#don't match.....i got carried away as per us

[sholangagaga]

What do you think happened to Glamrock Bonnie, using all of your info that you gathered through the game? your analysis on Bonnie's disappearance was really indepth

I was putting off this ask for a while because I wanted to properly gather my thoughts (and I wanted to replay Ruin like another 2 or 3 times just to make sure I got all the lore I could) but I think I have a grasp on what I want to say

BTW, Spoilers under the cut per usual, also, this theory is going by the premise of Ruin's ending. I'll reference my previous theory as well. This is also a carry over of this post.

Now, I had said in that previous post that the three Dufflebag notes told a patchy and incomplete story. Because to me, they do. But in order to decipher the story they tell, you need to think about what was happening in the Pizzaplex during that timeframe. (there's also a couple more Dufflebag notes that help the story as well, I totally forgot to put them in my earlier post)

as I said before, Bonnie and Monty were already co-existing at this point. Bonnie was the bassist, and Monty was just an animatronic with his own attraction (like how Foxy is the animatronic at the theatre and Sun/Moon/Eclipse are the animatronic for the Daycare)

Now I'm gonna preface all of this theory and information with the fact that I do not believe Monty killed/attacked Bonnie.

I simply don't.

I know what the OG Security Breach story wants us to assume, but from a logical standpoint, it simply makes no sense.

Now, let's go through this chronologically. There will be some conjecture here using the information we've seen outright, so please don't strangle me if this doesn't necessarily match canon or what-not.

First, Bonnie was the original bassist of the band. Alongside Freddy, Roxy, and Chica, they were the original cast. (I don't know why Foxy wasn't part of the original band. Maybe he WAS, long before Roxy took over, or maybe they decided Foxy would be better in the theatre/child area since prior incarnations of Foxy weren't considered bandmates, they were simply side attractions for kids)

I think it's pretty safe to say that Monty was enamored with Bonnie in some regard. At the very least, he looked up to him. In the Gator Golf attraction that shows you Monty's rise to fame, you see Monty playing something akin to a bass or a banjo all alone in his swamp. He was a One Man Band, as they say.

I think his One Man Jug Band probably played in the Gator Golf, maybe he had his own little party bookings there judging by how popular his attraction is. (Like how Roxanne's parties can be booked at Roxy Raceway/Glamrock Salon or Freddy's parties can be booked at the Atrium and main stage)

At some point, Monty became acutely aware of the main band and the stardom they enjoyed. Of course he did, they were the main focus of the Pizzaplex, and the main band had their own greenrooms along Rockstar Row, the FNAF equivalent to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, if we had to compare it to something in the real world.

It seems very obvious that Monty looked up to Bonnie. Bonnie, who shared the same instrument as him, who probably was friendly to him and maybe gave him some pointers on how to refine his playing.

You can see Monty looking up towards the band, but his gaze is localized on the star and Bonnie. Bonnie is also the only one looking at Monty. I think that, at least at this point, they were on good terms in some regard.

Now, for what happened to Bonnie. When we look at Bonnie's body, you can see that he was apparently clawed open and parts of his endoskeleton and machinery was removed and taken away.

You might be thinking, "Well, he got clawed open. So that means that Monty did it, of course."

and You'd be wrong.

If you recall, Monty got his claws in order to play the bass. Now why would he need to play bass if the band was still full and there was no need to replace Bonnie since he was still active? This is mentioned in the note MONTY UPGRADE

MAINT LOG: MONTY - Montgomery's Claw upgrades allow him to play the bass. Following performances, he mostly uses them to cause damage. The fence repairs are getting costly.

So, whoever clawed up Bonnie couldn't have been Monty. And if Monty had clawed up Bonnie, why did he rip out his hardware when he'd have no need for it?

Now what exactly happened to Bonnie can be tracked through his last night active in the Pizzaplex. Seen in the notice MISSING, we are able to see Bonnie's final movements.

SECURITY REPORT - 12:24AM - Bonnie is seen leaving his green room in Rockstar Row heading East towards the atrium. 2:40AM - Bonnie enters the East Arcade. 4:12AM - Bonnie enters Monty Golf.

Now I went into deep analysis of this in my post explaining how Bonnie is considered missing in canon, so I'll summarize it here.

Bonnie spent 3 hours and 48 minutes following a specific path in the Pizzaplex only to disappear after entering the Monty Gator Golf attraction. It took him 2hr16mins to enter the Fazcade from Rockstar Row, and then 1hr32mins to get to Monty Golf.

There's no reason it should have taken Bonnie so long to move from Point A to B. So there must've been something that he was doing during that long walk.

So my theory is that Bonnie was already injured when he exited his green room and started his journey towards the Fazcade.

My reasoning for this is mostly because of how long it took Bonnie to get to the Fazcade, but also because it doesn't make sense for him to take the path he did in the first place in the middle of the night.

I believe Bonnie sustained his injury and then left his greenroom to find help or someone to help get him to Parts and Service. He trudged his way to the Fazarcade and then went towards Monty Golf. And then something happened in Monty Golf that must've fully incapacitated Bonnie, making it so that he was unable to leave. And then at some point, he was abandoned at the back of the Bonnie Bowl and left to rot.

Now, as for what attacked him, I'm a bit up in the air about it since I don't know what exactly is the true canon-line for the game. I've heard some people imply the Burntrap and Blob ending was deemed noncanon and instead the ending of Ruin involving the Mimic IS the true ending. That confused me because the Mimic didn't appear at all in SB (as far as I recall, and I poured over that game pretty intensely) and in the Ruin ending, you see the area where the final battle against Burntrap took place. (And this isn't even touching on what exactly Malhare/M.X.E.S is, I'm assuming hes some remnant of Glitchtrap?)

After playing Ruin (and using Ruin as the main plotline) I have two theories of what attacked Bonnie.

Bonnie was attacked by the Mimic (who does have huge, sharp claws) in an effort to either build on itself or repair itself, and then maybe followed or lured him across the Pizzaplex towards Monty Golf. And then it fully shattered him there, maybe using the Hurricane Bucket that was mentioned in the Monty Mischief notice. Then in an effort to hide the "body" and be able to take it apart without technicians or FazEnt getting in the way, the Mimic brought Bonnie so the back of the Bonnie Bowl and further removed his endo and parts.

My other theory is that Bonnie injured himself. Remember, Monty didn't have claw upgrades by that point so he couldn't have been the one to claw open Bonnie. But you know who DID have claw upgrades? Bonnie.

I think in some way, Mimic or some glitch entity (maybe Malhare/M.X.E.S) got into Bonnie's head in an attempt to lure him somewhere secluded so they could harvest him for parts, but Bonnie fought the conditioning much like Freddy had and ripped himself apart to get these strange voices/entities out of him. And then he wandered the Pizzaplex presumably looking for help before he was finished off in the Monty Golf and brought to Bonnie Bowl to be harvested.

This would explain Bonnie's injuries, why the Mimic (or Burntrap if you want to go that route) looks so brand new and put together, and also why Bonnie apparently disappeared without a trace.

BONUS

There's another notice in the Dufflebags that seemingly adds more to Bonnie's fate, Understudy

MANAGEMENT REPORT - With Bonnie out of commission, we are making Monty the new bass player. Parts and Service has already done the proper adjustments. This could be a good thing. Monty could be even more popular than Bonnie.

This notice apparently takes place before the notice Re-Theme since it takes place DIRECTLY before Monty gets established as the new bass player in the aftermath of Bonnie's disappearance/shattering. However, Bonnie being "out of commission" doesn't allude to anything about his actual fate. It must be that Bonnie disappeared suddenly, and in an effort to smooth things over and re-complete the band, they pushed Monty into the role. As we know, repairing and fixing an animatronic is not a hard thing to do. There's no way Bonnie would be so destroyed that it'd be impossible to put him back together, and from what we saw of Bonnie's condition, it was certainly bad but it's not like he was completely turned to ash or destroyed and unrepairable. They could have repaired him if they got a hold of his body. But it was apparent they didn't, and they had no idea where it was. So instead of rebuilding/remaking an entirely new shell and endo from scratch, they simply grabbed the next best thing and put him into the role.

Which explains why Monty seems to openly use Bonnie's old props, like his glasses and his bass. Monty never had a problem with Bonnie, he idolized him. And after his idol disappeared, he took his place and used his props to allow Bonnie to live vicariously through him. Not to mention how maybe Monty feels responsible for Bonnie's disappearance since it happened in his own attraction, but if Monty was the one who hurt Bonnie then I sincerely doubt the other animatronics would be okay with him taking his place and using his props. Especially Freddy, who was the closest to Bonnie.

[84reedsy]

The Mentorship, Part 22 - The End

The Mentorship

Characters: Curt Hennig/FemOC , Scott Hall/FemOC

Part 22 of 22

Warnings/Considerations: Smut, Age Gap, Power Dynamics, Dirty Talk, swearing

Word Count: 3470

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21

Taglist: @writeandsurvive @theweaselandthekilt To anyone and everyone who's read this; a sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was the first thing I started writing when getting back into the wrestling fandom and it was meant to be just a one chapter blurb - but it grew into much more! Everyone's kind words and encouragement made finishing this possible <3

Pay-Per-Views were always more stressful. There was a lot more pressure to perform perfectly - much less was left to chance. Honestly, it felt like managerial over-reach, especially when they second-guessed Curt's suggestion for opening the match. Brinkley frowned at the man she'd never seen before yet acted as if he knew better than the three professional journeymen who stood next to her.  

Curt shook his head to discourage her argument and Scott subtly touched her arm.  She didn't know how they were so calm and so willingly taking bad direction from this wannabe booker. It was insulting to her, let alone them. 

“This time,” Curt looked around them once the four of them were alone again, “we are here to protect you. We usually end up doing whatever we want.  For us,  it's like ‘so what if Russo bitches about it’. But…when you're on your own,  you're gonna have to pick your own battles with them,” he knew as a newcomer she wouldn't carry enough clout outside of this match. 

“There's only so much we'll be able to say,” Scott followed up. 

“I get it…” she nodded, understanding their warning, “Don't rock the boat unless I absolutely have to,”

“Jesus, that boat is gonna end up capsizing” Kevin rolled his eyes,  but smirked at her,  ruffling her hair like a child. 

“Thanks A LOT, now I have to go fix it!” She scurried back to hair and makeup,  knowing time was running short. She could already hear the crowd reacting to the opening matches.  Her stomach turned as her hair was resmoothed and fixed into a high pony with a braid wrapped around its base. She wasn't sure she'd ever been this nervous.

She worried she might throw up in the hallway from the nerves as she made her way to the locker room,  trying to ignore the distant roar of 50,000 people that echoed through the concrete halls. Their match was still an hour away,  how was she ever going to maintain until then?

“Aren't you glad we taped our promos already?” Curt smirked as she paced in the locker room looking a little pale. Scott and Kevin were filming their response live to the crowd now. He knew she'd get there eventually,  once she got all of these tough firsts out of the way. 

“God, yeah,  I'd be a mess if we did it now, live. Why are pay-per-views so stressful?!” She continued pacing around the room to dispel her nervous energy,  shaking out her arms to keep them loose.

Curt watched her, thoughts and memories swirling around in his head. If he’d never suggested what he had to Scott, he had to wonder if she’d still just be pining from afar and spending her nights in Curt’s room, working out her energies there. He knew he’d done this to himself and that it was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t help but feel some level of selfish regret.

He knew what he’d like to do to redirect her mind and what to channel that energy into. He couldn't deny that he'd pleasured himself before many big matches just to level out. Sex (even with one's self)  was the ultimate way to prepare for a high energy performance. It was the same with actors,  singers… wrestlers were no different. He could feel his impulsivity tapping at the back of his mind,  making unsettlingly concrete arguments in favor of the proposition.

But he knew she'd tell Scott. She was adamant about being honest with him.  He was grateful and irritated that she'd listened so well to his lessons.  He didn't think he wanted to deal with however Scott may feel about it. It was better to keep the peace.

“CURT!” Brinkley snapped him with his towel,  jarring his focus back to the present, “where are you?” She asked,  having been rambling on for a few minutes only to see him staring off into the middle distance. The way he broke out into the tiniest of cold sweats and looked a little befuddled gave her a hint. 

“Sorry,  what?  What were you saying?” He still shook his head, hoping it was dissolve the vivid memories in his head. 

Brinkley straddled the bench he was sitting on a he pulled his kneepads just below his knees. She picked at a knot in the wood with her fingernail. 

“Is it always gonna be like this?” She asked barely above a mumble,  only looking up at him after she asked.  He paused from answering right away,  fiddling with his boots still.  He sighed and rested his forearms on his knees. 

“We're friends first, right?” He asked.

“That's what I hope for,” she oddly thought of all the times he turned her down,  wondering if he was regretting them, “But is that too selfish of me? Is that me being naive?”

“No,  it's not selfish of you.  I should be able to give that to you.” He ran his hand over his slicked hair, “but I'd like to say something if I could,” he looked at her for silent permission.

She nodded.

“I wish I'd stayed professional with all this,” he knew that part would sound harsh,  but he paused before the rest,  “Because you are the best I've ever felt with somebody in that way…in a lot of ways actually. And going forward now knowing what I'm missing,  knowing what we had…I just hate that I have to gatekeep what I didn't before” he stumbled around his words a little, looking frustrated.

“I know what you mean,” she tried to reassure him, “The idea of doing anything to hurt Scott makes me sick to my stomach…but it doesn't stop me from thinking about you. You were my first,  I'm always going to remember what we were,” she reached out,  resting her hand on the inside of his elbow. 

“I know you moving on is the right thing,  baby girl.  I just hate the idea of being left behind,” he laid his hand over hers, “But I want you to do well…I want you to turn this place on its head.  Be the first woman to get top billing. Of anyone…you can do it.”

“Thanks for believing in me all this time,” she squeezed his hand a little,  “Curt if you want-” she started but he cut her off.

“I want you to do well in this match.  And I know in my gut you will, so just…focus on that,” he said, squeezing back harder.  He knew what she was about to offer; either inspired to out of pity for him or out of mutual desire, maybe even nostalgia…he knew nothing down that path was going to help her.  And his job had been to help her. 

Letting her go was the best thing he could do for her now. 

--------------------------------

Brinkley didn't think she'd ever been this nervous on this side of the curtain. Even her first day was less nerve wracking than this.  Her pulse thundered in her ears as she focused on her breath and tried to blank out the last few months. 

“Don't forget,” Curt reminded her,  hoping that any conversation would be calming, “you're not my valet this time.  You're my partner. First time and last time with me, “ he looked over her outfit,  the long leggings a better choice than her ass half hanging out of her shorts…at least for this match. The leggings were still stunning, criss-crossed orange and black lines went up the outside of each leg,  large swaths were thin mesh,  leaving a lot of skin somewhat exposed. The purple was perfect against her skin. 

The top was another piece he bought,  the strappy corset laced top. It added the perfect subtle sexuality to her outfit, not that she needed the help.

“Partners,” Brinkley reached out her hand, Curt took it, nodding his head as he smiled. 

“One last time,” He took a deep breath as the entrance music began playing. 

This time, he went out first, playing to the crowd and then building up Brinkley’s entrance to a surprisingly loud pop from the crowd. The sound made Brinkley grin widely. She wondered if the face turn would carry through her turning on Curt. They had been heels, but if the match was done like they’d planned…Curt would remain a heel and she would be the face among the Outsiders. That is until she adapted to their sneaky ways. 

She felt comfortable with their plans. The future wasn’t scary - she wasn’t nervous or mournful like she thought she might feel. Curt hyped her up on the way to the ring as the camera followed closely. 

The intimidating factor came from the two large men waiting in the ring for them. She almost wished she was still mad at Scott, it would make keeping a straight face easier. Especially with the way that Scott and Kevin looked at her like they were going to devour her. She did realize that she was the prize of the match - she let that boost her confidence and distract from the imposing opponents ahead. 

She and Curt played to the crowd, mimicking each other's movements while they stood on the ropes in opposite corners. They synchronized their gum slapping and the crowd ate every bit of it up.

As they all four stood in the ring, separated only by the referee who was telling them to get to their corners, Brinkley pleaded to start the match. She enjoyed the acting part of kayfabe and she was among three of the best at it. 

“C’mon Hennig, let me start, I can take these old guys!” She insulted them, as if Curt wasn’t the same age as them.

“Yeah, Hennig, let her take us on, let us have a go at the rookie,” Kevin nodded, sarcastically smiling as his words were meant to be insulting. 

“Yeah, we got lots of moves for what’s about to be ours,” Scott pulled on a strand of her hair lightly, stepping back quickly as she shot him a warning look. The crowd responded as well.

“Yaaaaawn, same old tired moves you've been using for the last 15 years?  Spare me,” she rolled her eyes, taking a step back as Scott started for her.

Curt shoved him back, barking at Brinkley to get to their corner.  She frowned as if offended.

“Yeah, sweetheart, wait in the corner like a good little girl,” Kevin doubled down on his disrespectful tone. She flipped him off, but retreated through the ropes as did Kevin, Scott and Curt beginning their dance around the middle of the ring.  After smacking gum through the air and a toothpick being thrown, the two locked up.  

Brinkley tried to encourage Curt, holding her hand out for a tag but was denied when she was ignored. She played up throwing a tantrum, even playing the first couple of rows of fans that his refusal was “bullshit”. A contingent of fans started a change of the word, turning into a chorus against Curt. He was on the losing end now, Scott and Kevin having exchanged places a few times by now. Curt was far from the ‘fresh man’ in. 

“CURT, COME ON!” Brinkley yelled, reaching her arm dramatically out over the rope as far as she could manage. The crowd was behind her, the chant now changing to “Tag her! Tag her!”

Curt took a clothesline and stumbled backwards, his hand falling into hers as she took the tag and he rolled out to the floor. She jumped into the ring, a disheveled Scott staring her down from the middle of the ring. He held up both hands, beckoning her to try him. He looked back at Kevin, both pointing at her and laughing. She took the chance to leg sweep him to the canvas, standing again quickly while looking down at his stunned face. 

“Oh you got tricks?” He looked threatening at her, “Let’s do this then,” 

He locked up with her, reminding her quietly to keep breathing through every move and that he was swinging her into the ropes. She followed the direction, sliding between his legs and grabbing his ankles, again leaving him on his back on the canvas. He cursed, slapping the ring in frustration as she ‘outsmarted’ him again. 

She walked too close to the opponents corner and Kevin grabbed her, holding her against the turnbuckle. Scott lined up a punch, but right before he corrected, she slipped out of the grip downward, Scott connecting with Kevin instead and knocking him off the ring apron.

Scott looked over the rope at Kevin laying on the mats below, Brinkley threw herself into the opposite rope and toward Scott, hitting him with an arm bar that sent him over the top rope as well, landing on top of Kevin. 

The thunderous pop from the crowd was deafening. She tried to not wince as the noise overwhelmed her ears. But she held up a hand above her head,  calling for more. 

The referee started counting out Scott who took nearly 8 of the count to roll back in.  She had to use every ounce of her acting to not react to the dark ‘anger’ in Scott's eyes. He locked up with her again,  once more slinging her into the ropes and hooking her into an arm bar takedown. She landed flat with a loud thud on the mat. She sold the fall, rolling to her side and moaning into the mat.

She looked toward her home corner and Curt was leaning over the rope, barking a demand that she tag him, she ‘drug’ herself towards him,  but Scott grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her backwards to his corners, now tagging Kevin. 

Kevin held her in the corner and she braced herself for the chops she knew was coming. He left them high to avoid a tit-shot, but there was careless padding higher and the slap stung, redding her skin. She sold it well, slipping downward again, only for Kevin to grab her by the hair.

She went for the easy low blow, Kevin selling like a champ as he went down into a fetal position. She knew Curt wanted back in and she should tag him,  but she was having fun. And being with Scott and Kevin moving forward, who knew when she'd have a chance to fight them again?

But she was getting winded for real at this point and made a dramatic crawl that the crowd reacted to with supportive cheers; yelling louder and louder as she drew closer. She'd gotten at least 6-7 minutes in. 

Just as Kev tagged Scott and he quickly stepped in, she slapped Curt's outstretched fingers and he came flying in with fresh energy, pummeling Scott. She rolled out under the ropes, “recovering”.

She caught her breath, hearing the bumps in the ring as she reached under it. The folding chair was exactly where it was supposed to be as she slid it out and slowly made her way to her feet. She held up her finger to her lips to the fans at the barricade as she played out her secret “cheat”.

She wondered how much heat she might actually pull as “ooooo's” filtered through the nearby crowd. She waited several minutes until her opportune moment presented itself, watching as Scott got the upperhand, and Curt was trying to mount a comeback.

She slid in the ring with the chair as Kevin had the attention of the ref, trying to enter the ring. The crowd popped when she picked up the chair, her knuckles white as she gripped the legs tightly. A thousand thoughts spun through her mind, but she ignored any objections of her own - knowing this was the best thing for the story line. 

She landed a loud, safe slap of the metal chair against Curt’s back and stood for a moment while the crowd hushed for a second before reacting in surprise. Scott fell forward over Curt as Kevin pointed the ref to the cover. 1, 2, 3. 

The heat from the crowd was instant and it bled over to Kevin who came over and celebrated with her. Scott was up moments later, each man holding a wrist of her’s in victory. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

She waited in the wings of the gorilla as they exited for Curt as he came back through the curtain. She couldn’t tell if he was mad or just exhausted. Maybe both. But as he looked up at her, trying to smooth back his hair, he grinned a little and smirked as he shook his head. 

“Wasn’t expecting that…” He admitted, “But…it was by far the best way to do it.” He didn’t like feeling like he was left out of the conversation, but he also knew she owed him a couple of receipts for a couple of different reasons, “Are we even now? Or do I still gotta watch my back around you?” He joked. 

“I feel like I should be able to still get in one rib before we call it even,” She postured, “but I GUESS we can call a truce,” She held out her hand to him. He looked at it and after a brief pause, shook her hand. They both smiled, but he could see tears creeping into the corner of her eyes. 

“Thank you for everything, Curt,” She said through the ache in her throat. She felt silly for getting emotional. She would see him every night for the foreseeable future. They would likely be feeding in the ring, too. He would be trying to convince her to come back only for her to set him up for a Scott and Kevin melee. 

But regardless, it felt like the end of an era for her.  She finished shaking his hand, pulling away as they walked down the hall to wear Scott waited for her, slinging his arms across her shoulders.

“You guys headed out tonight?” Curt asked, “Got room in the back unless you wanna fight Steiner for the front,” he joked. 

“Nope, in the morning, heading back to Scott's tonight,” Brinkley said, looking forward to that big house with just the two of them, “Kev's gonna swing by and get us,”

“We've still got a follow up interview to do for the next tv,” Scott reminded her as she started to untie her boots. She groaned, starting to lace them back up. 

“I forgot about that, I'll be there in just a sec,” she told Scott, waving him on. He kissed her temple, making her giggle as he tickled her cheek with his stubble.

Sweaty coworkers filtered in and out, interrupting her lacing to compliment her on the match, almost always giving Curt his due credit, though he shrugged it off, humbly. He gave her all the accolades. Some even talked about possibly working together with Scott and Kevin.

When Russo came in with a compliment through his gritted teeth, Brinkley had to bite back her I told you so's, she took a page from Curt's book of humility and simply thanked him. 

She looked at Curt who was finishing buttoning his shirt, “Guess we'll see you in Atlanta, then,” she said as he zipped his bag closed.

“See you in Atlanta, Brink. Keep those boys in line,  now,” he teased, slapping her lightly on the shoulder as he walked out of the locker room. He walked alone to the car, knowing Ricky would be out soon. He tossed his bag into the trunk,  laughing to himself as he imagined what mouthy, genius promo Brinkley was probably cutting against him. He looked forward to being as surprised as everyone else tomorrow when he saw it on a backstage monitor.

He had a few ideas of what she might say, each one making him laugh more than the last.

As he drove down the dark highway once again, he thought of how she would do great things. Her name would be in the marquee long after he'd retire. Who knows? Maybe in a strange twist he'd end up her valet.

“Everybody's jealous of your match,” Rick said, slouched down in the passenger seat with a baseball cap pulled over his eyes,  “No one's gonna want to follow that kid,” he said.

Curt felt a genuine pride and some relief. But the credit for winning over everyone else was squarely with Brinkley. That was her gift, her natural talent. If only everyone had that,  the locker room would be a far better place.

But as the night wore on and the yellow dotted lines passed by in the headlights, he felt content. He felt peace.

He'd done his job, he'd taught her well.

And though he hadn't expected it, he was thankful for all the things she'd taught him along the way, too.

[themonotonysyndrome]

ok so i had a thought!

imagine one day the baroness is watching castin train his men while she does her work nearby, per usual.

but something happens and she’s called into them, and becomes a part of it.

but it turns out, she can actually fight! really really well!

like beats castin’s men! maybe castin too!

she’s a royal, she’s got to have SOME find of physical training like that, and imagine how castin would react when his lovely stubborn wife picks up a sword amongst his best men, and is able to take them down.

headcanons on how this would go? or just your thoughts on this?

Ooooo, I love this ask! If it's alright with you, I'm gonna use Celica for this, ok?

See, you're right, every Imperial Noblewomen should have some sort of physical defence training as extra protection. Though most of them quit after mastering the basics. However, one of Celica's guardians is a Knight Ascendant and he INSISTS that Celica continue her training even as an adult and would even spar with her from time to time. And trust me, he's fucking brutal, not just to his enemies.

(Eaton brought a 13-year-old Celica one of her governesses who was selling household information to the black market. He taught her how to make a clean kill across the neck that day. Like how a butcher does it. Celica never forgets that night.)

Under Eaton's teaching, Celica wields a poison dagger and some poisoned throwing knives she tends to hide in her clothings (though that's a habit she unconsciously dropped now that she's with Castin). Her go-to fighting style is getting up close and personal to her targets before killing or disarming them. It was such a shame that her traitorous servant knew to clean her entire rooms of weapons or not Celica could figured something out...

BUT LET'S NOW FOCUS ON YOUR SCENARIO, ANON!

Even though she doesn't carry her knives and dagger as often, Celica still trains with Castin or his men occasionally. The first time Castin spars with her, he's quite surprised by her footwork and how cunning every stab and misdirection she throws at him Because it's not just her dagger that Castin learn to watch out for - it's the dirt on the ground that Celica would kick to his face when she has him low enough. It's the branch that would slap his face when she pushes her head back and ducks down, dodging the stab of his sword. You get the idea. Soon enough, sparring becomes another form of their foreplay, lol!

However, sparring with Castin's men? Now that... that can go in two ways:

Knowing how protective and possessive their Commander is, most of them don't even entertain Celica's request for a friendly spar. They just run away!

The other half still dislikes her because she's an Imperial. But since they can't mock in front of her, they made sure she's just within earshot so Celica can her them talking shit about her.

But don't worry! After seeing how well Celica can match up to Castin (he's still the winner most of the time), the soldiers' opinions of her ability as a warrior sorta change. While she's still a Baroness first and foremost, the soldiers who don't depend on brute strength and instead, hone themselves in the arts of pragmatism and flexibility in battles would go to her for tips and guidance on how they can be better.

[resurrection-of-soul]

Flashback | Prologue

Writer: Akira (日日日)

Characters: Keito, Rei, Kaoru, Koga, Adonis

Keito: I truly am worried about you guys— no. To be precise, I'm worried about you. Oogami, you always end up having to bear the heavy weight of the burdens I was meant to carry. Koga: Hmph, don'tcha dare apologize! I took on that “heavy weight” cause I wanted it!

[ For the best viewing experience, please read directly on my blog! ♪ ]

Time: Early March, during the first year of ES's establishment.

Location: An underground live house which UNDEAD frequents.

Keito: (What's the meaning of this?) (Just what on Earth is going on…?)

Rei: "♪~♪~♪"

Kaoru: "♪♪♪♪♪"

Koga: "H! E! L! L!"

Adonis: "S! I! N! G!"

Koga & Adonis: "We are "HELLSING" ~★"

Keito: What? I just don't understand... "HELLSING," you say? You bastards, no matter how I look at it, you're clearly UNDEAD!

Rei: "♪~♪~♪"

Kaoru: "♪♪♪♪♪"

Keito: Listen to me! This is no time to be singing! I doubt you'll give me a proper answer, but I have something to ask!

Adonis: ….Hm. Oogami, Oogami, Hasumi-senpai is causing quite a fuss off in the wings. I do not know how our "senpai" will react, so I think it would be best to keep him away to ensure nothing happens.

Koga: Haah, if they were gonna cause some kinda incident, I think they would've done it already. But I really don't wanna get interrupted in the middle of such an important live, so I guess I gotta go deal with it. Hey, shitty four-eyes. Ya need somethin'? Can't ya see we're in the middle of rehearsin'?

Keito: First of all, let me make it clear that I have no intention of interfering with your activities — as I'm no longer the vice president of the student council at Yumenosaki, you problem children are no longer my responsibility.

Koga: Your lines are still way too freakin' long. The hell are you here for, then? You've got nothin' to do with us, you rando-who-looks-good-in-glasses.

Keito: It's not like we have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Once, we wore matching outfits and worked together. Now, we're coworkers belonging to the same agency. In fact. It is precisely because I am the representative of RhythLin that I've been forced to come all the way here to question you, despite my lack of free time. Your current "disturbing actions" aren't something our agency can just ignore. Therefore. I ask you lot, who are clearly "UNDEAD." Just what is "HELLSING"?

Koga: ......

Keito: You're tight-lipped, Oogami. Is it because I'm the one asking? After all, as you said, you and I are strangers belonging to different units—

Adonis: Please wait, Hasumi-senpai. I think Oogami just does not know how to explain. In fact, even we do not know what is going on—

Koga: Shut your mouth, Adonis. I ain't some kid gettin' sent on my first errand, and I don't need ya mother hennin' over me, so quit buttin' in. And anyway, we shouldn't be askin' him anythin'!

Adonis: But, Hasumi-senpai might be able to advise us on—

Koga: Shut u~p! He said it himself, he's got nothin' to do with us anymore! Hey, shitty four-eyes! Why're ya suddenly all interested in our problems n' tryin' to act like our guardian now, huh?!

Keito: That was not my intention, but... I truly am worried about you guys— no. To be precise, I'm worried about you. Oogami, you always end up having to bear the heavy weight of the burdens I was meant to carry.

Koga: Hmph, don'tcha dare apologize! I took on that "heavy weight" cause I wanted it! ...There seriously ain't nothin' for you to worry over. HELLSING's basically just a stage name for UNDEAD. We were originally meant to be hardcore rockers, but lately, we've been appearin' on a buncha cheery shit like variety shows, so our image has di— div—?

Adonis: Diverged?

Koga: Yeah, that! Since our image has diverged, we decided to use different names when we're performin' on stage like usual versus when we're doin' idol stuff! Ain't this kinda thing su~per common with that manga shit you love so much? I heard there are a lotta artists who use different names dependin' on the kinda story they're writin'.

Keito: Hmm... Certainly, there are artists who use different names for doujinshi and commercial works, or for 18+ works and works meant for general audiences. Generally speaking, their fans can still recognize them by their art style.

Adonis: I am not very familiar with manga. But you can think of it as creating different brands or subsidiaries for different types of work. The so-called radical and immoral activities will be done under the name of HELLSING, while the more friendly, idol-like work will be taken under the name UNDEAD. The names and types of work taken by the two are different, but the members are the same as always: Me, Oogami, Sakuma-senpai, and Hakaze-senpai.

Keito: Why bother differentiating between those activities...?

Koga: Shut up. We've got our own circumstances, alright? 'S not like you're a producer or whatever, so quit bein' so damn fussy about a different unit's work.

Keito: ......

Koga: ...Seriously, I'm fine. This is what I wanted, and even though the fans are a lil' confused, they're more or less happy about it too. Feels like I can breathe way easier now compared to back when I was bein' forced to do those silly variety shows. So, this — all a' this — is a good thing.

Koga: And as long as I'm sayin' it's all good, unrelated assholes should shut it! "♪~♪~♪"

[ ☆ ]

All | Next →

[sheliesshattered]

It feels like ages since I last posted an update for my Rhaenyra cosplay for Dragon Con 2023, but the last four weeks has been nothing but attaching the narrow trim to the seamlines of the overdress -- a tedious and fiddly process that had to be done by hand, and the trim had to be sewn down on both sides despite how narrow it is. I made good progress on it day to day, but the pictures were rather boring and similar week to week.

The nine vertical seams that have trim (no trim at center back, per the screen-used costume) come to a total of 447 inches. Sewing down each edge of the trim doubles that to 894 inches, or just under 25 yards of handsewing just to get the trim attached. At 7 or 8 stitches per inch, I figure that's something like 7000 itty bitty invisible stitches. Plus another two yards or so for basting the center front trim to make sure it was really centered once sewn down.

No wonder it took me four weeks, lol.

I still need to put the narrow trim on the edges of the sleeves, and I might get started on that today while watching Fourth of July movies (Independence Day and Hamilton at a minimum, maybe a few others), at least do the ironing to curve the trim slightly and baste it in place if nothing else. We're going to a friend's place for dinner and fireworks tonight, and while I certainly don't want to haul the entire (silk!) dress out of the house with me, taking one or both sleeves to sew on the ~30 minute drive over might not be a bad idea.

Besides getting going on the sleeve trim, now that the narrow trim is finished on the dress itself I've also been able to shift gears and start focusing on the wide neckline trim. I did a whole series of pinned tests to figure out what I wanted the center front to look like, how to make the pattern come together in the most visually pleasing way, and Jack helped me pick out the best option. Yesterday I trimmed the first two pieces to length and carefully handsewed the center front seam so the pattern matches up exactly:

The raw edges are currently just tucked under and pinned, and I need to figure out how much extra I want to leave -- enough so it won't fray or unravel, but not so much that the center front is weirdly puffy or stiff. This trim is at least partially polyester so I have been able to singe the cut edges to keep everything in place. I might be able to carefully do that on the center front edges, too.

After thinking about it overnight, I think I'm going to do this same treatment at center back, that mirroring of the pattern, and then just let the shoulder seams be whatever. The wig will mostly cover the center back, but eh I'd rather have the symmetry there.

So the next major task is getting all this neckline trim cut and placed, handsewn to the neckline of the dress and frayed ends all tucked safely away. It's going to be a bit tedious, especially at the shoulder seams, but hopefully it won't take me weeks and weeks like the narrow trim did!

Getting that wide trim in place is the last thing blocking getting the grommets in, so I'll be heading straight into that once the trim is even just mostly applied. There are things like the hem and the question of needing a modesty panel at center back that I can't even start on until I can lace the whole dress closed. And if it comes right down to it, I can cut corners on things like beading and the styling of the wig, or sewing a little bag to carry my stuff in. But the dress absolutely must have closures, or it's not really a dress, lol.

Given that, I think the order of operations is more or less: neckline trim, then grommets at center back and armscye/top of sleeve. Then hooks and eyes at the wrists, and a hem for the dress. Wig styling is probably the next highest priority, then the bag to carry stuff with me since the dress has no pockets. Then finishing the underdress, sewing on the large beads at waist and wrists, and then the tiny beads over the neckline trim. I've got one or two little adjustments to do to the jewelry that should probably come before the little seed beads on the neckline, but hopefully I'll be able to get to all of it in the next 8 weeks (!!) until I need to pack for Dragon Con.

I've also gathered basically all the components for my Harley Quinn cosplay, just waiting on one length of lining fabric to arrive -- but I'll talk all about that in its own post sometime soon here.

Eight weeks feels like hardly any time at all, especially given that I spent the last four weeks on what ended up being just one check mark on my rather long to-do list. But I am thrilled with how the dress is looking, and the narrow trim was definitely worth doing. It makes the dress look so much more like the screen-used costume.

Hokay. Time for movies and sewing. Here's hoping I can get through that to-do list in the next 58 days!

[manettheeternalelir]

I work at an undisclosed Midwestern lumberyard chain, and by god I wish I didn't.

It's the hell of working retail with the added stress of people making 15 minute decisions on 6 figure projects. Last night a couple asked me whether we could do a door a specific way, I said yes but we don't carry it in stock, and ofc they asked 3 more times if we have that door in stock, with the inevitable conclusion of them telling at me for wasting their time for not informing them that the door they want isn't in stock.

But every so often,

Once in a blue moon,

I have the privilege of telling somebody to fuck off.

There's a guy, we'll call him Chris, who comes in about 3 times a week. He has a Donald Trump level fake blonde toupee, the intelligence of a concussed squirrel, and he almost never buys anything. But he grabs the neatest employee and spends the next 45 minutes (timed) (average) (once it hit 133) asking questions that a 5 year old homeschooled evangelical child could answer.

When Chris enters the store a call goes out over the radio to let the managers know, and they scatter like rabbits. Whatever unlucky schmuck gets stuck with him is to be pitied, but never assisted lest ye become ensnared in the mire of idiocy that Chris projects.

The other day I wasn't wearing a radio, because of the autism, and so I was caught off guard as Chris came up to me. Knowing that my chances of escaping him were negligible, I launched straight into Unhelpful Mode. For those of you who haven't worked retail, or have repressed your time there, Unhelpful Mode (perhaps more accurately described as Overly Helpful Mode) is when you are perfectly capable of helping a customer, but deliver that help in such a manner that it dissuades them from asking follow up questions. An example is going into excessive detail about the chemical treatment of green lumber, or the myriad ways that you can customize a door to achieve the same dimensional effect. The customers eyes glaze over and lose their spark, and they proceed to go away to think about the excessive information you've dropped into their poor little minds.

Much to my chagrin, I quickly learned that Chris was immune to Unhelpful Mode, probably because he is too vacant to absorb the most surface level information, let alone the wealth of details I unleashed upon him. Due to this miscalculation, I was forced to spend about an hour (56 minutes) (error of about 5 minutes due to my coworkers disappearing until they were sure he was dealt with) with Chris.

After telling him everything he asked about, and more, I made my exit. The crucial question he asked me, over and over, was if we could install a door for him. I told him that no, Per Policy, [Company Name] does not do installation, but that I could provide him with the information of a few local contractors. He asked this probably 7 times, the last time making my exit.

Chris then demonstrated a guile unbeknownst to me. After waiting until I was out of his sight he approached our rookie employee, all of 3 days from hire. He knew that if he could pressure the new kid into stating that [Company Name] would install his door, that he could come back later and get a discount due to being assured of installation (stupid rule).

Thankfully on this hallowed day, I was observing from cover (behind another desk), and figured out what he was doing. I came up and asked what was going on? He lied, the rookie told me what was up, and I politely asked Chris to leave.

Chris took this very personally, and started to raise his voice. Which I matched. At this point everybody in the vicinity was watching us, necks craning and conversations ceasing. Things escalated further, and eventually his profanity laden denunciation prompted my own thunderous "Fuck Off". He bolted for the General Manager, lied his ass off, and begged for my firing.

I told a *relatively* true account of the interaction, reminded the GM of who we were dealing with, and got off scott free.

All in all not worth it, applied to 2 other jobs the next day.

[yoruthewardevil]

The one where they all get shitfaced

Plot: Akito, Shigure, Ayame, and Mine go out for drinks. The night ends horribly for Akito.

"Shigure, I'm warning you. Don't let her get carried away tonight. She's not used to drinking and I know how much you love to pressure people into making terrible decisions." Hatori was stern, as per usual. When Shigure had mentioned that he and Ayame had planned to meet up for drinks, Hatori hadn't thought much of it. It wasn't until Shigure mentioned that Akito would be coming along for the ride did he start to worry. He knew both of his oldest friends long enough to know that they were trouble when they got together and Akito was still getting used to her new life. 

Laughter filled the room, instantly annoying Hatori. Of course Shigure was taking this as a joke. It was almost impossible to get him to take anything seriously. "I mean it. She's never even been hungover. If that happens, you're not the one who'll have to deal with it." Hatori knew that the responsibility of caring for a sick Akito would fall on him as it always did.

"It'll be fine. She's never had fun like this before. You do realize that I'm simply trying to expose her to the joys of life, things she's missed out on all this time." Hatori knew Shigure was just trying to justify his recklessness. "All I'm saying is don't do anything stupid. You and Ayame have a tendency to lose all self control when you're around each other and Akito doesn't need to be wrapped up in that. If you love her, take care of her tonight."

Not wanting to be lectured even further, Shigure began walking away, assuring Hatori that it would be fine. Aaya was bringing his girlfriend as well and Shigure figured that would make Akito feel a bit more at ease. 

Shigure came home to find Akito asleep. It was getting dark out and he wondered if she'd slept the day away. The moment he sat down beside the futon, she woke up and pulled him towards her. "What time is it? Why is it so dark?" He took that to mean that she truly had slept all day. "It's late, almost time to get ready to go out tonight with Aaya." Akito whined, turning away from him. "I don't want to go. Let's do something else," she said, pulling down the blanket so he could see her bare chest. Instinctively, Shigure pressed his face against her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth and giving it a gentle suck. It took everything in him to break away from her. 

"I already told him we were coming. Let's compromise, shall we? Tonight we'll do this and tomorrow, we'll spend all day and night in bed together. I'll fill you up so much that your birth control will stop working," he said with a laugh as she rolled her eyes. "That's not how it works…" As much as she didn't want to go anywhere that night, the thought of spending the next day in bed with him was enough to get her out of bed.

Although Shigure had tried to talk her into wearing something 'sexy', Akito had opted for something she was comfortable wearing. It was going to be a long night. Despite knowing him all her life, Akito had never spent much time with Ayame. She knew from speaking with Hatori that Shigure and Ayame had a tendency to act like idiots when they were around each other. Unbeknownst to Shigure, Hatori had called Akito shortly after he and Shigure had met up earlier that day. He had wanted to inform her of what to expect. 

When they were both ready, the young couple made their way to the car. Akito had opted for black jeans, a button down shirt and cardigan. Her hair was slowly growing out. Shigure wore a button down shirt and jeans as well. They were almost matching which had been unintentional. Often Shigure could tell that people were staring at them whenever they went out in public. People likely assumed that they were both male but he truly didn't mind when people stared. Akito was perfect in his eyes and the opinions of others didn't matter.

The drive to the izakaya was short. Shigure had suggested this one, saying that he'd come here a lot before they'd gotten together. Apparently it was also a favorite spot for Ayame as well. Akito had never been to an izakaya so she didn't know what to expect. When they walked in, Ayame and his girlfriend, Mine, were already inside waiting for them. 

"Gure!" Akito sighed and held onto Shigure's arm. After knowing Ayame for as long as she had, she still had no idea why he always had to speak so loudly. It was annoying. 

"Aaya, my darling!" Both men fangirled over each other as if Akito and Mine weren't there. Mine looked amused while Akito just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "And darling Akito, you look… almost like Gure. Are you wearing the exact same thing? It suits you both, but you must come by my shop sometime. I'll make you something lovely." Akito attempted an awkward smile and nodded, still holding onto Shigure. 

"Ah, where are my manners? Mine, this is Akito. Akito, this is my lovely lady, Mine." The two women shook hands upon being introduced to one another by Ayame. Mine was the complete opposite of Akito. She was so feminine, almost as feminine as Ayame. No wonder he liked her so much. "It's so nice to meet you!" The other woman's tone was almost too nice. Shigure had made her promise that she'd at least try to enjoy the night and since the two men were still obsessing over each other, Mine could possibly prove to be good company. 

"I've never been much of a drinker. What would you suggest I start with?" Akito asked Mine awkwardly. The two women sat next to each other as the men continued to talk. "Have you ever tried a sake bomb? It's one of my favorites." The bartender took their drink orders and Akito had decided to go with the drink Mine had suggested. 

Shigure turned his attention to Akito as their drinks arrived. "Have fun tonight. You deserve it." His reassurance was all she needed. When the drinks arrived, Akito stared at her drink with a confused expression. Shigure looked at her again, chuckling to himself. "Let me show you. I know it can seem a little confusing." He slammed his fist on the table in front of his drink and Akito watched with wide eyes as the sake shot fell into the beer. Following his example, she felt oddly proud of herself. 

It was definitely an acquired taste. Then again, this was the first time in her life that she'd actually gone out drinking and she assumed the alcohol would start tasting better the more she drank. After she'd finished her drink, it occurred to her that everyone else had been waiting for her to finish. "I say we do some shots!" Ayame yelled. Akito was still confused by all of this but decided to go along with it. 

Four sake shots were poured for them. Ayame counted down from three and then they all took the first shot. The bartender poured another round for them. Akito was slowly starting to loosen up. It wasn't until after the third shot that she realized she was pretty drunk. Everyone else could tell as well. After all, she was the only lightweight there. 

"Shigure, I-" she began only to be interrupted by Ayame. "I say we go dancing." Akito couldn't help but laugh at his suggestion. Dancing was completely out of her comfort zone but because she'd had too much to drink already, she found herself wanting to try something new. "Yes!" Akito yelled in response. Everyone once again stared at her. Shigure couldn't hold back his laughter and soon they were all laughing.

Shigure paid for the drinks and then the couples left the izakaya and headed to a nearby nightclub. Apparently Ayame was a regular at this place. Akito held onto Shigure's arm tightly, already feeling as if the room was spinning. Once they entered the club, the feeling intensified. The lights and music were a little overwhelming and unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. 

They managed to secure a semi-secluded area of the club. Upon hearing that the Sohma family head was in attendance, the club owner hooked them up with bottle service. Akito once again didn't understand what bottle service meant but everyone else seemed excited about it. Two huge bottles were brought to their table and more shots were poured. 

"Do a shot with me, darling." Ayame held out his hand to Akito. She went to stand next to him and took yet another shot. Without saying another word, she took another and another. Ayame and Shigure were laughing. "Looks like our god turned into a little devil tonight," Ayame said to the other two, all of them laughing. A song Akito actually recognized started playing and she immediately went over to Shigure and sat on his lap. "I know this song!" She screamed in his ear. He pulled back a little and laughed some more. "How do you know this song?" He was amused, not sure when she'd been exposed to such a vulgar song. 

"It's Hatori's ringtone for Mayu," she said, laughing. That caused everyone to laugh along with her. Shigure made a mental note to harass Hatori about that later. Shigure hadn't kept track of how much Akito had had to drink. All he cared about was that she was having fun and it seemed like she was. 

The petite brunette began to grind her hips against his, straddling him. "I fucking love you. I really do," she whispered in his ear. That was all it took for him to realize how shitfaced she was. Ayame and Mine had left to go dance so it was just the two of them. "Let's get a stripper pole." The couple laughed together. He wished he'd seen this side of her much earlier. Everyday it seemed like he was finding new reasons to love her even more than he already did. Akito's grinding and the thought of seeing her on a stripper pole was sending him over the edge. Before he could suggest they go home, Ayame came back and pressured Akito into taking another shot. 

Moments after taking the last shot of the night, she stumbled back to Shigure and vomited on the chair next to him. Shigure held her hair back as she continued to vomit. When she was done, he flung her over his shoulder and they all left the club. The absence of the flashing lights and loud music had caused Akito to somewhat snap back into reality. "Shigure, let me down." She wiggled out of his arms and ran to a trash can on the sidewalk, vomiting more. 

Shigure was about to pick her up and carry her again but she pushed him away. "I’m walking." He held back laughter as she stumbled around, wrapping one arm around Mine and the other around Ayame. Sober Akito would never do something like this. On the way to the car, they passed a field and Akito immediately ran towards it. 

"What are you doing? We need to go home." Shigure had tried to sound serious but he couldn't deny that he loved seeing how crazy she'd become after a few shots. "Need to sleep… sleep here," she said, throwing herself onto the ground. That's going to hurt tomorrow. Much to everyone's enjoyment, Akito began rolling around on the grass. The former dog laughed harder than anyone, remembering the times when he used to do the same thing in dog form. 

"You can sleep at home. We need to go." Shigure picked her up and carried her over his shoulder. She attempted to wiggle out of his arms yet again but he held on tight. "I hate you," she said, punching his back. After a moment, he heard a loud sob. "I hate you so much, Shigure. You don't care about me at all." This was the side of drunk Akito that he hated. 

Ayame and Mine held back laughter as they made their way to their car. Mine had offered to drive them home so they wouldn't have to wait on their driver. It took everything to get  Akito into the car. She had stiffened her body so that it was nearly impossible to get her to sit. Finally, they managed to get her into the car. Shigure attempted to pull her close to him but he received a slap on the face for it. "Don't touch me. You don't care about me. You don't love me. You're only with me because you think you love me." She was making no sense. Ayame found it funny apparently and Shigure just wanted it to be over. 

When they arrived home, Akito was in tears again. She ran out of the car and into the house, leaving Shigure behind. He said goodbye to Ayame and Mine and then made his way into the house, searching for her. When he reached their bedroom, Akito was asleep on the futon. That was quick. He undressed her so that she'd be comfortable. He then got in bed beside her and covered them both up with the blankets. 

Shigure woke up to the sound of her vomiting in the bathroom. According to the time on his phone, it was 3:00am. Getting out of bed, he made his way to her. "My head hurts… get Hatori," she said upon seeing him. "We don't need Hatori. You're just hungover. I've dealt with this plenty of times to know how to fix it." He offered his hand to her, pulling her up onto her feet. "Let's get you some aspirin." 

After giving her the aspirin and getting her some water, he went back to bed with her. "Did you at least have fun?" Akito sighed, nodding a little. "Sure. This isn't fun though." He chuckled softly. "I know it's not but you'll feel better once you sleep it off. Hopefully there will be no need to call Hatori in the morning." The last thing either of them wanted was to be lectured by Hatori. "Shigure… I love you." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you. I knew you didn't mean it when you claimed you hated me in the car." He laughed and began giving her a back rub until she fell asleep. 

[estevesia-whump]

hell's right hand (1.2): from the shadows

CW/TW: not much

note: this one is a bit of a filler that provides context for character background and future events; if you're only here for the whump feel free to skip!

-

Aurelie drives quickly, but the way she stops and accelerates isn't jerky, so Liexia's quite comfortable on the car roof.

"You're gonna call your mom, right?" Evander asks as they drive over a bridge. "You said--"

"Yeah, I'm calling her."

She turns down the brightness of her screen to match the dark of the night before dialing her mom's number. It rings twice, and then her mom is on the line.

"What do you need, Liexia?"

She's disappointed. Whatever.

"I've got an injured guy with me. We're heading to one of Yanglun-shu's* motels, the one south of Heilonsk. It's probably an hour from where you are right now?"

"Liexia, this is the third time you've asked me to--"

"He's been... he's been raped, Ma. Please?"

A long sigh. "What's the address?"

*note: "shu", or "shushu" is an honorific used to address an older male that is around your parents' age

-

It only takes another half an hour to get to the motel. Most of the kids have already fallen asleep, and Kyre has as well, so Evander and Aurelie carry them one by one into the motel as Liexia checks in. The receptionist looks just about asleep, probably not quite registering the metallic smell of blood. Liexia takes her gloves off as the keys are handed over and goes to the rooms she booked.

"You only booked two?" Evander whispers, gently placing one of the children on the first bed.

"Four beds total. 3 kids per bed. You can sleep next to Kyre on the last bed if you want. Aurie and I need to get in contact with their parents as soon as we can, so we're not gonna sleep tonight."

"Did you guys plan this out already?"

"Yeah. It's fine. You've done basically all the heavy lifting today. You need to rest."

Evander snorts softly. "Ironic coming from you."

"Shut up and get the kids in here. My mom'll be here in half an hour to check on Kyre."

-

"Nothing looks infected so far. It looks worse than it really is. That is one lucky boy. I'll have to take a urine sample to test for other things once he wakes up, so keep him hydrated, okay? Did you book a room for me as well?" Liexia's mom asks.

"I can if you want."

"No need."

It's silent in the hallway, and her mom looks away. "Liexia, I really don't think this is the path for you. Even if you want to go the... mercenary route, at least work under your father. Whatever you're doing right now is dangerous, and you're involving Evander and Aurelie at a time where your peers are starting to consider university."

"But I don't need university, Ma. I make enough money already."

"It's not about the money. I'm worried about your safety. Evander and Aurelie's safety. And the people you're hurting..."

"They deserved it," Liexia hisses, biting her tongue before she can say more. "And who'll protect the innocent, if not me?"

"What you're doing is not protecting the innocent, Liexia. You need to let the authorities deal with the things you are taking into your own hands."

"But they don't do anything! If I had let the authorities get there before me today, everyone would've walked free. You don't get it."

Eyebrows furrowed, her mother can only look away. "I can't tell you what to do anymore, Liexia, but just know that your father has positions open for you if you ever want to rejoin the organization. I'm going to book myself a room and get some sleep. Wake me up once the boy wakes up."

"Yeah. G'night."

Liexia turns around to enter the room where six of the children are sleeping soundly and Aurelie is waiting.

"Any ways of contacting their parents?" Liexia asks, lowering her voice as soon as the door is locked behind her.

Aurelie scratches her neck. "I tried all the phone numbers the kids gave me earlier. They don't... they don't exist anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I tried looking up the kids' names on the government-- point is, someone erased them, or something. Legally, they don't exist... honestly, I'm really confused right now. I've never seen this before."

Liexia sighs. "If you're confused, I'm more confused. Let me see the laptop."

"Wait, I also found a USB," Aurelie says, plugging it in.

Liexia flips through the files, but the USB only contains videos, no documents. "Where'd you get this again? The USB?"

"It was in the security part of the building. You killed the guard, remember? So I went in to look for anything important after you kept going, but this USB was all they had plugged in to the computer. That's it."

"Ah. Have you watched any of the videos yet?"

Aurelie shakes her head. "I don't think I want to see, or I won't forget, ever. Literally."

"I know. We don't have time to watch every single one of them, either. I'll just--wait, is that?"

The mouse hovers over the thumbnail of all the children, Kyre included, gathered in one room. Without properly thinking it through, Liexia clicks on it.

[the-official-account]

Song by song thoughts

Can I believe you by the fleet foxes original made me go "oh shit this one's so vellum" and then I detoured into "okay no this one's vellum and Spar as a goes-boths-ways thing" and while that's somewhat true I'm assigning it to vellum. It's...... something about trust and Grey. And loss. And kidnappings. Something about the way Vellum's reaction to being targeted half the time is "Welp!" If just. And the way spar's can be....... hardheaded is probably the word. It tips it into being a vellum song. Also the multiple shifts in the instrumental each feel so vellum

Because of my one song per artist rule that's the end of my fleet foxes search

Dreams of the manbahsniese is the prelude to cora song I'm most familiar with, and it's definitely why I was drawn to this album. Vellum's vibes have also got a real hominess to them, but not necessarily in a mid-century modern way, but in a "the show grooves you hear through the walls that give you the impression your parents are slow dancing downstairs, and that used to embarrass you but now the thought brings only contentment" way. The song's also got this underlying current of mellow anxiety that is just....Just listen to this one. It's not a summary of vellum but it is a piece.

Where the river goes is a SINGLE not an album (huh!) And Akinmusire is a collaborator on it, which must be why I know it. I don't feel this breaks the single artist rule since this was a collaboration and also because I'm really like. It's got a subtle joy but also sadness with overtones of that same home-y-ness I mentioned. This is the "I carry a photograph of my parents in my breast pocket near my heart" song. Sometimes forgetting it's there, sometimes remembering fondly, other times letting the grief catch up to you on a sunny day, yk?

The song (not album) can't we be friends is the EXACT vibe I'm looking for from Ella but not the right lyrics. Feeling good about this album pick. Louis Armstrong has such a wonderful voice and it sounds like he's smoked so many cigars.

OOOH OKAY #2 IS THE WINNER! "Isn't this a lovely day". In cannon context, the subtle emotional conflict of being brought together from external conflict, but also comfort in the midst of all that. It's giving "relieved kisses after vampire battles" and "Reassuring hand squeezes before difficult conversations" and also some subtle internal determination to not let Spar walk away if/because he thinks he's part of Vellum's stress (which he is but not like that cjsvskdhd)

Okay I'm concerned about bleed out, because it isn't poppy but it is...it's really trout fishing in America for the mountain goats? Which isn't a bad thing but it's not sunset tree or Tallahassee vibes, which might seem more vellum at first but my gut is telling me THIS ONE. maybe it's the self-awareness of the lyrics.

Is it training montage I'm looking for? Revenge is not a vellum vibe at all.........TMG have a lot of second person that is probably what I'm drawn to about this one but I don't think this is what I'm going for. Not mark on you. Not wage wars get rich die handsome OBVIOUSLY LMAO. Extraction point is closerrrrr. I'll circle back if needed. It's not gonna be make you suffer or guys on ever corner. Bones don't rust is much more of a spar song that isn't going on the spar playlist for Single artist rule reason and also boys of pieces of it aren't him. Not first blood.

The real measure for these ones is "do the instrumentals match the lyrics and are the lyrics something I could imagine vellum saying brows furrowed, hunched over a cup of coffee?"

Not hostages.

Need more bandages is calling to me In a strange way. I get the feeling I want to connect it to an altogether song somehow, especially with the guitar.....Vellum dreamt up suits for a reason yk? Spar found him in his office at god awful hours of the night for a reason. I think this is a good one for that intensity.

I'm gonna skip to the altogether EP. I might have the wrong set from them it might be that other one but I'll get to that if I need. Not five minutes fosgdksbdkd though. I mean, at the speed at which these two fell head over heels for eachother you'd really think. Ohhhh I did not think Sophie was gonna vibe with me so much. Oh this one is SUCH a spar @ Anya song for sure. Oh god..oh god I'm soft. [Shaking with amatopunk energy that's got a whole different ramvly post behing it] I'm not excluding the lyric "will you be my one and only" because Anya IS spar's one and only. Maybe not in a romantic way but still. You can be vital to someone in a way no one else can, and have it be special and....fuck. You know??? It's the fucking vibes. That shit that happens when queerplatonic and Familial love melt into one big soap of WAH

Not for vellum though. I don't think Night was the one I originally had in mind but it counterbalances Need More Bandages really nicely and it's got very vellum-y instrumentals while being overtly yearny in a nice way. Checking the other briefly. Goodbye is definitely vellum if the central romance ends in heartbreak which is BETTER NOT (if it does I trust it's for good reason but I'ma be sad) but not general vibes. It's not history read either. Locking in on Night.

Another blue and new long leg aren't albums I'm super familiar with I just know the vibes of some songs on it that are tangential and so I'm hoping by looking at their album-mates I'll find something good

OOP nope scratch card lanyard is an Anya song. Such a very very Anya song. It's such a strange song but it does a great job of capture the wierd...water-bed-i-ness that is years after something fundamentally shaking happens (to say depressing is an understatement, and traumatizing is wrong. But yk. Leaves you unsteady) and the like. Just-out-of-the-pool or maybe just-cried-for-several-hours feeling that is getting back on your feet and off them again and on your feet and off again. I'll call it on this album for that I don't wanna get too repetitive.

And I'm thinking of that one goddamn song for spar while I'm at it. I wish I was by the avett brothers. As a side note.

Anyways I'm liking automatic..."and when your eyes run from me, I can tell it's you" can be so vellum @ spar. And it's got the vibes-by-variety thing I love for him. If I don't like it in the review stage of the playlist I'll return to the album. The bass at the end of the album feels like how your brain feels when getting a good hug.

I'm also getting Hozier vibes??? And I feel like his self names album is too dry but wasteland baby is too wet, and it has swells that are lovely to listen to but not very vellum. Maybe I'm thinking of bonus tracks in the self named?? I could see in the woods somewhere coming up if he gets up to some spooky shit but noooo? Yeah no. I'm looking for a Hozier song that exists in a dream.

OH WAIT AM I TRYING FOR NFWMB??? Oh. Oh if that's the vibes my brain was pulling me toward I am going to be delighted cause that's some gay shit. "Give your heart and soul to charity, cause the rest of you, the best of you, honey belongs to be" can be SUCH meaning when applied to vellum and Spar. Like. Like. Not an emphasis on inhumanity though that is also sexy it's just not this particular case, rather the "You can keep being a good person I love that about you, but i'm here for all the other parts of your being a good person requires and I love that" it's the "please bitch about your coworkers to me" energy that seems simple but implies something deeply understanding, domestic, and I might even go so far as to say erotic! As in the fucking..."Express here what you cant elsewhere, I adore that" sort of way. The simultaneous revelling of the protection offered by the subject of the song, and the reversal of the title/chorus. The caaaalmness of that fucking statement. Ooh. OOH!!!!! Like vellum isn't vengeful but the mirroring of Spar's loyalty in that Mellow way Vellum has that would be sinister if it weren't for good. I'm trying to word this in a way that makes sense— it's an adoration that waits, and schemes. This is the perfect balance I wanted though. It's dry, but it has the swelling of determination, but the melody and lyrics stay at the same level while it's the base, (the surround small ques, the body language of the song, if you will) that pushes it to its peak. This is exactly what I was trying for. This is fucking fist-fighting a fucking vampire just so they can't get back to spar and others while chewing gum xlhsodgdkdhd. This. This this this.

I'm VERY pleased with the progress I got out of this! I really went in thinking I wasn't gonna be able to find that many songs but no!!!! Nice!!!!!

Here's today's takeaway!

I'm pinging here because this is making me :D!! Rubbing my hands together.

@ilaalexei @citrusandsalt @threeheartscast

Spoons low time for Vellum playlist thoughts

This might be hard because I love Anya and Spar on a "I want to pin you to a table and direct you like a bug" kind of way, but I like vellum in a "I want to attend you lecture series and day dream about asking you out to coffee but I'm too intimidated to" kind of way, like emotionally yk?

We've gone super in depth about Spar's relationships because of the show being set in cloven heart, and it's amazing! On the contrary, a lot of Vellum's big interpersonal beats (that aren't with spar) are being hunted at but haven't taken center stage yet. So I have vibes for him but like I gotta understand what he's packing before I attempt a full dissection, if that makes sense.

The challenge is that Vellum, besides being an actual composer just has suuuuuuuch classical music vibes. I don't know that much classical music. I'm also being drawn towards Motown and Fitzgerald? Though Motown is 60s.

Anyways I have a few albums in mind:

Prelude to cora by ambrose akinmusire

Where the river goes by Wolfgang muthspeil

Can't we be friends? By Ella Fitzgerald and Louis armstrong

Bleed out by the mountain goats (??? I don't know. I'll see)

Another blue by cross legged

New long leg by dry cleaning

Look up by the altogether

I also need to go through my yearning playlists (yes plural. We're queer and I have a fuck ton of playlists) also Fleet foxes albums we're not familiar with, Motown hits cause we don't know the studio well. I'm looking for crooning and trying to avoid the pop-y feel like the plague. Pop is great. It's just not Vellum. He feels like a well placed accidental sounds.

But like. Vellum is strange, because he FEELS like a yearner but like...evolved. he feels like a man who's yearned and missed his shot (maybe it's his history with magic giving me this vibe) and has gotten used to saying "fuck it" in responce. And like. Feels like the kind of person who, maybe like Spar but in a...in a different way, would take a rejection and avoidance "in stride" as in "this deeply affects me but I respect you enough to continue to act like things are chill and normal and chill" (some of this has happened. Low spoons & low memory accesses means I can't cite my sources as well rn) but for Spar and Vellum normal looks very different. Spar's normal is energetic, and so when that's being faked it feels fundamentally different than Vellum's purposefully maintained normal which I would call not faked but forced? Anyways the distinction is crucial to the vibes of the instrumentation, cause Spar can have super upbeat bops with lyrics that are more serious, but I feel like Vellum's song are gonna be more emotionally congestive instead of presenting a contrast, and also mellow in a groovy way but not funky way.

[macgyvermedical]

A $100ish 30-Day Box

When I think about the word prepper, I tend to think about individuals who store guns, ammo, and freeze-dried food for a singular Event(TM) that they will have to survive, probably involving roving bands of marauders coming for their wives and guns.

I personally think the risk of this exact type of scenario is low. But given recent events (It's 2022 and I don't think we're ever seeing 2019 again, etc...), I do think a stepwise semi-collapse- one that could most heavily impact low wage workers and minorities- is currently happening and will continue over the course of our lives.

And if you feel you may be vulnerable to some of these steps (another pandemic, say, or unchecked inflation, or a housing crisis, or a series of major natural disasters, or a period of civil unrest in your area, or a combination that adds up to you living in a van with no usable monetary resources), you may want to consider having a box with everything you need to live for 30 days in a bad situation.

This is not a bug-out bag. It will have 30 days worth of food and supplies in it. You are not going to be able to carry it. This is the bargain version where you will need to either shelter in place (like non-essential workers in 2020) or leave in a vehicle (say you get evicted suddenly, or need to evacuate because of a disaster).

And listen, you can get some of these things used or at salvage if that is an option near you. Sometimes that will be cheaper, sometimes not. Use your best judgement. I recommend a mix of new, used, and salvage based on your needs and access.

Containers:

18-gal tote ($8-10 new, you'll need one for every 2 people, but easy to find used or you may already have some)

Gallon freezer bags or other smaller containers ($3-5 depending on number) these are to help organize the rest of the stuff

Supplies: Note that most of these are the cheapest of the cheap- you're looking for things you'll be fine with putting in a box and forgetting about and not actually wanting to take out and use unless you have to. Don't put cool stuff in here.

Metal mug or other food-safe container (pick one you already have)

Microwave-safe mug or other food-safe container (pick one you already have)

Cutlery (recommend fork and spoon, assuming you can pick some you already have)

Pocket knife or multitool (you can get weird keychain versions for like $3, but if you already have one or want to invest in something slightly better this is a good place to do so, but again, nothing cool)

Matches ($1)

A flashlight and batteries or rechargeable with charger ($5 online or at a grocery store checkout line. does not have to be fancy)

Phone charger cord and block ($2-5)

A large tin/aluminum can (to make a crappy lil rocket stove with if you need to- here's a slightly more elegant 3-can version). If you're smart put one in that still has something tasty in it.

Car cigarette lighter USB charger if your car has a cigarette lighter (these used to be given away with brand names on them so they're surprisingly not hard to find used for less than a$1, but if you can't find one used you'll spend about $5)

Fuel- put some wax in the box (maybe like a big-ish old candle you got as a gift but don't really like). If you can melt it over some tightly packed cardboard and put it under a 30oz can with some holes punched in it, bam you have a stove. When you run out of that cut a bigger hole in the base of the can and build a lil fire under it. Free rocket stove baby.

Permanent marker (assuming you have one of these)

Pencil and paper (assuming you have some of these)

Food: This will be about $50 more per additional person, maybe less for young children.

20lb/person White Rice- this is a cheap filler that takes up relatively little space. (about $10/person)

10lb/person Brown Rice- this is a slightly less cheap filler that takes up little space but has fiber and other nutrients please don't skimp on this (about $8/person)

10lb/person Dry beans- get a variety here. Protein and fiber. You can eat these or sprout these for variety and more nutrition in very little time (About $10/per person if mostly pintos)

1 gal/person Vegetable Oil- this is your fat. You need fat. Get something you're not allergic to and if you can splurge this is where to do it- get something like olive, coconut, grapeseed, or canola ($8 for canola, the cheapest I could find this in pure olive was about $21)

NOTE: You may have done the math and thought (Gee, that's like twice the number of calories I need in a month! Yeah, but now you're cold and scared and eating your feelings. You'll want plenty of something, and it might as well be beans).

Multivitamin- get enough for everyone to have one every other day or so, since you're living on rice and beans. Does not have to be a good one. Whatever the cheapest one they have at whatever pharmacy or supermarket you're in is, even if it's for kids or whatever. You're not going to get serious deficiencies without it over the course of 30 days, but it may help you feel better and dampen food cravings).

Flavor- garlic, chili, and onion flakes, spices, herbs, soup mix packets, dip mix packets, hot sauce, vinegar powder, lime or lemon granules/concentrate, you really want this and it takes up so little space, trust me. (Put in what you've got or this can get pricey ...but it's kind of worth it)

Water:

Get a cheap filter (like a replacement filter that fits on a standard disposable water bottle) for sediment only and boil if unsure of water quality on your stove (see supplies)/in a microwave ($3). You can also just pour through a piece of old tee-shirt and boil.

OR get a nice filter like a sawyer or lifestraw, though these will easily put you over budget ($20)

Medical:

OTC Meds: I recommend acetaminophen, ibuprofen (can be taken with acetaminophen if needed), diphenhydramine, docusate sodium, loperamide, and anything else you use regularly (about $2 each ($10 total) generic)

Prescription Meds: if you take prescription meds, ask your doc for an extra 30-day supply of each for an emergency. You may have to pay out of pocket for this as insurance may not cover it. If you cannot afford that ask for a paper script with a year-long fill window (or however long they can give you for a particular med). Note that this will probably not work for controlled substances like testosterone or narcotics.

First aid supplies like band aids, cortisone cream, petroleum jelly (use instead of neosporin, seriously it works better, has far more uses, and no one is allergic to it), tape, and an ace wrap (spend about $10 total on this).

Caffeine if you consume it or get headaches frequently- tea is usually cheapest and easiest to prepare but instant coffee works here too (100 pack of the cheapest tea bags at aldi is like $2)

Nicotine if you consume it. Get lozenges instead of patches. I don't have a price on this but crises are not historically the most successful time to quit and you're probs going to need to be functional. If you have something to use instead you're less likely to buy crazy expensive cigs. Consider quitting or decreasing use in prep if you can, but, you know, keep these in your kit.

Hygiene:

Bar soap 2-4 bars. Get like two of the cheapest bars possible and one fels naptha. This sounds like a lot but you're probably going to be using it for everything- clothing, body, hands, dishes, etc... ($2-3)

Toothbrush (1 per person) and a full-size tube of toothpaste ($3)

Bug spray (you can get 2oz of 100% DEET for like $3 and mix with a carrier liquid)

Sunscreen ($5, though you can get it cheaper at expiration, it will only last about a year after)

You want me to say toilet paper but I'm not going to. Get a small plastic cup or a squeezy water bottle and boom you have a bidet. Wipe the water off with a wash cloth and hang to dry. Everyone should have their own and wash their hands after with soap.

Throw some masks in here. N95s if you have them but at the very least cloth ones and I know you have some you may not be using right now.

Entertainment:

Put some books or small games or something in here if you have extra space. And learn some games and recipes for the beans.

Put the rice and beans at the bottom. Sort everything and put it in bags, then layer those bags up to the top. Done.

Also, make a list of everything in the box and tape it to the top, possibly sorted by what bag each thing is in, which will help keep it organized. Next to anything with an expiration date, write the expiration date. Check the list yearly 2 months prior to your normal disaster season. That should give you time to update and replace things if needed.

You're also going to want to get some knoweldge- think about what you'll need to know to use this stuff. Do you know how to use a cup of water as a bidet? How to stretch DEET? How to use bar soap to wash dishes? All 4-6 uses for diphenhydramine? How to sprout beans and/or brown rice?

[shawtygonemad]

Revenge in Red

Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman x Reader

Jealousy Jealousy Jealousy!

Nothing seemed like a better Friday night then cuddling up with your man and watching some horror movies. All you needed was for said boyfriend to get home already. You've been draped over the couch, bored, for over an hour. Giving a frustrated huff, you were about to reach for your phone to call him when keys jingled at the front door. A smile crept on your face.

"Hi baby," you happily greeted.

"Hey," he responded with heavy breath as he struggled carrying multiple grocery bags in his arms and hands.

"Let me help with those," you insisted as you quickly hopped off the couch to assist. Together, you set the multiple bags on the counter.

"Thank you," Jimmy softly smiled as he gave you a quick kiss. "The paper bags are what need to be brought over to Chuck. Would you be able to do that for me tonight?"

"You know how much I dislike your brother," you frowned.

"I know, but it would be for me. Please?" He practically pouted as he caressed your cheeks in an attempt to persuade you.

"Fine," you huffed. "But what about you?"

"Actually, I meant to talk to you about this, but I've been invited to a costume party tonight," a nervous chuckle escaped him.

You very slightly narrowed your eyes. He only ever chuckled like that when he knew he was about to tell you something you wouldn't like.

"That's great! I don't have a costume though," you trailed off.

"Well, only I was invited... as a plus one. It's for HHM," he cautiously broke the news.

"HHM? What, is Chuck bringing you?" A scoffed rose in your throat. "Are they going to turn off the power for him? Let me guess, his costume is going to be TinFoil Man."

"No Chuck isn't going nor did he invite me," Jimmy rolled his eyes. "It was Ki-"

"Don't even finish that sentence, James!" You growled. "You know exactly how I feel about Kim Wexler."

"We're just friends!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"Friends who used to fuck!" You matched.

"It's not like that anymore," he tried to explain.

"Then why am I not allowed to go?" You placed a hand on your hip and questioned him as he hastily put the groceries away.

"I don't know! They have one guest per employee rule or something," he shrugged.

"Stop feeding me bullshit!"

"What do you want me to say, huh?" He whipped around at you and snapped.

"I want you to realize that Kim is clearly not over you! Jesus, can't you see that? I mean, c'mon. What are your costumes?" You narrowed your eyes.

"I'm... gonna be Joe DiMaggio." He must have seen how deadpan your face was. "What? He was a great idol in the hall of fame!"

"You don't even like sports," you glared. "If you tell me she's gonna be Marilyn Monroe then I'm gonna shove that baseball bat so far up-"

"It's not romantic at all!" Jimmy tried to ease your worries.

It didn't. You just rolled your eyes and brushed past him. Quickly, you gathered the bags for Chuck and made your way towards the door.

"Whatever, Jimmy. You go enjoy your fucking party while I go take supplies to your sick brother," you angrily called as you threw open the front door and walked out.

"Babe, please! It's not romantic!" He called after you. "They got a divorce!"

You ignored him as you walked down the hallway of the apartment complex.

----------------------------------------------

You were absolutely seething on the entire drive over to Jimmy's brother's house. Chuck was someone you hated just as much as Kim. Maybe even more. They both treated Jimmy like shit. Chuck just never wanted to see his brother succeed and would become extremely jealous when he does. Chuck would do anything to ruin Jimmy's reputation and life. Yet no matter how many times you've told Jimmy to cut his brother off, he never does. He still loves and idolizes the man for God knows what reason.

You should just toss the supplies in the yard and let the old crabby bastard starve. But you knew Jimmy would never forgive you. And no matter how angry you were at him, you still loved the man. You were doing this for Jimmy and not Chuck.

Huffing, you removed all items on your person that could have an electromagnetic field and place them in the mailbox. When you were outside the home, you touched the little buzzer to "ground" yourself. After taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door before entering.

"Chuck?" You called out into the dark home. The only light was the soft glow of a kerosene lamp on Chuck's desk.

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" He asked as he entered the room confused.

"Jimmy sent me over with some stuff," you grumbled as you placed the bags onto the man's couch.

"Well," Chuck clicked his tongue annoyed. Clearly, he wasn't thrilled to see you. The feeling was mutual. "Where is he?"

"Probably getting ready for the stupid costume party at HHM tonight," you frowned and crossed your arms.

"What? Oh God, don't tell me he's going to crash the event," Chuck groaned as he ran a hand down his face.

"No, actually. He was invited as a guest. By Kim Wexler," you said bitterly.

"I will never understand her fascination with him," he tutted. "You can't let him go. He'll ultimately end up making a fool of himself like he always does."

"Believe me, I tried," I frowned and crossed my arms tighter, hoping to shield myself from this conversation. "Besides, he's a big boy. He can do whatever he wants."

"He is up to something. I just know it," the older man started to pace. "You have to make him leave early."

"What's it matter to you if he embarrasses himself! You haven't stepped foot in the firm for, like, three years. How am I supposed to make him leave early?" You snapped.

The older man quickly went to his desk and started searching for something to write on. Once he found a post-it note, he began writing a number on it. When finished, he passed it to me.

"Give that number a call. Tell him I want you to go as his guest," Chuck informed you.

You looked down at the note placed in your hands. Reading the name that went with the number, your eyes almost fell out of your skull.

"Absolutely not! Jimmy would kill me if I showed up with this guy," you refused.

----------------------------------------------

Jimmy and Kim weaved side by side through the crowd of people. They were people watching and giggling together at how absurd some of Kim's coworkers were. Kim's giggle abruptly stopped when they stumbled upon Howard. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh instead. The blonde man looked good. Really good. He was dressed in a slick black tuxedo. The only off-putting thing was that he wore a pair of black rabbit ears on his head.

"Howard," Jimmy chuckled before giving the other man a big grin. "I like the ears. What are you supposed to be?"

"A playboy bunny," Howard smirked at the shorter man before taking a sip of his drink.

Jimmy laughed out loud. Kim was surprised by this and choked on the sip she was taking. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"That's an interesting choice," Kim admitted with a tight lip, trying not to laugh. "What made you come up with that?"

"It was the idea of my guest actually... oh! There she is," Howard grinned.

Both Jimmy and Kim turned to get a glimpse of who he was referring to. Kim's mouth instantly dropped at the sight. Jimmy's, on the other hand, clenched with anger and jealousy. In you walk, clad barely in any clothing. The black shorts you wore were so tiny they could practically pass as underwear. Your corsetted top was so tight that your chest was just a hair away from spilling out. A short, deep red, silk robe was over top. A captain's hat was placed on your head. Jimmy couldn't seem to take his eyes off of your bare fishnet legs that were accompanied by a pair of glitter stiletto heals. With as much confidence as you could muster, you strode over.

You knew Jimmy was staring at you, which made you smirk. That's exactly the reaction you were hoping for. As you approached the small group, you tossed your hair over your shoulder and flashed some flirty eyes towards Howard.

"Hi Howie! Thanks for holding my drink," You happily took the extra drink from his hand and took a sip from it. Peering over the drink at Jimmy, you smiled. "Do you like my costume? I'm Hugh Hefner!"

"What are you doing here?" Jimmy practically growled. "Wearing that?" He whisper-hissed the last part to just me.

"Well, I never got around to finding a date. So when I heard Kim was taking Jimmy, I was just thinking of how left out Y/N would have felt at home alone," Howard gave his totally fake explanation.

"You shouldn't be thinking of her at all," Jimmy snapped.

"C'mon, Howie, let's go dance. I'm not in a mood for a lecture tonight," You glared at Jimmy before grabbing Howard's hand and leading him towards the group of bodies dancing.

You could almost feel the fire filled gaze of your boyfriend watching on. His attention was clearly grabbed, but you needed something to push him over the edge and make him go home. After Howard placed the empty drinks on a cocktail waitresses tray, he turned towards you. You grabbed his hands and placed them on your hips. From there, you let the music flow through your body.

You swayed your hips to the beat, and Howard followed suit. As soon as you turned around with your back to Howard's chest, you could see an outraged Jimmy storming towards you. Something in the pit of your stomach swirled with excitement. You've never seen him this jealous before, and it was pretty hot.

He grabbed your upper arm and tugged you away from the man he despised.

"C'mon were leaving," Jimmy commanded as he started to drag you away.

"Oh C'mon, Jim," you sarcastically whined before turning towards him. "Let's stay and have a little fun."

Jimmy scowled before pulling your arm again. The two of you ended up in one of the gender neutral bathrooms. The lawyer locked the main door behind him once you both were inside.

"Why the fuck are you here with Howard Hamlin?" He seethed.

"Why the fuck are you here with Kim Wexler?" You challenged as you came chest to chest with yoru boyfriend.

"What? Do you think I still want to fuck her?" He scoffed.

"Do you?" You weren't sure if you really wanted the answer to that.

Without a second thought, Jimmy backed you up against the sink. He placed a hand on the back of your neck and looked you in the eyes.

"Why would I ever want her when I have you?" He breathed.

Your heart skipped a beat and started to race.

"Especially looking like this," he almost moaned in your ear.

Without another second to think, you gripped his face and brought him down for a passionate kiss.

"Let's go back to the Playboy Manison, Hugh," Jimmy smirked into your ear before nibbling on the lobe.

You let out a small laugh before grabbing his hand and quickly leading him out of the party.

[spidernerdsblog]

Hey honey! A blurb request for MMIH can you write abt the kids fighting with eachother and it got a little serious that they stopped talking with eachother for a while and eventually made up....I mean wt r siblings if they don't fight😂.... love ur writing 💖💕

That's so true lol. Hope you like this. Let me know what you think. Also here football implies to soccer.

Match made in Hell (series)

Twin trouble

Pairing : Mob! Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings : none

After working for an hour in the office you are finally done with scrutinizing all the documents Tom required for tomorrow's meeting. You stand up from the chair and stretch out a little bit before going to check on your twins. It's been quiet for some time in the house which only happens when they're upto some mischief.

You look around the house but they were nowhere to be found and then you remember Nathan carrying his football out to play in the lawn. So you step outside and your eyes widen with shock at the sight in front of you. A serious squabble has broken out between the two precious little terrors of yours. Nathan had a fistful of Nailah's hair in his hand while she clawed at his face. 

“Jesus! What is going on?!” you run towards them warily. None of them budged at all snarling at each other angrily. “Nathan! Nailah! Stop it, both of you.” you somehow separate them holding each of them on either side of you. 

“Nate pulled my hair.” Nailah says and tries to scratch him again.

“Leah scratched me.” Nathan retorts scowling at her. 

“Timeout you two. Go inside now.” you say sternly as they stomp their way into the house. 

You remember how they used to fight when they were little and as per your parenting books and your mother-in-law it was normal with twins as they adjusted to each other. You really thought they were past that phase but now it seems that isn't the case at all. 

You take some calming breaths and make your way back to the house to find them in the living room sitting far away from each other at the opposite ends of the couch. 

“Now may I know what on earth happened out there?” you ask with your hands on your hips.

“Nate will not let me play with the ball.” Nailah says with a sad pout.

“Nathan, why would you do that?” you look at him with disappointment.

“She never lets me play in the playhouse!” he complains.

“Because it's mine! Daddy made it for me.” Nailah bellows.  

“Leah, what did I tell about sharing?” you remind her and sit between them gently stroking their hair with your hands. “C’mon now say sorry to each other and then you can go back to playing football together.”

“NO!” both of them shout together.

“No? What do you mean no?” you frown as they slide off the couch and sprint up the stairs.

“Guys, wait! Come back!” you call out and then hear the doors of their rooms slam shut.

You pinch the bridge of your nose letting out an exasperated sigh. You thought of going to their rooms but then decided otherwise. It's better to give them some time to cool down as you hope they are soon back to being friends like all the other times they fought before. 

You were proved wrong when they didn’t talk to each other at lunch. On any other day there would be so much laughing and constant bickering at the table that you had to force them to eat but today they just ate silently and then went back to their rooms.

Tom returns in the evening and is taken aback at the very peaceful environment in the house which is very rare. He hangs his coat on the rack and goes around the house to find the three of you in the library. You were sitting on the armchair reading a book while Nathan and Nailah sat on either side of the centre table busy finishing their homework. 

He gives a gentle knock on the door and you look up from the book a smile instantly finding your face.

You set your book aside and walk up to him. “When did you return? Sorry I didn’t hear you.”

“Just a few minutes ago.” he dips his head to place a chaste kiss on your lips. “What's the matter? Why is it so quiet in here today?” 

“Don't ask.” you sigh and glance back at your kids. “They got into a huge fight today and now they won't talk to each other.” 

“That looks like a serious problem.” He raises brows amused. 

“It is. I tried everything but they’re been stubborn.”

“Wait, let me try.” he places a reassuring hand on your shoulder and walks inside the room. “Well what are my lovebugs upto?” he says with a cheery tone.

“Homework daddy.” Nailah replies glumly. It is indeed some serious fight Tom thought and gives another try. “So who wants to go out for pizza and ice cream?” 

That gets their attention as they both perk up leaving their homework and come walking around the table excitedly. You shake your head smiling.

“I’ll have chocolate ice cream daddy.” Nailah says, looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

“I know my little princess.” He smiles and sits down. “But before we go I have a condition,” he says. “Whatever fight you two got into, I want you to call it a truce.” all the excitement they had drains away as they look at each other pointedly.

“C’mon guys it's enough now.” you too sit down beside Tom. “You’re twins. You're best friends for life.”

“I don’t want to be a twin.” Nailah crosses her little hands pouting.

“Yes mommy me too.” Nathan frowns deeply.

“Why?”

“Because we have to share everything.” Nailah says with a serious look on her face which makes you stifle a smile.  

“Ok I see that’s a very big problem but you share your toys with your cousins when they come over right?” you try to make them understand. “And do you know how special it is to be twins? I wish I was a twin. Tom, don't you wish to be a twin?”

“Absolutely not, have you seen my brothers? They are a menace.” Tom laughs.

“Tom! Not helping.” you smack his arm lightly.

"But you two are the cutest and sweetest twins in the world," he adds. 

“We don’t want to be twins.” Nathan grimaces.

“You don’t have a choice sweetie, you were born on the same day.” you say cupping his face. “You know we were so happy when we found out we are having the two of you. But when you two fight like this it makes mommy really sad. Do you want me to stay sad?”

“No mommy.” they mumble, shaking their heads.

“Then can you please give each other a big hug and say sorry?”

They slowly turn to each other and put their hands around each other in a hug smiling.

“Sorry Leah.” 

“Sorry Nate.”

“Well now that everything is settled let’s go out for ice cream and pizzas." Tom announces.

"Yayy!!" Both of them squealed excitedly. 

[revive-the-fandom]

Genuine question. Why do think jack frost doesn't like pranks?

sorry for leaving this so long, i was originally just gonna link this post and be done with it but i kinda want a second go at explaining it??? if not for anyone else then for my own sake lol

tbh that first post kinda reads as juvenile and defensive now that i re-read it...

i'll link @rotg-goc-headcanons idk if you were the anon or not but i figure you might be interested in a... more coherent explanation..

in the original post i got a bit side-tracked trying to prove one thing over the other. but i don't think this is a black/white situation in actuality. people are full of contradictions and i think in trying to prove that jack 100% at all times did not like pranks was working against me rather than for me.

so, i want to change my statement:

i disagree with the popular opinion (present in most fics and a lot of other fanworks) that jack is the prankster archetype.

i see a lot of people claiming that jack would be the type to set up pranks just for the fun of it. the kind of stuff you'll find on old school youtube where people run into clingfilm or replace icing with toothpaste etc. personally i find that doesn't match up with the canon version of events.

in canon, jack's pranks are very specific - they are a reaction to a specific person, and as such are tailored for that situation and individual.

jack has been seen to use pranks for the following:

to play with other kids and entice them into a game

to encourage the side-lined kid to join the game (and to overcome stereotypes and implied bullying)

as a defence in verbal fights

to deflect attention away from himself

as a distraction strategy in a literal fight

to calm down/cheer up/distract others in stressful situations

to bond with those around him

i think it's important to his character that he's not extreme in his use of pranks as some fanworks might suggest.

jack never seems to use pranks to draw attention to himself, or to make another person uncomfortable. i saw a few responses to my original response that mentioned that jack only really uses his pranks as a way to bring joy to others not to himself (i think it was @giantgirl253 but the tagging doesn't seem to work).

if you think about it, him being the prankster archetype that he's constantly characterised as doesn't mesh with him being good with kids or having the 'fun' centre. he would just come off as annoying (which i suppose is the most likely reason for why he gets written like this - to explain why bunny and north have a somewhat negative first impression of him.

ACTUALLY i think i may have stumbled onto the main problem with how jack is characterised.

a lot of people, in universe and in audience, tend to believe what they're told about jack rather than how we see him behave.)

i'd argue that jacks use of pranks is more in line with this dumb meme:

i'm also gonna reiterate that jack goes through a major character development (ofc he does he's the mc) i bring this up for two reasons:

firstly, bc a lot of people cite that first scene in moscow as a major reason as to why he should be characterised as a prankster when its showing him at his most immature, insecure and selfish point

secondly, bc the scene in moscow is a situation in which jack is still stuck in a neglectful and harmful environment which is eroding his ability to see things clearly (mostly affecting his ability to accept responsibility, something he was capable of in the prologue and the flashback, but not in the first half of the movie). his pranks are as much a (subconscious) cry for help as they are a coping mechanism for his lack of corporeality.

(btw i'm sticking with my original claim that north and sandy are the pranksters of the group. jack just gets carried along bc he's a good sport like that, and bunny... is competitive and insecure lol)

tldr: its not that i think jack dislikes pranks per se, but that jack has specific terms for how, when and who he uses his pranks on. he's not a cluster of personality traits that go full throttle at all times, he knows when to stop, when and where his actions change from playful to cruel.

[robinofgothamcity]

"now we're stopping the world, stopped it in its tracks. nothing's too broken to find our way back so before it's over, before you run...didn't we have fun?"

♡ pairing: ilja dragunov x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / i'm so happy ilja won tonight but that doesn't mean that i'm not heartbroken over walter finally losing. anyway, here's a small blurb for all you ilja stans.

"your ex has his big match tonight, you excited to probably see him lose again?" Indi asked jokingly. you rolled your eyes, not wanting to joke about a match you were nervous to watch. "I know tonight for him is a big deal so I don't really want to jinx him or for that matter, Walter," you replied, taking a sip of water.

Indi sighed sensing the excuses rolling off your tongue. you were tapping away nervously on your laptop and you filled out last minute paperwork for the pay-per-view event. she noticed every time you had your nose deep into your laptop it was for one of two reasons. you actually had to get work done or you were so nervous about something that you consumed your life with work until whatever it was that was making you nervous passed.

"what has you so glued to your laptop? I thought all NXT work was finished yesterday?" you shook your head, not responding as you continued to, "Regal wanted me to respond to a few emails for the taping on Tuesday. where's Dexter? I'm surprised the engaged couple isn't together right now," you poked, making Indi smack you on the back of the head.

the entire building was buzzing from excitement. you heard makeup and costume screaming at each other about finishing their clients so the other could get started. wrestlers walked back and forth through catering, chugging back water and standing by the curtains to eat while they watched whatever match was going on.

"look, Walter's over there," Indi whispered. you looked behind you, seeing Walter along with his two henchmen walking to an empty table. you could sense Walter's energy the minute he walked through the door. it was like the biggest unkept secret that Walter carried this energy that just scared anyone who dared to provoke him. "man, Ilja's going to get it rough, regardless if he wins tonight or not," you whispered to Indi as she agreed.

you and Indi remained talking to each other as you watched Dakota's match against Raquel. you were on the writing team for their storyline so you kind of had to pay attention to the match to see where it went after it ended. you managed to be so engrossed into it that you hadn't heard Indi calling your name for a good minute until she finally shook you.

"they want you in makeup and costume, something about Regal wanting you," Indi said. you nodded, closing your laptop and shoving everything int your bag, "I'll be back," you murmured. Indi laughed knowing you weren't exactly coming back anytime soon.

you walked as quickly as possible, not realizing that Regal had no business in makeup and costume but since your mind was so plagued with the thoughts of Ilja's match, you hadn't put two and two together.

once you arrived to makeup and costume, you saw Ilja sitting on one of the chairs as one of the makeup artist apologized profusely to you, "this was all Indi's idea. I swear she was the one who put me to this," she confessed as she walked out of the makeup stall, leaving you with Ilja, the air becoming thick.

"I know this isn't all of Indi's doing so what do you want?"

+

Ilja and you stared at each other, minds racing as the two of you heaved in anger, "I'm not staying on the UK brand, Lacey and I got offered a better deal as a tag team on the main NXT roster and I'm not just letting that go," you repeated to Ilja as he tried to grab your hand again. you quickly shook it off knowing that all he was going to do was try and convince you to stay again.

"why are you so against me going?" you asked again. this time, Ilja stood up, looking into your eye with so much intensity, "if you leave, I won't ever see you again. I won't leave the UK brand and you look like you're dead set on leaving it," you huffed knowing what Ilja was saying was true.

the offer NXT had for you in Florida seemed hell of a lot better than what the UK brand was offering you at the moment and teaming as a tag with Lacey didn't sound as bad as what you were currently doing. you grabbed Ilja's hand and rubbed it softly, "this might be the end for us but it's not all bad. you have a chance at the belt here while I try to go do the same thing just in Florida. maybe this isn't the end, just a see you later?" you asked knowing Ilja was trying to hold in his tears.

you knew Ilja was the kind of man who didn't hold back his emotions. he cried when he felt the tears coming but today he tried as hard as he could to hold it together, "we'll be together again, I promise," you whispered to him.

you felt your leg pulsing as you tried to calm your thoughts down. you had taken a nasty fall down during a match and you knew it was your ankle that had taken the hit or your achilles. a part of you was begging that it was your ankle but in the back of your mind, you knew it was your achilles and an achilles injury usually meant a prolonged healing process.

the medics tried to find the source of your injury but there wasn't much you could do while in the area. it didn't take long for them to wheel you into an ambulance and rush you over to the hospital to actually check out what was wrong. the entire time throughout the ride and waiting on your results, you kept getting a multitude of texts from everyone wondering what happened.

you heard a knock on the door and whispered a 'come in'. the doctor walked in with a pile of paperwork and wary smile. "what's the damage?" you asked, quickly cutting to the chase. he handed you the paperwork and while you could understand somethings, a lot of it was confusing.

"your achilles, it took most of the damage and it's an injury that you won't be coming back from."

your heart stopped hearing the news. you knew an achilles injury was pretty nasty but you never thought it would be the reason why your career ended. the doctor could see your face drop in complete sadness as you tried to hold back sobs. he knew it was best to not continue as you hid your face into your hands. no one thought that a random Tuesday night match would be your last.

Ilja sat on his bed, scrolling through his feed on Twitter when he heard the tweet from your account.

it was a photo of you holding the NXT UK Women's belt close to your heart. his heart sunk as he read the caption.

"didn't we have fun? don't say it was all a waste."

he quickly scrolled through your account to quickly come across the official WWE account. they had made an announcement that you were no longer available to wrestle due to your injury and Ilja knew more than anyone how hurt you must've been. you had moved your entire wrestling career to Florida in order to pursue the women's belt there and now, all of that was gone.

a part of him wanted to text you to make sure you were okay but he knew better than to do that. the two of you hadn't spoken since the breakup and texting you could bring back memories he was sure you didn't want back. a lot of your career was defined as a inter-gender tag team with him and that was how the two of you got signed together.

Ilja bit his tongue back and decided against texting you.

+

you watched the match from the monitors in the back. Ilja had said nothing to you when you asked what he wanted but he brought you in for a searing kiss. you were promptly taken back by his action but you let it happen, missing the way his arms hugged you and the way his intense eyes stared down at you.

Indi stood next to you as she saw you tapping against the table nervously. she knew you'd probably kill her later for making you reunite with Ilja but she knew better than anyone that the two of you belonged together. just like her and Dexter, you and Ilja needed to remain with each other. there was even a few wrestlers on the roster she had to scare away in order for her plan to work.

you saw the way Ilja's chest was turning red as Walter continued to chop at it, making it bleed and creating small cuts here and there. Indi stood next to you as she watched Ilja put Walter in a very easy chokehold. it wasn't one that seemed that Walter would falter too but it happened in an instant, Ilja had him wrapped so tightly that it seemed Walter was about to pass out.

"holy shit."

Walter was quickly tapping himself out of Ilja's grasp as the bell rang. Indi turned over to you to see the way you dropped your bag and without thinking, ran out of the curtains and onto the ramp. a few of the producers called your name to return but you were too far out to hear what they were saying.

the crowd was going wild to see you practically sprinting down the ramp. Ilja hadn't realized what was going on but you snatched the belt away from the ref and stood in front of him, holding it up high as Ilja tried to process what was going on. "you won, Ilja! you finally did it!" you yelled, shaking the belt in front of him.

Ilja's breath hitched as he grabbed the belt and held it tightly for a moment before putting his leg on top of Walter's chest, "you did it," you whispered to him. Ilja screamed in victory as you grabbed his hand and made him hold the belt higher to show the crowd that he had in fact dethroned Walter after 800+ days

you had no idea what this meant for you and Ilja going forward but you had the inkling feeling that somehow, someway, Ilja had crawled his way back into your life. not that you were complaining of course.

[jenroses]

My fashion statement is "shut up, it's comfortable" but from a practicality standpoint, I know that it can be hard for autistic fat people like me to find clothes that fit and are comfortable, so I'm going to break it down for you.

From the top:

Face masks: I use a surgical mask with a double-layer cotton mask over it whenever I'm in public. The cotton mask is from Sleeping Baby Productions and comes in sizes, and the design is excellent. I will put the ear loop mask on, put the cotton mask over, then unhook the ear loops. I put a little elastic on the ribbon, and that goes behind my head, so it's very pop-on-pop-off without requiring repeated tying, and it holds the paper mask in place extremely well. My ears get very tired from elastics, so this lets me mask longer without pain.

Hoodies are magnificent items of clothing, but jewel-toned tunic trapeze hoodies with big front pockets are even better. They're kind of like a wizard robe but without the trailing skirts. They go to the thighs and they are wide wide wide at the hem, so nothing binds anywhere at all. Currently getting mine from the unfortunately-named "Woman Within" because while they're a little over-gendered in the name, their clothes run the gamut from Aunt Marge's flowered Muumuu to Star Trek Genderless Alien Monochrome. Whole lotta options in between, including, often, the deepest selection of plus sized plaid I've ever seen. They're currently carrying about six different hooded tunics. Sizes range from M-5x

Under that, Ava and Viv long sleeved t-shirts, made of cotton, modal and spandex. These are the holy grail of sensory friendly shirts, they are more comfortable than nudity. They are not just sensory neutral, they're actually calming. Plus sizes only (but look for modal/spandex blends for whatever shirts you need to be soft and stretchy) and although I normally wear a 5x, their 4x fits me fine. I wear the short sleeve in the summer.

On my legs, back to Woman Within, their 7 day knit pants are inexpensive, come in sizes from small to 6x, petite, regular and tall, and have deep enough pockets to hold a whole full sized cell phone. They also come in straight, wide and slim leg, full length, capri and shorts in the same "7-day knit" which also includes skirts and blazers. Target also has a knit blazer, and if you MUST wear a jacket to work, invest in some knit blazers, they feel like sweats, only softer, but look snazzy enough to not raise eyebrows. Black and navy are fine, but they also come in a lot of colors. When it's colder, velour is a godsend for me, smooth on the inside, sensory-positive texture on the outside, and they've got those, too. Feet: SOCKS. I hate almost every sock I've ever tried, due to sensory issues. I've pulled almost 100% of my buying away from Amazon, but socks are one of my three big exceptions, because Yomandamor doesn't sell anywhere else that I've seen. They have bamboo diabetic socks in a range of shapes, colors and lengths, but every one I've tried has met the following high standards: They're soft, they have no annoying toe seams, they stay up most of the time, they don't bind my ankles, they fit my calves, and they are better than barefoot. The thickest winter socks they have are less than $3 per pair. The standard ankle socks I usually wear are less than a buck fifty a pair. Oh, and they fit my giant feet.

Shoes: Summer, Alegria sandals. Winter, either Alegria leather shoes or Merrell Moab II hiking boots. Let me tell you about these boots... they have room for orthotics. They don't bind my toes AT ALL which makes them much better for preventing annoying toe stuff, and they are comfortable everywhere. Also, I can just step into them if I put stretchy laces on them. Hiking boots that SLIP ON. I swear the first time I put on a pair of these, the heavens opened and choirs sang.

To save my sanity, I just buy enough of each of these in colors that won't bother me if I mix and match (lotta black, lotta jewel tones) and thus I don't have to think about clothes other than making sure I have enough of them clean.

Oh! Hands! I have RA and EDS and need hand support, but a lot of arthritis gloves are too dislocating for my EDS hands. I have no clue whether the copper matters in the various Copper gloves that you can find (As seen on tv, copper fit, copper hand, there are different types) but they're usually soft, just enough support and relieve pain well, probably more due to the compression than anything. Durability varies. I will also use padded-palm weight lifting fingerless gloves with a wrist strap when my hands need extra support. If the seams on the weightlifting gloves are bothering me I'll put copper gloves underneath. I have typed easily a hundred thousand words wearing gloves like this.

[itsadamcole]

arranged - pt.2

fem!reader x drew mcintyre

reader and Drew go to America for reader’s surprises ...

word count: 5.5k+

warnings: prince!drew, just a lil bit angsty, definitely more fluff than part 1, smut :)

— and here’s part 2. enjoy —

part 1 || masterlist || request an imagine here

~ 18+ content below - read at your own risk ~

You and Drew land in Orlando. It's late January, and a huge temperature difference. It feels more like summer in Florida than it does in Scotland, where it's super cold right now.

A smile hasn't left your lips since you took off, and you're excited to see Candice.

Speaking of Candice, she waits by baggage for you. When you see her, you drop Drew's hand and your things before running over to her. You hug her tight and she says, "Okay, okay. Relax, princess. It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too," you say, looking at her. "I haven't seen you since the wedding."

Candice laughs and says, "It wasn't that long ago." She looks at Drew. "Your husband has gotten handsomer since I last saw him."

You giggle and say, "It hasn't been that long, Candice."

She smiles and says, "So, anyway. Come on. The trainers and doctors want to give you a full physical at Full Sail to make sure you're cleared to be in the match this week on NXT."

Smiling, you say, "Sounds great." You look back at Drew. "Ready?"

He nods and says, "Of course."

Candice drives you both to Full Sail University, where NXT is broadcasted from. She asks questions about what married life is like, how Scotland is, and how it's been over there since you married Drew.

It's a short drive to Full Sail from the airport so she doesn't get to many questions in.

During the physical, the doctors and trainers make sure your in tiptop shape to compete. You've lost some muscle mass since you haven't trained in months but it's not that big of a deal. They do the whole work up.

After you've been medically cleared to compete, Hall of Famer Triple H finds you. He says, "Y/N, welcome to Full Sail. We're very happy to have you here as part of our roster in NXT, even though it's for a short amount of time."

You smile and say, "Thank you, Mr. H."

He hands you a black leather folder and says, "Inside, you'll find a part time NXT contract that will have you as part of the NXT roster for six months. Your husband says that after six months, you will no longer be able to compete. As a part timer, you're slotted to be in three matches, one match every two months."

Your eyes widen and you look at Drew before you say, "I thought this was a one match deal."

"I pulled some strings," Drew says before winning at you.

Triple H says, "As of right now, your matches will be against Candice this Wednesday at NXT, a match against an opponent of your choice at Takeover: London in two months, and a match against an opponent of your choice at Takeover: Glasgow in four and a half months."

Your jaw almost hits the floor and you say, "Takeover matches? Like, actual pay-per-view matches."

Everyone in the room laughs and Triple H says, "We wanted to make your last few matches memorable ones. I've spoken with William Regal about this and he's on board. Are you?"

Quickly, you read over the contract and sign it. "I'm on board," you say.

"Welcome to NXT, Y/N," Triple H says, holding out his hand.

You shake his hand and smile. "Thank you for this opportunity," you say.

He smiles and walks off. You look at Drew and he has a huge smile on his face.

"I haven't seen ya so happy about something before," he says.

You smile back at your husband and you say, "I'm living my dream because of you, Drew. Thank you."

Drew says, "I just got us here. Yer talent is the reason yer living yer dream."

"You've never seen me in the ring before," you say, giggling.

Your husband says, "I get t'see ya in the ring on Wednesday."

You smile and shake you head, leaving to go to the hotel to get some sleep so you can train all day tomorrow before Wednesday.

***

Wednesday gets here too quickly. You've brought your old gear with you to wrestle in. It's definitely more revealing than you remember.

You stand in your little dressing room and look in the mirror at yourself.

The shorts got tighter and shorter, and the crop top now tightly hugs your chest. Your cleavage is very exposed and you hope to God that you don't have a wardrobe malfunction while in the ring.

Now that you're the princess of Scotland, you have a lot to be conscious about.

Someone knocks on your door as you're tying up your boots. "It's me," Candice says. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," you say.

The door opens and Candice walks in. She smiles when she sees you in your gear. "Damn, you looked good in the gear then and you look good now," she says. "Anyway, I was thinking. I want to cut a promo before our match tonight. Just a short one. I'll say how a princess shouldn't be in the ring with someone like me and we can go from there."

You nod and finish lacing up your boots. "Sounds good," you say. "I'm assuming that my signing has been a secret?"

Candice nods and says, "Yeah. Drew's being kept out of the crowd until our slot so it doesn't give it away too early that you're here."

Someone calls your name and Candice's name. It's time.

"I've never been so ready to get back in a ring," you say. "Ever since I left, it's been marriage and princess lessons. I'm ready to wrestle again."

Candice smiles as the two of you walk to the backstage area. "You better be," she says.

Several NXT superstars are in the backstage area. The Undisputed Era, Finn Balor, Io Shirai, Timothy Thatcher, Tommaso Ciampa, Rhea Ripley, Johnny Gargano, Indi Hartwell, and Shotzi Blackheart just to name a few.

You stretch out as you wait for your music to hit.

It's been too long since you felt this rush of adrenaline. Before every match and every promo for Ring of Honor, you'd feel a rush of adrenaline to get you pumped up. You last felt this in your last ROH match a few months ago. It's been too damn long.

Candice's music hits and she walks out. You listen to what she says carefully.

"Rumor has it we're in the presence of royalty tonight," Candice says. "Apparently some princess signed with us a few days ago? That's the rumor anyway. I don't think she even deserves to be in an NXT ring."

That's when you're handed a microphone before your music, I Like It Heavy by Halestorm, hits. Of course it's a clean version of the song because this is WWE but it's fine. You're making your entrance for the first time in months.

The crowd loses it as you walk toward the ring in your sparkly red and black gear. You step into the ring.

The music fades out and you're face to face with Candice. She smirks and asks, "Oh, did I hit a nerve, princess?"

You hold your microphone up and say, "I don't deserve to be in an NXT ring?" You scoff. "Please, Candice. I've fought to be here."

Candice says, "You're Scotland's princess. That's the only reason you're here."

These comments are hitting you hard, but you fight through.

"Listen here," you say. "I am a NWA Women's World Champion, a two-time NWA Women's World Tag Team Chanpion, and Impact Knockouts Champion. I deserve to be in this ring for my talent, not by my title."

Candice says, "Then let's go. You're dressed. I'm dressed. Let's get a referee out here."

The crowd cheers and you yell "bring it" into the microphone before throwing it down.

The match begins shortly after. You have Candice in a headlock and you're trying to bring her down onto her knees. She pushes you off of her into the ropes. You bounce off and hit her with a clothesline.

You say, "Oh, look. The princess is the only one still standing."

The crowd laughs and Candice hits the mat before getting up. You're locked in a grapple with her a few seconds later. After a bit of struggling, Candice knees you in the stomach. You cry out and clutch your stomach, falling to your knees. She hits you with a running knee to the jaw, and you sell it well. You fall into your back, knees bent with your feet beneath you.

Candice pulls at your hair to get you up, and the ref warns her of the hair. She says, "Get out of my ring."

You snarl, "Go to hell."

Then you elbow her hard. She backs off you, creating enough space for you to perform a spinning heel kick. She falls but you get her up into your shoulders into a fireman's carry.

You hit the Falcon Arrow on her and go in for the pin.

One. Two. Three. The bell rings and your music blares. The crowd goes insane. You spot Drew in the front row where he would mostly be off camera. He's looking at you in awe as he applauds. You smile as the ref holds your arm up, declaring you the official winner.

***

Days pass by since your match with Candice. It's all you talk about whenever you get the chance. Drew just smiles and listens as you tell him about the rush you felt being back in the ring.

You're driving to your hometown, a little suburb outside of Manhattan. It's been a quiet ride, and that's because Drew is asleep.

Timezones and jet lag have not been your friend during this trip, but it's easier for you to get used to the time change than it is for Drew.

You pull up to your childhood home and tap Drew's shoulder. "Hey, sleeping beauty," you say. "We're here."

He stirs and looks out the window. You smile and he says, "This is yer old house? It's so small."

"I didn't have much," you say. "My parents scrapped together what they could to pay for wrestling school when I was 14 until I was 17. I told myself then that I'd make it in wrestling and I'd pay them back for what they paid for me to go to wrestling school."

Drew looks at you and asks, "Can we go inside?"

You shake your head and say, "It was foreclosed. It belongs to the bank or something. It would be illegal to go in."

Your husband looks back at the house, which has fallen apart with age. It's a one story house. It has one bedroom, a tiny bathroom, and one room that holds the living room, dining room, and kitchen areas.

Drew says, "This while time ya were over here struggling, I was living it up as the prince of Scotland with my rich parents. I used to throw tantrums because they wouldn't get me the newest toy or take me on vacation with them, and your family couldn't afford either."

"We made it through," you say. "My parents live in a beautiful two story house in the nicer part of Manhattan. I paid them back right before I left for Scotland. Every story has a happy ending, Drew."

He smiles a bit and he asks, "Even ours?"

You smile and say, "Especially ours." You lean over the middle console and press a kiss to Drew's cheek. Your lips linger a little too long and he turns his head. You pull back a bit and meet his eyes.

That's when the butterflies flutter in your stomach and your heart races in your chest.

Slowly, both you and Drew lean into each other. Your eyes flicker to the lips you've only kissed twice, once at your wedding and once at a public event right after the wedding.

One of Drew's hands moves and rests on your cheek. You instinctively lean into his soft touch a bit.

Your lips are centimeters away from Drew's. Your noses touch as Drew's other hand moves to cup your other cheek.

"Tell me to stop if ya don't want this," Drew whispers.

You nod a bit and say, "I want this, Drew."

Then his lips brush against yours. A feather light touch. It makes you lean in more because you want more.

Drew guides your lips to his. Your eyes flutter closed as you kiss Drew. Your hands wrap around his wrists as he cups your face.

His facial hair tickles your chin and upper lip as the soft kiss continues.

It's like your first kiss all over again. Your first kiss was at your wedding in front of thousands of people. This one feels different. You never felt butterflies or your heart race when you kissed Drew at your wedding. You do now.

Drew pulls back and looks at you.

"How come ya never kissed me like that at our wedding?" he asks.

You say, "Because I didn't want it then. I wanted it now. I wanted the kiss."

He smiles and pecks your lips one more time before saying, "Show me yer favorite spot."

Giggling, you say, "I can't drive with you holding my face. Hold my hand if you wanna hold something."

Drew smiles and lets your face go. He takes your hand as you drive to your favorite spot.

Your favorite spot, or your safe spot, is a small park. You pull up, and get out.

The sun is setting, and you have a perfect view.

After taking Drew's hand, you walk over to a park bench. You sit down and Drew sits beside you. He wraps an arm around your shoulder as you both watch the sunset.

Drew says, "Ya don't have t'stay if ya don't want."

You look at him and ask, "What are you talking about?"

"In Scotland," he says. "Ya don't have t'stay. Being king isn't that important t'me if it means that ya don't get t'keep wrestling. I saw ya in the ring the other day, and it's all ya talk about. Ya love wrestling, and I don't wanna take that away from ya."

You turn so you're facing him as you say, "I'm happy in Scotland. Yeah, it was hard at first. I had to come to terms with possibly never wrestling again, and I did. Until you surprised me with this trip. I love that you did this for me, and for that, I'll help you become king and I'll be the best damn queen Scotland has ever seen." Drew smiles and you throw your legs over one of his legs.

You continue with, "Plus, I may or may not have fallen for you completely so I'm not going anywhere. Til death do us part, remember?"

There's almost a sparkle in Drew's eyes when you tell him that you might have fallen for him.

Your husband smiles and says, "I, uh, might've fallen for ya completely too."

You smile and lean into Drew. You kiss him slowly and softly. He kisses you back, pulling you closer to him.

The kiss is slow and full of passion. Your heart pounds in your chest as your lips move against Drew's.

Drew pulls back again and he says, "Let's find somewhere t'stay tonight. Do ya have a favorite hotel?"

You nod and say, "Yeah, it's in the city. Let's go."

The two of you get up and head to your favorite hotel.

***

The San Carlos Hotel. It's a cute little hotel, and not over the top fancy. You rent out a suite for the next few days, and they tell you that your stay is on the house because you're royalty. Sometimes being a royal has its perks.

The suite is a one bedroom suite. A full bathroom and walk in closet. Plus a living room area with a couch and a flat screen, and a kitchen.

Drew smiles when you unlock the door. You both walk in and you say, "Home sweet home while we tour New York."

He looks at you and say, "I'm glad ya didn't take the out when I offered it, Y/N. I didn't know ya were happy in Scotland. Honestly, I thought ya were miserable."

Giggling, you walk up to Drew and say, "Scotland is a beautiful country. I'm happy to be its princess, and eventually queen."

Your husband says, "Scotland's beauty is nothing compared to yers, Y/N."

Your cheeks heat up and say, "You are one unbelievably cheesy prince, you know that."

He laughs and says, "I take good pride in that. It's a talent."

Laughing, you begin to unpack. Drew disappears into the living room.

Once you've finished unpacking, you walk over to the window. You cross your arms over your chest and look out over the city that never sleeps.

Cars are still on the road and people are milling around on the sidewalks even though the sun has set.

You smile and keep looking out the window, until a pair of arms wraps around your shoulders. You don't have to look to know it's Drew. You lean back into him.

"I'll miss New York," you admit. "The city is always buzzing. It's the city that never sleeps, you know."

Drew presses a kiss to your temple and he says, "Just because we're gonna be king and queen doesn't mean we can't leave the country. We're not locked down in Scotland when we ascend the throne."

You sigh and say, "I know."

The two of you stand like that. You both look out over the city for several minutes.

Drew asks, "So, I did good?"

Nodding, you look up at Drew. "You did more than good," you say. "This has been the best trip of my life, and I'm glad you're here with me."

Your husband says, "I hope we can actually try at the relationship thing. I have a lot to learn still and-"

You lean up, pressing a soft kiss to Drew's lips to cut him off. He's caught off guard by the kiss but he kisses you back.

After a moment, you pull back and say, "We're gonna try at the relationship thing." You smile. "But I know that you know a decent amount about some parts of a relationship."

Drew says, "I know a lot less than ya think I know."

You turn in his arms and ask, "So if I asked you to, I don't know, take off my clothes, you wouldn't know how to do it?"

His face gets flustered as he stammers, "Well, I, uh, I know how to take off clothes, Y/N."

"I would hope so," you say, teasing him.

Drew smiles and says, "Listen, I don't know much about relationships but I know a lot about the physical parts."

You stare up at Drew and say, "Show me what you know."

"Y/N, we just talked about trying the relationship thing," he says, smiling. "I don't think we're ready for the next step."

A smile forms on your lips as you say, "We've already skipped a step or two. What's one more?"

Drew pushes some hair out of your face before he cups your face. He says, "I wanna do this the right way, Y/N."

You look up at Drew and you say, "There is no right way when we're in this situation."

He laughs softly and says, "Yer not wrong."

Leaning your head up, you say, "So show me what you got."

Drew smiles and leans down, bringing his lips to yours. The kiss is slow at first, full of passion. You wrap your arms around Drew's waist, holding him close to you.

His tongue swipes across your bottom lip, asking for access. You part your lips slightly. His tongue slips into your mouth. You let out a soft sigh into the kiss.

Your heart is racing in your chest at the thought of Drew taking off your clothes. You've seen him without a shirt on, but he's always seen you clothed.

While you're busy thinking, Drew's fingers have started working on the zipper of the jacket you're wearing. He pushes the jacket off of you and you pull away from the kiss.

Your eyes meet Drew's and he asks, "Ya really want this?"

Nodding, you say, "I want this." You untuck the shirt he's wearing from his pants.

Drew smiles and picks you up by your waist. You wrap your legs around his waist as he walks toward the bed. You giggle and wrap your arms around his neck. You take out the hair tie that's keeping his hair in a ponytail.

"I don't want your hair up when we're together," you admit. "I like it down."

Your husband lays you gently on your back on the bed. He looks down at you and says, "Anything for my princess."

You giggle, "So cheesy."

Drew leans down and kisses you. Your fingers slide up into his long locks. One of Drew's hands roams your body over your clothes while you start to unbutton the button up that he's wearing.

Several months ago, you and Drew wouldn't even touch each other. Not even hand-holding. Now, you're underneath him on a bed.

Things have definitely changed for the better over the last few weeks between you and Drew. It feels like euphoria when he kisses you or touches you. You can only imagine how it'll feel when his fingers find their way into your pants or under your shirt.

You're barely able to control yourself as Drew's lips move from yours to your neck. Your eyes flutter closed and you run your fingers through Drew's long locks. His button up now hangs open after you got it unbuttoned.

Drew kisses and nips at the skin on your neck as you push the open button-up off his body. You run your fingers gently up his now bare arms until your hands cup his face. You bring Drew's head up, bringing his face out of your neck. You're breathing a little heavy as you meet Drew's pretty blue eyes.

You lean your head up and press your lips to Drew's hard. One of Drew's hands runs down the side of your body, grazing the side of your breast. You almost shiver with anticipation as Drew's fingers reach the bottom of your t-shirt.

He pulls away from the kiss and looks down at you. You sit up a bit and lift your arms over your head. Drew pulls the t-shirt off of you and discards it somewhere in the room. You're left in just a plain, black bra and pants. You didn't think you'd be doing this or you would have worn a fancier undergarment.

"God," Drew says, eyes wondering over your half naked upper body. Your cheeks get hot as he looks at you underneath him.

He shifts his weight so he's kneeling between your legs. He pulls your hips toward him. You feel the bulge in Drew's pants against your clothed crotch and you gasp slightly. Your husband sits on his heels as he looks at you.

You stare at Drew, waiting anxiously for him to make a move. Your heart racing wildly in your chest.

Drew hooks his fingers into the waistband of your leggings, pulling them off your body slowly. They join your shirt on the hotel floor. He leans down and starts to lightly kiss your belly. You giggle and look down at him. His lips trail up your belly until he reaches the bra you're wearing. He undoes the front clasp and the bra falls open, exposing your breasts to Drew. Your breath hitches as he uses a finger and plays with one of your nipples. He kisses the other breast before sucking on that nipple.

You bite back a moan as you slightly arch your back off the mattress. The hand playing with your nipple moves down your body. Drew's fingers slip into the waistband of your panties and you sigh. You lick your bottom lip as his fingers inch closer to their target.

Your husband's eyes flicker up to your face and he watches for your reaction as two of his fingers run through your slick folds. Your eyes flutter closed and you smile, grasping onto the blankets on the bed.

His fingers tease your clit and you say in a whispered tone, "Don't tease." Drew teases your entrance and you let out a quiet moan.

"That was the prettiest things I've ever heard come from ya're mouth," Drew stares.

You get all flustered and say, "It's not nice to be a tease, Drew."

He presses a light kiss to your jaw and mumbles, "Tell me what ya want, princess."

Almost begging him, you say, "I want to feel your fingers inside me. Please."

Gently, Drew starts to pull off your panties. The fabric is thrown to the floor and you pull off the bra. You're completely naked in front of Drew, and you feel comfortable. You trust that Drew won't do anything to hurt you. He's the kind of man to make sure that you're okay with something before he does it.

Drew runs a finger through your soaked folds before he pushes that finger inside of you. You bite your lip to hold back your moans. Drew's hovering above your naked body. His lips are on your neck again, nipping at the skin and definitely leaving marks.

His finger moves in and out of you. You let your lip go and let out the moans you were holding in. Then Drew adds a second finger. You gasp and moan, "Drew."

"Making ya feel good with just my fingers?" Drew mumbles against your neck.

You nod frantically and say, "I love your finger."

He smirks and says, "I can promise ya that they love ya too."

The speed of his fingers quickens and your hips buck off the bed. You moan his name and a few profanities. A knot forms in your stomach.

You're intoxicated with how Drew is making you feel. You love the feeling of Drew's fingers inside of you. His touch makes you feel euphoric and waves of bliss overcome you with every flick of his wrist.

Your walls clench around Drew's fingers and you cry out, "Drew, I'm about to cum!"

The Scotsman's voice drops a tone and he asks, "Ya gonna cum from my fingers, princess? Do I make ya feel that good?"

Nodding, you desperately say, "I need to cum. Please."

"Go ahead, my love," he says.

Your legs begin to shake as you release all over Drew's fingers. More than you ever have for anyone before. Moans pass your lips as well as Drew's name mixed with profanities. Your breathing is labored as you come down from your high. Drew kisses you as you try to catch your breath.

Your lips move feverishly against his for a few moments before Drew gets back on his knees. You sit up with him between your legs and undo the button on his jeans. You look up at him as you push the dark blue fabric off his body. He's left in his boxer shorts as he sits back. You crawl onto his lap, straddling his huge bulge. You run your fingers down Drew's chest and he looks up at you.

"I have t'get something if we're gonna do this, princess," Drew says, pecking your lips. "Unless ya want to start producing heirs t'the throne right now."

You giggle and say, "Let's wait a year before we start doing that."

He smiles and snakes his way out from under you. You sit on the bed and watch as he grabs a little silver package out of the travel bag. He walks back over to you and you move to the edge of the bed.

You hook your fingers into the waistband of his boxers and pull them down. Drew watches you as his erect member pops out of the boxers. His big, and thick. You swallow a bit and look up at Drew.

He's smirking down at you before ripping the tiny package open and sliding the contents on himself. Drew pushes a piece of hair out of your face and says, "Be a good princess. Get on yer back and spread those beautiful legs for me."

You don't say anything, you just do as your told. You scooch yourself back on the bed and lay on your back. You spread your legs a bit as Drew crawls up to you, hovering over you between your legs. The tip of his member runs through your folds and you sigh.

"I've been missing out on a lot," you admit, looking up at Drew.

Your husband lightly kisses you as he says, "I have a lot t'offer."

Smiling against his lips, you say, "I can see that."

Drew props himself up on his arms, hands on either side of your head. You stare up at him before he asks, "Are ya sure ya want this?"

You nod and say, "I've never wanted anything more."

Then he pushes inside you. You gasp at the small amount of pain you feel before it goes away, turning to pleasure. He thrusts slowly into you, moving deeper every few movements. His length starts to fill you little by little. You're a moaning mess beneath Drew, nails raking up and down his back.

When he's fully inside you and you're adjusted, his hips speed up. He starts thrusting harder into you. Grunts leave his lips as moans leave yours. You wrap your legs around his waist so he has better access.

"Oh, fuck," you cry out. "Don't stop, Drew. Oh, faster. Please."

He listens to your wishes and he moves faster. He leans down and brushes his lips against yours. You lean your head up for the kiss and he pulls back slightly. You chase his lips and they barely touch his.

The tip of Drew's member finds your g-spot and you cry out. That's when he knows he's found the target, and he moves faster. His member slams into your g-spot over and over again. You scream out his name mixed with profanities several times as he fucks you into the mattress.

The same knot from earlier forms in your stomach as Drew builds you up to a second orgasm.

Drew's finally kissing you. Your lips move against his breathlessly and your nails dig into his sides. He twitches inside of you and you mumble, "I'm about to cum, baby."

"Me too," Drew says. "Together."

You nod. He moves a few more times before you both cum at the same time. You around him and him into the condom.

Drew kisses you messily as you both ride out your highs. Your hands are on his face as you messily make out with him.

He pulls out of you and pulls back from the kiss. You whine a bit as he ties off the condom, throwing it away. Drew helps you under the comforter before joining you. Drew spoons you from behind with one of his arms draped over you. You hold his hand as you press your back to his chest.

Both your breathing and Drew's breathing have returned to normal. He leaves soft kisses on your shoulder and a smile is on you lips.

"That was amazing," you say. "I really could've had that the entire time instead of fighting with you."

Drew lets out a breathy laugh and says, "I should've just talked to ya about everything sooner. We could'a done that a long time ago."

You giggle and say, "Now that we have done that, I don't know how long I can go before we do that again."

Your husband says, "Whenever ya want, princess. Hell, if ya wanted another go then I wouldn't say no."

Looking back at Drew, you say, "Calm down. You just made me cum twice within several minutes. I need some time."

Drew smiles and says, "Of course. Were ya seriously about that waiting a year before we start trying for a baby?"

"Of course I was," you say, turning and facing Drew. "I would love to have a baby with you, but I want to make sure that it's something we both want. I'm ten year younger than you, Drew. We have some time."

Your husband smiles wide and kisses you. "I am so in love with ya, princess," Drew coos against your lips.

"I'm so in love with you too, Drew," you respond.

Months ago, you hated the thought of marrying Drew just for him to become king. You never even wore your rings behind closed doors. Now, it's changed into something more. An actual relationship where you love Drew and he loves you.

That's all you hoped for when you said 'I do' to the prince of Scotland.

—

tags: @drewmcintyrekoccsrocbwdgfan