#good news: now ive got a tag for that I can start telling y’all about my various fibercraft endeavours

[athymelyreply]

ok so I have covid (not a fun time, currently quarantined) and i need to get sleep, however I’m also literally one thumb away from finishing my first glove out of two and I cannot get myself to sleep if I don’t finish that

but to finish the glove I have to stop scrolling tumblr which my brain doesn’t want me to do :(((

[wing-ed-thing]

Click (Part IV: Rock Lee)

Synopsis: You invited everyone out to dinner. You also audibly clicked. People had opinions about this.

Word Count: 2,228

Warnings/Tags: Attempt at Humor, Fem!Reader

Part I: Shikamaru, Part II: Shino, Part III: Neji, Part IV: Rock Lee , Part V: Naruto, Part VI: Kiba, FINALE, The Message in Click

Notes: Come get y’all juice! For all of y’all who only like this series for Shikamaru, I can safely say that he will make an appearance in all six (6) parts. I don’t know why I always write Ino and Kiba as jerks when I need them, but I’ll be writing some much deserved love for them soon!

Rock Lee felt completely and utterly mortified. Absolutely destroyed beyond any reasonable measure. In fact, he might as well have curled up right there in the dirt right where he stood. He stared, wide eyed, tears near brimming in his waterline.

“You a-are, you are serious, Shikamaru?”

Shikamaru’s hand draped across his face, pulling at the skin below his eye. He glanced around in search for a way out of the conversation he got roped into, but to no avail. He would definitely need a smoke after this. Shikamaru huffed, shifting his weight to his back leg.

“Well, yeah, but it’s really not a big deal though Le-”

“I missed our dear friend’s birthday! Oh, Shikamaru, how will she ever forgive me?” Lee lunged forward, grasping at the shadow-user’s hands in desperation. Shikamaru nearly toppled over. He held out his wrists in front of his body, an effort to keep Lee at bay.

Shikamaru couldn’t help the helpless expression that crinkled his brow. Afterall, this was his own fault. He should have known that bringing up your birthday to Lee could only end in disaster. He didn’t even mean to mention it, it just slipped out before Shikamaru could completely foresee the consequences.

“I’m sure she’s already forgiven you.” Shikamaru reassured the practically melting ninja in front of him. Lee shook his head wildly from side to side.

“No! I must rectify this!” Lee exclaimed, eyes flaming.

Before Shikamaru could say anything, Lee bolted off. Shikamaru sighed, hand retreating into his pockets. Unfortunately, he was someone else’s problem now.

***

“How could you not tell me?” Lee cried, a stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. A contrite look of complete and utter sorrow overtook his face. Neji and Tenten looked at their teammate blankly, unsure as to what exactly it was that they were supposed to do.

“Tell you…?” Tenten waved her hand in a circular motion in front of her. Lee nearly burst into tears as he cried your name loudly.

“Why did you not tell me that her birthday was yesterday?!” Tenten stiffened, diverting her eyes down to the side. She clenched her teeth, eyes widening. Neji paid no attention, but per usual frowned anyway.

“Did you really call a team meeting to talk about this?” He questioned flatly. Tenten crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling very small.

“I-” She drew out the syllable. “-didn’t know about all that. About the birthday thing...”

“I did not either!” Lee exclaimed, lunging at Tenten for a supportive hug. She quickly dodged out of the way.

“I did.” Neji put promptly, crossing his arms as well. Tenten turned to him in surprise.

“You did?” She asked, still fending off an energetic Lee. Neji’s scowl deepened.

“Yes, why else did you think she was asking everyone to come to dinner with her?” Tenten’s lips formed a line. Her thumb repeatedly brushed over a patch of skin on her upper arm.

“D-doesn’t she do that all the time though?” She chuckled nervously, the rubbing becoming more frequent. Neji scoffed.

“Please, Tenten. Did you see the dress she was wearing? There’s n-” Neji stopped. He cleared his throat, moving his hands to his hips as he looked up. He hoped that the slight tint of red would quickly drain from his cheeks. “I mean, she was obviously dressed for a special occasion.”

“A very special occasion indeed!” Lee declared, oblivious. “I guess it is better late than never to get a birthday present!” He looked at his two teammates with expectation.

“I’m not too sure that’s necessary since a day has already passed. It might be a slap in the face ‘cause you’re practically telling her that you forgot her birthday when it mattered. I think she’ll understand if you just leave it.” Tenten let out another anxious laugh. Her heel made circles in the dirt. “I didn’t get her anything. Neji didn’t either, right, Neji?” Neji quirked a brow.

“I did, actually.” Lee shouted at the statement as his hands came up to his face. Tenten stared up at the Hyūga.

“You did?”

“What did you get her?” Neji tilted his head up again, inwardly cursing his fair and pale complexion.

“None of your business.” He glowered.

“Then I will ask around to see what everyone else got her!”

And before either teammate could say anything, Lee was gone. Tenten tapped her foot, looking into the distance after Lee.

“It’s not like I knew it was her birthday.” She pouted.

“You still blew her off.” Neji muttered. Tenten pivoted quickly.

“So did you!” She pointed a finger before throwing her hands in the air. “We always blow her off ‘cause-” Neji held up a hand.

“Correction. I almost blew her off.” It didn’t seem physically possible, but his frown deepened. “It’s true that she hardly shuts up, but she’s actually… quite kind.”

***

Much to the fortune of Lee (and the misfortune of his new victims), he found Team Seven and the rest of Team Ten together. Ino and Sakura chatted animatedly together as Naruto and Choji brainstormed their plan of attack on the local eateries of Konoha. And Sai, well... Sai liked to be included.

Lee landed in front of the group causing the two women to nearly knock him out where he stood. If there was one thing that none of the Konoha 12 could ever get used to, it was Rock Lee’s random appearances from random places. It was a stealth undetectable by the sharingan and unseen on missions. Truly a phenomenon. He screamed something incoherent, per usual. Ino stumbled back.

“Lee!” Sakura scolded, eyes closed as she tried to compose herself from the scare. Steam poured from her nostrils. “What did we tell you about appearing out of nowhere?” She seethed. Ino marched up to the taijutsu user.

“Someone better have died for you to make an entrance like that. I swear, Rock Lee, I swear.” Lee sheepishly scratched the back of his head, bowing shallowly in apology.

“I apologize. I report no deaths. I simply have a question of the utmost urgency!”

Naruto peered over the shoulder of his teammate.

“What’s going on?” He questioned. Sai had already appeared by Ino.

Once again, Lee screeched your name aloud abruptly, causing the group to jump in surprise.

“I completely forgot to get her a birthday present!” Lee announced and his fellow ninja tilted their heads in varying degrees of confusion. Lee blinked, waiting for a larger reaction. His knees bent, hands held out with palms facing upward. “You know? For her birthday. Yesterday.”

The lot exchanged looks, wide eyes and circular lips abound.

“That… explains a lot.” Choji cringed, for one letting his bag of chips lower. Lee looked on in confusion at his ninja pals, not understanding the same pained looks that Tenten wore earlier. Sai leaned forward.

“Eh… the day of one’s birth is typically celebrated, correct?” He whispered, but Naruto immediately waved him off. Sakura exhaled forcefully and put a finger up to her lips.

“I assume that she invited the rest of you out?” She squinted one of her eyes, seeming almost afraid to ask. A pause.

“Yep...”

“Eh, yeah...”

“Yes, she did.”

“Uh-huh…”

Sakura crossed her arms, letting her head bow. Both of her eyes clenched shut now.

“And…” She started. “Everyone ignored her to go out with Kiba?”

A chorus of confirmation echoed around her. She cursed to herself under her breath, head snapping up towards the sky as her hands moved to her hips. Sakura shifted to one side as she sighed. Lee continued to watch on in puzzlement. Sakura covered her face, groaning.

“Do any of you have ideas for a gift?” He asked enthusiastically, but was ignored. The four ninja were simply too wrapped up in their own world and Sai, well… Sai just didn’t have a good idea.

“If I had known, I would’ve gone.” Sakura exhaled.

“Yeah, me too.” Naruto huffed. Ino and Choji remained quiet, exchanging looks between themselves. Sai looked on, expressionless.

“Well…” Ino pursed her lips. She took a deep inhale. “C’mon, are we really making a big deal out of this?” Lee’s brows furrowed together.

“Of course! It is a big deal! We forgot our comrade’s birthday and we-”

“Can I say what everyone’s thinking right now?” Lee paused. Ino looked around. “I don’t really think it’s a big deal.” She shrugged and crossed her arms.

“What do you mean?” Lee exclaimed, hands waving rapidly. Sai cleared his throat.

“Well,” Sai prompted with a smile. “It’s not like any of you liked her anyway.” Naruto widened his eyes in shock. His jaw dropped lightly.

“What?” He gritted, turning to Sai and grabbing him roughly by his collar. “Why would you say something like that?”

“No, no.” Choji cut in, stepping in between the two. “I hear what he’s saying. There’s no point in feeling guilty. Like let’s be honest here, it’s not like any of us were really her friends. Like really, Naruto, can you name a time that you actually talked?”

It went quiet. Lee had since lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes.

“I should be going now.” And with that, he disappeared before anyone could say otherwise.

Naruto stared blankly at the spot Lee stood, lost in thought and pensive. Sakura’s green eyes flickered from the spot to Naruto’s face to his clench fist. She motioned for their three friends to continue onward. Choji opened his mouth to interject, but Ino pulled him swiftly away. Sai followed behind. Sakura put a tentative hand on his shoulder. Naruto shrugged her hand away.

“Naruto,” She spoke softly. “We’ll make it up to her, okay? Don’t beat yourself up.” Naruto shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Sakura. I gotta go.” Sakura called after him as he left, but didn’t chase after him. She knew better.

***

Rock Lee found you just as you were exiting the market. He jumped down in front of you, though you could hardly tell that it was him. Petals blocked your vision completely as he thrust the bouquet in your face. You recognized his voice.

“Happy belated birthday! Please forgive me!” You peered over the flora. Lee bowed deeply at the waist in front of you. He gripped the stems with both hands, stretching his arms out past his head. You gingerly took them from his grasp.

“Oh, thank you, Lee.” You blinked. “What are these for?” Lee struck another dramatic pose.

“Please accept these flowers as my sincerest apology!” You peered down at them, taking in their sweet scent. You brushed over the stems with your fingers, slowly piecing everything together in your mind. You looked back to Lee, whose determined eyes trained on yours. A smile broke out across your lips. A laugh fell from them.

“Lee, you’re so silly!” You giggled and for yet another time that day, Lee was once again very confused. You clicked happily. “This is too much, you really didn’t have to get me flowers.”

“It was the least I could do! Please, allow me to continue making up for forgetting your birthday!” You rocked on your heels, grin wide.

“Well since you missed dinner yesterday, how about you join me for dinner right now?” You offered, not intending to take him up on his offer for the some-odd punishment he likely had in mind. “Come on! Let’s get these flowers in water.”

Lee gladly followed you, and so, you led the way home.

Lee was sure that he had seen most everyone’s apartments, but he most definitely didn’t recognize yours. It appeared more like an elongated closet than any studio apartment he’d ever seen. As soon as you opened the door, Lee could see straight through your kitchenette into your bed area. A small table sat in between the two spaces. A door, which he assumed was the bathroom, existed to the right. He could tell that it was also small simply by the slimness of the doorframe. The memory of his earlier conversation with Team Seven and Ten flashed across his memory. Perhaps he didn’t know you as much as he thought… or liked for that matter. You didn’t notice his momentary dip in energy.

You slipped off your shoes at the mat by the entrance and Lee followed suit, closing the door as he did so. You padded across the small kitchen and plucked open one of your cabinets to reveal a small, glass vase.

“Um…” You turned to look over your shoulder as you filled the container. “You can take a seat. Table or my bed, whichever is comfier!” Lee eyed the basket full of ingredients from the market that rested on the small counter. You placed the vase on the table.

“Surely you are not planning to cook for me.” Disappointment flooded your eyes. Your shoulders dropped. You fiddled with your pants.

“Well, uh… I mean I was. Is that a problem?”

“No!” Lee answered with a certain amount of urgency. “But I should be the one to make dinner for you, not the other way around.”

“You cook, Lee?” You clicked. “You should join me!”

But Lee did not cook. He often tried but for whatever reason, he could never seem to make it work. Nonetheless, that didn’t curb his enthusiasm.

“Yes! I would very much enjoy that!”

He joined you in the kitchen. The flowers sat on the table.

Notes: It’s not entirely from Rock Lee’s point of view, but tired to sprinkle in some language that reflected how I thought he’d think. Good jokes? I thought I wrote at least one banger line 😂

Thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged, and followed. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

[drawlfoy]

Wonders of Ohio P.10

masterlist request guidelines

pairing: draco x reader

request: no way 

summary: american high school senior y/n y/l/n is in for a surprise when her british exchange student is a little...odd. 

warnings (AYO please pay attention to these this time it’s not just swearing): swearing, underage drinking (no i do not condone this ig), beginning elements of smut but def not too explicit, i think you can consider it dubcon ?? if both people are drunk bc i don’t think you can actually consent if youre drunk (plz rest assured tho they are both 18 hehe)

a/n: “hey where did this come from” yeah so hey yall ive never written such an intense scene before but i’ve spent so much time w these characters that i decided i kind of had to. there’s no like...real sex in this and i don’t imagine that i’d describe it in this much detail if i ever decided to write it but um.. anyways. i hope y’all enjoy. thanks for suffering for this long ! i hope i’ve made it worth it 

word count: 4k

music recs: 

cloud 9 -- beach bunny

the adults are talking -- the strokes

anything from the strokes tbh 

tags ! :) @gruffle1 @missmulti @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell @writeandtranslate @erisdogwood @loveissupernatural @sycathorn-slush @big-galaxy-chaos

“Thank fucking god for the generator,” said Y/N as she flew around the kitchen, banging pots and pans together in her quest to make New Year’s Eve breakfast. Draco was sitting, unamused and completely silent, at the table. They’d been snowed in for a few days now with her parents nowhere near able to make it to the suburbs. For some reason, the entire city of Cincinnati had decided that the day before Christmas was the best time to schedule maintenance on literally every single one of their plows. “Can you imagine living here without heat? Or power? I’d die.”

Draco hummed in response. A glance over confirmed that he was deep in thought, a scarlet colored letter clutched firmly in his hand (hello, Nathaniel Hawthorne). Jealousy curdled inside of her as her thoughts turned to a dark place--it was Pansy, that Pansy Parkinson. 

Knowing her intuition, she was probably his grandmother or something. Why else would she have written so many letters?

After she finished plating all of the pancakes, she allowed herself to sneak a peek at the envelope. 

Astoria Greengrass

She frowned. Astoria? She’d never seen that name before. 

“What is this?” asked Draco as he picked up his fork to poke at the pancake on his plate.

Y/N’s jaw dropped. “Have you never had a pancake before?”

“A pancake?” He gave his plate a stern look. “It looks...like a soggy pastry.”

“Fuck you, I made that,” responded Y/N. “Try it with butter and maple syrup. And then tell me it’s a soggy pastry.”

She took out her fork and knife, demonstrating very clearly what she meant as she spread butter over the top of her pancake. She’d learned that Draco was too proud to ask what she meant when she introduced him to American/muggle foods--the last time he tried to deduce something himself, he ended up pouring ketchup over the top of his hamburger bun instead of actually putting it on the patty. 

A sense of satisfaction flowed into her as she saw him follow suit, spreading the warmed butter and dipping a cut piece in syrup. He raised it to his lips, taking a delicate bite.

“Americans really have this for breakfast?”

“Yeah…is something wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just…” He grimaced. “This isn’t breakfast. This is dessert food.”

“God, your life must be so sad back home,” said Y/N. “What does your family make you eat--just straight unbuttered bread under the guise of it being a real breakfast food? Do they let you dip it in your unsweetened, weak tea if you’re good?”

He scoffed. “You have no idea how I live back at home.”

“And, judging from this conversation, I don’t have any desire to know any more.”

They ate in silence for the next few minutes. Y/N smiled when she saw Draco reach for a second pancake.

“Two desserts? Draco, I know it’s New Year’s, but don’t get too off the hinges,” she teased. 

He rolled his eyes, but she could tell her was fighting back a smile. “Speaking of which, how do you celebrate New Year’s?”

Draco looked up and met her eyes. “Sorry?”

“How do you celebrate tonight? With your family or your friends, or your...whatever.” The cold reality of the fact that she did not really know if he was dating someone back home set in.

“Oh, I don’t usually. It’s not really a big thing in the magical community,” he mused, unaware of her sudden panic.

“Well,” she said. “I always celebrate New Year’s with my friends. I didn’t tell you this sooner because I didn’t think that you were going to be here, but I’m kind of hosting a party here tonight. With anyone who can walk here.”

“Oh.” He took a sip of his tea. “Will it be like the Halloween party at Sylvia’s?”

“What do you mean?” She smiled. “Do you mean, will there be drinking?”

He shrugged in response, avoiding eye contact.

“There definitely can be,” she continued, her smile widening. “Last year we played this dumb drinking game over this card game--if you lost, you took a shot. It was fun. We could do that again.”

She settled down to eat, digging into two of the pancakes. They were really good--she wasn’t Gordon Ramsay by any means, but she did breakfast food pretty well. But at the mention of her friends, a realization hit her. “Oh. Draco?”

He raised an eyebrow and met her eyes.

“Um, can I tell you something?” 

He dipped his head in recognition while Y/N cleared her throat.

“So, um, I forgot about this,” she began, “but while you were gone, I kind of had to scramble to figure out what to tell everyone about why we were avoiding each other before you left. And why you left so suddenly and why I didn’t know.”

He was still watching her in curious silence. 

“So, I really didn’t want to slip up or say anything about...you.” Y/N paused to take a sip of her tea, deciding to not try to look at Draco again. “So I decided to tell Sylvia and Lizzy that I told you my feelings for you and you didn’t return them.”

A clang startled her enough to look up. Draco was staring, completely frozen. His fork had fallen into the syrup on his plate, handle and all.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“I mean, oh, fuck. Um.” She smiled at him, hoping it was going to distract from her audible stumble. “Obviously, I made it all up. I mean, both sides! But what’s important is that they bought it, and now they’re probably going to give you a little shit for not liking me ‘back’. So I’m sorry about that.”

“Made it all up, huh?” His voice had a surprisingly teasing lilt. 

“Yes, that is in fact what I said,” she responded, hoping that her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt hot.

“Is it really now?” 

“Draco!” 

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll be back. I need a new fork.”

“Just wipe off the handle of the one you have now--Draco, why are you getting up? Stop!”

~ 

To her disappointment, none of her friends were able to show. Sylvia and Lizzy made a concerted effort to try and convince their family to let them brave the walk, but once another flurry started up outside, it was hopeless. Her face turned pink whenever she thought about the fact that she hadn’t even needed to tell Draco the thing that made her slip up in the first place. 

Y/N, disappointed but not surprised, told Draco that she still wanted to celebrate, even if it was just with him. He’d snorted at this--asking her why she made it seem like such a burden--but once she produced a yellow glass bottle and a deck of cards and told him she bet that she was going to beat his sorry ass, he caved.

She started with a heavy lead, but once Draco learned the rules and strategies of the slightly convoluted Go Fish game, he proved to be a worthy match. They played until around 11:45 when the bottle was about 3/4 full and Y/N was feeling the pleasant warmth of being slightly intoxicated. Once she noticed the time, she threw her cards on the table. 

“Let’s watch the ball drop,” Y/N said with no further explanation, even when Draco looked to her for one. She grabbed the bottle and his hand, pulling him up the stairs to her room. The remote control for her TV was a struggle to find--it was all the way tucked back in her nightstand drawer--but thankfully the channel was already set. 

“You forgot the cups,” Draco said, staring down at the opened bottle held in his hand.

“You can get them if you want,” she managed.

“You should! You forgot them.”

“Too far,” she whined, flopping to lean back on her pillows while Draco followed suit. His hair smelled like peppermint. Without much more thought, she moved close enough that their shoulders were touching. He didn’t move away--instead, he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a drink directly. 

“Your New Year’s traditions are weird as fuck,” he murmured as he watched Savannah Guthrie on the screen. He didn’t have to speak very loud for her to hear him, and it seemed like he knew this.

“Oh, you haven’t even heard it all yet,” said Y/N. “We’ve got a tradition to kiss someone going into the New Year. New Year’s kiss, I guess. I’m sure you can imagine the kind of drama that creates.”

“What d’you mean?”

“You don’t have to be dating to kiss someone, sometimes people just...do it. As friends.” Y/N reached over to the bottle and took a swig herself, feeling the warmth trickle down her throat.

“Take it easy,” he tutted, pulling the bottle away from her before taking another drink himself. 

“Hey! Says you!”

“Because I can actually hold my liquor well,” he teased, giving her a shove.

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“You just kept getting worse and worse at whatever that game was,” he told her matter-of-factly.

“Give it here,” she said, reaching across his chest to where he was holding the bottle, out and above his head. She hoped he couldn’t tell how much this side of him filled her with glee. “That’s not fair!”

“Not fair, huh?” He raised an eyebrow and met her eyes as he held it up even further into the air. His voice was startlingly low. “So what are you gonna do about it?”

Before she could muster up a response, the TV began playing the audio for the New Year’s Countdown.

10!

Y/N wasn’t sure if she was supposed to answer--or if he was just...flirting?

9!

He managed to set the bottle on her nightstand without taking his eyes off of her.

8!

The hand she had used to reach across him with was now pressed into his side of the bed, supporting her as she hovered over him.

7!

Without moving any part of her body, she dared to glance at his parted lips.

6!

Maybe telling him about the kiss tradition was a stupid idea.

5!

His hand, warm and soft,  reached up to brush a piece of hair away from her cheekbone. 

4! 

His fingers lingered on the outline of her jaw.

3!

2!

1!

He was kissing her before the cheers from the TV even had the chance to bounce around the room, both hands cupping her face and pulling her in so desperately that it took her breath away.

Her hands found his shoulders, then the back of his neck, and then, eventually his hair. It was just as soft as she imagined it to be. They started out innocently enough--closed mouth kisses and only their hands touching each other above the shoulders--but once she tugged on his hair (mostly by accident) something...shifted. 

Suddenly he was on top of her, and suddenly her leg was wrapped around him as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. It occurred to her that this was no longer just a New Year’s kiss. He tasted of lemon and sugar--and was notably better at what he was doing than any of the people she’d kissed before. Or maybe it was the alcohol clouding her judgement. Regardless, she liked whatever was going on. His hands had drifted from her face to her neck to her hair to her shoulder, gently tracing the outline of her bra strap. She brushed her hand down his chest, pulling gently at the collar on his shirt. Only when his leg pressed up into her and her breath hitched did she realize the weight of their situation.

The way he pulled away to hover over her signaled that he’d had the same revelation, his eyes wide as he stared down at her. “Um…”

“Yeah?” Dread crept into her despite the pleasant haze she was in. 

He swallowed, hard. “I can’t believe I did that.”

Draco was on the other side of the bed in seconds, wringing his hands and keeping his eyes fixed on her floor. “Oh, my god, I can’t believe I did that. I’m sorry. I’m drunk and I’m not thinking straight. I’m so sorry.”

“Is something wrong?” She didn’t know if he wanted her to touch him, but she wanted so badly to place a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Did you not want...it?”

He scoffed and turned his gaze up to the ceiling. “I had too much to drink. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Y/N felt the blood drain from her face as she fell back on the bed.

That’s all it was. A drunken mistake. 

Tears pricked at her eyes as she surveyed her options. Despite the fact that she was drunk off her ass, she knew she couldn’t just tell him to leave without making her feelings clear. She never explicitly told him that she wanted him and it wasn’t like she moaned his name or anything--thank god--but what other option did she have? She didn’t want to cry in front of him, and if he stayed in her room any longer he would without a doubt witness her alcohol induced cry fest. 

NBC finally switched to ads, and Y/N granted herself permission to mourn the fact that Flo from Progressive would forever be ruined for her. 

It was dark enough for her to quickly reach up and wipe her eyes undetected, granting her enough confidence to sit up and look at him directly. “You don’t get to just...kiss me like that. I hope you know that.”

“I know,” he said. His hands were clasped tightly together and rested on his nose. “Fuck. Of course I know.”

“But you can tell me you meant it to be just as friends,” she told him, hoping he couldn’t see how hard she was fighting back a new wave of tears. 

“As friends,” he repeated, his tone flat. 

“As friends,” she said. 

“I don’t think either of us are daft enough to believe that.” 

Her stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe things are different in America, but I don’t see you doing that sort of thing with Lizzy.”

“We can forget about this. It’s fine. I know you regret it.”

He exhaled, his breath long and shaky. “I didn’t stop because I regretted it.”

“Then why did you?”

“Because…”

“Is it because I’m a muggle?” His silence was everything she needed for an answer. “Okay. I had a feeling.”

“Y/N, it’s not like...I don’t know how to explain it.” He still wouldn’t make eye contact with her. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“About what?” 

“About this!” he said, dramatically gesturing to her. “About everything!”

“I don’t understand.” The tears began pricking in the corners of her eyes again despite her best efforts. 

Draco finally looked at her. She was shocked by how genuinely distressed he looked--the last time he looked at her like this, she’d been laying on the ground outside of the antique sore. “I don’t expect you to.”

His tone was low, careful. He was holding back.

“Can you just tell me how you feel about me, then? Just so I know?”

“It’s not that--” He stopped himself, sucking in another breath before he continued. “I shouldn’t. It’s not right of me.” He groaned, flopping onto his back and covering his face. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Hey,” Y/N said, reaching out to awkwardly pat his shoulder. “I meant it when I said that we could just forget about it. We’re friends, Draco. Just friends. I know you didn’t mean it. Let’s just pretend this never happened, ok?”

He was quiet for a bit before responding. “Did you...want me to kiss you? Did I make you uncomfortable?”

“Uncomfortable?”

“As in, did you want me to stop?”

“Oh.” Y/N cracked her knuckles. “You didn’t violate me if you’re asking to gauge how guilty you should be.” 

“I’m glad to hear that, but that’s not why I’m asking.”

“Okay,” she said simply. He was still laying in her bed, and she hated the fact that her bed was going to smell like him until she washed everything. 

“So?” He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t answer.”

“We’re friends, Draco.” She sent him a weak smile as she repeated her previous sentiment. “I trust you, so you didn’t make me uncomfortable.” 

She was aware of the fact that her sentence didn’t exactly track, but she wasn’t particularly concerned with the literary quality of her speech.

“That still doesn’t answer my other question.”

“I…” She felt her throat dry up. “I want--I wanted you to kiss me. I’ve wanted you to kiss me for a while now.” 

At this, he finally sat up and looked her in the eyes. She thought she could see the briefest glint of relief pass over his face before he managed to rein it back to a neutral expression.

“Did you want to kiss me?”

“I was the one who kissed you, not the other way around, yeah?”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” she snipped, hoping he caught on to her mocking. She’d missed sparring with him. 

“Yes, I kissed you because I wanted to, not for some weird ulterior motive,” he responded, rolling his eyes despite the fact that his cheeks were clearly very pink, even in her dimly lit room. “Though I agree it’s best if we just stayed friends.”

“Yeah.” She felt her face fall, but she managed to catch it before she looked too devastated. “It’s all water under the bridge. Now we know not to drink together again.”

“That too.” He shifted, clearing his throat before making eye contact with her again with an uncharacteristically soft expression. “But the damage is already done, I suppose?”

“I suppose,” she echoed. “You wanted to kiss me? Actually?”

“Should we really talk about this? After what we just said about staying friends?”

“We’re going to feel regret tomorrow morning no matter what we do now, “ said Y/N. “Might as well.”

He smiled one of his rare smiles--the ones where his eyes went all soft and he dipped his head to hide it. “Yes. I really do. Want to kiss you, that is.”

“I really want you to kiss me,” she blurted out before slapping her hand over her mouth in shock. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” 

His smile morphed into more of a smirk as he crept closer, his hand resting on top of her knee. “So can I do it again?”

“Draco…” She sighed.

“The damage is already done,” he repeated as he reached his hand up to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear, his fingers dragging down her neck. The smug look that formed on his face after she drew a quick breath in confirmed that he knew what he was doing, that fucker. “You said it yourself--we’re just friends.”

“I’m going to hate myself in the morning if I say yes.”

 Draco’s hand drifted over her jaw, his thumb pausing to trace over her bottom lip. “You can hate me instead.” 

This time, it didn’t surprise her so much when he leaned in. He was notably less desperate, taking time to draw breaths in between kisses and lacing his fingers through hers, squeezing. Once he seemed satisfied, he lifted her chin and brushed the hair away from her neck, kissing down from her jaw to her collarbone. She shivered, and he drew her closer by wrapping his arms around her until she was sitting on his lap.

“Wow, you’re such a good friend, Draco,” she managed to joke. She could feel the smirk that formed on his lips as it passed over her clavicle.

 “Shut up.” His teeth grazed over her delicate skin before he sucked, eliciting a gasp from her. She could feel him smile again. 

His hands teased the bottom hemline of her sweater, his fingers tangling in the fabric but not moving it. She sucked in a breath, feeling his hands ghost over her skin. 

“Are you okay with…”

“Yes!” The answer came out much quicker than she would’ve liked, but the grin on Draco’s face made it completely worth the momentary embarrassment as he helped her out of the thick cable-knit sweater. “Now is your chance to dote on me and tell me how beautiful I am. As a friend, of course.”

“You stole the words right out of my mouth,” he said. He looked like he was positively glowing as she smiled and leaned in to kiss him, slow and deep. His hands found her back and hesitated over her bra clasp.

Before he had a chance to do anything, Y/N started fiddling with the buttons on his white shirt, successfully undoing the first two before she noticed that Draco had frozen completely.

“Is something wrong?”

“Kind of,” he said. “Maybe...not now, okay?”

“I had a feeling that was too much,” she admitted, reaching for her top before realizing he’d tossed it across her bedroom floor and suddenly feeling very exposed.

“It’s not that…” he said, trailing off. “I just...should probably tell you some things before my shirt comes off. And I don’t think tonight is the best time for that.”

“Oh.” Y/N tried to make herself look like she understood whatever he was on about. “Yeah, of course. Oh! Is it about that tattoo you tried to gaslight me into believing didn’t exist?”

“Y/N!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t gaslight you!”

“Here you go again,” she huffed. “I rest my case.” 

“And I am not getting into that now,” he said. “I didn’t want to talk about it for very good reason.” 

She reached up to his shoulders, dragging her fingertips over his collarbones and watching as he gazed up at her. “That’s okay. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

The corners of his lips turned up at this, and she took the opportunity to press a chaste kiss on the edge of his mouth. “I think we should go to sleep. We have enough material to regret for tomorrow at this point. Any more and I think we’ll be getting greedy, so--”

Draco cut her off with one last kiss, his fingers splayed out across her back, pulling her impossibly close before finally releasing her.

“Agreed.” He let out a sigh before sliding her off him and standing up to grab her runaway sweater. “Do you want to sleep in this? Or do you want me to get you something else from your dresser while I’m up?”

“Um…” She was frozen at the prospect of him watching her change clothes. “Probably something else. Top left drawer--just pick whatever.”

He sifted through her piles of random T-shirts before settling on one with the UChicago logo and tossing it to her. 

Y/N pulled it over her head, grateful for the fact that he wasn’t staring at her with only a black lace bra that barely did its job. 

“So, uh, I think I should probably go then,” he said. 

She fought the urge to ask him to stay. “Yeah, that’d be best.”

His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but he closed it and frowned. “So I guess this is goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Draco,” she replied. “I’ll look forward to agonizing over this in the morning.”

Once the sounds of his footsteps heading down the hall faded, she finally allowed herself to flop back onto her now Draco-scented sheets.

What the fuck just happened.

final a/n: hellooooooo ! it finally happened! i hope this didn’t seem rushed or unnatural to you guys but like. it’s been over 30k words and i thought you guys deserved something. yes i am going to be leaning into the whole “we’re just friends” trope while definitely not being just friends. yes i am going to drag astoria into this i’m excited i hope yall enjoyed

[missmorosis]

Stay Strong, Y/N.

anonymous asked: 16 with zuko?

16. “Can you just hold me for a bit?”

IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK A COUPLE DAYS 😭

i’ve been busy with matchups bUT IVE BEEN ITCHING TO WRITE THIS OMG <3 i wrote this all in one day becAUSE I HAD TO GET IT DONE ASAPPPP- BUUUUT it’s not edited im sorry 🥺

HOPE YOU ENJOYYYY!!

also for the sake of this blurb, you have a brother slkdjflsk

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Word Count: 900

Warnings: crying, mention of death of family member, Y/N’s really sad 😔

Summary: Zuko helps Y/N get through the death of her mother~

if anyone feels this way or goes through something like this, my messages are always open~ you can do it babe <3

tw: death under the tag :)

“Come on, sit down!” Sokka, Katara, and Aang had invited her to a picnic in the park, and Aang patted the spot next to him. She smiled and was about to sit when the phone in Y/N’s pocket buzzed.

“Wait, let me check this real quick.” She took the phone out and sat down simultaneously. She got several text messages and several missed calls. She tapped on the first one, which was from her brother, and her eyes scanned the message.

Y/N? are you okay? Why wouldn’t she be okay? She typed a message back.

i’m doing great! 

“Smile real quick for me, y’all!” She sent a quick selfie with her and her friends.  Immediately after, the three dots came up on the screen, indicating that he was typing.

Stay strong, Y/N. Stay... strong? She was now thoroughly confused.

“Let me call someone, I’ll be right back!” Y/N excused herself apologetically and dialed her brother’s number. 

“Hey? What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Y-Y/N.”

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“Mom-” His voice broke. “Mom p-passed away in the hospital last night.” What? She stood in silence for a moment. Not her mom? This couldn’t possibly be real?

“Don’t- do not mess with me right now.” This couldn’t be happening. It has to be a joke, right? Right..?

“I-I’m serious. She- she had a heart att-attack. They did everything they could to sav-” Her phone slipped out of her hand and everything started darkening. No. No... A choked sob escaped her mouth.

“Hey, Y/N?” Sokka called out from where the others were. She turned and gave a quick thumbs up to them before picking her phone up again.

“... thanks for telling me. I- I’ll see you in a bit.” Her hands were shaking, but she ended the call and walked back to her friends. All Y/N wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry, but unfortunately, she couldn’t do that at the moment. Her entire body felt numb with shock. 

Stay strong, Y/N. She reread the text over and over again in her head. Stay strong, Y/N. Stay strong, Y/N.

“Y/N?” Sokka nudged her side. “Eat some cookies- Katara made them, and they’re really good!” He handed her a cookie but she didn’t move.

“I- I’m really-” She swallowed. “I’m sorry, something came up- I- I have to go.” 

“Is everything alright?” Katara gave her a look of concern, and she gave a half-hearted nod, trying her best to smile.

“Y-yeah. Sorry about this- I’m sure your cookies were really good.” She gave a quick wave before taking off in the direction of her parents’ house.

Running as fast as she could, she silently cursed at herself. Why didn’t you bring your own ride? Why couldn’t you prevent it- Tears ran down her face, flicking off her face from the wind. This isn’t real. Her brother had to be messing with her. 

She had to double check. Her mother would answer the door with a hug and some tea. She wasn’t gone. She. Wasn’t. Gone.

She ran until she couldn’t run anymore. Gasping for air, she stopped, her hands on her knees, trying to support herself. Everything around her was turning black and she fell onto her knees. She didn’t care that it was in the middle of the sidewalk. She just-

“Y/N?” Shoot. A familiar voice called her name, and she got up, hesitantly. 

“Z- Zuko.” She broke at the sight of him, like a dam that was already leaking, but now, there was a huge crack right in the middle. She tried her best to breathe, overwhelmed with all the negative emotions, and now that she had a chance to slowly get rid of the shock while running, the tears hit her and she couldn’t handle it. “Wh-what d-did I do wr-wrong? Why is this happening to me?” she sobbed. Zuko didn’t hesitate to give her a big hug.

“Y/N, you didn’t do anything wrong, I’m sure of that,” he mumbled into her ear. “What’s wrong?”

“My- my mother,” she said, in between sobs. “She- she p-passed away.”

“What?” He pulled her away from him, trying to look her in the eyes, eyes shocked and serious.

“She- she d-died, Zuko. She’s- she’s gone.” Her lip quivered, trying to hold back the tears that just kept coming, and he hugged her again.

“It’s going to be okay, Y/N,” he reassured her.

“Are- are y-ou sure? H-how d-do you kn-know?” she said, slightly muffled against his chest. Zuko hugged her tighter.

“It’ll get better, okay?” He wiped the tears off her face, only for it to be replaced with fresh and warm new ones. “Let’s get you home. Can I carry you? Is that okay?” He looked to her for approval, and Y/N appreciated it. She promptly nodded, and he hoisted her onto his back. Tears still slipping onto her cheeks, she grabbed onto Zuko tighter and tried to repeat the message in her mind.

Stay strong, Y/N. New tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. 

Stay strong, Y/N. The tears fell, one by one. 

Stay strong, Y/N. Stay strong, Y/N.

When she looked up, they were already at Zuko’s home. He quickly unlocked the front door and carefully let her down onto the couch.

“Are you okay?” His warm fingers traced her cheek, wiping the tears away.

“Can- can you just hold me for a bit?” she breathed.

“Of course.” Zuko pulled her in as tight as he could, and she hoped he would never let go. “Stay strong, Y/N,” he whispered.

i really hope that was okay~ this is definitely a hard topic.

i love you all so so so much!! remember my messages are always open <3

i didn’t tag the taglist, in case it triggered anyone, but if you would like to be added in the future, please send an ask!

thank you for reading 💕

[ponydoodles]

Mod Masterpost 3

Here’s the further-continued mod list, due to the 10 image tumblr limit!

If they don’t have any social media listed, DO NOT ask for them, they’re not there for a reason!

Click on “Keep Reading!” This post will be updated accordingly!

🎉🎊Hey Hey! I’m Mod Fiesta and I’m here to party!🎊🎉

🎊 I go by any pronouns! My default is often They/Them! 🎉 Mixed 50/50 (Puerto Rican/Norwegian), but I was born and raised in the U.S.! 🎊 I’ve been fixated on the MLP series for about half a year now but I’ve been drawing them since I was 11 or 12! I’m in love with older gen designs these days! 🎉 My favorite ships are RariTwi and MoonTrix (Moondancer x Trixie)! My favorite character is Spike and my close runners are Pinkie Pie, Bubbles, Trixie, Rarity, and MoonDancer. I do have a figurine of an older gen pony though! Her name is Twinkle Bloom <3 🎊 Consistent style?? Who’s That?? 🎉 If you thought I was an once of Neurotypical you’re out of your mind/lh 🎊 My other interests include SCP, TF2, Dead By Daylight, Danganronpa, MineCraft, Spelunky, and even more if you wanted me to read through my entire steam library- 🎉The cat’s name is JuJu :]

🎉🎊I’m so excited to see what lies ahead!🎊🎉

Art Tumblr 🎉 Instagram 🎊 ToyHou.se 🎉 <3

Ponydoodles tag

💕 Hey what’s up gamers!

My name is Furbie or Mod Murmurs! I’m so excited to be here! I’m 20 years old and I just got into mlp one year ago! Ever since, my friends on Ponydoodles have made me feel so loved and welcome. I’m excited to see what being a Ponydoodles artist will have in store for me!

Things about me…

🌸 I LOVE STARCATCHER she is my #1 forever. 💕💞💘💞💕 Starcatcher and Skywishes are my favourite ponies. As for G4, I would have to say Zecora. My biggest ship (after me and starcatcher haha jk… unless?) is FlutterTwiCora! I also like Flutterjack and RariTwi.

🌸 I’d love to start an asmr channel someday!

🌸 I collect furbies! I have 10 at the moment, the loves of my life!

🌸 I love dating sims and hope to one day make my own

🌸 Other interests include : camping, writing music, anime, video games, collecting fairy stuff and Star Wars!

Thank you! I’m happy to be one of your new mods 💖

Art blog 🌸 Regular Blog 🌸 Twitter 🌸 Ponydoodles Tag

💜 hello!! my name’s lily and i am so so so stoked to be on this blog and draw for you guys!!!!! Q_Q

💜 twilight & rainbow are my favorite characters and i ship them a whole lot<3

💜 i have adhd !! i like infodumping :]

💜 aside from loving mlp, i am a big ol philip j. fry kinnie and i love ninjago & tmnt!!

💜 i hope you’re doing okay!! get some sleep if you need it and remember that You Are Valid!!!!

pony blog | main | pdoods tag!

Helloo!! I’m mod warm!! And I hope you’re having a good day! 🌞 My favorite mlp characters are pinkie pie, skystar, and vinyl scratch! (tho i have so many i hold dear..) 🌞 ive been drawin for a heck of a long time but have mainly been drawing ponies since last summer hehe 🌞 my pronouns are they / them or warm / warms : ] i love all good warm vibes in can get in case u couldn’t tell 💜 🌞 my art can be found at @ transgirlvelma c : I’m so excited to be a part of this!! cant wait to fill out y’alls requests!

Ponydoodles tag

🦇 Ciao ciao! I’m Mod KO! I use He/They and up above is my sona Toonz (also known as Disaster Squish) and uses He/It!

💕 I’m the biggest cartoon nerd ever! Cartoons just in general are my biggest special interest along side maybe bats! Currently I’m extremely hyperfixated on Ok KO! Let’s Be Heroes! but honestly I don’t think there’s a cartoon out there that I don’t love!!

🌸 I love love LOVE gen 3 of MLP, it’s prob my favorite gen. Maybe cause I grew up with it haha! My favorite characters are Wisteria, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Chrysalis, Sunset Shimmer, Minty, and gosh just a ton more! I can’t help it there’s just so many good characters!! Though ship wise my faves are def Sunset & SciTwi and Wisteria & Kimono haha but gosh I love a ton of ships too!

You can find my main tumblr @hext00ns !!

Before you leave, let’s play a game! Pick a cup:

   🥤    🥤    🥤    🥤    🥤    

Ponydoodles tag

YO how is it GOING gamers, I’m Mod Razz!! I go by Mech or Flick, I am ✨ Very Queer ✨ and ✨ ADHD ✨

🐞 I’ve been into MLP since my single digit years, and I’ve been drawing for about 6 years! I’m only thoroughly familiar with G4, but I intend to watch older gens eventually >:]

🐞 My favorite character overall is Chrysalis! My favorite minor character is Vapor Trail, my favorite mane 6 is tied between Applejack and Fluttershy, and my favorite ship is Frazzle Rock x Sapphire Shores! (If you make content of said ship I will sell you my soul)

🐞 I draw in multiple styles, some more complex than others. You may see some inconsistency between my posts, but I hope they make y'all happy regardless!!

🐞 me opossum. me chameleon. me bug. me creature >:]]

* The image above has a white filter over it to reduce saturation, since the original is bright. You can find the unfiltered version here!

* You can also find my sona’s clearer (slightly dated) ref here!

ponydoodles tag

Click for page two! ⬅️

Click for page one! ⬅️

[freddiesaysalright]

Peace Like A River Part 11

A Gwilym Lee x Reader Story

Summary: Reader is a stand up comic with a pretty dark past. She has a three new lights in her life: her daughter, Violet; her anonymous correspondent, Dear Friend; and Gwilym Lee.

Word Count: 4.1K

Tag List:  @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @simmisblog, @assembledherethevolunteers, @lookuptotheskiesandsee, @readinghorn, @riddikuluslypotter, @doingalrightt, @misslolasworld, @lemurian-starship, @ravenedges-lies, @painkiller80, @imgonnabeyourslave, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @ixchel-9275, @sincerelygmg, @lv7867, @unicorn-princess-1999, @delilahmay39, @chlobo6, @dragon-out-of-water, @radio-hoo-ha If you’d like to be tagged for the epilogue let me know!

A/N: Sorry this took so long, y’all! I had a super busy weekend and didn’t feel like writing in my down time. At last, the thrilling conclusion! However, this story will have an epilogue and it will be SAPPY so get ready! Hope y’all enjoy :)

Part I  Part II  Part III  Part IV  Part V  Part VI  Part VII  Part VIII  Part IX  Part X

Part 11 here we go!!!

The day had come at last to go to England. While you were traveling, you were always thankful for Violet. She was so easy going and never complained. She had no trouble on planes and you were blessed to never be that parent apologizing to the rest of the passengers for your fussy baby. Now, Violet was so excited she could hardly stand it.

The airport was even more crowded than usual. Of course, that was because it was a busy time of year. Everyone was trying to get home or somewhere to see their family. Adam was also a blessing because crowds did not bother him in the least, and he was forceful if he had to be in order to get through. It was nice to have him since you tended to get run over by people.

You sat at your gate, Violet snacking on some pretzels. You were reading a novel Gwilym had recommended to you and Adam was answering some emails. Basically, he was telling everyone to leave you alone until you were back from the UK.

“Mommy, how many more sleeps?” Violet asked.

“Well, we have this plane ride to New York,” you said. “We’ll have one sleep there. Then the next day, we fly from New York to London. But it’s a long, long ride, so we’ll sleep on the plane, too.” 

“Two more sleeps, then?” she said.

“That’s right,” you told her.

“Then we see Daddy!” she cried.

You kissed her head. “Yes, we do!”

She giggled and stuffed another pretzel into her mouth. You returned to your book. When you were called up to board, Adam helped you with your carry on so you could get Violet situated in your lap. You got her tablet out and her headphones on just as Adam sat down beside you.

“So,” he said. “You had a long story to catch me up on before I meet Gwilym in person. Why doesn’t he know he’s writing to you?”

You took a deep breath. “Let me start from the beginning.”

You told him everything. About Dear Friend, how you’d met Gwilym years ago, the night you reconnected, and everything since then, including the ordeal with Stacy and the confrontation with Henry. Adam listened patiently, only commenting once to call Stacy a “shady bitch” before urging you to continue.

You caught him up on why you hadn’t confessed to Gwilym. That the reason you held back that night in Atlanta was because of your low sense of self-worth. It was what held you back from admitting it all the way up until now.

“Honestly, you probably should have told him after you slept together,” he said. “But hey, sometimes you get dicked down so good it’s hard to remember stuff like that.”

You giggled. 

He looked at you with understanding. “But I get it. I’m a gay, black man from rural Alabama. I know what it’s like to hate yourself and feel like you don’t deserve love or happiness. Especially from someone you admire so much. I really, truly don’t blame you.”

You took his hand. “Thank you.”

“I got you,” he said gently. “So what’s your plan for telling him?”

“Well, I arranged a meet up,” you explained. You told him what you intended to do and he smiled.

“That’s romantic as hell,” he said. “I think he’s gonna be stoked to find out that it’s you.”

“I hope he’s not angry with me,” you admitted. “I kept it from him for so long.”

“If he’s as great as you tell me, he’ll understand,” he assured you. 

“He is that great,” you said. “And more. God, I love him so much.”

“Really?” Adam teased. “I couldn’t tell!”

You chuckled. 

A few hours later, you landed in New York. You had booked a hotel close to JFK since you’d be flying out again the following day. You went straight there. After you bid Adam goodnight and watched him disappear into his room, you entered yours and got ready for bed. You and Violet got cuddled up and you turned on the TV. A Charlie Brown Christmas was on, so you snuggled and watched it together. Violet adored Snoopy, so this was one of her favorites. She fell asleep just five minutes in. You followed behind shortly after.

The next day, you had time to have breakfast and rest before heading back to the airport. Once again, Adam was incredibly helpful. You had never traveled overseas before, so he helped you through the process. It wasn’t much different, but it was enough to make you nervous.

It was a long ride, but it all felt worth it because you were going to see Gwilym. You held Violet in your lap and smiled at the prospect - the three of you were going to be together again, as it should be. You remembered the woman who approached you at breakfast that morning and wondered how you ever could have questioned her. Of course you were a family.

You all slept for a lot of the trip. It was long, after all, and movies could only do so much. It was easier to pass the time with sleep. Then, after what felt like years of waiting, you landed in London, and you knew Gwilym was waiting for you. He was in that building. You could picture the smile on his face and the way his eyes gleamed.

Getting off the plane even felt like it took longer. As you and Adam grabbed your bags and got Violet squared away, your stomach twisted with excitement. Not long now.

Gwilym was waiting for you in baggage claim. Violet gasped loudly when she spotted him and then took off, narrowly dodging a rather surprised elderly gentleman with his massive suitcase. You whispered an apology to him as you passed.

“Daddy!” she yelled, beaming so wide you thought her face might split in half.

“There’s my little girl!” Gwilym returned, scooping her up and spinning her around as she shrieked with laughter.

He showered her with kisses on her cheeks and she giggled. Your heart melted watching them. You felt Adam by your ear.

“I’ll grab the luggage,” he said. “Go say hello.”

“No, I can help,” you tried to insist, but he stopped you.

“Go, Y/N.”

“Thank you,” you whispered.

He left and you walked briskly over to your two favorite people in the world. Gwilym grinned at you and you thought you might stop breathing. He was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but he looked incredible.

“Hello, love,” he said sweetly.

You sank into him, letting him wrap his free arm around you and pull you into his embrace. It felt like everything coming together again. You could feel him, smell him, touch him. The dull ache of missing him was gone. He leaned down to kiss you deeply. You reciprocated with enthusiasm. 

“I missed you,” you said, nuzzling into his chest.

He pressed his lips to the top of your head. “I missed you too.”

Adam walked over, wheeling his and your luggage in front of him. He stopped and put the handles down as he locked eyes with Gwilym.

“Hi, I’m Adam,” he said, extending his hand.

Gwilym shook it. “Gwilym Lee. Wonderful to finally meet you in person.”

“You as well,” Adam returned.

“Are we all ready to go?” Gwilym asked.

“Yes!” you cried. 

He passed Violet to you so he and Adam could take the luggage. You went out to his car, loaded everybody and everything up, and headed to Gwilym’s home. The whole ride, you gazed out the window, taking everything in. It was exciting to be in a new place, especially with people who made you feel like you were home.

Gwilym’s house was lovely. He’d prepared two guest rooms - one for Violet and one for Adam. He was incredibly hospitable and looked just so thrilled at having you there. It was infectious, and you were so grateful for his kindness. 

That night, he told you he had a special surprise for you, and he took you all to a comedy club where they were having an open mic night. It was also a restaurant, so you decided to have dinner and drinks there. Luckily, Violet was not at all interested in the performers and spent most of the evening coloring so she missed all the inappropriate jokes. At one point, Gwilym excused himself for about ten minutes before returning to the table. Even those ten minutes felt like an hour after not seeing him for weeks.

“Are you alright?” you asked.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, but he had a sly grin on his face as he exchanged a look with Adam.

You looked at both of them, cocking a curious eyebrow. “What are you guys up to?”

“You’ll see soon, love,” he said, placing a swift peck on your cheek.

“Alright!” the host said excitedly. “I’ve just been told we have a celebrity here with us tonight. Fresh off her tour.”

Your mouth fell open as you looked at Gwilym. He laughed.

“Y/N Y/L/N, welcome to London!” the host cried.

“You didn’t!” you gasped, trying to ignore the applause. 

“Go up there!” Gwilym encouraged.

You rolled your eyes and obeyed, waving to the crowd as you normally would before a show. You didn’t really have any material planned, but you knew how to improvise. One of the managers handed you a microphone and you thanked him before looking at the crowd.

“Thank you,” you said to them. “This is certainly a surprise.” You looked at the hot. “What’s your name?”

“Tony,” he told you.

“Ah, well, thank you as well, Tony,” you said.

“We’re thrilled to have you,” he replied. “So, how are you enjoying the UK so far?”

“I’ve only been here a few hours, so I don’t have much to go on,” you began. “But I gotta say, not a big fan of the food. A couple hours here and I’m really starting to understand why Gordon Ramsey is so pissed off all the time.”

Tony laughed, as did the crowd. 

“Seriously, didn’t you guys colonize half the globe for spices?” you went on. “What’d you do with them? Because you sure as shit aren’t using any on your food.”

Another laugh went through them.

“And have you brought your daughter with you?” Tony asked.

“Of course,” you told him. “She’s the only reason people follow me on Instagram.”

They giggled.

“How was it travelling with her?” he wondered.

“Easy,” you said. “She got all her annoying out when I gave birth to her.”

“How do you mean?” he asked.

“Okay, this story is wild, so if you have to pee, go now,” you said. “But I was home by myself, and I heard this pop, and I thought it was my water. I was right, but my contractions were still really far apart, so I didn’t go to the hospital or anything.”

“You were going to take yourself?” Tony pressed, blinking in surprise.

“Well, yeah,” you said. “I was alone. But anyway, I labored for around six hours just fine, when suddenly, the contractions were super close together. I was in a blinding amount of pain and I knew I would never make it. So, in between contractions, I got a bunch of stuff I’d need and set up in my closet - I didn’t want to disturb my neighbors - then I called 911.”

“Oh my God!” he cried. “Did you deliver your daughter in your closet?!”

“Sure did!” you said proudly. “I could feel her crowning and the dispatcher was yelling at me like, ‘Hold her in! Don’t push!’ And I was yelling right back going, ‘I’m just fucking laying here, but she’s coming out oh my God!’ So, yeah, I gave a one hundred percent natural birth in my closet, all by myself.”

“When did the paramedics arrive?” he wondered.

“Literally a minute after she was here,” you said. “Thank God. She wasn’t crying, so I thought she wasn’t breathing and I was a wreck, but they took care of everything. Then she was crying and I was crying and the medics were crying. I even heard the dispatcher sniffle.”

He chuckled. “It is pretty amazing. And everything was fine afterwards?”

“I mean, we still had to go and see a doctor to be sure, but yeah, she was okay, I was okay, and that’s what matters,” you said.

“Well, that’ll scare you off from having any more children, won’t it?” he joked.

You laughed. “The opposite actually! I mean, what are the odds of that happening twice?”

They all laughed some more.

“So, the latest gossip is that you’re in a relationship with actor Gwilym Lee,” he said. “Tell us about that.”

“Funnily enough, Gwilym and I knew each other a couple years ago when we filmed a pilot that never aired,” you said. “He came to a show while I was on tour and brought the rest of the cast of Bohemian Rhapsody as well as Brian May and Roger Taylor, so I figured I owed him a date.”

Tony chuckled.

“Yeah,” you said. “I mean, I was really aiming for Ben Hardy, but Gwil’s alright too, I guess,” you teased.

Gwilym smiled as he watched you up on stage. This was different from the jokes you told on tour. There was an earnestness to them even though you were teasing. You weren’t joking to defend yourself anymore. You were joking to express yourself and he was so proud of you. 

His mind wandered to Dear Friend. The crazy thing was that whenever he thought about her, he pictured your face. Could it be you? You had made the reference to the letters that day on the phone, but could it actually mean…

He shook his head. No. You would have told him that night in Atlanta. Wouldn’t you? He couldn’t imagine why not. And even if not that night, surely you would have told him by now. Then again, it was awfully strange that both times he arranged to meet Dear Friend, the two of you just happened to be in the same city. He wondered if he was fooling himself. Was it just wishful thinking to hope that you could be Dear Friend? 

“Daddy,” Violet whispered, tugging on Gwilym’s sleeve to pull him from his thoughts. “I’m tired.”

He patted his legs and she clamored onto his lap, facing him so she could rest her head on his chest. He stroked her hair and turned his eyes on you again. His heart felt so full.

“Just rest your eyes, darling girl,” he said softly. “You’ve had a long day.”

She nodded and yawned, burrowing even further into him.

“You’re so good with her,” Adam remarked. “You think you and Y/N will have some more of your own?”

“Well, Violet is ours,” he said. “She chose me to be her father, in the face of her biological father. It is the highest honor of my life.”

Adam melted.

“But yes, someday, I’d like to have more children with Y/N,” Gwilym continued with a smile.

When the host finally let you return to your seat, the crowd applauded you for another few minutes. It was very sweet, and you were thankful for the moment, even if it had made you nervous at first. You beamed when you saw Violet on Gwil’s lap. You sat down beside him.

“She out?” you asked.

“Completely,” he returned.

“Well, let’s pay the tab and head home,” you said. 

You did just that, and when you got to the house, Gwilym put Violet to bed. Adam headed to his own room, telling you both a sleepy goodnight. You were in Gwilym’s room, stripping down to change into pajamas, but you found that suddenly, you weren’t so tired. With a smirk, you removed your bra and panties and stood there waiting for him.

When Gwilym came into the room, he saw you and his eyes went wide. Then you pounced on him, claiming his lips in a desperate, fiery kiss. He held you tight against him as he kicked the door shut. You made your way to the bed together. He made love to you, and once again, you experienced the joy of a caring partner. The way Gwilym made you feel was unlike anything else, and you would never tire of it.

As you lay together in the afterglow, catching your breath, Gwilym brought up something that surprised you.

“Y/N,” he said. “D’you...do you want more children? Henry said you didn’t want them at all before Violet, and I was speaking with Adam about it tonight and -”

You rolled to rest on his chest and cut him off with a swift kiss.

“I told Henry I didn’t want children,” you said, toying with Gwilym’s soft locks around his face. “But the truth is, I didn’t want his children.” You held his gaze for a long moment. “I’d have a hundred children of yours, my love.” 

He started to smile, but it faltered. The way you had phrased that last sentence made his mind start swirling with questions. It was a thing that Dear Friend might say. It sounded like something straight out of a letter.

“What is it?” you questioned, brow furrowing as you looked at him.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “So, you’d have my children? Even if you have to deliver them in closets?”

“I’ve done it once, I can do it again,” you giggled and smiled at him. “I love you, Gwilym.”

Nothing stopped his grin now. “I love you too, darling. So very much.”

With that, you both drifted off to sleep. 

Over the next few days, you were incredibly busy. You wanted to see so much of London. Some stuff was the popular parts, but having Gwilym meant you got to see the non-touristy parts of the city too. Violet’s favorite thing was the London Eye. You thought she’d be terrified but she was impressively brave. Adam, on the other hand, was unable to look at the view without nearly vomiting. He did manage to take a picture of the three of you without any trouble.

Before you knew it, Christmas Eve was upon you. Violet was incredibly excited about all the gifts she’d be getting the following day, although at one point she looked at you, terrified.

“Mommy, does Santa know we’re in London?” she fretted. “Will he be able to find me?”

“Of course, baby,” you assured her.

“Mum and I spoke to him ourselves,” Gwilym said. “We told him that our little Violet would not be at home this year, but she’s been a very good girl and shouldn’t miss out on her presents.” 

He gently booped her on the nose with his forefinger. She giggled.

“Okay, good,” she said, relieved.

You beamed and kissed Gwilym on the cheek.

That night, Gwilym read “The Night Before Christmas” to Violet when he put her to bed. She fell soundly asleep in no time. Nerves turned your stomach as the time to reveal the truth approached. It was already seven o’clock. At a quarter to eight, Gwilym prepared to leave. You walked him to the door, helped him into his coat, and then pecked him on the lips.

“See you later,” you said.

“I love you,” he returned.

“I love you too.”

With an uneasy smile, he left. You looked at Adam who started the timer on his phone.

“Five minutes,” he said.

You nodded and started pulling your own coat on. Adam helped with your hat and then you took a deep breath.

“I’m gonna throw up,” you said.

“Chill,” he returned. “It’s just Gwilym.”

“Gwilym is everything,” you said. “If I lose him over this, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You won’t,” he assured you. “You’ve got him forever, I think.”

“I hope so,” you said quietly.

A beat passed and then Adam’s phone buzzed.

“Time to go,” he said. “Don’t worry about Violet. Everything is about you and Gwilym right now.”

You nodded stiffly and opened the door. The cold air felt refreshing on your warm face. Adam had to nudge you out the door. He closed it behind you and you heard the lock turn with a soft click. There was no going back now. Letter in tow, you made your way to the park.

Each step felt heavy as your heart ached with turmoil. Gwilym would have every right to be angry with you. What if he didn’t find this gesture romantic? What if he turned you away and never spoke to you again? How could you ever recover? That sick, unworthy feeling began to slither up your spine, almost making you turn around an banish yourself from Gwilym’s life. 

You stopped and took a breath. No. You were giving Gwilym everything, even if it was scary and risky. No matter what.

The park was lit only by the soft moonlight and yellow street lamps. You saw Gwilym’s tall silhouette and smiled. Suddenly, all fear was gone. Gwilym meant serenity and calm. You were absolutely safe here. You stopped several feet away from him, quietly pulling out your favorite letter and began to read.

“Dear Friend,” you began.

Gwilym stiffened. Had he heard that right? He was almost afraid to turn around.

You skipped to the best part. “I read a quote from Tolstoy the other day that made me think of you and our relationship. It went, ‘I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious - your heart, your soul…” you continued on and tried not to stumble over the words. You wanted to look up, but he hadn’t turned around yet.

“Isn’t that a lovely sentiment?” you read, and finally, he began to face you. He was slow and unsure, as if still deciding whether or not he should. “Although I don’t know what you look like, I feel I do know your soul. We have worked hard to establish such a love. I do feel that I love you. Have I ever said it to you before? Well, I’ll say it again.”

Finally, he was looking at you. You glanced up and locked eyes. Joy danced in his and you beamed at him, reciting the next part from memory.

“I love you. I love you. I love you. Who cares what it means to others as long as we know what we mean to each other? Looking forward to your response as always. Yours, Dear Friend.”

“It’s you,” he said quietly, a smile spreading slowly across his face. “It really is you!” 

He took two quick strides toward you, lifting you off your feet and spinning you around. You laughed and held onto his shoulders. He laughed with delight as well as he twirled you. For a brief moment, you felt like a princess. When he set you down, he kissed you hard. Your arms floated to their usual place around his neck. He kissed you all over, from your lips to your cheeks and jaw, whispering his affection into your skin. 

You were overwhelmed by it all. It was perfectly clear to you know - no matter what you did or how you felt, he would love you. You held tight to him as a tear slipped down your cheek.

“Oh, Gwilym, I -” You returned a kiss to his cheek. “I love you so much. I’m so sorry I took so long to tell you. It’s just...that night in Atlanta, when I saw it was you, I didn’t think I…” you trailed off, swallowing a sob.

“I know, my love,” he said, wiping the tears away with his thumb. “I know.”

The elation of this moment was too much. He wasn’t angry. He still loved you. How did you ever get so lucky to have this? And unconditionally?

“You are so good to me,” you choked out. “I promise I’ll do my best every day to make you feel a fraction of the happiness you give to me.”

He chuckled and pulled you into his chest, pressing his lips to the top of your head. You’d never felt safer. You’d never felt so at home. 

“Darling, don’t you see?” he said gently. “You have already given me everything. You make me the happiest man alive just by being in my arms.”

The wind blew cold around you, but neither of you felt it. You were warm and cozy from your heart to your toes.

This was it. Everything had fallen right into place. You and Dear Friend were one in the same, not two separate identities. It was all you. Gwilym’s heart was fully yours, and yours was fully his. It was as if they traded chests as you embraced.  

“Merry Christmas, Gwilym,” you sniffled, a small smile claiming your lips as you realized it was the first of many you would spend together.

He grinned. “Merry Christmas, my Dear Friend.”

You held each other again. Finally, you were at peace.

Peace like a river, blood on the drum

Something will chase me if I choose to run

Something will save me from life after love 

Something like time

Something like peace like a river

Peace like a river

Peace like a river

And peace in my mind

[valkyrieofthehighfae]

Chapter 4

Warnings: Brief smut, mentions of needles. 18+ only y’all!

Word Count: 3.9k Join my taglist here Tagging: @mcu-padawan​ Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 I used the song “Bad Girl” by Avril Lavigne for V’s song of choice!

Sunlight streamed into my room, the brightness making me groan in disgust and pain, rolling over to bury my face in my pillows, cursing tiredly into the soft, cushy material. The beeping of my comm from across the room drew another curse from my lips and I sat up, my hair falling into my face, and I practically crawled out of bed to get the damn thing.

“Hello?” I croaked, throat scratchy and dry.

“Oh, you’re alive. I thought you might have died in an alley somewhere considering you never showed up last night.”

Oh shit. I had forgotten that I was supposed to go to the Crypt last night after drinks with the gang. I closed my eyes and swallowed thickly, wincing at the annoyance in Grave’s voice.

“Sorry, I lost track of time last night. I don’t even remember getting home.” I muttered, taking my comm with me to the ‘fresher so I could get some water and pee.

“You better be here tonight, Baby Doll. If you’re not, we’re gonna have problems.” Grave growled before disconnecting the transmission. I was too hungover for this shit and just wanted to crawl back into bed, feeling like death, when I caught something written on my arm. It was Crosshairs’ private comm channel and I felt my cheeks warm up again as I looked it over with a slight smile. I needed to write it down on paper so I could shower and try to feel less… death like.

“Astrid, you up?” Koyi croaked, shuffling into the room, bleary eyed and still in her bodycon dress from last night.

“Morning.” I yawned and took a drink of nice, cold water, passing the cup over to her.

“Who dared call this early? Your comm woke me up from my place on the floor by your couch.” She groaned, going for my shower.

“Take a wild guess.” I grumbled, taking a seat on the nice, cool floor of my refresher. Koyi groaned angrily at the mention of Grave, pulling a face. “I was supposed to be at the Crypt last night and I got so caught up with Crosshair that I lost track of time. And, uh, apparently how we got home because I don’t remember that shit at all. But yeah, he’s mad that I didn’t show last night and said I better be there tonight.” I grumbled while laying down on the floor, pressing my cheek to the cold marble.

“Ugh I hate Grave so much.” Koyi groaned from my shower, the sound of the water hitting the shower door enough to make my head throb.

“Right now? So do I. And I hate the shower, the water hurts my head.” I closed my eyes, wishing my head would quit pounding.

“You’re a medic, don’t you have some banana bags on hand?”

I shot up far too quickly at her words: she was right, I actually did keep a stash of IV supplies here just in case of stuff like this. I just had to find the will and motivation to get up and actually get them. I felt like a dumbass for not remembering that sooner, that would be the perfect pick me up for this nightmarish hangover. With a moan of discomfort, I pushed myself up to my feet and trudged off to go get them, waiting for Koyi to hurry up and get out of the shower so I could hook her up.

Twenty minutes later, we were dressed and headed to this little pizza joint near Koyi’s tattoo parlor, dying for a good slice of pizza to help chase away the last dregs of this hangover that the banana bag didn’t touch. My stomach was growling loudly at the thought of getting something good to eat, making Koyi start laughing as we walked in through the doors.

“Oops. My bad. Guess I’m more hungry than I thought I was.” I laughed as well, wincing a little, mortified by just how loud it was. We snagged an open table in the back corner, our usual waiter already putting in our order for us.

“So are you gonna comm that cute guy you were with last night?” Koyi plucked a breadstick from the basket and took a bite.

“Crosshair? I dunno… I’m in a relationship. I shouldn’t have even flirted or danced with him last night.” I grabbed a breadstick as well, but pulled at it instead, chewing on my lip.

“He was really into you! I’m telling you, you need to break up with Grave and give this guy a shot! He’d treat you a lot better than Grave does.” Koyi pointed out smugly and took a sip of her drink.

“Oh please, he was just hoping for an easy hookup. Look, I know how you feel about Grave, and I’m sorry you guys don’t like each other, but that’s who I’m dating. End of story.” I snapped, finally growing tired of her nagging at me about Grave.

“Okay. Sorry. I won’t bring it up again.” Koyi gave me a wounded look, frowning deeply at my harshness.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean -”

“Whatever, you’re right. You’re gonna do what you’re gonna do, and you’re gonna date whoever you’re gonna date,” She got up and went over to Stetson, asking for her food to be brought over to her parlor. “I’ll see you later, Valkyrie. Let me know when you’ve pulled your head out of your ass.” She walked out in a huff and I sighed. She was really mad if she was calling me Valkyrie instead of Astrid.

“Everything okay with you and Koyi? I never see you guys fight, like ever.” Stetson asked, setting my order down and dropped into the empty seat across from me.

“Yeah, I guess.” I looked down at the pizza, not hungry anymore.

“Is it about Grave again? Cuz that’s the only time I see you guys ever get tense with each other.” He leaned forward, brows knit together slightly, worry on his face.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is. I know she’s concerned, I’m not trying to downplay that, it just gets old hearing it all the time when I’m home on leave. When I’m home, I don’t want to get a talking to about who I’m dating. I hear it from Ivar, who thinks Grave and I aren’t even together anymore and is constantly trying to set me up with guys, and Koyi, who makes jabs and other comments.” I forced myself to eat something so I wasn’t overly grumpy later when I went to the Crypt to see Grave. Stetson squeezed my shoulder kindly before getting up to run over Koyi’s order to her, leaving me in the main part of the parlor with my thoughts. Koyi was right, Grave wasn’t exactly boyfriend material; he never reciprocated when I told him I loved him, he would always change the subject or distract me with other things. And I swore he had something going on with the new girl, Candy, but I didn’t have any definitive proof and I trusted him, so maybe it was just me being jealous.

Ugh I should just… end things. Get it over with already. I sighed heavily, setting the half eaten slice of pizza down on my plate. This was just ridiculous, what was I doing with my life? Leading two different lives was utterly exhausting and I wasn’t sure I could keep up with it anymore, I was going to have to pick eventually and as much as I loved dancing, I would pick my boys in the 501st any day over being a dancer. I’d come to really love these guys dearly already and had been accepted into their little family.

I let out a soft grunt of annoyance when my comm lit up and hit the flashing button to answer it, trying not to sound annoyed when Fives and Hardcase’s voices immediately launched into talking about something about karaoke night.

“Okay, hold on, one at a time, I don’t speak gibberish.” I finally barked, gritting my teeth when a couple of the other customers shot me an irate look.

“It’s karaoke night at the 79’s tonight! Are you coming?” That was Hardcase speaking up.

“No? I have plans that I missed last night cuz I was too busy drinking with you lunatics. Besides, you know I don’t sing.” I lied through my teeth about the singing. I could sing like no one could believe but I got stage fright when it came down to it. Singing in front of people was one of my biggest nightmares.

“Oh come on Valks! Come join us!” Fives pleaded and I could just picture him pouting.

“Not tonight, okay? I’ve gotta roll. I’ll see you guys later.” I disconnected the comm and got up so I could head out to the Crypt. “Later Stets! Left your tip on the table.”

                                                           ~*~*~

  The Crypt was supposed to be like home, but walking in those doors, I sure didn’t feel like I was coming home. I felt as if I were walking into a tomb, the dark and dreary feeling weighing on my shoulders. Something wasn’t right, I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. Some of the other girls were sitting at the bar, pity flashing across their faces for a brief moment before looking away from me, focusing their attention anywhere else but on me as I walked past them. I could feel my stomach clench with nerves, my palms sweating as I slowly made my way to the room Grave and I would share while I was here on leave. Soft moans and the wet slap of skin on skin left me feeling ill as I reached out with a trembling hand to open the door, seeing Grave fucking the new girl. I didn’t make a sound, just shut the door and went to the dressing room, throwing my crap into a bag.

“Baby Doll?”

I didn’t even have to look back to know Daisy was hovering nearby, her face drawn and worried like it usually was when she was uneasy. “I’m fine Daisy. I already had a feeling something was going on, I was just trying to deny it. Good luck. I fucking quit.” I zipped my bag up and hitched it over my shoulder. My gut feeling was right, Koyi was right, Stetson and Ivar were right... and I was a fuckin’ dumb ass. “And you can tell that wastoid that I’m done.” I called to the other girls who were trying to act like they weren’t listening in over at the bar and walked out. I couldn’t fucking believe that I had gotten played like this. I mean, I could believe it, but at the same time, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Tears burned in my eyes as I hopped into my speeder and headed back to my apartment to dump off this crap and so I could get ready for karaoke night after all.

“Koyi? You were right. I’m sorry. I caught him fucking the new girl, so I quit. I’m going home to change and then I’m heading to the 79’s for karaoke night cuz why the fuck not?” I breezed through my front door, locking it behind me and threw my bag of clothes from the Crypt across my living room, nailing the wall with a dull thud. He wanted to break my heart, then I was going to dress up and go have some fun tonight because I fucking earned it after putting up with so much these past few years.

Stupid son of a bitch. I hope his cock shrivels up and falls off. I stood there in my closet, staring hard at all of my clothes, trying to decide on an outfit. I wanted something easy to move in but still showed off every single curve I had. If Grave decided to show his face tonight, I was going to make sure he regretted ever using me and discarding me like trash. Now I just had to find the right outfit. Nothing was catching my eye so far, though. A flash of red drew my attention towards it and I smiled when I plucked the cute bright red mini dress off the rack and settled on that and a pair of strappy red heels to match. I grinned happily and quickly did my hair, giving myself some loose curls and studied myself closely. Everything looked perfect and I couldn’t wait to show off.

Perfect, I think I’m ready. I grabbed my leather jacket and took off, wanting to surprise Fives and the others since I’d said I had plans. Eyes followed me as I walked out of my apartment building and flagged a speeder down so I could get to the 79’s, smiling sweetly at the driver.

“Thanks for the lift doll.” I purred when we arrived, tipping him and blowing him a kiss.

“Damn, you’re not playing around tonight, huh?” Koyi was grinning widely as she practically skipped up to me.

“Nope, I’m definitely not playing around. I’m gonna have fun and I might even bring someone home with me tonight.” I chirped, smiling at some of the clones we passed, all of them whistling in appreciation. Koyi and I broke out into giggles as we entered the bar, weaving through clones and other civvies to get to the bar for drinks.

“Hey! Could we get four shots of Trandoshan tequila? Thanks!” I took the shots and passed two of them over to Koyi, toasting my best friend before downing them in rapid succession. “I think I’m gonna sign up to do karaoke tonight.” I glanced over at Koyi, reaching for the stylus so I could jot my name down, Koyi squealing with delight.

“You’re going to actually sing? You? In public! Oh I have to record this!” She was giddy at the thought and ordered us a couple more drinks so we could take them with us to find the 501st guys. Koyi spotted them first and tugged me with her as we weaved through the crowd, Fives and Echo immediately shutting up when they saw us.

“Holy -”

“Valkyrie?!” Jesse and Rex’s jaws dropped in shock, Cody smirking as he looked me up and down with interest. Two other clones I vaguely recognized nudged a couple other guys, nodding our way and I blew them a kiss, grinning.

“Hey guys. Plans fell through so I figured we’d join you.” I chirped, allowing Cody to pull me onto his lap, his arm warm around my waist. I draped an arm around his neck, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck with a playful smile tugging at my lips as he leaned back into my touch with a soft groan.

“And she’s gonna sing!” Koyi crowed, practically dancing in Echo’s lap. I rolled my eyes but smiled when the guys cheered excitedly. I’d always been teased for my humming when I worked, Kix always asking if they’d ever get to hear me actually sing, and tonight looked like it was gonna be the night.

“We’re allowed to record that, right? Cuz I am gonna wanna remember this night. Plus Kix is gonna be bummed he missed seeing it in person.” Fives joked with a loud laugh. As I opened my mouth to retort, my name was called to go up and sing my heart out. I slammed my drink back and got to my feet, my legs shaking as I made my way up there, hands trembling as I took hold of the mic. I swallowed thickly, forcing a smile onto my face as the music began and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“Hey, hey I'll let you walk all over me, me. You know that I’m a little tease, tease, but I want it pretty please, please. You know, you know, you know I’m crazy. I just wanna be your baby. You can fuck me, you can play me. You can love me or you can hate me. Miss me, miss me, now you wanna kiss me,” I began to really get into the song, swaying my hips and dancing along to the beat. “Choke me, 'cause I said so. Stroke me, and feed my ego. I’ve been a bad girl, don’t you know? Come get it, now or never. I’ll let you do whatever. I’ll be your bad girl, here we go.  Miss me, miss me, now you wanna kiss me.” I had all eyes on me, people dancing along and cheering, Fives and the others the loudest of all my admirer’s. I could feel my cheeks heating up at the applause and focused my gaze on Rex, who was watching with an intensity that had my stomach clenching with desire. He took a sip of his drink, smirking just slightly, and leaned over to say something to Cody, who nodded in response, his eyes never leaving me.

“Baby, you know I want a little taste, taste. So let me take you all the way, way. You know you’ll never be the same, same. One night, you won’t forget the rest of your life, so come on over to the wild side. Buckle up, and baby, hold on tight. Miss me, miss me, now you wanna kiss me. We both know that you love me 'cause I'm so bad. Choke me, 'cause I said so. Stroke me, and feed my ego. I’ve been a bad girl, don’t you know? Come get it, now or never. I’ll let you do whatever. I’ll be your bad girl, here we go.  Miss me, miss me, now you wanna kiss me.” I was looking right at the two, putting on a show just for them. It was as if everyone else had faded from the room, I was so focused on Rex and Cody. “I've been a bad girl. I've been a bad girl. I'll be your bad girl. I'll be your bad girl. I've been a bad girl. I've been a bad girl. I'll be your bad girl. A fucking bad girl! Choke me, 'cause I said so. Stroke me, and feed my ego. I’ve been a bad girl, don’t you know? Come get it, now or never. I’ll let you do whatever. I’ll be your bad girl, here we go.”  The sound of applause brought me back into focus, realizing I’d finished the song. I quickly walked out of there, my heart pounding against my chest with adrenaline and glee.

“Hey! You killed it up there!” Koyi found me and dragged me back over to the group. “I recorded it. Sorry not sorry, you are amazing and should be heard by the world.”

“Of course you did. Could you not share it, please?” I grumbled, shooting her a look.

“Too late, she’s already sent it to us.” Fives cut in with a smug grin. “I’m gonna listen to this all the time. Seriously, how could you hide those pipes from the rest of us?”

“It’s not that big of a deal. Drop it already.” I groused, tossing a crumpled up napkin at him. “I’m gonna go get a drink.” With a muttered curse, I went to go to the bar when Rex dropped a hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll go with you. I could use a new drink myself.” He chimed in, moving his hand to my lower back, gently pushing me through the crowd towards the bar. “You really do have a nice voice. It’d be nice to hear it more often.”

“Thank you, Captain. I, uh, usually don’t sing in front of other people. I get nervous and then clam up. Generally I have to have a little liquid courage in my veins first.” I chuckled, taking a seat at the bar. “You and Commander Cody seemed rather… invested in the song. Did I spark some interest?” I teased him, half hoping that maybe I had caught their attention. I could get behind the idea of a threesome with Rex and Cody, it would certainly be quite the ride.

“Baby Doll, there you are!”

My back stiffened up at the sound of Grave’s voice behind me, his hands going to my shoulders and I jerked away from him, getting up and stepping beside Rex, putting as much distance between us as I could.

“We’re done, Grave. I don’t know why you’re here, but I don’t want anything to do with you.” I snapped, yanking my arm back when he reached for it.

“You heard my medic, leave her alone.” Rex got to his feet, setting his whiskey glass down. “She doesn’t owe you shit and you have no business harassing her, so step off. Now.” There was a growl to his voice that sent a jolt of white hot fire down the length of my back and into the pit of my stomach, pulsing down between my thighs.

“This doesn’t involve you, clone. This is between me and her.” Grave spat, not even looking at Rex as he spoke. “Baby Doll, c’mon, come back with me. I need you, babe.” He was pleading now, begging me to come back to the Crypt.

“No. I have nothing to say to you. I’m done, I’ve been done. Fuck off, Grave.” I slapped his hand aside, lip curling into a sneer.

“You stupid slut, should have known those rumors were true.” He snarled with venom dripping from his words. Next thing I knew, Rex was slamming a fist right into Grave’s mouth, sending him stumbling back into Cody, who had come up to see what was taking us so long. Cody immediately had Grave by the scruff of his shirt and tossed him aside with a snarl, glaring daggers at Grave.

“Hey, whoa, no! He’s not worth it!” I quickly stepped in, resting a hand on Cody and Rex’s biceps, not wanting them to start any fights. “Come on, let’s just go back to the others.” I pulled my lip between my teeth, looking back and forth between the commander and my captain anxiously.

“Come near her again and I’ll break your jaw.” Rex warned him before grabbing his whiskey and my hand, leading us back to where the others were. Koyi and Echo were nowhere to be found while the others continued to crack jokes and drink, Hardcase getting up to go sing while Fives and Jesse laughed about his enthusiasm, cheering their brother on. Rex pulled me into his lap, arms wrapping around my waist, holding me to him somewhat tightly and pressed his lips to the nape of my neck in a fleeting kiss.

“Where’d Koyi go?” I called over to Fives with a slightly puzzled look.

“Her place with Echo.”

“Oh. Oh! Oh. Damn, get it girl.” I shook my head, laughing when I realized what he meant. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m gonna head home, too. It’s been a long night and I have some better alcohol at home I want to get into. See you guys around.” I carefully detached myself from Rex’s lap, shooting him a smile. “Hey, no bar fights okay? Just leave Grave alone if you see him hanging around.”

“I’ll walk you home,” Cody offered quickly, getting to his feet with a nod to his guys. “I’d feel better knowing you got home safely just in case.”

“That’s sweet of you, thank you Commander.” I took his offered arm and bid farewell to everyone else.

“I’ll tag along. It’s on the way to the barracks and I’ve got some paperwork I should finish up.” Rex polished off his drink and fell in step with Cody and I, the two of them keeping an eye out for Grave as we left the bar.

[zodiacal-dust-and-curls]

Fragile

A/N: No one requested this. It’s almost in celebration of the end of the Mercury retrograde. Thanks to my beta and PSM @mollymarymarie ily 🖤 Enjoy!

Warnings: illness, pregnancy scare, pregnancy, anxiety, depression (This was rough. I’m sorry?)

Word Count: 1.5k

Your flat was spotless. It was always kept neat, but there was usually some telltale sign of life; an open notebook, your ongoing crochet project, or your latest cup of tea. Something. But there was nothing. It was like you hadn't been there in days.

Brian was worried. You were always so good about letting him know if you would deviate from your plans. It was just lunch, but Brian had been gone for 2 weeks and was looking forward to seeing you again.

He rang your best friend to see if they had seen you. “Y/F/N, have you seen Y/N?”

“Brian, thank God you're back.” It came out so quickly. The last few days had been a wreck.

“Why do you sound so stressed? What's going on?” Brian was lost. You were missing. Y/F/N was stressed. Something had to have gone horribly wrong.

“Meet me at Y/N's flat. I'll be there in 5 minutes. There's too much to say over the phone.” There was a click and dial tone before Brian could object. So he waited as patiently as he could for the answers he so desperately needed.

You had been in the hospital for 2 days now. The doctors said that you had an ulcer due to a bacterial infection. Which was the reason you had been sick everyday for the last week and the reason you'd finally collapsed while studying with your best friend. You had terrified the poor dear, but now that you were on the mend, they were doing much better.

The chain of events that lead to this precise moment could probably be traced back to your first year of university. That was when you'd met Brian and you were immediately smitten. He was kind, reserved, and intelligent. You couldn't figure out what an astrophysics student was doing in your conservation biology class, but he had revealed an intense passion for preserving wildlife during syllabus week.

The two of you had been attached at the hip since then, despite very different class schedules. After a few months, he finally admitted that he had feelings for you and asked you to go steady. It was all too easy to accept and adjust to your new routine.

As the band took off, the two of you grew closer together and you learned more about Brian. Now, you knew him like the back of his hand. He was a creature of habit and very easy to predict. He also suffered from severe bouts of melancholy from time to time, you’d learned what would cause them and how to avoid triggering an episode. So although things were touch and go occasionally, you wouldn't trade a day with him for a single moment without.

Avoiding an episode was exactly what had landed you here. Your final set of midterms were upon you and a couple of your classes had the opportunity to end up below “sea level” if you weren't careful. Not to mention, you were late.

Two weeks late and sick constantly. It was nerve wracking to bring it up to the nurse, but you needed to know. She promised to get a test done discreetly and slip you the results when they came in.  

It had barely registered to you that Brian was supposed to return home today until your best friend had called to let you know that they were both on their way. Everything would have to come out. Everything. Hiding it would only be worse.

No one knew about the test except you and the nurse. You weren't sure what you would do if it came back positive. You weren't sure what Brian would do either. You'd had a few calls while he was away, but never brought it up. This could send him spiraling and you couldn't handle that and midterms and being sick. It would be too much.

You'd fallen asleep with the help of pain meds and woke up to Brian by your side. He looked so tired. The trip must have been productive for him not to get much rest. You reached out and took his hand, drawing his attention to you.

“Good morning, Starlight.” He smiled sadly. This must be doing a number on him.

“Good morning to you, too, Sunlight. How was your trip?” You smiled with as much energy as you could muster. The medications had been helping, but you were still so tired.

“It was fine. We can talk about it later.” He was trying to deflect. Clearly, something was pressing on his mind. “Can you tell me what happened? Y/F/N wasn't very clear. They weren't making a lot of sense.”

You took a deep breath and got ready to launch into your story. You gave his hand another squeeze and held on for dear life.

“I'm so sorry for not telling you earlier.” You met his eyes. They were filled with worry.

“I've just been so stressed with school. These are some of my last exams and my classes aren't going as well as they should be.” You were so disappointed with yourself.

“So I've been pushing myself. And I haven't told you because you've been so busy with the band and your doctorate. I just can't bear to overburden you.” Brian looked ready to give you the lecture of your life, so  you continued on. “My reward for being so foolish is an ulcer that's made me sick for the last week from an infection and stress that's compounding all the symptoms. I think I've learned my lesson.”

If anything, Brian only seemed more dead set on that lecture.

“Y/N, I'm not going to break. You don't have to hide bad things from me. We're meant to be partners, after all this time. You need to tell me things.” He wrapped his other hand around your wrist, careful to mind the IV line that was keeping you hydrated, and pressed a kiss to your hand as he raised it to his lips. The worried look hadn't left his eyes yet, but it was starting to lessen.

“I promise I will. I'm so sorry for putting you through this.” You unfurled your hand to caress his cheek. You had missed him so much while he was gone. “There's something else I should tell you, though.”

Before you could get much further than that, the nurse you'd been waiting on showed up. She placed an envelope on your legs and quickly left the room, not wanting to disclose anything that could make you uncomfortable.

Brian grabbed the envelope for you, but held it for just a minute. “I will give this to you, but I need to know what else you have to tell me.”

You took another deep breath. It was now or never, no going back.

“I might be pregnant and the answer is in that envelope.”

Something crossed his eyes and made them look like he was very far away. He handed the envelope over and waited while you opened it.

Highlighted in that oh so familiar neon yellow, there was one line of text that held your fate. “HCG: negative”

You teared up in relief. Kids were something you wanted one day, but not right now. You were too young, life was too unpredictable.

“Starlight?” You'd been so swept up in emotion you almost forgot about Brian.

“I'm not pregnant.” You turned to look at him. He had returned to you, but you couldn't place his emotion.

“One day, Sunlight. One day we can have all the children you want,” you were making a promise you so desperately wanted to keep. “Today is not ours, but we will get there, one day.”

You were lucky enough to be discharged later that day by your new favorite nurse. She gave you all the facts you needed on your condition and new medications. She also managed to secure a doctor's note that would postpone your midterms by 2 days. She was currently your savior.

Brian was given the task of helping you out for the next couple days as your strength returned. You would be semi-dependant on him while you were studying and confined to your bed or couch. He seemed determined to prove that he wasn't as fragile as you thought he was. He wanted to show you more than anything that you could depend on him.

Flash forward: 2 years.

It had been another 2 weeks of constant nausea and fatigue. You'd been controlling your stress better and keeping Brian in your internal loop. The two of you (read you) had learned how to share the load, without overworking yourselves. You were pretty sure that there was no ulcer this time.

In just 2 short minutes, you’d know.

You walked downstairs to see a mess of curls slumped next to a mug on the kitchen table. Brian had pretty much moved in during midterms your last year of uni and you couldn't find a reason to kick him out.

“Good morning, Sunlight.” It came out in a sing-song voice. A groan that sounded like “Morning, Starlight”.

“You can do better than that.” You poked at the curls and were rewarded with a sleepy smile and an arm wrapped around your waist. “There you are, my Sunlight. I think you'll find that today is our day.”

A/N: I really love these pet names, y’all. Each has been made into the study of the other. Sorry. 

Tag List: @rogers-wristbands @gwilym-may

[sevenseasofrog]

Lads ‘n Lasses Chapter 3

Pairing- highschool!ben x fem!reader

Summary- single sex schools are never boring

Word Count- 1,467

a/n- sorry this ones only short, as I’ve said though, the next chapter is a little juicier, it’ll be up later next week :) hopefully y’all like it though !!❤️❤️

As ever, September crawled by painfully slowly, with each student rebuilding the exhausting school routine for yet another year. For most of the other girls in your school, they started their day with a steaming mug of coffee or loose leaf tea. Your day however started with a real mug, who stood outside your door at 7:15 each morning waiting for you to stumble out. For the pair of you, coffee came later on in the process.

It would be fair to say that you had never bonded with someone quite so quickly as you had with Ben. The walks to school were no longer quiet and solemn as they once had been, and the walks home from school had you reaching your house with even more energy than you had at the start of the day. The pair of you had clicked into place almost immediately after first meeting each other, and it had become an extremely rare occurrence to see one of you without the other outside of school hours. You were most gracious when your friendship group welcomed him with open arms, a little. nervous at first that they wouldn’t want the new boy to cause a commotion. Him and Lewis became equally great friends, and it was nice knowing that he had friends at school too. The pair were hilarious to watch when they were together, mainly because they were polar opposites. There was Ben, short blonde hair, piercing green eyes, perfectly symmetrical face, very athletically built and a little shorter than the rest of the boys in his year; and then there was Lewis, long and lanky, often nicknamed Stretch by others, deep brown eyes, mousey brown bowl cut and slightly wonky teeth. The two boys couldn’t have been more different if they tried, but being able to call them your friends was one of the greatest privileges.

Things had moved quickly since the start of the new term, and you were working tirelessly to complete coursework in school simply so you didn’t have to do it at home, luckily, the free periods you had after lunch were becoming increasingly useful now the workload had gotten heavier. It was equally convenient that your friends were in a similar mindset, which meant that the time you had after school wasn’t spent alone. Making the most of the autumn warmth, the five of you would often head down to the park where you would lie contently until someone’s parents rang, instructing them to come home, at which point you would all leave. Maria and Lewis would step off the tram first, then Niamh a few stops later, once again leaving you and Ben alone for the rest of the journey home.

“You coming back to mine for a bit then?” You asked, looking up from your bag, in which you were searching for the pack of chewing gum you knew was floating around in there somewhere.

“Don’t have any reason not to, Mum and Dad are away on business until Sunday night anyway.” You felt yourself frown a little, today was Thursday, and to you it seemed a little unfair for Ben’s parents to leave him alone for a good chunk of the week, especially since you had become aware that this happened more often than not.

“D’ya wanna come round to mine tomorrow though? only seems fair really, your parents will start confusing me as one of their own otherwise” Ben had a gleam in his eyes and you let out a scoff.

“Go on then, I’ll check later yeah?”

Dinner was practically on the table by the time you and Ben reached the house, and it wasn’t long before you had both finished and we’re making your way upstairs. As ever, you flopped down onto your neatly made duvet, and Ben parked himself on the spinning office chair which was by your desk.

“I’m. So. Tired.” You dragged out each syllable for emphasis.

“Nah, you’re not the one doing laps of a field each day”, Ben replied with a smirk, stretching his arms above his head.

“That’s because I love myself dipstick.” You spoke back, giggling to yourself a little.

“Don’t be a bitch! I carry the whole bloody rugby team at the moment!”

“Sure you do… What would we do without our knight in shining armour to score all the tries in a match no one realllyyy cares about”, you both rolled your eyes at each other before Ben could slide in another sarcy comment.

Believe it or not, you enjoyed moments like this, you were both being yourself and there was no one else there to tell you to pack it in. Time you spent with Ben always went a little too quickly for your liking however, since you would both spend hours talking, it was easy to lose track of how late it was.

“Shit! it’s half-nine!”

“Are you joking?” You asked, genuinely shocked

“Unfortunately not”, Ben spoke as he sprang up from next to you on the bed and began to pick up his bag and put his jumper back on for the journey back to his house. You walked down the stairs with him and to the front door where you gave a quick hug before yawning.

“See you tomorrow Jonsey”

“y/n l/n.” He paused “We both know we’ll be talking on the phone in like 20 minutes so don’t get too ahead with yourself, aight?”

“You got me there!”, You three your arms up in defeat, “Now please piss off so I can go to bed!”

Ben gave one last grin before turning and heading down the gravelled path of your otherwise green driveway, you watched him walk to the corner of the dimly-lit road before shutting the front door and trudging up the stairs back to your room for the night.

When Ben said you’d be talking again shortly, he really wasn’t lying, and it hadn’t been half an hour before your phone began to buzz uncontrollably.

The bois and the gorls: 3 New Messages

Prince Ben of the South joined the chat

Prince Ben of the South:

Gooooooooooood eveeeeninggggg everyoneeeee

Nev joined the chat

Nev:

What.

Dear Maria Count Me In joined the chat

Dear Maria Count Me In:

Hello??

You joined the chat

Le Artiste:

Wassup

Prince Ben of the South:

Lewissss ??

Where are you my beany friend ??

Le Artiste:

What dya want jonsey

Long Boy joined the chat

Long Boy:

At your service

Prince Ben of the South:

Right

K

So

Not sure if you all care but basically I just got a message from the team group chat and there’s gonna be a halloween shout at some point in the holidays so do yall wanna be my plus four or na?

Nev:

Nice one mateee

Le Artiste:

Oooooooo

Long Boy:

One question my noble companion

Costumes?

Prince Ben of the South:

oh you know it ;)

Dear Maria Count Me In:

Omg yes

Le Artiste:

Im sold

Long Boy:

Don’t see why not ?

Prince Ben of the South:

We should SO do a group thing

Nev:

Fuck off

Dear Maria Count Me In:

Oooooooo, acc that’s quite a good idea

Long Boy:

Only if y/n is in charge of what we wear

Le Artiste:

So im a fashion designer as well now ???

Prince Ben of the South changed your name to Coco Channel

Nev:

Evidently, u better make me look HOT tho

Coco Channel:

of course bby ;)

Dear Maria Count Me In:

Is that that then ??

I can sleep now ??

Prince Ben of the South:

You are all free to go :)

Nev left the chat

Dear Maria Count Me In left the chat

Long Boy:

Not until i know how much of a prick ill look at this thing

What am I wearingggg

Coco Channel:

Gimmie a sec ive had like 3 seconds to think

Prince Ben of the South:

Steady on lhewees

Give the gal a chance

Long Boy:

If this isnt good then ill sue

Coco Channel:

Anything for u dear

Long Boy left the chat

Prince Ben of the South:

I have no problem believing that

Btw if u make me look silly then ill never forgive u

Coco Channel:

Im quite sure u wont tbh

Prince Ben of the South:

Cya in like 10 hours g

Coco Channel:

Bye stinky :)

Prince Ben of the South left he chat

You gave a tired sigh before placing your phone down on your bedside table and flicking off the lamp next to it, as you pulled the crisp duvet up to your ears, wondering what on earth you had just signed up for.

There was one thing you knew for certain however.

This was bound to be good.

Very good indeed.

tags(if you want tagging in future chapters lemmie know !!) - @fatbottomedbitch , @crazyweirdocalledfriday , @disaster—bisexual , @seedless-vascular , @annoyedsloth , @borhapandshawn , @prettysureimgayxo

[timeisacephalopod]

Ive seen endgame! Spoilers under the cut and I’m not tagging this as spoilers because I’m literally telling you now its spoilers.

1- what the fuck was the point of Tony’s kid? We had more than 10 years with this character, he doesn’t need a kid for emotional impact when he died and now I’m kind of pissed they threw this fucking random kid in there only to orphan the poor thing and make Pepper a single mother. What fucking bullshit. Never should have been a storyline.

2- Pepper in the suit yaaaaaas.

3- Wanda. Fucking loved her moments. And Thanos’ “I don’t even know who you are” was fucking iconic lmao. I mean her “you will” was okay but holy fucking damn that was the funniest shit from Thanos.

4- they killed viz permanently lmao yeah I didn’t give 2 tits and a snare drum about him anyway so I don’t care.

5- Steve. What the fucking fuck did they do to him? Don’t get me wrong, I like Peggy, and I liked him and Peggy in FA. They were cute. But it was a 4 month fling in the middle of of a war. Not that it can’t be important, but after 15+ years you are telling me a 4 month fling from Steve’s youth is more important to him than everything else? And what of Bucky? He leaves him to HYDRA and after all the shit he went through in WS and CW you’re seriously telling me he’d just LEAVE him there like that? I don’t mean to be a dick to Peggy because I do like her, but narratively speaking Bucky has always played more importance to her except when they want to make Steve feel nostalgic. I’m sorry, I’m fucking over that plot line.

More than that though she moved on in her show, she had a life after Steve and he went back and took that from her. And I don’t see why aside from no one let him grow as a character while also having him grow as a character. He went through a huge character shift in WS and then we saw nothing of it. Aside from his motivations in CW, which make sense given the context of WS however much I disagree, we see none of that development and I’m fucking tired of watching him lament over a relationship that lasted for a shorter time than a high school semester. To any normal person, and even to Steve given his non normal stance, he would have moved the fuck on. Also he made out with her niece that one time!! How is he living with this!

Also Sam says they never had a Captain America but Steve was still big when he danced with Peggy, which means he got the serum, which means he still can’t age right, which begs the question of how the tits long did he live? And again, what does this mean for everything else considering getting the serum implies he was, at some point, Cap even if he was never the Cap they knew. What the fuck! I’m actually the most mad about this because Steve, post WS, probably would have been one of my favorite characters given his extreme narrative shift and just how interesting that could have been if anyone ever fucking let him move on with his fucking self but no. Instead we end with him in the same spot he started in! I watched ten years of this shit for him to do NOTHING? All that development (that the narratives never really let him go through in totality because he narratively never shifted out of his War and Peggy Phase even while his character, on an individual level, moved out of that several times) and I watch him end in the same place he started?

Honestly I’m pretty pissed about that. Especially with all the did with Bucky. I seriously can’t believe Steve fucking left him there, ignored every piece of information he had, ruined Peggy’s original happy ending, and then didn’t even grow as a character. I like that he got a happy ending, I think he’s earned that, but I simply cannot believe a 4 month fucking fling meant so much he’d ignore his best friend, HYDRA, Peggy’s original marriage, the fact that he made out with her niece that one time, and everything else to end up exactly where he started. Which is why I don’t really care for him to begin with- because the narrative always leaves him right at the beginning and I don’t know how to invest in a character that grows but never grows. If he narratively was allowed to grow he would have been so. Much. Better. It is so fucking frustrating to me that he never moved the fuck on. You have no idea.

6- “I can do this all day” “Yeah I know”

7- “You look like melted ice cream”

8- Hated almost everything they did with Thor. Fat jokes? Yikes. Though I did love that ice cream line. Loved the bit with Frigga. And like. Thor being devastated and traumatized is ok. I think that’s realistic enough even if I wonder how someone that’s been alive for well over 1000 years doesn’t know how to handle himself with slightly more grace. I would have liked to see him crack differently.

9- Cap picking up Thor’s hammer and Thor being happy about it? 10 000 times better than the garbage Whedon wrote. Loved that.

10- Nebula. N E B U L A. NEEEEEBBBUUUUULLLLAAAA. Start to finish fucking loved her. She was amazing. 2 questions though- how did she not kill herself when she killed herself? Which in itself is a fucky question to ask. And also the second contention point I have with the movie beyond time travel bullshit is why NO ONE asked where she was post Nat (that in a minute). I know they were sad about Nat obviously but Rhodey is a full bird colonel, he keeps track of thousands of people for his job, plus all of his involvement in Tony’s antics, plus the Avengers and you’re telling me he didn’t notice her gone even with Nat? And Tony, you’re telling me he didn’t notice her gone? He was the one who bonded with her the most and he didn’t notice that he’s now technically lost two people he was close to? And Rocket? He didn’t notice? Are you fucking kidding me? I thought that was bullshit.

Even if, by chance, Rhodey somehow didn’t notice his partner in crime was missing (”I wasn't always like this” “Neither was I”- new BroTP yo!) when I think his military experience alone would have made him the second most likely to notice after Rocket (because he knows her the best) then Rocket should have. And if for some reason Rocket didn’t notice despite her being all that’s left of his found family, making him extra invested in her whereabouts, over Nat, whom I think he’d care about but not like Nebula, then Tony, who spent all that time with her in space, would have noticed.

Fucking someone would have noticed her gone. And the whole second half relies on no one noticing this moment and I call absolute bullshit on that. Someone. Would. Have. Noticed. Rhodey if for no other reason than experience of keeping track of people in war zones, Rocket if for no other reason than her being his last remaining connection to his family, and Tony if for no other reason than Nebula being a large part of the reason he’s alive. I was completely thrown from the story here. I simply can’t see how they could over look that even considering Natasha.

11- Natasha. Are you fucking kidding me? You killed her over Clint? I fucking hate MCU Clint. He’s boring, he’s nothing like the comics, he’s a fucking prick, and I don’t give a fuck about his family or anything to do with him. I liked him best when he was going to kill himself for Natasha. That is the only moment, as Marie Kondo would say, sparked joy for me. Otherwise throw the whole thing out. Fucking Natasha over Clint. Fuck you. That was an insult to the viewers. I don’t give a fuck about Clint, I don’t give a fuck about his kids aside from thinking they didn’t deserve the snap, and I don’t give a fuck about his story.

My mom said he was a plain Timbit (donut hole for the US readers) in a donut world and I honestly think that’s insulting to the plain Timbit, which is something we give to dogs as treats in Canada. Clint isn’t even a dog treat to me and they killed Black Widow over him. Fucking pissed.

12- “That suit does nothing for your ass” “No one was asking you to look, Tony!” “That’s America’s ass!” .... “That is America’s ass”

13- I actually really liked what they did with Bruce. I was excited to see all the benefits of the Hulk and Banner in one! That was pretty cool!

14- Strange’s reappearance was pretty badass. And Wong! I was excited to see him there! Was a bit surprised by Tilda Swinton’s appearance but okay. I didn’t hate it. Loved when she punched Bruce out of the Hulk lmfao that was so funny. I do like that she apparently does that to everyone lmao. I should write a fic where she punches Wong’s soul out of his body when the meet just because I think it’d be funny. And I’d love to see more Wong.

15- Steve vs Steve was really cool, I liked that. And fucking Hail HYDRA holy fucking shit I almost lost my ass. Couldn’t fucking believe he said that (and knowing that he just leaves that all for Peggy, his 4 month fling? Find this wildly out of character for him). Then he fucks right off with the tesseract omg.

16- Scott had some iconic one-liners. “That’s America’s ass!” “Okay I'm going to go inside you” omg. Ant Man was a joy to watch in this. I find Endgame used his character right.

17- I know I said it but Pepper Potts in the fucking suit y’all! I don’t know who was watching Morgan but also Pepper Potts in the fucking suit!!

18- That time travel shit made things entirely way too fucky. I knew that’s what they were going to do because that’s all that made sense, but I thought it was fucking stupid. And can Thanos even snap the stones out of existence? Because Tilda Swinton’s speech implied if he did something like that timelines would essentially do the funky chicken and die. She removed the time stone and shit was supposed to get weird, remove all 5 and what happens? Wtf? He fucking hid those stones. Did like Thor’s bit there though, killing Thanos. I think Nebula earned it more than him but I also think it was a good moment for Thor before his character became a fucking joke. 

19- narratively I understand why they started with Clint’s family dusting but I don’t give a fuck about Clint or his dusted family. I would have preferred watching a civilian lose his shit.

20- Steve you need therapy, stop leading therapy sessions. Especially when your advice is ‘move on’ and you literally go fucking nowhere in your life even after you went all over hell’s creations. Get this man a proper therapist he needs like 15!

21- lmfao Russos talking about gay representation and it was a guy talking about a date. I shit you the fuck not that was it. Gay. It was barely even there. Only straight men would ever assume that could possibly count as representation holy fuck. Like thanks for the blink you miss it shout out I guess. You remembered gays exist, wow!

22- Strange’s one finger thing, I liked that a lot actually. I think it functioned both as a great call to action and a nice reference to Stephen’s power.

23- Quick question, why was Tilda Swinton in New York? Because they went back too far for Strange- at first I when they mentioned 3 stones in NY I was like wait, when’s Strange’s story supposed to happen? After WS right? He can’t be in NY with the stone? But then Tilda showed up and I was like... why isn’t she in Nepal at the teaching sanctum? Because apparently the NY one isn’t a teaching sanctum and as far as I knew she was training Mordo and Wong there at this time so wtf? And it can’t be explained with ‘she knew she needed to be there’ because she punched Bruce out of hulk and he had to grovel to her to get the fucking thing from her and only managed because she knew Stephen gave up the stone willingly and would never do so without good reason because he’s the best fo the best. So like. Why was she there aside from plot convenience? That was a little too easy. Frankly, the whole plot was a touch too easy but still.

24- tired of aliens we’re supposed to relate to looking like humans but in pink while aliens we’re supposed to dislike are animalistic and non human looking. That’s a garbage trope.

25- The black woman in the elevator who made Tony and Steve is 100% Fury’s mother no one can convince me otherwise. I think the timeline matches up but I don’t care if it doesn’t she’s his mom now. He gets it all from his mama.

Bonus: stop trying to make Howard happen, Marvel, its not going to. I fucking hated that scene with Tony and Howard. What kind of bullshit abuse apology was that? Howard then, sure, he didn’t suck quite yet and seems to be aware of his own shortcomings. Howard in the future? Sorry, irredeemable crap. Narratively interesting irredeemable crap but irredeemable nonetheless. Tony panicking and saying his last name was Potts was great though lol. I’ll take it as evidence he took Pepper’s last name when they got married.

Bonus Bonus: I cried when Sam held the shield. I’ve been gunning for Sam to take over as Cap since we met him and everyone told me it’d be Bucky. I argued that we’ve already seen the story of a super soldier as Cap, it would be more interesting to watch Sam as a relatively normal guy take over as Cap. And I like Bucky traumatized and Winter Solider-y. I think he’s more interesting that way. Seriously though, Sam as Cap will be amazing and I didn’t expect to cry at that of all things but I did. I’m so excited to see him in that role!

Bonus Bonus Bonus for any sorry fucking soul who’s made it this far in I think I might update the Tony, T’Challa, and Their Gaggle of Children verse to include Morgan (but older) finding Tony only she’s his actual assed kid and no one believes it even though they have a striking resemblance. Which annoys them both because he got the media to buy all his other fake kids with easy to track down parents but not his actual kid. Ending with Nebula showing up and him claiming she’s his kid and everyone buying it.

[kcllmongers]

We putting in our 2 cents? Hold my beer. 

Ahem. 

I come in peace. I want to have a genuine conversation with anyone who wants to agree or disagree because of well...growth lmao. I’m not going to rant or shade. There’s two things I want to talk about. 

1) Why do y’all care so much about this bitch who plays multiple characters (when you niggas do the same. don’t front) 

2) Why not take advantage of this thing called a delete button? 

First thing’s first. We can’t talk about niggas being sensitive when y’all sensitive y’allselves. It’s just a different type of sensitive. Not the delete and post unfollow but the “I’ma rant in my mentions all day” sensitive. Hate to break it to you but that’s being sensitive. You are responding passionately to someone’s comment on you, your development or you’re expressing how you feel about something. Shit I'm being sensitive rn because I really could've kept my mouth shut but I have feelings about stuff. 

Dipping after causing a mess is being sensitive because well, like many pointed out, you caused it and knew what you were doing so don’t post your unfollow after causing a disturbance. Fuck it and move on, tf? You thought exposing IMs, calling someone ugly, saying you’re slap them all of that WOULDN’T cause a problem? People pick out these FCs and go into this with failing muse already after the first week and it doesn’t help when someone wants to randomly slap you or if you’re called ugly. Personally? I’d laugh and move on but some people are different and you can't be mad at that. Just like we learned and grew from our experiences, we need to let the new comers do that. If you got some dope plots, good development, and having fun then fuck the sensitive bitches you’re talking about and keep it pushing. 

Let me skip to number 2. This is all fake, which we can all agree. This community started as an escape for alot of people and still is. We’re grown now. You’d think with bills, rent, jobs and now new relationships we know how to handle things like adults. The only person controlling your good time is YOU. I’ve stopped giving a fuck what people say about my characters, to my characters on anon because this is all fake. I’m not really the person I’m playing and I have a slim understanding of the whole I  “I'm working hard to play this so the anons are annoying” shit but none of that will matter come the next rp. And if you get that discouraging anon. DELETE IT. You literally have the power to delete the hate and to make them feel small. Turn off your anons, ignore it. I’ve enjoyed my time in rps way more when I don’t respond to anons even if it’s with a funny comeback, meme, gif or whatever. But you know the minute you answer 1 of them hoes, 5 more come up so why continue to do pay pussy bitches any mind? Why make the admins mad when they tell you to stop posting them? I wish I could delete racism, homophobia, colorists, slut shaming, rapists, murderers, shit I want to delete the president of this here country but the beauty of this community is that you can literally come here and delete the toxicity away. Be somebody different and not you. But you niggas choose not to and say people are ‘ruining’ things. No. No one is forcing you to answer or do anything you don’t want to. We have full control of these keyboards and if you get a hate anon? Fuck em and keep doing you sis. Period. Now, going into number 1. This is long so strap in.

I said the only person controlling your good time is YOU. This is an anonymous platform all around. Its not just that anon button. On Tumblr you can have real blogs with your face but in an rp realm its your fave as your avi correct? In WC its your fave correct? Fake aliases and all sis. I’ve been on the phone with some people a few times and there’s only ONE person who’s ever seen my face in the 8 years I've been doing this and ive seen theirs. Now, many of you are closer and know names, locations and all of that. That’s cool and fine but some people don’t want to do that. But even then, how do you really know who is who with all these FCs and platforms? Because your friend said so? That don’t mean shit. It’s scary and it’s even scarier when maybe you’re surrounded by the same bitch in different FCs but stressing out over this person who does this is just a waste of your time and has to be the biggest downfall in this community since that shitty ass blackout that nobody took seriously. Good times but it wasn't hard to figure out photoshop. Anyways. Everyone has their assumptions and honestly who knows the truth? What are we looking at. Typing patterns? plot similarities? FC usages? I mean come on. This is the most vague evidence ever and I know niggas were full of shit when they were saying who this bitch was turns out it wasn’t even them. I knew niggas were full of shit when at point I heard my character was apparently this bitch and it’s just like...naw lmao. My limit might be TWO and honestly I only get the second if it’s a FC I really wanted and eventually the other one dies off but talking to myself? Smutting with myself? 3 WCs? It makes me chuckle at the thought of people thinking I even had the time. I don’t even want to talk to other people sometimes and you think I’m going back and forth between a computer/phone or whatever to do that? Nobody knows me but if y’all did it would be laughable too. I’m so god damn lazy it’s not even funny but listen if there’s a bitch that does that in this community...let them. What does that have to do with you? They’re ruining your development? Your good time? WRONG. 

 Worry about you. Your character and your shit is all that should matter so you can take pride in it when you’re done. Not the hours spent figuring out who is who. You could be thinking its the bitch and it’s actually one of your friends and Ive seen it happen. So what it’s the same plots? People develop differently. We still got CBs with anger problems, Dave Easts who move bricks, Rihannas who don’t drop music or act boujee as hell, Saweeties who act ghetto and so on. Y’all FCs act exactly how they usually do ooc and no one bats an eyelash until it’s someone they don’t know doing it. We all based our characters on real like shit they doing. It’s why we choose the characters because of their resources and development. Same with playing multiple characters. I’ve watched y’all sit and pick out MULTIPLE FCs for new rps but nooooooooooooooooooo let’s blow the sirens for this one girl who’s single handedly bringing down he community right? You’re blaming the downfall on ONE person at this point and it’s laughable because who’s at fault for this shit right now? And don’t say sensitive people because we just spoke about this lmao.

And honestly, if this bitch is that irritating. And you feel it in your core that it’s her. Just tell them straight up. I've done it. I get word that it’s most likely them, they do some funny shit and I dead it. Open our plot, cut off connections. Nope. It’s just not me and with the stories I can’t be bothered with he mess. It’s that easy. you literally have the power at your finger tips to better this community by deleting anons, blocking the bitches you can’t trust and just simply telling someone no. But you guys choose to entertain anons or the people in your IMs asking for smut then go to WC and complain. Your next IM shouldn't be sliding into the pussy or on the dick but should be “I'm good luv, enjoy” they’ll get the message. If not, use your words and say you don’t want to. I’ve done it and it was smooth sailing. But you keep replying and actually fuck???????? But still complain?????? 

In conclusion, I feel like we all play a part in how this community is right now. It’s not just one bitch, it’s not just a group of people. It’s not the sensitivity. It’s everyone. It was me at one point trail blazing through the tags. I owned up to it. But I really just chill and rock with something until it dies. There’s a person that hates this blog, I know they hate this blog because we butted heads and turns out they’re my favorite person I’ve ever got the chance to plot and connect with. And I wanted to tell them I was the blog but it just goes to show shit can run smoothly even when people have different opinions. I don’t agree with alot of shit but ranting, anons and all of that won’t do anything. It’ll just leave a bad taste in the tag. 

SO. With that being said, I open the floor to any disagreements. Agreements? Wanna discuss something you didn’t like? Let’s have a conversation rather than yell at eachother. It just makes everyone mad. 

[jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets]

Lost in Translation

Title: Lost in Translation

Fandom: Star Trek

Pairing: Mckirk

Rating: Explicit

Tags: minor character death, hurt, little bit of self destruction, stranded, possible smut down the line

Summary:

    “Attention citizens. This is the crew of the Enterprise asking for your aid. On Stardate 2264.78 a shuttle manned by our captain and fourteen cadets was ambushed by an unknown source and chased out of sight of our ship and into open space. Those cadets as well as our captain, James Tiberius Kirk, are still missing. We are asking anyone with any information on their whereabouts, or regarding the attack, to please contact the Enterprise immediately. Our family would appreciate any assistance you can give.”

AO3 Link

Masterlist

Special Thanks: wanted to give a huge shout out to my girl Katie, AKA @goingknowherewastaken for being a huge inspiration for this fic as well as for being a huge help (especially when it comes to putting up with my frantic ramblings lol) you're awesome boo <3

A/N: So this is a work in progress but it’s basically finished and I’ve been making great headway with this recently, so this will be the first fic I’ve ever finished! Woohoo!! And I’m thinking that I’ll probably stick to a Sunday post schedule.

    Also a little note for y’all to keep in mind while reading. I have tagged this fic “possible eventual smut” and that’s because right now I don’t have any planned buuuuut… I’m going to leave that option up to you guys! Between the readers here and AO3, if you’re still with me by the end of this fic, leave a comment and let me know if you would be interested in an epilogue or end scene with smut. I’ll post a reminder at the end, but keep it in mind while reading.

    And if anyone is interested in being tagged for future posts for this fic or any others I may post, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list! Thanks for reading <3

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Chapter two

    Forty-five days. Forty-five days and still nothing. No sign of the shuttle, or Jim, or the bastards that attacked them, nothing.

    Leonard sat at his desk with his head in his hands, staring blankly at the map of planets before him. The Enterprise had been hovering over a planet for the last four days now. Spock and a small landing party were down on the surface searching for any sign of Jim and his fourteen cadets, and Leonard hadn’t gotten word from them yet. All he could do at this point was hope, and he was worried that even though he was tying to hold on to what little he had left, he would soon abandon it all.

    With the red marker in his hand he circled the planet they were currently searching. As he did, his eyes glazed over the rest of the map covered in angry red X’s. Twenty-nine planets between here and where they were first attacked, where he lost Jim in the chaos, twenty-nine planets and they still had not found Jim. He ran shaking hands through his hair, replaying the scene over and over in his mind. The attack, Jim’s shuttle being bounced around as it tried to flee, then watching helplessly as it faded into the black. If he didn’t find him soon he was sure he was going to go crazy.

    He heard the woosh of the sickbay doors opening from where he sat in his office. He heard the commotion, the nurses running to the biobed being rushed in. Probably another superficial engineering injury, he thought, someone else can handle it.

    “Doctor McCoy!” The desperate cry of his name had his head snapping up from his desk. Mere seconds later a dishevelled looking Vulcan stood panting in his doorway. Leonard hoped, oh god he hoped that this was it, that they had found Jim, but reality was still present in his mind. Jim had been missing on a foreign planet for forty-five days… he was afraid to hope too much. “Doctor, we found him!”

    Before he could register his movements, Leonard was launching himself over his desk and running past Spock, the Vulcan right on his heels as he crossed the sickbay at a full sprint. He ran straight for the biobed being pushed in by Chapel and a few other nurses, his eyes instantly searching the screens for vitals. Once he found Jim’s heart rate on the monitor, proving to Leonard that he was alive and finally on the ship, his eyes and hands instantly rushed to Jim’s face. He was cold, dirty, pale, and covered in bruises and cuts. Some new but many old, he noted. His face was sunk in and he had lost a lot of weight while he was missing, and Len did not like that one bit. He hated seeing his friend, his best friend, in such a horrible state. The usually healthy Jim Kirk always came with a few cuts and bruises, but this… this was a lot for Leonard to take in. But the worst, he thought, were Jim’s eyes. Circled in darkness and shut tight, even as he called out his name, were red rimmed and wet. Len knew that could only mean one thing. As Jim lay alone in god knows what state, probably thinking the worst and accepting fate, he had been crying, thinking he would be dying alone on a foreign planet. The thought alone made Leonard’s stomach flip, almost enough to make him throw up, but Jim needed him now, he could be sick over it later when Jim was at least stable.

    With his hands still holding Jim’s face, his fingers sliding down to press against his neck feeling his pulse weak under them, he called to him, “Jim, Jim can you hear me?!” but he got no response, not even the slightest movement. “Jim!” he tried again but he was met with still silence.

    As they continued moving Jim through the sickbay, Chapel recited Jim’s condition in a steady voice to Leonard. Not only to inform the doctor of his patients condition, but also an attempt to bring Len back to reality and out of the Jim Kirk daze he was currently in. Jim would get through this, but he would need Leonard at his best. “Doctor,” she began “the captain is malnourished, severely dehydrated, and he has several injuries both internal and external that will need immediate surgery… Doctor?”

    Without pulling his attention from Jim he responded, “I’ll do the surgeries.”

    Though he hadn’t looked away from Jim, Chapel could tell that he was less “Bones” now then he was before, and more “Doctor McCoy”, hopefully realizing that Jim would both need and want the latter. “Good,” she nodded, “he wouldn’t want anyone else to do it.”

    He didn’t respond to that as they made it to the operating room, taking one last look at Jim before letting him go and turning to his team, “I need someone to set up an IV, he needs fluids immediately, and we need to start dissolving nutrition and protein packs into the line now!”

    At his barked words, two nurses left the room at a run, returning seconds later with the supplies he had asked for. They had the IV set and running in less time then it took to blink, and Len turned to leave the room to prepare himself. As he reached the door Chapel took his arm, holding him there to whisper between them, “Leonard,” in all his years with her, she had never once called him by his first name while on duty, “it doesn’t look like he’ll be waking up any time soon, I…”

    He spared a glance back at Jim behind him, still unconscious, still unmoving, before turning back to her with a sigh, “Let’s gets his injuries fixed and his health on a steady incline, we’ll worry about… about the coma later.”

    She nodded, letting him go and following him out to prep herself to aid him with Jim’s surgery. Neither saying another word to the other.

~~~~~~~~~~~

    Bones emerged from the operating room ten hours later with a sigh of relief. Jim was stable. The surgery went well, though this didn’t mean Jim was completely in the clear. He still had a long way to go in regards to healing, but the worst of it was the coma. Bones couldn’t tell when Jim would wake up or…. if he would wake up, and that scared the absolute hell out of him.

    As he took off his dirty scrubs and threw them in the bio bin, his eyes never left Chapel as she moved Jim to a private room at the back of the sickbay. As soon as he washed up and put on clean scrubs in his office, he made way straight for Jim’s room.

    When he entered, Chapel was still setting things up and taking vitals, and Len stood at the base of Jim’s bed and watched. He watched the drip of the IV fluid, he listened to the hiss of the oxygen machine, he watched the steady flow of the heart rate monitor and thanked god that Jim was still here. But that wouldn’t help him any, hell it wouldn’t help anyone. This coma, this god damned coma, it was keeping Len from the one thing he wanted more than anything in the entire galaxy. Blue, blue eyes, staring up at him in their ever continuous wonder, wide and beautiful as they gazed back at him. And although Len would admit he was a goddamn good doctor, he couldn’t pull Jim out of a coma, especially if Jim didn’t want to come out. He just had to hope with everything he had that Jim hadn’t already given up when he lay dying on that planet alone.

    A clearing of a throat pulled Len out of his thoughts, and he looked up to meet eyes with Chapel. Eyes filled with pity not so much for Jim, but for Leonard. “Doctor,” she nodded as he looked up, “I’ll leave you alone.”

    He didn’t respond, just returned his gaze to Jim as she left the room, closing the door with a soft click behind her.

    Once she was gone he moved himself to the side of the bed, sitting in the chair there. His hand hovered over Jim’s for a moment, and he thought maybe if he just held Jim’s hand, touched him, he’d wake up and this nightmare would finally be over.

    A knock came at the door and he pulled his hand away. A muffled, “Doctor?” was heard from the other side and Len recognized the monotone Vulcan instantly.

    The door opened slowly and Spock poked his head in. Finding Len, he opened it fully and walked in, padd in hand.

    “Doctor.” Len still could not bring himself to speak and Spock expected as much. “While you were performing surgery on the Captain I went through the communicator we found on his person when we rescued him. I reviewed all of his entries…” He fiddled with the padd in his hand, stepping forwards and thrusting the padd towards Leonard, “I merged the ships logs with Jim’s in chronological order for the board to review but… I think you should listen to them, Doctor. There are some things in Jim’s logs I think you should hear.”

    Len looked at the padd in front of him and shook his head, “Spock, I can’t.”

    “You must, Leonard, for Jim.” He pushed the padd towards him again and waited until he reached out a tentative hand and took it.

    When the padd was in Leonard’s hands, Spock retreated towards the door. “Doctor, I know this will be difficult for you, but know that when you reach the end of the logs it will all become clear. Jim wanted you to do this.”

    Before Leonard could say or do anymore, Spock had left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Len alone with Jim and the padd.

    He let it rest heavy on his lap for a while before he finally spoke out loud, “Computer, shade windows.” The large windows at the front of Jim’s room darkened so he could no longer see the nurse’s station, could no longer see Chapel occasionally looking in at him.

    With one final calming breath, he opened the padd and brought up the file Spock had left on the screen for him. There was a long list of logs, so he clicked on the one at the top and settled into his chair to listen as Jim’s voice filled his ears.

    “Captain’s log, Stardate 2264.81. It’s been three days since our attack outside of Harmonia VI by an unknown party. Our shuttle, manned by myself and fourteen cadets in training, crash landed on an unknown non-federation planet on Stardate 2264.78. I managed to escape the crash with minor injuries, but some of my crew were not so fortunate. Our pilot, Cadet Trever Velnium, perished upon impact, Cadets VooHok and Amanda Hollis succumbed to their injuries on our second day, followed by Cadet Kent Vel-Nick this morning. The rest of us are trying to hold on, though most are in bad shape.

    As for our supplies, we have rationed our small emergency kit of food as best we can. But between those of us who survived the crash, the eleven of us remaining, I’m afraid we won’t have much left to last past four days. And our medical supplies are dwindling fast, I… I don’t know how much longer I can keep my injured crew members stable, some of the injuries are far too extensive for my knowledge and lack of supplies… I’m afraid a quick rescue from the Enterprise and Doctor McCoy will be their only hope…”

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A/N: Ok, chapter two!! Getting more into the plot now! Let me know what you guys think and if you want to be added to the tag list. :)

tags: @goingknowherewastaken @bi-e-ne @weresilver-in-space

I’m also gunna tag: @medicatemedrmccoy @0dannyphantom0 @jimboy-mccoy @reading-in-moonlight and @flaminglupine

Y’all were tagged in another one of my mckirk fics, so i thought maybe you might like this one. if its not your cup of tea then just let me know :D

Thanks for reading <3

[starfiresupernova]

11 Questions

I was tagged by both @jiyamarrii & @chasethesun18 to do this, so I’ll be answering 22 questions. But I love these things so I’m totally okay with it LOL. Anyway, let’s get started!

Laura’s Questions

1. Marvel or DC? TV-Verse or Film-Verse? Why? — The easy answer to this question is that I like all superhero stuff. I tend to watch more Marvel, but I’m a big fan of both. MCU? Yes please. Smallville? Sign me up. I haven’t watched the Marvel Netflix shows yet, but I really want to. Cloak and Dagger on Freeform is pretty good so far! I watched the first two seasons of Arrow and most of the Flash, but since the CW added all the other DC shows to their programming, I’ve been a little overwhelmed, but they’re still good! So yeah, long story short, I like it all :)

2. I’m looking for new TV shows to watch. Recommend me a show and tell me why you think I’d like it. — I can’t remember if you’ve watched Gilmore Girls or not, but I recommend it to everyone who wants something funny and heartwarming, but heartbreaking sometimes, too. Lorelai is my SPIRIT ANIMAL. Otherwise, I recommend Lost in Space on Netflix if you’re into Sci-Fi stuff (it’s also funny, and the characters are amazing). One Tree Hill is amazing if you’re into soapy teen dramas (like 90210 or Gossip Girl). The awesome thing about OTH though, is that it’s obviously drama, but it deals with other serious topics and it isn’t bitchy like GG. The characters are all different in their own way, and it’s my favorite teen drama show of all time.

3. Watch a random episode of Timeless. Tell me your opinions on the episode and I’ll try to guess which episode you watched. — Okay, so I know each episode like the back of my hand, so let’s go. It’s my second favorite episode of the entire show. The music is A+. (You’ve probably already guessed it by now lolol.) It has one of my top 5 favorite Lucy outfits. I’ve seen this episode so many times I’m pretty sure I can almost recite it word for word (and I’m not sorry about that).

4. Do you have a skin care routine? If yes, what is it? — Not really. I don’t use much on my skin to tell you the truth. I use the St. Ives Blackhead Clearing green tea scrub every other day, and once in a while I’ll use a Biore charcoal pore strip. Other than that I don’t use anything.

5. What are your favorite pair of shoes? Why? — This might sound completely childish, but I LOVE my shoes that have daisies on them. I got them at Payless, and they’re Minnie Mouse brand, but they’re black with little daisies printed on them and I love them so much. I need a new pair soon because they’re a few years old and they’re worn, but I love them to death.

6. What is your phone wallpaper? What is your desktop wallpaper? — My lock screen on my phone is a picture I found on Google Images of Timeless. It’s blue and has the Time Team and the Timeless logo with a cloud. My home screen on my phone is a cotton candy-esque background. My desktop wallpaper is the Timeless edit I made with the Taylor lyric “Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it.”

7. If you could have dinner with one person, dead, alive, or fictional, who would it be and why? — I really want to say Lorelai Gilmore (or anyone from Gilmore Girls, honestly..) for this one. Eating at Luke’s Diner? Yes. Please. I’m all in.

8. What’s your favorite smell? Why? — This is very oddly specific, but I have this notebook that I got for Christmas last year. And every book/notebook/paper smells good, but THIS NOTEBOOK. It’s my favorite kind of paper smell. I know, it’s weird, but it’s amazing. Otherwise I love lemon, vanilla, and peppermint scents and the smell of the grill when we grill hamburgers/hot dogs.

9. Do you have any tattoos? If yes, what are they? Do you regret any of them? — I do not have any tattoos, but I want to get one in the near future.

10. What is your horoscope for today? —  Jun 11, 2018 - You enjoy caring for others and you intervene regularly in their lives to guide them. Ironically, today you're the one who needs advice. You'll probably need to get away from it all in order to get a clear view of your own life, Leo. You could even decide to make the necessary arrangements for a trip abroad.

11. Beards: Yes or No? — UM YES.

(OBVIOUSLY I NEEDED TO INCLUDE WYATT’S MAGICAL BEARD)

I also love Xavier from No Tomorrow, Hugh Jackman, and John Krasinski. Their beards are also pretty magical.

Ryan’s Questions

1. If a book becomes a movie do you read it or watch it first? — Most of the time I don’t realize a movie was a book until after I see it. And then I always end up liking the movie better. (IE the Twilight saga) I always try to read the book first, but sometimes I’ll just watch the movie. 

2. What’s your favorite Disney movie? — OOH OKAY LET’S GO. Tangled is my favorite all-animated Disney movie. Meet the Robinsons comes at a second. Enchanted is my all-time favorite Disney movie EVER. My Favorite Martian is my favorite all-non-animated Disney movie. Also The Princess Diaries comes at a close second.

3. If you could have one superpower what would it be? — If I got to choose I would want to have telekinesis. Matilda has solidified that dream LOL.

4. Do you believe in soul mates? — I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. I don’t like to think that there’s only ONE person in the entire world that I’m meant to be with, and that they’re my other half. I mean, it’s a nice concept, but also I feel like I would just be too worried that I won’t ever meet my soulmate because it could literally be anyone in the entire universe. I’m meh on the subject.

5. What’s your happiest memory? — Honestly I think my most happy memories are when I was really little, like in early elementary school? Like, ages 5-11 is when I think I was most happy. And don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy now and whatever, but I have more responsibility now and I was more carefree back then. One memory that sticks out is Christmas of 2010. I got my DSi XL and I was at my grandparents house with all of my cousins. We played around on the DS and took pictures, and I still have them saved on it. The very first picture I ever took on it. It was just such a happy time for me, and I love thinking back on it.

6. Most embarrassing memory? — I threw up in front of my entire classroom in 4th grade. It was terrible. And it happened so long ago, but I still can’t get over the fact that there are people my age who saw me throw up on the floor of our classroom. Nope. Let me go hide forever LOL.

7. Where do you see yourself in five years? — I don’t really like to plan that far ahead into the future, but in five years I’d like to be moved out of my parents’ house and working on getting my book published. (I’m still working on writing it at the moment, so hopefully I’ll be done with it by then and in the process of finding it a home.)

8. Who is/has been the most influential person in your life? — I have to go with my parents on this one. But only personality-wise. I’m not interested in what my parents do for a living, but I try to model my work-ethic and values after them. I’ve obviously grown my own personal tastes, but I see more of myself in them every day and I’m very proud of that.

9. If you could time travel to the start of this year and tell yourself something what would you tell yourself? — You won’t have everything figured out yet, and that’s okay. You’ll be pressured, but take things at your own pace. There’s nothing wrong with taking time to figure things out, no matter what everyone is telling you. You’ll get to where you want to be, you just have to take your time, and set your own pace.

10. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? — Wow, okay, this is going to sound lame. Are y’all ready? I stole a toy camera from Goodwill when I was, like, 6. I wanted it but I didn’t think my dad would let me, so I hid it in my coat pocket and never told anyone. That was literally the first thing that came to mind.. 

11. What’s your favorite thing about yourself? — I love that I don’t waver in my enjoyment of things. My sister mainly, always makes fun of me for wearing what I wear, for reading, and for listening to the kind of music that I listen to, but I’m very proud of all of those things and I don’t let it bother me. Yeah, it gets annoying when she tells me my taste in music sucks, but I will very happily listen to Two Weeks Late by Ashley Monroe at a high volume and sing along proudly. No shame. As Jessica Day so proudly states, “I break for birds! I rock a lot of polka-dots. I have touched glitter in the past twenty-four hours. I spend my entire day talking to children. And I find it fundamentally strange that you’re not a dessert person. That’s just weird and it freaks me out. And I’m sorry I don’t like Murphy Brown, and I hate your pantsuit; I wish it had ribbons on it or something to just make it slightly cuter. And that doesn’t mean I‘m not smart and tough and strong.” 

Thanks for the tag, guys! This was fun :)

[freddiesaysalright]

Peace Like A River Part 8

A Gwilym Lee x Reader Story

Summary: Reader is a stand up comic with a pretty dark past. She has a three new lights in her life: her daughter, Violet; her anonymous correspondent, Dear Friend; and Gwilym Lee.

Word Count: 3.7K

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @simmisblog, @assembledherethevolunteers, @lookuptotheskiesandsee, @readinghorn, @riddikuluslypotter, @doingalrightt, @misslolasworld, @lemurian-starship, @ravenedges-lies, @painkiller80, @imgonnabeyourslave, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @ixchel-9275, @sincerelygmg, @lv-7867, @unicorn-princess-1999, @delilahmay39, @chlobo6, @dragon-out-of-water, @radio-hoo-ha If you want to be added, let me know!

A/N: oof y’all this is a big one

Part I  Part II  Part III  Part IV  Part V  Part VI  Part VII

Part 8 here we go!!!

“I want to meet my daughter.”

“No,” you said instinctively. 

“Don’t be so quick to decide,” Henry said. “After all-”

“No,” you repeated, firmer this time.

He sighed, but you detected sarcasm behind it. “Alright then. Guess I’ll just have one with Stacy.”

“Stacy doesn’t want kids,” you said.

“Ha!” he shot back. “You said the same thing, I still put one in you.” 

You bit your lip and squeezed Gwilym’s hand. He looked at the phone as if it were gum he’d scraped off his shoes.

“That’s not fair,” you said. 

“The world ain’t fair, Y/N,” he said with so much condescension you thought your head might explode. “But the way I see it, you’ve got two choices: bring the girl to meet me and you can be right there with her or I stay with Stacy and you’ll just have to imagine - or perhaps remember - what will happen to her.”

A tear rolled down your cheek. 

“You are such an asshole,” you said shakily. “Why do you even want to meet her? You signed away -”

“I didn’t do that by choice and you know it,” he cut across you. “It was part of our deal. Well, I’m striking a new deal.”

You clapped your hand over your mouth to muffle the sob threatening to escape. You looked at Gwilym and his heart nearly broke at your helplessness. He pressed his lips to the back of your hand. 

“When would we even be able to do this?” you returned. “I’m on tour right now.”

Gwilym shot you a horrified look that you were actually considering this.

“I know your last show is back in New York,” he said. “That’s when I want to meet her.”

“I need to think about this,” you said. 

“You’ve got twenty-four hours,” he said. “Or I’m asking Stacy to marry me.”

“Are fucking kidding me?!” you cried. “You’d stoop that low just to spite me?!”

“You’re damn right I would!” he yelled back. “You think you’re so high and mighty now that you’re famous, but don’t you ever forget who you really are - just another bitc-”

You hung up on him once again. You looked over at Gwilym as your mouth began to tremble with the emotions flooding to the surface.

“What am I going to do?” you whimpered. 

“Say no,” he said. “You can’t let him use Stacy against you.”

“Don’t you see?” you said. “He’s made whatever happens to Stacy my fault. Because I could have done something. He’s put this on me!”

“What he does to Stacy is his fault - his choice,” he argued. “It’s nobody else’s.”

“I can’t let him do what he did to me to someone else,” you said. “I can’t.”

“You can’t protect everyone, Y/N,” he reminded you.

“You’re right,” you said quietly as more tears spilled out. “Turns out, I can’t even protect my own daughter.”

“Yes, you can,” he protested. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” you returned. 

“Y/N…”

“I know,” you said. “But it’s just one time and then we never have to see him again.”

Gwilym scooted closer to you and took your face in his hands.

“Y/N, please,” he said. “Please don’t do this.”

“He’s given me no other choice,” you said, pulling away from him. “And I’ll be right there with her. I’ll meet him in public, so he can’t start anything, and -”

“Hold on, are you saying you’re going alone?” he wondered.

“Well, yeah,” you said, blinking at him.

“Oh, no you’re not,” he said. “When’s your last day of tour?”

You told him.

“I’ll be in New York with the boys then,” he said. “I’m going with you.”

“No!” you cried, eyes going wide and grabbing his hands again. “No, I don’t want him to hurt you!”

He smiled at you. “He won’t, love. And I’ll think he’ll be even less inclined to try something with you if you have a man with you.”

You considered this. You really hated to bring anyone around Henry, much less the two most precious people in your life. Fear clawed at your heart. Henry almost always carried his gun and a knife on him. If anything happened, you could lose everything.

“I’ll negotiate some terms for this meeting,” you said. “Are you sure about this?”

“I cannot let you go alone,” he assured you. “I will not.”

“Thank you,” you whispered.

You leaned towards him and rested your forehead against his. You held your face between his hands, wiping some fresh tears away with his thumb. You wondered how things had gotten so heavy. It was not quite so much of a burden with Gwilym to help.

A gasp left your mouth when you opened your eyes and saw the time on his watch. 

“Gwilym, you’ve got to go,” you said. “Your interview.”

He glanced at the time and saw it too. “Damn. I’ll come straight back, after.”

“Don’t worry about that, I have a show tonight,” you said. “Spend some time with the guys. I can handle this.”

“Alright, love,” he agreed, kissing your forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

“See you later,” you returned.

He finally parted from you, leaving your skin itching for his return. He said a quick goodbye to Violet as well and then was gone. When the door closed behind him, you reached into the desk drawer to read his latest letter.

It was much the same as the others. A brief update on his emotional well-being, something about another book he’d read. He also mentioned you and something you’d said that stuck with him. He told Dear Friend how much she would like you. You chuckled to yourself. When you reached the end of the letter, it hit you. This was the first one since the first admission of love that he had not written “I love you.” Your brow furrowed. Had his feelings actually changed? 

You began to write a response, but you were having a difficult time. So much was on your mind now. Henry, Stacy, Gwilym, Violet. The huge web all of you were caught up in. For the first time, you didn’t feel like writing. With a sigh, you abandoned the letter for now and checked your emails. Your manager told you that he’d paid Stacy her final paycheck and they were looking for a new assistant, but since you only had two weeks left of tour, they would probably start when you returned to LA. It was a bit of a nuisance to be on your own, but you could manage.

That night, you let everything go as you got on the stage. It was a welcome relief to disappear behind your jokes once more and engage with a crowd for a while. You didn’t have to think much about Henry or Gwilym or anyone. It was just you and your audience. You could just have fun and laugh. It was nice.

After the show, you called Henry back. You were nervous but he picked up quickly and you told him you would meet him when you were back in New York.

“Some ground rules,” you said.

“I’m listening,” he replied.

“No weapons,” you told him. “Not your gun, not your knife, nothing that could hurt me or Violet.”

“So her name is Violet?” he asked.

“You didn’t know?”

“You never told me a goddamn thing about her, how was I supposed to know?”

“Whatever, do I have your word that you won’t bring any of your usual shit?” you pressed. 

“Fine,” he agreed. “Anything else?”

“This is a one time meeting,” you said firmly. “I am under no obligation to foster a relationship between you and her. If she wants to meet you again she may do so when she is eighteen.”

He sighed. “I’m her father.”

“Speaking of which, you aren’t allowed to tell her who you are,” you snapped. “She doesn’t have a father.”

“Are you serious?!”

“As a heart attack,” you said. “These are my terms.”

“Okay,” he said, but he sounded hesitant. “I won’t tell her.”

“And you will not trick me into this again,” you said. “Your next attempt to contact me will be ignored. My management team will know your name and will screen anything from you or anyone associated with you, including the whole fucking NYPD. Do you understand?”

“You’re getting ridiculous,” he said.

“Do you understand?”

“I understand,” he said irritably. “Fine.”

“Good,” you said. “I’ll text you when and where we can meet close to the date.”

“Whatever,” he said, and hung up.

You heaved a sigh. “This is gonna be a long two weeks.”

You could not have been more wrong. The next two weeks flew by. Normally, you were pretty pumped about the end of a tour, but you were dreading this one. The meeting with Henry loomed ahead like a cave with a wide mouth, but complete darkness inside. 

What made it worse was that you wouldn’t see Gwilym until New York either. You did eventually write back to his letter, but it felt shallow and empty. Completely devoid of any real meaning. But you wanted to send it as quickly as possible. Perhaps the reason he’d stopped saying “I love you” was because he felt the distance, even in the letters. Or perhaps he’d put the distance there himself as he got closer to you outside of them.

It was just after Thanksgiving and you were back in New York. The air was chilly with the threat of winter, but everything looked warm and festive. It was a relief that this would be over soon and you could move on with your holidays, just you and Violet. The draw back was that Gwilym was going back home, and you’d be further from him than you had been since before you reconnected. It broke your heart to think of it.

Gwilym arrived to pick you and Violet up from your room. You were staying in the same hotel this time, but you could hardly be excited about it. Your stomach twisted up in knots as the hour grew closer to confronting your ex-husband. You subconsciously grabbed the scar on your side from your last encounter with him. It felt like that wound was opening again.

“You alright?” Gwilym asked.

“No, honestly,” you replied. “I hate this.”

“I know, love,” he said, pressing a kiss you the top of your head. “It won’t be long. You can do it.”

“Don’t let go of me,” you said, like a little girl asking her dad not to let go of her bike when she’s learning to ride. Only, a lot worse than scrapes and bruises were at risk.

“Mommy, why are we meeting this man?” Violet asked. 

“I used to know him,” you explained. “And it’s important that I talk to him.”

“But you don’t like him?” she wondered.

You shook your head. “No, I don’t.”

“I don’t wanna go,” she whined. “I don’t wanna!”

You wished it was that simple. That you could stamp your foot and say no and get your way. But you couldn’t. Not with his threat against someone you knew. You regretted not talking to Stacy more, but you weren’t sure you could have convinced her to leave him. But if you only opened up to people, then they would know. Guilt washed over you. Had you doomed her by keeping your guard up? You couldn’t think about that now.

“I’m sorry, baby,” you said to her. “But we only have to go once.”

You walked to the park where you were meeting Henry. The beauty of the city in this season was lost on you as your nerves made every shaky step harder and harder to take. If Gwilym and Violet were not holding your hands you were sure you would have collapsed already. 

You came around the corner to the park and you spotted him. He was not very tall, but he was bulky. He’d gained some weight since you last saw him, but you were sure he had not lost any of his old strength. He stood up from the bench he was on when he saw you coming. Every cell on your body was screaming at you to run. To get as far away from him as possible. You stopped walking to take a breath.

“Nearly there, Y/N,” Gwilym said gently. 

You nodded, inhaling deeply again and started forward. Henry was only feet away from you now. The places on your body where he’d done the most damage were lighting up with the memory of his strikes. Your left eye throbbed. The burn on your collarbone grew hot. The cut on your side stung.

“Y/N,” Henry said. 

“Henry,” you returned with a stiff nod.

Violet stood in front of you, but she backed up into your legs, looking warily up at Henry. He looked at Gwilym.

“Who’s this?” he wondered.

“Gwilym Lee,” Gwilym answered.

“What are you, her boyfriend?” Henry asked.

“That’s not your business,” you interjected. “You’re here to talk to Violet.”

“Right,” he said, clearing his throat. He went to kneel down to greet her but you stopped him.

“Hold it,” you said. “Show me your waistband.”

“Come on, I left my gun in the car,” he told you. “My knife too.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” you said. “Show me.”

He groaned, rolled his eyes, and then lifted his sweater and undershirt. You found no holster or knife clip. 

“Go ahead,” you said.

He knelt in front of her. “Hi, Violet. My name’s Henry.” He held his hand out to her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and then looked up at you. “The bad man?”

Before you could answer, Henry sprang to his full height. You flinched.

“The bad man?” he repeated, practically spitting at you.

Gwilym wrapped his arm protectively around your shoulders, but you didn’t relax. Violet whimpered beside you and wrapped her arms around your leg. 

“That slipped out,” you said. The familiar need to protect Henry’s feelings and appease him arose in you. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you oughta be,” he said. “You’re already setting her up not to like me.”

“Why should she?” you blurted out.

“Hey, watch it with the fuckin’ attitude,” he warned, stepping toward you.

“Is that a threat?” Gwilym challenged, moving to stand between you and Henry.

“Mommy,” Violet said, tugging on your jacket and cutting the quickly growing tension. “I gotta go potty.”

“Okay, sweetie,” you said, taking her hand. “Let’s go find the restroom.”

“There’s a building just down the path,” Henry said, his shoulders relaxing. 

“Okay,” you returned. “We’ll be right back.”

Gwilym watched you disappear with Violet into the building Henry referred to. He felt tense now standing beside your ex-husband, who had caused you so much pain. He didn’t even know half of it, he was sure. Anger was boiling up inside of him, but he wanted to keep a cool head for your sake. You were anxious enough already.

“So, how do you know Y/N?” Henry asked. 

Gwilym blinked at him.

“We used to work together,” he answered shortly.

“So you’re just friends?”

“Sure.”

“And Violet, she likes you?”

“I would think so considering how often she hugs me.”

Henry sighed and toed the ground with his boot, stirring up some dust. “Ah, fuck.”

“What?” wondered Gwilym.

“It’s just shitty how it all worked out,” he said. “I hate this.”

Gwilym was shocked. Had Henry changed?

“If she hadn’t left, we could have been happy,” Henry said.

Gwilym couldn’t hold back any more. “Are you joking? If you hadn’t treated her like a punching bag, maybe she wouldn’t have left!”

“Hey, what the hell do you know?” Henry shot back. 

“Did it make you feel better?” Gwilym cried. “Burning her, slapping her around? Did it make you feel like a man? To force yourself on someone smaller than you and helpless?”

“She earned everything she got!” Henry shouted. “A good woman doesn’t talk shit to her husband!”

“Tell me, what exactly were you doing to be a husband worthy of her respect?”

Henry flared up and glowered at Gwilym. His hands balled into fists, which did not go unnoticed by the latter. 

“Going to hit me?” Gwilym challenged. “Or do you exclusively beat on people who can’t fight back?” 

“Hey, FUCK YOU!” Henry bellowed.

Gwilym laughed in his face. “Raise your voice all you want, Henry. You’re a tiny, pathetic little man, and you don’t scare me.” 

Henry swung at Gwilym who only leaned back to avoid the impact. But the former had put all his weight behind the punch, so missing threw him off balance, and he stumbled. Gwilym took this opportunity to shove Henry several feet back. He caught himself and re-centered, preparing to lunge at Gwilym again. 

You were drying Violet’s hands when you heard Henry curse loudly, and assumed it was directed at Gwilym. A nervous twinge went through you and you gulped. You wondered what had been said and if it was still escalating. 

“Come on, sweetie,” you said, taking Violet’s hand. “Hurry.”

You walked quickly outside, and you saw Henry throw a punch but miss. Then you saw him prepare to strike a second time. You took off running, hurtling toward Gwilym. Violet gave a surprised cry and followed close behind, sprinting beside you at a rate that was impressive, though you couldn’t even process it. You had missile lock on Gwilym as Henry raised his hand. 

“Don’t you TOUCH HIM!” you screamed, casting yourself between the men.

You faced Henry, arms spread in front of Gwilym. You glared fiercely at your ex-husband, surprised at his newfound hesitation. Violet caught up and hid herself behind Gwilym. Your chest heaved as you caught your breath.

Gwilym blinked, shocked at your sudden appearance and your ferocious defense of him. Your need to protect others from Henry’s cruelty became even clearer to him now. Even though you were smaller, weaker, and more afraid, you stood there in front of him, shielding him and your daughter. His admiration for you grew about tenfold. As did his love. 

You waited for Henry to strike. You could not allow him to get to Gwilym and Violet. Your whole heart stood behind you, and you would shield it with your life if you had to. Henry stepped closer, and you brought your hands forward and rammed both fists into his chest. He was so thrown off by it, he fell onto his back. 

“This was a mistake,” you said to Gwilym, but without facing him. You knew better than to turn your back on Henry. “Let’s go.”

Henry rolled onto his side and then scrambled to his feet. 

“Hold on, I’m not finished,” he said. 

“I am,” you retorted. “Deal’s off. Fuck you.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but Violet again interrupted. 

“Daddy, hold me!” she whined. 

You and Henry both whipped around - you terrified, and he hopeful. But then you saw it. She was reaching up for Gwilym, ignoring Henry entirely. She had tears streaming down her cheeks and she was shaking. Your heart ached for her. You knew she must so scared and confused. Gwilym stooped down and lifted her into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and let out a sob. 

“It’s alright, love,” he said, rubbing her back. “I’ve got you.”

You turned to Henry. “We’re leaving. Contact me again, and I’ll file harassment charges.”

“This is bullshit,” he said. 

“Get bent,” you returned. 

Gwilym approached. He had Violet on his hip, so he wrapped his free arm around your waist. You turned, feeling more secure now, and the three of you walked way. 

“Y/N!” Henry called. 

You ignored him. 

“Y/N!”

You flipped him off as you walked.

As you headed back to the hotel, Violet relaxed. She was not asking questions, just holding Gwilym around his neck and relying on him for comfort. You took her hand. 

“I love you,” you told her. “I’ll never put you through that again. I’m sorry, Violet.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” she returned. “I’m okay. You’re okay. That’s what matters.”

You smiled at her. Then she closed her eyes and rested on Gwilym. He looked over at you and smirked. 

“You were really amazing back there,” he told you. “I’m so, so proud of you.”

Your heart swelled at his praise. “Thanks!”

When you got back to the hotel, Joe, Ben, and Rami were all there in the lobby, clearly fretting over Gwilym’s return. When they saw him in one piece, they all sighed with relief. 

“How’d it go?” Joe wondered. 

“Fine,” Gwilym assured him. “Y/N set him straight.”

“Good for you,” Rami said, clapping you on the shoulder as you grinned. 

“Hey, would you guys mind taking Violet for a little while?” Gwilym asked.

You shot him a quizzical look. 

“I just want to talk to you,” he said. “Privately. Is that alright?”

“Yeah,” you said with a shrug. “Do you guys mind?”

“Not at all,” Ben answered. 

“What d’you say, Vi?” Gwilym asked her. “Wanna spend some time with your uncles?”

She looked at the three of them, a slow smile spreading across her lips. Joe made a goofy face and did a raspberry at her and she giggled. 

“Yeah!” she agreed. 

“Good girl!” Gwilym said, handing her off to Joe. 

You waved to her as Gwilym led you to the elevator. 

“Wait, are we going to your room?” you wondered. 

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s important.”

Confusion and a jolt of worry went through you. You feared - irrationally - that he was going to tell you this was all too much for him and end your friendship. It had to be about what happened with Henry. Was he going to scold you for trying to protect him? You really had no idea what else it could be. 

When you made it to his room, utterly lost at the purpose of all this, he quickly opened the door and almost pushed you inside. Where had this sudden intensity come from?

The door clicked shut and you looked at him, distressed. 

“Gwil, what’s going -”

He cut you off with a kiss. His lips were hot, needy, and desperate against yours. His mouth swallowed your yelp of surprise. You could fight it no longer. You closed your eyes and kissed him back, wrapping your arms around his neck as you melted into him.

[strawberriestyles]

2017 Writing Reflection

My honey bun @bribe-the-door tagged me. Thank you, Han!!! Xo

i. List of works published this year: ‘Warmth’ from my The 100 writing and then everything else that’s not on that masterlist!

ii. Work you are most proud of (and why): From the writing that I’ve posted, it’s gotta be ‘Shakespeare.’ I was very confident while writing and posted it, and y’all really gave me all the love for that story. Also See Yeh Break.

iii. Work you are least proud of (and why): Mmmmm. I really don’t like the ending of the ‘Mess o’ Mine’ series. It just felt very safe and anticlimactic and I’m not a fan. Also that Zarry threesome. 👀

iv. A favorite excerpt of your writing: (From ‘Mouth o’ Mine’)

It’s a Friday—technically Saturday since it’s nearly two A.M.—and you’re clean from the shower, snuggled on the couch in some pajama pants and a tank top with a glass of wine. You’ve been watching some of your favorite eighties movies as a sort of self-prescribed method of relaxation. It feels nice, a distraction from your thoughts. You’re just giggling at some cheesy joke when the doorbell rings—and then rings again, and again, and again in quick succession.

You pause your movie and set your glass down on the table, frustrated at the intrusion. The cool air of the apartment raises goosebumps on your arms, and a chill runs up your spine when a gust of wind rushes through the door as you open it. Your heart falls into the depths of your stomach.

“Harry.”

“Y/N,” he says with a smile, a bit more cheerful than you would expect. “Hullo. Wanted t’ see yeh.”

“It’s two in the morning,” you inform him, jaw setting. He’s not getting into the flat this time, not unless there’s a discussion that settles all the questions you’ve had.

“’S it really?” He glances down at a bare wrist and chuckles to himself, leaning against the door frame. “’M not wearin’ a watch. Thought I was.”

Your mouth deepens into a frown. His voice is drawling even more than usual, and when he looks back up at you with another chuckle, you can smell beer on his breath.

“Harry, are you drunk?”

“’M pissed,” he corrects you with a little stumble forward. You catch him with a hand to his chest and help lean him against the door frame again, a sigh making its way from your lips.

“Why are you here? And how did you get here?”

“Walked.” He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, swaying just slightly.

“Jesus, Harry. You could’ve been hit by a car or something.”

“I like walkin’. Can I come in?”

You pause, long enough for Harry to open his eyes again and stare at you silently. The happy silliness has been drained from his system now, which means he’s crossed the line into Serious Drunk Harry.

v. Share or describe a favorite comment you received. Well there are the constant comments from @rhi3915 about how she’d buy my work no matter what it was about. She’s never failed to hype me up and support me and I loooove her. @babyhoneyed has also complimented my dialogue a few times WHICH MAKES ME SO HAPPY I LOVE A HOE. And then I’ve gotten a few anons telling me that I’m good at grounding readers in the setting and that just makes me :’)). Thank y’all.

vi. A time when writing was really, really hard: This whole last semester I was pretty unhappy and lazy and didn’t wanna do AnYtHinG. I also hadn’t really planned much for my full fics so I wasn’t sure where they were going and that made writing very difficult.

viii. How did you grow as a writer this year? I learned not to give up on something if I don’t like it!! Take a break, read something, come back to it. Figure out what you don’t like and then fix it, just don’t give up.

ix. How do you hope to grow next year? I’d like to learn to be more proud of my work and doubt myself less.

x. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or muse etc etc)? I’ve said it a billion times and I’ll say it again. No one has been nearly as influential in my writing (I wouldn’t even be writing Harry fic if I wasn’t for her) as @permanentcross. I found her very early in the year and read through nearly her entire masterlist in a week. It was beautiful and moving and made me laugh and cry and coo and reeeally made me wish that I was experiencing the things she wrote. A fic has never made me as emotional as Snowbound. She’s just a blessing to this hellsite, and even if she’s not posting writing anymore, we’re still so lucky to have her beautiful presence with us.

xi. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year? Mmmm a few things in ‘Shakespeare.’ Dr. Glasser is based off one of my own professors and there were poems, etc. that I injected into the story.

xii. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers? JUST KEEP WRITING. SERIOUSLY. EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT OR YOU THINK IT’S SHIT, JUST PUT DOWN A SENTENCE A DAY. WRITE THE SYNOPSIS FOR A STORY IDEA YOU HAD. SCRIBBLE OUT A LINE OF DIALOGUE THAT CAME TO MIND. SUMMARIZE A SITUATION YOU WANNA WRITE EVENTUALLY. JUST KEEP WRITING.

xiii. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year? SOOOO MANY. Brutality is my first project. Then we’ve got Baccara and Beneath the Tide. My Billy Russo fic, some HP pieces. (I also lowkey just started a Prince Harry AU which I shouldn’t have even started 👀)

xiv. Tag three writers/artists whose answers you’d like to read. @latelatenarry // @looselucy // @adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy

[entergamingxp]

Is Mortal Kombat 11’s EVO 2020 Absence Actually Surprising?

February 5, 2020 1:00 PM EST

With Mortal Kombat 11 being absent from Evo 2020, I was pretty shocked. However, maybe it isn’t as shocking as I initially thought.

Last night, the Evo 2020 game lineup was announced bringing eight modern games and one classic to the biggest fighting game tournament of the year. Just as a reminder, here are the nine games that will be on the big stage:

Street Fighter V: Championship Edition

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Tekken 7

Soul Calibur 6

GranBlue Fantasy Versus

Samurai Shodown

Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[cl-r]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

While there are many games that did not make the cut, there is one standout title that has surprised both the FGC (fighting game community) and the general gaming community. No, it is not Super Smash Bros. Melee. NetherRealm Studios’ 2019 release Mortal Kombat 11 did not make the cut this year for Evo 2020.

Considering how well the game has been doing in terms of sales, critical acclaim, and garnering entries for Evo last year, it seemed like a lock for Evo 2020. But as Evo co-founder Joey Cuellar was revealing the games, with the first four being the shoo-in games for the tournament, it became clear Mortal Kombat 11 wasn’t going to be making the cut. Initially, this was a surprise to me. Mostly because this is the fighting game I’ve followed the most since its release. In my eyes, this community seemed rather active with a presence at every major fighting game tournament. But is Mortal Kombat 11‘s absence really a surprise?

To begin, let’s look at the numbers Mortal Kombat 11 brought in at Evo 2019. Last year, Cuellar posted the final entrant numbers for each game. There were a total of 14,321 entrants split between nine games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had the largest pool garnering 3,492 entrants, while BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle had the smallest pool, with 640 entrants. Mortal Kombat 11 had a total of 1,567 entrants, which was roughly 10% of all entrants at Evo 2019.

Evo 2019 Final Numbers! Smash Ultimate – 3492 Street Fighter V – 1929 Tekken 7 – 1885 Samurai Shodown – 1719 Mortal Kombat 11 – 1567 Unist – 1156 DragonBall FighterZ – 1191 Soul Calibur 6 – 742 BlazBlue:CTB – 640#Evo2019

— Joey Cuellar (@MrWiz) July 15, 2019

Assuming bringing in entrants for the event is important for Evo since it makes money from players registering, I do not believe Mortal Kombat 11 was cut because it wasn’t bringing in enough people to the actual event. If that were the case, Soul Calibur VI would have been cut as it only brought in 742 players. Outside of Evo, Mortal Kombat 11 has brought in plenty of entrants to the events that showcase it. It had the second-largest pool with 531 entrants at CEO 2019 and the larget pool at Combo Breaker with 758 entrants.

Since it seems like Mortal Kombat 11 was bringing in people physically to the venue, maybe it wasn’t bringing in enough people to its Twitch stream. Using TwitchTracker.com for the metrics, it seems like the NRS fighter did pretty well. It wasn’t the best out of the bunch, but it certainly was not the worst. At Evo 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 had an average of 51,719 viewers with its peak being 74,987 viewers during its slot on August 3, 2019. There were a total of 466k viewers that popped in during the tournament, with the Evo Twitch channel garnering 3.7K followers during its 4.6-hour duration.

Dragon Ball FighterZ was the other big game that day and actually had an earlier slot. It had over 60k viewers on average, with over 96k viewers at its peak during the Sonic Fox and Go1 final. It did have a lower viewership with 222k viewers in total but garnered more followers for the channel. Depending on one what determines “success” either one of the two could be considered good draws for the tournament.

Even though those aren’t bad numbers, Mortal Kombat 11 certainly did not keep up with Sunday’s competition. Tekken 7 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brought in the most viewers and followers overall. But it did do better (in regards to these stats) than Samurai Shodown, UNIST (Under Night In-Birth) and Soul Calibur IV, all of which are present at Evo 2020. So, it couldn’t be that Mortal Kombat 11 doesn’t draw in an online audience.

I did want to see how well Mortal Kombat 11 has done on Twitch in general since it launched last year. It does take a substantial dip between April 2019 (launch month) and July 2019. Since then it has been pretty steady, albeit lower on viewers. In comparison to another fighter that came out last year, Samurai Shodown seems to be maintaining its popularity among its fanbase while Mortal Kombat 11 has dipped pretty substantially. Those probably aren’t the best comparisons considering how much more popular Mortal Kombat 11 was last year, but there is definitely a dip in interest.

But again, that is just looking at it overall. In a tournament setting, people (like myself) start to get hyped and carve out time to watch their favorite games. That being said, I don’t think Mortal Kombat 11‘s absence is a numbers issue. Clearly, there are less popular games that made it on that list.

When the news broke that Mortal Kombat 11, I started seeing a bit of a pattern in regards to how players were treated at Evo 2019 and how it isn’t really all that surprising that the game isn’t going to be there. A sort of separation between the MK players and the rest of the FGC. Here are a few tweets from some of the top Mortal Kombat players suggesting it’s not just because of numbers.

Interesting that MK11 isnt at Evo despite the numbers it pulled last year. I am sensing politics..

— SonicFox @ Paris (DBFZWT)

(@SonicFox5000) February 5, 2020

I got a few ideas about why MK11 didn’t make the lineup this year, but hey it is what it is….the community wasn’t happy with being there in the first place & tons said we got treated like shit there, so why y’all acting so surprised now? We got what we wanted lol.

— END| Scar @ Home

(@khscar12) February 5, 2020

Another year, another slap in the face to the MK community from EVO.

But at least they have an MVC2 invitational

— PXP | A F0xy Grampa (@AF0xyGrampa) February 5, 2020

Also can we please stop with blaming the game on the timeline.

Most entrants ever at CB-CEO-EVO for an NRS game. Non pro tour events have been getting 100+ entrants where as other nrs games would get like 30-40. MK11 isn’t my favorite NRS game but it’s clearly politics.

— CGL Tweedy (@Tweedy_FGC) February 5, 2020

All of these tweets refer to some sort of politics behind the scenes. They also touch on how the Mortal Kombat 11 community was treated while at Evo. None of them really explicitly say how they were mistreated or what sort of politics would be behind the game’s absence at Evo 2020, but it doesn’t come as a big surprise to these players.

Neither NRS or Evo have not yet commented on why Mortal Kombat 11 is being left out this year. And I’m not quite sure if they will. NRS has its own plans for esports, which will probably be announced at the Final Kombat event in March. Maybe NRS wants its competition to be more online-focused like Tweedy mentioned. There could even be some sort of dispute between NRS and Evo that we don’t know about.

Regardless, Evo isn’t the only stage fighting games are played on competitively. It is almost certain Mortal Kombat 11 will be present at other events like Combo Breaker and CES, but I would be lying if I said I’m not a bit bewildered. Tell us why you think Mortal Kombat 11 isn’t going to be at Evo 2020 in the comments below.

February 5, 2020 1:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/is-mortal-kombat-11s-evo-2020-absence-actually-surprising/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-mortal-kombat-11s-evo-2020-absence-actually-surprising