#but at least i know the fandom is gonna go wild with all the seeds planted here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Ok I just finished watching all the ending for Ruin and I gotta say, similar to the base game they all just left me with a sense of... "What? That's it?" So many threads left untied. Who is Cassie's dad? How did Gregory/The mimick call her? (No seriously how?? you only get the walky talky once you're already in the Pizza Plex. How did it contact her???) What happens after the "good" ending?? It just cuts off. Does she escape? Does she find the real Gregory?? How did Roxy come back to life. Does Roxy escape with Cassie like how Freddy did with Gregory?? Will we keep having DLC until each animatronic escapes with a separate child? I'm (mostly) joking with that one lol. But seriously, the endings are so abrupt! I get why the normal ending is like that, I actually quite like the normal ending! It cuts abruptly as it's implied that Cassie dies. But that's not the "true" ending, and bad endings like the normal ending aren't nearly as fun when the "good" ending just cuts off and doesn't show us what we want to see!
I don't know, the endings were just so quick and leave so many questions. I know that "it's FNAF, that's the fun of it so you can theorize" but Security Breach isn't really your typical FNAF game, y'know? It's way more complex with full-blown actual characters with personalities and motivations. And yet, this game is the one that doesn't give us complete endings. Even in the old FNAF games, their endings made a complete story. First game, you're a security guard, you survive, you get fired. Complete ending. Fourth game, you're a child terrified of the animatronics and you're killed by your brother. Sister Location you're a security guard and your body gets taken over by an animatronic. Pizzeria simulator concluded almost all of the loose ends of the entire series at the time, ending the tragedy and putting the souls to rest. In ruin, you're a girl looking for your friend. In the "good" ending you take down the creature pretending to be him and then what? Do you go home? Do you see Roxy again? Do you ever find Gregory? The story is left unfinished. It cuts right after the climax with no conclusion. It just feels kinda disappointing. That's not to say the entire game is bad or anything, you can't be disappointed if you weren't excited for something, y'know? But the good ending just feels pretty lackluster, to the point where I'd rather just get the normal/bad ending
#feeling kinda meh#but at least i know the fandom is gonna go wild with all the seeds planted here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#live blog#liveblog#security breach: ruin#ruin dlc#spoiler#spoilers#security breach#fnaf#five nights at freddys#five nights at freddy's
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WIP Whenever
*takes a deep breath* Tagged by @streetkid-named-desire @wanderingaldecaldo (you two I think at least twice lol) @seeker-of-truth
@baublekute @scarlettspectra @aggravateddurian. Thank you all very much for thinking of me! 🧡
Tag backs for everyone above 😘 and @luvwich @merge-conflict @shimmer-like-agirl @mynonsenseistingling
@fly-amanitaa @dani-the-goblin @tarmac-rat @lavnderkiwi @morganlefaye79
Cash your tag in now or later and feel free to do whatever creative projects you're working on! Doesn't even have to be fandom related.
It's been a minute. This one got long.
I largely haven't been doing any fandom stuff other than VP because my work schedule has been insane the past two months. And the only reason I have VP to post is because I'm generous about snapping pics and the vast majority of photos y'all are seeing are ones I took back in March/April/May.
Things at work are starting to be slightly less hectic though, so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. I'm trying to be gentle with myself about the time and energy I do have but it's been frustrating wanting to do things and not having the beans to do them. Spending most of my workdays outside for extended periods of time means I'm bone tired when I get home. And then I have more work to do outside...
Gardening
My garden is gonna be very scraggly looking for the rest of the year, but if I can keep it alive, in theory, the plants should come back bigger and bolder next year. Shortgrass prairie plants spend the bulk of their first few growing seasons establishing their root systems since water is often in short supply, so the tops of the plants are very unimpressive rn. Most of them probably won't get much bigger than this or even flower this year.
I've gotten a good chunk of the plants in the ground, have irrigation lines going to all of them, and did the lil concrete paver patio. I still need to finish planting the plants that have been languishing in their pots for over a month, bury the irrigation lines, and do a bunch of other random things, but we're getting there. Not planning on covering the bare dirt with mulch because I'm doing fall and spring seeding and I want the plants to self-sow. Going for wild pocket prairie and I'm gonna let it go absolutely feral. I'd eventually like to get rid of the river rocks too but baby steps.
What's really funny is all my native plants seem to be doing reasonable well. My vegetable garden on the other hand... It's sad. I know where I fucked up though (I should not have done that soil experiment lol and attack of the cutworm catepillars), so I'll just have to cut my loses this year and reevaluate for next. The worm composter is doing good though 🪱
Drawing
Attempting to get back into drawing. Again, it's been slow. Have been doodling some mutual's CP2077 OCs when I have the time and still have a ways to get through my list. I'm surprised by how much fan art of Grandpa I've received so I figured I'd return the favor for some folks. It's always a pleasant surprise getting some lovely art in your inbox. Probably won't be coloring most of these from here on out. I have a love hate relationship with coloring. Sorry, I just find lines more interesting. All of these were done with dip pen, ink, and watercolor.
I've got another more formal piece I need to work on as well and get done by the end of the month. Keep forgetting to do the layout sketches...
Writing
The slowest of them all. Been working on the same damn short fic (No. 1 of Les Preludes) and then brainstorming for about fifty other projects that are waiting their turn in line. Plus, I'm still trying to read too. But when I can only manage a chapter of a fic about every two weeks...
Most of my writing efforts have been bopping into my drafts now and then and pecking out a sentence or two. However, I did manage to spend 45 minutes detangling a section of about 200 words 🐢:
Have you or a loved one been in an accident or injured on the job? Are you missing your former quality of life? Holed up in the bathroom, Robert winced at his reflection in the mirror and at the crusted blood he picked at underneath his nostrils. Then consider Arasaka Cybernetic Implants! Fully functional prostheses are capable of replicating the full range of human motion and more! Available in a range of sizes and styles to suit all your lifestyle needs. The body of the future is NOW. The corners of his mouth tugged on a bruised eye and what former experience had taught him was a broken nose. Call 1-800-IMPLANT today for a free consultation! Low-interest financing and payment plans available. A rapid fire of unintelligible fine print was drowned out by the sputter of the faucet. Robert cupped his hands and scrubbed at his face, the pain disappearing for the briefest moments with the black of shut eyes and splashes of cold water. Arasaka Corporation. What can we do for you? Dry flecks of red decorated the sides of the sink before rehydrating into inky swirls of blood that slipped down the sides of imitation porcelain. Yellowed, cracked, and starting to chip. The plastic hadn’t aged well.
This snippet gives me the hardest war flashbacks to those late 90s/early 00s TV phone ads. Anyone else old enough to remember these things?
#even threw together a couple of new banners who am i?#drawing#writing#art#gardening#wip whenever#cyberpunk 2077#little ghost on the prairie#🐢🪱📝🎨🌱
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Tee, I'm adding another fandom to our Isekai Protagonist Desmond bunny bank. I finally got around to playing Rune Factory 5 (after being distracted by a bevy of other games) and was hit by the idea that Desmond would find eating BREAD to gain new crafting recipes to be really fucking wild. Like. How in the hell?! And that, to separate them from normal bread- they're. They're just. They're just called [Insert Craft] Bread and that's it.
For example! You want to make a potion? Gonna have to scarf down some Chemistry Bread! A new battle-axe with added poison damage? Weapon Bread! Wanna learn how to make some, I dunno, soup dumplings to woo the local wolfman himbo? (Or himbo wolfman, either way he's pure of heart and dumb of ass.) Well, you might need to level up your cooking skill but once you've gotten a level (or three or ten), then you might get lucky after chowing down three or four Cooking Breads but when you don't get any sudden bursts of enlightenment after that then you're gonna need to level up again!
All of it might have Desmond questioning reality some more but at least he's got some eye-candy to make up for it all! (And we could even make some of the potential husbands local expies of his usual AC partners. And yes, you can choose to romance and marry your own gender now in RF and it's non-fantasy sibling game Story of Seasons.)
(Just in case anyone is wondering, Story of Seasons is the real Harvest Moon sequels, not whatever ‘Harvest Moon’ game Natsume Inc is publishing. If you’re wondering if it’s a real ‘Harvest Moon’, any Harvest Moon released in the US by 2014 named ‘Harvest Moon’ are not part of the real series under Marvelous/Xseed)
Okay, so let’s talk about Desmond waking up in some weird place he has no idea ever existed in his own world. People assumed he has amnesia because he ‘forgot’ so many things about their world but Desmond is pretty sure he’s been transported to a different world.
Exhibit A: monsters.
Exhibit B: the logic behind these… ‘specialized’ breads.
So Desmond is left with no choice but to… well… go with the flow.
He has no idea why they gave him a farm though but… it was nice.
There was something nice about how everyone was helpful. It made Desmond feel like he was truly part of Rigbarth. SEED sounded fishy as hell though so he didn’t agree to joining them (also, he didn’t want to join any organization right now).
Overall…
Desmond liked to think of this as his retirement.
And it was fun trying to figure out how this world works. There was a lot to do for the farm but, even though that was true, Desmond had never felt more relaxed.
There were also a lot of kind people who didn’t mind joining him in exploring what lies beyond Rigbarth.
Hell, he even got a monster ranch going on in one part of his farm.
And then…
A man with amnesia going by the name Lucas arrived in town and…
He believes he knows Desmond.
He doesn’t seemed to remember when or how though but it was a clue. A clue to why Desmond had been sent here…
But the real question is…
If he finds the answer to his questions… would he be able to return to his old world?
Did… did he even want to?
Unorganized Notes:
I kinda like the idea that the bachelors and bachelorettes remain who they are and this will be a case of Desmond finding love in the ‘strangest’ of places.
His children though… the game gives 3 (1 older and twins) so that means we can have Desmond’s children be reincarnations of Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton (called Connor in this one). The twist can be hidden at the beginning on and Desmond learns they’re really his ancestors later on. This does mean that you’re free to choose who Desmond falls in love with (or make it a vote idk).
Considering Lucas’ true identity in the game, this might end up being one of those “eternal love” setup where Lucas used to be an Isu who created the world Desmond is sent in as some kind of simulated universe and placed his conscious there to escape the Solar Flare millenias ago. Minerva’s last ditch effort to save Desmond pushed him into the Grey and Lucas noticed that Juno was trying to take him so he grabbed Desmond and yanked him to his ‘safe world’. Lucas lost his memories because Desmond isn’t part of his world so Desmond’s sudden appearance caused a chain reaction that ended with Lucas’ amnesia (as he’s being repaired). His children being ‘reborn’ is actually his Bleeds gaining their own bodies.
Will Desmond make his own Brotherhood in this one? Probably not. At most, he’d teach his children Assassin-like tricks to help them be safe but not train him the way Bill did. That’s why it took a while for Desmond to realize his children are his ‘ancestors’. Ezio was the one who realized something fishy was going on at the start because (1) his older brother is named Altaïr and (2) one of his parents is named Desmond. The monster and fantasy-esque setting of the world he was reborn in offkiltered him a bit though XD
Up to you if you want to have an actual ‘oh the world is in danger… sorta’ plot as well or you just push it in the background with Lucas and Radea and let Desmond have his retirement.
#ngl#i went for reinhard for the sole purpose#of him being voiced by chris hackney#dimitri alexandre blaiddyd still has me XD#this has become a#fic idea: crossover#assassin's creed#desmond miles#ask and answer#altaïr ibn la'ahad#ezio auditore#ratonhnhaké:ton#connor kenway#fic idea: rune factory#rune factory 5#teecup writes/has a plot#fic idea: assassin's creed
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Full Mast - Part 2
Summary: Your idyllic life as a trophy wife of a rich lord is suddenly disturbed with the arrival of a pirate ship and a kidnapping that goes wrong... leaving you in the care of a band of pirates that seem to treat you better than your husband ever did.
Part 1,
Fandoms: Henry Cavill, Sand Castle - Movie, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Night Hunter, Hellraiser Hellworld
Pairing: Captain Syverson x Female Reader, August Walker x Reader, Walter Marshall x Reader, Mikey (Hellraiser) x Reader.
A/N: This is a CRACK FIC. After a brief discussion with @nuggsmum about the cheap romance novels that you could find in the 80′s and 90′s, i called upon the awful storylines, plot holes, and general cheesyness of those books that walked so fanfiction could run. Read the warnings please.
Storyboard note: The only artwork i could find that was suitable to show a Henry-like character included the woman seen above. I tried to crop as much of her out as possible, the story itself does not describe the female reader at all.
Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Unprotected Sex, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex (F Recieving), Blowjobs, Multiple Blowjobs, Multiple Partners, Implied Age Gap (but never confirmed). Pretty Poly Pirates.
Only the finest organic free range typos for me, allowed to run wild and free.
Full Mast part 2
Standing in the grand cabin you took in your surroundings; the large table that was half covered in maps, the scattered chests and crates, the large four poster bed with messy linens. You wondered if the Captain had many other women between those sheets, or whether he kept his liaisons to his time on shore. At the mere thought of the man that had just taken your innocence you felt your stomach clench and another wave of arousal coat your already soaked petals.
A quiet knock at the door drew your attention, smiling when you saw Mikey come in pulling a large chest and setting it down in the middle of the room;
“So err… Captain says there should be some stuff in here that will be ok for you, so umm… help yourself Miss…”
“Thank you Mikey”
The young man must be at least 20 yet a blush covered his cheeks as you spoke to him, and with a nervous smile he nodded his head and left the room, half tripping on the rug as he did so before slamming the door shut.
Stripping out of your ruined clothing you saw a pitcher of water and a bowl on the side, using it to wash the Captain's seed from your thighs. Crossing the room in just your silk stockings you opened the chest and pulled out a number of items, gauging what would fit. Looking around you set the items onto the large bed, pulling the covers straight as you made your choice and a thought came to mind.
-
Sy stood outside his cabin, his hand hovering over the door handle. What had he gotten himself into? When he’d heard that his old friend Walter was having issues on the island, he’d set sail immediately and between the two of them and his right hand man Walter, they’d come up with a fool proof plan; kidnap the lord’s young trophy wife, demand not even a ransom - just what they were due, return her unharmed. Instead he ended up with another officer onboard, a woman on his ship that was said to bring bad luck, and the puzzle of what the hell to do with her now it had been made abundantly clear that her husband didn’t want her back. Taking a deep breath he entered the room, expecting the worst…
“Darlin?... Don’t be mad…”
He looked around the room, surprised that at first he wasn’t pelted with whatever wasn’t tied down, but when he couldn’t see you at all he frowned.
“Captain, over here…”
His jaw dropped when he saw you, kneeling on his bed, bare save for your stockings and a smile. Crossing the room he came to stand at the foot of the bed, licking his lips as his gaze traversed your naked body;
“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes…I don’t know what i was expecting, but it wasn’t this…”
With a single finger he beconned you towards him, watching as you moved until you were up on your knees, his large hand at the back of your neck and you were kissing again, his glorious tongue exploring your mouth as your hands clung to his shirt. Deliberately falling back on the bed you pulled him with you, his mouth making its way to your breasts where he lavished each one with full mouthed kisses, his tongue laving over the hardened peaks before pressing a trail of kisses down your stomach before settled at the apex of your thighs;
“Gotta be the prettiest little Puss i’ve seen in a long time, bet you’re as sweet as a peach too…”
His tongue swiped a wide path through your folds, your fingers clawing at the sheets as his beard tickled you and he did to you things you’d only read about in the secretive books that were hidden in the depths of your husbands library.
“Oh Captain!” you gasped as his tongue dived into your soaked entrance, his nose rubbing at your sensitive clit and you could feel your stomach tightening with anticipation of the inevitable. Seemingly in no need of air he continued to work the thick muscle inside of you, driving you closer and closer to the pinnacle of pleasure until the point of no return was met and you came with a cry, your legs clamping around his head.
Finally he pulled himself free of your grasp, climbing up the bed until he was nestled between your thighs, his hardness pressing against your soaked core. Holding himself up on his strong arms he looked down at you beneath him;
“This time i’m gonna take my time and savour it…”
Your hands found their way to his breeches, unbuttoning him and gasping as his hot flesh sprung into your palm, heavy and weeping with need you guided him to your entrance. As he plunged into your depths the world seemed to fade around you; you’d had a taste of heaven and now you wanted more;
“You’re so big…”
“You want me to slow down Darlin?”
“No! It feels… so good…”
With practiced skill he rocked into you, slow but rough thrusts that had his length hitting a spot deep inside you’d had no idea that existed. The man had probably fucked his way around half of the Carribean but for a barely touched blossom as yourself he cherished the way your petals opened around him.
He continued to fuck you closer and closer to orgasm, feeling your body tighten around him and tremble, he slid a hand between your bodies and rubbed at your sensitive pearl, a grin spreading across his face as you came again with a shout of his rank;
“That’s a good girl, so fucking good… almost there…”
He quickly pulled out and spilled his seed over your stomach, watching as rope after rope of his creamy seed patterned your body, before he fell to your side, his chest heaving. Covering his eyes he let out a shaky breath;
“What the fuck have i gotten myself into…” He peeped out from between his fingers, smiling at you before pulling you in for a sloppy kiss, finally resting his forehead against yours; “Wait there a moment Darlin, i’ll get you cleaned up”
-
You’d dressed in front of your Captain, watching how he admired your choices from where he sat at the long table;
“Wasn’t expecting you to go for breeches…” he commented as you fastened the half length velvet garment, your stockings beneath the knee length trousers. A loose shirt with a wide leather belt fastening it at your waist was the only other garment you put on, standing in front of him and doing a little twirl; “Very nice… and practical”
“I spent ten years of my childhood aboard spice ships, running up ladders and rigging in skirts was a recipe for disaster.”
You crossed the room and sat across his lap;
“So, how is this going to work? You gonna drop me at the next port, leave me to my own devices? Wait until we’re in shark infested waters and throw me overboard?”
“What? Now why would i do that to a pretty little thing like you?”
“Well I know you didn’t end up with the outcome you were hoping for, and now you’re stuck with a ransomee that isn’t due any ransom”
He let out a sigh;
“I wouldn’t do that… it ain’t your fault your husband had the balls of a eunuch. No, i’m sure we can find a use for you, even if it’s just warming my bed… did you have an education?”
“Of sorts. Whenever we docked in Grace Bay i’d see a governess. I can speak spanish, french, and italian” you nodded to the maps spread over the table; “... and i can chart courses and know the currents of the Indies better than anyone that ever sailed on the spice route”
You gently stroked his beard;
“So Captain, what do you want me to do?”
“All of the above and more…” he stroked your cheek; “I won’t always be able to please you in bed, and from the signs of it you’ve got quite a carnal appetite...So, firstly you can call me Sy when its just us or the officers. When we’re on deck it’s Captain like everyone else. Secondly, if you want it, my officers could do with a bedmate, if you don’t mind sharing?”
Your eyebrows shot up so far you were surprised they didn’t meet your hair;
“Share me with your officers? Who…”
“There’s the Constable - who you’ll know from town - Walter Marshall, and the Armoury Officer - August Walker, and you’ve met Michael, he’s first mate”
“O-Okay”
“You’re alright with that?”
Stroking his beard you leant forwards and kissed him;
“Yes, yes I am. I’ve always wanted a little more adventure in my life, and now here it is”
“Well, you can be the one to decide when you want to go to the others, i’ll leave that move to you… i wont say anything yet”
“Thank you Sy, let's tell them Friday night. You can tell them.”
“Anything for my little Rose” he pressed his face to your neck and inhaled; “Still smell as sweet as that rose garden…”
“You can call me Rose if you like?”
“A new name for a new start?”
“Something like that” you grinned at him.
-
You’d spent four nights in the arms of Sy, some nights just falling asleep in each others arms, other’s you would fuck until dawn. That particular morning you’d taken him in your mouth and he’d taught you how to suck a man, working your tongue and lips over his hot flesh until he’d flooded your mouth with his thick salty seed. He’d held your jaw as he finished;
“Now be a good girl and swallow it”
You gulped down the mouthful before smiling;
“Tasty”
With a laugh he kissed you, before giving your naked ass a cheeky spank as he rolled out of bed;
“You gonna join me on deck?”
You stretched and sighed;
“I’m gonna try and find that earring i dropped when you had me bent over the table last night…”
-
Sy entered his cabin just as the ship’s cook was leaving, nodding to the meal he’d set out;
“Creole Stew tonight Cap’n, bread and ale like always”
“Thanks. Have you seen Rose?”
“No Sir”
Nodding Sy entered his cabin with a weary sigh, it had been a long day and all he really wanted to do was crawl into bed to sleep, grateful it was Friday which meant August took early watch on deck the next day, but he had dinner with the other officers and he hadn’t seen you for the last few hours, last he knew you were still on the hunt for your lost earring. Leaving the door ajar he sat at the table and started to eat, moments later Walter and August joining him.
“Where’s the others?” Walter asked as he sat, helping himself to a large chunk of bread
“Mikey is in the crows nest, he’ll be down shortly” August confirmed; “Haven’t seen Rose for a while though”
“Rose?”
“Sy’s bit of fluff. Decided as its a new start onboard she may as well choose a new name. Apparently its because Sy say’s she smells of Roses”
Walter snorted out a low laugh;
“She’s gonna be smelling of Sy sooner or later”
Sy listened to his two oldest friends banter back and forth, unaware of the surprise he was about to get. Hearing quick footfalls coming along the corridor he looked up to see Mikey at the doorway just as two soft hands pressed to his thighs from beneath the table. He nodded to Mikey to take a seat, before leaning back and peering down to his lap, hiding his surprise when he saw you on your knees beneath the table, hidden from the view of the rest of the party by the many overhanging maps and the low candle light.
Grabbing a chunk of bread he stayed leaning back but parted his thighs wide, wide enough to allow you to unfasten him and pump his hardening length and slip him into your mouth.
“Dig in boys, its gonna be a spicy meal tonight!”
As you worked quickly with your new found skills, sucking on the bulbous head as you fondled his heavy ballsack with your free hand, working quickly and silently as the men above you talked amongst themselves. You could feel Sy’s leg start to tremble, his hand sliding beneath the table to hold your head in place, and as you relaxed your jaw you felt his hot seed flood your mouth.
“WOO!” he exclaimed above you; “This stew is HOT!”
He took a deep breath and slapped his hand on the table with a laugh, before you tucked him carefully back into his breeches and you continued with your plan.
“Sy, we need to consider restocking the armoury” August started; “Scuttling the boats used up a lot of ammunitionnnnnnnnn”
Sy looked up and smirked, August looking at him wide eyed but recovering quickly, clearing his throat;
“Anyway as i was saying… umm... wow, the stew… the spice really hits after a while doesn’t it…”
August scrunched his face and rested his hand on his fist, before grabbing his tankard of ale and taking a large gulp, some of it spilling from the sides of his mouth as he spluttered on the liquid that did only a little to hide the groan. Sy shovelled another mouthful of stew into his mouth to hide his grin as August sat back in his chair, a half glare on his face.
Walter frowned at both of the older men;
“I have no idea what you two are on about, this stew is fine”
August wiped the slight sheen of sweat from his brow, before finally sitting straight and digging back into his meal;
“Walt, just wait, it takes a while to hit you but when it does… ooooh boy it takes your breath away”
The big bear of a man frowned and shovelled another mouthful in, before his eyes went wide. Swallowing awkwardly he nodded, shifting in his seat;
“Oh… oh yeah… its hitting… wow, its a good burn, ya know…” taking a leaf out of August’s book he grabbed his tankard, taking a gulp as he fidgeted in his seat, both Sy and August doing poor jobs of hiding their smirks, whereas Mikey was sat at the far end of the table without the slightest clue as to what was going on;
“Seriously? You guys must be getting old, this stew ain’t spicy”
Sy raised his tankard to his son and grinned;
“Just wait, it’ll hit ya… anyway, i got an announcement to make”
The three other men looked at Sy, Walter’s gaze faltering now and again as his focal point seemed to change, but he shifted in his seat and leaned his elbow against the armrest of his chair, his hand sliding beneath the table as he muttered about ‘cramp’, when in fact his large hand was holding your head in place as he pushed deeper into your throat. Sy cleared his throat and continued;
“We all know the events at the island did not go to plan. We’re down on funds and supplies, and we’ve increased the crew numbers with those that helped with the land mutiny… we’ve also of course got Rose to consider, she never asked for any of this, but we have come up with a solution of sorts”
“I think i might know what that solution could be” Walter panted out, his face contorting into something that resembled a grimace as he muttered about spiciness and cramps again before with a sigh a smile spread across his face; “Ooooh that’s it… the cramps are going…”
“Anyway” Sy interjected with a wry smile; “Rose can speak numerous languages, can read and chart maps, she’s probably the best educated of everyone on the ship”
Just then Mikey squeaked and jumped in his chair, a thud sounding beneath the table;
“S-s-sorry... my knee hit the table”
Sy nodded with a smile;
“No problem Son, carry on. So Rose will also be here for other duties, but only for the officers at this table tonight” he paused; “And i think you all now know what those duties will be”
August nodded as he eagerly mopped up the last remaining morsels of his stew with a chunk of bread;
“That sounds a fucking brilliant idea Sy. She has the greatest tits...�� at that moment Mikey let out a groan and his head thudded against the high back of his chair; “... and i think we all now know she’s got a fucking brilliant mouth on her”
There was little point in denying what had just happened, the very fact it was still going on and Mikey had so little control of his reactions as you were sucking his meaty dick, having just done the same to the other three men in the room from the darkness under the table. In fact the three older men started to chat away candidly as you lavished Mikey’s beautiful cock with your tongue, before taking him in hand to move your mouth down to his tight ballsack to suck on the warm globes. His athletic thighs had parted enough for you to get much closer than you had done with the other three men - all of whom had thighs that could crush a coconut - and it meant that the top of your head could now be seen in his lap by the other men.
“Grab her hair Mikey” August shouted from behind his refilled tankard; “Get deep down in her throat, its fucking amazing, feels like she’ll suck your soul out of your dick”
You felt Mikey's hands curl into your hair, holding your head in place as he started to rock his hips up, filling your mouth and throat. Gripping hard to his thighs you could feel him start to tremble, preparing yourself for the flood of seed and as he came with a cry, looking down at you as you stared back with wide innocent eyes that completely ruined him.
Finally he released his grip on you, and as you looked down you smiled at what came into view. Seconds later you were climbing out from beneath the table, turning to smile at the rest of the men as you fastened the earring to your lobe;
“Look Sy, i found my earring!”
Walking around the table you took the tankard of ale that August held out for you with a smile, before sitting across Sy’s lap;
“I think they like the idea”
Sy looked at the men around the table, his trusted friends and family and smiled;
“I think they do, my sweet Rose”
He clinked his tankard to yours and you both drank, the joyous laughter filling the room as the night continued.
__________________________________________________________
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Masterlist can be found on AO3, link here.
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Finding Love In Legacy OaIs pt. 12
Title: Finding Love In Legacy Oaks pt. 12
Fandom: Kingsman
Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader
Author: @sheerfreesia007
Words: 8,768
Warnings: Fluff, mention of injury, mention of cheating, mention of mental & physical abuse
Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien
Author Notes: I’ve used the Old Farmer’s Almanac for the flower meanings since there are so many different cultures that have different meanings for the flowers. (I used a different meaning for Daisies though because I needed a get well soon flower) And I love Es calling Jack out on upping his flower game. “Tough nuggets” came from teaching myself and my husband not to curse in front of our son when he was younger, we came up with tough nuggets and the kid even started to say it which is super cute! We learn about the ex-husband, dun dun duuunnnn. He’s another piece of work just like Cynthia.
Gif Credit: Google
Stepping on the brake slowly Jack came to a stop at the guard shack as Jeremy stepped out of it early on Saturday morning with a slightly confused smile on his face. Jack lowered the volume on his radio and rolled down the driver’s side window so he would be able to talk to Jeremy as the man leaned against the doorframe of the shack.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to be home until tomorrow afternoon?” Jeremy asked curiously about the obvious change of plans. Jack nodded his head before looking over at him.
“Work wrapped up earlier and I wanted to surprise the girls. How’re they doing?” Jack replied with a question of his own. Jeremy smiled softly at Jack’s question before sighing softly, he crossed his arms over his chest and settled against the doorframe more securely.
“Well Es is still upset about Bunny breaking her ankle. Still feeling guilty that it’s her fault even though Bunny and I have told her that it’s not. Bunny’s been trying to keep her occupied and busy to keep her mind off of it. But Bunny’s drained, between the pain of her ankle and having to do things while on crutches it’s hard for her. Much harder than she was expecting I think. But you know Bunny she’s gonna put a brave face on and not show you how she’s really feeling.” Jeremy explained conversationally and Jack nodded along to his words.
“But Bunny’s big on checking in on everyone else and making sure that they’re all okay, who checks in on her?” Jack asked knowingly and Jeremy nodded his head in agreement.
“Well Penny Rogers checks in on her every once in a while and then I’ll call her at least once a week to catch up. But I don’t think Bunny has anyone who checks on her every day.” Jeremy said truthfully and Jack sat back in his seat for a moment silently contemplating that info.
“Her siblings don’t reach out to her? Or her parents?” he asked concerned and Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.
“Every once in a while but not all the time. Sometimes it’ll be months between her siblings calling her. And I think her parents call her about once a week. Her sister keeps up with her more because of her nephew but again I think it’s once a week. So she’s got people who check in but not every day.” Jeremy advised. Jack nodded his head at his words and sat there wondering if Bunny would think it weird if he began to check on her every morning or afternoon.
“Okay, well I know she’s probably gonna give me shit for it but I’ll help her out with anything that she needs done.” Jack said with a soft smirk and Jeremy scoffed before laughing knowingly.
“Oh yeah she’ll give you shit for it but I’m pretty sure you’re the right guy to put her in her place and let her know what’s what.” Jeremy said with an ecstatic glint in his eyes. Jack laughed loudly at Jeremy’s words and shook his head at the thought that he’d have to put Bunny in her place.
“Hey anyway, here I got this for you on the way here. In thanks for helping Bunny and Es out when that all went down.” Jack said as he turned to his passenger side seat and pulled out a plain bagel, some butter and cream cheese packets, as well as a large coffee and the sugar and milk containers. Handing it over to Jeremy through the window Jack smiled softly at the pleasantly shocked face of Jeremy.
“Oh wow! Thanks man, this is great.” Jeremy said in thanks as he took the food and drink from Jack.
“Yeah figured I’d pick ya up somethin’ since I stopped there for breakfast and just to say thanks and I appreciate you helping Es and Bunny.” Jack said with a shrug of his shoulders when Jeremy came back to lean against the doorframe with a soft smirk on his face.
“You care a lot about Bunny don’t you?” Jeremy asked knowingly and Jack instantly felt as if Jeremy was interrogating him. Jack looked over at Jeremy quickly who was still smirking at him. Feeling his anxiety rise slightly Jack tried to find a way to not divulge to Jeremy just how much he liked Bunny.
“Well yeah, I mean she’s been a huge help to me with Esme ever since we moved here. And she’s always so nice to everyone around here. How can I not like her?” Jack reasoned unassured as he watched Jeremy’s smirk widen on his face.
“Uh-huh, but that’s not what I’m talking about. And I think you know that.” Jeremy said cryptically and Jack knew that he had been caught out by the man standing before him. “You don’t have to on guard with me man. I’m loving that you two are feeling something out together. I think it’d be good for the two of you. I mean I don’t know your story but if you two wind up together it’d probably be great for Bunny.” Jeremy told Jack still sounding cryptic and Jack sat there wondering what he meant about it being good for Bunny to be with him. Jack also felt a seed of hope settle in his chest and he took in a deep breath feeling it start to pulse.
“I’m still trying to figure it out what’s going on between us.” Jack blurted out truthfully and looked over at Jeremy shocked. The man was nodding his head knowingly before he smiled softly down at the ground.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.” He admitted. “Plus I don’t think Bunny’s there quite yet either. You gotta give her a little bit of time to warm up to a romantic relationship. She’s been hurt really bad by her ex-husband, so she’s cautious and doesn’t trust easily when it comes to that type of relationship. So if you’re still figuring it out just know that so is she.” Jeremy advised softly and Jack got the feeling that Jeremy knew everything about Bunny’s past with her ex. He wondered silently why Jeremy knew everything and how the two had bonded over something like that to become such close friends.
“Thanks.” Jack said nodding his head as Jeremy cleared his throat softly and shuffled his feet underneath him.
“Just know that if you hurt her I’m coming after you and then I’d let Bunny adopt Esme once you’re taken care of.” Jeremy said nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders and stood to his full height. Jack burst out laughing at that and slid his car into drive.
“Well at least Esme would be well cared for that’s all I’d want.” Jack said jovially and Jeremy shook his head laughing at Jack. Jeremy then waved at him as he pressed the button to raise the gate at the entrance.
“Alright I’ll see you later. Tell Bunny I’ll call her before I leave work.” Jeremy said in farewell and Jack nodded as he slowly eased his car through the gate after waving at Jeremy.
*-*-*-*
Parking his car in the driveway to his house Jack stepped out of the car and stood next to it for a moment gazing around the quiet morning in the neighborhood. It was still too early for anyone to be up and about as the sun was just rising from the horizon. He smiled softly as he heard birds chirping before he saw they darting and dashing through the air. He relished in these quiet moments where he was able to reflect and just take in his surroundings as time slowly creeped by.
Shaking his head softly still smiling he moved to the passenger side of the car and opened the door so he could lean inside and pull out the bag of bagels and condiments, as well as the large bouquet of flowers he had ordered. Standing tall once more he nudged the car door shut with his hip before turning and walking across the street to Bunny’s house. Jack was reminded once again of the quiet morning as the only sound was the heel of his cowboy boots landing on the pavement of the street. It almost made him feel lonely as he listened to his footsteps, but then he heard the soft music playing as he neared Bunny’s house and he smiled as he saw the front windows were opened and he could hear Esme calling out to Bunny from somewhere inside the house.
Grinning widely he knocked on the front door as he came to stand before it. There was a loud call from inside and Jack heard running footsteps from the other side of the door. He chuckled softly when he saw the curtain on the side window shift and fall back across the window as a loud squeal was heard.
“Daddy!” Esme shouted loudly as she grinned up at him happily. Jack set the bag of bagels and the bouquet on the ground before kneeling down and opening his arms up to her. She quickly dashed forward and wrapped her small arms around his neck tightly as her small body collided with his. Jack wrapped his arms around her quickly and held her to him tightly.
“I missed you peanut.” He said fondly into her wild hair and she giggled softly.
“I missed you too. Love you lots like jelly tots.” She said softly and Jack felt his heart melt instantaneously as his arms tightened around her slightly more.
“Love you lots like jelly tots.” He whispered back to her before pressing a soft kiss to her temple. Esme took a step back and looked down at the flowers and bag of bagels before grinning up at him.
“Good thing you bought breakfast.” Esme said knowingly and Jack tilted his head to the side confused.
“Why?” he asked curiously and Esme hooked her thumb over her shoulder to the inside of the house.
“Bunny didn’t get a lot of sleep and she’s not used to her crutches yet.” Esme explained softly and Jack nodded his head in understanding. Just then there was the loud sound of crutches hitting the floor and a loud hiss of words that couldn’t be made out. Jack quickly grabbed the bagels and flowers before ushering Esme inside so he could see if Bunny was alright.
“Es, who was at the door?” came the called out question and Jack turned the corner to see Bunny leaning back against the kitchen island grimacing as she rested one of her crutches against the front of her body. Jack stood there in awe as he stared at an adorably bedraggled Bunny. She was dressed in an oversized long black sleep shirt that had the words ‘Amazing in bed, I could sleep for days’ on the front in white lettering. Her hair was piled up high on her head in a messy bun and she had a bunch of hair falling out of it around her face. Her right foot was in a large clunky white cast and the other was barefoot. Her left wrist was wrapped tightly in a bandage as she clenched and unclenched her fist. Jack’s eyes danced down her body and felt a warmth settle in his stomach as he imagined waking up to her like this every day. His eyes lingered on the lettering on her shirt as she finally looked up at him and he felt desire start to bloom inside him as he saw her eyes widen at seeing him standing in her kitchen doorway. “Jack!” she said shocked before he watched her cheeks flush with a pretty pink color as she tried to hurriedly move from her position over to him. Once more he dropped everything he was holding as he saw her try to twist and began to fall forward when her crutches escaped her hold.
Easily catching her around the waist Jack held her close to his body and gazed down at her trying to see if she had hurt herself with her movement. She grimaced softly with her eyes closed before opening them and looking up at him. He smiled softly at her and her cheeks seemed to flush once again.
“Second time you’d had to the catch me.” She said with embarrassment tinging her tone of voice as she grimaced softly up at him.
“I’ll always be here to catch you.” He promised softly and watched as her eyes sparkled with appreciation of his words. “Are you okay?” he asked as he began to straighten her posture against him. He bit his tongue harshly when he felt her soft body lean into him and he felt that she wasn’t wearing a bra under her shirt. Arousal spiked inside him and he felt the warmth from earlier begin to boil under his skin. His hands came to rest at the base of her lower back on her hip bones and the urge to drag her body into his was almost too great for his will power. But he managed to hold back on his desires as he watched her nod her head at his question.
“Yeah just a little clumsy with the crutches still.” She said a little dismissively.
“Well you did only get them yesterday Bunny.” Esme said self-assuredly and Jack was instantly reminded that it wasn’t just him and Bunny in the house. He turned his head to watch Esme set the bag of bagels and flowers on the kitchen island as she hopped up onto the stool at the island. Jack felt Bunny begin to pull away and he regretfully let her go as she took a step towards the kitchen island and grabbed her crutches again. “You still have to get used to them.” Esme said before she began pulling out bagels and the different cream cheese that Jack picked up.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just feeling sorry for myself.” Bunny said a little dejectedly and Esme looked at her with a sure confident look making Jack bite his tongue once more waiting for the gem that was going to pop out of his little girl’s mouth.
“Tough nuggets.” Esme scoffed and Bunny’s head whipped to her as she burst out with shocked laughter.
“Excuse me?” Bunny asked amused and Jack grinned as Esme squared her shoulders.
“Tough nuggets. You shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself.” Esme said assuredly and Bunny laughed happily at Esme’s words.
“Alright, alright.” Bunny said shaking her head as she held her hands up in faux surrender to Esme. “Jack these are beautiful.” Bunny said as she took hold of the bouquet and lifted it to her face to take a whiff of the pretty flowers.
“Yeah Daddy! They’re really big!” Esme said eyeing the flowers. “Bigger than the last ones.” Esme said as her eyes darted over to Jack who instantly felt like an ass for only buying grocery flowers the last time for Bunny.
Jack stood there silently watching as Bunny laughed amused as Esme called him out on his flower buying skills before she moved to the sink and awkwardly began to try and bend over to get a vase from under the sink. Jack quickly moved to grab one of the larger vases to hold the flowers. Bunny grimaced slightly and Jack knew she was feeling frustrated with needing his help so quickly. He nudged her hip with his and she looked up at him and he smirked down at her before speaking.
“Tough nuggets.” He said and her eyes widened slightly before she burst out into laughter.
“I’m gonna be hearing that an awful lot from you two aren’t I?” she asked amused and Jack grinned before nodding.
“Yep.” Esme said from behind them making Jack and Bunny burst out into laughter at her quick wit.
“Alright let me get the flowers and I’ll cut them.” Bunny said as she hobbled over to the island before leaning the crutches on the counter before moving back to the sink with the flowers in her hands. “They’re beautiful by the way. Thank you so much.” Bunny said as she set the bouquet on the counter and pulled out a pair of scissors from the drawer.
“I figured they’d brighten up your mood after breaking your ankle.” Jack said smiling at Bunny who nodded her head. “How are you holding up by the way?” he asked watching as she cut open the brown paper package and string tied around the flowers.
“Last night was rough. In a lot of pain. Had to sleep down here in the second guest bedroom last night. Wasn’t able to get up the stairs to the bedroom.” Bunny relayed to him and Jack nodded along to her explanation.
“Do you need me to move anything from upstairs down here for you? It’d probably be easier for you if you stayed down here until you got used to the cast more. Don’t want you to take a tumble down them stairs.” He said contemplatively as he looked over his shoulder at the stairs that were just outside the kitchen doorway.
“I’d have to check the bedroom to know what I’d need. I do have to go out shopping though. Get some baggy pants or shorts to be able to get them over my cast.” Bunny said as she pulled out two purple hydrangeas from the bouquet. Jack watched silently with baited breath as Bunny peered at the flowers in thought before snipping the end of it and handed it to him to place in the vase.
This past mission with Tequila had been an interesting one. They had an intel agent on the inside of a religious cult who was deep undercover and hadn’t been able to communicate with them in the traditional ways so they had to get creative. When Jack and Tequila had first visited the religious cult Jack had noticed all the large flower arrangements that filled the main building on the compound where the agent lived. He and Tequila had then put together a plan to communicate with the agent through flowers by slipping a flower of significance to reflect if it was safe to meet with them or not to relay the information they needed. Jack had done a lot of research on the language of flowers and their meanings. Which was why he had decided to order a special bouquet for Bunny.
As Jack placed the hydrangea in the vase he silently thought of what the flower meant, gratitude. He waited patiently as Bunny handed him the next bunch of flowers he had chosen. When she handed him a bunch of sunflowers he smiled down at the large flowers, adoration. Jack wondered silently if Bunny knew what each flower meant or if she just took the flowers at face value. The next bunch she passed over to him were some fern and basil leaves that he had asked the flower store clerk for specifically, fascination and good wishes were the respectful meanings of those two. Jack had to admit he had a lot of fun creating Bunny’s bouquet and felt like a secret that he had specifically created this bouquet for her, he was a little giddy that she might not know what he was saying with the flowers.
White daisies were the next flowers that she handed to him and he smiled down at the delicate looking flowers in his hand, get well soon. Jack looked over and saw that Bunny was looking down at the next bunch of flowers which were coral peonies. Jack sucked in a breath because this flower had numerous meanings to it but he was going for good fortune and compassion when he had chosen it. Bunny looked up at him with lightly pink dusted cheeks as she handed him the flowers, her reaction to the flowers making Jack wonder if she did know what the flowers symbolized. Jack’s eyes landed on the next two flowers and he felt his body tense with anticipation of Bunny noticing them. Two white gardenia flowers sat on the brown paper and as Bunny picked them up in her hands Jack avidly watched her reaction. She stood there staring down at the flowers as her cheeks heated up to a deep red color and her mouth parted softly. Her head snapped up to look at him and Jack felt like he had just been gut punched as her eyes were dilated and her breaths were coming out in soft pants. Secret love or you’re lovely was the symbolism for these flowers and while Jack was still figuring out how deep his feelings were for Bunny he had a feeling that it might easily morph into the first meaning.
“Jack.” She said softly and he smiled fondly at her waiting for her to say what she was thinking. “Do you know the language of flower?” she asked with her eyebrows slightly furrowed and he nodded his head grinning softly as her cheeks heated even more. “Oh.” She said in a soft shell shocked voice. Her eyes darted down to the flowers in her hands before looking up at him. “I-“ she began to say something and Jack rested his hands on top of hers.
“Right now I’m saying I think you’re absolutely lovely. And something is developing between us, but I’d like to take it slow if that’s alright with you. I’m still not sure what exactly I’m feeling and it’s been two years since Maria. I’d like to be close friends first before we explore this other side that I think is forming between us.” He said softly so that Esme didn’t overhear him. Bunny looked up at him with soft tender eyes and he could see the uncertainty swirling in her orbs but there was also longing at the edges of her eyes. Jack took in a relieved breath when he watched Bunny nod her head at his words.
“I’d love that.” She said softly and Jack felt like his heart just exploded in his chest with happiness. He nodded his head as he took the flowers from her hands and placed them in the middle of the bouquet. Bunny’s bright smile spread across her face and Jack watched as her eyes looked happily on the flower arrangement that he had created just for her.
*-*-*-*
“Alright so let’s talk about how we’re going to help you out with things you need done.” Jack said as he stood from the kitchen table and picked up the plates that they had used for breakfast.
“Jack you don’t have to do that.” Bunny protested as she began to ease herself out of her chair. Jack whirled around on his feet and pointed his finger at her.
“Sit. Down.” He commanded suddenly and Bunny stopped short in her ascent from her chair to stare at him with wide shocked eyes. She slowly lowered herself back into her seat and watched him silently in shock. “I got this. I think I can handle a few dishes.” He promised her.
“But Jack I’m not helpless.” Bunny protested as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“No you’re not but you’re injured and need to rest and heal.” Jack said firmly as he stared at her.
“But Jack, I can do that myself.” Bunny tried again to protest and Jack shook his head.
“Nope.” He responded. Bunny opened her mouth to retort once more and Jack shook his head quickly. “Tough nuggets.” He said before whirling on his heel and walking over to the sink. Esme’s happy giggles burst into the air and Bunny’s soft grumbling could be heard making Jack grin softly at the antics of them.
“So you’re not going to let me do much are you?” Bunny asked in a sour tone. Jack shook his head and chuckled lightly.
“Bunny, you need to heal and if you’re constantly on your feet aggravating the break it’s not going to heal quickly or effectively. You gotta let us help you as much as we can. Keep your ankle elevated and stay off your feet as much as possible.” Jack said adamantly. “I’ve broken bones before, recovery sucks but I’m gonna do my damndest to make sure that you heal as quickly as possible.” He leaned back against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. Bunny was looking at him with soft eyes and Jack felt himself being pulled into her gaze from across the kitchen. “Besides, now Es and I can spoil you a little bit.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Bunny ducked her head quickly as Esme squealed in her chair with happiness. Jack smirked as he saw the soft blush on her cheeks at his words and Jack knew he won her over.
“Alright fine.” Bunny conceded and Jack beamed over at her as Esme clapped her hands happily.
“How often does Butter have to go out?” Jack asked kindly before turning back to the sink to wash the dishes quickly.
“Oh well, I normally take him around the block twice a day once in the morning and then once in the afternoon or evening. But he can go out in the backyard for now until I get into a boot.” Bunny said and Jack shook his head as he finished drying the dishes and stored them away in the cabinets. He turned and leaned back against the sink and sighed softly as he shook his head at Bunny.
“Will you let us help you? Please?” he asked softly as he looked up and over to her. “You’ve done so much for me and Es, it’s our turn to help you when you’re in need. Let us.” He implored her and she looked at him surprised. She sat there in her chair her eyes darting from him to an eager looking Esme for a few moments before nodding her head in compromise. “Thank you.” Jack said softly and Bunny pouted her lips slightly but nodded her head. Jack knew that she didn’t want to burden them and she was being stubborn but Jack was adamant about helping her and making sure that she was well taken care of. But while he was ready to fight her and glad that she was allowing them to help her, when she pouted her lips like that overtly all Jack wanted to do was walk over and kiss the pout off her mouth. Blinking his eyes rapidly he tried to erase the image from his mind of them kissing before he spoke again. “So Es and I will come over before we walk to the bus stop and we’ll take Butter with us. Same for in the afternoon.” Jack informed her and Bunny reluctantly nodded her head. Jack grinned and winked at her watching as she blushed and furrowed her eyebrows.
“Oh yes! I can totally walk Butter.” Esme said happily and Bunny chuckled softly.
“You’ll have to show your dad the doggie bags and everything.” Bunny said as she looked over to Esme who nodded eagerly. “Thanks Es.” She said softly before looking over at Jack who nodded his head. “Alright so that’s taken care of do you guys want to hang out? Or do you have things you have to get done?” she asks making Jack look at her with a disappointed look. “What?” she asks exasperatedly as she raises her hands in the air.
“We’re not done. But we do need to go food shopping. Are you up for a trip to the store or do you want to stay home?” Jack asked as he looked over at her. “Oh and we have to figure out what you need from your room upstairs moved down.” Jack suddenly clapped his hands together and rubbed them together eagerly. Bunny shook her head and Jack began to nod his head at her. “C’mon Es, head upstairs and get dressed while I help Bunny up the stairs. Pack up your stuff so that we can bring it back to the house before going out.” Jack instructed easily and Bunny looked at him offended as Esme quickly hopped off the kitchen chair and raced upstairs to her room.
Jack walked over to Bunny and set one his hands on the back of her chair, the other sat steadily on the kitchen table in front of her effectively caging her in her seat. He leaned forward and watched as Bunny took in a sharp breath as her eyes widened at his closeness.
“Look, I’m not trying to make you feel like you’re an invalid. But I don’t want you hurting yourself again because of your pride. You broke your ankle Bunny. That’s no joke and I really want you to heal. I want you in no pain. So please don’t think I’m just trying to take over here. I’m just trying to help you. I promise.” He said softly as he stared deeply into her eyes. He smiled softly as she silently nodded her head at him. He then stood to his full height and took a step back to grab her crutches for her. He stood a step away from her chair holding the crutches out for her as she stood from her chair. She took a hold of the crutches and began moving towards the stairs. When they had both reached the bottom of the stairs Bunny turned and looked up at him as she was hunched over her crutches.
“Let me try to do this. Just stay behind me in case I fall.” She said determinedly and Jack nodded his head in agreement.
“I’ll always be here to catch you.” He promised her and allowed her to do it her way.
*-*-*-*
Jack smiled as Esme chatted easily with Bunny as the two of them walked ahead down the aisle. He was stuck pushing the cart but he couldn’t complain as he was able to surreptitiously observe Esme and Bunny’s relationship right before his eyes.
Jack could feel his heart swelling in his chest as Bunny talked with Esme about everything the little girl brought up. And while Bunny was knowledgeable in a lot of things there were some topics that puzzled her. Like right now Esme was going off on a tangent about one of the shows that she watched and Jack had to bite his tongue as Bunny looked down at his little girl with a lost look on her face. He was shocked when he noticed that Bunny wouldn’t interrupt Esme in her ranting about the show and let her get it all out first. He chuckled softly when he heard Bunny begin to question Es on the show once she was done.
“So you mean her parents don’t even know that she’s a witch?” Bunny asked confused and Jack bit his bottom lip as he watched her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief.
“Yeah she’s been able to keep it a secret from them.” Esme explained, nodding her head. “She’s had some close calls where they’ve almost figured it out but not yet.”
“Oh okay, but her grandma knows?” Bunny asked, still perplexed and Jack was absolutely charmed as this woman before him took time out to understand more about his daughter’s favorite show. “Oh hold up, hey can you grab that box of crackers for me please?” She asked stopping next to the crackers and pointing them out to Esme, who eagerly grabbed the box and placed it in the shopping cart. “So how come the grandma never told the parents? Wouldn’t that be something she should tell the parents?” Bunny asked and Jack shook his head silently at the scene before him. He was relieved that he and Bunny were now on the same page for their relationship because now he was gifted with watching his two favorite girls discuss a tv show while the three of them shopped for groceries.
*-*-*-*
Jack finished putting the last box of pasta in the pantry and turned with a grin to Bunny who was leaning against the kitchen island with her crutches leant next to her hip on the island. She smiled softly at him as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. He walked over to her and let his eyes dart over her face to look for any discomfort. Standing in front of her he watched as her eyes darted up to his quickly.
“Are you in any pain?” He asked softly and she grimaced slightly at the question.
“A little, I was thinking of taking one of the pain meds and then sitting out in the backyard with my ankle up.” She answered him truthfully. Jack nodded his head at her response as he heard Esme coming back into the house from the backyard.
“Do you want us to head home? Or are you up for some company for a little longer?” Jack asked as Bunny hooked her crutches under her armpits and moved to the sink and leaned up to grab her medicine and a glass.
“Oh I’d love your company for however long.” Bunny said easily and Jack nodded his head as he opened her fridge and pulled out the iced tea that they had bought at the store earlier.
“Okay we’ll stay for a little bit longer. Wanna order dinner and have it delivered?” He asked as Esme walked into the kitchen and hopped up onto the stool at the island.
“Ooooohhh! Can we order pizza?” Esme cheered and Jack laughed happily as he set the iced tea on the island before turning to Bunny who moved to the island and set the glass down on it.
“Good choice!” Bunny said happily as she opened a drawer and pulled out a local pizzeria menu. “Here, pick a pizza and I’ll call them.” Jack watched as Esme peered over the menu while he poured Bunny a glass of iced tea that she thanked him for. Jack watched as she popped her medicine into her mouth and took a swig of her drink swallowing down the pills. With a grimace she blew out a breath after swallowing the pills and Jack chuckled softly.
“Don’t like pills?” He asked understandingly and Bunny shook her head.
“I don’t like the aftertaste they leave.” She explains as she takes another sip of her drink. Jack nods his head and looks over to Esme who’s still pouring over the menu.
“So what are we gonna eat tonight peanut?” He asked fondly as she looked up at him with his question.
“I wanna get a taco pizza.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It sounds cool.”
“Oh, that’s a good one. They also have a good margherita pizza. And their garlic knots and mozzarella sticks are really good.” Bunny said as she pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket and began dialing the pizzeria number.
“Hey Es, c’mon. Let’s go walk Butter while Bunny orders and then we’ll come hang out once we’re done.” Jack said as he ushered Esme to the front door.
“C’mon Butter! Let’s go for a walk!” Esme called happily as she quickly made her way off the stool and towards the front door. Jack laughed as he watched Butter leap out of his dog bed in the kitchen and ran as quickly as he could to the front door where Esme stood holding the leash. Jack looked back at Bunny and she smiled and waved at him before focusing back on the phone call.
When Jack reached the door he saw Esme with her jacket on and Butter with his leash on. Esme handed Jack the doggy bag holder that was in the shape of a red fire hydrant, Jack laughed amused as he looked down at it in his hand. Esme smiled and turned to open the front door.
“So do you know Butter’s normal night time walk routine?” Jack asked as he began walking down the steps with Esme.
“Yeah, they normally walk to the bus stop before mine and then back taking the long way around the block.” Esme instructed and Jack nodded his head as he fell into step with Esme.
“Sorry that we’ve been with Bunny all day and haven’t had much quiet time together. Bunny just needs a little bit of our help since she broke her ankle. So we might be spending a bit of time with her.” Jack said softly as he looked over at Esme. He watched proudly as his little girl looked up at him with a furrowed eyebrow.
“Daddy, I like Bunny. I like being with her. I’m not mad that we’re spending time with her. Besides, she gives us time to be together even when we’re with her.” Esme explained reminding Jack of when Bunny wandered off in the grocery store leaving Esme and Jack to themselves to talk and check in with each other.
“I know, I just don’t want you to think that I’m ignoring you or paying more attention to Bunny.” Jack said insistently and Esme shook her head.
“Daddy, I-“ Esme began to say and then shook her head silently before looking up at him with a smile on her face. “I don’t think that. I know you’re not ignoring me. And Bunny needs our help, she's hurt.” Esme reassured him softly with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Ok, as long as you know that peanut. So how was school while I was gone?” He asked softly as they continued to walk towards her bus stop.
“It’s okay. We’re starting to do some projects in Science and I’m gonna need some help with that soon.” She said and Jack nodded his head along with her words.
“Ok, that’s no problem. You let me know what you need and we’ll go pick it up. And I’ll help as much as I can.” Jack said easily. “Anything else happen while I was gone?” He asked softly trying to see if she wanted to talk about what had happened at the sleepover.
“Are you asking about the sleepover?” Esme asked suddenly after being quiet for a moment. Jack turned his head to look down at her shocked, he was surprised that she had picked up on his leading questions, but he shouldn't have been as surprised since she was his little girl.
“Only if you wanna talk about it.” Jack offered easily. He watched Esme shrug her shoulders before letting them slump forward.
“I called Bunny Mom.” Esme said softly. “I didn’t mean to and Bunny said she wasn’t mad about it at all. But Cynthia wasn’t very nice to me about it. Said that I shouldn’t be spending so much time with Bunny because then I’ll get confused.”
Jack felt his heart clench in his chest at how lost Esme sounded. He stopped walking as they came to the bus stop before Esme’s and he kneeled down to be at her eye level. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently and turned her to face him.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with calling Bunny Mom. I mean she’s been taking care of you while I’m away so I’m not surprised you did call her Mom. And I think that’s great that you’re getting so close to Bunny that you might see her that way. Don’t listen to Cynthia, I’ll talk to her and tell her to mind her own business. She has no right to say anything to you about that, okay?” Jack reassured Esme as he stared into her eyes softly. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay. I know we don’t talk about your Mom that much and we probably should talk about her more.” Jack said softly and Esme tapped his nose gently making him look up at her after his eyes had fallen to the ground.
“I miss Mommy. Every day I miss her and wish she was still here. But I have you Daddy and Bunny may not be Mommy but she’s a really cool babysitter and I like her being my babysitter.” Esme said softly as she smiled at him. Jack felt tears well in his eyes as Esme’s words and he nodded his head.
He knew that they should probably talk more about Esme calling Bunny Mom but he wasn’t sure of his own emotions and feelings in regards to that. On one hand it had only been two years ago that Maria was taken away from them and he wasn’t sure if he was truly ready to have another “mom” in his life yet. He was comfortable with flirting and figuring things out with Bunny right now but he wasn’t looking too far in the future just yet. But on the other hand, Esme was forming a bond with Bunny that seemed to be very deep, strong and meaningful. It was the first time since Maria’s funeral that Esme had become close to another woman that she hadn’t known before Maria’s passing.
It was a convoluted situation and Jack knew he was going to have to address it but wasn’t sure if he was ready to do that just yet. So while he was relieved that Esme was okay with her slip of tongue he would hold off on the more in depth conversation for another time when he knew for sure what he wanted with Bunny.
“She is a cool babysitter huh?” Jack asked softly and Esme grinned at him as she nodded her head eagerly.
*-*-*-*
The sun was slowly setting as Jack stepped out of the back door and moved down the back steps of the house to where Bunny was sitting in one of her outdoor chairs with her right ankle propped up on the ottoman. On the small table next to her chair sat a tray of three glasses and a pitcher of peach flavored iced tea. Esme was standing not far on the brick patio in front of her easel and paints while Butter lazed about in the grass in front of Esme.
“You gonna paint Butter for me?” Bunny asked Esme as she nestled back in her chair. Esme turned to Bunny grinning as she nodded her head. Bunny grinned as she nodded her head at Esme and rested her head back on the chair, closing her eyes slowly.
Jack felt the urge to sneak up on Bunny and press a soft kiss to her lips to surprise her, but then he suddenly felt insecure of his intentions. So he walked up behind Bunny letting his fingers trail along her right shoulder before moving to the chair on her left. He saw her warm smile as she turned her head to watch him take a seat next to her.
“This is nice.” Jack said softly as he sat back in the chair and settled himself. Bunny nodded her head as she grinned over at him. “So we talked about the whole sleepover incident.” Jack said softly as his eyes watched Esme begin painting Butter, she was far enough away that Jack felt comfortable bringing this up with Bunny.
“Does she still feel badly about it?” Bunny asked softly as her eyes landed on him and stayed there steadfastly.
“She doesn’t feel bad about calling you Mom. She feels bad about what Cynthia said to her.” Jack said with a hard edge to his voice at the end of his sentence. Bunny nodded her head in thought and Jack saw her left fist clenching tightly. Leaning over he placed a hand on Bunny’s fist and she slowly released it.
“Sorry, I just get so mad about what she had the nerve to say to Es. She had no right to make a comment and it had to be an ugly one at that!” Bunny ranted heatedly and Jack felt his heart swell once more as he saw how angry Bunny became on the behalf of his daughter. “I mean she’s already a mean spirited woman when she doesn’t get her way but to say something cruel to a child? That’s unnecessary and uncalled for.”
“I agree. I don’t like that she said something mean to Esme. Especially if it was a slip of the tongue.” Jack said as he nodded his head and watched as Bunny grew quiet and almost turned in on herself. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked concerned and Bunny shook her head at his question.
“It’s nothing.” She deflected and Jack grew curious of what was running through her mind but ultimately chose to table the questions for the time being.
“Say, you’re awfully good with kids. How come you don’t have any?” Jack asked curiously as he turned to see Esme giggling at Butter who began to wiggle in the grass on his back with his feet up in the air. He got lost in just watching his little girl that when he realized that he had asked a question he turned back to Bunny, surprised she hadn’t interrupted him. He saw her smiling sadly at Esme and Butter, her eyes somber as she gazed at the two of them acting silly. “Bunny?”
“Oh, uh, well, you see my ex-husband wasn’t the greatest guy to have kids with. For the six years that we were married he cheated for four of them.” Bunny said bitterly and Jack looked over at her surprised. He couldn’t believe someone would look at anyone else when they had Bunny right in front of them. “Yeah, we got married right out of college after being together for two years. We were young and dumb, thought we were in love. I mean I was, but for him it was more of a power trip. He liked that I didn’t ask questions when he said to do certain things, even though I knew that I didn’t want to do them. I always thought, I trusted and loved him why would he hurt me?” Bunny explained softly. “I slowly started coming out of the fog around the fourth year of marriage, but by then he had the manipulation so ingrained in me that I couldn’t quickly break free from it. It was a whole process of getting away from him, took two whole years to finally pull the trigger and send the divorce papers.”
Jack sat there in shock as he listened to Bunny’s retelling of her past. He sat there shocked to his core that this wonderful, confident woman next to him had been manipulated and abused by her ex-husband, someone who should have protected her from all others. But then as he thought further of Bunny’s mannerisms and character he understood the burst of confidence he would see from her when interacting with him. She was still so unsure of herself when it came to men, and he was instantly glad that he had asked her to go slow with him as they explored their relationship.
“It got really ugly towards the end.” Bunny said solemnly and Jack whipped his head to look at her. “He tired to convince me that it was all my friend’s Mercy’s fault for putting it in my head to get divorced. He lied about the numerous affairs he had and was still having. He kept telling me that I wouldn’t leave him, that I couldn’t leave him. I developed some serious panic attacks and anxiety attacks because of him, but thankfully they pretty much disappeared once I was away from him. But the worst was the night he was served the divorce papers, I had moved out that day while he was at work and the courier delivered the papers once he got home from work. He was livid, to the point that he found out where I was living and shoved himself into my apartment when I answered the door. Came in screaming and yelling about the papers, shoved me down onto the floor and the way I landed on my right wrist broke it in a few spots.” Bunny explained as she slowly and calmly took in a few deep breaths. Jack tapped his fingers along the back of her left hand that he was still holding in his hand from before, letting her know that she was alright and he was here for her.
Taking a deep breath in and slowly blowing it out she turned and looked over at him, nodding her head gratefully at him. Jack smiled softly and nodded his head at her as well. He didn’t know firsthand what she gone through but after all the missions that he had been on he had seen quite a few men and women who fell prey to their loved ones abusing them.
“Had to go through the whole divorce with a cast on my arm that he kept saying was for show. I managed to get a restraining order on him and still have it to this day because he’s tried to pop up a few times in my life since the divorce.” Bunny said solemnly and somber. Her head suddenly perked up when Esme giggled loudly as Butter began suddenly running around the backyard chasing the lightning bugs that had started appearing and lighting up. “I probably should have told you that before babysitting Es, but he hasn’t bothered me in almost a full year now.” Bunny said suddenly and quickly as she looked over at Jack worriedly.
Jack shook his head slowly as he gently cupped her hand in his, trying to reassure her. He gazed at her for a moment before clearing his voice.
“Bunny, relax. Your past is yours to divulge however you see fit. I know for a fact that you wouldn’t let anything happen to Esme if it was in your power to prevent it. I know you’re careful with her and hold her well being over your own. And I know you would tell me if something was happening that you couldn’t stop or protect Esme against.” Jack said confidently as Bunny nodded her head. “It’s alright Bunny. I’m just sad to hear that someone treated you that horribly. You shouldn’t have had to go through that. And I’m so sorry that you did go through that.” Jack said softly.
“It sucks that it happened, and I understand that it didn’t have anything to do with me that it was all him and his choices. But you gotta get through it and let me tell you therapy works wonders.” Bunny said before chuckling softly and Jack nodded his head at her words.
“Yeah, we’ve done some therapy after Maria passed to help Esme and I express ourselves properly to each other.” Jack said softly. “He really cheated on you?” He asked suddenly and Bunny chuckled softly as she nodded her head. Jack just shook his head in silence and Bunny chuckled again.
“Yeah, I know. I never understood the whole cheating thing, if you’re unhappy in a relationship just leave it.” Bunny said softly. “That’s why I don’t get along with Cynthia, she isn’t faithful to her husband and I don’t know if she ever has been. At least since I’ve known her she never has been.” Bunny said bewildered as she shook her head slightly.
“Don’t get me started on her. She’s already on my shit list for that and now for being mean to Es.” Jack said darkly and Bunny nodded her head. Jack tapped his fingers against the back of Bunny’s hand once more to gather her attention. When she looked over at him he smiled softly at her. “Thanks for sharing.” He said softly and watched delightedly as Bunny’s cheeks flushed deeply.
“Just answering the question.” She said softly and shrugged her shoulders at him. Jack shook his head at her deflection and gazed at her fully as he shifted in his seat.
“Not many people want to share that type of information about themselves.” Jack said knowingly and Bunny shrugged her shoulders again.
“Figured it’d be something to help get to know each other.” Bunny said as she turned and watched Esme dancing around the backyard catching lightning bugs. Jack watched Bunny a little longer in silence as Esme giggled while Butter barked happily in the early evening, he was surprised by her candor but he surmised that he shouldn’t be. There was still so much that he needed to learn about Bunny and so much he had to share with her. Settling back in his chair he began to look forward to learning more about her.
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For Beetlelands Week 2020
Title: Write Like the Wind
Fandom: Beetlejuice (Musical)
Rating: T
Ships: Beetlejuice/Adam/Barbara
Prompt: One Bed
Summary: Adam wants to do something for nerd-kind now that he has ghostly powers. Beetlejuice and Barbara help out. Spoilers for The Winds of Winter.
When Beetlejuice returned from the Netherworld, he came back powerful. Barbara wasn’t exactly sure how—the story changed with each telling.
But he returned with enough power to teleport her and Adam pretty much anywhere he could visualize. Thanks to Google Street View, he could visualize quite a few things.
Being able to teleport was very helpful when Adam had a specific request.
The ghosts and demon appeared inside a very fancy home, with sunlight streaming in the windows. Beetlejuice was hovering between Barbara and Adam, holding their hands. Barbara suspected this wasn’t strictly part of his teleportation ability, but it was a nice excuse to hold hands.
The demon shimmered in and out briefly, wincing.
“Everything okay?” Barbara asked.
“Teleporting all the way to New Mexico is a lot. We’re definitely gonna need to stop by a bolt-hole on the way back.” According to Beetlejuice, undead travellers could recharge in places with a lot of “death energy”—graveyards, usually, or famous battlefields.
The clicking of a keyboard drew the three of them to an office where a large, grey-haired man sat in front of his computer.
Adam sucked in a breath. “There he is,” he whispered.
Beetlejuice rolled his eyes. “Sexy, you’re dead. He can’t hear you.” Sure enough, the writer hadn’t turned around at the sound of Beetlejuice’s voice.
“Oh.” Adam looked a bit disappointed. “I guess I just assumed that he’d be attuned to the supernatural. He’s a master of the sci-fi/fantasy genre! Anyway, let’s go see what he’s working on.” He crossed his fingers as the three of them huddled around the author’s computer screen.
Barbara felt a bit awkward reading over someone’s shoulder, and looked politely aside. She’d never gotten into sci-fi and fantasy the way Adam had; he’d know better than she would what they were looking at.
Her husband’s face fell. “Wild Cards?!” he spluttered. “Wild freaking Cards! I know he only edits the anthologies, but they’re a distraction!” He ran his hands through his hair. “Just write the books, George!”
“I can take over his computer and threaten to start deleting files until the books are done!” Beetlejuice crowed. “Make it seem like he’s got a computer virus!”
Adam’s gaze flicked between Beetlejuice and the author’s computer a few times.
Barbara cleared her throat.
“No, of course not,” Adam said quickly. “Thanks for saving me from myself, sweetie.” He kissed her cheek. He focused on the author, holding out his hand. “Sorry about this.”
The author stopped what he was doing. He saved then exited out of the document. Adam searched through the computer files for a moment then made the author open up a document titled The Winds of Winter.
The document opened after a few moments. ‘Want to pick up where you left off?’ Word asked helpfully, and the author clicked on it. There were a bunch of unfamiliar words and names on the page that showed up.
No sense in me reading this. Barbara decided to look around a famous author’s office. She’d expected him to have a bunch of memorabilia from the TV show, but the furnishings were really quite ordinary. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of bookshelves filled with books.
There was silence from the author, whose fingers were poised over the keyboard.
“C’mon, Sexy, get writing.” Beetlejuice hovered in mid-air, bobbing slightly. He was also eyeing the author’s office, but he was probably wondering where to put spiders.
“Er, there’s no way I can give him partial control, can I? I can’t write the next book!”
“Not how it works, newb.”
Adam sighed. “Okay. Um, my thoughts definitely won’t be his, but maybe I can make a start. Barbara, you took that course in creative writing in college, right? Do you have any tips?” Adam was an amazing man with many good qualities, but pure creativity wasn’t one of them.
“I can try, but I wasn’t writing award-winning fantasy novels back in college.” Barbara dredged up some memories of the TV show. “Maybe you should make the White Walkers show up! You know, inject some tension.”
“It’s an Arianne Martel chapter.”
Barbara had no idea what that meant. “Um…have a dragon show up?”
“I appreciate the thought, but Arianne is going to treat with Young Griff, and the entire point is that he’s a supposed Targaryen that doesn’t have dragons.”
Beetlejuice spoke up. “Have some brothers and sisters bone. Shove a little smut in there.”
“Not only does that not work in this chapter, I’m also not comfortable with that.”
“Or skip to a Dany chapter,” Barbara suggested. “I just want good things for her. How’s she doing, anyway?”
“Not well.” Adam made the author pull up a Dany chapter. He watched the blinking cursor for a few moments, frowning in thought.
Beetlejuice added, “You could write a bunch of dialogue in what’s basically a white room and see where it takes you. That’s an A-plus writing strategy, right there.”
Adam sighed, rubbing his forehead. After a few more moments of intense concentration, he looked away from the computer screen.
The author shook his head, blinking a few times.
“Maybe just having the document open will prompt him to write?” Adam asked hopefully.
The author closed out of The Winds of Winter and went back to a document called Wild Cards_edits.
Adam’s shoulders slumped.
Beetlejuice hovered closer. “Just casually mentioning that we can take out the phone, snap some pics of these new chapters, and threaten to leak them if he doesn’t write the books.”
“Photos of chapters over his shoulder?” Barbara said. “That’s pretty terrifying.”
The demon chuckled darkly.
“Ah. And that was exactly the point.” Beetlejuice might have changed a lot since his return from the Netherworld, but his love of fear and chaos that wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“No, Beetlejuice,” Adam said. “It wouldn’t work anyway. What kind of writing would you get if someone was bullied into it?”
“Bleh, you’re no fun. Where to next, Sexy? That Rothfuss guy?”
“Let’s just go home.”
“Have to make a quick stop first, but okay.” Beetlejuice grabbed their hands and teleported them away.
They landed in someplace pitch black. Beetlejuice lit a match of neon green fire, revealing a small underground crypt barely large enough for the three of them. Every surface was draped with dust and cobwebs. A half-open coffin showed patchy, stained velvet. If there was a door to this crypt, the match didn’t reveal it.
Beetlejuice tilted his head. “Ahhh, that’s better.” He frowned slightly, as if listening to something. Barbara couldn’t hear anything. “Yep, think it’s still sandworm free! Lemme just recharge for a while.”
“You’ve been here before?” she asked.
“Nah, but I saw drawings from some ghost hunters back in the Netherworld. Ghost hunters can go topside to bring ghosts back, and they need places to rest, too.”
“So, ghost hunters are ghosts who hunt other ghosts?”
“Yeah, and they’re the worst. The Bureau of the Dead won’t let anyone go topside unless they’re a boot-licker. But it was good to know a few of their tricks when I got banished up here.”
Barbara glanced at Adam, who normally would’ve loved Netherworld lore. It wasn’t every day that Beetlejuice opened up about a place that was, in his words, “total Meh-ville.” But Adam wasn’t even listening. The gloomy atmosphere of the crypt fit his gloomy expression perfectly.
“Hey,” Barbara said softly. When Adam turned her way, she squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to.”
“I guess art just has to happen at its own pace. You can’t force it. I just feel bad for all the other dead readers who’ll never get to read the end of the series. All they’ll have is the TV show’s ending.” He snorted in disgust.
“Maybe you planted a seed. Who knows? Inspiration is a funny thing.”
“And there’s always fanfic,” Beetlejuice added.
“It’s not the same,” Adam said with a sigh.
“Heh, speaking of fanfic….” Beetlejuice hopped into the coffin. “Oh noooo. There’s only one bed!”
Barbara and Adam stared at him. She had no idea what he was talking about.
Beetlejuice huffed. “Oh, come on. None of you ever read a romance fic? Hell, a romance novel?”
“No,” Adam said.
“Not really my thing,” Barbara added. She was a fan of biographies and autobiographies of famous people, personally. “And, also? Not a bed. It’s a coffin. And sleeping in a coffin is also not my thing.”
“Jesus, so picky.” Beetlejuice snapped his fingers, and the coffin became their bed at home. “Get over here.” He hesitated then said, “Please.” Barbara and Adam had had conversations with him about asking instead of demanding; happily, it looked like those conversations were sticking.
Beetlejuice had just done them a huge favour, and a little cuddling might cheer Adam up. Barbara went to join Beetlejuice, shooting a questioning glance at Adam. He followed them, though he was still brooding.
She and Beetlejuice let Adam slide between them as the three sorted themselves out. (Sometimes, Beetlejuice would throw in extra limbs or a few clones just for the added challenge.) After some scooching and wriggling, Barbara’s cheek rested on Adam’s shoulder as she stroked his chest gently and held his left hand. Beetlejuice had one arm over the two of them and was, for some reason, nibbling on Adam’s hair, which sometimes became kissing the top of his head. After a while, you got used to a certain amount of weirdness.
Gradually, Adam began to relax. First, the tension left his shoulders. Then, he cracked his neck and his jaw untightened. (He’d needed to wear a mouthguard when he slept when he was alive. He was always grinding his teeth.)
“Maybe…” he murmured. “Maybe I could write the ending to the books. It’ll be fanfic, but it’ll be something, at least. I can work on that project while the Deetzes are asleep. I’ve never written fic before, but I could try. It’s not like I need to eat or sleep. And I’ve been looking for a new project ever since I finished the model.” His model of the town had a place of pride in the attic, which the Maitlands had cleaned out and repurposed into an arts and crafts room. They still kept up with their hobbies, but they had fewer now that they were busy rehabilitating Beetlejuice and parenting Lydia.
“I’m sure it’ll be great, hon.” Barbara kissed his cheek. “I’ll help however I can.”
“And I can tell you all about what fic tropes you can put in!” Beetlejuice said. “Or what fic tropes we can do ourselves.” He must’ve been thinking about some sexual ones, for he chortled and squeezed Adam’s butt. “Gotta keep the rating PG-13 for Beetlelands Week, but…you know which ones.” He winked at no one in particular, it seemed. Sometimes, he pretended he had an audience; Barbara and Adam just ignored it.
Beetlejuice moved to nuzzling Adam’s throat. After a few moments, he began patting Barbara’s hair.
Barbara giggled. “Aren’t you supposed to be recharging?”
“It’s called multitasking, baby.” Idly, he commented, “Shit, fluff is hard to end. How do you even end something that by its nature has low stakes and minimal conflict?”
What was he talking about? Barbara shrugged.
Adam thoughtfully said, “Maybe with a kiss?”
“Hah!” Barbara couldn’t help but grin when Beetlejuice laughed like that. This wasn’t an evil cackle or a dark chuckle, but an open, cheerful sound that she’d been hearing more and more since they’d started dating. “Perfect! You’re so ready to be a fic writer, Sexy!”
Beetlejuice kissed Adam on the lips, and the cuddling in a false bed in an underground crypt continued.
Not for the first time, Barbara reflected, My afterlife is so weird.
But it did have its perks.
#beetlelandsweek2020#beetlejuice the musical#beetlejuice#beetlelands#adam maitland#barbara maitland#adam x barbara x beetlejuice
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Annual Writing Evaluation 2020
Ssssssh I know it’s the beginning of January. I’m late. I was tagged by @daggerandrose and @lululawrence to do this. They were two slightly different ones so I just... Mashed them together. Whoops
1. List of Stories published this year: Did you let him leave a necklace (yup)
Fellowship of Eroda
Can we pretend (honestly reality bores me)
Tastes like strawberries
Just for tonight (I can be yours)
Fun time candles
The animals play
Knife’s edge
You’re outta control (what is your mind)
When you’re good to mama (he surprises you)
One shot two shot (you and me)
Clean up, clean up (everybody have some fun)
So wonderful and warm
Here comes the men in black (my soulmate)
Here to stay (here to play)
The happiest season
2. Word count posted for the year: 161,374 (jfc)
3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction
4. Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
5. Story with the most:
Kudos: Taste Like Strawberries
Bookmarks: Just For Tonight (I can be yours)
Comments: The Happiest Season
6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): That’s tough. I know in another post I was like EVERY FIC I POSTED WAS A VICTORY and that’s true. I think I’m most proud of Here to Stay (here to play) because for an entire month every night I sat down and wrote start to finish a whole fic. Sure some of those Fics were 400 words but listen... I come from fandom of old where there were the 100 fic challenges and even trying to write 100 word Drabbles is HARD. You’re making a whole story every day and it felt good! I felt accomplished!!
7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): I really really wish Here Comes the Men in Black (my soulmate) had come out different. I had much bigger plans and they got scrapped and I just. Wish things had gone different. But I was writing it as I struggled with the dreaded 4 month sleep regression which lasted TWO WHOLE FUCKING MONTHS AND I DID NOT GET MORE THAN 4 HOURS OF SLEEP AT A TIME FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS AND GOD IT WAS THE WORST SLEEP DEPRIVATION IS A SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION. So the biggest thing to fall away during that time was my writing. And that fic sadly suffered because of it 😔
8. Share or describe a favorite review you received: Every reviewer who commented during Kinktober and said that they weren’t usually a fan of the kink of the day but they trusted me enough to give the chapter a shot. A special shoutout to those who tried the rape fantasy chapter because of that trust.
A special SPECIAL shoutout to the asshole who asked me to tag every time I wrote girl direction for kinktober and told me they refused to read any of the chapters on the off chance I surprised them with a vagina or something.
9. A time when writing was really, really hard: Literally all fucking year. March-April-May was a particularly fuzzy time for me. I think any writing I got done was on my phone, half asleep, with my fingers cramping
10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Louis in Fellowship to Eroda was a lot of fun to write. That fic overall was really fun to write because I got to include a lot of DND stuff and some of my favorite dialogue was there.
11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: From You’re Outta Control (what is your mind)
“You wanna ride daddy’s cock?”
The train was barreling along and Harry knew he didn’t have much time to make his decision. He quickly nodded.
Louis made quick work of unzipping his fly and turning Harry around so his back was facing his chest. He pulled him back by his hips and settled him down on his cock.
They both moaned at the sensation, and being so exposed. And then they started to fuck. It was wild, erratic, and desperate.
“Just think,” Louis groaned, “if I had an alpha cock. How we wouldn’t be able to do this if I knotted you.” Harry’s breath caught and he wiggled his hips. “Or maybe we would. You stuck on my knot through fuck knows how many stops. People coming and going. Seeing you there. Squirming like a little slut.”
Harry gasped. His mouth hung open as he tried to suck in air and ride Louis’ cock at the same time.
“Louder,” Louis demanded. His voice was beginning to sound strained. “Want your moans to fill up the whole car.”
It took effort but Harry was helped along when Louis reached around and wrapped his fingers around his cock. Then he moaned and it echoed in the empty train car.
“That’s right. Fucking yourself on daddy’s omega cock. So much better than some alpha’s knot isn’t it?”
“Daddy,” Harry whined. He bounced faster, eyes closed. He knew if he didn’t come before the next stop he wouldn’t be able to stop and anyone who came onto the car would see.
“Think how much come you’d have to hide if I was some alpha. It would leak out. Drip onto the floor.” Harry gasped. He was so close and his cunt squeezed around Louis’ cock as he tried to pull Louis with him. “Instead you’ll be pumped full of my omega seed-“ Louis’ voice cut off as he came, pulling Harry down flush against his hips as he came in him.
Harry watched as his own cock squirted come onto the floor and he cried out in embarrassment and lust.
The train was still running as they both caught their breath and it only started to slow down for the next stop as Louis edged Harry off of his cock. Harry could feel the mix of his slick and Louis’ come starting to slide out of him as Louis pushed him to the ground.
“Clean daddy off,” Louis said. His fingers tangled in Harry’s hair as he pulled Harry’s mouth to his slick covered cock.
The train was slowing down. Harry’s heart was pounding in his chest as he got to his knees. He caught Louis’ eye. The lights from the station were starting to filter in through the window. Louis squeezed his fingers in his hair.
“What are you waiting for? These are expensive trousers and I don’t want your slick ruining them.” Harry could see the stain his slick had already left around the zipper of Louis’ trousers. “Clean me off.”
They jolted to a stop and the doors hissed open. Harry wrapped his mouth around Louis’ cock, licking him clean. He spread his legs as Louis’ come leaked out of him and onto the floor.
The doors dinged, singling they were closing and Louis pulled his mouth off of him. Harry stared up at him from where he was kneeling on the ground and Louis smiled.
“There’s a good omega. Come sit up next to me.”
Harry looked around. The car was still empty. His entire body sagged from adrenaline and he turned to kiss Louis. “We would have been in so much trouble if we’d been caught.”
12. How did you grow as a writer this year: I lost…. a lot of fucks. I used to agonize about the fics I put out, and I still did, but this year I waded through writing a lot of stuff that normally I wouldn’t just because I didn’t feel ~motivated~ that day. But between Kinktober, and my advent fic, and just, forcing myself to finish fics even when I felt uninspired, I produced a lot more than I planned and that’s really important to me! But it also means that I learned to let fics go a lot earlier.
13. How do you hope to grow next year: Continue to just… write. I don’t have any big things I want to work on. Maybe crafting overall non-romantic plots? I’m trying that out for my big bang…. we’ll see how that goes.
14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): @lululawrence and @londonfoginacup are literally my rocks in writing at this point. They were so helpful while I cried about not being able to finish any fics ever, and reminded me constantly to be kind to myself. Jenna and @becomeawendybird were also just so so encouraging and I think without them I would be absolutely lost.
15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: lol. Yes. Next.
16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: write smut horny, edit after. (or don’t like… fuck it no one reading your smut is gonna care when they’re getting off to it)
17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I’m focused on my big bang which I hope people will enjoy. And then… Man if I could finish my eternal WIP that would be EXCELLENT. But who knows!! Maybe a plot bunny will hit me.
18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read. I think everyone has done this cause I’m late. Whoops.
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NSFW Alphabet - Peter Rumancek
I am gonna necromance (necRUmance?) the fuck outta this fandom! Hope you enjoy, and if you have any ideas for drabbles, hc’s, imagines, whatever, PLEASE send them in!
A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)
Peter after sex is pretty chill; he’ll lay in bed with you, maybe lighting up a cigarette or a joint if you don’t mind. He just likes to bask in the afterglow.
B = Body Part (Their favorite body part of their partners)
He loves your lips; every time you bite or lick them his eyes are drawn to the movement, he nibbles your lower lip when you kiss, and sometimes when he cups your cheek he brushes them with his thumb. He especially loves it when your lips are wrapped around him.
C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically … I’m a disgusting person)
He’s pretty sure it’s a werewolf thing, but when he cums, it’s a *lot*. He always feels a little bad about making such a mess, which is (one of the reasons) why he loves finishing inside you somehow. When it’s your mouth he loves watching you swallow every drop, and when it’s after fucking you, the sight of his seed dripping out of you is sometimes enough to start round 2.
D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
He can smell when you’re about to start your period. It’s not a bad smell to him, just something he notices.
E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)
Peter has had a lot of sex with a lot of people (of both genders). He’s very talented, and very proud of his skill.
F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying.)
He doesn’t have one that he strongly favors over the others, but he really enjoys being able to see your face. Doggy style is different, since he can feel the wolf trying to take over; this can be good or bad, depending on the mood.
G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc.)
He’s not goofy per se, but he’s able to laugh and tease and have sexy banter. If the mood is more serious he’ll roll with it, but sex isn’t an inherently serious thing to him.
H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)
We stan a hairy boy! But in all seriousness, he keeps his area relatively groomed, out of respect for his partner(s).
I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)
Again, it depends on the mood. He can be incredibly intensely intimate, staring into your eyes, sharing your breath, feeling your heartbeats align.
J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)
He’s got the sex drive of a beast, so he’s gotta get off at least once a day, and usually more. He’s got no problem locking his door to rub one out, or even just doing it on the couch if he’s got the place to himself. Sometimes it’s more of a ‘get it over with’ situation, but other times he’ll draw it out and really enjoy it.
K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)
It should be obvious, but he LOVES marking his territory. He’s constantly leaving marks on your neck, scratches on your back, but also putting you in his clothes, letting you use his soap/shampoo so that you smell like him.
L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)
He’ll go at it just about anywhere. His room is the most comfortable, followed by his couch or anywhere else in the trailer, but he really enjoys fucking in the hammock outside. He’s figured out how to use it as a makeshift sex swing, and since you two can often be found laying there anyway, it’s probably your most common sex spot.
M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)
Peter’s pretty quick to heat up; the right word, touch, or look can set him off. But insinuating that you belong to him - or giving him a reason to prove you are - is a sure-fire way to rev him up.
N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)
He absolutely will NOT fuck you when he’s in wolf form (you were only joking when you brought it up). It’s not even about the bestiality, he’s just afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep from hurting you.
O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
He loves it when you go down on him (see B) but he *really* loves going down on you. The noises you make, the way your body writhes, the scent and taste of your arousal, the feel of your slick heat on his tongue, it’s a total feast for the senses and he is ALL about it.
P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)
He can take it slow and gentle when you ask, but his default setting is, unsurprisingly, beast mode. He’ll rail into you hard and fast, or lap at you like a starving dog, or shove your head down in submission, anything to get both of you off as intensely as possible.
Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)
He’s not the biggest fan of quickies (see S), but he’s a master at getting you off in record time, so he enjoys the challenge. As for him, it’s just a warm-up for the inevitable longer fuck, as soon as you’re able.
R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)
He’s okay with calculated risks, but throwing all caution to the wind makes him nervous. He can be convinced, but it usually takes some coaxing, depending on what it is, especially if it comes anywhere close to possibly hurting you (or getting arrested).
S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last)
Peter can last a *really* long time, to the point where getting off fast is hard for him. His usual when not rushing or drawing it out is about an hour, but he can easily go for way longer. On top of that, his recovery time is relatively quick, and then he’s up for more. There have been times where he’s had to give you a break to stretch, or get a glass of water.
T=Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)
He doesn’t have any toys himself, and he’d much prefer not to bother with them at all, but if you ask nicely he’ll use something on you. He really doesn’t like thinking of you getting off to anything but him, though.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
Peter can be the absolute *worst* about teasing. With his hands, with his voice, with his eyes and smile, he’ll use anything and everything to turn you into a squirming begging mess. He always makes it up to you though.
V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)
Peter isn’t much of a dirty talker; he can, he just thinks it’s kinda cheesy. He’s definitely a growler though, and when he gets close to cumming he moans, his voice pitching up beautifully when he hits his climax.
W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)
He lost his virginity at thirteen at a gypsy wedding.
X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)
He’s uncut. It’s just not a common thing among his kind of Romani. He’s also big, like *really* big. He’s not sure if it’s because of the wolf or if he’s just blessed, but either way he’s proud.
Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)
He’s got a crazy high sex drive (see J). He’s at least halfway hard most of the time, and he’s gotten used to ignoring it, but it never takes much to get him the rest of the way up.
Z = ZZZ (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)
If you’ve been marathoning it for a few hours he won’t last long, but usually he’s not sleepy so much as just very relaxed. He’ll be plenty awake enough to cuddle, smoke, and maybe (usually) go again.
@mrsniallhoran505 @ilovemycrayons @wolfsilverhunter
#peter rumancek#hemlock grove#landon liboiron#hemlock grove fanfic#peter rumancek fanfic#hemlock grove fanfiction#peter rumancek fanfiction
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“Listen to the sound of my heart beat slow Yeah, my heart's like yours, my heart's like yours Listen to the sound, oh it feels like home When our hearts beat slow together.”
Heather’s Top 50 Songs of 2019!
dark night — philip sheppard // curse of the i-5 corridor — neko case // way down we go — kaleo // almost — hozier // dancing in a room — ezi // epic (pt ii) — anais mitchell & justin vernon // spanish sahara — foals // obstacles — syd matters // tom thumb — bitter ruin // wolves of the revolution — the arcadian wild // epic (pt iii) — anais mitchell, justin vernon // the spine — darren korb & ashley barrett // don’t think twice — hikaru utada // face my fears — hikaru utada // waves — chloe moriondo // ashes — bear mccreary // wake up, moving on — kevin penkin // paper boats — darren korb & ashley barrett // call off your ghost — dessa // power over me — dermot kennedy // a future for the krogan — christopher lennertz // mine — bazzi // bite — charlie cunningham // wait for me — andre de shields // birds — imagine dragons & elisa // crazy — patsy cline // bury a friend — billie eilish // the seed — aurora // eleventh dimension — julian casablancas // sunflower — post malone // what’s up danger — blackway, black caviar // bad guy — billie eilish // elevate — dj khalil // must’ve been — chromeo // dark matter — les friction // lark of my heart — eliza rickman // dancing on my own — robyn // hungover in the city of dust — autoheart // season of the witch — lana del rey // bird song — juniper vale // paradise valley — honey & the sting // my hallelujah — autoheart // furthest star — dirt poor robins // play dirty — kevin mcallister // it’s quiet uptown — kelly clarkson // pas de deux — michael abels // i got 5 on it — michael abels, luniz, mi // one day more — les mis cast // into the unknown — idina menzel, aurora // show yourself — idina menzel & evan rachel wood
short version | long version | youtube | spotify unwrapped
long version will lead you to the 165 song, 10 hour and 34 minute playlist which i’ve been slowly adding to since january. short version will lead you to what you see here. youtube will lead you to the playlist you see here but... wait for it... on youtube. mostly because i know not everyone has spotify. spotify unwrapped will lead you to a mixture of the long and the short version, which is pretty bloated with austin wintory songs because those are what i listen to when i write or read usually.
the long version is much improved in length from last year, which was 261 songs and 17 hours, but that’s mostly because august through december i was pretty bad at keeping track of the music that caught my attention. whoops.
and under the cut is me ranting about music, like usual. enjoy!
i. dark night || philip sheppard *instrumental*
This was my absolute favorite from the Detroit: Become Human soundtrack. I tended to prefer Kara’s songs most because they were gorgeous and haunting and just plain fantastic. Connor’s songs were mostly listened to while writing for the fandom, but Kara’s songs were what I kept coming back to. ii. curse of the i-5 corridor || neko case So I left home and faked my ID I fucked every man that I wanted to be
Sometime in January, I fell in love with eighteen wheels on an uphill climb, which was a 91k hank/connor wip by blackeyedblonde. Hank’s a trucker. Connor occasionally dabbles in sex work to keep himself alive and moving. But like, it’s so much more than that? Anyway, at some point the author linked to this song. I think it may have been on tumblr, but I fell in love with it and neko case.
iii. way down we go || kaleo Oh, 'cause they will run you down, down 'til the dark Yes and they will run you down, down 'til you fall And they will run you down, down 'til you go Yeah, so you can't crawl no more
Speaking of Detroit: Become Human (sensing a theme?), this fanvideo is one of my favorite things in the world. I had it and a couple other fantastic videos like it playing in the background while writing for the fandom. This video, in fact, is what finally made me go in search of the game. iv. almost (sweet music) || hozier The same kind of music haunts her bedroom I'm almost me again, she's almost you Wasteland, Baby was a thing that happened to me. Which would have already been enough to get it on this list, but I also listened to it on repeat while writing my first DBH fic. v. dancing in a room || ezi I know you notice, notice me I might be broken but it's not showing It's how I'm copin', copin' I don’t actually remember where this one came from. I know that sometime when March is still a bit cold, I listened to a playlist on spotify that I can’t find for the life of me. It had a lot of the songs that are about to come up on it, and before I started exclusively listening to audiobooks while I got ready for work in the morning, I listened to random fantastic playlists. vi. epic (pt ii) || anais mitchell & justin vernon And suddenly Hades was only a man with a taste of nectar upon his lips
Hadestown was also a thing that happened to me. This song makes me fucking weak. All of the lyrics are great, the whole song is gorgeous and haunting and so perfect it hurts, but those lyrics above are just *chefs kiss* vii. spanish sahara || foals Forget the horror here Leave it all down here It's future rust and it's future dust
Sometime during the spring, I played Life Is Strange and had a million and one feelings. I played both options for the ending and each one was gut wrenching in its own way. I think I still prefer the one where Chloe lives, but this song has literally haunted me ever since.
viii. obstacles || syd matters Someday we will foresee obstacles Through the blizzard, through the blizzard And this is the song that plays if you make the other choice. Again, SUPER TRAGIC, but also you know. You get to keep your girlfriend. ix. tom thumb || bitter ruin And I know I'll be burnt, but I can stand a flame or two to catch you
This was one of the songs that I discovered on the mysterious spotify playlist! Something I’d forgotten: I discovered Hadestown off of that playlist. Thanks, mystery playlist. You gave me all the ear worms. x. wolves of the revolution || the arcadian wild You're trapped inside of your own heart It's a spectators sport, just play your part You guessed it - from the mystery playlist. They’re all very reminiscent of the Hadestown soundtrack. Vaguely eerie, kind of haunting, a lot beautiful. Makes you feel like you’re a forest creature living on the edge of the swamp. You know: the aesthetic. xi. epic (pt iii) || anais mitchell & justin vernon Where is the treasure inside your chest? Where is your pleasure? Where is your youth? Where is the man with his hat in his hands? Who stands in the garden with nothing to lose I thought about only including this one instead of including part 2, but in the end I loved both too much to choose. Hadestown, man. I hope it comes to Ohio at some point in the near future. xii. the spine || darren korb & ashley barrett Fingers tied themselves in knots around the heart It beats in time I see the spine of the world
I have never actually played Transistor, which is fucking tragic because I listened to basically the entire soundtrack over and over again for the entire year. There’s at least one more song from the game on this list, but it is really wonderful. Haunting vocals, perfect for writing or reading or driving. xiii. don’t think twice || hikaru utada I'm only crying 'cause I never dreamed It'd take this long, it'd take this long Hi, I played Kingdom Hearts 3 this year. And I cried so fucking much. I had some issues with the game, namely how the ending was such a clusterfuck of boss fight after boss fight and emotional character arc resolutions so it all felt kind of rushed? But the gameplay was superb, the selfie thing was ingenious, and I did cry at least six different times while I was stressing my way through fighting boss fights with blurry eyes. xiv. face my fears || hikaru utada Oh, let me face, let me face, let me face my fears Won't be long, won't be long, I'm almost here Watch me cry all my tears
So like, if you care at all you’ve probably already seen it, but the opening cutscene of KH3 was to Face My Fears, and I’m gonna be real honest here - I didn’t like it at first. I moaned and groaned about Skrillex and how it was nothing like Simple and Clean or Passion/Sanctuary. But it grew on me to the point that it was actually my most listened to song this year. Watch me cry all my tears, indeed. xv. waves || chloe moriondo Make me into more than a goner Perhaps a little bit stronger Thicker skin, less needy, And maybe to not bruise so damn easily, but you can't
I don’t remember where I found this song either? Maybe mystery playlist but probably not. Either way, it’s pretty and uh, I too want to slow the world down. xvi. ashes || bear mccreary -instrumental- Man, oh man, let’s talk about how good of a game God of War was. It was so good, guys. The game play was excellent, the world was gorgeous, and the storyline was interesting. And the music went so, so hard. Between Horizon Zero Dawn and the new God of War, I have basically been ruined for all other games. Also, dad protagonists, am I right? xvii. wake up, moving on || kevin penkin -instrumental-
Did not actually realize this was part of a soundtrack to a game? But it’s very lilty. Has that French quirky romcom vibe to it and I listened to the crap out of it in early summer. xviii. paper boats || darren korb & ashley barrett The river always finds the sea So helplessly Like you find me
Another Transistor song. I really love Ashley Barrett’s voice. I should probably at some point play the game. xix. call off your ghost || dessa I hope she makes you happy It's just a lot to ask to watch your future walking past me
This song played during one of the weather segments of Welcome to Night Vale and made me remember how much I absolutely adore Dessa. Her voice is fantastic and I love the way that her songs flow. Also, this song gives me personal feels. xx. power over me || dermot kennedy I wanna be king in your story I wanna know who you are I want your heart to beat for me I have absolutely no idea where I heard this one. It might have been playing on the radio while I was driving somewhere? I played it a lot during the summer. xxi. a future for the krogan || christopher lennertz -instrumental- It’s been a while since I played Mass Effect, but this song came up on a writing playlist and I have been listening to it ever since.
xxii. mine || bazzi Running circles 'round my mind Even when it's rainy all you ever do is shine
Shrug emoji.
xxiii. bite || charlie cunningham Stone cold faces let you keep you poisoning your blood Cut you open then you'll see poison in your blood
Also shrug emoji? Most of the time when I’m doing these there’s fandom connatations to half the songs, but these year I wasn’t heavily invested in a whole lot of fandoms so these are mostly just songs I listened to while I was a) driving, b) in the shower, or c) while reading.
xxiv. wait for me || andre de shields Ain't no compass, brother, there ain't no map Just a telephone wire and the railroad track Keep on walking and you don't look back
And here’s the last Hadestown song on the list. It’s just... really good, okay. Really, really good. xxv. birds || imagine dragons & elisa Seasons, they will change Life will make you grow Dreams will make you cry, cry, cry
I think there’s been an Imagine Dragons song on here every year since they came out with Radioactive. This is the only song of theirs I heard this year, but pairing their voice with Elisa’s was fucking genius because this song makes me feel the chorus in my soul. xxvi. crazy || patsy cline You'd love me as long as you wanted And then some day You'd leave me for somebody new I was at a bar, and my friend has just announced that he was getting married to his girlfriend of ten years in Vegas, on a ferris wheel, by an Elvis impersonator. We started listening to Elvis songs to figure out what he’d play, and then we got distracted listening to a bunch of old love songs. This one is more heartbreak than love, but I’ve always loved Patsy’s voice. xxvii. bury a friend || billie eilish Bury a friend, try to wake up
I was really slow to the Billie Eilish train. One of my friends recommended her music and it’s just so chaotic and fantastic that I can’t believe I didn’t fall for it earlier. This song in particular was a Billy Hargrove song for a while.
xxviii. the seed || aurora Feed me sunlight, feed me air In a place where nothing matters Feed me truth and feed me prayer Aurora’s got one of those truly lovely voices. Also I like songs about how the earth should eat humanity.
xxix. eleventh dimension || julian casablancas 'Cause no one really cares or wonders why anymore Oh, I got music, coming out of my hands and feet and kisses
Back in 2011, when I was still watching Doctor Who, someone made this video which blew my little heart away. I rediscovered this song while we were driving back to Ohio from our annual beach trip and managed to get everyone in the car hooked on it for weeks afterwards.
xxx. sunflower || post malone You're a sunflower I think your love would be too much
Into the Spiderverse! Was so! Good!
xxxi. what’s up danger || blackway, black caviar I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy I like tall buildings so I can leap off of 'em
So like, that scene, right? The one that had everyone losing their collective shit? I saw gifs before I watched the movie, and goddamn, it lived up to every single expectation I ever had. I made Nick watch it with me, and he groaned a lot because honestly he is not the biggest fan of super hero movies, but even he admitted that it was the best damn Spiderman movie we’d ever seen. It was powerful and clever and heartwarming and funny and the music and animation were both fan-freaking-tastic.
xxxii. bad guy || billie eilish I'm the bad guy, duh Can you believe that I actually didn’t know about this video until @nijuukoo did art? I mean, I’d definitely heard it and liked it before hand, but the fucking video, man. That pic of Vanitas showering Ven in hearts is still the background of my desktop.(It would have been the one of him sitting on Ansem while he’s doing push ups, but it didn’t work with my screen)
xxxiii. elevate || dj khalil I jump off this building to save these civilians My strength and my honor is trusted by children I'm ready and willing to fight all these villains No chaos or killings, my style is so brilliant I really, really liked the music to Into the Spiderverse.
xxxiv. must’ve been || chromeo I must've been high when I met you Out of my mind when I decided to love you
There was a Harringrove fic that I read during the summer that made the connection between this song and modern AU Billy and Steve. I thought it was @lymricks but maybe not. Either way - I listened to this for like three weeks straight while reading about Billy and Steve flirting at the pool. Ha! Found it - you, through half-shut eyes by @brawlite.
xxxv. dark matter || les friction Bring me your soul, bring me your hate In my name you will create Bring me your fear, bring me your pain You will destroy in my name
There was an Outsider fanvid. I tripped over it.
xxxvi. lark of my heart || eliza rickman Lark of my heart - dance in the dark and say you love me Lark of my heart - right from the start and say you love me
This one was another that I found on a random playlist while I was reading and I just love the rhythm of the song. I sat right up and favorited that sucker before I lost it.
xxxvii. dancing on my own — robyn I'm just gonna dance all night I'm all messed up, I'm so outta line Stilettos on broken bottles I'm spinning around in circles Okay. Okay, okay, okay. So there was that tumblr post that went around a while back where a bunch of subway riders who just got back from a Robyn concert started singing while waiting for the train and I just. It makes me so fucking happy. Like, I remember the night I clicked on that video. I’d never heard the song before, but I didn’t need to because the level of fucking joy and unity in that video literally brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes, humans are fucking beautiful.
xxxviii. hungover in the city of dust || autoheart We’re hungover in the city of dust So let our minds run round in circles While we figure it all out
I really adore autoheart. They did Sailor Song, which was on my Top Songs post last year and honestly, according to the plays on spotify, probably should have still been on my list this year, but alas - this is the abridged version. Every song I’ve heard from them I’ve loved. The entire bridge makes me shiver, it’s just so wonderfully executed.
xxxix. season of the witch || lana del rey You've got to pick up every stitch, The rabbits running in the ditch, Oh no, must be the season of the witch In October I watched Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and it was super spooky and really great and probably one of the best movies I saw this year? But like, also this cover by Lana del Rey was the best damn thing about it. Someone made a witchy video that was great too but I can’t find it now. xl. bird song || juniper vale Listen to the sound of my heart beat slow Yeah, my heart's like yours, my heart's like yours Listen to the sound, oh it feels like home When our hearts beat slow together
I really like Juniper Vale. I found them last year when I stumbled across their cover of Singing In The Rain, and they churn out some really quality music.
xli. paradise valley || honey & the sting So you'll have to hold me down Could you just hold me down build the levees higher This song was always going to make it to 2019′s list too. It’s just too damn good. Thank you, Wolf 359. You’ve given me a gift that is still giving three years later.
xlii. my hallelujah || autoheart Thought I found a new religion In you who was I kidding There's nowhere to go Except for under quarantine
More Autoheart! Just listen to that melody! That flow!
xliii. furthest star || dirt poor robins We'll find our hiding place Clear across the Milky Way Beyond the galaxy On the furthest star that we see
This song reminds me a lot of Muse back in their early days. I was half-napping on the couch listening to, you guessed it, a random playlist on spotify, and I liked this song enough to surface from the edges of slumber to favorite it so I could find it again.
xliv. play dirty || kevin mcallister Would you get the Devil this dance? Would you be a part of his plans? Now you got some blood on your hands
There was a fanvid. It was good and basically caught me up on Preacher. The song is also really catchy.
xlv. it’s quiet uptown || kelly clarkson Look at where we are Look at where we started Last year, this was on my list because of an EOS 10 playlist. This year it’s on my list because I still fucking love it. Also I saw Hamilton this year and it was really phenomenal. I cannot get over how good it was.
xlvi. pas de deux || michael abels -instrumental- I watched Us in late October/early November and this entire sequence was really lovely and eerie and just all around fantastic. I loved the mirroring throughout the movie, and it all came together in this stunning confrontation.
xlvii. i got 5 on it || michael abels, luniz, mi I got five on it
Us had a really good soundtrack.
xlviii. one day more || les mis cast One more dawn One more day One day more!
About a month ago I got to see Les Mis in theater and I cried like six or seven times. That is not an exaggeration I was a fucking mess. As much as I’ve adored every musical I have seen up until this point, I have never had a musical affect me the way this one did. It was incredibly powerful and the experience was worth every damn cent.
xlix. into the unknown || idina menzel, aurora Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls
Like, I know it’s cool to hate on Frozen because it got so popular, but Idina Menzel is a queen with the voice of an angel and I’m sorry, but the movies were good. Also, Elsa is very, very pretty and this shit was very, very gay.
l. show yourself || idina menzel & evan rachel wood Come to me now Open your door Don't make me wait One moment more
Sorry, I don’t make the rules. Elsa gets all the best numbers. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, folks. Happy listening.
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2019 writing self-evaluation
so i did this over on my main last year, and since i had what i felt was a productive year, i wanted to do it here! i’ve included all works, from every fandom i wrote for, so there’s definitely a variety but also a clear distinction of when i stopped writing 1d and started writing for haikyuu, heh. anyway, i’m proud of all the work i’ve done this year, so here’s to 2020!
ALL FICS MUST HAVE POSTED ON AO3 IN 2019
1. Number of stories (including drabbles) posted to AO3: 50
2. Word count posted for the year: 147,038
3. List of works published this year (in order of posting):
two loves have i (5 january)
it’s only your imagination again (25 january)
the pain’s only temporary (8 february)
blow a kiss, fire a gun (9 may)
waiting to be found (14 may)
a swim with a shark (6 june)
sweet and lowdown (19 june)
one more time as if we planned it (24 june)
always be my thunder (23 july)
will your mouth read this truth (30 july)
tumblr drabbles & prompts (last updated 3 august)
I’m on my way up (’cos you make me bliss out) (completed 4 august) (collab with Rider_Of_Spades on ao3)
even mountains crumble into the sea (7 august)
we’re on each other’s team (14 august)
dangerous, tainted, flawed (20 august)
life can do terrible things (25 august)
the night before life goes on (1 september)
when the letter says a soldier’s coming home (17 september)
when the air ran out (19 september)
something missing tonight (21 september)
built castles from sand (26 september)
underneath the stars we came alive (8 october)
sweet talk and sugar (10 october)
got my name on this treasure (11 october)
just a little taste, babe (14 october)
iwaoi horror week drabbles (completed 1 november)
don’t let the tide come (31 october)
daisuga week drabbles (completed 24 november)
how (not) to put on a condom (26 november)
taste the tension, now i’m begging (2 december)
kiss the boy (7 december)
till tonight do us part (11 december)
i wish i could be there now (13 december)
on our way to twenty-seven (15 december)
for the dream far away (24 december)
a collar full of chemistry (25 december)
fall down and commune with me (28 december)
a little of love’s electricity (31 december)
the city is at war (last updated 31 december)
4. Fandoms I wrote for: (stats pulled from the ao3 filter feature on my works)
haikyuu!! (41)
one direction (9)
the legend of zelda: breath of the wild (3)
all time low (1)
crystalline (1)
5. Pairings: (i didn’t count side or past pairings)
iwaizumi hajime/oikawa tooru (14)
sawamura daichi/sugawara koushi (13)
oikawa tooru/sugawara koushi (4)
azumane asahi/nishinoya yuu (3)
kuroo tetsurou/sawamura daichi (2)
kuroo tetsurou/yaku morisuke (1)
akaashi keiji/oikawa tooru (1)
sawamura daichi/sugawara koushi/terushima yuuji (1)
sawamura daichi/terushima yuuji (1)
sugawara koushi/terushima yuuji (1)
link/revali (1)
mipha/zelda (1)
louis tomlinson/harry styles (5)
louis tomlinson/zayn malik (1)
alex gaskarth/louis tomlinson (1)
liam payne/louis tomlinson (1)
zack spade/pixel fade (1)
6. Story with the most:
Kudos: two loves have i (275)
Bookmarks: two loves have i (34)
Comments: two loves have i (25)
9. Work I’m most proud of (and why):
on our way to twenty-seven! i was digging into some identity and sexuality issues that i myself have dealt with in the past and writing about it was the first time i’d really dove into some of that stuff, so i really enjoyed writing it and i think it’s some of my best.
i’m also really proud of i’m taking back the crown and i wish i could say why. i just really like the way it came out. writing oikawa as this desperate dethroned prince trying to reclaim his kingdom at any cost only to be beaten at his own game in his own home was just...ugh. it was so much fun to write.
10. Work I’m least proud of (and why):
one more time as if we planned it, definitely. i just felt super rushed writing it. it was for the one direction rarepair fest, which was super fun, but i had Just finished a longer fic a few days before this one was due and i initially tried to drop out because i thought i wouldn’t be able to finish it, but i did, but i still feel like it’s rushed and just not as good as it could have been if i’d planned better and given it some more time.
11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:
im gonna do what i did last year and post more than one, because 1. i can’t decide and 2. i quite honestly am pretty proud of a lot of what i wrote this year
from when the letter says a soldier’s coming home —
Tooru’s squealing somewhere behind them, and Hajime’s gruffly trying to get out the door, and he’ll have to call the school and make up something about being sick so he can spend the day catching up with Daichi, but it can wait. It can all wait. Because Koushi’s waited long enough. It’s about time the rest of the world waits for him.
from strawberries on a summer evening —
Suga hums against him, licking strawberry seeds from between Daichi’s teeth, like he’s just as intoxicated by Daichi as Daichi is with him. Daichi could live here, in this feeling, ignoring everything except how Suga sounds (like bliss personified), smells (like sunblock and sweat), tastes (like sugar and salt). He’s the hottest part of the summer, high noon in mid-August, just this side of too much to handle, but addicting in how it leaves you at its mercy.
from on our way to twenty-seven —
“Sorry, what was your name again?”
Tetsurou opens his mouth to say his American name, but he catches Daichi and Suga looking at him, and he swallows it down. “My name is Tetsurou. Tetsurou Kuroo.”
“I thought you wanted people to call you Tyler,” Timothy says.
Tetsurou shoots him a glare and says it again, feeling his confidence start to grow. “My name is Tetsurou Kuroo. Tetsu is fine, too, but I don’t go by Tyler anymore.”
12. Share or describe a favorite review you received:
any time tasteofsummersnow left me a comment, it made my heart go doki doki!! her comments are so in depth and so very sweet and it’s so much fun to see her real-time reactions to my writing. i go back and reread them like once a week they’re so nice ;_;
13. A time when writing was really, really hard:
the spring/early summer in general was tough, like from march to june. i didn’t post anything between february and may, and i feel like i was struggling a lot creatively around like may/june of this year. i think it’s because a lot of stuff in the 1d fandom was really turning me off at the time and that’s when the burnout fully hit.
14. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:
definitely sugawara in the city is at war. i was writing that first chapter and initially i just wanted to see him step up when daichi wasn’t around but he very quickly turned sadistic and ruthless and scarily sharp, which is just so much fun to write him as. and his relationship with daichi is just—ugh. love that violence-fueled romance. they would kill a hundred men for each other and be turned on once they were finished.
honestly, all of the city is at war has surprised me. the idea came to me in a dream on a long bus ride, of all the clan leaders having a meeting and being attacked, and i woke up and banged it out in 36 hours. i meant it to be a oneshot but as i wrote it, i realized i loved the au so much there was no way i could leave it at that. so now it’s got a whole plot and all that. fun!
15. How did you grow as a writer this year:
last year i said i felt i grew writing angst and exploring different emotional themes, and i think i built on that even more this year. i did a bunch of shorter pieces this year and i feel a lot of them really explored emotions and characters more than plot, and that’s been so much fun. and then as well, like i said before, i’ve branched out into the crime-action genre with the yakuza au. and! iwaoi horror week was my first real attempt at spooky/creepy/horror-type writing, and, it was a fun challenge for sure.
i also said i wanted to just keep writing and be spontaneous and i definitely did that this year. i posted so many fics not caring how long it had been since the last one—sometimes it was less a day. numbers stopped mattering to me. i posted just because i wanted to put my writing out there and share it with the world, knowing there had to be someone out there who’d like it.
16. How do you hope to grow next year:
i feel like 2019 was a year of trying a lot of new things, so in 2020 i’m hoping to explore some different ships and tropes. the sheer number of characters and ships in haikyuu means there’s a ship for just about every trope and au out there, and i want to play around with some dynamics i’ve never written before.
17. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):
as always, a shoutout to the loggies, who have been a fantastic source of inspiration and support all year even after i retired from 1d fic. and i would also like to thank the people i met via various hq discord servers—you know who you are!! thank you for the sprints, the encouragement, the inspiration, and the friendship. as someone brand new to the fandom, the support and sense of community has been nothing short of amazing, and you guys are part of the reason i felt so comfortable in this fandom so quickly.
18. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:
actually, yeah. even mountains crumble into the sea was written the night before i broke up with my ex. i wrote it as an exercise to get all my feelings out, lay them all on the table where i could see them and pick through them, and then imagine the best possible way the scenario could go.
19. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:
honestly—just write! write what you’re happy with. write even if you don’t post it. write, because everything you do is practice that’ll help you improve.
and don’t be afraid to write out of order or write more than one project at a time. i know that won’t work for everyone, but for me, if i didn’t immediately write what was on my mind, i probably wouldn’t have posted half of what i did this year.
20. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:
hey remember last year when i said i was gonna finish the breath of the wild au?? L M A O i’m really gonna finish it next year i swear!!
i have a fic posting in the spring for the nsfw big bang which i’m ALSO very excited about! i’m lucky to be working with such a talented artist and the end result is gonna be amazing and i’m so so excited.
i also want to keep going with the city is at war, because that plot was a pleasant surprise. and there’s an ever-growing list of fic ideas and aus that i’m so excited to write—some of them were originally for larry aus but i’ve repurposed them for haikyuu pairings and that’s helped breathe new life into some old ideas.
21. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.
anyone who sees this and wants to do it! just tag me, i wanna read your answers!
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Crack the Paragon, Chapter 7
Fandom: Steven Universe
Rating: General Audiences
Words: 3.4K~
Summary: In another world, he doesn’t have his mother’s sword or shield to hide behind when Bismuth lands her strike. The bubble pops.
Steven falls apart.
Chapter summary: In which actions are louder than words.
First | Last chapter
You can find the AO3 link in the reblogs! (I have to omit it from the original post these days to ensure this will show up in the tags.) If you enjoyed this, I’d greatly appreciate your support over there as well.
Chapter 7: Silenced
“Are you out of your mind??”
"Pearl, please understand, I’ve been wanting this for so long,” you explain softly, the sunset illuminating the face of the pale Gem before you in shades of pink and orange as the waves crash onto shore behind her. “Human life is simply incredible! Never stagnating, always living, and loving, and learning. I want to pass on my gem, to create something new with Greg, someone who can grow! Someone… who can finally be free.”
“But- but Gems can’t have babies!” she sputters, throwing her arms out. “We don’t have the organs for it, or genetic material, o-or—“
You shake your head, enthusiastically cutting her off.
“That’s no problem, I used shapeshifting like Amethyst always does! And believe me,” you say with a conspiratorial chuckle, “you know better than anyone that I’m fully capable of holding this for the next nine months.”
“That’s not my point!”
“Then… what is?”
“My point—! You always do this, Rose!” she shouts, her pale blue eyes growing damp. “You know I try to support you, but I can’t do that if you never talk with me before leaping headfirst into whatever fanciful desire you please, and- and deciding everyone’s future for them!”
“But isn’t that… what I’m doing now?”
“No! You never even asked me how I’d feel,” she says, voice thick. “And that’s your problem.” Tears stream in rivulets down her cheeks, her lithe body quivering. Roughly, she wipes them away, and turns to escape your presence. “You never do!”
“Where did it go??”
The sound of shrill panic abruptly wakes Steven, the precise details of his peculiar dream already beginning to blur into obscurity as his eyes flutter open. A line of half-dried drool, slimy and still warm, extends from the corner of his mouth. His dad is softly snoring next to him, swaddled in his stolen covers like the very image of a sushi roll.
“No, no, no!” Pearl shouts from the kitchen. There’s a dull clap as her hand swipes across the counter. Something light (cloth?) falls to the floor. “This can’t be happening, not now, not again!!”
Yawning, he presses his fingers against the slight ache at his temple and sits up, blinking in confusion at his surroundings. “Wha—?”
For whatever reason, the beach house has devolved into absolute chaos between the time he fell asleep and now. The couch cushions are all askew, one of them flung halfway across the room. Two of the kitchen stools are overturned, and the bath towel they nestled his gem in last night lays in an abandoned heap between them. Dishes from the open cabinets are strewn everywhere on the counters. Meanwhile, the contents of the game shelf by the window— which Pearl normally keeps meticulously organized in alphabetical order— have exploded across the floor with little to no regard to the walking hazard they pose. If her intent was to blow through the place like a one person wrecking ball, then she’s clearly succeeded. No corner of the house is left untouched by her mania. The Gem roughly swings open the fridge, rattling the condiment bottles in the door. After a brief pause to scan through its contents she huffs, and slams it shut again.
Her arms shaking, she grips tufts of wispy peach hair from either side of her head. “Where is it???” she cries, her voice edging towards borderline hysteria.
“Uh, Pearl?” he asks, uneasiness churning in his gut at the sight of his guardian under so much stress. He swings his feet over the edge of his bed. “Pearl! What’s going on? What’s wrong??”
She freezes momentarily upon noticing he’s awake, her cheeks flushing blue.
“O-oh! Thank goodness you’re finally up,” she says, bounding across the room and up the stairs to him in no more than five steps. Her hands grasp his shoulders, a frantic gleam in her pale eyes. “Steven, where’s your gem?! Have you seen it??”
“My… gem?” he mutters, scrunching his nose as he peers up at her. In the fog of his exhausted, sleep deprived mind, for a second he has no idea what on Earth she’s talking about. Where’s his gem? His gem’s at his navel, inlaid flush with his skin like it’s always been, so what is she—
In a flash, snippets of recent memory eclipse everything else that’s at the forefront of his attention, reasserting their place in his psyche.
“Go ahead!” Bismuth snarls, jamming the tip of the breaking point rough against her concave gemstone. “Just do it!”
A sharp cry, his world standing still as a searing pain tears through him from the gem at his core to the very tip of his extremities.
Too damaged to sustain himself, his hard light form poofs into a cloud of smoke. He remembers this from both perspectives, now. And with the memory of the searing pain his other half was in… he wishes he doesn’t. The cracked gemstone hangs in the air for just a moment, morning sunlight glinting off its facets, before plummeting lifeless to the ground.
“—it’s Pink Diamond,” Garnet whispers in horror.
He swallows hard as the burden of the last few hours quickly rears its ugly head, weighing down once more on his shoulders. Oh, right, he thinks, resting his hand atop his stomach, over the unfamiliar facets of his newly flipped gem. Almost dying. That was a thing.
“Yes, your gem, I’ve been looking everywhere for it!” Pearl says, throwing her arms up. She leaps to the ground floor from the lofted level, and with a skip and a flourish so unbefitting of her current state of panic, jabs her pointer finger towards the kitchen counter. “I clearly remember setting it right here when we put you to bed, but now it’s nowhere to be found!”
Her words degrade to incomprehensible mumbling as she continues her fruitless search, this time localized to the space around the fireplace and the bathroom door. Finally understanding what has her in such a tizzy, Steven leaps to his feet and follows her down the stairs. Of course she’s freaking out, she thinks his gemstone disappeared entirely, or walked off, or got stolen! She has no way of knowing what happened on the beach early this morning. No one does. Someone’s gotta tell her, and that someone can only be him. Rushing to his guardian, he gently tugs at her arm.
“Pearl!”
She forces a laugh, the sound of it neurotic and unhinged, as her fumbling fingers remove a small photo of the four of them off its hook on the wall. “Well at least we can say for certain it’s not hiding behind this framed photograph!” she announces, smile stretched just a bit too wide. “Just one less infinite possibility to check…”
“Pearl, listen, you—“
“And it’s not like it could simply roll off the table without a trace, right? Am I right??”
“Please, you don’t have to freak out, ‘cause I—“
“But it’s okay Steven, there’s no need to panic! I know we’ll find it eventually, yes we will, of course we will, how could we—“
“I have it!” he blurts out, grabbing both of her shaking hands. “I have it.”
Held securely in his, her hands fall silent. The panic drains from her in but a breath as she stops to contextualize what he’s just said and what it means, her mouth slipping slightly ajar. Sensing that he’s firmly caught her attention now, he continues, heart hammering in his chest.
“Last night, the gem reformed as me, a-and… we fused back together.”
“You— you’re back to normal,” she says with glassy eyes, voice softer now.
He tugs at the collar of his pajamas. “Well, more or less. There’s a bit of a catch, and I’m pretty sure none of you are gonna like it.”
Her expression is blank with confusion. “Uhhh— a catch?”
“Y’know, it’s probably easier if I just show you,” he reasons with a nervous chuckle, and— sweat beading on his forehead— lifts his nightshirt to reveal his gem.
Pearl kneels down to peer at it straight on, hand balled into a fist at her chin. “Oh!” she says first, brows shooting up on her face. Then, her features narrowing the more and more she looks at the newly exposed facets of his diamond: ”Ohhhh...”
“This is what her gem looked like, isn’t it?” he asks. “Pink’s?”
Her eyes shoot wide open at his query. “I—“
Immediately, her palm clamps tight over her mouth, strangling whatever words she had planned to share.
Steven cringes as he watches her struggle against her orders, a seed of guilt churning deep within. “Oh, right. You can’t… sorry, I forgot. We can talk about something else, if you want!”
She’s thankfully able to pull her hand away before too long. A distant part of him wonders how this gag order works, how it knows in advance what Pearl plans to say, if there’s any loopholes they could possibly find to skirt around it...
“I— I’d appreciate that,” she admits, suddenly looking very tired.
A lopsided smile brightening her face despite her exhaustion, she reaches up to affectionately ruffle his hair. He flashes her a boyish grin as her touch flattens some of his wild curls against his head.
“You know,” she says quietly, glancing at him with such a softness reflected in her pale irises that it almost makes him forget all the stress he’s endured, almost makes him believe nothing’s changed since yesterday, “there may be a lot I can’t talk about, but what I can say is that I’m so glad to see your beautiful smile again.”
“Pearl,” he responds, blushing with half-hearted embarrassment.
“Now let’s clean up this mess before your father wakes up, shall we?” the pale Gem chuckles nervously as she rubs her hands together, glancing between the trashed ground floor of the beach house and the middle aged man miraculously still snoozing away in the loft above.
“Nose-goes on kitchen!” he says hurriedly, tapping his finger against the tip of his nose.
She feeds him a mock gasp, already crossing behind the counter to start returning the plates and glasses to their rightful homes in the cabinet. “Oh, you rascal! How ever will I organize all this by myself?”
Steven gives a soft laugh at this, and then promptly sets himself on tidying duty. First priority is the board games strewn across the floorboards in the corner. He kneels and begins arranging the boxes into piles. From there, he stacks each pile nice and near on the shelf by the window. After straightening the stacks so the box corners line up, he moves to pull open the blinds to let more sunlight in the house. A blissful smile stretches across his face as he pauses his work to bask in the morning glow.
Already feeling a good deal more content about everything in the reminder of daybreak, he turns to Pearl. “Not gonna lie, I’m kinda surprised Dad was able to stay asleep through all our racket.”
“Greg?” she scoffs and rolls her eyes, piling a stack of plates on one of the shelves. “That man sleeps like a rock. Which,” she continues, resting her freed hand against her chin in contemplation, “as an idiom, is actually rather ironic considering that ‘rock’ is common slang for ‘Gem,’ and Gemkind as a whole doesn’t have a biological need for sleep.”
“Well, I think you can blame humans for that one,” he laughs, picking the missing couch cushion off the floor and returning it to its home. “For anyone outside Beach City, rocks don’t actually move!”
Ever so slightly, the edge of her lips turn up. “I suppose that’s true, yes…”
They fall into a fairly comfortable silence for a while after that, as they put the finishing touches on the last nooks and crannies of the beach house that needed attention. Steven makes sure the floor is spotless, every stray pillow, toy, or decorative item returned to its rightful place. Pearl finishes tidying the kitchen, re-organizing the cups on the shelves by color and type. By the end of it he can proudly say the place looks leagues cleaner than it did yesterday. For good measure, Pearl pulls a broom out of her gemstone and sweeps up any debris littering the floor. He helps out by holding the dustpan steady as she brushes the sand and dust bunnies in.
“There!” she proclaims once they’re finished, proudly surveying her roost as she solidly holds the broom with the same level of decorum with which one might hold a rebellion era rampart. “That’s much better, don’t you think?”
The ground nearly shimmers in its cleanliness. Heartily, he gives her a thumbs-up.
“Yeah, looks great!”
With a big yawn, he glances up at his father’s slumbering figure in the loft above, for a moment jealous that he’s not still snoozing away too. Four or five hours (or however long it’s been since he crawled back into bed, he hasn’t checked the clock yet) simply isn’t enough rest for a growing boy. He always tries to aim for eight or nine. Maybe he can bridge that gap now, though? Would it help, he wonders, if he falls back asleep a good twenty minutes after he woke? As he ponders this mystery, he ambles past Pearl, heading directly to the couch.
“Steven,” she says with poorly disguised concern, as she watches him abruptly flop over onto the cushions in his sheer exhaustion. “If you need to talk about what happened, then I—“
“I’m just a little tired, don’t worry about me,” he says, eyes drooping shut as he curls up tighter.
“Don’t wor—“ Pearl cuts herself off suddenly, choked up. She’s at his side in a flash, and he feels the cushion adjust for her weight as she sits herself adjacent. “How can I not worry about you? You went through something no child… no Gem should ever have to experience!”
“But I’m alive,” he points out, eyes cracking open a smidge. “I’m alive, and you guys dealt with Bismuth, a-and we fixed it like we always do, so- so there’s no point in fixating on what could’ve happened, right?”
She rests her hand on his shoulder, her fingers hesitantly shifting over the seam of his pajamas as if she’s suddenly a complete stranger to the art of comforting. Normally he lives for her shows of affection— her occasional head pats, loose side hugs, a hand clasped tight on his arm as she gently leads him through hazardous terrain on missions— but in his mounting desire to be left alone in peace to rest, he bristles under her touch. She doesn’t seem to catch onto the hint, though. Still hidden behind his neutral expression, he grits his teeth.
“I-it’s not a matter of fixation,” she continues, “it’s a matter of unpacking difficult emotions. You have to understand, the state of being cracked, it’s not one that most full Gems are easily able to bounce back from, and I just want to ensure that you’re not—“
“I’m fine, really, I am!” he snaps. “You don’t have to keep fussing about it! And anyways, it’s all over now, isn’t it? So can’t we at least try to move on from this and let things be halfway normal again?!”
Pearl reacts like she’s been physically struck. She yanks her hand back, resting her palms on her knees as she turns her head away. A cautious glance at her face (or at least the half she hasn’t intentionally obscured from his sight) shows one muddled with a blend of melancholy and that sort of silent displeasure he’s long since grown to associate with disappointed parents. He swallows hard, shame settling heavy like the diamond at the pit of his stomach. He went too far.
“Sorry,” he mumbles as he sits upright, cheeks heating up. He stares at his fingers, rhythmically flexing them.
She doesn’t vocally respond to his apology, but her form does grow visibly less tense. It’s a start.
Fully audible through the walls of the house, the tides crash onto shore, gently pulsing in and out. It doesn’t take long before the pace of his heart matches the ocean’s unwavering drumbeat. His naive young mind twitchy under the throes of the unnatural silence, he yearns for some concrete image to latch onto, anything to spirit him away from the present. Not before long, distant threads of memory from the strange dream he woke up from this morning rise to meet his pleas.
Most of the details are fuzzy, indistinct and abstract as one might expect from a dream, but nevertheless just enough specificity remains that he can’t help but wonder if this was more than your run-of-the-mill moonlight fantasy. Frowning pensively, he balls his hand against his chin. The sky was streaked with lines of pink and orange, he remembers. The tides swelled with the same unwavering prowess as they do this morning. He knows he was standing somewhere near the temple, because he clearly saw one of the stone hands half-buried on the sandy shore. A familiar ivory and peach figure stood defiant and distraught before him— no, not him!— before his…
“You always do this, Rose!”
His hands. They were wide, pale, free of the familiar calluses built up from years of plucking strings on his ukulele, they… they weren’t his. This body wasn’t his.
Mom. He was dreaming about his mom. But why, and how? He’s had dreams with her in them before, but they were always different, they were always from his perspective. They were always fluid and nonsensical. This, however… this one felt different, somehow. More tangible.
Almost… real.
“You never even asked me how I’d feel,” Pearl said, voice thick. “And that’s your problem. You never do!”
Realization dawns over him like the glow of the morning sun rising above the horizon. A sudden sickness churns in his stomach. He’s almost horrified, disgusted with his past actions in rudely brushing Pearl off like that.
She just… wants to know how I feel about all this, he thinks, throat constricting as he swallows hard. She wanted to know if I’m okay! But- is she even okay??
Is there more to this dream of his than meets the eye? Is his subconscious trying to tell him something, trying to lead him to take some sort of action? Have they really not asked her that enough?
His fingers drum against his leg as he gathers the nerve to speak again.
“Hey...”
“Yes?” Pearl says quietly, tone clipped. She’s still glancing out the window, turned away from him.
“How are you handling all this? Everything’s suddenly so different, and…” He grips the fabric of his pajama bottoms, his eyes burning hot. “I know you can’t say much about it, but I just wanna make sure you’re doin’ okay too.”
She finally meets his glance, her gaze glassy and wet. Her bottom lip quivers, so subtle he almost doesn’t pick up on it. In all the time he’s lived with her, he's not sure he’s ever seen her so vulnerable, and the sight of it drives a razor sharp point right through his heart. He takes a deep, grounding breath, and continues.
“And I want you to know I don’t blame you for this,” he reassures. “Even if you couldn’t tell us anything, that’s not your fault.”
“Thank you,” she says, her voice breaking.
“If there’s stuff I can do to make things easier, let me know?”
Her ice blue irises skate upwards as she deliberates, desperately grasping for an answer to his open ended question. Steven clasps his hands together in his lap, and simply waits in silent patience. His legs dangle back and forth over the edge of the couch.
Pearl sighs, her long suffering exhaustion evident. “If, in the future, you could avoid asking probing questions about your mother or abo- about my past on Homeworld, that would be a great help.” She presses her thumb and forefinger firm against her forehead, right under her gem. “It’s… painful, suffice it to say, when programming kicks in. And to answer your first question, I’m honestly trying not to think about any of it too much. Like you, it would seem,” she adds with a bit of a mirthful chuckle. “I can’t claim it’s good advice, but that’s where I’m at.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats with a sniffle, leaning into her shoulder.
Tenderly, she wraps her arms around him and nestles her cheek against his mop of curly hair. It’s a blissful comfort, a wordless promise that more than anything else makes him feel safe. Secure.
“So am I,” she whispers, a tear slipping down her cheek.
__
Notes:
I have a headcanon that Rose took ages to reform after Pearl staged her "shattering," and in the midst of that Pearl had to go into hiding with her gem so the Crystal Gems didn't learn their secret. During that, I imagine she probably lost Rose's gem at least once, and almost had the Gem equivalent of a heart attack. Which is why she's flipping out so much about it happening again, with Steven.
I also hc that Steven doesn't actually upset Pearl too often, out of the three main CGs. When she does get especially upset though, she's the type to give the icy silent treatment.
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Among The Trees, The Fallen Rise Again || Part Four
♦ Title: Among The Trees, The Fallen Rise Again
♦ Fandom: Star Trek with a small dash of Pete’s Dragon
♦ Relationship: McKirk || Jim x Bones
♦ Warnings: vulgarities, gossip, mentions of infidelity, mentions of harassing behavior
♦ A/N: I’m not dead!!!! Just went on an unexpected hiatus :p
But boy am I happy to be writing again. Although I was not expecting this to be the thing that I would end up posting/updating. A Million Years or even a reader insert one shot, but not then...yet here we are!!!
Any who….if you haven’t read the previous parts, you can find those linked here!!
Enjoy!! ♥ :)
Among The Trees, The Fallen Rise Again || Part Four
“Bye, Pav!” Jim waved at the kid as he exited Yorktown, dodging around a few guys and ignoring the looks he got.
It was a little busier since it was the lunch rush, but Pavel still returned the waved from where he was working the register. “Bye, Jim! And Congrats!” He shouted before darting over to help the new arrivals who, judging by the bits of sawdust on their clothes, were probably on break from logging. “Leo, Scotty, hi -”
Jim laughed and made his way to his car, an excited grin on his face as he pulled away from the curb.
Two days ago, Jim had applied to temporarily rent the ‘penthouse’ apartment before making an offer on the log mansion that was just over the listing price. He had wanted to low-ball an offer, but Barnett quickly axed that plan. The move-in ready place had been on the market for only a month, but, so far, all of it's offers had been below the listing price.
And, apparently, the owner was having none of that shit. The dude had turned down each and every 'insulting' offer for his masterpiece.
Since Jim was the first potential buyer to be able to offer more than the listing price, the realtor thought it was best to go over to maximize his chance at getting the home.
Last night, he got a call back from Barnett.
He wouldn't have to keep living out of the 'Beige Motel'.
Sure, he'd still have several weeks before he would be able to start moving in, but that wasn’t an issue. After a lengthy phone call, Jim managed to convince the owner of the apartment building to allow him to rent to the apartment
Grinning gleefully, Jim tapped his fingers along the steering wheel to the beat of the fading song.
Who would have thought that this blink-and-you-miss-it town in the middle of nowhere would be the new home of James Tiberius Kirk?
Heeding the stop sign before him, Jim took the opportunity to grab his sunglasses and slip them on before switching the station. Weather forecasts were just so boring, but classic rock? Driving on, he slipped easily into singing along to Cherry Bomb as he searched for his turnoff.
Between conversations with Nyota, Spock, and Pavel, it wasn’t hard to come to the conclusion that he was going to need far more than what he packed in his bags for his new home...homes?
Not - not that he needed their input.
But they did give him ideas on various necessities.
One such necessity? Plants.
He had adored his little garden back in LA. Carefully probing the dirt as he gently placed each plant and seed. Meticulously watering each growth and pulling unwanted weeds as they sprouted. Scenting the soft fragrance of the various blossoms as they bloomed. Tasting each new vegetable as they ripened
If he was going live here, he needed something to brighten up the inside of his new homes.
Something to care for.
After a few more minutes, Jim found himself pulling into a small gravel lot and picking a spot near the front doors. Throwing the car into park, Jim leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look at the flower shop.
Demora's Nursery was located on the outskirts of Millhaven. The main building was a low, wood paneled structure with windows filled with various types of ferns. Behind it, three greenhouses stood attached, their opaque walls giving no clues as to what grew inside.
A small set of wind-chimes jingled as he entered the colorful shop, drawing the attention of a young Asian man working behind the counter. “Hello,” he greeted, a welcoming smile spread across his face. As he watched Jim make his way back, being careful not to knock over any of the potted plants, he questioned, “Can I help you find anything?”
“Hi! Uh, yeah, I think.” Jim scratched at the back of his head as the man gave him a questioning look. “I just bought a house in the area and I'm looking for some things to add a little life to it.”
He nodded and slid a pad of paper towards him. Grabbing a pen he said, “That I can help you with. Do you have anything specific in mind?”
Jim shrugged. “Eh, not really?” He never actually thought about what he wanted. “Sorry.”
He got a one-shouldered shrug in return. “Don't worry about it. Most people come in with the mindset of 'I'll know it when I see it'. Here,” he slid off his stool and came around the counter. “I'll show you around. You might have questions about some of the plants. Oh,” he stuck out his hand. “I'm Ben, by the way.”
Well, Ben turned out to be a savior sent to Earth. Not only did he know about every single plant he and his husband sold, he was also extremely helpful with giving Jim tips about an outdoor garden come the spring.
“We usually get the garden magazines around December. So you can either stop by then or an issue can be sent to you,” he informed, leading Jim into the second greenhouse. The nursery turned out to be divided by plant types – the main building that we are currently in, ferns and indoor trees; the first greenhouse, vegetables; and the final two, flowers.
“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.”Jim tried to shove his sleeves up higher as the humid air assaulted his body. “I didn't know that nurseries stayed open during the winter.”
Ben shrugged, picking off a few dead leaves from some pots of roses. “Most don't. We're just one that likes to keep something in stock year round. Some things we get shipped in and some we work on growing, but we tailor the stock to the season. The spring and early summer is when we have the most outdoor plants; in the late summer, we transition to ones that do well indoors.”
Jim picked up a small pot of wildflowers. “That's nice.” He gave the flowers a sniff, a memory coming to him. “Hey, do you have any of those – shit, what are they called? They're the little white, bell-like flowers? I remember by grandparents in Iowa had some that grew wild. My gramps would always send us out to pick some for my grandma when we visited.” He smiled softly. “I always liked the smell of them.”
Ben's eyebrows knitted together in thought. “Do you mean the lily of the valley?”
Jim shifted the pot over to one hand and snapped his fingers. “Yes! Those! Do you have any of those?”
The other man chewed his lip. “Hmmmm, I don't know if we have any of those left. We definitely did, though. They grow like crazy during May and the loggers dig up a bunch for us.” He turned and headed for the doorway. “See, they grow really well in pots and we worked on growing them already in pots. I think my husband might know, though.” He stepped out and yelled into the narrow corridor, “Hey, Hikaru!”
“Yeah?” A voice responded from the third greenhouse.
“Do we have anymore pots of lily of the valley?”
“Yeah!” The man sounded closer and Jim rocked on his feet listening to the two talk. “They're in green house three toward th - ” The voice abruptly cut off and Jim looked up to see the other man, Hikaru, staring at him in shock. “Holy shit,” he whispered.
The blond felt himself go pale while panic flooded his veins. Shit. Shit. SHIT!
A confused Ben glanced between the two, but Hikaru kept his focus on Jim.
“You're Jim Kirk.”
With that, his husband looked aghast and Jim cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I – uh – I am.”
Hikaru ginned and strode forward, eager to shake his hand. “Oh, thank god! For a second I thought I had the wrong guy,” he babbled. “And, I don't know if you remember, but we actually met a few years ago.”
“Ah, thank you.” Still stunned, Jim squinted at the man. Now that he mentioned it, he did look familiar. It took a few seconds for the light-bulb to click. “That flight to New York -”
“- with the worst turbulence of your fucking life,” the Hikaru finished with a grin. “Yup! God, that was some scary shit.”
Jim shivered at the memory. “It fucking was!” His blue eyes widened at a realization. “Shit, you were the pilot! I bet that was even worse!”
“Yeah.” He put his hands on his hips as Ben stepped forward. “I thought we were gonna di -”
“- Excuse me?”
Jim and Hikaru found their heads twisting to the side at Ben’s interruption. The man in question was staring between the two with a look of befuddlement. Jim, at least, felt sheepish over excluding him; Hikaru, on the other hand, didn’t seem particularly concerned about the matter.
“Do you remember that flight I told you about?! The one I was assigned to when the original pilot got struck down with food poisoning?!”
Jim noticed the moment that the memory popped into Ben’s head. “The flight with the actors from Guardians of the Galaxy,” he said with his realization, his head turning to look at Jim.
Twin “Yups” were what he got as a confirmation; only Jim’s was more on the bashful side as Hikaru took the gleeful tone.
“Wow…,” seemed to be the only thing Ben could say.
A few moments of silence settled over the three before a bemused chuckle escaped Jim. “Jesus,” he said, “I’ve been here for nearly a week, walking about town -” he let out another chuckle “- buying property, and you’re the first to recognize me by just seeing me.”
Ben smirked and sent a look at Hikaru. “Well, they don’t religiously watch Haven like this nerd.”
Hikaru pouted. “Hey, don’t knock Haven - Wait, you bought property here?”
“Ah, you caught that,” Jim said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’d been thinking about getting a place away from the city for a while now and with…” He trailed off, the distasteful discretion raging back into his mind like an untamed bull. Suddenly, he was on the receiving end of two pity filled faces.
“Shit, yeah, we saw that on the news. That’s - oof!” Hikaru cut himself off and sent a glare at his husband for elbowing him in the ribs. Jim watched on with a pained heart as several seconds of silent communication passed between them before realization dawned across Hikaru’s face and he turned back to Jim full of remorse. “Shit! I am so sorry for bringing that up.”
“No, it’s - it’s fine.” He hated to admit it, but Jim had to swallow back a pit of despair, embarrassed that he allowed himself to become overwhelmed by them in public. Plastering on a smile, Jim did his best to ease their unease. “I slipped up with it and - and you were just trying to sympathize and -”
“Jim.”
He stopped talking, word vomit lodged in his throat at the appearance of hands settling on his shoulders, comforting and steady. He looked between the double pairs of brown, empathizing eyes and felt a delayed and all-encompassing tidal wave of relief wash through him, pricking at his own blue eyes.
Throughout his entire life, Jim had always needed to share - whether he wanted to or not. It went beyond sharing his food or his toys. No, he was expected to share his entire life. What’s his workout like? What gets his motor running? How hairy is his butt? What does he do every single moment of his day?
Majority of the time Jim had wanted to tell them to fuck off and mind their own business because did he seriously owe these strangers his entire personal life?
Yet, these two men, these two strangers, are asking nothing of him.
Perhaps the most vulnerable moment of his life and instead of joining the press and pestering him about the dirty details of the affair they’re standing as pillars of strength on either side of him.
Drawing in a ragged breath, a hurricane of emotion roaring in Jim’s chest as a lone tear sat glistening upon his cheek, lost in a sea of green and colors.
☼
Damn near tripping over his feet, Len’s head swiveled around in an attempt to keep the blond in his sight for as long as possible.
“Len.”
His gaze dropping past the fur collared bomber jacket to settle on a dark wash, jean clad butt seconds before it vanished from his view.
“Len!”
Len turned, brow raising at Scotty’s amused, knowing look. Unspoken of by all in the know, only Scotty truly knew Len’s interest knew no bounds.
Unknownst by the Scotsman, the perky young Pavel interrupted them before Len could level any sort of retort. “Leo, Scotty, hi! How was your morning?” He said the question while laying down their menus.
“Well enough, Lad. Say,” Scotty grew sly, flipping open his menu and shooting Len a wink. “Who was that that just left? Never seen ‘im around before.”
“Oh, that was Jim! The usual for drinks right?” Pavel chirped back without missing a beat. Len peered up, his curiosity piqued. In the corner of his eye, Scotty matched his nod of confirmation. When he darted off to go fetch their drinks, Len narrowed his eyes at his business partner.
He was only met with a smug grin.
“Here we go,” Pavel said, placing a tall glass of Coke before Len and one of Dr. Pepper before Scotty. “I’ll give you a few more minutes to think over your order -”
“No need.” Len waved a hand, cutting him off. “We already have an idea of what we want.” After sharing their orders, the young waiter left them for a few minutes to drop the ticket off in the kitchen. The two ended up conversing over their work at the cut before Pavel returned to their tableside, meals balanced on a large, black tray.
“Da, Jim is new to the area,” Pavel said, placing their food on the table before pulling a chair up to the side of the table.
Len blinked. Well he just cuts right to the chase. “You know him?” He ignored the glance Scotty gave him; Yes, he was curious, but not because he was interested in the guy. At least, that’s what Len was telling himself.
Pavel merely shrugged, the white button up he had to wear for his shift wrinkling more with the action. “He came in for breakfast a few days ago and has come in to eat nearly everyday. Said he wanted a break from the city - actually this morning he said he was approved to buy a house in the area.”
Scotty let out a whistle. “Already bought a house? What’s he hiding from to just get to a place and buy a house?” Len snorted at the comment, but Scotty continued on before he could say anything. “Speaking of - Have ya heard the latest shit about Kirk?”
Rolling his eyes, Len took a big bite of his burger, savoring the taste of the cheese and bacon that coated his tongue. Ever since the news of the overrated actor freaking out and disappearing over his ex dating a new guy surfaced, Len has had to hear all about it from Scotty.
And he really doesn’t care.
Unfortunately for Len, Pavel “I-Want-To-Be-An-Actor-Someday” Chekov does.
“Da!” Pavel said, voice coming out in an over-interested gasp.
So much for Len’s relaxing lunch. He settled into eating as the two began their mind-numbing discussion about the whole Hollywood debacle, fragments of their commentary occasionally cutting through his thoughts on the flavors dancing upon his tongue.
“Why suddenly contact them and act like a dick after days of silence?”
God, what type of bacon is that? Brown sugar? Maple? Ah, who cares! It’s blessed by God anyways.
“Would you act that way over an ex, though?”
Hot damn, they don’t go lightly on the brownie chunks in the shake!
“It does beg the question: What falls faster? Stars or trees.”
“Like, why would - oh!”
The sudden break off of words pulled Len from his food and had he and Scotty exchanging a glance before looking at Pavel…who appeared to be in the middle of a transcending thought.
“You okay, Pav?”
“Uh - Da! Da, I just remembered that I - I have a errand to run after my shift, da.” With that, the kid left, leaving Len and Scotty to exchange curious looks in his wake. Even when he returned with their checks, Pavel kept his words short and work related; the unusual behavior causing Len to question what more was going on.
...to be continued
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Hermione Granger and the New School Ch. 2
Hey, guys!
I finally came out with Chapter 2! I’m trying to follow the HP chapters, so that I don’t miss anything, so it’s about to get real interesting! Stay tuned!!
(I’m leaving for Ecuador soon and would appreciate any donations! Thank you!)
⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ Commission ⛤ ⛤ ⛤Donate ⛤ ⛤ ⛤Masterlist ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤
⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ Ch. 1 ⛤ Ch.2 ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤ ⛤
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Hermione being the damn bad ass that she is.
Type: Alternate Perspective
Hermione's parents were well off, but they knew it would be better for their daughter to attend a public school; after all, a child's social-emotional growth is just as important as their intellectual growth. Mr. and Mrs. Granger really wanted Hermione to grow up in a more diverse population than where they lived, so that she could learn acceptance of others before learning anything that could be taught in a classroom. Fortunately, accepting others came easily to Hermione, she was always willing to help others in any way that she could. Unfortunately, the kids who Hermione went to school with did not treat Hermione as kindly.
Hermione knew she was smart, because she worked for it. She studied with her teachers or parents after school and she studied by herself long after bedtime. She wanted to make the adults in her life proud and she hoped to grow up to be as smart and caring as her parents. The constant praise that Hermione received, for her intelligence, from the adults around her, let her know that all her hard work was paying off. Her classmates, on the other hand, did not view her intellectual success in the same way. They taunted her for being a teacher's pet, for being a bookworm, and for being a know it all. The only reason that anyone would choose to be a partner with her, in class, was so that they did not have to do any of the work.
The bullying that Hermione received was pretty mild, until she got a little bit older and the tests became a little bit harder. The tests weren’t any harder for Hermione, who studied diligently, but the kids in her class began struggling. Therefore, everyone in class wanted to sit next to Hermione, be partners with Hermione, but they did not want to be friends with Hermione, they only wanted to cheat off of her. One day, during a math test, Hermione noticed the boy next to her was copying her answers. Hermione did not approve of cheating. It was dishonest and it made students feel like they did not have to put in any effort to study on their own. Especially since Hermione worked so hard to get to the intellectual level that she was at. Usually, she would just let the copying of answers slide, but she had stayed up so late last night, practicing her math facts and making sure that she memorized all of the equations and formulas. Therefore, seeing this kid, who had not studied or even paid attention in class, steal her answers made her blood boil. Hermione could feel her cheeks turning red, as she tried to cover up her answers, but it did not deter his cheating in the slightest. If only the teacher could look over here, right now. She would catch him red handed! Hermione thought. But the teacher was absorbed in her own work, and did not notice the cheating that was going on in the back of the classroom.
Hermione tried to calm herself down and ignore the boy, but the air was getting thicker and she could feel an unexpected energy starting from the base of her skull to her finger tips. It felt like static building up inside her. She began to fidget nervously, afraid that she might be dangerously ill. I need to go to the nurse. Hermione thought, she looked down at her test and back at the boy next to her. It's because of him. If he wasn't cheating off of me, I wouldn't be feeling so sick now. And if I leave… if I leave… he will keep cheating! Without thinking, Hermione moved all of her energy onto that boy. All of her static energy began to build up in her hands. Hermione was just about to get up and ask to go to the nurse, feeling as though her situation was now a medical emergency, when she heard a loud snap followed by a hard thud. She head spun to the boy beside her, his pencil had snapped in half, suddenly, causing him to fall backwards in surprise. From the floor, he flashed Hermione a fearful look, as if she caused his pencil to explode. That's impossible. Hermione thought, although a small seed of doubt had been planted in her mind, Did I do that?
After that day, the bullying became worse. Rumors had spread that Hermione was a witch, some even said she was a demon or the devil in disguise. It didn't help that Hermione had wild tendrils of curly hair that laid like a dark cloud around her head. Her eyes sometimes looked as though they could start a fire. She certainly looked like a witch, at least to her classmates.
Hermione had always been proud of who she was and what she look like; her mother was beautiful and people sad that she looked just like her mother. But she began to doubt herself, whenever kids bullied her at recess or snickered about her in class. She began to withdraw herself. Although she still studied hard and continued to excel in her classwork, she stopped raising her hand in class and she became anxious when the kids had to do group work. By the time that Hermione got on bus, to go home, everyday, she was miserable. She sat in an empty seat and stuck her backpack on the side of her. She would bury her nose in a book and hope that her torment for the day would finally come to an end.
Hermione, however never wanted to worry her parents, who she knew always worried. Luckily the teachers had not caught on to the bullying that was happening, so there had been no phone call home to explain what was going on at school. When she got home, she would go straight to her room, throw herself on her bed, and cry. Her parents had always respected her privacy and they must have assumed that she was going straight up to her room to study. After half an hour, she would be able to calm herself down. By the time her parents would come to tell her that dinner was ready, they would find her studying quietly at her desk. Hermione would go downstairs, eat with her parents and discuss all the new things that she had learned at school. Sometimes, her parents asked her about her friends. Hermione would mumble some random names and change the subject.
After dinner, the family would spend an hour or two together, before they would go off to do their nightly routines. This was Hermione’s favorite part of her day, because normally the Grangers would play a game or watch a movie together. Hermione could spend time with her parents without their questions and concerns. Best of all, she felt so warm when she could hear her parents laugh together. These small moments between her parents were not exactly rare, but Hermione thought each one was beautiful. A quick kiss, holding hands, a slight caress of the cheek. She always hoped for a love as true and strong as theirs. And at this point in her life, she just hoped for any companionship as true as theirs, even if it were simply a friendship.
When Hermione went up to bed, at the end of the night, she always found it hard to sleep. She would lie awake thinking of ways that she could redeem herself in the eyes of her peers. She feared that if she told a teacher, or her parents, the kids would only hate her more. She just wanted the bullying to stop. When Hermione did manage to finally fall asleep, she had nightmares about disembodied laughter following her down the hallways of school. She could never find the source of the laughter, but it was everywhere, and it was dark and dry. She eventually would become trapped by it and be forced to cover her ears and try to find an escape from the school. Each morning, she would wake up panting and sweating.
One day, when she was halfway through grade 4, Hermione decided that enough was enough. No one was going to stop bullying her, unless she stood up for herself. That day, she came to school with her head held high and her fists clenched. During recess, that same day, some kids started to circle around her and became to taunt her. Hermione stood her ground, she was not going to run and hide in the girls’ room like she had in the past. She could feel electricity welling up inside of her, running up and down her spine, she felt a terrifying sort of excitement that made her shudder with anticipation. She had been waiting to stand up for herself for a long time. There was no hiding now.
“Stop it, right now!” She yelled at the four kids who were circling her. The kids faltered for a second. This was the first time that Hermione had ever talked back to someone that was bullying her. Those kids might not have even known what her voice sounded like. It was high and nasally; it rang like a whistle in the ears of those kids. To some, it must have sounded like a threat. They looked at who must have been considered their leader, waiting for some sort of signal of what to do next.
“Yeah?” The leader said, with his hands on his hips, “what are you gonna do to stop us, witch?”
“I-I w-will -” Hermione stuttered. Her confidence that had been so strong only a few second before, but now that she truly had to defend herself, she felt that confidence failing. She would give anything to disappear, to go back inside and sit in the library with a book. Forget this whole thing. The kids picked up on her fear and started laughing and circling around her again. They shouted out insults and one of the kids even jumped out and gave her a shove. Hermione stumbled and fell onto her knees. Tears began to rim her eyes and her lips trembled. When she closed her eyes, however, she could see a swirl of electricity dancing just behind her eyelids and it made her heart flutter. She knew what it was that was happening, at least she thought she did. She stood and balled her fists. This was the last straw, she would never allow this bullying to ever happen again; she was filled with something strong and dangerous, a power that would help her conquer her bullies, she was sure of it. Later, the group of bullies would swear that this energy made Hermione’s hair float around her, as if she were filled with static. They said that it confirmed that she was a witch.
“I SAID STOP!” She shouted. Her voice carried an invisible force and the leader was pushed to the ground. The four kids looked at her in terror. For a minute there was a silence, everyone involved appear to be frozen in awe. Finally, the kids were able to get up shakily and stumble away. None of them screamed, it was as if it were frozen on their lips. By that time, a crowd of kids had formed and had seen the entire thing happen. She watched as kids began to whisper to each other wide-eyed, a few even ran away, scared that they would be next. Hermione’s confidence had drained once again, along with the static energy that had been feverishly dancing in her arms and legs. Her face flushed and her eyes filled with tears. Then Hermione did what she had promised herself she wasn’t going to do: she ran into the bathroom and locked herself in one of the stalls. She was beginning to realize that things would never change, because she would never change. She was always going to be different, and weird.
Unfortunately, Hermione wasn’t completely correct. Things did change, but they did not improve. Instead of getting bullied, she was left alone. Completely alone. Hermione was devastated, but she told herself that at least it would be easier to concentrate on her studies, because people were finally leaving her alone. And at least she didn’t have to hide in the girls’ bathroom anymore, because she wasn’t really getting bullied.
Luckily for Hermione, things would be changing again really soon....
#hp#harry potter#hermione#hermione granger#bullying#nightmares#creative#writing#fanfics#alternate perspective#witch#wizard#chapter 2#donate#commission#new school#hogwarts#magic
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Well-Seasoned
AO3 | FFdotnet
Aang and seasonings throughout the seasons of the show as the seasons pass.
Written for Aang Week 2017. Prompt - Seasons.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aang & the Gaang, Aang & Katara, Aang & Zuko Characters: Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee, Iroh, The Gaang Additional Tags: Cooking, Friendship, Cultural Differences
Hey guys! Aang week is almost over, and it’s been a blast! If you’ve been enjoying my fics feel free to follow me - this is an Avatarverse blog and I do write fanfic often enough that I’d say I’m an active writer. Also feel free to check out my AO3, I’ve got more stories there, too.
“What’s that?” Aang asked, watching Katara rub the fish Sokka had caught with some sort of green powder.
“Qanik,” she said, her smile bittersweet. “It’s a seaweed - we dry it out and grind it up into powder to use as seasoning. But it’s really hard to make - you can only harvest qanik two months out of the year, and since half the tribe left to fight we haven’t been able to harvest a lot.” She flipped the fish over and started rubbing the powder on its other side. “I found a jar of it with the stuff Gran-Gran packed for us. I guess she wanted us to taste a bit of home.”
The last of the Water Tribe food packed by Gran-Gran had run out half a week ago. They still had plenty of supplies thanks to the good people of Kyoshi Island, but Aang could tell his friends were starting to realize just how far from home they were traveling. Sokka was suspicious of every unfamiliar vegetable, and Katara was taking rice cooking as a personal challenge.
Aang gave her an encouraging smile. “That was really thoughtful of her. Spices don’t go bad like other food - you can probably make it last until we get to the North Pole!”
“I hope so,” Katara said. “And I hope they have qanik, too. Or something like it.”
“What’s it taste like?” Aang asked.
“Like a gentle slap of sea on your food.” She finished with the fish and regarded the spice jar. “Would you like to try some?”
“I’d love to! I’ve tried Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation spices, don’t think I’ve had any Water Tribe kinds before.”
“I’ll add it to your rice,” Katara said, and she shot a glower at simmering the cooking pot. “I’m pretty sure I managed to not undercook it this time. Or overcook it.”
“Eighth time’s the charm,” Aang grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help - ”
“No. I’ve got this.”
Or she was getting it, at least. The rice was only a little overcooked. But the qanik made up for it.
“Guess who splurged at the market!” Sokka crowed as he and Toph came back to their camp, arms laden with supplies.
“I’m guessing you guys,” Aang said from where he was sitting very still on the ground. “I’m getting better at this earth sense thing. I actually felt you guys walking before I saw you!”
“Great job, Twinkletoes. Maybe in a few decades you’ll manage to get the drop on me!”
“Splurged?!” Katara repeated, looking up from the cooking pot to shoot them an accusing look. “Sokka, we’ve been over this - we can’t go wasting our money!”
“Relax, Sugar Queen, it’s my money,” Toph said. “I grabbed some before I left my parents’ house. Anyway, here.” She held out a small bottle filled with reddish-brown powder. “I thought your cooking could use a boost.”
“If we were in the South Pole my cooking would be perfect,” Katara huffed.
���Aw, I think you’ve been doing great cooking on the road,” Aang said, getting up and stepping toward Toph.
“I like your cooking,” Sokka said.
“You’ll eat anything,” Katara shot back.
Aang took the bottle Toph was still holding out. “Hey, this is five-spice!”
“What’s five-spice?” Sokka asked.
Toph’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You guys have trekked across the Earth Kingdom twice and you don’t know what five-spice is?”
“Most of that time was spent avoiding fireballs!”
“I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume it’s a blend of five spices,” Katara said.
“Brilliant deduction, Sweetness.”
“Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and fennel seeds,” Aang said absently, turning the bottle over in his hands. “It’s good.”
“I figured dinner could use some more flavors.”
Katara took the bottle from Aang’s hand, opened it, and took a sniff. Her eyes lit up. “Oh! I think we’ve had this before in some villages, I just never thought to ask what it was. It’s good!”
“Glad you agree with me,” Toph said with a wave of her hand. “Can you add it to tonight’s dinner? I’m blind, I’d like to enjoy my other senses as much as I can.”
“Aang,” Zuko said, “you do know what that is, right?”
“Sure I do,” Aang grinned. “It’s a seven-pot pepper.”
“And do you know what that is?”
“The hottest pepper in the world.”
“And what are you planning to do with it?”
Aang grinned. “Eat it!”
Zuko was starting to severely regret bringing them all to the Ember Island house. He’d completely forgotten about his mother’s prized pepper garden, which was apparently still growing taste bud-murdering fruit after six years of abandonment. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Sure I’m sure! Kuzon, Bumi, and I challenged each other to eat one of these once. We wound up crying on the floor while Monk Gyatso nearly passed out laughing. It was great.”
“...Okay then. So long as you know what you’re getting into.” He looked from Aang to Sokka. “Do you know what you’re getting into?”
“I’ve been eating your spicy food since we hijacked a Fire Navy ship,” Sokka said, turning the pepper in his fingers by the stem. “I’m prepared for this!”
Zuko looked to Katara, Toph, Suki, and the peppers they held. “Are you guys sure you want to do this?”
“You only live once,” Toph said, sniffing the pepper in her hand.
“C’mon, Zuko,” Suki grinned, holding out another pepper. “It’s a team-building exercise!”
“You can’t come up with any better team-building exercises?”
“Our original team-building exercises involved whooping your butt,” Katara pointed out.
“Apparently they still do,” Zuko muttered, taking the pepper from Suki. He took a moment to contemplate it, and recalled fond memories of his mother and cousin cry-laughing on the ground as they’d eaten these things while a horrified Ozai watched. “Why do all team-building exercises have to hurt?”
“Okay guys!” Aang said. “We’ve got jugs of water for when we need them! Let’s do it!”
They all bit into their peppers.
“MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!” Suki shrieked.
“THIS IS TERRIBLE! I THINK I LOVE IT!” Toph shouted.
“WHY DID I DO THIS WHY WHY WHY??”
“WATER! WHERE’S THE WATER?!”
By the end they were all laid out in the courtyard, watched by a worried Appa and Momo, who were very confused as to why their humans had gone and bit into what obviously smelled like torture.
“Katara,” Sokka moaned, “Katara my tongue needs healing.”
“M’healin’ m’own tongue firs’!”
Aang was curled into the fetal position beside Zuko, giggling through his tears. “Ohhhhhhh that was just as bad as I remembered it.”
“Why did my mother grow this monster?” Zuko panted, staring up at the clouds. The cool air on his tongue helped a bit.
“Because she had good taste?”
“I’m starting to think she had no sense of taste.”
Aang laughed. “C’mon Zuko, it’s the hottest pepper in the world! Of course she’d want it in her garden!”
Zuko slowly blinked up at the sky and turned to look at Aang. “The seven-pot pepper isn’t the hottest pepper in the world.”
“Yeah it is! It’s the - it’s - it’s been a hundred years, oh, don’t tell me…”
Zuko managed to twist his tortured mouth into a grin. “A while back, Komodo Island bred a new strain of pepper. They call it the Komodo Dragon.”
“Oh, spirits,” Aang said, and he pushed himself up from the ground and peered towards the path that led back towards the pepper garden. “Did your mom plant that one too?”
One autumn evening, shortly after arriving back in Ba Sing Se after a sojourn to the Eastern Air Temple, Aang insisted on overseeing dinner. One of the packs on Appa’s saddle was bulging with odd vegetables and plump fruits that Aang handled with a bittersweet smile. Sokka resigned himself to a meal without meat, but the promise of a traditional Air Nomad fruit pie, baked to Monk Gyatso’s exacting standards and not meant to be thrown at anybody, more than made up for it.
“I want to try and find more sky bison,” Aang said as he took over the Jasmine Dragon’s kitchen. “Next time I have time to go off to the mountains, I’m gonna go looking.”
“You really think you’ll find some?” Katara asked, laying out cooking utensils. Beside her, Mai was eyeing Iroh’s kitchen knives judgmentally.
“I’m sure there’s more out there. There were always wild herds,” Aang said. “And just because people say something’s extinct, it doesn’t mean it is.” He shot a pointed look at Zuko, who answered with a wry smile, and Iroh, who smirked into his teacup. “Anyway,” he said, turning back to the onion-like plant in his hand. “Jimbu always tastes better when you fry it in ghee.”
“What’s ghee?” Toph asked. She was sitting beside Iroh, teacup in hand.
“A special kind of butter. We made it from bison milk.”
“Aang, why is there a rock in with all the food?” Suki asked from where she and Ty Lee were sorting out the contents of the saddlebag.
“A rock?” Toph repeated. “What kind of rock?”
“It’s pink!” Ty Lee grinned. “It’s so pretty! I love it!”
“Rose quartz?” Toph surmised. “Twinkletoes, I know you said you need to feel the earth, that doesn’t mean you need to eat it!”
Aang laughed. “It’s not quartz, it’s salt,” he said, taking the rock from Suki. A bit of earthbending and part of it crumbled into tiny pieces in his hand. He handed the rest over to Toph.
“Salt?” Katara asked. She and Sokka were frowning at the rock in Toph’s hands.
So was Zuko. “That doesn’t look like salt.”
Aang laughed. “Not everyone gets their salt from the sea, guys! We used to mine it out of the mountains.”
“Pink salt!” Ty Lee looked absolutely delighted.
“We’ve got salt mines in the Earth Kingdom,” Toph said, turning the rock over in her hands before handing it back to Aang. “I’ve never been too clear on colors, but from what I understand it’s not usually pink. Anything special about pink salt, Twinkletoes?”
Aang shrugged. “I don’t think so. It’s just...pink.”
“Being pink is enough to make anything special,” Ty Lee said.
“You’re special enough,” Mai muttered, and Ty Lee beamed.
“It’s special to Aang,” Katara said, and she looked at the pile of jimbu sitting on the counter. “So do we cut this or is there some other way to prepare it?”
“We used to dry it to use all year round,” Aang said. “But you can use it fresh, too. Let’s save the leaves and chop up the rest. We can dry the leaves out and fry them in butter later. It won’t be ghee, but it’ll still be good.”
“Doesn’t sound hard,” Katara said, handing Aang a knife.
“No harder than rice,” Aang grinned.
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