#and i’ve seen clueless more than i’ve seen legally blonde

[permanentreverie]

13 going on 30 or ten things i hate about you? clueless or legally blonde? straight or curly hair? spring or summer? fizzy water or juice? rain or snow?

10 things i hate about you, clueless, curly hair, summer, juice, rain <3

[sunmoonandeddie]

feelings are fatal (20/24)

pairing: bucky barnes x reader, past steve rogers x reader

word count: 4,030

summary: After the events of Endgame, you struggle to come to terms with what you’ve lost, though you’re learning that you still have something to gain.

chapter warnings: swearing, violence, fluffiness

masterlist

a/n: I really hope

There was something to be said about how much Bucky Barnes cared for the people in his life that he considered his friends, his family.

Hell, he’d jumped out of many, many aircrafts for Sam, even though he wouldn’t admit it was for him.

He sent his therapist flowers and a gift for her birthday, despite the fact that more than half the time, they just annoyed the shit out of each other.

The amount of times he’d pulled you out of a funk was… Well, there was a lot.

However, there was also something to be said about how overboard Bucky Barnes could go when someone he loved had gotten hurt.

Or kidnapped by a Nazi terrorist organization and almost shot in front of him.

“Alright, you’re all tucked in,” he muttered under his breath, even as he went around the bed once again, his hands carefully tucking in your comforter all over again. “There we go… Are you comfortable? Too warm? Not warm enough?”

He’d been hovering the past four days since you’d gotten out of the medbay, and the five days before that when you’d been in and out of unconsciousness.

God, the feelings that had washed over you when you’d woken up again and found that he was back and your Soldat was gone. It was so bittersweet. You loved both of them, even if it was in different ways. Different shades, different tones of love.

You just kept telling yourself that the Soldat was right.

It was time for him to rest. Your time together was over.

But that in itself meant that it was time for something new to begin.

If only you could find a way to tell Bucky how you truly felt.

You watched him with your eyelids half closed, a drowsiness slurring your words as you laid there. “Jamie… Can you stop for a moment?” You don’t even think about how your words might make him feel, how they might sound.

“Oh… Right. Sorry if I’m annoying you,” he said, his voice dropping to where it was almost inaudible. He started to head for the door, having set down the water bottle in his hands.

“What?! No!” You said, quickly sitting up. You still felt like absolute shit, but you couldn’t let him leave. “I’m sorry. That’s not the words I wanted to come out. I… I just want you to relax for a moment. I’m okay.” Pulling your arm out of the warmth of your blankets, you patted the spot next to you. “Can we just… lay down and watch a movie for a bit?”

Bucky’s baby blues softened immediately, and he nodded, toeing off his sneakers. “Of course. I’m sorry… I’ve been…”

“Helicopter parenting?”

His cheeks flamed fire engine red as he slipped into the bed beside you, hesitating before pulling the blankets over him. “I don’t know if I like the parenting aspect of that,” he muttered, his arms wrapping around you and pulling you close. “FRI, can you turn on a movie?”

“Legally Blonde,” you added without a second thought, grinning at the confused look that painted his face. “Have you never seen Legally Blonde?”

“What? No? What the fuck is a Legally Blonde?” He asked. And, okay, yeah, he could gather from the context that it was a movie, most likely a girly one based on the title, but he loved the way you looked so aghast and the way you laughed at his old man tendencies.

“Only the greatest early 2000s chick flick of all time!” You squealed, playfully smacking his chest.

A wave of contentment, of happiness, washed over you as you laid half on his chest to watch the movie. His fingers were absentmindedly running up and down your spine, his breath tickling your forehead.

And it hit you that you could have this for the rest of your life. You could have this happiness, this peace, for the rest of your life with the man that was holding you.

Once again, you just needed to figure out how to tell him how you felt.

“Wait… So he broke up with her because she wasn’t… serious enough?” Bucky asked, his brows furrowed. “Or because she was too pretty and girly?”

“Both,” you said, glancing up at his face. “He sucks.”

“Yeah, he fucking does.”

When the movie ended, you sat up, risking a glance at Bucky’s face. “Well? What did you think?”

He couldn’t help but shake his head, groaning dramatically. “If Sam finds out that I’m a fan of early 2000s chick flicks, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Oh, this was good. So, so good.

“Jamie, I’ve watched Legally Blonde and other chick flicks with Sam. He loves them,” you revealed, watching the way his eyes lit up.

“There’s more?!”

You took it upon yourself to show him the best of the late 90s and early 2000s, finding that when he was distracted with tales of cheesy romance and girl power triumphing, he wasn’t so worried about your health.

But he did have a few problems with Clueless. “Let me get this straight,” he said with a scowl as he held you close in between his legs. “She’s… still in high school. Sixteen, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“And he was her step-brother?”

“Yes.”

“And… he is still treated like her step-brother by her father?”

“Yeah.”

He blinked owlishly at the television that hung up on your wall, his mouth hanging open in an astonished ‘o.’ “And people just…”

“Decide to ignore that bit? Yup,” you supplied, turning your head to look up at him.

He frowned, tightening his hold around you. “I really don’t know how to feel about that. It’s a good movie. But…” His head then slightly cocked to the side. “Her step-brother looks like that one guy that helped us at the fight in Germany… You know, the one at the airport?”

“You don’t even remember Scott’s name?!” You asked, snorting. “You really are an old man.”

His fingers flew to your sides, tickling you mercilessly. “Yeah?! And what about it?! Huh? Huh?” When he finally stopped and your laughter had died out, he hid his face in the crook of your neck and took in a deep breath. “I missed you… when you were gone… Sometimes I forget just how integral you are to my life, but that… Being without you reminded me of how desolate my days were when we were separated before.”

Heart clenching, you squeezed his flesh arm with both of yours, resolving yourself to not move the rest of the day. You’d quickly come to the conclusion that cuddling with James Barnes could be considered one of the great pleasures in life. “Well, we’ll never have to be apart again,” you murmured, closing your eyes. “What if… What if we took some time away? And we went on a little… vacation or something?”

“A vacation?” He said, and you could feel his heart rate speed up underneath your head. A vibranium hand smoothed over your hair. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I don’t know…,” you admitted with a snort, shaking your head. “Just… away. Give us time to relax and really… I don’t know. Process?” Your eyes fluttered shut at his soothing touch. “Maybe we could go up to the cabin for a few days… maybe a week…”

“Yeah? You wanna stay a whole week with just me for company?” He asked playfully, even though he felt like his spirit was soaring.

Biting your lip, you pulled your knees up to your chest until your entire body was pressed against his chest. “Could spend my whole life with just you for company, Jamie.”

He’d understand, right? He’d understand that you meant ‘I love you.’ He’d understand the words that you were trying to say but were too nervous to get out, that your throat closed up and your eyes burned because the last person you said those words to in that way had demolished your heart, your soul?

But then again, he’d been the one to teach you what those words meant in the first place. Well, the Soldat had.

Bucky’s entire face was pink, all the way to the tips of his ears, and he leaned down and kissed your forehead. “Me, too, malen’kaya.”

You reached up to run your fingers through his hair. It had grown out since his last haircut, and it was getting to be about ear length. “You know who you look like right now kinda?” You asked, an impish smile on your lips.

“Who?” He was clearly already anticipating the worst, even though he was letting his head tip forward to let you continue playing with his hair.

“Prince Kit or whatever his name is.” You were preening as your foreheads pressed together, his breathing even as you massaged his scalp. “From the new live action Cinderella.”

You can hear the smile, even though you can’t see his face. “You think I look like a prince?”

“Don’t get cocky on me now,” you shot back. But, in truth… You liked this side of Bucky. You had caught little glimpses of it when you were on the run with Steve, Sam, and Natasha. But this felt like the real him, and you loved it.

And as far as you were concerned, he could be as cocky as he wanted to be.

“Let me check with your doctors and get their opinion on when they think you’ll be okay to travel,” he said, his lips pressing to your hair. “And then I’ll talk to Pepper about letting us steal the cabin for a bit…”

A huff escapes your lips as you tug on his hair in retaliation. “Do you really think Pepper isn’t gonna let us stay there for a bit?”

You missed the way his breathing had hitched and his heart had skipped a beat, and he nuzzled into your hair to hide himself even more. “No, but it’s still nice to ask, you heathen.”

“Soldat, where are we going?” You asked curiously as you were led out of your ballet class, your hair still pulled back into a tight bun. “What’s going on?”

“No time to talk. We have a mission,” he said sternly, his voice deep and gravelly.

A mission?

You’d never been on a mission.

“Wait, are we leaving the Red Room?” You asked, glancing at the handlers that flanked the both of you. “Where are we going?”

“Do you understand the phrase ‘no time to talk?’” The Soldat asked with a snort, shooting you a glare.

Something was off.

The Soldat and you had been training together for over two years now, almost three, and you’d never gone on a mission.

Also, he never spoke so harshly unless there was something wrong or there were others present, and the handlers around you weren’t important enough for him to put up the mean teacher facade. No, there was something else going on.

Two hulking doors were waiting at the end of the hallway, leading to the outside world. Snow was swirling outside, frost painting the windows.

And you were still in just your leotard and tights. Fuck.

Of course, they weren’t gonna give you time to change.

You hadn’t even been outside of the Red Room since you were a toddler. Hell, you didn’t even own any cold weather clothes.

The doors opened, and you let out a sharp gasp as the icy cold wind hit you. In your peripheral, you could see the Soldat look at you and immediately move to take off his jacket, before remembering who was around and stopping himself.

It was a nice thought, knowing that if he could, he’d warm you.

Maybe you could daydream about him scooping you up, holding you in his lap… He’d run his fingers over your hair, his other hand smoothing up and down your back. That deep, gravelly voice you loved so much would murmur sweet things to you, his lips tickling your ear…

God, your little crush was getting out of hand.

Snow covered your hair as you were led out to a van that was waiting for you, smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe as the headlights shone through the dense white landscape. One of the handlers shoved your head down as you were pushed into the back seat, the Soldat following right after. A thich, kevlar covered thigh pressed against yours as you settled in. Pretending to not be cold was becoming a lot harder than you thought it would be.

“So… What exactly are we doing?” You asked tentatively after about ten minutes of terse silence.

“You’re our bait,” one of the men said simply, cocking his gun.

Ice cold water ran down your spine as you blinked at him. “Bait? What… What do you mean?” You could feel the Soldat’s thigh tense beside you, and you realized that he had known.

That’s why he’d been so cold, even beyond the fact that there were others present.

“It means you’re going to be bait,” another man said with an eye roll.

“Well, I mean… When you say bait, do you mean like bait that can be reused so you keep it alive or bait like a worm that ends up dead on a hook?” You said, your arms crossed over your chest. Being sarcastic probably wasn’t the best thing you could do at the moment, but whatever. If you were gonna die, you might as well die with a few good one-liners.

Beside you, the Soldat’s chest jolted, his lips pressed together as though he was trying to stifle a laugh.

See, you knew he’d get your humor immediately.

“Guess we’ll just have to see how well you behave,” the first man snapped, his voice threatening.

When you finally arrived at your location, it was several hours later, and you’d passed out, your head lolling back against the seat. You jolted awake when the van stopped, realizing that the sun had set. “Where are we?”

No answer.

“Great talk.” One of the handlers yanks you out of the van, pulling you over the Soldat’s lap and almost dislocating your shoulder in the process. “Fuck! You didn’t have to manhandle me, you asshole!” You’re not shocked when his hand meets your cheek, though you do have to take a moment to take a breath. “Can you just tell me what I have to do so I can do it and we can leave?”

The mission is simple enough, at least on your end. Apparently, there were a few vigilantes running around that Hydra needed gone.

And what vigilante doesn’t love a young damsel in distress?

It’s over before you realize, and you’re hit with a deep realization.

You had wanted the vigilantes to win, just for a second or two. You had wanted them to win and maybe you’d get to go somewhere where you weren’t almost killed everyday, where you were handcuffed to your bed each night, and where most meals consisted of protein shakes.

But only if it meant the Soldat could be rescued with you.

“We’re not going back tonight?” You asked in surprise when the van pulled up to a seedy motel.

“No,” one of the men said with an eye roll. “Don’t feel like driving.”

You were left alone in the car with the Soldat as the men went to get a room, but you didn’t mind. “Are you okay?” You asked softly, eyes flickering up to meet his.

The man grunted, his lips pressed into a thin line as he kept his face forward, watching for the men to come back. But his hand slowly moved down his thigh until you felt cool metal, and his pinky linked around yours.

It stays there until the men come back, and he lets go at the right second, as the van door is starting to open.

“Come on,” one of the men grumbled, leading you two down the length of the motel. “This is where you two will be staying,” he said as he opened up a door.

Brows furrowing, you looked up at him. “What? Alone?” They trusted you like that? You were going to be staying the night with your crush in a room alone?

“Just don’t get her pregnant. She won’t go through graduation for another few months,” another one taunted, letting out a loud, obnoxious laugh. They all looked the same, and sounded the same. Like Hydra had created a bunch of clones. “And you know what to do if she tries to escape, Soldat.”

There was a rock in the pit of your stomach as you walked into the room.

The men had left you alone with the Soldat because they thought he’d have sex with you.

They thought he’d already had sex with you, despite the fact that you were just seventeen.

And your Soldat wasn’t like that. Despite the fact that you were (admittedly) in love with him, and despite the fact that you’d heard of the other Soldats having… pleasure women, you knew that he’d never touch you.

Not like that.

That was the only thing that relaxed you as you walked into the room and the door shut behind the hulking man, a dim yellow light casting shadows all around the room.

“I’m not—”

“I know,” you said as you turned to him, cutting him off. “I know you’re not going to… do that. I trust you.”

He slowly nodded, a weak smile spreading over his lips, and it occurred to you that it was possible that no one had ever told him that they trusted him.

At least there were two beds, because you didn’t think your little heart could handle sleeping so close to him. God forbid you wake up cuddling him. You’d be absolutely mortified.

“I’m gonna grab a shower,” you said, pointing to the bathroom. You didn’t wait for a response before speeding over and shutting and locking the door. Fuck. You were gonna have to sleep in your leotard since you didn’t have any other clothing with you.

The shampoo and conditioner the motel provided smelled like nothing, and the body wash and face wash were the same. Even so, you took your time lathering and scrubbing and washing, taking a shower that was longer than five minutes or so for the first time.

It had been over an hour by the time you got out, every inch of your body scrubbed and then scrubbed again. It probably wasn’t good for your hair, but you washed it twice, just because you could.

What you were most surprised by was the few suitcases that were on the bed closest to the inside wall when you got out, redressed in your leotard.

“What is this?” You asked the Soldat, who had stripped out of his leather and kevlar and was just wearing his cargo pants and a white shirt.

“You didn’t have clothes,” he said bluntly, glancing over at you as he sharpened his knife on the cheap chair.

“Where did you get these?”

“Lost and found. I just grabbed a few in case one didn’t have what you needed.”

Sometimes you forgot just how caring he could be in little ways.

“Thank you,” you said with a grateful smile as you moved to dig through them, eventually moving to the bathroom to change into a fresh pair of underwear and a huge t-shirt and shorts. “How do I look?” You asked as you came out, striking a dramatic pose.

The ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he looked up at you. “Radiant,” he said after a moment, having thought of the perfect word. “You always are.”

Why the hell did he have to say such things when you knew you couldn’t be with him? You were too young, and the likelihood of Madame B allowing you to be together was… zero.

He motioned for you to get in the bed farthest away from the window. “You need rest, malen’kaya. I will keep watch.” After watching you crawl under the blankets and cuddle up to your pillows, he moved to sit on the bed, caressing your cheek. “Sleep… I will be here when you wake…”

“Sometimes I forget just how fucking beautiful it is out here,” Bucky said with a breathy laugh as he pulled up the long drive to the Stark Cabin. The sun was glittering out on the lake, the leaves just beginning to turn shades of ruby and gold. He threw the car into park and rushed around to your side to open the door and help you out before you could even blink.

The look you gave him didn’t do much as you placed your hand in his. It had only been a few days since he’d even let you get out of bed on your own and walk around.

As much as you loved him carrying you around like a blushing bride, it became a bit much when he was carrying you to the bathroom because you had to pee.

“It feels like so long ago… last time we were here,” you said as you watched him grab your bags.

He barely let you walk, there was no way in hell he’d let you carry your own duffel bag.

“What are you feeling for dinner?” He asked as he led you inside, setting your bags on the couch for the time being. “I was thinking maybe I could whip up some of that creamy chive chicken I made the other week? You liked that, right?” Bucky seemed to have a nervous energy running through him as he moved to the kitchen and began to figure out what they had. “I’ll need to have some groceries delivered…”

“Anything’s good with me,” you said faintly as you watched him, leaning against the doorway. “I’m really glad we decided to do this… It feels nice… getting away from everything for a little bit…” Your cheeks flushed as you glanced at the ground, arms crossing over your chest. “I mean… I love our family. You know I do. But—”

“It can get loud and crowded,” he finished, a kind smile on his face. “I get it.”

There’s a light inside your chest as you move further into the kitchen, giggling as his hands immediately go to your waist and lift you up onto the counter. “I knew you would.”

Bucky glanced up from his phone, having put in the grocery order faster than you expected. His vibranium hand rested on your thigh, and he gave a gentle squeeze. “You in the mood for a drink while we wait on dinner supplies?”

“Depends, bartender. What are you making?” You asked, letting your legs kick back and forth. You had to do something to prevent yourself from wrapping your legs around his waist and pulling him close.

Would he ravish you like in the dreams you sometimes occasionally but totally-not-often had?

“Baby doll, I can make whatever magic potion you want,” he said, winking. His lips found a place on your cheek, letting it linger before he left your side, his hand leaving behind a warm spot on your thigh that felt empty without it. The way he moved around the cabin, so confidently, was such a far cry from when you’d been spending a few days in the guest rooms after the final battle.

It was fucking hot.

You were barely paying attention as he listed off cocktails and various concoctions.

“Malen’kaya? You there?” He called out, though you didn’t really hear him as he said your name.

It wasn’t until a floorboard creaked under his weight that you focused back in on the present. “Huh? Just… whatever you think I’ll like. I trust you,” you said, rubbing your hands nervously on your thighs.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you said as your tongue wetted your lower lip.

“Okay, if you say so,” he said as he glanced back at you with a fond smile, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “And… I agree.”

Your head tilted to the side. “Agree about what?”

“I’m really glad we decided to do this.”

[sunset-bobby]

Title: You Mean the Holograms

Summary: Julie invites Carrie over to tell her the truth about her band, and maybe her dad, but what if she already knows

Word Count: 1886

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27822940

If there was one thing Carrie Wilson was good at, it was acting as if she was not aware of things. People often assume because she is the daughter of Trevor Wilson and shallow, which she is sometimes and is working on it, that she is not in tune with what’s going on in other people’s lives, but she is. So, when Julie texted her to come over saying she ‘needed to tell her something’. Carrie had a pretty good idea of what she was getting herself into. After all her dad is Trevor Wilson, and well he’s a terrible liar no matter how hard he tries. So that is how she found herself at Julie’s studio on a Saturday afternoon sitting on a chair, with Julie pacing in front of her nervously.

“Okay, so I called you here to introduce you to my band,” Julie stated and Carrie nodded along.

“The holograms?” she asked her in a false tone that made Julie believe she was clueless.

“That’s the thing. They aren’t actually holograms,” she paused and Carrie looked at her in anticipation., “ They’re ghosts.” Carrie gave her a look that was a mix of disbelief and confusion, but before she could say anything Julie cut her off.

“Before you say anything, let me show you,” and she heads off to the piano. Now Carrie can’t actually see the ghost, but she is already aware of their existence, so she sends a small smirk to the air and hopes one of them is catching on and finds this as amusing as she is. However if what she already knows about them is true the one most likely to catch on, is freaking out. Julie plays a piano riff that Carrie is familiar with before a faint whooshing sound comes in and before stands the face of 3 teenage boys that she is secretly very familiar with. Julie stops playing and the boys as well. Something new Carrie was not ready for. Point ghost.

“The new abilities are hard to explain as of right now, but they can now be seen after we play as well,” Julie explains and Carrie nods along once more.

“Okay, so Care this is-,” but Carrie takes the opportunity to expose her own secrets now.

“Luke, Reggie, and Alex. Formally of the early 90s rock band Sunset Curve, currently of the up and coming band Julie and the Phantoms,” she says and her tone is dripping with that false innocence she uses to really push certain statements over the edge, and from the looks on both the boys and Julie’s face it seems she has. The blonde one, Alex, is the first to speak.

“H-how does she know that?” he looks around at his shocked friends before looking back at her, “how do you know tha?” She smiles, not fully she doesn’t want it to seem like she’s finding amusement in his obvious sense of panic, but just enough to where they know she’s planned this.

“Did you ask your dad about it?” Reggie, the bassist, asked recovering next, and Carrie decided to add some more to the drama.

“My dad? Why would he be involved in this?” Her smile has dropped giving the illusion that she is serious about her confusion. The boys and Julie blubber out multiple excuses to each other trying to come up with the same story, and she lets them for a while, before cracking. A laugh escapes her lips drawing their attention back to her.

“I’m joking, no my dad told me everything,” she says in between laughs, but the others just continue to stare.

“So you already know everything?” Luke asks and there is a slight emphasis in his voice that makes her realize he is asking for something specific, and she knows what it is, but she isn’t going to let that out just yet.

“Oh do you mean how Alex likes to join me for Dirty Candi performances?”

“How did-”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve walked through you and that chill is pretty hard to miss,” she answers, interrupting Alex’s question. She looks over at Luke and his face is hard to read, but he’s definitely riled up.

“Or are you talking about if I know that you’re connected to Julie because of her mom, whom you met 20 mins prior to your, um….” she trailed off, she didn’t know if their passings were a sensitive topic or not.

“Wait, really?” Julie asked, and Carrie was not aware that she did not know.

“Um, yeah it’s how our parents met. However they didn’t become friends until your mom picked my sobbing dad up off of the streets of Sunset Boulevard, or at least that what he said,” she said nonchalantly. This topic was something her dad discussed multiple times. He was very open with his experience with grief, although she thinks it’s because Dr.Crystal advises him too. She takes another look at Luke, and by now she thinks he can tell she’s avoided the topic purposely. She sighs as he opens his mouth to speak, and talks before him.

“Fine. I know you want know if I am aware that the songs on my dad’s first two albums are Sunset Curves, that he didn’t credit you, and is legally not allowed to discuss it with anyone who doesn’t already know, because somehow his dumb 21 year old self didn’t know how to read through a contract,” she told him exasperated, but was shocked when she did not get an immediate response from the boy in return. Then again none of the others said anything either.

“Oh, you didn’t know about that detail did you?”

“No,” Luke said quietly, “no we did not.”

“Carrie if you knew all of this why didn’t you tell me. At least about the music part when we were friends?” Julie asked, and Carrie did not realize how this would look to her.

“I didn’t know until middle school, and I thought you knew too. I figured your mom was going to tell you.”

“I didn’t know she knew.”

“I’m sorry Juls. Maybe it was for a good reason. I only found out on accident,” Carrie offered and Julie nodded.

“Is there anything else you might know?” Reggie asked her, but the answer was a little iffy. She knew a lot of things thanks to her dad’s shrine to them, which she still finds weird despite the fact he’s also in the pictures.

“Maybe you should just ask me questions, and I can see what I can answer,” she suggested and they nodded. Alex started.

“Do you know anything about our families?”

“Some things, yes. Uh how sensitive is this topic though?” she wanted to make sure she covered all of her bases before continuing.

“It’s relatively sensitive, but we wanna know,” was all she got in response.

“Um okay, well despite the fact he did not credit you guys, my dad still gave money to your families, or at least those who deserved it. I don’t know much about your family, I’m sorry Reggie.”

“It’s okay,” he said, but she had a feeling it wasn’t. She did not want to over step.

“What about me?” Luke asked, “I know Julie and I saw my parents a couple weeks ago, and I try to visit them often, but I-,”

“You know,” she started cutting him off, “Ms. Emily is always telling my dad it does not do well to keep replaying your mistakes.”

“You’ve met my mom?”

“Yeah I saw her earlier in the month with my dad. We were continuing a tradition he and Julie’s mom started,” she explained.

“What tradition?”

“They bring her flowers on special occasions. I think it was a birthday or something. He’s never gone alone before. If Rose couldn’t go, he’d send them by mail, but he says that anniversaries are hard. I think that’s why he took me too.”

“Oh.”

“ Hey, I don’t know your story, but I don’t believe you should keep blaming yourself.”

“I’m not.”

“You are, I am very familiar with that look.”

“What about my family?” Alex asked, however his situation was a little different, and Carrie was not sure when the right time would come again.

“My dad doesn’t really like to talk to all of them. Mainly just my mom, but-”

“Mom!” Alex exclaimed, cutting her off.

“Yeah, my mom is Alyssa Da-”

“LYSSA, she’s like 10 years younger than him. I can’t believe he…” The boys looked at one another in disgust, but Carrie and Julie, just bubbled with laughter, causing the disgusted looks to turn into confused ones.

“What’s happening. Why are you laughing at the fact that Bobby defiled Alex’s little sister?” Luke asked.

“Okay, can we not say it like that,” Alex grimaced.

“Alex, don’t worry, he didn’t do anything with your sister,” Julie stated.

“Yeah, despite the small resemblances, he isn’t my biological dad,” she added.

“Then why-”

“She had me when she was 16, but instead of putting me up for adoption, she gave me to my dad. I don’t really know everything, but my dad told me when I was 7.” Alex nodded.

“Okay, but earlier you were laughing?” he asked, and Julie giggled beside her.

“Because I’m pretty sure we both thought of the same response,” Julie answered, and looked at Carrie.

“He says it whenever anyone asks about his relationship status in interviews,” Carrie also added.

“ Honey, I haven’t touched a woman since 1999,” they both quoted in sync before breaking out in a fit of laughter once more.

“Bobby is gay?!” all three boys shouted.

“Bi actually,” Julie corrected.

“With a preference for men...guitar players specifically,” Carrie continued.

“Not that any of them last very long according to tabloids,” Julie said aimlessly.

“Yeah, well you know dad is always picky. Apparently he has this thing where they have to match his talent,” Carrie said and she and Julie looked at one another again silently confirming if they were thinking the same thing, before turning back to the boys who were flickering.

“I guess this is our goodbye,” Reggie joked and Carrie cracked a smile.

“For now,” she added.

“Do you think you can come back? Tell us more about your dad and what we missed?” Luke asked, and she shook her head yes.

“Yeah, or you guys could come to mine and I can show you my dad’s Sunset Curve room that he likes to cry in sometimes.” That didn’t really get the laughs she thought it would, and she scolded herself for not remembering that joking about trauma was a Wilson thing, but the boys were gone before she could even back track, so she turned to Julie.

“Well I know they’re still here, but I drove myself so if you wanna hang out I could stick around,” she suggested, and Julie smiled.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Besides I think we have some things to talk about.” She led her out of the studio and Carrie happily followed, knowing that there were most likely three teenage ghosts following her. So yes, sometimes she does pretend to be clueless, because she likes being underestimated, but sometimes it’s good to show all of her strengths, because you might be able to mend a couple of friendships.

[gustafsnightangel]

Shattered Lives Ch 31 Pt 2

The room erupted and Sildie was stunned, it was never supposed to be her. She looked at Gustaf and then Oliver.

“Sildie.” Gustaf’s quiet call of her name snapping her out of her shock. Everyone was on their feet as he stood and held out a hand to help her stand. “Breathe love, let the lawyer shine though.” He said quickly as he hugged her.

“Shit.” She breathed. “Fucking shit.” She muttered looking at him. Gustaf grinned as he heard the irritation in her voice. That tone of ’for fuck sake really?’ He watched his courtroom lawyer get a grip and knew she’d be fine until she sat down again.

She slammed the tears down, now was not the time to lose her shit. She took her award from Oliver, the weight of it in her hands oddly comforting.

“It’s not often you catch me without a legal pad full of notes for closing arguments but it seems Oliver has the upper hand tonight.” She smiled and the entire room laughed and took their seats. “And although I’m not one for skewing holes in defense counsel cases, I do tend to like roasting them over an open fire.”

Opposing counsel included Gustaf thought with a grin and glanced at Lucas remembering the day she wiped the floor with him.

She was going to have to dig deep and wing it. She focused on Gustaf, the calm in her storm. He subtly pointed at his heart and mouthed two words that made it easier. ’From here’, from her heart.

“I never considered myself a recipient when the Bar Association approached me to help create it. In all honesty, had Oliver told me I’d be receiving it I probably wouldn’t have turned up tonight.” She chuckled, the light chuckle from those in the audience that knew her made her smile. “My brother was a bright light. Full of life and love, an untapped soul of compassion that ran deep. Oliver had it right, he was ruthless in the courtroom as most of us can attest, but the one thing he would never waiver on was his humanity. We are all human he would say, and we all deserve respect and compassion, no matter our lot in life, no matter our station, no matter our past doings. Always innocent before proven guilty.” She looked at Gustaf to ground herself and took a breath. “Dana was my brothers better half.” She said sarcastically. “Literally.” She chuckled and the laughter rippled. “Dana was an old soul, her kindness unfathomable, her compassion for families, especially children, incredibly strong. Her mission in life was to mend as many families as possible, to help them reconcile or resolve their differences with as little disruption to the children’s lives as she could accomplish.” She looked at Gustaf his gaze hadn’t left hers, his love giving her the strength she needed. “The loss of two beautiful souls has left its mark on us all. The void they left behind can never be filled. I miss them.” She said simply. “I miss their laughter, their strength, their compassion, their counsel. But most of all I miss what they gave to the world, what they gave to their children, honesty, commitment, respect, love.” She choked on the last word and the room was silent. She had almost lost it.

“I’m honored to have been chosen to receive this prestigious award. I only hope I can continue to be worthy of it, to strive to be a better attorney, a better person. Thank you.”

As the room erupted in applause again she stepped away and sat back down as Oliver continued with the program.

“Breathe love.” He murmured. “Breathe and relax, it’s done.” He rested his arm along the back of the chair again and held her other hand in his lap, his thumb caressing the inside of her wrist, her hands were shaking violently.

She was a wreck on the inside, that hot prickle under her skin trying to gain the upper hand, on the outside the lawyer reigned supreme. Gustaf kissed her temple and stayed close, grounding her, making sure she knew she was safe, that she was loved. Oliver finished up and the band started, classic jazz and Christmas carols.

“Your boss has great taste in music.” He chuckled. “Come dance with me love.” He said gently. He didn’t want to push or rush her, but he wanted to get her alone, hold her close, and have her anxiety drop to a more manageable level.

“Sure.” She breathed, that tell tale wheeze starting to make its way out as she forced in oxygen. He helped her stand.

“Sildie?” Gustaf and Sildie turned to Lucas, hand in hand with his date.

“Not now.” Gustaf said flatly. He turned his back on them, using himself as a shield, and led her to the dance floor, pulling her in close. “I’m sorry, that was rude, but you need a moment to collect yourself.” He said gruffly.

“Thank you.” She sighed, and rested her head against his and closed her eyes. “I can’t deal with him yet, with anyone.” She’d never been more grateful to have him close to her, than right at this moment.

“That’s it love, relax. I’ve got you.” He murmured and danced her around the room, the movement and closeness leveling out her breathing. Occupying her mind with steps so she didn’t crush Gustaf’s toes helped. After the third song he felt her body yield, felt the calm settle over her again.

“I’m proud of you.” He said gently. “So very proud of you.” He kissed her temple, the slower song allowing them to dance cheek to cheek.

“I never wanted that damn award.” She chuckled. “It seemed a little silly for them to give it to me seeing as though I helped create it.”

“I don’t mean about that, though it’s very fitting and well deserved.” He said honestly. “I’m proud of you for coming here tonight, for saying what you needed to say to honor your brother. For being so damn strong. You’re incredible Sildie, don’t let anyone tell you different.” He kissed her, that slow loving kiss that blanked her mind. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She kissed him. “And thanks. I don’t think I would have made it through without you.”

“Together love, you and me. I think we make a pretty good team.” His smile was the one that made those crows feet at his eyes crinkle. She brushed her thumb over it.

“I’m so in love with you.” She kissed him, slow and sinful not giving a flying fuck who saw them. He loved her, why should she hide it? They were going to stare at them anyway.

“When would be a respectable time to leave so I can peel you out of this stunning dress and do wicked things to you?” He growled as he spun them, wondering if they could get back to the table to collect their things and disappear before Lucas caught up with her.

“A few more songs, I like this.” She said softly. “Being in your arms.” Her smile widening into a laugh as he dipped her.

“Fuck me you’re beautiful.” He murmured at her ear as he danced with her. “We can stay for however long you want, it’s all you love.” He wouldn’t let his ex get in the way of her happiness and right now this was making her happy, he’d deal with the other shit later.

His mind chewed over it as he danced. Hadn’t he spent enough time letting that bitch worm her way under his skin? Hadn’t he just spent months purging her from his life, his soul, his apartment? If you have then why the fuck are you letting her get under your skin now, that annoying voice in his head quipped. Don’t give her what she wants, that voice shouted, don’t let her see how much it hurts you, it’s what she wants, she wants a reaction. You promised Sildie to fight for her, for your relationship with her, well pony up. Don’t let Ana get between what you have with Sildie, again. He had to admit, that nagging little voice in his head had a point.

True to his word at the beginning of the evening, he danced for most of the night with her, keeping the rest of the room at bay. The music had slowed, her feet were starting to hurt but she was happy and relieved it was done. As the last song of the night started he kissed her, seductive, longing. As it ended he dipped her low and planted a kiss at the base of her throat, that peal of laughter making him smile.

Once upright they walked to the table and said their goodbyes. It looked as though Lucas had long since gone. Good, Gustaf thought, as he took a relieved breath. She didn’t need his crap tonight.

“Hang here I’ll get our coats.” He said softly and kissed her neck as she continued to talk with Elsa and Oliver. Her gentle squeeze of his hand telling him she was ok.

“Sildie, finally.” Lucas said with a smile as he brought his date over, he looked happy, happier than she’d seen him in ages. “I thought you’d never stop dancing.” He grinned.

“Hello Lucas.” Her tone cordial. She would not embarrass herself or the firm by making a scene. She would keep it all business. “It was good music.” She shrugged with a smile, trying to keep it light.

“I wanted to introduce you.” He said pointing at the blond by his side.

Then it clicked as she studied the woman up close, it was the smug smirk, the same one in the photo, the photo he burned along with the notebook. Oh fucking fuck, she thought, here we go, shit was about to get real.

“This is...”

“Ana.” She said keeping her voice even, plastering a polite knowing smile across her face. She would not play into their sick game, whatever the hell it was, and she would not jump to conclusions. There was something not quite right here, she could smell it.

“You two know each other?” Lucas looked at Ana, then Sildie, and she saw the genuine confusion on his face.

Ana hadn’t told him, interesting, she thought. What else hadn’t she told him, what else had she twisted around to paint Gustaf in an ugly light?

“Mutual friend.” Sildie said locking eyes with the woman that had caused her sweet man so much grief, so much pain. “Never had the pleasure of actually meeting in person.” Her tight smile fixed on her face as she saw the panic in Ana’s, the woman had visibly paled.

Yes, Sildie thought, you’re terrified I’m going to link you and Gustaf and your entire little facade with Lucas is going to crumble right before your eyes.

“Oh.” Lucas said a little surprised. “Mutual friend of mine or yours?” Lucas smiled, still clueless.

Sildie weighed her options and kept her eyes fixed on Ana. She saw the silent plea in the woman’s eyes for her not to voice that connection. No, Sildie thought, no you don’t get to play Lucas like this. He maybe an asshole sometimes but deep down he’s a good guy and doesn’t deserve the same fate as Gustaf at your hands.

“My mutual friend actually, Gustaf.” She said gently and looked at Lucas. The poor guy looked as if he’d been slapped in the face with a speeding freight train. He looked to Ana with bewilderment, those eyes searching for an explanation, and Sildie prepared herself for the cluster fuck that was about to unfold. The guy had to know what he was getting into with Ana. Oh the irony, she thought bitterly.

“They were together for a few years and split last year I believe.” She said simply. She didn’t want to drag out Gustaf’s dirty laundry and shove it in Lucas’s face but she’d give him the cliff notes if pushed.

“Oh, you exaggerate, it was nothing more than a quick fling.” Ana passed off nonchalantly, that saccharine sweet tone grating on Sildie’s every nerve, her glare death incarnate.

“No.” Sildie said calmly, she knew the game Ana was playing and wouldn’t partake. “No exaggeration. You dated him for three years.” The facts, facts and truth always triumphed over lies and deceit.

“You’re mistaken.” Ana growled between clenched teeth.

“No, I’m not mistaken about anything, Ana. I’m well aware of who and what you are.” She said calmly, poor Lucas was hanging on every word out of Sildie’s mouth. They’d known each other for a long time, almost 25 years. Lucas knew she didn’t bullshit or exaggerate anything, in or out of the courtroom. “The lies, the deceit, the pain you caused his sister, his brother, the phantom miscarriage, your own drug use, and the attempt at destroying his sobriety and his career.” She continued as she saw the realization hit home for Lucas, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Yes, I know exactly who and what you are, Ana.” She said evenly and then looked at Lucas. “Is she the reason you think he’s no good for me?” She asked gently, the guy looked ready to crumble. Or is it because you’re jealous and still in love with me, she thought?

“He’ll cheat on you. Keep things from you.”Ana said coldly and all Sildie could do was smile as she started to play the victim of an unhappy relationship, each word from her lips embellished to suit the situation and her own twisted version of the truth. “He’s screws around when he’s on set. He’ll be done with you at some point and move on to the next just like he did with me. He’s a drunk and an addict.”

“He’s a former addict, and his sobriety is still intact, regardless of your attempts to alter the fact.” Sildie snapped, her courtroom lawyer mode well and truly engaged, she would defend her man. Gustaf had given her no reason to doubt his sobriety or his former drug use, he’d been open and honest with her about it right from the beginning.

“You haven’t answered my question Lucas.” She stated, her tone equally abrupt, her eyes still on Ana.

“He’s not good for you.” Lucas choked, his world was falling down around his ears.

“That’s still not answering the question. Is she the reason?” She asked pointing at Ana. He looked at her blankly, not sure who to believe or what to say.

“So you’ll take her word over the truth? That’s not like you Lucas.” She shook her head, she couldn’t believe it. Was he going to throw away everything he believed in over this vindictive, conniving bitch? It wasn’t easy to fool Lucas, there was a reason her brother got along so well with him, both were ruthless in the courtroom, facts and truth, always. “You know when you’re being fed bullshit. Open your eyes Lucas she’s playing you, just like she played Gustaf.”

Gustaf came back to find her in a heated conversation with Lucas, Ana at his side, that smug smirk on her face. He calmed the sudden urge to walk up and wipe that smirk off her face with his fist. “That won’t solve anything.” He muttered under his breath. “Although it would feel really good for the few seconds, right before you landed your ass in jail.” He sighed to himself.

Sildie’s body language alone told him she was well beyond pissed. “Just fucking perfect.” He muttered and his long strides ate up the floor as he surged toward her.

She saw him approach and knew she had maybe five seconds to step between both men before Gustaf lost his shit, she knew that look, lethal fury. She shook her head subtly, he had no clue what was going on or what he was walking into the middle of, and she would protect him at all costs.

He saw her shake her head and slowed, he’d promised to let her handle Lucas. That of course had changed once Ana became involved, but he gave her the floor. As he got closer he could hear their conversation, content to stay far enough behind Lucas to hear what was going on and close enough to kick his ass if necessary. He wasn’t blind drunk but he was under the influence.

“He’s not right for you.” He snapped again. “Or for the kids. Your brother...”

“For the record, in case you didn’t hear me the first time we discussed this, my relationship with Gustaf is none of your god damn business, that stipulation hasn’t changed. And you are not my brother so stop trying to assume the role.” Her tone flat. She locked eyes with him. “And pay attention because this is the absolute last time I tell you. Don’t you fucking dare bring the kids into this.” She snarled. “They are not, nor will they ever be your concern.”

Lucas blanched at her tone, he’d stepped over a line and he knew it. Even Gustaf took a small step toward them hearing that tone, wondering if he was going to have to restrain Sildie. Never bring the kids into it idiot, that was just asking for it. You may as well declare open fucking season on your ass.

“Let me make it perfectly clear to you. I don’t love you Lucas, I never have. That’s not ever going to change despite what you tell me regarding Gustaf and you need to find peace with it.” She was ready to unleash if he kept pushing her. “You need to move on.”

“It is my business when he’s deceiving you.” He seethed and she could see the pain in his eyes, she’d seen it mirrored in Gustaf’s.

“He’s deceiving me? I think you need to look a little closer to home.” She said glaring at Ana. Gustaf frowned, what the fuck did she mean by that?

“He’s an addict Sildie.” Lucas spat.

“Form...”

“I’m a former addict.” Gustaf said flatly cutting her off as he stepped to Sildie’s side. Taking her hand in his, he placed himself solidly between her and Lucas. Enough he thought, she’s taken enough shit from this guy. “And my sobriety is none of your damn business.” He added, his tone dangerous.

“Hello lover.” Ana smirked.

Gustaf, to his credit just glared at her, didn’t even utter her name. He wanted to, he wanted to rage at her for being anywhere near Sildie, but held his tongue. She wasn’t worth the effort, she wasn’t worth Sildie, because that’s the price he’d pay if he retaliated.

“Lov...” Lucas choked, looking at Ana eyes disbelieving. Her quip had been to her own detriment, confirmation that sent the poor guy into a tailspin. Sildie watched something inside Lucas snap.

“You asshole.” Lucas looked from Gustaf to Ana. “He’s the one that...” Ana played him like a fiddle and nodded, her face that of the wounded girlfriend. He looked back to Gustaf.

“So you finished fucking her up and moved on to the next one. I won’t stand by and watch you do the same to Sildie? No fucking way.” Lucas spat, suddenly turning on Gustaf drilling a finger into his chest as if this was somehow all his fault.

“Lucas!” Sildie snapped harshly, her tone telling him to get a grip as he looked at her. Ice cold fury nothing short of murderous looked back, she was beyond livid. Ana was playing him and there was nothing she could do to make him see sense.

Gustaf looked down at the finger still pressed against his chest. “You’re going to want to remove that finger before I do, permanently.” His tone was dangerously calm. Gustaf had a few inches on the guy and pounded a bag regularly, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of kicking his ass into next week. Lucas was one step away of finding out Gustaf’s absolute threshold for bullshit and invasion of his personal space. Gustaf knew the guys head was conflicted, scrambled by whatever this conversation had dragged to the surface kicking and screaming, he was also half full of alcohol, which was why he kept as calm as he did.

“You don’t deserve her, she deserves better. Not some fucking junkie who goes screwing everything in his path.” He snarled again and pushed that finger in a little harder before removing it. It wasn’t the worst Gustaf had been accused of. Sildie knew what he was before they met and Gustaf knew what he’d lose if he ever relapsed. She also knew the truth. Gustaf saw the heart wrenching pain in his eyes, the guy had just had his world turned upside down and shaken violently, he knew that feeling well.

“What Sildie deserves Lucas, is to be respected enough to make her own decisions, her own choices.” He said calmly, cutting Sildie off before she could unleash. He held out her coat so she could slip her arms in. He needed to get them out of here before he did something he’d regret and Sildie decided to redecorate the floor in crimson.

“An observation? A word of advice? You can do better.” He said nodding his chin toward Ana, the bitch just smiled that smug smile as if this was exactly what she’d planned. “You’re a good man Lucas, she doesn’t deserve you.” His tone had Lucas snapping his eyes to his and Gustaf let him see it, the grief that bitch had caused him, he let Lucas see it all.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have children to get home to and a babysitter to relieve.” He didn’t give Lucas or Ana an opportunity to respond, Sildie snatched her bag up and left.

There was more to this conversation he hadn’t heard and wouldn’t give Ana the satisfaction of being part of her game any longer than he already had been. They’d been pawns in her sick little charade with Lucas and he felt for the guy. He kept his body between Lucas and Sildie and steered her toward the door.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly as he turned the key in the ignition. “I know you said you’d handle it, but my sobriety is no ones business but ours and I do not expect you to have to fight or stand up for me, ever.” He spat, he was furious. Not at Sildie but at the entire fucking situation. “Especially when Ana is pulling the fucking strings.”

“I’m sorry that you had to.” She said quietly. “I’m sorry she was there, I didn’t know.” She took a calming breath as he pulled away from the hotel lobby, she was almost in tears. It wasn’t the confrontation, or the fact Ana had been there, it was what it would do to Gustaf, what it was already doing to him. She knew this could spiral him and he’d come too far to let it claim him again so soon.

“Hey.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles as he drove them home. “I had a great night, I’m not going to let that confrontation ruin it. You know my history, the shit with Ana, you know of my sobriety, staying clean, that’s all that matters to me love.” He was not going to let Ana in, she was just a name and he was past all that, he had to be.

“But you shouldn’t have to defend your sobriety to anyone either.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or seethe. “It’s none of their damn business.” She picked at her dress suddenly wishing she’d never gone tonight.

“No it’s not, but I’ll defend it, especially when it’s being thrown in your face or used as a manipulative tool. We know the truth, that’s all that matters to me love.” He kissed her fingers and held them there. He’d keep reassuring her, himself. He wouldn’t let this get to the point it did last time.

“Did you know it was her when Lucas sat down?” She asked and then snorted a chuckle at how absurd her question sounded. “Of course you knew you’re not fucking blind.” She muttered. She felt stupid she had been so caught up in her own head she hadn’t picked up on his emotional swing.

“I knew.” He said quietly, kissing her fingers as he pulled up at a stop light.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Her tone injured.

“Sildie, you had enough going on tonight and you needed me to help get you through, you were my focus, and to be honest she’s just a name.” He kissed her fingers again as the light turned green. “Sure I was shocked to begin with. But then saw it for what it was, nothing but manipulation and vindictiveness. I don’t know what his motives were. To maybe get me to take a swing, shove some proof in your face to show you that I’m the asshole he was trying to make me out to be. I don’t know. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you, I just knew it would have sent you spiraling and you didn’t need a panic attack on top of everything else tonight. I didn’t want to turn it into a big deal.”

“He didn’t know.” She said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“He didn’t know about the connection until I told him.” She sighed. Squeezing his hand she gave him the recount of the conversation before he’d been close enough to overhear it.

“Well shit.” He blew out a breath. “Now I feel like the asshole.” His huff making her smile. “I thought he already knew until I saw his reaction, I wondered how authentic it was.”

“Authentic as it gets, and I’m sorry I had to drag it all up and tell him, but he needed to know what she is. Lucas is a good guy, he doesn’t deserve to be fucked over by her.” She felt like she’d betrayed him, his pain, his grief, airing his dirty laundry for all to see. “It wasn’t my story to tell and I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok love, I’m glad you told him. Asshole or not he doesn’t deserve what she’ll do to him.” He murmured as he pulled into the garage. “Already has done to him.”

“My only fucking regret is I wasn’t there to see her face when you slapped her with the hard truth. It gives me such a petty satisfaction that it sort of blew up in her face.”

He pulled up next to the minivan and turned the key, the car falling silent.

“Look at me.” He said gently, his fingers stroking her jaw asking, pleading. “I let her get between us once.” He started when her gaze locked with his. “I’m not letting it happen a second time.” He leaned across the center console and kissed her sweetly. “Did it piss me off? Sure it did, but there’s no point in me getting worked up over it and dragging it back into our life, back between what we have together.” He kissed her, lingering to nip her bottom lip. “I’m so in love with you.” He murmured, kissing her deeply.

“I love you too.”

He helped her out of the car, pressing her against it gently.

“Let it be done. Put it in the blip column for the evening.” He shrugged. She breathed out and looked at him.

“You’re really ok?” She asked gently, her finger trailing his scruff.

“I’m just fine love. I was more concerned for you.” He kissed her tenderly. “Still am. I never wanted her or any part of her to touch you.” He wasn’t just talking physically.

“She gets off on it, the pure satisfaction of playing with people’s emotions, their lives.” She said disgustedly, it made her feel ill.

“And she was high.” Gustaf murmured softly, kissing her brow.

“I wondered, but couldn’t be sure.” She watched him carefully, she was devastated Ana had been shoved in his face.

“Does or has Lucas used? Apart from alcohol?” He asked carefully.

“Not that I know of. And it’s none of my business.” She shook her head. She couldn’t go poking into his life when she’d unequivocally told him to butt out of her own.

“No, not our business, but just be careful when you’re around him.” He kissed her temple and lingered. “Especially if he continues to be with Ana. She’s a junkie Sildie, she’s into the heavy shit, or at least she was. She’ll try to bring him down with her to her level.” She nodded and his kiss was tender. “Just be careful.”

“Always love.”

“Now.” He breathed out. “Can we get back to the wonderful evening we were having? Where we’re were dancing and kissing? I remember lots of kissing.” He murmured and kissed her temple, lingering to breathe her in. “Let it be done.” His sigh shuddered as he let it all go. He didn’t want to take it any of it upstairs until he could get alone with the bag. He had some shit to deal with but it wasn’t as all consuming as before, he needed to get it right in his head.

“It has been a wonderful night.” She said softly. “And yes, let it be done. You’re right, we can’t let her get between us again.” She looked at those Viking blue eyes. “Can we go to our room?” Her voice sultry as she ran a blood red nail across his bottom lip. “I don’t think there’s been enough kissing.”

“We can.” He growled and devoured her mouth. “Come with me kitten.” He took her hand and led her to the elevator, his hands diving under her coat as soon as the elevator doors closed. He needed to feel that body he’d itched to touch all night.

***********

@hausofobsession @ill-skillsgard @grandpa-sweaters @authentic90skidd @tuckersgirl @fairlyfallacy @flowers-in-your-hayr @raewritesfiction @stinkerbelle007 @kamie-b @mrsaugustwalker @skrsgardspam @loliwrites @trippedmetaldetector @lihikainanea

[halfthealphabet]

tagged by @lesbianmaxevans

Favorite movie: I’m less attached to movies than I am to books and tv shows. I’m not super attached to most movies . . .  Movie that makes you remember your childhood: A few. Cinderella with Brandy, Annie with Kathy Bates, Disney Robin Hood and Aristocats (okay, like most 90s and pre 90s disney movies). Oh and Autie Mame  Favorite Tom Hanks movie: You’ve Got Mail, maybe?  Favorite Disney movie: I'm v nostalgic and also kids’ movies are ones I generally like more than others so I like a lot of them. I totally am not over Moana tho. .. . I never will be.  Movie that makes you cry: Coco!!! Remember Me is just . . . wow Favorite 80’s movie: I second The Princess Bride cause it’s amazing (I can quote like 80% of it)  Favorite comedy: hmmm. . . I like romantic comedies a lot . . . Does CLueless count??? Clueless always makes me laugh  Favorite sports movie: Oooo A League of Our Own!!!  Favorite courtroom movie: I don’t think I’ve ever watched on all the way through but I’ve seen the end of My Cousin Vinny a few times and I love when the Jersey girl mechanic gives her testament. Wait, does Legally Blonde count?  Favorite horror movie: I don’t watch horror  Most overrated movie: *shrugs* I think most are tbh . . . Favorite gangster movie: ummm. . .never seen one I’m pretty sure  Favorite war movie: Does Wonder Woman count?  Movie you can watch over and over again: most movie musicals  Movie with the best soundtrack: ooo shrek or moulin rogue!!!!  Favorite Christmas movie: The Year Without a Santa Clause XD Movie you’re embarrassed that you love: Now You See Me, but I’m weak fro heist films. The characters pretty much suck but it actually shocked me.  Favorite sequel: Shrek 2, for sure  Favorite period drama: anne of green gables is the first I think of  Favorite movie quote: *shrugs* all i can think right now is There’s no crying in baseball but that’s totally not my favorite quote. 

tagging whoever wants to do this 

[fightevilandthengetblownup]

Chat: Jo + Gray romcoms

(for lexy)

Jo> She likes pointless fluff movies. I’m being told I have to watch Friends With Benefits next after I finish the last 20 mins of the first half of this series

Jo> :l

Jo> *actually doesnt mind that movie just finds it hysterical Jo does*

Grey> Is Friends with Benefits the one with Mila Kunis?

Jo> Yep

Grey> Who’s the male lead in that?

Jo> Justin Timberlake

Grey> Ah

Jo> It’s kind of hilarious that Jo likes that movie

Grey> Because of how she is about relationships?

Jo> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_CVAI_twO0 and then http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA6M-V4oHso first 20 seconds just… kind of amazingly hilarious.

Jo> She’s somewhere between or actually boh main characters at once

Jo> (Also the Train in the background of the first cracks me up)

Grey> TRAIN IN THE BACKGROUND LOL

Jo> Yeeeep

Grey> You linked me the sex scene? LOL *signs in*

Jo> Its the end of the crappy romcom movie that the girl wanted to watch and the guy spent the entire time paying out.

Jo> LOL

Jo> Yes

Jo> Because

Jo> First 20 seconds is magic

Jo> …hell the entire thing is magic

Jo> And hilariously like if Jo were a guy and a girl at the same time

Jo> honest to god

Grey> “I sneeze sometimes after I come” *drink everywhere*

Jo> Wait for it

Grey> HES SINGING

Jo> LOL

Grey> “WHOA TOO FAR”

Jo> “When women start to scream it can me misconstrued”

Grey> *dead*

Grey> So much for just once

Jo> LOL Yeeeep.

Jo> Can you see kind of where I get my amusement from?

Grey> Yep

Jo> “Grab my hair.” “Kiss my neck”

Grey> *dies at butt part*

Jo> *nodnod*

Grey> Oh my god

Grey> Oh man mom walking in at the end

Jo> Lol yep

Jo> I find so much fucking amusement from that movie and the fact it’s number 3 on Jo’s fave ‘romcom’s

Grey> What are the first two?

Jo> Pretty Woman and Miss Congeniality

Grey> Awwwww Miss Congeniality. "So her top favorites are about a hooker finding a sugar daddy, a tomboy becoming a barbie doll and two friends fucking?“ Gray that’s not… no.

Jo> "Got a problem with that?” Gray. Darling. No… …though he has a point but no…

Grey> “Other than your taste in movies is shit. No.” He’s got the air of implying about him.

Jo> “…I’m just glad it was top three then, I’m sure you’d find the next two just as shit…” Jo is well aware the implication and I am snickering my head off

Grey> “And what are those, Legally Blonde and The House Bunny?” *pets her*

Jo> “…no. Clueless and a tie between 500 Days of Summer and Runaway Bride….

Jo> ” She knows how bad those are, but theyre better than Legally Blonde and House Bunny at least. (What’s Your Number, Stardust, Legally Blonde, You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless In Seattle round out the top ten though)

Grey> “*snickering*” Yeah. The House Bunny is shit but Legally Blonde isn’t bad imo. It’s got Matt Davis in it for one so…

Jo> “…oh go ahead. Say it.” Lol yeah House Bunny is. Legally Blonde’s pretty alright - the second is dreadful though.

Grey> “Say what that you have horrible picks and clearly just want some guy to swoop in a rescue you?” Second one doesnt exist in my mind. Because I like the first one too much to admit it.

Jo> “You just don’t like romantic comedies and most of those involve free thinking, independent women who can survive all on their own without a man…sorta.” LOL I cried my way through it. In pain.

Grey> “Except they all end up with a guy and the whole plot of them is either "fucks a dude and keeps fucking him” or “discovers she’s ladylike after all”.“ I saw it on tv once, attempted to watch then switched the channel 5 minutes in because it was hurting

Jo> "Pretty Woman is about how you aren’t just your job - that there is more to a person than just that; Miss Congeniality is about doing the right thing, and that everyone can be more than what their intial appearance might suggest; FoB is about how… sometimes worrying about the labels of things can ruin something that’s working and that …getting over that shit’s for the best…” It’s dreadful..

Grey> “Uh huh.” Yeah I dont know what charm the first one has that the second one is missing but you can definitely tell it’s missing it. Same with Miss Congeniality, first movie is cute second movie makes you want to tear out your eyes

Jo> (Oh god, I just realised the girl in Friends with Benefits at the start is going to go see Pretty Woman at the cinema as some romcom weeklong thing and her then bf dumps her out front and she’s already missed the boots)

Grey> *DEAD*

Jo> “…shut up, alright. God, a girl is allowed to like pointless fluff sometimes!” LOL So so true. The same goes for Bring It On. *crying at this movie again now*

Jo> (“You know I love this movie! If a prostitute and a ruthless businessman who fall in love, then anyone can. *wistful sigh/tone*” *dying*)

Grey> “I would think you get enough of that with the runt.” Oh my god that’s hilarious

Jo> “…I think your brother knows better than to..freak me out with that sort of thing. Reality, fiction, don’t cross the streams..much.” I know. I forgot it and now Im dead.

Grey> “So he’s not constantly trying to bring you flowers or jewelry or anyt of that other crap? I’m surprised he has so much restraint.” No wonder Jo likes the movie

Jo> “No, he’s not. Seems you don’t know him quite as well as you think…” Oh yeah. … http://youtu.be/GvBNVJjhj4Q?t=11s Just… start o the film is pretty much this. And yep. It totally does.

Grey> “Or he doesn’t like you as much as he says he does.” I feel bad for Justin’s character cause that bitch crazy

Grey> “Next time just shit on my face cause that’s the same thing” no it isnt lady

Jo> Wait for the explanation of Mila’s character

Grey> WOW Andy’s a dick

Jo> LOL Yuuuuup

Grey> *spit take at Justin*

Jo> Just wait

Jo> It gets more

Grey> *DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD*

Jo> “Or maybe he likes me as much as he says he does and doesn’t want me to feel uncomfortable or pressured and is making sure I’m okay with things.” I KNOW RIGHT?! AND THATS JUST THE FIRST THREE MINUTES OF THE MOVIE

Grey> “If he liked you as much as he said, he’d get you flowers. Because that’s what Grey does, flowers and chocolate and bubble baths with candles and rose petals and all the other lame shit because that’s what he does, he does the lame "romantic” crap and he likes doing that. So he either doesnt actually care that much or he’s completely terrified of you and is too scared to even approach the matter"

Grey> That’s hilarious

Grey> Especially Justin’s just completely lunatic of the girlfriend. Like Mina’s guy was just lazy and a jerk but Justin’s girl was fucking monkeynuts crazy

Jo> “He would not - he might want to, but right now? He wouldn’t. I prefer non-materialistic things anyway so…” I know. She’s amazing. She keeps calling too. I seriously recommend it if you have a few hours to spare or fill or are bored sometime because that movie is just great. Better than No Strings (the Portman/Kutcher one)

Grey> “If he wouldnt its because you’re scaring him. But hey if you’re cool with him being too scared to say what he wants then….” It does look a lot funnier than Natalie’s

Jo> “I am not /scaring/ him. He knows he can say whatever he likes to me or bring up stuff…. …” It is. I’ve seen both several times, Friends With is much better. The original Coke to Nat’s new.

Grey> “Sure he does. That’s why he didn’t tell you he loved you for the longest time. Because he’s totally not afraid to talk to you.” I feel like I should just watch both then Black Swan to mindfuck myself but I can’t right now lol

Jo> “He does, and… that’s none of your business, and it wasn’t 'the longest time’, was barely three months after..” LOL Oh god that would be dreadful.

Grey> “Uh huh. And he hasnt really said it again has he?” Yep it would

Jo> “He has too. …a few times.” Brainfuck indeed.

Grey> “And I bet you know exactly how many because it doesnt happen a lot.” Completely

Jo> “…your point being? People don’t have to say they love one another all the time, I’m sure you could count on one hand the number of times you’ve said it.”

Grey> “Because I’m a arrogant asshole monster who doesn’t really give two shits to get emotional about things. Does that sound like Grey to you?”

Jo> “…no. Sounds a little like me though, so instead - how often has Anna said it to you, huh? Just because he doesn’t say it often doesn’t mean he doesn’t know he can ask about things or talk about stuff.”

Grey> “More than five times less than twenty. He’s stupid though, how would you know he knew he could ask if he doesnt feel like he could say it? Doesnt matter now I guess with that collar on you he’ll be too freaked out to do much of anything”

Jo> “..Oh. ….Because he knows me? Because neither of us is going to judge or fly off the handle? Because I haven’t gone running yet? ….shut up, fuck you.”

Grey> “If he knows you he knows that your terrified of getting attached and won’t bring it up for fear of driving you away. I’m just stating facts.”

Jo> “Otherwise known as caring and respecting a loved ones boundaries. And you say that like we’re not attached, because we are, so shove off. …you’re being a dick with the truth.”

Grey> “Otherwise known as being spineless. Wait until he wants to get married then see how attached you are. Better than just being a dick right?”

Jo> “There’s a difference - one is being respectful, the other has no basis other than fear for it. …. ………. Let’s not talk about that, ever, again. Oh shut up..”

Grey> “So how do you know he’s doing it out of respect instead of fear? Just wait.”

Jo> “Because, I just do. …And I said again…”

Grey> “Uh huh. You’re going to run when you see that little box.”

Jo> “…. ….I’m not going to run..” Mental commentary: “I’m going to politely say I need time to think, excuse myself and go hide under the covers. The fastest will be a brisk walk. Yes. No running. It’d be fine.”

Grey> “Yes you are. Watching him bend his knee and go into his pocket for it is just going to scare you so badly you’re going to take off running like a scared deer.” Awwww poor Jo

Jo> “No. I’m… I have more restraint than that even if that /isn’t/ my response.” Think she’d feel bad for it but..unless she suggests it she’ll probably freak.

Grey> “You’re right, cause he’s probably going to do it in public. You wouldnt want to make a scene. All those eyes on you expecting to say yes especially his when he looks so happy and expectant.” He wouldnt ask. I mean like… probably never unless they actually had a kid. Because he knows it wouldnt work

Jo> ( http://youtu.be/VIirTZQWJBg?t=30s *crying* Guess Jo has a penis where her vaginas supposed to be)

Grey> (SO DEAD. Oh Woody Harrelson you are always hilarious)

Jo> “…shut up. How do you know the answer would be no? Or that I wouldn’t be the one askin’? Everyone’s always calling me the boy of us…” Cue gray laughing head off. And yeah, no - I’d figured he probably wouldn’t, what’s sad is a marriage would work but proposing the idea wouldnt. (IKR? He’s a gay sports writer)

Grey> “Because you don’t do commitment? You… ask him… *laughing*” *nods* He’d figure they couldnt therefore wouldnt ask unless its a kid in which case he’d feel like “this is a family now” and ask. (He’s hilarious. I lost it)

Jo> “I do sometimes. …. *tries not to laugh as well* Yeah, okay shut up..” Yep - which I think he might be able to get a yes if he didn’t say it was cause she was preg or had had a baby, mde the family comment instead. (LOL Yeeep)

Grey> “Fine. That was funny enough I’ll shut up. *still laughing*” *nods* I think his approach would be something like “I’d like for us to be a family. And I want to be officially part of that family.” Plus that way if something happens to Jo the kids stay with him. (Armpit girl? Do I even want to know…)

Jo> ( http://youtu.be/GJucbfuvh-A armpit girl)

Grey> (Oh Justin baby what is it with you and crazy broads)

Jo> “Glad you enjoyed it… *fails at holding back a giggle* Okay seriously, I’m not that bad.. or I’m not the worst, so shuddup.” Yeah, that would actually probably work. (Yeeeep)

Grey> “Not the worst? Right okay compared to like me or something.” And of course Grey would have the sense enough not to try to make a big affair of it, nor would he want to

Jo> “There are worse people out there without going straight to you, Gray.” Yep yep - big affair woul get a no.

Jo> (Oh god, I forgot the guy in this has a stutter when he was nervous)

Grey> “*indignantly* Are not. I’m the worst. End of discussion.” *slaps Gray for wanting to look like the horrible monster again* I think the closest he’d come to that was asking if she wanted her mother there or any close friends. (So dead)

Jo> “Sure thing, I just meant there were people between the two of us on the worse scale is all.” *snickers at him* lol true true. Knowing Jo she’d not want much, or until after. (Yeeep)

Grey> “Nope. You’re close enough to me there’s no one left between us.” *nods* Jesse go to bed jo harvelle gray chat complete Aug 21st, 2012

[makeuptips10-blog]

12 Romantic Comedies Where the Fashion Is Almost Better than the Movie

New Post has been published on https://www.claritymakeupartistry.com/12-romantic-comedies-where-the-fashion-is-almost-better-than-the-movie/

12 Romantic Comedies Where the Fashion Is Almost Better than the Movie

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There isn’t a romantic comedy that I won’t watch. Whether it’s Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant struggling to survive in the Midwest or Drew Barrymore having her first kiss in a baseball field, I’m all in. But I’m not blind either. There are more bad rom-coms than there are amazing ones, and I’ve watched my fair share of stinkers. But even if the plotline isn’t good, I’ve always found a silver lining: the clothes.

Rom-coms have their recurring tropes: the final-act kiss, the flirty quips between the leads. But one thing that I can almost always rely on when I watch a rom-com is fabulously dressed characters, from the hot-pink dresses Isla Fisher wears in Confessions of a Shopaholic to the drop-dead-gorgeous wedding gown in Crazy Rich Asians. To fuel your fashion-loving moviegoer, we’ve rounded up 12 rom-coms where the style is almost (if not) better than the story. The plots can sometimes disappoint, but fashion will always be a highlight.

The Devil Wears Prada

No fashion film list is complete without 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada. The film, which centers on Andy Sachs, an assistant at a high-fashion magazine, is filled with fun fashion moments, from the beautiful coats and bags that Miranda Priestly flings on desks to the iconic montage of Andy transforming from a bargain-bin shopper to one of the most well-dressed employees at Runway magazine. Though the film barely qualifies as a rom-com (Andy’s romance takes a back seat to her relationship with her boss), there are more than enough fashion moments to enjoy.

Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Sex and the City 

Rom-coms have always been associated with fashion, but Sex and the City took it to the next level. The HBO TV series premiered its first film in 2008, and though the storyline was met with mixed reviews from fans (don’t even get us started on the second movie), the fashion didn’t disappoint. From Carrie Bradshaw’s dreamlike Vivienne Westwood wedding dress to the many colorful and fashion-forward looks all four of the women wear, the fashion in Sex and the City make it a must-watch even if you have lukewarm feelings about the franchise as a whole.

Photo: Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.

Photo: James Devaney/WireImage.

Photo: James Devaney/WireImage.

Crazy Rich Asians

2018’s Crazy Rich Asians was history-making in more ways than one. In addition to its all-Asian cast, the movie was a damn good rom-com, and it included one of the genre’s most well-known tropes: amazing clothes. The film is about an American professor who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend—unaware that he’s the heir of one of the country’s wealthiest families. The storyline is a breeding grown for beautiful, luxurious clothes, and it doesn’t disappoint. From the gold hand-painted wedding dress that Araminta Lee walks down the aisle in to Rachel Chu’s gasp-worthy blue gown, Crazy Rich Asians is full of fashionable eye candy.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Pretty Woman

1990’s Pretty Woman follows Vivian Ward, a down-on-her-luck sex worker, who meets a wealthy businessman named Edward Lewis. The film is chock-full of sassy monologues (including this iconic one), shopping sprees and outfits worthy of copying, from Vivian’s off-the-shoulder red dress to the matching polka-dot look she wore with Edward to a polo match.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures.

Photo: Buena Vista Pictures.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Based on its title alone, 2009’s Confession of a Shopaholic should be filled with beautiful clothes, and surprise, surprise, it is. The film follows Rebecca Bloomwood, a writer who has a shopping addiction so big that it leads her to serious debt and broken relationships. Though the movie is a cautionary tale for those who spend too much on clothes, it’s also a feast for the fashion lover.

Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

2018’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before premiered only a couple months ago, but it’s already made an impact in terms of its retro high-school style. The film follows Lara Jean Covey, a teenager whose love letters to former crushes are accidentally mailed out. The movie is adorable and a much-needed breath of diversity that was lacking in the teen rom-com genre. But on top of that, the movie also includes a ton of Pinterest- and Halloween-worthy outfits, like Lara Jean’s colorful turtlenecks and denim skirts.

Photo: Netflix.

Photo: Netflix.

13 Going on 30

13 Going on 30 is a classic rom-com that has stood up to the test of time, both film-wise and fashion-wise. The movie follows Jenna Rink, an awkward 13-year-old girl who magically ages 17 years to become 30 and a writer at a big-time women’s magazine. The movie’s fashion mixes the whimsical outfits of an ’80s-born 13-year-old with the over-the-top style of the early ’00s.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Clueless

If you were born in the ’90s, you’ve thought about dressing up as Clueless‘s Cher Horowitz for Halloween at least once in your life. The character, a teenage girl with a passion for fashion and gossip, became an instant icon when the teen rom-com premiered in 1995. Along with Cher’s iconic yellow-plaid schoolgirl outfit, Clueless also saw fashion-favorite looks from her bestie, Dionne, and the other preppy outfits that Cher wears throughout the movie.

Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Legally Blonde

Pink, pink and more pink is the color scheme of 2001’s Legally Blonde, which follows a woman named Elle Woods as she heads to Harvard Law School to win back the heart of her ex. Though Elle ends up ditching her ex to become a serious lawyer, her love for fashion never faltered, judging from the all-pink ensemble she wore in the film’s ending court scene.

Photo: MGM Distribution Co.

Photo: MGM Distribution Co.

500 Days of Summer

2009’s 500 Days of Summer might not have the flashiness and designer costumes that the other rom-coms on this list have, but it’s still filled with a ton of inspiration. The movie follows the relationship of a couple from beginning to end. It takes place in modern-day, but a lot of its outfits have a 60s-style flare, with sweater vests and denim skirts commonly seen on the characters.

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Amélie

2001’s Amélie is a French film and fashion lover’s dream. The movie follows Amélie, a shy waitress who decides to turn her life around. Unlike some of the rom-coms on this list, fashion isn’t a theme of the movie, but it definitely makes an appearance in the protagonist’s clothes, from her cool coats to her quirky accessories.

Photo: UGC-Fox Distribution.

Photo: UGC-Fox Distribution.

Photo: UGC-Fox Distribution.

1968’s Funny Girl follows the life of Fanny Brice, a famous actress and fashion icon from the 1920s. The movie stars Barbra Streisand as Brice in multiple stages of her life. She models some of the character’s most beautiful outfits and hairstyles, from her iconic updos to the sparkly and flowy gowns she wears to parties.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Source: http://stylecaster.com/romantic-comedies-fashion/

[sowk-fic-archive]

SOWK ch.4/35

Summary:

Dominic and his family meet the absolute delight that is Lysander...

Chapter 4 : gueux

It was almost two weeks since the infamous incident, and those two weeks had not passed smoothly. Dom and his parents had seen the interior of almost every solicitor’s office in their sector, and no matter how many different desks they sat at, no matter how many times they mentioned the name Bellamy, the answer had always been a resounding no. Though the solicitors often sugar-coated their predicament, it was clear that they all thought the same. You won’t get out of that hole alive. So, what greeted Fleck and his son when they walked in the door of their shack almost two weeks after the infamous incident was quite a treat, at least for the younger man. The scent of carrots, potatoes, onions and, if he wasn’t mistaken, chicken assaulted Dom’s senses, the glouglou’s eyes wide in surprise and confusion. Dom turned to his father, brows furrowed as he attempted to puzzle through the situation, but Fleck was avoiding his gaze. “Dad...” Dom said slowly, but Fleck pushed a persistent hand against his back and gently steered him towards the kitchen table. “Hurry up, before it gets cold,” his father said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Nevertheless, Dom pulled out the chair and sat down, staring at the steaming bowl of chicken and vegetable soup with suspicion clear on his face. His mother was busying herself with glasses of orange juice; Nancy had flopped down beside him a few seconds ago and was already ladling soup into her bowl. Dom glanced again at the table, at the corporeal vegetables and chunks of juicy chicken and the unbelievably real loaf of crusty bread on the chopping board. “What’s going on...?” he asked, his voice trailing off though he had nothing more to ask. His question was simple enough. They were scraping by; there was a leak in the bathroom ceiling that hadn’t been fixed for months, they were behind on the rent and they were in a huge amount of debt thanks to a certain self-obsessed Voix. How they were able to afford vegetables that weren’t onions - never mind chicken - was a mystery to him. Fleck sat down at the head of the table, as usual, and gave Dom a pointed look. “Just eat,” he said firmly, his tone a clear indication that the conversation was at an end before it had begun. “Guess what?” Nancy suddenly burst out, her spoon dropping to the table with a clatter. Everyone turned to look at her, and, swallowing down what was apparently excitement, Nancy continued in a wavering voice, “You know the party this Saturday?” Dom’s eyes dropped back to his soup. He shifted in his seat, a familiar wave of painful hatred shooting through his body. It was Matthew Bellamy’s ‘birthday party’ on Saturday, and as a result, virtually the entire population of the planet had been press ganged into celebrating it. Street parties were being organised all over town and Dom had been forced to attend the one on his local main street; the last thing he wanted to do was spend a day where everyone was singing Bellamy’s praises, but he couldn’t sulk at home. Reluctantly, he glanced up again, to where Nancy was excitedly murmuring that Ben 4876034 from two doors down had asked to go with her. Dom assumed it was of some kind of importance to her, but he couldn’t exactly work out what. Then again, he wasn’t well-versed in the literature of women, much less his sister’s particular novels. “Who’s he again, the one with the reddish hair?” his mother was asking, almost as excitedly as Nancy herself. His sister nodded, giggling and placing a hand to her mouth. Dom swivelled his eyes to his father and pulled a face; Fleck shrugged in reply, a light smile at his lips. “He’s gorgeous though,” Nancy was gushing, eyelashes fluttering as she spoke. As Dom ripped off a chunk of bread and dipped it into his soup, an oddly satisfied mood stole over him. His mother was laughing, the corners of her eyes crinkled once more; it didn’t matter that on Saturday he would have to endure a full day of Matthew, because his family was happy. He could forget about debts and leaks and rents for that evening and simply imagine what it would be like to live a normal life. And then someone knocked on the door. They all turned to it simultaneously, frozen where they sat. Nancy’s voice trailed off mid-sentence; Dom found himself staring at the door with the bread stuffing his mouth. He swallowed hard, turning to his father, who stood up and inched his way to the door. They never had visitors. The last time someone had knocked on the door, it had been to take the census, and that was almost ten years ago now. Before Fleck had the chance to reach the door, however, an overly chirpy voice sounded through the cheap wood. “‘Ello? Anybody ’ome?” the voice sung quite happily, lilting and fluent in its tones. “Mum, who--?” “Keep your mouth shut, Dominic,” Annie said, iron in her voice. Dom’s mouth obediently closed; he glanced at Nancy, who seemed just as clueless as he was. He turned back to the door, watching as his father hesitantly pulled it open. A man with a head of slick white-blond hair, a proud, jutting chin and glinting blue eyes stood grinning in the doorway. “Evenin’, Fleck, me old chum!” the man said, raising a hand to his forehead in a loose salute. Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped over the threshold, gently sliding past Fleck and walking with confident, long strides over to the kitchen table. “Nice place. Very ’omely.” He said, walking in a slow circle around the table and stopping directly behind Nancy. He crouched low, pressed his lips close to her ear and whispered, “‘Ello, darlin’.” Dom’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Get your hands off my sister,” he snarled. The Voix looked over at him, an amused smile on his face. “Calm your passions, pretty boy,” he said smoothly. He stood up again, though his hand lingered against Nancy’s neck. Dom gritted his teeth but said nothing more; after glancing at Nancy, who shook her head with a barely perceptible movement at his questing looks, he decided that it was best to keep his voice down. “Lysander,” Fleck said coldly, braving a look into the Voix’s stunning blue eyes. Although he didn’t act or sound like one, Lysander was still a Voix and, technically, should be respected like one. His work, however, wasn’t really that respectable in the first place. “You said just yesterday that we wouldn’t meet for two weeks.” “Ah, that I did say, but what’s stoppin’ me from poppin’ ‘round for a cuppa every now and then, ey? Plus, I’ve got payment to collect,” Lysander suavely said, giving an easy smile to the confused, stunned and frightened faces around the table. “But I don’t owe you any money at the moment!” Fleck protested, the muscles bunching in his arm. Dom knew it was a telltale sign that he was restraining from banging his fist against the wood of the table. “I never said I wanted money, did I?” Lysander shot back, his voice deep and deadly serious. “Maybe I’ll be taking my payment in other forms...” As his sentence trailed off, the Voix brushed his knuckles against the nape of Nancy’s neck, the glouglou pressing her lips hard against each other and blinking rapidly. “Don’t you dare touch my daughter!” “Fine! But I’m needin’ twice last week’s payment by tomorrow.” “You know I can’t do that,” Fleck pleaded, begging with his eyes. “Then I take the girl,” Lysander said quietly, hand slipping around to stroke the front of Nancy’s neck. To Dom, it looked more like a chokehold than a caress. Suddenly, he found his voice. “Just what is going on here?!” Lysander removed his hand from Nancy’s skin completely, a sigh of relief audible in the tense room. Quirking his head, the Voix stepped away from Dom’s twin before approaching him. “Ah, Dom. The ringleader in this debauchery.” “What are you even--” “Dominic, do not make this difficult,” Annie warned. “Ah, he’s not makin’ anythin’ difficult, love,” Lysander said, Annie barely suppressing a shiver under his gaze. Turning his attention back to Dom, Lysander tipped the younger man’s chin up with two fingers. “Poor little Dom. Too young to know anythin’, ain’t ya?” He gave Dom’s cheek a light slap before straightening up, beginning to walk around the kitchen table once more. “I recall that you got into a spot of trouble coupla weeks ago, am I right? I’m right,” Lysander said, not allowing anyone to even breathe a response. “I, Lysander Fletcher, financial aide to the gods - and to the Bellamys,” he added in a stage whisper to no one in particular, “jumped to your rescue, where no sane or legal solicitor woulda jumped.” “I still--” “See all this nice food here, lad? Yup, that’s my work. Bloke coming to fix that leak in that bathroom of yours next Tuesday? Yup, that’s my work. The fact that you’re all still alive is my bloody work. All I ask for in return is my money... and my interest, set at my rates.” “Is that even legal?!” a different, shrill voice cried. “Annie...” Fleck warned, Dom noticing that his father’s head was now held in his hands, fingers pulling at strands of hair. “Darlin’, let’s remember who I am. I’m a Voix, you’re a glouglou. Doesn’t matter what you think, sweetheart, ‘cause I am the judge, jury and executioner.” With that, Lysander’s hand returned to Nancy’s neck. A chill silence fell across the room. Annie was biting her nails, gaze fixed on her daughter, who was sitting bolt upright and completely still as Lysander traced her collarbone with two long fingers, her eyes glazed over and evidently trying to detach herself from the situation. If there was any sort of telepathic link between twins, Dom certainly didn’t need it now. He could feel Nancy’s fear in the air, hear her hammering heartbeat, he could see her predicting her father’s next words correctly. Fleck inhaled deeply, raising his head only to rub at his temples with his fingers. “What sort of interest is this, Lysander?” he breathed, voice cracking. “I’ve got a few mates,” Lysander began, a sob breaking free from Annie’s chest as he paused. She knew what was coming; they all knew what was coming, yet they accepted it just as you’d accept the end of the world - wide eyed and watching. “And boy, do they love a good girl. A pretty girl, nice pair of eyes, nice pair of...” Lysander had the decency to cough before continuing. “Well, you see, they get bored of the Voix girls. They’re all too prissy, them. All too needy and clingy. We like a girl who can think for herself... a girl who has a bit of fight in her.” One fat tear rolled down Nancy’s cheek, and as she jerkily wiped it away, Lysander’s hand fell from her body and back to his side. “Do I even get a say in this?” Nancy whispered, more to herself than anybody else. Everybody heard her, yet no one had the heart to respond. Well, no one with a heart had the heart to respond. “If you had a say, princess, you wouldn’t be a cassé,” Lysander sneered, giving the rest of the room a carefree lopsided smile before promptly turning and leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

[sehsunshine]

a mafia!sehun scenario pt.1 

(a combination of angst, smut and fluff. You have been warned.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Your red tartan shirt bristles behind you as you march, furious, towards the dancing neon lights that adulterate the street ahead of them. Kyungsoo had gone out. Again. Barley a week after promising to become less involved in mafia business and he’d slipped away from your shared apartment the second your back had been turned. Your brother’s lack of sincerity hurt, but what really fuelled your rage was the greater, heart-rendering betrayal you’d stumbled upon not an hour ago. Your boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend, with his face buried between another’s woman legs. For weeks you’d suspected him of an affair, but to have it materialized in front of you had been too much to handle. You’d cried angry, shameful tears and stumbled home, in hopes of finding your older brother’s comfort and warmth. Instead, the house was cold and empty, and the nearest trace of your beloved big brother was a scrawled apology on a ripped piece of paper.

So yeah, you were pissed. And you weren’t about to let Kyungsoo get away with it. You knew how often he frequented this club, though you’d never actually visited it in person before, and that it was a place his gang would often strike deals with neighbouring groups.

You knew very little about Kyungsoo’s group, mostly because he refused to tell you anything or ever let you meet with any of the members. Not that you were exactly pleading for him to let you. He knew how much you hated that part of his life – the gangs, the money, the fights. You had no idea in what the hell he was involved in, but you knew it wasn’t even a little bit legal. He’d come home bloodied and bruised so many times that you were coming to be pretty handy with the makeshift doctor’s kit you kept underneath the kitchen sink. But no matter how many times you would complain about how this life was hurting him, he’d always simply reaffirm the same, undeniable truth – you needed the money. At which point, your yelling would abruptly cease, as you could offer no worthy response – he was right, you really, really needed the money.

You think however, slamming through the club’s dingy doors, that you’re not completely clueless about this part of Kyungsoo’s life. He’ll occasionally let slip some crucial piece of information that you’ve built up a fairly solid background. His gang – exo – run your area. They’re a group of 9 men and you think perhaps the leader was.. Suho, was it? Something like that. But you know that while they’re in control of the local area, they are not the absolute power at the front of it. They’re one of many gangs that help control the whole of Seoul for the big boss. That’s what you’ve taken to calling them, since Kyungsoo absolutely refuses to disclose any clues about their identity. You’re not aware of much else, other than that exo has had to regularly defend their territory lately, so Kyungsoo had been coming home more bloodied and bruised than ever. It worried you to no extent, but you knew that he would never leave his gang. Because as much as you were his sister, they were all his brothers, and his level of devotion to them ran deep. But he had swore he would spend less time out on these jobs, and the clear disregard for your wishes stung deep.

The club seems so busy that the walls themselves vibrate. Everywhere you turn, people slam against one another with shuddering fervour, and more than once you are jostled violently to the side. Craning your neck, you hope to catch a glimpse of Kyungsoo’s dark hair in the crowd, but with this many people and the twitching purple lights, it’s impossible to see. Your fists clench as you attempt to  reign in your growing anger and, thinking you see an opening in the middle of the floor, you push towards it.

It takes a considerable time, but eventually you manage to squirm your way to the forefront of the crowd. In the middle of the floor, two boys dance opposite each other, mirroring the other’s moves in a routine like motion. Around them, the partygoers cheer ferociously and stomp their feet to the beat of the mismatched song. You sigh irritably and scan around the room. From this angle, you realize there is a seating area above the floor. It trails around the room with a number of plush purple comforters at different points, tables situated between them. You growl, realizing this is Kyungsoo’s likely location.

Your attention is drawn back to the boys for a moment as the audience’s approval rears up once again in thunderous applause. You cringe slightly, and then realize it is because the floor beneath them has opened up and is now sprouting water, soaking their clothes.

And yes, you’re angry, very much so, but, well you know how to appreciate a nice view, alright? You’re so lost in the fluidity of the dance for a moment, the stark contrast of the boy’s physiques and their opposing blonde and black hair that you fail to realize everyone around you has moved back, and that you are a definite two paces in front of the crowd with water sloshing at your ankles, impatient shouts ringing at your ears.

Cursing at your own mindless ogling, you try to take advantage of the situation and glance up to see if you can better see Kyungsoo. However, as your eyes drift upwards, they connect with the blonde boy in front of you. His movements have paused, realizing your stance, and he seems to be assessing you, almost. His hair, wet and tousled, bats impatiently around his forehead, only lightly obscuring his dark eyes. The water drips untroubled down the long bridge of his nose and puckering over his full lips, before leading a dangerous path towards his lean and open chest. His attire, you note, leads very little to imagine, with his white shirt soaked through and ripped open, and his dark jeans equally distressed, clinging tight to his skin.

You snap out of your undignified gawking and clear your throat awkwardly, realizing he is smirking at you.

You’ve never been very good at holding the gaze of people so attractive they make your eyes hurt, so you look down immediately, blushing darkly. You hurry to stumble back into the safety of the crowd, but just as you begin to move, so does he. Suddenly, he seems to barrel towards you, as in, literally right towards you so that he is practically running at the crowd. Your eyes widen in considerable shock and you’re hurrying to distance yourself when he leaps into the air, twisting his limbs in a stance that frankly seems both unnatural and dangerous when-

He lands at your feet, on his knees, with his head hanging in front of you. The crowd roars their approval and, running his hands through his hair, he turns to look up at you, grinning this time. His boldness shocks you, though you can’t deny how attractive the sudden confidence is. You’re on the verge of grinning back when your eyes flick south again and realize the red ink on his shirt. Your eyes darken as you take it in, recognizing the same mark on Kyungsoo’s jacket at home. You know exactly what type of mark that is.

Of course. A man lands literally on his knees in front of you and he too, is involved in the mafia. What a blessed, blessed day.

Your interest evaporates instantly and you sigh audibly as he stands, especially when you realize his frame dwarfs your own. He blinks down at you, body still very, very close to your own and quirks an eyebrow at your admittedly not very club like attire.

“Enjoy the show?” He asks, eyes crinkled in a half smile as he leans down slightly.

You match his eyebrow quirk with your own and reaching your hand up, flick some of the water from his performance at his face.

“I’ve seen better.”

Over his shoulder you finally catch a glimpse of your traitorous brother, laughing loudly in a booth with a red haired man in front of him. Your earlier feelings of anger are quickly recalled at the sight, and glowering at the image, you shoulder roughly past the still-smirking man in front of you and slosh loudly through the water stage. You catch the grin of his dark haired partner as you do so, but make no effort to return such niceties – you are much, much too angry for that.

You land in front of your brother will a dull thud, water dripping from your jeans. He and the men around him turn to look at you in interest, but this quickly turns into panic as Kyungsoo realizes who it is standing, glowering in front of him.

“Y/n-“

“What the actual fuck Kyungsoo?”

He stumbles around to exit the booth and the members around him seem shocked at your tone. If you were perhaps calmer, more in control of your rational sense, you would perhaps note that these people around him are the infamous exo gang and have absolutely no clue as to who or what you are, or what you are doing.

“Y/n, calm down-“

“Don’t you dare!” You growl, snatching away from him as he attempts to placate your flailing limbs. In the process, your hand reaches up and strikes against his cheek, and though the men behind him make small sounds of outcry, he only stares at you.  

“You promised me, you promised-“ Your voice continues to raise as your hysteria does, and now not only him, but the men around him reach forward to steady you.

“Little sister, you’re making a scene.” He mutters quietly, latching onto your wrist, a slight red blossoming on his cheek.

“Little sister? D.O, what’s going on?” From behind him a tall man asks, taking you in quietly. You glare at him in response, and his gaze hardens.

“D.O? D.O? Is that what they call you here?” You hiss. “Is this who you are, D.O?” You question sarcastically and his grip on your wrist tightens.

He leans toward you darkly, ignoring the questioning shouts of the men behind him.

“This is not a place for you, y/n. Go. Home.” He punctuates his last two words harshly, though you see the quick scan he does behind you and realize faintly, that a small crowd has gathered to spectate. Still, unwilling to back down, your matching dark eyes challenge his.

“Go with me.”

You realize that you have laid out a very clear and obvious choice in front of him, and so does he. His eyes widen slightly at what you appear to be asking of him, but you refuse to submit to the hurt that blossoms there. He watches you for a few moments longer before sighing angrily and releasing your wrist so abruptly that it seems to fling across the small space between you. He backs away from you and stands in front of the men in front of him, closer to them than he is to you.

“Who’s the girl, D.O?” Someone asks from behind you and turning slightly, you realize a much larger crowd has gathered than you originally expected. You turn back to your brother, your palms clenched tightly together. He’s turned his back on you, leaning close to the tall man from earlier, who continues to stare at you tensely.

“She’s nothing.” Kyungsoo replies simply and, looking out across the crowd, smiles sardonically, rolling his eyes.

“As if I would associate with the likes of her.”

The crowd titters in cruel excitement behind you and hot, angry tears spring to your eyes. You scoff in disbelief and wonder how the situation escalated from bad, to worse.

He looks back at you once more and there’s a regretful understanding in his eyes, an almost tug in his limbs that make it seem as though he wants to approach you, but confirmed with a certainty that he won’t.

Overwhelmed with hurt, you turn on him and weave through the crowd who, having just witnessed your utter humiliation seem willing to leave room for your escape. This, small mercy you suppose you can appreciate.

Bursting out the doors of the club, you let out a sudden, feral scream. The hinges of the doors trickle shut behind you, but you ignore it, squatting to your knees and taking your head in your palms, willing the tears to stop.

You can’t believe Kyungsoo would willingly treat you this way. For a long time you’d regarded your brother as the one person in the world you felt you could rely wholly upon, who you were sure would never break or abuse your trust the way he had only moments ago. Your anger, while still present, is overwhelmed by the hurt of your brother’s disloyalty and your own humiliation at his hands.

Your inner monologue is interrupted as the doors once again swing open behind you. Initially, you take no interest in the likely drunk trespasser, expecting them to perhaps vomit in the muddy patch across from you before then stumbling back inside. Instead, slow, careful steps click against the pavement next to you and, spreading your fingers slightly, you realize a group of 3 men or so have come to gather around you.

You stop crying, and raise your head slightly. One directly ahead of you, one at each side. Your breath comes in quick, sudden gasps but you figure this is probably a good thing. They will not expect much of a girl who looks afraid.

(Though, you figure it’s probably important to note that you are very, very afraid anyway.)

A man with a dark suit, dark hair and darker eyes grins sardonically down at you. A cigarette dangles precariously from his lips and after a moment, he draws in a breath that seems almost laborious and crushes it under the heel of his shoe. He makes the sudden twist of his foot seem intimidating, and though he seems keen to maintain a supposed easy going stance, every inch of him stands firm and calculating.

After a moment’s pause, he squats down in front of you and pulls your hands away from your face, keeping them still in his palms. His hands are cold.

“And who might you be?” His words are smooth and clear, ringing out across the suddenly empty street.

Fighting hard to maintain a facade that doesn’t show how intimidated you have become, you raise your head higher, looking him dead in the eye.

“No one to you.” Your response is casual, cool, the opposite of what you feel in the moment.

He hums, the pressure on your wrists increasing slightly.

“No one to D.O either, apparently.”

You lose your composure for half a second, anger slipping through your eyes and he clicks his tongue, smiling.

“Ah, so sorry. Too soon?” His head tilts to side, mocking arrogance dripping from his every feature – the twist of his lips, the slight crinkle of his crescent eyes. Your fear is evident, but quickly overwhelmed by the irritation this man’s presence inspires.

“Is there a point to you speaking, or is it just that no one else wants to listen?”

The men to the side of you let out little chuckles, and he himself seems delighted by your notable indignation.

“Awfully brave thing to say of a girl who’s hands won’t stop shaking.” He holds up your trembling fingers as though to prove his point, loosely combining them with his for a second.

“It’s because I don’t find you attractive. I tend to get uncomfortable when ugly men insist of touching me.”

The men next to you really are laughing now, and though the man in front of you smiles still, he squeezes his fingers into your own harshly, so much so that you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from yelping in pain.

“But you didn’t mind when Kyungsoo touched you, did you? I bet you were loving it, his hands on you.” You attempt to back up slightly, disgusted by what he appears to be suggesting, but he doesn’t let you, snatching your body closer to his.

“That’s what you are isn’t it? I saw you on the floor too, standing closer so that little brat would come grind on you or some shit. I gotta say, you’re not very subtle about what you do, or what you are. But hey,” He pauses, reaching his hand to roughly tug your chin up to meet his, before letting his eyes travel slowly, leeching over your every curve and dip. He flicks his eyes up once more, settling on the disgust that screams in yours.

“I’m certainly not complaining. I respect a girl who knows exactly what she is – a dirty, little who-“

He doesn’t get to finish his monologue because, having heard enough of just exactly what he perceives you to be, you lurch forward bite harshly into the soft skin of his cheek. He yells in pain but you grind your teeth until you feel the blood spurt up in between them. He slams his palms against your face and the two men at your side rear you up and away from him. Breathing heavily, you spit out the blood in your mouth onto the street.

“Bitch.” He hisses, pressing his fingers to the blood trailing down the side of his face.

You hum in agreement and lean forward in your captors grip slightly. “And one that would never fuck you.”

His smiles and laughs are gone now. He takes two steps toward you before pushing open his jacket slightly to reveal a glint of metal against his hip.

“Maybe I ought to teach you a little les-“

The doors behind you slam open as Kyungsoo launches himself at one of the men holding up your arms. Beside you, the tall man from earlier does the same. And then, all at once the men you had seen sitting in the club seem to trickle out on the street beside you, taking up equally defensive positions.

Your arms now free, Kyungsoo takes a moment to look up from his attacker and shift his head frantically down the side of the street.

“Y/n, go!”

You nod back quickly, but, turning back to the bleeding man in front of you as he faces off with the red haired man you’d seen your brother laughing with earlier, you can’t resist pulling the pepper spray Kyungsoo had insisted you carry from your pocket, and unloading the contents of it on his face. He shouts in pain as it sprays into his eyes and, satisfied, you drop the empty can and sprint off down the street.

“Dick!” And really, as you shout it, you’re unsure who it is you’re shouting it at.

As it turns out, you are even less athletic than you previously thought, and that was already pretty bad. So you’re not running for long when you slip into a small, decrepit alleyway and lean down in an attempt to catch your breath.

Your hand is spread over your stomach and your hair bats impatiently around your eyes when you jump at the intrusion of a rich voice ahead of you.

“Is this how you usually spend your Friday nights?”

You turn your head slightly and notice him, still damp from his performance as he leans against a wall and takes you in.

“Well, this is more of a Saturday night thing but, well I’ve had a rough week.”

The corners of his lips tug in a half moon smile and he takes a few more, easy steps toward you. You lift up your palm suddenly in an attempt to maintain a barricade.

“Listen, I’ve really had my fill of all and any of the male species tonight, so if you’re planning on intimidating me, d’you think we could, you know, move it to tomorrow night or something?” You huff and he’s really smiling now, eyes crinkling.

“But don’t you already have Saturday plans?” He asks, his head tilting to the side.

Despite yourself, despite the overall shitty nature of today and despite that little red inking on his shirt, you feel the laughter bubble in your chest.

It expands until you’re heaving through the chuckles, ignoring the tears that stream down your cheeks. You sigh, leaning back on your heels and sliding against the wall until you’re sitting, legs propped out in front of you. You hear him as he walks towards you and, as he comes closer, you loll your head to the side to look up at him. He blinks down at you, smiling gently, before he sighs loudly and slumps down next to you.

He nudges his knee against yours slightly and though you know you should probably attempt to create some space between you, remind yourself that not only is he a stranger, he is the worst kind of stranger, you can’t seem to muster the energy to pull away.

“What happened?” You sigh, drawing up your knees to rest your head on them.

“What didn’t?”

You lapse into a comfortable silence for a moment before he mimics your position, resting his head so that you both blink at one another, each taking the other in.

“I have a serious question.”

You steel yourself, nodding.

“Why’d you flick water in my face?”

You snort.

“Maybe I was displeased with your performance.”

“No, that’s not it.” His eyes twinkle with a childish mischief. “I saw you looking.”

You scoff, raising your head. “Looking at what?”

He raises his eyebrows, again repeating your motions. He gestures down to himself, over his still open shirt and dark jeans. “All. Of. This.”

You roll your eyes, but your grin does not falter.

“I was looking at the other one.”

“Kai?”

“Yeah, that.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

You pause, feigning shock.

“You don’t know. I could be a terrible truth teller.”

“That’s not a thing.”

“100% a thing.”

“Doesn’t sound like a thing.”

“It’s a thing!”

His grin widens and he tilts his head further, regarding your now ruffled exterior. After a moment’s pause, he sticks out his hand towards you.

“Sehun.”

You hesitate, eyes flickering between his hand and loopy red handwriting barely visible in the light of the dumpster. After an awkward pause, you figure your night can’t really get much worse than it already has and well, he did make you laugh. You slip your hand into his gently, noticing that it is surprisingly warm and immediately worrying that your palms are sweaty.

“Y/n.” You respond, sighing.

Dropping your hand, he leans his head back against the wall again, closing his eyes briefly. You study him as he does so, your eyes canvassing along the general slump of his arms as they rest against his knees, the slack in his strong jaw.

“You look tired.” You observe meekly, and his eyes flicker open, familiar smile finding his lips once more.

“I am exhausted.” He grunts slightly, twisting his body to face you.

“You uh, I mean, you don’t have to stay here with me, if you’re tired.” You stumble over your words, suddenly embarrassed. “Actually, why are you here?” You enquire, gesturing around the dimly lit alleyway.

He shrugs, and his eyes cloud over for a second.

“My friends got in a fight.” He mutters. You regard him quietly, with not a small ounce of curiosity.

“You’re not gonna fight with them?” You enquire, and if on cue, his phone buzzes loudly in his pocket. He barley glances over at it before, reaching into his jacket, he flings it across the space and it lands with a dull smack against the wall, crumbling on the cracked pavement. You do not flinch.

Turning to look at you, his gaze seems much more intense, much more sudden than his previous teasing looks. You think that you should probably look away, that this interaction has become much more serious than either of you intended for it to be but, always curious, you do not.

“I’m tired of fighting with them.” He mumbles, almost meekly, as though he is ashamed of what he is saying.

“Do they know that?” You approach carefully and when his gaze finds yours, it is light again, infused with teasing.

“They would, but unfortunately I’m a terrible truth teller.”

You snigger slightly and he responds as such, blinking at you still.

You exhale loudly, eyes wondering over the starless night above you.

“My brother hurt my feelings.”

You grunt the words out forcefully, tasting them like bile in the back of your throat. He responds gently, carefully as you had done only moments ago.

“What happened?” He tries again, and you blink the tears out of your eyes, your breath catching slightly.

“I just-“ You break away, squeezing your eyes shut tightly. “It’s just been a shitty night.”

You feel his eyes on you as you struggle to regain your composure, and furiously blink away the tears that so desperately want to fall.  You hear the slight shift as movement as slowly, he leans closer to you. When you don’t pull away, he continues to shift, until his head rests carefully on your shoulder.

The gesture is a little strange and made awkward by how much taller he is than you. He has to shift quite far down the wall for his head to reach your shoulder, so he is practically lying beside you. He doesn’t seem to quite know how the rest of his body should face, because his long limbs hang nervously by his sides, as though you will jump away at any moment.

Despite this, and all the circumstances around the uneasy embrace, you appreciate it, and the hesitant warmth that scatters from his body to yours. You smile gently and rest your head against his, wanting somewhat to place your hand over his, but worrying that this will perhaps be too much. So instead, you inch your pinkie finger towards his, until they brush gently against the other. For a while, you both sit like this, leeching onto the other in the bristling of the slight spring chill and each enjoying the comfort of one another’s company.

“Thank you.” You murmur, and though he doesn’t respond, he turns your hand over slightly so that he is tracing small, nonsensical patterns on your palm, humming quietly as he does so.

You spend a while there with each other, until eventually the dark night gets darker, and the chill around you becomes too insistently bitter to ignore. You raise your head slightly and his movements on your hand cease. He raises his head to look up at you earnestly and in that moment, in that one, gullible moment, you make a decision.

“You wanna go get a drink?” You blurt out suddenly and he lifts his head from your shoulder, surprised.

“A... drink?” He draws out and you nod, perhaps a little too furiously, in an attempt to dispel some of your nervousness.  It doesn’t work and a slow, easy grin slips onto his lips.

“I mean – I’m just- not that you have to or anything like that – I just thought maybe you would uh- right, yeah, so I’m just gonna leave now.“ You stand up, your cheeks flaming as you stumble over your words. A drink? Really? Why not just scream that you want to do him right here in this alleyway? You groan internally, and his playful laughter bubbles up beneath you.

You go to walk away and quickly you realize he is lumbering beside you.

“So, where we going?” He asks. You turn to him, surprised, and slow your scurrying pace to a standstill in front of him.

“Uh- what?”

“You know, to drink?” He teases, mimicking drinking from a glass. You scoff slightly, surprised, and pleasantly so.

“Uh well-“

“Have you ever noticed people seem to make really rash, dumb choices when they’re drunk?” He interrupts, eyes skimming briefly over yours.

With a surge of confidence, you gnaw on your lip slightly, and follow his dark eyes with your own brazenly.  

“Oh, I’m counting on it.”

Things progress very quickly after that. As it is, it turns out you and Sehun do not require many drinks at all to make thoughtless, impulsive choices, and you’re barely tipsy as you stumble through the door of his apartment, his lips connected to yours.

It’s a decision you know you’ll regret in the morning, a very, very silly decision that neither of you should be making. Still, as his long fingers press gently against your ribcage, his leg pushing between the two of yours, it’s not one you can seem to pull yourself away from.

His movements are tender as he touches you, careful in a way that drives you to the brink of insanity as you just want more and more of him. He presses you against a wall, arms caging either side of you as his mouth works languidly against yours, peppering your lips with gentle kisses until your mouth slips open against his and his tongue slips against yours. You groan slightly, and you reach out your hands to brush over his cheeks, before smoothing down the sharp angles of his body until you reach his waist, at which you pull him flush against you.

He chuckles slightly, as the movement nudges his mouth away from yours so that he instead breaths hotly on your neck. You both take a moment to breathe, before he reaches down and tugs meekly on your thighs. You twine your calves easily around his waist as his lean fingers spread across your legs, moving his right hand up to your neck to brush away loose strands of hair and the collar of your shirt, sucking lightly on the skin there. You bite back a moan and your back curls against the wall, pushing your breasts against him.  He lets out a ragged breath and pulls away from you suddenly.

“We can still... stop if you want.” He hums slightly, hands suddenly hesitant against your thighs. You frame his face with your hands and press your lips firmly against his, much harsher than he had done. He grunts slightly in surprise and fists his hand in your hair as he returns the kiss with just as much fervour. You take the chance to stretch your arms out slightly behind you, peeling away your tartan shirt and letting it drop to the floor, leaving you in a loose tank top. You pull away, and skirt a thumb over his swelled bottom lip, before pressing insistent kisses against his jaw.

“I don’t... wanna stop.” You mumble and you think you hear him curse slightly under his breath. He tilts your chin up and reclaims your mouth, pressing against the sliver of skin exposed where your tank top has ridden up.

He readjusts his grip and pushes away from the wall. Surprised at the action, you press your head into the space between his shoulder and neck and, as he walks, push at the jacket on his shoulders. It slips from him easily and you lean back up to kiss him again, your hands resting at the nape of his neck.

You’re unaware you’ve reached a bedroom until he settles beneath you, bringing you down so that you’re sitting on top of him. You shift slightly so that your legs are on either side of him, and press against his crotch. He pulls away from you, moaning out your name quietly and you smirk, pleased at your apparently significant effect on him. You tilt your head down to nip at his neck before reaching down to pull on the ruffled white shirt he wears, pushing it over his head. It lands with a wet thump against the floor and as you turn to laugh slightly, Sehun takes the opportunity to flip you over, so that he hovers, shirtless above you. You press your hands against his back and his own palm flattens against your stomach. Instead of removing your flimsy top, his fingers crawl beneath it, reaching up over your stomach and fluttering over your ribcage before falling on top of your bra.

You grunt and flop beneath him, throwing your fist against the bed sheet.

“Don’t tease.” You huff and he chuckles at your frustration, before helping you remove the top. He pushes you further against the bed and crawls over you, until your head rests carefully on the navy blue pillow and he marvels down at you, smiling gently.

“Are you sure?” He whispers against your collarbone and you almost whine at him to hurry up already. He seems to sense your exasperation though, because he makes quick work of removing his own jeans before then pulling off yours, kissing along your legs as he does so. When he pulls down your underwear, his fingers press into you slowly, and he appears about to add his mouth too when you shake your head, pulling his face up to yours.

“Later.” You gasp and he nods, settling over you once more, fingers curling inside you. Again you slam your fist against the bed sheets and let out a loud groan, roughly pulling his head down against your own. He removes his fingers and you shudder at the loss of contact, but then his hands are slipping underneath you to unclasp your bra (and really, you have to take a moment to appreciate how quickly he does remove it, because you’ve been wearing one for years and it still takes you some time in the morning). Immediately his hand is on your chest, rubbing slowly against your breast. You throw your head back against the pillows but it smacks against the headboard instead, and you groan at the sharp gasp of pain.

Sehun stills, gasping before moving his hand to cradle the back of your head gently, lust quickly overcome with concern.

“Ah, y/n, are you alright?” He whispers and you wince slightly, but nod. You stare at him for a moment, his knuckles running softly against the back of your head. The concern in his face surprises you, but makes you feel good in a way you cannot explain. You skim your hand over his jaw and his gaze is drawn back to yours, wherein he blinks down at you with a firm sense of tenderness. You smile, and lean up to press a chaste kiss against his lips, hand still smoothing down his jaw. When you pull away, his eyes are soft, face settled in a small grin as he runs his hand through your hair.

“Do it now.” You whisper, wracked by a sudden eagerness to have him thrusting into you. He nods slightly, and leans down to kiss you again, before reaching into a draw and rolling a condom onto himself. You place your head back on the pillows as he braces above you. After a moment, he pushes into you, and you emit a high pitched gasp, your walls settling around him. He waits a moment too long to move, and you have to kick his shin slightly to signal that you’re ready. He huffs out a laugh and slowly begins to press into you, hands fisted in the sheets next to your head as he builds up a steady rhythm. Of all the boys you’d ever had sex with (which, admittedly, was really not that many) you’d always been pretty quiet in bed– sure, it’d felt good when they’d moved inside you, but it hadn’t exactly been earth shattering. But Sehun. The way he thrusts into you is, frankly, ridiculous. With every smooth roll of his hips he seems to find a different sweet spot and when you’re a moaning mess beneath him, he adds two fingers. You yelp, body twisting unnaturally beneath him, but he just keeps going, a thin layer of sweat forming on his chest. You lean up, trying to match his rhythm and he kisses you roughly, lips slanting over yours, your moans meeting in a mismatched choir.

It’s not long before the familiar pleasure begins to build, and by his sudden alternating change in pace you sense he’s close too. His hand gropes your chest and he leans down, taking your nipple in his mouth and just like that, you’re a goner. You’re on the verge of a scream as you come around him and he all about collapses on top of you, thrusting out his own orgasm. Your hands link as you both ride out your highs, Sehun sucking on your chest.

Spent, he pulls out of you slowly and tosses the condom into a bin beside him, his body flopping down next to yours. You throw your arm over your eyes, trying to calm your ragged breath as he does the same.

Silence settles around the two of you, panting, sweaty and naked in his dark sheets. Embarrassed, you wonder if, now that you’re finished, he expects you to leave. You shift away from him slightly, moving to the edge of the bed when he rolls over to his side and gets out the bed. You rush to do the same, shuffling awkwardly on the wooden floors.

You watch his figure retreat to a small wooden closet in the corner of the room and bite your lip, shifting your hands to cover your exposed breasts.

“Uh, should I-“ You begin, but are halted as, after having pulled on a set of loose tracksuit bottoms, he begins toward you, a shirt in his grasp. You raise your eyebrows questioningly, but he just gestures for you to hold your arms to the side. You do so, a little reluctantly, and he pulls the shirt onto your shoulders, humming.

He kneels to do up the buttons and as he finishes, pulls you toward him to place a soft kiss on your clothed stomach. Unsure of how to react, your hands simply hover above his tousled blonde hair.

He stands once more and intertwines his hand with yours, pulling you back toward the still–warm bed. He pushes you onto the sheets gently before then following suit. You turn on your side and he carefully places his hand on your waist, shifting a little closer.

“Is this... is this okay?” He mumbles and turning your head to face him, you nod slightly. Reassured, he smiles and moves closer, arms pressing more firmly around you.

“Don’t go.” He says and you face him once more, tilting your head in confusion. “In the morning, don’t go.” He elaborates and you smile softly. Instead of answering, you lean forward to press a tender kiss on his lips, and then his cheek. His eyes closed, he lets out a small contented sigh and you turn back around, closing your eyes.

He presses a soft kiss onto your head and, choosing not to think of what will happen in the morning, you clear your mind, and drift into a tranquil sleep.

 ((pls forgive any spelling/grammar errors as it is 1am and I cannot find the energy to check this. Also, I am a holy untouched virgin so idk how accurate the smut is but???? enjoy??? if you’d like a part 2, lemme know!))

[ginnyzero]

Not All Strong Female Characters are Warriors: Pt 2

Honestly, as I write this blog, I never know what is going to make an impact in my spaces. (Facebook I accept is pretty much dead right now.) But my Sunday Okami post made a bit of a splash (at least for me) over on Tumblr. As I was catching up with my weekend dashboard, I ran across this post of Writingmastery's back from June 2016 about "Strong Female Characters."It's a list blog post about the type of female characters he'd like to see, girly, funny, supportive of  other women, queer, POC, women who define men instead of the other way around and so on. It was an interesting list for me as I tried to check off those against the female characters I have in my head.

And this weekend at the Cannes Festival, Jessica Chastain made a powerful speech about the female characters she saw in today's movies. (Because let's face it more people watch movies than read books.) Calling it "disturbing" with a "few exceptions." And she hopes that with more female storytellers will come more female characters like she sees in her everyday life, female characters that are more proactive with more agency that don't just react to the men around them. "They have their own point of view." Unfortunately, I can't find a video of JUST the speech on YouTube. Here is a link to my tweet on Twitter with the video. It's very moving.

I've talked about strong characters before and how Hollywood in particular associates strong characters with the male traits of being stoic, unemotional (except when they are using it to fuel righteous vengeance,) aggressive and with low tolerance for authority. And how that these characters technically aren't strong because they don't grow. Their flaws aren't really seen as flaws.

But the title of this post is that Strong Female Characters don't have to be warriors. Even though there aren't a lot of strong warrior characters on the big screen either, with Wonder Woman coming out this weekend we can hope that Hollywood may get the message that if you give us a good story about a female superhero, people will watch it.

Now this may feel a tad hypocritical of me to be talking about. My female main character in the Lone Prospect is Savannah and she's a fighter of sorts. (She's a Vice President of a Motorcycle Club and a mercenary/private security operative. She can throw a punch if she needs to.) And Roxana in the Dawn Warrior is yes, a warrior Princess. She's got a sword, she fights evil magicians and tries not to bash the heads of clueless princes. But I hope in my stories that there is a lot more to them than just throwing a punch.

And I try to pepper my stories, at least the Heaven's Heathens with other types of female characters. One of my favorite characters is Esme. Esme is the "den mother" of the Club. She's in charge of making sure everything runs socially and emotionally smoothly. She has an important job of keeping the club socialized, offering advice and mentoring and emotional support, and figuring out which fights need to be smoothed over and which fights need to be fought. Hope is a Doctor. Brier owns a day spa and can't fight for beans. Dakota and Flossie own their own businesses. Yes, I have a lot of female warriors that range from perky, to cranky, to bubbly and girly, to stoic and sporty. I also write action adventure stories.

Strong female characters can be a broad range of personality traits and occupations. I love Evie from the Mummy because she's smart as a whip. In the first movie, she couldn't throw a punch, but it didn't matter. She's the one with the knowledge to defeat the Mummy. Sure, Rick threw a lot of punches. Without Evie, he'd still be fighting the monster.

I love Angela Montenegro from Bones. She's an artist, a dreamer. She understands human relationships and she is there constantly supporting Temperance. She has her own story and her own dreams and there are a lot of times she questions the work she's doing at the Jeffersonian and if she should be there or out pursuing a free artistic life. She makes her peace with her decisions though and finds happiness where she didn't expect it. (Angie and Hodgins is one of my favorite love stories.)

I like Maura Isles from Rizzoli and Isles. She's logical and analytical and once again, smart. But she makes bad man choices and isn't exactly socially aware. But she's there for Jane and for Angela, Jane's mother. She's a good manager and yes, she has a bad habit of diagnosing herself. (I know that last season arc was controversial with Maura and Kent trying to treat her. Doctors should not diagnose themselves. Period.) I also loved that when Maura tried her hand at something new, like writing, she didn't always get it right off the bat. It was refreshing.

I have mixed feelings about Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She's a strong female character who became a lawyer who stopped caring about getting into Harvard to get back the boy and instead cared about the profession as a whole and the people she was representing. (Mostly, I dislike the way they stereotyped her as a 'fashion' and 'sorority' person. I'm a fashion designer, those stereotypes make me cringe because yeah, fashion school is not like that!) She was unashamedly girly. She wore pink as a power color. She liked shopping. She grew as a person through the movie.

I loved all the women in Hidden Figures. They had families. They had to struggle to be taken seriously. They were smart women working on an important project and they didn't get the credit they deserved. But through their gracefulness they were able to influence the minds of those around them at NASA and change came. There were obstacles and they overcame them. They were also not all the same body type! (I know this shouldn't have to be pointed out in this day and age, but it's still another problem in the movie industry and the fashion industry.)

I love all the women in Chocolat, Vianne fighting against the spirit of her mother and how hard it is to live a nomadic life. Eventually, she breaks down and admits how horrible things are and how she hates it and wants to stay in one place. Josephine struggling to stand up against abuse and how Vianne helps her. Armande choosing to live the last of her life as she wants it, drinking hot chocolate and having a party, standing up to the mayor of the town just by being herself. I even love Caroline, who is trying so hard to do the right thing and have the proper image that her family is slipping away from her even as she tries to hold onto them.

These are the strong female characters that I can think of off the top of my head that aren't warriors in media. They are there in our lives, they are doctors, nurses, scientists, mathematicians, linguists, artists and yes, lawyers. They are mothers, daughters and sisters with their own hopes, dreams and opinions.

I don't know if more female voices in the film industry or in the book industry is really going to give us more strong female characters. I can hope that with more female voices, there would be a larger breadth of female experience and more attention paid to female issues in media.

Female characters don't have to throw punches and hold in their emotions to be strong.

[franklincanyon]

dear writer

hi, thanks for having me! please don’t take the following lists as law but hopefully it will give you a general sense of what i tend to gravitate towards! i care more about character than plot and lately i tend to read more comedy than drama. when it comes to AUs, i like an interesting/~quirky premise but i like it when it’s more inward-facing (i.e. focuses more on character than setting). that being said, i generally am not that picky and will greatly appreciate whatever you come up!

here are some themes i like:

✏ friendship: i really love reading about true, deep platonic love! ✏ memory: how we remember people and things, how our context for memories change ✏ communication: how do we understand each other, how do we misunderstand each other? ✏ growing up/coming-of-age ✏ nostalgia: i always think about that david chang quote from his netflix show - “you always go back to the first things in your life” !!! so good  ✏ a sense of belonging/home

some conventions i like:

✏ magical realism/light fantasy/fairy tales ✏ time/leaping through time ✏ a past/present structure ✏ the ennui of summer/summer vacation........... ✏ actually any kind of summer-related fic ✏ goodbyes ✏ coming home after being away for a long time ✏ post-disbandment but no excessive angst!!! ✏ art heist/spies/any kind of situation where u can’t fully ~trust~ someone ✏ fake marriage (???) but like a sham green card marriage ✏ restaurants... like a fancy restaurant AU ✏ anything set in a creative field(s) (film, fashion, etc) but not pretentious ✏ harboring a crush on someone for years but either not doing anything about it/not realizing that the crush/feelings were genuine ✏ a twist ending!!!

some dynamics i like:

✏ when popular kid A tries very hard to impress B but B is very unimpressed ✏ when A makes a bad first impression on B and B wants nothing to do with them but they end up getting close anyway ✏ when A and B were in a relationship in the past, break up, and meet in the present and now it’s AWKWARD ✏ when A and B are currently rivals but ~it didn’t used to be this way~ ✏ A and B meet as awkward roommates and it’s v uncomf at first ✏ when A is totally OTT and B just takes everything they do and say with longsuffering patience ✏ i like it when A is way more bossier than B ✏ but i also like it when A and B are equally bossy ✏ i like it when opposites attract ✏ but i also like the best friends ship ✏ but i ALSO like the frenemies ship ✏ sorry that this didn’t help at all

general interests:

✏ space/astronomy/astrology ✏ water/the ocean/~beachy vibes~ ✏ food??? ✏ interiors ✏ houseplants/gardening lol ✏ am i an old lady. i mean yeah

some of my fave TV:

✏ brooklyn 99 ✏ the good place!!! ✏ parks and rec ✏ psych ✏ bake off lol

film (i have a degree in film and i suddenly can’t remember any movie i’ve ever seen in my life but this list is about right...........):

✏ lady bird ✏ clueless ✏ legally blonde ✏ the proposal ✏ roman holiday ✏ chloe from 5 to 7 ✏ eternal sunshine of the spotless mind ✏ howl’s moving castle (i love the book more tho) ✏ spirited away ✏ the devil wears prada ✏ beginners ✏ stardust

i hope these were in any way useful to you! i can’t wait to read what you write!

[melorsomething]

Crystal Clear | Chapter 1 | Have Faith

Next Chapter ->

I decided to start uploading chapters to tumblr as well, since some people prefer it to ao3. I've included the summary in this one to get you started ;)

For all its presence in everyday life, the inhabitants of the Spiral must admit that they hardly know anything about magic. Summoning spells are child's play compared to the potential power this force could hold, but they remain the most common and thoroughly explored facet of magic in every world. Why? Could it be that magic's true power cannot be grasped by even the most brilliant of the mere mortal minds? Or are these mere mortal minds reluctant to push further, for fear of what form this true power may take?

As two young wizards are sucked into a mysterious adventure and a search for answers, they find that the real answers might, in fact, fall from the sky.

“Ugh, Ange, we might as well just quit.”

“Wha- Moira? We made it to the finals; why would we quit?”

The redhead stared, openmouthed, at her teammate. “Are you joking? Have you seen this?” she asked, waving her hand at the paper tacked on the wall. “We’re up against Cassandra and Jonathan. They’re undefeated.”

“So are we.”

Incredulity flooded Moira’s expression as she fumbled for words. “We- no- that- that’s because we’ve never entered a tournament before! We can’t lose at something we don’t do!”

“Yeah, but how do you know we won’t stay undefeated? Maybe we’re better than them and we just never knew because we never tried.”

“I’m not even going to begin to explain everything that was wrong with that logic.”

“Nothing was wrong with it!”

Ignoring the protest, Moira continued, lowering herself down on a bench and taking off her gloves. “They’ve been practicing for years. Years! We decided to enter this tournament on a whim yesterday. Yesterday, Ange! It’s probably just sheer luck we got this far anyways.”

“Uh-uh, none of that,” the smaller wizard said, planting herself down on the bench next to Moira. “We got this far because we are great - awesome, even. And we are going to beat Cassandra and Jonathan because they don’t know how we fight. Most people are returning competitors, so they’re used to each other’s styles. Meanwhile, we’ve got the element of surprise. It’s simple logic, Moi. Trust me.”

“Things rarely go well when you say ‘Trust me’.”

“Well probability means that it has to go well eventually, yeah?”

“I-” Moira frowned, scrunching her face up and drawing her eyebrows together in confusion. “No. That’s not how it works at all.”

Before she could say any more, a head poked into the room, interrupting the scattered conversations. “The match will begin soon. We need the competitors to come out. Next is Jonathan and Cassandra vs Moira and Angela.”

A boy and a girl strode from the other side of the room, looking as polar opposite and cohesive as black and white. The boy was light from his hair to his eyes to his clothes - his blonde and blue and white - standing in sharp contrast to her darkness - her brown and black and purple. The girl caught Moira’s eyes and called out, “Good luck,” with a smirk. Before Moira could shake her captivation, they were gone. She breathed out a shaky breath, and beside her, Angela fidgeted.

“So that’s Cassandra and Jonathan, huh?”

“Yeah,” Moira said dumbly. “I guess so. By the spiral, how are we ever going to beat them? All they did was walk past us and I feel like they already won.”

“Nah,” Angela said, her voice noticeably less confident than before. “We’ve got this. It’ll be easy. Come on: we have to go.” She got up and made to walk away, but then glanced back with a mischievous smile on her face and added, “You got your deck?”

Moira scrambled to chase after the fleeing - and wildly giggling - girl, her voice ringing out in an irritated tone punctuated with stifled laughter. “That was one time, Ange! One time!”

She caught up to Angela at the edge of the stadium, skidding to a halt as she heard the announcer’s voice ring through the air.

“On this side: you know ‘em, you love ‘em, it’s Cassandra Titanwalker and Jonathan Seasong!”

Moira watched nervously as the two wizards waltzed out into the arena, confidence radiating from them as loudly as the cheers from the stands. She straightened out her cloak and checked that she did, in fact, have her deck.

“And their challengers, the diamonds in the rough: Moira Moonpyre and Angela!”

She hesitated for a moment, only setting her feet in motion when she felt Angela’s shoulder brush against her own, her soft voice murmuring, “Come on, now.”

In the middle of the circle, Moira shook hands with Jonathan as Angela did the same with Cassandra. They stepped back, ready to begin their battle, when the announcer’s voice interjected.

“For this final round, we’ve got a special twist for you. This duel… will be fought tag-team style!”

Once more, the audience erupted with cheers, and though Moira could see a flicker of uncertainty flash across Jonathan’s face, she felt herself shrinking back into her cloak. Pulling Angela toward her, she hissed, “Ange, what are we gonna do? We can’t solo!”

Laying a hand on her chest and feigning offense, Angela whispered back, “Excuse you, but I can solo just fine, remember?”

“Of course, Ange. How could I forget that time in Dragonspyre when you went into the tower and came flying out the window?”

“Shhh- shh- no. No, we don’t speak of that.” Pulling back and speaking in a normal voice, she added, “It’s just a tournament, Moi. Lighten up a little.”

“Competitors: who will represent your teams first?” The announcer asked.

After a moment of whispered discussion, Moira stepped forward, and watched as Cassandra did the same.

“In a tag team duel, team members may switch out as many times as they like, and team members sitting on the sidelines may save up their pips and plan strategy, but only one wizard from each team may be in the ring and casting spells at once. In order to perform a legal switch, the active team member must completely exit the ring or be deemed defeated before their teammate enters. Once a team member declares themself or is deemed defeated, they will not be allowed to switch back into the arena. Wizards, if you will: take your places!”

Jonathan and Angela retreated to the benches in the outer ring, while Moira and Cassandra turned and put 20 paces between them. Wands were drawn, stances were planted, and menacing glares were given (mostly by Cassandra, though).

“Let the battle commence!” shouted the announcer.

In the time it took for Moira to even form the beginnings of a plan, Cassandra sprang into action, and was next to Moira faster than she’d think was possible if she hadn’t just seen it.

“Boo,” she whispered, touching the tip of her wand to Moira’s shoulder. A jolt of electricity sparked up the wand and into Moira, leaving her with a nasty shock as she jumped away, spinning to face the diviner. As she turned, she discovered Cassandra could disappear just as fast as she could appear, and whipped her head around once more to see her standing in the middle of the arena, a blade already floating hear her head.

Shaking her head to clear the remnants of the shock, Moira conjured a blade for herself and sent a trap to lock onto Cassandra. As she put another blade up, she saw the purple flash of a spell from the corner of her eye. A large stormzilla rose up between the two wizards, obscuring their view of each other. As the stormzilla swung its head around, searching for its target, an idea sparked in Moira’s mind, and she scurried behind the storm creature to buy herself time as she waited for the pips.

Soon, flames encircled the ring, and the familiar roar of a helephant filled the room. Without a clear target, the helephant appeared confused, and walked forward for a few thundering steps before coming to a halt. Moira waved her arms, exasperated with the creature’s cluelessness.

“That!” Moira shouted, pointing at the stormzilla.

The helephant lumbered around, seeming to have only noticed the stormzilla for the first time just then. Moira rolled her eyes again, and proceeded with the plan.

Jumping out of the ring, she waved Angela in, hissing as they passed each other, “Get a centaur ready… fast.” Angela nodded and smiled, a familiar glint in her eyes, and Moira knew she understood the idea. Maybe they could make this tag-team thing work after all.

She watched in awe as the stormzilla and helephant battled each other, completely forgetting about the wizards in combat, and, it seemed, causing the wizards to forget about each other as well. Cassandra hadn’t stopped to stare, but she certainly had become distracted enough to not notice Moira’s exit. She watched from the edge of her seat, praying for Angela to be quick enough, as she knew the helephant would not remain for long with her out of the ring.

Just as the helephant began to flicker, Moira met Cassandra’s gaze, giving her a smirk of her own as the diviner’s mouth formed an ‘O’. Just as she spun around to search for her new opponent, a centaur burst through the air where the helephant had stood not a moment before. Soon, branches bombarded her, casing her in and breaking her focus, and her stormzilla fizzled out into sparks. When the dust cleared, nothing but Angela and a beat-up Cassandra were left in the ring. Letting out a low noise reminiscent of a growl, Cassandra launched herself at Angela.

For a moment, Moira expected Cassandra to begin beating Angela down with her bare hands, but she was, unsurprisingly, wrong. Instead, a serpent burst from the tip of her wand, crackling with energy as it slithered toward Angela, snapping its jaws each time it lunged forward.

As the small girl stumbled backward to avoid the electric bite of the snake, she glanced at the cards floating to her left, finally selecting one and raising her sword to cast the spell. The snake darted forward once more, this time snapping its fangs around her leg and sending a clearly painful shock through her before disappearing. Moira flinched and watched anxiously as Angela shook her head and turned to face the music that had begun to play.

A satyr danced toward Angela, sending a healing beam her way. Moira had always loved how peaceful Angela looked while interacting with healing magic, but this time was short-lived, as Cassandra’s next attack hurtled toward her within seconds. The swarm of lighting bats surrounded her, spinning a cage of electricity to close in. As the current cleared, an expression of anger had come over Angela’s face. Though, Moira considered, she still didn’t look that frightening, since she was approximately the size of a fire elf… okay, maybe two fire elves… stacked on top of each other in a cloak. Moira chuckled slightly at the thought, but turned her attention back to the battle as Angela recovered.

Moira could see that both girls were getting low on power, no longer exchanging spells, but rather circling each other slowly, a pained look on Angela’s face and a predatory grin on Cassandra’s.

Cassandra broke the circle first, flitting to the edge of the ring and swapping places with Jonathan. Like Cassandra, he sprang into action, immediately hanging a tower shield in the air in front of him. Soon after, Angela paused, planting her feet where she stood.

“No, no, what are you doing? Move!” Moira yelled, but her voice was drowned out by the screams of the audience welcoming Jonathan to the ring. Angela stayed where she was, hardly moving at all except to contort her face even more, and Moira realized Jonathan had stunned her. She clenched her fist, willing Angela to move before Jonathan could strike.

But she didn’t. A large boulder of ice slammed into her back, knocking her to the ground. As the stun wore off and she had only begun to climb back to her feet when an ice beetle rammed her side, knocking her down once more. Moira jumped to her feet and only barely restrained herself from running into the ring. As much as she hated seeing Angela hurt, she knew the theurgist had weathered far worse than this and would be more upset if Moira got them disqualified.

So, instead, she just watched Jonathan beat Angela down into the ground. Every time she tried to get up, another spell, even just a little blast of ice from Jonathan’s wand, would knock her down again. He was rationing his power perfectly; Moira never saw a moment when he had to wait before casting a spell.

Angela managed to grant herself a reprieve by summoning a seraph, which gave her enough time to stand up, but the victory was short-lived, as Jonathan came out virtually unscathed as his shield absorbed most of the damage. Allowing her to stumble away, Jonathan turned with a flourish of his cape, sending Cassandra back in.

Now, Cassandra certainly wasn’t in the best condition, but Angela was much worse. With the same predatory smile, Cassandra cast her spell, and the arena filled with water. Moira could do nothing but look on in horror as the water crashed down on Angela, sending her into the rocks at the edge of the ring. When the ocean cleared, Angela was on the ground again, fighting to get up. From her place in the dirt, she sent a treant out, flinging her arm wildly at Cassandra. The treant’s attack knocked the girl to the ground, evening the playing field. Both girls struggled to get to their feet, but when they did, Cassandra looked more than a little bit steadier than Angela. With a scowl, Cassandra switched out once more.

“Come on, Ange,” Moira muttered as Jonathan approached, “just declare yourself defeated.” But she knew full well that Angela would do no such thing.

To Moira’s surprise, Angela did appear to be hobbling toward their side of the arena, presumably to switch out, but she stumbled and pitched forward just short of halfway, dropping her sword to catch herself. In an instant, Jonathan was upon her, bombarding her with spell after spell. As a sheet of snow blanketed the arena and an ice colossus began to take shape, a green glow began to form around Angela.

“Yes!” Moira cheered, pumping her fist in the air. She’s finally casting a spell - she’s bringing it back! But as she cheered, the ring filled with leaves, and as they rose up, swirling with dust in a powerful wind, any view of the two dueling wizards was blocked out completely.

A strange humming and energy filled the air, causing Moira and many others to visibly cringe and a few wizards to even cover their ears. Then, quicker than it began, it ended with a loud crack, and the wind disappeared, leaving everything still except for the leaves’ slow flutter to the ground. When the leaves and dust had finally cleared enough to see, Moira in a sharp gasp, running the short distance to the edge of the ring, though she was careful not to cross.

In the center of the ring, surrounded by fading leaves, lay the unmoving forms of Angela and Jonathan. Moira moved around the ring in a futile attempt to get a better look, and met up with Cassandra as she did. They shared a quick glance, and Moira could see that despite the battering the diviner had taken, she was brimming with adrenaline, and worry creased her face. As the wild cheers of the audience began to die out, they shared a nod, communicating the same thought.

They stepped into the ring at the same time, disqualifying both teams simultaneously, and ran to their respective teammates. The crowd was no longer cheering, but rather murmuring within itself, everyone asking everyone else what was happening. As they approached Angela and Jonathan, Angela suddenly seized and let out a loud gasp, her eyes flying open. Moira knelt beside her and looked on with horror, helpless as she continued to convulse and groan. Jonathan stayed silent and still. The crowd’s murmurs grew louder and more frantic.

Four wizards ran out into the ring and, pushing Moira and Cassandra out of the way, scooped up Jonathan and the once again limp Angela, carrying them from the arena. Left in the middle, Moira looked over at Cassandra, who held a defeated and terrified expression. Moira had no doubts the same look was plastered on her own face.

With Cassandra in tow, she ran to follow the wizards who had taken Angela and Jonathan. As she took the final few steps out of the arena, she noticed the crowd had gone completely silent. She glanced over her shoulder and was met with dozens of faces, their expressions all mirroring her own.

[vampgloss]

1-101 answers for that sweet anon

1: Let’s start with a tricky one; what is the real reason you are confused right now? Well, a lot of things have me confused right now. But most of them are extremely personal and I am trying to cut back when it comes to posting super personal things online.

2: Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone? From time to time. But people are busy, so I’m not upset if I don’t.

3: If your significant other smoked pot, would you care? Hell no. I’ve smoked before, sooooo.

4: Do you find it easy to trust others? No. Due to past relationships and the things that happened, I find it difficult to trust others at first.

5: What were you doing at 11PM last night? I think I was doing homework.

6: You’re drunk and lost walking down the road; who is with you? Probably Ven (my best friend).

7: What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on? Well, because I have been I will answer with what I did. I cried my heart out. That lasted days.

8: Are you close with your dad? No. I don’t even know my father’s name.

9: I bet you kissed someone last night, right? Wrong. Very wrong.

10: What are you listening to? Angel by Shaggy.

11: You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life - what is it? Arizona green tea with honey and ginseng.

12: Do you like hickeys? Fuck. Yes. Gimme.

13: What time do you go to bed? Depends on what I’ve got going on the next day + what’s on my mind before bed.

14: Is there someone who continuously lets you down? Yes. We don’t talk anymore.

15: Can you text as quickly with one hand as you do both? No. I almost always drop my phone when I try.

16: Do you always answer your texts? Yes and no. Sometimes I don’t answer right away.

17: Do you hate the person you fell the hardest for? No. Not one bit. She’s still my lovebug.

18: When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends? Today. Like a few hours ago.

19: Is there someone that makes you happy every time you see them? Two. Ven and Kaitlynn.

20: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? Honestly I have a bad memory. So no clue.

21: Is anyone else in the room with you? Yep. My uncle and my cousin.

22: Do you believe what goes around comes around? Of course. Karma is very real.

23: Were you happier four months ago than you are now? Yes and no.

24: Is there someone you wish you could fix things with? That’s what we’re doing now.

25: In the past week, have you cried? I am a very emotional person. I cry when I’m happy, sad, angry - you name it and I’d probably cry about it.

26: What colour is the shirt you are wearing? Blue.

27: Do people ever call you by your last name? No. Thank God. Hell I rarely get called my first name. It’s usually a nickname.

28: Is anyone ignoring you right now? Not that I know of.

29: Do you have a best friend? YES> Several. My bestest friends are (in no particular order) Ven, JJ, and Glenda.

30: Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed? No. Go ahead and kiss that asshole. XD

31: Who was your last call/text message from? My boo thang Glenda.

32: Are you mad at anyone? Shockingly no.

33: Have you ever kissed someone older than you? Most of my exes are older than me.

34: How old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday? 21.

35: How many more days until your birthday? 13 and counting down.

36: Do you have any summer plans yet? Pride is today (06/24/17) and I’m going to the art muesum + Olive Garden for my birthday.

37: Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? Ven is my bestest friend.

38: Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now? No. I try to tell them everything. But sometimes I do forget and end up telling them days after I’d originally planned to.

39: Do you have a secret that you’ve never told anyone? Yes.

40: Have you ever regretted kissing someone? Never. Even if we’re no longer on good terms, I don’t regret things like kisses/sex/relationships/etc.

41: Do you think age matters in relationships? Sometimes. A few year age gap is okay. But, personally for me, I can’t date someone who’s too much older/younger than me. I definitely won’t date anyone under 18.

42: Are you available? Yes and no. While I am single, I only want my lovebug.

43: How many people have you had real, strong feelings for since high school ended? 1.

44: If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get? I’ve had multiple piercings. So hell yeah dude!

45: Do you believe exes can be friends? Sometimes. It all depends on the situation.

46: Do you regret anything? I try not to let myself regret too many things.

47: Honestly, what’s on your mind right now? Me. How I’m feeling. Just thinking about bettering myself.

48: Did you ever lose a best friend? Yes. We’d been friends since 3rd/4th grade. We suddenly stopped talking a year or two ago.

49: Was your last kiss a mistake? Nah. I knew what I was doing. Would I kiss them again? No.

50: Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like? I am.

51: Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? Yep.

52: Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed? Nope nope nope noooooooope.

53: What was the last thing you ate? Bread sticks I put cheese and salami in lmao.

54: Did you get any compliments today? Yep. And those people are total sweeties.

55: Where are you going on your next vacation? Idk. Don’t really have a vacay planned rn.

56: Do you own anything from other countries? Maybe? Honestly I have so much crap in my room, I don’t remeber when or where I got it.

57: Are most of your friend guys or girls? Girls.

58: Where have you lived most of your life? In Ohio. I’ve switched cities so often, none of them would count. So I’ll just say Ohio.

59: When was the last time you took a long drive? The other day. Drove with my aunt for a few hours.

60: Have you ever played Spin the Bottle? Yeeeeep. I mean c'mon, it’s a stupid “middle school right of passage”!

61: Have you ever TPd someone’s house? Nope. Shockingly, I was a fairly good kid.

62: Who do you text the most? Uhhhh it’s a toss up between Ven, Glenda, and Kaitlynn.

63: What was the last movie you saw? White Chicks I think.

64: What’s preventing your current boyfriend/girlfriend from going back to their ex? I do not have a girlfriend at the moment.

65: How many boyfriends/girlfriends did you have in 2011? I didn’t have my first girlfriend until 2012. Sooooo 0.

66: Is the last person you kissed younger than you? Nope. Older.

67: Do you curse around your parents? My mom finds it amusing.

68: Are you happy with where you live? Honestly? Yes.

69: Picture of yourself? I’ll post it seperatly.

70: Are you a monogamous person or do you believe in open-ended relationships? Very monogamous.

71: Have you ever been dumped? Who hasn’t?

72: What do you most like about making out? OMG EVERYTHING. Her hands on my waiste, or in my hair. The feel of her lips or maybe even the soft and hesitant brush of her tongue against mine!! OH MY LOOOORD.

73: Have you ever casually made out with someone who you weren’t seriously involved with? Yep.

74: When you kiss someone for the first time, is it usually you who initiates it or the other? Well it depends. Sometimes I grow some balls and initiate things. Other times I’m too shy.. XD

75: What part of a person’s body do you find most attractive? Eyes. A girl with pretty eyes can steal my heart in seconds.

76: Who was the last person you talked to last night before you went to bed? I think Glenda maybe???

77: Had sex with someone you knew less than an hour? Nope. I can’t do that.

78: Had sex with someone you didn’t know their name? Again nope. Kinda prefer knowing a girl’s name before I go down on her lol.

79: What makes your heart flutter and brings a big cheesy smile to your face? Hugging her, Ed Sheeran, sappy love notes, art, recieving cute and thoughtful gifts.

80: Would you get involved with someone if they had a child already? It all depends on how I feel about them.

81: Has someone who had a crush on you ever confessed to you? Several times actually.

82: Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush? Sometimes.

83: Do you miss your last sweetie? No.

84: Last time you slow danced with someone? In her apartment in January. I put on the playlist I’d made for her, wrapped my arms around her waiste and just danced. She giggled and told me I was silly, but she danced along.

85: Have you ever ‘dated’ someone you’ve never met? By never met I assume you mean like an LDR. Yes. Many times.

86: How can I win your heart? Be honest with me, tell me how you’re feeling. Send me things you saw on Tumblr that made you think of me. Make me chili spaghetti (my favorite). Cuddle me while we watch my favorite movies (Clueless, Legally Blonde 1 & 2, Perks of Being A Wallflower)

87: What is your astrological sign? I am a Cancer.

88: What were you doing last night at 12 AM? Sleeping??? I think????

89: Do you cook? Occasionally. I like trying new recipes.

90: Have you ever gotten back in touch with an old flame after a time of more than 3 months of no communication? Yes. A few times.

91: If you’re single right now, do you wish you were in a relationship? Yes and no. I want her, but I also want to take it slow. No rushing. We’ll go as slow as turtles.

92: Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly? The latter. I fall quick sometimes, and I prefer a serious relationship over dating and not being “tied down”.

93: What physical traits do you look for in a potential interest? DIrty blonde hair, blue eyes, a lovely smile. I prefer girls who are taller. Which isn’t too hard since I’m 5'1. Uhhh other than that I don’t care.

94: Name four things that you wish you had! Chili spaghetti, Kaitlynn, tickets to see Ed Sheeran, and a French Bulldog.

95: Are you a player? I don’t think so. I am very monogamous.

96: Have you ever kissed 2 people in one day? I once played truth or dare with two of my friends in 4th grade, and got dared to kiss both of them. Does that count?

97: Are you a tease? During sex or flirting? Either way the answer is yes.

98: Ever meet anyone you met on Tumblr? Yep. We don’t talk anymore.

99: Have you ever been deeply in love with someone? Only twice.

100: Anybody on Tumblr that you’d go on a date with? Kaitlynn. 100000x over.

101: Hugs or Kisses? Can I just have both??

There ya go anon!