#but we're not friends to the point where wed like invite each other to our birthday parties or anything

[arosebyan0thername]

Not speculating on a real person, but what if, yknow?

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not telling my ex-best friend that she's not invited to my wedding? (🚫👰‍♂️ for reference)

Light context, I (20s X) used to be very close with this girl we'll call F (20s F) for close to 15 years. We had a few falling outs in high-school but maintained a casual friendship afterwards as we went into college and beyond. From a really young age, we both made the promise to each other that we'd be each other's maid of honor at our respective weddings, and that promise would be occasionally referenced during our friendship (yknow, typical bff things).

To make a very long story short, the last chunk of our friendship I started acknowledging that she really wasn't the best influence on me and really worked to make everyone around us believe her narrative about our friendship (things like lying for years about how we became friends and refusing to acknowledge the correct story, or inserting herself into my family, including during a really traumatic time and she got upset when people weren't asking her about how much she was upset, things like that ect.). I had given up even trying to argue against it so I'd agree with her on a lot of it.

She was engaged a few years ago and ended up asking me to be her MOH, which I accepted at the time. What ended up happening was that the wedding was canceled, and I never got my dress I had pulled money from my savings to pay for, nor the money back.

I made the conscious decision at that point to start to distance myself from her, both in person and on the phone, but would still losely message her if I knew she was the best person to talk to about something. When I first started dating my fiancé, F was one of the main people I talked to about our budding relationship.

It's been several years now, and I have basically stopped interacting with F on all accounts. I found out from an old high-school friend that apparently she still tells people we're really close and hang out all the time, which I was quick to clarify wasn't true.

Here's where I feel like I could be TA: in all these years of me slowly backing away, I've avoided ever actually telling F that I wasn't comfortable with us interacting anymore, and I wasn't even sure I wanted to have her at the wedding. This is because she's been known to do some pretty drastic things in the past and cause scenes, and I really didn't want to deal with possible fallout, and now it's gotten so late that it feels harder and harder to do.

We had our first conversation in like 8 months recently with a few snaps where she showed off her new engagement ring and then asked about how wedding planning was going and when she was going to get asked and invited to it. I kinda let the question flop and never really responded, but now I know it's still on her mind.

The whole wedding party has already been chosen, as has our guest list, and F and her fiancé aren't on it. I feel like I should try to tell F at this point that I don't feel comfortable inviting her, but I really just want the whole situation to die out and would rather somehow miraculously get married without F even hearing about it until it's already done (which is basically impossible since F is still social media friends with my mom). At this point, I still have no plans to tell F that she's not part of the wedding, nor is she invited. I am genuinely worried she'd crash it if she found out where it was happening, but I'd rather take that risk and not mention it at all, despite it being a childhood promise when we were actually friends.

So, AITA for not telling her that I've been uncomfortable with our friendship and don't want her at all in or at my wedding?

What are these acronyms?

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 40

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible.

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader

If you'd like to join in for a girl’s day we're going to the spa, Carol’s text read when I awoke the next morning.

“Well, what am I going to do with myself all that time?” Dr. Miller teased; though after a cozy morning in bed together, he bid me farewell for the day. I knew it would give him a chance to go skiing or snowboarding without having to feel bad about it. I was sure he would link up with Will at some point.

I was nervous when I met up with Carol again, as I had never met her friends that were in the wedding party. There were three of them. Wendy, a cousin she had a close friendship with. Ernesta, a friend that Carol had been close with since her teenage years. And Annie, a British woman Carol had worked with for over ten years at Hillcrest. The two of them had become really close over time.

“This is (Y/N),” Carol introduced me to her circle of pals. “She and Joel have been seeing each other.”

“He's quite the hunk,” Annie teased, making Carol laugh and swat her friend in the arm.

I laughed with them and shrugged. “Thank you for the invite.” Their banter was giving me serious Mamma Mia vibes.

“I hope you like mimosas and massages,” Ernesta said to me. “It's the only way we could convince this one to stay off the slopes the day before her wedding.” She motioned to Carol.

“I can do mimosas and massages,” I assured them, grinning as they welcomed me to their little hen party.

“And pedicures,” Wendy added.

Once the five of us were down in the underground area that housed the spa, all donning bathrobes, I finally let myself relax around them. They were all friendly, though I could tell how close these women were. It made me miss Tori a bit; though I was perfectly content where I was.

“And how long have you been together?” Annie asked as we sat side by side in pedicure chairs with our feet soaking.

“A couple of months,” I explained. It had only been about a month-and-a-half but I rounded up.

“Ahh, new romance. That's the most fun in the world.” She had a friendly, round face and her accent made me smile. Annie was one of those funny, warm souls. I already enjoyed being in her company.

“I really like Joel a lot,” I told her, smiling wide. “He's just..”

“A hunk,” she blurted out again, shamelessly, as she adjusted her oversized glasses.

I chuckled. “Yeah, he's a hunk,” I agreed.

“Do you ladies want to try to salt caves?” Wendy asked, leaning forward in her chair so she could see everyone.

“What in the bloody hell is that?” Annie asked.

“They’re supposed to promote relaxation,” Ernesta explained.

“They have those here?” Carol asked.

Wendy nodded, “We might as well go into this rehearsal dinner fully relaxed, right?”

Annie raised her hand and spoke to no one in particular. “Another mimosa, please!”

I laughed to myself and sat back as the staff returned to prepare our pedicures. It made me realize how badly I needed a girls’ day.

..

James sat in a room in the security building alone. A spread of small monitors was in front of him and he studied one after the other after the other. Despite the case being on the shoulders of more prominent law enforcement officials, James couldn't help himself. He wanted to see first hand if the security footage held any information of the identity of the lady killer.

It had been multiple days. James had spent hours in that room by himself. Solving this insane string of murders had become an obsession. Each time someone was murdered, the obsession grew stronger.

James had looked through one area of campus footage to the next. He kept at it most nights until his eyes grew so strained and tired that he couldn't focus anymore.

The date. The time of the kill. He knew the numbers by heart, almost down to the second. And while the body had been dropped where no cameras were, the person responsible had to be on those tapes somewhere.

That night, after months of searching, James finally thought he had a lead. In one camera from the night of the latest murder, there was a shadowy figure that crossed passed a row of trees near the pond on campus. He almost didn't see it, but after pausing the footage just right, there was a clear pair of legs he could see mid-stride. It was so dark that that's all he could make out - the legs. The upper body blended with the darkened backdrop.

That one almost went unnoticed. But it led James to explore the next camera along the traveler’s path. Again, the figure blended and almost went unnoticed, but there was movement clear as day, especially when he zoomed in.

“I'm gunna get ya,” James spoke to himself as he sipped on a coffee. He never took his eyes off the screen.

The next surveillance camera was similar. Shadowy, unclear movement. Easy missed at first and second glances. But someone was there. Someone was lurking away from Woodbridge’s campus at the exact time the body had been dropped.

“Come on,” he begged. “Show yourself.”

By the time James got to the final camera on campus, the person walked beneath a street light and he paused it.

“Fuck.” James zoomed in and zoomed in again, and then zoomed out. The only thing he could tell was that this was a human being. That's it. Was it a man? A woman? From the stature he guessed a man but he couldn't even be one hundred percent certain of that. Their back was to the camera and they were clad in all black.

And that was it. The person rounded off campus and onto the next street.

James smacked his hand down on the table in frustration. “Damn it.�� He slumped in his chair and sighed, staring at the vacant scene before him.

Where did he go?

“Bank Street,” James spoke aloud. His eyes danced back and forth as he thought of the route.

The person took a right onto Bank Street. There was a bar called O'Malley's, Planet Pizza, a candy store and two little clothing shops. Across the street from that was an old time ice cream parlor named Pete’s, Crave Cookies and a sneaker store.

One of those has to have a camera.

James checked his watch, downed the rest of his coffee and then headed out to hit the businesses of Bank Street.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

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[moderndaycassandra]

We're both on the sidewalk, walking opposite directions, about to pass each other.

I look at your hair, gently flowing behind as you walk. I try to turn my gaze away, desperate to not seem like I'm staring, but it's too late. You've already noticed, and as you look me over you spot the lesbian flag pin on my purse. You smile to yourself and slow your pace so our pass takes longer. "I like your pin." you say with a hint of playfulness, pointing to my purse. I follow your finger to the flag and blush "Oh, uh, th-thanks. I like your hair." I stutter, face glowing red. You offer a cheeky smile as we walk by, and I turn my gaze to the sidewalk to hide my rosy cheeks.

The next day, we're at the same place again walking opposite directions. We offer another round of simple greetings and compliments. "Good morning!" "It's a cold one today." "Nice shirt, love that band." "New shoes?" This proceeds every day until the seventh. This time, you come to a full stop. "So, where are you headed?" you ask, taking a couple of steps backwards to stay next to me as I slow my pace and look up, meeting your eyes. They shine with sincerity. "Oh, uh, just getting coffee. There's a little cafe just up the road." Taking the unspoken invitation, you turn on your heel and begin to walk with me. "Yeah? Let me guess, Rose's Garden?" "Uh-huh. The one with the cat." "Mind if I tag along?" My brain bursts into flame as my face erupts a beautiful shade of red. I pull my scarf up nonchalantly to try and cover up. "S-sure." We walk in silence for a couple of steps before you grow bored of it. "So. You go to school here?" "N-no. My friend does and they needed a roommate, so I moved in with them. What about you?" "Yeah. Not quite sure what I want though. Just taking gen-ed for a year or two while I figure it out. I think I want to do something with biology maybe." "Heheh, I'm sure you'll....figure it out." My heart is beating so hard I'm surprised you haven't commented on the noise.

We arrive at the coffee shop and order our drinks. We take a table by the window and talk for twenty minutes or so between sips. We talk about our interests, make jokes, and slowly realize we have a lot in common. This becomes our new daily routine. We walk to the cafe, get coffee, and chat for a while, every day. At some point, we trade phone numbers and begin texting during our free time. Every time I see that little (1) pop up on my phone, the flame of passion ignites; I've just gotten a bit more used to it. After a couple of weeks, we start hanging out. You come to my apartment and I introduce you to my roommate, the next week I come to your house and meet your cat. At some point, we start going out. We never say the word date, but you don't go to roller rinks, mini-golf, cinema, attend weddings, and go to fancy dinners if you're just friends. At least, not this frequently, right?

A year or so later, we're lying on our backs on a grassy hill. The ground is chilled from the autumn air, but that doesn't dissuade us. Our laughter dies down from the last joke you told as we stare at the clouds. I point one out that looks like a giraffe, your favorite animal. I turn my head to see if you're looking. And you are, but not at the cloud, you're looking at me. That same sparkle in your eyes and joy in your smile. "I love you." you say quietly. We've both said it before, plenty of times. But always as friends, purely platonic. This time, it's different. Something about those three words feels different. You mean it. "I-" my throat goes dry, the flame in my brain erupts into an inferno and my arm goes limp, dropping into the grass. The edges of my vision fade away as I stare into your eyes. My face grows redder than it ever has before, only this time I don't try to hide it. "I love you too." You reach an arm behind my head and I reach behind your back as we pull each other close. Time loses all meaning as our lips meet and we kiss for the first time. The singular moment feels like it lasted an eternity, yet it wasn't nearly long enough. You pull away, leaving our lipsticks smeared and mixed.

The next year goes by fairly slowly, not too different from the first. Only now, we're not just friends, we're partners. You're my girlfriend, and I'm yours. The passion and excitement still hasn't died down. Years go by, you graduate college and get a job. I go back to school and get my degree. We have two kids and we watch as they grow up and go through school and find themselves partners, just as we found each other. Decades later, one of us dies, leaving the other alone. Which one is which? It doesn't really matter. By this point, our selves are so ingrained into each other that we're incomplete, merely two parts of a whole, but one part is missing. It isn't long before the other passes, and we rejoin in eternity, a loving embrace that lasts forever.

Then, I blink. We're back on the sidewalk that first day and I'm staring at your hair. You notice, then look at my purse. You open your mouth as if to say something, but decide against it.

We pass each other in silence.

[sortasirius]

"There Goes the Groom" and Buck's Queer Joy

Hey so...remember when I did post ep meta for two years? Anyway we're back like we've never left.

Best Hen <3

OBSESSED with micromanaging party planner Evan Buckley. The clipboard was there in spirit.

"You are late."

I'll take married for several years for $500, Alex.

"Ooo sliders."

"Ah ah. No."

"You didn't just do that." PLEASE

Tommy giving Eddie a bro-y high five and then a soft, sweet "hey" for Buck and a hug??? Fellas I might need to be sedated.

Also obsessed with the tinge of bitchiness in Eddie's tone. It's like jealousy without even realizing it's jealousy. And I think it's an interesting mix of "hey my best friend has a new friend" and something else that Eddie cannot label.

Ryan Guzman you must be studied for that little side eye lmfaoooo

I LOVEEEEE TOMMY HE'S SUCH A BITCH, he said I do not care for your party themes. Me for real.

Why were they all so obsessed with the sliders???? I love them all so much.

"Reach for them and you'll be pulling back a bloody stump." WITH THE RAISED EYEBROWS AND THE LITTLE HEAD TILT RYAN GUZMAN I AM KISSING YOU ON THE MOUTH.

"Wholesome, 80s-themed karaoke."

Buck was a party planner in another life and I stand by that.

"We should totally go as Crockett and Tubbs."

"Absolutely."

They are literally this meme:

The little shoulder rub that Buck gives Tommy <333333333333

The way Buck and Eddie are sitting during the party scene, Buck's arm absolutely SLUNG around his shoulder...yeah okay. Okay. I'm normal about this.

The whole party was two idiot best friends pointing at each other and saying "exactlyyyyyy." Yes, I would die for them.

I just want to say that every single thing about Chimney's journey this episode was heartbreaking and scary and I HATED that I didn't know what was going to happen to him the whole time. Ok thanks for your time.

From that guy stealing his car to every Doug jumpscare, I think they did a really good job freaking the audience (at least...me) the fuck out without actually revealing what had happened. Like..we know he's sick, we know something's wrong, but it was a well-paced episode, even if in my perfect world it would have been like two hours long lol.

And the fact that Maddie is always going to look for him, always going to find him, just like he would do for her...don't look at me I'm emo.

Chim essentially pushing the fact that he is actively dying from encephalitis to the side because being a paramedic and saving lives is so deeply ingrained in him it's something the can't forget? He's so important to me.

Then...Kevin. He's such a huge part of Chim's life, his arc, how he became a firefighter, and it essentially include him in the wedding (even though it was in a very scary way), I think it's a really great take on the idea that our loved ones who can't be there for milestones are there even when we can't see them, especially with his line "you invited me, remember?"

Doug was never there, but Kevin was, Kevin will be there even when Chim can't see him.

"I was trying to get back to you the whole time." THEY ARE EVERYTHING HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM. ALL THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH, ALL THEY'VE HAD TO DO, AND THEY STILL FOUGHT FOR AND CAME BACK TO EACH OTHER!!!!

Bobby officiating and saying "and the Los Angeles Fire Department" THEY ARE A FAMILY!!!!

And then...perhaps one of thee most important scenes ever aired on television ever:

"Sorry I'm late, that fire was a beast."

"So are you."

And STRAIGHT in for a SERIOUS kiss??????? 911 writers room you can have my life, take it, it's already yours.

Tommy's little huff of surprise and then hum of "yeah okay I'm down for this." PUT THEM IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO THE CUTEST COUPLE OF ALL TIME

And last...Buck coming in to the room where his family, both blood and chosen, is, with soot all over his face, and a smile so bright that it had to have lit up the entire west coast, not caring who saw him or who knew exactly what he had just been doing...yeah, that's what this shit is all about.

EDDIE'S beautiful smile when he realizes how happy Buck is they are best friends FIRST and that is all that matters to me!!!

Hen being like "it's about damn time." SO TRUE QUEEN OF COURSE SHE KNEW!!!!!

I haven't really been able to put this into words yet, but the way they are handling Buck's bisexuality and his first relationship with someone of the same gender as him is just...it's almost astounding. It's been handled with such care, from Oliver to Lou to the writers to the NETWORK, everyone is so clearly fully onboard with this and not afraid of it.

And there's no pain here, his coming out is not born out of trauma or being forced or caught or guilty. Tommy made him feel something that he had never been able to put a name to, and Tommy is helping him figure it out. He's letting Buck be overeager without taking advantage, he's letting him move at his own pace (which, of course, is at light speed) but is also confident enough in himself to pump the brakes when he feels like he needs to.

I just can't get enough of that smile, of how fucking happy Buck is. Happy in himself, happy with Tommy, happy to finally have a name for who he is, and not be afraid to share it with the people he loves. His parents' reactions don't matter, because he knows the people that matter to him most won't care who he's with, as long as he loves them and they treat him well.

It's such a huge step for Buck, who has so often fallen prey to what other people might think, it's so refreshing to see him get to explore this without fear of what others will say. Tommy is a steady constant, experienced and knows who he is. He teases Buck and calls him Evan and flirts with him shamelessly, and it flusters him in the best way.

To see a character like Buck, who was, essentially, billed as straight from the beginning of the show, be able to come in to himself and experience real queer joy...wow. For me, it just can't be overstated.

I can't wait to see where Buck's journey goes, and I am just so...grateful to be able to watch it.

[jgroffdaily]

How does it feel to be nominated alongside Daniel and Lindsay after doing Merrily together for nearly two years?

I'd known Lindsay forever; I didn't know Dan. I knew his work, but I didn't really know him personally. And I remember feeling, the first day when we walked into rehearsal, that so much has come for free, like when you go on a good date and the conversation is flowing.

It's really emotional because now, we're actually friends in a deep way. We've seen each other go through so many different things. We were at Lindsay's wedding; Lindsay's pregnant; Dan had a baby with his girlfriend — all in the last two years.

So much life has happened. We've lived the experience of doing the show both personally and as characters. There's so much real feeling that now I don't know where one of us begins and the other one ends. It's such a symbiotic relationship at this point, and to be here celebrating a show like this is phenomenal.

Did you have a connection to Merrily before joining this production?

[Actor] Gideon Glick, who I did Spring Awakening with, texted us all on the Spring Awakening chain years ago and said, "Oh my god, you guys have to see this Merrily documentary. It's us. It's reminding me so much of us."

In 2021, in November, we did a 15-year anniversary reunion concert of Spring Awakening. I invited [production company] Radical Media to come and record the concert and do a documentary that was, in large part, inspired by that Merrily documentary because I wanted to capture us from 15 years before and us now.

A couple months later, I got asked to be a part of this production. I watched Maria's British production of Merrily on YouTube, which is still there. When the character of Frank [...] said, "I've only made one mistake in my life. I made it over and over and over again, and that was saying yes when I meant no," that was the moment where I was like, "I have to play this part." I feel that so deeply.

Is there anything you wish Sondheim could know about this production?

I feel him talking to us every night. A gift that he left our whole community is his work. Between Off-Broadway and Broadway, we've done Merrily over 300 times. As a performer, that's really kicking the tires of the material if you still feel, over 300 performances in, like there's still so much more to learn. In his work, in his music, in his lyrics, honestly, last night — I'm feeling new things that I've never felt before.

Great art, when you get the chance as an actor to perform it, changes you from the inside out. I feel like I'm learning every day. It's like free therapy to do his work because it's so poetic and so thoughtful and so emotional.

What was your first experience with Sondheim's work?

[My] Sondheim gateway was a VHS from Suncoast Video at the Park City Mall of Into the Woods when I was in seventh or eighth grade. I brought it home. I was like, "What is this? I love musicals. I love fairy tales."

I watched it in one sitting and then I rewound it and then watched it all a second time.

What did theatre mean to you when you were younger?

Getting the chance to do theatre in [middle] school was life-changing for me. Same thing in high school.

[I had] the opportunity of being on a stage and getting to express myself as a teenager, and then going to see theatre and [discovering] that's it's so easy to understand the medium because you can perform it at school and then also see it. It's the actor's medium — you see people out there doing it live, and there's a real communion with the audience.

Being closeted when I was in high school — as I look back now, I didn't realize it then, but theatre was where I went to express myself, express joy, express sadness, express love, express myself physically, just even the act of singing. When I look back now, I realized that theatre, as a teenager, completely saved my life.

Do you have a favorite memory associated with the Tony Awards? The annual broadcast is many people's introduction to Broadway.

Oh my God, so many. I would record the Tonys on a VHS, and then I would bring them into school and show them to my fellow students in math class.

I taught a unit on the Tony Awards at York Little Theatre summer camp in 2004 with a bunch of 10-year-olds. It was the year of Wicked and Avenue Q and The Boy From Oz and Caroline, or Change. They all held a vote on who they thought should win Best Actress.

Probably the Tony performance I've watched the most is Sutton Foster doing "Forget About the Boy" [from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002]. I was in high school. I saw the show six times. The heat coming off her as [...] she's playing this character of moving to New York and wanting to make her dreams come true — I was just lit on fire by her and that performance.

[nochuelinha]

Too Sweet - Chapter 6: Fermentation

The next morning at the apartment was a bit awkward. Questions flooded my mind. Did I really ask her to kiss me? And now what? My head is pounding so much, but the way she took me in her arms, it was so Ellie-like, I'm screwed. I slept in the guest room, the bed softer than mine. I'll ask her where she got it. I got up and headed to the bathroom. There were small tubes of toothpaste and disposable toothbrushes. Ellie was very prepared for visitors.

The smell of fresh coffee was practically making me float to her kitchen, where she was comfortable in sweatpants and a tank top from a rock band, her hair slightly damp and slicked back. She looked beautiful.

"Good morning, Els," I greeted myself, sitting on one of the stools and admiring her. Ellie turned around with a smile and came to me

. "Good morning, Sweetie, may I?" She asked, holding my face gently. I nodded, and she kissed me. Much softer and sweeter than yesterday's make-out session, but it was good nonetheless. "I'm making coffee, I know you prefer something sweeter, lucky for me the coffee maker can do various types of things," she laughed, returning to her activities.

Breakfast with Ellie was so natural and familiar, between conversations and smiles, that it seemed like we did it every day. I spent a few more hours with her and then went home. Sara wanted to go out for a walk this afternoon, it's been a while since the last time we went out together. We decided to go to an immersive Monet exhibition, with 360-degree projections and a wonderful soundtrack. I took several photos and sent some to Ellie.

"You two are quite close, aren't you?" Sara suggested with a gentle tone. I looked at her, and she pointed to my phone. "I was a bit apprehensive when I thought you two might not get along, I'm glad it turned out to be the total opposite," we were sitting in a diner now.

"I find it hard not to like Ellie," I smiled at the waitress who came to bring our orders.

" Well, that's true, but it can become a problem when you fall in love with her," Sara said, now serious. I looked at her, trying to understand what she meant. "Ellie is amazing when she's in love, but she has a collection of ex-girlfriends. I know it's hard to resist her, but I hope that if by chance you two end up together, it'll be more enduring. You two mean a lot to me," she took my hand and looked into my eyes with great affection.

"Even if things aren't long-lasting with Ellie, I'll never stop being your friend," I told her with all the sincerity in the world.

She smiled mischievously, "So, are you two having something?"

I blushed. "We kissed last night and spent the morning together. I'm not going to label it; I don't even know if it will continue," I replied honestly.

To my happiness, things really flowed. The meetings that initially were exclusively for wedding preparations turned into precious moments for us, filled with kisses and hugs. Visits to vendors became more than that, full of laughter and varied conversations. Being with Ellie is incredible.

Today we're going to a wine tasting, Ellie invited me a few weeks ago. I got dressed as best as I could, chose a black dress, heels, and did a more elaborate makeup. Ellie, as always, looked impeccable, gave me a peck on the cheek, and we headed to the tasting.

"They usually start serving from the lighter ones to the fuller-bodied ones," Ellie said while holding a glass of white wine, her other hand resting gently on the small of my back.

It was a fascinating journey through the different flavors and aromas that the world of wines has to offer. We started with Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and that explosion of freshness and fruitiness was like an irresistible invitation to what was to come.

As we moved on to the reds, each glass revealed a new dimension of sensory pleasure. The Cabernet Sauvignon with its dark fruits and oak notes, the Malbec with its unique combination of fruits and earth, the Syrah with its complex interplay of flavors that awakened my palate, and the Tempranillo, a delightful dance of red and dark fruits, spiced with oak and earthy tones.

Ellie's presence by my side certainly made the experience even more special. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for wine added layers of appreciation with each sip.

After the tasting, Ellie smiled and said, "I think we found some really incredible wines today, don't you think? It was a wonderful experience to share it with you. I loved seeing how you engaged with the different flavors and aromas."

"It was all so amazing, Ellie. Thank you for inviting me," I smiled at her, and she gave me a peck on the cheek. We went for a walk afterwards; the night was quite cool, and there were many stars. The tasting took place at a winery, and the landscape was beautiful with several vineyards.

"I think we're quite similar to the wine production process, you know," Ellie's tone was gentle. "We've spent several weeks together, gradually harvesting our feelings."

"We might be in the fermentation stage, I guess," she chuckled.

Ellie really has a poetic way of seeing things, doesn't she? Her comparison between the wine production process and our journey together is so insightful and touching. It's true, over the weeks we've spent together, we've experienced moments that are like ripe grapes, ready to be harvested and transformed into precious memories and feelings.

And when she mentioned that we're in the fermentation stage, it was as if she recognized the process of growth and transformation we're experiencing. Just like wine, we're developing, allowing our experiences to blend and evolve into something even richer and more complex. It's a beautiful metaphor for our journey together.

As we walked through the vineyards under the gentle glow of the stars, I felt a sense of serenity and connection with Ellie, as if we were truly aligned in our feelings and thoughts. It's a moment to appreciate not only the beauty around us but also the depth and richness of our own journey. And I couldn't be more grateful to share this with Ellie by my side.

As we walked through the vineyards, enveloped in the magical atmosphere of the night, the tension between us was palpable. Every glance, every touch, seemed to carry a pulsating electricity, heightening the anticipation of what was to come.

Suddenly, Ellie stopped and turned to me, her eyes burning with desire meeting mine with an intensity that made my heart race. She didn't say a word, but her gaze spoke volumes, conveying all the longing and passion burning within her.

Without hesitation, I surrendered to the moment, allowing myself to be pulled closer to her. Our bodies drew near, every inch of space between us vanishing in an instant. I could feel Ellie's breath against my skin, warm and uneven, echoing my own excitement.

Then, in a bold and impulsive move, Ellie captured my lips in a fiery and passionate kiss. It was as if a flame had been ignited within me, consuming me with overwhelming intensity. Every touch, every caress, was a promise of uncontrollable desire and complete surrender.

The world around us disappeared, leaving only the two of us immersed in the fiery passion that consumed us. Under the starry canopy of the vineyards, we surrendered to the heat of the moment, lost in the whirlwind of emotions and sensations that could only be found in each other's arms.

"Sweetie, you always have the best taste," Ellie whispered, her words filled with affection and admiration.

[mimiwrites2000]

Attack On… Podcast!

Archive of Our Own

As the Attack on Titan series comes to an end after ten years, the cast is reunited in hosting a podcast, talking about their times on the set of the filming, their friendships, and all in-between.

And well, shenanigans are inevitable.

Attack on Titan acting AU, as the cast host a podcast, and interview the rest of the cast.

Episode 03

Armin: On that day, mankind–

Jean: No–

Connie: Nope!

Eren dying of laughter: it's not me this time! 

Armin: I fucking hate all of you.

Connie: you speak french? 

Jean: I already regret this.

Armin: welcome to the third episode of our production company forcing this onto us! 

Eren: can I just say these are one of the few situations where I'm glad we are actually done shooting? Otherwise they would've fire our asses–

Jean: not my ass though have you seen it–

Armin: I am already done, how did I even think it was a good idea to have all of you in one room–

Connie: I literally didn't say anything.

Eren: you interupted his speech–

Armin: first question! Jean, you may read it.

Connie: A little but too eager aren’t we–

Jean: alrighty so here, from X–

Armin: it's Twitter–

Jean: –they are saying are you guys friends in real life? No I fucking hate them.

Eren: like wise, can't stand you.

Connie: yeah we hate each other, we're not even invited to Eren's wedding.

Armin: yeah I'm totally not his best man, anyway next question, who is the most emotional of all the group? And who got more emotional at the wrap of the finale?

Jean: well… hate to break it to you guys, but I think the most one who cried is Reiner.

Connie: bullshit, it was you.

Eren: yeah it definitely was Jean, but the most emotional, as if in, caring, it was Levi.

Armin: Levi assigned himself the role of being a father to everyone, he was so nice to everyone, he even got us cookies.

Jean: cookies with some protein powder and very healthy components.

Eren: Those cookies were really good.

Armin: Annie was also pretty emotional.

Jean: hmmm was she?

Armin: yeah, she cried.

Connie: I don't recall it, like sure we all hugged and teared up and all that but I didn't see her crying.

Eren: you guys didn't see her, because she cried in the green rooms.

Jean: How do you even know this?

Eren: A lil birdy told me.

Connie: Is this birdy's name Armin–

Eren: which happily brings us to our next question, again from X. So, Armin.

Armin: yes sir.

Eren: people can't sleep.

Armin: oh?

Eren: because they now know you have a shirtless deleted scene–

Armin: oh God not this again–

Jean slapping the table: I was waiting for this! Who wants to start?

Armin: No, no! We have many questions left.

Eren: oh Armin come on!

Armin: Connie, this one's for you.

Connie: shoot.

Armin: It's about the scene with Falco.

Connie: I know exactly what you’re talking about.

Armin: Yes, so, this person, from Twitter, is asking what was your reaction to that plot point and how was your approach to it?

Connie: oh well that sounds like a deep question, hmmmm well, I don’t know?

Armin laughing: Can’t you come up with anything?

Connie: well… Falco got kind of worried about the scene, so– oh actually I met his parents to reassure them that all would be good.

Jean: They were worried about him?

Connie: They were worried for him, because he was so worried about doing a good job, his mother told me he was reciting his lines in his sleep at one point.

Eren: aww poor little guy.

Armin: Eren actually used to do this.

Eren: oh yeah, I almost gave my mother a heart attack.

Jean laughing: imagine your ten years old screaming at the top of his lungs about I will kill them all! 

Eren buffing his chest: I will kill them all!

Jean: He will kill them all!

Armin shaking his head: Oh my God.

Connie: No but Falco did such a good job.

Armin: Yeah he really did, but Connie, what did you think about your character’s actions?

Connie: Well, what other choices did he have? I would do the same in real life!

Eren: I mean… reasonable, I guess?

Jean: With your character in mind, you don’t really have a say in this–

Eren: Hey my character–

Armin: Ooookk! So, Jean this question’s for you.

Jean: Yes. 

Armin: Sooo, the question says, Jean’s character had a unique growth out of all the characters, he changed his whole personality, and he had a very clear goal in his mind, what do you wish he had in his arc?

Jean: I would love to act as if I’m wondering about the answer, but I have a very clear answer to this, I wish he had a lover at the end of the story.

Connie: But don’t all the characters wish that?

Jean: Yes, but for Jean, he gave away all that life to become a scout, and then his life spiraled out of control, and all he wanted was a relaxed life with his wife and children.

Armin: I like to think that all the characters found a partner by the end of the series.

Jean: Yeah I agree, and I know a lot of… theories, but, here we are I guess.

Eren: Speaking of theories, hey Armin.

Armin: what is it this time?

Jean: We’re finally getting to this?

Connie: so, as everyone knows, there are always deleted scenes, everyone knows that, of course.

Armin: What is wrong with you guys–

Jean: ssshhh let Connie speak.

Armin: I really hate all of you.

Connie: so there was that one scene.

Armin: it was added very last minute, it wasn't even planned–

Jean: which!!! Makes it more interesting.

Eren: so basically, the scene we are talking about–

Armin: you are actually, legally, not allowed to talk about it

Eren: and I knew you would say that and so I got a signed paper from the producer and the streaming platform allowing us to talk about this exact scene.

Armin: Eren you piece of sh–

Jean: so in this scene, it was the only scene in the whole of the series where an actual make out happens.

Armin groans: I really hate you.

Connie: Pretty sure it was a full on hook up scene.

Eren: It was written as a make out scene, but the director saw the potential, so he decided to make it to a hook up.

Jean: so anyway, as many of you have wished, Armin and Annie's characters are, in fact, the characters in question.

Armin: it was just a scene–

Jean: and so, on that boat, there was this whole make out thingie.

Eren: yeah it was actually fun to watch them filming it, like they did this whole sequence of sneaking into a room, and this whole act of being quiet and sneaky and–

Connie: it basically turned everyone on–

Armin: Connie! 

Jean: the whole build up to the scene was really great, and then we have the scene

Eren laughing: the director at one pointed suggested leaving the camera rolling and leaving the set.

Jean laughing as well: yeah I remember that! The scene was too passionate and sensual that we had to look away.

Eren: at one point Mikasa had to leave, she just couldn't look anymore, and by the way I knew this recently, they actually hired an intimate scenes coordinator, but after she saw them, she literally said there was nothing to be done.

Connie: guys! You are missing the most important part.

Eren: oh yes! So a shirtless Armin at one point happens, and, it feels almost illegal to say this, but damn dude you are hiding wonders under that shirt!

Armin literally leaning back in his chair with a hand over his mouth and looking down

Jean: you don't just kiss your coworker like that and walk off of the set, like, if I had a scene like that, I'd walk off the set and ask what are we.

Connie: they had to delete the scene to maintain the rating of the finale, because apparently people are more sensitive to sex scenes rather than actual rumbling–

Armin: it was not a sex scene.

Eren: which is exactly the issue, it was not a sex scene, and then suddenly you almost–

Armin: Eren stop! That didn't happen!

Jean: sure.

Connie: didn't happen at all.

Eren: not a chance in the world.

Armin: anyway, so, um, that's the end of this episode.

Jean: we didn't finish reading our questions –

Armin: we'll talk to you guys next episode, bye bye!

Note: that episode never saw the light of day,

Because Armins sweared to burn the building down on their heads if they published that episode. But, in the end, the producers leaked it.

[solarcas]

Okay I'm no fic writer and I don't usually post story ideas like these but i'm currently in sicko salami mode and I obvs need to cope SOMEHOW so have this Dean 200-new-neurosis-at-once-type fic idea that won't stop plaguing me:

Dean and Cas get their happy ending, they finally get to settle down, quit hunting, get a house in some nice small town and be in big ol gay love w each other all that. And OFC they want to get married ofc they do they're sappy old men in love and when Dean proposed they cried a shit tone but that's not the point the point is that obviously one of them is legally dead and the other rly never much existed so actually getting legally married is kinda off the plate, and neither of them are big fans of the church for.... Obvious Reasons. So instead they plan a big party at their place, planning to invite everyone they know and just force one of their lucky guests to play priest for a bit and pronounce them married etc etc and actually thats STILL not the Point™️ the Point™️ is Dean gets so so so into planning the whole thing

I'm talking he studies the meanings of flowers in depth to get just the right ones for their table arrangements. He makes Cas practise dancing with him every day so they can be perfect at it and Cas can twirl him around on the dance floor without him crashing into the snack table (Cas as angel obviously knows all the moves and performs them perfectly even before, but there's no way he'd pass on any chance of dancing with Dean). He makes sure every guest gets their invitation weeks beforehand so that no one would end up missing. He prepares a closet with demon traps in case they need to trap Crowley should he try and interfere with the ceremony. Cas regularly catches him lost in daydreams about The Day (not that Dean admits that's what he was thinking of). The guy is PREPARED and he's EXCITED like. Neither of them had much chance or reason to celebrate in their life. So he wants to use this to the fullest.

Then one day one of their friends is over, maybe Charlie idk, and they talk abt everything they've planned so far and what they're still missing when Charlie points out "Oh what about suits? You guys gonna dress the part right?" Cas pulls a very affectionate face like he knows what's coming bc boy if there's anyone on earth that likes dressing up more than Dean. So they both turn to him expecting an answer and meanwhile Dean's brain has just turned off because. Ah. Yes. Yeah yeah the suits. Suits we should get. Suits to wear at our wedding. Because we're grooms. And grooms wear suits. Those suits. Right. And that's when he realises for the first time that all this time as he'd been visualising their perfect Happiest Day In Their Lives he had been thinking. Had been picturing himself. Not in a suit. But in a dress.

So obviously he panics and not knowing what to do with this information, he runs off mumbling something about having heard the washing machine beep and man if he doesn't put that all up right now it'll end up all wrinkly sorry- leaving behind a very surprised Charlie and an even more worried Cas.

Anyway not sure where this goes from here but ofc after much Fighting The Represso, much reassuring from Cas and probably a trip to another state to find someone willing and capable of making a wedding dress that fits a guy, Dean gets his dress and he's the prettiest groom a guy could wish for and he gets to twirl around in it all night. And ofc he has a matching white lingerie set underneath, for Cas to explode some lights over later.

[primaroha]

This is our latest #amazingreadathon detour, as we reach Paris, the host of this year's Olympic Games. To mark the occasion, here are five of my most favourite reads since I got back into the hobby last year.

Less by Andrew Sean Greer. Arthur Less, a moderately failed author is invited to the wedding of his ex-partner. In an act of pure avoidance, he goes on a world tour of opportunities, while unpacking his past experiences. I listened to this audiobook while rushing to finish my Christmas presents at 3am last year. I have yet to ever relate to a character as much as I did to Arthur Less, although it would be hard to find similarities at face value. Every step of the way, he is wallowing in self-doubt and sadness, while you as a reader cannot help but go "can you not see where you are?". That has been my experience, when you're moving your own goalpost befor every achievement, you cannot help but feel like a failure.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. On a small island that worships the person to have come up with the shortest sentence containing every letter of the alphabet, a statue keeps dropping letters. With each one, the letter is forbidden, and the island falls into a totalitarian chaos. Another sleepless night, my enjoyment of this book was entirely based on my upbringing in a society that has been walking the line to collapsing into chaos since way before I was born. We have gone through communism, and to some extent, never quite got out of the authoritarian mindset. I have seen reviews saying the people of the island were too eager to let things happen before it was too much. But that is exactly what my society is like: some are fighters, who fight against anything whether it's good or bad, many are followers, who no longer have the energy to fight, and few are aware of what is actually going on, other that it is not good.

The Good Omes by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. An angel and a demon must band together to stop the antichrist after the lost track of him as a baby. One of my first reads as I got back into reading, it was one of the first books that made me want to pause indefinitely just so it wouldn't end. I have listened to the BBC production of the audiobook, with sound effects and different voice actors. This was my gateway into audiobooks and the start of my goal to one day read all of their work. I have... Yet to act on it, but it remains a goal.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. A young woman living a peaceful, content life on an island, must throw herself into adventure to save her beloved. Que steampunk pirates and a talking rat! I will be honest, I was skeptical at first. But this was, in my opinion, one of the best female characters I have ever read. Every decision was well thought out, every thrope was introduced and then subverted, and at no point did was Tress the stereotypical "silly girl" I read about over and over again. And while I guesses the twist early, knowing it didn't spoil the enjoyment. This was my first Brandon Sanderson book, and if the library hold gods are in my favour, it will not be the last.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. A group of retirees in an elderly community form a club to solve cold cases, only to find themselves a murder right at their doorstep. One of my few rereads, I could instantly see the my group of close friends in the characters of the book. While we're much more tame, I could definitely see us being just like that after retirement. The audiobook I picked for my reread featured an interview with Richard Osman at the end that I found extremely interesting. As a young person, especially one who grew up in an extremely traditional, "graduate, get married, have kids, raise kids, be grandparent, raise grandkids" culture, it is easy to forget that every current old person has had a lifetime of youth before you met them.

[girlwithnomemory1563]

hello?

i went out again and once again didnt end up going home with someone! don't let that fool you, i still verbally harassed random men bc i was drunk and bored! however, it was spring break at the college town i live in so the bar was so dead. like there was a wedding going on and we were dressed for the bar...LMAO WE GOT TO MEET THE BRIDE THO! AND CONGRATULATE HER !

it started with me like not even wanting to go tho bc we didn't have a secure place to stay for the night (fr was going to sleep in our non tinted cars) and i didnt know anyone who could get us some cheap alcohol bc once again, its spring break so no one was on campus jfc. but we were like determined bc my friend sami was finally in town for a thirsty thursday so we needed to go out. so eventually, my other friend misa came through for us!! i completely forgot she has her own little shed house so she offered it up for us to stay in and then got her grandmother (?? hello?) to get us some four lokos! so off we went!

we arrived to the empty ass parking lot and got like nervous bc why the hell is it empty....where is everyone...but alas, we started to down our four lokos anyways. we get to the point where we feel tipsy, so we all head in and like as we're getting our id's checked and everything, we peak into the literally dead ass bar. bro what? so we get in and go straight to the bathroom and have to devise a plan bc wtf are we doing here. how are there grown ass adults sitting on the smoking porch, dressed to the nines eating and enjoying each other's company? where is sexxyred? where is gasolina? WHERE IS MR 305 MR WORLDWIDE???

ultimately, we decide as long as we are drunk enough, we can have fun anywhere so we run back to the car and start chugging out four lokos. as we do this, a car pulls up next to us that has two men in it!! what a coincidence! at this point, we are already tipsy and chatty and just getting more drunk by the sip. so ofc me and misa, frequent thirsty thursday attendees, want to go chat with them! i mean, by this point, they've gone inside and seen that its dead and come back. and now they're just sitting in their car, with the doors open might i add so its almost like an invite, smoking a cigarette!! that is catnap to a cat and i am just a little kitty cat. and they've obviously seen us like leaning over to see them and us laughing and just being foolish since my car has no tinting whatsoever. but miss sami is being all like "noo we can't do that we dont know them blah blah blah" but that is the point! cmon ma! so we go over there and im instantly like "haiii is that a cig?" and its two guys, one that looks like a 2019/2020 tiktok eboy like had the cross earring and everything, and then another guy that had long hair and just looked greasy but also like a fun gi. a fungi... anyways, they give us a whole cigarette and entertain us for like a whole 20 mins! we all just chat with each other and i end up showing them the super cool awesome bass i have in my shitty car. then, they leave and we are stuck to our own decision making. do we call it quits now and just uber home while we can, or do we go back in and see what the ferk is up! we go back in!

we go back in and its like less dead now so we feel a little better, but there's still like just an awkwardly not small, not large, sorta medium sized crowd in the middle of the floor with people actually sitting down at the high tables and stuff. so to the bathroom we go and hype ourselves back up. we chat with some girls, hit the carts and vapes and then go back out there! still really the only ppl giving like...thirsty thursday and not dive bar in the south but its alright bc atp we are like blasted and crossed and just dancing together on the outskirts of the random dance crowd. this is when we meet the aforementioned bride! she was wearing a bridal dress and everything and she even showed us her groom (not cute, she could do better but as long as mother is happy). and then, as we keep dancing, we spot a guy we used to go to highschool with! sami is the one who notices him and is like "omg is that so and so" and i was like "omg yeh...should i go say hi.." and she was like, ofc, "omg no!" but this one i sorta agreed with bc i actually didnt know him that well, i just knew of him bc he was sorta popular but also sorta not? but i also was in yearbook in highschool so i knew of everyone even if they didn't know of me LMAO. so we keep dancing and then somehow, we are beside him! so sami is finally like "ok now go say hi" and like a sleeper agent activated, i just turn and go say hi to the feller!

he actually is like cute and was way cuter when i was drunk bc he was taller than me, so i get him talking and bring in misa and sami and we all chat. and then his random ass sister comes up to us, probably drunk, and is like "ooohh isnt he so cute? isnt my brother so cute?? god hes sooo cute and soo single" so i got the message but also like, hey girl we are just talking and catching up and youre doing alot rn whats up! she seemed sweet tho and we ended up talking with her too but that was just a weird ass first impression of her. then sami is like "didnt u used to do the fortnite dance all the time?" and he was all like "pshh no what i dont even...i dont even know how to" knowing full damn well that he knew how to fortnite dance. so we pull up a youtube video for him and he gets on stage and fortnite dances for us! so kawaii!! and he also tried to get the dj to play no hands but mr waka flaka like three times but he just kept playing some country ass shit every other song so we go to leave! our plan was to uber back to misa's shed house, but then the bouncer is like "uber doesn't run this late." what! what do now! we think and think and our new found friend is still with us and he's like "im taking my sister and her friends home." and then sami has the brilliant idea to make him take us home as well! except he didnt have enough room in his car. so he took his sister all the way home, came back to pick us up and then took us all the way home. free of charge. i was going to venmo him gas money but ive forgotten so many times now that i just dont want to text him anymore. and i ended up losing my ring in his car. and we texted abt it and flirted a little (hehehe) but i suck at texting so we havent talked in like a week LMAO.

but yeah, fun thursday! super tame but also super fun! i wish i was better at being a communicating human so i could still being chatting with that guy but alas. thats all.

[modestcatholiclife]

A Week of Progress & Small Victories

This week has been very rewarding. We're still leading up to Lent, my first time participating Lent, and it is a little daunting. Fasting from meat isn't fun but that is the point and it is doable. How I'm going to cope with this week after cheesefare is beyond me. I definitely don't think being vegan is in the cards for me at this time 😅.

On Wednesday, my fiance and I met up with our priest finally! We've been trying to find a time to talk about my baptism for months. Thankfully, he not only covered that during our talk but also our wedding plans and my fiance's interest in potentially changing rites. Because of the distance between us and general business of our lives, our priest and I will be doing catechism via email with the goal of having me ready for baptism by Pentecost! After that we'll be able to start talking marriage prep, which will take roughly 3-6 months so, hopefully, we'll be getting married before the end of this year. One of my fiance's friends has two other weddings to attend in November so we just have to pray that's not where we end up. I'd rather not put the wedding off any longer than necessary.

On Thursday, my fiance and I visited St. Volodymyr's in order to help with the changing over of the cloths. We weren't exactly the greatest help but there's a first time for everything and we can only get better from here. We got everything done in 3 hours and then sat down to chat in the parish hall with some coffee and very cold cookies from the fridge. On the walk home from the church, my fiance and I passed an appliance store that is always closed when we pass it on Sundays. This was the first time we've seen it open and the cat that lives in there (see my previous post for the photo) was very calm and friendly to the two strangers who like to stare at him through the glass. His name is Alex and he is honestly a very sturdy cat. Not fat, not skinny, very muscular actually.

On Sunday, we went to the 5pm mass at the local cathedral where we joined the choir! I'm not much of a singer but I really enjoy it and am willing to put the effort in to try and make my voice sound at least pleasant. This is a mass that a lot for young adults attend so our young adult group decided we should get more involved with it so that we can include the people that go there in community events. The mass was followed by vespers and then we all went out to dinner in honour of the priest who said the mass that night: a younger priest, in his thirties, who has been very involved in our young adult community and has begun a midweek mass at the local uni, who is moving on to another parish. It was a very lovely night, I got to catch up with people I haven't seen in several weeks, including one of the women there who is always very sweet to everyone. We had a great conversation. I got to talk a bit about my talk with our priest earlier in the week and about the wedding. She invited me to a weekly run some of the women do each Saturday. I won't be able to make it this week but I'd love to join them, even if I haven't physically ran in years and it'll probably kill me. She also offered to help me with fertility awareness, as that is the area she is qualified in which sounds like such a blessing. I'm feeling very hopeful for this year.

Today I've begun my Lenten fasts. My laptop has been put away which has helped me tremendously. I've done a load of laundry (not the single biggest achievement but it was long overdue) and completely tidied my room. Though this week without dairy will be tough, I'm looking forward to Lent as a whole.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

[artemisbarnowl]

me and my wife were engaged but ended up eloping because i was going to lose my health insurance and my job wasn't gonna offer it for 8 more months and i am on more than a couple medications i take regularly. but I'm been so completely devastated because I feel like I'll never have a wedding now. I've dreamt of one my entire life. nothing big but there's a few things that really ment a lot to me like having all my loved ones together and getting special pictures taken and exchanging vows and so on a so forth. and it's probably all stupid to be worried about in the end because I'm married to my favorite person in the world, the women of my absolute dreams, my best friend. but i feel like now if we try to have a wedding later on no one will take it seriously and coming to it wont be as important because we're already married so whats the point? and yeah I've been feeling some ways about wedding and can not even consider mama mia without wanting to cry

Sis I am so sorry that you live in a place where instead doing what you want when you want you had to make legal contracts for access to basic healthcare. BUT!! The good news is you and your wife can still a lot of those things you want to do! She's your best bud and you love her and you want to write vows about it. So do that! Hire a photographer to take photos of you both barefoot in a forest and looking at each other adoringly! And although I literally just flipped the switch in my brain so am firmly on the I don't want a wedding train, if you want a big party to tell everyone how much you love your wife you can have one. So many people are doing wedding 2:actual get together boogaloo on account of being shut in our houses for 2 years. Ask yourself why this party is less real or less of an important reason to celebrate compared to other milestones. And if you have people you'd want to invite to your party who you think won't respect it or care enough to come then they are people you don't want at your party anyway.

[neo-culture-mafia]

My Peace (w.ykh)

the cutest boy ever

— Warnings: Bruises

— Genres: Fluffy, warm and overall adorable uwu.

— Words: 1.6k

— Summary: “He used to think he didn't deserve to be loved, and that the life he had was too dangerous for him to ever let anyone in. But you worked your way through his heart and proved him wrong, right when he thought he could never enjoy being wrong before.”

— Requested by @min-inu “I'm new to this blog (I love it) and I'm a huge fluff enthusiast 🥺 Can I request something with Lucas (+ female reader? I don't know if I have to specify) where he comes home from work late at night and he's stressed because a deal went wrong (or something else) but as soon as he sees the reader who is barely awake and waiting for him he feels calmer and she does things to cheer him up (lots of cuddles and kisses, maybe a cute date too). Also can I request more than once if it's not a problem?”

— A/N: I absolutely loved your request 🥺 I was craving for some Yukhei's content and didn’t even know it lol And please, feel free to send in more requests, okay? I hope you enjoy this!!

To say he was pissed was an understatement. When Lucas came back to the base and Kun put his eyes on him, he already knew Yukhei was about to explode. After he got in Neo Culture, Yukhei learned how to control his anger issue, but he still had problems with coping with failure.

“Can I give my reports to you tomorrow?” Yukhei asked, staring right at the floor, too afraid that he would explode at himself if he looked at his leader's disappointed expression. If only he knew Kun was way more worried than disappointed.

“You don't have to do this, you know?” Kun turned his chair so he would be staring at the window instead of Yukhei's face. “Avoid looking at me. Feeling shame at yourself. We'll manage to close that deal.”

“They attacked us. I don't think there's a deal to be considered anymore.” Yukhei murmured, closing his eyes and trying the hardest that he could to not start punching and kicking stuff around him. Neo Culture was the family he had never had. The feeling that he somehow had failed the only people who welcomed him do their own home was barely unbearable.

“We're all alive, aren't we?” Kun questioned, slightly turning his face to the side so he could look at the younger one behind him. Yukhei was still afraid to look at his leader, but as he managed to shily give him some attention, he was met with a warm smile coming from the older one. “Then, we'll figure out something. As long as we're together, we can achieve whatever we put our focus to.” He turned his chair back to its initial position, forcing Yukhei to stare at the floor again as he checked his wristwatch.“It's late. Don't worry about your reports, we can do this tomorrow. Go be with Y/N. She is in your dormitory.”

For the first time since he had entered the room, Yukhei face seemed to be no longer twisted by anger anymore, thanks to the mention of your name.

“She's here? I thought she was at home.” He looked right at Kun's eyes, making the leader's smile go even bigger from before. Young love was really adorable. “Yeah, she said something about not wanting to leave you alone after a tiring mission,” Kun added, grabbing a few papers and starting to go over them. He only looked at Yukhei again when he realized the young man was still sitting on his office’s chair. “... why are you not running there yet? Go! You're dismissed!” he exclaimed, pointing at the door and proceeding to laugh at the sight of Lucas running out of his office.

If before Lucas' heart was beating fast from anger, now his heart was beating fast at the thought of seeing you. Besides Neo Culture, the only person who allowed him to be himself with no judgments at sight was you. You had nothing to do with his lifestyle. You weren’t part of the mafia, and God forbids if you ever demonstrated any interest in the business. Yukhei's mind wouldn’t even know how to proceed with the constant feeling that he could lose you at any second.

The only thing that kept him from exploding when he was in the field was the thought of being in your arms again. He needed to come back and see that beautiful smile of yours one more time. And that’s the first thing his eyes started to look for after he had opened the door.

You were close to his desk, apparently taking some food out of plastic bags, and even if he was indeed almost dying from starving, his first impulse was to run and hug you from behind. Your perfume turning to be the only thing he could smell, blocking all of his senses from anything else that wasn't related to you. He could tell you were tired since your whole body almost jumped when he suddenly hugged you.

“You’re back!” You exclaimed with a smile on your face as you felt your boyfriend's face resting on your shoulder. He had his eyes closed and some bruises on his cheek, but he looked pretty much alive to you, and that was all that mattered. “Uh oh. We should take care of those. Sit on the bed, I prepared everything. Including food, but since I didn’t know if you preferred Mexican, Korean, or Japanese, I ordered them all.” You started to blab, hoping to get a smile from your playful boyfriend, but as he just stayed still, you began to worry. “Baby? What is it? Is everyone okay?” You asked, turning around to face him properly, being careful when touching his body.

As he opened his eyes to look at you, any words he could possibly say just disappeared at the sight of you. Your messy hair confirmed his suspicions that you had probably dozed off at some point of the night. Your swollen eyes tipped off that at some point you thought he wasn't coming back and then proceeded to cry. Your worried gaze confirmed how relieved you were for seeing him only with a few bruises. Your lips saying that you loved him made his smile finally appear as he realized how much he loved you. And he hated the thought that Neo Culture wasn't the only one who he failed tonight. He failed the person he loved the most in the entire world when he didn't show you how grateful he was for still being alive. For being by your side. His favorite and most loved place to be.

You were his personal place of peace. And you needed to know it.

“I love you. Oh God, I love you so much. I never thought I would love someone as much as I love you.” He pushed you a little so he could start pecking all over your face, making both of you giggle at his action. “You kind of scared me for a second.” You pushed him a little and smiled at how bright his face now looked. “There is nothing to worry about. Not when I’m with you.” He replied to you with the words he was actually saying to himself.

The world outside could wait. All the violence, gunshots, and uncertainty could wait. Now, he was with his personal gift from heaven. The one capable of bringing the best out of him. His one and only. His Everything.

“Look, I do appreciate all the kisses and stuff but I won't stop bothering you until you let me take care of your bruises.” You pecked his lips and then started to walk backward, holding both of your boyfriend's big hands, seeing the biggest smile appear to his face. “Okay doc, treat me.”

In a matter of seconds, you were sitting on your bed, having Lucas’ head laying on your lap as you cleaned his cheek bruises with a cotton pad. He had his eyes closed so he could just enjoy your touch, and as much as you loved seeing him relax, which rarely happened, you wanted to fill him in on what you did during the days he spent on mission. Especially when you knew he didn’t like to talk about the missions when he was tired.

"So, I met Mark's girlfriend." You started, causing Yukhei to look at you with a puzzled expression on his face. "Mark's girlfriend? What was she doing here?" "She came here to get a few papers. Something about her and Mark going on a vacation." You shrugged, gently closing Yukhei's eyes with your fingertips so you could clean the bruises on his eyelid. "We went out for a meal together. She reminds me so much of Mark, it's almost like they're the same person. No wonder she's dating him for four years, they really complement each other well." 

"They really do. I'm still waiting for the wedding invitation of those two." Yukhei commented, making you laugh at the situation your newest friend had told you. "Oh, you're gonna have to wait a little more then. Mark almost freaked out some days ago thinking that she wanted him to propose when she actually wanted to adopt a dog together!" Yukhei couldn't help but laugh at how Mark that sounded like. "That sounds like something Mark would do, for sure." 

"I know, right? He almost freaked her out too, she thought he wanted to break up or something." You added, putting two stitches on your boyfriend's worst bruises and letting your hand go and play with his messy silver hair. "I'm done. Now, we should get some food in that belly of yours." 

"What? No, right when it's starting to get good!" he whined, pouting like the big baby you knew he was. "You can take a shower first if you like, but if I know you enough, you're starving,” You pointed at the small desk full of delicious smelling food. "and that’s why I got your favorites. The burrito is smelling especially nice tonight." "You're unbelievably perfect, and that was the lowest punch ever, but I still love you anyway.” He stated, giving you a quick peck before getting up from the bed and running towards the desk. 

                                                            ...

"So, now that I'm no longer starving and smelling nice thanks to that cologne you gave, what do you say about..." Yukhei stopped himself from talking and drying his hair with a towel when he noticed your sleeping figure evolved in a warm blanket. 

I knew you were tired. Yukhei smiled at the view, silently giggling at his own thoughts. There weren't enough words to describe how much he appreciated all the effort you did to make him feel comfortable after missions. He knew you abdicated a lot from your life for the two of you to be together, things you thought you couldn't live without, like your freedom to walk around with no bodyguards. And even though he tried to push you away to stop you from getting too close to him, you two just couldn't be apart. You consciously chose to be with him, and he loved you so damn much for that.

As he laid down next to you, slightly pulling you closer, and placing a soft kiss on your forehead, he voiced out the words with the most affection he had ever put into words before: 

"You are my peace, baby. I will always come back to you, no matter what happens.”

[reighlee-greaves]

Snapped : Tom Hiddleston x Reader

So this is a collaboration between me and @just-the-hiddles who is responsible for half of the dialogue and the header image. I would like to thank @just-the-hiddles for giving me the idea for this x reader.

-Summary- Tom and the reader get into a heated argument about a photo that the paparazzi snapped of her and her ex Sebastian Stan. To apologise Tom enlists the help of Benedict.

Tag list

@just-the-hiddles

@confetti-its-an-imagine-blog

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Tom hadn't glanced at his phone that morning until well after his run. When he picked it up, he found himself bombarded with voice messages and texts. They all were about one thing. He clicked on one of the links to find a headline from the Daily Mail blaring out him: Hiddles Out, Seb In. Romance Rekindled.

Tom's face paled as he scrolled to find a grainy photo of you looking rather cozy with your ex, Sebastian Stan. Without another thought, Tom grabbed his keys and headed towards your place.

“Tom, what are you doing here our date isn’t until tomorrow?” you asked Tom.

Tom barged through the door, his face red. "Care to explain this?!" he yelled as he shoved his phone in your face.

“Tom I—“ you began only to be cut off by Tom’s frantic pacing.

“—I, I, I," he mocked. "You can't even come up with a plausible lie for why you were photographed with your ex."

“Ok, Tom if you calm down I can explain why I was with Seb in the first place.”

"Calm down!!? I will not fucking calm down! My phone is filled with messages and texts of condolences, of questions. You've humiliated me publicly and you tell me to calm down?!" Tom seethed. His hands flexed at his side, a death grip on his phone.

You took a step back, away from him.

“Tom I didn’t mean to humiliate you. I bumped into Sebastian, and he congratulated me on our relationship. Besides, what about that photo of you and your ex that I got tagged in on Twitter the other week?”

"That's completely different! We dated for six months. And that story was about her new project, not about me having an affair. You and Sebastian were together for three years! Three years! And in case you missed it, I am apparently out and he is in!"

“So you can be friends with your exes but I can’t be friends with mine?” Your voice trembled. You had never seen Tom so mad.

"That's not the point! The point is you didn't see the problem with being photographed with him and how it would affect me. Affects us. And if you don't see the problem with that, I'm not sure this relationship can work." Tom's shoulders slumped.

“I cannot believe that you just said that Thomas Hiddleston!” you yelled in frustration.

"I can't believe you would cheat on me. But here we are. Goodbye." Tom turned and left as quickly as he came.

Once the door slammed behind him, he only then allowed the tears to fall. As he walked down the sidewalk, with shaking hands, he punched in a familiar number.

"Ben? Can I come by? Yeah. It's about that. Thanks."

-

Ben steepled his fingers in front of his mouth as Tom stood huffing in front of him.

"If you are done with your tantrum, can I say something?"

“What?!” Tom snapped.

Ben leaned back at Tom's tone."Okay, first of all, there is no need to snap my head off. You called me. I am here to help you."

“I’m sorry Ben, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Tom replied before sighing. “I’m just frustrated.”

"In more ways than one, I'm sure." Ben chuckled to himself.

"What I was trying to say before you turned into a small child was... exes are exes for a reason. She is a good person. I am sure there is a innocent explanation."

“Like what Ben, they just happened to bump into each other?” Tom questioned as he slumped further into Ben’s sofa.

"Perhaps. That does happen. You know how you sometimes just bump to your exes." Ben raised a knowing eyebrow. "The point is coincidences happen. And the paparazzi are ruthless. But you can't let them get inside your head."

“But it’s Sebastian Stan we’re talking about!” Tom crowed.“They were together for three years Ben, THREE YEARS! He was her first everything.”

"And you can be her last everything. But not if you don't pull your head out of arse and talk to the poor girl. Honestly, you are about to ruin the best thing in your life over a single photo."

“What do I say to her, Ben, I’ve already lost her.”

Benedict moved to sit next to Tom. He clapped his hand on Tom's knees. “Use all those big words you learned at Cambridge. Tell her you love her. Tell her you were a prized idiot for ever letting her get away. Tell her you will spend the rest of your days proving to her you are worthy of her love. Tell her she is your one.”

Tom sighed as he let Ben’s words sink in. “ Do you think you and Sophie could help me with that?”

Ben smiled. "I believe that can be arranged."

The Next Day

You awoke to a constant pounding against your front door. As you stumbled to the door, bathrobe wrapped around, you opened the door to find Sophie standing there, two coffees in hand.

"Get dressed, we're going shopping."

“Alright, alright, I’m coming hold on.” you groaned as she invited Sophie inside.

Sophie settled herself onto a kitchen chair, and slid one of the coffee cups in your direction. "Here, I got it how you like it."

“Thanks Soph, give me about twenty minutes and I’ll be ready.”

Sophie yelled after as you trot off to get ready. "I'll be waiting with bells on!"

Once you were out of sight, Sophie whipped out her phone and typed a message off to Ben.

Got her to agree to shopping. You should have several hours to get things ready. Don't fuck this up.

After an agonisingly slow twenty minutes you were ready. “Let’s go, Soph.”

"Took you long enough. I was about ready to make myself some lunch."

You shot daggers at Sophie.

"Now..." Sophie linked arms with you as both of you exited the house. "...what's new with you?"

“Oh nothing much, I bumped into Sebastian the other day and the paparazzi caught us. I think Tom’s mad at me even though we weren’t doing anything.” you explained.

"I didn't realize you and Seb were still close. How many years were you together again?" Sophie asked, acting stupid.

“We were together for three years, Soph. We still chat every so often but it means nothing. We’re friends now. But nothing more.” you replied.

Sebastian and you broke because of many things. Partially because of the long distance, and also the fact that you wanted to settle down and have a few children. Sebastian wanted to pursue his acting career longer before settling down with a wife and kids. He still wanted the life of a bachelor.

”Have you told Tom that? Or the reasons you and Sebastian broke up?"

“I tried to Sophie, but he stormed out of my house before I could. He didn’t even say goodbye.” you sighed.

"Try harder. He looks like he is made of marble, but his heart is as fragile as glass. He must care about you to have such a vehement reaction."

“I know, I know, but I have no idea how to tell him. It’s hard for me to express myself, you know?”

“For two such sensitive and dramatic people, the both of you are horrid at saying what you feel." Sophie taunted. "How about calling him up and saying 'I love you' and I want to be with you and only you?"

“That is the sort of thing you say in person.” you responded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sophie grabbed your arm and pulled you down the street off towards Tom's.

-

“Ben, has Sophie text you yet to see when she’s bringing you here?” Tom asked as he paced up and down his kitchen.

Benedict fished his phone out of his pocket. As he scrolled through his messages, his eyes widened. "They are on their way over right now."

“Shit!” mumbled a panicked Tom.

“How do I look? Do I look ok? Do I smell?” Tom asked a smirking Benedict.

Benedict picked at Tom's sweater, smoothing it out. "Like sex on a stick, mate." He gave Tom a wink.

“Ok, ok I can do this...” Tom whispered to himself as the doorbell rang. Tom whipped back around to Ben for a moment. "No, I can't! You answer the door." Tom shoved Benedict towards the foyer.

"Are you serious!?" Ben protested. "This is your house and if I answer the door, it will be even more awkward than it already is. So man up and answer the damn door!" Benedict pushed Tom hard causing him to stumble, falling against the front door.

"Is everyone alright in there?" Sophie's voice called out from the other side of the door.

“Just a moment!” Tom yelled back.

“Ok what do I say to her, do I say hi or hello or—“ Tom rambled only to get cut off by Ben.

"I swear to God man, if you don't open that door right now and let my wife and your girlfriend in right this second, I am telling this story at your wedding. Pull yourself together!" Ben hissed before disappearing to the kitchen.

“Ok I got this.” Tom said as he opened the door.

"About bloody time." Benedict muttered just out of sight.

"Tom!" Sophie greeted him with a warm hug. “Guess who I brought with me." She tugged you into view.

“Hello ladies.” Tom greeted the pair with a smile. "Please come on in.”

You shuffled in behind Sophie and gave Tom an awkward smile.

"So... Thomas," Sophie interjected. "Where is my impossible husband?"

“Ah, he’s in the kitchen.”

"Then I shall see myself that way." Sophie exited before giving time for either of you to protest.

“So Tom how are you?” you asked awkwardly as you stepped into the living room.

"I've been better." Tom commented as he followed you into the room. He offered you her favourite spot on the sofa which you took and he sat down in the chair across from her. "And you?"

“I’ve had better days. We need to talk about yesterday.”

"I'm sorry I overreacted.” Tom started in. “It's just that you were dating Sebastian for so long and this relationship is new. I worried about losing you." Tom reached out to grab your hand, giving it a slight squeeze. "And I care about you too much to have that happen."

“No I’m the one who should apologise, I didn’t tell you I bumped into Sebastian before you saw those photos.” You squeezed his hand back before continuing. “I care about you too, and I should have been upfront about everything at the start of our relationship. I guess I was scared of losing you too.”

Tom chuckled. "Sounds like both of us are just a bunch of sorry fools. Forgive me?" He looked at you with hopeful eyes.

“Of course I forgive you, will you forgive me too?”

Tom leaned over, his hand ran along the curve of your cheek. "Always, my love." He pressed his lips against hers for a moment.

Only to be interrupted by cheers from the kitchen.

Tom chuckled. "I believe we have an audience. Come out, you two!" He called out to Ben and Sophie.

“So now that that’s out of the way, what is that delicious smell?” you asked as you sniffed the air.

Benedict poked his head around the corner. "Steak frites. Your favourite."

Sophie snuck around the corner. "Now if you don't mind us, we need to get back to the babysitter. We'll show ourselves out."

Once Sophie and Ben left, you turned to Tom with your arm stretched out. “Come eat with me please?”

"With pleasure."

[guigz1-coldwar]

'Ride of the Valkyries' : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

'Ride of the Valkyries'

"I'm going to get through an lot of things before I can fullfill my goals in life but I already know that I'm not alone to do them ! "

Chapter Summary : It's the first day back on the mission to save Adler for Yirina & Park and both are going to have an unexpected ride to do with the others......

To read it on AO3, click here !

Words : +3300

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That talk I had with Hudson was for me, very strange to do because of the last time we did have one, he wasn't really friendly towards me and even if here, he was more acting like an creepy man, we did have this talk between us and surprisely, I managed to not get myself angry against him or him to behave like if I was still nothing or just an terrorist from the East. Despite the goods words that happened between us, I prefer to keep my distances with him and avoid to talk to him too much, still staying suspicious against him.

After that, I could finally walk to get to sleep for good...in the dorm. Like in the old days in the safehouse, back to go to sleep with people around and hearing the others sleep either loudly or silently, why it has to be an dorm ? Sleeping in an car is maybe better than an dorm but I can say that I have enough to sleep on backseats and I ain't going to sleep in the helicopters. All night, I didn't dream so much but most part of my sleep was me, having an flash coming from my fake memories of Vietnam, short but very troubling to relive, it must be my presence here that are making me relive them.

Anyway, I did succeed to have some sleep in here, waking up in the morning, even if the bed I used wasn't very comfortable and some peoples were making some noises while sleeping....better to not know who did this. Then, I go took an shower and dress myself in my military outfit as Woods suggested, he said that it was better for us to be ready at any occasions and to not lose time to change our clothes, gear up and then leave. Once I was dressed up, it was time for me to go join my workplace that I shared with Park, not forgetting to take an coffee before.

"How was sleeping ?" Park asked me as I was arriving at our workplace, an cup of coffee in hands, she was also dressed in military clothes and already awake.

"Terrible." I replied in an low voice before taking an sip of the cup and looking around to see that there weren't an lot of people inside the hangar, only Garrett & Wolf were there at their respectives desk. "With the not comfortable bed and some people sneering all night, I wasn't able to have an better sleep." I added, sitting up on my chair.

"Same." She breathed, her left hand tapping on the desk.

"Good to see that we had the same night." I whispered with an smile as our beds were next to each other without been totally together. My words make her laugh,

"I had to cover my ears at one moment." She stated, looking outside the hangar, trying to find someone. "It's probably Woods who did this." She suggested to me.

"I don't know, you should be asking." I proposed but she rolled her eyes around to me in an lovely way.

"And having me getting into deep troubles ? You can dream, Yiri." She added to her rolling eyes, making me grin, drinking my coffee at the same time. "I ain't going to get myself in trouble with Woods because I thought that he was making the one sleeping not very silently."

"Yeah, you're right." I said in an funny tone, thinking that Woods could really kill us about it.

"Damn, I knew that my military clothes were going to fit well in you." She exclaimed, seeing me dressed up. It's true that even after 2 months, I'm still using Park's clothes that she is giving me and her equipment.

"Thanks but I think that one day, I will have to use my own clothes." I told her but her clothes on me wasn't disturbing me at all to be honest, as long as I'm in some clothes, I'm good. "In fact, yeah, I love your clothes." I continued pointing at me & her.

"It doesn't bother me at all." She proclaimed, taking my right hand in her hands after I put my cup down. "You know well of it."

"Yes, I know." I admitted in an low voice, getting my head down to look at our hands. "By the way, I didn't have anything during the night, except the fake memories." I bit my lips, redressing myself on the chair, our hands still together. "Guess that been here is making me think of them."

"I know that it's all fake but....what did you see in those memories ?" She demanded, her voice sounding pretty curious.

"Well..." I started, trying in my head, to think of them as it was mainly & only flashes. "They were pretty short and only flashes, you know ?" I explained and she nodded. "I just had this image of me....piloting an helicopter by my own."

"Seriously ?" Park questioned, sounding normal and I nodded. "Do you think you can actually fly an helicopter ?"

"I don't know to be honest." I replied, raising my shoulders to her, taking an look outside to check the multiples Huey on their helipads. "Maybe yes, maybe no, I can't tell."

"Maybe you can know about this later in case." She proposed to me, gesturing the helicopters with her head.

"We'll see." I sniffed before we removed our hands from each other, mine back on the cup of coffee and hers, on her lap. "Before going to sleep, I called Zasha."

"Oh !" She smiled at hearing me talk about Zasha. "How are they ?"

"Great !" I said, proud of it as I checked my cup before finishing the rest of coffee inside. "They're saying hello to you from Portnova & them too and they said hello to Portnova for us !" I added, wanting to tell her about this.

"Nice, I think that they're doing great in Century House." She thought and for that, I nodded again.

"They're doing really great, they told me that they defeated the others of their team in an game called 'Bullshit' !" I told her and she laughed about it, she is maybe knowing about the game.

"Well, I can say that Zasha is already the best : beating the other in 'Bullshit' is an big exploit to do." She stated, sounding amazed to hear that.

"Also, we're invited the 4h of June, them & Portnova want to celebrate their wedding in private with us." I continued of telling her the call I did to Zasha and she grinned.

"Cool, I will put my best dress then." She exclaimed, giving me an lovely glare to me. "I'm sure that we will be going at their party, we have to." She added, making me smile that Park is considering the two as big friends, it's very nice. As I was thinking about seeing me in an dress, I looked around to see Garrett that was looking worried.

"Why Garrett is like that ?" I demanded, seeing him tapping his feets on the ground, an sign of big stress.

"The recon team aren't making any radio signals since an hour and he's fearing the worst as Song is in it." Park responded, feeling bad in her voice.

"Damn, is that the recon team helicopter ?" Wolf spoke up in the hangar and by that, we all looked outside to see an helicopter arriving rapidly on the base. We quickly got up from our seats to get outside, watching the helicopter landing not even on his helipad.

"Seems that they're back." Woods was also there, he was already outside the hangar, out of range from our sight as we decide to get ourselves next to the helicopter, discovering some wounded people inside. "What happened ?" Woods asked nervous to the pilot.

"The recon team....they have been ambushed...those behind were an part of it." The pilot replied as he was having his hand towards his shoulder, he was wounded and his co-pilot was dead. The helicopter was in bad shape.

"Where's the others ? Where's Song ?" Garrett questioned him, almost angry after he checked everyone in the transport and not seeing Song here as they were transported away by other personals.

"They stayed behind....to cover our escape....fuck, my shoulder." The pilot breathed before Woods decide to get him out gently from the cockpit.

"Fuck, do you remember where are they ?" Woods demanded as the pilot was starting to get taken back by medical personal.

"Yes...check the maps in the cockpit, it's their current location...be quick." The pilot finished before he was brought away. Then Woods got inside the cockpit to take the maps like the pilot told him before going out.

"Okay, okay." He whispered, checking the maps in his hands. "Everyone, gear up, we're going to save the others !" He ordered and in an second, we run straight towards the hangar to put our equipment up.

Thanks to Woods's idea to always be dressed in military clothes, we took less time to put on ourselves, the numerous pieces of equipment : vest for my mags of my MP5 and an holstler at my knee, holding my precious M1911. Once we were done, we quickly joined Woods back to another helicopter as the another one that came back was riddled with bullets and too dangerous to fly with.

"Good but before flying up.....I need an co-pilot !" Woods exclaimed to us, already having his equipment ready and we all looked at each other.

"You're going to take the commands ?" Wolf asked him, an bit confused.

"I know how to fly that : I didn't do the Vietnam War for nothing !" Woods responded honestly, pointing at the helicopter behind. "So, I'm asking again : who is talented enough to fly that with me ?" He repeated his questions and suddenly, Park's eyes fell on me.

"Yirina knows." She told him, looking him back and my eyes went wide.

"Wait...."

"Nice, so get yourselves inside and be ready !" Woods cut me straight as I was going to protest about having Park tell him that I know how to fly an Huey even if it was fake.

"I'm sorry." Park whispered to me, sounding very bad before she installed herself behind in the transport bay with Garrett & Wolf as for me, I have no choices to install myself in the co-pilot seat with Woods at our pilot.

"You're sure that you're okay to fly that with me ?" He demanded to me as he was starting up the engine of the helicopter.

"Yes but...Bell knows how to do it, not me." I told him straight, raising my shoulders to him and with that, he realized that he was with someone that was knowing only an little about flying that thing.

"Well, you'll learn from an expert !" He bragged, sounding enthusiastic as the blades start to turn and the engine to go hot. "Everyone, be ready, we're going high !" He added as the helicopter was going up with me as an pilot and me as an co-pilot....damnit, why did you do this, Park ? At least, I will learn from Woods.

We started to fly away from the base to get to the last location that the recon team including Song, Sims & Mason were and to be honest, the co-pilot part was pretty easy to understand as I was assisting Woods on telling him where to go and to make sure that the things in the helicopter was working well for him. Behind, the others were silent, not even talking even through the headsets we need to use to speak because of the rotors noises.

"We shouldn't be too far now." I told Woods, checking the maps in my hands after some long minutes of flying over the jungle.

"Thanks." He said, trying to see from afar if there were anything unusual around here.

"I hope that Rivas is making an hell of an show on the ground." Wolf exclaimed through the headset, breaking the silence that was behind for minutes.

"Who's Rivas ?" I questioned him, looking around to look at him.

"Guerilla expert that's part of the recon team, coming from Nicaraguan Autodefensas." Woods was the one to reply to my question instead of Wolf. "She's very helpful and like Wolf said, she's kinda the best on making the work done."

"She's THE best, man." Wolf called him out, insisting well on that.

"I know, Wolf, I know." Woods said, staying focused on flying that Huey with me as his co-pilot. "Anyone is not having an air sickness ?" He asked to everyone.

"All good !" Park responded as I looked towards her as Garrett only nodded to me, he was probably thinking about Song's state right now and I understand him. "You both doing great." She added, making me smile until we heard an big explosion.

"Shit, that's surely them !" Woods expressed and when I looked back in front of me, I could see an explosion coming from an specific place in the jungle. "Yirina, try to contact them." He pointed at me the radio of the helicopter that I took in hands. Woods gave me, during the flight, the frequency that the recon team is using.

"Recon team, can you hear us ?" I started, speaking through the radio, awaiting for an answer but nothing came. "Recon team, are you receiving this message ?" I repeated again.

"Yirina, is that you ?" I heard through the radio and it was Mason himself that was speaking.

"Mason, are you okay ?" I asked, worried. "Is everyone okay on the ground ?" I added, seeing Garrett peaking his head between me & Woods.

"We're fine but we will not last any longer so be quick." He ordered in an concerned voice. "We are at where the red flares are !" He continued as I looked around to see multiples red flares on the ground.

"There !" I pointed to Woods the location.

"I got this !" He told me, getting the helicopter in that direction as I was trying to communicate more with Mason but the radio went off as the gunshots on the ground was getting closer. "Shit, those fuckers are firying at us !"

"What are we doing ?" Garrett demanded.

"We land with the engine still going on and once everyone got in, we're flying away." Woods replied as he was getting close to the landing zone. "Yirina, you're taking the commands, I will help the other." He continued as he was landing the helicopter

"What, no !" I protested over that, meaning that I will have to fly that thing by myself back to the base and that Woods just landed it.

"Trust me, you will do this !" He proclaimed as he was starting to take his XM4 in hands behind his seat. "The others, with me outside !" He ordered, getting outside with Park, Garrett & Wolf to provide some firepower to the remainder of the recon team.

"For fuck sake." I thought to myself as I was starting to move myself from my seat to get on the pilot seat.

Honestly, I will have everyone's lives in hand at the moment I will have to take off and once I got myself settled in the pilot's seat, I already wanted to get back to my former seat...until I touched the commands and in my head, I could see the same flash I had this night....seeing me fly by myself an Huey with Sims & Adler, firying from the helicopter and now, it was looking like that...I was able to fly an helicopter, that Huey, like if I always did this.

I looked outside for an second to see Woods helping Mason to get inside, he wasn't wounded but he was helping nonetheless, Garrett was helping Song as Park, Wolf were with Sims  & an woman that I presume to be Rivas to provide some suppressing fire to cover their retreat back inside the helicopter. Then, it was time for everyone to get away back into the chopper.

"Yirina ?" Sims called me out, seeing me at the pilot's seat as Woods was installing himself on the co-pilot seat...at my place. "Are you not forgetting the old times ?" He scoffed, seemingly forgetting our last time we talk to each other.

"No time for jokes, get us fly away !" Woods ordered as he was right, not time for fun right now before I start to take off.

"Is everyone well attached ?" I asked everyone, wanting to know in case I have to make some dangerous manouvers....in case.

"All set !" Garrett answered as I was staying focused on flying that Huey away from the combat zone.

"Shit, they've got aerial support !" Rivas shouted, discovering her voice and I quickly looked behind us, discovering....

"An Hind ?" I exclaimed, surprised to see that here.

"Damnit, Perseus is seriously not joking !" Wolf told us.

"Try to hit it with that mounted M60, Wolf !" Woods ordered, looking behind him. "Park, take the other one." He added before he got back to look in front of him. "You're okay, Yirina ?"

"Why I shoud be ?" I raised my voice to him. "We've got an Hind pursuing us and you think that I'm okay ?" I told him like that as I was trying to save everyone with me, having the commands on an american Huey.

"Well, I've got something for you." He whispered to me before he activate something on the controls panel with his hand and then, I could hear some loud classical music coming from some hidden speakers.

"What....what's that ?" I demanded, confused.

"That's Richard Wegner....Ride of the Valkyries !" Sims was the one to respond to me. "Believe me, like in the old times !" He added, joking again as the music was going in. "Still having the Vietnam's spirit, show that Hind who we are !" He exclaimed to me as I was trembling until I got myself back well & determined.

"Let's do this !" I said in an determined voice, starting to fly low just above the tree as an mean to avoid the multiples bullets that the Hind was shooting at us and Wolf & Park trying to shoot it down while the music were going loud in the helicopter, I'm already imagining the other's faces about it. "This bastard ain't going to go down." I breathed, seeing the Hind still behind us after some minutes.

"We have to shoot it down before we can go back to base." Woods explained, we couldn't let this Hind getting away, we have to destroy it and we're in an Huey who has only two mounted M60 against an helicopter armed with an minigun and rockets.

"You didn't bring your minigun, Wolf ?" Rivas spoke up.

"My....oh, my 'Death Machine', yes !" Wolf expressed. "Grigoriev, try to not move the helicopter too much, I'll try to shoot that chopper down." He ordered to me as I was evading the missiles that the Hind was sending us.  "Good, now, try to put the Huey in line so I can fire !" He added, making me move the Huey in position, allowing him to get prepared and I quickly looked at him, holding an minigun in hands as everyone was sit down, letting him get some space. "Surprise, fuckers !" He shouted before he start firying with his minigun towards the Hind who received the multiples bullets from the 'Death Machine'.

"Yeah ! Got it !" Mason expressed his joice when the Hind bursted into flames and starting to go down. "Nice job, Wolf and nice fly, Yirina." He added as I took an deep breath, finally free to not make too much zig-zag around the Laotian jungle.

"Thanks." I said in an low voice before I took back the commands and slowly getting away from the sector back to the base.

"We got saved and we got what we need for." Song told us.

"Nice job from everyone !" Park affirmed, making me smile after what we just did to be honest, with me flying an helicopter as I didn't know about it earlier, I can thanks Woods for that.....

"Guess that we will have to celebrate that with an drink !"