#also joked about how his dad is 'straight' but has a list of celebrity men he'd hop into bed with if given a chance

[dyrewrites]

"I still don't know which I like..." my son said with this world-weary sigh.

Middle school is when a lot of kids start making these discoveries and it seems all of his friends have figured themselves out. To a point. While he's meandering in the 'everyone is pretty but I don't know if I care beyond that' stage.

So I told him, as I do whenever he says this, "that's fine, you don't need to know yet."

"I don't?"

I think he forgets every time, probably because it's a topic that so many put all this importance on. Like you're going to die if you don't have sex or something. Which is ludicrous. But we go over it a lot and I try to be patient, because no one was with me.

"You don't need to like either one," I told him, as I have before.

And he acted shocked, as he has before, "What, I can choose none?"

"Yeah, there's even a name for it."

"What. What is it."

"Asexual, meaning no sexual attraction to anyone."

"I didn't know that was an option."

"Well, it is. You have many options and whatever you decide is comfortable, your dad and I will love you anyway. Remember that, if nothing else."

"Okay, yeah. I still...I don't know what I like. But it's nice to know."

He was mumbling after, and hurrying because he chose to start this conversation at drop-off for school this morning.

Great timing, little man. Great timing.

[afro-elf]

fine, i’ll elaborate on my thoughts about tylor sift but they will be disorganized

disclaimer: i know a few people will read this and be like “op is a hozier fan can she really talk about the cultural obsession with mediocre white art?” and the answer is yes because a) i’m black and i have an english degree so can do whatever i fucking want, b) hozier is a better artist than taylor objectively, like his mediocre tracks would be considered her great ones, and c) the comparison of taylor to hozier is part of the problem Genuinely because i don’t even think white people like half the music they listen to, they just don’t wanna be left behind, we’ll get into this later. i’m sorry to everyone who is tired of hearing about him but hozier will be returning later in this post jsfglsjlgldsjlfd

second note: read this

i don’t just dislike taylor because she’s white. i don’t dislike taylor because she’s a woman. i don’t dislike her because she writes mean and petty lyrics about past relationships and people who wronged her. i don’t dislike taylor because her public circle of friends is almost exclusively blonde white celebrities with their own laundry lists of issues that includes ryan reynolds and blake lively who are poster children for white privilege and pseudo-excellence if i’ve ever seen them. i dislike taylor because the amalgamation of all of those things is so exemplary of a huge problem i have with the music industry in general but also like american society

fuck it, numbered list!

1. taylor swift consistently releases the same mediocre album but in different colors. every album is the same lyrically and tonally. her body of work rarely goes very far above “good for taylor swift”. folklore as both title and musical aesthetic is irrelevant to the actual content of the album, which is just every taylor swift album except set to folk pop and with a bit more cussing, congrats for baby’s first swear. i’ve seen folklore compared to much better bodies of work and even propped up by stans as album of the year, a distinction that rina sawayama and chloe x halle will be battling it out for if there is any justice in the world at all. the fact that she is allowed to do this and still be considered great when this is something that even white male artists are butchered critically for... astounds me. like we all know how well received all of coldplay’s similar sounding albums are.... Come on. 

2. i don’t think taylor or her work is particularly feminist and yet for some reason every time she frowns an army of white women brings her kleenex. i’m not saying taylor’s anger has always been unjustified, but her feminism to me has always felt like “i can do whatever a man can do” feminism, which is utterly fucking useless to me as a black woman. it’s only useful to her because as a wealthy, white, straight, cis white woman her ONLY obstacle in life is her gender. and if she just didn’t have that tricky little bitch then maybe people would take her seriously. like, just think about her music video for the man... what was the thesis of that? what was the point of that? with all of her privileges she’d just be gaining a single extra privilege. she’s a blonde blue eyed thin white girl, the world kisses her feet. i have no interest in proving myself any better or any worse than white men, they are not the standard for how a person should be treated, they’re cautionary tales, and white women are too. i think taylor capitalizes off of white woman victimhood, and it’s all over her writing style. even when she’s trying to be empowered, like in mad woman for example, there is this tone to it of victimization, poking the bear, unleashing the beast if you will. she invokes the imagery of salem witches and even more boldly chooses a noose to write about in the song which is..... surely going to be a white tumblr staple for many gifsets to come but holy shit is it hollow. she also tends to come back to teenage memories in her music and she’s thirty. i don’t think about being seventeen unless i’m being held at gunpoint but she seems to think about it All The Time. and part of this is to keep herself young, at least in her music, which only further ingrains this image of fragile teeny bopper taylor into the mind of the listener, fueling her victim image. this imagery and language means nothing because the world always rallies around taylor. even when she was the butt of jokes for not being beyonce (which she is not and never can be) and writing about her exes (which she does), she was largely supported by the industry and by critics. look at how many fucking awards she has!

3. folk and indie and alternative music is in a moment of transition, where musicians of color are getting the chance to really speak about how they’ve been treated in these overwhelmingly white circles and create their own standards and their own voices. and for taylor swift to swoop in with aaron dessner and jack antonoff fantano and almost reassert that mid-2010s indie sound as The Sound of folk pop in the popular consciousness.... it makes me violent! it! makes! me! violent! 

4. back to hozier! finally, i wanna talk about white standom, fandom, bandom, and womandom. i often see these very superficial comparisons between hozier and taylor (and hozier and florence and hozier and stevie nicks and hozier and whatever other white woman in fashion) and they frustrate me for more than one reason. i know that hozier has met taylor and said she’s cool, which is nice of him and he’s a nice man, but i’m not a nice man so i’m going to just say it: none of the people who have made those posts have listened to more than four hozier songs and it shows. the reason why this matters is because these posts catch on and create an image and preconception of hozier’s music that is divorced from reality and divorced from his influences and most importantly divorced from the deliberate and reverent blackness of his musical style. hozier has his white male privilege in the industry for sure but he’s not as towering of a giant as taylor and taylor’s music is an unsalted chicken, plain oatmeal, white paint drying on a white wall, a stick of unflavored gum. her music is so white it told me that its dad is a cop. i am, as a black hozier fan, exhausted with having to share space with white women who don’t know why hozier’s music kicks me in my lungs sometimes and think that taylor mentioning a tree ONCE in her 3 minute acoustic guitar slog about whatever suburb is the same when it simply is not. i swear some of you are pretending to love taylor because your friends love her and you don’t wanna be left out of the hot new musical discourse but she’s only the hot new musical discourse CONSTANTLY because she’s a white woman, she’s almost the Perfect white woman. like if someone asked me to describe a white woman, it would be taylor swift. her position at the top of the musical pyramid among people who eclipse her musically, vocally, and lyrically is only allowed because she’s The Perfect White Woman. she’s an ideal. white girls relate to her immediately because of it and now we have this unshakable mob of unbearable white women who think that the world has wronged someone who literally wrote fanfiction about the rich oil heiress white woman who owned her rhode island mansion before her aklghlghdhlgs it drives me fucking NUTS 

anyway that’s all. if you made it this far, listen to adia victoria, kaia kater, samantha crain, valerie june, kelsey lu, corinne bailey rae, brittany howard, kimya dawson, japanese breakfast, cold specks, left at london, rhiannon giddens, aisha badru, shea diamond, nadine shah, xenia rubinos, karen o, mirel wagner.... Anyone

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

I've never done a rec request before but here goes. (I also don't know if you're taking rec requests right now or if that's something I should check obvi ignore this if you're not I'm sorry for bothering) I was just reading some fics on one of your sterek meet cute rec lists and I was wondering if you knew of any Halloween themed sterek meet cute? I wanna get into the holiday spirit. 😃😃

hahaha. Well....this is awkward, @coastalmedusa. Um..happy halloween, I guess.

Treat by DarkJediQueen

(1/1 I 1,714 I Teen I Jodran/Stiles)

There was something fun about going to the bars on Halloween in Beacon Hills, where one never knew if someone was letting their inner creature out or just having a lot of fun with make-ups. Stiles loved finding out which.

To Fling or Not to Fling by Lostariel

(1/1 I 2,114 I Teen I Sterek)

“A trebuchet? What the hell are they doing with a trebuchet??”

“They are flinging pumpkins, of course.”

Something Spooky, Something Blue by crossroadswrite

(1/1 I 2,483 I General I Sterek)

Derek sighs and boredly stuffs a handful of gummi bears in his mouth, straight out of a Halloween candy bowl Aunt Olivia insists in buying every year even if they never get trick or treaters this far into the woods.

He tilts his head and tunes back into the boys’ conversation, which has been the prime time entertainment of the Hales for the past ten minutes or so.

“It’s dark,” one of the boys whines.

“Don’t be a baby, Scott,” the second chastises.

“But, I don’t wanna,” Scott whines, like a baby.

He Had No-Body To Go With! by Anonymous

(1/1 I 2,895 I General I Sterek)

Single Dad Derek and his daughter celebrate Halloween with Derek's fairy boyfriend Stiles:

"Get it? No body, as in- nobody, but also, no body." Stiles laughed, eyes glinting merrily, before frowning when Derek didn't respond. "Do you get it? Because he's a skeleton?"

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. "I get the joke, Stiles."

"Right, so...make with the laughing."

The five year old looked between the two men; examining her dad's exasperation and Stiles' confusion. She decided to take matters into her own hands, and cleared her throat. They both looked at her. "I get it. And the uh- the fungus didn't go with the skeleton either. Because uh...because there wasn't mushroom at the party."

Stiles bursts out laughing, high-fiving Isabella gleefully, and Derek smacks himself in the face and wonders how he ended up with the both of them in his life.

Little Red Riding Hood (you sure are looking good) by textbookchoices

(1/1 I 10,216 I Explicit I Sterek)

Stiles hangs out with werewolves. Stiles dresses up as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. It's supposed to be ironic.

Intermediate Braiding Skills by apocryphal

(1/1 I 10,428 I General I Sterek)

In which Lydia assembles her Halloween costume, learns to make friends, and shamelessly exploits her father's crush on Stiles Stilinski.

The (Horizontal) Monster Mash by taylorpotato for jfar09 (Holmes_Watson)

(4/4 I 17,350 I Explicit I Sterek)

It figures that, living in Beacon Hills, Stiles would eventually become a creature of the night. But he should have hopped on the werewolf train when Peter offered it, because being a vampire sucks.

Hunger For Your Touch by WhoNatural

(1/1 I 42,066 I Explicit I Sterek)

“I got you, my dad, a gorgeous home... a freaking cat... Guess I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

It does.

Dead Things by standinginanicedress

(6/6 I 89,100 I Explicit I Sterek)

Derek blows some more smoke out. He chooses to look at Stiles’ mouth instead of in his eyes, again. “I need you to bring someone back.”

“Back.”

“From the dead.”

“Absolutely not,” Stiles scoffs, shaking his head. “Not for you, not for all the money in the world.”

Derek looks at him, just looks. He is not going to accept no for an answer, and Stiles knows it, but it doesn’t matter, because Stiles will not do that. He cannot do that, not again. “Why not for me in specific?”

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

Hometown

Sebastian Stan x Fem!Reader

Warnings: small age gap (8 years, your 30 he's 38), Swearing

Summary: The reader brings her Boyfriend Sebastian to visit her family for Thanksgiving

Town name and your family's names are made up btw.

Part 2

A/n: Hi y'all Happy Thanksgiving!

You were practically bouncing off the walls in excitement when you woke up this morning. It was the day before Thanksgiving and you were bringing your Boyfriend, Sebastian Stan to visit your family with you, you had moved out of your small town where your family lives when you were 18 because you wanted to follow your dream of being a actress which you succeeded in after starting in a movie with Chris Evans two years ago. At a party Chris had invited you to he introduced you and Sebastian. Currently you were dragging Sebastian through the gate excited to see your family.. "Babe my brothers are waiting come on!" You said. He shook his head jogging to keep up with you.

"Dragoste they aren't gonna leave us here slow down!"

"You don't know that hurry up!" You said. This would be the first time in almost a year you saw your older brothers and to say your excited would be an understatement. You hadn't seen them since the Christmas. You are also excited to meet your youngest niece who was born a few months prior to thanksgiving. You made it out of the gate and looked around spotting the four men, three of them were sitting down a baby stroller sitting next to them, the fourth man stood beside them. "There they are!" You exclaimed letting go of your boyfriends hand and began running to the men. "Matty!" You tackled the man that was standing.

"Jeez!!" He exclaimed falling, the others looked at you shaking their head at you. "Hi baby sis."

"Hi!" You stood up giving hugs to the other three men as Sebastian made it over. "Sebastian these are my brothers, Matt, Jon, Mike, and Justin. Boys this is my boyfriend, Sebastian." You introduced. Your brothers stood up straight giving Sebastian a intimidating look. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried to meet your older brothers. He was under the impression that they were stereotypical over protective brothers. He knows you are their only sister and the youngest of the five of you. Matthew being the oldest at thirty-seven, Jonathan is thirty-six, Mike is thirty-five, and Justin is thirty four, and you are thirty.

"Hello." Sebastian said shifting on his feet nervously before your brothers broke into smiles.

"Hey Man. Welcome to the family!" Matt said pulling him in a hug. You shook your head laughing as your brothers hugged him and welcomed him to the family. He is the first guy you've brought home since you moved when you were 18.

"Is this my baby niece?" You bent down in front of the stroller where a two-month-old baby sat.

"Yes she is." Justin said.

"Hi there Nora. I'm your auntie y/n." You said in a baby voice. Sebastian looked at you fondly as you made faces and cooed at the baby.

"Okay let's go get your luggage Mom and dad are waiting for us." Matthew said. You stuck your tongue at at him before standing. You grabbed your before hand before the 6 of you before walking to luggage claim. You guys made it to luggage claim grabbing your bags before heading out to Jonathan's mini-van which you teased him for.

"So how do you two meet?" Matt asked as he leaned back in the seat. You didn't tell your family much about yours and Sebastian's relationship.

"At a party Chris invited me to." You said.

"That's all not some exciting and adorable story? Wait Chris?" Justin asked.

"Chris Evans. My co-star? I told you bout him! The guy with the adorable dog!" You said looking down at your phone.

"Oh! That guy!"

"Chris was adamant in us meeting." Sebastian chuckled with you.

"Sebastian. Your an actor like her right?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sebastian nodded.

"You're in those marvel movies? My twins talk about them all the time." Jonathan said.

"And so does my oldest." Mike said.

"Yeah I play the Winter Soldier." Sebastian said smiling.

"Cool man I think thats my daughters favorite." Jonathan replied.

"You don't know Samantha's favorite character from movies she talks about 24-7?" Justin asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's him." Jon shrugged as he turned the car down the street leading into your hometown.

"Grayson said something about her favorite being Captain America though." Mike said.

"Ooooh! Jax's favorite is The winter soldier!" Jon said in realization as the car made it into town.

"In a whole year this place didn't even change a bit." You muttered looking out the window as the car passed by shops and houses.

"It never does." Matt said.

"Hey, are my other nieces and nephews waiting at mom and dad's house for us?" You asked your brothers. They each have kids, Matt has two Luna and Benji they are thirteen and eight, Jonathan has four Samantha, and Jaxon who are twins and fourteen, Violet and Hazel who are ten, and nine, Mike has four boys, Grayson, Jasper, Levi, and Griffin who are fourteen, twelve, ten, and four, Justin has three Leo, Oliver, and Nora, they are seven, five and Nora is just a baby. You were the only one without kids but that was because you wanted to wait till you were married to have children.

"No Griffin is but the rest went to get something from Jon's house before we left so they probably aren't back yet." Mike told you as the car pulled into the driveway of a two story house that was far from the street with a large yard that was surrounded by woods after.

"We're here!" You said excitedly as you unbuckled your car. In addition to not seeing your brothers for a year you also didn't see their wives who you were close with since they became your big sisters the second they met you. You had seen your parents when they came to a premiere for one of your movies. Jon parked the car and you climbed out going with Sebastian to the trunk to get your luggage. "See Seb told ya my brothers would love you." You said, he was nervous about coming for two reasons one was leaving his mom alone for the holiday but the three of you decided to celebrate it early, and the other one was just because of the fact the first time he'd be meeting your brothers and most of your family would be on a big holiday.

"You were right dragoste but you still have more family." He said leaning down to kiss you.

"No PDA!" Matt said before Sebastian's lips met your. You pulled away glaring at your brother before you shut the trunk of the van and began to wheel the suitcases up to the house with Sebastian right next to you looking around at the house.

"Mom! We're back!" Mike shouted as the 6 of you entered the house with the addition of Nora who was asleep in her car seat. A four-year-old boy came running at full speed toward you crashing into your legs hugging them tight.

"Griffin!" You said picking the little boy up and giving him a tight hug.

"Hi Auntie!" The boy said before looking up at the man standing beside you. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sebastian, your Aunts boyfriend." Sebastian said smiling at the boy.

"Uncle?" Griffin asked beaming with excitement.

"Sure buddy." Griffin made grabby hands toward Sebastian who gladly took him. You couldn't help but smile at how Sebastian was with your nephew.

"Hun!" Your mom came out of the kitchen pulling you into a hug immediately.

"Hi momma." You said. The two of you pulled away so you could hug your dad while your mom gave Sebastian a hug. "Hi dad."

You walked into the living room Sebastian no longer holding Griffin but Griffin was holding his hand. "Y/n!" You sister in laws said smiling at you, Justin's wife, Elizabeth was the first on to give you a hug, then Colleen, Jon`s wife gave you one followed by Autumn, Matt`s Wife.

"Mommy! This is Uncle Sebastian!" Griffin said to Kristina his mom.

"So your the man Y/n talked about. Nice to meet you I'm Kristina." She said smiling at your boyfriend.

"You too. I'm Sebastian." Your other three sisters-in-law introduced themselves before you showed Sebastian to the room you two would be staying in. "This is where you grew up?" He asked looking at the decorations you had left in the small bedroom when you moved out. "Is this you?" He picked up a photo of you freshman year of high school with braces, you were in a cheer-leading uniform on the back of Justin who was in a football jersey.

"Yeah." You said blushing.

"You were adorable." He said before smirking. "Think you'd still fit in the cheerleader outfit?" He asked suggestively.

"Sebastian!" You exclaimed pushing him playfully making the two of you laugh.

"Seriously you'd be hot in it." He said leaning down to kiss you.

"Whatever you say babe." You laughed hugging him before you heard the sound of 11 kids voices. "You get to meet my favorite people are you ready? This will break or make you." You joked.

"I think I'd rather stay up here with you alone... Wait I thought I was your favorite person!." He said pouting causing you to laugh and push him playfully again.

"Sorry but they win your higher on the list then my brothers though!." You said before three little boys ran into the room. "My boys!" You said leaning down opening your arms for the three to run into them.

"Hi Auntie y/n!" The youngest of the three boys, Oliver said.

"Auntie n/n I missed you!" The oldest of the three, Benji said.

"Auntie y/n who's he?" Leo, Olivers brother asked pulling away from the hug to look up at Sebastian.

"I'm Sebastian." Sebastian said leaning down to their height.

"He's uncle Seb!" Griffin said as he walking in his older brother, Grayson following.

"Your actually dating Sebastian Stan! I thought dad was lying!" Grayson exclaimed staring at the man, Sebastian chuckled at the excitement of your nephew.

"Hi what's your name?" Sebastian asked not directing it to one of the boys in particular though he had a guess to which was which. You told him about all of them.

"I'm Benji. Can we actually call you uncle Seb?"

"Sure." Sebastian said.

"I'm Leo! Uncle Seb how does Grayson know who you are?"

"I'm the winter solider." Sebastian said in a hushed secretive tone.

"Cool! I'm Oliver!" Sebastian stood up looking at the teenager waiting to hear his name though he know it was Grayson because of what Leo had said. You stood up holding Oliver.

"I'm Grayson.. Do I have to call you uncle?" Grayson asked. He was a fan sure him and two of his cousins loved marvel but he found calling a guy he just met uncle a little strange now it may not seem weird to his four year old brother or younger cousins but that's mainly because they are young.

"No." Sebastian said.

"Come on now Seb has to meet the others now." You said.

"Jax is going to freak." Grayson said leaving the bedroom you, Sebastian, and the younger boys following behind. "Me, him, and Samantha are massive fans." He said. You couldn't help but smile already seeing your boyfriend bond with your nephews.

"Really? Were all three of you team cap?" Sebastian asked.

"Sebastian stan!" A girls voice exclaimed from the bottom of the stares where two teens who looked alike stood staring at your boyfriend.

"Hi!" Sebastian said waving at them as you guys made your ways down the stairs.

"I'm here too!" You pouted. Jaxon was the first to break from the trance and give you a hug, then Samantha did the same as your younger nephews ran off to play.

"Your actually dating Sebastian stan?" Samantha asked you.

"No he's just a cardboard cutout." You joked.

"A really realistic one." Your boyfriend said.

"Hi! I'm Jaxon! This is my twin Samantha."

"Grayson said you guys are fans. Were you two on team cap?" Sebastian asked.

"I was on team ironman." Grayson said.

"I was team cap!" Samantha said.

"Team Ironman." Sebastian feigned hurt as he gasped.

"But I'm dating you aunt and I'm on team cap." He said.

"We're still team ironman." Grayson said.

"You my favorite." Sebastian whispered to Samantha jokingly.

"Ha!" She said to Grayson and Jaxon sticking her tongue out at them.

"She's only on team Cap because she has a crush on Chris Evans." Jaxon said. You couldn't help but laugh. You knew about this crush because your niece was so excited to know you were starring in a film with Chris.

"Jax!" Samantha exclaimed smacking him. The two of them began argue as siblings do. You and Grayson just shrugged when Sebastian looked at you guys.

"Was that my fault?" Sebastian whispered to you.

"No they fight over nonsense all the time." You assured. "Come one you still have to meet the rest of my nieces and nephews." You said leaving the teenagers to figure out their problems on their own.

"Uncle Seb! Come play with us!" Griffin ran over to you two pulling Sebastian outside where you noticed most of your family was now. Griffin pulled Sebastian to where your nieces and nephews except the oldest three were playing soccer. You sat down next to Justin who was feeding nora.

"The kids seem to love him. I've never seen Oliver this outgoing around an adult that isn't one of us." He said watching as Oliver kicked the soccer ball to Sebastian.

"Yeah." You agreed watching as Luna blocked the ball from the diy goals that were set up in the front yard. They were just arches made out of some extra wood from a project your parents did a while ago those arches have been their since you were six. There were two that we're across from each other.

"You finally found a good guy sis." Matt said as he sat down next to you. "And he's good with kids."

You watched as the three teenagers who formerly inside came out to join their cousins/siblings. "He's got the teens playing with the little kids! I can't even get Grayson to watch Griffin for a few minutes." Mike said joining the three of you.

"Why aren't you out there? Your the pro at playing soccer with them." Jonathan said walking over. You shrugged watching as Hazel kicked the ball to Sebastian it accidentally hitting him in the crotch. He let out a groan that your couldn't hear as he fell to the ground.

"Sorry!" Hazel exclaimed as you ran down to them.

"You okay babe?" You asked Sebastian.

"Yeah just need a break." He said staying in his position on the grass groaning.

"You killed him." Samantha said jokingly to her sister.

"I didn't mean too!"

"Girls he'll be fine he's just being a big baby." You joked. Sebastian glared at you finally sitting up before you tackled you smirking at you.

"Dogpile on Aunt y/n!" Samantha exclaimed before jumping onto Sebastian's back making you and your boyfriend groan. The rest of your nieces and nephews joined besides Nora for obvious reasons. Unbeknownst to you and Sebastian, Colleen took a photo.

"Okay can I be free now?" You asked.

"No!" Griffin said.

"You have to give us cookies before dinner!" Oliver said.

"Okay fine but you can't tell my brothers or your moms." You agreed. The kids got off and ran into the house ready for their cookies. Your brothers were all gonna go home with their families before dinner so this was the only chance for your nieces and nephews to get their cookies.

"So doll you said that would make or break me how did I do?" Sebastian asked holding himself above you with his hands on either side of your head.

"You did great even my brothers admitted it." You said smiling. "Now come one there are thirteen kids waiting for cookies it's going to become a riot if they don't get any." You said as Sebastian got off helping you up.

The rest of the day went great your brothers and sisters-in-law loved him, the kids adored him. It is now Thanksgiving, your brothers and their families are already here the kids, you, and Sebastian watching the parade on Tv. You leaned against Sebastian 's shoulder as your nieces and nephews excitedly pointed at the floats. Nora was sat your lap sucking on a binky as she watched her brothers and cousins go crazy over the floats.

"Doll when are we gonna have one of these?" Sebastian asked looking down at the baby.

"Not for awhile Stan." You said bouncing the baby. You actually loved being the cool aunt that didn't have any kids of her own especially when sometimes during the summer you get to bring your older nieces and nephews back to New York with you for the summer which they always love. It's really only when you don't have any filming going on.

"But come on I think Nora wants a new cousin." He smirked at you.

"I think she should beg her other aunts and uncles for one then." You said.

"Please I want a cousin close to my age!" He lifted the baby up the his face her facing you as he did a baby voice.

"Not happening." You laughed taking you niece back. "Keep dreamin babe. But you gotta put a ring on my finger before you put a baby in me." You looked but at your nieces and nephews who were laughing and playing around.

"Will you marry me." He whisper pulling a ring pop out of a candy bowl your parents had in the living room for the kids. You couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry but I like my jewelry not to be edible." You joked trying to take the ring.

"No! You don't get the ring you said no!" He pouted.

"Hey love birds! Stop flirting while you have my daughter on your laps!" Justin said walking over and taking the baby from you. "I'm sorry baby that must have been scary."

"Okay okay Justin." You laughed. "We won't flirt anymore.

"Speak for yourself. I can't resist it." Sebastian said pulling you closer to him making you laugh.

"Whatever Y/n Mom wants you in the kitchen."

You stood giving you boyfriend a smile before walking into the kitchen. "Yes mom?" You asked.

"Can you and Sebastian go down to the basement to kid the kids table and chairs?" She asked not looking up at you from the turkey.

"Okay." You turned around going to the living. "Seb come help me get the kids table and chairs." You said peaking into the living. You saw your sister in laws and brothers now there talking to your boyfriend.

"Coming doll." Sebastian stood up walking over to you before following you to the basement door.

"Into the dungeon." You said opening it to reveal some rickety looking stairs.

"Gonna lock me down here? My fans will notice I'm gone though." Sebastian laughed following you.

"Maybe I will." You laughed going over to a fold up table. "Here's the table let's get it up stairs." You said lifting a end of it. He grabbed the other end and the two of you brought it up the stairs. You set it in the dining room before going back to the basement to grab the chairs. After you finished grabbing everything, Levi and Jasper stole Sebastian to go play outside with while you set the table up. You sighed finishing setting up the table before going out the back door to see all of your nieces and nephews crowding around your boyfriend, him holding two of them, Jasper was on his back while he held Griffin on his hip. You couldn't help but smile before taking a photo of them for Instagram you captioned it happy thanks giving then posted it tagging Sebastian, your brothers, and your sister in laws in it. Your oldest three niece and nephews have Instagrams but you never tag them in your posts deciding to keep them away from the unwarranted fame that comes from being a actress' niece and nephews. Your boyfriend looked at you smiling as Jasper jumped off his back and Leo tried to take his cousin's spot.

"When will we have one of those! You need a mini you running around the apartment." Sebastian whisper to you as you guys went back into the dining room where your family had been waiting.

"Okay love birds cut it out!" Jon said rolling his eyes as you sat down. You stuck your tongue out at him. (Add saying grace if your family does. Mine doesn't so I don't know how to do that)

The dinner was filled with laughter as everyone began talking about what had happened in the year you hadn't seen each other. You and Sebastian went into better detail on how you met. You met him two years ago a month after filming the movie you were in with Chris E. Your sister in laws asked about the movies he had been two of them knowing a lot about the Marvel movies he had been in because of their kids. Your mom shared as many embarrassing stories as she could. "When she was 4 she was the bossiest kid, she'd make the boys make be in mini movies with her, we still have some of those I'll find them." She said.

"Mom! No!" You whined laughing.

"I'm sure you were just as good of an actress back then as you are now." Sebastian said smiling at you. You shook your head.

"No the videos are so embarrassing." You mumbled.

"Yeah for all of us! You used to make us put your tiny ass pink dresses on." Matt said. They could never say no to you. So wearing a pink dress 7 sizes too small was something they did for you. You didn't fit into those dresses again until you was 13 because they stretched them out.

"You didn't have to say yes!" You laughed.

"None of us could say no to you! You would pull the puppy dog eyes then we'd be in dresses!" Justin said. Sebastian laughed knowing exactly what Justin meant. He could resist your puppy dog eyes either.

"Or our Halloween candy! You took all my snickers!" Mike said pouting.

"Your still mad at me for that! I did the dishes for a month to make it up to you!" You said laughing.

"Get over it babe." Kristina said. She knew all about this whole thing as she was friends with your brother most of your guys childhoods.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Mike whined.

"She likes me more!" You teased sticking your tongue out at him. Sebastian watched fondly as you and your family joked and brought up old stories. He smiled every time you got embarrassed over a story your brothers and their wives decided to bring up. You looked over at him a smile so big that looked it hurt.

"Sebastian do you have any new roles? I already know y/n has a project coming up." Autumn asked you before taking a sip of her wine.

"Filming for Falcon and the winter soldier started a few months ago actually." Sebastian said beginning to talk about his role to which there was plenty input shouted from the kid's table from Grayson and the twins.

After dinner everyone watched a movie once it was over your brothers and their families went home then you and Sebastian retreated to your bedroom. "You told me you only use your puppy dog eyes on me." Sebastian said pouting at you.

"No I just implied that I never made it a fact." You smirked at him hugging him. "You know maybe we should have a baby. The world need another Stan." You thought aloud. Though you probably only thought that due to the fact you got baby fever everytime you were around your brothers kids.

"Really?" Sebastian looked down at you beaming with delight.

"Sure why not?" You said closing your eyes as you rested you head on his chest.

"Maybe we should start trying." He smirked as your eyes popped open and glared at him.

"No! My family is still here." You said. "We'll start trying for a baby when we get home." You muttered.

"But why not a headstart." He pushed a little harder jokingly, he, in reality, didn't mind waiting but he liked how you looked when you got annoyed he found it cute.

"Because my parents are down stairs!"

"They won't hear." He teased smiling at you as you scrunched you eyebrows up glaring at him. "Chill baby I'm joking." You sighed laying you head on his chest once again.

"You better be." You mumbled yawning.

"Come on baby let's get you ready for bed." He kissed your forehead smiling at you. He was immensely happy with you agreeing to start a family.

You woke up the next morning remembering your talk with Sebastian and you couldn't help but smile. Especially when you began thinking about what your family's reactions were gonna be. You knew your brothers would be excited for another niece or nephew, you parents would be a little iffy as you want to start before marriage, the kids would love having another cousin, and your sisters in law have been saving their kids clothing for you since each of their youngests except Elizabeth's grew out of them. You rolled over to look at Sebastian but found that he wasn't there. You furrowed your brows before climbing out of bed to make your way downstairs to find him, but first you got dressed. As you were making your way to the stairs you could hear talking from downstairs. You made it to the kitchen where Colleen was smiling ear to ear at you with Sebastian sitting next to her with a guilty look on his face, your parents weren't in the room but you could hear them talking in the living room.

"Your trying for a baby!!! Your gonna be a mom!" Colleen squealed jumping up and down giving you a hug.

"How did you find that out?"

"I let it slip on accident." Sebastian gave you an apologetic smile.

"Colleen you can't tell anyone!" You said.

"Fine but when you find the gender out! I have some adorable clothes from each of my kids you can have!"

"Thank you." You chuckled before going to sit down by Sebastian. "Good job."

"I didn't mean to."

"It's fine babe." You said giving him a kiss.

"You guys are so in love you two better make me a bridesmaid at the wedding." Colleen said before leaving to kitchen.

By the time the week ended your family grew attached to Sebastian. Your oldest three niece and nephews were definitely the most attached enjoying to ask him questions about the marvel movies and their favorite actors from the franchise Sebastian was a little butt hurt he wasn't any of theirs favorites. Your younger nieces and nephews loved him, the girls all managed to get him dressed up as a princess with a tutu and all. You obviously posted a photo of him and your nieces all dressed up. Your older brothers were definitely grateful that he was the guy you brought home knowing you have had plenty of failed relationships in the twelve years since you left town. Your sister-in-laws were more then happy to welcome into the family even before you brought him and their opinions on him didn't change.

[percynotpercival]

Is that LUKE MITCHELL on campus? Oh no, that’s PERCIVAL ‘PERCY’ OLIVER. From ATLANTA, GEORGIA, the 23 year old has come to study ART. Rumor has it she is FREE-SPIRITED and CREATIVE, but RECKLESS and IMPULSIVE, which is why he is known as THE ARTISAN. He resides in DELTA PSI BETA and can’t wait to graduate.

+ Free-Spirited, Creative, Playful, Confident, Liberal - Reckless, Impulsive, Fanatical, Not Serious, Easily Distracted

With a family like his, Percival had a lot of weight on his shoulders from being the first born son. His father was a hardass which you can already guess by his choice of names for him and his sister. He was very traditional and for the most part, he believed that men should rule the house and bring in the money while the women should tend to the men. However, Percival and Arden would later come to swap both of those roles. His mother, on the other hand, may have been a trophy wife but she was much more relaxed about their lifestyle. She only ever wanted her kids to be happy and live the best life that they want to live. That’s why Percy found much more love and comfort in his mother than he ever did in his father. From the get go, Percy was a personality. He loved to play jokes and make people laugh. He liked to entertain which his father didn’t mind too much initially - it showed promise for him being a business man by being able to socialise easy with other. The thing that let Percy down with his father was that he didn’t take things seriously. He learnt pretty quick from his dad yelling at him not to take it seriously. He didn’t really care much about what his father thought because his mother agreed with his free spirit nature. Arden came along and knowing he was the disappointment in his father’s eyes, he hoped that he could steer Arden like him and not care what their dad thought about them but instead, it pushed Arden to work harder to be on their dad’s good side. He’s tried for years to get her to loosen up and although they are very close, they do sometimes clash when Percy tries to purposely annoy their dad.

Throughout school, he was always the class clown. He didn’t care much about academics and learning but one subject did shine brighter with him. He loved art. He would draw and doodle in most classes instead of actual work and although his academic grades weren’t the best which ultimately upset his dad more, he continuously shined in the more artist areas of school (art predominantly but drama and music too). Once again, his mother was very supportive of his artist talents while his father called it a ‘deadbeat job’ and constantly reminded him that he’d fail which he didn’t pay much mind to. It did affect him deep down but this only made him more determined to annoy and push back at his dad.

Once he left school, instead of going straight to university (once again, like his dad would have expected and wanted), he went travelling around the world with his girlfriend, Lacey. He’d known Lacey all his life from the second they started school. She wasn’t from a rich household like he was which made her wholesome and humble. She was the most down to earth person he’d ever met. Eventually, in high school, they finally admitted feelings for each other on the roof of some random house party. Although they weren’t each other’s first, it felt as magical as if it was. So when they were leaving high school, neither felt ready to go to college - she didn’t know what she wanted to do and he just didn’t want to settle in to that life yet - so Percy decided that he wanted to show her the world. He wanted to help people. Their first trip was in a programme in Africa to help build houses and give aid to those in need. They would play games like football (soccer) with the kids and teach them games. After a year in the programme, they went on to actually travel around Asia for a year and doing things like riding elephants and helping people out along the way as best they could. After another year, they decided to travel around Europe where he proposed to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He couldn’t imagine a life without her. They made their way back to America to visit their families. They had a solid moment of happiness in telling their families about the engagement and when they went to go and get champagne and treats to celebrate with her family, a lorry crashed in to Lacey’s side of the car. They both ended up in hospital and although Percy still has scars from this crash, he was ultimately fine. Lacey on the other hand, after taking the full hit of the lorry, was left in a coma and if she ever did wake up, she would most likely be brain dead so Percy and the family ended up pulling the plug.

After an argument with his father over how he was handling the loss of Lacey with the words “Man up” being thrown in by his father, he left his family home and stayed with Lacey’s family who practically treated them like he was their son too. He made efforts to see Arden and his mum but he never talked to his father again. After living and mourning with Lacey’s family for a few months, he up and left to continue travelling. It was part of his mourning process to reliving his memories with her. He went back to help in African villages, back to Asia, back to Europe but has settled in Australia for six months which would have been next on their list of places to go. He’ll never forget Lacey and everything she taught him about life but he also knew that she would want him to be happy and have a future which is why he still holds a strong sunny demeanour. In her memory though, he still wears his own engagement ring on the right hand ring finger to honour her but without constantly being asked if he was engaged. He got her initials carved in to the inside so if he ever takes it off, her initials still hold an indent on his skin.

Finally, Percy has made the decision to go to college and made sure to choose where Arden was. He would drop in to Monarch every so often while Arden has been there and visited for two weeks at a time so he is familiar with the campus and familiar with some of her friends which is why it was so easy for him to get in to Delta Psi Beta. He settled with doing Art as his major as a second fuck you to his dad but he’s also here for the parties and to be carefree.

[let-it-raines]

Second in Command (33/35)

Summary: Life as the “spare to the heir” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you’re the supposed screw-up of the family, but people don’t know what really happens behind closed doors. 

Rating: Mature

A/N: Sometimes I get bored and decide to make a new aesthetic? I mean, what else is Pinterest for if I can’t redo my entire house all at once? 

So a double line break of “-/-” means we’re changing POV. I’m going to do that for these last three chapters as we move around a bit in their lives. So time is going to skip around a bit quicker unlike it usually does! I hope you enjoy :D

AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |

Sequel Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @kmomof4 @wellhellotragic @ekr032-blog-blog @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @captswanis4vr @kristi555 @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @artistic-writer @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @alys07 @andiirivera @emmas-storybook @superchocovian @in-spirational @cs-forlife @qualitycoffeethings @shireness-says @jonirobinson64

“Your Highness.”

“It’s Emma, Samuel,” she sighs as she pours another glass of beer and slides it across the bar top to Johnathon. She can’t see his name on his uniform, but she thinks it’s Jonathon. “I am currently serving you beer. You can call me Emma.”

“Yes ma’am – yes, Emma. Sorry, sorry. It’s just that if any of my officers heard me calling you Emma back at the parade, they’d have my head.”

She chuckles under her breath and stops what she’s doing, letting the chatter of the rest of the pub drown away from her ears like she became so accustomed to doing in the years that she worked here. “Samuel, I completely understand, but I promise under this dress and this hat and all of the security staring at us talking right now, I am just a girl who happened to marry someone with a title. But I was a bartender for longer than I’ve been a Duchess, and I promise you can call me Emma the one time a year I see you when we’re doing this whole celebration. Now, did you need something?”

“Um, yeah, I was just going to,” he begins, scratching behind his ear in a way that reminds her so much of Killian that she’d swear she was talking to him and not a member of the Irish Guard, “I was just wondering if I could get some water instead of a Guinness.”

“Of course you can,” she answers, shaking her head and bending down to pick up a new glass before filling it up with some water and handing it to him with a napkin. “Don’t be so nervous to ask me things. I promise that it’s not weird that I’m serving you drinks.” Samuel’s cheeks tint pink, and she presses her lips together in a soft smile. “Go have some fun. You’ve done a great job today.”

He nods, a smile on his face. “Yes ma’am.”

When he walks away, out of the corner of her eye she can see Will coming up to her, the cheekiest of smiles on his face. She was not at all prepared to have to work with him again even though they do this every St. Patrick’s Day. Talking to him on the phone or through text is such a normal part of her life, but working with him, that’s something she has to slide back into with a bit of a learning curve.

“Oi, Your Highness,” he teases, nudging her shoulder while she rolls her eyes, “that man has a crush on you, and while I don’t tend to worry about your romantic life anymore, I am very used to a man flirting with you from across the bar.”

“Are you?”

“Yes, it was bloody disgusting, but I think it worked out for you.”

“I mean, I think so. He’s just my husband and the father of my child, though. It’s not impressive or anything.”

“You’re telling me. I watched all of the awkward flirting. It looked just like that man there.”

“Hush,” she laughs before turning her face toward Will and kissing his cheek. “We were highly entertaining, and you know it. How boring would all of those nights have been with just you and me sitting here?”

Will shrugs, a sly smile creeping onto his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe you and I could have given it a go.”

“Oh my God,” she snickers, covering her mouth with her hands as she watches Will absolutely fail at keeping a straight face from his joke. His horrible joke. “You’re ridiculous. Why would you even lie to me like that?”

He nods his head toward the other side of the room and she turns to find Killian staring at her with a shy smile on his face, very obviously not listening to the men he’s sitting with, the cap on his uniform askew on the top of his head. “Your husband was watching us. Figured I could use this opportunity to tease him.”

“You need to find hobbies.”

“Hey now, I’ve got some. Belle’s been recommending me books to read when it’s slow here. I’ve got a whole stack under the counter.”

“I kind of figured those were just Belle’s books that she brought when she was visiting you.”

“Well, maybe that too. Why don’t you go hang out with Killian and the Guard, Ems? They’ve slowed down on their orders. I can finish up here.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, looking between Will and all of the Guard filling the pub. “I don’t mind.”

“I’m sure, love. This is your first day back at work, and I really don’t think anyone imagined this is what you’d be doing.”

“This is what I do every year,” she murmurs at the same time that she’s walking out from back behind the bar. “I’m going to come back and talk to you later, though, because I want you and Belle to come over for something to eat. Andy is a really big fan of you.”

“That’s because I’m his best uncle.”

“Well, you are his godfather after all, but seriously, you’re coming over for something to eat. And if you say that my dad has you working at night, there’s always breakfast.”

“Whatever you wish, Your Highness.”

She sticks her tongue out in what she knows is a totally unprofessional move, but sometimes she can’t help herself when working, especially when in such a relaxed atmosphere like this. She weaves in and out of the tables, talking to the people she passes, until she reaches Killian’s table and settles down in the empty chair with her coat hanging over it. Killian’s in the middle of a conversation, so he doesn’t greet her just yet, but his hand does find itself on her knee, squeezing her skin in silent greeting to let her know that he sees her.

“So how old is your son now?” a woman asks her. She can’t remember her name, can’t see her nametag, so she’s just going to avoid saying her name at all, which is pretty much how she’s gotten away with these things for so long. There’s only a few who she actually knows at this point.

“Six months in a couple of days, which makes me proud that we’ve kept him alive that long and also a little sad that he’s already that old.”

“Well, from what I’ve seen, he’s a cutie, and I thank you both for spending time with us today when you could be home with him.”

“Think nothing of it,” Killian says softly as his hand starts moving up and down her thigh. Leaving Andy has been easier in the past month, and as nice as it is to get away, she misses him. Killian does too. He’s just not the one who is coming back early from maternity leave for this. She’s broken it a lot, more than she thought she would, but they’ve been here for awhile. She’s ready to go home no matter how nice it is. “He is at home with my parents who opted for babysitting instead of being here, so I’m sure he’s having a grand time.”

“Your mum is probably coaxing him into saying her name first.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.”

They continue to chat with everyone at the table for a little while before Killian’s leaning over and whispering in her ear. “I think it’s time to go home and see Andy. That sound good to you?”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect.”

-/-

-/-

“We are so, so late.”

“We are not that late.”

“The plane leaves in an hour.”

“We are fifteen minutes away from the airport.”

“We have to go through security.” “A private security that’s going to quickly get through the three of us. And they won’t leave without us.”

“Ruby might tell the pilot to go out of spite.” “She will not.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Momma,” Andy babbles, his voice shocking him out of his squabble with Emma as they drive to get on a plane to go to Fiji for Ruby and Graham’s wedding on Saturday.

He can’t really take his eyes off the road, but he sees Emma turn around, leaning back in the seat to reach out for Andy and to whisper quiet words to him. He doesn’t seem upset. There’s no crying, so he assumes he just wants to practice using the one word he knows. He’s definitely not bitter or anything that he called out Emma’s name first. Seriously, not at all. He practiced it with Andy for a reason.

Emma is the epitome of what a good mother should be, and watching the woman he loves be a mother to their child makes him happier than nearly everything else. He’s not often one to lack words, but he often does when it comes to describing Emma and how wonderful she is in every role that she takes on.

“Is he okay, love?”

“Yeah,” she sighs, leaning back up into her seat, “he’s fine. He’s simply excited to get to go on his first holiday.”

“Technically he went to New Zealand with us last month.” “That was for work. It doesn’t count.”

He quickly glances in the mirror to watch his son as he messes with the colorful play keys that he’s holding. “That definitely counts, love. When he’s older we’ll have to take him again so he can remember. You just know that at some point he’s going to say it didn’t count because he was an infant.”

She shrugs. “Maybe. Or maybe he’ll just say, ‘Cool. I got to wear a tiny baby suit for my aunt Ruby’s wedding in Fiji.’”

“Yeah, I don’t really think that’s going to happen.”

Even without looking at her, he knows that Emma is rolling her eyes at him, but it doesn’t really matter because they are almost to the airport and on their way to their first holiday that requires absolutely no work…except getting Ruby and Graham married and making sure that Andy doesn’t start crying in the middle of the ceremony. Emma had asked Ruby if they should let him stay with David and Mary Margaret, but considering David and Mary Margaret are coming to this wedding, well, that wouldn’t have exactly worked out. And Ruby had wanted him here with them. So Andy has a bag packed that includes a small tan linen suit for an eleven-month-old baby because while Emma may sometimes claim not to be into getting dressed up and all that it requires, she loves to find Andy clothes, especially ones that make him look like he’s just a miniature older man. Seriously, the suit has suspenders.

His suit also has suspenders, and as much as Emma has loved those in the past, he’s not sure that he can outshine their boy. He doesn’t really want to, but he wouldn’t mind if Emma were to snap his suspenders herself while Andy is staying with her parents or asleep in the next room. Actually, he fully intends on that being the plan. He’s thrilled for his friends to be getting married, couldn’t be happier for them, but he, his wife, and his son are going to spend at least one of their days out by the ocean, letting Andy explore the sand and a bit of the water. In the back of his mind he worries about Andy not liking it, but he’s kind of got this gut feeling that he will.

They get to the airport a little too close for comfort, and he knows he was speeding a bit by the way Thomas’s eyes are bugging out. He looks absolutely terrified, and it’s likely because he’s had to handle all of the logistics for their vacation when he and Emma keep telling him not to worry about it. It’s literally his job to worry about it, and one day, Killian is sure they’re going to make Thomas pass out from stress. Killian has told him to hire help, especially as they’ve started construction on their new home, but the man is a tad bit stubborn.

That’s a pretty consistent trait in their household.

“I was going to tell the pilot to leave without you all,” Ruby teases, hugging them as they board up on the flight, Emma carrying Andy and him carrying their luggage. “But I just couldn’t leave without my little man.”

“See,” Emma laughs, turning back to him with an absolute smirk on her face, “she totally would have left without us.”

“I know, darling,” he sighs, kissing Ruby’s cheek in greeting before putting all of the bags but the diaper bag in the overhead bins. “I know.”

All in all, the flight isn’t too bad. Andy’s ears popped, and that was a bit of a disaster, especially since his screaming made everyone else a bit cranky, but the pain wore away after a little while once he got his pacifier in him. The thing is a God send, and he already worries about when they’ll have to take it away from him…which is definitely not the thing to be worried about right now.

The first night everyone settles into their rooms before going to dinner. They leave Andy behind with Isabelle if only because she offered and Emma trusts her with Andy more than she would trust anyone who is employed by the resort. They’ve thought about getting a nanny for more than just when they’re both working, but to them, it just doesn’t seem right. At least for now. If (when, hopefully) they have more kids, Emma’s said they should talk about it some more, especially because Andy really does enjoy spending time with Elsa when she watches him while they work. She’s somehow got a bit of a magic touch when it comes to him when it comes to him even though he can be a bit fussy when not around people he knows.

Their first real day there is when the three of them go to the beach early in the morning just as the sun is rising and most everyone else is asleep. He knows that Mary Margaret had wanted to spend some time with them today, but he kind of wanted this to be just a them experience. He’s aware that he doesn’t work as often as a lot of parents, but even with that, he’s missed so many of his son’s first. He missed the first crawl, the first step, and the first word. Emma was there for all of it, thank goodness, but he wasn’t. But he’ll be there for the first time Andy goes to the beach. He’s been thinking about this day for a long time, even told Emma so on their anniversary trip when she was pregnant, and even though it’s such a small thing, it’s kind of like a dream becoming reality.

His reality is a good one.

“Alright, Andy,” Emma begins, dangling his feet over the sand, “you may not like this, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to Daddy for you to like this. He’s a bit of a weirdo, and he really wants you to like the beach.”

He rolls his eyes as he holds his phone, the button to record a video already hit. Andy’s dressed a pair of blue trunks with white anchors on them and has got a t-shirt on to cover his stomach. He was a bit of a chunk for awhile, and Killian kind of misses the fat rolls that were his arms and legs. It’s a weird thing to miss, but he’s stopped worrying about all of the odd thoughts that he has now that he’s a parent.

It’s a lot.

Of course, as cute as Andy’s little outfit is, his wife is in a sinful black bikini that shows off nearly inch of her body, and if this wasn’t a family moment in a reasonably public place, things would be happening very differently.

“Okay then,” Emma sighs, squatting down into the sand and slowly lowering Andy with her until his feet touch the soft sand. He almost immediately lifts them up, his bottom lip quivering while his face reddens, but the longer Emma keeps him there, whispering soothing words and running her hand through the sand over his feet, the more he calms. “So he’s not exactly the biggest fan,” Emma laughs to him and the camera, “but I think we’re working on it. Daddy is just going to have to accept that some things are an acquired taste.”

“Like you, love?”

She cuts him the meanest of glances, and he’ll forever be thankful that he got that on camera. That’s something that he’s going to want to keep forever if only to have proof that she’s not always looking at him with loving eyes.

The rest of their day is spent much the same way, going inside to keep Andy out of the sun and relaxing with the view of the ocean in front of them, clear blue water at nearly every turn. By the time that six rolls around, he’s a little sun kissed and tired, but they’ve got the rehearsal dinner to go to even if there’s no more than twenty people here, Emma’s family making up a fourth of that. But he and Emma both give short speeches, the both of them much cleaner than he one Ruby gave at their wedding reception even though he knows that Emma has some stories about Ruby that would absolutely get the room roaring and get even Ruby’s grandmother, the tough lass that she is, to blush and look like she’s been sunburned. Really, though, neither of them need to do that because Ruby being Ruby, she gives a speech herself, and he can feel the red reach the tips of his ears at some of the things she says.

She is something special, and he’s honored to get to be her friend. More so, he’s thrilled that Graham could meet here and that they’ve found each other. Everyone deserves that little bit of happiness.

He and Emma both take credit for their meeting, and neither of them are willing to give up any position on that. It’s a matter of pride, and Graham and Ruby have so much to look forward to when they get married. Really, they do, petty arguments included in a long list of good things that he should be more thankful for on a daily basis.

“You nervous?” he asks Graham the next day as Graham paces back and forth in his hotel room, Andy doing his best impersonation by slowly waddling along, aided by the occasional piece of furniture. He still falls pretty often, but Killian can see the determination in the blue of his eyes.

“Yes, no, maybe, definitely,” Graham chuckles, the pitch going a bit higher before he sits down on the bed and reaches to take a sip of his water. “I mean, it’s normal to be nervous, right? And I’m not sure if it’s even nerves. I think it might be…anticipation.”

“Aye, mate,” he laughs, getting up from his chair and moving to stand next to Andy, holding his hands to help him walk. He’s still just in his diaper. Emma gave Killian strict instructions not to get Andy dressed until she comes to help, and he’s sticking to it. Though, Killian’s already put on his suspenders, but he doesn’t think Emma will be displeased about that. “It’s normal. I mean, you know that you want to marry her, and then the day comes and it’s all so overwhelming. I barely slept a wink the night before my wedding.”

“Your wedding was also a national event.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t care about any of that. I just wanted to marry Emma.”

“That’s how I feel too.” Graham pauses for a bit before speaking again. “Oh shit – shoot. I mean with Ruby. I don’t want to marry your wife, mate.”

Killian barks out a laugh, the feeling rumbling through his stomach, before picking Andy up and resting him on his hip. “You hear that, lad? Your Uncle Graham doesn’t want to marry Mummy? I’m so relieved.”

“You’re a wanker.”

“You wanted to marry my wife.”

“Well that’s a weird thing to hear,” Emma laughs as she closes the door behind her. Andy’s head immediately turns to her, and he lets out a “momma” as his hands reach out for her. Sometimes Emma likes to claim that he plays favorites with Killian, but there is no one Andy loves more than Emma. No one. Not even his Mimi or Gammy, and they spoil them. “Hey, Andy baby,” she sighs, walking over to them with the train of her champagne dress falling behind her. She looks so stunning, and he’ll never quite get over that she agreed to marry him and that they had a day like this once upon a time.

Maybe he’s a bit too nostalgic.

“You look beautiful, darling,” he compliments, kissing her on her cheek as she takes Andy out of his arms.

“Thank you. You look handsome, babe. And you too, Graham. Though from what I’m hearing, I probably shouldn’t be complimenting you. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression.”

“Bloody hell. You two are impossible. That’s not at all what I said.”

“I’m sure,” Emma sympathizes, walking to Graham and straightening his bow tie. “Ruby looks beautiful. She’s all set and ready to go for pictures, so if you want to go out there and see her while Killian and I get Andy ready, feel free.”

“I’m definitely going.” Graham pops up from the bed and takes Emma’s hand before kissing her knuckles, playfully winking at Killian as he does say. “You look beautiful, lass. Don’t believe a thing your husband says about me when I leave.”

“I never do.” Graham practically jogs out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. “So you guys have a good time in here? Is he nervous? He didn’t really look nervous.”

“He was, but I calmed him down, I think. What about Ruby?”

“Ruby was literally sitting in our room eating Cheetos right up until she put the dress on. She’s fine. She’s Ruby.”

“That she is.”

It’s an untraditional wedding by what he’s used to, just Ruby and Graham standing at an alter with vibrant flowers and greenery framing them, and even though he knows they use the standard vows, there’s something oddly intimate and beautiful about it. For Ruby to always be so loud and vibrant herself, everything is subdued until they’re pronounced husband and wife, and Ruby cups Graham’s face and kisses the holy hell out of him. It’s in no way family appropriate, but it’s likely the most Ruby thing he’s ever seen.

And when it’s all over, Andy asleep in the next room, Emma does help him take his suspenders off, the straps falling to the floor with the rest of their clothing as she whispers over and over again just how much she loves him.

And that she thinks the suspenders are hot. He likes that part too.

-/-

-/-

“Do you want to do something special for your birthday?”

Killian looks up at her from over his book, his glasses perched on the end of his nose, until he folds the corner of a page and closes the novel, placing it in his lap. She’s not sure what about the scene screams David Nolan to her, but something definitely does. She’s definitely fallen into that stereotype of falling for someone like her father, and to her, that is a little weird. At least they’re not too similar. It’s just a few little things.

Still weird, though.

“I’m turning thirty-three, love. I don’t need something big. I kind of figured we’d be skipping over my birthday from now on because Andrew’s birthday is so close to mine.”

“Hey,” she soothes, getting up from the lounge chair she was curled up in, putting her laptop on the coffee table as she moves, and settling down on Killian’s thighs when he moves his book, “I am not going to forget your birthday.” She wraps her arms around his neck before she gently kisses him, tasting the spice of his tea and the warmth of his skin as she settles into it. “That’s why I’m asking. You know I’ve already got all of Andy’s stuff for his party, but I couldn’t forget you.”

He shrugs, and she knows that if his hands weren’t resting on her waist right now, one of them definitely sneaking up her back to undo her bra clasp, that he’d be scratching his ear right now. “I might like to do a nice dinner with just you and me. We could get our family or Elsa to watch Andy for a couple of hours.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I think that’d be nice. What about you, though? I’m simply turning thirty-three. You’re turning thirty next month, and if I can remember that far back to when it was my turn, I believe that is a big birthday.”

“A big birthday that I do not want to talk about. My baby is turning one in two weeks, my husband is thirty-three, and I’m turning thirty. We’re all getting old.”

“You and I both know that’s not true.” She’s about to protest, the thought of not being in her twenties anymore not a comforting one, when Killian begins trailing his lips over her jaw, making every word she had completely and totally evaporates in her brain. “So we’ll put your birthday talk on the backburner and go out for a nice dinner for me, okay? And there will be no need to think about how you’re one step closer to death.”

“Stop,” she groans, slapping his shoulder before she buries her face in his shoulder. “That is so not funny.”

“I thought it was pretty funny.”

“That’s because you have a horrible sense of humor.”

“And yet you married me, so you’re stuck with that horrible sense of humor for the rest of your life.”

“What a life to have to suffer through.” Killian rolls his eyes before kissing her cheek, and she settles further into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. “What are you reading?”

“It’s just a collection of short stories. I’m supposed to read something at the library wing opening on Wednesday, and I figured Andy’s books weren’t exactly an option.”

“I mean, you could read one of them if you wanted. That’d be kind of cute.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh absolutely,” she sighs, running her nails up and down his arm and over his biceps. “There’s something weirdly sexy about a man spending time with children.”

“You say this as if I don’t do this every day of my life.”

“You’ve gotten infinitely sexier as a dad. I wasn’t even attracted to you before, but now…phew.” Killian pinches the skin on her back from where he never did manage to unclasp her bra, and she jumps a little, the pain only stinging for a moment before it fades away. “The pinch was definitely not necessary.”

“Well, I just assumed that if you were going to tease me, I could do the same.”

“Not physically,” she laughs before leaning in and slanting her lips of his again, gently flicking her tongue out only to pull back a moment later, her forehead resting against his while his nose brushes into her cheek. “I seriously think you should read with the kids. As great as I’m sure these stories are, you reading with children will probably be more interesting than you standing at a podium reading to bored adults.”

“I have an excellent story-telling voice. Who says they would be bored?”

“I do,” she whispers before kissing him again, appreciating the taste of his lips and this quiet moment that they’re getting to have right now. Life has been so busy lately, and it’s kind of nice to leisurely move her lips over Killian’s without there being something to worry about or a kid to be watching. He’s napping, will be up any minute now, and while that means they don’t actually have any real time, it doesn’t feel like that. “We’ll find one of Andy’s books for when he’s older, and you’ll read it. But you can continue to read your short stories. I’ll be your audience for that.”

Killian raises a brow, mischief in his eyes, and she already knows he’s going to make it dirty without him even speaking. “I rather enjoy you being my private audience, especially because I don’t have to watch my language in the slightest.”

“Later, my love,” she promises. “I’ll be your private audience later. I’m going to go look up cake recipes for your birthday.”

“Please don’t do that.”

“Hey, I can bake.”

“You can, but I don’t want you to go through the trouble when less than a week later we’ll have more sweets than we can imagine for Andy’s party.”

“Do you think we’ve gone a little excessive for a one-year-old’s party?”

“No,” he sighs, his hand leaving her back, the loss of heat immediate, until he’s thumbing at her cheekbone, “we’re not considering the only people who are coming over are our families and a few friends. Our baby is turning one. We can celebrate with a cake that looks like a giraffe because he for some reason really loves giraffes.”

“I’m thinking it’s because he’s got a giant stuffed one in his room.”

“Aye, probably.”

“Can you believe that our baby is almost one?”

“Not in the slightest.” Killian adjusts her in his lap, her legs curling up under her knees, and she tucks her head into her shoulder again, his scruff scratching at his forehead. “It seems like just yesterday you were yelling at me to fuck you so we could try to induce labor.”

“I was late. I was desperate. Pregnancy is not fun toward the end. Or at the beginning. The middle is pretty good.”

“So you’ve said.”

“But I did get a really cute kid who looks far too much like his daddy and only screams his head off every now and then.”

“Yeah, I do like him a lot. Very cute. Big vocabulary. I think we’re at three words now. Momma, Dada, and ball, which really means no to him. Haven’t quite figured that one out yet.”

“Me either. He’ll get it, though. I like to think he’s smart.”

“Bloody brilliant, really.”

“It’s because you read all of those books to him like you’re going to do at the opening of the new wing in the library.”

“And she brings it all full circle,” Killian laughs before she feels his lips against her temple, scruff pleasantly brushing her skin. “I promise I’ll read to the kids. If you want, you and Andy can come. If not, I’ll give him a reading when I get home.”

“I like that plan. I think he might like to make a public appearance in a private space. And if he doesn’t, it’s not like he can say no.”

-/-

-/-

“Bullocks.”

“It’s true,” he insists, propping his feet up on Liam’s coffee table while he takes a sip of his rum. “When I was a teenager, I really did sneak out of the palace without any security knowing.”

“How?”

“Secret tunnels, mate. They’re real, and security doesn’t pay any attention to one of the back gates. Or at least they didn’t. Now they do even though Mum and Dad are the only ones who live there. How did you not do this?”

“I guess I always told security where I was,” he laughs, brushing a curl off of his forehead. “What did you even do when you left?”

“Nothing,” he shrugs, putting his glass on the table and leaning his head back against the sofa cushions. “I just wanted to see if I could leave without anyone noticing. I wasn’t the wild child everyone assumed I was.”

“But what about the – ”

“All the stuff at university?”

“Yeah,” Liam sighs, running his hand through his hair again before he fiddles with the buttons on his shirt, his question obviously making him a little uncomfortable even if he was the one who brought it up. “I mean, I know we’ve talked about it before, but that was back when I was an asshole and didn’t really listen to you.” “Bold of you to assume that you’re not still an asshole.”

Liam chuckles, doing nothing more than shrugging again. “I mean, you’re choosing to spend your night sitting with me when you could be at your in-laws house eating dinner, so I must not be too bad.”

“You’re okay every now and then.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Give it a few more years for you to make up for a lifetime of being an asshole, and then I’ll talk about what a great brother you are.”

“I’m glad I have things to look forward to.” “Well, at such an old age, I’m glad I could give you something.”

“I need something else to drink.” Liam gets up from the couch before grabbing his glass. “You want some more?”

“No, I’m good. My tolerance has really lessened since I stopped spending all of my nights in a pub.”

“Good point.”

He stays with Liam for a few more hours, the two of them falling into more nostalgia that they used to never allow themselves to do, but he can’t stay forever so he makes his way home to Emma and Andy who he knows will already be asleep when he gets there. He was really only going to spend an hour or two with Liam as they watched a football match and ate dinner, but time somehow got away from them.

“Hey, darling,” he greets when he walks into the bedroom where Emma is already in bed on her laptop. He leans over her and presses a kiss against her forehead before backing up toward the bathroom. “How was dinner with your parents?”

“It was good,” she sighs, closing her laptop and placing it on the mattress. “How was dinner with Liam?”

“Good, but it probably wasn’t as good as the food you all had. Is Andy asleep?”

“Out like a light,” she answers as he undresses, stripping down into just his briefs. “I’m about to fall asleep too, but I kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”

He stops what he’s doing, the shirt in his hand crumpling up instead of getting put on a hanger like he intended. It’s rarely a good thing when Emma says that, and he’s not sure where exactly she’s going with this, especially since they haven’t spent the day together “What’s up, love?” he asks, tossing the clothes in a basket to get to later and walking back over toward the bed, settling down on the edge of it so he can look Emma in the eye. The eyes that are a little watery, so this is definitely not good news, his heartbeat already quickening. “Emma, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing…nothing is wrong,” she promises, even as she sniffles the slightest bit and wipes away at unshed tears. “It’s just, well, I don’t have a sibling, and yours is nearly a decade older than you so it’s not quite the same. And I know we’ve had this conversation before, a lot of times really, but we always say later and never say anything definite. But I – well, I want another baby.”

She whispers the last words so quietly than if he weren’t intently listening to her, he wouldn’t hear them. But he does. He hears them even through the pounding in his heart. Sighing in content, he reaches over and takes her hands in his, squeezing her palms. This is so much better than what he was expecting when she said she wanted to talk to him about something. He doesn’t even know what he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t this.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile. It’s insane because I feel like we just had Andy, but, you know, it takes a long time. We have to try to get pregnant to begin with, let alone the pregnancy, and Andy will definitely be well over two no matter what. And I don’t know. I was watching him tonight, and I had this sense of readiness that I hadn’t felt quite yet.”

“Darling,” he sighs, bringing her hands up to his and brushing his lips over her knuckles, “if you want to have another baby, all you have to do is say that. You don’t have to give me a bulleted list of reasons.”

“I want to have another baby.”

“Well there we go then,” he laughs, his heart calming in his chest even with his excitement, before smiling down at her. “You want to have another baby, and I want to have another baby too, by the way. Though I only get to participate in the fun stuff at first. You’re the one who has to carry all of the weight.”

“Literally.”

He chuckles under his breath before he leans forward and quickly slides his lips over Emma’s, a surprised gasp escaping her that makes his entire body shiver in anticipation and pleasure and every other wonderful thing he doesn’t have the mind to think of right now. Emma yawns in the middle of the kiss, and he breaks them apart with another laugh as she yawns right in his face like the graceful woman she is.

She’s exhausted, and as happy and as excited as he is right now, he doesn’t want to keep her up.

“Why don’t we go to sleep tonight, and when we wake up, we can practice a little, and then we can have a little more serious talk about everything?”

“That sounds like a plan. God knows that you need the practice.”

-/-

-/-

“Are you two okay competing against each other?” Robert asks as he leads them across the facility’s grounds, the water of the bay coming into view the longer they walk.

“Absolutely.”

“Of course.”

They’re out touring a facility that helps people of all ages learn that spending time outdoors doing something physical, whether that be gardening, sailing, or taking a walk, can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. With as many formal dinners and events as she goes to, even knowing their importance, she can’t help but prefer things like this. Yes, she has to watch what she says and how she acts, but she’s not making sure that she doesn’t offend someone by accidentally calling them the wrong name. She’s getting to wander around and listen to a guide as the sun beats down on them despite the chilly February weather.

Plus, she gets to work with Killian, and unless he’s being particularly annoying, those are her favorite kinds of engagements.

Robert claps his hands together while he laughs at them, apparently surprised that they want to compete against each other. He’s obviously new since she’s pretty sure that she and Killian use every chance they get to go up against each other when they’re out doing something athletic.

(She nearly always wins, and she’s going to choose to think that it’s completely on her own merit.)

“Okay then,” Robert sighs, waving someone over. “We’ll do team Duke and team Duchess. If you guys want to put on the jackets, we’ll get you loaded up onto the boats.”

She’s handed a pullover with her name on the back, and she pulls it over her head, fluffing out her hair before pulling it up in a ponytail and asking if anyone has a baseball cap as well to shield herself from the wind. Not surprisingly, they do, one that matches her pullover, and she quickly tucks her hair into it before she’s guided off onto a sailboat and shown around the deck while Killian does the same on his boat.

“Who do you think is going to win the race, love?” Killian shouts from his boat, the winds whipping around them and muffling his voice. “Because I feel like my crew is top notch. Plus, I do know how to sail.”

“Why don’t you brag a little more, babe?”

“I definitely will.”

She rolls her eyes before turning back to Linda and John who have been showing her around. “We can beat him, right? Because, well, he’s going to be a pain about it if we don’t.”

“Yes, Your Highness. We can beat him.”

“Please,” she laughs, reaching up and tugging at her ponytail again, “you can call me Emma since you’re going to help me beat my husband’s ass.”

She hears everyone laugh at her, and for a minute, blush rises to her cheeks when she realizes she cursed. She knows that it’s not that big of a deal, that it’s normal, but people probably don’t expect that from her. She’s been in this family for over three years now, and if people don’t know that she’s going to be a little different yet, they’re never going to know. Besides, today is supposed to be fun. She’s going to have fun.

The wind whips through her hair as the boat glides through the water, and while she feels like she’s supposed to be doing something other than sitting and watching everyone else move, she doesn’t really know what’s going on. She feels a bit seasick if she’s honest with herself, but she always feels that way whenever she’s on a boat, especially the smaller ones. Instead of worrying about any of that, though, she keeps an eye on Killian’s boat, watching him move around with such grace, and if a small part of her kind of hopes that Killian trying to help will slow them down.

It doesn’t.

It helps his team, and despite the fact that it should at least be a close race, it’s definitely not, Killian’s boat crossing the marker first. His cheer reaches her over the waves, and she rolls her eyes. He’s going to be such an asshole about this.

Maybe she should have helped. Who is she kidding? What in the world does she know about sailing besides the few things Killian has told her? She probably would have capsized them.

When her boat finally makes its way across the markers, her team slowly guides her next to Killian’s, and he holds his hand out to help her switch over to his boat.

“So, darling,” he smirks, holding his hands on her hips, fingers stretching out over her jeans, “you still think you’re going to win against me?”

“Shut up.” She shakes her head and slaps his shoulder, hitting a little harder than she should. “You’re such a sore winner.”

“Better than being a sore loser.”

“Which I am not.”

“I need to get a few pictures of you two,” Isabelle calls out, her face nearly green from the water. They put the poor woman through so much, and they really should get someone else to help out when they’re dealing with water. It is just not her thing.

“Okay, love.” Killian releases her hips and wraps his arm around her waist, tugging her into his side. She’s smiling like she always does, just a normal picture, but when she turns to the side, she can see that Killian is holding his finger up to show that he’s number one.

The asshole. “You are such a child.”

He tugs on the bill of her hat, obscuring her view for a minute. “A child but a winner.”

They’re guided back to shore, everyone moving from the unstableness of the boats to solid ground, and she understands Isabelle a bit after she starts walking a bit and hasn’t quite gotten her land legs back. It was only a few minutes, but damn.

For the next few hours she and Killian are guided throughout the facility, listening to volunteers and employees, and toward the end, they even get to play a little football with some of the kids. A young girl she was playing football with comes up to her with a timid smile and something in her hands. When she holds it out, Emma can see that it’s a small football jersey with Andy’s name written across the top. They must have had this made when they made she and Killian’s pullovers. It’s sweet that they did this, and she feels tears prick behind her eyes for a moment.

“This is for Prince Andrew,” she tells Emma, holding it up a little further. “Mr. Heathrow told me to give it to you.”

She squats down so that they’re eyelevel, taking the jersey and admiring it. It’s far too big for Andy, but he can grow into it. “Thank you, sweetheart. Andrew will love it. I’ll be sure to tell him that you gave it to me for him.” “Thank you.”

Emma gives her a quick hug, and the girl runs off before she can even ask her name. a heavy weight drops in her stomach for a moment, but she lets it go, ignoring it and choosing to think about how good today is, how fun it’s been as she blinks away the tears. Walking over to Killian who’s just finishing talking to a group of boys, she holds it up and shows it off with a smile stretched across her lips. “Isn’t this cute?”

“Adorable. He’s going to love that, especially because he’s really into blue lately.”

“I know, right?”

When they get home later that afternoon, she immediately changes out of her clothes and puts on some pajamas before walking back downstairs to spend some time with Killian and Andy who is now wearing the oversized jersey. He looks absolutely adorable, and she smiles to herself despite the niggling feeling that’s still tugging at her.

“Mummy look,” he giggles before he runs (at least, it’s a bit of a run, but he’s not even eighteen months so she doesn’t expect much) to her and holds his arms out so she can pick him up, spinning him around the slightest bit.

“What am I looking at, Andy?”

“Shirt,” he sighs, tugging at his jersey. He’s got the most adorable little voice, and she can’t wait for him to start talking more so she can hear his accent a bit more. She doesn’t know how she never thought about the fact that her child would have a British accent like his dad and literally everyone else around her but her father, but when she realized it, she couldn’t stop smiling. It may be the cutest thing she’s ever heard, and she could listen to him babble forever. Her little boy.

“It’s beautiful, baby.” She moves with him to sit down on the couch next to Killian who’s already got Mickey Mouse playing on the television. “Mommy missed you today. Who did you spend the day with?”

“Elsa.”

“What’d you guys do? Did you play?”

“Yes.”

“And did you miss me?”

“No.”

“Hey,” she laughs, tickling his stomach so he laughs. “That’s not very nice, my sweet, sweet boy.”

“Darling, he’s going to say no to half of your questions.”

“I know, I know. But I’m going to tease my munchkin because I know that he missed me. And maybe you.”

“So kind.”

“Always.”

They watch TV with Andy for a little while, talking to him and trying to coax more words out of him as they unwind for the day before they feed him dinner and get him bathed to go to sleep. She watches as Killian reads to him, elaborating the voices of all of the characters as he makes the book come to life. Not every moment is quiet and cute like this. There are more gross things than she cares to talk about or think about, and she doesn’t even want to begin with talking about tantrums, but sometimes she gets moments like this where everything is so perfect that she can’t believe it. Watching her husband be a good dad when she sees so many horrible ones out there, she can’t even describe it.

A sob rises in her throat, sudden and overwhelming, and her eyes tightly shut, everything darkening for a few moments while she tries to calm herself down. Now is not the moment for this, but she knows that it’s been building all day, for days really, and as her chest heaves, she quietly excuses herself to walk the few steps to their room while Killian’s voice continues to fill her ears as he reads to Andy. It’s usually such a soothing thing, but right now she doesn’t want to hear it.

She doesn’t want to hear anything, even as her thoughts loudly reverberate in her head, so she crawls into bed herself, pulling the comforter up over her even though she won’t go to bed for hours.

She’s exhausted, but she’s not tired, and even with how good of a day she had, it might as well have not happened. God, she’s pathetic, but she can’t help how she’s feeling.

“Emma.”

She looks toward the door when Killian is standing with his shoulder pressed against the frame, his eyes narrowed and lips pursed as he stares at her.

“Emma,” he repeats, still not moving while she twists to her side and looks up again from where her head is resting on the pillow, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You want to try that again?”

“No because you’re going to think that I’m crazy.”

“Hey,” he sighs before stepping toward her and settling down on the mattress beside her while his hand runs up and down her side over the comforter, “I think you’re crazy at least three times a day, but I promise you that anything that makes you cry like this – I could never think that you’re crazy. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

“I just,” she sobs, curling into herself and looking up at Killian and his damn eyes that hold so much emotion in them that she starts sobbing more. How can he be so understanding when she’s having a meltdown, when he doesn’t even know what’s going on? “I just don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand, Emma?”

“I d-don’t…I don’t understand why this is so hard, why I’m not pregnant yet. Andy was so much easier. We weren’t even trying yet. I was on birth control, and it still happened. We’ve been trying for months and nothing. I feel like such a failure.”

“Hey,” Killian soothes, twisting and awkwardly turning until he’s lying on his side and wrapping his arms around her as much as he can, his warmth only keeping away her shivering for a moment. She’s so damn cold, and she’s not sure she’s ever going to feel warmth ever again, not when she can’t spend a day out that’s supposed to be fun thinking all about how frustrated she is. “Darling, you could never be a failure. Ever. You aren’t doing anything wrong. This just happens sometimes, and it’s not your fault.”

“I know. I know that, and I feel crazy.”

“You’re not crazy. I promise you that.”

“I’m tired,” she sighs, trying to regulate her breathing while Killian’s nose presses into her cheek, a comforting presence if she’s ever felt one. “I’m so tired of being disappointed and taking these tests and not being pregnant. I didn’t even really like being pregnant half of the time, and suddenly it is all I can think about. All I could think about today when we spent time with all of those kids was how much I wanted another one, who much I wanted them to have given us another jersey to match Andy’s”

She feels his lips against her forehead, and it only makes her wipe her tears into his shirt while his hands keep moving, the friction and warmth impossibly spreading inch by inch. “We’re going to have another baby, Emma. It’s going to happen if we keep trying, and I am so sorry that you are feeling so down about it right now. I love you more than anything, and I hope you never forget that. I hope I never let you forget that.”

“I love you too,” she sniffs, pulling back from him and sliding her lips over his. She can taste the salt from her tears, and she hates it. She hates it, but it’s where they are. “I’m sorry I missed the rest of the book.”

“No, don’t do that, love. You’ll be there for all of the other bedtimes and stories, and if you want, I will go get it and read it to you right now, all of the voices included free of charge.”

She sniffles and shakes her head from side to side, the smallest of smiles forming as her lips tug up on the sides. “I don’t think that’s necessary. You’re a good dad. You know that, right? Like, I tell you that enough?”

“You do, but it’s always nice to hear.” His eyes are watery, likely matching hers, and she doesn’t know if it’s from this or from something else entirely. “And I know for a fact that I don’t spend nearly enough time talking about how you are the best mum, wife, and friend. Seriously, love. You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me, cheesiness and all, and you have helped to give me the life of my dreams. All I want is for you to be happy."

“I am. I’m just – ”

“Shh, it’s okay,” he promises, his eyes closing and his lashes landing against his cheeks in a move that is so Andy it hurts even as he soothingly rubs his hand up and down her back. “It’s going to be okay.”

And it is.

[dinahevans]

Triumphs part 1

Jake Gyllenhaal x OFC

Summary: Azelia is the basic stereotypical rich girl. She only wants to be involved with things with rich people and there businesses. But what happens when She gets impregnated by a down to earth celebrity Jake Gyllenhaal? Will she stay as her bitchy self our will she become a less self centred person?

Warning: Swearing and just a tiny bit of dirty talk.

Word count: 1.6k

A/N: First of I suck at summarizing stuff so there’s that. Another thing is I know some people feel a bit iffy about OC fics so I tried to keep the name calling to the minimum. I hope you guys enjoy this fic, it’s actually my first story on this site 🥰!!! Also side not my baby fever has SKYROCKETED. Idk what’s up with me. Also I take requests sooo hit me up🤙

“Ok repeat what you just told me but slower this time.” My best friend Delilah stated while sitting on my bed right beside me.

My voice was extremely shaky and I was on the verge of crying, so it’s understandable as to why Delilah can’t understand me. I’m a mess I couldn’t articulate any actually words everything I was saying sounded like Gibberish. Delilah handed me a tissue and patted my back telling me that things are going to be alright and she will always be there for me.

I took a deep breath and finally calmed myself down before saying defeatedly “I’m pregnant”

Delilah’s eyes grew wide. She had a lot of questions. This is something that she would never expect to happen to me, getting pregnant on accident. This is something she expected from her self. Delilah was always the wild one she always had different men in her bed each night and could survive 6 drinks of vodka before blacking out. Don’t get me wrong I could be just as wild, but typically this is the type of thing that would be expected from Delilah.

Ever since my mother and father split things have been very different. Despite the fact that they separated when my twin sister and I were 2. It still had a major effect on us both. My mother was a supermodel but after she gave birth to my sister and I she slowly stop taking gigs. She later got married to a Jewish Billionaire who raised us both as if we where is own. The problem came in with our father Robert Downey Jr. He didn’t like the fact that we were being raised with a lavish lifestyle and He didn’t want us to end up growing up being narcissistic and thinking we were better than anybody. He wanted us to be grounded and somewhat down to earth. Which causes issues between My mother and him. With my mother just wanting to give us what she couldn’t have as a child and my father thinking that spoiling kids isn’t the right way to earn there love. Sometimes There fight would get so bad that my mother wouldn’t let me see my father for months on end.

So spending most of my time with people like Delilah and some of my other rich friends have really took an effect on me. The idea of hanging out with commoners was somewhat weird. I had put the expectation on myself that I would also marry another rich man and we would have many children together who would be able to inherit our fortunes. So when my stepdad told me about a boy named Nathan I was extremely intrigued. My Step Dad told me about how his father is an very important figure in the investment businesses. My twin sister Amiliah says I should stop being materialistic and it doesn’t matter how much money my lover would have, it’s about how who they are as a person.

Sure she isn’t wrong but this world is ruthless and you need to be on the top if you want to survive. But now all of this is going down the drain after finding out what I had just found out.

“Who is the Father? Is it Nathan’s? OMG imagine a baby boy with your hair and Nathan’s eyes gosh that be sooo cute.” Delilah always got ahead of herself with just about anything but right now it felt like she was doing it too lighten the mood.

I sigh heavily I felt like a disappointment, and I hated it. “The baby isn’t Nathan’s… Nate and I haven’t sleep with each other yet, cause if we did I would have told you already.”

Delilah was getting annoyed with me at this point but she tried to keep cool.

“Okay then whose child are you pregnant with? Is it some commoners? Is that why you're too ashamed to tell me?” I gave her a weird look, she should know better than too think I would stoop down low. Despite the fact that Amiliah and I are Twins we don’t share the same ideology and thinking. Sleeping with a commoner is something that Amiliah would do.

“Oh gosh no lilah he’s and actor we’ve seen a few of his movies before, his name is Jake Gyllenhaal.” Delilah sighed in relief knowing that if I did get pregnant by a commoner it was cause a whole lotta trouble for me and my parents (mostly my stepdad).

“Have you told him yet?”

“No it was a one time thing I don’t even have his number so I wouldn’t be able even if I wanted too.”

Delilah looked at me for a few seconds before proceeding to say “And you're sure it’s his baby? And are you just basing this off of one pregnancy test or did you go to the doctors as well?”

“YES Lilah I’m sure it’s his baby he’s the last person I’d sleep with in a while. And YES I went to the doctors as well I’m not that dense.” I sighed this is not how I planned things to go yeah sure she Jake isn’t some commoner he is an A list celebrity but Jake isn’t no investor, he isn’t worth almost a billions dollars.

“Well we are going to need to talk to him he can’t be in the dark. Lucky for you I have his number based off of mutual friends, I mean we’ve never had any proper conversation but that’s aside the point.” Delilah Handed me over her phone, with jakes number on the screen.

“How fucking convenient of you to just so happen to have his phone number.” I mean that is strange. Out of all the things she just so happens to have my soon to be baby daddy’s phone number.

“You shouldn’t be surprised I literally have everyone’s phone number. Now call him and put the phone on speaker.”

“Alright”

As I was about to click on the call button I had a wave of anxiety rush up on my skin and I started to get slightly nervous but I let it all slip down and tried to gain somewhat of confidence. I hit the call buttons and waited

The phone soon answered

“Hey… Delilah why are you calling me this early in the morning? It’s like 3:27 am”

“Umm it’s Azealia I’m using Delilah’s phone to talk to you.” I sounded extremely nervous and I hated myself for it I wanted to play it cool but it didn’t seem to be working for me.

“Oh… umm… ok sorry but who exactly are you I don’t know an Azealia?”

“I’m the girl you slept with from the Bay Blue club about two months ago.” God this felt awkward

“Oh yeah I remember… ah yeah but what is it that you had to call me for.” He was slightly impatient probably due to the fact that he wanted to go back to bed since he had to get up early and discus the latest script he received. There were so many faults and errors it was almost embarrassing.

I took a huge deep breath and Delilah took her hand into mine. “Well I just called to tell you that I’m pregnant and the baby is yours.”

Oh dear lord all hell broke loose. Jake jumped out of his bed and started pacing around asking questions each millisecond.

“What do you mean your pregnant? I always use protection it can’t be.”

“How do you even know it’s mine? You better not be lying trying to get some sort of 5 minutes of fames.”

“Is this some kind of sick joke to you?You don’t just lie to people like that.”

“How do I even know your telling the truth?”

Jake has every right to be skeptic. I shouldn’t have been surprised too think that he wouldn’t believe me and think I was some sort of attention whore. But at last I was shocked and was taking back by his questions.

“You think I would lie about something like this? How low do you think I’d stoop? Why would I try and steal any of your money when I have millions in my bank account and my Father own a billion fucking dollar oil industry! I just thought I should have been a decent person and inform you on what I had found out but obviously you have a stick way too up your ass. Delilah look proud of me, she too did not like that he’d assume that you where some attention whore.

I went too hard on him I will admit it but in the moment I was extremely defensive.

“Ya well… I remember putting on a fucking condom so it must be some other guy you threw yourself too.” Jake didn’t really mean what he said but he wasn’t going to let his pride down.

Jake was getting on my nerves at this point but I wasn’t going to let him win this fight. “Oh yeah so you don’t remember telling me how you can’t wait to cum in my inside my pussy, and how you can’t wait to see me dripping in your juices? Or was that all a figment of my imagination?”

Jake felt defeated it does sound like something he would say but he just couldn’t believe it, I had to be lying to him… Jake was getting old he’s 37 years old not married and no children maybe there is something too this. Maybe if she isn’t lying to him he could try to find and make something out of this.

Jake sighed while rubbing his hands over his face.

“So how when’s the baby due?”

A/N: I wanted to keep the first chapter straight to the point and short just so people get the gyps of it. Also there will be a lot more characters (and drama) in the future.

[cherubsoda]

That ship meme with Dante maybe :Oc

thank you! but worm,, i hope i didnt force you to send this in ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs | im too afraid to be indulgent 

How long will they last? - as long as this bitch wants me in his damn heart but um forever

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - like actually?? not just flirting? a good year and a half probably. its like gradual like haha i like you lets go out and one day its just like :0 shit this is getting serious oh damn alright!!!!!!

How was their first kiss? - probably awkward but heartfelt! because wow im your first kiss? thats whack,,

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Dante because im a pussy sad emoji. i swear,, someone else is gonna have to bring it to his attention like, you’ve been together for how long..? why not just make it official and he just :L fuck you’re right

Who is the best man/men? - I’m gonna keep it real with you chief, we would probably just get the papers signed and have a small get together to celebrate. but if anyone,, its Trish or Nero

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - it’ll probably be my friend who i shall not tag bc she doesnt know about this account (she also self ships but sometimes,, i need privacy dsfghk) also Lady bc ilh 

Who did the most planning? - probably me but also Lady and Trish, please,, help

Who stressed the most? - surprisingly dante, like “is this a good idea bc um, i’m kinda prone to getting into dangerous situations” like yeah jackass i know 

How fancy was the ceremony? - ^^^ its not at all fancy. it’s intimate and to the point. We’d share our vows as in he pulls it out of his ass but its still sweet and genuine. He just doesn’t do hand written speeches.Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - um if Vergil didnt chill out,, him. But also Dante still loves and cares about him so,

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - hopefully none bc,, yikes

How many children will they adopt? - i will literally,, pick up every sad child on the street. Nero and Patty,, you are my kids now.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Me

Who is the stricter parent? - ME

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - both, Dante kinda laughs it off but I’m sweating bullets every time they run

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Me

Who is the more loved parent? - hnn both?

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Mostly me,bc I,, look normal, buts also both of us bc good cop bad cop dynamic. 

Who cried the most at graduation? - Dante 

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Dante walks in and is like *disappointed but smug dad look* “don’t pull a me, your mom’s gonna be SO pissed.”

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Me; he’s not allowed in the kitchen unless someones in there with him

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Me I guess, Dante would just eat, anything.

Who does the grocery shopping? - both, it’s a nice change of pace + domestic, if he goes alone he will forget the list and come home with items we didn’t need

How often do they bake desserts? - not too often, its usually a binge thing like wow this month we were just really into it.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - meat!

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Dante? 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Dante

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - DANTE

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Me

Who is really against chores? - Dante, like he’ll do it but I’d usually have to ask

Who cleans up after the pets? - Dante

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Dante

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - ME 100%

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Patty or Lady, thanks

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Me? 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - both bc its cute and domestic 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - I get festive in July but i dont like decorating or taking decorations down, so its been Christmas for 4 years

What are their goals for the relationship? - wow um, just be understanding of each other idk also have a kickass time

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - BOTH

Who plays the most pranks? - Dante; if it’s directed towards me he just puts stuff higher on the shelf

UM BIG NOT FOR WORK (⸝⸝⸝ª̷̛იॢª̷̛⸝⸝⸝)ᵒʰ┈

Sex:

Who is on top? - HA bitch- D a n t e. 

Who is the one to instigate things? - Dante; the only time i would ever do this is if i built up that confidence, but I joke about it a lot

How healthy is their sex life? -  um,, down to clown 24/7 alright Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 rip | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - Dante has a LOT of stamina, ngl he could go all night, so after a few rounds I’d tap out or until i pass out zzz gn

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - I would try my fucking best,, but the bitch has so much stamina so unfortunately,, It’s not equal but Dante just go for it just get it. But I won’t leave a bitch hanging fuck that.

How rough are they in bed? - i guess it depends on the moodSofter than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - the best part??No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

[thedreadvampy]

The idea of this experiment isn’t to boycott films which don’t meet the criteria, or to imply that only films which do are good or valid, but only to create a list of films which exist outside the usual hegemonic narrative.

Foreign films are allowable but only if they represent similarly marginalised voices in their own countries - for example a Japanese film would not be admissible purely on the basis of being directed by and starring Japanese people, but could be admissible if it was made by and about women, queer people, disabled characters, or starring/about people of colour oppressed in Japan (eg the Ainu, Black people in Japan etc).

Films by/about only straight cis white women or white cis gay men don’t count, although I’ve listed some as honorable mentions, because while they're still underrepresented in film production they're certainly not as unheard as other more marginalised voices.

Reblog with your suggestions and tag them #FilmsForUs!

My initial suggestions:

Comedy

Nina’s Heavenly Delights: Lesbian romcom about a Scots-Indian woman trying to win a curry competition in memory of her recently-passed father (1: almost all Scots-Asian cast with the exception of the love interest, 2&3: dir. Pratibha Parmar, a Desi lesbian, 4: check, 5: side plots about her brother and mother’s relationships, 6: check)

Hunt For The Wilderpeople: A Maori kid from the inner city is adopted out to the country, but when he and his adoptive father disappear into the bush it sparks a nationwide manhunt  (1: Maori protagonist and some core cast, 2&3: dir. Taika Waititi, written by Taika Waititi and Te Arapa Kahi, 4: check, 5: very little romantic content, 6: check (although some jokes referencing CSA))

But I’m A Cheerleader: A naive teenager is sent to a conversion camp when her parents suspect she may be a lesbian, opening her eyes to a whole new world.  (1: Almost exclusively queer characters, 2&3: dir. and written by Jamie Babbit, a lesbian, 4: check, 5: no heterosexual romance, 6: check)

Saving Face: A young closeted Chinese-American surgeon has her life thrown into disarray when her widowed mother becomes pregnant outside wedlock and is thrown out by her parents. (1: I think the whole cast are Asian or Black?, 2&3: dir. and written by Alice Wu, a Chinese-American lesbian, 4: check, 5: mother’s subplot involves, but doesn’t centre around, her relationships, 6: check)

Dear White People: The lives of five very different Black students at an Ivy League college intersect when a campus society organises a blackface party (1: Core cast is two Black women and three Black men, one of whom is gay, 2&3: dir. and written by Justin Simien, a gay black man, 4: check, 5: one of the four storylines is somewhat focused on Sam’s relationships with men but it’s not the primary focus but only an element of her story, 6: check)

Action

Black Panther: The new king of a highly-advanced and secretive African nation is challenged and overthrown by a vengeful rival, who forces him to confront his country’s responsibility to the world (1: Core cast is all Black bar two, 2&3: dir. Ryan Coogler and written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole (two Black men), 4: check, 5: There is a romance plot between Nakia and T’Challa but it isn’t foregrounded, 6: check)

Pacific Rim: 

Wonder Woman

Thor: Ragnarok

Drama

Angels in America: Six-hour epic exploring death, religion and sexuality in the AIDS epidemic (1: Main cast mostly gay men and straight women, one Black protagonist and several Jewish ones, several HIV+, 2&3: written by Tony Kushner, a gay Jewish man, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Hidden Figures: The true story of three Black female mathematicians integral to the success of the US Space Program (1: core cast three Black women, 2&3: based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, a Black woman, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Moonlight: A gay Black boy grows up in a rough neighbourhood, struggling with his isolation and fear. (1: Core cast all Black, gay protag and bisexual love interest, 2&3: all Black creators, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

The Shape of Water: A mute Latina woman working in a Cold War research institute falls in love with an ancient river god held for experimentation, and helped by a Russian spy conspires to save him. (1: Core cast are a disabled latina woman, a gay man, a black woman, a Russian spy and an amphibian monster, 2: dir. and written by Guillermo del Toro (Mexican) and co-written by a woman, 3: Uses the allegory of monsterhood to sensitively explore how each of these people is othered and oppressed, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Boy: In 1984, young Maori boy living in profound poverty is finally able to reconnect with his absentee criminal father, only to find the reality of his dad is very different to what he’s dreamed about. (1: Cast is almost entirely Maori, 2&3: dir., written by, and starring Taika Waititi (as the protag’s shitty dad), 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Angry Indian Goddesses: As old friends arrive in Goa to celebrate a friend’s wedding to her mystery partner, they hang out, laugh, drink, dance and unpick the many ways Indian culture ignores and oppresses women. WARNING: This one has very explicit description of rape and abuse. It also has a VERY sudden tonal shift in the final act which...the first 3/4 of the film seems like it’s going towards something fun and uplifting. It’s not. Don’t watch this one when you’re looking for something to cheer you up. (1: Cast includes two queer characters and one mixed-race character, as well as multiple survivors, 2: co-written by Arsala Qureshi, an Indian woman, 3: Handles issues of caste, gender and sexuality thoughtfully and sensitively (although I’m not Indian so feel free to correct me on that), 4: check, 5: check, 6: Rape is a big theme, but it’s there to discuss its devastating impact and to explore how different women react to different manifestations)

Kids

Moana: The daughter of a Polynesian chief, chosen by the sea, sets out on a quest to repair the damage done by the demigod Maui (1: Polynesian cast played by Polynesian VAs, 2&3: Co-written by Hawai’ian brothers Jordan and Aaron Kandell, and initial draft by Taika Waititi, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Honorable mentions (films which I think are in the spirit of #FilmsForUs but may not meet all the requirements as written)

Pride: Comedy The true story of the formation of Gays And Lesbians Support The Miners, an unlikely solidarity organisation in the 80s between the London queer scene and the striking miners’ unions in North Wales (1: All white cast of primarily queer characters, 2&3: written by Stephen Beresford, a gay man, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because it’s primarily about cis white men - there are lesbian characters but they are not the focus) 

Bend It Like Beckham: Comedy The daughter of an orthodox Sikh family pursues her love of football against her family’s wishes (1: Largely British Asian cast, 2&3: dir. Gurinder Chadha, written by Gurinder Chadha and Guljit Bindra, both British-Indian women, 4: check, 5: unfortunately there is a major romantic subplot and I hate it and this film should have been about the protagonist getting off with Kiera Knightley, 6: check - honorable mention because the protagonist’s straight relationship somewhat dominates the narrative)

Attack The Block: Action/Comedy A gang of teenagers defend their South London council estate from aliens, which the film uses to explore police brutality against Black kids. (1: Most of the cast are Black, 2&3: All white creative staff, although I believe they’re largely from a similar socioeconomic background, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because despite having a sensitively-written, diverse cast it was written, directed and produced exclusively by white men)

Mad Max: Fury Road: Action 

Battle Of The Sexes: Drama The true story of Billy Jean King, world tennis championship, and her fight for equal pay and respect for female athletes, as well as her struggle as a closeted lesbian (1: Gay female protagonist, 2&3: dir. by a straight man and straight woman, written by a straight man, all white, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because of a straight white creative team)

Lilo and Stitch: Kids A fugitive alien lands in the middle of two Hawai’ian sisters struggling to keep their family together after the loss of their parents, tackling poverty, colonialism and the threat of CPS (1: Native Hawai’ian cast played by Hawai’ian VAs, 2: All white production staff, 3: Handles Hawai’ian issues thoughtfully and carefully, 4: check, 5: Nani has a romance subplot with David but it isn’t foregrounded, 6: check - honorable mention because no Hawai’ian creators were involved)

[emilykatie]

20 Dad Things to Do on Father's Day

Make this Father’s Day Gifts delivery a great one with these 20 pop-approved games, projects and activities. Getting messy is definitely required!

In her job as a physician's assistant, my wife has been required to work in the E.R., get ready for 6 a.m. surgeries, and be on call — all things that have led to a rewarding career but nothing close to what our parents called a “normal work schedule.”

As such, it’s often just our two sons and me, the three Vrabel men, waking up to a day full of endless possibility and promise. And these days tend to begin the same way: with me making breakfast and asking, “So what’s on the agenda today?” and the boys responding with…well, abject silence, since they’re upstairs furiously Minecrafting while I talk to a stack of speedily cooling Belgian waffles.

Given the opportunity, my sons would be pretty well satisfied devoting one to 48 hours of their day to Minecraft. In these cases, it falls to me to devise the plan for the day, an activity or outing that not only has enough appeal to peel them away from their 8-bit fantasyland but also accomplishes the following: 1) enriches their lives; 2) helps them grow into wise, fulfilled adults; 3) is mentally active; 4) is physically active; 5) falls within my state’s laws of personal safety; 6) doesn’t cost $20,000; 7) is something I wouldn’t mind doing either. So, you know, no pressure.

Every parent wants to fill his children’s hours with activities that will empower and enrich them; every parent has stared at a wall repeating, “Yeah, I have no idea what that is.” To that end—and to celebrate Happy Fathers Day Gift to India online delivery —here’s an incomplete list of DAD things to do with your kids, as written by actual dads, prominent bloggers, musicians, and me, a humble writer-slash-Belgian-waffle aficionado.

1. Play in the street.

Sam Weinman, a New York City editor and author of Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains, approaches parenting with this idea: “Allow them to be the conduit to your younger self. I like to remind my boys that being a kid never gets old.” His go-to? Dragging out two goals, waiting for traffic to subside, and playing a little hockey in the street. He’s even turned it into an annual event: a round-robin tournament with four kids and a dad on each team. Winners take home a replica of the Stanley Cup trophy—which is actually a popcorn maker. “It’s arguably the highlight of the year.”

2. Introduce them to a record player. Now, granted, this isn’t for everybody: It doesn’t always work to have a 2-year old’s peanut butter–covered hands around a precision device that doesn’t play if you bump it. But some years ago, I ventured into the attic to retrieve my old and spider-infested collection of records, and on many nights since, we’ve been charmed by this relic from the past. We page through the massive art, make jokes about bizarre 1970s-era artist names (“Meat Loaf?” my eighth-grader said one night, shaking his head in bemused disbelief. “Why don’t people make any sense?”), and indulge in the novel idea of listening to something straight through, instead of fast-forwarding or commanding Alexa to play something different.

RELATED: How to Spend More Quality Time With Your Child

3. Invent new cereals. According to my 6-year-old, I have been eating Cocoa Pebbles incorrectly for decades. He told me this while retrieving two other boxes of cereal, from which he created an innovative new breakfast called CocoaLuckyTrix. For the week after, we started breakfast by engaging in some cereal alchemy, producing such inventions as Cinnamon Toast Flakes, Rice Krispiespuffs, and my personal favorite, Marshmallow Apple Pebbles.

4. Learn which colas can explode. Everybody knows that Diet Coke + Mentos = geysers of carbonated awesomeness. But though it’s the most famous reactive liquid, Diet Coke isn’t the only drink that will activate on contact with Mentos and make a mess of your kitchen! Head to the grocery store and grab a sample of other sodas. (This is for science, so the cheap bottles work just fine.) If you’re feeling especially MythBuster-y, tape several pieces of poster board together, mark off heights, and see which beverage creates the greatest geyser. (Hint: Don’t skimp on the diet root beer.)

5. Send screens back in time. If your kids are into video games anyway, bond with and/or horrify them by showing them the ancient video games you had to deal with as a child. There are a few ways to do this: You can get an Atari simulator at Walmart for about $40, and Nintendo has released new (and tiny) “Classic Edition” plug-and-play versions of its NES and Super Nintendo consoles. The NES Classic Edition comes preloaded with 30 games, including Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Dr. Mario, and Castlevania.

The Super NES Classic has Street Fighter II, Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, and Super Metroid. Best part: Both let you save points, so hitting the power button no longer means obliterating your progress! Bonus: If your kids are into Minecraft, the graphics and gameplay on a Super Nintendo will seem like some impossible magic from the future.

RELATED: Want to Feel Old? Watch This Little Girl Try to Run a Gameboy

6. Climb your city. Troy Carpenter, dad and Instagram star @redblueox, has an altitude-themed go-to for his oldest: visiting monuments and ascending to urban heights. He’ll take his kids to Indianapolis’s downtown Soldiers & Sailors monument or figure out which days of the week he can visit the top floor of other skyscrapers. If you’re in a city with older kids, finding the highest heights can be a perfect mix of urban adventuring and making sure they get enough exercise to sleep well that night.

7. Create a spy network. Few concepts capture a kid’s imagination more than secret messages, which is what compelled Coy Bowles, guitarist with the Zac Brown Band, to fashion a game out of a quirk in his house’s design. “We have a 4-inch tall pipe that connects one recording-studio room to another,” he says. “Its purpose is to pass cables through the wall, but my daughter and I now use it for fun.” Bowles and his budding spy swap messages and toys through it. “It’s cute to see her so curious about what’s happening on the other side of the wall.” No pipe? Hide messages anywhere: in drawers, behind bookshelves, in the vegetable crisper, inside a favorite book.

8. Invent stories (with a little help). Take a few sheets of paper, cut them into squares, and write a single and possibly hilarious word on each. Biscuits. Alien. Rhinoceros. Havarti cheese. Then ask your kids to make up a tale, occasionally flipping a square over and adding the word on it to the story. It’s 100 percent free, 102 percent imaginative, and customizable to you and your family. (Translated: “You can use whichever ridiculous words you want.”) It’s this strategy that once made my 6-year-old spin a fantastic yarn about a space pirate who uses lightning to fight a volcano inside an evil toilet. (Full disclosure: His stories always seem to include a toilet.)

9. Go playground shopping. If you live in an area with multiple playgrounds, turn your travels into a piratical expedition. Make a playground map, mark the spots you want to hit, and devise a plan with your kids for exploring each one. Make lists of the best parts of each—which one has the twistiest slide, the biggest fountains, the most imposing jungle gyms—and revisit as needed.

RELATED: 7 Unique Playgrounds for Kids

10. Bust the kids. Mike Spohr is the editor of BuzzFeed Parents, coauthor of The Toddler Survival Guide, and inventor of the Police Officer game. “My kids ride their bikes until I (the police officer) pull them over—for speeding, to ask if they’ve seen an on-the-run thief, or any of a thousand other scenarios. They want me to differentiate it every time, which gets really hard!” His son is usually apologetic; his daughter sometimes gets sassy. But all parties go home happy.

11. Fail to walk a straight line. Block out your senses by closing your eyes and plugging your ears, and try to walk 100 steps in a straight line. It will not work. You will end up 50 yards to the left, or back where you started, or in the middle of a mud puddle—but never ever straight ahead.

https://www.parents.com/holiday/fathers-day/traditions/fathers-day-activity-ideas/

[russellthornton]

Stay at Home Dad: Why There’s Nothing Wrong with Being One

This is not the 1950s anymore, people. But even so, why do so many of us think that being a stay at home dad is weird? It’s not… and here’s why.

The days of Leave it to Beaver are long gone. While many of us don’t remember the days when women weren’t in the workforce and didn’t have relatively equal rights to men, there are still a lot of antiquated practices that our society still hangs on to.

For example, most women change their last name when they get married. But why? Probably because they don’t give it any thought and just do it because it’s “normal.” Think about it, though. That tradition is rooted in a very sexist ideology – when a woman marries a man she became his “property”- literally. Well, at least at one point in history. But you get my point.

Sure, we are long past that now, however, there are still a lot of things that we all take for granted regarding what is “normal” and what is “not normal.” And let’s face it – being a stay at home dad is not considered by most people as “normal.”

And that’s really sad. I mean, why not? Why can’t the man be a stay at home dad and have the woman work? Where is there a law against it? Obviously, there’s not.

Why it’s awesome to be a stay at home dad

Many men – and women – are reluctant to have the man be a stay at home dad. Why? Well, there are countless reasons. But probably some of them that top the list are reasons like “he’s not providing for the family,” or “he’s a loser,” or “he’s a weak man.” [Read: 14 things women say or do that emasculates a man]

But none of these are true. Anyone who has been a stay at home parent can tell you it’s the hardest job in the universe! So here are some reasons why it’s awesome to  be a stay at home dad.

#1 It allows your kids to bond with you. And when I say bond, I mean really bond. I don’t mean that it just allows you to be home for dinner every night, give them a bath, or even read them books. What I mean is that because you are spending so much time with your kids, you get to really talk to them. You get to know them as a unique human being. And you get to teach them life lessons. That’s priceless.

#2 It allows your wife to pursue her career. Listen, the man doesn’t always have to be the breadwinner. I know it’s difficult for some people to deal with that. Believe it or not, it was for me too. I was once engaged to a man who moved in with me from several states away but had no job yet and took care of the domestic and kid duties.

And while I loved having those burdens taken over for me, I did struggle with being the only one who brought in money to the household. I mean, I struggled with it mentally and emotionally. But really, what was wrong with it? Nothing.

I got to pursue my career, and I knew he held the fort down at home. It was great. All I had to do was overcome the thoughts that society had programmed into me that the man was supposed to be the one with the great career *or at least an equal one*. [Read: Female-led relationships – 50 signs you’re in one and don’t know it]

#3 You model breaking the gender barriers for your children. Our society gets too stuck in what is “right” and “wrong” and “normal” and “not normal.” Why do we need to draw the lines of how everyone is supposed to act just because society tells us so?

So, if you are a stay at home dad, you are modeling a very important thing for your kids – such as “f*** the rules of society.” Make your own rules.

Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you can’t do things that are supposedly supposed to be “women’s work.” And vice versa. It shows you can stand up and be your own person. That’s a great thing to model for your kids.

#4 You teach your kids that men can handle domestic duties. If you look at what we see on TV and the media in general, it shows that men are pretty incapable of handling kid and domestic duties. In diaper commercials, men are fumbling around with the baby and can’t get the diaper on straight.

It’s almost like a joke and “accepted” that men just can’t cut it in the child care and domestic categories. But men are just as capable as women! So, if you are a stay at home dad, they will grow up knowing that men and women are equal in all areas of life. [Read: Abandonment issues and how it affects your relationship]

#5 If you have daughters, you will set the bar high for them. Unlike girls with a working dad, you can model a lot of behaviors for your girls, if you have them. Since you’re around all the time, you can talk to them – I mean really talk to them.

You will plug into them and their lives, be sensitive, and treat them like queens. That will set the bar high for them later in life when they are looking for a man to spend the rest of their life with. And trust me, this is a good thing to have high standards for a man. And you wouldn’t want it any other way for your baby girl, right? [Read: Father-daughter relationship – 10 daddy issues it can lead to]

#6 You can volunteer at the kids’ schools. Once your kids get old enough to go to school, being a stay at home dad allows you the opportunity to go and volunteer in the classroom. You could be a “room dad” and help plan parties. You can help the teacher out and grade papers.

Kids love it when their parents are in their classrooms – it makes them feel special and that they are loved. It also allows you the opportunity to drop in school and have lunch with them whenever you feel like it.

#7 You can blog about it. Everyone knows that blogging is huge these days. So, why not turn your daily adventures with your kids into a blog of your own? You can use it as an outlet to vent, to reflect, and to reach out to other stay at home dads *or moms*. And eventually, you could even turn it into a side business if you get popular enough. A total win-win, huh? [Read: Marriage advice – 11 tips for happily ever after]

#8 You can take photos and videos and document your children’s lives. Since a stay at home dad is around all the time, it allows them the opportunity to really be present and document what’s happening in their lives.

No one is ever without their phone, so when you take them to the park or just if they’re splashing around in your pool in the backyard, have your phone handy and take tons of pictures and videos. You will be happy you did 20 years from now.

[Read: 9 Things you can’t overlook when you date a single parent]

Being a stay at home dad doesn’t have to be weird. In fact, I give major kudos to the men who do it. It’s time we start embracing and celebrating the men who are brave enough to step outside of society’s norms and be their own person, don’t you think?

The post Stay at Home Dad: Why There’s Nothing Wrong with Being One is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.