#also shout out to charlotte for the first design you will be remembered as one of the most iconic graphic designers in the world

[ash-and-starlight]

favorite black sails’ supporting character is jack rackam’s pride flag

[gucciwins]

The Hunt

Luna has won the Halloween Hunt two years in a row and she is going for a third with Harry as her partner, the problem well they don’t really get along. 

Word count: 10,761

A/N: Luna, I hope you love her like I do. She was a joy to write. I’m very excited to share so please come and share your thoughts with me. It really means the world to me. Thank you to Gianna (@hunflowers​) for hosting this wonderful Halloween challenge. I hope you enjoy. (prompt: you’ve got to be kidding me).

Halloween. 

The one holiday that Luna is excited to take part in with her friends, finding even the tackiest of activities fun and a joy to do. Luna and Caleb went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and spent the day drinking cider and eating cinnamon donuts. The pumpkin carving was a whole other story that ended with one smashed pumpkin and a grumpy Caleb. 

Luna has spent every Halloween with Caleb for as long as she can remember. From first becoming best friends when Luna and her family moved in next door to Caleb at the age of six to now, age twenty-one going on four years of living together. Much to their parents' disappointment, sparks never did fly for them. Not that Luna ever thought there would be; Caleb just didn't do it for her no matter how handsome he was.  

This Halloween, just like previous ones, they were going as a pair. Their first Halloween at age six, they went as Power Rangers, Luna the yellow and Caleb the blue. It was their most memorable one and has the picture hanging in their living room for reminiscing purposes. Last year Caleb decided on Ghostbusters, and they killed it. Being university students means low money in their bank account, so they went thrift shopping a lot that year. 

Halloween 2020, it is her turn to pick. Luna decided they would be going as Princess Buttercup and Westley from The Princess Bride. 

A true classic that will forever live on, yes, it may be a romantical pairing, but Luna has begged for this for years, and now is their time to shine. She pulled extra shifts at the tattoo parlor she works at as receptionist to get authentic costumes—the red dress of dreams. 

It's Saturday night, there is a Blue moon, and it's Halloween. 

It is time for their third annual Halloween Hunt, where her group of friends pair up and set off to find clues to win the grand prize of a crown, some cash, and bragging rights for a whole year. Luna has won it the last two years with Caleb on her side, and she is ready to do it again. 

Luna stares at herself in the mirror. The gown is elegant and rich with details. The long red, billowy sleeves with a fathered cuff. A high neckline and falls into a loose, pleated skirt. The dress is tied off at the waist with a gold pattern belt. And to top it all off, the beaded crown on her brown curls. The color of her hair the only inaccuracy of the costume. The crown shines more she feels with her darker hair than the original Buttercup. 

Her makeup is minimal, only having used mascara for her long eyelashes she likes having curled. It makes her brown eyes that much nicer to gaze at. 

She grabs her wallet and keys that she will be leaving with Caleb as his look was blessed with pockets, and she does not want to stick anything down her bra for the entire night. She takes the stairs two floors down as they meet at Mitch and Oliver's apartment, who happen to live in the same complex.

To start the hunt, the host will let everyone get into partners before dispersing the first clue, and the first couple to make it to the final location at midnight will be crowned the winners. 

They really are in for a fun night. 

___

Walking in, she sees the apartment somewhat decorated, not much, purple string lights hanging over the large tv they have. Small orange pumpkins scattered around the room. The excessive amount of fake spider web in every corner of the house. Mitch has always said, why to decorate if you're going to be the one cleaning it up. Oliver did not think the same way; she imagines his room looks like the inside of Spirit Halloween. 

Mitch greets her with a drink. It's water. He smiles at her costume before wandering off. She sips the cold water, never one to drink on such an important night. Also, she's wary about drinking growing up; her dad made her start driving at the age of fifteen because he liked drinking when they went over to her uncle's house on the weekends. He wasn't an alcoholic, but he did drink too often, and instead of putting her and her brother at risk, he taught her to drive. This is why now, she will instead be the designated driver than the one having the drinks. Tonight, she needs a clear head to win.

Luna moves past the kitchen, eyes searching for Caleb in his black outfit and mask, but she stops dead in her tracks once she meets his gaze.

 It's a shock.

Caleb is dressed in slim black pants, a white dress shirt, a messy done blue tie, an unbuttoned black blazer, and completing his look is the signature beige blazer. He looks incredible, but not at all how he was supposed to. He winces when he sees the expression on her face. 

She’s upset. He didn't even warn her. Not a single text or call.

There has never been a reason to break tradition, but here they are doing just that. 

"They asked me to host," Caleb says as he steps toward her. Luna manages a nod. She changes her direction and goes across the room to sit alone on the windowsill, leading to a small flower patio. Caleb looks like he wants to head over, but she knows her well enough; it's best to leave her alone. 

As Luna gets lost in thought, she doesn't acknowledge that everyone else has slowly arrived, the chatter getting louder. She also is oblivious to the lingering eyes on her. If she had looked up, she would have met Harry's concerned gaze.

"Hello friends, thank you for gathering with us here on this day of spooks and horror." Caleb stands on the study coffee table to get everyone's attention on him. "This year, you may not pick your partner. No, there will be random draws." 

"Let's hope this makes Luna lose this year," Oliver shouts, getting lots of cheers in response. 

Luna rolls her eyes at the banter but lets a smile overtake her face because she knows no matter who her partner may end up being, she will be a winner.

Caleb announces how only five of them will pick a name and how it has been decided it will be Mitch, Daniel, Charlotte, Abby, and Luna, who will draw a name. 

She is third to pick a slip, not opening it up until the last two receive theirs. She doesn't focus on the others as they begin to search for their partners because Caleb is shuffling over to her looking sheepish. 

He pulls her in and wraps his arms around her, giving her a big squeeze. Long and hard enough to leave her out of breath. A sloppy kiss on her cheeks, she is quick to wipe away on his coat, not at all wanting to dirty her dress, at least not yet. 

Those hazel eyes are hard to stay mad at, and he knows it. Luna can count all the fights they've had on one hand.

"Whatever, you owe me." She bumps his shoulder. 

He nods, quick to agree. "Name your price."

Luna opens up the folded slip of paper. 

Harry 

"A new partner." She whispers, not looking up, hoping if she stares long enough, the name will change. 

Caleb leans in and smirks at the name. "That I can't do. You know the rules." 

She furrowed her eyebrows. "There were no rules until today."

Caleb laughs. "Everyone partner up if you haven't already."

Mitch is already chatting with Oliver, and she knows they will give her a run for her money. These two get on so well, but their weakness is that when Mitch gets a lead, he forgets to address it to his partner most of the time, leaving them separated and lost. 

Justine is with Abby, and honestly, she has no worry over them. Abby is a hard person to partner up with, always wanting to lead even when she has no clue what is going on. 

Calvin is with Daniel, and honestly, she knows they are not competition. Calvin told her the clues confused him. 

Mason and Charlotte, she was hoping to partner with Charlotte. That being her closest friend right behind Caleb. She's a music major, meaning their time together is always a joy. Luna singing a random song and Char telling her random facts she knows about the said song. Luna is not sure how good Charlotte and Mason get on, but only time will tell. 

As she sees everyone paired up, she scans the room for Harry. She doesn't spot him, but she does see Pirate Roberts, better known as Westley, her other half. He's wearing a black shirt that has a lace-up front with a matching pair of pants. The mask and headscarf add a touch of mystery, while the sash and gloves put the finishing touch to the look. As much as she hates to admit it, he looks good. 

"You've got to be kidding me." She says, looking him up and down in disgust. 

Harry scoffs, now standing in front of her. "Guess that means I'm stuck with you."

"Yeah, you can lose the mask now."

"No, I don't think so. Makes my eyes pop." He bats his eyelashes at her. 

She ignores him, moving on to an important question. "Who were you supposed to dress with?" 

"Charlotte." His stupidly, charming English accent responds. "She asked me last week, then told me she was doing Ghostbusters with Mason. Her costume is done too nicely to be done last minute."

This is a setup. 

She knows because Charlotte helped her alter the dress's length so that it didn't drag on the floor as she walked, and in return, Luna helped sew Venkman on her suit. 

The only question is, why would they want her matching with Harry if they don't get on well at all, not even a little bit. Every interaction leaves with one of them storming off, not to brag, but it seems to always be Harry. 

"Well, at least you were warned. Caleb didn't even tell me." She shares. "Had me walk in to see him dressed as an angel." 

"Castiel, right?" Harry says, a bit uncertain.

Luna nods, surprised he knows, thinking this might be their one connection to break the ice. "He posted on his story who he was dressed as." She spoke too soon. 

"You're saying you don't know Supernatural." 

"No, sorry." He says, not sounding apologetic. 

Luna shoots him a fake smile before looking away. "He can't be my partner; it's a disrespect to my morals." 

Her only response is laughter. She wasn't joking. 

"You know the rules, baby," Charlotte says, arms around Mason's waist. Luna narrows her eyes at that, mentally reminding herself to check in with Char about that. 

How had she won two years without knowing any rules? 

"Well, I'll still kick all your asses with Dobby on my team." When meeting Harry's eyes again, she smirks, his face shocked, not sure if she was insulting him. 

"Right, do not mess up our chances of winning." Her voice was deep and threatening. At least she hoped that's how it sounded. 

"I would never" Harry looks down at her with a smirk on his pink lips. "But I need motivation, so what's in it for me." 

Instead of responding with half of the money because that much was obvious, what else would he want? She looks him in the eyes. "I'll kiss you if we win," Luna tells him sarcastically, and before Harry has a chance to respond, Caleb is walking over, handing them their first clue of seven. 

Head to the place no one ever cleans

Harry scratches his head. "That's confusing."

"It's the bathroom. Specifically, the toilet." She hands the clue for Harry to put away, making her way there. 

"You sure?" 

Luna doesn't bother replying, pushing first to the bathroom, wanting to get a move on. It's going to be a long night if he keeps questioning her. 

Harry opens the door and jumps back, he's startled at the sight in front of him, but Luna nudges him aside to take a look and is left impressed.

There is fake blood on the mirror, "You're next" written sloppily. What startled Harry was the body bag in the tub, bloody transparent curtains hanged to make it seem like a messy murder. 

"There's not a body, right?" A slight tremble in his voice. 

"Of course not. No one is a fan of jump scares her." She eyes his face. "Especially you." 

Luna picks up the skull sitting on top of the toilet tank, and taped underneath is the second clue. 

"That was too easy," Harry tells her, already heading out of the apartment, not waiting for her to read the clue knowing this one will lead them outside. 

You may sit, you may stand, you may push, but one must never jump.

"Who even made these?" Harry scoffs. "It's awful." 

She chuckles, agreeing because they do stink. "Caleb. The host has to do them all for each group. Talk with owners of shops and all. It's a long process." Luna explains to Harry as she reads the clue once more. "I'm surprised I never noticed how busy he was the entire month." 

"It's what happens when you're self-absorbed." He mutters. 

"Ouch." She feigns hurt, hands over her heart. 

Harry rolls his eyes, not wanting to deal with her any longer than he has to. He has no clue what that clue is pointing to. He looks over at Luna, who has gone quiet.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Harry exclaims.

"Where is the headscarf? You're messing up the look." She pouts, and Harry would never admit it, at least to her, but she looks adorable. 

"I took it off. It messes up my hair."

Luna stares at his hair. "Looks as messy as always.'

He gasps. "It looks fantastic, trying this new serum to make it shine."

"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't think it is working." She scrunches up her face in disgust. 

"Well, your shoes don't match." He yells. 

She looks down at her Molly metallic leather platform boots that give her five-four self extra height. "My boots are badass. Buttercup still kicks ass in these." She twirls and begins walking away from him. 

"Luna, for fuck sake, where are you going." Harry rushes after her. 

"We've got a hunt to win." 

For someone of her stature, she sure has a fast pace. It seems as if she never slows down, effortlessly moving around pedestrians. All while Harry mumbles apologies as he trips over a person's shoe. 

"The clue." He clears his voice. "How'd you crack it." 

"Easy after a few reads. It's the swings at the local park." 

Harry nods. "That doesn't explain how you knew." 

"Caleb uses things in his life, and if you know him well enough, you can crack it. He's an open book, one talk with him and you'll know his grandparents' name and phone number. He loves sharing everything." Harry motions for her to continue, all while keeping her fast pace, leaving him a little wounded. "As kids, our parents' one rule at the park was that we could never jump off the swings all because one time Caleb and I were going so high I jumped and almost flew past the sand pile and landed on the concrete. No one broke a bone, but we could have." 

"You and Caleb must have given your parents a hard time." 

"Not really, we were angels." 

"Hard to believe." 

She kisses her two fingers before placing it over her heart. "Scout's honor." 

"You were in the girl's scout." 

"Well, aren't you nosy Miss Rosy." She rolls her eyes. "The town didn't have the girl's scout, so when Caleb joined, I made a presentation for Ulysses. He was the man in charge, and I impressed him. He accepted, and no one questioned me."

"Impressive," Harrys tells her, genuinely meaning it. 

"Now shut up, Styles. You have too much information, might have to go kill you or something if these things get out." 

"And here I thought we were becoming friends." 

"Nope, let's keep it that way." 

Harry shuts up, letting the chatter of late-night stragglers fill in the silence. Luna is stopped by a girl their age looking for directions to a party. She is happy to help, giving the girl extra detail to make sure she doesn't get lost. She goes as far as giving the girl her phone number to know she made it there safely. 

Luna is an enigma. 

"I thought you hated all humans, but I see I was wrong." 

Harry is such a jerk that she doesn't bother responding. No, she does something much better. She stops walking, sticking her foot out, knowing how oblivious Harry is. He trips, almost falling to his face, but to some miracle, he manages to right himself without a scratch. 

He adjusts his mask, brushing off the dirt he acquired at the bottom of his pants. "Well, that was mean.

"I thought it was rather kind, knock you off your pedestal." She grins at him, walking away again. 

Harry mutters something under his breath, making sure she isn't able to hear him. 

Luna decides to bring back the conversation of what started their night, his costume. "Why are you even Westley? You don't have the blonde hair for it."

Harry scoffs. "Says the girl with the brown locks of hair."

"The wig was itchy, besides my natural hair is pretty." Her hair is excellent, and she knows it. It's mid-waist, and she does hair therapy to keep it healthy. After Caleb's sister-in-law introduced her to natural hair products, a significant improvement. It added a shine she never had before. She is always paid lots of compliments on her hair. It's enchanting. 

Harry looks at her before staying quiet. He kicks a rock as he walks. "Blondes are overrated."

Luna ducks her head, letting her hair frame a curtain around her face wanting to hide the blush he managed to get out of her. 

Finally, reaching the park entrance, the swings a distance away. They stop, neither of them making a move follow the path.   

"You could just stay here, and I'll text you when I'm done," Luna tells him. 

Harry is quick to rebut, "I'm smart, I can help." 

"I didn't say you aren't smart. It's just I know you don't like me, so why spend the time with me?" 

That's far from the truth, Harry thinks to himself but doesn't deny it. "Together, we're winning this together." He gives her no room for argument walking to the swings. 

Luna nods to herself; she's going to be okay. Maybe the night will start to get better. 

Harry is opening up the clue as she approaches, and he holds it out further, allowing her to read it.

You walk by me, never give me a second glance. Now tonight, I dare you to give me a chance.

"That doesn't sound great," Harry confesses. 

"You alright, with a bit of darkness?" 

Harry nods his head, yes, but he has no idea what's coming next. 

___

Standing in front of the house, Luna feels a chill run up her spine. It's not like she's never seen this house because she had. She grew up in the town and walked past the lonely house that wasted away day by day as she made her way to school.

"This place is creepy," Harry mumbles, standing next to her.

The grass is brown and unkempt; dried leaves scatter the path to the home's stairs, a crunch under their feet as they approach. She walks slow, counting her steps, and at unlucky thirteen, they reach the first broken step. The wood looked as if someone took a hammer to it, having random holes done. The windows are filled with spider webs and dust, no way to look in. The door was red and had scratches. As if someone small had clawed to be let in.

"Sure you want to go in, Luna." Harry looks at the door in fright. "You can admit you got the wrong location. You can't always be right."

"Look, Styles, I know I'm right."

Harry begins to sweep around to make sure no one is watching them break into an old abandoned house. She leans against the rotting wood, there's a chance she might fall through, but she's always up for the risk. In doing so, she shuts her eyes for a second, and a memory pops in her head; it causes her to let out a chuckle, startling Harry. He whips around to shout at her, but the smile on Luna's face makes him stop. He's never been privileged to a smile so intimate.

Before Harry can even ask her what's got her smiling, she is already talking.

"Caleb and I had our first kiss on these steps." Luna's eyes shift down as if the memory begins to play in front of her."

"With each other?" Harry asks, wanting confirmation.

"Yes, Caleb swore he was in love with me in the sixth grade, and I told him he was insane. The feelings were not mutual." She assures, wanting to get her point across. "We were walking home from school one day, and I, as the brains of the duo, told him we had to check out the house. I swore we had our own Boo Radley after reading To Kill A Mockingbird. He was going on and on about how he swore his love for me." She turned to look at Harry. "I looked at him, put my hands on his shoulders, and put my lips to his. He stood there shocked, and once I pulled back, he grinned." Luna deepens her voice. "So, I don't love you like that."

Harry chuckles, enjoying the story. She's not even sure why she began to tell him. "I was like yeah, you idiot, I see you as a brother. My mom could not stop laughing when I told her. My dad not so much." She stood up straight, took three steps to the door, grabbed the rusted doorknob, and it twisted open. There was a loud creak as she pushed.

"In we go, Farm Boy."

Harry shakes his head, mutters "As you wish." He hopes she missed that.

He steps in; first, his eyes quickly sweeping around the house, a doorway to a living room, another leading to what he assumes would be the dining room, and right in front of them a spiral staircase leading to the second floor where they might venture to if they don't find the clue in the main rooms.

"Right, together," Harry tells her.

"Awe, don't be scared, Styles. I'll protect you." She reaches out to pink his cheek.

He swats her hand away. "You'll be the one needing it."

"Don't count on you being my savior then?"

"Not ever, Buttercup."

They walk the first floor and find nothing. It's quite dull, nothing that stands out of place. Nothing haunting, really. A bit of a disappointment. They approach the stair and see footprints. This must be the correct way. She lets Harry lead. Once at the top, they see footprints are leading left and right. Harry nods left, so she assumes he means she has to go right.

It was not what he meant.

As Luna makes her way to the door at the end of the hall, she turns to see Harry entering the first room. She should turn back and go with him. She thinks about it for a second and decides it's best not and continues on.

Luna enters the boy's room. There is a race car bed, with white drawers full of stickers on either side. Everything is dusty, can feel the twitch in her nose. She approaches the bed when a paper catches her eyes on the corner of the dresser filled with different kinds of dinosaurs. It is their clue. It reads

If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending.

Luna smiles gratefully to have found it. She'll figure it out with Harry, she decides. The quicker she is out of the house, the better. As she folds the clue, she hears the door slam shut. It makes Luna jump. 

She approaches the door and twists the knob, but nothing happens. Luna keeps pulling and nothing; she's slowly but surely beginning to freaking out. 

Maybe Harry was playing a joke on her. That had to be it. 

"If you think this is a good prank, you're wrong." She yells, eager to hear his deep laugh before opening the door. But instead, she is met with silence. 

"Styles, open the door." Her voice firm, anger slowly taking over." Still nothing. "Haha, you've had your laugh; let me out." 

The panic is beginning to set. Harry didn't lock her in; he's on the other side of the house. 

"Harry?" She whimpers.

Meanwhile, Harry, no clue in hand, stands at the top of the stairs staring at a mirror frowning at himself. He looked for Luna, but it's as if she disappeared. He has come to the conclusion that she has finally left him. 

Luna, not sure what else to do, begins to scream his name. The tears streaming down her face in panic. She just wants out. That's all she wants. 

She pounds on the door, her throat hurting from the loud screams she's let out. The tears making it hard to keep on going; with one final knock, she lets herself slide to the floor.

Harry was about to descend the stairs when he hears a pounding on a door. It gives him chills; as much as it frightens him to go check it out, he has a gut feeling he has to. He goes right, the original way Luna went, and makes his way to the closed door. He takes a deep breath before turning the knob. 

Nothing happens. 

He takes a step back before pushing all his weight into the door, causing it to fly open. Harry scans the room quickly but sees nothing until he looks down and sees Luna hugging her knees.

Harry is quick to react. He's on his knees in front of her. "Luna, love, it's me, Harry. You're okay." 

She slowly lifts her head. "Harry." She croaks.

"Yes, it's me."

The tears begin once more. "The door was jammed. I was calling for you." She throws her arms around him wanting to be close, needing comfort even if he may not want to give it. 

"Thought you left me once you got the clue." He confesses as he runs his hand through her hair, he might have always wanted to do it, but not like this, never like this. 

"I'm not that mean, am I?" She looks up at him through her long thick eyelashes. A tear runs down her cheek.

He brings his hand up and gently wipes it away. "No, you're sweet and sassy and perfectly you. Not mean. Ya, hear me."

Luna nods. 

"Let's get out of here, okay. We need to figure out the clue now. Can't do it without your brains." He smiles at her dimples on display.

Luna smiles, he helps her out, and they walk out, Harry guiding her with a firm hand on her waist.

Once outside, the cold autumn wind hits them, and it's like Luna can finally breathe again. Harry guides them all the way to the sidewalk, where she hands him the clue. 

If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending.

"Sweets? There's a candy store, right?" Harry isn't sure, remembering seeing one. 

"It's named Annie's Sweets. Two streets from the library." 

"Well, lead the way, Buttercup." Harry links their hands together and begins walking forward is surprisingly the right direction. Luna stares down at their intertwined fingers, and it feels nice. 

Maybe, she's just a little touch starved. 

Luna is quiet, trying to think of anything but that moment she had in that house. She's going to give Caleb a lot of shit for that one. 

As they walk, Luna notices their hands are still together before pulling away. "Sorry." 

Harry shrugs. "Don't mind."

Luna frowns and looks straight ahead as they walk; he's confusing. Why is Harry acting sweet? A little too sweet. She intertwines her hands together in the front wanting the feeling of his hand in hers to disappear. 

"Are you going to tell the others about my crying? I get it if you do. Good story to get a laugh at me." She mumbles the last words. 

Harry grabs her arm, stopping her. She slowly raises her head to meet his eyes through the eye mask. His green eyes soft but filled with an emotion, she can't place. "I would never, what happened was not a laughing matter, this, all this tonight will stay between us, you good with that." 

Luna nods.

Harry clicks his tongue. "Verbal response." 

Her brown eyes go wide. "Yes, I'm good with that." 

Luna can't hide her surprise, and she knows Harry can see that. He's never acted so kind to her. It's a bit weird, but it beats the back and forth remarks. She's also sick of this façade of disliking him. It's exhausting now that she thinks about it. The banter is fun, but it always ends when it gets taken too far.  

"Harry, I know you hate me for some reason," She clears her throat before continuing. "But it's exhausting all the arguing. I'm great at it, but we've been at it for the two years we've known each other. You can keep hating me and not talking to me. I'm used to people not liking me. You won't be any different. We can co-exist in the same group."  

Harry scoffs, "You still don't get it."

She frowns. Get what? "You never gave us the chance to be friends. I'm giving you the chance to cut all ties while staying in the friend group." It's the most straightforward plan. It's honestly perfect.

"Luna, stop." 

She continues on. "Harry, seriously, you make me miserable, and I make-" He turns around, causing her to almost crash into him. 

"I like you." Luna knows the surprise is written all over her face. Harry's face is serious, no dimples insight and all his emerald eyes tell her is that he is full of frustration. "I like how beautiful and kind you are. How you don't let anyone walk over you and how you always manage to be the smartest person in any room."  

"Oh."

Harry likes her. Her. He likes her, and this was his way of interacting with her. He said she's smart, but honestly, nothing is making sense. She's confused; how does she feel? How long has he felt like this? Has it been since they were first introduced? 

Harry stands there staring at her, trying to see her give him any reaction, but all he gets is a blank stare. He clicks his tongue. "Alright." He turns on his heel and begins walking again.

Luna stares at him, walking away before shaking herself out of her thoughts and hurrying after him.

___

It's silent.

The quietest it's been all night, and she doesn't like it, but she's also not ready to address the bomb he dropped on her. 

At the start of the night, Luna believed he hated her. That he had hated her for the longest time only to find out he actually liked her. There is no way she'll bring it up, at least not yet. 

She cuts the tension in the way she knows best. 

"You could have at least grown the stache." He looks over at her, confused, not sure about what she just said or how she is brushing aside what he said. "The mustache adds to the character, and well, you don't have it."

Harry gasps. "I like my smooth face." She lets out the breath she was holding, thankful he went along. 

"Is that your way of saying you can't grow facial hair?"

"I can." 

She shrugs and nods. "Sure, Jan."

Harry is about to go off on her, but Luna runs ahead to the candy store entrance, walking in and letting the door shut behind her. 

He walks in after seeing that the store closes in twenty minutes; he finds Luna chatting with the cashier. He recognizes her as a girl he had in his intro to Psychology. She dropped out eight weeks in. He remembers because he lent her notes once and she had left coffee stains on them. As he reads on her name tag, the girl- Amy- was kind enough to pay him five dollars. Both girls don't acknowledge him, more into the conversation of Luna's costume and how pretty she looks in a crown. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd think Amy was flirting with her. Harry smirks but doesn't say anything waving at the girl before filling himself a bag of candy; he deserves it after all. 

"Amy was telling me Caleb came in a few days ago. Asked her on a date and they'll be going out next week. She thinks he's a proper cutie. Did you know her?" Luna tells him as she grabs the small tweezers to get a few sour gummy worms.

"Had her for a class first year, but she dropped out." Harry is focused on getting a few cherry sours in his bag. 

"Psychology. She was going through a rough time when she did it. Not that she ever needed the course. She's a theatre major now." 

"How do you know her?" He really is curious now, as she talks about her with familiarity. 

She drops a few Swedish Fish in the bag, sneaking one in her mouth, chewing it before moving along to add Tim Tams; he's never known for a candy store to have those. Then again, he's never been in this one. "She's my cousin. A year younger than us." 

"Why hadn't Caleb met her then if you've been friends for so long?" 

"God, you're a curious one, aren't you." She closes her bag and follows Harry as he fills his. He's going for Red Vines, nice and easy to snack on; Luna likes those only for movie nights for some bizarre reason she doesn't know. "I'm a protector of hearts. Amy is the sweetest person you'll ever meet, a real-life princess. Amy has been the sunshine in my life since she was born. I know Caleb, and he's going to fall in love with her, mark my words. I think they are a perfect match, but I also know not to meddle, which is why I wanted them to meet on their own." 

Harry smiles down at her. "Didn't know you could be so sweet, Buttercup." 

"Only to very few people." 

Luna places her bag on the scale, but her eyes go wide as she meets Amy's across the counter, realizing she doesn't have any money on her. Before she can even think about asking Harry, Amy saves the day. "Both your bags are covered. He knew whoever got this clue would most likely be buying, so he took care of it, more than enough actually." 

Luna rolls her head to look at Harry. "He's too kind." 

"What did the clue say?" Amy asks curiously. 

Harry and Luna's eyes go wide simultaneously. "Shit." He whispers before whipping out the slip of paper that led them there. "It says If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending." 

"The Pucker Powder!" Luna shouts, rushing over to the middle of the store where the machine of different flavors of powdered candy stands. There the clue is, under watermelon, Caleb's favorite. "I got it, Westley." 

Harry makes his way over to her waiting for her to read it, but Luna gestures for Amy to come listen as well, and she happily skips over. That's when Harry notices her costume; she's dressed in relaxed fitted jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a faded brown leather jacket with leather boots. A charm hanging from her neck. "What are you dressed as?" He's confused. 

"Dean Winchester." She answers cheerfully. 

Luna feels Harry turn to look at her waiting for an explanation. "She's paired up with Caleb, He's Castiel, and she's Dean and together they are ‘Destiel’. A long-loved ship in the fandom of Supernatural.

He smiles. "You look great." 

"Don't worry, Ames, the reason we aren't friends, is that he doesn't watch." 

"It's not for everyone, Luna," Amy tells her before nudging her to read the clue. 

You swim to the bottom to find the other side but never come back up.

"Sound like the lake," Harry suggests. “Only source of water here.”

Luna nods, agreeing with him, as they head to the door. She stops, suddenly remembering something. "Do you need us to walk you home? You know how I feel about anyone walking out alone, especially tonight."

Amy blushes, looking down. "Caleb offered to walk me home, you know it's close by, and it's still a while until midnight." 

"Say no more, sweets." Luna leaves and follows behind Harry, as he now leads the way. 

___

It's a half-mile away, not too far but enough to have them silent for a while as they set a steady pace. 

Harry quite likes conversing with Luna and decides to ask her a question that's been on his mind since he saw her back at the apartment. 

"Why this costume, why Buttercup?"

Luna runs her hands down the front of the material, feeling the softness against her hands. "It was my favorite growing up. Still is, honestly. It's a nice story that gives you a bit of everything, romance, friendship, and adventure. Each character was on an adventure, and it brought them all together. Also, because I'd read it to Caleb during lunch breaks, we didn't feel like playing with others. I'd read because he had dyslexia and he grew a distaste for reading." Luna smiles fondly, thinking back to those simpler times. 

"I watched the movie for the first time last year." 

"Did you like it?" Her voice was full of curiosity. 

"Loved it." He tells her. 

She smiles, his answer filling her with joy. "Favorite part?" 

He hums, thinking it over for a second. "When she pushes him down the hill and finds out he's actually Westley." 

"Because he yells as you wish, rolling down." She grabs his arm in excitement, finishing the scene for him. 

Luna realizes what she's doing, and quickly let's go, muttering a small apology. "You're a romantic, Farm Boy."

"Not the first person who's told me." 

The walk to Orchid Lake continues in silence. A comfortable one, each one lost in their own head. Luna keeps playing one moment in her head, the moment Harry confessed his fondness of her, but it doesn't make sense. She replays every one of their interactions, and there is not one moment that stands out to her that proves he likes her. Harry introduced himself the first time but never once pursued a friendship or anything more. Luna is so lost in thought she doesn't realize they've arrived as she bumps into Harry's back as he stopped at the entrance. 

She walks ahead, and instead of walking to the trail in front of them, she goes right and takes a seat on the bench, it's a bit wet due to the mist filling the air, but she doesn't mind. 

"Uh, it's this way." Harry points, wanting to get a move on. 

Luna makes no moves to stand. She runs a hand down her face before letting it drop to her lap. "How is it that you hate, and you like me?" The question slips out before she can stop herself. 

Harry sighs, knowing the conversation is happening now. "Don't hate you." Harry is now standing in front of her, mask in his hand, wanting her to really look at him. "But, you hate me." 

Luna shakes her head, no. She's never hated anyone, she might have disliked Harry at one point, but honestly, they might have just misjudged each other. Harry gives her a look, one that tells her to be honest. 

"Okay, I didn't like you, but can you blame me?" 

"No, I understand completely." Luna stares at him, her eyes now locked with his.  

Harry lets out a deep breath. "I think you're an amazing person. You're kind and smart. Always volunteering to help others. You help set up study sessions for everyone." Luna keeps her eyes on him, not giving him a single expression. "Was mad you didn't treat me that way when we first met." He confesses. 

She nods, letting it sink it. "I've always included you, never not invited you." 

"I mean, you didn't try to get to know me." 

"Harry, I did when we first met." Luna is sure of this. 

"No, I would remember." He exclaims. 

"I'm not that memorable to you, it seems." She rolls her eyes. "Let me paint the picture for you. We are all hanging out in Mitch's apartment when you arrive a little later than the rest of us. A girl is hanging off your arm, not an inch of space between you. Kiersten, does that name ring a bell, Styles?" Luna knows it does. It's his ex, the only one she knows of. "She was rude to me the first time we met, when we were introduced to each other. You stood there and let her do that. Insulted me, and I was fuming. Mitch said you were a kind person and to give you a chance but letting someone treat someone else badly right in front of you, I wasn't so sure." 

Harry stays silent, letting her go on. "The second time we met, she made fun of Charlotte's outfit, and you just sat there. Char cried in the bathroom and then headed home for the night. From then on, I was neutral with you, not giving you anything to move forward on. The last straw was when it was Friday movie night in my apartment, and she tells you it's lame seeing movies together and that the apartment was trashy. You stood there, nodding along, and as soon as I saw you alone for a second, I let you know we wouldn't be friends because you were different than I expected.” Luna tries to calm her breathing, no point in losing control over the past. She's let it go, well, some of it. 

"She was bad. I broke up with her that night." 

"That's not the point. Even in doing that, you didn't apologize, but you did already decide on how you were going to keep treating me." 

Harry has no right answer because he was wrong. He messed up. "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, and I'm sorry my apology is so late, but you do deserve it. No one should ever put up with someone else's crap, Luna." 

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Honestly, I feel terrible. I think I did it because you didn't treat me like the others and-" Harry stops. 

"Yet you never questioned why. You just acted, and well, I reacted." 

Harry sighs, upset that they could have been friends by now, heck even something more maybe. 

"Wait, Harry." 

"Yes, Luna." 

"What was your' and'?" She stands up, not sure what it could be. 

"Uh, I was going to have a conversation with you to see why you never talked to me and had worked up the courage to also ask you on a date, but I heard you were dating Calvin, so I sort of got jealous and well, yeah." 

"We went on one date." She emphasizes. "No sparks. Who even told you?" 

"Abby." 

"Makes sense; she was jealous that Calvin asked me out. Seeing as he never once flirted with her. We're civil, but deep down, she doesn't like me." Luna isn't sure what went wrong with that friendship. 

They both let out deep breaths, thankful to have everything out in the open now, nothing hidden. A step forward. 

"I'm not that person," Harry tells her, needing her to know.

She smiles at him. "I know. You proved that today." 

"I hope I haven't offended you with my remarks." His smile was sheepish. 

"You haven't." 

"Luna," Harry chastises. 

"Okay, you have, but we can move past because it turns out you're actually really nice." She lowers her voice to a whisper. "And cause you like me." 

Harry blushes, his cheeks now a rosy red and not from the cold weather. "I plead the fifth." 

"Harry," She teases. 

"Lips sealed."

"Doesn't work if you confessed earlier." She reminds him.

Harry chooses to ignore her. Letting her words fall silent on him. "I know we have to get going, but can I do one thing before we do."

Luna nods, not sure what he wants to do. Harry takes a step forward until he is standing right in front of her. He pulls her in for a hug, his arms around her waist. She slowly raises her hands, being as gentle as she can about it. Their height difference makes her smile; her head reaches just under his chin. She hated it before, but now, in his arms, it's actually quite lovely. He's warm and not as firm as she thought he would be; it's like she's hugging a big teddy bear. 

Harry leans back, looking down at her, a shy smile on her face. His eyes flicker to her lips and back to her eyes, leaning in for a moment before stepping back. He clears his throat. "To the lake, Buttercup."

___

There's no fear as she walks to the bridge where the clue should be. It's dark, not much light guiding them besides the moon. Harry wanted to turn on his flashlight, but Luna knows it's best not to disturb their eyes with such a harsh light. 

Luna knows this path like the back of her hand. She comes here every morning, sometimes before sunrise, either for a run or walk but in the summertime, she'll even go in for a swim. The lake is well cared for by the community. There is just one house in the back of the property, and the old couple living there love the visitors. They teamed up with the university to set up students to be tour guides, and it's an excellent part-time job. There's a lot of good here. 

She's sure the clue is on the bridge because one time, Caleb got Luna so mad that she shoved him in. She can't even remember why she was angry, but Caleb surely does. She would bet her life on it. 

It's a wooden bridge, a bit old as it creaks under each step taken. It's low, as it sits on the side of the lake, four feet deep at most. She takes a lookout at the lake, the water showing a beautiful reflection of the bright full moon above their heads. 

Luna picks the paper taking a step closer to Harry so that they can read it together. 

"I was the embodiment of every writer's worst fear: A cliche."

"That's a book quote." Luna recognizes it, but not a single book comes to mind. "Let's head to the bookstore. It's fifteen minutes from here, but we can make it in ten." 

Harry lets her lead. They know time is counting down, not once having stopped to look at the time. Harry feels they might be falling behind with all the stops in between the clues, but he knows better than voice out his worries. 

"Do you recognize the quote?" Luna asks Harry to hand it over to him." 

Harry reads it over twice. "No." 

"I know it, but I can't figure out where. I've read one too many books." She crosses her arms across her chest in frustration. 

"Maybe it's one that you've read to him," Harry suggests. 

Luna looks up at him as if he just hung up all the stars in her name. "You're right. He set this all up." 

It's one she begged him not to make her read, but he gave her an offer she couldn't resist.

Luna picks up her pace; she's close to running but stops herself from doing so. 

"Wait up, it isn't going to run away." Harry huffs out. He thought he was in shape, but tonight has proved him wrong. It could also very well be the boots. 

"Farm Boy, put those legs to work!" She shouts, not at all looking back at him. She didn't have time for that. 

"I'm tired," Harry groans. "We've walked a lot.” 

"Please, we'll get something to eat after we win." She throws him a smile over her shoulder, and Harry happily returns it. 

"Deal." Luna is surprised at how quick he was to recover now next to her. She would have thought he was okay if it weren't for the deep breaths he was taking. "It can be our first date." 

Luna falters in her step. She recovers just as quickly, hoping Harry did not notice. It seems like he didn't. "Great joke, get serious." It's weird; she's feeling butterflies in her stomach at the prospect of what could be with Harry, a date. It doesn't sound so bad, but it's not her focus. 

Luna misses Harry frowning. He was serious, but he also understands they just came to a truce of sorts less than an hour ago. 

Walking into Read to Dream, the first thing Luna does is scan the clock. There are forty-five minutes until midnight. That is plenty of time to reach the last destination after retrieving the final clue. 

The bookstore is a family-owned place. Mrs. Bennet, the owner, will be sure to pass it down to one of her grandchildren. Seeing as her children didn't take an interest, but dear Clara has. Clara is Mason's younger sister. She recently turned seventeen, meaning she's now allowed to close shop independently, seeing as her grandmother lives right above. 

The bookstore is what everyone likes to call an organized mess. There are many books on shelves in their respected genre and ordered alphabetically. Still, there are also books on chairs that no one ever seems to touch, the books on top of the bookcases that don't fit, and the books in the back that are stacked in rows in a rainbow color because they don't have a specific genre. Luna spent many summer days here, this was her first job at fifteen, wanting to have more liberty and Mrs. Bennet was kind enough to hire her on. From time to time, she comes in to have tea with her or even volunteer her time around. It's one of her happiest places. 

"Hello, tootsie!" Luna bounces over to Clara going around the counter to give her a hug. 

"Lunes, it's great to see you. You look gorgeous. Red is definitely your color." Clara gushes. 

"Thank you, I'd love to chat more, but I'm on the hunt for a book." Luna turns to scan the store as if it would stand out to her.

Clara nods. "That I can help with.”

"Gone Girl"

"Three aisles down, second row." 

Luna quickly thanks her, and Harry follows after her. Harry's stuck on the fact that she seems to know everyone they encounter. He's never seen a person as social and kind as her. 

"You read Gone Girl aloud to him." Harry finally processes the information that was given a few minutes prior. 

"He paid me to." Luna defends.

"How much?" 

"In lunch for an entire semester." Luna finds the book and begins to flip through it knowing it must be stuck in there. 

"Fair." 

"Got it!" Luna cheers. She pulls it out and hands it to Harry. He opens it, and that's when her eyes catch sight of the second piece of paper. This one is pale yellow, meaning it's not a clue and specifically for her. Luna slips it under her sleeve, careful not to have it fall out. 

Evil lurks at midnight. I invite you to join me when they begin to rise.

The cemetery. A chilling place to end the night, but a perfect place to be crowned winners. 

"It's a twenty-minute walk from here," Luna informs Harry, putting the book away and heading to the front. 

"I've never been to the cemetery." Harry decides to tell her. 

"It's not as creepy looking as you would think." 

"Don't believe you," He mutters. 

They say goodbye to Clara and begin the walk to the final spot of the night. 

"Ready to win?" She smiles up at Harry, buzzing with adrenaline, knowing how close they are. 

"Yeah, I am." 

As much as Luna wants to run to the cemetery, she wants to enjoy the last alone time she will have with Harry. She knows they are going to be friends after this. She lets herself fall behind a few steps and pulls out the slip of paper. She unfolds it, and it reads, "You can thank me by making me the man of honor." She blushes, but Caleb might be right, and she honestly hopes he might be. Luna can deny how she feels all she wants, but tonight proved something there, something he saw long before she did. 

Something that had been hiding there for quite some time.  

This could very well be the night that changed it all, the story they tell their grandchildren. That stops her letting out a gasp loud enough to grab Harry's attention. A few hours ago, she couldn't stand him and now is thinking about a future with him, and all Luna wants to know is how she let these feelings grow without really noticing. 

"You alright, Luna?" Harry looks concerned. 

No future talk, not now, at least. First, they will win, and then they both can go from there. 

"Luna, love. Times ticking." Harry teases. 

Luna starts forward once more, not having noticed how close they actually are from the entrance. She passes Harry and is now running. "Pick up the pace, Farm Boy." She's gaining lots of distance from him. 

"You can't beat me, Buttercup," Harry says, beginning to catch up, now right behind her. 

Luna lets out a loud laugh causing her to slow down. "We're on the same team, Westley." 

Harry laughs, pulling ahead, but grabbing her arm, making her run even faster. They turn the corner, and that's when she sees Caleb's car and knows the entrance is right ahead where he has to be waiting. 

Caleb is leaning against the rusted golden fence. Evergreen Cemetery, the name on the arch staring down at them. Caleb raises his head, looking away from his phone as he hears footsteps hitting the pavement. 

"Inconceivable!" Caleb shouts as Harry and Luna stand in front of him, out of breath but smiling. "You have arrived with ten minutes to spare, but I hate to inform you-" Luna's smile drops, and Harry can only frown, a profound bit of sadness forming in his stomach.

Caleb bends over, laughing. He wishes he could have recorded that. "I'm only playing. Of course, you won." 

Luna punches his shoulder. "Jerk." 

"Hey, be nice," Caleb backs away, his hands up in defense. "Winners aren't mean." 

"They are if it's to their best friend." Harry laughs, knowing Caleb deserves the well-given punch he received. 

"Honestly, I wasn't too sure you'd win, considering you two aren't- or weren't the best of buddies." Caleb nods his head to their connected pinkies. Harry blushes but makes no move to pull away. Luna tries, but Harry tightens his hold, and well who is she to fight him. 

"Look who's here," Caleb says, looking over their shoulder. 

It's Mitch and Ollie rushing over, a frown on both their faces as Luna and Harry step to the side so Caleb can adequately thank them for being the first losers. 

Mitch scoffs, a smirk forming on his face. "No surprise, they won. Harry would do anything to see Luna smile."

Harry's cheek goes red, but Luna carries on her conversation with Caleb feigning as if she didn't hear a word Mitch said. 

As time clicks closer to midnight, the teams begin to trickle in. Daniel and Calvin come in with five minutes to spare. Mason and Charlotte right on their heels, and at 11:59, barely making it on time are Justine and Abby. There were many mixed emotions as they found out Luna and Harry were the winners. A few eye rolls (Abby) and lots of cheers. 

Caleb has quieted everyone down, as it is now time to crown the winners, and Luna is buzzing with excitement. She might not have won with Caleb by her side, but Harry was just as great as Caleb, if not better. 

"I am proud to crown Luna and Harry, the winners of the Halloween Scavenger Hunt 2020," Caleb yells, having everyone break out into collective cheers. Luna blows kisses to her group of friends, a large smile on her face. 

Charlotte steps forwards and places a jeweled crown on her head. Luna thanks her softly and watches as she does the same to Harry. He bends down so that Charlotte doesn't need to reach up to place it on him. He has a broad smile on his face, he glances at Luna, causing her to go a deep red, but all he does is give her a cheeky wink. Caleb hands over two yellow envelopes, Winner, written on the front, and in each is the $250 prize money. 

It's $500 total, but it's split because of groups. She's not sure who decided everyone put in $50 to get a nice prize out of it instead of just bragging rights, but Luna was thankful for whoever did.

"Speech, please," Caleb says, backing away to stand with the others.  

Harry nods at her asking if she'd like to go first, but she shakes her head no. He clears his throat and puts on a charming smile, always quick to dazzle a crowd. "This year, I was not expecting to partner up with the best at the game, but I am glad she drew out my name. Luck was honestly on my side." He turns his head to find Luna already staring at him. "I can happily say that I'd do it all over again with Luna by my side." Shoots her a smile before locking eyes with their friends. "As now reigning three-time champion, I'm proud to have been at her side. Her brains and my looks won us this hunt." He fakes a hair flip causing Luna and Caleb to let out a giggle simultaneously. She nudges him gently, shaking her head at his antics. 

Harry smiles at her waiting for her to now start hers. She blushes under his intense gaze wishing he'd direct it elsewhere. 

Luna knows they are waiting for her to share, but she's stuck in a trance staring into Harry's emerald eyes. She thinks back to the evening's start in Mitch's living room and the promise she made to Harry if they won. 

Without thinking twice, she steps close to Harry, closing the small distance between them. Luna brings up her right hand to gently cradle his cheek and as for permission. He gives her the slightest nod, and in the next second, her lips are on his. Harry reacts quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist, needing her close, not all believing it's actually happening. 

Harry's lips are soft, his mouth tasting like cherry from the gummies they bought earlier in the night. The butterflies in her stomach are going crazy, trying to find an escape. Harry lets out a small moan. That's when she knows it's time to pull away. Luna rests her hands on his chest, feeling how fast his heart is reacting to the kiss. 

Luna turns to face her friends,  not caring how they were all witnesses to their first kiss. "I told Harry if we won that I'd kiss him, and well, I'm not one to go back on my word." 

Caleb cheers and starts to clap, not at all trying to hide his excitement. Everyone else joins in the hollers, only getting louder, causing Luna to drop her head to rest on Harry's chest as she takes in her friend's excitement, knowing the teasing will soon be next. Harry has not removed his hands from her waist, liking how close she is. Luna doesn't mind it either. It feels quite nice.  

"Alright, let's head to the diner where we'll buy the winner's food." Caleb begins ushering everyone to the cars. He got Amy's help bringing over Mitch and Charlotte's car which is how they will be leaving, finally the end to all the walking.

Luna and Harry are still wrapped in each other's arms, not at all ready to move. Caleb is waiting for them at the small cobblestone entrance.

"We'll meet you there." Luna knows they have no transportation, the diner being close to their apartment that is a good two miles away. 

Caleb nods, stepping closer to toss his keys to her. She catches them with ease. "I'll be riding with Mitch." 

They watch the two cars drive away before turning her attention back to Harry. 

"What a night." 

She nods in agreement, happy that the hunting is over and can now relax. 

"Favorite part?" Harry asks.

She thinks it over for a second before responding, "The haunted house."

"Really." Her answer really surprises Harry, and he doesn't try to hide it. 

Luna shrugs. "Think that's what broke the tension between us; otherwise, we'd still be bickering." Getting locked in a room was not fun, but Harry coming to look for her and help her showed her a side she hadn't seen before. It was worth it, but would most definitely not do it again. "And yours?" 

He leans down to whisper in her ear. "When you kissed me." 

Luna nods, "That was a nice moment, huh." 

"Care to do it again?" 

"Only," Luna pauses before leaning close to Harry. She feels his breath against hers, mixing together. "If you would agree to dress up with me next year." 

"Done deal." Harry answers. His lips are on hers once more. Harry has a hand on her cheek, deepening the kiss, not ever wanting to pull away. "We could be Noah and Allie from The Notebook."

Luna breaks the kiss. "Gross, please take that back." 

"What's wrong? It's my favorite movie." 

"Why?" Luna asks in disgust. "Allie cheats on her fiancé. Sure, they have true love, but cheating should never be condoned, especially in a love story. Sure the book showed their growth and maturity, but you're not talking about the book. I shall not do it, not ever." 

"Guess you just won our first fight, Buttercup." Harry smiles. 

"First? We've had over five hundred!" Luna tells him. "Now, kiss me again because I won." 

"If we're kissing after each fight, then I owe you over five hundred." Luna shuts Harry up by connecting their lips. She knows kissing Harry will never get old, neither will these pointless arguments that will be forgotten seconds later. 

"Enough of giving these dead people a show. Let's go eat." 

"As you wish." 

Luna gasps, pressing her right hand against her heart dramatically. "Are you saying you love me?" She clears her throat, scrunching up her face in apology. "This might be a little awkward then." She points between them both. 

Harry stops walking, throwing his head back, letting out a loud groan of frustration. "You're a pain in my ass." 

Luna giggles. "Would you want it any other way?"

Harry grins, looking down at her soft brown eyes. "No." He responds honestly.  

Pinkies linked together, bumping into each other randomly to see who stumbles the most, Luna and Harry walk out of the cemetery forever thankful for this Halloween night. 

I love you! 

Thank you for reading, come chat the hunt with me

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 9

A/N: Hey y’all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

This chapter ended up being longer than anticipated, so it will essentially be split into two. Whoops!

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow​ @aworldoffandoms​ @dcbbw​ @ladyangel70​ @texaskitten30​ @sunandlemons​ @jlynn12273​ @indiacater​ @jared2612​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @drakesensworld​ @badchoicesposts​ @msjr0119​ @katurrade​ @blackcoffee85​ @cynicalworlds-blog​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @beardedoafdonutwagon​ @cmestrella​ @sugarandspice-milkandhoney​ @superharrietsuper​​

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Manhattan puts on its best-dressed for an annual fundraiser, and all eyes are on Riley.

The next week had come and with little drama. Charlotte started her first day of school on Monday, which she was surprisingly unhappy about. I wonder if she had overheard Liam and Madeleine’s fight Friday evening. I showed up early that day to make sure she had everything she needed. Liam stayed mostly out of sight as I got her ready for school. No doubt he was having second thoughts about our steamy makeout session. Or maybe he was embarrassed. Nevertheless, he was gone before the kids and I left. After I dropped Charlotte off at school, Philip and I spent the day doing fun stuff. Museums, painting classes, even a stop for some dairy-free ice cream. Madeleine actually showed up on time from work to relieve me of my duties, and I was gone before Liam got home. Tuesday through Thursday were much of the same. Arrive early, get Charlotte off to school, spend time with Philip, pick up Charlotte from school, spend time with them until their mother arrived, then head for home.

Now, it’s Thursday evening, and Hana and I are sitting in our apartment eating takeout. She’s sitting in the recliner, cell phone in hand, texting Meghan. I hold the remote and flip through Netflix, trying to find a movie for us to watch. I find one that might be interesting to me and turn to her. “Wanna watch this one?”

She looks up from her phone to the TV and frowns. “Watched it with Meghan last night. What else is there?”

I flip through to find another one then turn back to her, “How about this one?” She shakes her head no. I sigh and toss the remote on the couch next to me. “I got nothing then.”

“How about we go shopping for the banquet on Saturday?’ she pipes up. I give her a grin, and we both slip on our shoes, grab our purses and head outside to hail a cab. Hana and I scored invitations to the Enrique M. Vasquez Memorial Scholarship Banquet. It’s the largest fundraiser for New York Private Schools in the state. Every year, the richest and most powerful in New York society show up, rub elbows with each other, and donate a shit ton of money for scholarships to some of the most prestigious private elementary, middle, and high schools. Last year, more than $500,000 in scholarships were handed out.

Hana and I arrive at Carmina — an upscale dress shop in Manhattan — 30 minutes later. We browse through the racks, picking out a selection of gowns to try on. Most of these dresses cost at least a month’s salary, but they’re so pretty, I have to force myself to overlook the price tag. Gowns in hand, we retreat to the dressing rooms. After a few minutes, Hana steps out in a stunning shimmery gold number, with a sweetheart neckline. My jaw drops as she does a little twirl. Damn, my best friend is hot.

“I don’t know what other dresses you have in there, but don’t bother trying them on. That’s the one.”

Hana laughs. “Take a picture of me. I wanna send it to Meghan and get her opinion on it.” I snap the picture with her phone and hand it back to her. A few moments later, her phone buzzes, and I peek over her shoulder to see Meghan’s reply.

That dress is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what it looks like on my bedroom floor.

“Ooooh!” I say, reading the message. Hana tucks the phone into her chest, her cheeks turning crimson.

“Get out of here, nosy and go try on your own dresses.”

I snicker and return to my dressing room. “So how are things going with you and Meghan?” I ask her.

“Pretty good. I know it’s only been a week, but I really like her.”

“That’s wonderful, Hana. You two seem to be getting along well. She’s certainly smitten. Have you two… ya know…”

“RILEY!” she shrieks. She pauses for a few beats, then replies. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. Yes, we have.”

Half dressed, I rip the door open to my dressing room and find her sitting on one of the elaborate couches. “What?! Really?! That’s great!” I rush over to her and grab her hands. “You have to tell me all about it. Well, not all about it, but you know.”

Hana giggles, pushing me away from her. “Go get dressed, you perv. We don’t have all night.” I stick my tongue out at her and move back into the dressing room. I try on the three dresses I chose. The first one is a purple halter dress with a slit up the leg that damn near shows everything. The second one is a black cap sleeve number that would look better for a funeral than a benefit dinner. The third dress is a beautiful glittery blue gown with a plunging neckline. I emerge from the dressing room and hear Hana audibly gasp.

“Oh, my gods. That’s it. That’s the one.”

I smile. “You think so?”

“I know so! You look breathtaking!”

I clap my hands together. “Awesome! Let’s pay for these and get out of here. I have to find a pair of shoes to go with this baby!” We pay for our gowns and my credit card weeps. As we are leaving the dress shop, Hana’s phone chimes with a text.

“It’s from Meghan. She wants to go get a drink.” She frowns. “But I don’t want to ditch you.”

I turn to her, shaking my head. “Don’t worry about it. Go see your woman. One of us deserves to get laid.”

She laughs and pulls me into a hug. “I’ll see you at the apartment later, ‘kay?” I nod as she gets into a cab and takes off. I hail my own cab and make my way back to the apartment, clutching the dress in my arms. I think about how I’m going to style my hair, and what accessories I’m going to pair with it. I’m going to look so hot, no man there will be able to take his eyes off me. My mind wanders to the only man who’s eyes I want on me. I know he’s going to be there on Saturday. His company is an annual sponsor and of course, he donates a lot of money to the scholarship fund. I remember that he’s also been avoiding me all week. Maybe if I can get a few minutes alone with him, we can at least talk about what happened.

***

Saturday rolls around and Hana and I are at our apartment getting ready for the evening. The two of us are crowded in our tiny bathroom, doing each other’s hair and makeup. When we’ve finished primping and priming, we head to our bedrooms to get dressed. After I’m dressed, I assess myself in the full-length mirror behind my door. Looking good, Riley. I shout at Hana from the other side of the wall. “What time is the car picking us up?”

“6:30. There’s a cocktail hour at 7, and dinner starts at 8.”

I check my phone. It’s already 6:25. “You about ready?”

She giggles. “Yep. You?”

I open my door at the same time she opens hers. We step out into the hall and dramatically present ourselves. “Ta-da!” she sing-songs. 

“Gahddamn, we look good! Ready to go break some hearts and raise some money?”

“You know it!” she replies. We grab our things and head downstairs to meet the car. On the ride there, Hana and I chat about who we might run into tonight. She mentions that her college advisor is expected to make an appearance, and she hopes they can get together and visit. I think about running into Liam and what I’m going to say to him. The car stops in front of The Celestial Hotel & Resort, and a valet rushes to open our door for us. We climb out and make our way inside, walking the “red carpet.” I roll my eyes as the paparazzi snap pictures of Manhattan’s biggest names. All this for a scholarship benefit?!

We enter the Grand Ballroom and are taken aback by how elaborate the setup is. Roughly 50 tables are set up with white tablecloths and ornate centerpieces. Each table has eight chairs, and place cards on bright white cardstock with gold accents. There’s a bar set up to the left of the room, and a stage at the back. The right side of the room features several floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the New York skyline. 

My eyes scan the room, looking for someone I might know. I see Dr. Ethan Ramsey chatting with famous author Marianne D'Arneaux. Near the bar, fashion designer Lancelin St. Claire and actor Ryan Summers laugh at something comedian Josh Morello said. Across the room, singers Raleigh Carrera and Cady Dorian are locked in a heated embrace. Talk about little fish in a big pond. I read about all these people in my favorite tabloid magazines, and now I’m in the same room as they are. It’s not all celebrities though. I see several New York educators, school administrators, and faculty members. I even spot one of my professors from Steinhardt. I remind myself to say hello to him later.

“I found our table,” Hana says, grabbing my arm and guiding me to where we’ll be sitting for the evening. I look at the placeholders and notice a few big names seated with us. Matt Rodriguez and his wife Jessica Clark; and Avery Wilshire. The Manhattan School District superintendent; the dean of Barnard College; and the principal of Hana’s school, Vera Thompson are also seated at our table. We take our seats and wait for the other occupants to arrive.

“I feel so out of place here. Maybe we should go,” I say, fidgeting with my napkin.

“What? No! This event is the biggest fundraiser of the year. Think of the connections we could make. Plus, Dr. Ramsey is the guest speaker tonight. Don’t you want to stick around for that?” I can tell this event is important to her, so I decide to just suck it up and stay. We make our way to the bar and order a couple of whiskey sours. Thank gods this event has an open bar. I take a sip of my drink and frown. These don’t taste nearly as good as the ones Drake makes. Speak of the devil. I spot Drake and Maxwell making their way toward the bar. Maxwell is wearing the most amazing suit I’ve ever seen. It’s light blue with tentacles stretching the length of the jacket. His bowtie is an orange squid. Drake is a tad more casual in black slacks and a blue button-up with a tie.

“Ladies! What are you doing here this fine evening? This doesn’t seem like the type of party you like to crash,” Maxwell says, winking at us.

Drake rolls his eyes. “Hey girls. Fancy party, huh? This is not what I was expecting when I signed up to be a sponsor.”

“You’re a sponsor?” Hana questions. Drake cocks an eyebrow at her as if to ask, “What does that mean?”

“We both are,” Maxwell replies. “Been giving money to this program for years.”

Drake nods. “This state has a lot of really good private schools, and it’s only fair that every kid has the opportunity to attend them. I like that kids of all economic status can get scholarships for them. I wouldn’t give money to the program otherwise.”

Hana smiles, satisfied, and sips her drink. Maxwell orders two glasses of champagne and hands one to Drake. Drake takes the glass, frowning. “What am I supposed to do with this?

“Drink it. What else would you do?” Drake brings the glass to his lips and takes a small sip. He makes a face before knocking it back and setting the glass back on the bar.

“So where’s the third member of your Motley Crew?” I ask. Just then, the crowd parts and Olivia herself appears. She saunters toward us — her trademark smirk plastered across her face — in a red sequined gown. A man with dark hair and an all-black suit trails behind her, holding two glasses of champagne.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the hot nanny. You clean up nicely. I’ll give you that. That’s quite the gown. Liam’s going to shit himself.” She turns to the man behind her and plucks one of the champagne glasses from his hand, downing it in two gulps, then sets it on the bar. “What is a nanny doing at a scholarship benefit? Shouldn’t you be watching the kids?”

“I don’t have them on weekends. I actually don't know where they are. I haven’t spoken to Liam or Madeleine tonight,” I state matter-of-factly.

She chuckles. “I’m glad the she-witch lets you have some free time. It’s not like she watches her own kids. Why else would she have hired you?”

“Olivia,” Drake snaps.

She turns to him and smirks. “Hello, Drake. I see you couldn’t be bothered to find a suit for this little soirée? I doubt it would have killed you to put on a damn jacket. At least the babysitter wore a nice dress.” She laughs and turns to the man behind her, snapping her fingers. “Come, Ray.” The two of them disappear into the crowd and all four of us breathe a sigh of relief.

Hana scowls. “Oh my gods, she’s so brash? How do you put up with her?”

“Lots and lots of alcohol,” Drake answers.

Maxwell snorts and takes a drink of his champagne. “Don’t mind her. It’s a defense mechanism. Once you get to know her, she’s actually a ray of sunshine. Except to Drake. Pretty sure she still hates you for junior year, man.”

Hana and I exchange a look. I turn to Maxwell. “So, who are most of these people? I recognize the celebrities and some of the educators, but I have no idea who everyone else is.” He slings an arm around my shoulder and turns my body toward the crowd. He points toward the podium near the stage where two older men and a woman about my age are holding a conversation. and I recognize one of the men as Maxwell’s brother.

“You remember Bertrand. Well, the woman on his arm is his wife, Savannah. The blonde guy next to him is Liam’s older brother Leo.” I squint and immediately see the resemblance. Maxwell moves his hand over to two women giggling. “The woman in the purple dress with the narwhal necklace is Penelope, and the one next to her in the black dress with feathers on the shoulders is Kiara. They’re Madeleine’s best friends from college. And if they’re here, that means she’s not too far away. Those three are attached at the hip.”

“So I’ve heard.”

He chuckles. Sure enough, a woman with a blonde bob and a stunning cold-shoulder emerald green dress struts up to the two women. Yep, that’s her alright. If she’s here, then that means… I scan the ballroom for any sign of him. From the corner of my eye, I see Hana ducking behind Maxwell.

“Oh my gods, he’s here. Hide me!”

“Who?” I ask her, confused. She points toward the center of the room where a man with slicked-back hair and a permanent scowl stands. He’s wearing a brown blazer over a blue pullover, and brown slacks.

“It’s Neville,” she whispers as if he can hear us from across the room. After scanning my face for signs of recognition, she continues. “The trust-fund douche my parents have been trying to set me up with. He’s been texting me for a few weeks now, even after I told him I’m dating someone. I didn’t know he’d be here, but I guess it’s not surprising. His father owns Cormery Isle vacation rentals, so I’m sure he donates a lot of money to this program.” She groans, taking my hand. “Will you please be my buffer this evening? I don’t want to be anywhere near him.”

“I got you, boo!” I reply, patting her arm. I turn back to Maxwell. “Dinner is starting soon, so we’re going to go take our seats. We’ll catch up to you later.” He smiles and gives us a wave before taking off towards his table. Hana and I link arms and make our way to ours, where most of our tablemates have already been seated. As Hana strikes up a conversation with them, I look around the ballroom for any sighting of Liam.

I give up after a few minutes, and excuse myself to hit the ladies room. After getting directions from a member of the waitstaff, I leave the ballroom and walk down a long hallway to the restrooms at the end. Thankfully, I’m alone. I do my business and check my reflection in the mirror. At least I still look good. Too bad there’s no one here to appreciate it. As I exit the bathroom and make my way back toward the banquet, a pair of strong arms wraps around my waist and pulls me into a dark conference room. He pins me against the closed door. The weight of his masculine body feels like heaven.

“I was hoping to run into you tonight,” Liam’s voice whispers in my ear, setting my skin on fire. His hot breath on the back of my neck makes my knees go weak.  

“Where have you been all night?” I ask, turning to face him. He rubs his nose along the base of my throat.

“Waiting for my opportunity to get you alone. And can I say? That dress…” he says, tugging the collar down so he can kiss my shoulder. “If it weren’t for all these people, I would have taken you right there in the middle of that ballroom.” My breath hitches and I run my hands down his broad chest, feeling every muscle beneath his dress shirt. My fingers slip beneath the waistband of his pants and I tug the hem loose, grazing his bare stomach. His body quivers beneath my touch.

“Riley…”

I glide my hand back up to his neck to his hair, where I weave my fingers through the short strands. I pull his head down to mine and brush my lips against his. “You’ve been avoiding me all week. What’s up with that, Mr. Rhys?”

He groans and presses his lips to mine. His tongue slips in and caresses mine as he grips my ass in his hands and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist. His erection presses hard against my core as he nibbles on my collarbone. “It’s all I could do to keep myself from ravishing you. My lawyers called me last week. We finally have a date for the hearing. If we ensure that there are no unresolved matters and the judge approves our agreement, the divorce becomes final on Wednesday. After that, you’re mine.” His lips travel down my neck and his teeth graze my pulse and I feel sparks shoot throughout my body. He moves one of his hands up to my breast, making me arch into his touch. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.” He pauses, then looks around the room. “Think we can be quiet?” he whispers.

“I can’t make any promises,” I reply. He smirks and moves from the door to the conference table and places me on top of it. I lay back and watch him in the dark as he slowly undoes his belt. I hitch up the skirt of my dress around my waist. I rest on my elbows as he unzips his pants painfully slow as if to tease me. I sit up to reach for him when the sound of a cell phone ringing from his pocket interrupts us. “Ignore it,” I say.

He nods and rubs his hands up the inside of my thighs. His thumbs graze the outside of my underwear, and I inhale sharply. He rubs his thumb over my clit in slow, agonizing circles. I gasp and drop my head back, feeling my body hum. The phone rings again and he sighs. “...One second.” He pulls it out and answers it. After spitting out a series of short answers, he hangs up and slips the phone back in his jacket pocket, frowning. “I’m sorry. I have to go. We’ll continue this later?”

I nod and swallow, sliding down off the table and fixing my dress. “I’ll go first. Come find me later.” I lean in and kiss him before opening the door and peeking out to make sure no one is around. I slip out of the conference room and hustle back into the ballroom to my seat. Hana eyes me suspiciously. “Sorry about that. The line for the bathroom was long. What did I miss?”

She opens her mouth to reply when the squealing of a microphone cuts through the room. The emcee announces that dinner will be served in a few short minutes. I notice out of the corner of my eye, Liam slipping back into the ballroom and taking his place next to Madeleine at their table. She smiles at him, the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. He leans in to whisper something in her ear, then rests his arm on the back of her chair and plants a kiss her on the cheek. I’m suddenly seeing red. Not five minutes ago, his tongue was down my throat and his hands were all over my body. Now, he’s cozying up to his ex-wife.

[senpai-no-lie]

Golden Deer Route

So I finished the Golden Deer Route!

Why I chose Golden Deer: I have already played through Blue Lions, and from what I’ve heard about Edelgard, I figured I’d be more fond of Claude than her. And, well, that’s true, and I can see the appeal of the Golden Deer kids, this route is a bit of a mixed bag.

Who Was My Dancer: Ingrid. I really like Ingrid as a character, and I was torn between her, Marianne, or one of the boys as my dancer. Ultimately chose Ingrid because I remembered her having a pretty good magic stat in my BL playthrough, and I wanted to capitalize on that. She rocked as a dancer and was a fantastic asset to the team. 

What Paired Endings Did I Get:  

Claude & Ingrid (I was trying to get Ingrid with Yuri, but I think I just had Ingrid dance for Claude too much on the final chapter)

Ralpheal & Ignatz (again)

Lysithea & Balthus

Leonie & Seteth (I wanted this last time, so here we go)

Lorenz & Catherine (Whatever to this one)

Yuri & Constance

Ashe & Hapi 

Who Did Byleth Marry: Marianne. I’m fond of her as a character, her Goddess Tower scene was fun, and I think she’d be a great wife. But I’ll be honest, was really torn between her or Yuri.

Which Claude Do I prefer?: Pre-timeskip! I think both character designs are comparable, but I felt that pre-timeskip Claude was a bit less clingy to Byleth. Though, that white wyvern was boss af.

General Thoughts: I liked the route, but I don’t think it was as well-rounded as Blue Lions. This route was a mash of church stuff and Claude stuff, and the back and forth just made everything a bit stranger. Also, the last minute “Edelgard wasn’t that bad; she was a pawn and thanks Hubie for telling us. They’re pretty swell after all” was generally laughable. The only BE character I recruited was Petra, for supports, so it was at least novel to have them all as enemies. 

The Golden Deer Characters:

Before I started this route, in my head I had “Marianne White and the 7 Peers” as the characterization motif for the Golden Deer, and I wasn’t really wrong about their one-note personalities, since the only supports I really needed this round were Claude’s and some of the non-other-route exclusive DLC characters’.

Claude: Sneaky. I can see the appeal of Claude, I really can, but there’s a lot about his that vaguely irritated me. The back-and-forth of him being a shining idealist who wants everyone to get along and then being a sneaky sneakster who the player often is told uses poisons to get his way make it hard to believe either side of him is genuine. I also found Claude to be pushy (about interrogating Rhea and the whole journal incident) and his clinginess to Byleth makes comparatively the least amount of sense, assuming we all accept Edelgard’s position as Boss Babe Waifu Bait legitimizes her behavior around Byleth. Enjoy his supports and Claude as a unit, but Claude screams “I’m not like the other lords, really” a little too hard for my tastes.

Hilda: Lazy (or Whiny works too) I like Hilda, and she’s a heavy hitter! At first I thought she was going to be like Charlotte, who I love, but she’s not lol. I could make petty complaints about Hilda’s mostly unaddressed racism (bigotry, if you want to be generous to her) or her lazy ways, but she never really bothered or stood out to me either way.

Marianne: Snow White. Marianne would probably make my top 10 3H characters. Great unit, great person, and I really like her voice actor.

Lysithea: Angry (or Tsundere-y, if you want to make up words). Let it be known that I am partial to tsunderes of any gender, and as a consequence, me and Lysithea were vibing. In Azure Moon I made her a gremory, but now that I’ve completed the DLC, let me just say Valkyrie is the way to go with her. With that one staff she can get up to 6 range, perfecting her role as a glass cannon.

Leonie:  Sweaty. Leonie, in her supports, at least is somewhat fleshed out and likeable, but damn is she so freaking annoying in the storyline, slamming how much she loves Jeralt down your throat, despite how mostly apathetic he seemed about her existence while he was still kicking. A great unit, but if I took a shot every time she mentions Jeralt, I’d be dead.

Lorenz: Snobby (or M’lady). Hot take but I don’t like Lorenz. Post-timeskip he looks like an angry purple lizardman and he is a white knight fedora tipper. His voice irritates me, his supports irritates me, and his face irritates me. Going through the mage path at least fixed up his speed some and he ended up being a serviceable Dark Knight, at least. 

Ignatz: Sorry (or Artsy, if you’re less mean). Ignatz, much like Claude and Bernadetta, seems to be modeled after some flavor of Tumblr user, which would be socially stunted artsy type. He’s just okay, but I’m kind of allergic to people who apologize for existing. I know people like to say “oh, he gets more confident over the timeskip” but can you really argue that when you can view most of his C-supports post-timeskip? in BL I made him an assassin, but this time I had Ignatz as a Mortal Savant (because I love magic), and it rocked. 

Raphael: Hungry. Not really much to say about him besides that. Not my type and not my character personality template either.

Judith: Take a shot every time she calls Claude “boy” in a way that wouldn’t sit right in modern purity politics lmao. She was okay as the like Rodrigue that doesn’t die character, but I am not so easily smithen for your run-of-the-mill Boss Babe. In a similar vein, Nadar left little to no impression on me, and his presence on that one map irked me because he sniped my Linhardt kill. 

Assorted Bulleted Thoughts:

I really liked the last few maps of this route. They were visually interesting, offered a bit of a challenge while also being fun. 

I’m glad we actually got to interact with Rhea after rescuing her, because that was a let down in BL. (But yeah, settle the fuck down, Claude, on harassing Rhea the second she’s free because your boyfriend Hubie left you a letter)

 I can’t confirm for Petra, but it’ s interesting to note that the only death Edelgard remarks on is Bernetta’s, probably because she sets the bridge on fire. Not a word for anyone else lol

In a similar vein, because my Lysithea had 6 range, stupidly high magic stats, and most of BL are weak to magic attacks, I was able to one-shot everyone but Sylvain (he was too far away) with her on the Grounder map. I rewound time to un-kill them all, because I just wanted to see what they said and how Dimitri reacted. Dimitri shouts Felix’s name, which I thought was real gay.

Speaking of that Gonder fight, lame lame lame lame that there was no animated scene or even a still of Dimitri’s death. Felt cheap, and having Gilbert take Dimitri’s body when he wasn’t even on the battlefield, also lame. 

Last animated scene with Nemesis was real dope, but Claude’s speech was top tier cringe and kind of taking me out of the moment. I would expect Naruto to say shit like that.  

[pretty-rad-arson-dad]

Controlling Shock

Okay, so a few warnings for this one: It’s kinda fucked up, so if your sensitive to the topic of torture, even if it’s not intense torture, I recommend you not read this, or take caution while reading this. If you are also disgusted by yanderes or obsessive behavior, I also suggest caution.

Another thing, this was written some time before the release of The Fourth Closet, so this is not only old (Hence the somewhat cringy writing) but also some things won’t exactly add up. (Wording it like this as to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read it and desires to do so, cause it’s a pretty big fucking spoiler). This was also my first time writing something like... This, so it might not be the best.

---------------

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"William? Are you home?"

Henry stood outside his business partner's two-story house, sighing impatiently. William had told Henry to meet him here at 10:50 AM and he had been waiting out here for thirty minutes now.

Perhaps I could open the door?

Henry shrugged and figured he'd give it a try. The brunette placed his hand on the knob and turned it. Much to his surprise, the door actually opened.

Well, surely William wouldn't mind?

Taking a deep breath, Henry stepped inside the house and gently shut the door behind him.

"William? Are you home?"

Still no response.

Henry sighed and walked down the hall and peaked his head into the living room. Surprisingly empty. Usually Michael would be sitting there watching his weird vampire soap operas but now there was no sign of him.

Henry made his way into the kitchen, thinking that perhaps William had gotten so caught up in today's newspaper that he had completely drowned out the rest of the world.

But he wasn't in there either.

Henry checked everywhere. Everywhere except one room that he hadn't ever gone in.

William's study.

Henry opened the door to the study, only to be greeted with a large room that lacked of people. He nearly turned around and left, but there was an itching curiosity that took hold of him and it was telling him to look around. Henry tried reasoning with himself that it was just a study and that there wouldn't be anything interesting in there, but that small and curious part of him urged him to go on in.

So he did.

Henry entered the study and cautiously walked around. It was pretty decently sized and loaded with books of all kinds. Henry looked curiously at these. There were some on anatomy, robotics and others on history, even recognized some Shakespeare. Henry couldn't help but chuckle as he recognized some of the books he himself had gifted William back when they were younger. Amongst these was One Thousand and One Nights and The Phantom of the Opera.

Henry chuckled some more as he thought back to their high school years. While Henry had been more of the bookish and creative type, William had a thing for dramatics and entertaining people, hence why he was part of the theater group. William had played the role of the Phantom for his first school performance. He played the role quite well and later admitted to Henry that he had never read the book. So, as a graduation gift, Henry had bought it for him.

Henry smiled and shook his head at the thought. He remembered how ecstatic William had been about the gift.

Henry removed his hand from the book's spine and turned towards a desk that was located in the back center of room. He walked towards it and looked down at the contents that lay out upon it. Sketches and designs for possible animatronics. Henry picked them up to examine them a little closer.

They were oddly designed in both appearance and in features. Voice replication? Storage compartment? Scent lure?

Henry thought about it for a few moments, confused as to why William would find these to be useful features for robots, but ultimately decided that they actually were practical. They could use the scent and audio to help sooth an upset child who was feeling scared or had been separated from their parents. And the storage compartment could be useful for storing the spare parts for that particular animatronic.

What a brilliant mind Afton has, Henry thought to himself. He set down the sketches and looked at a few of the other things on William's desk. He also had a few pieces of merchandise from their first location, a bobble head of Albert Einstein and a journal.

Henry's eyes settled on the journal.

He cocked his head to the side as he looked at it. There was an lock on it, suggesting that this was a private journal at that it was for William's eyes only, but the lock was undone and hanging openly off its clasp. Henry thought for a moment about perhaps looking at the journal, but part of him was saying that this was a bad idea and could ruin the friendship that he and his business partner had. The other part of him was giddy with excitement at finding something in this seemingly boring room that was perhaps interesting after all. As the man thought, he didn't realize that he had already picked up the journal and opened it. Or maybe he did and his itching of curiosity had increased enough that he no longer cared.  

Henry started to read the pages.

At first, they were actually rather boring and slightly silly, full of mundane things and dumb discussions the two of them have had. Henry wasn't sure why but it surprised him to see his own name in there. They were best friends, after all. But there was also something else in there that shocked him and made him smile a little. The amount of innocent admiration for him that William had poured into those pages. William would go on for pages about how great he believed Henry was and how happy he was that the two of them were friends.

'For the first time I believe I've finally found someone who I can be myself around. Someone who understands me and someone I can look up to!'

Henry continued reading, realizing some things he had never known about them or their lives. He couldn't help but smile.

Until he reached a certain date. The date of the car crash that had nearly taken his best friend's life.

August 1, 1982.

It was from this point on in the journal that Henry noticed a change in William's entries. They seemed less cheerful and seemed to focus more on his failed marriage, Michael's rebellious behavior and just bad things in general. Up until January 1st of 1983.

The entries shifted from William's own family to Henry's. This would've been fine if it was expressing concern or showing innocent adorance. But this was different.

William was speaking about his family in disturbing detail. Cursing the name of Henry's now ex-wife, a strange envy of his late daughter Charlotte and a weirdly loving admiration towards his also dead son, Sammy. There was some stuff about Henry himself as well. But, just when Henry didn't think he could be more confused, he found Afton's disgusting confession.

He had been the one who had abducted Sammy.

Henry nearly gagged as he read about how he had tortured his poor son to death. It was in great detail.

Now any normal person would've thrown the book down and got the hell out of there, but Henry wanted answers.

So he kept reading, completely unaware that it would get horrifyingly worse.

Henry felt himself get more and more nauseated as he read on about how he murdered Charlotte in the alleyway and left her there. And then eventually... The five children that had gone missing in 1985. But what terrified Henry the most was the things that would come after these morbid and in-depth accounts of murder.

Obsessive writings about Henry.

The man would ramble on about how much he cared about Henry and talk about how he had followed him and stolen a few personal things from him so he could keep them as reminders of "all their time spent together." There was also talk of the dead children being "their family."

But what finally made Henry decide he needed to leave was his own name scribbled all over a lot good portion of the sheets along with a few other unsettling things .

But most importantly, how William loved him.

Henry slammed the book closed and made a wreching sound. His heart was racing and his head was spinning. He felt like he was gonna puke.

I need to get the fuck out of here and call the fucking cops!

But one thing Henry wasn't expecting was someone showing up. And he certainly wasn't expecting the heavy object hitting him in the head.

The next thing Henry remembered was waking up. His head was pulsing with a dull ache and he couldn't move. With some coaxing, he managed to open his eyes and look around. He was in a dark room and his arms and legs were bound to a chair.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Henry shouted. His voice came out horse and raspy.

"Shhhhhhhh. You'll hurt your throat." a familiar voice said. Henry looked around in a panic and the person chuckled. "Oh Henry~. You seem scared~."  

"W-William, let me go!"

Chuckling, the English man came forward from the shadows. "You know, part of me prefers you unconscious." he said. "You look so peaceful like that. Not trying to fight or scream." William gripped Henry's chin harshly and leaned down to his eye level. "However, if you were unconscious, I wouldn't be able to look into those beautiful eyes of yours." he mumbled. His face was uncomfortably close. Henry could feel William's breath against his face.

William cracked a toothy smile and moved his lips up to Henry's ear.

"I can hear your heart beat, darling~" he breathed in the man's ear. Henry squirmed and tried to lean away, but William's firm and almost painful grip on his chin held him in place. "It's a shame that you decided to snoop about." William sighed. "But I'm not mad, Hen—"

"JUST LET ME GO!"

William pulled away, chuckling as he let go of Henry's chin. "Oh Henry~. You know I can't do that~." he purred. "You know too much~."

"William please! I promise I won't tell anyone!"

William shook his head as he walked away from Henry. "I know you're lying, darling. I know you better than anyone."

William grabbed some clamps off a nearby table.

"W-William, what are you—"

William grinned and sparked the clamps. Henry's eyes widened in terror.

"I'm going to have fun~."William slowly sauntered towards Henry, savoring the horrified expression in the brunette's eyes. He could feel his heart racing with excitement. A sadistic smile spread across William's face as he spoke in a low and playful tone.

"It's time for your controlled shock~."

Before Henry could let out a protest, William had attached the clamps to him. Henry threw back his head and screamed in agony as the electricity pulsed throughout his entire body. William pulled them away and looked at Henry, still smiling.

"Are those tears I see~?" William asked in a low purr. "Let me just—"

The scrawny man began to lick Henry's face. "Mmm so salty~." Henry let out a sob as William pulled away.

"W-WILLIAM PLEASE! YOU NEED HELP YOU NEED—" William cut him off.

"NO!" he shouted, clutching the clamps tightly in his hands. "I'm sick of having to hide these feelings, Henry! I love you! I love you more than anything and anyone!"

"THIS ISN'T LOVE!" Henry screamed. "THIS IS JUST SICK! YOU'RE SI—"

William gritted his teeth and shocked Henry again, causing him to let out another pained scream. This surge was even worse than the last.

"No... You're the one who's sick, Henry. But don't worry. I'm going to cure you~!" William said, tears running down his face, his twisted smile returning. "And once you're cured, we can be happy together~!"

The clamps were withdrawn a second time, allowing Henry some time to gasp and sob. He looked up at William, his expression pleading for mercy despite it being hopeless.

"You're eyes truly speak of life~." William purred. "They're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen~."

Henry squeezed his eyes shut and looked away, causing William to let out a low growl. "Look at me, Henry." When Henry didn't comply, William shocked him again, causing Henry's eyes to fly open and roll back. He began to convulse and drool.  

This pain... This pain was the worst.

William removed the clamps and set them down before grabbing a fist full of Henry's hair and pulling his head up.

"Look at you... Even more defenseless and weak than usual~." he purred, licking the drool off of Henry's face. "I've been wanting to get you like this for quite some time now~."

William's licks quickly became soft kisses. Henry's head hung limply and his eyes were glazed and empty. He could barely process any of William's words. His body felt weak and he could hear his heart pulsing in his head.  

But he was wide awake.

"Hmm... It seems I may have turned the voltage up too high..." William hummed, studying Henry's expression. "However, that means I get to spend some more quality time with you without the struggling and screaming~."

William gently ran his hands across Henry's chest, feeling him. "Your so well defined~." he purred, worshipfully caressing the man's belly. He looked down at Henry's crotch before looking back up at his drained face. "But I wonder what it must be like down there~."

Henry let out a groan of disapproval at the idea William was possibly presenting. He'd be screaming if he could.

"No. I must restrain myself." William mumbled to himself, casting down his eyes. "Now isn't the time. That will be later." He looked back up at Henry before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Michael should be home any minute, love. I'll prepare something and bring it down for you." he whispered, pecking Henry's cheek before getting up and leaving.

William quickly made his way up the stairs and locked the basement door behind him.

"Dad, I'm home!" Michael called, walking up to him. William said a quick hello before making his way to the kitchen.

"How was the trip?" William asked, turning on the stove.

"It was okay." Michael replied.

William made a noise of acknowledge as he grabbed a pot and filled it with water before putting it on the stove.

"Don't you think it's a little too early for eating dinner?" Michael asked.

"I'm hungry and didn't eat lunch." William said, grabbing a box of spaghetti and opening it.

"You really need to eat." Michael mumbled.

William hummed as he watched the pot

"Seriously, dad, what will you do when I move out?" Michael asked.

"You make it sound as if I don't eat unless you remind me to." William said, pouring in the noodles once the water began to boil.

"Well sometimes that really is the case." Michael replied. "Anyways, I'm gonna go catch up on The Immortal and the Restless, so I'll be in the living room if you need me."

William smiled and nodded as Michael walked out. But he wasn't smiling for his son. He could care less about him.

All that mattered was the roboticist in his basement.

[mortaljin]

Meadows Bonus Scene 3: The Rock

Word Count: 6.9k Warnings: Cursing, drinking, implied fairy “miscarriage.”  Genre: Fairy!au. Slightest angst, mainly fluff and drunken Jimin’s shinanigans. Pairing: Fairy!Hoseok x Female Reader

A/N: Thus, the Meadows Bonus Scene Trilogy as reached its end. This is the last little bit of my beloved Meadows series, and I thank you all for sticking with me this long. I think this is the last fic installment I will write for Meadows, but I know there will be questions to be asked when you finish reading. So! I will write a headcanon post (if prompted) to complement this part. 

If you are new to the meadows series, welcome! Unlike the smut oneshot, you do need to read the series to be able to understand this. Otherwise, you will be lost regarding the dynamics of this universe.

Enjoy, and thank you xx

Masterlist | Meadows Series Masterlist

A rock.

A simple white rock rolled back and forth in the palm of your wet, shaking hand, and you shut your palm in fear of it falling.

It was perfectly round and smooth, not a single blemish in sight. No jelly-bean curve, nor cupid’s bow top. This rock was a perfect, white ball.

You lifted yourself from the ground next to the wastebasket and shuffled your weak body over to the washbasin. Clogging the drain—or hole, if you will—in the giant curved leaf, you turned on the spicket and held your hand under the slow stream of water to rinse off the unfortunate contents of your stomach.

When your hand, and the obnoxiously perfect rock, was spotless you pulled the plug on the water basin and dried yourself off. Numbly, you went back to your room and sat at the edge of the bed.

Once again, the little white rock was rolling around in your palm and you were just blinking, thinking.

Because why did I just vomit up a rock?

You were curious no doubt, and considered going to the library to see if there was anything you could find on this.

I wonder if Jungkook’s human ever dealt with this.

You considered that maybe it was just an effect of being so intimate with the world of fairies.  Maybe it was the middle of June and you had been drinking so much water the minerals clumped together inside your stomach. Maybe your body was just calcifying all the magic goodness you’ve ingested from all those berries and nuts and has made you reject it in the form of a rock.

The idea made you chuckle, but it also made you crave the out of this word “trail-mix” you’ve started hoarding. It didn’t take you long to stand from the bed and make your way over to the dresser where the top drawer was specifically designed for snacks.

You placed the rock on the dresser, and opened the drawer to pull out some of the berries and nuts. While munching on them, you gazed at the rock and looked at it curiously.

The rock began to roll to the other side of the dresser top and stopped right at the base of a flower pot. Attributing the movement to the shifting weight from one foot to another, you gazed at it for a moment longer without question.

Slowly, your eyes moved upward; time began working at half speed as your eyes scanned up the green stem of the flower.

You examined the singular leaf before peering into the center of a bright red flower with thirty petals on it. A warm feeling bloomed on the left side of your chest as you thought of your handsome very king and the love that started from a singular. White.

Seed.

The sound of nuts bouncing against a wooden floor echoed throughout the room, but the sound fell on deaf ears as you came to a surreal realization.

“JUNG FUCKING HOSEOK COME HERE. RIGHT. NOW!”

~~~~~~

“So, what do we do now?”

You were staring at an “empty” flower pot full of wet dirt while Hoseok paced back and forth around the room.

“Well, we’re not going to tell anyone. That’s for sure.”

Whipping around, you stared at him with a dumbfounded look on your face, “why the fuck not? Hoseok, we might be having a child and you don’t want to say anything? To anyone?”

“Dandelion,” he sighed. Hoseok fluttered over to you, toes barely grazing the floor as he spread his wings ever so slightly. “I want to tell the entire world that we’ve possibly created the first human-fairy hybrid but…”

You frowned, looking away from him.

“I just don’t want to get the entire village excited in case we’re wrong. I don’t want you to get excited in case we’re wrong.”

He tried to pull you into a hug, but you stubbornly evaded it by plopping down onto the bed. With a groan, Hoseok followed suit and only then did you let him wrap his arms around you. Bright red wings wrapped around you, and almost instantly you felt a little better about the situation.

“It’s not fair that you can do that,” you whispered when he pressed a soft kiss to your shoulder. “What if I wanted to be angry sometimes?”

“You know I don’t use this against you, and you also know that it doesn’t work when you’re that pissed off. Remember that time when Taehyung—”

“Don’t.” You groaned at the memory and pressed a dramatic hand to your heart. “How the fuck does one fairy, of all creatures, kill an entire garden of potted plants?”

Hoseok chuckled with you, and you sighed in contentment.

“But really, what are we going to do? What if it really is…”

He hummed, thinking. “We’ll have a little one that’s half you and half me—” A grimace occurred when he said this “—Then we’re going to be the parents you’ve always wanted us to be.”

“And if not?”

Your voice was uneven, already scared of the contrasting scenario.

“Then… we’ll take it from there. Maybe we can adopt an orphaned elf… or… some kittens?’

Hoseok looked at you with a sheepish smile, and your heart swelled with adoration. It never failed that he would always try to compromise with you; to give your impossible wants and desires a chance to actually be possible… right up to parenthood.

“Okay,” you acquiesced.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s just… take this one day at a time.”

The fairy king nodded, a wide smile covering his face as a little gust of wind rustled the items in the room. You placed your hand on one of his wings, signaling that he needed to be careful. He stared at you lovingly for a minute before you cleared your throat.

“So, um, are we going to plant this?”

Hoseok’s eyes grew wide as he jumped to his feet, frantically searching around the room.

“Uh, UH. Fuck. Um.” You followed him out of the bedroom, and found him searching through a closet.

Already surrounded by pots, you watched in amusement as Hoseok searched through the storage closet for the perfect thing to place the hope-to-be-human-fairy seed.

“Why are all of our flower pots so big?”

Smirking, you walked over to where he was crouched on the ground. Careful to not knock over any of the clay, glass, or plaster pots, you leaned over to pat Hoseok on the back.

“It’s not my fault your flower is so big.”

Hoseok went rigid for a moment, but his wings twitched ever so slightly. Turning his head to the side he glared at you, “Y/N, baby. Please don’t try to turn me on right now; we have important matters at hand.”

You laughed when the serious look on his face broke, “sorry, couldn’t help it. Why do you need a flower pot? I thought you told me that people don’t move their flowers into containers of sorts until they’re older.”

“Well yes,” he said, standing to face you. “But this is a little different. I don’t know how safe it would be to plant this outside.”

“I—” You stopped for a moment, considering. “Do you think we should visit the Mother Tree and see if she has any guidance for us?”

He smiled, kissing your cheek.

“Sometimes I think you’re a better fairy than I am.”

~~~~~~

The air was warm as it whistled past your ear, and you were grateful to have worn shorts and not a skirt to venture out in today.

After years of being the human queen of the fairies, it would be assumed that you were used to it. But perhaps, you never will be. Even when little Luna clumsily flies up to you shouting ma-jesty, for the umpteenth day in a row since she heard her father say your majesty, you are still in awe of the world around you.

Luna holds a special place in your heart, and not simply because she is the daughter of one of your closest friends.

“Luna, come back here!”

You laughed as you welcomed the little orange fairy, who bloomed from a beautiful bird of paradise, into your arms.

“It’s alright Taehyung, you know I don’t mind.

You see, Luna was the offspring of Taehyung’s grey—borderline white—Agapanthus, and Charlotte’s yellow Daffodil. She is a bundle of joy and is the first fairy you’ve ever witnessed be born.

Bloomed I should say.

“Luna, baby. Leave the queen to her business.”

To say that you still hated Charlotte would be a stretch of the truth. She still had one of those personalities that would always clash with yours, but… she was an alright girl at the very least. Gone was the immature high school trope she lived her life by, and in her place was a mature woman that loved the people close to her.

You gazed over at Luna, who was leaping back and forth between Taehyung and Charlotte, with an amused expression on your face. Hoseok glanced over at you and he chuckled, knowing exactly what you were thinking.

It wasn’t until Taehyung flew into her life that Charlotte realized that love knew no bounds; not gender, not age, and certainly not species. How he was the one to thaw out her heart is beyond you, but you were happy either way.

The two sent you on your way with well wishes, and Luna plucked a blossom from the low-branch of nearby tree for you.

“Luna is so fucking cute,” you groaned when you had walked far enough away from the little ears. “Could you imagine how cute our kid would be if we—”

“I heard the word kid,” a voice came from above and you looked up to see Namjoon fluttering down and a nosediving Park Jimin not far behind him.

“Namjoof—” Your greeting was cut short by Jimin pulling up too late, which in turn caused a dogpile of three fairies and a human to happen right in the center of the village.

The four of you laughed, but you became frantic as you tried to push yourself up off the ground. You felt your pockets, but the little pouch you were holding the seed in, was nowhere to be found.

“Y/N, did you drop this?”

You spun around to see Jimin holding the satin baggie in one hand, and beginning to undo the ties with the other.

“Jimin no!” You shouted as you lunged forward, causing all three fairies to look at you oddly

Reaching for the pouch was meant to be easy, simple. You could come up with an excuse, and be on your way.

But Jimin is an ass.

He pulled the pouch out of your grasp, holding it high in the air. Thankfully Jimin wasn’t that tall, so the pouch was still within reach.

Until he decided to play dirty.

Namjoon had flown to the pink fairy’s side, trying to peer into the pouch as well. Frustration bubbled in your chest, and you were both pissed and scared.

Hoseok was looking on at the interaction hunched over in laughter. You shot him a glare and gestured up to the two men in the air.

He visibly gulped, and cleared his throat, “Jimin, give the pouch back.”

The king’s request came just in time, as Jimin had only just unraveled the pouch. But, he was at a standstill in the air as he contemplated whether the request came as his friend or as is king.

“Park Jimin.” Gritting your teeth, you held your hand out for the pouch. “Give it to me right. Now.”

Finally realizing you were gravely serious about the pouch, he acquiesced and flew to the ground.

“Y/N?” The pink fairy spoke low, almost concerned over your reaction.

You slumped, the weight of the secret already hanging over your head. “Just go, Jimin. I… I’ll explain another day.”

He nodded, grabbing Namjoon by the arm and flying off together. A pointed look was shot in Hoseok’s direction, and he nodded in understanding; walking towards the Mother Tree wasn’t an option right now.

So, instead, you flew.

~~~~~~

You wondered if the Mother Tree ever changed; if she ever went through cycles like the fairies she presides over.

When you walked into the clearing an instant wave of calm fell over you; Hoseok’s natural reaction was to outstretch his wings and fly to the base of the tree. A giggle tumbled from your lips at his giddiness, but you could never tell if it came from his inherent, childlike personality, or if it was from a fairy meeting its maker.

Nonetheless, you took your time to be able to glance around the clearing.

There was a small ring of dandelions in the center of the area, and an eerie feeling rose in your stomach. It had been years since that fateful night, but the memory was still there.

Always.

The loss of Hoseok’s mother was something that took ages to work through; a period of grief that Hoseok—and his unsuspecting father, reincarnated a month or so later—had to work through alone.

You had feared that the previous king would hate you, but it was quite the contrary. Once things had begun to emotionally resolve, he opened up again. Though you were still weary when he took you aside and spoke to you without listening ears.

“Y/N, dear, come?”

You followed the king’s beckoning with a worried nod of your head. He led you outside and held his hand out for you. Only with a gentle smile and prompting did you decide to take it. As fairies do, he flew the two of you towards the Mother Tree and landed on the soft grass of the clearing.

The king took a few steps towards the center before crouching. You watched as he plucked some things from the ground, and realized they were weeds when he tossed them to the side.

“Tell me, child. Why do you think I’ve brought you here, of all places?”

Standing there, you glanced at the circle and chose to remain silent.

“She will come again, though it is uncertain how long it will take.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but he held a hand up to show that he wasn’t done talking.

“Though she has a cursed soul, she spent more years being the epitome of good than she had evil. So, she will come back, and I can only hope that my soul can find her in that lifetime.

“This could have been prevented if it were not for jealousy, anger—all human emotions—that have not been seen in our world for some time.”

You chewed your bottom lip, hanging your head in shame; guilt crept into your conscious and you felt like crumbling.

“Without these troublesome emotions you humans possess, our village would never have never known what it really means to love.”

The king was smiling at you softly when your gazes met.

“Us fairies are quite simple creatures; we fly, be merry, and get ‘married.’ It is in our nature to be gentle creatures, more often than not, But, we tend to lack… appreciation… of the good in us.”

The king then turned away from the center and faced the Mother Tree, a solemn look on his face when he did so.

“Y/N.”

You jumped at the sound of his voice after the breath of silence.

“I never want to see the Black Dahlia again. And to make that possible, I think it is time for a new generation of love to bloom amongst the fairies.”

“W-what,” you began with a stutter. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” he said when the Mother Tree began to rustle, “that perhaps it is time that the fairies are ruled by a fairy king and a human queen.”

Now, a few years later, you stood in the same spot where Hoseok’s father told you of his plans to relinquish the throne to his son. It brought a smile to your face, and you clutched the pouch tightly in your hand as you walked towards a waiting Hoseok.

“Are you ready?”

With a nod of your head, you knelt next to him. It was an odd experience, calling forth the spirit of the fairies. But, you made due.

“As long as the wind still blows, and the sun still rises, my heart will be yours.” Hoseok began.

“From this life until the next, my heart will be yours.” And you ended the beckoning while the roots of the tree rumbled around you.

When the Mother Tree “spoke” to you, it was as if an aura shielded you from onlookers. Though, you knew there were none; it was a general rule of thumb not to eavesdrop on a meeting with the spirit of the fairies.

“We come to you once again in a time of counsel,” Hoseok started, gazing up the bark of the tree.

“As you know, I am merely a human,” you took over for Hoseok. “Yet, we come to you in regards to an offspring.”

The air stilled around you, and the wilderness grew quiet. Hoseok sent a weary glance your way before he looked around nervously.

“Take it out of the pouch, Y/N” His voice came in the form of a hushed whisper.

Scared to break the aura surrounding you, the seed was taken from the pouch silently. You bowed your head in respect before carrying on with your intentions.

“We want to know—is there a—how do we—”

You sighed in frustration, not sure how to formally ask this question. Whining when you felt defeated, you decided to just let it all out.

“ThisShowedUpInMyVomitAndWeWantToKnowIfItsABaby.”

Hoseok couldn’t help but laugh when he barely caught the exasperated breath that was released after the long string of words. A giggle tumbled from your lips as if you were a child sitting at the back of the classroom, laughing while the teacher lectured.

Silence was pulled from your mouths when the still air grew wild around your secluded haven. The seed was held tightly in your hands, supposedly protected from the strong gusts of wind.

There was a sudden pull, almost magnetic, that your hand was desperately trying to follow. You gasped, realizing the seed was trying to escape your iron-grip.

And you tried, you really tried to hold on. But nevertheless, seed won.

The moment that it left your hand, the winds disappeared as if they had never begun. Cautiously, you reached forward so as not to shift the soil and cause the seed to roll away.

It was to your horror that the white seed sank into the ground and vanished before your eyes, as if the loose soil reached up to take it away. The dirt shimmered, and it would have looked like a scene out of a Disney movie if you weren’t seeing it with your very own eyes.

Blankly, you looked towards Hoseok who seemed to be just as confused as you were. He reached forward, moving the dirt around with his fingers tips; no matter how much he dug into the soil, there was no sign of that little white seed.

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

The question was asked under your breath, and Hoseok could not have heard it without being who he is. His large hand enveloped yours, and you felt his squeeze it tenderly.

“I suppose we’ll find out in three months.”

~~~~~~

Every day for three months, any fairy in the village could see you sitting at the base of the Mother Tree. Either you were alone or with Hoseok, but every afternoon you were right there.

The first time Hoseok found you there, back propped up against the rough bark, you were mumbling something to yourself.

“It was almost creepy,” he had teased when he recounted the smile that tugged at the edges of your mouth.

“I was talking to our child, you know,” you had replied in mock defense.

That little interaction was what gave Hoseok cause to sit you down once more, reminding you not to get your hopes up too high. But he really didn’t have to be the one to tell you that.

Any time your heart sped up with the slightest hint of excitement, it was instantly brought down to earth by reality. Deep down you knew that this was a zero to none chance of this actually happening but… you resigned yourself to staying confident.

If I can deal with the last five years of my life, I can deal with the grief of not having a human-fairy hybrid baby.

You knew you’d be alright; just the thought of Hoseok being willing to “adopt” comforted you.

And so, when you and Hoseok walked hand in hand—around the outskirts of town—towards the Mother Tree, you were filled with a mixed feeling of hope and despair.

Stepping into the clearing, it was actually Hoseok that was slow to follow. In three months, he barely gave his two cents on the whole ordeal. This made you think that he really believed nothing would come from this.

But when you his still form tugged you backward, you turned to see a trembling man lost in his doubts.

“H-Hoseok?”

Shock riddled your features as you took notice of the way his bottom lip stuck out ever so slightly, and how his eyes were squeezed shut in anguish.

“What if nothing’s happened?”

“Then…” you began, stopping to pull him into a hug. “Then we adopt a little, orphaned elf and love that child with all that we are and be the parents we always wanted to be.”

You felt the single drop of a tear that collected in his eyes fall to your shoulder, and you heard him sniffle out a laugh.

“Okay,” he murmured into your hair, straightening up and putting on the bravest face he could muster.

It broke your heart to see Hoseok—a man who had felt more pain than any fairy in history—look more distraught than you had ever seen him the years that you’ve known him.

But, he had a brave disposition and always trusted you, through thick and thin. That’s why, when he took your hand and led you towards the Mother Tree, you couldn’t help but feel the smallest, most pleasant tingle in your shoulder.

If you didn’t know any better, you would have been convinced that the air temperature dropped around you. But, you knew that—unless it was time for its “scheduled” rain cycle—the fairy world stuck to its regular seventyish degree weather.

You shivered involuntarily anyway.

“Fuck,” Hoseok cursed under his breath, standing still next to you.

Tears threatened to fall, no doubt. The weight of the world fell on your heart and tried to crush it.

There was nothing where you hoped a little blossom would reside.

“Let’s go home, Hoseok.”

~~~~~~

The Mother Tree was shunned, for lack of a better word. Not in a hostile sense, of course. No, you didn’t call a strike against the spirit, nor did you curse her.

You just… made it a blatant point not to visit.

For roughly six months, the fairy world was displayed in very dull colors; as if the LCD on a computer was distorted and malfunctioning.

For the first three months, you still woke up every day, smiling to see Hoseok by your side. Until of course, December rolled around, and it was time to say goodbye.

You rarely felt the pang of ache in your heart when saying farewell to your fairy lover for three months; it was a part of life you had grown accustomed to, even excitable to see another red petal appear on his flower each year.

This reincarnation cycle was the hardest one you had ever dealt with; the shattered hope was forgotten momentarily until you saw Hoseok’s flowerpot in the window-sill or saw little Luna in the village. Not having him there to comfort you was becoming unbearable

But as you always did, you held on to the smallest sliver of hope that you could, so long as it existed. Whenever you felt the sadness creep back up, you thought about Hoseok’s final reassuring words.

“Why are you cryin’, dandelion?”

A choked laugh left your mouth at Hoseok’s purposeful rhyme.

“I’m just going to miss you so much,” you gently cried into his shoulder.

He tried to laugh at what he thought was an exaggerated temper tantrum—one you pulled every year—but when you an actual sob wrecked your chest, he swallowed deeply and grimaced.

“Hey,” he muttered into your ear when he pulled you into his chest. “It’s the same three months it has been for years; I’ll be back before you know it. Maybe we can go see Mark when I come home, okay? It’s going to be okay, you are going to be okay.”

Laying in bed, you lifted a hand to swipe at the lone tear that was falling from your eye. Then, with a groan, you rolled over to see the sun peeking out from behind leafy curtains and you knew it was time to start getting out of bed before one in the afternoon.

With that in mind, you took a look at your watch on the nightstand and sighed in relief to find it was only eleven. The momentary breath of calm was replaced with slight panic when your eye caught sight of the calendar you had tacked on the wall—via command strips, of course; Hoseok would cry if you had stuck a nail in his house.

Hoseok comes back tomorrow!

Normally, this would have been a cause for joy and not panic but… you’ve neglected your duties and are way behind on arranging for the feast. So, you threw on some slightly nicer clothes than you usually wore—disregarding any makeup, jewelry, and even your crown that is normal to your attire—and sprinted towards the throne room.

The room was buzzing, fluttering, with fairies, and they all paused in their current tasks to turn in your direction.

“Hi—Hello—good morning—you look nice today, Yoonji—”

You had no time for their usual formalities, and merely mustered up simple greeting to the ones you passed. Instead, you went straight towards the thrones.

Upon closer notice, Park Jimin was standing front and center, glaring at you.

I’m so fucked.

The pink fairy gave you a pointed glare and rolled his eyes when you gave him a sheepish grin. He huffed, turning away from you while ticking things off of the device he was holding.

“Jimin is there—”

“Can you place that a little higher?” Jimin called out to the fairies in the air trying to stretch garlands of flowers across the ceiling, “can you make it arch a little more?”

You waited until he finished his request before trying to speak again, “it looks really nice in—”

“Have we collected enough lightning bugs to illuminate the room for the last hour once the sun goes down?”

A “yes, Jimin!” could be heard from the corner, and he nodded in satisfaction before thumbing away at the screen.

“Can we please—”

“Park Jimin,” you griped, taking the device away from him. “I gave you this stupid tablet, you can’t use it as a means to ignore me!”

After sighing in compliance, he turned his full attention towards you. It was obvious he was waiting for you to say something, surely expecting you to apologize for not helping with the preparations.

Like you always do. Every year.

When Jimin realized you wouldn’t speak first, he decided to do so for you.

“How are you today, your majesty?”

Your shoulders sank at his snarky remark and your eyes fell to the ground in shame. It was shitty of you, telling Jimin that you needed a break for a while and then literally never leaving your room except when necessary.

It was shitty to force more responsibility on him even when he has to stand in place of Hoseok while he’s away.

“Y/N,” he relented, softening at the pained look on your face. “Why have you been like this? Is it because Hoseok’s gone? We’ve been doing this for years, if you were lonely then you should have—”

You shook your head, signaling that it wasn’t that.

“Jimin, I—” You tried to begin, but you were stuck on the right words. “If we’re going to talk, we need to do so now. Before I change my mind and crawl back into my hole.”

The pink fairy, your absolute best friend, squinted his piercing eyes at you before he popped off. Again.

“If I was a worse person, I’d wish my reincarnation cycle hadn’t shifted so that I could ignore you for three months too… but… of course.”

He turned then, calling an end to the set up for the moment. The fairies convened for a moment, agreeing to gather later in the evening. They filed out one by one, and you waited until the last fairy’s blue wings shimmered out of sight before turning to Jimin.

To waste time, you took smaller steps than necessary towards the thrones. You hesitated for a moment when deciding where you would sit.

Taking comfort in Hoseok’s seat, you broke protocol just this once.

“If anyone besides Hoseok or I saw you sitting there, you’d give a fairy the first heart attack in history,” he chuckled before lounging across your own.

“And if anyone besides me saw you sitting in my seat, they’d clip your wings,” you threw back with a sneer. “Do fairies even have hearts?”

“Yes, sort of—” Jimin stopped himself before he could let you open that can of worms. “Stop procrastinating. Start talking.”

Twiddling your thumbs, your eyes moved across the ground—your lap, your shoes, anything—so you could figure out where to begin.

“Last summer I was… sick… quite often,” you began, voice unsteady. “And we went to the doctor, who couldn’t find anything wrong with me, of course. Even made me get a pregnancy test, which Hoseok and I thought was comical…”

Jimin hummed.

“Well, the doctor told me to try changing my diet; I was throwing up a lot you see. So he suggested less of this type of food, more of this. So, I had to stop eating so many berries and more nuts because of the sugar in one and the protein in the other and—”

Y/N, you’re rambling.

“I digress,” you said with a wave of your hand. “Well, after a week or two of still throwing up every single morning, there was one day when I discovered something in the wastebasket.”

Jimin knew how to be silly, he knew how to be funny at the right time to help ease some stress. He knew you so well and that was why he was your best friend after all that’s occurred since he entered your life.

The goofy fairy had leaned forward dramatically, acting like he was on the edge of seat as he listened, “did you discover a hidden treasure in the wastebasket?”

Of course, you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, “no,” you said with a laugh. “anyway, I reached in and pulled it out—”

“EW.”

“Anyway,” you emphasized when he grimaced at the idea of you reaching into the trashcan. “Cleaned the thing off, and it was a rock. That I threw up. Well I thought it was a rock, but things started to click into place and we came to the realization that it was a—”

“Seed! Y/N this is amazing! You are the first human that has ever—wait.” He paused his outburst, realizing you weren’t overflowing with joy with him. “Why aren’t you happy right now?”

The calm collection you felt had washed away almost as quickly as it had come; you felt embarrassed, alone even when you talked about this misfortune.

You could even feel tears brimming in your eyes when you thought about how weird it must be to be so upset about something like this.

But Jimin wouldn’t have it; like Hoseok, he takes full advantage of those little shimmery flecks of goodness that he can rain down upon you to make you feel better.

Sometimes it’s annoying. Right now, you’re grateful.

When the calming action had taken effect, you were able to start again.

“We weren’t sure what to do.” Your breath was barely above a whisper, but you knew Jimin could manage. “But we planted it, and hoped that in three months we would come back to find a little one but… Every day, I sat there with it waiting for it to bloom but it never did. It’s been six months now, tomorrow being nine since it was planted, but ever since Hoseok left I just c-couldn’t.”

His face fell, understanding the meaning by the vague words; you couldn’t exactly tell his expression because it was blurred by more tears that were spilling again.

Jimin pulled you into his arms, up from the throne and rocked you back and forth. Those pink wings encased you, and the fairy had nothing but kind words for you.

“It’s gonna be okay, Y/N. Hoseok will be home tomorrow, and I’ll be here for you just the same.”

~~~~~~

You made your way towards the ballroom at the same as you always do on this day, but your reasons for being happy were a little bit different than in years past.

Of course, it was always with great excitement that you welcomed your fairy lover back into the world. But, this time it wasn’t because you were happy that he wasn’t stuck in a seed anymore.

It was because you were allotting yourself a point in your life to be selfish, to wish for what is going to be best for you. And right now, that was the little ball of sunshine with bright red hair, wings, and a beautiful smile.

Nonetheless, you were growing impatient. The clock on your phone screen said ten minutes, the face of your watch said twelve. You weren’t sure which one was correct, but you were annoyed either.

“It’s like I’m having a temper tantrum,” you muttered to yourself, eyes squeezing shut in frustration.”

“What else are you humans supposed to do?”

The voice from behind and its sarcastic remark startled you, but only for a minute when you turned around in shock

“What the fuck?”

In all his glory, the king of the fairies was standing in front of you with a shit eating grin stretching from ear to ear. He was stunning, he is always stunning right after reincarnation. There’s always a slightly brighter glow to his cheeks, and the color of his wings always shimmered that much more.

“Well,” Hoseok rolled his eyes, “hello to you too, dandelion.”

He pulled you into his chest once he had taken the stride—leap is a better word—to stand near you.

One of your favorite things about Hoseok is, and always has been, how he hugs with his entire being. Brief hugs are rare, even when things are hostile between the two of you.

Though it was something you found so strange at first, you can’t imagine Hoseok hugging you without wrapping both red wings all the way around your back.

It hit you then, and you realized why you actually shouldn’t be surprised that Hoseok appeared ‘earlier’ than usual.

“I forgot a-about day-daylight savings t-time again, didn’t I?” Your question was hindered by both tears and laughter.

The moment that Hoseok laughed along with you was when you realized you had nothing to worry about. Not right now, anyway.

Even when life felt as if it was too much, Jung Hoseok would appear out of nowhere to remind you that it wasn’t; that he’d be right there through it all

“I figured you would be planning this moment to the second, dandelion. Jimin told me you haven’t been feeling well, that’s why I decided to mingle first before coming to find you.”

You settled in silence for a beat before pulling away from him and out of the warmth of his grasp. Sighing, you laced your fingers with his and tugged him towards the door.

“I know… it’s just been difficult this time around. Ask Jimin, he’ll understand how MIA I’ve gone.”

Hoseok frowned, pulling you back a little bit, “Y/N, I think it’s time we tell everyone. Well not everyone, just people like Jimin, Taehyung, and Namjoon.”

Nodding you replied, “I’ve already told Jimin. But I think you’re right. After we sit down and talk to Jimin a little bit more, we can tell the other boys the situation too.”

Hoseok agreed, tight-lipped and firm but he gave your hand a reassuring squeeze before you continued through the door to play your role in the king’s reincarnation banquet.

Thankfully, the red-haired fairy had taken your hour of absence in stride and conversed with a great majority of the attendants (which was all of the fairies, of course). Once you had entered, though, you could see Jimin immediately sigh a breath of relief.

It was on evenings like this, when the village had cause for celebration—though, that was still quite often, given the nature of fairies—that you felt the most at peace. As the fairies drank their special elixirs, or damnation in a cup as your human liver would probably call it, you could sit back and sip on your own glass of wine and enjoy the merriment.

Of course, something was still off, and many fairies that approached you in greeting had commented so.

“Just feeling a little bit ill,” you would tell them when they’d react to your sullen face.

Eventually you had “lied” to just the right person, Namjoon and Taehyung, to be exact, and soon you were saying goodbye after only a short time of socializing.

Though, the night of talking wasn’t over with, and you had flagged Jimin down as you were leaving. The poor fairy was in the midst of trying to impress a group of women, to which he protested when you dragged his half-sober self from embarrassing himself.

“Jimin, you never drink!”

Hoseok playfully scolded the younger as the two of you watched in amazement as Jimin brushed up against the walls one too many times.

Once you had gotten outdoors though, Jimin was free to laugh and barrel roll through the air as he pleased.

Turning to Hoseok with an amused smile on your face, you laughed, “I want what he had.”

“Hell no,” he replied shortly, much to your disappointment. “Though, we should probably wait until he sobers up to have that conversation with him.”

“Conversation with who?”

Jimin landed right in front of you only teetering a little bit when his feet touched the ground.

“That important stuff we talked about yesterday, there’s more things we’d both like to say about it.”

The drunken fairy hummed, face changing when he realized what you had meant.

“Oh, right. I can dig it up for you if you haven’t done so already.”

“What are you going on about?”

“Wouldn’t be s’great as a reminder, you know? Having it sitting in one of your pots, Y/N.”

Hoseok intervened, an eyebrow already quirked. “We didn’t plant it in a pot, Jimin?”

“Oh. Well, then where’d it go?”

You dragged your hand down your face, and groaned.

“We didn’t plant it ourselves. It just kind of sunk into the ground and disappeared. Remember when I told you we went to the Mother Tree for guidance?”

Jimin teetered for a moment, tongue poking the inside of his cheek in inebriated contemplation, “and I thought you said nothing came of it?”

“No, it didn’t, Jimin.” Hoseok huffed in irritation.

“Then why s’there such a pretty new flower at the base of the Mother Tree?”

“WHAT?”

Simultaneously, both you and Hoseok answered the question in a flurry of confusion. The two of you stared at one another, before glancing back at a very puzzled Jimin.

“Yeah today there was a—”

But you didn’t hear anything as you and Hoseok raced towards the Tree. Had you not been panicking to find out what Jimin’s drunken confession meant, you would have told Hoseok not to fly so hard.

When your feet touched the ground, however, your thoughts immediately led you through the clearing.

You could feel a change in the atmosphere the moment you were within the direct vicinity of the Mother Tree. Yet, nothing could prepare you for the change your life was about to welcome.

“My gods,” Hoseok whispered, coming to your side.

Eyes opened for the first time the moment his hand grazed your shoulder in comfort. A tingling sensation ran through your soul-mark, and you watched in amazement as two different colored eyes stared back at you.

For in the soft center of a large dandelion was a beautiful, little fairy with bright golden wings to match. 

[devildykewashere]

Who's your SC main :O

You can tell I have the best followers anywhere online when these are the questions I get. You know, the Important facts.

This probably comes at no surprise given my predilection for all things tiddie ninjas in fiction, but Taki was My Girl extremely so ever since the time SCII was the new hot, which was, wow back in high school for me (this is how some of you can tell Yes I Am Old). I’d win smalltime local tournaments with her and her incredible throw-juggling skills nobody could break. You can guess how her not existing and they giving me mini-not!Taki in V felt for me. You don’t just get rid of an icon like that that was helping me win big money, big prize (note: big money, big prizes may be a lie and Atma may have only ever actually won things like pizzas). (Also the note to get rid of her came from the creators saying Taki was now “too old” to be a ninja and we all know this is Extremely Some Bullshit.)

However, Sophitia gets a special shout out since my tags on that reblog suggest some important gay history in my life; SCII came out around the time I was actually aware mentally I wasn’t straight and never had been and the way I’d notice girls before and during this time, fiction or real, was definitely a “ur gay” way and Sophitia was a Crucial Landmark and one of the first times I was aware I liked a character and her design specifically because of a huge case of The Gay. It fits; historically, my whole life, I tend to gravitate towards blondes in fiction and reality. We can blame Charlotte from SamSho, to keep my fighting game history up, when I was 10 and was almost married to my local NeoGeo cabinet, for her starting this as she’s the earliest instance of The Blonde Problem that I can remember. To keep the fightan gaem thing up, it was also thanks to Millia Rage that I was able to 1CC the original Guilty Gear on a cabinet in Arizona. Blondes Get Shit Done.

But if you also look at my taste in characters through my life, there’s a very strong lean towards not just lady knights and samurai and such, but a strong ninja theme going as well so I would like to thank Taki and the academy for being a prophecy of my future tastes.

[tenroseforeverandever]

Dear Father Christmas... Chapter 21: December 24, 2036

MASTERPOST

Characters:  Tentoo; Rose Tyler; Jackie Tyler; Pete Tyler; Tony Tyler; OC Hope Tyler-Noble; OC Charlotte Tyler-Noble; OC Wilfred Tyler-Noble; OC Therin Thomson; Javic Thane; Gray Thane

Rated: Teen

Tags: Family!Fic; Kid!Fic; Pete’s World; Letters to Santa; Christmas Fic; Family; Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Romance; Love; gun violence; violence resulting in death; life-threatening injury; life threatening situations; life threatening illness; original characters

Summary: When Rose Tyler was little, she always wrote a Christmas wish list to Father Christmas. As she grew older, the wish list became more of a letter to someone she could confide in once a year, but she fell out of the habit somewhere along the way. Now, as a new mum, celebrating her daughter’s first Christmas, Rose takes up writing her Christmas letter to Father Christmas once again.

Rose’s Christmas letters are excerpts from her life with her beloved Tentoo and their children in Pete’s World, written once a year, for each of 31 years.

Chapter Summary: Rose is feeling melancholy about having an empty nest, and the Doctor suggests a quick trip in the TARDIS for hot chocolate to cheer her up.

Notes: Hello, everyone! I hope you all spent the last week or so with days full of peace, joy, and love.

Today’s chapter references an earlier story of mine, The Cupid’s Arrow, revised edition.

To my betas, @rose–nebula and mrsbertucci, my endless gratitude. <3<3

Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for their 31 Days of Ficmas prompts. The prompt I used today was Hot Chocolate.

Also read at: AO3; FF.net; Teaspoon

December 24th, 2036

Dear Father Christmas,

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas this year. The girls are off studying (that’s nothing new), but Wilfred has left us too. He’s decided to do a bit of travelling on his own this year, a world tour. He’s a restless soul, he is, not a scholarly type like his sisters (they can buckle down and study when they need to). No, Wilf’s much more like his Dad, always needing to be on the move. He’s spending Christmas on a beach in Australia, surfing and eating shrimp from the barbie, and generally having a good ol’ time.

So, I guess that makes me and the Doctor official “empty nesters”, yeah?

Now I know how mum felt all those years ago, when I left to travel in the TARDIS. She must have been so lonely. At least I have my Doctor to keep me company; she had no one. And, at the time, I never gave it a passing thought how alone and worried she must have been… just the way my babies probably don’t think about me.

Look at me, blubbing away. Just as well I came out here to the treehouse. The Doctor would have been worried to see me cry. It’s been happening a lot recently. I’ll have to face the music soon enough, though. I can feel his concern, but at least he knows I’m safe, and he understands when I feel like I need some time to myself (well apart from Snowflake: she’s curled in my lap. You’re not leaving your mum, are you, darling?)

It’s a little chilly out here, to be honest, but being up in the treehouse makes me feel so much closer to the kids. So many memories here, and besides the view is unparalleled! The sky is so clear tonight, and the view from here is spectacular, though I can’t see many of the stars right now; the moon is directly overhead, in its last quarter but still so bright it’s hard to see anything else. But it is a gorgeous thing all on its own.

I’m always in awe of the fact that I can actually make out some of the Lunar colonies. So much has changed in the last few years, and Torchwood has been at the centre of it all. The Doctor contributed his extensive knowledge about space bases (after all, he’s run through so many in his lifetime!) and supervised the design team and the actual installation. It never gets old, witnessing first hand, humans taking those first few steps into space, especially since I know what the future has in store for them (the privileges of being a time traveller.)

The Lunar colonies are actually becoming very well established now (you’ll need to start visiting the moon on Christmas Eve, Santa, if you haven’t already. The first official Lunarians… Selenites… (I dunno… The debate for a proper name is still on. Mum just calls them all Loonies!) were born there early this year. I don’t know how you’ll keep up once humans spread across the universe!)

Of course, Hope has decided to be a part of it all: she has a position as a physician on Lunar Base Shepard lined up for the coming year, once she graduates. She loves the idea of “pioneering” and has her sights set on eventually going on to Mars once proper bases are established there. That’ll be a while though, and thank goodness! The Doctor had a very bad reaction when she mentioned it. I’ve very rarely seen him so bloody frightened: pure fear and dread. He never could explain why, exactly, just that he had a feeling it was a very bad idea and muttered on about fixed points and such for hours afterwards.

But that’s years off. In the meantime, I’m just missing my babies so much. It’s funny how the holidays are the times we tend to miss them most. The rest of the year, since Wilfred went travelling, me and the Doctor (and Snowflake) have been too busy off adventuring in the TARDIS to really dwell on their absence too much. It’s almost like old times, and I mean really old times, back in the Prime Universe: the two of us; lots of running; saving the universe… only a bit slower than we used to (not exactly spring chickens, us!) and with a lot more vacationing in between… and with a cat (something my Prime Universe Doctor would never have entertained!) But now, it’s all so completely brilliant! It’s so good to know we can still make a difference out there in our own little way.

But now, standing still, that’s when it sinks in… the loneliness.

We’re only really here for the Hand in Hand feast, and Mum’s New Year’s Gala, back in full swing this year, now that she’s fully recuperated. It’ll be at least a full week before we’re back running through the stars!

But that doesn’t mean we can’t go for a short trip, does it?

Ah ha! Right on cue, here he comes: My Doctor. He must have felt my itchy feet over the bond, because he’s beaming away and shouting up at me “Where to, Rose Tyler?”

I guess I’m off on another great adventure… even if it’s just for a few hours!

--ooOoo--

We’re back, Santa! Made it in just in time for me to finish my letter to you… it’s almost midnight!

So, I was shivering when we set off, and the Doctor decided we should go somewhere for hot chocolate. Who am I to argue with that? Years ago, he’d discovered there was a Planet Valentine in this universe. We’d been to the one in the Prime Universe, back when he was still wearing leather (that was an adventure and a half!) and the Doctor had proclaimed one of the cafés there (The Cupid’s Arrow) had the best chocolate treats anywhere in the universe, hands down. We’d yet to properly visit this universe’s version and agreed it was finally time to discover if it was up to scratch. Sure enough, both the planet and The Cupid’s Arrow were just as tacky and over-the-top as I remember, and the hot chocolate was just as gorgeous.

I briefly wondered why we had never come here before (the kids would have had a blast!) but as we were seated at our table, and it ascended on its anti-grav platform through showers of confetti, I looked around me at all the other patrons, and all the reasons why this was not a “family” adventure came rushing back to me. I could feel my cheeks flushing in embarrassment and, I admit, a bit of arousal. This was indeed the planet of love, and many of the customers of The Cupid’s Arrow were very, very, very… sexually uninhibited! The Doctor, hearing my thoughts very clearly, waggled his eyebrows at me and gave me a cheeky wink.

Laughing and very glad it was just the two of us, we placed our orders on the touch screen. I should mention, our family is very particular about how we take our hot chocolate. Me, Charlie, and Wilfred all prefer loads of miniature marshmallows, but the Doctor and Hope prefer whipped cream with chocolate curls. And we always get into a huge debate about which way is best, the whole family, all five of us… together. So, of course, while we waited for our cocoa to arrive, me and the Doctor couldn’t resist starting in on the familiar argument. But it just wasn’t the same without our three not-so-little trouble-makers contributing their two pennies worth, and it didn’t take long before I was crying again.

Blimey, it doesn’t take much to set me off these days. Mum thinks it’s an early sign of menopause (most of my uterus may be gone, but the doctors managed to save my ovaries, so she may very well be right. I’m about the right age for it: forty-seven.) Poor Doctor, he has a loooong few years ahead of him with menopausal-me. And he’s just so lovely and sweet, holding me when I need it, and letting me know how loved I am (because it’s easy to forget when I get into a state like this.)

It wasn’t long before the sparkly, fuchsia Droid-waiter appeared with our hot chocolates. It fluttered its long lashes at me, its heart-shaped deely-bopper eyes bobbing slowly as it expressed concern for my tears. It was so ridiculous I couldn’t help but smile and thank it for asking after me. After it flew away, me and the Doctor broke into gales of laughter, again. He wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “Better?”

Oh, I felt so much better, and apologized for being such a nutter.

He grinned at me, took a swig of his chocolate, and with a full, whipped cream mustache, leaned in and gave me a big, sloppy, creamy kiss. “Now you look like a nutter too!”

I gave him a (loving) shove and told him he looked like one, as well.

“Oh, yes!”

And, oh Santa! I made a startling discovery as I licked the cream from my lips (and then from his.) I discovered that I really, really liked hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate curls, and he discovered that he enjoyed marshmallows, especially the little gooey bits that stuck to the edges of my mouth. So we decided on an exchange… and then, well… we might, possibly have got rather enthusiastically involved in the uninhibited spirit of Planet Valentine. I even forgot about my children for a little while there…  But I did remember to pick up some chocolatey treats for them and my mum before we left.

I hope I’m not on your naughty list, now…

Happy Christmas, Santa. I bet you and Mrs. Claus would enjoy the Peppermint Hot Chocolate at The Cupid’s Arrow. It’s so good! Love to both of you, the elves, and the reindeer too!

Rose

[baker-mayfield]

Just Keep Breathing - Seth Rollins (2)

A/N: sooo I’m back at it again. here’s part two!!! honestly didn’t think you guys would enjoy it as much as you did. thanks to all your nice comments and likes. it means the world to me. as usual, sorry for any errors or mistakes. i tried to read over and find them all. next time, i’ll try to work on keeping it shorter lol. enjoy! edit: i totes forgot to add in everyone that wanted to be tagged!

TAGGED: @shieldgirl95 @spine-buster @alexekaydus (if you want to be tagged let me know) <3

WORDS: 2.3K

WARNINGS: angst and swearing.

Here I was at Summerslam,the biggest party of the summer. Any other time, I would have been happy to be here. Okay, I was happy to be here. I was in the presence of some of my old-time favorites backstage. 

The inner fan girl in me just couldn’t stay calm about it. When I arrived to the Barclay Arena, I had a hoodie on along with a hat and sunglasses. No one was supposed to know I was there. I was supposed to be this big secret, which I liked. It meant the longer I could go without Seth knowing I was backstage. However, that didn’t stop me from telling Becky the big news. It just happened to slip out of my mouth “by accident”.

I was sitting in the women’s locker room, far away from the small corner of the arena I was supposed to hide in until I had to go into the crowd mid-show. I couldn’t help myself. She was my favorite person, and since she didn’t have a match tonight, I figured we could keep each other company until I made my debut tonight… In a few hours.

“Remember when you got so nervous you almost puked?! I swear I saw you turn green.” Becky mocked as she brought up that dreadful moment of my life. I always cringed at that moment. If anyone had a bad debut, it was me. I was 100% sure that Hunter used me as an example of how bad your first match can be.

“Thank you, Becky. You try stepping in the ring with Charlotte and tell me you wouldn’t be nervous!” I laughed while shaking my head. It was the first time I had to fight someone and it meant something. “The only thing I could think about was me stepping in the ring with Ric Flair’s daughter. Okay. He’s a legend which meant I was facing a legend’s daughter.” As if that made a difference. Becky was still laughing her ass off and I waved her off.

“I’ve faced her so many times, Y/N! Just admit it, you were nervous! Poor Seth had to be a trooper and tell you that you didn’t suck because… you did.” Becky was still laughing and by now, I had stopped. I played with the sleeves of my sweatshirt and forced myself to smile. Seth. I had totally forgotten about him. Now, all my worries were coming back up again. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean….”

I waved her off and continued to smile- even if it was only a half ass one. She would have never said anything on purpose to make me uncomfortable. She knew more than anyone that Seth was literally my world. When we broke up, she had been the one that I cried to for hours. Even when I had cried about everything on repeat - she would listen to me cry and tell me all her bad puns.

“Becks, it’s fine. I’m a big girl. I can handle seeing my ex boyfriend. After all, we’re co-workers. We can handle this.” As I spoke, I was sure I was talking just to convince myself rather than her. I didn’t know how well I can handle this, but I was willing to try since we had no choice but to be on the same brand these days. Becky sighed and she opened her mouth to talk again. “No, I don’t need you to kick his ass for me.” I laughed while shaking my head. Becky wanted to fight him the moment I had texted her a long essay about what had happened.

She nodded her head and placed a hand on my knee as she looked at me. She was probably looking for any hint of nervousness. But, I should admit- I was hiding how nervous I was pretty good. Maybe it was because I had already came up with a list of worst case scenarios and all my options. Most of them ended with me calling it quits and just walking out and going to ROH. Hell, TNA sounded good right now. I refused to be that girl to have her life dictated over a stupid ex.

“If you need anything, call me.” Becky told me while smiling. “If you had came up two years ago, we wouldn’t have to worry about you cheating on me with another best friend!” She pouted with a wink. She was still a little upset that I had moved to the main roster a year after she had been moved to Smackdown. After all, she was the one begging for me to come to RAW before the break up even happened.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I will take you on that offer.” I told her while standing up and leaving. We said our goodbyes as I left the locker room.

With my hands in my pockets, I walked to my designated area. My hoodie was up. The baseball cap covered my face. There was no way anyone could’ve leaked that I was backstage. I looked like I was ready to join The Usos at any moment. I understood that management wanted to keep me a secret. But damn. Couldn’t they have given me Brock Lesnar’s locker room and let him change with the other guys? It was the least they could’ve done. On my way there, I had bumped into someone. I quickly said sorry without looking up at the person.

“Watch where you’re going!” They shouted at me. I cringed and just kept on walking and I could hear the person saying something but I didn’t stop to talk to them. I wasn’t supposed to be talking to anyone.

When I was far enough to look at them without them noticing, I looked at them. More like, I stared until I recognized the person. I must sound like an idiot but there are way too many guys with long black hair on the roster. But then, I saw the words Crossfit. If I didn’t have to throw up earlier, I sure as hell did now.

I just stood there staring at Seth. It had to be Seth. No one religiously wears shirts that says Crossfit the way he does. Actually, I don’t think anyone liked Crossfit as much as he does. He looked a lot better now that there wasn’t blonde in his hair. I told him it was a stupid idea, but he went ahead and dyed a section of his hair blonde. I wouldn’t stop with the bad jokes about him never letting go of his emo side. Thankfully, he listened to me. I made him promise that once the blonde fade, to never dye his hair again or I’ll break up with him. It seems really ironic now. My heart was skipping beats as I thought about the last two years and I thought about our past. I was surprised that he didn’t recognize me. Maybe it’s not too late for me to tell Vince that I would rather be fired than be on RAW.

After a moment, I picked up my feet. No, I didn’t need to fear Seth. This was what I’ve been looking forward to for years. It’s my fucking moment. He wasn’t the only person that can run the place. I was going to be the future of the Women’s division. If he didn’t like that I was there, oh well. I worked my ass off for two years. As ungrateful as I sound, I really wanted this too.

It was during the RAW Women’s Title match. Sasha Banks vs Alexa Bliss. I was in the middle of the crowd, blending in until my cue. I watched as Sasha climbed onto the turnbuckle ready to do a frog splash. Alexa was laying on the ground. Sasha was too busy hyping the crowd when I ran down to the ring and pushed Sasha off and watched as she hit the apron. I was wearing my hoodie and hat. The crowd was booing and chanting for Sasha until I took off my hoodie and hat. Throwing them into the crowd. It was at that very moment- I felt like I had the world in my hands. There was no longer people booing for me, they were also cheering me on. I smiled and did my finishing move on Sasha before sliding out the ring and embracing in the cheers and boos. The referee had rung the bell, disqualifying Alexa Bliss, and all I could do was smile. Other than the fact that I was trying to play a major heel, I was happy that the fans were actually reacting to me. I was no longer the NXT girl. I was the future of the Women’s Division. If only I could hear what Corey Graves had to say about me. Thank God for the WWE Network.

After going out with the girls, I was sliding into my hotel bed. Thankfully tonight wasn’t one of the nights where I was the life of the party. I had only been on the main roster officially for a few hours. I charged my phone for what seemed like the first time in forever. Just as Nia Jax and I were about to take a picture, my phone died much to my disappointment. I wanted to see the fans reactions, which were so far nice and positive. I rolled over to start to sleep, which is when I heard my phone go off. I was going to ignore it, but it seemed like one ding after another. Groaning, I rolled over and read the messages…

Unknown Caller: Hey, it’s Seth… I have no idea if you changed your phone number by now.

Unknown Caller: Wow, wouldn’t it be funny if you did?

Unknown Caller: Your debut was amazing, and I’m happy for you. You’ve worked so hard for it

Unknown Caller: You’re mad at me, I know but since you’ve blocked me on everything else I didn’t know how else to contact you…

Unknown Caller: Fine, you don’t have to respond to me. But, you can’t avoid me forever, we’re on the same show.

I cringed and closed my eyes enough to take this in. He texted me. After two years, he texted me. He didn’t text me when I won the NXT Women’s Championship, so what’s so different now? Matter of fact, he texted me five times. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he knew my number. He was the only one that can remember it and had to repeat it back to me one million times during our friendship and relationship. Leave it to Seth to remind me that we were on the same show. I turned the sound off and put my phone down as I laid down. Do I text him? Do I not text him? After all, it’s been two years. Clearly, I’m not upset anymore… I sat up and replied to his text message.

Thanks.

Straight to the point. There was nothing to show how upset I was. No hidden meanings, just me telling him thanks. My debut was amazing. Instead of thinking about it some more, I laid down and went to sleep. I’ll deal with it in the morning. If I see him tomorrow night- oh well. We’re grown adults, we can do this.

RAW was done for the night. I made my RAW debut by surprise attacking Sasha in the middle of her promos before dropping my own about ‘why Kurt Angle needed me on the RAW roster’. I was pulling my luggage behind me and on my way outside with Alexa and Sasha beside me. While the three of us were laughing and joking, I stopped and looked at Seth, who had done the same thing. That was the first time we saw each other all night. It was an uncomfortable silence as Sasha and Alexa head to our rental car. “I am still driving!” I yelled after them and Sasha waved me off and I rolled my eyes.

It seems like he had a lot to say, and for once I had nothing to say to him. After our breakup, I had so much I wanted to say to him. But now that we had to work together, I don’t think I could. Instead, I just looked at him. He was a stranger to me instead of the guy that used to make me feel like the most important girl in the world. This Seth wasn’t the guy who would go to every McDonald’s while we were traveling just to find one who’s machine wasn’t working

He laughed at me, and shook his head. “You were such a bad driver...” I couldn’t help but smile at him. It wasn’t exactly a lie. There was a reason why I bought him a coffee tumblr for all those long nights that he had to drive.

“Yeah, but not anymore. You’ll be happy to know that I don’t miss exits anymore.”

“Oh really? About time.” He was still laughing at me, and I couldn’t help but join in. I was terrible and Seth always made sure to joke about it with everyone on the NXT roster.

“So, um. Thanks for those text messages last night. They were… Nice.” I told him while looking down at my feet.

He nodded his head and began to look at his feet too. “You’re welcome.” He looked ahead of me, and I looked behind me, seeing that there wasn’t anyone there. “I have to go. I think Cesaro is waiting for me. You know how he is.” Just like that, he grabbed his suit case and started walking outside.

“No, this won’t be awkward at all.” I mumbled to myself as I walked outside too.

[lucisevofficial]

Do all of the Fire Emblem Questions!!

Oh boy that’s a lot!

1. First Fire Emblem game - Shadow Dragon, the DS remake of the orignal Fire Emblem. Unlike a lot of people, I think it’s pretty good! I replayed it recently and it held up fine, though the art style was pretty awful. It was funny running into characters I distinctly remembered from when I played it in middle school. (and maintaining my secret crush on Minerva, setting me down the path of loving cool sky knights)

2. Favorite FE game - Fates! Again, probably controversial, but I think it’s got a ton of great customizability and replayability and the cast of characters is a lot more likable and memorable than previous games. Plus it’s got some really solid level design (Conquest has three of my five favorite levels in the whole series) and the story is a lot more creative and interesting than “the bad army is evil and a dragon’s the final boss”.

3. Least favorite FE game - Urgh…Genealogy of the Holy War maybe? It’s got such a drab palette, and the characters all have that “bad 90′s anime” style, and the long maps feel like such a slog even with emulator save states. 

4. Favorite character - Hm…this is a tough one, so I’m gonna pick a few sans explanation in no particular order. Nino (FE7), Katarina (FE12), Minerva (FE11/12), Joshua (FE8), L'Arachel (FE8), Lucina (FE13), Severa (FE13), and of course my beloved Corrin (FE14) and Azura (FE14).

5. Least favorite character - Oh man…uh, look, I don’t get how everyone loves Charlotte. She’s fine, I guess, but like…I don’t get it. She’s not like…more disliked than villains and stuff, but I feel like my dislike of her is proportional to the love she gets? I dunno.

6. Spouse in Fates - yes I altered this from Awakening cause I played Fates more - Camilla, Hinoka, Rinkah, Selkie, Felicia, Kaden, Azura, Leo, Laslow.

7. Favorite class - I’m a sucker for flying units - wyverns, sky knights, etc. I think Wyvern Knight is probably my favorite?

8. Least favorite class - Cavalier. There are too many of them and I feel like they aren’t interesting from a strategy standpoint. Shout out to New Mystery of the Emblem where you get like ten of them???

9. Class you would want to be - Sky Knight. Or adventurer. I dig their hats.

10. Game with the best story - See this is the Controversial Opinion here, but I found myself far more engaged with Fates than with any of the other games. It flopped in some areas but I forgive a good story poorly told more easily than a boring story. Runner up goes to New Mystery of the Emblem (FE12) which was also really great! Sympathetic villains, interesting subplots, engaging cast.

11. Sexiest character~ I mean…It’s gotta be Camilla, right? That one’s a layup.

12. Character you want as your sibling - I’m fairly certain my actual IRL sister is Elise so that’s an easy one.

13. Characters you’d want as your parents - Hector’s such a dad character, and Lyn’s such a mom character, so I feel like they’d be good.

[myaekingheart]

summer road trip 2018 ; day six

So, thankfully today went way better than yesterday. Big plus. I woke up super early (much to my chagrin) thanks to a growling stomach so my parents and I had our breakfast and then got our showers and got dressed, all that good stuff. My hair was much more cooperative today and didn’t look nearly as bad as I feared it would (though one picture my mom took of me would seriously beg to differ). While my grandparents went down to the clubhouse for the bocce ball tournament, my parents and I decided to hit up the nearest mall. I was on a mission to get this t-shirt from Spencer’s that I saw on their website a week or two ago, but ended up getting a little more than I expected. My mom nearly had a heart attack when I told her I didn’t pack any jeans (all my long pants are leggings these days) so she suggested I go buy another pair or two to have on the trip. So we headed to the mall, stopping at the local CVS to buy me new shampoo beforehand, which is also another story. One of the only things the girl who fucked up my hair did right was let me know that a very potential reason behind my dry scalp issues could very well be because of the shampoo I use. I’ve been using Suave shampoo and conditioner for years, which she said apparently caused her to have dry scalp issues and highly recommend I change it. When I told my mom how I was thinking about this a lot lately, she said that she stopped using the same brand because she saw something about a lawsuit from years ago that their hair products caused people to have really bad dry scalp and lose their hair. So that was a definite reason for me to change. I ended up getting the same shampoo and conditioner that I had used back in middle school, Herbal Essences Body Envy, because as far as I remember that never gave me any trouble and it smelled really nice and made my hair bouncy which, with my current haircut, I think might help. I definitely would love to see some more volume in my hair, to be quite honest. But anyways, after that we headed down to the mall where I got a little sidetracked and admittedly spent way more money than I ever intended. We stopped at Charlotte Russe first because I really like their Refuge shorts and pants. The only issue with those is that the sizing is so goddam finicky, it’s hard to buy a pair of pants you know you will fit without trying them on first. I didn’t necessarily want to go through the hassle of filtering in and out of dressing rooms but I knew if I didn’t, I could very well buy something that, once I got home, I’d find didn’t actually fit. I cycled through a couple pairs of pants ranging from three different sizes. Only one pair fit, the one I ended up getting. Funny enough, I actually already own this same exact style in the same exact size just in a different color. At least the positive part then is that I already know I like this particular style of pants and they fit me pretty perfectly. Trying on pants like this was kind of taxing on my ED recovery, though. I have been eating but I still feel like I’m not where I should be, and because the sizing on these pants are so finicky, after a while it got really old finding every pair being too large on me, even some of the size zeros. It makes me wonder what the fuck I’m doing wrong, like how can I be so fucking far gone that a size motherfucking zero is too big? I just have to remind myself it’s all about perspective. I have size zeros from this same brand that are tight on me, and size fours that fit well, so I don’t know what the hell they’re doing. All I know is that all of this would probably be completely solved if I just gained some motherfucking weight. But let’s not get into that again. This is supposed to be a positive story. But anyway, I did at least find one pair that fit nicely, which was actually a pleasant coincidence because they were tan jeans which I needed. I tried to buy a pair of tan corduroy leggings a while back to wear with one of my Violet cosplays (that pink outfit she wears at the end of the first movie) but the smallest size was still way too big on me and they wouldn't shrink in the wash so they were kind of a lost cause. I could certainly wear a belt with them, regardless of whether they had belt loops or not (they don't) but you could always tell when I did because there was some unflattering bulk underneath. So finding a pair of tan pants that actually fit was awesome. I also found a really cute loose crop top that I ended up buying, as well, which was a double score since I've found much of Charlotte Russe's clothes don't appeal to me like they used to anymore. I feel like these days they cater to that basic bitch style which I definitely do not fall under whatsoever. I only really still go there for their incredible leggings, especially when they're on sale for $5, and their shorts/pants. Other than that, I probably wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything else in there except the occasional cute shirt I find. But anyways, after this I decided to stop in Hot Topic just to look around. Truthfully, I stepped foot in there mainly because I wanted to see if I could find any Violet Pop Figures, and maybe get lucky in finding a Chase figure (but let's face it, they're practically impossible to get your hands on). I unfortunately didn't find any but I did find something equally as great. I love the band Beartooth and I've been wanting a t-shirt for a while now, but I had a hard time finding a good one that I liked that was affordable. I found one or two cute ones on their official website that I wouldn't have minded ordering but when I looked on Hot Topic's website, they only had, like, one and I didn't think it was really worth getting. Well, as I was perusing the store today my eyes drifted upwards to the t-shirt design display on the back wall and lo and behold, there was a really cute Beartooth t-shirt. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend another $20 but I fell in love with the shirt and I had been wanting one so badly that I couldn't resist. So I am now the very proud and pleased owner of a Beartooth t-shirt and I am outrageously excited about it.(There was also this really cute interaction with a 12 year old boy who was in line in front of me that you can read about here).  At this point, I wasn't sure if it was worth even stepping foot in Spencer's to get the one thing I intended to buy on this trip in the first place, seeing as how I felt I had already spent an obscene amount of dough on stuff I didn't plan on buying. However, I also really wanted this shirt from Spencer's. And I mean, hey, I'm on vacation. I can afford to live a little...right? So basically I bought the shirt from Spencer's anyways because fuck it, treat yourself, making for a total of one pair of pants and three shirts acquired on this very successful mall trip, plus new shampoo and conditioner from beforehand. After that, I told my dad to restrain me from buying anything else because I knew my wallet would kill me if I did anymore shopping. I honestly don't even want to look at my bank account right now. We left the mall around 12:30pm and then headed back to my grandparents' house for lunch. Lunchmeat sandwiches and chips, just like every other day. This time, however, they took care to present the meat and cheese on a plate rather than just tossing the packages on the table. I guess having my parents here makes them step up their game a bit or something. Lunch was alright, but afterward my grandparents quickly became...kind of a nuisance. I know that's horrible to say because they're old and should be respected, and this is their house, after all, but they've been scrambling to prepare for this big high school reunion (that hardly anyone is probablyg going to be at because the list of names of everyone whose passed away is, like, three pages long) and the stress from their hectic planning is very palpable. My Pop Pop is the kind of man who is very set in his ways, and he likes to do things the old-fashioned way, so when he had to type up some labels or something, rather than doing things the easiest possible way and typing everything up on the computer, he broke out his electric typewriter. My Pop Pop is also the kind of man who never learned how to properly type, so jams the keys with both of his index fingers and it takes him fifteen times longer to type anything out because of it. So after lunch he sat down at the kitchen table with this archaic machine and began slowly and loudly typing out whatever he needed to do. And then my grandmom had a fit because she was typing up something on the computer and when she went to go print, the printer did that thing where it makes some of the lines of texts a little squigglier than they should be and she was freaking out about saying she didn't know why it was doing that when it looks fine on the computer and wondering how to fix it. She legit had to call the label company yesterday because she was trying to type the names of everyone in the reunion onto label templates in Word but whenever she typed the first line, it was always in the center of the box and she didn't have room to put anything else. It legit took three hours and a phone call to the company for her to figure out that the lines of text moved up when you hit enter. And then she doesn't know you're supposed to save your work multiple times while you're working on it, so when Word stopped responding she first walked away and said she was going to wait and see what happened, and then when it finally shut down and restarted she lost all of her work. Today, though, was perhaps even less tolerable, though, because of the loud clacking on the typewriter from my Pop Pop and my grandmother freaking out about the squiggly text and then they were shouting to each other from across the house and they're old and have hearing aids so they have to shout really loud and it was just absolute chaos, truthfully. Hence why as soon as we could, we ran back out of the house to go do some of our own stuff. Seeing as I've been cooped up here for the past two days, it was nice to get fresh air and some relief from their insanity. We went down to this historic little shopping village not far from my grandparent's house where we honestly had the absolute best day. Because we went on a weekday in the off season, there weren't too many people there which meant peace and quiet. The weather was wonderful-- a little chilly but not so cold that it was unbearable, and sunny as all hell but not hot enough to be unbearable, either. My only complaint weather-wise was probably just the wind, since that was pretty intense at certain points, but that's a small complaint, really. We wandered around and peeked in a lot of the stores. There was a candle store and a Christmas store with all of these really cute, kitschy collectibles and a sweet shop where we bought some candy and a little store selling cute little yard signs. My favorite, by far, however, was this place called the Underground. It was kind of like Hot Topic's hipster, less popular cousin who outgrew their teen emo phase. All the walls were bright red and there was punk rock music blasting from the speakers and really cool t-shirts, a lot of which were punk rock themed representations of love for the state. There were two racks of t-shirts that were on sale for $5 that I couldn't resist looking at, and lo and behold of course I found one I fell in love with. And seeing as it was only $5, obviously I could not resist. It was really fucking cute, though, okay? It says "Stay True" on the sides and in the center has a silhouette of the state made up of skeletons. It overall has this very rockabilly, old-style tattoo look to the graphics design that's really fucking cute. After this, we wandered into the Ireland store and checked out what they had in there, which was nice because my family's Irish and so we're very connected to our heritage. And then I found a celebrity memorabilia shop that I just had to wander into with the hope of finding something Audrey. Fortunately, my hopes were not unwarranted. There was a small corner of very little Breakfast at Tiffany's merchandise that I was kind of uninterested in but there was a Holly Golightly magnet that I decided I liked that my mom offered to get for me. As we were checking out, the woman working the register pointed out that in the glass display case at checkout, she had tons of souvenir celebrity driver licenses/ID cards and that Audrey was one of them but that she sells out fast. At first she didn't think she had any left because she had trouble finding it in the collection, but then she was mistaken and did, in fact, find that she had one left. It was super cheap and I fell in love with it so my mom offered to buy me that, as well. The rest of the afternoon, I kept joking that I finally got a driver's license and that if I got pulled over, I'd just flash my Audrey card and be on my way because I look so much like her already anyways. Not that I'd ever actually do that, of course, I just thought it was a funny thought and I was really in love with the purchase. The entire place was honestly really nice, though, and all of the buildings were beautiful little colonial houses. There was a lake with paddleboats and a shop in a building with a waterwheel and quaint little bed-and-breakfasts. There was an even an arcade where my mom won me a little purple rubber duck from the claw machine and I paid a dollar to play a Fast and Furious motorcycle game in which I got fifth place. Overall, it was just a really wonderful day and I had so much fun, it just completely made up for my shit emotions from yesterday. Before we left, we stopped at this little seafood restaurant in the middle of nowhere where my dad used to always go with his parents as a kid and they each got one beer at the "boat bar." The place was pretty quiet, so it was very relaxed which was nice. There were a lot of windows, as well, which meant great views of the lake and wide open fields surrounding the place. After having lived in a busy college town for the past nine months, it was honestly so fucking refreshing to go someplace so rural and secluded for once. Someplace where I don't have to hear cop cars and shitty rap music playing every goddamn minute. Just absolutely peaceful. My parents desperately wished they could stay longer, and even eat at this restaurant since it holds such fond memories for my dad but we had to get home for dinner as my grandmother was making a roast and we'd never hear the end of it if we were late. She was going to make it last night if my parents' were back by dinner but since they were out and didn't get home until 8pm, we had spaghetti instead. Dinner was so much fancier than I expected. Because of how many people we now have, and how small the kitchen table is, we ate in the dining room instead with the fancy lace table cloth and the tall pink candles and fake flower centerpiece. We had the roast, baked potatoes, broccoli, and dinner rolls which was pretty good, but seeing as I'm not a huge fan of roasts to begin with (or broccoli that's not smothered in cheese), it wasn't my favorite meal. I still tried to eat as much as I could fathom anyways. For dessert, we had cherry pudding cake which was honestly fucking delicious, and my mom broke out the Bailey's chocolate malt ball things she bought at the candy store. I had never had Bailey's before so when I tried one, it was a totally new experience. I just wish someone had told me how much Bailey's tastes like coffee. I despise coffee and so the minute I stuck the thing in my mouth and bit down and all the liquid in the center filled my mouth, I felt like I was going to be sick. I had to run to the kitchen and spit it out in a paper towel, then chug some water and scarf down the pudding cake just to get the taste out of my mouth. So at least the pudding cake was delicious and definitely did the trick or else I would've been in huge trouble. As for my parents, or at least my mom, she was a hot mess by this point. One of the friends she met up with the other day has a father who makes his own wine which is dangerous enough for my addicted mother. She had two glasses of red wine at dinner that she had bought...somewhere and then with dessert, she had her friend's father "Chocolate Cherry Truffle" wine and damn was she feeling it. My mom doesn't get "drunk" anymore, necessarily, so much as she gets "tipsy." Her usual plateau is at three glasses of wine and I guess she's built up a tolerance to it to where she doesn't really get hangovers anymore, at least from wine. She used to, though. Funny how drinking something so much stops giving you the adverse effects after a while. But anyway, I could tell my mom was reaching the tipsy point and I was truthfully not very pleased. I hate when she gets like this, and fortunately enough living far away means I don't have to deal with it every day like I used to but that still doesn't mean I'm not bothered anymore when I do have to deal with it. I don't know if it was that or something else but after dinner, I honestly got really crabby? I kind of kept to myself the rest of the night, sitting on my air mattress in the formal living room and doing whatever. My grandparents watched the newest episode of NCIS tonight which honestly was really emotionally taxing and I didn't even fucking watch it. When I was in middle school, my best friend and I were in love with NCIS. We'd have sleepovers where we'd watch the episodes together and then we'd play pretend. I was always Abby. Always, always, always. She was my absolute favorite. I even remember one time we slept over at my best friend's grandmother's house and we made little fake NCIS badges and mine had Abby's name on it. I just loved her so fucking much, everything about her: her goth style, the music she'd play in her lab, her farting hippo. She was just the absolute coolest and I desperately wanted to be like her. I guess in a way Abby was another vehicle into my transition into the type of person I am today, since I wasn't really very alt back in middle school-- I never had the typical emo phase, though I became friends with emo kids in eighth grade-- but I feel like there was always something pulling me back into that scene that, as a little kid, I always yearned to be a part of (when I was four, I decided that as a teenager I would paint my walls black and listen to Green Day and Evanescence all the time and that I'd cut my hair shoulder-length and dye the tips bright red). Even though I haven't kept up with the series, and I haven't sat down to even watch reruns in years, Abby still holds such a special place in my heart and means so much to me so when I heard Pauley Perrette was leaving the show, I was admittedly a little sad but it didn't register in my brain the potential ways they would have her leave the show. As her final episode drew nearer and nearer, I kept seeing things on facebook about her saying goodbye to the character and the high-running emotions, how everyone would need multiple boxes of tissues, and something calling her an "angel" on the show's official facebook page. I suddenly grew terrified that they were going to kill her off. I was in the other room when the episode started, and I heard gunshots and people saying Abby was in horrible condition or whatever. I was convinced she was going to die and that was something I could not stand. I started envisioning her in the hospital bed with Gibbs at her bedside, and suddenly she'd start struggling and her heart rate would increase and then she wouldn't be able to breathe and then she'd flatline and that would be the end and Gibbs would tuck her hippo under her arm or something, and then at the funeral someone would make a quip about "Now we're all dressing like Abby" wearing black to the funeral and I just...my mind was racing and I couldn't stand to think that they'd actually do that even though I was 99% positive that would be the way things went. I was so anxious about it, and the thought of this was so goddamn intolerable, that I shut myself out from everyone and plugged in my screamo loud enough to block out the TV so that I wouldn't have to see or hear anything. I wanted to avoid Abby dying at all fucking costs. I didn't want to know. The hour in which the episode took place in felt like fucking forever and I kept checking the clock to see how much longer I had before it would all be over and I'd know if my suspicions were correct. The minute the episode was over, my mom came over and captured my attention with the verdict (spoilers ahead): she didn't die. For a second, I thought she was playing a trick on me. I thought she was only telling me what I wanted to hear so that I wouldn't be upset because let's fucking face it, if she did, in fact, die, we all know I would've treated it like I just lost a best friend I hadn't spoken with in years and would've cried my eyes out and been depressed for three days straight. My grandmom and dad confirmed that this was true, though (as well as the internet) and a gigantic swell of relief just completely washed over me. I was just so fucking happy she wasn't dead. Because of how panicked I was during the show's duration, though, it left me kind of emotionally drained a little short-fused the rest of the night. I stayed on my air mattress on my laptop for the rest of the night listening and waiting for when I could finally get some alone time. I desperately needed time to myself to recharge, and to recount the day's events like I'm doing right now. My parents went to bed around 9:30pm, which is typical. They can't stay up as late as they used to, and when they do it feels weird and unnatural. I was hoping my grandparents would head in shortly after but...nope. Of course not. Why would they? Instead, they were up until almost midnight. They can't hear for shit so they had the TV blasting all the negative bullshit on the news and I wanted to lowkey shoot myself. Despite how much fun I had today, I woke up way too early for my own good and didn't get enough sleep last night so by the time 10pm rolled around, I was super tired and was contemplating not even journalling the day so I could just get some sleep. It's hard to do that, though, when the old folks have the volume up to 80. It wasn't until 11:30pm when my Pop Pop decided to turn off the TV and head in, but that didn't mean my grandmom was following him. She was up for an extra 20 or so minutes dealing with the dishes so I still didn't quite get solace and silence. When she finally did head in, I thought I was finally in the clear but, again...not quite. Their bedroom door isn't far from where my air mattress is situated, and because the walls are thin and they can't hear for shit, I could hear their entire 20minute conversation before bed. Granted, I wasn't paying close enough attention to make out the content but I heard the droning voices just the same. I didn't get true quiet until about 12:15am which quite frankly drove me completely nuts. I am a very introverted person and I very desperately need at least peace and quiet in order to rest and recharge. The longer I stay at my grandparent's house, the more I'm finding that peace and quiet is hard to come by here. I love them to death, I really do, but at the same time a part of me is kind of excited I only have two days left here so I can finally get back home and fall back into the groove of my regular, everyday life where I'll be with my boyfriend and we can have our own alone time doing our own things and it's the same routine sounds that I can easily block out rather than elderly banter. I don't know, man, I know I sound insanely bitter and I really don't mean to. I don't want to be that person, you know? But I just...I get frustrated sometimes. At least now everyone is in bed, though, and I am the only one awake so I can just lay back and relax and spend some alone time...for the next five minutes before I completely pass out, at least. Because I have to wake up early and do it all again (the running around) tomorrow. I guess keeping busy is just a double-edged sword. 

[nqbalvaro8504-blog]

Obama Cautions Russia's Putin Of 'Quagmire' In Syria.

Exactly what is actually a search phrase? E-Bay desired to manage a firm locally, they would certainly need to restore money from overseas, they considered the income tax being 40% atop whatever else and also they backed out of the offer that was actually too pricey, lesser that to 10% take that money back and also that is actually primarily you are actually visiting a great deal more boom in the in the economic condition and regardless of what the public servants always desire to point out, oh bring up taxes aids the wealthy or whatever, the biggest holders in the securities market are essentially pension account funds so it does not really aid the rich that aids everybody yet they generally prefer to put out a program. . Executing a personal analysis is actually a way to gauge performance coming from the viewpoint of the real staff member and also this serves due to the fact that this creates the person that is under examination seem like they are a vital part of the method. The swift area of the ladies's 5000 also consists of past Husky Charlotte nc Prouse, which comes back to the Dempsey after transmitting to New Mexico in the end from the 2017 year, and also helped the Lobos succeed a national cross nation title in the fall. " I thought, 'Oh crap, this is definitely blowing up.'" People resembled the photos and also submitting opinions like "I am actually shouting, this is actually fantastic" as well as "these could possibly produce a true great mashup story." Humphrey was surprised. But remember our design is actually development powered through folks which indicates our experts exist to inspire and also challenge whoever this is, in whatever strategy they have to service, to come to be better than exactly what they are actually today.

Nonetheless, movement specialists firmly encourage that blind persons first discover making use of the long white colored walking stick before utilizing the laser device walking stick. In a handful of days we prepare to publish (solely for Market clients) all of our residential or commercial property field data weekly, featuring our suggestions and also very sought-after Rhino REIT Scores.

Producing various calendars permits you to track your personal and company tasks, and also consultations on your own or even numerous member of the family, without having a messy, difficult to Read the Full Post through clutter. I really hope in addition to all the gifts, that everybody bears in mind the "correct" definition from Christmas time while managing to invest exclusive opportunity with the people you enjoy the absolute most. We believe that along with few positive signs to point to at the company, Freeze is actually merely trying to defend the equity using token expert purchases in the hopes from purchasing additional opportunity. The movement was behind a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year that left behind a single person lifeless and also a number of seriously hurt.

In a meeting along with the New York Moments discharged Friday, Bannon said to press reporter Jeremy Peters I positively do not presume McConnell will be actually a large number forerunner" by November next year, as well as he will definitely work to make that happen. Whether you are actually journeying for organisation, on a one-week household vacation, or have actually marketed whatever to go after a lifestyle when driving, traveling can make you a healthier individual through constructing confidence, providing brand new knowledge as well as moments, cracking regular and allowing you to come across people coming from all over the planet. You may be actually better off with the black variation if you're the style of individual who moves a great deal or is actually a little bit harder on your items. When communicating to folks who soak up others power, that is this setting from your body which is certainly not valuable.

[delightfullynumberonebouqu-blog4]

What is a lexicographer

 What is a lexicographer

What is a lexicographer?

Samuel Johnson, in his Dictionary of the English Language in 1755, famously defined a lexicographer as ‘A writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge’. He also said, in the entry for dull, that ‘To make dictionaries is dull work’. Of course, his tongue was firmly in his cheek, noted wit that he was (he might also have said ‘A person against whom people are reluctant to play Scrabble’, had Scrabble been invented at the time).

All joking aside, his words do hint at the meticulous work that a lexicographer undertakes every day: checking facts, ensuring that the bibliography is accurate, weighing up the merits of this word versus that word in writing the perfect definition. The moniker ‘lexicographer’ does have a certain ring to it that ‘dictionary editor’ simply doesn’t. So if I feel like impressing someone when they have enquired what I do for a living, I answer “I’m a lexicographer”. It tends to invite questions, the first often being “What’s that then?” This question provides me with the chance to wax lyrical about the various words I have worked on, how you come up with the perfect definition (the aim of every lexicographer), how you manage to encapsulate various nuances of meaning into one meaningful sentence, how finding that wonderfully early quotation can put a smile on your face that lasts the whole day…

I could go on about the joys and trials of being a lexicographer until your eyes glaze over (glaze, sense 3: ‘lose brightness and animation’). But instead, I give you this poem, written by Dr Robert Ilson, which aims to encapsulate the lexicographer’s concerns in 14 lines.

Day Job: Lexicographer

Can you skip backwards? Can a photograph

Of flowers in a vase be a still life?

Was Ms R. Bailey Ms U. Fanthorpe’s wife?

Are wasting time and killing time the same?

If “Ann” is Carol Duffy’s middle name

Was “Luther” Martin King’s? Tough work? Not half!

And yet it must be done – and done so fast

There’s hardly left a moment to remember

To make sure June’s been treated like December.

The product’s never perfect but it may

Help language-learners’ progress on their way

To being language-lovers till at last

They ask me this and make me brood upon it:

Is what my explanation is a sonnet?

Write a poem to win Oxford’s rhyming dictionaries

If the poem above has inspired you, why not try your hand at writing a short poem about your own job? You’ll be in with a chance of winning a copy of the Oxford Dictionary of Rhyming Slang and the Oxford Rhyming Dictionary.

Poems should be no more than 4 lines long, and should preferably rhyme.

You have to post your poem as a comment on this blog post by Monday 26 March 2pm (GMT). We reserve the right not to publish your entry. Please check our terms and conditions before you enter.

The opinions and other information contained in OxfordWords blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press.

The shambolic life of ‘shambles’

You just lost your job. Your partner broke up with you. You’re late on .

Day Job: Press Officer

As a cricket lover whose rather limited game

Was never going to bring a lifetime of fame

I decided, in another way, to pursue my dream

So I write about Leicestershire’s cricket team

leave out theology

it’s what I do, to make it

less painful, more happy, more human

Hours spent planning conjugations,

Grammar rules and word translations.

Taken by surprise to be,

“Mme Rohwedder, the only teacher who’s nice to me.”

Let my website news story or a press release

find its way to your hearts and minds,

learn how adults teaching kids is a two-way street,

sharing, promoting – yet never shouting.

(NB: Does what it says on the tin… Communications Officer at a School)

My job is painting masterpieces, living cavasses that breathe.

Building cathedrals to God, the kind that nurse and teethe.

Works in constant progress, paid neither in money or fame,

But in juice-rimmed smiles, pride for miles, and all that their hearts proclaim

I am Grandmother, Mother, Aunty, and wife,

I organise business, emotions and life.

I steer the course, I listen, I calm,

I love, I cherish, I’m the family balm.

I save the lives of children

Who get placed in foster homes

By writing their stories

Of past family and woes

Sitting alone before the bright display

I choreograph the serried boolean bands,

Processes, threads, scripts, objects—yea or nay

Raised to the nth, yet Turing’s limit stands.

“Service!” They yell, grumble, and sigh

“Who’s going to go and deliver this pie?”

“I will!” I said, and what a mistake…

‘Cause I spilt all over the woman – oh great!

Charlotte Bacon = Best waitress in town! XD

The learned Prof, she speaks to me

Of ancient masters of philology

Humble student am I, I yearn to know

All the secrets languages doth bestow

“‘Groundbreaking’ sounds too destructive.”

I’m sorry, dear client, but you must’ve

forgotten that this piece

is due to be mailed in just one – no, last week.

Interior Design is demanding,

Shopping all day notwithstanding.

Velvet, linen or leather,

For this stool, which is better?

Does it even belong on this landing?

Dear Professor X,

As the invisible maids behind the great works great minds

bend to, research administrators suffer in silence;

we nurse our paper cuts, take audit punches in bunches,

mould thy paper trail into a portrait of compliance.

Ever Your Email Compadre,

I seek the Holy, not declaim it,

Unearth with care, so to name it:

Once buried treasure now held and dusted,

Now offered back to life, entrusted.

Loneliness tears U down with tears

Sorrow fills U with fears

Tears of fear will lower your gears

Eyes will flow of tears of fear

Mask of pains your face shall wear

Inside the university, a secretary sits,

Below a stack of folders lest a student throws a fit.

Then when it’s calm and quiet she emerges from the pile,

To read her freelance article, hid in a student’s file.

The word, the clause, the paraph, and the piece

They learn wherein the mind they joy increase:

A spirit glows while spirit forms, and through a pen

A life begot, a world inborn, a voice, Amen!

In Xanadu did Kublai Khan the perfect job decree,

With great job satisfaction and abundant salary,

Alas its name is lost in mists of history,

But after thirty years I’m sure, it’s not accountancy

How I came to be an accountant

In my youth I went to college,

A decision made in haste,

Without a scrap of prior knowledge:

There was no accounting foretaste

I take down the minutes, set up the next meeting,

type up the reports and then do all the tweeting

I organize travel to exotic places

and make sure you know which names go with which faces

[newzealandtop25-blog]

Ortega Fish Shack & Bar!

Ortega Fish Shack & Bar is the hidden jewel of Mount Victoria Wellington. Tucked away on a side street this restaurant oozes class, sophistication and fun. All this is perfectly balanced while delivering some of the most exquisite food in New Zealand. Read on to see why this unsuspecting restaurant is our winner this year.

Stepping inside, the space appeared a lot bigger than we initially thought, offering open space towards the back end of the building near the bar as well as on an unexpected second floor. We were absolutely blown away by the interior design: The blue/turquoise walls are filled with lots of photo frames and little paintings; the front floor is tiled in a quirky Jugendstil whereas the rest is kept in a darker wooden floor. Every piece of décor feels well-matched with the theme of a modern maritime shack with a hint of brights, creating a cosy, homely atmosphere with relaxing music playing in the background.

Davey McDonald, the co-owner, Maître d’ and manager of Ortega Fish Shack & Bar, welcomed us warmly to the restaurant and walked us to our table at the window. Whereas the curtains initially seemed unnecessary we noticed that they are actually perfect for giving customers privacy during their visit.

As the name of the restaurant already suggests Ortega is specialised in sea food; even with a couple of meat and vegetarian dishes on the menu be aware that the majority on the menu will be based around what lives in the sea. With a daily changing menu you are guaranteed to be presented with the freshest ingredients New Zealand has to offer.  

We started the evening with two Clevedon Pacific oysters, which were served natural with Sherry vinegar with chopped-up charlottes and ponzu, which is a citrus-based sauce mixed with soya sauce.  A classic pre-starter with a twist for that extra zap! You may like to pair the oysters with a Lastau Sherry: Puerto Fino or classic bubbles.

Clevedon Pacific oysters $4.50 each; served natural with Sherry vinegar with chopped up charlottes & ponzu paired with Lastau Sherry: Puerto Fino, from the town of Puerto de Santa María $8.50/g and Jean-Marc Vigreux-Frère Brut Champagne – France $16.50/g

One of our starters was the sautéed Paua, glazed pork cheek, XO sauce, pickled shiitake and bok choy with ginger wine dressing. We were first of all very impressed with the creativity that was put into the dish and the different elements. New Zealand’s paua are a unique species of abalone and are known for their amazing blue/green iridescent shells, with the muscle inside being a delicacy. Initially we were a little sceptical about this combination, however we trusted the chef’s, gave it a try and loved it. The paua was sautéed to make it nice and soft, the pork cheek was perfectly tender and the vegetables added a lovely lightness to the dish. Paired with a Colere Confluence Marlborough Pinot Blanc this is an excellent choice as a starter.  

Sautéed Paua, glazed pork cheek, XO sauce, pickled shiitake, bok choy, ginger wine dressing $24.90; Paired with a Colere Confluence Marlborough Pinot Blanc (at the moment this wine is also not on the menu, but there will be a different option available!)

The other starter we got served was a scampi ceviche with avocado, Vietnamese mint, shiso, lemongrass and scampi oil, which was probably the star between the two dishes. The colourful plate offered a wide range of elements that at first sight seemed quite overwhelming. The raw scampi was tender and combined with the other elements it actually created an exciting mix of textures and flavours. Spicy notes from the chili, creaminess from the avocado, more subtle and fresh hints from the mint and fried lemongrass came through while fish eggs were popping in our mouths. All of this amazingness happened in just one bite. Paired with a Wooing Tree Blondie, a White Pinot Noir this was an incredible, unique dish I will remember forever!  

Scampi ceviche, avocado, Vietnamese mint, shiso, lemongrass, scampi oil $31.90; Paired with a Wooing Tree Blondie, a White Pinot Noir (at the moment this wine is unfortunately not on the menu, but there will be a different option available!)

The first main course was the Gurnard with soft white polenta, diamond shell clams, herb velouté and curry oil. Especially the clams with the curry oil we loved because of their rich flavour. The fish itself was slightly crispy on the outside; the soft polenta and the herb sauce complemented the fish nicely without overpowering its fresh taste. Overall a very well-presented, light and classic dish. A glass of Tietjen Witters Chardonnay Viognier 2013 with its apricot notes this wine pairs perfectly with the fish.

Gurnard, soft white polenta, diamond shell clams, herb velouté, curry oil $36.90; Paired with a Tietjen Witters Chardonnay Viognier 2013 – Gisborne $11/g

The other main course was the John Dory on leek risotto with green beans, prawn anglaise, potato crisps and burnt leek. The risotto was cooked to perfection, the fish was tender and aromatic and the potato crisps added a special crunch to each bite.  As a matching wine a glass of Milton Riverpoint Voignier 2015 with notes of poached pear complements the course well.  

John Dory, leek risotto, green beans, prawn anglaise, potato crisps, burnt leek $38.90; Paired with Milton Riverpoint Voignier 2015 – Gisborne $11/g

As an additional side we had the duck fat roasted potatoes, rosemary, parmesan and black garlic aioli, which was really tasty and worked with both main dishes without distracting the elements of the main courses too much.

Duck fat roasted potatoes, rosmary, Parmesan, black garlic aioli $9.90

Last but certainly not least we had two absolutely divine desserts. The first dessert we’d like to introduce you to is the rosewater cream with lychee sorbet, raspberry gel, red berries and crushed meringue. Do we even have to say any more? We loved the subtle hint of rosewater coming through all the sweet and fresh elements. The dessert was paired with a dessert wine called Konrad “Sigrun” Noble Two Riesling Sauvignon Blanc 2014, which added a deliciously rich and awesome zing. The dedication to detail is unbelievable from the presentation to the taste and the perfect wine just knocked us off our seats.

Rosewater cream with lychee sorbet, raspberry gel, berries and crushed meringue $16.90; Paired with Konrad “Sigrun” Noble Two Riesling Sauvingnon Blanc 2014 - Marlborough $11/g

A great restaurant wouldn’t be a great restaurant without a chocolate dessert. We tried the chocolate mousse with dark Ghana & macadamia cream, chocolate crumb and espresso tuile. It was as amazing as it sounded. Paired with one of the owner’s all-time favourite Sherry Wines, the Lastau Pedro Ximénez “San Emilio” brings out the chocolaty flavours through its richness and notes of raisins. The dessert is an otherworldly chocolate-lovers dream. Phenomenal!  

Chocolate mousse, dark Ghana & macadamia cream, chocolate crumb, espresso tuile $15.90; Lastau Pedro Ximénez “San Emilio” Sherry 375ml – Jerez, Spain $12.50/g

A special thanks to our amazing waitress Grace, who was so lovely and charismatic. A highly professional and knowledgeable woman who made us feel comfortable and relaxed all evening.  Also a shout out to Davey McDonald who has proved us his exceptional skill at pairing the drinks with our meal.

When booking your table at Ortega Fish Shack and Bar you can be sure to be presented with the best of the best; whatever you will pick on the menu it will knock you off your seat. It is certainly not the bank friendliest place to eat however it is worth 100% worth it. Besides the menu descriptions being a little too complex at times we had excellent service, incredibly knowledgeable staff with a huge passion for food, drinks and hosting people. Everyone working there absolutely loves what they do and you can really see this the moment you step into the restaurant. There has been put so much thought and effort into the place from creating this brilliantly quirky interior to the leathery aprons with the metallic belts the staff wear. It is not hard to fall in love with this restaurant; there was simply nothing we didn’t like about it. The best dinner experience in the whole of New Zealand, making our number one in our Top 25!

Kiwi Scores: Location/Accessability: 5/5 Ambience: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Staff knowledge: 5/5 Menu: 5/5 Presentation: 5/5 Value for money: 5/5 Uniqueness: 5/5

Useful Links:

VLOG: https://youtu.be/0ue1jVfdRMM

Ortega: http://ortega.co.nz/