#finn also just.. loves horses

[possessedpasm]

who's oc is the horse? was that an artfight attack?!

also i said it when i reblogged it but amazing as usual. all your lines/art in general have so so so much character it's crazy actually. no evil eye but damn!!

Oh, why thank you so much! 🥹🧡

The horse is actually my wife @bleatnik 's character, named Finn (horse version because everyone should have a horse version of their characters). And in a way, his name should be Tragic...

He likes to make himself appear bigger than he really is, hence the horse persona :)

(Finn's OG badger design and his horse-sona)

[calummss]

Do You Get Déjà Vu | Thomas Shelby

masterlist

summary: thomas doesn’t come to pick up his daughter. you decide to take her home only to find a man of a table with a bullet in his chest and a lot of deja vu

pairing: fem! reader x thomas shelby

words: 1.6k

a/n: just fluff and comedy tbh… not my usual angst i promise also, this takes place in 1919 because season 1 tommy has my heart. helena is around 9/10 years :)

How you disliked summer. Sweat pearls dripping simply sitting and breathing. Delicate fabric sticking to you like a bee and its honey. It was simply too hot for a woman to be wearing layers of modest clothing but here you were, sitting in front of your desk; no countertop in sight, too many different documents sprawled across the surface, each waiting on your eyes and conscious to scan it and then evaluate whatever category it fell into.

‘Miss Verys?’ Katie’s voice pulled you out of your slump, yet your heart skipped a beat when you saw her come closer with an arm full of newer papers that acquired your attention.

‘Please tell me you are joking…’

‘I fear not, Miss,’ she pressed her lips together as she placed them onto the right corner, the surface area with less than ten documents. ‘But these are all for the week.’ She smiled.

‘Finally some good fucking news,’ you huffed, ‘Sorry,’ you tilted your head when you realised Katie was taken aback by your choice of words.

‘Also I don’t wish to add more to your plate but Helena is still present. It seems Mr. Shelby has yet to pick her up. Do you want me to stay and wait with her?’

‘Katie you are truly an angel, really, I am so grateful but you are being paid to work on from eight to three, I couldn’t let you do that. Legally and from my heart.’ You curled your lips, fingers rubbing against the sheet of paper you were waiting to flip. ‘Just tell Helena to pack her things and to come to my office. Since I will be busy reading through all of these I might end up staying for quite a while.’

‘Of course. And thank you, Miss Verys, have a good day.’

‘You too.’

Katie left and you were stuck in front of an ocean of paper. If you had known that directing a school was so strenuous you might’ve thought about inaugurating a school twice. But it was a lovely institute. A school for girls with the most brightest and innovative minds, no runner up to men but competition with finest ideas.

Momentarily Helena came through the door and patiently stood at the door frame, her bag in her grip.

‘Hello Helena,’ you smiled at her. ‘Your father is not here yet?’

‘No.’

‘That’s okay, just wait here with me. I have much work and since we’re the only ones here I thought company would be nice, no? Sit,’ you pointed to the chair, Helena still standing at the entrance barely having moved.

Helena hummed in response.

‘So,’ you grabbed one of your quills to start signing documents that needed your signature. ‘What do you like to do when you’re not at school or doing homework? I am pretty sure you like horse riding?’

‘I do.’

‘Something else perhaps?’

‘Recently we bought a family car,’ Helena had sat down in the chair, laying her bag beside her as she relaxed into the seat. ‘When we got it we drove through the countryside…it was so thrilling. The wind on my face felt different to when I am riding. Daddy looked so happy too. I like cars.’

‘My my, what a riveting experience.’ You glanced at her from your work. ‘I remember my first time in a car. Felt exactly like how you described it.’

Helena beamed back you, her bright blue eyes gleaming with excitement, ‘My uncle Finn liked the car ride at first too but we had to stop because he got sick,’

‘And did you?’

‘No, I felt great. I love cars.’

‘I too think cars are the greatest innovation since the marvellous idea to roast and ferment cocoa beans to make chocolate.’ You let out a lighthearted laugh, infecting Helena with the same giggle.

‘I like chocolate.’

‘You do?’ Your lips curled. ‘Do you want one? I might have a bit stashed somewhere between all this energy-consuming work,’

‘I’ve only had it twice,’ Helena began another story, ‘It is very expensive and my father says it is bad for your teeth and that you mustn’t eat too much of it. He said that when he was visiting London he met a man outside of the sweet shop who became so round, simply for eating a lot of chocolate.’

‘Well best you have only one piece then,’ you put a piece into your mouth before giving her her piece. ‘This is my favourite. Got it from Cornwall. They make the best sweets.’

Taking the piece you handed her, she started eating it, her eyes in awe.

‘What about your father, Helena?’

‘What about him?’

‘What does he do for work?’ You asked, amusingly raising your eyebrows before taking the second heap of documents before you.

Helena hesitated. ‘I don’t think I can say.’

‘Why not?’

‘Family business…’

‘Family business?’ You looked up, Helena nodding her head in response. ‘I’m just curious that’s all. When you speak of him, you speak endearingly. You seem to have a very good relationship.’

‘We do.’ She ate the last bite, looking around the room. ‘If he wasn’t my father he would be my best friend.’

‘How sweet.’

With an easy lead conversation, time passed quicker than expected. But an hour later and Mr. Shelby still hadn’t come to pick up Helena.

With minutes passing you realised that Mr. Shelby wouldn’t show up anytime soon. It was also way past closing time so you had to start locking up the building. You thought it best to walk Helena home to see if anyone was there and if not you’d take her back to yours so she would have a safe place to stay until anyone got in touch.

‘Hello?’ You knocked against the door, the hard wooden door aching your knuckles as you repeatedly hit against it. ‘This is Miss Verys from Small Heath Institute for Girls. I have your daughter Helena with me as she has not been picked up yet.’ Your breath ricocheted off the door.

Seconds later you could hear the lock turning and were greeted by an older woman, her hair all over the place as her dark eyes burned into yours. Feeling as if she were about to take a jape at you, you quickly jumped back into your sentence. ‘I’m so sorry to intrude but I grew worried when Helena still hadn’t been picked up yet. I hope that all is well.’

Your eyes left her frame, seeing figures surrounding a table where there seemed to be a man laying down upon, quick huffs and puffs echoing from behind.

‘Arthur, shut up and just get this out of me.’

‘Drink this, Tommy. It’ll help with the pain.’

The unravelling scene before you had your full attention, completely forgetting the woman at the door.

‘I—oh no don’t do that!’ You raised your voice, pushing past her, now standing in the living room with three men staring at you. ‘I’m sorry to intrude but I was a nurse at the front and seeing you just stick your fingers inside his wound just rang my bells.’

The man on the table had blue eyes that protruded from the dim light within the room, his chest covered in dry and fresh blood, sweat dampening his skin and clothes. You overheard that his name was Thomas Shelby, Helena’s father.

You stepped closer and examined his wound. A bullet wound. Minimal surface damage and easily removed.

‘If someone could get me some bandages, an unopened bottle of alcohol and some tweezers with a bowl of warm water.’

‘I’ll get it.’ Helena walked past you to what seemed to be the kitchen.

‘The cheap one, Hallie,’ the light haired one yelled after her, his toothpick sitting between his lips. ‘If you open that rum from the Caribbean, I swear to you that I won’t give you any more sweets.’

‘You give her sweets?’ Thomas lifted his head.

‘Sometimes.’

‘Mr. Shelby if you could just relax for a short time longer. I will get that bullet out of you as swiftly as possible.’

Further taking in his naked chest you noticed his tattoo. Similar to sun rays just above his right chest. You had seen this tattoo before…

‘Mr. Shelby, can I ask you something?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you perhaps have a scar on your lower back? On your right just above your glutes?’

‘How do you know that?’ He stared up at you, holding your gaze as Helena came back with the supplies you needed.

‘Given it was a back injury you were transported to the tent on your stomach,’ you grabbed the alcohol to clean the wound, a hiss escaping him as you grabbed the tweezers, ready to pull out the metal embedded in his flesh. ‘I was the nurse that treated you. I was covered in ugly drapes and bloods, can’t say you could recognise me,’

Thomas winced as the ends of the tweezers dug around to grab the piece of metal, a small smirk on his lips. ‘You don’t say eh?’

‘I’m sure you’ll be having a déjà vu when I pull it out,’ you grabbed it and pulled it out, a loud growl escaping his lips as air pushed past his lips.

‘Thank you again.’

‘No problem, Mr. Shelby.’ You disposed of the bullet in a dish Arthur held out to you. ‘Next time Helena is not picked up I’ll bring her home and bring my first aid kit with me.’

‘That’s actually not a bad idea,’ he pulled himself up, grabbing a cigarette and lighting it. ‘Small Heath is starting you feel like a battlefield,’

‘Then I’ll be your nurse ready to care you to health.’

[olderthannetfic]

www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/771823370694213632

You need the say the bit about the way canon treats characters way louder because I really think that the way the character is... framed, I guess? accounts for huge chunks of it.

I remember when the Disk Horse was about Finn vs. Kylo Ren from the Star Wars sequel trilogy and I got called racist for trying to point out that Finn was always framed as the comic relief/unserious by the canon. He has a character arc in the first movie, but his emotions and his trauma and his personality are mostly played for laughs (ha! ha! Black janitor guy is scared because he's a coward! - and him being a janitor is a change that came pretty late, he was originally meant to be the top of his class). OTOH Kylo Ren has the camera linger on his anguished face while sad music plays and he monologues about the moral conflicts that he's facing.

The average viewer/reader - especially in the case of visual media - doesn't really stop watching to form non-prejudiced independent opinions on every character (and really shouldn't if your narrative is well-constructed!), that'd take up too much of their mental bandwidth! They let themselves be guided by how things and people are framed, so of course they'd see Ren as Serious and Tragic and Finn as the funny guy, which is inherently less sexy to most people!

Same thing with F/F: when canon treats its women with any degree of complexity and gives them the sort of character traits that are conductive to blorbofication people are all over it!

My dash's been drowning in Rhaenycent for a year now, and that's a show that arguably sorta botched its female characters in the attempt to make them complex! But it doesn't matter, because they set up all these juicy dynamics and the fans are all over it!

Fans LOVE Claudia from IWTV even though the tragedy of her canonical role is that the guys always sideline her for each other.

I went to the Anora tag after seeing the movie and saw a bunch of Anora x reader fic in between the gifs the same way I did for Feyd Rautha from Dune or any other feral unhinged character fans love imagining themselves having sex with (and then blocked it lol).

Like, my taste in women and men is exactly the same but the large majority of characters that fit it are men, because we just don't get a lot of women who are composed, charming rogues on the outside and crippled traumatized messes on the inside, with a narrative that gives this sufficient weight, and also lets them be feral and unhinged. And I actually prefer minority characters because where I'm from I'm from a minority group myself, but again, most of them don't fit the bill personality-wise or framing-wise.

Fandom's a hobby and it's meant to be fun - I'm not gonna be constantly swimming uphill from what the canon is trying to present to me just because a character shares a demographic category with me. I think this is the case for most people, really.

--

My read on a lot of this is that people are sad about the status quo (fair) and are lying to themselves that the culprits are nearby where they can reach them.

If we confront the fact that the real source is the director or the cinematographer or the studio head, it all feels so much more insurmountable.

Of course, one can opt for niche, indie media, but a lot of people don't want to do that, so they fall back on this shitty coping mechanism of pretending that they can yell at the people around them and effect meaningful change.

[fandoms-are-my-friends-1321]

Clueless is an Understatement

This may not be the original idea for Rayne that I had, but at the same time, it is an extremely adorable request that I could not refuse! Plus it allows me to try and write a character that is similar to Mash (I love his brainless antics). I hope that you enjoy this fanfic @jennapancake! Thank you again for the request! Gifs are not mine.

Summary: Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling, followed him to Easton Magic Academy to help protect him on his quest to become a divine visionary. Along the way, they caught the attention of Rayne Ames, who is absolutely smitten by Y/N. The only problem: Y/N does not know how to take a hint.

Warnings: reader has some small injuries, mentions of blood, otherwise none (but if I miss something let me know!)

In a world where magic users dominate the population, there were two non-magic users who were hoping to change their fates and prove that magic was not the only thing that made a person worthy in the eyes of higher powers. The first one was Mash Burnedead: a boy who relied only on his powerful muscles in order to become the divine visionary and allow his family to live in peace. The other is Y/N Burnedead, Mash's older sibling who is also a non-magic user and just as strong as their younger brother. Y/N knew that Mash would face a lot of dangerous challenges and potentially evil foes during his time at Easton Magic Academy, so they took it upon themselves to take the entrance exam as well and help Mash on his quest.

At first, many of the other students wondered why a person as old as Y/N waited so long to join the academy, but they made up the excuse that they were simply too nervous to participate in the entrance exam until now. Of course this was far from the case due to Y/N's trust in their own muscular strength, but it was a necessary lie to keep people off of their backs. Y/N and Mash only allowed trusted friends to know their non-magic status, or the more accurate truth, they all found out after the battle with the Magia Lupis.

"Dude, I still can't believe you have no magic power at all! That is total side character ener-," Y/N smacked Dot across the face before he could finish his sentence.

"And yet you let a side character show you up," Y/N said as they dusted off their uniform. Y/N walked over to Mash and ruffled his hair, causing him to mumble as he tried to fix it. "Come on, you know I don't like my hair being messed with, Y/N."

"I couldn't help it, little brother. You are just too precious sometimes," Y/N said in a monotone and yet excited voice. "Don't forget we have our workout scheduled for 3 today after my classes are finished, and I can't wait to out rep you today."

Mash shook his head from side to side. "Only in your dreams, sibling."

Despite being a first year, Y/N managed to be placed in some upper level courses at Easton, one of which being the Study of Magical Creatures. Rayne Ames, a current divine visionary and the older sibling of Y/N and Mash's friend Finn, also helped to pull some strings for the older Burnedead. It's not that he doubted their prowess, and if anything, it was their power that Rayne admired along with their beauty and talents. However, some of the professors were still skeptical of Y/N and Mash when it came to their "magic" abilities, so he offered his support in their favor.

Today's class would be taking place outside in one of the open pastures by the school, with today's lesson involving herding and calming wild Wrivian's, horse-dragon hybrids that were the size of a small cottage. Rayne was waiting patiently for Y/N to arrive for class, and he caught himself checking his robe for any stray crumbs from lunch. He never used to worry about his appearance since he is usually well-kept, and yet ever since he met Y/N, he felt the need to look even more pristine when he knew they would be around.

Not that Y/N would notice the small details to begin with...

Y/N arrived a few minutes before class began, and Rayne waved at them as they approached. "Good afternoon, Y/N. Are you ready for today's class?" Rayne stated with a slight smile.

Y/N clenched their fist as they took on a fighting pose. "I was born ready, Rayne. Any challenge that these Wrivian's bring, I will take each one down with my fist."

Rayne let out a chuckle as he moved to stand beside them. "I thought you would say something along those lines."

The professor explained the task to the students, making sure to reiterate that no harm should be brought to any of the Wrivian's or they would fail the assignment. All the students broke off into pairs, which would make wrangling the beasts an easy task, but Y/N and Rayne faced more difficulties. Rayne used frontal attacks with Partisan to deflect the fiery breath from the Wrivian, the creature's emerald scales flexing as it weaved expertly through the air. Y/N took more of a distraction approach as they waited for the right time to strike.

"Y/N, they have a blind spot if you move to the right! Now is the time to tame this beast! Remember, avoid harm at all costs!" Rayne instructed as he launched the silvery swords of Partisan one last time.

"Kay', taming magic activate!" Y/N shouted the fake spell as they squatted and leaped into the air, easily reaching the Wrivian hovering in the sky. Y/N grabbed the Wrivian around it's broad neck, the rough texture of the scales cutting into their hands as their weight brought them and the creature back down to the ground. The cloud of dust and the immense crash had Rayne worried, not so much about failing the assignment but for Y/N's safety. I really have fallen for them, Rayne thought as he dashed to the scene. He expected to see the Wrivian knocked out from Y/N's brute strength, but Rayne was shocked to see that the creature did not have a scratch on it. If anything, it seemed quite happy as it expertly stole a cream puff from Y/N's cloak.

"Hey, that's my afternoon cream puff," Y/N whined at first as they looked up at the beast with a minor frown, but as the Wrivian let out a whinny at the sweet treat, Y/N sighed in defeat as their head drooped. "Then again, it seems to be making you pretty happy too."

Rayne gasped as he knelt down by Y/N, who was too distracted by the loss of their cream puff to notice the crimson liquid dripping from their hands. Rayne placed his hands on Y/N's forearms and lifted them up, his cheeks dusting with pink as he felt the muscles under their cloak. "You're hurt, Y/N. Please, let me take you to the infirmary and help bandage your wounds."

Y/N looked down at their hands and blinked. "Oh, looks like I am bleeding, huh? Oopsies." Rayne playfully rolled his eyes at Y/N's unawareness as he helped them to their feet, an arm wrapping protectively around their waist despite Y/N's ability to walk. Y/N's brows furrowed as they looked at Rayne. "Why is your arm around my waist if I can walk?"

"Just a precaution to make sure that you have no underlying injuries," Rayne replied.

"But you can see me walking, Rayne? Are you sure I need assistance?"

The two students finally arrived at the infirmary, and Y/N sat on one of the medical beds while Rayne treated their wounds. He started by cleaning the cuts and applying alcohol to the wounds, causing Y/N to flinch. "Ouchie, that burns a little." Rayne only smiled as his golden eyes remained filled with adoration. Once Y/N was all bandaged up, Rayne laid a kiss on each of their hands. "There, you should be fully healed in a few days."

Y/N tilted their head. "Was that a magic healing spell? Can you teach it to me?"

Rayne smirked as he ruffled his blonde streaked hair. "I could probably teach you the spell over dinner. Would you care to join me?"

"Well I would, but Mash and the others always go to dinner with me on this day of the week. I am making cream puff this evening, if you wanted to join, and the others would be happy to see you." Y/N rambled as they tapped their chin.

"We can bring the cream puff to them when we are finished, but I need your full attention to teach you this spell," Rayne said as he tried to find a way to spend time alone with Y/N. He adored the others yes, especially his brother Finn, but he had longed to ask Y/N on a date for some time now. There was something about them that was charming and adorable, and Rayne could not resist them. Y/N's eyes widened as they absorbed Rayne's words. "Ohh that makes more sense. I will see you then, Rayne." With that, Y/N hopped off the medical bed and left with a brief wave as Rayne started to devise a game plan for tonight.

............................................................................................................................

Rayne arrived at the dorm kitchens around the time Y/N had specified, a bouquet of their favorite flowers in hand. He entered the kitchen and was greeted by Y/N wearing a frilly apron that matched the one that Mash typically wore. They were currently whisking the eggs for the cream puffs with calculated precision. Rayne smiled as he leaned over the counter and presented the flowers to Y/N. "I brought these for you, Y/N, and I hope that you will enjoy them."

Y/N halted their whisking and took the flowers from Rayne, eagerly sniffing the fresh blooms. "These smell like the flowers back home, but I don't know if they will taste good in the cream puffs."

"They won't be going in the cream puffs, you dork. They are for you to look at and admire from afar." Rayne explained as he conjured up a glass vase. Y/N let out an exclamation of excitement as they tapped the vase to see if it was real before going back to whisking. Rayne rested his head in his hand as he watched Y/N make the cream puffs from memory. While the cream puffs were baking, Rayne took this as a sign to make his feelings known. "I am excited to try these delicious cream puffs, but I have no doubt that they will not be as sweet as you are."

"I always put four cups of sugar into the dough, and along with this custard cream, they will be the perfect amount of sweetness." Y/N assured as they plopped down in the seat next to Rayne. They perked up as they remembered the conversation they had with Rayne earlier. "Oh, you said you would teach me that healing spell? Unlike my brother, I can learn things pretty quickly."

An idea materialized in Rayne's head as he pretended to pop his knuckles. "Luckily, this spell does not require a wand like most spells, and I believe that you have the abilities and strength to master this spell in no time. Firstly, you take the hands of the person that you want to heal." Rayne turned to face Y/N as they took their hands in his, the bandages from earlier soft to the touch, but Rayne wished he could feel Y/N's actual hands instead. Y/N continued to absorb the instructions like a sponge as they replied with a "got it".

"Next, you approach the subject closer so you can determine the state of their injuries." Rayne closed the gap between him and Y/N until their face's were inches apart, allowing him to admire all of the amazing features of Y/N's face. He swore that no deity could be more gorgeous than them. Y/N nodded as they maintained eye contact with Rayne and made sure to process each step clearly. "Finally," Rayne started as he placed a hand on Y/N's cheek, "You perform the healing spell." Before Rayne could complete his plan, the loud ding of the oven interrupted him, and Y/N shot up from their seat faster than a lightning strike. "Cream puffs are done!" They shouted excitedly.

Y/N finalized the delicious treats and handed the first ones to Rayne. He bit into the pastry and hummed with delight as Y/N ate their portion of the cream puffs in a few gulps. "These are perfect, Y/N, and I must admit that this would make for a perfect date," Rayne said as he smiled more than he had in months. Y/N was once again confused.

"Isn't that a type of fruit?"

"Yes, you are correct, but it is also the time spent between two individuals that care about each other as a way to show affection for one another. Y/N Burnedead, I care about you more and more each and every day, and I would destroy every evil force in this magical realm if it means that you are safe by my side. I would be yours if that is what you wish, but if you need more time, I understand completely." Rayne blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, but Y/N still could not see the full picture.

"I could help you beat up the villains instead, but I would need to focus on more bicep training first. Maybe Mash would know-," Y/N's sentence was cut short as Rayne gently pressed his lips against theirs as his hand returned to caress their cheek once again. Y/N did not fully understand what to do, but they did enjoy the feeling of Rayne being so close to them. When Rayne pulled away, the realization of his words and actions finally set in, and Y/N turned as red as the strawberries they used in the cream puffs. Y/N's brain started to short circuit as the affection became to much. "I-I-I guess that t-t-this makes us a, makes us a..."

Rayne kissed Y/N's cheek as a genuine laugh rumbled in his chest. "Yes, this makes us a couple, if that is what you desire. There is no one in all of Easton that would make a better match for a divine visionary."

Y/N could not help but smile as they fiddled with their hands. "I-I would like that very much."

Bonus:

"Did you save some cream puffs for me?"

"Of course, I always save the perfect ones for my favorite little sibling." Y/N handed over the cream puffs to Mash as he excitedly munched on the pastries. Lemon and Finn had just entered the room, and Lemon could not help but squeal as she nudged Y/N with her elbow. "And I heard that Y/N made cream puffs with the Rayne Ames last night!!! So, did anything exciting happen?! I must know!!"

Y/N shrugged as they took a bite from their own cream puff. "Rayne taught me a new spell while I made the cream puffs. We also kissed, and now we are dating. Nothing too exciting though."

Lemon screamed with joy as she nearly fainted at the news, but it was Finn whose jaw dropped as he flailed his arms in the air. "YOU'RE DATING MY BROTHER?! AND YOU KISSED?! I did not need to know that!!" Finn dashed from the room as his face flushed with embarrassment, but Lemon wanted to hear more.

"So, do you want to go over wedding plans with me?"

Tag list: @mayurin17, @thebasicbword, @kemis-world, @sereniteav

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 63: A Poor Predicament

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

*Warning: mention of menstrual blood

Watery Lane is still as comfortable as before. I sleep decently, considering that I just saw my past love after five years. Today brings more clouds and a nippy wind that taunts winter’s approach. 

Ow. Today also brings another familiar ache inside of me. The time of the month. I slink out of the cozy covers and make my way to the kitchen’s warm fire. The house itself seems to be still empty.

Does anyone else know I’m back? I knew not to expect an enormous welcome nor did I want one. But it would be nice to know where everyone is now. I was hoping Bonnie might be around for a visit-

Thud.

There’s the front door. Who’s-? Uh-oh. Not him.

No. No. Oh no. That spotted red isn’t the fabric of my skirt- 

“Blood? What the Hell happened?”

Of course Thomas is the one to pop in! And of course it has to be when my cycle begins.

“Verena, what happened?!” Thomas exclaims and lurches forward to inspect my skirt.

“Thomas, calm down! It’s not an injury-”

“Then how the Hell is there blood all over you?!”

“Thomas!” I step back and hold up a hand to calm him. “It’s my menstruation. I can’t help it. I didn’t catch it in time so it stained the fabric. Do not blame me for my anatomy.”

An ‘a-ha’ look takes over Thomas as he processes my words. He glances down at the blood and back at me.

“Your menstruation…” He repeats slowly. “You’re not on birth control?”

“Why would I be? In America, women need permission from their husbands to have it. And I do not approve of tampering with God’s gift He has given me.” I change to a softer tone. “I’m not injured.”

Believe me, I have felt greater pain than this.

Thomas’ panic is easing off but now he’s looking at me in a new light. Like I’m a prized horse. Or a fragile vase that’s easily broken. So being a virgin off of birth control makes me weak now? So help me I’m about to slap his arrogant face-!

“Do you know what Finn’s been thinking?” Thomas changes the subject, toying with a cigarette. “I talked with him today, like you asked. He was thinking of marriage. Do you know who he once thought of marrying?” He tilts his head at me. “You.”

So he picks up on this now? All this time with all the talk of marriage and pregnancies, he now realizes that I am a worthy bachelorette and will be sought out?

“Yes, we discussed it before on occasion,” I respond evenly. “We think it best to stay friends because it feels natural.” I move over to the sink so I can look away when I ask: “Are you jealous?”

A pause. “How can I be?”

“Because your own broer had the guts to do what you can’t.” Shot fired. “Finn didn’t used to be like the rest of you. He could be compassionate without trying to be tough. I’d say don’t ruin his chance for a good life but that ship has sailed.”

Another long pause. “He… says he wants to marry this new girl. Says she likes the life we’ve got.”

Perfect. Another woman chatting about, ousting me just because my last name is not Shelby. 

I take a breath and face Thomas with rebellious determination. “Then that is where God will take him. As you’ve said before, he’s a grown man now. Speaking of grown men, has Michael arrived yet? I assumed he’d be here by now.”

Thomas takes another drag of his cigarette, letting smoke to hover over his face. “You’re right. He took a boat through Belfast. He’s arriving today, and that’s why I’m here.” He points to me. “To tell you that I want you to be at the Garrison for a family meeting.”

Yes, a meeting. I should have expected this. I can’t just skip off to Germany. Lord, everyone’s going to be so on edge. And it means I have to spend more time in the proximity of Thomas. Unfortunately he seems to pick up on my hesitation.

“You’re still employed by Shelby Company Limited, and as your boss I’m ordering you to be there.”

There is no room to argue.

“Fine.” I purse my lips and my eyes narrow. “Is Michael the one to blame for our predicament, then?”

Thomas gives a short grunt. “Yes. Thanks to him, right now we’re losing money. And his attempt at arranging my death won’t go unnoticed either.” He gives me a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry, we will handle him.”

In a fleeting moment of courage I can’t stop myself from speaking. “Having much causes conflict. Maybe this is a hidden message telling you that Shelby Company Limited has grown enough.” I walk past Thomas and give him a quick pat on the shoulder. “My advice? Let God be enough. Not that you still listen to me anyway.”

But even that won’t be good enough for you, will it Thomas? As I leave him to stew on that I head to my room and begin to gather my coat and purse. I also quickly change into a fresh skirt. Damn this menstrual timing. Maybe once this meeting is over then I can take a boat to Amsterdam and begin my way to Oldenburg. Lord knows how Abel’s doing with this. In all the rush of things I still haven’t called him-

“You’re still trying to get me to believe I’m worth something, eh?” Thomas speaks up from down the hall.

I finish buttoning my fox coat and step forward. “It is never too late to walk in faith, Thomas. Faith grows strongest during times of trial. And I can tell that we are going to need all the faith we can muster for this upcoming trial.”

Still being the gentleman he is, Thomas opens the front door and we both head out into the crisp November air. I graciously let the cold wind numb the conflicting emotions clawing at me. Another gleaming Bentley awaits, and when we start driving down the dusty roads Thomas clears his throat.

“Um, happy belated birthday. 27, eh?”

“Yes.”

What else can I say? ‘Yes, Thomas. I’m growing even more older and still haven’t settled.’ ‘Yes, Thomas. I’m practically igniting the rule book of society by staying single.’ No. He does not need any elaboration. He can keep guessing for all I care.

Not much has changed over the years. Same dusty roads, same wanderers looking distantly lost. Right now my mind wants to feel just the same but I cannot let it. We approach the Garrison and I make a silent objective to avoid reattaching myself to this place. There is no use clinging onto old memories and wishing that things have not changed.

“Here we are.”

Thomas parks the Bentley and gets out, starting to round the car. I open my door and step out before he can reach me.

“I am capable, Mr. Shelby.”

Each decline to abide by his first name is another discrete shot. Ones that Thomas tries to ignore but I know better. 

“Steenstra!” A familiar voice shouts from behind.

I turn around and my bland face brightens at the sight of the eldest Shelby broer, who’s wearing a very spiffy suit and bowtie.

“Hello, Arthur!” I reply as he grips my shoulder in greeting.

“Tommy!” He gently punches his broer’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell us she’d be coming!”

“She didn’t either,” Thomas mutters, walking on towards the Garrison. 

“Unfortunately I have not brought any whiskey,” I inform Arthur, both of us ignoring Thomas’ distant behavior.

“Ah, no problem. We’ve got more than enough. Besides, Polly’s going to be happy to see you.”

The pub’s doors open and I follow behind as the two broers confidently stride in. I turn the corner and am greeted by who else? Polly. 

“Verena, dear!” Her face lights up and she rushes over for a hug. “Ada didn’t tell me you were coming!”

“Well, it was quite last-minute. Obviously due to recent events I had to come back.”

A look of understanding crosses over Polly’s eyes and I see her glance shift to Thomas. She knows without elaboration that I am not here for pleasure. I trust she will do well not to prod at my personal barriers as Ada has tried.

“You armed?” Polly asks the broers, holding up a smoking cigarette.

“Yeah.”

“Please consider putting your guns behind the bar in case feelings start to run high.”

“Behind the bar, eh?” Arthur exclaims with wild eyes and dramatically pulls out his pistol. He empties the bullets onto the floor and plops the gun onto a table. “I prefer it there.”

Polly looks at Thomas and he grudgingly complies as well. Thomas starts to say something but cuts himself off over the rustling of my clothes. Everyone looks at me as I pull out two Smith and Wesson pistols from under my skirts, setting them down as well. Despite my welcoming appearance, this American came well prepared.

“Anyway… Had a dream about a black cat last night, Pol,” Thomas declares. “It means there’s a traitor close by, you taught me that.”

Polly takes this news modestly. “A black cat can mean lots of things. It can mean you’re hurting yourself. You're seeing things, Thomas?”

“Yes. Yes I am. Very clearly,” he answers and lights a cigarette. “Coming from every fucking direction.”

Arthur and I exchange glances. A traitor. We’re all thinking it but no one is bold enough to say. And it seems God has sent him this way. Through the window I see a car stop outside and Michael steps out, along with a tall blonde girl in a floral dress with shifty eyes.

“He’s here,” I mutter.

Polly gets an uncertain look. “Should Verena be here, Thomas?”

Thomas doesn’t hesitate. “She’s the foreign representative. Michael’s done his work in America and she needs to hear it. Besides, he has another American for us to interrogate.” He holds up a calming hand to me. “Not directed at you, love.”

No. He’s right. As much as I want to keep stone cold Thomas is right. This new woman is a stranger and we have all learned how unpredictable strangers can be, myself included. Not that I don’t want to offer friendship to whoever she is but I’m not as open as I used to be. Thomas doesn’t need to worry about offending our original encounter.

“I know,” I claim and give him a nod. “I’m on your side.”

The door opens and the couple walks in. Michael tries to keep a laid-back face but his partner looks otherwise. She scans us up and down and when her dark eyes focus on me her gaze all but latches onto me. I don’t let my own eyes soften and take the time to inspect her as well. Business must have been good to them in Detroit before the crash.

“Thomas, I’d like to introduce you to my wife.” 

Michael gestures to the woman, who’s now eying Thomas like he’s a piece of meat. Wife. Oh, I’m sure she loves Michael…’s money. She reminds me of the girls I’d see walking through Williamsburg back home. 

Thomas ignores his request. “Sit down, Michael.”

Michael keeps talking. “I betrayed you, but only in my heart. There was a time in America when there was a lot of money in that bank. I wondered if I could… leave, go to California.”

Oh, you klootzak. He thinks he can just walk away with our money? Granted I haven’t been around either but I know for a fact that I’d never be able to escape the Peaky Blinders if I tried.

“Invest in Hollywood. But Gina stopped me. She said-”

“I told you to sit down, Michael,” Thomas orders, waiting until his neef complies. “Now tell me what happened, on that ship, in Belfast Harbor.”

Belfast. Familiar territory. If Michael won’t spill his guts I’ll make sure Uncle Colon will make him.

Michael looks between Polly and Gina. “On the journey back from New York we needed a witness. He was from Belfast.”

Thomas’ face doesn’t change. “What happened when the ship docked?”

“This person had friends who ran a whiskey distillery in County Tyrone. They wanted a way of getting their stuff into America. So I invited them onboard.”

At the mention of whiskey Thomas’ eyes find mine and I shake my head. No, this is not my uncle’s work. Thank God he must believe me because Thomas looks away.

“When they came in I realized they were Scottish from Glasgow. They didn’t make whiskey. I asked Gina to leave and then they started talking about you, Tom. They said Tommy Shelby was a spent force. That politics had gotten to ‘im. Now was a time to move in, and if I wanted to move in with them. Then men from the IRA came aboard.”

With every word that comes out of Michael’s mouth, we all continue to stare at him as he explains, similar to how a young child might when telling why he did something bad. Laced with fear. For the entire time he keeps an apologetic, almost innocent look of trying to convince us that this is not entirely his fault. 

Thomas waits for a moment. “And the men from Glasgow?”

“The IRA commander said they were called Billy Boys.”

“Fucking Billy Boys,” Arthur grunts. “They run every coal mine on every shipyard east of Glasgow. Protestant razor gang. They also dabble in politics.”

Enemies of Uncle Colon, no doubt. That’s probably why I’ve never heard of these men.

“But you did no deal, Michael,” Polly states. Is she trying to answer for him?

“We were too busy being excited to give you the good news.” Michael smiles and Gina takes the moment to lean in closer to him. “The reason we got married is because Gina is pregnant. You’re going to be a grandmother.”

Another man who couldn’t keep it in his pants. At least they had the decency to wed. Although I’m not too optimistic about these two being considerable parents. But if God has blessed them then I should not judge too harshly. All that’s left is for Thomas to declare his thought on the matter as we all look to him.

“Okay, Michael. I believe you. Welcome home, congratulations. Just remember. Your unborn child has witnessed what you said, and they-”

“Thomas,” Polly warns with wide eyes.

“And it will be born accordingly,” Thomas finishes.

Michael’s eyes flash and he jumps from his seat. “The fuck-?!”

“Where the fuck you going, eh?” Arthur growls and blocks him from Thomas. “You are free to fucking leave, Michael.”

Michael wants to strike so badly. His eyes burn with murderous desire. You wretched bloke. After everything we’ve all gone through I’d hope he would know to treasure the value of family. 

“Fucking bastard!” He hisses.

Thomas doesn’t flinch. “You’re not really free, Michael. You lost this company a lot of money. I told you to sell, but you held on. Now I want you to pay me back what you owe me.”

Ah, sweet karma. It’s such a passive insult but it’s an insult nonetheless. I hope to never be on this family’s list of enemies. If only Gina’s scheming face wasn’t slinking closer.

“Michael, honey. Look at your cousin. He’s in trouble. He needs you.” She gives Thomas a final glance before pulling Michael away. “Come on, baby. Let’s go.”

I can’t help myself. “Good to see you’re keeping up the stereotype that Americans like to party.”

Gina stops in her tracks and looks down at me. “Oh, Michael’s told me all about you.”

My lips press into a line. “Then you do not truly know me.”

Michael scoffs and points at me. “What about her, eh? Steenstra was there too! Slacking off in Grand Rapids while I-!”

Thomas abruptly steps forward and Michael stops yelling. “Verena was still working, Michael. In other places. Grand Rapids, Chicago, Georgia. She was with her family. She understands family, right?”

In the corner of my eyes I see him looking at me. I don’t look away from Michael when I give my cold answer.

“Yes.”

“That is why she owes us nothing,” Arthur clarifies, stroking his gun on the table.

I shake my head with pity. “You have no idea what you just walked into, Michael. You of all people know not to fuck with Thomas Shelby.”

Gina leads Michael out, each looking very cross. Polly escorts them and Arthur shuts the door before I can utter even more harsh words. I can tell Michael’s news has left a mark on Thomas. He keeps staring ahead with the same blank expression. The look that says he’s thinking too deep.

“Ignore them, Thomas. You are not a spent force.” I give him a sturdy pat on the shoulder. “You are a strong and stubborn force that’s going to outlast them all.”

Thomas stays quiet. Arthur, on the other hand, keeps chuckling and looking at where the others just walked out.

“Fucking cheek of her, eh?”

Thomas snaps out of his trance and picks up his gun. “Verena, please make a call for me. I’d like to speak with your uncle.”

I don’t hesitate. “It will be done.”

“Thank you, love.” He looks up with eyes that dare to show me how much fear he has riding on these recent events. “I know I can trust you.”

If only I could say the same.

@meadows5

[padfootdaredmetoo]

Romance, fluff, hurt/comfort, and the occasional heartbreak.

Peaky Blinders, Sherlock, Tangerine, Wade Wilson, Peter Parker, Marauders

Peaky Blinders

Kidnapped - Tommy Shelby X Reader - Pt. 2

Reader gets taken and Tommy does everything he can to get her back - kidnapping, torture / hurt /comfort confession of feelings

Arthur Shelby X OC Joey Request - Catching feelings / hurt / comfort

Falling Hard - Tommy Shelby X Pregnant Reader

She falls off the horse - Rated G, Cute fluffiness, Worried Tommy

Meet Cute - Tommy Shelby X Reader

 Proper courting, Rated G, Tommy falls for reader at a party

Domestic - Tommy Shelby X Wife Reader

 Cooking, Baking, Slight hurt comfort, Tommy being a good dad, kids being little, just lots of fluffy goodness

Self-Defense - Tommy Shelby X Reader

He defends her but she can defend herself - Teen for violence Hurt / Comfort

Girls Outing - Tommy X Wife Reader

Attempted Murder, mild description of attempted sexual assault, Murder, Tommy Comforts reader, Hurt / Comfort

Time Travel - Tommy Shelby x X-Men Reader

 Rated Teen for extreme heart break, time travel, romance, X-Men themes

The One That Got Away - Tommy Shelby X Reader

Hurt and pain. Charlie gets kidnapped and Reader has to make a difficult choice

Campbell - Tommy X Reader Wife - Pt 2.

She’s beaten by Campbell and eventually talks - Mature content - Reader is beaten badly and miscarries. Tommy comforts her.

Stay Home - Tommy X Wife Reader

He doesn’t want her to work while pregnant.

Heart Broken - Tommy Shelby X Reader

You just got broken up with - Fluff, Comfort Tommy

First Wizarding War - Tommy Shelby X Reader (HP crossover)

Reader gets attacked, falling in love, pre war, then post war follow up

Protecting What's His - Tommy Shelby X Pregnant Wife Reader

When someone breaks into the house Tommy has to protect what’s his - violence, shock / panic is described. Fluff at the end & kissing

Scarlet Witch - Tommy X Magic Reader

She has kept her powers hidden but Tommy and the family find out! Reader saves the day with her magical abilities.

Sold Down the River - Tommy Shelby X Reader

Reader gets sold to Tommy Shelby by her fiancé. Her and her baby have to adjust to arrow house

Animal Shelter - Tommy Shelby X Reader -- Pt.2

When Tommy gets Charlie a dog from the pound he doesn’t expect to take the bubbly worker home as well.

The One That Almost Got Away - Tommy Shelby X Reader

Tommy and the reader play hard to get until Polly puts and end to things. Drama, trust issues, happy ending, Polly to the rescue.

The Doctor - Shelby Sister X Alfie Solomons

he reader is underappreciated so she leaves and begins her own life. After becoming a doctor she falls back to her family and finds out that not all things are lost. Mending her heart she also finds her way back to a long lost love…..

Kisses - Finn Shelby X Reader

The one where the reader ends up with a marked up neck, the family is determined to find the culprit only to find out it was one of their own.

The Witch - Tommy Shelby X Reader

 The reader is a witch who can tell the future but she definitely did not see him coming.

Childhood Bestie - Tommy Shelby X Reader

Even though he married Grace true love never dies - even when you almost do 

Mean Boyfriend - Finn Shelby X Orphaned Reader

The Reader happens to have a mean boyfriend. Good thing the Shelby’s have a strict *no mean boyfriends allowed* rule at the garrison.

The Smallest Blinder - Tommy Shelby X Reader

The boys hate having to watch over her, but more often than not she’s the one that saves the day 

Quiet Working Girl - Tommy Shelby X Reader

Reader is hired on to work at the Garrison, and Tommy takes an interest in her. When things start to fall apart, she’s the first person he suspects. He makes a right mess of things again, but this time he’s not so sure if he can fix it.

Cold - Tommy Shelby x Reader

Head cannons about a woman who never smiles and how the Shelby family would interact with her.

Ambition - Tommy Shelby X Reader

The reader always wanted a big life and so did Tommy. Promises were made and the reader comes to cash in

Sickness - Tommy Shelby X Lizzie Shelby

Lizzie makes a difficult decision to hide her diagnosis from Tommy. She goes off on her own much like he does, when word reaches him of Lizzie’s illness he has to find a way to make peace with her before it’s too late.

Spellbound - Marauders Reader X Tommy Shelby - Series

The reader leaves the magical world - not knowing what else to do she sees an advert for a bartender. Having worked at Three Broom Sticks she figured it couldn’t be that different. Falling for her boss and getting sucked into the complicated crime underworld of Birmingham was not a part of her plan

I Can Fight - John Shelby X Reader

Having been in a toxic relationship she learns what it means to be with John Shelby.

Languages Expert - Tommy Shelby X Reader

The boys assume Tommy only keeps the reader around because she’s pretty to look at. when a deal starts to go sideways they quickly learn the importance of having a language expert

Lunch Dates - Tommy Shelby X Reader

with limited time and lots of stress you decide to take a breath and get some lunch with your husband.

Rejected - Tommy Shelby X Reader

The reader isn’t interested in what Tommy has going on

The Kindest Blinder - Tommy Shelby X Reader Wife

Tommy’s wife isn’t what people expect. Her soft kindness is visible to anyone that see’s her. She’d do anything for her family, but when she’s pushed to the limit a different side of her shows.

Grace - Tommy Shelby x Reader

When she showed up to reclaim the love of her life, she wasn’t expecting you to be there.

Pregnant? - Tommy X Reader

The reader doesn’t realize she’s pregnant and a big surprise awaits the family 

Mr. Brightside - Tommy X Reader

Tommy realizes his feelings for you, too bad he’s too late and you’ve already found a guy.

Bad Habits - Tommy Shelby X Lizzie Shelby

Tommy struggles with his drinking thankfully Lizzie is always around to help.

The Mark of a Kiss - Sherlock's Sister X Tommy Shelby

Sherlock's other sister solves a mystery involving the notorious Tommy Shelby

Come on Barbie - Tommy Shelby x Reader

Thomas sits back and wonders how his girl manages her crazy lifestyle.

I've Got My Eye on You - Tommy Shelby X Reader

A traumatic event has left the reader with one eye and an emotionless appearance. Captivated by her beauty and voice Tommy tries to get to know her better

Sherlock - Enola Holmes

The Mystery of the Shelby Sister - Sherlock X Peaky Sister Reader

Sherlock tries his best to ignore his neighbor but when Enola gets attached it becomes increasingly difficult.  Extras - Big Kiss

Tangerine - Bullet Train

Angst - Tan X Reader

Things go from bad to worse leaving you two very far apart…

Geralt of Rivia

Surprises - Geralt X Reader

Geralt of Riva finds out you are pregnant with his baby 

Wade Wilson & Peter Parker

Tired - Hurt & Comfort

Trusted - Hurt & Comfort / Seeing his face for the first time

No Powers - SpideyPool

The Amazing Panic Attack - SpideyPool

Peter has a panic attack after saving someone that looks like Gwen. After being MIA Wade comes to find him, and after a whole lot of comfort, their relationship takes a new direction.

Marauders

Head Cannons

[imaginesforeveryone]

Arranged (Part 3)

Pairing: Finn Shelby x Y/N Summary: You were the youngest child of you fathers, being part of a mob family in the heart of New York, your family had many enemies in the city, and even further away, and your life was about to change after a Peaky Boy barged into your life. Warning: swearing, use of alcohol, fluffy, flirting, drunk reader

Arriving finally, at the docks in England. Finn taking your hand to exit the ship. The rest of the family following behind. You looked around as you walked out the door around the docks. It seemed much different here. Darker, colder, lots of smoke.

“Come on, love.” Finn spoke from behind you laying his hand on your hip. You walked down as everyone still close behind. 

“Welcome to England. Specifically, London. Where we also own most of it, y/n. So no need too worry anywhere you go around here. There is always someone watching.” Thomas exclaimed. 

“So fucking happy to be back on English soil. The smell of shit in the morning is always the best.” Arthur exclaimed walking behind and passed you. 

“Lets go. There is a house full of people waiting for our arrival and to celebrate the union of our youngest brother.” Tommy said as he held the door of the car that sat in front of the boat open and let you in. Taking his hand as you kept you balance to get into the car. Finn following behind you and sitting. The driver starting the car and began driving. 

“Listen my family isn’t, ordinary. We are going to Tom’s house. There will be a house pretty much full of gypsy’s. They have no filter and no manners.” Finn spoke starting to get nervous. You placed a hand over his. 

“Finn, calm down. I’ll be okay. I promise.” You said looking into his eyes. He took a deep breathe and settled himself into his seat. As you drove through the city of London you couldn’t help but just get lost in the hustle of the people around. Much like New York. 

“We are here, love.” You heard Finn whisper to you a shook you awake. You must of fallin asleep from the long boat ride. You opened your eyes and looked out the window. The car moved as Finn got out. Seeing the large house sat in the middle of a huge field. Finn opened the door as he rounded the car. Taking your hand he helped you out of it. The driveway was full of cars, carriages, and even just horses. Not something you were used to back in New York. Everyone meeting in the middle of the driveway, Polly coming to your side. 

“Just remember love, these are gypsies. They love a good time. I think deep inside you, you have a bit of spunk and fun.” She said smiling at you. You and Finn linked arms as you two walked in the house. Getting closer you realized how actually huge it was. Walking through the door you heard people around the house, very loud, maybe even drunk. Finn taking a deep breathe before walking further into the house. 

“It’ll be alright. I’m not easy to scare away.” You told him and placing a kiss on his cheek. You saw him settle a bit and began walking further into it. 

“There he is!” You heard a loud short man say as he walked towards the two of you. 

“Look at you. Big, strong, with a beautiful lady by your side. Never thought I’d see the day boy.” He said slapping Finn on the cheek and taking your hand to place a kiss upon it. 

“Y/N This is Johnny Dogs. Don’t really know who he is to me, but he’s been here.” Finn said introducing you to Johnny. 

“Pleasure to meet you Johnny.” You said with a smile. 

“And she has manners boy. Good for you. Come, love. We will introduce you to having no manners around here.” Johnny spoke before taking your hand. You smiled and looked back at Finn who looked nervous. 

It’s alright. Go have fun.

You mouthed to Finn. You followed Johnny, who grabbed two Champagnes off a tray a server was carrying by. Handing you one and then clanking them for a cheers. 

“This here is your now sister-in-law Ada.” Johnny said walking to a young women, with curly hair and red lipstick on. She engulfed you into a hug with a smile. 

“So happy to meet you finally. I know that the situation with how you and Finn were married wasn’t ideal. But we are so happy to welcome you to the family.” She spoke pulling away from you. 

“Thank you Ada. So happy to be here.” You said sipping your champagne. 

“Oh here, this is Lizzie, Thomas’ wife.” She she motioned to the tall, slender women stood next to her.

“very nice to meet you Mrs. Shelby.” You said putting your hand out to shake hers. 

“Oh please, Lizzie it is. Your family now.” She said engulfing you into a hug also. Thrown off by all this love you never experienced it in this way, so soon in a relationship, but you enjoyed it very much. 

“Please come, drink. Let’s get you loose for the night of partying to come.” Lizzie said handing you a whiskey and taking it in one shot with the rest of them. 

“There it is. Get her lose Lizzie. We need to learn who she really is!” Polly said coming around you and handing you another glasses of whiskey.

“Sweetheart there no need to be nervous here. We are all family, we are all here to celebrate you and Finn. So let’s have some fun.” Polly said with a smile and clinked glasses together. 

About 3 hours passed and you just talked and drank with all the girls of the family you had just met. It was actually really good time. Started understand the business that was ran by the Shelby family. But you hadn’t seen Finn in awhile. You actually like seeing him and having his presence in yours. You heard glasses clinking and then saw Johnny on a table looking like he was pretty drunk. 

“Listen up! Listen up. It is time for the newlywed’s first dance.” He yelled out. Everyone clapped and made way for you to walk to the dance floor. Meeting with Finn in the middle.

“Long time no see, love.” He said taking your hand in his. Could tell he was a bit drunk. His face was a bit red, and his eyes were glossy. You smiled at him as he pulled you into him. You rest your head on his chest, and he took you hand in his. 

“You having fun?” He asked as the music started. 

“I am, your family is a lot of fun.” You told him with a smile. 

“Well, that’s good. I was worried you wouldn’t find anything you liked here.” He whispered bringing your hand into him as he held it. He seems to get pretty lovely dovey when he was drunk. 

“No, I knew I would have found something. Whether it was the land, or the people.” You told him. People now slow dancing around you two. 

“Good, I’m glad. I hope you come to like me eventually. Honestly, didn’t think I’d like an Italian in my life, no offense. But you aren’t to bad.” He said catching you off guard. He was very truthful when he was drunk too apparently. 

“Well, I’m glad I could help change your mind about us.” You said with a little giggle. 

About 3 hours later, it was now 2 in the morning and you could barley walk with how much alcohol they were feeding you. 

“Finn!” You called out slurring his name and stumbling through the house. 

“Have you seen Finn?” You asked Ada somewhat falling into her. 

“No, love are you okay?” She asked with a worried face. 

“Oh, yeah. Im perfect, just missing my husbands face.” You said with a giggle and a smile. 

“Well I’m happy you are coming around to him.” She said with a interesting look. 

“FINN!” You yelled turning from Ada and walking into the next room, that was empty. 

“Finn.” You said once more at pretty much a whisper. You fell into a chair in the the room and listened to the sound of the cracking wood in the fireplace not to far from you. 

“Finn. Where the fuck are you?” You asked out loud to yourself. 

“Y/N?” You heard a familiar voice say entering the room. 

“Finn?” You asked sitting up in the chair.

“Hello, love. I heard you were looking for me.” He said coming and kneeling in front of you. Seeing him a little more clear now. 

“Gosh your so cute.” You said grabbing his cheeks and pushing them together making his lips pucker. 

“Where the fuck where you?” You said remembering that you went looking for him and couldn’t find him. You mood changing in a literal seconds, and smacking him on his am. It was the Italian in you.

“There’s the Italian I was expecting when I met you.” He said taking your hand in his. 

“Where were you?” You asked again not getting an answer. 

“I was out in the stables with Tommy, Arthur and Johnny Dogs. We were racing the horse. Something gypsies do during parties. I’m sorry I wasn’t by you. Didn’t expect for you to get this angry about it.” He said standing back up. 

“No, no, no. I’m not angry. I just missed you.” You said standing up, but barely being able to balance yourself as you fell into him. 

“All right, love. Let’s get you to bed.” He said as he picked you up bridal style. 

“Yeah, bed. That sounds nice.” You said as you cuddled your face into his chest. 

“Is she alright?” You heard Polly ask. 

“Yeah, just super drunk. By the way Pol, she is feisty.” Finn said to her. 

“Oh you haven’t seen feisty yet.” You said lifting your head slightly causing a giggle to come from Finn and Polly. 

“Good luck Finn.” Polly said and you felt yourself being carried away. 

“Hey Tom. I’m going to go lay her down. Any room okay?” Finn asked stopping again. 

“We set up a room all the way at the end of the hallway.” Tommy told Finn and Finn walking again. Going up the stairs, and then down the hall. Hearing the door open, then close. Softly you were set on a very soft, fluffy bed. 

“Lord, I feel like I’m laying on a cloud.” You spoke. 

“Yeah, Tommy never skimps in quality.” Finn said. 

“Can you help me with my clothes please?” You asked trying to sit up. Finn grabbing ahold of you hand to help you sit up. 

“Yeah. Here, raise your arms.” He said and you did as told. Feeling the cold air around your hit your now naked skin you shivered a little. 

“Come on, love, let’s get you under the blankets before you catch a cold.” He said helping you stand as he pulled back the blankets. 

“Alright here you are love. Just sit and you are back in the bed.” He said as you plopped back into the big bed. Finn putting the blankets over you and standing back up. 

“Well, goodnight, I will see you in the morning for breakfast. Maybe. If you wake in time.” He said with a slight giggle. 

“Wait, you aren’t sleeping in here?” You asked grabbing his arm before he got too far. 

“Uhm, I wasn’t planning on it, Didn’t think you wanted me to being just married, and just meeting.” He said. 

“No, I want you to sleep in here with me.” You said making a pouty face. 

“Okay, love, I will. I’m just going to go downstairs for a bit longer to spend time with everyone.” He said kissing the back of your hand. 

“Please. Can you come lay with me?” You said not letting him go. 

“Okay, love.” He said with a soft smile to you. He turned to the chair in front of the fireplace. Unbuttoning his vest, then his shirt and setting them on top of the jacket. Looking at how fit he was. You were actually kind of surprised. You thought he was going to be scrawny like most the guys there were tall like him and his physic. 

“Damn.” Slipped out of your mouth like word vomit. A light scoff coming from Finn. He unbuttoned his pants and dropped them to the floor along with sliding his shoes off. He rounded the bed to the other side of you. Sinking into the bed seeming as if he was trying not to touch you. As he settled in the bed, you turned and laid your head on his naked chest.

“Finn, its okay to touch me. Remember I’m your wife now.” You told him. 

“I know, I’m just trying to be polite and not overstep with you.” He said. 

“Oh darlin, believe me you’ll know if you over step with me.” You said looking up at him and pecking his lips and laying your head back down. He finally wrapped his arm around your and pulled you closer to him. You threw your leg over his and laid your hand on the other side on his chest, as he laid his head on top of yours. 

“I think I like you.” You said to him. 

“I think I like you too.” He said back.

Maybe there was a future for you the Shelby boys life. I guess we’ll find out.

[themultifandomgal]

Shelby Sister- Bonnie Gold

Trigger warning- talk about throwing up and pregnancy stuff

Loosing John was hard for the whole Shelby family, but specially Johns twin YN. She felt like a part of her died along side her brother. No Shelby funeral would go smoothly, so when YN heard gun shots she wasn't surprised. However she was surprised by the men behind the gun shots, specifically one man in particular. His name Bonnie Gold. He rode on horse back that day, eyes locking one another and from that moment on YN and Bonnie were infatuated with one another. He helped her through the grieving process. Of course YNs brothers weren't to happy about the developing relationship, but they also knew they couldn't control their sister.

Bonnie wakes up to a cold bed and the sound of retching. Sitting up he wipes the sleep from his eyes and looks around his eyes finally land on his girlfriend who's throwing up in to a bucket

"Love?"

"I'm fine" YN breathes out but then gags once again. Bonnie gets out on their shared bed and holds YNs hair back while rubbing her back "this baby best come out looking like me after all of this" YN jokes making Bonnie laugh

"Do you think your finished?" Bonnie asks and YN nods her head in response "ok I'll deal with this and you get back into bed"

"You don't have to"

"Of course I do. Go on get into bed and I'll heat up some tea" YN knows there is no point in arguing with her boyfriend so just heads back into bed.

Not to much later Bonnie returns holding a cup of hot tea. Sitting up YN takes it from Bonnie and hums at the warmth in her hands

"I've put in some mint leaves and washed some for you to chew on. I've been told it helps with the sickness"

"Thank you" YN sighs smiling at how caring her boyfriend is, how did she get so lucky?

Once YN finishes her drink she settles back down in bed, yawning as she does so. Knowing YN needs sleep, but can't without his arm around her he also settles down next to her. He wraps his arm around her waist, rubbing his thumb on her stomach even though there is no bump there yet.

When YN wakes again she smells something so amazing it makes her stomach growl. Getting out of bed she gets dressed and then walks out to the rest of the camp. Scanning around she finds Bonnie cooking something over the fire

"Morning YN" Bonnies father greets

"Morning Aberama"

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Very sick when I first woke. Im feeling much better now though"

"Good. You best go grab some breakfast, don't want my grandchild to get hungry" just then YNs stomach growls

"I think they're already hungry" YN laughs

"Off you go then" YN walks over to Bonnie. Just as she sits down the sound of hooves can be heard coming closer. Bonnie protectively stands up in front of YN, but calms once he realises it's YNs brothers. Stopping in the camp Tommy gets off his horse, Arthur and Finn following behind

"Your just in time for breakfast. Would you like some?" Tommy passes because, well it's Tommy he barley eats anything. But of course Arthur and Finn join around the fire for some food

"So what are you doing here?" YN asks tucking into some eggs

"Just wanted to check on you" Finn shrugs

"Wanted to check to see if Bonnie and I got married in secret because I'm with child?" YN raises her eyebrows looking at Tommy

"I told you I would pay for everything"

"And I told you that Bonnie and I don't need to get married. It's just a piece of paper to say that I belong to Bonnie Gold. I don't belong to anyone other than myself"

"And don't we know it" Arthur mutters causing YN to throw some bread at him. Bonnie smiles watching the Shelby siblings interact with one another, hoping that his and YNs children will have the same kind of relationship and love for each other.

[suckerforlovesblog]

Pretty little thing

Pretty litte thing Masterlist

Series summary: All Mr. Shelby wanted was to remarry. He had to find himself another wife after the death of Grace, not just to take care of his son Charlie but also to gr Pretty little thing

Series summary: All Mr. Shelby wanted was to remarry. He had to find himself another wife after the death of Grace, not just to take care of his son Charlie but also to grant him access to the finer society of Birmingham. All he wanted the girl to be was a pretty little thing on his arm who simply submitted, obeyed and followed his orders.

And he did find the perfect girl - young, very good looking, of a good upbringing, smart but little did he expect her to have such a strong mind of her own…

All he wanted to do was break her in, like a horse had to be, and his new wife put up a good fight but eventually he is sure, he will break her and make her his completely.

Series warning: Dark!Tommy, toxic relationship, abuse, rape, non consensual intercourse, rough sex, age gap, Sir kink, choking - all the things that come with rough smut

Chapter 3: The wedding

Summary: Y/N officially becomes Mrs. Shelby.

Chapter Warning: language, drug abuse, unprotected sex, p in v, non consensual, oral sex (f receiving), rough sex, choking, praising, body fluids, cockwarming

Word count: 3.2k

~ tag list: @ncoleys , @amberpanda99 , @priyajoyy , @tommyshelbywhore , @swordofawriter @goth-cowgirl-03 @thenattitude @sheun-555 @meetmeatyourworst @bruher @frazie99 @blvebanisters @jessimay98 @cherrysugarx ~

End of August 1926

Thomas wanted the wedding to be perfect, the dress, the ceremony and the dinner afterwards. The latter was of course a business move and the invited people where carefully chosen.

After the engagement party the contact between Mr. Shelby and his fiancé was rare because he was occupied with business. But he did make it a pattern of visiting her every Sunday. They went riding, to a Derby, to London to visit his sister Ada and he usually took her to any public event he was attending. On the outside he wanted them to look like they’re very happy and in love with each other. Thomas made clear how he wanted his future wife to behave and any time a border was crossed, Y/N soon deeply regretted it because he had a dark side. And this side Y/N was really scared of. His eyes would turn black and he would usually push her into a wall, his hand around her delicate neck, threatening to do bad things to her or even worse her parents. Otherwise he never laid a hand on her and he deeply enjoyed seeing her scared. Thomas also really liked her apologies: On her knees with an open mouth, looking up at him through her lashes, his hands in her hair.

Y/N was a quick learner. She soon realized that Thomas’ temper was uncontrollable and unpredictable because it would change within seconds. Anyways she was on his arm, always smiled nicely and only spoke when being talked to. She also never had the guts to confront him about his behavior but really hoped it would change, as soon as they got married and he let some feelings in.

Leading up to the event which he sat the date for on the 25th of August, they spent less time together which Y/N wasn’t all to sad about. Thomas did come by to give her the engagement ring, a small golden band with pearl on top made to be followed up by a wedding ring. He also sent her flowers every week.

On the other hand she got to spend some time with his sister Ada and his aunt Polly. Y/N also came to the betting shop to meet the rest of his family for a so-called family meeting: Thomas’ brother Arthur was there with his wife Linda, Ada and Polly were there, as well as her son Michael Gray, Thomas’ younger brother Finn, his uncle Charlie and Curly, who Y/N really liked, as well as Jeremiah and his son Isaiah, Johnny Dogs and Thomas’ secretary Lizzie, who didn’t seem to like Y/N very much.

Thomas led her into his office afterwards, taking her hand ins his and pressing a kiss to her temple which confused Y/N. Confusion was the state of mind she was in the most: Thomas could be very sweet on one hand and extremely gruesome on the other. He offered her a seat and a whiskey, which she gladly accepted while he took out his cigarette case, taking one out and putting it between his lips in Thomas Shelby manner, pushing it around and then settling it on the left side of his face. The conversation was short but Thomas only explained some small details to her and then told her the date he set for the wedding. He afterwards followed her out of his office and to his car, his arm around her waist. The couple went out for afternoon tea and Thomas drove her home with his new Bentley afterwards.

Y/N and Ada went to the tailor together, to get the dress that Thomas had picked out for the wedding fitted. Ada gasped when she saw it because it was simply beautiful. A slim white dress with a longer train and lace detailing all around the neckline and the short sleeves. The depth of the neckline was a little deeper than Y/N would have picked for herself but it looked fantastic on her. Thomas also wanted her to wear white satin gloves and the veil would be satin as well, with some minimal lace details at the hem. “You look stunning!”, Ada said, “who would have thought that Thomas had so much style?” She chuckled while you stood in the middle of the room, the seamstress running around pinning the dress down to make it fit even more snug. Thomas’ and his brothers suits would be made by your parents and you were really grateful that he fulfilled his promise of only getting his suits there from now on.

All this went through Y/N’s head, when Ada and Polly came to pick her up for her weddings ceremony. Ada brought along a beautiful necklace which of course Thomas had picked out for her as well. Ironically the pendant was a “T”, meaning that Y/N would utterly and completely belong to Mr. Shelby before the day was over. Y/N got into the car and Polly drove them towards Watery Lane where Y/N got into her stockings and into the beautiful dress, Ada put the veil into her hair that was pinned back into a loose low bun with some pieces framing her face. Thomas’ sister also put the necklace around her neck and some make up on her face: mascara, some rouge and a red lipstick. “You look stunning”, she said. Polly came with three glasses off champagne and kissed Y/N forehead, feeling the uneasiness beaming off of her: “Would you like some snow to calm your nerves?” The bride to be simply nodded and snorted the line, as soon as it was done. She did not feel different at first but sometime later her thoughts were calm and she smiled drunkenly. “Much better”, she smiled at Polly, picking up her bouquet and getting into the car to be driven towards the church.

When the wedding march was played, the cocaine still calmed her nerves and made her smile. Her farther walked her down the aisle towards Mr. Thomas Shelby standing at the end of it. He wore a navy black suit with a white button up and a dark fly, Y/N had to admit that he looked incredibly handsome. The only thing bothering her was his evil smile. He took her hand from her farther’s who helped her up the pedestal. Now standing across from Tommy the music slowly ended, he lifted the veil and Jeremiah started the ceremony. Y/N was still high and she knew that Thomas knew who would be mad later. She didn’t listen to anything that was said and just looked into his icy blue eyes, they were like two frozen over lakes in the middle of winter, and wondered if he could ever love her, just a little bit. The loud “Yes” Thomas said snapped Y/N back into reality and at the appropriate moment she also said “Yes, I do.” Her now husband then swept her down and kissed her. Somehow his lips felt good on her. They were full and pink and full of neediness. His tongue brushed against her lip and she opened her mouth for him, his hands on her cheeks, pulling her closer. After he broke the kiss, he pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead and the came with his mouth to her ear: “Behave, little one.” This might have seemed like a loving gesture for the people watching but Y/N knew it was a thread. He put another ring onto her left finger to officially claim you. It complimented the engagement ring very well. Thomas Shelby was a man of style.

The two newlyweds left the church hand in hand getting into his Bentley and driving off towards Arrow House, which was now Y/N home as well, the guests following after a some Canapés and champagne.

Arriving at the House Thomas wasted no time, pulling her inside and into a side room. He immediately pressed her against the wooden door, pushing himself on her. She couldn’t move because his body was pressed against hers, one hand on her left cheek, the other on her hip. His face came closer to hers: “Darling, you can’t imagine how I have dreamt of this moment ever since you so obediently sucked me off.” She swallowed and then his lips came crushing onto hers. She felt dizzy and safe, not sure whether it was the drugs or not but she willingly gave herself to him. Y/N was quite sure that she wouldn’t have done this sober because she was scared shitless of him. The hand from her waist came up to her breasts and Thomas moaned into the kiss: “We gotta be quick and shouldn’t ruin your hair or make up.” He then flipped her around and pushed her towards the desk, pressing her down on the hard wood. Y/N tried to maneuver around but he held her down, pressing his growing bulge into her backside. “You drive me crazy, eh love?”, he whispered into her ear as he leaned down to kiss her exposed neck. While he went rough on her neck, his hands trailed to her butt, squeezing it and then gathering her dress and pushing it upwards. “Don’t move”, he said whilst opening his own pants. She looked back at the man who was about to take her maiden hood, right as his erection sprung free, she noticed how big he is. He chuckled, seeing her face: “Are you worried, eh? I am sure you will manage just fine.” His hand then went around his length, pumping it a couple of times. The other hand found his way to her stockings and even further up her lacy underwear. He simply pushed it to the side and then toyed with something between her legs. She didn’t know what it was but it send shockwaves through her body, Thomas sure felt and saw her reaction, smirking: “I said you would like it, love.” He then spit into his hand and spread it over his erection, the tip leaking with pre cum. Positioning him between her legs, he put the tip between her folds, slowly moving up and down. Y/N felt as if she wasn’t present, as if she only lived through this moment out of her body. Thomas hips snapped forward and into her, making her scream in pain because he was everything but gentle. Giving her a second only to adjust, he pulled out all the way and then back into her, all the way this time. He had to push harder this time, to break her maiden head and he heard her scream. One of his hands came to her mouth, covering it. “Be quit!”, he demanded. It was hard for him to hold back his moans because the thought of breaking her, shaping her made him even harder if that was even possible. She was wet as well but he didn’t care if she enjoyed tonight. This night was all about him: Finding another wife, finding another mother figure for his son, finding the pretty little thing on his arm for business. His hips snapped up harder, he was now balls deep into her, finding a steady rhythm, fucking her without her explicit consent. Since they were now married it wasn’t illegal and he had to blow off the steam about her being high on their wedding day. All of this made him fuck her faster, both of his hands now on her hips rutting into her relentlessly whilst his wife cried silent tears and was helpless. He knew it was cruel but to get her they way he wanted Y/N, mindless and controllable and never speaking back, he had to teach her some lessons. Starting with him showing off who was the dominant one in their relationship.

He erupted with a loud moan and came undone in her. “Might fuck a baby into you tonight. Then you will be a loving and caring mother for my pup!”, he whispered in her ear.

As soon as he came down from his high, he pulled out of her and used his handkerchief to clean himself off before tucking himself back into his dress pants. He adjusted his suspenders and button up until he looked presentable. Thomas then helped Y/N who already got off the table clean herself. He kissed her whispering praises into her mouth but she only felt hazy and confused. A maid was called who helped her readjust his wife’s outfit and her clothing. “Since you seem to like snow, here is a line for you, darling.”, Thomas said looking at his pretty little wife after preparing a line for her. Without any reply, she got down in front of him taking a sniff and the line disappeared. Thomas smiled and caressed her cheek: “Good girl.” Y/N wasn’t scared of him anymore, not when he caressed and care for her, she was and would never be scarred of Thomas when she was high. Her husband knew that and used it to his advantage, drugging her whenever things got rough.

The rest of the night was a blur of happiness and heightened emotions. Y/N played in the snow two more times this evening and was dancing happily while being watched by Thomas. Their last dance was very romantic, a slow Waltz. They looked into each other eyes the whole time and Y/N could feel an attachment towards him forming. She really appreciated when he was soft and likable rather than him being harsh and mean when he did business.

Thomas then took her upstairs into their master bedroom. Y/N didn’t know it was the bedroom he had once shared with Grace, his only love and was too scared to ask him. He picked her up and carried her over the doorstep, her face close to his with her arms around his neck. When he let her down she looked up into his cold eyes and then pressed her lips on his. He grinned into the kiss, soon taking dominance and guiding her backwards until her calves hit the bed frame and she fell backwards. Thomas climbed on top off her, holding his weight off er delicate body. He couldn’t wait to rip the dress of her body and fuck her once again. Their kiss got more passionate and he did really enjoy it. She bit onto bis lip slightly and he took the invitation, sneaking his tongue into her mouth. Since she seemed to enjoy herself, his kisses wandered to her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses, licking down her throat until he reached the neckline of her dress. Her rapid breathing only ignited the fire in him even more. Y/N hands went to Thomas’ waistcoat, opening it and then brushing her hands against his torso. He gave her room to explore whilst kissing her neck back up to her ear. When her hands pushed his suspenders down and started to unbutton his white dress shirt, he whispered into it: “You’re mine now.” It sounded like a threat and a promise at the same time.

Y/N knew that no one would ever lay a hand on her or do her harm unless it was her own husband who lashed out. He found the spot, right underneath her ear, that made her tummy light on fire and kissed and sucked and blew air onto it which only made her moans and forget all the intrusive thoughts. She fidgeted with the buttons and he soon grew impatient so he quickly rid himself off the expensive dress-shirt. Her hands rummaged his lean but toned upper body and his found their way under her skirt once again. Soon her hands were in his hair and his were in her lace panties. This time he ripped them apart, pushing the skirt of the wedding dress up around her waist. His hands exploring her legs and finding their way up to the center. She tried to close them due to the exposure to the cold air but he stopped hair, kissing down to her cleavage and then further down until he reached her uncovered crotch. Kissing his way from her thighs up to her middle, Tommy knew he drove her crazy. He blew air on her clit and she hissed, sucking in the air when his tongue touched the sensitive bundle of nerves. Thomas started sucking and licking up between her folds, sticking his tongue into her entrance. His wife, that was never touched by another man before today, started to moan softly. He heard his name more than once and decided it was time to put a finger into her whilst eating her out. Her hands messing with his hair, moaning she felt a warmth build up in her stomach. Thomas felt her walls flutter around his finger, so he huskily said: “You like that sweetheart. I want an answer.” “I.. I do Thomas.”, she stuttered. Whilst continuing to eat her out he said: “I am the only man who can pleasure you like this. Keep it in mind sweetheart. I am the best to ever happened to you.” Simply moaning a “Yes, Tommy. Fuck”, she came around his finger and onto his tongue. He helped her ride out her high and then quickly undid his pants, positioning his already hard member right between her folds. He spit onto his dick and then entered her, leaving her no time to adjust to him this time because he started taking her in a brutal rhythm. His hand came to her neck, sneaking around the delicate pressure points, pushing down and controlling her breath. Y/N knew she was completely at his mercy and belonged to him in every way possible. “Please”, she hissed. “What?”, he inquired, “please what?” “M.. more”, she tried to say but was cut short by him lifting her legs and putting them around his waist, deepening the angle and pushing into her more deeply, groaning at the new sensation. His wife also moaned. “You’re taking me so well, sweetheart.”, he said, whilst pulling out and pushing into her repeatedly, “such a beautiful little slut”. Her moan to his comment nearly made him burst into her but he steadied his breath and the hand from her waist came to her clit once again, drawing circles. Still overstimulated from before he felt her walls clutter again and after continuing for a bit he felt her cum around his dick. “You’re so perfect, love”, he moaned and buried his cock deep inside off her spilling his seed. “Maybe, I fucked a baby into you tonight.”, he chuckled and stayed inside of her for a bit. He searched for his cigarette, moving the one he too out between his lips and then lit it. His little wife was still in another universe, so after finishing the smoke, he pulled out of her, stepping out of his pants and undoing his shoes. He then went to clean himself up, coming back to Y/N sleeping. He undressed her and slid into bed next to her. Thomas last thought before falling asleep was: “I hope she keeps using snow because this is perfect.

[annunen]

NHLWAM S12 E7: Niko Mikkola & Eetu Luostarinen

I translated the highlights of the video for any florida finns fans to enjoy.

TLDR: the finns love chirping each other and Lundy needs a babysitter.

Manninen and Putkonen are the NHLWAM hosts.

Under the cut <3

Manninen: We've got two Finnish Fort Lauderdale locals here. Niko Mikkola, new guy, and Eetu Luostarinen, who's already one of the vets. So what's up?

Mikkola: Nothing bad, getting to know new places and the sun shines. Great people here.

Luostarinen: It's always fun to get more finns here. Always welcome.

Manninen: Eetu, how would you describe Niko as a person and a teammate?

Luostarinen: He's a chill Oulu guy. Chill company, easy to hang out with him, he gets along with everyone. Really nice.

Manninen: Do you agree?

Luostarinen: Sure, i'll take what i'm given.

Manninen: Counterquestion for you.

Mikkola: We've known each other pretty long. He's one of those Savo guys, a little twisted like they all are. But there's only great guys here, like i said, so it's been easy to come here.

Manninen: You got pretty lucky, your training center moved from the middle of nowhere (lit. horse ass) to the neighbor. You could bike there, have you ever done that?

Mikkola: I don't have a bike but i've been planning to buy one. It's 5 minutes away so it would be pretty nice to bike there.

Manninen: Or an electric scooter! Has anyone ever come with one?

Mikkola: No, but Kaapo Kakko always used one in NYC. I'd walk and he'd drive past me.

Luostarinen: I haven't biked there either but some guys have electric bikes. And golf carts, pretty cool that you can come to the rink with a golf cart.

Manninen: Now that's style!

-----

Manninen: I asked "Lunkka" Lundell this same question, now i want to ask you Eetu too. Looking at your points, this season hasn't been as good as the last. The big crowds only look at points, they're thinking "what's up with Eetu, he hasn't scored points". So what do YOU think, has this season actually been worse than the last, or have you actually gone forward as a player?

Luostarinen: I wouldn't say it's been worse than last season, pretty equal. Just haven't had those successes. There's also a lot happening in the background, in the game. I play a lot shorthanded too, i've got to take credit for that. If i can't get confidence from points, i have to find it somewhere else in the small things.

Manninen: Are the points so important? I don't remember if you lead the league right now, but as a team you're playing really well.

Luostarinen: It's a team game, if your team is doing well, you're doing something right, and you have to be happy about that. But if i have less points than Mikkola, that's when i should be worried.

Mikkola: Why am I suddenly being attacked?

Putkonen: God damn, throwing you under the boat, right there under that Catamaran.

Manninen: What about you Niko, do you ever set - even though you're known as a defensive brush, let's not say broom (that's Hakanpää's "nickname") - do you set some personal goals for points when starting the season?

Mikkola: Defensive brush, i'll take that. Good name. I don't really set any goals for points. The beginning of the season was pretty wild for me, but now i've returned to a normal phase. Probably getting close to 30 straight pointless games now.

Luostarinen: Yeah, early in the season they were throwing the nickname "Niko Norris" around there.

Putkola: You were on a phase for 80 points.

Mikkola: It was crazy, but now we're back to the roots. You can't only get confidence from points. You need some guys who play shorthanded, keep the own net clear. Take some confidence from those.

-----

(Someone walks by with a dog.)

Putkonen: Cool dog. How's your dog doing?

Luostarinen: Yeah, we have a new one in the family - cavapoo, it's a cavalier poodle mix. And then we have Rose, she's a little over 4 years old now.

Putkonen: Who in your team would you not let dogsit your dogs?

Luostarinen: Lunkka. Even if we speak the same language, i wouldn't trust him with them.

Manninen: Is Lunkka your team's little rascal?

Luostarinen: He is, a little. You need to watch what he's doing sometimes.

Mikkola: But he's so young still.

Manninen: You're allowed to be careless when you're young. We've been careless too.

Putkonen: ...older too.

-----

Putkonen: Roberto Luongo was in the net at your practice. He still catches pretty well.

Mikkola: Yeah. I've said that he'd only need one training camp and he could play an NHL game again. I can't score on him either.

Luostarinen: Best possible EBUG.

-----

Putkonen: Let's take some fan questions. Does Sasha "whip" (reprimand) you?

Luostarinen: No, just constructive criticism.

Mikkola: He's flicked me a couple times with a video where I ice the puck or something. More as a joke. He doesn't really "whip" (reprimand) me.

Manninen: But he gives that to Lunkka!

Mikkola: Lunkka is "in his teeth" a little. In a good way.

Putkonen: Yeah, he was already the last time we visited. Gave him an earful from some celly, telling him "don't jump to the glass, only juniors celly like that".

-----

[daenysthedreamer101]

Youngest Original ~ TVDU

Mikaelson!OC headcanons

Finn's relationship with Kassandra

TVD Masterlist

These two have such a pure, precious relationship

When Kassie was little she used to follow Finn around the village, clinging to his leg, wanting to be carried 🥹💕

He taught her how to ride a horse

HEAD PATS!!!!

Elijah gives her forehead kisses, Finn pats her head

Kassie was extremely pissed when Klaus kept Finn daggered back in 1114. She was ready to throw hands 😤, but Elijah persuaded her out of it

She gave Klaus a whole speech as to why he should undagger their brother, but ofc, Klaus just ignored her

She would repeat this speech every hundred or so years. It never worked

Once Finn finally gets woken up from his 900+ years of sleep he is confused, to say the least.

It was the year 2010 and Finn was shocked but not surprised Klaus kept him in a coffin for so long

He was confused by everything - the way people dressed was drastically different, especially women

The technology really confused him to no end. Electricity in particular or any electrical device really

Kassie was there to help him every step of the way. She showed him how to use something called a mobile phone - he had to give it to the humans, they always were very creative creatures

She and Bekah took him to a place called a barber shop and cut his long hair

Apparently, most men wore their hair short nowadays

He also had a bit of trouble learning the language

They helped him learn modern English - it sounded vastly different from the English he knew

Though in the privacy of their home, Finn would always revert back to Old Norse, their native language

I headcanon that in general, the Originals speak Norse to each other in private

You cannot tell me that once they start fighting they don't revert back to shouting at each other in Old Norse 😭

I also headcanon that Finn is a Libra just like Kassie, both just want peace and quiet and hate conflict

Everyone in the family (and in the fandom) harps on Finn for being boring but Kassie disagrees

She loves his quiet, reserved nature

She is a chatterbox and will talk his ear off but he never stops her. He just smiles and listens even though he understands nothing

Once, they were in a mall, and Obsessed by Mariah Carey was on; the amount of auto-tune did a number on his brain lol.

Kassie had to explain why music nowadays sounded so weird (play one kpop song to him and this man is in the grave 💀)

He much prefers classical music

He once asked her why her eyelids were so shiny.

She had to explain what eyeshadow was. And eyeliner. And fake eyelashes.

He was glad to see she still wore the necklace they got for her 100th birthday.

He loved spending time with Kassie, cause she was the only one who didn't speak badly about his reluctance to murder

She, like him, had a hard time adapting to vampirism, so she gets where he's coming from

She's the only one of his siblings he doesn't hold a grudge against

[jennifersminds]

how do you think the mikaelson men would react to watching Barbie? this can be with or without ships involved, I'm just curious

finally, some hard hitting journalism-,

kol: unironically relates to ken. did wear pink because davina asked him too. probably cried at the end and the lied about it. I’m just Ken is in his top five of his spotify wrapped this year.

klaus: refused to wear pink. related to ken because he too loves horses and misunderstands the patriarchy. probably went with Hope. however, if Caroline made him go he probably would’ve worn pink or at least a vaguely red toned shirt. probably has a secret crush on margot robbie.

elijah: went because he enjoyed Greta Gerwigs little women, and because he was determined to keep his Best Mikaelson Feminist card. i wanna believe he wore pink, at the very least a pink tie. tells people who didn’t ask how much he got it.

finn: got lost and somehow ended up in the cinema. was confused but still liked it. cried four times. probably went to see it again with rebekah. sits in a dark room and listens to speed drive for fun.

marcel: went with rebekah or davina but would’ve gone alone. wore all pink. also probably has a secret crush on margot robbie.

[irenethewoman]

Mrs. Shelby- Chapter Three- Thomas

Masterlist

Fic Masterlist

Join Taglist

Even after four years of being a part-time family teacher, I was still Shelby's only habit of reading newspapers. Four years ago, I started using newspapers to teach the children to read, just like my father once did.

But unfortunately, not to boast, these children don't have the political talent I had back then.

'Harry, don't grab your sister's hair,' the child named Harry, who was called out, reluctantly put down his restless hands and took the knife and fork I handed him.

At the breakfast table, the children were eating quietly, and I continued to browse the newspaper. Every day, I paid attention to the constantly updated list of casualties in the newspaper. 'Shelby' had never appeared in that section. But I also knew that on the battlefield, there would be many nameless bodies.

To the common people, this war was nothing more than a brief outing, an exciting adventure. Those young people were afraid of missing the opportunity for a splendid death in their lifetime, so they eagerly rushed to enlist, cheering and singing on the train. They were all hot-headed, forgetting the mundane world.

My brother, on the other hand, was quite clear-headed. This was something he said, rare for his alcohol-soaked brain, and he said it when my father wanted to send him to the army for training before he passed away.

Good people don't live long, and harm lasts for thousands of years. This saying is truly not wrong.

Maria is Martha's eldest daughter, and she resembles her mother, a gentle and obedient girl. If she were born into a wealthy family in London, she would definitely be the most sought-after presence in the marriage market.

'I miss Dad so much, Aunt Demi,' I looked at the girl next to me who was helping me wash the dishes. She was so young and beautiful, and she looked so fragile. She had already endured enough hardship, and you couldn't bear to tell her the painful reality. After all, at this age, I still believed in Santa Claus.

'They will come back, dear. Just like an adventure that has ended, Dad and uncles will come back with medals to embrace our little Maria.'

Martha's health had deteriorated after giving birth to her fourth child in 1915, becoming thin, weak, and sickly, as if a gust of wind could blow her away. During the war, resources were scarce, and medicines were even more precious. Her illness could only be postponed. Polly needed to support the family, and Finn always played with his nephews and nieces, while Ada personally managed them. The responsibility of taking care of the children fell on me and little Maria. In her, I saw a shadow of my past, a girl accustomed to taking care of others, so among Martha's four children, I cherished her the most and always liked to keep her by my side. If circumstances allowed, I really wanted to teach her to dance, ride horses, hunt, play the piano, and teach her everything I knew.

The days that followed were as gray and dull as the Birmingham sky, with one ordinary day after another. But the soldiers gradually returned to their hometown, and this deserted city was slowly recovering. The quiet streets were filled with pedestrians, and the bars gradually became lively.

Many people would wait at the train station for their loved ones. They hugged each other on the platform, tears of joy in their eyes. Those who didn't meet their loved ones would look at the reunited people with envy, exchange a few words of good luck, and then eagerly wait for the next train to arrive. If they didn't get the news today, they would continue waiting tomorrow. For now, no news was the best news.

I often finished my work:

Platform waiting for her father and uncles. There was an old white-haired woman who started waiting before the sun even rose, and she waited until sunset. She just stood on the platform waiting, like an unyielding rock.

'I see Dad!' Maria jumped for joy and pulled me towards her long-lost loved ones.

John Shelby was a man with blue eyes, fairer skin than his brothers, and he looked like a bright and lively man. When he saw Maria, he put down his luggage and embraced his daughter.

Arthur was the eldest, easy to recognize with a thick beard that made him look like a teddy bear. I nodded to him cautiously, as a form of greeting.

But when I looked at the man in the middle of them, I couldn't take my eyes off him.

He had a pair of gem-like clear blue eyes, strong cheekbones, a straight and high nose, and lips that weren't the typical thin British type, adding a touch of sensuality. He looked like a melancholic young prince full of starlight.

I knew he was Thomas Shelby, the Shelby who had terrified Small Heath. But he didn't quite match the rumors...

11:42

The men of the Shelby family had finally returned safely.

We had prepared a sumptuous meal and were busy in the kitchen.

'Demi, go call the children back. I'll keep an eye on things in the kitchen.' Seeing his nephews return safely, Polly, who had been tense all this time, finally showed a long-lost smile. 'The kids, and those big kids.'

I replied and hummed a tune as I walked out of the house.

It's good, things are moving in the right direction. Although we can't predict the future, coming back safely from the battlefield is always a good sign.

"Harry!"

I called out to the children, waving my hand. "Come inside, boys, it's time for dinner!"

John and Arthur brought the children into the house. I stood in the yard, watching the smiles on their faces, genuinely happy for them.

Once they were all inside, I realized that one person was missing. Where was Thomas?

11:42

"John, where's Thomas?" I stopped John, who was walking at the back, and he looked friendlier than his brother.

"Tommy?" John turned around almost subconsciously, as if his brother was right behind him. "He's probably in the shower."

In fact, I ran into Thomas on my way to the store to buy chocolate.

I saw the light in my office, but I distinctly remembered locking the door, and the ledgers on the table were not something to be made public.

I cautiously opened the door and saw Thomas standing at my desk, not sure what he was doing.

Afraid of startling him, I knocked on the door.

He just raised his eyes to look at me.

"Tonight, Polly prepared a big meal with meat and wine, but there's only chocolate here, which the girls like." I leaned against the door, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere with a joke. "Are you looking for someone to fulfill your needs, sir? What?"

11:42

I thought I had misheard. For years, no one had looked at me like that. Besides, could there really be such a beautiful prostitute in Birmingham? Or why would a beautiful prostitute with a Chelsea accent come to Birmingham?

"Are you a prostitute?" He actually repeated, thinking I hadn't heard him the first time.

"Of course

not. If you're looking for someone to satisfy your needs, I'd suggest you find a professional." My face must have looked awful, "If you're just here to amuse yourself with me, then please forgive me for not indulging you."

"I'm sorry." I heard him apologize softly as I turned away. Hearing his deep, hoarse voice, I felt a little soft-hearted and turned back.

"Going back? I need a knight to escort me back to my castle."

He smiled, like a rare clear sky in London in the spring, soft and beautiful. Although this man was a bit strange, he was undeniably good-looking. I thought to myself.

"My pleasure, Your Highness." The dinner ended smoothly. Our stomachs were filled with soft white bread, roasted potatoes, roast beef, and rum. The adults lay on the couch, continuing to drink whiskey and chat. I glanced at the clock; it was almost eleven. I yawned and hurried the children upstairs to bed.

Even though I hadn't been drinking, this group of children was as excited as if they had been given a shot of adrenaline, causing a commotion in the bedroom. They wanted me to tell them stories, one after another, and as soon as there was a slight pause, they would start misbehaving. Even though I was exhausted and my head was spinning, I kept telling stories until dawn, finally coaxing those little devils to sleep. I was so tired from telling stories that my throat was dry and my tongue was parched, so I went downstairs to get a glass of water. There was no one in the living room anymore; it seemed that everyone had gone to sleep.

I passed by Thomas's room and saw that his door wasn't closed like the others, and the light was still on. Maybe he was just too tired

I yawned and, with tired steps, headed towards his room to turn off the light and close the door.

I was so tired, and from now on, whoever had children would take care of them. It was as if a group of little demons!

Thomas was lying on his narrow bed, his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed, and sweat on his face, looking very distressed. I gently nudged him, "Thomas? Tommy?"

11:43

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the fierceness in his eyes frightened me. He quickly pulled out a pistol from under his pillow and pointed it at me.

I fell back to the floor in fear. The coldness of the floor, the pain in my butt, and the fear and helplessness of being pointed at by a gun all overwhelmed my brain.

What kind of person is this? First, he mistook me for a prostitute, and now he's pointing a gun at me. I haven't even slept yet, and he's pointing a gun at me...

I felt extremely wronged, and tears fell to the ground with a plop.

He put down the gun and picked me up from the floor, hugging me and patting my back gently as if comforting a child.

I deliberately wiped my nose and tears on his pajamas.

"What are you still doing up?" I tried to speak with irritation and amusement as I attempted to pull my hand away.

"Have you had nightmares?" I heard him speak as I was dozing off.

"I always hear the sound of digging in the walls." "What shovel?"

"We were sent on a mission, underground, and the German soldiers were digging tunnels. I prayed, prayed that they would dig slowly, even slower, or that the day would come faster..."

To be honest, I was shocked listening to him.

Nobles don't become soldiers, and soldiers are all commoners, but my father had great respect for those soldiers who died in battle. But no one ever told me these things, told me that those soldiers were also human, capable of fear. Lying in a foreign land, either in eternal sleep or living with nightmares.

I gently patted his shoulder. "Wait for me to come back." Then I quietly slipped downstairs to make a cup of hot milk and brought it back upstairs.

I handed the milk to him.

Thomas looked at me somewhat surprisingly. "What's wrong? I've just put your nieces and nephews to sleep, sir." I replied, half annoyed. "If you need someone to sing you to sleep or tell you stories, do you want that too? And I'm not a nanny."

But he still didn't let go of my hand. "I want to hear your story."

My story? It's long and grim, it will break your heart." I continued trying to pull my hand away.

"It's already broken."

Looking into his sincere blue eyes, I sighed in resignation. Those eyes seemed to have some kind of magic, making me lose the ability to refuse, so I recalled the first 15 years of my life that I had buried deep in my heart.

"Can you help me?"

In my drowsiness, I heard him speak.

"Familiar with what?" I tried to open my eyelids to look at him.

All these messed-up things, messed-up life, business... I found you, and you found me... We help each other." He held me a bit tighter, but I was too tired, and his warmth made me even more sleepy.

Oh, what's the matter, we can talk about it tomorrow... Tomorrow is a new day...

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 32: Data Analysis

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

The next morning I wake up feeling refreshed. I was partially right about the long trip tiring me out. Now that yesterday’s stress is out of the way I can focus on other matters. May’s maids are surprised to see I made the bed myself and keep asking if I want breakfast. I politely decline so they won’t go through any trouble but turns out May already has a meal planned for me.

“What will you do now? Are you sailing back home after one day?” She asks from across the long table.

I chew the delicious French toast. “Originally I was going to visit family in Ireland but now the Shelbys want me to work for them. Officially. No debt, no strings attached. I’d love to. It’s just…”

“That means seeing Thomas more often,” May finishes. “I understand. Sometimes I see him at horse events and it’s incredibly awkward.”

“I think I’ll allow myself to work a full year and then decide what I want with my life. Thomas can’t blame me for being distant because he has his own family to care for now.” I finish my breakfast and rise from the table. “Thank you for having me, May. It would’ve been hard to go back to Birmingham last night, after… all that.”

“Give a ring if you need to talk,” the Charleton widow assures. “Do you need a cab?”

A sneaky smile crosses my face. “I have ideas.”

One bonus from growing up in the city is that you learn to walk. Everywhere. Another bonus is knowing how to hail a cab. Or in this case a wagon. I walk along the gravel road and within ten minutes a farmer comes by driving a horse wagon. I offer a few pounds and he agrees to take me to the edge of Birmingham. At first he’s put off by my more than casual clothes but after I explain myself he starts laughing.

“My my, a real American hitchhiker! Now I’ve seen everything.”

Most of the ride is done in silence, allowing me to observe the breathtaking English countryside. So different from the dirty, noisy streets I left a week ago. I’ll miss my home but this would almost make it worthwhile to stay. If only he wasn’t around.

“Here we are, miss.”

I thank the farmer and pull my trunk off the wagon. Looking across the field I see the sign for Birmingham straight ahead. Back through the muddy streets, the shadowy alleys, the ash-filled sky. The dreadful atmosphere that seems slightly sadder than I remember. Or maybe that’s just me.

By the time I get to Watery Lane it’s past midday. When I reach the Shelby house it’s obvious Finn’s been waiting for me. The second I reach the kitchen he comes straight from his room like a magnet drawn to steel.

“Where were you? I almost phoned Tommy!”

“Relax, relax. I’m no big missing persons case. I just… Needed some time to myself. And you will do good not to mention my absence to Thomas. If I need to bribe you then I will offer a lesson for today.”

Finn’s face melts from worried to suspicious to overjoyed. He drops his book and takes a seat at the kitchen table.

“I’m all ears.”

“Right, right. Just let me put my trunk in my room- Oh no. Finn! Did you know about this?”

The closet is stocked to the brim with new clothes. Clothes for me, because Polly would never wear anything this modern. It reminds me of the clothes from American fashion magazines. Whoever made these did their homework.

“It was Ada’s idea!” Finn shouts down the hall.

A smidgen of guilt enters my thoughts. I really should have talked with her more last night. Hopefully she’ll understand why. I set the trunk down and rejoin Finn in the kitchen. As I search for potential dinner ingredients I also concoct an intriguing topic to discuss.

“Today will be about the use of data. Whether it be for science, arithmancy, or common sense, we use data every day. The proper order of data use is wisdom, knowledge, information, and the data itself.” Score! There’s still some fresh meat in the icebox. “Data is the raw facts and figures, and provides the building blocks to create information. Information, Finn, is data that has been manipulated into something meaningful, which then turns into knowledge.”

He takes this in carefully, proving my point. “So our process of thinking is like calculating math. Only instead of crunching numbers we’re crunching choices.”

“Yes.” Such as the choice I made to stay here. “We use data analytics, which is the science of examining raw data with the purpose of drawing conclusions about that information. Pairing with this, data analysis transforms, summarizes, or models data to allow us to make meaningful conclusions. Now data mining, on the other hand, extracts and analyzes large volumes of data to identify hidden relationships or patterns and predict behaviors from them.”

Finn picks up on something. “So… We could predict people?”

I look up from the cutting board. “Correct. That would be entering the field of behavioral psychology or  sociology. But we can talk about that another time. I’ll let you stew on this. Speaking of stew, that is what I’m making. But I need to grab some oregano leaves. I’ll just be a minute.”

I step out the back door and into the familiar dreary streets. No Peaky Blinders standing guard, no Inspector Campbell sulking about. I can finally walk to the market without looking over my shoulder… Still packing heat, of course. I’m not thick. Now about those herbs-

“There she is!” 

Approaching laughter alerts me to the Shelby brothers walking towards me. 

“John? Arthur? Where have you been?”

“Just had a meeting with Changretta,” Arthur scoffs. “Them Italians are giving us trouble again.”

I roll my eyes and pick out some oregano from the market display. “What is it with you boys and fighting with the Italians?”

“Enough about them. What’s this for?” John snatches the herb. “Making something, eh?”

I hold up my hands. “Okay, you caught me. I’m guilty of making tonight’s supper, if you’ll join us.”

Both brothers look pleased about the invite, especially John.

“You have no idea how good a real meal sounds! Esme’s been too busy with the kids. That and she’s expecting again.”

My eyes widen. “Esme’s pregnant? Congratulations!”

John grunts. “She’s grouchy when she’s pregnant. The kids have been a handful too.”

I take back the oregano and give him a reprimanding look. “Either hire more help or keep it in your pants.”

“Oi! Verena!”

I look to face the voice. Thomas. He’s here. Walking down the street towards me. The way he walks, like a man who cannot be touched. A mountain. I really don’t need this right now!

Despite my internal screaming for him to walk away he gets closer. “Remind me never to trust anyone religious,” he grunts. “Earlier today a priest ordered me around like a fucking dog. I thought you said God works in mysterious ways?” He scoffs and lights a cigarette. “Maybe He can get these Irish folk off me back. Arthur, John. How was Changretta?”

“A fucking moron,” Arthur says. “I don’t think he appreciated our hospitality, did he John?”

John shakes his head. Thomas waves this aside and seems to be thinking about something else.

“Verena. Come with me.”

Before I can utter a word he starts walking back the way he came. Um, what about dinner? I have other things to do than just follow you around, Thomas!

I quickly wave goodbye to his brothers and pant to keep up. “Why?”

“Because I’m going to see Ada and if you’re with me maybe she won’t bite my head off.”

We keep walking and I notice we’re approaching a grand public library. Has the great Thomas Shelby given in to using books? My God, times are crazy. The second we enter everyone scatters to stay out of his path, some with confused stares and others looking downright fearful just to see him here. I follow Thomas upstairs and spot Ada at a bookshelf down the aisle.

“Ada!” Thomas calls.

Is he really this unfamiliar with a library? Keep your voice down!

“Tommy Shelby in a library,” his sister vituperates and looks down from the ladder.

“I need to borrow a book about the Russian Revolution. And, I brought a friend.”

Thomas steps away to reveal me behind him. Ada gasps in surprise and hurries down to give me a hug.

“Verena! We hardly got to chat last night!”

Her friendliness brings a smile to my face. “Hello, Ada. So good to see you!”

“Shh!” Someone hisses from another aisle. Oops.

“Have you got a new wharf at Maida Vale now?” Thomas asks.

Ada scoffs and releases me to climb onto the ladder again. “I’ve got a new wharf everywhere now. Sometimes I see our trucks driving past.”

Thomas plays dumb. “Our trucks?”

“Shelby trucks.” Ada pulls out a book and looks at it skeptically. “Why the interest?”

Good question. How does Russian history play into our business?

Thomas takes a seat at the wooden desk. “Eh, I just want to broaden my mind.”

Ada snickers. “Has Verena been influencing you?”

Thomas’ gaze flickers to where I’m standing and his mouth twitches in the ghost of a smirk. “Very funny. No, this was my idea.”

Ada hops down and plops the book on the desk. “Well, this is a list of the bastards who ran away- Sorry, Verena. I know you’re not one for foul language. And this is written from the point of view of the peoples’ struggle.”

Thomas nods blandly. “Uh-huh.”

I put my hands on my hips. “I thought you weren’t keen on using public resources? You said the library was too common.”

Thomas keeps reading the book. “Changed my mind.”

“There was a Russian at your wedding,” Ada comments. “Mind telling me how he got invited?”

He? So there was more than one Russian at that party. Jesus, Thomas. What kind of people are you dealing with now?

“Sometimes Russian aristocrats get invited to social occasions to add a bit of class.”

“Why are you working with the Russians?” I blurt.

He looks up slowly with a lazy expression. “Why the distrust?”

“Do you trust them?” I bite back.

“Not a chance. But I have orders from Churchill himself. That doesn’t explain your hostility.”

You might be comfortable conversing with your enemies, Thomas, but I for one do not like sleeping with one eye open! Class, indeed! The only Russians my family have dealt with no nothing of the sort!

I take a breath. “A Russian killed my Aunt Eleanor. My Uncle Colon’s late wife. We do not forgive and forget something like that, Thomas.”

“Why was he there?” Ada asks again.

Thomas goes back to reading. “Why do you want to know?”

Ada looks down and keeps her voice casual. “Maybe I liked him, maybe I want to see him again. Would that be possible?”

“No, that will not be possible,” Thomas answers bluntly. “Can I rip this page out?”

Ada and I gape at him. “No! You cannot rip a page out. Property of the people.”

“You should never harm books!” I scold.

Ada’s not finished. “When Arthur took the Russian away he had his killing pistol in his jacket and then Johnny lit a fire in the woods.”

Thomas puts the book back and starts walking away. “You want all the details because you’re bored, Ada.”

“Then why is Verena here too?” Ada taunts as I start trailing after him.

“Thought you’d like to see her,” Thomas calls over his shoulder. “You used to chase rats with a revolver, Ada. Might have a job for you too.”

“Tot ziens, Ada. Thanks for the clothes! Goodbye!” I whisper quickly and hurry down the stairs.

“What was that?” Thomas asks, slightly intrigued.

“A bit of Dutch I’m trying to learn.” When we get outside I raise my voice to a disapproving one. “You made Arthur kill a man. Even though you knew he’s trying to go down a better path.”

“Our family doesn’t have another path. And did I hear right that you’re making something for tonight?”

I want to kick the dirt in spite of his stubbornness! “Yes. Your information is correct. You’re welcome to join if you like.”

“Afraid not. Today is a busy day. I’m going straight home afterwards.”

Oh. I should have known. Of course he wants to have dinner with his proper family. His wife and son. Let it go, Verena. Not everyone has to be around for dinner. You knew things weren’t going to be the same.

“Say hi to everyone for me,” I try to say positively when we reach the Shelby house. “Off to see Changretta, I assume?”

Thomas’ brow furrows. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess. That and your face hasn’t relaxed all day. I figured you have a business meeting.”

Before I close the door he gives a subtle upward nod of his head. “Perceptive, as always.”

That’s rich coming from the man who’s supposed to see through people’s deception but can’t see that I love him. I stomp through the house and through the heavy doors into the office. Apparently all serenity from earlier has been replaced with Polly and John having a kerfuffle.

“…We’ll be handing out Bibles in the fucking bullring with her cousins!” John shouts.

“John, you don’t have to do anything. Lizzie will do it for you,” Polly responds evenly.

“John!” I bark at him. “Did you just mock the good book?”

He ignores me and goes for the front door. “Not now, Steenstra.”

“Yes, now,” I demand and stand in front of him with my arms crossed. “Do not ever talk that way around me again, John. Or any woman for that matter.”

John steps around me anyhow. “Get out of my fucking way.”

The door slams and Polly sits in silence. Wonderful! Now their anger is spreading to me too. Enough of this. I can do something useful and clear out the rubbish bins. I brush past Polly and clear away the trash from all the desks. Some out of Thomas’ office. John’s, Arthur’s. Now all that’s left is Michael’s new office.

“Knock knock. ‘S just me, I’m here for- Oh!”

A pair of wide eyes peeks out at me from behind the desk. Michael himself is slumped in the chair with a face saying there’s nothing wrong. Slowly the eyes rise to reveal the face of a young girl, only a few years younger than me. 

“A new guest, Michael?” I ask and greet the girl with a smile.

“Verena, meet Charlotte Murray.” He pauses for a second and adds: “My new friend.”

Jesus, these Shelbys are all alike. I really hoped Michael would be different. Am I going to have to work here as the only single employee?

I look between the two with a devilish smirk. “Ah, yes. We all need friends. I just need the trash and I will leave you to… get more acquainted.” 

I take the rubbish bin and slip out the door, catching a look of thanks from Michael. Yes, go ahead. I give up trying to tell people what is right. Hell, I myself have lost so much from that. All that time trying to reach the good in Thomas was a waste. It’s time to think for my own security.

@meadows5

[shirefantasies]

Hello!

I don’t know if your matchup requests are still open and if not you can totally ignore this, but I was wondering if I could get a Lotr/The Hobbit matchup (preferably male).

A bit about myself:

Female / 5’7 / eneagram 6 / Gemini

My top two love languages are quality time and acts of service.

In my spare time, I love to read and write. It is a great passion of mine, and I hope to make something of it one day.  Sometimes I journal as well. 

I love to be outside in nature because it allows me to unwind after a long day. I also really like going on walks while listening to music in the mornings.

I do have a horrible habit of getting so wound up in projects that I forget to rest both mentally and physically. Taking care of mental health has been the primary struggle, but I have gotten better at it over time. 

I prefer to be kind to all I meet, but sometimes my desire for justice gets in the way.

I also really like watching people do an activity. Sitting in silence watching someone else do something they’re passionate about is very healing and cozy for me.

My personal aesthetic can be described as vintage-inspired; think long skirts and blouses. I love brighter colors such as pink and lavender, but I don’t mind darker tones on occasion, especially when the season calls for it. 

Some other things that I like are sunsets/sunrises, animals of any kind,  warm beverages like coffee or tea, a clean space, collecting gemstones, candlelight, and soft blankets. 

Things I dislike are bugs, getting rained on (I love the rain, don’t get me wrong, but the sensory experience of having rain fall on me is not ideal), large changes in plans, people talking too loudly, and just rude people in general.

Again, if your requests for matchups are not open, feel free to ignore this, but I thank you for taking the time to read this. 

Have a wonderful/blessed day, 

-Finn

Heck yeah! I opened them indefinitely since I wasn’t overwhelmed with them :))) your Middle-Earthly match is…

Our Boy Lindir :)

Returning to Rivendell on errand from Elrond, you are met with one of his most trusted confidants, another finely dressed brunette elf who greets you with a smile. “I wasn’t warned of any visitors,” he jokes, giving you a charming look, “who might you be?” “Finn, they call me,” you dismount and curtsy as your horse is taken away, “and I come for an exchange with Lord Elrond, if you please. If he is on business, I can-” “Stay, please,” the elf bids you with a sweep of his hand, “we hardly call ourselves the last homely house for nothing. If you can wait until after supper our lord shall be happy to make your audience.”

Easily you can, thus you are granted a room and a meal with the elves, where you are sat with none other than Elrond himself. Lindir, the elf who had greeted you, stands at his side, and you smile at him. Clear as it is that he is not partaking in the meal, you find yourself drawing him into the conversation once the discussion of your craft ends. The…servant perhaps? appears surprised to learn you are a collector and dealer of gemstones. “Don’t worry,” you tease him, “I don’t mine them myself too.” Supper goes well, your deal with Elrond for the gemstones he needed happily closed and yourself quite charmed, both by the fact Rivendell’s lord is making jewelry for his distant wife and by the gracious hosting of his servant.

Offering to walk you back to your room under claim of his home being quite the labyrinth, you ask Lindir how he finds his duties and what the most difficult part is. Simply put? Rude patrons. Your own distaste for the impertinent gets the better of you, and soon the pair of you are swapping stories outside your door. Laughing far louder than you’d have thought allowed in the great ornate settlement. Soon darkness overtakes the hall, however, and pressing a kiss to your hand, Lindir bids you a good night. It hardly escapes your notice the look of scandal across his own face, but in your kindness you choose not to address it.

Sunrise over the Valley of Imladris is one of the most majestic sights to ever pleasure your eyes; sipping the warm cup of tea another early riser shared with you, you glance beyond the spill of golden light to see Lindir making his way to set a harp near the tables. “Getting the players ready this early?” Shaking his head, he confesses the sunrise inspires him, inspires him so that he enjoys rising with the sun to compose songs. Lightning up, you carry your teacup over his way and share your own love of composition. Soon even the gorgeous sunrise fades as you are lost in song, melody overtaking your ears as Lindir sings a poem you’d penned on your travels. His passion is nearly palpable, flooding your heart with comfort and joy and all the same warmth of your invigorating tea. Passage of time utterly forgotten, your musical moment is only interrupted by Lord Elrond’s entrance and passing, quite amused, comment that you two are quite an unexpected gift, are you not?

Heat rushing to your face, you excuse yourself to attend to your jewelry-making. Once again, minutes or hours may have passed when a knock sounds at the door of your lent workspace. Stretching and wincing at the unpleasant pop, you stride across the room on shaky legs to open the door. Lindir! “I…I apologize, Finn, but we were rather concerned when we were told you hadn’t emerged again.” Raising the tray in his hands, one lain with a light meal and drink, he smiles. “We appreciate your work for Lady Celebrían, but please don’t forget to take care of yourself, too.” You could have kissed him then and there, but you waited a week until your departure, goodbye making the taste of his soft lips that much more bittersweet.

More and more frequently do your journeys take you back to Rivendell until the day comes that Lord Elrond himself appoints you his craftswoman…and winks as he inquires that you have more than just a home to return to now, do you not? He knows the trials of love between elves and mortals just as well as he knows it is a choice made freely.

Lindir honors that choice day after day, always appearing as if with prescience that you’ve thrown yourself into your work again. Sometimes you slip into sleep there in your space, awakening with your favorite blanket draped over your hunched form and a cheeky note inviting you for a morning stroll when you’re up for it.

Taglist: @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart @mossthebogwitch @ibabblealot @kilibaggins @joonies-word @stormchaser819 @pirate-lord-of-narnia @datglutengoblin | Reply/Ask/Message to join 🥰

[scarabsinthestardust]

Better in the Morning // Ch. 11

MASTERLIST

Well, here we are. Time to meet the parents.

Word count: 7300+

CHAPTER WARNINGS: Language; talks of depression, suicide, and anxiety; strained parental relationship; talks of crime, murder, drugs/drug cartel, running from the law, and minor talk of sex trafficking (nothing too graphic); mentions of death of a parent; injuries sustained from a shooting, blood, removal of a bullet, stitches (I'm not a medical professional and have zero medical training. I'm making it up as I go.); some probably really bad and vulgar Spanish retrieved per Google and Google translate (and I can't for the life of me figure out how to do the accents so we're just going to ignore that for now); I also might be tiptoeing real close to 'No Country for Old Men' fanfiction 😅

Two and a half years. Two and a half years, countless ups and downs, and I was finally taking the love of my life to see an important part of me, a part of what made me who I am. He was going to get to see where I grew up.

I don’t know what made me want to go back, but when I proposed the idea to Jake, he eagerly jumped at the opportunity. Soon enough, we were packed and on the road to Thomas, West Virginia.

It was about a nine-hour drive from Nashville. Jake tried to convince me to just fly, but I felt like I was due for a good road trip. We could travel at our own pace, and besides, Jake was good company for the drive. Richie had reached out to Vivian, an old family friend, arranging for us to stay with her instead of one of the shitty, middle-of-nowhere hotels (which were few and far between).

Vivian technically lived in Coketon, a coal-mining town just outside of Thomas that was almost abandoned. Mining activity flourished in the early 1900s, and the 15 coal mines in Coketon shipped out a million tons of coal annually. But by the mid to late 1950s, pretty much all underground mining had ceased. Most of the residents left shortly after that, only a few deciding to remain. Vivian’s family was one, not far from where Finn’s family had put down roots.

I spent a good chunk of my childhood at Vivian’s house. It was one of the “safe houses” my dad would drop us off at, Vivian being one of the few people he trusted. It was where I met my best friend, and where I lost my brother. There were a lot of bad memories associated with the place, but enough good to lure me back occasionally. Vivian could be… tough, a little abrasive, but she took care of us when our dad was gone and taught me most of everything I know. I mostly missed the horses. Jake expressed his unease at being that close to a 1,000-pound animal, more so at the idea of trying to ride one.

I smirked. “I will definitely get you on a horse before we come home.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

~

It was almost sundown by the time we turned down the dirt road that would take us to Vivian’s house. The trees on either side of the road loomed darkly, appearing much taller and thicker than the last time I was here. It had been almost five years, after all. Everything still felt so familiar, though, as if I was only here yesterday. The house came into view as we rounded the corner. It hadn’t changed a bit. The two-story brick house with its worn white molding and wrap-around porch had seen a lot, witnessed me and Finn grow up, and Luca not quite make it out.

“It’s a little creepy out here. Quiet.” Jake eyed the thick woods wearily. He had gotten so used to city life in Nashville. This was such a big jump from that.

“At least I’m not freezing my ass off,” I huffed.

“Sounds like a skill issue,” he joked. I narrowed my eyes and poked at his side, causing him to squirm away.

“I’ll remember that.”

As we unloaded our bags from the trunk, I heard the front door creak open. “Glad to see you remember your way here.”

“I wouldn’t ever forget it, V.” I gave her a quick hug. Jake stepped up behind me and I introduced them to each other. Vivian eyed him distrustfully, as I expected, but Jake didn’t seem put off by it and maintained his polite demeanor.

Vivian led us into the house and directed us to the spare room upstairs we’d be staying in. The inside was just as I remembered. A collection of paintings, created by Vivian, decorated the walls over gaudy wallpaper. The ugly blue carpet was still in the bedrooms, and even uglier striped, red carpet covered the stairs, which creaked under our weight. The innards of the house were worn, and needed some serious upgrades in my opinion, but it had good bones. The double bed with the brass headboard had a fresh set of sheets and a yellow floral blanket that was probably older than me. And as outdated and musty as the house was, it was home to me.

After dropping our stuff off and heading back downstairs, Vivian gestured up the stairs with a tilt of her head. “I’ve got one right now, so keep your voices down.” She offered no other information and Jake looked at me quizzically.

“There’s someone else staying here. I’ll explain later.” I pretended I didn’t notice the way Vivian narrowed her eyes at me. She would have been livid if she knew I’d told Jake anything. It was her secret to keep, too. And she didn’t trust him, not yet.

She set the table for dinner and took a plate to whoever was upstairs before we all sat down to eat. We took the time to catch up, her inquiring about Nashville and Richie, and asked after Finn when I told her he’d come to town for a visit. She asked Jake about his career, not bothering to hide the judgement in her eyes when he told her was a musician. All these people I grew up with seemed to think if it didn’t involve physical, manual labor, it wasn’t a ‘real job.’

“Oh, your pa’s gonna love that,” she said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, which earned me a scolding from her. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, girl.” I found it annoying that even as an adult, she still knew how to make me feel like a child that had done something wrong. Jake, on the other hand, was doing his best to hold back his laughter.

Exhausted from the drive, we decided to call it a night after dinner. I filled Jake in as we got ready for bed, keeping my voice down to a whisper. “Viv’s in the business of taking in girls, young women, that don’t have anywhere else to go, or got pulled out of some shitty situation. Chances are, they’re probably traumatized and terrified, a lot of times of men, if you get my drift.”

“Like, victims of sex trafficking?”

“Yeah, sometimes.”

He exhaled a puff of air. “Your life just keeps getting more and more interesting.”

“Hah. This one is all Viv.”

“I don’t think she likes me very much,” he said as he got into bed.

I crawled in and snuggled up next to him. “Don’t take it personally. She doesn’t like much of anyone until she gets to know them. She’ll warm up to you.”

“You don’t think your dad would warm up to me eventually?”

I snorted a laugh. “No, because he’s just an asshole. It’s a good thing you won’t have to be subjected to that. At least during this trip.” That wasn’t true, but I didn’t know that yet. I had no idea how much Jake would learn while we were here, much less how much I would learn.

~

We spent most of the next day in town. There wasn’t much to do, but we checked out local shops, got lunch, and I took Jake to the Purple Fiddle Coffeehouse and Market, a staple in the town of Thomas. In the late afternoon, we took a walk around Vivian’s property, showing him all my little hangout spots and secret hideaways.

“That was Finn’s place,” I pointed out the small, now abandoned house. I’d never been inside and had no idea what happened to his parents. Perhaps that was for the best.

There were several pathways through the woods, some of them quite overgrown now. I can pretend I didn’t really know where we were headed, which path led to where, but that would be a lie. I grew up here, under the aspen canopy, weaving between these tree trunks like I was born for it. Maybe some sick part of me needed to see the place again, to remind myself that it was real.

Jake had been talking but he quieted when I stopped walking. “You okay?” He cocked his head.

I didn’t speak right away, worried that my voice might betray the peace of this place. The forest knew death. It had seen it many times over the course of thousands of years. I wonder if the trees remembered it, though, if they remembered his death, or if they heard my scream as it echoed through the leaves. My vision zeroed in on the spot. There wasn’t anything that stuck out, nothing that distinguished it from any other place in this vast expanse of wooded ground, but I knew it. I wouldn’t ever forget it.

“That’s where Luca died,” I whispered.

I heard a sharp inhale of breath from Jake. His hand gently rubbed my arm as he stepped closer to me. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I just shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. Jake didn’t push. He guided me to a fallen log nearby and we sat, seemingly understanding what I needed without words. His hand didn’t leave mine. There we stayed, letting the leaves and the light wind do all the talking, us playing the role of mere witnesses, just bystanders.

As the sun sank lower over the horizon, casting deep shadows over us, Jake gently nudged me. “Do you know how to find your way back in the dark?”

It was a genuine question, but I laughed anyways. “Would you be scared if I didn’t?”

“I mean, we could camp out, but you might need to protect me from whatever cryptids live in these creepy ass woods.”

I nudged him back with my shoulder. “What do you think I was doing as a kid running around in the woods at night if not making friends with the cryptids?”

“I dunno, committing crime?”

“A little arson never hurt anyone.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Okay, Josh.”

My hand came to my chest, and I feigned offense. “Well, I never,” I exclaimed with an exaggerated southern accent. Our laughter seemed to fill the empty air around us, drastically lifting my own spirits.

The porch light was on when we made it back to the house. I sighed contently. “She always left the light on for us.” I didn’t miss the scamper of footsteps running up the stairs when we came in the door. I didn’t get a good look at the girl before she closed herself back up in her bedroom, her safe space, I imagine. It was mine, too, on some nights.

~

“Oh, c’mon, he doesn’t bite.”

“That is a blatant lie, and you know it.”

I giggled, slightly menacingly, as Jake eyed the animal in front of him wearily. He reached out slowly to pet it but jumped back when the horse stomped and huffed at him. The stable hand holding onto the lead rope couldn’t hide his amusement. I shrugged and sighed from my spot in the saddle of another horse. “Guess I get to tell your brothers you were too scared to ride a horse with me.”

It was a low blow, taunting him like that, but it was the results that mattered to me. He glared at me. “You’re the worst,” he muttered, before moving to grasp the saddle horn and sticking his foot in the stirrup. He took a deep breath and held it, hoisting himself up and swinging his leg over the other side. When he was confident the horse wasn’t going to bolt or immediately buck him off, he exhaled. “Happy now?”

“Yep!” I beamed at him, ignoring his grumbling. The stable hand adjusted Jake’s stirrups and gave us the okay to ride.

Jake was fidgety and white knuckling the reins, but he started to relax as the ride went on. I’ll go so far as to say he might have started enjoying himself a little bit. I even caught him talking to his horse once or twice, little admonitions of praise.

“So, what do you think, grumpy gills? Think I could talk you into doing this more often?”

“I could perhaps be persuaded,” he said as he winked.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure there’s lots of places around Nashville we could ride. Maybe we can make it a regular thing?”

“Sure. And with enough practice I’ll be riding circles around you in no time.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “You’d have to catch up to me first.” I spurred my horse to run ahead, wondering if he’d be brave enough to commence the chase. After a few moments, he finally did, and I heard the patter of his horse trotting up behind me.

We slowed to a stop at the edge of a creek, and I laughed at the grimace on Jake’s face. “That is… fuck, that hurts.” He fidgeted in the saddle, adjusting to get more comfortable.

“Oh, just wait until after. You won’t be able to walk straight for the rest of the day.”

“Thanks for the warning,” he mumbled. At my smug look, he said, “Payback’s a bitch, babe.” I huffed in faux offense.

We took our time finishing up the trail, which looped around and led us back to the stables. I snickered as Jake attempted to walk, his legs and rear end sore from the saddle. I felt it, too, having gone so long without riding, but my stubbornness would never let me admit it to him. Before getting back in the car, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss. “Thank you for making me come do this. I really did have a good time.”

~

I was woken up to the sound of a door slamming down the hallway. At the sound of cabinets being slammed downstairs I sat up, listening. Jake reached out for me and mumbled sleepily, “What’s goin’ on?”

I checked the time on my phone; it was a little after midnight. “I don’t…” I got out of bed and padded to the door to listen closer. I wasn’t hearing as much noise, but could hear Vivian’s voice, along with a man’s, a voice that was unfortunately all too familiar. “Shit.” I turned on the lamp and hurriedly threw on some clothes. Jake started to do the same and asked me again what was happening. I was suddenly very worried; I did not sign up for this. “I think my dad’s here. And if he’s here, then something’s wrong. Just… stay here.”

Vivian was bustling around in the kitchen gathering supplies. “Good, you’re up. You can help. My hands ain’t as steady as they used to be. Wash your hands.”

I didn’t argue or ask questions. I knew better than that. The living room light was on, and I silently prepared myself for what I might find.

My father sat in the light, shirt off, his arm awkwardly bent to hold a bloodied towel on a spot just below his left shoulder blade. His hair was longer, but he didn’t look much different than the last time I saw him. He also didn’t seem surprised to see me; Vivian probably already told him I was here. Whether or not she told him about Jake was still unclear.

“Mija.” He nodded at me. He never was one for heartfelt greetings or hugs.

I sighed, moving to his side and pulling away the towel to examine the wound. “Bullet?”

“Still there.” If he could take care of a wound himself, he would do it. But this was in a hard-to-reach place, so it made sense he would need help. The problem was that there weren’t a lot of people he trusted to help, so he would suffer as long of a drive as he needed until he reached one of his “safe spaces.”

“How long?”

“Four hours.”

That checked out. Infection was already starting to set in the edges of the injury, redness and inflammation spreading, but it wasn’t necrotic or life-threatening. Yet. Judging from the fact he drove all the way here (from wherever) and was still awake and alert, it was safe to say the bullet missed anything important. He was always lucky like that. I pulled out some of the supplies Vivian had already brought out and set to work removing the bullet. I’m sure the act of digging around with the forceps was painful, but he didn’t make a sound. He never did.

I was so focused on the task in front of me that I didn’t hear the creak of the stairs as someone came down, and I didn’t hear Vivian’s voice as she addressed them. I know I told Jake to stay put, but he either didn’t hear me in his half-asleep state or chose to blatantly ignore me. I’m gunning for the latter. Dad tensed up, and it wasn’t because of pain from the bullet I finally found and was carefully removing. I followed his eyes as they focused on the man he didn’t recognize, hackles raised and on guard.

“Can I do anything?”

Bless him. Despite the whole situation probably being unsettling, Jake was still here with me, offering his help. He got plenty of brownie points for not freaking out. With the bullet out, all I had to do was clean and stitch up the wound. “No but thank you.” I offered him a soft smile. Everything was under control. Except for the fact that Dad was staring daggers at him, and that was just how he handled strangers. We hadn’t even crossed the ‘discussing my relationship’ threshold yet.

“Dad,” I started cautiously. “This is Jake.” Bite the bullet, no pun intended, get it over with. “He’s my boyfriend, and I trust him. Jake, this is my dad, Antonio.”

Jake kept his distance, but wanting to be polite, as he usually is, said, “Nice to finally meet you. Wish the circumstances were a little different.”

“Give me one good reason I don’t gut you like a fucking trout.”

I was suddenly feeling very protective. I pressed my thumb as hard as I could into the edge of the bullet hole I had begun to stitch up. He hissed at the unexpected feeling and turned to shoot me a glare. “Knock it the fuck off,” I growled through gritted teeth. “You don’t get to show up out of the blue after however many years and be an asshole. Especially not to him.”

Of course, my father was incapable of knowing when to move on or walk away from a fight. And God forbid he actually apologize for anything. “Se ve como un imbecil. Pelegatos.”

“Yeah, real classy,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “You can’t even insult him to his face, in English.”

“Que te la pique un pollo,” he spat at Jake. I’m sure he could figure out it was an insult, even without understanding Spanish, but he didn’t shoot back any retorts, which I was grateful for. It only would have exacerbated the situation.

I jabbed another finger close to his wound, careful not to mess up my stitch job. “I said knock it off. Unless you want to stitch yourself up. I love him, whether you like it or not. So, get over it. The least you can do is be civil.”

He mumbled something else, no doubt another insult, but I stopped listening, and cut him off with a frustrated yell. I stomped my foot, much like a petulant child, and jammed the needle into the next appropriate spot, leaving it there. “Viv! I need you to finish this before I kill him!”

She quickly took my place, shaking her head. “You two…”

“He’s the one acting like a fucking child!” Everything felt too confined, too bright, too loud. The air felt thick, and my chest tightened with anxiety. I needed out. I rushed out the front door without another word. Jake followed. I paced back and forth, my fists balled up tightly as I tried to focus on the wood creaking beneath my bare feet. “He’s so insufferable! Can’t even pretend to act like an adult for two fucking seconds! He thinks he’s so tough ‘cause he can go out and get shot! It’s probably his own fucking fault, probably was being reckless because he thinks he’s invincible or something. Then he shows up out of the blue with a bullet lodged in his shoulder and has the fucking audacity to talk to you like that? What gives him the right? What is he gonna do the next time he gets hurt? His luck will run out eventually. You’d think he’d be a little more conscious of the fact that he faces death every single day, that any one of these days will be the last time we get to talk to each other, to see each other. But instead of just accepting that and just, I don’t know, being happy for me, for once in my life, that I found someone that makes me happy, he has to act like a fucking animal!”

Jake reached out and grabbed my arms, forcing me to stop my pacing and rambling. “Hey, hey, just breathe for a second, babe.” He gently placed his hands on my cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away tears I didn’t even realize I’d been crying.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to meet him ‘cause I knew he was gonna be like that.”

“Shh. You don’t need to apologize. He’s an ass, but I don’t think that’s what this is really about.”

“He just makes me so mad, and-“

“I think you’re afraid of losing him.”

Well, that was absurd. “What? That’s not… what are you talking about?” I stared at him, blinking away tears as I tried to process what he was saying.

“You’re mad at him for acting like a dick, I get that. But is it possible that you’re upset he got hurt? I mean, he got shot. That’s a big deal. I… maybe that’s nothing new for you. If I had to take a guess, you’ve probably seen it a hundred times. But that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be worried about him.”

“You’re insane,” I mumbled.

“Am I wrong, though?”

He wasn’t. I always worried, it was just my nature. Every time Dad got hurt, I always worried if this would be it; each bullet, each stab wound, each broken bone threatened to be the one that would take him out. Life is never a guarantee, but death seemed to taunt him, dangling the thread of fate in front of his face as a warning. You’re next. Most children don’t think of death often, much less worry about it creeping up on them. We weren’t most children. I don’t remember losing my mom, but when it took Luca, I realized how close it was. Death rode our trail like the dust I kicked up on the dirt roads I ran down. Every time the phone rang, I imagined it was someone calling to tell Vivian “Antonio’s dead. He isn’t coming back for his daughter.” Realistically, there probably wouldn’t even be a phone call. He just wouldn’t come home, and we would know.

I fell forward, burying my face in Jake’s chest. “He used to be so good at it, whatever he did. And smart. Or maybe it was just dumb luck. But now it seems like every time I see him, he’s hurt again. And it scares me.” That last sentence I whispered. It made my heart clench. I pulled away and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “And for once I would like to have a nice conversation, without him threatening my boyfriend’s life.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.” He nudged me toward the door. “Go talk to him. Say what you need to say. I’ll give you some space.”

I sighed. “You know I hate it when you’re right.”

He smirked. “But you love me anyways.”

“I do,” I grumbled as I wrapped my arms around him again. “I really am sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m not going to let him scare me off. Other than threatening to gut me like a fish, I don’t even know what he said.”

“And I absolutely won’t be repeating it.”

“Pft. I’ll get it out of you eventually. But for now, go talk to your dad. I’ll wait for you upstairs.” He planted a kiss on my forehead.

“Thank you, Jake.”

I led him back inside and gave my hand one more reassuring squeeze before parting to walk back upstairs. I waited until I heard the door shut to approach my dad.

He was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, arms crossed, while he spoke quietly to Vivian. They both went silent when they saw me. Vivian didn’t speak; she didn’t have to. She shot me a look that said, “Figure it out,” and left us alone.

I crossed my arms and looked around at anything other than him. In a perfect world, I’d wait for an apology, and we’d make up, but as I mentioned before, my father never apologizes for anything. And maybe it’s my inherited stubbornness, but I certainly wasn’t going to apologize to him; I didn’t do anything wrong. So instead, I would just wait for him to say something that would inevitably piss me off all over again.

“I don’t like him.”

“You don’t like anyone.”

“I don’t think he’s good for you, mija.”

“You don’t even know him. And how would you know what’s good for me, anyways? You haven’t been around enough to know I even had a boyfriend, and we’ve been together for over two years.” He seemed to ponder that for a moment. “Yeah, I haven’t seen you in over four years. Let that sink in.”

“It has to be like that, sometimes. You know that.”

“Still wouldn’t kill you to check in every once in a while, let me know you’re okay.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Clearly someone does!” I gestured toward him and his freshly stitched up bullet wound.

“It isn’t your responsibility, it never was. I taught you to take care of yourself only. And that also means not relying on some bastardo."

“It’s not about relying on anyone. I found someone that makes me happy, happier than I’d been in a long time. I found somebody that I can see myself spending the rest of my life with, and I want that with Jake. He sees me for me, not just some weird, damaged girl with a fucked-up childhood and without an actual family. Shit, even his family made me feel loved. His mother texts me more than you do! So, you don’t get to decide if he’s ‘good’ for me. I love him, dad. I know you know what that’s like because you loved my mom at some point, right?”

His jaw tensed and he avoided my eyes. “Don’t,” he warned.

“Don’t what? Is it so wrong of me to want to talk about her? My entire life you’ve done nothing but shut down when I try.”

“Let it go, Kya.”

“No! Stop fucking shutting me out! I can’t talk about mom; I can’t talk about Luca.” His breath hitched when I said my brother’s name. ���I’m not asking you to be some perfect, therapeutic, emotionally available well of information, because I know that isn’t you. I just… sometimes I just want my dad. I know it hurts to talk about her, just like it hurts me to talk about Luca, but it feels worse to keep everything bottled up like that.” I rubbed my upper arms nervously. “Jake’s the first person I’ve talked to about Luca, outside of Finn or Vivian.” The fact that it was technically Josh I told first was irrelevant to this conversation. There was no need to introduce more strangers to my dad right now.

“Cuanto sabe el?”

He wasn’t just talking about Luca. He wanted to know how much Jake knew about him and his career. “Not much. Not enough for it to be a problem.”

“I don’t-“

“Trust him, I know. But I do, so just maybe you can trust me for now.” For some reason, I felt the need to reiterate, “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

He stayed silent except for the deep breath he took in. He never was great at handling confrontation, at least when it came from me. In his line of work, he could typically deal with it via some kind of violence. He would choose to die before ever hurting me in that way, so that option was off the table. I don’t think he had ever even raised his voice at me. Instead, he’d struggle to find the words until he gave up, shut down, and walked away, leaving me back at square one. I don’t know why I expected anything different tonight.

His expression was unreadable when he looked at me. “You should go get some sleep.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, so you can disappear before I wake up to avoid talking about anything. I’d bet money you won’t even say goodbye.”

It was then that I noticed how tired he looked. The dark circles under his eyes seemed more prominent than I remembered, and the air of arrogance and confidence he normally carried with him almost seemed completely dissipated. I tried not to dwell on it too much, blaming it solely on the late hour, his injury, and the amount of time that had passed since I’d last seen him. He stepped forward, held my face between his palms, and leaned in to kiss my forehead. “We’ll talk in the morning.” And with that, he walked away, leaving me standing in the kitchen, alone and dumbfounded. Did he mean that, or was it just another empty promise that would be broken by morning?

I’m sure it wasn’t for lack of trying to stay up, but Jake had fallen asleep by the time I made it back upstairs. I managed to get back into bed without waking him. I laid there in the dark, listening to his steady breaths until my thoughts finally quieted enough for sleep to take me, too.

~

Jake wasn’t there when I woke up, and the sun pouring in through the curtains seemed exceptionally bright. I checked the time on my phone and groaned; it was almost noon. I forced myself out of bed, and after a quick shower made my way downstairs.

“Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence.” Vivian was bustling around in the kitchen, cleaning things up as she went. Jake was helping prepare lunch. He smiled sweetly and greeted me good morning.

“Sorry, guess I just really needed that beauty sleep. I… oh, hello.” I didn’t notice her at first, the unfamiliar face sitting at the table. She was quiet, and I imagine really good at making herself seem small. Dirty blonde curls hung messily in her face, nearly concealing her eyes. She couldn’t have been more than 14 or 15. She had significant bruising on her wrists and neck, giving me an idea of what she went through, and also letting me know she hadn’t been here very long. “I’m Kya.” I kept my voice low and movements slow as I introduced myself and sat at the table.

She didn’t panic and bolt up the stairs to safety, so that was a good sign, but she avoided my eyes. “Sara,” she whispered.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sara.” In my experience and based on all the trauma this girl had obviously been through, it was better to let her come to me and call the shots. She would talk when she was ready, and nobody liked forced conversation and small talk. I glanced around the kitchen and into the living room, not sure what I was looking for or what to expect.

“He hasn’t left yet,” Vivian said. She never missed a beat. “He’s outside, I think. After you eat, you can go find him.” I wondered if dad had said anything to her about our conversation the night before.

Jake waited until we had a minute alone after lunch to ask how things went last night.

“About as good as I expected, I guess. In other words, I got absolutely nowhere.”

“Well, he didn’t threaten my life when I saw him this morning, so maybe you made some progress.”

“I’m shocked,” I laughed and rolled my eyes. “He said we could talk more today, so I’m gonna go corner him and see if I can’t hold him to that. Before he disappears again.”

“You’ve got this, babe. And I’m sure Vivian will find something to keep me busy with.”

“She absolutely will,” I grinned, hugging him and stealing a kiss before venturing out to find my dad.

At the northernmost edge of the property, there was a trunk from an old oak tree laid across the ground. That tree had been there before any of us, like an ancient forest spirit watching over the land it casted shadows across. Then one night when I was eight, a storm rolled through. I remember being fascinated by the flashes of lightning and rolling thunder, harmonizing with the heavy pelting of rain against the windows. We lit a bunch of candles after the power went out. Most kids would have been afraid. Finn hated storms when we were kids; he would hide in the closet until it passed. But I thought it was beautiful. I liked to think the sky sent the rain to clean the earth up a little, and that it would wash away all the bad stuff that haunted us.

It was during that storm the oak tree decided it had enough, and it couldn’t fight to stay strong anymore. It shook the entire house when it fell, shook it so hard I thought there was an earthquake. The next morning, while we surveyed the damage, I studied the splintered wood and the torn roots sticking up from the soil, and I felt… sad. I remember putting my hand on the rough bark and apologizing like it was a person. “I’m sorry it got too hard.” I didn’t understand at the time how much I would relate that oak tree to Luca, and eventually my mother, too.

My dad was seated on the fallen trunk, like we did often as kids. Luca spent a lot of time there; I think the sounds of the woods quieted the noises in his mind. I took a seat next to my dad, waiting to see if it would quiet my mind, too.

“He has an accent.”

That was a weird way to start a line of questioning about Jake, but I’d play ball. “He’s from Michigan.”

“How did you find him?”

“He came into Richie’s shop.”

Dad let out an exasperated sign. “Don’t tell me he’s a musician.”

“He is, and he’s a very good one. He plays guitar for a band. They have three albums and play sold out shows all over the world.”

“That isn’t a real job. It isn’t stable-“

“And working for a drug cartel is?”

“Kya,” he started. “I only want you to be taken care of.”

“He takes plenty good care of me,” I huffed. My next words came out before I could stop them. “Did my mom know what you do, who you are? Or did you shut her out, too?”

The silence that followed was deafening. I didn’t expect an answer, much less any kind of explanation, but after what felt like an eternity, he spoke. “Yes, she knew everything. I never told you how we met, have I?”

I stared at him, wide-eyed and confused. Who even are you right now? “No, you never told me much of anything.”

“She killed a man.” I’m sorry, what? “A preacher that was hurting children.” I didn’t need any clarification on what that meant. “I was in custody when they brought her in. She fought them every step of the way. She wasn’t afraid, and she was full of fire. I was intrigued, so when I left, I took her with me.”

“How’d you get her out?” I’m sure the details were nothing good. Richie once told me that when my dad was younger, he would let himself get arrested on purpose, just to see how long it would take for him to get out again. It was all a game to him. At least, it was before he became a father, and everything changed. When I first read ‘No Country for Old Men,’ I swore Cormac McCarthy wrote it about my father. Even the names were similar.

To answer my question, he said, “It was a different time in a small town, and much easier than it is now.” And he was good at running from the law.

“Did you… kidnap her?” I asked through narrowed eyes. I don’t know why I asked. I know he had done a lot of bad things, but I didn’t really think he would have done that. He was a criminal, a killer, but he had some morals.

He chuckled, an actual laugh. This was so surreal. Maybe these years apart changed him somehow. “No one could make your mother do anything she didn’t want to do. You’re a lot like her in that regard. She could have left whenever she wanted, but she chose to stay.” He sighed sadly. “She was a good mother, and she loved you.”

Now why did he have to go and say that? My eyes welled up with tears and I looked away to hide them. “What happened to her? I’ve only ever been told she got sick,” I whispered, barely audible. The quiet that followed made me wonder if he even heard me. I thought I’d cut my losses and be grateful for what he did give me, but then he surprised me once again.

“She did, and I couldn’t… she was sick, like Luca.”

I didn’t expect that, and I was suddenly feeling extremely nauseous. “How did she…?”

“It doesn’t matter how.”

“Tell me.” I’m not sure why I needed to know so badly. Knowing the gory details wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring her back. But still I pushed him until he caved. This was the most progress I’d made with him my entire life; I didn’t want to give up yet. “Please, just tell me what happened to her.”

He took a deep breath and straightened his spine, steeling himself. “She drowned. Whitecap in Corpus Christi. She went out into the ocean and kept going, until she couldn’t get back. She let the waves take her.”

My head was spinning now, and I had more questions but couldn’t figure out how to ask them. As the quiet settled between us again, my mind started to wander down a darker path, one of anger. He knew. He knew mom was sick, he saw what it did to her, and yet he still abandoned Luca when he was in trouble. He let this happen, left me to deal with it alone.

“Did you see it happen?” I asked, not waiting for his response. “Because I saw Luca die. I saw it happen right in front of me and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him. I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t… why weren’t you here?”

“You’re strong, Kya. You always have been. You didn’t need me.”

“I was a kid for fuck’s sake! I was a kid who just watched her brother die, and who needed her dad! But you weren’t there.”

He clenched his jaw but didn’t respond. I didn’t expect him to say he was sorry or feed me some line of bullshit about wishing he could go back and do things differently. Every single choice he made in his life was thought-out and meticulous. It’s just that most of those decisions were made for him, not anyone else. I know he cared about me, on some level, in his own backwards way, but he made it so easy to be angry with him, to blame him for all the shitty, horrible things that happened to me.

The last thing I wanted was for him to see me cry. I spared him one last glance, one more opportunity to say something, before standing to walk away. I’d only gotten a few steps when he called my name. I stopped but refused to turn around and face him again.

“I am proud of you, Kya, who you’ve grown up to be. She would be proud, too.”

I squeezed my eyes shut to fight the onslaught of tears. It didn’t help, and his words did nothing to take the pain away. He didn’t try to stop me as I continued the trek back to the house.

By the time I made it back, I forced myself to stop crying but I’m sure I’d rubbed my eyes raw. Vivian was outside doing some work in her garden. She saw me as I walked by, but she didn’t say anything. She knew how conversations with my father usually ended; she was used to the tears.

I found Jake in the living room, seated on the floor by the coffee table, playing a board game with Sara. It surprised me to see her not only opting to sit in here with a man she didn’t know, but also letting herself have fun. It wasn’t lost on me that there was no way in hell Vivian would have left them alone if she didn’t trust Jake.

I watched them for a minute, how he seemed to connect with her so easily. She clearly felt some sense of safety with him, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. He made her laugh so effortlessly, like it came naturally to him. He’s going to make a good dad, someday.

When Jake realized I was there, he beamed at me. “Hey! Wanna join us for a game? We-“ His face fell once he got a good look at me and how red my eyes were. He pulled himself off the floor and came to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” I offered a weak smile. Part of me just wanted to take a nap; I was emotionally exhausted. But I didn’t want to worry him, so I sucked it up and pulled myself together. “I’ll tell you later, I promise. For now, I’ll take you up on the offer. What are we playing?”

~

Things were bittersweet when the time came to make our departure. We were ready to get home, but I always missed West Virginia when I was gone. It was my first real home and would always have a special place in my heart, even when I was hundreds of miles away.

Vivian was never big on heartfelt goodbyes, so she made it short and sweet. “Drive safe. And don’t forget to come back one day, ya hear?” Even Sara waved her quiet goodbye from the safety of the porch.

My dad, of course, left sometime in the middle of the night. I tried to push down the hurt; he didn’t bother to tell anyone he was leaving. What a surprise. Our conversation was still fresh in my mind, creating newly opened wounds I would need to work through. But as always, I would push it down, and bottle it up, at least until I saw him again in a few years.

I gripped Jake’s hand as I said a silent farewell to the memories that filled this place.

TAGLIST

Let me know if you want to be added!

@hollyco @fleetingjake @musicislove3389