#and now my grandmother is asking if I want to go on a cruise to the UK and france next year too

[animalsandskyyy]

2025 is looking to be my year of european travel

[star-suh]

🎃 Red Riding Hood 🎃

mark lee x male reader

cw: top mark, implied cruising, breeding, reader's first time, reader is dom-ish sometimes, some voyeurism, rimjob, blowjob.

an: this one is not so halloween-ish and i just took the general idea of the tale, thanks to @blehhhidk for the idea of this and other two fics 🥹🫶

—

y/n a pretty boy who always wears a red cap was getting ready to visit his grandma, who was sick. "listen y/n your grandma is sick, so go the pharmacy and buy her some medicaments" says y/n's mom "and go straight to your grandma's house don't you stay out there doing nonsense" she slapped his head carefully. "ok mom" he just rolled his eyes and went to the pharmacy. in his way towards there he make eye contact with one of those 'bad boys' wearing dark clothes and smoking in the corner of a house "goodbye pretty boy" says the strange boy and y/n blushed "goodbye sexy boy" replied y/n without thinking, he felt embarrassed and walked faster meanwhile mark just laughed and decided to walk behind the cute guy. "where you going?" asked mark. "i'm going to my grandma's house. she is sick and need medicaments" replied y/n. "hmm i see… can i go with you? and make you company" asked mark to which y/n responds "sure".

between talk and talk mark discovers that y/n is a virgin and that he wanted to lose his virginity so he downloaded an app for that but it didn't work for him. "i can do you the favor. you only have to ask for it" smirked the guy while grabbing his big bulge, y/n just blushed "shut up i must get to my grandmother's quickly" he says. "where does she lives?" asked mark, "she lives in *******" replied the boy. "i know a shortcut, through the forest" commented mark, "you mean that forest? as in the forest that is near lord seonghwa's castle… that alleged vampire?" he whispered that last part while watching to all directions "yeah let's go" mark grabbed y/n by the hand and they run towards the forest.

they were walking until suddenly they hear moans and grunts, carefully they walked to see what was happening and there we are, two people fucking, one has pink hair and the other brown hair, in the forest, in plain sight. "fuck that's hot" says mark while a tent is forming on his pants and the same happening in y/n's. "i might accept your offer" says y/n to mark who looked at him surprised "let's go" it's the only thing mark said taking y/n with him.

now, in mark's house, more exactly his bed, was he eating y/n out, his tongue exploring y/n's insides while saliva was surrounding y/n's virginal entrance "so fucking good" moaned mark while y/n was biting the sheets holding back his moans. minutes later y/n's hole was already dilated to receive mark's thick piece of meat, but first y/n wanted to suck it and have it in his mouth. "suck it like it's a lollipop" mark says slapping his cock in y/n's mouth. the bottom obeyed and gave his everything to make mark feel good "yes just like that" whispered mark emitting a quiet moan. y/n was loving the burning feeling of mark stretching his virginal ass "i want more of this" begged y/n, "don't worry you would have this and more from now on" grunted mark while leaving his cock without moving it so that y/n would get used to the feeling.

minutes passed and y/n wanted more sex with mark, he's like a insatiable whore now, his cock bouncing while riding mark's "yes yes i love this" said the greedy bottom fucking himself hard on mark's rod "hold on, go… easy. y-you are being such a slut" growled the man feeling so satisfied by y/n's tight hole. now mark grabbed y/n's legs and pushed them back towards his torso and started to thrust hard "i'm gonna pump you full of my kids. until it's slipping down your hole for how full you are. you hear me?" mark asked and y/n just nodded "yes yes fuck me. fill me up" begged the little slut. y/n's was now riding mark with his back facing mark, he started to move his ass gently ass if he was massaging mark's cock "i'm gonna milk you dry markie" smirked the bottom "this cum is all for me" he moves front and back eager to get mark's seed inside him. hours have passed now, mark was impressed by how mich stamina y/n has and how slutty he turned out to be, the bed was wet for all the sweat and the windows were foggy, it looked like a sauna. "i'm gonna cum~" growled the top, he stilled his throbbing cock inside y/n's ass emptying all his balls while y/n did the same spilling his seed on mark's sheets both feel exhausted and they were gonna sleep together until a thought crossed y/n's mind "GRANDMAA!!!" he yelled and went quickly to get dressed and go to his grandma's house, "wait" screamed mark but it was too late y/n was already out of his house….

y/n was scolded by his mom and he promised he would never take another path to go to his grandma's house, but that's a lie... he would always take the forest shortcut to meet with mark and fuck there, returning to his home full of mark's milk that is like an everyday meal for him. "hey! red cap boy wanna ride" asked an smiling mark who was leaning on a tree and y/n just licked his lips "yeah"...

[wardenparker]

In the Still of the Night, ch 9

Zach Wellison x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

Grown up and looking to the future, Zach Wellison and bunkmate Shane Morrissey are working for a new cruise line that offers its guests a vintage Vegas experience on the Mediterranean. The romantic atmosphere is rubbing off on many of the crew members, and Zach finds himself to be no exception when he meets the beautiful lead singer of Shane's band.

But being wrapped in the seductive arms of an atmospheric cruise is a far cry from real life. How will their relationship fare on dry land? They can't know unless they try.

Rating: M for Mature but this blog is always 18+ Word Count: 9.7k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this story include: Cursing, alcohol, food, cooking, eating, discussion of clothing/costumes. Mentions of prison time served, mentions of past homelessness.* Family death, grief, unexpected complications, family secrets, mentions of military service, loss/death, surprises around every corner. Summary: Making a stop at the local food pantry on your way to the soulmate chapel leads to a surprising revelation, and it is only the first of many for this day. Notes: I apologize for the extra delay! It appears my flare up was not done flaring, but I didn't want to make everyone wait a whole extra week for this chapter. Happy reading!

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8

“It will only take a few minutes.” Zach promises. “And it’s on the way.” He feels strange to be arriving to the food bank dressed in the immaculate suit that had once belonged to your grandfather. One of the half-dozen that your grandmother had saved, and he honestly wonders if it had been his wedding suit. It fits so well with the dress you are wearing.

"I don't mind at all." He's taken the lead in driving around over the last few days, and when he pulls into the parking lot of the church that runs the local food bank you're just happy and starry-eyed in the front seat next to him. Your grandmother's dress only needed a few pins to fit perfectly, and Zach is maybe an inch or two taller than your grandfather was based on the way the suit fits – but not different enough for him to be uncomfortable or for him to look anything over than devastatingly handsome.

He gives you a brilliant smile and leans over to kiss you. “Want to stay here?” He asks. “I can get everything out.”

“No, no, I want to help.” This is something that means a lot to both of you, and if you get to show off the fact that you’re obviously wearing a wedding dress? Well…you’ll be very happy to tell anyone who asks why.

He chuckles. “Don’t get your dress dirty.” He warns before opening the door to the SUV to hop out and go around back to open the trunk. There’s several boxes and the cooler with all the cold things. A good donation haul that can hopefully put some food in someone in need’s home.

“I won’t!” The dress, or the nearly convenient blue flats that you wore today that are now your something blue. You stack up two of the smaller boxes in your arms and trot up to the side entrance of the church at Zach’s side.

Zach had called first, to make sure they were accepting donations, so the doors open quickly. The preacher obviously watching out for the donation.

"You must be Mr. Wellison." The preacher opens the door wide to let you in and stops short when he sees you slightly behind your now fiancé. "Bunny! What a surprise." And all at once he understands. "These...these donations must be coming from your grandmother's house. I'm so very sorry for your loss, dear."

"Thank you, Reverend Michaels." The best you can offer is a small, polite smile. It doesn't seem right to be beaming with joy that you're about to marry your soulmate when someone offers their condolences. "But, yes. We thought that these would make a good addition to the pantry, especially since it's not the usual time of year for donations. There are a few more boxes in the car outside."

“Absolutely.” He nods, “I’ve got some extra hands here.” He turns back into the church. “Darrel! Come lend a hand, son.”

It figures.

It absolutely figures.

The spare set of hands the reverend has to offer is none other than your ex-boyfriend.

Darrel comes in from the other room with a smile on his face that drops the second he sees you and Zach – and his expression says it all.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it.” Zach insists. Although he knows that Darrel hasn’t pressed any farther since you’ve talked to him, he doesn’t like the idea of taking anything from him, including help to donate food.

"It's okay." Darrel's head hangs a little, but he dusts off his hands and motions toward the door. "More hands make light work. It...looks like you're on your way somewhere, anyway."

“We are.” Zach’s jaw clenches slightly, but he doesn’t refuse his help a second time, it would be rude and the reverend would notice. He’s starting to think that Darrel is either the sweetest man in history, or he’s somehow bugged you to find out where you are. He wants to believe the latter rather than the first option.

"We're just dropping a few boxes off." You explain needlessly, and head rather immediately for the door.

"Headed to Windrixville?" Darrel guesses, shoving his hands in his pockets as he follows you out the door.

Zach pauses and looks over at you. Wanting to tell him yes, but it’s not his place.

He's right. It is up to you. Which is why you roll your shoulders back and try to find that poise you're somehow capable of onstage, even in the dirt parking lot of the church. "We're getting married," you tell him honestly. There's no point in being coy – he already guessed.

“Wow, uh, congratulations.” He offers, biting his lip before he offers you a smile that might not be completely genuine, but it’s not mocking or brittle.

"Thank you." While you're very aware that it's not what he wanted to hear out of your mouth, and you don't really want to hurt anybody, the fact is that ending this whole confusion once and for all is going to be a good thing. "I'm sorry about whatever my parents might have said, Darry, but this is it for me. Zach is it for me. And I don't say that lightly."

“He’s your soulmate.” Darrel acknowledges. “Your parents were always against soulmate matches, but- I know that you aren’t.” He swallows and shuffles slightly before moving to grab a box out from the back of the SUV. “Well, the quicker we get this unloaded, the sooner you can get married.”

"We appreciate the help." It's even more awkward than you thought it would be, and for a second all you can think to do is nod your head and reach for the cooler in the trunk.

“Babe, let me get that.” Zach tuts. “Here, take this smaller box, I don’t want you to ruin your dress.”

"Still tryin' to do more than you need to, Bun?" Darrel almost laughs as he shakes his head and looks to Zach. "One day you're gonna wake up to your whole house being redecorated, and she'll do it with a broken arm or something."

“I don’t doubt it.” Zach appreciates the spirit of the comment, and relaxes slightly. “Only reason our suite hasn’t been redecorated is because all the furniture is built in or bolted down.”

“Cruise ship,” you explain, when Darrel looks like he’s about to get a spinning cursor on his forehead trying to wrack his brain for the full context of Zach’s comment. “We’re working on a cruise ship.”

“Right.” Darrel laughs at himself, shaking his head. “I guess I had no idea they bolt down the furniture. But that makes sense.”

“It would make rough seas a bitch.” Zach admits. “Not showing up for work because you got knocked out when the boat rocked.”

“I can’t even imagine.” Darrel admits. He grabs the largest box from the trunk and tucks it up against himself carefully. Safely. “Furthest I’ve ever gone from home is Dallas or maybe Texarkana.”

Zach can’t relate. “I’ve been a lot of places.” He admits as he hefts the cooler up after taking it away from you. “Some I didn’t want to be and never wish to see again.”

“What branch?” Darrel knows that sentiment all too well from his old friends.

“Marines.” He knows that you broke up with Darrel before his tattoo, so he’s not bothered by the question. “Baghdad, Fallujah.”

Darrel shifts the box in his hands and offers one outstretched hand to Zach in all sincerity. “Thank you for your service.”

It’s surprising, so much so that he nearly drops the cooler instead of setting it down inside so he can take the man’s hand. It’s been a long time since he’s been thanked and probably the first time since coming back that he doesn’t mind it. “I’m not good at this kind of thing.” He admits sheepishly. “So, uh, yeah.”

“It’s not an easy thing to do.” Darrel acknowledges. “I lost my kid brother in Fallujah.” His eyes shift to you momentarily, knowing your parents would have told you when it happened, before he looks back at Zach. “Life is complicated. And not usually what you expect. But…it seems like things are looking out okay for you now.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Zach murmurs quietly. “I understand completely, even if they weren’t my brothers by blood, I miss every damn one of them everyday.”

You hang back, as surprised as either of the guys are for this encounter but trying to give the whole situation a chance to be less awkward. It seems like they might actually be on a path to civility, and you would love for this trip to end on a positive note. Darrel and Zach being on polite terms would be a hugely positive note.

“It was difficult, but we got his letter a few weeks later.” Darrel tells him quietly. “The guy who was with him when he died mailed it to us.”

“Robby was a good kid.” You offer, knowing that it would have been a strain on the entire family to lose their middle son. Your parents had talked about it like losing a pillar of the community.

“Robby???” Zach looks bewildered and slightly nauseas. “Robert Tyler Rodriguez?” He asks softly, praying that it’s not the same person.

Darrel pales instantly, freezing in his tracks as the puzzle pieces in his mind fall into place. He knew the name Wellison sounded familiar but he just thought maybe it was a client whose house he had worked on or the name of some long-forgotten classmate.

But no. The name Wellison had been printed in block letters on the letter that told his family that their bravest son was never coming home again. He wants to be angry. He wants to be furious. But all he can feel is the ring of hollow sadness in his chest that is left after losing his brother...and a thick feeling of something emotional that has him setting down the box on the stairs up to the side door of the church. "You're the one who sent us the letter," he says finally, when he remembers to speak again.

“Yes.” He had thought it was a fucking coincidence, plenty of people live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Plenty of people have the last name Rodriguez. Robby had called his brother ‘Dee’. “You’re Dee.” He swallows harshly and wishes he was anywhere else but here. Ready for the onslaught of blame and accusations. After hand delivering Tommy Mansfield’s letter and accompany his body home, being slapped and screamed at for being the lone survivor, he couldn’t come to Robby’s home. Already sinking into a depression that nearly made him eat a bullet, he had just mailed the letter off with his own written note, saying he was sorry.

For the second time today, Darrel Rodriguez holds his hand out to the man who has everything he ever wanted for himself. And for the second time, there is nothing but sincerity behind the gesture. "Thank you for writing that letter," he intones, quiet and serious but no less true. "It couldn't have been easy. And we appreciated getting something other than a paper-pusher on our doorstep to tell us the news."

Zach frowns, staring down at the offered hand and then back up to Darrel’s somber eyes. He cautiously takes the hand again. “You don’t— blame me?” He asks, his voice low and almost disbelieving.

"I admit, it was tempting. The letter came and..." he shrugs slightly, shaking Zach's hand firmly once more. "Grief is sticky. But Robby–" His voice waivers for a second and he takes a breath. "My brother knew what he was signing up for, when he joined up. He knew the risks and the responsibilities. So while it might be cathartic, to wrap up all the blame and put it on your shoulders–" He glances at you and you know in your gut he isn't just talking about Robby, but Darrel goes on. "That wouldn't be fair. You're not responsible for the fate of the whole world. Other people make choices, too."

“I miss him every day.” Zach chokes out. “Like I know you must- only more so.” He would never compare his grief to losing his friends and brothers in arms to losing a true brother. “I still have nightmares about it. I miss them all so fucking much.”

"He wrote to us about his brothers." Darrel admits. Now that they're standing face to face, he has to admit the hand of fate has bashed in his door rather thoroughly. "It's– I didn't think I'd ever actually meet one of them. After everything. Well– you know."

“I’m the only one that survived.” A fact that he has tremendous guilt over every single day. Since getting back on his feet, meeting you, he has vowed to make sure that it’s a life well worth the sacrifice. He still doesn’t know why it was him that made it home, but he doesn’t hide away from it anymore.

“Well…” Darrel clears his throat gently and gestures to you. There’s more than a time of sadness in his voice but he still tries to mask it. “You had something important to come back for.”

Zach understands his meaning and gives him a solemn nod. “Yes I did.” He agrees.

If you're honest, this unexpected connection is something of a relief. Darrel isn't the enemy, after all. He was misled by your parents and has been gracious since meeting Zach. It's awkward, sure, but not ill intentioned. "I'm glad you guys got a chance to talk," you tell them, and are very happy to mean it.

“I owe you both an apology.” Darrel murmurs softly, glancing between the two of you. Zach shakes his head. “You don’t owe me anything.” He promises, knowing that he can’t blame the man he has learned so much about from his younger brother. He had been told he was a good man, and he’s glad to learn that is true. He might have been a little overeager in his plans, but he was accepting the situation now.

"The people who owe an apology are my parents." And you will be insisting that they give it.

“Babe.” Zach shakes his head. “I don’t think they will think they’ve done anything wrong.”

The fact that he's right is frankly upsetting, but you'll wrangle with that later. On a day when you aren't looking forward to marrying your damn soulmate. Instead of pressing it, you nod a little. "My parents and I have a little work to do between us, I think. But that's...that's not something to dwell on today." It does impact the fact that you're essentially eloping, but again...that is a thought for a different day.

“No, today is for us.” He agrees, shuffling slightly and moving over to your side. “Are you ready?” He asks, the boxes donated and the air cleared between you and Darrel it seems.

"Absolutely." The one thing in this life that you're absolutely certain of is Zach. No hesitations. So the question of whether or not you are ready to marry him is unnecessary.

Zach takes your hand and starts to turn away. Not sure what else to say to Darrel, but the other man surprises everyone, even himself. “Do you want a witness?” He blurts out.

“What?” You turn around in confusion, certain you must have heard him wrong.

Instead of denying that he said anything, he straightens his shoulders and repeats himself. “Do you want a witness?” He asks again.

"I–" You glance over at Zach, who looks just as startled as you do. "I mean...it would be helpful..."

“Why would you want to do that?” Zach asks seriously. “I know you have deep feelings for her. It- it doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Because—” Darrel pushes out the word and shoves his hands in his pockets. Zach is right. He does have deep feelings for you. He has for years. But pining doesn’t make him a bad guy. “All I ever wanted was for her — for you — to be happy.” He tells both of you. “You folks made it seem like you weren’t. You were still trying to find your way, and like you might come home any time. But you—” If he jams his fingers into his pockets anymore he’s gonna break a finger. “You obviously love your life. And your guy. And if I’m gonna claim that all I ever wanted was your happiness? Then I gotta step up and acknowledge that that means it might not be here with me.”

It’s a very eye-opening outlook and Zach knows immediately where Robby got his sunny, upbeat attitude. “Your brother and I promised we would stand up for each other when we found our soulmates.” He tells him. “I think- it’s….a way to honor him and I would be honored if you would. But it’s not just my decision.” He looks over at you. “What do you want, baby?”

A hell of a lot of thoughts are running through your head at the moment, if you’re honest with yourself, but not the least of them is relief. And some kind of gratitude. This whole issue with your parents can be put to bed with Darrel supporting your marriage, and he deserves to be able to move on after carrying a torch for you for so long. A part of you hopes that this could be that for him. And a way to honor his brother, to boot. “I think it would be nice to bury any grievances,” you admit, looking at both men. “And to have a witness that has a real connection to our pasts.”

“Let me say goodbye to the Reverend and I’ll be ready to go.” He frowns for a moment before looking down at his jeans and work jacket. “I’ll need to change though. Make sure that it’s understood that I support this.”

“Do you still keep a change in your truck?” You ask, figuring that would be easiest. “Windrixville isn’t far. I’ll check what time the chapel closes.”

“No, but I had just picked up my suit from the cleaners.” He chuckles, shaking his head at the irony. “Let me grab it and change. Although I’ll be in my work boots.”

“Doesn’t matter to us.” He could’ve just come along in jeans and it would be the gesture that mattered most. “Take your time.”

“I’ll be quick.” He nods towards both of you and disappears out the door to grab the plastic covered suit out of the back of the truck. It might not seem like the best idea to some, but he knows that it would send a clear message to your parents.

“Well…this stop turned out…unexpectedly.” You turn into Zach’s side and tilt your head to look up at him. “You okay, baby?”

“I never put it together.” He admits sheepishly, shaking his head. “Robby talked about his family a lot.” He murmurs. “I— I came so close to coming out here, but after the first time….” He trails off, knowing you would understand.

“It was still so fresh back then.” With one hand, you gently rub his back. “Grief settles over time. It doesn’t go away, but it’s less harsh. Less angry.”

“I wonder if that’s how we were supposed to meet?” He wonders softly. “He had invited me back to Oklahoma to visit when we came back on leave.”

“Oh…” The realization makes you sag a little. “Maybe. I did…back then I used to come home for thanksgiving every year.”

“He had told me that his family used to do a huge BBQ every year. Something about an entire cow.” He chuckles. “Said I would love it.”

"They do it every year." You nod and blow out a long, slow breath. "The day after Thanksgiving. This great big, day-long thing. People pop in and out all day as they come back from or leave to go Black Friday shopping. His Dad loves it, it's–" Instinct as you hugging Zach tighter, like you're hanging on to that past chance meeting that never happened. "We always used to go for the afternoon. My mom makes this mashed potato casserole that everybody always goes nuts for." It's how you would have met. Years ago. Zach would never have been through the terrors and the hardships of being alone with no place to go, and you wouldn't have been through your own bullshit out in New York. You would have been together.

“Isn’t it amazing how a few seemingly inconsequential decisions completely change the trajectory of your life?” He asks, knowing you are feeling the same.

"It's...weirdly discouraging and encouraging." The feeling is a little disorienting, if you're honest. "Knowing that things will always end up where they're supposed to, but that the journey might be pretty fucked up along the way."

He hums, pressing a kiss to your hairline. “We’ve had a rough road, but it’s getting better.” He admits. “Better now that we are together.”

******

The little chapel in Windrixville is built on the top of a hill where an old church burned down back in the 60s. The space around it is manicured now instead of just being a wide-open field, and soulmates who choose to get married here in a less formal ceremony have the chance to take a few pictures in the chapel's flower garden. Zach pulls the rental car into the mostly empty parking lot and Darrel's truck parks right on the other side.

"Are you ready to do this?" He asks after shutting off the engine. He knows that you are protected legally, the pre-nup already signed and filed, but he wants to make sure that this - done this way - is what you truly want.

"Absolutely." You take his hand and lean across the center console to give him a kiss. "I wanted to be married to you. To start that next step together."

“Are you sure you don’t want the entire big thing?” He asks, smiling softly.

"Do you?" It's worth making sure that he's not just doing this for you. That he isn't missing out on something he's dreamt of just because you don't care about skipping the expense.

“Baby, I have no family but you.” He reminds you softly. “All that matters is that you and I are together.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” You’ll remind him later on that he had so many people who love him as well as a kitchen full of staff who admire the hell out of him. For now, you have a wedding to focus on.

“What indeed?” He grins and notices that Darrel has climbed out of his truck and is standing in front of it, doing something on his phone.

"Everything good?" You ask, slipping out of the SUV and back into Zach's side. Darrel's face is drawn in concentration.

“Yeah.” He sighs and slips the phone into his front jacket pocket. “Ranch stuff.” He tells you. “My parents are talking about selling.” He’s been trying to change their minds, but the decision is ultimately theirs.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." Your shoulders drop again, knowing that must be devastating for him. Darrel always loved the ranch so much.

“It’s okay.” He shakes his head. “This isn’t the time to worry about what might happen anyway.” He shoots you a smile. “Let’s go get you crazy kids hitched.”

The girl sitting at the reception desk inside the chapel smiles when three people walk in the front door, two of them obviously matching in nice clothes. "Well hey there." She chirps happily. "What can we do for you folks today?"

Zach walks up the counter with a nervous, yet eager, grin. “Uh, we want to get married.” He tells her, pointing between you and him.

"That's what we're here for." She smiles and starts shuffling through some unseen things at her desk. "Let me get the paperwork together. I'll need legal identification for both of you and I'll get the chapel ready. The justice will be down to see you in a moment." She waits just long enough for you and Zach to hand over your driver’s licenses, then thanks you and hustles off down a hallway that you hadn't noticed.

“Well that was pretty easy.” Zach murmurs, sure that there would be some kind of test or proof required that you are soulmates.

"I'm sure they'll want to see our marks. But that's easy enough."

“We can just show the initials .” He reaches for your hand and rubs his thumb over the webbing between your thumb and finger. It’s a calming pressure point for him and apparently for you too, he’s discovered. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Just that little measure of sweet steadiness from him has you feeling comfortable and confident again.

If there was even the slightest sliver of doubt that this man was your other half, part of your soul, it dies when you smile at your soulmate. Darrel realizes that he’s never seen that light in your eyes, at least never directed towards him. You are looking at Zach like he hung the moon in the sky, responsible for the stars sighing bright. You had always enjoyed looking up at the stars and you are looking at Zach with the same wonder. It clicks that door shut permanently inside his heart and relegates you towards the bittersweet first love you has always been and he had just not been able to accept.

The man who comes out to meet the new, happy couple asks a few questions and takes a peak at shared marks, all the while explaining how these short ceremonies work. “And you’ve brought a witness.” He looks very pleased at that. “Fantastic. Is there anything special you would like to include in your ceremony this evening?”

“Babe?” Zach turns towards you and lifts his brows. “Anything you want?” He knows next to nothing about weddings and what is expected, so he will leave it up to you. He’s just wanting to be your husband.

For a second you consider, knowing that the important part of today is just that you want to be married to your soulmate. “Do you have a version of your ceremony that talks about partnership instead of obedience?” You ask finally, deciding that while the old-fashioned wording is fine, what you and Zach have really is about being a team.

He smiles when you say that, nodding in agreement when the man discreetly looks over at Zach for his opinion on the issue. “Partnership.” He echoes. “That would be perfect.”

"Of course." The man nods politely and brings the three of you into in a large circular room that is mostly walled in glass. This ceremony room looks out over the garden surrounding the building and is lit with soft, romantic light as well as having some gentle music playing. It's not cheesy like you had expected one of these places to be, and you slip your hand into Zach's as you walk inside together.

This is actually pretty romantic, like it would actually be a venue a planned wedding would choose. He’s impressed and he smiles over at you. “Should have gotten you a bouquet of flowers.”

“It’s ironic,” you tell him, happily clinging to his arm. “We get each other flowers all the time. But don’t have any today.” Every opportunity to get a few fresh flowers on a land excursion always results in a bouquet in your room. It’s amusing that they’re missing today, when other people would consider them mandatory.

He chuckles in approval and nods. “It’s fitting.” He agrees. “The irony makes it even more so.”

The ceremony, for what it is, is short. The justice lays out a few pieces of paperwork and has you and Zach check the pertinent information that the receptionist filled in from your IDs, and then he asks Darrel to stand to the side of the small altar while he says a few words about togetherness, partnership, and commitment. It's actually a very nice speech, and one that you're glad that you saw a copy of amongst the papers on the altar with your soon-to-be signed marriage license.

It’s surreal, standing with you and Zach can’t concentrate on the words being spoken. Focusing on the way your eyes soften and melt as you look at him, obviously moved by what the justice is saying. He just knows that he is the luckiest man in the entire world right now, bonding himself to his perfect soulmate.

It’s like being wrapped up in a whirlwind, the way reality has become fuzzy around you, and all you can see is Zach. You both manage giddy, teary I do’s, and the pronouncement of: “You may more kiss your bride” makes your heart leap.

With the hand not holding yours, he reaches for your waist, pulling you close. “Until my dying breath.” He vows, nudging his nose against yours and then softly pressing his lips against yours in the sweetest kiss.

Three sets of hands applaud politely, while you are off somewhere on Cloud 9, and in the furthest part of your mind you can swear that you hear bridal music playing. None of it matters, though. Nothing beyond standing here being joined with Zach and being able to go forward into your future with him.

This is the bliss you never trusted yourself to dream about. Strive for. It’s right here in your hands.

******

Three hours later, Zach pulls into the driveway of your parent’s house, the blissful euphoria of getting married isn’t even dimmed by the upcoming confrontation. Another family dinner. One where Darrel has been invited again, this time by you and Zach. He shuts off the engine. “Ready, sweetheart?”

“Ready.” Back in your regular clothes — and happily relaxed after celebrating your marriage back at the hotel room — you give his hand an encouraging squeeze and lean over the car’s console to kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He’s not sure how they will react, but he’s sure it won’t be good. His fingers play with your new - handed down - wedding set.

In the time since the wedding you’d not only celebrated enthusiastically, but also stopped at a large fine jewelry store in the city to pick out a wedding band for Zach. He’ll probably choose to wear it on a chain while he’s working in order to stay safe and not have it get crushed with ingredients every week, but it was importance to both of you for him to have the simple gold band on his finger. “We’re in this together, babe,” you remind him, pushing open the car door and flashing him a grin. “Whatever happens, happens. They’ll probably be more upset about the inheritance than the marriage.”

“I hope not.” He frowns, shaking his head. “I know Ms. Flores said the will could be contested, but it would be foolish.”

“We’ll see what happens.” Honestly, your parents are more of a wildcard than you had ever expected, so tonight is a bit of a question mark as far as they are concerned. “We should go in.” The bottle of bubbly you picked up as a gesture of celebration is in one hand and you take his with the other, then head to the door.

As agreed, Darrel will be arriving in less than five minutes. To create a buffer, or distraction if it’s needed. Zach knows that your mom had an appointment with the attorney today and is surprised that you haven’t heard a word from them.

“Mom?” When you open the front door the house is silent, and you can’t think of anything more foreboding. “Dad?”

Maybe they are in the kitchen?” He asks softly, holding tight to your hand as you both step inside and he shuts it behind the two of you.

They aren’t. They aren’t on the back porch by the grill, and they aren’t in the living room.

Where your parents are, is upstairs in your bedroom. And the sight is as confusing as it is unexpected.

“Do you want me to give you a minute or stay?” He doesn’t know exactly what this means, but he sees the confusion marring your beautiful face when you see your parents in your childhood bedroom.

“No.” You shake your head and reach for his hand instead of letting him move away. “No. Whatever is going on, I want you with me.”

“Then I’ll stay right here.” He promises softly, frowning as he turns back towards your parents.

"I–um–" Despite being sure that this is going to be awkward, or perhaps because of it, you're not quite sure where to start as you step closer to your bedroom. "Hi, guys...? Are we not having dinner tonight?"

Your mother looks up, her head buried in an old photo album and she bites her lip. “You’re so grown up.” She shakes her head and looks down at the photos when you were probably three or four. “I can’t believe how much things have changed.”

"Yeah, it's..." You don't want to point out the obvious – that of course things have changed – since this might be an unexpected part of your mother grieving for her own mother's death, but it does strike you as odd. "It's been a long time since those were taken."

“You were such a happy little girl.” She murmurs, flipping the page and catching sight of a photo of you and your grandmother. Her breath catching on a small sob. “So close to her.”

"I miss her too, Mom." Yes...this is definitely an odd part of the grieving process. Your eyes turn up to meet Zach's and he nods, urging you forward to go into your room. He's close behind when you sit down on the bed next to your mother. "But she's with us every day as long as we take the time to remember her."

“I can’t believe it.” She murmurs softly. “I never really believed that she would be gone.”

"It's going to be hard to get used to." For once, you agree with your mother wholeheartedly.

Your father hums as he pats your mother’s back. “It will be better in time, dear.” He comforts her.

"Do you want to bring some of the photos downstairs?" You offer, wondering if they might have lost track of time and forgotten that you were coming for dinner tonight. "Zach and I can cook so you two can look through photos, if you like."

“Dinner?” She frowns for a moment and then her eyes widen. “Oh my god! I forgot about dinner!”

"It's totally okay, Mom," you promise her. Your hand is on her back now, too. Rubbing soothing circles. "Let us take care of it, okay? Darrel should be here any minute and we can all share stories. How does that sound?"

“Darrel?” She frowns and shakes her head. “You said— why would Darrel be coming? I didn’t invite him.” Her eyes beg you to believe her, knowing how upset you had been earlier when he had shown up that first day.

“I know you didn’t.” A gentle pat of your mother’s shoulder as you sit behind her doesn’t seem like quite enough, but she isn’t a very huggy person. That’s your father. “We invited him.”

“You did?” The confusion in her voice is clear, much like the frown on your father’s face. Both of them had been unhappy with the boundary you had set and now you seem to be throwing that all away.

“We ran into him earlier and had a good talk,” you explain. It’s time says the look in your eyes when you glance up at Zach, and his subtle nod is encouraging as he moves closer to your side. “A lot has happened today,” you tell your parents gently, trying to be kind to them in their grief.

“I know.” Your mother swallows harshly and looks away, fidgeting with a folded piece of paper that is under the bottom of the photo album. “We had the meeting with Mother’s lawyer today.”

"So did we." It's probably against some kind of disclosure policy for Ms. Flores to disclose to your parents that you spoke with her this morning, or what was spoken about, but just in case it's not you lean toward complete transparency. "Why don't we all go downstairs, Mom? We can talk about that after dinner."

She nods, not saying a words, not even sure if she has the words to say. It’s been a long day, filled with harsh truths that she’s been forced to confront.

"We'll take care of dinner," you offer again, and you and Zach lead the way back downstairs. The headlights of Darrel's truck are just shutting off in the driveway, and you're hoping that the distraction of another person here will help break some of the tension.

It’s rare that your mother doesn’t interject some opinion, but this time, she just nods. “Whatever you want to do.” She murmurs.

The best you can do is chalk it up to grief again, because normally she would be either insisting in doing things herself or giving you step by step instructions. “I’ll figure it what we have,” you offer to Zach. “Do you want to let Darrel in and maybe we can all talk in the kitchen while we make whatever dinner is going to be?”

“Come dear, let me make you some tea.” Your father hooks his arm around your mother’s waist and steers her towards the kitchen.

Zach kisses your forehead and goes to say hello to the man he never expected to be friendly with, and you lead your parents into the kitchen. While your mother sits down at the table and your father puts a kettle on, you take inventory in the refrigerator and in the cupboards. It seems like your mother intended to make pork chops and mashed potatoes casserole tonight, and you're relieved to find some frozen green beans. That's plenty enough food for five people to eat dinner. The few apples in the fruit drawer will make a delicious, quick applesauce.

It feels a little weird to be opening the door of his new in-law’s home as if he were the host, but he sees Darrel and grins in relief. A stark contrast from where he would have been just half a day before now. “Welcome.” He jokes.

"Normally it's Miss June at the door acting like the sun's just come out." He admits. They shake hands – not quite at the level of anything more yet – and nods toward the inside. "You tell 'em yet?"

“Not yet….” Zach admits and shakes his head. “Something’s going on, and it’s odd.”

"Odd?" Darrel tips his head.

“Miss June is….docile.” He huffs quietly, keeping his voice down so it doesn’t carry far. Darrel has spent time with your parents so maybe he can clue the two of you in on something you might not be aware of. “She was up in Bunny’s room, looking at a photo album and didn’t cook dinner.” He shrugs. “She’s letting us cook.”

“That’s…” Darrel frowns, shucking his jacket at the door. “Unlike her.”

“I know.” Even if he hasn’t spent much time with your mother, getting her to let him help with the funeral food had nearly been the beginning of world war three.

“Think it’s finally sinking in?” He asks, concerned because the unexpected nature of your grandmother’s death.

“Maybe?” Zach shrugs and reaches out to slap his shoulder. “Into the fray we go.”

When they come into the kitchen your parents are bent over cups of tea at the table and you’re starting to peel potatoes. “Hey Miss June, Tom.” Darrel steps into the kitchen and moves over towards your parents to hopefully ease the obvious tension in the room. Although it’s not a hostile tension, it’s morose.

“Good evening, Darrel honey.” June sniffles and draws herself up to her full sitting height. “It’s good to see you.”

“How are you doing?” Just because your parents had plans for your future and had also kept him hoping that that dream would become reality, he genuinely cares for the older couple. Leaning down, he hugs her and kisses her cheek.

“Oh, it’s been quite a day.” She returns the kind gesture half-heartedly. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m…good.” He realizes, shifting back and smiling at her. “I’m actually really good.”

"That's good." She nods vaguely, obviously still very distracted, and looks around the room again. "How did...I don't..." Your mother stops, pauses, takes a deep breath, and tries again. "How did this invitation come about?"

“We ran into each other at the church.” He doesn’t think that you’ve told them, so he doesn’t mention that you had invited him over to celebrate, and drive home the point that their wishes for you life were never going to happen.

"We brought over a donation to the food bank," you explain. Zach has already picked up a peeler and it helping you with the potatoes, but you turn around to face your parents at the counter. "We...have something to tell you guys." Everything in the kitchen stops for a moment, and Zach comes back to your side – dirty hand reaching for dirty hand in an odd sort of symbol of the promise you've made. No matter what, you're in this together.

"We went up to Windrixville a few hours ago." You brace yourself for the coming storm of disapproval. "To get married. Darrel came as our witness."

A pin drop could be heard if one fell. Zach, you and Darrel seem to collectively hold your breaths to see what their reaction would be. Your father looks like he was sucker punched in the gut and your mother immediately bursts into tears.

To be honest, it's better than you were expecting. There's no screaming, you aren't immediately being thrown out, and there is a distinct absence of guilting you about how you're dishonoring your family for reasons that make absolutely no sense. Still, it is a very big life event to have happen unexpectedly so you have to give them a little bit of grace.

“I did it Tom, she said I was going to do it and I did it.” She wails, jolting your father out of his frozen shock to turn and curl his arm around your mother.

“You didn’t—”

“I did!” She insists, pulling that same folded paper out of her pocket and shaking it as if it would explain everything. “Our daughter got married without us there because I’ve driven her away!”

"Mom, what is that?" Instantly, you're wiping your hands off and moving to your parents' side. The sting of the fact that it's true can be dealt with another time. There had been barely a thought paid to the fact that your parents would be there today. They have been so obviously against you and Zach as a couple – as soulmates – that you had simply figured that no matter where or when you got married, they would never want to be there.

Your mother can’t talk, too busy burying her face in your father’s shoulder as she sobs her heart out, but Tom gives you the answer you need. “Your grandmother left her a letter.” He murmurs quietly.

"She seems to have left them for all of us." The envelope is barely in your mother's grip and one nod from your father is enough permission to take it. Her name is scrawled across the front and there is just one sheet of paper inside, but it's easy to tell that your grandmother must have sat down and written all of these letters at once. Slightly morbid, if you're honest, but she was always very conscious of her own mortality after her friends started to get sick and begin dying.

Your father just hums and Zach shuffles behind you as he watches your mother continue to cry.

Junie, the letter begins, in your grandmother's distinctive handwriting. I hope very much that you never need to read this note. That I am simply able to tear it up and write you something new. But unfortunately you inherited my stubborness, and we both passed it on to Bunny. If things were a bit less dramatic right about now, you would roll your eyes at that, but this isn't the time.

I don't have any delicate ways to try to say this anymore, dear. Perhaps if I had been more direct with you these last few years, the situation would be different. But the fact is, my dear, you are losing your daughter. Your eyes widen, staring at the page, tears springing to your own eyes just the same as they are to your mother's. Had your Gram really been so on the nose with her about all this? It seems so...dramatic?

Punishing her for changing her major should have been where I put my foot down with the whole thing, but this nonsense with Darrel Curtis has to end. She is in love, Junie, and so excited about it. It's no good to play pretend anymore, and I'm sorry if it still hurts, but losing your soulmate doesn't mean that Bunny deserves to lose hers. Or that she will be just as happy with someone else, the way you have been with Tom. Darrel is a sweet boy, but he and Bunny want different things. It's as plain as the nose on my face.

Let her choose her own life, Junie. Let her be happy and just be happy for her. I know you don't get the same once a week phone calls that I do. I know that you don't get to be updated on her life the way I do. She is only going to drift further out of your grasp if you keep this up.

Zach can see the way you tense, covering your mouth with your hand and he moves over to your side. Sensing, rather than seeing the tears and wanting to comfort you, no matter why you might be crying.

“I just – I was trying to stop her from caring.” The broken explanation probably doesn’t make sense to anyone who hasn’t experienced loss, but your mother tries desperately to explain. “I love you, you know I do and I always will, but- but you know how it still aches to this very day.” Tom shushes her softly, nodding and murmuring quietly. “I know sweetheart. I know.”

“You had a soulmate?” For your entire life, you had always known your parents as the perfect unit. Both of them choosing to be together instead of having the universe choose them for each other. Your father’s mark is shared only with his twin brother — a rare instance of platonic soulmates — but you had lived your entire life thinking that your mother had never, ever born another person’s mark.

Darrel’s eyes widen, aware that this is a conversation that is between family and he is not family. “I’m going to go light the grill.” He offers quietly to Zach, reaching out and squeezing Tom’s shoulder as he moves by.

“Mom?” You feel like you’re shaking, barely registering Darrel leaving the room as you step closer and practically fall down into a chair. How long has she been lying to you? How much has she lied about?

She pulls away from Tom’s shoulder, eyes devastated and red. “I- I never knew how to talk about it, about him without-“ she chokes out a sob and covers her mouth as fresh tears pool. It takes her a moment, the steady and comforting hand of her husband around her shoulder as she swallows harshly and continues on. “Yes.” She whispers quietly. “I had a soulmate.”

“And…” You swallow back accusations and anger for the sake of seeing her so upset, but are grateful when Zach comes to sit down beside you. “He died?”

“Car accident. September 10th, 1979. Four twenty-five in the morning.” She sighs, closing her eyes as she starts to tell you the secrets that have been buried for years. “He was- older.” Even though she isn’t looking at you, she bows her head. “Dropped out of college already to make his dreams of being a rock star come true.”

The exact date and time. Shit. That, you know without hesitation, is exactly how you would be if anything happened to Zach.

But no wonder. No wonder she had freaked out when you changed your major to music after your first semester of college. “You were just a kid…” You realize a second later. September 1979…your mother was nineteen years old.

“Still, I knew that I wanted to be with him forever.” She looks over at Tom, a watery, apologetic smile on her face. “We met at his show. His band was performing at my college. It was…..instant. All consuming.” She swallows harshly and looks back at you. “Traveling musicians think they are invincible. He was coming back to see me.” Her chin wobbles and she presses her lips together to stop herself from crying again. “Late night, overly tired….” She closes her eyes again. “He fell asleep at the wheel.”

“I’m so sorry, Mom.” What else can you say? What could even come close to expressing how awful it is to hear that your teenage mother lost a man she loved dearly? The best you can do is reach for her hand and listen.

“His name was Marcus.” She knows you are upset at her, there is a tightness to your eyes. “He was 23.”

“And I’m guessing…” The breath you draw is sharp. Anguished in a way you can’t quite describe. “That I hit a nerve by deciding to pursue a music career.”

“I didn’t mean-“ she shakes her head. “I was so shocked when you choose music, even though I shouldn’t have been.” She sighs. “I was trying to ignore it.”

“You didn’t have to.” To banish the memory of an entire person sounds endlessly painful and complicated. It sounds like torture. “We could have talked about it. About him. The whole situation.”

“It—” she glances over at Tom. “It might have confused you. I didn’t want that.” The one hand held in yours squeezes. “I love your father.” She promises.

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” you assure her, giving her that gentle squeeze in return. “But what’s confusing about knowing that my mother has a big enough heart to have loved two people in her life?”

“I don’t know.” She murmurs softly. “We just agreed that you should just believe that your father and I didn’t have traditional soulmates.”

“What I don’t understand, though…” Well, there is a lot that you don’t understand, frankly, but the larger puzzle pieces are starting to come together. “Is why you would object to me finding Zach?”

“Your mother never wanted you to ever experience a tenth of that kind of pain.” Tom murmurs softly. “She was broken, and part of her heart has never healed.” He picks up the hand you aren’t holding and kisses it. “When she was carrying you, we talked about what we wanted and we just felt it was best. She was having nightmares, vivid ones.”

“Will you finally tell me how you met Dad?” The question jolts out of you like a lightning bolt, not meaning to be accusatory but hoping for some kind of clarification. Your parents had always said they were best friends and that was it. Nothing more was ever said and it has felt like a lie of omission for your whole life. Now you know why.

“We grew up next to each other.” Tom admits. “At least since third grade when I moved next door.”

June sighs softly, hoping you don’t hate her now. “Tom was over at the house when the officer came. They knew he was headed to my house because—” She swallows. “I was his wife.”

“Mom.” Your back hits the flat of the chair with a thud when you nearly fall backward while sitting up. “You were married to your soulmate?”

“I was still in college,” she is begging you to understand. “And there didn’t seem to be any need to wait. We were young, in love and destined to be together.”

“I’m not mad at you for being in love.” It seems important to clarify. To be particular about what has your stomach and chest all tied up in knots. “I don’t care how many people you’ve lived or how many you married. I’m upset because you hid an entire life from me and pretended you had never done anything other than the perfect thing. It’s made me feel like a fuck up for my entire adult life.”

“Oh sweetheart.” She wilts at your confession. “I wanted you to think things were perfect so if you chose to be with Darrel, you wouldn’t feel like you were wrong.” She reaches out and caresses your face, letting go of Tom’s hand. “You are probably the one thing in my life I got right.”

“The problem wasn’t that you liked me being with Darrel. It’s that you never let it go.” You’re both crying not, hot tears of anxiety, fear, and anguish staining both of your faces. “To the point where the poor guy sat on his hands waiting for me to come home and never got to go live his own life, and I felt like if I invited you to my wedding you would have hated me for it.” Sniffling through the tears, it’s only Zach’s steady hand on your back that keeps you from accelerating past upset and into angry.

“I am so sorry.” She swallows harshly. “I should have let it go a long time ago. I should have been happy that you were happy. Instead, I ruined it for you.” She shakes her head. “I blame myself for him dying and I got so worried about you feeling that pain that I caused a very different kind of pain for you.”

“Seems like Gram was the only one who knew the whole story.” The long, low exhale you let out just makes you feel tired. Exhausted, really. Another layer of missing your grandmother seems to settle on top of you in the most unpleasant way. “No more secrets.”

“No more secrets.” She agrees, wiping away her tears. “So you are married?” She asks, looking between you and Zach. He nods and she gives a watery smile. “Then we need to celebrate.” She decides. “What do you think? We could order in?”

“Darrel went out to light the grill.” You nod almost dumbly to the porch, where your ex is trying very hard not to watch everything going on inside. “We should get him back in if we’re not going to cook.”

“You shouldn’t do anything on your wedding day.”

“We don’t mind,” you insist, but that stubbornness that all the women in your family share is right there in her eyes. “Alright…” you glance back at Zach and he nods. “We’ll order in. And we’ll talk. All of us.”

“Why don’t I call Redrock Canyon Grill?” Tom offers, patting your mother’s knee and standing up. “They have some good food, Zach. There’s talk of getting a Michelin star.”

“Sounds like it would be perfect.” Zach agrees. His hand has been rubbing soothing circles on your back and doesn’t let up, letting you know that he is here and supporting you but letting you have whatever conversation you need to have with your mother.

“Good.” Your father nods, only stepping away to open the sliding door and beckon Darrel back inside. The night’s plan has changed yet again, but he can hope that there might be fewer tears from here on out.

“I know you must have questions.” Your mother offers quietly, hoping that by answering them, she can repair some of the damage she has done. Repair your relationship. “But I also want to know about your wedding.”

“We went to the soulmate chapel in Windrixville.” It’s something to smile about, thankfully, and tries to put some distance between tears and potentially being upset with each other. “Gram…she left Zach a letter, too. Along with a gift.” You hold out your hand tentatively, wondering if she’ll be upset. “She was going to send him a few of the rings I liked best when I was a kid. She wanted him to choose one to propose with.”

“She did?” She takes your hand and looks down at the ring set on your hand, running her finger over the ring. “I always liked this set.” She looks back up at you and smiles. “He picked beautifully.”

"It's Zach's birthstone." A fact which still feels quite close to your heart. Like it was the perfect reason to choose it. "The wedding was just simple. A few kind words about partnership and support." It does, however, bring a smile to your lips to think about again. "I have the paperwork in my purse. And the receptionist sent us the video of the ceremony already. If–if you want to see it?"

Her eyes light up, a wonderful hope shining in them. “Please? I would love to—” she cuts herself off and starts over. “I would be honored if you shared it with me.” She admits. “I— I’m sorry that you felt that you had to go to the soulmate chapel.”

"We wanted to be married, not to have a giant wedding," you tell your mother honestly. "That's all. We had talked before now about having the captain on the ship marry us."

“You wanted a small wedding.” She’s repeating it like she’s burning that fact into her brain and trying to offer suggestions to ‘fix’ what is not broken. “Then you got what you wanted, sweetheart.” She agrees.

"Like Gram and Grandpa getting married at the courthouse. Just something simple." The video will keep until the guys come back from getting dinner ordered. At your father's request, Zach had joined them to look over the menu.

“As long as you were happy with it.” She promises. “That’s all that matters.”

"I am." Like a peace settling over a tumultuous evening, that truth blankets anything else that might get in the way. "I really am."

------ Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04 @weho2kcmo @madnessofadaydreamer

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[jokeroutsubs]

Nace Jordan on the cover of Slovenian tabloid Lady (22 February 2023)

Nace Jordan from the band Joker Out

"They even impressed grandma Marija"

Nace Jordan is not a new name on the Slovenian music scene, as his bass guitar can be heard in many songs by various music artists, and we also spent some time with him on the entertainment show 'V Petek Zvečer' (On Friday Night). But he, of course, is having the time of his life since he became an indispensable member of the hottest music band in Slovenia at the moment, our Eurovision representatives, Joker Out.

"The rest of the guys tell me that I can just chill and be happy because I joined them now when they're having the best of times," says Nace Jordan, who can't hide his excitement about becoming a member of Joker Out. "I'm very positive by nature and I find something good in everything, and coming into the band is definitely one of the best things that has happened to me." He also feels a little troubled about it, though. "What if someone says that now that Nace has come into the group, it's going downhill. You never know, that's just how I think," he says self-critically, but he has nothing to fear. Bojan Cvjetičanin, the singer of the group, knew who he was calling when he invited him for a coffee. "Having jumped into some bands before as a substitute, I knew it could be very difficult. Especially if there are some disagreements in the band. So I first asked Bojan if they had had a fight. And him confirming to me that they didn't was the decisive factor that made me accept the invitation," says the 28-year-old from Kranj.

Caption 1: Nace Jordan is the newest and the oldest member of the band Joker Out.

From dreams to reality

Nace joined the band with a wealth of musical experience, as the description of his work states that he is a musician, bassist and producer. But he started -like most young people- with the dream of becoming a singer. "I loved to sing when I was little and I always said I would be a singer when I grew up. Then my cousin, Miha Zore, also a musician, inspired me to pick up the guitar for the first time.

At home, they didn't want to buy it for him because they were convinced that his first enthusiasm would soon pass. Then he found his mother's old guitar at his grandmother's house, and he practised so hard that his parents relented. However, he switched to bass guitar quite early on, because he realised that there was a shortage of bass guitarists in this country. He says he is self-taught, but he has had some very good mentors, including Primož Grašič, Matej Hotek and Englishman Scott Devine, who has one of the biggest bassist schools on YouTube today. There are also his musical friends Denis Beganović - Kiki, a renowned multi-instrumentalist from the Primorska region, who played with Magnifico for a long time, and his drummer colleagues David Morgan, who plays with Avtomobili, and Anže Langus, who he says believed in him, supported him and opened many doors for him. "I'm grateful to all of them for passing on their knowledge and encouraging me," he says modestly, adding that he also had a hand in writing down the tunes. "That's why they call me a musical jukebox. I am lucky that I learn a tune quickly and remember it quickly. Today, for example, I still know all 200 songs, including quite a few German shlager songs, that I played on a cruise ship one summer, by heart."

Nace earned his first real money from music when he went to play on a cruise ship at the age of 18. "At a jam session in Kranj, I met musicians who told me about working on the ship. I auditioned and was selected. We then cruised the Baltic with Maja Založnik and others and played," he says, easily recalling those days. It is much harder when he has to remember all the musicians he later worked with as a bassist. "I have fond memories of working with Katarina Mala. I loved playing with Samuel Lucas and his band. I accompanied Nina Pušlar a few times. I consider it an honour to have worked with Elda Viler. And I could go on and on." But he prefers to stop, because he really doesn't want to forget anyone, and he admits that he will miss his musical friends from V petek zvečer (On Friday Night), with whom he had a great time for two years. He is now saying goodbye to them, as he would not be able to bear being on two ends at the same time. At the same time as saying goodbye to the show, he is also saying goodbye to the hat that has been his trademark for many years. "I put that hat on my head for the first time in 2013 and people liked it so much that they kept asking me about it. Then it started annoying me because I realised that people thought I was bald. So I took it off, because I have a fine haircut," he explains with a laugh, running his fingers through his hair.

Caption 2: "The real passion is not the music, it's the people you make it with, play it with. And that's what I've got now," says the satisfied Kranj inhabitant. PHOTO: Primož Lavre

Night jogging

As befits a true Gorenjska inhabitant, Nace also likes to ski, but this winter that is not an option. "Just recently, Bojan and I, who is a keen snowboarder like me, were talking about how good it would be to go skiing. But we really can't afford it this year, because it would be unwise to get injured before Eurovision," he says. He still has some sporting activities to do despite Eurovision. "Apart from skiing, I really like swimming, badminton and running. The latter is still the one I do the most, but I'm probably the funniest runner in the world. I'm the slowest and the latest. I like to run between 11 p.m. and midnight. This stayed with me from the days when I was much heavier, and I felt awkward running in the daytime. But I really enjoy running," he admits. Since he's sculpted his physique, he also enjoys looking in the mirror. Nace finds it easy to talk about the period when he was chubby, but he prefers to explain that he feels much better since he started to pay attention to his diet due to health problems. "When I started to watch what I ate, the weight just melted off. I found a lot of useful things online and I've put together a lunch menu of seven dishes that I really like." Nace mostly cooks for himself, but he is also very grateful to his mother Darja for helping him now that he is busy. Even though they have not always been enthusiastic about his musical pursuits, his family has always been there for him. "I listened to them for a long time, wondering 'When will our Nace find a job?', but now I know they are happy for me. They see that I enjoy what I do, that it's such a big part of me that I can't do without it. And just the other day at lunch, my grandmother Marija said: 'Well, now we're going to have a celebrity in the family too?'" he tells, laughing.

Caption 3: He enjoys being on stage because he is always 100% ready to perform.

Article by: Simona Dakič Nemanič

Scans and translation by: @kurooscoffee

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for demanding my extended family do more to help care for my grandmother?

Demand may not be the right word but I’ll let you decide.

So some info and context before I get into it. My grandmother is 90 and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in March. She was given 6-10 months to live. I have one sibling and 6 cousins. My grandmother has 3 living children. I am the youngest (23) the other grandchildren range in age from 27-41. My father and I live close to her and my uncle and his two children live like an hour away. Everyone else is roughly 1800 miles away. My uncle and cousins that live an hour away never spend time with her. She sees them like twice a year. They will not pick up their phones when she calls. They have lied to her in the past saying that events were canceled when they were not because they didn’t want her there. Every single time in the past 4 years that I ask them to do literally anything for her they tell if it’s that important I can do it myself. In 2019 my grandfather died so I quit my job and moved in with my grandmother so she wouldn’t be alone. I planned his funeral and did everything I could to help her. I moved out at the end of 2021 because my dad moved in and I can’t live with him. I go to her house at least 5 days a week to help because my dad does very little for her. I am disabled and I have had major struggles due to that. I am the closest to my grandmother because of living with her and taking care of her. However I did not have a good relationship with her until I was 19. My dad is her least favorite child (I’m not exaggerating she literally says this) and she hated my mom and treated her like crap until 2 years ago. She does not treat anyone else like this. She adores my aunt and uncle and thinks their children are perfect and has always had good relationships with them.

Now that you have some more context here’s the situation. I applied for an out of state job in January and got an offer that I accepted the week before my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. I was supposed to move at the end of May but I moved it until the end July so I would be able to get her situated but that’s the absolute latest I can put it off for. I’m finally at a point that my health is stable enough that I can start actually building my own life. This is an extremely good opportunity that I’ll probably never get again if I pass it up. I’ve been struggling trying to find time to get all my stuff taken care because I do so much over there. My dad and aunt have now taken to saying I’m being selfish for moving. They say I’m the closest and everyone else has a life (job, relationships, kids etc.) so it’s unfair for me to leave her alone when no one else can help. They also said that I’m going to regret not helping or spending time with her. This is when I started getting really pissed. I told them I have been taking care of and spending time with her for the past 3 years. Her other son that lives 40 miles away can help he’s just choosing not to. I told them that they need to figure their shit out on their own. I said that there’s 3 kids and 8 grandkids and I’m the youngest but someone how I’m expected to do the most and I’m not allowed to have a life but everyone else is. They threw in my face that I’m disabled so any life I try to build for myself will fall apart anyway so it’s not the same as my cousins who can maintain it. They kept saying that everyone is so much farther and I’m being unreasonable. I lost it at this point and pointed out that there’s 3 other people who can be here easily that need to start caring because she’s literally dying. Why would you not spend time with someone you know is dying. Also my cousins that live far are all capable of making a trip her to see her and help for a week or so. They all have very well paying jobs, own at least one home and take 3-6 vacations a year. They have the money and time. They can skip a cruise or trip to see their dying grandmother. This is when I found one of them has been in this state fairly close 4 or 5 times to see a friend and will not tell my grandmother because he doesn’t want to “waste his time off” spending time with her. I told my aunt and dad that they have to figure this shit out on their own because I’m absolutely not giving up this huge opportunity when there is 10 other people that refuse to do shit. My grandmother does not want me to give up this job and stay here. She wants me to go so she can see at least some of life I’m trying to build. My mom is backing me up and saying they need to do more instead of putting it all on me. Everyone else in the family is saying I’m a selfish asshole that needs to suck it up and do what I’m supposed to instead of expecting them to drop everything.

So am I the asshole here???

What are these acronyms?

[timaeusterrored]

(The Golden Cross)

Kerry lit his cigarette and looked over at Venus, who was stretched out like the Goddess Venus herself. The morning sun hit him just right, the blankets around his hips, Vax’s arm over his waist. It was unfair to have two beautiful people in his bed like this.

But the thing that really caught Kerry’s eye was the golden cross around Venus’s neck. They never talked about religion, Venus certainly did not go to church. But it still had him curious, a cross symbolic of Christianity, but a name of a Roman Goddess-or the planet, or the plant. God why were there so many things named Venus?

The one thing about Venus that was more on the creepy side though was the fact that both his eyes were all black, two endless voids. He used to have brown eyes apparently, in the baby pictures he saw.

“Like what ya see?” Venus’s accent was thick in the morning, a mix of his Louisiana draw and whatever abomination was Night City’s accent. It made for some very fun conversations with him.

“I do.” They spoke quietly, as to not wake the exhausted fixed behind Venus. Vax deserved his rest, especially after yesterday. “Curious ‘bout something though.”

Venus rubbed his eyes, shifting a bit so Vax could snuggle into his chest. How was the most dangerous man in Night City the cutest fucking thing Kerry had ever seen?

“Your cross. What’s that about? Fashion or you secretly religious and I’ve been disrespecting someone for a bit.” What? Kerry likes holding it between his teeth when he fucked Venus.

“Mmmmm… both.” He had not been expecting that. “I’m by no means religious… haven’t been for years. But my mama was. Religion is a sticky subject in our family… this is Jett’s cross though, his grandmother was religious.” Something else Kerry noticed is when speaking of Jett, Venus always talked about him in the present tense. But he understood, he did the same with Johnny for years.

“Was it hard?”

“Yeah… but my mama died before I came out so I think I dodged a bullet. Not that nomads have a church or anything, but that woman prayed before every meal, before bed, every trip we took… always had her Bible too.”

Kerry nodded and blew the smoke out away from his partners, looking out over the city.

“What about you? You ever have religious family?” Venus asked, making Kerry look over again, then nod. He never talked about his own history.

“Mom was a devout Christian… dad was too greedy and drunk to really give a fuck. He fucked off to I don’t know where, maybe back to the Philippines. Never saw him after I left. She was never the type to force it on us though, as long as we were happy, she didn’t care… she knew I was bi before I did, apparently when I was a kid, I talked about boys and girls the same. She was a great woman in some ways…” He missed his mother. She was long dead now, died when he was 16, after he had already moved in with Johnny. That was the year he went off to work on the cruise to get away.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to ramble-“ When he looked over, Vax’s eyes were open and watching him. Both had the same look on their faces.

“I would have loved to meet her.” Vax whispered.

“You’re a few decades too late, sweetheart. Most of my family is dead anyway, my youngest sister is probably alive? Dunno.” Kerry shrugged.

He and Venus shared a look, a look of familiarity. In some ways, Venus reminded him a lot of himself, he didn’t know if he loved or hated it.

“I’m gonna go make some coffee. Good chat.” He kissed his lovers before pondering why the fuck he just said ‘good chat’ to his input of two years now. He hadn’t meant for the conversation to go the way it did. He didn’t want to talk about his family, he had wanted to talk about Venus.

[arosebyan0thername]

Angry life vent under the cut, don't read if you don't want negativity

Ok yeah I do definitely still resent my step mom for not getting a job and just relying on uber and doordash for almost a year after she lost her first stable job since moving west, and I do resent both of my parents for choosing to take out loans to go on cruises when they were barely even paying their bills on time. My dad is disabled and can't work and he's blaming himself for trying to get on disability instead of just getting another job that he can't do, but if she had sucked it up and gotten another desk job even though she *didn't wanna* then they wouldn't be so far in debt right now that they can't even afford a lawyer to help fight the foreclosure they're being threatened with.

I was living with my mom in pennsylvania and I'm mad that she didn't tell me that rent is super high where she is and I wasn't going to be able to afford to get a place on my own out there before I moved, but honestly I did really love the life that I had in PA, except living with my mom, and if I could've afforded to get an apartment out there, I would've stayed. I moved back to Nevada after my step dad relapsed and my mom thought she was gonna lose her house and have to move back in with my grandmother and there was no room for me there, but here we are now still on the verge of losing the house. And my job is currently cutting hours; I was already down to four days this week and next and then my boss told me not to come in for the first 4 hours of my shift today bc we're so slow, and I'm still trying to pay off my current semester of college.

AND I dont have a car bc some fucking asshole was speeding around a curve down a hill in the dark on fucking gravel and totaled mine, so now I can't even move out of state without enough money to rent a uhaul.

And my mom has been texting me for two days about my alcoholic brother and his alcoholic girlfriend and all the fights they've gotten into and the shit he's saying about our family while he's shitfaced and I dont know why she's dumping it all on me but it's just not helping.

I'm not even asking for good parents, I just wish I had fucking stable parents

[fmhiphop]

FM Interviews: Grammy Award-Winning Gospel Singer Dante Bowe Discusses God's Provision, New Album, And The Success Of His Music

As famous motivational speaker Les Brown once said: “The greatest revenge is massive success.” Recently, FMHipHop spoke with Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Dante Bowe about his gospel career and Grammy nominations. Initially from Rockingham, NC, now based in Dallas, TX, Dante Bowe has been making waves in the contemporary Christian music scene for the past several years. He has released numerous singles and albums and has featured several songs in movies and television shows. Honors For Dante Bowe Dante peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Gospel Chart last year and topped Billboard's Top 10 Gospel Artists of 2021. In addition to a Grammy Award, the chart-topping artist has been nominated for seven awards (as a soloist and as a group) across both the Gospel and Christian genres. At this year's award ceremony, Bowe was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for his song "God Really Loves Us," which Maverick City Music produced. During the 64th Grammy Awards last year, he won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and earned five nominations. Additionally, he founded and runs TRUE Music Records, an independent music management company. Besides his contributions to the music industry, he continues to be a beacon of hope for those in need by serving on the boards of charitable organizations that focus on children, the homeless, and at-risk youth. Gospel Music Is In His Blood There has always been a strong connection between Dante and gospel music. In his upbringing, music of all genres was appreciated. However, his grandmothers on both sides of his family taught him about gospel music. Not only that, Dante decided to try gospel music following his encounter with God at 16. "Over time, I became known locally for singing gospel," he said. "Nationally, when I went on tour with Eddie James and after I signed my first record deal with Bethel Music, one of the biggest Christian record labels, that's when it all exploded. It was all an accident. I was just led by God." First Single A new sound has been introduced in his first single, "Hide Me." This song represents the beginning of his foray into the mainstream R&B market while simultaneously remaining true to his gospel roots. With his forthcoming EP Press Play, Dante hopes to achieve new heights and broaden his fan base. According to Dante, the premise behind the single is his belief that "hiding" is the soundtrack of his life. "Definitely the soundtrack of the last season. I felt as though God hid me to prepare me for what was to come," he said. "A lot of times, we look at being "hidden" as a bad thing because we want exposure — we want to be seen, we want to be heard. But in my own season of solitude, I heard God's voice more clearly. He gave me strategy and helped me rebuild my infrastructure completely with a brand new team. So now, hiding is just a soundtrack of my life." In celebration of Dante Bowe's debut into mainstream R&B with his forthcoming EP Press Play, TRUE Music recently hosted a lavish party aboard the Fanta Sea yacht in Marina Del Rey. It featured a cocktail reception, a live performance by Bowe, and a scenic cruise around the marina, attended by notables such as Sabrina Harrison, Lauren Jauregui, Jemel McWilliams, YaSi, and others. What Is The EP About? The EP Press Play is a labor of love. According to the "King of My Heart" singer, one day, his producer came over to his house because he wasn't answering any phone calls. After the both of them chatted for a while, the producer suggested they go upstairs to create an album and write some music. That moment was the birth of "Press Play." "He had no idea what would come of it — he was just following God's voice. And so we ended up, in a matter of three months, creating 10-12 songs birthed from our conversation that day," Bowe said. "My manager asked me, “Why don’t you call it 'Press Play' since you've been on pause for a little while?” That's how we came up with the name of the album, and that's how we started creating it." Did Maverick City Music Cut Ties With Dante? Furthermore, the "It is Well" singer's only strategy he's ever known to have is hard work. "So I just worked really, really hard. I took my job seriously; I took my calling and my purpose very seriously," said the gospel singer. There is no presumption that God's grace or blessings will come to Dante's aid. Instead, he believes that he must devote himself to working hard and dedicating himself to the achievement of his dreams to succeed. He is confident that God will assist him, but he does not believe God will perform all the work. According to some reports, Dante was expelled from Maverick City Music for dancing to the music of Bad Bunny. The "truth," however, isn't accurate. "I wasn't kicked out of a group for dancing to Bad Bunny. The people at Maverick City Music are still my friends. We still love each other. In the future, there may or may not be a collaboration again. Who knows?" Dante said. "But I love Maverick City — and the way I chose to respond to them "pausing me" was by believing that it was part of God's plan. So I just kept working hard and kept praying." So Many Grammy Nominations In A Short Time The expectation of winning a Grammy Award is not common among artists. However, Dante has always dreamed of winning a Grammy Award. "I've always imagined my music going to the nations. Any time I write a song, I feel as though I can hear the world singing it," he said. "I try to imagine people actually singing it back to me. So I'm very grateful they do now — but I never imagined it would happen so quickly." Several of the gospel singer's songs have been nominated for Grammy awards making them more popular than his others. However, Bowe didn't expect his songs to become popular this soon. But he believes "if you do things with excellence, and I really love writing music, and I try to be as excellent as possible and as honest and vulnerable as possible in the process," in time, people will begin to gravitate toward these songs and they will gain popularity. "It's just a blessing that people feel the need to pass my songs around to their loved ones in times of trouble or even in times of joy, like my song 'joyful.' I just feel like I write songs for God’s people. We're all God’s people." Collaborations Of Hope Not too long ago, Dante finished doing his first show back at Rock the Universe at Universal Studios. He had Creative Director Jemel Williams, Music Director Brandon Bailey, and everyone who contributed to it there. "It was incredible. I mean, it was like a rebirth of Dante Bowe, if I can say so myself." The opportunity to perform before crowds of people is a blessing. However, performing with your favorite artist(s) is an even greater delight. For Dante, collaborating with famous musicians would be a great pleasure. "I would say Lauryn Hill is one of the first artists I started talking about collaborating with, but I'm totally open to so many other people. John Legend, Adele, CeCe Winans. Everybody. Everyone," he said. "Let's just hope that this all happens, but yeah, everyone." A Powerful Piece Of Advice Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” The transition from nothing to something has been a defining experience for Dante Bowe. His advice to those facing hardships and trying to achieve success is to never give up on themselves. "Always trust in God. Put Him first, and He will lead you to the water. Even if you feel like you don't know what to do or don't know where to go. I don't know whose hands to shake. I wanna be successful, but I don't know how to do it." Bowe said. For more information on Dante Bowe, click the links below. Website | Twitter | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram Follow and like FMHipHop on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube! Written by Nikiya Biggs Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest Read the full article

[touchstoneaf]

The problem has two sides as well.

One of the most horrific moments in my life was when I was in Las Vegas with my grandmother (which was a regular occurrence) and she wanted to know how to say 'towel' in Spanish (because she wanted to say something, probably something rude, to one of the girls who cleaned the hotel room, most of whom spoke Spanish at that particular place/moment in time; which don't even let me get started on that whole side-rant. I'm trying to compartmentalize my rants here). I couldn't remember the word despite puposely knowing a lot more Spanish than she did (because I was less of an asshole about it than her racist ass was. She was one of those insane people who thought that Spanish should be outlawed in the US, as if half the US didn't used to belong to Spain / Mexico and have spoken Spanish for centuries prior to English taking hold, but i digress). Anyway, it was insane; she literally insisted to me, this 14 year old kid, to turn to the random nonwhite people at the neighboring table in the buffet and ask them how to say 'towel' in Spanish. I kept saying "they're not going to know, they're not going to know, don't make me ask!" and she insisted, all like, "they'll know!" I don't know why she thought that; they were Asian of some kind and it was very obvious to me that they were baffled as to why we were asking that (she literally tried to force me to ask them in my halting Spanish, as if that was going to make this situation better. I asked in English and tried to make it sound offhand, like we were just polling the restaurant or something. It was one of the worst moments of my young life). I think they thought of the word (toalla) for us eventually, but I was just so embarrassed that she forced me to ask them that. In her head literally anybody who looked different to her didn't speak English... cuz nobody who looked like they weren't white *could* speak English, and anyone who didn’t speak English must then speak Spanish as their only alternative, I guess?

I just... I'm still horrified by it. And then of course at the end she said people should just speak English (which btw they very much did, but apparently she couldn't realize that because it didn't sound like English the way she'd decided English should sound). I'm sure she probably was an ugly American every time she went on a cruise as well. She's gone now, but she's in the same category as these people I was on a bus with in Mexico one time who were listening to the tour guide-slash-driver talking about local industry in Baja, and he mentioned that there was a car factory in Ensenada, and they were genuinely shocked that people in Mexico had cars. Like, no asshole, of course everybody still rides a fucking donkey around Mexico, you absolute goddamn nitwit!

I just can't. Meanwhile, I eagerly seek people out who don't speak English and try to learn from them. And I don't consider it bragging to say I'm at least a halfway decent human being, because we all should be... and my fellow Americans need to grow the fuck up and stop thinking we're the best thing on planet earth, and everybody should kowtow to us and do everything to make us fucking comfortable in this world, because "we are so fantastic"; as if there aren't much more attractive and comfortable places to live on this planet if we would grow up and learn a few things. Fucking makes me wanna barf. Also, the world is much more interesting with more variety, and the people who want it homogeneous in any way, whether it be genders or sexualities or races or any of that, are Literally Insane to me. Why try to squish the rainbow down to a boring sepia brown?

Oh, right, because you are a lamebrained pseudo-human who can't actually conceive of intricacies, and so you want everything to be as simple as your goddamn stupid worthless, inhuman mind is, you insipid, ant-brained racists!

I might be a little upset about this subject, but I was raised by asshole bigots and it pisses me off when people are dicks for no fucking reason and think the world should cater to them. Being an American is fucking embarrassing, and I will absolutely go off about it. Seek out something new and Challenge Your Minuscle, Tiny-Brained Worldview, you dumb fucks!

[i-am-the-unicorn-triumphant]

trying to explain it and get it out of my head in the least fatphobic way possible but i feel so gross after gaining so much weight but like in a sensory way not in i hate my body, fat is evil way bc. having skin touch skin is quite literally the worst feeling on planet earth and the fact that my boobs, stomach, and butt hang make me want to vomit. i cant walk normally i just want to wear shorts or a dress or skirt without bike shorts but my thighs touch *too much* because like i can’t remember a time where they didn’t touch and i dont care about having a thigh gap but it feels like my skin is pressing too much together and gets caught itself and i wanna kms

[lokisprettygirl]

Mystery of Laufey Manor (Loki x Female Reader)(Horror Au)

Read chapter 11 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 12

Summary : You become Mrs Laufeyson but Loki is still maintaining a distance from you.

The day you got married to Loki, you were excited for the wedding night as any newly wed would be. You were excited for your first kiss, but you didn't get to spend the night with him unfortunately. He was invited by Anthony Stark for a party and he couldn't deny it. Wouldn't want to affect the deal he said.

So you slept alone on your wedding night, cold and scared. You saw a woman in your dreams again, a different one, but the same warning, over and over again. Beware of the Manor. He'd kill you. You didn't understand it, maybe it was the fear of your subconscious mind, afraid of moving so far away from the place you grew up in. 

Next day after you came out of the shower, you stared at the ring. Married. It's a family heirloom he said, passed down from his great grandmother and so on. You got ready, and started to pack your things. The valuables and some clothes, you took out a necklace you always kept safely in the locker, so nothing would touch it or harm it. It was your mother's, her last gift to you. 

"That's beautiful" you heard your husband's voice and looked at him. He's your husband now, you still had to pinch yourself to believe that. It's been just a day afterall.

"You didn't come home last night" he walked over to you as soon as you said that and hugged you, 

"I apologize my darling, I was stuck there and inebriated, He asked me to stay the night, just to be safe, trust me there was nothing more I wanted than to spend the night with my bride" you nodded and he kissed your forehead, your eyes glanced over his lips, his beautiful soft lips, he didn't even kiss you after they announced you husband and wife. And it was killing you, you were so attracted to him, so addicted to him, and he wouldn't kiss you. 

"May I ask what is this?" He tried to pick up the necklace from your palm but you pulled your hand away 

"My mother's last gift to me, she gave it to me the day before she died, as if she knew" 

"It must mean the world to you right?" He asked you and your eyes teared up

"It does, she said to me that night that it would protect me from every harm, that as long as I had it with me she'd always be there" he nodded

"Very sentimental" he mumbled as he stared the necklace. Then he took an envelope out of his coat pocket and handed it to you

"The plane tickets?" You chuckled and he shook his head. It was a ticket, but not for the plane. It was for a cruise, New York to London. 

"Ship? We are crossing the Atlantic on a ship?" You asked him, confused, not that you didn't want to spend time trapped on a ship with him but you were surprised.

"Did you not like it? We don't have to go if you don't want to, we just got married, I just figured this would be more romantic than us being stuck on a plane for long hours with several people around us" he wrapped his arms around your waist so you smiled

"Of Course I like it, lo ..I was just surprised, it would be fun, I'm excited, I have never been on a cruise ship, or any ship for that matter" you giggled so he leaned forward to kiss your forehead again. You got on your tiptoes to kiss him but he stopped you

"Patience darling, I'm all yours now" your face flushed at the remark, from embarassment, his eyes seemed to bore straight into your soul

"Why can't I just kiss my husband?" 

"You absolutely can, just not now alright?" His tone was strict so you pulled away from him and tried to get back to packing your stuff but he grabbed your arms 

"Don't be cross, love, I just need sometime" he said softly, so you nodded. Of Course you wanted to do it all with his consent, he didn't want to bed you before marriage for whatever reasons and you didn't want to force him, but you didn't understand why he won't get close to you now.

That night he went back to his hotel, to pack his belongings. The cruise would leave tomorrow, it would take a week to cross the ocean. You were hoping he wouldn't run away from you. Was he shy? The way he used to touch you never gave you that feeling. He came back around 4am with his stuff and you were already asleep by the time. 

When you both entered the ship next evening, you couldn't help but stare at everything in awe, it was all so classy, you felt a little out of place.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" He chuckled as he looked at you, he couldn't help but adore the awestruck look you had on your face. He felt awful doing this to you, truly awful, and you didn't deserve it, none of it, but he had to. 

"I have read about this ship, apparently it's haunted" you said to him as he walked you to the cabin you two were going to share, he couldn't stop staring at you in your beautiful little dress. You're beautiful all the time but you looked ethereal as his wife.

"Well right at home, aren't you?" you chuckled as you heard him 

The cabin wasn't that big, just about the size of your bedroom, which was more than generous, there were two small separate beds in the opposite corners of the room, an enclosed window in the center. A small coffee table with two chairs that you found really cute. 

"Separate beds?" You asked him and he looked at you

"Wouldn't it be better until we have consummated our marriage?" You nodded as he said that and he walked over to you

"Besides I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off you if we are sleeping so close together in the same bed" he caressed your cheek with his fingers and you closed your eyes, he haven't touched you so sensually since that day you accepted his proposal, he maintained his distance like a gentleman. But what about now? 

"Loki..I want you" you wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed your lips against the exposed part of his neck which wasn't much under the layer of all the fabric he was wearing. 

"I know, I do too but it would be so much sweeter when we are both on the edge for a while, don't you think?" You clutched onto him as tightly as you could, you felt his finger trailing over your back 

"I..I just want to love you..just let me love you" you whispered in his ear and he took a deep breath. 

"Ssshh I'm not taking you here, not on this ship, I want to take you home, do you for the first time in my bed..our bed, can you be my darling girl and control yourself until then? The release when I finally give you one, it would shatter you to the hilt, don't you want that?" He whispered and his voice dissolved into you. You craved him but if that's what he wanted, you'd give him that. Why was it so hard though? Why couldn't you keep your hands off him? He's just a man, just another man then why did you feel like you'd die if you won't quench your thirst for him anytime soon.

"Mmm please just touch me..or let me kiss you at least" you felt embarrassed as you stood there all limp and weak in his arms, begging for his touch, begging for him to touch you.

"My beautiful wifey, you look so good when you're being so pathetic for me, I thoroughly enjoy the state you are in at the moment" he gripped your hair with one hand and pulled your head away from his neck, you kept your eyes closed as you couldn't even look him into the eyes. You just wanted him to keep whispering.

"Oh please lo"

"Begging a man to defile you, not so virtuous now are you? So unlady like, such a whore for your husband" You let out a moan at his filthy words.

The last time he talked to you like this was when he asked you to marry him, the words seemed so foreign coming out of his decent gentle mouth, normally he treated you with utmost respect,this  was all just sexual play and you loved that. He cupped your cheek with other hand so you turned your head and kissed on his palm, then the back of his hand, wet kisses, then you licked on his fingers and you heard him curse for the first time

"Fucking hell..come here" he turned you around and pulled you into his chest, you felt his soft satin waistcoat rubbing against your back. Like the night in the kitchen his one hand went around your eyes and you leaned them down on his shoulder, but instead of teasing you, he went straight for the kill this time. He sneaked his other hand under your dress and cupped your panty covered mound. As soon as you felt his palm between your legs, you felt like someone had set you on fire. 

"Ohh yess please" you mumbled so he brought his pinky finger down from your eyes and placed it between your lips in a horizontal manner, as if to shut you up, his hands are so big he was covering your whole face and your mouth all at once

"Feel this my darling?" You gasped as he pressed his fingers on your heat, the sensation felt so good, you have been wanting him to just touch you like this for so long and you felt as if you'd combust right there, he put pressure on your soaked pussy in a back n forth manner again and again, if you had your eyes open you were pretty sure you'd see stars 

"You're so soaked with desire, seeping through the fabric of your underwear, you are absolutely dripping in there aren't you?" He whispered in your ear, and you could only whine in response. You brought your right hand up and clutched onto his shoulder as he kept pressing his palm between your core over and over again. And then you felt him, between your cheeks, his bulge rubbed against your behind, he was hard, so hard and he felt so big. 

"I can feel you..I feel you" he took a deep breath as you whispered softly

"Sometimes I wonder if I'd have to open you up for my length but seeing how you're gushing with the mere pressure of my palm between your legs, I for sure know that I'd just slide right inside your whorish quim" you gasped, your mouth stayed open as you breathed heavily.

"Goshhh keep talking lo.. you're so good ..you feel so good" he let out a deep throaty chuckling sound. You were so close, so so close. 

"And you're so depraved, I love you darling..hold on for me, I'll make you feel so good. I'll give you everything you desire, all the kisses, all the sex, anytime you want, anywhere you want I'll give it to you ..I'll give you every inch of me but you have to show me forbearance, get a grip on yourself until then can you darling love?" As soon as he finished his words, his movements stopped and he brought his hand back from between your legs, his fingers were sticky with your juices and you could hear him taking a whiff of your scent.

You mumbled a meak little yes in response, your mind still felt hazy as you felt the pleasurable sensation drifting away slowly. 

"Mmm okay..hold..I'll hold" you whispered so he turned you around and cupped your cheeks, then he kissed your forehead

"Let me wash you off me as much as I don't want to, then I want you to get ready my dear, we'll go have dinner then" you opened your eyes and he was looking right at you. You felt the shame building up again, why do you act so filthy around him? You had never been like this. 

"I love you" his lips curved into a small smile as you said that and he placed a soft kiss on your cheeks. 

He took you to the classiest dining venue they had on the cruise, then after the dinner, you both went to a quiet part of the ship, and you watched the ocean waves from the edge of the railing, he wrapped his arms around your waist and you felt his lips on your neck.

"It's so cold here" you mumbled as you rubbed your palms together so he took of his coat and placed it over your shoulders 

"Better Darling?" You smiled and he pulled you closer again

"It looks so peaceful and serene from up here, I could only imagine the darkness as you go deeper and deeper in the ocean" you sighed, you have seen things like this in your dreams before.

"Sometimes there's a beauty in darkness as well, we just don't see it or don't want to because it's terrifying to be surrounded by something or someone hiding so many secrets with in them" 

You turned around and wrapped your arms around his neck "Mmm no secrets between us from now on.. promise me" He leaned forward to kiss your forehead, then he pulled you in for a hug.

"I promise love" 

When you got back to your cabin, he told you that he'd take a shower and you can go to sleep if you're tired. You knew you couldn't have sex with him but you could cuddle or just sleep in the same bed maybe? You changed into a night dress that was skimpier than you intended for it to be but considering that you just got married, you just wanted to entice your husband. Well it was before he told you that you'd be consummating in his bedroom and not here.

When he came out, he had a loose white shirt on with few of his buttons undone, a black trouser comfortable enough for sleeping. Your eyes met with his and you got on your bed while he sat down on the other one.

"You look beautiful sweetheart" But you still won't fuck me. You thought as he said that

"Thank you..you do too" you smiled so he walked over to you and kissed your cheeks one by one. He ordered tea from the service so he made it for you 

"So are you from a lineage of kings or something?" Ever since you saw the term Lord before his name you have been meaning to ask him that

"My great grandfather was a viscount and we have been inheriting the position from generations" 

"So what does that make me now?" 

"You're my wife now, so you hold the title of viscountess. You'll be formally addressed as Lady Y/n Laufeyson from now on" 

"Ohhh" you sipped on your tea as he divulged that information. You never thought you'd marry into a royal family.

"Don't stress about that my darling, my whole family is gone now and I'm not much of a royal jerk anymore as you can see, we will live a normal life, as normal as I can give you" you smiled at him, after you finished the tea, he tucked you in and kissed your forehead then he got into his separate bed, he switched off the lamp on your side of the bed.

"Can you turn around to the other side, I would like to take the mask off" he asked you in a gentle polite manner so you turned on the other side. Then he turned his side of the lamp off and it was all dark, only faint moonlight peered in from the small window in the middle of your beds. 

"I'm right here sweet thing, you don't have to be afraid" he said to you and you hummed in response. He knows you don't do well in the dark, it makes you paranoid. Fortunately the tiredness from the day managed to lull you to sleep quickly.

He looked at your side, he could see your back facing him, a dreadful feeling filled him as he realized someone was laying next to him. She was laying next to him

"This one would be so hard to let go of, she is not the one..just like they were not..none of them were right and never will be. Poor thing, I warned her but she didn't listen, now her fate is sealed" the voice whispered in his ear, then she started cackling, he turned his head and she was right next to him. His eyes teared up as he smelled her rotting flesh and foul breath. 

He closed his eyes like always and tried to forget about the ghost laying next to him as she clutched onto him. He only thought of your soft moans and writhing body as he was holding you in his arms today, he thought of how eager you were for him as he made you shiver with his words. 

He despised himself for doing this to you but he had to. He had to.

💀💀💀💀💚💚💚💚💚💀💀💀💀

Taglist : @soumya-13        @nonsensicalobsessions        @michelleleewise        @ladymischief11        @keegansakura        @perhaps-just-june        @daddylokisqueen        @chaotics17        @colifower    @crystalmoon-13

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[shards-of-gold]

*The Enterprise crew on a small cruise, visiting Earth*

Riker: You know, we should make this an annual trip. Just the sun, the sea and the senior members of the crew. I can't imagine a better shore leave than this.

*Wesley and Worf sprinting past with loaded water guns*

Worf: You cannot escape me, Wesley! I shall be victorious!

Wesley, scoffing: Yeah right, Worf! My grandmother can run faster than you!

*Rapid spurts of water flying everywhere*

Beverly: Enough with the water guns you two! You're making the deck all wet and the last thing I want on my holiday is healing broken bones because someone slippe-

*A loud thump. Picard cursing loudly*

Wesley, trembling: Oh I'm so dead.

*Picard, rounding the corner rubbing his back*

Picard, fuming: Can't a man be allowed to have even a moments peace? Is that too much to ask for?! And to make matters worse, a rare Romulan relic I was scrutinising flew from my grasp as I fell, and now it's more than likely thousands of feet below us on the seabed. How am I supposed to explain this to the Earth Archaeology Council?

Data, popping up out of nowhere: I could not help but overhear your predicament Captain. I might yet be able to retrieve the aforementioned relic before it is too late. I will return in a moment.

*Data jumps off the cruise ship, splashing into the sea*

Geordi, shouting: Data! Data wait, I didn't install your buoyancy device!

Wesley: Buoyancy device? You mean like android armbands?

Geordi, ignoring Wesley: *groans* Dammit it's going to take me weeks to drain all the saltwater from his system.

Deanna, laughing: Still think we should make this an annual thing Will?

Riker: Deanna, you know that I would never make such an outlandish suggestion.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

8 Days Left

We've run out of time.

For about a week there, we had a sort of plan but it didn't work out. The landlady refused a lease in order to help us deal with back pay as well as looking for financial help for various associations that require lease info, as such, she's not getting any more money out of us.

She wouldn't let us pay our bills in person. She always demanded the amount be given to her directly. When asked if the prices were really what she claimed, she threw a fit. Claimed we were being rude despite how suspicious it is that she wouldn't even let us contact the companies personally.

She is still having her family members stalk us. She calls every day complaining about something or other.

The plan we'd been going with fell through. Once again, we cannot rely on anyone we seem to know personally, over several years.

Mom's maternal family is useless. They are wealthy. They married into wealth and do not work at all. But when it comes to helping their own family out, they don't do that. This bitch was my Nana's sister and she and her spawn are so against helping their own family financially that they didn't even help with Nana's funeral when she died. This bitch came out of the same vagina and supposedly loved Nana to pieces, and couldn't be bothered to help her destitute niece handle her dead sister's affairs.

The only time they want to help is when they have some kind of comment on Facebook about how I am too lazy and need boot camp to get me into shape physically and mentally. They've never offered to help us and always bring up not giving people handouts. They go on multiple cruises and vacations a year but the idea of helping family is just impossible. They claim everyone is greedy but them.

Mom has only managed to sell her grandmother's heirloom bracelet(which had to go to groceries) and my sister's guitar(which went to electric). Less than $300 between them both. No one wants the violin or the keyboards. We have limited edition comics but no one is interested. Fine china that no one cares about.

We've been trying to sell shit and it's not working out.

We have exactly $1.08 in the Paypal. I have $5 in an Amazon gift card. I'm doing surveys but it's not really helping.

We basically need money to just put our things in a storage unit now.

Step-dad's friends are still making excuses and he's still believing them. They claim they either, don't trust links on Facebook, the link doesn't work, or it leads to a different page entirely. Several people here have tested the link out for me on various devices and browsers. They are lying. I don't know why they just won't admit that they don't want to help.

Just say no. Dozens of grown men have been leading this idiot on for almost 3 months. And no matter what we say he's still defending them.

As for step-dad's issues, several law firms have gotten back to us about his injury. Yes. He has a case. His former job owes him a lot of money they're trying to get out of paying. BUT, no one wants to take his case because it's not financially beneficial to THEM.

Finally, the IRS is still giving me problems about the 2nd and 3rd stimulus checks they owe me. The nearest office over an hour away has been closed all year because of the global panorama. I have no way of 'proving my identity' because they refuse to accept online or phone call verification. Every time I call I get the same bitch who gives me a spiel about how despite the letter saying to call that number specifically, no one there can actually help with stimulus check related issues, despite it being only for the missed stimulus checks.

Both of them would really help out but of course nothing can go our way, right.

I feel bad that my sister has to deal with this when she just started her job yesterday. She's gonna go stay with her friend on the 4th while we do whatever.

So once again, here is the gofundme.

Here's my Ko-Fi. I am accepting commissions but I only have a few days left where I'll be able to take them so it'll have to be quick if anyone's interested. We won't have internet access let alone a place to sleep. I'll keep the Ko-Fi open for donations but other than that I won't be able to reliably swing it and I wouldn't want to let anyone down.

Thanks for listening to my whining. Sorry I haven't been able to post my happy stuff in recent months but homelessness is really kicking my ass.

[rumblelibrary]

Have you ever thought about writing a continuation to Unofficial Meeting? I'm dying to know whether Laszlo earns the reader's forgiveness and if she accepts his proposal or not. Have a good day! 😚

Undisclosed Meeting [Dr Laszlo Kreizler x Fem!Reader]

Word count: 2k

Warnings: Laszlo self deprecating himself hard

A/N: how could I give up a chance to make my boy Laszlo happy? Thank you so much for requesting it, it really made me happy to have an old story requested. Here is the original story

“Are you even listening to me?”

Violet inquired as you blinked surprised and taken aback. She invited you over for an afternoon tea, but your mind kept wondering off to what happened between you and Laszlo. You haven’t seen him in over a month and to be honest you missed him. The first few days you were firm on your choice, he upset you and your family, he crossed your boundaries mindlessly.

But then you realised how he meant to ask your hand to your father, how he never meant for you to be hurting, he just wanted to make it official.

Your grandmother tried to talk you out of your anger but she didn’t managed to, it was over anyway. You upset each other, you closed that chapter.

If you have feelings for him that chapter is not closed, your grandmother told you but you tried to ignore it. You haven’t seen him in so long, not even at some event or where you’d usually expect him to be. He kept sending you flowers to you until the end of the previous month. That silly man, always hating to leave things halfway done.

“I am, I am just a bit tired” you said as she waved her hand 

“nonsense ” she said offering you to try some sweets while she stood up to call her maid and gather what she meant to show you “I’ll show you now the latest Paris fashion and you’ll have to wake up” 

She was your friend, she was sweet and she knew you were on a rough patch now and she did all in her power t keep you distracted.

“Charles stop it”

John’s voice rang through you ears as you stood up to see what was going on from the window facing the luscious back garden of the Moore residence. Little Charles was the spit image of his parents and an adventurer at heart, you could tell from the way he kept his father busy running after him.

You smiled as John gave up opening his arms in defeat.

“What I have to do?” He groaned making you chuckle as for a moment it looked like he was asking to God, but when you noticed that he was in fact talking to Dr Kreizler who was sitting on a bench. You codlin’t help but rest your eyes on him, he looked pale, tired like he wasn’t sleeping. He was like this during investigations but as far as you knew there was no one at the moment.

“Wat you have to do John? Let the boy be” he said as a tired smile crept onto his lips.

“Yes, he will break his skull in a second”

Laszlo shook his head looking at him “If you prevent him from doing anything he won’t never learn” he said as he spoke matter of factly but that tiredness in his voice was evident. You wondered what kept him up.

You wondered if t was your fault.

But then you saw the sweet look he had for the child as he picked a ball that was hiding behind his back to give it to him to play with.

He was so good with kids, it was incredible.

You knew it was his job, but the tenderness he showed with them was something you felt on your own skin as you used to be allowed to be part of that special round of people that got to see him being sweet.

You moved away from the window just in time for Violet to come back, her maids holding onto over twenty new items of clothing.

“V” you said to her as the use of that little nickname sparked already her attention “I have to ask you a favour”

It was dead in the evening when Laszlo got asked from Violet to meet a friend of hers with a child with various problems.

The symptoms she described didn’t really add up, they should be excluding each other. But no matter what he decided to go there. 

He usually was very firm about his privacy and the times he could meet or not patients, even though the secrecy of the hour would be typical of a wealthy family trying to hide some kind of a problem they judge as shameful, he also came to a point where work was all he got.

He missed you, everything reminded him of you. He hoped to see, he would be a liar if he didn’t admit to have handed a dollar or two to your maid to at least know how are you.

He didn’t mean to stalk you, he just wanted you happy and once more he was acting behind your back. But your maid told him you were fine and doing your business, so he stopped inquiring. He didn’t deserve you in the first place anyway, but how things ended really pained him, he really thought to be doing right and he really wanted to have a future with you, to have many what John has.

But what nonsense thinking about it now that it is all gone and by his own hand, he had nobody to blame but himself.

As he arrived to the building he got inside surprised not to find anyone at service but only an open door.

The instinct would have told him to go away, but he was reckless by now, he already lost what he cared the most.

Walking inside the candlelit hallway he was surprised to get to a large living room only to find you there.

The truth was that he stopped on his track to admire you. You were amazing, he adored you in any possible shape and form, everything from your clothing to your composure screamed for his eyes to be fixated onto you.

He took that moment to look at you, take in your image, last time you two spoke you were so upset and he didn’t want that to be the last image he had of you.

“I am more discreet than you when I have to do things in secret” you said and he smiled lightly

“You’re”

His admission, the tiredness of his look just paining you.

“Is this a house of your family?”

“Yes, it is my aunt’s but she is on some cruise with her husband”

He nodded quietly as he looked around moving closer to you, the candles around you making him feel like the moment was set in another time.

“You didn’t have to make an appointment to meet me”

“Well, I asked a friend for a favour, I could have paid Stevie to drive you here anyway” you answered, basically hinting him that your maid didn’t keep his little inquiring a secret between the two of you.

He nodded gulping down, he felt like he was naked in front of you, defenceless and anything you could attack him with would really hurt. 

“I though that after our last conversation we needed to speak alone and in a neutral ground, I attacked you and I know I moved past my means”

“Just like I did inquiring about your life without permission” he concluded for you, he kept thinking about that day over and over, he couldn’t take it out of his mind and he even thought it would be easy only because so many people hated him already, button you. He wished you’d never be one of them.

“Miss Y/L/N” the fact he used your last name showing how he was trying to prove you some respect, not using your first name like you’re somehow close, mostly because he doubts you’d wish him close at any time.

“All I have ever wanted was to be worth of you”

His words trembling, like snakes sliding onto your skin.

He opened his mouth to say something and he closed it as he stared somewhere away from you, he shook his head slowly. The pain visible through him.

“I am a despicable failure as a human being, I know it” he said as he rose his hand to invite your silence “I have spent my life trying to find a common language  to get through people, studying them ,making sure to be able to read human behaviour to allow myself the freedom of interaction. I am not a natural like John, I can’t just go on a group and charm my way through it and I knew, I knew from the moment you allowed me to be close to you that I would ruin it because I am such social wreck, because I can’t control myself or I can’t not follow the rules that I have been told are the right path to follow”

He let out a shaky breath as he looked down and then up at you, he was trying to hold back tears but the truth was that he cried for losing you, He cried for nights and days.

“I apologise once more, I wanted to do you right and I just overstepped you. I always admired you for your being independent and clever and I reduced you to an object with my insensitive behaviour. I always make myself strong from talking my way through people and I blindsided you when words were the most needed”

You looked at him as maybe for the first time he really throw away the mask, he really let himself speak up.

“I valued what you did for me” you blinked at him surprised, your head slightly falling on side to observe him.

He was going down the self deprecating himself hill, you could almost count how much time there was between him going down onto his arm topic. You know that was always his undisclosed weakness, how he hated it and saw himself as unlovable because imperfect.

“It is yes”

He looked at you with a frown not seeing what you mean.

“My answer for your question”

He frowned even more, what question? You could hear it resonate into his mind as he didn’t ask you anything, he came to you to apologise and…

And then he got it.

His eyes widened as he opened his mouth only to close it again.

No, he was probably misunderstanding, once more reading badly the situation.

You picked your left glove slowly taking it off to show him you were wearing his ring on your hand.

He stared at you, his hand hesitantly moving to pick yours bringing it up to his lips and resting a kiss over it, his hand holding yours as he stared up at you.

His wet eyes now unmistakable from cha closeness, the signs of his lack of sleep visible.

“In a marriage there shouldn’t be secrets, I tried to avoid something shameful for me when you allowed me to see every part of you” you admitted as you weren’t free from blame, you referred to pretend something wasn’t there rather than facing it.

He stared at you with shaky breath, as he licked his lips trying to find words.

“I love you Laszlo, I really want to be your wife”

His jaw trembled as the happiness rushed over him like electricity, his hand bringing yours over his heart beating so fast and hard that he felt it could explode.

“I love you Y/N” he whispered as you caressed his cheek with your right hand as he leaned down, still not daring to believe what was happening.

So you just did it, you leaned in closing the space between the two of you with a kiss.

The times were changed.

Women could accept wedding proposals without their father’s approval, men could cry for love and love words were made of truths and exposed weaknesses and not by the words of dusty poets. And with such strong ideals you could only imagine your life as set up for a greater kind of happiness with him.

Tagged @cazzyimagines @lieutenantn @handmaiden-of-mischief @thesunflowersutra @zemomybeloved @fictionlandslanddreams@charistory @greeneyedblondie44 @apparrio @hb8301 @whatawildone @rhymerhymerhyme  @thehuiabird @lilith-blackrose @unbeatablecurlgirl @obsidianlaszlo @alindeluce @zemosimp05 @baronesszemo-blackwood @nocapesdahling @everythingbeginsineternity-blog

[queensoybean0724]

Succession Chapter 1 (Karl Heisenberg/female reader) Resident Evil Village fic

Here is chapter one of my new fanfic!

Title: Succession

Characters: Karl Heisenberg, female reader, OCs

Rating: PG-13 for language and intense scenes (for now, this is a slow burn, but it will get very hot and spicy in later chapters)

Summary: You discover a long lost relative from Moldova that you didn’t know existed has died and you are his sole beneficiary.  You are on board a plane to collect your inheritance when your plane crashes in a village in Romania.

Author’s Notes: I do not own the characters from Resident Evil Village.  This is a work of fiction.  Anything remotely similar to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1

The music blasted from the car speakers as you drove down the main road towards the highway.  You had your phone plugged into your car stereo, your favorite Spotify playlist on shuffle.  Despite the A/C being on full blast, beads of sweat formed at your brow and rolled down your temple.  You adjusted the vents on either side of you, making sure the cold air directly hit your body.  The song that was playing had you tapping your fingers on the steering wheel, your head bopping to the beat.

The fridge at home was close to empty and it was beyond time for you to go grocery shopping.  The grocery list was secure in your purse and you were determined to stick to the items on the list and not make any frivolous purchases.  Money was tight and you only had so much money left before payday next week.

The song shut off suddenly followed by your ringtone.  Looking at the screen of your phone, UNKNOWN stared back at you. Probably a spam call, you thought to yourself, reaching to press the red Ignore button.  Unfortunately, your finger slid at the last minute and mistakenly tapped the Accept button. You watched as the call came through and the seconds ticked off.  FUCK!

“Hello?” you greeted with a hint of exasperation in your voice.

“Hello, am I speaking with Miss Y/N?” a heavily accented male voice responded.

“Yeah, this is she,” you muttered, rolling your eyes.  You tried your best to avoid these calls, ignoring them and letting them go straight to voicemail.  Very rarely was it followed with an actual message, which was more than fine with you.

“Miss Y/N, my name is Ron M. Dathermi.  I am a lawyer residing in Chisinau, Moldova in Eastern Europe…”

You raised your eyebrows at that.  Moldova?  Who the hell was calling you from Moldova?  Chalking it up to a scam, you were about to interrupt the man when he continued.

“...I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but I’m afraid I have some bad news.  Your great uncle, Serghei Popa, has passed away from a short illness and has named you his sole beneficiary…”

You couldn’t help the amused huff that came out of your mouth.  This must be some very elaborate scam.

“Umm...sorry, but I think you have the wrong person.  I don’t have family from Moldova and I have never heard of this man in my whole life.” You were about to hit the End button when Mr. Dathermi continued.

“Am I speaking with Y/N, born on (your birthday) to (your father and mother’s full names) and the granddaughter of (your grandfather and grandmother on both sides of your family)?”

Your eyes widened at that.  “Yeah, that’s me…” you answered.

“I know this may sound unusual, but Mr. Popa was the brother of your grandmother on your mother’s side.  He was given up for adoption at birth and taken in by a Moldovan family.  He did not have a spouse and had no children, and according to the genealogy report I have before me, your grandmother and your mother are both deceased.  Your mother was an only child, yes?  It appears to me that you are the last of his living relatives.”

You pulled off the road and into an empty parking lot.  The information you were being given was a lot to handle.  You didn’t have that large of a family.  You were an only child and raised by your parents and both sets of grandparents.  Both of your grandfathers had died before you turned 10.  Both grandmothers died within 5 years of each other and your father and mother died of illnesses, cancer and pneumonia respectively, in the last year.  Grief was a feeling that you knew better than anyone.  You kept to yourself mostly and you didn’t have any close friends or a significant other.

“Listen,” you began, “you are correct about all of your information, but how do I know this is not some kind of scam?”

The man on the other end of the phone cleared his throat and the sound of shuffling papers met your ears.  “I can imagine that this information is sudden and unusual.  What I will do is send a copy of his will and a copy of the genealogy papers to your address.  I encourage you to take this to your lawyer and have them look over the information.  The reason I am calling is because I need you to fly to Moldova, sign these papers, and accept the monetary inheritance that he has left you.”

Your jaw dropped as you looked down at your phone.  Fly to Moldova?  Is this true?  The only thing you knew about the country was that a foreign exchange student from high school was born and raised in Moldova.  That about sums up your knowledge of the country. This seemed incredibly asinine and ridiculous.  But the word that settled in your train of thought was “inheritance.” What inheritance?

“Mr...what was your name again?” you asked.

“Mr. Dathermi, but you can call me Ron,” the lawyer responded.

“Ron...umm, how much monetary inheritance are we talking about?”

More shuffling of papers was on the other side of the phone, Ron clicking his tongue as he looked through the information.  “He has left you 53,806,746 Moldovan Leu...which translates to $3,000,000 in American currency.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!?!” you exclaimed before clamping your lips shut.  You heard Ron chuckle.  “I’m sorry, pardon my language. It’s just...wow...this sounds insane…”

“I can imagine it does,” Ron replied, “which is why I want to mail this information to you and have your attorney take a look at it so you know this is a legitimate will and testament.  If you would like, I can mail the information straight to your attorney if you are still leery.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” you said, shaking your head.  Your mind was whirling.  None of this sounded remotely true.  You felt as if you were dreaming.  This felt like something that only happened in books and fairy tales...a girl who had nothing and nobody suddenly inheriting millions of dollars from an unknown distant relative.  What are the odds of something like this happening in real life?  You gave Ron Dathermi your home address.

“Thank you very much, Miss Y/N.  I will send this as soon as possible.  I’ll also include my business card so your attorney can contact me and we can iron out the details.  Thank you very much, Y/N...I’ll be in touch.”

You thanked him as well and ended the call.  All alone in your car in the empty parking lot, you let out an excited squeal and started hopping up and down.

*

You adjusted the messenger bag that was slung across your shoulder as you heard the overhead speaker call for the boarding of your flight.  Taking a deep breath, you got in line, extended your ticket to the airport employee, and walked down the tarmac and into the plane.

Butterflies were fluttering in your stomach.  Your hands gripped your bag tightly as the flight attendant looked at your boarding pass and pointed down the aisle to where you were to be seated.  You had never flown before and your nerves were on alert.  Scenes from Final Destination flashed in your head as you walked down the aisle towards your seat.  Taking a deep breath and willing your body to relax, you located your seat next to the window and sat down, plopping your bag onto your lap.  

The small window was close to the wing of the plane and looking beyond that was a long expanse of grass that met a vast forest.  You were thankful that you had the window seat and your headphones so you could tune everything out and relax in your own little world.

Once the papers from Mr. Dathermi arrived a week prior, you immediately called the attorney that helped you with the probate and will from your parents’ deaths several months back.  He was more than happy to help, knowing that you were all alone in the world after your parents had passed.  Two days later, he called to inform you that all of the paperwork was, in fact, legitimate and that Mr. Serghei Popa was the brother of your grandmother.  He showed you the adoption papers, confirming that your great uncle had been put up for adoption and the family that took him in had relocated to Moldova when he was two years old.  He had remained in the country until his death.  Your attorney contacted Mr. Dathermi, who in turn secured a round trip plane ticket in order for you to come to Moldova to finalize the paperwork and collect the inheritance.

At the thought of the money you were about to acquire, another surge of excitement flowed through you.  Your parents hadn’t left you much after their death and you worked at a dead-end job that had no room for advancement and no possibility for raises.  All of these recent events sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

“This is your captain speaking,” the voice sounded from the speaker above your head, “we will be departing in the next ten minutes.  Please make sure your seatbelts are secured, your tray tables are up, and all electronics are off until we are at the appropriate cruising altitude.  I will inform everyone as soon as the coast is clear.  Thank you for flying with us and enjoy the ride.”

You fastened your seatbelt and laid your head back, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Don’t be nervous…” a voice sounded next to you.  You opened your eyes and looked over to see an older gentleman with wide rimmed glasses and a nice smile.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked, returning his smile.

“It’s pretty obvious,” he chuckled, “my name is Bruce Williams.  I’m the air marshal on board this flight.” You told him your name and shook his hand. “Just relax,” he assured, “we’ll be flying for the next 10 hours.  There are lots of movies and tv shows to watch on the screen in front of you, or you can listen to your music and read a book if you brought one.”

You patted your messenger bag.  “Yeah, I have a few books to choose from.  Thanks,” you smiled.

Within minutes, the plane had backed away from the tarmac, turned towards the long expanse of runway, and increased speed before leaving the ground and soaring up into the clouds.

*

The steady hum of the plane’s engines provided a relaxed soundtrack as you slept.  It was close to early morning, according to the clock on the tv screen, but your watch was still on your regular time zone.  It read early afternoon and that threw you through a loop.  You had heard that jet lag could be a bitch and you wondered how bad yours would be once you landed.  Bruce had passed you a pillow and blanket once you were ready to sleep and he assured you that your bag and belongings would be safe while you slept.

You were so thankful to be seated next to him.  Not only was he the air marshal, but he was a really cool person as well.  You two talked about movies and actually watched a couple of them on the tv screen in front of you.  Bruce was kind and nice to talk to.  The crinkle of crow’s feet around his eyes, his laugh, and his hair color mixed with hints of gray reminded you of your father...maybe that’s why you liked him so much.

You shifted in your seat and let out a soft yawn.  Stretching your arms above your head and arching your back, you wondered how much longer it would be until you touched down in Moldova.

“You weren’t asleep that long,” Bruce murmured.  You looked over to see a book in his hand and his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom and then go back to sleep,” you replied, standing from your seat.  Bruce stood up and allowed you out into the aisle.  You made your way to the bathroom towards the back of the plane.  The cabin was dark with little lights dotting either side of the aisle on the floor. Soft lights were shining here and there from people reading, watching the tv screen, or messing with their phones while most of the passengers were asleep.

Once in the bathroom, you did your business, flushed the toilet, and began washing your hands.  The mirror in front of you showed a tired and weary version of yourself.  Some of your eye makeup was smudged.  You told yourself once  you returned back to your seat, you’d retrieve the makeup remover wipes in your bag and do away with the dirt and oil.

Just then the plane hit an air pocket and dropped several feet, throwing  you forward towards the sink and mirror.  You let out a shriek as the plane quieted and went still.  “God dammit,” you muttered, putting your hand over your heart, “that scared the shit out of me!”

Once out of the bathroom, you slammed the door shut and walked back to your seat.  You tapped Bruce on the shoulder and he moved aside.

You lifted the window shade and looked outside.  Natural light from the start of the day began to show.  The plane was amongst the clouds so it was fairly cloudy and hard to see.

“How much farther do we have?” you asked Bruce.  He shifted the book to his left hand and looked down at his wristwatch.  “We should be there in three hours.  I think we are flying over Romania right now…”

You nodded your head and thanked him, turning back to the window.  The clouds gave way momentarily and provided the opportunity to see the ground below.  Tall, snowy mountains came into view.  You smiled and marveled at their beauty, wondering what mountain range this was.  You cursed yourself for forgetting the basics from your World Geography class in high school.  Hell, all you knew about Romania was that it was the setting for Dracula and the real life territory that was once owned by Elizabeth Bathory, who allegedly killed upwards of 650 maidens and bathed in their blood.  You shook your head and smiled to yourself.  You really did enjoy some morbid and fucked up stories.

Your train of thought stopped short when a large and spacious castle came into view.  Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped.  It looked like something out of a Disney movie or from ancient castles that still sat throughout Europe.  The place looked like it stood on several acres of land and who knows how many square feet.  What a gorgeous and breathtaking place it was.  You wondered just what was inside a monstrosity like that and who was lucky enough to inhabit such a place.  Maybe there were castles in Moldova that you could explore and visit while you’re conducting your business.

The castle fell out of view and not far from it stood what looked like a village.  You were too high up to see any people or any traces of lights or torches.  You took everything in with total awe and appreciation.  It looked like a small and sleepy storybook town.

A sudden movement close to the village caught your attention.  You squinted your eyes and tried to look closer, pressing your forehead to the window.  What the fuck is that, you wondered.  It looked like a black tree, naked of leaves or any type of growth...and it was moving.  It looked to be swaying in the breeze, but the size of it looked way too sturdy for any kind of gust to move it with such fluidity.  As you focused on the tree, it appeared to be growing...getting closer to the plane.  Was the plane descending?  Were you getting closer to Moldova?

One of the branches of the tree slowly drifted to the ground before extending long and rigid, slinging itself up into the air like a bullwhip, hitting the wing of the plane.  The plane suddenly tilted as the slithering limb wrapped around the wing and broke it off.  You let out a loud scream as the plane turned on its side, Bruce falling against you, squishing you to the wall.  “WHAT THE FUCK??” Bruce screamed as yelps, shrieks, and screams echoed in the cabin of the plane.  Dozens of people were knocked from their seats, flight attendants falling into the aisle and rolling towards the cockpit.  The plane shook and quaked as it dropped several feet in a matter of seconds.

“OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” you screamed, grabbing hold of Bruce’s arm.  The air masks dropped from overhead and Bruce grabbed yours, making quick work of putting it over your face.  “HOLD ON TO IT! HOLD IT OVER YOUR MOUTH, Y/N!!” he commanded, reaching for his own mask.

“THE WING OF THE PLANE HAS BEEN DAMAGED!” the pilot yelled from over the speakers, “WE ARE LOSING ALTITUDE! BRACE FOR IMPACT!”  People screamed and panicked, holding on to whatever it was they could.  Panic surged through your body as your fingers dug into Bruce’s arm.  The plane shook as it fell.  Your stomach dropped and it felt as if you were seconds from impact.  You looked out the window one last time before the ground came into view and everything went black.

*

He leaned over the body on the metal table in the lab of his factory.  He fastened the bolts with a wrench and tested the strength of the metal against the rotting flesh.  A soft horn sounded in the distance along with the various turns of chains and clangs of steel against steel.  He wiped the sweat off his brow and walked to his desk, looking over the blueprints and sketches he had devised the previous day.

Despite the different array of sounds, nothing could mask the loud crash that sounded off in the distance.  He lifted his head, silently trying to figure out what the fuck made that noise.  Leaving the body laying on the table, he exited his lab and made his way down the stairs and to the factory doors.  

With a grunt, he slid the doors aside and looked off into the distance.  Black smoke billowed from an area that looked to be close to the village.  Other than the crows squawking and flapping their wings in retreat, everything was dead quiet.  He looked off to the right just in time to see the long, spindly limbs of mold retreating back towards the earth.  Karl Heisenberg’s face tightened in a disgusted grimace.

“Mother Miranda...what have you done?”

[mcheang]

I’m a fan

Another attempt at Maribat

Marinette knows her father is Bruce Wayne but she doesn’t know he’s rich and famous. All she knows is that he was her mother’s sparring partner when she was undergoing martial arts training

As she becomes famous, she has a lot rich and famous fans.

Tim actually skipped patrol to make his case that MDC should design his family’s suits for the Wayne gala, instead of meeting with Oliver and Dinah Queen. And while he may have sabotaged his fellow fan/rivals by hacking their emails, he excuses his actions by saying he has waited years for MDC to finally visit her clients outside Paris instead of the other way around.

Marinette wondered if Wayne was a common surname in America.

Anyway, Tim won when Dinah told Oliver they had work to do anyway (lie. Tim send them on a wild goose chase)

When Marinette finally visits, Alfred is stunned because she’s like a little Martha. To be fair, everyone is surprised MDC is so young.

When Marinette is introduced to Bruce Wayne, she is startled before silently remarking on the coincidence.

Alfred notices and secretly swipes a strand of hair when cleaning her room.

He runs a scan and when the results are given, he asks Bruce if the name Sabine Cheng rings a bell.

Bruce: she was my partner at a temple in China. Why? Is something wrong?

Alfred: by partner, would you say you two were close?

Bruce hid his blush. “Quit beating around the bush, Alfred.”

Alfred: MDC is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her mother is Sabine. Her step-father is Tom Dupain. Her biological father is...

Bruce is speechless. No way. Why didn’t Sabine tell him? Well, to be fair they never did exchange phone numbers or email addresses in a place with no wifi.

Bruce called Sabine asap.

Sabine explained that by the time she realized she was pregnant, Bruce had left to some other remote place to learn how to fight. She raised Marinette by herself in Paris before she met Tom. When she saw Bruce had returned to be the playboy he was, she didn’t think she could tell him he was a father. Sabine herself told Marinette but the latter showed no sign of wanting to leave Paris to meet her father. To be honest, Sabine had suspected Marinette was clueless her father was a billionaire, until she learned that Tim Drake was sort of her brother.

Bruce now suspects Marinette knows of their blood relation and just wants to know her father. He decides to respect her wish and waits until she is ready to acknowledge their relationship in public.

Actually Marinette is still happily oblivious because she has so many people to dress for a gala!

On the night of the gala, Bruce believes he is more proud of his MDC suit than a preening Tim.

Bruce wonders how Marinette will react to seeing him with his current “girlfriend” Tasha.

But Marinette is as polite as ever. She is currently busy dealing with partygoers eager to commission her.

It isn’t until an ignorant guest looks at Marinette among the Waynes and mutters, “So Bruce has switched from adopting sons to adopting daughters?"

The news doesn’t make it to Marinette’s ears until she’s staring at the morning newspaper.

Marinette: this is ridiculous. We need to make a statement disproving this statement at once.

Bruce: why? Is it so bad to acknowledge our relationship?

Marinette stared at him. “Say what now?”

Ok, so maybe Marinette didn’t know he was her real father.

Bruce: this isn’t tabloid gossip. I’m truly your biological father.

Dick: I have a new sister? Let’s celebrate!

Jason: how did you give birth to this ball of sunshine?

Tim: my sister is MDC? I can live with that.

Damien: I hate everyone

Marinette: i honestly thought your name was just a coincidence.

Damien: you’re taking this all in stride too easily....

Marinette: I’ve had villains confess their love to me, a grandmother who tried to turn me into coal, and classmates who believe napkins can gouge an eyeball. This is nothing.

Damien: touché

Jason: so now what? We throw a debut party for the newest Wayne?

Marinette checked her phone. “Actually I have to be off in two days to Star City. Spoiler alert, Mr Queen is apparently hosting a weeklong charity event full of galas, carnivals and cruises. I have to design a lot now.”

So this was Queen’s revenge...to have more MDC exclusives than Tim and have her present for more parties.

Bruce: well, I don’t see why we can’t crash the parties

Barbara: it’s exclusive invite only

Tim: your point?

Barbara: right...I’ll go pack

Bruce looks at his newfound daughter. “Do you want to spend time with us?”

Marinette looked at him, thinking. She had never really wanted to go looking for her biological father but to see him here all of a sudden. Even she knew she shouldn’t waste such a precious reunion. She’ll give him a chance. “I’d like that.”

Oliver was thrilled to rub it in Wayne’s face that he got MDC clothes for a week. Their presence was uninvited but who cares. He still got to flaunt his fabulous new suits and watch Tim seethe.

MDC was Bat’s daughter? Huh...she must take after her mother.

Of course with Batman helping Green Arrow, it was easy for Marinette to realize her father was Batman.

Marinette: nope! No thank you. Fighting Hawkmoth was exhausting enough for my emotions. I deserve my retirement.

She decided to keep in touch but there is no way she is joining the bat team. She and Adrien wanted peace in their lives now.

Of course, when her newfound brothers heard her call her boyfriend “Kitty” they finally realized what she inherited from Bruce beyond blue eyes.