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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 4 months ago

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Thanksgiving Reruns 2024--Chapter 3: Black Friday (pt. 1/3)

It’s that time again; the holidays! I would like to wish all my followers who celebrate it a very happy Thanksgiving. As a thank you to you (as well as my followers who DON’T celebrate), I present you with 3 Thanksgiving related stories I’ve written in the past. Enjoy!

Title: Black Friday—Chapter 1 of 3

Rating: G

Words: 1442

Summary: CS as single parents AU. As the holidays approach, Emma’s son Henry and Killian’s daughter Alice ask for a specific storybook which will ONLY be available for purchase on Black Friday.

Other Chapters: 1 2 4 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Black Friday—Chapter 1

One week before Thanksgiving

“Do you really think it’ll work?” she asked, leaning forward, eyes bright and delighted.

“It’s perfect!” he answered. “Trust me! Our plan will work like a charm. Just make sure you give him Miss French’s flier and make him see how much you want it. I’ll do the same with her. By Christmas, we’ll be celebrating our success.”

She grinned. “Oh, I hope you’re right! Can you imagine? If we pull this off, everything will change forever!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The morning after Thanksgiving

The alarm clock roared to life as a way, way too enthusiastic version of Jingle Bell Rock blared from the speakers of her clock radio. Emma groaned, reaching blindly over to slam the button on the top of the alarm and make the noise stop.

3 am. It was entirely too early for any sane person to be awake. Even the early birds were still peacefully snoozing in their nests. It was only the crazy humans, intent on getting the best deals on the best Christmas gifts who would submit themselves to this kind of torture.

She hoped the payout was worth it.

Her bed was so warm, so comfortable, that for a split second, Emma considered just forgetting about the whole thing and going back to sleep, but then she thought about Henry.

It had been a difficult year for him, for both of them really. They’d had a great life in New York. Her bail bonds gig had paid well enough that they could afford a wonderful apartment. Henry had lots of friends at school. She’d had a guy she loved, a guy she really thought was the one. He’d seemed great with Henry, and Henry had really liked him.

Walsh had proposed a week before Halloween, and Emma had really considered saying yes. Granted, she didn’t feel the epic, sweeping, melt-into-a-pile-of-goo passion you see in movies, but she did love Walsh, and he could be a wonderful addition to the little family circle she and Henry had put together.

At least that’s what she thought.

Emma had made up her mind to accept the proposal when it all went south. Turns out Walsh wasn’t at all who he said he was. He’d been playing a long con on her, doing his level best to steal her money and assets right from under her nose, and she felt like a fool for buying into it his b.s. She was smarter than this! She ran the honey trap on bail jumpers; she knew the playbook. How did she fall for it?

She’d just so badly wanted that perfect, white-picket-fence life for herself, and especially for her ten-year-old son, that’s how.

After everything had so epically crashed and burned with Walsh, Emma had just wanted to get away. She’d wanted–needed–a new start, and so when her brother David had mentioned the opening for a deputy in the tiny town of Storybrooke, Maine, where he lived with his wife Mary Margaret, Emma had jumped at the opportunity.

Within a week, she’d uprooted her whole life–and her son’s whole life–and moved to Storybrooke. For the moment, she and Henry were crashing with David and Mary Margaret in their tiny loft apartment until Emma could find them their own place.

The move had been the most difficult on Henry. All he’d ever known was back in New York–friends, school, entire lifestyle. Small town Storybrooke was like a totally different world than the booming metropolis he was used to. Her normally happy, vivacious kid had been quiet, almost withdrawn since they’d arrived in Storybrooke.

Emma knew kids were resilient, that Henry would bounce back, but she felt so damn guilty for causing him stress.

And so, naturally when Henry had come home a week ago, excitement bumped up to a level ten, talking a mile a minute and waving a flier in her face, Emma had taken notice. Turns out the school librarian Belle French–who was also the owner and proprietor of “A Tale as Old as Time”, Storybrooke’s best (and only) bookstore–was holding a special Black Friday sale on a very special storybook, entitled Once Upon a Time. She had one copy, and one copy only, and the rare book would normally sell for an exorbitant price–somewhere between an arm and a leg. On Black Friday, however, she was offering the book for dirt cheap, but there was a catch. The price was only good during the special, Black Friday early bird sale. Doors opened at 4 am. First person to touch the book had the opportunity to purchase it.

Henry had always loved stories, and he’d been particularly fascinated with fairy tales. Naturally, a book chalk full of them would be right up Henry’s alley. Faced with the prospect of getting Henry the perfect gift, the gift that would finally bring him some joy after the difficult last few weeks, it was a no brainer.

Waking up a few hours before the crack of dawn was a small price to pay for her kid’s happiness.

Emma pushed aside the covers and got up, throwing on the first pair of clean clothes she could find, twisting her hair into a messy bun, and then downing the strong coffee her sister-in-law had set to brew for her. By the end of her second cup, she was feeling almost human, and she was ready to brave the hordes of Black Friday shoppers to attain her prize.

It was a quick, five minute walk to the center of town where “A Tale as Old as Time” was located, and Emma made it just as the cheerful brunette proprietor was unlocking the doors and letting her first customers in. Emma knew just where her target was. She’d scoped out the bookstore over the weekend, getting the lay of the land and mapping out her plan of attack. She knew just where to go, and within sixty seconds of the store opening, she’d reached her target. It was right there, in sight.

Emma reached for the book, her hand made contact–just as another hand did as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Killian Jones had lived a difficult life. He’d seen more heartache and tragedy in his thirty-five years of existence than most people did in a lifetime. Aye, it had been an incredibly difficult life, but it did have one bright, shining spot.

His daughter Alice.

His one-night-stand with Alice’s mom, Eloise, had been a mistake of epic proportions, but Killian would never regret it, because it gave him the greatest blessing of his life, his precious little starfish.

Nine months after their dalliance, Eloise had suddenly showed up on his doorstep, placed their newborn daughter in his arms, and then walked out of their lives forever. For himself, Killian couldn’t have cared less. He felt nothing but revulsion for the woman who’d gotten him blind drunk and then taken advantage of him that night nine months ago. In the bright morning light, he’d been disgusted with her, with himself, and with the entire sordid affair. He’d have been more than happy if he never saw her noisome face again.

No, he didn’t care if she walked away from him, but his heart had broken at the fact that his tiny, perfect daughter had been abandoned by her mother. Killian knew from first hand the agony of being abandoned by a parent, and it tore him up inside that his beloved daughter had to deal with it as well.

Though having a child was the farthest thing from his mind at the time, there’d never been any doubt what he would do. Alice was his daughter, his precious child, and he would do right by her no matter what.

Ten years later, he thanked his lucky stars every single day that he’d made the choice to raise her. Alice was the most important person in the world to him, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

So naturally, when she came home from school all excited about the book Miss French was selling, Killian knew exactly how he would be spending his very early Black Friday morning.

He’d arrived at “Tale as Old as Time” just as Miss French opened the doors. He rushed to the back of the store, his prize in sight.

He grabbed the book just as a gorgeous blonde made contact.

“Um excuse me,” she said with a frown. “This book is mine.”

It appeared this shopping expedition was going to be more difficult–although possibly more intriguing–the blonde truly was breathtaking–than he’d expected.

Killian grinned. He’d never backed down from a challenge, and he didn’t intend to begin now.

Next Chapter–>

#thanksgiving reruns 2024 #cs fanfiction #cs au #my fanfiction

5 notes · View notes

ihhfhonao3 · 8 months ago

Note

I have some ideas for a follow up to your recent maya clown story.

could you write a sequel where it turns out Maya’s clown training is part of an undercover investigation at the circus but she really enjoys her new clown life and keeps practicing as a hobby. Or a version where she is genuinely wanting to become a clown and Phoenix convinces her to use her new career as part of an undercover investigation. choose whichever version you think you would be better.

heyhey! I went with the second option, since it had more potential imo. Under the cut!

Maya was helping feed the elephants when she got the phone call from Phoenix. She excused herself, apologizing to Regina for bailing, and stepped outside the main circus tent to answer the call.

“Maya!” Phoenix said through the phone. “I’ve been trying to reach you for forever. I need your help.”

Maya sighed and rubbed her temple. “Nick, I told you, I’m dedicated to my new job, and I don’t have as much time anymore to investigate every little petty crime that happens on the city streets.”

“That’s not what I’m calling for,” Phoenix said. “This is related to the circus, I swear.”

“I’m listening,” Maya said, crossing her arms.

“So, I’ve been on a sort of… how should I say it… an unconventional case this time around,” Phoenix said. “I’m investigating another local circus for wage theft. It’s stationary, so it sticks to Japanifornia, but from the looks of it there’s some shady things going on in it.”

“That’s terrible,” Maya said. “But why are you calling me about this?”

“Well…” Phoenix paused. Maya heard him exhale before continuing. “I was hoping that you could possibly assist me in my investigation by going undercover to dig deeper into the story behind this. It would help me out majorly, since it isn’t as obvious as some dude in a suit poking around.”

Maya thought for a moment. “Honestly? It sounds like fun! Just like old times! I can ask the boss if I can take the time off. I’m sure he won’t mind, he’s super cool.”

“Awesome!” Phoenix said happily. “Can you meet me at the offices in an hour or two? I want to get this ball rolling as soon as I possibly can.”

“Roger that, captain!” Maya then hung up the phone and went to find her boss, Moe.

Maya asked some of her co-workers if they had seen Moe around, but nobody was quite sure of his whereabouts. She looked around the grounds for a little bit, before finding him sitting behind the main tent staring solemnly at a picture of a woman and a young girl.

“Who are they?” Maya asked when she noticed the picture.

Moe jumped and quickly shoved the picture into his pocket. “They’re nobody in particular, it doesn’t matter- what do you need, Maya?”

Maya bounced on her heels. “I wanted to ask you… would you mind if I took some time off? No need for it to be paid, I just need, say… a week and a half?”

“To do what?” Moe asked.

“That’s my business, sir!” Maya smiled.

“...Fair enough. Fine. Just give me the dates, and I’ll make note of your absence,” Moe said. “Just try to practice at least a little bit while you’re away, alright? I don’t want you getting rusty.”

“Right!” Maya said, smiling. She then headed to the changing rooms to get into her normal clothes. Once she gathered all of her things, she ran down the familiar road to Wright and Co. Law Offices. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and was greeted by her old investigation partner.

“That didn’t take you long at all,” Phoenix said, opening the door wider to let Maya in. “I gave you an hour and you took twenty minutes!”

“I’m excited!” Maya said. “It’ll be just like how we used to investigate crimes together. Except, I’ll be on my own for most of this one.”

“Hey,” Phoenix chuckled. “I’ll be with you in spirit. And through your phone.”

“That reminds me,” Maya said. “Do you know how long I’ll be out?”

“If we don’t get anything incriminating by Friday of next week, I’ll let you return to… whatever it is you do for a living now.”

Maya smiled and took out her phone, typing out an email to Moe telling him her estimated time of return. After that, she looked up at Phoenix and then at all the notes he had scattered on his desk.

“Your desk is real messy, Nick,” Maya noted. “Which isn’t totally absurd for you, but it’s more than the usual.”

“Oh!” Phoenix turned to look at his desk. “Yeah, that’s all the information I could get on this circus. They’re pretty down-low, likely scrubbing information from public records. So a lot of that is just scraps of information, but I think they could be useful in putting some things together.”

Maya headed over to Phoenix’s desk and peered at the strewn-about papers. Some were messy with highlighters, others scribbled on with pen. But from the looks of it, most of the information was junk or led to dead ends. Maya picked up one sheet of paper- seemingly a newspaper clipping- and started reading the highlighted text.

The article was about the circus’ history. Some interviews were conducted with the employees, but nothing looked terribly unusual… except for the fact that the ringmaster declined an interview, the clowns in the article photo looked exhausted, and one of the animal trainers, when interviewed, mentioned having to work multiple jobs alongside her circus gig.

“Man, now I understand why you need my help,” Maya half-chuckled.

“Yeah…” Phoenix sighed. “I found out about it from an anonymous tip. Likely one of the employees. I don’t know why, but… I just feel like, no matter what happens, I just have to help them. I have to investigate, I have to bring the ringmaster to justice. Especially if the police won’t do it.”

“I get it,” Maya said. “They need help. Nobody’s helping them. So that’s where we come in.”

“So,” Phoenix started. “I was thinking that we start bright and early tomorrow morning, heading to the place where you’re gonna demonstrate your abilities and get falsely hired as an intern. From there, you can conduct the investigation.”

“Roger,” Maya said. “We can do this!”

Phoenix smiled. “If you want to, you can stay the night here. I mean, you probably won’t need to get much.”

Maya grinned back. “Sure! It’d be a pleasure.”

As the night started to approach, Phoenix spent his time catching Maya up to speed on all his information. Eventually it was time for bed, where Phoenix retired to the second floor of the office where his apartment resided. Maya looked through the clues once more before going to bed, observing the faces of the people in the photographs and trying to remember them.

The next morning, Phoenix woke her at around 6 to give her a coffee. Maya showered and changed, and the pair caught a bus departing at 6:30. They soon arrived in the area where the circus was, and Phoenix took Maya to the location of their investigation.

“Alright, here is where I leave you,” Phoenix said. “Good luck, Maya. Tell me everything when you get home.”

Maya nodded and headed into the bright pink tent, leaving her friend behind.

At the front of the tent was a little desk where a woman sat. She seemed much too nicely dressed to be a part of the circus. Maya cleared her throat.

“Excuse me,” Maya said to the woman. “I would like to sign up to be a… clown?”

The woman looked at Maya, seemingly incredibly bored. She flipped a clipboard around and handed Maya a pen.

“Write a name and contact information here, as well as the desired position,” the woman said. “When you’re done, head into the tent and find Mr. Flim. Brown goatee, red coat and a tall hat. You’ll know him when you see him.”

Maya smiled, scribbling down her information and scurrying into the tent. She spotted Mr. Flim right away- he was scolding a pair of gymnasts in a corner of the establishment. Maya sauntered over, not in a rush to interrupt a ringmaster’s power trip. By the time she approached, the lecture seemed to be over.

“Erm, Mr. Flim?” Maya asked. The ringmaster turned around.

“And who might you be?” Mr. Flim said, not exactly threatening but definitely not welcoming.

“My name is Maya Fey, and I’d like to join your circus,” Maya said.

“Ah, a recruit!” Mr. Flim lit up. “Welcome, then! Tell me, what position are you going for?”

“Clown, sir,” Maya said.

“Ah, clowns!” Mr. Flim smiled. “Can never have enough of those fellows. Here, Dot can interview you.”

Mr. Flim directed Maya over to a short man with yellow hair and orange cartoonish overalls. His hair was slicked back in a greasy mullet and he wore red shoes and a red nose to tie it all together.

“Dot!” Mr. Flim said when he approached. “This here is Maya. She’s a new recruit. You’ll interview her for me, won’t you?”

“Of course, sir,” Dot said. His voice was gravelly and tired.

“Great,” Mr. Flim beamed. “If you need anything you know where I am. And please… we really need new faces. Give her some leniency if you need, okay?”

Dot nodded wordlessly and led Maya to a gigantic rubber ball.

“First, I want you to balance on this ball for me,” Dot said. He gestured for Maya to stand on it.

Maya climbed on the big blue ball and stood upright on it. She started to walk on it, guiding it around Dot. Dot watched as Maya circled him, his face unchanged and apathetic.

“That’s good,” Dot said after a while. “You can get off now.”

Maya stopped walking on the ball and hopped off of it. She then followed Dot as he headed towards a white chest near the edge of the tent. When Dot reached the chest, he opened it with a key and pulled out three rubber balls.

“Juggle these,” Dot said.

Maya took the three balls in hand and tossed them in the air. She didn’t have much practice with juggling, but she wasn’t awful at it either. She kept it up for a few seconds before Dot asked her to stop, right before she was going to drop one of the balls by accident. Dot took the balls from Maya and returned them to the chest, locking it up when he stored them in safekeeping. Dot then led Maya over to a target. He grabbed a spare pie pan filled with whipped cream and handed it to Maya.

“Hit the target,” Dot said, bored. “I don’t care if it’s centered, it’s more a test of distance.”

Maya smiled. With the pie in hand, she backed further away from the target. Then further. Then further.

“You don’t have to go that far,” Dot called.

Maya didn’t listen. She kept backing up until she reached the far wall of the tent. She then chucked the pie as hard as she could, hitting the target clean in the middle.

As she hurried back to Dot, she noticed that his face for once showed a small hint of emotion- surprise.

“Was that good?” Maya asked.

“Yeah, that was good,” Dot said. “You’re looking for a full-time job, right?”

“Yeah, I am,” Maya said. “If that’s possible, it's preferred.”

“We’re kind of in the market for as many new workers as possible,” Dot said. “So I guess what I’m saying is… 6 AM tomorrow, got it? And ask the receptionist for the employee documents.”

Maya nodded. “Thank you, Dot.”

She then hurried off to call Phoenix for lunch.

~~~

“So you start tomorrow?” Phoenix asked as he dipped a spring roll in duck sauce. “That’s awesome, Maya! I’m proud of you.”

Maya grinned. “Thanks! I’ll do my best to poke around, since I’m not sure that everyone is gonna want to talk to the newbie right away, but my hope is that I can at least find something.”

“Did you notice anything suspicious while you were there, though?” Phoenix asked.

Maya thought for a moment. “The workers seemed super apathetic and tired. And the ringmaster seemed kinda two-faced.”

Phoenix chuckled. “Well, there’s a start I guess. Suspicion is always the beginning, isn’t it?”

Maya nodded as she slurped her noodles. Truly, in the back of her head, she really wanted to help these people. Even just Dot himself seemed so sad and hopeless. Maya needed to find out why that was.

She thanked Phoenix for eating with her and they parted ways. Maya decided to go for a stroll, seeing as she had the rest of the day to herself. She bought an ice cream cone and ate it in the park. While she was there, she decided to do a quick google on Mr. Flim.

She couldn’t find much. Most of his public online presence was positive or cryptic- Maya assumed that that was intentional. Though she did find that his first name was Jacob. But even searching up “Jacob Flim” didn’t reap many results.

Maya gave up on her internet search and headed back to her apartment, deciding to relax for the rest of the day.

Maya woke up bright and early the next morning, catching a bus to head to her new, albeit temporary, career. When she arrived, she checked in with the receptionist lady. Before she could leave, however, the receptionist showed Maya to the changing rooms and showed her her locker, where a clown outfit was already inside.

Maya took out her costume. She had big, baggy purple pants and an ugly green puffy jacket to match. Clearly this circus didn’t have anything quality available, so they tossed together what they had to spare. This was one of the first confirmed suspicions Maya had.

Maya put on her costume and headed back out into the tent. There, she found Dot talking to a small crowd of a few other strange-looking clowns. Maya hurried over to hear what he was saying.

“...With the show coming up,” Dot said. “So make sure you’re practicing hard and putting in the work. And what do we say?”

“Nothing,” the clowns said in unison.

“Great,” Dot clapped his hands together. “Now, back to work.”

The clowns dispersed and Maya approached Dot.

“Hey Dot,” Maya said. “What does that mean? We say nothing?”

Dot almost looked frightened for a moment. “Uh, it’s just a random saying. Came from an inside joke… What are you gonna practice today?”

“Oh!” Maya said. “Um, I think today I’ll juggle?”

“Good,” Dot said. “That works. We have a couple different things you can juggle with if you’d like. All in that chest you saw yesterday. It should be unlocked for you.”

“Thanks,” Maya said. “Oh, and Dot?”

“Hm?”

“I wanted to ask… where is Mr. Flim’s office?”

“Why?”

“I have to tell him something later. Where would I go to find him?”

“I mean, he’s usually hanging around in the tent, but his office is behind the tent in the little shed looking thing. You’ll see it.”

Maya beamed. “Thanks so much Dot!”

With that, Maya scurried off to the prop chest.

Maya’s plan was to juggle and practice for a bit, then sneak out when nobody was looking. With that, she could root through Mr. Flim’s office and look for anything suspicious. However, when Maya went to look through it, the door was locked. For some reason, Maya expected it to not have a lock. So she needed a key.

Maya figured that the key to the office was on Mr. Flim at all times, and to test her theory, she held a conversation with him for a moment. Sure enough, around the ringmaster’s neck, was a little chain. Maya asked about it, and Mr. Flim seemed to get defensive and refused to tell her about it. So it had to be there. Now, all Maya had to do was figure out how to get the key. Simple, right?

Wrong.

Mr. Flim never took it off. Even testimony from some co-workers said that he was wearing it all of the time. So Maya had to hatch a plan.

Maya thought about it all through the night when she got home. Then all through the morning. And then all through the night. And then all through the morning. Days passed, and Maya still had no clue how to get that key from Mr. Flim’s neck. She was slowly close to giving up.

So instead, she decided to get testimonies.

Dot was out. Maya had no clue why, but he was sincerely loyal to the ringmaster. And most of the other clowns- and workers, for that matter- were monotonous and bland. They had no excitement or vigor in them, so Maya figured they wouldn’t even talk to her about the weather if she asked. Luckily, though, she thought ahead. Throughout her time hatching a plan and pretending to be a member of the team, Maya was slowly befriending one of the tech workers, Jen. Jen worked the lights system whenever shows took place. There wasn’t always a need to test and practice maneuvering the lights, so Jen had a decent amount of time on their hands. With this, they often went down to the tent to watch everyone practice. Even luckier for Maya, Jen’s favorite act was the clowns.

So, Maya and Jen started to become acquaintances. Then associates. Then, slowly, friends. Maya and Jen would go on lunch breaks together and chat, or dilly-dally in the corner of the tent away from the eye of Mr. Flim. And Jen started to open up about their feelings about him.

“I really hate that bastard,” Jen said one night while they were over at Maya’s apartment. “He’s annoying as all hell.”

“Why is that?” Maya asked.

Jen took a sip of their seltzer. “He’s self-centered, for one. He brags a lot, for another. Tells us all the time about how good his life is. While we get the short end of the stick.”

“What do you mean by that?” Maya asked.

Jen sighed. “You can’t tell anyone I told you this. I’m trusting you, Maya. I could lose my job with this. Or worse.”

Maya crossed her heart. “My lips are sealed.”

Jen sighed again, running their fingers through their short brown hair. “Mr. Flim… he’s not paying us as much as he’s supposed to.”

Maya had to resist punching the air. Finally, some proof!

“How so?” Maya asked.

Jen snorted. “You haven’t noticed? 12 dollars an hour is the Japanifornian minimum wage. He pays us barely half of that.”

“I haven’t checked my bank account…” Maya muttered, faking shock.

“I wish I was as self-assured as you are, Maya.”

“But… Why don’t you sue him for wage theft? Or… unionize?”

“There’s not enough of us, Maya. We’re understaffed, and for a good reason too. Unfortunately, most of us are tied to this place somehow. Some of us are crazy impoverished, and nobody else will hire. Some of us don’t know how to do anything else. Some of us, like me, are tied through insurance. I have chronic neck pain, and this place pays for my meds. I can’t just pack up and leave. I don’t have much of a choice.”

“I’m sorry, Jen. I didn’t know.”

Jen chuckled. “It’s a cruel irony, and I hate how the system is rigged like that, but it is a little funny, no?”

When Jen left, Maya knew that she absolutely had to take down Mr. Flim. And she finally had an idea on how to do it.

Maya had always been good with animals. In a way, she was an animal whisperer- whenever she took walks in the park, people walking their dogs would have to stay far away from her so their dogs wouldn’t break free and run to her. Maya had barely ever been attacked by animals- cats, birds, snakes, hamsters, you name it; all of them loved her. So Maya figured that she could utilize this power when it came to getting the key from Mr. Flim’s grasp. Because- just her luck- there were plenty of animals that had their own acts in the circus too. Even though Maya figured that the animals weren’t being treated the best, especially under someone as awful as Mr. Flim, they all had been sweet to her up to that point. So surely they would help her in her endeavors, even if they weren’t trying to.

Maya put her plan into action on the second week of her investigation. She arrived early on the day she planned to execute her plot, helping the animal tamers with bringing the great beasts into their training pens. She chose one of the tigers- Pomegranate- to help her out. She singled out Pomegranate especially because she was the nicest- and also the burliest- tiger they had.

So Maya spent some time with Pomegranate. She gently petted the creature and helped feed her. And under her breath, she told her about her plan. Maya was convinced that Pomegranate could understand her. She trusted the beast, and she believed that she could help her pull it off. So, around midday, when Mr. Flim was hanging around the tent and most of the employees were on break, Maya slowly unlocked the tiger cage and showed Pomegranate the open door.

Pomegranate was still for a moment. A trained creature she was, she didn’t dare step out of line. But Maya stepped out of the way and patted her leg, and almost spontaneously, Pomegranate burst out of her enclosure.

Someone screamed as Pomegranate ran around the tent. One of the animal tamers grabbed their whip and started to chase her. Maya knew she had to do something.

Maya ran to the tamer as fast as she could and tackled them. She then cried out, “Look out Mr. Flim!”

Pomegranate finally got the memo and charged full-speed towards Mr. Flim. Taken aback, he was suddenly pinned to the ground by the huge orange beast. Maya knew she had to act fast.

She apologized to the animal tamer, claiming it was an “instinctual reaction,” and hurried over to Mr. Flim, who was struggling underneath the great beast. Pomegranate just sat there, her paws on Mr. Flim’s shoulders, staring right at him.

“I’ll save you!” Maya said, as she dove and fake-tripped, falling right next to Mr. Flim.

While her coworkers called Pomegranate’s name, trying to coax her off of the ringmaster, Maya grabbed Mr. Flim by the shoulders and started to pull him out of Pomegranate’s grasp. In the process, she gently lifted the key off of his neck. Luckily for Maya, Mr. Flim’s eyes were closed the entire time. She quickly popped the key into her pocket and gave Pomegranate a small push- signaling her to get off.

Pomegranate followed and backed off of Mr. Flim, trotting back to her cage where a tamer locked her up again. Her coworkers then came to surround Mr. Flim, asking him if he was okay and examining for any injuries. Maya snuck away for a moment to grab a chunk of meat from the feed storage and dropped it in Pomegranate’s cage, rubbing her neck as she ate it. Maya then quickly returned to the scene to not look suspicious.

Maya struggled not to grin with pride. She finally got the key! And better yet, Mr. Flim decided to go home early! It would’ve been the icing on the cake if Mr. Flim did get injured, but in a way, Maya was happy that he didn’t. If he did end up with a scratch, Pomegranate would likely have been put down. But Maya was eternally grateful for Pomegranate helping her- even though as she slumbered, it was clear that she had no clue how much of a big help to Maya’s investigation she was. Now all Maya had to do was wait for after-hours to arrive, and she’d sneak into the ringmaster’s office.

Maya was eager to put her plan in action, but also somewhat nervous. She couldn’t stop herself from overthinking, even when it was clearly irrational. What if she had the wrong key? What if all the proof she needed was stored in a safe that had a code she didn’t know? What if Mr. Flim noticed his missing key and went to get it back? What if someone caught her and snitched? What if, despite everything, they still ended up losing the case?

Maya shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, Mr. Flim would be found guilty and he would be put in jail. She was sure of it! But for that to happen, she needed to get over herself and grab those documents. So she waited.

The rest of the day was like a blur. Maya was so focused and preoccupied by what she was going to do later that night that she wasn’t present in the moment, and sooner rather than later, it was closing time and everyone was going home. Maya took her sweet time changing out of her clown outfit and getting into regular clothes. She dilly-dallied by faking a call from a friend, so she didn’t seem suspicious about hanging around. Eventually, she headed out with the receptionist, who was the last to leave. Feigning her phone call as the receptionist got into her car and drove away, Maya hung around until she was positive that she was the only one left. She then put her phone away, grabbed Mr. Flim’s key from her bag, and hurried back onto the circus grounds.

Even though she was sure she was alone, Maya crept around as quietly as she possibly could, nervous that some passerby would approach at the perfect time to see her sneaking around. She wasn’t sure how she would explain THAT ordeal, so she mitigated the risk by walking slowly and gently on the dirt.

Eventually, she snuck back to where Mr. Flim’s office was. When she approached, she inserted her key into the lock and turned it. The door swung open and Maya slunk inside, closing the door gently behind her.

She fumbled around for a light for a moment, when she felt some kind of thread hit her forehead. She grabbed it and pulled, turning on a single, overhead lightbulb that flickered every minute or so. The light illuminated the tiny shack- revealing a beaten-up armchair in the far left corner of the room, two large shelves containing various tools and equipment at her sides, and a small desk pushed against the right wall. Maya beelined for the desk, opening the desk drawer to see what was inside.

Jackpot! There was a slew of financial papers and documents crumpled up and hidden in the drawer. Maya started to sift through them and smooth them out.

Most of them didn’t really mean anything- or they had been ruined by wear and tear or humidity. However, Maya found some checks that were still intact- fully filled out, yet never sent. Some had been sitting in there for as long as five months. Mr. Flim likely had shredded any others. Maya also found a document detailing billing information for one of the animal tamers. Jen was right- the payment was around half of the legal minimum wage requirement. Maya grimaced as she took all of these papers and shoved them in her bag.

With that, Maya headed for the door and went to open it. But, almost as if it was some cliché novel, the door seemed stuck on the way out. Maya didn’t want to make lots of noise, so she tried her best to push on it quietly, but it was no use. Maya pushed harder, but even that didn’t work. Maya pushed and shoved as hard as she could, but nothing she did could open the door that didn’t include her breaking something.

Eventually, she heard footsteps approach the office. Maya backed away from the door, fearing for her life and expecting the worst. Mr. Flim had DEFINITELY caught her. She braced herself as the door was shoved into and pushed open.

Standing in the doorway was Jen, the tech worker.

“Jen!” Maya cried. “You scared me! What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I should be asking you,” Jen said. “Why are you poking around in Flim’s office? And more so… how?”

Maya sighed. “I got his key is how. And why? Because I need evidence for my case.”

Jen stared at Maya in disbelief. “What do you mean by ‘case?’”

Maya fiddled with her bag strap. “I’m… I came here to investigate Mr. Flim’s wage theft, with the intent to bring him to court.”

Jen rubbed their face and eyes underneath their glasses. “Maya, I already told you… shutting down this operation could hurt more than it helps.”

“It’ll work out Jen, I promise. I’ve got friends, they can help…”

“Help how? Help all of us find new careers in time for our rent dues?”

“I mean, I can help you find a new job…”

“WHERE, Maya? What place is gonna need some people who train tigers? Who’s gonna take in some half-assed comedians? Have you even thought about where the animals are gonna go?”

Maya looked defeated. She just wanted to help.

Jen scratched their cheek and sighed. “Look, Maya, what you’re doing is noble, and…”

Jen hesitated before taking a step away from the door. “And I trust you.”

Maya beamed as a small tear formed in her eye. “Thank you, Jen.”

Jen smiled sadly. “Just… don’t forget me, okay? Don’t leave us behind.”

“I won’t let you down, Jen!” Maya called as she ran to catch her bus.

~~~

Maya did not, in fact, let Jen down. Or anyone else for that matter.

Maya’s proof was more than enough to be incriminating- Phoenix pawned everything off on his friend Miles Edgeworth, who made quick work of the case and subsequently put Mr. Flim behind bars. The defense counsel that day barely even put up a fight.

Maya pulled some strings to ensure that everyone had the best possible outcome once the circus was put out of business. Phoenix helped verily as well, with his long list of contacts from previous clients proving useful for job applications.

The circus animals were sent to other circuses that were far more humane, or shipped to nearby zoos where they could lead an almost normal life for the rest of their days.

Most of the animal tamers were taken by a pet grooming and training facility, their expertise with tigers and elephants proving to be more than enough when it came to taking care of rowdy dogs.

One of Phoenix’s old clients, the owner of a local gym, took the acrobats for himself and had them all teach various yoga classes.

A local comedy club welcomed the clowns with open arms, only requesting that their jokes shift away from corny and lead into more “generally enjoyable.”

Dot the clown was taken by the Berry Big Circus itself, being promised better wages and better hours by a sympathetic Moe. Slowly, he became more sociable and fun to be around after this. Maya even discovered Dot’s sensitive side, containing a love for poetry.

Jen was offered a position as tech crew at the Berry Big Circus, but they declined, opting for a job as a general technician for a traveling broadway company. Maya and Jen continued to keep in contact with each other, sending updates on their careers and sharing coworker gossip.

And Mr. Flim… well, he surely was going to have a nice time wasting the next twenty-five years of his life in prison.

Nobody felt much remorse for him. And rightfully so.

#ace attorney #fanfic #fanfiction #fic request #fanfic request #maya fey

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crossed-starbound · 11 months ago

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Welcome to my Masterlist

Hello!

Rules;

1 - Smut, sfw, kinks, and all that are welcome. DDdNE (Dead Dove do Not Eat) are now allowed, but if it’s something religious related or heavy age gap I will refuse it. (Along with spousal abuse - Especially that.)

2 - All the basic DNIs apply, especially Minors DNI, and I mainly mean for 12 and under. since this is a mostly NSFW blog and I wouldn’t want to be the reason a small humanoid ends up getting into the NSFW side of things.

3 - This partially contradicts the all kinks welcome part, but kinks like scat and watersports are not welcome, especially if someone tries to Ask or Request something that has Scat or Watersports with it. It’s separate from other rules because I wanted to specify on it specifically.

4 - If you and someone else are talking within my books or anything I write, I want you both to be civil about things or I will remove the ability to comment on my stuff. (If there even is an ability to do so)

REQUESTS: OPEN. ASKS: OPEN.

I will say in advance that if I don’t get to your request or ask in time, it’ll probably be from doing other stories or irl things, or probably a chance of me doing storylines for my AUs. It’ll depend on the moment.

That should be all for the rules! Please follow them, for the sake of my sanity and others.

Books;

“ You’re My Stripes ”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Miscellaneous

“ A Shadow of Death ” - Ending’s Arsenic!AU

“ The Flood of Annihilation ” - Drowned Demise!AU

All of the Books I have as of right now! This will be updated when new ones release. So be sure to check frequently if need be!

Info;

- This blog is ran by an AuDHD person, who has neopronouns; Void being the preferred which you all can use as well, I don’t mind any pronouns used, but preferable ones are always best.

- My interests are wide and vary quite a bit, but the main ones are; UnderTale/Deltarune, CoD (Call of Duty), MLP (My Little Pony), FNF (Friday Night Funkin’), FNaF (Five Nights at Freddy’s), PJS (Percy Jackson Series), TKC (The Kane Chronicles), GI (Genshin Impact), HSR (Honkai: Star Rail) ZZZ (Zenless Zone Zero), PK (Pokémon), SV (Stardew Valley), S:CotL (Children of the Light), CotL/LC (Cult of the Lamb/Lamb Cult), TF2 (Team Fortress 2).

- The reason behind the blog? I redid it from being a Welcome Home account into what it is now, and just kind of wanted to embrace what I like. I’m quite sexual intense, and I make too many stories within my head so I wanted to share with all of you. If you don’t want to see my content, filter it out or block me, I’ll be fine with it, I promise, you are a being like I am so I understand fully.

- This blog is sea and snow themed, so if you find anything snow or sea themed, @ me! I adore snow and sea stuff.

“ That’s all from me folks! Tune in next time~ ”

Anons:

- Non-follower Emojis: 🫥, 💀, ☠️, 🎃, 👾, 💃, 🕺, 👠, 🥾, 👟, 🥽, ☃️, 🌧️, 🌨️, 🌩️, ⛅️, 🌤️, 💥, 🔥, ✨, 🌟, ⭐️, ⚡️, 🌙, 🌚, 🌞, 🌝, 🌸, 🌼, 🪸, 🎋, 🌾, 🍄.

- Follower Emojis: ❄️, 🌊, 🪴, 🍃, 🪼, 🦋, 🦕, 🦈, 🐬, 🪽, 🦌, 🐈‍⬛, 🐈, 🐾, 🐉, 🌳, 🌲, 🌿, ☘️, 🍀, 🌱, 💐, 🌷, 🌺, 🪷, 🪻, 🥀, 🌻, 🪐, 💫, ☄️, 🌫️, 🕸️, 🍄‍🟫.

- Hidden Status Emojis: 🥩, 🏳️, ♦️, ♥️, ♣️, ♠️, 💬, 💭, 🪞, ⛓️, ⚙️, ⚖️, 🕯️, 🎲, 🎻, 🎮, 🪈, 🎭, 🎬, 🍬, 🥃, 🍧, ☕️, 🍯, ☕️, 🍩, 🍪, 🥮, 🍡, 🧇, 🪶, 🦭, 🦇.

“ Hope to see you next time~ ”

#Starbound’s Masterlist #[ — * 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃'𝐬 𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒 ]

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whatsonmedia · 11 months ago

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Film Friday: Dive into Must-Watch TV Series

“Dive into these must-watch TV series for unforgettable storytelling and unforgettable performances. Discover gripping post-apocalyptic drama in ‘Fallout’ series, exploring the aftermath of a nuclear disaster with intense survivalist themes and complex characters. Dive into the visually stunning sci-fi series ‘3 Body Problem’ for a mind-bending journey through human nature and the mysteries of the universe. Uncover the emotional depth in this ‘Lojja’TV seies, tackling societal pressures and self-worth in a powerful narrative. Experience the visual feast of ‘Heeramandi’ series, a tale of love and betrayal set in Lahore’s red-light district. Delve into the psychological depths series of ‘Baby Reindeer’, a raw and compelling exploration of the impact of stalking.”

Fallout

Fallout is a dark and exciting show about what happens after a nuclear war. It follows people trying to survive in a messed-up world. The characters are interesting and complex, and you’ll be hooked on their struggles. The filming makes the wasteland look amazing, in a creepy way. The actors are all fantastic and draw you into their scary journey. If you like shows about tough times and how people cope, you’ll love Fallout. It’s a world you won’t forget, even after it’s over.

youtube

3 Body Problem

“3 Body Problem is a mind-blowing sci-fi show with amazing visuals that explores big ideas about humans, technology, and the universe. The plot is complex and keeps you guessing, and it makes you think about important things. The actors are fantastic and bring the characters to life. With its great story and surprising twists, 3 Body Problem is a must-watch for any sci-fi fan. It’ll make you think long after you finish watching.”

youtube

Lojja

Lojja tackles a tough topic: verbal abuse in a seemingly happy marriage. It shows the pressure society puts on women and how important it is to believe in yourself. Some critics say the story is easy to guess and the characters aren’t well-developed. But it’s still a must-watch, especially if you can relate to Jaya’s problems. The acting is great and it will make you think about your feelings. Be prepared for some heavy stuff, though.

youtube

Heeramandi

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s new web series, Heeramandi, is a feast for the eyes. The trailer wows with its amazing sets, showing the fancy world of a brothel in old Lahore. But it’s not just pretty pictures. The story follows female entertainers, played by big stars like Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha, who deal with love, lies, and India’s fight for freedom. Heeramandi promises a deep drama in a stunning setting.

youtube

Baby Reindeer

“Baby Reindeer is different from other stalker stories. It shows how scary it is for both the person being stalked and the stalker themself. Richard Gadd acts so real it might be weird, but it’s also really interesting. It’s funny in a dark way and kind of creepy, but you can’t stop watching. It’s tough to watch, but if you can handle it, Baby Reindeer will stay with you for a long time.”

youtube

FAQ

What makes “Fallout” a must-watch series?

“Fallout” offers a gripping post-apocalyptic drama, expertly weaving intense survivalist themes with complex character dynamics. The series immerses viewers in a haunting world, leaving a lasting impact.

What sets “3 Body Problem” apart as a sci-fi series?

“3 Body Problem” captivates with its visually stunning and intellectually captivating narrative, delving deep into human nature, technological advancement, and the mysteries of the universe. The series leaves viewers pondering profound questions long after the credits roll.

What is the central theme of “Lojja” and why is it compelling?

“Lojja” tackles societal pressures and self-worth within a seemingly comfortable marriage, shedding light on an important subject. It offers strong performances and an emotional journey, making it an important watch for many.

What makes “Heeramandi” stand out as a web series?

“Heeramandi” is a visual feast set in Lahore’s red-light district, showcasing a complex drama of love, betrayal, and the burgeoning Indian independence movement. The series promises a compelling narrative against a breathtaking backdrop.

What makes “Baby Reindeer” a unique watch?

“Baby Reindeer” delves deep into the psychological impact of stalking on both victim and perpetrator, offering a raw and compelling exploration. The series challenges viewers and leaves a lasting impact for those who can handle it.

#Youtube

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interact-if · 3 years ago

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Day 2 of the Black History Month Featured Author Interviews, featuring Summore!

Summore, author of A Trial of Horror

Black History Month Featured Author

All you wanted was a break. Just a day when your life wasn’t filled with worrying about when your next essay was due or if you had a night shift with your sleazy co-worker who just won’t take no for an answer. Hell, you were so desperate for some downtime that you would be happy with just an HOUR of peace.

One day, your friend Tama recommends an experimental VR game called “Little Trails of Horror” to destress. As someone who survived their very own horror movie, you figure that there isn’t anything that you haven’t seen that would shake you to your core. It also helps that there is an incentive of 10,000 dollars for participating. You decide to sign up, imaging that there were worst things that you could be doing on a Friday night. What you anticipated was cheesy graphics, with too much gore and too many jump scares. Not a darkness that seems too natural and a breath on the back of your neck that feels too warm.

Now stuck within these games with no way to leave without completing the objectives, your only worry now is to survive and find a way to break this vicious cycle. But every time you get even close to doing that or finding someone with answers, they die on you. Will you be able to escape for good or continue to be dragged from mission to mission, or worse?

Read more about A Trial of Horror [here]

A Trial of Horror Demo TBA | Discord | Beta Testing Application

Tags: 18+, Dark Fantasy, Thriller

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1. So, tell us a little bit about the projects you're working on!

So, I have two projects that I’m working on currently. The first is A Trial of Horror, that's my baby! The one that I’m currently putting all of my proverbial eggs into. I wanted to take some of my favorite troupes from various horror movies that I’ve watched and prose the story in a ‘what would YOU do?’. Of course, the answer to that question is going to have consequences, some good, some bad depending on which route you go. I want readers to recognize that there is an underlying reason underneath every action. And when they do, I hope that they'll start asking themselves: Why is this happening? Can I trust this NPC or RO? What is everyone’s game and how does the MC fulfill or fit into the bigger picture. If I had to put it in one sentence: Evil Dead meets the tired as hell Lemony Snicket protagonist.

My second project is still being developed, I haven’t gotten a title for it yet, nor do I have a definitive plan of action. With that being said, I've decided that its going to be a re-telling of the Trojan War. I want to explore the Greek myths surrounding the myth and add a bit of funkiness into it. What I have so far is that you will be able to play a character from either the Spartan side or the Trojan side and follow the events of the war from opposing sides. I don't want it to be TOO heavy hearted but I doubt it'll stay that way, cause war is a bitch and too many atrocities were committed on both sides. But I'm gonna mute those as much as I can. I hope.

Q2. What inspired you to start writing your current project(s)? Why in Interactive Fiction?

I love horror, honestly, I’ve probably been a horror nut since I was 17. So when I was thinking about creating fiction, I wanted my first experiment to be in IF. It offers so much flexibility, and I think you, as a reader, can fully immerse yourself into the work. Reading horror novels is cool, but sometimes it's hard to put yourself into the shoes of the protagonist. Whether it's because of social identity or cultural differences. So, I wanted to create something where people could relate, or see themselves inside of the story. I think that really amplifies the fear factor when you immediately think, "God, that could be me."

For the second IF, it's a shorter reason. I'm actually an Ancient Mediterranean major, so my whole college career was based upon reading Greek myths and tales. My favorite was Medea but slowly but surely I grew a love for the Iliad. (It really took a while for that to happen…). But I wanted to write an "what-if fic?" For this story. What if circumstances were different? What if you could save Achilles and Patrocilies? What if you could save Hector? I really want to explore those options within this IF! But my thought process can change, and I could want to look at it from a different lens, either way I hope it's gonna be dope.

Q3. What is the most rewarding part of creating for you? The most challenging?

The most rewarding part would have to be seeing how much of an impact your work can have on people. There really is such a gratifying feeling from seeing someone say, "Your characterization is so detailed, I can totally relate to XYZ!" or "God, this passage hit me right in the heart! It moved me to tears!". When you get messages like that, I feel like you were able to reach out and connect to someone, despite the miles of distance between you two.

Now, the most challenging part would have to be the writer's block. Those things are UGLY and they really come from nowhere! You could be on a role, and then all of a sudden BOOM, blocked from creative juice.

Q4. Does your heritage have a lot of influence in your work? How?

Hmmm, that’s a good question, and I’d have to say no and yes. I know that’s a little bit of a cop-out, but I say that because my heritage is truly embedded in almost EVERYTHING that I do. Whether it comes from the jargon or slang that I use or the old slave folktales that may seep into the stories that I tell. With that being said, I try my hardest to exclude some parts of my heritage. To be specific, I try to avoid writing anything that is embedded in black trauma or as my friends call it trauma porn. In case anyone is asking what ‘s ‘trauma porn’ or black trauma. It’s typically any form of media or consumable information that is emphasized around the pain and suffering of either a POC or the black community experience. For example, whenever we see black films or black horror there’s always some form of old-school Jim Crowe cruelty that’s the underlying plot. Now, I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be there, because if you can execute it well, then execute it. But how many films do we have to watch that are essentially reiterations of the previous one? How many times do we as black consumers have to be retold the same story with the same antagonist, and the same message? It can be so grating because I feel like anything that’s involved with Black culture and horror it MUST deal with slavery. Like there are so many other themes, folktales, and other topics that can be utilized. So, I’ve tried to avoid leaking that into anything that I write. And if it does somehow show up? I try to dial it down or remove it altogether, some people can’t handle it, and I try to go by a case-by-case basis. But just to be clear, it is important for us to talk about these issues, such as Jim Crowe and discrimination, because unfortunately, we are still dealing with redlining and other issues. But do we as black consumers need to have another ‘12 years a slave’, or ‘Them’ every year?

Q5. What is something you would like to see more of in IF works and in the community?

I think I'd like to see more inclusion and diversity in IF works. However, if they aren't executed well, I feel that it can be a huge problem. So, maybe more resources for non-POC who are trying to write POC? Although the blog writing with color gives you pretty much ALL the resources you would need.

Q6. Describe something that you love about your work or are excited about sharing in your story.

Hmm, I'm honestly excited about almost everything! The plot is something that I’m working with every day, and it changes or grows little by little. I'm excited to see how it's going to look a year from now! An aspect or I should say character, that I am most excited about sharing is the Magdalene’s lore, because who doesn’t love a good tragic backstory ? Her involvement in how MC gets trapped within the game impacts the plot in a major way and I'm interested to see how many people gravitate towards her or hate her, in the end!

Q7. Any advice to give to your fellow writers?

Keep going guys, you got this! You all have wonderful and amazing stories to be told, and we all can't wait to read them.

#Black History Month #if: events

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doctorstethoscope · 4 years ago

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Fighting Crime || A. Hotchner & Reader

Back at it again with another one shot for @ssahotchswife ‘s soft Hotch Saturday! No smut this week sorry folks.

Warnings: alcohol consumption, canon-typical mentions of kidnapping/violence, pregnancy, suggestive content

Word count: 1.7k

You finished your paperwork first, which wasn’t unusual. Gathering up your files, you trekked up the steps and knocked twice on the door to Aaron’s office before letting yourself in.

“This is done,” you said, extending the folder towards him. “And luckily for you, I left out the logs of what exactly occurred in my hotel room between the hours of 12:38AM and--”

“Trust me, my memory is plenty fresh on that.” He smirked up at you.

“JJ and Penelope have called for a celebration of our heroism at the bar tonight,” you informed Aaron, who peeked over your shoulder at the clock hanging on his office wall. It was 4pm. “We can have a couple drinks and still get Jack for dinner. It’ll be good to have some non-work related adult time.” You told him,

“I think that if you refer to the log of what happened in your hotel room at 12:38AM, you’ll find my preferred non work related adult---”

“Aaron!” You cut him off with a laugh, and your smile seemed to relieve some of the tension in his jaw.

“You go ahead,” he tells you. “I’ll see what I can do here. Either way, I’ll come pick you up and we can get Jack together.”

“Okay boss,” you smiled, leaving his office to go check on Spencer, who usually finished around the same time as you.

“I’m going to be a little while longer,” he sighs. “Why don’t you go to the bar and grab our booth?” He suggested, and you took his advice.

It had been a long case, but a successful one-- the unsub confessed, and none of the hostages were hurt, so it was one worth celebrating for sure. You walked over to the team’s normal spot, enjoying the warmth of the DC sun on your face. Jimmy, the bartender, spots you as soon as you make your way into the bar.

“Hey, princess!” He calls out to you with a smile.

“Hi Jimmy,” you greet him as you slide into a barstool

“What are you doing here all by yourself?” He asks as he slides you your usual-- a vodka tonic with lime.

“I’m just getting a headstart. The rest of the team will be here soon, so I’m going to grab our booth before it gets crowded.” You explain to him.

“Okay doll, I’ll be by to check on you in a little bit.”

True to his word, Jimmy swung by with another vodka tonic about fifteen minutes later, and JJ walked in shortly afterwards.

“Damn, you beat boy genius!” You congratulated her.

“I know, it has to be a new personal best,” she agrees with a laugh as Jimmy reappears, placing two shots on the table for you both.

“Cheers to a successful case” you smiled, extending your shot glass in her direction. She bit her lip.

“Oh, I’m not drinking tonight, actually,” she tells you.

“You’re pregnant!” You exclaimed, downing your shot.

“How did you know?” She asked, laughing as she passes you her shot.

“Well, I didn’t, but it was a good guess.”

“I’m not really ready to tell the whole team yet.” She tells you shyly, and you’re quick to reassure her.

“Of course, Jayje. They won’t hear it from me.”

“Thank you. Now take that, because they’re coming and they need to think I drank it.” She says, gesturing to her shot. You downed it quickly before the rest of the team could make it to the table.

“Ladies, ladies, you started without me?” Derek grinned as he slid into the booth next to JJ.

You were pleasantly surprised to see Aaron slip in next to you. You took his hand and squeezed it in your own before kissing the back of it. “I thought for sure you’d be holed up in your office to avoid this,” you confessed.

“Yeah, well, my girlfriend is a cute drunk,” he said, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek and taking advantage of the proximity to whisper, “and I caught you drinking for two.”

You and Aaron were coming up on a year of dating, and had told the team a few months back. There was a novelty to being a couple in front of the people you loved most, somehow even more exciting than the sneaking around them, that hadn’t worn off yet. Aaron wrapped his arm around your shoulders and you put a hand on his thigh as Spencer and Emily went to get another round of drinks.

“No one knows yet,” You whispered back to Aaron, but you knew he would keep JJ’s secret. He was good like that.

You attempt to keep up with the flow of conversation, but between the cocktails and the shots, you’re beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol, particularly on your empty stomach. Emily and Spencer return and pass you another vodka tonic, and you make a silent determination to nurse this one more slowly. You tilt your chin up towards Aaron, who is listening to Penelope tell Spencer about the new frozen yogurt place that opened up by her apartment.

“You okay?” He asked, lowly, so no one else would hear.

“Yeah,” you smiled back up at him.

“You’re drunk.” He states, chuckling at you.

“Noooo,” you argued, drunkenly. Luckily, Derek saves you from yourself.

“Hotchner, you can’t monopolize her just because she’s your girl now. We all remember who took care of her when she first got here.” He teases Aaron, and you laugh. It was true. Aaron had been hard on you at the beginning, but Morgan took you under his wing. He took good care of you. “Come on pretty thing, we’re dancing.” Derek extends his hand towards you, and you see Emily and Penelope waiting for you as well.

You sat up, untangling yourself from Aaron before giving him a quick peck, grabbing your drink, and practically racing the three of them to the dance floor. It felt like college, in all the best ways. The job was so stressful, and you didn’t let yourself get away from it nearly enough. Throwing your arms up in the air with Emily, letting Morgan catch you when you stumbled, and laughing with Garcia as she brought you another shot of who-knows-what, it felt like the Friday night after you turned in a term paper. Total bliss, fuck the consequences.

“Guys, we have a case. It’s urgent, and it’s bad.” JJ came to pull you all off of the dance floor.

Well, so much for fuck the consequences. You put a hand on Morgan’s wrist, a silent sign for him to support you-- you weren’t even sure if you could make it back to the office without stumbling. He placed a hand on the small of your back and guided you out of the bar, where the team was waiting in the street. You reached for Aaron and linked your arm with his. Even with his support, you stumbled at the brisk pace and the uneven ground of the cobblestones downtown.

“You can’t work like this,” he said once you were back in the elevator at Quantico. He wasn’t judging you or being mean-- but as both your supervisor and your boyfriend, he was concerned. “Maybe Jess can swing by and take you home, you can read Jack his bedtime story and sleep some of this off--” He said, as you all stepped out of the elevator and back into the office.

“Noo, Aaron!” You whined. “I want to fight crime!” You protested, pouting. If there was any doubt that you were drunk before, it was gone now. You heard Emily stifle a laugh from somewhere behind you.

“Hotch, you’re going to send her home just to have her take a nap to sober up and then meet us out there? That doesn’t make any sense,” Morgan argues, but there’s no bite behind it.

“Yeah, plus you need me to help you fight crime,” You add helpfully as Aaron directed you to your desk and all but placed you in your chair.

“It’s a four hour flight. She can sleep on the plane,” JJ suggests as she brings you a cup of coffee, which you sip on gratefully.

You could tell, even in your drunken state, that Aaron was torn, and you felt bad. As your supervisor, he knew he should send you home. As your boyfriend, he would certainly feel better if you were nearby, not to mention the fact that leaving you here meant you’d have to fly commercial to Montana the next morning, not on the safety of the team’s jet. He took a deep breath before making a determination.

“You are going to eat something now, when we brief, and then you are going to sleep on the plane. You will not go into the field or to the crime scene until I say so. You will go straight to the police precinct, talk to no one, and start on the geographic profile with Reid. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir,” you squeaked out, and the team erupted in giggles.

“Good girl,” he whispered for only you to hear.

45 minutes later, you had all but inhaled the fast food that Reid had brought you, and you were following Aaron out to the jet. You were the first ones on, and Aaron led you over to the couch, foregoing his normal spot for one where you’d be more comfortable sleeping. He pulled your favorite throw blanket out of your go-bag and covered you up, your head in his lap and your legs splayed out over the other end of the couch,

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, and he pushed a stray piece of hair out of your face.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he tells you. “You didn’t know we would be called on another case.”

“I know. That didn’t make it any easier on you, though.”

“You shouldn’t worry about me so much,” he’s quick to correct you.

“Says the man who’s letting me sleep my drunkenness off on an FBI jet so that he doesn’t have to let me out of his sight,” you teased him.

“Well, you wanted to fight crime so badly. How could I say no?” He smiled down at you.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”

#soft Hotch Saturday #aaron hotchner #hotchner x reader #hotch x reader #hotch x reader fic #hotch x you #hotch x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds fic

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hargrove-mayfields · 4 years ago

Text

Back when things were still easy, Billy and Max used to have sibling days on the weekends when Neil wouldn’t be home, setting aside their issues to have just one day that was meant for doing something fun together.

The tradition had been dropped after the move to Hawkins, and Max thinks that’s where a lot of the strain on their relationship comes from. Without those designated times to let go of some of the tension building between them, they fall to pieces.

There’s one day in particular where it’s just Max at home all by herself, her mother and Neil having gone on a trip to the city she opted out of, when Billy shows up much earlier than he said he would be back, ruining the calm when he slammed the front door so hard a picture frame fell off the wall.

Neither of them say a word to the other, all she gets is an apologetic and glossy looking glance for the noise as he storms past her like she isn’t even there.

She doesn’t see Billy again for a long time after that, just hears the angry music blaring in his room. By now, she’s wisened up enough to know that meant he was probably crying in there, and though she doesn’t know what happened, she feels bad.

It’d been far too long since they acted anything like real siblings, not that they were actually related, but they used to be just as close, so after her brother’s been brooding for literal hours, she knows she wants to do something.

Her opportunity to bring it up comes when Billy makes his grand appearance at her door, stopping by to ask if she ate dinner just so he, quote ‘wouldn’t get any shit for it.’ She nods in agreement and asks, “Do you know what day it is, Billy?”

He shrugs, “28th of June.”

“Well, doy, but it’s also Friday.” Billy raises an eyebrow, missing the point, and Max rolls her eyes. “Friday. You know, like, the one day we get to hang out.”

Too cool for that stuff anymore apparently, he scoffs and leans against the doorframe, and she just knows he’s going to say something snarky, so she turns the puppy dog eyes up a notch, “Please? It’ll be fun.”

It works, Billy sighs way over dramatic and steps into her room, throwing himself down onto her beanbag chair. She can’t contain the smile on her face when he asks with fake defeat, “What did you want, shitbird?”

“I want a makeover day. Like we used to do.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Why?” She crosses her arms, “Just because that’s what I want to do?”

He fixes her with a look that says ‘seriously?’, and explains, an edge of frustration to his voice, “No, because you know what’ll happen if I’m struttin’ around in nail polish and shit when Neil gets back.”

“They’re not supposed to come back until like, Monday though,” in response to her excuses, he mimics her in crossing his arms over his chest, so she tries harder to reason with him, “And we can always just take it off when we’re done.”

“That’s just a waste of your stuff, then.”

“Come on, Billy, please?” she’s out of actual arguments and he’s winning, so she brings out the big guns, the little sister privilege, the one surefire way she knows will always knock her brother off guard, “I miss you.”

He squints at her, seeing through the attempted guilt trip, but he can’t muster a frown, and he must know it wasn’t all fake, because he says, “Whatever.”

She knows that’s his version of a yes and he’s just too proud to admit he caved, so she squeals and claps her hands together, taking off like a shot to dig under her bed for the stowed away beauty kit. It’s a little wicker basket filled to the brim with nail polish and makeup, the same one they’d used years ago before everything went wrong, and it makes her happy, bringing the old thing back out.

She stops to put a record in her player, choosing Queen as the closest thing to a middle ground between their respective music tastes, they at least both weren’t supposed to listen to it, and drops down into the other chair beside Billy.

On the latch-hook rug in front of them, she starts to empty the basket, lining up all her brightly colored bottles of nail polish, slightly dried out after months of not using them. “What color?”

“Why do I have to go first?” Billy asks. All Max has to say in response is a know-it-all “Because I said so.”

“Fine. You pick.” The moment he says it he looks like he regrets it, Max is notoriously bad at making decisions, but she ignores him and starts holding up bottles anyways.

First, after few minutes deliberation, she chooses a pretty dark green, and he scrunches his nose and doesn’t say anything. She picks a purplish color, which he tosses away on the bed, a very firm ‘no’ that makes Max giggle. Then she gives him a bright orange bottle, and he holds in front of his face, studying it before turning that one down too.

“God, if I knew you’d be so annoying I would’ve just painted them all the colors.” She remarks, lining up her polishes so she could do just that.

“That’s actually probably not a very good idea, kiddo.” Looking a little panicked, he digs through the bottles himself, settling on one he pulls away and stares at for a second before handing it to her and telling her, “Just do ‘em red.”

It confuses her, but she agrees regardless, and makes him turn in his seat so he’s facing her and his hands are flat on the floor. His hands are a little shaky, so her paint job isn’t the best, she even drips some on the carpet, which she hopes her mother won’t notice, but Billy doesn’t say anything about the mess.

With his nails done she moves onto his hair, she wants to do double braids like how he taught her to do in her own hair, so she shoves his arm to get him to turn around. “Scoot.”

He lets her push him around until he’s in the right place that she can reach his hair, but once he’s facing the far wall he tells her, “Don’t you dare use that brush on my hair, Maxine.”

“Jeez, relax. I’m not gonna mess up your princess curls.” She mocked, but she still went for the comb to run through his hair instead.

She waited until she could get it through without catching on any tangles before bothering trying to talk to him. When Billy was upset, he tended to clam up, but she didn’t particularly like feeling awkward in the silence, leaving all the talking to the record player. “Can we talk about why you were mad earlier?”

“Nope.”

“Would you tell me if I told you about my day?” She tries, but he shuts it down again with an “Unlikely.”

“I’ll tell you anyways.” Max didn’t know what had happened with Billy, but she knew she hadn’t had the greatest morning herself either. “I had to ask Lucas to bring me home early because me and Mike got in a fight.”

Billy snorted, and spoke with just as much sarcasm as Max had used on him. She learned that from him anyways. “You and Mike? No.”

“Yeah. He was being a total ass about El, trying to like, own her or something, so I told him to lay off ‘cause that’s totally not fair.”

She knew that Billy, having graduated and turned 18 now, was probably getting a little old for this type of drama, but he was a good listener, no matter how much he pretended not to care, always giving little bits of insight and saying things to make her laugh.

She continues, “Well, anyways he like, totally bit my head off for sticking up for her, so then I told him he was just a miserable mouth breather who’s jealous of El being happy, and he tried to kick me out.”

Billy laughed at that, muttering a little ‘ow’ when the action made Max pull his hair, “But you left before he could kick you out right?”

“Duh.” She sighs a little, the fun part of the story over. “Then when we pulled up outside, Lucas said something stupid about it being my fault or whatever, so I dumped him again.”

“Good. I told you not to take any shit from them anymore.” Billy had been less than happy with her friends a lot recently, when she’d come home from school or from hanging out upset over something they said. They never meant to hurt her feelings, but Billy didn’t like it all the same, and made her promise she’d stand up for herself a little more. Like she did to him.

“Yeah, I guess.” It makes her feel light on the inside, to know Billy was proud of her for following his advice, in his own way at least. “So? What happened to you?”

He shrugs again, and blows her off, “It’s nothing.”

“You were crying.”

“Yeah, and it’s none of your business.”

“Maybe not,” she fumbles with the braid and loses it, Billy’s stupid uneven mullet making it way too hard to braid so many different lengths of hair, “But I’m like, an expert now. El says she likes my advice.”

Under his breath, Billy mutters, “‘Course she does.”

Max purses her lips and pretends she didn’t hear that before continuing her offer, “Anyways, I can always try to help.”

“Listen, it’s just stupid dating stuff. Nothin’ you need to be worrying about.”

“But I’m a girl. I can give advice about that.” She thinks about it for a second, “I mean, I know more about being a girlfriend than having one, but it’s probably about the same.”

“Maybe.” Billy mumbles, focusing all his attention on picking at the nail polish that had missed the edges of his nails, and just from the way he tensed up she can tell she’d overstepped Billy’s boundaries in some way or another.

She finishes of the braid she had already started over twice now and puts a blue scrunchie on the end of it, giving him a minute.

When she starts combing out the rest of his hair is when Billy speaks again, not a drop of his distinctly Billy attitude in his words as he admitted softly, “You know, shitbird, I never said anything ‘bout having a girlfriend.”

That’s confusing to her at first, because he had just told her it was a dating thing, but Max’d been hearing all the nasty things Neil said about Billy for years now, and while she might just be a kid, might be the clueless and annoying little sister, she still knew the weight of what he’d just admitted to her.

It had always made her sad, to know Neil didn’t really like Billy, all the mean words he used, ones she wouldn’t dare repeat, to describe Billy and his friends, all the lies he told about him behind his back. But she doesn’t buy it, what her asshole step-dad had to say.

Her brother was cool, and she liked hanging out with him, when he wasn’t being such a jerk. The fact that he had a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend didn’t change that in the least bit.

She hums, trying to gather words and, her voice strained against the outburst of happiness, says “See? I can totally help with boy stuff.”

#billy hargrove #max mayfield #billy and max #harringrove #it’s implied harringrove at least because Steve is the boyfriend in question #story by ej!#ej writer #this is really sloppy but I wanted to just get this outta my drafts so here ya go #it was also initially from a much larger story #I just decided this was the only part I like #if you take note of the date tho I think y’all can probably tell where I was going with this #just wanted to write Billy coming out to Max because we as a fandom kinda decided that she already knew bc of that one vague convo #but like that stuff is really hard to pick up on when you’re the clueless little sister #(trust me lol)#I think it’s more something like maybe she snitched on him for doing smthn neil knew was Bc he was gay but she didn’t #and she never put the pieces together until he told her #featuring (subtle) autistic Max bc when doesn’t my writing #and colorblind Billy if you squint with the nail polish

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tuiccim · 4 years ago

Text

Terrigenisis (Part 20)

Pairing: Stucky x Inhuman!Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: After undergoing terrigenisis unwillingly your life is turned upside down when you are deemed too dangerous to return to life as a civilian. You are put with the Avengers team to train and rebuild. As you hone your powers and skills, you must also decide if you can find home and love again. Or is your curse to be a lonely wanderer forever?

Warnings: Fluff, Smut (NSFW 18+)

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Terrigenisis Series Masterlist

The following afternoon, the entire team is back at the compound and doing a team training session. You, Steve, and Bucky use the opportunity to announce your engagement. Your teammates are excited and hugs and well wishes surround you.

“Can I be the flower girl?” Wanda jokes as she hugs you.

“Dizzy’s already claimed that honor,” you laugh.

“Alright, alright! Let’s get to work. We need to be in perfect sync for the mission.” Steve redirects everyone’s attention.

“You got it, Cap!” you salute him as you get into position. Two hours later, you break from the drills and begin to disburse when you pull up your phone. “What the hell?” you say as you see your social media had blown up with comments and messages. You pull up your feed and begin reading. You can feel the color drain from your face.

“Doll, are you okay?” Bucky is the first to notice you frozen in shock.

“I… the… I don’t understand.” You feel like throwing up reading the words whore, slut, and many other disgusting slurs left on your account. Bucky pulls your phone from your hand and looks at it.

“What the fuck?” He yells.

Steve speeds over and looks at the phone that Bucky holds out to him.

“I don’t understand,” you say again, trembling. Bucky puts his arms around you.

“Uhhh, guys,” Tony says as he pulls up a video.

The spokesman for one of the biggest celebrity tabloids flashes a picture of Steve and Bucky on the screen and says, “Speculation has always run wild on the love life of Captain America, Steve Rogers, and The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, but they’ve always kept it hush-hush. Now, a source close to the Avengers has come forward to give us the down and dirty details. Allegedly, our shield throwing hero doesn’t have just a girlfriend, but a boyfriend as well. Way to play both sides, Captain. We’ve been told that Captain America is dating none other than his two teammates, The Winter Soldier and Artemis, the newest member of the Avengers.”

“Artemis! The fuck?” you exclaim as a picture of the three of you is displayed on the screen.

“Seen here at one of Tony Stark’s exclusive parties, the three have allegedly been dating for several months. But, according to our source, two men aren’t enough for the voracious Artemis, she’s also in a relationship with none other than the villainous Loki of Asgard,” the spokesman continues. Another picture from the party flashes up of you and Loki laughing together. Your stomach is rolling as this apparently isn’t the end of the slanderous story, “Artemis, an Inhuman with the skills of a linguist and animal trainer, joined the team a year ago and has apparently had her hooks in every man she’s come across since then. Our source claims she had affairs with Tony Stark, Clint Barton, and Sam Wilson before settling on the three she dates now. There is also some speculation surrounding the death of her first husband. Is she the real black widow of the Avengers?”

The video ends and you clutch your stomach, “I’m gonna be sick.” Running to the bathroom, you barely make it to the toilet before you lose your lunch. Bucky and Steve are right behind you.

“Doll, it’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.” Bucky soothes as he rubs your back.

You sit back against the wall and begin to sob. Steve pulls you into his lap and Bucky’s arms surround you both.

“It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart. We’ll fix this.” Steve says as he rubs your back.

“We’ll get through it, doll. Whatever we have to do. We won’t let this stand.” Bucky reassures you.

When the sobs begin to subside, you look at the two of them and nod. They help you stand and you wash out your mouth. When you return, the team is still standing around together.

“Okay, kids. Artie is on his way and formulating a plan as we speak to work this out. We’ll demand a retraction of the slander. The PR team is going through your social media and deleting and blocking any negative comments. There are several groups who are rallying behind you all and your relationship. We’ve got your back, kid.” Tony puts a hand on your shoulder and you nod weakly.

Wanda hugs you and you nearly break down again. Natasha looks as if she’s plotting murder with Clint. You notice Sam is missing.

“Let’s go to our room and rest until Artie gets here. It’ll probably be a long meeting.” Bucky suggests.

“Yeah, okay,” you follow his lead out. Shortly after the three of you get to your room there’s a knock on the door. Steve opens it and lets Sam into the room.

“I, uh… I’m so sorry.” Sam stutters uncharacteristically and can’t quite meet your eyes.

“Kaziah,” you state.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure. I’m so sorry. I swear I never said anything like that to her. I would never disrespect you like that.” Sam explains.

“It’s not your fault, Sam,” you reassure him.

“But I did tell her about you guys. And how you lost Charlie and became an Inhuman. I’m so sorry.”

“You trusted her. I’m so sorry she betrayed you like that,” you hug Sam’s neck. “I know you must be so hurt that she did that. Maybe she was jealous about our torrid love affair.”

Sam breaks a smile, “I do have a way with the ladies.”

“Your spirit is unbreakable. Already cracking jokes,” Steve puts his arms around you.

“I think it’s laugh or cry at this point. I’d rather laugh. I’m sure there will be more tears later,” you say. “I need a shower.”

“That’s my cue to leave.” Sam quips.

“Sam,” you call.

“Can you tell Tony, please? He can probably find out for sure.”

“Yeah. Of course.” Sam exits.

“Alright, doll. Let’s get that shower.” Bucky pulls you into the bathroom. You stand under the spray minutes later with Bucky and Steve on each side of you. You wash each other gently, sharing soft touches and loving caresses. No matter what anyone ever says about your relationship and your love, you will never give up these two men. The loves of your life.

Your stomach twists for a moment. Loving Steve and Bucky does not negate your love of Charlie. The accusation of killing him was what hurt more than anything else. If it hadn’t been for Terrigenisis you would still most likely be happily married to Charlie. It reaffirms to you that perhaps there really is a reason that everything happens. Which means there is a reason for this happening. You just couldn’t figure out what it was quite yet.

“Team meeting in the conference room, immediately.” Friday chimes into your thoughts.

Ten minutes later, the team is sitting around the conference table facing Artemus "Artie" Pithins, Director of Public Relations, and Tony.

“We apparently have another Artemis now.” Artie chuckles as he greets you.

“Wasn’t my decision but if it means I am as formidable as you I’m honored,” you smile as you shake Artie’s hand.

“Charming under pressure. I love it. We’ll get through this.” Artie reassures you. When everyone is seated Artie addresses the team, “I’d like to begin by telling you all, we have confirmed the source of the leak and that person is being dealt with accordingly. Next, I give this story no credence, but I do need to go through it piece by piece to confirm what is truth and what is lies.”

“We understand.” Steve affirms.

“Are you in a polyamorous relationship as described?” Artie addresses Steve.

“Yes,” Steve replies.

“I see. Sgt. Barnes and our newly dubbed Artemis are your boyfriend and girlfriend?” Artie asks.

“No, they’re my fiancees.” Steve counters.

“Oh, Congratulations.” Artie’s wheels are turning as he continues down his list of questions. He turns to you next, “Are you in any type of relationship with Prince Loki Odinson?”

“He’s a close friend and my training partner,” you say calmly.

“But no romantic relationship now or previously?” Artie confirms.

“No,” you reply.

“Mr. Stark, are you now or have you ever been in a sexual relationship-”

“No, never.” Tony interrupts rolling his eyes.

“Mr. Bar-”

“No,” Clint says curtly.

“Also, no.” Sam pipes in before the question can be asked.

“And the last claim I won’t even dignify. That will be retracted with an apology if I have anything to say about it. I know this is not the most couth question but I need to ask. Have any of the three of you had a sexual relationship with another teammate?” Artie states.

“No,” the three of you say practically in unison.

“Well, then I think we have the perfect solution already in the works. We’ll need the two of you to do a couple of interviews to dispel the rumors and we’ll use that time to also announce the wedding of Captain America and Artemis.” Artie smiles at you.

“You mean the three of us, Captain America, The Winter Soldier, and Artemis,” you say.

“The polyamorous relationship is not going to play well, but if we can shift the story from that relationship to the romance that grew out of you joining the team and throw a spectacular wedding, we’ll have nothing to worry about it,” Artie explains.

“No,” you say, looking between Steve and Bucky.

“Let’s reconvene in two hours. Take the time to discuss it. You have a lot to consider.” Artie closes the meeting.

Back in your room, you sit on the couch with your head in your hands.

“Doll?” Steve sits beside you and puts a hand on your back.

You look up at him, “Do you want to go through with this charade? Leave Bucky out of the ceremony? Everything this entails?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d be best man in Stevie’s wedding no matter what,” Bucky tries to lighten the mood.

“You should be a groom in it, baby,” you counter.

“I know, I know, doll,” Bucky sits on the other side of you, “But it’d just be a show for the public. We can have a ceremony with just our friends after. Or before. However you want.”

“Is that what you think, Stevie?” you ask.

“Here’s what I’m thinking…”

Part 21

Tuiccim’s Masterlist

Updates and taglist: Due to the unreliable nature of tags, I no longer keep a taglist. Updates for series are made weekly. Please follow my sideblog @tuiccimfanfiction and turn on notifications for updates. All series and new stories will be reblogged to it. You will only receive notifications when a new part or story is out! Nothing else will be blogged to the page. I can’t thank you enough for your support!

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storiesforallfandoms · 4 years ago

Text

we’re too stupid ~ the vlog squad

word count: 1885

request?: yes!

@iawaythrown “May I ask for a vlog squad x popular youtube reader

The reader has their own very popular youtube channel/podcast like a scientific/space podcast. (Like a Vsauce\GameTheory channel) The vlog squad and the reader fan base (somehow) always wants them to collab. One day David says "It won't happen because the reader probably doesn't like us." This ends up getting everyone on the podcast.”

description: when their favorite youtubers show interest in being on their podcast, they jump at the chance to invite them on

pairing: vlog squad x gender neutral!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

“You know what I’ve been listening to a lot lately?” Scotty asked David on the newest vlog David had uploaded. You were watching the vlog on your TV while you prepared to upload the newest episode of your podcast. You had a drink half raised to your lips when Scott responded to his own question, “The Spaced Out podcast.”

Your drink nearly slipped from your hand at the mention of your podcast. You were sure you had imagined it, so you went back and repeated the part just to be sure. The name of your podcast slipped from Scott’s lips again and you had to pause the video to scream with excitement.

When you placed the video again, David spoke next. “Oh wait, is that the one about space and shit? You played it for me before.”

“Yeah! Man, it’s so interesting. I could honestly listen to the host talk about space all day,” Scott said.

“He keeps bringing it up during the Scottcast, too,” Jeff commented. “I’m starting to think he’d rather co-host that podcast instead of our own.”

“Man, I’d love to be on that podcast!”

You could hardly contain your excitement. Your favorite YouTubers knew who you were?! They knew your podcast?! You had to be dreaming, you were sure of it.

“There’s no way they’d ever have us on the podcast,” David was saying. “We’re too stupid and immature, they’d probably hate us.”

“Speak for yourself!” Zane, dressed in some weird costume for a bit, called, causing the boys to laugh together.

This gave you an idea. You put your laptop aside and opened Instagram on your phone. You searched the name “David Dobrik” and went to his DMs.

~~~~~~

A week later, your podcasting room was filled with 11 extra people than there normally was. The room was only small with a handful of seats, so a lot of your guests were squeezed in together or basically sat on one another. No one seemed to mind, though. Every single person in the room was super excited to be there.

“What’s up all my space geeks? Welcome back to another episode of The Spaced Out podcast, the podcast where we discuss super nerdy space things,” you started with your usual intro. “Today’s episode is a little different, though, as today I am joined by not one, not two, not even three, but eleven special guests. You heard me right, eleven. Special guests, wanna say hi?”

All eleven of your guests rang out with a chorus of, “Hello!”s at the one time, making it all come out as just a shouting mess. You laughed and waved a hand to silence them.

“In case you had trouble understanding what they were saying,” you said, “my guests today are David, Scotty, Toddy, Zane, Erin, Carly, Natalie, Heath, Mariah, Corinna, and Jeff, better known as a large chunk of YouTube’s biggest vlogging group: The Vlog Squad!”

The Vlog Squad cheered at their introduction as you just clapped your hands.

“Can I just say,” Heath said once the noise started to die down, “that I am impressed with how fast you said our names and how easy it was. You didn’t even stutter once.”

“I’ll be honest, when David told me exactly who was coming I prepared myself for this,” you admitted. “I’ve never had so many guests on the show before. Actually, I don’t know if I’ve ever had any guests at all. I don’t really know anyone in my real life that’s as interested in space and science as I am.”

“To be fair, none of us are, either,” Jeff joked, causing the room to laugh.

“Yeah, you picked the wrong people to be on your podcast,” Corinna added.

“You don’t have to have any sort of interest to be on the podcast, really. As long as you don’t mind me talking about my nerdy space obsession every now and then anyone is welcome on the podcast.”

Your heart was beating so fast you were sure everyone else could hear it. You were shocked that you were managing to remain so calm in that moment. Your favorite YouTubers were sitting right there in front of you, being guests on your podcast, and somehow you were acting as though they were just friends that you had convinced to come on the podcast.

“Is there any cool space facts you can share with us to get the ball rolling?” David asked.

“Dude, I’ve made over 300 episodes of this podcast that is literally all about space, you gotta narrow down your parameters there,” you told him.

“What’s your favorite space fact then?”

You thought for a moment, going through all the little facts you had in your mind. There was so much you could share with them that you really didn’t know where to start.

“Okay,” you said finally, “I have one. I think David will like this cause we all know he’s made of money: there is a planet that is called 55 Cancri e. It is over twice the size of Earth and it is potentially made of diamonds.”

They all gasped and made comments of astonishment at the same time at this.

“Like, literally made of diamonds?” Corinna asked.

“It’s hard to know for sure. It’s roughly 41 lightyears away so it’s not exactly easy to reach, but they think it’s made of graphite and diamonds,” you explained. “My favorite fact, and one that’s a little scary, is that it’s actually completely silent in space. Like not a single sound, because atmospheres around planets are what contain the soundwaves to make noise.”

“I told you,” David said, turning to face Scott. “We’re too stupid to be on this podcast.”

You all laughed together. “You guys aren’t stupid! I was just fascinated with space as a child and my parents let me feed into that fascination. They always bought me books about space and brought me to visit certain space centers. I was that kid that always said she was gonna grow up and be an astronaut. Instead, I just talk about them on the internet.”

Everything was going so well. You were getting to know your guests and they kept urging you to tell them facts and stories about space. You knew a lot of what you were telling them you had talked about on the podcast before, so devoted listeners probably wouldn’t be too interested in a lot of what you had to say in that episode, but you didn’t mind too much. You just loved to see the looks of astonishment on everyone’s faces as you continued to tell them fact after fact.

When you came to a segment you did in the podcast in which you would read messages from fans, you decided to your guests choose which messages to read and respond to. David took the tablet you used for this first and read through the thousands of messages you received between uploading your most recent episode and recording the current one.

“Are you going to talk about the new 4K pictures of Mars?” he read.

“Oh my God, yes!” you responded. “That will be next episode. I haven’t looked at them all yet because I wanna have a live reaction to them, but I did see one picture and it looks absolutely stunning.”

“It blew my mind how it just looked like a desert here,” Carly commented. “Mars is a lot more like Earth than we think. Sucks that we’ll never be able to live there or anything.”

“I don’t think we’ll never be able to live there, but I don’t think it’ll happen in our lifetimes,” you commented. “But that’s a whole other thing, let’s move on from that.”

“What has been your favorite space related story of the past year?” Natalie read the message she had picked.

“I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but it’s definitely one that I was very interested in reading: a star just vanished in 2020,” you responded. “Apparently that’s something that can just happen, stars can just suddenly disappear and no one knows where they went. This star from the Kinman dwarf galaxy that shined almost brighter than the sun just vanished between 2011 and 2020, and they have no explanation for it. That story stuck with me the most cause I just find it funny that a star that bright just vanished and no one can figure out where it went.”

They continued reading you messages for a while before passing your tablet back to you.

“While I wish I could sit here with you guys and talk about space and your vlogs forever, unfortunately we are running out of time,” you said. “I want to thank the Vlog Squad again for joining me on this episode, and I hope I didn’t bore you guys to death with my stories and facts.”

“Not at all!” David spoke. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I really enjoyed myself. Listening to you talk was really interesting.”

The rest of the group agreed. You tried not to blush from all their kind words.

“I always wanna thank our sponsors again. As always I appreciate them supporting my show, and of course I want you guys, the listeners. Your constant support for the show means so much to me. If you wanna hear more fun facts about space that you’ll never use in live, follow me on my social media. If you’re not already following the podcast, follow the podcast! I upload episodes every Friday, and if you want to be involved in the show be sure to send me your space related messages and maybe I’ll read them out on the next episode. Have a good weekend, little space geek out!”

You ended the recording and the group almost cheered for you. You smiled and stood to thank them again for coming on the show. You were shocked when Corinna pulled you into a hug, which caused the rest of the group to hug you one by one.

“This was the most fun I think I’ve ever had,” Erin commented. “Would you be open to having more guests on the show? I’d love to come back and to just listen to you talk for a full hour.”

The rest of the squad agreed. You really didn’t think you could feel any more excited or on cloud nine, but they kept surprising you.

“I would definitely be open to having guests again,” you replied. “If you guys ever wanna be on the show again, just send me a DM. I’d love to have you!”

“We’d love to have you on the vlogs sometime, too, if you’d be open for that,” David told you.

There they go again, making you feel like you had passed cloud nine and now were on a completely different planet with excitement.

“Y-Yeah!” you managed. “Of course, I’d love that!”

After some more small talk, you showed the group out and thanked them again for coming. Once you were sure they were gone and unable to see you, you began jumping for joy and exclaiming with excitement. You couldn’t believe it! You had just hosted a podcast with your favorite people, and they asked you to join them for filming sometime?!

“This is the best day of my life!”

#vlog squad #vlog squad imagine #jeff wittek #corinna kopf #natalie noel #todd smith #scotty sire #david dobrik #carly incontro #erin gilfoy #zane hijazi #heath hussar #imagine #one shot #request #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 1 year ago

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Thanksgiving Reruns 2023--Day 3: Black Friday (1/3)

It is crazy to me that it’s already time for this, but the holidays have officially arrived! I would like to wish all my followers who celebrate it a very happy Thanksgiving. As a thank you to you (as well as my followers who DON’T celebrate), I present you with 3 Thanksgiving related stories I’ve written in the past. Enjoy!

Title: Black Friday—Chapter 1 of 3

Rating: G

Words: 1442

Summary: CS as single parents AU. As the holidays approach, Emma’s son Henry and Killian’s daughter Alice ask for a specific storybook which will ONLY be available for purchase on Black Friday.

Other Chapters: 1 2 4 5

Black Friday—Chapter 1

One week before Thanksgiving

“Do you really think it’ll work?” she asked, leaning forward, eyes bright and delighted.

She grinned. “Oh, I hope you’re right! Can you imagine? If we pull this off, everything will change forever!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The morning after Thanksgiving

She hoped the payout was worth it.

Her bed was so warm, so comfortable, that for a split second, Emma considered just forgetting about the whole thing and going back to sleep, but then she thought about Henry.

At least that’s what she thought.

She’d just so badly wanted that perfect, white-picket-fence life for herself, and especially for her ten-year-old son, that’s how.

After everything had so epically crashed and burned with Walsh, Emma had just wanted to get away. She’d wanted--needed--a new start, and so when her brother David had mentioned the opening for a deputy in the tiny town of Storybrooke, Maine, where he lived with his wife Mary Margaret, Emma had jumped at the opportunity.

Within a week, she’d uprooted her whole life--and her son’s whole life--and moved to Storybrooke. For the moment, she and Henry were crashing with David and Mary Margaret in their tiny loft apartment until Emma could find them their own place.

The move had been the most difficult on Henry. All he’d ever known was back in New York--friends, school, entire lifestyle. Small town Storybrooke was like a totally different world than the booming metropolis he was used to. Her normally happy, vivacious kid had been quiet, almost withdrawn since they’d arrived in Storybrooke.

Emma knew kids were resilient, that Henry would bounce back, but she felt so damn guilty for causing him stress.

And so, naturally when Henry had come home a week ago, excitement bumped up to a level ten, talking a mile a minute and waving a flier in her face, Emma had taken notice. Turns out the school librarian Belle French--who was also the owner and proprietor of “A Tale as Old as Time”, Storybrooke’s best (and only) bookstore--was holding a special Black Friday sale on a very special storybook, entitled Once Upon a Time. She had one copy, and one copy only, and the rare book would normally sell for an exorbitant price--somewhere between an arm and a leg. On Black Friday, however, she was offering the book for dirt cheap, but there was a catch. The price was only good during the special, Black Friday early bird sale. Doors opened at 4 am. First person to touch the book had the opportunity to purchase it.

Waking up a few hours before the crack of dawn was a small price to pay for her kid’s happiness.

Emma reached for the book, her hand made contact--just as another hand did as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

His daughter Alice.

So naturally, when she came home from school all excited about the book Miss French was selling, Killian knew exactly how he would be spending his very early Black Friday morning.

He’d arrived at “Tale as Old as Time” just as Miss French opened the doors. He rushed to the back of the store, his prize in sight.

He grabbed the book just as a gorgeous blonde made contact.

“Um excuse me,” she said with a frown. “This book is mine.”

It appeared this shopping expedition was going to be more difficult--although possibly more intriguing--the blonde truly was breathtaking--than he’d expected.

Killian grinned. He’d never backed down from a challenge, and he didn’t intend to begin now.

Next Chapter-->

#cs ff #captain swan fanfiction #cs thanksgiving fanfiction #thanksgiving reruns 2023 #black friday ff

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lovelyirony · 4 years ago

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the much anticipated second part for the amnesia-related fic.

A wedding ring.

This doesn’t mean that he and Tony are married except that he hasn’t seen Tony with a wedding ring and he hasn’t mentioned a wife and he doesn’t sound like he has a wife and if Rhodey-if Jim had a wife, then wouldn’t he know about her? Wouldn’t they have met by now? He may not know Tony yet, but he doesn’t think that he would be that cruel.

“Colonel Rhodes-”

“Friday, don’t,” Jim says, swatting at the air. “What-why did you hide that from me?”

“Sir believed it would be best,” Friday answers, tone almost quieter. “He...wasn’t sure that you would understand.”

“I don’t understand,” he says. “Why would I marry him of all people? He’s not exactly my type.”

“Since I am a learning program, I cannot say for sure. Humans do a lot of illogical things.”

He’s trying to wrap his head around it and avoid Tony at the same time.

Friday won’t let him see any wedding pictures, not until he remembers more.

Even though he’s been (mostly) successful at avoiding Tony for about a week and a half, the man is still so nice.

He’s still operating under the assumption that Jim has no idea that they’re married, and he does stuff like leave out a cup of coffee and offer breakfast up or ask if he wants pizza for dinner.

Jim reads too much into it.

And he doesn’t know why, because it’s not like anything has really changed, except for the fact that Tony won’t call him Rhodey.

Jim gave him permission to, saw how much it killed him with every correction and every reminder. Told him “you can call me Rhodey, if you want.”

And he doesn’t.

Tony never does.

He still almost says it, but Jim is quicker on the tongue, and he doesn’t make a move to try to push any memories at all.

(Even though he remembers how happy Tony was to hear that memory about grocery shopping and Dum-E’s code source.)

He does want to remember. He wants to remember why he apparently married Tony and was genuine about it, why Pepper and him are best friends and never were anything more, why he’s...why he’s so different from what he wanted.

Tony knows that Jim’s acting differently. He’s not sure why. He’s not sure he wants to know why, because that might complicate everything.

And he doesn’t want another thing to be wrong. Everyone’s walking on eggshells around him except for the one damn person that probably should be, but Rhodey’s never been good at following rules. (But he’s good at fooling people.)

Pepper talks to Tony a lot. Asks him how he’s doing, if there’s anything she can do.

Repair someone’s memory is a little bit outside of her area of expertise.

“It’ll be okay,” she says, putting her tiny hand over his. “Things will work out.”

They both know that in Tony’s life, luck has never been quite what it seems. Or existent at all, at times.

Ironically, it’s their anniversary of the wedding when Jim remembers something else. It actually comes in the form of looking in the fridge and not finding his apples.

“Quit leaving honey-crisp off of the list just because you don’t like them you asshole,” he calls to Tony.

Tony almost yelps.

“Out of everything in your life and that’s what you remember? Your stupidly sweet apples?”

“Are you gonna get them?”

“Why don’t you come with me?” Tony asks, “just so that you can get your apples and maybe get out of the house for once.”

“Hmph. Fine,” Jim answers. “Where’s my coat?”

“Uh...” Tony trails off, trying to find the words. “Third peg on the...right, I think?”

“You’ve known me for years, and you don’t know where my coat is?”

Rhodey is always the one to hang up his coat, and then put his arms out for Tony’s.

“To be fair, I am important and fancy and a big deal,” Tony scoffs. “Come on, go get your coat and then I’m going to show you what horrible things you buy from the store.”

“It’s not that bad. And what, you don’t like good apples?”

“As sour as can be, sourpatch. As sour as can be.”

Grocery shopping with Tony is...interesting. He didn’t think it would take so long.

“This is why you don’t usually come,” Tony teases him. “I take so long and you end up sitting in the car and cursing at Pepper or Happy about how much time I spend dedicated to snack-judging.”

“And I put up with that?”

“You do,” Tony says, grabbing the cart. “Because you love me and you deal with a lot worse from me.”

“Like what?”

“Best not to talk about it,” Tony says. “We’re in public after all, honey.”

“Ugh, boo,” Rhodey teases. “Give me the list. I bet I can speed-run this.”

“How? Technically, you don’t think you’ve ever been to this store before!” Tony exclaims with a gigantic, shit-eating grin.

“Way to rub it in you bastard,” he says with a laugh. “Now come on, I wanna see what kind of salad you think we’re gonna get.”

“Not you thinking you’re going to be eating junk food,” Tony sighs.

“I lost my memory!”

“That would’ve worked, like, two weeks ago. Now I know better.”

Grocery shopping is...fun. They make fun of foods and different products, and Tony shows him which things he might like.

“I like...I like fruit salad?”

“Yes, yes you do Rhodey-dear,” Tony says. “Your favorite thing in the world for fruit.”

“Seems suspicious.”

“You’ll have to try it again, then.”

Rhodey watches him as they’re shopping. He’s easy to be around, honestly. He has that sort of energy that makes you feel like he’s just happy to be in that moment.

Tony also has very questionable taste in everything.

“Quinoa?”

“What? You’ve eaten it before! It’s not your least favorite thing that I’ve cooked?”

“How is it not? Is it because I’m old?”

“No, not because you’re old,” Tony scowls. “When you’d come back from the service, you’d eat literally anything I put in front of you. I once gave you a block of cheese and you just sat there. Eating it.”

“There’s no way I did that.”

“You did! Ask Pepper, she has a picture of it!”

He goes back to quiet after that, remembering the picture.

Jim isn’t even sure he wants to bring it up. He’s not even sure if he could love Tony again, and somehow that thought makes his head hurt.

He knows that apparently, he fell in love once.

So he needs answers.

Jim had talked to his parents, but he hadn’t really had an opportunity to talk about anything important. Try as he had to get more information out of them, they weren’t giving much up, except for parts about his military achievements and funny stories that he’s written to them about.

When he gets back home and he sees Mama, she knows.

“Come here baby,” she says, putting him into her arms. “Let me answer your questions.”

“Why him?”

Mama laughs, grinning up at him from her place on the couch.

“You reacted like this when you first started rooming together, too. I was worried that I’d be involved in a court case for attempted murder!”

“And you weren’t?”

“No,” Mama answers. “Instead, I get no phone call from you for three weeks, until the day before your holiday break started, and you told me that you were bringing who you used to call ‘the biggest nuisance since fruit flies’ home to Thanksgiving.”

“Why did I...why did I bring him?”

“I didn’t get that answered until he fell asleep,” she says. “I’m making you some coffee, alright dear?”

“Okay, so long as I get an answer.”

“So impatient,” she mutters as she makes her way to the kitchen, Jim following.

He watches how easily his mom pours the coffee, and remembers in a brief flash that Tony always would bring the fancy, flavored creamer to the holiday events.

“Oh come on,” Tony said. “You have gotten too used to my kindness, and there’s no reason to stop being kind. Besides, remember last year when you nearly cried because I bought creamer from the store? Yeah, not having a repeat of that.”

“And would that be so bad?” he teased Tony, wrapping an arm around his waist, and-

He blinks.

That was...that was definitely a new kind of memory.

“James, are you alright?” His mother is looking at him, and maybe she knows, maybe she doesn’t know that he just remembered something. He’s honestly not sure.

“Uh, yeah. Fine. I’m good.”

Mama looks across the room, smiling.

“He was a timid little thing when he got here. Fixed up the washing machine when it broke, just in time. Nearly wore a suit to dinner, said you didn’t tell him what kind of ‘casual’ we were going for...”

He snorts as he slowly remembers that one.

“What do you mean you didn’t mean a suit?!” Tony had wailed, gripping Rhodey’s shirt. “You said I had to dress nice!”

“I meant literally anything but your Black Sabbath shirt!”

“Why would I have worn my Black Sabbath shirt? Your mom would probably think I was a Satanist!”

They both look at each other for a moment, and Rhodey’s the first one to break and laugh.

“Listen you idiot, it won’t be so bad. We can just ditch the coat, ditch the tie, and you’ll be...okay. A bit nicer than most of us, but hey. That’s what I get for not telling you that suits are weird.”

“Suits are not weird, you’re just uneducated in what is sophisticated,” Tony says, turning his nose up as Rhodey rolls his eyes.

“Oh yeah, sure, because knowing which one is the dessert spoon is going to help me save people abroad. My bad.”

Tony looks back at him, and his heart skips a beat. It does. Really, it does.

It almost feels like someone’s reading back to him what he already knows at this point.

His mom squeezes his hand, smiling.

“You remember at least some of it, don’t you?”

“Well...uh, yeah? I-I do.”

“Does Tony know that you know that you’re...married?”

“No,” Rhodey says. “I know some, but not enough.”

“Give him a chance,” she says. “And get back home, I’m sure he’s missing you.”

Rhodey embraces his mother, and prepares for the drive home.

Being missed is a weird concept to deal with.

He also did not exactly think of that. So he’s currently driving back and checked his phone to seven missed calls from Tony, three from Pepper, and one text from Happy that simply reads “lol ur dead hahaha good luckkkkk”

Well shit.

Tony, understandably is pissed and scared and a tad upset.

Not a tad.

“Where were you?” He says as soon as Rhodey appears back in the kitchen. Tony’s hands wander close, and he almost leans in.

Almost.

“I was visiting my parents,” he responds. “Sorry, forgot to text.”

“Please remember next time, your-well, Tony’s annoying when you leave,” Pepper says.

(Okay Rhodey doesn’t know how they got away with this for so long, it’s really, really obvious that they’ve been covering it up.)

“I will,” Rhodey says. “Did I miss anything?”

“I’ve elected that we’re going to cook tonight,” Tony declares. “I am absolutely sick to death of takeout, and I’m pretty sure that with your lack of knowledge on recipes now, I have you beat in the kitchen.”

“I can still read recipes, you dumbass. Besides, I just remembered your stupid ‘bake’ hack for your stupid casserole dish, so...”

“Out of everything, and that’s the thing you remember today?!”

“Well, I also remembered that apparently you wore a suit to my house for Thanksgiving!”

Tony stops.

“What else you remember from that, or was it just that?”

He doesn’t want to say anything in front of Pepper, doesn’t want to say anything just yet.

“I remember that you were weird about your suit!”

Tony deflates a bit, but still smiles.

God, he looks gorgeous.

Rhodey blinks. Shakes his head out of the thought.

“So. What are we cooking?”

Tony and cooking is a very interesting concept because it shouldn’t work.

He never stops moving, can lose interest quickly, and Rhodey would think that he could burn water.

But he doesn’t. Tony hums along to music, and he tells him all about his favorite songs and why.

It’s not any rock music, any heavy metal.

“I don’t listen to that all the time,” Tony says. “You always think I do!”

“Oh right, because someone who personally has Angus Young’s number just casually isn’t someone who listens to the band all the time, sure,” Rhodey says sarcastically.

Tony grins, and it’s probably the best damned thing he’s seen all day.

His heart zings at the realization that Tony smiling is what makes him smile now, what makes him want to stay and learn so much more about how they came to be, what they’ve done together.

Dinner is fun. Tony tells him all about college and what they used to do, and what Rhodey had done.

Memories are coming back easier.

“You totally emailed the professor really petty responses!” Tony cries, laughing.

“It wasn’t that petty,” Rhodey said, huffing. “He was an asshole anyway, he hated whenever we would come late because we wanted coffee, and your order was too complicated!”

“It wasn’t that complicated!”

“Oh I’m sorry, them having it written down behind the register for when you come in?”

“Oh, like they didn’t have a description of you.”

“Yeah, as your long-suffering companion,” Rhodey teases.

“You’ve always been,” Tony says. “Because you’re the best.”

Rhodey stops stirring the pot for a moment.

“Rhodey? What is it?”

“I...”

Tony stands there, grinning. He’s nervously fidgeting, and it’s his move to say the vows.

“You know, I wasn’t ever sure you’d be up to marrying someone like me,” Tony confesses. “Especially since I almost burned down our dorm room one time.”

“Wasn’t just one time,” Rhodey teases. “But carry on.”

“You loser,” Tony says. “Even now, interrupting my heartfelt moment.”

There’s a ripple of laughter from the small crowd that’s gathered. Rhodey smiles at him, feels tears prick up around his eyes.

“But I knew that I loved you ever since you would always buy my favorite ramen even though you hated it, and you were the one to get the pizza when I was sad. I knew I wanted the chance of seeing you every day, coming home to you at the end of the day. You’re home, Rhodey. You’re it. No one else could ever possibly hold a candle compared to you.”

Rhodey startles, looking at Tony.

“I...I remember. I remember!”

“Remember what?” Tony asks cautiously.

(He can’t be let down. Not again.)

“You smashed cake in my face at our wedding!” Rhodey yells. “And we got married! We got married! Where the fuck is my ring?”

Tony laughs, scooping Rhodey into a hug.

“I can’t believe you remember.”

“Well I was bound to at some point,” Rhodey says. “I can be smart, doofus.”

“Don’t call me ‘doofus’ during an emotional outburst you absolute nimrod!”

“I’ll call my husband whatever I want,” he teases, “although I still wanna know where my ring is.”

“Come with me and get it,” Tony says. “I hid them in my room, just in case.”

It’s all coming back, the steps they take, the way that Tony supports him as he moves slower.

Iron Man, for one. War Machine the next. The dates they went on, the proposal.

The rings are simple. They’re also not wedding rings.

The class rings.

Rhodey remembers getting them, remembers getting his initials and Tony’s on the inside, remembers how Tony made some “adjustments” after they received them.

“You know that you got me,” Tony had told him.

It slides on, and it feels right. Feels like something was missing.

He looks up at Tony, smiling.

“Show me the pictures, Tony.”

Pepper walks in to find Rhodey absolutely terrorizing Tony about the decor choices from the reception.

“So I agreed with red and gold? I had no problem with it?”

“Well, I did do some major convincing, so...”

“What does that mean?!”

"You’ll remember later and be sad,” Pepper says. “Or happy. But please don’t tell me if you remember it.”

“You loved the color scheme,” Tony says. “Because you love me!”

“Now I am doubting,” Rhodey declares. “I loved you enough to have those colors?”

“You lost a bet, Boss,” Friday interjects. “That’s why there were those themes.”

“Friday,” Tony whines. “Why snitch on your creator like this?”

“I am not programmed to have loyalty, Sir.”

Rhodey laughs, taking Tony’s hand in his.

“Well, I guess I’ll still love you. Even if our wedding theme was weird.”

“It wasn’t that weird!”

It takes about another month before all of the memories are all back to normal, and in that time Rhodey learns (and relearns) a couple of things:

1.) The best feeling in the world is waking up to Tony, who sleeps very lightly and also wacked Rhodey in the face a total of ten times. (That’s not a new thing, he remembers.)

2.) He special-orders peppermint-flavored coffee creamer.

3.) Tony was lying when he said that Rhodey’s new favorite movie was The Goonies.

(He mostly forgave him for that one.)

#lovelyirony writes #rhodeytony #ironhusbands #part two!#rhodey has amnesia #tony stark #rhodey #pepper potts #also yes the use of 'jim' in the beginning and then transitioning to rhodey a bit is intentional #sorry if it is a bit confusing but i like how i formatted that one so that's what we're getting with this one #i hope you all like it!

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winterhawk-olympic-bang · 4 years ago

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Emotive Writing

Guest Poster: @thepartyresponsible

Emotive writing is about making people Feel Things. People use this all the time to sell you stuff, but we’re out here giving emotions away for free. Here are a few tips and tricks I’ve found to make people feel the most emotions.

Word choice:

This is the most straightforward part of emotive writing. Your word choices add an extra layer of complexity to your message. You aren’t just telling readers what happened; you’re signaling to them how they should feel. Most writers do this unconsciously, but being deliberate can make it especially effective.

Here’s a non-emotive, just-the-facts sentence: The soldier lifted his weapon and turned toward the enemy.

Here’s the same sentence reworked to make you care a bit more: The exhausted soldier raised his broken shield and faced the invading army.

The actions here are fundamentally the same, but exhausted and broken invoke sympathy while invading skews negative.

The words you choose are sign posts for the reader. They indicate how to interpret the story and help your readers orient themselves and form expectations. Subtly building expectation is important because, while surprise can be effective, shock is generally numbing and confusion tends to be irritating, so word choice helps you frame things and guide your reader along.

One of the keys here is to attempt some subtlety. If every sentence about your protagonist reads like an ad campaign (effervescent, brilliant, impervious) and every sentence about your antagonist reads like a political diatribe (cruel, spineless, malicious), you’re probably overusing your sign posts. People want to know who to root for, but too much emotive language can make them feel manipulated.

Think of word choice like adding spices to food. If you put oats in boiling water, you’re making oatmeal, and the spices you use won’t change that. But if you throw in some honey and cinnamon, I know we’re headed somewhere wholesome. If you sprinkle in little discordant notes of garlic powder and cayenne, what we’re cooking is a tragedy. And if you upend an entire bottle of cinnamon, a quarter cup of nutmeg, and toss in seventeen whole cloves, I am not staying for breakfast.

Narrative distance:

Narrative or psychic distance is the space between the reader and the character, usually navigated by the intermediary figure of the narrator. Your narrator can be an omniscient figure that knows the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of every character in the world. Or your narrator could be sitting on the shoulder of your main character, close enough to hear their thoughts and know their story but not so close that they speak with the character’s voice. Or your narrator could be your character.

If you want to ramp up emotion, you usually want a narrator who is very close to one character (or, alternatively, to separate characters in turn). But you don’t have to stay at one distance for the whole story, and, just like word choice, shifts in narrative distance can be helpful indicators to your reader about the story and the characters.

A sudden, dramatic shift in narrative distance is quite jarring, like a sudden zoom-in during a movie. It can be effective, but it’ll lose its punch if it’s overused. Generally, if you want to shift narrative distance, you should build to it slowly. Here’s an example of shifting from a distant third person to a closer third person:

They wake the Soldier because the archer is missing. He has a habit of slipping his lead, disappearing post-mission. The chase grew tedious years ago, but the Soldier runs it just the same. He’ll do as he’s told. But it bothers him, when he lets it. The why.

Why does he do this? the Soldier wonders, when he shouldn’t, when it isn’t his place. Where is he going? he thinks, when he can’t stop himself. Who is he running to? But he tries to think nothing at all.

Another trick of narrative distance is to suddenly pull back to show a character who’s been compromised, shocked, or deeply hurt by something. Imagine spending a long time in a close Bucky perspective, hearing his thoughts, and then being abruptly walloped across the face with: The machine went quiet, and the Soldier opened his eyes. Zooming out can emphasize what’s been lost. Because you aren’t just taking the soul of Bucky Barnes right out of him, you’re also taking that closeness away from the reader. You’re silencing the voice they’ve been listening to.

Whether you zoom in or out during highly emotional moments depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and also on who’s involved. Some characters have loud, messy emotions that will get louder when they’re hurt. Some characters will freeze over and push a narrator further away. You can use narrative distance to show a character slowly opening up or suddenly slamming a door. But you need the reader to have a solid understanding of the character in order to follow what the shift means, which leads to the next component.

Know your characters:

So, here’s the thing. You gotta Velveteen Rabbit this. Every character is Tinker Bell. If you stop believing, they die.

If you want people to care about these characters, you have to treat them like living, breathing, fully feeling people. They have favorite colors. They have phobias. They have Friday night plans and blisters from new shoes and sesame seeds stuck in their teeth. They have superstitions and secrets. You don’t need to know all of these facts, but you should try to give the impression that someone could know them. The more real your characters are, the more we’re going to care about them.

Since this is fanfiction, you start with a receptive audience. Your readers are fond of these characters. Figure out why. Figure out which parts of the character you can relate to and dig in until you feel like you can understand the parts of them you can’t relate to.

Try to collect things that make you feel close to that character. I always have music playing when I’m writing, so I make playlists for characters and playlists for stories. If I feel like I’m losing a character, I’ll go back to their playlist. But you could also use Pinterest boards, reread favorite fics or comics, rewatch movies or fanvids, or spend an unreasonable amount of time researching bows and tactical knives. Whatever works!

Also, remember, your characters don’t know what story they’re in. They don’t know it’s going to end well (or terribly). Maintain that tension, because that’s where the emotions are. When you watch a good horror movie, you’re not really scared of the monster. You’re scared for the characters, because they don’t know if they’re going to survive.

Emotions come from the characters. That’s why it’s still sad that Tony Stark dies, no matter how many times you watch it happen. Tony Stark was brave and flawed and usually right and often sarcastic, and it hurts to watch him die because that’s a full, unique human we’re losing. We know him well enough to know he’s choosing to sacrifice himself and why he made that choice and who will mourn him.

Know your characters, and let them be messy and weird and wrong and hopeful and cantankerous and unique. Fear is relatable, flaws are relatable, and awkward, ungainly, stubborn progress is relatable. Just remember what it is that makes their progress their progress because, if you can swap Dominic Toretto in for Ted Lasso and have the exact same story, you’ve probably lost your characters.

Plan your emotional trajectory:

Okay, time to get a bit technical. This is for people who like to plan. For those terrifying, godlike writers who just sit down and write, this might not be helpful. For my fellow planners:

There’s a theory (which you can get a general overview about here or, if you’re very into data, right here) that there are six core emotional trajectories in narratives:

1) Rags to riches (rise)

2) Riches to rags (fall)

3) Man in a hole (fall then rise)

4) Icarus (rise then fall)

5) Cinderella (rise then fall then rise)

6) Oedipus (fall then rise then fall)

Since rise and fall can mean different things, I find it helpful to combine these building blocks with emotional axes, which you can find some examples of here.

So, basically, for my winterhawk baseball au Got a Heart in Me, I Swear, I planned to follow the “man in a hole” trajectory (fall then rise) along the anxiety-confidence emotional axis with some bleedover from the humiliation-pride axis. Which basically means Clint started comfortable enough, nosedived deep into anxiety and humiliation, and then slowly built his way to confidence over the rest of the fic.

If the listed axes don’t appeal to you, you can very easily create your own. Just think of an emotion, identify what links it to its inverse, and then list the related emotions between the two opposites. Disgust and adoration are opposites, but they’re linked by attention, right? You can’t ignore something you find disgusting or adorable. So, here’s an example emotional axis you could follow: Disgust – Resentment – Obsession – Fascination – Reverence – Adoration. Enemies to lovers, anyone?

Emotional axes help provide a natural framework for your character’s emotional trajectory. They can be subtle; you don’t have to start on one end of the spectrum and go all the way to the other. A story that moves just a step or two on an emotional axis can be incredibly compelling. That small progress from discomfort to hope can hit really hard if the progress feels fought-for and earned and real.

Tips for writing emotions:

· Get physical: If you want to show an emotion instead of telling it, describe its impacts on the body. Most characters won’t think I’m embarrassed. They’ll feel a drop in their stomach like someone cut the elevator cables and a hot stinging in their face like they’ve been slapped by some disappointed version of themselves. The more visceral your descriptions, the more the reader will feel them. If you want your reader to feast on feelings, you have to set the table.

· Dramatic zoom: When something very intense happens, shift the narrative distance. In or out is fine, but a sudden, dramatic event should result in a sudden, dramatic change in focus. Characters might hyperfocus on their physical bodies (the mechanics of breathing, the ringing in their ears, the mad animal urge toward flight) or they might be kicked so far out of their own heads that they feel like they’re dreaming or watching the scene play out from overhead. This distance is useful for two reasons: it feels real, and it allows readers to absorb the situation in pieces, without being overwhelmed by it.

· Unreliable narrator: Some emotions can be so charged that people don’t want to own them, like grief, shame, jealousy, rage, lust, and guilt. Characters might unconsciously misrepresent these to themselves as something else. A grieving mother might insist she’s tired. A rehabilitated assassin who’s fallen in love with an absolute dork might tell himself he’s just tracking a target. Everyone knows what it’s like to lie to themselves, so this makes characters relatable. And, also, everyone likes being in on a secret, so, sometimes, this is just fun.

· Face the monsters: We’re often conditioned not to dwell on unpleasant things, which is part of why it can be powerful to examine them in stories. From small things like inglorious emotional states (envy, cowardice, resentment) to character flaws (recklessness, withdrawal, arrogance) to personal tragedies (loss, betrayal, abandonment), the negative parts of human emotional life pack quite a punch. Acknowledge them. Not only are they relatable experiences, but redemption and recovery arcs are some of the most compelling stories we have.

#whob #winterhawk #winterhawk olympic bang #writer workshops #writer workshop: emotions #guest post #thepartyresponsible

26 notes · View notes

eleanorbloom · 4 years ago

Note

Sienna convinces Aurora to go on a date with a dreamy pediatrician. Aurora is not sure about it but she can't think of a good reason not to go. She asks MC to help her pick an outfit. One thing leads to another and MC realizes that she has feelings for Aurora. I'm not sure if you are okay with that idea

Until I Met You

Disclaimer: The characters of this story, except Rosalía, belong to Pixelberry.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Aurora Emery x f! MC (Rosalía Muñoz)

Warnings: Slight angst and some cussing words Rated: T

Word Count: 5.1k

Prompts: @choicesficwriterscreations Silly Love Stories Day 1: Friends to Lovers.

Author’s Note: Hello! I'd been wanting to write an Aurora fic for months, but I never really made the time for it, until now. Thank you anon for this amazing idea!! I enjoyed so much writing it and I must confess I squealed more times than I thought I would. Now I love Aurora even more!

I have another fic in the making, but it'll probably see the light in a few weeks, however I'll definitely keep writing about this precious softie 🥺❤️

If you have any more ideas to write about Aurora please let me know!

I hope you enjoy this and happy February for those who love this month 😊

Taglist: @romereadingshop @mercury84choices @starrystarrytrouble @curiousconch @penda-bear @queenelianar @openheartfanfics

__________________

No one could stop talking about him since day one. He was dreamy: kind, smart, attractive, incredibly sweet, and as if none of the above were enough, he was doing his residency in pediatrics. Almost every person that felt attracted to him would swoon every time they had to interact with him.

The gang used to tease Bryce that James Woods was his most strong contender in Edenbrook Hospital. The surgical resident would snort right away and say it was impossible that the personification of Prince Charming could compare to him when he was the whole damn Disney package with a triple dose of hotness.

Rosalía didn’t give a damn about him, honestly. It wasn’t her type, and that was surprising considering she had had a little crush (and a fling) on Rafael in the past. She was one of the few that wouldn’t sigh every time she had a glimpse of him. Aurora was among that selected group.

That's why it was extremely strange when Rosalía found her talking to James at the cafeteria one morning. It didn't look like it was a work-related thing, a consultation or anything, it was more personal, as Aurora couldn't stop smiling at whatever James was saying.

Something itched inside her, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. Maybe it was her protective instinct because she didn't want to see her get hurt? Or it was just jealousy because she was making new friends? Both options were completely irrational and overreacting, so she tried to shake the feeling off by buying the damn coffee and keeping with her morning as usual.

Later that week, Rosalia approached the boot at Donahue's where her friends had gathered after work and found Sienna and Aurora in an apparent little discussion.

“But why not?” Sienna asked in her usual cheery convincing tone.

“I don’t know, Si, it’s just I’m not sure if something good can come out of this.”

“What if it does? You'll never know if you don't try!"

“It’s just… I haven’t gone on a date for… years," Aurora confessed, looking down at her jar of beer. "After most of the people only wanted to date me for my Aunt, and people outside Med School simply didn’t click with me, I just stopped.”

“This is your chance! You don’t think he’s inviting you for you Aunt, right?”

“No, I don’t think so, he had never mentioned her.”

“What are you girls up to?” Rosalia asked, after witnessing the exchange in silence, knowing perfectly well what was that about.

“Rosie! Please, I need some back up here.”

“What’s the deal?”

“Woods from Pediatrics invited Aurora out,” Sienna said, leaning towards Rosie in an almost confidential tone. More like a gossipy one.

“Woods… James Woods?”

“Yeah, she invited her to try this new Chinese restaurant in Bay Village.”

That strange and uncomfortable itch resurged again. But why? It was just a date. A friend going on a date.

"How did this happen? I didn't know you were close to him,” she lied, feigning she hadn't seen Aurora a few days ago in the cafeteria with him.

“We are. I mean, not close close,” she rectified, with an almost unnoticeable shake in her voice. “We just chat sometimes, usually at the cafeteria, and every time we bump into each other at the hospital he just… talks to me, so today when he saw me he made this invitation.”

"Aurora, he totally likes you! Come on, say yes!" Sienna squealed, hitting the table repeatedly with her hand in excitement.

“When is it?”

“This Friday. "

“You should totally go, Aurora, " Rosalía said finally, but the words tasted like metal, "he seems fine, I mean, everyone is always talking wonders about him, you should feel pretty lucky he has his eyes on you. ”

“Well, I guess so,” she mumbled timidly, her cheeks profusely blushing at the implication.

"Come on, text him before you have second thoughts!" Sienna ordered, sliding Aurora's phone in front of her.

The resident in front of her simply chuckled and took her phone to type her response.

The following days were inexplicably difficult for Rosalía, between remembering the date and hearing Sienna talking about it, asking if James had done more advancement. And Rosalia couldn’t understand why it bothered her so much.

That Friday evening, Rosalía was having some rest after a strenuous shift, when a knock on the door startled.

“Rosie? Are you awake?”

"Yeah," she responded as she got up from the bed to open the door, and found Aurora on the other side with a blue dress on and a fuchsia blouse in her hand.

“I can’t decide what to wear, would you… help me, please?”

She felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

“Sure.”

Rosalía followed her to her bedroom down the hall, and once there, Aurora modeled the blue dress she had on, "I like this, but it's not too comfy, and I feel like it's too formal for a date."

"I agree, it's cute but totally not for Chinese dinner," Rosalía conceded, sitting on the bed, where there were a couple more clothes scattered over the mattress.

Then Aurora approached the bed and took the dress off without worrying she was sitting a few inches from her. It was actually no big deal, they probably had seen each other in underwear at least a hundred times since they started their residency, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at her, at the beautiful white laced underwear she had on, at the curves on her hips and her toned thighs. It was for a brief second, but it was enough. Just that single second made her mouth dry. She wasn't seeing her friend in that white lace underwear, she was seeing…

“How’s this?”

Rosalía looked up at her and observed her new outfit, a pair of white pants and an elegant but chic fuchsia blouse.

She was left speechless for five fine seconds.

“I think it’s too flashy, don’t you think?” she asked, with a bit of self-consciousness in her posture and gestures.

“You look beautiful, Aurora, ” she breathed, completely intoxicated with the view. She didn’t even realize what she said. The words simply went out of her mouth.

“You think so?” Aurora questioned, looking at the mirror and then giving a twirl to see how she looked from behind.

A part of her wanted to say that actually no, she didn’t look that good, because that part of her didn’t want that James Wood could see her this beautiful. But the other part wanted to tell the truth and not be selfish. She deserved to know how astonishing she looked.

Not completely aware of what she was doing, Rosalía got up from the bed and sauntered towards her and stood mere inches behind her, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was so stunning, she had to fight with all her might to not rest her chin over Aurora's shoulder and wrap her arms around her waist. The only thing she had on her mind was the desire to feel the silkiness of her hair in her cheek, smell the floral notes of her perfume mixed with the warmth of her body, and just feel her body against hers, as simple as it sounded.

Curious about her sudden silence, Aurora turned to her to reiterate her question, but a pair of amber eyes stopped her in her tracks, as they instantly started diving deeply into her chocolate ones, without receding.

For a brief second, Aurora's gaze wandered down, right where it was her mouth, and where her lips parted as a reflex. Rosalía gulped, unable to move, to make a single move. Something inside her was pushing her towards the taller woman, but the confusion for not knowing what was happening was stronger. She stood still in place.

“This is it," Rosalía whispered, her eyes roaming her lips for a millisecond. She had to say something before she could do something she'd regret later. "It’s not flashy, it’s… perfect. It matches amazingly with your skin and your eyes look shinier."

“Thank you," Aurora murmured, not parting her eyes from Rosalia’s, until finally the latter stepped back, feeling her legs wobbling at the feeling of Aurora standing so close to her.

“What time do you meet?” Rosalía asked after clearing her throat.

“He’ll come in twenty, I’ll do my makeup now. ”

“Great.”

“Thanks again, Rosie.”

“Anytime. Good luck tonight.”

Aurora smiled at her before she came back to her room, her chest pounding fast, her mind numb, her hands shaking. What was that? What was she feeling? She couldn't understand it because she’d never felt this for… for a girl before. But how? How could this happen?

She tried to have a logical explanation to what was feeling, that maybe she was experimenting with an aspect of friendship that she had never lived before, or maybe she was just confusing this with another feeling that was not love.

But the more she tried to pull from the truth, the clearer it became.

This wasn't new, it's just now that she was able to put a name on it. Since the beginning, she'd felt some kind of attraction for her. When Aurora was harsh and ignored her, something pushed her towards her to try to get to know her, to be liked by her. She thought it was just a trait of her personality because she hated that someone didn't like her, at least not without motives, but now Rosalía was realizing it was more than that.

She was always trying to impress her, however she could, because she was brilliant. Every time she had the chance, she wanted to spend time with her, no matter what that could involve, whether it was walking four blocks to have a coffee or lunch, or just getting up earlier than usual so she could go to work in Aurora's car. The excuse she always gave to herself was that it was always good to start the day early, but actually, she just wanted to have alone time with her, just see her first thing in the morning without people around, without the busy routine.

Then that’s what it was? Love? Or was it just infatuation? Maybe nothing of the sort. Maybe she was just confused.

Rosalía couldn't sleep that night. The idea of Aurora having dinner with James, laughing, smiling, and seeing something interesting in him that made her accept a second date, and then maybe have something with him, was too much, even if she was in kind of denial with the whole situation. She didn't want to accept she had feelings for her friend, but at the same time, she hated the idea of her having dinner with James.

She tried to relax by reading a book, but the words before her were like Russian, she didn’t understand a bit.

Hours later, another knock interrupted her internal fight.

“Rosie, can I come in?”

It was Aurora.

“Yes, come in.”

Aurora opened the door and entered with her purse and jacket in one hand, and a white paper bag in the other.

“Hey,”

“Hey, how was your date?”

“It was… Good. He’s cute,” she replied as she walked toward her bed and handed her the paper bag, “I brought you this.”

Rosialía took the bag in her hands, surprised. As she opened it, she found half a dozen spring rolls with soja sauce on a small plastic recipient inside.

“I know you like them.”

Her mind numbed again. Her core felt that buzzing and warm sensation that was pushing her to kiss her, but she was fighting it again.

Why she was being so damn cute?

Yeah, she really liked her. There wasn’t another explanation for this.

“You didn’t need to…”

“It’s a thank you gift for your help today.”

Rosalia smiled sadly at her. The nice gesture had quickly turned into a bittersweet one. It was a thank you for helping her with something she didn't want her to do.

What was she supposed to do? She probably didn’t feel the same. She had a date with someone. Hell, maybe she didn’t even like girls. Well, she herself didn’t know she liked girls until it happened, but there’s no way Aurora would be in the same situation. She’ll just have to learn to live with it. Probably with time she’d stop feeling things for her.

"Wanna join me for a bit while I try this?" Rosalía proposed as Aurora kept standing in front of her.

“Sure, why not?“ Aurora beamed at the invitation and sat in the space Rosalía made in her bed beside her, before taking a bite of a spring roll.

“Yuummm, this is amazing, Aurora! One of the best I’ve had.”

“Yeah, the food is pretty great, actually.”

“And the company? I want details!”

If Rosalía wanted to move on, the first thing she had to do was acting normal, like a friend, as if nothing was happening inside her heart. Also, probably she’d have to get used to the idea of Aurora dating James.

“It was great, we talked about a lot of things. James is a dog lover, likes to go hiking, and tries to go to concerts as much as he can, he's really interesting.”

“Oh, dog lover, that’s all we needed! Her fans will faint when they find out!”

Aurora chuckled, “Yeah, I think they might.”

“And he likes hiking, eh? Just like you.”

"Yeah, actually we agreed to go hiking sometime."

“Oooooh, you already planned a second date!” Rosalía hated herself, as she felt her excitement was excessive and maybe overacted.

Aurora blushed, “No! I mean, we didn’t set a date to do it, but...”

“Well, if the night went that well, he definitely is going to ask you out again," she assured, as she felt a pang on her stomach at the last words. She didn’t know how she managed to tease and smile at Aurora while she was dying of jealousy and pain inside.

Rosalía was confident that she could deal with the situation just like that night. That she could pretend everything was fine, show interest in her date, and tease her about it, but she was wrong. Completely wrong.

Ever since she found out she liked Aurora, the days turned into nightmares. Seeing Aurora under a different light, a light of love, complicated everything. She would feel nervous around her, to the point of making her blush sometimes, and frequently she would avoid group chattings to not risk the possibility of having to hear the gang teasing Aurora with James. All those feelings forced her to start spending less and less time with her friend, and the rest of the group as well.

Aurora noticed the change, of course. They were extremely close and above all, she was smart. She noticed Rosalía wasn't joining her early in the morning to go to work together, to which she would respond that she overslept or that she was too tired and preferred sleeping half an hour more. At the question of why she wasn't joining her at lunch, she would argue she had a lot of paperwork to do with the Diagnostics Team. She had a handful of excuses for her sudden change of behavior.

One afternoon she was leaving for her night shift when she found a couple in sportswear outside the building, kissing. When the man leaned his forehead against the woman's, Rosalía realized, to her misfortune, that the couple was no other than Aurora and James.

“This was great, we definitely should do it some other time," he muttered, gently pulling away from her, "maybe Lola can join us if you like. ”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” Aurora replied, smiling shyly.

Rosalía stood motionless at the portal. She was ready for anything except that. Well, no, she wasn't ready for anything that involved Aurora and James actually.

“Rosie!” Aurora exclaimed, embarrassment on her features, as she realized she was looking at them.

“H-Hey! Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nonsense. Come on!” she reprimanded, gesturing her to approach them with her hand, “let me introduce you to James. I can’t believe I haven’t had the chance in all these weeks! James, she’s Rosie, Rosalía Muñoz.”

Rosalía sauntered down the stairs, her legs feeling like two heavy pillars of concrete crashing against the staircase, “Hi James, nice to meet you,” she said, her throat constricted.

“Rosie, nice to meet you too! Em has said amazing things about you!”

Em? He already had a nickname for her? A pet name?

“She has?”

“Oh yeah, every time she does it she leaves me with the feeling I want to be your friend too, so I hope this is just the first step to that.”

Fuck. She couldn’t even hate him, he was too nice.

"I've heard plenty of good things about you too, James," she responded, forcing a smile and fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Well, I'm not gonna keep interrupting you, besides I'm on my way to work, so, see you later!" she said, waving her hand as she started walking toward the T-station.

She hadn’t had a train ride that shitty in months. Maybe when she found out Teresa Martinez had died, or maybe when she was suspended from her duties after the Preliminary Hearing about Teresa's death. Either way, it was horrific between trying to fight the tears back and forcing herself to think about anything else but that stupid kiss and the way she was smiling at him. But in the end, the tears were stronger.

The image in her head was too much. Things were getting better than she thought. If they were kissing, it meant that Aurora really liked him; she really was interested in pursuing a relationship with him, and that meant there was absolutely no chance for her. Well, who she was trying to kid, she never had a chance, but it's inevitable to build ideas and prospects in the head. Daydream about it. Clearly, she couldn't do it anymore.

The following days just got worse. She kept finding them everywhere, and one day James even joined them at Donahue's. She considered asking a round of tequila to shut her mind down with alcohol, but then she rejected the idea as she feared she would make a scene drunk. Rosalía didn't want her to know by any means, so instead, she waited fifteen minutes, and then she made up an excuse and went home, alone.

Even if she tried to be subtle, soon her friends started to notice she was distant. Sienna asked her if she was okay, if something had happened with Aurora because she had shown her some concerns about it. She alleged again it was just work. No one kept insisting on the topic.

It was the morning of her free day. All of her friends were at work so she sauntered relaxed toward the kitchen to have breakfast, happy with the palpable solitude.

A few minutes after she sat up to eat her pancakes, Aurora appeared in the hall to make her own breakfast, “Hey Rosie.”

Her name in her mouth made her shiver. She raised her head, startled, her cheeks flushing instantly, "Good morning," she said and kept eating her breakfast in silence as if she wasn't completely crushed that she was there at that moment.

Aurora served a mug of coffee and made a bowl of fruits, oatmeal, and yogurt and then sat across Rosalía, who had her nose practically buried in her pancakes, unable to look at her. "How much time are you gonna be ignoring me?" she asked after staring at her for a few seconds.

Rosalía’s eyes widened but didn’t look up at her, “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Rosie. You’re better than that. Are you gonna tell me what has you so… frustrated or distant with me?”

“You’re imagining things.”

The woman sighed with a stern expression on her face, "Rosalía, you've spent the last month ignoring me. We're friends, I know something is bothering you."

A month. Just a month. It felt like an eternity. How much time will it take her to extract Aurora out of her mind? Of her heart?

“Nothing to worry about, it will pass soon,” she said, still looking at her plate.

“Is this for the Benitez case?”

Completely confused with the question, Rosalía raised her head and a pair of worried chocolate eyes met hers, “Benitez case? What Benitez case?”

“The Lyme syndrome case Dr. Banerji made us compete to assist a conference in New York.”

Rosalía tried to remember that case until she found the image of Naveen talking to a group of second-year residents about this competition. Between what was happening with Aurora and the work on the Diagnostic Team, she didn't have the time to fight for it, which was unusual. In better times, Aurora and Jackie would've spent the entire day running to find a solution and throwing dirty looks at each other every time they were in their sights.

“Oh, that. No, no, you deserved it, it’s completely fine.”

“Then what is your problem? Are you really not gonna tell me?”

Rosalía sighed.

Aurora wasn't this pushy. Maybe she was truly concerned, and she couldn't blame her. She had been extremely strange the past months, to the point of making Aurora ask her other friends to find out what was happening, but Rosalía kept telling her everything was fine.

Her heart started racing fast, her cheeks flushed. She couldn't do it. She could not tell her. She prohibited herself to do it.

“I can’t tell you,” she whispered before standing up from her chair and sprint towards her room, but she couldn’t go very far, as Aurora stopped her just a few feet from the table.

“Rosie, please tell me what’s happening,” she said in a soft voice. Rosalia melted. Her eyes fluttered shut at the mention of her name in her mouth, once again. “I’m worried about you.”

"I…" she closed her eyes. She shouldn't, but all her body was begging for her to tell Aurora the truth. She tried to look for another excuse but stopped instantly and resolutely. She didn't deserve to be lied to that way.

Maybe she will understand, she thought. She’s an adult, maybe it will be awkward at first, but they would eventually move on, and maybe that was the best, to tell her than keep ignoring her and hiding this from her.

Rosalía opened her eyes again, and Aurora was staring at her, waiting.

“Aurora I….” she sighed, her breath was shaking. “I like you. More than a friend.”

Aurora’s eyes widened in shock for a brief second until she forced herself to school her features, probably to not break her heart more than already was, “But Rosie you…”

“Yes, I’ve always liked guys, until I liked you,” she confessed.

Aurora remained silent for a moment, “I’m sorry I… I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. You wanted to know why I was like this with you, there you have. But don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I just hope things don’t get weird between us,” she said before running away, successfully this time, from the kitchen. Once she reached her cove, she slammed the door shut and locked herself for the day.

Rosalía didn't see Aurora again until the next day at the hospital. They said hi awkwardly to one another and then kept with their routines more or less normally. By the end of the day, nervousness invaded her as she realized she'd have to see her for dinner, but lucky for her, Aurora wasn't at home when dinner was ready, so everyone assumed she had a last-minute date with James. Despite feeling internally relieved that she wouldn't face her again that night, the idea of Aurora with James kept itching just as the day of their first date.

She had finally managed to fall asleep when a knock on her door woke her up. Sleepy, she walked to open the door, only to find Aurora in the dark hall.

“Can we talk?” she said, a hand curling around her middle finger.

She looked so nervous and kind of worried, that didn’t give Rosalía a chance to get nervous too for being in front of her after what had happened, “Sure, come in.”

As she turned the lights of her bedroom on, she realized Aurora was blushing and her posture was noticeably stiff, “Aurora, are you okay? Something happened?” she asked, gently stroking her arms, inspecting her carefully.

Aurora’s body trembled at her touch so she parted her hands instantaneously, “I’m sorry…” she muttered, taking a step away.

“No,” she mumbled, grabbing her by the wrist, and gently pulling her to her body.

Now it was Rosalía’s turn to shudder, the coldness of her skin against hers causing tingles in every inch of her body.

She looked up at her, seeking for any clue that could indicate what was she doing there, if was something was happening to her, but there was nothing more than a pair of chocolate eyes staring at her in a way she'd never seen before, and even if she couldn't tell what it was, it made her stomach flutter.

It was soft but at times it was interrupted by furrowings that denoted fear and maybe some desperation, as if for moments something inside her was pushing her to do something she wasn't ready to do, and then would find the strength, to finally waver again.

Hoping she wasn't reading all the situation wrong, Rosalía tempted fate by getting closer to Aurora until their bodies were now mere inches away from the other, the coolness of one body mixing with the warmth of the other.

At the advancement, Aurora looked at her as if something snapped inside her, all fears and doubts gone, just determination. Determination and… tenderness.

Rosalía felt her breath get caught in her throat as Aurora released her wrist to cup both hands on her cheeks, stroking her so gently, as though she was scared of breaking her. It was dazzling the way Aurora was looking at her, with unrestrained sweetness and warmth. All seemed too good to be true. Most of all, because it was in a way she had been wanting for weeks, and maybe, unknowingly, for months.

It didn’t take her long to mirror her, eyes sparkling at the sight of that precious creature of the universe so close to her, her chocolate eyes exposed to discover the hues and stripes drawn in her irises, her hot breath caressing her lips.

Then, as if something was pulling them, both rested their eyes on their lips and started to shorten the distance.

And for the first time, Rosalía didn’t resist. She let herself go and obeyed the most honest desire of her heart.

Kissing Aurora for the first time felt like floating.

No, it was it was even more mighty than flying. It was freeing and lulling, healing and exciting, and more than that, awakening.

The simple act of kissing her had awakened feelings and desires that she didn't know her heart could harbor. Pure and intense, sincere and encouraging.

Driven by all these sentiments, Rosalía wrapped her arms around her neck as both parted their lips to explore more of one another, and that was the beginning of an addiction that would've lasted hours if it wasn't because they had to catch some breath.

They stared at each other in silence until it was inevitably to giggle as if both were incredulous of what had just happened.

“Rosie I…” she shook her head, blinded by the beautiful smile Rosalía was giving her, “Damn, I like you too. So much. I’ve liked you for a long time.”

Rosalía opened her eyes wide, completely off-guarded by her confession, “You what? Are you serious?”

Aurora closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, she looked at her amusingly, "I've liked you for, I don't know, several months now, since we started speaking in civil terms to one another. At that time I told you I was mean to you because I didn't want to trust anybody, and you were a threat to my career, but after a while, I realized part of why I tried to hate you so much was because I liked you."

Rosalía chuckled, blown away by how alike their stories were.

"It was hard for me to acknowledge that because I had never… I had never felt that for a girl. But I tried to ignore it, thinking you probably would never feel the same. Then I met James and I thought it was a sign, that maybe he would help me be over you… and I really liked him, you know? He's nice, he's treated me like anyone did before... but then you told me you liked me and… I couldn't believe it, that's why I reacted that way yesterday. I couldn't believe you felt that for me too. I swear I could've never imagined you were.... jealous. Not for a single moment, I linked your behavior to James and me."

Both shared a sad smile until Rosalía broke the silence, "First, I also thought I hadn't had a chance with you because you had only liked men, and second… If it wasn't for James, I don't know when I'd realized I liked you, but the idea of you dating somebody just… ignited something inside me, and the night of your date I finally could tell what it was."

“Oh my god, Rosie,” she laughed, also blown away by her story.

“What about James?”

“I spoke with him. I told him it wouldn’t work out between us because there was someone else.”

“Oh. So that means I have you all by myself now?”

Aurora gave her a mischievous smile as she tucked a strand of her wavy brown hair behind her ear, “Well, if that’s what you want."

Before that moment, Rosalía thought it would be hard for her to respond to that question, as it was something she had never experienced. Being with a girl. But now that she was in the situation, the answer became so easy because what was happening wasn’t anything unknown or terrifying. It was love, and love was simple. Simple and encouraging, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Rosalía leaned to kiss her deeply before sweetly whispering:

“It is.”

#aurora emery #aurora x mc #aurora emery x mc #open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #choices #oh choices #playchoices #pixelberry #oh fanfic #oph #oph choices

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luxekook · 5 years ago

Text

in too deep ☼ knj

☼ dedication: this fic is a bday present for the loml tay aka tay bay bay aka @interludemoonchild!!!! luv u long time <33 (sorry this isn’t about hobi skksksks)

☼ pairing: marine biologist namjoon x assistant reader

☼ genre: idiots to lovers, fluff, angst, crack

☼ summary: you had always grown up being told tales of terrible jobs with tyrannical bosses. but now, you’re left to wonder why you hadn’t heard more tragic stories of all-too-wonderful jobs with all-too-beautiful bosses... did falling for your boss only lead to heartbreak and a two weeks’ notice? or could it yield the possibility of romance?

☼ word count: 3.1k

☼ warnings: pg15, cursing, chaotic energy, pining, miscommunication, mentions of quitting, lots of sea nerd stuff, namjoon is smart af but an idiot in love, the reader isn’t any better, crabby bois, arguments, completely cheesy fluff, short make out sesh, mention of sex

☼ banner creator: heathy bby @shadowsremedy

☼ beta reader: the amazing and astoundingly talented phia @meowxyoong

“Kim Namjoon!” You cry, swatting the blue-clawed crab away from your feet with a broom, “What did I tell you about bringing your goddamn crustaceans into the office?”

The man in question hustles out of his office looking disheveled, “You’ve seen Carl?” He sinks right down to his hands and knees to peer under your desk. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, little buddy!”

You stare disappointedly as your boss picks up ‘Carl’ from his hiding place and cradles him to his chest. “Namjoon,” You sigh exasperatedly, folding your arms.

He looks up at you and blushes, “Sorry, Star. I just feel so bad leaving them downstairs at the lab. It’s so lonely and dark down there.”

While your stomach flips at the mention of his nickname for you, your eyebrows furrow in confusion, “Well, why don’t you just stay down there with them?”

“Because you’re up here…” He mumbles something incoherent.

“What?” You lean forwards, your ears straining to catch the garbled syllables.

Namjoon clears his throat, looking everywhere but at you, “Because it’s nicer up here.”

“Don’t tell your investors that,” You laugh, thinking of all the fancy and shiny equipment housed in the aquatics lab a few floors below. Working for a top-tier marine biologist sure had its perks - namely the state of the art kitchen with a full espresso bar.

“Star, I would never!” He looks affronted by the mere mention of such a thing. “Now, apologize to Carl for scaring him.”

You scoff, but just one glance into Namjoon’s sparkling brown eyes makes you crumble instantly. “Fine,” You begrudgingly shoot the crab a look, “Sorry, Carl.”

“See, Carl?” Namjoon croons, “She’s sorry!” As he turns back to you, you can immediately tell he is about to launch into Marine Biologist Mode™.

“Carl is a blue crab - a Callinectes sapidus, to be precise. That scientific name literally means ‘savory beautiful swimmer’.”

“Savory, huh?” You quip, relishing in the scandalized look Namjoon shoots you.

“Don’t listen to her, Carl,” He whispers, stroking a finger gently down the crab’s shell. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes… He’s named for his pretty sapphire-tinted claws, and he’s one of the most harvested species of his kind. So, don’t even think about it.”

You burst out laughing as he eyes you, “Okay, Joon, I’ll leave my pot of boiling water at home.”

Namjoon splutters out a choked laugh, looking at you like you are the most exasperating thing he’s ever come across. And, you probably are.

When you came to work for the distinguished marine biologist four months ago, you found him literally buried beneath piles of research papers, files, and National Geographic magazines. Apparently, he had tripped into his filing cabinet and everything had fallen off of the shelves onto him. The man had been a right mess. It was no wonder he had put an ad out in search of an assistant.

In your new role, you slowly but surely introduced some structure and organization into Namjoon’s life as best you could. The first thing you did was update his office. The man still had an honest to god lava lamp on his desk. You were still baffled at how he had managed not to break the fixture before your arrival.

Swiftly following the disposal of the cursed lava lamp, you ordered new file cabinets - and had them nailed to the wall. Virtually, you did even more. You restructured his online platforms and updated his schedule to include more than just scattered notes like “Meeting at 10AM, i think? Or was it 10PM?”

To his credit, Namjoon adhered to most of your suggestions and changes, but apparently he still refused to grasp the ‘no creatures in the office’ rule.

Overall, Namjoon was a great boss - kind, understanding, sweet, and a tad eccentric. His love for all things sea-related shone through the gentle way he handled his specimens, the passionate tone of voice he used while speaking on any related topic, and the stars in his eyes at the mere mention of discovering a new species.

It had been all too easy to become infatuated with him. Especially when he called you “Star” and left you to interpret the meaning on your own.

You remember the exact moment that you fell in love with him so vividly. It had been last month, just three months into working for him. Namjoon had been going off about fucking sand of all things.

“…Sand speaks of history, of science, of travels. Each grain of sand holds thousands upon thousands of years of movement, of erosion. For example, the beach outside of this building is tan because of the iron oxide tinting the quartz and the feldspar to a light brown color. But, there are other beaches that are black, white and even pink in color! It’s fascinating! And to quote the goddess of marine biology Rachel Carson: "In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the Earth…”

Yeah, you are head over heels for your boss. And that’s why you needed to quit.

The end of the workday arrives too quickly - a common theme it seems when you love what you do and who you work for. Namjoon walks beside you down to the parking lot. You sneak a glance at his face and note that he seems deep in thought.

Your mind slips to the image of you and Namjoon going home together to a shared house overrun with fish tanks and models of sharks. It’s all too easy to picture, and all too painful to acknowledge the impossibility.

“Star,” Namjoon’s voice jolts you from your fantasy. You blink up at him, realizing you’re both stopped beside your adjacent cars. Namjoon smiles at you, “I’ll see you tomorrow? It’ll be Friday, finally...”

It seems like he wants to say more but stops himself for some reason. You pause, waiting for him to continue, but he just blushes and brings a hand to the back of his neck bashfully.

“Yeah, Friday,” Your tone is less enthusiastic. You planned to hand in your two weeks’ notice tomorrow. It’s a complete strategy on your part so that you can have the whole weekend to cry and shove at least one gallon of ice cream down your throat.

You wave goodbye to each other and enter your respective cars. You watch Namjoon pull out of the parking lot before you and pause to rest your forehead on your steering wheel. You were so screwed.

Twenty-four exhausting hours later, you find yourself with your fist poised over Namjoon’s wooden office door. Are you actually doing this? Are you really going to quit the only job you’d ever loved?

Yes, you are. You love Namjoon too much to stay here surrounded by his charisma and his beauty. You love him too much to try to complicate his workspace, his sacred ground. You love him too much to ask him to blur the lines of colleague and lover.

You need to leave - for his sake and for yours. It isn’t like he still needs you. He has been following your routine with vigor and always keeps his office organized now. Your tasks have been dwindling for weeks.

It’s time to move on. God, even the tension today had been off the charts with you and Namjoon skirting around each other like you were both walking on eggshells. Clearly, he is also feeling like you are in the way.

With that in mind, you straighten your shoulders and finally knock on the door.

Your ears strain for any sign of an answer. Your breath catches in your throat as you try to sustain the meager amount of courage you had mustered up inside you. Twisting open the handle, you push the door open and are immediately met with an empty office. Damn, he must be downstairs.

You chuckle at the sheer idiocy of your panicked state over knocking on an empty office door.

This is perfect anyways. You can hand Namjoon your two weeks’ and then evacuate the building in one sweep. Shutting down your computer and grabbing your things, you trudge out of the room and towards the stairs.

The journey downwards seems akin to walking the plank as you take each step slowly, dreading the inevitable.

Ciara has it all wrong: you do not love it when you One, Two Step.

The entrance to the lab looms overhead. The steel double doors look more like the gateway to hell rather than a nice entrance to a marine facility. You don’t break your stride as you march through the doors. If you had, you might not have kept going.

The familiar light humming of the tank filters meets your ears as you peer around the rows of shelves containing colorful fish and scuttling critters.

“Joon?” You call, the nickname slipping past your lips before you can stop it.

“Back here, Star!” His answer sounds from the very back of the lab. Of course, that’s where the crabs are housed.

You make your way past the tanks of clownfish and the pools of stingrays to where Namjoon sits hunched over the shallow tank containing four green-tinted crabs.

“That’s it, Nala.” Namjoon croons as the smallest of the four crabs swims around the tank, “You show your brothers how fast you are.”

“Talking to your subjects again, boss?” You can’t help but tease the man you've grown to love as he fawns over his work.

Namjoon blushes slightly and nods, pushing his glasses up to rest on the bridge of his nose, “Studies have shown that it helps them develop.”

“I thought that was humans?” You say, shifting your weight back and forth. The letter in your hand seems to burn more each second you hold onto it. You couldn't take it anymore.

As Namjoon opens his mouth to reply, you thrust the letter into his chest and say, “Never mind. This is for you. Please read it later.”

With that, you fast-walk your way back to the entrance of the lab. The sound of the envelope tearing open only forces you faster. Fuck, it had been idiotic of you to assume that he would actually listen to you and open it later. Namjoon is as impatient as they come. Of course he wouldn't wait.

“Star!” His strangled call startles you, “What is this?”

“We can talk about it on Monday!” You reply, somehow already close to tears. Why is this godforsaken lab so big? You pace down the aisles of tanks and breathe a sigh of relief as the exit comes into view.

Then, Namjoon comes barreling around the corner, cutting off your escape. The man looks baffled as he clutches your written resignation in his hands. His chest heaves as he holds the torn pages out towards you, “What. Is. This. Star?”

You bristle. I guess we’re doing this now, you thought. Stiffening your shoulders, you muster all the false bravado you can manage, “It’s my two weeks’ notice, Namjoon. I’m sure a smart guy like you can read.”

“Okay, allow me to rephrase,” Namjoon stalks towards you, tossing the crumpled letter over his shoulder. “Why did you give me this?”

“The letter explains everything,” Your eyes dart around, both in search of a viable escape and in avoidance of his intensity.

“Sure it does,” He scoffs, his eyes blazing with disbelief. “I want to hear it from you.”

Your back hits the cool glass of the tank behind you. You’re trapped between the contrasting temperatures of the water and Namjoon’s body.

“Joon,” Your voice shakes, “You don’t need me anymore. You’ve done everything I've asked of you and then some. You’re organized. You’re on time. You’re put together. I barely have enough tasks now to fill a day, let alone a week. It’s time to move on.”

“Time to move on?” Namjoon echoes before barking out a humorless laugh, “I don’t need you anymore? That’s really what you think, Star?”

“Don’t call me that.” The nickname snufs out any trace of fight left inside you, and you plead, “Just let me go, Joon.”

“Never,” He growls.

“I don’t understand what you’re not getting,” You sigh, exasperated and drained, “You’ve surpassed my expectations and erased the need for my position. I think the saying ‘the student has become the master’ applies here.”

Namjoon gapes at you before he snaps, “You’re the one who’s not getting it! Have you ever considered that the student might just be in love with the teacher?”

Joon rakes a hand through his hair as you become the one to gape open mouthed at the frustrated man.

He continues, “I wake up earlier every damn day because I can’t wait to see you at work. I organize all of my things because I just want to see you smile at me when you notice. I spend an hour each night picking out what to wear the next day because I want to impress you… Don’t you see? Everything I do is for you, is because of you. I want to be the best version of myself for you.”

Your mind struggles to compute the seemingly impossible notion that the object of your affections returns your love. “Did you,” You gasp out, “Just say that you loved me?”

“Yes, you complete jellyfish! I love you. I am in love with you! And it’s not like it’s not obvious! I call you ‘Star’ because you are my starfish, my sea star. You are the one who keeps the balance to my ecosystem of chaos. You are the key species that keeps everything afloat.”

“And you thought that was obvious?” You yell back at him, “How on earth would I immediately have known the intense analysis behind your nickname for me, Namjoon the science buffoon?” You huff, scrambling to process the amount of information that had just been thrown at you.

He needed you?

He loved you back?

He nicknamed you after a fucking marine invertebrate?!

Namjoon blinks in surprise, “Did you just insult me with a Bill Nye pun?” You don’t deign to give him a response. Namjoon chuckles before grinning sheepishly, “Okay, fine. You make a good point.”

“I know I do,” You pout. “You can’t just spring this on me, Joon. Why haven't you told me this before?”

“Because I was nervous that you would leave me, that you wouldn't return my feelings. Obviously, the first point is moot. What about the second?”

“You’re asking if I love you back?” Your body sags against the tank behind you, “How could I not, you crab-loving, walking mess of a—”

Namjoon captures your mouth with his, kissing you with fervor. His hands wind their way up to cradle your face between them like you are the most precious thing to him.

Pulling back slightly, Namjoon rasps out, “So, you’ll stay?”

“Hm, I don’t know,” You crack a wry smile, “What’s in it for me?”

“Well, let me show you,” Namjoon replies before whipping his shirt off. You gape open mouthed at the expanse of beautiful tan skin in front of you.

Was that a hint of a tattoo swirling over his left shoulder?

He reaches down to tug at the hem of your dress, insinuating he wants it off. A nice concept in theory; however, with one look around at your surroundings, you slap his hand away. “Namjoon! Not in front of the fish!”

“But, Star, these aren’t fish! These are squid, and they are classed as cephalopods—”

You put a hand over his mouth, “Allow me to clarify: I will only fuck in a creature-free zone.”

Namjoon murmurs something beneath your palm. You give him a warning look before removing your hand. He immediately repeats himself, “My office?”

Your eyes narrow, “I know for a fact you have at least three crabs in there.”

Namjoon pauses, looking suspiciously shifty, “There are only seven…”

You wait for it.

“...teen.” He finishes.

“Kim Namjoon!”

Two Years Later

The short walk down the aisle ends too quickly as you find yourself standing in front of a teary-eyed Namjoon. Five of his friends stand behind him in a row, while the sixth stands proudly as the officiant.

They really are out here looking like a whole boy band, you muse. But, you only have eyes for their leader.

Namjoon stands before you, all tall and handsome in his tux; and as Officiant Jin™ begins the ceremony, you can't help but wonder how you got so lucky.

Finally, the ring exchange is introduced dramatically by Seokjin who spouts something about circles and never ending love. “Let us now have the rings brought forward and presented by the ring-bearer!” He booms, raising his arms up like he is summoning a great force.

Ring-bearer? You rake your mind for a prior mention of a ring-bearer… You thought Yoongi as the best man would have the rings.

Suddenly, Namjoon produces a silver whistle from his pocket and blows it once. You stare at your soon-to-be husband like he has sprouted another head.

And then you hear it: the sound of legs and claws scuttling across the floor towards the altar.

“Tell me that is not what I think it is,” You whisper-yell over to Namjoon, who looks way too pleased for your liking.

Your fears and exasperations come true as Namjoon swoops down to pick up Carl who has two shiny rings tied to his shell with a ribbon.

“Oh, Kim Namjoon,” You sigh as you watch him remove the rings from Carl and hand the crab off to a disgruntled Taehyung, “What am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to marry me,” Namjoon grins.

And marry him you did.

a/n: jellyfish have no brains, lolz. idk why making joon call the reader a jellyfish made me crack tf up but IT DID.

#bangtanhq #ficswithluv #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #hyunglinenetwork #kwritersworldnet #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btsnoonanet #hyungsmutsociety #maknaesmutsociety #bangtanscenery #kim namjoon x reader #namjoon x reader #knj x reader #bts #namjoon fanfic #bts fanfic #happy bday tay!!!!!

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