#She would have cheered so hard for roes when she jumped

[moonilit]

“Draw me like one of your earthlings girls”

Idk how two pages story can fight me this hard

[thrillingdetectivetales]

Tumblr jukebox - BoB, Winnix - 69 (and yes, I understand that you're not going to use "69" as the actual literal prompt, more's the pity)

Hello my dear anonymous flower! The song I landed on for you was Angel Haze’s “Crown.” You get a double-length fill of flirty pre-relationship Winnix in an AU where Dick becomes a crime boss in New York after the war for some reason and Nix’s dad is in bed with the mafia because sometimes the muse just goes super hard. Enjoy!

Winters didn’t look like the kind of guy who ran an extensive criminal syndicate.

He was in an understated blue suit, cut to emphasize the long, lean line of his body, with his hair combed and slicked into place like a choirboy. His shoes were shined to a high polish and a silver tie-clip flashed at his breast when he moved. He looked like nothing so much as a pastor’s son who’d wandered into a bespoke wardrobe by mistake. Lew supposed that was the point.

He bellied up to the bar next to Winters to get a better look, keeping a couple of empty seats between them for plausible deniability. Winters appeared to be nursing a Coca-Cola in one of those little glass bottles and was deep in conversation with a serving girl who was half-leaned on the stool beside him.

“ - really don’t have to do that,” the serving girl was saying.

“It’s no trouble,” Winters told her, smile gentle and reassuring. “Doc Roe is an old Army buddy of mine. You take your mother by his practice over on 46th Street and tell him I sent you. He’ll have her fixed up in no time.”

The serving girl blinked, eyes big and wet, and pressed her teeth coquettishly into the cushion of her lower lip. “Thank you, Major, really.” She set her hand on his arm, up near the crook of his elbow, and leaned in, presumably to ensure that Winters could hear her. Lew was sure the clear view it provided into her ample cleavage was a happy coincidence. “If there’s anything I can do for you—anything at all—you just let me know, all right?”

Winters smirked, eyebrows quirking, and didn’t look away from the woman’s face for even a second as he patted her shoulder and replied, “Thank you, Lola. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lola grinned, scooped a couple of drinks onto her serving tray, and sashayed away into the crowd with a swivel in her hips that belonged on a dashboard hula dancer. Lew couldn’t help but snort.

He turned back toward the bar, stomach jumping as his gaze flashed across Winters’ own on the way. Lew took care not to look over, flagging the bartender down to order two fingers of Vat 69. The bartender slid a glass over to him in short order, but before Lew could fish his money-clip free of his breast pocket, a couple of bills hit the bar in front of him.

“It’s on me,” said a warm, polite voice to his left.

Lew turned to find that Winters had sidled over to sit beside him, lounging on the bar stool as if it were as comfortable as any plush armchair. He licked his lips and tipped his glass in Winters’ direction.

“Cheers.”

Winters hefted his Coke and returned the sentiment in kind. They drank in silence for a moment, and then Winters set his bottle down with a muted clink and said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before.”

“Not my usual haunt,” Lew agreed, lifting one shoulder in a shrug.

“What brings you in tonight?”

“Boredom, I guess,” Lew said after a moment’s consideration. “Curiosity, maybe. Feels like I’ve been going to the same four places since I was old enough to hail a cab, figured it was time for a change of scenery.”

Winters hummed and dipped his chin in a nod. He gave Lew a look over, crown to toes and back up again, and then extended his hand. “Dick Winters.”

“Lewis Nixon,” Lew said, and shook it. “The Third, if you want to be properly pedantic about it.”

Dick snorted, mouth curling. “You know,” he said, wrapping a loose hand around his bottle and tapping his fingers against the surface, “I think I know your father. Nixon Shipping & Freight, right? Owns about half the port between here and Jersey?”

Lew couldn’t help but grin. He’d been loitering in the hallway outside his father’s office just a few days before, listening to him rail to his friends in the Outfit about how the Major was tying up his overseas lines and needed to be handled.

“Small world,” he offered.

“You in the same line of business?” Dick asked, taking a sip of his Coke.

“Not at present.”

“Why’s that?” “Son of a bitch fired me.”

Dick’s eyes widened in surprise. “What for?”

“Call it a difference of opinion.” Lew took a quick slug of whisky and licked his lips, leaning in like he was sharing a particularly tawdry secret. “See, dear ol’ Dad is willing to climb into bed with all sorts of unsavory characters if he thinks it’ll get him ahead in business.” He straightened up and smoothed the line of his tie down his chest. “I like to think I’m a little more discerning when it comes to who I let between my sheets.” He paused, and added, “So to speak.”

Dick’s smile cracked just wide enough to show a sliver of teeth, blue eyes dancing in the low glow seeping off the lights behind the bar. “Is that so?”

Lew shrugged again, flashing him a small, smug smirk.

Dick watched him for a second, eyes narrow and calculating, before he ventured, “When you say ‘unsavory’ - ”

“Domenico Gianelli,” Lew provided, cutting him off.

Dick’s mouth snapped shut, eyebrows climbing toward his hair. It was bold, perhaps, to name a high-ranking mafia capo in public like this, but Lew had never been one for subtlety. From the delighted twist to his mouth, it was an attribute that Dick appreciated.

“I host a poker game in back room on Saturdays for a few buddies of mine,” Dick said, still smiling. Lew already knew that, of course. He had a feeling that Dick was likewise aware that he’d wandered in tonight, of all nights, to take advantage of that very fact, but he carried on gamely, “Would you care to join us?”

Lew took a thoughtful sip of his drink. “What’s the buy in?”

“Fifty bucks.”

Lew sucked his teeth. “Steep.”

“Only if you can’t afford it.”

Lew bit back a laugh, ducking his head. “All right,” he said, when he’d regained his composure. “Fifty bucks.” He offered his hand again. Dick took it without missing a beat, the both of them clinging maybe a second or two longer than propriety required.

“You know, Mr. Nixon,” Dick said, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Lew’s palm was still warm against Dick’s when he grinned, “Please, call me Nix.”

[lovemychoices]

Before There Was You- CH.6

TRR X ROE

Song Inspiration: 5sos - Ghost of You

Three years ago while travelling in Europe, Eve Sommers was involved in a car accident. She woke up from her coma two weeks later with no memory of what happened to her in the past seven months. Three years later and still no recollection about what happened to her before the accident. But all of that is about to change. Will she finally know the truth? Will there be consequences?

*THIS SERIES PRACTICALLY THROWS CANON OUT THE WINDOW* YEET!YEET!

Characters except my OCs belong to Pixelberry, I am just borrowing them

Word count : 1700++

Chapter Summary: We time jump three months after the masquerade ball. The court are officially in Lynthikos and the snowy atmosphere takes Leo back to a certain memory.

A/N : This is my first fiction series so it will definitely not be 100% perfect. In other words be kind :). Feedback and comments are welcomed, also hit that reblog button if you like what you read.

Catch up with the series HERE

Warning : I’m rating this PG18 cause there will probably be PG18 stuff that’s going to happen in future chapters. So if you read this series you acknowledge that you are 18 and above.

Tags : @thecordoniandiaries @leelee10898 @ao719 @annekebbphotography

@desiree-0816 @rainbowsinthestorm @emceesynonymroll @the-soot-sprite @carabeth @cora-nova @charliejane-blog @dcbbw @hopefulmoonobject @cmestrella @jlpplays1 @pixieferry @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jessiembruno @romanticatheart-posts

[[More]]

“Wow, Hana! You never told me you were an amazing figure skater.” Eve cheers as she watched Hana do a Biellmann spin on the frozen lake. The group arrived Lynthikos a few hours ago and Olivia had scheduled for them to go ice skating on the lake near the estate.

Hana chuckles. “Oh , it was nothing, I learned that move when I was seven, though my skating instructor always said my spins where a bit sloppy.”

“Aww Hana, I think you were amazing despite what your instructors said, right Olivia? She affirmed and gave Olivia a nudge. “Meh, She wasn’t bad.” Olivia smirks.

“Ladies..” Liam beamed when greeted them as he and Maxwell approached the three. “My prince.” Eve smiles and kisses Liam on the cheek.

“Ugh barf..” Olivia cringed followed by sarcastic eye rolls. “I’m going to skate over there where the view is less nauseating.” She points then skates away towards Penelope and Kiara, who were skating or at least trying to.

“Hey Hana, watch me do the ice skating version of the moonwalk.” Maxwell says excitedly trying his best to impersonate the moves in his skate. Hana looks between Eve and Liam then at Maxwell. “I’d better go check on Maxwell before he hurts himself.”

“Subtle..” She grins.

Liam chuckles. “As long as we have some time to ourselves, I’m not complaining. Shall we?” He asks offering his hand. Eve smiles and takes his hand, the two begin skating side by side with their hands intertwined.

“Did I mention how lovely you look today.” Liam grins.

“No you haven’t and thank you.” She winks playfully. “So do you and the court come here often?”

“Not often, but when we do Olivia is always a generous hostess. I did use to come here a lot when I was a child. Leo and I used to have a snowball fight with Drake even Olivia would join us.”

“Leo right, I forgot about him.” She rolls her eyes, her expression suddenly dim.

Liam brows creased, he noticed a change in her tone and the way her body shifted when she said his brothers name. He stops in his skate and pulls her closely while he tilts her chin up. “Eve is something wrong?” He asks sincerely.

Her lips formed a thin line followed by an exasperated sigh. “Look it’s no big deal, it’s just that I think Leo doesn’t like me very much.”

“Why would you say something like that? You’ve been nothing but wonderful throughout your stay in Cordonia. Even Olivia is starting to warm up to you.” He chuckles. “‘Maybe it’s just some misunderstanding.

“I’m serious Liam, everytime I enter the room when the gang is hanging out he sees me and suddenly there’s always an excuse for him to leave. He doesn’t even stop say HI or make eye contact. It’s been two months you’d think the guy would warm up to me by now.. Heck! Like you said even Olivia is already treating me like a friend in her own way.” She looks Liam in the eye. “Normally I wouldn’t care what people think but he is your brother, he’s your family. it’s important to me that we get along.”

Liam heaves a sigh. “I’ll try to have a talk with him okay? In the meantime I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you, you’re a very hard person to not like Eve Sommers.” He grins while placing his hand on the small of her back and pulling her into a kiss.

***

As the sun began to set and the day began to turn dark, snow began to fall on the estate. Everyone in court gathered in the great hall for some eclairs and hot chocolate by the fire.

Leo sat in the library by the window watching as the snow fell from the night sky while taking a sip of his scotch. His mind drifted to three years ago in Finland.

Three years ago - Kakslauttanen, Finland

Leo and Eve lay on their bed cuddled up with each other. They had both been seeing each other for a few months and decided to head to Finland for their next adventure. Eve wanted to see the aurora borealis which was on her bucket list of things to do during her trip in Europe so Leo rented an igloo shaped room made out of glass.

It was the perfect romantic getaway, they could watch the constellations in the night sky while waiting for the aurora to appear all in the comfort of their warm bed under the glass dome surrounding them.

“Okay, how about that one?” Eve pointed to a wishbone shape group of stars. “That’s Perseus and that—.” Leo pointed to the star next to it. “Is Andromeda's line.”

Eve cocked an eyebrow. “I’m assuming this has some romantic Greek tragedy story written behind it?”

Leo chuckles. “No tragedy at least for them. Andromeda’s parents were going to sacrifice her to the monster Cetus when Perseus came and save her, they fell in love, got married and lived happily ever after.”

Leo turned propping one hand on the side of his head. “But if you’re interested in tragic romantic stories.” He grinned and looked back up at the sky through the glass window. “There that one.” He pointed towards the group of stars that looked like they were forming a stream. “That's called the milky way. Though the myth surrounding that constellation differs depending on the country. In Japan the myth tells the story of a celestial princess Orihimie, who falls in love with a mortal named Hikoboshi. When her father found out he was enraged and forbid their love. To punish them he placed them in the sky separated by the celestial river or as we call it the milky way only to reunite once a year.”

Eve got up into a sitting position with her legs sidesaddle, sadness filled her eyes. “Oh my god that’s just tragic and sad, I couldn’t imagine what I would do if that happened to us. To be separated from the one I love, to be separated from you. I—.” She froze when she reailised the words that came out of her mouth. Did I just confessed that i love him? Did he hear me? What if I said it too soon? Holy crap you really blew it this time Eve! Prepare yourself and watch him run for the hills.

Leo gently cupped her cheeks with his hand, closing the gap between them as he pulled her in for a deep kiss, only to pull apart a few seconds later. His ocean blue eyes looking into her soft teal ones. “I love you too.” He says.

A whirlwind of pale green light appeared and swirled above, the streaks tossed about wildly. Then scarlet red clouds of fire pulsated in wave of arcs, rolled against the midnight sky and darting towards the heavens. They both looked up and marvelled at the beautiful lights as it danced in the northern sky illuminating the night.

***

Leo is suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by the squeaking sound of the library door opening.

“And here I thought this was the last place I would find you in.” Liam teases as he walks into the library with both hands in his pockets.

Leo snorts. “And yet here I am.” He opens a bottle of liquid amber and pours it into an empty glass before offering it to Liam.

“Thank you brother.” Liam says taking the glass from Leo. “ I didn’t see you earlier on. You know usuy Drake is the one who is busy brooding, what’s gotten into you lately?”

“I wasn’t really in the mood.” Leo murmurs, swirling the glass in his hand watching as the liquid amber turns into a small whirlpool.

“Is it because of Eve?” Liam asks studying the expression on his brothers face.

Leos is taken aback. Could it be he found out about our past? Play it cool Leo it could be about something else. Leo clears his throat before answering. “Why would you say something like that?”

Liam steps closer rubbing the back of his neck, pursing his lips before answering. “To be honest, Eve was the one who brought the subject up. She thinks you don’t like her and you know what I don’t blame her now that I see it. Ever since she came to Cordonia you haven’t really been welcoming, you leave everytime she enters the room. You barely say more than three words to her whenever she tries to start a conversation with you.” He pauses then heaves a sigh. “Brother you need to tell me if something is wrong so we can all try to work it out. I’m trying my best to convince the council that the woman I love is not just the perfect Queen for me but for Cordonia. Before the start of the social season you promised to help out as much as you can.”

Leo didn’t know what to answer he was stuck between his brother and the woman he once loved, the woman he still loved. Avoiding her wasn’t an option anymore, it might cause more suspicion and suspicion might lead to Liam digging for more answers. He just couldn’t risk letting Liam finding out about their history together. Leo ran his hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to make Eve feel unwelcomed, I promise I’ll have a talk with her to straighten things out.”

“Thank you Leo, that’s all I ask.”

“And I’m sorry I haven’t been living up to my promises, I’ve just been having a hard time lately.” He murmurs taking a sip of his scotch.

“Is it about your divorce with Katie? I’m so sorry I’ve been so busy worrying about my problems I completely forgot that you have yours. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Leo gave a rueful smile and pats Liam on the shoulder. “Thank you Liam, but these are demons I need to face on my own.”

Liam places an assuring hand on Leo’s shoulder. “ If you ever need anything. You know I’ll always have your back just like you have mine. So what do you say we stop with the brooding for a few minutes and join the others at the great hall?”

Leo chuckles. “You don’t have to ask me twice brother.” They both finished their drinks and went on their way to join the others.

[hbostolemysoul]

Fluff alphabet: Joe Liebgott

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

When you and Lieb first met, the thing you found most attractive about him was when he shut the hell up. Joe has a temper, and a mouth to match. You two mixed about as well as water and flaming oil, both working desperately to consume the other, but ultimately never succeeding.

Yeah. You found it most attractive when he shut up. (his hair was definitely not attractive…or the way his mouth would quirk when he smiled…or how animated he gets when talking about superheroes...)

Yep definitely him shutting up…absolutely nothing else…

Joe on the other hand had no problem admitting you had a pretty face, “Too bad every word that leaves your mouth makes you uglier”

Lieb is an asshole, and he knows it. In fact, he is pretty sure that is just his default setting. Which is how he justifies being an ass to you. (he absolutely isn’t nastier to you when he sees guys from other companies flirting with you…and all he wants to do is fucking deck them). He feels that he is doing the rest of guys a favor. Bros before hoes or something like that (except that you definitely are not a hoe, and he will gladly square up with anyone who says that…other than him).  

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

Joe talks a pretty big game about finding a ‘nice Jewish girl with big tits, to make tiny Liebgotts with’. Maybe that was something that helped him to cope during the war but finding out you were pregnant actually broke something in Joe. You two had gotten into a fight about god knows what and ending up sleeping together…and then hooking up almost every time you two got into a fight after that (which was frequent). It was fiery, and passionate, and fueled by your mutual hatred/love for each other.

You found out shortly before you shipped off back home. You told him a few days before you left and he just…up and avoided you. You had searched desperately for him the day you shipped out, with no luck. You ended up writing a brief letter to him, leaving your address and phone number. Giving it to Web you asked him to pass it to Lieb.

You moved back home, 7 months later you gave birth to your daughter. Still no word from Joe.

You had been everything from sad, to scared, to furious. When you found out that he had cut ties with literally everyone from Easy you thought it would make you feel…well better. Instead, you found yourself worrying about him.

Word spread to the guys that you had a kid. Most knew that it was Joe’s. Some of the guys were furious (Guarnere, Babe, Roe of all people) most were sympathetic and supportive (Winters, Toye, Webster, Malarkey, ect.)

Your child may not have had a father for some of her life, but she had an army of uncles who would move mountains for your little girl.

Your daughter was three when you received a letter from one of Joe’s sisters. The letter explained that Joe had refused to talk about the war (fair enough) but one night she found him drunk as a skunk and crying. He told her about you. About the baby. About how he didn’t “know what to fuckin’ do anymore”.

She had left a phone number. That was how you met the Liebgotts. It took some convincing on their part, a bit of encouragement from Winters and Webster, and a sharp fucking shove into the back of Malarkey’s car for you and your daughter to make your way down to San Francisco (Buck had also decided to come along, because “Mal can't be trusted with kids, c’mon”)

You had decided to leave your daughter with Malarkey and Buck when you first went to visit Joe.

Things went about as well as the entirety of Operation Market Garden.

He was not okay, clearly not coping well with the effects of war. You had left shortly after getting there, leaving a picture of your daughter on the table. His mom was in tears as she saw you out.

Going back home was more somber than either Buck or Malarkey would have liked, but they did everything they could to cheer you up. It helped.

About 3 weeks after arriving back home your phone rang, it was Joe.

It was at that moment that he began to make…well an effort. It was a slow process, but your daughter deserved to know her father, and Joe deserved a chance at love and peace.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

While you two were hooking up it was usually rushed, clothing righted shortly after. But in moments where you two had a bit more time, his hands would sometimes linger as he gently rebuttoned your clothes.

Later in life cuddling often consists of the two of you in bed, arms barely touching as a few small humans squeeze their way between the both of you.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)

Joe likes to drive, its one of the few things that give him peace. Sometimes Joe would drive you all down to the beach, or to a drive-in. Somewhere a bit outside the craziness of the city.

E = Everything (You are my __ (e.g. my life, my world…))

“You are so much more than I deserve”

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

Joe knew he loved you back in Toccoa. Not that he ever admitted it fully to himself.

During the entire war, he loved you. He loved you when you told him you were pregnant. He loved you enough to push you away so you wouldn’t have to deal with the broken man he was trying so desperately to hide from everyone.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

While you two were sleeping together pre-daughter, he was intense. His touches bordering on painful until after the act, then his touches would gentle, lightly caressing your skin in a way that he could say was accidental if you ever called him out on it.

Once you and Lieb reconnect, it’s a slow process. He has a lot to make up for. Touches of any kind are minimal at first, but over time a hand on your back or fingers running through your hair become gentle parts of everyday life for the two of you.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

No. Joe just does not like hand holding. He doesn’t want to look like a ‘sap’ in front of strangers, let alone people he knows. He will, however, sling an arm along the back of your chair when you go out. He finds comfort in knowing you are there without having to physically put his hands on you.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

He thought you were fucking beautiful, and so fucking stupid for being in the god damned paratroopers. Everyone took to you like a moth to a flame. You were kind and tough as hell, and he wanted to hate you so much.

When he didn’t hate you, it made him want to hate you more. It wouldn’t do well to get attached to a fucking broad who would be jumping into a warzone. Pushing you away and being an asshole was Joe’s way of trying to convince himself that he didn’t care about you. (It never worked)

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Oh lordy yes. Training was a bitch, you couldn’t enter the same room as Lieb before he was spouting off some remark to piss you off.

Looking back now you realize his comments came more frequently when you were around other men.

Even now, married with a few kids Joe still gets mouthy when another man looks at you for longer than a second.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

You honestly don’t know who kissed the other first. One minute you are screaming in each other’s faces, the next your lips met in an aggressive clash of teeth and tongue.  

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

He does. It takes him about a year of being back in both your lives, but he does say it. Your daughter had fallen asleep on his one side, you were smiling down at her sleepily. He gently brushed your bangs back muttering the words almost silently. Looking up into his eyes you smiled tiredly, “Love you too Lieb”. It took a lot for Joe to cry, but that did it. Something about that moment healed both of you a little bit more.

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

His favourite memory is pretty mundane in comparison to most. It was the first time he came ‘home’ from work. He had just moved in with you two, entering your home, his home, after work was nerve-wracking. His nerves settled moments after he stepped through the threshold. Your daughter was sprawled on the floor, scribbling relentlessly on a piece of paper, while you sorted through work documents at the table. It was so domestic, and so much more than he ever expected. He was home.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Joe works with you to provide for your small family. You two are never rich, but you make sure your children want for nothing when it comes to the necessities.

Joe struggles a lot with having anything to do with the guys. You got him writing to Winters occasionally, and that was a HUGE step for Joe. The best gift he ever gave you, was calling the guys personally to tell them when you gave birth to your second child. It was hard for him. So terribly difficult. But he knew how much the guys mean to you, so he swallowed the grief and panic that came with anything that reminded him of the war. Seeing Luz, Perconte, and fucking Webster with a shark stuffed animal crash into your hospital room a few days later made the gesture all the more special.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

You remind him of the sky during the sunrise. You are both an infuriatingly bright and absolutely beautiful.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

He uses ‘babe’ a lot, which was kind of funny when Uncle Babe came over for your daughter’s birthday. The confusion on poor Heffron’s face and the fury on Joe’s was priceless.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

(I know its still modern) Hersey bars. He likes to share them with the kids on Friday evenings. They will sit on the back porch, share chocolate and talk about their day. Its pretty cute.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Joe is usually driving his cab, if the rain isn’t too bad he will continue on with his day. If the downpour gets ridiculous he will pull off and park somewhere he can see the ocean, watching as the tiny droplets disappear as they meet the waves.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)

Before you and Joe reconnected he smoked a ridiculous amount. Something about the burn of each inhale helped to settle his mind.

While he has cut back on smoking, you still sometimes find him hunched outside in the middle of the night smoking. The sweat from his nightmares still gathered on his brow, in these moments you just hold him and wait for him to finish.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

He talks a lot about work, he has some pretty entertaining stories that he will share with you and the kids to get you all to laugh. Your family had brought life back into Joe.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Driving. Every June your family will pack up and head to some camping destination, or off to see one of the guys from Easy. Around D-day Joe gets anxious, so you two decided to make something that marked so much darkness for the two of you, into something positive to share with the kids.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

You best believe that Joe carries around your kid's drawings in his wallet. When Harry and Kitty come to visit it's almost comical to watch as they have a ‘dad off’ on who’s kids are most artistically inclined. You and Kitty often hide in the kitchen and drink.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

You had been having a rough time at work, a few of your co-workers had just quit and the work was piling up while the higher-ups tried to find replacements. You came home late one night, Joe had made dinner for you and put the kids to bed. Kissing the top of your head he ushered you off to have a bath while he cleaned up. Entering your bedroom almost made you cry. On your pillow was a small box and one of your favourite flowers. Walking over you opened the box, tears coming to your eyes, Joe had come to lean against the doorframe. Rubbing the back of his neck he just grinned at you, “So uh- what do ya’ think?”, He asked.

You just nodded as you walked over to him, his arms soon pulling you close to his chest as you cried.

Your wedding was small, just immediate family. Some of the guys were bummed, but they understood as Joe was still struggling with being around them, let alone a bunch of other people.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Found- Trenton

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Yep. Lieb talked about it lots during the war, but actually doing it was another story entirely.

It took him a long time to ask you, he had a lot of healing to do after the war. While things didn’t play out in the most ideal way between you two, you are both happy with where you ended up in the end.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

No. Your gaggle of children is more than enough. After all “we own a house, not a fucking zoo”, as Lieb so lovingly puts it. 

* Okay...so things got a bit angsty. Please forgive me*

[kodie-ffxiv]

#23 Parched

The smirk appeared on the Highlander’s lips as he stared at the young Midlander across the table from him. Abel was confident, there was no point in hiding it, he firmly believed he could defeat his young opponent with ease. “Ya ready for this, Kodie?”

The young Midlander gave a firm nod as he looked down at the empty shot glass and the bottle of whisky in Abel’s hand. Kodie wasn’t one for drinking, at least not in abundance as his Highlander companion, but this was a challenge he didn’t want to back down from. After all there was a lot at stake here. “Sure, I guess. Let’s do this…” He replied.

Pelli sat at the side of the table, somewhat acting as a referee, at the same time Elle stood leaning against the wall, watching the group. She of course rolled her eyes at the activity, shaking her head, her ears twitched as she heard the large footsteps of a familiar Roe approaching. Rhyn raised an eyebrow as he looked over to the table, standing next to Elle. “Wat in the seven hells are they doin?”

“Kodie wanted to learn how to use some of the dagger techniques Abel knows. Soooo Abel challenged him to a drinking contest; first one to either throw up or pass out loses.” Responded the Elezen. “If Kodie wins, Abel will train him. If Abel wins, Kodie’s gotta maintain and clean up Abel’s gear for life.”

“Eh? Well this is gonna be interestin, the kid sure wants to learn a lot. Ain’t you teachin him some of yer skills?”

Elle returned with a nod. “Yeah, and he’s been helping me with other tasks so it evens out. He’s a quick learner at least, but ugh…I don’t want him having to clean up Abel’s stuff, you know how unkept his stuff can be?”

The Seawolf shrugged. “Well it’ll be a hard lesson fer the Kid to learn iffin he loses. But sure as hells will be fun to watch.” He chuckled as he kept his eyes on the table.

An hour had passed and the two were still at it, though they certainly were worse for wear. Kodie looked at the glass, or maybe there were two or three at this point. His head felt heavy, everything else just felt off like he was underwater. He took a deep breath, then exhaled and quickly took the shot, slamming the glass down. By now there was a crowd gathering as they remained silent for a moment waiting to see what Kodie would do, when he motioned for a refill, the crowd cheered. Rhyn and Elle continued to watch from wall, the Roe tilting his head with an impressed look. 

“He’s hangin in there, I gotta admit, thought the Kid would pass out after the third glass…” He chuckled a little.

Elle smirked in return. “Never under estimate a child of the Shroud.

Meanwhile Abel kept his confident smirk, there didn’t seem to be much of a change in his mannerisms, the same confidence he had when he started. He glanced down at the glass full of whisky and back at Kodie. “You know if you stop now, I’ll only have you clean my gear for a year.”

The Midlander shook his head. “I can….I can….I can do this…” replying.

The Highlander shrugged. “It’s yer funeral then, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.” He took a swig of his drink and slammed the empty glass back down, clearing his through at the same time. Suddenly he stood up, jumping on his seat, he arms up. “I WON’T LOSE!!!” which of course followed by a loud cheer.

There was something off though, the Highlander didn’t move for a few moments, and with that he crashed down to the ground, almost landing on the table. The Lalafell’s eyebrows raised along with everyone else’s as he pointed to Kodie. “WINNER!!”

The crowd once again praised the Midlander as the other two stood back, both laughing at the same time very impressed. “Hah I can’t believe he did it!” the Roe exclaimed.

Elle replied with the nod. “See what happens when people under estimate this kid, it’s the best weapon he has in his arsenal.”

Kodie still wasn’t sure what was going on, he took another shot that wasn’t necessary and stood up from his own chair, arms raised. “I’M A GOLDEN PRIMAL!!!!” which of course was met with more cheers from the crowd. But just like his competitor, the Midlander stood there for several moments before he too felt from his chair crashing onto the ground.

This caused the Rhyn to cringe, and shake his head. “Awww hells…Pelli get’em some water, or something…”

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

[readbookywooks]

Snow-White and Rose-Red

There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose- red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, and helped her with her housework, or read to her when there was nothing to do.

The two children were so fond of one another that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together, and when Snow- white said: ’We will not leave each other,’ Rose-red answered: ’Never so long as we live,’ and their mother would add: ’What one has she must share with the other.’

They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by their side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon the boughs, and sang whatever they knew.

No mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and night came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the moss, and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and did not worry on their account.

Once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused them, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near their bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing and went into the forest. And when they looked round they found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few paces further. And their mother told them that it must have been the angel who watches over good children.

Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother’s little cottage so neat that it was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care of the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother’s bed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. In the winter Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob. The kettle was of brass and shone like gold, so brightly was it polished. In the evening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said: ’Go, Snow- white, and bolt the door,’ and then they sat round the hearth, and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a large book, and the two girls listened as they sat and spun. And close by them lay a lamb upon the floor, and behind them upon a perch sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its wings.

One evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together, someone knocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said: ’Quick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be a traveller who is seeking shelter.’ Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt, thinking that it was a poor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad, black head within the door.

Rose-red screamed and sprang back, the lamb bleated, the dove fluttered, and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother’s bed. But the bear began to speak and said: ’Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm! I am half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.’

’Poor bear,’ said the mother, ’lie down by the fire, only take care that you do not burn your coat.’ Then she cried: ’Snow-white, Rose- red, come out, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.’ So they both came out, and by-and-by the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not afraid of him. The bear said: ’Here, children, knock the snow out of my coat a little’; so they brought the broom and swept the bear’s hide clean; and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played tricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands, put their feet upon his back and rolled him about, or they took a hazel-switch and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. But the bear took it all in good part, only when they were too rough he called out: ’Leave me alive, children,

’Snow-white, Rose-red,  Will you beat your wooer dead?’

When it was bed-time, and the others went to bed, the mother said to the bear: ’You can lie there by the hearth, and then you will be safe from the cold and the bad weather.’ As soon as day dawned the two children let him out, and he trotted across the snow into the forest.

Henceforth the bear came every evening at the same time, laid himself down by the hearth, and let the children amuse themselves with him as much as they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were never fastened until their black friend had arrived.

When spring had come and all outside was green, the bear said one morning to Snow-white: ’Now I must go away, and cannot come back for the whole summer.’ ’Where are you going, then, dear bear?’ asked Snow- white. ’I must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the wicked dwarfs. In the winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to stay below and cannot work their way through; but now, when the sun has thawed and warmed the earth, they break through it, and come out to pry and steal; and what once gets into their hands, and in their caves, does not easily see daylight again.’

Snow-white was quite sorry at his departure, and as she unbolted the door for him, and the bear was hurrying out, he caught against the bolt and a piece of his hairy coat was torn off, and it seemed to Snow-white as if she had seen gold shining through it, but she was not sure about it. The bear ran away quickly, and was soon out of sight behind the trees.

A short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest to get firewood. There they found a big tree which lay felled on the ground, and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and forwards in the grass, but they could not make out what it was. When they came nearer they saw a dwarf with an old withered face and a snow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was caught in a crevice of the tree, and the little fellow was jumping about like a dog tied to a rope, and did not know what to do.

He glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried: ’Why do you stand there? Can you not come here and help me?’ ’What are you up to, little man?’ asked Rose-red. ’You stupid, prying goose!’ answered the dwarf: ’I was going to split the tree to get a little wood for cooking. The little bit of food that we people get is immediately burnt up with heavy logs; we do not swallow so much as you coarse, greedy folk. I had just driven the wedge safely in, and everything was going as I wished; but the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly sprang out, and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull out my beautiful white beard; so now it is tight and I cannot get away, and the silly, sleek, milk-faced things laugh! Ugh! how odious you are!’

The children tried very hard, but they could not pull the beard out, it was caught too fast. ’I will run and fetch someone,’ said Rose-red. ’You senseless goose!’ snarled the dwarf; ’why should you fetch someone? You are already two too many for me; can you not think of something better?’ ’Don’t be impatient,’ said Snow-white, ’I will help you,’ and she pulled her scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the end of the beard.

As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay amongst the roots of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted it up, grumbling to himself: ’Uncouth people, to cut off a piece of my fine beard. Bad luck to you!’ and then he swung the bag upon his back, and went off without even once looking at the children.

Some time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish of fish. As they came near the brook they saw something like a large grasshopper jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in. They ran to it and found it was the dwarf. ’Where are you going?’ said Rose-red; ’you surely don’t want to go into the water?’ ’I am not such a fool!’ cried the dwarf; ’don’t you see that the accursed fish wants to pull me in?’ The little man had been sitting there fishing, and unluckily the wind had tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a moment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him. He held on to all the reeds and rushes, but it was of little good, for he was forced to follow the movements of the fish, and was in urgent danger of being dragged into the water.

The girls came just in time; they held him fast and tried to free his beard from the line, but all in vain, beard and line were entangled fast together. There was nothing to do but to bring out the scissors and cut the beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that he screamed out: ’Is that civil, you toadstool, to disfigure a man’s face? Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard? Now you have cut off the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people. I wish you had been made to run the soles off your shoes!’ Then he took out a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes, and without another word he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.

It happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to the town to buy needles and thread, and laces and ribbons. The road led them across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about. There they noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly round and round above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last settled near a rock not far away. Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry. They ran up and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old acquaintance the dwarf, and was going to carry him off.

The children, full of pity, at once took tight hold of the little man, and pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go. As soon as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright he cried with his shrill voice: ’Could you not have done it more carefully! You dragged at my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes, you clumsy creatures!’ Then he took up a sack full of precious stones, and slipped away again under the rock into his hole. The girls, who by this time were used to his ingratitude, went on their way and did their business in town.

As they crossed the heath again on their way home they surprised the dwarf, who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot, and had not thought that anyone would come there so late. The evening sun shone upon the brilliant stones; they glittered and sparkled with all colours so beautifully that the children stood still and stared at them. ’Why do you stand gaping there?’ cried the dwarf, and his ashen- grey face became copper-red with rage. He was still cursing when a loud growling was heard, and a black bear came trotting towards them out of the forest. The dwarf sprang up in a fright, but he could not reach his cave, for the bear was already close. Then in the dread of his heart he cried: ’Dear Mr Bear, spare me, I will give you all my treasures; look, the beautiful jewels lying there! Grant me my life; what do you want with such a slender little fellow as I? you would not feel me between your teeth. Come, take these two wicked girls, they are tender morsels for you, fat as young quails; for mercy’s sake eat them!’ The bear took no heed of his words, but gave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw, and he did not move again.

The girls had run away, but the bear called to them: ’Snow-white and Rose-red, do not be afraid; wait, I will come with you.’ Then they recognized his voice and waited, and when he came up to them suddenly his bearskin fell off, and he stood there a handsome man, clothed all in gold. ’I am a king’s son,’ he said, ’and I was bewitched by that wicked dwarf, who had stolen my treasures; I have had to run about the forest as a savage bear until I was freed by his death. Now he has got his well-deserved punishment.

Snow-white was married to him, and Rose-red to his brother, and they divided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered together in his cave. The old mother lived peacefully and happily with her children for many years. She took the two rose-trees with her, and they stood before her window, and every year bore the most beautiful roses, white and red.