#guess who is going to skip on her brothers wedding?

[hardtchill]

weddings with very specific dress codes should be part of the seven deadly sins and you should be sentenced to eternity in hell for it

[queers-gambit]

Talk Shit, Get Hit

prompt: ( requested ) your high school bully picks the wrong day to taunt you and it's up to an equally hotheaded Billy to calm you down. call it irony.

pairing: Billy Hargrove x female!reader characters are ALL aged 18 years old

fandom masterlist: Stranger Things

word count: 5.4k+

note: the reader is aggressive. the reader is violent. the reader’s hands are rated ‘E’ for Everyone.

warnings: you know the drill: author projects instead of going to therapy and uses personal experience as details. there's physical violence, aggressive reader, depiction of shitty home life / toxic family, (somewhat severe) abusive alcoholic parent, parental abandonment, cursing, bullying, Jason Carver's sister is the bully, injury and blood. cursing, threats, brief cigarette and illicit material use (marijuana / weed), i guess this is hurt and comfort, angst, we talk about Billy's abuse with Neil, too, and kinda abrupt ending.

PLEASE NOTE -

this fic will depict parental abuse, both emotional and physical. this fic will discuss an alcoholic parent. this fic will detail physical violence BY the reader.

DO NOT engage if any of these topics potentially trigger you. you will miss nothing if you decide to skip. author implores readers to value and prioritize their own comfort and mental health.

Of all the days Brittany Carver could've chosen, she picked the worst day imaginable to bully you - being akin to a ticking time bomb. To your immense surprise, she'd laid off that entire week, focused on the "big" cheerleading competition she was leading Hawkins High to victory in. It left her no energy to engage in her favorite past time of tormenting you; figuring that after 6 years of her brutal behavior, she had grown up and lost interest. You weren't someone who people bullied easily, but this thing with Brittany, it was some kind of twisted pissing contest; competition brewing in elementary school that boiled over during middle school and now lasted into high school.

However, God seemed to have a sick sense of humor because on the week your bully had temporarily forgotten your existence, things at home had escalated to a new height not previously known. It was true what they said: if it wasn't one thing, it was another.

The entire week, your mother had only been sober for - well - none of it. She was found morning, noon, and night slumped over in various locations around your home with different bottles of liquor in her grip. The house grew messier each day, a direct result of a checked-out parent refusing to do any chore and destructive little monsters that took form as your twin little brothers. You couldn't keep up, playing mother, sister, housewife, personal maid, and full-time student all at once; pushing your stress levels higher, making you bitter and short tempered. The times your mother was conscious, which was typically to find a new bottle of alcohol, she was a right nasty fuck.

Her bark matched her bite; not only yelling at you, belittling you, and gaslighting you - but also using physical aggression to "teach you a lesson" for being "disorderly" or "a waste of semen" - and yes, that is a direct quote. Her hands were dainty from malnourishment, bulging veins prominent, and despite your father abandoning the family ages go, she still wore her diamond wedding ring that left small cuts wherever she struck you. The times she wasn't sober enough to really "get" you, she put out cigarettes on your arms and thighs; leaving tiny, circular burn scars you coated in Neosporin. She’s been known to break a few wooden cooking spoons over your head, steal the money made from babysitting, even cashed-in your inheritance - pawning all of your dead grandmother’s jewelry. There were plenty of other examples, but dwelling on those instances wouldn't change the past or alter your future, so you stuffed them way deep down in your soul.

Naturally, you didn't say a Goddamn thing; under the impression that everyone had shitty family members they tolerated and that your home life was normal enough to not report to the police. You didn't know any better, you didn't know that your mother downing fifths of alcohol daily was cause for concern. You didn't know that abuse wasn't the standard - emotional or physical. It took years for you to learn that love wasn't supposed to hurt, that love wasn't supposed to scare you, that love wasn't selfish, that your mother didn't actually love you. It took years to convince yourself that you were worthy of love and acceptance, never receiving it from your mother - not knowing you could get it from anyone else.

And then, William fucking Hargrove - or Billy - breezed into your small hometown with a sweet denim-clad ass, golden, curly mullet, and a bad fucking attitude that rivaled your own.

It was a match made in heaven. Or hell.

You both suffered at the hands of your parental figures, turning abrasive and foul-mouthed as defense mechanisms. You and Billy developed hardened exteriors in an effort to protect your soft insides, and when you met officially, it was as if you two could see past that hard shell - straight through the bullshit. You recognized much of the same in one another - like looking in a mirror - and grew impossibly close in an incredibly short amount of time; grateful to have a second half who understood without ever needing explanation.

He just got you. Able to identify common threads between you. Billy understood you, having more empathy than you thought he could muster. He protected you. He loved you. He took care of you - and you did the exact same, considering you two were cut from the same cloth; wanting to assure him he was just as worthy of love as you.

Billy was known around Hawkins for being a womanizing jock with anger issues, and yet, when you finally agreed to go on a date with him, he never even looked at another girl twice. He felt as if dating his best friend, understanding that nobody else would truly understand him the way you do - so he did what he could to keep you.

He did his best to defend you, but there was only so many tangible things the star basketball player could protect you from. Gossip and petty cheerleaders, prime examples. Yet Billy still tried, even taking the liberty to confront Brittany's brother, Jason Carver, about leaving you alone. Unfortunately, it was as if Billy's concern spurred on the cheerleader's bullying, calling you pathetic for hiding behind a man and sending him to fight your battles. You told Billy to stay out of it, that you could handle the situation by yourself, that he would just make the situation much more sticky.

So he did. Billy backed off, letting you deal with the situation as best you deemed; offering his support in return, being a shoulder to cry on for the days your frustration peaked.

That entire week Brittany didn't bully you had been extraordinarily tiresome due to your mother's abuse, wanting to confide in Billy but refraining when you rationalized not bringing him into your bullshit. He had enough of his own. So, while, yes, it was a comfort to have him on your side, you never indulged Billy on the woes of your life. He was meant to be your escape, not your savior; the burden of shouldering your abuse while enduring his own feeling terribly unfair.

You kept quiet, even though you were silently begging for someone to save you. Yet you weren't a damsel, there was no Prince Charming, brave knight, chosen champion to slay the dragons terrorizing you.

However, your boyfriend was much more intuitive than you realized. You always prided yourself on your acting skills, convincing everyone around you that you were indifferent to your mother's temperament, even when showing up at school with a casted wrist, black eye, and split bottom lip. Turns out, parents in Hawkins gossiped much more than the kids, and soon, it felt like the entire town knew about your abusive alcoholic mother and runaway father. Nobody did anything to help you, they just tiptoed around the knowledge and stared at your injuries. Brittany Carver was the only person stupid enough to make the mistake of weaponizing your home situation.

It was a tepid spring afternoon, the sun peaking through the clouds and the first flowers sprouting from the thawing ground. The bell rang to dismiss for lunch, the hallways filled with mingling and milling students all grateful for the midday break. Some gathered in gaggles of friends, some headed directly for the cafeteria, and others, like you, utilized the time to exchange morning class books for afternoon materials. Your fractured wrist had long since healed, but there was a long, straight scar present as a result from the surgery you required; currently, a scabbing cut over your eyebrow, lips stinging from where the flesh split, with a collection of bruises turning different colors to represent various healing stages.

Today simply hadn't been your day.

After a week of constant alcohol-fueled battery, you felt your frustrations finally crescendo after being assigned 3 separate essays; doubling your stress, shortening your fuse, and creating heavy leaded dread as the minutes ticked by. Everyone else felt giddy for the spring-tastic weekend, wanting time to go faster so they could go home - but not you. You might've been the one teenager in the city - no, no, the county - no, wait! The state - WAIT, NO... The country, who didn't want to leave school. You didn't want the day to end and be forced out of your safety zone; anxiety twisting your stomach and prickling your skin at the thought of returning home.

Truthfully, you spent several nights a week at Billy's, being snuck in through his window; feeling unsafe in your own home and wanting to remain close without voicing your need for his proximity. You felt stronger with Billy, as if you could take on the world; as if your safety and wellbeing were (finally) a real priority. He took great pride in being that safe haven for you, thinking it a nice change of pace as he often never seized opportunities to prove himself compassionate and caring. Billy was known for being a brute, someone aggressive and commandeering; nobody associating "safety" with him - except you.

However, this wasn't one of those weekends you'd be able to sneak out, being forced into caring for your two wee brothers; them needing you, dependent on you, relying on the care and love you provide them.

As a result of your shitty week, you had been a right, foul bitch to those unfortunate enough to engage you. Being well aware of your attitude, you tried to avoid everyone, not wanting to lash out at innocent peers - labeling yourself a bitch because of your impeccable self-awareness. Though, no matter the labels you assigned, you simply couldn't rein your emotions into check given your anxiety over returning home overpowered your brain.

Knowing you'd be forced to defend yourself against your own mother set your teeth on edge, projecting your horrible mood onto anyone in your vicinity - making most keep their distance.

Keyword: most.

Much like her brother, captain of the basketball team, Jason Carver, Brittany Carver wasn't the brightest bulb of the bunch. She never picked up hints, she didn't bother reading the room or in-between any lines; she held little to no regard for those around her or their emotional state. Brittany just wanted to assert herself as Queen Bee and thought the best way to achieve that was by bullying those she deemed lesser then she. It gave her a power trip, made her feel swollen with importance, boosting her ego because in her mind, she'd rather be feared than loved.

Brittany was dressed in her pretty, pressed, and bright cheer uniform; her obnoxiously blonde hair tied in a high ponytail that swished dramatically with each step. She wore cherry flavored lip gloss, her make-up caked, skirt hiked higher than school regulation permitted because she suckled at the teat for attention - good or bad.

You heard the second bell ring and finished shoving books in your locker, trying to stuff notebooks in your bag when your locker was suddenly violently slammed shut. Flinching at the quick movement and aggressive bang, you glared at whoever dared interrupt you; a manicured hand flat on the metal to keep the locker closed.

"The fuck you want, Brittany?"

"Awh, someone's already got their panties in a twist," she mocked, two of her cronies giggling their support. "C'mon, babe, I was just stopping by to say hello - missed you this week!"

"Oh, for sure," you sneered in a sickly-sweet tone, "of course you missed me, your life is so much more boring without me in it, huh? Wow, seriously, Brittany, I'm flattered to be the main character in your life, too."

Her eyes rolled and one of the other cheerleaders at her flank, Jennifer, popped flavorless gum. "I'm surprised you still have this level of spunk and cheek to talk like that, would've thought Mommy Dearest beat it out of you by now - she hits you often enough, right? Doesn't she? Hmm, well, maybe she needs to hit you a little harder."

"Excuse me?" You snapped.

"You heard me!" She laughed. "Obviously your mom isn't teaching you any lessons since you still have this whole emo-attitude going on. But I can't say I blame her, you're such a bitch - I'd smack the shit outta you, too."

You nodded slowly, not realizing several students had paused themselves to watch the exchange; knowing this was a longtime coming and didn't want to miss the inevitable drama. Dropping your backpack, you asked, "You sure? You really wanna hit me?"

"Is it that hard to believe? I mean," she smirked, "your own mother does - of course, I do, too. Like, seriously, it's not a secret why she hits you - just look at you! No wonder she hates you, you're just a waste of space, resources, and money. Damn shame Billy doesn't see it yet, but don't worry, he will." She laughed again, "He'll get tired of reopening your lip every time you kiss. It's so pathetic and ugly, he'll start to crave what you can't offer. I mean, seriously, what guy with any self-respect wants to date a girl as broken as you?"

"Know what, Brittany?" You growled, balling your fists at your side. "I'll give you one free hit."

"Excuse me, what?"

"Yeah," your head nodded, "go ahead. One free, clean shot. Hit me if you want to so bad, but you'll only get just this one shot."

Her eyes rolled, "I don't need to, your mom's got that covered."

"Free hit, Brit," you taunted, gesturing, "c'mon, go 'head, lemme have it. Since I'm so insufferable, go right ahead - get your clean hit."

Jennifer and Jasmine shared strange looks, the latter nudging, "Just do it, Brittany, shut this stupid bitch the hell up."

"Yeah, Brittany, shut me the hell up."

She looked to her little goons with a smirk, shrugged and handing over her backpack. When Brittany turned again, she dramatically wound her arm back and used her full strength to swing her fist into your cheek; only making your head turn a fraction from impact. You hummed and nodded, the cheerleader laughing with her girls as if she had "shown you" - but her amusement died when she noticed you barely reacted.

You smirked, cracking your neck, "My turn!"

Your knuckle cracked the bridge of the cheerleader's nose - sick sound of a snap ringing in your ears and jolting the girl's head backwards; momentum forcing her to stumble. Brittany shrieked in pain, holding her nose, unable to defend herself as you launched your attack; first slamming her back into the lockers before jabbing your fist into any vulnerable spot you could.

Similar to the movies, you held Brittany by her hair to keep her in place; wailing your punches repeatedly, each hit making Britt bang into the lockers. Jennifer and Jasmine tried to pull you away but both earned their own punches or elbows to the face for the interference. You focused on Brittany, instantly curating a flock of students all eager to watch.

"FIIIIIIGHT!"

"GIRL FIGHT!"

"BEAT HER ASS, Y/N!"

Brittany sobbed as blood dribbled down her front, staining her pretty uniform, but you were just getting started. The hallway turned noisy, a circle forming around you four as all three cheerleaders were staved off; you running on pure anger, adrenaline, and overflowing frustration that encouraged your foot to kick Britt's gut. You'd never admit it, but Brittany's mocking had hurt you past words, made you feel vulnerable, disarmed, as if you were damaged, undeserving goods. With each punch or kick or stomp, you remembered a different instance of your mother's abuse, seeing her face instead of Brittany's; spurring you on with unrestrained force.

In the parking lot, Billy was leaning on his car with a few teammates from the basketball team and enjoying a hearty nicotine-filled break. Though they'd never label it as such, the boys exchanged idle gossip; listening to Conrad Jones detail his latest conquest, sneering about how "easy" Kennedy Stephens was. They were interrupted when Kyle Lambert sprinted up to them, sneakers skidding over asphalt, panting dramatically, "Billy! Billy! Y-You gotta come see this, man! You gotta help!"

"What?" He asked, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"I-It's your girl - it's Y/N!"

He pushed off his car that was supporting his weight, demanding, "What about her?"

"You gotta come quick, man, you gotta see this! It's fucking wild! Brittany, Jennifer, and Jasmine tried jumping her - "

Billy was surging across the carpark instantly, tossing his cigarette away before yanking the school doors open. He was instantly greeted by the chaotic sight and sounds of a fight, peers gathered in a large circle; screaming their support and hollering encouragement.

"Billy! Oh, thank God!!" Chrissy Cunningham cried, waving him closer. "You have to help! You have to do something, it's 3-on-1!"

He didn't acknowledge the strawberry blonde, just started instantly shoving through the crowd to reach the edge of the fight. It wasn't the sight he was anticipating - fearing the worst, now pleasantly surprised (and a little turned on).

Blood was splattered on the linoleum floors, a single streak smeared on the lockers. Jennifer was left on the ground with her back against the metal, sporting a busted lip as Jasmine was trying to coax her to her feet - sporting a ruddy face and disheveled look. Left in the center, to the entertainment of the crowd, was you on top of Brittany Carver, heaving your fist time and again into her face.

"Shit," he breathed, intending to step forward to stop the fight but needing to shove Tommy H. out of his way when he stepped forward.

"C'mon, man! It's a girl fight! Don't break it up!" Tommy begged, but Billy bullied through.

"All right, that's enough," he grunted, wrapping his arms around your middle and heaving you up and back a step - needing to engage his core and arms when you wriggled in an effort to free yourself. "Hey, hey, hey - "

"Lemme go! This bitch needs put in the ground!"

"Jesus Christ, when did you get this strong?" He grunted, your feet slipping on blood but still being restrained by your boyfriend's impressive strength.

"Talk your shit again, bitch!" You barked at Brittany, who was sobbing in pain and curling into herself. "Lemme hear you say another Goddamn word, you'll need more than another nose job! Fake ass, plastic bitch!"

Jason joined the center and knelt at his sister's side, helping her sit up, glaring at you and Billy. Your boyfriend grit his teeth when Jason snarled, "You need to muzzle your bitch, Billy!"

"I'll fuck you up for talkin' about her like that, Carver, don't provoke me. Watch yourself," Billy snapped in warning, successfully managing to get you behind him.

However, you dodged around him with only enough time to spit hatefully on Brittany, warning, "You wanna talk shit, you'll get hit! Don't let me hear you again - don't you ever dare say another word about my mama! I'll put you in the ground, bitch, fucking try me! I dare you! Try me again, say shit about my mama, and see what the fuck I do!"

"All right, all right, you made your point," Billy stiffly told you, pulling you away by force to avoid you actually killing Brittany. He got a look at her injuries, thinking there must've been more than a broken nose from the way her uniform was stained and her entire face bloodied. "C'mon, we gotta get outta here, come with me - c'mon, baby, you can't touch her anymore, you made your point, you'll end up killin' her or some shit," he panted, shoving through the crowd and effectively ending the fight.

Billy didn't let go of your form until finally outside - letting you rip yourself away as your blood boiled, adrenaline making you much stronger. He watched you pace; huffing, puffing, seething, all but gnashing your teeth hatefully. "That fucking bitch had it coming, Bee, it was self defense!" You finally explained.

"Oh, yeah, princess, totally looked like it," he scoffed, blocking the doors in case you tried to go back. He lit another cigarette.

"It was, you condescending asshole!" You snapped, eyes ablaze and anger tangible. "She approached me, she ran her mouth, and she hit me first!"

"Well," he sighed, "whatever the reason, it's not worth jail time for beating her to death."

"Might be."

"Ain't nothing worth throwing your life away," he offered you the cigarette, but you refused. "Why don't you just tell me what happened? What'd she say?"

"It doesn't matter, Billy."

"I think it matters when she looks like she's gonna need a blood transfusion to replenish what she's lost."

"Whatever - let it be a lesson that you shouldn't throw stones if you're scared of a boulder."

Billy sighed, smoke blown from his mouth, "C'mon, doll, tell me what happened?"

"Doesn't matter, it's done, it's over, it's in the past."

"Baby, I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"You can't help, period, Billy! There's nothing you can do!"

"Well, you're not even letting me try!"

"'Cause it's redundant!"

"Obviously not when you look like a raging bull!"

Your eyes rolled, head shaking, "I handled it."

"I saw," he scoffed. "So, 3-on-1? How'd that happen?"

"I told you, they approached me."

"Well, I'm gonna need a little more to go on. C'mon, pretty girl, the fuck just happened? You know you can get suspended!" This made you freeze, muscles clamming up, looking purely petrified as if the thought hadn't occurred to you. "I know you don't want that, but if you talk to me, maybe I can help lessen whatever punishment."

"Oh, whatever, like I care about being punished," you snipped, hands twisting together - telling Billy you were beginning to get anxious.

"I think you do, it'd put you in the house with your mom alone," he trailed, pushing away from the doors to approach you like a baby deer. "C'mon, I know you don't wanna get suspended, so just tell me what happened."

"I'm sure you'll hear all about it from your little basketball buddies."

"I don't fucking care!" He snapped with the cigarette trapped and bobbing between his lips, making you look at him in mild shock. "There's gonna be a hundred different rumors, whole fuckin' school watched you beat the shit outta those girls - but I only care about what you have to say."

"There's no point - "

"Oh, Jesus Christ," he growled, snatching the cig between his knuckles, "I just saw three bitches on the ground, all injured, beaten up, bleeding - so stop being so Goddamn stubborn and just tell me! I'm tryna help you!"

"You pulled me off of her, you've helped plenty."

"I'd like to understand how this happened."

"It won't change anything."

"No, it won't, but you have a side to the story. Tell me what went wrong? What happened?"

You sighed, no longer pacing, planting both hands on your hips. Your head shook as Billy tossed the filtered cigarette butt aside, muttering when he exhaled the last of the smoke, "It seems so stupid now."

"Hey," he soothed, crowding into your space and taking one of your hands in his. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it wasn't stupid. You're forgetting, I know well enough to understand you wouldn't throw a punch unless absolutely necessary. Whatever got you riled up like that ain't stupid, sweetheart."

Like a glazed donut, your eyes turned glassy. Billy frowned and took your other hand off your hip, forcing your attention on him. "I swear, I didn't start it," you whispered.

"Only matters that you finished it," he smirked. "Tell me, what the fuck was all that?"

You sighed deeply, offering meekly, "Guess they had it comin'..."

"I know they did," Billy chuckled. "Nobody's that stupid to provoke you, except Brittany."

"I was at my locker... They approached and slammed it shut."

"Right, okay..."

"There were words exchanged, but Brittany, she - " You paused, swallowing thickly, "she started talkin' shit about my mom, about, you know, what she does..."

Billy understood instantly. "You fuckin' serious?" He growled, seeing you nod and fill him in on what was said - unable to look him in the eye as you relived your anger. By the end, you were trembling in emotion and adrenaline loss, Billy sighing deeply and yanking you into his chest for a tight embrace. "All right, yeah," he mumbled, "should've put them bitches in the ground."

"And now," you sniffled, "I'm gonna get suspended, forced to stay home with Ma all next week."

"We'll get you outta it."

"Can't, the school doesn't tolerate fighting on school grounds."

"You said she swung first?"

"Technically, yes. I might've - allegedly - prompted her into it."

"It's still selfdefense, toots, no matter what you or anyone said - if she swung first and hit you, you were only defending yourself."

You shrugged, resting on his chest, "You see the damage? Admin won't care who swung first - not when they're beat to shit."

"Yeah, there's my li'l hothead," he smirked, chuckling slightly before pecking the top of your head. "But you gotta admit, it's impressive how you took on all three."

"I guess, doesn't exactly feel like an accomplishment."

"Nah, princess, seriously," he pulled you back to look at him again, "that's fuckin' hot. I mean, they approached you and still got their asses handed to 'em. That's straight skill."

"Or just a lot of anger with nowhere to go," you frowned. "Think I should go find admin?"

"Nah, they'll probably find you - "

The doors opened and your name was called, the principal's secretary waving you to her. "Fuck," you whispered, releasing Billy.

"I'll come with you," he promised, lacing your fingers together when he took your hand. Billy had to admit, it was a little weird being in the principal's office but not being the one in trouble; waiting without patience in a fraying chair, picking at the exposed stuffing with his leg bouncing. He'd been there 45 minutes, skipping the last half of classes, just waiting as you were behind a closed door with the principal, vice principal, and the disciplinary officer.

He looked up when the school nurse lead Brittany, Jennifer, and Jasmine inside - glaring at them but admiring the scattering of cuts and bruises with dried blood on their precious uniforms. A few minutes later, you were exiting the office with a passive and neutral expression settled on your face. Your lip curled only slightly when you clocked the cheerleaders - hating how smug they all looked - approaching Billy instantly.

"You all right?" He checked, standing and adjusting his jeans.

"Mhm," you nodded, keeping your voice low as the principal called the three cheerleaders into his office. You waited until the door was closed, then informed with a smirk, "I'm not suspended."

"No?"

"Nope," you confirmed. "Apparently, they asked a couple other kids what happened and my story matches theirs. I was minding my business, they came up to me, they started mouthing off, and Brittany was the one who hit me first. So," you shrugged, "guess your idea of selfdefense held strong."

"See? That's good, huh?"

"Yeah," you sighed, nodding absently, "but he said the girls were gonna lose their spot on the cheer squad for this. Listen, I don't think I feel like goin' back to class - kinda just wanna take a nap."

Billy hiked up his jean jacket sleeve, consulting his watch for a moment. "Wanna head to mine? Neil's got the evening shift and Susan has bridge club for a few more hours - we'd be alone."

Your eyes rolled, "No offense, Bee, I don't feel like fucking right now."

"I'm not sayin' that, I'm sayin' let's go nap at mine," he chuckled, picking up your backpack that you forgot about. "We can come back to get your brothers but you know you're not gonna rest if you go home."

You gulped, sighing sadly, "Yeah, well, about that..."

"Something else happen?"

"Apparently... The school has an obligation to call the police if a student reports abuse."

"You reported your mom?"

"Not on purpose," you rushed in defense, "just that... I had to explain what Brittany said to me - so I had to admit what Ma did - or does."

Billy frowned, "Jesus."

"Yeah, so... Maybe going home isn't the smartest idea right now. I wouldn't wanna be there when they conduct their wellness check."

"You wanna stay at mine?" He offered.

"What about Neil?"

"He's a lot nicer with you around," he admitted. "Won't care too much if you stay the night. Plus Max has that club thing after school, then she's going to the arcade; so, she won't need a ride, we can just go."

"You know what? Sure, all right, I'll come to yours," you accepted, your lover boy whisking you away without a second thought. "Thank you, baby."

Your hands were stiff, and when you looked at them, noted split skin and stained blood as a reminder of your aggression... Wondering why the fuck people pushed you to these limits and acted surprised when you reacted? If they wanted a punching bag, they picked the wrong one - but you were willing to remind them.

When you got to the Hargrove residence, you were silent as the grave; stewing in your anger that rolled off you in projected waves. Billy was terribly disarmed, unsure how to properly comfort you - wondering how he would want to be comforted, realizing he'd want to be alone, not subject to anyone's bullshit advice. So, he did what he knew and after handing you a bag of frozen peas for your split knuckles, comfortably stripped and crashed in bed with the window cracked and a rolled joint between his fingers.

You rested on his bare chest, sighing deeply while watching the end of the spliff come to life in a smoldering ember. Billy took the first inhale to make sure it was lit and instantly handed it to you, his arm snug around you and the silence hanging in the air like the swirls of stale, exhaled smoke.

"I'm sorry it got to this point, pretty girl," He offered awkwardly, his other arm bending to prop under his head. Both of you stared off aimlessly, stereo filling the space dully in the background.

"Not your fault," You inhaled and held your breath, handing him the joint. He casually flicked the end in an ashtray resting on the window sill.

"No, but I could've done more."

You chuckled, smoke seeping through your lips and teeth, "Oh, yeah? How? You gonna beat up three girls?"

"Nah but I could beat the shit outta Jason."

"What good would that do?"

"If he didn't want a weekly black eye, Jason would control his sister."

"It's always about control with you, isn't it?"

"I'm just saying," he handed the joint back, lungs pinched to hold the smoke, "I could protect you."

"You already do, baby."

"Let me do more, princess."

"You can't fight every battle for me."

"You could let me try."

"You'd be fighting on two fronts," you frowned, exhaling slowly. "Can't fight for me when you're defending yourself against Neil."

"Might be easier to deal with your shit than my own," he chuckled without humor, accepting the spliff. "Look, I know you don't want me involved, but that's kinda what a boyfriend's supposed to do, right? Protect their woman?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Never had a boyfriend before?"

"Nobody was worth dating until you. Nobody could understand me the way you do so effortlessly."

"'Cause we're one and the same, baby girl. You don't have to do everything by yourself," he inhaled, handing the spliff over again, "don't always have t'be strong."

"Ain't no other choice."

"You could let me in more..."

"You're one to talk."

He sighed, smoke billowing. "You're right. Can't expect you to open up if I don't, so why don't we both try to let the other in more? Yeah, I get it, the shit we deal with ain't pretty but at least we understand each other, right? We're the best for each other to lean on."

"I don't wanna drag you into my bullshit, baby."

"I want you to drag me in, princess. I wanna help you."

You sighed, "Well, Brittany and her cronies are getting suspended and kicked off the cheer squad - they'll be looking for reason to take it out on me."

"Say the word, baby, and I'll beat Jason black-and-blue."

"You're so romantic."

"Only for you - so don't tell anyone. I got a reputation to protect."

You both snickered as the weed you indulged in took effect, lulling you two into a state of ease. Your knuckles had stopped burning, resting your injured hand under the frozen peas, reminding yourself to remain grateful in this turbulent period of life because now, you had someone on your team. Someone who wanted to help carry your baggage. Someone without alternate motives. Someone who was willing to withstand the storm in the hope of feeling the warmth of the sun again.

requesting rules and masterlist

Stranger Things masterlist

[lostloveletters]

All That Heaven Will Allow (John Brady x OC)

Summary:  We’ll fill this house with all the love / all that heaven will allow (AO3 link)

Note: This literally wouldn’t exist without @karasnonsense99, Woody and Brady’s biggest hypewoman and someone I’m so grateful to call a friend. This is the visual reference for the dad!Brady vibes that almost made me feel ill. So. Title comes from the Bruce Springsteen song which should surprise no one. Do not interact if you're under 18, terf or radfem, or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: None besides some inevitable inaccuracies.

“I’m glad we skipped the parade this year, it’s too hot out for her,” Woody said. She laid the newspaper she’d been fanning herself with on the kitchen table, watching adoringly as John cradled the baby in his arms, allowing her to wrap her chubby hand around one of his fingers.

“She’s only two months old. How has she gotten so big already?”

Woody folded her arms over her sensitive chest, her lips twitching up in a smile. “Guess.”

John grinned, nuzzling his nose into their infant daughter’s squishy cheek. “She’s got a healthy appetite.”

If Woody wasn’t sure she could fall any more in love with her husband, the day their daughter was born made her feel like Cupid got her straight in the heart. 

It’d been almost a year since she told John she was finally ready to have kids. For all of his prior eagerness, she thought he was a lunatic when he suggested they plan it. ‘So he’ll be born in the summer, when I can be home with you,’ he had said earnestly. Except he was a she, and she was born at the end of April, a Taurus who had her parents’ hearts wrapped around her tiny finger the moment she wailed at the world.

Happy, healthy, nothing short of perfect, they brought her home, and Woody felt relieved that the nurturing, maternal instinct that passed over her own mother was alive and well in her. 

John wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed their first child was a girl. He’d sing to her, make up soft, sweet little songs about Samantha, bounce her in his arms with the rhythm that came so naturally to him until her cries turned into bubbling laughter. The corners of his eyes would crinkle at the sound, and he’d start laughing too. Woody might as well have been in heaven.

Her parents never sang to her as a child. Stale air and empty silence composed the soundtrack of the Woodward residence—hardly a house, certainly never a home. A place where people slept and breathed and moved around but didn’t live.

It’d taken getting used to, being in a place that felt so warm and alive, love radiating from the floral wallpaper John’s brother helped them put up one weekend, the couch his mother bought for them when Woolworth’s was having a sale, the piano they found on a curb one afternoon and spent weeks fixing up until she could hear the sound of John playing from the other side of the house.

“The fireworks are gonna start soon,” Woody said, glancing at the clock on the wall, a wedding gift from one of his cousins.

He nodded, standing up from the kitchen table and passing Sammy to her mother. “I’ll throw the blanket over Blue’s cage and get some music playing.”

Out of all the pets they could’ve gotten, a parakeet probably wouldn’t have made anyone’s list. Upon moving into their first house, John graciously agreed that pet ownership could serve as the test run to assuage Woody’s fear of motherhood, specifically whether or not she even had the emotional capacity to care for something that relied on her so heavily to survive. Blue—a temporary name which ended up being not so temporary—fit right in with their noisy household. Whistled and chirped along to John’s music, and picked up an expletive or two from Woody, which was funny until Sammy came along.

The Fourth of July marked a little over two months since she’d given birth to Samantha Brady, and Woody no longer felt like the other shoe was going to drop and motherhood would end up being some big mistake she couldn’t handle. It certainly wasn’t easy. Woody worked at the garage as long as she physically could during the pregnancy, and John taught private music lessons after school and during the summer to make up for the gap in their income. Even then, the belt tightening meant less things like going to the movies or out to dinner, hardly feasible with an infant, anyway.

Typically, the parade in town started early to avoid the worst of the heat before it settled in, but she and John would end up spending so much time talking to other couples and families, people from their parish that they’d run into, both of them would be sweating by the time they got home in the afternoon. It was one of few holidays they didn’t join his family for, despite one of his uncles hosting what Woody had heard was one hell of a barbecue. 

Fireworks were a crapshoot, generally unwelcome on the Fourth, and the odd ones New Year’s Eve. Loud music and a little alcohol ended up being the solution, a house party for two, though adding a baby into the equation made their tried and true method more uncertain.

He joined them in the living room, having successfully tricked the parakeet into thinking night had already fallen. The first few times they’d done so, Woody felt bad for the poor bird, but she supposed there would be things she’d lie to Samantha about too, like Santa Claus and transubstantiation. 

“Alright Sammy, first song of the evening’s your pick,” he said, holding up three singles from their impressive record collection. It seemed silly at first, working that into their budget, but John’s students were always bringing up new music, and he liked to be in the know, found it easier to teach them songs they were interested in learning.

Sammy vaguely kicked toward one of the singles.

“What’d she choose?” he asked.

“The Louis Prima one.”

“Interesting.”

“She probably likes it because of the sleeve,” she said. “It’s bright blue and the other two are just plain.”

“She’s developing her own taste already.”

Woody laughed. “Just put the song on, Johnny.”

He did, dropping the needle on the 45 and taking her free hand to pull her in for a kiss. 

Two hours, half a dozen singles and LPs, and a diaper change later, the only indication of the fireworks outside had been the faint flashing through the curtains, hardly noticeable among their raging party of three. 

John declared a break after finishing his second glass of whiskey and leading a tango Woody practically tripped through, but she was absolutely thrilled when he dipped her at the end of the song and gave her a kiss. The break turned into him dozing off on the couch just before the roaring Latin record ended.

Woody switched over to the radio, setting the volume loud enough to drown out any fireworks, and took Sammy into her arms.

Slipping outside, she held the baby close as they watched the night sky light up red, white, and blue from the backyard. Sammy squealed when the first firework burst, her big eyes sparkling as the falling embers faded in the distance. She threw her little hands around in excitement until tugging on a thick lock of Woody’s hair.

“I know, baby. Aren’t they pretty?” Woody cooed. Her gaze was glued to the sky as the next few fireworks went off. “That’s where you came from, straight out of the sky to save me, just like your daddy,” she whispered, nuzzling her nose into her daughter’s wispy hair.

She pressed a kiss to her cheek and nearly laughed when she saw that Sammy was asleep. After watching one more firework go off, she went back inside. Unlike their daughter, John stirred awake when the back door closed.

“There you are,” he mumbled.

“Would you believe she fell asleep out there?” Woody said, her voice carrying softly over the sound of the radio.

He yawned, sitting up as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I can believe it.”

“No, you stay. I’ll put her up and be right back.”

“Not without letting me give her a kiss goodnight.”

Woody easily conceded, a small smile on her face as John kissed Sammy’s forehead. 

She brought Sammy into her room, carefully placing her in her crib. There had been plenty of sleepless nights since the baby had been born, Woody taking on the bulk of them since she wasn’t working, but sometimes, John couldn’t sleep anyway, and the following morning she’d find him asleep in the armchair in the living room, baby in his arms and the radio playing low. When she’d wake him up to take Samantha, she tried to make sure coffee was already brewing—it was one of few things in the kitchen she could do well.

When she returned to the living room, he had his pipe between his lips, smoke slowly rising above his head.

“She doing okay?” he asked.

He reached out for her, and when she put her hand in his, he pulled her onto his lap. Her laughter mixed with a shriek of shock, a joyous howl that pierced the air as she situated herself. She glanced toward the stairs, and hearing nothing from their daughter, said, “Absolutely perfect,” and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “How about you?”

“Couldn’t be better,” he said. “Beautiful wife, healthy daughter, and a bird that knows how to whistle along to ‘When the Saints Come Marching In.’”

“Really though, you’re good?”

“Yeah, I am, sweetheart.” He was silent for a few moments as he puffed on his pipe. “She was worth the wait.”

“So were you. I didn’t know I could be this happy.”

He smiled. “Me either.”

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Playing Pretend (Part 3)

Dinner, dessert, and realizing someone might get hurt.

Roy Kent x Reader

2.8k words

Warnings: Language, plenty of pining, "only one bed" trope I guess

A/N: Came out a bit longer than I intended, but I'm not complaining!

Series Masterlist

Roy’s arm was still wrapped around your shoulder, fingers tracing circles on your bare skin as he laughed at something your brother-in-law said. Another reason you’d picked Roy to be your fake boyfriend: he got along perfectly with your family and didn’t need to create some fake personality to make them like him. They adored Roy. It was probably your dad’s deepest dream to have the two of you get together.

You had caught the look on your dad’s face as he watched you across the room. His smile was that soft, gentle smile, the one he’d worn when you were a kid receiving an award, or when you learned to ride a bicycle, or when he helped you move into your first place all on your own. It was his proud, I love you so much smile. And it broke your heart a little, knowing that he’d be so sad when you and Roy “broke up” after the wedding. Almost as sad as you would be when the weekend ended, and Roy went back to just being your friend’s big brother who you pined after in silence.

But for now, you laid your head on his shoulder as your older sister shared some silly story about your nephew, enjoying the rumbling you felt when he chuckled, that gruff sound that made your heart skip a beat.

He leaned close and whispered in your ear, “How’m I doing?”

Ignoring the shiver his breath sent down your spine, you nodded. “Perfect,” you answered quietly. Just as your gaze flickered down to his mouth, wondering how many kisses you could get away with by excusing them as part of the “act”, a housekeeper came in and announced dinner, asking everyone to follow her to the dining room.

Roy was on his feet immediately, holding his hand out to help you up. “Feel like I’m on an episode of fucking Downton Abbey,” he hissed, smirking.

“What do you know about Downton Abbey?” you teased with a laugh.

“I know you’ve got a fucking thing for Matthew Crawley,” he shot back, raising his eyebrows at you.

Feeling like you were being watched, you gripped Roy’s arm affectionately. “Is someone jealous?” you cooed.

“Maybe,” was the small growl before Roy’s lips connected with yours again for a brief, heated moment that made your heart skip a beat. “Is this alright?” he whispered, nose brushing affectionately against yours as everyone else walked past the two of you. “The kissing?” His eyes were full of concern, a look he often gave you when he got protective. As any guy would of his baby sister’s best friend- right?

You shrugged coyly. “Getting to spend my weekend snogging a handsome footballer kind of helps take the sting out of the whole ‘my sister is marrying my ex’ bullshit.”

The smile he wore was a surprised one. “You think I’m handsome?”

“Oh, shut up, you know you are,” you tutted, giving him a playful shove as you moved past him into the dining room. With your back to him you missed the fierce blush that covered his face as he shook his head and watched you, that big smile remaining despite no one being around to see it.

Once everyone had settled in their seats, Jim’s dad raised a glass. “Thank you all for joining us to celebrate our only son and his lovely bride-to-be,” he started, nodding to Jim and Lauren, who sat directly across from Roy and yourself. “It’s going to be a very busy weekend, so it’s nice to have the opportunity to have our first official meal as a family before the festivities.” His eyes lingered on you for a moment, wistfulness flickering across his face for a brief moment.

When you and Roy had arrived at the house and were searching for your room, you’d bumped into Jim’s parents in the hall; there was a lot of clearing of throats and avoiding eye contact from all three of you as you re-introduced them to Roy, informing them that the two of you were now dating. Jim’s mother looked almost disappointed at the news, the corners of her mouth tugging downward, before recovering and offering her congratulations.

Jim’s dad continued his little toast. “I hope this weekend is full of wonderful memories for our new family and that this is the first of many celebrations we share.”

As everyone raised their glasses in agreement, Roy reached under the table for your hand, despite the fact that no one could see it. While you marveled at how determined he was to convince the whole table of your farce, Roy knew the truth: he wanted to hold your hand, plain and simple. And after all this time, this weekend finally gave him excuse to hold it as much as he wanted. There was no way he was going to waste that.

He did reluctantly have to let go once dinner was served, but not without bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to your hand first. Across the table, Jim’s eyes narrowed slightly, before he turned to Lauren, acting like the picture of the attentive fiancé. You couldn’t help but notice the more Roy leaned over to whisper jokes in your ear, or found an excuse to touch your hand, or acted generally boyfriend-y, the more Jim mirrored that affection with Lauren. You did your best not to dwell on the observation, instead focusing on how nice it was to have Roy Kent by your side.

When dessert was served, Jim’s mum suggested taking it outside to enjoy the lovely night. Roy grabbed your bowl before you could and planted a kiss on the top of your head.

“Just grab the spoons, yeah, love?”

Love. Roy Kent just called you love. You’d seen him with other women he’d dated- really dated- and you’d never heard him call any of them love. The word stopped the breath in your chest as you reminded yourself that he was playing a role, acting as the perfect doting boyfriend.

But goodness, you liked the way it sounded.

You led Roy to the garden, where Roy nodded to a bench nestled under a low tree, a bit away from where everyone else was sitting.

“Mind if we sit over here?”

Your chest purred with pleasure at the idea of being alone with him in the secluded little corner, even if just for show. “Sounds good,” you managed.

Roy watched you carefully as you sat down before joining you on the bench, sitting closer than he had to, pressing his thigh against yours. He knew, deep down, that he was kind of taking advantage of the situation, that he was just a friend doing you a favor, but fuck, when was he going to get another chance like this? To dote on you, to touch you, to kiss you, to show you how mad about you he was. He would worry about getting his heart broken later.

“How you feelin’?” he asked, trading your dessert for one of the spoons you held out.

You shrugged as you took the bowl that he handed you. “Alright.” Your gaze flickered to Jim and Lauren, who were chatting with Jim’s parents. Jim’s eyes locked with yours for a brief moment before you turned back to Roy, who watched you with a frown. “How are you? You’re doing a great job with this whole boyfriend thing. You’re a natural.”

Roy turned his focus to his dessert, ignoring how tight his chest felt. “I’m fuckin’ fine. More concerned with you, actually. I’m sure all this… is hard.” He lifted his head to look at you. “It fucking sucks. Watching the love of your life be in love with someone else. Really fucking sucks.”

Something in the fiery way he looked at you sent a shiver down your spine. “Yeah. This is pretty damn difficult.” After a moment, you shook your head. “But… I don’t think Jim was the love of my life.” Roy’s raised eyebrows urged you on. “I mean, I loved him. Really, I did. And I would’ve married him. And it hurts like hell watching him marry someone else, never mind who it is.” You shrugged. “But he wasn’t the love of my life,” you repeated firmly.

“How d’you know?” Roy leaned towards you intently, both of you completely forgetting about the sweets in your hands.

“I don’t,” you admitted with a soft chuckle. “But I have to keep telling myself that, don’t I? Have to keep hope that the real love of my life is still out there, looking for me as much as I’m looking for him.”

Roy’s heart was on fire listening to you. He wanted so badly to tell you that he was right fucking there, that he’d been there for years. He wanted to give you a real kiss and whisk you away to the swanky bedroom you were sharing. Fuck, he wanted to offer to take Jim and Lauren’s place in front of the officiant on Saturday if you were keen.

Instead, he gave you a small, understanding nod. “Should write that down, it’s fucking beautiful.” And you knew he meant it. “Right. Well. I am… going to find a fucking bathroom.” He stood, putting down his bowl and forcing a playful smirk. “Don’t eat my fucking dessert, and if I’m not back in an hour, send a search party, see if I fell into a moat or got caught in a dungeon or some shit.” He bent down and kissed the top of your head before walking briskly into the house, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“You two were having a pretty serious conversation from the looks of it,” your father’s voice mused.

You looked up at your father, who was observing you carefully. “Just about how weird this weekend is,” you half-lied. “He just wanted to make sure I was okay.”

He nodded. “Well, I’m sure it’s strange for him too. Watching you watch your ex get married.” He bobbled his head. “Be easy on him.”

You shook your head. “Roy knows there’s no feelings there. Just awkwardness, really. He completely understands.”

“He’s a good guy. You know I’ve always thought so.” He laughed. “We’re all just glad you two finally figured it out.”

“Right. Right.” You thought for a moment about the way your family wasn’t completely surprised by your new “relationship”. “You know, I’m still not sure what I was missing all those years. What did everyone see that I didn’t?”

A smile crossed his face. “Really, love? You never noticed the way that fella looked at you? All wide-eyed and flushed? Or the way he’d run himself ragged during matches when he knew you were there, just to impress you? There was one Christmas he came home, and I swear he took one look at you and looked ready to quit football just so he could stay with ya.” He chuckled. “Just glad he finally made his move.”

“Oh. Yeah.” You giggled weakly, pretending you’d noticed those things. “And was I just as obvious?”

“God, maybe worse,” your dad chortled, slapping his hands together with glee. “Where to start? Always finding a reason to talk to him, screaming like a banshee whenever you watch him play, and your mother and I overheard more than one late-night call to Sunderland when he was away. I’m just surprised it took him so long to realize how in love you’ve always been.”

Roy chose that moment, with your face starting to warm, to return. He nodded to your dad as he resumed his seat beside you. “Alright there?” He scrunched his eyebrows together. “Your face is all red.” He leaned close and planted a kiss on your cheek, relishing the heat against his lips. “Fucking cute when you blush,” he hummed. His own cheeks reddened when your dad cleared his throat, reminding Roy that he had an audience. “Fuck. Sorry,” he hissed.

Your dad held his hands up in defeat. “Can’t blame you two for wanting to make up for lost time.” He clapped your shoulder lovingly and returned to your mother, who was watching you with a soft smile.

Deciding to let yourself lean into things as much as Roy, you leaned your chin on his shoulder, gazing up at him adoringly. “Feeling kind of tired,” you murmured. “Thinking I’ll head to bed.”

Sure enough, he pecked your forehead. “I’ll join you.”

Rather quickly, you noticed, Roy grabbed your forgotten desserts and carried them to the table Jim and Lauren sat at. You followed him, offering a small wave to everyone.

“Goodnight,” you called.

Lauren raised an eyebrow. “More alone time?”

You wrapped your arms around Roy’s middle and squeezed tight. “Just a bit knackered. And I know tomorrow’s a busy day, want to be well-rested.”

Jim offered a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Goodnight then.”

Conversely, Roy’s smile was wide. “Have a great night, Jim.” He nodded to everyone else before taking your hand and leading you inside.

As the two of you walked down the hall to your room, you couldn’t help but realize that Roy was still holding your hand; you told yourself it must be in case someone happened to see you. That had to be it; Roy committing to this whole fake-relationship thing.

Once you were in the room, you each silently went about getting ready for bed, with Roy letting you use the restroom to change. You quickly removed your makeup, brushed your teeth (longer than usual), and changed into your pyjamas, feeling suddenly a bit shy in your sleeping shorts and oversized shirt. But Roy’d seen you in pyjamas plenty of times; how was this really any different?

For Roy, it was completely different. His breath caught in his throat when you walked out of the bathroom and his grip on the t-shirt he was about to put on tightened. It wasn’t necessarily the view- which admittedly drove him mad- but the knowledge that, in just a few minutes, you’d be in bed. With him.

Likewise, your heart hammered as you once again saw his bare chest- or “bear chest”, as Paul once joked at a pool party. You couldn’t tell if you were relieved or disappointed when he tugged on his black shirt, covering the hair and the light blush that covered his skin.

“D’you care which side?” he grumbled, pulling back the covers. He knew he should offer to sleep on the floor or something, but he knew you didn’t mind; how many times had you fallen asleep leaning against him on the couch? Or that time your families had gone camping and you had begged him to cuddle with you because it was so fucking cold?

Sure enough, you shrugged and helped him pull back the blankets. “Up to you.”

With a grunt, Roy threw himself on the bed, grinning when you did the same. “Only took, what, thirty years. But look at us, our first slumber party.”

You rolled your eyes and brought the blankets over yourselves; Roy couldn’t help but notice the tender way you made sure he was covered. “Roy, I spent the night at your house so many times growing up. We absolutely had slumber parties.”

He shook his head with a small breathy laugh. “Come on. You weren’t there for me.”

Not knowing what came over you, you turned onto your side and propped yourself up on your elbow, your eyes tracing Roy’s profile. “Who said I wasn’t?” you teased.

It was Roy’s turn to roll his eyes. “Oh, fuck off,” he grumbled, smile playing on his lips. “Go the fuck to sleep.”

With that, he turned and clicked off the lamp that sat on the nightstand, leaving you in darkness, wondering how you were going to sleep with the knowledge that Roy Kent was right next to you. Miraculously, you did finally fall asleep, listening to Roy’s soft snores that you knew you’d have to tease him about.

The next morning, you woke up with your head on Roy’s chest, his arm wrapped around you tenderly as he continued to snooze.

Fuck.

Your breath became shallow as you tried to figure out what to do. Gently pull out of his grasp? Stay this way and hope he woke up and removed his arm? Part of you- fine, all of you- wished you could wake up this way every morning.

Carefully, you removed Roy’s arm, the spot where his hand had been quickly becoming cold, and rolled over as slowly as you could, not stopping until you were flat on your back, a safe distance from Roy. Holding in a sigh, you stared at the ceiling, wondering if you’d be able to get through this weekend with your heart in one piece.

[r-i-03-17]

@yasammyweek Ok I guess this is a thing that exists, so I'm gonna contribute to it. Today's theme is a wedding, so I'm gonna write something that relates to that. This kinda caught me off guard but I'm gonna try my best. Enjoy

It has been about 8 years since Yaz and Sammy had "officially" gotten together, If you ask them they'll say they started REALLY dating after they made it back home, an agreement they made when they were still stranded on Mantacorp Island, in case either one (or both) of them hadn't made it, but basically everyone else agrees it was after they both brought their feelings to light. Either way it had been about 8 years, but for the past week, Yaz had been acting a little....skittish.

Yazmina was a woman of focus, commitment, and sheer flipping will. She had survived almost a year on an island full of dinosaurs, while having a sprained ankle for two of those months. She had faced down the Scorpius Rex, the Mosasaurs, and a really ticked off Galimimus (long story, but the dino had it coming). After all that, the almost dying nearly every day, why on gods green earth would a small wooden box with a diamond ring inside make her so nervous. She wouldn't even be the one receiving it, but the conclusion this poor nervous girl came to, is that the reaction of the person she wanted to give the ring to was what caused her nerves to shoot up. What would Sammy do? Cry, laugh, run, say no? All these possibilities were making Yaz more nervous than it would if she just asked Sammy the damn question "Will you marry me?". There's no reason for her to be this nervous right? I mean, the two of them have already been as intimate as you can get with another person, multiple times, so there was no grand surprise afterwards, no pressure to hold up to any "expectations" except of course actually showing up for the wedding....the wedding, the music, the people, the dresses, all the things that weddings involved made Yaz feel even more nervous. She had always considered herself the quote-un qoate "man" of the relationship, and as such she felt it necessary to perform the usual "man" rolls, she opened the doors to restaurants and vehicles for Sammy, made sure Sammy's truck was safe before she drove somewhere, and besides all that, had always gotten along better with Sammy's father, brothers, and nephews, than she had her mother in law, sister in laws, and nieces, though they all still got along well, but she had always found herself gravitating towards the guys, and had actually went to Sammy's father for advice on what to do for their first official date. But unfortunately, with Yaz fulfilling that role (that she was perfectly happy in, Sammy as well), that means it was up to her to propose. Great 😑.

Not really sure what to do, Yaz had chosen to try and distract herself from the thoughts racing in her head by going to lunch with Darius, Brooklyn, and Ben. Sammy was working and couldn't go, but insisted Yaz go and give them all a hug for her, which she had. As they sat down, the rest of the group noticed Yaz looked a little down, not that she was super bubbly to begin with, but she usually had more energy than this.

B: Yaz, are you ok?

Y: Yeah....I'm fine.

(obviously not fine)

D: Yeah sure, ok skip the BS and tell us what's up so we can help.

B: Dude, a little sensitivity would be nice.

D: What? She obviously has something that's bothering her, I'm just trying to figure out what?

B: Yeah but you can't just ASK, what if it was something sensitive?

Ben: Sensitive..... something kinda like a....ring...maybe?

Ben looked over at Yaz, who was now staring at Ben. And he instantly regretted it, Yaz had tears in her eyes, her cheeks red, and trying to compose herself as to not have a breakdown in the middle of a shopping mall food court. Yaz reached into her pocket, pulled out a small wooden box, and slid it across the table.

Y: Yeah, it's a ring. But I don't need it, it's not like I'd ever have a possibility of using it anyway....so take it.

She wiped her eyes and took a shaky breath and put a 20 on the table, asked them to pay for her food, and went to her car to go home.

Yaz made it to her truck, but didn't open it. Hand on the handle she looked at the reflection in the window, and it was a sad, sorry sight. Red in the face, tears running down her cheeks, crying like a 5 year old that had just broken her toy. What was she supposed to do? Go back to Sammy, the person that made her so happy, and dump all this on to her? And that's when the realization struck Yaz like a horse hoof to the chest, the reason Yaz didn't want to propose, wasn't because she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with Sammy, it's that she didn't want Sammy to be stuck with her. She's always been self conscious about herself, and in some ways that's a good thing, keeps a person humble, but it also can be a real pain for self esteem. Would Sammy WANT to be stuck with her for the rest of their lives, till death does them part? Why would someone like her, a beautiful, intelligent, friendly, girl from Texas want to spend the rest of her life with an introverted, relatively speaking average looking, sad nerd like her? There wasn't one, at least not one that Yaz could think of. So, she decided she wouldn't propose, and wouldn't put that burden on Sammy, so if at any time Sammy wanted to leave, she could. As corny as it sounds she'd rather Sammy be happy without her, then sad with her.

Yaz hadn't realized how long she had been standing with her hand on the truck handle, hadn't realized how long she had been crying, and hadn't realized how long her friends had been standing there, until Brooklyn had very gently put her arm on Yaz's shoulder, and was looking at her with so much concern that it almost made Yaz start crying again, but even if she wanted to, she couldn't, she was all dried up.

B: Yaz, we're so sorry, we didn't mean to push, we were just worried about you. I wasn't going to say anything, but the whole reason we came down was that Sammy was concerned about you. She said you'd been acting sad and wanted us to get you out of the house to see if you'd feel better. She's really worried, she was actually starting to think you had gotten tired of spending so much time around her.

Y: What? No, I....I didn't mean...I could never.....

B: Yaz, please tell us what's the matter, all we want to do is help you.

So Yaz did, Yaz told them EVERYTHING, every insecurity. All the hopelessness and sadness came out in one big, frankly depressing, story (including everything she said in her head, read above). At the end, Yaz was just sitting sadly on the tailgate of her truck, her friends sitting with her, looking for lack of a better term, dumbfounded and sad. They had all known Yaz had insecurities, who didn't, but they had no idea it ran so deep.

Y: So that's why I can't propose. I care about her, and I care enough to let her go.....I don't want to but.....

Ben: Yaz, kinda crazy question here, but have you... Idk......maybe mentioned ANY of this to Sammy, at all? Do you have any idea if she wants to get married?

Y: No, but I don't want to burden anything on her. And why would she want to marry ME anyways?

Nobody had noticed the black car that had pulled in the parking lot an hour before, and nobody had noticed the driver sneaking over and hiding behind the car beside them, listening to Yaz's entire story, every word since Brooklyn, Darius, and Ben had come out to comfort their sad friend. And nobody noticed the Texas girl hiding behind some strangers car, trying her best not to cry, and wanting to do nothing else but hug not just the girl she's been dating for 8 years, but her business partner, her other dog mom, and her best friend. But the little Texan girl couldn't stand it any longer and decided to set the record straight.

Sam: Yazmina Fadoula, are you kidding me?

Sammy stepped out from behind the car she was hiding behind, and gave a heart attack to the entire group sitting on the tailgate. Yaz started to get up but Sammy in no uncertain terms gave her a look that said sit back down......Yaz sat back down.

Sammy: So let me get this straight....the reason you've been acting depressed all week, the reason you come to bed later and wake up earlier than normal, why you aren't eating as much and acting super shy, is because you wanted to propose? And was worried I would laugh in your face, or reject you, or not want to be with the girl that I've been with for 8 years??

Y: Um....yes? Look it's not you Sammy, it's me...I was just....

Sammy: Oh I know, I heard the whole conversation, basically everything. I came her to pick up some food to surprise you, and I see you crying and looking at the truck, you didn't even see me drive by. I was gonna talk to you, but I saw them coming over to you, and figured they'd be better at getting you to open up.....guess I was right. I'm gonna be honest Yaz, why didn't you talk to me? We're a team, you're supposed to be able to trust me, and I know that's selfish that I just WANT you to trust me, but we've known each other for almost 10 years, even before we started dating......is it me? Am I driving you away, am I being too over bearing, I just wanted to help you, I didn't mean to be too much.

Now Sammy was crying, and Yaz felt like the world's biggest a**hole, beating herself up internally for not thinking about how this would affect Sammy. She knew Sammy was sensitive, and tuned into people's emotions, so she definitely knew Yaz was upset, but wanting to respect her privacy, hadn't pushed the issue. Yaz felt awful.

Sammy: You know the worst part about this, Yaz? This entire time I was scared you were getting sick of me....I thought you were seeing someone else.

Well if Yaz thought she couldn't feel any worse, she just got proven wrong.

Y: Sammy.....you thought that.....why would....

Sammy: What? See someone else?.....Yaz I heard everything you said, and the entire time I was wondering the same thing you were. Wondering why you'd want to be with ME? I'm just some yee-haw Texan rodio, banjo playing, chubby, middle of nowhere farm girl and there's a million girls just like me within like 20 miles of just like me, except prettier and cooler. I was scared to death that the only reason you were with me is because we were stuck on the island and once you had more people to choose from.....you'd leave. Yasmina I would LOVE to marry you, of course I would, but I still don't really understand why it'd be ME you'd pick out of everyone else. You're beautiful and smart and ACTUALLY talented, you have skills that are actually cool and unique, unlike me who can do farm things yeah, but so can everyone else.

Yaz sat with her mouth hanging open, in awe of that one, her girlfriend had the same insecurities she had, and two, that Sammy thought of herself like that. Yaz couldn't understand why the girl she was so worried about proposing to had never brought these issues up to her before. Yaz decided there and then that damn the consequences, whatever her future had in store for her, Yaz was going to make sure Sammy never had to worry that Yaz would leave her again. She walked up to Sammy and kissed her, a long kiss full of love and warm feelings that made butterflies fly in both of the girls chests.

Y: Sammy, I'm so so so so so so so sorry that I EVER made you worried about me leaving, ever made you feel insecure about yourself. With our friends and God as my witness I will do everything I can to make sure you never feel like this again. Brooklyn.......can I have my ring.

Sammy opened her eyes wide, Ben and Darius gasped and Brooklyn smiled as she handed Yaz the ring.

Y: With this ring I promise to be with you forever, for every sad day, when it shines, rains, or snows. Through every up and down, left or right, whatever happens I want this ring to symbolize how much I care about you... Sammy Gutierrez, can I put this ring on your finger.

Everyone was crying now, their friends, and some random people in the parking lot.

Sammy: Of course you can, but I have one request......Don't call me Gutierrez anymore.....it's Fadoula now.

Yaz smiled, slipped on the ring, and grabbed Sammy by the hips and hoiseted her up off the ground so they could look at each other, Sammy's legs wrapped around Yaz's hips and her arms rested on her shoulders. The parking lot whistled and hollered, horns honking and lights flashing to celebrate the couple.

Sammy: Hey Yaz?

Y: Yes Sammy?

Sammy: I think the chicken thawed in the back of my car.

Everyone laughed, and Brooklyn, Darius, and Ben all drove home with Sammy and Yaz to stay the night. Brooklyn was thankful that Yaz had soundproofed her and Sammy's bedroom wall, and Yaz kept her promise and made sure that Sammy knew every bit of her was as beautiful to Yaz as anything else.

They went to the town office the next day and made it official, and Sammy bought Yaz a ring.

Woooo, that was a long one, I hope everyone enjoys my contribution to @yasammyweek. See y'all later

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Bunch of Stuff Coming in August

July 2023 Wk 5

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Laws of Attraction (Sat iQIYI) 2-3 of 8 - Oh good, we now know that Thailand has the same statutory rape laws as the US. Dub con is as dub con does. MEANWHILE Oh my God I love evil lawyer cutie so much. Him and his beautiful weaponized smile, maybe my new favorite character. I like the way this director is playing with noir mystery tropes, settings, and archetypes too - it’s feeling very 60s pulp, I’m getting gay Travis McGee vibes. Grandma knowing that her grandson likes boys is so sweet. I have to be completely frank here, this is what I wanted from both Manner of Death and KP. I truly love this show

Hidden Agenda that isn’t hidden (Sun GMMTV YouTube) ep 3 of 10 - It’s a very Cyrano de Bergerac kind of narrative... If Cyrano fell in love with Christian instead of Roxanne. Mock date was fun. 

Low Frequency (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - Into the lion’s den. Investigation begins. Why isn’t the ghost acting lookout? Who are these random side characters? I’m confused. Half way through kiss is right on schedule tho. 

Wedding Plan (Weds YT & iQIYI) ep 2 of 7 - The kiss was nice, but it’d be nicer if Nuea had punched Lom. Manipulative arse. A trash watch is happening!

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 4 of 12 - Meh. 

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 eps - The hazing has begun + secret relationship and it’s kinda like a v soft SOTUS. Dino is getting a bit too controlling and obsessive for me so it slid down the ranks. I much prefer La Cusine’s version of this dynamic. The friends protecting Dino’s interests were funny tho - boy is so obsessed he outsources his stalking. 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 10 of 12 - Max is BEST BOY. I hate Kawi. Tra la la. Trash watch here.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Jun & Jun (Korea Thurs Viki) 2 of 8 - Our ex idol is a total FLIRT. Nice to see an uke with agency. I mean baby girl is a newbie worker bee… but still flirty, good for you, sweetie. I see your little lip bite and so does your soon to be husband. Speaking of, I love Choi Jun’s style of seme aggression: a little sleezy + a bit too handsy + ultra clever with his words. Plus tie tug!!! Also threatening to take off your TAILORED suit so baby wears your shirt and smells like you? HOT. Boy you sped right past American style and into Italian - that’s real Corinthian leather, that is. 

Stay By My Side (Taiwan Fri Gaga) 5 of 10 eps - Mid series kiss right on schedule. Thank you for never upsetting me, Taiwan. Omg. Such boyfriends. Only Taiwan gets this sappy. I have to say, I watch this show after Tokyo on purpose. (I need the pallet cleanser.) Still, I’m scared that the perception will be that Bu Xia is using Jiang Chi, not in love with him, when the truth about ghosts comes out. Why doesn’t BX’s useless sister do something for her disaster brother? I guess JC likes a needy boy? Oh no, the kiss confusion. Lip touch but rejection (?). Nooooo. I suppose they have to draw this out for 10 eps. Gah, they’re so cute. But BX is a bit dim, isn’t he? Poor thing. 

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) 4 of 12 eps - Shin is such a worrywart, over protective, over the top boyfriend. I guess we saw a little bit of give from Minato? More than usual, baby steps. This is Japan after all.

Tokyo in April is... AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - Japan’s favorite trope = the running of the gays. Kazama knows everything now. Ep ends on one of my few triggers. SKIP! Japan you better NOT go there.

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 11-12fin - terrible ending, he turned back into a cat and the whole thing was pointless. I am very annoyed. 4/10 FATALLY FLAWED 

It’s airing but ...

Stay With Me ... NO I WILL NOT! And you can’t make me.

In case you missed it

Stay (Pinoy YouTube) finished its run at 7 eps. It’s mostly English & set in LA (shudder) so I did not bother. I say little to no chatter about this (that’s normal with the Pinoy stuff tho). Did anyone watch and enjoy? 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming August 2023

8/1 Stay Still (Hong Kong Tues YouTube) 5 eps - Yes we have had BL from Hong Kong before, but that was... before... who knows what it’ll be like now. Hayden, moves into a new apartment and starts a complicated relationship with his neighbor’s grandson, Damien, after an unexpected kiss. Meanwhile: Archie rekindles a romance with his high school sweetheart, Kelvin, who is now married.

8/11 Love Class Season 2 (Korea Fri Viki) 10 eps - Hyun, Minwoo and Joo-Hyuk are looking forward to their freshman year at college. But trials and tribulations of love that await them outside the classroom: from learning about maturity to being unable to forget the scars of past lovers. (All new cast from season 1.) 

8/12 My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat ????) 8 eps - hum. 

8/19 Love in Translation (Thai Sat One31) ? eps - Two strangers start working in a cafe together.

8/20 My Universe series begins (Thai Sun iQIYI) 24 episodes - This is sampler pack BL, 12 pairs, each pair gets 2 episodes, not entirely sure on the order they’ll drop in. Known couples include EarthBank from Destiny Seeker and KaownahTurbo from Love Stage!!!, mostly fresh faces otherwise. Jane to direct several. 

8/22 Kisseki: Dear to Me formerly known as Miracle (Taiwan Tues ????) 13 eps - From screenwriter Lin Pei Yu (We Best Love, H3: Trapped) features a student doctor forced to take care of a gangster. I love the premise and like the writer, I’m thinking Viki or Gaga will get this one.  

8/24 Man Suang (Thailand movie domestic cinemas) - historical drama about Thai burlesque with KP’s MileApo. Tong is in this one too? 

8/? Sing My Crush previously Follow The Wind (Korea ????) 8 eps - supposed to have released in the first half of 2022 this is a adaption of Myung’s webtoon, from the director of My Sweet Dear, and the Love Tractor production house, looks like Korea does About Youth.

8/? Why R U? (Korean remake)  is supposed to be out this month, filming started in sept 22. I find everything about this hilarious. I mean if Korea remakes it, we lose all the sexy and then... would we have a story at all? No we would not. Not even for six short eps. It’d be like one of those mesh shopping bags. 

We can probably expect a new BL from GMMTV too, to slot into BMF’s spot mid month. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I do love a hyung romance, and this aggressive ghost-ish thing is working for me. (Low Frequency) 

Hidden Agenda + My Ride. 

So coy

I agree with @heretherebedork​ that these two make a great side couple but I am utterly in love with...

HER. (All Laws of Attraction.) 

(Last week)

[fancyfeathers]

(Again for some reason this only showed up in my email, thank god for email I guess @istgtumlrifyoudothisonemoretime )

The Games We Play of Dust and Ash (Yandere Moriarty the Patriot Masterlist)

The answer would be absolutely not, the thing is at that time period prostitution in the arts in Europe was so common at the time and it would be to much of a risk for William to allow her back into that. Besides his darling probably has some mental health issues since Sorelli’s death and him already helping her through those times.

Now he would allow her to keep on pursuing it as a hobby even encouraging her to do so. He would pay for all the expenses needed, new pointe shoes? Done. Mirrors and a bar? Already set up in an unused bedroom.

Then the music box I could definitely see as an engagement gift or a wedding gift, especially a wedding gift. Just imagine before the ceremony, and she’s about to get ready and she comes into the room and sees that on a side table by the mirror with just a small not saying I love you or how much he adores her or something along those lines. After that it is always on their bedside table and just imagine him waking her up by winding it up and kissing her face to get her to open her eyes.

Also you had a big brain moment that I didn’t have with Albert and his darling, especially since marriage season in the aristocracy was a big thing with events like going to the opera or ballet. Just imagine the brothers sitting in their box at the opera and across the way in another box is his darling with her parents and sister (her sister is actually Mycroft’s darling who I am basing off of Eloise from Bridgerton and who you will meet in the next story) and his heart skips a beat while looking at her. He must have been staring because she notices him and laughs with a wave which does not go unnoticed by her parents who he sees scolds her which clearly hurts her by the expression on her face as she forces her attention back to the stage. The moment the ballet is over he’ll rush over to her box as she leaves and her parents stay to socialize and as she is walking down the stairs with her sister to the carriage he’ll call out to her and simply ask her name and she will tell him with a polite smile but not without…

“…But Sir, I am already engaged and I am not sure my parents or betrothed would be very happy to see me speaking to another man.”

Albert can only watch as she steps into her carriage with her sister, his heart breaking into hundreds of pieces as his fists tighten in his white gloves in anger.

A favor from a friend or two (*cough* Mycroft *cough*) and he knows everything there is to know about his darling, her family, her soon to be ex fiancé, with only a small favor to pay to Mycroft with who his darling’s sister is.

[the-boiling-bisles]

I haven't really had the chance to organize my thoughts and predictions on the finale yet, so I guess I'll just dump them here lmao

I'm still holding out for Eda to use Bat Queen's whistle in the finale, don't know what she would do, but I do think that it would most likely lead to a sacrifice of some sort (or maybe belos eats her and grows to full power again wouldn't that be wild)

I feel like I'm in the minority of people who don't think Luz will permanently move to the demon realm, I feel like it would be easier on Camila (and Vee too let's be honest), if there was just an open portal she could go through at any time. At the very least it's pretty obvious that the portal between the worlds will close forever afterwards, evidently from how much Luz has grown there compared to Earth

Huntlow is definitely of importance to the Belos plotline, they would've just cut it for time if it wasn't. Hunter and Willow are 100% foils to Caleb and Evelyn, and my guess when the gang is confronted by him, he'll see the two protecting each other and have flashbacks to when he killed his brother. My biggest hope for this would be a fully animated flashback, but I guess we'll just have to see

It's pretty evident that Hunter will continue the line of palismen carving, and with the seed Dell gave to Eda, I would almost say that that alludes to a future with Willow where she grows the trees and he carves the wood (definitely reading too much into it lol)

Something I don't think a lot of people have talked about is who will run the isles when Belos is dealt with? Or rather how it will be run. It would make the most sense for one of the CATS to do it (Eda, Raine, and Darius all come to mind first). Oddly specific, but in that context I could see a scene where upon everybody finding out he's a titan, they say that he should be the leader of the BI, but he insists that he isn't fit for the job or something of the likes

I think with the build up to Stringbean, there will be a big fight against Belos in the next episode, considering how well he fought in Hunter's body, who had no natural magic at the time, I think as Raine he'll be even harder to beat. A fight like that alone has me curious as to whether they'll survive or not, but considering the amount of angst between them and Eda I don't think it'll get worse (I am definitely wrong about that). There will definitely be a scene where Eda thinks they're dead though, she'll hold them in their arms and cry or whatever and then they'll have some funny quip, then they'll finally kiss

Part of me feels that Luz will have a last minute moment of doubt when deciding whether or not she'll return to the demon realm at all, which will lead to Camila mentioning the videos that Luz sent her back in S2, I still think they're going to be plot relevant, and will probably be in the last 5 or so minutes of the episode

And that brings me to something mentioned by in a post hoot on Cissy's instagram a little while ago. One of the people there asked someone if they had seen the last four minutes of the episode, and when they said no the other had a clear reaction. The last four minutes will most likely be a time skip, wedding, or maybe some sort of memorial thing for a character who died. I would be willing to bet that those last four minutes were what Sarah was talking about when she said it was the hardest she ever cried.

Sorry this was so long lmao I just wanted to get my thoughts out

[atlasalexanderwrites]

Welcome Home Baby Brother Pt. 2 (a Queen!Reader x Malcolm Merlyn verse One Shot....PT. 7)

IMAGINE...being the eldest child to Robert Queen, (Being in a relationship with Malcolm Merlyn,) and having dinner for the first time since your baby brother, Oliver, came back from the dead after five, long years.

Word Count: 2,437

Warning: Possible out-of-character canon characters! Spoilers for any readers who haven’t watched Arrow (I guess lol)

A/N: I hope you all enjoy it!

Previous Parts - 1 2 3 4 5 6

“So, do you plan on telling him about you and Mr. Merlyn?” The question from Thea as the two of you were seated in her room waiting for Oliver to get out of the shower and for dinner to be ready made you flinch and look up from your cell where you had been attempting to do some work for Queen Consolidated while you waited.

You knew that it was going to be brought up, but you had hoped that it would wait until tomorrow.

No. You had no intention of telling Oliver about you and Malcolm. Not only was it something you didn’t know how to bring up, but it was also something that maybe your baby brother didn’t need to know about just yet.

Your gaze fell to your left hand where the diamond ring sat. Malcolm had proposed only a few months earlier during a three-week business trip in France for a joint Queen Consolidated and Merlyn Global business deal. Since then, neither of you had spoken about setting a date or anything to do with a wedding ceremony. A part of you was nervous to bring it up; you didn’t want to make Malcolm feel pressured and didn’t want to somehow, accidentally, bring up memories that would sadden him or anger him by reminding him of Tommy’s mother. The other part of you was nervous to bring it up to Malcolm because…because you weren’t sure you wanted to be married to Malcolm Merlyn. Not right now. Not with Oliver being alive and home and all those suspicions about Malcolm being involved with the Gambit bringing up not anger but dread.

You couldn’t imagine what would happen if that box got opened. You weren’t sure you wanted an answer to whether Malcolm had a hand in your family’s yacht going down.

“Oliver doesn’t need to know about my love life, Thea. There is no reason he needs to be told. Besides, it is probably best that we don’t overwhelm him too much. It’s like…how Mom wants to not bother Oliver with her and Walter just yet. Oliver needs time to settle and adjust. No doubt, he’s hardly at any time to mourn dad or…or even Sara.”

Thea nodded as you spoke and then rolled her eyes saying, “So, you’re scared to tell him?”

“Terrified.”

How could you not be?

Oliver from five years ago had been an asshole, but he still tried to fight every boyfriend you had ever had.

The last thing you needed was Oliver trying to fight Malcolm the moment he got back to Starling City, not to mention the awkwardness that could pop up between Oliver and Tommy as a result.

Sighing, you stood and brushed a hand through your hair while saying, “Look, I promise that I will tell Oliver, but for tonight lets keep that between us.”

“Us and Tommy, mom and Walter, Raisa, most of Starling City, and…” Thea continued as the two of you walked out from her room and headed downstairs.

She wasn’t wrong. Too many people knew and too many people could let it slip to your brother. But if you were being honest, your biggest concern was Moira. She hadn’t budged even a little on her dissatisfaction toward your relationship with Malcolm, and Moira took every opportunity she could find to try and keep the two of you apart. Even with you now living in Malcolm’s home.

It had been amusing at first, then weird, and then frustrating. It was like there was something she was trying to tell you without telling you.

Like Moira knew something about Malcolm she wanted you to know but couldn’t bring herself to spell it out.

“Tommy!” Thea grinned as she bounded down the last few steps and practically skipped over to where Tommy and Oliver stood, reconnecting in the entryway.

You met the gaze of your brother’s best friend (who just happened to be your fiancé’s son as well) and forced an awkward smile as Tommy greeted Thea. The two of you were on good enough terms, but you also knew each other’s secrets – secrets that neither of you wanted Oliver to know about just yet. It made the situation uncomfortable, and you were kicking yourself for not having spoken openly about it with Tommy before this dinner.

“Well, this is a sight that I have missed.” You finally spoke up, plastering a smile on your lips as you closed the gap between yourself and the others. “And to think Starling City was only just beginning to heal from the terror of Oliver Queen and Thomas Merlyn.”

Most of Starling City probably didn’t care that Oliver had returned. Those who were excited were, of course, your family and Oliver’s party friends.

Still, the thought of having Oliver home meant that there was a chance for some semblance of the familiar. As close to the “good old times” that you could get to with your dad being gone.

“We will try not to do anything too crazy.” Oliver smiled. His voice soft. He sounded sincere, like he truly had zero intention of being his old self, and his eyes held a softness that younger Oliver would have never shown – it would have ruined his party boy persona.

“Make sure you don’t.” you laughed as Risa stepped into the hall announcing that dinner was about to be served.

Thea snorted, “Let’s not keep mom waiting.”

Oliver chuckled at your sister’s attitude and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, teasing Thea about “Making mom happy” as they followed after Risa.

You couldn’t help but chuckle knowing that your stepmother or Walter had sent Risa to “collect” the four of you; no doubt, Moira was having flashbacks from your childhood to when you, Oliver, and Thea would get so caught up in something the three of you had chosen to do together that it would take your father coming home and being “stern” for the three of you to finally come back to reality.

The thought was bittersweet, but you didn’t mind it. You appreciated that you could remember things like that. Over the past five years, there had been plenty of days where memories of your brother and father had been the only thing that helped you get out of bed and get on with your life.

“Hey Y/n,” Tommy hissed, grabbing your arm, and stopping you from following after your brother and sister. He waited for the two of them to be out of earshot before saying, “Listen I just…wanted to make sure we were on the same page about…things. Like, what gets told to Oliver and what can be saved for some other time.”

You knew what he was talking about, and it had nothing to do with you and Malcolm.

It was kind of sweet that Tommy was so concerned about telling Oliver certain things because he wasn’t sure how his lifelong friend would react. It spoke volumes on how much Tommy respected and cherished his friendship with your baby brother.

You whispered his name and offered a small smile as your gaze slipped to your left hand and the diamond engagement ring that sat there. The smart thing would be to remove the ring altogether. After all, if Oliver didn’t see the ring, then he couldn’t ask about it, but you didn’t want to give the impression that you were ashamed of Malcolm and that you wanted to hide your relationship with him.

“I promise that I won’t say anything to Oliver about what you’ve been up to the last five years as long as you don’t say anything about me and your father. I just...I haven’t figured out how to tell Oliver about us yet.”

Tommy stared at you for a long moment, taking in what you had said, and then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. “Alright, alright. Thank you, Y/n. I…thank you.”

“Any time, Tommy.” And you moved into the dining room to join the others.

While Tommy and Thea sat to either side of Oliver, you chose to sit across from Walter placing Moira (and Oliver) at the head of the table. You didn’t mind as it gave you a chance to speak softly to your stepmother and Walter about Queen Consolidated and it gave Thea the chance to soak up as much of Oliver’s attention and closeness as she desired. Thea needed that. She had been only thirteen when the Gambit went down – life was hard enough for Thea with being in her early teens, the loss of your father and brother hadn’t helped things at all.

Besides, you would have plenty of time to catch up with Oliver.

It isn’t like he’s going anywhere any time soon.

“…I was hoping to swing by the office.” Oliver’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts and you quickly snapped your full attention in his direction.

“Queen Consolidated?” you laughed, interrupting whatever Walter had been saying as a response to your brother. “You want to go to…how hard did you hit your head while on that island?” you teased while lifting your glass of wine to your lips.

“I had a lot of time to think while I was away.” Oliver smiled, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “I need something to do with my time, and I was thinking, why not make that something the family business?” his blue eyes looked from you to your mother and then back on you, “Unless this is your way of saying you want the company all to yourself?”

“Shut up, brat.” You laughed with a playful roll of your eyes, “I think it’s a brilliant idea for you to have a hand in Queen Consolidated. Dad would want it.”

“Then it’s settled.” Moira was beaming, clearly happy that Oliver had matured enough to show an interest in your family’s business.

You were proud of Oliver as well, but you couldn’t help but wonder what exactly had motivated your baby brother to want to take an active role in Queen Consolidated. Surely, most people who came back from the dead would want to take some time to rest and readjust to life. But Oliver didn’t seem to want to do that.

Actually, that look on his face…it’s determination. He’s home and he has a list of things he plans to do.

But what?

What has happened to you, Olive?

*

When you were younger, the thing you feared the most was that your baby brother and sister would hate you. That they would grow up and realize how lame you were, and they would then want nothing to do with you.

That morning when you got that call that the Queen’s Gambit had gone down, that your father and brother were lost at sea and presumed dead, you felt so silly for your childhood fears. You knew then that the worst thing imaginable was having those you loved ripped away from you in a moment, in the blink of an eye, without warning.

And now, standing outside with Oliver and avoiding going home to an empty house, you felt that fear in your stomach. Like this was all a dream and that you would wake up, having imagined Oliver being alive, and you would be back in that cold, dark world where your baby brother was gone. Taken from you by fate? A tragic accident at sea? Or…at the hands of unknown enemies.

“So,” Oliver sighed, turning to you with a smile, “When do I get to meet the person who gave you that?” he gestured toward crossed arms, at your engagement ring.

“The wedding?” you shrugged, trying to play it cool at first as you looked anywhere but at him. “It…the engagement is actually pretty new. We don’t have a set date yet.”

“Does mom disapprove?” Oliver asked the question softly, his gaze locked on you so tenderly.

You snorted, “Of course she does. Mom…doesn’t think he’s good enough or me. Which is crazy because he’s a businessman, he’s very successful, and his company actually has a lot of dealings with Queen Consolidated.” Your amusement turned to frustration as you spoke, frowning at your own words and the reminder that Moira could pop off and spill the beans about you and Malcolm at any moment.

“Do I know him?”

Your cheeks flushed at his question, and you found yourself chewing on your bottom lip instead of answering.

Humming, Oliver nodded and leaned toward you, placing a kiss to the side of your head as a sleek, black limo pulled up. “I know that I don’t have to worry about you, Y/n. You’re the smartest out of us all. If you’re sure enough about this guy to marry him, then I will trust you and try to wait patiently for you to introduce me to him.”

“Ollie.” You murmured, eyes filling with tears as you wrapped your arms around him, tucking your face into his shoulder as he returned the hug. “I fucking missed you, Oliver.”

He nodded in agreement, saying “I missed you too, Y/n.”

It took all you had to pull away from him, and it was only after the two of you had agreed to see each other again tomorrow that you finally forced yourself to move away from your baby brother and walk to the limo and Malcolm’s driver.

“Jude.” You nodded, refusing to show your surprise as you stepped past him.

“Miss Queen.” He greeted you with a tilt of his head and a small smile.

Smiling in return, you waved goodbye to Oliver once more before climbing into the limo and letting the door shut behind you.

It was only after you were off your family’s property and Oliver was out of sight that you looked beside you at the man who was supposed to be overseas.

“Darling.” Malcolm hummed, his lips turning upward into that ridiculously charming, crooked smile of his.

“You said…”

Leaning toward you, Malcolm placed a kiss to your lips while murmuring, “You needed me here more.”

Tears prickling in the corner of your eyes, you forced a breathless laugh and pulled away, settling back into the seat. “Thank you, Malcolm.”

“Of course.” He took your hand, placing a kiss to your knuckles, and set it in his lap – seemingly mindlessly playing with the band on your ring finger as he turned to stare out the window, watching the world fly by.

Content and exhausted from the day, you rested your head on his shoulder and let yourself drift off to sleep listening to whatever jazz number Malcolm had chosen for the drive.

*

I hope you all enjoyed it! And I hope you’re all a sucker for sister!reader x Oliver content as I am lol (Oliver being a brother is so lovely to me 😉 )

The next installment will be reader x Malcolm! Probably a gentle day for them! It won’t be out in the next two weeks as I have other one shots (non-Arrowverse) that I want to finish writing/editing/etcetera.

As always, if you want to show some love, feel free to sent me things through my inbox and I also have a Kofi if you would like to support me in that way!

Please be safe and I hope you are having a good day!

~Atlex Writes!

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

I

Just had the strangest dream

Okay

Imagine…. There are two versions of me. And separated by a…. Tunnel, between two… worlds? But it’s just an ordinary highway tunnel

And two versions of a boy who wants to be with me

I think

And one side is like…. Big skyscrapers and the city and everything and the other is small town, seaside

*tilts head* it’s odd and I can’t explain this bit but I was never described as me either. Just the blue girl with bright eyes

For some reason I kept thinking of the pauā shell bracelets I saw in Saudi, and picturing me as the personification of them…? Odd I guess it makes sense… I have an affinity to shells and pearls

Tch

Anyway

I can’t remember it so clearly, it was a full on story

But it was good

So…. Basically, the girl from each side of the tunnel, the me, she’s supposed to end up with the guy on her side of the tunnel. Big city girl with the big city boy and so on. But they accidentally discover the tunnel, discover the other versions of themselves

*frowns* that bit’s fuzzy. But there’s a lot of angst as…. The boy from the city falls for the small town girl, and vice versa

They’re not supposed to go through the tunnel, their parents told them. Dangerous, crossing into parallel worlds.

But… he proposed to me and I had… to say yes I wanted to so much, my best friend and of course I did ^_^

The other me in the city was upset for a while until the small town boy met her. She didn’t seem like me, more attitude-y and Skater girl than me (and that IS a side of me already so to just be that…. How odd) and yet he I think fell for her too. They seemed happy together at least. She seemed almost a completely different person, but I knew it was me also.

There’s angst of course, going back through the tunnels secretly, trying to find some way to persuade our respective alternate world families that it’s safe it is

Our friends disapproving for whatever reason (his friends were worried I’d hurt him and… I did, unintentionally but I did, in panic attacks and worries of the future. I feel so completely, deeply sorry for letting him feel even the tiniest bit uncared for, let alone…. Well)

The danger of crossing the tunnel is that it’s difficult to drive once you’re in, physics seems to be defied in there, and my fiancé and his friends were accustomed to driving through (joyriding through 😑) so they could handle it, somehow

I climbed through in a panic to try to get to the city and persuade…. His parents? I think… or the other version of my parents, to allow the marriages to happen, to trust that it’s okay. I don’t remember much but I remember clinging to the side of a road that was… sideways, a curved wall, and just about made it through to the other side. Seeing the other me, the big city me, pass through on a skateboard without a glance. She didn’t like me very much still

My fiancé was…. Mad and upset with me to say the least, going through that tunnel precariously, and it turns out one of my siblings followed me there! My little brother and we had to go back and help him, make sure he was safe, he almost fell and could have been lost.

*frowns* there’s a time skip, we got our parents to agree? All of us.

My fiancé’s friend, who told me off and was protective over him, isn’t with us though, because he… died. Someone died and he died, he’d been sick for a while and I can’t remember it exactly but he wanted to see us all happy, tried to help us all. My little brother was particularly attached to him and he’s been quiet since he died, my mum’s trying to stay with him as much as possible and get him to open up again.

Skater girl!me and I don’t quite get along but don’t quite do without each other, oddly, we’re close I think, my sister likes her and we’re currently together as she prepares for her wedding. Skater girl!me brought her kid! She has a kid? She has a kid, and I love playing with him but sigh wistfully hoping I’d have one. I remember being surprised suddenly by someone’s arms around me and it’s my partner ^_^ we are, boringly, at a shoe shop as my sister picks out shoes to go with her wedding dress and for some reason I’m trying on these sky high heels with a…. Leopard print on it??? That’s so not me, I think the sales assistant is trying to palm them off on me and I keep trying to decline as my husband giggles behind me.

I wake up in the middle of teetering on the heels as he hugs me

[jrob64]

Silly Songs With Killian - a CS Modern AU One-shot

You can blame @sotangledupinit for this silly, but sweet, little story! She posted a prompt on Discord which caused my muse to jump to attention, and I wrote it in two days. If you're not familiar with the Veggie Tales videos, you'll still be able to enjoy this, but do yourself a favor and check out the songs on Spotify here. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them and I guarantee they'll make you laugh!

Special thanks to Kit for making young Henry look even younger for the pic set, Mary for being my beta, and Krystal for being a second set of eyes for the Silly Songs lyrics and also for the pic set I created. It pays to have wonderful fandom friends!

Summary: After a frustrating and exhausting day, Emma Cassidy is relieved when her little boy, Henry, is entertained by a gorgeous musician at a restaurant, giving her a chance to sit back, relax, and enjoy the music (and the view!) It gets even better when the singer, Killian, sings some of Henry’s favorite Silly Songs from his favorite videos, Veggie Tales. 

Rating: T

Words: 3946

Also posted to Ao3 and ffn

*********

It’s been one hell of a day. It wasn’t supposed to be this exhausting, but of course my ex, Neal, had to complicate things.

I was looking forward to going wedding dress shopping with my future sister-in-law Mary Margaret and her other bridesmaids, sipping champagne and giving my input on each of the possibilities. It was going to be so much fun.

And then...remember the saying that was popular many years ago - shit happens? Well, Neal can be used interchangeably with shit - they’re one and the same.

It was his scheduled weekend with our three-year-old, Henry, which was one reason why Mary Margaret chose this day. Then on Friday, almost an hour after Neal was supposed to pick Henry up at my apartment, he sent me a text: Something came up. Can’t make it this weekend. Tell Henry I’m sorry.

Apparently he turned off his phone after sending it, because he didn’t answer any of my increasingly volatile texts - eighteen of them, to be exact - or phone calls. I had to sit Henry in front of the television so I could go into my bedroom to leave some choice words on Neal’s voicemail.

Fortunately (or unfortunately for my sweet little boy) Henry is used to being let down by his father. In the eighteen months since we called it quits, Neal has skipped out on more weekend visits than he’s kept. I guess being a lying piece of shit takes up way too much of his time and he can’t spare any for his son.

Also unfortunately, all of the people who usually babysit for Henry were unable to watch him. Most of them were included in the shopping trip, my brother David was busy because he was painting the living room of the house he and his fiancée just bought, and Ruby’s Granny was off bowhunting with her new beau. (Bowhunting with her beau has been a running joke ever since she left a week ago.)

So instead of enjoying a carefree day of shopping with Mary Margaret, Belle, Ruby and Elsa, I had to keep an active, inquisitive toddler entertained in one bridal shop after another. We were all relieved when he finally fell asleep in the third shop, until the manager woke him up by screeching about how he was going to drool on the green velvet upholstery. That cost her any business she might have had from us (though in all honesty, her gowns were all hideous and looked like something only the Wicked Witch of the West might wear.)

Eventually, Mary Margaret said ‘yes to the dress’ in the fifth shop late in the afternoon, then we all decided to get an early dinner at a nearby restaurant that serves kids’ meals and has outdoor seating. If Henry has to spend one more minute inside today, I think he might have a complete meltdown.

After placing my order and getting Henry situated with the provided coloring sheet and obligatory four crayons, I hear someone speaking into a microphone and look over to see a guy standing on a small stage with a guitar. A very, VERY attractive guy.

“Good evening, everyone,” he says, and my jaw drops at the sound of his British accent. “My name is Killian and I hope you enjoy the music tonight. I do take requests. Feel free to sing along or dance in this nice, open area in front of me.”

“Oh, wow!” Belle gasps. “He’s very handsome, isn’t he, Emma?”

My jaw snaps shut and I turn to look at her. Seeing her sly smile, I teasingly say, “Why are you asking me? We all have eyes, you know.”

“Yes, but we all have significant others, too,” Ruby adds, which is completely unnecessary but, sadly, also completely true.

While my self pity begins to set in, the guy - Killian - strums his guitar and launches into the Eagles classic “Take it Easy”. Henry, who by this point has scribbled all over the coloring sheet, somehow managed to break his crayon into at least four pieces and, judging by the color of his teeth, took a bite of it as well, looks up with bright eyes. Since I allowed him to kneel on a chair instead of trying to strap him into a booster seat, he takes advantage of it and hops down.

Before I can chase after him, he makes a beeline for the open space in front of the admittedly gorgeous singer and begins jumping around in what passes for a three-year-old’s version of dancing. I sigh and start to get up, but Mary Margaret stops me with a hand on my arm. “Let him go. He’s been very good all day and deserves to burn off some energy. Besides, he’s only a few feet away and we can see him clearly from here.”

It doesn’t take much convincing for me to heed her advice. If someone else can entertain Henry for a while, I’m not going to complain.

When the song comes to an end, Killian acknowledges the smattering of applause and plays the extremely recognizable first chords of “All Right Now”. Henry doesn’t miss a beat, throwing himself around like a rag doll while all of us at our table, as well as most of the other diners, laugh delightedly at his exuberance.

By the time Killian is in the middle of his third song, “Old Time Rock and Roll”, our food arrives and I face the dreaded task of dragging my son back to the table to eat. I nibble at my fish and chips until the song ends, then dash to the makeshift dance floor to cajole Henry. When he shows the expected resistance, Killian chuckles and helpfully says, “Go with your mum, lad. I’ll play a slow song that’s not as much fun for dancing.”

True to his word, he croons the song “Everything I Do, I Do It For You” as Henry acquiesces and comes back to his seat to shove French fries into his mouth as fast as possible. It might not be a good song for Henry’s style of dancing, but Killian’s smooth voice singing the beautiful lyrics is sending pleasant chills down my spine.

Another song with a slow tempo follows, during which my little man polishes off his fries. But when Killian starts “Footloose”, all bets are off and Henry is back on the dance floor with a chicken nugget squeezed into both of his chubby fists.

After we finish our meals, Belle, Ruby and Elsa leave to spend the rest of the evening with their boyfriends. Mary Margaret lingers, telling me she’ll stay to keep me company, because she’d rather not have to help David clean up his painting mess. We don’t want to take up a table, so we move to some empty seats along the edge of the patio from where we can still see my little dancing king.

“You’d think his battery would run down soon,” Mary Margaret comments.

“Are you serious? That kid is like the Energizer bunny, plus he’s been cooped up in stuffy dress shops all day. My money is on the singer wearing out before Henry.”

She’s uncharacteristically quiet for several minutes. When she finally speaks, she says quietly, “He really is very handsome and seems like a nice guy.”

Her statement is out of left field and I’m confused. “Who?”

“The singer - Killian,” she clarifies.

I narrow my eyes at her. “What’s your point?”

“No point. I was just making a comment,” she shrugs, all innocence.

I don’t believe her. Mary Margaret is the queen of set-ups and wears the crown proudly. She introduced Belle to Will, Ruby to Jefferson and Elsa, well, she introduced Elsa to Victor, but that didn’t work out very well. Elsa met Graham on her own.

“I’m not looking for someone to date, Mary Margaret. I’m still dealing with my idiot ex and trying to concentrate on raising my son not to follow in his father’s footsteps.”

“I understand, but…”

And it’s at this point I resign myself to the fact she’s going to spout some argument that’s going to weaken my resolve not to date.

“If Henry had a really good male role model in his life, it would help you in raising him to be a gentleman.”

“Seems to me David does a pretty good job of that, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I know,” she sighs, “but between working, getting the house ready and planning the wedding, his time with Henry is very limited.”

“The house will be ready before you get married and the wedding is in less than five months. After the honeymoon, he’ll have more time.”

“Oh, but then we’ll have children of our own, and you know how much time that takes.”

“Is this your way of telling me you’re pregnant, Mary Margaret?”

‘’What?” she gasps. “No! I’m just saying…”

“I know what you’re saying and I hear you. If the right guy comes along, I wouldn’t be opposed to dating him, but I’m not gonna try to force something to happen.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a date for the wedding, though?” she presses.

“Henry will be my date. He’ll be very dapper in his little tux.”

“But…”

“No buts, Mary Margaret. I don’t want to be set up with someone just so I don’t look pathetic at your wedding.”

We both fall silent as we watch Henry continue to dance in front of the bemused musician. Glancing at the time on my phone, I realize he’s been at it for well over an hour and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. It’s beginning to get dark and I know I’ll have to wrangle him into the car before too much longer for his bath and bedtime.

I feel a little sorry for Killian, though. Nobody else has taken him up on his offer to dance, despite his repeated invitations. In fact, most of the diners aren’t paying attention to him at all. I hate to take his number one fan home, especially when I’m able to sit back and relax while listening to some seriously good music.

“I’m going to take a little break and then I’ll be back,” Killian announces, lifting the guitar strap over his head.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue to take Henry home,” I say to Mary Margaret.

“I suppose so,” she agrees. “Let me say goodbye to him and then I have to be on my way, too. According to his text, David is anxious for me to see how the living room turned out.”

We both stand up and move toward the stage, but I stop in my tracks. Killian is squatting down in front of Henry, listening to him with a huge smile on his face. I don’t know what Henry is saying, and I’m not sure Killian will be able to understand it anyway. Henry has an extensive vocabulary for a three-year-old, but I listen to him with ‘mom ears’, which means I can actually decipher what he’s trying to say.

When we reach them, Killian looks up at us and whatever I was going to say flies right out of my head. From a distance, the man is handsome. Close up, he’s nothing short of breathtaking. Carefully trimmed scruff covers a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, his cheekbones would put every male model to shame, and his dark hair is swept back from his forehead with a few rogue strands hanging down enticingly. Even his slightly pointed ears are adorable.

But it’s his eyes that shut down the functioning part of my brain. To say they are blue is like saying the sun is a tad bit warm, and the way the waning light catches them makes them shine like sapphires. I’m aware that my mouth is hanging open like a fish on dry land, but I can’t seem to make it form actual words.

“Hello, Killian. We’ve been thoroughly enjoying your music tonight, even if we haven’t been showing it as much as this little guy.”

Thank God for the natural chattiness of Mary Margaret.

Killian reaches out to ruffle Henry’s sweaty hair, then stands up. “I’m very happy to hear that,” he says in that beautiful, lilting accent. “I was just telling young Henry here that I’ll play some special songs for him after the break.”

I finally find my tongue. “Oh, but I was coming to tell Henry it’s time to go home.”

My little con artist turns his baby browns on me. “Please, Mommy. I be a good boy, I pwomise.”

That’s just great. Now if I take him home, I’ll have to forfeit my Mom of the Year award.

Mary Margaret laughs. “Well, Henry and Emma may be able to stay, but I really have to go.”

Why did she emphasize my name so much? As if I don’t already know.

She hugs Henry and me, tells Killian goodbye, and winks at me as she passes by. Even without trying to set me up, she’s setting me up.

I look back at Killian, who finishes chugging a bottle of water and grins at me. Reaching out to take my hand, he shakes it and says, “It’s nice to meet you, Emma, and little Henry.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Killian. Thanks for entertaining my son tonight.”

“It’s been my pleasure. I love how uninhibited kids are, and how joyful.”

“Well, his day certainly didn’t start out joyfully at all.” I shouldn’t have said it, but I’m still boiling about what Neal did to his own son, especially when this stranger seems so happy to spend time with him.

“No?” Killian questions. “May I ask what happened?”

I glance down at Henry, not wanting to bash his no-good father in front of him. He’s happily lining up little stones he collected along the edge of the patio, oblivious to the conversation going on above him.

“He was supposed to be with his dad this weekend, but he canceled. Again. So Henry was stuck shopping for wedding dresses with us all day.”

“I see.” He ponders for a second. “Would that wedding dress be for the lovely lass who just left…or someone else?”

“Yeah, it’s for Mary Margaret. She’s engaged to my brother.”

“I’m very glad I was able to make Henry’s day better, because his dancing did the same for me.” We watch Henry play, babbling to himself. “He seems like a happy little lad,” Killian observes.

“I do my best, but as a single mom, I make a lot of mistakes.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Love. All parents make mistakes. It’s a good thing kids have perfect aunts and uncles,” he says with a smirk.

“So, are you an imperfect father or a perfect uncle?” Am I really flirting with him right now?

“I have two nieces, so that would make me the latter.”

“Do you get to see them very often?”

“Aye, they live just a few miles from me, so I spoil them as often as possible. They’re my brother Liam’s girls.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re originally from the U.S., if you don’t mind me saying.”

He chuckles again, rubbing his finger behind his right ear. “We were born in England and lived there until I was fourteen, then my father took a job here so we moved across the pond.”

“That explains the accent.”

He nods and checks his watch, blowing out a breath. “I should probably get back to my set. Will you allow young Henry to stay for a few more songs?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Sure. What’s another fifteen minutes in the grand scheme of things?”

A genuine smile splits his face. “Excellent! I think he’ll particularly like the next three or four songs I play.” He looks around and grabs a nearby chair from an empty table, setting it down beside me. “Won’t you please have a seat, Emma?”

“Such a gentleman,” I say, sinking onto the offered chair.

“Oh, I’m always a gentleman.”

Somehow I don’t mind him flirting with me.

He steps back on the stage, slips his guitar into place, and positions himself in front of the microphone. After giving me a wink, he announces in an overly accented, squeaky voice, “And now it’s time for Silly Songs with Killian. The part of the show where Killian comes out and sings…a silly song.”

I burst out laughing at the very familiar words. Henry is addicted to Veggie Tales, the wacky shows featuring talking fruits and vegetables. I love them because they teach good moral values; he loves them because they’re hilarious. His favorite part of every video is Silly Songs with Larry the Cucumber, which we watch over and over and over again. Apparently he conveyed this obsession to Killian.

Killian closes his eyes, somberly strums his guitar, and sings, “Oh, where is my hairbrush? Oh, where is my hairbrush? Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where, oh wherrrrrrrre…is my hairbrush?”

Henry is jumping up and down like a kangaroo on a pogo stick, shouting, “Mommy! Mommy! It’s the Lawwy song! Keeyin is singin’ the Lawwy song!”

Wiping tears of laughter from my eyes, I look around at the half-dozen people at the tables, who are looking at the musician like he’s lost his damn mind. Bunch of sticks in the mud. Lighten up.

But Killian isn’t bothered by their response, or lack thereof. He smoothly transitions to another of Henry’s favorite silly songs. “Oh, everybody’s got a water buffalo. Yours is fast, but mine is slow. Oh, where’d we get them, I don’t know. But everybody’s got a water buffalo, oooooo.”

Henry is beside himself with excitement. He’s running around in a circle, waving his arms in the air in his best impression of a rabid chimpanzee.

Killian moves on to sing a few lines of “I Love My Lips” (I can’t help thinking I’m quite fond of them, too), followed by “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything”.

By this time, the diners have relaxed, laughing and clapping along with the crazy tunes. Meanwhile, my son has finally worn himself out, collapsing in a small heap in front of the stage, looking up at Killian adoringly.

“...and we’ve never been to Boston in the falllllll,” Killian concludes with a flourish and takes a deep, dramatic bow.

I dig into my purse and pull out a twenty dollar bill. I always try to watch my budget, but I’ll skip getting a chocolate caramel latte for a few days to compensate. It’s worth it for what Killian did for Henry tonight.

Walking up to the stage, I drop the bill into the tip jar, smiling up at the singer. He’s between songs, so I say, “Thank you so much, Killian. You’re my hero for entertaining Henry tonight. It was great and he loved it, didn’t you, kid?”

Henry jumps to his feet. “I weally did, Keeyin! I love Lawwy songs!”

“What do you tell him?” I prompt.

“Thank you, Keeyin,” he says obediently.

“You’re very welcome, lad. I play here again in three weeks. Perhaps you can stop in and see me again?” He’s talking to Henry, but he’s looking at me.

“Can we, Mommy?” Henry pleads.

I know we probably can’t. This restaurant is all the way across the city from where we live, plus it’s pretty expensive. Mary Margaret footed the bill today, but twelve bucks for a kid’s meal is a little steep and I won’t pay it. I don’t want to say any of this though, because my tired son is walking a thin line between lingering happiness and an emotional collapse. So I use the parental standard, “We’ll see.”

Taking Henry’s hand, I say, “Thanks, again, Killian. Have a good evening.”

Something that looks like slight panic flashes through those gorgeous eyes of his and he speaks into the microphone, “I’ll be back in five, folks.” He slides his guitar around to his back and steps off the stage, placing himself directly in front of me. “Emma, if I may be so bold, and if you’re not already dating someone, would you consider going out with me?”

“Wh-what?” Apparently, getting asked out by the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on renders me a bit stupid.

He lightly wraps his hand around my wrist and pulls me further toward the side of the patio for some privacy. “Even though we just met, I would really like to get to know you better.”

“But…but you don’t even know my last name.”

“What is it?”

“Cassidy.”

“Mine is Jones, so now we know each other a little better already.”

I stare at him, trying to think of a single reason why I should say no to him. “I…we…um…Henry and I, we…uh…we come as a packaged set.” That’s the way, Emma. Use your kid to try to scare him off. And you did it so gracefully, too.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m really quite fond of your son. That’s not a deal breaker,” he states firmly. He still hasn’t let go of my wrist and now he’s rubbing his thumb over it. I find I don’t mind at all.

“I…”

“Mommy, potty!” Henry announces.

Oh, geez. Killian has to get back to his set and Henry has to pee. I’m running out of time.

Dropping Henry’s hand, I rummage through my purse, trying to find a pen. “Got a piece of paper?” I ask, mid-rummage.

Killian dashes to his guitar case and pulls out a piece of sheet music, returning with it just as I locate the elusive pen. He plants his foot on a chair and slaps the paper down on his knee so I can scribble my number on it.

When I finish, I lift Henry into my arms and take off to find a bathroom. Before disappearing inside the restaurant, I glance back at Killian. He’s still standing where I left him, a broad smile on his face as he grips the paper in his hand. Raising my free hand, I give him a little wave and he returns it.

After I’ve had time to think about it, I might regret giving him my number. Right now I just have to keep my kid from peeing down the front of my dress.

*********

A year ago, Killian Jones was my hero for giving me a chance to relax while he entertained my son. Five months later, he was once again my hero by being my date to Mary Margaret and David’s wedding. Today, he’s still my hero because he’s continuously proving that not all men are incomparable asses.

On the contrary, he’s everything I dreamed a man should be, once upon a time. Killian Jones is talented, intelligent, funny, considerate, masculine, caring, loving, passionate, and a great conversationalist, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous (if I didn’t mention that, it would be a crime.) He’s the total package and I’m head-over-heels in love with him.

Oh, and he’s a fantastic role model for my little boy. I usually hate to admit when Mary Margaret is right, but in this case, she was unequivocally correct. He and Henry absolutely adore each other and it makes my heart so happy. They do everything together - read books, play Star Wars with lightsabers, build block towers, climb trees, ride bikes, you name it.

And Henry loves singing silly songs with his soon-to-be stepfather. What more could a mother want for her son? Except, perhaps, a sibling.

Killian and I are working on that…and thoroughly enjoying every second of it.

*********

Thank you for reading. I hope it brightened your day!

Tagging: @hookedmom​​​​​​ @kmomof4​​​​​​ @cs-rylie​​​​​​ @qualitycoffeethings​​​​​​ @grimmswan​​​​​​ @wyntereyez​​​​​​ @the-darkdragonfly​​​​​​ @ultraluckycatnd​​​​​​ @paradiselady19​​​​​​ @xarandomdreamx​​​​​​ @motherkatereloyshipper​​​​​​ @julesep3026​​​​​​ @courtorderedcake​​​​​​ @lfh1226-linda​​​​​​ @pawshapedheart​​​​​​ @vampcoffeegyrl23​​​​​​ @tiganasummertree​​​​​​ @captainswan4life85​​​​​​ @bluewildcatfanatic​​​​​​ @eleveneitherway​​​​​​ @elfiola​​​​​​ @kday426​​​​​​ @julieenchanted-swans​​​​​​ @gingerchangeling​​​​​​ @andiirivera​​​​​​ @djlbg​​​​​​ @jonesfandomfanatic​​​​​​ @snowbellewells​​​​​​ @huntressandlioness1​​​​​​ @anmylica​​​​​​ @booksteaandtoomuchtv​​​​​​ @pirateherokillian​​​​​​ @cocohook38​​​​​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​​​​​​ @laschatzi​​​​​​ @zaharadessert​​​​​​ @jennjenn615​​​​​​ @yasbio2015​​​​​​ @lyssapup27​​​​​​ @nachocheese-itsmycheese​​​​​​ @singersdd​​​​​​ @mie779​​​​​​ @undercaffinatednightmare​​​​​​ @winterbaby89​​​​​​ @xsajx​​​​​​ @jackieorioncat​​​​​​ @teamhook​​​​​​ @bdevereaux-blanche​​​​​​ @soniccat​​​​​​ @searchingwardrobes​​​​​​ @jarienn972​​​​​​ @apiratewhopines​​​​​​​ @softkilly​​​​​​​ @goforlaunchcee​​​​​​​ @kymbersmith-90​​​​​​​ @captainswan217-blog

[lya-dustin]

All is bliss

Chapter 4

Cw: mentions of infertility, consensual infidelity, manipulation, surrogacy, spying

Gif by: @merlinaddams

Taglist: @mercedesdecorazon @aemondx @darylandbethfanforever9

“And this is a good thing how?” He asks her, because if there is no child they can’t usurp her mother that easily.

As much as Aegon is against it, it is going to happen.

Aemma was a valuable hostage and gave them legitimacy and a reason Rhaenyra wouldn’t rise against them.

House Velaryon would have no choice but to fall in line given she is Laenor’s only trueborn child after all.

Besides women needed children lest they be seen as failures even when the fault lies with the man.

“I never want to have his children, most women do not get that gods-given luxury.” She answered, moving away and sitting at a respectful distance.

Aemma had come so close she’d been half sitting on his lap. Really, she had been so happy to tell her the secret he already had guessed at, she hadn’t noticed her knee on his thigh as she clasped her hands on his shoulders in her joy.

Her perfume alone had reminded him of her wedding night, of that moment he saw her so beautiful and vulnerable in the candlelight he had to seek out a lady of dubious reputation to scratch that itch.

Gods, he might have to seek Lady Wylde out again.

His hand is no longer good enough for him.

“The entire purpose of your marriage is to prevent a war. What happens when he dies without issue?” he really hates bursting her bubble on this, had Aegon not been needed he would have been happy for her.

“You get to inherit his claim.

Although mine is much higher, so really, your brother dying without legitimate issue is more of a problem for the Greens than it is for the Blacks. I get to appoint an heir from those available or marry someone of my choosing and have my own.

I might even marry you if you’re still available and prevent your mother and grandfather from putting my family to the sword.” She answers, having thought all of this through already.

It is a tempting prospect, he could go ahead and skip the wait and just marry her.

Even if Aegon set her aside for being barren, one lucky man gets a crown and a chance to plough that fine fertile field of hers.

If he had been the one put forth to marry her, she’d be fat with his child already.

“How long have you been planning for this?” he is not shocked at her logic, and yet he couldn’t fathom when she’d have the time for this.

“For a while now, my scheme is fool-proof.” She grinned with pride.

Four moons pass and the court is afire with the gossip.

Someone ---possibly Aemma--- has let it be known what his true illness was.

She has her blood without fail no matter what they try and if Viserys’ health hadn’t had a turn for the worst nor Rhaenyra announced she is four moons pregnant, Alicent wouldn’t have told Aegon about it.

“You need an heir.” She said after pretending she is saddened by his plight.

He brought it upon himself and now he must live with the consequences of his follies.

Alicent had never been stern with him and now look where it got them.

“You heard the Maester, I cannot sire children anymore. His mercury ointment shriveled up my seed.” Her son said not seeing the forest and focused on his barren tree.

“Your wife needs a lover. I hate this as much as you do, but the only way to keep her claim with us is by making her owe us her life and that of her heirs.” They could claim the child as Laenor claimed Rhaenyra’s sons, and use that as leverage to keep her loyal to their cause.

A mother would do anything for their child, even become a kinslayer if need be.

“Do I get to choose who my little wife cuckolds me with or have you decided for me?” He asked morosely.

“You may choose. Just remember they must be discreet and that it won’t be a man who goes against you.” She said hoping he exercises that unused organ of his.

He'd be an idiot not to see it.

Aemond has never looked at a lady that way unless you really knew him.

His one eye allows him a good cover for when people rightly guess where he was looking.

Aemma was fond of swimming, wearing breeches and a shirt and sometimes only the knee length shift she wears under her clothes .

Like today.

Aemma thinks no one can see her from here, but Aegon ---and Aemond and sometimes even mother--- have come and seen the show she puts on.

She is a long legged beauty, even if her figure isn’t close to full like Rhaenyra’s or Helaena’s.

But the way the wet fabric clings to her like a second skin is enough to make any man’s prick stand at attention.

Aemond is no exception.

“You can admit it, little brother, you desire her.” Aegon had the perfect man in mind. “Everyone does, even Cole

He was loyal, looked close enough to them to cast no obvious doubts like Harwin had and was on good enough terms with Aemma not to be rejected.

Aemond freezes and yet Aegon knows his younger brother has always envied him for everything.

“If she wasn’t such a shrew and a terrible lay, I’d say she was perfect.” He adds knowing how much Aemond dislikes him speaking ill of her.

They were evenly matched, Aemond was as dull and bookish as her.

Once Aemond had been invited to dinner and Aegon had tried his best to find common ground but he felt stupid and resorted to drinking the night away.

It wasn’t that he an idiot, he just didn’t care for things beyond the simple pleasures of life like eating good food, drinking great wine, flying Sunfyre and fucking any woman that said yes.

Aemma liked reading, having opinions on everything most men agree women are too weak and emotional to grasp, music and worse, taking an active role in governing.

He will be happy to leave the Seven Kingdoms in her hands one day.

And for that to happen, Aemond needs to fuck his wife.

Mother will be so proud of him.

“You shouldn’t speak so ill of your wife.” Aemond begins.

Aegon waits for him to be drinking from his wine skin to say this, “Which is why you would make a perfect lover for her.”

“Crone’s sagging teats, Aegon, don’t joke like that.” Aemond coughs and Aegon hits his back a bit more forcefully than required.

“It’s not a jape, little brother. I need you to fuck her.”

Aegon then explains his predicament and wisely keeps their mother’s involvement a secret.

[yesyourstalker]

Mahi: so let me get this straight. He's not letting you go to the music festival?...... Are you serious? Warabie You're a grown man. Just tell him no..... It's not like he can stop you.............. Okay that's fair....... Yeah I mean..... okay I get where you're coming from. That is a valid fear...............no this is my last week and I'm done doing this shit for her.....

Cirrina: *humpf*

Mahi.......ugh........ I could never put Baja in this situation. This is a living hell.

Cirrina: *scoff*

Mahi: yeahhh..... I gotta head over to my train stop. I'll text You later. Bye............. Alright....I have to go to class.........have fun I guess

Cirrina: whatever.... I'll give you the passes like I promised

Mahi: sounds good to me...see ya

Cirrina: alright come on girls let's go

Friend: You think you can convince the other Tetra to walk to the train stop next time?

Friend 2: yeah he's cute and he's actually nice

Cirrina: *huff*

_______________________________________________

Neta: *sigh*......hmmm..........hiii.....

Ikkan:.hehe...hi...[kiss]

Neta:.....(Stretch)....... I need to get used to you being here. Usually you're not here around this time so when I see you I kind of get startled heh

Ikkan: well you better get used to it cuz I'm not going anywhere

Neta: you promise?

Ikkan: yes neta I promise................

Neta:.......................

Ikkan: what? What are you staring at?

Neta: you ... I like looking at you.... you're nice to look at. [Kiss]......

Ikkan: hmmm.......

Neta: what do you want to do today?

Ikkan: I don't know. we can work on our wedding invites we already picked up the design. You just need to send them out...... We still need to look for Tailor...... I know one that used to dress me for award shows...... Let me see if I can get her....to make us something nice. What color are you thinking?

Neta: what color are you thinking?

Ikkan:hmmmm would it be embarrassing to say that I was thinking of wearing your favorite color.... green

Neta:......ha.....no.....I was actually thinking of doing the same thing. I don't think I'll look nice in purple tho........

Ikkan: I think you'd look really nice....... maybe a dark eggplant or raisin would suit you.

Neta: I'd look like an eggplant

Ikkan: hehehe [peck] no you won't

Neta: why don't we make a day out of it..... Get some friends.....go to a tailor and just see what we like....

Ikkan: yeah.....i'd like that. Sounds like a nice plan....let me just send an email to Nel so we can plan this out. Do you know who's going to be your best man yet?

Neta: ehhhhhhh...no...... I don't have any close male friends........besides you......... Do you want to be my best man?

Ikkan: *heh*..... I'm sorry but ...no........Being serious that's something you need to do.

Neta: who's going to be your best man.... warabie?

Ikkan: Noji....... That makes sense right? Have my brother be my best man........ I don't have that many male friends either......

Neta: well shit. We're just friendless losers aren't we? Hehehehehe

Ikkan: pretty much hahahaha

Neta:.....*sigh* I'll come up with something................... hello? Yes this is her father...... Is there something wrong? Did something happen?................ Yes, she should be in school..... she's not?.....ok how often?......... On Friday?........3 weeks?!......a D?..........*sigh*.....ok......*huff*..... Thank you for calling me. I'll talk to her when she gets home.. alright............. thank you.

Ikkan: did something happen

Neta:*sigh*.........no..... yeah..........*ugh*...........hmmm..... It's my fault. Honestly this is my fault.

Ikkan: what's wrong?

Neta: looks like my little girl has skipped school every Friday for a whole month......... I try to be lenient and let things slide............*sigh*......

Ikkan: You can't be the fun parent all the time babe

Neta: I knowwww........ just

Ikkan: You can't just let her get away with that, especially when it's almost the end of the school year, this might affect our final grade. You can't let this slide...

Neta: I don't like punishing her. She always gets so sad when I do it.

Ikkan: Neta.

Neta: I know....

_______________________________________________

Warabie: dad please go home

Shimi: $3,000? You spent $3,000 on a crib? Who is she? Or he or they or whatever!! Tell me right now!!

Warabie: oh my Cod for the last time Dad I didn't get anyone pregnant! It was just a gift to a co-worker

Shimi: I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!

oshi: ink drop it's ok You don't need to be embarrassed about these things. Hey if you let us meet this person maybe we can help them

Shimi: no! I'm done helping and supporting your friends financially! We finally got that one out of our house!

Baja: huh?

Warabie: Dad that is not mahi You know what they look like.......

Shimi:......................... whatever ....... all your friends are starting to look the same anyway, who did you knock up?!

Warabie: for the last time I didn't get anyone pregnant! I'm not an idiot I use protection! Plus I'm not even in a relationship anymore.. and we didn't even do anything in that relationship.....Baja!

Baja: huh? what? I-what?............

Shimi: well?!

Baja:..........*sweating*.....................Uhhhh.........we never! We didn't!... I haven't...well...... I'm not.... I mean I am but.......... I I I I......................

Warabie:...........

Baja:....*Swallow*.......... I'm uh......... I'm actually a virgin....*clears throat*

Warabie:.................................................................see ................................... And he's the last person I dated........so there!

Shimi: ............................ok............... So what was the crib for?

Warabie: I just told you I bought it for a co-worker. She's pregnant! I just did it to be nice, dad!! Is that so wrong!!??

Shimi: It's wrong when you spend $3,000!! Show me this woman now!

Warabie: *sigh*........

_______________________________________________

Candi: so how many schools accepted you?

Fugue: all of them so far! I even have one offering me a full ride scholarship! But it isn't my dream school.... I'm still waiting for Brackish to contact me

Candi: well keep your options open sweetie. You have a lot of opportunities

Vinny: yeah I never went to college. I went to trade school. . You can learn a lot. Carpentry, electricity, and plumbing. I went there for welding. They need a lot of welders

Shimi: which one of you is Candi! Is it you?

Candi: can I help you with something.......are you Shimi Octavius?!.. Oh my cod my mom loves you we've seen all you movies!

Shimi: oh hehe...thank you I'm very flattered. Did my son get you pregnant?

Warabie: DAD! OH MY COD!

Candi: Ha! Him?!....hahahahahahaaaaa...... I'm sorry that was a little mean..hehe ...no ....no .... No, I'm married.... it belongs to him..... I do appreciate the crib he bought me though

Shimi: hmmm.... alright.........

Warabie: Great! we can go home

Oshi: oh You're glowing honey. How far along are you?

Candi: oh I'm 4 months or so. 3 three more left hahaha..*sigh*...

Oshi: well I can tell you from experience those 3 months go by fast.

Candi: oh I know.......this one actually isn't my first one....

Oshi: really?

Candi: oh yeah and I have one at home. He's five going to be the oldest soon

Oshi: my oldest is 37

Candi: no.......you look so good!

Oshi: thank you...... You know we age gracefully

Candi: we really do. I think that's one of the benefits of living underground for so long..... and we actually know how to use sunscreen.

Oshi: hahahahaha....... warabie she seems really nice. Why don't you try to-

Warabie: mom! She just said that she's married! Can we just go home?! You've already humiliated me and you've made my roommate uncountable. Let's just go!!

_______________________________________________

Shimi: ..............

Warabie:................... All right so everything's cleared up good bye

Shimi: when will you learn that you cannot just throw money willy-nilly like that? I honestly thought that this would teach you to be mindful with money and know the value of hard work. Apparently I was wrong

Warabie: ugh..... Dad I am fine. All right I pay my rent, I pay my utilities, I pay Fair share with streaming services and Wi-Fi. Why are you still on my ass?

Shimi: I am on your "ass" because even though you do all those things, it still feels like you don't know the value of a dollar and you still rely on us for financial support. People who actually have to worry about rent and utilities Don't spend $3,000 on a crib.... You could have chosen something cheaper You could have bought her something less expensive like clothes or toys. Something reasonable yet and still you decided to buy something that would be for an average person working out of your price range.

Warabie: so! Big deal I can afford it.

Shimi: and that's the problem. You can afford it but what if one day you can't afford it what are you going to do if that happens. Are you prepared to live an uncomfortable life? Are you prepared to not have everything you want and get everything you want just by opening your wallet?

Warabie:...................

Shimi: I'm not doing this to be mean warabie. I worry about you...... . Sometimes I feel like I failed you as a father........

Warabie: so you think I'm a failure?

Shimi: I never said that........

Warabie:.............

Shimi: warabie............. I just want the best for you and I want you to not rely on us all the time..... I want you to be independent, actually independent.

Warabie:hfff

Shimi: when you and mahi lived together the first time.

Warabie: dad please don't bring that up-

Shimi: when you two have that falling out, you left them on their own. They had to support themselves on their own, They got a job on their own they didn't get any help and look at them now. In school and in a higher job position If they can achieve that without any parental help, I'm sure you can do that too. I know you can do that son. I know I'm hard on you but I

Warabie: alright I get it........

Shimi: okay all right. I'm glad you understand. Then you'll probably understand why you're going to krillarney next month.

Warabie: what?

Shimi: yep I called your little brand mate's father and he'll gladly take you in to help with farm work

Warabie: are you fucking kidding me?!

Oshi: warabie!

Shimi: nope. You're going to work on the farm for one month. Do hard labor and actually earn a living and maybe learn some skills to

Warabie: what uh... I can't! who's going to pay part of my rent and utilities and everything if I'm not at my job?

Shimi: oh you'll pay it. With the money you earn at the farm. I just hope you earn enough to pay your fair share.

Warabie:..................I can't believe this! Are you serious? What if I don't go?!

Shimi: well then you can say goodbye to your credit card and your savings account and your checking account cuz we will have full control of all of it

Warabie:.........................

Shimi: your choice

_______________________________________________

Neta: The whole month Cirrina! You skipped for the whole month!

Cirrina: I only did it on Fridays I don't see what the problem is.

Neta: it becomes a problem when it starts affecting your grades. I can understand 1 day but 4 days! Cirrina you should know better!... I'm very disappointed

Cirrina: so what. I do what I'm supposed to. I take my tests, I practice for band, I go to turf war practice. I do everything just fine and nothing has been affected.

Neta: your grade dropped to a D in social science You missed several tests

Cirrina:oh

Neta: *sigh*......... Crab Cakes......... I emailed The principal and ...... fortunately she's not that smart. I lied and told her that you had to go to swim practice

Cirrina: inkfish aren't allowed on the swim team

Neta: I told you she's not smart.....your teacher on the other hand is very smart and but he likes you so he's allowing you to do some work over the summer to bring your grade up.

Cirrina: I have to go to summer school!?

Neta: No, you don't have to and you're lucky you don't but he does want you to write a five-page essay. On anything any subject matter doesn't matter. You just need to write five pages.

Cirrina: That's it? I can do that in my sleep.

Neta: Wait. wait I'm not finished...... You're grounded for........... 3 weeks..... That means no going out with your friends on weekends or after school. No turf war unless it involves practice with your team is that clear?

Cirrina: ugh fine I don't care.

Neta:.......ok......um..... unfortunately I will not be able to give you the passes for the music festival.

Cirrina: those weren't for me. Those were for Mahi I promise them passes if they didn't snitch on me for skipping

Neta:.........................................ok... I'll deal with that later..... you know what? You know that ink fast concert you wanted to go to? Yeah I'm not getting you tickets or meet and greet passes

Cirrina: so I'm not allowed to go?! You said if I passed my algebra exam I could go!!

Neta: oh you're still allowed to go. I'm just not going to buy you the tickets. You're free to buy them yourself ..... let's see they're selling around ehhhhh $600

Cirrina: That's not fair I don't have any money!!

Neta: maybe during the summer you can get a job. Hey you can work with me maybe you can learn some responsibility. doesn't that sound fun?

Cirrina: ew Cod no!! I don't want to work with you or your grody employees!!

Neta: well I guess you're not going to the concert oh well it gives you more time to write your essay.

Cirrina: daddy please you promised meeee!!!

Neta: no Cirrina I'm sorry You need to learn this lesson!! You can't get away with everything I have to put my foot down on this. If you can find a way to go you can go but if you can't I'm sorry

Cirrina: that's not fair!!!

Neta: Go to your room.... Your punishment starts now.

Cirrina: ..I HATE YOU!.(SLAM)

_______________________________________________

Neta:.....….........................she hates me

Ikkan: she doesn't hate you... She's just not used to not getting what she wants.... Do you want me to talk to her?

Neta: please.

Ikkan: (knock)... Cirrina....(Knock)........hey .. are you okay?

Cirrina:....*sniff*.....go away......

Ikkan: come on Cici don't be that way.... come here

Cirrina: *crying*... it's not fair

Ikkan: Cirrina You know you can't get away with everything....

Cirrina:........

Ikkan: I get it. I know you guys talked about it and he promised you but you need to understand that he's not doing this to hurt you or to wrong you in any way. Actions have consequences sweetie you know that

Cirrina: .................. I know.

Ikkan:.... You don't hate your dad do you?

Cirrina: no

Ikkan: no...no you don't....... ..I think I have a better punishment for you........ and maybe it could help you get your tickets to your little concert.

Cirrina:............

_______________________________________________

Neta: on a farm? in krillarney?...... In another country?

Ikkan: I'll be with her, along with her grandfather.., and Warabie........It'll be a great subject to write her essay..... it'll be good for her she'll have fun

Neta:..... I have to think about that....... why is warabie going to be there?

Ikkan: hehehehe I didn't tell you?...hahahahaha.... It's really funny.. his parents thought he got someone preg- hm hi Cici

Cirrina:..............I'm sorry I skipped school and I'm sorry I said that I hate you dad. I don't hate you I love you

Neta: I love you too crab cakes...aww..[kiss]

Cirrina: so I'm not grounded anymore?

Neta: you're still grounded baby

Cirrina: damn I tried... still love you tho

Neta: awwww.....

_______________________________________________

Mahi: krillarney?? Isn't that like where they grow corn and raise manatees??

Warabie: yeah

Mahi: You got to stay there for a month?

Warabie: yeah..

Mahi: hehehe

Warabie: It's not funny Mahi stop

Mahi: you're right I'm sorry it's not funny

Warabie: .you want my tidal wave pass? I can't go to the music festival

Mahi: oh nice..... ....

Neta: here's your music festival passes Cirrina promised..... I don't appreciate you black mailing my daughter Mahi.

Mahi: I'm sorry it won't happen again boss thanks for the passes I got to go byeeeeeee

Neta: hum

Text

Mahi: hey babe you want to go to the tidal wave music festival?

Mizole: no

Mahi: are you still mad they didn't ask you to perform

Mizole: I don't care if they don't want my band to play

Mahi: ok I just got 3 passes so if you want to join me you can

Mizole: no

Mahi: :(

Mizole: fine

Mahi: :)

Mahi is the only one who got away with their actions and learned nothing from it good for them @fish-at-fish-fish-resort

[cataztrophi]

TAZ November Celebration 3: Hide

My third prompt for @taznovembercelebration, "hide," was surprisingly difficult for me, and I actually started three or four different ideas before I settled on this one. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and I'm glad I got to add some taakitz to my TNC work.

The thing about Taako was, you noticed when he was gone. He was so bright and so bold it was like he left a big empty hole in the world whenever he wasn’t there. Surely this was something that everyone felt, and definitely not a reflection of any more complicated feelings Kravitz might have. The point is, after dinner had been served and all the requisite wedding reception rituals had been completed, Kravitz couldn’t help but notice that the brother of the bride had disappeared. He cast a glance at Barry and Lup, who still looked absolutely blissful as they swayed on the dance floor, and decided that they definitely wouldn’t notice if he stepped out for a few minutes as well.

He found Taako standing on a small balcony off one of the smaller rooms of the reception hall. He had his back to Kravitz, looking out over the gardens, and Kravitz ached at the sight of him. Taako had been a part of Lup’s bridal party, of course, and while she had offered to have a matching suit made for him, he insisted on wearing the same style of dress as the bridesmaids. As far as Kravitz was concerned, he’d outshone them all in lavender silk. His hair was styled in an updo that left his neck and back exposed, and the wispy curls that framed his face looked silver with the moonlight shining through them. 

“Hey,” Kravitz said as he approached, and Taako started. When he caught sight of Kravitz he relaxed again, and went back to staring out into the night.

“Hey, Krav.”

“You doing alright?”

“Yep, fine.” 

Kravitz knew better than to expect a longer answer. He came up beside Taako and leaned against the railing, matching his posture. There was a cool breeze that night, and Kravitz could smell lilacs and honeysuckle on the air.

“It’s a big change,” he offered. 

“I guess so.” 

The silence hung heavily in the air between them. To Kravitz’s surprise, Taako was the first to break it.

“It’s not that I’m not happy for her.”

“I know."

“I’m really happy for her. I think Barold’s great.”

“I agree.”

“I just….” He sighed heavily. “Fuck, never mind. It’s not about me, anyway.”

Kravitz wished there was some sort of magic word that could say everything he was thinking, something like, "your feelings are understandable and don’t make you a bad person, and also if you need someone to listen I’m always here for you, and also also if you want to kiss sometimes I’m down for that, but if it makes you uncomfortable just forget I said anything and let’s pretend nothing happened." But he didn't know how to have any of those conversations right now, and he definitely couldn't have them all at once, no matter how much he’d like to skip to the part where he found out if he had ruined his closest friendship by making things weird. So he did the best he could. 

“You’re her world, you know. Nothing’s going to change that.”

He was happy to see some of the tension go out of Taako’s shoulders. “Thanks.” 

They could still hear the music coming from the reception. The night was winding down, and it was mostly slow songs now. Kravitz could see the hem of Taako’s skirt fluttering as he swayed in time to the music, and an idea struck him that made his heart jump up into his throat.

He stepped back from the railing and held one hand out to Taako. “May I have this dance?” Just as friends. Just as a distraction. 

Taako’s expression transformed from sullen neutrality to surprise. Then a gentle smile spread across his face and he took Kravitz’s hand. Kravitz pulled him in, close enough to lead him, but careful to maintain a respectable distance between them. His hand settled into the curve of Taako’s waist like it belonged there. 

Kravitz led well, and Taako’s lithe movements effortlessly matched his own. 

"You're pretty good at this," Taako noted.

Kravitz shrugged, but he couldn't deny the little swell of pride he felt. "Merle talked me into taking one of his classes once. I think he was hoping I could get some more guys into it."

"I'm surprised they weren't breaking down the doors when they saw you." He smiled, and it went through Kravitz like a lance.

"I- uh… what was that?" he said eloquently.

Taako's grin widened, which didn't help Kravitz put his thoughts in order at all, and spun out from him. When he spun back in, Kravitz couldn’t help but notice that he stepped in closer than before. Their faces were so close now. If Kravitz just leaned forward–if he wasn't a coward about it–

Then the moment passed, and Taako rested his head on Kravitz’s shoulder. The sting of disappointment lasted only for a second before Taako settled himself against Kravitz’s chest and he was overwhelmed by a wave of affection that nearly brought him to his knees. Forget about the half a dozen conversations they still had to have. Forget about the loud party and the long day and the uncomfortable clothes he couldn't wait to get out of. For now it was enough to feel Taako’s warmth against him, to draw him in by the hand on his waist and feel him press closer in return. Maybe that could always be enough. 

The song ended, fading into a more upbeat tune, and they slowly swayed to a stop. Still Kravitz couldn’t make himself pull away. 

"Hey Krav?" 

"Yes?" He could feel Taako’s breath, soft and warm against his neck.

"Thanks for… you know… coming to find me."

"Any time." He tried to keep his tone light, but part of him was praying Taako could hear what he meant behind it: not just "any time" but "every time, every time I will find you, as long as I can hold you, as long as there are moments like this." 

Taako stepped back, just slightly, still with his arm around Kravitz’s neck. In one swift movement he went up on his toes and pressed his lips to Kravitz’s. Before Kravitz could react he was spinning out of his arms again, pulling him back to the party. He smiled like the sun, and Kravitz followed him happily towards the light. 

[straykidsnerd255]

You would be angry too

Pairing: Katakuri x Female Reader

Genre: Fluff/angst, Hurt/comfort

Rating: PG-13

Warning: Bullying, swear words, (name) snapping at the bullies, blood, OOC Katakuri

A/n: (Name) is great friends with Brulee knowing they were the same age. She later becomes a guardian/best friend to Pudding. She was the only person that had befriended the two girls.

Summary: (Name) has been invited to Pudding’s wedding with her best friend Sanji. While there, she falls for Katakuri, an older and much taller Charlotte sibling and Pudding's brother. While there, she hears people start talking badly about Pudding. She narrows her eyes and turns her attention toward them. As they start talking more, the conversation starts to turn toward Katakuri and Brulee. That sends (Name) in a whirl. She turns and attacks the people during the wedding ceremony, and Katakuri and Oven have to pull her from them.

(Name) looked around the sweet-themed island in awe. “This place is amazing!” She mumbled, a smile on her face. “My dear, it is custom to meet with the bride and congratulate her.” A familiar voice called out. (Name) turned around and smiled. “Brulee!” She squealed, hugging the taller woman. Brulee smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around the female. “I can’t believe you actually made it! I thought you said you wouldn’t be able to make it to the wedding.” Brulee said as they walked towards the bride's room. (Name) smiled. “I know. I thought I was gonna be on the sea for a little bit longer. Guess there were other plans to follow.” (Name) laughed as Brûlée smiled. “I know for a fact that Pudding will be so happy to see you,” Brûlée said a fond smile on her face. (Name) returned that soft smile. “I’m just happy that my best friend found someone.” Brûlée looked at her for a moment and swore that she saw tears but shook her head.

“Pudding’s room isn’t that much farther. She will be so happy to have you here.” Brûlée said as they entered the extravagant building. As they were walking, a very tall male stopped them. “Brûlée, who is this?” The male spoke, his mouth hidden by a scarf. Before Brûlée could answer, (Name), blinded by curious thoughts, lifted her hand towards the scarf. Brûlée and the male froze and watched her hand. She placed her hand against the scarf and felt the material in her hand. “Soft, a little too warm for summer weather.” She mumbled before gently closing her fingers around the material. The male’s eyes widened in panic and raised his hand to smack (Name’s) hand from it when Brûlée snatched (Name’s) hand. “I’m so sorry about that big brother Katakuri. She’s a fashion designer and…” Brulee didn’t get to finish her sentence before (Name) opened her mouth. “I apologize if I did something rude. I was curious as to the fabric that was used in the scarf. If you don’t mind Mr. Charlotte, could you tell me the length of the scarf and I can make you one that is more suited for summer? One that would cool you down?” (Name) asked with a small tilt of her head.

Katakuri was confused but Brulee stepped in for him. “I can tell you the measurements (Name), but let's go see Pudding. I bet she will be so surprised that she will get to see you on her wedding day.” Brulee said, causing the said female to turn around with a swirl of her hair, a wide smile on her face, and giddiness in her steps. “Of course! How could I have forgotten that’s why I came!” (Name) said, as she began to skip down the hallway. Brulee shook her head and laughed before patting Katakuri’s arm and jogging to catch up with (Name). Katakuri shook his head before continuing towards Big Mom’s chambers. Brulee stopped at a door marked “Pudding” and knocked. “Pudding, I have a gift for you!” She called out. (Name) smiled and hid behind Brulee. Pudding opened the door and raised an eyebrow. “Brulee, you don’t have a gift for me. Why did you say-” She stopped when (Name) poked her head out from behind the taller woman. “Hi Pudding!” she said, waving with a big smile on her face. Pudding’s face lit up and she raced out of her room and wrapped her arms around (Name).

“You made it! You said that you wouldn’t be able to make it.” Pudding said pulling away from the hug. (Name) chuckled before backing up. “I thought so too. Apparently the time for my departer changed and I don’t leave for another three weeks.” (Name) said smiling and shrugging her shoulders at the same time. Pudding and Brulee laughed loudly causing some of their siblings to look at them weirdly. “Brulee, mama wants to see us all!” a male with orange hair and clothing said, glaring down at (Name) with confusion. “Coming. (Name), can you help Pudding finish getting ready?” Brulee asked. (Name) nodded her head and smiled before gently pushing Pudding back into her room and closing the door behind her. “Who was that? Why are you and Pudding so close to her?” Oven asked. Brulee chuckled. “She was mine and Puddings only friend when we were younger. Mama knows about her.” Brulee said, as they walked into Big mom’s chamber.

“Mama! Guess who came!” Brulee yelled racing into the room. Big mom smiled but raised an eyebrow. “And who might be here to cause such happiness Brulee?” Big mom asked. “(Name) is here!” Brulee said, a wide smile on her face. Katakuri’s eyes widened when he saw the bright smile on his sisters face. “Ma-ma-mama! Its been so long since I have seen her. Brulee dear, could you bring her here?” Big mom asked. Brulee nodded her head and left the room to fetch (Name) and Pudding. When she reached the hallway towards Puddings room, she saw (Name) and Pudding walking down the hallway with smiles on their faces. Pudding looked beautiful in her wedding dress and hair curled and pulled back in places. Brulee smiled before waving to them. “Mama wants to see you (Name)!” Brulee said once the two girls were closer to hear. (Name’s) smile grew wider and she nodded her head excitedly.

(Name) followed the two towards the massive chambers and opened the door. “BIG MOM!” (Name) yelled, her body shifting to a massive wolf. Brulee and Pudding laughed loudly as (Name) crashed into the giant woman. The other children were nervous and ready to fight but the smile on their mother’s face spoke volumes. “Look at you! You have gotten bigger since the last time I saw you.” Big mom said, ruffling the white fur. (Name) huffed out happily before standing up and backing up enough to allow Big mom to stand up. “Who is this mama?” Smoothie asked. Big mom smiled softly. “This is (Name) my children. She was Pudding and Brulee’s first and only friend when they were younger.” She said.

(Name), as if to make a point, walked over to the two girls and sat down next to them. Her tail wrapping around them before lifting them up and when she laid down. Pudding curled up into her fur and her eyes drooped as if she was tired and ready to fall asleep. “Mama, if you don’t mind me do something,” Katakuri said walking towards the massive creature. (Name’s) eyes opened as Katakuri came closer to her face. “You were reaching for my scarf earlier today. I’m sorry if I seemed nervous, but…” His voice trailed off before he took the scarf off his face. (Name’s) eyes widened and her head lifted from her paws. Her ears twitched on her head when she heard some of the siblings laughing, or calling him a monster under their breath. She snarled causing everyone to back away but Big mom’s eyes widened. Katakuri sat in front of her and waited to see what she would do. She moved her head forward and Katakuri’s eyes snapped shut.

He felt something cold and wet hit his face and his eyes snapped open. He looked to see (Name) pressing her nose against his face, her eyes were warm and held….love in them. Katakuri just stared at her. (Name’s) eyes continued to stare at him before Big mom cleared her throat. Everyone turned to look at her. “I think we should count on another wedding happening in our future.” She said, eyeing (Name) and Katakuri. (Name’s) faced blew up into a red mess and she tried to cover her face with her paws. Katakuri’s face exploding into a red mess as well. Pudding and Brulee hugged (Name) as she tried to cover her face and whine in embarrassment. “I just came back and this is how I am repaid?! Big mom I feel so betrayed.” (Name) said, a smile on her face. Big mom laughed loudly.

{The next day- Pudding and Sanji’s wedding}

Pudding was scared. She knew that she was marrying (Name’s) best friend Sanji but she wasn’t sure how he would react to her having a third eye. “Don’t worry Pudding. Sanji is a sweet man. A pervert at times, but very sweet. I promise, if he doesn’t treat you right, I will kick his ass myself.” (Name) said, a smile on her face when Pudding starting laughing. (Name) fixed up at her hair the same way she did the day before and smiled. “Go get him girl.” She said, waving and walking down to the tables set up.

“I can’t believe that Sanji, a good looking man is going to marry a monster like pudding.”

“(Name’s) wolf ears flared off her head and twitched when she heard those words. She sat at the table that was directly in front of the people who had said that. She narrowed her eyes but a smile appeared and took the frown from her face as she watched the cloud with Sanji and Pudding on it appear. Smoothie, and Brulee came and sat next to (Name) and smiled at her. She returned the smile and watched as the wedding proceeded. As the vows were made and Sanji opened the veil, the men and their wives behind (Name) spoke again.

“If I were you Sanji, I would leave her. She’s a monster!” (Name) clenched her fists tight enough that blood flowed from her palms. Brulee started making a fuss but what was said next sent the whole wedding into chaos. “Not to mention, most of her siblings are monsters too. Take Katakuri for example. That man looks more monster like than she does. I mean, come on. Those teeth of his could rip the flesh off a normal human if he went crazy. And her sister Brulee, or don’t get me started on that ugly one…” The man never finished his sentence. (Name) turned around and pounced on him. Her claws digging into his shoulders causing him to scream in pain.

(Name’s) fangs ripped through her gums and she snarled in the mans face. Spit falling from her opened mouth. Her eyes red with anger. She ripped into his shoulder causing blood to spill on the pavement below. The man screamed and slammed his fist into her eye causing her to bite down even harder on his shoulder. Katakuri and Oven ran over to the commotion and stared in horror as (Name) ravaged the shit out of the man. “Brulee, what the hell happened?!” Oven screamed. Brulee explained what had happened and their eyes widened as they started at the wolf. Before long, Katakuri walked forward. Everyone was watching, including Big mom, Sanji and his pirate crew, and Pudding. The guests watched as (Name)’s jaw clamped down harder over his shoulder making the man whine in pain.

“(Name)” Her head snapped up, making the man scream when his shoulder was wrenched up. Katakuri kept his eyes glued to hers and reached for his scarf. She watched intently as he removed the scarf. “I don’t care what they saw about me. Brulee doesn’t either. I know it still hurts Pudding but she has me, you, Brulee, and now Sanji and his crew to protect her. Release his shoulder and come here.” He said, slowly moving backwards. Everyone watched intently as (Name) released the mans shoulder and walk towards him. When she was close to him, she collapsed. He was glad he knelt down just as she fell forward. Her muzzle fell into his lap as she laid on her side, breathing harshly.

Katakuri ran his fingers through her fur as her breathing began to slow down. The man she attacked, in rage, slammed his foot into her stomach. Her wolf disappeared and her normal self fell to her knees, her arm wrapped around her stomach, coughing and sputtering for air. Before the man could cause anymore harm, Sanji’s leg met his stomach and sent him flying into a candy like brick wall. “No one touches my best friend.” He snarled, his leg still lit up and on fire as he glared harshly at the rubble.

{Time Skip}

(Name) opened her eyes and looked around. Pudding was pressing into Sanji’s chest crying, while Brulee paced around the room. Katakuri was holding her hand and sitting in a chair next to the bed she was laying in. “What happened?” She asked, her voice raspy from not talking. Katakuri’s head snapped up and a relieved smile appeared on his face. “Someone started saying rude things about Brulee, me, and Pudding and you went protective. I don’t think I have ever seen someone that protective before.” Katakuri mumbled the last part. (Name) smiled. “Sorry if I scared anyone.” She said, looking down.

Katakuri pressed his hands to her face. “I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, I found it quite…hot.” He said, blushing and looking away. Brulee and Pudding looked at each other before laughing. The two looked at them and raised an eyebrow. “You two are made for each other.” Pudding said, grabbing Sanji’s hand and darting out of the room. Brulee following close behind. (Name) and Katakuri listed to their laughter fade before it hit the both of them. Their faces exploded into a dark shade of red and steam rose from their face. (Name) turned to look at Katakuri but he did the same thing and their faces were inches apart. They stayed like that for a moment before (Name) pressed her hands flat against the bed and pressed her lips to his, the best she could with the teeth as they were. Katakuri’s mind went blank.

When (Name) was able to leave the hospital, her and Katakuri began dating. Everyone in Big moms family was surprised as the two announced they were dating but they were happy nonetheless. (Name) was currently sitting on the grass with her back pressed against Katakuri’s chest as he laid his chin on her head. They watched Pudding and Sanji race around while the rest of the Strawhat crew were there and goofing off as well. A pleasant smile sitting on (Name’s) lips. Katakuri’s hand pressed against her thighs making her tilt her head back and look up at him. “Is something wrong love?” She asked. Katakuri smiled at the nickname before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. She smiled in the kiss and lifted her hands to his face before sliding her hands into his hair.

“You love birds should come and join the rest of us!” Pudding called out pulling the two from kissing. (Name) playfully glared at her two friends. “How dare you pulling me from my gorgeous ass boyfriend. I haven’t had a good looking man since I was 20.” (Name) called out making everyone start laughing. Katakuri was a mess. His whole face when red and he hid behind (Name). The two soon stood up and headed over towards the rest of their friends. Katakuri watched as his girlfriend laughed loudly and smiled the biggest smile ever.

“Treat her like she is a princess.” Katakuri jumped when Luffy spoke in a low tone. However he recovered quickly. “I wouldn’t treat her any other way than a princess. She’s so precious to me. Why do you say that?” He asked. “I have known her as long as I have known Sanji and to say the least, she was treated like shit by her family. Her family didn’t have animal changing abilities like she does. (Name) never even ate a devil fruit to gain said powers.” Luffy said, before racing towards Sanji and (Name) and stretching his arms out. (Name) and Sanji panicked and tried to get out of his on coming hug but failed.

Luffy slammed into the two knocking them to the ground and a laughter could be heard by everyone there. Katakuri smiled softly as he watched Sanji punch Luffy lightly on the head and (Name) trying her best to hold in her laughter. “I found the right girl.” Katakuri mumbled before going over and sitting next to Jinebei and Robin. The two greeted him with a smile before they turned back to watch Sanji, Luffy, Pudding, and (Name) run around playing tag with each other. Before long, the sun began to set and everyone was getting tired. Sanji and Pudding quickly made dinner and everyone began eating. (Name), Katakuri, Sanji, and Pudding waved goodbye to the strawhats as they pulled away from whole cake island.

“Goodbye! Thanks for coming to mine and Sanji’s wedding!” Pudding yelled before intertwining her fingers with Sanji’s. Both said their goodnights to Katakuri and (Name) before going home themselves. (Name) leaned her head against Katakuri’s arm and closed her eyes. “You tired hon?” Katakuri’s voice rumbled lowly. (Name) simply nodded her head and looked up at him. He smiled before picking her up like she weighed nothing. “Let’s go back home and sleep for the night. Katakuri laid her on the bed before laying on the bed with her. She moved and pressed against his chest and sighed in content.

“I love you.” She whispered.

Katakuri smiled softly. “I love you too.”

[yiifu]

till the end of the moon random musings

needed to get it all out of my system after speed bingewatching like 26 episodes over the weekend so here goes the word vomit

carnival float scene

i keep going back to rewatch that carnival float scene when ye xiwu and tantaijin are acting out the skit of the killing of the devil god ... the music is so fitting (it’s probably my fav song in the entire ost) and the whole thing feels like foreshadowing? it’s a near-perfect summary of the entire story in one scene. when she takes his mask off but her mask stays on it’s like she sees and knows everything about him but he doesn’t know her at all. she knows all his intentions and what he will become. tantaijin is so sincere in his feelings at that moment but she’s still hiding her feelings and intentions behind her mask. same thing with the wedding ceremony and the veil - she’s still hidden, but he’s sincere. and he can’t see her so he doesn’t know.

wedding scene

also, like, wow. the ep 26(?) wedding scene was, as someone on tumblr put it, like ‘watching a car crash in slow motion’ even the date was wrong (ominous). the whole time i was shaking my head to myself while watching tantaijin look the happiest he’s ever been (like even though he wants her in a twisted way, u still gotta feel bad for him somehow, he was really so happy and put in effort to embroider the veil, etc.) the knives were all out here, i knew it was coming and it’s going to get worse once we get to the aftermath right. (i last stopped at the wedding scene right before she drives the nails into him.)

mingye/clam arc

is it just me or am i seeing so many parallels between this arc and the real lives of the protagonists? mingye and sangjiu played by the main couple. xiaolin dies. sangjiu turns evil and goes back for revenge which is almost like what li susu is doing to get back at the devil god before he turns evil. mingye and sangjiu end in tragedy, which is the same outcome for our main couple in the first half. tianhuan being a scheming evil person in general like bingchang. also the fact that xiaolin and li susu/ye wuxi were really martial siblings in li susu’s life, just like they were clam siblings in the mingye arc.

one thing i still don’t understand yet: why did ye xiwu keep wanting to go help xiaolin escape the prison? was it just because she cared for him more after being siblings in the mingye arc? or because her was her martial brother in her first life? or was it also something else? i feel like i missed a bunch of motivations here lol 

xiaolin and tantaijin

so many things to unpack for xiaolin and tantaijin’s r/ship - right from their childhood to adulthood. you could see them as brothers in a way, like what xiaolin said in his letter. idk what they really feel about each other either - seems like xiaolin’s a little regretful, judging from his last letter. also taking into account parallels with the mingye/clam arc where they’re not even on the same side (clam family vs mingye/gods), and in the end xiaolin’s alter-ego is also dead, but not directly by tantaijin’s/mingye���s hand. unless xiaolin gets a second chance later on in the story, the two of them were never going to officially reconcile/fight together. gonna have to see what others said about this because i don’t even know where to begin organizing my thoughts about them LOL

pian ran and ye qingyu

really glad for pian ran and ye qingyu - i had to skip through some of their scenes due to a lack of time but the gist i got was that they got the chance to be relatively transparent with each other esp about pian ran’s past, and pian ran even got her love thread back (yay!). also her decision to stay in the city, both to be with ye qingyu and also to serve tantaijin, was pretty rad. wishing nothing but the best for this couple.

ye bingchang

ye bingchang .... she’s not typed on personalitydatabase but if i had to give her a type i’d guess she’s an infj, albeit a severely misguided one. basing it on another character who’s closest to her in terms of goals and the way they handle people - jin guangyao from mdzs who’s generally agreed to be an enfj. bingchang has a goal/vision of what she needs to survive (Ni) and uses Fe (manipulation of people) to achieve that. with jin guangyao, similar need to protect themselves, value themselves above others, very, very good at manipulating people by saying the right words, have attempted murder, villain origin backstory of having been mistreated by others for being of a lower social status, etc. 

also mbti with ye bingchang and tantaijin

i keep talking about mbti but i’m no mbti expert, just really love using it to understand people. if you compare bingchang with tantaijin you can see they both have kinda similar methods of doing things? - manipulating people towards some common goal through a careful plan. it’s just that ye bingchang’s is purely for personal gain while tantaijin wants personal gain but also accounts for the wider society as well. 

ye bingchang (infj): main goal of protecting herself (Ni). executes a plan to manipulate people to make it fall into place (Fe). able to adapt her behaviour to the people around her (Fe, Se?). uses whatever means necessary.

tantaijin: main goal of controlling and reuniting the two kingdoms to create peace (Ni), reduce the same kind of suffering he felt in his personal life (Ni, Fi). executes a plan to outsmart his enemies and recruit people (Te). uses whatever means necessary but also has some internal moral code he follows (Fi).

based on what i vaguely recall about the way tantaijin and bingchang convince people, there’s also a difference. bingchang is very value-oriented (asks ye xiwu to have pity on her, to not compete with her for tantaijin, justifying her actions using the universal value of justice for those who suffer unjustly, she uses universal values like compassion and pity, love, etc. to convince people, it’s giving Fe). 

tantaijin uses a lot of psychological manipulation too - knows how to talk people into having no choice but to follow him, knows how to use scare tactics without being actually mean (e.g. the tonic pill he gave pian ran to swallow, threatening to kill those ministers who didn’t want to come teach him just to scare them) his manipulation is a different brand from bingchang’s but just as effective.

but compared to bingchang, i feel tantaijin is a lot more practical in manipulating people. if i recall correctly he usually resorts to logic to convince people (or fear of death lmao). making people understand that they have no other way out of the situation and the only plausible way is his way. e.g. bringing ye xiwu back to him after she helped xiaolin escape. he doesn’t plead with her to come back because he’s lonely and loves her etc., that’s what a high Fe user might do. instead he uses action and rearranges the environment to suit his plan (Te) he makes her kill xiaolin, makes her hated by all so that the only logical way she can get out is to flee back to him. he’s in the depths of emotional turmoil by that point but he still resorts to hard force and objective control (Te) to keep ye xiwu by his side so he can relieve his emotional frustration and loneliness

might write another thing on a comparison between him and william james moriarty from moriarty the patriot (also an intj commanding a group of loyal people towards a vision) later on, just to sort out my tantaijin intj agenda when i remember

the main pairing

going back to our main pairing, what i’m getting out of this is that the two of them can never be together in this configuration, i.e. with him as the emperor/future-devil-god and she as his so-called assassin. they were never going to work out like this because there’s too much to lose and too much going on for them to work anything out properly. (also given that both of them don’t seem to be people who prioritize emotions very much in their decision-making). 

luo yunxi’s portrayal of tantaijin is so good, he manages to get that crazed-obsessed-yet good-looking character archetype down pat. truly deserving of the main character title. i keep thinking of that tweet which goes “but he murdered people. so? and he looked good doing it” etc.

for now li susu/ye xiwu’s feelings are still very murky (maybe some others might read her as already having fallen for him but still being bound by duty and fear and anger and other things) but for me it’s still difficult to figure out what exactly she’s feeling. gonna go look at some analysis posts on tumblr to understand what i’m missing.

to go off on a tangent (because i like to think of plot stuff in relation to tropes in other things), it’s sort of like wei wuxian and lan wangji in wwx’s first life. war was going on, wwx had too much to lose and his head wasn’t in the right place. the two of them were never going to work out in that first life no matter how hard they tried. only after wwx’s resurrection did they (more on wwx’s part) have time to bond and sort out their thoughts and feelings properly in a time of relative peace and stability, when the stakes weren’t as high. 

similarly, tantaijin and yewuxi need that second half of the story, when stuff isn’t as high-stakes (no war going on) to sort everything out between them.

extra: characters who won my heart

pian ran - temperamental fox girl who just needs a break, still does her duties well, treated by tantaijin like a whiny younger sister or student, ye xiwu’s wingwoman

pang yizhi/scholar pang - literally the only carefree soul in this entire angst-fest (if it matters, he feels very enfp to me), would be fun to hang out with, the perfect foil to xiaolin, somehow managed to get on the wrong side of tantaijin alongside xiaolin and escaped unscathed, he’s here to assist and watch the show and fly back to the immortal world of daozhangs after it ends

gan baiyu - speaking of someone who’s always watching the show, who could forget the ever-loyal gan baiyu who’s stayed by tantaijin’s side as he rose to power? who stood by when tantaijin was throwing all his tantrums? best boy honestly

really looking forward to the second half/arc (?) of the drama after the 500 years!