#but i think if i go to London for the sole purpose of seeing a play AGAIN i may get into trouble

[thatsouthernstate]

orangetreetheater: First look at SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER, currently in rehearsals. Our Christmas comedy by Oliver Goldsmith and directed by OT Artistic Director Tom Littler with Francesca Ellis, opens previews at the Orange Tree on 18 November. Featuring our wonderful cast: Sabrina Bartlett, Richard Derrington, Freddie Fox, David Horovitch, Guy Hughes, Robert Mountford, Tanya Reynolds and Greta Scacchi. Tickets going fast; book now at orangetreetheatre.co.uk 📷 Marc Brenner

[gunnerfc]

First Times | Leah Williamson x USWNT!Reader

Inspired by “First Times” by Ed Sheeran, perhaps solely because of the line about “Wembley” lol

Collection of different firsts with Leah

WC: 1543

Warnings: none! Just fluff (with little angst in the 'first fight')

First meeting

Playing England was always a tough match, both teams always wanting to prove something. During the pre-match warm-ups, your eyes kept drifting toward a certain English defender. If you had been caught, you would have said it was because you wanted to understand how she defended since you were a forward, but that would have been a lie. You were distracted by Leah’s beauty, her confidence going in for tackles, and the way it all seemed effortless for her. You didn’t know it then that Leah knew you were staring, but under your subtle watch, Leah could sense herself blushing, feeling nervous even though it hardly showed. 

The two of you went head-to-head a lot during the match, it seemed that every time you were close to getting a shot off on goal, Leah was there to prevent the goal. It was during a corner for the US when Leah first spoke to you. You had felt a hand on your back as you were waiting for the corner to be taken, though you didn’t think anything of it until you heard her make a joke about your pre-match studying failing. Leah had caught you off guard as the ball soared right over your head as you made no attempt to head the ball towards to goal.

The match had ended in a zero-zero draw and as players from both teams shook hands, you and Leah purposely gave a quick handshake to others as you passed on your way towards each other. Leah had an annoying smirk on her face as you stuck out your hand, ready to say “good game.” She beat you to it though, saying something along the lines of “we should do it again sometime.”

First kiss

After the international break, you both went back to your clubs, Leah to England and you to Spain. During the club season, the two of you kept in contact, texting and calling each day just to talk to one another. With the Champions League underway and a trip to England to play Chelsea, you two had planned a date for when you had an off day in London. The training for the game had been harsher than the rest, determined to end the English club’s hopes of making it further in the competition. By the time you had free time rolled around, you were bursting with excitement to see Leah in person again.

Leah had conceived you to let her plan the whole date under the guise of “being your official tour guide” even though you had told her this was not your first time in London. The date started in a café, Leah insisting on showing you her favorite place to get a quick bite. Leah showed you around London, making sure to show you both the normal tourist spots as well as the spots only locals would know about. The date lasted well into the night but eventually had to come to an end as you needed to get back to the team’s hotel before curfew.

Leah made sure to walk you back to your room, both of you enjoying the silence between you as you both stood outside your door, not wanting the date to end. As you opened your mouth to tell the blonde goodnight, she broke the silence first with “can I kiss you?” You felt your skin heat up, knowing Leah could see the blush coating your face. You nodded with a small smile and waited for her to close the gap between the two of you. You swore it felt like the kisses in the movies where the characters feel fireworks as Leah’s lips connected with yours. You were the first to pull away, not wanting to go any further on the first date. You both mumbled a quiet “goodnight” with big smiles before parting ways for the night.

Saying 'I love you' for the first time

Dating Leah for the past few months had been some of the best months of your life, despite the distance between the two of you. It was currently the off-season for both of you and you had planned to spend a large part of your time in London with Leah to make up for the time spent apart. The two of you worked well together and getting able to spend some much-needed quality time together, only made you more confident in the fact that you loved Leah, even if you hadn't explicitly told her.

You and the blonde defender had spent the day shopping for some little gifts for your family, walking around London holding hands, not caring about anything but the other. After making it back to Leah’s later that night, the two of you decided to spend the rest of the night on the couch watching random movies, content with just sitting with each other. Sometime during the fifth movie of the night, you could sense Leah’s breath even out, her exhaustion from being out all day catching up to her. You watched as her chest rose and fell, overcome with love for the defender. You made an effort to brush a piece of her hair back behind her ear, mumbling “i love you” not thinking she would have heard you. But as you watch her face turn a light shade of red, you knew she was not as asleep as you thought. Before you could get anything out, Leah sleepily replied with “i love you too” before rearranging her body to rest her head on your shoulder.

First fight

Up until recently, your relationship with Leah was running smoothly, with no big disagreements or misunderstandings. However, with the stress of the season staring back soon, Leah was entirely preoccupied with making sure she was as fit as she could be. This came at the expense of her slightly neglecting your relationship. You knew to give her space, you understood the stress as your season in Barcelona was about to begin as well, but you still made an effort to send her a quick message throughout the day to let her know you were thinking of her, even if you knew she wouldn't respond. 

The season was well into the swing of things and the communication between you and your girlfriend was nowhere near where it used to be and it was starting to put a strain on things. It wasn’t until a particularly bad game with Arsenal that your girlfriend truly sensed something was wrong. She hadn't played her best and refused to acknowledge that it was because of what was going on between the two of you. You had called her after you knew she had made it home, having watched the game and seeing your normally confident, fearless girlfriend miss one too many tackles and allowed a few balls through that she typically would have stopped.

In hindsight, calling her when you knew she was beating herself up was not the best decision to make, but you wanted to make sure she knew it was okay to make a few mistakes and that she could make them up during the next game. As Leah answered your call, you could sense the fight coming but after hardly hearing from the defender for days, you decided to risk it. The fight had started over her mistakes which then snowballed into her blaming you for said mistakes. This led to you bringing up her lack of communication with you and seemed to piss the blonde off even more, Leah stating that she didnt have to talk to every minute. Leah regretted the words the second they left her mouth and knew she truly messed up when all you did was scoff and hung up the phone. Each attempt to call you right back failed as you declined each call. 

The complete radio silence from you lasted for about a week until you got injured during the El Clásico against Real Madrid. It wasn’t a serious injury but it was going to keep you for a few weeks. As you lay in bed that night, your phone rang and not thinking about checking the called ID, you picked up, hoping to get rid of whoever was calling quickly. As soon as the word “hello” left your mouth, you heard your English girlfriend’s familiar accent on the other line. Leah didnt give you time to fully respond before she began rattling off an apology you could barely understand because she was talking very quickly. Having to say her name pretty loudly to get her attention, Leah finally let out a breath before muttering a “sorry.” The rest of the night was Leah apologizing for her lack her communication and the words she had said the week before, having stated that watching you go down in the middle of the game made her realize she hated thinking that she may have had some influence on the injury knowing your thoughts most likely hadn't stopped revolving around the fight between the two of you. The two of you spent the rest of the night talking everything out before you fell asleep on the phone due to the exhaustion from the match and the pain of your injury.

[archiveikemen]

Liam Evans 2nd Birthday Campaign: Story

Chapters 1—3

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

One night, a few hours before his birthday.

Liam: Are you ready, Kate?

Kate: Yes, sorry for keeping you waiting. 

I thought back to something that happened a few nights ago—. 

= Flashback Start = 

Kate: Nn…

Liam: Sorry, did I wake you?

I was woken up by Liam’s gentle voice as he climbed into bed like a cat. 

Kate: It’s okay, welcome back.

I reached my arms out to hug him and my eyes narrowed from the feeling of his body warmth, when— 

Kate: … You smell nice.

There was a delicious smell coming from his clothes. 

Kate: Did you eat something, Liam?

It wasn’t the first time he went out at night. 

(Before we started dating, it seemed that he had to regularly go outside and satisfy his curiosity.) 

(But after we started dating, he did that less frequently and stopped doing dangerous things.)

I thought that going out at night was a way for him to distract himself a little because he couldn’t sleep, but…

(Why did he come back smelling this delicious…?)

Liam: I didn't eat anything… maybe the smell from the food stalls clung to me. 

Liam: There’s a nighttime event happening in London for a week, starting from today. 

Liam: I passed through the market where the food stalls were, so I think that's why I smell like them.

Liam: The smell must be bothering you. Sorry, I’ll leave right away. 

I grabbed his hand as he was about to get off the bed and buried my face in his clothes. 

Kate: … Now I’m hungry.

I couldn't help but laugh. He happily hugged me again and narrowed his eyes tenderly.

Kate: I wish I went with you.

Liam: I wanted to go with you too.

Liam: How about we go together?

…

Liam: Shall we get going?

As we walked hand in hand, I recalled the conversation we had about his birthday present.

(Knowing how he is, I didn’t expect Liam to directly say what he wanted…) 

Liam said that going out together was his birthday present. 

(But I still want to make him happy and give him something.)

After giving it some thought, I had an idea and decided to put it into action. 

…

Kate: Wow…!

The bustling market lined with various stalls lit up the night. 

Liam: There may be a lot of people here, but it’s still night time. Don’t stray too far from me, okay?

He took my hand, and we walked along the street filled with delicious smells and cheerful sounds. 

Kate: They have alcohol, fish and chips, pie, and even scones.

Liam: They’re selling sausages and other meat dishes too.

Kate: And there’s gelato over there! 

We chatted happily while exploring the stalls, but—

Liam: Ah, I thought you’d like this pie, Kate.

Liam: Those limited edition cookies over there look lovely, I think you’ll like them too.

Liam: These cocktails are low in alcohol content, so they're suitable for you to drink. 

Kate: … You sure know a lot, don't you, Liam?

He scratched his cheek and smiled bashfully, narrowing his eyes. 

Liam: I memorised those things because I’m always thinking about you.

(I truly am the luckiest person alive…)

His words brought me joy, and his actions conveyed his love for me.

Liam: How is it? Does it taste good?

I nodded repeatedly with a mouth full of meat pie.

Seeing this, he looked satisfied and ate his pie, however—

Kate: Liam, you have something on your mouth… 

Liam: Kate, you have something on your mouth…

Both of us reached out at the exact same time to brush away the crumbs from the corners of each other’s mouths.

Our eyes met and we blinked at each other in silence. 

It was him who burst out laughing first.

Liam: Haha! We were thinking the same thing.

Kate: Fufu, even our timing was the same.

Liam: We might really be getting increasingly similar to each other recently. 

Kate: We even bought the same food the other day. 

When I went home with new items from the bakery, I saw him waiting for me with the same items. 

When I was mentioning places I wanted to go on dates, he suggested the exact same spots… 

(I feel so much joy whenever such things happen.)

After laughing together for a while, he caressed my cheek.

Liam: … I guess this is what they call “feeling blessed”. 

Liam: It looks like our worlds revolve around each other. 

Liam: I can’t contain my happiness whenever I realise that.

I wrapped my hand over the one caressing my cheek and lowered my gaze. 

Kate: I feel happy and blessed too. 

Kate: Wonderful, isn’t it? We’re always thinking about each other.

We smiled and gently embraced each other,

Liam: … You’re a natural at making me happy, Kate.

Kate: Fufu… and you’re a natural at making me happy. 

The sound of his laughter in my ear filled me with joy once again.

Liam: I feel like kidnapping you right this instant and take you straight to bed. 

Kate: Before you do that, I want to buy a cake first.

Liam: Could it be… my birthday cake?

Kate: Yes. Shall we choose one together?

I was sure he would be happy with anything if I were the one choosing or baking it. 

(But Liam isn’t a fan of sweets, so it might be better to get a smaller cake.) 

Liam: … Yeah, I want to choose one together with you.

Kate: There’s a cake shop over there.

Kate: Let’s go, Liam. 

The way he squinted as if dazzled by a bright light the moment I took his hand left an impression on me. 

= Flashback End = 

Kate: … Liam, you’re upset, aren't you?

He paced around with light, cat-like steps while carrying me in his arms and suddenly stopped.

Liam: I’m not.

His lips didn't form a smile, causing me to feel guilty and reflect on my actions a few hours ago.

= Flashback Start = 

Kate: This is all we could get. Are you really okay with it, Liam?

Liam: Yeah. I like this cake better, actually.

The cake shop had such a busy day that only small cupcakes were left.

(This is a little too plain for a birthday cake…) 

While I was thinking of wanting to somehow bring a birthday feeling to the moment, something caught my eye.

Kate: Liam, I’m going to get a little something from that shop over there. 

Not wanting to disturb him while he was browsing other shops, I let go of his hand after saying that. 

He frantically tried holding my hand again, but— 

Kate: It’s okay, the shop’s just over there. 

Since the shop was only a short distance away, I started walking towards it before he could grab my hand. 

The instant I turned around after buying what I wanted,

Kate: … Liam?

There was a sudden crowd of people passing by and before I knew it, he was out of my sight.

Just as I was desperately searching for him in the crowd, I felt my body being lifted off the ground…

= Flashback End = 

(We somehow managed to reunite and return home, but…)

According to the hands on the clock, it was almost dawn. Yet, I still hadn't been able to say happy birthday to him.

As I was gently set down on the edge of the bed, I glaced up at him standing in front of me.

Seeing the sadness in his eyes caused guilt to well up in me again. 

Liam: … Had I held your hand properly, you wouldn't have gotten lost. 

= Flashback Start =

Liam: There may be a lot of people here, but it’s still night time. Don’t stray too far from me, okay?

= Flashback End =

(I should've known that Liam would put the blame on himself instead of me.) 

Feeling ashamed of myself, I once again held the hand I had let go off. 

Kate: It’s not your fault, Liam! … I’m so sorry for worrying you.

His voice was trembling as he hugged me tightly, his eyes shaking. 

Liam: Don’t ever leave my side again.

Kate: … Okay. 

While we were feeling each other's warmth, 

Liam: ah…

He noticed the time and pulled away.

Liam: I didn’t realise it at all. 

I took a cupcake and something else out of a paper bag and lit it.

It was a candle in the shape of a rose. 

Kate: Happy birthday, Liam.

His eyes wavered as he accepted the cupcake. 

Kate: I’m so happy to celebrate your birthday again this year.

Kate: Thank you for being born. 

Liam: … You left to buy this? 

I nodded with a wry smile, and he bit his lip before smiling softly and closing his eyes.

Liam: … Thank you, Kate. 

Bit by bit, he started speaking the words he had been hiding in his heart.

Liam: Before I met you, I was always afraid of celebrating my birthday. 

Liam: I used to think that as long as I never know what this happiness feels like, I won’t feel sad when it disappears. 

I was reminded of the things he said when sharing his true feelings on his birthday last year.

= Flashback Start =

Liam: I… I was terrified of being celebrated… and knowing how it feels to have a birthday with you in it…

Liam: I was foolish and all I could think of was the possibility of me losing all of that… it scared me.

Liam: But if I keep running away… I’ll be trampling all over your kindness and feelings.

Liam: I don't have any other option but to choose this moment, because I just love you so much. 

= Flashback End =

The rose-shaped candle melted away, like it was shedding one petal at a time.

Liam: … There might come a day when, like this candle, all these happy moments will melt away. 

Liam: But I can’t go back to spending birthdays without you, and I don't think I can ever let go of your hand. 

He blew out the candle and it turned into something shaped like a flower bud.

Liam: Next year, the year after that, and until the day I die… will you celebrate my birthday by my side?

He brushed his finger across my lips as he made a wish for a future we had yet to see. 

Kate: … Of course I will. I’ll be right here by your side, celebrating your birthday even if you say you don’t want me to. 

Kate: I’ll keep doing that until the day you can finally say from the bottom of your heart that you’re glad you were born. 

I heard a slight gasp as I pressed the cupcake to his lips. 

Kate: Let’s eat, Liam. 

(Liam still struggles with his birthday.)

I can’t save the person who lived through his painful past. 

(I sometimes find myself wondering why couldn’t we have met sooner…)

(But I’m sure there’s a reason for us to only meet now.)

It's because I’ve set my heart on loving all his past wounds and living by his side.

Liam: … Kate.

Kate: Nn.

He stole a kiss from my lips after taking a bite of the cupcake.

Liam: Is it sweet?

Kate: … It became sweeter because of you. 

He kicked the cream from the corners of my mouth, looking amused—.

Liam: I’m not a fan of sweets, but I want to see more of your sweet expressions.

He deepened the kiss and we fell onto the bed. 

Kate: Liam, wait a second.

Liam: I can’t wait anymore.

He undid the ribbon at the back of my shirt, causing it to fall off my shoulders.

As he took off my skirt, he reached for his own shirt as well.

Liam: I want you right now. 

I was enveloped by the sweet smell of vanilla, tempting me to give into him on the spot, but—.

Kate: I want to give you your present! 

I slipped out from under him and reached under the bed.

Liam: … Don’t tell me, you’ve been hiding it there?

I lifted up a large paper bag with two hands and showed it to him, who was still in shock on the bed.

Kate: You never noticed, did you?

(It was the right decision to hide it before we headed out.)

Kate: Now close your eyes.

Following my instructions, he closed his eyes. I stood on the bed and swiftly ripped open the paper bag.

Liam: Wha…

He looked up and at the same time, a shower of flower petals rained down on him.

Liam: Wow… petals!? 

The pink petals fell over his head like blessings, scattering onto the white sheets. 

In an instant, Liam and the bed were covered in petals. I couldn't contain my smile of satisfaction.

Kate: These are the petals of the modern roses you’ve always been giving me. 

Kate: I thought of expressing my gratitude by giving you a bouquet.

Kate: But apparently, pink roses have another meaning to them.

Liam: Another meaning…?

I picked up one petal from his head.

Kate: It means “happiness”. 

Kate: I wanted to shower you with petals signifying gratitude and happiness, because you’ve given me an abundance of them. 

Sitting on the bed surrounded by the smell of roses, he fell silent for a moment before chuckling and squinting his eyes as though faced with a bright light. 

Liam: I truly am so blessed.

I leaned in and was about to kiss his forehead covered with rose petals, when— 

Kate: Whoa!

Liam: Are you okay!? 

I slipped and fell right into his chest. 

Kate: T-this is embarrassing…

I got on my knees to support my body, he wrapped one arm around my waist and cupped my cheek with the other.

When I lifted my head, I saw that the light of dawn was starting to shine into the room. 

Liam: I’ve always wanted to be a star.

Still smiling, he started to speak.

Liam: I thought that everyone would love me if I shined brightly enough. But then I realised, I can’t just turn into a star.

Liam: Because today, you’re the one shining so bright. I’ve always thought so, but you’re especially dazzling today.

(Ah…) 

I recalled noticing him gazing at me while squinting his eyes as though dazzled by a bright light. 

Liam: You gave me love that was once so out of reach for me, and made my days so bright with happiness that it’s almost terrifying. 

Liam: The name of the brightest star in my world is Kate. It shines so brightly and is precious to me beyond words. 

Liam: It’s you.

His smile as his joy and love overflowed was so bright, it made me squint my eyes. 

There was a star right there before my eyes. 

Kate: For me, you’re that star, Liam. 

Kate: The person who brings me so much joy and love… you’re my brightest star.

We laughed together and it was soon dawn. 

Liam: Well then, because I want to hold onto my brightest star…

With the arm wrapped around my waist, he gently laid me down onto the bed and I rested my body against his. 

Liam: Even after the night fades into day, stay shining in my arms.

My heart hammered against my chest as I closed my eyes and waited for a kiss. 

— We were each other’s brightest stars, shining brightly through our love. 

[scoatneyhall]

Okay, Ted Lasso pals. I really just need to put this one out into the universe. This is in the Britpick primer @belmottetower made already, but I certainly don't assume everyone reads that. I need people to know that "flat" is not British slang for someone's "home" or "place." It is SPECIFICALLY slang for "apartment," as in, a "block of flats."

I am saying this because I seen a lot - like a LOT - of use of the word "flat" recently in fic. At first I wondered whether it was people just for some reason imagining that the characters, generally Roy and Jamie, are actually living in flats, as in, misinterpreting what kind of homes they would be living in as very wealthy footballers, despite having seen Jamie's house several times on the show and knowing what Roy's must be like due to his wealth and neighbourhood. But then sometimes when describing the layout of the home or the action, of stairs being involved, of people coming and going from the door or whatever, it really still seemed to be a house, and it made me wonder if in fact some non-British writers are just getting the slang wrong? That they think "flat" is slang for someone's home, like "pad" or the very British term "gaff," as opposed to a specific type of building?

So this is a judgement-free PSA to let you know that this is not the case. Flat means apartment and ONLY apartment, and characters like Roy and Jamie are not living in apartments in the canon of the show.

(Footballers sometimes do live in apartments. A few of the Man City players are buying huge penthouse flats in some of the inner city high security Manchester high rises, and it's possible that Jamie owns a fancy flat like that in Manchester. But Richmond is not an area of London filled with luxury high rises.)

In the show, Nate lives in a flat within a block of flats. Ted lives in a flat above a shop. Jamie and Keeley live in houses. We have seen their exteriors (Jamie's season 3 house is the same one he had in season 1.) Colin lives in a house. Phoebe and Roy's sister live in a house. Rebecca lives in a large terrace house opposite Richmond Green. Given that we see Roy's street in the Christmas episode, we can be very sure that his place is also a large terrace house of a similar style to the ones they knock on doors of. Roy grew up in a block of council flats - he points to it in 2.05 - whereas Jamie grew up in a council terrace house.

This post is not aimed at you if you've intentionally written something like Jamie moving into a security building for safety reasons or something. I have this situation coming up in a fic myself. This is not about splitting hairs of whether it would or wouldn't be possible or in character for them to live in a flat. It is solely and literally only for the purpose of flagging the fact that "flat" is not generic slang for "home," for the people that may have thought it was and used the word flat when they were picturing and intending the characters to be in a house. This is probably a very annoying post but if this helps even one person it's worth it.

[themeepyfreak]

One of the reasons that I could never warm up to Hook that is completely glossed over in the fandom is how much he screwed Baelfire over with seemingly no remorse. The narrative tries so hard to write off Hook as a good person and Baelfire’s friend in the later seasons that I don’t think people really don’t understand how despicable his actions were.

First, he either convinced Bae’s mother to leave her family or assisted in Bae’s mother leaving her family. I don’t blame Hook too much for that since the majority of the blame is definitely on Milah, but Hook didn’t need to antagonize Rumple and threaten Bae’s only other parent. (They did have Hook address that this was wrong of him on the show though which is more than they usually do.) And even if Hook told Bae that they wanted to go back for him, the truth is that they did not. Bae was 4-6 years old when Milah left, and Rumple killed Milah when Bae was 14 years old in London, so Hook and Milah were together for 8-10 years (common law married at the very least) in which they never actually came back for Bae or even informed him that his mother was alive. If Rumple hadn’t become the Dark One, Bae would have died fighting the Ogres, and there would have been nobody to come back to. I doubt they actually had any intentions of going back to Bae; Hook just said that to give Bae a more positive outlook on the mother that abandoned him.

Then, he built up Bae’s trust for the sole purpose of gaining information to kill his father. He did save Bae from the mermaids and sheltered him for a while, but all of his niceness (until he got attached to Bae) was to gain Bae’s trust so that Bae could give information on his father. Hook’s friendship with Bae that they boast about in later seasons was dependent on a lie and mostly faked on one side.

His main offense that is glossed over the most in canon is that he abandoned Bae and sold him out to Pan. This is debatably one of the worst abandonments in the show, and it is never talked about.

- First, Hook does this within the same day that Bae found out about his mom abandoning him and his dad killing his mom (rubbing salt into the wound). And despite how it appears in the show, this was not a split second decision since Hook (or his crew) had to physically call up the Lost Boys to get Bae. The Lost Boys were mainly on the island and didn’t lurk near the ship without being prompted (or else Bae couldn’t have been on deck when Hook was playing friends with him in fear of being seen). When Hook was giving his “I can change” speech to Bae, the Lost Boys were already called or else they wouldn’t have been there immediately afterwards. Maybe Hook would have hidden Bae if Bae agreed, but he had already sold Bae out by that point.

- Second (and why this abandonment is one of the worst), Hook intentionally sold Bae to a known psychopath that he knew would mentally, physically, and emotionally torture him. Hook knows the Lost Boys and how bad Pan is. That’s why he and his crew are always on the ship rather than on the island. That’s why he tries to avoid Neverland even if he is stuck in the realm. That’s why he hides Bae from the Lost Boys in the first place. Not to mention that selling Bae out was for a selfish reason (to be in Pan’s favor and gain access out of Neverland) and can’t even be argued as being in Bae’s best interests.

- Third, knowing where Bae was and that Bae was suffering, Hook left Bae in Neverland for centuries, perpetuating the initial abandonment. How do you think it felt for Bae to see Hook enter and leave the island/realm over and over again for hundreds of years, leaving Bae on Neverland over and over again? (Part of me wonders whether that’s why Pan let Hook off the island in the first place, to be able to lord about it to Bae.) I strongly suspect that Bae tried to petition to or stowaway with Hook (since he was trying to escape), but Hook refused him and turned him back to Pan (since Hook was in Pan’s employ) which had to hurt worse.

Maybe I could let it go if Hook showed remorse or it was addressed in canon, but instead, the opposite happened. Hook painted this picture of him and Bae as friends (even though most of their friendship was Hook using Bae for information) to bond with Emma after Bae “died”. He lied by omission of all the pain he caused Bae which is never clarified in canon. After Bae actually dies, he tries to rewrite his and Bae’s history again when describing their “friendship” to Henry. And the worst part is that nobody can contest it since Bae is dead in all of these scenes.

Not to mention that when they find out that Bae is alive in Neverland (which Hook did not seem happy about in the slightest), Hook decides to go after Emma, the woman that he knows Bae loves and that loves Bae (since Emma wasn’t quiet about that at all). They are trying to find Henry, and Hook is purposely baiting Bae with talks of his and Emma’s “dalliance” (which implies way more than a kiss). Hook makes it into a competition, as if Emma is a trophy, and continues pursuing Emma in front of Bae even though Emma said “No” countless times. And despite supposedly backing out of the competition after Neverland, he still continues to harass Emma until they kiss immediately after Bae dies and get together in the end. Whether you’re a Swanfire fan or not, the entire thing is rude and disrespectful to Bae.

[eolewyn1010]

Newspaper article for a change! Lucy is up and about, minus one (1) immortal soul, plus an urge to drink the blood of several little children. Charming. I bet Renfield is dying from envy. So far, she hasn't killed any, but she lures or takes them away from their way home and nips a bit before letting them go. Clever of her to take very young children who can't give much detail beyond "there was a bloofer lady" (which I've read elsewhere means "beautiful lady", and I'll run with it). I think it's funny that they suspect a dog of biting the children, what with Dracula's doggo days... Not so funny is that Lucy is not all that concerned with how weakened she leaves the kids. Can't be long before she takes it too far.

Mina is meeting van Helsing. Beforehand, she tells her journal and us that she wants to learn more about Lucy's last days in this life, but also can't get Jonathan's journal out of her head and hopes some light can be shed on his experiences. What a neat concidence. Stoker, your characters are not clairvoyant. Then Mina allows us the tiniest look into her actual emotions - stress over all the shit that's been going down, nervousness over having let her still-not-all-that-well Jonathan out of sight for the first time since they married, grief for all her losses, confusion about the journal, guilt for feeling she hasn't done enough for Lucy and Mrs. Westenra - and has a good cry. God, don't I sympathize.

And... it was all about Jonathan after all. Well, at least Mina has a ton more words to feel sorry for him rather than for Lucy once her meeting with van Helsing is over. Not to speak of dedicating an entire paragraph to the latter's goddamn looks. Mina, I do know that a head is typically to find on the neck (and if not, it's probably Dracula's fault). And with the phrenology again. Anyway. Van Helsing asks for a full report on Lucy's somnambulism adventures; Mina takes the opportunity to brag about her shorthand, but once he's appropriately impressed, she tells him all that happened and they have lunch together. Van Helsing insta-crushes on Mina, can't blame him, and drops this queer-dreamy bit: "I [...] who have studied all my life men and women", so Ace Abe is officially Bi Abe now. He inquires about Jonathan, Mina pours her heart out, and Stoker gets in the obligatory sexism about how there are "still good women left who make life happy" (go suck on a blood blister, Stoker; I'd make you miserable on purpose!) and that Mina must take care of herself solely to keep Jonathan happy. I'm not having a good day to be graceful about this bullshit.

However, I'm here for Mina admitting to van Helsing that what she's about to tell him of Jonathan's misadventures is "queer". Heh, it sure is. I refuse to let go of this joke. Van Helsing gets the type-written copy of Jonathan's travel account, having promised Mina not to wave off all the weird stuff as foolishness. He asks Mina to see Jonathan on a date with him the other day after he has read through everything she has given him, and that very same evening, he sends her a brief note, confirming everything Jonathan has lived through as true. FINALLY! I think that's the first factual statement van Helsing made regarding this! Can we stop talking in "I have to be sure"s and vague speculations yet? He's also majorly impressed by Jonathan's sheer brainless balls on having survived Castle Dracula, having escaped from there, and having whacked the sleeping Count with a shovel. That's the type of guy who's immune to long-term PTSD! Trust van Helsing on that matter; the man's a doctor. Mina is relieved for half a minute that Jonathan is not hallucinating hardcore, then realizes the implications of Dracula being a goddamn reality just over in London. She invites van Helsing to drop by for breakfast as soon as Jonathan has come back next morning. I assume she wants to tether the polycule back together, now that the Lucy glue is missing.

[ambitionectomy]

I have at least 47 questions that could be posed. Here are some of them:

Can I change my name from atrociousphish to something you would recognize?

Pretend I have NO social media presence other than this tumblr account I just created. Does that count as a question?

Do you think I created this account with the SOLE PURPOSE of reading your work without subscribing to the Globe?

What if God walked into your house in human form and started swearing just for the sheer fun of defying expectations? Would you invite her to stay for dinner?

Why do they keep Boston so goddamn far away from Portland?

Do they still have Emack and Bolios?

If you had, say, 3 children, might they ALL be giants? (asking for a friend with children who are way too tall)

Favorite sandwich?

Did you know that NOT watching SNL was WAY ahead of its time?

How bad was that cold snap?

Do you really think I'm going to come up with 47 questions?

More importantly, do you think I'll remember to check tumblr ever again? I kinda hope so!

When was the last time you rode the T?

Do you still reserve 30 minutes for writing every night? Or is it more now? Or is it less now?

17. This is question 17, right?

Did you get that Pomona lookbook link? Kristina (Foley) posted this:

19. Pretty awesome, right? :) Look at those two! :)

Nineteen is like 47 today, 'cause that's where I'm gonna stop. If you don't know who this is, you should alert the tumblr police.

20. Are there tumblr police?

This is delightful and I miss you. And also, you had me (knowing who you are) at 47. There was just no way it was anyone else.

And that photo is awesome. Look at us. And I haven’t done that lookbook thing yet, but if you are on there, I’m in.

And why DO they keep Boston so far away from Portland? It doesn’t make a lot of sense, practically. I don’t even know if Emack and Bolio’s still exists. I haven’t ridden the T for a couple of years, alas. D works in the city and so does not want to visit it during any of his time off. I still love it there. What to do? Go on my own, one might say. But who do I meet at Cafe Joy, if it is even still there?

My children are not all giants. Two of them are mighty big, with one of them being the tallest thing we have. The third one is smaller than I am by a couple of inches but personality-wise and power-wise, she is huge. She just did a semester in London where theater people with British accents trained her to not be afraid of her own power and to take up space. Now, watch out. I am so interested that your boys are giants. I miss them. They look like such nice people in the photos.

I read that some movie theater tickets now cost $16.50. No, they don’t! They cost $5 to me forever, because that is what you and I used to pay most of the time, I think. I haven’t been to a movie theater in a long time, either, but that is okay.

If God came into my house and started swearing, I would be delighted. And He would be in good company among my kids. Not that they are here. God could fill in.

How bad was that cold snap? Bad enough that I thought your thing about it, the one involving witches. It really was. I’m guessing.

Not watching SNL — that’s funny. I am still ahead of the curve in that department. Or right alongside the curve?

Favorite sandwich lately: Fake BLT. Well the B is fake. The L is real. The T is real. So is the mayo and the bread. Maybe I should call it a Mostly Real BLT. You?

I am not, I’m sorry to say, still writing for 30 minutes a day. I spend so much time and energy on the Globe work that I don’t have the oomph left for other creative stuff. I’m milked! But maybe someday I will do that again. It is a good way to keep going.

I am really touched that you would make an account just to see my work. You can do that here, because then I might be able to see that you have seen my work. OR I also post all my stuff on my website, which is just my big old three-car train of a name plus the dot com. Or you can ignore my work altogether. As long as you are my friend, I don’t need anything else from you. I’m so glad you are my friend.

I send you and your whole crew love. Thank you for making me happy by making this account and writing me so many questions, atrociousphish. Would know you anywhere by any name! Or, you know, by one number.

[quoteoftheweekblog]

ELIZABETH JANE HOWARD - 'THE BEAUTIFUL VISIT' (FIRST PUBLISHED 2021)

First sentence:

'I woke because the fur wrapped round me had slipped off my feet which were cold.' (Howard, 1993, p.7).

On thinking:

'My thoughts were like shillings in a pool, glittering and blurred, shimmering to the groping finger and always deeper and more elusive, until you think that perhaps there isn't a shilling at all, it seems so far out of reach.' (Howard, 1993, p.22).

On life:

' "Life for women is terribly unfair, you know." ' (Howard, 1993, p.37). ' ... she could sew and read and go to church, and for walks ... ' (Howard, 1993, p.82).

On reading:

' "You can't read all day." ' (Howard, 1993, p.40). ' "I hardly ever read. It depends whether you need it." ' (Howard, 1993, p.42). ' "You've been reading the wrong sort of books." ' (Howard, 1993, p.91). 'One could not manage with any one book on a desert island.' (Howard, 1993, p.173).

On 'Pride and Prejudice':

' " ... you write me such an enchanting Collins ... " ' (Howard, 1993, p.72).

On World War I:

' "Some Archduke or other has been murdered at ... Sarajevo. That's it. Sarajevo." ' (Howard, 1993, p.131). ' "Nobody wins a war nowadays. There is no end to it." ' (Howard, 1993, p.162).

On art:

' "The most extrordinary thing about painting is the way everyone who sees any picture assumes you are showing it to them solely for the purpose of benefiting by their destructive criticism." ' (Howard, 1993, p.156). ' "Good artists are seldom good at talking about it; they simply get on with the job." ' (Howard, 1993, p.327).

REFERENCE

Howard, E.J. (1993 [1950] ) 'The beautiful visit'. London: Pan.

[catastrophiczelie]

Hellooo :D ,

I am back and I have been thinking about ,"What makes me want to live?"

And I know most of us think about this all the time but I really want to dive into this question. So in the next seven days I am going to come up with 7 major aspects of my life that make me want to go out there and live .Really and truly .L.I.V.E

No.1.FRIENDSHIP

I remember her pulling her quilt over her head and switching off the night light as well.She hated its eerie glow .We were bedside partners and I was a terrible person to be partnered with.Almost always my clothes would be dumped on her bed and I made a mess around mine when I caught a cold .But she put up with all of that .I have no clue as to why she did it .Being kind to me did not help her in any way ,what is more it might have just added to her burdens .Well !Waking me up at 4am even though her exams were a fortnight away just so I would not  flunk my physics paper .Waiting for me as I rush out of the bathroom with my hair dripping wet even though the bell had already rung and we were both running late .Giving me her clothes and notebooks and pens ,even though I would lose them all and probably never return them.Getting me birthday presents to arranging my cupboard when she couldn't stand the mess.Calling me during the holidays even when my sole purpose was to simply distance myself from school .Taunting and nagging my shabby looks to scolding me for slackening my academic exercise. She has been a great friend all along  and I did her injustice by comparing her to another friend I had previously lost .I nullified all her contributions to just please the one person who would be pleased by all but me .I did not see her then but I see her now .I underestimated her then ,but I ain't ever doing it again .

My friends give me a reason to exist.

Signing off,

Zèlie Maidenhair

221B

Baker Street, London(yeah,still living there)

Until we meet again.....

[andydelire]

undefined

Studio Update 9/26 “Philharmonic Applause Loop”

Last week what did I do? I went on a trip to Chicago to see family.  However, of course, as Roland Barthes once said, a writer never truly goes on vacation. During the trip I went to The Art Institute of Chicago. When I go to a major museum, one of my favorite things to do is look at the corners and backgrounds of all the paintings. I like to see the non-iconic parts, the unperfected edges. O the edges of Seurat’s Sunday in the Park! How it is wild, how it creates such a saturated frame of purples and reds. In other paintings I see the little apolyptic monsters, the shadows of messy paintbrush strokes on chair legs, the pencil drawn houses twice erased over, the layers of unsure marks as trees and leaves, the birds with figure-like qualities, smoke rings spiraling above a foggy London cityscape. I like to take note. Take pictures of those moments. I don’t do anything with these pictures, but somehow they get filed away into the back of my subconscious and get I’ll see them remediated into one of my own drawings, they appear as a different iteration after being held in my brain, they get onto the page in my own style. I don’t consciously copy these details, I see them like seeing gum stuck on the street, they add up on my shoe the more I notice them. And I can always feel my soles getting stickier and stickier the more I look, by the end of the day I’m covered in gum. In my drawings after a museum trip like this one I am left wanting to paint despite how tired I become of seeing art.  My girlfriend and I spent several hours walking through the galleries and still didn’t get to see over half of the museum.

The next day, we got to see the Chicago Philharmonic. The music hall itself is an art piece, how the sound travels in there—the resonance, decay, and directness of the sound waves made me think about engineering acoustics in my own practice. There is so much to be said for the room one plays in, what angles are there, what instruments are being used. I realized that in a symphony hall, there are rarely other genres who play in those spaces, it is specifically designed for ‘classical music’ which is interesting. I am typically a total interdisciplinary kind of person and love mixing genre, context, purpose, mediums, etc. But the idea that something is built for a specific type of music, type of sound, type of instrument, style of playing, volume of playing, struck me. There are no microphones used, it is considered tacky if a classical concert uses a microphone for anything other than a conductor speech.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Old Habits

Frank Adler x Reader

Chapter 7

Masterlists Chapter 6 Summary: Three years after she left Frank and Mary behind, Y/n returns to Florida for the wedding of mutual friends, what ensues may prove that like old habits, some feelings just don’t die. Chapter Summary: Y/n and Frank come face to face a month after their friends' wedding. Warnings- Angst

One month later.  Shedding her coat as she stepped through the front door, Y/n draped the camel colored garment on the coat rack while wiping off the wet soles of her shoes on the welcome mat. With a tired huff, she slid her bag off her shoulder and absently set it on the table in the foyer, discarding her keys in the little ceramic bowl next to it. Tiredly, she staggered through the front hall towards the living room, getting her phone out of the front pocket of her pale blue scrubs on her way there. 

Unlocking the device, she found that there was a couple texts from Amanda, who’d just returned from her and Jack’s London honeymoon, probably relating to the conversation they’d been having off and on throughout the day. Tapping the notification as she slumped to the sofa, kicking off the shoes in the process- sure enough, it was related to their ongoing conversation.

Just talk to him, please. You’re both miserable and maybe it can be good for both of you. 

I hate seeing my friends like this. 

Reading her texts, Y/n quickly conjured up a response, promising Amanda that she’d think about reaching out to Frank. The truth was though, she’d been doing a lot more than thinking about talking to Frank. Atlanta had stopped feeling like home ever since she’d returned from Florida and all she could think of was all the little moments they’d shared over her last visit. Everyday, lying to herself was getting harder.

She wasn’t okay without him- she never was.

Leaving- the first time and the second- was a mistake. 

More and more, Y/n was getting the sense that she should have fought for him, the way he’d fought for her the first time around. She should have caught him alone after seeing him and Bonnie in the lobby and confessed that she still loved him, and that even if she’d gotten through the past three years without him, it had been hell. He deserved to know that she still kept her favorite picture of their family at her bedside and that he and Mary crossed her more times than she could ever stand to count. 

Frank deserved to know that even if she’d wasted all that time pretending that she'd moved on, there wasn’t any length of time that could pass that would consequent her getting over him. 

As Y/n threw her head against the back of the sofa, her phone went off again. With a lazy sigh, she lifted the phone and glanced at the screen once more, finding that time, she had an email. It was a confirmation message from an airline, letting her know that she’d successfully booked a plane ticket to Florida. 

Now, all she had to do was figure out what she was going to say. 

Saturday’s usually meant spending the afternoon down at the beach. It didn’t matter how many times he and Mary had been there, she never failed to enthusiastically gather her bucket for sea shell collecting and swipe the sunscreen off the bathroom counter. Frank swore if she didn’t remember the sunscreen, they’d both just get awful sunburn; before she’d left, Y/n had always been the one that packed for the beach trips. A bag with sunscreen, extra water bottles, snacks and a little “emergency kit” was always her thing, though Mary had watched her do it enough times to pick up bits of it on her own. 

“Ready Mar?” Frank called from his bedroom, closing up the plastic buttons of his light blue button up before grabbing his sunglasses off the top of his untidily packed dresser and hooking them in the pocket of the shirt. 

“Yeah!” Just after she answered, there was a knocking on the door that was easily heard through their small abode. “Frank,” Mary called, her small voice etched with the purpose of someone a little older, “I’m getting the door.” 

“Do not do that,” he warned firmly, putting some haste into his step, Frank hustled out of his bedroom. Even if he did now have full and legal custody of Mary, she knew that answering the door was off limits, solely because of stranger danger. Tripping over one of her toys, Frank grabbed the nearby cupboard to stop himself from falling. Of course, like every other kid her age, the concept of putting away her things seemed foreign to his niece. “Mary, do not get-”

Upon reaching the front of the house, Frank stopped in his tracks, though it was not entirely because Mary had blatantly disobeyed him, but also in part because of who she’d opened the door to. 

“You’re back,” Mary looked up at her with big eyes, and swallowing thickly, Y/n gazed down at her. In silence, the three of them just stood there, and for a minute, Frank was worried that Mary would lash out the way she had when he’d gone to get her from her foster parents. When her reaction was entirely different though, he gasped. Instead of firing a slew of untrained punches, Mary flung herself into Y/n’s legs, reaching upwards to hug her hips. “Why’d you leave me?” 

Clearly surprised, Y/n sucked in a sharp breath before succumbing to her knees to reciprocate the embrace, “Look how big you’ve gotten,” she rasped tearily, smoothing one hand over Mary’s hair as she used the other to rub her back affectionately.

“I’ve missed you,” Mary said when they pulled away a little, though still holding each other. 

“I’ve missed you too, Wiggles,” Y/n pressed her thumb to Mary’s nose, and Frank easily recalled that both the pet name and the gesture had been little things between the pair. Mary had been such a squirmy baby, earning herself the nickname in just her first few months with him and Y/n, while the thumb on her nose had somehow become a little, sign of affection they developed in their time together.

“Mary, where’s your hat, go get your hat,” Frank swallowed thickly, taking a couple steps forward. He hated to break up their reunion, but having them reintroduced like that wasn’t right, Mary didn’t need to have her hopes built up only for them to be broken down again. 

And neither did he.

Looking over at him, she frowned deeply, “But Frank-”

“Go,” he urged, touching the top of her head before pointing towards the inside of the house.

“Fine,” she grumbled, begrudged. Folding her arms petulantly, she turned and marched inside, stopping when she was through the doorway to glance back at Y/n, “Don’t leave again, okay?”

Y/n sucked in a breath, managing a faint smile, “I won’t.”

With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, Frank stepped closer to the door, waiting until Mary was safely out of earshot before speaking. “You shouldn’t have said that to her.” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that he was still angry about what she’d done after the wedding; made him think that there was still a shot for them only to disappear the next morning, as if it had all meant nothing. 

As she blinked slowly, Frank recognized the shine in her eyes as tears, and wrapping her arms around herself, Y/n sniffled, “Say what?” 

Frank scoffed, “That you’re not gonna leave, because that is all you do.”

“That is not fair,” Y/n argued, voice breaking. 

“But leaving without explanation, twice, was?” Licking his lips, he glanced backwards to the inside of the house, “Do you have any idea what you did to her when you just disappeared like that?”

“I......I know it must have been horrible for her, and I know I shouldn’t have come here like this but I wanted to talk-”

“Oh, so now you wanna talk?” Frank’s words were laced with venom and while he absolutely abhorred being mad at her, he didn’t think he could help it. None of it felt fair,  and if he was being honest, the whole thing was beginning to seem like a cruel game, and he’d been played one too many times. 

Y/n furrowed her brows at his furious question, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She folded her arms defensively across her chest, she straightened her back. 

“It means that I thought things would be different between us after that night, but you skipped out on me, again and I cannot keep doing this with you.” “Well what was I supposed to do? Stick around and ruin your relationship?” Y/n huffed, tuning her face away for a moment before meeting his gaze again, “And for the record, I waited. But then you didn't show up and when I went down to the lobby, you were getting ready to leave with your girlfriend.”

Frank scrunched his nose, “Wha-no. No, that is not what you saw-”

“Don’t tell me what I saw,” Or didn’t see, in the moment, Y/n was not interested in specifics. 

“Fine,” now loosely mirroring her stance, he held her gaze, with his defiant pools of blue, “Then you misinterpreted what you saw.”

“What?” Suddenly, Y/n’s voice was quiet and Frank felt guilty for yelling the way he had.

“What you saw in the lobby was probably me and Bonnie breaking up,” he explained softly, ducking his head, “I just thought that if I came back to you with that whole part of it out of the way, you’d hear me out better. Even though you had someone else.”

“I didn’t have anyone else,” Y/n clarified quickly and Frank confessed to eavesdropping on her conversation during the reception, “Oh that….that was,” she chuckled dryly, “I actually broke it off that same night…..cause-”

“Got my hat, Frank!” Mary popped out from the cover of the door, sure enough wearing her hat with the front pulled down over her face a little. “Do you wanna come with us to the beach, Y/n?”

“You still go to  the beach on Saturdays,” wearing the first hints of a breathless smile, she glanced at Frank. 

He was about to respond when Mary interjected urgently, “Please Y/n,” she put on her best puppy eyes, “It’ll be so much fun.”

“Uh….” Y/n was visibly hesitating, “Only if its okay with Frank,” and just like that, she shoved the entire thing on him. 

Undoubtedly, his decision would greatly impact the rest of the evening. Saying yes would facilitate the opportunity for them to properly finish their conversation, and would obviously make Mary very happy. But Frank didn’t think he’d be doing right on her if he let Y/n continue to duck in and out of her life.

But Mary was giving him those eyes. The same eyes that led to them adopting Fred. 

“Alright,” he caved, secretly hoping he wasn’t making another mistake.

Mary had insisted that they spend some time together collecting seashells, and while she and Y/n strolled along the shore, where the waves washing the sand would touch their feet, pulling sand from under their bare soles as the water receded, she’d explained that she still put them in their special jar. It was a little habit Y/n had encouraged when Mary was a toddler; they’d go to the beach, sometimes together, sometimes with Frank, and gather any shell, sand dollar or small rock that was pretty or unusual and then put it in a jar they kept as a decoration in the living room. That used to be her favorite part of her days off. 

“Did you miss me when you were gone?” Mary peered, glancing up at Y/n as they slowly threaded along the shore. Her small hand held on tightly to Y/n’s, who couldn’t help but notice how much Mary had grown- seven was small, but not near as small as four. 

She couldn’t believe that she’d missed so much. Mary’s first day of school. The custody battle, which Amanda had relayed to her in great detail- it had broken her heart when Frank had relinquished custody of Mary and she’d been happy from afar to hear he’d gone back for her. 

“Of course I missed you, Wiggles,” Y/n licked her lips, easily recalling how many times she’d thought about Mary and Frank; the family she’d left behind and the life she still missed. “I thought about you everyday.”

“Then why didn’t you call?” She frowned deeply, stopping suddenly, “You just disappeared,” her lips were wobbling and it pained Y/n to know that she’d hurt Mary so badly. “I thought you stopped loving me.”

Abruptly, Y/n sank to her knees, not caring if her jeans got wet. Affectionately, she took hold of Mary’s fragile shoulders and urged the child to turn towards her, “I could never, ever stop loving you. Couldn’t even dream of it,” her voice broke at the end and she teared up a little, “It’s just….when I left…..I was really hurting, and I didn’t think I could take care of you and Frank the way you deserved. But that was a mistake, and it was not your fault.”

“It was a mistake?” Mary sniffled, using the back of her free hand to wipe her tear stained cheeks.

“The biggest one I ever made,” for a split second, Y/n glanced at Frank, who’d hung back near his truck, sitting on the trunk of a coconut tree that had fallen before they’d even moved to Florida, beer in hand and eyes cast towards the horizon. “And I’ve regretted it everyday.”

“And you won’t leave again?” She prodded hopefully. 

“Never for that long,” Y/n reassured. She’d already decided, albeit impulsively, that it was high time she moved back to St. Petersburg, she’d already started updating her CV so it would be ready to send to hospitals in the area and looking into apartments. Even if she and Frank didn’t get back together, Y/n wanted to be close to Mary again, if he’d allow it. “I’d have to go back for my things, but I’ll come back- and I mean that.”

Mary hesitated for a moment, before asking, “Promise?” 

Y/n nodded, pulling her in for a warm hug, “I promise,” she kissed the side of Mary’s head. “I should go talk to Frank,” she glanced at him again before pecking Mary’s forehead standing and dusting the wet sand off her pants, “But stay close, okay?” When Mary nodded, Y/n set off towards Frank, wrapping her arms around herself. 

As she drew closer, Y/n caught her lower lip between her teeth, secretly hoping he’d cooled off a little since their spat at the house. Upon seeing her trudge nearer, feet sinking in the soft, warm sand with every step, Frank lifted his elbows off his thighs and sat up straighter, taking a swing of his beer. “She missed you. A lot,” he gestured towards Mary with his bottle. 

“I missed her too,” Y/n dusted off part of the trunk before sitting on it, leaving about six inches between them, not daring to steal a glance his way yet. They were quiet for a while after that, until Y/n remembered what they’d been talking about back at the house, “I broke up with him because….I was only with him to forget about you. But its hard to forget you when you’re right in front of me. And he’s married.”

His head snapped in her direction and Frank took a while before responding, “Married,” he whistled lowly, “That is not like you….at all,” he might have been an authority on the matter, considering he knew her almost as well as she knew herself. 

“I know,” Y/n hummed, “I think that’s why I was with him,” she shook her head, “Because being part of me involves being with you. When I left the first time,” she bent her head to look at her tangled fingers, “It was because…..when I looked at you and her all I could think of was that part of our family was missing. We should have had our baby, she should have had her cousin. I was sad and disappointed and angry. I thought leaving meant I could get away from that. You know? Maybe a new place and new people would help me shake it off. But I lied when I said it helped,” she glanced down at the sand pitifully, “It didn’t, it kept following me. By the time I’d realized that I made a mistake, I figured it was too late to come back,” she sighed, continuing after a pause, “Then, when I saw you with Bonnie, I told myself it was definitely too late, I wished I’d waited a little longer though,” when she turned to him, she discovered that Frank was looking at her, brows knitted with intrigue and lips pressed together, “I’m sorry I left, both times. I regret it, and I miss you and I’d love if we could try again.” 

"I have thought about getting back together since the moment you left," Frank admitted, "I think....I think part of being me involves being with you too. I'm tired of being mad at you, I'm tired of wondering where we'd pick things up from," he exhaled audibly, glancing down at his bottle, where the short nail of his thumb was digging at the edge of the label and his words made her heart quicken. Was he going to turn her down? “I'm just tired of not being with you," Frank paused and Y/n held her breath, "Will you put your ring back on?” He lifted his head to meet her eyes and his question surprised her, though, Y/n knew her answer from the moment she registered his question. 

“I’d really like that,” she scooted closer, until her knee was touching his, “Are you sure it won’t be confusing for her?” Y/n nodded towards Mary. 

Frank huffed a chuckle, “The only person that wants us back together more than, well, us, is Mary.” 

Y/n laughed quietly, sighing contentedly when Frank casually slung his arm over her shoulders, “Are we back together?” She scrunched her nose, tipping her chin to meet his eyes, “Just like that?”

“I don’t see why not. Unless that’s not-”

Leaning up, she cut his words off with a chaste kiss on his lips, “That’s exactly what I want,” she smiled when they broke, "We have a lot to figure out, but I love you and I want this to work.”

“I love you too and I know we can fix this,” Frank kissed her again, and when they separated again, Y/n leaned her head against his shoulder. Though, the private moment of quiet was short lived when Mary approached them, handing Frank her bucket of seashells before taking both their hands and urging them up so they could all go walking again. Standing between them, holding both their hands, Mary led them down the gentle slope, towards the shore, occasionally jumping so Y/n and Frank would swing her playfully.

Just like that, they felt like a family again, and all the heartache from the past three years was muted; as long as they were together, they’d figure it out. 

*****

Tagging- @patzammit @dearmasaddict @swthxrry @flowerjewels @findthebeautyinbreakdowns @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @onenightnorth @royalwritersoftheuniverses @sn0wpiercer @elrw24

[archiveikemen]

William Rex 1st Birthday Campaign: Story (2023)

His POV

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Warnings and FAQ

Contains spoilers from William's main story

The sound of Kate playing the piano reverberated through the air — and the music piece soon came to an end.

William: Was that my first present?

I asked while waving the card I found on my bedside table this morning that said “come to the Grand Hall”.

Kate wore a smile as beautiful as a flower.

Kate: Yup, but there’s more. I hope you’ll look forward to them.

Kate: — Happy birthday, Will.

My first ever birthday wish was engraved in my mind.

It was a sweet and beautiful memory that soon turned into a poison.

– Flashback Start –

Kate: You must've had tons of amazing birthday celebrations up till now.

That day, Kate apparently heard from Victor that my birthday was coming soon. She frowned, slightly nervous.

Kate: Which celebration was most memorable to you?

William: Most memorable? Let me think…

William: There was a year when a mission fell on the same day as my birthday, so I had the target sing me a happy birthday song before being executed.

Kate: … I’ll be sure to write that one down in my next report as one of your most villainous episodes.

William: Ahaha, please do, Miss “Fairytale Keeper”.

William: But why did you want to know that?

Kate: I’m thinking of ways to celebrate your birthday.

Kate: … I thought it’d be nice if I made your birthday memorable.

(... Memorable, huh.)

Kate was someone who was willing to lose her life in order to protect me.

I would never let her die so easily, but who’s to say that fate would not take her away from me the next day?

Perhaps, that was why every day and every second, she always tried to love me with all her body and soul.

(I guess that feeling is especially strong because it’s my birthday.)

William: We can celebrate it however you like. That way, it’ll be most memorable to me.

Kate: … Really?

William: Yes, of course.

(After all, I’m looking forward to receiving your birthday wishes.)

I decided that I would no longer reject her self-indulgent love that was given to me by her free will.

I wanted to enjoy every last moment of it.

(Ah… I just had a great idea.)

William: … I need an accomplice.

Kate: Hm?

William: Nope, nothing.

Kate: Ah, right. What’s the date of your birthday?

William: — In a week’s time, Kate.

– Flashback End –

After playing the piano, Kate held something out to me and said it was a present.

(... An umbrella?)

On the umbrella’s handle was the same card as the one I saw on my bedside table.

“Don’t get drenched in the rain with anyone besides me”.

William: What’s this?

Sensing her adorable possessiveness, I smiled and tilted my head.

Kate: Um… getting drenched in the rain with you can make anyone go crazy… so this is just in case!

Kate’s ears turned red as she mumbled something that didn't really sound like she was making excuses.

I found it hilarious that she thought I’ll ever be swayed by others.

There was no one else I would rather be in love with, than the woman who was soaked in red on that night at the Tower of London.

… But I didn't say that to her directly.

And of course, it was because Kate was becoming more and more self-indulging as the days went by.

William: Since it's a request by my dearest, I shall be extra careful about that.

Kate: … Please do.

William: What else should we do to celebrate after that wonderful performance and present?

Kate: Let’s go on a date. It’s been raining non-stop since this morning, so we shall put that umbrella to good use.

William: … It’s not okay to get drenched in the rain with you?

Kate: Huh…!?

Kate: T-That’s… um… saved for the end of our date.

William: Fufu, I see. For the end, hm.

Kate: L-Let’s get going…!

…

In the end, the rain had stopped by the time our date ended, so we couldn't get drenched as planned—

Kate said “I’m going to tell you why there was no dessert at dinner” and playfully led me away by the hand, like a little girl hoping for her prank to be a success.

Awaiting us back at the castle was a strawberry tart hat Kate had baked early that morning with Victor’s help.

Stuck into one of the bright red strawberries was another card.

(“Eat me”?)

It was a very bold invitation. Usually, I would suspect that it was Victor’s idea.

However, judging by everything that had happened that day… it was definitely Kate’s own idea.

William: Does “me” refer to you or the tart?

Kate: … Both.

Kate gave a single worded response and looked away.

I couldn't contain my laughter when I noticed that the tips of her ears were as red as strawberries.

I was sure that she fought her feelings of shame to write that, just to make it “memorable” for me.

(Kate is truly so adorable.)

William: Is this the last of your self-indulgent cards?

Kate: … Yes.

Kate: I thought that nothing can go wrong if I used cards… and that you’ll definitely remember this day whenever you look at the cards.

Kate: Even when I’m no longer with you.

Those cards served as a symbol of my beloved’s love and well wishes.

The day I would hold her lifeless body in my arms — would be the most horrible poison to me.

William: I see… thank you. It's a splendid present.

Kate smiled ecstatically.

It was a beautiful, attractive, and ephemeral smile that only someone who has accepted her impending demise could wear. I burnt that sight into my memory.

By the time I finished eating the strawberry tart — “today” was coming to an end.

William: Ah, I almost forgot. I have a present for you too.

Kate: Huh?

William: It’s right at your feet, next to your chair.

Kate quickly peered under the table and her face lit up, eyes twinkling.

Kate: … W-Was that a magic trick?

William: Yeah, I learnt it from Victor.

I shan’t let her know that the delicious aroma of baked goods I smelled this morning had given her surprise away.

I didn't see the need to disappoint her by revealing that her surprise was, in fact, not a surprise.

Kate: But it’s your birthday, why did you give me a present…?

William: To thank you for today.

I gently took the hair accessory from her hand and walked around her chair to stand behind her.

As I had expected, the hair accessory looked beautiful on her.

Kate: Thank you… I’ll cherish it forever.

Kate looked at me fondly while touching the hair accessory with her fingertips to check its placement.

Kate: The day is ending soon…

Kate: … Do you think this day will be memorable to you?

William: Yes, of course — however…

William: It’s still a little too early for this day to become only a memory, don’t you think?

I sat on the table and held the “eat me” card between my lips.

William: … Hm?

Kate: …

As always, my little robin was quick to catch on.

Kate got up from her chair and took the card from my mouth.

She pressed her lips to mine.

Kate: Mm…

Kate didn't resist when I drew her in. Instead, she straddled me in a naughty way.

William: … Fufu, you’ve become a very bad woman.

Kate: Yeah… all because of you.

Kate cupped my face in between her hands.

The pleading look in her eyes was oozing with passion.

Kate: I want to celebrate the day you were born, as much as you want me to.

Kate: One day will never be enough for that, but… I want to do that until the very last minute of the day.

Kate: I want to make myself a permanent part of you.

(No matter how expensive the present, or how enjoyable the party…)

(Nothing can ever compare to her expressing her desires.)

I shivered from the excitement I felt at the very core of my body.

She sensed it and the passion in her gaze grew stronger.

We kissed again and again.

The way Kate desperately tried to love me with her entire being, despite her inevitable death, was enough to move someone to tears.

It was like we were running away from the end of my “birthday”, rushed by the time on the clock ticking past.

(... Should I tell her now?)

William: Kate… there’s something I haven't told you about.

Kate: Mm… what is it…?

William: Actually— my birthday is tomorrow.

Kate: … What?

Kate paused, her breathing ragged.

The seductive facial expression she had just a while ago turned into a surprised one, I couldn't help but smile at how endearing it looked.

William: One day is not enough for me to enjoy the well wishes from my beloved.

William: … Because I’m selfish.

Kate: T-Then… today isn't your birthday or anything…?

Kate: Huh? But Victor and the others said that your birthday is today…

William: I selfishly got them to cooperate with me.

There could have been no better accomplices than the members of Crown.

William: A memorable plot twist, isn't it?

Kate: … Pfft, ahaha!

Kate burst out laughing and nodded happily.

Kate: Yeah… I was just thinking that a day wouldn't be enough.

Her laughter was beautiful, like she was single-handedly gathering all the happiness that could be found in the darkness.

William: Can I make my first request for my second birthday celebration before the day ends?

Kate: Of course… what is it?

William: There’s a dress in my room that would go really well with that hair accessory.

Kate: …!

William: My first request is for you to wear that… and let me love you.

Kate: … I’d love to.

At that exact moment, we heard a bell sounding in the distance.

We looked at each other and laughed.

Kate: Once again… happy birthday, Will.

Nothing could ever make me happier than hearing those words of blessing from her lips.

[ukrfeminism]

I had an abortion – and my experience shows how broken the UK system truly is

When she found out she was pregnant, Maya Oppenheim knew that, like thousands of women, she could face difficulties trying to have a termination. But what she discovered were problems at every stage of a process that experts warn is at breaking point

TW: medical trauma

I was squatting on the floor of the toilet in Westfield Stratford shopping centre when I found out I was pregnant. Squinting at the test, I initially thought it said “progress”, but on closer inspection, the word “pregnant” was flashing in front of me. Before long, another sign popped up, reading “2 to 3 weeks”, but that turned out to be wrong. In fact, I was far further along in my pregnancy.

As soon as it dawned on me that I might be pregnant, I needed to know for sure immediately. But as I marched through Boots, frantically asking where the pregnancy tests were, in my heart of hearts I already knew. With breasts so tender they felt like they had been inflated with a bicycle pump, and my period nowhere to be seen, there were few other plausible options.

One of the first things I did after taking the pregnancy test was to call my mum. Before I’d even got the words out, she told me: “I know what you’re going to say – I could see it in your face.” A million different thoughts hurtled around my head as I tried to remain calm in the most uncalm of places. It felt surreal to be standing inside a shopping centre while struggling to come to terms with the fact that I was pregnant, though there was something almost comforting about the indifference of the sea of preoccupied shoppers hurrying around me.

Sod’s law would have it that there was no escaping the subject of pregnancy that evening: I had to go to a family gathering, which included my cousin’s wife, who was eight months pregnant. I asked how bad her morning sickness had been. “I don’t know why it’s called morning sickness when it’s constant nausea,” she replied. Those words stayed with me in the days that followed, as my normally indefatigable appetite shrank and I entered what was, for me, uncharted territory.

The decision

I had known immediately, on that toilet floor in an East London shopping centre, that I wanted an abortion. Despite being in a relationship and wanting children one day, I did not feel mentally, financially or logistically ready for a baby. For the moment, work and a career supersede the desire to have a child. This will no doubt enrage the people who do not believe women should have autonomy over their bodies, or think women’s sole purpose is to be breeding machines.

However, I am not alone, with statistics released last month showing record numbers of women were turning 30 without having had a child. The data, released by the Office for National Statistics, showed that around half of women in England and Wales who were born in 1990 did not have a child when they reached 30.

As a women’s correspondent, I am all too aware that there are still many people with retrograde views on reproduction and motherhood. As the far right has grown emboldened in recent years, so too have anti-abortion activists. Populist neo-fascism often has misogyny at its core. Take a troubling report by charity Population Matters last November, which warned that more countries were adopting policies that coerce women into having more children, with “right-wing, populist and nationalist administrations stigmatising women who choose to have smaller families as unpatriotic”. The report noted that Viktor Orban, Hungary’s far-right prime minister, promotes debt-free education for women – but only if they have at least three children.

Having written dozens of articles about countries where terminations are criminalised – even in instances of rape, incest or a threat to life – I felt both relief and guilt that I live in a place where it is legal. I assumed that the process of having an abortion would be simple, straightforward and speedy. How wrong I was.

Struggling for an appointment

The same day I found out about my pregnancy, I rang Homerton Hospital in Hackney, the hospital in which I was born, to try to book an appointment for an abortion. Nobody picked up the phone, but I was placated by an automated message that promised someone would call back within 24 hours.

Those 24 hours came and went, but no phone call came. Unwilling to wait, I rang up the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), the UK’s largest abortion provider. “We are currently experiencing exceptionally high call volumes,” another automated voice said. I proceeded to stay on hold for 13 minutes, the soothing music playing on the end of the line having the opposite effect to that intended. In the end, I gave up and opted to send an email instead.

Two days later, I received a call from a man who told me I would have to wait three weeks for a phone consultation, meaning I would not be able to have the actual abortion until a month after requesting the procedure. This would have left me just a couple of weeks away from the 10-week cut-off point for a medical abortion, which involves taking pills. While abortions are extremely safe, it is better to have the procedure earlier on in the pregnancy.

The wait I was facing was at loggerheads with the NHS website, which stipulates: “You should not have to wait more than two weeks from when you (or a doctor) first contact an abortion provider to having an abortion.” The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-based recommendations for healthcare in England, says providers should “ensure minimal delay in the abortion process, and ideally provide the assessment within one week of the request and provide the abortion within one week of the assessment”.

The man on the phone admitted BPAS was grappling with massive delays, telling me they were receiving 1,000 requests for abortions a day. I stated the obvious – that this was a time-sensitive procedure and I wasn’t willing to wait that long – and he said I could have a phone consultation for an abortion a week later. However, if I wanted something sooner, I was told I would have to travel hundreds of miles to Doncaster or Liverpool for an in-person appointment. This was beginning to feel like a nightmare.

For me, someone in stable employment, it’s possible to travel that distance, but still difficult to juggle alongside a full-time job and the rest of my life. However, this would not be at all feasible for young women hiding their pregnancy from abusive parents. Or women facing domestic abuse. Or those trapped in precarious, low-paid work with an unforgiving boss. BPAS says access is a common issue across the UK, with some women even having to travel from Scotland to London for surgical abortions later in their pregnancy.

Katherine O’Brien, of BPAS, said the surge in women needing abortions was likely to be linked to the struggle to access contraception in the wake of the pandemic.

A recent study found that almost a third of women seeking long-acting contraceptives, such as coils or implants, were unable to do so during the Covid crisis. “Women are returning to normal life, but contraceptive support has not returned to normal,” Ms O’Brien explained. “At the same time as the surge in demand, there are unprecedented numbers of staff off sick, isolating, or ill with Covid, and this is an issue across the whole NHS.” One of BPAS’s abortion services was hit with a 700 per cent rise in staff absence due to coronavirus in the first week of January, when compared to the same period last year.

A gruelling journey

As crippling exhaustion left me struggling to do day-to-day tasks, the prospect of continuing with a pregnancy I didn’t want felt like torture. I found another leading abortion provider, MSI Reproductive Choices UK, which managed to get me a telephone consultation that evening.

During my telephone consultation, I explained I’d had a minuscule amount of discharge, which triggered a request to come in for an in-person appointment and a scan, rather than simply sending the abortion pills in the post. I was offered a consultation in Waterloo in central London a week later, but ended up opting for an appointment in the small Kent village of Aylesham, which meant I would be seen a few days earlier. My granny had unexpectedly died a couple of days before I’d found out I was pregnant, and I couldn’t face the prospect of being in too much pain to attend her funeral.

Even the journey from London to this unremarkable village in the home counties became a gruelling five-hour round trip. Fortunately, I had my boyfriend there to support me. As we sat in the waiting room, another woman vented on the phone about the fact that she had travelled for four hours for an abortion, yet would not be seen that day.

I was called in, and the nurse and midwife tried to carry out an ultrasound, but initially did not have any luck detecting a pregnancy. My immediate thought was, “Oh God, I’m not actually pregnant. What a waste of time and stress.” But deep down I knew this could not be the case. There was no mistaking the fact that I was pregnant, my mind feeling like it was trapped in someone else’s body. After doing another, substantially more intimate scan, they told me I was about six and a half weeks pregnant – far further along than I had realised.

Services on the brink

Having a medical abortion involves taking two tablets. Prior to the pandemic, getting the first tablet, mifepristone, required a visit to an abortion clinic. But after Covid hit, the government allowed the medication to be sent by post to be taken at home after a phone consultation, a system referred to as “telemedicine”. Those rules were due to run out on 25 March, with ministers taking a long time to clarify whether they would be extended. The government finally declared a six-month extension for at-home early medical abortion last week. But providers were incensed that they did not make the provisions permanent. About half of all abortions are delivered via telemedicine. BPAS notes that if the system reverted to how it was before, the service would be likely to see a 43 per cent rise in abortions being carried out after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Jonathan Lord, of MSI Reproductive Choices UK, said abortion services are in disarray. “The whole sector is really struggling at the moment,” Mr Lord, who is also the co-chair of the British Society of Abortion Care Providers, told me. “We’ve had reports from across the board from all the NHS trusts we know of, and all charities, of unprecedented demand. As soon as things get a little less efficient, the gestation of women goes up, and more have to get surgical abortions, which are harder to provide.”

Surgical abortions also require operating theatres and staff, which have been hard to secure with resources diverted for the pandemic.

I took the first abortion pill on a train hurtling back to London, and was relieved to experience no side effects. If you throw up within an hour, you have to let the doctors know, as the pill may not be effective. That evening I did feel a little strange, but it was when I took the second abortion pill 24 hours later that the all-consuming agony hit: the worst pain I remember feeling in my life.

Intense pain

I chose to put the second pill in my mouth for 30 minutes, rather than the other (substantially scarier) option of inserting it into my vagina. The pill pretty much wholly dissolved in my mouth in 20 minutes. Before long, I was writhing on the floor in pain, with paracetamol and ibuprofen scattered around me. No matter how I positioned myself or where I placed a cushion, there was no way to get comfortable or escape the cramps. I must have gone to the toilet about 30 times in the space of three hours – partly as a way to distract myself from the deep, roaring pain.

While the nurse and midwife had been kind, gentle, supportive and calm, they had failed to properly explain how painful an early medical abortion would be. This is something friends who have had abortions tell me they also experienced.

Crawling out of the toilet on all floors, groaning and too plagued by pain to sit up and drink water, I kept wondering if what I was experiencing was normal. What’s more, the nurse and midwife’s warning that I must be on guard for severe bleeding had me a little on edge, after they said I must go to the hospital if I soak through two sanitary pads in an hour and blood is “pouring out like urine”. I even had a nightmare in which this happened. Fortunately, it did not happen in real life, but that did not stop me from incessantly checking to ensure I was not about to bleed to death.

But after three hours, the pain did abruptly subside; the feeling was reminiscent of a sea of calm after a violent storm. Despite the pain having gone, the next two weeks were to be devoid of fun, and filled with rules and a fair amount of bleeding. The advice isn’t consistent – I was told by MSI that there must be no sex, baths, sports or heavy lifting for two weeks. As well as no tampons or mooncups until the next period.

After the abortion, when I asked MSI if this was consistent with their wider advice, they said the guidance on baths was inaccurate and you only have to wait 48 hours. MSI also explained that they have no official, generic advice on how long to wait until you exercise, and their guidance on waiting to have sex has been reviewed and is currently being updated to “whenever you feel ready”.

While their advice felt perfect for me, it was completely out of sync with advice on the NHS website, which does state that you can “have sex as soon as you feel ready” – adding that “you can usually return to normal activities as soon as you feel comfortable to, including having a bath or shower, using tampons, exercising (including swimming) and heavy lifting”. BPAS, on the other hand, though it says you can have sex as soon as you feel ready, does not offer any specific advice on how long to wait until you exercise.

The aftermath

So how do I feel now, a few weeks after having had an abortion? Deeply relieved I am no longer pregnant, and massively grateful I live in a country where abortions are legal. But this relief is bittersweet due to my frustration, disappointment and shock at how poor abortion provision is in the UK, due to this critical aspect of healthcare being neglected by the powers that be.

The lack of attention abortion care appears to receive from politicians makes even less sense when you bear in mind how common abortions are. A record number of women in England and Wales had a pregnancy terminated in 2020, with the increase sharpest among women aged 30 and older. In 2020, just over 209,900 abortions were recorded, an increase from around 207,400 the year before.

“One in three women in the UK has an abortion, yet it is so stigmatised,” Ms O’Brien, of BPAS, said. “It is a standard part of women’s healthcare. Everyone will know someone who’s had an abortion. There isn’t a concerted effort to make the service the best it can be for women. The taboo and the stigma, and almost a view that women undergoing abortion do not deserve the best care, is part of the reason the government sidelines this issue. If telemedicine was a clear benefit to one in three men, do you think we would be having this constant debate?”

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, the NHS signposts to support through this page. Or you can speak to someone in confidence at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the UK’s largest abortion provider, by calling 03457 30 40 30 or emailing info@bpas.org. Or you can ring MSI Reproductive Choices, another leading abortion provider, on 0345 300 8090.

[livingonfanficseyra]

I loved the scene in Episode 3, where Kate applies oil on Edwina's hair.

Edwina is devastated because Anthony didn't propose like she expected and she's berating herself, "I should have been better." She's so convinced that it's her fault!

This is the scene where we really get to understand Edwina, how important it is for her to get engaged and how she perceives 'not getting a proposal' as a "personal failure".

Kate is oiling Edwina's hair , telling her that she did nothing wrong. She wanted to let Edwina know that, but more than that, I think, she knew that Edwina wanted to talk. She massages her scalp, trying to calm her and listens to her, her heart breaking to see her little sister being so hard on herself. She almost never interrupts Edwina until she breaks down saying, "I feel like a fool." That's when Kate decides that it's enough, she won't let Edwina feel that way about herself. She feels angry at Anthony and really helpless. She crouches down and hugs her tightly, reassuring her, telling her that she's the diamond of the season and there aren't any gentlemen in London who does not wish for her hand.

The way Kate guides Edwina through her thoughts is really touching and insightful. We see Kate donning a mother's role (no offense to Mary.) But we see how much Kate feels responsible for her sister's future and how important Edwina's happiness is for her.

I am really grateful for the fact that they didn't add the scene solely for the purpose of "cultural representation."

As an Indian, I could relate to that scene a lot because my grandma and Amma used to apply oil on my hair (still do if I ask politely 😅). Whenever I feel like I haven't spent much time with them or when I'm feeling down and just want to talk with them, I take a small bowl of oil and sit cross legged on the floor in front of them. My grandma especially loves when I do that, and she'll apply oil on the scalp first, and spreads it evenly on the head. Then she separates the hair into different sections and "attack" with even more oil as listens to all my ramblings patiently. She won't interrupt if I am in the middle of a rant and when I finish, she'll share her thoughts (and unrelated family gossips too😂) with me. My mom also likes when I go and beg her for a hair/ head massage and it's almost the same routine except that she'll be giving out a million advices in between. 😂

It is a bonding time, we open up and talk about anything and everything and by the end of it my head will be full of oil and my heart full of happiness, it's really special! 🧡

[nuoyipeach]

Hold Me Tight

Mark Lee X Ko Eun (feat. NCT127 & Herin)

Three months of travelling and performing. It sounded impossible for anyone else, but for Mark it was too normal to actually be normal. This was their fifth tour, and by now they were all used to being away from home.

Except, this would be Mark's first time away from the woman he loved for so long in one go. Usually they'd have a break in between continents and come back, but their management decided to do one full round instead.

"And make sure you don't loose your wallet, because not only will your bank cards be lost, but you'll be carrying your passport. Loose that, and say bye bye to the rest of the tour. Did you pack enough underwear?"

Mark should be annoyed by now, but the more Eun nagged him about his luggage, the sadder he felt. He knew he was going to miss this. He was going to miss coming home to her, jumping into bed next to her, cuddling up into her hold, her hands playing with his hair as she read a book while he rested his head on her chest listening to her heartbeat. He didn't tell anyone, but Mark had many songs written about her ever since they were together, she was his best muse. He figured he'd make an album out of them and give them solely to her, something too personal for the public ear.

All that would have to wait as Eun now checked his backpack to make sure he had all his on hand essentials. "Where's the painkillers? What if you get a headache, or fever? Go get those."

Mark was purposely forgetting things. Right now he wanted her to nag at him, he wanted to hear enough of her to make up for the two months he won't be around. It sounds silly, but he didn't care.

But eventually everything was packed, and now he waited an hour for their manager to come pick him up. They sat on the sofa together, Eun hugging his torso leaning against his chest. Mark suddenly heard a sniffle and looked down to see her teary face. It made him even sadder, and he pulled her up so they were face to face, cupping her cheek to wipe away the one tear.

"Three months is stupid." she suddenly spat out. "What kind of management are they? How will you live for that long away from home?" she hid her sadness with anger, a trait he always found hilarious, but now it broke his heart. He pulled her face close to his and kissed her before pressing his forehead against hers.

"I wish I could take you. I don't know what I'll do without you..."

>>>

Time felt slower especially when you're counting down every minute, and that's exactly what Mark was doing. The first three weeks he was happy to be able to perform for fans, albeit very tired. By the fourth week he was starting to miss home, but it wasn't too bad as they got to visit Johnny's house where the Seo family hosted a homemade Korean dinner for them.

By the seventh week however, he was too down to smile off stage. The group and staff tried to keep themselves busy with attractions around the cities they were in, but even they felt homesick at that point.

On the twelfth and last week they'd be going to the UK, performing in London and Manchester two days each. Everyone was smiling, and some a little excited as they went around London buying gifts for their loved ones. Mark had Haechan come with him as he tried hard to find a gift for Eun. He had already picked out something from Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, New York, Vancouver, and Paris. Every country they went he picked out one gift for her.

At this point he was out of ideas of gifts. He couldn't get her another dress, or jewelry, or makeup, or perfume. It was hard thinking of a new idea for a gift, but Haechan thankfully came up with one. As they crossed the street, he saw a man with a small table twisting wires, and dragged Mark with him.

"Look, he's making photo frames with names on them. Get one for noona."

Mark thought about it, watching how the man twisted the wires first into the given name, then with a flower or heart in the end, and finally into the structure of a frame. Eun had a liking for small novelty items like these, and he decided he might as well get it. Beats any fridge magnet with a flag on it.

He asked their manager to get him extra bubble wrap, safely packing away the frame into his suitcase with a smile. He hoped she'd love it, he knew she would. Just the thought of her smile brought a tear in his eye as he missed her again. Despite all the video calls they'd do almost every day, he missed her too much.

Sighing, he closed up his suitcase as they got ready to move to their final venue, Manchester. Once they reached, Haechan dragged Mark out to a restaurant near their hotel to meet someone, saying it's a special friend of theirs. And no doubt he was right as the two entered and spotted a young lady smiling at them.

"Herin!" the three hugged, quickly sitting down before other customers were disturbed by their joyful reunion. "How have you been? Oh my God it's been forever since we last met. How's drama school?"

Haechan added on. "Any boyfriend?" he asked wiggling his eyebrow, getting a light hit on his arm from Herin.

"Stop that! Drama school's been fine, I'm loving it! London's nice to live in too."

Mark suddenly looked at her perplexed. "Wait, if you're in London now, why did you meet us here?"

Herin chuckled nervously, pursing her lips. "I was late to get tickets in London."

Both men's eyes widened. "You're coming to the concert? Oh my God you should've told us!" Haechan whipped out his phone. "I'm getting you a backstage pass right now, hold on."

"Oh but, I'm bringing a friend."

"Then two, no worries. Oh and they'll work both days."

Herin smirked innocently. She knew they'd do this for her, and glad they did.

She could finally commence with her plan.

>>>

Herin didn't go backstage the first day, but the whole group saw her in the crowd and specially waved to her before ending the concert. On the second day she told them she'd be coming backstage, with her friend.

The men were getting ready, already dressed up and warming up their lips and vocals, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hello boys." Herin popped in and greeting them in a teasing manner. They all greeted her back laughing before she continued. "So my friend here biases Mark very much, so excuse her for getting to excited."

At that moment a body dashed in with a high pitched voice and hugged Mark tighter than ever. "OH MY GOD MARK LEE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"

Mark was in shock, and so were the others, until Johnny took a closer look at the face in his shoulder, and gasped with laughter. He urged the others to look, and they all had the same reaction.

Mark was still stuck arms splayed out, when a familiar scent hit his nose from the young lady's hair. Peaches, like the shampoo in his bathroom back home, like their pillow on his bed.

No way can someone's shampoo here smell the exact same as the one home. And at that he pulled the lady out of her hug, freezing as he saw her face. "Baby... you're here? Here... Eun?"

Eun chuckled and cupped his cheeks. "I'm here." she said softly before pulling him in for another hug, tight but gentle this time. "I missed you so much. Herin told me to come over and she'd help me see you. I know I could have waited three more days, but I just couldn't."

She heard his nose sniffle and the other members cooing at him, figuring out he was in tears as he hugged her back tight and nuzzled his face into her neck hiding. "I missed you so much... too much Eun... God I wanted to go home so bad, but you're here now... Thank you for coming baby..."

Eun chuckled, her eyes teary from happiness, and was about to let go when Mark just held her tighter. "Not yet." he whispered. "Hold me tight, a little longer please." Her heart melted as she realised just how sad he must've felt all these days. Everyone went back to getting ready while they stood beside the door hugging longer, looking at each other every few seconds before hiding faces in each other's shoulders again.

"Yah, that's enough. Have some pity on us who didn't get this surprise OK." the two looked up to see Taeyong furrowing his brows and lips pouting, chuckling at the leader's sad face. "Come on Mark, four hours and then you can get back to this."

The two shared a quick kiss before the group left for stage, Koeun and Herin being invited to watch from where the staff usually sit in the crowd. Mark was evidently much more smiley on stage this time, and some fans even noticed it as Herin saw on twitter real time.

"Damn eonnie, your effect on Mark is so much more than I expected." she chuckled showing Eun some of the fans tweets.

Mark looks so happy today guys! Look at his cute bounce

Haechan and Mark keep laughing at each other!

Something must've happened, Mark looks REAL happy and pleased. Too bad it's the last day...

Eun smiled before looking back at the stage when she realised he had been staring in her direction. They exchanged eye contact before she secretly blew him a kiss, to which he smiled even more and started to chuckle.

"We should just bring all their girlfriends and wives from now on." one of the staff joked to another behind her. "That's really their only source of energy now."

As the concert ended and the guys came back down, Eun and Mark hugged again. "You did amazing." she whispered into his ear as he breathed tiredly, and kissed his slightly sweaty cheeks. "I'm proud of you."

"Couldn't have done it without you." he whispered back, hugging her tighter. "God I missed you so much, I'm gonna bring you to all my tours from now on."

Eun chuckled and pulled out smiling at him, cupping his cheeks as she spoke again. "I'd gladly come, but you know I'm not cut out for this..." Mark frowned, causing her to chuckle and peck his lips.

"I'm sorry I have to be away for so long..."

"It's not your fault." she quickly reassured him. "I don't want you to stop doing what you love, even if it means a few weeks apart for us every two years. You're happy, and you bring happiness to others, I couldn't be more proud of you."

Mark took one of her hands off his cheek and kissed it. "I'm going to take a break after this. One month, just you and me, away from all this. You're right, I'm doing what I love and I'm happy with it. But I love you more, and I'm happiest when I'm with you."

>>>

Mark indeed kept his promise. It took a lot of persuasion, but with the other members agreeing their management decided to give the whole group a month off once they got back. Mark didn't waste time by planning out what to do, he just wanted it to be a relaxed break off work, just him and Eun being with each other every passing minute.

"I like this." he said softly, head laying on her chest while she sat perpendicular to him on their L shaped couch, her fingers unconsciously threading through his hair. It was an impromptu movie night, but Mark was more focused on Eun's heartbeat than what was happening on screen. Eun on the other hand had been wanting to watch the movie for a while so paid attention. "Eun-ie..." he suddenly whined, chin resting on her chest as he looked up at her now.

"Why?" she asked nonchalantly, eyes on screen. Mark frowned.

"Pay attention to me." she chuckled at his seriousness, looking at him for a quick second.

"That's all I've done for a week, and I'll do it again after this movie." she pushed his head back down to rest on her, but he shook out if her hold and sat up looking at her, before reaching for his phone and dialling someone.

"Hey Haechan. Let's hang out... Yes I know, but my girlfriend won't pay attention to me... No I'm not being clingy! Do you wanna go or not? What? No plea- ugh."

Eun couldn't hold in her laughter watching Mark toss his phone aside, obviously being rejected even by his best friend. "I'm going to bed." he huffed out and trudged off. She smiled sympathetically, and decided the teasing had been enough. She paused the movie and shut off the TV, and turned off all the lights on her way to the bedroom.

Peeking in, she saw her boyfriend already tucked in bed, facing her side of it. Her heart swelled up at the sight of his hand on her pillow, tracing shapes onto it as he sighed again, unaware of her presence. She slowly walked over and climbed above him gently, kissing his cheek before taking her place on the bed and facing him with a smile.

Mark furrowed his brows, pouting and tried to look away to show his anger, but Eun knew otherwise. She moved closer to him, head on his shoulder as he laid on his back, one leg over both his, and of course her arm hugging his torso tight as she cuddled into him.

"Don't you have a movie to finish?" he grunted.

"Hmm... But my boyfriend just got rejected by his best friend, so he needs me to take care of him." she giggled and leaned up on her arm sideways before looking at him. "So Mr Lee, what treatment would you like this time?"

Mark's face softened as he stared up at her cutely. This time he turned onto his side, and hugged her body pushing his face into her chest. "Just, cuddle with me."

Eun's heart melted. An entire month off yet all he wanted was just her affection. She smiled and laid down, slipping an arm under his head playing with his hair whilst the other held him close to her by his torso. She left a few kisses onto his forehead before simply leaning her chin on top of his head, enjoying the moment they had full closure. Mark's hand suddenly grabbed her arm that hugged him, pulling it around him more as he shifted closer.

"Hold me tight, please." he mumbled softly into her chest, letting out a relaxed breath when she complied. He was so in need of this it almost made her cry. Eun knew how tired he was, how he works extra hard just because that's how he was. She even told him he needed to stop being a workaholic and perfectionist, because she saw how it affected his health, both physically and mentally. She could only hope the time he spent in her arms now would help him realise it.

Eun hummed a song softly, coaxing him to sleep, which was successful. He still held onto her, as if her slightest movements would've woken him. She smiled as she peeked down at his face, kissing his nose bridge. "Be healthy, please. I love you." she whispered before falling into a deep sleep as well.

>>>

[harpyloon]

i’ll catch you

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x fem!Reader

Summary: "Up close, Y/N could see the familiar freckles splattered all over his nose and cheeks. He was towering over her like he always did. She used to be the little second year Hufflepuff always idling by the entrance to the Great Hall hoping to bump into the famous Charlie Weasley. Studying on the Quidditch pitch, watching him behind her textbook, captaining the Gryffindor team. Climbing the beech tree by the lake again and again, hoping Charlie Weasley would somehow walk by once more to offer her a hand..."

☞ Curse Breaker reader x Dragon-tamer Charlie Weasley

Warnings: Fluff, sprinkles of angst, dragons (duh), mentions of a dead animal, mentions of dragon eating dead animal (lol), post-war timeline (although not that important)

WC: 4.5k+ , Part 2 coming soon!

Read on AO3

Beautiful rays of golden sunlight were peaking through the blinders of Y/N's cabin. It was going to be a lovely day with the perfect weather to seek out a bit of adventure, and although she was sure she had countless other affairs to address before kicking off with her assignment the next day, a blathering Bill Weasley was not one of them.

"Are you even listening?" his tone was way beyond impatient. "You know what? Don't answer that. I know for a fact that you never pick up anything I say. Ever."

Y/N rolled her eyes as she busied herself with stuffing her socked feet inside a pair of brown chunky hiking boots. She didn't plan on going very far. Her colleagues were currently lounging in the dining hall about five cabins down, sipping piping hot ciorbă, munching on breakfast toast, and relishing their only foreseeable off day before the start of the big dig tomorrow. Some were even dozing off still, earning as much sleep as they could to compensate for the long nights to come.

It's true what they say about grumpy Curse Breakers. But nobody realized that they just spent too much time with their eyes wide open.

"You know, Bill," Y/N mused, "you always call me the drama queen. What does that make you then?"

The floating head over the fire scoffed, "A concerned superior."

"Well, there's nothing to be concerned about."

"Where are you headed?"

"I'm going for a walk."

"No walks," ordered Bill, his face stern.

"Everyone's out and about today!"

"No walks for you."

Y/N laughed. "Oh yeah?"

Bill sighed. He knew trying to be hard-nosed was futile. "No walks alone at least."

"Are you sure there's no bun in Fleur's oven yet?" Y/N teased. "You're sounding more like a papa bear with each passing day."

She heard a soft melodic laugh within the fire where Bill's head was when suddenly, another floating head appeared right beside his. This time, all blonde and very French

"There iz no bun yet, mon cher. But I think he az been practicing fatherhood with you." Fleur gave Y/N a wink. "I 'eard zer are many 'andsome men in Romania. With a leetle beet of exzploring yo—"

"There will be no exploring," barked Bill, sending his wife a warning glance, which she ignored.

"—you might find someone az adventurous az you are," Fleur beamed, "And very macho."

"Darling," Bill sighed, "is this necessary?"

With a flying kiss to Y/N, Fleur was gone.

Shrugging on a light parka, Y/N gave Bill a knowing look, "You see? Your wife said I could use a macho man."

"Oh please. You're in a Curse Breaker camp."

"Hey, there are loads of macho men here."

"Macho enough for you?"

Y/N wrinkled her nose but ignored the question.

"Well, William," she said, emphasizing Bill's full name, "I, am a Curse Breaker in the middle of the Southern Carpathians." Stuffing her wand through her belt loop, she looked at him with finality. "And I am not passing up this opportunity."

"Remember when they assigned you to Egypt with me and you went on exploring? Your exploring is bad luck, Y/N, and I did not assign you to Romania to bring bad luck."

"Excuse you, the Egypt Goblins loved me."

"Goblins don't love wizards," retorted Bill.

"I think they were particularly fond of me."

"You Reductored an entire bloody Pyramid!"

Y/N was losing her patience. She wanted to sift through the mountains in the morning sunlight. Discover hidden caves and wade through cold springs. She had her breakfast way earlier than everyone else for this sole purpose.

"I promise I'll be good."

"Take Weiss with you."

Y/N glared. "Absolutely not."

"Take someone."

"I'm walking out on you right now. Don't forget to put out my fire."

"Y/N."

"I'll see you later!"

"I have to tell you—"

Without looking back, she waved at Bill and stepped out into the crisp Romanian morning.

The skies were bright and cloudless, the sun slowly rising up east. The Curse Breaker camp in the middle of the Transylvanian Alps was in for a late morning. It was quiet, apart from the whispers of the forest beside them; chirping birds, singing crickets, and the distant sound of a nearby stream.

Trudging up the rough pavement towards the foot of the nearest hill, Y/N felt an ounce of guilt seep through as she marveled at the scenery before her. Bill was the reason she got the Romania assignment. She wasn't half bad a Curse Breaker. From an outsider's perspective, some would even call her brilliant. She's aced all her missions in her first year on the job—way ahead of all the others in her year, and was even able to crackdown a dark magic-infested tomb in an assignment she co-lead in Egypt. She was quick, smart, and as brave as the career entailed.

Only one thing stood between her and a good reputation in Gringotts. Her impulsiveness.

She couldn't help it. Y/N's successes partnered with tragedies—accidents; her brilliance came with sheer will and almost violent haste. The problem is you can't think twice Bill would always say. Not everything is done in a snap, Y/N.

Bill Weasley was the only senior Curse Breaker with enough patience to supervise her. It must have been fate or a miracle that had him in temporary assignment at the London Gringotts when she graduated Hogwarts. If she were received by anyone else, or if he were back in Egypt instead, she didn't think she'd ever make it out into the field. Or worse, last a few months.

"I'll be good," she mumbled to no one in particular. Or maybe she hoped that Bill would hear. She'd floo him again later.

Trekking up the slope with hands snuggled warm inside her faux-fur-lined pockets, Y/N inhaled the fresh earth surrounding her. This was her calling. Nature. Adventure. The unknown. She was fantastic with spells and jinxes and once thought of becoming an Auror—but Aurors spent too much time indoors, on desks, drowning in paperwork and tailing dark wizards. She knew in her heart she wasn't born to enforce the law.

On the opposite side of the hill was a deep gorge between two towering mountains and a long serpentine stream. Elated at the sight, she followed the gentle flow of water over the rocks. Without thinking (because when does she ever), she slipped off her boots and socks, and despite the chilly morning, prepared to wade the ice-cold water. She dipped one toe in for good measure—a pause.

That couldn't be right.

Submerging one whole foot into the water confirmed her confusion. Strange. Almost all waterways in Romania led to the Black Sea, if not the Adriatic. Why was it warm?

This isn't the bathing stream she thought. The senior Curse Breakers back at camp had instructed them of assigned fresher areas where warming charms would be cast. She didn't remember this gorge being part of last night's tour.

Ankles deep in the water, Y/N trailed the soft currents. It was deliciously warm. A deliberate contrast to the icy breeze left by the trail ends of winter. It was supposedly mid-spring, but the winds still gave her the chills.

She took no notice of how far she was going, the water neither rising nor falling. If she were to guess it must've almost been half an hour given by the direction of the sun. The warm water and small pebbles were therapeutic beneath her feet. The walk didn't tire her at all.

Finally, the chasm's end came to view. Heart beating with excitement, she hastened her pace, dampening the legs of her trousers that she attempted to roll up. But just as her feet crossed the lip between the two mountains flanking her, she felt the oddest sensation: it began at the top of her head, traveling down her arms to her toes—as if a big fat raindrop landed on her scalp and entered her body.

She glanced at the clear blue sky. There was no cloud in sight for miles.

And then, it was suddenly very humid.

"What the..." she glanced back through the gorge. Nothing was out of order and nobody was in sight. Looking down at her feet, her surroundings were now as warm as the water she stood on. Her parka felt too thick.

Again, strange.

Trying to shake away her curiousness, Y/N trudged on.

All is well she chanted inside her head. All is well and the wind just blows differently on this side of the alps.

But no matter what she told herself, ripples of unease still disturbed Y/N. She was beginning to sweat and it wasn't just her nerves. The wind didn't blow differently on this side of the mountains because there was no wind. It was dry, dank, and very very warm.

To rattle her nerves even further, the water she was wading on was getting hotter as she went on that she had to leap on land once again. But as soon as her bare soles made contact with the grass, she yelped in pain.

"Merlin—OW."

The earth was burning. As if it bathed in the sun for too long. As if she were in the middle of a dry desert. She knew the feeling, she's been to Egypt. But why the bloody hell would Romanian soil feel this hot? Moreso in the heart of the Southern Carpathians?

Locating a jutted-out slab of rock, Y/N hopped over to sit and gather her bearings, drying her damp feet and staring at her boots and socks. She didn't want to slip them back on. The heat was intense. But it was either the boots or the sizzling soil.

She shrugged off her parka after lacing up her boots and was grateful for her reckless choice of wardrobe this morning. She opted for a ribbed shirt under her jacket—instead of a sweater—in urgent intention to get away from a nagging Bill. Now it served her well. It wasn't as thin as she would have deemed appropriate for the current temperature, but at least her neck and arms could breathe.

Gazing over the expanse of the clearing she emerged in, she suddenly became aware of the lack of green in the area. The grass was almost a withering brown—crunchy and dry. Trees weren't scattered about like the thick oaks all over the Curse Breaker camp; instead, they were clumped, almost systematically, in relatively rectangular patch formations. As if deliberately rooted as such.

Muggles Y/N thought. It was only them who had the peculiar habit of reorganizing nature.

Tying her parka around her waist, she treaded the clearing, the grass crisp beneath her boots, and approached the nearest cluster of trees. She wondered if this were one of the areas they'd be digging up. Senior Curse Breaker Digby Youssif oriented them of specific crackdown areas to look forward to in the next few months. Although almost all wizarding families were well-accounted for in Romania, there were still trifling amounts of intel on hidden vaults under protective spells cast by untraceable ancient tribes.

Y/N loved digging assignments. She was particularly fond of discovery. And if Ancient Runes was Hogwarts' least-loved lesson, she rather enjoyed Professor Babbling's classes. Well, most of the time. It was her pride and joy to have snagged an 'Outstanding' for her O.W.Ls—

Crack!

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the trees ahead of her. On instinct, Y/N drew her wand from her belt loop. Nothing was so dangerous about the wind. But it felt so...

The sound came out of nowhere, she thought it was imagining it. A steady drumming beat. Powerful and humming. An engine? she thought. But that was impossible. They were told that the area was blocked off from muggles for the duration of their stay. She paused in front of a towering ashtree. The sound was growing louder and louder. Nearer. She didn't know why but she was compelled with the need to hide.

Climb.

She felt ridiculous, clambering up an ashtree and settling on its thickest branch. Her superiors back at camp were clear that the mountains were safe, its perimeters were secured for their dig. Curse Breakers always made sure missions wouldn't come across outside interference.

Then why was her heart beating so fast?

The drumming sound was growing nearer. Behind her—above.

Peering at the sky through the leaves, a massive dark figure swooped overhead and landed with an earth-shaking thud on the clearing right in front of her tree.

Y/N felt like she was going to choke on her own spit when a deafening, earsplitting roar echoed through the mountains.

Dragon.

Fully grown, enormous, and vicious-looking, the beast had emerald scales that glinted in the morning sun. Its body was bulky, way stockier compared to the common dragons in textbooks. It had a massive head that seemed even larger than its body, and on it sprouted two long glittering golden horns. Its claws had the same golden color, and it was rearing onto its hind legs, hunching over a figure... chewing...

All the breakfast Y/N had only hours before felt like rising up her throat. An enormous dragon only meters in front of her was chewing on a dead animal, clearly having his own meal. And there she was, perched on an ashtree, ready for dessert.

Don't panic she told herself, but feeling green. She's never faced a dragon on a mission before. They tackled them in her first year on the job—Curse Breakers didn't really need training, the task calling for hands-on work—but never in her life did she ever think she'd have to face a real dragon.

I don't have to face it Y/N thought, I just have to stay here until it flies away, and run back to camp.

Wiggling up to a squat, she eyed the neighboring branch a few feet to her right which was higher up and positioned behind a thicker cluster of leaves. It didn't require a jump, but more of a really careful split; hugging the trunk tightly, she stretched her right foot across, shifting her weight to her right leg, her arms choking the tree trunk in a death grip, legs spread wide midair—

"Scuzati-ma?"

Y/N didn't fall. Thank Merlin she didn't fall. But she lost her momentum in surprise and panic, her left foot sliding from the previous branch, making her push off the trunk in haste, throwing her weight across completely. She grabs a dangling thin branch above her at the last minute, her body tilted towards the forest floor.

A forest floor where a man now stood, peering up at her curiously.

She was breathing hard, her heart thumping erratically, both from the fear of falling and being heard by the dragon so close by.

"Er—esti bine?" the man asked. Y/N saw that he had his arms out as if braced to catch her if she fell. When she didn't answer, the man spoke again, "Ai nevoie de ajutor?"

She blinked down at him. "What?"

He chuckled. She hated it. It hurt her pride. "I said, do you need any help?"

He was loud. Too loud. She righted herself on the branch, pulling to lean back on the trunk behind her. Then risking a peek, she checked on the dragon who was still munching on the dead cow with gusto.

She looked back down to find the man with his eyebrows raised at her, his face painting amusement. It was impossible not to take note of his red mane pulled into a low bun. He looked awfully familiar... and he was going to get them killed.

"Could you," she whispered as loudly as she could, "keep your voice down?"

The man snickered once more, showing no effort of lowering his tone. "Why?"

"Are you blind?" she wanted to strangle him. "There's a bloody dragon!"

The redhead glanced at the scaly beast and heaved out a sigh. "Okay. Yeah, you're right. It's way past breakfast. He's missing nap time."

Y/N looked at him incredulously. He shrugged, "But what can I do? He slept in this morning. Lazy beast." Looking back up, he asked, "Want to meet him?"

He's mental she thought. That had to be it.

But the redhead only laughed. He keeps laughing. He must've noticed the stupefied expression on her face because he simmered. "Give him a minute and you can come down. It's already his fifth haul so he's bound to get dozy and fly back to the nest." He started walking towards the clearing when he paused and turned back, "Although, you can come down now. I promise he won't eat you."

Y/N watched as the man walked up to the feasting dragon—she was peering behind the thick tree trunk, using it as a shield. He's insane. Drawing a wand from a sheath attached to his calf, the man aimed a stunning spell right by the beast's tail.

"Alright, Darius, I think you've had enough," he called. He kept his distance, a good few meters away, but his gait was calm, almost lazy.

The dragon glanced at the man, its fangs bloody. Y/N wanted to grab the redhead and run. But it was a crazy thought, and she was rooted on her spot on the tree branch, frozen in fear.

The man gave a sharp whistle and the dragon grunted, smoke coming out of its nostrils. It ignored him and continued to munch on the cow.

Another stunning spell was aimed right by its claws and the dragon emitted a low growl. Y/N didn't know if she was imagining it but the creature seemed sluggish on its feet, swaying... almost drowsy.

"Off you go," said the man, "up." He sent one more stunning spell right in front of its snout. It was a clear miss, purely intentional.

The dragon heaved a loud angry roar. But instead of diving for the man like she expected, it started flapping its wings, gaining momentum. Y/N held onto the tree trunk tighter so as not to be swayed by the sudden rush of winds the creature was yielding. And then with a strong push off the ground, up it soared, growling low in its throat, and was out of sight.

Y/N's legs felt like jelly slugs, but her arms refused to let go of the tree trunk. What in Merlin's name just happened?

"Y/N."

She gave a short yelp, coughing on her next breath. "Excuse me?"

The man was back, now by the foot of the tree once again. "Come down."

"How do you know my name?" she demanded.

He had a really handsome smile. A really familiar, handsome smile...

"I should be offended," said the man. "Come down." There it was again, that smile. "I'll catch you."

I'll catch you.

I'll catch you....

 "Come on, Y/N, I'll catch you!"

"No you won't!" said Y/N. Her cheeks were wet with tears.

She was perched on the beech tree by the Black lake, her legs dangling above the shallow water. She had attempted to retrieve her Spellman's Syllabry textbook that Cassian Loxias chucked up the branches for fun.

"Yes I will, I promise," consoled Charlie. "I'm a prefect, remember?" he gestured to his badge, "I'll make sure you're safe."

Sniffing up snot that was escaping her nose, she hiccuped softly against the back of her hand. "Our prefect doesn't do that very much."

Charlie chuckled. "I'll make sure to have a word with Professor Sprout about her Hufflepuff prefects."

When he saw the horror on her face, he held up his hands, "It didn't come from you of course. Will you come down now? I swear I'll catch you."

Y/N looked into Charlie Weasley's eyes and saw nothing but pure candor. Biting her lip, she said, "Do cross your heart, or hope to die?"

He traced a cross right above his chest. "Cross my heart, or hope to die."

 "Y/N. Y/N?"

Y/N blinked.

Charlie Weasley. Charlie dragon-tamer Weasley. Charlie the hot brother Weasley—

"Are you still breathing? Do you need me up there?"

Trying to gather her bearings, Y/N extracted herself from her hold on the tree trunk, went down onto a squat, and leaped off, landing on the crunchy grass with a thump.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her as she dusted her trousers, "I see you don't need catching anymore."

She took in the man before her. "Charlie Weasley."

His grin was dazzling."Caught on, have you?

From up close, Y/N could now see the familiar freckles splattered all over his nose and cheeks. He was towering over her like he always did. She used to be the little second year Hufflepuff always idling by the entrance to the Great Hall hoping to bump into the famous Charlie Weasley. Studying on the Quidditch pitch, watching him behind her textbook, captaining the Gryffindor team. Climbing the beech tree by the lake again and again, hoping Charlie Weasley would somehow walk by once more to offer her a hand...

There were so many things she could've done, seeing him again for the first time after all these years. He was gone as soon as he graduated Hogwarts, flying to Romania to study dragons. Everyone always thought Charlie would be going Quidditch pro, being captain and seeker. He had the build, the skills, and the charm. Hogwarts alone had fan clubs in his name and rumor had it that the Falmouth Falcons were just waiting for him to finish seventh year.

But others didn't see Charlie as Y/N did. They didn't see him hoarding books on care of magical creatures in the library. They didn't notice him sneaking off to Hagrid's on the weekends, taking Fang for walks or feeding the Blast Ended Skrewts in the garden. Nobody paid attention to the copy of Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them that Charlie practically glued to his side. Only Y/N did. And now that she thought about it, she didn't like that she knew so much. It made her feel like a creep.

So instead of hugging him in delight like she actually wanted, she took a swipe at his shoulder.

"You git," she hissed. "You scared me to death! How did you do that? I thought taming dragons was impossible."

"It is. Most of the time," Charlie shrugged. "Darius is a Romanian Longhorn. Mostly harmless compared to the others especially when he's full. Not that difficult to send him back to the nest when he can barely stand on his feet."

"Harmless? I could've been dessert!"

Charlie laughed. He was still always laughing. "You look delicious, yes, but I'm not letting Darius have you."

What the fu—Y/N inhaled slowly, cautiously. Then exhaled through her nose. She didn't know how to respond. Seeing him again after so long, without warning or preparation, was messing with her senses

"It's good to see you, Y/N," he said and walked closer. Close enough to tugged at her braid. She didn't know why he did it, but he looked like he just had to. "You look good."

Y/N's heart was beating rapidly once more, but this time, for all the wrong reasons. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Charlie gazed back into her eyes as if seeing her for the first time.

"Too long."

Again, she didn't know how long it took her to reply, but she cleared her throat, "How—did you know it was me? The first time?"

Charlie's eyes were still roaming all over her face. "No. Not until you spoke."

Y/N must've held a questioning look because he added, "I'll never forget that voice."

He was saying such strange things. Were they strange? Or was it just because he affected her so?

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, you wouldn't come down, would you? I see you still have a thing for trees."

Y/N rolled her eyes.

"I didn't know the dragon reservation was in the alps," she said. "Do you know we're camping nearby?"

"'Course I do. You lot are beside dragon territory for a reason."

Excitement and fear raised Y/N's nerves. "What are you talking about?"

Charlie bit his lip. "You'll see."

"Are we digging in the reservation?"

He was walking out into the clearing now, beelining back towards the opening of the gorge.

"Charlie!" Y/N jogged to keep up. "Are we?"

He only smiled, "Patience, darling."

Darling. He used to call her that all the time even when they were back in Hogwarts. She always tried to ignore the fluttering feeling her chest made when he used the endearment, reminding herself that he must've used it on everyone else, not just her.

"Why did no one back at camp tell us anything?"

"I probably should've kept my mouth shut," was his only reply. They were crossing the two mountains flanking the stream, and as soon as they cut through the border, Y/N felt the same sensation she did when she went through the clearing. But this time in reverse, it was as if the raindrop was sucked back up.

She glanced up at the mountains. "Did you feel that?"

"Shield spells," explained Charlie. "To keep the muggles out. Temperature charms as well to regulate the reservation climate. Although the dragons do enough of their warming on their own, it's for precaution."

They walked up the stream, tracing back Y/N's previous path.

"Are you bringing me back to camp?" she asked.

"That, and I have to see Digby. Iron out tomorrow's schedule."

"So we are digging inside the reservation," Y/N didn't know if she was more thrilled or afraid.

Charlie glanced at her, "You heard nothing from me."

Studying his features as they strolled, Y/N couldn't help but admire how much Charlie Weasley grew up to be. He's always been lean and strong, especially with being an athlete back at Hogwarts, but now he seemed so much larger than life. Red tendrils were escaping his low bun and framing his chiseled face, there were a few scars on his nose and one under his lip. She shouldn't have been able to see it but she couldn't stop staring. He was big. Stockier than she'd ever seen him; hands wrapped in gauze and rope slung over a hook on his hip.

Charlie Weasley, dragon-tamer.

And he was staring right back at her.

"You have to take me to see more dragons," Y/N breathed. She didn't know where her voice went. It was all airy and she didn't like it. She hoped he would assume it was because of their walk.

Charlie stopped, deep brown eyes boring into her own. He was panting slightly too. Maybe it was the walk.

"Okay," he exhaled. "Promise."

"Cross your heart?" she almost whispered. Almost.

Two fingers traced a cross over Charlie's chest, his gaze not leaving hers, "Cross my heart."