#besides she has two older sisters so no one can blame her for trying to fit in with them

[caitlynmeow]

When the daughters were 2-3 years old Alcina did notice differences in their personalities.

Example: Timeout

Bela wouldn't stay, period. As soon as Alcina stepped away to leave her alone, she'd just leave. It took many tries and eventually Alcina would win because there was no way a two-year-old is going to win over her. Actions have consequences, and Mama is here to teach her daughter to follow the rules.

This didn't stop. Every single time she puts Bela in timeout the same thing happens. Because just Alcina is stubborn, so is her daughter.

Cassandra was different. She'd actually stay, not move at all until Mama gets her however, she doesn't do so peacefully. She'd be crying and screaming her head off in rebellion, but she doesn't move. Kinda better than Bela but much much louder and she she doesn't stop until she is released.

Daniela was never put in timeout so that information is not available.

[powderpinkprincess]

License [Lando Norris & twin sister!reader]

description: You hate driving. Your twin brother, Lando, tries to help you out with that.  warnings: a few bad words

When you and Lando were kids, you shared pretty much everything. You went to the same daycare group, then to the same school, and you even shared a room until the two of you turned 8. You were twins, so it just kind of worked that way.

You also fought a lot. Over stupid things mostly – whose turn it was to pick the TV show or who got more snacks, although your parents always made sure whatever you got was the exact same amount. Classic sibling stuff. Lando was already a very competitive child when he was daycare age, and he always pulled you into his mind games.

The only thing you didn’t share was his love for driving.

You tried karting when he stared, mostly because it felt weird not to. You always went to the same afternoon activities because, for your parents, it was easier to coordinate one program than two at the same time, considering that you had two sisters and a brother as well. However, your parents quickly decided to pull you out after seeing that you were sitting on the ground and crying before most of the practices, while Lando was already speeding through other kids like nothing mattered.

That whole thing about you not liking to drive never really changed, even in your twenties. Lando was a full-on Formula 1 driver by then, and you also had your driver’s license, but you barely used it. Most of the time, you just took public transport. Driving made you nervous, simple as that. You secretly blamed your childhood experiences with karting for that.

When Lando came home for summer break, you visited your parents’ house as well to spend some time with him. You hadn’t seen him for nearly three months now, as you had your own job, your own apartment, and you didn’t have the time to travel after him. Your passion was running, and you worked as a trainer. Your family has always been a very fit and sporty one.

Of course, you and Lando quickly got comfortable around each other again, and you were back to your usual routine within five minutes, arguing and teasing nonstop. At one point, he made some snarky comment about your driving, and your mom, Cisca finally had enough.

 “Lando, why don’t you take your sister for a drive?” she asked, her hands on her hips as always when she got annoyed. “You could actually help her feel more confident instead of making fun of her, don’t you think so?”

 “What? But she doesn’t even like to drive!” Lando protested immediately.

 “That’s exactly why,” Cisca sighed. “Give her a few tips. You drive for a living.”

Your eyes widened as well. “Mom, you can’t be serious. Lando barely passed his theory test. I wouldn’t trust his advice on normal roads if my life depended on it. I wouldn’t even let him outside the track!” You were exaggerating a little, but he wasn’t the brightest in the theory, that was true. He drove out of intuition, which, in his case, worked well, but you couldn’t do that. Your intuitions would drive you into the first ditch in sight.

Lando let out a scoff. “I passed the theory. Besides, I’m still a better driver than you are.”

 “Yeah, I’m sure you’re a real menace to society in a school zone,” you snorted.

He rolled his eyes at you. “Bold words from someone who breaks down in tears at roundabouts.”

 “Lando!” Cisca raised her voice a little. You always found it amusing how it was always he who got scolded. When the two of you were young, it was mostly Lando picking fights, therefore, his name became some kind of a reflex for your parents when they heard bickering.

Lando raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, fine. We can try.”

Cisca handed him the key to the older family car – not you, you noticed -, and then you followed your brother into the garage, your arms crossed.

 "You know, you don't have to be so upset," he said as he unlocked the car.

 "You do get on my nerves sometimes," you muttered.

He shrugged and went to open the driver's side door, waiting for you to get in. You grumbled in protest, but you did sit down, fastening the seatbelt and adjusting the mirrors. Lando rounded the car and sat on the passenger seat. It was a rare sight to see, considering that he disliked giving out control of his hands when it came to driving. He put on a pair of sunglasses and rolled down the window, propping his elbow out.

 “Feeling comfortable?” you scoffed.

 “As comfortable as I can get,” he grinned at you. You just shook your head at that.

The drive started off quiet. Suspiciously quiet. Lando didn’t even say anything for the first few minutes. You were hyper-aware of every movement, already regretting every life decision that led to this moment.

 “I’m not gonna bite,” he finally said, watching you intently. His snarky attitude seemed to falter a little as he noticed how nervous you were. He wasn’t a monster, after all. He didn’t wish anything bad for you.

 “You're already annoying, and we haven’t even left the street yet,” you muttered. You pulled out with all the grace of someone trying to look calm while internally screaming. Lando was surprisingly quiet again. Too quiet.

You glanced at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just- Didn’t think we’d make it out of there in one piece,” he said. He couldn’t resist being a little smug.

You nearly slammed the brakes right there. “Say one more thing and I swear I’m turning this into a hostage situation.”

Lando raised both hands like you were holding a weapon. “Alright, alright. No need for threats. Just drive.”

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. You were constantly second-guessing your speed at every moment. Lando was a quiet observer for the first few minutes, but soon enough, the silence was broken. "You're going kinda slow," he pointed out.

 “If I go faster, I’ll crash and we’ll both die,” you mumbled under your breath.

 “Come on, at this speed here, you’re just going to break the car at worst, no one is going to die. And if you drive too slowly, that’s also dangerous,” he replied. “Just saying this because people are gonna honk soon if you don’t speed up, and you’ll freak out.”

Your grip on the steering wheel tightened, but you added some more gas.

 “There you go.” Lando shifted in his seat a little and leaned back, way too comfortable for this situation.

 “How are you not terrified sitting next to me?” you sighed.

He shrugged, a small, amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I have been in far riskier situations, trust me. Besides, you're a better driver than you give yourself credit for.” Lando glanced sideways at you, observing your nervous expression and your grip on the wheel.  “Relax. What are you so scared of anyway? That you’ll hit something? That you’ll break the car?”

 “Kind of both,” you bit your lip.

 "You’re being so careful, I doubt you’ll wreck the car. If you’re too nervous, though, you’ll make mistakes. You’re doing great, just don’t think about it too much." Surprisingly, his words seemed to help. You focused back on the road. The silence returned, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

You were even starting to relax as you turned onto a quieter street. Your hands were a little steadier on the wheel, Lando had backed off from his usual teasing, and for a second, it felt like maybe this whole "practice drive" thing wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Then Lando’s voice cut through the calm.

 “Shit- Watch out!”

You barely had time to register his words. Out of nowhere, a black SUV shot out from a side street – no signal, no warning – cutting right across your lane.

You slammed the brakes instinctively, heart jumping to your throat, the tires giving a sharp screech as the car jerked to a stop just in time. Lando reached over and grabbed the wheel instinctively, helping you swerve slightly. The SUV sped off like nothing had happened, only missing you by a few centimetres.

 “Jesus Christ,” Lando breathed, whipping around to glare after it. “What the fuck is wrong with people?”

You didn’t answer. Your hands were glued to the wheel, trembling uncontrollably. Your heart pounded so hard it hurt, and before you knew it, your eyes filled with tears.

Lando looked back at you. “Hey... Y/N?”

You couldn’t speak. Your throat was too tight, and the tears came faster. You tried to blink them away, but it was useless. You were overwhelmed by the fear, the adrenaline, and the what-ifs. It all crashed down at once.

 “Okay, okay,” Lando said quickly. “Just pull over.”

With shaking hands, you guided the car to the side of the road and parked. You didn’t even turn to him. You just covered your face, shoulders starting to shake as the sobs took over.

Lando didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he let out a slow breath and leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You’re okay. I promise. You didn’t do anything wrong. That guy was a fucking idiot.”

You finally looked at him, eyes red, still catching your breath. “I thought we were gonna crash.”

 “But we didn’t,” Lando said. “You did everything right.”

You nodded, hiccup-crying a little, wiping your eyes with your sleeve. Lando unbuckled himself and leaned across the console to pull you into an awkward hug, patting your back. “You did great, Y/N. You’re not hurt, I’m not hurt, and even the car is fine. You were perfect, okay? I promise, it’s okay.”

 "If you didn't notice him, we would've crashed," you sniffled.

 "But you did see him in time, and you hit the brakes," Lando pointed out. "You were so quick to respond. Not many people would've reacted as fast as you did, if they would even have at all."

You sat in silence for a few minutes, Lando letting you calm down a little. After a while, you blew out some air through your mouth. "I don't want to drive home, you drive home."

Lando didn't think this was such a good idea. You were doing so well, stopping the drive with such a negative experience would definitely set you back again. Lando watched you for a moment, the tension still hanging in the air between you. He knew you were shaken, but he wasn’t about to let you give up.

 “You’re not quitting now, Y/N,” he said gently, though his voice carried a quiet firmness. “You’ve come this far, and I’m not gonna let you bail out now, okay?”

You stared at him, the exhaustion and frustration evident on your face. "But I can't do this, Lando," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper.

 "But you can," he insisted. "You just need to trust yourself a little more. I’m right here with you, okay? You don’t have to do it alone."

You sighed deeply, feeling the weight of his words. You hadn’t realized how much you needed that reassurance until now. For a moment, you let your eyes wander out the window, trying to steady your breath and calm the knot in your stomach.

 “Just try,” Lando said quietly, offering you a small but encouraging smile. “You’ve already done more than you think. If you need to stop, we’ll stop, but just... try.”

You swallowed hard, your mind racing with doubt, but slowly, you nodded. With shaky hands, you gripped the wheel again, the familiar feel of it grounding you.

 “I’ll try,” you whispered.

Lando nodded, giving you a reassuring look as you pulled back into traffic. When you arrived home, Lando got out of the car first, taking a deep breath and trying to shake off any remaining stress. When he saw your Mom waiting, he managed a small smile. "No casualties this time," he joked, trying to ease the potential tension.

Cisca's eyebrow twitched up in disbelief, her eyes darting from Lando to the car and finally to you. "Really? No shouting, no speeding, no cursing from your brother?"

 “He was pretty decent,” you shrugged with a smile.

Cisca looked genuinely surprised. Lando’s temper, which got him to Formula 1, wasn’t always the easiest to handle when it was between the two of you.

 “See? You raised a gentleman out of me,” Lando said with a smug smile.

Cisca just shook his head with a laugh and walked back into the living room, leaving the two of you there.

[naychuchu]

Louis headcanons

a/n: when i made this this was more of a modern au version of headcanons. also i wrote this in mind with a black female reader but anyone can read. there’s like a mention of having a period and wearing makeup. also i did NOT intend to make the family life section so long, srry. not proofread, MUAH

gotta feed yall during this louis famine. it’s hard out here yall🙏🏽

family life

he’s a california girl born and raised(until he was sent to ericson ofc)

i saw this one headcanon about him being afro latino and i totally love it(and not that french shit cause french rhymes with stench👎👎)

both of his parents were born and raised in puerto rico but moved to california for college

he looks just like his father(unfortunately), freckles and everything but has his mother’s skin tone and hair texture

his mom had her own interior design company and probably had her own home lines and his dad owned some kind of business

i’m going to override my previous headcanon with him being an older brother and say that he’s the youngest but is still the only boy with three older sisters

with him being the youngest, i doubt he was really planned and that impacted the way he was treated compared to his sisters

BUT because he was the only boy i do think he got “special” treatment growing up but it wasn’t exactly good treatment

it was special in the way where he had a lot of expectations placed on him as the only boy and he was heavily monitored and controlled, especially when it came to his education and what his parents saw fit for him

they were the kind of people who only had kids not because they wanted them but because they wanted to continue their "legacy" and have mini versions of themselves

his relationship with his parents was pretty complicated. like on one hand they’d give him whatever he wanted(besides singing lessons ofc) but were still pretty hard on him with carrying the family name and whatever

this led to them spending a lot of time training him to be this perfect successor to his father’s business that he didn’t get to have much of that loving parent relationship with them

this then affected his relationship with his sisters, because in his mind he saw how his parents weren’t so pushy on them and felt like they weren’t as monitored as he was

so he kind of resented them but felt horrible about it cause he loves his sisters

however as he got older he realized his sisters were going through their own battles with their parents(controlling behavior, teaching them how to be proper “women”, etc)

his dad was definitely the more controlling one out of the two

their mother was more lenient on things but she never really stopped her husband's behavior or stood up for her children, especially louis

i feel like with him being an accident, his mom would hold some kind of contempt towards him because she believes he hindered her career and also changed the dynamic between her and his father since he blamed her for getting pregnant as if it doesn't take two to tango

he was never in the plan when it came to their "perfect family" but his father was definitely happy he was a boy because he can't pass down his company to his daughter who shows more interest and skill than his son, right?

so when his father wasn't trying to mold louis into the perfect heir for the company, he was either sent to his grandparents' house(who moved from puerto rico to california because their son wanted them to) along with his sisters or given things to keep him out of their hair

though it wasn’t all bad times, him going out with his sisters and parents were some of his fondest memories, especially when they traveled or went to see plays/ballets

the four of them considered their grandparents more as their parents than their actual ones

and unlike their son, they fully encouraged them to pursue their passions and to always put their happiness first

he has a knack for floristry because he'd spend a lot of time with his grandma in her flower garden and going with her on the weekends to sell them

but his favorite thing was to go fishing with his grandfather, especially since that's how he found geoff

one sunday they were out on the boat and louis managed to catch a pretty big fish and he wanted a picture to remember this moment and to always rub it in his grandpa's face

and for some reason he decided that his pose was going to be him holding the fish up to his mouth like he was going to kiss it

just as his grandpa was taking the picture, the fish started tripping out and somehow whacked him in the face which he totally didn't overreact to and flung himself and the fish back, off the boat into the water

he got on that boat with his dignty and pride intact, got off with soaked clothes, a very humiliating picture that ended up being framed, and a turtle that thought his big elephant ear was food

speaking of his ears, it was definitely his sisters teased him about

from calling him dumbo, saying they're like suction cups, to saying he can hear them make fun of him before they open their mouth

it was very hard for him, even came to the point where he threatened to staple his ears back

but he can't say that the teasing wasn't deserved

his sister, Salomé, who's 3 years older than him would always bring up their one sided nerf wars that he would spring upon her whenever she decided to torment(his words) him back

Now with Naomi, who is 6 years older than him, it's more of a cause and effect thing with them

when they were younger, she'd always force him to be the dog whenever they played house

this led to him acting like a dog whenever her friends came over, so she had no choice but to buy him a leash and dog bowl right? and say that he could hear the fleas crawling on his skin with his big ears?

now Anahi, she's the reason for his hate of cantaloupe

with them having a 12 year age gap, it was common for her to have boys over, which meant he had to weed out the bad ones right? or maybe he just wanted them gone but regardless, how good of a brother would he be if he didn't barge into her room to steal the attention away from her?

it only made sense for him to show off geoff and the latest tricks he taught her, plus who isn't impressed by a turtle who can jump through "flaming" hoops?

and who doesn't want to see his super cool and orginal dance moves like "moonwalking" that he claimed was stolen from him

though if he got a bad vibe from one of the boys he’d “accidentally” spill his juice on them or sneak some secret ingredients in their food

and every single thing he did would end with Anahi blending cantaloupe into a smoothie and smear it onto his face which led to a total meltdown and both of them punished

but despite all of the teasing between them, they always had each others' backs when it came to their parents

his sisters knew they had a tendancy to be harsher on him due to being the only boy and always came to his defense

even after him being the cause of their parents' divorce, they couldn't find it in themselves to be angry with him since they knew how it was for him

and once he was sent away to ericson, they all took turns taking care of geoff and put a picture of louis next to her tank so she wouldn't forget her papa

personal

his full name is Louis Felipe Narváez Canales

and he once dressed up as the yellow screwdriver from Handy Manny for halloween because of his middle name

he was born on march 17 and he flaunts it like a badge of honor but is very ashamed of the fact that he can't explain leprechauns to Aj

his favorite food are corn dogs but hates corn bread??

favorite disney movie is either hercules or princess and the frog

but if he was forced to choose, it’d be hercules because he hates neyo(he just like me frl)

wanted a sugar glider so bad that he would cry on his knees begging his parents for one

that is until he saw their skin thingies and was grossed out

not a nonchalant bone in his body, very in tune with his emotions and has no problem expressing them

get that boy properly fed and well nourished and he’d be like 6’1

i think he was a really good student but preferred to joke around instead of actually paying attention

i mean look at the traps that HE built and tell me he wouldn’t make a good engineer

exactly you can’t

but because of the joking around, he unknowingly created this persona for himself where everyone expects him to never be serious and be the fun person to hand around

he starts to feed into it too because he feels like if he doesn’t, they’ll be disappointed and forget about him

and although he really does enjoy being the funny friend, he really wishes someone would listen to and understand him beyond the attitude he displays

i think after music class, he would love english too

he definitely joins theater or the drama club like thinking about that quote he said when they came back from the train station, how could he not??

fluent in spanish but if you ask him to say something on the spot or if he tries to order food he’s like an entitled white person in mexico

his favorite color is orange but because he likes the finer things in life he says like persimmon or spanish orange(he’s just extra and wants to be different)

he hates all melons but obviously has a vendetta against cantal*upe

purposely misspells cantal*upe wrong, he can’t be associated with that demonic fruit

not really a hc but he definitely has self esteem issues

it stems from the way his parents would treat him when he didn’t reach their expectations.

like they would revoke their love from him in some kind of way or would start paying more attention to his sisters than to him

not even once has he heard them say they’re proud of him

that led him to kind of acting out in school when he was younger when he felt like the teacher wasn’t giving him enough attention

one of those people that are really good at math but pretends they aren’t and hates it

like bro is in ap calculus and has the highest grade in his class

is a lefty(i think this is actually canon??)

so that missing tooth he has, he lost it during a baseball game when the pitcher was a terrible thrower and the ball flew right into his cheek

i think his parents forced him into a lot of sports so he’s pretty athletic

he’s just naturally talented when it comes to sports

like any sport he tried, he would be perfect the first time

but he hated every sport they made him play except baseball and soccer

definitely was the kid who was shorter than most of the students but came back after summer break the size of a giant

has the turtle pillow pet

his favorite composer is claude debussy

yes because of claire de lune and also be he is(i am) childish

LOVES ballet, his favorite is A Midsummer Night's Dream with Don Quixote being the runner up(the only ones i know besides the nutcracker)

not necessarily a picky eater but he knows what he likes and doesn’t plan on putting his tastebuds through trials and tribulations

when he was younger he wanted to be a train when he grew up

he used to stand in the dark eating carrots when he was little because his sister told him it would give him xray vision

also kinda convinced himself it worked but he was just delirious and sleep deprived

totally had a magic phase and was terrible at it

when people talk about him or call him names to his face, he laughs it off but it really does hurt, especially when it comes from his friends

it makes him believe that’s truly how they see him

is terrified of disappointing people so he deliberately tries less or doesn’t try at all to lower their expectations of him to the point they don’t expect anything and he kind of enjoys it because then he gets to do what he wants without the fear of punishment

modern au

he is a lauver through and through but he isn't like those weirdo boys

the nonchalant dreadhead meme is the bane of his existence. he can’t go anywhere without the fear of being called one and being told to shake his dreads

almost got to the point he cut them off

but he definitely plays into it sometimes with marlon being the girls obsessing over him😭

thinks hawk tuah is the most annoying meme ever but also says it ironically sometimes and hates himself for it

hates diddy jokes

does the most embarrassing and cringey stuff in public on purpose and thinks it’s the funniest thing ever

violet no longer takes him to pet stores and shelters to see cats after he started barking at them

like i’ve said before, he likes to play dress to impress with his baddies

he’s somehow really skilled and always places first

like so good to the point the group is suspicious that he somehow hacked into the system and programmed it to him always winning

he forced aasim into playing it once and he became hooked and now they have a whole competition that aasim is losing horrbly

aasim is now plotting against him

definitely stole his dad's card many times so he could buy robux and then acted completely clueless much to his sister's dismay

had gotten into so many arguments with people on there to the point he has to make multiple accounts cause he kept getting banned

then forgot all the passwords so there’s just so many accounts floating about in the roblox universe completely unused

like i’ve mentioned previously, he’s played a handful of sports growing up but once he got to high school he only stuck with baseball and even earned a scholarship for it

but he doesn’t really take it seriously and just does it because he loves playing

was the kid in middle school with all the fidget spinners and would run some underground club where the members would bet their school money on who could keep theirs spinning the longest

he was in debt to so many people but it doesn't matter cause he was the ringleader and would threaten them with a lifetime ban

because of this, fidget spinners eventually were banned and he was kinda hated for a bit

something tells me he was a bit of a hypebeast when that whole ricegum and team 10 era was trending

100% the guy in your class to start saying oi oi oi baka while standing on his chair

then fall off said chair but not be embarrassed at all

literally has no shame, bro will literally come up to marlon and ask for uppies to embarrass him

is an orbit and fell into a depression when LOONA disbanded

is a jittleyang

y’all know that one tt that’s like talk valentina! ally! that’s him and violet. he’d force her to make the tiktok with him and she acts all annoyed but really loves it

is a mix of a band kid and a kid in band

has a really good sense of style(he better with all that money he has🙄)

doesn’t really stick to one aesthetic/style because he doesn’t see the point in confining yourself to one style and finds it exhausting trying to

despite popular belief, he is NOT a fan of Animal Crossing

he hates Tom Nook’s scamming ass and is traumatized from the wasps and tarantulas

so he decided that the game isn’t worth the high blood pressure and deleted it (60 dollars down the drain💔)

has gotten every single fortnite battlepass and is still trash at the game

don’t wear headphones if you’re playing with him, marlon learned that the hard way

he’d totally be popular on tiktok and youtube like this man has no haters

like at first people followed him because of his looks but eventually stayed for his personality

would totally be a popular and successful singer too, much to his parents’ dismay

would make a whole grammy award winning album dedicated to you and it would probably be his most popular one too

i think aside from classical music he likes jazz but definitely would listen to literally ANYTHING

relationship

he loves very hard, like when he first sees you he falls in love(this is most likely canon though)

he’s literally never subtle when it comes to you

he has no problem proclaiming his love for you to the whole world(the school cafeteria/hallway)

love love LOVES physical touch like any chance he gets he’s all over you

though if you don’t like that he’ll respect it

no shame when it comes to kissing you in public and will make the loudest and most obnoxious kissing noise

he doesn’t understand why he should ever feel embarrassed or ashamed to feel so passionate about someone he loves

for all my black readers or people with curly hair he will DEFINITELY be stealing your hair products even if he doesn’t really need them

will ask you to retwist his hair and will be all dramatic about it if you don’t know how

and if you do know, you’re now the only person who is allowed to do them. if you aren’t available for some reason, he will wait until you are. doesn’t care if he looks like luka sabbat

he has his license and own car but prefers to be the passenger princess so he can control the music

he really just wants to look at you the whole ride

also wants to eat your fries

whoever you hate he does too, sometimes even more than you do

like the person would just randomly catch him giving them the MEANEST stink eye ever

it physically pains him to see you upset or hurt. he’s an empath😞💔

you’re on your period and he’s cramping, butthole ones too😿

he’s teenage dirtbag coded. not like he’s an actual teenage dirtbag just more on the fact that he thinks you’re way out of his league

like WOW you know who i am and you’re actually interested in me???

he has so much rizz but is too shy to actually be serious and make the first move so you have to do it yourself

like he flirts a lot but like when it comes to actually being serious he gets scared cause he doesn’t wanna make you uncomfortable or ruin the friendship you have

you’d probably have to initiate a lot of things in the beginning of your relationship because he’s still adjusting to the fact that he’s dating YOU and doesn’t wanna mess things up

remembers and knows literally EVERYTHING about you, even stuff you don’t even know

like that little mole you have inside your nostril? he knows about it but you don’t

definitely picks up on your lingo and it becomes part of his vocabulary

when you guys do hangout or are on a date he absolutely will NOT let you pay for anything

will deadass steal your wallet for the whole time yall are together so you won’t try to

and if you have apple pay, well your phone and watch will be confiscated as well until further notice

he knows he’s good looking but he feels like that’s all he really has going for him when it comes to relationships

along with not feeling wanted by his parents, i feel like a lot of girls would try to use him because of his looks or money but when they realized that he actually wanted a serious relationship they left

he genuinely can’t see why someone would like him

so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE hype this boy up and always make sure he feels loved

will literally come to your job whenever you’re working

he does it so much to the point all of your coworkers know him and your manager lowkey hates him because he distracts you sometimes

has been banned from your job a few times for a couple of shifts by your manager(and sometimes you)

if he gets the slightest hint that you’re upset, he’s rolling up to your house with a boombox playing some 2000s r&b song and with his car full of things you love

your makeup literally stands no chance against him. not even one size can stop him from rubbing it off while he kisses you

you’re definitely his first relationship so everything you guys do together he gets excited about

like you guys finally have contact pictures for each other, he’s planning the wedding already

in the crushing stage he would definitely listen to like 2010 love pop songs and spin around his dorm in the middle of the night despite marlon’s complaints

would literally talk marlon’s ear off about you at night

had tons of playlists for his feelings

before yall started dating he was soooo delusional about you(and maybe you were the same for him)

like you could look his way for not even a millisecond and he thinks you were staring at him

like he couldn’t go a single minute without yapping about you to marlon or violet

or anyone who would listen actually

geoff literally knows everything about you before you even meet her

writes whole songs and love letters for you before you guys confess

omg omg he’s totally the type of guy to save every single song and letter he wrote for you and give them to you the night of your wedding once you guys are alone

he’s so cutie and sweet😞😞

if you mention a certain song or artist/group you listen to he’s going through their whole discography

100% makes playlists for you

if there’s anything he learned from his dad, it’s how to be a gentleman like he treats you so well

literally buys you a necklace and purse or whatever you like when he picks you up for your first date

would lay his jacket on the smallest puddle just so your shoes won’t get wet even though you walk right around it

he’s just corny like that and he loves you so much with his entire being

would rather watch a piano burn or touch a cantal*upe than to imagine a world where he isn’t with you

istg yall better like this because this took absolutely WAY too long to finish. anyways don’t forget to like and reblog if you do like it and maybe i’ll make more. there’s definitely a drought of content for our boy so i’m tryna keep this sub fandom afloat and show my baby some love. also i’m gonna be updating my posts for him and putting them all under the lua dipa tag.

[ilovefootballwrs]

With Me Forever - Part |

A part of the So Long, London series.

Reader x Jessie Fleming

Based on a Norwegian song called "For Evig", by Chris Holstein.

"If that was all we got, was only a moment. Then it's with me forever. If it's the last night, and we'll never see each other again. Then it's with me forever."

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

The news of Jessie's departure didn't shock me, I already knew about it long before the others. What shocked me was how far she was going, and everything went so fast. Soon she was going to be living almost a 10 hour flight from London, from me. I would never try to stop her, it wouldn't be fair, but at the same time the distance wouldn't be fair for either of us.

. . .

"It's so weird that it's Jessie's last day in London today. When is she leaving again?" Guro asked me. Guro was always like a big sister to me. We both play for Norway, and with her being a couple of years older than me, she basically watched me grow up and our bond grew into a sibling like friendship.

"Uhm...I think her flight leaves at midnight, so probably some time before that." I said with a sad smile on my lips.

"Listen, I know how hard this is for you. You know you can always come to me if there's anything wrong, right?" She asked with a look of concern on her face.

"So cliché." I laughed. "I know Guro, I will." I gave her a genuin smile. "I have to go now, I'm helping Jessie pack the rest of her stuff, bye!"

. . .

The feeling I'm feeling right now got to be the worst feeling on earth. Packing away her stuff for her to move away is the last thing I want to do. My heart clenches for every item I pack away.

I'm just placed the last of her items in the box when I hear footsteps behind me.

"It's much more emptier now." Jessie said as she went to sit on the bed.

I looked up at her. "Well, I guess you were the one that owned most of the stuff in here.

I stood up and went to sit beside her, putting head on her shoulder and interlocked our hands.

"I'm sorry for leaving" I could her the sadness in her voice. I took my head of her shoulder to look at her. Her cheeks were slightly more red than usual and she had tears in her eyes.

"Please don't cry, Jess." I put my hand on her cheek and continued to talk. "I don't blame you for leaving, I will never ever blame you. This is just something you have to do." I tried reassuring her.

"I'm still sorry. I don't know what I'm gonna do without you." The tears fell down her face and I could feel my eyes starting to tear up.

"I don't know either." I whispered. "I never wanted to lose you."

"You don't have to you know. You don't have to lose me." She said.

"Jess-" I started before getting interrupted by her.

"Y/N we, us, don't need to be over just because I'm leaving. Obviously I would never ask you to leave Chelsea for me, but we could do long distance." She said with a pleading look. "Please Y/N- don't let this be the end of us."

"I really wish it was that simple Jess, I really do, but I don't think I could do it. My heart couldn't take it Jess." At this point I was sobbing, not giving a care in the world. "I'm really sorry Jess, I really am."

. . .

We ended up spending the last couple of hours in each others arms before Niamh came to pick Jessie up. We both figured it was easier for the both of us if it was Niamh driving Jessie to the airport.

Niamh was sat in her car to give us space to say our goodbye. We hug before Jessie pulls away. "I'll always love you Y/N. No matter what happens, you will always be the love of my life."

She pulls me back in to give me a kiss. "Our memories will be with me forever, Jessie. As will my love for you." I tell her before she has to go.

I watch her get in the car and give her a wave and a smile when she's inside it. She returns the wave with a sad smile.

. . .

It's been two weeks since Jessie left. The two most horrible week. My whole routine has changed now that Jessie is gone. I don't wake up the smell of fresh coffee and a kiss anymore. I don't get to steal my favorite hoodie of hers anymore. I don't get the "I love you"s from her anymore. And there is no one to hold me in the nights anymore.

When vacuuming the bedroom, which Jessie usually used to do, I stumble across a box under the bed. It must've been Jessies. I pick it up and put it on the bed, while I also go to sit on the bed. I don't know what to do. Should I open it? Maybe she wouldn't want me to do that? Was that the reason for why it was under the bed? Because she didn't want me to find it? I thought about it for a while before thinking "What the hell." and opening it. The box was full of pictures. I recognized some of the pictures from being from our dates together, but most of them was just of me. It was literally just of me doing the most domestic things ever, like cooking or cleaning. I look through the pictures for a while before seeing a smaller box inside the box. I can feel my hands shaking as I go to pick up the box. I open the box and see the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen. I take it out of the box and try it on. It fits perfectly.

I immediately pick up the phone.

"In how long can you come over?" I ask.

………………….

A/N: The other parts of this series are going to be longer, this was just a start of it.

[evilcarmona]

Fem!Sokka AU

So, I thought a little about this AU.

(For starters, I don't speak english, so, well.. ehe)

To begin with, she is at least 19-20 years old. I would like to make her older, because I like to draw beautiful adult women, but then the plot will not work. The age of all older ATLA teenagers has been raised. The age of the younger ones does not change.

The story is the same. Initially, Sokka is a man. He probably remained the only boy in the tribe for longer. This may affect Katara, as he has been her parent figure for longer than in the canon. In general, I believe in Sokka's parental vibes.

He's also a little more mature. Responsible, strong. But still a sexist. Father said that he was the only warrior of the tribe. Then he left them and went away with other men for many years. It couldn't end well. On the other hand, living among women affects Sokka more than he thinks.

So, about after Kiyoshi Island, gaang stops at the shrine of a female warrior. This is not Kyoshi, because I don't want Aang to feel that he is indirectly to blame for the situation. In general, Sokka offends the spirit with some kind of sexist comment. The Spirit takes revenge and curses him. Sokka falls into a magic pond. Poof! He's a woman. Aang has talked to the spirit, and the spirit is ready to cast spells on the water in the pond again. But she won't do it for two years. Lol

So, Sokka can only put up with it. Saving the world is more important than a little curse. Somewhere in the background, Zuko is trying to figure out where gaang took this beautiful woman and where they put that beautiful man. Really, where did he go? (Uncle Iroh is very funny)

The fact is that during the journey, Sokka realizes that he actually feels good. He likes it. In addition, he likes to be beautiful and do hairstyles.

Besides, becoming a woman, he feels the injustice of the situation at the north Pole more acutely. Sokka understands that putting someone in a frame because of gender is unfair. He and Yue become friends. Sokka kicks Khann's ass. And he also kills Zhao before the disaster with the Moon happens. Yue deserves to live.

In the future, Sokka thinks a lot. He supports his sister and Toph more than anyone. In fact, he used to have his father's vibes. Now it's the mother's vibes. Vibes of the coolest mom in the world. She can cut off the offenders' heads with a halberd. Literally.

In fact, I have nothing to justify the halberd with. I love halberds as much as I love women in sexy dresses. A lady may have small hobbies)

Okay, maybe Sokka decided to explore more weapons. She loves her boomerang, but does not refuse to develop like a warrior. Halberd is clearly defeating bending, haha. Maybe Sokka will be given some cool nickname on the battlefield. The Moon Witch? Heh

(Somewhere far away, Hakoda and the South Pole fleet are wondering what kind of Moon Witch is this? They will be surprised)

Perhaps before they meet after Ba Sing Se, Hakoda meets someone who has met the gaang before. Someone: You have two wonderful daughters! Hakoda: What?

So Zuko comes to gaang and asks where the boy has gone. The explanation was awkward because Zuko barely had time to accept that he was bi. What does it mean that the two people who make his heart beat faster are one person?

I forgot to tell you! Just because Sokka was bewitched by a spirit doesn't mean that Sokka trusts Aunt Wu! It's a matter of pride, lol

So two years go by, and you know what? Sokka does not ask the spirit to lift the curse. He's fine as it is.

[fluentmoviequoter]

Us and The Helpers

Requested Here!

Pairing: Jim Street x fem!nanny!reader (implied to be plus-size, not explicitly stated)

Summary: You and the girls you nanny drop by SWAT HQ to visit your boyfriend, Jim Street.

Warnings: fluff!

Word Count: 1.2k+ words

“You’re staring again,” Street says without looking away from the paper before him.

“Sorry,” you reply.

“Yet you’re not stopping.”

“You asked to be my boyfriend, you made it my duty to admire you.”

Street’s eyes finally meet yours as he asks, “Just to admire? Because we could also, like, have a conversation, kiss, whatever you want to do.”

“If I stop staring you might disappear.”

“I know I’m the best boyfriend ever, but I won’t disappear. I love you.”

You and Street both know that on paper, to outsiders, you’re not the most obvious couple ever. And, on occasion, you find yourself in a continued state of shock that he wants anything to do with you. Street takes these moments in stride and uses them to remind you that he loves you and wants to be around you as much as possible.

“I love you too,” you respond. “But I have to be to work early in the morning. The girls and I have an exciting week of learning about different animal habitats planned while their parents are out of town for work.”

Street pouts at the mention of your girls, the three-year-old and one-year-old sisters you nanny. They cling to you, cuddle with you, and love you unconditionally, and Street has made it very clear that he is jealous of all the time and attention they get from you.

“You’ll be gone all week?” Street asks.

“You won’t even notice,” you argue.

“When I die from a lack of attention, my team will blame you.”

“Calm down,” you request with a chuckle.

“I can already feel myself forgetting what you feel like.”

Street falls toward you as he laments, and as you lie side-by-side, you see a glimpse of a life where you take your own children to the zoo and the aquarium. What surprises you is the mental image of Street there with you. You trust that he does love you, and you love him, but this daydream of an entire life with him awakens something in you.

“I love you,” you repeat.

“I love you too,” Street promises. He mumbles, “Traitor,” against your arm, and you don’t correct him.

When you leave the wildlife show, the girls at your sides cling to you. As you carry them both to the car rather than risk losing them in the crowd, you see that you have time left before lunch but no more animal habitats you could show them… except for maybe one. After the girls are secure in their car seats, you sit in the driver’s seat, lock the door, and text Street. He calls a moment later and immediately begins speaking.

“If you don’t come to see me, I will be so angry that I’ll withhold cuddles,” he says in place of a greeting. “Or I’ll try to.”

“So, we can stop by?” you clarify.

“No, you have to.”

“Yes, sir. Let me ask these lovely ladies behind me if they want to visit the police station.”

Loud squeals answer your proposal, and Street chuckles on the other end of the lines.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes,” you say.

“See you then.”

As promised, you arrive at the station a few minutes later and lead the girls inside. Once you have visitor passes, you walk through the hallways to reach SWAT HQ. Inside the correct area, you stop and feel two sets of arms wrap around you. You’re used to them clinging to you, and you place a hand on each of their backs. The younger sister raises her arms, and you pull her up onto your hip.

“There she is!” Street yells as he approaches.

He runs toward you and holds his arms at odd angles to wrap you and the girls beside you in a hug. They laugh at his attention and excitement, and you smile as well.

“My favorite helpers!” Luca calls when he sees Street’s special visitors.

Every time you walk into HQ, they stop being your girls and become 20 Squad’s helpers, special guests, and any other nickname that makes them feel older and important.

“Does that include me?” you tease as Luca hugs you.

“You know it does. But I think we need to different helpers. One to watch Street-“

“Hey!” Street interjects.

Luca ignores him to finish, “And two to help me color a picture of what our new SWAT uniforms should look like.”

“We can help! We can help!” the three-year-old standing beside you cheers.

“Fantastic!” Luca exclaims. “Let’s go, then!”

Street wraps his arms over your shoulders as Luca leads his favorite helpers to find crayons. 

“How are you?” Street asks.

“I’m great. They learned a lot at the wildlife show. How are you? Busy day?”

“Not too busy, so I can’t complain.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Deacon jokes as he passes. He taps your arm kindly and invites you to bring the girls over to see Lila before he rushes away.

Your phone buzzes in your bag, and you know it’s time to get the girls home and make them lunch. You apologize to Street as you tell him you have to go, and he groans dramatically.

After several minutes, you locate the children in your care and get them back into the car with half-finished coloring sheets and happy smiles.

“Officer Street is nice,” the younger girl says.

“He smiles when he sees you like when Dad sees Mom,” her sister adds.

“That’s right,” you agree. “Because, like your mom and dad, we care about each other.”

“Do you love him?”

You smile in the rearview mirror as you answer, “I do.”

On Friday night, you let yourself into Street’s place after work. You’re tired from an exhausting yet rewarding week but want to see Street again. When he arrives and enters the living room, he drops his bag and runs to hug you against the couch.

“Thank you,” he breathes out.

“For?”

“You were supposed to be at work still. Would you believe me if I said this moment made my entire day?”

You smile up at him as he stands over you to answer, “I would, because you make mine all the time.”

“I need to kiss you now,” Street declares. “Are you ready?”

“No, wait.” You shift into a more comfortable position and answer, “Now I am.”

Street grabs your waist, and all you can think of and feel is him and the love between you. The image from earlier returns with Street’s affection, and you hope it’s something in your future, and not a simple, futile daydream.

“Seeing you with the kids today, and them hanging all over you and cuddling you, made me realize something,” Street says in the quiet space between you.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Mmhmm. I want this, all of it. But I don’t know if I can do that yet.”

“Well, you don’t have to do it alone. It’s you and me, right?”

“And the best helpers in the world. I mean, we’re getting octopus uniforms because of them.”

“Street,” you request quietly. “I want it too, all of it. For now, though, do you think you could keep kissing me?”

“Since you asked so nicely.”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Silver Lining 7

Warnings: non/dubcon, speech impediment, bullying and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: silverfox!Bucky Barnes

Summary: You have an unpleasant encounter with an older man.

Part of the Silverfox AU

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

The library casts a wave of deja vu over you. The smell, the shelves, the soft rustle of patrons trying not to make a noise in the deathly din. You feel like the lost college student, once more trapped in the stacks, trying to eke out a final draft.

Since the calamitous destruction of your laptop, you’d been paralysed to do anything more than sulk. It took a few days to get the energy up to make a choice; buy a new one or find an alternative. The former option isn’t affordable but once you get this script down, you could splurge for at least a chromebook.

Negotiations with your sister were less than successful. She claimed the innocence of children as her shield. She couldn’t control their curiosity. It’s unfortunate that it happened but she’s a mother of two and can’t afford to pay for your expensive toys… Right, but she has a macbook in her luggage.

To no one’s surprise, and to your sister’s expectation, your parents agreed. It’s hard to pay for two kids in this world, your laptop isn’t a necessity. You can dig out the old Windows XP tower from the basement…

It’s futile. You love your family but they leave you feeling that the sentiment isn’t mutual. You can’t blame them. You're thirty, you’re living at home, and you have a job that isn’t really a job.

You settle in at a computer, your newly registered library card in hand. You paid the two dollars for an hour. You hope it’s enough to retrieve your work from the cloud and finish up the last edits. It’s only an hour per hour for additional time.

After getting used to the clacking keyboard and the worn ball of the old mouse, you start to whittle away. You’re immensely thankful for the omnipotent powers of OneDrive. Everything is still there.

You check the time. Ten minutes left. You’ll have to go top up, at least for another hour. You sit back and grab your phone from beside the mousepad. You had it face down on silent so you could focus. It’s only then you see the slew of notifications.

Your mother wants you to grab coffee cream on your way home and your next payment on your still standing student loan is coming due. Under all that, there’s a message from Bucky. You figured he’d be checking in. You are cutting it close to his deadline.

‘How’s it going? Was hoping to have the final draft today.’

Your stomach boils. You can get it done and he’s being less than pushy. Not demanding by any means but you’re taken back to your last job. To the constant pressure of expectation and the oppressive workload that never slowed down. All that and the closed door dealings that left you sleepless and quaky after midnight.

‘Will send over soon.’

The response should be good enough. A promise you can keep. You place the phone down and lean forward, cradling your head as you tell the memories to leave you alone. This is different. This isn’t that office, this is something you can walk away from at any time.

You close your eyes as the world narrows between your ringing ears. The silence of the library is replaced with the muffled ringing of office phones and the smothered voices of employees conferring between cubicles. You see the door, closed again, you feel the edge of the desk digging into your stomach, you hear his raspy words, your insides splinter.

Your eyes snap open as you sit up. No, you’re not going back there again. The computer’s lock screen shines blue at you. Time’s up. You dig around in your purse as you stand. It’s over so let it go.

As you stand at the counter, waiting for the librarian, your phone lights up. You tap your card on the desk before stepping away. You should answer it.

You quickly march across the lobby and into the vestibule between the inner and outer doors. You shouldn’t disturb anyone here. You check the ID again, it’s him.

“Hi,” you answer.

“Hey, I hope I’m not interrupting. I’m just a bit restless since I got back in town,” Bucky plunges right in without small talk.

“N-no, j-just wrapping up.”

“Great. Did you want to meet up tonight? I am working on the recording space and I thought you might like to check it out?”

“Ch-check it o-out?” You wonder. You imagined yourself just handing off the script and bouncing. Get paid and go home.

“Uh, yeah,” you hear him fumbling on the other end, “I was thinking… well, maybe it’s better if I talk to you in person–”

His voice is completely drowned out at the outer doors open and a group of rowdy students enter, completely ignorant to the atmosphere. You expect they’ll get a warranted shush from the staff so you don’t bother. You just turn your back to them and plug your ear.

“A lot going on?” Bucky asks.

“N-no, just… library’s b-busier than I th-thought.”

“Library? Oh, you doing more research?” He wonders. You hesitate again. You’re used to his bluntness. To him not caring about anything but what he wants. That’s an easier dynamic then all these questions.

“L-long st-ory,” your words creak out.

“I’ll come meet you,” he offers, “I got a few books to bring back. Which location are you at?”

Again, you're reluctant. His eagerness surprises you but you assume it’s more impatience. It'll be good to just get this over with.

“O-Oxblood,” you answer.

“Hm, never been to that one,” he comments, “when's good? Like an hour or something?”

“S-sure,” you shrug.

You give up. People don't really ask when they ask. They tell. Your mother, your sister, him.

“Sounds like a plan. I'll just finish up what I'm doing and head over,” he voice catches at the end, “shit, got another call. Talk later.”

Before you can respond the line is dead. You're almost grateful for the abrupt end. You're expecting this writing gig might just be a one-off situation.

[kneecapsbelong2me]

Little Tiger

Ava Silva x Sister Beatrice (romantic), Sister Beatrice x younger sibling!Reader (no pronouns used)

Summary: You reunite with your older sister after many years apart

Word count: ~1.8 k

Warnings: R has a girlfriend and identifies as queer; implied parental homophobia

———————————————————————

The sky was grey and the air was cold, but you didn’t mind. Mostly because you weren’t outside. Instead, you were curled up in a reading chair waiting for your girlfriend to finish her shift at the queer bookshop she worked at. The manager, Ashton, sidled up to you.

“You look cozy,” they said. “Waiting for your girl?”

You smiled like an idiot. You still couldn’t believe you had a girlfriend. That she was your girl. “Could you consider letting her go early?” You gave Ashton your best puppy dog eyes.

They laughed,

“Those don’t work on me, kid.”

You shrugged innocently, “can’t blame me for trying.”

“I respect the hustle.”

Ashton walked away and left you in peace. You thumbed through the romance novel you had picked up, the words only sticking part way in your brain.

The bell rang and cold air entered the shop as someone came in. Two people, if you were hearing the correct number of footsteps.

“Hi, welcome in!” Your girlfriend’s voice caught your attention, “can I help you with anything?”

“We’re just looking, thanks.” A feminine voice with a British-esque accent spoke.

That voice. It sounded familiar, like someone you knew as a child. But your sister had spoken with a proper accent, and she never would have been in a place like this—your parents would keel over.

Besides, you were probably mistaken. You hadn’t seen Beatrice since she’d left for boarding school. Every letter you sent went unanswered - for years - until you eventually stopped writing. And last you heard from your parents, she had become a nun.

Her abandonment still stung. The two of you had been close before she suddenly up and left for Switzerland. Even though she had been the more disciplined of the two of you, Beatrice had still been the only source of warmth in your life. You remember her promising to protect you, just weeks before you saw her last.

You shook yourself out of your thoughts. You didn’t want to project your feelings about your sister on some random person.

“Babe, what about this one? It’s got a shirtless lady on the front. The reviews say it’s got a lot of spice,” a vaguely American voice, presumably the woman who had come in with not-Beatrice, said. It was clear from her tone that she was teasing. You could practically hear her eyebrows waggling.

“Ava! We’re in public,” it was clear from not-Beatrice’s voice that her partner(?) did this often.

You snorted, shook your head, and turned back to your book, ignoring the couple as they perused. The main characters were currently having a miscommunication about their relationships with their respective best friends. It was messy in the most cliche way possible, but you loved it.

The couple got to the aisle you were sat in. You ignored them - not in a rude way! - too engrossed in your book. Main Character A had just professed her love for Main Character B.

“Hey there!” It took you a second to realize that Ava was talking to you, “you seem like a regular, do you have any good recommendations?”

You looked up and froze. That face. She looked older and more tired than when you saw her last, but you would know her face anywhere.

“Beatrice?”

———

Beatrice stared at you, her face a mirror of your shock. You looked so different now. She supposed you would have to. When you were younger, you had looked like a younger version of her, and you still did, but your eyes were harder and your features well-defined. Your name tumbled from her lips before she could stop it.

“You’ve grown up.” Beatrice cringed internally. All these years without you and that was the first thing she could think to say. “What are you doing here?”

You crossed your arms. “I feel like I should be asking you that, Jiějiě.”

Ava poked Beatrice. “What does—“

“It means “older sister” in Mandarin,” she said. Ava’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You never answered my letters.” Beatrice barely heard your whispers. “I wrote for years and you never wrote back.”

What letters were you talking about? She had never received letters from you, only cold notes from her parents. Letters from you would have made her life so much better.

“I never received them.” She answered plainly. “I wrote you, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with me after they told you why I left. They never gave you my letters?”

You were stunned, the gears turning in your brain. “Mother and father did this.” She nodded. The rest of her words finally registered in your brain. “Wait, what were they supposed to tell me?”

“That I—“ Beatrice still struggled with the words, and after spending years thinking you hated her, they were especially hard to say. “That I’m…” she clasped Ava’s hand and waved it around.

“That you’re queer?”

You said the words so easily. Her heart ached, and she wasn't sure if it was from pride or envy.

“So were you ever actually a nun?” Your mind was reeling. How much of what you knew about your sister was a lie? Was any of it real? Did they keep her away from you to stop you from “turning?”

“I was a nun,” her smile was sad, “it was my choice, and I think I’m better for it.”

“But—“

“But then I met Ava,” Beatrice smiled. The other woman beamed and kissed her cheek, “And things changed. I could no longer hide that part of myself.”

“I’m just that charming,” Ava smirked good naturedly, “coaxed out the lesbianism.”

Your parents would have heart attacks if they knew what was happening right now. That you were having a conversation with the sister they had kept from you for so long. That said sister was a lesbian, and proudly so. That you were queer yourself, and without her influence. God, you almost wished you could tell them just to see the looks on their faces.

Beatrice gave you a careful look. “Do mum and dad know…?”

“That I hang out at a queer bookshop daily? Or that you have a girlfriend and apparently left the church?” You quirked an eyebrow. “Because neither, to the best of my knowledge. I think we’d both be dead if they knew.”

She laughed fully, and it was music to your ears. You hadn’t heard her laugh like that since before you were in primary school.

“We probably would be.” Beatrice’s eyes turned serious, “I am so sorry you never got my letters. I can’t imagine what it must have been like, not knowing why I was gone. I should have tried harder to reach out.”

“It’s okay, Bea-Bea. I’m sorry I assumed the worst of you.”

Beatrice shook her head and slowly reached out her palm. You let her cradle your cheek, relishing in her warm, calloused touch.

“You don’t have to apologize for a single thing, xiǎo hǔ.”

You preened at the nickname. Beatrice had been the one to come up with the name “little tiger” for you.

“I just wish we had been able to keep in touch.”

“I know. I’ve missed so much of your life. I used to imagine being there for all of your major milestones. I daydreamed about the small things too—like your first kiss. Gosh,” Beatrice looked at the woman next to her, “I’m so rude, I haven’t even introduced Ava. This is my girlfriend, Ava Silva.”

Ava smiled. “It’s great to meet you! I feel like in movies they always say “I’ve heard a lot about you,” but I didn’t know you existed until about five minutes ago so…y’know.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” you stuck out a hand.

“You sound just like Bea,” Ava laughed and pulled you into a hug. You had plenty of time to pull away, but you let her arms envelop you. “You don’t have to be so formal: you’re Bea’s family, which makes you my family too.”

Your girlfriend picked this moment to come visit you.

“Hey…everyone,” her voice went from excited to confused. Why were you hugging a random customer in the shop?

“Hi darling.” You wriggled out of Ava’s grasp. “So remember how I told you about having a sister?”

“The one who left when you were a kid that you haven’t heard from since?”

“Yep,” you popped the p nervously, “this is Beatrice and her girlfriend Ava. Beatrice, Ava, my girlfriend.”

“Wow. And this is the first time you’re seeing each other in years?” You and Beatrice nodded. “Here, at this random bookshop?” More nodding. “And neither of you is upset at the other?”

You grabbed your girlfriend’s hand, “nope! I am very upset with my parents, though.”

“As opposed to normally when you’re…less upset with them?”

“Touché,” you kissed her cheek, “smartass.”

“Mm,” she pulled you into her side and hip-checked you. “I’m your smartass. See you in half an hour?”

“Definitely.”

She waved and walked away. You turned back to your sister and found her smirking. Your posture immediately turned defensive.

“What?”

“Nothing!” Beatrice held her hands up innocently, “she’s cute. And you’re a cute couple. A bit too cute almost.”

Heat crept up your neck. You’d reunited with your sister mere moments ago and she was already teasing you. But even as embarrassment coursed through you, so did a pleasant feeling you couldn’t name. Beatrice was teasing you, but it didn’t feel bad or shameful. It felt good. You felt good in a way you couldn’t explain.

“I could say the same about you, jiějiě.”

Ava winked, “we are a pretty cute couple. There’s other words I’d use to describe us too…” she trailed off suggestively.

“Ava, not now!” Beatrice slapped her arm.

You laughed and suddenly you knew what you were feeling. It was something you were missing for years without even realizing it, something that lay dormant until now.

Home. Being with Beatrice felt like home. Standing in your favorite store, with your sister and her girlfriend, your own girlfriend close by, felt more like home than the house you were raised in.

“Promise me you won’t leave me.” You spoke before you could really think about what you were saying, “I can’t lose you again.”

Beatrice and Ava shared an almost imperceptible look between them.

“I’ll do my best.” Beatrice looked directly into your eyes, “but I promise that I will always find my way to you, in this life or the next. I love you, xiǎo hǔ. Since the day you were born and until my dying breath.”

You were rendered speechless once again. You couldn’t recall anyone in your family saying “I love you.” It just wasn’t how things were done. Those three simple words kindled a fire in your soul, filling your body with an unfamiliar warmth.

“I love you too.”

[dragonmasterhiccup]

She pretended to be deep in thought for a moment before nonchalantly shrugging, "No promises. It'll be hard for me to forget something like that."

Freya lightly tilted her head at Hiccup, speaking in a sarcastic tone once again, "Oh, you didn't like that nickname? I had no idea!" She snorted, slightly fixing the wrapping around her hand, "I'm not the one who gave you that name anyways, so don't blame me."

Her smile was, very soon, wiped off her face as she heard Hiccup's suggestion, slowly turning to glance at him with a disbelief in her eyes. "What--" Before she could even question him on the matter, Ayla sprang up from her seat and repeatedly hit the table as she exclaimed her strong agreement, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I wanna go! Please, please, please, Fey, can I go?"

Freya struggled to say a full sentence for a bit as her younger sister continued to practically beg her for permission to do what Hiccup had said, "W-wait a minute!" She pointed at the Chief's son before she continued, "If anything, she was supposed to ride with me on her first flight, not you! That isn't fair--" She flinched as Ayla, yet again, cut her off to loudly speak out her thoughts: "But I wanna go with Hiccup! He..he has a Night Fury!"

Slightly offended, Freya stared at her little sister with a gaping mouth, "Seriously!? I have a Sand Wraith! I thought you said you--"

"Please!" Ayla whined, clutching her hands together in a pleading motion before abruptly turning towards Hiccup as she spoke, "You better help her hand get all nice and healed up so I can go ride on Toothless soon!" She huffed, folding her arms while lifting her chin, while Freya groaned to herself, burying her face in the palm of her injured hand - on accident.

Wincing at her action, she quickly regretted what she had done as she felt her hand ache. "Great.." Standing up from her seat, she stiffly looked between the two. Upon seeing that Ayla was, suddenly, close to tears, Freya didn't take long to cave in, lowering her head as she spoke in a low tone: "Fine.." She ignored her younger sister's shouts of victory as she kept her gaze on her bandaged hand, trying to ignore the pain that was tugging at it.

Attempting to cover it up, she began to leave the table as Ayla jumped around beside Hiccup in excitement, "Yeah, yeah.. you do that while I..get..something.." She muttered, not fully paying attention to them both as she went upstairs, going to put the last of the salve she had on her wound. In the midst of trying to ignore the pain, she left her door open and immediately went to retrieve the salve, hesitating to put some on, knowing it'll sting.

Freya struggled to even get the wrapping off, and she flinched seeing the cut that hadn't yet gone away, nervously tapping her knee with her other hand. She would have sat there for longer than she needed to if Ayla didn't come up to interrupt her, "Hey! We need to tell mom and--" She stopped, blinking at her older sister when she noticed her unwrapped injury. Pursing her lips, she spoke louder, "Uh, Hiccup! I think Fey needs your help... Again..!"

Freya stared at her little sister, not having the energy to be angry with her, "Are you serious?" She watched as Ayla left, going instead to clean up their bowls and to get her some water.

Freya's protests to Hiccup's suggestion caused his smile to fall.

He hadn't realized this was so important to Freya, and frankly, he'd forgotten Ayla hadn't been on her first flight yet.

"Wait, I--" but he too was cut off by Ayla's excitement.

As the two sisters argued, Hiccup put a hand up, his expression worried. "Just---hang on a second---"

It was useless.

Freya irritating her injured hand didn't go unnoticed by Hiccup. In fact, he was so focused on it that he didn't hear Freya give the okay, or Ayla's shouts of victory.

No longer hungry, he stood up, going to follow Freya, but stopped. Maybe she wanted time alone. Sure, they were getting along a little better, but she seemed upset, and he doubted seeing him would help...

Once she disappeared upstairs, Hiccup's eyes didn't start from where Freya had gone. "Ayla...why don't you check on her? She seemed..." He sighed. "Just make sure she's okay?"

As Ayla followed Freya, Hiccup made himself useful by clearing their empty bowls, going to wash them in the basin.

He stopped, hearing Ayla call him. Drying his hands, he told her as they passed each other that he got the dishes at least started.

Hesitating at the bottom of the stairs, he finally went up, approaching Freya carefully.

Finding her with her palm up, wound unwrapped, he tilted his head, eyebrows raised in concern.

"Can I lend a hand?"

After a moment, he stepped forward, opening the salve. "I bet between flying Blaze, and that...uh, extra pressure... it probably hurts a lot right now, doesn't it?"

Placing his hand under hers, he did his best to distract her. "You tap a lot. Your arm, your leg...while I do this, just continue doing that. Focus on it, even. Might make you feel the sting of the salve less."

Going to scoop some out of the jar, he peered inside. "Did Gothi not give you much?" Shaking his head, he mused, "we'll have to pick up more then..."

He paused, locking eyes with her. "I am sorry about earlier. I hadn't realized how important that was, and...well, I forgot she hadn't flown yet..." Taking a breath, he asked, "Okay, ready? Try to distract yourself..."

After a moment, he spread the salve on her wound, using as little pressure as possible. "Okay. The willow bark should be doing its thing soon." Wiping any excess off, his eyes searched for fresh bandaging. Finding it, he began to wrap her hand like he did the day before, careful to not further irritate anything.

Turning her hand over, he tied the knot again so it would rest on the back of her hand. Looking back up at her, he asked, "Is that okay? Not too tight?"

[cheemken]

Hey Knight I noticed you barley talk about the Champions parents besides Diantha’s mom and sometimes her dad

So, what’s your interpretation for the rest of them? Are they good parents, abusive, or the “I’m going to the gas station to buy cigarettes” type?

Besides what canon gives us of course (e.g. Leon’s mom, Steven’s dad, etc.)

Pfft sure I did say I should write more abt the other champs so have more angst abt them owo

Cynthia's parents are dead. Idk, I've read like, a few fics abt her and usually they'd write in how her parents are dead and ofc I added that to my hcs bc I live for the angst hahaha I wanna say like,, in my own hcs, her mom died while giving birth to Cyn's younger sister, and her father died during an expedition, leaving their grandparents to raise them. Ofc, Cynthia couldn't really fault her sister for what happened to their mother, it wasn't her fault; the expedition her father went to went downhill and they couldn't even find his body. But idk, as much as she wants to care she just really,,, couldn't. She wasn't even that old when her mother died, maybe she was like,, two at most, and when her father died she was three. So she never got to bond w them much, and if she tries to think abt them, well.. her grandparents would always come to mind instead. She never thinks abt them really, never even visits their grave, she just,,, she really just kinda forgot abt them if she's being honest, but ofc people expect her to like react in some way whenever she's asked abt her parents, so she'd just fake being hurt and missing them when she really doesn't. How could she even miss people that she didn't even know that well.

Wallace's parents are the most homophobic pieces of shit to ever walk Hoenn, so you can only imagine how rough it was for him. Not only that but they also kinda held him up in a high standard compared to his own sister as he's the older one between them, thus he's going to be the next Guardian of Sootopolist. They honestly didn't support him on his career on contests, instead they insisted he'd be Sootopolist's Gym Leader, and while being Gym Leader was an item in his bucket list, he also wanted to join contests and be a coordinator. That didn't sit right w his parents ofc, berated him for his interest, his father even beat him up, they ended up disowning him and he went to live w his sister for a bit, promising her that when he gets back to his feet he'll make it up to her. And ah, yknow his sister has always been such a sickly kid when they were younger, and that didn't change when they got older, after Lisia was born, a few months later his sister died, leaving him w his niece. His parents blamed Wallace for the death of his sister, but he ignored them, opting to take care of Lisia instead, as a way to make it up for his sister. He has to fight long and hard so he'd have custody of Lisia, and he ended up taking the title of Guardian from his parents too, saying that it was his right and he was next in line, and his father was in no way shape or form to do his duties anymore. Ofc, their relationship is as strained as ever really, he doesn't let Lisia visit her grandparents in fear of what they'd do to her, so he's like,, he's really trying so hard to be a Guardian, Champion, and even a father figure now to his own niece.

Lance's parents were pretty absent most of his life ngl, same goes for Clair's folks really, which left them at the care of their grandfather, the Clan Elder. He knows they're still around, he just doesn't mind them really, rather he's just trying his best to be the next leader of their clan. If they talk to him, he just talks to them too, and it's not like there's really any conversation other than them asking how he was and if he's doing well. He's like.. he's indifferent towards them. Like, it's cool they're still around, but if smth happens to them he really.. he really wouldn't turn his head to help them. Why would he? They were never there for him too. He does hate his grandfather tho, mfer had too much expectations on them and he hated it, so he really broke the chain after being the new leader of their clan, and did a lot of things he knew would piss off the elder. He almost never calls the elder as his grandfather, it's always been elder, he doesn't feel like family to him.

Ik we got Steven's dad and such, but I wanna think that his mother died when he was like,, five. And if he's being honest, he was closer to his mother than his father. She was nice yknow, she was so supportive of him, and was the one to give him his Beldum, telling him that hey even tho he's not ten yet, she's sure having the company of pkmn wouldn't make him that lonely while she and Joseph are out on meetings. But ofc, his mother got killed, it changed his father, got every reminder of her in their house hidden from sight, as he didn't want more reminders that the love of his life is gone now. That kinda messed Steven's relationship w his father, but like, yknow years later, they finally had a talk abt it, so it's kinda,, it's kinda good now at least hahaha

Leon's dad,, idk, I imagine him as the type to tell his kids he's just gonna get some milk from the store and hasn't returned since. Mfer doesn't even know Hop is his kid💀 so ofc Leon doesn't like him, he just left him and his mom while she was pregnant w Hop, and before Hop was born he already left. I do wanna say when Leon became more and more famous, his father tried to reconcile w his family, but Leon didn't accept him ofc he didn't, he knows his father is just back bc Leon has the fame and fortune now.

Hau's mom is dead, but his father is still around he's just pretty neglectful. After the death of his mother, his father started avoiding him like the plague, leaving him w Hala. Hala didn't like how his own son just left Hau, but if he won't take care of Hau then he will, he'd rather not want his own grandson to follow in his son's footstep. Hau never really thinks abt them much, not like it matters anyways, he knows nothing will change, so he's just living w it. He has to admit tho, whenever he sees others being w their family he gets kinda jealous, but he just has to swallow his sadness, he'd rather not want to feel it.

Iris' parents left her in Blackthorn do I have to explain this hahahah like, mfers really saw their kid and dipped the fuck outta there. Idk,, idk if this is too angsty, but I also imagine that her parents were young. Like, late teens maybe, or just early twenties, when they had her, and ofc they didn't want to be parents just yet so they left her in Blackthorn, leaving behind their kid who they believed they couldn't take care of. Iris never knew them, she didn't care much, she's happy rn w Drayden and the Unova League, they're her family now, even the other Champions are her family. But if her actual parents did recognize her, and told her they're her actual parents idk,, I want her to be mad at them, and like,, avoid them as much as she can too. Like maybe they changed, yknow, but for Iris it's already too later, maybe they just wanna be close to her now bc she's the Champion.

Geeta's parents are smth bc they're both really supportive but also extremely judgemental of her. Like, they support her on becoming a trainer and even supported her dream in becoming Paldea's first Champion, but they also don't fucking like how she's friends w what they call commoners. Dia is probs the only friend she had that they ever thought would be perfect for her, bc ofc, Dia was also rich. But yknow, the more Geeta defied them, the more expectations they placed on to her, and the more she was bending over backwards to reach those expectations, the more pissed her parents became. Like, telling her that if she won't cut ties w her friends, then they'd just give her her inheritance and make her leave their own home, letting her provide for herself, and they'd just watch as she'd waste the money they gave her. Ofc, Geeta never wasted it, she knows how to handle money, and became a bit more successful than her folks. They really don't talk much anymore, they'd pass each other a few times, but Geeta would never talk to them. I also wanna add that they're kinda the reason Geeta has troubles w empathy and sympathy and all that, bc they taught her to look down on people who aren't in their level, and she kinda internalised that to the point she really couldn't feel much for a lot of people. She is breaking that chain tho, she knows it's not a good mindset, but sometimes she just slips and falls back, but still, she's trying.

[seldaryne]

3, 9 and 10 for Haelryne(for the tav asks)!!

3. Did your Tav receive any formal or informal education? If yes, how well did they learn? If no, why not?

Not exactly. Both of her parents were part of the merchant class, and so while she definitely learned the sort of things you would in a formal setting via her interactions with the family business, school was more of a secondary concern. She also picked up a fair bit of knowledge on jewellery & watch crafting, which is still an interest of hers but not something she'll ever pursue professionally. It does help when it comes to not getting scammed in markets, though. She's pretty good at eyeballing the weight of an item and guessing value based on materials, and don't even try to fool her into thinking a piece of glass is a genuine diamond (also, she's convinced that there's nothing wrong with faux gems, but you need to be honest about your wares!).

She's got a fondness for pretty, delicate metal work in her jewellery purchases, since it's reminiscent of what she grew up seeing. It reminds her of sitting beside the workbench after the storefront had closed, watching her father's skilled hands decisively create something beautiful for the hundredth time, still completely bewitched by the process. She could never get quite as good, and perhaps that has something to do with him having nearly a century more of practice under his belt. She prefers to laugh it off, blaming it on a lack of patience & a heavier hand. But every so often, she'll find herself with time and a set of tools, and she'll give it another go.

Of course, despite being surface-raised (Haelryne doesn't count the time she lived in the Underdark as a literal infant as part of her life experience) it was important for her & her sisters to learn some combat skills. This is largely where her mother stepped in, and where her talent for two-handed weapons quickly emerged. She sees the greatsword as an extension of her person, an old friend who constantly has her back, and her movements are shockingly graceful despite its size. Combining that with magic had been an obvious next step. You don't have an extra hand for a shield, so you'll simply have to keep one up with concentration. It's served her pretty well, in her own opinion, only rarely faltering when she's truly caught off-guard. As an adult, you can count on her to be the person who never gets tired of saying 'show me how to do that, please?' when she spots a new technique. She doesn't expect she'll ever be at an expert level when it comes to the hand-to-hand skills of a monk or a rogue's duel wielding, but there's always something she can gain from the lessons (even if it's sometimes just a fond memory).

9. What was your Tav doing when they were taken by the mind flayers?

Travelling, moving around between jobs. She might have been able to make a decent living for herself, had she stayed with the family business. But it was abundantly clear that her sisters were more suited for that position. Not only were they able to produce products of a higher quality (a fact that had long since been set in motion by the reality of them being significantly older and in command of better fine motor skills by the time Haelryne was old enough to give it a go), they also just generally had better heads for business. Not a huge feat, given that Haelryne would give them that based purely on her tendency to underprice & get haggled down out of pity on a regular basis.

So for herself, she decided to strike out on her own for a bit, taking on mercenary work as she travelled the continent. She does her best to keep this ethical, avoiding sticking her nose into dicier situations as much as she can. She typically enjoys the escort jobs where she finds herself helping a family or merchant secure a safe travel route. Darkvision is certainly an added bonus, and she knows a handful of the roads intimately well. She's fond of being able to play something of a tour guide, if the client allows it.

But when abducted, she didn't have any work on her plate, and didn't have any set schedule for accepting something new either. She's pretty glad for this, as she knows she would feel terrible for leaving a job incomplete, especially without being able to give any sort of notice.

10. What would your Tav consider to be their greatest skill? Is this accurate?

While you probably wouldn't guess, Haelryne actually does a lot of critical self-comparison against her sisters. It's not so much that she feels a failure for not being able to stay in business or having to choose her own path, she was simply unfortunate enough to be the last born after a decade-long gap in children. Most of her childhood memories involve looking at their backs in some form or another, struggling to keep up & desperately wanting to be more like them. Now, most older children don't particularly want to play babysitter, even if the baby in question promises they won't be any trouble or mess things up this time. They probably didn't go out of their way to bully her either, but the exclusion and the teasing could only ever have amounted to that. Haelryne was also a bit sensitive to start, prone to easily tearing up and feeling everything far too deeply. In the end, every slight, no matter how minor, left a stain on her heart.

Consequently, she actually doesn't think much of her good qualities. It's always a 'Yes, I'm good, but this person is far better.' A yes, with an asterisk, some condition that makes sure to keep her humble. She's quick to accept compliments so long as she can brush them off with a variant of oh, but it's not a big deal, really! And owing to her typically cheerful, sweet demeanour, this habit tends to go unnoticed, or explained away as an expected social grace. There's plenty of things she's skilled at, she's just incapable of actually recognizing them.

She does, however, like her ability to get close to people. She doesn't count empathy as a skill, since she doesn't feel as though it was something she had to work for or learn, but it very much is. Her soft heart drives her to reach out to everyone she can, searching for a foothold so that she can ensure they feel properly seen. She can't solve the world's problems on her own, but she feels it's important to at least do what she can to make people's lives easier on a small scale. She's never been so lucky as to hear the voice of Eilistraee, but the idea of someone looking towards her people and extending a merciful hand strikes her very being. Eilistraee saw the fear and suffering, and said no, there's another option. Not just for the Drow, but for anyone who feels they need it. That's the sort of ideal Haelryne tries to emulate, that fierce, resilient type of love & understanding that can only ever exist in the face of unfathomable agony. Helping one person isn't as grand, and perhaps it won't even make a difference to the overall state of the world. But if it makes a difference to that person, she's more than content with herself.

tav asks.

[gwen-tolios]

It's a sadder turnout than you expected. Sure, a funeral for Captain Gray would bring a lot of people, but Graham Jones had been unnoticed. Too focused on saving others, rushing away to answer screams, to hold a steady job or build a circle of friends.

You blame yourself for some of it - it was your algorithms that detected crimes and buzzed his watch. Once or twice you silenced it so he could sleep, but it wasn't enough. He was Captain Gray, you were Black Hat. He was the hero, you were the man in the chair. You'd always be his enabler, just like he'd always been your muse for new tech and code.

Graham's funeral is attended by you, Graham's older neighbor, the one friendly connection he'd made at his current job, and oddly enough the barista from Graham's local coffee shop. She'd introduced herself as Stacy, and said ever since she'd caught Graham putting salt in his coffee she'd teased him about it for the past four years.

The funeral is quick and generic at the funeral home chapel. There's no burial, but you're handed a cream box with ashes afterwards.

Stacy is the only one who stays long enough to watch you receive it.

"You should spread it on the ComBank building."

You look at her. You had planned on that, sneaking into the building's roof top garden. Graham had liked to end patrols there.

She's wearing a T-shirt with the coffe shop logo, but as she pulls her long hair back into a bun her earrings are exposed. They're 4mm gages, hand painted with stylized vulture.

It's the symbol Vulture has stamped on her suit.

"Why are you here?"

"We weren't friends." She shrugs. "I never wanted to be, even when i figured it out. But I'll miss him all the same. And... I know how it is to lose a partner."

"Merlin."

They'd been twin birds of terror two years ago.

"My sister. Died of complications after a fight with Hooper."

You wince. Hooper is a hero, but the most aggressive in town, fighting with serrated metal rings. The papers only called him a hero because he stopped crimes, versus his morals or altruistic heart.

"It's tough," Stacy continues, "loosing a partner. You do everything together. No one knows you better. Keeps all your secrets. It can get... lonely... without them."

You brush the plastic urn. She sounds so sincere, you believe Stacy is her actual name. She has you remembering last night, sitting at your station watching crime occur because there was no Captain Gray to direct toward it to step in. No friend beside you to cry with - you hadn't built a social circle either.

Stacy holds out a business card, logo for the coffee shop bright yellow on a pale blue background. "I do actually work here. If you ever wanna talk. Feel less alone. Even while fighting, Gray would check in on me. Ask how I was doing between blows. You don't fight, Black, but I'm guessing we are both addicted to caffeine."

You take the card, more sure about that than the offer of friendship. She smiles at you, you try to smile back.

"Don't get sucked in," Stacy says. "Screen breaks are healthy."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Vulture and Captain Gray had been enemies for six years, but Stacy's worried smile radiated concerned coworker. She nodded and took off.

You watch her go, ponytail swinging, and figure a latte would be a great breakfast tomorrow.

----

Edit: This story is now part of a collection - Healing Crystals & Other Breakables.

your a super Villian/super hero who's partner just died. When the funeral was supposed to be attended, nobody came, except for one person, your arch nemesis, who came there to comfort you through these tough times

[aamethyst000]

feeling so blue right now, i feel kind of stupid about it lmao - july 2,24 - 7:12pm

Dude, my 3DS fricken broke a couple of days ago and ive been sad about it ever since lmao i was almost done with my master quest on OoT!! how abosultely frusturatingg is THAT?! i was at the last temple, getting to the very last sage before finding out who sheik's other identity is. i didnt even get to start over on majoras mask or kirby. Now im on the look out for a new DS, whether it be a 2DS or a 3DS again i'll decide that when i know i have enough money for it. which will take a long while because i still dont have a goddamn job EVEN THOUGH ive applied to 3!!!! other jobs this year but absolutley no one has answered me. i fucking hate it when they just ghost me like that. i'd rather have them telll me striaght up that im not "fit" for the position i apllied for, or simply just not hired. that's all i want! not this no answer IS an answer bullshit. anyway, hired or not, im still going to be without a handheld concol for a good couple of months. maybe. it depends. i Just started decorating my 3ds with pretty stickers :( i literally wanted to go cry about it, only to be slapped with reality, about how old my 3ds is, that just made me mad lmao because my older brother's dsi is lasting LONGER and it is F I V E years OLDER than my 3ds!!! like, fuck off xD oh well, nothing i can do about it now, considering i dont even have enough money for just the repairs alone. so, im just going to buy a new ds instead. i know that is not any cheaper, but i'm impatient and i really want to finish my file on the master quest!! dammit!!

9;25pm - i just found out i cant play any gamecube games on my laptop :( the emulator is slow and laggy which kind of sucks but i am able to play them on my phone! ive finished twilight princess three times now and im on my way to finish wind waker now, which is taking a bit but only because this is my firdt time finishing on my own with out my older brother lol its okie, im an adult (with a short temper but thats besides the point) i can do this just by looking up the quest part on either youtube or wikihow, ive done it for the heart collections on twilight. i can do it for the wind waker playthrough. which i have about 3 times so far. and i think i am doing pretty well! for my first play through by myself. i can see why i had little to no interest in it when my family actually owned the game. i only remember my older brother playing WW, the others played mario sunshine or smash bros (both are the best btw). so, i dont blame younger me for not having too much interest.

july 5,24 1:11am - SSOOOOOOO UUUUHHHHHH.......shit just got a bit chaotic today! we just found out that my brothers school isnt going to continue high school classes. so they will have to go sign up for another school, IN ANOTHER TOWN BY THE WAY. my mother and i have been mulling it over almost all day today, she says that she doesnt want my younger brother to be staying with any of our family members and i agree with her. lemme explain, one aunty of mine tends to be agressive, some times downright abusive, another aunty, emotions fly like a humming bird who drank nothing but espresso, on of my cousin has a child of her own to look after, same with my cousins sister and she has two kids, all of which my brother does not know very well and will be shy like me and not talk for a long while. make him feel like being comfortable but shy and quiet about it is bad. anyway, my mother is very iffy about sending him into town for his last year of school and i get it. the last time she did that with my older brother and shit hit the roof with him. he moved in with one of our aunty's place, stayed for a few months before finally moving out because said aunty was trying to take advantage of my brother temporarily looking after our spoilt ass nephew who looked and treated his cousins as literal maids. not only that, she tried to start a fight with him and our cousin fucking did nothing but make it worse. so yeah, i get why my mother doesn't want to send my little brother into town. why is my little brother's high school life so chaotic and none of it is even HIS fault?? like DAMN universe!! fucking take a goddamn chill pill when handling my litlle brother THANK YOU!! and for my older brother, FUCKING LEAVE HIM ALONE HE HAS BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY OR I IWLL THROW HANDS

anyway, this year has been one fckn crazy year for us, thats for goddamn sure.

july 8,24 6:35pm - i keep trying to play on the family dsi, i cant seem to stay on it long like i did with my 3ds. and i really miss my 3ds, i cant believe i have to buy another one and fucking save up for that. im planning on getting a screen protector, case and a little game case for the handheld consol. be more prepared this time and all. im just so mad the dsi is lasting longer than my fckn 3ds!! lmao just fckn RUDE! anyway, what i have in my little cart on ali express says it costs up to 205 for those things all together, i was going to look on amazon but i have doubt with their electronics and such, and it is more expensive as hell. so no thanks. i think i can wait until i have enough to buy those things for my new 3ds. i just keep onn looking at my old 3ds all sad that i cant play on it for all hours of my day. oh well, i can save up money for myself, so i can save up to get a replacement and possibly other accescories for my new ds kekekeke

i forgot to mention that i went to go hang out with my friends the other day, we had shrooms and edibles for the night, it was fckn fun and kind of upsetting lmao there were certain situations where i was questioning a lot, and other situation i just straight up did not like. other than that it was quite fun tripping pretty hard like that, however sleeping was freaking difficult lmao i was literally arguing with myself in my own head about getting to bed and sleep, i just flopped around and fucking giggled at myselef like, what the hell lmao

11:23pm - good this i double checked the 3ds for anything else that i am missing and now that ive done that, it wont turn on at all, itll just lightly beep at me almost like a whisper and then itll just shut off without the screen turning on. im even more sad lmao i cant wait till i have enough for the 3ds and the cases, i really want to finish my master quest on ocorina of time. this itch wont go away until i do. i should clean my room and start on the towels soon. the house is starting to look like a tornado went into our house and i so can tell that none of us are liking it so i am hoping that one or all of us finall gather our energy to clean up the house again. we need it and the pets really need it too. i know that the messyness is affecting us all to the point we \re getting cranky. so, yeah, we need to clean up. this will help my brain get over the guiltiness of buying myself this new handheld consol and the fact that i am using a little bit of my savings. i already have cashed out a couple moolas from the band office but no more than that. i still do not trust my little brother around my savings still. so ill be keeping some in my bank while slowly cashing them out when he doesnt know that i am going there or why. to which i only go to the band office during school days. speaking of, i still dont think that he wont be able to go and graduate on time unless i move to rupert. and if i do that, that may mean that ill have to talk to my alchoholic "dad" about helping me move to an apartment and then sign my little brother up to the highschool but the thing is, the school education there is way different than the one he is used to and grew up in. which sucks cause i was excited for him to gradutate. he only has one more year to go too! it sucks so much i wish the school is starting to get their shit together during this summer cause MY GOD!! this is ridiculous. almost no teachers in highschool? i stilll cant get over that!!! any way this will be the last journal entry for a bit, good night/day readers!

[legends-of-time]

The Strength of a High and Noble Hill (Outlander)

Chapter 17: A New but Old World

Masterlist

July 1769

Brian glances down at the money in his hands in alarm as the trio stands at the port in Inverness. "We can't take your money."

His Uncle Ian simply grins at him. "Aye, ye can. Yer family."

Brian almost feels a blush on his cheeks at that. Yeah, family.

"Now, are ye sure I cannae accompany yer inside t' help ye buy yer passage?" Ian then questions.

"You and Aunt Jenny have done enough already but thank you." Ellen answers him.

Ian nods, hugging his niece before she leaves them be and steps inside the alehouse, temporarily being used for the passage organisation for various frigates and trading vessels.

Ian then turns to Brian, clasping him on the shoulder with one hand. "Take care o' yer sister? I ken by now tha' Ellen has a way o' findin' trouble."

"I will." Brian nods.

Ian leaves then and Brian moves through droves of townsfolk to the inside of the ale house.

Inside, Brian spots a table in the corner where people are buying passage and glances around the room in search of Ellen before a hand touching his arm catches his attention. He turns to see it's Ellen standing beside him with a young girl lingering behind her.

She is slightly shorter, with hair covered by a tied bonnet with light grey eyes and an extremely pale complexion. The girl can't be older than thirteen or fourteen.

"Her father wants us to buy his daughter as an indentured servant. He said she'd be wanted..." Ellen begins to explain, before moving slightly closer to her brother, to be unheard. The girl in question is speaking quietly to a man across the room, who Brian assumes to be her father. "...as a... concubine otherwise." She continues, visibly cringing in disgust at the particular word.

Brian doesn't blame her. He meets her gaze in an unspoken question, before nodding. "I'll sort it, can you speak with him?"

Ellen nods, briefly excusing herself as Brian stands at the table, placing some coins upon it. He is soon joined once again by his sister and their charge, looking between the two.

"Brian and Ellen Fraser, and..." He begins, glancing at their new acquaintance.

She blushes slightly, bowing her head. "Elizabeth Weymss, sir."

"And Elizabeth Weymss for passage aboard the Phillip Alonzo, please."

——

He knew. Roger knew. That's all Ellen said when she returned. Roger had known about their parents' deaths and had kept it from them. She admits they had hand-fast but had left him after finding out he knew.

September 1769

Ellen says he's gone and that it's for the best, but Brian can see from her face that she doesn't believe that is the case.

——

Ellen says she wants to be left alone. Brian accepts her wishes but regrets them when he finds her beaten and sobbing a day later.

——

Brian continues trying to make plans, to get them to Cross Creek, to their Aunt Jocasta, when Lizzie comes running up to him, face flushed, to tell him what she's found. She heard a story about the wife of a Scot who performed surgery at the theatre only the night before. The woman's husband, one Mr Fraser, has just been seen nearby.

Brian's heart stops. Jamie.

——

A/N: Poor Ellen. I covered the scene where Brian found her in a previous chapter so it's a brief mention here.

Feel like I'm teasing you all by cutting off here 😅

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[hangmanbrainrot]

more than this

a/n: HI. Me again! After talking with @rosiahills22, I simply HAD to give this idea a whirl. I hope y’all enjoy! Reader’s callsign is Van Gogh (to be explained) and I don’t use Y/N. :) special thanks to @bradshawsbitch​ for the encouragement. :’)

warnings: so much mutual pining, dash of angst toward the end. Generally, all my posts are 18+ because I don’t want minors interacting with my page! Probably naval inaccuracies.

word count: 3975

summary: You and Jake have been best friends for years now… Why mess with a good thing?

pairing: Jake Seresin x Reader, Jake Seresin x Aviator!Reader — callsign: Van Gogh

“Vee, you aren’t seriously wearing that to Family Day.”

You glanced down at your striped sleep pants and faded Navy t-shirt, then whirled around to look up at the oh so familiar source of the question. Lieutenant Jake Seresin, in the flesh. He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt, jeans, and black leather-banded watch on his wrist. His signature toothpick was missing from its usual post between his lips. 

“You clean up nice,” you retorted, ignoring his initial remark. “And I thought we agreed, no call signs today.”

You ‘tsk’ed at him and turned back toward your laundry basket, then bending to pick it up and hold it at your hip. 

“You have one of the coolest callsigns, besides mine, of course. What’s wrong with Van Gogh?”

“I got it because I dropped my books and everyone saw all the doodles in the margins of my notes. And it doesn’t even make sense, because Van Gogh was a painter. At least yours has a cool story, I mean—”

He said your name, low and sweet, to cut you off. The two of you weren’t about to rehash that story again. 

“Better.” This earned you a smile. “I told you, I’m not going this year. I’m just gonna hang out here, take advantage of the empty lounge, and chill.” 

“And I told you, my mother demanded to see you. In fact, I’d dare say she’s more excited to see you than she is to see me.”

“Can you blame Mrs. Seresin for having taste?” you replied easily, the teasing lilt to your voice unmistakable as you flashed Jake a megawatt smile. 

“I’m absolutely telling on you, when I see her. ‘Mrs. Seresin’ instead of Sandy, as requested.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” you shot back, mock horror covering your features.

“Can, could, and would. Get dressed, Vee. Families will be here before you know it!”

The way that Jake departed after speaking let you know it wasn’t up for debate.

———————————————————————————————————

You heard Jamie and Courtney before you saw them, their familiar, slightly shrill voices carrying over the crowd of people all waiting for their own aviator to make an appearance. Jake’s older and younger sisters had always treated you like the additional sibling they’d never had, but on a day like today, it made your heart ache. You knew, of course, not everyone was lucky enough to find a kind family to adopt them the way the Seresins had adopted you. Even Robert Seresin himself — gruff as he was, he had a you-sized soft spot, much like his son. Though good luck getting either of the Seresin men to admit it. 

You smiled as you spun on your heel, ready to retreat. Content to revel in the knowledge that you were loved, but too heavy-hearted to witness it today. You’d beat Jake here, somehow, so maybe you could slip out without his notice, either. Come up with some feeble story about suddenly coming down with a migraine, and nurse your ache alone, with your mounds of freshly laundered clothing, once you were sure he and his family had departed for the day.

But instead of proceeding forward, you collided with navy cotton and ginger and leather and… Jake. Had he always smelled this good?

“Hi, I was just,” you pushed out, before being interrupted. Why were you so nervous, all of a sudden? It was just Jake. 

“Trying to ditch me. Darlin’, my feelings are hurt.” The tips of your ears burned red with embarrassment, even as your stomach did backflips over the way his accent thickened on the word ‘darlin’.’ 

“Sorry, Jake.” You didn’t even have the wherewithal to hide the giggle leaking into your words. But you were smart enough to play it off. “I was just going to get a jacket.”

“Vee, it’s July.”

“Yes, I do have a calendar and I can read!” Your eye roll was practically involuntary. “I just get cold sometimes in the AC.”

A lopsided grin slid onto his features while he aimed a pointer finger at himself. “Human furnace. Let’s go!”

Before you could protest, he was slinging an arm around your shoulders and all but crushing you into his side. “I think this outfit is much more appropriate for a trip off base.” It sounded like he was testing the compliment. And, truthfully, you liked this particular combination of white cap-sleeve blouse and jeans quite a bit yourself, too. But it was nice of him to notice. Then again, you couldn’t recall a time when Jake hadn’t noticed you, not since the beginning of your friendship. He was just always so checked in with you. Always so present. If you squinted, you could call it attentiveness. 

“Jacob Michael Seresin, it is rude to keep your mother waiting! And where is — there she is, there’s my girl.” 

Before either of you could inhale, a head of blond hair identical to Jake’s came bounding toward you, Sandra Seresin bundling you up in her arms like she hadn’t seen you in years, rather than the months it had been since the last time she had seen you via FaceTime.

You hugged Sandy a little tighter, as if you were afraid you would disappear if you let go. If it weren't for this woman and her family, holding onto you — in more ways than one — you often feared no one would remember you at all. No one to be on the receiving end of a phone call or a folded flag, if you didn't make it home one day. You would just… cease to exist. Quietly. Perhaps that was fitting, considering that was exactly how you lived your life.

You were your parents' only child, and they were gone. Well, your father was, anyway. Your mother never recovered after his sudden death, and had taken to self-medicating to ease the pain of his loss. Which, sure, you got, once you were old enough, but you were still small and new to the world, when the light that was your father went out. No one is ready to lose a parent they're close to, but certainly not when they're five. And it felt like you'd lost her, too, by the time you were 10. Moved out by the time you were 16. So, she wasn't gone, but there was no relationship to be had. You knew, of course, that if something did happen to you, they'd find her. But who would she be mourning? You had lived a whole life she knew nothing about; you had become an entirely new person. Someone she knew nothing about, but that the Seresins knew like the backs of their hands. Courtney was filling your hands with your favorite candy on the walk to the parking lot, and Jamie's kids were telling you about how they were doing in school. 

Maybe someone, maybe a few someones would remember you. And fondly, you hoped.

At the height of the day, the sun was relentless, but as you walked beside Jake in the parking lot, you couldn't help noticing it made his hair the perfect shade of blond, and rendered his eyes the color of sea-glass.

"You know they just missed you," he chirped, misreading your expression and mistaking your melancholy for annoyance.

"No, no," you said softly. "It's nice to be missed. I just.."

"Today is hard," he finished your sentence matter-of-factly, and without any sort of air of pity. You heard, in its place, respect. He had no idea how you felt, but he'd always left space in your friendship for you to feel it. And, in true Jake fashion, he'd tried to fix it, by introducing you to his family, all those years ago, now. You'd only known each other a few months, then. But he didn't want you to be alone. And, the truth was, you hadn't been. Not since the moment you met him. All you ever felt when you were with Jake was ease. Comfort. 

Your hand found Jake’s without thinking, eyes burning with unshed tears. “You’re my best friend, Jake. And I will not hesitate to kick your ass if you tell anyone how soft I got.”

You glanced over at Jake just in time to watch an unreadable emotion cloud his expression. Before you had time to think it over, he was squeezing your hand. “I’ll always keep all your secrets, Vee. Including that you prefer green Jolly Ranchers, even though blue are clearly superior.” 

—————

The Seresins took you and Jake to a small diner off base, and it was today that you learned it was Jake’s favorite. You all sat in a booth toward the back, bunched up together in the cushioned semi-circle bench. Jake’s warm thigh brushed against yours, and you’d be lying if you didn’t notice the jolt that went through you, every time those thick cords of muscle pressed against you when he laughed, or when he reached forward to grasp one of the menus wedged between the matching salt and pepper shakers on the table. 

With an arm lazily draped on the booth behind you, fingers loosely grazing your shoulder every so soften, Jake opened a menu for you to share. 

“Well, what do you think, darlin’?”

“How did I not know this was your favorite place?” You asked, ignoring the question he was obviously asking you.

But he indulged you. “This was the first year I actually convinced you to come with us.”

“Convinced? I felt slightly bullied, Seresin.” You grinned, in spite of yourself. 

“Forgive me for wanting to spend a little time with you, darlin’.” He sounded almost coy. You glanced up at him, at the same time he looked over at you, and found that ‘butterflies’ were an understatement for what that look was currently doing to your insides. It felt like a cross between adoration and desire, but what was even wilder was that Jake’s expression seemed to mirror your own — which was absurd because it was Jake. Jake, who always made sure you never got left behind; Jake, who sometimes pulled his punches with you when he was ragging on you over the comms. Yeah, that Jake, your Jake was looking at you like… that?

But then you heard Jake’s dad clear his throat from across the table and you and Jake glanced up like you’d been caught doing something far less innocuous. Your mind worked overtime trying to decipher what just happened here but the moment flickered and burnt out before you, and the conversation moved on like a film unpaused.

Despite the fact that his entire family was here, it felt like Jake couldn’t bear to take his eyes off you for a moment, not that you were complaining. And it was something his mother noticed, too.

“So, between the two of you, who do you think is the better pilot?” Courtney teased, a mischievous glint visible in the hazel of her irises. 

But then Jake said your name at the same time you said his, causing you both to turn to each other in surprise, mouths agape. 

“Stop being modest,” he accused, almost immediately. Part of you wanted to make special note of this moment, record it somehow. So that the next time Jake decided to have a pissing contest with some other pilot, you could chime in and remind him it didn’t matter, since he thought you were the best anyway. You went to shove at his chest, but your hand — and your heart — stuttered with you made contact. He was so solid. Just firm muscle and warm skin. When your gaze dared drift upward, he was blushing. Your comment, voicing the observation, would die on your lips, as your server returned to the table with a tray full of milkshakes. Leave it to Jamie to secure dessert when you weren’t looking.

—————

When the meal had run its course and everyone was preparing for the trip back to base, you couldn’t help but hang back a little bit, just to take it all in. Jake was indulging Courtney in one of those rare, long bear hugs, while Jamie and his mother ran off to the bathroom, and his dad made small talk with another patron seated at the diner’s counter. In spite of your resistance, this family had yanked you, kicking and screaming, into their lives. Whether you’d found them or they’d found you didn’t matter, what mattered was the moment unfolding before you. You wished you could wrap it around you and let it warm you from the inside out. 

You weren’t sure when Jake had released Courtney to return to your side, or when the rest of his family had filtered out the diner’s front doors, so you jumped when you heard his voice from beside you. 

“You okay, sugar?” He was close enough that you could smell the tang of his cologne — softer than before, but still present — and feel the body heat rolling off of him in waves. You practically ached with the desire to move, to be touching him in some way, and the ferocious way this feeling roared to life within you startled you. Instead of giving in to that yearning to touch, you spun around and put some distance between you, eyes trained on him. You were desperate to find out what had changed, but when you gazed into Jake’s eyes. You just saw him, you just felt him. Nothing else had changed. But maybe nothing had needed to. High stakes situations meant you were constantly filtering out your emotions: keep, alter, discard; keep, alter, discard. You rifled through feelings often before you took a breath. It felt silly to question whether or not you’d simply overlooked or ignored your feelings for your best friend all along, but what else could be true? It wasn’t the way you felt about him that was new; no, it was the sudden impulse to do something about it that felt like an unscratchable itch.

You took a nearly imperceptible step closer, and Jake mirrored your actions. He said your name softly, cautiously. 

But then, from behind: “Hey, is everybody else outside?” 

Jamie’s voice was like cold water to the face. Still, you nodded, regaining the distance between yourself and Jake. You blinked a few times, as if you were hitting some sort of invisible reset button in your mind.

Keep, alter, discard.

You were silent, the entire ride back to base. You went through the motions of ‘see-you-next-time’’s and ‘take-care’’s, and stood in the parking lot until Robert’s truck was completely out of view.

“Thanks for today,” you mumbled, without looking up at Jake, then spinning on your heels to head back inside.  There was still enough of the day that you could get your laundry done if you headed straight in and got to work, you just had to —

Jake’s hand on your wrist stopped you in your tracks. Your skin was tingling where his fingers were wrapped around you. Jaw set, you clenched, mouth forming a straight line. You were back on base now; you were back to being naval aviators. There wasn’t any room for these silly little schoolgirl feelings Jake inspired in you. You didn’t get to twirl your hair and bat your eyelashes and fall head over heels for your best friend. Instead, you got to linger somewhere painfully between ‘duty bound’ and ‘already in over your head.’

“What is it, Jake?” You hadn’t yet turned to face him, and that was an offense he didn’t take lightly to; though instead of waiting for you to rectify the situation, he does so himself. It was so very like him. 

“Look at me, please.” The raw edge to his voice startled you into compliance. 

You turned and regretted it immediately.

“What did I do?” His eyes were so soft, so entirely unguarded. A fear you didn’t recognize was plain on his face. “How can I fix it?”

“It’s nothing, Jake.”

But he was not convinced by your sighed syllables. “That’s bullshit.” Even the way he spoke was gentle, like he was afraid you’d evaporate from the sheer force of his words if he spoke too loudly.

“Something changed, after lunch, something… Something happened,” he continued. “Did Jamie say something to you? Court?” 

A short burst of laughter punched out of you, but it sounded colder than you imagined, and Jake stepped back like you’d slapped him. Fear was replaced by irritation. You recognized that particular crease in his brow, but you resolved that this was good. Maybe he needed to hate you a little, so you could get over whatever was most definitely not happening here.

“What?” You laughed again, though this time it sounded more forced than before. “Did you expect me to go all weak-kneed because you saved me, Jake? Showed me what a real family was like? Would you like me to grovel with gratitude now, or can I save that for later?”

And you regretted the words the moment you said them, instantly spiraling. It was vicious and careless, but a low enough blow that it would end things — it would fix things, once and for all. But then that feeling from earlier returned, that burning at the back of your throat and the sting in your eyes. You understood now that what you were feeling was loss; you were preparing for the loss of your best friend. Prematurely, perhaps, but if you knew Jake at all, you knew it wasn’t that premature. He let the others think he was a jerk and a blowhard but, to you, he admitted to the real softness of his heart. The purity of it. It was you he sat beside, shaking with worry after Phoenix and Bob went down after a bird strike. You, he called when his niece got a case of the flu so bad she was hospitalized and he couldn’t see her. You, he pleaded with for help when he’d mouthed off too much in class and was pretty sure everyone hated him now. You knew everything he did was so startlingly fucking earnest. To question how genuine he was, to question his integrity, was the kind of wound that could only be delivered intimately. And you had done it so very well. A real stab and twist.

You mumbled an apology, just desperate to escape Jake and that angry, but somehow still pleading look in his eyes. It was when your back was turned that Jake finally spoke.

“God, I have to be so fucking stupid.” 

“Jake, don’t,” you said, stilled but not turning back around. Your pride wouldn’t let him see you cry.

“No, I must be. I must be a complete fucking idiot to have misread all the signs that you… That we want the same thing.”

You didn’t dare speak at first; you couldn’t. And then, when you did, the ragged nature of your breathing startled even you. “And what is it that you think we both want?”

“More than this, Vee!” He sounded exasperated, and you didn’t need to face him to know that Jake had run a frustrated hand through his hair. “More than tiptoeing around each other and how we feel about each other, and trying to pretend like, like…” 

“Trying to pretend like what?” The words ripped out of you like a sob and you couldn’t will yourself to be still anymore. Your body angled toward his like you were fucking magnetized. 

“Trying to pretend like I am not in love with you.” 

The words landed like lead around you, and you had to bite back a sob. When that wasn’t enough to muffle the sound, you slapped a palm to your mouth. 

He had done it. He had taken that big thing, wrestled it into submission, and then laid it bare in front of you. But, more than that, he’d laid himself bare in front of you. He was more naked now than he’d ever been in any locker room. This was Jake at his most honest.

And you could feel yourself teetering so dangerously on the edge of giving in. Your breaths heaved in and out of you with great effort. 

What if you ruined this? What if he left you? What if, what if, what if…

God, but what if you didn’t? What if, for once, something just fucking worked out, and someone just stayed? If there was anyone in your life who was capable of staying, wouldn’t it be Jake? Who else could it be? 

Your resolve was so thin, so fragile; when you finally spoke, it was: “Jake, I’m scared.” 

He took a step toward you. He could’ve closed the gap between your bodies in a singular stride, but he was giving you an out. One last chance to walk away. You remained anchored to your spot on the pavement. When he took the final step toward you, he had a palm raised to frame your face — he was shaking, but he rested his forehead against yours, too. And that was Jake, in a nutshell. Scared, but pushing forward. It was one of the things you admired, one of the things you loved most about him. 

“Don’t be scared, Vee.” The plea was soft, softer than a prayer. “Don’t be scared. Whatever there is to figure out, we’ll figure it out together. We can make this work.”

“And if we can’t?”

“We’ll figure that out together, too.” 

Even as your every survival instinct was telling you not to, even as all you wanted to do was run, you leaned in. The kiss was a little clumsy — he hadn’t been ready, you were too nervous. But then your hand found purchase against his chest, and one of his at your hip. And then you were practically tugging each other closer; your lips fitting together more seamlessly. How had you held out this long? How had you deprived yourself of this? 

Jake retracted, eyes wild and bright when he looked at you. As his lips sloped into a grin, you knew something was coming. 

“Ma’am, I’m not sure if you heard me, but…”

“Oh, you mean your little love confession?” you reveled in the flush that crept up his neck and the laugh that fled your now kiss-swollen lips as a result.

Though realization seemed to darken his expression, and his eyes left yours. The loss was one you felt immediately. 

“What?”

Jake must have felt the tension begin to seep into your body, because his thumb began to press slow, soothing circles against your hip. 

“Vee, I know you don’t need me to save you. You have never needed to be saved by anyone.” His brow furrowed a moment, and the hand still cradling your face dropped to meet the other at your hips. “But if you want to be… If you want someone else to help you carry all that weight on your shoulders. Well, that would be okay, too, alright?”

You weren’t certain, but when Jake met your gaze once again, you were almost positive there were tears welling in his eyes. The sight of his vulnerability rendered you speechless, so you nodded mutely, then managed a small ‘okay.’ It was instinctive for you to rest your forehead against Jake’s chest and allow his arms to envelope you in his embrace. More so than ever before.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you had been standing there when you finally spoke up again. “Hey, Jake?”

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“I love you.”

He didn’t say anything, and he didn’t need to. Instead, he dropped a kiss on the top of your head, and tightened his arms around you. And maybe, just maybe, you thought… this wouldn’t be so bad. Whether it was 20 minutes or 20 years, you wanted as much of Jake as he was willing and able to give. 

Keep, alter, discard? You were definitely keeping this feeling.

[devildancing]

❝ No. ❞ The answer is more immediate than it should have been. More absolute. Narcissa even finds herself laughing at the notion, dry and drained and numb. ❝ — That's not really what we do. ❞

To tell her family, that would mean she would first have to talk to her family. The very idea was incomprehensible. The girl wouldn't know how; she couldn't even fathom where to start. Those who hadn't made themselves purposefully scarce might as well have for all of the warmth and invitation they exuded. She also doubted there was a single creature among them that would know any better than her what to do with the information if it was given to them. They'd tell her to hide it and never speak of it again, or worse...

They would blame her.

Perhaps that's the truly terrible thing about it all. The witch cannot definitively say that her family wouldn't somehow turn this all around on her. For all the unyielding loyalty that she's shown over the years, for every forced smile and faked felicity, Cissy cannot say that the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black would stand behind her as she has it. Because, what is she but a silly little girl? Trifling. Disposable.

Bella may not be a son but she is older. She bears a name much the same as the rest; one that blazes like divine fire through the heavens. How can Narcissa think to compete with that? The blonde literally pales in comparison, rooted to her lonely spot by the name that very same family had shackled her with. A name that is exactly how they all see her regardless of all her hard-work and efforts. Grounded. Delicate. Pretty. Self-absorbed.

While the world at large might see one sister attacking the other as the greatest of sins, Narcissa knows her family and knows exactly how they think. It would be selfish of her to tell anyone else the truth — to expect someone else to take on the burden of doing anything about it.

'Just stand still girl, grin and bear it.'

❛ No one deserves to carry that alone, Cissy. ❜ 

James' words - so far removed from those reverberating in her brain - break the poor girl from her troubled thoughts and, for a moment, the witch is simply speechless. No, it's not exactly groundbreaking information but it's still exactly what Narcissa needs to hear in that moment. It also brings about another overwhelming wave of fondness for the impossible boy beside her, blunt teeth chewing thoughtfully on the flesh of her lush lower lip as she allows the sensation to settle over her.

At least she had him.

❝ If — ? ❞ She parrots the word back breathlessly, sensing the lifeline being tossed in that one lone syllable. Her pale blue gaze searches his darker features, drinking in the hesitance and uncertainty she finds there with open curiosity and no small level of intrigue. This is new. She knows him to be full of confidence - a lion of unwavering bravado - especially when he's trying to hide.

Her tired body melts into his even without the provocation, the touch of his fingers through her pale gold hair all but second nature at this point. The familiarity between them is something that Cissy cherishes. More than any doll. More than any of her pretty lace dresses. Perhaps more than anything that she knows, it's the one thing she wouldn't and couldn't throw away. Because, it's not something that can be replaced. There's nothing that she could even think to compare it to.

Perhaps that's part of the reason why the first mention of her sister and the illustrious Mr. Lupin puts a damper on things. Of course the two lovebirds would be free and keen to walk around as they pleased and, of course, James would know more about it than Narcissa herself. She's so preoccupied with the troubling thought that it takes her just as much time to process exactly what it is that the messy-haired boy is trying to say as it does for him to actually say it.

Just the two of them. In muggle London. A few days.

❝ Yes. ❞ The answer is more immediate than it should have been. More absolute. Cissy even finds herself laughing at the notion, preposterous and reckless and wild. ❝ — I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do. ❞

James listens to her, learning to be silent and not let his worst instincts reign. The words flow low, almost softly out of her pretty mouth and turn into daggers in his heart. He knew he had been close to losing her - felt her stubbornly slip away in that bloody cold infirmary room. But to have it confirmed makes him want to…scream, cry, fight - find her sister, future brother in law and future fucking fiancé and torn them to pieces. 

A beast inside of him rattles with fury and he breathes in — inhaling the peppermint notes of her tea, calming his heart with the beat of her own. It is challenging to fight every instinct shouting in his bones with fury, with the oh so very Gryffindor bravado to march into the Slytherin’s nest and seek justice, retribution, anything or anyone to answer for his friend’s pain. His best friend’s pain. 

James willingly ignores, for the moment being, the gentle yet exhilarating thought that she may be a lot more to him.

 ❛ Is it such a horrible truth? I would say it’s a terrific truth.❜  He half jokes, swallowing hard once the touch of her soft lips grazes his knuckles, his beating heart leaping in place. ❛ I am honored, nevertheless, to know you deem me worthy enough to let me find you.❜ 

He kisses the side of her head lightly, the warmth of both the dancing flames in the fireplace and the heat of the lithe body resting against him surrounding him. It is a sort of bitter sweetness to find the moment so soothing when she is sharing something truly heartbreaking. James may not have blood siblings of his own, but god dammit he has does have brothers - Sirius, Peter and Remus. James cannot fathom the thought that any of them may harm him like Bellatrix Black hurt her own sister. The idea would never cross their minds, of that he is sure. 

❛ Have you…are you going to tell them, any of them? ❜ 

He ventures with wonder, and some cautiousness. James is not certain himself whether it is a good idea or not. The boy is keenly aware of the difficult dynamics with her family, both because of what Cissy and Sirius have shared before in very different tones. The ancient and noble house of Black were not exactly known to be of the supportive kind, and James cannot begin to imagine what sort of chaos this attack - blood against blood - may create within. And yet - James knows Cissy, oh so well by now. The distance between her and her sisters is one he would have noticed even if he didn’t spend every moment he could with the young witch. He knows this hurts her, deeply. And the thought that Cissy’s very own love and loyalty to her family may mean she carries this alone sickens him to no end.

❛ I would never dare to tell you what to do, love, or to pretend to truly understand what you are feeling… I know you love them. And well — the break is just next week. I hate the idea that the only person that you share this with is your good ol’ friend James Potter, miles away. No one deserves to carry that alone, Cissy. ❜ 

Especially with the sort of company he imagines would be around the Black family's manor, including, unfortunately, Bella herself. For fuck's sake, she would have rather disappear than tell them! Because her own sister nearly killed her. And still, James see no future where his best friend is happy without her family. Her happiness is all he cares for.

❛ What if…❜ 

A thought occurs inside his messy, curly head and he is hesitant, only for a moment. His beating heart drums hard again against the cage of his chest. Why was it so difficult for him to ask? The Gyffindor shifts lightly on the spot, dragging a hand over his tangled hair before gathering her closer with the hand on her shoulder, as he begins to play mindlessly with a single curl of blond hair between his fingers. 

❛ Hells, I also hate the idea that I won’t see you during the break, love. ❜ He adds with a low smile, pulling at the curl in his fingers teasingly. ❛ What if…well, I happen to know of good account that Remus and Andromeda will spend some time in muggle London at the beginning of the spring break, so what if — I don’t know, I could ask him to, kindly, ask her to invite you with whatever excuse, or even… I mean, a few days earlier, I could be…. there. With you… show you around, yeah?... Would you like that? ❜