#dav answers shit

[whitehartlane]

as a fan of another pl team i think your problem is that your captain is son. he's too emotional and soft and instead of demanding better of your players he goes around comforting them and protecting them from the refs. idk i feel like he's probably let the band get to his head a bit and now he's pushing people like PEH (who have proper authority) away from the refs, it's a bit weird. strange appointment. he's trying too hard

know him do you?

[guiltyasdave]

say you'll remember me

chapter 5 • series masterlist

pairing: Dave York x f!reader

summary: The aftermath. (Because I am dramatic)

word count: 1.9k

tags/warnings: explicit smut -> 18+ mdni, dbf!Dave, somewhat unhealthy relationship dynamics, daddy issues (reader’s dad sucks big time), able-bodied reader, no use of y/n, divorced Dave, slut shaming, pure angst I'M SORRY

a/n: co-written with my angel @joelscurls, i love you <3

i'm sorry that this took so long and also about the... contents of this. it's the last official chapter, but there will be an epilogue. if this is stressing you out and you'd feel more comfortable knowing if there will be a happy ending, please feel free to shoot me a dm <3

follow @guiltyasdavenotifs for updates and find jess’ masterlist here and my masterlist here :)

dividers by the lovely @saradika-graphics 🤍

“Where’s my what?”

David steps through the open bedroom door, pulling a washed out t-shirt over his head, tousling his hair even further than it was before. He’s not wearing pants, only the briefs that he so eagerly got out of less than an hour ago. He freezes at the scene in front of him. 

You’re painfully aware of your own appearance, painfully aware of how obvious it is what you’re doing here. There’s zero chance of talking your way out of this one. 

Your father is still standing in the doorway, jaw clenched impossibly tight, his gaze flickering between the two of you. You steal a glance at David, finding his eyes already on you. Regret is swimming in them, threatening to drown you both, and you know that he’s come to the same conclusion. You’re done for. 

“What the fuck is this?” 

It’s clipped, the quiet and cold tone that you’ve had a lifetime to get used to, but it’s tinged in anger, with an intensity that you’ve never heard before. The step you take back comes instinctively, following the desperate urge to get closer to the man behind you, the man who makes you feel safe, even now. A scowl forms on your father’s face as he clocks the movement. 

“Jim–” David tries, arm halfway raised like he’s reaching out. To you or to your father, you’re not sure. 

“I was in the area, thought I’d drop by, even though you weren’t answering your phone.” His chuckle is devoid of humor, his eyes flashing darkly. “Guess you were busy.” 

“Dad, please…” You’re not sure what you even want to ask for. For him to hear you out, to understand? 

He shakes his head, looking you up and down, disdain written clear over his face. 

“Put some clothes on, Jesus Christ. I’m taking you home.” 

You look at David again, desperate for just a hint of comfort, no matter how small. The promise that, somehow, everything will be fine. He gives you a curt nod towards the bedroom, no discernible emotion in his expression. 

You’re uncomfortably aware of the expanse of your bare legs under his shirt as you walk back into the room, the place that has become your sanctuary over the past weeks. 

“Jim, listen,” you hear David’s voice through the open door. “We just– we were talking if maybe I could get her an internship at the DIA, and it– it just happened. It was a one time thing, I swear. And a mistake. I–I’m so sorry.”

Lies. They seem to fall from his lips so easily, like a story that he had prepared for a long time. Maybe he did. 

“I really don’t give a shit, Dave.” 

You hear David sigh, can see his accompanying expression in your mind. The pursed lips, the firm jaw. 

“I guess that’s fair.” 

You don’t want to leave, don’t want the tense car ride, don’t want to be alone in your room and replay this over and over. You’re already circling through scenarios how this could have gone differently. 

Why did you have to go open the door? Why didn’t you let David get it? Why did none of you notice his phone ringing? Why hadn’t you been more careful? 

When you re-emerge from the room, neither of them has moved. Your father’s expression is unreadable, a stoic kind of coldness that doesn’t betray any feelings he might have. 

You can’t help looking at David’s face when you pass him, searching for comfort, reassurance, anything. Some sign that he didn’t mean it when he said you and him had been a mistake. But he’s staring at the floor, his face like a mask. 

You bite your lip, avoiding your father’s gaze when you step past him and down the stairwell. He’s gonna have more to say about this, you know it. 

He’s fulfilling your expectation after a few minutes of silence, the tension in the car so thick that it feels like you’re getting crushed by the sheer weight of it.

“Always taking the easy route, aren’t you?! Rather just spread your legs than to put in some actual work, fucking hell…” 

Your lips fall open at his words, a disbelieving huff escaping you. 

“Dad, that’s not–” 

“That’s exactly what it is,” he cuts you off, his grip tight on the steering wheel, venom spitting from his mouth. “I didn’t think I raised you to be a whore.” 

You snap your mouth shut, staring straight ahead, tears brimming in your eyes. It had never even crossed your mind, the thought that you’d get anything like a job out of your… situation with David. It was never your motivation. You just– wanted him. Wanted him to like you. 

It hurts, hurts more than you want to admit to yourself, to have your own father jump to that conclusion so quickly. To know that he has no issues seeing you like that, thinking of you like that. 

“You embarrassed me,” he continues, even angrier than before. “Throwing yourself at the first man you see.”

Heat is rising in your cheeks. Your teeth dig into your bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood. 

“I’m sorry.” It’s a whispered sound, shame ringing with the words. You don’t want to apologize, but it comes like an instinct, the only acceptable option that you have. 

“You’re gonna stay home for the next two weeks, until your break is over. You’re gonna study and maybe, if you show me that it’s not a complete waste of money, I’ll keep paying for that goddamn school.”

Your head whips around to stare at his stony profile beside you. He’s grounding you?!

“Dad, I’m not a child!” 

He shrugs, pulling up to the house. 

“Well, since you’re acting as irresponsible as a child, I’m gonna treat you like one.”

He doesn’t stop you when you throw open the car door, fumbling with the house keys before you get the door open and stomp up to your room. Angry tears are blurring your vision, blood pounding loudly in your ears. 

You’re not thinking straight, thumbs flying over your phone screen, a message about how this doesn’t mean anything, how you’ll figure this out, how much you still want him, flowing from your fingertips. David doesn’t respond. 

You cry yourself to sleep that night, tossing and turning in your sheets, your dreams full of vague shapes and scenarios, replaying the day’s events over and over. 

Your father checks on you the next morning, pointedly asking about your plans for the day, seemingly content with your mumbled, spiritless responses about revising coursework and working on applications for an internship. 

“You can do better than the DIA, you realize that, right? Hardly any money to make there.” 

You nod silently, forcing down the ragefit about how you don’t give a shit about the DIA, or about any job for that matter, that it never fucking was about that. 

You’ve never had a particularly strong intention to actually follow your father’s orders and not leave the house, but it’s out of the window when your phone finally vibrates with a message from David, asking if it’s possible for you to meet him. 

You’re out the door in a heartbeat, paying no mind to the security cameras recording you, to the consequences of this. It’s like you’re on autopilot, the stress of the past 24 hours erasing all rational thoughts from your mind. 

David meets you at the door, a sight so painfully familiar and yet entirely new, because of the look on his face. Devoid of emotion, a mask of the man that you know, but not this version of him. He pulls you into an embrace, one that you desperately want to melt into, but his arms are stiff around you, coldness seeping into your bones despite the warmth of his body. You suppress a shiver when he doesn’t even lead you further into the apartment. You’re standing in the hallway, the short distance between you suddenly unbridgeable. From the corner of your eye, you notice his bedroom door. Firmly closed, once more. 

“Sweetheart–” he begins, rubbing his neck with one hand. A nervous gesture, so vastly different from the self-assured, always in control David that you’re so intimately familiar with. 

The rational part of you knows what this means, can almost predict the words that he’s gonna say next. It gives you a strange sense of déjà vu, reminds you of another time when you were in this apartment, so sure that he didn’t want you, that he was going to end this thing with you. 

You were mistaken back then. You know that you’re not mistaken now, because the David in front of you is nothing like the one from back then. It’s glaringly obvious, the difference between them, the cold determination that you see in his eyes only right now. 

“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you? F–for real this time?” 

Your voice barely wavers, your eyes don’t stray from his face. It’s like you’re walking through a dream, through a living nightmare, eerily aware of what’s gonna happen next but with no way to do anything about it. 

Hurt flashes in his eyes, gritting his teeth, swallowing down a lump in his throat. He only manages a silent nod.

You feel your face crumbling, hot tears finally springing to your eyes. Your throat grows tight. 

“Please… please don’t. Please.” You have to beg, have to at least try.

“I’m sorry,” he sighs, running a hand over his face. “I never should have– it was a mistake. You know that, right?” 

You shake your head, eyes wide and silently pleading with him, unable to form words. He sighs, pain clear on his features as he cups your cheek. 

“Baby, I– I wish things were different, but– you’re so young. You’ve still got your whole life– you don’t need me. I never should have allowed this. I’m sorry that I did.” 

You choke out his name, the one that, unbeknownst to you, no one else uses. That he’ll never let anyone else use again. 

“But I want you,” you whisper, stepping closer, pressing your face into the familiar crook of his neck, breathing in the comfort that the scent of him brings. He chuckles weakly, a humorless sound, gently moving out of your embrace, his large hands finding your shoulders instead, prompting you to look at him.

“You shouldn’t. I’m not– I’m not worth it. I won’t let you fuck up your life over this.” 

Acceptance and denial are battling in your heart, the knowledge that you kind of always had but buried away deep down finally resurfacing. He isn’t yours to lose and he never was. 

“I’ll miss you,” you whisper, tears silently streaming down your face. You need to ask, need to know if this ever meant as much to him as it did to you. “Will you miss me at all?” Will you even remember me?

His lips tilt up in a sad smile, and you could swear that his eyes are glassy as he gently presses his mouth against your forehead one last time. 

“Always, sweetheart.”

.........................................please remember that i love you

[matttgirlies]

Matt & Me🎀

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

a story heavily based on Priscilla Presley’s Book “Elvis & Me” based in the 1950’s - 1970’s.

fem! reader x singer! matt

disclaimer!! - in no way am i saying matt would ever support or do these kind of things, for the sake of the book certain unethical things do happen at times.

heavy warnings - SA!!, vague mention of drug use - if any of these topics make you uncomfortable the scene involving SA will be outlined and please don’t feel the need to read it, please take care of yourself🩷

y/nn = your nickname for anyone confused

Chapter 3

Time had become my enemy. Matt was due to return to the States on March 1, 1960. I had only a few months left to spend as much time with him as I could.

Every minute I wasn’t with him, I thought of him. My life was now dominated by him and yet there were times when I would be disappointed by him. One evening he told me he would call and didn’t. When I finally heard from him the next day, he said, “Hi, Baby. Do you think you can come over tonight?”

“What happened last night? You were supposed to call.”

“I was? Oh shit.” He had been concentrating on his karate lesson and had forgotten.

I had to learn not to take his words to heart. It was disappointing, but it was just his way.

Matt’s calls usually came after seven to let me know that I’d be picked up around eight. I had to dress quickly, trying to find some way to appear older than my age. His father was concerned about Matt being with a minor. My clothes were all young and unsophisticated skirts and sweaters. At times I’d borrow my mother’s clothes and hope everyone would assume that I was at least sixteen.

As I got to know Matt, I learned that when he wasn’t at the base, he stayed at home all of the time. He had little choice. The moment he stepped out of the door there was a giant mob scene around him. Even going to see a local movie required elaborate planning. Someone would drive Matt’s car in front of the house. He would then run out, hurdle the fence, and duck into the car before any of his fans could start begging him for autographs. There were always crowds after him, calling, standing outside the house, literally charging at him when he entered any public place. Many evenings when Matt had early morning calls it was either David Jones, a friend who Matt had brought over from the States, or James Sturniolo who drove me to and from 18 Hauptstrasse.

One particular evening when neither David nor James was able to drive me home, Matt had a “friend” who was called Pete take me.

THIS SCENE INCLUDES SA!!

if this topic makes you uncomfortable please skip.

Pete was driving me from Matt’s home back to Wiesbaden. I was tired and dozing off. All of a sudden, I felt the road get bumpy. I opened my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You’ll find out,” he said, turning his head away.

We had driven off the highway onto a dirt road. I could see the lights of one distant house, and the rest was all blackness. I began to get frightened. “What’s going on?” I inquired, confused. By then Pete had stopped the car and shut off the ignition.

I repeated my question, but Pete didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and grabbed me, trying to kiss me. I pushed him away, struggling. He threw me down on the seat.

Panicked, I begged, “Don’t! Leave me alone!” I started fighting. I kicked one door open and opened the driver’s door with my hand while simultaneously banging the horn, hitting the lights, and scratching at his face. Out of frustration and fear of being caught, he finally gave up.

The rest of the way home, he never said a word. I just sat there sobbing, disbelieving, praying that I would get home safely.

END OF SCENE

Three days passed from that night before I heard from Matt. My parents knew something was wrong; however, I couldn’t tell them Pete tried to attack me because I would never be allowed to ride with him again. If I didn’t, how would I get to and from Matt’s if David and James weren’t available? My imagination ran wild. I was afraid to tell Matt because I thought Pete was his friend. I began to think that perhaps Matt knew what Pete had attempted. Maybe I was just a plaything to Matt, someone to pass around to Pete, or anyone else who wanted me. I was tortured by my thoughts.

Finally, Pete called and said Matt wanted to see me. I had no choice but to go with him.

During the drive to Bad Nauheim, Pete made no mention of what had transpired between us, and neither did I. I said nothing. I was very apprehensive being with him. I didn’t know, when he removed his hand from the steering wheel, if he was going to try to touch me, or just what was on his mind. I had no choice but to tell Matt.

That evening, when we were alone in his room, Matt asked me if anything was wrong.

My voice was trembling. I could hardly get the words out.

When I finally did tell him, Matt went crazy. “I’m going to kill him,” he shouted. He paced the floor, cursing Pete. I was his little girl, Matt said, and he had never gone all the way with me. Now this other guy, this so-called friend of his, had tried to rape me. I listened as he shouted, secretly relieved at his response. How could I ever have doubted Matt?

Matt was so angry, it took me the whole evening to calm him down. I finally convinced him that we had to keep Pete’s attack secret from my parents, or I’d never be allowed to come back. Matt held me tightly, as if trying to take the painful memory away. He felt guilty for having put me in such a dangerous position.

From that time on, Pete was fully excluded from Matt’s life. I don’t think Matt ever told him why, but Pete must have known. He rarely came around after that.

I began to realize that Matt expected total loyalty from his friends. If he was betrayed, he would just cut that person out of his life.

James was now sporting a neatly trimmed mustache that, according to Matt, Angela Stanley had encouraged him to grow. Mine and James’s conversations in the car were somewhat boring, and I always sensed he’d just as soon be doing something else, like spending the time with Angela, who sometimes accompanied him.

These days when I arrived at 18 Hauptstrasse I’d often find Matt upstairs studying the ancient art of karate with his instructor or downstairs in the living room proudly demonstrating new moves to his entourage, who stood about interested at his mastery of this newly popularized art form.

Matt also spent hours with a half-mad German masseur who had him convinced he could rejuvenate facial skin with his secret treatments, Matt having always been self conscious about some large pores on his face started to see him. Nate Doe ribbed Matt, saying, “What the hell’s he doing that’s so special? You look the same to me.” Defensively, Matt shot back, “Well damn! He says it’ll take some time before you see the results.” James interjected: “Time? Yeah, probably enough time to bankrupt us all by what he’s charging. I wouldn’t trust him farther than I could throw him.”

Always a center of activity at the house was Matt’s grandmother, who he nicknamed Dodger. Matt had come up with the name when he was a small boy of five and, during a temper tantrum, had thrown a baseball, missing her head by inches. Matt jokingly said, “She dodged out of the way so fast.” He started calling her Dodger from that moment.

Grandma took care of the household, did the cooking, kept everyone and everything under control. She had the air of a person with a firm purpose in life, which, in Matt’s case, was to make sure he was very well cared for. When I sought quiet while Matt practiced karate, Dodger’s room was a place to escape to. We’d sit for hours and she would tell me about the old days, about Mary Lou and her boundless love for Matt, about the grim struggle the Sturniolos had waged for survival. She had been with James and Mary Lou from the time of Matt’s birth, helping out when Mary Lou took jobs to contribute to the family’s support. A strong woman, Grandma had prevailed when her husband had walked out on her, leaving her with five children. She wanted you to believe she held a grudge against J. D. Sturniolo, but Dodger was a forgiving heart and I believe she still cared for him.

She helped raise Matt as if he were her own son, somewhat spoiling him as grandmothers do. She always rushed to his defence when she felt Mary Lou was too stern. Dodger said to me, “Mary Lou always called me Mrs. Sturniolo from the time I first met her until she breathed her last breath. One day Matt came running in and said, ‘Hi, Minnie!’ I felt so sorry for that young’un. Mary Lou rose up, took her hand to that boy, and said, ‘Don’t you ever call her by her first name. That’s disrespectful. She’s your grandma.’ He cried for an hour. I went in and said, ‘Son, it’ll be all right. She was just doing what she thought was right. Now you go in and apologize to her.’ Poor little boy looked at me with those blue eyes. So pitiful. Oh, she could be hard on him. He was a good boy, though. Never really got into any trouble, always came right home from school and did his chores. Yes, and Mary Lou would watch over him like a hawk, so scared he’d be hurt. He wanted so bad to play football at school.”

Grandma rocked back and forth in her chair, seeing something in the past that made her start picking at the bobby pins in her hair. She reached for her little box of snuff, took a dip, situated it just right, and then continued to reminisce. “Yes, he loved sports.”

“Then why didn’t he go out for any, Grandma?”

“Oh no. Mary Lou wouldn’t have that. She’d tell me, ‘Oh, Mrs. Sturniolo, I couldn’t stand it if Matt got hurt. It would kill me. I’ve watched how they play out there in those fields. They get real rough. I think they enjoy hurtin’ each other. Matt isn’t like that. He’d get out there and he’d be like a wounded bird in a pack of wild dogs. Not my young’un.’” Mary Lou’s constant effort to protect Matt, I learned, was the result of her anguish over the death of Matt’s twin brother Joseph Aaron Sturniolo.

I came to love Dodger and what she represented, compassion and total devotion to her family.

My biggest problem in those days was that Matt and I never seemed to have enough time alone. People were always dropping by, standing around the living room talking and laughing, until Matt came down from his room. As soon as he appeared, the room would become silent until he revealed his mood. No one, including myself, dared joke around unless he laughed and then we all laughed.

Because I had to share the little time I had with Matt with so many others, I began to feel jealous and possessive. It was only late in the evening, when we were in his bedroom, that I was truly happy.

We had a nightly ritual. At about ten or eleven, Matt would glance at me and look toward the stairs. Then, naively assuming that nobody knew where I was headed, I’d casually proceed to his bedroom, where I’d lie on his bed, impatiently waiting for him to appear. When he joined me, he’d lie as close to me as he could. “I love you,” I whispered. “Shhh,” he said as he put his fingers to my lips. “I don’t really understand what it is I’m feeling. I’ve grown to love you, y/nn. Dad keeps reminding me of your age and that it can’t be possible . . . When I go home . . . Only time will tell.”

Each night that I was with him he entrusted a little more of himself—his doubts, his secrets, and his frustrations. It was a lot to expect an impressionable fourteen year old to understand, but I tried. I felt his pain over his mother’s death. I ached over his desire to become a great actor like his idols Marlon Brando, James Dean, Karl Malden, and Rod Steiger. I was concerned about his fears that he might not regain the popularity he felt he’d lost by serving in the Army. And I reveled in his laughter when he asked, “What if one day I end up back driving a Crown Electric truck? Wouldn’t that be something?”

I was there for him, to listen, to hold his hand, or to make a funny face that would turn his frown into a smile.

Sometimes Matt would enter his bedroom in high spirits. I longed for those nights when he’d shut off the lights and lie close beside me.

“Sweetness,” he would say, putting his arms around me. “You’re so pretty, Honey.” And then we’d kiss long, deep, passionate kisses, and his caresses would leave me weak with desire.

Nights when his mood was calm and peaceful, he would describe his ideal woman and tell me how perfectly I fit this image.

He liked soft-spoken y/hc with y/ec eyes. He wanted to mold me to his opinions and preferences. Despite his reputation for being a rebel, he held the traditional view of relationships. A woman had her place, and it was the man who took the initiative.

Loyalty was very important to him, especially on the woman’s part. He constantly reminded me that his girl had to be completely constant. He admitted that he was concerned about Nicole. She was a Boston beauty queen and television personality. Matt said that lately her letters had become very impersonal, and he suspected she had been with another man.

Despite his moralizing, I feared Matt wasn’t always faithful to me. His bantering with some of the other girls at his house made me think that he might be intimately familiar with them.

One evening he was playing the piano for the regular group, plus a couple of English girls. When he picked up his guitar, he looked around, but couldn’t seem to find his pick.

“Anybody seen my guitar pick?” he asked.

One of the English girls looked up and smiled. “It’s upstairs on the night table next to your bed. I’ll get it.”

All eyes, including mine, zeroed in on her as she made her way up the stairs, aware that she was now the center of attention.

Furious at his obvious betrayal, I turned to him, but he was avoiding my gaze by looking down at his guitar, plucking it as if it needed tuning. Then he burst into “Lawdy, Miss Clawdy.”

Without a pick, his fingers must have hurt badly, but no matter what, he wasn’t about to put that guitar down. He knew he was in trouble.

After he’d finished a medley of songs, Matt excused himself and retreated into the kitchen, with me right behind him.

“Have you been with her?” I demanded.

“No,” Matt insisted.

“Then how did she know where your guitar pick and room were?”

“She was over one night, and I mentioned how dirty the place was,” he answered, a boyish grin on his face. “She offered to clean it, simple as that.”

Despite his declaration of innocence, I was not reassured. He was the sexual idol of millions and could choose whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted. I quickly learned, for my own survival, not to ask too many questions.

As the weeks passed, school became an unbearable chore. After getting to bed so late, I found it difficult to rise at seven and almost impossible to concentrate. But I knew that if I ever complained about being too tired, or was late for school, my parents would use the fact to put a stop to my seeing Matt.

My study habits became worse. I was failing algebra and German, and barely passing history and English. At the end of the fall semester, I altered the D-minus grade on my report card to a B-plus, praying my father would never consult the teacher. I kept telling myself that I would do better, that I’d catch up, but my concentration was totally on Matt.

One night when I went to see him, I fell asleep while waiting for him to finish his karate class. When he came downstairs and saw how exhausted I was, he asked, “y/n, how many hours of sleep are you getting?”

After a second, I said, “About four or five hours a night. But I’ll be fine,” I added quickly. “I’m just a little extra tired tonight because we had some tests at school today.”

Matt looked thoughtful, and then said, “Come upstairs a minute. I have something for you.” He led me up to his room, where he placed a handful of small white pills in the palm of my hand. “I want you to take these; they’ll help you stay awake during the day. Just take one when you feel a little drowsy, no more than one, though, or you’ll be doing handstands down the hallway.”

“What are they?” I asked.

“You don’t need to know what they are; they give them to us when we go on maneuvers. If I didn’t have them, I’d never make it through the day myself. But it’s okay, they’re safe,” he told me. “Put them away and don’t tell anyone you have them, and don’t take them every day. Just when you need a little more energy.”

Matt honestly thought he was doing me a favor by giving me the pills, and I’m sure the thought never entered his mind that they could be harmful to him or me.

I didn’t take the pills. I put them in a small box with various items I had started to collect, such as cigar holders and little personal notes he had given me, and hid the box in a drawer.

Later I learned that the pills were Dexedrine, which Matt had first discovered in the Army. A sergeant had given several men pills to help them stay awake while on guard duty. Matt, who was accustomed to living the life of an entertainer and who despised rising at dawn, began taking the pills to get him through the long dreary hours of Army life. He told me he’d begun taking sleeping pills shortly before he’d been drafted. He dreaded insomnia and feared sleepwalking, which had plagued him periodically since childhood.

In fact, as a boy, he’d once sleepwalked straight out of his apartment, dressed only in his underwear. A neighbor woke him, and, embarrassed, he ran back into the house. Another time, he nearly fell out of a window. Consequently, to avoid accidents, he slept with his parents until he was grown, and he feared his sleepwalking habit for the rest of his life. It was one of the reasons he usually had someone sleeping with him.

Years later, I learned that someone had been employed in Germany to watch over him throughout the night.

Excerpt from: "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Scribd.

This material may be protected by copyright.

a/n - i know this was a deeper chapter so for anyone who skipped it i promise its not very important to the story however Priscilla included this in her book so i thought i should share that too. 🎀

[juliet-without-romeo-stuff]

Family of LOG or 4th generation 🦋💛💙( imagine they are just under 15)

I wrote this a month back and now got the time to post it...these are just my ideas that randomly came and now i cannot let go off....

Nikolai king sokolav-Brandon sokolav king

David Sokolov king

Alexander Brandon sokolav king

Stella Hunter Sokolav king

( David and stella was through surrogacy and alex was adopted and Stella's middle name hunter is a honour to his dad ....stella has heterochromia... her one eyes is dark blue and one is dark green which her parents adore a lot....they all learn russian just like their daddy and speak in russian whenever they wants to do something which their dad bran will not accept like david wants to join in elites or heathens but bran said No because his uncle lan wants him to join elites whereas niko wants him join heathens 😂 he said you can only when you are on your correct age baby...

When David almost break someone bone because they spoke shit about his uncle lan...he called his daddy

Dad where are you?

"In the middle of the meeting" niko says while pausing his meeting in office..everyone knows niko will never ignore his family calls even if it is in the middle of an important meeting....

I broke someone's bone maybe not a major damage since josh dragged me away from that scumbag....

And the management called dad

Again...Niko asks

Yes..handle your prince charming...i will come home and explain to dad

Make sure you have valid reasons or else i also need to end up with you in your grounded for week punishment.. niko said

Definitely i have reasons..i will not use violence unless its needed and you and daddy knows that ...

Ok dad .bye.love you...

Love you too dav....niko hangs up

Yes it is very true that david will not use violence unless it is needed unlike stella ..his little princess have a same policy as him ''fist first, talk next'' not only this everyone knows them calls stella as little niko...since she is an exact carbon copy of Nikolai sokolav which is even agreed by landon king....

Stella even pickups Niko's obsessive traits and love for sweets.David is an copy of bran and lan since he is very quiet and emotionally strong .he observes more and will not tolerate any harm to his fam. Alexander is an carbon copy of Brandon king he is called as little prince and little posh boy.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Jeremy volkov -cecily knight volkov

Josh volkov

Cynthia volkov

(Josh and david are bestfriends just like their fathers...there is an interesting thing that is josh has an cute crush on Brandonking

On one vacation where everyone is having dinner its their habit to spend some time together....

Mommy what is crush? he asked cecy

Crush is someone you like baby...

Who's is your crush josh ... asked annika

Though everyone present there know the answer

Josh just turned towards bran and his eyes sparks

uncle Bran he says smiling

To which bran smiles and ruffles his hair

Why though? asked annika

He looks like a prince and he is so gorgeous aunt...josh said

"Back off buddy that's My Man" said niko smiling

Then uncle alex is mine...josh said shocking everyone

Little did they know josh likes alex......)

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Landon king-Mia sokolav king

Sofia astrid king

Slvia king

(Sofia's fav uncle and god father is Nikolai.k.sokolav..and lan be like first my little bro and now my little princess..when sofia was young she had a nightmare of her uncle niko was getting into an big accident she woke up crying screaming even lan and mia tried their best to calm her but she said she wants to meet niko right now...lan can't see his little princess crying so in the middle of night they traveled all the way to states when they came to the mansion that niko and bran are living with there kid david...sofia calmed down only after when she saw niko and niko always brag about how he is sofia fav and they ended up staying in states with nikobran for a week )

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Killian carson-Glyndon king carson

Meghan carson

Lewis carson

(Kill made sure that he will never ever do something like his father to his childrens ...he always made sure they both got his love and affection...one fathers day meghan did a handmade letter to kill to wish him fathers day and Killian carson cried so hard while hugging his daughter while meghan just pat him and tell him that he is the best)

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Crieghton king annika volkov king

Mattew king

Mattew likes boxing just like his dad...he always won in every match...mattew almost fought with everyone in thier family but he always make sure that he don't hurt them in serious way still he can't find why he can't fight with stella like he can with others....stella also love boxing and violence when bran asked her if she wants to learn ballerina like aunt annika ended up with she asked her uncle Criegh to teach her boxing hence bran wants her to do what she loves.....

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Eli king -ava nash king

Elizabeth king--isabelle king

Alacia king

(How everyone wants aiden to have a daughter but what if eli had daughters that too 3 daughters ....He will never ever have a chance to say no their one smile made him do everything they want...imagine having four girls in one household eli needs prayers and patience....)

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Remington Astor-Ariella nash Astor

Taylor ron astor

Rythm Astor

(Taylor ron astor the middle name ron was an honour to his father that how great and best he is....Rythm is exactly a never ever mess with girl, imagine being raised by grandma teal and mom ariella and getting queen treatment from her grandpa and dad and brother her standards are higher then the mountain bruhh)

🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Vaughan Morozov-Maya sokolav morozov

Nazya morozov

Nicholas morozov

Nazya is the most humblest and kindest girl in these log family ...that's why everyone around her will always be protective over her...think about hurting her and her uncle Niko will end you without any second thought ...

Nicholas morozov was named after Nikolai yes it is an gratefulness that maya felt towards her brother for everything he done for her ...for always being there for her even in worst time...That’s why she wants to give her son her brother name and in the naming ceremony everyone felt so happy and niko was so stunned and suprised he love his sister despite of everything happened)

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Kayden lockwood -Gareth carson

Hazel carson

(Hazel is adopted daughter .Gareth found her in an unexpected situation and can't let her suffer when she is just a month old ..he did take her to the heathens mansion where everyone is present for a party to celebrate kayden and gareth 's engagement....when he came while holding a baby., kayden rans towards him and asked him what happened? Gar just said i want to adopt her ...kayden just smiled and said ofc sweetheart but just tell me the whole matter please....ended up with adopting hazel and after 2 yrs they got married infront of hazel for that hazel just giggled and smiled at her parents she may not understand anything but she will be forever safe...)

Also Nikolai is everykids fav uncle because he is an absolute golden retriever... every kid like him to the core that one time when he was late to the gathering all the kids was sulking and gave him punishment to treat them icecream and need to spend the weekend with them in amusement park ..Niko ended up with booking whole amusement part for only them because he can't risk their safety......

Niko also appointed a huge number of bodyguards for his lotus flower since some years back bran was kidnapped...he will never forgive himself for being such careless though that was purely planned and done by the person that bran trust the most....

Okay there are some names which is inspired from some ffs of nikobran and that names really felt good so i really liked that names...THESE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE ....🦋💛 if you guys like just lemme know

[bloodyquillink-blog]

I loved your reader x logan story!!!! it made me NEED more lol. Would you be willing to possibly write one for logan x reader where they meet at heshs wedding. Logan is best man for hesh, and reader is heshs finance maid of honor. they get forced to pair up and hate each other but then fall in love by the end of the wedding planning.

If it’s super confusing that’s okay!!

A/N 🪶: I’m glad you enjoyed it! I noticed you said they meet at Hesh’s wedding but then said they fall in love by the end of the wedding planning which was sort of confusing so I made a few adjustments if that’s okay. I will say I struggled with this prompt a bit, but the challenge felt good! I'm gonna label this one an f!reader as I noticed you used her when explaining.

Warnings/Tags: Reader wears a dress, Reader is from east coast, very fluffy and sweet, Happy Ending, Spaceballs(1987) Reference, Features a couple oc!characters as reader’s friends, Logan used to tease reader for being short, Keegan and Kick get bitches

Word Count: 5.1K

Who Would’ve Thought? Logan Walker x f!reader

You step out of the cab and grab your luggage from the trunk of the black SUV, your friends following. As your group moves to the sidewalk so as to not obstruct traffic, Wanda shades her eyes from the bright sun and looks up at the giant hotel.

“Lena’s fiancé rented out this whole place?!” Wanda exclaims in disbelief.

“Actually, it was her fiancés captain. David wasn’t even asking him to, he just brought up that they wanted some place nice and spacious for everyone and then his captain took care of it all.” Shawn corrects.

“Aw, that’s nice of him. Looks like he spared no expense either, shit!” Mara laughs.

“Looks like we’ll also be with a bunch of soldiers too, so remember to be nice! I’m looking at you, Mara.” You point.

“If they don’t mess with me, or any of you for that matter, then I won’t mess with them. Might wanna tell David to warn them too!” Mara doesn’t even look at you when she speaks, you already knew the drill after having known her and the others for so many years.

A car screeches to a stop right next to you, the door opening as Kat, your best friend since high school, jumps out and runs over to you all screaming incoherently.

“EEE! My girls!!! My best girls!!!” She manages to wrap all of you in her arms and squeezes you so tight, you begin to question if you’ll even make it to the wedding without some kind of breathing tool. Her soon-to-be husband steps out as well.

“H-Hi, Dav-id!” You squeak as Lena’s hug gets even tighter. You and your –breathless– friends endure the pain of friendship while David gets their luggage. He chuckles as he walks over to you all.

“Honey, you’re killing your friends.” He says, jokingly… you think.

“10 more seconds!” Lena shouts. David looks at each of you, smiling.

“We’ll remember all of you well, what kinda of graves do you want?” He jokes. Lena finally lets go and playfully smacks David on his arm.

“Yeah yeah, can’t a girl be happy to see her best friends?” She looks over at all of you, still smiling as wide as ever. You, Mara, Wanda and Shawn are hunched over, gasping for air as quietly, and gratefully, as possible. You hold out one of your hands.

“Good to see you in person again.” you pant. David gives you a half-hug so as not to make breathing even harder for you.

“I think you realigned my chakra with that hug.” Wanda groans.

“Which one?” Mara asks. Wanda pauses for a moment, still panting.

“All of them?” She answers. David continues giving hugs before kissing Lena on her forehead and wrapping an arm around her waist. 

“I think that might just be your spine shifting back into place.” Shawn points.

“So, how was the flight over here? Nothing too bad, I hope.” David asks. You talk with them as you bring your luggage inside the hotel. All of you had a relatively quick and painless flight, ignoring your bag almost breaking open twice and Wanda needing to replace hers in the airport when it broke after the first layover. Mara and Shawn were all set and helped her pick out better suitcases. At one point, Mara offered to hold some of your things in her bag. It’s not that either of them traveled light, Shawn noted, they just packed more efficiently than you. You stuck your tongue out at her for that.

As you each receive your room keys, you hear the revolving door swirl. David looks over and waves to a small group of men, all dressed in mostly dark clothes despite the summer heat. One of them is absolutely huge with a beard, the next three are relatively similar in size and height, their eyes dark as they walked just a bit behind the older man. You recognize one of them but you can’t remember how. He holds your gaze until David begins introducing them.

“Ladies, I’d like you to meet my sweet old Captain.” He smiles as you all chuckle amongst yourselves. The man eyes David before shaking each of your hands.

“Call me Merrick. If you ever want to hear any stories about David, let me know. I suddenly have plenty to share.” Your group giggles as David deadpans and rolls his eyes before introducing the next man to come up.

“This is Keegan “The Smoothtalker” Russ, he and Merrick both worked with my dad a while back before the Federation. One of the most reliable men I know.” Keegan walks forward to shake your hands as well.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” his voice is even deeper than Merrick’s, “I hope I can make your night as well.” You notice he holds onto Mara’s hand a bit longer than everyone else’s, he stares directly into her eyes. Mara doesn’t shrink at all despite his intimidating aura.

“I’d like to see you try, tough guy.” She shoots back. Keegan smirks as he steps back into his original spot. Mara doesn’t usually flirt, but when she does, it’s honestly inspirational. 

David moves on to the next man, he bares some resemblance to David, actually. Wait…

“This is my brother, Logan, the first most reliable man I know.” He doesn’t say anything. Your friends offer a small wave, while you stare.

“Long time no see, Logan.” You say, smiling. He nods, smirk on his face, while David moves on. The next man is a little shorter than Keegan and Logan, but seems somewhat more approachable.

“This is Kick, the biggest nerd I know but another one of the most reliable men I know.” Kick rolls his eyes and steps forward to shake everyone’s hands.

“You may not know this but Hesh- er- David,” He corrects, “is unintentionally the funniest man I know.”

“Thanks, Kick–”

“I mean you should see him whenever he faceplants on the field after slipping, it’s like a cartoon. He gets up and it’s like he got a mud mask.” You all giggle as Kick walks back with his head high and David bites his lip as his ears turn pink.

“Don’t suppose you have pictures?” Shawn asks, Kick shakes his head but smiles.

“If I get any, I’ll send them to you right away.” David is gritting his teeth at this point.

“Okay, hun, do you wanna introduce your friends?” Lena brings her hands together, excited.

“Oh yeah! David and Logan already know her but,” She introduces you first. “She’s my best friend since high school! And this is Mara “The Baddie” Williams, and Wanda “The Mind Reader” Stevens and Shawn, who’s a nerd too! But it’s cool when she does it.”

“Interesting names. So, what qualifies you as a nerd?” Kick asks, amused.

“I did computer science and engineering in my first four years of college, then went back for my masters in computer science and I’m working on my doctoral, at the moment. I think she just calls me a nerd because I’m doing an ‘unnecessary amount of school’.” Shawn explains. Kick nods, appreciatively.

“What do you- you guys do?” Shawn seems nervous suddenly.

“I’m an IT specialist, so I also work with computers a lot.” Kick answers immediately. Shawn nods, smiling an awful lot more than usual.

“Cool, cool… and, uh, you guys?” 

“As Hesh pointed out, I am apparently a ‘sweet’ and ‘old’ Captain. My job is working with these assholes and others like them.”

“Jury’s still out on the ‘sweet’ part, but everything else, yeah. I’m one of the assholes he works with, sadly.” Keegan says with a straight face.

“Same thing for Logan and I, just a couple assholes trying to make the world a better place.”

“I knew it, I’m surrounded by assholes.” Shawna jokes. Wanda turns to her.

“Did you actually just make a Spaceballs reference? Right now?”

“It is a good movie.” Kick admits.

“See, he agrees with me so it must be correct.” Shawna and Wanda bicker about the film. Lena claps her hands to get everyone's attention.

“Okay, why don’t we get our keys and head to our rooms before dinner and we can relax a bit and explore the hotel.” She suggests. As she finishes, the rotating door slides as more soldiers enter and fill up the lobby, some passing by David and clapping him on the back.

“I gotta stay here to help everyone else get comfortable, but you guys go on ahead.” David and Lena share a quick kiss before she turns. She pulls out her key card and excitedly ran off and then ran back to grab her luggage and waved goodbye.

“It was nice to meet you all! See you at dinner!” With the weight of her luggage, it was more of a speed walk. You and the girls wave goodbye and follow her to the big elevator centered in the lobby. As you walk, you feel eyes on you. Once you get to the elevator and wait, you look around. It doesn’t take much to find out what’s wrong. You look back over towards David and see Logan staring in your direction. You hold his gaze for a moment and force yourself to wave at him. He just looks away, focusing on whatever David is talking about with his group.

You ignore the interaction (if you can even call it that) and join into the conversation your friends are having. Lena is explaining the schedule while Shawna corrects her.

“Okay, so! We have dinner at 6:30! It’s like noon right now-”

“It’s 1:30.”

“Same thing! So, I got a room for all of us to share so we can be roommates!”

“Like it’s college again!” Wanda interjects.

All of you file into the elevator and go to your shared room. There’s five beds spread out amongst the room. The bathroom includes a separate bath and shower with multiple baskets of travel size toiletries lined along the side of the bathtub. You all set down your luggage beside one of the beds and sit down on the soft mattress and plush covers, talking amongst yourselves while you clean up for dinner.

After a few hours, you head down to the hotel restaurant. There were many tables filled already by David’s military friends. Him, Logan and his friends you met earlier sit at one table amongst their peers while Lena leads you to a different table that’s within their view. Logan can easily just stare directly at you from his spot which is exactly what he’s doing. When you look at him, you see the smile on his face. You almost immediately feel the weight of possible insults he could throw at you. 

When you were younger, you knew the Walker boys when they attended the same middle school as you on the east coast since their family was moving around a lot at the time before going back to San Diego. While Logan was quiet then, he still managed to make silent jokes at your expense. He’d rest his elbow on your head or bend his knees or hunch over dramatically to highlight the height difference between you two at the time. One time, he saw a chihuahua being walked by its owner and pointed at it then pointed at you before patting your head and continuing to walk beside David, their longer strides made it hard for you to catch up.

None of those jokes seem to come from him now but it left an imprint at the time that was apparently enough to make you self-conscious in front of him these days. 

Maybe I should’ve worn heels, you thought. 

Whatever, it's too late now. Lena put her purse down in her chair.

“I’ll be right back!” and she scurried off to see David. Their happiness is worth it. You can get through the dinner. You and your friends take a look at the menu. Before long, everyone’s ordering and drinking together. Lena’s since returned from the other table and excitedly talks about the hotel. “It’s so nice, I can’t wait to explore it with all of you. I think I heard they have an arcade room somewhere.” As everyone talks, your phone buzzes.

Unknown Number: Can you tell Lena I said thank you for giving me your number?

Who the fu-

You look up at Logan again. That same damn smile on his face, phone in hand. His smile looks so damn genuine but you can’t help but feel like it’s fake. You look at Lena.

“You gave him my number?!” You whisper yell.

“Oh yeah! He asked me for it and I thought ‘Why not’, so now you guys can catch up a bit while everything’s going on.”

As much as you want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her silly, you can’t. She was trying to be nice and this was something for you to take up with him yourself, like an adult. You exhale through your nose and show her the text.

“He wanted me to say thanks.” You chuckle. You refuse to ruin her mood in any way on the week of her wedding, especially if she’s done nothing wrong. She smiles and turns to look at Logan, bringing two thumbs up which he returns. You bite your tongue and type in his name for the contact before typing more.

You: It’s rude to text during dinner

Logan Walker: Tell that to Kick and your friend.

With wrinkled brows, you look up at your table and see Shawn typing which is strange because Shawn’s the one who reminds everyone of table etiquette. You look between Kick and Shawn, remembering their interaction earlier. Oh?

“Shawn, what happened to your table manners?” You ask, trying not to smile. She looks up with wide eyes, suddenly shy again.

“Oh! Sorry, I, um…” Her phone buzzes. Lena finished sipping her wine.

“Guilty, I may or may not have given Kick her number too!” Lena chimes in.

“It’s been like 5 minutes and you’re already forgetting table manners? Okay, Shawn, I see you.” Shawn flushes at your comment and finishes a quick text before putting her phone away, smiling at Kick who sees her and smiles back.

“Done now! So, what were we talking about?” Shawn’s face is still red as she attempts to shift the conversation. As Mara and Wanda poke and prod, your phone vibrates.

Logan Walker: Since it’s so rude, I’ll text you after dinner.

You: Much appreciated

Logan Walker: But before I do, I just wanted to say you look nice tonight.

You: I feel a joke coming on

Logan Walker: A joke?

You: Nevermind

You shove your phone in your bag and get back to the conversation at hand. Not too long after, dinner is served. You share laughs and drinks, as well as small bites of your gourmet meals. Afterwards, dessert is served. You can’t tell which course you enjoyed more but both taste like heaven.

When the night is over, everyone heads back to their rooms, aside from Lena and David who spend some time together away from their “roommates”. You sit in bed, showered and ready to sleep when you remember the texts. You pick up your phone and read.

Logan Walker: So what did you mean by joke?

You: You remember in middle school when you’d always make fun of my height

Logan Walker: Oh.

The hell does “Oh.” mean?

Logan Walker: And you thought I was gonna make fun of you tonight?

You: I was expecting it yeah

Logan Walker: I meant what I said earlier.

Logan Walker: I didn’t realize I bothered you so much back then.

You wait a few seconds, seeing three dots appear and disappear a couple times.

Logan Walker: I’m sorry.

He’s apologizing? You debate your response in your head.

You: Thanks

Logan Walker: I’ll let you be, it’s late. I’ll see you at brunch tomorrow.

Logan Walker: Don’t be late.

You: I am never late

Logan Walker: You were late to dinner.

You: I was right on time!

Logan Walker: In the military, if you aren’t early, you’re late.

You: The bride decides the time of arrival

Logan Walker: You made that up.

You: You’re applying a military “rule” to civilians

Logan doesn’t respond for a few seconds. You don’t see any dots.

You: I got you there

You: Goodnight mr sergeant walker sir

You immediately put down your phone smiling to yourself as though you just broke a rule in an elementary school class on purpose and feel that little rush of doing something “bad”. If your friends weren’t sleeping, you’d probably be giggling or some shit like a damn schoolgirl. As you roll over on your side, ready to sleep, you realize something. Logan Walker made you smile. You go to bed feeling warm and fuzzy.

You wake up the next morning to Lena shaking you awake before she moves on to the others. You collectively get ready and head out by 10:30 for brunch. Before the doors open, you swear you can already smell the food. You eat in the same restaurant area of the hotel as you did last night. While the tables remain in the same spots, the room has brought in more tables, all divided into sections where chefs make and serve food. You can even see the spice racks hanging on the walls that must’ve been moved in here. As everyone moves throughout the room, you sit down with Mara and Wanda. Lena joins not too long after.

“Where’s Shawn?” She asks. Mara looks around and points, smiling. Shawn is walking around beside Kick as they talk, almost looking excited. Kick intently listens and you notice whenever he finishes talking, Shawn’s smile gets a little wider. Wanda pulls out her phone and sends a quick text before eying Shawn carefully. Shawn pulls her phone out, Kick waiting patiently. Suddenly, she looks up at your table of smirks and turns back to Kick giggling, her face already red. After a minute more of talking, they go their separate ways. You see Kick sit beside Logan and he makes a comment that has Kick rolling his eyes. Logan’s eyes turn to you and he smiles. This time you smile back at him and get to eating.

The next couple days are a blur. You and your friends explore inside and outside the hotel, hanging out in mud baths at the spa with some other ladies, and you think you see a couple men too, from the military getting massages. As much as you want one as well, they probably need it more if the content groaning you hear says anything. You’re all sure to say thank you before heading out for shopping. You already brought your bridesmaid dress, but you see a pale blue dress with flowy sleeves that you must have. You notice Mara, Shawn and Wanda have matching dresses tailored to their style and body, their dresses are nearly at the floor and the sleeves go to their wrists whereas yours stops before your elbows and the hem is a little above your ankles. They all wear a variety of darker shades of blue while yours is noticeably more pastel than theirs.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you already picked out dresses! Do they have more of those?” Lena grabs you by the shoulders, a firm grip.

“You won’t be needing to match them! In fact, it’s good you won’t.” She has another excited look on her face. Before you can ask her what wicked thing she has planned, she spreads her arms out in front of you.

“You’re my maid of honor!” Your mouth drops open. You look at the others who are all smiling almost as wide as her.

“You little shits, did you plan this?!” You know the answer and they all confirm with a nod and you squeal, giving Lena a bear hug. Both of you practically fighting to crush the other in your arms, but lovingly so. Eventually, everyone joins in.

After more shopping and spending time with your girls, you text Logan to let him know you were all heading back. The wedding was tomorrow and your favorite love birds, David and Lena, already had arrangements to make sure they didn’t see each other at least 24 hours before the wedding.

Logan Walker: Don’t worry, we have him locked in the bathroom.

You: Will that hold him?

Logan Walker: No, but this is what we’re trained for.

You: You’re trained to hold your brother in a bathroom?

Logan Walker: The army prepares us for everything.

You felt bold tonight.

You: What else are you prepared for?

Logan Walker: Can’t say, surprise attacks only work when no one expects them.

You: Are you gonna attack me?

Logan Walker: Maybe. Probably.

Logan Walker: Only if you give me a reason to.

You: Yeah ok soldier boy

You suddenly feel like you’re in trouble.

You: I’m sorry

Logan Walker: You’re in room 345, right?

You: …no

Logan Walker: You have 5 seconds to tell me the truth.

You: IM SORRY

Logan Walker: 4

You: IM INNOCENT

Logan Walker: 3

You: LOGAN NO

Logan Walker: 2

You: OKAY FINE

You: YES

You: SHIT

You: Fuckin interrogating me

Logan Walker: It’s my job.

You: Is it tho?

Logan Walker: When necessary.

You: Yeah that’s not ominous at all

You: Wedding’s tomorrow

Logan Walker: Oh, is it? I didn’t know that.

You: Yeah okay stupid comment

Logan Walker: Happens to the best of us.

You: So you admit I’m the best?

There’s a pause.

Logan Walker: Goodnight.

You: Thats a yes!

You: Im calling it a yes!

You: Im the best!

You see he’s reading your texts but not answering and decide to stop.

You: Goodnight

Before you can put your phone down, it vibrates.

Logan Walker: I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.

And the conversation ends there.

Finally, the morning comes and Lena can’t sit still. After having to text back and forth with Logan about moving through the hotel so the couple doesn’t see one another, everyone heads out. You make it safely to the bride’s dressing room with everything you need. The hair stylist and makeup artist are already there and greet you inside. Lena’s mom has also joined to help her with the dress. Before you and the bridesmaids start getting ready, you take turns going out in casual clothes to get small snacks and water for everyone. You talk about the schedule of the day and occasionally past weddings you’ve attended.

Sometimes, Lena’s mom chimes in about her wedding, and the disaster it almost became multiple times the day of. From the makeup artist getting food poisoning when only half her face was done, the marriage officiant came in with crutches and a limp, the cake was almost destroyed when it was left somewhere in the hotel and no one knew where (keeping in mind the hotel you’re in is smaller than the even fancier hotel her mom was married in.). 

As time continued going on and you all got yourselves together, it was time. Lena’s beautiful in her long white dress and veil that framed her face. Mara, Shawn and Wanda look amazing in their darker hues. Lena’s mom’s trying not to cry. And you felt pretty. Not even pretty, shit, you felt gorgeous. After thanking the makeup artist and hair stylist, you head out.

Lena and her mom walk arm in arm, David is biting his lip as he fails to contain a wide smile. You’re sure you can see tears in his eyes. You and Shawn and Mara and Wanda walk in pairs behind Lena. As Lena stands across from David, you stand on the far left side of the front with Mara, Shawn and Wanda standing to your right. You look across the way at the groomsmen. At Logan. Where your dress is lighter than the bridesmaids, his suit is lighter than his fellow groomsmen. The groomsmens suits are dull in comparison to the bridesmaids. Everyone still looks great and matches wonderfully. Logan looks so handsome. The entire time, you guys eye each other when the other looks away. Lena is crying and David is trying to hold back his tears, both still smiling at one another.

The vows and kiss are what break David, even with tears he continues smiling at his bride while everyone claps. Logan’s smiles and all of the groomsmen crowd around him as the photographer stands in the middle of the aisle. Then you, the bridesmaids and Lena take a photo as well. You spend almost another hour taking photos of everyone together in the venue before the afterparty ceremony begins. The toast and dinner seems to bring everyone even closer, you find yourself talking with a few other soldiers. Afterwards, at the cake cutting, Lena and David hold the knife together and pick out a slice. Lena swipes her finger against the knife, picking up the leftover frosting, before lightly pressing her finger onto the tip of David’s nose. He stares at her for a second before squishing his nose onto her cheek, returning the frosting.  The interaction is held onto by the photographer taking pictures of the moment.

A few minutes later, David and Lena come up to you.

“So, how do you like dancing?” She asks.

“... You’re planning something again, aren’t you?” You respond, all too aware of her tendencies.

“Oh, no.”

“You’re not?”

“No. It was already planned.”

“What was planned?”

“So, the best man and maid of honor are expected to be paired for the dancing.” She’s smiling as though something mischievous has happened.

“So…” Logan appears before you can ask anything. 

“Logan’s my best man. Lena was telling me about her plans for the bridesmaids dresses, so I did the same for the groomsmens suits.” David explains. Your face feels warm.

“W-Well, I’m ready when you guys are. Just, uh, say the word.”

“The word is now!” The music immediately changes to something soft and sweet. David and Lena move to the middle of the room. You and Logan stand on the opposite side of the floor to the tables. You back at Logan and do a double take when you see Kick and Shawn on the other side of Lena and David. You smile at her, her face is more red than ever. You think you see the redness goes all the way to her hands, of which Kick holds tenderly. Kick looks over and smiles at the both of you. You look back to Logan and think about the whole situation. Your best friend is getting married, your other friend apparently has a love interest, and you have some kind of maybe love interest person, kind of, possibly (good lord, even your thoughts are flustered). You see Shawn pointing towards the tables and Kick chuckles. You look over and your jaw drops.

Just off to the side of the tables, away from the dance floor, Mara leans against Keegan while he has his hands around her waist. He rests his chin on her head while she covers her face in her hands, giggling. Were all of you reduced to fits of giggles because of military men? Apparently so. As all of you chuckle to yourselves, you look at Logan. He’s smirking at you, his cheeks are a little pink.

“Hi…” You whisper, staring into his eyes.

“Hi.” He whispers back, staring back at you. 

“I’m glad I saw you again, Logan.”

“Me too.” He pauses for a moment. “You still on the east coast?”

“Yeah, yeah. Never really left. It’s just my place, I guess.”

“Everyone has their place in the world.”

“I guess they do, yeah.”

“Would you mind if, after all of this, I visited?” You blink, a smile slowly creeps onto your face.

“I’d like it if you did.” Logan smiles wide and attempts to keep his cool. The flow of the conversation is interrupted by Wanda sauntering over.

“Hehe, hi guys.” Her words are almost slurred.

“Wanda, how much have you had tonight?” She pauses a moment, thinking.

“Um, I think, like, maybe a couple?”

“A couple?” You and Logan have stopped moving at this point, but your hand is still in his and his other hand remains on your hip. You’re both smiling to yourselves.

“Yeah, hehe.” Merrick walks up behind her. “Oh, hi, Captain sir!” He silently brings his arms around her stomach and lifts her just enough to get her feet off the floor, allowing him to walk away while Wanda continues her drunken giggling. You watch as he sets her down and instructs her to sit in a chair, before moving all alcoholic drinks away. She pouts looking at the cup of water that just so happens to be in front of her. You start laughing, trying to be silent so as to not draw attention away from Lena, but your fit has you putting your forehead on Logan’s chest. You feel him rumbling from his chuckles. You look back up and catch Lena laughing and directing Logan to a Merrick, who’s smirking down at the still pouting Wanda. Everyone’s happy tonight it seems. Even as the party dies down, it stays that way. Full of happiness.

~A couple months later~

You walk to your front door after hearing a firm couple of knocks. You look through the peephole and smile to yourself, heart pulsing. Opening the door, you see the man you’ve been waiting for. Logan grins, moving forward to pull you into a tight hug. His arms are always so warm, you’ve noticed.

“I missed you so much, what took so long?” You ask.

“A nearly canceled flight, traffic, there’s more if you wanna hear about it.” He answers, grabbing his luggage and bringing it in. 

“Tell me everything! I’m still making dinner.” You spend the next thirty or so minutes cooking and talking, Logan talks and tastes the food intermittently. His vacation consists of exploring your town and attending special events throughout his time here. You catch up on your lives, or as much as he can tell you about. Originally, it was supposed to be two weeks of staying at your home. This changed to three, then four, and so on until Logan ended up changing his address  and bringing in boxes. While he still has to leave for months at a time every once in a while, it makes seeing him worth it.

Then the day comes when he’s home for good. He stays in the state with a new job. You learn to lose the fear of losing him with every night you spend in one another's arms. Years later, you’re having your own wedding with him. Your friends wear similar bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen suits to remind yourselves of the event that led to this… the happiest moment of your life.

I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you for your request. I will add this to my CoD Stories series on Ao3 @ RiversSong82

[fandomsnstuff]

This is for Julia

Babe wake up it's @thecandlenightszone posting time

My giftee was @peterofthedrakes who requested the balance crew celebrating candlenights in the most chaotic way possible. I really like this piece, so I hope you do too!

Summary:

Magnus doesnt understand why his friends want to spend candlenights killing some guy, but he's happy to come along for the ride.

Read on AO3

“So, not that I’m against killing a bad guy,” Magnus says, sitting on Taako’s couch as Lup goes to town on his face with an old makeup palette, “but why are we doing this again?”

“He’s- stop squinting,” he relaxes his face and the brush comes back, “he’s on the naughty list,” Lup says.

“Then shouldn’t he just get coal?”

“I’m ushering in a new age of Santa,” Merle says, standing on the couch triumphantly, “we’re gonna make an example of shitty ol’ Kalen!”

Magnus frowns at the strange tingle in his chest. “Kalen?”

Taako shoves Merle off the couch and sits down. “In my humble opinion, old Santa was too soft on the naughty. Coal is a great gift, it keeps you warm.”

“So we’re executing the entire naughty list?”

“Not the whole list, just the naughtiest of the naughty.”

“Can we please stop saying naughty?” Davenport says from somewhere nearby.

“Oh, Dav, you should know better than to say that,” Lucretia says, as a chant of “naughty naughty naughty” fills the room.

“One more question,” Magnus says when the chant dies and Lup steps away, releasing him from her makeover clutches. “Why,” he waves a hand in front of his done-up face, “this?”

“Same reason you have to wear sleeves,” she says, “it’s a stuck up rich people party.”

He blows a raspberry and says, “boo, lame, I want out.”

“They have finger foods,” Barry says.

Magnus cheers, “and I’m back in!”

They approach the party as separate groups. Barry and the twins, then the two old geezers, followed lastly by Magnus with Lucretia on his arm. She flashes an invite to the doorman, and they stride right in. The place is full of people, all dressed to the nines. Waiters in suits walk around with their trays of tiny food and champagne flutes. A band is tucked away in a corner, playing a medley of classical music and Candlenights carols. Magnus spots the rest of his friends further into the fray. With a clever combination of makeup and magic, no one pays the seven of them any mind. Tonight, they aren’t the saviours of the universe, they’re just some rando rich folk at this fancy party.

“So,” Magnus leans in closer to Lucretia, “what’s the plan? Get in here and fuck shit up? Cause if so, step one accomplished, time for step two.”

Lucretia laughs and squeezes his arm. “Hold your horses there, big guy. We’re biding our time for a little while. Lup came up with this whole scheme to get him alone and cornered, then we can fuck his shit all the way up.”

“Fuck yeah.” He looks around, “so where is our esteemed host for the evening? We should say hello.”

A strange look crosses Lucretia’s face, but before she can answer him, the music changes. At the top of the grand staircase a tall, bald man with a short grey beard appears. “Friends,” he says loudly, throwing his arms out, “colleagues, plus ones, welcome to my annual Candlenights party. Please indulge yourselves in the food and wine, they weren’t cheap and we wouldn’t want it to go to waste!” He puts a hand to the side of his mouth in a mock-whisper, “meaning we wouldn’t want any staff to be stealing it for themselves!”

The crowd laughs and Magnus frowns. “This guy sucks,” he mutters. Something that he can’t quite name bubbles in his chest as this man speaks to the crowd. Lucretia squeezes his arm again and leans into his side. It comforts him some, allowing the unpleasant feelings inside him to calm to a simmer.

The party carries on boringly. Magnus snacks on whatever food comes his way as the waiters wander through the crowd. He keeps an eye on their host- what was his name again? It doesn’t matter, Magnus hates the guy. Every time he looks at him, he just wants to punch something. Preferably that guy’s face. He spots Lup talking to him a few times, Taako and Barry pretending not to watch from the other end of the room. At one point, he sees her laugh exaggeratedly and playfully hit their host on the chest, which then morphs to her very obviously commenting on his muscles. Magnus doesn’t even need to hear her to know that’s what she’s doing, it’s a move she’s used plenty of times to convince dumb men to do things for her.

“Is her plan to flirt him into a corner so we can kill him?”

Lucretia glances at Lup across the room and sips her champagne, “I guess so. But she seemed really excited about her plan, there has to be more. She’s played the plain flirting angle before.”

He nods. Lup finishes schmoozing with the host, and makes a smooth exit. “She’s walking away,” he looks away from her and back to Lucretia, “I wonder what she’s planning.”

Lucretia smiles and pops a mini bruschetta into her mouth, “you never know with Lup.”

Then a shriek rings out through the entire room. Magnus turns just in time to see Lup grab a champagne flute in each hand and throw them both over Barry. He’s sure she must’ve used magic to produce more for the sake of the show, because Barry gets way more soaked than what’s in two glasses of champagne. She runs out of the room with her head in her hands, Barry and Taako hot on her tail saying something about “it’s not what it looks like!”

The host, freshly buttered up, grins in such a smug way that it makes Magnus despise him even more, and follows the commotion.

Lucretia tugs on his arm and says, “I think that’s our cue.”

Magnus nods and lets Lucretia walk him through the crowd. They take a meandering path towards the door, trying not to look like they’re following the drama on purpose. They get out into the empty foyer and look around, trying to figure out which way to go. A not-so-inconspicuous “psst!” comes from above them. They look up, and Davenport stands near the top of the stairs, peeking through the bannister. He stage-whispers, “up here!”

They take the steps two at a time, and follow Davenport down the hall. Lup and Barry are standing outside a door and wave them over. Lup pulls a wipe out of her clutch and starts cleaning away the makeup on Magnus’s face. He sputters a little in surprise, “what are you doing?”

She puts the wipe away and says, “I just think you should take this one au naturale.” She pats him on the shoulder, "get in there, Maggie."

“Aren’t you guys coming?”

“Taako and Merle are already in there,” Barry says. “As much as the guy sucks, seven against one is a little too unfair for my taste. We figured we’d let tres horny boys handle this one.”

Magnus quirks an eyebrow and considers his friends for a moment, the silence only broken by muffled grunts of pain and effort through the closed door. He shrugs, “alright, let me at ‘im!”

“Atta boy,” Davenport says, patting him on the hip.

He opens the door and walks into a fancy study, trashed slightly with the evidence of a short battle. Papers and books are scattered across the floor, the desk has been swiped clean, a side table has been knocked over and the lamp that was supposedly on it is shattered. The host is sitting on the floor, backed up against the desk. His nose is bleeding, and his fancy tux is torn and smouldering. Taako and Merle stand over him, the smoke of recent magic still curling off their hands. They turn when they hear the door open, and Taako smiles. “There you are! Just in time to finish him off.”

“Really? Already?”

“Yeah, this guy ain’t as beefy as we thought.”

“And we already got our hits in, it’s your turn,” Merle says.

“You!” The three of them look at the bloodied host. His eyes are wide as he looks at Magnus. “It’s- it’s you!”

“Yep!” Magnus puts his hands on his hips. “It’s me, Magnus Burnsides!” He cracks his knuckles and advances on him, “and you’ve been a very naughty boy.”

“Oh, wait,” Taako puts a hand on his chest to stop him, “just wait a sec, Mags, I’ve got one more thing I need to do.”

Magnus gestures for Taako to go ahead. He turns back to the host and leans in. He grabs him by his lapels and jerks him up so Taako’s right in his face. He says something that Magnus can’t quite hear, then drops him back to the ground unceremoniously. Taako dusts off his hands and says, “now he’s all yours. Come on, old man.”

Merle follows him out, leaving Magnus alone with the host. He advances, and the host shuffles further back against the desk. “Magnus,” he says, “come on now, you don’t have to do this. We can talk this out. I didn’t- you know I didn’t want to do it, it was a matter of pride. You have to know a thing or two about that, don’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says. He flexes and hears several seams in his shirt and jacket tear. “I’m just an elf following orders.”

“What?”

“Ho ho ho motherfucker.”

A short time later, Magnus reemerges to his friends waiting in the hallway. They all look at him expectantly. He gives a thumbs up and says, “naughty boy has been taken out.”

“How do you feel?” Merle asks.

Magnus shrugs. “Fine? It’s just another bad guy. Just looking at him I could tell he sucked.” He looks around at all of them, “so what now?”

Lup grins. “Phase two.”

“What’s phase two?”

Lucretia links their arms together. “You’ll see. Come on, let’s go back to the party.”

Back down in the crowd, Magnus shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. “What are we still doing here?” He whispers. “We killed the guy, let’s go home.”

“Just wait,” Lucretia whispers back. “Look,” she nods towards the door, “Barry, Dav, and Taako just came back. We’re almost done.”

“What about-”

His question gets cut off by a puff of smoke in the middle of the room. As it wafts out and dissipates, he’s assaulted by the smell of peppermint. When the minty cloud is gone, Merle, in full Santa regalia, stands in the centre of the crowd. He addresses them loudly, “rich people of Faerun! I am Santa Claus, and I am here to tell you that you must change your ways! All of you were at the bottom of the naughty list! Your greed and bigotry have poisoned you! You must change! If you don’t, you’ll end up dying! Brutally! Like this evening’s host!” A murmur goes through the crowd.

“He’s good,” Magnus says. Lucretia snickers.

“If you don’t believe me,” Merle continues, “just go look in the study! But I must warn you, Santa doesn’t hold back.” He raises his hands to the sky and cries, “change your ways! If not for others, for yourselves! Pay your staff well! Help the poor! Don’t take over cities with your money! This is your only warning!”

He disappears in another puff of peppermint smoke, and the silence hangs for a moment. Then there’s a scream, and Lup comes running in. She cries, “he’s dead! In the study! Dead!”

The crowd starts bustling in every direction. Some run out and up the stairs towards the study, others start throwing money at stunned waiters, and some just run out of the manor itself, screaming.

Magnus and Lucretia manage to stick together through the commotion, but it proves impossible to meet up with their friends until they’re outside and away from the manor. “Well,” Magnus says, “that was certainly dramatic.”

“What can I say,” Lup says, “I love some good drama. It was a Candlenights gift to myself.”

Barry pulls a bottle of champagne out of nowhere and holds it out. “Mags, would you do the honours?”

“Would I?!”

He takes the bottle and opens it, exclaiming happily when it pops. He pours it into the seven glasses Barry also pulls out of nowhere, and Taako holds his up, the rest of them following suit. He says, “to us, to Candlenights, to killing that son of a bitch,” he raises his glass in Magnus’s direction, “and to you, my man. Joyous Candlenights.”

He smiles, “Joyous Candlenights, old friend.”

They all clink their glasses together and drink to a job well done and a promise fulfilled.

[quitefair]

All the questions for the dragon age reblog

astagah bro susah ni..... (tak susah pun you know me too well huhu.... thanks for asking!!!!)

gonna have to keep track of what ive not already answered. also half of this is going under a cut because as always, it got too fuckin long.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

I need to go back into the Keep and take a look. There's some stuff even within Tashak's canon run that I think I need to tweak.

Main plot

Denies being chosen by Andraste

Recruits mages as allies

Grey Wardens recruited as allies, rebuilt

Stroud left behind in the Fade

Alliance between Celene, Briala and Gaspard

Morrigan drank from the Well of Sorrows

(Softened) Leliana as Divine

Shared the truth about Ameridan and the first Inquisition with the world

Vowed to stop Solas at all costs

Companions

Blackwall becomes a Grey Warden

Saved the Chargers, Bull is Tal Vashoth

Cassandra didn't rebuild the Seekers

Cole becomes more spirit

Sera kills Harmond on her own

Varric tracks down the source of the red lyrium

Dorian did not reconcile with his father

Helped Vivienne with the Snowy Wyvern (people that don't do this, we can't fuckin be friends)

Helped Solas with his friend

Advisors

Softened Leliana

Cullen stopped taking lyrium

Du Paraquettes elevated to nobility

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

I've been talking a bit about her in the previous asks, but I have a somewhat vague idea rotating in my mind. Don't want to commit too much until I've played the game though.

(Those that want to peruse her tag, it's here.)

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

I'm going to be real with you guys. If I had it my way, I don't want any of the previous characters to be in DA4. I've been scarred too many times with Bioware fucking up their characters in subsequent media.

What I'm trying to say is, keep your hands off Fenris or I'll come to your offices and kill every single one of you.

Then again, having said that. Maevaris Tilani, the woman you are. The moment she appears on my screen I'm going to need a defibrillator.

10. Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

Antiva. Bioware, please. I need to see. Antiva. Rivain too but I have too much of an emotional attachment to the Antiva in my head.

12. What’s one thing you’re hoping we DON’T see in this next game?

As mentioned above, characters from previous games that are written badly. I don't want it. I don't need it. Let me play and be at peace.

13. What’s one thing you’ve seen confirmed so far that you’re a fan of?

The Veil Jumpers. God. I can't stop thinking about them, I need to know EVERYTHING about them. Veil magic, Rift magic, the science of the push and pull between Thedas and the Fade, separated only by a thin sheen of fabric. I'm going insane.

14. What’s one thing you’ve seen confirmed so far that you’re NOT a fan of?

At first glance, the combat and the interface really reminds me of a combination of God of War (2018) and the newer Assassins Creed games. And... I don't like that at all. As much as I adore GoW 2018, I want Dragon Age to be it's own thing. Yes yes you could say games can be inspired by other games, but I know for a fact that development of this game has been a nightmare, and shit has had to change last minute. God of War 2018 has been referenced as a game that made EA execs change the direction of what this game would've been, alongside Jedi Fallen Order.

We don't need another Soulsborne Action Adventure game. We need another Dragon Age. And this... really doesn't feel like a Dragon Age game so far.

15. Do you have any unpopular opinions about DAV so far?

Kinda answered in 14. I've refused to look at anything after I saw the gameplay reveal. I didn't think I was going to be as excited for this as I am. I didn't think I would have as visceral a reaction as I did to the character reveal trailer. The loredrops have been So Fucking Interesting. The characters are driving me insane. All of this already feels like the Dragon Age I know and love, and I don't want anything to spoil that for me until I can get my grubby little paws on the actual game.

I'll reserve my judgements and griping (oh there will definitely be griping) for then, my friends.

20. Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[girlbob-boypants]

2, 4, 7, 12, 20 for the DA meme!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ☝️🤓

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

I have. Such a soft spot for DAI. I know it's because it was my intro into the series. I also have a big defensive spot for sequels that didn't get the production time they deserved so get behind me DA2.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Passing on this for now sorry asdfkj.

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

Answered

12. What's one four thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game?

Cullen. Uh. Insane takes about how the elves deserve oppression in the modern era because of the evanuris. More "the Maker is so special compared to other Gods" shit. Templars being given more empathy than mages. Solas being given an actual redemption after how many people died just on the walk TO his ritual lmfao. He's gotta go live in the woods and be sad forever if the Solavellans don't kill him.

20. Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[lexdrabbles]

Fire, rot, and other fun meet-cute ideas (The long overdue blupjeans ficlet!)

2. "Hey I know you’re pretty busy but would you like to defeat the invading aliens with me please answer quickly things are kind of time-sensitive" (from prompts for fun and profit).

@tentatively-positive-3 sorry for the wait!

(CW for main character death. Like in the first sentence. It's not permanent though!)

-

Taako went down, and man, Lup did not think she would ever get used to seeing her brother die before her eyes.

For a couple of cycles now, the crew had established a kind of rigid tier list of emergency security personnel to deal with any sort of threat ranging from wild animals getting into the ship (something mainly Magnus dealt with) to fighting off the Hunger. The twins were first on that list —Lup was first, really, something she would take any chance to lord over Taako—, and most times they were able to fend by themselves just fine.

This time around, when Magnus dropped, Taako had gotten Merle for backup— and now, Lup had seen a crossbow bolt go clean through them both. Merle seemed to get the brunt of it; he fell immediately to the ground, unmoving. The bolt had pierced his chest in a straight line with Taako's lower thorax.

"Fat load of help there, Highchurch," Taako muttered, pained, and coughed out a mouthful of blood as he forced one last magic missile out of his wand. Despite his state, all three bolts hit and each destroyed tarry black forms. Lup ran to his side and cast a glowing shield over the group just in time to block a streak of black fire hurtling toward all of them. She held it up with nothing but her brazen staff and kneeled down next to her skewered brother.

"Show-off" she chuckled quietly, but couldn't help some tears rolling down her face. She brushed some hair out of Taako's face.

"You know I gotta" he managed a quick smile. He looked so pale…"Hey, you gotta get someone else out here. Let Dav know to get the ship running and buy us some time".

"I know what to do, goofus." She held his hand and squeezed lightly. "Just… be okay?"

"See you on the other side," another weak cough and a chuckle, "that's a threat." His chest rose and fell and didn't rise again. Lup let go of his hand and dried her tears.

"You better."

She ran full speed ahead back to the Starblaster, dodging and blocking and flinching at attacks that came too close for comfort. When she made it, the engine was on and what was left of the crew was already packing up to leave. She intercepted Barry carrying a packed up case of field lab equipment into the ship.

"Hey, Barold" Lup's words came out half speech, half pant; she was out of breath. Her hair was flying all around her face, out of her ponytail, and it had somehow gotten even darker and windier in the span of two whole minutes.

"Hi, is everything okay back there? we'll just be maybe another 5 minutes before takeoff, securing cargo and whatn—".

"Cool, yeah, hey, I know you’re pretty busy but would you like to defeat the invading aliens with me- please answer quickly, things are kind of time-sensitive."

"Wh- me? No, hold on, I'm not qualified for security work! That's why—"

"Yeah, no, no, super cool that you're self-aware but Taako and Merle just fucking died, so that's kind of the sitch currently."

He seemed taken aback by that. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry."

"No time to be sorry, will you grab a wand or something and come help me fight these things? Again, kind of on a tight schedule here, bud."

Barry seemed on the verge of a panic attack: his face was bright red and he kept looking from the ship back to her and back to the ship again. She swore she could see steam rising up from his head. "Yeah okay, yeah I'll- I just don't- I should probably-".

At that moment, Lucretia ran out, clearly in a rush to get the last of the cargo on board. Lup hollered at her.

"Lucretia! Hi! Can you finish up here and be in the air in 10? We'll buy you some extra time to take off!"

Lucretia made a face that fell somewhere between shock, fear, confusion and relief. She looked at Lup, then at Barry, then back at Lup again. She blinked and shook her head as if to snap herself out of it.

“Y-yeah, sure, of course! The engine could use the additional time to rev up”.

“Great. Thanks, Creesh! Barry, let’s go. Pick us up at the arcane field when you’re up!”. She grabbed him by the hand and started running without stopping to let him pick up the pace. His hand was sweatier and warmer by the second, but in a couple of minutes they encountered the Hunger’s army, gaining ground at an off-putting pace.

Lup readied her staff once again. “You think you got what it takes, specs?”

Barry gulped and nodded helplessly, the look on his face screaming No. But he drew a wand from his robe pocket nonetheless.

“Great”. She shot three rapid fire bolts behind her and could tell by Barry’s wide-eyed gape she had hit bullseye. “Let’s buy the Starblaster those extra five minutes”.

They adapted to each other surprisingly quickly; Lup being used to being the offense to a more defensive partner, and Barry being more than comfortable dishing out shields and bolstering her attacks. A couple of minutes went by surprisingly quickly as she took out shadow after shadow, but the tarry forms were endless and seemed to be coming at her faster and faster. One or two came almost too close for comfort before being obliterated in blasts that Lup could barely keep from hitting herself. 

When a figure came into her line of sight out of nowhere, straight up in her space, she barely had time to react and brace for the worst when she saw a brilliant surge of green arcane energy shoot out from behind her. When it hit the black mass, it festered and melted away from the strike wound outward until it had fully disintegrated before her eyes.

She almost froze in surprise, but instead kicked her foot into the ground and raised a wall of fire that expanded like a shock wave between them and their attackers 

“Dude!” She turned back to face Barry; fire in her eyes, excitement and hope pumping through her bloodstream. “I didn’t know those things could rot!”

Barry met her gaze and smiled; his face was tinted a deep shade of red, but the intensity in his expression mirrored her own.

“I  didn’t know they could burn!” He was staring at her like she had just single-handedly wiped out the Hunger. “You know, maybe you should have brought that one out earlier.” He chuckled at her. Chuckled.

Lup rolled her eyes, somehow both delighted and impressed by this absolute nerd.

When they locked eyes again, it felt like time had stopped and allowed them to become a single, refined unit. The Hunger approached them in what now felt like slow motion; fear was no longer anywhere to be found within either of them.

They both nodded in assured mutual understanding, resumed their fighting stances, and got back to work.

[greensleeves-redhead]

“Is everyone okay?” Jack asked his fellow newsies.

The boys nodded.

The day had started out like any other, but one of Delancey’s goons had pushed Crutchie on his paper route, which caused a fight to break out. It lasted a good minute, with everyone getting a few punches in, and only ended when the boys were threatened with the cops as no one wanted to be taken to the refuge.

Jack looked each member of the group up and down, saying their names to himself to make a mental note that they were actually alright. When he got to the last boy, he paused. Davey. He was smiling as he always did, but his eyes were dark and pained and he was clutching his right side.

“What’s the matter, Davey?” Jack asked, noticing he was also struggling to stand. “Jack, I…” Davey muttered, falling forward.

Jack caught him as he fell and situated himself so that Davey was lying comfortably in his lap. He removed the hand holding his side with little resistance and peeled open his vest. His eyes widened and he gasped; a large red stain was spreading quickly across Davey’s checkered shirt.

“Shit!” Jack said, covering the spot with his own hand and pressing down hard. Davey groaned and stared up at Jack, his breath coming out in small short bursts, “it was Mo. He had a knife,” Davey said, “got me real good.”

“Shh, don’t talk. You need to save your energy” Jack replied. He glanced down at Davey’s side and his heart sank, realizing that the pressure he was applying had done nothing to stop the bleeding.

“Don’t just stand there, get some help!” Jack called out to the other newsies. A few boys took off running while the rest stood watch.

There was a brief pause in the action and Jack became hyper aware of the sounds of New York City. He was only brought back to reality by Davey’s voice saying, “hold me.”

Without hesitation, Jack wrapped his arms around Davey and pulled him close. Despite the added warmth, Davey shivered, the likely combination of pain and adrenaline.

“I never thought my life would end this way” Davey said.

“Don’t talk like that, yer gonna be fine” Jack responded, though he had a hard time believing his own words.

“P-promise me you’ll l-l-look after Les.”

Jack nodded, “promise.”

He looked Davey over again, the uneven rise and fall of his chest telling him he was struggling to breathe. Davey’s face was pale even for him and stared back at Jack with eyes that didn’t necessarily know what they were looking at. Jack pressed a hand to Davey’s forehead, his skin cold to the touch.

“I’m s-so tired.” Davey’s eyes blinked open and close.

“I know, but ya gotta hang on. The boys will be back soon and then the docs will have you patched up in no time.”

“Jack, you and I both know I-I’m not going to m-make it that l-long.”

Jack let out a small sob and pressed his forehead against Davey’s as the tears started to fall.

He lifted his head and Davey reached up with what little strength he had left and began to wipe away his tears, “y-you were fine b-before y-you met me and you’ll be f-fine long a-after I’m g-gone too.”

“But I don’t want to live without you, I can’t live without you.”

“Jack, please. Y-you need to let me go.”

“No, Davey, ya can’t do this, ya can’t die, ya just can’t.”

Davey’s eyes fluttered open once more and locked with Jack’s, “I’ll a-a-always be w-with you. I lo-love y-“ Jack frantically planted a kiss on Davey’s lips. Davey embraced the kiss as his body went limp in Jack’s arms.

��Davey?” Jack asked. The boy did not answer.

“Dav-oh god, don’t do this” Jack said, shaking him slightly, “please wake up, please.”

He let out a scream and broke down, as sirens wailed and the sound of running feet approached.

you killed me okay??? you broke my heart okay????? im crying okay???? is that what you wanted anon????

[occult-roommates]

Back in town

That day was supposed to be the second anniversary of Dawud moving to San Myshuno. Fitting, instead he just...ended up moving back there. Once out of the airport, he came across a familiar face, Rudi. They were so surprised, but also relieved, to see their friend again after such a long time. Honestly, they had assumed he died or something, considering how unreachable he had made himself in the last year, especially by modern day standard.

Rudi: DAV! You’re alive! Dawud: Unfortunately. Rudi: Everyone was worried about your wereabouts. Like straight up Daniele thought you were going through a manic episode of some sort cause it didn’t really felt like you and then you just...disappeared.  Dawud: I know. I’m sorry for what happened. I still feel deeply guilty over what I said and I just felt like nothing I could say would be good enough of an apology considering how awful what I said was. So I thought cutting contact and never seeing you guys ever again was the best solution. I know it’s stupid, but I’m known to run away when I don’t know how to handle difficult situation. Rudi: Well, whatever dude, I’m just glad to see you again after so long. Dawud: I’m surprised you still cared about me after what I said. Rudi: I mean, I once got the living shit beaten out of me just for being a werewolf when I was only 14, I don’t really care if one guy say something shitty about spellcasters once. Dawud: ...Well, if you say I’m worth forgiving, I’ll take it, but I’m not sure if I follow your logic...

Actually, Dawud had currently nowhere to live, he rented a hotel room for a few days, but after that he’s not sure what he’ll do. And since it was the middle of the night, he didn’t had access to the room yet.

Rudi: Why don’t you just move back with us? Especially since the landbitch raised the rent again. Dawud: Well technically I don’t really have a job, I’m just in training to become a mechanic and I don’t know when I’ll have one again. Rudi: And how are you planning to survive without a job? Dude, you’re so confusing you want to apologize to us and make sure we’ve forgiven you but you refuse to see us ever again like...Even if yes, what you said was awful and shitty and terrible, how are you suppose to improve as a person if you can’t move past that? Dawud: Being a bit philosophical tonight. Rudi: Yeah I smoked a shit ton of weed before my flight in order to calm myself down. Dawud: How did you do that without getting cau- actually don’t answer that...Also where were you beforehand? Rudi: Puerto Rico, it was my mom’s birthday so I spent the week there.

While walking out of the airport and into the city, Rudi talked about their week in Puerto Rico. Eventually, the two of them reached a nearby park. Being a night, it was oddly devoid of people.

Rudi: Damn, there’s no snow in this part of town while it was snowing near the airport. Climate change is crazyyyy. Dawud: Is that a violin you got with you? Rudi: Yeah, a lot has changed in a year you know. Akva went back to school, Kino got a new girlfriend and is now expecting a baby, I started learning the violin. Lots of stuff. Dawud: KINO IS NO LONGER WITH TONI?? Damn, love really is not real... Rudi: Ok but who cares. Anyway I’m gonna play some violin you ready? Dawud: AND THEY’RE HAVING A BABY??? WHAT???

Rudi did not care about that, they wanted to show their violin skills. And so they played old German folk song to Dawud.

Dawud: You are good, but why the violin? I thought you wanted to start a punk band. Rudi: Well first of all, I’m a bad bitch I can make this work. Second of all, this is because you see, my dad always wanted to be a violinist, but his parents always told him it was a waste of time and he gave up on it. Eventually he lost his job as a pilot so he decided to pick up the violin again. Sadly, you know, he died shortly after... Dawud: Didn’t you told me he died in a plane crash? Rudi: Well, I said he died in a plane crash, I never said he was the one flying the plane.

The song being over, they both laid down, looking at the sky. You know, the thing that changed Dawud’s life forever not once but twice.

Rudi: You know, that will sound insane, but I...sometime I feel like my dad is not actually dead. This is why I came to San Myshuno originally. Yeah, I have some cousin on my step-father’s side who live there, but my main motivation is...I don’t know. My werewolf senses are telling me my dad is still alive somewhere in this city. Dawud: You are right, it does sound insane. Rudi: Cause you see, I used to be such a daddy’s boy and his death messed with me so much, but I’ve also changed a lot since he died and well, I wish he could see who I am now. Like, for starter, I’m not even a boy anymore. Dawud: You used to be a boy? Rudi: Well I mean, I was obviously not born nonbinary. Dawud: Yeah but I mean like...Well...I thought that...Ah and never mind, it’s none of my business really. But you used to be called Luna didn’t you? Rudi: You see, I actually was born with some like, hormonal issues, so I never hit puberty naturally, but whenever I was offered to try to induce it I refuse. Eventually, at 16, shortly after my dad died actually, I snapped and admitted I didn’t want to turn into a man and would rather be a woman. So yeah, I just never underwent male puberty. Then after moving to Puerto Rico I gained a fuckton of weight and this is how I ended up a thicc bitch with big titties. Dawud: Cool, but what about the Luna thing? Rudi: Well, that was my girl name. After Luna I became Rudi, got it legally changed last August actually. Don’t ask me my boy name though. That’s private information.

After a very long silence, Rudi decided to cut it the...most powerful way.

Rudi: Wanna suck my dick?

Sure, at first Dawud was taken aback a little bit...Well, even more than a little bit. But yeeaaah, he’s always wanted to do that, not to Rudi specifically, but you know, and who is he to refuse such a nice offer? Rudi is aroace anyway, and he knows this, this won’t mean anything the following morning.

Prev (nsfw) - Next

[transyurikatsuki]

What I've learned in boating school:

I'm trying desperately to avoid dragon veilguard spoilers. Like real bad. I played every other game with major story spoilers due to my waiting like 10 years to play them, my b. Anyway I've begun my tag filtering to get all of that shit out out my social medias.

The answer is, tumblrs filters work fairly well (I put them both in the blocked tags and the filtered content and then it catches pretty much everything) BUT I've had to input like a million different variations of the name of this game to get it all out. As in, "dav, death, d:av, da:tv, da4, dragon age: the Veilguard, dragon age: Veilguard" ETC. Every day I'm adding a new fucking tag cause none of y'all can agree how to tag this. Twitter is... Similar, but there seems to be a pretty good mass consensus on "veilguardspoilers" but I'll probably extend my blocks on there when the day comes. And tiktok.... Hm. Ok well this is apparently gonna be the thing that teaches me not to use tiktok because I get tiktoks that have the exact hashtag I have filtered out. I got a spoiler today that actually upset me cause I've been pretty good at staying away. Cause they have no warning and the filters do not work apparently. So yeah, guess I'll be lowering my time on there down to 0 minutes a day by the end of next month.

[nebuulaa]

A lil Dav/Nis story following our chat today

Dav had dreamt of Nis before. Most nights since his rescue. Sometimes it was just the sound of her screams and he couldn't reach her. Sometimes it was mundane shit like sitting at the bar before everything went wrong just having a drink with her. Some nights it was him finding her again, her before him after centuries of thinking she was dead. So when Dav saw Nis walk into his Tavern, thousands of miles from home and 200 years since the attack on the ship, he was convinced this was just another dream.

'This is beautiful, looks just like the one back home' Nis looked around, admiring the decor that Dav definitely hadn't deliberately placed to be as close to The Drowned Dame as he possibly could.

'Who the fuck are you?' He asked, tightening his grip on his rakuyo.

'Dav? It's me...it's Nis...' she trailed off and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

'You're not my bird. She's gone, long gone. So I'll ask again. Who are you?' Dav didn't move his hand from the shaft of his sword, he stood several feet away from her unmoving.

'It's me...I promise it's me. I'm sorry it's been so long I've been-'

'Stop. Just stop. You're not her. This is just another dream. I'd know a thing or two about those.'

'The ship.' She started, catching Dav off guard. In his dreams before this was when she usually vanished. 'I died. You already know Husk had my soul and he took me straight to hell. Showed me everyone dying, showed me you dying so when Dale told me you were still alive I-'

Hearing that name after all these years sent a shiver down Dav's spine. He hadn't laid eyes on that vindictive, evil Titan in two centuries but it didn't matter. The fear he felt was all too real.

'What do you mean Dale Nis?'

'I prayed to him. Husk told me he was close to death as the last Titan left alive. Husk said if I could get rid of Dale he'd free me. Answering my prayer took the last fragments of energy he had. He told me where to find you. He'd known....all these years. He knew where you and Note were and yet he did nothing. With his final breath he gave me your location and now...now I'm here. And I'm sorry Dav...I'm so sorry.' Tears fell down Nis' cheeks and Dav fought back the lump in his throat.

'How do I know it's really you?' He asked, drawing his blade.

Nis thought for a second, she didn't know how to prove she was real. Then it hit her. She pointed at the hat on Dav's head.

'My feather. You had one and I had one' she pulled a feather from her bag. Locate object.'

Dav did and the feather in Nis' hand began to glow.

'Nis...it's you' he smiled softly

'It's really me...I'm sorry I came I jus-'

Dav closed the distance between them and threw his arms around his beloved owl.

'Took you long enough', he chuckles

Nis wrapped her wings around them both

'I missed you' She whispered into his shoulder.

The two stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. After several lifetimes apart they were reunited. Nis had spent every day in hell wishing she could go back and change things. But it didn't matter now. She had him back.

[jesterbots]

but wait i want to hear

im going to assume this is about tha mitski post. ok

so like. her most popular songs, strawberry blond, nobody, francis forever. i love the songs don’t get me wrong but like. those overshadow her other songs. people ONLY talk about the yearning and stuff and like!! that’s BARELY what she sings about!!

take for instance, your best american girl. the song is about her life as a woc in america. the theme of the song is love but it’s more than that. it’s hard to sum up into words just why the lines ‘your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me, but i do, i think i do’ hit so hard.

being raised in a way that isn’t the traditional white american way is seen as being raised wrong. and so many second generation poc (children of immigrants) are shamed into rejecting their heritage because it’s not what they grew up with, it’s not really theirs. and that’s why the line ‘your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me, but i do, i finally do’ really gets me. she gets it now. she’s allowed to accept it. it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

white ppl truly do not get mitski. even in her songs that are not overtly abt being a poc, you can still see it. in her most popular song, nobody, its about being fucking alone. so fucking alone. and we get that. we’re all fucked up, and we get it. it is lonely, its so fucking lonely to exist as a poc, but also so uniting. nobody comes from a time when there was nobody to unite with, to relate to, she is Alone

and maybe that doesn’t make sense. and in a way i understand why her music is brushed off as just ‘gay yearning’. it’s so hard to sum up experiences that we’ve gone through our entire life, so whites will never really get it.

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Magnus nearly tripped up the stairs when someone pounded at his door. He had to reach for the railing to catch himself just in time, his head spinning in an uncomfortable way. He had just been going to bed, but, well, not anymore he supposed. There was second, more aggressive round of knocks.

"Magnus," a voice said from the other side of the door. "I swear to Gods if you don't answer this door I will magic missile it down!"

"Uhm, ma'am, maybe threatening violence isn't the best idea-"

"He deserves it if he's already asleep. Humans are weak. No offense." the voice got louder again. "Count of ten, Mags!" Another thunderous round of knocks. Magnus hurried to open the door and Lup's fist nearly collided with his face.

It was dark outside, which was understandable considering it was... well, Magnus didn't know the exact time, but it was probably pretty deep into the night. The porch lights around the rest of the cul-de-sac were off with the exception of Lup and Taako's weird joint house. Magnus could see that the window into their living room was still lit up.

Magnus supposed that made sense since Lup was right in front of him. She was still fully dressed and, concerningly, fully covered in blood. Cowering behind Lup's body a bit was Angus McDonald, who looked halfway between pissed off and like he'd rather be anywhere else. Two emotions Magnus knew quite well when it came to his family.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Lup said, inviting herself in. Angus trailed behind her, sullen. Magnus waited until they had shuffled further in to close the door. Lup deposited Angus onto the couch.

"I-" she began and then paused. "What're you wearing?"

Magnus looked down at this shirt, with two hands pointing up at his face with the words "THIS GUY IS MAGNUS BURNSIDES' BIGGEST FAN". Notably, he was also only wearing underwear. Underwear with little ducks on it.

"This is what I sleep in," Magnus said defensively.

"We can- I'm gonna circle back to that after," Lup said. "Do you want a kid?"

"Do I... what?"

"See, he doesn't want an almost teenager!" Angus piped up from the couch. Magnus felt like he was missing half of this conversation. Maybe even three-fourths of it. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't want a Magnus, either, Miss Lup, so I think I should be going now-"

Angus tried to stand up, but Lup pushed him back onto the couch.

"I will magically restrain you," she said seriously. To Magnus, she continued, "Do you want a kid? 'Cus no offense to like, Taako and Kravitz, but I don't think they know how kids work. I saw Kravitz talk to a baby like he talks to Barry, which is concerning in a several different ways. And considering I just got my body back after like, seven bazillion years of not having one, I am not ready to be a parent. Dav's not around enough for it, Merle's got his own lil' shitheads, and, uh, Lucretia..."

"Director Lucretia is very nice," Agnus said. "But she also offered me wine during my entrance interview. And laughed when I fell down one time."

"So between the guy who through his off a train, the women who decided it would a good idea to hire a ten-year-old without asking about his background, and, y'know, me and Barry, I think you're the most qualified."

"Hang on," Magnus said, rubbing his eyes. "Okay, recap. Angus needs an adult why? Doesn't he have a grandpa?"

"Everyone has a grandpa, sir, biologically," Angus said.

"Magnus," Lup said. "I'm gonna break this down real simple for you because, T-B-H, it's been a fucking stressful night and I don't want Angus to have to go through it all again-"

"I think I can explain it pretty well, ma'am-"

"He doesn't have anyone," Lup stressed. "No grandpa, no parents, no friends or some shit-"

"I have-!"

"Nothing," Lup continued. "And as much it pains me to say this, you are our next best option in terms of giving a child what they need to sort of kind of thrive instead of just, y'know, living on the streets."

"I wasn't on the streets!" Angus defended. "I have an apartment!"

"Your heater doesn't work," Lup said.

"It's summer," Angus said. "I don't need a heater." To Magnus, he said, "sir, please make her reconsider! I was doing perfectly fine and everything. I almost have enough for rent this month too, so it's fine! And I'm a terrible roommate, to be honest, sir. I think it'd be better for everyone if Miss Lup would just take me home and I can shower and then go to bed because I am a very little boy and it's very past my bedtime, sir."

Angus blinked innocently up at him.

"We found him in the middle of a cult, Mags," Lup said. "A cult."

Magnus had never seen Angus's look go from completely innocent to pissed off so quickly. But he kept his mouth shut and glared at Lup from behind her back. Magnus took a moment to take a good look at Angus now that he could. He, too, was pretty bloody. He was cradling his hand in a way that made Magnus think it was hurt somehow. And he was small. So small. Magnus was reminded of a puppy he saw the other day, if only the puppy was full of prepubescent rage and covered in necromancer blood. At least, Magnus hoped it was necromancer blood and not his own.

"You can stay for the night," Magnus said. "I'll give you a pajama shirt and we'll get you to set up in the guest room, okay? The rest of this-" he gestured to Lup and Angus as a whole, "can wait until tomorrow. I am so ready to pass out for seven to eight hours."

"But I'm going back to my apartment tomorrow," Angus said. "Right, sir? Ma'am?"

"That's a convo for tomorrow," Magnus said before Lup could answer. Both Lup and Angus scoffed, but neither objected any further, which Magnus considered a win. "C'mon. I've got like, a hundred of these shirts."

"I'll get you one of Barry's," Lup said quickly. She held out a hand and her scythe appeared. "Don't let him trick you into that, Angus. I'll be right back."

She cut a rift in the middle of Magnus's living room and stepped through. It closed behind her with a loud zipping noise. Angus glanced at Magnus with a critical eye.

"Would it make her more upset if I took one of your shirts?" he asked after a few tense moments of Magnus not knowing how to react to what he liked to call "Angus's Detective Look".

"Definitely," Magnus said. "I'll go get you one." Angus grinned.

Guess he had a kid now.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

“That’s obviously Danny Devito, come on now.”

“No, look it’s a touch too tall, that’s Gilbert Gottfried.”

“You know they asked Taako to be on this?”

“Kravitz, they’ve asked most of us to be on this. Think Merle might actually do it.”

“Merle? On the Masked Singer?” Kravitz ponders this for a moment. “Okay, why does that make a certain sense?”

“Because Merle has no sense of dignity,” Taako answers after silently sliding in the door. He lowers his hood and hangs up his crossbow.

Kravitz swivels around and grins. “Hey stranger. This Jocasta or do I get my boyfriend back to catch the last bit of the Masked Singer?”

Taako rolls his eyes and smiles. “Just good ol’ Taako, sorry to disappoint.” He catches sight of Lucretia smiling at him and blanches. “Uh, hey, Lucretia. Whatcha still doing here? Thought everyone left earlier.”

She shrugs easily. “Well, you were running late, I love trash TV, and I wanted to make sure Davenport got his plate back.” She cranes her neck, trying to catch a glimpse behind Taako. “He’s not with you?”

Taako fiddles with the hem of his cloak and gnaws on his bottom lip. “Nah. Um. Krav? Could you give us a minute?”

Kravitz furrows his brow and looks from Taako to Lucretia and back to Taako. He nods before standing and meeting Taako halfway between the door and the couch. His eyes scan over Taako’s face and he knows in his gut there is no happy spin to whatever conversation Taako and Lucretia are about to have. He reaches down and laces his fingers between Taako’s.

“You okay?”

Taako squeezes Kravitz’s hand before forcing a tight smile. “Will be.”

Kravitz nods and presses a quick kiss to Taako’s lips before releasing his hand.

Taako watches Kravitz go before going to sit on the couch next to Lucretia. He digs his hands in his pockets and runs his thumb idly over the feather that has been weighing him down more than any weapon ever could. “So I’m a ranger now.” He can’t. He can’t do this. He just wants to deflect or get someone, anyone else to do this shit.

Lucretia laughs uncertainly. “It’s a good look.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Shit. Okay, here’s the thing. I can’t figure out how to put this delicately but…Dav isn’t coming back.” He can’t look at her.

Lucretia’s face crumples. “What? Taako, what the hell happened?”

He looks back up, still not quite looking her in the eye. “H-He didn’t die, or anything like that. Um. No, we handled that big ugly bastard pretty easily, actually.”

He removes one hand from his pocket to tug at a strand of hair. He wills his leg to stop shaking but to no avail. “We all got…opportunities? When we killed that thing, bits of its time junk got on us and we each were given the chance to see something or fix something or earn something or change something. I uh, I took mine too. Trying to find my purpose. But that’s not the important thing. Um.” He shakes his head and darts his hand out to the half-drunk glass of wine on the coffee table.

He has to focus on something else for one second. Anything but that look of pure despair on Lucretia’s face. “Dav got a chance to fix his biggest regret.”

Lucretia blinks blankly at him. She doesn’t ask but she hopes she doesn’t have to.

Taako shuts his eyes. “His biggest regret was not giving your idea the floor. He um. He said you deserved to be heard out just as much as Lup and Barry. A-And maybe if he’d listened or even just…just gave you a chance to explain then maybe all this shit wouldn’t have happened. And maybe he’s right.”

Lucretia covers her mouth with her hand. She should be crying. She should be crying but the tears don’t come. She feels like someone has stunned her and stabbed her and ripped out her lungs. “No. No, he’s supposed to be here. He’s supposed to be with us, with his family.” Her words are rushing out like sand in an hourglass.

“I know.” Taako says thickly. “But he did want me to give you this.” He retrieves the feather from his pocket and holds it out to Lucretia.

She takes it gingerly and stares at it.

“It’s a Davenport original. He left a message in it for you. I’ll leave so you can listen.” The instant he tries to rise from the couch, he feels a vice grip on his wrist.

“Please stay. I don’t want to listen by myself.” Her eyes are still glued to the feather. She releases his wrist after a moment.

Taako nods and sits back down on the couch, scooting close to Lucretia. He hesitates before offering his hand to her. She glances at him and smiles weakly before taking it. She examines the feather for a moment before pressing on the part that used to be connected to Jeff Angel. Sure enough, Davenport’s voice rings out in Taako’s living room.

“Lucretia, I know you want to make up for what you did. And you can’t. But I can. Take care of everyone for me. Joyfully yours, Davenport.”

Lucretia squeezes Taako’s hand tightly, nodding silently. A bittersweet smile twists her face.

“I don’t want to be the new team parent. I was the team baby,” she says, her voice wavering.

“That’s why you were his favorite.”

Lucretia looks at Taako, her eyes glassy. “What do you mean?”

“This is his biggest regret because he hates what it did to you. And to the rest of us, sure, but he felt he forced your hand. He’s fixing it for all of us. In that reality, at least.” Taako shrugs. “I’m happy for him. I miss him like shit already.”

Lucretia nods and leans against Taako. It almost feels like old times.