#and Cece is NOT taking the hints | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

trickphotography2 · 10 months ago

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'tis the damn season | Chapter 3

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Julie/Cece (OC, no physical description)

Word count: 6.7K

Synopsis: After six years away from home, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin was finally going to make his parents happy and surprise his family by spending Christmas in Magnolia, Texas. Introducing his pregnant fiancee to his family is a culture clash, with rural Texas meeting California influencer. Though unhappy in his relationship, Jake knows he has to buckle down and do the right thing with a baby on the way.

The last person he expected to run into was his high school sweetheart and the one that got away, Julie.

The holidays are already going to be hard enough for Julie. Her home baking business, which had started as a fun side project, exploded after a few TikToks went viral. Just when she was getting the hang of juggling her job and business, tragedy struck. Facing her first Christmas as an orphan, the last thing Julie expected was to hear that once familiar nickname - Cece.

After almost a decade apart, Jake and Julie can't help but feel that old familiar spark. Even with the realities of their lives pressing in, they can't help but wonder what might have happened if just one of them had fought for their relationship all those years ago.

Chapter 2 | Master List | Ao3

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Chapter 3

“Lookin’ good, cowboy!” Shayla called, phone held up as Jake cantered back to the barn. The mare he was riding - Starlight - tossed her head, and he couldn’t help but smile. It’d been too long since he’d been in the saddle.

“I didn’t think you’d be up,” he replied, gently tugging the reins to stop Starlight beside her.

“Your mom was vacuuming the hallway,” she shrugged. He chuckled - he’d been wondering how long Mama would let her sleep in until 10:00AM before getting her out of bed. Apparently, guest privileges lasted two days. Shay stepped back, panning the camera to follow him as he dismounted, patting the horse’s neck before taking her bridle and leading her back into the barn. When he glanced over his shoulder, she was still filming. At his raised eyebrow, she giggled. “Sorry, you’re just so fucking sexy. This is gonna get a ton of views.” Facing forward, he clenched his jaw to keep from saying anything. Leading Starlight into her stall, he removed her tack and gave her a quick brush before tossing a blanket over her back. Shayla stopped him when he moved to get a treat from the feed barrel. “Can I?”

“Sure,” he shrugged, retrieving a carrot and handing it to her. She shoved the phone into his hands and looked at him expectantly until he lifted it to film her feeding the horse. As soon as it was gone, she spun towards him and threw her arms around him, pressing her lips to his. Jake kissed her back, willing himself to feel something as her tongue traced his lips. Her hands fell to his waist, slipping into his jacket and tugging his shirt from his jeans. “Shay,” he said, catching her hands.

“Come on, Jakey,” she cooed. “I miss you.”

“I - ”

“Jacob THOMAS Seresin!” Jumping back as though he’d been scalded, he turned to see his mother standing in the doorway, hands on her hips and green eyes flashing.

“Ma’am?” he frowned, watching as her eyes shot to Shayla and her scowl deepened.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Ma’am?” he repeated.

“Do you. Have. Something. To tell. Me.” He glanced at Shay, who gave him a shy smile.

“Uh…”

“I’d like you to explain to me, young man, how it is right for a mother to find out that her baby is having a baby on the internet. Why did I get a text from Betty, whose daughter found it on TikTok, instead of hearing it from you? Hm?”

Jake whipped around to scowl at Shayla, stepping back from her. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I… may have dropped a hint in the last video. It was just us getting here.” He ran a hand down his face, remembering how she’d filmed herself with her hand on her stomach in the car. Turning to face his mother, she said, “Sorry to have you find out this way, but surprise! Looks like you have two grandbabies on the way!”

Taking a deep breath, his mother closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a moment, she squared her shoulders and pinned them with a heavy gaze. “I’m happy for you, but you need to tell your father before he finds out this way. We deserved to hear it from you directly, not from some video about you coming into our home and sneaking around with the news.”

“Yes, Ma’am. We’ll do that right now.” Jake sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Mama.” She stared at her youngest son, her face the picture of disappointment, before nodding and spinning on her heel, leaving the barn. When she was out of sight, he reached into his coat pocket to retrieve his phone.

“Ja - ”

“Stop. You’ve already made this bad enough,” he cut Shayla off while pulling up her account and looking at the newest post. She’d done a voiceover explaining that they were visiting his family to share some exciting news and had filmed herself standing behind his family. He watched as she collected eggs with his mother, when his father had taken her on a tour of the milking barn, and Ally and Will exercising one of the horses on the walker. In each clip, she had her back to them, her hand on her stomach, and winked at the camera. “Did you even ask them if they were okay with being in your video?” Jake demanded.

Her silence spoke volumes, and he glanced at the stats. It already had over ten thousand views and hundreds of likes and comments. “I’m sure they don’t - ”

“My family is off limits,” he snapped. Without another word, he stormed out of the barn. The cold air cooled his flushed face, and he pulled off the Longhorns hat he’d found in the back of his closet to run a hand through his hair. “Fuck!” he growled, throwing the cap onto the ground in a moment of frustration. After snatching it up and dusting it off, he folded the bill, slipped it into his back pocket, and headed toward the milking barn where he’d helped Pops and Will drive the herd. After swapping his shoes for wellies, he stepped inside.

“ - Alright, I’ll be there in a bit,” he heard his father say, frowning as he spoke into his phone. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” Jake glanced at Will, who raised an eyebrow.

“Everything alright?” Will asked as soon as he hung up. Bill Senior glanced at his sons, gaze lingering on Jake momentarily before nodding.

“Need to head into town for a bit. You two able to take care of all this?” he asked, motioning to the cows. Will nodded, raising an eyebrow - their father was always supervising milking, only taking a day off when their mother forced him to stay in bed sick. With a firm nod at his sons, Bill headed out.

“Sir, can… I need to tell you something,” Jake said, hurrying after him after trading a look with his brother.

“Make it quick, son.” Standing before his father, Jake suddenly felt like he was 16 again, telling him he wanted to join the Navy instead of following the family farming tradition.

“Sir… Pops…” Bill pressed his lips together and glanced at his watch. Taking a steeling breath, Jake straightened his shoulders. “Shayla’s pregnant. I…I’m going to be a father.”

The older man wasn’t expecting that. His eyebrows shot up, and his mouth fell open. The two stared at one another for a long moment before Bill smiled and pulled his son in for a hug. “Congratulations, Jacob. I’m happy for you.”

It was on the tip of Jake’s tongue to admit his fear. He was worried that he would never feel for Shay the way that Pops felt for Mama. That he would be a horrible dad. That he would screw up his kid by trying to force himself to fall in love with their mother. But instead, he simply hugged his father back, clearing his throat before saying, “Thanks.”

Julie forced herself not to turn and investigate the screeching noise, instead continuing work on her batches of buttercream frosting. Taking a deep breath, she checked the consistency. She tried not to panic at how much her oven going out was throwing off her carefully created schedule to complete the massive order for the mayor’s Christmas Eve party.

By this time, she should have already had nine pans of macarons cooling and another two baking. The morning had started normal enough - she’d taken the day off of work but was up at 4:00AM to bring her ingredients to room temperature and get through some emails. A bride she was working with for a mid-January wedding was debating her flavor choices again. Julie hoped she didn’t need to add updating a contract to the list of tasks.

The first few hours were spent prepping and portioning out her ingredients. The mayor had asked her to make 8 heart shaped cakes (one for every year they’d been in office) as well as party favors - about 300 macarons in assorted flavors in small boxes, as well as 100 cupcakes and a cookie decorating set to keep the kids entertained. With a day and a half to get everything done, it shouldn’t have been a problem, especially with the plan of getting up early and staying up late. It was her last big order before calling it for Christmas baking.

That was until her oven started acting up. It had taken forever to heat up yesterday, and the first cake had been undercooked and tasted sour. After checking her ingredients and confirming that everything was still fresh, she had a sinking feeling when her oven turned off.

A muttered curse followed a bang, and she turned to see Bill Seresin scowling at the back of the oven. When their eyes met, she panicked - those warm, familiar brown eyes were hesitant. Turning off the mixer, she turned to face him fully. “I’m afraid to say it, but you need a new oven.”

“What? No! It’s… it’s just acting up, right?” Julie said, stepping closer and placing a hand on the cold stovetop. “There’s a loose connection or something. Has to be.”

“I’ve taken this thing apart, and I’m not seeing it. You can call Joey to take a peek, but from the looks of it, this thing’s ready for the scrap pile. I’m surprised it lasted this long.”

“No, no, no, no, no.” Dropping her head into her hands, Julie felt tears prick in her eyes. She could not get an oven purchased and delivered to meet the deadline. She would have to call the mayor, apologize profusely, and refund her the total cost. And be out the cost of ingredients and a new oven.

There was a shuffling noise, and Mr. Seresin pulled her into his arms. “It’s alright, honey. We’ll get this figured out. I’ll have the boys haul this out, and we can head to the store this afternoon to get you a new one.”

Julie mentally ran through the calculations. Financially, her bank account could handle the unexpected expense. But even if they could get Jake and Will here to haul it out right away, it would be a three-hour round-trip drive to the nearest appliance store. If they had the oven she wanted in stock - a big IF - getting it back and installed would take even longer. And then there were the practicalities of breaking in a new oven - learning the hot spots, figuring out if the display temperature was the actual temperature, the timing, etc. “Even if I get a new oven, I’ll still be too far behind schedule,” she huffed, forcing herself to straighten.

“Alright. Pack up your stuff. I’ll let Kerry know that we’re on our way.”

“What?”

“You need a kitchen, and we’ve got one. You get to gatherin’, and I’ll let Kerry know we’re on the way.”

“I… it’s not that simple,” Julie said, glancing around her kitchen. The idea of packing up everything and moving to another location was…And even then, she would need to figure out the nuances of the Seresin’s oven.

“Julie, you either bake at the ranch or call the mayor. What are you going to do?”

“Jake, Will - go help your father,” Kerry said, glancing out the kitchen window to see her husband pulling into the driveway. Jake glanced up from his lunch and frowned.

“What’s he need help with?”

“Carrying things in. Now go.” Both men pushed away from the table at their mother's brisk tone and wiped their mouths on their napkins. Shayla glanced up from her phone momentarily before scrolling her comments. Jake caught Mama’s irritated look - she hated phones at the table. After slipping their shoes back on, they descended the steps just as he pulled to a stop.

“Good. Hurry up and get this stuff inside,” he said, opening his door.

“Need to go to the barn?” Will asked.

“Kitchen. Put the bowls in the fridge and everything else on the counter.” The brothers shared a look and circled the truck to see the back seat stuffed with boxes and bags.

“What the hell is this?” Jake asked.

“Julie’s comin’ to use the kitchen. She had to run to the store to get more stuff, and I told her we’d set this up for her by the time she got here. So quit yapping and get movin’.”

“And she needs all this?” Bill and Will shared a look before shoving a box of cookie sheets into Jake’s arms. “I’m missing something.”

“Yeah, dumbass,” Will muttered. “Julie’s a baker.”

“Since when?”

“What part of quit yappin’ and get movin’ didn’t you understand, Jacob?” His father snapped, adjusting his grip on a tote containing a mixer and another with some other machine. Flushed, Jake turned and walked back into the house. His mother was already wiping down the counters.

“Put that right there. Julie’ll get everything where she wants it when she gets here.”

“Since when is Cece a baker? I thought she worked at the bank.”

“She does both,” Mama replied, peeking into the box when he set it down. When he was about to ask another question, Pops entered the kitchen and nodded.

“There’s more that needs to come in.” Dismissed, Jake went back outside and completed an additional three trips.

“Is she moving in?” Shayla asked, smirking at the bags and boxes currently cluttering the kitchen.

“If that’s what she needs to do, then absolutely,” Mama said, glancing at her. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Shay stood and yawned before putting a hand on her stomach.

“I’m gonna go take a nap. The baby’s making me tired.” She cast an expectant look at Jake, who glanced at his parents. When Shay took his hand, he let himself be led upstairs to the guest bedroom.

“You feelin’ okay?” Jake asked while shutting the door behind him. “Other than tired, I mean.” It dawned on him that he hadn’t asked her how she was feeling with the pregnancy.

“Ugh, I’m just ready to go home,” she replied, flinging herself onto the bed. “I miss my comfy blankets.” Pushing away the surge of irritation at her insulting his mother’s quilting, he crossed the room and sat beside her. Hesitantly, he reached out to put his hand on her still-flat stomach. It was crazy to think that in 7 months, there would be a little them. Shayla’s hand covered his, and his eyes rose to meet hers.

“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”

“A girl. You?” He shrugged, thumb lightly stroking.

“There hasn’t been a Seresin girl in a couple of generations, so the odds are it’s a boy.”

“Well, if that’s true,” she said coyly, running her fingers along his leg and sitting up. Her nose brushed his cheek before whispering, “I guess we’ll have to keep trying until we have a little girl.” Shayla kissed him, licking into his mouth as her fingers traced his cock through his jeans. When she tried to undo the button, he stopped her. She pouted while pulling back. “Jakey!”

“Not at my parent’s house.”

“But it’s been forever!” she whined. And she was right. They hadn’t slept together since the night of the Halloween party. As determined as he was to ensure they worked things out for their kid, he found it hard to forgive her for making out with someone else. She’d assured him that it was just a drunken accident, but he was struggling to move past it.

“Not at my parent’s house,” he repeated. Standing, he moved to the window to shut the blinds, glancing down at the driveway. He watched as Cece pulled up, and his mother walked out to greet her. As soon as the car door was closed, Mama took her hands and squeezed them.

Cece frowned and then smiled at whatever Mama said, shaking her head. Jake recognized the concern on his mother’s face as she reached up to brush a strand of hair behind Cece’s ear before cupping her face and saying something. The younger woman nodded and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug.

“Come lay down with me, at least,” Shayla huffed. Reluctantly, Jake closed the blinds and laid down beside his fiancee, closing his eyes and thinking about the future.

“Julie Louise Ryan!” Pops yelled as they sat around the dining room table waiting. Ally smirked at Will before quickly sipping her water to hide it. Jake lifted a hand to cover his mouth, exchanging a look with Mama.

“Sorry,” Cece apologized, stepping out of the kitchen. “Just needed to get the cakes in the fridge.” The only open seat was between Shayla and Pops, and she quickly dropped into it. A smile tugged at Pop’s mouth as he nodded and clasped his hands, bowing his head. Everyone followed suit.

“Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food we are about to receive to nourish and strengthen our bodies. We thank thee for our family seated around this table and for another day on this blessed land. We ask for a special blessing for Julie as she works tonight. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Everyone echoed the amen. Opening his eyes, Pops reached over and covered Julie’s hand, squeezing gently before nodding at Mama. She took the platter of roast beef she’d made in the crockpot to ensure that the oven was open all afternoon for Julie and passed it to Will.

“How’s it going?” Ally asked, reaching for the dish of cooked carrots.

“I’m still behind schedule, but the cupcakes are done, and I’ve got three more cakes to do. The cookies and macarons will be the worst,” Cece replied, handing the salad bowl to Shayla.

“Can we help?” Mama asked.

“No, I’ll get it. I just need to figure out the system for the macrons since they’re the most temperamental. It’ll be a lot of trial and error, but I grabbed more almond flour on my way over, so at least I’ll have that.”

“Well, you’ve got plenty of taste testers,” Will added. “I still have dreams about that bourbon bacon cake you made for my birthday.” Cece smiled and accepted the roast beef Pops handed her, spearing some onto her plate.

“Thankfully, there’s nothing that fancy this time. Just doing gingerbread, cranberry, peppermint, and eggnog.”

“If you want, I could include you in one of my videos. Maybe get you some more attention outside of here,” Shayla offered. “I’d just want to get a couple of shots of myself helping you with something. Maybe frosting one of the cakes?”

“Oh.” Cece glanced at Jake, who raised an eyebrow at Shayla’s unexpected offer. “That’s…that’s generous, but I’m good. I…uh… film for my own account.”

“How many followers do you have?” Shay asked as Jake’s eyebrows shot higher. Beside him, Will nudged him to pass the mashed potatoes.

“Four hundred thousand, last I checked.” Smiling a bit more pointedly, Shayla chuckled.

“I remember when I had that many. I’m at 3 million or so. If we collab, I’d tag you so my followers could find you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Stay up with me for a 22-hour workday! Between my day job and baking - ” Jake tapped his phone screen as Cece’s video looped, pausing it as she buried her face in her hands while leaning on the kitchen counter. He’d been scrolling her page for about an hour, working backward through her content.

He was impressed and exhausted just watching her. A lot of her videos documented going from her job at the bank right into the kitchen and ending with her in the car for a delivery. It was clear why she was always busy - Cece was talented. Jake had never been interested in watching cooking videos. Still, he was glued to the screen, watching her smoothing icing, decorating, and pouring ganache into bowls. There were also a couple of brand partnership videos.

But it was the video announcing Mr. Ryan’s death that broke his heart. Jake had watched it three times. There were clips of them working together in the kitchen, her father helping her package her treats, tasting flavors, and bandaging up her finger when she sliced it with a knife. And then Cece was alone, sitting on the floor next to the oven with her back against the cabinets as she sobbed. “My daddy always told me that I needed to start living for myself, so that’s what I’m gonna do,” she said in a voiceover while breaking a peanut butter cookie in half and popping it into her mouth. “I promised him that I’d follow my own dreams for once, so I’m putting it out into the universe that I’ll be a full-time home baker one day. Hell, maybe I’ll have my own bakery.”

Sighing, he set the phone on his chest and ran a hand down his face. When Mama had called to let him know about Mr. Ryan, Jake had almost picked up the phone and called Cece. But after nearly seven years without talking - only exchanging ‘Happy birthday’ messages on social media - calling out of the blue seemed like a lot. Especially when she was mourning. The family had ensured he knew how Mr. Ryan was doing, and he wasn’t surprised when Cece moved back to Magnolia. As much as he loved her life in Austin, she was a daddy’s girl through and through. She never would have let him go through treatment alone.

Jake reached for his water glass and frowned at finding it empty. Shit. Knowing that Cece was still working, he debated calling it a night but was still wide awake and thirsty. Grabbing his shirt from the dresser, he crept into the hallway. Light shone from Shayla’s doorway, and he quickly darted past it to the stairs, hoping to avoid another confrontation after sending her back to the room earlier in the evening.

“Shit, god damn, motherfucker,” Cece hissed, setting another tray of macaron shells onto the countertop. Her head whipped up when she heard Jake snort, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “Don’t tell your Pops.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. He’d wash your mouth out with soap,” he chuckled, walking to the refrigerator. It was filled with wrapped-up cake layers, chilling bowls of filling, and cupcakes. Turning, he glanced at the counters covered with unbaked trays. He could see her phone set up on a tripod, recording her as she worked. “I’d ask how it’s going, but I get the feeling it’s not good.”

“Nope,” she replied, tugging the pot holder from her hand and running her fingers through her hair before turning off the camera. “I’m on my sixth tray of these and can’t get the fuckin’ oven figured out.”

“What’s the issue?” he asked, glancing at the tray of cracked white cookies before her.

“It’s too hot, and there’s a hot spot in one of the corners.” Picking up one of the cookies, she turned it over and glared. “It doesn’t even have even feet.”

“Feet?”

“The shells rise a little bit when they bake.” Tossing the shell back onto the tray with a huff, she turned to the oven and lowered the temperature. Jake snagged one of the overbaked cookies and ate it.

“’Face good, dough,” he said, breathing out steam as he burned his mouth. Cece raised an eyebrow at him and smirked as he chugged half of his water. “Damn, that was hot.”

“Overcooked and straight out of the oven. I thought you were supposed to be smart, Seresin.”

“You know better than to put something you made in front of me and not expect me to try it,” he shot back. She rolled her eyes and walked to the sink to wash her hands, drying them on the towel thrown over her shoulder.

“At least try something that’s not burnt,” she prompted, grabbing a plate with cake scraps. Jake cocked an eyebrow and took a piece of the brown cake, groaning at the rich gingerbread taste, making her grin.

“Jesus, Cece, this is great.”

“Thanks. I had some extra gingerbread cupcakes, so I figured I’d decorate those for your parents as a thank you for letting me take over the kitchen today.”

“I think my parents would agree with me when I say you don’t have to do that, and you should focus on your order so you can get some sleep.”

“I’ll sleep tomorrow after I deliver this,” she shrugged, setting the plate down and lightly running a finger over one of the uncooked macaron shells. Apparently satisfied, Cece nodded and opened the oven, peering inside. “Okay, let’s hope tray seven is a winner.” After sliding it onto the rack and setting a timer for 13 minutes, she turned to face him, glancing at her camera. “Do you mind if I… I’ll keep you out of the frame and edit you out.”

“Yeah, sure.” She nodded and repositioned the tripod before picking up an icing bag. Jake watched as she piped wreaths onto five of the smooth, white tops of the cupcakes in individual boxes before picking up a pair of tweezers and placing sprinkles. The timer went off while she was working on the third one.

“I’ll get it,” he offered, grabbing the pot holder and quickly shutting off the alarm. Making sure the hot tray wasn’t close enough to burn her, he held it out and watched her scowl. “No?”

“Better, but still not it. Would you mind dropping the temp another 5 degrees?” Setting the tray down, he did as she asked and sat on one of the kitchen stools to watch her. Cece looked up at him through her lashes as she resumed decorating. “What?”

“Nothin’. Just… I didn’t realize that you were doin’ this.”

“Baking?”

“As a business.” At her shrug, he sighed and motioned to the phone. “And the whole… How long have you wanted to do this?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a baker.” When he let out a huff of surprise, Cece set down the sprinkles and quickly closed the cupcake boxes, stacking them at the end of the counter.

“You never said anything about it.”

“I didn’t think it was an option.” Jake watched her check the oven before putting another tray in.

“Why wouldn’t it have been an option?”

“It takes a long time to build up the skills and even longer to build a client base. If we were going to - ” She cut herself off, and Jake felt a jolt in his stomach. “I didn’t think I would have time to do it.”

“And you do now?”

“The internet helps. I do a lot of orders out of state, so I drive a lot. And I’ve figured out how to ship so I can get some cookies out. But yeah, I’ve had more time to focus on building my business.” Assembling five more boxes, she dropped cupcakes into them and picked up the piping bag again. “What about you? How’s life in the Navy?”

Lonely was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back. When he’d moved to San Diego, he’d gotten closer to the Daggers, but since Shayla had entered the picture, it felt like they’d regressed from friends to coworkers. Nights at the Hard Deck were rare, and he was unlikely to have much time to hang out with a baby. “Fine,” Jake shrugged. Pausing to twist the bag, Cece raised an eyebrow.

“Fine? After all that work and excitement to finally fly, it’s just ‘fine’?” For something to do, he grabbed the cupcake boxes and assembled them, setting them to the side.

“I love my job. It’s just… all the other stuff.”

“Well, you’ll have a new adventure to keep you occupied at least,” Cece said, intently peering down at the cupcakes. “With the baby and all that.”

Jake froze, the kitchen silent except for the faint crinkle of the piping bag. “You, uh…I didn’t realize that you knew.”

“If you thought that Betty, the biggest gossip in town, wasn’t going to call me as soon as she found out to ‘warn’ me” - she lifted her fingers to do air quotes - “then you’ve been gone from Magnolia for too long. Plus, your Mama told me as soon as I got here.” Forcing her gaze up, she smiled, trying to banish any trace of sadness from her expression. “I’m happy for you, Jake. You always wanted to have kids.”

Saved by the timer going off, he pushed to his feet and walked to the oven. The flash of heat when he opened the door gave him a cover for why his cheeks were flushed. Taking the pan out, he pushed away the memories of lying in bed together and trading half-conscious hopes for the future. “How are these?”

“Not quite. Another five degrees?” He nodded, placing the pan on the stovetop and lowering the temperature before returning to his seat. “Can I do anything to help?”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t feel like you have to stay up - I’ve got this covered.” Ignoring the dismissal, he continued to assemble the cupcake boxes, sneaking glances at her as she worked. As the pile of boxes grew, he opened the fridge to count the cupcakes she’d be making.

“Where are the finished ones going?”

“I have a bigger box in my car that I’m going to put these in,” Cece explained, glancing at the growing pile of finished cupcakes as she placed sprinkles.

“I’ll get it.”

The clock was edging towards 2:00AM when Cece was finally satisfied with the macarons and was ready to work on the shells. Jake started another pot of coffee after finishing the first in the two hours they’d been working. While he stacked the finished cupcakes into a large box, she measured the ingredients, tossed them into the mixer, and prepared her cookie sheets.

“Skip,” Jake called out as Achy Breaky Heart started to play in his earbud.

“No appreciation for the classics,” Cece muttered, a smile tugging at her mouth as she tapped her earbud twice. The opening strings of Neon Moon started, and she couldn’t help but start to sway at the counter as Kacey Musgraves covered Brooks & Dunn. Jake heard her singing softly. “I think of two young lovers running wild and free. I close my eyes and sometimes see you in the shadows of this smoke-filled room. No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried or how many lies that I've lied, telling my poor heart he'll come back someday.”

The song faded into the next as she hand-finished mixing the meringue to ensure consistency. They started laughing at Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off. “Damn, I haven’t heard this one in forever,” Jake chuckled. Moving closer, he tapped her phone, pausing her recording, and pulled up the playlist to scroll through the songs. It took a minute to realize that it was a recreation of one of their road trip playlists from when they would drive the seven hours from Annapolis to Myrtle Beach for Spring Break. Pink dusted her cheeks when he glanced over at her, almost as though she was remembering those long drives, singing along with one another and brimming with the anticipation of finally being alone in their hotel room. No matter how much his buddies always wanted to split the cost, Jake and Cece had made sure that they had privacy at the end of the night to lose themselves in drunken kisses and hot showers. Those five days at the beach were stolen time that they needed.

Back then, they thought one week together was enough to sustain a relationship.

Cece shimmied while lifting the spatula to test the consistency. Satisfied, she brought the mixing bowl to where her piping bags and tips were prepped, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes. She flicked her head to clear her sight when it fell back into place. Unwilling to strip off her gloves, she attempted to brush it away with her shoulder. “Hey, look at me.”

“Huh?” Jake smiled and brushed the hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Goosebumps erupted on her skin when his fingers trailed down her neck, eyes widening as they met his. He watched her cheeks flush, her breath stuttering against his wrist. “T-thanks.”

The song ended, fading into a slower ballad. “When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt love,” Shania sighed. “And after all this time, you're still the one I love.”

Cece dropped her gaze and tapped her earbud, changing the song without looking at him. Jake hesitated a moment before changing it back. “Can’t skip Shania,” he said gruffly.

Widening her eyes, Cece blinked hard as she smoothed the icing of her last cake. It was Christmas Eve and the sun had already risen over the Seresin ranch, and she could hear muffled footsteps upstairs. Cooling racks covered all available space in the kitchen, and the dining room table was covered with boxed cakes and cupcakes. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn, she glanced over at Jake, who had his head resting on his arms as he closed his eyes after matching the 600 macaron shells for her. Thankfully, they didn’t need to make too many extras. They only required a little decoration - before baking, she’d shaped the red, green, and silver cookies like Christmas ornaments, so a little drizzle of icing and a spritz of edible glitter would be enough to make them look shiny and finished.

“Jake,” she said softly, smiling when he grunted in response. “Go to bed - you’ll be more comfortable.”

“’ M awake, babe,” he mumbled, sitting up. Cece felt her heart clench at the slipped term of endearment, but Jake didn’t seem to realize he’d said it, so she also chose to ignore it. Rubbing his eyes, he reached for his cold coffee and drained the mug as they heard the stairs creak.

“Morning,” Mama Seresin said, tucking her robe closer as she entered the kitchen. “Did you two sleep at all?”

“Mornin’ Mama,” Jake said, his lip twitching when his mother leaned to kiss his cheek. She circled the counter to do the same to Cece. “‘Izz it time for chores?”

“Not for you,” the older woman said, giving her son a fondly exasperated look. “I think it’s time for bed.”

“I’m on the final stretch,” Cece yawned. “Just need to finish these two cakes, and then I’ll do the macarons and call it.”

“You’ll finish the cakes and then go to sleep, Julie Louise.”

“Yeah, Julie Louise,” Jake echoed, his smile fading as he lifted his empty mug. Narrowing her eyes, Cece plucked a candied cranberry from the tray drying at her elbow and lobbed it at him. Reflexes dulled by fatigue, the berry hit his forehead and fell into his lap. Grinning, he popped it into his mouth.

“Jacob.” The warning tone in his mother’s voice made him try to stifle his grin, but he was unsuccessful. Setting aside her icing smoother, Cece picked up the tray of cranberries and dropped a handful into a dish of waiting sugar, shaking it to coat them. The Seresins watched - Cece flushing at their joint attention - as she arranged the berries along the edge of the two cakes before ripping apart rosemary sprigs and placing pieces. Taking a step back, she rubbed the back of her hand on her cheek as she studied them, debating adding more berries. “They’re beautiful, Julie. I’m sure the mayor is going to love them.”

Without a word, Jake retrieved cake boxes from the dining room and assembled one while Cece did the other, trading a tired smile. She glanced at her watch as soon as they were slid into the boxes. Still behind schedule, but the macarons should only take about three hours between the decorating, assembly, and boxing. The sugar cookies would take another two hours to roll and bake, with another hour and a half to make the decorating kits. But as she stripped off her gloves and opened her mouth to say she was okay, Mama Seresin pinned her with a look. “Bed.”

“But - ”

“Bed. Both of you. You have plenty of time to get the rest of this done before this afternoon, and I’ve already made up the guest bed for you. Now get.”

The stern expression left no room for debate, and neither did the hand she wrapped around Jake and Cece’s arms and guided them out of the kitchen. Jake paused at the foot of the stairs to allow her to climb before him, watching her heavy footsteps as fatigue seemed to drag her down. Without thinking, he placed a hand on the small of her back to ensure she didn’t tip backward.

Cece’s shoulder bumped his as they walked down the hall, and he nudged her back. Her tired eyes darted to meet his, a smile tugging the corner of her mouth before she hip-checked him. His lips curved into an answering smile as they paused outside the second guest bedroom. “Thanks, Jake. I wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much done tonight if you hadn’t helped,” she said, voice rough with exhaustion.

“It was fun. Feel like I got a masterclass in making macarons.”

“You were a pretty great assistant. Might hire you on for the next round of Christmas baking.”

“Not done yet. You gotta show me how to get the ganache in them, and I’ll put the boxes together.”

“You really don’t - ”

“I’m gonna help. I feel like I’ve earned at least tasting one of the finished macarons.” Chuckling, she shook her head.

“Maybe even two.” The playfulness disappeared from her expression as she looked up at him, “I’m serious, though. Thank you.” Jake nodded, catching the fleeting moment of hesitation before Cece stepped forward and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her, hand coming up to cup the back of her head and holding her tighter. Without thinking, he pressed a kiss into her hair. Her head lifted from his chest, and he spied sugar crystals on her cheekbone. Jake brushed them away with his thumb before lifting it to his mouth to lick away the sweet taste.

Cece’s breath caught, gaze narrowing to the flash of tongue behind his parted lips. His chest brushed hers with every breath. She slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Confusion and something so familiar swirled in those green eyes. She took a step back, only half surprised when he followed to pin her between the wall and his body. Her fingers curled in his shirt, and she wasn’t sure if it was to pull him closer or shove him away. His hand rose, hesitating a moment before curving around her cheek.

Jake’s lips were soft against hers, a tentative brush that she could have imagined if it wasn’t for the rough scratch of his stubble. Her grip on his shirt tightened as he planted a hand beside her head, boxing her in as he pressed against her. The move made her whimper, and his breath caressed her skin as he laughed before they kissed again, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and sliding against her own. Cece dug her nails into his back, inhaling sharply when he moaned against her mouth, his hips pressing against hers. “Baby,” he panted. “I missed you.”

The words were like a wave of cold water thrown over her, and Cece shoved him away. Jake stumbled back, catching himself on the opposite wall. “Shit,” she breathed, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“Cece?” Jake reached for her before letting his hand drop when he realized what they’d done.

What he’d done.

The door to his parent’s room opened, and - when he turned to meet his father’s gaze - Cece darted into the guest bedroom. “Son, everything alright?” Pops asked, frowning at his youngest.

“Y-yes, sir. Just headed to bed,” Jake replied.

Julie leaned against the door and hung her head inside the room, blinking back tears. “Fuck,” she whispered.

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

Read Chapter 4

Taglist: @mamachasesmayhem; @buckysteveloki-me; @fanficfandomlove; @maeleeme; @djs8891; @kmc1989; @justenoughmadness; @shanimallina87; @lynnevanss; @dempy; @emilyoflanternhill; @midnightmagpiemama; @sordidfairytale; @vivalas-vega; @eloquentdreamer; @roosterforme; @mizzzpink; @memoriesat30; @dizzybee03

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#top gun fic #top gun maverick #jake seresin #Hangman top gun #soft!Jake Seresin #hangman fic #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin x oc #hangman x oc #'tis the damn season fic

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aromanticannibal · 1 year ago

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Useless things I wish I could do in BOTW/TOTK

the same kinda things that one dev wanted horses to be able to do, like putting head into window when links inside. Not things I would actually expect, genuinely just useless impractical things that would be very cute. very minor TOTK spoilers ahead

PET DOGS. PET DOGS. PET DOGS

Hug. you just pull up to literally anyone you can talk to and you have a button to hug. Obviously they're not always going to let you hug you, but if you do something for them before, or help them or something, they'll let you!

gift flowers. either to people or to goddess statues. you can give flowers to constructs in totk too. everyone reacts differently

same line of thought but flowers that don't do anything, they're just pretty. you can gift them.

also be able to give offerings to goddess statues, tombs and the monuments Zelda leaves around Hyrule in totk.

pet horses too, and sand seals. any non-hostile animal really (so dondons too. I want to hug dondons so bad)

more outfits pls. I want pretty outfits. I want a full set to go with that mushroom hat from cece. I want the vai set back!!!! also the ability to wear hats or earrings and keep links hair down.

a journal link can keep updated, separate from the purah pad/sheikah slate. you can put recipes, people, link can doodle things he sees, and you can take notes on hints you get for quests. it could give a lot of characterization and be very silly

more hairstyles outside of hats, like ponytails, braids etc

LEMME REGISTER STAL HORSIE

a taunt button. like in fortnite. I think there's a taunt button in fortnite?? but like yknow. a taunt button.

more idle animations that happen more often, maybe change depending on where link is, if he's alone or not, what he's wearing etc

listen making link use sign language canonically wouldn't change anything but I want him to sign so bad

want to be able to buy sand seal plushies for me house. forever mine

also more types of plushies

CATS. this is absolutely required. they don't do anything

pet the dragons. lemme

just float on ur back in the water, like if you stay still for a bit link starts floating starfish style

#totk #botw #tears of the kigndom #breath of the wild #legend of zelda #link #link loz #link botw #link totk #wild lu

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ofstarsandvibranium · 11 months ago

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Unexpectedly Yours: Part 9

Fandom: Ted Lasso (Regency AU)

Pairing: Roy Kent x F!Reader

Summary: Lord Roy Kent still has yet to marry. He hates the notion that marriage is a way to ensure your status in society. You have delayed your debut to society for years because of the same idea. So what happens when two people who hate the idea of marriage are constantly drawn to each other?

Series Masterlist

Phoebe is running and squealing around the dining room while Clara laughs and Roy smirks.

"I told you, Uncle Roy! I told you that you and Y/N belong together!" she gasps, "Does Cece know?! I need to see her!" she runs up to Clara, "Mama can we visit Cece today?! Pleeeaaase!"

Clara lovingly smooths some of Phoebe's hair down, "Your Uncle Roy will be going over there after breakfast to discuss Y/N's dowery with her father. You can ask if you can accompany him."

Phoebe whips her head to Roy, giving him pleading eyes, "May I go with you, Uncle Roy? Please?"

Roy groans and rolls his eyes, "Fine, but only if you finish your breakfast." He watches as Phoebe rushes to her seat and immediately starts stuffing her face with eggs and sausage.

"Don't choke, you odd girl," Roy gruffs at his niece. He glances at his sister, who's already looking at him. She's smiling widely, "Please stop that," he says.

Clara shrugs, "We all told you so, Roy. I'm not going to apologize for being right."

He rolls his eyes again, "Whatever."

___________________

You're in the garden with Cece when Roy and Phoebe arrive. Phoebe and Cece run into each other's arms squealing and proceed to run around you and Roy. The circle starts getting smaller and smaller until you're standing chest to chest.

"Hi," you whisper.

"Morning," he rasps.

"Are you going to kiss?!" Phoebe screeches.

You feel your cheeks heat and you step back, no matter how much you want to remain close to him.

Last night, you've decided to you were going to stop fighting yourself on how you feel about Roy. You were just going to let it all happen because, well, what else can you do? It was unexpected, he was unexpected. But he's everything you never knew you wanted. So now you've come to accept that you're his and he's yours.

You clear your throat and look to the young girls, "Girls, it's not very appropriate for us to do that right now."

"But why? You're in love and getting married!"

"Yes, but we can't do that until we're married."

"And I don't want to get yelled at by Y/N's mother again." You break out into a giggle and Roy looks at you with a soft gaze. A hint of a smile on his lips.

"I can walk you to father's study."

"Alright," Roy responds then looks to Phoebe, "Behave."

The young girl rolls her eyes, "Okay, Uncle Roy."

You and Roy turn to walk back up to the house. Roy holds out his arm and you rest your hand in the crook. You two walk in silence for a bit until you whisper, "Are you sure you want this? Want me?"

Roy looks at you with furrowed brows, "What do you mean?"

You shrug, "I don't know. I just want to make sure you absolutely want me as your wife and viscountess."

"I do," he fully turns his body to you and grasps your hands in his, "You infuriate me in the best way. You make me see things in a different perspective. Clara says you've softened my heart, but I think she's full of shit." You giggle again and he smile this time, "And your laugh drives me crazy. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard." He gulps and squeezes your hands, "I didn't think this would happen when I moved to Richmond. I wasn't keen on coming here, but I did it for Clara and Phoebe. Quite frankly, I figured I'd just die alone here, but then you appeared. I didn't expect you or to fall in love again, yet here I am."

He takes a step closer to you, "I am absolutely certain that I want you, Y/N," his whispers, his face a breath away from yours.

Then it happens again. You press your lips to Roy's. His hands go to your waist as he kisses you back. This time, it's not heated and desperate. It's rather soft and intimate. He pulls away, resting his forehead against yours and you two stay like that until you hear someone clear their throat.

You both turn to see your father staring at you. He smirks, "I won't tell your mother, but you two really need to get a hold of yourselves."

"Sorry, father," you murmur stepping away from Roy.

Roy straightens his coat, "I apologize, sir."

Your father then nods and gestures for Roy to follow him. Roy gives you a little nod before following him.

You let out a deep breath and a giggle. Oh boy. It was all coming together now.

____________________

This was the first ball you and Roy will be attending as an engaged couple. People were already coming up to you throughout the days leading up to the ball, congratulating you on the engagement, as well as their astonishment that they didn't know you and Roy were courting.

Roy was waiting for you near the entrance when you arrive. He helps you out of the carriage and immediately loops your arm around his.

"Ready to face everyone?"

"God no," you reply with a snort, "But I'm sure you'll scare everyone away with just one look." Roy immediately glares at you and you laugh, "That's the one!"

Roy smirks as you giggle. He leads you into the ballroom where people practically part like the Red Sea at the sight of you two.

"Good luck, you two," Keeley whispers as she and Jamie walk past you. Jamie gives Roy a nod and the older man just glares at him.

"Be nice. They're my friends."

"Don't like Tartt. He seems like a little prick," Roy gruffs.

You snort, "He can be on occasion. But he's changed a lot because of Keeley. Give him a chance."

"No promises." He moves to stand in front of you, "Will you do me the honor of accompanying me in a dance?"

"As long as you don't insult me this time," you give him a smirk as you walk past him towards the dance floor.

When he meets you in the middle of the floor, he takes your hand. He kisses it and slips his into yours. You and the other couples around you move to the band playing.

Roy's eyes never waver from yours. You're just as enraptured as he is. There's always been this magnetic pull between you. It's how you always found yourself near him, with him, and now you'll be tied to him forever.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" he asks.

"You haven't, actually."

He hums, "I'm already failing as your future husband it seems."

You let out a laugh that causes some bystanders to glare your way, but you don't care, "I'm not sure if you've noticed, Roy, but everything about us has never really gone the way we hoped or expected."

"True, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiles at you softly and it suddenly feels like no one else is around but you and he. As the song ends, he pulls you in and presses his forehead against yours.

You feel his warmth and his love, it feels like you're drowning in it, but you don't want to come up for air.

You hear someone clear their throat and you turn to see a woman you've never expected to see.

"Georgina?" Roy asks in disbelief.

She smiles at him, "Hello Roy."

#roy kent x reader #roy kent imagine #ted lasso au #roy kent au #regency au #fem!reader #female!reader #f!reader

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grim-faux · 1 year ago

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a massive headache of an analysis of two very terrible people in my projected ideas and observations

I mentioned this on the discord that I think that the fandom is coddling Noone a bit too much. but hear me out before you "she's just a child, you monster. She was subjected to emotional abuse and Otto is a terrible guy for being a doctor and a trusted adult in her life."

That's all valid. but one thing we should ALL REMEMBER is that the children who are approached or ensnared by the Ferry/Candleman, are not targeted because of the "sordid and sympathetic story of bullying and internalized trauma". Under my observations, I would say the Ferry/Candleman pursues children that are vulnerable and easily manipulated. And of course he's not monitoring these children for any specifics or potential, his role is to catch kids and drag them to the Maw. For profit.

And I wanna sympathize with Otto - very carefully - cause this man is a mess. He's terrible, he's a jerk, he loses control over himself over a >10 child call out on his toxicity. AND HE SHOULD HAVE APPROACHED THE SITUATION DIFFERENTLY, WHICH WOULD HAVE MAYBE SAVED NOONE FROM THE FERRY/CANDLEMAN AND THE NOWHERE.

And I would wager that this last betrayal and abandonment by Cece2.0 tossed Otto the edge of all moral practice. Otto was a horrible guy, he betrayed his patient and Noone's trust - but all of that was not done for himself per say; he didn't throw Noone to the Candle/Ferryman for glory, for discovery, for personal promotion. He was doing this out of his childish desperation to find or at the very least see his sister. Yes, that is absolutely selfish, yes he hurt someone along the way, and he will continue to hurt other kids on his journey to finding Cece.

But Noone also isn't completely blameless. She is of course a child, she is a flawed, sad, and a broken child. Of course when someone said to her, "escape the pain and awful world you live," she leapt at this opportunity, no questions. No thoughts, head empty. But Noone is far from innocent, and she will not stay that way when she goes native to the Nowhere-ville.

Over the course of the podcasts, we see evidence that Noone- among the children she encounters - adapt to this hostile world. Children actively ignore Noone when she calls to them (see Ref noisy children die), others are swift to abandon her when the terrors find them kiddies. And Noone herself begins to react and fight at the hostilities in her environment - this proven in Chapter 5, when a girl tried to take the nome (see Ref mushroom fairy), she threw A FUCKING BRICK AT HER ARM. And especially in Chapter 6, she slammed a bottle over the marionette pinned to the table, killing it probably. Subjected to the Nowhere and the violence there, children either adapt and defend themselves, abandon others - or they die.

And my Discord did have a big analytical study and discussion over Rusty - the trapeze boy from the circus. Rusty was an interesting character, not only because he was a teen - probably inhabited Nowhere for a long time - but he was hinted to knowing a way out of Nowhere. This latter factor, I doubt - I do not think Rusty had any real knowledge of how to escape Nowhere, and all he wanted at the end of the day was escape the circus. We choose to ignore the giant pillars stretching to the ceiling not important no siree. That's the best case scenario. But Rusty and his group suggested one of two things (or all of these things). Kids left to Nowhere REALLY REGRET THAT DECISION EVENTUALLY (maybe you get older and realize how much of a dumb brat younger you was). Or, and also, Rusty was not there because of the Candle/Ferryman guiding him to Nowhere. Otherwise, Rusty would be property of the Maw, since Ferry/Candleman gives not two ceramic dolls who has a kid or what entity wants a kid - Ferry/Candleman will escort that child to MawcDonalds.

So Rusty and his trope came to the Nowhere on their own accord - either through a liminal space or other mysterious and obscure portal people should really avoid in the normal world. And they did not know really how to find their way back to the world they lost.

The last problematic matter of Rusty, is he is sus, like a lot of characters of the Little Nightmares world. He's invested in his survival and happiness and safety. So when he and the group are presented with Noone, they jump at this opportunity. It's not crazy to think Rusty was very invested in getting himself away, and ditch anyone else along the way. Case in point when he suggested Noone to be the lookout (wink-wink, nudge-nudge, teehee), "for the man in the purple suit." Noone later realizes she has no idea what the real plan for escape is, aside from alert Rusty that the man in the purple suit is there. She's told only to signal Rusty nonverbally, but she decided to scream at the teen "big top", which he thinks is a good idea. Yes, of course he would. And apparently whatever happened to Rusty was so horrific, it locked Noone in a panic attack. Which is terrible, since it is most probable Rusty and his group only needed Noone there to draw the attention of the man in the purple suit, use her as bait - but that didn't work out. F for Rusty, you big L.

These incidents with the children - of being exploited and bullied, not just in the Nowhere but from her world, drives Noone closer to the edge of the metaphorical doorway. And Otto exasperated the condition by pushing her closer to the threshold of commitment, all to seek a hint that Cece was still there and he might find her. But it was also Noone who took the plunge, despite Otto beseeching her to wait for him - this is the moth to the light, flying closer to that which is enticing and promises comfort, only to be snuffed out when the moth reached the flame.

One of the running themes of Little Nightmares is that of children succumbing to a fate or falling into the same cycle of torment, they are fighting to avoid. For Six, she becomes the next proprietor of the Maw, unable to leave - only so she can survive. With Mono, we follow him through his struggle to find and free his friend from the Tower, only to get thrown aside and abandoned; then he becomes the thing that he fled from, and eventually destroyed - the Broadcaster of the Tower. The children of Nowhere are not escaping a terrible world for another terrible world, they are accepting of the violence and malice that shaped who they are, and turn that back onto the world that inflicted it - perpetuating the trauma which forged them. There are no happy endings of Little Nightmares, only acceptance.

Otto succumbs to that fate as well. He doesn't seek to help Noone so much as he sought to fulfil his own selfish needs. Noone did not wait for Otto to confront the Ferry/Candleman, or wait for him to turn the Candle/Ferryman away - she took the hand offered and abandoned Otto. Which, in turn, leads to Otto's descent into his tragic villain arch. To be clear, Noone isn't responsible for this adult man who should know better, Otto is far from her responsibility. But this mindset may have been what drove Cece from her lil brother Otto - a clingy child she wanted nothing to do with. And ill reiterate, Noone was not responsible for Otto or his actions, as he was the one who swore to help her, he was the doctor and the figure of authority in her life - Otto was supposed to come to her aid.

But when Otto was at his most vulnerable and had no power over Noone any longer, and he begged her to wait. She did not. As with all monsters of the Nowhere, when the child has the upper-hand or has discovered a clever trap, the child dispatches their tormentor.

As equally as she despises Otto, she favored the Ferry/Candleman for the lies he gave her. For the truth he wove amongst the promises.

Though we can dissect Noone's character and grasp what led to her actions, her story is not one of triumph or escape - it is of acceptance and defeat. She does not overcome a great adversary, she submited to the conditions of the world that created the monsters she hated. Her story has only begun in terms of the Nowhere, and it is far from over. She is not journeying through the Nowhere to reach some enlightenment or to become stronger than the shadows that will chase her, or overcome the hazards that await her. Noone becomes another cog in the machine which keeps the Nowhere and its inhabitants gleeful and fulfilled.

It is fair and fine to sympathize with Noone and her fate, she is a child and a victim to all that was set upon her - left with no protectors or sympathizers. And she fell prey to a master manipulator, as did Otto. in this story, the only one who claims success is the Candle/Ferryman, who orchestrated the whole thing.

#little nightmares #lil nightmares #noone #otto #the sounds of nightmares #sounds of nightmares #the counsellor #i get this feel that everyone who condemned otto also hates on six too #tl;dr everyone is terrible we are angry equally with these characters #noones new hobby will be throwing children off cliffs and tossing bricks at everyone #rusty was kinda sus and sinister you cant change my mind #i understand rusty wanted to escape and all but if noone was successfull her story couldve ended right there #noones going to nowhere WHAT DO YOU THINK SHELL MINOR IN NOT SELF SACRIFICE I ASSURE YOU #she was so mad at the nome too rk would be so disappointed #rk would be like - girl the nome just showed you a way out of there why you gotta hate on the lil guy #mushroom fairy #the fae are sketchy and dont stand in a toadstool circle you will disappear

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chronicallylatetotheparty · 11 months ago

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Perfect Paradise Ch.14:

The Risen are Ridden with Rhythm and Dance

Summary: On the Shadow Path.

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

"How disturb-ox," Caramba muttered, rubbing the "chin" of his short, round, yellow exosuit.

Looking through the data on his other arm's wrist screen. Caramba paced the length of the Chaos. Occasionally glancing at the waters of the Seine below.

"How did they open a vortex without a Blix?' Carapace asked.

"They didn't," Cece slid down the mast onto the main deck of the Chaos. "The astronomical rings you described are an Aerian dimensional anchor. They must've waited for a vortex to open in the general vicinity of France and redirected it to Paris."

Rena Rouge smacked her fist into her palm. "That's why it didn't close! They were keeping the vortex open because it was their only way back."

"But what were they after?" Carapace asked.

"You have a matriarch in that zoo of yours don'tcha?" Zak pointed out.

"The Blix? Isn't it a bit big?" Rena held her hands up and moved them apart to represent the relative size of the giant jellyfish and the pirate ship.

"Never stopped them from trying before," Cece replied.

"An entire dimension between her and the Triangle and these boneheads still can't leave her alone. Typical," Zak muttered.

"I hear you dude," Carapace said.

"It was definitely one of Caligo's missing ships." Caramba pulled his robotic limbs in and rolled his spherical exosuit towards Cece. Popping back to his feet and showing her his wrist screen. "Look at the engine signature."

"Caligo?" Rena asked.

"Admiral Caligo. He's the only skeleton with an eye patch," Zak explained.

Rena Rouge's brow furrowed. "Why would a skeleton need an eye patch?"

"What's more surprising is that you can detect anything at all, little dude," Carapace said.

Caramba opened the face screen of his exosuit. The small green alien grinned, single antenna bobbing. "Wahoolian technology is far more advance-ox than Earth standard. The only civilization that comes close is- No, I shouldn't say."

"Spoilsport," Rena muttered, disappointed at not getting a hint.

"If my calculations are correct the rate at which viable vortexes are appearing outside the Bermuda Triangle is stabilizing," Caramba stated.

"That's good. Right? That sounds good," Carapace observed.

"It's within expectations," Caramba shrugged.

"Huh?" Rena gave them a confused look.

"Remember when I unlocked the Triangle twenty-ish years ago?" Zak asked.

"Vaguely."

"Vortexes started opening sporadically across the Earth due to so many dimensions of null-time being... Reattached, so to speak," Cece explained. "The imbalance only delayed the stabilization process. Now that Carapace's ward is in place it appears the metaphysics of the Triangle is making up for lost time."

The present members of the Seven C's laughed at what was probably an inside joke.

"Hear that Turtle dude? Progress already!" Zak held his arm up for a fist bump. Carapace obliged.

"However, it does mean that more vortexes are safe to travel through," Caramba said. "Usually exiting the Triangle would send you back to the time and place you entered it."

"But skeletons were never ones for rules," Cece said.

"Neither are we," Zak grinned.

"You think they'll try again?" Rena Rouge asked.

"Unlikely. Timeline pirates have to contend with the temporal authorit-ox of Timesters, your own Bunnyx and the anti-paradox magic of the Bermuda Triangle itself. Coming back is just asking to get caught."

"Silver lining. I'll take it," Carapace grinned.

Zak rubbed his hands together. "Great! Then we're done. And since we're already here might as well go sight seeing!"

"Uh, don't you think an Atlantian and a Wahoolian will attract attention? Paris pretty much assumes anyone weird is an akuma nowadays."

"Rena Rouge is correct Zak Storm," Cece agreed. "We would stand out."

"I've thought of that!" Caramba raised a finger and then brought it down on a device in his hand.

A holographic field spread out from it. Zak's sword vanished. Caramba appeared like a short, pudgy boy in a yellow shirt. And Cece's clothes changed to more surface appropriate attire. Her hair was still pink but the scales on her forehead and the points of her ears disappeared.

Cece touched the invisible fins along her forearms to make sure they were still there. "And this is why Atlantians don't like visiting the surface."

"Aw, c'mon!" Zak wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Already walking down the ramp. "It'll be fun! We can visit an aquarium if you get land sick."

"Very funny, Zak Storm."

Caramba stretched his exosuit arm from the walkway on the bank of the Seine to pat the Chaos' hull. "We'll be back before you know it!"

The Chaos' eyes glowed briefly as he acknowledged their departure.

Rena glanced down at them, still on the deck, and pointed. "Should we?"

Nino waved her concern away. "Ah, let 'em be tourists. They deserve a break."

"I thought you said there were seven of them?"

"Yeah, two of 'em are spending time with family in the Middle Ages and one's in the Golden Age of Piracy. Apparently."

"Shut up!"

"I'm serious! Time doesn't flow linearly in the Triangle. You know that, dude."

"I keep forgetting that they're older than they look."

"Zak and Cece are about our age."

"They look twenty!"

"Yeah, they don't spend much time outside the Triangle... Or at least Zak doesn't. Atlantian dudes do age slower than us."

"I'd be jealous if it didn't come with temporal displacement trauma."

"You still look beautiful, dude."

"I'll have you know that I'm not the type of girl who fools around with another man's husband."

"Ha, ha," but Nino couldn't quite hide his smile.

(Read the rest on AO3)

#ml #miraculous ladybug #perfect paradise #nino lahiffe #zak storm #alya cesaire #ml au #ml fanfic

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ugh154628 · 2 months ago

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I just find this so funny.

The hypocrisy is pouring from both of you with these side by sides in the same matter of days.

"You look at Cece's pages - that she uses specifically to harass, stalk, and defame you all the time!!" ~ meanwhile, scrolling my Facebook feed everyday and making paragraph posts about my selfies and photos with my boyfriend that have nothing to do with either of you.

Within a day if not a few hours of me posting those photos. Then, somehow seeing how many Facebook photos I have "as of today" being within 24 hours of me posting that.

The photos with my boyfriend were posted September 9th and the other September 8th. One of which was posted hours before a few of their posts. See the date comparisons and quoted references.

Side note: I've had my facebook for nearly 20 years and obviously, it's not just pictures of me in there. I use it to store literally all my photos I take, even memes, cool pictures I find on the internet etc. I have six full albums just of my cats, animals, and my friend's pets. Another 9 full albums of pictures with friends and family dating all the back since I was kid. 4 albums full of concert photos. You get the idea. It's a way to easily access my photos without my computer and I love taking pictures. Oops, sue me. I'm curious how you saw my photo count though. That should be private, not public. Interesting.

And apparently you're still scrolling through alllll of my photos to somehow find pictures of my ex in the background of another probably old ass picture because this is the SECOND time you've thrown a tantrum about something like this. It's like you just scroll through my feed all the time very intently looking for problems because I never know what the fuck you're talking about at first. Like seriously, how are you noticing more about a profile than the owner of the fucking profile dude. I think that says a lot. And you'll probably scroll through my profile every day waiting me for delete whichever photo it is like last time because I have no idea what you're talking about yet again and hint hint for your sake: I'm not scrolling through all of my pictures to do that for you again. I deleted the one profile picture, which took me a good 20 minutes to find because he was literally blending in the background mind you, and I'm not doing all of that again. I shouldn't have cared to do so in the first place. Especially not for you and your first world problems.

Oh, and if you're talking about the group picture in my memorial letter to my friend's dead mom whom I was close to, that I posted YEARS ago, I'm not deleting that. There were like 12 people in the picture, and it's sentimental. Hence why it was included in that memorial post. The context of that photo goes beyond my ex's stupid ass being in it. I'm not exactly happy about him tainting the picture, but the good in that photo outweighs that one irritating part and when I posted that status we weren't on bad terms. We weren't even dating when that picture was taken either and unlike you, I'm capable of getting the fuck over petty shit like that and not letting one measly bad thing ruin the entirety of something good. It's called growing up. You should try it some time.

So no, I'm not going to re-edit the post, which means deleting all those pictures and reposting them just so one can be cropped since that's what I would have to do. I'm not going to those great lengths for you, especially considering you'll just pick to find more problems even if I did what you wanted like you do every time. You're not and will never again receive even an inch of effort from me in regards to your wants. That post isn't about him and it's definitely not about you in the slightest. It was never about him or you and it never will be. Editing that post would ultimately be me allowing you to control me and I'm not about it. You can eat shit instead.

Ah, and the old photo of my cat Eddie when I first took him home as a kitten, the one you were going on about claiming my ex was in it. That wasn't my ex. That was my friend K****. Which I find hilarious that you thought him and my ex looked similar considering his age and your age as well as other interesting circumstances by the way. I could pull up the videos I took of him on the couch playing with my cat that same day, same shirt and all, but I'm personally good on wasting my time to prove something so stupid to you in particular. I also think it's funny your straight up assumptions eat at you enough to post paragraphs about them so I think I'll let that theme stick. You're the one with the stupid issue and I'm not making your stupid issue my issue. This is the type of shit middle schoolers fret over and you're 31, so I'm not empathizing whatsoever. If me not deleting old pictures for you is a poke to you, get poked I guess. You're a spoiled brat and an idiot for thinking that way. And you're tying your own noose when you could literally just stop obsessing over the depths of my Facebook feed.

My suggestion to you would be to balance your priorities and maybe get a life outside of tumblr so you have a better chance at facing worse real life problems and maybe, learn to tolerate stupid shit like a picture of your boyfriend being buried on his ex's page. It's pretty clear to me that you don't have enough going on if that's the type of dumb shit you're consistently worrying about. I also suggest that you simply stop looking at my Facebook and then poof, the problem is gone. There's literally no reason for you to be scrolling through my entire feed every day zooming in on all my pictures looking for my ex in them or other dumb shit that doesn't matter like a weird ass anyways. Most of the pictures you found before are literally so deep in my profile I don't even have the patience to scroll that far, yet you do. And that's saying something.

Oh and about the "I asked nicely for you to delete those" load of bullshit. You never asked nicely. You made demands and you made posts ripping on me and calling me a creep over a picture posted YEARS ago my guy. I'm not going pine over my old Facebook posts like you do. Not going to sift through all of my pictures to find the few stray pictures of my ex that may or may not be in there. I deleted the album of our selfies as soon as we broke up, I deleted that old mirror selfie profile picture where he was playing on his computer in the background like you "asked" too and from there, I'll delete anything else I find as I notice them. Because personally I don't want to see his face on my shit either. But you know, I was also thinking - I could tolerate keeping whatever pictures I missed enough just to piss you off. I already blocked his name from my facebook memories which is usually how I see old pictures anyways. It's not like I'll see them all the time like you do, miss "i'm-addicted-to-scrolling-through-Amber's-facebook-feed-over-and-over". I kinda don't want to enable that type of behavior. It's a stupid reason to be so mad first of all, and I think you need to get learned in gaining a higher tolerance to dumb shit so I might leave them up even if I do come across them. Call it exposure therapy. Like seriously dude, please pull the endless stick out of your ass and let it go. My boyfriend's ex still has pictures of him on their profile and I don't give a fuck. Hell, my boyfriend has old ass homecoming pictures with his ex on his profile and I don't give a fuck. I still have my homecoming pictures with my other ex on my facebook, too. I also kept some pictures with a lot of my exes and considering I'm still friends with them. I'm glad I did because we are able to reminisce about good times better. Not relative to our dating life or romantically themed but about specific events that occurred WHEN we dated. I'm glad I didn't delete certain group pictures with one of my exes because they contained some of the few pictures I had with my friend who passed on top of that. Basically, pictures with exes aren't all about romance, and they aren't strictly to be seen in a romantic light. My boyfriend and I don't see it that way, but we're also secure in our relationship, so that's something too. We aren't out here making stupid theories that the only reason we still have some pictures with exes means we want them back because the majority of the time, that isn't the case with people. That's a childish mindset. Not to mention, I didn't mind my ex keeping a few pictures of you in his google photos when we dated as much as I don't like you. I just made sure he deleted your nudes like you "asked," unlike you and him, who apparently kept mine in that Google album that I'm now locked out of. You implied that yourself, which is disgusting.

But anyways, the whole people keeping pictures with their exes is actually a pretty common scenario and most stable people don't give a fuck about stuff like that. The bigger picture is that those photos, whether they are with a person you don't get along with anymore or because you're simply not dating them anymore, are visual representations of a certain point in your life or a good memory that doesn't just have to do with the people in the photo. The whole "erasing your past" thing is actually unhealthy, disconnects you from pieces of your identity, puts you at risk of repeating mistakes, suppresses emotional healing, etc., and pictures most definitely come into play with that. Most people aren't constantly looking at those old photos either, like people aren't always keeping pictures with exes because they still like them or miss them romantically. It's not black and white like that. Pictures with people you don't get along with anymore in general still reflect a part of your life, produce memories, remind you of who you were, and still somewhat define who you are now and that's what all it is. I also think it's important to make yourself capable of separating a good memory from an irrelevant bad situation. And I think you're incredibly weak-minded getting mad about a reminder of his past, and a reminder that would be avoidable if you didn't stalk me on the daily. To me it sounds like "omg amber won't delete a couple stray pictures of my boyfriend to make me stalking her more convenient for me!! 🤬" and it's sick. A toddler throwing a tantrum. A spoiled brat with a fat ego, expecting the people you hurt to walk on eggshells around your mental problems. If you felt secure in your relationship, maintained your emotions like a stable adult, and didn't think black and white with your clearly not treated mood or personality disorder, it wouldn't matter.

And that's just it, I think you should be questioning your own sense of security in your relationship at this point. I really think it comes down to you not feeling secure in your relationship. As well as addiction to stalking me and getting mad when you see things you don't like on my pages, theeeen acting like your lack of emotional control is MY problem. Nah, I really don't want to enable that and I don't think I will.

All in all, I don't think Princess Cece should get what she wants this time for a multitude of reasons and especially not anything from me.

---------‐------------------‐-------------------------

Conclusion:

The bigger picture here is that when I go to your pages, it's because you blatantly stated that they are MEANT for posting about me, you're a legally defined stalker, and I am "documenting everything" related to you stalking me as I was advised to do by law enforcement. And you? You come to my pages screenshotting literally every post I have to make completely unrelated to you, play mental gymnastics trying to convince yourself that it's ALL related to you when it's clearly not, post paragraphs of ass backwards opinions about me, my selfies, my job, etc. for no valid reason, and overall, stalk me. I cannot stress that enough. YOU stalk me. YOU are obsessed with hurting me as well as cancel me and I'm determined to get legal help. You are obsessed with stalking me, and I'm "obsessed" with fighting against it almost purely for my future and safety, as much as I fucking hate feeling like I have to. YOU also enjoy this and I absolutely fucking don't. You and this situation are actually suffocating and I'm fucking tired. And that's the difference. Your intent for coming to my Facebook is to feed your stalking behavior and my intent coming to the dimes-and-nines page, the venomous-spade page, the bleppojello page, and especially the midokioaki page is to hopefully combat them and make it all stop with my documentation one day. Because they are specifically used to talk about, defame, harass, and stalk me for literally no fucking reason and you actually have my initials in one of those blog names. I also have several screenshotted posts in which you say that those blogs are meant for me to read on top of that.

You're the creep here, and you're not convincing me or the hundred plus other people supporting me through this otherwise. You can tailor a tiny circle of weirdos that need mental help just as much as you do or other estranged followers for validation, but at the end of the day there's a whole world out there, and you and I both know the majority isn't supporting what you do to me when I present the necessary evidence. And I'm definitely not letting you escape your past of threatening BOTH my ex and I, exploiting my nudes, doxxing me, and all the other unhinged shit that led up to me documenting all your posts about me in the first place. You're not ever going to erase what really started all of this. It was inexcusable, you know it was inexcusable, you're just mad I expose you, the terrible shit you do deserves discussion and you also know not a single thing I've done is anywhere near comparable to my REACTIONS to what you do to me. That's why you scramble looking for ways to paint me as the villian primarily with ficticious messenger stories by third parties. You know I never did a god damn thing to you besides date your once ex boyfriend and call you out for grooming him and other horrible shit you did after you started making nasty posts about me OVER me dating him and I bit back. The fact that most of what you have ever had to say is either bitching about my REACTIONS to what you do OR things other randoms simply tell you says it all. That's been the most of your posts the past couple years and in general. Hearsay and tantrums over exposure; if not you bullying me out of the blue, screenshotting posts of me in distress over what you do to me and mocking it, or screenshotting every single fucking thing I post on social media in general for absolutely no valid reason other than being a creepy ass obsessive stalker bitch. Or whining about mine and my ex's past relationship in which 101 percent of what you say is either a heavy exaggeration or not true at all. You're weird for all it. Really, really, REALLY fucking weird.

You will never succeed in convincing the whole world much less many people at all that I'm the evil person in this situation, at least not anyone that actually matters or isn't mentally ill like your current group chat "squad", which is all people I'vd never even met besides B who is a renowned pick me key baord warrior in our area. Most people who really know me aren't stupid enough to take your word for things after seeing everything you've done/posted and you're an idiot for thinking that's possibly. And that's also why I think you're mad that I did and still do document all of the nasty things you've done. You know I've never and never will top your insane behavior and I will always have plenty of evidence showing just how bad you really are to me in particular. From the very start to the present. All you will ever have is third party hearsay and a few posts of me trolling you when you started coming at me 5 fucking years ago and before this turned into an obviously serious stalking situation, and me? I have your actual posts and all of the worst ones directed toward me.

I actually found some videos, some my ex recorded with his phone and some I screenrecorded in which you were essentially calling him r**ist and abuser, with his first name, and calling me an abuse supporter for dating him, with my first name. I've been wondering if that's really why he made his name fake on Facebook actually. That's okay though, I have plenty of screenshots that can show the original with his last name blurred out of course, you pick me pussy. I even came across some messages of him and I discussing your r**e accusations in particular. You know, your biggest defense for harassing me all of those years. And low and behold, look who you're engaged to now. And now, you claim you're mad because I abused him when I fucking didn't. When you spent YEARS trying to paint HIM as an abuser? Like seriously dude, you want to go off pointing fingers and call ME an angry person because I posted a reference regarding one of favorite EDM artists while at a festival? Take a look in the god damn mirror. It's you that will never be happy and will always come up with excuses to be angry at me specifically. You would think getting your ex back would have ended all of this, but no you just come up woth even more excuses, change your story, and never shut the fuck up. I'm pretty convinced that you got so caught up in the habit of hating me for years that you don't even know how to function without that attitude and the actions that follow. That's my take. You're pathetic and YOU need help.

I'll post those videos here soon though. In general, I think my main focus will be talking about where all of this actually started and the horrible things you did that led me to documenting the posts on your blogs in the first place. I honestly think you've been trying to distract me from doing that with your other current nonsense the past year and I'm picking up on that. So, we're going to rewind to the roots.

And by the way, I did the math with the screenshots: you have posted about me nearly 5,000 times in five years. And that's a rough estimate assuming it taking an average of 4 screenshots to document each post, so there's probably even more than that. Congratulations on being an absolute psychopath. Your obsession with me is genuinely scary to deal with and you know it. You have actually mocked my distress before. I have every reason to feel uncomfortable and in danger, and every right to document your shit show toward me. I will with no shame.

Get over it. And get over yourself.

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stilettobitearch · 3 months ago

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🥀general - 1, story - 10, romance - 4 @magicxecustos companion!tav headcanons.

Where can your Tav be recruited? Are they first encountered on the Nautiloid, or in the Nautiloid crash region? Or are they not recruitable until a later act?

secret can be found with the tieflings in the grove! if you recruit wyll first, she takes over helping teach the children self-defense, if you recruit her first, she can be found teaching doni slight of hand tricks. she has been tadpoled, too, with chunks of recent memory missing, and incredibly paranoid that she is being followed by a devil. it doesn't take a lot of convincing to join the party, having reached a point of realising that moving with the tieflings is a danger to them. imagine her frustration when the devil she's been trying to shake turns up at camp after you recruit wyll.

How do they react if the PC licks the dead spider in the Gauntlet of Shar?

first lick: "elminster's saggy left ballsack, you're an absolute fucking freak!" [secret approves] second lick: "... really? alright then."

Do they have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party?

goblin party: if you recruit cece before turning the grove over the minthara, she leaves the party permanently and she fights against you when raiding the grove, so no romance during the goblin party. however; tiefling party: during the tiefling party, having reached medium approval with her, cece will approach tav, and the conversation will initially revolve around the tiefling refugees, her thanking you for helping them (a conflicting message, but seeming sincere compared to her previous proclamations of detachment to the situation, not being a refugee herself, but simply sticking with her kind). a successful insight check allows you to see that she's hiding something, and if mizora has already turned up to the camp, there is a dialogue option to pry into her wariness. a successful persuasion check will reveal that she doesn't remember what she's done, but she knows that mizora has fingers in a lot of pies, and perhaps a pie of her own. (an unsuccessful persuasion check will have cece shrug it off, isn't everyone a little wary of mizora? if you're not, you should be). regardless of if you succeed these checks, secret will then propose you meet her once the party has died down, where you will find her sat on the riverbank, shoes off and feet in the water. following consent, she will go down on your tav and give you a messy kiss goodnight before telling you you should head back to your tent before the others get jealous. if you haven't reached medium approval and you approach her with romantic intentions, she will turn you down, but not unkindly, and with an encouraging hint on how to win her affection if you were serious ("try worrying less about what others think of you. and bring me a gift next time.") if you have low or very low approval and try to approach her, she literally just laughs in your face, a hearty laughter that goes on too long, deliberately so, to make you uncomfortable, before shaking her head. "read the room, sweetheart. my hand would make a better evening, and i will be choosing accordingly, i'm afraid." if your tav isn't choosing to spend the night with shadowheart or astarion, you'll see her coming back from a rendezvous with one of them in the morning.

#🥀❛ — answered.#magicxecustos #🥀❛ — au: companion.

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pclymcrphcus · 5 months ago

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・ ✦ ・ 𝐩𝐜𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐜𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐜𝐮𝐬 / * ( closed starter @nishantdoshi )

Nishant didn’t know this—perhaps he could sense it, and was feeling generous to avoid that conversation—but the Little Duck wasn’t Cece’s first bar stop of the night. Chaos coursed through her veins, propelling her into a relentless pursuit of alcohol. The aftermath of this reckless spree would later manifest as a sordid scene: ripped fishnets clinging to her legs, a jacket haphazardly draped over her head for warmth, and a puddle of vomit beside her as she attempted to sleep off her inebriation in some dark, forgotten alley. That was—unless Nishant decided to intervene, cutting her off and perhaps calling someone to take care of her. She silently hoped he wouldn’t feel like playing hero tonight, for the mania’s sake.

The Little Duck, a bar that oozed charm, had an ambiance both inviting and deceptive due to its new owners. The air was thick with the scent of aged whiskey and a hint of stale beer, mingling with the soft murmur of patrons engaged in hushed conversations. It was almost closing time, wasn't it?

Her eyes, slightly glazed from the alcohol, sparkled with a mischievous glint. The bar's soft lighting highlighted the sharp angles of her face, casting shadows that hinted at the depths of her wild and complex nature. Cece’s voice carried a slurred edge, but her words were laced with a genuine curiosity and a touch of admiration. "Did you know my brother works here too?" Cece snorted at the irony, the thought of Angelo Chiarelli—her dear brother, her de facto parental figure for most of her tumultuous life—being in the same town, let alone the same establishment, felt surreal. "Don't worry though, you're still my favorite bartender. Give me a shot of Jameson, won't you, baby?" she drawled, her elbows resting heavily on the bar's polished surface. Leaning closer, a playful wrinkle creased her nose as she fixed Nishant with an appraising look. "Anyone ever tell you that you're too pretty? Prettier than me, aren't ya?"

#celestina * / threads.#celestina * / starters.#starter * / exclusives.#im JAKSLD:f sry nishant can kick her out or call her brother i sweAR !#also i want a cece x topher thread pls pls pls

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songofsoma · 2 years ago

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a wish to be loved

CONTAINS BOOK 3 SPOILERS set right after the ava kiss scene, at least cece has great friends

fandom: the wayhaven chronicles words: 1,525 rating: general

read it on ao3

When the door shut behind Ava that sick yet familiar feeling of loneliness began to fill the space. It wound through her like tendrils, wrapping around her throat until she felt like she couldn’t breathe and plugging her ears until the rang. All she could feel was the rawness of her lips from being kissed, the heat on her thighs where Ava’s hands had lifted her, and the ache settling deep in her chest.

Cecilia knew what loneliness was more than most.

It was like a second home.

Every single person in her life who she had truly loved left her at some point.

It happened when she was seven and her dad died. Her favorite person in the entire world cruelly ripped away.

Then every time her mother chose work over her, leaving her with a random babysitter until Cecilia was deemed old enough to care for herself. After that, it was just Cecilia coming home from school to an empty house to cook herself dinner and put herself to bed hoping she might get a chance to see her mom in the morning, even if in passing.

There was no more childhood after Rook died.

Her poor heart was broken in so many ways, but this time might just be the one to leave it completely shattered when the woman she loved left her.

The dried tears from before were quickly replaced with fresh ones. Since the start of the kidnappings, it was like every time she wasn’t good enough was a new crack in her sanity. She was on the brink of disaster and was only held together by some shitty scotch tape at best.

Cecilia did her best to hide it, putting on a smile and making sure those around her were alright. If she focused on them it would allow her to not think about herself. She knew others could tell from the way Farah stared at her sometimes and even Nat when she thought Cecilia wasn’t looking. No one said anything outright.

She turned and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and suddenly it was like she was a child again. Dad dead. Mom busy working. Left to take care of herself even when she was raw and vulnerable.

Her eyes slid away from her reflection, unable to handle the memories any longer, and landed on the soft shape of the duck stuffy sitting on top of her dresser. It felt like a lifetime ago since the carnival and her and Ava’s “fake” date. Cecilia remembered her excitement when Ava handed the prize to her, claiming she had no use for it.

Cecilia loved that fucking duck. She had been so relieved that it hadn’t been ruined in her apartment accident.

She stood before it now, staring into its little glass eyes and it all suddenly became too much.

The first sob shook her and the ones following brought her to her knees as she cried.

She cried for her lost childhood. She cried because she was so damn lonely. And mostly, she cried because she wished someone would love her in the way she loved them.

At some point, Cecilia had made it to bed.

She lay on her side in the quiet darkness, stuffed duck nestled in her arms.

A hesitant knock sounded on the door. It opened before she could respond.

“Cece?” Farah called quietly into the room. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

Luckily the vampire didn’t need light to navigate the dark bedroom and crawled onto the bed quickly. “I’ll even let you be the little spoon,” Farah teased, slotting herself behind Cecilia beneath the covers.

Cecilia was grateful for her best friend’s comfort. A hand curled around Farah’s soft forearm as a few coils of hair tickled her cheek. The feeling of familiarity was a blessing as the smell of her friend’s soap and the slightest hint of cinnamon sliced through the dreaded loneliness.

“I would’ve come sooner but thought you might need some time,” she murmured.

She nodded. “Thank you,” Cecilia rasped, her voice hoarse from crying.

Farah was silent for a few seconds before saying, “We could always break into Nat’s special room and find her stash of old alcohol. Not like she’s going to use it. Besides, I think she’d let you do just about anything right now.”

That made Cecilia snort. “As tempting as that sounds, my head already hurts enough.”

She felt Farah shrug the shoulder not pressed against the mattress. “Fair. Offer still stands.”

It made Cecilia finally produce a small smile.

They lay there without saying much for a while. Cecilia wasn’t up for talking and Farah clearly understood. With someone else with her, she was finally feeling the exhaustion of her emotions surging forward until her eyelids were becoming heavier by the second. Farah had come dressed in her pajamas, having already intended to stay with her best friend as long as she was needed.

“Hey, Farah,” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I love you. You really are my best friend.”

Farah’s arm squeezed her tightly. “You’re my best friend too. I love you so much that I considered kicking Ava’s arms out from under her earlier so she would faceplant into the ground.”

Cecilia smiled, although she wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about. Still, she appreciated the sentiment.

She and Farah parted ways the next morning. Morgan had come and banged on Cecilia’s door trying to find Farah so they could go on their patrol. To say Farah was uncharacteristically irritated with Morgan after was an understatement.

Cecilia hugged her goodbye, smiling at the promise they would watch stupid movies later together when she returned.

Knowing it would be stupid of her to hole up in her room, Cecilia made the brave decision of venturing out into the kitchen. She pushed the thought of seeing Ava to the back of her mind while trying to ignore the way her stomach turned at the idea.

Thankfully, there was only Nat seated at the table, squinting at a crossword puzzle with her lips pursed. A pencil twirled absent-mindedly in her fingers.

“What’s the question?”

Nat looked up seeming a bit surprised by Cecilia’s presence. She recovered quickly though, looking back down to her paper. “Who don’t you put in a corner?”

Cecilia crossed the room to stand behind her and looked over her shoulder. “Baby.”

The woman twisted in her seat, a look of confusion pulled at her features. “Why on earth would you put a baby in a corner?”

She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. “No, the character’s name is Baby. It’s from the movie Dirty Dancing.” Cecilia took a seat in the chair next to Nat. “Why did you choose a pop culture crossword anyway?”

“Farah printed it out for me. She said it would keep me busy.” Nat paused, long fingers drumming on the table in thought. “I suppose she was right on the keeping me busy part because I have no idea what half of these words mean strung together like this.”

Cecilia smiled—until Nat truly looked at her in her Nat way that openly read I know you aren’t okay. Then her lips curled into a frown.

“Are you doing alright?” she asked, reaching over to place a hand on top of Cecilia’s.

She let out a long sigh. Her head still hurt from crying last night and she was sure her eyes were puffy so she looked a wreck. “I guess.”

Nat squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to be. It’s completely understandable.”

“I’m sure you already know what happened then,” Cecilia mumbled, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. Something about their friendly warmth made her feel unworthy.

“Secrets don’t seem to last long around here,” she said, then followed by, “Farah told me after she saw Ava in the hall.”

Cecilia stared at the pattern in the wooden grains of the tabletop. The muscles in her jaw were already beginning to ache from the way she clenched it. “It just…” she trailed off at first, finger tracing the space where her gaze went. “It just hurts.”

“What does?”

Swallowing hard, Cecilia finally met Nat’s concerned look. “Loving someone who doesn’t love you back. No, let me rephrase. Loving someone who feels the same but won’t let herself and breaks my heart over and over again in the process.”

Nat frowned but nodded in understanding.

She felt tears flooding her eyes once more. “I’m not strong anymore, Nat,” Cecilia whispered. “I feel like I’m falling apart. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

By the end, her voice was wobbling and Nat moved from her chair to kneel in front of Cecilia, pulling her into a hug. Cecilia clung to her tightly, willing herself not to break into tears all over again.

“I wish there was something I could do,” Nat whispered.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cecilia caught movement. She turned her head just in time to see the figure of Ava slinking back into the hallway and the mournful look clouding her face. “Me too, Nat. Me too.”

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rebelrayne · 1 year ago

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[⭐] = faves // one shot directory // chaptered directory

rewind | villa | chaptered [31/31 complete]

Zephyr made it big time when she left Love Island with her boyfriend, Elijah. After catching him in her backstage dressing room with Arjun, an unfortunate accident lands her back in the Villa on Day 1 one year ago, except this time, she’ll make sure she wins no matter the cost. The only question is, will she win the money or the love of her life?

we do but friends don't | au villa | one shot

“I don’t want to do this,” Jordyn said, her voice cracking with every syllable. She’d grown to be fond of all four of the people standing there, although she was most definitely closer with Lottie, Gary and Bobby. Truth be told, she liked the old Hannah better than the one standing in front of her. Hannah seemed less than genuine when she returned and it only angered Jordyn to see her with Bobby when he deserved the world.

evenfall | au | chaptered [2/6 work in progress] [a gift for @/caitkaminski]

Addison Swan was forced to move to Beddgelert, Wales to live with her father, Charlie, but she soon starts to realize there's more to the town than she thought.

someone better suited | villa & post-villa | one shot

Dallas Holt is down on his luck but when he has the opportunity to enter the Love Island Villa in exchange for $20,000? He’d be stupid not to take it. The only catch? He’s not entering as himself; he’s entering as “Dylan.”

end game | villa | one shot [a gift for @/mrsbsmooth]

For those of you following along at home, this is the part of the story where the female love interest rejects the male protagonist so harshly, he should recoil and retire to a life of loneliness and solitude. But lucky for us… Elliot is two things: one, he can’t take a hint when slapped in the face with it, and two, he hates to lose when he doesn’t understand what went wrong.

let's play | au | one shot [a gift for @/whatisreggieshortfor]

Elliot lifts his head slowly, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he was swallowing every inch of his fears. Flipping a switch, his expression quickly turns mischievous – a crooked smirk she’s never seen on his face and that bloody dimple on the left that she’s always wanted to press her lips to. “Well, I’m not one to back out of a game.” His voice is smooth as velvet, another first in hearing his tone sound so alluring. He quirks a brow, hand cupping her face as he leans in close enough for his scent to surround her in a dizziness that could only be cured by his lips on hers. “I do quite like to win, as long as you want to play?”

define: falling | au | one-shot [a gift for thesepromises]

falling /ˈfôliNG/ verb 1 : to descend freely by the force of gravity. 2 : to come by chance. 3 : to pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind. Serena Wallace hates Hamish Kent… Or maybe she’s falling in love with him.

[⭐] fast car | villa | one-shot [finale night rewrite]

Acacia had the opportunity through his television screen to make him fall harder and harder without lifting a finger. He watched her look across the lawn and twist her face into the most hideous expressions– nose scrunched, tongue poked out, eyes crossed– but Andy didn’t laugh. The time she ran onto the challenge platform and did a clumsy cartwheel only to fall flat on her bum as she fell into a fit of giggles– Andy didn’t laugh. How she would create a different facial expression on pancakes every morning, hoping for even a faint tug at his lips– Andy didn’t laugh... But Hamish did.

[⭐] holidate | au | one shot [a gift for @/caitkaminski]

When Cece Singh gets the idea from her Aunt Priya to bring a Holidate to all of their holidays, she knows just the right guy for the job. The only rules? 1) You'll be one another's plus one as long as you're single. 2) Leave no Holidate behind. 3) No catching feelings.

imperfect & flawed | villa | one shot [post-casa hideaway rewrite]

Zoe liked men that were mature. Sophisticated. The type that knew how to pair just the right glass of Merlot with an Italian dish. She loved a man that dressed in a suit—perfectly tailored and crisp. He dressed well, but he’d change into his gray sweatpants and cuddle her on the couch. Leaning in, he’d kiss her tenderly. So slowly that her heart pounding behind the bars of her ribcage would burst. The perfect kind of man—that was what she liked. But Hamish was not that.

[⭐] it'll cost you | au | chaptered [3/? on indefinite haitus]

Hamish Lennox-Ross hated Natasha Moradi. But Hamish needed a date for all the weddings and events he needed to attend. And Nat needed someone to fund her lifestyle. One thing was for certain: it'll cost you. But how much?

[⭐] on the market | villa | chaptered [6/? work in progress] (S9 Villa)

Hamish Lennox-Ross didn't want to go back into the Villa, but after some persuasion from Marshall, he takes another chance. Except this time, he's on a mission to win. The only issue is that Cheyenne Whalen might actually be his perfect match—and the perfect person to blow his entire plan.

[⭐️] off the market | villa | chaptered [11/11 complete] (S6 Villa)

Hamish Lennox-Ross doesn't do serious relationships. He had a plan– come on the show to appease his father, get dumped on purpose by being the most repulsive man possible, gain back his bank account. A fool-proof plan until Ava Connolly offers him something more. What's the saying? Don't hate the player, hate the guy pretending to be in a happy couple with your girl.

sinderella | au | one shot (attached to 'it'll cost you')

He tugs her into the cloakroom, quickly pressing her back to the closed door. His fingertips delicately trace her jawline as his lips pull into a wicked smile. It should be a crime how intoxicating the scent of lemon and bergamot is on his skin. Leaning in, he dips his head, kissing her neck and sending a shiver down her spine. Greedy hands grip into her waist and yank her into him as he whispers into her ear, “So does Cinderella have a name?”

ten things i hate about you | au | chaptered [a gift for @/queen-of-boops]

"There are so many ways to hate. Count them yourself."

take a risk | au | one shot [a gift for @/justtuesdays]

Isabel Romero had never taken a single risk in her entire life. But when she finds an incomplete bucket list, she's determined to prove that she can be adventurous and spontaneous. With the help of her best friends, Shannon and Henrik, she's ready to cross off the last three items, come castle or behind a waterfall.

[⭐️] the checklist | post-villa | one shot

When Ivy gets dumped from Love Island, Nicky and Seb invite her on Doom & Gloom to explain her checklist and where each of the criteria came from.

the other side | au | one shot

Was it really happening? He had to have been dreaming. He wasn’t big, rugged and buff like Hazeem. He couldn’t be cool and collected like Kobi. He’d never be as handsome as Dylan. There’s no way he could ever be charming or suave like Youcef… He was just… him?

ten things i hate about you | au | chaptered [a gift for @/queen-of-boops]

"There are so many ways to hate. Count them yourself."

jurassic island | au | chaptered [10/19 work in progress]

Welcome to Jurassic Island, where wonders and imagination come alive. Come prepared because remember, you'll never forget the first time you meet a dinosaur.

hey swseetheart | post-villa | one shot [a gift for @/queen-of-boops]

When Oliver sends Maeve on a scavenger hunt on her birthday, she's led by familiar faces and letters Oliver wrote to his future wife.

[⭐️] jealous. | villa | chaptered [2/2 complete] [stick or twist rewrite]

Alaina isn��t Ryan’s usual type— but the image on the Casa Amor postcard is driving him insane. Part 1 SFW | Part 2 NSFW

[⭐] but lately... | villa | one shot

Seb isn't overly emotional. He's not a sticky sweet guy who loves a big romantic gesture, or someone who would pick up a bouquet of roses on the way home. But lately... There's something about Valerie.

ho ho ho or whatever | au | one shot [a gift for @/whatisreggieshortfor]

Inside the bustling, busy city of Liverpool, there comes a tale you certainly never learned in school. A record store sits on Paul Street in the heart of the town, and here, my dear reader, is where the start of our story is found. Ask any of the townsfolk, they’ll tell you the same: “There’s no place like home by the fire on Christmas Day!” All the windows of the stores are flocked with care, but there sat one store with its window display bare.

11:59pm | post-villa | one shot [a gift for @/0shewrites0]

He starts to walk over, his heart rate racing faster with every step closer. He pulls his phone out and peeks at the time. 11:59 pm. It’s almost time. He had a speech prepared, but it’s since been wiped from his memory. He cannot remember even one syllable of that speech.

[⭐] and the day after that, too | au | chaptered [13/13 complete]

Summer Reynolds fell in love with a boy from overseas when she was eighteen. Ten years later, she can’t say much has changed– even if it has for him.

[⭐] collateral | villa | chaptered [3/? wip]

Ariana Navarro wasn't looking for anything serious when she hooked up with a wealthy attendee at a wedding she was hired to do photography for...but then she would have called him if she hadn't lost his number. Tom Beresford-King has never had much luck with relationships and that didn't change after he met a wedding photographer...who never called him after a one night stand. He told her the universe said they should meet again, and fate agreed. Too bad Ari's happily coupled with a part-time comedian and a cute baker has her eyes laser set on Tom. But sometimes there's collateral damage when it comes to love.

part of our world | au | one shot

The town of Villa Rosa, North Carolina seems like a normal place. The people live ordinary lives, the kids go to school like anywhere else, but the truth? It’s the most evil, vile place in the world. The Disney characters were ripped from their stories and sent to the one place where they no longer had their happy endings: our world.

sterling mckenzie, inc. | au | one shot

Welcome to Sterling McKenzie, Inc. Paper Company, where career dreams go to die! But at least the boss is cool, right?

model santa | au | one-shot [a gift for @/whatisreggieshortfor]

Santa isn't real, right? But if that's the case, why is he claiming to be Youcef's father?

mon amour | villa | chaptered [edit in progress]

He used his index finger to tilt her chin up as she stood on her tiptoes. He cupped her face gently and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re playing a dangerous game here, mon amour.” She placed her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down gently. She knew she was trembling, she knew that this could only spell out trouble for her. She didn’t care.

#litg ff #litg fanfic #litg bobby #litg dylan #litg elliot #litg henrik #litg ivy #litg james #litg noah #litg seb #litg tom #litg valentina #litg youcef #litg hamish #navigation

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