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arabian-bloodstream · 5 months ago

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The Object of Your Ire, Take 2

OK, so I've been reading posts on HOTD this season but been quiet, but after this last episode, I had to come out of hiding, because, yeah, I just can't. I called this after season 1, and I think I'm pretty sure where we're headed now. I genuinely do not believe that Daemon is being written out of character, or that this is coming out of nowhere, or that this makes no sense, or that Daemyra are being destroyed. Truly, just be patient. I think we're gonna be good.

I wrote this on October 21, 2022: The Object of Your Ire

And, yeah, I was almost 99% right there, so I've got a pretty good read on the thought process they got going. So, here's my take.

First, let's assess the situation.

Viserys dies. The throne is usurped. Daemon wants to go to war. He has no problem crowning her because they are both fire and blood. However, like Viserys, Rhaenyra cautions temperance. Because of this, Daemon fears she is weak like his brother. Luke is killed and Rhaenyra is enraged, and Daemon thinks now she will be on the same page as him. They will go to war and wipe out the traitors. They will indeed burn together. Instead, due to the Jaehaerys "mistake," Rhaenyra is once more urging caution, and Daemon's not here for that. Rhaenyra finally calls him out on the fact that Viserys didn't trust him, and now she knows that she can't either, not in this very volatile climate.

Daemon is proud and stubborn, and just as he didn't believe that Viserys didn't trust him but it was rather a case of jealousy and his own ego at play cannot see that it truly was the fact that his own intemperate actions pushed Viserys, and now Rhaenyra to this point. So he storms off. Now, in Harrenhal, these visions he is having are bringing home his guilt, parallels to moments in his life with Rhaenyra that pertain to her as heir and him not.

1) The camera work when he "killed" young!Rhaenyra was identical to when Viserys had him on the floor in S1EP4 and Viserys told him he didn't want Rhaenyra he wanted the crown 2) Rhaenyra on the Iron Throne as he walked towards her paralleled when we first saw him and Rhaenyra in the first episode but it was Daemon on the throne 3) Young!Rhaenyra was wearing the same dress that Rhaenyra was wearing when she mentioned Aegon's prophecy to her, the same when he choked her

(Also, someone pointed out that in the actual scene in the 1st episode, Daemon and Rhaenyra spoke Valyrian to each other. In this haunting vision, only young!Rhaenyra is doing so. Daemon is speaking the Common Tongue. He does not want to engage in their "secret language" in this version of young!Rhaenyra because she is not the real Rhaenyra and he knows that.)

So, why? Why is he having these visions? And why did he have the vision of having sex with his mother? Because Daemon has deep-seated issues of guilt and ego, and mommy and daddy-issues. Because Daemon feels like he should have been the one on the throne. That HE was better than Viserys. That HE would have been a better king than Viserys. That he would have been the favored son. But remember… these aren't JUST Daemon's visions, he's also almost assuredly being slipped something from Alys Rivers to hallucinate things. So, there is that. Basically, we're having a deep character dive into Daemon to deal with his guilt over some of the fucked-up things he's done, his issues that are even too much for him, and Alys's woowooaaahh! is pushing that along its way.

Oh, and BTW, that woman in Daemon's hallucination wasn't ACTUALLY Alyssa Targaryen. So, people saying, oh noes, they've ruined Alyssa Targaryen, no, no, they have not. We haven't met the real Alyssa Targaryen. That was some fucked-up concoction of Daemon's deranged psyche, not the real woman. Not by a long shot. Daemon desperately misses his wife, but he messed that up, and can't admit that he messed up. He's not there yet. He can't admit that. He also can't admit that he would make a lousy king. Last we heard him say, he's still saying that he should be king, and Rhaenyra his queen, by his side. Ah, ah, ah, ah, but I think the reason for this arc is to deal with that once and for all….

And there's good news on that front.

I know I'm kinda all over the place here, and I apologize, but there's a crap-ton to unravel. Look, Daemon is a fucking mess. But the first two episodes set this up perfectly to get us where we are and lead us, I believe, to where I think we're going. I could be wrong, absolutely, but I really did nail the whole Daemon/Viserys/Rhaenyra lack of trust/heir messed up in the head thing. I really did. So, I'm kinda trusting my gut here.

So, first couple of episodes, Daemon is itching to do things his way. He can't as he's waiting for the queen's go-ahead, but she's off looking for proof of Luke's death. She finally comes back and gives him that go-ahead. YAY! He thinks, but then he makes a "mistake," and she tears into him, telling him some very hard truths that he is just not willing to hear. So he storms off on his dragon. That's our set-up.

Then the next three episodes have been at first, he's working on getting the army for her, but then it starts to become about well, she's not doing this how I would, and I would be better so I should be the king and she can be my queen, so it should be my army, yeah, yeah, that's the ticket. Except it hasn't been as black and white as that because:

He's having all of these visions that are wrecking him, reminding him of how he was not the chosen heir at one point, it was Rhaenyra. (Natch, just like in the real world, Aegon/Alicent were getting that same dose of reality.)

He's stomping all over the Riverlands trying to force people to do his bidding as he would if he were king. First he tells the young Tully heir to kill his grandfather (nope, won't do, the kid loves his grandsire), then he threatens to kill the Brackens (or Blackwoods, I forget which, LOL) with dragonfire (nope, they'd rather die), then he's all do war crimes, but not in my name (they do the war crimes, under the Targ flag). In other words, Daemon does everything wrong. He kinda shows that Viserys was right.

We have that lovely final shot of him, head bent as he leans against the fireplace that flows directly into from the opposite side --> Rhaenyra leaning against the fireplace, head bent. SOULMATES!

Then she has her little talk with Lord Alfred, sending him to Harrenhal to find out what are Daemon's intentions. And there are three very interesting things of note in this scene. 1) That she knows Daemon well enough to know that he might be considering raising a host in his name. Yeah, it's awful of Daemon to even be considering that, but the fact that Rhaenyra knows him THAT WELL, yeah, you go, Rhae-rhae!, 2) Lord Alfred immediately was all like: "His intentions? But, but, but… Prince Daemon would never!" Loved that. Because you know it did not come from a place of Daemon Targaryen is just known for being SUCH a loyal guy, but rather because they know he loves his wife. Uh huh! And 3) Rhaenyra's message: That she wants to finish their conversation. Love, love, love that. Girl is like, babe, we gonna hash this out!

Furthermore, we also had Jace (sweet, beautiful, perfect Jace, Iluvusomuch!) having Daemon's back when talking to the Freys, but straight up just expecting Daemon to be there for Rhaenyra because that's just what's been up for so long, and then he cut himself off because of their, erm, "marital spat, but still, yeah, he just, that's his expectation about Daemon when it comes to Rhaenyra, and that just made my heart go SQUEE!

On another Jace note with regards to Daemon and the Riverlands, so ya got Daemon there failing spectacularly in his attempt to gain a host, while Jace--using tactics learned from his mother's school of politicking--got a big swath of Riverlands mileage they can use. So, Daemon's whole 'your way sucks, my way is better' isn't quite working which brings me back to eps 1-2 set-up, and what eps 3-5 have been doing for us.

Rhaenyra asked Daemon "Do you accept me as your queen and ruler?" We didn't get an answer. I believe--and I totes, totes could be wrong, but I believe that we are heading toward the moment when Daemon can answer Rhaenyra because he has exorcised enough of his demons that he can finally say yes. He can say yes because he realizes that his way isn't the way. That Viserys didn't trust him because of Daemon's actions, not because of jealousy on his brother's part. And that Rhaenyra following suit wasn't her lack of faith, but Daemon's lack of control. And that is his arc, gaining that realization, and that control, restoring her faith in him.

I think.

#daemon x rhaenyra #daemyra #daemon targaryen #hotd #rhaenyra targaryen #house of the dragon #i haz thoughts #daemyra positivity

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tooxldtorememxer · 2 years ago

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fornassau:

He knew what it was like? That would be a follow up question for later. The reassuring squeeze and even his customer turned chat told him he liked seeing that a man could show his emotions. But that comment about actually stepping outside had him rolling his eyes. But that continued grinning and his additional notation that he got lucky this time? Mm. Those hadn’t been just awkward flirts, James. He definitely had been flirting and the whole while you’d been doubting! So for now he corrected that.

“ To be honest, I didn’t realize you were flirting at first, Mr. Lannister. I’m just.. not used to someone flirting. “ His cheeks went a tad bit red. But at least now in some way he seemed to tell him flirting had been a good thing. A really good thing so far. Lannister would have to be the one to take the lead on that one. Take that brave step thought about before, show James.

But now their chairs were close together, body language screaming as he had his legs crossed toward him which was a quiet sort of sexual invite when it came to body language. He leaned to look at the phone and the very first picture he absolutely melted. He looked so adoring, happily looking up at him. “ Awh, they’re both so adorable! “ He looked up with delight at him. Leaned like this, they were rather close, arms touching each other. “ Tell me your sweet babies names? They’re a spitting image of their daddy. “ He said daddy so casually. When was the last time he’d smiled so much and so brightly?

Once he did pass the phone, he went to swiping. Smiling at one picture. Laughing at another. Jaime didn’t share things like this with strangers but here they were and he seemed to be fawning over the twin girls. It would be hard to find a woman that would be fine with kids much less a gay man. But when he swiped and got the image of the shirtless man before him? Oh my. It truly was thirsty for a selfie. Mr. Lannister was far more fit than he was, and he even spotted in those low-rise jeans one of his favorite parts of the male form.

Lannister had tried to swipe away but it had been seen. Almost defiantly, James swiped back to it for an extra peek. His eyes cast down over his upper body that was hidden by the Henley. The man picked a little fun at him so he thought he might as well in a playful way. “ Oh why would you want me to miss that? “ Jaime had the upper hand in many of these moments. Yea he’d glimpsed at his body briefly, but he did return to the picture, and now swiped more so he could return to the twins. He wasn’t a perv, he just wanted to linger for a moment. But he saw hot hot and red his face was, even if he’d moved past it. Flirt, James. God damnit, flirt!

So he lifted his hand, and he took the dangerous leap forward of softly running his fingers over the burning red of the man’s cheeks. Hell, he was petting him. He slowly brought his fingers more to his jaw. “ Blushing is a good look for you. Mr. Lannister. “

“I.. didn’t mean to,” it was no lie. He hadn’t intended any of it. “But it seems my filter is broken and now here we are. I’m not sorry,” he made a short gesture at his mouth back towards the rest of his head, still grinning. No, no he had no regrets about it, not yet anyway, and especially not when he praised the image of his daughters. “Joanna and Alys,” he said. “Named after their grandmothers,” and none of them were alive. Alys had met the girls once before she died, she had already been old when the girls were born, but not old enough to die yet, in Jaime’s opinion. But losing her daughter made her go downhill quickly and one day she was not there anymore. Joanna had died long before Jaime had even grown up.

He smiled proudly when he said they looked like him, he didn’t even reflect on the word daddy since he heard it every day at home. In a different context, perhaps but he was their daddy after all. “There’s no doubt where they got their genes from, eh?” he chuckled. “But there’s a lot of their mother in them too,” at least he saw it because he’d known her.

“Give it back!” He reached for the phone but it was a half-ass attempt at trying to get at it, his hand grabbing for it. “That is not a good way to make an impression on people the right way,” it wasn’t that he was ashamed of it. It was a fucking good picture and it had taken many attempts to get it right, it might be the fact that it was McGraw’s eyes that were able to judge, sitting right beside him and now Jaime had to look him in the eye.

When he felt the fingers on him he froze for a second before he relaxed again and chuckled softly. “Oh please, Jaime, my name is Jaime,” he had just seen him half-naked on his private mobile phone. He had seen pictures of his children and he had consoled him when he’d taken a dive into the anxiety pool. They were at that point, in his opinion, that he could use his first name.

He opened his mouth to say something but then his phone started to ring in McGraw’s hand. The name ‘Jeyne’ came on display. “Oh fuck,” he said and this time he yanked the phone out of his hand and got up to answer it. After a few mumbled words and apologies he turned back and shoved the phone into his pocket. “Apparently I’m late for dinner,” he said and scratched the back of his head. “It’s a lot later than I thought. I’m sorry, I’ve kept you for far too long erh.. I’ll take that,” he said and pointed to the book McGraw had tried to show him before. “And erh… A bit forward perhaps but would you like to come for dinner? It’s getting kind of late and I would have asked you to a proper restaurant but I only have the babysitter for thirty more minutes -” he rambled. Of course, Jeyne would stay longer if he didn’t make it home on time, but she wouldn’t stay for extra hours without a heads up first just because Jaime suddenly wanted to take this man out to treat him. And made sure he ate something even if it was ‘past dinner time’. “Nothing fancy. I suspect it’ll be dino nuggets and tater tots tonight,” he chuckled and blushed again. he could make proper food. but he also knew the children would be hungry and cranky about the late dinner and that was just faster.

James McGraw had spent his entire life’s work dedicated to a personal hobby; antique books. Even with what little he had growing up, James made a fine life for himself. His grandfather made sure that he got a good education, something that came quite easily to him. For nearly twenty-five years now, he stood as the soul proprietor of The Gilded Page, a small antique book shop with a Victorian style front that faced the street on Charing Cross, in London. He’d practically written his soul away for the loan years ago, but all of that had paid off very well for him indeed.

It was difficult to be an antique dealer, much less a purveyor of rare titles. To be such a thing required intimate and vast knowledge on the subject and a great deal of trust between private collectors, auction houses and the like. But over the years he had mastered to do just that. This place wasn’t for someone to come and browse in like Barnes and Noble. God, no. The shop’s walls were lined high with books that were shelved in cases and behind glass. There were two large rooms for the ground floor, a chandelier with muted lighting hanging in the main room. Tables had some books here and there, and there were large volumes in display that were open, revealing the handwritten and painted work within the pages. And above all this was the flat he lived in. This place was just as much apart of his home.

In order to be seen by him an appointment had to be made. Book collectors tended to run in certain circles, and James liked to get information ahead of time so he could gather various titles from various places that might interest a buyer, and sometimes that took a bit of time with all the bartering and buying he had to do.

So in the second room, there sat a rounded table with a few comfortable high back chairs. He was expecting his client, a Mister Jaime Lannister. It would be difficult to not know that last name in London. But like all possible clientele, he gathered the volumes he’d obtained that may have been of interest as to what he was told on the phone weeks before hand. He’d just gotten some tea ready, which he also had brought out for that table with cream and sugar available. It was getting about that time, and to impress a new client was paramount in this business.

#fornassau #jaime | character #a golden chain | verse

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canonicallyobserving911 · 2 years ago

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Buck & Eddie: Women pursued Buck, while Eddie was pushed towards women

This post includes detailed character studies and scene analyses from seasons 2-5 to illustrate how all the women Buck was in relationships with pursued him and how Eddie was pushed towards women.

Buck and Eddie are in love with each other and they want to be together. They’ve chosen each other several times and they continue to choose each other over anyone else. Their problem is they keep listening to everyone else’s opinions about who they should be with instead of deciding to be with the person who makes them happy and who is also the love of their life. The women Buck was in relationships with or had a hookup with all pursued him and once they got what they wanted, they abandoned him either emotionally or physically and/or they broke his trust. Dr. Wells, Abby, Taylor and Ali all pursued Buck but he’s only pursued one person, and that person is Eddie. Eddie was pushed into relationships with Shannon and Ana by his parents and conversations he had with Carla and Bobby but he’s only ever had eyes for Buck since the day they met; therefore he didn’t have to be pushed towards him. Let’s review their previous relationships to identify the pursuers and the pushers.

Women who pursued Buck

In 1x2 “Let Go”, Dr. Wells was an LAFD departmental therapist whose job was to counsel firefighters after they had a traumatic experience while they were on the job. She didn’t do her job well because she spent too much time searching for their profiles on Facebook. When Buck finally landed in her office, she took advantage of him and her position as his therapist. He recognized her and asked her if she had followed him on Facebook. They had sex in her office during his first visit which violated all kinds of ethics, especially since she was a licensed therapist. She pursued him first by befriending him on social media and after they had sex, she told him he needed to leave.

Abby blatantly disregarded 9-1-1 protocol to obtain Buck’s phone number so that she could pursue him. She called him even though she had no idea what he looked like and she kept calling him until he finally decided to meet her. She pursued him but when things started to get too serious and after her mother died, she abandoned him in 1x10 “A Whole New You”. Then she had the audacity to find a man in another country, brought him back to the U.S. and told Buck he was her fiancé. What a trifling heifer she was to him.

Taylor met Buck in 2x6 “Dosed” but she didn’t pursue him until she saw him in a bar in 2x8 “Bucktually”. She bought him a drink and he reverted back to Buck 1.0 and they ended up having sex in the bar bathroom. She didn’t want a relationship with him and he felt bad about having sex with her because he thought she may have wanted more. He told Bobby he didn’t want to be that guy anymore so he went to apologize to her. However when he arrived, she reminded him that she bought him a drink and then she tried to have sex with him again in the news van. She used him to get what she wanted then left him in a parking lot with his pants unzipped and his belt unbuckled. She chose her job over him.

Ali also pursued Buck in 2x8 “Bucktually” even though they met in 2x2 “7.1” when he rescued her after the earthquake. She called him to ask him out on a date but initially he said no. Then he relented and agreed to meet her. They were in a relationship for a short period of time before he got injured on the job and that’s when she decided her having to take care of him would have been too much. She broke up with him in 2x18 “This Life We Choose”. Read blog post: “All of Buck’s Women” to learn more about the women in Buck’s life and how they all affected him.

Women Eddie was pushed towards

Eddie got Shannon pregnant when they were young but instead of talking to them to see if he and Shannon wanted to get married, his parents pushed him to marry her. He tried to do the right thing and work to provide for his family like his father did but he ran away all the way to the Army so he didn’t have to be at home with her. After he was honorably discharged and returned to El Paso, she left him when he didn’t want to leave with her to go to California. He moved to L.A., became a firefighter and continued to provide a life for him and Christopher. He had to contact her so that Christopher could be admitted to The Durand School but initially he didn’t want to. Carla told him “A boy needs his mother” which caused Eddie to be pushed towards Shannon again. He may have misunderstood Carla’s statement but he thought he should try to reconnect with Shannon since she was Christopher’s mother even though he didn’t trust her. He contacted her and just like old times they fell back into their old habits of having sex but not talking about the important things. They argued and she told him she wanted a divorce after she found out she wasn’t pregnant. He thought they could work it out but she didn’t want to be with him anymore. She got hit by a car and died in 2x17 “Careful What You Wish For”. Eddie was devastated to learn, after reading a letter Shannon wrote to Christopher, that she not only didn’t want to be his wife anymore, she also didn’t want to be Christopher’s mother either.

Eddie, Buck and Hen went to fight wildfires in Austin, TX with the 126 in 2x1 “Hold the Line” (9-1-1 Lone Star Crossover) but before they returned to L.A., they stopped by Eddie’s parents’ house to eat. While he was there, his parents probably pushed him towards a relationship with comments like ‘Since Shannon’s been dead for 2 years, you need to start dating again so you can meet someone because Christopher needs a mother’.

Not long after they returned, Eddie bumped into Ana Flores, who was one of Christopher’s former teachers, in 4x6 “Jinx”.

He didn’t want to date her and it showed because he was hesitant to contact her. Bobby pushed Eddie towards Ana with his comment about him needing to “move on” from Shannon. That caused Eddie to feel like he needed to give it a chance because that’s what Bobby did. Eddie should have realized that what worked for Bobby wasn’t going to work for him. But he did the same thing he’s done in the past, he chose to listen to someone else’s opinion about his life instead of listening to his gut. He knew he wanted to be with Buck but his parents and Bobby’s comments plagued him and he didn’t know what to do.

He contacted her and they had breakfast but before he could get comfortable with her, he had to apply his invisible mask (to learn more about how Eddie applies an invisible mask and how he flinches when women touch him, read blog post: “Buck & Eddie: Eddie flinches when women touch him but he doesn’t with Buck” for more information). They remained in a relationship for several months but he was never fully committed to her. Being with her caused him to have panic attacks but he had planned to “stick it out” with her even though he knew he didn’t want to build a life with her. He finally broke up with her in 5x3 “Desperate Measures”. Read blog posts: “Buck & Eddie: Eddie panics about losing Buck” along with “Eddie doesn’t panic. OK!” to learn more about Eddie’s panic attacks, the causes of them and how he panics at the thought of losing Buck and read “The Women in Eddie’s Life” to learn more about them and how they affected him.

Buck and Eddie

Eddie chose Buck when he bit his lip at him in 2x1 “Under Pressure” and again later that day when he gave Buck a compliment. Buck blushed then he responded to Eddie’s earlier lip biting invitation by sticking his tongue out at him to let him know he was into it.

Eddie was hesitant to tell anyone he had a son but after Buck asked him who he was trying to contact, Eddie told him about Christopher in 2x2 “7.1”. Buck was ecstatic when he saw a picture of Christopher and that was their first step towards building their family.

Eddie chose Buck again in 2x4 “Stuck” when he told him those women who were hitting on them were “not his type”. He said that because Buck is his type. Buck responded with “they’re not my type either anymore” because he was telling Eddie they weren’t his type because he wanted to be with Eddie.

Buck pursued Eddie when he contacted Bobby to tell him about Eddie’s childcare issues without Eddie knowing anything about it. Eddie’s heart eyes showed that he was choosing Buck too.

In 3x3 “The Searchers” Eddie chose Buck to co-parent Christopher with him when he said, “There’s no one in this world I trust with my son more than you”.

Eddie knew exactly who and what he wanted in 3x4 “Triggers” while he was staring at Buck’s butt and he didn’t have to be pushed towards him.

Buck and Eddie chose to be together in 3x9 “Fallout” after they made up for the second time following Buck’s lawsuit. They silently told each other they were in love with the other one and they were both ready and willing to go upstairs after Christopher went to sleep so they could show each other how much they loved and missed each other.

Eddie’s heart eyes towards Buck in 3x10 “Christmas Spirit” was when he unequivocally knew there would never be anyone else for him. Buck was it and that’s when he started preparing for a long-term, love of his life type of relationship with Buck.

Buck chose to dig through mud and debris to pursue Eddie in 3x15 “Eddie Begins” while he was trapped in The Well. After Eddie got out of that well, he chose Buck to be his life partner by legally binding Buck to him and Christopher when he changed his will and named Buck to be Christopher’s legal guardian.

Buck thought he’d lost Eddie forever after that sniper’s bullet tore through Eddie’s shoulder and Eddie thought he’d never have the chance to verbally tell Buck how much he loved him. They communicated via their silent conversations several times in 4x13 “Suspicion” and 4x14 “Survivors”. It was the moment that truly scared them because they believed they were going to lose each other forever.

Buck and Eddie had another one of their silent conversations in 5x1 “Panic” to let each other know they would still choose each other over the women they were dating.

Buck chose Eddie again even while he had a girlfriend in 5x13 “Fear-O-Phobia” when he rushed over to Eddie’s house after he received a panicked call from Christopher. He broke down Eddie’s bedroom door to get to him. His quiet panicked calls for Eddie almost stopped his heart because he thought he had lost Eddie for the fourth time. But that time it was different because he thought Eddie had done something to hurt himself.

Buck makes Eddie happy and vice versa; therefore they will continue to choose each other over anyone else. Buck has a one-track mind when it comes to Eddie and Eddie only has eyes for Buck. They are in love and when they finally discuss all of their shared traumas, there will be no other options for them other than for them to finally be together.

Buck and Eddie continue to choose each other and it’s evident they want to be together. They are only happy when they are together as a couple and when they’re together as a family with Christopher. They shouldn’t continue to listen to other people’s opinions because they keep ending up in relationships they don’t want to be in. Buck and Eddie are head over heels in love with each other and they will only find what they’ve been searching for when they become a CANON couple. Buck wants to be loved unconditionally by the love of his life and he wants a family. Eddie has given him all of that. Eddie wants to be with someone who loves both him and Christopher unconditionally, who is also the love of his life and he wants a co-parent for his son. Only Buck can give him all of that. They both want to be able to trust the person they are with and they have already established trust between each other. They’ve built a family and they are co-parents to Christopher. What will it take for them to choose to be happy instead of trying to appease everyone else? Will they become a CANON couple in season 6? Only TPTB know the answer to that question.

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greeks-life · 3 years ago

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Not The Legacy We Thought (USWNT X Brady Reader)

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓: Tom Brady, the infamous NFL Quarterback has another little sister? Reader is Nineteen and playing for the University of Michigan, when she is called up to play with the USWNT.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ! : Anxiety, Light Swearing, Fluff

𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 :) 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 #𝟭𝟮, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 #𝟭𝟮 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗼𝗺’𝘀 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 :)

— — —

Four siblings, one a very famous NFL quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You always have looked up to Tom as your hero, your big brother. Playing for University of Michigan for women’s soccer is amazing, but sometimes the comments on how you got accepted just because of who your brother is can be overwhelming.

Tom always has told you that he didn’t have a hand in getting you accepted into UM. Always saying that if he did have a hand into getting you in the University of Michigan you would certainly know it.

You and Tom always got along, from surfing and playing golf, to playing video games and cooking food. It didn’t matter what the two of you did, but somehow you both really clicked together. Not that you didn’t click with Maureen, Julie, or Nancy, but you just had this titanium tight bond with Tom.

When the rumor was going around that you might be getting the call to play with the USWNT for the 2020 Olympics, Tom was the first person that you told. He flew up to Michigan for a few days to see you on his off days, both of you waiting anxiously for the call.

On his third day in Michigan that’s when the call came in. Putting Vlatko on speaker for you both to hear what he had to say. When the USWNT coach told you had made the team, Tom took you out to celebrate. Your older brother got a little out of control, from announcing all over his social media accounts to even throwing a huge party for you.

You had been playing soccer since you were a little kid. Your parents Tom Brady Sr. and Galynn Patricia Brady always made sure you had everything you needed to be the best you could be. Yes, sometimes they could be a little bit much, but they just wanted you to be happy.

When watching the USWNT on the TV you always focused on the midfielders. But, you couldn’t help taking a personal liking to Tobin Heath, Ashlyn Harris, Kelley O’Hara, Ali Krieger, and Christen Press. They intrigued you a lot from their playing styles to their silly demeanor off the pitch.

— — —

Now here you were at the hotel for the first camp before the Send Off Series. You had been assigned to room with Tierna Davidson, but when you got to your room she wasn’t there.

Looking at the clock you saw you had a half an hour before the team meeting. So to pass some of the time you decided to unpack, that is until your phone dinged, signaling you of a new text message.

Putting down your UofM hoodie to pick up your phone, smiling at the text message your brother had sent you.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐝, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head as you texted him back. “𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐓𝐨𝐦. 𝐁𝐮𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆.𝐎.𝐀.𝐓. ! 🐐🏈”

Tears from laughing so hard filled your eyes at his response.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘/𝐍. 𝐁𝐮𝐭, 𝐢’𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐘/𝐍/𝐍. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬. 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐆𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐊𝐈𝐃 , 𝐆𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 ! ⚽️Ⓜ️“

You were just in the middle of responding before he texted you again. “𝐁𝐔𝐂 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐔𝐏! 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐘 #𝟏𝟐 !”

Deciding that things could be left said like that, and only having twenty ministers remaining before the meeting started you decided to head down to the conference room to see who was there.

— — —

Once in the conference room you saw that Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski and the rest of of the staff were in there, you introduced yourself to them.

“Hi my name is Y/N Brady, i’m the new midfielder.” You smiled softly, as you stuck your hand out to Vlatko.

“Of course ! It’s great to finally meet you in person Y/N ! You can get settled wherever you’d like, the others should be arriving shortly.” Vlatko had told you with a soft smile of his own. The staff had introduced themselves, before you had sat down in a chair in the back row of chairs.

A few minutes later your new team members started to file in. Some gave you confused looks and others simply just smiled at you. You were happy that they hadn’t drilled you with questions yet.

Well, that was until a certain blonde defender chose to take the seat next to you. “Hi i’m Emily Sonnett, but you can call me Sonnett or Sonny.” She smiled brightly at you, with her hand held out to shake yours.

“Y/N Brady.” You returned the smile as you shook her hand with a firm shake. Turns out some of the teammates around you, were in fact ease dropping on your introduction.

“Like as in Tom Brady? Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback? Tom Brady?” Turns out the person who had sort of figured you out was USWNT Vet Alex Morgan.

You nodded slightly with a shy smile on your lips. “Yeah he’s my older brother.” You said softly, your anxiety spiking up inside you slightly by the new found attention. You knew you would have the spotlight on you sooner or later, but you didn’t think it would be that soon before someone figured you out.

“That’s so cool!” Sammy Mewis said as she came to sit by you with her sister Kristie. Noticing how shocked you were by the sudden attention, Kristie discreetly told Sammy to calm down a little.

About ten minutes later the rest of the team which included Tierna, Megan, Crystal, and Rose had walked in. Seeing the whole team come in Vlatko started the team meeting.

In the first fifteen minutes of the meeting Vlatko was talking about how excited he was to be coaching this amazing team. Then came the shoe you were waiting to drop had dropped.

“We have a new member on our team as you all see. This is Y/N Brady, make sure to give her a warm welcome.” He nodded your way, which caused everyone to turn to look at you.

“Hi..” You gave a short wave with a small smile. On the pitch your a total monster who strikes fear even into the ones who had a reputation to be a total beast. But off the pitch? You keep your emotions to yourself and only share what you feel with a select group of people (Tom being the number one person you go to).

Vlatko decided to take the spotlight off of you, saving you for only the next half hour to an hour before personal questions would be sprung on you.

— — —

At dinner you were sitting with Sonnett, Rose, Tierna, Sammy, Lindsey, Kristie, and Lynn. You had connected with Sonnett and Tierna the most. You were all laughing at a tiktok of Kevin Hart and Pete Davidson when Kelley, Tobin, Christen and Alex walked over to your guy’s table.

“What are you kids laughing at ?” Alex asked you all with a raised brow and a amused smile on her lips.

“Y/N showed us this tiktok of Kevin Hart and Pete Davidson at someone’s house.” Sammy told the vets when she finally calmed down from laughing so hard.

“Can we see it ?” Kelley asked you with a curious tone. Your head nodded, before handing her your phone so that they could watch also. A minute later Kelley handed you back your phone with a amused grin.

“We just wanted to let you guys know that team bonding is in our room tonight.” Christen said softly, before glancing at you with curiosity in her eyes.

“I’ve convinced Chris to let you guys decide amongst yourselves who gets to pick the movie. Also Chris agreed to let you guys bring snacks this time.” Tobin chuckled as Christen grumbled under breath with a playful eye roll to the older forward.

“Y/N want to pick the movie ?” Lindsey immediately asked you. Everyone around you looked at you waiting for your answer with either curious looks or small smiles.

“Uh yeah sure i’m down for that.” You nodded as you slipped your phone back into the pocket of your joggers. The vets returned back to their seats, as you and the rest of the young ones resumed your conversations.

— — —

You and Tierna walked to Tobin’s and Christens room which was only at the end of the hall by the elevators. Once you both were let in that’s when Crystal and JJ called you over to where some of the Vets were hanging out.

Making your way over to one of the beds, you sat down slowly as Megan made room for you to sit. “So, Brady how do you like the team so far ?” Megan asked you with a tilt of her head.

“Great actually. Everyone I met really has been very welcoming so far. No one’s really pushed the being Tom Brady’s sister subject yet, so that’s nice.” You played with the ring on your left middle finger, it was from your birthday. It didn’t have any gems on it, but you loved it because Tom had gotten it for you not only for your birthday but because you had just received your 20th cap for UofM.

“Glad to hear that, because if they weren’t I would be putting the fear of God in them.” Becky joked with a bright grin on her lips. The statement had caused Pinoe, JJ, Crystal, Carli, and Abby to start laughing.

“Brady’s actually really dope !” Sonnett defended as she heard Becky’s statement. Crystal and Abby laughed while the other three playfully rolled their eyes at the young defender.

Just then Tobin, Christen, Kelley, and Alex walked through the hotel room door. They all came to join the other Vets on the bed. That’s when Christen had decided to be first one to push the subject you hadn’t want to push yet.

“So what’s it like being Tom Brady’s little sister ?” Christen had asked you as she made herself more comfortable on the bed. You had wondered why Tobin and Christen were late to the team bonding meeting when it was in 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 hotel room, but you opted to answer her question.

“It’s great, besides the press following us around nonstop when we hangout. It gets a bit to much for the both of us, especially during our seasons.” You nodded along with your answer, as you continued to play with your ring.

Christen was going to ask you another question, but Tobin had cut her short of it. “So what movie did you pick for us to watch ?” Tobin asked as she smiled at you. She knew by the way you avoided eye contact when the family subject came up made you more anxious. In the future you would have to thank her for being so attentive to detail.

“I was thinking Venom.” You grinned brightly which did not go unnoticed by your older teammates. Oh how they would find out why that movie made you beam up would shock them all to hell.

“Well then let’s get to watching it then !” Kelley beamed, as she made herself comfortable on the bed.

— — —

You ended up on the floor with the rest of your young teammates, occasionally you would peak at your phone to see the score of Tom’s ongoing game.

The movie had just reached the middle, when you started to get sleepy. Your eyes fluttered shut for a few minutes then opened again. Leaning over to you Kristie told you to go to sleep, you argued with her in hush whispers before you had fallen asleep mid retort.

— — —

Waking up around 6 am, you grabbed your phone to look at the text message your brother had sent you when you were sleeping.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 ? 𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐘/𝐍/𝐍 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬 ! 𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 🏴‍☠️ 𝐆𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐝 , 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐣𝐚𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 !”

You laughed quietly as you put the back down. That’s when you noticed that you were back in yours and Tierna’s hotel room, which means either Tierna or a Vet had carried you back.

You figured that you had a few hours before breakfast, so you just stayed in bed and thought about your future with this team. Maybe in the near future you would be more open with them, but you were still testing the waters with them. What made you curious was how Christen was acting around you yesterday, it was like she was trying to make you uncomfortable.

You definitely had a lot to learn about them, but you were all in to do so. You thought about how you were starting to feel a little homesick already, Michigan has been your home for two years now and you certainly enjoyed the life there. About ten minutes later you started to drift off, until a soft knock to your hotel door brought you back to being semi awake.

𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 :)

#uswnt imagine #uswnt x reader #uswnt #tobin heath x reader #kelley o’hara x reader #christenpressxreader #emily sonnett x reader #crystal dunn x reader #megan rapinoe x reader #lindsey horan x reader #lynn williams x reader #rose lavelle x reader #abby dahlkemper x reader #kristie mewis x reader #sammy mewis x reader #tierna davidson x reader #tom brady #alex morgan x reader

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delfiore · 3 years ago

Text

i need you so much closer

pairing: natasha romanoff x reader

synopsis: nat has been working hard to research the stones. you catch a moment with her late at night.

word count: 0.9k

a/n: just a small fic because i miss her. kinda angsty :’)

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

Your bed was empty when you swatted your hands over the cold sheets. Sleepiness clung onto your eyelids as you rolled over to check the time on your phone. You didn’t remember falling asleep, but it was definitely way later than you had anticipated. When you found out it was almost one in the morning, you grumbled and felt a breeze that made you shiver as you got up from your warm bed.

Your slippers slapped against the floor and echoed through the hallway. The living room was empty, so you took the elevator downstairs. You sighed quietly once you saw faint light coming from the common lounge where your lover sat hunched over, scribbling furiously into her notepad. Her brows creased and her lips pursed the way they always do when she’s focused, but she looked so strained that you wondered how long she had sat there writing, that her face muscles would cramp once she released them.

“Honey.” You said quietly, and watched her perk up at the sound of your voice. Her eyebrows now hung high. That was when you saw how her eyes were dull, barely open, but she strained them just to see you.

“It’s getting late.” You said, walking towards the couch where she was surrounded by scrap paper and half-written notes.

She was still wearing the grey tank top from earlier today, and when you touched her arm, it was cold. As simple as the gesture was, it gave you butterflies when your fingertips glided over her smooth skin. You found it miraculous how you could feel so warm around a person without any fear. You leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

“I know.” Nat sighed. “I just need to finish these . . .”

Her voice trailed off. You knew she was only saying it as a small form of protest. Fatigue weighed down every word she spoke.

“You have no regard for your own health, love.” You chuckled quietly, and wrap your arms around her neck, gently guiding her head towards you with a small tug at her chin. You let her lean in and capture your lips in a fleeting kiss.

“Guess you’ll always have to keep a watch on me then.” Her words made your smile again. Your eyes trailed down to the open notepad in her hands. It was written three fourths of the way, and you found it adorable that amidst the endless scribbles, they were a few sparkling Infinity Stones littering the page.

“What’s this one about?” You gestured towards the page.

“The Soul Stone. Apparently has the ability to manipulate souls, dead or alive. Nebula said it’s on Vormir.”

“And what’s Vormir?” You grinned, amused.

Natasha paused and pursed her lips, scanning through her endless scribbles. Finally, she looked up and mirrored your smile. “I have no idea.”

You leaned back against the couch. She did the same as the hand you let rest against the frame encircled her shoulders, as she closed her eyes and enjoyed your touch.

“This all seems so crazy.” You shook her head, looking down at her notes. “Time travel.”

“Yeah.” Nat breathed out. “But we have to try. For our family.”

Her eyes met yours. She looked so tired that it broke your heart. Everyone had their own grievances, and Nat most of all, because she was the person to always check up on everyone. Five long years she spent in the Compound running the place, frequently communicating with those afar, sometimes on other planets, other galaxies. And you were there by her side, making sure she ate and slept properly, and if she didn’t, you would be there to make her. On days when the guilt became too much, you would be there to pick up the pieces, to place her back together and make her whole again.

“Do you miss them too?” You whispered. You already knew the answer by the way her eyes became glossy.

“Everyday.” She whispered, a forced smile on her lips.

You hated that damned alien man, that descended upon your lives like a devil and turned your world upside down. Most of all you hated him for the pain he’s caused, tearing families apart, breaking worlds down, all for his ignorant purpose. You remembered the look on Nat’s face after she realized the battle was lost. She never lost and she never gave up hope, ever, but some parts of her died that day when the dust settled and the shockwaves washed over.

Nat put her notes down and buried her head into your neck. She never made a sound when she cried, but you let her tears soak the fabric of your shirt. She was exhausted, and so were you. Yet you held her close, as you always have, and always will. And when she nuzzled her face against your cheek and kissed you again, you tasted the saltiness of her bitter, grief-stricken tears and knew you would stay no matter what. She needed you the same way you needed her.

“Come, babe. It’s late.” You kissed the top of her head and stood up. “We got a long day of work tomorrow. Volmir awaits.”

“Vormir.” She grinned at you and wiped her cheek.

“Whatever.” You smiled back at her, pulling her up by the hands. “Come on, big girl.”

You didn’t know what tomorrow holds, but all you needed was your favorite girl in your arms and to make her feel safe. The world can wait for its most unflagging Avenger to rest for a few hours. It owed her that much.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff imagines #natasha romanoff angst #natasha romanoff x you

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ziltoidcoffee · 2 years ago

Note

Thinking about Daniel and Terry in a long term relationship, maybe married, and running into Kumiko. Terry getting jealous and insecure. Daniel's never seen Terry seriously worried that Daniel might leave him for someone else. How would that play out?

(Sorry for the delay, anon! I liked this prompt and wanted to give it my full attention. Hope you enjoy!! It's like 90% fluff...)

Terry is strangely quiet for most of the ride back to their hotel.

Daniel doesn’t notice this at first. He spends most of the taxi ride lecturing him about Okinawa and his first trip to the island. They just returned from meeting up with Komiko who showed them around Tomi Village, which has become so vastly different in a little over a decade.

He was a bit worried about Terry meeting Komiko seeing as Daniel often called her his first “real love,” but his husband has already met Ali and Jessica, the latter whom he only crushed on. Terry didn’t act any different around them, informing Daniel afterward that he never saw them as competition. He was certain Daniel would never leave him for them. His confidence was both charming and annoying.

But when his husband met her, he wasn’t his usual braggadocious and talkative self. Terry let Daniel and Komiko chat most of the visit while remaining tense at his side. He claimed to be tired when Daniel asked him what was wrong, but even as they checked into the hotel, Terry was short with the desk agent. Usually, he was overly friendly with the staff, almost more than Daniel most of the time.

On the elevator ride back to their room, Daniel tried to fill the space, telling Terry he wanted to drop by his favorite temple tomorro. His husband simply nodded. “That’s fine,” he declared, and Daniel frowned, concerned once again over his silence.

Only when they are alone in the suite with the door shut does Daniel finally address Terry’s behavior. “What’s going on, Terry?” he asks, hands on his hips. “Why have you been giving me the cold shoulder all day?”

Terry glances up from where he’s sitting on the bed, toeing off his designer shoes. “Nothing’s wrong,” he says despite his frown. “I told you—I’m tired. We walked around all day and just got off the plan yesterday.”

Daniel takes off his jacket and moves to stand in front of him. “Bullshit,” he snaps. “You’re never like this—all quiet and weird. Something’s clearly wrong. You’ve been acting like this since we got to the village.”

His husband’s jaw sets. “You’re wrong,” Terry argues.

He narrows his eyes at the older man. “I know you, Terry. We’ve been married for ten—”

“Twelve,” Terry corrects, and Daniel rolls his eyes.

“Okay, we’ve been married twelve years. You don’t think I know when you’re hiding something?” Terry snorts, almost smiling. “Excluding that shit you pulled in '85.” Daniel frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “Speaking of…you promised you wouldn’t lie to me ever again after that. So why are you lying now?”

Terry’s frown returns. “You’re being dramatic, Danny,” he scoffs.

He can recall Terry’s bright smile an hour before when they were trying on kimonos at a store in town. But then he remembers the hunch in Terry’s shoulders when Daniel and Komiko hugged, the strange tension under his smile as they reminisced about Daniel’s first visit, and most importantly, the tightness in his husband’s grip of their hands under the table.

Daniel’s jaw almost hits the floor. “Dramatic?” he gasps. “No, I’m not! You’ve been acting distant and cold ever since—” We met up with Komiko is what he was going to say but cuts himself off as something clicks into place in his mind, a bright flash of understanding illuminating his confusion.

All the pieces of their interactions fall together to offer such an obvious conclusion that Daniel can’t believe he didn’t realize until now. “Terry,” he says with a smile, moving to sit beside him on the bed. “Are you…jealous of Komiko?”

Terry’s shoulders stiffen instantly, but he laughs and leans back against the pillows behind him. “Why would I be jealous of her?” he asks, pulling on Daniel’s arm to bring him closer. “I’m the one married to you.”

“And? That doesn't mean I’m jealous of her, Danny,” Terry counters, still trying to drag him against his chest.

Daniel allows himself to be tugged near but stays upright to meet his eyes. “You are!” he shouts, pushing at Terry’s chest playfully. “You’re actually jealous.” Terry’s eyes narrow into a glare. “Don’t give me that look. It’s not that shocking. You’re always jealous! Remember that time at the park? You almost snapped that guy’s wrist for touching my shoulder.”

The strength of Terry’s pull on his arm increases until Daniel is unable to hold back any longer, falling onto his husband’s chest. “Hey!” he shouts, trying to wiggle out. But when Terry pushes Daniel’s head against his chest, the sound of his rapid beating heart becomes clear, and Daniel can only go still in shock.

“You so are,” Daniel chuckles, resisting the heave to lie down. “This is just the first time your jealousy is actually warranted—well, not really. But it at least makes sense. Komiko and I did date, and she was my first love. So I guess if you add that—”

His husband takes a breath above him. Then after a second, he admits, “You’re right. I’m jealous.” Daniel opens his mouth to gloat, but Terry continues. “Like you said, she was your first love, and when I met her, I could see why. She is kind, beautiful, and shares a history with you I do not have. And while I have many weaknesses, she has plenty of strengths. More people would approve of you being with her than me.” Daniel’s heart skips a beat. “I may be jealous of the guy or girl who tries to dance with you in the club, but I’m never actually worried you’ll leave me for them. With her, however, I realized you have every reason to.”

After a second, he sits up to meet Terry's eyes, and his husband lets him, loosening his grip. “You’re right,” Daniel declares as Terry’s eyes widen. “I did love her. Once. She’s a great gal, and she’d make anyone happy.” Daniel grabs his husband’s hand to lace their fingers together, and their matching silver rings shine under the light. “But I’m in love with you. I married you, and I will never leave you...uless I die first."

Terry’s mouth quirks up into a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I love you too.”

With a grin, Daniel reaches up to run a hand through his husband’s hair. “So stop being jealous cause we’ll meet my ex-boyfriend Chozen tomorrow too.”

“What?” Terry snaps with a grimace.

Daniel laughs almost to tears and spends the next five minutes convincing Terry he is indeed joking.

#terry silver x daniel larusso #silverusso #cobra kai #the karate kid 3 #the karate kid 2 #terry silver #daniel larusso #drabble #my writing #fanfic #SORRY FOR THE FLUFF IDGAF #i am never tired of jealous terry #hope this isnt ooc #just tried to have fun :P #1000+ words

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starswallowingsea · 2 years ago

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It took like three months but I have finally finished The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. And it was garbage.

Even without knowing that this was originally Star Wars Reylo Fanfiction, this book was dry as fuck and I zoned out so much while reading it I can barely remember the basis of the plot. The only thing that got me through it was how often I was pulled out of the plot by the comically bad writing. Spoilers below

Our main character, Olive, is in a predicament, that her best friend, Anh (Rose Tico), wants to date Olive's ex, Jeremy (General Hux?), but Olive had just broken up with him and Anh thinks she still has feelings for him. Olive tries to convince Anh that she's moved on and fakes going on a date until she almost gets caught working in the lab at midnight on the night of the date and kisses someone to make it seem like she's on a date...in the biology lab.

The rest of the book was honestly filled with Anh pushing Olive to actually act like she's dating Adam (the man she kissed in the bio lab that fateful night) and Olive pushing back on it for some reason. Girly nobody would honestly believe you were dating if you only met up for coffee once a week, said hello to each other in the hallways, and were never seen in public together otherwise. I'm shocked that it worked, but also not, because this book sucks.

The only time Olive actually takes control of the plot is when she kisses Adam and when she plays the recording of Tom harassing her in the restaurant (which she should have known that he was recorded like five chapters earlier, when she saw she didn't stop recording after her presentation and it had practically killed her phone battery. Like girly......it's not that hard. But whatever.) That one single page in chapter 20 was the only entertaining thing about this book.

Other than that, the characters were all flat, and Malcolm, who I am led to believe was Finn in the original, is a racist, homophobic caricature whose personality traits are fucking like rabbits and being the gay/black best friend and nothing else. Anh's personality was being the only woman of color in the room but also the head of several diversity committees and somehow running an organization for black and indigenous people despite not being either of those things (she's Vietnamese, which is notably not black nor indigenous). We are told Adam is a ruthless, cutthroat professor but never really shown that. He's just there to bounce off Olive's increasingly #quirky personality. The side characters even felt like copy/paste versions of Olive, which made the whole experience worse.

Not to mention one of the lines, walk with the confidence of a straight white man, is literally stolen from a 2012 tumblr post about the murder walk. I have not seen a single person mention this. Do we forget our roots? Something about repeating history...

Anyway, this book was bad, over-hyped, and just overall boring. I don't read romances so my only baseline is Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti which was published in 2008. That book is far from perfect but it at least had an interesting world and heroine who did things instead of just letting things happen to her, and it was a fun read. I finished that book in less than a month and it took me three months to read the Love Hypothesis.

TL;DR this book was shit the characters were flat the plot was almost non-existant and Olive was one of the worst heroines in a book I've ever read. 0/10.

#shay speaks #book review #bookblr #booktok #the love hypothesis #this book was so frustrating to read at how stupid the characters were #nothing made sense!!!! plot points could have been resolved much quicker than they were!!!!!#olive is made of glass bones and paper skin and gets blown over by a stiff breeze #adam is a brick shithouse bc good lord ali would not let us forget how BIG he is. it's mentioned literally every page #i wish i was joking it got so annoying so quickly #adam carlson is not the next mr darcy the love hypothesis and pride and prejudice are not comparable #that would require tlh to have a plot. and compelling characters. neither of which it will never have #should i start doing more book reviews? idk its kinda fun but im not a very fast reader

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wizkiddx · 4 years ago

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hiiiii i love your stuff - could u do one where the readers ill but they have stuff to do and tom has to look after her. maybe if they were just friends before too but both pining? thankuuuuuuuuu

should I be writing this instead of revising? clearly fucking not. Did I make this little blurb req ridiculously long purely to procrastinate? Of fucking course.

but also this was v cute! I assumed u meant famous!reader, sorry if that's not what u were after at all anon x

summary: Tom Holland turns into the readers knight in shining armour when they get ill during promo

warnings: fainting / feeling ill

///////////////////

It couldn’t be today. Of all days, why today? You’d been at home for two weeks doing absolutely nothing, before this trip. And yet it’s when your itinerary is packed to the brim, people moving heaven and earth just speak to you. Two weeks of unrelenting press for Marvels next big ensemble movie.

Your manager was speaking to you, reeling off a run down of todays activities but instead of listening you nodded along blankly - head rather cloudy with this heavy mist that was not shaking off, no matter how hard you tried.

“You got that Y/n/n?” Lucy pointedly spoke, eyes almost physically knocking you backwards as if her eyeliner was battery rams. Fumbling with your thoughts, your answer wasn’t particularly cohesive earning you just a disappointed head shake.

“I um… yeh I think. Who-who did you say I was paired up with?”

“Y/n please for the love of god. Tom, like I said the past fifty times.” And to be fair to Lucy she wasn’t wrong. It was the first major major promo tour for the both of you and after just two days so far - you were both exhausted. She was more than allowed to be a bit short tempered.

“But we-we hardly know each other? The chemistry won’t be there and-“

“As I said, I tried to re-jig it but Kevin is of the mind that acting is your job.” Her tone was sharp but as she glared across the opposing seats, in the little mini van Marvel had hired for you as transportation, her eyes softened. Lucy had been so wrapped up in her own stress she may have overlooked quite how gingerly you were sitting. By the time she had arrived at the hotel, your stylist had already managed to half save your ghoulish looking face, with sunken under eyes and tired skin, so it wasn’t so blatantly obvious how crap you were feeling. “Is everything okay with you?”

It felt pretty puny to say that the jet lag from flying to Tokyo had been weighing you down further than you wanted, or that the local cuisine top chefs had kindly prepared for you last night wasn’t siting well in your stomach. To be honest, even you thought it was just your body being a bit overdramatic. So in response, you put on your best happy-go-lucky face feigning a smile.

“No no I’m fine, just want to give the best interviews I can and you know…. I’m awkward as hell as it is, then pair me with the most talented actor that I share about two minutes of screen time with…it’ll be interesting.”

The way Lucy reacted with a weird slow nod, eyebrows furrowed, meant it was quite apparent you had perhaps overplayed that one. Had you not been so over the day before it even began, you would’ve tried again to give a more believable act. But as you were, you turned your attention back out to the bustling streets of Tokyo and the high rise buildings bordering each pavement.

You didnt have a problem with Tom, far from it in fact. Tom was hilarious and the times you had met him, you’d both built up this weird and sarcastic competitiveness with each other. It was a game of who could get the last laugh, each of you pushing each other with the Mickey taking just a little further. Of course, not in a malicious way, just the way you’d both lived pretty similar but parallel careers - when everyone drew comparisons between the both of you, it was nice to make it a joke.

Like Tom you’d also started out on stage, had a ‘big break’ movie as a kid and then spent your teenage years on and off film sets - till marvel happened. Then everything blew up to epic proportions, changing your life forever. Actually, it was so similar to Tom’s story, plus the fact you were also from the south west of the UK. It was bizarre your paths hadn’t crossed more - He probably could’ve been a useful ally in the the whole ‘becoming famous’ thing.

And yet, you could probably count on two hands the amount of conversations you’d had with him.

Now that, that was the issue. Right from the beginning you learn what the press want and when you are publicising a movie you cater into it too. They’d all be asking for the insider scoop on set; what pranks you’d pulled on each other; what was the most annoying thing about each other. Which is hard if you’d only had 5 or 6 days actually on set together.

By the time the cab had wormed its way through the Tokyo traffic and you arrived at the PR hotel, it was already 9:30 - making you 15 minutes late (blame it on the traffic). Instantly then you were ushered straight to the interview room for the evening, no chance of green room chat or grabbing a drink before. The place was stuffy, everything was draped with black curtains except the poster board that Tom was already sitting infront of.

He’d scrubbed up well, no doubt about it. He was wearing statement-ish burgundy suit trousers, teamed with a black knitted but collared shirt thing - that was clearly tailor made for the man. As soon as he noticed you scurry into the room, his face broke out into a warm smile, jumping up to greet you in a friendly hug. It was brief, and as you pulled back you accidentally bumped your head on one of the overhanging lights. No doubt someone had spent a ridiculous amount of time configuring them so they were positioned perfectly, which you had just ruined with your big head.

“Oh shit!” Tom just laughed in response, shaking his head slightly as he lead you the two steps across to your pre-positioned seats.

“Making an entrance as always I see!”

“Yeh, you know me, a bit of chaos just to keep everyone on their toes.”

“Oh is that why you’re ‘fashionably late’” With a playful wiggle of his eyebrows, you just rolled your eyes, fidgeting on the chair to find a position that didnt aggravate your stomach so much.

“I’m ready now though! What did I miss? Just having to pretend to be your friend for 15 minutes?” You stressed the words as though the thought of conversation with Tom was the absolute worst thing in the world - which you definetly didnt think. Scowling like you’d insulted his dog Tessa, it was almost visible how the cogs were turning in his head looking for a comeback. Unfortunately for him though, he was quickly shut up but the organiser bringing the first interviewer in .

For what would, no doubt, be a long day.

////

Everything had started off so well, the banter was flowing between you and Tom, no major spoilers revealed that meant Marvel would have to make the journalist disappear. It was once you hit an hour of back-to-back interviews that everything started to crack bit. Because yes, it had only been an hour but that was enough to exhaust you on this particular day. When Tom joked around you got slower and slower, similarly the energy was zapped from your own answers. It’s not very compelling when someone says ‘you have to watch this movie’ in a monotonous voice with sullen eyes.

As the interviewers were swapping in and out, Tom actually lightly nudged your shoulder.

“Everything alright? We’re trying to sell tickets and you’ve got a face like thunder.”

“Oh no-no sorry I just, I-um.”

“You want some water?” Now looking at your with more concerned eyes, as if he was just nervous he’d actually offended you for calling you a boring bastard. And you would’ve picked up on it and alleviated his concerns, if it weren’t for the fact your eyes were glued on the water bottle he was holding out to you. You were thirsty. You knew that, that wasn’t the conundrum. What you weren’t so sure about was whether your stomach would accept it, or more violently reject it. In a very non ‘we’re-trying-to-sell-a-movie’ style.

But the lightheaded fogginess in your brain won out, as you nodded jerkily, taking the bottle and taking a little swig - too cautious to take anymore.

Now concerned with how Tom thought you were being a Debby-downer too, you managed to perk yourself up for the next four interviews. They were easy, asking questions without any activity and though you did rely on Tom beefing out and adding to your answers, it was okay. Then the next interviewer came in, who you recognised as being from the BBC, Ali Plumb, that had interviewed you a number of times. From the way Tom jumped up to give him afirendly bro-hug, you guessed he also was familiar with him. As soon as he took a seat the cameras were already flashing with the red light, demonstrating his 7 minutes had already started.

“Guys! It’s been a while.”

“How are you Ali?” You started it off with the pleasantries, Tom echoing, before the speccy dirty-blonde asked his first question.

“So the last time I spoke to you guys the universe was in chaos, Peter Parkers on the run and Aurora Blake was trying to strip her own powers, so I guess my first question is how are you both doing? We can use this as a therapy session if you guys need.” His very typical nerdy joke made Tom laugh, nodding as he leaned forward and repositioned a bit.

You didn’t share the same humour though, more focused on this invisible blanket of stuffiness that seemed to have been thrown on top of you. It made you feel groggy, incredibly hot and so unbelievable nauseous. The lights weren’t helping either, it felt like you were pouring with sweat from your forehead. You thought Tom was answering Ali, even if you couldn’t really hear - everything had merged into a deafening roar. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, unconsciously making you fumble yourself to standing, desperate to get somewhere with fresh air. The last thing you saw before your vision tunnelled into darkness was Tom, reaching out to try and catch you.

Because next thing you knew, you were on the floor, wires from all the cameras and lights digging into your back as you looked up to see Tom on one side and Lucy on the other - both wearing a similarly panicked expression. You knew you hadn’t been out long, seconds if that, going by the fact everyone else was in the ‘oh my god’ phase of panic. It was a bit weird how calm you where, but then again all your life you’d been the ‘class fainter’. Waking up on the floor was something you were long since used to.

“Y/n? You awake?” Rather stating the obvious Tom asked the question as you bent your head up - allowing you sight of all the concerned facing oggling you. With a defeated sigh, you flopped your head back.

“If this is a dream then it’s a real bloody nightmare.” This time Tom didnt seem to appreciate your joke, looking at you without almost dumbfounded eyes, as you blinked repetitively and groaned.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Lucy appeared to want to lecture you, which to be honest wasn’t the most time appropriate. You were still on the floor, legs crumpled up under you, so ignored her. Instead you pulled yourself up into a sitting position, taking a moment to blink away the blotchy haze that threatened to takeover your vision once again, whilst the pair above you both cautiously rested their palms on each of your shoulders -trying to be useful. The room still felt cramped and stifling, as everyone around were no doubt looking at you.

It took a few minutes but your body seemed to get over itself, sitting up normally and trying to make small talk with Ali - who, by the way, was still sat awkwardly in the chair. Still nestled on the floor, your back up against the chair you had been siting on as you raved with Ali of the Harry Potter theatre show. In a natural lull in conversation, Tom perked up - from the door where he’d been muttering with the organiser as Lucy bit her nails nervously.

“Y/n you need to go home.”

All of you knew what Tom said was impossible. Not being egotistical, but you were too important. Although you hadn’t been paying masses of attention for Lucy’s run down of your itinerary - you knew it was packed.

So you just looked up and rolled your eyes at Tom, earning yourself a strong glare, before locking the organiser in eye contact.

“How many have we got till lunch?”

“Um this gent here” He gesturned toward Ali, who was almost squirming in his seat now “then two more.”

“And then lunch?”

“Yes, then you have a personal appearance at a dinner, so transport will be coming to pick you both up.” This poor guy seemed obsessed with the clock and his timetable, looking at your with a mixture of panic and frustration. You should know this stuff, you should’ve listened to Lucy.

“How fars the drive?”

“At this time probably an hour and a half.”

The plan was clear in your head, you’d sort yourself out in the car and be fully fine by the afternoon and evening engagements. Plus you felt almost fine now. So with a sigh, you hauled yourself up onto the chair, patting for Tom to sit back down.

“It’s half an hour and then I’ll sort myself out at lunch - come on their waiting.” The way Lucy pouted showed she disagreed somewhat, except a stern look kept her from protesting, as Tom walked toward you.

“Are you sure you don’t loo-“

“Let me stop you before you insult my appearance.” Snickering slightly at his worried face, you laughed it off , knocking his side with a gentle murmur of ‘don’t worry about me’.

In fact after that little episode you did feel a little recovered, which meant you were properly noticing the change in the boy sat next to you. Throughout the remaining three interviews he’d done a complete 360 from earlier. Rather than trying to get little digs at you, he had become fiercely protective - jumping in if a questions wasn’t particularly appropriate or relevant to the movie ( meaning when an awfully crap man asked what underwear you’d been able to wear in your suit) ; taking the heat of the conversation as well as just watching you like a hawk. Each time you answered his beady brown eyes were watching you from the side, you got the impression it wasn’t only just because of the risk of spoilers.

Quite remarkably, you survived the rest of the day pretty well, after a power nap in the car on the way over - even if it was a bit difficult when you had your manager watching you like a hawk from the seat across. It was as if Lucy had never seen anyone ill before, she seemed concerned that you were going to spontaneously stop breathing and die at any point.

Though by the time all the official business at the dinner was done, your body and willpower had reached the end of their tether. You and Tom were both on a round table, surrounded by 6 CEOs and execs of what seemed to be a multimillion pound business enterprise. With the language barrier meaning you had to speak through the two people on the table who were fluent in both japanese and English, the conversation was already pretty jilted. Though to be fair, the six did seem to be enjoying the evening - something you werent able to reciprocate. Thankfully, five minutes after the main course dishes had been collected, Tom spoke up from his position opposite you.

“This has been lovely and we really appreciate your time and generosity but me and Y/n have a really early start tomorrow so I think we should probably get back to the hotel.” You swore in that moment you could’ve kissed him, and it looked like Tom could tell - by the way your shoulders sagged and you let out an exhale of pure relief. Apparently even if you’d managed to convince the hosts you were enjoying the evening, Tom easily saw through the performance. After some hurried goodbyes, Tom led you out of the hall with his hand hovering over your lowerback, trying to make sure your exit was as discreet as possible.

Away from the bubble of chatter and activity, in the deserted hallway, Tom stopped you - lightly holding both hands on each of your arms.

“Wheres your team?”

“Um Luce is back at the hotel, she was trying to see if she could reschedule any of my stuff tomorrow.” You winced at the way he sighed, realising you were all on your own in some random business event hall in Tokyo.

“Harry -my brother- is waiting in the car at the front - is that okay?”

“No Tom, don’t worry abo-“

“Yeh well I am and I think you feel ten times worse than you’re letting on.” He spoke harshly, like a school teacher telling you off - except the hint of a kind smile at the end was a dead giveaway.

“You sure?”

With a relieved nod (Tom had thought you might be a bit more stubborn - you obviously were really really ill) he wordlessly shrugged his suit jacket off, wrapping it round your shoulders. He muttered something about not wanting you to catch a chill but to be quite honest you were a bit distracted by the woody cedar smell of Toms aftershave that enveloped your senses. Maybe it wasn’t so bad being fussed on by him? To be fair he wasn’t wrong either, you were in a strapless evening dress - you would’ve preferred to be in joggers, but Marvels press team had other ideas.

After a quick pit stop at the toilets, the two of you managed to make an unnoticed escape out the building - into a big SUV which had seconds prior pulled up onto the steps. You literally melted into the nearest window seat, body hunching over as you probably crumpled Tom’s jacket beyond belief. 2 seats along from you, a frizzy haired boy gave you a sympathetic smile, which you returned weakly whilst muttering a ‘hi’. Meanwhile, Tom pulled the sliding door shut, sitting across from you.

“Oh Y/n this is Harry and Harry this is Y/n.” In unison both of you replied with an ‘I know’ eye roll. Your response was somewhat more shocking to both Holland boys, you could tell from the way they had this whole nonverbal conversation with their eyes - they were very clearly brothers. Needing to explain you continued. “I like to keep tabs on my castmates, I’ve seen you on Toms instagram.” That had both boys smirking, Harry presumably just because you knew who he was; Tom more smugly, you’d just given away you slightly stalked him on instagram.

Silence reigned for a moment, as the driver put his foot down slightly.

“How you doing?” Tom asked.

“Mhm…” you thought for a second, how to eloquently describe the sensation.

“shit.”

Both boys chuckled a little and even though you had closed your eyes in an attempt to dull the throbbing behind your temples, you could feel the eyes on you.

“You want the music off?” Harry asked, referring to the indie-rock coming quietly out the speakers of his laptop, which was resting on his lap. With a shake of your head you refused, even if really silence probably would help your head, you were already causing the two Hollands enough trouble - no need to bore them during the journey back into central Tokyo, especially when you weren’t the most enthusiastic company ever.

Thankfully the music stayed on a low volume, whilst the car seemed to settle into a comfortable silence. With a long exhale you fluttered your eyes open, seeing Tom focused on his phone, before you rested the side of your head against the black-out glass. Taking some relief from the cool glass, you huddled further into the corner of the car against the door.

Floating in the space between sleep and wakefulness, you were kind of aware of your head occasionally bobbing and jerking about - but really didn’t have the energy or willpower to do anything about it. Instead, the thing that perked your attention was hearing some supposed-whispering from inside the body of the car.

“I know she said she didn’t care but she was clearly lying-“

“Like you know! You’ve been desperate to try and spend some time with Y/n- maybe you poisoned her just so you could be all knight-in-shini-“

“Turn. The. Music. Off.” Tom sounded scathing now, and with a grumble from your other-side the cheery drum beats ceased.

“Happy now?” …and Harry was sarcastic.

“Swap places with me.”

“What?”

“Just do it.”

“Why?”

“So she can lie down.”

“Well no because you would still be in the way if we swapped.”

“Yeh but she can lie on my lap idiot.”

“She can lie on me.”

“She doesn’t know you!”

“Well for 1, barely ten minutes ago she said she did know me. And 2, she doesn’t know you any better!”

If this was their version of whispering, you would love to hear what volume ‘shouting’ was. There was no reply for a short while, you imagined the two brunettes locked in some intense staring match.The next time Tom spoke he sounded more defeated - almost begging.

“If I admit you beat me at the driving range the other day will you-”

“I KNEW IT!” Harry yelped, the volume making you jerk, eyes flying open before reflexively closing because the light was too bright. There was a little mutter of an apology, then silence again.

Once agin you must’ve drifted off because it felt like absolutely no time had passed when a firm but gently hand on your shoulder nudged you awake.

Sure enough the boys had swapped position, Tom now sitting along the seat from you, Harry looked a little sulky from across the way. It was Tom who was reaching over, a gentle and peaceful smile on his face.

“You wanna lie down? Don’t want you to strain your neck.” He wasn’t wrong, adding to the throbbing headache, the cloudiness in your brain and the unsettled feeling in your stomach… now your neck hurt. Just bloody great.

Had you been your normal witty and perceptive self, you might’ve teased Tom as to why him and his brother had done a switch - but everything hurt and all you wanted to do was sleep for a hundered years. So with squinting eyes you jerkily nodded, missing how Tom chuckled to himself. The guy undid your seatbelt, then sat back to let you balance the back of your head on his thigh, looking up at the roof of the SUV. Already your eyes were closed again, you kicked off your slip-on heels and bent your legs up to lean against the backrest - occupying the position you had been sat in before hand. You felt his hands reposition the jacket, pulling it round so it was now like a blanket tucked under your chin.

To be fair it was much more comfortable than sitting up and you weren’t even aware of how quickly you dropped back into sleep.

Though it wasn’t quick enough to miss Harry’s very sulky sounding comment, presumably meant only for Tom’s ears.

“Still think you’re being fucking creepy bro.”

<33 lemme know what u think! (would make me feel less guilty for not doing all the work I rlly should be doing aha)

tagging : @hallecarey1 @crossyourpeter @hollandfanficlove

#tom holland x reader #tom holland #tom Holland angst #tom Holland fluff #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland x famous!reader #harry holland #tom holland request

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meimi-haneoka · 3 years ago

Text

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 57: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Woooooow! It's the end of October, Halloween is here and we're back with our monthly appointment!! And let me just tell you, we got a SUPER chapter this month!! We have an important revelation (confirmation for those who had already guessed so) and more angst along the way!! Will there be relevant translation differences this month? You just have to follow me under the cut to find out, but not before looking at the gif of the month!!! 😂

Alice's story

We have another color spread!! I was super surprised when I found out about it, looking at the preview of Nakayoshi's cover, where it was mentioned: this is the third one in a row! And what a color spread!!! We have our beloved Momo coming back in her true form, and we can finally see also the colors of the lower part of her dress (thank you CLAMP), but we also have Cerberus and Spinel Sun in their majestic true forms!! They shared a color page in their temporary forms before, so it's really nice to see them back together like this! 😊 The japanese text over it says something like "We wait for our masters, in our 'true forms', in this distant place". It's very interesting and makes me wonder if there's a deeper meaning. Usually, the editorial text over these color pages isn't just random gibberish, but does actually have a meaning coherent with the story.... I also had the confirmation that Momo's eyes are in fact composed of 2 colors: her eyelashes are light blue, while her eyes are red. I had already noticed this with her first color appearance, but thought it was a printing effect. This is also why Momo's open eyes appear blue, in her temporary form! It's because it's taking the color from her eyelashes, but when she's a big "oneesan" (like the Japanese fandom is already nicknaming her) we see her full eyes, with red/purple iris.

Also, once again, we have a black background. I truly wonder if this is indicative of something.

And the actual chapter starts in a way that should be quite familiar by now, to those following Clear Card since long time: it's storytelling time! Sakura is reading aloud the plot of the stage play written by Naoko, with Alice as a protagonist. You recognize her, right? Yes, she's always the same Alice character that CLAMP used throughout CCS, both in the old series (even the anime) and also here in Clear Card. This Alice is a very kind girl grown up in a different world than ours, in a very kind family, but she's got a peculiar characteristic that differentiates her from the other kids: she can see dreams...and those dreams aren't ordinary dreams...sometimes they turn into "reality". I have to point out the first interesting detail in the Japanese version of this chapter: when they say that Alice's dreams turn into reality, we find the usual "game" that Ohkawa plays with words, putting the word "reality" in kanji, but actually making it read as ほんとう (for 本当), "truth", in the furigana. The ENG translation also embellishes a lot this storytelling part, adding/making up words that aren't in the original. For example, where in the ENG they say "all little boys and girls dream", in the JP version there's just a more generic "everybody dreams" (probably including adults too). Or in very the beginning of the chapter they say in ENG "in a land that couldn't have been more different than our own", making it more dramatic, but the JP actually just states "a world different than ours". But not only that, the ENG translation sometimes straight up skips some details, like:

ENG: She'd unwrap presents to find books she'd read in her dreams. JP: Books that she had seen in her dreams would turn out to be (actual) birthday presents.

or..

ENG: Even her beloved cat....was a stray that she'd met in dreamland. JP: And this cat who's a good friend of Alice, too... It's a (previously) stray cat that she saw in a dream, then she met it on the street, and brought it back home with her.

I have no idea why they skipped those parts, but it wouldn't have hurt them to add that Alice found the stray cat and brought it home 😫

One day, Alice showed up for breakfast with an unusual sad face (lit. from the JP text) and when her parents worriedly asked her what was wrong, she explained that she dreamed of a mysterious place, different than the world she lives in...wondering what she should do in a world unknown to her, the cat came to her and guided her through that world. In that world there were all sorts of creatures and things that she had never seen before, not even in books. But the most mysterious thing of it all was how [time] seemingly stopped and rewound in this world all the time, as if someone was playing with it on their whim. (The "who lived in this strange new world" part was added by the ENG translation) It was when Alice was looking for a way out of that world, that she met [The Red Queen].

Sakura's own story to tell

Sakura's reading of Naoko's plot stops right here, to comment together with her mini-guardians that the story does resemble her own situation, even too much at that. Kero is so surprised that he wonders if her friend got magic of her own, but Suppi comments that skilled writers do have the so-called "sixth sense" that allows them not only to reproduce in their writing things that happen at current times, but also things that happened in the past or that will happen in the future. I found this a very cute way from Ohkawa to justify beforehand to the readers "don't worry if Naoko's play will seem too 'spot on' at times...she's just got that gift in her and Hitsuzen will use it to unfold things as they're meant to happen". After all, even Sakura's friends can be part of the inevitable development that has to happen, right? But it's not just that.

Sakura comments that Naoko has always been very smart and noticed things others wouldn't notice...but this time there's something more. Ohkawa-sensei actually adds another reason why Naoko's story is reflecting SO much Sakura's situation right now... It seems Naoko discussed about the play with Akiho, and while she gave her interesting comments about it, when Naoko was troubled because she incurred in writer's block, Akiho actually told her about the story of a book very precious to her..."Alice in Clockland". At the mention of that book, something snaps inside Kero-chan. He asks Sakura if she ever saw that book, and she says that yes, she saw it and even took a pic of it because it was just too beautiful. But when Sakura takes out her phone to show it to Kero, she finds out in dismay that the picture....is gone. Kero-chan immediately understands the situation, "It didn't want you to take a picture of it". Suppi suggests to use the Record card, and it works: the card shows the moment Akiho introduced the book to Sakura, and Kero has got the final proof he was looking for: HE KNOWS THAT BOOK. And here, ladies and gentlemen, we have the big revelation of this chapter, that actually made me scream!! 😂 I've thought about this many times, but was waiting for a confirmation...and Momo's words about him back in chapter 50 were so vague that at some point I thought "maybe HE isn't involved, after all"... BUT NO! THERE'S NO WAY HE ISN'T INVOLVED. 🤣

Who am I talking about? Of course it's him....

CLOW REED.

The book is a very special magical tome. It is actually considered a prohibited book. Clow at some point had that book with him. It seems he tried to use it for something...but in the end, even with this book, what he wanted to do turned out to be impossible. I know, I know what y'all are thinking about. It's indeed quite hard to not immediately think of the whole ordeal with Yuuko and stopping her time before her definitive death. This MIGHT be the real first link to the Tsubasa/Holic events. Nothing at all is mentioned clearly, this could be something totally unrelated, but I don't think any of us fans is really believing that. And CLAMP know this.

Suppi asks if the book stayed with Clow, and here I have to point out this slight difference in translation that actually gives us a better understanding of the Book's behavior:

ENG: I guess this book goes where it wants to. It found a new owner. JP: It seems this book chooses its owner by itself. So he didn't have it anymore.

In the Japanese text it's stated more clearly that the book chooses its own owner on its own accord (as opposed to the ENG one, which seems to imply the book wanders aimlessly until it finds another owner). Basically, the book has its own will. It seems Clow made with his magic a "picture" of the book (in the Japanese text it's used the kanji 絵 , which indicates a more traditional kind of picture, as it stands for "drawing" or "illustration", so not exactly a "photo"), but the picture burned on its own and disappeared. So we can see indeed a behavior from the book, that tends to eliminate any kind of reproduction of it, even if it's just a drawing. Sakura wonders if the same will happen to the Record display of it. Kero says that if the book really wanted to not be seen, it wouldn't have allowed Record to reproduce it to begin with, just like it happened with the photo Sakura took previously. Surely, right now Sakura might have enough magical power to counter that, but Suppi actually suggests something else: it might be that the book WANTS to be seen by Sakura.

Our girl announces that she wants to talk with this Book. But when Suppi says that it's very likely that such a powerful book got a guardian of its own, Sakura surprises everyone (readers included) by saying "I want to talk to them once again". This time around, referring to the "guardian". It's entirely possible, hence, that the book's will and the guardian coincide. Suppi and Kero naturally ask right away if this is something that already happened once (since she said "once again"), but Sakura isn't sure herself. She just FEELS that this book would listen to what she wants to tell. Sakura is finally opening up to her instincts, she's FINALLY starting to listen to them, to tune herself on the same wavelength, and it's like she's receiving "radio signals" from her intuition, you know? 😊 I loved this, because to her it's a huge character development. She used to dismiss all of her intuitions like "it's just my imagination" before, despite knowing very well that she's a powerful and gifted magician. Right now, she's finally embracing her nature and listening to what her gut feelings say. Kero, in fact, is very supportive of this, and continuing from the "we will do as she wishes" theme from last chapter, he tells her that if she thinks so, he's sure she can do it. So this is fundamentally paving the way for a new meeting between Momo and Sakura. And I'm sure Momo is eagerly waiting for it, because there's no more time to waste before a tragedy ensues.

The following day, at school, we find out from Syaoran that Sakura decided to accept the role of one of the two Alice. In the beginning she wanted to turn it down, but she kept having this feeling that she would've ended up acting that role anyway. Kero told her that if that's what she feels, then she'd better follow it, and Syaoran completely agrees. Again, Sakura is opening up to her intuition, and her beloved people are now supporting her in that, encouraging her in that direction. This is seriously a good chara development for everyone.

Tomoyo, who's there with them, decides to break a bit of the tension by announcing that she will certainly make it so she's the one sewing the costume for Alice (both Alice, I guess?) and that she will OF COURSE film any second of Sakura wearing it 🤣Syaoran reminds her that she has to sing a song in the middle of the stage play, but ha! That doesn't stop Tomoyo! When she will have to sing, she will rely on the tripod!! 🤣I was really glad to see this Tomoyo moment after long time... Sakura holds Tomoyo's hands and says "I will wear with great care the dress that you will make for me. Doing so, I just know that no matter what happens, I'll be alright" (from the JP text). ❤

At that point Syaoran wonders what Akiho will decide to do about the role offer.

And that's when we switch to the Shinomoto house.

Feelings taking over

(cue me drawing a deep breath because of the angst that will ensue)

Akiho, who's about to head to school (so this conversation happens at the same time of Tomoyo, Sakura and Syaoran talking in the schoolyard) just told Kaito that she will accept the role of the other Alice. She says that she thought about turning it down in the beginning, because she never acted to begin with, and she didn't want to cause problems to anyone. When Kaito hears that, his expression turns quite sad. But with a very creepy expression, Akiho says "But I had the feeling that I would've ended up acting that role anyway". Yes. The same thing Sakura is probably saying in that very moment to Syaoran.

Immediately, Akiho adds...

ENG: I know it sounds strange. Who can know what hasn't happened yet, after all? I don't have that kind of power. JP: What am I even saying? It's not like I should be able to know what will happen from now on. Because I don't have any kind of power.

Can you see the slight difference in translation? The ENG version makes it look like Akiho is completely unaware of the existence of magic. Or rather, that she considers it something distant from her, and that no one should be able to know what will happen in the future. Sorry but no. This change in the translation kinda bothered me because in the fandom we've been wondering since long time if Akiho is AWARE of the magical nature of her clan, if she remembers anything at all from that aspect of her family. Some even thought that her memories about it might have been erased. Well, this scene to me kinda gives the confirmation that YES, she's WELL aware of the peculiarities of her family and most importantly OF WHAT THEY EXPECTED HER TO HAVE. And it still hurts her, even now. So please, keep in consideration this interpretation when looking at this scene.

At Akiho's sorrowful words, Kaito's expression turns even more pained than before, and his hand starts reaching out to her, but stops halfway, unseen by her. His heart was moving his body on its own, before he noticed and stopped it himself. After all, Akiho's pain is Kaito's pain. That much is clear. And the fact that she doesn't have any powers is what started all of this, to begin with. All her pain, all her unhappy childhood, the neglect and abuse, it all comes from there. And she's still suffering for it, you can see it in her expression. He genuinely wanted to comfort her for that. But you see, that isn't his place. He doesn't deserve to do that. Because, first of all, he's just her butler. Second, because we all know that his comment on her not having powers lead to the most horrifying thing her clan had done to her. Third, because magic only brought misery to her life, and who's got plenty of magic in himself? Kaito, of course. I was heavily reminded of my soulsister's analysis on Kaito here on Tumblr, and I once again suggest everyone to give it a read, because many MANY things that she analyzed and said over there are surfacing in this scene of this chapter. That just goes to show how spot on it is. My heart ached a lot in this scene, because I was thinking "You dummy! Go holding her! You both need it so badly right now. You both need to know you're there for eachother and you're not left alone in your own pain", but with his mental state right now it's just impossible... Or is it...? That hand....might be in fact the signal that something is changing.

Akiho glances up at him, and as usual, our perceptive girl doesn't miss that something is once again wrong with him. Kaito tries to divert her attention saying, with a very sweet expression, that...

JP: Knowing you, I'm convinced you can [become] her. Alice, I mean.

We all know all the red flags this statement is throwing around, right? I started panicking as soon as he said that 😅and the irony is that he even meant that in a totally reassuring way.

But Akiho doesn't buy that. No, sir. She totally ignores what he says, as if she's saying "yeah, yeah, don't try to change subject".

And in a very peculiar way we have the return of "bossy Akiho", in a softened shape. Basically, Akiho 'orders' him (in her polite way, of course) to take a rest while she's at school. And what Kaito does? He takes it personally! He worriedly asks her if he did something wrong, if he commited some impoliteness in his job. This guy is ridiculous! 🤣 Asking Kaito to not take care of Akiho is like wronging him, even though she's doing it for him and his wellbeing. "Is she benching me because I did something wrong?!" I can't help but smile at how adorable this sounds. 😂 Akiho says that no, he didn't do anything wrong, "but please, do rest." That's an order from her, and Kaito answers 畏まりました, "surely", the classic answer you give in response to a request from a superior or a customer, someone who's above you basically. Again, we can see how much "power" Akiho holds over Kaito. And it's not only because he's her butler (remember? He doesn't have to answer to her family anymore, he could drop this role at any time), but because he truly feels like he can't deny her anything. He finds joy in taking care of her and her things, that's why he was almost crossed when she asked him not to, to rest.

Akiho leaves home with a very concerned expression, and Momo doesn't lose the chance to throw at Kaito a very frightening glare from Akiho's bag. It's clear that she's adding her own threat in there, "Do as she says or I will mess you up, can't you see how worried she is???"

Kaito says bye to Akiho on the doorstep, and as soon as he closes the door behind him, he crouches to the ground, his act crumbling down like a house of cards. He's in pain, having one of his heart attacks again, and he looks at his hand. Yeah. The same hand he tried to extend to Akiho is now shaking. Once again. I know that CLAMP have thrown this detail again in the middle of one of his seizures, but only that one hand is shaking...the shaking effect is drawn exclusively around that hand. And while looking at it trembling, he says:

JP: My body really doesn't listen to what I say, uh?

Here Kaito is talking to himself, so he switches to "ore-Kaito mode". The way he talks is very informal and casual (it's kinda exciting to see him talk like that 🤣). But there's something else in this scene that might not be immediately recognizable. I think what Kaito is trying to say is that he didn't consciously start the act of extending the hand towards Akiho earlier on. He literally saw his body moving on its own, went "wtf is this hand doing now" and managed to stop it. Kaito must be confused because he's certainly thinking that his degrading conditions are causing this to happen. Kaito has already shown before, in his words, symptoms of considering his body a little bit like a machine, a tool, something he can command at his will. What he doesn't see right now is that it's his heart the one that moved that hand earlier on. Remember this beautiful scene from the Sakura Card Arc?

Yukito had a hard time realizing his feelings for Touya, but his heart didn't have any problems in moving his body on its own, in this scene. And he was confused too, at first. We have other examples of this kind of subconscious behavior in other CLAMP manga (TRC comes to mind immediately, for instance). I think this is exactly what happened here with Kaito and Akiho. Kaito's feelings of love/affection for Akiho are becoming louder and louder, and are starting to gain the upper hand over him. As they should. In his terrible conditions, Kaito says that he just needs to hold out a little longer. And here, ladies and gentlemen, on the very last page of this chapter, we have one big translation mistake that I've already seen causing quite some confusion among the fans, so please look at it carefully:

ENG: The magic of my dreams will soon appear...and the story will soon begin.. JP: Because the magic I was wishing for...[the story]...will finally begin.

Hear me out, my friends! The way the ENG translation puts it makes everyone think that Kaito saw the magic he's looking for in his dreams, when that's completely not the case! In the JP text the verb 望む (to desire, to want, to wish for) is used in this occasion. I KNOW that in this example "of my dreams" is used as to say "that I long wished for", but it's the translator's job to avoid using terms that might lead the readers astray!!! Especially when all the chapter has done is to talk about foretelling dreams left and right!! One is automatically lead to believe that EVEN KAITO could see that magic appearing in his dreams, and seeked for it. No, that's not what he meant there. He was merely meaning "that I wished for". I am saying this because I've already heard that this translation mistake has been used to accuse Kaito of things he hasn't done, and basically exacerbating even more the fandom hate towards him. You know how much I love Kaito and I can't stand that, I can't stand that this ENG translation never fails to put him under a more negative light than necessary. I will always resent this.

That said, the chapter basically ends here, and this translation post (as usual) already got so long, so I will probably take the opportunity to share more of my theories and comments in other posts (especially if you guys will send me related asks). I was just wondering if Kaito really wants to switch Sakura's and Akiho's lives...or there might be actually something else in his plan. Maybe the Alice we hear about at the beginning of the chapter actually tells Akiho's real story...I had that strong feeling. Is she coming from another timeline/world? Is Kaito trying to bring her back to where she belongs to? Is he represented by the black cat? And what will this mean for them? I can't help but wonder about this. I'd probably rather not have this kind of development, but we will see.

These are the release dates for chapter 58: November 28th, on Comixology (digital, ENG) November 29th, on Clamp-fans and Comic-days (digital, JP and other languages) December 1st, on Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP)

Sorry for the long wait, and I hope this will help shed some light over the most confusing parts of this chapter, which admittedly were a few. If you can spread it around, it'll be very appreciated. See you next month, as usual!!!

#cardcaptor sakura #card captor sakura #clamp #ccsakura #clear card arc #clear card manga #ccs spoilers #chapter 57 #sakura card captor #translation differences

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storiesbyjes2g · 3 years ago

Photo

I enjoyed seeing Laurant, Diamond, and Darius having what looked to be a fun and civil family conversation. Because I don’t talk to him anymore, I don’t know how things have been between them. I think Diamond is still grappling with some unspoken things related to their failed relationship because she always avoids the topic. Maybe there is hope for a drama free co-parenting situation after all.

As the sun began its descent, I realized I’d been going non stop all day. Everyone split off into their own groups. Ali had Alessia and Luca had the tablet Mommy gave him. So I took my moment to breathe before the horror that is bath time. But the kids got hungry, and frankly so were we, so I grilled up some corn.

On the other side of the beach, I watched Ali and Dwayne talk. He always regards him with...I can’t quite put my finger on it. The first time they met, Dwayne’s mother had died, so Ali regarded him with care and tenderness, always asking about him and checking up on him. But now... I don’t know. It’s like Ali is curious about him. I guess it’s my fault. He knows about all my friends and how I feel about them, except Dwayne. If he ever asks me, I’ll tell him about our past. But for reasons I can’t really explain, I’m not comfortable volunteering that information. Still.

Someone else had a birthday right on the beach! I know we don’t usually do parties for our fur babies, but I hope Shiloh had a fun birthday laying on the beach, being terrorized by the kids. I still can’t believe she’s afraid of water!

Once the sun gets going in Sulani, it disappears quickly, so Ali and I pulled the kids away from their sand activities and went to Mommy’s. We divided and conquered for bath time so it wouldn’t be so bad. I had hoped the sun beating down on them all day would sap their energy, but they were just as wild after bath time. They wanted to play with Mommy, but she still goes to bed super early, and I didn’t want them disturbing her. But she insisted on me leaving them with her. Laughter and playful screaming erupted from her room, so I went upstairs to get myself showered and changed for bed. When I returned to check progress, I found all of them passed out in Mommy’s bed.

The way she laid sprawled out on the bed was so telling. I stifled a giggle so I wouldn’t wake them. She definitely knows how to wear a kid out, but from the looks of it they wore her out in the process. Her expression melted my heart. She went to sleep with a smile on her face, being in grandma heaven and all. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I let them stay with her briefly while I walked Shiloh one last time. I know she would have loved for them to spend the night with her, but there was no way I’d subject her to all the movement and kicking that happens when toddlers sleep. She’d get no rest, so when Ali and I were ready to sleep, we scooped them up and put them to bed.

That was the last time I saw Mommy alive.

I found it odd that she wasn’t awake and making breakfast when I got up, so I went to her room. There was an urn next to her bed. I was completely surprised at first, but after a few minutes I accepted it. I’d been trying to prepare my mind for this for weeks. I even found a little comfort knowing she was with Daddy again and that the last few weeks of her life were happy and fulfilling.

Keeping it together was relatively easy until I placed her urn next Daddy’s in the plot she purchased for them. Looking at what remains of my two loving parents, it hit me. I am alone in this world. Yes, I have my husband, children, and friends, but there is no one left to guide me and love me truly unconditionally, and that really sucks.

#ISBI challenge #sims 4 story #adolting #Emerald Pope #Ali Murillo #Luca Winston Murillo #Alessia Amina Murillo #Amina Pope #Shiloh #Dwayne Pancakes #Laurant Peters #Diamond Clemons #I know I usually stick to gameplay and in-game animations in this save #but I had to do it this way #I wanted Amina's passing to be cheerful and fulfilling #for her not us lol #RIP Amina!#thanks for starting this crazy journey #adolting gen 2

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missymurphy1985 · 3 years ago

Text

Friends with Added Benefits (part 7)

Warnings - pregnancy / angst

Taglist @queenshelby @margoo0 @being-worthy @peakyscillian @ntmynouis @janelongxox @elenavampire21 @noctvrnalmoth @ysmmsy @cloudofdisney @lauren-raines-x @namelesslosers @misscarolineshelby @screemqueen

Cillian held your hand as you walked through the airport after landing in the south of France, one of his hands in yours, the other pushing the trolley with your luggage. You were both aware of people watching you, some even taking sneaky photos on their phones.

A couple had even approached you, and rather than shy away like he normally did, he actually agreed to having his photo taken and signing an autograph - they even asked you for one, and you happily signed away. They congratulated you both on the baby, and left you to carry on.

"Wow, Mr Murphy, what's gotten into you?"

"Happiness y/n. Simple as that," he pulled you close and kissed your lips, his hand stroking your stomach as it always did when he kissed you.

Arriving in your hotel room an hour later, you lay down on the large queen sized bed and sighed. This was heaven, you were sure of it. The hotel was exclusive, and no expense had been spared. Your balcony overlooked the ocean, there was a private pool for residents only - and those residents were mainly other celebrities so there was no risk of the paparazzi or fans knocking around. You could both completely relax.

"I'm gonna go take a look around the hotel, are you coming or does mama need to rest?" Cillian lay down next to you on the bed, stroking your belly gently, smiling as his baby kicked his hand and your stomach rumbled.

"As long as there's food on our little excursion count us in. Baby needs feeding."

"Can you believe we're more than halfway there now? 24 weeks." You smiled, the pregnancy was going so quickly, you had never felt so blissfully happy as you had these last few weeks with Cillian home with you. He took your hand and helped you back on your feet, and you headed towards the lift down the hallway.

Sitting in the restaurant after your evening meal later, you couldn't help looking around where you both were. You stopped when someone familiar walked in.

"Tom!!!!!!" You were out of your seat in a flash, running as best you could to your second closest Peaky castmate as he walked into the restaurant. Cillian followed close behind you laughing as Tom hugged you gently.

"Y/n you are positively glowing!" He noticed Cillian behind you. "My my, so the rumours are true then Murphy!! We finally found someone to tame you! You're punching mate, you know that, right?" He laughed, pulling Cillian into a hug, grinning.

"Well Mr Hardy, when it's right it's right."

"What are the chances of us being here at the same time eh? We'll have to have dinner together one night, how long you here for?"

"Couple of weeks, you here alone?" You asked. Tom shook his head.

"Turns out I can be tamed too Cillian! She's around here somewhere already, come say hi?" You both nodded, and Cillian clasped your hand in his as you followed Tom to his table.

"Hey, look who I bumped into!" Tom put his hand on a woman's shoulder at the bar and she turned round smiling, her smile suddenly disappeared when she locked eyes with Cillian, replaced with a look that would have made the devil himself shudder.

"Alison..." Cillian nodded.

"You two know each other?" Tom looked at both his apparent girlfriend and Cillian.

"Knew, a long time ago..."

"Cillian... Didn't expect to bump into you again..." She smiled nervously.

"Long time no see Ali. How've you been?"

"Yeah, good. I see you're doing well too, congratulations," she smiled at you and looked down at your bump. She had a really weird, awkward aura about her, you couldn't work out what it was though. You rubbed your lower back and stomach as you felt your baby roll around in a very uncomfortable manner.

"Listen y/n I think you need to rest now yeah?" Cillian looked at you and stroked your arm. You nodded, saying goodnight to them both and promising to arrange a meal together one evening.

You headed back up to your room and once you were both washed and in bed, you questioned Cillian.

"That whole exchange tonight felt really awkward, who was she?"

"A hook up from a long time ago. Got to be 15 years since I saw her last. Don't judge me, I was a different person then..."

"Cillian!"

"I know, I know.. I wasn't a good guy back then, I've told you that."

"But you are now, that's all that matters yeah? We all have a past Cill, I'm not interested in that. I'm interested in our future, okay? Is this gonna be awkward for you?"

"Not on my part," he chuckled.

"I think she still holds a grudge after all these years!"

"I was a complete dick in fairness, really hurt her."

"We can avoid them if you like?"

"No, we've both grown up since then, moved on. It'll be fine. Don't let it spoil our break okay?" You nodded, turning your back to him and letting him rest against you, his hand stroking your belly. He suddenly got out of bed and grabbed a spare pillow from the wardrobe, before placing it carefully under your bump and knocking the air con up a little. You immediately felt more comfortable, especially when he climbed back in and nuzzled against you, kissing your neck lightly.

Later that week, you were sat with Tom and Alison at dinner. There was definitely a tension in the air from Alison's side, but conversation flowed well nonetheless. Tom was talking about taking his son from a previous relationship fishing when he got home.

"Might be able to take Nathan too Alison, about time the boys met eh?" He smiled at her.

"Oh you have a son too Alison?" You smiled.

"Yes. When's your baby due?"

"October 31st, Halloween baby," Cillian laughed.

"That's just before Nathan's 14th," Tom said, and you noticed a sudden shift in Alison's demeanour.

"14?" Cillian questioned suddenly. Alison's cheeks flushed.

"I'm just going to the ladies, I'll be right back..." She was off in a flash, and Cillian quickly followed her, leaving both you and Tom sat at the table extremely confused.

10 minutes had passed when a pale looking Cillian returned without Alison.

"Everything okay?" You asked as he sat down, white as a sheet. Alison came back shortly afterwards, tears in her eyes.

"Neither of you are going to like what she has to say."

#cillian smut #cillian murphy #cillian x fem!reader #cillian x pregnant reader

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cades-outsider · 4 years ago

Text

Older Johnny Lawrence X Reader

Warnings: Sexual-ish themes, smidge of angst!

Late Nights

Recently you’ve been very caught up with work, you worked as a nurse at West Valley High that’s actually where you met your boyfriend Johnny.

FLASH-BACK

It was another stressful day at work as you had recently got a lot of injured students today, and like other school nurses you didn’t just give them ice you actually helped them.

You clean up your office a little bit as you finally take a seat in your office chair. The kids at West Valley actually admired you, you helped them not only physically but mentally if they needed it.

You enjoyed your work very much, it gave you something to do which you liked. Soon someone barges into your office causing you to jump not expecting it.

A man walked in, blonde hair and blue eyes and he also had a busted lip and cut open forehead. "Hey this is the nurses office correct?" He asks squinting his eyes a little.

"It is, you need some help there?" You question referring to his face.

"Uh yeah thanks" He says as you get up from your chair and show him where to sit.

You go to your cabinet and grab out your needed supply’s for his wounds, soon you walk back over to him placing the products around him for easy access.

"So how’d this happen?" You hum curiously as you dab some alcohol on a cotton ball before gently pressing it to his forehead.

He hissed slightly "got into it with a couple uh- kids" he clears his throat as you focus on his wound.

"Let me guess Kyler and his friends" You sigh as you place antibiotic on a bandaid and seal it on his cleaned wound now working on his busted lip.

"Hm, so that’s his name- he’s a d*ckhead" He slips before slouching his shoulders.

"I agree with you there" You chuckle as you glance at his eyes before sealing his lip with a bandaid.

"I’m Johnny" He says holding his hand out for you to take.

"Y/n" You smile, before shaking his hand.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" You question.

"Uh this ones been giving me a time" He lifts up his shirt to reveal a huge bruise on his stomach.

You wince "well I cant give you pain medicine but I can give you some of this" You say holding up a tube of numbing and pain cream.

He nods his head okay as you slip on a glove before gently pushing him to lay on his back on the bed. "Aren’t you gonna take me out first?" Johnny jokes with a smirk causing you to look up and let out a small laugh.

"Maybe..." You hum before applying cream to your fingers and gently rubbing it on his huge bruise and around it as well so the pain wouldn’t spread.

"Thanks" He mumbles as you put up the products.

"It’s no problem Johnny" You smile.

"Hey are you hungry?" You question.

"I could always eat" He smiles suggestively.

"Well I get off for my lunch break, so let me take you out" You ask taking off your nurse coat.

"Sounds like a plan"

FLASH-BACK OVER

Yeah that always seemed to fluster you every time you thought about how you both met. Work had been very stress full for you and you knew that it probably made Johnny feel some type of way since you hadn’t had any time alone with him.

It’s been like a week before you actually had a couples moment and you both live together in the same apartment now. Which happened to be Johnny’s, after about a year and a half of dating he asked you to move in with him and you agreed.

Johnny actually really wanted to spend some quality time alone with you but you were always so busy and he didn’t want to bother you so he stayed quiet.

He actually rekindled with Ali, though you didn’t know. He was actually meeting up with her to catch up on somethings seeing as you wouldn’t be home for a while he decided to catch up with Ali.

But what he didn’t know is you took work off early so you could plan a date with him. Obviously you hoped he would’ve be home and when you pulled up the driveway to your apartment complex you were happy to see that he wasn’t there.

That gave you time to prepare for your date, you cleaned up the kitchen, living room, every other room in the apartment and of course the bed room. You even added a few... extra things in the bed room.

You made a four course dinner for you and Johnny, got dressed in nice clothing and added one candle in the middle.

This whole set up took you about 2 hours plus the time for the food. You were honestly surprised Johnny wasn’t home yet but you didn’t think much about it.

You say in the kitchen chair for about three hours and Johnny still didn’t show, you even texted him once or twice asking if he was okay.

You signed sadly as you stared at the now cold food that sat in front of you, you put the candle that you never lit back up and turned off all the lights.

You walked into the bed room and put all the special things up that you had in sight, along with changing into a long comfortable shirt and putting your hair down before getting comfortable in bed.

You were about halfway asleep when someone came into the apartment though you didn’t hear because of the fan being so close to you.

Johnny turned the living room light on so he could see walking into the apartment. The light illuminated into the kitchen so he saw the two plates full of food.

His heart breaks as he drops his jacket on the couch, he looked around and noticed how sparkling clean the apartment looked to which made him feel even more guilty.

He opened the door to the bedroom, the creaking caused you to lift your head up and look at the door, squinting your eyes.

"Johnny?" You mumble tiredly.

"It’s me love" He mumbles still feeling guilty.

"I’m sorry for being late... and missing whatever you had planned..." Johnny mumbles walking closer to the bed.

"It’s okay..." You mumble feeling the disappointment rise in your chest again.

"Where were you anyways?" You question curiously.

"An old friend from school, she came down and we talked for a bit" He says honestly.

"Oh... Ali?" You question, Johnny had told you about Ali before as you were getting farther into the relationship.

"Yeah" He reply’s honestly.

"I’m really sorry Y/n" He apologies again.

"It’s fine Johnny" You say a bit more harshly than intended.

"Well it’s not my fault you’ve been busy all week" He mumbles, clearly pressed.

"Well I took the day off to plan this whole get up for us but ohhh you’d rather be with Ali instead" You fire back.

"Hey that is not fair" He points out.

"Neither is sitting at a table for three hours waiting on you" You hiss.

"Come on I said I’m sorry" He says once again as you sit up against the head board.

You rub your hands over your face "what are we doing?" You chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Johnny questions, clearly clueless.

"I mean why are we going back and forth with each other like this" You question.

"I don’t know, maybe because it’s the only way we know how?" He questions.

"Well it’s time to find a new way" You reply before crawling over to him and placing your lips on his, startling him at first.

He places his hands on your hips as you straddle his legs, you pull away breathlessly "now I’m hungry so do you wanna eat?" You question.

"I’m having my food right now" He mumbles before flipping you over and kissing down to your thighs.

Well, let’s just say the night didn’t only end in you yelling out Johnny’s name but him getting his four course meal.

_______________________________________________

This was requested from Wattpad

#wattpad #robby keene #cobra kai #cobra kai imagine #cobra kai x reader #eli moskowitz x reader #hawk #tiktok #x reader #masterlist #olderjohnnylawrence #johnny lawrence x reader #johnny #johnny lawrence

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mandoalorian · 4 years ago

Text

Stay With Me [Maxwell Lord x GN!Reader]

Summary: What if Maxwell Lord died after renouncing his wish...

Warnings: major character death, grief, descriptions of blood, typical Wonder Woman violence, description of illness, food mention, nightmare mention.

This is the saddest thing I’ve ever fucking wrote.

Rating: T for traumatic teen

Word count: 2500

Masterlist

In a way, it was nice. Bittersweet, almost. Alistair was so much like his father, more than you had ever realised before. He’d often come out with bold comments. He’d point and wiggle his finger when he talked to you. He struggled to sleep at night, just like you did, so you’d invite him into yours and Maxwell’s shared bed. It was a welcome change-- Maxwell’s side of the bed no longer being cold and empty, but instead inhabited by his son. It felt like, as long as Alistair was by your side, part of Maxwell was too. Alistair was a fidgety sleeper, and you pinned it down to the nightmares he’d been having. It was horrible, for a six year old child to go through what he was going through. He never spoke to you about his bad dreams. You knew he was trying to put on a brave face for you and pretend like everything was okay. Just like Max used to do.

Maxwell’s ex-wife wanted to sell Black Gold Cooperative. It wasn’t making money anyway, but… you wouldn’t allow it. That was Max’s business, a business he dedicated his whole life to. He had worked so hard and there was no way in hell you were going to let her sell it just so she could keep the money for herself. So you did some brainstorming and opted to turn it into something else.

A museum that was specified in geology. Maxwell always loved gems and stones.

Every Saturday morning you made pancakes because they were Maxwell’s favourite. You and Alistair weren’t too fussed on them yourself, both preferring waffles, but old habits die hard. He might not have been around anymore, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to break the tradition of making pancakes.

One Saturday morning, Alistair peppered on some frozen blueberries and syrup.

“Ali, I got you Nutella.” you furrowed your eyebrows together as you watched him decorate his waffles into a smiley face.

“Daddy always wanted me to eat more fruit.” Alistair mumbled as he concentrated on organising the blueberries to make a set of eyes.

As it turned out, financially, Maxwell didn’t have much, which didn’t come as a surprise to you. But what he did have, he left to Alistair. Obviously, Alistair only being six years old, the money was transferred to his mother, much to your dismay. Theoretically, Alistair should get the money when he turns eighteen but you knew it wouldn’t last a day in the hands of Max’s materialistic ex-wife. Luckily for you though, he left you the big house and the nice cars. Only-- was it really lucky? You never drove his cars and the house always felt cold and empty. Sometimes during the week, when it was just you in the house, you’d put on an Elvis vinyl and dance around the kitchen barefoot, pretending that Max was holding you in his arms.

It brought you comfort until it was time for bed. Time for you to cry yourself to sleep… sobbing into his pillow that still distinctly smelled like him. You couldn’t describe it but sometimes you felt like the ghost of him was still there… watching over you. Eventually you’d pass out, with tear stained cheeks and your hands bundled up in the blankets as you gripped them for dear life.

But in your sleep, you didn’t find solace. You only found more pain.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Max?” you cried the second you saw him on the floor, tears streaming down your face as you fell to your knees and grabbed his body. With all your strength, you pulled him into your lap and cradled him. His head was in the crook of your elbow and you began to smooth out his hair, just like you knew he loved so much. “Max can you hear me? Say something, please say something.”

His breathing was laboured and his chest was rattling. His brown eyes locked onto yours and he offered you a weak smile. “Hi,” he said meekly, raising a shaky hand to cup your cheek. His thumb grazed the height of your cheekbone and you found yourself subconsciously leaning into his touch.

Only, he wasn’t warm like he used to be-- he was very, very cold. His skin was pale and ghost-like, and his sparkling eyes were dull and blood shot. His white shirt was speckled with crimson blood and you began to rub your finger along to the stains. “Nose bleed.” he gasped out, as if the two words offered enough of an explanation.

You shook your head and felt another tear slip down your cheek, but Maxwell caught it in his hand. “Don’t cry.” he whispered.

“I don’t-- I don’t understand--” you croaked out, pulling his hand from your face and trying your best to squeeze some life into him. “I-- I thought-- I-- Max… what happ--happened?”

“I made a mistake.” Maxwell offered sadly.

“Can’t you-- fix it. With-- a wish. Or-- wait-- I didn’t make a wish-- let me fix it. Let me-- help you,” you sobbed, your grip on his hand tightening. “I have to touch you-- right? Okay… what do I say?”

“Nothing.” Maxwell said before erupting into a cough.

“No no no,” you chanted, and when he looked back up at you, his nose was bleeding again. You pulled down the sleeve of your t-shirt and wiped away the blood, even pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stop it. “Please, tell me how to fix it,” you begged him, but he just shook his head. You groaned in frustration, feeling completely annoyed. He always was stubborn. “I… I wish for everything to be okay. I wish that everything goes back to the way it did before the 4th of July. I wish for your health to be restored… good, strong health…” you waited to feel that familiar breeze gush through your hair. But nothing. “Why isn’t it working?!” you cried out once more.

“I renounced my wish.” Maxwell said quietly.

“Wh-- what? Why? Max… why-- but-- you’re still-- why are you--” Dying. Why was he still dying? But no matter how hard you tried to finish the sentence, you just couldn’t bear to say the word. “Can you stand? I can get you to a doctor. Come on.”

“No.” Maxwell said, his hand tangling in your hair.

“Stop saying no!” You screamed. “I can’t just-- leave you. I-- Max. We need to go now. We’ll get you to the hospital and they’ll make you better, okay? And then-- and then you come home and I’ll cook you your favourite dinner. And we’ll watch one of those black and white movies that I know you adore.” you tried cohersing but he didn’t move an inch. He just smiled.

“I love you so much,” he confessed. “I know I don’t say it much but I really do. I was always a skeptic when it came to love but with you… it was different. I’m glad I met you.”

“I love you too Max, I-- come on. Let’s go,” You said, trying your best to pull him up, but it was no use. Your gaze flicked across all the different televisions and broadcasting systems. “Is there a phone in here? There must be a phone. I can call an ambulance.”

With the last of his strength, Maxwell pulled you down on top of him. “Listen, you and I both know I’m not going to make it. So don’t spend my final moments crying, or panicking, or getting angry. Just stay with me. Please. All I want is for you-- for--”

“Max?!” your heart was hammering against your chest as you watched him splutter out a mouthful of blood. With shaky hands, he pulled off his gold signet ring that he wore everyday on his pinky finger, and slid it onto your wedding band finger.

“I love you,” he whispered, interlocking his fingers with yours. “You’ll make sure Alistair knows how much I love him, won’t you?”

“Like my life depends on it.” you promised, leaning in and nudging your nose against his.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you tried to help me, I guess this is my fault…” Max sighed, closing his eyes. His breathing wasn’t erratic anymore… it was more shallow and quiet.

“Shh,” you hushed him, gently smoothing out his golden hair. You began humming his favourite song and you noticed his lips curl into one final smile, until after only a minute or so, he stopped breathing. His body stiffened up. The bleeding stopped. He was gone.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

He haunted you. He haunted you when you were sleeping, when you were awake, and no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t escape the memory of his death. The way his body felt in your arms. The way you saw him close his eyes for one final time, never to open them again. Ever since he died, nothing was the same.

His funeral stung. You didn’t expect it to be easy, but you had hoped that maybe by the day it finally came you had sort of numbed out. Alistair clung to your side the entire time, much to his own biological mother’s dismay. “Why don’t you go stand with your mommy?” you whispered, smoothing out his glossy black hair. “I’m sure she needs you right now. This can’t be easy on her.”

Alistair frowned and looked up at you, his shaggy hair falling into his eyes. “You need me more,” he acknowledged. He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world -- and in that sense, he was so much like his father. “Daddy wanted to marry you,” he admitted after a brief silence and you felt your blood run cold. “Remember the night you and him came to my piano show at the school, and saw me perform? Well, when he tucked me into bed, he told me that he was going to ask you to marry him.”

You shuddered. That was only a month ago. You knelt down to his level and flashed him your hand, the gold of his pinky ring sparkling under the sunset. “He gave me this before he…”

“That’s daddy’s pinky ring,” Alistair noted and you smiled, taking the hand of the little boy. You pulled the ring off your wedding band finger and slid it on Alistair’s pinky finger.

“Hm, small hands,” you giggled. “But when you’re older, I’m sure it’ll fit you. And then it can be yours.”

Alistair beamed in delight. “That ring was the first thing daddy bought with his paycheck.”

“I-- I didn’t know that.” you confessed and Alistair nodded along.

“Can you take me to McDonalds after the funeral?” Alistair asked and you couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden change of subject.

“Sure.” you agreed, as you took his hand and walked into the church.

You fought for Alistair, and you fought for him hard. It wasn’t an easy battle. You loved him like he was your own, and he loved you too. The courts granted you custody eventually, but only on the weekends. You weren’t mad at that. Maxwell only had him on the weekends too, so really, it was like nothing had changed.

You weren’t sure what was harder. The days or the nights. When Max was alive, you only really saw him on an early morning before work. He’d slip out of your shared bed trying his hardest not to wake you so he could get ready for another busy day at the office. So, you’d spend the days alone. Until of course, he’d come home in the evening, grinning the second he walked through the front door. You always had something cooking for him, and candles burning-- and the familiar scent just made him feel like he could relax. Like he was safe in your comfort.

People say ‘home is where the heart is’, but after Maxwell Lord passed, you found that wasn’t true at all. Home was where he was. So you visited his grave, every evening when the sun went down. You made sure it was clean and you brought him a rose. It was funny, really, because roses were the flowers he’d brought you on every single date when he tried so hard to win over your affection. You’d sit with him for about an hour and tell him about your day-- because when he was alive, he’d always ask. You told him about the simple things. Woke up at 8, done the dishes and the laundry, fed the cat.

But now he was gone, you noticed your routine had changed slightly. “Woke up at 1, done the dishes but dropped a plate and cut my hand, forgot about the laundry… I’ll do it tomorrow. No cat food but Lady was lucky there was a can of tuna in the fridge.” You made a mental note to stop by the grocery store on your way home for cat food.

“I still wait for you to come home every evening… but you don’t,” you sobbed, your fingers tracing his name in his grave. Lorenzano. “I miss you.”

When you got up to leave the cemetery that night, you noticed a cloaked figure standing under an oak tree, looking over at you. You passed her on the way out. “Can I help you with something?” you asked, clearing your throat and straightening your posture.

You noticed her smile under the shadow of her hood. Eventually, she politely pulled it down her revealing dark curls. “I never managed to get to the funeral.” she explained and you nodded understandingly.

“Were you a friend of his?” you questioned curiously.

“I must admit, I misjudged his character.” She confessed with a small sigh.

“Most people did.” you frowned, knowing just how bad the world had treated Maxwell Lord.

“I um-- was hoping to find you here, actually,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. She looked remarkably strong. “I know how it feels to lose a loved one.”

“Okay?” you shuffled your feet awkwardly.

“I never had a friend to get me through it, and I don’t know what your situation is like, but please know that you’re not alone. Give me a call, anytime, and I’ll be there.” She said, handing you a small card with her name on.

Diana Prince.

Before you could reply, she was gone. Just like that. You sniffed, shoving the card in your pocket and heading home.

You didn’t need a friend.

You needed Max.

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story-scribbler · 3 years ago

Text

(un)welcome back: chapter two

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read on AO3

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Fuck.

Shit.

Fuck.

Crap.

FUCK.

Rhysand continued to watch me, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards in amusement at my obvious surprise. That fucking smirk.

Memories came flooding back, breaking through from the depths of my mind where I’d banished them three years ago.

Rhysand laughing, the deep baritone of his voice ringing out, filling my soul with warmth.

Rhysand dancing with me in my apartment, grinning at me, bright and unrestrained.

Rhysand leaning in, his lips quirking up in that fucking smirk, brushing them gently against mine.

Rhysand touching me, his hands skimming my bare chest, drawing patterns only he could see upon my skin.

Rhysand—

Rhysand leaving.

Rhysand ignoring my calls.

Rhysand walking out of my life, and never turning back.

Tarquin nudged me gently, shaking me out of the grasp of my memories. “Are you good?” His eyes shone with concern, brows furrowed slightly.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Yeah, um.” I wrenched my eyes away from Rhysand’s figure, focusing on Tarquin. “Just saw someone that I…. who I haven’t seen in a long time.”

I breathed deep. Get it together, Feyre. Yes, Rhysand was here. Yes, I was fucking confused and surprised and hurt.

But I had a job to do. And I’d be damned if I didn’t do it well.

I forced myself to smile at Tarquin, gesturing for him to take us to our table. I could feel Rhysand’s gaze burning into my skin as we crossed the ballroom, and I sighed in relief as we finally made it to our seats. Our two-seat table was tucked into the corner of the ballroom, hiding us away yet giving us a perfect view of the entire hall. No doubt the credit for our isolated, yet strategically placed table was due to Alis and her many, many, many connections in the art industry.

Now, it was time to make use of those connections and earn the gallery some money. I scanned the program at my place, Tarquin doing the same next to me. The orchestra was slotted to play for the next hour, and I could hear the faint strains of the ensemble tuning from where they were seated on the opposite side of the hall. Typically, the wait staff passed out hors d'oeuvres and champagne during these types of performances, making it a good time for us to go out and mingle. Alcohol always loosened tongues. And wallets.

“Once the guests at the front tables start moving around, then we can go,” Tarquin said. “I can take the back tables, and you can go try talking to Helion.”

I smirked at him, mustering up the bravado that had come so easily to me before. “Just you wait. I’ll have Helion in our pockets by the end of the evening.”

He smiled softly at me. “I have no doubt of that.”

His words sent a rush of warmth through me, and I returned his grin, although not as easily as I did before. Rhysand’s presence still weighed heavily on my mind. And on my heart.

We sat for a few minutes, just long enough for me to get antsy. I drummed my fingers on my silk-covered thighs, tapped my heels against the marble floor. Sitting still made my mind wander, wander over to thoughts of violet eyes and black hair and sensual smirks and fiery kisses. To empty apartments and unanswered calls and ignored texts. To the three years ago, when my life felt like it was just beginning. To three years and three months later, when it all went to shit.

The orchestra began to play, sliding into the strains of a gentle melody that perfectly matched the ambiance of the room, yet didn’t overpower it. Tarquin nodded to me before pushing his chair back and gracefully striding across the ballroom. I did the same, heading in the opposite direction as he did.

I wove my way through the ballroom, between the veritable maze of tables and chairs, nodding to the guests I recognized. Emerie, a friend of Nesta’s, was seated in the middle of the ballroom, chatting animatedly to a red-haired woman. She waved to me as I passed her table, and I returned the gesture, not wanting to interrupt, before continuing on, recognizing the head of auburn hair standing in front of me.

I snuck up behind Lucien, grabbing his shoulders from behind. He startled, whipping around as I relished in the look of surprise on his face.

“Jesus, Feyre.” He shook his head at me in mock annoyance, auburn hair swishing with the movement. “A simple ‘hello’ would’ve been fine, you know,” he snarked.

I bit my lip to restrain my cackling. It wasn’t often that I could sneak up on Lucien, and I was enjoying my victory. “Hey Lucien.”

My relationship with Lucien was strained, after …. everything, but he had reached out a few months before, asking to meet for coffee. We had been friends since our freshman year of college, when I had met him and Tamlin. After almost eight years of friendship, I missed him, and from what he said, he missed me, and our friendship. We weren’t necessarily friends again yet, but hopefully, we were getting there.

“You look nice,” he said, before asking bluntly, “You know that Rhysand is here, right?”

I winced. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Lucien was somewhat aware of the Rhysand situation, having asking after all my friends at our coffee date. He didn’t know all the details, but he knew that it was an ugly situation. Despite the rather unpleasant reminder, I was grateful that Lucien thought to warn me.

He looked at me sympathetically. “Good luck with that. He’s sitting with Helion too.”

“Yup,” I said tightly. Apparently, my tone told Lucien all he needed to know.

“Let me guess, that’s your target for the night.” It wasn’t a question.

I grimaced.

“Well. Good luck with that,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. “It’s time for me to go rub elbows of my own.”

I waved my fingers at him as he walked away, shooting me finger-guns as he went. Lucien was a curator at the Velaris National Museum of History, which meant that he too needed to go squeeze donations out of the wealthy guests.

Speaking of, I really needed to go talk to Helion before someone else monopolized his attention. I snatched up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter, forcing myself to not chug the entire thing in one go, lest I look like an unsophisticated heathen in the midst of all this finery. Regardless of the fact that I would most certainly need something to get me through this night.

Because I was about to go talk to Helion. Who was at the same table as Rhysand. Who I hadn’t heard from in Three. Fucking. Years.

Steeling myself, I maneuvered myself over to where Helion was now standing, chatting with Kallias and Viviane, Kallias’s hand resting gently on Viviane’s back. A rush of relief sank through my body upon seeing his company. Rhysand was nowhere to be found, and Viviane was a friend of Mor’s, which meant that starting this conversation wouldn’t be awkward.

Luckily, Viviane spotted me as I approached them.

“Feyre,” she called out, gesturing for me to join them. She smiled mischievously at me. As a friend of Mor’s, she knew that I was a curator, and that my entire purpose for tonight was to get donations and sell gallery pieces. She was also well-aware that Helion was extremely, extremely, extremely wealthy. And being the smart woman that she was, she likely connected the dots between me coming up to their group, and Helion’s presence there.

I sidled up to their group, accepting Viviane’s hug of welcome.

“Viviane, Kallias,” I smiled warmly at the couple. “It’s good to see you both.”

Kallias inclined his head in return. “Likewise, Feyre. Have you seen Rhys—”

I stifled a laugh as Viviane not-so-subtly elbowed him in the stomach. He took the hint immediately, wincing apologetically in my direction. I smiled gratefully at Viviane for her intervention. As a friend of Mor’s, Viviane was also aware of what had happened with Rhysand, but apparently, Kallias hadn’t remembered.

Beside me, Helion took in our awkward expressions with curiosity before smirking down at me.

Viviane jumped to attention. “Helion, have you met—”

“Feyre Archeron,” he drawled, taking me by surprise. I didn’t think he would remember my name, but apparently, I was wrong.

He extended his left hand, the other being occupied by a wine glass, and I shook it firmly.

“Helion Dayes,” I purred back, matching his tone.

Amused delight shone in his eyes. “Let me guess, you’re here to swindle me out of my money.”

“So what if I am?” I smirked at him. “It worked out so well for me before.”

Indeed, the last time we had met, I managed to get a sizable donation of a few thousand. As well as convinced him to buy a few of the more expensive pieces from the gallery. In total, I got about $80,000 from him. Alis had gifted me some very expensive wine in gratitude, which Azriel and I had enjoyed immensely as we spent the night getting drunk off our asses.

Despite the fact that Helion himself had been drunk off his ass when he made the donations, it appeared that he still remembered opening his wallet that night.

Helion sighed exaggeratedly. “I’ll spare you the posturing, although I know you’re good at it. Will a twenty-thousand donation suffice for my lady?”

Well, that was easy.

Not letting my surprise shine through, I shrugged nonchalantly. Twenty-thousand was more than enough, but if Helion was in a particularly generous mood…. Well, I might as well take advantage of it. Beside us, Viviane and Kallias watched with amusement.

Helion clicked his tongue, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “You drive a hard bargain, Feyre.”

“What can I say?” I said, meeting his gaze. “I’m very good at my job.”

“I bet that’s not the only job--”

Kallias coughed loudly next to me, shooting a warning glare at Helion. Viviane was practically shaking with restrained laughter, lips quivering as she fought to keep them shut.

I simply quirked an eyebrow up at Helion. If that was intended to fluster me, well, Cassian and I had certainly traded lewder insults than that.

“Fine,” he said, shaking his head at Kallias, before turning his attention back to me. “Do you have any gallery pieces that I’d be interested in?”

“Depends on what you’re interested in,” I said lazily, sipping my champagne.

“A Feyre Archeron original, perhaps?” he said as he fixed me with that piercing gaze of his.

“Excuse me?”

What the fuck.

“Well, it’s just that I’ve heard, from a very good friend of mine, mind you, that you’re an extremely talented artist.” His eyes danced with amusement as he took a long drag of his wine. He knew, then.

Fucking Rhysand.

Rhysand was one of the few, apart from my other friends, who knew about my painting. Helion knew then, knew about Rhysand and I. Whether it be through the rumor mill, or from Rhysand himself, he knew.

I forced myself not to squirm, even as I could feel Helion’s hidden amusement. “It appears that your source is mistaken. After all, other than Viviane and Kallias here, I don’t believe we have any mutual friends.”

Helion cocked his head to the side, opening his mouth. He cut himself off, however, eyes flicking up to look behind me. He smirked. “Give him hell for me, why don’t you,” he said, sauntering away.

And a voice that I hadn’t heard in three years sounded from behind me.

“Hello, Feyre darling.”

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