#c'mon granny let me help you

[ltwilliammowett]

The beautiful French frigate L'Hermione from 1780, sailing in line astern behind a modern French Aquitaine class frigate Provence, 2015

[lurkingteapot]

Laws of Attraction กฎแห่งรักดึงดูด Ep. 2

Same precedure as last week, including apologies to those who've seen this before. Includes translation of the writing on Tonkhao's picture and (attempt at) translation of bits on the documents Chaan receives in the last flashback.

open with something heartbreaking, why won't you? Tonkhao is so worried about that one failing/barely passing (not sure) grade, and the family being like "oh c'mon, one bad grade isn't the end of the world"? I am EMOTIONAL.

oh fuck. these are the WORST dreams. I guess at least Tinn had the questionable luck of remembering she died before he woke up, because waking up and feeling good because the memories or dream of a deceased person was nice and only then remembering they've passed? that's brutal.

WOW, that's a swanky place.

adfadfadsf idk WHAT Chaan's game is, but the whole "I'm just gonna let you jump to conclusions" sure is something.

… yeah, I'd be suspicious too, Tinn. But also Chaan, don't spring the "that might not've been an accident" on the man like that.

oof, IDK which show said it– feels like a Doctor Who thing? but those are some of the most dangerous and powerful words in the world. "let me help".

afaasfsdfads "I've never chased a guy like this" Chaan, not the time

no way that was a regular break-in

asdfasdfasdf

idk what they're building up to with Thaenthai and his bodyguard, but I'm intrigued

OH is that what they were looking for? something of Tonkhao's?

oh, ow.

Writing in picture reads:

Family. Granny Aew's Jaew Hawn (Isaan type hotpot) Love great-grandma and Uncle Tinn the most in the world

Chaan's got Tinn's sister and grandma wrapped around his little finger, huh. that was fast.

Chaan, just saying, I think he'd probably listen to you more if you told him things like this up front

Yeah, what do they want?

okay, this dude is a complete n00b at B&E, but also isn't Tinn a trained Taekwondo instructor? I feel like this should be easier for him

LOL at the motorcycle chase

Chaan to the rescue?

I love that shirt, but why is it already stained even though he just-- oh, continuity, okay.

his indignant little "I'm bleeding here" I -- Chaan, do you take anything seriously?

Chaan being a huge baby over having his cut cleaned gives me LIFE

also sorry not sorry but the way that ring lies at Chaan's throat … 👀 I'm assuming that wasn't on purpose, but. collar vibes

I feel like this is the last time we see this dude alive. Also wow Thaenthai and his anger issues and shirts? giving Vegas here, I said what I said.

oh, exposition by the way of Issues, gotcha. Also I'm willing to put money on Thaenthai and his bodyguard having something going on, or being on the way there.

Bodyslam!

AND IT'S SILVY!!!

wow, what a juxtaposition

okay this legalese quoting is a thing with him, huh.

oof, this kid is even less okay than I thought

oh, granny has adopted Chaan

okay, what gives, why are the cops suddenly willing to help?

oh, of course.

I've decided I love when Chaan quotes legalese, but I also definitely will have to catch the subs for these bits.

afsdfadfasdfas Granny

Chaan flirting and Tinn suspicious, the eternal dance

I BUY the revenge thing, but I also don't think that's the whole truth

wow, we get jaded lawyers a lot, but Chaan really is a different level

I like that they're on more even footing now, with Tinn having found something to push at, too

Pending legal case # 8943/2560 (= 2017) Pending legal case # 2190/2560 Judge's bench (??) 201 on the 20/07/60 (= '17)

Chaan's only six years on the job and changed this much? oof.

was his mum wearing that ring in the flashback?

This was another absolutely wild ride and I cannot wait for next week.

[slashingdisneypasta]

*deep breathes* I have some writing for the wolves. This idea came to me a couple of hours before I woke up, and I couldn't go back to sleep because of it XD (btw, I have seen your ask, and I'm in love with it! I'll answer it as soon as I can! ^^)

This is based on the idea of them all being a family Granny being near sighted, and the others have to go looking for him... With the added extra of X reader~

~

"Gran? Are you sure it's ok to go out there alone right now?"

"Aw, don't worry about it, sweetheart. I've been huntin' in these woods 'fer years." Granny, one of your husbands, assured you with a smooth smile as he stretched; rolling his broad shoulders, popping his neck, before getting on all fours ready to dash out. Clearly, he was trying to annoy your other mate, Big Bad. And judging by that annoyed huff along with the amused high-pitched giggling you hear behind you, it was working, "Nothin' has changed about it. I'm not gonna get lost."

Honestly, the confidence radiating off of Granny would usually have been enough to sway you into trusting him to get back home safe, even with the huntsman wandering around. But not tonight, "Honey, I love you. But you were just hexed by a witch just two days ago, and your eyesight hasn't gotten any better! Shouldn't you at least take Kiddy or Big Bad with you?"

"Nah, nah. Don't worry about it, doll. I'll be fine." The Wolf insisted, only glancing at you briefly before running out the door, leaving a small dust cloud behind. He must have been desperate to get out the door. You just sigh and walk back inside your cottage to wait with Big Bad and Kiddy.

~

"Alright, it's getting dark now. Where is Granny?"

You were pacing in the main room now, glancing out the window every so often to check the time (the clock was broken during the last scuffle between Granny and Big Bad). You tried not to let your worry show for Kiddy's sake. No doubt he was wondering the same thing as you as he wstched you with a whimper. But the higher the moon got, the worse you and Kiddy were getting.

Seeing that you two were just going to keep fretting, Big Bad heaved out a sigh and walked over to you to wrap an arm around you. It was time he did something about this, "C'mon, Y/N. You heard the old lady. He's fine! Just sit down before you walk a hole in the floor."

"But what if he isn't??" You shot back. Not even Big Bad's big arms could help you right now, "He's never gone hunting with one of his senses weakened before! What if he can't see any hunters sneak up on him?"

"He's still got his nose. He'll smell 'em before they can grab their axes."

Your brows furrowed as you shook your head, noticing Kiddy cautiously approach you both with his ears pinned back. You glanced to Kiddy and scratched his ears to comfort him, smiling when he leaned his head into your hand, before looking back up to Big Bad, "Well... Could you go make sure Granny is ok? For me?"

Even with Kiddy's insistent "Yeah-yeah-yeah!" In support of your request, your oh-so-lovely mate let out a groan at it. You opened your mouth to ask him again, before you notice a certain clever glint in his eyes. You already knew what was on his mind before he smirked devilishly down at you, "What's in it 'fer me, doll~?"

Oh. It looked like you would have to bribe him tonight. This was common in the world of baddies you've learned, but you were still getting used to it. And you knew, as his mate, there was only one thing Big Bad was looking for from you. It did cause a tiny smirk to pull at the corner of your lips though, despite your anxious mood, "Ok, Bad. If you bring Granny back home safely, then I promise, I'll make it worth your while." As to seal the deal, you stood up on your tippy toes to press a kiss to his muzzle, "Now will you go check on him?"

"Hmmm... I suppose I can go bring 'im back home. Can't say no to my sweetheart~" His sharp teeth flashed momentarily in his smile before he unwrapped his arm from you. With a quick lick to your cheek, Big Bad made his way out the door. Judging by the smug aura radiating off of him, he was going to rub this little deal in Granny's face when he found him.

You smiled a little, feeling relief wash over you. Until Kiddy started to follow Big out the door. Thinning quickly, you carefully grabbed his shoulder to get his attention and stop him. He looked back to you with a confused tilt of his head, before melting in your arms when you kissed his snout and hugged him, "Hey, 'Hon? You wanna stay back here with me? We can keep each other company until they get back. Big Bad won't give up a chance to hold this over Granny's head, so he should find him soon."

Usually, you didn't mind all three of them out of the house. But Granny wasn't the only one you were concerned for; you knew how close he and Kiddy were. And right now, you could see the usual unhinged look in his eyes was a bit worse with his own worry. If you guys had to make sure Kiddy didn't accidentally kill himself on a normal day, you could imagine how bad of an idea it would be to send Kiddy out in the state he was in now.

Luckily, it didn't take too much to sway your third mate. With the promise that his friend would be back soon and he'd get you to himself for a short while, Kiddy nodded and followed you back inside. The second you sat down, he curled up around you and started nuzzling you and giving you lick kisses, pulling giggles out of you. At least you two didn't have to worry alone.

~

I'm not quite sure if I got these fellas right. I'm getting flashbacks to when I first wrote for the weasels and was trying to get their personalities down XD I hope this gets you as excited as it got me! ^^

What's in it for you Big Bad? What's in it for you?? Are you trynna turn me on sir?

Oh my god.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this so good!! I have to read this a million times, immediately, right now XD

Everything about this is so excellent XD Granny calling reader sweetheart?? Assuring reader he would be fine?? Big Bad not caring about Granny being away but trying to comfort Y/N??? In his own less-then-empathetic way?? Asking what's in it for him!?? That really set me of off, I'm so sorry XDD And Kiddy being worried about Granny too but willing to stay back with Y/N??? Ahh! Just so hot, and sweet, and soft all at once!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THIS IN!

[mxstball]

[Past Dealings] Sisters

Lauren was sitting on the couch, laying across while resting her head on Heidi's lap. Lauren was on her phone, scrolling through social media and switching to texting others. Heidi's been staying for the past few hours, trying to convince Lauren to come with her to the other world, but Lauren seemed to be stubborn. "Like I said, little sis. Unless you're going to beat up Arceus, then I'm not coming."

"You don't wanna at least see if there are any humans that you were close to that survived?"

Lauren shook her head. "No. I wasn't as close to any humans in that age as you felt, Heidi. You know that."

Heidi sighed. "I know… you were still grieving the death of that one lady, right?"

"Of Grannie? Yeah." Just thinking about the woman gave Lauren knots in her stomach. "At least she didn't live long enough to see what her world had become, you know?"

"Yeah. At least she passed in peace."

The two of them nodded silently as Heidi slowed down her convincing. It was nice to enjoy a small time of quiet between the two of them, resting and spending time together. Between Heidi's duties as an Arceus and Lauren's job as a Pokémon Professor, they don't get to have a lot of time together where they'd just… relax together. Neither would talk about it explicitly, but each of them liked the passive company of the other. Every moment brought the two dragons together and caused them each to reflect, especially considering the strange time that they lived in. To go from two sisters lost in a familiar yet strange land to being one step closer to returning home to help those in need…. It was surreal for both of them.

Eventually, however, Heidi grabbed Lauren and sat her up.

"Huh? What's the matter, sis?" Lauren blinked.

Heidi scooted closer and gave Lauren the largest hug that she could muster. "Sorry. I… just really need this right now."

"Aw…" Lauren returned the hug with a soft one of her own. "Don't feel like you need to apologize…. C'mon. We're just one step closer to seeing home again." Lauren patted Heidi's head. She should be the one that's emotional -- Heidi chose this place as her home -- and her realm homeworld had been found years prior. It's Lauren that doesn't have any other place to go. Still, she didn't feel that way.

All they needed were each other.

Lauren patted Heidi on the back and the two stopped their hug. Lauren nodded. "Say hi to the humans for me, okay? I promise that, when we're ready to deal justice to Arceus, then I'll be there… but not now."

Heidi silently nodded. She still had a somber look, but she was keeping herself together for the sake of Lauren.

"Now get going, alright? You've waited years for this. Best not force yourself to wait another moment."

"Thanks, sis." Heidi got up and walked off, opening and closing the door behind her. It was time to go.

Lauren watched as Heidi left and simply looked at the door silently for a while. She couldn't believe how close they were from returning to her homeworld, and to think that Lati was insightful enough to save several humans from extinction, too? It was like he really had faith that she and Heidi would return…. As if, despite being apart for so long, he knew that the two will eventually find their way, and will eventually prevail where he failed.

Lauren won't let Lati's plan go to waste. She'll do her best to see that his legacy lives on….

… just as she'll ensure that Hyde's legacy will live on through Tor.

[just-absolutely-super]

MMBN/Fullmetal Alchemist fluff:

Hub: C'mon, Lan. Let's get you to bed.

Lan: M'sleepy…. snore

Maylu: That's Lan alright. Always out like a light.

Granny: You take your job as the older twin very seriously, Hub.

Hub: Even though I'm just a little bit older than him, I've always felt like I need to protect Lan. He's my little brother, and besides… Even though my body can't feel things anymore, I can always feel Lan's pain. He tries to be so strong for me…

Maylu: (smiles sad) That silly…

Hub: We're twins… There's nothing that we'll ever do that we won't do together.

Guts: They have a wonder bond, guts... It's enough to make someone shed tears, guts!

Granny: That's how they've always been, ever since they were little... Through thick and thin, those two won't abandon each other. Even now in their predicament, Lan will stop at nothing to save his brother's body. Likewise, Hub is determined to make sure Lan doesn't kill himself trying...

Guts: I admire their dedication to each other, guts

Granny: I do too...though it's hard for those two to accept help from others. They still have it in their heads they have to do it all on their own, stubborn fools that they are

Mayl: ......

[karikitdemonrp]

Kari listened to Adam speak about his past and tilted her head, enjoying the story to an extent. She could kind of understand where he was coming from since she started out similarly when she was younger, then she met her friends and soon after met Granny and Grampa Mathers. It was clear she had some troubles of her own but she wasn't alone anymore clearly and was doing better with that.

When she got the praise for being full of surprises Kari blushed a bit and gave a shy smile. "I mean... He did technically ask for it when I warned it." She informed. "But yea, I guess I am full of surprises when you put it like that." Kari smiled then widened her eyes a bit. "Wait! I have a guardian angel and an angel medic?!" She chirped in awe. "Will I ever be able to meet Raphael? Do I have other angels looking after me?" Kari gave a happy gasp, just happy to know others were watching out for her like how it used to be when her friends were.... when her friends were still... alive.

Kari looked down a bit and gave a bitter sweet smile at the memory only to shake her head a bit. "Ah, yeh. Let's go find a fight to sign up for and win some money so I can start getting something. I don't like stealing so this could be helpful!" Kari gave a confident huff then looked around. "I heard that there are places to sign up... uh, this way, c'mon!" Kari trotted off with a grin and hummed a happy tune while looking around.

Kari's guardian angel

.

[iamnotoriginalphil]

Can I request something for Rumpelstiltskin, Regina or Emma says "C'mon Y/N. We need his help and he'll listen to you." "What part of"I'm not speaking to him for the rest of my life." Do you guys not understand? Do it yourself. That goblin bastard is never coming back into my life."

So since my requests are closed usually I wouldn't write this, but I'm kinda obsessed with Rumple. So basically, if there are anymore Rumple requests please send them my way.

“No.”

“Come on.”

“No!”

You strode down the street, hands shoved deep in your pockets. Emma was hurrying along behind you, making a sound of exasperation. You ignored her, just wanting to get off the street. Granny’s was calling. 

“Please,” Emma said. 

“No.”

She grabbed your arm, stopping you in your tracks. You turned to look at the blonde, ready to cuss her out if you had to. You wanted no part of this. No part of… him. 

“C’mon Y/N. We need his help and he’ll listen to you,” she said. 

Your heart clenched. You looked over Emma’s shoulder, taking a deep breath to try and steady yourself. You didn’t want to even think about him. About the man who had ruined your life. No matter what they thought you doubted he'd listen to you anymore. Any favour you’d curried with him you’d long since given up. 

“What part of ‘I’m not speaking to him for the rest of my life’ do you guys not understand?�� you snapped, “do it yourself. That goblin bastard is never coming back into my life.”

“Is that so, dearie?” 

You stiffened. That voice, that damned voice, was here right where you didn’t want it to be. Out in the open it was dangerous. With other people around he couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t convince you to do anything. Out here, well, he felt closer in the evening air. Close enough to cloud your judgement. 

You turned. Backlit by the lights of Granny’s, Rumple stood with both hands resting on his cane. You swallowed past the lump in your throat and fought back against the tears threatening to spill. You’d done so well at avoiding him up until now. It hurt just seeing him. 

“I’m not doing this,” you said, pushing past Emma, food no longer holding any appeal. 

It took you too long to notice the sound of footsteps following you, a cane thumping along behind. You stopped, listening as the footsteps drew closer until you could feel the warmth of him on your back. You closed your eyes, squeezing them shut, wishing him away.

“You didn’t really mean that,” Rumple murmured, his breath stirring the hair at the nape of your neck.

“I did,” you spat.

“No, dearie,” he said, “you didn’t.”

His hand slipped around your wrist, holding you in place. You wanted to pull away, to shout at him, to scream, but you couldn’t. You wanted to feast on the anger he’d left in you. You wanted to let it burn bright enough to hurt him, the way you’d been hurt. But that anger was awash in sadness, dampening the fire.

“Please, don’t,” you said, “just let me go.”

“Oh no, I’ve let you go long enough,” he said.

“You chose her, Rumple,” you said, “you don’t get to keep me too.”

“I never did,” he said.

You scoffed, “you chose her again and again. I was there. I remember.”

“Evidently, you’re not remembering very well,” he murmured. 

“So you’re not still holding out hope that Belle will take you back?” you asked.

He turned you, slowly, carefully, his thumb running over the pulse point on your wrist. He was standing so close you could count his eyelashes. His nose brushed against yours and his breath fanned over your face. You shivered. 

“Belle has never been able to see who I truly am, just who she thinks I could be. You.” He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, gently cupping your cheek, “you see me for what I am. You always have.” 

You shook your head, taking in a deep shuddering breath.

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t choose her over me,” you said, “I refuse to be someone’s second choice.”

“You have never been a second choice.”

His voice had grown hard, angry, fierce. You put your hands on his chest, shoving him away. You stumbled back a step, unbalanced from his proximity. His fingers tightened on the head of his cane and his jaw clenched. You shook your head again.

“I can’t do this again,” you said, taking another step back, “I can’t… hope again.”

“Hope?” You couldn't place the emotion in his voice. 

“You chose Belle. Whatever else has happened it doesn’t change that,” you said.

“I didn’t choose her,” he growled.

“I saw you,” you said.

“Then you saw wrong.”

You were both breathing heavily and the space between you felt like it went on for miles when it was barely more than a few feet. He took a step towards you. You shook your head and took a step back, keeping your distance. It was hard to concentrate when he was close.

“Tell me what I saw, then,” you demanded. 

“You saw me helping someone who I once cared for, nothing more, nothing less,” he said.

“It looked like more,” you said, wrapping your arms around yourself, unable to meet his eye. 

You heard the thump of his cane as he approached you again. He tipped your head up, his forefinger guiding your chin. Looking into those warm brown eyes you could see the desperation in him, how much he needed you to believe him.

“I have never had anyone I could tell anything to and know they would not judge me,” he said, “until you.”

“Not even Belle?” you asked.

“Not truly, no matter what she said,” he replied. 

“I don’t understand what’s changed,” you said, “why you’re doing this now.”

“You left. You stopped talking to me, you wouldn’t even look at me,” he said.

“It hurt too much,” you admitted.

“Being without you hurts me too much,” he said, “please don’t ask me to let you go again.”

You searched his eyes, needing to see the truth there.

“Please.”

Your nod was enough for him. His kiss stole your breath. His cane clattered to the ground as he caught you up with his other arm, pulling you into his body. You slid your arms around his neck, kissing him back with all the hope you’d told him you’d lost, the lie evident on your lips. 

He cradled your face, delicate, like you might disappear any moment, while he held you tightly around the waist to keep you from stepping away from him. You sighed into his mouth, unable to stop kissing him. You’d never felt more alive than in that moment.

You whimpered when he drew away but he didn’t go far, pressing his forehead to yours. You let out a breathy chuckle. He was smiling, surprisingly soft for the man in your arms.

“I suppose,” you said, still laughing, “it would be remiss not to ask you to help Emma now.”

“I could hear what they have to say,” he said, unable to stop smiling, “for you.”

He kissed you again, stealing any other words you may have wanted to say. You happily gave them up to him, sinking into his kiss. 

It took some time for the two of you to go find Emma. 

[nilolol30]

Endangered: Momo's ending

_____________________

Today I was wondering around the town I didn't have much to do but I thought fresh air would be nice I also bumped into the Guardian he had a house right next to the entrance of the city he still likes the guard the area and keep everyone safe.

Then I saw Momo helping Granny set up her couch for her new shop she was sitting outside on a small chair smiling as Momo was struggling to get the couch through the door.

"Heyo Momo need some help?" I gave them both a wave as I walk over Granny waved back.

"Oh yes please I can't get this...THING through the door" Momo put the couch down he was obviously about the swear but Grandma turned to him and shook her head.

"It's best if we tilt it sideways it's too wide to fit" we began pushing the end up onto it's side then lean it over a bit to carry it in Momo holding the other end.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner! Sorry to have you help" Momo sighed as we set the couch down where Grandma asked us Momo dusted his hands off.

"It's okay I offered to help plus I was bored anyway" walking back out the door Grandma thanked me and Momo then we both started walking around.

"So uhhh what have you been up to human?" Momo asked leaning over to me slightly.

"Hmm nothing much today B-12 found some old books so he's just trying to re-write them so they're in better condition but so far I've just been walking all day" B-12 did look really happy when he found those books I'm not sure what they are about yet B-12 said is was a surprise.

"That's great! Hopefully soon we finnish setting up his house and his new lab oh don't tell him about that though it's gonna be a surprise" Momo whispered the last few parts.

"Aww that's really sweet!" Momo had blush marks on his screen and he softly laughed.

"Thanks but it was Seamus' idea" we were nearly at the end of our town it was still growing so it not that big companions are still in the process of moving in.

"Actually human I wanted to ask would you like to have dinner at my place?" That was a little unexpected sometimes me and the rest of the outsiders and Stray have a small bonfire and eat together late at night I haven't had dinner with just one person.

"Of course Momo I'd love to" he quickly turned to face me with a surprised look.

"R-really? That's great! Uh I mean thank you" Momo scratches the side of his screen with a smile.

"Why don't we head over now? Clementine taught me how to cook some of your foods" really? That's really considerate.

"Okay! Thank you Momo" I grabbed Momo's hand to hold it as we walked to his place it was fairly similar to his old apartment but a bit more cleaner he still somehow brought his big orange sign to have above his door.

Opening his door Momo held it open for me to walk in I thank him and step inside and he made his way to the kitchen.

"Uhh it may take a bit make yourself home while you wait!" Momo turned on the stove and set a pot of water over it and took out some carrots.

"Are you sure? I can help if you'd like?" Momo waved his hand with a smile.

"No no you relax while I cook" nodding I decided to sit at the couch and turned on the TV it took us a while to set up electricity but Doc and Clementine managed to do it.

I could hear Momo cut up some vegetables while humming it was nice I could hear Momo throw some stuff in the compost bin Clementine asked everyone to start doing it so she could use it for her greenhouse.

It didn't take long until I heard Momo set a plate down on the dinner table and called me over on the plate was mashed potatoes with peas, carrots and corn and a cup of water Momo pulled the seat out for me.

"Wow Momo thanks! This looks so good!" I said sitting down as Momo pushed me in then taking his own seat in front of me on the other side.

"It's honestly no problem I think it's nice doing things for people you lo- anyway c'mon I wanna know if I cooked it right!" I laughed and took a few bites it was good! Clementine taught Momo well.

"This is great Momo you did it perfectly" Momo let out a happy noise and a heart popped on his screen.

"So umm have you been thinking of a name?" Momo asked fiddling with his hat.

"Name? Oh right naming myself..." Honestly I've been so busy I kinda forgot about it...

"Why don't you name me?" Momo jumped with a shocked expression.

"M-me name you?! But I.."

"C'mon it could even be a nickname or just something you personally call me B-12 sometimes call me kiddo even though I'm an adult but you get it!" Honestly I knew Momo liked me Clementine said I should just wait until he makes a first move to be braver so maybe I can kinda give Momo some hints plus I really wanna know what he'd come up with.

"...are you sure?" Momo started to fiddle with his fingers he had digital sweat but was still blushing.

"Of course Momo I like you so I'd love to have a nickname from you!" Well that came out rather quickly but I think Momo got it.

"Well... How about sunshine?" Aww that's a cute nickname.

"Oh why sunshine?"

"Well ever since we meet you made me happy and you showed me the bright sky you made a lot of people happy and you stand out a lot too in a nice way" Momo looks away for a bit but looks back at me with a smile.

"And you- wait...YOU LIKE ME!?" ah I was wondering if he heard that.

"Of course Momo I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Clementine told me it would be best if you confessed so I assumed you told her you would and I didn't want to beat you to it but I'm glad I did though" standing up I walked over to Momo and hugged him he of course returned it.

"No I was being too much of a wimp It took me forever to even ask you to dinner" Momo hugged me a bit tighter hiding his screen on my shoulder.

"You're not a wimp Momo I was scared to ask you out too I just kinda went for it everyone takes time for stuff like this" I gave Momo a comforting pat on his head.

"So... does this mean I can take you out on a proper date?" Momo peaks out from my shoulder I laughed.

"Of course! Do you wanna rub it in Clementine and Doc faces that you actually confessed?"

"But I didn't" I gave Momo a kiss on the top of his screen another heart appeared.

"Well they don't have to know that" Momo laughed and nodded.

"Okay but after we have that date!" Momo pulled me closer to him as we both laugh nearly falling off the chair.

"What kind of date do you wanna have?" I asked Momo thought for a moment.

"We could...we could go to the pretty river with the fish"

"Then it's settled!" That river is really nice I won't tell him I've been fishing around there though he doesn't need to know that.

"Would you like to stay over the night though?" Momo glanced away after asking.

"I'd love to" Momo let out another noise of happiness as yet another red heart appeared on his screen.

"Oh you can take my bed I'll sleep on the couch" aww such a gentleman.

"We can just share a bed? Of course if that's moving to fast we could-" Momo quickly cut me off.

"Oh no! I mean yeah we can share I just thought you'd be uncomfortable"

"That's really thoughtful thank you"

Soon me and Momo began cleaning up I helped wash the dishes and he dried and out them away neatly after sitting on the couch and having a nice conversation I got tired.

Momo carried me to his bed and tucked me in with his blanket and layed next to me but he made some space I pulled him over for a hug.

"Don't you want any of the blankets?" I asked he wasn't even covered by any.

"No you can have it all to yourself I really don't need it" Momo laughed.

"Okay goodnight Momo"

"Goodnight... Sunshine"

[beneathashadytree]

KARMA - JOSEPH JOESTAR X READER

Warnings : this is set a couple of years after the events of Battle Tendency, Caesar isn't... yk in this :'), one insinuation of sex, reader is gender-neutral!

Genre : semi-domestic fluff, crack

Word count : 0.8K words

Synopsis : Joseph has a tendency to forget that what goes around comes back around---in short, karma's a bitch.

Requests : Are closed for the time being.

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Masterlist

"I can hear your whining from all the way in the living room, you big baby," I laughed, announcing my presence before I could unlock the bathroom door, behind which was the source of all the pitiful complaining.

Looking inside, I found it increasingly difficult to hold in my laughter at the sight of my boyfriend standing in front of the mirror, a dramatic pout on his lips as he fiddled with his unique strand of hair that always fell in front of his eyes---or rather, what remained of it.

"What," I paused, trying to hide my chortle with a cough, "On earth happened to your hair?"

"You tell me!" Joseph cried out, tearing his eyes away from his reflection above the sink, an anguished expression on his handsome face contorting his features in a hilarious way, "That damned Ceasar, he's got some nerve... I'm going to skin him alive---"

"What's he done this time?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me as I leaned against the sink, peering up at waves he'd been so proud of that simply didn't exist anymore.

Sighing, he picked up a shampoo bottle from the bathtub, "This."

Arching my brow, I took it from him, not quite understanding what he was getting at, "Your... shampoo?"

"He replaced it with bleach," he mumbled, hiding his face in his hands, as he slid down the wall to rest against the bathroom floor, no doubt overwhelmed by the whole ordeal, "The entire thing."

I could no longer help it, bursting into a fit of giggles, "JoJo, that's the oldest prank in the book," my laughter only grew harder as his face grew a blooming red from underneath his fingers, embarrassment taking over the longer I talked, "How did you not notice the smell? Didn't you feel it burn your brain off or something?"

Shaking his head, his hair flopped miserably over his hands, voice muffled when he spoke, "I didn't notice until I'd applied it to my front strands, and thank goodness it wasn't a minute later."

Still chortling at him, I squatted down to sit beside him, prying his hands away from his face and reveling in the way his cheeks still burned with heat, far more demure than he usually was, "C'mon now babe, it can't have been strong enough to pull your hair out of its roots. There must be some other logical explanation for this."

"Granny Erina always told me that our entire family is like this. None of us can bleach our hair without the risk of going bald before thirty, which I probably soon will be," he moaned, lamenting his life choices up to that second, green eyes resembling that of a toddler who'd just been kicked in the face by a high-schooler, "Isn't there any way to grow it back?"

Thoughtful for a moment, I weighed our options. None of the current treatments for hair fall were any good, considering that they were more of preventive measures than anything, also rendered helpless by certain genes. Since the Joestar family line seemed to be one of a kind in ways more than one, this was the case.

"Sorry love, I don't think there is," apologetically rubbing his back, I started to genuinely feel sorry for him, "You'll have to let it grow back on its own."

Shoulders dropping in defeat, Joseph leaned against my body, and even though he was very heavy, I didn't have it in my heart to shove him away, and let him have his peace of mind for a bit. I wasn't about to quip back that it was partially his fault for ripping vulgar holes in the backside of Ceasar's favorite jeans and for starting this ongoing-for-months-on-end prank war that got him into this situation---not now, at the very least. That was a semi-serious conversation we would have to set aside for later.

"Does it look too bad?" he sighed for the umpteenth time, and with a shake of my head, I realized that the only way to shut him up was to reassure him.

Running my fingers through his copper hair that was---thankfully---salvaged, I planted a firm kiss to his jutted lips, the pout dissolving into something far more natural and almost habitual for us. Before he could even think of dragging me deeper, I pulled away and cupped his cheeks, voice firm when I spoke up again.

"I promise you, you're still as handsome and sexy as you've always been," I rolled my eyes, before mumbling under my breath as I remembered the way his longer hair had been a nuisance during other... nightly activities when he'd been ontop of me, "Honestly, I'm kind of glad it's gone for a while."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?!"

"Nothing, nothing."

Taglist: @mrsgiovanna @blondeboyfriend

[sexy-opium-ravioli]

Dating Huntress Wizard HC's

*Hey babes! This one is gonna be a lil long, lol. TW for brief mentions of blood, vague injury to the thigh, drug use, and NSFW under the cut ;3*

Dynamics:

Honestly, HW is a tough character to analyze, especially with how little we're given throughout the series.

She seems vehemently focused forward, on one goal and one goal only. And the fact that she is a wizard (which, in this universe, means madness and sadness) only contributes to that goal-oriented mindset.

So you'd have to make a pretty big distraction for her to actually take notice of you. And in Ooo, that can happen in so many ways that I'm *much* too lazy to list them lol-

Anyways. No matter which way you get her attention, initially she is going to treat this as a negative. Whether it be winning the wizard tournament or summoning the forest spirit, she's going to get annoyed at you. Even if you don't really try to get her attention. See: Appendix Finn the Human

Either way, her calm and collected nature will eventually win her over. She'll ask herself questions, like 'What are they doing to distract me?' 'How can I stop them from distracting me?' 'How can I hide a body with no one noticing-

But after awhile, when you've made yourself useful in your own unique ways, she'll ask herself, 'How can I accept this person into my life?'

And it's easier than she thought, accepting you. But it's also terrifying. Let me explain:

The entire reason behind her madness and sadness is the base fear of going soft, of not having a goal in mind, to not be the best in her field. What if she loses her powers when she befriends you?

She does *not* want to go through what Ice King went through-

But at the same time, if you'll let me speculate, that was a different situation. She can still achieve her goals while maintaining her powers, and even broaden those horizons because even though her madness and sadness comes from the fear of going soft, that's only a part of it. The other part is her drive to become the best at what she does, the drive to attain.

So, when she realizes this, it's a small step away from writing another goal on her checklist: you.

Romance:

After that whole crisis, it doesn't take long for her to come on to you. She is swift in combat, swift in spirit, so it only makes sense that she will be swift when courting you.

It's another day in the woods picking apples to help Tree Trunks bake her pies when she visits you. There's a rustling in the bushes, and even though it gives TT a fright you're all too familiar with the sound.

This time, however, Huntress Wizard isn't here to whisk you away on an adventure she needs to get done. She hands you a basket of granny smiths, perfectly ripe yet unbruised throughout, and then she leaves.

Tree Trunks says "Thank you!" But you're left standing there, bewildered. It's always you helping her out, but never the other way around. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, (I honestly don't know what the fuck that saying is but I'm using it), you wave in the general direction she left and went back to Tree Trunk's home.

Another time, you were walking through the forest in which Huntress Wizard called home. She smelled blood before she knew who it belonged to, time for another feast-

Oh, goodness, it's you. Your thigh is trickling blood all the way down your leg and you're still trying to walk home.

She will have. None of that.

It's getting dark anyways, and you knew it would probably be in your best interest to stay at her's tonight. As soon as you said yes, she picked you up like you weighed nothing and glided through the trees.

Her hut was comfortable, if not a little cold. But the fireflies that constantly made their way through the home served as a distraction.

Huntress Wizard always had amazing salves and natural remedies that could make you feel as right as rain in no time. Usually she would grumble about having to waste them on other people, but she doesn't make a peep while she's patching you up.

Hm. Weird. She's blushing???

You decide to look at her and make eye contact. And although HW is one of your closest friends, there's no stopping the animal instinct of a predator/prey relationship. Especially when you're injured and her name is literally Huntress.

But that moment passes and blossoms into a new one, because she kisses you. Swift in combat, swift in spirit, swift in courtship.

Honestly, the feeling's mutual. HW is so globbing cool, very pretty, extremely laid back and she's been kind to you. What's not to crush on?

And that's the start of things between you two.

NSFW:

Look, I've already said it twice- this lady is fast paced. She wants to love you wholly, completely and with reckless abandon. She hasn't really experienced these relationships before, so there will be a slight dynamic shift between you two.

That doesn't mean she is totally clueless about sex. C'mon now-

But still, there are elements that are new when it comes to that as well. When sex usually meant some sort of release to HW and nothing more, you teach her about intimacy, lovemaking, taking time to learn about each other.

At the same time, there are some things she can bring to the table ;)

Being in tune with nature and the forest around her usually means that she knows where the best shrooms are I'm just saying-

(NOT saying you should do this illegally kids please don't-) but it goes hand in hand with the lessons you're trying to teach her.

High sex is best sex. It allows her to feel so many emotions while giving you pleasure, to strengthen her bond to you, and indulge in the type of intimacy she's been missing.

When things are said and done, she usually likes to stargaze with you. She doesn't need much rest, so when you finally pass out, she'd rather look at you than the skies above.

[twstinginthewind]

( STAR ) staring at mine instead of the stares while stargazing. (Helping someone else procrastinate on their WIPs like I am? Don't mind if I do!! ^ o^)/ xD I feel like I saw something on your blog about Punch and Epel at one point?)

(I promise I will eventually get back to the fic. I wrote a whole three sentences today... and YES you are correct! That is a big time fave pair of mine...)

Seduction starters!

It was half past midnight, and a tall figure in an Ignihyde uniform was creeping across the NRC campus. Punch took the tattered piece of notebook paper out of his pocket and unfolded it again. He didn't know why he felt like he had to keep rereading it, but he went over it one more time. Meet me at the observatory tonite at one AM, make sure you don't sleep thru. Be there or you'll regret it! -- EF

He knew it was Epel. No one else had that distinctive handwriting; he even initialed it. But Punch wasn't sure why Epel felt like he had to sneak this note to him the way he did, slipping it onto his lunch tray with that piercing glare. Punch pursed his lips. He was pretty sure it was a glare. Epel had an unfortunate tendency to have his more intense expressions come off as cute rather than threatening, but Punch was almost certain that his friend was trying to be intimidating. Probably.

It was getting close to time. Punch slipped the note back into his pocket. He had no idea what Epel wanted, but he wasn't about to skip out on this. The observatory wasn't far, just a couple of buildings away. He made his way to the side entrance, which was propped open. Punch looked around, and seeing no one around, slipped inside.

The side door led directly to the stairs, and Punch climbed the two stories up to the top floor. He was met by Epel, arms crossed and eyebrows low.

"Y'idjit. Ya almost didn't get here on time. I'd've had half a mind to head down n' close that door if you were any later."

Punch checked his watch. "It's still five of!"

Epel puffed out his cheeks. Punch stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure what to do with his hands. His shoulders drooped.

"I'm sorry, Epel, I—"

And Epel burst out laughing. "Oh my Seven!! You were petrified! You were lookin' as scared as chicken waitin' for Granny to decide on Sunday dinner, haha!"

Punch sagged in relief. "You weren't actually mad?"

"Nah. Ain't got nothin' to be mad for." Epel waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway! I'm glad ya came. There's somethin' special I wanted you to see. C'mon." He beckoned towards Punch, and started over to the great glass dome. "It should be starting any time now."

Punch followed his smaller friend, and took a seat in one of the reclining chairs beneath the dome. "What's going to be starting?" Epel took the seat right next to him and pointed upwards.

"Just watch the sky, all right? We got lucky with this clear night."

Punch sighed. It had been a long day, and Epel was acting a little strangely. But he leaned back in his seat, and let his eyes focus on the sky overhead.

The night was moonless, which made the stars stand out brightly against the dark velvet sky. Punch started to make out some of the more easily recognizable constellations; the milkmaid, the pitcher, the little bear. And suddenly, a light streaked across the sky.

"Oh!" he breathed. As he absorbed what it was he saw, the shooting star was followed by another, and then another. "Oh, wow! It's—"

"It's a meteor shower!" Epel finished for him. "Always happens around this time a' year, when the plums are good for pickin'." Punch turned towards Epel, who was propped on his side.

"How come you weren't watching, though?" Punch's eyes flickered back and forth between the sky and Epel's face, which was wearing the widest grin he had ever seen.

"I've seen it before. I ain't seen how you look when you're lookin' at it, tho."

Punch blinked. "Huh?"

Epel's expression shifted. Still grinning, his face became somewhat softer, with less of the cocky edge that he carried in the unguarded moments away from his housewarden. "I know I ain't one to say this lightly, Punch. But watching the sky like that?"

Punch swallowed. "Yeah?"

"You looked really... cute."

[gregnas-the-grouch]

(ask-theunderworld) Clyde @ Yemir: the draconic Scrafty slowly but confidently approached the hulking beast of a woman before him, clearly not intimidated, but, normally he'd be more hostile or dismissive of her species, he felt something was different with her. "Oi! You look like you're actually good for putting up a fight, not like those other skinny little toothpicks in your species, I could break those little guys in one bite. How 'bout a drink and then a little round or two in the parkin' lot, jus' for fun?" He raised an arm up, bumping Capone's head against Yemir's arm in an unusually friendly manner. Not being a Psychic type really did wonders for lightening his mood.

Yemir was busy chewing on her chunk of raw venison when she noticed the unusual lookin' Scrafty approach her. Most would stare at Yemir with awe or fear. But this fella just walked right up to her like it was another Monday. This dude had guts, a trait Yemir admired as she simply smirked at the Scrafty, bits of Stantler hanging between her teeth. "Heh, what can I say? I wasn't fer the whole dancing around with blades thing. Punchin' is more my thing. Then again, being born the way I am helps too." The giant let out a hearty laugh before the mention of booze and sparring reached her ears. It was at that moment Clyde truly caught her attention.

"Aw yeah! If there's two things I love 'n life, it's fightin' while drunk and bein' drunk while fightin'! Sign me up for that- Wait, Granny Bao is probably gonna yell at me 'bout that." The giant grunted, the painful reminder of her arm being sliced off fresh in her mind still. Turning to look at the tall Cofagrigus. An unusually jovial had been spread across her face. "Come now, Yemir. Do you believe me to be so prudish? Go, have fun with your new friend. Just take care to not destroy the city, yes?"

Baozhai's comment only served to confuse the titan. The ghastly Gallade trying to comprehend the Cofagrigus' statement, but to no avail. "But I thought you said-" "Ah, Yemir, overthinking things, as always. Sometimes it's best not to question such things. Especially when I'm in such a good mood~" Baozhai's lighthearted smile sent chills down Yemir's spine. Looking down at Clyde, the Gallade merely grunted. "C'mon, lead the way. I'm already hankering for some mead... They got mead, right?"

[chaos-event-horizon]

"I can't believe you kicked each others' asses this badly! What the hell were you two thinking?!"

Rian was animatedly grumbling, half to himself and half to the two men that sat on the Yagi household couch, while pacing the room. Izuku, to his credit, looked very sorry as he fingered the splint on his broken arm. He'd never been in trouble with Rian before, and didn't like that this was happening less than a week since he'd moved into his new life. Toshinori on the other hand just looked smug with at least three broken fingers, a dislocated shoulder, and what was also probably an either sprained or broken wrist.

"C'mon doll, don't be like that. Be proud of our boy! This was just one punch!"

"Babe, he broke his arm! And yours! You're both lucky I have medical training! So help me, if you even look at each other before Granny Chiyo gets here...!" Rian practically hissed, calming himself by gently bouncing Hinata, who was also managing to look concerned.

"Come on, babe, think about it! It's amazing how much power he's packing! I still have remnants of One For All and my power hasn't diminished a bit, and he's already knocking me on my ass at half strength! I know it doesn't sound good to you, but--"

"Half?!" The magenta haired younger adult gasped, horrified. "What do you mean half?!"

The blonde sighed, getting up. The smaller man was already starting to protest, but the blonde used his good hand to gently grip his shoulder. "Did I stutter? I mean he was holding back, Kitten. One For All absorbed more of me than I thought... Half for him is two-thirds for me. The shockwave from the power broke his arm, and I noticed in time and managed to deflect it rather than take a direct hit," the older man said, grinning, then turning back to Izuku in blatant defiance of Rian's threat. "Next time, I think we'll start at ten percent. You're built a bit different than me, and upper body strength isn't your strong suit. We'll have to figure out another way to make you shine."

Rian sighed, his face in his free hand as he bounced Hinata. "What am I going to do with you..."

"Renew our wedding vows?"

Izuku then saw something he'd never thought possible. Rian punched Toshinori in his good shoulder, and the bigger man yelped.

"Ow, hey! Little meanie!"

MEANIE?

"This isn't a joke, Toshi! I get that you're proud of him--" the younger adult looked at the bottle-blonde teen. "For the record, so am I!-- But baby this is serious. You cannot be breaking each other. Broken bones are bad. I don't know enough Japanese to convey how absolutely bad that is to shatter your bones! Training good, breaking bad!"

The blonde sighed, as Izuku watched in stunned fascination. "Fine, fine... We'll be more careful next time..." the older man said, turning fully to his young protege and winking. "Right, Izuku?"

"Y-yeah!"

Rian grumbled a bit more, then sighed. "Okay... Okay. Okay. Okay okay okay. Just... Okay. Alright. That's fair, as long as you promise to be careful, that's all I can ask while I'm stuck on the sidelines..."

Toshinori smiled softly, gently brushing magenta hair behind Rian's ear. "It won't be for long, I swear... I know you're a fighter too, Ri. Let's just get this little princess grown up a bit..." he grinned, poking Hinata's nose and causing her to giggle, then looking back at Izuku. "...and waddle through the growing pains. Then we'll all get back to work."

Rian sighed, smiling, then gently sat next to the teenager with Hinata in his lap. "...Okay."

[alilbihh]

tomorrow (forever) | jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader

summary: it's only after two of your best friends get married that you and jungkook realize maybe marriage isn't that bad of an idea at all.

words: 2.3k

genre: established relationship!au, fluff, jungkook is just! a fool in love!!

a/n: I just love him ok!!! wanna kiss his nose!!!! and i took way too long to actually finish smth for the bingo. sdjksdgkj. ty for reading

The thing is, you predicted this marriage not too long ago. Or maybe it wasn't long ago at all.

It's one thing to be there when Hoseok and Yoongi are stupidly, densely in love with each other, with exchanging looks and lingering touches and letting them cry on your shoulder because they were in love with their best friend and didn't know what that meant.

It's another thing entirely, though, to be nursing a glass of wine offered to you in a tray and a well dressed waiter, poking at the decidedly uncomfortable dress digging into your side, watching the couples dance and the group of middle aged uncles cheer and the unwilling children skirt around their mother's dresses as they urge them to say hello.

You think you're tired but the buzzing in your ears tells you you're not. Hoseok keeps going around showing off his ring finger and Yoongi keeps kissing his knuckles and Jimin won't stop crying from even before the vows were said and it's all very dramatic and emotional and you can't stop smiling.

Jungkook's probably off somewhere to both charm and gain the favor of unsuspecting grannies, and when you strain your eyes to look sure enough, an older woman with too many rings and kind eyes is leading your boyfriend to a table of fruit slices and punch, probably saying something like eat, eat, you're too skinny, even though he probably has more muscle than actual flesh. You've seen this situation before.

The granny in question is shoving an entire cornucopia in his hands and watching expectantly, and you think you can pinpoint the moment he spots you watching him, eyes lighting up and his smile widening and this little bounce in his step he does when he's excited and can't quite hold it all in. You're so fond you don't think you can hold it all in, either.

He's hurriedly setting down the fruits and bowing respectfully at the granny before rushing towards you, first a walk then a jog then too-long strides that isn't quite considered a run and make him look so ridiculous you can't help but laugh. He's laughing when he reaches you, too.

Jungkook gently takes a hold of your hand, and you set down your glass of wine so he can take hold of the other, swings them around lightly,

"Y/n, hello, hello," he says, grins, clears his throat so he can push down some of the fondness leaking through his tone before finding that he doesn't need to and saying, "Did I tell you how beautiful you look?"

(Which is-- a ridiculous thing to say, really, because-- he's the one who drove you two here, and the first thing he said when he saw you was a mumbled wow and he's complimented you, like, three more times since then, and it's-- a lot. You just love him a lot.)

You pretend to think, hum lowly and say, "Huh, I can't recall. Might want to say it again."

Jungkook grins, never stopped, gently pulls you up, up, mumbles against your forehead, "Well, let me be the first to tell you that you look stunning."

You adjust his tie slightly, brush off his tux, grin something goofy and lopsided. "You look quite dashing yourself, mister Jeon. Very smart."

His hair is a bit disheveled, not quite as put together as it was when he first arrived, and when you squint you think there's a weird stain on his dark suit that's barely visible but still very much there that you're sure he, himself, has no idea of its origins. His eyes are a little wild and he's probably a bit tipsy. He's the prettiest man you've ever seen.

"Hmm," Jungkook hums something teasing, grins teasingly, too, "Will I look more smart if I start doing math problems here and now? Will it arouse you?"

You slap lightly at his chest as he laughs, "Shut up, nerd," you say but it doesn't come out nearly as menacing as you wanted it to. "Did you drink already?"

"Duh. Everyone did." As if on cue, Seokjin waltzes by in all his pink suited glory, hugging a wine bottle to his chest and whining to a nearby uncle about the extreme lack of kitchen utensils in the establishment. Someone should probably go control him.

"Where's Namjoon at a time like this?" You say, seconds before your eyes widen and you continue with a low, "Don't tell me he's drunk? Oh no. Drunk Namjoon is not a good Namjoon."

Jungkook winces, too, probably also recalling that one time Namjoon got drunk, barfed his guts out on a nearby tree, then started aggressively speaking spanish to it, in that order. You didn't know Namjoon knew spanish. Namjoon didn't know he knew spanish.

"It's.. not a good time." Is all Jungkook says.

You're both still standing in a corner by the bar, wrapped up and spewing nonsense to each other, and you think there's something you could say here, something to fill the silence, but this is nice, too. Like there's no need to fill it at all.

He's just started swaying you both to the music completely out of rhythm, something a bit slower than the upbeat song probably chosen by Hoseok, when the song abruptly cuts off, Taehyung tap, tap, tapping at the mic, someone that you think is the dj distantly yelling complaints.

"Alright, time for our dear friend Yoongi to throw the bouquet! Whoever's interested can line up, come, come, come!"

When you look over Jungkook's shoulder you see a very blushy, very displeased Yoongi and a very delighted Hoseok nudging him forward, the shorter man clutching at the blue and white flowers in his hands. Seokjin is cackling hysterically.

"Y/n-ah!" Jungkook gasps, swinging your arms around like a madman, "I wanna catch the bouquet!"

You snort, because of course he does, "Isn't that a lady thing?"

He scoffs, "That's dumb. Since when do I adhere to social norms." He's bouncing in place again, glancing from you to the dance floor and back, where a small group of women have gathered. You laugh.

"Go, go, I'll watch from here," You say and he sprints, and you watch with a laugh because--really, he stands out like a sore thumb, the tallest of them all, a black tux amidst a sea of colorful dresses. Yoongi's standing on a small podium, his back facing them all, preparing to throw the bouquet, and you think you can see everyone holding their breath in anticipation.

The whole situation is so immensely endearing, a small congregation of women with their hands already in the air, Jungkook doing little hops despite being able to easily see over all their heads.

You're so wrapped up in your thoughts, with the idea of what you'll do when Jungkook comes back all pouty and empty handed, that you don't really process when it happens; Jungkook springing into the air, clutching the bouquet to his chest like a lifeline.

He turns, grins victoriously, waving his newly acquired bouquet in the air, says something along the lines of look, look, Y/n-ah, look, I caught it, I caught the bouquet, but your brain just kind of-- short circuits.

Like yes, maybe it's just a bouquet, just a silly tradition for people to think they're meant to get married next, but that's exactly it. Jungkook caught the bouquet. That means he's meant to get married next.

By the time Jungkook reaches you, the thought marriage marriage marriage has kind of already wrapped itself around your head, echoing mercilessly. What if this were your wedding? Would you cry during your vows, like Jungkook most definitely will? What if you two were the ones to decorate the venue, to argue over its color scheme, to taste test wedding cakes until Jungkook tastes sweet sweet sweet. If every time you held hands you'd feel the smooth line of a ring, if you could look down at your ring finger and remember how much you love, love, love.

Jungkook's still looking at you expectantly when you come to.

"Um." You blink. "Congrats."

"See? I told you I could do it." He runs a finger over the petals, brows furrowed, mumbles a low what kind of flower is this, inspecting them seriously, completely unaware of your inner turmoil. And you feel kind of-- overwhelmed, maybe, of this boy, this beautiful boy, and wonder if maybe he feels the same way, maybe he'll want to spend forever with you, too.

Jungkook's still talking when you snap out of it, "...And then I was like, I'm gonna do it, and then hyung was like, don't do it, and then I was like, why can't I do it, and then he said something about it not being a good idea? I was honestly shocked. When do I not have good ideas."

"Preposterous." You say, just to have something to say.

"Absolutely preposterous." He nod nod nods, and you wonder when you both started swaying, the song already something softer and slower.

"I'm gonna," you breathe, "Gonna get a drink, I think."

"Oh! Me too, me too. Let's go," He takes a hold of your hand, which is-- devastating, really. Here you are, trying to escape the thought of marrying your boyfriend with your boyfriend following you. Devastating.

You trail behind as he leads you back to the bar, keeps holding your hand while he orders for you both, tilts his head and says whaddya want, baby? And it's, just. Devastating.

You feel a bit like how you did in your first date, just toeing over the line between friends and lovers, wondering what to do next. Feel a bit lost but not quite, feel comfortable where you are, but at the same time kind of want to be introduced as Jungkook's spouse. And kiss Jungkook's ring. And--

"Hey," Jungkook breathes into your ear, laughs when you jump, "What're you thinking so intently about?"

"About how to get you to never do that again." You stick your tongue out at him. He does the same.

"C'mon, c'mon, tell me," he says, giggling sporadically, shuffles his chair closer to yours. He looks like he wants to keep going but his eyes widen suddenly, something like the beginning of a bad idea in the glint in his eyes, "Hey, hey, I just had an idea."

"Yeah?" You grin, wave the bartender over when you see him with your drinks.

Except when he's about to set your drink down, Jungkook leans in close and--"Let's elope," and you, one: flail your arms, two: choke a little, and three: knock over your drink.

Jungkook's too busy laughing to both acknowledge and explain himself, so you're left to profusely apologize to the very confused bartender and aggressively wipe napkins over the counter. It's a mess.

"Jungkook!" You hiss once the bartender goes away, "You can't just-- why!"

"Because it's fun," he giggles, cheeks tinted rosy gold.

"What just happened?" A voice says suddenly overhead, and when you turn you see an equally confused Hoseok rightfully worried over what's going on at his wedding. This is probably the first time you've seen him away from Yoongi the whole night.

"Y/n just spilled her drink." Jungkook tattles immediately.

"I did not-"

"It just flew everywhere, all over the place. There was an avalanche of it. People were swimming in it, slipping in it, they're considering calling for a nationwide rationing of wine just to make up for—"

"Shut up, I hate you," he grins, and what you say is rendered ineffective when you let your boyfriend pull you close to kiss your temple.

Boyfriend. Because—you're not married. But maybe that's not the worst thing in the world, suddenly.

It's a few hours later, the venue growing more spacious, more empty, when you bring it up again-- Jungkook already beside you, tracing a nonsensical pattern over the back of your hand. You don't think he realizes what he's doing. The thought makes you so endlessly fond.

"Guk?" You mumble. He hums in question, head tilting to give you his full attention.

"Wha'sit, baby?" He drawls.

You breathe. There's some confetti stuck to his hair, and you laugh softly before plucking it out. He just grins and lets you, ducks his head before watching you through his lashes. You run a hand through his hair, then, the gel already having disintegrated into his skull or whatnot, fringe sticking to his forehead. He closes his eyes. Looks so pretty you might just burst.

You let in a breath. Let it out. Count to three. Say-- "That's where we're headed, right?"

It takes a second, then two. Jungkook opens his mouth, as if to say something, closes it. Looks around, and you think you can pinpoint when he realizes you're not talking about home, at least not in the literal sense.

He cracks a smile, lets out the softest laugh. "Oh, baby," he coos, kisses your knuckles once, twice, thrice, lets out the goofiest grin. "Of course, Y/n-ah, my baby. We're in this together, hm?"

(There's hints, later, too-- sometimes he'll be eating cereal and randomly say maybe yellow would be nice for our wedding, sometimes you'll walk past jewelry stores and he'll give you this soft little nudge of presence. Sometimes he'll stare a few seconds too long at your empty ring finger.

You wonder, wonder when he started saying when, when we get married, not if. Wonder when he started being so sure of it, this fiercely sure thing. Wonder when you started agreeing without much thought.

You're not engaged, not quite yet, but your heart kind of-- swells, when you think about it, that one day you will be, maybe not too far from now.

Tomorrow, though-- tomorrow. Right now, you're content as it is. You can figure out forever tomorrow.)

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

RWBY V08E05 - Amity

Amity! A return to the adventures of RWB? With no Penny sadly. I doubt we'll get so many visual puns again but who knows, maybe they'll make friends with Whitley or at least have a cordial chat with him without killing each other. I have no idea, so let's do this!

Wow, great start. Poor Pietro, got copypasted there with no regard for his feelings.

I'm very glad I was wrong about no Penny.. Even if every second she's on screen increases the chances of something bad happening to her.

Why does the HUD look like someone used the wand from photoshop to extract it from a white background?

Wait, are they going to blow up the Dust to launch amity into space?

Penny is right, that doesn't seem like a good idea but it's also incredibly in-character for the show. Now even caves are a gun.

Someone at Rooster Teeth really likes the idea of little old ladies riding huge robots, and honestly? Can't disagree.

hmmmmmmmm not a big fan of pietro at the moment

oof, my heart

Maria continues to be the voice of wisdom. Sadly, I doubt Pietro is going to listen to her.

In the original tale Pinocchio ends up learning by making bad choice after bad choice. Penny doesn't seem to have that much in common with her inspiration but if she hasn't ever been able to make a choice at all, would it be surprising if the first time she makes a choice it ends up being a bad one? It wouldn't surprise me if this is setting her up to fly away from Amity (against Pietro's wishes) once she notices something went wrong with everyone else (making her vulnerable)

Welp.

look at that poor girl

Aaaa, that's the same expression she used when Ruby said Penny was still the Protector of Mantle. "my feelings don't matter, conceal, don't feel, don't let them kn— wait, never mind

but yeah, she's used to putting everyone ahead of her (because as a robot she supposedly doesn't know better, there's a reason that was her first thought when she was talking with Winter in last season)

aw poop

Cinder was moving so fast she left her shadow behind.

Great deranged expression and voice though. Did she bring both Neo and Emerald or just the latter?

Penny yes

Hey, 9 blades! For a second I thought they wouldn't remember that she lost one.

no, no, no, time for what? aaaaa

Now that we have more context, Cinder using her own experiences to know where to hurt people is * chef kiss *

Intentional reference to the PvP fight?

okay, I didn't expect badass Maria to actually fight using her robot but I blame my own lack of imagination

now I'm hyped, it also gives something the other two something to do.

I think the main problem here for the good guys is that if Pietro gets threatened there's no way Penny is not going to surrender. Although, maybe he gets kidnapped? That'd make him get "swallowed" by a whale... hm. Another possibility is that they threaten Pietro and Penny gets hacked "just in time"

you can't lie to me, subtitles, I know she was going to say bitch

lol at crashing the entire ship into maria to get her out of the way

bad mistake to hurt one of Penny's friends in front of her

Did anyone give a job to poor Emerald? I can almost see Cinder telling Neo to distract people while in the ship with Emerald sitting in the back seat trying to get noticed.

C'mon Neo, leave the old lady alone

…of course she wouldn't leave her alone, she's Neo, she likes playing with her victims

I wonder if Neo has a deeper plan than "killing this old lady while looking like her protege would be incredibly cruel and extra and therefore worth doing"

If the drifting was an accident, where did Emerald go?

waiting for the RWBY shmup

I understand why she's leaving Amity (to prevent their fight from destroying it by accident) but leaving Pietro alone feels like a bad idea.

…this HUD is a lot cleaner, I don't get it, it should be the same png overlay

anyway, took the screenshot to write "wow, Cinder is actually capable of thinking through her rage these days, good for her" but now that I think about it, I'm not sure if she's ever been fooled.

booo

I wanted more evil Ruby

Also, I'm literally loling at Maria yoda-ing Neo.

ah yes, neo, so graceful

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

mmmmmmm

mmm

oof, looks like that was a direct hit. And the worst part is that the second James hacks into Penny, I assume it'll will work that way. Probably her worst nightmare.

Yeah, no, this worked for spiderman because his nemesis wasn't right in front of him.

I like the idea of this shot but for some reason the execution looks weird. Maybe it's just awkward positioning, it's hard to tell the angles.

lmao

* cough *

I mean, yeah, saw that coming.

For a second I thought she was melting her face but then I remembered the one reason Cinder has that arm.

I'm going to need a diagram to know what Emerald was doing.

Yessss, no need for swords if you can make your own

I really need to know what she was doing inside because right now it feels like that was the worst excuse ever to get her out of the fight until the last possible second (and maybe make it another reference to PvP when Ruby exits the corridor?)

Did she finally see Pietro?

Emerald has so much faith in Cinder, sigh

I wonder if before the end of the show Neo will get to stab someone with her umbrella. Maybe it could even be Cinder

First time she gets knocked out?

Cinder with a long spear only means one thing. Someone is getting stabbed

Huh.

I hadn't thought about this until now but before this second I'd have said Emerald's semblance shouldn't work on Penny. Like, what part is she affecting to make Penny see the duplicates? But I guess it does work, somehow. Maybe reality gets processed through Aura.

Fire spear vs laser, who wins?

Giant laser wins

Glad that Penny is confirmed as the most powerful character in the show.

Poor Emerald, two lines this episode and they are both "CINDER"

Damn, she looks done with their crap.

And now she looks absolutely feral. Loving this.

I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. If she gets hacked now, Cinder still wins. She wouldn't get the maiden powers but at least she'd stop the transmission.

aaaaa

Emerald breaks my heart. So much love for someone who couldn't give a hoot about her.

At least Cinder seems to know her place with Salem, but I can't tell if she started like Emerald and got her love beaten down or if she just had different priorities after getting saved from what seemed similar circumstances.

Ah, Neo. Now to add to her resume that she beat a granny only because she got distracted.

oh, shut up, Pietro

Is this it? Is this where Penny "rebels"?

Even after all that fight, I think this is the best animation of the episode so far. It conveys so much resignation and annoyance.

I think this is the first time this season RWBY makes me teary-eyed. She finally said it!

This is too cute for this world.

Remember when I said that hug with Ruby felt like a goodbye? Well, this is much worse.

Wooo, she succeeded! (I hope, they did mention the message was a couple of minutes long)

But I'm also even more worried now because it feels like the one last thing she had to do.

They are back!

I wonder if the one character I miss the most will also get a shot.

Pensive Whitley? more likely than you think

He has a lot of potential, especially now that Salem -> Cinder -> Emerald are a thing, making cyclical abuse more of an explicit theme. Not sure if there's enough time to do him justice though, considering he's not much of a character.

"we don't want to reveal Vacuo yet, what do we do?" "put them in the desert"

Yessss, Ilia got a cameo!

Are they pulling her back from voiceless purgatory?

Holy shit, wow, really didn't expect to see her.

Literally a pet. I wonder where the hound falls in the hierarchy

...why is she so happy? She's not supposed to be happy!!

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

yeah

was expecting this

Poor guy, I wonder if this is the first news he gets from her daughters.

Taiyang made me realize they didn't show Yang's team. Huh.

Oh, fuck you rooster teeth.

Fuck oofffff (RT, not you, Pietro)

Is Winter end up doing the right thing? She's obviously affected by seeing Penny's sword there.

Also, I wonder if her new armor is just that or if it's a bracing system to help her move so soon after getting beat. But I guess that wouldn't be necessary if her aura helped her heal.

Hopefully, if Watts escapes and tries to get everyone else to help (since I doubt he can beat all the guards on his own), Qrow shows he learned his lesson about trusting the enemy.

ah, there you go

Okay, this is an amazing reveal. Is Salem transforming Mantle into another land of darkness? Because that'd definitely explain why she was so unworried about the broadcast.

What a way to end the episode. A brief moment of hope completely destroyed, twice.

Penny has been raising so many death flags that her inevitable hacking lacked some impact. I'm still sad (and annoyed at RT for poor Penny being a magnet for suffering) but Watts being Watts maybe he did a bad job just to prevent Atlas to escape? And Penny seemed able to resist? aaaah, I don't know. Now that the hacking finally happened all the foreshadowing is over, anything could happen.

The worst part of the hack is that it modified Penny's thoughts. It wasn't a complete takeover, like with Pietro, it was a lot more insidious. Literally making true what Cinder told her. Ugh.

Looking back at the screenshots, wow, a lot of the episode was just them fighting, but there were some fun moments, like Maria kicking Neo's ass.

Very curious about where it's going. Both the Penny plot (there's absolutely no way hacked Penny doesn't fight Ruby, there's probably a rule written in the universe about having mind-controlled people fight their loved ones) and the river of Grimm which was an excellent secondary gut punch. Really, loved that reveal. "You thought things were bad? lol"

I think that's all for now, until next time!

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Seventy-Four [Pt. 1]

Words: 3k

Warning(s): explicit language, drug abuse

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I exhale, turning to look at Nikki where he's laying beside me, a sickly pale tone to his skin, his black hair tangled, his hand that is clinging to mine, covered in tracks, the same appearance as his other hand. 

I can't help but wonder if I bathed him if he'd wake up. He reeks, and he's rough looking, only adding to my guilt. 

Fred gave him a sleeping pill to ease him off of his coke high--he's been freebasing again, just cooking it up in the room's microwave. 

I don't know what the hell to do about him. 

I wish I did. 

Turning over to face him, I brush his bangs out of his eyes, my fingertips lightly dusting over his cheeks, dark circles under his eyes. 

They were supposed to play tonight, but said Nikki came down with the flu and added the show to the second round of U.S. tours lined up for early next year. 

The Nikki I knew would have never put drugs over his music, his fans, and especially not his relationship. 

But, the Nikki I knew also wouldn't have cheated on me…

It's been hard to accept the fact that the Nikki I fell in love with six years ago, isn't around anymore. 

1981

I finish getting my church dress back on, grinning at Nikki as he gets his pants laced back up, the both of us glancing at each other in the back of my car. 

"What's mommy and daddy gonna say when I send their girl back home all turned out?" He asks me, smugly, and I put my heels back on, scoffing. 

"Gee, just come home with me and find out." I shrug. 

"I'll pass." He mumbles, pulling his shirt over his head. 

"Oh, c'mon, I'm sure they'd love you." I nudge him with my elbow. 

"Your mom would piss her granny-panties." He argues, wrinkling his nose a little and I just blink at him. 

"Maybe...but I'm pretty sure my dad would like you." I inform him. 

"Like hell he does." He says to himself and I just let out a breath. 

"So…" I say after a few seconds of silence and he nods a little, awkward tension filling the air around us. 

"...Well." He lets out in the same tone. 

"Good freaking night." I go to open the car door, irritated that he doesn't offer up to hangout and do stuff other than fool around, slamming the door shut.

"Hey, what's up?" He asks me, getting out next, standing by the driver's door, blocking my way. 

"Nothing. I'll see you later." I mumble, nudging him out of my way, opening my door but he's quickly shutting it before I can. 

"Viv, what's--" 

"--I'm gonna start charging you to sleep with me." I state blatantly and his hazel eyes widen, a shit eating smirk on his lips as he chuckles out, "what?" 

"You'd think since we have sex with each other so often it'd at least make us friends, but all you wanna do when we hangout is screw around and then go do whatever with the guys." I tell him. "And, no, this isn't me being a 'typical girl' and developing feelings for you just because we've had sex. It's me being tired of feeling like I'm just being used to get you off." 

"I'm being used to get you off so it's a win-win, is it not?" 

"You sound like Vince." I snap. "All that's happening is I screw you, you screw me, we leave, and don't talk until we're both horny again." 

"Is that not how this works?" 

"The least we can do is get food afterwards or something." I suggest. 

"...Like a date?" 

I gag at the thought. 

"Ew, no." I tell him and he looks confused. "Like, um...I don't know. But since I don't hate you enough to not hook up with you, anymore, I think we could at least get to know who we're hooking up with a little better."

"Friends with benefits?" He clarifies. 

"No, no, we're not friends." I point out and he let me get in my car. 

"I'll see you tomorrow night?" He throws out and I nod. "Wear something pretty--we're going to McDonald's." He smugly smiles and I roll my eyes, holding back a laugh. 

I'm shaking the memory away when there's a knock at the door and I slowly get out of bed, trying not to wake Nikki, slipping my hand from his as my feet hit the hotel carpet. 

I open the door, seeing Mick.

"They wanted us to go ahead and start getting our stuff together to leave." He informs me. "Apparently Guns has some solo shows at some clubs nearby so they're staying behind and we'll back up with them tomorrow night." He informs me and I nod, smiling softly, before he lets out a small breath. "I know you're hurt, and you've got every right to be, but would it not make more sense to file for divorce before you move on, as opposed to moving on before you even really know if you're gonna leave or not?" He asks next, under his breath so Nikki has no way of hearing it. 

"Ask your married girlfriend that before you come at me with it, Mick, alright?" I ask him neutrally, shutting the door in his face before stepping back to the bed, hesitant to wake Nikki up but doing it anyway so we won't be late. 

I wasn't shocked when Mick let on that he knew about Duff and I because, like with me and Nikki, he just knew when something was up.

Looking back, Mick had a point, but at that time he was the last person I wanted to hear it from, because Emi wasn't estranged from her husband, or even on bad terms with him. She was just cheating for whatever reason while her husband stayed in the blissful dark. Mick was "the other woman" therefore he had no place to speak to me about my relationship with Duff.

"Nikki, get up, we gotta get packed." I gently shake him and he groans out. 

"Baby, let me sleep." He mumbles, eyes squeezed closed, face scrunching slightly for a second. 

"We gotta be in L.A. in seven hours, c'mon." I nudge at him again, and his red eyes open, disgruntled, taking a moment before sitting up.

"I did it again last night?" He asks me, rubbing the crust from his eyes as I slip my slippers on. 

"Yep."

"Are they pissed?" 

"They're worried." I inform him. "I'm worried, too." I add, stepping to the door. 

"I'm fine." He says after me.

"Glad to hear it." I open the door, taking a moment to add, "and I'm not 'baby' to you anymore," before leaving. 

I get to my room and get my things packed, being interrupted by a knock at the door. 

When I get it open, Duff is on the other side, wearing nothing but his underwear. 

"I think I left my necklace in here." He tells me and I step aside, watching him grab it from the bedside table before he turns to me and says, "so, you guys are leaving tonight?" He asks me.

"Yeah." I nod. "Gotta go watch Vince walk down the aisle." 

He chuckles and I do, too, realizing how ironic the reality of it is. 

"...Is, um...Nikki okay?" He cautiously questions.

"Yeah." I nod. "I'm sorry I didn't go back to your room last night, I just thought it'd be best if he eased off before I went to bed and then I accidentally fell asleep before I could leave so…" 

"No, no, Viv, it's fine. You still care about him, even though he's shitty sometimes he's still the guy you've been with for the past six years. I'm not upset that you're making sure he's okay." He nods reassuringly. 

Before I can say "okay", there's another knock at my door, and I step to it and open it, Tommy and Vince waiting for me. 

"Ya ready?" Tommy asks, him and Vince both wearing sunglasses. 

"Yeah." I reply, going to zip my suitcase, Tommy following in after me to grab it, taking a double take when he notices Duff. 

"Hey, man."

"Hey." Duff replies, rubbing the back of his neck, before looking to Vince. "Vinnie, you ready to walk down that aisle?" He asks him with a smile.

"Yeah, just so Sharise will stop bitching about wedding details." He responds with a groan in his tone and Duff chuckles. "But her and Skylar are coming back with me for a honeymoon so just be on your best behavior--not that you aren't most times." He adds. 

"Nah, I'll give Slash and Stevie the heads up, though." He assures him. 

"Thanks, dude." Vince says back.

"Alright, see you when we get back." Tommy says, patting at Duff's shoulder. 

"See ya." Duff says to them as they head out. 

"I gotta pee and I'll be down." I lie.

Vince looks at me, oddly, with a small bit of hesitance before he shuts the door and I rub my lips and look at Duff, fumbling with my fingers. 

"You're not breaking up with me already, are you?" He repeats what I asked him before and I smile and shake my head.

"No, no." I grab his hand and tug him closer to me and he kisses my hair, wrapping his arms around me, tightly, and I rest my cheek against his skin. 

"Just have a safe flight, try not to kill anyone." He tells me and I nod.

"I love you." I tell him, looking up at him. 

"I love you, too." He leans down and kisses me, pulling away too soon. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"See you tomorrow night." I agree, taking a mental picture of his soft grin.

The next day was spent scrambling to keep everyone together--especially Nikki--because Sharise deserved one day to be with Vince without a fight...little did I know the only fight that would occur would be between Vince and I, and not him and Nikki, like I feared.

"Okay," I straighten her veil, examining her dress one last time as she hands me my bouquet, "you look beautiful, Sharise." I assure her and she continues nitpicking possible flaws in the mirror. 

"I know we're already married so this is just a vow renewal or whatever but I'm nervous." She admits to me, fanning at herself a little. 

"There's no reason to be." I tell her. 

"Where's Sky?" 

"With your parents." 

"Where's Tansy?" 

"Getting her dress on." 

"Where's Nikki?"

"In the bathroom." 

"In the bathroom or shooting up?" 

"In the bathroom. Tommy's on smack watch." 

"Okay." She lets out a breath, trying to calm down. "Vince...is he--"

"He's ready to walk when you are." As I say this, the door opens and Nikki and Tansy come in.

"Sharise, the wedding party's waiting for you." Tansy tells her a little shakily. 

I think she's beginning to withdrawal. 

"Alright. Okay." Sharise inhales and exhales. 

"You got this." I promise her. 

"You're right." She nods and I help her with her dress as she heads to the door. 

Nikki, Tommy, Mick, and a couple other guys I've never met that are good friends of Sharise and Vince are wearing their tuxes with a hot pink sash, to match the bridesmaids knee length, hot pink dresses with black tull underlying the skirt. 

We file into line, Nikki and getting in front of Sharise since she's appointed me with Matron of honor. 

"You showered." I mumble to Nikki, impressed. 

"Tommy threatened to spray me off with a water hose. I didn't feel like being cold." He mumbles and I scoff as the music starts, the doors opening to lead outside, where we have to walk down stone stairs to meet in a spacious courtyard. 

"I'm getting war flashbacks." He says next once it's our turn to start walking. 

"From our wedding, yeah, me freaking too." I reply in a hiss. 

"I was gonna say from Tommy's wedding but sure." He scoffs bitterly. 

"Just don't leave this one every fifteen minutes to slip into the bathroom and shoot up." I ignore his comment, the arm that my hand is looped through tenses up and I can feel him glaring at me through his sunglasses. 

"Don't be a fucking bitch." He tells me as we step down the stairs and approach the guests, seeing Vince and the other groomsmen and bridesmaids waiting for us. 

"Little late for that." I point out. 

"And our wedding wasn't even that bad, Viv." He randomly cuts back to our initial back and forth and I fake a smile for the crowd, speaking through my teeth to reply, "Wish I could say the same for the months to follow it." 

We separate at the alter, and I push my feelings aside when I look to see Sharise stepping down the stairs, looking stunning as ever. 

When she gets down here, I'm straightening the back of her dress as she takes Vince's hands. 

The ceremony doesn't take very long, and once the reception comes and all the pictures are done with being taken, I'm ready to get out of this dress--but it's not ready for me to get out of it.

I grind my teeth, dreading asking this bastard for help, but I know he's got his knife and the zipper of my dress is stuck. 

"Nikki," I tap at his shoulder as he downs another glass of wine. 

"What?" He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. 

"Can you help me get out of this dress?" I ask him and he suddenly bursts into laughter. 

"I'd rather fuck a pot of boiling hot oil than fuck you." He tells me. 

"No, asshole, I mean literally help me get this off because the zipper is stuck." I explain. 

"Oh." He says, turning me to look at it. "Yeah, I guess." He stands up and I head to the bathroom as he pulls his pocket knife from his pocket.

Once we get to the bathroom, I'm pulling my arms from the sleeves the best I can before I look at him. 

"Just go to sawing away here." I point to the seam that's three-fourths zipped. 

He starts cutting at it, and it soon gets looser and looser to the point there should be plenty of room to finish pushing it down my hips...and I would if his hands weren't steadily holding at my bare sides, his eyes on my back as I look at him in the mirror and wait for him to snap back into reality. 

He never does, and I'm forced to clear my throat to whisk the tension away. 

"Um, I got it from here." I tell him, hinting that his hands on my skin aren't needed.

He just looks at me in the mirror and holds at them tighter, making me go to hit at the tops of his hands, only I realize this is one of the few moments he probably finds peace in because he can pretend, even for a second, that everything isn't screwed sideways. 

I just rest my palms over his hands, making eye contact with him in the mirror, looking us over, and I smile sadly, realizing we won't ever be those people again. 

After his moment is finished, he's gently patting my sides before taking a step back and putting his knife back into his pocket. 

"Thanks, again." I say to him before he goes. "No problem." He mumbles, stepping out. 

I rush back to the bridal suite to avoid being seen half naked, to change into a more comfortable dress.

As soon as I shut the door, I turn around and see Vince nursing a beer, and I jump. 

"Jesus, Vince!" I snap at him, taking a deep breath and he rolls his eyes for a second. "What the hell are you doing here?" I ask him, peeling the dress down my legs, not caring that he's getting an eyeful of me in nothing but skimpy panties since he's seen me completely naked in the pictures of me that Nikki's shown off to him. 

"Hiding from my in laws." He replies, taking another sip of beer. 

"You're not supposed to be drinking." I remind him.

"Who's gonna tell them?" He asks me, raising his brows. 

"Doesn't matter if the state doesn't know--God knows. That's who you'll have to answer to in the end." 

"Oh-Oh, my fuck." He chuckles out, his tongue swiping the inside of his bottom lip. 

"What? You think standing before God and being confronted with the fact you're still drinking after killing your friend in a drunk driving accident is funny?" I hiss at him.

 "I think the bible warns against becoming a drunkard but doesn't it also say, "you must not commit adultery'?" 

My heart pounds in my chest, my eyes wide, and he stands up from his spot on the fluffy parlor chair. 

"So you can give me shit about killing Razzle and still drinking, but every time the sweat on Duff's back dries after he's done fucking you, it's just another nail being hammered into Nikki's coffin, once he finds out." He says, pointing at me with the hand holding at his bottle. "And that blood's gonna be on your hands." He adds. "Not mine."