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bratshaws · 2 years ago

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goodness gracious 26. brb x oc

a/n: guys this chapter is 23 pages long, this is literally the longest chapter I've written in my LIFE!!! i hope you guys like it, because it's my favorite it really is. <333

check out the fic's playlist made by the sweet @wiipes !!

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff uwu JUST FLUF GDI ILL DIE OF FLUFFF!!!!

chapters:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!!)

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22

“Okay so, let’s go back one more time, ready?” he nods, “Okay, go.”

“Whatever I do, I should not in any way shape or form think that your uncle Elia’s toupe is fake hair, in fact I should compliment the obvious mismatched color from his mustache. If I hear the word cazzo thrown in my direction I should check the person’s expression to see if they are talking bad about me or not. I will be spoken to in Italian, so my words should either be ‘si’, ‘no’ or ‘forse’, then laugh because they won’t be too confused that way.”

Beatrice smiled, adding a checkmark on her note app for each instruction she wrote down to help Rooster when meeting her family, while leaning back on the seat. They were on their way to the hotel, her stomach still squirmed with nerves upon seeing all her relatives in one place, but she was also extremely happy.

Rooster loved her. And that was more than enough to give her comfort. She knew it’d be complicated at first, it’ll be the first time her close -and distant family - will meet Bradley, he will be looked at like and questioned about who he is. They might even ask the origins of his last name since it’s clearly not Italian or Spanish.

“That sounds good.” she says, locking her phone to set it on her lap, inhaling a deep breath “I think we are okay for now.” he takes one of his hands away from the wheel to grab hers, interlacing their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze.

“We’ll be fine.” he says, still holding her hand with his eyes on the road, “We will just do our best to enjoy it, okay?” He sees her nodding on his peripheral, smiling before bringing her hand to his lips so he could smack a kiss on the back, “That’s my girl.”

While it was a nice sentiment, she could feel her stomach dropping even more when she saw the large hotel appearing into view. She sighed quietly, pushing herself deeper into the seat while clenching his hand in hers, her leg bouncing with nerves the closer they got. They followed Leo’s advice by coming around lunchtime, knowing they’ll be too busy being loud to notice them arriving, hopefully no one would wander around the lobby when they checked in.

The hotel was huge, an U shaped building with brick walls and a Mediterranean esque aesthetic with beiges and reds. Pine trees as big as the hotel itself adorned the entrance, the whole area reminded Beatrice of the villas her nonna would describe to her when she was younger, back in Sicily.

There was a valet outside who’d take the blue Bronco to a safe parking spot, Rooster hesitantly gave the young man the keys, watching his car be driven off to the hotel’s hidden parking area. She stood beside him, the two of them holding their respective bags of clothes watching the truck disappear from their vision, “It’ll be okay.” she tells him, “You’ll see it tomorrow.”

Rooster sighs, “I’ll still miss it though, I love that car.”

“I know,Roos.” she holds his hand after a while, clenching it for courage, “Well…I guess we should get inside.” her head turns to the large oak doors with engraved leaves, biting her lower lip, “Before I decide to run away after the valet and get the car back.” Beatrice closes her eyes, breathing in and out repeatedly for a couple seconds, before she forces her legs to move. Rooster still has his hand on hers as she leads them inside, the oak doors opening automatically for the two, exposing the lobby for their curious eyes.

The inside was so spacious, following the same Mediterranean aesthetic as the outside, dark colors and marble columns with lavish couches and a tail piano in the left corner. The tiles below their feet formed the figure of an angel holding a harp, surrounded by clouds and a light blue background.

After a few seconds admiring their surroundings, they approached the front desk only to find there was no one there. They look around, trying to find anyone, before Rooster presses the little bell on the counter twice, standing beside Bea with his other hand on her waist. A figure is seen hurrying over from beyond their line of vision, stopping by the other side only to fix their suit and hair, “I apologize,” the man says, clearing his throat, “I hope neither of you waited for too long.”

“No, we just got here.” Bea says, “We are here for the wedding.”

The poor man seemed to give her the most terrified look she’s ever seen, but he just cleared his throat once more, typing something on his computer, “Of course, yes, most of the guests are here…they are…quite a bunch.” if Beatrice focused hard enough she was sure she’d hear her relatives' loud voices coming from the dining area of the hotel “I’ll just need your names.” Beatrice almost felt bad when she told the man, who seemed to be shaky and nervous while typing, looking behind himself to grab a keycard, “There you go. Room 312. Would you like to have your bags taken?”

“No, we don’t have a lot of stuff.”

The poor man sighed in relief, she had a feeling a lot of her relatives brought more stuff than the hotel staff was expecting, “Of course, have a nice stay!”

Beatrice looked down at the keycard then back to Rooster, who just nodded for the two to march towards the elevators. While nearing it, Beatrice heard the voices getting louder and louder, the elevator had a direct hallway that led to the dining area. The glass doors were closed, but not even the frosty texture of the glass could hide the sheer amount of people inside.

She furrowed her eyebrows with worry, looking back at the elevator’s number going down with her lip being chewed on. God she hoped no one would be inside, no one she knew at least. When the doors opened she let out a heavy sigh of relief seeing it was empty, “Oh, thank God.” she said to herself, stepping in with Bradley and leaning against the mirror wall as the doors closed.

He hugs her to his chest, pressing a kiss to her scalp “You okay?”

“I’m nervous as fuck.” she confesses,hugging his waist while pressing her face to his chest, “But…as long as we manage to get in our room, without interruptions we will be fine.” She lifts her head to see the numbers go up until they stop on the third and last floor, peeking her head out once the doors part, Rooster doing the same right above her head, “Okay, we can go.” she says quietly, “Hopefully I won’t share the floors with some people.”

“Are these people the cousins you told me about?”

“Yes, the very ones.” she skims her eyes over every door to check the number, “Adriana,Melinda and Cristina, ugh, I can’t stand them. I know it sounds messed up, but they are the worst, just the worst! No one from my family likes them, we just endure their presence because it’s just…I don’t know, I guess expected.” she stops when she sees the 312 in bronze letters against the door “We’re here.”

She pushes the keycard against the sensor, the red light turns green and she pushes the door open, “Woah…” her aunt really didn’t mess around. Unlike the rest of the hotel, the room had a bit of a modern flair to it, with lighter colors that made the room appear even more spacious than it was.

A queen sized bed with cream colored covers adorned with florentine flowers was tucked on the left side of the room against the wall, the glass shade lamps that were on top of the white side tables close to the bed had tiny flowers on them. The same lamp stood on the opposite corner albeit bigger, next to a desk with a comfortable looking chair and a large dresser. Close to the desk was a round top glass door, large as the room itself that led to a small balcony and on the other wall was a window that followed the same shape.

Rooster whistled low, dropping his duffel bag to the wooden floor to check the balcony doors, opening it to step outside, “Damn, Bea, check the view!” he calls, which promptly makes his girlfriend walk closer to him. They could see the pool area of the hotel, which thankfully had none of her relatives swimming in, but past beyond the pool, where the stone floor became grass they could see the vineyards. It went long past where the eyes could see, but there was a clearing where they both could see a large house.

“That’s where the ceremony will happen.” she points to the clearing past the vineyards, “And the party if I am not wrong. I mean, the whole bottom part of the hotel will be used as the party.” she looked down back where the pool was, seeing glass doors that directed right to it, movement seen from the inside. The dining room was there. Beatrice inhales deeply,rubbing her hands together when she feels the nerves return, so she decides to walk back inside.

Rooster takes his eyes away from the miles of grapevines to look back at Beatrice, who sat down on the bed with her head in her hands. He pushes himself off from the black railing, removing his sunglasses as he enters the room, “Hey.” he calls softly, making the brunette look up at him with worried eyes, “It’ll be okay.” she didn't reply, she furrowed her eyebrows only to look down at her hands clenched between her thighs.

He sits down next to her with a sigh, touching his shoulder with hers gently, “Babe, look at me,” she doesn’t, so he cups her chin to turn her face his way, “Bea, it’ll be okay, we’ll be fine.” he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t nervous himself but he wouldn’t allow his fears to disturb Bea even more, “Don’t you want to let your brother know we’re here?”

“Oh.” she completely forgot, “Oh,I did say I’d do that didn’t I?” he nods, watching her pull out her phone and stare at the screen for a few seconds, the message app open as she stares at it, “What if my dad is nearby when he gets the message? He will blurt it out immediately.” She sends him a look, but Rooster just smiles then nods his head for her to go on.

Bea (12:44)

Leo, we’re here. Do not open this if dad’s nearby!Please.

Her brother’s reply shows up in seconds.

Leo (12:44)

I’m honored you trust me so much. Relax, he’s talking to cousin Lorenzo right now. What room are you guys in?

Bea (12:45)

312. We just got here.

Leo(12:45)

Oh boy, just three rooms down from the Bitch Trio! Lucky you! I’ll meet you guys in a bit, Cyn is taking Bibi on a walk.

Bea (12:46)

Are you serious?? They are on my floor?

Leo (12:47)

Oh they sure are, but they are down in the dining area right now, so you guys will be okay for a while. I’ll let you know when I come up.

Beatrice dropped the phone on her lap, glaring at the little device with a fury it'd definitely melt if she could. She sighs heavily, falling back on the bed with the phone being tossed onto the pillow as she stares up at the ceiling with her jaw clenched, “He’s coming over in a few.” she says, rubbing her face with both hands, pressing her fingers against her eyes with a groan, “I can’t believe they are on my floor.”

Rooster lies down next to her after kicking his shoes off, pulling one of her hands off her eyes, “Your cousins?” she nods, back to glowering at the white colored ceiling, her lips curled down into a scowl he’s never seen her wear before, “What are the chances they’ll bother us?”

“Once they see you?” she sends him a look “Huge.”

Rooster chuckles at her intonation, not being able to help himself, “We’ll be able to take care of them. You’ll see.”

“Yeah…I guess.” she sighs, rolling to her side to bury her face on his neck, which makes him wrap his arms around her, tucking her close to him. She inhales his cologne so she calms herself down, trying to bury the thoughts of her annoying cousins with that scent, with his scent and his warmth and his love.She smiled against his chest, enjoying the sound of the winds outside and the brush of the pine trees against the higher parts of the hotel walls, her relatives’ voices becoming less and less prominent as time went by.

Their reverie however was ceased when there were knocks on their door, Beatrice’s head shooting up immediately. She grabbed her phone to check if Leonardo sent her a message but there was nothing…oh no. What if it wasn't Leonardo behind the door? Her father maybe? Guillermo??

“Bea,I’d like for you to open the door before you-know-who sees me??”

Leo. Oh thank God.

She hurried out of the bed, Rooster sitting up and fixing himself so he’d look decent in front of her brother. Beatrice unlocked the door, her brother giving her a look with his eyes wide, “I’m sorry, you didn’t message me.” She stepped back so he could enter, noticing he was holding a plastic bag in his hands.

“Dad was hovering by when I was about to, I just got out before he asked me things.” he set the plastic bag on the desk, “Got you guys some snacks, if you don’t want to eat it you can put it in the mini freezer.” Leonardo looked up at Bradley when he got closer, giving the pilot a short smile, “So, thrown in the eye of the hurricane huh?”

Rooster smiles wryly, “I’ve been in worse situations.” he says, leaning his lower back against the desk with his hands in his pockets as Beatrice approaches the two, opening the bag to check inside, “I’ll be fine.”

Leonardo arched his eyebrows, “Damn, I wish I had that confidence when talking to my family.” he chuckles, running his fingers through his hair, pulling it into a ponytail by using the elastic band on his wrist “Well, I just wanted to let you guys know that everything will start around six, Bea will have to get down there around five thirty since she’s one of the bridesmaids, so I’ll guide you through Mordor in the meantime.”

Bradley sends a look to Beatrice, smiling at the reference and figuring out where Beatrice got some of her interests from, “Sounds good. Should I meet you or will you come here?”

“Eh, I’ll come here, you will be seen either way.” Leonardo shrugs, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest, “Just don’t freak out, everyone’s eyes will be on you and I don’t want to scare you,” he turns to Bea then, holding up a hand, ‘But dad already knows.”

Beatrice blinks, “What? How??”

“He went to the parking lot to check something and saw Bradley’s car. You know dad is good at identifying vehicles, it’s the only one he hasn’t connected to a friend or a family member.” He offers his sister a weak shrug and Bea sighs heavily, dropping her head forward, “He just walked in with no reaction, if that helps.”

“It…does a little I guess.” she murmurs, mirroring Rooster’s pose by pressing her lower back against the desk, crossing her arms under her bust, “And the others are already here yeah?” Leo nods, “...did you see Gui?”

“How can someone not see Guillermo? That behemoth could be seen from orbit.” her older brother says with a roll of his eyes, “He’s here, he’s just hovering around like a ghost and using the shadows in his favor. He probably already knows you are here too.” but Leonardo sends a look to both of them after looking down at his watch, “Listen I gotta go, Bibi is going to nap soon and I’ll have to be around in case she wakes up…so I’ll come back later.”

Beatrice thanks her brother, walking to open the door for him as Rooster follows close by. She’s surprised to see Leo offer his hand to Rooster in a ‘bro’ handshake as he’d like to call it, not being able to hold back her smile when her boyfriend shook it with the two men bumping together in a hug before Leonardo stepped back onto the hallway.

He looked around for a second, then sent the two a double thumbs up and a small smile, then walked out of view. Beatrice closed the door with a dull slam, pressing her forehead against the wood for a few seconds, “Okay.” she whispers, pushing herself back to look at Bradley, “Okay, we have a plan.”

Rooster wraps his arms around her shoulder to tuck her against his side, dropping his head to kiss her scalp, “We do, we’ll be fine.” he whispers, “Now, what do you want to do until then?”

Beatrice blinks slowly, breathing in deeply, “Honestly…I think a nap could work, after we set our clothes up.” she says, yesterday’s activities and her anxiety this morning tired her out a bit, her body begging for at least a short rest.

He chuckled, “Sure gorgeous.” the two of them walking to their respective bags to pull out the formal outfits they’d wear. He took a glimpse of her dress, a beautiful color that’d look great on her skin as she hung it by the dresser. She took a few seconds admiring his own outfit, a gray two piece suit with a peach colored shirt - amazingly not Hawaiian - with thin white stripes on it.

She couldn’t help but stare, “I thought you only had Hawaiian shirts.” she says with genuine surprise, making him toss his head back in a ‘hah!’ as he sets his shoes right under the hanging outfit,”I’m serious, I had no idea you had other types.”

“I’m a man of many surprises.”

“And many Hawaiian shirts.”

Rooster narrows his eyes playfully, placing his big hand over her face, “Sleep.” he says, her laugh sputtering against his palm, before she hugs him tightly. She yawns softly, with him following close behind,deciding they should finally take their nap since they were done fixing their outfits.

He turns the two of them to the large bed, massive really, bigger than their own combined, watching as she just fell face first on the mattress. Climbing right behind her, he sighed softly when his head touched the comfortable pillow. It didn’t smell like lavender, unfortunately, but it was nice.

“Hey,” he heard her say, her hair tangled in front of her eyes, but her smile was bright, “I love you.”

He’d never get tired of hearing that from her, never. Rooster’s gaze softened, his big hand cupping her cheek, “I love you too, pretty girl.” she made a happy noise, scooting closer to him so her chin was tucked against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso the best she could while his own held her waist.

He didn’t know how long it took for his own eyes to flutter shut but the rise and fall of Beatrice’s ribs and her even breathing lulled him to a peaceful slumber. They slept for a while, neither of them dreamed but also neither of them let go of one another, even when changing positions they’d be touching the other. His hand on her back when she slept on her stomach, or her arm draped over his hips as he moved to his side.

She had set an alarm for them in case they overslept, which they did, waking up startled when the alarm rang loudly. Bea groaned, turning it off and checking the time, “We should start getting ready, do you want to go first?” she asks, to which Rooster yawns but nods, sitting up on the bed with a grunt, stretching his arms up to the ceiling pushing himself upwards.

Beatrice yawns a bit more, rubbing her eyes with her palm heel, looking over her shoulder as Rooster disappear behind the bathroom door, “Bea!We got a bathtub!” comes his excited, and awake, shout from the closed bathroom. She chuckles, neither of them entered the bathroom when they got there considering they had a bathroom break at a gas station minutes away from the hotel.

“Yeah?” she calls, standing up from the bed to open her bag, picking her makeup and toiletries from the inside.

“Yeah!” his head pokes out of the bathroom door, “It’s huge. I think you could fit like seven people in it.” he was exaggerating of course, but it was pretty big, disappearing back inside “And a nice shower too!”

She hears the water running, shaking her head fondly at how stoked he sounded from the inside of the bathroom. While waiting for her turn, she couldn’t help but tense up when she heard three known voices walking down the hall, the cackling and nasal tones being easy to figure out immediately. The voices got louder, approaching her door and she thought for a moment they’d knock on it, but thankfully they did not.

However she did hear her name being said, then another round of cackling followed, a cackling that got fainter and fainter as they walked away. Beatrice bit her lower lip hard, the triplets were always spoiled little brats, daughters of her aunt Regina who succumbed to their every whim. They always complained about something, someone, somewhere, they lived for gossip and adored pointing other people’s flaws only to add a ‘just saying’ at the end to make it seem there wasn’t anything wrong with it. Being less than charming to her and her brothers’ partners.

They were also thirsty bitches who couldn’t fucking handle a new man into the family, they’d immediately try and figure more about him. They did that when her sisters’ husbands entered the family. She chuckled at the memory of Marina pulling them to the side and pinning them down with her eyes, her sister was always the more hot headed of all of them, snarling down at her cousins to “get the fuck away from her man” or else she’d make sure that their freshly bought teeth would be down their throats.

The triplets stopped messing with Derek, but then started complaining about how Marina was taking too long to have a child of her own to their mother. Which then evolved into a full blown argument between her father and his youngest sister, who didn’t seem to understand why he’d be so upset. She remembered how her dad drove them all home early that night, but he got back on talking with aunt Regina when the week was over.

Blood is thicker than water after all.

They did try the same with Aaron, to which Sabrina clearly wasn’t happy with. Her sister, instead of dealing with the triplets, went to their mother and let her know - in the calmest voice possible - that they were acting oddly around Aaron. Once again, obviously, her aunt took the triplets’ side and brushed it off as them just joking around. Ever since then everyone just chose to ignore them the best they could…but Beatrice wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it.

Bradley was her boyfriend, the man she loved and she was going to defend him if needed be. She’d just…warn her aunt in case anything happened. Hopefully it wouldn’t get to that.

She looked up when the bathroom door opened and he stepped out, now the suit was on his body and he looked so nice. He fixed the shoulders of the coat with a shrug, running his hands down the peach colored fabric of his shirt - the first few buttons undone and showing the golden skin and just a bit of his chest hair - then patting his pants. He met her wandering gaze with a grin, “So?” he holds the jacket open, “How do I look?”

Beatrice blinked, sitting on her knees as a slow smile formed on her face “You look amazing.” she then remembered something he said on Halloween night “You really do look great in a suit.”

Rooster’s cheek dimpled in a cheeky grin, dropping the coat so it’d flap down his torso, “I do don’t I?” he repeats, coming closer to her with the grace of a big cat, almost crawling on top of Beatrice, “I clean up very well.”

She smiles, pressing her lips to his in a quick smack, “You do.” she rolls off the bed however, grabbing her makeup bag,toiletries and the dress, rushing to the bathroom, “I’ll go get ready, if Leo shows up you can go, I’ll lock the room.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,I’ll take a while to get ready, Roos.” she says while putting her things on the sink, wow that was a big bathtub, before walking out to kiss his lips. He hums happily, tugging her closer to himself, his cologne invading her nose as a smile formed over her lips, “I’ll see you downstairs, okay?” she says once they break apart.

The corner of his mouth lifts in a little smirk, “Okay.” he holds her hand for a second, hesitating on letting go until she was already inside the bathroom. He dropped his arm to his side, watching the door close and lock, before he heaved out a breath. He walked to the balcony, leaning his weight over the railing to check the outside.

It was nearing nighttime now, the structure in the distance lighting up as he saw groups of people walking out of the hotel. That’s a whole lot of people, Beatrice wasn’t kidding when she said her family was big. Rooster inhaled deeply, closing his eyes to give himself a pep talk.

He’d be fine. He just had to be himself and not mess up.

The knock on the door makes him look over his shoulder, walking back into the room after closing the balcony’s doors. He pressed the keycard to the little sensor, unlocking the door and opening it to reveal Leonardo outside. His attire wasn’t that different from Rooster’s: a light colored suit with a patterned shirt, but this one had tiny guitars on it and was a dark blue color, “Hey, you ready?”

“Yeah, as ready as I could be.” he replies, setting the keycard on the desk where Bea could find it, stepping out on the hallway as the door locks automatically. He huffs a breath, seeing people coming out of the rooms on the far end of the hall, fixing his suit jacket one more time, “Okay.”

“Alright, follow me.” but instead of going to the elevators, Leonardo takes him to the flight of stairs on the opposite side, “ The elevators will be packed, this is a lot faster amazingly.” he explains, the two men going down the steps where Rooster hears the constant talking coming from the floors below. Some others had the same idea of Leo, going down the stairs and staring when Bradley walked past them, muttering to themselves.

Reaching the lobby, he sees the whole bulk of Beatrice’s family going out through the sliding doors that led to the pool. Some of them followed the social casual suggestion Beatrice's aunt gave them, while others looked like they were ready to go to the opera or to a fancy ball. He tried to keep his eyes on Leonardo, but he couldn't help the fleeting looks he’d send to the people around him, even meeting some of the guest’s eyes since they were already staring at him.

“Alright, now we walk through the vineyards.” Leo points ahead, “There’s a few pathways that lead to the clearing. We just gotta choose the one that looks empty.” Beatrice’s brother looks over his shoulder when he sees the Bitch Trio is in the crowd already, “Pick up the step.”

Bradley doesn’t even question, he does as Leonardo says without looking back. He has never entered a vineyard before and he’s amazed at the trelices surrounding him when they enter the path with less people. The grapes were full and ripe, going from rich maroon to deep purple, some smaller than the others, but the smell was incredible.

Since they were the only ones in this path, Bradley chose to ask Leonardo a few things, “Can I ask you something?” Leo hums, much like Beatrice does “What does your aunt do, exactly? Bea never told me.”

“Ah well.” he chuckles and gestures to the vineyard around them, “This.” Bradley furrows his eyebrows “She owns this vineyard. And the hotel.”

“...no way.”

“Oh way,” Leonardo laughs, “Well, her and uncle Sebastian own the winery.While our cousins Luna and David take care of the hotel. They had this place for years, they first had the winery -which is where we are going to have the celebration - and then built the hotel.”

Bradley looks back at the large U shaped hotel with amazement, “But, Bea said your aunt is a bit of a uh–”

“Hippie? Flower child? A free spirit? A witch?” Leonardo adds, still laughing, “She is, but she’s also an amazing businesswoman. She knows more about money than anyone else in the family, she built this from scratch and no one really believed it’d work.” The winery gets bigger the closer they get to it, the voices getting louder as well, “But now she’s won I don’t know how many prizes worldwide by having good quality wine at a low price.”

They stepped out of the vineyard onto the clearing, where people were taking their seats on their respective chairs. There were so many people he thought he got dizzy from looking so much. The white carpet runner stood out from the grassy ground, creating an aisle that led to large trees in the distance with branches that conjoined almost as if it was a hug. There were fairy lights hanging from the branches and on the wooden poles that surrounded the seating area, colorful flower arrangements adorning the back chairs.

“Come on, you are sitting with us.” Leonardo says, walking around the chairs towards the third line. Rooster looked up briefly, meeting the eyes of some of the guests, but especially a man with graying black hair who stopped fixing his tie to stare him down. Leonardo looked in the same direction, “Ah, yeah, that’s our dad. He’s walking our aunt down the aisle so don’t worry about it too much.”

Rooster tried to fight back the chill going down his spine when he met Beatrice’s father's unreadable gaze, but the older man just moved his head away to go back to chatting with the relatives around him. Leonardo stopped at a row, where a blonde woman seated by the final chairs smiled at them, “Finally.” she stood up to her feet, lifting the ends of her light green dress, “Took you guys long enough.”

“We had to take the scenic route.” Leonardo looks back at Bradley, “My wife Cynthia.”

“Hi, it’s so nice to finally meet you!” Cynthia smiles, shaking his hand, “Bibi told us so much about you.”

Rooster chuckles, “Oh, she did huh?” He drops his hand after Cynthia is done shaking it, following the couple through the line of chairs to sit down next to Leonardo and his wife, trying to not look behind himself but definitely feeling eyes on the back of his head already. Since the three of them are on the inner side of the group of chairs, Brad had a good view of his surroundings.

More people seated to his left, the one closest to him was a man in his mid forties with the same characteristics of both Beatrice and Leonardo. Light green eyes moved his way, the stubble on the man’s cheeks seemed to sharpen his already high cheekbones, “Ah, finally we meet.” his voice is deeper than Leonardo’s but there’s no malice in it, “You are Bea’s boyfriend are you not?” Rooster nods, the other man’s large hand coming into view, “Michael, the best brother. Nice to meet you.”

Rooster shakes his hand firmly, giving him a smile, “Bradley,nice to meet you too.”

Michael’s hair was wavy but shared the same chestnut color and length with Leonardo’s, part of his hair held up in a half bun with some graying by the temples, his suit a dark blue with a white and yellow floral shirt underneath. There was a tattoo on his throat, apparently a dragon and Bradley noticed his nose was deformed, like when you get beaten on the face several times alongside a scar that cut diagonally on the right eyebrow touching his upper eyelid.

“The best brother?” Leonardo’s voice comes from behind Rooster, “Since when?”

“I am the best looking one.” Michael says with a smile, “So therefore, I’m the best brother. Don’t listen to him, he knows nothing.” he says, the back of his hand hitting Rooster on the chest in what he could assume was a casual bump,but the pilot held back a cough at the impact. Michael, like Guillermo, was taller than he was and clearly bigger than he was too.

He was used to being one of the tallest in the room, he is a bit unsure how to react with having someone else tower over him. Especially when he saw a massive body moving to the second row of chairs that made him tense up, his eyes meeting Guillermo’s as he stepped aside to let a shorter woman and a group of teenagers walk in first - his family no doubt. They stared at each other for a while and to his surprise, Guillermo nodded in his direction as a greeting which made Bradley repeat the motion.

It wasn’t a handshake, but it was a start.

Michael watched with interest, “I think I saw a smile,” he begins, “Or he’s constipated. Either way, not bad.” he smirks, leaning back onto his chair with his legs crossed by the ankle. Rooster laughed quietly, relaxing his shoulders just a bit and in turn making the other brother chuckle, “Nervous huh?”

“I’m only human.”

“Yeah…you drink?”

Rooster looks back at Michael who had his arms crossed over his broad chest, “I do, yeah.”

“Ever had grappa?” the pilot shakes his head negatively, making a smile spread over Michael’s mouth, “Ohoho, nice. You’ll drink a lot of it tonight.”

Amazingly, talking with Michael and Leonardo wasn’t bad, they were actually helping him loosen up a little. Even if he sometimes could feel Guillermo’s eyes on him from his own seat, he wasn’t as tense as before. He dragged his eyes to the groom, Sebastian, a man much shorter than everyone else with a receding red haired hairline and freckles, skinny as a twig. Michael told him that his aunt Martha and Sebastian were married on paper ever since 1981 and they decided to have this ceremony after they both turned sixty-five.

That was the age that Bea’s father shared with his twin sister. Now, he was a bit far from Bradley but there was no way he’d consider the man to be older than fifty, especially with that amount of hair. He wondered if it was like Mav who looked the same as he remembered when he was much younger.

Time passed fast, enough for them to rise and watch as the flower girls walked in. He had no idea who the first two were, but he knew Bianca. With her poofy light blue dress and the flower crown on her head, she looked like a little pixie without wings. Unlike the first two girls who seemed almost shy, Bianca was twirling and tossing flower petals in the air, grabbing a handful and letting it go with a loud ‘Ya!’.

Cynthia was filming her daughter with a smile, while Leonardo looked extremely proud, “Hi mommy! Hi daddy!’ she says as she walks past them, waving happily “Hi uncle Mikey! Hi Prince Rooster!” Bradley’s cheeks heat up, the eyes return to him when she says hello but he couldn’t help but smile, returning her wave with one of his own. He did straighten up when he saw the bridesmaids approaching alongside the groomsmen.

The groomsmen went in first, a mix and match of younger and older gentlemen wearing white shirts with green suspenders, a large pink flower on their breast pocket. But the bridesmaids, that was a completely different story. The dresses were all shades of peach or light yellow with bell sleeves, a low cut that dipped down to the sternum and slits on both sides of their thighs - but not high enough to be scandalous.

On top of every bridesmaid’s head were flower crowns, the flower shades went from dark wine colored to mustard yellow, tiny white flowers with dark green leaves mixed in between them. But he wasn’t really caring much about the outfits, unless it was Beatrice wearing. “Holy shit.” was his quiet response when he saw the brunette walk by. She sent a look his way when she heard his voice and smiled sweetly, the make up she was wearing was nothing fancy so it showed the red of her cheeks.

His head turned, following her until she walked up with the other bridesmaids, her short haired sister sending a look towards him before she neared closer to Beatrice’s ear. His girlfriend just blushed harder, giving her older sister a subtle whack on the arm with the back of her hand.

Rooster swears he tried to look back to where the bride was, he did, but his eyes kept going back to Beatrice looking even more stunning than she already was. He should probably thank her aunt for choosing the dress, his eyes dropping to the slit on both thighs and to the low cut that showed her cleavage. When he turned his eyes back to her aunt, he was surprised to see her giving him a look with a little smile, then shaking her brother’s arm as they walked down the aisle.

He doesn’t know what that meant, that little shake, but he couldn’t help but feel like Bea’s aunt was trying to help it out with her dad. Beatrice’s father turned his eyes briefly from the aisle to where Bradley stood, his light brown eyes appearing darker behind his glasses lenses, but he showed no reaction.

When they sat down and the ceremony began, he felt a tiny hand touch his. He looked to his right, seeing Bianca was seated on Leonardo’s lap and was reaching for his hand. Rooster blinked with a smile, turning his palm up for her to see. Bianca smiled, the little fist she had hidden behind her back appeared and she placed a blue colored stone on it “For you.” she whispered, “It’s magical.”

Rooster looked down at the round stone, chuckling quietly, “Thank you,I’ll keep it safe.” His response was enough for the five years old to grin and swing her legs on her father’s lap, busying herself with a flower petal that got stuck on the tulle fabric of her dress, clearly not caring about the ceremony nor the priest talking.

He slipped the stone inside his breast pocket, leaning back on his seat with his eyes already on Beatrice. She turned her gaze to the crowd from her seat next to the other bridesmaids, trying to hold back her smile when she saw him looking already, biting her lower lip to change her focus back to the bride and groom. Michael noticed the exchange but said nothing, just pursed his lips with a smile of his own, leaning back on his seat with his elbow over the chair’s top rail.

The ceremony was beautiful and honestly very charming to watch. The crowd clapped and cheered when the couple finally kissed, Bea’s aunt picking her husband from the floor since she was much taller than he was but he didn’t seem to care. As she puts him down, she tells the crowd to walk up to the winery where the party would happen, disappearing with her husband on the opposite side to change out of her long white dress.

Rooster and the others stood up, walking out of the chairs to where they could step on grass, waiting for the bridesmaids to come down. Beatrice smiled brightly when she got closer, “Hi,” she says, removing the flower crown from her head and fixing her hair, “How was it?”

“It was really nice,” he says, plucking a tiny leaf sticking to her forehead, flicking it aside, “You look beautiful.”

Beatrice’s cheeks flushed once more, but she smiled while taking his hand. Both her brothers were looking their way, with Bianca wriggling on Leonardo’s arms “I wanna go with auntie!” she announces, letting out a triumphant squeal when Leonardo finally puts her down. She rushed over, shoes no longer on her feet, latching her hand to Beatrice’s free one.

“Okay,” Leonardo says, “I’m hurt but I’ll live. We should go to the party, get our seats.”

Leonardo and Cynthia walk ahead, with Michael leisurely following behind with his hands in his pockets. Meanwhile, Beatrice, Rooster and Bianca follow the three out of the clearing and onto a stony path that led to the winery. The fairy lights continued as they walked up, the wooden poles now adorned with the same flowers from the bridesmaids crowns at the bottom.

The winery itself wasn’t huge, but followed the same Villa aesthetics from before with reds and beiges as well as pine trees like the hotel. The stony path turned into a large patio with several tables, a stage on the further corner where a DJ was setting up the playlist for the night as waiters walked by. Each table had the same flower arrangement, a bottle of wine and a glass bottle of water, the mustard-maroon color theme continued on the tablecloth and napkins.

Bianca tugged at her aunt with as much force as a five year old could drag both a twenty nine years old woman and a thirty six years old man, which wasn’t a lot, trying to get to their table. She gave up after a while, allowing her aunt to take her instead, picking her up and placing her on the soft chair, with her niece squealing happily.

Beatrice looked up at Rooster when he pulled the chair for her, “Thank you,Roos.” He just smiles, watching her sit down before he does the same next to her. Michael sits on Rooster’s right while Leonardo and Cynthia sit to Bea’s, next to where their daughter was. With most of the guests already seated, all they had to do now was wait.

But Bea’s eyes stopped at her father, who was not too far from them, talking to her uncles Roberto and Elia. She still wasn’t able to figure out a reaction out of him, but she did see how he’d move his gaze to their table every once in a while. She gave him a small smile, even if her insides churned with nerves, surprising herself when he smiled back for a millisecond.

She moved her gaze around, seeing her sisters on another table and then the Bitch Trio who was already looking their way. The three women were clearly staring at Bradley, trying to get some type of eye contact from the pilot but without success. Beatrice’s body warmed with fury, her hand immediately clasping around his under the table, interlacing their fingers together. Rooster was talking to Michael but he immediately squeezed her hand, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her knuckles.

Beatrice’s shoulders relaxed, her eyes lifting to meet the triplets in a silent warning. She hadn’t moved her gaze away until they did, rolling their eyes and laughing to each other. The brunette bit her lower lip hard, holding back a curse she’d thrown their way, choosing to instead take a large gulp of water so she wouldn’t let it past her lips.

As the night went by, Beatrice couldn’t help but smile when she noticed how her brothers were getting along with Rooster. Sure, neither of them were part of the Navy or any sort of military, but their personalities just worked surprisingly well. They were all sharing weird stories of their own childhoods, even if Bradley wasn’t specific with his own, of their own troublemaking years.

She brought the wine glass to her lips with a smile, watching Michael gesture wildly with his own glass as he recalled the time they all went to Sicily and they were stuck on the cable car over Mt.Etna for fifteen minutes, with Leonardo thinking they’d all die, “Little Bitty was probably five at the time.”

Rooster furrowed his eyebrows, “Little bitty?”

“Yeah, that’s Beatrice’s nickname.” Leonardo smiles, “We’ve been calling her that since she was born.”

Bradley turned his head to face her, “You never told me that it was your nickname.” Beatrice just shrugs with a tiny smile on her face, “It’s really cute.”

Bea rolled her eyes, cutting a piece of the roasted vegetables in her plate, bringing it up to her mouth, “She was a tiny baby,” Michael explains, even if his eyes somber a little, “So our dad thought it’d be fitting to call her that.”

Rooster noticed how the three siblings shared a sad glance with one another, but it was soon covered up by smiles as Michael recalled some other story from their childhood. They continue their chat without issues, but Michael’s light green eyes looked over his shoulder to where he could hear the cacophony of Italian coming from behind, “Come on, you gotta meet our cousins.” he tells Bradley after chugging the last drops of wine and standing to his feet, “Come on Leo, you too.”

Rooster sent Beatrice a look, but she just nodded with a smile. “I’ll be right back.” he says, pecking her lips quickly, doing that for the first time since they got to the wedding party. He fixed himself the best he could before walking with Michael and Leonardo to a group of men laughing amongst each other.

Cynthia,Beatrice and Bianca were left alone, with his brother’s wife sending her sister in law a look,”He’s crazy for you.” she begins, “You should’ve seen the way he was looking at you when you were with Martha.”

“I’m crazy for him too, Cyn,” she confesses with a smile, “I just want people to like him, you know? He’s so wonderful.”

“Well, the boys like him already.” Cynthia says, nodding in the direction of the group of men not too far from where they sat “I think that’s a good start.”

And indeed it was a good start.

One of Beatrice’s Italian cousins, an aviator for the Italian Navy called Umberto, took great interest in Rooster’s own experience. And Rooster was happy to share some information with him, the two men immediately getting along with their stories of deployment. Umberto’s thick Italian accent didn’t deter the chatting, the other male cousins joining in soon after.

“I feel weird standing here,” Michael says when the two aviators are in deep conversation, but he’s grinning, “It’s like watching the popular kids talk.”

“Yeah,” Leonardo chuckles, watching Rooster and Umberto share a laugh at something that clearly was Navy related, “I mean, it’s still cool, right?” he looks back to where their little sister sat, sipping on her wine, “She looks happy.”

Michael turns his gaze to Beatrice as well, with a little smile, “She does. He isn’t a bad guy. I like him.”

“She’s worried Guillermo or dad won’t like him.” Michael rolls his eyes, digging his hands in his dark blue pants pockets “I mean, you know how they are.”

“Fuck’s sake, she’s almost thirty.” Michael hisses quietly to his younger brother, looking to where Guillermo was seated with his wife, “They keep doing this shit, she’s just going to back away from them more and more. Guillermo isn’t dad, and dad isn’t going to bring back younger Beatrice into this life…I know why he does it, but he should really give her a chance to live her life.”

“Yeah,I know.”

Michael tsks, “Enough chit chatting!” he swings his arm over Bradley’s shoulders, breaking the conversation between him and Umberto, “My dear cousins, did you know Bradley never had grappa?” The men surrounding them gasped and then laughed, some of them even clapping their hands “I think he needs to try at least once.”

It’s another cousin, Bruno, that runs towards the bar and grabs a bottle of grappa from the bartender before the man could stop him, alongside shot glasses before he rushes back, “Drink!”

The commotion from the male cousins calls Guillermo’s attention, who stands up from his table to walk silently towards the group. He shouldn’t be surprised they are all in a circle drinking grappa, nor that it was Bruno who held the bottle refilling everyone’s glass. His eyes move to Bradley who is laughing and tossing the shot back while making a face.

Another presence stands besides him, he looks down to see his father close by, “Go back to your seat, Guillermo.” his oldest son furrows his eyebrows, “They are drinking, you do not drink, there’s no reason for you to stay.”

“But, papá–” his father just gives him a look that shuts him up, the larger man frowning but backing away to his seat. Rafael takes his son’s place, his suit jacket no longer on his shoulders, his light blue dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he got closer,casually, with his hands in his pockets.

His nephews and sons were already ruffling Bradley’s hair and laughing with him, which made a little smile form on his face. He clears his throat once, the laughing dies down immediately, the group of over ten men get immediately quiet, “I hate to break the fun,” he pulls one of his hands out of his pockets, “But I’d like to speak with Bradley. Alone.”

Michael who still had his arm around Bradley’s shoulders slowly backs away, Leonardo gives the pilot a weak smile and an even weaker thumbs up. Bradley looks up to where Beatrice’s father was, fixing his suit and his hair. The cousins parted like the Red Sea for Rafael to pass through, giving Bradley a nod back towards the vineyards, “Walk with me, Bradley.”

“Yes, sir.” he says without missing a beat, the honorific making Rafael look at him with amusement as the younger man follows him away from the party and towards the vineyards. They walk for a few minutes until they are distant enough, the wind making the thick mane of black hair on Rafael’s head move periodically.

Rafael stops in front of Bradley, his hands no longer in his pockets as his arms are crossed over his chest, then turns around, “So,” he begins,”How do you like the party?”

“It’s very nice, sir.” he says, “I am enjoying it a lot

.”

Rafael hums, dropping his head to look at his shoes then back up, “Good, good. I am glad you are…but that’s not why I brought you here and I think you know that.” Rooster inhaled sharply but nodded his head, “...I want to know what your intentions are with my daughter.” He said firmly, the glasses he wore hiding his eyes from Bradley’s view since they were far away from light that wasn’t the moon.

Rooster licked his lips, the taste of grappa still lingers, but he’s sober enough to answer, “I want to make her happy, Mr.Schiavoni.” He says honestly, watching the older man’s shoulders tense up, “She means a lot to me.”

“She means a lot to me too, ragazzo.” he says with his arms still crossed, “More than you could ever imagine.” Rooster clenched his jaw, feeling the subtle threat underneath Beatrice’s father’s words as the two stood in front of each other with the party music pumping in the distance.

“I know, sir.” Bradley says in a quiet voice, “I’d never hurt her.”

“Her other boyfriend said the same thing.” Rafael spits it out with venom, his nostril curling with disgust, “You are an aviator, no? You get deployed, you are sent away from my tesoro. How will I be sure you won’t hurt her the same way? Hm?”

Rooster’s eyebrows crinkled in offense, his fists clenched by his sides as he tried to come up with a reply that wouldn’t unnerve the older man. If he messed up with her dad, he doesn’t think only her cousins’ support would help him out. “I don’t have any reason to do that. No matter if I was deployed or not.” her father just looks at him with his eyes narrowed, “She didn’t deserve what she went through.”

“No. She did not.” Rafael says with a heavy toned voice, placing his hands on his hips as he looks up at the moon, “You met her at this bar she works with, this…Hard Deck, did you think she was an easy catch?” Bradley’s head recoils in surprise, his eyes widening, “Because she was a new girl there?’

“I did not think she was an easy catch, Mr. Schiavoni. I didn’t see Beatrice as a catch, she’s not an object to be caught.” he couldn’t help but grit out the words, anger bubbling inside of him, “I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” woman, not girl, words that definitely made Rafael’s body freeze up, “...I am not a guy that sleeps around, Mr.Schiavoni, I don’t flirt with people, my relationships were short lived and never felt as strongly as I feel for Beatrice.” he pauses, “I love her, Mr.Schiavoni.”

Her father snaps his head in his direction, “Do not be ridiculous, it’s been three months you’ve been together.”

“I’m not lying about my feelings.” Bradley says without breaking eye contact, “I love her. If you want to believe it or not, that’s on you. But I’d never lie about that.”

Rafael keeps on staring, his chest heaving with nerves after Rooster’s words. He looks down at his shoes for a couple seconds, curling his lips into his mouth as he shuts his eyes with a sigh. Rooster stays where he was, digging his hands inside his pockets as he looks up at the winery, letting out a quiet breath to calm himself, looking at the older man when he chuckles, “It is funny,” Rafael begins, rubbing his forehead with the tips of his fingers “Because my sister said the same thing…that you loved her and she loved you and I should just accept it. But it’s not easy.”

Rooster stays silent as he continues “Do you know why her nickname is Little Bitty?” the pilot shakes his head negatively, “When my wife got pregnant with Beatrice we were both in our forties. She was a welcome surprise, but the doctors were worried…she was born at seven months old. God, we were so scared, there were so many tubes– I’ve never been so scared in my life watching her in that incubator…” he then smiles fondly, “I remember, one day, that Little Bitty Pretty One by Thurston Harris started playing over the speakers and like a miracle, I saw her react and move…she spent two months in that incubator before we took her home.”

Now Rooster could understand the overprotectiveness around Beatrice, the refusal to see her as a grown woman. It was fear of what happened twenty nine years ago. He wouldn’t know if he wouldn’t be the same if it was his own child, “I had no idea.” he says, approaching the older man, looking towards the vineyards that went for miles. They watched the leaves move with the soft breeze in silence before Rafael spoke again.

“When she looks at you, her eyes shine,” the older man says with his eyes on the horizon, “I haven’t seen her like that in years.”

Bradley’s cheeks heat up, but he smiles, “She shines alright. She’s like a star.” he murmurs, not seeing how Rafael’s gaze softened when he turned to look at the young pilot. Maybe his sister was right, maybe he should give this ragazzo a chance.

“She does.” Rafael says, “And if you know that, then…you can’t be all that bad.” Rooster faces the other man, who claps Bradley on the shoulder twice. “I appreciate your honesty, ragazzo…and well, welcome.”

Rooster could barely believe it, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in relief, looking at the man with wide eyes, “Thank you, Mr.Schiavoni.”

“No, no you can call me Rafael.” he chuckles, “Mr.Schiavoni was my father….now, before we go back, Beatrice told me you could play the piano?”

“Why did you let him and dad go?!”

Leonardo and Michael recoiled in surprise when they got back to the table, Beatrice had seen the whole endeavor between her father and Brad before they walked away from the party. She’s been bubbling with nerves ever since then, Marina and Sabrina sitting down next to her when they noticed their little sister’s expression. “What did you suggest we did?” Michael exclaimed, shrugging “Held him back?”

Beatrice groaned, “They’ve been gone for ten minutes already,” she whispers, pressing her palm heels to her forehead, “I’m going after them, there has to–”

But Sabrina holds her arm,”No, let’s go to a bathroom break,” she nods to Marina so she’d come along, the three of them leading Beatrice to inside the winery. Her sisters on each side of her, dragged her to the bathroom and Marina closed the door behind them.

“Okay, okay,breathe Bea,” Sabrina said, wetting her hands to rub her cool palms on her neck, cupping her little sister’s neck as she closed her eyes, “It’s okay, hey, it’s okay.”

“Dad is going to scare him off.” she murmured in a quiet voice as Marina stood by her other side, “I don’t want to lose him. I love him.” The two oldest sisters shared a knowing look, with Marina gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Obviously,” Marina chuckled, “If that wasn’t clear enough already.” but her little sister just sighed, dropping her forehead on Sabrina’s chest, hugging her oldest sister who rubbed her back soothingly, “We will fight dad for you,sis. You look too happy to allow dad’s overprotectiveness to prevent it.”

Beatrice made a noise against Sabrina’s chest, but she relaxed, lifting her head with her eyes shining but no tears coming out, “Thanks guys, I–” the bathroom door opened, the sisters looking in the direction thinking it was a random guest. But alas, it wasn’t just a random guest.

“Why, Bea! Why are you here alone?” the triplets, they must’ve sniffed Beatrice’s distress and trotted right behind. Adriana closed the door, while Melinda and Cristina walked closer, their red painted lips appearing creepier.

“She’s not alone, you fucking bimbo.” Marina snaps, to which Sabrina sends her a look to be quiet.

Melinda giggled, “Tell us something dear little cousin,” she coos, twirling a strand of hair, “That handsome guy you were with? What 's his name?”

“Is he available?” Adriana asks, popping her head from Melinda’s left.

“Does he have brothers?” Cristina asks, appearing on her sister’s right side.

Beatrice stared at them with wide eyes. Normally, she wouldn’t bother…but she promised herself she’d defend Bradley. And she was already nervous because of her dad talking to him, so it all tumbled together into one single feeling: rage. “Are you guys serious?” she asks in one single breath, seeing the triplets smile to each other in pure glee, “Are you guys fucking serious? Are you stupid?” that made the smiles drop, “No, I’m serious, are you stupid?”

Sabrina’s slack jawed expression turned to Marina’s, who looked just as shocked.

“Why are you guys asking if my boyfriend is single? Did you not see us kissing? Did you not see us coming together?” she gave no chance for her cousins to reply, “I-I just don’t get you guys! No, he’s not available, no he has no siblings and I will NOT tell you his name! Are you all so fucking pathetic you can’t find a guy by yourselves and try to get the ones with wives or girlfriends already?”

Marina covered her mouth with a hand to hold back her surprised laughter, “And when you can’t handle things thrown your way you run and tell mommy? What the fuck! You guys are forty years old! You aren’t kids anymore! Download Tinder, go on a hike, visit a café! I don’t know! Anything else!! He’s my boyfriend, he isn’t interested,” she exhales finally, dropping her arm to her sides, “And you know what else? No one likes you three, no one! We just invite you because you are family. So maybe you should get an attitude check before doing anything else!!!”

The triplets, and her own sisters, stared at Beatrice in pure shock as the brunette panted quietly, trying to calm her wildly beating heart. The triplets looked completely destroyed and humiliated, choosing to scurry out of the bathroom in silence instead of delivering a snotty comeback. Beatrice sighed, jumping under her skin when a pair of arms hugged her around the shoulders, “You were amazing!!” Marina shouts, bouncing in place with how excited she was “Bea, that was fucking incredible!!”

“It really was Bea,” Sabrina added with a grin, enveloping her sister in another hug, “You were great!”

“...t-thanks…I just, I couldn’t let them talk about Brad like that.” she replies, hugging her older sisters’ arms, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Yes he is.” Marina says.

“And I won’t give him up.”

“No, you won’t,” Sabrina adds with a grin.

With a sudden jolt of bravery, Beatrice lifts her head, “I’m going to talk to dad, he’s not going to do anything to take Bradley from me!” her sisters let her go so she could yank the bathroom door open, walking out towards the hallway that led to the patio. The three women were on their way over when Beatrice frowned, hearing a melody? “What’s that?”

Sabrina tilts her head to hear better, “Maybe dad’s on the piano.” she suggests, “You know aunt Martha would suggest him to.” but Beatrice recognized the rhythm and the closer she got, she could understand that there were people singing.

Too much love drives a man insane!

Her eyes widened, speeding up her step with her sisters rushing behind her.

You broke my will, but what a thrill!

When Beatrice finally reached the patio she thought she was hallucinating. There was someone on the huge piano that was brought from the lobby and was set right in the middle of the dance floor, most if not all her family members surrounding it. Beatrice felt the air leave her lung when she saw Bradley there, looking like a dream come true with his peach colored shirt and no suit jacket in sight, playing the piano just like he did at the Hard Deck.

“Goodness gracious great balls of fire!” The whole patio vibrated with everyone singing along with Bradley. Everyone, every single person was singing along with him. She watched in amazement, he was in his element and she shouldn’t be surprised at how wide his smile was or how he was bopping his head to the beat of the song. But she was surprised when she saw her father right next to the piano, singing along just as loudly.

What was happening? Did she step through a portal and ended up in a parallel universe? There were people dancing, the triplets however remained seated at their table completely alone. She walked forward, avoiding getting an elbow to the face until there was no one else separating her and Bradley.

She made no moves of getting closer beyond that, she just watched with a smile forming when he noticed her there. His fingers moved quickly over the keys, “I laughed at love ‘cause I thought it was funny,” he sings making direct eye contact with her, “You came along and you moved me honey!I’ve changed my mind, this love is fine! Goodness gracious great balls of fire!”

Beatrice’s smile now was full and bright, her cheeks reddening, she loved him immensely. God, she couldn’t believe how much she loved him. She looked around to see her whole family going along and singing and being happy and– she couldn’t help the soft laugh that went past her lips. Marina and Sabrina joined by her side, their voices adding to the chorus of people.

And Beatrice accompanied her sisters while singing along. The look of pure joy on Bradley’s face when he saw her singing could light this whole area if he so wished. He won over not only Beatrice’s cousins, but her father and now her whole family. He was having the best night of his life!

When he finished the song he was sweating like a sinner in church, but he was laughing, letting out a sound of surprise when a group of arms engulfed him in a hug and messed his hair up. Beatrice’s male cousins congratulated him, her oldest relatives hugged him and complimented his talent with kisses on both of his cheeks.

Then Rafael brought him into a hug, clapping his hand on his back, “Well done, ragazzo,” his voice said, “Well done.” Bradley pulls back from the hug, only to turn around and have Beatrice launch herself towards him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling into the kiss, the group around them hollering and cheering as the kiss deepened and he lifted Beatrice even higher.

She pulls back, cupping his cheeks, “I love you.” she whispers, her eyes shining just like stars.”I love you so much.”

“I love you too gorgeous,” he says back, slowly lowering her to the floor, “A whole lot.” He looks back to see the piano being rolled away from the dance floor, the DJ setting the playlist again. Since everyone had gotten up to watch his performance, they were too fired up to sit back down. September started playing, erupting another round of cheers from the guests as he looked down at Beatrice, “So,” he held out his hand, “Shall we cut this rug together?”

Beatrice smiled, interlacing her fingers with his, “I’d love to.”

They danced for a while, song after song they stayed there, twirling and dipping and just having an absolute blast in a celebration Beatrice was almost sure it’d lead to failure.

Never was she so glad she was wrong.

When the guests started to go back to the hotel, Beatrice thought it was a good idea if they did too, since the dance floor was getting empty as the night went by. She hugged her parents tightly, thanking her father for giving Brad a chance, then her siblings - Guillermo even apologized to her!- and then her aunt. Who hugged her close, kissing her cheek and then hugging Bradley, cupping his cheeks to press a gentle kiss to his forehead, “You are a light, my boy. Never stop shining.” she tells him, making Bradley’s eyes glaze over with surprised tears but he nods with a shaky smile.

They walk back through the grapevines, Rooster spinning her a few times as they walk down the path, bringing her close to him to kiss her temple soundly and enjoying how her melodic laughter echoed around the vineyard. The hotel had some quiet chatter from the guests that were still in the lobby, but overall the large hotel was very quiet.

They enter the elevator, her back to his front as they wait to reach their floor, “Mmm,” she smiles when she feels his lips on her shoulder, “That was fun, right?”

“It was a lot of fun.” he grins, kissing her jawline, “Your family is great. Your cousin Umberto is really cool.”

“Oh my God, you met Umberto! I completely forgot he’d come too,” she pauses, “Not that he’s forgettable, it's just that he’s very busy.” They step out once the elevator doors open, Beatrice pulling out the keycard from a hidden pocket in her dress, “But I’m glad you had fun.”

“I did.”

“Are you tired?”

Rooster chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair, “A little, why?”

The door unlocked, but Beatrice leaned against it, giving him a innocent shrug, “Well, you know,” she says slowly opening the door, throwing a look over her shoulder, “It’s just cause there’s this huge bathtub,” she tosses the keycard on the desk, Bradley following her inside with his eyes unmoving, “And I wanted to try it so bad.”

“Babe, I’m not against it but,-- well, your family is all around us.” he comments, following the line of her thigh that came out of the slit, his line of thought being muddled.

“I mean, yeah,” she whispers, tossing him a flirty look over the shoulder yet again, “But these walls?” she knocked on it, the soft sound of her knuckles hitting the brick was dull but present, “Very sturdy…and sound proof.”

He was already kicking off his shoes and pulling his shirt over his head as Beatrice squealed, rushing inside the bathroom, “Remember me to thank your aunt, over and over before we go.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader

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achieveaesthetics · 7 years ago

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Fake AH Crew Aesthetic (38/?) - The Sugar Pine Crew

#sugar pine 7 #sp7 #sugar pine seven #sugar pine crew #fake ah crew #fahc #fake ah crew aesthetic #fahc aesthetics #rt #rooster teeth #aesthetic #moodboard #i have some new faves guys i had to make a thing #mixing up my moodboard style too 👍👍👍

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universalsatan · 2 years ago

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obligatory introduction post

hi guys i'm mando. (my father and abuelo are nando).

i'm trans in a hyper-macho/repressed way (han solo, dean winchester, indiana jones, you get the picture), bi in a very gay way (i have been pining over the same idiot for the past 5 years, which might make appearances in tags), adhd and autistic in the sexiest way possible (oscillate wildly between golden retriever and spock). i also stream on twitch sometimes, under a pseudonym you totally can't find by snooping through a music link included in this post.

this account is literally whatever i feel like (occasional 18+ humour, follow under your own discretion etc etc). the only thing i properly tag anymore is vid so i can find them again easier, and "personal" if i gotta vent or whatever (for potential tag blocking purposes). i still update the star trek blog, my dean aesthetic blog, and my bfu one (once in a blue moon), but they are products of past hyperfixations (which i may or may not return to on occasion).

i do a lot of writing (give it up for escapism as a coping method 🤪), particularly on my ao3 (+pwp account), of which i'll post updates on my writing blog as well.

fanfic-wise, there is always a lot of variation, so your best bet at prediction (especially considering my chronic exhaustion as a deterrent) is the fandoms list on ao3 or the stuff i've been posting on this blog. original work-wise, i tend to write comedic satire. i currently have one published work, but it is in my university's anthology, and i will not just dox myself so easily lol. once my exhaustion clears up and i start to submit to magazines/contests again, maybe i'll start sharing that too.

i am also an academic (ewwww). i am planning on going to med school and doing research (and have been considering writing papers in the near future too), but am also a huge nerd in both musicology and english related stuff, ESPECIALLY media analysis. (i don't tend to post a lot of media analysis, but i might pop off in tags if my meds freshly kick in)

autism fixation is definitely music (as in, way too much music history—eg. i was obsessed and even crushed over classical composers in elementary school; am always in a handful of music ensembles and own 20+ instruments atm; musicology in the sense of theory and how different songs/genres function and how we as people interpret them; music in cultural anthropology ie how it has affected history in a broader sense and the societal impacts of things such as the western teaching of music (bad), how music has been used as a voice or for protest and to convey different messages, the effect of music in film, my beef against terms like "jazz" or "folk" because (for jazz) like 95% of music can fall under the definition).

ANYWAYS. you can look at my playlists (shoutout to bad taste in music (real, not fake) ), but since a lot of them are messy/outdated and i mostly rely on albums/already-made playlists, feel free to follow my spotify for the sole reason that you can see what i'm listening to (or whether i'm actually having a good taste for once or i'm going insane listening to heinz baked beans the who or megalovania on repeat for 7 hours again)

#sorry if yall see this on your dash #maybe i'll actually format this properly at some point when i care enough

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the-golden-ghost · 3 years ago

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Okay so for the ship ask: for your favorite ship from Lupin III (I don't trust my lupin knowledge to pick an actual ship so whichever one you want!), section one: 4, 5, 6, section two: 1, 3, section three: 1, 6, 11, section four: 1, 7

There's a whole BUNCH of ships I love since I ship everything on this God Damn Show but I'll pick Lupin/Jigen since it's easy and I can be Dramatique

PART ONE:

4. Who felt romantic feelings first?

I actually feel like Jigen might've? Lupin was the first to act on it but it's a fact that Jigen doesn't fall in love often but when he does he falls FAST and HARD so he was probably spending a few months in Abject Denial and also Unrequited Pining Syndrome

At the same time. NOT fun

5. Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Yes, Jigen tried hardcore. Like "PLEASE anyone but my obnoxious boss who has no regard for personal space or safety or anything but himself. Even if he does treat me like a person instead of just a weapon for hire and even if he does make me laugh and remember what it's like to be human for the first time in years"

6. If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

I think if you told Lupin he would have a soulmate he'd assume it would be Fujiko. Even the show seems to play this card much of the time, that Lupin and Fujiko are a destined pair, for better or for worse. But I think if you had said to him that it would be Jigen who ends up beside him in the long run at the end of everything, he would have been baffled, maybe in denial, but I think he'd settle into the idea and it would be a warm and happy one.

If you told Jigen he was even going to HAVE a soulmate and that he wasn't going to die alone shot dead in a gutter he'd probably laugh in your face but now look where he is. I think given the men he seems to go for if you described Lupin to him he'd scoff and say he wasn't interested in a guy like that. But now he looks at Lupin and thinks of him as home, so who's laughing last?

PART TWO:

1. Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Lupin initiated and it went with Jigen refusing outright because he Cannot Love And Be Hurt Again but then after like a week he's like "okay screw it whatever" and then they fall in love for all eternity the end

Except that Lupin still has a death wish and no sense of self-preservation and fake dies way too often so. RIP Jigen

3. What was their first kiss like?

GOD it was either like a quiet affair in the silence of their hideout where it was like "hey, can I kiss you?" OR it was Extremely Public and Incredibly Showy (how else does Lupin do anything tbh) like Lupin throwing himself into Jigen's arms and full-on snogging him under the floodlights of approaching police choppers or something.

You know. For the Aesthetic

PART THREE:

1. Who said “I love you” first?

Lupin, of course, although in reality I don't think either of them express it verbally that often. But if either of them is going to, it'll be Lupin. Jigen can only say it if he's a). drunk or b). acts like he's just kidding around

6. Who’s the big and little spoon?

Typically Lupin is the little spoon because he has acute Need To Be Shown Affection Always Syndrome but sometimes on rare occasions Jigen just lets himself get held and can actually relax into it.

11. What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

Oh HECk I dunno. I'm sure there's lots of songs out there that work but I don't happen to know them.

How about "My Rollercoaster" by Kimya Dawson? I dunno if it's the perfect song for them but it sure does have a "best friends and lovers traveling around the world and just taking things as they come and finding home in each other" vibe to it

PART FOUR:

1. If they get married, who proposes?

Okay I think if they get married they're ALL getting married, like they'll just straight do six separate marriages so that they can each get married to each other.

BUT ASSUMING

Lupin proposes and he just does it in the most casual and lowkey way possibly like slips it in during a random conversation "oh and by the way, would you marry me Jigen?" so much so that Jigen assumes he's joking and doesn't respond right away.

And then when he realizes he isn't, he walks away to cool down and come to the realization that it isn't a gag and he's not being mocked. And then he returns. And says yes.

7. Who kills the bugs in the house?

Goemon lmao

The reality is, Lupin has never gone near a bug in his life, and Jigen only knows how to dispatch them with his gun so you can see how that goes awry

#Lupin III #CLOWNS the both of them but I love them anyway

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blouisparadise · 4 years ago

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Upon request, we’ve added to our friends to lovers rec list. You can find part one here and there will also be a part three (and possibly a part four!) up eventually, which will be linked here when it’s been posted. We hope you enjoy these fics! Happy reading.

1) Roses In The Rain | Mature | 5267 words

“Don’t- I know what you’re going to ask, and I… Harry, I can’t,” he said, his voice cracking. “Please. You know that I can’t.”

Louis had his six siblings and his old house with its falling-apart porch to take care of. This town was where people still approached him, 8 years after high school graduation, to tell him that they loved him as Danny in Grease. This town was where he had his pick of suitors, where he had his first kiss, where he took his first steps, where his mama lived, died, and was buried, and he couldn’t leave just to follow some man that he loved.

Harry, for now, seemed to understand that.

“Okay, baby,” Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Okay.”

2) Candy In Your Mouth (I Know You Love Me) | Explicit | 6937 words

Things have shifted since last Christmas.

3) Glimpse Of The Silhouettes | Explicit | 7181 words

Harry isn't sure what the rules are for this. It's hard to believe that there are any, that's there's a handbook just waiting for him to buy: why is my best mate getting hard in my lap when I touch his arse?

4) Woke Up Feeling Knotty | Explicit | 7903 words

Beta Louis has a kink for knotting and the secret aesthetic porn blog he runs about it is more than proof. When he accidentally finds out his alpha best friend Harry is one of his biggest fans, he knows he has to come clean after everything that has already happened between them. Harry just might be willing to help him out anyway.

5) A Love Reaction | Explicit | 9968 words

It's never been a thing. Not until now.

6) Got It Right Such A Long Time Ago | Explicit | 9699 words

Four months into One Direction's hiatus, Louis comes to stay with Harry after a bad breakup.

7) (You're Gonna See Me In A) New Light | Mature | 13631 words

A fake relationship AU where everyone knows it's real but Louis.

8) As A Memento From Me | Explicit | 15817 words

Five lives in which Harry and Louis didn’t end up together, and one in which they did.

9) I Put A Spell On You | Explicit | 17525

A BBC/Secret Santa mashup featuring Captain Niall, our intrepid weatherman/amateur matchmaker, rather clueless sports reporter Liam, charming political analyst Zayn, and cheeky entertainment reporter Louis. Harry is the new fashion correspondent who prefers to dress like a flamingo. And pining. There’s a lot of pining.

10) Oblivious | Explicit | 19095 words

Where Louis gets a little crush on Luke and for some reason Harry starts acting weird.

11) Break Open The Sky | Explicit | 20372 words

Werewolf AU. Harry might be a werewolf, but he still wants to experience Uni like everyone else. Turns out he learns a lot.

12) Runnin’ Like You Did | Explicit | 20061 words

The college AU where Louis knows how to hold a grudge and is definitely not in love with Harry Styles.

13) UN(RE)SOLVED. | Explicit | 20873 words

The ghoul boys are back, but this time around there are some unresolved feelings involved. Harry is a skeptic, Louis is not. Watch them go on their ongoing investigation into the question: are ghosts real?

14) Hats Off To My Distant Hope | Explicit | 20990 words

Harry is in White Eskimo. Louis is in London.

15) The Way The Storms Blow | Explicit | 20649 words

Louis doesn’t have a habit of thinking about Harry’s dick.

That would be weird, seeing as they’re best mates, and they share a flat, and they’ve spent holidays at each other’s family homes. Their friendship hasn’t ever risen to a point where Louis should want to see his mate’s dick, and he’s happy to keep it that way.

Except, all that Louis can think about is exactly that. The size of it. The shape. The amount of people it’s been in.

Maybe it’s the tequila talking, or the fact that Louis’ just recently walked in to an eyeful of Harry taking turns on some slags that he’s never seen before, but. Louis’ mind can’t stop obsessing over the idea.

16) Love Like Wildfire | Explicit | 21774 words

Louis was an Omega and a Prefect. Harry was an Alpha and a little rascal. They were mates, drawn to each other since they first met in the Hogwarts Express. They worked well like that, or at least they tried, which only made their relationship way more interesting.

17) Indestructible | Explicit | 24423 words

“Hi,” Harry murmurs, and Louis hiccups out a sob.

“Hi,” he manages, still clutching onto Harry’s shoulders. Harry’s fingers drift across Louis’ cheeks, and there’s something off about Harry’s expression, but Louis can’t figure out what it is.

“I’m okay,” Harry says, and Louis is going to say something to that, even if he doesn’t know what, except Harry’s kissing him.

Louis freezes.

18) A Whole New World | Not Rated | 24967 words

Louis has moved into his new apartment to start his new job as a teacher. Things would be great. If only his arsehole neighbour didn't wake him up every morning by playing piano.

19) Another Day Gettin’ Into Trouble | Explicit | 25619 words

Harry’s drunk when the idea occurs to him. He’s also a pop star, so sometimes his drunk ideas turn into actual things instead of just ideas. The clone-a-willy kit is one of them.

In Harry’s defense, when he first thinks about it his intention is just to buy the kit and give it to Louis to make his own dildo with, because that’s what he wants anyway, right? To have a penis filling him up?

Then he realizes that it would be weird if Louis made a copy of his own dick to fuck himself with. It’d be super weird. Louis fucking himself? That’s a weird idea. Harry’s pretty sure Louis wouldn’t like that.

Clearly the only solution here is to use his own dick for the mold.

20) Brooklyn Saw Me | Explicit | 28537 words

In the cold and unforgiving city of New York, Louis doesn't have a home and Harry wants to give him one. But as their heartstrings become increasingly intertwined, and the snow continues to fall, home is getting harder and harder to find.

21) Rivers ‘Til I Reach You | Explicit | 29315 words

AU. Louis studies astronomy; Harry studies Louis. They spend their summers on the water and it shouldn't be complicated (spoiler: it is).

22) If Ignorance Be Bliss | Mature | 30429 words

Uni AU: Harry is too experienced, and Louis just wants to get to experience him.

23) Blind From This Sweet, Sweet Craving | Explicit | 31170 words

"So, I guess we'll go?" Louis asks later, when Harry has calmed down and eaten his weight in Chinese food. He plays with this chopsticks, spearing another piece of chicken and pops it in his mouth. "I mean, I wouldn't mind. We could make it an adventure."

Harry observes him, watches him seated across from him on their old living room carpet, with a container of food on his lap. He's fidgeting, avoiding meeting Harry's gaze–he probably knows that Harry's mad at him for ruining the one chance they had to get out of this situation. And he's not wrong, Harry is definitely very mad. Harry wants to strangle him and castrate him and smack him upside the head.

But he's also Harry's best friend, and despite everything, despite all the fuck-ups and the plot twists and everything just not playing out the way it should, he'd still rather be stuck in this situation with Louis than any of the other boys. He's got Harry's back, and in a weird, abstract way, he knows they'll be able to get out of this situation, together.

Harry sighs. "We're going," he says resignedly, his shoulders slumping.

Oh well. There are definitely worse ways to spend the weekend than pretending to be engaged to his best friend.

24) Welcome Back From The Friend Zone | Mature | 32354 words

The one where an idea to create a fake wedding with the sole intent to receive gifts from billionaires took a turn no one, but also everyone, saw coming.

25) The List | Mature | 32074 words

'In the weeks that follow, Harry opens his old journal more than he has in the past two years each time he remembers Venice or thinks about Louis. He always flips to the same random page in the middle of the book, marked by the picture of himself that Louis sent him a few days after they got home. There’s a message on the back that says, ‘Spontaneous looks good on you! See you soon,’ and it makes Harry’s chest warm each time he reads it. He wedges their list out from between the worn pages, and it feels silly staring down at a folded up piece of paper with a strange sense of nostalgia for experiences they’ve yet to have; for places they’ve never even been.'

26) Mark My Word (We Gon’ Be Alright) | Explicit | 35524 words

An A/B/O AU featuring an oblivious Harry as the pack leader, a pining Louis as his second-in-command, and an entourage of friends and family who are a little too good at keeping their mouths shut.

27) The Sun Will Rise With My Name On Your Lips | Explicit | 37927 words

When Eleanor breaks up with Louis he finds it hard to keep pretending that Harry isn’t what he’s wanted since the day he first met him.

28) Runner On Third | Explicit | 39643 words

Note: The sequel to this fic is not BL.

The AU where Louis and Harry were best friends growing up, but lost touch after Harry moved away. Ten years later, Harry has moved back to town, but he and Louis don't pick up where they left off.

29) My Sweetest Downfall | Mature | 42048 words

Louis is a retired guardian angel. After the death of his last charge, he became jaded. Humans die—what use is prolonging the inevitable?

He's more than happy to forget about humanity altogether until one day, when Louis is pulled from his desk job for a new assignment: protect One Direction's Harry Styles. It doesn't help that there's something about Harry that Louis can't resist, and it's making him question everything he's ever known. Humans are strictly off limits, and breaking that rule means risking everything, but Harry just might be worth it.

This is a story about forgiveness and discovery, featuring an angel who wants to be a little more human and a human who is so much more than he seems.

30) For the Sake of Propriety | Mature | 52360 words

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for. His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best. When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice. But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

31) The Bachelor | Explicit | 53953 words

The one where Harry dates six other guys and still falls in love with Louis Tomlinson.

32) We’ve Got the World in Our Hands | Explicit | 54964 words

Note: This fic has been locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

A mutants/superpowers AU. Louis and his friends attend the Cowell Institute for General Education and Mutant Training in London; when Louis meets Harry, the newest student at the Cowell Institute, he immediately recruits Harry to help play matchmaker for his friend Zayn. Harry and Louis are so caught up in meddling in Zayn's love life, though, that they don't notice that their own friendship is progressing into something more. Meanwhile, an ominous threat up north grows slowly until suddenly, no mutant - or human - is safe.

33) Waiting For The Tides To Meet | Explicit | 49873 words

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

34) Since I’ve Found You | Mature | 74005 words

Louis woke up on the morning he was meant to volunteer at the Feed the Homeless program at St. Mary's church hoping for an opportunity to give back a little to a city that has given him everything he could ever want. Little did he know, there was one more great thing waiting there for him; a boy with radiant green eyes in a weathered jacket and a beat-up backpack slung over his shoulders.

35) Saving Symphony Hall | Mature | 124766 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

36) Falling Into You | Mature | 143517 words

In the grand scheme of adolescence and boyhood, Harry was still working himself out, so far with little luck. But four things he could say for certain: 1) he'd been at the top of his class all through primary and secondary school, 2) he was the shittiest alpha to ever walk the earth, 3) Liam Payne never let him forget it, and 4) he’d been in love with this boy, Louis Tomlinson, ever since he was fifteen years old.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#larry #fic recs #friends to lovers #bottom louis #top harry #blp #blp fic recs

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emj-tolj · 4 years ago

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Bringing a World of Adventure Hunting in to Your Home

Not everyone is not living in a position to wander the woods, desert, beach or ruins. I had that situation at one point in my life. And yes its depressing. And when you read others doing all these things its can really get to you. However there are a huge number of things yo CAN do to counteract the depression. Lets visit a good many of these things:

1) Everyone’s first Go-to is Roleplaying. Be its table-top or online. But not all Online games bring out the true desire to adventure, as they are limited to telling a specific story. As such I suggest avoiding using game maps and make you own real maps. Right down and study any runes in the game, study the magic tech in the game, write side stories of your character that can not be done in game. Create a history to the character you made. Some games are limited what you character looks like. Draw your own character and hang it by your game station.

2) If you have adventure wear, wear it about the house/apartment. Does not have to be all of it. Boots, a shirt, a vest, tunic, wristbands, cloak

3) If you have the money and talent turn kitchen into a tavern or saloon, line shelfs with bottles and plates and other tavern/saloon wear. Avoid cheese props. Study movie sets and get ideas from that.

4) Likewise turn your bedroom into an Inn room. Go ristic and simple with natural colors and materials

5) Burn in a cauldron or censor wood chips, herbs and incense,

6) Hang posters of nature about the walls in natural wood frames. If you can obtain some old wood window frames, you that as your poster frames. If possible find images of nature on line and print them out. Try to make all the images co-inside, so its looks like you are looking out into the same view. Change the posters with the seasons if possible

7) Place realistic life-size animals about your home: Snake, turtle, mice, birds, chipmunks, insects. If you have a ficus tree or a cluster of plants, place a birds nest with eggs in it

8) Play sound effects and ambient sounds in the house. Youtibe and other sites have a plethora of ambiance and sounds from cave to camp sites, tavern sounds, market squares, pirate ships, forests

9) Add a fountain/s in your home. Fountain pumps can be bought anywhere these days,

10) Terrariums! Make them and add them to your home. Even of the plants are fake

11) Aquariums! If your adventurous aestheic love is the see or any water setting like ponds, these are fantastic to have. And do not limit yourself to just fish: Crabs, snails, turtles, frogs, lizards, snakes. Even if you are not allowed to have pes, build an aquarium anywhere. The flow of the water from the filtar moving the plants can lend to the imagination

12) Wood, tin and copper and wrought iron objects

13) Leather bound books. Line a shelf with them,

14) Candles and lanterns. Some people can not have things where they live for safety mode. Even if you never burn them, have a cluster of candles anyway. Just the look of lanterns and candles plays with the mind. You can also invest in battery ones but I think they are silly looking

15) Bowls of fruit: Wood bowls and real fruits and nuts about the house.

16) Seasonal and year round garlands and wreaths about the house. Clusters of ferns. If you do not have a green thumb, go fake if need be. Ferns and spider plans are my fave.

17) Drift wood and moss covered wood.

18) If you have your own Adventure clothes and gear do not bury it in a closet. Get a mannequin and display it,

19) Fur, leather, blankets, wool, sheepskin throws and pillows.

20) Banners and tapestries

21) Invest in a couple of mortar & pestle sets, one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom is you have the room. (Confession: I collect them)

22) Hang herbs and dry plants in the kitchen.

23) Clay pots and assorted pottery about the house. Try to sick with OLD looking styles. Check out some sites or books on ancient styles for an idea

24) Antlers add a wonderful feel to ambience. Even if fake. Now they are made into door handles, draw knobs and so much more. (DO NO go hung deer and elk JUST for their racks)

25) Bowls and vases of snail shells, acorns, pine cones,

26) Rolls and displays of maps,

17) Glass and Ceramic bottles: Display a few or better yet, use them! fill them with shampoos, liquid soaps, drinks and what ever else you use and look at daily

18) Old style dip pens and ink vials on your desk along with scrolls of parchment and an old leather bound journal,

19) Color glass baubles like the ones at christmas time and “witch balls” These are great if your Aesthetic is the sea or in the Witchy profession,

20) Wood wand display. Not talking about Harry Potter here. Do a little reserach and find or make a REAL one. Display it on your desk or mantle staff. If you have a set, even better.

21) A Statue of an ancient god,

22) Baskets and wicker to hold things

23) Metal goblets and drinking horns

24) If you have one or several hand your shields on the walls,

25) Oil hurricane lamps,

24) Hang and display Gourds about. If you know how to carve and stain gourds, all the better,

25) Birds houses. In the house?? Sure, why not?

26) Feathers. Sometimes just a vase of ling feathers helps. If they are feathers you find in your walks, just as better. Each one has a story

28) Bowls of rocks. Not only does this bring the natural world in but its said that a bowl of rocks by the door and window wards off negativity.

29) Old wood boxes. Just do not collect them but USE them. put whatever in them as storage. Afraid you will forget what’s in it??? All the better. There is your treasure at the end of your search.

30) Corn dollies. These folk cultural dolls and designs have their roots into the ancient world. a display of them, especially during the late summer, really invokes the harvest season

31) Ceramic and wood bake ware in the kitchen. Ads a rustic tavern feel. This could include bread boards and bowls, wood spoons, rolling pins,

32) Replace DVD covers with parchment or wood texture covers. Sometimes a wall of game and DVD cases can kill an ambiance you are striving for. If you can not print out all these coves, hang a tapestry over your shelf unit or add wood shutter doors

33) Cover your library of bright color books with leather, paper of plether, No access to leather? See of someone has an old leather jacket they are ditching you can cut up

34) Wood flutes, harps, ocarinas, pan pips, lyres and rustic drums add to a great tavern-ish display.

35) A tall vase of cattails gives ambiance for this that over adventures in places like rivers and lakes,

36) If you have a collection of crystals, sea glass and gemstones, show them off in a wood box or basket,

37) Halloween Witch bottles add to the adventure appel. (I have a buhnch and have all my teas in them,

38) Fancy yourself an Librarian or treasure seeker? Have a display of “artifacts” like (potters, tiles, scales, bones, glass, wood), Find some broken pottery shards and make them look like Greek pottery. If you sculpt make a remnant of a state or a bone or prehistoric tooth. Create your own artifacts and put stories to them.

39) Hang a bunch of leather sachets and small bags from a hook or sit them on a shelf,

40) Find yourself a rustic tea set,

41) Collect vintage clay and wood tops. Tops have been around since ancient Assyria and Babylon.

42) Display a collection of carving tools or depending on your likes, a small anvil and hammer,

43) Hand on hoots of rack by your door or wall woven wicker hats, leather caps and witch/witch hat, head wreaths,

44) Display an old stick/straw/grass broom head wreaths,

45) Display a helm or helmet you have in a place that speaks “I am at the ready”

46) Fold a small stack of old burlap bags and place on a shelf and use them to store things like potatoes and onions,

47) Display and basket of wood knitting needles and wool,

48) Grow plants, flowers, herbs and small trees. Even small pots of just grass adds a sense of nature and Adventure (The ancient Greeks would grow grass for their New Years Eve celebration) I have lemon trees in my windows I grew from seeds.

49) A Fish Net works great to add an aesthetic look to your space.

50) If nothing more find an artist and have him/her draw your aesthetic self as you see yourself in different poses, gear and situations. Blow thing up power size and hang them about your space

51) If you can not do any of this, create a physical scrap book of pictures and images that’s screams your aesthetic ideals. Visit it daily and add to it.

NOTE: While all these ideas are great starts, DO NOT over do it. Less is more. Rustic and simple. Avoid cheesy plastic props and things like signs screaming “I am a Proud Viking!” Investigate films, movies and history into your aesthetic loves and the world behind it. Do not create clutter. Make you space livable and function to your NEEDS. Make you space your home, not a museum. If your space is cluttered and does not bring you a feel of your Aesthetic feelings you may need to pull back on some of your props.

#aesthetics #aesthetic #decoration #decorations #adventurecore #adventure #adventure aesthetic #Adventure Hunter #home #house #apartment

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gravelyhumerus · 4 years ago

Text

Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter 7

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Summary:

Hallowe’en chaos.

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue

After trivia night, Emily Prentiss found her world had shifted slightly.

For the first time in her life, she had a friend group: a consistent presence of not only just Derek and the occasional Hotch, but also Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia and most importantly, Jennifer Jareau.

Emily noticed it most in the dining hall. Most mornings this semester, she would grab coffee and maybe an apple on her way to class. Now, she was invited to breakfast in the caf. And everyone was also invited, so the six of them began eating not only breakfasts together when their schedules lined up, but soon that melded to include dinners and the odd lunch between classes. While Penelope initiated at the beginning, soon this became a routine.

While they were all busy, and driven people, all with full course loads, extracurriculars and miscellaneous commitments, they managed to get the whole team together multiple times that week.

A few times, extra faces joined them. Penelope’s friend from class, Kevin… something, joined for a lunch on Wednesday. He sat shyly as Derek stared him down the entire time. On Thursday, somehow Hotch convinced their Criminology TA, David Rossi, who was part time Masters Student and part time weed dealer, to have lunch with the bribe of them using their guest pass so he could get a free meal. He reluctantly acquiesced, but seemed to enjoy himself. On Friday, the day before Halloween, Emily brought Tara Lewis, the MC from the Trivia night that was two years ahead of her in criminology, they ran into each other in the quad, recognizing each other. This open door policy made these dinners fun, with new faces alongside their team.

This was all new for Emily. Not having friends, that is, because Emily could always muddle along with some friends, and when she was younger she shaped herself easily into whatever the popular kids wanted her to be. No, it was new because it was so easy. The team, as they now called themselves as a shorthand, had fallen together so effortlessly.

Today was Halloween and they had plans at Dave’s student house, the shabby place that she had ran into JJ, Penelope and Spencer all that time ago. Had it only been a month? She felt like she had known them all for lifetimes by now.

It happened that way with Derek last year, the whole living together thing sped up that connection. Intimacy comes fast when you brush your teeth next to someone.

Emily was sitting at her desk, finishing up her makeup. She was aiming for a vampire, which wasn’t hard given her previous fashion aesthetic.

Yes, Emily did have a goth phase. She will admit it. Not to her new friends just yet, and Derek had been sworn to secrecy. She was now a much more toned down goth, more alt than goth, wearing mostly black but significantly less chains and make up.

Tonight, she wore her fishnets, a short black dress and a cape that was already tied around her shoulders. She had put a slightly too pale foundation on her face, down her neck, and was currently working on her eye liner. She carefully created elegant swoops over her lashes, coming to sharp points.

Next, she added a deep red lipstick. Blood red. It was all very spooky.

Finally, she struggled to test out the fake teeth insert that she had ordered online, slipping it over her top teeth. It fit surprisingly well.

“Happy Halloween,” she said to herself, testing out whether or not she had a lisp. She did. She didn’t care. It was perfect.

Emily did a couple of spins in the mirror on the back of the door. Turning off the overhead light, she looked at herself in the glowing light of her string lights.

She was satisfied. She looked like a hot vampire.

She grabbed her tote bag, which was filled with six miscellaneous beers and coolers that she had leftover from the last few weeks, knowing that she hated the cheap hoppy beer that Rossi would have at his party.

Emily was picky about her alcohol.

She glanced out the window, considering taking an extra layer. It was dreary outside, with the sky an eerie green and powerful gusts of wind rattling the window. Emily grabbed her leather jacket.

Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and draping her coat over her arm, Emily peeked out of her door, looking out into the hall. In both directions were students in costume; she spotted a Frankenstein, a couple of cats and even someone dressed up in an inflatable t-Rex suit.

She made sure her door was locked and then walked down the hall to Derek’s room, who was at the very end of the hall, as he had lucked out and got a massive room with lots of windows, across from the showers.

She opened the door, finding just about all of their friends already there, sneakily drinking out of mugs, cups and water bottles.

Reid was a zombie, wearing tattered, bloody clothes and a full face of makeup that Emily assumed that Penelope did for him. Sitting next to his computer, queueing music for their pre, was Derek, dressed in a baseball jersey and hat, apparently as a baseball player. This was expected, he wasn’t big on Halloween. Hotch was… a devil? He wore all black and simply had devil horns on his head. Low commitment but the spirit was there.

Emily hoisted herself onto Derek’s bed and greeted her friends.

Spencer was sneaking up behind Derek, peeking his head over his shoulder. Derek, at that moment, seemed to be texting, squinting down at his phone.

“I’m going to eat you!” Spencer yelled into Derek’s ear, causing the larger man to jump to his feet, swatting at the boy in his fright.

Emily laughed at her friend’s distress. He really didn’t like Halloween that much.

“Are you ready for a spooktacular evening?” Spence asked, making his voice wobbly as he put on a dramatic effect. He shone an orange, pumpkin patterned flashlight under his chin.

“Of course,” Emily lisped, “In fact, I vant to drink your blood!”

She lunged forward, and Spencer hid from her behind Derek. It was silly but she could tell how much he liked Halloween, he had talked about it all week, and she couldn’t help but adopt a lispy vampire voice to go with her costume. Though the boy was only two year younger than them, his thin frame and wide eyed expression made him seem much younger.

“Your teeth are excellent,” Spencer pointed out, “Very realistic.”

“I don’t get the hype about Halloween,” Derek said, “Disguises? Pass. Horror movies? No thank you.”

“Booooooo,” Emily protested, “Don’t be a buzzkill, Morgan. Let us have a little fun.”

The door opened again, and Penelope, followed by JJ, joined them.

“Is my statuesque god of sculpted chocolate thunder being lame again?”

“He barely dressed up,” Emily complained.

“Neither did Hotch!” Derek said, gesturing to Hotch’s devil horns.

“Hey, at least I bought these at the party store,” Hotch said, “I’m sure both of those are items from your own closet.”

Derek did not confirm or deny this. Emily knew he wore the same get up last year.

“So when should we be there?” JJ asked.

She was dressed as a witch, with an oversized pointy hat perched on top of her head, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders in perfect curls. She wore a purple dress and tall boots to go with her witch look. She and Penelope joined Spencer on the floor, sitting with their backs to Derek’s closet and cracking open a beer for JJ and a fruity cooler for Penelope.

With large wings, glittery make up and an adorable skirt, Penelope was clearly dressed up as a fairy, which was entirely apropos to who she was as a person. In fact, it was not entirely dissimilar from her normal outfits.

“Rossi said to come by eight,” Hotch said, “So in party talk he means nine-thirty earliest.”

“It’s, what?” Derek checked the time on his laptop, “Eight fifteen now, so we can pre here for an hour or so then start walking over.”

“Yeah,” Hotch said, “His house is just off campus.”

“The weather is crazy out,” Penelope said, looking out the window. The trees were swaying and the leaves were blowing everywhere.

“We could take a cab?” Emily offered, “I’d rather avoid getting leaves in my hair tonight.”

There were some nods, then they got back to preing, playing a few rounds of King’s Cup to ensure that all of them were sufficiently drunk before they left.

Morgan put on his new playlist, not “For The Boys (and emily)” this time, but one titled “Team Vibez” that Emily had seen him make during their lecture on Thursday. It had a lot of his normal songs, some top hits, but a few fun pop songs that Emily knew he added for Penelope, and even some classic rock for Hotch.

At this point, Emily was feeling buzzed. She had two cans discarded in the bin, both hosting lipstick prints from her dark red vampire lips.

JJ was currently chatting with Hotch about some student government scandal that was happening at the time. While politics gave Emily the heebie jeebies, she had reluctantly joined the Criminology Academic Society. It would give her a leg up on grad school applications, for one, and so far, even as a low-level member, she found she was actually making a difference for her classmates. This meant that Emily, despite her deepest urges to not touch political scandals with a ten foot pole, knew exactly what they were talking about.

As the two discussed the student politicians—there were some minor accusations of nepotism, embezzlement and coverups by the undergraduate executive—Emily looked at JJ. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and she was gesturing wildly with her hands as she talked about how badly they were handling their crisis communications.

Suddenly, interrupting this discussion, their phones blasted out a siren, followed by a chorus of the same robot voice announcing an emergency alert.

“National Weather Service: TORNADO WARNING in this area until 10:15PM EST,” the robot announced, “Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.”

They looked at Derek’s three, large windows, and watched as large gusts of wind sent leaves barrelling down the street.

“If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris,” it continued. “Check media.”

Then, their phones went silent and Derek’s music continued unheeded.

“A tornado?!” Penelope said, “Here?”

The window rattled. Derek stood up and hesitantly moved away from it.

Penelope grabbed Derek’s computer, her hands moving in a flurry.

“Ok so,” she began, “from what I can gather from the good old Internet, we’re in a region of extreme winds and the meteorologists are thinking that funnel clouds and tornados are possible this evening.”

“So much for Halloween,” Spencer whined.

“Party is definitely off,” Hotch said. “We should probably take shelter. Is there a basement here?”

“There’s the laundry room?” Emily said.

Adrenaline started pulsing through her veins. She’d been through some severe weather before in her life but never a tornado, nor did she expect one. They were in the north east, nowhere near tornado Alley.

They all stood, making a move for the basement, when the lights flickered once, twice, then shut off entirely. Rain begin to fall down, hard onto the windows, and the boom of thunder filled their ears.

“Shit,” Emily said. “Anyone have a candle?”

---

Ten minutes later, the six of them were seated in a circle, on the strange carpeted floor of the laundry room, with the severe weather making the wind howl outside. Between JJ’s two candles, which were very against the rules, and Derek’s laptop screen, they had enough ambient light to see, but it was all very spooky.

The room smelled damp and earthy, with a strange combination of laundry soaps and dryer sheets. They had to move a spare sock to form a circle around the candle. It looked very much like a séance, so that did fit the Halloween spirit.

“Well,” Hotch said, “At least this is festive.”

Derek was still queuing his music, filling the silence with his DJ skills.

“Aren’t you worried about your battery life?” JJ asked, “What if the power doesn’t come on in the morning.”

“Then I have a great excuse not to finish my essay,” Derek said with a shrug.

“Fair point.”

“Anyways,” Derek continued, “No sense giving up on our party. We have drinks, we have music and thanks to JJ we have illegal candles.”

“They’re not illegal!” She protested, “Simply very against res rules! I like lighting a candle while I study.”

“It’s lucky that there was no one left in res because of Halloween,” Emily said. “Or we would've had a bunch of party crashers.”

“This is better,” Penelope, “Team bonding!”

“What should we play?” Hotch said, “we don’t really have much to work with.”

“This is all very high school,” Penelope said, “A couple of kids, in a basement, sitting in a circle on the floor…”

“With a tornado tearing through our city…” Emily quipped.

“Statistically speaking for this region we are more likely to experience dangerous winds rather than an actual tornado. Worst case is that fallen tree branches hit power lines, or fall onto houses or cars.”

“So you’re saying that we’re in the worst case scenario right now?” Hotch said.

“Yup.”

Hotch frowned.

“How about we play truth or dare?” Penelope changed the subject.

“I’m down,” Emily said, surprising herself. “If everyone else is.”

“I’ve never played!” Spencer said.

“Never?” JJ asked. “Not at any sleepovers.”

“I didn’t get invited to many sleepovers.”

“Neither did I,” Emily admitted, “Some parties I went to played it too.”

JJ looked at her, there was a brief look of sympathy, and then understanding on her face. Emily made note of that.

“I guess we’re playing,” Hotch murmured.

“Derek,” Penelope purred, “Mon cher, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” he said defiantly, bracing himself with a swig of whatever was in his water bottle.

“Who is the prettiest fairy in the basement?”

“You, of course,” he replied with a wink.

“Gross!” Emily exclaimed, “Truth or dare is not for flirting. Hotch: truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he said with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“Show us the… most embarrassing photo of you on your phone.”

He frowned.

“I don’t take many photos.”

“Try,” Emily urged with a laugh.

He fumbled in his pockets, grabbing his phone and scrolling through his photo album for a few minutes.

“It’s from high school,” Hotch said with a sigh. “I was in a play.”

He held up a photo of him in a pirates outfit, he looked smaller, younger than he did now. His hair was shaggy and his face rounder. He was pointing the sword at the camera.

“Who’s the girl?” JJ asked.

“My girlfriend Hayley,” Hotch said, “we’re long distance now. I joined the play to get close to her and it seems to have worked.”

“That’s not embarrassing,” Penelope said, “that’s adorable. Try again.”

“Oh I have one!” Emily said, pulling up her Snapchat memories. She had a photo of him conked out in a lecture last year. His mouth was open and his head conked back, fast asleep in a dimly lit lecture hall. Emily had taken a series of these photos before waking him up.

“Now that’s what i'm talking about,” Derek said.

“How can you fall asleep during lecture?” Spencer asked in horror.

Hotch shrugged.

“I was tired, we had a game the night before,” Hotch said. “Morgan: Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I don’t know any dares,” Hotch looked around for help.

“He could play the tinder game?” Emily said.

“What tinder game?”

“Oh that’s a good one,” JJ said, “Derek opens tinder and we randomly tell him which way to swipe and see who he matches with.”

Derek groaned. Opening the app and placing it down onto the carpet.

“Right!” JJ said to start.

A match.

“Left?” Hotch said, it came out more like a question.

“Right,” Emily said. Another match.

Left, right, left, right. New message from a recent match, left, right, right, right, right. Derek looked on in horror.

“Ok I think he’s had enough,” Emily said with a laugh.

“Derek it’s your turn,” Penelope said.

Derek sighs in relief.

“Uhhh, Pretty Boy,” he turned to Reid. Thinking for a moment. “Have you ever smoked before?”

“Smoked what? Cannabis, tobacco? Something else. Be specific.”

Emily’s jaw dropped.

“I dunno man,” Derek said, “I was talking about weed but go off.”

“I have.”

“How?” JJ said, “You’re like sixteen! I haven’t even smoked weed.”

“Me neither,” Penelope said, sounding outright disappointed.

“I believe it,” Hotch said. “He has a Juul.”

“Seventeen now,” Spencer said. “Kids in my first degree found it funny when I performed actions that they deemed mature for my young age.

“What?” Penelope said. “But you were sixteen last week.”

“It was my birthday on Wednesday,” he said.

“And we missed it?” JJ asked.

Emily decided not to inform them that her birthday had been a few weeks back as well.

“It’s no big deal,” Spencer said, “I don’t really do birthdays.”

“Well I do birthdays!” Penelope said, “and you’re getting one.”

Emily could see the gears turning in Penelope’s head.

“Wait you haven’t smoked weed?” Emily said. She didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but hell, it was college.

“I’ve never been offered,” Penelope said with a shrug.

“You have a Juul, Spence?” JJ said.

He shrugged.

“Anyways,” Derek said with a laugh. “Reid it’s your turn to ask.”

And the game continued roughly the same for a few more rounds, with some truths, some dares, a lot of drinking and a fair amount of laughter.

Emily learned that JJ likes some angry rock music when she’s upset, that Penelope has committed several federal crimes, that Reid used to coach basketball in high school, that Derek has been posing nude for art classes on campus for extra cash, and that Hotch has never successfully completed a word search in his life.

The dares were limited, because frankly they were basically hiding out in a basement during what might actually be a tornado. Emily was dared to do an impression of Hotch, which wasn’t good and involved a lot of eyebrows and frowning. After, JJ was forced to leave her snapchat at Garcia’s mercy for the entire night. Other dares involved dancing, attempting gymnastics, and seeing whether or not Reid fit into the dryer. He did.

The game finally had played out when it was Hotch’s turn again to ask.

“JJ, what’s your greatest fear?” Hotch asked.

“Mr. Serious over here,” Derek said with a whistle.

“Probably the woods,” JJ replied.

“Why?” Spencer asked, tilting his head.

JJ grabbed a candle, holding it under her chin much like Reid did earlier.

“I used to be a camp counselor, when I was a teenager. In the woods up in Vermont.”

She leaned forward. Emily didn’t know she worked at a camp. It made sense. She pictured her in a camp t-shirt making a bracelet. It suited her.

“I had the night shift. I tucked the girls in, turned off the lights. The typical drill. Everything seemed fine; all the kids were asleep. You know, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

Another dramatic pause, both Spencer and Derek had leaned in, invested in the story.

“Until I noticed there was some blood, on the hallway floor. So, I followed the blood trail out to the camp director’s cabin, walked up to his bed and he was just lying there, underneath his covers. Dead!”

Penelope gasped. The room was silent.

“Someone stabbed him. I ran out of there so fast, out the door, down the hall. I just remember it… being really dark. Once I got to the door, there was another counselor there. I guess she heard me scream.”

JJ set the candle down, looking at the flame flicker. This couldn’t be real, Emily thought, this had to be a joke.

“They caught the caretaker on his way to town, I guess he still had the knife on him.”

“Anyway, I guess that’s probably when I decided I didn’t like the woods.”

“You’re serious?!” Derek demanded.

“No!” JJ said with a laugh. “You bought that! I’m kidding!”

“So are you afraid of the woods?” Emily asked.

“Yeah,” JJ said, “They’re spooky I don’t know.”

They all laughed at that.

Emily glanced at her phone; they had been down here for almost two hours. According to Penelope’s intermittent checks on the status of the extreme weather, most of the city was experiencing black outs, but there was no sign of an actual tornado. They were still supposed to take shelter for the next hour or so, just in case.

In this time, Emily was close to five drinks in, with only one left in the basement. A growing pile of empties had built up around them, and Hotch had pulled out a small bottle of whiskey in addition to his beer, passing it around the circle. Having recently turned 17, the group had officially decided to give Spencer a beer, which he nursed slowly, wincing at the bitter taste.

“Emily,” JJ turned to her and looked mischievous. “Truth or dare?”

She felt her heart flutter.

“Truth.”

“Hmmm…” JJ said, “Where was the weirdest place you’ve ever had sex?”

Emily found herself blushing at the memory.

“Oh god,” Emily buried her face in her hands. “IHOP parking lot.”

“What?”

Emily nodded, downing the last of her beer.

“No further questions,” she proclaimed as she opened her next drink.

“I think that should conclude Truth or Dare,” Penelope said, “It’s time for another sleepover classic, since some of you are sleepover virgins.”

She grabbed Derek’s water bottle, plopping it down onto the carpet and spun it.

“Spin the bottle!”

Emily went pale. What was Penelope doing? She stared into her drunk, not daring to look at anyone else.

“That doesn’t seem very sanitary,” Spencer said.

“Boo,” Penelope, “You’re no fun. It’s a classic! And we’re all friends, it’ll be fun. Hotch you spin first.”

He looked horrified, but took the bottle. There was no getting in the way of Penelope Garcia’s will.

“The rules are simply: kiss or you have to finish your drink?,” Penelope said, “Got it?

Hotch nodded, he spun the bottle. It went around the circle, once, twice, three times, then landed clearly on himself.

“How do I kiss myself?” he said, deadpan.

“Drink!” Emily told him. He downed his last beer.

Derek spun next, rubbing his hands together nervously as it went around and around. It landed on Penelope.

“Come here, chocolate thunder!”

Derek took his baseball cap off, turning it backwards. Penelope pulled his shirt towards her, tugging on him as their lips met. They both closed their eyes, she could hear JJ giggle at the sight.

“Was that the only reason we’re playing this?” Spencer asked, “So that you could kiss Morgan?”

“Maybe?” Penelope, “What’s it to you, boy-genius!”

He put his hands up in surrender, it was his turn.

He spun the bottle awkwardly, so that it rocked back and forth in addition to spinning. It went around once before landing on JJ.

Emily wasn’t sure what to think about that. On one hand, he was just a kid and the kiss wouldn't be anything, but on the other hand, Emily was jealous that she didn’t get a kiss.

“Come here, Spence!” JJ said, making a grabbing motion at the boy and laughing.

He leaned in with his eyes closed, Emily wouldn’t be surprised if he told them he hadn’t done even this before. JJ put a hand on his face, turned it gently, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Derek clapped him on the back and made a comment about it being ‘pretty boy’s first kiss,’ and Reid simply sat and blushed as he busied himself with drinking some of his beer.

Emily’s turn. She tried not to cross her fingers and pray for JJ, but it happened anyways. It landed on Derek. Emily sighed dramatically.

“Ewwww,” Emily mock protested.

“Come on, princess,” Derek jeered, “You know you want some of this!”

He lifted his t-shirt up and rubbed his hands down his abs.

“Put that away sir!” she covered her eyes.

“Oh come here,” she said, leaning in. They kissed on the lips with a loud ‘mwah!’ noise.

“That was cute,” Hotch commented.

Emily fake gagged, while Morgan tried to wipe her red lipstick off him.

Last was JJ in the circle. She spun it casually. Emily tried to read her facial expression, wondering if JJ, too, wanted it to land on Emily.

See, Emily was starting to believe that JJ liked her back. She was single, and for all Emily knew, she was straight, but the more Emily got to know her, she got queer vibes. She played soccer! Her nails were short and-

Emily couldn’t think of any other things that moment, as she was currently freaking out about the spin the bottle situation that was presently unfolding.

The moment in the bathroom, Emily thought, that was something! The way she looked at Emily… she was sure that she felt JJ’s eyes on her linger.

The bottle landed on Emily. They had to kiss. It was part of the game.

Holy shit.

Penelope squealed and Emily could feel the entire room's eyes on her, except JJ whose eyes were on the ground.

Emily could hear her heartbeat. She desperately wanted to kiss JJ but did she want to under these circumstances? For a dare?

JJ looked at her. Blue eyes staring into brown. She could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She found herself leaning forward, only slightly. JJ did the same. Her lips parted, her eyes hungry.

Emily shifted forward, she sat with her legs tucked under her, bracing herself with her arms. JJ was cross legged, her arms free to grab at her face. JJ’s hands tugged her forward.

Their lips met.

It was uncertain, chaste, soft. Then, JJ’s hands pulled her closer. They were pressed together, heads tilting so that their noses didn’t bump.

Jennifer Jareau was kissing her. They were kissing!

Emily’s brain short circuited. JJ filled her senses; the blonde’s vanilla perfume and soft lips and the taste of alcohol on her tongue.

Oh god, her tongue.

Emily did not want it to end. Their mouths opened and their tongues slid against each other, feeling so perfect and sending Emily’s blood racing away from her face and noticeably south.

JJ was incredibly hot and Emily desperately wanted to do more than kiss her. Or kiss her like this forever. Her ams were caressing her cheek and tangled in Emily’s hair, pulling her closer.

The lights flickered on; they had power, again. JJ pulled away from her, sharply.

Emily sat back, sitting up straight. The room was luckily too distracted by the lights to notice how out of breath Emily was. Or that they probably shouldn’t have passionately made out on a dare.

JJ wouldn’t meet her eye, but Emily could see her own lipstick on the other girl’s lips. Emily blinked at the bright light, started by the sudden return of the electricity after she had become accustomed to the dim light of the candle.

“What impressive timing,” Spencer murmured.

Taking the lights as a good sign, Penelope checked on the emergency alert. It was over and they were safe to go back upstairs. She found out that a few downed trees were the cause of the outage and there was never an actual tornado. No one was hurt but there was a bit of property damage throughout the city.

Without the atmosphere of the candle light, and the likelihood of a RA doing a check of the building, they decided that that was the end of their party. They gathered up their empties, and blew out the candles.

As they finished up cleaning, all making sure not to leave any trace of their illicit affairs, Emily tried to quell her racing heart and blushing face, completely unable to look anyone in the eye.

The door opened, their RA was there. Erin Strauss. She was a hardass.

“What are you all doing down here?” she demanded.

They all stood, stock still, jaws dropped, smelling of alcohol and clutching clinking tote bags.

“Erin,” Emily said, trying to sound as sober as possible despite the five plus drinks in her system, “We were simply following the directions on the emergency alert.”

“Yes! It said to seek shelter from the storm and the basement seemed the best for that,” Penelope said.

“Uhuh,” Erin said, “What’s in the bag?”

The bag clinked.

“Oh just some garbage,” Emily said, lying through her teeth. “We had some snacks.”

“Sure,” Erin said, not believing them.

Emily tried not to sway, but did not feel steady on her feet. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or her recent kiss with JJ.

For a second, Emily was sure that their RA would bust their asses, but the girl simply sighed and told them to go to bed, muttering about how dealing with non-existent tornadoes wasn't part of her job.

The six of them scurried upstairs, all freaked out about their near-miss with a write-up.

Reid disappeared up to his room, then JJ and Penelope walked down the hall to their’s. Emily slipped into Derek’s avoiding Erin Strauss’ watchful eye, helping Derek steady a very drunk Hotch.

Hotch, who had probably had a little too much of that whiskey, stumbled into Derek’s room and decided to sleep on the floor. Emily placed a water bottle next to him, and placed him in recovery position, glad for the distraction from the blush that refused to leave her face or the lingering taste of JJ on her lips.

She walked slowly down the hall back to her own room, the events of that evening playing back in her mind. She threw herself onto her bed, dazed by her situation.

Emily fell asleep with vampire make up still on her face that night.

#criminal minds #cm #criminal minds tv #jemily #emily prentiss #jennifer jareau #gravelyhumerus cm college au #prentiss x jj #jemily cm #fanfiction #fanfic #criminal minds fic #my post #my writing #this is such a chaotic chapter!!!#enjoy!!!!

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