#and i hope none of those kids caught it from her or anyone else

[bandomfandombeyond]

ha. fuckin HA.

one of the bitches who contributed to getting me kicked out of the "queer-oriented" "radical" camp for advocating that people mask and carrying around my CR Box CAUGHT COVID at it.

the Lord rebukes!!!!!!!

[camzeecorner]

RECORD STORE

Summary: Baylee loved music and frequently visited her favorite record store, where Matt worked. Over time, Matt developed a crush on her, noticing her every time she browsed through the records. She was drawn to the music, and he was drawn to her.

Warnings : none!

matt x fem!reader

(A/N: (this was supposed to be a blurb)..what??? Also this is HEAVILY based on Matt’s Panera bread girl era anyways enjoy hot mamas)

Baylee was crazy about music. She loved everything from records and jazz to hip hop, rock, nu-metal, and R&B. Music made her happy. Her dad was in a band when she was little, and he showed her how amazing music can be. Over the years, she learned to play different instruments and how to sing.

She made weekly trips to her favorite music store, they sold everything she loved. It was heaven to her, perfect in every way. She would stay there for hours playing different tunes and melodies on the keyboard. Testing out different instruments hearing how they each sounded. She was so in love with music she couldn’t ever find herself to leave until closing time.

Baylee found herself walking to ‘Notes’ smiling like a little kid on Christmas. She had just gotten paid so she had lots of money to spend today. It was about a 15 minute walk from her house, she never drove in that case. Seeing the store in a distance her footsteps seemed more eager and louder rushing to get there.

Ring!! 🛎️

Matt’s pov:

The bell on the door rung, signaling another customer had walked in. Seeing the familiar brown-haired girl, I smiled lightly at her. I greeted her more happily than I would with any of our other customers. “Good afternoon, hope you’re doing wonderful today. Looking for anything specific?” She was one of our regulars, coming in every week and staying for hours, adoring the music. I loved seeing how passionate the music made her. It was cute. “Thank you, I’m doing well. I’m not looking for anything specific right now, just browsing,”she smiled at me. Her smile was so beautiful. Watching her walk away, I caught myself staring at her from afar. Baylee was truly something special. She had a way of getting lost in the music, and it was clear that each note meant something to her. I found myself looking forward to her visits, just to see that spark in her eyes.

I would always catch myself thinking of her during my long shift, waiting for her arrival. She always came alone, so I figured she must not have had too many friends, also assuming she was single. She never talked much to me or anyone. I never had the courage to formally speak to her either. I was afraid deeply I would embarrass myself, stuttering over my words. It was best if I just stayed silent, admiring her.

I had told my friends about this ongoing crush, getting the advice I wanted to hear, hoping it would allow me to listen. 'Go talk to her, Matt.' 'Get her number, Matt.' I just couldn’t. Every time I saw her, my heart would race, and my mind would go blank.

She was like my perfect dream girl. The perfect girl who would giggle at my awkward jokes, the perfect girl who would blush when I called her pretty, the perfect girl who would sing me songs every night. The perfect girl I couldn’t have.

Every time she walked in, it felt like the world paused for a moment. She had this aura about her that made everything else fade into the background. I imagined what it would be like to hold her hand, to share stories and dreams, to be the reason behind her beautiful smile. But those were just dreams, and reality kept me at a distance.

Getting caught in my own thoughts, I saw her slim figure walking towards me. Getting ready to talk to her, my breathing became more intense, feeling my throat dry up. I coughed in hopes of getting better. 'Hi, I wanted to buy these.' She looked up to me with her light brown eyes. Smiling a little, she bit her lip in a nervous way. 'Yea.. yea okay,' I spoke quietly, cursing at myself in my head for sounding so stupid. I smiled quickly at her, grabbing the items in her hand. Feeling our skin touch, it was like fire.

As I rang up her items, I could feel my hands trembling slightly. She stood there, waiting patiently, her eyes occasionally meeting mine. I wanted to say something, anything, to keep her there a little longer. 'Do you come here often?' I blurted out, immediately regretting how cliché it sounded. She giggled softly, a sound that made my heart flutter. 'Yeah, I like the atmosphere here,I’m Baylee by the way” she replied, her voice gentle and soothing.

Handing her the bag, our fingers brushed once more, sending another jolt of electricity through me. 'Thanks,' she said, her smile widening. “Matt.. I’m Matt.” Oh my god matt please not now. I silently spoke in my head. “Maybe I'll see you around?” I nodded, too stunned to form a coherent response. She handed me her phone with her contacts open. “Put your number in” she giggled softly. She wanted my number? Quickly putting my number in her phone I handed her the phone back with a smile. As she walked away, I watched her go, a small spark of hope igniting within me. Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something more.

Baylee’s pov:

Walking out of the music store, I checked the time on my phone. ‘9:02 pm’ my bright screen lit up. Stuffing my phone back into my pocket, I began making my way back to my apartment. The wind outside made the air feel refreshing and cool. Unlocking my door, I quickly kicked my shoes off and walked to my bedroom. Running my hand up and down the wall, finding the switch, I turned my light on, walking to my bed and setting my bags down. Walking towards my closet, I grabbed some shorts and my white long sleeve. I ran the shower while stripping out of my clothes, taking my hair out of my braided pigtails. Looking in the mirror, I inspected myself. ‘It was always right before showers when you felt prettier,’ I thought to myself. Stepping into the shower, the water hit against my tan skin. Relaxing in the water, I leaned my head back, allowing the water to run down my face. Soaking in the warm water, I began to lather soap on my loofa. Quickly stepping out of the shower, I placed my clothes on me, brushing my hair afterwards. I let my natural curls bounce on my shoulders as I walked back to my room. Walking back into my bathroom, I brushed my teeth and washed my face, doing whatever was needed before I could relax in bed.

Matts pov:

Settling into the comfort of my bed, I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my messages, hoping to see a text from her. Nothing yet. I sighed and placed my phone on the nightstand, trying to push thoughts of her out of my mind. The gentle hum of the city outside my window was calming, almost like a lullaby. I pulled the covers up to my chin, feeling the warmth envelop me. My mind wandered back to the music store, to the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. I couldn’t help but replay our brief interaction over and over, dissecting every word, every look.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone buzzed. My heart skipped a beat as I reached for it, hoping it was her. And there it was—a message from her. 'Hey, it was nice seeing you today. Maybe we could grab coffee sometime?' A smile spread across my face as I typed back a quick reply, 'I’d love that.' Placing my phone back down, I felt a sense of excitement and anticipation wash over me. Maybe tomorrow would bring something new, something more. With that thought, I let sleep take over, dreaming of what could be.

Time skip!!!!!! - next morning

Waking up, I yawned and stretched, still feeling groggy. I almost fell back asleep but managed to get up and head to the bathroom. Splashing cold water on my face, I grabbed my toothbrush and began brushing my teeth. My phone pinged, and I pulled it out of my pocket to check the message. ‘Hey, you free today?’ she had texted. I quickly replied, letting her know I had nothing planned.

After getting dressed in some comfortable clothes, I decided to tidy up my place a bit while waiting for her next message. I started by making my bed, then moved on to picking up some stray clothes and organizing my desk. The morning sun was beginning to fill the room, making it feel fresh and inviting.

I checked my phone again, but there was no new message yet. To pass the time, I decided to vacuum the living room and wipe down the kitchen counters. It felt good to keep busy, and it helped ease the anticipation. I knew that today could be the start of something special, and I wanted everything to be just right.

Baylee pov:

I get up starting to get ready for my day, washing my face, brushing my teeth, and cleaning up. I paced around my room, picking up things that were out of order. Pulling my phone out, I message Matt. ‘How does 11 sound, meet me at *****’ I put my phone back onto my desk. Walking over to my closet, I began running my hands through the different colors of clothes. Deciding on my favorite fall sweater, it was green and blue. I threw some loose blue jeans on top with my platform high-top converse. Spraying my perfume, I check the time and my phone, seeing Matt messaged me back. ‘Sounds perfect I’ll see you in a bit :)’. I smile at the smiley face; it was adorable. I had 15 minutes until it was time for me to leave, deciding to feed my cat before I left.

I walked into the kitchen, where my cat, Whiskers, was already waiting by his bowl. "Morning, Whiskers," I said, scratching him behind the ears before filling his bowl with food. He purred happily and started eating. I grabbed a quick snack for myself and checked my reflection one last time in the hallway mirror. Everything seemed perfect.

With a few minutes to spare, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. The cool morning air felt refreshing as I made my way to the coffee cafe.

Walking out my house to my garage, I quickly get in my car shutting the door behind me. I turned the radio on smiling to myself as I hear ‘clay pigeons’ playing softly. Turning the radio up I began making my way to the cafe.

Pulling into the parking lot, I take my keys out putting them in my bag getting out of my car. I walked to the door, entering hearing the bell I was all too familiar with ring. Scanning over the crowd of people I spot Matt quickly.

I wasn’t even sure why I had gave him my number, or asked him to get coffee today. He was cute but we never really talked much. Only having brief interactions and conversations when I was at his job. Even then I didn’t really make time to bother him. It must’ve been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Walking over to Matt I sat down catching his attention. “Hey” he spoke to me. He looked and sounded nervous. I found that endearing. I smiled at him, feeling a light blush creep on to my face.”Hi Matt”

No one’s pov:

We exchanged pleasantries, and the initial awkwardness started to melt away. After ordering our coffees we settled into a comfortable rhythm. Matt leaned in curiously, “so why do you like music so much?” He asked genuinely interested.

I took a moment to think my finger tracing the rim of my mug. “Music has always been a big role in my life. It’s like a soundtrack to all my memories and emotions. Whenever I’m feeling something deeply, there’s always a song that matches perfectly. Plus it’s a great escape, you know?”

Matt nods his head agreeing with her. “You seem to be really connected with music. Everyday when you came in just.. always seemed really focused.” Listening to him speak, she was surprised at how well he paid attention to her. “What you stalk me?” She asked with a small laugh. “No no, I didn’t mean it like that, I just see you a lot-” He stopped when he heard her laugh at him. “I was only joking. I know you’re not stalking me.” She looked into his eyes smiling at him. He smiled back at her softly.

They continued their conversation quickly learning they were alike in many ways. They spent about 2 hours talking with each other. She learned he was a triplet, being the middle child. He studied music which is why he chose to work in a music store. He found joy in watching YouTube videos, so much he actually gave it a shot too every once in a while. He learned she didn’t have any friends, was also studying music and she an only child. Her life sounded lonely so when he offered to keep her company when he was free she quickly accepted his offer.

Over time they got closer, he introduced her to his brothers, who also became her friends quickly too. She invited him to her home, where they spent a lot of their time at. Matt’s small crush grew more and more over time. Wondering when he would tell her.

Sitting on her bed they were watching a documentary. Turing his head to look at her, he took in all the details about her that he found unique. “You’re really pretty, you know that?” Matt spoke quietly. Barley hearing his voice you turned to him. “Really? You think so?” Watching Matt nod so calmly made her wonder. “Thank you” she sat there looking at him. Watching his face waiting for a reaction. Minutes had passed time going as they just laid limp on her bed.

Matt felt his eyes burning into hers quickly shifting his gaze onto her lips. She took notice of that feeling herself pull her body towards him. Matt felt his breath get cut short. Feeling the heat from her face radiating through her mouth. Her skin so close to his. Their mouths hovering over each other. She thought if this was a good idea.

Feeling her lips softly press against his, he stayed stiff full of shock. He stayed there for a little until he felt himself kissing her back. Cupping the sides of her face to bring her into him even more. Pulling away foreheads still connected, they panted lightly out of breath. She smiled at him pulling him into another kiss this time returning it faster than he did the first one.

The night had been filled with cuddles and kisses here and there. Enjoying the feeling of their skin pressed against each other. The warmth in their bodies keeping them both comfortable. Matt never thought he would see himself laying in the same bed with the girl he had been obsessed with from a record store.

[garbinge]

Library Daycare (2)

Angel Reyes x OC Isabeth ‘Izzy’ Flores 30 Day Fic Challenge (14/30)

Word Count: 3k A/N: I feel like I say this for a majority of my fics but this post-canon world I've thought up for Angel and Maverick is my favorite, I think about it everyday, I just, want him to be happy even tho most of my ideas for this are angsty HAHA.

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Light angst.

Mayans Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @narcolini @danzer8705 @keyweegirlie @kmc1989 Previous fic for reference.

Angel stepped into the library, Maverick in his arms and was staring at the bulletin board. His eyes were scanning over each flyer and business card that was pinned to it. The list of jobs that Angel felt capable of was slim. There were a lot of options, prep cook, lab assistant, front desk organizer, medical assistants, nurses, but none of those were things that Angel had any experience with. That’s when his eyes landed on the business card that was pinned to the flyer that said Farm Hand needed, the business card on top reading Rancho de Valle - Este. His free hand reached up to grab the information from the pin so he could get a closer look. 

Farm hand, operating and maintaining machinery, harvesting and planting crops, repairs, occasional livestock caring. Full time, housing on premise provided if desired, hourly pay, overtime opportunities, and medical insurance. 

“El Ranchitos.” A voice sounded behind him. 

He turned around immediately, a little startled by the voice while Maverick on the other hand cooed in excitement as he saw who was behind them. 

“Sorry I did not mean to scare you.” Izzy smiled at Angel and turned her gaze onto Maverick. Her hand quickly reached out to grab his foot. “Hi, you. I missed you.” Her voice was soft now, she didn’t want to scary anyone again. 

“You caught me deep in thought, that’s all.” Angel laughed as he adjusted Maverick in his arms. 

“Yes, El Ranchitos.” She repeated again pointing to the papers again. 

Angel looked down not seeing El Ranchitos anywhere on the forms and looked back at the woman he had brief conversations with over the last few months. “You’re familiar with them?” 

“De Valle’s are very well known in this town. They own all of El Ranchitos, de Valle Este is the one closest to the city that is a harvesting ranch, they have others in the city but they’re more like resorts, they had to adapt with the change of the world.” Izzy explained. “They’re good people, kind, understanding. I think de Valle Este is like 10 minutes from here by car.” 

“Thanks, yea I think I’m going to apply. Everything else is a bit out of my range.” Angel laughed awkwardly. “Just gotta figure out what I’m gonna do with him while I’m working, maybe I could hire someone to watch him if I take them up on this on premise housing.” He was thinking outloud now, but it was just a symptom of having no one above the age of 2 to talk with here. 

Izzy was leaning over in front of him now, reaching for something on the bulletin board. Her hand began searching around until she found what she was looking for and pulled it from the pin. “It isn’t a nanny, but we watch the kids all day, feed them, read to them, use the playground outside on good weather days, it’s a small group too.” 

“We?” Angel questioned his eyes moving from the library daycare flier to Izzy’s face.

“Okay, I, it’s my initiative. We did a trial run this summer with a handful of kids and it went pretty well. We have about 8 kids right now signed up for the school year, all local, have room for 10, I think Maverick would be a great addition.” Izzy grinned again, now looking at Maverick who giggled and brought his hands out to her in hope to be held by her. 

“How was I around like all summer and didn’t notice this?” Angel laughed and happily gave the child over to Izzy. 

These last few months he had gotten extremely comfortable with the woman and honestly safe with her, Angel as well. These last few months have consisted of Angel coming to most of the library events because not only did Maverick enjoy them but because they offered him peace around people which he didn’t have much of since leaving Santo Padre. There was a constant fear, a persistence to always look over his shoulder, double guess everyone he met, everyone who walked too close to him on the street, but at the library it was like that fear was nonexistent. He had made a friend in Izzy, which was exactly what he needed right now. 

“I have two other people that help out, it allows one of us to take off, or be more flexible around the library.” She answered as she bounced Maverick up and down in her arms. “They’re actually running daycare now, if you want to check it out.” Her eyes moved back to Angel as Maverick’s little hands picked up her I.D. that was draped around her neck with a lanyard. “No pressure.” She let out an awkward laugh. 

“No, yea.” Angel spoke up which earned him a confused look from the woman holding his child across from him. He smiled realizing how confusing his statement was. “I just meant we’d love to check it out.” 

Izzy nodded and brought them both to the children’s area of the library and opened up the decent size circular room that currently had a group of kids of a variety of ages drawing on tables. 

“Sticker drawing. Helps them with open ended exploration, we let the older kids come up with a story based on their drawings and the younger ones like it too.” She was placing Maverick down on the ground and he was quick to find himself at the small table grabbing a sheet of his own. 

“How big is the age range?” Angel wasn’t sure why he was asking questions, he knew this was the best place for Maverick if he was to get this job. 

“Right now 1 through 5. This group is a bit older because it’s the summer.” She put her hands over her chest as she watched over the kids. 

 Before Angel could answer there was a little girl who was about 4 walking up to Izzy holding out her sheet of paper towards her. 

“Wow, that’s beautiful.” The little girl was being brought up into her arms and instantly throwing her own around Izzy’s neck. 

“Well the kids sure love you.” Angel smiled. 

“I hope this one does.” Izzy rocked from side to side similarly to how she was with Maverick just minutes earlier, but this time she looked at the girl in her arms and kissed the side of her head. “This one’s mine.” 

Angel found himself at a loss of words at that statement. He didn’t expect it. It automatically made him think about his friendship with Izzy, this was something huge that she so easily went without mentioning. Then again, it wasn’t like she knew everything about his life, but she knew a lot about his current life, and this felt very much like her current life. Between not knowing about the daycare and now her child, he felt like he needed to take a major step back. 

“Are you okay?” She interrupted Angel’s thoughts. 

“Yea, sorry. Just didn’t realize you had a kid.” Angel wanted to rewind the last 10 seconds so he never said those words. 

Izzy’s face dropped a little and she looked back down at her daughter and placed her back on the ground and stayed at her level for a moment. “Go back with your friends, Abrielle.” 

As she stood up she turned to Angel, and nodded towards the door. For a moment he hesitated and looked at Maverick. “You can take him, but Olivia doesn’t mind watching him.” She pointed to the woman with the lanyard similar to her own that was at the smaller kids table. With a nod, Angel was walking out of the room and standing awkwardly in front of Izzy. 

“I know you understand the need for privacy, Angel. The need to keep things to yourself. If I recall the first time I met you, I put my own address in for your library card because you were two nervous to give out information.” It felt scolding almost the way she was speaking. 

“I–” Angel went to speak but she cut him off by holding up her finger and speaking over him. 

“I don’t need a reason to make a choice regarding my child, Angel.” Her accent came out strong when she said his name. “You out of all people should get that.” 

“I do, I’m sorry. I just thought we were friends.” Again, Angel was wishing he would just keep his mouth shut. 

Izzy sighed, her guard immediately falling down and with a shake of her head she spoke. “We are friends, Angel. I just need to be cautious with her.” 

“I get that.” He nodded. “I didn’t mean to do whatever this is.” He waved his hand around and laughed awkwardly. “If anything, I’m glad you felt comfortable to tell me, it’s cool, having a parent friend. Haven’t had many of those really.” 

“Well if you do the daycare thing, you’ll make more during pickup and dropoff.” She matched his humorous tone. 

“Don’t know if I want that.” He chuckled nervously.

“Why do you think I don’t tell many people I have a child.” Her eyebrows raised and her mouth curled into a smile. 

Angel laughed. “Well then I’m honored to be accepted amongst the few.” He looked through the window of the daycare door and saw Maverick laughing at something and he turned back to Izzy. “I’d like to sign him up, even if I don’t get this job, this is the right place for him.” 

Izzy smiled at that comment, she went to say something but bit her tongue immediately. Her desire to say that this is the best place for Maverick and him was high but she held back and simply nodded. 

“Let’s get you two signed up then.” 

[commanderquinn]

a list of canon ways in which lillian hart is The Fucking Worst that cora coe deserves financial and emotional compensation for:

-the basis for the big divorce counseling mission is that cora's worried for her mother's safety. that means, before going on a deep cover operation with smugglers known to kill rangers, marines, or anyone else caught trying to interfere with their business, lillian didnt leave her daughter a heads up much less a lead. once the fuck again, this woman decided that her career was more important than her daughter's mental and emotional health. once the fuck again, this woman decided she could just disappear from cora's life and then come back out of the blue without consequence

-when you go to lillian's office to look for her at cora's request, the guy working the desk knows SAM well enough to know his name and give him shit like they've got a personal history, but he??? isnt sure about????? cora's name???? word for word, he looks at her and says "it's cora, right?" you're telling me that this woman doesn't talk about her kid enough for her fellow INVESTIAGATIVE rangers to be sure about her name??? are you SHITTING ME??????? get the fuck out of here. you cant push "ranger family values" and the close ties they have in one breath then claim she likes to keep a professional distance at work in the other. you wanna have the conversation about what fresh hell it is being a working mother in a position of power, lets go, ill have that conversation all day long. but lillian hart is not a fucking example of a working mother and im gonna be pretty fucking insulted for working mothers everywhere if i catch wind of ppl trying to pull that kind of defense card. the woman's an awful parent and should be held the fuck accountable for it. you wanna know how i know????

she doesn't say cora's name enough for the ranger watching the door to be confident in it, but he remembers alllll the stories of the captain her ex is cozying up to. and lillian is the one to confirm during the quest that she has been getting the stories from cora, so there's some clear "oh she already likes the stranger more than me." i know im reading into it because its fiction and none of these people are real, but ive also, y'know been in cora's shoes, so i can tell you from real life experience that shit does exist. idk if that was the writers INTENT, but it sure does a great job at reflecting a very sad reality

-sam points out its dumb that lillian wants to speed the ship, with her daughter on it, directly at the sydicate. idk abt y'all, but my ship was pretty dinky at that point bc i was focused on outposts, and we got ambushed by like 6 ship waves once we landed for that fight. again, i get it. game mechanics get a higher priority than realism. but this whole "we have to finish this because theres a chance you were spotted trying to rescue me" shit is so. nauseating. theres no demand to drop off cora somewhere safe, theres no "lets call in the cavalry." its this fucking egomaniac looking you dead in the eye and being like "i know i just traumatized the shit out of my kid but i need you to drive us into an ambush while she's still on board. hope you're a good shot because sam and i cant kill them ourselves." and so what that we did that????? YOURE TELLING ME IT WAS JUST THOSE SHIPS???? the rest of the organization is just going to LET IT GO???? like no fucking wonder sam sees himself as the better option even through all his fucking doubt. at least he knows when to turn the fuck around because shit is above his paygrade

-she has custody rights. she is a decorated and respected ranger. sam being a smuggler wasnt public knowledge, but point out one person in akila who wouldnt believe her in a heartbeat over it. everyone in town gives him nothing but shit, and they all side with his dad who was definitely no picnic to live with. im guessing big emotional detachment there, lotta interrogation and persecution rather than teaching and understanding. HELL, sam would probably own up to his past if lillian outed him for it, he's that type of idiot. at literally any point she could put in the effort to get legal council involved. if she's SOOOO by the law, whats the hold up there???? i agree the kid shouldnt be on my ship while im in the middle of a space fight. ive talked with sam about it, and im not even the kids parent (as of the personal quest). what the fuck are you doing about it lillian????????? oh thats right. we cant get lillian on the phone. whomp whomp.

-she made cora cry. hyper independent, "big girls dont cry" cora coe. multiple times. worse, she made cora cry because she made cora feel like she wasn't as important as lillian's career. i dont give a fuck what criminals are doing. i do not give a fuck. i give a fuck that that little pixel child got her heart broken and there isnt a dialogue for me to call out her mother for being a huge fucking cunt to her own daughter but theres a thousand and one options for me to tell sam he's parenting wrong. he is, and i have no problem using them when they're appropriate, but where the fuck are they for lillian??? why am i not allowed to tear this woman a new asshole at any point, but there's like 20+ extra dialogue options added to every single npc you have a persuade option with???? todd my head hurts and its your fault

-"im sure sam's told you all about me. go on. ask whatever you want." yet there is no option to ask what the fuck her problem is. so, clearly, i cannot, in fact, ask whatever i want.

-"but the looks i got from my fellow rangers reading alexander dumas... we do strange things for kids." yeah hart??? thats your standard????? THATS your idea of going out of your way for your kid??? literally how did sam fall for this woman oh my god i cant even listen to her speak without wanting to use the power of bitchhood i inherited from a long line of angry irish women to ridicule her to tears. maybe then she'll fucking understand how small she makes her fucking kid feel every time she turns a moment of bonding into a little "woe is me and my comfort zone oh how unfortunate i am to have a brilliant daughter that wants to connect with me through her greatest passion"

-she openly admits that she dumped the cargo sam was smuggling not because she felt any connection or sympathy or just didnt want to destroy someones chance at life in a capitalist society, but because he was a good pilot and she didnt want that talent to "go to waste" so she could recruit him. thats not really a thing against cora i just really fucking hate that and the picture it paints of her priorities as a human being

-"if we're going to be really honest here... back when we were a team... cora would follow you everywhere, like a little adoring dog. i... just fell out of it. long before we separated."

i literally. do not have words for how fucking disgusted i am by that line of dialogue. oh my fucking god. oh my fucking god. i. i TRULY would not even know where to start. the dog comparison makes me violently angry and if you'd given me a punch interrupt at that moment, i would have broken my keyboard punching the accept option

-go replay or watch a recording of that divorce counseling mission one more time. while you're doing it, imagine the roles reversed. imagine youre romancing a character thats a mother bringing cora into space, and the ranger standing in your cockpit asking to finish the mission is her father who took off to live at work once it was clear his little girl liked mommy better. imagine THAT while you listen to the (imo) out of fucking pocket dialogue where sam constantly praises lillian for being "a good ranger/woman." then you come back and tell me how comfortable you are with the concept of lillian hart as a character.

[away-ward]

Arrival

Summary: On the day of Indie's birth, there's one last person to introduce her to. Canon-compliant

Edited July 18, 2023 for grammar and phrasing.

Will

I rocked and bounced and swayed. I could sit down but there was too much energy coursing through my body to keep me seated. Emmy slept in the bed next to me, head resting on the white hospital pillows. Even with IV tubes, hair knotted and sticking to her forehead, and that shitty paper-thin gown, she was still the most beautiful woman. 

And mother. 

I swallowed, looking down at the little baby in my arms. Thanks to Winter, I've had plenty of practice holding one, not that it stopped me from shaking as the nurse passed her to me. She was so pink and warm and tiny in my large hands. None of Damon's babies were tiny like this. Those boys were monsters from day one. 

Not my girl. She was sweet and delicate, with a soft smell and blue eyes that I'm hoping won't stay blue. Green is a Grayson trait, and if one of my kids inherits them, cool, but I'm dying for this one to get her mother's chocolate-browns.  

Two light knocks at the door before it cracked open. I knew who to expect. Hours after the delivery, most everyone came through and left, promising to return in the morning after Emmy and baby had a chance to rest. Only one person hadn't shown their face yet. 

The door open to reveal two black eyes glinting in the light that spilled in from the hall way as Damon let himself in without a word. He closed the door and kept the lights off, leaving us in the pale glow from the window. Leaning back casually, arms crossed over his chest, he watched me hold my child with a superior smirk. 

Irritation simmered in my chest. At first, I was pissed he wasn't here. I knew it was his need for revenge that kept him away. He had to make a point. I regretted not being there for Ivarsen, and I've told him that. I thought we were in the clear, but as Em and I were allowed visitors, I couldn't ignore the stab of pain at his no-show. With each group, the joy I had became clouded by the bitterness of him not being there. I tried to hide the way I scanned the room, looking for him, but Em still caught it. Each time, she'd take my hand, squeezing it once to bring me back to the moment.

Looking at him now, I was just happy that I didn't have to share this with anyone else.  

My smile broke the tension first as I tore my gaze from him. I had to, because for some reason, I couldn't look away from the new life in my arms for too long. When I confirmed once again that she's real and she was there, I looked back up. My vision blurred and I realized, a bit embarrassingly, those are tears. 

I was crying.  

Again. 

Stupid fuck. My smile grew.

Damon grinned. "Are you dad now?" 

I knew if I tried to speak, my voice would fail me, so I swallowed and nodded. Damon shoved off the door, walking closer to inspect the newest addition to our constantly growing family. 

"About time you started catching up," he critiqued, peering closer. He lifted a brow, pretending to be unimpressed. "This the foretold William IV?"

I laughed. We had decided to follow Damon and Winter in keeping the gender a mystery until their arrival, but we made no secret that we were hoping for a boy – the next William. We knew either way we'd be over the moon, but between Mads, and Ivar and Gunnar, none of us really expected this. 

And I guess newborns don't look all that different, but I was a little offended he'd think my son would be so small and soft. 

"You ready for this?" I challenged. Damon lifted a brow in questions and I tilted my daughter to meet the face of who I knew would be her favorite uncle. "D, meet Indie Aspen Grayson. The first, if she so chooses." 

I swear I felt his heart stop. He looked from her to me back to her, eyes wide. It wasn't often I got the jump on him. This was my favorite surprise so far. 

"A girl?" he whispered, looking at me. Looking back at her, he said more to himself and with pride, "Our first girl." 

I shrugged. "Well, technically Athos -" 

His cutting glare shut me up. We all loved Athos, and accepted her as one of our own. Somehow, that girl was perfectly suited to the Fane's as if she were made for them, but I wouldn't deny that this felt different.

Indie cooed gently and I immediately went back to rocking her. 

"I was downstairs," Damon said. I glance up, reading him. "The entire time. For hours, I've just been sitting down there, waiting for this."

I nodded, accepting his non-apology. "Your point's been made. Don't do it again." 

"I'll catch the next one." 

I laughed. The next one, huh? I glanced behind me to Em, half expecting to catch her mid-eyeroll.  

Turning back to Damon, I asked the one thing I'd been dying to ask since he walked in. "You wanna hold her?" 

Damon's chest heaved with a sharp exhale as he raised his arms to take her. I adjusted my hold on the bundle, pausing at the last second.  

"You'll give her back, right?" I teased, smiling at him. 

He didn't take the bait, his eyes only for Indie as I passed her over. "Maybe. We'll see." 

"He will if he knows what's good for him," Emmy muttered from the bed beside us.  

I looked down, seeing her half-lidded gaze watching our daughter in Damon's arms, soft smile playing on her lips. I couldn't help myself from leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple. Hovering over her, so close my eyes couldn't take in all of her at once, I breathed her in. She was a vision. Perfection. 

Her hand came up and cupped my cheek. I needed a shave. I needed to go relieve myself. And I could probably use a shower. 

But mostly, I needed to see my daughter again.  

Emmy's eyes drew away from me to where Damon had moved to the window of the private room. With one more kiss, I left her side to join him, wrapping a hand around his shoulder and looking down at Indie. Her eyes had opened and she was looking at Damon like she knew him. It's possible she recognized his voice. He was around Emmy plenty until the final weeks when she stayed home as a precaution. Even then, Winter came around to keep her company and Damon usually followed soon after. Still, I thought it was something else. Something I couldn't put a name to.

A weaker man might be jealous or suspicious, and I was once, but I understand now. Damon and I, and the others, are one in the same, tangled together and inseparable. Our bond doesn't only cover us; it transfers to what we each love.

"You might not be getting her back after all," he joked. At least, I hoped it was a joke. A part of him sounded serious.  

Emmy made a noise behind us, a low groan, and I turned to see her trying to sit up. I glared, silently telling her to stay put. She should know better. Annoyed, she slouched against the pillows, keeping her eyes on Damon's back. God, she's gonna be a great mom.

"About that," I said to him. I looked out at the view of Thunder Bay. The local hospital was small, only three stories, so we weren't towering above the town, but it was enough to get a good eye-full of our kingdom. We were building, moving through our plans at a steady rate. By the time the kids were starting school, we'd have this place well on lock.  

But that meant enemies were coming our way. 

I'd like to say losing both of us would be unlikely, but Emory lost her parents at eleven years old. She was pregnant for the anniversary of their passing this year and it made us aware just how prepared we need to be. 

For everything.

I continued, "Em and I have discussed it, and if anything happens to us, we want you and Winter to step-in." I waited for him to answer but he remained silent. I cleared my throat. "I believe you'd call it a Godparent." 

"Though please don't teach her about God," Emmy said.  

"Chill, he's been to Sunday School. Used to do confession and all that," I retorted. I was joking awkwardly because he still hadn't answered. "Plus, he's got that rosary. Must mean something, right." 

She made another sound of discontent.   

Smiling, I looked to Damon. His silence had me worried, though I'd never admit it. Maybe he doesn't want the extra responsibility. He and Winter weren't done having kids, and it's not like my kids would be abandoned if the Torrance's didn't take them in. The only reason we're putting it on paper is for the legality of it; so there's no confusion or hold up in the system. We had no doubt that our family would take them in them if we couldn't be by their side. But of all my friends, nobody would keep them like Damon. He had a sort of ferocious protectiveness over the kids that's even more terrifying than when we were teenagers. Until Mads and Ivars, I didn't know he could get any worse. And Em could act annoyed all she wanted, I knew that like me there wasn't anyone she'd trust more in this scenario. 

Finally, he looked over, regarding me for a moment before looking out at the town, but I saw it. I made the right call. Nothing would have ever stopped him from protecting my family if I couldn't. 

"Fucking moron," he said, "that's the exact opposite of a Godparent. The term you're looking for is legal guardian."

Ha. Caught him. "So...?" 

"Send the papers in the morning." 

I laughed. In the morning, he said, as we looked at the sun rising over the horizon. 

--

Notes: I have this idea that Damon would have a special connection with Indie. Thank you for reading/commenting/liking, and spending a few short minutes with me. As always, I'd love to hear you thoughts.

sending my love.

Master List

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

Hi, the plagiarism case anon here. A few things: There can be no case for the "imgonnagetyouback" song by TS made by Olivia's team. Having the same or similar name between songs is not illegal. The songs (after hearing them both back to back) do not sound alike. There is nothing here.

Josh Farro left Paramore in 2010, but he is a co-writer with Hayley on Misery Business so if he feels that someone ripped off his intellectual property, he has grounds to request credits. Worth noting, he is a piece of shit. Hayley (and the rest of the band) were unaware of this because she did not seek legal action, HE did. That's why she was shocked when she got the credits.

I'm not sure if you're an Olivia Rodrigo fan (because I'm not) but they're not profiting off her, it looks like Josh Farro made a stupid case and Olivia's team was even stupider for getting scared of it and gave away credits without doing their due diligence. That's why in 2022 Olivia got new management (Aleen Keshishan/Lighthouse Management), to protect her assets more.

The reason why Farro (I'm not sure why you included Swift - she can't drop anything she didn't start, even though I don't like Eco-terrorist Barbie here I don't think she "started" anything) is because he saw he could get away with it. Swift, Williams, Antonoff, and St. Vincent probably just woke up and saw that their names were added underneath "Good 4 u" and "Deja vu" and I'm sure the money started to roll in shortly after. (I believe it was a 25% split for Farro/Williams and Swift also got 25%, Antonoff 20%, and St. Vincent 5%.) I believe Olivia still works with St. Vincent {she was credited in guts) which I find very interesting.

Olivia also tried to sue Korean singer Choi Yena and take her song down. I mean, the name of the song was bad ("Hate Rodrigo"), but the whole entire song was essentially praising her. She also has a lot of compelling plagiarism accusations from her dance routines to her merch designs. And Olivia's fans still send death threats to those two kids and she has said that she doesn't care (like actually, in an interview about the hate other people receive from her songs is "none of her concern" [Source: Interview on YouTube: IHeartRadioCA] so idk. I can tell she used to idolize TS. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree or whatever.

Hello, wow this is so much information, Thanks for sharing!

Honestly, I'm not surprised about Josh Farro being the one to start all the shit. He's been a jerk and will remain an asshole forever.

However, I really don't believe that Swift has no ability to just say "pass." That makes zero sense. It's not like Farro or anyone else can sue on behalf of Taylor Swift. Besides, if Olivia's team gave away credits, then the ones benefiting from the credits are now profiting off of her. Obviously, they are getting money from this situation.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of Rodrigo. So, I'm not going to waste time defending her for her own lawsuits or weird comments. I simply don't know much about it. This whole story caught my interest because it involves Taylor Swift.

I like that Olivia is at least more creative than Swift with her music. She also doesn't try so hard to make it seem more serious. It's just pop-music not pretending to be poetry. I would hope that eventually Olivia issues some type of anti-bullying statement, though. If she has not already done so.

[itsclydebitches]

This feels comparatively minor in the grand scheme of everything going on with Ruby's writing, but given that I think it connects to the overall issue of the team's mishandled emotions, I want to lay out a (potential?) nitpick here.

Anyone else confused by Jaune's Penny-focused trauma?

"What are you talking about, Clyde?" I hear the imaginary voice in my head that likes playing Devil's advocate exclaim. "Jaune just killed Penny last Volume! You said yourself that the story needed to grapple with that to have any hope of salvaging this plot-line. In what world shouldn't he be grieving a recent, horrifically tragic death that he intentionally brought about?"

Well, yeah... but it's only recent to the viewer and the characters. For Jaune it's been decades. We don't know precisely how much time has passed, but it's long enough for him to have lived at least half a life here. So why is this event still at the forefront of his emotional struggle? Look, I'm not saying something that traumatizing wouldn't stay with Jaune for his entire life, nor am I saying that Team RWBY's arrival couldn't have re-triggered those memories (even though RT didn't write that happening). All I'm saying is that this is a character who has survived years in a foreign, dangerous landscape, so it's a little odd to me that something that - from his perspective - happened when he was a kid remains his emotional focus. From just what little we've heard about Jaune's life in the Ever After, he's accumulated a long list of new tragedies he could be grappling with: surviving the Jabberwalker, being betrayed and nearly killed by Alyx, loosing Lewis, the death of his village that happened mere moments ago. Penny's death doesn't feel like an event so significant that it trumps all Jaune's other trauma, it just feels like the writers not taking into account that he should be a fundamentally different person after so much time and growth. We're seeing this problem in other ways too, where beyond being "crazy" Jaune is still the same old Jaune, he doesn't seem to have improved in his combat, the Ever After hasn't changed him in any meaningful way beyond making him physically older.

(As a side note: the story might have done something interesting with that by introducing the concept that no one changes unless it's through Ascension. Lean hard into the idea of a fixed story where Jaune has essentially remained static for all this time, playing the same Knight role, succeeding in the same heroic deeds, forever trapped with a 19yo-ish personality/mind coming off of Penny's death. His body ages, but the rest of him stays precisely the same because this is a fairy tale that must be told the same way again and again and again...)

Anyway, I find this characterization particularly unpersuasive given how the rest of the cast tends to speedrun through "development." In this Volume alone we've seen 2/3rds of the team answer the, 'Are you a good huntress?' question in a single scene, Weiss has now gotten past destroying her Kingdom because all huntresses make mistakes, I guess, the group comes to terms with Ruby killing herself instantly after it happens, and Ruby herself is poised to be magically cured of her depression via tree therapy. RWBY argues that it takes incredibly little (if anything at all) for these characters to overcome trauma and become better versions of themselves, which in and of itself is a writing Choice, but throwing an older Jaune into the mix just makes it that much harder to swallow. You're telling me that after decades in the Ever After he never once got caught in the crossroads of a punderstorm, forced to work through Penny's death the way the bees worked through their romantic hesitance? Jaune never encountered any magical smoke that let him talk back to his past self and declare that he did everything perfectly, actually? Jaune spent years befriending the Paper Pleasers, but none of them ever gave him a self-reflective speech like Team RWBY got? This world that in a day has taken the girls through ALL their problems somehow didn't help Jaune after he spent a lifetime here?

Frankly, it's impossible to imagine (and no, I don't buy this 'Well Jaune was selfish and refused to accept things/move on' argument. That's a whole other kettle of worms involving RWBY's frankly insulting definition of 'accepting death' that I don't have time to get into here). Suffice to say, if Volume 9 was going to be the girls speedrunning through their development thanks to the Ever After's magic, Jaune should be a completely different person after spending a lifetime here. You can give us an older, more mature Jaune with an entirely new set of struggles to overcome while also grappling with Penny's death by having the girls learn that he killed her. I can't believe we're heading into the finale and Jaune has fallen off the tree without Ruby learning the truth, but beyond that it might have been interesting to see her grappling with such a horrific discovery while Jaune - through no fault of his own - has already had years to work through it. That would be something to let Ruby vent about. Let her be furious and disgusted that Jaune is so "indifferent" to her death when the audience can see that really he's just reached a point where he can talk about this without immediately breaking down; let her rage about him "murdering" her, getting closer and closer to a breaking point as Jaune tries to explain what it took him years to come to terms with (a perspective I personally don't agree with, but that the narrative is clearly pushing): he did it for the greater good, it was Penny's choice, and he is not responsible for the murder Cinder committed. Give me a freshly grieving, teenage Ruby set against an adult Jaune who has - as much as anyone can - come to terms with this death and let that dynamic help Ruby grow and better herself, using a friend and fellow leader as a model.

I mean sure, we're still left with Jaune getting a ton of focus and I know many fans despise him enough that this would be a big NO right out of the gate... but personally I'd take it over Ruby attempting suicide and Jaune, for some reason, still acting like Penny died yesterday, rather than a lifetime ago.

[moonshoon]

Prom Night

MASTERLIST

pairing: (bully!)sunghoon x fem!reader genre: fluff, a little bit of angst word count: 1.2k

summary: prom night is near, y/n doesn't have a date, sunghoon doesn't have one either. they end up spending the night together.

warnings: kissing, kinda verbal bullying, 'enemies' to lovers

shortenings: none

prom was coming closer and closer and i didn't have a date yet. not that it worried me much who i would go with, more if i would even find someone to go to prom with.

i didn't want to be the lame friend without a date that would just sit at the edge of the dance floor all night, doing nothing and just staring into the farthest parts of the ball room.

"still thinking about what loser would take you out to prom, huh?" she heard his voice from behind her.

him being park sunghoon, the school's self proclaimed 'bad boy', and coincidentally also my bully.

not the kind of bully who physically harms people, but more like, he would tease them in every way possible. about my haircut, hair color, outfit, or because of the fact that i didn't have a prom date yet and anything else about me.

funny enough, he didn't have a prom date either. i wondered why. so many pretty, popular girls made a big effort to ask him out to prom, but he just always said no. how could he just let his chance to get into prom slip so easily?

on the other side though, there would be a lot more girls, maybe even guys, asking him out for prom in those next two weeks leading up to prom, so he didn't have to take the first possible opportunity.

"it must be fun too, to just reject everyone that asks you out, just because you have a thousand more chances, no?" i responded, kind of angry.

"yeah, pretty much, doll."

"don't call me that." just kidding please call me doll again, call me any sweet or cheesy nickname.

i couldn't deny. i was in love with him. but would someone so popular and attractive ever accept someone like her as a prom date? i don't think so.

two weeks passed and i still didn't have a prom date. not even once did i dare to ask anyone because i was too afraid of rejection, but no one asked me out either. so it's my fault.

my head was hanging low, i was walking out of the gates of school slowly, dragging my feet. there was no reason to be upset, i knew i wouldn't have a date for prom, but i still hoped someone would at least try to ask me out.

the beautiful, black, and gold dress that was hanging in my wardrobe at home would have to wait another year, and maybe another, and maybe another to be worn.

"first year in college and already not attending prom. What a loser"

the same voice again. sunghoon.

"can you stop? I really can't stand your teasing today." i said, tears welling up in my eyes.

Hell, why am I even this emotional today? i asked herself, trying to walk faster to make him realize i wasn't in any mood for him. but as expected, he didn't budge, he followed and followed, asking me what was wrong over and over again, my gaze never leaving the ground, not wanting him to realize i was crying now.

"stop, please!" i finally said, just loud enough for him to hear, my voice broke while is spoke.

then i heard his steps stop, and then he ran back up to me again. he put his hand on my shoulder, turning me around and making me face him.

"are you crying?"

"no"

"please, I can see you're crying"

"why did you ask then?"

he stayed silent.

i pulled myself away from his grip and started walking again, but not long, as he caught up with me and hugged me.

"... what-"

"i'm sorry. please don't cry..."

"am i hearing this correctly? park sunghoon, apologizing?" he nodded, still hugging me tightly.

"i'm sorry for making fun of you for not having a prom date." sunghoon stated "i shouldn't be making fun of you when i don't have one either."

"what? why?"

i was shocked to say the least. from what i heard from other students, sunghoon always waited until the last minute and then said yes to someone right before school ended on prom day. how come he doesn't have a date now?

"let's ditch prom. be ready at eight, wear your prom dress." he said, letting go of me and walking away.

"wait! sunghoon! why?"

"just do it!" he yelled back, not even turning to look at me anymore.

eight came around and i was ready, wearing my prom dress, with some light make up done. i still didn't have any clue what sunghoon was up to, but i was about to find out.

when the doorbell rang, i almost sprinted to the door, opening it and seeing sunghoon there, no big surprise. he was wearing a black suit and a black gucci belt with golden clip in the front.

"wow, handsome..." i muttered, not even realizing i said it out loud.

sunghoon let out a low chuckle and grabbed my hand.

"i know, doll. only for you."

he walked me up to his car, opening the passenger seat door and helping me put the belt over myself. then he walked around his car, got in and started the engine

"where are we going?" i asked.

"won't tell you yet."

we drove almost ten minutes, silence reigning in the car. when he pulled up to the nearest mcdonald's i was confused.

"what are we doing here?"

"we're getting something to eat, what else?" he said, shrugging his shoulders and opening the car door.

i quickly got out, walking after him.

"wait, wait, wait. I thought we were going to prom?"

"didn't I tell you we'd ditch prom? this is way more fun."

he strutted into the restaurant; i walked after him shily. everyone's eyes were on us, obviously. we both looked like we just attended a wedding, and one of the customers waiting in line with us even congratulated us on our wedding.

sunghoon politely accepted the congratulation as i just hit his shoulder lightly.

when we left the place, sunghoon drove to an abandoned parking lot at the other end of the city, parking is car there and getting out. i followed him and sat next to him on a bench near the car.

"and what do we do now?"

"we eat our food and enjoy the night sky."

we ate in silence until i decided to interrupt it.

"and why didn't you go to prom? you had a lot of chances!"

"i wanted to be with you. i wanted you to make the first move, but you never aksed"

with a confused look i stared at him.

"what?"

"i really like you, dummy..." he whispered, turning to me and sweetly kissed me under the night sky.

[gaytotaldrama]

For the requests: maybe Brott? (Brick x Scott)

full disclosure: i haven't gotten to TDROTI in my rewatch yet (mid-TDWT rn) so if anyone seems OOC i apologize it's been a while since ive seen it!! but i think brott is a super cute pairing and brick has always been one of my faves from the newer casts so i hope you enjoy :)

also on my ao3!

Part of a soldier's duty is to keep alert, and notice the little things not everyone else does. Brick may not be top of the class, but he had to have gotten picked for the new season of Total Drama for a reason. And if he really wants a shot at the money, it's probably best to start strategizing before the game even begins.

Which is why Brick starts people-watching as soon as he boards the boat to the island, so he can get a head start on sizing up the - somewhat intimidating - competition.

The most obvious threats, he checks out first. The girl in the grey tracksuit is clearly super athletic, as is the guy in the jersey he's pretty sure is named Lightning. Loud, both of them, but probably also headstrong. Easy to anger. Brick's known plenty like that over the course of his years of training. They'll be ones to watch out for, for sure.

The big guy is quiet - really quiet - and Brick's positive he's got to be secretly housing some mad brains up there. The small kid with the glasses won't get anywhere in the physical challenges, but in Brick's experience, those types of people can serve up a truly merciless smackdown of intelligence. Brick wouldn't call himself dumb, but he's never exactly been an Einstein - watch out for them, too.

Zoey is sweet - she'd introduced herself to Brick near the top of the boat ride, obviously eager to get to know her fellow competitors - and therefore not much cause for concern. Ditto Mike, who seems both nervous and excited, and ultimately, non-threatening. Dakota (and he knows her name is Dakota, because she'd loudly announced herself as she'd sashayed on board) is caught up in her own glossy glamorous self, the curly-haired guy too wrapped up in his video games to give Brick cause for much worry. The Italian girl is a little scary (not that Brick's afraid or anything, haha) and the small kid in the green sweater has done nothing but meditate this whole time. Yeah, they shouldn't be a problem.

Neither is the loud girl in the pink jacket. Brick never caught her name - he's sure she introduced herself, but she's been talking the ear off of everyone non-stop and in all that prattle, none of it seems to actually hold any merit. And Brick would know a thing or two about merit, yes sir!

Chatty Cathy's current victim appears to be the only other remaining contestant - looks like your classic Nova Scotian farm boy, chopped red hair, threadbare wifebeater, unimpressed look on his face. Brick doesn't know his name, or his deal - strength from years of outdoor chores? Some hidden smarts no one would assume of him? Brick has no idea. Come to think of it, Brick's not even sure he's heard the guy say a word. Not that it's in any way easy to get a sentence in edgewise with pink jacket girl around, of course - had she said her name was Tracey? Sarah?

"What are you staring at, buzzcut?"

Brick instantly straightens his spine, standing at attention, embarrassed to have been caught looking at the farm boy. "Nothing. I wasn't staring at anything."

"Uh, yeah, you totally were," says pink jacket. "It was so obvious! By the way, did you know that my great-great-great-great-great uncle Gordon first coined the term obvious wayyyyyy back in - "

"Put a sock in it," farm guy mutters, and strangely, she seems to listen to him. He diverts his attention back to Brick, advancing on him like some sort of terrifying jungle cat. "Trying to size up the competition?" He sniffs, thin lips curled into a sneer. "All you need to know about me is that I'm gonna kick your sorry ass off this island."

Brick stands his ground. "With all due respect, you don't know that for certain. Mr....?"

"Scott." He grabs a hold of the front of Brick's shirt, pulling him in close and oh no, he's hot, and whoa, he's got freckles like everywhere. "I'll make sure you won't forget it, private."

And with one last withering glare, he lets go of Brick and stomps away.

"Wow." In all that had just happened, Brick had forgotten Staci (!!) entirely, but she's throwing an arm around his shoulder now in what she likely thinks is a comforting manner. "That guy is gonna eat you alive! Speaking of cannibals, my cousin's sister's dog's landlord totally eats people! Chris would probably love to have him on the show, yah, he's a total maniac but I bet he'd be great for ratings, ya know? Ya know, my great-great-great-great - "

But Brick isn't listening to a word. He's staring down at his shirt, positive he can see the imprint of Scott's fingers seared into the fabric there, because why else would Brick have burned the way he did when Scott touched him?

[hqmillioncorn]

Close your eyes until its all Over

Cherrypit opened his eyes.  The last thing he could remember was his sister hugging him and talking to him about what they were going to do once they arrived at their new home. After that, there was nothing. Nothing but the feeling of tumbling onto the ground.  “Mama? Papa?” He couldn’t see anyone near him. “Bebe?”  There was nothing more he wanted to do right now than sit down and cry. There was no one. He was all alone. What else could he do?! “M-Mama! Papa!” Cherrypit cried out. No one answered.  Then something told him to keep walking. Someone was waiting for him. 

ffxiv write day 15 (free day): terror

takes place during stormblood cherrypit has some scary times uh oh

Cherrypit was absolutely sure that everyone he knew was invincible. 

He had been proven wrong before. With what happened with Ysayle and Haurchefant, even Moenbryda. But Cherrypit couldn’t see any of that. Even now, whenever he visited Ishgard with his sister and everyone he would save a plate of snacks for his friends who were running late. 

Who weren’t ever really going to arrive. 

No matter how much time passed Babycorn didn’t have the heart to tell him some of his friends weren’t ever going to come back. Sometimes she couldn’t even accept it herself. Babycorn already knew she wasn’t strong enough to tell Cherrypit the truth. 

She hoped one day she would be but for now nothing would change. 

Right now any of that couldn't be farther from Cherrypit’s mind. He was sad he couldn’t talk with his sister while he was trapped in her body but on the plus side he did get to go on a fun trip with everyone.

It was a place he had never seen before! There were a handful of times Cherrypit had almost wandered off chasing a butterfly or a bug that caught his eye. He had caught some conversations about how serious this trip was but none of it really sunk in.

Cherrypit was a simple kid. Almost all of it went over his head, but he did understand that there were bad people here doing more bad things and his friends were going to save a lot of people again!

“I wanna help!” Babycorn would have offered up to help too! Of course Cherrypit was going to do the same. 

By now most of the scions knew that Cherrypit’s strength wasn’t to be underestimated, but how much of that strength did he have while inside Babycorn’s body? Cherrypit couldn’t transform, he couldn’t even make those horrifying faces he loved to torment them with. The only way Cherrypit could fight back with was his magic, which was as terrifying as ever.

The only problem was that he was very unused to carrying a staff so big and ended up dropping it most of the time. “Whoops!” He cried, watching his new wand roll down the hill. 

It didn’t take very long for all of them to realize they were essentially babysitting. 

…But it was oh so hard for any of them to resist Cherrypit’s bright blue eyes, begging them to bring him along. Which is how he (and his brina doll) tagged along all the way to Rhalgr's reach.

Cherrypit hadn’t been allowed to go on lookout with some of the others. Instead he stayed behind and helped Krile with whatever fun assignment she and the twins gave him to distract him until it was time to move. The task of the night was putting some supplies away in crates. 

Though Cherrypit could defend himself more than the usual two-year old could. In the body of his sister he was more of a normal kid than he normally was. 

Ironically. 

Cherrypit had just finished putting away some rope when it happened. 

There was a loud sound that drew his attention away from his job. “Mmm?” He looked up, expecting to see one of his friends walking over his way. Maybe it was Lunya with some snacks again? Or Hanabi with a pretty flower to show him? Or maybe B’ig Nunh back from his trip! 

The possibilities were endless and made Cherrypit more excited than he’d ever been. Cherrypit stood himself up and ran towards the noise. He stopped only when he saw an imperial soldier staring right at him. 

Then another, and another, and another. 

In the chaos that followed Cherrypit managed to escape, but he didn’t get very far. 

He could hear familiar voices calling out his name but he couldn't get his body to move out from the crate he had jumped into to hide. There were so many loud noises around him. Explosions, screams, the crackling of fire. 

His weapon was right outside. All he needed to do was stop hiding and grab it. It would be so easy. 

There was another scream near him, and then the sound of someone hitting the ground. 

Cherrypit put his hands over his eyes. Surely whatever was going on outside would be over soon. Maybe it was just another nightmare, he had a lot of those sometimes. That’s why he didn’t like sleeping. They were never nice. 

But it would be okay. Because any second now Babycorn would show up and save him.

Right?

All of a sudden, Cherrypit’s hiding place shook. There was nothing to hold onto as it all collapsed down. A rush of air hit Cherrypit, as well the dirt on the ground. Everything was much louder now. Cherrypit pushed the crate off him, ignoring the stinging on his knees. 

It was dark, there were a lot of people lying on the ground near him. Most of them weren’t moving. There were still a lot of other people running around. A lot of people were fighting each other too. Cherrypit spotted his wand, just out of reach and still in the same place he had left it. 

No one seemed to pay him any mind as he slowly crawled his way over to grab it. 

He still had no idea what was going on. Had the bad guys attacked them here? That didn’t make any sense. Alisaie had told him that they were safe here. She wouldn’t lie. 

Cherrypit grabbed his wand, holding it like his life depended on it. Then there was another noise right behind him. It sounded scary. Everything in his body was telling him to not go that way, to go back and hide somewhere safe. Then there was another noise. This was someone that Cherrypit recognized. 

It was the sound of one of his friends. 

They must have been here to help! “Over here! I’m over here!” Cherrypit cried, with newfound strength, he ran towards where he had heard his friends. 

When he got there, his nightmare got even worse. 

The sight of his friends, everyone, struggling to stay standing made Cherrypit freeze where he stood. 

The big monster they were facing was still fighting back. They should have been able to win by now. Shouldn’t they? Lunya and Vertical were super strong! They should have been able to win with a single hit. But instead they were….hurt?

But that wasn’t right. None of this was right. It must have been another nightmare.

Cherrypit watched as the monster brushed aside Hanabi’s spells and Coco’s arrows. Like they were nothing. 

“S-Stop!”

Nothing was working! The monster was going to hurt his friends! 

The monster was going to cut them down! Just like before when he couldn’t stop it!

Just like…

Cherrypit ran forward and stood in between the monster and his friends. They had been blown away by a powerful attack, stunned and unable to move. “Stop it!” Cherrypit didn’t know where he had found the strength to act. There wasn’t a lot of it to begin with. Despite his words, he was shaking. 

It was clear that while he had the bravery to stand up to the monster, he wouldn’t be able to fight back.

“Don’t hurt them…” Cherrypit begged. 

Cherrypit heard the monster say something. Cherrypit was breathing so fast and his heart was racing, he didn’t hear a single word. But he could understand what the act of raising a sword meant. 

He heard someone say his name before it all went dark.

[tmnt-tychou]

I headcanon that Donnie Leo and Mona took shifts watching over the babies for the first two months and keeping them warm etc there was once an incident when dj got sick and had to be separated from LJ to not get him sick and they both cried and wailed for hours because they missed each other but after the first day they stopped crying but only if they got to see each other atleast once throughout the day

Separation Anxiety

Series: Rise of the TMNT

The temperature scanner beeped and Mona Lisa removed it from her son's forehead to check the screen. “It's official. Little Man's got a fever.”

One year old DJ made some unhappy turtle noises as he squirmed in discomfort in her arms. He had always been the more fussy of the twins. With him not feeling well, he had been absolutely clingy. Usually content to let Leonardo take care of him most of the day, he currently wouldn't let anyone else hold him but his mother. As such, her shirt was a mess of snot and drool as she showed the temperature to Donatello who was, of course, dressed like a mini pandemic had exploded in their household. He was double-masked and dressed in paper scrubs and plastic gloves.

“What do you think?” Mona asked.

“Not high enough to take him to the hospital,” he replied. “We'll keep an eye on it. In the meantime, we'll have to keep that twins separated and hope LJ doesn't get...whatever this is.”

Mona sighed. DJ began to get fussy again and she rocked him. “Great. So I'm going to be watching a sick baby by myself.”

“What do you mean by yourself?” Donatello protested. “These kids have three parents.”

“Yes, but Leo's going to watch LeeJay and you, the germaphobe you are, the second you leave this room, none of us are going to see you for at least a week.”

Donatello narrowed his eyes at her. “Fine, I will stay and help you with the baby. And to prove to you I am trying, I shall remove one of my masks.”

She shook her head at him. “What are you going to do when the kids go to public school?”

“P-public school.” He said the words as if he could taste those grimy halls in his mouth. “Can't we just home school them until they're twenty?”

She chuckled and then tried to kiss the side of his face. Donatello immediately jabbed a finger into her cheek and steered it away from him.

“Oh, no-no, my dear. No skin-on-skin contact until this situation is taken care of.” He motioned to the baby.

“So you're probably not going to hold him, then.”

“Not a chance. Not that he'll let me. DJ's already chosen his caretaker and he chose well. I shall merely fetch you anything you require.”

“I guess that's better than nothing.”

He patted her shoulder with just the tips of his gloved fingers. “You can do it, baby.”

***************

“Is LeeJay being fussy, too?” Mona asked over the baby monitor. She currently sat in the nursery rocking chair, DJ's lightly snoozing and frowning form in her arms. She could hear unhappy baby noises from the monitor. “Is he feeling okay?”

“He doesn't seem sick,” Leonardo's voice came from the other end. Currently, LJ's room was the guestroom as they kept the twins quarantined from one another. As of yet, the other twin hadn't caught DJ's flu, and their parents were doing everything they could to keep it that way.

“I think he's worried he can't find DJ,” Leonardo continued. “He's been looking for him all day.”

Mona made a sound of empathy. “It will be just a couple days. I hope.”

“It's already been a couple days,” came the irritated reply. Then a soft sigh. “I miss you. I miss not having our house divided in half.”

“Just a couple more days. His fever's getting better.” And it was about time. Mona couldn't remember when she last slept more than an hour at a time. From the sounds of it, LJ was getting louder and more in distress. “I have to turn off the monitor,” she added with regret. “I don't want Lee to wake up DJ.”

“Okay, I'll talk to you later. I love you.”

Mona was forced to turn off the monitor right then as her other son grew too loud.

***********

Sometime in the night, DJ managed to find a fitful sleep instead of snoozing for a few minutes at a time. And as soon as he was at peace, Mona nodded off. She was awoken to an impatient squirming in her arms, then little hands touching her face. Her eyes fluttered open to find LJ in her arms, making happy turtle noises at seeing his mother after not being able to see her for a few days.

“What?” she wondered blearily. “Where--” she paused as she realized she only had one baby in her arms. “DJ! Where's DJ? Leo?” If he did this, Leo was one dead turtle. She stood with LJ in her arms. “LEO!”

As she stalked out into the hall, a startled Leonardo came up the other end to meet her. He had a fussy DJ in his arms and he looked utterly confused.

“Why did you switch the babies?” Mona demanded.

“I didn't do it! I just woke up and DJ was in the crib!”

“Well, I didn't switch them! Why would I do that?”

“Why would I do that, Ramona?”

Their argument was interrupted by a shrill gasp as Donatello caught them all. “You broke quarantine! You filthy lying LIARS!”

By now, Mona Lisa had enough of both of their antics and was about to give her partners a piece of her mind when she felt a tingling in her arms. In a shimmer of green light, LJ faded away and DJ was returned to her arms. An equally surprised Leonardo now held LJ. Of which, said twin made a noise of disappointment and disappeared again. This time, instead of a shimmer, it was more like a pop. Mona had to readjust to the sudden weight of both twins in her arms.

LJ looked extremely pleased as he tried to interact with his long-lost and kind of cranky twin brother.

Leonardo blinked at them for a while and then his face lit up. “My boys found their ninpo already! That's great!”

“What's not great is all of you are infected now!” Donatello barked. “The quarantine is a bust!”

Silence from everyone as that sank in.

“Good,” Leonardo announced. “I'm glad it's a bust. Quarantine sucks.” Mona Lisa made a surprised noise as he picked her up, the twins still in her arms. “The boys have spoken. We stay together. So I'm taking the family and we're all going to sleep in our bed tonight. You can join or not, Donnie, it's up to you.”

Donatello frowned as they left. But it wasn't long until he showed up in the bedroom. Though in a full hazmat suit, he stood in the doorway frowning. No one noticed him. The twins were being too cute. DJ was asleep, snuggled up to his brother while LJ made happy turtle noises.

With the squeak of rubbing plastic, Donatello sullenly sat himself on the side of the bed.

Mona glanced over her shoulder. “Look who's being so brave.”

“Don't patronize me, woman,” he shot back. “I'm here, aren't I?”

She chuckled as she snuggled in, surrounded by her family. “Yes, you are.”

*****

Thank you so much for this request, Anon! This gave me a great opportunity to show the twins' special abilities. They can "location swap" or they can portal to each other. I was looking for a way to show that in story form and you offered it to me.

Thank you for the ask!

Writing Tag:

@thelaundrybitch @turtle-babe83 @hotredphoenix @post-apocalyptic-daydream @leosgirl82 @dilucsflame33 @akesdraws-blog @fluffytriceratops @happymoonangel

[anrisimps]

Story synopsis

How the kids were adopted

Ricardo

Agneo were on some mercenary business ( they decided to join them just to have a steady source of income. They couldn't exactly take away their savings from the duchy after faking their deaths) 

Some assassination guild had decided to become a nuisance and they had been shipped off to deal with them. And as expected, none of them had been any match for a swordmaster and a ninth circle mage. Yet those jackasses still charged at them as if they believed they could take them down.

Agnes yawned and lifted up her sword, skewering yet another of those idiots. 

Leo strutted about and set her sword on fire. 

"What the fuck-"

"I was feeling for some barbeque this afternoon. What do you say?"

"My sword will melt! Put this off first, you bastard!"

He doused the flames when she tried to kick him and her sword turned back to normal. Agnes wanted to punch his stupid face as he casually speared 10 assassins with his water spears. 

"I don't think anyone else is left here - hmm? Did you hear something?" 

"That sound came from that hut," she pointed to said hut.

She kicked the door open and found a man kneeling on the ground. She didn't care what he had been doing. He was the last one and then their job would be finished and she could finally rest. 

Without so much of a second thought, she brought her sword down and cleanly lopped the head of the assassin only to freeze at the sight in front of her. It was a child. A child had been standing - no wait- chomping on that man's arm and now looked at her with wide eyes, the man's head not there to obstruct his view anymore. 

Agnes found herself sharing the deer caught in headlight look with the child because what the fuck-

The kid slowly pulled out the arm from his mouth and respectfully dropped it down as if he just hadn't been trying to tear it off. Leo's gaze traveled the room and settled on a wrapped up bundle stuffed in the corner of the room. Now, by no means, should he know what was in there but he had an inkling what the kid had been trying to do. 

"So you were running away huh?" he mused aloud, staring at the kid with a glimmer of amusement. 

The kid flinched and squared up, looking  directly into his eyes as if daring him to take away his things. It was then Leo noticed his crimson eyes. They looked eerily similar to his wife. And he had black hair to add to that. If leo didn't know any better, he would've thought his wife went ahead and procreated all by herself to make this child. 

He turned to look at her and found her already looking back at him. 

The boy continued to stare at these stupidly strong people suspiciously. Where the hell did they come from? Nothing like this happened in his last life! What changed?! He couldn't have caused a butterfly effect so huge that it led to the annihilation of the guild just by existing. Clearly something was up. If he was in his old body, he would've fought them head on. He wasn't weak by any means and people didn't call him a tyrant for nothing. But right now? Right now he was a useless pathetic child who had no hopes of defending himself so all he could do was watch.

And what the hell were these two doing? They just stopped talking mid sentence and were staring into each other's eyes, clearly lost in some trance. Did they have some sort of mental connection? (yes) Were they talking about how to deal with him without letting him know any of it? (yes) If only he could still run away-

Meanwhile Leo and Agnes :

Agnes: Are we having a baby right now?

Leo : ...perhaps

(And then they just pick him up like a potato sac and take him home)

[madmilez]

If you died, right now, what category would your life into. Would your soul shine onward toward the source, victorious and proud? Or would it linger, confused and overwhelmed by the weight of what you left unfinished?

How many things had you intended to accomplish but have not? How many promises have you made that still linger, unsure where they're place of rest be? Have all your children grown? Or do you leave behind young ones? Parents? Is the home where your family lives paid for? Will they now struggle without you?

What is the last thing you said to the one you love? To your children? Do you even remember?

When you think about where you are, how would you describe it? Are you on the right path? Have you made progress toward your goals? Have you prioritized the elements of your life correctly?

Now that you ate at the end, knowing that none of what you worked tirelessly for, day after day, for so many years, goes with you. Not a dime. You do not keep any of it and the things that mattered to you here, mean little to anyone else. College football trophies are now trash. Degrees, diplomas, academic achievements are lost, buried with the only soul with a reason to remember.

Your camero you had all your life, the one you restored and spent so much time after work everyday to complete instead of with your family is not sold, cheap to someone who will never appreciate it like you by your wife who, if your were not aware, hated that car. It took you from her even more than you already were.

What I'll feelings will you leave behind? Are you aware of them all? Who will be at your funeral? Who will shed tears? Will anyone hurt over your loss and if so, for how long? Will those who mourn you come to learn that life is now improved with you gone? What is your legacy?

It is easy to get caught up in the flow of life, to simply play the role so many play. To be 'normal' because this is what we are all taught. Society expects things from you, from us all. The picture of what a life should be is laid out in front of you from day one. Anyone who deviates from the norm is shunned.

Go to school. Learn what they teach you and allow your mind to be developed and mounded into what they want, what they need you to be. Grow into the pawn you were born to be. Work, work, work everyday. Start a family and make the workers of tomorrow. Teach your kids to be the same as you. Work until your tired and near death. Then die. If you cannot work, make room for those who can.

This is life?

Some say that I am a vagrant. I am a lowlife, an outlaw, some say I'm evil. None trust me. No, not one. No amount of good deeds, no amount of being trustworthy will ever afford me trust. I'm a drug addict, a felon. I'll never amount to anything. There are many people who have a hard time even looking me in the eye.

I want trust, because I am trustworthy. I want to be seen as a person, because I am. This life I've chosen isn't exactly what I'd hoped for, I'll admit, but at least I am not just another sheep in the heard. Not just another number. I am me. I will never bow. I will never submit no matter what it costs me. I am one of the few, a true 5%er!

I care nothing for what they care for...... money. Power. Immortality. While the world is caught up chasing these, I am busy with thoughts of those I love, contemplating reality and seeking the truth. Seeking answers that could potentially save us all. Looking for God. Fighting to maintain within me the love I have for humanity in spite of humanities best efforts to take it from me.

The truth is simple once you see it. They try to hide it because they know. The truth, will set you free. That is just something they cannot allow.

While I cannot simply tell you what the truth of it all. You could not receive it. You must seek it, then slowly, over time, you will begin to open your eyes.

This is what I offer you now, the question I put forth when we began. Where do you stand? Think on this day and night. What matters most to you? Not what you think matters to you, not what you are expected to say to that question. No. What matters to you is the thing you put your time into, your energy, what you think of most. The evidence is in your actions. You don't have to conform, it does not matter what people tell you. Find your purpose and do not neglect it. Live for it, fight for it and even if you lose that fight, there will be no shame in the defeat. And in the end, no regret.

In closing, consider this; for you, and concerning your individual life with all its hopes and dreams, in the end, none of it matters one bit. Why? Because you die. The only hope you have for any purpose, even if it's only for a moment, is to find love while you can and hold on to it for as long as you can!

Good luck, much ❤️

[itsalltoobeautiful]

After school, it became somewhat of a routine for Whitney to unwind by sitting outside on the assortment of tables underneath the shady trees— usually, she brought a book or one of her countless journals; sometimes both. It was her way of processing the fullness of the day, and taking a little while for herself to come down from the responsibilities she had for several hours prior.

Walking out of the main doors, she took a look around to find an open table, but found that her favorite one was taken over by a group of students that she wasn’t always comfortable being around…. even that was an understatement. There were other tables around, but none were quite empty, still with those who she just wasn’t comfortable with. Jocks, popular kids, even those she didn’t mind were seated at the tables this time around.. some even waved to her and wanted her to join. Today, the girl just wanted a break, to take a breather- But when Whit finally checked for another one around the corner, a breath of relief fell from her lips.

Making her way over, she noticed that it was Eddie- Eddie Munson who did occupy the one clear table, but the girl didn’t mind, if he didn’t. If anything, she’d rather sit with someone like him than everyone else taking up the spots. Everyone treated him like some sort of weirdo, even some of her friends would make comments about this and that— but she just.. didn’t feel the same way. There was something about him that just didn’t scare her or put her off about him like a lot of Hawkins. It wasn’t fair, really.

Taking a seat on the opposite side, Whitney’s face grew a little smile at his half-welcome; she got her bag and journal out before she quirked a brow.

“No, there were others..” Her honeyed eyes met his for a moment before she made sure she had her favorite pen, opening her journal to the last unmarked page. “I just didn’t wanna sit with anyone.. uh, anyone else. And I hoped it would be alright to just do some writing here-“

Her soft smile never faltered— she didn’t know how to say that she just wanted to see if she could sit with him for a bit, to maybe talk or.. just hang out. He’d always caught her eye, but she couldn’t just say that.

“What book do you have, if you don’t uh, mind me asking?”

❛  umm, is this seat taken ?  ❜

@itsalltoobeautiful

It took Eddie a moment to even react to the question. He heard her, he heard what she asked. He just needed a minute to process that someone was talking to him. Strangers didn't talk to Eddie, let alone ask to sit with him. People were either scared of him or plain and simply didn't like him. He was okay with both of those scenarios. Not to say that he wasn't okay with someone asking to sit with him; it just never happened.

He closed the book he was reading, a guitar pick in place of a bookmark. It was either that or folding the page. He wasn't opposed to folding but this book was from the public library and the librarian fucking hated him. She didn't expect other people's books the way she did Eddie's. He hated her right back.

Brown eyes looked up at the girl from behind his bangs, an awkward crooked smile on his lips as he shook his head no. "But are all the other one's taken?" Because that's the only reason anyone would ask to sit with the town freak, if all other seats were taken.

[lisafrnkenstein]

Steve’s favorite color is yellow.

He’s given a lot of thought to his favorite color. It’s one of those things people always ask, from your very first interactions on the playground. When he was a child, it was easy; blue, because that was the normal color for boys.

When he got a little older, “normal” was no longer good enough. Tommy H told him that “normal” was boring, and didn’t stand out. If he wanted to become a Popular kid, he needed to stand out as much as he could.

Steve wanted to stand out. He wanted people to look at him, so that his parents might see how popular he was, and realize he was someone worth paying attention to.

“You need a strong favorite color.” Tommy had told him.

In middle school, Steve decided his favorite color was red. Red caught people’s eyes, red felt powerful, red got Tommy’s approval.

But his favorite color being red did not make his parents look at him, even as he graduated and moved on to high school with a buzzing reputation and all the popularity he could have dreamed of.

In high school, Steve’s parents stopped coming around. Their vacations and business trips took longer and longer, and eventually, they stopped coming home altogether. 

And the thing was, he didn’t really care all that much about the color red. When he lost the title of King, when he stopped caring about being popular, when he hated who he had been and couldn’t figure out who he wanted to be, and gave up any hope of his parents ever giving him any kind of positive attention, Steve‘s favorite color stopped being red.

He never did learn how to stop masking, though. Favorite colors, favorite movies, music preferences, they all tie into those masks, into the person you present to the world. A little adrift, Steve lost sight of any person he wanted to be, and all those things he maintained for the sake of a mask started to slip away.

“I’m worried I might not be a real person in here underneath it all,” He had told Robin once in the middle of a drive, spiraling about the void he encountered when he tried to dredge up any of his own opinions. “I feel like if no one is telling me what to do or like, or I’m not trying to meet their expectations, then I don’t know anything about myself.”

And she had calmed him down in her own awkward way, patting his shoulder like she was afraid the touch would tip him over the edge, smile a bit manic because she had no idea what to do when the driver of the car was currently bawling like a baby (her words, and a little exaggerated at that, he was tearing up at best.)

He had eventually pulled over, and she had stared him down, and rattled off a bunch of personal questions. He could find answers for none of them.

“So find them.” She’d said. “Find the things you like, what makes you happy. Don’t listen to anyone else about it, don’t think about what they want. Maybe start simple? Like your favorite color.”

So he’d tried. He’d thought, maybe it was red after all? The color of Max’s hair. Or maybe blue, because it made him think of Dustin’s ridiculous hat. Maybe green, because it was the color of spring and new things, or maybe pink, because it was pretty.

He felt lost in a sea of choices, all surrounding the one, simple, basic, childhood question most children have an answer to by the time they go to school.

Then in walked Eddie Munson.

Eddie changed a lot about his life. He hadn’t expected him to, had sort of expected him to be a blip in his radar; but Eddie is incapable of existing in the peripherals. He sauntered in with the electrifying energy of a leading man on stage, even as he cowered in a boat shed scared out of his mind, and Steve had been unable to look away.

If Robin had asked him about things he liked in the months that followed, he would have been able to confidently say Eddie Munson was among them, and wasn't that a kicker?

It was just that, Eddie was capable of walking into a room and immediately projecting every single thing about himself and what he liked into the space. You couldn’t get away from the impression of exactly who Eddie was just by the very nature of his existence.

Steve wished he were like that.

Wished he could be so self confident that he could decide what he liked without a care for what others think or how they judge him, wished he could wear it as proudly as Eddie did the patches on his vest.

(The same vest Steve still hadn’t returned.)

But he hadn’t just stolen the vest; it had been somewhat of a trade off. He had thrown his sweater at Eddie’s head shortly before diving to the depths of Lover’s Lake, only for it to never be seen again. Part of him had assumed it had just gotten swallowed up when the gate had ruptured through Hawkins.

Then Eddie had walked through the doors of the Family Video, big, dark eyes all wide and his hair piled up on his head, wearing the bright yellow of Steve’s sweater.

Steve had short circuited. Upon reboot, his first thought was, for some reason, It’s yellow. My favorite color is yellow. Yellow yellow yeLLOW YELLOW!

The second was, I like him wearing my things.

The third was, Oh. I like Eddie.

So at age twenty, Steve Harrington knows two whole things about himself: he likes Eddie Munson, and his favorite color is yellow.

[dreamwritesimagines]

Enamored [25] - The Maze

A.N: Thank you so much for your amazing feedback my loves, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please let me know what you think, thank you! ❤ And as always, thank you @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter and the story❤ 

Summary: Midnight decisions come with consequences.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, angst, implications of sex

Word Count: 5700

Series Masterlist

It seemed as if everyone else was having fun but you.

It wasn’t that surprising, considering your heart was broken to pieces and every single thing about this wedding retreat just reminded you what you had planned for your own future, not to mention how in love you had been—

How much of a fool you had been.

You were supposed to enjoy these two days, especially now that the rest of the ton was here. At every corner there was a different entertainment, some had gone into the woods to hunt, some were playing games in the garden, there was a theatre company at some part of the yard setting up their stage, and there were many people promenading.

Yet, none of those options were appealing to you, so you ended up exploring the house in a desperate attempt to stay away from the person who refused to leave your mind, despite the heartbreak.

Elias had told you there were certain rooms in the house that were locked so that no one could get in, apparently they had been that way ever since the divorce so you were adamant on finding those rooms. You had always been good at unlocking since you were a kid, successfully getting into the pastry cabinet much to your cook’s displeasure, so you were sure that you could in fact get in those rooms, you just needed to find them first.

You turned a corner that led you into a deep hallway and tried a door, but it opened very easily, making you scrunch up your face and you closed it again, making your way to the next one, deep in thought. Pierre had told you he wanted to promenade with you in the afternoon and you were planning on accepting his offer, but first you needed to see Cecily and help her pick a gown for tonight’s dinner party. The engagement ball was coming tomorrow night, and you really wanted to make sure there were no flaws in her gown or accessories—

Your train of thought was cut off as soon as you opened the next door and your gasp caught in your throat, the two figures in the room separating from a kiss in a haste. You gawked at Hugh and Kenneth who both seemed out of breath as Hugh did his breaches while Kenneth got into his shirt, but before anyone could even say anything you heard Penelope’s voice from the end of the hall.

“Y/N?”

You turned around and slammed the door shut behind you, leaning back to it, holding the handle quite tight.

“I was exploring the house and thought I saw you,” Penelope made her way to you as you tried to fix your breathing, your heart pounding in your chest. “Are you alright?”

“Oh—yes of course I am!” you said, still leaning back to the door. “I’m also exploring the house, we can do it together! Just not this room, maids must have forgotten to clean it. It’s all dusty and dust makes me all breathless.”

“Oh I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” you said, clearing your throat. “But I can’t let my beloved friend and guest see this room in such state, so we’re going somewhere else.”

She let out a laugh as you pushed yourself off the door and linked your arm with hers, pulling her towards the end of the hallway.

“Have you had a chance to see the art gallery?” you asked, desperately trying to distract her and yourself, and she shook her head.

“No, where is it?”

“Downstairs, I found it by accident when I first got here,” you said. “I must admit, Cece was right. I really will need a map—”

“Lord Bridgerton?” Penelope cut you off, looking at the hallway you had just stepped into.

Oh Jesus Christ, you really should have gone outside and spent time with Pierre.

Anthony looked almost frozen and he straightened up from the wall he was leaning against, stealing a look behind him into the hallway before bowing his head to you. The mere sight of his handsome figure was enough to send that familiar pang of pain through your chest but you swallowed thickly and willed a smile on your face.

“Ladies,” he said, his gaze wandering off to you before he forced himself to focus, taking a deep breath. “How are you on this fine day?”

“We’re exploring the house,” Penelope said. “What are you doing in the hallway alone, Lord Bridgerton?”

Anthony cleared his throat. “I uh… I am waiting for Benedict.”

“Right here all by yourself?” you asked and he nodded fervently.

“You know how artists get. He is getting ready to go on a ride but knowing him, he got distracted by a painting on the wall or something.”

“Oh,” Penelope said and looked between you, then squeezed at your arm. “Come on, Y/N. Let’s go get distracted by the paintings as well.”

She pulled you out of the hallway so that you two could reach the staircase to go downstairs, and you let out a shaky breath. She offered you a small smile.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes,” you said. “Yes, why would I not be?”

“Because he broke your heart terribly, Y/N,” she stated “I may not know the details, but everyone knows something happened between you two.”

“Nothing happened.”

“No one believes that,” she scoffed. “You two were courting.”

You heaved a sigh as you two made your way into the art gallery, “We were not courting,” you said. “He’s a rake. He’s unable to love or commit to anybody, and I want a husband who can meet the responsibilities of matrimony. Courting with him just would not make sense. I know what Lady Whistledown writes but no courtship took place.”

Penelope raised her brows, making you smile slightly.

“You don’t believe a word I say, do you?”

“No,” she admitted, coaxing a small laughter from you and Penelope turned her head when she heard Colin calling out for her, “But do let me know if denial somehow starts working for you.”

With that, she walked away from you and you shook your head, then approached a painting. You dug your palms into your eyes for a moment, trying to pull yourself together and just how close it was to be seen by Penelope, then lowered your hands and clasped them behind your back, looking up at the painting.

It took you a moment to recognize the figures and as soon as you did, you scoffed.

Venus and Mars.

How fitting.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Hugh entering the painting room and he made his way to you without sparing any glances to any other person in the room, and took a deep breath.

“Y/N I know you have questions but first,” he said breathlessly. “I ask you not to tell anyone, if this got out in any way—”

“Why would I tell anyone?” you cut him off, confused and that seemed to make him pull back for a moment.

“I just assumed…” he trailed off, at loss for words and you bit down on your lip, then looked around.

“I grew up in Paris,” you reminded him. “It is not the first time I see um, men in love,” you lowered your voice into a whisper and he tilted his head.

“Oh,” he said after a beat and you licked your lips.

“I was under the impression that kissing was how a lady came to be with child, which apparently is not but back then I just assumed when it happened between two men, there couldn’t be the proof of a scandal so in a way it was allowed because my mother had this friend who had an arrangement and also one of my friends back in Paris said—wait, why was Kenneth shirtless though?” you got distracted by your own train of thought and Hugh pursed his lips.

“I’m not answering that question. How do you know?”

“Hm?”

“How do you know kissing is not how a lady comes to be with child?”

You shot him a look, ignoring his grin, then took a deep breath

“Is that why you don’t want to get married? Because you have no desire for ladies?”

“I have desire for ladies and lords,” he corrected you in a whisper and you nodded slowly.

“I see. And are you in love with Kenneth?”

“I’ve just met him, Y/N,” he said with a small smile. “Thank you by the way.”

“For what?”

“For being you,” he said. “I assumed many things but I did not assume the hardest question I would get from you about this would be whether I am in love or not.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “It’s the most important question after all,” you said. “Everything else is a detail. Does Cecily know?”

“She’s the only one who knows, and now you. I’d like to keep it that way.”

You nodded again. “Of course. But Hugh, are you in love?”

He looked around to check if anyone was watching, then bumped his shoulder with yours. “We’ll see. How’s the rake? Is he still following our lovely nymph around with that tormented look in his eyes?”

“Please don’t call me that, I think Mr. Sinclair is around.”

“So is the Parisian with the mustache,” he said. “And your many other suitors. Is that the plan then? You’re going to avoid all of them?”

“No, I’m going to be promenading with Pierre this afternoon.”

“Hugh!” you heard Cecily’s mother, and Hugh heaved a sigh.

“It seems that I’m needed,” he said. “I’ll talk to you later if my mother lets me go, hm?”

“Alright,” you said and watched him walk away from you with a sigh before you forced yourself to gather your thoughts and turned your gaze to the painting once again.

You spent the next hour walking around the huge gallery, admiring the artwork all over the walls and just when you were about to leave, you saw Cecily enter the room.

There was something different about her.

She was almost glowing, a huge smile lighting up her face. Her eyes held a happy glimmer in them and she made her way to you, bouncing on her steps.

“Hello!” she said, making you smile. “I couldn’t see you the whole day!”

“I was exploring the house,” you said, letting her hug you from sideways before she pressed a kiss on your cheek. “How about you?”

“I was…um,” she stammered. “Elias was—Elias was showing me around.”

“Really? Because I’ve been inside the whole day, I didn’t see you two.”

“Well it’s a big house,” she said, averting her gaze from you and you frowned at her gown.

“Cece, your maid missed a loop.”

Her head shot up, “Hm?”

“Your maid missed a loop while she was lacing the front of your dress,” You pointed at the laces over the cleavage of her dress and she looked down at them, then cleared her throat.

“Oh that escaped my attention,” she said, quickly putting the laces into the correct loops and tying them up. “So you’ve been exploring the house?”

“Mm hm.”

“What are your plans for the afternoon?” she asked and you shrugged your shoulders.

“I’ll be spending time with Pierre,” you said, making Cecily scrunch up her face, “What is that expression?”

“Why would you want to spend time with him?”

Well, Cecily and Elias didn’t need to know about your plans after all. It was their weekend and you weren’t going to take it away from them.

You had a feeling that Elias would disagree with you planning on saying yes to Pierre when he asked.

“I enjoy spending time with him,” you said. “And I haven’t seen the half of the yard yet, I’d like to explore outside as well.”

“Have you seen the maze yet?”

Your eyes widened. “There’s a maze?”

“Yes!” she said, “There’s a huge maze right behind the Storm Shelter. I was there yesterday with my mama but didn’t go in.”

“Oh God I want to see it too!” you said. “Do you think I’d get lost?”

“Well apparently Elias got lost there multiple times so the Duke planted white roses leading to the heart of the maze and outside,” she said. “You would just follow the roses. Elias says there’s a fountain at the heart of it!”

“That sounds absolutely beautiful.”

“Promise me you won’t take Pierre there,” Cecily said. “I don’t want you to get influenced by the romantic scenery and find him romantic as well.”

“I’m not taking him anywhere,” you said. “We will just walk around the yard, and Lucie will be with us. At least she will be if I can find her.”

“You haven’t seen her today?”

“No I have, Iona was talking to her and they seemed to be having a fun conversation so I just let them be,” you said. “They’re by the garden, they said they’d stay there—anyway, would you like me to go over what you will wear at tonight’s dinner party?”

Cecily pressed a hand over her chest. “You’re an angel, you know that?”

“Far from it,” you pointed out and linked your arm with hers, making her giggle. “Let’s go then, future duchess.”

                                                *

It was only by the afternoon that you and Cecily decided on her gown and you could go outside. It was such a clear sunny day that you couldn’t help but smile, and watched Lucie and Iona who seemed to be having a conversation by one of the trees before you turned your head to catch the sight of Pierre talking to his aunt. You lingered there for a moment, trying to decide whether you should go there or not but before you could make up your mind, someone cleared their throat behind you, making you spin around.

“Lady Danbury,” you said, dropping a curtsy, “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon Y/N,” she said and motioned at one of the maids carrying a tray of lemonade. “You weren’t going anywhere, were you?”

“Um—“ you took a look at Pierre who was still talking to his aunt and turned to her, then smiled. “No.”

“Great. I was hoping we could talk.”

You took the lemonade glass from the tray and cleared your throat.

“You seem to feel better,” she stated and you nodded.

“I do,” you said. “Thank you again for your visit. I do wish I could’ve been a better hostess—”

She waved a dismissive hand in air. “You were just perfect, considering the circumstances. Your mother raised you well.”

You offered her a small smile. “It means so much to me to hear this Lady Danbury, you’re very kind.”

“So,” she said. “You have gained a lot of new suitors since I last talked to you. What was it, Lady Whistledown called you? Shooting through London’s marriage mart like a comet?”

“I think I’m among the lucky few that managed to get a praise from Lady Whistledown,” you joked and she nodded.

“But the last time I checked, your heart belonged to one suitor only,” she said, making your smile fade. “Has that changed?”

You looked down at your glass and her eyes found someone over your shoulder before she turned to you.

“Y/N?”

“I was very naïve when I first got here, and afterwards,” you managed to say before lifting your glances at her, “I’m proud to say I’m not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was a childish dream to hope that I would have a love marriage,” you said. “Now I know I must have other expectations and I’m glad to say that I have a suitor in mind that fits those expectations.”

She frowned. “What expectations?”

“An adequate life partner,” you said. “Someone I can build a life with and raise children with. I’ll be…I’ll be busy with my family after I get married and I’m planning not to drag it out, I’ll marry this season.”

Her frown deepened. “But Anthony…”

“I think I will always be in love with Viscount Bridgerton,” you admitted with a sad smile, making her pull back slightly. “But that makes no difference, unfortunately. My feelings cannot change the situation, or him.”

That seemed to make her fall silent for a moment and you shifted your weight.

“I’m sorry, was I not supposed to say that?” you asked and she shook her head.

“No,” she assured you. “No, your honesty is very welcomed. You merely took me by surprise, and not many people can say that.”

You took a sip of your lemonade and her eyes searched your face.

“If you’re in love with him, and seeing that he loves you—”

“He doesn’t.”

Lady Danbury tilted her head. “You believe he does not love you?” she repeated. “My dear girl are you blind?”

“I was,” you said. “When I thought he could love me, when I thought we could have a future. I don’t have the luxury of hoping for that anymore, and I see no point in wasting time.”

She took a deep breath.

“The worst mistake you could do in your life is to get married to someone when you’re in love with another,” she said. “Don’t do this. Your mother would’ve never wanted that sort of misery for you. Don’t…” she trailed off. “Y/N, don’t condemn him and yourself to that torment.”

You bit inside your cheek but before you could say anything else, you heard Pierre’s voice.

“Lady Danbury,” he said, “Mademoiselle.”

“Monsieur Allard.”

“I was hoping I could steal you for a walk?” he asked and you smiled at Lady Danbury.

“Thank you, Lady Danbury,” you said. “Really. Your advice is always precious for me but I’m afraid it’s about time I acknowledge what is possible and what is not.”

She heaved a deep sigh, shaking her head.

“Where’s your father?”

“The duke is inside with aunt Lavinia, they’re in the ballroom if I’m not mistaken.”

“Very well,” she said. “Have a good afternoon Y/N. Monsieur Allard.”

“Lady Danbury,” you both said and you watched her make her way into the house. You waved at Lucie and Iona and Lucie immediately approached you before Pierre offered you his arm.

“Shall we, mademoiselle?”

                                                 *

The dinner party was a success in so many ways, and it wasn’t just because you and Anthony were seated far away from each other. After the dinner party, everyone seemed to be having fun but you had excused yourself to the safety of your room, away from the crowd.

The sun must have been heavy on you in the afternoon because you had fallen asleep almost within the hour of getting to your room, which meant that you woke up in the middle of the night with a gasp, the dream –the memory swirling in your mind, making you press your palms over your eyes.

There was no way you would be getting any sleep now.

You kicked off the covers to get out of the bed and started pacing in your room, your heart still pounding in your ears. That image of Anthony and Siena separating from a kiss was still flashing in your eyes but you shook your head at yourself, then went to the window to open it, letting the fresh air fill into the room. You stayed there by the window, keeping your gaze on the scenery.

Stormview Park was really beautiful, and the yard was no exception.

With a strange timing, Cecily’s words about there being a maze echoed in your head and you pulled back slightly, trying to decide whether you could explore it now or not. It was the middle of the night, which meant there would be no one around, which meant—

It would be peaceful, and maybe focusing on something else would help you get rid of these unwelcomed thoughts.

You hesitated only for a moment before you grabbed your dressing gown off the chair and put it on, then peeked your head out of the door, taking a look into the hallway. It looks completely empty, all the guests were sleeping in their designated rooms so you stepped outside, then made your way downstairs and out of the house as quietly as possible. You went to the backyard, rubbing your arms at the chilly weather, then took a deep breath and grabbed the long skirt of your dressing gown along with your nightgown, lifted it a little and started running towards the Storm Shelter.

Cecily was right, there was a glorious maze standing right behind it.

You could feel your heart beating in excitement before you stepped into the maze, the first white rose greeting you by the corner and a smile you couldn’t stop pulled at your lips.

“Thank you Elias for being terrible with directions,” you murmured as you followed the path to turn the corner, running your hand over the green hedges.

It took you some time to reach the heart of the maze because you kept getting distracted, but when you reached there, the view made you gasp. The marble statues of the maze looked almost mystical, luring you in while the sound of the water sent a calmness over you, making you let out a breath. You stepped closer to the fountain, staring at the statues before you recognized the center piece, and stepped back, a whisper leaving your lips.

“…Mom?”

Cassandra of Troy.

Even under the moonlight you could see how the doomed princess of Troy looked exactly like your mother, standing beside what looked to be the Trojan Horse. You covered your mouth, approaching the statue as that burning in your eyes came back.

You knew about the story. Cassandra was the beautiful princess of Troy, beautiful enough to get Apollo’s attention. Apollo wanted her and gave her the gift of prophecy but upon rejection, he twisted his gift so that no one would ever believe Cassandra.

You shook your head, trying to shake off the thoughts as you approached the fountain to trail your hand in the water, but you were distracted when you heard footsteps. Your heart leaped to your throat as you turned around, but the panic disappear instantly when Anthony entered your sight.

“What are you doing here?” you asked and he stared at you for a couple of seconds, then swallowed thickly.

“I uh… I saw you run here through my window.”

You raised your brows, “And you thought you could just join?”

“I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t get lost,” he said, motioning around. “I don’t know if anyone told you but—”

“Follow the roses, I know.”

He nodded slowly and your heartbeat got faster as your eyes fell upon his handsome face under the moonlight. He still had that stubble and it did nothing to hide his handsome features. Every single muscle in your body was urging you to go to him, to stop this torment as Lady Danbury had said but—

But you couldn’t. You knew you couldn’t.

He took a trembling breath. “I saw you promenading with Allard today,” he said. “Has he asked you yet?”

You didn’t even have to think twice to understand he was talking about Pierre’s upcoming proposal, and you stuck your nose in the air.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your concern.”

The sky lit up, making both of you look up as the sound of lightning reached you and soon the rain started.

“Has he?” he asked again and you shrugged your shoulders.

“Not yet,” you said. “But he will. He keeps implying it. I just hope he waits until we get back to London because I don’t want to distract anyone from this wedding, it’s Cecily and Elias’s weekend—”

He cut you off as if he was in a haste. “Don’t marry him.”

You let out a humorless chuckle, wiping the raindrops off your eyes as you tried your hardest not to look at his white shirt clinging to his body, sending tingles through your lower stomach.

“Right,” you said, forcing yourself to focus. “I suppose you have a reason for—”

“Marry me instead.”

That was enough to make your head snap up and the sound of lightning echoed over the yard as the rain started to pour heavier than before, but all you could do was stare at him, your heart pounding in your ears. Disbelief took over you so suddenly that you were at a loss for words for a moment but you managed to repeat the words as if they weren’t stabbing you in the chest.

“Marry you instead.”

He nodded, his dark gaze searching your face but you just stood there frozen, making him shift his weight.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

This wasn’t—

This wasn’t how he was supposed to do this, none of this was right.

Still, a small part of your mind, the one that always seemed to make your heart lead your decisions made the simple question spill from your lips.

“Why?”

Despite everything, despite your every single claim to be otherwise, you were still naïve. Even you could tell, because deep down you could feel the hope sparking to life inside of you.

Even after he had broken your heart beyond repair, you still wanted his love, desperately. You were almost consumed by the need, and if he was in love with you the way you were in love with him…

It could change everything.

You kept your gaze on him, your expression completely unreadable as though your heart wasn’t slamming against your chest when he took a step towards you.

“Because I—”he trailed off and paused for a moment to swallow thickly, his eyes darting over your face as if he was searching for words.

But when he found them, you wished he hadn’t.

“It’s the logical thing to do, for both of us.”

…Oh.

Of course.

Of course this proposal was based on logic, rather than emotions. It would be foolish to think Anthony would ever propose to you for love.

Of course it had to be logical.

He took a deep breath and threw his shoulders back, as if trying to get rid of some tenseness.

“As my wife you will have access to my fortune and name, and everything that comes with it,” he said as your throat tightened. “I can provide better financial security for you than he can, and as a Viscountess you will have a permanent and influential standing in the ton.”

You could barely feel the rain on your skin, but you felt the icy shards making their way through your veins into your heart, making it harder for you to breathe through the pain.

“And it’s clear that we already have a very strong desire for each other, so having heirs will not prove to be challenging. In fact I think it will be very easy, considering the undeniable attraction.”

Somehow, every single sentence that left his lips managed to make this whole disaster even worse and you gawked at him in complete silence, blinking a couple of times.

“Not to mention, our children would have uncontested places in the ton and they would want for nothing,” he said after a pause. “It’s the perfect union.”

Right.

He wanted you for the easiness of having heirs who would have uncontested places in the ton. That was the logic behind this so-called proposal. Not love, not an ounce of affections, not even remorse over how he had treated you all this time while you were in love with him.

You had been deemed worthy to have his heirs within matrimony, much to his generosity.

You blinked back the tears and shook your head, then walked past him to follow the roses, making him rush after you.

“Y/N—”

“Shut up,” you gritted out, wiping at your eyes and turned the corner without sparing so much as a look at him but that didn’t discourage him from coming after you.

“I don’t understand—”

“No,” you managed to say. “No you don’t understand, that much is clear.”

“But I thought—”

“What?” your voice rose as you spun around to glare up at him, “What did you think, hm? That I would just stand there and accept this humiliation?”

“Humiliation?” he repeated and you turned another corner, making your way through the maze as he rushed after you. “How am I humiliating you when I’m asking you to marry me?”

The lightning crackled through the sky again and you stepped out of the maze, then wiped at your eyes, sniffling.

“Oh is that what you’re doing?” you asked as you turned around to look at him better. “You’re asking me to marry you?”

He looked almost exasperated. “Yes!”

“Then my answer is no,” you said, making him pull back. “I reject your proposal.”

He stared at you for a couple of seconds as if he was in shock.

“…What?”

A hysterical laughter climbed up your chest and you wiped at your face to get rid of the heavy raindrops blurring your vision, but at this point you couldn’t even tell if it were tears or the rain.

“You don’t even see it, do you? You just,” you stopped yourself. “Forget it.”

“You told me yourself that you wanted—”

“I’m not taking this bait again,” you said. “And I’m not going to let you do this again. I’m not.”

He pulled his brows together. “What am I doing, exactly?”

“You’re trying to drag me into this game!”

“Oh I’m dragging you into this game?” he repeated. “You’ve been announcing how you would only marry for love to anyone who’s listening ever since you arrived, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me and now you reject my proposal but I’m the one playing games?”

“I’m going to marry Pierre,” you said as you turned to walk away from him but he grabbed you by the arm and spun you around, making you shove him back by pushing at his chest. You tried to ignore the warmth spreading through your fingertips, and gritted your teeth.

“I’m going to marry Pierre,” you repeated, your accent shifting as you raised your voice and he shook his head.

“You can’t marry him, you don’t even love him!”

“That’s exactly why I’m going to marry him!” you cried out as you wiped at your eyes. “God, you really don’t understand it, do you?”

“What?” he sounded nearly out of his mind at this point, like he had lost his grip on any control he had. “What don’t I understand?”

“I would rather marry him than you,” you said, making him pull back slightly.

“Y/N—”

“No, I listened to you so how about for once you listen to me?” you cut him off. “How about for once you actually pay attention to what I have to say? I would rather marry him than you, because at least with him I know what to expect. But with you? If I married you? Every night I would go to sleep hoping that by some miracle you would wake up in love with me the next morning, and every morning I would find my hopes shattered. Again and again, every single day, Anthony.”

That seemed to have rendered him speechless and you sniffled, tears falling freely from your eyes.

“It might be marriage for you,” you managed to say. “But for me, it would be a lifelong torment. That’s what you offer me. You offer me a life full of despair and I will not…I can’t condemn myself to that torture willingly. I already feel as if I am dying every time I look at you, and I do not even know what fault I’ve committed to be subjected to this.”

“You’ve committed no fault—”

“Then why do you keep treating me this way?” your voice cracked before you let out a teary chuckle.

“You treated me like a shameful secret,” you told him as he shook his head fervently but you didn’t let him talk. “You didn’t court me, you didn’t give me any promises, you didn’t tell anyone about me and now what? I’ve been finally found worthy of…” you trailed off and let out a painful chuckle. “This is too cruel, even for you.”

He looked almost frozen and you took a step back before darting for the house, climbing up the marble stairs, desperate to get away but of course he wouldn’t let you. You stepped inside with him following you in mere seconds.

“Y/N—”

“I will not marry you,” you said through your teeth as you turned to look at him. “I would never marry you. You don’t have a heart, Anthony. Go find some other fool to make you feel like you have one.”

A silence fell upon you both as he stared at you, pain written all over his dark eyes but before either of you could say anything, a voice reached you.

“What on earth are you two doing?”

You spun around to find Cecily by the staircase, holding a candle and staring at you. For a moment you became overly aware of how both you and Anthony were drenched and were standing there unchaperoned, in your nightgown clinging to your skin to make the situation even more scandalous but thankfully it was Cecily, and there was no way she would ever say anything to anyone.

“Are you trying to end up married?” she asked. “If anyone saw you here like this…”

Anthony’s chuckle was bitter.

“Don’t worry,” he rasped out. “She already said no.”

You turned to frown at him, letting out a breath of disbelief before you tried to offer Cecily a smile.

“Good night Cece,” you murmured, and climbed up the stairs, barely hearing Cecily telling Anthony to accompany her to the map room. If it were any other time, you would’ve realized just how strange it was but you could barely focus on anything other than your heartbreak. You wiped at your eyes as you entered your room and closed the door behind you, then leaned against it and slipped down.

You sat on the floor completely quiet for a moment.

Then the sobs started.

Chapter 26