players may not have played that game.
Just to the north is a gravedigger. He asks to see the envelope that I am carrying, but I refuse and he eventually leaves. Did I make the right choice? I have no idea, but he looked pretty suspicious to me and a good mailman doesnât show anyone the wrong mail. Once heâs gone, thereâs an open grave that I can climb down into to find a bone. On one hand, I bet this can distract the dog! On the other hand⌠is this a human bone? Am I going to let a dog munch on a human bone? That is more than a little disturbing. Exploring the rest of the graveyard, I find an umbrella and an iron gate leading out to the north that I cannot unlock. The gravedigger is still wandering around and he warns me against going into the graveyard after dark.
With no way out, I go back the way I came and approach the poodle. Giving him the bone makes him happy (and me a bit unnerved), but it will let me head north now. I still cannot enter the librarianâs house without being blocked, but thatâs okay. Just to the north, I find the Librarian, Ms. Voss, locking up the library. She gives me a note that she wants to have delivered to Mr. Crisp, the Postmaster. I cannot read it, but it says âCorkyâ on the outside. Corky Crisp? How cute. She runs off.
Seeing that the envelope says to go to North Festeron, I cross the town and a bridge. Iâm not quite sure that I am going in the right direction. I reach a point where the game tells me that Iâm getting in deep and I should probably draw a map and that seems like something I wouldnât be doing at the very beginning of a kids game. Besides, Iâm almost out of time already. I elect to explore the town first.
Town map from the end of this post
It takes a couple of games because with only two hours to explore, you really cannot see everything in one go. In that way, it reminds me a bit of the early stages of Zork where you had a limited time period with the lamp, but at least this makes some amount of sense. If 5:00 PM passes, you get fired from your job and the game ends. I hope all this exploration will come in handy later. Rather than give you a blow-by-blow, let me just summarize the areas that I found so far:
Thereâs a rotary in the town center, around which is a police station (containing an officer and an empty cell), a locked theater, a locked library, and an empty church containing just a candle.The center of the rotary has a statue and fountain; inside the fountain is a coin and a fish.
To the west is a lakeshore and the locked northern entrance to the cemetery. Thereâs a pile of leaves there and a âDo Not Disturbâ sign. If I search the leaves, the wind picks up and they fly away revealing a pit in the sand. It was a trap! But for what? My score goes down by ten points for not following the sign so I restore.
In the northwest of the map, you can climb up to âLookout Hillâ where we can see a tree stump and a horseshoe.
In the northeast of the map, I find a tiny lighthouse, a pelican, and a conch shell hidden in a tide pool. I have no idea why anyone built a scale model of a lighthouse on a beach, but itâs not sillier than anything else in this game.
On the eastern edge is a âPleasure Wharfâ with a video arcade and a mailbox. Thereâs also a seahorse that I can rescue by throwing it back in the water. Iâm reminded a bit of the arcade in Sorcerer, but I suppose how many different kinds of arcades can there be?
And unfortunately, that is it: there is no magick shop in town so Iâm going to have to explore north after all. At least I have found ingredients for three of the wishes: a horseshoe, an umbrella, and a seashell. Iâll have to be on the lookout for the rest. It says that the postal code for outside the grid is 23-51-1 which is exactly what is on the envelope. Oh well.
The path up the mountain is simple enough. Thereâs a not-quite-maze that you have to pass through, but it is easy to map as the exits are listed and distinct. Itâs only a couple of rooms anyway. At the top is the magic shop, a quaint little establishment. When you go in, a little bell rings. You know the type. Inside is an assortment of magical things but weâre there on business so we hand the envelope over to the proprietress. She has misplaced her glasses and asks us to open and read the letter to her.
He took her cat! That is evil!
âThe Evil Oneâ took the womanâs cat! Sheâs angry, so angry that sheâs holding back tears of rage. She says that she has concealed the Stone of Dreams, the âmagick stoneâ that the Evil One covets. She says that she gave up her childhood and family to keep that stone safe, and now her burden has even cost her her cat. She says that sheâs not supposed to tip mail carriers, but she hands me a metal can of mixed nuts anyway. She says goodbye and that we should be getting back to town. She pushes us out, asking if we will keep a look out for her cat, all black except for a white dot on her forehead. Her name is Chaos. She says that if I want to look for her cat, the Stone of Dreams can help me find it⌠but that she cannot tell me where it is because then the Evil One could hear. With that, Iâm out the door and she locks it behind me.
Outside, itâs practically a new world. As the sun sets, fog rolls in across the island. Things are⌠different. The post office where I started is in the distance, but now it is replaced by a large tower. What is going on? Is the Evil One attacking? Iâll have to find out next time!
Time played: 1 hr 40 min Inventory: metal can, gold coin, violet note, umbrella (plus the stuff I saw but didnât pick up yet) Score: 24
Itâs time to guess the score! While this is Moriartyâs first Infocom game, he is not new to our blog. We recently looked at Adventure in the 5th Dimension, his first published game, and that one scored only 13 points. In contrast, Loom managed to score 65 and is still one of our top games of all time. Moriarty also played much smaller roles in the development of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (65 points) and Fate of Atlantis (82). That is an incredibly wide spread so I cannot possible provide any meaningful score guidance this time. If you absolutely insist, Iâd say that the average of the two games (that we have played so far) where he was the sole creator is 39. Is that a good guess? I have no idea.
One final programming note: Fooblitzky has been moved to 1985 and I will look at at after A Mind Forever Voyaging. This game was released in stores in 1986, but was launched as a mail-order exclusive in 1985. Iâm still not sure how I will cover this game, but I will figure it out when I get there.
Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: Thereâs a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no CAPs will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. As this is an introduction post, itâs an opportunity for readers to bet 10 CAPs (only if they already have them) that I wonât be able to solve a puzzle without putting in an official Request for Assistance: remember to use ROT13 for betting. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with 50 CAPs in return. Itâs also your chance to predict what the final rating will be for the game. Voters can predict whatever score they want, regardless of whether someone else has already chosen it. All correct (or nearest) votes will go into a draw.
source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/missed-classic-61-wishbringer-1985-introduction/
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