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redisriding · 4 years

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Tell us about yourself!

Yikes! So I didn't really know where to begin with this one, Well I was born on the banks of the river... Nah! So I googled “fun get to know me questions” and the resulting questionnaire had 371 questions. I decided to answer the first 100!

Strap yourself in, because HERE WE GO!

1. What is your full name?

Red is Riding ;)

2. What does your name mean?

Funny story, so I actually created this alias to partake in some underground hedonistic activities. When I went to start my Tumblr I just decided to use the same one because I’m not very creative and didn’t want to make up a new one. I never thought that this blog would become as popular as it has, and now I couldn’t be bothered changing the name. It does make me laugh though, if only you people knew what I used to get up to under this alias.

3. Are you named after anyone?

Little Red Riding Hood?

4. Does your name make any interesting anagrams?

I don’t think so, but maybe someone smarter than me could figure it out.

5. If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?

I would probably change my real first name if I could as unfortunately I share it with a reasonably well known facist.

6. Where are you from?

A small European country.

7. Where were you born?

In the capital city of that small European country.

8. Where did you grow up?

In the suburbs of the capital of that small European country.

9. Who did you look like growing up?

A member of the band Hanson, if they had red hair and wore those terrible 2000’s wire rimmed glasses.

10.What are your best characteristics?

Oh gosh, isn’t it embarrassing to talk about your good traits? Especially when the way you see yourself is often so different from the way others see you.

11.What are your favorite things about yourself?

Honestly, I’ve great boobs.

12.Which of your parents are you closest to?

Depends on my mood.

13.Which of your parents are you more like?

I think physically I’m more like my mother, but my character is closer to my father.

14.Are your grandparents still married?

Yep, on one side. On the other side my grandad is dead and has been for a very long time.

15.What relative was important to you growing up & why?

I guess my grandparents, they are the only members of the extended family I ever really saw growing up. I was never close to my uncles, and my aunts and cousins all live in different countries.

16.What is one thing that you’ve never revealed to your parents?

Anything about my love life, we just don’t talk about it. Ever!

17.What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender?

I’m actually not sure. I know they had lots of other traditionally female names picked out, but I don’t know any male names they had for me. I’m not sure if they knew early on if I was going to be a girl, would make sense though.

18.What do you call your grandparents?

I call one of my grandmother’s by her first name, and my grandad, grandad.

19.What is your best physical feature?

My boobs!…I have pretty eyes too.

20.What is your biggest accomplishment?

Probably getting into University and graduating top of my class.

21.What is your biggest fear?

Having all my joints simultaneously dislocate.

22.What is your biggest regret?

The way I’ve treated certain people over the years.

23.What is your eye colour?

Blue.

24.What inspires you?

Hope that tomorrow can be better.

25.What is the most important thing in your life?

My family, and my future.

26.What has required the most courage of you in your life so far?

Hummm, I’m really not sure about this one.

27.Who is your favourite actor?

I truly could not name a single actor.

28.Who is your favourite actress?

As above.

29.Who is your favourite celebrity?

I genuinely have no idea.

30.Who is your favourite musician?

Lorde has been getting me through this quarantine, but my favourite singer/band is/are Florence + the Machine. Maybe that dates me.

31.Who’s your favourite person in the world?

I can’t choose just one!

32.What is your favourite childhood memory?

I’m very lucky, I had a really marvellous childhood. I guess I have some great memories of playing with my brother as a child, but I’m not sure I have a favourite memory.

33.What is your favourite colour?

Teal.

34.What is your favourite cultural activity?

I love going to the theatre.

35.What is your favourite drink?

Water is the thing I drink most often. I don’t like tea or coffee, and I only drink alcohol in social settings not alone of an evening.

36.What is your favourite fairytale?

I’m actually not sure. I know it’s not quite the same but I was never allowed to watch the Disney princess films growing up (a lot of which are based on fairytales) so I can’t say I am particularly attached on any. Although, in answering this question I have remembered by blog name so I probably should say Little Red Riding Hood.

37.What is your favourite food?

Potatoes, they are so wonderfully versatile, I will never get bored eating them.

38.What is your favourite holiday destination?

There is so much of the world I have not yet seen and I cannot wait until we’re allowed to travel again. The last big trip I was on was to Canada, Vancouver, and it was amazing.

39.What is your favourite ice-cream flavour?

Ice cream does not agree with me at all, I always thought I was lactose intolerant because of it (I’m not), but I did love a pistachio ice cream as a kid.

40.What is your favourite music genre?

According to Spotify my most listened to genre is “alternative” whatever that means.

41.What is your favourite physical activity?

Hiking.

42.What is your favourite quote?

I don’t believe I have one. I do know someone who has “live laugh love” tattooed on their foot. Take from that what you will.

43.What is your favourite snack?

Tbh I don't really snack (am I coming across as awfully boring in these questions?) I love three big meals a day. I will eat an apple or something if I need something pre dinner.

44.What is your favourite song?

Either Fascination by Alphabeat, Prayer in C by Lily Wood and the Prick, and Robin Schulz, or Brimful of Asha by Cornershop, the Fat Boy Slim Remix. Those songs never fail to put me in a good mood when I need it.

45.What is your favourite sport?

To watch? Rugby. But I am OBSESSED with the Olympics, especially the winter olympics.

46.What is your favourite time of the day?

Early evening.

47.What is your favourite type of clothing?

Dresses…with pockets! Or jumpers, I love a big wooly jumper.

48.What is your favourite way to pass time?

Read.

49.What is the name of your favourite restaurant?

My favourite restaurant is called Dishoom, but unfortunately it has yet to make it to my little European country, so it’s a real treat if I get to eat there.

50.What is your all-time favourite town or city? Why?

I don’t have one.

51.What is your favourite candle scent?

Probably a classic vanilla, but not an overpowering one. The vanilla candle from IKEA is the NICEST.

52.What is your favourite social media channel?

Probably Twitter, although Tumblr is my place for escape.

53.Where’s your favourite place to take an out-of-town guest?

Ugh I hate being the one to choose where we go. I think it’s because I’m a Libra.

54.What was your favourite subject in High School?

Okay now this is a fun fact, I didn’t actually go to school. I was “Home Educated” which is ideologically different form being Home Schooled. There was no curriculum for me to follow so I could basically dick about doing whatever I wanted during the day. I did study Law which I really enjoyed, and I went onto study it at University.

55.What was your least favourite subject in High School?

Again see above. Although I do remember crying every time my father tried to teach me maths. To this day, I’m still not sure how to work out a percentage, let alone anything more advanced than that.

56.What was your favourite TV show when you were a child?

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the Melissa Joan Heart version) or anything with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in it (have I dated myself again?)

57.What do you love about your favourite TV Show?

They were fun. I wanted to be them!

58.Are you scared of heights?

Nope, but I’m scared of falling and shattering all the bones in my legs.

59.Are you high maintenance?

Definitely not.

60.Are you more inclined to “build your own empire” or unleash the potential of others?

I don’t know what this means, but fuck imperialism.

61.Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage it head-on?

Ugh, I hate conflict, like I go all trembly, but if there is something amiss I can’t not confront it.

62.Are you a dog person or cat person?

I really adore animals, I had hoped to get a cat during this long and lonely lockdown but my landlord wasn’t keen. If I had more time and space I would love to get a dog, it’s just not feasible in my life at the moment.

63.Are you a fan of any sports team?

Just my national team no matter what the sport.

64.Are you a good cook?

I like to think so.

65.Are you an early adopter or late-adopter?

Depends. I don’t always love change.

66.If you had more courage what would you do differently in your life now?

I don’t think having more courage would change anything in my life right now.

67.What is good about how you are living your life right now?

Oh gosh, I’m so incredibly lucky to have the like that I am living right now. Truly blessed, but at the same time, I have got here because of all my hard work and determination.

68.If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be?

I’m not sure if this strictly answers the question, but I wish I could be kinder and more sympathetic to people. I can be harsh on people I care about because I want to see them do well in life and get frustrated when they are doing things that so obviously curtails their ability. I’ve lost friends because of it.

69.Who has left the most impact on your life?

I don’t think I can name just one person.

70.What aspect of your life needs tremendous improvement?

My love life. It’s not existent. Truly. I don’t even have a far away crush on anyone at the moment. I desperately want to experience romantic love, but it’s scary and you have to allow yourself to be soft and vulnerable which is not something that I am very good at. I also have a lot of negative thoughts/self doubts about whether I am good enough to be in a relationship, or worthy enough for love. It’s stupid, obviously, everyone, flaws and all is worthy of love, but because of things that have happened/been said to me I do kind of have this negative chatter of “who could ever love me” or fear people thinking “god love the poor guy who ends up with her.” All that said, I have never actually met anyone who I’ve really liked, let alone anyone who has liked me back. The closest I’ve got, is I’ve been in lust twice in my life with guys, who objectively speaking, I would never think I would be attracted to.

71.What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen in your life?

I’ve see a lot of weird things tbh, but the first one that springs to mind is that every year we used to go to these big gatherings of families who home educate their children. Now, there are two groups of people that tend to home educate their children 1) EXTREMELY religious families who don’t want their children going to secular schools, and 2) new age hippies who don’t want their children to have to conform to the rigours of school. When these two groups meet…it is interesting. The religious families usually have a lot of children (10+ in many cases), while the hippy families wander around semi-nude and breast feed their children until their grown (7+ years in many cases). So at these home education conferences, the hippy parents would be wandering around, leaky boobs out, and the religious babies would be wandering around because their parents have too many children to keep track of. Whenever one of these babies wandered within range of the hippy parents, they’d take them, and latch them onto their breasts. Absolutely bizarre stuff.

72.Who is the best teacher you’ve ever had?

Myself.

73.Who is the biggest pack rat you know?

I don’t know what this means.

74.Who is the first person you call when something exciting happens?

If it’s a big enough deal to call someone, I’ll call my parents, but usually if something exciting happens I’ll just message my friend group.

75.Who is the first person you call when something horrible happens?

Same as above.

76.Who is the worst boss you’ve ever had?

I had to sue her to get her and her husband to pay me for the work I did.

77.Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows?

Yep? Can you not?

78.Can you do a split?

No, but I want to learn! I have really tight hamstrings so that would be good to stretch them.

79.Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

No. Can you?

80.Can you whistle?

Yeah.

81.Can you dance?

Everyone can dance, the question is whether you can dance well or not! I have no rhythm or style, but get me on a dance floor and I’ll bop my socks off.

82.Do you remember your dreams?

Sometimes.

83.Do you save old greeting cards and letters? Throw them away?

I save them for a while, but I’m not overly sentimental.

84.Do you sing in the shower?

Never.

85.Do you sleep with the lights on or off?

Off.

86.Do you spell the colour as grey or gray?

Grey you weirdo!

87.Do you take any pills or medication daily?

Never.

88.Do you prefer kissing or cuddling?

I like kissing because it’s hot and fiery and I think I’m reasonably good at it. Cuddling is the best but it’s something I struggle with as I find it far too intimate. See my answer to Q70.

89.Do you prefer that people shoot straight with you or temper their words? Why?

Hit me between the eyeballs with the truth, please! I just like people who are clear and direct about their intentions, it means everyone knows where they stand.

90.Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook?

I saw a black and white documentary about the Titanic when I was a very small child (maybe about 5 or 6) and for a long time I thought that was the movie Titanic! I have seen neither the real film Titanic nor the Notebook, although from what I know of the latter I don’t think it would be my thing.

91.Do you have a catchphrase?

I don’t think so, but maybe people in my life would be better at answering this question. What is it that I say a lot?

92.Do you have a garden?

I wish!

93.Do you have a hidden dream that you’ve never shared with anyone?

I’m taking this to mean a goal or aspiration, and not something that I have subconsciously dreamed and been too embarrassed to share? I would love to write a book one day. I’m work on something periodically but I’m not sure if anything will ever come from it, a gal can dream though!

94.Do you have a tattoo?

None! I’m kind of a commitment-phobe, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed?

95.Do you have a whole lot of acquaintances or just a few very close friends? Why?

Both! I know lots of people in passing, but the people I consider actual friends, who know what is going on in my life at any given time, I could count on my fingers.

96.Do you have any allergies?

Not that I’m aware of…

97.Do you have any birthmarks? If so, where?

I used to have one on my back, but it’s faded as I’ve aged.

98.Do you have pets?

Not at the moment.

99.Do you hold any convictions that you would be willing to die for?

That is a big question. I think however, if there was a guarantee, that sacrificing my life would make the lives of others immeasurably better, I would be scarified. I have plenty of convictions that I’m willing to protest/riot/go to prison for.

100.Do you carry a donor card?

Bit ominous after Q99 but yes I do, and my driver’s licence states that I’m a donor.

I’m not sure if this is at all what you were hoping for in asking this, but I honestly had the best fun answering these questions! :)

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abundanceofsoph · 4 years

Text

SkyFire 2: Chapter 17

“A place where you’ll be safe to feel our grace”: March 2017

Word count: 3.7k

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

>Instagram posts

Harry and Aurora changed their plans, spending the holidays in Holmes Chapel with Anne, Robin and Robins children instead of flying to New York. Johannah’s funeral was held in between Christmas and New Years and both Harry and Aurora felt the need to stay close by in case Louis or his family needed anything. They returned to London in the first few weeks of 2017, meeting up with Jeff almost everyday to finalise the album and tour that were both fast approaching.

They received the keys to the Battersea apartment in the middle of the February, but both decided that while they would spend the rest of the month, and the first half of March, decorating and moving in their furniture. They wouldn’t officially move in and stay the night until their wedding day, March 26th. It had been Harry’s suggestion, wanting to make the few days following the wedding extra special before they returned to St Lucia for a weeklong honeymoon before the launch of his debut single on April 7th. Aurora had found the idea very romantic and enjoyed spending the time leading up to the big day painting feature walls and having furniture delivered. She also had her final fittings for her wedding dress, her excitement growing the closer she got to the last weekend of March.

In addition to setting up their new house, Aurora also found herself busy with another project after receiving an unexpected call from Mark in the first week of March.

“So, I’ve got some Scottish guy interested in Leave a Light On,” he said one afternoon when Aurora answered the phone. She put the phone on speaker as she continued painting a mural of vines and leaves on the feature wall in the dining room.

“Ok…” she replied uncertainly. “Is there a problem with that because you don’t usually keep me in the loop on these things unless the persons problematic and you think I’ll say no to them.”

“I don’t think you’ll say no,” Mark said. “He’s pretty new on the scene, only just released his debut EP a few weeks ago.”

“Please get to the point Mark, I’m up to my elbows in wet paint.”

“He wants to meet with you and talk about changing lyrics.”

“Did you tell him that’s not really how this usually works?”

“I did. I told him the normal process is to just send through what he’s thinking, and you’d agree or decline but he’s insistent on meeting you. Said something about the song seeming too personal and he wanted to work with you on the changes. Pretty sure he’s a fan.”

“You said he’s released an EP; I’ll give it a listen and if I like his stuff, I’ll meet with him.”

She hung up the phone, returning to the mural for a few minutes but the conversation was bouncing around in her head, so she put down her brush and picked her phone back up. After opening Spotify, she typed in the name Mark had given her and pulled up the artist profile. Mark had been right; Tom Walker was relatively new on the music scene; there was only the 4 track EP and 3 other singles in his discography. She clicked on the first track of the EP, Blessings, and returned to her painting as a simple beat filled the room, quickly accompanied by a raspy voice. Her head bopped to the beat, swaying to the melody as Tom sang about counting his blessings. She smiled softly as the song ended, then next providing more of his unique voice accompanied by a faster paced backing track. By the time she finished the 4th and final track of the EP, her paint brush was hanging limply in her hand, her eyes closed as she swayed to the music. She was a fan of his work and moved on to the 3 singles that hadn’t appeared on the EP. She also sent a text to Mark telling him to set up a meeting.

xXx

A week and a half after her phone call with Mark, she stepped into the Starbucks in south Hampstead, thankful that Mark had set up the meeting in a location close to Erskine and given the unusually good early spring weather, she had walked across the heath. She’d misjudged her timing and was 10 minutes late by the time she stepped into the chain coffee shop, instantly spotting Tom Walker sitting in the corner. She’d googled him the day before and he looked exactly like his photo, although she noted that his size was more intimidating in person as she stepped towards his table.

“Tom?” she asked, causing his head to snap up from his phone screen, a smile lighting up his face as he stood and offered his hand. She shook it. “So sorry I’m late. I thought I’d take advantage of the nice weather and walk here but it was a little further than I expected.”

“Not a problem,” he replied. “What are you drinking?”

He was already heading for the till to order. “Oh no,” Aurora protested. “You don’t have to.”

“Please,” he replied, “You and I both know that you didn’t have to agree to meet with me. Least I can do is buy your drink.”

“Ok. In that case I’ll just have a caramel latte please.”

After placing their order, he returned to the table, and Aurora found herself taking note that they seemed to be the only customers, not that she was all too surprised given that it was 10am on Wednesday and despite the touristy area, most people were out exploring the heath.

“Thank you again for this,” Tom said.

“Don’t mention it,” Rori smiled. “I listened to your EP and you intrigue me. Most people aren’t interested in having me help them change my songs.”

“Your manager mentioned that. Although I can’t really say I know what the usual procedure is for this since I’ve written all my own stuff until now.”

“So why are you picking up a demo?” Rori asked, genuinely curious.

“A mate had me listened to a stack of demos he was sent to help him pick out his next project and as soon as I heard your song it just hit me. Couldn’t get it out of my head.”

“But you want to change it?” Rori asked, smirking around the lip of her coffee mug.

“Just a bit,” he chuckled. “It’s pretty clear once you hit the second verse that you wrote it about gun violence and given everything you went through; I can’t imagine it was an easy song to give away.”

“Kind of the opposite actually,” Rori admitted. “It’s too personal for me to ever sing myself. Too emotional.”

“I get that,” he nodded. “Until I got to that verse it got me really emotional thinking about the friends I’ve lost to overdoses and how I wish I could have provided them a safe place. That’s what I’d want the song to be about if you let me record it. But I didn’t want to just send you my track without the context and have you think I wanted to erase your message.”

“Thank you,” she said, swallowing against the lump in her throat. Is it just the second verse that you want to change?”

“Just the lines; but if you carry on spiralling, they'll be robbed from us. I refuse to lose another friend to guns. I was thinking of changing it to; but if you carry on abusing, you'll be robbed from us. I refuse to lose another friend to drugs.”

“I think I’d be ok with that,” Rori agreed.

“I’ve got the track on my phone if you wanted to give it a listen,” Tom offered, gesturing to where his phone sat on the table between them. Aurora smiled, rifling through her bag for her headphones and holding out the jack to him as she placed the ear buds in.

Tom’s voice filled her ears, accompanied by the familiar notes of her piano track. Strings entered the accompaniment and Aurora found herself surprised when the drop hit with a heavy drum and synth sound through the chorus. She smiled softly as she listened, her eyes closed. As the song began to drop away, only Tom’s voice and the piano petering out to the final notes, Aurora opened her eyes, taking in his nervous expression.

“Holy shit,” she muttered. “That’s bloody incredible, innit?”

“You like it?” he asked.

“Love it,” she corrected. “Think you’ve got a hit on your hands with that one.”

They sat there for another hour talking music and influences. Aurora found herself laughing more often than not and just enjoying his company. As lunch neared, people started to drift in and fill up the tables around them. Aurora knew it was only a matter of time until she was spotted and not wanting to deal with the fans, she decided it was time to leave.

“Do you have anywhere to be this afternoon?” Aurora asked Tom. “Because I’ve got the beginnings of a song, I think you’d suit perfectly. If you wanted to come back to my place, I could play it for you, and you might be able to help me finish it.”

“Aurora Stark wants to write a song with me?” Tom asked, somewhat confused by the offer. “You are aware that you’re pretty famous right?”

“Nah, I’m just a girl from Wimbledon,” Rori joked. “Besides, with my songs, you’ll be the famous one before long.”

“And you’re so humble,” Tom joked. “But seriously, I’d be bloody honoured to write with you.”

“Well then let’s go,” she said.

Tom drove as Rori provided directions and within 10 minutes they were parked and walking through the front door. “Please excuse the mess,” she said, gesturing to the boxes cluttering the front rooms of the house, “we’re in the process of moving house.”

Tom nodded, following her upstairs towards the studio Harry had set up for them.

“So, I only have the first verse, bridge and chorus,” Aurora explained as she took a seat at her piano. She stalled for another brief moment before finally biting the bullet and beginning to play.

Let's just talk I'll pour my heart out through my mouth This year's been hard for us no doubt

Let's raise a glass to a better one And all the things that we've overcome And bring home to us 'cause Me and you we can hold this out Only you understand how I'm feeling now yeah

And I know, I can tell you anything You won't judge, you're just listening 'Cause you're the best thing that ever happened to me

'Cause my darling, you and I could take over the world And one step at a time, just you and I 'Cause you're the only one, who brings light just like the sun One step at a time, just you and I

Tom smiled at her when she finished, easing the nervousness that had been boiling in her stomach. “What do you think?” she asked.

“What do I think?” Tom echoed, looking at her with a bright smile stretching across his face. “I think it’s bloody brilliant.”

“Well it’s not finished yet,” Rori reminded him, blushing slightly at his compliment.

“Maybe I can help with that,” he said. “You got this written down anywhere?”

Aurora nodded, grabbing a notebook off the top of the piano and flipping through it until she found the lyrics and a lose page of handwritten sheet music tucked in next to it. “Here,” she said, offering the sheet to him.

“Mind if I take this with me and mull it over for a bit and then maybe we could get together again to work on it?”

“I’d love that,” Aurora admitted, returning his excited grin. “The piano is actually getting moved to our new place on Wednesday, but if you’re free later in the week we could have a writing sesh?” Aurora suggested.

“Perfect,” he said.

They chatted for a little longer, making plans to get together later in the week and then Rori walked Tom out to his car, hugging him goodbye before heading back inside to finish packing the last of the things that would make the move over to the new apartment. The majority of the furniture was staying behind, as were some of the pieces of art on the walls but otherwise all of their personal items were going with them. The plan was for everything left behind to be just what was needed for family to stay for the wedding and then they would start looking into renting the property out.

Harry arrived home about an hour after Tom left and helped her fill the Land Rover with another load of boxes before they drove it over to Battersea. On the drive and while they ferried boxes into the apartment Aurora filled Harry in on her meeting with Tom and their plans to write together later in the week.

“So, you like him?” Harry asked as they unpacked a few of the boxes in the kitchen.

“He’s a lovely guy,” Aurora replied, “and bloody talented. Did you listen to the EP I sent you?”

“I did,” Harry replied. “He’s got a great voice. Loved the lyrics in Rapture.”

“Right? I gave him a song I’ve half started, and I can’t wait to see what he does with it.”

Harry smiled at her enthusiasm. “What day is he coming over to work? I’ll make sure I’m out of your hair.”

“Thursday,” Rori replied. “You could join us if you want.”

“This is your thing love,” Harry said, kissing the top of her head. “But I’ll be your first listener when you’re done though.”

“Always,” Rori agreed with a soft smile of her own. “Now more importantly,” she continued, changing the subject abruptly and causing Harry to chuckled. “I can’t be arsed cooking so what do you say to pizza for dinner?”

xXx

Tom was coming over in the afternoon, so Aurora spent Thursday morning working on one of the murals in the guest rooms. So far, she had completed one in the dining room and master suite while 2 of the 3 guest rooms were half completed. While Aurora had spent the majority of the last month painting the walls, buying furniture and moving their belongings over from Erskine, Harry had focused on putting together the music studio for them both in the largest of the bedrooms at the end of the hall. After the sound proofing had been completed, the last step had been to move the piano over the previous day and now he was turning his attention to setting up desks in their home office.

They ate a quick lunch together and then Harry left to return to Erskine House to meet with Becca who was having the chairs and tables for the reception dinner delivered. They had brought over the last of their things that morning, save the clothes and toiletries they would need for the rest of the week, leaving the house feeling rather empty. Aurora was excited to be finally moving into the apartment in a few days and even more excited to be doing so as husband and wife. After Harry left, Aurora returned to the guest room she’d been painting and ensured that she’d closed all of her paint tins and washed her brushes before Tom text to let her know that he was downstairs in the lobby. She buzzed him through from the app on her phone and headed back towards the dining room to meet him at the front door once he exited the lift.

“Found the place ok?” she asked as he hugged her in the doorway.

“It’s gorgeous,” he said, following her as she stepped back into the apartment and gave him a quick tour of the main rooms before heading into the studio. “Did you want the wall art?”

“I did,” she replied with a proud smile. “Haven’t had a lot of time to paint recently with all the album work and the holidays so it’s been fun to have a project to work on.”

“They’re incredible,” Tom complimented. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Basic maths,” she laughed, “much to my dad’s dismay.”

They settled into the studio, with Aurora at the piano while Tom flipped through the notebook he’d brought with him. “I had a bit of a play around with that song you gave me on Monday,” he explained. “Wanna play it from the top and I’ll show you what I’ve got?”

“Sure thing,” Rori agreed. “Just head back into the verse after the chorus?”

“Yeah, and then pre-chorus, chorus, 3rd verse straight into the chorus for a final time.”

“You got it,” Aurora nodded before she began the simple melody, smiling as Tom started signing. He’d changed the opening line of the song but left the rest of her verse, pre-chorus and chorus unedited, his voice lending a quality to the song that she loved. For her the song, like so many that she wrote, revolved around Harry and with the wedding only days away, romance had been leaking into every aspect of her waking days. She wasn’t sure what she expected from Tom’s lyrics, but she found herself loving the way his own relationship blended with hers and Harry’s to create a complete story of love over time. While the first verse spoke of the challenges she had faced by his side since the shooting and the end of the band, Tom’s 2nd and 3rd verses weaved the story of reminiscing over the early days of love.

Let's get drunk Reminisce about the days We were broke, not getting paid And taking trips on the weekend When I would drive down to see ya And we would paint the town Too many shots, I'll be passing out 'Cause I can never keep up Quad vods, now I'm puking up

I know I can tell you anything You won't judge, you're just listening, yeah 'Cause you're the best thing that ever happened to me 'Cause my darling, you and I Could take over the world One step at a time Just you and I 'Cause you're the only one Who brings light just like the sun One step at a time Just you and I Tired of chasing paper Staring at this screen Been saving up for weeks now Just to get to you, my dear And though you're far from my home This ain't no weekend bar Oh, my heart grows fonder Must be city love

They finished with a final repetition of the chorus and were both grinning at each other by the end, recognising immediately how great the song sounded. The tinkered with the arrangement for a while, discussing which instruments would sound best for the final track. Tom also played a few other tracks he was working on, asking Aurora for feedback and advice which she happily provided. They worked for most of the afternoon, finally calling it a day as dinnertime neared and Harry text to ask Aurora what time he could expect her as he was planning when to start cooking.

“I don’t have much on next week if you wanted to get together and write some more,” Tom said as he grabbed his things and got ready to leave.

“I’m actually busy next week,” Rori replied. “For the next few weeks actually.”

“Oh? What are you up to?”

“I’m getting married on Sunday,” Rori replied, “and then we’re heading to the Caribbean for a week for our honeymoon.”

“Oh of course,” Tom laughed. “The wedding of the century. It’s been the talk of the gossip blogs for weeks.”

“You read the gossip blogs?” Aurora ask, echoing his laugh.

“My sister does,” he blushed. “She likes to keep me informed. Think I’m the only one that will let her talk my ear off about it all. Thought she was going to pass out when I told her I was working with you.”

“Well tell her I said hi,” Rori said. “Maybe we could get together when I get back in a few weeks though. Harry’s album is coming out in early May, but we should be able to work something out around the promo.”

“Absolutely, just text me your schedule and I’ll fit around it.”

xXx

All of their family and bridal party began arriving at Erskine House on Saturday afternoon for the rehearsal dinner, which was a relaxed evening filled with laughter and embarrassing stories. Aurora had never really understood bridezillas; she didn’t feel the need to get so stressed out about ensuring everything was perfect, instead wanting to be able to enjoy the day with Harry and their friends and family. Their wedding planner, Becca, had taken care of all the little details and would be on hand the next day to coordinate and ensure nothing went wrong, allowing Harry and Aurora to simply enjoy it all.

The back garden was beautifully decorated, with fairy lights strung up above the tables and the temporary dancefloor. The table settings were all soft cream and navy, matching in with the bridesmaid’s dresses. The weather was clear and while not hot, it also wasn’t too cold for an outdoor dinner and there was thankfully no sign of rain on the forecast.

Neither Aurora nor Harry felt the need to fall on classic traditions and had decided to take a more modern approach to their wedding. They’d begun skirting tradition by having the combined bachelor/bachelorette trip back in November and continued by deciding that it was unnecessary to spend the night before the wedding apart given that they had been living together for most of their relationship, with the exception of when Harry had been on tour or off filming Dunkirk. After dinner, the bridal party and the couple’s parents stayed in the many guest rooms while the rest of the Avengers headed to a nearby hotel for the night.

They laid in bed late at night, wrapped up in each other’s arms. “I’m so excited for tomorrow,” Aurora whispered into the darkness, her head cushioned against Harry’s chest.

“Me too,” he replied. “Can’t believe you’re finally going to be my wife.”

“And you’ll be my husband,” she added. “I love you, Harry.”

“I love you too,” he murmured. “More than I could ever explain.”

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

#skyfire #skyfire fic #aurora stark #dad!tony #iron dad #step dad steve rogers #stony #stony fic #boyfriend harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #superfamily #harry styles #tony stark #ptsd #domestic fluff

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stereksecretsanta · 5 years

Text

Merry Christmas, @dearericbittle!

Merry Christmas and Happy whatever Holiday you may celebrate! Hugs!

Read on AO3

*****

Oh Shit!

Oh Shit. Stiles takes a moment to revel in the fact that this is his oh shit moment. Not, oh shit, a dead body in the woods. Not, oh shit, werewolves. Not, oh, shit, Derek wants me to cut off his arm. Not, oh shit, kanimas, or hunters, or any other of bevy of supernatural fuckery. No, Stiles’ oh shit moment is walking past an alleyway and having his Derek Hale spidey tingle go off. His oh shit moment is seeing Derek Freaking Hale crouched in an alley trying to coax a completely demonic looking cat with a massive gash across it’s forehead out from behind a dumpster. Stiles assumes so that Derek can help getting Demon!cat treated.

Stiles oh shit moment is oh shit, I’m in love with this asshole.

Stiles would like to think that he is fairly self-aware but this knocks the wind right out of him. His stomach does a full loop-the-loop and his heart does a quadruple staccato for long enough that Derek looks up from his save the cat mission to meet Stiles’ eyes.

Derek’s eyes widen in apparent surprise before a grin spreads across his face. This does not help Stiles’ heartbeat situation, especially when paired with his recent oh shit revelation. The warm welcome fades on Derek’s features, replaced with a look of concern. Derek reaches out his arm as if to steady Stiles, though the only stumbling that is going on right now is emotional. Stiles rallies himself, before Derek can touch him - who knows how his traitorous body would react to that!

He gesticulates just a little too wildly with his hands, and bumbles further into the alley a little too dramatically before managing to get some words out of his mouth.

“Whatcha doin’, Sourwolf? You gonna put that poor cat out it’s misery with your teeth?”

Stiles cringes. It’s been years since any “rip your throat out with my teeth” jokes have really been appropriate or funny.

Derek has yet to speak any words but his eyebrows scrunch together in question.

Stiles takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

“Nevermind, Sourwolf. Weird kind of day. You ever learn something that kind of shifts your whole world view? Did you know that squirrels are behind the majority of power outages in United States, Derek? Because, let me tell you, I did not.”

Derek shakes his head with what Stiles would define as fond eyebrows and proceeds to ignore everything that has come out Stiles’ mouth since “Whatcha doing, Sourwolf?”

“I tracked this little critter from near that bakery over on Main St. She’s bleeding and smells afraid. I’m having trouble getting her to trust me.” Derek’s voice stays soft and even while hes’s talking with Stiles. He’s crouched near the ground again and while his eyes are locked on Stiles’, his hand is reaching out towards the injured cat with feigned nonchalance.

Mirroring Derek’s tone of voice, Stiles asks, “What were you doing at the bakery?”

“Picking up cupcakes for Laura’s birthday dinner tonight.” He pauses, “You didn’t forget about that did you?”

Yes, yes Stiles had forgotten about that. In his defense, he’s been working nights the last week and days of the week are a nebulous thing when one is working the night shift.

Derek interprets his pause accurately. “Don’t worry about it. If you’re back on days, come over around 6 and we’ll feed you. Don’t worry about a present.”

Stiles is about to respond when he sees that cat has finally made her way to Derek’s outstretched hand and has deigned to be picked up.

Stiles thought that he’d gotten the whole loop-the-loop, crazy heart beat, oh shit moment stuff out of the way, that he’d managed to get a handle on it during his brief stint in the alley. But, no, he was a self-deluded idiot.

Seeing Derek cuddling a dirty, possibly mangy, blood soaked cat while whispering sweet nothings into her ear like she was a small child, disabused Stiles of the notion that he had any control over his bodily functions when it came to Derek Hale.

Stiles lived with his internal crisis for a few more seconds, until Derek stood up.

“I’m going to take this little beauty to see Scott. Will I see you tonight?”

Stiles mumbled what must have been some sort of affirmative because Derek said goodbye and left the alley.

When he got back to his baby, he collapsed in the front seat and banged his head against the steering wheel a couple times. He did not need this kind of complication in his life right now.

*******

Stiles can’t remember the last time he found himself banging frantically on Scott’s door. Probably high school sometime. With the distinct lack of big bads of the supernatural variety in the last few years, there hasn’t been much need.

Now, however, he finds himself banging on the door to the apartment Scott shares with Isaac, hoping the curly-haired menace is currently elsewhere. Don’t get him wrong, he’s square with Isaac now, friends even. It’s just, he’d like to have his mental breakdown in the presence of Scotty and Scotty and Scotty alone.

Thankfully, it appears Scott is home alone when Stiles walks in and collapses in flail of limbs on the couch.

“Scotty, my brother, my friend, my bro, my wolfy companion, the world as we know it is over.”

Completely unfazed by Stiles’ declaration, Scott sits on the coffee table across from Stiles and puts his hands on Stiles’ knees before speaking. With a gentle squeeze, Scott says, “The squirrels?”

“Yes, Scotty the squirrels. There’s an acronym. TSql. You know how I get about acronyms Tee-squill or The Squirrel Index.”

Stiles makes a concerted effort not to be sucked into an ADD fueled rant about squirrels and power outages before he can backtrack to what he came here to talk about.

“I’m in love with Derek Hale.”

This statement is greeted with complete silence. He risks a glance at Scott to see if maybe his declaration had somehow caused him to die of shock.

Nope, Scott is just looking at him with confused puppy dog eyes.

Finally Scott speaks. It’s slow, like he’s talking to a toddler or scared dog. “Are you okay?”

A noise Stiles can’t even begin to describe or categorize emerges from deep within his being. The gist of the noise was, “How can you ask me that? I don’t know. I don’t even recognize myself anymore. And when the hell did this happen?

Scott, blessed, wonderful, fantastic Scott seems to read his mind or possibly his noises. Maybe his noises are to Scott like Derek’s eyebrows are to Stiles. Aaand, that is a thought for another day.

“Well, it’s not the most terrible thing. I mean, Derek is a really good guy, You guys have been working together a lot lately what with working on the remodel plans for the house. Maybe it just happened naturally.” Scott says.

“Hmph. Naturally, you say.” Stiles pauses. Now Scotty is not always the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to analytics or plans or anything GPA related but Scotty has heart. When it comes to relationships and emotions, he’s usually right.

He things back to the first time they had to hit the road to visit some lumber distributor 3 hours away. The silence had started out extremely awkward. Stiles had fiddled with the radio and half-heartedly tried to comment on the passing landscape.

But then he had flicked the radio station through some kids station and Let It Go started playing. Somehow in the fraction of a second before Stiles was able to change the station again, Derek starts singing along. It’s under his breath, Stiles isn’t even sure if he realized he was doing it.

The ended up bonding over Disney leading ladies (not just princesses, thank you very much) for the next 2 hours. It seems like maybe that was the beginning of it all now that Stiles thinks about in a more calm state of mind. He should have figured it out when they gave each other nicknames. Derek is Elsa, Stiles is Mulan. And yes they actually call each other those names, unironically on occasion.

“…earth to Stiles….” He comes back to the present with Scott’s fingers snapping in his face.

“Sorry. You’re right.” Stiles feels himself smiling a little as his heart does a weird happy lurch in his chest. “Shoulda realized after our shared love of all things Disney.”

Scott nods, “And a relationship built over the years based on trust, respect, and a terrible sense of humor.”

“Okay, okay. So not a surprise and probably not as life altering and world changing as I may have first thought. But, still…” Stiles trails off. His oh shit moment blindsided him so much that he hadn’t actually thought about what came next. Does he declare his love? Or maybe just ask Derek out of a date? Or just pretend nothing has changed? Or die of embarrassment when Laura finds out that Derek said no? Or yes - he’s not sure which would cause Laura to dole out the worse punishment.

Scott, again with his uncanny ability to read Stiles’ mind, says, “You know you don’t have to decide what to do right away. The question to ask yourself is, what do you want?”

“I don’t know what I want. I hadn’t really thought beyond hoping Derek doesn’t think I’m dying of a heart condition every time he walks in the room.”

“I hear you, buddy. I’ve got to go to work. Think about it.”

Scott grabs his keys and his wallet and is about to head out the door before he turns back towards Stiles, “You coming tonight?”

Already lost in thought, Stiles replies distractedly, “Yeah. I’ll probably just crash here until then. Ride over together?”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Stiles barely notices the door slam behind Scott. What does he want? He’d always imagined himself in a marriage with kids like his parents. Then werewolves happened and it was hard to imagine past the next week, much less into a future with kids. He’d had a few brief relationships during nursing school but no one he could picture a future with. Now, since he’d come into his spark and they’d managed to bind the nemeton? Not to mention, Laura back from the dead and taking her place as Alpha? Beacon Hills was stable. Nothing had come rampaging through and killing people in almost 3 years.

He hadn’t realized it, but he’d sort of been cruising through on auto-pilot just waiting for another shoe to drop the past few years. Not doing noher, just not really having any intentionality about anything either.

This oh shit thing, this being in love with Derek, maybe that made him think about a future. Stiles isn’t ready to picture being married with 2.5 pups yet. But, walking down the street, holding Derek’s hand for all the world to see, that he could imagine. Sharing curly fries at the diner or going to see a movie, cuddling together under a blanket on the porch swing - those thoughts made him feel warm all the way to his core. Just thinking about made his lips twitch towards a smile and his heart race in anticipation.

Ok, he now knows what he wants. Now, what to do about it, that is the million dollar question.

*******

He ends up bailing on Scotty and going over to the newly-remodeled (with his help!) Hale house early, hoping to catch Laura before everyone started piling in for her birthday dinner.

Luck must be on his side today because for the second time in one day the person he wants to see is home and alone.

He finds Laura in the garden out back singing to the vegetables, She claims it makes them taste better - and veggies can use all the help they can get in the taste department, so she sings.

She waltzes over to him and takes his hands to lead him a rousing dance through the tomatoes as she sings highly altered versions of the VeggieTales songs. Stiles knows better than to try and escape the song and dance so he bears up manfully until Laura ends her song in a fit a giggles.

“What brings you to see your favorite Alpha, today?” she asks when she finally catches her breath. She folds her legs under her gracefully sits in the grass as she asks her question.

Stiles sits beside her and takes a deep breath for courage.

“I’m here to give you your birthday present.”

A grin spreads across Laura’s face as she does gimme hands towards Stiles.

He swats her hands away playfully, before speaking, “Alas, not that kind of gift.” He smiles, “What is your absolute favorite thing to do in all the world?”

Stiles pauses for a moment but before Laura can respond, he adds, with a pointed look, “You actually favorite thing, not some sentimental drivel cause it’s your birthday.”

Laura blows a raspberry at him, “Fine. But only because you’re my favorite.” She wiggles her hands like she’s a puppeteer and cackles before saying, “Meddling”

Stiles gives an exaggerated nod. “Thus my gift to you. First - information no one else but Scotty has”

Her eyes light up and her grin widens.

“Then, I’m going to ask for advice. Now, in the spirit of birthdays, I’m allowing you to meddle. I ask in return, good faith advice, not advice to make me do what you think would be funniest.’

Her grin doesn’t fade but a hint of seriousness comes into her eyes. Stiles can tell she understands even before she nods her head.

Stiles looks down at his hands. He had decided to come and talk to Laura but he hadn’t really figured out how he wanted to start. Well, he figured it worked for Scotty so he might as well just try ripping the bandaid off.

“I’m in love with your brother.”

Laura didn’t do anything so ungraceful as gape like a fish but the phrase, you could have knocked me over with a feather came to Stiles’ mind as he watched her reaction.

Stiles forges ahead before Laura has a chance to reply. “Our pack being what it is, we don’t stand on werework tradition very often. But I was wondering if there was a traditional way to court a werewolf? A wooing ritual or something?

Stiles can tell Laura is trying really hard not to laugh - not out of meanness but out of the sheer ridiculosity of what he is saying. Stiles waves her off.

“I know. I know. I’m the last person to care about tradition. But, you know, Derek has had the best track record. First Paige died, then Kate, and Jennifer. Braeden wasn’t so bad but it also wasn’t so serious. I want Derek to know I’m serious and that he has a choice. If there were a traditional way of doing that, then that is what I’m looking for. If not, I’ll figure something else out.”

Laura scoots around so they are facing each other and practically mirrors Scott from earlier when she puts her hands on his knees before speaking.

“I don’t know if Derek feels that way about you, I don’t know what his reaction to you will be. But I do know this. He could never confuse your intentions with any of those who came before.” She sat up and put her hands back in her lap before continuing. “There is not a wolfy-wooing ritual per se. At least, not one that I am aware. But there is this nursery rhyme or poem kind of thing that our mom used to say to use about the one we would eventually fall in love with. Let me think for a second and try to remember it.”

Her brow scrunched slightly and he eyes drifted to the left as she thought, Okay. It went something like this: Each wolf is whole in itself but there are those who are created to walk beside in perfect harmony. A mate to write their name on your heart will make you safe by watching your back, give you peace by travelling beside you, bring you joy by smiling back at you, and join hands with you so will never be alone on your life journey. You know Derek has the Triskelion tattoo on his back and that can mean a lot of things. But he also has a Triquetra tattoo on his hip. It comes from this verse. The three points are behind, beside and in front of, joined together in the center, together forever. It’s not a ritual or anything but it might help you figure out what you want to do.”

The whole time Laura had been talking, Stiles paid rapt attention. He wasn’t crying by the end but he was certainly moist in the region around his eyes. He had an idea.

But like all great ideas, life interrupted.

******

It was about halfway through Laura’s birthday dinner. Everyone had had one plate of food and most of the wolves had had a second plate but no one had even mentioned cake yet.

Stiles noticed the cat first. He nudged Derek. “You didn’t tell me you brought that cat home.”

Derek turned towards Stiles, confusion clear on his face, fork with potatoes stabbed through on it hanging in the air halfway to his mouth, “I didn’t”

Stiles chuckles slightly and nods in the direction of the cat which is now in the doorway to the dining room. “Then she followed you home.

By this time, the rest of the table has quieted and turned to see what Stiles and Derek are looking at. The cat continues walking towards but with each step, she gets larger and larger until when she reaches the table it is but a small step to climb up on the table and continue walking down it’s center.

The cat, now roughly the size of a miniature pony, walks past Lydia and Jackson, then Erica and Boyd, and Scott and Isaac, and completely ignoring Laura and Stiles before she stops in front of Derek. All of the sudden there is a naked lady instead of cat sitting in the middle of the dining room table.

“Kind one,” she hisses, “You have saved my life this day. You have shown your worth. In the name of Samaoth, High Priestess of the Sable Court of Fae, you are granted a boon.” She waved her arm in a graceful arc around her head somehow managing not to have any other part of her body move a single muscle. You’d think the naked part would be the most eye catching part of the naked fae sitting on the table but it was more like a statue that didn’t really know how a human body worked. It looked right - sort of. But the more you looked, the more wrong you felt on the inside.

When her arm was in front of Derek one, it held a plain manila folder in it’s hand. Derek was just staring.

With a slight hint of impatience, Samaoth hissed, “Take it now mortal. Do as it says and you will be granted your heart’s greatest desire.”

Derek reached out and took the folder. Before his fingers had even fully closed on the edges, Samaoth had vanished into thin air. He didn’t quite have hold of it yet and the folder dropped to the table, relieving itself of a single piece of paper.

It was a simple piece of printer paper. Across the top it read, “Booking Confirmation for Sable Court Representative to the Greater Northwest Region Supernatural Symposium: Derek Hale, plus one.”

After about 30 seconds of stunned silence, every single person at the table began speaking at once.

*******

An indeterminate amount of time later, Laura’s alpha roar breaks through the cacophony of shouts coming from the rest of the pack.

Once everyone is quiet, Laura turns to Derek, who is still sitting in silence and staring at the innocuous looking piece of paper on the table in front of him.

Laura asks him, with slightly forced calm, “Der-bear, what’s going on?”

Derek opens his mouth. Nothing comes out. Stiles doesn’t even recognize Derek’s current eyebrow configuration.

Derek swallows and tries again. “Well,” he pauses, “there was this cat and it was bleeding and I took it to Scott to get fixed up.” He looks helplessly around the table. “It was a normal cat.”

The focused attention of the whole pack swings around to Scott. He shrugs sheepishly. “It was a normal cat. I gave her stitches and left her in the kennel overnight. Though, it seems like she got out.”

Laura rolls her eyes. “Yeah, okay. Normal cat. Got it. Except your normal cat is apparently the High Priestess of the Sable Court of the Fae. Derek, what does the paper say?”

Derek looks at Laura and startles like he hadn’t thought to read past the bold heading. His eyes rapidly scan the paper. “Apparently the Greater Northwest Regional Supernatural Symposium is being hosted in Seattle this year at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, ummm, next weekend. Registration starts on Thursday afternoon at 4 PM. It has a confirmation number, address, phone number and whatnot and a link to app download and password to download the app for the symposium.”

Stiles decides that now is the time to speak up, “For those of us who are new to werewolfly culture, what exactly is the Greater Northwest Region Supernatural Symposium?

Laura sighs before she answers. “It’s going to be a shitshow, that’s what. Wolves aren’t usually invited. We’re too volatile or something. It is mainly run by the fae and other ‘more evolved’ supernatural beings. The get together to schmooze, make treaties and listen to presentations on things like ‘Kobolds and cleaning: an analysis of practices through the ages’ or ‘Pixies in the modern age: pesky or pragmatic?’ It’s pretty much a chance for the hoity toity of supernatural society to get together and bond over how superior they are to the rest of us. For a wolf to show up, and not even an alpha will be an insult to every single being there.”

Stiles feels the need to pipe in again, “Great. So this is the gist. Derek saves this cat’s life, he gets a boon - supposedly his greatest desire but only if he goes to this conference of supernatural one percenters. This is ridiculous!” Turning to Lydia, he continues, “Is this even possible? I thought we had a big do not touch sign over us after our last dealings with the fae.”

Lydia responds quickly, “You��re right. But, Samaoth didn’t seek us out. Derek sought her out - albeit unknowingly - so that may cancel the binding. Let me see if Illirial is available speak with us.

Lydia’s eyes turn milky white as she chants under her breath. The wolves can probably tell what she is saying but to Stiles it just seems like a low susurrus. After a few moments her eyes return to normal and she holds out her hand.

A moment after that a small hologram - Princess Leia style - appears in her hand. Stiles hates dealing with the fae. It makes his brain hurt. But they all owe Illirial and he seems to make an effort not to be purposefully obtuse when speaking with them.

His voice is slightly tinny when he speaks, “Greetings Hale Pack. It is a pleasure to be with you once more. For what reason have you requested my presence this day?”

As Lydia was the best at untangling the vagueries of fae speech, Lydia replied. “We call upon you as a friend, with no obligation attached, to ask of you some information. Under what circumstances might this be amenable to you?”

Illirial appeared to think about it for a moment. “As friends, it would be in my heart to give this information, if I am able. Perhaps one day I may come to you, with no obligation, for the same, until such time as we have shared information of equal value. If I am unable to share what you ask, we will speak of this no more and part again as friends.”

Lydia nodded and continued, “This is generous of you, Illirial. You confirm yourself as friend of the Hale Pack. What can you tell us of the Sable Court of the Fae? Specifically of the priestly order attached to it.”

“As you know, generally, the fae owe allegiance to either the Seelie or Unseelie court. This is balance, as it should be. You mortals may believe one to be good and one to be evil but we fae do not ascribe to that kind of moral judgment. Seelie and Unseelie merely are. WIthout the balance of the courts, the world would fall apart, in a most literal sense. But we fae, while bound to our courts, do have free will. In times when balance is threatened, the fae turn to the Sable Court. They are judge; they are arbiter; and if need be, they are executioner. The high priestess has final say in all decisions made by the Sable Court.”

When it was apparent the Illirial was done speaking, Lydia spoke again, “If the Sable Court High Priestess were to offer a boon, with an obligation attached, what should one take into consideration while deciding on a course of action?”

Illirial responded immediately, in almost a panic, “Only the recipient of the boon can make that choice. Only five times in our history has the Sable court been known to offer a boon. Each time the obligation was how the boon was revealed. While danger might abide within fulfilling the obligation, the Sable Fae are straightforward. There will be no hidden knives or truthful deceits as you might find with some of the other fae.”

Lydia nodded again and replied, “Illirial, the Hale Pack thanks you for the information you have shared so openly, which we acknowledge is beyond your natural state. That which we do not speak of will remain private and you may feel free to call upon the Hale Pack for an exchange of information equal in value to what you have offered us. Go with peace and the blessing of Mother Moon.”

Illirial bowed and vanished from Lydia’s hand.

Stiles turned back towards Laura to see how she would respond to this information and saw his Alpha was white as a sheet. All the blood had drained from her face and she looked like she was about to fall over.

“That’s who did it?” she asked.

Stiles startled. He didn’t know how but he’d forgotten that Laura had never met Illirial before.

Derek grabbed her hand. “Yes.” He looked like he wanted to fight the binding for a moment but then his features calmed. “You know we can’t even speak of how it happened. But yes, it was Illirial who brought you back from the dead.“

Stiles suddenly realized that it was probably the Sable Court that had dictated the binding of secrecy around that whole fiasco. Even now, it was hard to think back to that couple of months when the fae had descended on Beacon Hills. If he tried to pin down the memory too specifically, it would slide away like trying to hold fast to a thousand strings being pulled in all different directions.

Laura seemed to come back to herself. “I know Der-bear. I understand.

Derek stood up. “Well, I guess I better get packed to go to Seattle.”

Stiles made the decision in an instant and stood up as well. “Me too.”

“What?” Derek replied.

Stiles picked up the sheet of paper and waved in front of his face. “Plus one, Sourwolf. I’m going with you.”

He looked like he wanted to argue but was cut off when Laura said, “Good idea. I’ll book you both flights up for Thursday morning.”

*******

2 Days Later (aka Thursday)

Stiles settled into the first class seat Laura had sprung for with a wiggle of his hips. He turned towards Derek, still grinning, when he heard him groan under his breath.

“None of your groaning or sighing is going to ruin this for me, Derek. First class! I’m going to get a hot towel. And free snacks. This is awesome.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to spoil your fun. It is pretty awesome.” Derek smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes - or his eyebrows.

Stiles turned serious for a moment, “Hey. Sourwolf, I know you don’t like not knowing what’s going to happen but your heart’s desire, that’s gotta be exciting to think about.”

Derek gave another half-hearted smile. “Yeah, I guess.”

“What do you think it will be?”

“I don’t know. I do kind of wonder about whether it’ll be something that I go, ‘oh, of course’ or if it will be something I didn’t even know I wanted. Or if Samaoth can somehow look into the future and know what domino to knock over now that will result in a chain reaction that will make me happy down the road.”

“Whoa there, Derek. That is a lot hamsters running around on their wheels inside your head.” Stiles pauses. “Seriously, though, would any of those options be a bad thing?”

Derek’s eyebrows morph into thinking position #2 and he is silent for a while.

This time, the smile on Derek’s face is genuine. “You’re right. We go to this conference. We come home and then I get my heart’s desire.”

Stiles heart does a little lurch at that. Right now, he knows what his heart’s desire would be: to build a life with Derek. He hopes that spending this weekend alone with Derek will help him think about what Laura said and decide how he wants to woo Derek.

Because Derek deserves ALL the wooing.

*******

Stiles flops on the bed as soon as they get to their hotel room. He blows out a frustrated breath and closes his eyes. Landing in Seattle had started off on the right foot. They had both fallen asleep on the flight and Stiles woke up with Derek’s head resting on his shoulder and their hands pressed together on the arm rest. However, it had all gone downhill from there.

Getting their luggage, getting out of the airport, and the ride to the hotel don’t bear mentioning beyond the word torture. But, then they had finally gotten to the check in desk and the finish line was in sight when Stiles tuned into what the customer service representative was saying:

“Mr. Hale and Mr. Stilinski, welcome to the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. I hope you enjoy your stay in Seattle. You have been booked in one of our honeymoon suites. This includes a complimentary bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. Please, just let room service know when you would like them delivered. Here is your room key.”

Derek quickly responded, “We were booked in the what?”

“The honeymoon suite, sir.”

“We are just here for a conference, A room with 2 doubles or 2 queens will be sufficient.”

“Sir, we are completely booked. There are no other rooms available.”

Derek looks like he wants to argue with her but instead puts on his big boy pants and says, “Fine. But, you can keep the champagne. I don’t drink.”

The woman’s smile brightens. “Thank you, sir. And please accept this voucher for a free spa treatment instead of the champagne.”

Derek stares at the woman until Stiles reaches out and takes the voucher. “Thank you ma’am. Have a wonderful day.”

So, the bed Stiles has just collapsed on is the bed he is going to have sleep in tonight. With Derek.

Now, apart from the initial freak out, Stiles thinks he’s dealt with his oh shit moment like a completely mature adult. He listened to his heart, decided what he really wanted from the situation and is setting about figuring out how to get there while respecting the other person involved. But none of that mature adult thinking included having to share a bed with Derek Hale.

Also, until now he had somehow managed to not really think about the physical ramifications of being in love with Derek Hale. He didn’t think that Derek was asexual so that meant that somewhere in the future, if his wooing was successful, their would be sex. Sex with Derek.

His face burns just thinking about it. But also, his pants parts are also thinking about getting excited as well. Pants parts… Stiles groans internally. He’s not twelve anymore. If he can’t say the words he’s not mature enough to do the deed.

His brain spirals a bit as it starts to list all the names of things he needs to be mature enough to say. Penis. DIck. Cock. Asshole. Balls.

He is interrupted in his reverie by Derek clearing his throat. “I don’t know what you are thinking about right now but could you please not smell up the bed we both have to sleep in tonight with those thoughts?”

Stiles almost chokes on his own tongue. “Ye…YEa..yes. Sure thing. Sorry.”

He stands up and wipes his hands on his jeans. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.” He groans. “That just made it worse, didn’t it.”

Derek chuckles. “Yes, it did. Don’t worry about it. I’m just teasing. I am not sure that there is any smell you could make that could be worse than the airplane.”

Stiles felt his face heat up for a different reason. He knows Derek is just trying to make him feel better, but he thinks he maybe just gave Stiles a compliment or said that he doesn’t mind what Stiles smells like when he is aroused.

Stiles shuts down that train of thought immediately and goes to throw some water on his face in the bathroom. When he comes out Derek is sitting on the bed like he was waiting for Stiles.

Stiles jitters nervously around the room, touching everything and generally berating himself for not being able to act normal.

FInally, Derek speaks. “So, I know we don’t spend a lot of time with supernatural beings outside of our pack. There are some rules of politeness that it would probably be good for you to know.”

Derek talks for awhile and Stiles tries to remember all the protocol that Derek is telling him.

“Finally, with me not being the Alpha and you being a human spark, we will need to ramp up the appearance of our pack bond.”

“What exactly does that mean, Sourwolf?”

Derek stands up and walks towards Stiles. He stops just inside a normal human’s comfort zone for being a near another person. Derek looks Stiles in the eyes. They stand there for about 5 seconds that felt like 5 years before Derek reaches out and cups Stiles face, rubbing his thumbs over the apples of Stiles’ cheeks. He raises his eyebrows like he’s asking permission.

Stiles has no idea what is going on here but he really doesn’t care. Derek can do what the hell he wants to right now. Stiles nods.

Derek steps closer and leans towards Stiles, coming even closer.

Stiles closes his eyes. His heart is rabbiting out of his chest. He opens his mouth to gulp in air as he thinks he might be drowning. Surely Derek can tells what kind of effect he’s having.

Just when Stiles thought he might die of anticipation, Derek ducks his head and rubs his cheek on Stiles’ neck and shoulder.

Stiles lets out a high pitched squeaking noise. He realizes that Derek meant pack scenting. They needed to touch each other so the pack bond was more apparent in how they smelled.

Derek is still rubbing his face on Stiles’ neck when Stiles breaks. He lets out a almost hysterical sounding burst of laughter and sways backwards away from Derek.

“Stiles, are you okay?”

Stiles wheezes. “Yeah, of course. Scent marking. Pack bonds. Got it. That’s all.”

He knows he’s not making any sense but oh shit Stiles wants to climb Derek like a tree. I mean, he always know Derek was attractive but this kind of visceral physical reaction is a whole new thing.

Derek takes a step forward, confused eyebrows returning, and asks again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Stiles begins to nod like a bobble head dolls, preparing to reassure Derek that he is indeed fine. Instead, he says. “No, nowhere near fine.”

Concern painting Derek’s features, he starts to talk but Stiles cuts him off.

“Scent marking makes sense now that you say it outloud. But seriously, before you saying it, it felt like you were going to do something completely different. I mean I know it makes no sense but I’ve been kissed a few times and I know what it feels like coming on. I mean I know that doesn’t make any sense but I don’t think my heart could take thinking you were going to kiss me and then you don’t but you’re still rubbing all up on me.”

Stiles knows he’s rambling. It’s the ADD and the stress but he can’t seem to stop himself. Finally Derek just slaps a hand over his mouth, forcing Stiels to stop.

Derek looks almost bewildered. “Is kissing me something you want?”

It’s Stiles turn to feel bewildered. “How do you just ask that? That’s a crazy kind of a question.”

Derek raises one eyebrow and says, “Stiles, answer the question. I’m not going to make fun of you.”

Stiles takes a deep breath and looks up at Derek, feeling shy for the first time in a very long time. His voice comes out like a whisper. “Yes. I think I do. I mean it’s a pretty recent development and I had planned on wooing you before i told you, but since you ask, yes, kissing you is something that I want.”

Derek is silent for awhile before Stiles eventually begs, “Come on, Sourwolf, put me out of my misery here, one way or the other.”

Derek looks up again, his face vulnerable in a way that Stiles isn’t sure he’s ever seen. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never thought of you in that way before. But now that you bring it up, it seems like maybe it could be worth thinking about. I don’t want to kiss you on an experient, with us wanting different things out of it. Maybe we could talk more about it when we get home and give me a little while to think it over.”

Stiles isn’t really sure how to process what Derek just said beyond it wasn’t no. Stiles smiles, a little hope seeping into his own thoughts on the matter.

“Yeah, Derek. That sounds good.” He looks helplessly around, not really sure how to start a different conversation and not really having any thing else to do in the hotel room.

Derek saves the day. “Look, they have registrations times in the morning as well as tonight. What do you say we go and see a movie tonight instead of sticking around the hotel? We can grab some dinner too.”

“Yeah. That sounds great.” This is not a date, Stiles repeats to himself in his mind over and over again. But at the same time, he can’t keep the goofy smile off his face..

*******

The not-a-date was amazing. Somehow, they had both been able to just have fun together and not get stuck dwelling on to kiss or not to kiss question. Stiles was floating on cloud 9 until they got back to the hotel room. More specifically, the bed.

Stiles and Derek have both changed into sweatpants and t-shirts and are standing on opposite sides of the bed, just staring at it and not getting in.

Finally, Stiles looks up and tries to school his face into a serious demeanor. “Now look here. I have already admitted to where I stand on the whole kissing question. I am a virile young specimen of a human being. This” he says pointing a finger around the bed, “is a no judgment zone. You ignore any bodily functions that may happen in this bed, because of how I feel about you.”

By the end of his speech, Stiles’ cheeks are burning and he doesn’t know why but he is having trouble catching his breath.

Derek blinks like an owl. “Feelings?” He’s sounding a little breathless himself.

Stiles shakes his head in frustration. “Yes, Derek. Feelings! I thought we already had this conversation.”

Derek shakes his head. “No. We had a conversation about kissing. Not a conversation about feelings.’

“Yeah, well, for me there the same damn conversation. The feelings came first. Then the wanting to kiss you.”

“Oh.”

“What, oh?” Stiles bites out, beginning to feel annoyed. And embarrassed.

“In my experience, that’s not always the case. Not with Kate or Jennifer or Braeden.” Derek replies in a very small voice.

Stiles annoyance falls away and his heart breaks, just a little. Stiles walks around the bed so he can at least be near to Derek.

“I know we haven’t worked the whole feelings/kissing thing out but can I give you a hug?”

Derek doesn’t even reply. He just reaches for Stiles and wraps his arms around his entire torso. Derek practically collapses into the hug and Stiles does his best to channel everything he learned about hugs from his Mom and Mama McCall into this hug.

Stiles thinks this might be the longest he’s ever hugged anyone for and he doesn’t ever want to let Derek go. But eventually their arms naturally drop. Stiles puts his hands on Derek’s cheeks, and looks him in the eyes.

“Listen to me, Derek. I love being your friend. I love being your packmate. I love getting to spend time with you. Me being in love with you won’t change any of that if you don’t want it to. It’s like an A and an A+. Both are awesome. One is just a slight improvement over the other. I don’t want the A+ unless it is going to make you happy too. I’m here for the A no matter what you decide about kissing and feelings.”

Derek closed his eyes before he started speaking. Stiles can feel each movement of his jaw as he chokes out a response. “The last time I tried kissing and feelings together, I ended up having to kill her. I don’t know how to do this like a normal person.”

“Derek, look at me. Do you think that I know how to do this like a normal person either? There is no normal. There is just whatever we decide we want.”

In a barely audible whisper, Derek says, “I think I’d like to try this with you. But slowly. Definitely feelings, but maybe no more than kissing for awhile.?”

Stiles can’t imagine what the sheer joy that sweeps through him must smell like to Derek but Derek sniffs the air and a grin breaks out across his whole face, eyebrows and all.

Stiles is practically vibrating in place. “Can I kiss you now?””

Instead of answering, Derek leans forward and gently presses their lips together. Despite how chaste the kiss is, Stiles feels it to the very core of him. His heart is doing things he couldn’t eve describe and his knees are about to buckle.

Without thought, his arms wrap around Derek’s neck and his hips press forward. He stops himself short of grinding because that would not be taking it slow. But, as it is, he and Derek are touch from head to toe, wrapped in each other’s arms and more deliriously happy than Stiles knew was possible.

Derek ran his fingers through Stiles’ hair as he pulled away from their kiss. Stiles didn’t have scent to go by but he thought that Derek was just as happy as he was.

“Alright, lover boy or lover wolf? Is that a thing. It should be. Lover-wolf, let’s go to bed.”

“Not a thing. Don’t make it a thing.”

“Too late, lover-wolf, its a thing.”

They both climb into bed and Stiles stalls out for a minute but then he reaches out and takes Derek’s hand. By the time they fell asleep, Stiles had claimed the position of big spoon and had Derek wrapped in his arms.

*******

The first thing Stiles notices when he wakes up is that he is wrapped around a furnace. Then he realizes that furnace is Derek and his brain shorts out in pure bliss for a moment. But as soon as the warm fuzzy endorphins finish blazing through his system, he begins to take note of other things.

The muscles of Derek’s arm under his head. The roughness of the hair on Derek’s chest, where Stiles’ arm is rested. The tangle their legs have made. The insistent pressure of Derek’s hip bone against his rapidly hardening cock.

Stiles moans almost unconsciously as his hips jerk forward a few times, chasing that beautiful, wonderful pressure. It takes more willpower than he knew he possessed to stop and cant his hips away from Derek. Rubbing off on Derek after sharing one chaste kiss was not taking it slow.

Instead, Stiles scritched his fingers over Derek’s chest where they lay and was about to wake Derek up. Before he can get ‘good morning’ out of his mouth, Derek is on the other side of the room, wolfed out and panting like he just ran a marathon. His eyes are wide and wild - almost like he is somewhere else and not here in a hotel room with Stiles.

Stiles sits up in bed, not sure what just happened. “Derek, what’s wrong?” he asks, voice taut with false calm. He has to stay calm.

Derek hunches further into the corner of the room when Stiles speaks and doesn’t respond.

“Ok, Sourwolf. I’m going to get out of bed slowly. I’m not going to hurt you. You are safe.” Stiles keeps talking, low and calm, while he slowly walks towards Derek with his hands out.

Stiles stops just inside arm’s reach of Derek. He curses himself for his stupidity in what he is about to do. He takes one step closer to the frightened, wolfed out werewolf, not really sure what his next step will be. But when Stiles gets closer to Derek, Derek sniffs the air and that seems to break through whatever Derek had been experiencing.

He manages to pull back the shift and lurches forward into Stiles’ arms, pulling him into a desperate hug and burying his nose in Stiles’ neck. He is pulling in deep breaths of Stiles’ scent and trembling in his arms.

Stiles is at a loss but does his best to hold the man he loves through whatever’s happening right now. He ends up sliding to the floor so he hold Derek better as he is rocking back and forth.

He seems to be inhaling huge breaths of Stiles scent. When Stiles focuses enough to tell what Derek is muttering, he hears, “It’s Stiles. Stiles not Kate. Stiles is safe” over and over again.

Once he picks up what Derek is saying, Stiles heart breaks even more. He leans back a bit and tries to get Derek to look at him, “Sourwolf, your’re safe. I promise.”

Derek won’t be moved. “Need to smell you. Eyes can lie. Need to smell you.”

“Okay, Okay. At least come to the be…couch with me. We can be more comfortable.”

Derek shook the whole way to the couch and immediately curled back into Stiles’ space when they sat down.

It was almost an hour before Derek calmed himself down enough to unwind from Stiles. Stiles arms and legs were so cramped and he had to pee so bad he thought he might actually wet himself. He’d kind of thought they might have gotten through a few dates and make-outs before he was hit over the head with the ‘worse’ part of ‘for better or worse’. Not that he was thinking about marriage already. Oh shit! He might be thinking of marriage already.

“You gonna be okay if I go pee real fast?”

A ghost of a smile flashed across Derek’s face. “Yeah, I think so.” He paused, “But hurry, please”

Stiles peed the fasted he’d ever peed and went back to sit beside Derek.

He gets a good look for the first time since they moved to the couch. Derek’s face is pale and drawn with tear tracks streaking his cheeks. His eyes look hollowed out and exhausted. His whole body is hunched over like he is ashamed.

Stiles gently lifts Derek’s chin so he can look him in the face. “What happened?”

Derek opens his mouth like he was going to talk but instead ends up shaking his head. “I don’t know. I’m so sorry. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you deal with that. You didn’t sign up for that. Just sorry.”

“Hey, hey. No. Before anything else, I am your friend and packmate. Which means I absolutely signed up for keeping you safe when you are terrified. I absolutely signed up for being there when you need me. The kissing and feelings has nothing to do with that. And I did sign up for that.”

Stiles thinks he must look strange because the way Derek is looking at him is like he’s never seen Stiles before. It almost makes Stiles embarrassed for how fierce he just was. But then Derek whispers, “Thank you.” And, that’s it. Stiles knows he said the right thing.

“Anytime. Though I do hope not all the time.” Stiles takes a moment to choose his next words very carefully. “If you don’t quite know what happened or don’t feel ready to talk about it yet, that’s okay. I’m not going to press. But I think you should consider talking about it. I mean, maybe with a professional. I’m always happy to listen but that was a really big reaction to I don’t know what. I am here for you and I will always be here for you. However, a professional might make it so you get better instead of just having support when it’s bad. I don’t know if I said that right or not.”

Derek’s voice is back up to normal volume. “You said it just fine. Maybe. I’d have to find someone supernatural. Maybe Laura knows of someone.”

Stiles is full to bursting with pride when Derek says that. The pink on Derek’s cheeks tells Stiles, he can probably smell that on him. He replies to Derek’s cheeks instead of his eyebrows like usual, “Yes, I’m proud of you. Get used to it, Sourwolf.”

*******

It takes awhile for them to finally get around to taking showers and getting dressed. By the time they are ready to leave the room, there is only about 15 minutes left of registration. Stiles is about to open the door when Derek grabs his hand and stops him.

He fumbles for his words for a moment before his eyebrows become determined and he looks up at Stiles. “So you know rank and protocol can be very important to supernatural beings.”

Stiles nods.

“As an unmated wolf representing a pretty powerful group, I will be considered fair game.”

“Fair game for what?”

“Wolves have a lot of behaviors surrounding smell because that sense is enhanced for us. For the fae, touch is very powerful. They can read auras, map bindings and relationships, heal or harm based on intention, enact treaties, and so much more. They understand enough about wolves to know not to touch a mated wolf without permission but an unmated wolf is fair game.”

“What are you saying? Cause it almost feels like you want me to be your mate so you don’t get touched too much while we’re here. And that feels like you are manipulating me because you know about my feelings. I don’t think you would do that so please tell me what you are saying.”

Derek looks horrified as he talks again, “No. Nonono. I just meant, maybe we could pretend to be mated. Maybe engaged to be mated or something. We wouldn’t smell right to other wolves but for the fae, they might believe if we were convincing enough.”

“I’m not sure that would be much better, Sourwolf. I don’t want you kissing me and touching me if you don’t mean it. That would be too heartbreaking for me.”

“What if we just didn’t say anything but did some of the stuff we’ve already done, just in public - holding hands, hugging, ummm, small kisses.”

Stiles thought about it for a moment. “Just make a promise. Don’t do anything with or to me that you don’t have feelings behind. I mean maybe you wouldn’t have thought to do it at just that moment except us being here but in general, it would make you happy to do it with me…”

Stiles huffs out a breath. That didn’t even make sense to him and he said it.

Derek takes a step closer. “I’d be happy to hold your hand all the time. Being surrounded by your scent is amazing. It’s like no matter what else is going on, no matter how crazy or dangerous things are, I can find peace if you are nearby.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yean, okay.”

Stiles turns to the door of their hotel room again, about to open it. And, again, Derek stops him. “Umm, before we go down there, can we do one more thing?”

Stiles tilts his head in inquiry.

“Can I kiss you again?”

Stiles’ breath whooshes out of him and his heart beats in that quadruple staccato as he nods his head.

Derek crowds him against the wall, boxing Stiles in with his whole body before he leans in and presses their lips together.

Stiles doesn’t know and really doesn’t care what to do with his hands. They flail up and land somewhere on Derek’s back as his legs give a wobble under him. Oh God. This is like a perfect moment.

Then, Derek opens his mouth just a bit and lets his tongue lick at Stiles’ lips. That sends a shock right to Stiles’ heart and feels warm through his whole body. Another lick and shock lands a bit lower. There’s nowhere for him to move that doesn’t involve rubbing against Derek.

This time, Derek rubs back and Stiles thinks he might die of sheer pleasure. He opens his mouth, letting his tongue meet Derek’s. At Stiles’ acquiescence, Derek growls, eyes flashing blue, and grabs Stiles’ hands. He slams them against the wall above their heads and presses hard into Stiles’ whole body.

Stiles whines and tries to reciprocate as much as possible but Derek has complete control over him. And, oh shit, does that work for him. HIs brain is rapidly dribbling out his ears, being replaced entirely by the pleasure of Derek pinning him to a wall.

All of the sudden Derek lets out a frustrated groan and Stiles’ front is freezing. Derek takes a step back, chest heaving and eyes blown wide. Stiles is sure he looks about the same. Maybe with a touch more confusion.

“Wha…why did you stop?”

Derek practically growls out his answer and his eyes flash blue again, “The first time I make you come, it won’t be pinned against the wall in a hotel room that smells like about 10 other people.”

Stiles thinks if he were five years younger, hearing Derek say that might have made him come untouched, standing against a wall in a hotel room. As is, he presses a hand against the base of his cock and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment before grunting, “If you don’t want me to come, then you should probably stop talking about it.”

Derek is flushed and beautiful and his eyebrows have gone a bit sheepish. “Yeah, for me too.”

Stiles puts his full weight back on his own feet (and not the wall, or Derek) and looks at the clock on the bedside table. “Aannd, we now have 5 minutes left to register.”

“Then we better hurry.” Derek smirks at Stiles and grabs his hand to drag him to the elevator.

*******

The rest of the weekend was amazing. It turns out being the Sable Court representative meant they had to show up at a few seminars, make sure everyone knew they were there to represent the Sable Court, and attend the Banquet on Saturday night. No one made treaties with the Sable Court so there was very little politicking to be done. Every so often folks with grievances would try to get Derek to settle it between. Derek made a point of never giving a direct answer but he did keep note of a few situations that had the potential to blow up and made sure to pass that information on to whatever being was the equivalent of their Alpha.

Mostly, Stiles and Derek got to wander around a beautiful hotel, holding hands and reveling in just being together. The banquet had been the highlight of the weekend. Derek grumbled the whole time that he didn’t want to dance. But Stiles eventually convinced him, leading Derek onto the dance floor with a mischievous grin on his face.

Stiles proceeded to do the Macarena to every song that the string quartet played. Derek’s sour face barely lasted one song, by the end of the second song, he was laughing, By the end of the third song, he even had some of the other attendees who were around his age trying to get the pace of the Macarena right to match Liszt’s Angelus.

Derek pulled him close, laughter still in his voice, “You are ridiculous. Now you’ve got the whole place doing it, can we go?”

Stiles felt a pang of disappointment. He’d thought they were having fun. He quirks a half-smile at Derek. “Not having fun?”

Derek pressed a hard, quick kiss to Stiles’ lips. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? When you laugh, the joy in your scent is all I can focus on. I just want to slam you against some vertical surface and kiss you until it is as much a part of my scent as it is yours..”

Stiles’ eyes widened and yep, his whole body was on board with that idea. His voice cracked when tried to talk. Finally, he got out, “Yeah, that sounds like more fun than this. Let’s go do that.”

Later that night, after a good amount of very awesome making out, followed by two long, separate showers that would have taken all the hot water had they not been in a hotel, Stiles and Derek found themselves lying in bed together again. The heat from earlier in the evening has been banked and they are cuddled together, completely boneless.

Stiles is almost afraid to break the perfect atmosphere by speaking but he does. “You know I went and talked to Laura before her birthday dinner? I asked her whether there were specific werewolfy mating rituals. Or a specific way I should woo you.”

Derek looks at him, slightly horrified. “You didn’t!”

Stiles grins. “I did. I told it was her birthday present - that I was voluntarily letting her meddle.”

Now Derek looks worried for Stiles’ sanity. “What did she say?”

“I made her promise she would take the piss or get me to do something stupid before I asked her. She seemed to get that I was serious. She told me about this quote about mates that your Mom used to tell you.”

This time Derek smiled and recited from memory, “Each wolf is whole in itself but there are those who are created to walk beside in perfect harmony. A mate to write their name on your heart will make you safe by watching your back, give you peace by travelling beside you, bring you joy by smiling back at you, and join hands with you so will never be alone on your life journey,”

“Yeah, that. I started out thinking I was going to try to take that quote and prove to you that I am your mate, through wooing. But I realized there is no way that I would be able to convince you I am your mate, if I am not. Instead, I’ve realized that I want to tell you how you are my mate. From there, it is up to you where we go.”

Stiles swallows. “Derek Hale, I know that I am always safe with you. If we are in danger, I know you will be there, making sure that we both get out alive. You also make me feel safe sharing who I am with you. You’ve never made me feel bad about myself or how I was feeling. They say peace isn’t the lack of conflict but rather it is an inner quality that allows you to maintain equilibrium even in the midst of conflict. Now, equilibrium is not something I am much talented at. But with you by my side, I can find that calm. I can find my way out of calamitous thinking. You make me feel grounded. You’ve got a wicked sense of humor when you choose to let it out and you are the most fun to be goofy around because you’ll pretend to be annoyed but I know you really love it.”

Stiles stops for a moment, and takes Derek’s hand before he continues. “I know this isn’t really taking it slow when it comes to the feelings side of kissing and feelings but I want you to know, I think you are my mate. I hope one day you will decide that I am yours”

All of the sudden, there is a cat on their bed. It begins to grow and then transforms into a naked lady, just as it had at Laura’s birthday party.

Samaoth greets this with a hissed murmur, “Kind one, your obligation is fulfilled and your boon is granted.”

Stiles feels sick. Derek looks like he is about puke. Derek rasps out, “Not like this. I don’t want it like this. You can’t make him feel like this and then expect it to be okay.”

Samaoth arches one eyebrow. “Make him? I did not make him. This was a boon of revelation not a boon of creation. Maybe a slight nudge so that you were in a situation that would encourage you to share your feelings with each other. But the feelings themselves, they are yours, and yours alone.”

The pit in his stomach closed up and he was able to breathe again. But before Stiles could speak, Samaoth continued, “You know, not having to attend this thing was wonderful. Would you be willing to attend as my representative every year, Kind one?”

Derek appears to still be reeling, so Stiles answers. “Perhaps we leave it open for you invite us each year, while we retain the right to accept or refuse as we are able.”

Samaoth nods, “This is acceptable. Enjoy your mate, Kind one.” Samaoth then disappeared into thin air between one breath and the next.

Stiles and Derek look at each other. Derek finally speaks, “That was exhausting. Can we just go to sleep and talk about it tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Stiles kisses Derek’s forehead gently and then whispers, “Sweet dreams, Lover-wolf.”

*******

Traveling home was almost as exhausting as traveling to Seattle in the first place. But at least Roscoe was waiting for them instead of a taxi.

When they had both climbed in, Stiles tapped on the steering wheel a couple of times to relieve the nervous tension.

“We haven’t really talked much about what Samaoth said. I thought we might at least talk about what we wanted to tell the pack when we get home.”

Derek nods. “That’s a good idea.” He pauses. “I think I should go first.”

“Okay.”

Stiles is confused when Derek starts how he does but listens without interrupting. “Kate liked to play sexual games. She was always pushing me further than I wanted to go. I think Friday morning happened because you used your fingernails to wake me up. She used to scratch me, until I would bleed. She would start soft, almost tickling and gradually get harder and harder until I would beg her to stop. She would only stop if I did something for her, like go down on her or play with her nipples.”

Derek takes a deep breath in and out through his nose. “I thought I loved her. I thought she loved me. I thought that was just how sex was. I didn’t know how bad she was until it was too late. You know the rest of the story. But I think she really messed up how I think about feelings and kissing as we’ve been calling it. I think you’re right. I probably need to talk to a professional to get it all sorted out in my own head.”

Stiles nods and makes an encouraging noise because it seems like Derek isn’t done talking yet.

“I want that with you. I want the whole thing: mates, married, growing old together, everything. The feelings are there. But I think I also need time to work out my own head before we go any further than the kissing.”

When Derek looks up at Stiles, his eyes are pleading with Stiles, like there was anything other than yes that Stiles would say to all that. “Derek, I am here for you, however you need. As long as we can talk to each other, it will be okay. I can’t promise to always do or say the right thing but I want this too. I want this in a way that is healthy for you. And in the mean time, kissing you is no hardship.”

To demonstrate, and because he wanted to, Stiles leans forward and kisses Derek, once on the lips, once on the forehead, and then once on each cheek.

Stiles leans back, and asks, “What do you want to tell the pack?”

“The truth.”

*******

Everyone is gathered at the Hale house when they walk inside, hand in hand. Laura squeals and jumps up to hug them both as soon as she notices. Scott grins and gives Stiles a thumbs up while everyone else takes a moment to catch up.

They sit down together in one of the love seats, Derek on Stiles’ lap.

Lydia starts of the friendly interrogation. “I’d ask how it went but it appears to have gone very well.”

Stiles is grinning and Derek has a soft happy smile on his face. They look each other in the eyes and both say, “Yeah,” at the same time.

Laura throws and throw pillow at their heads. “Stop being so sappy and tell us all about it.”

Derek throws it back at his sister and Stiles starts to talk. “The conference was a conference. Nothing exciting there except, we kind of both decided that we are mates.”

The whole room erupts in shouts and wolf whistles.

Once they settle down, Stiles continues, “Samaoth doesn’t like to go so she used this as an excuse to get out of it and give Derek his boon. Apparently, we have always been each other’s mates and might have figured that out on our own eventually but Samaoth’s boon was one of revelation. The time alone together, along with a small nudge from her, helped us to be able realize our feelings for each other.”

“Congratulations, guys,” Boyd says when Stiles stops speaking. The rest of the pack echoes the sentiment.

Derek nudges Stiles, “Can you tell them the rest too?” Stiles startles slightly. “You want to share that part?

“Yeah. I don’t know that I can say it again but they’re pack. It’s safe.”

Stiles smiles, pride and happiness leaking out everywhere. “Part of us deciding what it means for us to be mates is that we decided to take it really slow. Derek shared some things about what Kate did to him that have messed up how he sees the physical aspect of relationships. He’s decided to talk to a professional about to get things straight in his own head. We’re still mates, we’re just taking it really slow.”

Derek stared at his shoes the whole time Stiles was talking. His embarrassment is bright on his cheeks and the rest of the pack must be able to smell it.

Laura stands up from her seat and kneels on the ground in front of Derek so she can look him in the eyes. “I am so proud of you. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. We all love you and want you to be happy.”

Erica yells from across the room. “What she said.”

Lydia replies, “I might have said it with more tact, but I agree too.”

Isaac, Boyd, Scott, and Jackson are quick to follow with their own reassurances.

There is a bit of awkward tension in the room like no one really knows what comes next, until Stiles declares, “It’s time for Frozen and a puppy pile.”

Derek smiles and says, “Yeah, that would be great.”

Three disney movies later, Stiles falls asleep with Derek sitting between his legs, back resting against Stiles�� chest. He’s never been so happy in all his life. Maybe he should be looking forward to his next oh shit moment.

The end.

#dearericbittle #stereksanta19 #*fics19 #*gifts19

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tomsoutletforlife · 4 years

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Where do i begin.

Where do you even begin these things.

I’m 29, for this blogs purpose my name is Tom. And right now i just want to scream.

Lets start in the beginning, i met this woman when i lived with a friend. This person lived with her boyfriend at the time on the top floor of the flat, and i remember the moment i first saw her, i was in my living room playing on the Xbox with a few friends and i noticed 2 silhouettes go past the window behind me, i then looked out the window to my left, and Amelia walked past with her fella. She was stunning, she had slightly reddish dyed hair, walked with a purpose and she just radiated to me. I died on my game from staring out the window, but when i look back out she had gone. It was a few days until i saw them both again but coming into the block of flats i lived in.

Fast forward a few month and we start talking to the fella in passing, get pally and soon he’s coming down for drinks, every now and then bringing Amelia down with him. We all get along fine, i have a huge crush on Amelia but i was taught (and learnt when it happened to me) cheating is just straight up wrong, and if someones happy and in a relationship, you stay away and out of it. So months go past, and a few things happened i won’t go into on here, but she had come down a few times to just get away from her place for a while, things go on as usual and then i move out a few months later.

That was about 8-9 years ago, over the years me and Amelia have chatted through messenger, social media ect met up a few times but nothing ever came of it. But about 5, 6? years ago she asked if i could help get something for her, and i’m welcome to stay for a bit when i drop it off to catch up and chat. After a few weeks of seeing her every week or so i started really liking her. I didnt talk much back then, this was when i was going through my introvert stage, but something about her made me wanna come see her, see how her day and we used to play black ops zombies (which i hated, but then started getting into it after a while) and a few times i dropped hints that i liked her, but she politely shut them down each time, and after a few months of liking her and again politely rejected me asking her out i lost it, we argued a bit (mainly because i let things build up inside me without mentioning anything, so she didnt know about half of it bless her) and we didnt see each other in a good while Since then we became friends again, fell out for the same reasons again (me not being able to accept she doesnt like me like that) and we always make up. We’ve become best friends, she is my best friend. But i’m deeply in love with my best friend, and i have been for going on 4 years. We’ve been on a holiday, we share out worst and best times with each other. When im feeling at my lowest i call her and she knows how to pick me up, whenever she going through something or can’t deal with something, she calls and we are an incredible team together. I just can’t get past my feelings. I’ve tried dating other people, and i’m genuinely not interested. I’ve had offers from people my friends say are way above my weight, but to me there just another person, there not Amelia.

The last few months i’ve been in a better place, this was after another big fallout, because i couldnt swallow my feelings and this time i ended up getting bitter =\ which after we argued sent me into a shame spiral. I was taking it out on another person because they DIDNT like me how i like them? It was so pathetic, and i hated myself for months. But after a while she reached out, which honestly hurt alot aswell as made me extremely happy. I got to the point where i accepted nothings ever gonna happen between us, and there was nothing i could do to change that, hard, but i accepted it. Which has led to my current situation, which is a story for another time. As i have work, but i needed to get in motion some kind of outlet for days when i’ve struggled and need to talk, but can’t talk to anyone because there part of the problem. Problem may be the wrong word, having a best friend like Amelia and her 3 children has given me some of the happiest days of my life, and i love each one of them more than i can express.

Like i said, we’ll get onto my current situation later.

Tom.

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hookedontaronfics · 5 years

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Aber Girl series - Sunday

Title: Aber Girl - Sunday Part 3 of 3. Find Friday’s adventure HERE. Find Saturday’s tale HERE. Rating: T Pairing: Taron x OC Warnings: Cursing and alcohol use A/N: Will Morgan finally let her walls crumble away as Taron tries to show her the best parts of Aberystwyth - and himself? There is so much sweet, adorable fluff in this final chapter it will make your heart ache! Please enjoy the sweetness! x

I awoke straight out of sleep far too early, as it was still pre-dawn dark outside my window. I squinted at my phone and groaned when it read just after 7 a.m. No one had a right to be up this early on their day off, but then I remembered I was to spend the day with Taron and there was going to be no going back to sleep for me. I felt a definite mix of anxious and excited as I sat up in bed, propping myself up a bit and doing what anyone would do; I started scrolling through Google search results. The truth was that even though Taron had always been on my periphery, I hadn’t kept up with what he’d been doing all these years.

I knew he’d gone to RADA after leaving Aberystwyth, and I’d even seen the Kingsman movies because my friends were obsessed. But after that my knowledge was a bit sketchy, so I tried to catch myself back up and found he’d done a bunch of different projects, not always as a headliner, but always seeming to make the most of his roles. I switched over to the images tab, scrolling through photos, most of them from some premiere or film event or the other, although some personal photos had made it onto the internet also, of course; nothing was sacred online. Taron had indeed grown very handsome; I couldn’t deny it anymore. I wasn’t exactly breathless over him, but he had a certain charm about him.

Just then, a text notification popped up from Taron, no less. <Hope you’re ready for today! Dress in layers - We’ll be outside for parts of the day and I want you to stay warm.> I wondered what he had planned; there were a few iconic places in Aber that I’d already spent plenty of time at over the years. I wondered if being there with Taron would make them feel different somehow.

I eventually got myself out of bed and worked on getting dressed, a little bit more successfully than the day before, being ever-careful of my arm. I’d pulled on a pair of warm tights under my jeans and piled on a sweater and zip-up hoodie over my shirt. I swallowed another of the prescription painkillers, hoping it’d keep the pain to a dull ache so I could enjoy my day, and, in a decent mood, I started making breakfast for my parents who weren’t up yet.

I’d got some sausages and eggs in the frypan and set some toast out on the table when my parents came down, still in their robes and pajamas and rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

“Morning,” I said cheerily, carefully sliding food onto plates for them both with my one good arm.

“You’re in a pleasant mood,” my mum remarked, accepting a plate.

“Mmm, yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I laughed at that, as my parents exchanged glances. “Okay, okay, I have a bit of a date today,” I grinned at them both.

“With who?” my parents both managed to ask at the same time.

“An old school friend,” I said as casually as possible.

“Well that’s wonderful, honey,” my father said. “I hope you have fun!”

I just grinned at that and wolfed down my breakfast. Taron said he’d pick me up at 10 a.m. sharp, and the clock had nearly arrived at that. I felt stupidly nervous as I waited, making small talk with my parents until I saw his car pull up to the house. I got up quickly and pulled my coat on around me, trying to button the toggles as quickly as possible.

“Oh, is that him? Invite him inside!” my mother said, trying to get a peek through the curtain as I pulled my Wellies on over thick socks.

“Yeah, no… Let’s at least wait for the second date? Or like, 30th?” I said as I grabbed my purse and smiled at them. “I’ll be back later, love you!” I shouted as I bounced out the door, letting the screen door slam as I usually did.

Taron had obnoxiously decided to be chivalrous and got out to open the car door for me; I thanked him and slid into the seat quickly, willing him to get back in the car in case my mom was trying to look out the window again. The less questions I had to answer about all of that, the better. We’d been blessed with a warmer day, thought it was still cold enough for the snow on the ground to stay, and there were only a few clouds scudding across the sky.

“Morning, love,” Taron grinned in that eternally cheerful way of his.

“Morning,” I couldn’t help but grin back. “So I am yours for the day. Thrill me.”

Taron raised an eyebrow at that and grinned. “So I think the first thing we should do is go up the Cliff. I’ve spent a lot of time up there, and I always find it peaceful.”

“You take all of your girls up there?” I teased.

“Ouch, do you always think I’m so predictable?” he said, pretending to be hurt.

“Mmmm,” I just responded, making him chuckle, and I found I rather enjoyed that sound. We made the quick drive over to the railway, and I insisted on buying our fare for this. I knew he’d probably be paying for most of the day, and besides that, I had also always loved going up the cliff. Taron had brought a pack with him and sat so close to me on the way up that his thigh was against mine, distracting me slightly. But I also couldn’t help staring out the window as we rode; the views were always stunning from 430 feet up.

Despite the cold air, it was surprisingly busy, but then I remembered that the railway was only operating on special hours at the moment because of the influx of people for the holidays. One of my favorite places to spend time, the Camera Obscura, wasn’t open either, but Taron cutely took my hand and led me over to some benches overlooking the city and sat the pack down at his feet, producing two tin mugs and a thermos of hot chocolate to keep us warmed up. We sat there in our mutually content silence, sipping the warm sweet drink and eventually I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Do you miss this when you’re off in London?” I asked.

“All the time, of course. Aber is the center of my universe,” Taron replied. “I don’t regret making the move, but London doesn’t have my heart. Plus, if I don’t visit often enough, my sisters turn into completely different people. They grow up so fast.”

“I used to hold such a grudge that you left,” I admitted. “That you still claimed to be Welsh when you’d left all of us behind, made a name for yourself in Britain. I suppose that wasn’t very fair of me,” I said, as Taron just listened to me ramble. “I guess part of it was that I wanted nothing more than to leave myself, and felt like it was going to be impossible to do. I felt stuck and resented you for my own fortunes. Everyone here considers you such a hero. I never saw what was so special, and it didn’t help that we had all of that history behind us that I blamed you for exclusively.”

“But you think differently now?” he asked.

“It’s why we’re here, now. I want to give you a chance to prove that you still care about this place, its people. That you aren’t too good for it.”

“I don’t think that. I’ve never thought that. I hope I’ve never acted in a manner that would constitute that. I live in London because that’s where it’s easiest to access what I need. Do you honestly think it was easy to say good-bye to my mam, my sisters, everything I grew up with here?” he asked, his gaze searching my face.

“I don’t know, Taron. I feel like I’ve had to literally confront everything I thought I knew about you and found that I’ve been so, so wrong. I suppose I should apologize, it’s a bit shaming, really,” I said, my face growing red.

“Hey, you’ve been misguided, but I can forgive, and you should forgive yourself for that as well, yeah? It’s not so bad, we have this day to make amends and begin again. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll find some magic in it too,” he said, the way he looked at me so softly making my heart skip a few times.

“Maybe,” I said, stumbling a bit over the word and trying to remember how to breathe.

“Right, shall we head back down? I figured we could walk through the National Library to get warm and then grab a bite for lunch at one of my favorite spots.”

“Sounds good,” I nodded, watching as he wiped out our glasses and packed everything back up before sweetly taking my hand in his and swinging our arms between us as we ventured back to the platform. We took the rail back down, chatting about lighter-hearted subjects, and I was really enjoying his company.

We made the drive over to the Library and walked inside its hallowed walls; I’d spent so many hours here, studying for school or just being transported somewhere else through a book. We wandered through an exhibition related to Wales’ musical tradition, actually spending a fair bit of time there together. Taron always took a particular interest in music, and credited his own voice to growing up in a place that fostered music wherever you went.

Once we’d both grown rather hungry, Taron drove us over to Sophie’s. The brunch and lunch spot was busy but we were thankfully able to grab a table. We both ordered burgers and shared a chip stack, loaded with cheese and bacon and sour cream. It turned out that despite Taron’s pretty built physique, he was quite a foodie, and I loved that there was no shame to it. We ended up laughing and talking a lot, and a few times he’d just wind up staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

“You’re clearly thinking something,” I said softly once we’d finished our food and were just waiting for the tab.

“You’d think me bloody crazy,” he chuckled.

“No I wouldn’t, promise!” I smiled at that, placing my chin in my hand and gazing at him a bit.

“Just thinking how I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have a chance with you. You were always the girl that got away from me, mostly because I never took a chance. That’s dogged me for years, you know,” he sighed a bit wistfully.

“You’ve really thought about me for years?” I asked, a bit incredulously.

“Ahh Morgan, I’ve had my share of breakups and lonely nights. It always left me wondering what could have been,” he said, running his fingers through his hair.

I looked away for a second, almost ashamed by the fact that I’d been on his mind at all and had spent that time just fuming away. It was very nearly comical.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed,” he said, misreading my reaction.

“I’m not embarrassed, just ashamed of myself, really. I know you’re not mad at me, but I just feel like this could have happened a lot sooner if I had, I don’t know, just tried a little harder. To see all sides of the story. I just assumed I knew what had happened. I talked to my brother before I texted you yesterday, you know. He said you got blamed for everything, that you took the fall for it. Why?”

“I had amends to make, Morgan. And I was protective of my friends, too. I knew I could handle being hated by your brother. I just didn’t realize I couldn’t handle being hated by you,” he said in nearly a whisper. I could feel the vestiges of the walls I’d built up around myself beginning to crumble slowly.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said quietly as Taron reached over and took my hand in his.

“You don’t have to say anything at all. But I’ve felt like this for years, and being able to finally put it in words, and to be honest with you about it, has been such a relief. I don’t want to place expectations on this. I’m just willing to see where it could lead,” he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as he did so. That was something I had never noticed about him before; when he smiled, it lit up his entire face. He was incredibly expressive and I’m sure that’s what made him such a brilliant actor. You could read what he was thinking without a word being said, and we were having a conversation right then and there by the way he was looking at me. To be the subject of that gaze left me completely breathless.

“So, shall we head out to the next thing?” Taron asked after a moment, and I could only nod in agreement, having to figure out how to put my thoughts back together. I felt undone somehow, but it wasn’t in a bad way; it was just that unnerving feeling that things I thought I had known, about Taron, and about myself, felt completely stripped away.

We got up from our table but Taron was pulled aside for a selfie from someone who recognized him. At least they had waited until we’d finished our meal to ask, so Taron obliged her while I stood awkwardly nearby, feeling somehow like the third wheel. But I wasn’t even a girlfriend, not really, so there was no reason for Taron to acknowledge me in his sphere of actor and fan. Still, he politely excused himself from that conversation as quickly as possible and followed me out the door.

“That’s happening more and more,” he said with a bit of an anxious chuckle.

“So are you big leagues now or what?” I teased him, but he only shook his head.

“Frankly it overwhelms me a bit,” he admitted.

“I imagine so. I mean, I wouldn’t know because I’m just a pleb,” I smirked, making Taron laugh.

“Embrace it,” he smiled. “I wouldn’t give up acting for the world, but celebrity is such a weird thing to me.”

“Well, you’re just Taron to me,” I said with a cute shrug, making him grin.

“Well, just Morgan, shall we go to the castle then?” he grinned, offering his arm to me, which I took.

“Carry on, my fine escort,” I said with a giggle, getting an eyebrow raise for that. God, that eyebrow was classic. I wanted to run my fingers over it, but I decided that might require a beer or two first so I shoved that urge down deep.

The castle was only about an nine-minute walk away, so we decided to leave Taron’s car parked where it was. I promised that just because I was down to one workable arm didn’t mean I didn’t have workable legs, and with the sun shining I was almost too warm under my sweater and hoodie and coat. We strolled down the street, just enjoying the bustle of the city, people running into stores to make their last-minute holiday purchases, and eventually came upon the old castle ruins.

“I’ve spent so many childhood days here,” I grinned as we walked under the north tower gateway.

“As did I,” Taron grinned back as we climbed our way through ruins we both knew so well, Taron taking my hand sweetly to help steady me when there was a large step, since I couldn’t use my other arm to steady myself. Eventually we made it to the topmost point, looking out over the sea. The wind was somehow colder up here, and I pulled my jacket in close about me.

“My parents would bring my brother and me up here to burn off some energy when we were younger. And likely driving them crazy,” I laughed. “We always pretended that this was our castle back in medieval times. Only I wanted to be the knight, and Declan would always be a dragon. Sometimes he would defeat me, sometimes I would slay him. Sometimes we would just rule together and be best friends. Trust me, I was no princess,” I laughed at the memories.

“I mostly just came up here with other schoolmates. Probably did things I shouldn’t’ve,” he chuckled. “Your story is much cuter than mine,” he grinned as I huddled in the corner where two partial stone walls met, trying to seek solace from the bite of the wind. There was a bit of a keyhole window, and I got caught up staring out at the choppy waves for a moment, traveling through my thoughts a bit and unaware that Taron had taken his phone out and snapped a photo of me. “Morgan,” he said to get my attention. I turned to face him, a mix of thoughtfulness and curiosity on my face, and he must have snapped that photo too.

“What are you doing?” I said with a laugh, shaking my head at him.

“Only making sure I don’t forget how you look right now,” he said, a bit of an odd timbre to his voice, almost like he was a bit choked up.

“That’s… Taron,” I said. “Why do you say these things to me? Such pretty things?”

“Because you should know how beautiful you really are. You cover up your insecurities with all this sarcasm and sharp wit but confidence is knowing your own worth. I wanted to show you how I see you,” he said, turning the phone around, and I had to gasp a little bit. Staring back at me was a girl who was both me and not me. There I was, framed by the window, the light streaming about me and almost giving me a bit of a halo, a few strands of hair having blown across my face. But what was most captivating was the soulfulness of my own eyes, the way they seemed to be looking into the universe. The photo was in black and white, but that seemed to enhance the very real vulnerability of it, as if I’d been pared back to nothing but my essence. As Taron had said, not hiding underneath the humor and self-deprecation I used to brush away my insecurities.

“Wow,” I said, unable to tear my gaze away from myself. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Make me look like that?” I asked.

“This is you, Morgan. You’re incredibly introspective, and smart, curious about the world around you, protective of your family and fiercely loyal to your friends, and full of empathy. You’ve got a high spirit but it means you won’t take anyone’s bullshit. But you’ve put these walls up so high because you’re scared of the world seeing you for who you really are. But I have, I always have,” he said, taking a step closer to me. I shivered, but not because of the wind.

“Taron, I don’t know what to say,” I replied, feeling my breath catching as he took another step closer.

“Let me take those walls down, Morgan. Let me in, please,” he pleaded, and with one more step he was in my space, reaching out to touch my cheek gently, his fingers whispering over my skin as he tilted my chin up slightly. “May I?” he asked, and I gave a slight nod.

Taron leaned in, and I found myself holding my breath as we stared at each other, before he gently pressed his lips to mine as I closed my eyes on instinct. That kiss was so achingly sweet and I never wanted it to end, but all too soon he’d pulled away. I cracked an eye open at him, just to catch him looking totally unnerved, overwhelmed, maybe even a little anxious.

“Are you okay?” I asked, suddenly feeling insecure. Had it really been that bad for him? I thought.

“What? No, of course I’m okay. Better than okay,” he laughed. “Can I kiss you again?” he asked.

“Come here,” I grinned back, grabbing a fistful of Taron’s jacket and pulling him into me, kissing him a lot more forcefully than he had done, suddenly needing so much more of him. He pressed his hands against the wall on either side of me, enveloping me and making me feel safe in that space we had created for ourselves as we continued to kiss, his eyelashes sometimes brushing my cheeks.

When we finally broke apart, giggling and breathless, I felt like the entire world had finally shifted, like I’d found my center and things made sense, why I was here in this place. Everything had led me up to this moment, and being with Taron very much felt like a place I wanted to belong.

“I can’t feel my fingers anymore,” I laughed suddenly.

Taron quickly covered my hand with both of his. “My days, you’re ice cold. We should get back inside, warm ourselves up again,” he said, and I nodded in agreement because despite the flush in my cheeks, I was cold. As we made our way out of the castle grounds, my lips were still tingling and I couldn’t help but brush my fingers over them every so often, marveling a bit at how kissing Taron had made me feel. Almost as if I’d grabbed onto a live wire, feeling every emotion with so much more clarity and depth than before.

How had he gotten so under my skin? I wondered. And made me feel so alive?

We made it back to the car and I held my hands up to the heater vents as Taron put the air on full blast. I couldn’t help shivering a bit as we both tried to get warmed up again. He drove around Aber a bit aimlessly before finally pulling into the Waterstones lot. We went in and just browsed a little bit; I was curious to see what his interests were and had to laugh at the fact that I ended up in bookstores even on my days off. The obsession with books was a bit too real.

We ended up poking around a few other shops, including Coastal Vintage and Siop y Pethe, or Shop of Things, which was one of my personal favorite places to just kill some time. It had such an eclectic mix of books and gifts. Taron had been inspecting something on a display and called me over, holding up a necklace with a heart pendant that read werth y byd, or essentially you mean the world.

“Was thinking of getting this for a girl I know,” he said with a cute wink.

“I’m sure your mam would appreciate it,” I teased, making Taron throw back his head with a lovely laugh.

“That’s good,” he said, his eyes sparkling at me. “But I had a different girl in mind,” he grinned, undoing the clasp and then fastening it around my neck.

“Taron, this is just too much,” I said, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

“You just have never been treated right, that’s all,” he said, pulling me in close and kissing me lightly on the forehead, traveling down my nose before capturing my lips in another one of those breath-stealing kisses I was going to have to get used to.

Taron paid for the necklace and we headed out again, deciding to take a chilly but sweet stroll along the Prom. We had it mostly to ourselves at that point, and the few people we passed greeted us warmly as was the Aber custom but kept walking on by. The sun at this point had sunk low toward the horizon, painting the tops of the sea’s choppy waves with oranges and pinks. In a sudden burst of insanity, I took off across the snowy beach with a shriek, not looking back to see Taron’s surprised but amused expression. I was careful to not wipe out on the slippery pebbles under the wet snow as I squelched my way to the very edge of the water, the waves breaking against the toes of my Wellies as I closed my eyes, threw my arms out wide and breathed in the salty air.

“The sea calls me and I must go!” I said as dramatically as possible when I heard Taron approach.

“Not without me, you won’t,” he said sweetly, making my heart beat faster in my chest as I turned around to face him.

“This is always where I’ve found my peace. As much as I’ve always wanted to leave Aber, I don’t know if I could ever live in a place without the sea,” I confessed. “I’ve never felt so big and so small at the same time anywhere else.”

“It is beautiful here,” Taron agreed, as I noticed that his eyes were much the same color as the sea at the moment, almost a slate grey.

“It’s not London,” I replied. “And you’ll have to go back after the holidays, right?”

“Sadly yes, but, we can figure this out,” he said softly. “Besides, it doesn’t help us to think about that right now. Our day together isn’t quite over yet.”

“You’re right. You still have a little time left to convince me,” I joked, bending over to scoop up some snow and tossing it at Taron, hitting him square in the chest as I took off running across the beach again, giggling. Taron gave chase, managing to scoop some snow up of his own. My Wellies were struggling to keep balance more so than Taron’s shoes, so he caught up to me quickly, lobbing his snowball and hitting me in the back before wrapping his arms around me and hugging me to him, making me squeal with laughter.

“C’mere you,” he grinned as I turned around in his embrace to face him.

“I was kidding you know,” I grinned. “I just wanted you to kiss me again.”

“That can be arranged,” he said, his voice a bit gravelly as he leaned in again and kissed me some more until I could feel the heat rising in my chest. Unfortunately for me, the creeping twilight chill and our growing hunger would soon chase us off the beach, seeking warmth and food again.

We ended up at a restaurant/bar called Baravin right there on the Prom, with a table by the windows so we could still see the sea and also the twinkling Christmas lights on the houses and store fronts. I always loved this part of the year. The food was excellent and I was beginning to think I had never felt this comfortable with someone.

“This has truly been one of the best days I’ve ever had,” I said after we’d filled ourselves up on the chocolate and honeycomb sweet pizza for dessert.

“I’m grateful I could be a part of that,” Taron smiled, his chin in his hand as he gazed at me.

“You’re more than just a part of it. You’re the whole reason for it,” I replied, toying with the necklace a bit absent-mindedly.

“Well that’s very kind of you but I don’t think you would have said the same two days ago when I tripped you in the store,” he said with a bit of a smirk.

“Oh God,” I said, covering my face with my hands. “I was such an arse to you,” I sighed.

“Well it’s all been forgiven, yeah?” he smiled.

“You of me, and me of you,” I nodded at that, my phone lighting up with a text from Andreyah.

<I’ve tried so hard to wait to hear from you all day but I MUST know, how is it going?!> she had sent.

<Um, very well indeed> I texted back, attaching one of our many selfies that we’d taken together. It hadn’t even been a good picture, because I’d said something that made Taron laugh, so his eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth was hanging wide open and he was a bit blurry, but I still loved it because it just felt so genuine in that moment. I loved the sound of his laugh, and knowing I was the reason for it made me feel really good.

<OMG that’s soooo cute! You look really happy!> she texted back right away.

<That’s because I am> I wrote back, while Taron also checked his own phone briefly. <Who would have thought it? But everything’s changed. I can tell you more later, promise.>

<You’d better> she texted back before I stowed my phone away in my purse.

“We can’t sit at this table for forever, but I really don’t want this evening to be over yet,” I laughed softly after a moment.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea,” he grinned a bit mischievously. “We’ve got a bit of time to kill but… You should call your friends, I’ll call mine, and we can all meet up at the Pier’s nightclub for a little bit. Wouldn’t that be a bit nostalgic?” he asked.

“Oh my god, yes! I haven’t been there since college days. Once I graduated my mates and I felt we were all too grown up so we’ve stuck to the pubs but we should totally do it for old kicks’ sake!” I laughed.

So that’s exactly what we did. We gathered a group of our friends and, after admittedly killing time by talking and making out in Taron’s car, we entered the old nightclub I had such fond memories of. They had refurbished the inside of it, so it looked a lot nicer than I remembered, but the music was just as loud and neon lights just as blinding. We all got some drinks and after some introductions between us all, we spent the last bit of the night dancing away. None of my friends even gave me any shit for doing a complete 180 on Taron, but I think Andreyah had filled them in on our reconciliation.

When a slow song came on I wrapped my arms around Taron’s neck and swayed with him. It’d gotten hot in the club so we’d all ditched our coats and jackets. Taron looked so cozy in his sweater, and I was just so thrilled to be there with him. He had his hands loosely at my waist as we just got lost in that moment together. He slowly slid his hands down and around, his fingers gently squeezing my bottom as he asked “Is this okay?” in my ear. It sent a thrill running all through my body, and it was the first time I really understood that this could go so much further. I wasn’t in any way ready to take it that far yet; I had too much past shit to work through. But suddenly I wondered what he’d looked like naked, and I was grateful for the darkness of the club because I was blushing hard at that.

“Want to step outside for a moment? I’m a bit sweaty,” he said against my ear so he could be heard over the music. I nodded and we both went to grab our coats and beers and stepped out onto the pier into the night air. I wrapped my arms around Taron under his coat, laying my head against his chest; his heart was beating rather fast, I noticed. He took a long pull of his beer and had a far-off look in his face, staring out at Cardigan Bay.

“What are you thinking?” I asked softly.

“Things I shouldn’t be, in all honesty,” Taron said, his voice a bit deep, a rough edge to it.

“And in all honesty, I probably am too,” I whispered.

We weren’t alone on the pier, but no one else was paying us any mind, busy with their own conversations and probably as buzzed as we were. Taron stepped me backwards until my back hit the wall of the building, and we were now partially hidden by shadows. He leaned in and kissed me, his hands roaming under my coat and sweater and finding the skin at my waist, setting my nerves aflame. His kisses traveled along my jaw and then down my neck, leaving trails of fire where his lips touched. With the effects of the alcohol our inhibitions had lowered quite a bit, but I was still hesitant, and when Taron realized it he backed off, just resting his forehead against mine as we tried to recover our breaths.

“To be continued,” he smirked lightly at me.

“Definitely,” I laughed softly, biting my lip almost shyly.

Eventually we rejoined our friends, but it had gotten quite late and I had an early shift the next morning, so I decided that it was probably best to head home. I was tired, my arm was beginning to throb yet again, and as much as I would have loved to just dance until the sun came up, I was no longer that college kid with few responsibilities. We said our good-byes and packed ourselves back in the car, happy and worn out. Taron drove me through the quiet streets of Aber, a place he had somehow managed to make feel special all over again.

He parked the car when we pulled up to my house and we both sat there in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say or unwilling to end the night.

“Thank you, for today, for everything,” I finally said.

“Yeah, of course, of course,” he said, smiling over at me. “I’m in town for a little while longer, and I’d love to see you again.”

“Now that is a given,” I grinned tiredly at him.

“You should go sleep,” he laughed gently at my sleepy expression.

“Nope, just gonna bunk down right here,” I giggled, patting the car seat and pretending to snuggle in.

“You’re ridiculous,” he chuckled at that.

“But you like it,” I replied, as Taron reached over and brushed my hair away from my face, caressing my cheeks sweetly and then lingering over my lips, so I placed a kiss right there on his fingertips. “Alright, I should go or we’ll be here all night and morning,” I said, both of us getting out of the car and Taron actually walking me up to my door. I thought that only happened in the movies, I giggled slightly deliriously at the thought.

“Today was fun. Let’s do this again soon,” he said, hugging me tightly.

“It was so fun!” I said from somewhere in his arms. “And we will, hang out again, that is. I guess you sort of won me over. Lucky you,” I said teasingly, but Taron just pulled away to gaze at me for a long moment.

“You have no idea just how lucky I feel right now,” he said, making my heart feel like it was growing three sizes in my chest. “And you know, you’ll always be my Aber girl,” he added. If I wasn’t already swept off my feet, that sentiment definitely did me in.

“Oh Taron,” I breathed softly, standing up on my toes to kiss him again. We finally managed to say our good-byes; I’m not really sure how but eventually he was back in his car and waving cutely to me as I hung in the doorway, watching as he pulled out of the drive and waiting until the darkness swallowed the tail lights.

I must have fairly floated upstairs; my head was full of reliving the day as I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas. While I laid on my bed, scrolling through the photos we’d taken, I paused on the photo Taron had taken of me at the castle. He had shown me so much more than just a good time; he had somehow helped me find the person behind all the walls. I felt more at peace with myself then I had in such a long time, and being able to let go of those long-held grievances was liberating.

I set my alarm and then put my phone on the nightstand, snuggling under my covers and closing my eyes, ready to sleep after the events of the day. But oh, what a day it had truly been. Not only was Taron just so thoughtful and kind and handsome to boot, but he had never once judged me for anything I’d felt or had to go through.

I touched the necklace still hanging around my neck, feeling the weight of its significance. Taron had promised to give me the world, but he had also truly come to mean the world to me. I slipped into the sweetest sleep, a smile on my face. True happiness didn’t come from things; it came from forgiveness, from discovering yourself, from knowing your worth, and maybe even from finding love.

#taron imagine #taron egerton #taron x reader #taron egerton fanfiction #taron fluff

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ventrue-rosary · 5 years

Note

'Nobody in the world has hands this soft' for sof beans :3

Hope no one minds I answered two with one with a new tattoo artist/florist AU and that it is suuuuuper long. Autumn is mine, Kevir belongs to the asker!

Beepbebebeep! Beepbebebeep!

Autumn flings her arm ungracefully out in the direction of the alarm obnoxiously intruding upon her sleep. Her fingers scrabble for the off-button, leaving her in blessed silence.

She rolls over with a sigh, her eyes peeking open. The digital clock reads 6:30.

Autumn stretches her sleep-heavy arms and sits up, rubbing at her swollen eyes. As always, she crosses her bedroom to her windowsill, watering her cacti, succulents and pot of creeping ivy which is starting to climb up the wall next to her window. She smiles as she gently traces the leaves with her fingers. Satisfied with her work, she readies herself for the day. By 7:30 she is out of her apartment, and making her way to work. Though young, she is the proud owner of her own florist shop: A Rose Without Thorns. She opens shop as the sleepy neighbourhood rouses, workers sleepily stumbling to their workplace, parents sheparding their children to school.

As with most weekdays with no major holidays on the horizon, the morning crawls by, only a few of her regulars coming by for a single flower or pot or just for a chat. As usual, her mother stops by late morning for a bouquet of roses and to drop off her favourite snacks. By lunch time, work crawls by to a complete stop, but it does give her time to perfect the arrangements of the flowers outside, then slowly working her way through the inside of the shop.

The bell above the door rings. Autumn looks up from her work to see someone a far cry from her usual clientèle.

A purple winged tiefling steps into her establishment, black jeans, black leather jacket and black combat boots that stomp heavily across the wooden floor. Tousled hair perfect frames his angular face, and impossibly dark eyes sweep across the room until they find Autumn.

She then realises she is still knelt on the floor, openly staring.

‘Oh–’ She averts her gaze and jumps to her feet, smoothing down the frills of her mini-apron as she hurries behind the counter.

‘Welcome. Let me know if I can help you with anything.’

‘I’m looking to buy flowers for a pretty girl,’ he says, his voice pleasant and accented.

‘Oh! How lovely! Do you know what kind of flowers she likes?’

‘Not yet. What would you recommend?’

‘Roses are always a safe bet. Red roses, if it’s a romantic gesture. You see, different colour roses have different meaning behind them. Yellow for friendship and joy, white for purity and spirituality, lavendar for love at first sight–’ She tapers off with a blush as she beholds his amused smile. ‘Sorry, I’m rambling.’

‘That’s alright. I was enjoying your rambling.’

Autumn’s blush deepens to match the bouquet of red roses he picks up.

‘May I ask your name?’ he asks as he hands her the money.

‘Huh? I-oh. My names Autumn.’

‘Autumn? Fitting. I’m Kevir. Keep the change.’

‘O-ok, thank you.’

He grins at her one last time before he leaves her shop, leaving a very flustered Autumn.

As 5pm rolls around, Autumn begins to close shop, still thinking about her encounter with Kevir. How wrong she had been on her initial judgement of him. Part of her expected him to ruin her shop, or to just be rude and difficult. How wrong she was.

She finds herself wondering about the girl he had mentioned. She hopes she appreciated his gift.

Autumn double checks the doors are locked and turns around–right into Kevir. She squeals in shock, nearly falling right to the ground.

‘S–sorry!’

‘I didn’t mean to scare you. I did call your name a few times, didn’t you hear me?’

She notices Kevir still holds the bouquet of flowers in his hands.

‘Oh, did you want to return them? I’m sorry, you’ll have to return tomorrow–I just closed up.’

‘No, I didn’t want to return them–I here! He holds out the flowers to her. ‘I wanted to give them to you.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘I bought them for you. Take them.’

‘T-thank you?’

He gives her a wink and walks away, eventually heading into the tattoo parlour further down the road.

When Autumn examines the bouquet in her hands she spots writing on the card:

07113246589

Call me! ; )

-Kevir

Autumn makes a noise of disbelief. He couldn’t be serious. He isn’t.

She scoffs as she carelessly shoves the card in her bag before making her way home.

The TV drones on in the background, going unnoticed by Autumn who stares at the roses that have found a home in the vase on her coffee table. She glances at her bag across the sofa.

She abruptly drags her eyes away, trying to focus on the drama playing on the screen. Trying and failing.

Autumn snatches her bag and drags it over to her, pushing aside her purse, makeup and the snacks her mother had given her until she finds the small, crumpled card.

She smoothes it over her thigh with one hand as she holds her phone in the other. Her finger hesitates over the digits on her screen as doubts begin to cloud hermind.

‘Oh just do it,’ she hisses at herself

She dials before she changes her mind. Each enduring trill of the ringtone quickens her heartbeat. Then it stops with a click. She holds her breath.

‘Hello?’

Autumn hangs up with a scream. Her head falls into her palms with a groan.

The ringing and vibrating of her phone draws her attention back to her coffee table and her overwhelming mortification, Kevir’s number shows on the screen.

She watches it ring in silent panic until it stops. She breathes in relief. Then it rings again. She turns off her phone, ending the predicament altogether. She likely had already put him off, what further harm could she do by ghosting him?

Autumn hugs her knees to her chest, wishing she had the courage to hold a conversation with him. She let’s herself fall limp on her side, still clutching her knees. Eventually, sleep finds her.

~*~

Autumn returns to work the following morning, business as usual minus her sullied mood.

Around 2 hours after she opens, Kevir enters. A thousand emotions fly through her at once at their meeting, mostly abstract fear.

‘O-oh , mood gorn–good morning!’

‘Morning yourself.’ He leans his elbows on the counter, mere inches away from her. ‘Say did you, uh, did you call me last night?’

‘H-huh?’ Her voice is a few octaves higher than usual. ‘No, of course not!’

‘Oh,’ Kevir deflates. ‘I see.’

‘I–I mean, I wanted to!! I, um, I dropped my phone yesterday. Screen-down it shattered, totally unusable.’

Kevir doesn’t look convinced. Of course he isn’t, she’s a terrible liar.

‘I’m… I’m glad you came to see me today.’ Autumn’s changing of subject is likely very obvious, but at least she is speaking honestly now.

‘I’m glad to see you.’ His smile is disarming. ‘Say, wanna get lunch together?’

‘Y-yes I would like that.’ She smiles shyly, toying with her hair to avoid looking him in the eye.

‘Perfect. See you in a few hours.’

Autumn doesn’t look up until she hears the bell jingle as he leaves, the smile still stuck on her face.

She looks up at the clock. Midday can’t come soon enough.

~*~

Kevir returns around 12, and Autumn feels her heart flutter as he enters.

‘Ready?’

‘One moment!’ She pulls on her apron strings, folding it onto the chair behind the counter. She fetches her shoulder bag from the back room and takes a moment to check her reflection. She shakes her bangs and uses her fingers to even them out over her brow, smoothes down her hair and applies just a bit of lip gloss. She only wishes she had worn something a bit more exciting than a white blouse and black mini-skirt.

‘OK, ready!’

‘Let’s go. I know a little place.’

Kevir takes her to a cute cosy cafe a few blocks down, named The Pot and the Kettle. Not many patrons inside, but it means they can snag the cosiest chairs; two impossibly soft, large armchairs close to the fire with a large table between them. Being a rather tepid spring, there is no fire but there is still something comforting about it.

A cute elven waitress comes to take their orders within seconds of sitting down. Kevir orders black coffee and a slice of chocolate cake. Autumn asks for a white chocolate mocha and matcha pound cake.

Kevir tilts his head at her order. ‘Sweet tooth?’

‘Very much so! I love sweets, chocolate and baked goods… I’m sure that must seem childish.’

‘Not at all! Food doesn’t have an age limit. I have a soft spot for them myself.’

The waitress returns with their orders. ‘Let me know if I can get you anything else,’ she says in a husky purr, talking exclusively to Kevir.

‘Thanks,’ Kevir answers, giving her only a cursory, polite look.

He takes off his leather jacket, revealing his tattoo sleeves. Autumn daintly gasps as she beholds the artwork displayed in his skin, twisting, connected pieces of dragons, weaponry like arrows, tortured faces, skulls and even some flowers interlocked and interwoven into one overarching gothic scene. The collar of his shirt is open enough to see the tip of a black feathered wing brushing just beneath his collarbone.

‘You have so many tattoos,’ she says in awe, reaching out for his skin before remembering herself. ‘Ah, I’m sorry!’

Her hands returns to her lap, where she tugs and fiddled with the rings on her fingers.

Kevir laughs in response, straightening his arms out on the table for her. ‘It’s alright. Touch me if you like.’

Autumn hesitantly reaches out with one hand, the other clutched into a fist over her chest. Her index fingers brushes against the smooth skin of his forearm. Where the tattoos are, the skin is slightly raised, but still just as soft. Her finger follows the design of the sleeve down to the back of his hand, impossibly smooth.

‘No one has hands this soft!’ The words slip out of her mouth before she can stop herself. ‘Oh God, that was a very weird thing to say…sorry. I just…’

Kevir rotates his hand on top of hers, his thumb smoothing over her knuckles. ‘Your hands are this soft.’

She glances up shyly, her flustered mind failing to come up with a response. She slides her hand out from under his, returning it to her lap, once more fidgeting with her rings.

‘Did it hurt?’ she asks after a short silence, still staring at his arms

‘A little. Tattoos don’t hurt as much as everyone thinks they will. Would you like one?’

‘Eh!?’

‘I’ll give you one for free if you give me some flowers. How about it?’

‘…Could I choose what to get?’

‘Of course. And where you get it.’

‘Alright, deal.’

‘Perfect! We’ll do it tomorrow.’

‘T-tomorrow? So soon?’

‘Would you rather wait?’

‘No, no tomorrow is fine.’ Her heart thunders in her chest as she says those words. Autumn has never had good experiences with needles. ‘What kind of flowers would you like?’

‘Hmm…’ Kevir drums his fingers as he considers. ‘Surprise me.’

He reclines in his chair with an easy smirk, Autumn’s mind already firing off numerous ideas for species and colours.

She smiles as an idea occurs to her. ‘I think you’ll like what I have planned.’

‘Am I that easy to read?’ He sounds amused.

‘I mean…when I first saw you I thought you were going to be some ruffian who would make some trouble for me or destroy my shop’

Kevir looks less amused now, quizzing her with a raised eyebrow.

‘I’m sorry! I was wrong to be so judgemental! I don’t usually get many young people in my shop, And you carried yourself with such confidence, almost cocky. Clearly I read you wrong. So no, not easy to read…’

‘And what do you think of me now?’

He’s enjoying this, she realises. Her so-very obvious crushing on him.

‘Um…’ Her fingers clench into fists as they clutch the soft material of her skirt. ‘Well, I don’t know you very well, but obviously you are very kind, a-and…’

‘You’re right, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you. Swap stories?’

‘I’m not terribly interesting…’ she murmurs, picking at her nail polish.

‘I’m sure I would disagree. Tell me about yourself.’

She takes a deep breath. ‘Well, you know my name is Autumn. My parents, half-elf and tiefling live on the outskirts of the city. My mother is a model, my father her bodyguard. I have a twin brother in university. I like cute animals, sweet food and flowers. See? Not interesting…’

Kevir smiles genuinely, his head tilted as he stares at her. ‘Your mother is a model?’

Autumn nods, blushing. ‘Her name is Amaranthe Darcelle. You might have heard of her.’

‘Your mother is Amaranthe Darcelle? That must be where you got your beauty.’

‘Beauty?’ Autumn sputters.

Kevir nods. Autumn takes a large swig of her coffee, trying to buy herself some time as she tries to think of some sort of response.

She places her cup back on its saucer. ‘I, um. I think you’re very handsome.’

‘Thank you. I'm glad you think so.’

‘So you never told me about yourself,’ she says, busying herself with her cake.

‘You’re in luck. I love talking about myself to beautiful women.’ Kevir reclines in his chair with a smile as he prepares to regale her with stories.

~*~

Autumn let’s out a gasp as she looks at the clock. ‘It’s already been two hours??’

Kevir follows her gaze to the clock, looking as shocked as she feels. ‘It really doesn’t feel like its been that long.’

‘Uhm, bill, please!’ She calls to the waitress. ‘I should be getting back to my shop.’

‘As should I.’

The waitress puts down a small silver tray with their bill on top. Kevir shakes his head at her as she pulls out her purse.

‘Put that away. I’m paying.’

‘I should at least pay for myself…’

‘This was my idea. So it’ll be my treat.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Positive.’ He places down a few notes on the tray, far more than what two coffees and cake costs.

They hover for a moment outside the cafe, neither really wanting to go back to work.

‘Thanks for today. I had fun getting to know you,’ Autumn said.

‘And I you.’

Kevir leans down closer and presses a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek. Autumn let’s out a small gasp as her entire body freezes. The heat crawls up her neck up to her face and even her ears.

Kevir clears his throat. ‘I’m sorry. I should have asked first. I’ll see you tomorrow?’

He stumbles off without awaiting her reply. Autumn slowly raises one hand to her cheek, caressing the space his lips had just touched.

‘See you soon,’ she whispers absently to empty air.

Autumn takes a bunch of white roses home with her, remembering her deal with Kevir. She sets up large glasses of dye, black, purple and blue, cuts open the stems and evenly divided the rose’s between them. Curling up on the sofa, she stares at the roses, hoping he will like them, until the call of sleep is too strong to ignore.

~*~

The next day arrives, bringing with it sunshine and happy thoughts. Autumn hums a small tune to herself as she goes about her morning routine, all her thoughts focused on yesterday’s…date? Was it a date? Is it too early or presumptuous to call it such? She hopes not.

Autumn ties the rose’s together with a red ribbon, tying it into an attractive bow. Then she sets off for the day, making her way past her shop to the tattoo parlour several doors down, Devil’s Ink. The outside certainly has a gothic look, coffin-shaped windows, the opening hours painted gold onto the glass. Pushing open the heavy door, she comes onto a wooden-floored room, dimly lit by two low-hanging chandeliers. Heavy metal music thumps through the speaker system.

A bored-looking human with bubblegum pink hair mans a dark wooden counter, fingers jabbing away at her phone screen.

‘Um, excuse me?’

She does a double take at Autumn. Dressed in pink checkered shorts and a long-sleeved blouse she probably is a far cry from their usual clientele.

‘Yes, sweetie? How can I help?’

‘Is Kevir here?’

‘One sec.’

She picks up a phone, which Autumn assumes is part of an internal communication system.

‘Yeah, Kevir? Some girl is here to see you, too much pink, wings–uh, hello?’ She hangs up with a sigh. ‘He’ll be down in a minute.’

Autumn watches the set of stairs, which is in fact a two flights that lead to the same balcony, nervously thumbing the petals of her dyed roses.

Kevir appears moments later, jogging down the stairs with glee.

‘Hello, Autumn. You’re earlier than I thought you’d be.’

‘Oh, sorry. I guess I’m used to the life of an early bird now.’ She holds out the bouquet of flowers to him. ‘These are for you!’

‘Thank you! Are these…did you dye them?’

She nods with a touch of pride. ‘Yep. I thought you might like them.’

‘I do, I love them in face. Have you thought about a tattoo designs?’

‘I did. And I thought I’d pick one of your designs. If that’s ok?’

‘Of course. I’m flattered. Follow me.’

He leads her up the stairs into a private room. A large leather reclining chair takes up most of the centre of the room, set up next to Kevir’s workstation. On the left-hand wall a black leather sofa is set up in front of a long, narrow coffee table, bare except for a heavy folder.

Peeking at the walls, she sees countless upon countless of designs, some black and white, others full colours, each of them more magnificent than the previous.

Autumn looks about in awe, Kevir watching her with light amusement.

‘You see anything you like, let me know.’

She nods, her eyes still taking in her breathtaking surroundings. Eventually she settles down on the sofa, flicking through his portfolio. She finds each and every one wonderful in its own way but one above all others draws her in. An open pocket watch swinging on its chain, wrapped by roses and thorny stems, a few butterflies taking flight away. It is nothing short of perfection.

‘See something you like?’

She jumps, not realising Kevir is leaning on the back of the sofa to her side, peering down over her shoulder.

‘A nice choice. Also none of my other customers have chosen it, so it’ll be unique. Now, where would you like it?’

Autumn pats the upper half of her left arm. ‘Here…’ Then realisation dawns. Her chosen outfit, though lovely in appearance just had one problem–wherever she chose to have a tattoo, something had to be taken off.

‘Alright, I’ll get the ink and stencil ready. Just sit on the chair when you’re ready.’

‘R-right.’

Autumn walks over to the chair, hitching herself up on it, wondering if she should take her shirt off now or wait until prompted.Her heart thuds in her chest as she considers it. No one, not ever, has seen her in her underwear before.

She decides to do it as she waits, now Kevir’s back is turned to her. She pulls the bow around her collar loose, then undoes the buttons on by one, letting it slide off her shoulders and pool around her waist.

Kevir turns on the chair to face her. ‘Ok are you–’

His words stop as he looks at her, his eyes dropping from her face down to her torso. She feels suddenly very embarrassed and has to stop herself from wrapping her arms around herself. Kevir quickly regains his composure, pushing a cushioned stand for her to rest her arm on as he gets to work.

He applies the stencil to her arm, getting her to check the size and placement. After a few minor adjustments, he pulls out the needle, and her courage seems to fail her. Her breath becomes heavy and laboured, unable to take her eyes off the implement in his hand.

‘All those are going into my arm?’

‘Are you having second thoughts?’

‘N-no.’

‘Are you sure? Once I start I can’t stop unless you want an incomplete tattoo on your arm.’

‘No, it’s fine. Go ahead.’

Four hours and many shed tears later, Autumn now has a fresh and wrapped tattoo on her arm.

‘I’m sorry for crying. That was embarrassing.’

‘It’s alright. I know it’s a scary and painful thing. A lot of first timers cry.’ He gently wipes away her residual tears away, his fingers lingering on her skin. ‘I’ve had big, burly grown men cry harder than you.’

She laughs softly through her sniffles. ‘Thank you.’

‘Take it easy for the rest of the day, Autumn. Wash it in two hours time, then wash it and pat dry twice a day.’ He hands her a small, white tub. ‘Apply that after you’ve washed it.’

‘Ok, thanks.’ With some difficulty due to her sore and quite tightly wrapped arm she begins to pull her shirt back on.

‘Here, let me help you.’ Amusement tugs at the corner of his lips. He pulls the shirt up onto her shoulders, fingers tracing every so slightly across her collarbone as he fastens the top button.

‘Oh you don’t have to…’ she trails off when his fingers brush against her skin, stealing the breath from her lungs.

Then it is over all too quickly, Kevir cleaning his tattoo gun as though he hadn’t fastened her shirt. She lingers awkwardly for a moment before she slides off the chair.

‘I’ll see you out.’

He takes both of her hands in his once they are outside, taking a moment to stare in her eyes before he leans in to kiss her cheek. Autumn frees one of her hands from his and places it on the side of his face, pulling him in for a kiss on the lips. They remain interlinked there, arms wrapping around each other as their lips lock together.

Once they part, they are breathless and she feels dizzy. Her eyes remain closed for a few seconds after, savouring the lingering feeling of his lips on hers.

When she opens her eyes, she meets Kevirs, dark and alluring as a moonless night.

‘Your eyes are beautiful,’ she breathes.

‘Not as beautiful as yours. See you tomorrow?’ he asks hopefully.

She nods, beaming. ‘See you tomorrow.’

#kevir pride #autumn darcelle #my writing #my OCs #frens OCs #pacing? I don't know her #dnd #asks

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averymessyxmas · 6 years

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Chapter 1: 25 Days before Christmas

Vada aka Sky:

Location: New, York

"So, as you guys know our Holiday collection has dropped and thanks to Sky our magazine has been flying off the shelf for the cover you did with the McKinney’s, bravo Sky our amazing stylist" Denise my boss said as she hugged me. Ever since I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a fashion designer, I'm not there yet but I am a top stylist for the well-known Black Magazine Essence. I worked my ass off to be where I am today. I have the idea life, a Condo in New York, A 2019 Mercedes Benz all black with leather interior, a gorgeous boyfriend who is about to be a Doctor who I been with since College, so almost 9 years, I’m blessed. "Congrats Sky on the sellout" Maurice my coworker said. I smiled as I walked out of the building, I grabbed the keys from Valet and got into my Benz.

"There she is my beautiful chocolate queen" Michael my boyfriend said to me as I walked into my condo, he was there holding roses, Michael Thompson God’s gift to me, how can I be so blessed to get a fine ass man like this who loves every inch of me, mmm. I leaned in and kissed him, smiling from ear to ear. "Baby, you didn't have to give me roses". He smiled at me and kissed all over me. I heard music playing it was "Best Part" By H.E.R. Michael grabbed my hand and led me to the living room that was well lit with small candles and the floor was covered in red rose petals. "Michael what is going on?" I asked nervously. He kept smirking, he grabbed a box off the table and got down on one knee, "I wanted to do this since our first time meeting at the Coffee Shop in Brooklyn but I wanted to make sure I was the man you needed me to be, and I wanted to wait for you to fully form into the rose I knew you would blossom into, I had this plan in my head of sitting down with your father and asking him for your hand but I can’t wait any longer so with that being said Vada Sky Richards will you marry me?” I nodded my head not being able to say anything, tears were pouring down my face like a water fall. “YES!” I managed to scream out, he put the ring on my finger and got up to kiss me. “I love you so much Sky” he said. “I love you, omg this feels so crazy I’m bout to be a wife, shit your wife!”. He softly smiled then grabbed my hands and sat me down. “There’s one thing though baby, I’m not going to marry you until I can have a conversation with your father and finally meet your family, it’s been 10years since you been home, you never talk about your family, you know everything about me and my family, you see my family more than your own but I know nothing about yours”. I sighed softly. ��Michael we been through this, I don’t like talking about this”. He nodded and grabbed my hand, “I can’t marry you until I can see it for myself, I’m sorry Sky” He lightly took the ring off my finger and stared at it. I got up annoyed and went to the bedroom and screamed in my hand. I laid on the bed and looked at the ceiling. “God why? I was SOOO close”. I heard Michael leave the house, I pulled out my phone and stared at my mom’s number. “Come on Sky just do it, for Michael, for the ring”. I pressed the phone symbol and nervously bit at my lip as the phone dialed. “Richards Residence, Sharice speaking”. I heard my mother say. I sighed. “Hi Mom, its Sky” I said. “Who?” She said, I sighed I knew my mom only knew me as Vada. “Its Vada”. I could hear the annoyance in her voice. “You need some money or something Vada, you only ever call when you need something” I rolled my eyes. “No mom I called because I’m coming to Atlanta, I thought it be nice to spend Christmas with the family again like old times” I said sounding genuine although I was cringing. I could hear her laugh. “We haven’t had Christmas together as a family since before you went off to college and that was 10 years ago”. “Well mom, I’m coming home” I said. “Okay Vada well your brothers and sisters will be happy to see you” She said. “And Mom, I’m bringing my boyfriend Michael” I could here a smile in her voice. “Okay well then we look forward to meeting him Vay, your Grandma is going to be so happy to hear this”. After I got off the phone with my mom, I heard Michael come back in, he opened the room door and looked at me. “So, you want to go to Atlanta and meet the Richards family?” I asked. He smiled and nodded. “My ring sir?” I asked, he shook his head, “Nope, now I can do it right with your Pops and all”. I fake smiled. “Oh lovely”.

Janessa:

Location: L.A.

“Chase! Please stop crying for Mommy, Dylan! Help please” My husband Dylan walked into the room “What’s up baby?” I looked at him annoyed. “Your son is what’s up, I can’t work and take care of him and you at the same time Dylan, I understand that you got hurt and you’re going through a rough time, because you tore your ACL, but you still need to help out, we can’t afford this house or anything anymore with your checks, that shit is wearing thin” I stressed. He picked up our 2-year-old son Chase and looked at me. “Nessa, I’m trying to find something just give me some time to heal first, and I promise you, Ima find a job”. I nodded. Dylan used to play overseas, but he tore his ACL and can no longer play basketball. We were living a good life until that happened now its on me to carry us until he gets him a solid job. I was in the middle of sending in my last spreads for job my when my mom called. “Hello Mother” I said. “Are you coming to Atlanta for Christmas?” She said. I sighed. “Mom like last year and the year before no, it’s hard trying to get a flight last minute in L.A.” I lied to her. “Well okay your dad has that money you asked for, he said you need to come get it personally” She said. I groaned. “Okay mom, but a lot has happened in 4 years since you last seen me” I said. “Janessa I’m your mother I don’t care just bring your ass” She said and hung up. Dylan stood by the door playing with Chase. “Your family still doesn’t know you have a whole family of your own?” He asked. I nodded. “Well the last time dad met you he wasn’t so happy that you were umm white, so in order to keep getting money from him since I’m daddy’s favorite girl next to Nori, I just keep quiet” I said. He smiled, “Go to your family, and we will see you when you get back” He stated. I shook my head. “I’ll get the money first then I’ll introduce my family to my family. I mean were married now he has no say anymore”. I said so sure of what I was saying but inside I knew this was not going to go well once shit hits the fan, I’ve been hiding this for 3years.

Nori:

Location: Atlanta

“You have 15minutes, no touching” The guard told me as I walked into Visitation. “Hey beautiful” Andre said to me as I walked in. Andre is 3 years older then me, We attended the same college and been together since my freshman year. He had got locked up on a drug charge 5 months ago. I tried to hold back my tears. I hadn’t seen him since his first week in Jail, I been avoiding him cause I didn’t want to see him in here caged up like this, plus other shit came up. Now seeing him, I couldn’t hold back. He had grown facial hair and looked rough. “Nor, don’t cry baby”. He tried to console me. “No touching!” The guards yelled. He clenched his fist. “You see me girl fucking crying!” He yelled. “Aye Dobbs chill out or the visit is over”. He sighed. “How you been, I see you got a little thick since I been in here, you ain’t been up here in a minute?” He said looking at me. I wiped my face and fixed my curls up into a bun. “I’m straight, just been busy with majorette practice, and games and shit, um plus I got finals this week then I’m going home for Christmas. What happened to your face?”. I said examining the scar I had just noticed above his eyebrow. He laughed a little. “I’m known a college rich kid with a drug charge in a prison with niggas that really be about that life, Nor it’s either fight or be somebody bitch” He stated. I nodded. He looked down at his hands. “I’ll be out before New Year’s, my lawyer said he can get this charge off my record and I can continue out my last year and graduate and be somebody, for you”. I smiled at the thought. “I was hoping you would be able to meet my family this Christmas but If my daddy finds out I’m dating a nigga in jail, he will not approve” I said. He shook his head. “I ain’t no criminal Nor, I got caught with coke that wasn’t mine in my car” I nodded. “I know, hopefully everything works out, for you” I said. He smiled. “3 more weeks baby, and I’m out. I can hug and kiss on you”. I blushed at the thought, I been feeling alone lately but I know it was hard for him being in here. “2 minutes left in mate” The guard said. I sighed. “When am I going to see you again?” He asked curiously, I can see the sadness in his face. “Soon, I promise I’ll make time” I told him. I got up and he kissed my hand. “I love you Nori” I smiled and mouthed it back. I walked out of the prison feeling sad, my twin Narkim was blasting Lil Baby and Gunna “Drip too Hard”. Narkim and I are fraternal twins, he was born 1 minute before me, we don’t look anything alike but we share a weird bond that most people call a “Twin Sense” He always knows my mood, if I’m sick or if somethings wrong vice versa, we can’t hide anything from one another. He unlocked the door for me. “How it go?” He asked. I shrugged. “Okay, I guess” I said. He kept looking at me. “You tell him?” He asked. I looked at him crazy. “Tell him what?” I asked. “We are twins fam, whatever going on with you, be going on with me and I’m a nigga” He said laughing. I smiled. “No, I haven’t”. I said. He shook his head. “Well if my mama and daddy find out, you in trouble” Narkim said. I pushed him. “If mommy and daddy find out you been selling for Mack your deader than me, and you dropped out of College, so I keep your secrets, you keep mine” I stated. “We twins, you my ride or die” He laughed. I felt my phone buzz. “Mommy calling” I said to Narkim. I put her on speaker. “Hey baby girl” My mom said. “Wazzam Mommy” Narkim said. “Good both my babies on the phone, so your sisters are coming for Christmas, and so is your brother MJ” She said. “Vada and Janessa in the same room?” Narkim said. I laughed. “It’s been 10 years since we all been together, Damien was 6 and you guys were 10, now you guys are all grown up this is going to be a good Christmas, It better be your Grandma Rudy is coming down here, and so are your cousins please don’t embarrass me or your father, plus we have an announcement to make” She said. We looked at each other. “Okay mommy we will be there” I said. “Yeah mommy and tell G-ma Rudy bring the Henny in a bottle this time and not in her travel shampoo containers” Narkim said. I nudged him. “You know what bye” she ended the call. I shook my head at him. “Now she knows Grandma Rudy be giving us liquor” I said. He shrugged. “Mommy said her and Daddy making an announcement, what do you think that means?” I asked Narkim. “After all them times they been arguing, I think its prob a divorce” He said. I rolled my eyes. Since I was born all I knew was my parents being together, even if shit was going sour they could at least just stick out. Narkim pulled up at my dorm. “Aight sis, I got business with Mack to tend to, I’ll pick you up late this week to head back to Mama and Daddy’s”. I leaned into the car window. “Please be safe Nar, you know Mack be with the shits, I said”. He smirked. “If anything happens to me, you’ll know sis, and Ima G, I aint worried bout nothing, and stop stealing my hoodies yo”. I laughed and leaned back as he sped off.

Narkim:

Location: Atlanta

After I dropped my sister off, I pulled up at Mack’s spot. Mack is my boss, my supplier. He gives me the goods and I sell it for him and get 20% back. It doesn’t seem like a lot but trust me, I got my own spot in Buckhead, and Im pushing a range, it’s a lot. My parents think I won my car from saving up when I was working at foot locker. This money got me all the clothes, shit and hoes I want. I walked into the spot. “Yo was up college boy” Mack said. I smiled. “What’s good boss”. I dapped him up. “I got a big delivery for you little nigga, going to get my pockets fat and yours, you down?” He asked. I nodded. Mack is not somebody to mess with word on the streets is he make niggas go missing, He only let a select few in his crew, he let me in cause my big bro MJ used to be down with him back in school, and he respect him a lot. “I got a big ass delivery coming on the 19th of December be here to come get it young blood, and oh yeah how’s your fine twin sister doing, I hear she got thick? He asked. I clenched my jaw, I hated when niggas tried to get at my twin like that. “She good, got her head in the books” I stated. He smiled. “That’s good keep an eye on her” I nodded and sighed. I talked with the crew for a minute for I headed over to Blue Flame’s where my girl Nisha worked. “Hey Narkim” This stripper Kit Kat said to me smirking. All the hoes want me, I’m convinced. “Yo where’s Nish?” I asked. She grabbed at my shirt. “In the back baby” She said. I smiled at her and nodded. I walked to the back and knocked on the dressing room door. Nisha’s friend Havana let me in. “Hey baby” I said as I kissed her cheek. She was putting all her money in the bag. “I told you, I got you” I told her. She smiled at me. “I know, but I like to get shit on my own”. I winked at her. “I love an Independent woman”. She rolled her eyes. “So look my fam having a family Christmas dinner and I know you ain’t got no fam like that, so I want you to meet my family”. I told her. She looked up at me and started laughing. “Boy bye” She said. I sat on the counter as she continued counting. “Im for real shawty” I said. She just looked at me. “Okay, I’ll come but if you folks start asking what my career is, I’m a stripper and I make money moves” She said. I laughed at her. “Nah, just say you a professional dancer, you trying to give madukes a heart attack shawty” I said. She laughed. Nisha and I been together for a little minute, I was serious about her being that she’s my number one, my main chick, my wifey and I wanted her to know it”.

Damien:

Location: Atlanta

“Damien Lamar Richards” Ms. Madison said to me breathlessly as she buttoned up her blouse. I zipped up my pants and smirked her. “Yes, Ms. Madison”. She kissed me some more. “We can’t do this anymore, I could lose my job”. I nodded nonchalantly, because she said this more than once, I mostly fuck with girls my age, but Ms. Madison was bad as hell and a challenge, plus she was a woman not know childish ass little girl. “I hear you Kristen” I said leaving her teachers closet. I grabbed my book bag, and was about to leave. “So do I get an A for fucking, I mean for my essay?” I smirked. She shook her head. “Damien it doesn’t work like that? But I can make that happen” She said. I smiled. “Thanks Ms. Madison, your tutoring really helps”. I laughed and walked out. I wasn’t in love with Ms. Madison, but she had a thing for me, and sometimes I get jealous. It makes me feel like I’m the shit to be smashing my English Teacher. I got in my car and drove to my house. “Hey Damien!” My mom called out to me. “Yes”. I closed the front door behind me and locked it. I walked into the kitchen and hugged her. “Hey, my baby boy, how was tutoring?” She asked. I smiled. “Good, I’m really getting better” I said. She smiled at me. “Well your sister Vada and Janessa are coming down and so is MJ” She told me. I looked at her crazy. “Who died mama?” I asked. She laughed. “Nobody, this is just the first family Christmas were having together since you were very young, and I’m excited to have the whole family under one roof”. She said washing off the lettuce. I chewed at my bottom lip. “They know Dad lives in another house?” I asked. She groaned. “No and I want to keep it that way till the time is right, lets get them all here first, catch up on moments lost then we will tell them until then you keep your mouth shut Damien” She said looking at me sternly. “Hey I ain’t saying shit” I said. She looked at me with a serious look. “Aye watch your mouth”. I kissed her cheek and smiled. “I love you mama” She rolled her eyes. “Mmmhm watch that mouth”. I grabbed a cookie and ran upstairs to chat with Nylah, my best friend. Nylah and I been best friends since we were babies. She always made me feel like myself. “What’s up fool” She said laughing. We were on facetime. I laughed at her. “What’s up La-La?”. She made a silly face. “Where were you after school?” She asked. I shrugged. “Tutoring” I lied. Even though she was my best friend I couldn’t tell her I was smashing our English Teacher.

Malcom Jr aka MJ:

Location: Washington, D.C.

I sat on the couch watching the Falcons play the Dolphins. “Stop it Leiana! Give it baccckkk” My 5-year-old son Christian called for his 9-year-old sister Leiana to give his tablet charger back. “I need to charge mine too” She wined. I got up and shushed them. “Ayye yall stop it, Daddy watching the Falcons play”. They continued fussing at each other, I was about to get up when my wife Danielle walked in the house. “Yes Mark, I know that the deadline is this Friday, I will try my best to get in by then” She started giggling. “Shussh Mark, you know I will”. I tried to get her attention and she brushed me off to go to our bedroom and close the door. I sighed, always working late and shit. I paused the game and walked into the room she was giggling more in the room. She looked over at me and put her finger up. “Okay Mark, Ill see you tomorrow” She smiled and looked at me. “Hi Baby” She said taking off her shoes. “You aint seen your kids arguing in the living room?” I asked her. She looked at me. “Honey your like right there, I’m just coming home from a long day of work” She said. I folded my arms. “So, I don’t work? I bust my ass for this family every day, you barely see the kids”. I stressed, she sucked her teeth in. “Malcom come on don’t start this tonight we been having a great week, don’t start this again” She said. I waved her off and walked towards the door. “Malcom, please soon we will have time together as a family, your mother called me today” She said. I stood by the door and looked at her. “She wants us to come to Georgia for Christmas”. I groaned. “Why?” I asked. I hadn’t been down there since we had Christian. “She said it’s a big family gathering, and she wants us all there”. I nodded. “Aight”. She got up and kissed on my face. “Stop making that face MJ” She said. It felt nice getting some attention from my wife. I smiled a little. “Maybe I can cook and then after the game we can make another movie” She said winking at me. I smirked. “Aight bet, but Ima hold you to it” She smirked back and nodded. I walked out the room, and got the kids situated so they weren’t fighting anymore and continued to watch the game. I realized an hour and half and passed, she was still in the room. I got up and went to the door, I heard a soft giggle. I put my ear on the phone. “No, I’m going to Atlanta to visit family, I knowwww I wish I could be there with you too, well I got to go, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow”. I instantly thought about that white nigga Mark at her job. My fist clenched as I swung open the door, Danielle jumped. “Jesus Malcom you scared me!, Yeah um I see you tomorrow, you too bye” She rushed off the phone. “What happened to dinner?” I asked. She palmed her face. “OMG honey, Okay let me go order a pizza, Im so sorry” She got up and ran to change her clothes. “Baby, can you order a pizza?” She asked. “Yeah” I said. I seen her phone lying on the bed and I went to grab it. She walked out the closet, she came up to me and smiled and looked at me with a puppy dog face. “Please?” I smiled softly. “Okay”. “Oh goodness I got to look at my schedule for my meeting tomorrow, she grabbed her phone from my hand and went in the bathroom. I was curious to know if she was cheating on me.

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wafflesetc · 7 years

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Chapter 1, Chapter 2 - AO3

Chapter 3

Claire Beauchamp is a second year medical student. Due to many late nights with her clinicals, and studying for her pharmacology class, she’s at wits end. One Friday night she decides not to join Joe Abernathy and her other friends out at Church, their local hangout spot, but instead winds up in a dive bar close to her flat with a very nice whisky selection. In fact, one of the best one she’s ever seen. When the bartender calls her ‘Sassenach’ and pours her a double, Claire gets a feeling in her chest she’s never felt before. Nor does she realize how this bartender will change her life.

The minute the bartender released my hand he smiled softly at me and took another sip of his whisky. “Most of my friends call me Jamie, ye ken too, if ye’d like.”

I don’t think my cheeks had ever been a brighter shade of red. I nodded slowly as I took a sip of the whisky. I must have made a gesture or given some weird face because, *bartender* Jamie, I reminded myself, (he had a name!) cocked his head to the side and gave me a look of question.

“Isna a bad whisky, is it?” Jamie asked as he hopped onto the bar and slid over the counter, taking a seat next to me.

“NO.” I said rather quickly and loudly- loud enough the bartender *JAMIE* I corrected myself *again*, made a face that I couldn’t decipher as he looked at me, the question evident on his face, yet again. I took a deep breath and counted to five, trying to regroup myself. “No. It is not a bad whisky. I just have unfortunately had some tequila before coming here and… Let’s just say tequila and whisky don’t really go hand in hand.”

Jamie laughed as he took a small sip of his whisky and twirled it around in the glass. We sat in silence for a few minutes taking small sips of our drinks. Finally, after he took the last sip from his glass, he spoke.

“So, Sassenach, how was yer Friday?”

“I just told you my actual name, and yet somehow I am still a Sassenach.” I laughed. Jamie smiled and shook his head at me.

“Aye ye did tell me. Yer name is Claire, but yer my Sassenach.”

“I am your Sassenach…. That is slightly possessive of you, and you barely know me” I mused. However brave I was before was no match for the bravery I was feeling- I was even more courageous now- between tequila and whisky, I should have been playing the lottery tonight. I smiled from ear to ear and turned to look at him. My smile must have done something to him- he leaned his elbow on the bar and turned to face me, resting his head on his hand. A look of pure amusement- dare I say he was even smitten- ran across his face.

Naturally, I blushed again and looked down at the glass in my hands.

“But back to my day… It was marvelous. I got to watch a surgery today. This guy had some massive issues with the vertebrae in his back. Long story short and keeping it simple, the doctor took out the bad vertebrae and replaced it, but replacing it requires hardware which means drills and screws. God, it was awesome to watch but then the attending let me screw in one set. It was…. Euphoric.” I said as I took the last swig of my whisky. “I don’t really have a desire to go into neurosurgery or orthopedics but still, holding that drill and being in an OR all day, totally reminded me why I chose to go to medical school. Then I went to a pub with some of my classmates and called it an early night, and now I’m here. With you.” Smooth, Beauchamp. Might as well just take him home tonight. I thought to myself as I silently held my breath.

“Ah. I see.” Jamie mused. He hopped up on the bar again and went behind the counter. As swift as a cat he had gone and grabbed a bottle of whisky and was seated next to me again. “Sounds like ye had a rather good day then.” He said as he poured me another glass.

“Yes. It was a great day. How about yours?” I asked, obviously he was in a chatty mood and being the only customer in the bar, I wanted to milk the alone time I had with him.

“Wasna so bad. I spent my morning taking care of some business. I watched my nephew for a few hours this afternoon and then opened the place at five and have been bartending since.” Jamie said as he poured himself another glass.

“You have a nephew? So let me guess— you have a brother.” I said, swirling my cup around. I saw Jamie drop his shoulders and turn his face away from me.

“Aye. Weel, I did have a brother. He passed when he was 10 and I was 8. I do have an older sister, Jenny, and my nephew is my namesake. God help the poor lad.” Jamie said as he brought his focus back on me. “What about yer family, Sassenach?”

It was my turn to look away for a moment, but there was an honesty about this man- a truth- and I felt it odd, I was wanting to share my whole life’s story with him and I had only known him for a total of 30 minutes.

I took a deep breath and a sip of whisky. “My parents passed away when I was a little girl. I was raised by my Uncle Lambert, who was an archeologist. He passed away when I was a freshman in college though and my grandparents were long gone before I was born. So it’s just been me, for some time now.” I said, forcing a smile on my face.

I had my arms crossed on the bar and felt his big, calloused hand as he placed it on top of mine. “I ken the feeling, I lost my mam and my da at a verra young age too. Doesna get easier at all.”

I placed my other hand on top of his and squeezed it tightly. “It doesn’t.”

I felt Jamie’s large behemoth presence as he scooted his bar stool closer to mine. I kept my hand on his and he made no effort to take his hand off mine. It felt- right, like it should always belong there, as if our hands were made to be intertwined. The easiness that came between us unsettled me in my core.

Still, our hands stayed like that, until my phone buzzed on the counter. I let it keep ringing, not taking my eyes off Jamie’s but he finally pulled his hand from mine and picked up my phone.

“Are ye going to answer that, Sassenach?” He asked. Good god, I loved the way the word *sassenach* rolled off his tongue. Like a finely aged Scottish whisky. I brought my focus back down to planet Earth and read the caller ID. Frank.

My stomach dropped and I lowered my head, putting my hands over my face.. Damn, did Frank sure know how to ruin a good moment.

“No.” I replied, honestly. “But I should.”

Jamie made a small Scottish sound- almost one of disgust I might have guessed- and set the phone down just below my face.

“I think ye should.” Jamie said, as he placed his large, warm, inviting hand on the small of my back. “I’ll sit here wi’ ye. Give ye some encouragement.”

I nodded as I slid the button open and carefully placed the phone to my ear.

“Hello, Frank.” I said, very short.

“Claire.” He breathed. “We need to talk.”

“We talked, Frank. Three different times over the holidays.”

“I know. But I miss you and I want to see you.”

“Frank.”

“I want to work on us. I was not the most supportive person I could hav-“

Feeling the full effects of the liquid bravery I had been consuming all night, and having an odd sense of extra courage and support from this strange man next to me, I was going to let him have it.

“I told you, I was done. We tried. For four years, Frank. We tried. And you’re the one who left, and you are the one who diminished everything I had worked so hard for…. After I supported you for years.”

“Claire, I know, I said I was sorry.”

“I believe that you are sorry, I truly do. But I also know a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don’t miss you and I don’t miss us. It is just better this way.”

“Claire… I, we need to talk, in person.”

“I’ve said everything I needed too.”

“I’m at the bar, Joe told me where I could find you.”

I immediately hung up the phone and looked out the window to see Frank, standing outside the front door. I felt like a helpless puppy.

Frank and I had met my in my final year of high school and he was a junior at the local university. We started dating and it worked well. He was studying history at the university in Edinburgh with plans to pursue his Master’s at the same institution once he graduated with his Bachelor’s. I applied to the university to be close to him, thinking I had found the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. When my final year of university had come around I had made the decision to apply to medical school. I hadn’t hid it from Frank-- I had told him on multiple occasions, but between his Master’s and his externship at the museum, he hadn’t been all too interested or even taken notice of my career goals. When my acceptance letter came in the mail things shifted between us. The next year, things were distant between us. I had come home one night late from the library and found him fondling around with another girl-Sandy from the museum-on my couch.

That had been the final straw to everything that had happened and I ended it right before finals, just a mere two months ago. The holidays had been very lonely, after spending 5 years with Frank and his parents, I had nowhere to go. Except God Bless Joe and Gail Abernathy. I had taken a semi-permanent residence in their guest bedroom. They treated me like family, and I was ever in their debt for surviving what had been the worst month of my life.

Jamie’s hand was still on my back and turned to look at the door, and then turned to look back at me.

“Sassenach, do ye want me to take care of…..That.” He asked as I felt his hand rub up and down my back softly. I didn’t even care if Frank saw.

“I….I don’t know.” I said honestly, as I ran my fingers through my hair. “The truth is, he’s my ex-boyfriend that cheated on me and has been trying to get back with me for almost two months. I’ve told him time and time again, it is over and it is done. I am tired of telling him no.”

Jamie let out a small chuckle and put his hand on my shoulder. “So isna a no but isna a yes.”

Whatever courage and bravery I had felt was completely zapped, I was drained. I had been going in circles with Frank for two months and the weight of that and the pressures of school were bearing to be too much. And while I was emotionally drained, I also felt strong and vulnerable in the presence of Jamie- a feeling I had never felt before. A sense of strength I had never felt before.

I shook my head and stood up. “No, I can handle him.” I said as I wiped the tears off my face.

Jamie shook his head and squared himself in front of me. “Aye. I ken ye can, but if he goes as far as touches ye, just pull on yer right ear and I will come handle the English man.”

I laughed as I touched his cheek gently brushing it with my fingers. “He’s the ‘Englishman’ and I’m ‘Sassenach’ when we’re both truthfully sassenachs…. Jamie Fraser you are one confusing man.” I said as I walked to the front door and walked outside.

I wrapped my arms around my waist as the cold Scottish air filled my lungs.

“Frank.” I stammered.

“Who is, that?” Frank ordered, pointing inside the bar. I immediately knew he was referring to Jamie.

“Jamie. The bartender at this place.” I said, simply matter of fact.

“Why did he have his hands all over you?” Frank said.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten.

“Frank, I am not your property and I am not yours anymore. First off Jamie is just, a friend, and second you have no right to be possessive of me. Must I remind you, you are the one who cheated on me. And why did you find me, at nearly two am on a Friday night!” I snapped at him. I leaned against the window and could sense Jamie watching from inside the bar.

“Claire, you were not responding to any of my calls or texts. I wanted to see you, to try and reason-“

I raised my hand as to stop him- and it did shut him up. “Frank. We’ve been through this. Multiple times. It is over. You and me. We are finished and it is nobody’s fault but your own. I am sorry that you came all this way to find me when the answer is the same.”

Frank took a small step towards me and wiped a piece of hair out of my face. “Claire.” He said softly as he took my face into his hands.

I heard the swoosh of the door as it opened and the rush of warm air at my feet.

“I’d like ye to take yer hands off the lass. I think she verra much made her intentions clear.” Jamie said in a stern Scottish voice as he appeared behind me. I could feel his large presence behind me and the warmth of his hands as he took me by the shoulders and pulled me a few feet back from Frank. But Frank took a step forward towards me.

I felt Jamie shift so that he was in front of me, shielding me. “I said, the lass made her intentions clear. And I would like it verra much if ye’d take yer leave now. It is getting close to closing time.”

Frank stood straight and nodded, sticking his hands in his pocket. “Alright then, goodbye, Claire.” He replied as he turned on his heel and made his way down the block.

Whatever stamina I had left was completely gone, my walls were broken and battered and I could feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. Jamie turned to look at me and wrapped me up in his arms, like a child, carrying me back inside the bar.

His breath was hot and voice soft and quiet in my ear. “Shhhhh. Rest now. No one will harm ye. I’m here.”

I took my head off his chest and looked up at him. I knew my eyes were swollen, red and puffy, but I didn’t care. I felt safe and protected. “You barely know me and look at me. I’m a basket case of emotions and my ex is stalking me.”

Jamie let out a small chuckle as he set me on the top of the bar. “Mo nighaen donn, yer safe. The prick is gone. I just have to lock up the back and then I will walk ye home.”

“You don’t have-“ I started but was stopped as he placed a single finger on my lips to keep me from responding.

“Yer right, I dinna have too. But I want to… I also want to make sure the man isna waiting for ye at yer flat. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, is it no’?” Jamie asked as he reached in his pocket for some keys. “Stay here. I will no’ be verra long.”

I sighed and nodded in agreement as he went to the back and locked up. Jamie was gone for less than two minutes and was back at my side. He had put on his jacket and grabbed my bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

“You look incredibly ridiculous with that bag over your shoulder, if I must say so.”

Jamie laughed, making a small Scottish sound, as we exited the bar and he locked up the front.

“It’s late and cold, and you are in luck Mr. Fraser. I am actually just around the corner.” I said as I pointed down the block.

“Isna a problem.” Jamie said.

We walked in silence all the way back to my flat. He followed quietly behind me, up the four flights of stairs as we made our way to my floor.

“403. This is me.” I said as I reached into the bag on his shoulder for my keys.

I watched as Jamie shrugged his shoulders and then stiffened for a moment.

“What is it?” I asked as I watched him glance through the corridor.

“Sassenach, I would feel much more comfortable if ye’d let me take a look through yer place. Make sure it’s safe.”

I half laughed at his comment, but stopped myself when I saw the seriousness in his eyes.

“Uh, sure, you can. But as persistent as Frank is… He is not violent. And I changed my locks after he moved out. He doesn’t even know it.”

Jamie smiled in response to my words as I slowly opened the door.

“It’s not much… But it’s clean and well, home.” I said as we walked into my flat and I closed the door behind him. I took off my jacket, hanging it on the wall and went to take Jamie’s jacket off his shoulders. He smiled over his shoulder as he slid it off and handed it to me.

“Just wait here for a minute. Can ye do that?” Jamie said. I crossed my arms and rested my back against the front door, nodding. “Thatsa good lass.” He croaked as he made his way through the living room.

I watched him as he inspected the kitchen, and then my bedroom. I heard the squeak of my closet door as he inspected it. A few seconds later Jamie reappeared in my living room and sat down on the couch. “Safe, Sassenach.” He said as he ran his hands through his hair, resting his head back and closing his eyes.

“Thank you, for everything tonight.” I said as I joined him on the couch.

“Tis no’a problem.” Jamie mused looking down at me. “But you and Frank?”

“We have been for a very long time.” I replied resting my head back on my couch too.

“Well, Sassenach, that is a verra good thing.” Jamie said- but I hadn’t heard him, as I was drifting off slowly to sleep.

I woke up the next morning very confused. I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. My hair was all in my face and I smelled like a hospital still. I reached for my phone but felt a pair of jeans that wasn’t mine and realized there was a body that was not mine- nor one that I knew- next to me. I slowly pushed the hair out of my face and looked up at the ceiling- at least I was at my flat. I then turned my face up, slowly, to the gigantic body that was next to me and saw a mop of red curls and Jamie’s eyes closed, his arms wrapped around me and my head on his chest.

“Oh my god.” I whispered to myself. I looked down, luckily I was still fully clothed. “Ok, Beauchamp. Pull it together.”

I reached for my phone and say four texts from Joe.

‘LJ did you make it home safe?’

‘Lady Jane, did Frank find you. I tried to tell him not to go, but I couldn’t just leave him hanging, either. I knew you could put him in his place. Call me, Gail and I are worried.’

‘Claire if you don’t call me soon, I am going to show up at your apartment.’

‘You have thirty minutes to answer me.’

I quickly slid my phone open as I felt a small chuckle come from my side.

“Please dinna tell me ye have another ex I should have to worry about.” Jamie laughed.

I couldn’t help but laugh too. “No. Joe and his wife Gail, are two of my best friends, and the closest thing I have to family.”

Quickly I shot Joe a text.

‘I am fine. I am safe. Will call you in a bit.’

It was all I could bring myself to type, not sure if Jamie was watching me send the message or not.

I sent the text and sat myself up right, turning to face Jamie. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you like that.”

Jamie stretched his arms over his head and grunted as he stood, stretching some more. *GOD he was large. and GOD he was beautiful.*

“Dinna fash, Sassenach… I didna mean to fall asleep either. I uh, think it best that I get going. I have to meet my sister Jenny for lunch in just over an hour.”

I got up to my feet and struggled to make my hair cooperate with me. “Of course.” I said as I followed him to the door. I watched as he put his jacket on and then turned to face me.

“Sassenach… I uh…. Dinna usually do things… Like this. I am sorry.” I couldn’t help but smile as he looked utterly embarrassed.

“No, no. Don’t be silly.” I said as I placed my hand on his chest. *Who was this Claire?* I thought to myself. “I don’t either, and I am so very sorry about Frank. I will have to handle that again. But, I think you helped get the message across that him and I are over.”

“The lad shoulda gotten the message the first time. Ye canna help stupid, I suppose.” Jamie said as he placed his hand over mine- the one I had placed on his chest just a moment before. I felt his muscles stiffen and saw him stand a bit straighter as he looked down at me. “Sassenach, this uh, might be a wee bit forward, but I was wondering, would ye like to join me for dinner, say tonight?”

I blushed and without missing a beat spoke softly as I looked up to meet his gaze. “Yes.”

“Och. Alright then. 8 o’clock. Be ready. I’ll come for ye here. Since I know where ye live.” Jamie said as he turned and opened the door. He took the small step into the hallway and then turned to face me. “There’s no’ getting out of it, just so ye ken.” Jamie said, with a triumphant smile on his face as he turned and made his way down the corridor.

I closed the door, breathless, and leaned back against my doorframe. “I have a date with Jamie Fraser.” I said quietly to myself.

Who the hell was I? And what was this bartender doing to me?

#Outlander #Jamie x Claire #Outlander AU #Claire Beauchamp #Jamie Fraser #Closing Time #Closing Time AU #Frank Randall #so here's chapter 3 and it's a bit extra long because it will most likely be a week -#before I can post the next chapter #I hope you all enjoy this #eeeeeek #myfic!

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dailyaudiobible · 3 years

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10/01/2021 DAB Transcript

Isaiah 62:6-65:25, Philippians 2:19-3:3, Psalms 73:1-28, Proverbs 24:13-14

Today is October 1st welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it's great to be here with you today as we greet a brand-new month, the 10th month of the year, the 274th day of the year, which…well…this will be step number 274 of 365 that we take each year as we journey together through the Bible. And, so, it's great to be here with you in this brand-new month. Let me congratulate you on completing three quarters of the year, three quarters of the Bible. We have 25% of the year left, one quarter of the year left, three months ago and we will have accomplished what we set out to do together, read every word of the Bible in community. And, so, we have this fresh start, and we will pick up where we left off as we come into this new month. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Isaiah chapter 62 verse 6 through 65 verse 25 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we celebrated the fact that we’re moving into the final quarter of the year right at the beginning today, just a little while ago, but typically every time we come to the final quarter of a year, at least I'm reminding myself this is the last quarter of the year. And right now, things feel pretty normal like, pretty…pretty…the normal flow of the year that we've settled into but this final quarter of the year is usually different than other quarters in a year because things speed up as we get toward the end of the year because the holiday season comes. And, so, crazy as it might seem three months from now we’re gonna be starting a new year. And typically I don't like to jump out in front because…I mean…it's hard enough just to be here now, right? It just hard enough to be present in the life in the day in the hour that has been gifted to us by God and stay here and be present here. And, so, talk of “wow. In three months from now it’s going to be a new year” and you start thinking about that and we get out in front of ourselves. And I'm not trying to do that. I'm saying these things so that they don't happen because it…it will sneak up on us and if we haven't decided in advance that we’re finishing the journey and we’re finishing the journey strong and we’re going to receive everything that God has for us in the Scriptures then there's all kinds of things that come to sidetrack us. And for the most part they’re beautiful things. We will be moving into the season of Advent and then celebrating the arrival of Jesus and Christmas and then think about New Year’s…all those things. They’re…they’re…they’re beautiful things, but they can distract us to the point that we get through all those holidays and we’re upside down and we don't know what's going on anymore, we’re confused. And, so, we’re in that in between week between Christmas and New Year's trying to figure out what we’re gonna do with our lives. And, so, we have entered the last quarter of this particular year and we need to make decisions. And we do this all the time. Every time we greet a brand-new shiny sparkly new week, we realize it's out in front of us and we get to choose how organa live this week. Well, this last quarter is out in front of us, and we get to choose how we’re gonna live it. And we haven't come this far to do anything but finish strong. And, so, let's commit to that.

And we can look at our Psalm today. It comes at a really good time speaking really good things because we…we often have these feelings. Asaph is writing this Psalm, and he's just angry, he’s frustrated at what he sees in the world. And, so, can any of us relate to that. He’s just frustrated at it all. He looks around and it seems like those who are unrighteous are actually the ones who are prosperous, the ones who don't seem to care at all, the trajectory where God might be leading humanity, they just…they’re not even paying attention, but they are the ones that look like they're blessed, while those who are enduring and holding true to their faith and walking with God are facing all kinds of suffering. And, so, I quote Asaph as he confesses. “As for me, my feet almost slipped. My steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant. I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well fed. They are not in trouble, like others. They are not afflicted, like most people. Therefore, pride is their necklace and violence cover’s them like a garment.” So, he’s probably saying things that one point or another, we might have…we may have observed, we may have thought these things, we may have felt this. And, so, he reflects, and I quote again. “Did…did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning. If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would've betrayed your people. When I try to understand all thi it seemed hopeless.” So, this is very, very ancient, this poem, this song, these lyrics, very ancient. And do they not sound familiar, do they not sound relevant and current? And, so, we could say, “well…the Bible is so alive that it speaks to what we're going through right now.” And that is very true as we've experienced many many times. But it also shows us, things in the heart haven't changed that much, things in the world haven't changed that much. Certainly, technology and advancement and all…every conceivable way, has indeed…like the world looks like a different place than it did 3000 years ago. But what drives us and motivates us and comforts us and torments us, these kinds of things look awful similar. And thank God that the Bible gives language, that the Bible’s actually voicing this, that the Bible is actually giving voice to maybe things that we don't say or we feel or think or are confused by. And we’re going into this quarter, and we will talk about this more than once as we go through this quarter because so…it become so dominant. But as we move toward the end of year and we move into the holidays, it's joyous, it's beautiful but it's stressful. It tips us upside down. It swirls us in all kinds of directions, trying to figure how to pay for it all. We look at everybody else and then all the sudden comparison comes in, and…yeah very, very quickly we find ourselves saying the things that Asaph is saying and feeling the things that Asaph is feeling. And, so, let's at least take a look at what Asaph does in response to his own words to his own feelings because it would be easy enough to throw your hands in the air, and we’ve probably all done this, throw your hands in the air and go, “I give up. Forget it. I can’t…I mean…just I can't. It's kill, or be killed in this world. And, so, I’m just gonna get out there and try to survive” and kinda move in directions that are contrary to our faith or journey toward wholeness or peace. And, so, we go and try to fill ourselves with whatever we feel is the void and…and…yeah…we just go in a big circle, end up right where we left off, a little older and a little more exhausted. And, so, that's…that's not gonna work. We basically already know that. Asaph knows that. So, what does Asaph do? He decides that he's got to go deeper into God's presence. And, so, I quote. “When I tried to understand all this it seemed hopeless until I entered God's sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny.” And skipping a couple verses. “When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was stupid and didn't understand. I was an unthinking animal toward you. Yet I am always with you. You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me up in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? And I desire nothing on earth but you”, right? So, he's like re-framing his priorities. Looking around and seeing what he doesn't have isn’t gonna get him anywhere and realizing that all he needs and all that he wants is the presence of God to truly become aware that that is more than enough and leads to everything that we need and removes…well…I mean we can hold onto the anxiety and frustration and fear all that we want, but it removes the need for it. And if we can get this perspective both right now in the here and now, in the present and carry it with us as we move forward into this quarter we will serve ourselves well.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into that. We become aware of Your presence that is always with us. We become aware that You are here with us in the present and You will be with us every step of the way. And, so, we ask that You help us to catch ourselves when we get into the comparison game, to help us when we look around and become frustrated at what others have that we don't have and why the unrighteous seem to be more prosperous than we who are trying. May we look to You. It is Your presence that we seek where there is more than enough to continue the process of making us whole again. So, come Holy Spirit into all of this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you find out what's going on around here. And, of course, we are in the final quarter of the year, 75% of the year we have lived and each and every day we have engaged with the Scriptures to help lead and direct and guide us, which leaves 25% of the year left, and what a 25% it will be. We have so much ground to cover, such good ground to cover. And, so, that is, at least for me, that's what's going on around here. How did we get here? It seems like it went in a blur. Seems like it was just a few weeks ago, but in other ways it feels like…yeah…it’s been about three quarters of a year. But nevertheless, here we are. Time seems porous. Sometimes it's hard to measure, but we are here in the final quarter of the year and that is going on. That's one of the things that are going on around here.

But also check out things on the web or using the Daily Audio Bible app like the…the Prayer Wall. I…I mention it several times a week, usually if I’m thinking about it because it is a resource that is always available. And the bottom falls out of any given day, any time right? Or the bottom can fall out of a lot of things. And we can find ourselves trying to sort through how to navigate and a lot of times we’ll just suck it up and try to figure it out on our own, which sometimes we…we can be successful at that, sort it out, pray, move through, but other times we just dig the hole deeper because we are reacting and we’re so deeply entrenched in what we think or feel. But you just kinda it out there. “hey, I’m struggling right now with some things and I could use a brother or sister. I could use a hand in prayer.” And to know that you're gonna get it…oh…that's…that's a gift and a rescue at times. So, that is the Prayer Wall and that can be found in the community section of the website or if you’re using the…the app you can press that little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner, which opens up the drawer and the Community section is in there. And inside the Community section you’ll find the Prayer Wall. So, maybe today isn’t the day that you need that, but it's…it's a good resource to know about because maybe tomorrow will be. We never know what a day’s gonna bring. What we do know is that the Lord will never abandon us and we are in this together and that makes a pretty big difference. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if what's happening here around the Global Campfire and we just come and let the Scriptures speak into our lives, if that has been good news and life to your days then thank you for your partnership. There is a link that lives on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the hotline button in the app. That's the red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello everyone, this is Laura from California. I love this DAB family. We share our burdens and trials and help each other get through and I really appreciate that. Cara called in on September 23rd for her friend who suddenly lost one of her twin sons 10 days earlier suddenly. And I…I just wanted to say that six years ago I lost one of my twin sons suddenly. And in the vast sea of people who cannot possibly fathom the grief and the loss I wanted Cara and her friend and family to know that there are people out here who…who can understand. You're not alone and we're praying for you, and you will get through, God will see you through. He…He pieced my heart back together. It took a long time, but he did. And my surviving son, he's getting his feet under him after six years. He's…he’s now doing better. So, it takes time but I just pray that the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and…and that Cara, your friend, her family and all those that loved her son, they’re just filled with the Holy Spirit to the fullness of God. Love you family. Laura from California.

Dear Lord please give me the wisdom and knowledge to understand the Bible as I begin reading it today. Thank you. Amen.

Hey, my daily audio Bible family I’m…this is Suzanna and Texas. I’m calling for prayers for my son Titus. He's a little over three months old right now. He's just had a lot of digestive issues working through some…shortly after…not right after birth but a little after birth and I kinda had a hold on it but he's kind of had __ issues popping up here in there right now. Eric, my husband is watching Titus all the days that I work in the NICU day and night for like 3 days in a row and it’s exhausting. And today he, Titus was just screaming crying all day long. And we will…we have seen our pediatrician multiple times and we've seen urgent care doctors most other times. And I'm just asking for you guys to please pray for a quick…that we find a solution as soon as possible and that Titus be healed if it's the Lord's will, just completely healed from having these digestive issues and this pain that he's having. And we just thank you so much for your prayers for little Titus. We just love you and we pray for you as much as we can when we listen to all the prayer requests and we just are so thankful for this community. We love you. Bye-bye.

Good morning DAB family this is Virginia from Cleveland. I am a little bit behind in my listening. So, it's September 28th but I just heard Val from Vegas’s call on the 15th and I was just…I was elated to hear your voice. And I just feel such a connection to you that I don't know why. We started listening at the same time. I know that. And I just want to pray for you that you are healing from your mastectomy and that you're not having any complications and that the Lord just wraps His arms around you in peace and healing and covers you with everyone’s love here, that you feel all of our prayers for you. And I also wanted to say that I was very touched that rather than pleading for prayers for yourself you were asking for health care workers. And while I don't work at a hospital, I am one of those and it really really touched me and I wanted to thank God for you, that even in your own turmoil you're thinking of others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hey DAB family this is Laura in Eugene just wanting to lift up prayers for Renzo. Heavenly Father we lift Renzo up to You. He's a faithful Young man in this community and has made such a big impact with his prayer and with his commitment. Lord I pray that You could guide him during schoolwork. I pray that You can help him as he works hard for You and all areas of his life. And I especially pray for Your guidance and Your presence with him as he works on school assignments and school things that need to be done. I know how challenging school can be these days, and I just ask for Your presence with him strongly. I pray that he knows that all things…we can do all things through You and that we want to do all the things that You put in front of us the best that we can to glorify You. I pray this for Renzo. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

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glmfic · 7 years

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Happy holidays my dear readers: chapter 27 sneak-peak

My dear readers, bless you all. I have been writing on GLM for 10 years now, and you’ve been my everything. Nothing is more motivating and encouraging than knowing there is someone out there waiting to read what happens next. Your comments and reviews make me laugh and cry (happy tears!). Most importantly, they give me the drive to keep writing. Please don’t misunderstand, I enjoy writing-- very much, but it’s a solitary thing and sometimes can be discouraging and lonely. A quick trip to FF.net or Wattpad (and now this blog<3), is all I need to change that. Because of YOU. You, my dear readers. You are all so special and important to me, more than you know. I appreciate you all so much, thank you for being on this journey with me.

When I posted chapter 26 at the end of June, I was overwhelmed with the response. You guys were amazing-- so excited, you had so much to say! It made my heart so full, afdgshjfgssj !!! You were dying for the next part and I was dying to write it for you <333 Originally, I thought that that would be no problem-- I had sort of split chapter 26 in two...part of it was going to contribute to chapter 27. I knew where things were going, piece of cake! I’ve had this part of the story in my head for ages (Naru!!!) and I was just going crazy wanting to write it out. I thought your excitement + my motivation = chapter out in record time (oh yeaaaah). But life has a funny way taking your plans...and throwing them out the window. What was supposed to be an update in September, turned into...when can I steal five minutes to write today? Some of the delay has been work related, but a larger and tougher barrier has been some serious personal problems that have come up. I’ve been all consumed with taking care of and supporting my family in this hard time. Unfortunately, it’s left me pretty exhausted. Writing is usually my go-to way to de-stress, but most days I couldn’t find the energy, even when I had the chance. It has made me sad. Very sad because I want to write. I want to share the next chapter with you, my dear readers. Posting updates here on this blog though, and seeing you all still kindly waiting for me, lifts my heart. I am so grateful!

I couldn’t give you the full chapter for Christmas like I wanted, but I wanted to give you something. So here it is: a preview of chapter 27! I know we’re just around the corner from 2018, and I am hopeful I will be able to return to writing like I so want to. I am excited to share 2018 with you all, and to share the next installments in this story I love so much.

I hope you enjoy this small preview (this chapter supposed to be 10,000+ words when finished), thank you all so much for your support <333

[previously in chapter 26]

Reaching the inn, unable to help herself, Mai scanned the cars parked outside. No black van. A familiar ache spread through her chest, but she stubbornly ignored it. Dinner was coming.

He will be there.

Last to enter the lobby, her mind on things like what freeway traffic was like at this hour, Mai didn't notice Mrs. Koku until she was nearly upon her.

“SIGN.”

Mai gave a polite bow,

“Oh, hello.”

Her greeting discharged, Mai made to move along, unpleasant memories surrounding the inn keeper assaulting her, but she was halted by a second, “SIGN.”

Mai blinked, and turned to look back. She saw then that in addition to a sour expression, Mrs. Koku held a clipboard. At her feet were two boxes. Gift wrapped.

“SIGN.”

Mai took the clipboard that was suddenly shoved into her hands.

“Me...?” she asked, staring at the receipt in confusion. Designer perfume invaded Mai's senses. Ayako was suddenly at her side. The miko bent down and picked up the two boxes.

“For you? Mai, this department store wrap, tsk-- expensive. I only pay for it at the holidays. Who could it be from?”

Mai stared at the crisp wrapping paper, thinking the exact same thing.

Who...?

She glanced at the packages, but there was no card, no return address...

“Do you know who--” she began, but faltered meeting the inn keeper's stony gaze. The old woman reached out and jammed a wrinkled finger against the X at the bottom of the receipt.

“SIGN.”

[chapter 27]

Day Seven

4:30pm

The Koku Inn

Mai had barely finished signing when the clipboard was yanked from her hands. She watched as Mrs. Koku reviewed the receipt, her expression as if Mai had written a foul word there instead of her signature. Self-conscious, Mai glanced at the clipboard.

“Is there...something wrong?”

The inn keeper grunted.

“PEN.”

Huh?

Mai blinked, confused, but then realizing what she still held in her hand, mumbled a quick, “oh, here.”

Snatching up the offered pen, the old woman gave one last scowl before shuffling away. With the distinct feeling she was being silently cursed, Mai turned to leave. She had only made it a step though, when a second booming voice filled the lobby. Mr. Koku joined his wife.

“DID YOU DELIVER THOSE PACKAGES TO THAT GIRL?”

“I HAD TO, THERE WAS A RECIPT.”

“SHE ACCEPTED THEM?”

“WITHOUT BATTING AN EYE. SHAMELESS. SHE EVEN HAD THE PLUCK TO TRY AND ASK ME WHO THEY WERE FROM. AS IF SHE DOESN'T ALREADY KNOW.”

“NOW MY DEAR, SHE MIGHT NOT AFTER ALL. THOSE KINDS OF CITY GIRLS KEEP SO MANY RICH LOVERS, IT GETS HARD TO TELL THEM APART.”

Shameless? What kind of girl...?!

Mai was definitely warm now. She tugged at her hoodie, fighting the urge to share a piece of her mind with the slanderous inn keepers behind her-- only past experience held her back. Arguing would do nothing but cause a scene. The last thing she needed was more eyes on her.

Grudgingly, she met the set that were. John's openly curious, but also empathetic. Ayako's, side-long and glittering with interest. Bou-san's amusement was clear from across the room. Reaching them, her head ducked in embarrassment, Mai was surprised to find Lin still standing there. His gaze was impossible to read as usual, but she noticed his attention lingered on the packages in Ayako's arms.

“If you're finished here, we should head in,” he spoke, leading the way down the hall. Mai followed after, only too ready escape the lobby.

“Rich lovers, hm?” Bou-san murmured as she past him.

“Shut up.”

They arrived at Ayako's room first, but the miko walked by.

“Leave me out of opening these boxes? As if.”

Mai sighed, staring at her delivery.

So much for privacy.

But privacy was exactly what she was being afforded. Mai had braced herself for the prying looks and whispers as she returned to her room, but the occupants of the Koku Inn were too busy getting ready to be busy bodies.

They reached John's room next. With the agreement to meet for dinner, the young priest left them. Ahead of them, Lin opened his door.

“I've reserved a table, be there no later than six.”

With these instructions, the Chinese man shut his door. Just the three of them, Bou-san and Ayako's suppressed interest and curiosity was given free reign.

“So, what do you think is in there?”

“Expensive shoes,” Ayako answered, tapping the box with her nails.

Mai blinked, surprised at the woman's cool certainty.

What makes her so sure?

“What about perfume?”

“Perfume? No. It's shoes, and probably a dress too.”

“What do you mean, no? Perfume makes a nice gift. And jewelry. Two-thousand yen says there's a necklace.”

“Good gifts, according to 2 am infomercials. Your singleness is showing.”

“Ah, so you've been watching them too?”

Mai reached over and took the packages out of the priestess' distracted arms.

“We're here,” she announced, digging in her sweatshirt pocket for her key. That was when her gaze, as if drawn, fell on it. Unoccupied, room thirteen.

Naru.

With mixed feelings, Mai stared at the spot she had stood that morning. The familiar ache was present, but also, the thrill of anticipation.

He's coming back.

“What's with all the commotion out here?”

Torn from her thoughts, Mai saw the door to room twelve was open, an old man standing in it.

That neighbor.

Mai griped her key and quickly turned back to her door.

“So, it's you again. Should have known,” he began, recognizing her. The commotion (argument between Bou-san sand Ayako) behind Mai paused.

“Who's your friend?” Bou-san asked. Mai turned the key in her lock.

“Ah, your parents,” the old man continued, noticing Ayako and Bou-san. Mai nearly dropped her key.

Parents...?

“I tell you, you ought to have better control of your daughter. I couldn't sleep at all because of her boy chasing, pounding on the door next to mine well after midnight, and then, she was back at it even before the sun was up--”

The boxes Mai held were suddenly plucked from her. With a firm shove from a perfectly manicured hand, Mai stumbled into her room.

“You hear that? This is all your fault. You should reflect on your poor parenting,” Ayako announced, backing in after Mai, smirking at the bewildered monk in front of her. Then, in a tone just he could hear, “We're going to spend some mother-daughter time. See you at dinner.”

“What kind of father...” was the last thing Mai heard before the door was shut.

“Boy chasing?” Ayako asked with an arch glance.

“Forget it, mom.”

“Fine, but only because we have bigger fish to fry.” The miko held out the packages, “If you don't get these open, I will.”

Mai took the packages, bringing them over to her unmade bed. Ayako made a disapproving face, but held her tongue. Mai's mind began to race. The same questions cycled through her head: who? Why?

Again, she looked for some form of identification. But her delivery was unmarked.

“Enough stalling. I'll do it.”

Ayako picked up the smaller box and expertly slipped the wrap off. Then she did the same to the larger one. Mai's heart pounded in her ears.

The two of them stared down at the unwrapped boxes.

“Hi-ro-ko Ko-shi-no,” Mai spoke, reading the name elegantly printed there.

“Hiroko Koshino...I recognize the brand-- they have a store in Ginza. I visit them sometimes. When I'm in the mood to treat myself.”

“Really?” Mai murmured, her curiosity mounting. Turning the large box over in her hands, she pulled at the corner, and the top came off. Buried in scented tissue paper was a dress, lace and rich burgundy. Mai stared, stunned. Next to her, Ayako had no patience for her shock. The priestess snatched up the smaller box, the lid was gone in an instant.

“I called it,” Ayako remarked with satisfaction, “Shoes. And a dress. That monk owes me 2,000 yen.”

“Oh, they even match,” Ayako persisted, holding up the pair of lace flats next to the dress Mai held.

It's a complete outfit.

Standing there, considering the pair of luxurious gifts and how they came to be hers, Mai could feel Ayako's intent gaze.

“Ah, the spoils of having a rich lover. I'm jealous.”

Mai blinked at the miko, only half listening, “Hm? What do you mean...?”

Ayako set the shoes down on the bed and gestured at them,

“I mean, if I wanted something like this, I'd have to be prepared to fork over 30,00 yen.”

30,000 ?!

The dress slipped from Mai's fingers.

“What? That kind of money-- I can't wear these! I don't even know who they're from! Who could afford such an expensive gift?”

Ayako bent down and collected the abandoned dress, her eyes narrowed critically. She made show of smoothing the lace, before giving a simple answer,

“Your rich lover.”

Mai crossed her arms in protest,

“Ayako-- I'm being serious.”

The miko fixed her with a look, “So am I. You think rent in Shibuya is cheap?”

A heartbeat passed.

“Shibuya...”

She means--

“If I had known he had gone to Tokyo for a shopping trip, I would have made him take me along.”

Mai grabbed the dress back.

Naru?

She inspected the seams, the tag...but it was no use, no trace of the sender was stitched there.

No way.

“Cinderella time.” Ayako pressed the pair of shoes into Mai's arms.

“Cinderella?” Mai repeated, being coaxed towards the bathroom.

The miko shrugged at her,

“Well, if he's not your rich lover, then what else but your prince charming?”

Mai halted and made to object, but taking her shoulders, the priestess directed her straight into the bathroom,

“No? Okay...I guess he's just your generous boss who likes to drop 60,000 on his employees. Nothing special. Let me know when it's my turn, will you?”

“60,000? I thought you said 30,000?”

“That was just the shoes. The dress easily costs as much. Probably more. Now quit checking out price tags and get them on, we don't have all day.”

And with that Ayako closed the bathroom door. Mai leaned her forehead against it. Speaking through it, she protested,

“But we don't know if it's even from him.”

“60,000 yen says the dress and shoes are exactly your size.”

Mai's felt heat rise to her cheeks at the miko's muffled answer,

“The size...? How would he know--”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

That Ayako.

“There's no use denying it,” the priestess continued, unrelenting,“What kind of man buys a woman flats instead of heels...unless they know what a klutz they are? It's from him. So, do you have it on yet? Let's see...”

“No. You distracted me,” Mai answered irritably, leaning back from the door. On the other side she could hear the miko rummaging around, muttering something about ungrateful people and going to dinner in her robes.

Mai sighed, and began undressing. Off came her hoodie.

4,000 yen.

Then her t-shirt.

1,000 yen.

And her jean shorts.

3,000 yen.

Mai reached for the lace dress, and paused.

30,000 yen...

That was almost enough money to pay for a month's groceries. Could she really wear something like that?

Is it really from...

“This a place is a wreck, how do you live like this? And your suitcase is completely empty, don't tell me you haven't been doing laundry...?”

I have nothing else...and Ayako's waiting...

Equal parts embarrassed and pleased, Mai unzipped the dress and slipped it over her head.

It was the exact size. Just as Ayako had said. Mai gazed at her reflection in the mirror, studying the details: the flattering cut, the hem falling just below her knees. Her arms were sleeved in intricate lace. The two cutouts at her waist were the only skin shown, the top of the dress coming up around her neck, delicate and modest.

“...and put a load in with mine tonight, really what were you planning on? You'll end up smelling like Bou-san. Are you done?”

“Not yet,” Mai answered, glancing at the shoes,“but the dress fits.”

“What did I tell you?”

Mai flushed, stubbornly ignoring the remark. Her attention then turned to her feet. Mai crouched down, her fingers trailing along her injuries. Relieved to see the skin mostly healed, she reached for the lace flats.

Another 30,000...

Each shoe on, Mai flexed her toes. Again, a perfect fit.

How...?

“What's taking so long, are you stuck? I'm coming in,” Ayako announced, opening the bathroom door.

Mai straightened, self-consciously adjusting the dress. The miko's keen gaze swept over her.

“Mm, very nice. You look every cent of 60,000.”

“It's comfortable,” Mai countered, still bothered by the price tag.

“Even the shoes...?” the miko asked, approaching her.

“Even the shoes.”

“Well done. He knows every inch of you, hm?”

“Ayako--”

“You're healing up nicely,” she went on, leaning down to study Mai's feet, “Good.”

“Can I keep the bandages off, do you think that's okay?” Mai wondered,

Ayako moved around her, coming to stand next the empty bathtub.

“I think so, you did fine yesterday. Just let me know how you feel after tonight,” she answered, reaching in and plugging the drain. Mai watched as the miko turned the cold water faucet on full.

“What are you doing?”

“What you should have done already.”

Ayako disappeared from the room, and reappeared a second later with a dress laid over her arm.

Originally pink, it was splotched red and brown. A chill ran through Mai. It was her dress from the night before.

“Let it soak, some of the blood may still come out...” Ayako mused, submerging the dress.

Mai stared. Absently she placed a hand to her chest. A heavy weight rested there again.

“Alright, now for makeup and hair. Everything is back in my room, l'll get it.”

“Ayako,” Mai spoke, her gaze still lingering on the bath, “what did you do with your outfit?”

The priestess paused. Her lips twisted into a bitter pout,

“It wasn't salvageable. I threw it out.”

A stark memory replayed in Mai's mind: Ayako, tending to the injured theater goers, the white she was wearing marred with streaks of red.

It wasn't salvageable.

“Hey, what's that face for...?”

Mai shook her head,

“Never mind. Thank you for helping.”

“Helping? This is nothing,” she answered gesturing at the pink dress, “You should see your room, you won't recognize it. God, I really am your mother...”

And with that the priestess left the bathroom. She returned some minutes later to find Mai perched on the counter, still facing the bathtub. Mai allowed the miko to go to work, creams, powders, liners...

“Close your eyes” Ayako ordered.

Obediently Mai shut them, feeling the swipe of a brush across her eyelids. It was then that she noticed it. How tired she was.

I hardly slept last night...

Passing in and out of exhausted consciousness, Mai's thoughts wandered, but they weren't aimless. Relentlessly, they cycled back to one thing...the dress soaking a few feet from her.

The other ghost.

“Quit frowning, you're ruining my work. You can open your eyes now.”

Mai swallowed, surfacing from her reverie, blinking blurrily. Her eyes wanted nothing more than to close again.

“Just say it.”

“Hm?”

“Something is bothering you.”

Mai hesitated. There was so much couldn't just say.

“I was just wondering...” she finally said, “about the case.”

Ayako made a considering noise, “Still uneasy? Is that it? Don't be. I personally saw to two exorcisms today. Really, all that is left to do is announce that we've cleared the haunting. Case closed.”

Mai's brow furrowed,

“What happened at the theater was dangerous,” she persisted in the face of the miko's self-assuredness.

“We've handled worse than Mr. Miyuki.”

Mr. Miyuki.

Further weight pressed against Mai's chest.

“What if...but what if we're missing something? We need more time to investigate.”

Ayako's trademark smirk emerged,

“Weren't you listening? Two exorcisms today. Whatever was there, is gone.”

The priestess' bravado in full force, Mai gave up the argument. With a guilty conscience, she forced herself too look away from the bath and it's haunting reminder of the secret she was keeping.

The other ghost.

“Here, let's do something with that hair.”

Ayako zipped up her makeup bag and stepped back, allowing Mai space to slip down from the counter. Mai turned and stared into the mirror.

“Pretty good, hm?” Ayako quipped, seeing Mai's expression, “I thought a smokey eye might be nice for a change. Suits you.”

“It's...perfect.”

Mai continued to gaze at herself. She wouldn't say it out loud, but Ayako had been right. She felt like Cinderella.

The miko's expert fingers went to work again. Sprays and bobby pins later, the front sections of Mai's hair were braided back, the rest left down.

“There. Very classy. If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd were some rich heiress.”

A dress and shoes from a designer in Tokyo.

60,000 yen.

“It's comfortable,” Mai repeated, modestly. But her heart raced. She couldn't help but imagine the moment she would see Naru.

“What time is it, already a quarter past five...? I need to head back.” Ayako announced, gathering her things.

Mai followed the priestess from the bathroom, and got her first look at her bedroom. Mai blinked in surprise. She didn't recognize it. The window was cracked open to let fresh air in. The bed was made. There were no clothes strewn about the floor-- in fact she saw none of her clothes at all. Not the green dress loaned to her from Nari. Not the shirt and shorts she borrowed from Ayako. Her suitcase was missing.

“Smells better, doesn't it?” Ayako remarked, with grim satisfaction, “It should. I took out those old food trays you had piled up. Honestly, I don't know how you live...”

“Where did you put it all?” Mai wondered, glancing at the tidy corners of her room.

“I stole your suitcase. I'll be doing laundry later. Everything else you had laying around is folded. Along with some festival greatest hits I found crumpled under your bed,” Ayako answered admonishingly, “I figured you'd want to return them.”

Festival greatest hits...?

Mai's gaze fell on something colorful stacked at the foot of her bed.

“I'll see you in thirty, meet me outside John's room,” Ayako instructed on her way out the door. A rustle of robes and she was gone.

Mai let out a long breath. Careless of her hair, she threw herself across her bed. She was so tired.

Mai laid there, the last twenty-four hours running on a jumbled replay through her mind:

The theater.

The blood.

Mr. Sachi and Miss Miyuki.

Nari's near miss.

The pink dress.

Mrs. Motoshi.

Not friends.

The other ghost.

Naru taking her hand.

Naru helping her clean up.

Naru looking pale.

Naru gone.

Naru.

Naru...

Mai blinked and cleared her throat. It suddenly felt tight. Her stare shifted from the ceiling to her sleeves. She studied the lace detail.

Is this really...from him?

Mai's heart fluttered. She sat up, blaming it on palpitations. That was when she caught sight of it again. The stack. Her festival greatest hits. Mai frowned, realizing that Ayako wasn't far off the mark. Sitting there were the forgotten dresses of festival days past.

Mai snatched at the bottom of the stack, effectively destroying it (sorry Ayako!). In surprise, she held up a dress of pale blue satin. Mrs. Koku had given it to her, the very first night of the festival.

I never gave it back...?

With growing guilt, Mai examined the rest of the ruined stack. Threads of purple and silver. The kimono Masako had lent her. Mai winced at the dirt stain marring the perfect brocade. Before thoughts of manhandling could surface, she turned her attention to the next dress. Dark green and velvet.

Ah, here's Nari's...

Mai's cheeks grew warm. The actress had been so generous. Mai had meant to return it right away.

I hope she's not in trouble with the costume department because of me.

Mai set to straightening the stack into something orderly again. She made a new promise to make good on her loans. Mai found herself restless, distracted.

The pink dress, soaking in the bathtub, haunted her. Ignoring it, her mind then treacherously fixated on the dress she was wearing now. How right it felt. How perfect it was. The best of any of the dresses she had worn. A persistent voice whispered that the person who had picked it out had done so with care...and if that person was Naru, then that must mean...

Her face growing hot again (for an entirely different reason), Mai firmly banished any further thought. Her eyes searched the room, but caught on the edge of the bed. Blue satin shimmered there. Mai hesitated. She glanced out the window, attempting to read the darkening sky. How late was it...would she even have the time...?

With a groan, Mai stood. She had made up her mind. She would do it. Against her better judgment, she snatched up the blue satin dress once again and left.

The hall outside Mai's door was unusually quiet. Mai took this as an encouraging sign and hurried on her way. She past John's room-- there was no Ayako.

Good, still early.

Mai's footsteps slowed as she neared the lobby. She began to doubt herself. She recalled her earlier encounter with the old inn keeper, the woman's snide comments and suspicions. The last thing Mai wanted was to be the subject of another spectacle. She readjusted the dress that was draped over her arm.

I'll just hand her the dress, say thank you, and walk away...simple.

Mai approached the lobby counter, for a moment she entertained half a hope that no one would be there, but as luck would have it (or not), it was occupied. Mrs. Koku stood there, sorting through mail.

A moment past. Then another. Mrs. Koku continued sorting, occasionally turning to stick letters in cubby holes with room numbers printed next to them.

Mai cleared her throat.

Nothing.

Unnoticed, but not about to shout and attract attention, Mai placed the dress on the counter. The inn keeper's head snapped up. Seeing Mai, her surprised gaze...narrowed.

Mai bowed her head and gestured to the dress.

“Sorry that it's late, thank you for letting me borrow it.”

“HUH?”

Eager to be free of her charge, Mai tried again.

“I said, thank you for--”

“WHAT'S THIS YOU'VE PUT HERE? A DRESS...?”

Mai heard voices in the hall, people were coming. She needed to be gone.

“On the first day of the festival, you let me borrow--”

“WAIT, I THINK I RECOGNIZE THIS-- YES, THIS WAS MY SUKI'S. WHY DO YOU--”

The voices were loud now. Whoever it was, they were nearly there. The word spectacle flashed through Mai's mind. In a panic, she answered,

“YOU CAN HAVE IT BACK.”

Flustered, she ducked her head in another bow and stepped away from the counter. As before, she had made it halfway through the lobby when a second voice boomed after her.

“I CAME OUT BECAUSE I HEARD A RAISED VOICE, WHAT'S THE COMMOTION?”

“OH, IT WAS THAT GIRL. YOU KNOW THE ONE. SHE'S JUST MADE HERSELF CLEAR. OUR POOR NIKO, SHE NO LONGER THINKS OF HIM NOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE HER NERVE, WALKING UP TO ME WEARING ANOTHER MAN'S SHIRT. SHAMELESS, I TELL YOU-- SHAMELESS.”

Heat burned Mai's cheeks.

Another man's...what?!

Just then the “voices” from the hall entered the lobby. Mai fled the scene, leaving behind the offended Kokus' and the nosy onlookers.

So much for simple.

Her temper and skin were still hot when she reached the part of the hall where Ayako stood waiting, outside of John's room. Catching sight of her, Bou-san waved from beside the miko.

Mai quickly attempted to gather herself, willing her cheeks to lose their color. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain the last few moments. She waved back. Reaching them, a low whistle greeted her.

“Well, would you look at that?”

Mai followed the monk's gaze to her dress.

“What? It's nice.”

Bou-san smiled.

“Very nice.”

“You'll notice the distinct lack of jewelry and tale-tell whiff of perfume,” Ayako interjected, she held out an open hand, “Where's my 2,000?”

Bou-san shrugged, “Sorry, I spent it on this tie.”

Ayako scoffed,

“Which you're wearing like a noose, are you a monk or a caveman?”

The next instant the miko was shoving her clutch into Bou-san's hands, her own going to work at his throat.

Relieved at the change of attention, regaining her composure, Mai allowed herself a chance to study her parents. Not that you could look anywhere else. They made quite a statement.

Ayako was dressed in an strappy hot pink number, which hugged every one of her curves. Her lips, heels, and nails were red. Her hair fell in red waves around her bare shoulders. What Mai could see of Bou-san around the miko throttling him, were peaks of sleek black dress pants, a white shirt, not buttoned all the way, and a deep purple blazer. The tie he was wearing, which Ayako had finally managed to untangle, matched.

The door to the room next to them opened and out walked John.

“Ah,” he spoke, acknowledging Ayako and Bou-san, “you are here...I thought I heard voices-- oh, hello Mai.”

“Oy, you're choking me.”

“It's a tie, quit whining.”

Escaping the miko, Bou-san pulled at his collar.

Ayako snatched her clutch back from the monk, and swatted him in the arm with it.

“Caveman.”

Mai felt someone bump into her. It was a young woman, she smiled and apologized, but she wasn't out of ear shot when Mai heard her hushed gushing:

“I think that's her-- the one from the lobby...”

“Did you see her dress?”

“Expeeeensive.”

“How is that, isn't she apart of that paranormal team?”

“Oh, she isn't paying, that's for sure. Didn't you hear about the rich lovers she keeps in the city?”

Spectacle.

Mai frowned, crossing her arms. The hall was getting too full.

John noticed this also. He suggested they move on. The idea was quickly agreed to, and the young priest lead them into a swell of people headed for the dining room.

As they made their way through the inn, Mai kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with passersby, but it wasn't long before more whispered gossip reached her ears...

“So, he finally decided to stake a claim, eh? That's quite the down payment.”

“My educated guess? No less than six figures.”

Mai threw a dangerous look over her shoulder. She knew those voices. Her gaze flicked between the monk and the priestess trailing behind her. She caught their conspiring body language.

That Ayako.

“You have to admit, it's bit surprising. He's not usually this heavy handed.”

“Eh, he must have been nervous, leaving her with alone with Niko around and all.”

“Good point.”

That Bou-san.

Flushing, Mai turned from them. Seeking refuge, she fell into step with John.

“I meant to tell you earlier, you look very nice-- was that the gift you received?” he spoke with a kind nod towards her.

Gossip still ringing in her ears, Mai nodded back,

“Yes, it is.”

She gestured to the suit the young priest was wearing,

“You look very nice too. I can't figure how you and the others thought to bring such dressy clothes...if it weren't for my donations I'd be wearing jeans to the festival.”

John gave a small smile, rubbing at the back of his neck,

“To tell the truth, I didn't think of it. I only brought the basics-- a suit definitely wasn't on the list.”

Mai titled her head at him,

“But then...?”

John adjusted the bow-tie at his neck,

“It's a rental,” he confided sheepishly, “I can't speak for the others, but Bou-san and I rent our suits. There's a man who offers them...isn't he at your festival meetings too?”

Mai shook her head, thinking back to the last festival meeting she had attended. It had been awhile, but she didn't recall anyone hawking dresses.

“So, that explains it,” she murmured, her mind wandering over the variety of looks Bou-san had sported.

It was then that the crowds surrounding them parted. Double doors swung open to admit people inside. They had arrived at the dinging room.

Mai halted, her heart suddenly racing.

Naru.

Was he there waiting?

A touch at her shoulder. Mai jumped, a hand coming to her chest. There it was again, that weight. She felt so close to shifting it now...

“Mai, aren't you coming...?”

Mai met John's wondering stare. The whispers of those around her were growing.

“That's her isn't it?”

“What's she doing?”

“Look at her blocking the way, doesn't she have any manners?”

“I bet she's waiting for someone.”

“You think? But she already came with someone...”

“So?”

Spectacle.

Mai took hold of John's arm and they passed through the doors.

#happy holidays!!#I hope it's a safe and cozy one for you dear readers #I'm sorry for not updating properly #I wanted to give you guys something #so here's a preview :)#this chapter is going to be monster long when it's finished #thank you for your patience #here's to spending 2018 together with the SPR team #writing update

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