#her shirt is supposed to have number 5 on it but i changed it to 01

[mango-ti]

Polish Miku shows off her new hair

[sage-green-matcha]

MAROON - ETHAN LANDRY PT. 1 🍷🥀🔪

“The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me, and how the blood rushed into my cheeks so, scarlet it was” - Taylor Swift

Content includes: mentions of murder, alcohol, pretty much it for this chapter!

Pt. 2 of Maroon | Pt. 3 of Maroon | PT. 4 of Maroon |

(A/n: This is the first chapter of a series! It’s gonna be ab 5-7 parts? I’m not sure yet. Hope you enjoy! )

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Your whole life you'd felt like an outcast, no friends, a broken family. You'd move around your entire childhood, you never had one place that you called home. You knew you couldn't get too comfortable anywhere you were.

That was until you moved to Woodsboro. You were there for your last two years of high school. Becoming friends with a group of "popular kids" but what you didn't know was that at the cost of having friends was death.

"Y/n, you okay?" Tara waved her hand in your face. "I- yea I'm fine" Your lips were agape, picturing the sight of the dead bodies you had seen in the past. You took it harder than everyone else. Sam kept trying to get you to go to therapy but you refused. You didn't think anything was wrong with you. But the situation changed how you looked at everyone and everything.

You couldn't trust anyone, nowhere was safe. You felt like there were eyes on you at all times. And you never dared to pick up any calls from unknown numbers. "I was asking what we should get for dinner? Everyone's coming over in a bit" "Oh uh, I'm fine with anything"

It was just a normal night to everyone else, but to you, the moon was the same as it was on that night. It was full, and it messed with your head. "Y/n...it might be last minute but do you wanna go to a party? It's Halloween themed and I know you've been wanting to wear your costume" She smiled at you.

She knew you would say yes, everyone loved when you were drunk. You were the same person from before the murders, the same funny, sweet, Y/n that gave no fucks. You let loose, you'd dance with anyone who asked and took whatever drink was handed to you.

"Yea, I'll get ready" "Nice" she squealed, leaving you alone. You kept your door open, finding your pink butterfly wing teeshirt, pairing it with a green mini skirt. It was simple enough but still cute, tying the shirt in the front to make the "slutty" aspect of Halloween come into play. You had a little flower crown, carefully placed butterflies all over it, a green bow in the back.

You did your makeup with care, adding glitter and gems to the sides of your eyes. "Hi Y/n...we're leaving soon" you responded to the unfamiliar voice, looking up quickly "Oh, hey Ethan...right?" He nodded. You'd be lying if you said you didn't think he looked silly. He was wearing a cardboard hat, grey tape around the edges to give it a "cleaned up" look.

"Yea...Ethan Landry" "And what are you supposed to be, Ethan?" He was really cute, he had a shy look in his eye, his cheeks covered in pretty roses blush color. "I'm a Knight" "Your armor isn't really shiny" he looked confused and kinda offended at the same time.

"I- I'm just kidding, sorry. I'll be out soon" You smiled up at him. He had pictured your smile in his mind and it was so much better than he had imagined. You were always quiet and serious in Econ class, but you looked so good with a smile on your face.

Luckily, Ethan would be getting to see you smile all night, the first one when you took your first shot of the night. "To the Fab 5, and! To Ethan, my roommate" "Chad ew, don't call us that" Tara cringed. "Yea! And Sams not here so it's not the full 5" you laughed. "Okay, okay whatever. Cheers guys" You took the small glass to your lips, burning liquid smoothly going down your throat, tossing away old memories and letting yourself go.

"Let's dance!" You dragged Tara to the dance floor also known as the living room, the smell of smoke filling your nose. "Does Sam know you're here?" "No!" She laughed and you shook your head. "You know she's gonna track you down, right?" "Nah, she won't find me"

You stumbled back to the kitchen, Ethan scrolling on his phone silently. "Hey, E...you drink?" You held up a bottle tauntingly and he shook his head. "Uh, no" "yea, I saw you spit out that shot" you smiled, turning back to the table of alcohol, pouring two shots of vodka. "Here" you handed him one, his shaky voice thanking you.

You liked Ethan, sure you'd only known him for a couple hours but he reminded you of yourself. Getting dragged into new friend groups where they don't quiet except you, feeling left out of jokes since he hadn't been here long. "How long have you been in New York?" You strike up a conversation, Anika stealing you back after the long chat. "Got eyes for Landry, huh?" "He's cute" you shrugged with a smile, taking a drink from the red solo cup in your hand. "Chads gonna freak"

Her eyes widened and so did her smile. It finally felt like you were trusting someone, opening up, and starting a conversation. You knew the next time you'd seen him he'd be confused by the lack of energy you'd have. In reality, the alcohol was what was giving you that boost.

You sat down next to the two girls, Mindy explaining her logic behind being at this party and the small chance of almost being killed again. "What about you Y/n? Aren't you a bit paranoid?" "Yeah, I guess. But I feel safe around you guys" you smirked. "Oh also Y/n, I don't Trust Ethan at all. He looks too innocent" "Isn't that the best part?" You laughed, Mindy with a disgusted look on her face.

"I'm gonna go stand in line for the bathroom" You blew kisses at them as you walked away, walking around to find the bathroom. You felt yourself lose balance as you walked, someone catching you as you felt liquid splash on your shirt. "Ah man, my shirt" You held onto the randos chest, trying to stay balanced. "Shit, Y/n...you okay?" You looked up with drunk eyes, Ethan looking down at you with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But my shirt...not so much" You frowned, blush rushing into your cheeks as you looked at him. You untied your Tee, the Maroon color splashed all over your top, making it look like someone had stabbed you. "Is that wine?" He shrugged. "I'm not sure, this girl just gave it to me" he smiled, helping you hold yourself up against the wall.

"Thanks for catching me, I'm not completely drunk, these heels are just uncomfortable to walk in" You slipped off the gold shoes, Ethan standing next to you uncomfortably. "Uhm, let's get you a new drink, yea?" "Oh, no no it's okay. I wasn't gonna drink it...uhm it's fine" he stumbled over his words quite a lot. You couldn't tell if he was just nervous or if this is just how he was all the time.

"Ethan! My man!" Chads hand slapped over the poor boy's shoulder. "Whoah...Y/n, you look like you just got attacked...again" "Very funny Chad" you glared at him. "Hey uh, not to interrupt this throuple but your services are needed" Anika turned the corner as Chad sighed. "I'm needed, I'll be back" "Throuple huh...I think I'd like to just have fun with you, E" You held back a laugh, walking away with a smile and an awkward wink.

Ethan was left a flustered and confused mess, following to find Chad. As for you, you'd finally find the bathroom. Looking at your wine-splashed shirt. It was a familiar view. But instead of blood, it was an innocent drink. You lifted your shirt, your fingers tracing over the two, deep knife scars.

You were lucky to only get two lousy scars, compared to others...you told yourself you didn't have room to complain. After all, you were alive, you made it through the night and you took it to your advantage.

You snapped out of your trance as you heard a familiar voice. Sam, oh shit. "Excuse me" You struggled to push through the crowded hall, bumping into Ethan once you got to the scene. You moving to stand by his side. "Oh shit" you cringed as Sam took her taser to the man's crotch.

"Sam? Are you fucking kidding me? You're stalking me now?" You And Ethan watched in confusion, the dude now on the floor. "Holy shit! It's that psycho girl!" The room filled with laughter, grabbing Ethan's hand as everyone chased Tara.

"Is this like a regular thing in this friend group?" The group walked in unison, you And Ethan behind everyone else. "Yea," you sighed, feet aching with your shoes in your hand. "I like your flower thingy...by the way" "Thanks, made it myself" you took it off your head, handing it to him before stealing the cardboard hat from off his. "Trade me?" "Oh uh...yea" he placed the crown on his head awkwardly, trying to fix his hair as you slipped his hat over your head.

"Looks cute on you" The pink flowers matched with his soft personality, and his flushed cheeks. You on the other hand looked very strange, getting looks from the people that were once staring at Sam and Tara.

"Tara..will you stop?" Sam struggled to catch up with her sister, Tara not giving a fuck. "I cannot believe you did that, you embarrassed me!" "That gut was a dick! He was gonna take advantage of you" "So?!" You rubbed underneath your eyes, knowing that they were about to get into an argument yet again.

It was always like this, they argue just to never make up and argue again. It's a continuous cycle that has never ended. "So?" Sam repeated in shock. "If I wanna hook up with an ass hole that's my decision?! It's my decision" "Okay.." Sam scoffed.

"It's not about you!... You..you were out of my life for 5 years and then you can't leave me alone for 5 minutes" Sams's only and most used "comeback" was that Tara wasn't going to the councilor, That she wasn't dealing with what happened to her. You wondered if she thought the same thing about you, you were worse than Tara with the subject, you had completely blocked out any idea of it with anyone. Sure everyone knew what happened in the back of their head, but it was for the best if no one mentioned it.

"Hey...guys come on" Tara ignored Chad, trying to get them to stop. Tara rambled, even you thought her words were a bit harsh. "You just follow me here and you won't let me out of your sight" "Just...trying to look out for you" You could tell Sam felt defeated, rethinking her actions. "I know...I know you are. But you can't do it for the rest of my life, you have to let me go"

Next thing you knew the smell of cherry coke filled your nose, a drink splashed all over Sam by a random girl. The two were already at it, Sam trying to aggressively go after her, Chad pulling her back. "The fuck is wrong with you?" "You know what you did!" "I didn't fucking do anything!"

You waved at Ethan to follow you, chasing behind Mindy and the rest of the group. "I'm so fucking tired of this!" Tara's eyes watered in frustration, Chad rubbed her back Anika and Mindy holding hands as they walked. You only now realized how alone you were. Sure you'd have some flirty moments with Mindy or Anika but they were purely platonic, you'd never had an actual partner.

"Y/n, I heard what you said to Ethan, not that drunk huh?" She laughed. "He knows I'm kidding...or not. Right E?" "What?" He caught up and you smiled to the ground. "You talked to my bro? Damn, I guess you two would make a good pair" Chad laughed. "No, I don't trust him. He's weird, he always stutters when he talks. He's definitely hiding something" Mindy scoffed.

"I'm right here..." "No, he's just like that with Girls, Man has never experienced female contact" Ethan rolled his eyes, sighing. Mindy also rolled her eyes, she was always stubborn, especially when she was convinced someone was dangerous. "Well I'm gay, so I don't know why he's scared of me" "Maybe cause you're really intimidating, Mindy" Tara turned back, a broken smile back on her face.

"You are...kinda really rude too" "Am not, your face is just annoying to look at" your eyes widened. "Okay you two, cut it out" You all finally got to the apartment, running into your room to take off the wet, uncomfortable shirt. You placed Ethan's hat on your bed, finding a long sleeve and pj pants to switch into.

"Hey, here's your thingy back" he knocked on the door, handing it to you. "Oh, thanks" you grabbed his hat off the bed, giving it back. "I- I think I'm just gonna take it all off, restricting" you agreed. "Yea...plus the party's already over" "I...I'm really sorry about your shirt...by the way" "It's fine, ill just order another one"

"Y/n, hey I think you're gonna wanna see this" Chad called from the living room, you And Ethan rushing to his voice. He called out to Sam who was downstairs, the two of you meeting in the living room in shock. "Cute boy...nice" Quinn smiled and you smirked.

You stared at the Tv, "Also found at the scene were various Ghost Face costumes..." you heart dropped to your ass, you could feel tears start to form in your eyes. "I'm not doing this shit again" you rushed to your room, Sam chasing behind you. "Y/n...Y/n come on we can leave, I'll get tara" "Guys! Wait no! Hold on! No wait, let's talk about this for a second" the two of you had already made your way to the kitchen, knifes in hand.

"This might not have anything to do with us" "Are you serious?" Sam asked. Great, another argument. But this time you sided with Sam. This definitely had something to do with all of you. "It's Halloween! Everybody's wearing masks" "Tara! Tara, this isn't a coincidence!" Your eyes were wide, looking at her trying to find where she found the audacity to say that.

"Tara...we knew him" you spoke up. "He was in one of our classes! We Barley knew him" She scoffed. "Chad, Mindy back us up here" your eyes creased, heart pumping as if you'd just run a marathon. "I mean it is a little bit..." "close to home..." Mindy finished his sentence. "Quinn! Your dad's a cop right? Can you call him and see what's going on? Before you make the dumb ass decision to abandon my college education, and flee the fucking state?" Everyone looked up at Quinn, her Phone to her ear as she called.

You froze as you felt your phone ring in your pocket. Everyone's eyes on you. You slowly took it out, looking at the contact. "Who is it?" You let out a small sigh of relief. "It's just Gale, probably excited about the new book opportunity" you held your face in your palms. "Why'd everyone just freak out when her phone rang?" "You gotta keep up My Dude" you felt your heart beat faster, holding back tears.

"Sam, my dad wants to talk to you" you rushed to your room, closing the door behind you. You fell against it, tears spilling out. You thought you'd finally escaped it, but now your progress was ruined, you were back at square one. It was only bound to get worse, this was just the beginning.

[changingplumbob]

Villareal: Chapter 6, Part 5

Joey's night concludes and preparation for family brunch begins.

CW: Moderate sim spice. Content Warning Guide

Luna (mummy) and Devin (mama) use some German and Italian. Bambino/s (Italian) Male child/children Buongiorno (Italian) Good morning Caro (Italian) Dear Nonna/Nonno (Italian) Grandfather/Grandmother Piccolo (Italian) Little one Zia/Zio (Italian) Aunt/Uncle

Joey wakes up with a start. He’s lying on his bedroom floor?

Marianna: Are you okay?

Joey: Marianna? What happened? We were just…

Joey pushes himself up feeling very confused. He was just at the nightclub. He’s used to the quickness of loading screens but this was something different. His genius mind is telling him to remain calm and gather facts but his paranoid trait is panicking.

Marianna: See I’ve never actually teleported someone with me before, I think I had the calibration off so you kind of passed out

Joey: Passed out? Yeah but- did you say teleport?

Marianna: Yes, I hope you’re okay. I was just reading your mind and I saw your photos and I hoped you might want one of real me

Joey: Reading... my... mind?

Marianna: It’s a thing we can do

Joey: Who is we?

Marianna: Oh you know… aliens

Joey is taken aback. Aliens? He always knew they were real but the research on their abilities was spotty at best. Unsurprisingly they didn’t exactly offer themselves up for tests. And he’d just…

Joey: Oh please tell me I’m not pregnant. I can’t be pregnant

Marianna: What? No! I’m not one of those ones. I was left in a carrier myself, I wouldn’t do that to a kid. I just… I know I’m a bit older than the other women in the photos…

She looks at the wall and folds in on herself a bit.

Joey: You’re saying… you read my mind, and know that me and the watcher need to keep track of my numbers with photos… and you teleported us here… because you were nervous that I wouldn’t want a photo of you

Marianna: I thought… you seemed to enjoy our time together so… you might want a photo of what I actually look like

Joey: I’ve never seen an alien before, at least not that I know of. But if you felt enough of a connection when we were woohooing, I’d be honoured to see the real you

Marianna: *smiling* Don’t freak out

Joey tries his best to keep his face straight as Marianna stretches. She changes from the human outfit into a cozy sleepwear number in alien form. It happened so fast Joey isn’t sure he actually saw the change happen. He has so many questions! But he has to remember this is stressful for her to.

Joey: You look amazing. Your eyes are spectacular. Your skin… you were glowing earlier right?

Marianna: *giggles* yes. When our emotions get strong it can be hard to hide and you just… made me feel all kinds of things

Joey: Likewise

He grabs his camera out and gets a shot of her to join the others.

Joey: I’m glad you didn’t mind read about my photos and decide to teleport me into an incinerator

Marianna: *giggles* No! Your mind… You make love but you respect the ones you’re with. Not incinerator worthy

Joey smiles and moves towards her, taking one of her hands and sliding her closer to him.

Joey: I don’t suppose you in any way used your alien powers on the dating app

Marianna: *blushing* Maybe. But I swear I didn’t coerce you in person, and I double checked your mind before-

Joey cuts her off with a kiss. She puts her arms around his neck and relaxes into him. She may not have been his typical type but seeing her, talking to her, everything that happened in that nightclub was what he wanted. Heck, he was glad she thought him worth messing with an app for.

Marianna: Why

Joey: Hmm?

Marianna: Why are you glad about that

Joey: Oh, mind reading. I guess I’m flattered my profile was attractive enough to warrant your effort. Can I give you a proper thanks?

Marianna: You did in the club

Joey: *whispers* Read my mind. You’ll see I can do better if you'd like to go again

Smiling Marianna uncurls herself from him and lets him unbutton her shirt and slide her pants off.

Joey: How did you change outfits anyway

Marianna: Oh that outfit was connected to my disguise. Remove the disguise and I can be wearing something else entirely

On his knees now Joey looks up at her.

Joey: Call me biased but I think you look breathtaking wearing nothing at all

Before she can reply Joey pulls her close and lets his mouth go to work. He is intrigued with the noises she makes. He thought he’d heard most of what women could sound like but the alien tone of her voice was something new. When she seems wet enough he stands up and she helps him out of his clothes. He thinks about what they could do next…

Marianna: The third option sounds good

Joey: *laughs* Try to stop reading my mind and just be in the moment

Joey hadn’t thought he’d be interested in woohoo with an alien but his time with Marianna was making him rethink his stance. A woman is a woman after all, and Marianna certainly had experience. He tried to hold out but with those alien vocals she got him to release even quicker than the last time.

Marianna: *softly* don’t worry, I take it as a compliment

Giving him a final kiss Marianna begins to redress while Joey cleans up. Unfortunately his paranoid brain still hasn’t settled down.

Marianna: Joey, I haven’t impregnated you. Relax

Joey: Is it okay if I like, tell people…

Marianna: *laughs* You’ll have a photo of me on your wall, I’m fairly sure they’ll believe you woohoo’d an alien

Joey walks her to the front door and watches her go, again somehow missing her changing back into her human disguise even though he never took his eyes off her. Pondering the events of the night he locks up and heads to bed, hoping he’ll be able to get enough sleep to put in an appearance at family brunch.

The sun rises alongside Luna and Devin. In the room next to theirs two toddlers yawn and greet the day, racing each other to their potties.

While Luna tackles some chores that need doing Devin and Joey pull together to prepare brunch. While Joey works on bagels Devin sorts out place settings.

Devin: Did you have a good night

Joey: I did! I woohoo’d an alien

Devin: *dubiously* How much did you drink

Joey: I’m serious! I’ll show you the photo later

Devin: It’s not an in action shot is it? Because I love you but there are limits

Joey: No! But it’s got me thinking, there must be other occults out there

Devin: Focus on the *Joey spills stuff* food…

Joey: Don’t panic, I’ll clean it up

Devin: I’ll give you a hand when I’m finished this

Joey: But like I was saying, since aliens do exist on earth some of the other stories must be true

Devin: What stories? Some of us spent our time learning Shakespeare not becoming cryptozoologists

Joey: I wouldn’t woohoo bigfoot! Unless you know bigfoot had a hot human woman form... But if I could land a mermaid, a vampire and say… a werewolf, then I could be the most experienced sim in game! Like how many other sims could claim that achievement?

Devin: Dream big little brother. How’s your game coming

Joey: Slowly, I’ve put the beta out and I’m waiting for reports from play testers. Should be ready for a final polish after brunch though

Devin: If you need someone who doesn’t understand video games to test I’m happy to help

Joey: *laughs* That’s not a terrible idea sis

Devin: It’s my idea, of course it’s great

The sound of wobbly footsteps can be heard in the corridor, the twins are up.

Joey: Uh oh, here comes trouble

Devin: Buongiorno bambinos! Did you not feel like sleeping in

Alfred: No mama. We be awake for family

Rilian: Yes. Nonno and Nonna coming?

Devin: Absolutely. Did you two get dressed all by yourselves

The twins beam and chatter over each other excitedly before sitting down by the counters and spending time on their tablets.

Devin: That’s the table set. I’ve pushed the high chairs into the hall so we can all fit. Alfred, Rilian, are you okay with sitting on the bench?

Twins: *too engrossed in screens to reply*

Devin: I’ll take that as yes. Are your bagels finished yet

Joey: Not just yet. Trust the process, they’ll be good

Devin walks over to her sons hoping that they’ll listen more the closer she is to them.

Devin: Any requests for breakfast?

Alfred: Cereal!

Devin: Caro we have cereal when we don’t have guests. On Sundays we get nice breakfasts. Rilian?

But Devin’s picky eater is ignoring the question about food.

Devin: Mama could make… omelettes, French toast, pancakes-

Alfred: Yes!

Devin: Pancakes, si? Oh looks like Zio Joey has finished making bagels for us. What do we say?

Alfred: Thank you Zio Joey

Rilian: Thanks Zio

Devin: That’s my bambinos. Mama is so proud of you remembering your manners

Rilian: Mama tell Mummy?

Devin: Si, I will tell Mummy

Joey: When did this stereo break? I swear it was working when I left last night

Devin: I figured you’d probably be the best one to fix it

Joey: *starts fixing* And what if I get electrocuted?

Devin: You know tech, you’ll be fine

Rilian: Go Zio Joey!

Alfred: Zio can do!

Joey: I suppose. Gosh I hope Deanna is getting better at her robots, she got fried last time I visited

Devin: She enjoys tinkering, I guess some zaps are the price to pay. Okay bambinos, mama’s going to make the pancakes

Previous ... Next

[ouiouibaguettt]

Love beneath the shirt

Jana Fernandez x Aria O’Hara (oc)

@liverpoolfan96​ hope that you like!!

warnings: no one

words: 1k

Masterlist - part.2

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ARIA’S POV:

"ARIAA" shouted my roommate, Lola as she threw herself at me to wake me up, "Lola, let me sleep" I grumbled. "No, it's game day today!!!!" she said as she got up to open my curtains to help me wake up.

"Who are we playing again?" I asked her as I got up and went into the bathroom to shower and start getting ready. "Against Barcelona, so get a move on, it's going to be a tough one this afternoon" she said as I left my room.

I had already been at Atletico Madrid for almost a year, I joined on loan before the club's season started, so towards the end of Gotham FC's season. I had a hard time getting used to the change of temperature, landscapes and peoples, but the most bizarre thing was to be so far away from my sister Kelley, we have always been inseparable since I was born, I've always followed her in everything she's done, she's my inspiration even though I'm in her shadow, but now I'm finally going to be able to reveal myself to the world as Aria O'Hara, a midfielder for Atletico Madrid, and not Aria O'Hara, Kelley O'Hara's sister.

//

When it was time to leave, we took the bus to the Johan Cruyff stadium and went down to inspect the pitch before going into the dressing rooms to change. Once the shirts were on, we went to warm up.

"Aria come here please" said Manolo, my coach, "Yes what's going on?" I asked worried. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, I just wanted to tell you that I was going to start you in the game today, I believe in your ability to win the duels in the middle of the field" he said, "Wow, thanks a lot coach, I won't let you down" I told him with a surge of confidence in myself. "Go finish your warm up, I want to see you shine tonight" he said, patting me on the shoulder, "Yes boss, right away!" I said half seriously and half jokingly as I mimicked the salute, and headed back to my teammates.

I was in the line, in the tunnel before going out for the match, when I saw her, number 5, Jana Fernandez, a young girl coming out of La Masia, I had always found her to have an unconditional charm, despite her fiery personality on the pitch. I suppose you can excuse her temper when she's adorable off the pitch.

//

We were in the 72nd minute of the game, when I saw on the board that she was going to come in for Irene Paredes, sadly we lose 3-0, it seems impossible for us to come back to equalize. 80th minute, we are trying to get the ball back, when all of a sudden Guijarro makes a bad pass that I intercede and I move forward with the ball at my feet but I feel a foot collide with my ankle, so I fall to the ground but despite the pain, it was quickly replaced by anger especially against the person who tackled me, and suddenly I was on my feet pushing the number 5. You could tell that this triggered something because one player punched me to the ground.

"Please, Aria stop, you're going to get a card" Lucia announced, from what I could understand despite my lack of Spanish, I knew that Jana was also being calmed down by Marta Torrejon, "Number 5, and number 28, come here please" the referee told us, we walked towards her and gave us a yellow card each. Knowing me Lucia stopped me before I went to protest the referee's decision.

//

The final whistle blew, we lost, 4-0, it hurt knowing that the end of the game was hot, but we will bounce back. As I was about to make my way back to the dressing room, Virginia and Carmen grabbed me and made their way with me to Jana who happened to be in the same position as me with Marta and Irene around her, "Well now I think we can agree that you behaved like a child tonight," Carmen said looking at me mostly, but I looked down to avoid her gaze. "We'll let you two talk, try not to kill each other" laughed Marta and Virginia as they left for the changing rooms.

"I'm-" "I'm-" we said at the same time, "oh go ahead if you want to start" I smiled politely, "Thanks. I'm sorry about the tackle, it was inappropriate and I'm sorry about my teammate who punched you" she smiled at me and looked at the floor, "Don't worry about the tackle, I'm sorry I pushed you, I don't usually react that badly, and don't worry about the punch, in a few days the mark will go away" I said, now was my chance to ask her.

"I wanted to know if you'd be willing to, you know, get to know each other? because you're very pretty and-" I said "Yes I'd love to" she cut me off before starting to leave but she turned around before adding "You've got my instagram anyway, just give me the address and the time and I'll be there. And you're very pretty too" she said, winking at me.

I was shocked for a good 5 minutes before Lola came to pick me up as we had to get back to the hotel.

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[redbullcateringfiction]

Chapter 5 -

Cantata

Arabella is the executive assistant for Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. 10 years into her career, it looks like the tide is changing, and she's beginning to question her relationship with him. Is it something more, or nothing but an idea lingering in her head?

F/M, Fluff, Boss/Employee Relationship, Romance, Pining, Love, Slow Burn

Fifth chapter below the cut or click here for AO3

Click here for the previous chapter on Tumblr, and click here for a list of all chapters

(Total: 21735 words thus far)

Oh? The right time to use a lawyer? You little shit. I immediately went to block his number, but paused. God, maybe he was onto something. He’s right. I can’t talk about my life with anyone, and…would this contract guarantee that he couldn’t say anything? I need a lawyer to read over this contract with a lawyer. I stared at the screen without really doing anything. I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder, I looked over and saw a line of 10 or so engineers. “How’s it going, ATM?” James asked. As one of the trackside engineers, he had been one of those who gifted me the greatest gift any paddock regular can receive: A nickname. 

I suppose Toto and Bono had it easy since it really was just what they had always been called. It was, afterall, really just their names. My nickname was far less affectionate. Both representative of the way the engineers would jokingly ask me to sign off on the paychecks, since they believed I held so much power at Brackley I could do so, and of the way I was also notorious for standing right behind Toto ready to shuffle him off to his next engagement. ATM stood for “Assigned Toto Micromanager.” It did, however, make it impossible to tell over text if they were asking “at the moment” or simply calling me by name. ‘Bono is on the pit wall ATM.’ As in right now or are we just mocking me? Fuck. 

“Good, good. Let’s get the party started,” I smiled. One after another, they filtered through. Of course, at least one of them had forgotten some silly thing they couldn’t bring through customs, turning them into an international smuggler, and I into the negotiator. In many ways, this could easily be one of the silliest parts of my job. Kindly asking a customs agent to overlook the Schumacher memorabilia that brightly displayed “Marlboro” and thus consisted of cigarette advertisements was certainly not in the job description. 

“Now, why would you wear that shirt?” I asked as the offending engineer finally passed through customs.

“I didn’t know it would be a problem!” She answered, throwing up her hands.

“Well, now you do,” I replied, rolling my eyes. She looked tempted to throw me the bird. “Just throw on a sweatshirt.”

“Fine, fine,” She sighed, reaching into her bag and pulling out a sweater.

I put in my ear buds as the line finally came to a close, and I began to walk to the car. I quickly found my playlist. Unlike my father, I was not a fan of Bach, Mozart, or Schubert. Rather Ellington, Corea, and Monk graced my ears. It had pissed off my ex-boyfriend enough that he wrote a song about it. I wish though that listening to that song gave me the giggles rather than could send me into tears. Unfortunately, the song refused to leave me alone. It followed me into stores. It followed me into the paddock. It followed me into every single rewind playlist Spotify gives me every single year. No one allows me to forget that damn song. 

I ran to the car and climbed in, managing to wave down the driver. “Arabella Lazaar, right? Four seasons?” He asked. 

“Yes, yes. Thank you so much,” I answered. I quickly dialed down Toto.

“Hello?” He answered.

“I’m on my way. We have to remind the engineers about clothing requirements at customs again,” I sighed.

“Who was the offender this time?” He laughed.

“Sarah with a Schumacher Senior shirt,” I explained.

“What could be the problem-”

“Marlboro,” I interrupted.

“Ah. Got it. Well, send out the email tonight. Should I meet you in the lobby? I have you checked in already.”

“Already? Sure. I’ll be there in half an hour. Looks like traffic is a mess since everyone’s coming in for testing.”

“Not too bad, Ms. Lazaar. I can make it happen in twenty.”

“Then twenty! He says we can make it in twenty,” I explained to Toto. 

“Then twenty, I’ll see you here in twenty.” I could practically hear him smiling through the phone. “See you soon.”

“See you,” I answered. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” The driver answered. 

~

Cathal Lynch’s girlfriend accidentally revealed through new song

Cathal Lynch, lead singer of Irish pop-rock band Four Odd Bottles, has long kept his love life private. For the past 3 years he has referenced his girlfriend at shows and in interviews, but has never revealed her identity. Fan theories have suggested supermodels, ex-classmates, and that perhaps, she doesn’t even actually exist! However, the release of the band's newest song - 4th From the Gate - accidentally revealed her identity. 

Simple references such as “racing stars,” and “dry tires on a wet pavement,” implied to listeners that Lynch may be dating a member of the Formula 1 community. Fans further found that Cathal’s posts on Instagram seemed to be located near or close to locations where Formula 1 races had taken place. None of this directly pointed to the woman who inspires Cathal’s boisterous love songs. However, several final details collided in the perfect storm to reveal her identity.

At the recent Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, Lynch took a picture with now 6-time world champion  Lewis Hamilton. This picture, taken from within the garage, told many fans that Cathal Lynch was either a big fan of Mercedes-Petronas, or with the recent song, his girlfriend works for Mercedes. Fans recalled that earlier songs had referenced Cathal Lynch’s girlfriend’s long curly hair, her tanned skin, and even that she may be Dutch. In the background of this picture was Arabella Lazaar - Curly haired, medium skinned, Dutch executive assistant to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. 

This afternoon, Cathal Lynch half-confirmed this was a simple Instagram story that showed a long curly hair on his pillow captioned “Always leaving pieces of herself with me. Even the ones she knows I hate.” To many fans, this was all they needed to immediately determine Arabella Lazaar was the woman inspiring Cathal Lynch’s music for the past 3 years. 

Four Odd Bottle’s did not respond to our request for comment.

~

We arrived at the hotel after 10 minutes, on the dot. I thanked the driver and was sure to grab my bags that I had placed in the trunk. As soon as I walked in, Toto was practically waiting by the door. 

“Arabella, haven’t seen you in a while,” He joked. 

“Oh, those two hours must’ve been so tortuous for you,” I spoke, immediately catching myself on the basis it may have sounded just a little bit flirty. Toto didn’t seem to notice though and laughed. 

“You just know they were. Every single minute, I was thinking, oh, how will I know what I am going to do in the next 5 minutes? Oh right, she sent an email, and I am to do absolutely nothing until she tells me what to do.”

“I’m not that bad,” I defended myself.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” He smirked. “Let me take your bags.”

We started walking towards the elevator and he lead me to my room. “I’m right next door, so you can bother me first thing in the morning.”

“And you know I will,” I smiled, taking the key from his hand. “Has someone already checked over your room?”

“I did. I know how to look over my own room.”

“Surprising,” I sassed. I walked in and immediately went to shut the door, but toto caught it with his foot.

“Uh, sorry. Do you mind if I was to finish our earlier conversation?” He asked, sweetly offering me a smile. 

“Oh. Sure. It had already slipped my mind,” I poorly lied. It had stuck in my brain like a leech. “Did you want to step in?” Fuck, why did I say that?

“Sure, sure,” He answered, closing the door behind him. “I just wanted to apologize for interrupting your date last night. I had a few too many drinks at the event, and saw you…and I’m not sure. Something just came over me. And suddenly I recalled you heading up to the room, and I figured, why not just ask? It just wasn’t appropriate and I wanted to apologize.”

“Oh…um…no worries! It wasn’t a date,” I quickly deflected. Why did I say that? Why not just accept the apology? Klootzak. 

“It wasn’t?” Toto asked, seemingly just as surprised at my statement as me. “Oh, well good, I suppose. Not good. Just…yes, okay.”

“Yeah, I was just uh…meeting with my lawyer.”

“Your lawyer ?”

Yes, of course. That was somehow better. I’m planning on suing you, Toto Wolff.

“Just uh…with contract renewal coming up soon. He’s been my lawyer since the incident with Cathal,” I mumbled. I’m very bad at lying. “Just good to have someone on my side.”

“Oh, of course. Well, then, I’m deeply sorry for implying that you were on a date by asking if he was your boyfriend from the Christmas party,” Toto answered.

“Mauricio? No, uh, we split up shortly after that.” Please stop talking, Arabella. Why can’t I just shut up sometimes?

“That's right. Mauricio. I’m sorry about that, though.” Okay, Arabella, take a breath and think for a moment about how you’ll respond. 

“Ah, we weren’t that serious. I’m not bothered. What’s done is done,” I smiled. I do not have the heart nor emotional capacity to tell Toto that Mauricio and I dated for about 3 weeks and had already broken up when I made him come to the Christmas Party with me. I just didn’t want to look lonely. It was a nice deal though. As a massive fan of Lewis, he didn’t mind getting the opportunity to meet everyone on his team. When my ex-boyfriend and I had been together, I rarely let him come to events with me. Of course, the one time I did, all hell broke loose. That’s why I don’t date celebrities anymore. Unfortunately, it being the one time I brought someone with me to the Christmas Party, it had stuck in everyone’s brains and to this day people ask me if Mauricio and I are still together. 

“Regardless, Arabella. That was my point. I apologize,” He smiled. 

“I understand that, and I accept your apology. It really isn’t anything to apologize for though,” I explained. 

“Okay,” Toto sighed. “Can I make it up to you though?”

"Give me a day off, you mean?” I chuckled. 

“We both know you wouldn't accept that. But we have some free time tonight. In exchange for ruining your last dinner, I propose you at least let me buy you dinner. You don’t have to sit down with me or anything, but I can at least buy it for you.”

“Can I think about it?” I asked.

“Think as long as you’d like,” He conceded, throwing up his hands. “I’ll head out. If you want to take me up on the offer, just shoot me a text.”

I nodded and he left out the door. I immediately crashed onto the bed, holding my face in the pillow. Perhaps Jeffrey was right. I did, in fact, desperately need someone to talk to. I looked at the text message again and tried to use the little bit of legalese I knew to understand it. I’m nowhere near a professional but this seems reasonable enough. No part of me wants to just sign this…but what options do I have? I downloaded it and sat on it for a moment, staring at it. I decided to call Jeffrey himself. I might not know legalese but I can interpret bullshit when I hear it. 

“Oh, Arabella. I didn’t expect this,” Jeffrey answered the phone. 

“I know. But, do me a favor here,” I spluttered. “Just…explain to me what all this means. I think I get the idea, but just walk me through it, and I’ll let you know if I have any questions.”

“That’s not a problem. Go ahead. What’s your first concern?”

“I’m not sure what section 1.3 really means. I think it’s saying that your retainer is typically 50%  of expected hours, but since the expected work hours here are unlimited…then the retainer is $50,000? But also since it’s pro bono, there isn’t a retainer?”

“Basically. Here, let me walk you through it. So you see…”

~

“Cathal, I can’t do this,” I cried, burying my head in my hands. “The calling, the texting, the death threats. It just isn’t ending.” I thought I would puke as my phone just continuously buzzed. 

“I know,” He whimpered through the phone. “I’m really sorry.”

“Why did you post that stupid fucking photo?” I begged. “Everyone knows it's me.”

“How the fuck was I supposed to know that they could figure out your god damn name from a picture that barely had you in the background? How the fuck was I supposed to know that, Belle?”

“I don’t fucking know! God, fuck!” I screamed. I could feel my chest getting tight, and suddenly I felt the need to lower my curtains. I could not look at Brackley right now. Absolutely not. “If anyone, and I mean anyone, finds my fucking address I will fucking kill you.”

“Then I’m dead. Because I already have the fucking team paying off paparazzi after paparazzi. I fucking care about you, Belle. I do. Do not blame me for this level of insanity.”

“People want to kill me because I’m dating you. Even though, to them, I’m the reason for all your music. Yet, they want me dead for it.”

“None of them are real, I assure you, Belle,” He tried to calm me down. “None of them. They always send bullshit like this and they never mean it. It’s just one of those great perks of being famous.”

“I do not want to be famous,” I complained.

“Really? Running around with Formula drivers and working for actors and actresses, and dating a fucking musician? No part of you wants to be famous? It sure as fuck seems like you do.”

“No, I do not, Cathal. It’s my job. It’s my fucking job,” I wept. I could feel my tears staining the pillow beneath me. Every inch was slowly becoming covered with tears. I touched it. I had cried so hard and for so long that the other side of it was becoming damp. I would surely have to throw this pillow out. I would have to carry it to the trash in the kitchen, and then drag the bag out to the trash bin. I would have to take the bin to the curb, and make sure it didn’t block the garage, so I could take my car and drive it to work in the morning. I would have to stay at work trying to avoid thinking about this or risk dropping into a sad mess of tears. I would have to drive back home, and be careful not to hit my garbage can if it had shifted since they picked it up. I would then have to get out of my car and drag the bin back into the garage. I would have to do all of this without running into paparazzi because I doubt Cathal’s team could stop all of them. I would have to do all of this without for a second having a panic attack. I would have to do all of this without letting anyone know just how much it had fucked me up.

That to me was the most important factor. No matter what happened and no matter how bad this made me feel, absolutely no one would know how fucked up this had me. Whatever pictures the paparazzi took of me, I would look fucking good. This could be the worst day of my life but there’s no reason for anyone to know except me and Cathal. I pulled myself together as Cathal ranted about my hypocriticism. 

“You know what, Cathal? You can blame me all you want. You can say I’m the reason why my life was ruined. The truth is though, I know you better than anyone else. I know you better than all your fucking fans do. I know that you left all those bread crumbs on purpose. I know that you wanted them to know who I was because you thought it was so silly that I didn’t want to be known. You thought it was so weird that someone could date a magnificent celebrity like you and not just want to date them for their fame. You thought it was so absurd. Why don’t you go fuck a groupie about it? Why don’t you pass some venereal disease all throughout Europe about it? I don’t care anymore. I did exactly as I was told, Cathal. Go fuck yourself,” I spoke, hanging up. I turned my phone off. If someone needs me, they know how to get a hold of me without calling or texting me. I cleaned my face up, and put on a nice bathrobe. I threw the pillow out in the garbage, and made sure my house was clean. I then opened up the blinds. Sure enough, as soon as I did, I saw a camera flash inside a car that was neatly parked outside my house. 

At least I knew that when that picture hit the tabloids, it would be a good one.

~

“And there we go. Everything explained. What do you think?” Jeffrey asked, sounding like he nearly needed to catch his breath. I yawned deeply, becoming sleepy after Jeffrey had managed to run through the entire contract in excruciating detail without stopping.

“I think you really like being a lawyer,” I yawned again.

“I do, yes,” I could practically hear him beaming through the phone. 

“Yeah, really boring for me, honestly,” I deadpanned. “Anyway, yeah, sounds good. I’ll sign it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. And after I sign it, how long until it goes into effect?”

“Instantly.”

“Great.” I instantly signed the paperwork and immediately returned it to him. 

“Thanks. Just got it.”

“Okay. Should I go to dinner with Toto?”

“Oh-we’re starting right away. Jesus Christ, Arabella. I’m not a magic 8 ball,” Jeffrey answered. “I don’t know if you should go to- wait he asked you out?”

“Asked me out is a strong sentiment,” I explained. “I really hope the walls here aren’t thin.”

“Is he right next to you or something?”

“His room is.”

“Oh my God, Arabella. That man wants you so bad.”

“Fucking hell, Jeffrey. I set up the rooms. Do you know who is also right next to him? Bono. Do you know who is also right next to me? Musconi. Because we’re all taking the same fucking car in the morning,” I explained.

“So…you want him so bad?”

“No, fucking hell, Jeffrey. It was just luck of the draw, I guess,” I replied. “All I did was say we should be on the same floor. In case something went wrong with the car.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever you say. So, he asked you for dinner?”

“Technically. He’s making up for interrupting our date…that I told him wasn’t a date.”

“Rude.”

“Rude? You gave me the idea with the whole ‘contract coming up’ bullshit. I just went with it. I didn’t want him to feel quite so crap for putting me in this situation.”

“Oh, situation? I’m a situation now?”

“Yes, Jeffrey. Yes, you are.” I looked out the window and could clearly see the signs of the impending dust storm. My family didn’t visit Morocco frequently when I was a child, but since we usually visited Marrakech in May, they were incredibly frequent. The wind would start blowing over the desert, and soon the sky would turn to a bright orange, the sand devouring us whole, while my father practically slapped us with face coverings to keep each of us from falling into unstoppable coughing fits. In a particularly bad one, I would stumble over my own feet trying to grab my sister’s shoulder, just to know I had someone with me. 

“You know, this is supposed to be a mutually positive experience.  You get to complain about work. I get to complain about work. Pretty good deal, I think,” Jeffrey argued.

“I think it’s closer to blackmail. Besides, you have given me very little advice in this situation.”

“Well, what exactly did he say, Arabella? Can I call you Bella?”

“You cannot. I’m not a crusty white dog,” I sighed. That was my go to line when someone asked if they could call me Bella. I found it made them far less difficult about it. “He just apologized and said he would make it up for me. I could pretty much take him up on dinner or just let him buy my room service basically.”

“Does…does he not already pay for your food when you travel?” Jeffrey asked. 

“Oh fuck you and your cleverness,” I sighed. “So…do you think it was a date then?”

“I promise you, I’m not trying to play therapist with you, but two things. For someone who says that she’s positive her boss isn’t into her, and she’s positive she isn’t into her boss, you’re awfully preoccupied with whether this is a date or not. Second thing, how would I know? Arabella, I barely know you and this guy. I can make assumptions based on my own knowledge about how I think things work but I can’t just come outright and say ‘Yes, for sure’ based on 3 hours of talking and maybe another hour of having sex,” Jeffrey explained. “You would actually have better luck with a magic 8 ball.”

“I’m really not into him. Just…curious,” I confidently spoke. “I’m 32 and lost out on my one realistic chance of marriage a year and a half ago. I get my hopes up at the slightest bit of attention even if I try to pretend I don’t.” As I spoke, the confidence quickly wore off. 

Jeffrey took a deep sigh. “Cathal, right?”

“I thought you were joking about Googling me,” I laughed, trying to soften the fact that my eyes were welling up with tears. I was over my ex. I had been for a long time. Nonetheless, the way he constantly crept up in my life had a strange way of never allowing old wounds to heal properly. We weren’t together for some crazy long period of time, but fame just wasn’t really for me. He just couldn’t understand that. Eventually, he was over it. Eventually, I was over being disrespected. Having your business out there all the time makes it impossible to ignore everything. Him being a musician means I constantly notice the way I don’t think he’s over me though. Releasing two breakup albums is a bit much, don’t you think? I could forgive one, but a second that was clearly still about me? Freaked me out a bit, if I’m honest. 

“I wasn’t. It was the first thing I saw. Your name plastered over all those headlines. Pictures of your house, pictures of you at races, pictures of you at Brackley. Just everywhere,” Jeffrey explained. 

“Most people forgot about it a long time ago. It was a Shakespearean tragedy in 5 acts for pop culture nerds. For everyone else, it really wasn’t anything.” I hate to admit it, but perhaps Cathal was the reason why I hated staying in Brackley so much. The way the discomfort lingered, and the way I swore sometimes I could smell him on my couch. It was stained with him, practically. Every inch was Cathal, Cathal, Cathal. Guitars on the walls, albums on the shelves, and a closet full of outfits he had worn while touring. It took months of vacuuming to stop finding his cat’s hair. 

“Not you though, huh? I can hear it in your voice,” Jeffrey answered.

“In my voice? Are you talking nonsense again?”

“Do you really think I’m not at all perceptive? I’m a lawyer, Arabella. Stop underestimating my people skills for once, or I’m going to hang up the phone.”

“Fine, fine. You’re right. It hasn’t really left me, partially, because it follows me around everywhere. You yourself said that you found it just by googling my name. Article after article detailing start-to-finish every aspect of our breakup and potential relationship history. None of that to mention that he’s two albums into the breakup and he won’t stop making songs about me.”

“How do you even know they’re about you?” Jeffrey asked innocently.

“The last album had a song called 100 degrees, which was entirely a reference to the perfect tire temp on an F1 tire. Not to mention the song just literally was about how hot I am but for some reason talking about me like I’m a car,” I sighed.

“I bet that didn’t sell well.” 

“Lookup ‘Cathal Lynch objectifies ex-girlfriend quite literally in newest single.’ That one actually gives me quite the giggle,” I told him, thinking about the article. It had some great one liners, such as ‘ He compares her body to a Ferrari, which considering their recent performance in F1, she will certainly take as an insult.’ They were right. I did. 

“Is he trying to win you back?” 

“More like he’s trying to annoy me. Every single time he puts an album out there talking about me, or mentions me at a concert, or talks about it in an interview, it gets my name right back in the tabloids. He knows I hate that. Thankfully, the press doesn’t really care to get my pictures anywhere but F1 races since they know I’ll always be there, and why waste resources when everyone else has seemingly moved on?”

“Except him.”

“Obviously,” I groaned. “Anyway…you’re right. I’ll figure out on my own what to do when it comes to the dinner thing. I need to be a grown up, I suppose.”

“Yes, you should. Now, do you mind if I have my own little moment here about my life?” Jeffrey asked. What am I supposed to say? No? After bitching for very long about everything in my life? It wouldn’t be fair.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Do you know what I hate? More than anything else?”

“Hmm?”

“So many people think I do DaVinci code type shit, and have the tomb of Jesus Christ himself locked away in a vault in Switzerland just because I work for a Swiss Bank.”

“Really? What’s the weirdest thing you have stored away?” I asked.

“I don’t actually know. We don’t ask questions. One client was storing just a single banana, and got pretty mad when the thing went rotten.”

“Did…did they think you would keep it fresh forever?”

“Somehow, yes. It was apparently one of those super rare plant species and his personal fruit tree had grown that singular one that year. I told him we’d buy him a box of those bananas to satisfy him.”

“What? Really? You just had the company shell out that that money just because this dude doesn’t understand a single thing about safety deposit boxes?”

“Y’know, when I was a kid, my dad made me work at Tesco. He wanted me to see how retail worked because he swore that I would otherwise grow up an entitled rich kid. And when I was a cashier, I would sit there and complain about my managers giving random people free things for things that were their fault. Then suddenly, one day he left early, gave me his pin and told me to handle any problems that arose. One customer in, and I realized how much easier it was to just satisfy them with whatever silly request they had even if it wasn't our fault.”

“Nice story, Jeffrey. My parents own a tiny hotel on an island. We weren’t playing poor, we just were. The hotel to this day barely stays afloat. And whenever someone came in and begged for something free or said they were upset with the way the room was cleaned, whatever, my parents would check and make sure it wasn’t their fault. If it wasn’t, they would happily tell them to fuck off,” I storied back to him.

“Alright, Arabella. Whatever you say, huh? You can’t just let someone have an opinion, can you?” He asked.

“That whole story was an opinion? What are you, a Tory?” I joked.

“Oh, shush,” He laughed. 

“Now you tell a woman to quiet up, huh? Jeffrey…tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Alright, alright. I get it. Well, run off now and figure out what you’re doing tonight. I’ll let you go now.”

“Oh, really? I thought there would be more.”

“I just didn’t want you to feel weird. It’s supposed to be a tradeoff. I wanted to trade,” Jeffrey shrugged.

“You know you don’t have to say something. You can just wait until something happens and then call me,” I explained.

“Except if I turn on Sky Sports and see Mercedes is at the paddock?” Jeffrey asked.

“Unless it’s the race or qualifying, that’s probably the perfect time to call, actually. I’m an assistant, not an engineer, Jeffrey.”

“Oh, right on. Well, I’ll speak with you later, Bella.”

“Nope.”

“Thought I’d get away with it,” He sighed, hanging up the phone. I laughed hearing my phone beep away. As useless as I suppose that conversation was in practicality, in theory, it felt very safe. Somehow, despite the literal contract I had just signed and argument we had last night,  I might as well had been speaking with someone I knew for a decade. Perhaps he knew so much from looking me up that he could truly act like that, or maybe we just truly have the perfect matching energies for a platonic relationship. 

I stared at the door thinking about my next move. I realized that if I did what I wanted to do, I would be locking myself in this room, keeping to my strict comfort zone. I don’t want to do that. I sent off a text to Toto.

Me: I’ll take you up on the offer.

Tags: @daddyslittlevillain

[writergirl2011]

Fun With Fics

Rules: Pick any ten of your fics, scroll roughly to the midpoint, pick a line (or three) and share it. Then tag ten people.

(I got tagged a while back and just remembered, lol. I am using a random number generator to pick the fics for this)

Single Parenting 101.

Jaime knew he should allow her some privacy, but he couldn’t resist peeking at the phone to see the girl—Brienne’s daughter, who looked to be around eight or nine. She was also Renly Baratheon’s daughter as she was the spitting image of him, except for her eyes. Renly’s were a bluish-green, whereas this girl’s were just like her mother’s.

2. Christmas Wrapping.

Trust Renly to bring ultrasound pics on a boat outing.  He probably had fifty copies in case he lost a few.

Renly plopped down beside her again and thrust them at her.  “Aren’t they gorgeous?”

Brienne stared at them, wishing she could think anything besides they look like alien life forms, what the hell.  Renly rattled on about 3D technology enabling them to get lifelike images, and didn’t she think that baby A—the girl—looked like Loras, while baby B—the boy—looked like he was going to have Renly’s chin?

3. Single Dad Dating 102.

Jaime held the door for Brienne as she walked into Martyn’s, then took her coat and was rewarded by the sight of the back of the blue blouse she’d changed into after Maggy was gone. The front, which all he’d seen because of the coat, was relatively modest, but dipped low in the back, revealing her back, covered with freckles.

He rather liked them.

4. they don't know about the things we do.

Jaime wonders if he should suggest that they finally tell people about them. It probably won’t deter Renly from trying to interfere with their lunches, but if they go public and Brienne puts her foot down, then maybe…

He won’t deny that he’s enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game of keeping their friends from finding out, but a growing part of him wants to be acknowledged as Brienne’s boyfriend.

5. you who know what love is.

Brienne Tarth would never be beautiful, or pretty, or even considered handsome. Despite the perfection of her dress, her looks remained as they always were. But after she made her curtsey to King Rhaegar and Queen Elia, both of whom smiled approvingly at her, she walked through the throng of people in the ballroom looking like a goddess, her strength coupled with her now evident femininity making her the love child of the Warrior and the Maiden.

6. Trust Me with You.

She lowered her hands and tried to work up the courage to ask if she could see him. But almost as if he heard her, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and dropped it to the floor. His fingers went to his vest and made quick work of the six buttons, then his tie. It wasn’t until he started unbuttoning his white dress shirt that Brienne noticed that his fingers were trembling.

7. and we could be enough.

Jaime turned to help with the task and a moment later, a snowball smacked him in the back of the head.

“Unfair, wench!” he shouted, but Brienne was not behind him as he thought.  He looked to see who might have done it, but the only person there was Sansa, smiling at him innocently with her hands tucked behind her back before she nodded and walked away.

Jaime supposed he deserved that.  He tried not to smile as he helped with the cleanup.

8. but no one knows it's only me.

It shouldn’t be possible. Jaime’s done a great deal of research in the eight years since he took over being the Librarian, and there’s never been a single instance of a superhero being able to use telekinesis by remote. Even Tyrion has to physically go to his location to be able to use his power, and he’s the most powerful telekinetic on record.

By the time she’s finished, Joanna’s face is deathly pale, her eyes are dull, and she sways on her feet. Jaime scoops her up and sits on the couch, holding her tightly.

9. Reprise.

The video starts with the usual hysterical screaming. Jaime stands there with a sad smile on his face as he waits for the fans to settle. Then he begins playing. He doesn’t try to do too much with it, doesn’t turn it into something wild or funky or discordant. He just stands there and plays her song, eyes lowered to his guitar as though he’s alone rather than in front of thousands of fans who are mostly silent as he plays, until the final note dies away and they scream in ecstasy.

Brienne struggles to breathe as she stares at the screen, now frozen on the enigmatic look on Jaime’s face after he raised his head to the crowd. She looks over at him now, and she knows he knows what she’s just seen.

10. there seems to have been some disturbance here.

“Is there a particular moment you want me to interrupt? Are they going for the traditional cloaking and vows to the Seven ceremony?”

Galladon snorts. “Of course not. That’s what Brienne wanted, but Hyle felt that that was too paganistic. They’re going for the modern revised Ceremony of the Seven.”

“So I should show up right after the septon asks if someone has an objection?” Might as well go for the most melodramatic moment of the whole ceremony.

LOL! Mostly the smaller stuff came up--let's hear it for the random number generator! I think the links work. If all else fails, you can find me at cardinalgirl75 on AO3.

[nicsnort]

Gravita Anima (part 5)

Nightcrawler/Fem!OC/Quicksilver Long-form romance and drama fic. Find all the chapters over on Ao3.

Intro (with link to full story) First Previous

Fuck. There were more than Elle had expected. While it was nowhere near the 10000 that some had predicted it was closer to 8000. With far more counter-protesters than she had predicted. Not her counter-protesters. Not the prepared ones. Oh, no. 2000 untrained, nearly unruly, wanna-be gooddoers that did not realize the harm they were actually doing. The sizes of the two protests were far closer in number than was comfortable. About 5500 anti-mutantists and 2500 counter-protesters.

Elle had been running along the front lines where the two protests were starting to meet for the past 2 hours. And she was starting to tire. Incidents kept popping up...she wondered...Iceman or Bobby had tweeted that photo at her. Perhaps she should slide into his DMs and ask them to come if they weren’t aware already. If they had gone to the Smithsonian museum first thing in the morning they might not be…

Then another incident popped up and she was off again.

Being dressed in a nondescript outfit of jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a grey hoodie Elle was able to slip back and forth between the two sides. Her powers only added extra protection as she turned the perception of everyone away from her. Right now she was just a nameless face in the crowd. She had just calmed the tensions between two very beefy anti-mutantists and a few college-aged girls when she felt the buzz in her pocket.

She looked at it expecting to see another alert of a situation down the line but instead saw it was from Lucy. “Near front but constantly moving.” Elle typed back hurriedly.

She saw her Twitter app and opened it quickly. She found the mention of the photo from Bobby and clicked on his name. Damn. Private DMs only. Should she risk at-ing him? Would the X-men make it better or worse?

Before she could decide, another alert sent her heading back towards the end of the crowd. Slipping into the counter-protester side to perhaps run into Lucy.

“All of you back off,” Elle said, not a few minutes later, stepping between those that were screaming at each other. “There is no reason to shout, protest without engaging with each other.”

“Not when this mutie lover keeps trying to take away my rights!”

“Not when this fascist keeps putting his hand on his gun!”

They bickered back and forth shooting off the list of complaints that were just insults and over-the-top rhetoric. Elle was tired, so tired, she was starting to lose control of her own emotions and with that her powers. She slipped up and made the perception that these people had of her change into an intimidating authority figure. “Enough! You! Kelly is about to speak, move towards the center and listen! And You! Move back! Away from the dividing line! Or I’ll call the police over here and have you both arrested for agitation! You aren't even supposed to have guns here buddy so move on!”

Although it was not her intent it got the job done. The group immediately split apart moving away from each other. Once she was sure they had all dispersed she slipped into the crowd of counter-protesters. A hand touched her shoulder and she whipped around quickly, still on edge, only to see Lucy’s familiar face under a black wig.

“There you are!” Lucy exhaled her relief. “I don’t think we should stay here.” Had this been planned by the Senator? Had he expected this, hoped for it? It was a chilling thought, as icy a thought to cool her off in the heat of the crowd and day. She looked around, noticing how there seemed to be louder voices than normal. “There are more cops and people than…”

Elle had just been about to reply that she had to say that she couldn’t leave but a break would be nice when a deafening roar rang across the crowd. She could feel the blood drain from her face. No. No. No!

The crowd buffeted the pair this way and that separating them. This might turn into a stampede. Taking a deep breath Elle tried to center herself but a running man’s elbow whacked her square in the back of the head. Off-balance the next couple of hits sent her tumbling to the ground. Someone grabbed her and helped her up before continuing to run. She couldn’t see Lucy anymore. She must have been pulled away by the crowd.

The crowd around her was nearly gone, however, and now she could see what they were running from. A large man with bulging muscles, a mane of blonde hair, and massive fangs was tearing up a light post.

“Sabertooth,” she muttered in recognition, “the Brotherhood.”

Elle whipped out her phone, miraculous still in her hand, and opened the Twitter app. Hurriedly, she typed out a message to Iceman/Bobby. ‘Brotherhood at protest! Help!!!!  Saverthoth outsid Smith’ 

She had to cut the misspelled message off there as she saw a pillar of fire rise up in the distance. Pyro too! Sending the message she instantly switched her phone to camera mode and began filming live. Sabertooth had finally freed the light post from its roots and tossed it at the retreating crowd.

At the edge of the crowd looking for her friend - wig and sunglasses askew - Lucy saw the lamp post flying at her. She gasped and, without thinking twice, held her hand up. Black ooze flew from her lips and eyes and out towards the light post. The ooze shifted into a solid wall in front of herself and another woman standing there, stopping the post from hitting them. 

She dropped her hand, feeling heavy and weary already -- she hadn’t found time to truly eat yesterday, not really. She felt tired already. Lucy cursed out loud. “Where are the fucking X-men?!” She snarled, more upset with herself than them. This meant they would have to stay...she would have to stay and protect anyone nearby. Pyro and Sabertooth were easily trying to disrupt things...and playing right into the Senator’s hands.

Elle stepped back as the lamp post came in her direction but black goo people stopped it.

“Oh Lucy, thank god,” she exclaimed the camera still focused on Sabertooth.

“Elle,” she sighed in relief and touched her friend’s arm, “you need to leave. Unless you can persuade them to submit, you’re at risk for attack and exposure.” 

“I’m at risk? No, you are. Get out of here Lucy, they won’t even perceive me. I contacted the X-men if they didn’t already know! I need to record them trying to help, it is the only chance this has a way of being salvaged.”

Elle’s eyes flashed to the entrance of the Smithsonian only a hundred feet away. If they had gone there today hopefully they’d be out soon. Assuming they hadn’t been a part of the crowd already. Was that blue? Please let that be blue she saw running out the doors.

“I’m disguised, no one will be able to--” In the midst of her reassurance, Lucy heard a sharp whistle -- the sound of an object flying through the air. Lucy looked up and cursed loudly, holding her hands up and giving a sharp squeak when the air-borne bench slammed into her wall of black void that stood between her, Elle, and the bench. The bench fell to the floor and the wall fell to the ground, ooze once more.

Panting, she looked at her friend. “Move -- we’ve been noticed!” God only knew who else was recording, but right now it seemed that Sabertooth had zeroed in on them. That wasn’t good. Neither of them was trained for any sort of combat beyond basic self-defense.

This was all going horribly wrong -- or horribly right, if she knew the Senator. Lucy stepped forward and, snarling, circled her hands to form a ball. The black ooze reformed from the ground and became a ball between her hands. There were sirens, firetrucks...Pyro was doing some damage. She wondered briefly if avoiding loss of human life would save the mutants in this last-protest bill standing.

Lucy threw the ball towards Sabertooth with a shout, smiling when, instead of catching the ball of void like the man thought he would, it split in two. The two darted towards his wrist and, with her guidance, wrapped around them before they fell to the floor, dragging the monster of a man down with them. Sabertooth was, for the moment, effectively chained to the ground. He roared in protest, the sound making her ears hurt from being within range.

She spun around to shout something at Elle but instead saw...a blue-gray smoke cloud where she had once stood. The scent of sulfur covered the scent of other burning material, distracting Lucy for a moment. A moment was all that was needed for a flaming sign to slam against her, sending her tumbling forward. The wig was on fire, sending the revolting scent of some sort of hair and plastic burning to fill her nostrils. Lucy landed on her back and yanked the wig off, pushing away and crawling back from it. That was all it took to loosen her control on Sabertooth’s ‘chains’ though, releasing him. She felt very little energy left in her reserve. 

Lucy stood, her blond braids coming loose from the style she had had to hide under the wig. She looked around, looking for Elle, unaware that a certain blue tail had wrapped around her, and teleported her away, away enough into safety. She tried to call forth more of the dark energy in her, the stuff from nightmares, but...there was none left. When the woman looked back towards the Brotherhood members, she felt a sharp sense of fear. Something was flying towards her and before she could raise her arms in defense, it hit her and sent her flying through the air and sprawling on the ground. When gravity finally released her from the tailspin, her vision spun wildly. She closed her eyes feeling sick and mouthed the word ‘help’, but easily gave into the darkness.

Out on the National Mall, the X-men had arrived. The group had heard of the protest outside during their tour of the museum and had just been getting lunch when Bobby had seen Elle’s hurried tweet. Now outside they were assessing the situation. First task: protect the civilians, get them away from the Brotherhood.

Wolverine had disappeared on one of his bike trips so was not with them this trip. Leaving Hank as the main muscle. Across the lawn, Beast saw Sabertooth toss a garbage can at an unknown mutant. Getting to all fours Hank launched himself with inhuman speed across the lawn to tackle Sabertooth as he approached the now unconscious woman. His suit tore at the strain and even more so as Sabertooth ripped into it with his claws.

Suddenly Hank saw Rogue’s hands-on Sabertooth’s head and the truer beast sank unconscious to the ground. “You’re bleeding Beast,” she told him and indeed he was. Great scratches were on his arms and back from Sabertooth’s claws.

“I am fine Rogue, I will help take care of civilians. Find Magneto, he has to be around here somewhere.”

Rogue gave a nod and Hank headed towards the unconscious woman. “Well, this certainly explains a lot, Miss Ansell,” he said to himself, picking her off the ground. “Let’s get you to a medic.”

______

Next

Fanfic Masterlist

[officialjamesflint]

1-30. unless ur a coward

SCREAM LEXI THIS IS SO CHAOTIC <33 so of course i had to do it

chipotle order?

I'm the bane of all burrito bar workers because i get sooo many things 😭i get a burrito with: white rice, barbacoa usually but sometimes i mix it up, black beans, corn, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, sometimes i get mild salsa, guac if i have the dollars! and i usually get chips n guac on the side

2. thoughts on veganism?

you do you but i could never because i love dairy and eggs too much. i also have a crazy metabolism and meat alternatives don't always sate my Hunger (but i do LOVE tofu esp when it's cooked well <33)

3. a specific color that gives you the ick?

i legit couldn't think of any <33 i suppose like. really bright neons?? but they just hurt my eyes and they're also cool in certain contexts

4. mythical creature you think/believe is real?

aliens i guess?? i want nessie to be real she is my friend <33

5. favorite form of potato?

TATER TOTS!!!

6. do you use a watch?

yes!! i have one of those cheap timex expedition watches because i can't read analog very quickly 😔

7. what animal do you look forward to seeing when you visit an aquarium?

answered here!

8. do you change into specific clothes for the house when you get home?

nope! i lounge in my jeans because i'm evil

9. do you have a skincare routine (and how many steps is it)?

sort of i guess?? i wash my face and put spf moisturizer on every morning

10. on a plane, do you ask for apple or orange juice?

ginger ale baybee!! or water sometimes because i'm a cool guy

11. anything from your childhood you've held on to?

lots of stuff!! books, stuffies, clothes (legit almost all of my winter gear is stuff i've had since elementary school). i love Objects <3

12. brand of haircare/bodycare/skincare that you trust 100%?

uhh i'm not really a Brand Guy. but i like neutrogena for skin stuff. and cerave cause all my moisturizers are from them

13. first thing you're doing in the purge?

is the purge the one where laws don't exist?? i forgor. probably go hide in ikea i guess??

14. do you think you're dehydrated?

not at all i am obsessed with water

15. rank the methods of death: freezing, burning, drowning

yikes! freezing/drowning/burning i Guess

16. thoughts on mint chocolate chip?

YUM

17. an anxious compulsion you do everyday?

i don't even know...i guess? stick to my bedtime routine?? because if i don't i'm always scared i won't fall asleep??

18. your boba/tea order?

answered here!

19. the veggie you dislike the most?

hmm this is a good question. probably tomatoes (FIGHT me they're used as veggies in cooking) (sorry tomato lovers they simply make me feel sick in my heart. but i like them in sauce)

20. favorite disney princess movie?

mulan <33 but i also love moana and tangled

21. a number that weirds you out?

none of them all numbers are the same to me. except the funny ones

22. do you have an emotional support water bottle?

YES i've had the same water bottle since i was 16. yes i know that's gross but shh i love her i've replaced her cap like. 5 times.

23. do you wear jewelry?

i have 2 permanently attached friendship anklets! i need to repair my friendship bracelets they both had threads snap 😭

24. which do you find yourself using, american or british english?

uhh american i suppose. but also when i'm writing i accidentally spell things british style and google docs yells at me

25. would you say you have good taste in music?

yes <3 it is my job

26. how's your spice tolerance?

all right. i can handle like medium spice just fine <3 it's impressive for a midwesterner but i also didn't grow up here so it's just regular

27. what's your favorite or go-to outfit?

jeans. t-shirt. fun sweater. boots. i am a simple man (autistic)

28. last meal on earth?

BIG bowl of fried rice from a nice restaurant. fancy blue cheese. bubble tea. i can't think of a dessert but something delicious and chocolatey

29. preferred pasta noodle?

corkscrews <33 idk what they're actually called

30. ask me anything !

lexi i love you <33 this was so chaotic and also really fun to think about all of these

[aphrodisiac-siren]

Innocence- Aemond X OC

Summary: War is an ugly thing; Something that is common knowledge to all and yet something people resort to anyway when conflicts arise. It was not something Eirlys Velaryon wanted though, nor what Aemond Targaryen wanted as well. It was a war they were dragged into, and suffering they had to endure for crimes they were innocent of.

Masterlist

Part 5

Several days had past and Aemond could feel his Eirlys slipping further and further away from him.

He had never regretted any of his past actions more. In that moment he'd felt as if he was merely obliging to one of his duties but eventually he'd wished he never listened to Aegon.

Unsure of how to resolve the matter, he decided to go and talk to his mother.

"It would help of you just told me what the problem is exactly" Alicent tried to explain when Aemond refused to disclose a number of details about his and Eirlys' conflict.

"It was just something I did that upset her, something that that can't be undone" he sighed "I'm hoping there's a way of showing her how sorry I am for it. I suppose I didn't think things through before doing it"

"Small gestures to reassure her you won't repeat your past actions" the queen mother tried to find a few solutions "spend some time with her, allow her to see you are working toward being better for her"

"The only time we ever spend together now is when she wishes to publicly show the nobles of our courtship" Aemond sadly admitted "we haven't been the same since that nigh- that incident"

"I see" Alicent hummed in response "I'd say give her time. Do not rush her into forgiving you, she will do it when she finds it in her heart to do so"

"Do you believe that she will?"

"Yes" the older woman smiled at her son "Eirlys might be upset at you but she still loves you the same. You both have grown so close to each other over the years, a little argument won't change that"

"I hope so" Aemond mumbled as he toyed with the hem of his leather vest "it's been a mess lately"

"Have you both had any talks about the marriage?" Alicent inquired.

"None as of late" her son shrugged as he avoided looking at her.

Alicent sighed, now getting slightly worried. She knew the two of them would get married regardless of their situation but she wished for her son to have a happy marriage, not one where him and his wife spent every waking hour avoiding each other.

She hoped in that moment that whatever happened between them would eventually die down so that they might once again go back to how things were.

Aemond went to Eirlys' chambers soon after, unsure if she would accept the invitation he was to offer to her.

He waited patiently for her to open the doors after he'd knocked, softly tapping his foot in anticipation.

"Aemond" she simply greeted in a monotone voice. A complete contrast to how she usually used to react, gracing him with her playful smile and on some occasions a hug.

"I am to circle the skies around the castle with Vhagar" he told her as he avoided direct eye contact "would you like to accompany me with Ember?"

Eirlys took a moment to consider this, tilting her head slightly to the left as she gazed at Aemond before quickly humming in response.

"I need to get dressed" she simply informed, but kept her expression unreadable "I'll see you outside. Have them ready Ember for me"

Aemond, despite her asking him to wait near the pit, had instead sent a servant with the message to saddle her dragon and have him ready along with Vhagar.

The prince waited patiently outside her door while she dressed out of her gown and into her trousers and coat, something more appropriate for riding on dragon back.

Eirlys took her time getting dressed, unaware that Aemond was still outside, waiting for her. She chose a maroon coat that looked almost brown and wore one of her black trousers with a black shirt that she tucked in. She quickly slid into her boots that she still had to lace up. Once she was content with her choice of clothing she decided to fix her hair. Instead of having all of it down she simply tied a braid on one side with a thick lock of hair and brought it over her head to act like a headband, pinning it behind her other ear.

Admiring herself one last time in the mirror, she stood up to head for the doors.

The princess didn't expect Aemond to still be waiting for her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest while he stared off into the distance.

Eirlys felt the pace of her heartbeat increase when she caught sight of him. The way his jaw clenched and how the sleeves of his leather vest hugged his arms just right.

Aemond had grown taller than her over the years as opposed to when she was a few inches taller than him when they were kids. His height wasn't the only thing that had changed. His physique too was different, him now being toned and slightly muscular; not to mention his good looks that made Eirlys' rather annoyed since she was torn between throwing a chair or herself at him.

"You're still here" she spoke, snapping him out of his daze "I told you to go-"

"I already sent word with someone to ready your dragon" he pushed himself away from the wall and walked toward her, holding out his hand "allow me to walk you there"

"I can walk there myself" the princess muttered as she took his hand nonetheless.

The walk through the castle was rather silent, none of them making much of an effort to hold a conversation.

It was unusual for either of them to be this hostile but neither of them knew what to say while the tension between grew by the hour.

Upon their arrival, Eirlys let go of Aemond's hand to go and tend to her dragon.

Ember was a Persian blue dragon, with hints of teal amidst his scales. He hand a long wingspan and a crown of spikes.

The dragon made a low rumbling sound as Eirlys ran her hands along his scales. Aemond silently and cautiously walked closer behind her. Ember had grown quiet accustomed to the prince and didn't really mind him as long as the boy did not make an attempt to mount the dragon. Aemond knew of this, but he still did not want to put the dragon's tolerance to test.

"You needn't be afraid, Ember only dislikes anything of the colour green that moves" Eirlys joked but kept her face expressionless as she turned to look at Aemond in his green vest "oh, how unfortunate"

The prince grinned slightly with amusement at her comment. He was about to turn, to make his way to Vhagar, when he heard Eirlys swear.

"Fuck" she grumbled "my cloak"

The air was chilly that day and Eirlys had only just noticed she was missing her cloak. If the atmosphere was so cool already she could only imagine how cold it would get when she would be on soaring in the skies on dragon back.

Aemond sighed as he unclipped the little clasp at the neck of his long black cloak, swiftly taking it off.

"Here" he simply stated as he draped it over her shoulders while he stood behind her. He fixed her hair so that it wasn't trapped behind the cloak before he walked away, not giving Eirlys any time to protest.

"Iksan daor iōrves. Ao jorrāelagon naejot gaomagon bāne ñuha dārilaros" ( I am not cold. You ought to keep warm my princess) he spoke as he continued to walk.

"Hm?" Eirlys hummed as she struggled to translate the latter part of his sentence.

"Hm?" Aemond mocked with a playful smile as he turned to momentarily look at her, walking backwards before turning once again to make his way to his own dragon.

Eirlys gingerly fastened the silver clasp at the neck, stealing another glance at Aemond as he walked toward Vhagar.

She wondered if she was pushing it too far by giving him the cold shoulder but she was still rather pressed about what had happened that night and it was something she knew she'd take time coming to terms with.

She mounted Ember silently, fastened the chains around her waist and took hold of the reigns. She turned to see if Aemond was in the saddle as well before speaking to Ember.

"Soves"

~

Their calm patrolling of the skies lasted only about a few minutes.

Aemond had suddenly found amusement in having Vhagar fly directly in front of Ember, making it quiet difficult for the dragon to surpass him.

Eirlys, out of frustration, had Ember circle the other way to fly in the opposite direction but Aemond wasn't going to make this easy.

This resulted in a playful game of each dragon trying to overtake the other.

Vhagar was large and made it rather difficult to swerve around but Ember was comparatively smaller and thus more agile. As long as Eirlys flew him ahead of Vhagar, she could easily avoid getting obstructed.

Eirlys watched in amusement as Aemond still tried his best to overtake them but Vhagar wasn't as fast as Ember.

The princess didn't wish to admit it, but she was genuinely enjoying his company after such a long period of constantly avoiding him.

Once the sun began to dip beyond the horizon, both the royals made their descent and put a halt to their fun.

As soon as Eirlys dismounted Ember, she headed straight back, still keeping her pace slow so that Aemond might still catch up to her.

He of course followed the princess but kept a good distance between them, unsure if she even wanted to speak to him.

He was certain that he was enjoying herself with his company after their ride together on dragon back. He felt something in his chest flutter when he heard her laugh after weeks of gaining only silence from her for the most part.

Thought his moment of joy and hope seized immediately when he saw her urgency to dismount Ember and quickly walk away.

By the time they neared Eirlys' chambers he couldn't stay silent any longer, weeks of anticipation and unrest compelled him to finally voice his thoughts.

His long strides transitioned into a jog until he was only a few inches away from Eirlys. He gently grabbed her by the wrist, making her stop in her tracks.

Eirlys silently looked at him, allowing him to speak.

"How much longer?" He asked sadly, taking a step forward so that he was now standing in front of her, entrapping her between himself and the wall.

Eirlys didn't have to ask what he was talking about.

She knew.

And she too wondered,

How much longer?

How much longer would this pain last? The feeling of betrayal, jealousy. The feeling of being potentially nothing more than the second choice; her not being the woman he turned to while having concerns about intimacy. How he preferred a common whore, a stranger over herself, his betrothed.

How much longer would it be before the chains of her own emotions finally let her loose so that they might rekindle whatever they once had before it was lost forever.

Aemond loomed over her, his gaze softened while he patiently awaited for a response, longing for her to say something that would assure him that she still cared for him.

Eirlys didn't know what to say, she wanted to say she still felt for him, perhaps even loved him but she needed some confirmation, a final push.

She looked up at Aemond, noticing how close they both stood.

As much as Aemond craved for a response that would assure him of her feelings for her, she too longed for a similar show of confirmation.

"Eirlys?" He tried again, the concern in his voice quiet evident.

"Aemond I..." her words all got muddle up as she struggled to think of what to say. She sighed in annoyance as she rested her palms on his chest.

"Yes?" He asked after a long pause followed, gently resting his hands on her hips.

The princess looked up at him once again, her gaze flickered from his lips to his eye.

Kiss me Eirlys mentally begged.

Tell me to kiss you Aemond inwardly pleaded.

Eirlys noticed him too, momentarily stare at her lips as he hesitantly leaned forward but didn't proceed to close the gap.

"Why'd you stop" she breathed out, almost a whisper.

"So that you may continue" he answered in a low raspy voice.

Eirlys went on her toes just as soon as Aemond cupped her face with his right hand. She gently kissed him, entrapping his bottom lip with hers.

"I hate you" she mumbled into the kiss as she slid her hands up and around his neck.

"Mmh, I know" the prince murmured as he moved his lips against hers while pushing her softly against the wall "I'm sorry mmh- truly"

"I'm still upset" Eirlys pulled him closer, a complete contrast to her words.

"I'm still yours" he reminded, ever so slightly fisting her garment.

Aemond swiped his tongue on her bottom lip before he gently bit down on it, unconsciously pushing his knee in between her legs and eliciting a low moan from the princess.

Eirlys felt a sudden jab in between them while their bodies were pressed up against each other.

Aemond quickly pulled away as he felt himself harden.

"I'll see you before supper" he quickly informed before walking away in a haste to avoid Eirlys seeing the bulge in his pants.

He mentally scolded himself for managing to ruin an innocent kiss by letting his thoughts run riot and think of something so lewd that it made him hard.

Aemond desperately wished that she hadn't felt him through his pants but he knew the chances of that were slim since he was basically pulling her into him as if he was afraid that she'd leave if he let go.

Eirlys stood in the hallway, chest heaving as a result of her being breathless from the kiss they just shared.

Her thoughts lingered on one particular moment of Aemond's knee applying pressure at her core that made her moan at the sensation as if it were a natural reflex.

It was something she'd never felt before and something that now puzzled her.

She took a deep breath, as she tore her gaze away from Aemond, who'd just rounded the far end of the corridor to go back to his own quarters.

She clutched the cloak draped around her before pushing open her own doors and headed inside to change.

~

"Did Aemond tell you this himself?" Helaena asked.

"Yes, he did" Eirlys answered.

Eirlys had decided to confide in Helaena about the entire situation of Aemond, her and his visit to the whorehouse, feeling lost about how she ought to handle it and move forward.

"That's unlikely of him" the older girl said, confused "Aemond has never been the one too keen on visiting brothels"

"I'm aware it's a norm for the men to pay such visits" the princess sighed "but I just thought Aemond would tell me about his insecurities regarding his inexperience instead of a complete stranger"

"I suppose he must've found it difficult to do so" Halaena tried to look at things from her younger brother's perspective "he's known you since you were a babe, maybe he felt abashed to engage in such talks. Besides, for the sake of your reputation I doubt he would suggest.."

"I know" Eirlys responded, knowing that Halaena was referring to the idea of having sex, something she still had very little knowledge about "but I just can't seem to get past this"

"Have you spoken to him about this?" The older girl asked.

"Once, but it wasn't much of a conversation" Eirlys recalled their first and only time they spoke about this "I was upset and kept asking questions and he tried to explain himself. I don't really think I explained how I feel about this entire thing"

"Perhaps avoiding him and the subject isn't the best thing to do" Helaena told the younger girl, giving her a gentle smile "things will only get worse if you decide to suppress your feelings"

"I just- I-" Eirlys was slowly letting the frustration take over "I just sound childish. It's okay for the men to relieve themselves, it's nothing uncommon. And Aemond isn't even my husband as of yet. I don't understand why I am so distraught about this"

"Talk to him" Helaena told her once again "you needn't forgive him if you aren't yet ready. But at the very least, make him aware of the depth of how perturbed this has left you"

Eirlys was grateful for the older girl who listened to her and offered council on how she could perhaps manoeuvre around the situation.

She decided to address the matter on the morrow, feeling too emotionally drained to hold a conversation presently.

Everything thing had changed between herself and her dear Aemond. And even though she never showed it on the surface, it pained her. She found it difficult sometimes to cope with the distance that had formed in between them.

Eirlys had on some days cried herself to sleep, desperately wishing that when she woke up she would find out all of this was just a bad dream. She slept with the same hope each night and woke up disappointed each morning.

The princess headed to the library, hoping to get lost in some book so that she may momentarily escape her current reality.

Even now on her way to the library, she thought about the times she and Aemond used to visit this same place together or read together in one of their chambers, when Aemond used to help with her high valerian.

As always the library was dimly lit, quiet and engulfed her with the smell of burning candles, dust and old parchment.

She skimmed through some of the books, trying to settle on which one she would pick.

"Eirlys"

The girl turned around to see Daeron standing at the end of the isle. He held a number of books in one hand while he had one book held open with the other.

"Daeron" she simply greeted, not wishing to partake in a conversation.

"The hour is late, what are you doing here?" he inquired as he shut the book he was holding "and you weren't present at supper, are you alright?"

"Are you alright?"

No.

Eirlys' emotions got the better of her, causing her voice to hitch in her throat as she felt tears beginning to form.

She quickly turned away the moment she knew she could no longer hold back her tears, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as she silently cried.

Daeron hastily placed his books on the shelf closest to him, not caring that two of those books had fallen to the ground. He made his way to her and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concerned about Eirlys.

"Nothing" the princess sniffled as she desperately tried to calm her breathing and cease her crying.

The boy took a few more steps forward until he stood in front of her. He engulfed her in a hug, catching Eirlys by surprise. Yet the gesture only made the girl more emotional and she buried her face into his chest and sobbed some more.

She didn't know what had come over her, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop crying.

"Has someone upset you?" The boy asked with a saddened smile as he held her close. Daeron had grown up alongside Eirlys and even though he wasn't as close to her as his older brother Aemond was, he still cared about her and over the years had grown rather protective of her.

He sensed the growing tension between Eirlys and Aemond and how they seemed to grow more and more distant as the days passed.

He took her silence as a confirmation after he put two and two together.

"It's about my brother, isn't it?" He softly asked, trying not to strike a nerve.

Eirlys wiped away a tear.

"We were best of friends" she simply stated amidst her tears "but he.. he.."

"What did he do?" The prince asked, his voice growing ever so slightly stern. He knew Aegon was the kind who would say or do things without thinking twice but he never took Aemond to follow in his steps and treat anyone with little to no regard for their emotions, least of all his closest friend and betrothed.

"I don't wish to talk about it" Eirlys wiped away another tear "but it hurts, it hurts so much even though I try to forget-"

"Shh" Daeron patted her back as he hugged her a bit tighter "my brother is a small brained arseling for making you cry like this"

Eirlys chuckled at his descriptive insult.

"Does he even know how upset you are? At whatever it is he's done" the boys asked "to a point where you're crying uncontrollably"

"N-no"

"What gentleman treats his betrothed like this?"

"I'll handle it" she responded as she sniffled after each word "it's just something I need to come to terms with"

"You shouldn't have to" Daeron mumbled "it's not fair for him to offend you like this and then have you just agree to get over it"

"I'm not sure how I am going to manage holding a conversation with him without breaking down" she admitted "I can barely think about it without crying"

"It's alright if you're this upset by whatever happened" Daeron ran his fingers through her silvery white hair "and Aemond needs to see how much pain he has caused you. He's only seen the best parts of you, it's about time he ought to learn how to handle and comfort the broken parts as well, most of which are credited to him"

"I suppose you're right" Eirlys pulled back to look at him before kissing his cheek "thank you Dareon"

"You can come to me anytime" he smiled warmly at her "I'm always on your side"

Eirlys managed to offer him a smile before she left the library, not in a mood to read anymore.

~

Aemond didn't know when it happened, but he was annoyed that it did happen.

Eirlys seemed to be spending more time with Daeron than himself and he did not like it one bit. Not to mention his little brother had made attempts to flirt with Eirlys on a few occasions, the very first being only a few days ago at the training yard.

Aemond needed an explanation as to what was going on between them, he couldn't bare to think of losing Eirlys to him.

"Daeron" he called out to him after they'd finished breaking their fast. Eirlys and Halaena had already left along with Alicent.

Viserys had grown rather ill as of late and used to dine within the comfort of his own chambers.

"Brother" the younger prince stood at the door as he awaited whatever his older brother had to ask.

"You and Eirlys seem to be spending quiet an amount of time together" Aemond briskly walked toward him "can't say that this sudden eagerness of yours to spend every waking hour with her hasn't taken me by surprise though"

"You had your chance with her and you ruined it" Daeron shrugged "you can't be cross with me if I'm treating her the way she ought to be treated"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean" Aemond menacingly glared at him.

"She doesn't deserve whatever she's going through" the boy stepped forward "she's been nothing but your solace when everyone else was busy making your life a misery. If you can't love her the way she's loved you then I wi-"

Aemond seized him by the collar of his tunic and shoved him against the door frame, clenching his jaw as he let his anger overpower his senses.

"Listen to me very carefully brother" Aemond hissed "it would do you well to remember that Eirlys is my betrothed-"

"And how do you treat your betrothed?" Daeron snapped, unfazed by his older brother's show of rage "do you know she's been crying herself to sleep each night?"

"What"

"I do not know the reason behind it nor is it my business to pry for an answer" Daeron shoved Aemond away "but since you so generously decided to remind me that she's your betrothed, it is time you start acting like it and take responsibility for your actions. If you cannot handle the weight of it, I would be happy to step into the role of wedding her"

"This is the first and the last time you speak to me like this" Aemond chuckled lowly out of mockery, resisting the urge to punch him square in the face "the next time you so much as mention your desire to take my Eirlys away from me, I will make sure to free your head from your shoulders"

"She doesn't belong to you" the younger prince remarked snidely.

"Get out" Aemond gave him a warning look "out, now!"

Daeron simply rolled his eyes as he left him in the dining hall.

"He's right you know" Aegon shouted from the other end of the room "you have to go and talk to her"

"Gods- the fuck are you doing" Aemond asked, startled by his presence "I didn't even notice you were in here"

"Too busy warding our little brother away from Eirlys?" Aegon smirked as he sipped some wine "I'm assuming she is upset about the whole incident at the whorehouse. Or your visit there to be specific"

"Why did you make me do it" Aemond sighed.

"Well simply so that you and Eirlys might-"

"She doesn't care about that! She never cared about any of it" Aemond snapped "it was stupid of me to give in to your instigative suggestions"

"I was simply making sure you would be able to keep your wife happy" Aegon shrugged, trying to deflect the blame "but I suppose you have a larger problem at hand compared to accusing me of being the reason behind this animosity between you and her"

"Please, you don't seriously think Daeron is going to pose a problem" Aemond threw a nasty look at his brother "the boy is just basking in the amount of attention she graces him with, something he isn't used to. She will never wed him"

"By the looks of it, she doesn't want to wed you either" Aegon mumbled under his breath as he drank his wine.

"I heard that" Aemond raised a brow.

"Congratulations" Aegon mocked.

Aemond did not wish to further ruin his mood by engaging in a conversation with his drunken brother who had decided to drown in his cups right after breakfast.

He didn't have any training scheduled for that day so he was pretty much left to himself for the entirety of the morning. He remembered how usually on days like this he would sit along with Eirlys to help with her High valerian.

He was dreading the thought that she'd perhaps begun the same ritual with Dareon.

Aemond had never considered himself to be jealous in nature, mostly because he'd never experienced it before. But now with everything going on he couldn't deny the fact that he was a man who could be easily lost to jealousy.

And he hated it.

How helpless he felt, how there was nothing he could do to suppress the emotion or how to avoid anything that triggered the jealousy.

If he felt all of this merely because Eirlys was spending time with his brother, who was now set on wedding her, he could only imagine how much of this pain Eirlys was carrying after he'd told her that he'd given up his virtue to someone other than her.

He recalled Daeron mentioning that Eirlys had spent nights crying herself to sleep.

Because of him.

He had brought so much pain and sadness to his sweet princess and it made his blood boil that he couldn't undo any of it. The one person who never failed to make him smile was the same person he had made cry almost every night.

Not only did he have to work on winning back Eirlys now, he also had to make sure Daeron stayed away.

~

As soon as Aemond left the dining hall he headed straight for the study that Eirlys used to visit to study history with the septa.

He wished to speak to her before she could begin with her lessons. He knew that now was perhaps a bad time, but he refused to wait any longer.

Eirlys too, was keen on speaking to Aemond and was headed back toward the dining hall to have a word with him before she was lost to her busy schedule for the day.

The two of them, who paced rather quickly through the castle, nearly ran into each other as they rounded the corner of one of the hallways.

"Apologies" Aemond quickly spoke as he took a step back after almost colliding into her.

"I was on my-"

"I wanted to-"

They both looked at each other awkwardly before a little smile crept to their lips.

"After you" Aemond held his hands behind his back.

"Well, I was just on my way to find you" Eirlys clearly her throat "I uh wish to speak to you"

"Likewise" Aemond nervously glanced at her "I was hoping to talk to you before your history lesson"

"Walk with me" Eirlys promptly replied as she took a few steps forward and Aemond followed alongside her. She didn't wrap her hand around his arm like how she used to, something Aemond took notice of. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand but decided against it.

"I suppose it's rather evident that I still have not put everything behind me" Eirlys spoke "though I will admit handling this situation with ignorance toward you and basking in my own sorrow was not the best way to clear the air"

"I do not blame you, Eirlys" Aemond stared at the ground, unable to meet her gaze "I did something that I was influenced to believe was part of my duties. That's all I've ever known growing up, doing whatever duties were expected of me. And since I was made to believe that this too was part of those same expectations, I did it merely out of obligation. If I knew that.. that..."

"Go on" Eirlys softly prompted, now slightly curious after he'd mentioned that this was the result of someone else's influence on him.

"I felt it improper and perhaps even a perverse conversation to have with you. If I knew how much it meant to you, or more like how little you cared about my inexperience in being able to bed you, I wouldn't have given into it" he admitted "And it was never a troubling concern until I was made aware of it. So it never quiet crossed my mind about hearing how you felt about the whole thing, all I knew was that I was expected of something and out of force of habit, I made the decision to not fail you in that aspect.

"I see" The girl simply nodded in acknowledgment, feeling slightly relieved that Aemond never acted on his own accord, influenced by his lust or desires.

She couldn't deny that only days before that incident occurred, both her and Aemond were in fact rather oblivious about the topic of intimacy. And so if Aemond was indeed made to believe by someone else that it was expected of him to please his wife in bed, she knew he would just instinctively cave in and oblige.

She knew the prince since he was a boy, he never questioned nor rebelled against the responsibilities bestowed on him. He simply did as he was told and tried his best to excel at everything expected of him. If he was convinced that this too was part of his princely obligations, then she knew he wouldn't question it.

"But we used to tell each other everything" she mumbled after a long pause "no matter what it was"

"I know. I was hesitant to discuss with you about this particular subject though" he truthfully told her "I never imagined the distress I would cause you by choosing to carry out the actions I did. You are my dearest friend and I swore to myself to protect you from anything or anyone who would inflict any pain on you. I never thought that I, the person who was to keep you from torment, would be the one who you would need protection against"

"It just felt like you seemed to find more comfort in conversing with a stranger at a whore house about your desire to gain familiarity with.. you know.." Eirlys trailed off, avoiding getting too descriptive with her words "rather than me, someone who has stood at your side for years now. And then after we sort of grew apart, it just got worse for me... or us I suppose"

"I could never replace you with any one else" Aemond turned completely to look at her, bringing their walk to a momentary halt "granted I did do something that made you think otherwise. But you know that my heart only burns for you, that's something that will never change. No matter how distant we grew in the past couple weeks. If anything, that only left me yearning even more for you"

Eirlys reached out to hold his hand and Aemond instinctively squeezed her hand gently, not taking his gaze away from hers.

"No more secrets" she looked up at him pleadingly "please"

"No more secrets" he caressed her cheek with his other hand.

The both of them stared a while longer, each one unsure of what more to say. Aemond hesitantly leaned in, craving a kiss that he was deprived of for so long.

Eirlys' lips formed a slight smile as she cupped his face. Yet when they were only inches apart she placed her thumb on his bottom lip, making him halt  and turn his attention from her lips to her eyes. He gently kissed her thumb as he awaited for what she wanted to say.

"I'm late for my history lesson" she informed as she stepped back, feeling a tinge of satisfaction after teasing him "the septa is going to kill me"

Aemond chuckled to himself as he watched her quickly turn and run down the hallway.

[aclosetfan]

No. 5 "this marriage was supposed to be a scam but, but listen" im sorry, but this prompt screams greens, and no, i won't change my mind (but also: pretty pls????? ily and i miss your writing) (totally understand that real life can be overwhelming and it's totally cool)(hope you're doing well ❤️)

OPE, anon, you've unlocked a super secret drabble regarding a future!domestic fic I'll never have the time to write :)

prompt 5: this marriage was supposed to be a scam but, but listen

Background summary: After losing a bus full of kids to a horrible accident, Buttercup's having a crisis of self. She's not the hero she once thought she'd be, but when she finds Butch half dead in a ditch, she thinks maybe if she can just do this one thing, save this one person, she can prove to herself she's a hero after all. In a way, they end up saving each other. Again. And again. And again.

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

Buttercup poured over the tax forms before looking up at him with a deep sigh, "I literally don't know what I'm doing. Why don't they teach us this shit in school!" She grabbed a random form and shook it at him, "Do you get any of this?"

He shook his head as he continued to shovel spoon full after spoon full of cereal into his mouth. After swallowing, he said, "The only thing I know about taxes is how to evade it, but Bryan Davis—" he smirked, referring to his alter ego, "—is of the straight and narrow variety, so that's off the table."

"Har. Har." She rolled her eyes, turning back to the tax documents, "I think I'll just call my dad. He's good with numbers. Or maybe, uh, turbo tax? We can't afford an accountant."

At the mere mention of money (and, thus, by extension, their late bills), Butch looked at the time and jumped up with a hiss, "Shit, I'm late!"

"How late are you going to be tonight?" She asked him, watching as he rinsed out his cereal bowl and shoved on his work boots. "We've got to figure this tax stuff out."

"I don't know. They got me doing a job out in the counties for the next few weeks. Traffic's going to be hell. And then there's gas going up, and—"

"Butch, we have to figure this shit out at one point, for real. Tonight." She glared at him, "We can't keep putting it off."

"If I could fly home right after, Buttercup, I would," He huffed back, throwing his lunch together, "but Bryan Davis can't fly, remember? He sits in traffic."

She tsked, "He never fails to remind me, but could you please remind Bryan Davis he also has to fill out a Form 1040? Because if he doesn't, the IRS is on our ass, and they're worse than Blossom."

"And why can't Brittany Davis just do it for the both of them? Don't married people get to do shit like that?"

"Yeah, sure, if Brittany Davis was a real person and not actually Buttercup Utonium, who is not actually married to Bryan Davis." She deadpanned, shuffling a pile of papers together. "Just when you get home, we gotta do this, okay? And I'm not getting suckered into doing it by myself again."

"Yeah, yeah," He rolled his eyes, opening the door and then pausing across the threshold.

"Have a good day," She said over her shoulder, attention more on the tax documents than on him.

Butch stared at the back of her head with a smile. Her bedhead was horrible, and she wore an oversized, stained shirt; it made him think of his last girlfriend, who had been just as strung out as he had been. His last girlfriend, whatever her name was, he really only just remembered her being there, hadn't given two shits about taxes or when he'd be home. Outside of Boomer and maybe Brick, he couldn't think of anyone else who had.

It was nice.

Being with Buttercup was nice. Homey. He liked homey, and despite living together for a while now, he hadn't realized how much he liked it until now, watching her balance her cereal bowl over their pile of taxes.

"Hey," She snapped at him, turning in her chair to glare, "shut the door, will you? You're letting all the air conditioning out."

His smile stretched further across his face, "What if Buttercup Utonium really was married to Bryan Davis? Would we be able to file together then?"

One of her eyebrows quirked up in question, "Well, yeah, I guess? Probably get more on our return, too."

"Then, why not?"

"Why not what?"

He let the door fall shut behind him as he stepped back into the room. "Why not get married, then?"

"Wait, what?"

"For real, this time." He dropped to his knee in front of her, and her eyes practically bugged out of her head. He took her hand and shrugged, "I mean, I ain't gotta ring yet or anything, but tax day's like a month away. We're working under a time constraint."

"Y-ou're asking me to marry you right now?" Buttercup stuttered, "Over our taxes? At five in the morning? Right before you go to work? With no ring?"

Butch laughed, "Yeah, I guess I am. Whaddya say?"

She let out a short laugh, blinking away her surprise as she leaned in for a kiss, "You're just lucky I'm not much of a jewelry person."

"I am," He agreed, laughing breathlessly into the kiss.

[panickinganakin]

stepping stones to hell ch. 5 (ronance fic)

hello!! all previous chapters can be found here!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Robin splashed cold water over her face then dried it with a towel. Sleeping on the tour bus was so hard which made waking up when she was able to sleep in her own bed rough. She stared at herself in the mirror, studying the bags under her eyes. She was supposed to meet Nancy at one and not intended to sleep until eleven. It just sort of happened. 

She brushed her teeth then made her way back into her room. As much as she loved touring and playing shows, she loved being home. 

The band had been fortunate enough to start making very very good money. The first thing she had done was buy a small house on a bit of private land. She had put a lot of thought and work into decorating her space so it really felt like her home. 

Her bedroom consisted of various things. She had a king sized bed with black silk sheets and red pillows. She had a large framed movie poster for Back To The Future with the same guitar Marty played at the prom mounted on the wall next to it. On the left side of the room was a large dark brown wooden dresser. 

On top of the dresser was a jewelry box shaped like a coffin, a gift from Eddie that he handmade himself. On the inside of the coffin were places to hang necklaces and earrings. But on the door he had painted the date she had joined the band in small pink numbers. 

Though she wasn’t the greatest plant mom, she did have a small cactus sitting in the window sill as well. Succulents didn’t need much attention so it was easy to keep this alive while touring.

Her closet was a decent size which was good since she collected lots of silly t’s while on tour. Anytime they were able to stop and explore a city she always looked for some sort of cheesy shirt or hat. 

Typically though, Robin would have chosen her favorite David Bowie shirt because she wore it everywhere. However she didn’t wash the shirt before they left for tour. So, she instead grabbed some jeans and a Goonies t-shirt. 

She brushed out her hair and decided to wear a navy blue ball cap free of bad jokes. She was about to head out the door when her phone started to ring. She hurried to the kitchen to pick it up, “Hello?” 

“Hey!” Steve’s voice came from the other end. “I just wanted to let you know that I love you, and I’m proud of you. What you’re doing today is a big deal.” 

Robin’s posture softened and she managed to choke out, “Thanks, Steve. I love you, too.” 

“Okay, well. Be safe, I’ll see you in a couple days. Call me if you need anything, bye!” 

“Bye,” she said before hanging the phone back on the wall. 

She took a few minutes to water her plants that weren’t succulents which by some miracle had also survived while she was away. She really needed to make friends with the closest neighbor so she had someone keeping an eye on things. 

She heard the clock in the living room ding which meant it was twelve. She had an hour until it was time to meet Nancy and had about a forty minute drive. “Shit,” she sighed, grabbing her car keys off the wall.  

Robin never really got better at driving. She actually hated it and reminisced frequently on the days Steve chauffeured her around. She hated being behind the wheel with so many cars on the road. Too many people honking, not enough people using blinkers. It was stressful. 

The one thing that got her through driving every time was her trusted cassette. The Cranberries’ album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We. She never changed it. It was her true comfort, not to mention she believed now that if she tried to change it she would wreck or something wild would happen. Not that that surprised her, she had been superstitious since she was a child. However, being self aware of that fact didn’t mean she could change it. 

The closer she was to arriving at Petey’s, the more anxious she felt. Even though it was a cool day outside her palms were sweating. She gripped the steering wheel tighter. This is the right thing to do. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to shout your truth. 

Robin reminded herself that every single person she truly loved already knew and they still loved her. She hated that she even felt like this was a struggle. She was proud to be herself. Though it had been a long and hard journey, Robin loved herself. It was just the things instilled in her when she was younger that left herself under lock and key. 

She took deep breaths as she pulled into the parking lot. You are okay. She reminded herself. 

She stared at the building and watched a small group of people leave. At least this would be in Nancy’s hands. Though they hadn’t had a continued friendship through the years, Robin knew she could trust her. 

She got out of the car and looked around the parking lot. She wondered what Nancy drove or if she was here yet. “Robin!” She heard her name being called behind her. 

She turned to see Nancy standing at the door, waving. “Hey!” Robin followed her inside the cafe. 

Robin forgot how much she missed this place every time she came home. She looked around, admiring the new menu. The last time she had been in was spring time so the chalk menu had flowers, easter eggs and was done in bright pink and purple colors. Now that they were on the cusp of Fall the menu was brown, red and orange. There were pumpkins in the bottom corner of the menu with a ghost in the center. 

 “I have a table in the back,” Nancy stated as they walked through the establishment. 

Nancy already had her pen, paper and voice recorder out. They took their seats and Nancy smiled at Robin, “How was sleeping in a real bed?” 

Robin groaned, “You have no idea how awful those stupid tour beds are.” 

“I know how much I hate sleeping in motels for work so bus beds have to be worse.” She sipped at the white mug on the table. 

“Do you drink your coffee black?” Robin asked, a bit disturbed after noticing the contents of Nancy’s mug lacked any color. 

Nancy raised an eyebrow at Robin, “How do you drink yours?” 

“Definitely sugar and half and half. I prefer a fun little flavor, maybe like mocha or something.” 

Nancy nodded her head, “That checks out.” 

Robin scoffed, pretending to act offended. “What is that supposed to mean?” 

She laughed and shook her head, “Nothing. It’s just.. Well, you look like someone who couldn’t stomach black coffee.” 

Robin rolled her eyes but smiled as a woman approached their table, “Good afternoon. Would you like to order anything?” 

“Just a coffee, lots of cream and chocolate please.” 

The girl nodded before parting quickly. “Now, Robin Buckley, drummer of sensational band Corroded Coffin who, if I may add, is taking the world by storm. What are the things you must tell me?” 

Robin was enjoying the side of Nancy. The times they had spent were during scary and traumatic events. There was little room for humor then so this change was nice. “Right into, huh?” Robin asked, starting to feel nervous again. 

“Well I’m just so curious what it is that has you wanting to waste time with me on your two days home.” 

Robin tilted her head, “If I wasn’t here I’d be home alone watching the same movies I always do.” 

“Fair enough. I guess I’m just curious.” 

The waitress came back with a purple mug and handed it to Robin who thanked her. She sipped on the coffee for a moment, debating on how to start the conversation. She tapped the handle of the cup before taking a breath. “Okay, so. I know the article is about me being a woman and my success but also the struggles I’ve faced just because I’m a woman.” She paused and Nancy nodded for her to continue. 

As Nancy tapped the ink pen against the page Robin noticed her nails were painted green which was Robin’s favorite color. She wondered what Nancy’s favorite color was. Then she knew she was distracting herself instead of just saying it. “Okay. Fine. It’s more than just being a woman in the industry. It’s being a queer woman. I’m gay. I’m a lesbian. And I know, I know I haven’t been out. So, I know it’s unfair to say I’ve faced struggles as someone who is in the closet but I have had my own obstacles. I know how hard it is to be gay during times like these. I have been terrified to speak my truth and be myself. You and Steve both said yesterday to just be me and I can’t do that if I’m too much of a coward to say it. I have been at protests and I’ve labeled myself an ally but it is so so much more than that.” 

Robin paused to take a breath. It felt good to say it. Nancy was staring at her, pen unmoving. She blinked slowly then nodded her head, encouraging Robin to continue. “I have been scared my whole life of living my truth and I’m done hiding. I want people to know. I want my fans to know that I’m proud of myself and them. I want them to know if they’re gay it isn’t abnormal. It isn’t all the cruel things people say in the media. It just is. C’est comme ça.” 

Nancy took another drink of her coffee. Her eyes told Robin she was searching for something to say. “This is a big deal. So let me say, I’m proud of you. Let me also say-“ 

Robin couldn’t help but interrupt her. She was scared Nancy was going to shoot the idea down. “I know this is a sensitive topic. I know that it can cause a lot of backlash to She Supremacy. I know this but Nancy, this is so important to me.” 

“Robin, this is important to me too.” She laid a hand over her heart, “I am honored you trust me with this. You’re right, this is a sensitive topic. It’s your livelihood and of course you are going to receive backlash. However, we all have. It’s part of it. But, the good it brings will outweigh anything bigots say. You will be happier. You can love freely. And also, you have the ability to save people with this information. I know you know how scary being gay can be simply because there are people who hate you just for existing. She Supremacy is a safe space. We will run your story. I just want to make sure this is what you want. This is your privacy. But, like I said, you sharing your story could help so many people.” 

Robin let out a breath of relief. Nancy seemed to understand so well. “I’m hoping it does. I know what having Elton John did for me and I just want to be able to help.” 

“I think it’s very brave of you. I would love to write this in.” She paused for a drink of her coffee, “So, do you want to come out in the article or casually mention that you’re a queer artist? We can do the big thing or be subtle.” 

Robin closed her eyes in thought. She had never been good with words. But, Nancy Wheeler was better than good with words, she practically owned them. “I… Think you should write it. I think however you can word it best. I want to be out. I have been to a few protests and stuff but, I want them to know I’m fighting for them and me too.” 

“I have some ideas. It will take me a couple of days to write and I know you will leave soon. Here,” she ripped off a scrap of her paper and scribbled a number down on it. “Call me by Tuesday, it should be done by then. I’ll be home after two, so anytime after that. I’ll read it to you and you can let me know what to do.” 

Robin pocketed the phone number and sighed. She leaned back in her chair. She had never felt so free in her life. She was going to finally be herself. 

Nancy packed up her things into a brown satchel. “I’m really excited for this. I think it’s going to be a hit. And, not like in the way I want to profit off you,” she started to rush her words. “I don’t mean that. I just want it to reach more people because what we do is important.” She squeezed her eyes shut then laughed lightly. “Sorry, I just wanted to be clear. I didn’t want you to think I was using you or something. This story, your story, is very important to me.”

Robin smiled genuinely, “Thank you, Nancy. This means so much to me.” 

She stood from the table, taking both of their receipts. “Thanks for agreeing to meet today. I’ll talk to you soon?” 

“Soon, sure.” Nancy gave her one last smile then stood from the table. “I can get my coffee, Robin.”

Robin shook her head, “You get it next time.” 

Nancy threw her bag over her shoulder then shrugged slightly. “Right, well. I look forward to your call.”

[sorakazeno]

Sailor Moon SuperS Episode 155

When I first saw this script I immediately noticed how worn this copy was. I was disappointed at first until I opened it and realized I hit the jackpot!

Tentative title on this episode is "Kyuusuke's Disaster".

Title was later changed to: "Overcome Your Fear: The Jump to Freedom".

Completely removed another character's name from the title.

Back cover.

Production sketches and notes!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately I have no idea who's copy this was and who drew them.

Notes about Kyuusuke's personality.

The theme note for this episode: if you try, you can do it.

Page 1. No obvious changes marked other than subtitle.

Page 3. Comment about being surprised added to describe how the line is delivered by Minako after Usagi claims she can jump.

Page 4. Note on the side asks what they hear.

Page 5. Line, Come on was added.

Page 6. Edit to remove a line.

Page 7. I have no idea what the line and arrow mean at the top.

Girls giving Zirconia a hard time.

Page 8.

JunJun sketch!!! She appears showing off her skills to Kyuusuke.

Page 9. Kyuusuke is angry he can't vault and sketches of how his face should look.

Page 10. The training scenes were shortened and broken up in the anime. No idea what the boxes mean at the top.

Page 11. Some more training scenes were cut or shifted around. I'm not sure what they were trying to build with Ami in this episode but it was removed.

Page 12. Another scene with Ami was removed. This one also had Rei at the school.

Page 13. Scene where Mamoru, Usagi, Makoto and Minako try to help Chibi Usa be able to jump over the horse. Usagi ends up being the horse. I'm not sure who the female figure is supposed to be since of the senshi in the final version of the episode are wearing a dress or skirt that long.

Another scene with Ami and Rei at the school. It was crossed out. They really did not want Ami at the school! I'm not sure what the note at the top is referencing.

Page 15. Lots of changes and cross outs.= for the conversation between JunJun and Kyuusuke. JunJun still wanted to stop training and Kyuusuke wanted to continue. Wording was changed a bit.

Page 17. Scene with Usagi yelling at Chibi Usa at the bottom of the stairs. I'm struggling with reading the hand writing here.

Page 18. Another cut Rei and Ami scene at the school!!! Girls are trying to train Chibi Usa.

Page 19. I have no idea what the number markings mean at the top of the script. JunJun and Kyuusuke training.

Page 20. Kyuusuke jumps over the horse after being chased form JunJun. The anime changed it to a bear.

Page 21. No clue what the 214 a the top means. Comments indicate some bitterness from JunJun in pencil. I believe due it not being the right mirror after the all time she put in.

Page 22. Top is about finishing in 50th place? Some kind of production note.

Page 27. Something about a 110 meter mark at the top?

Page 28. Notes reference showing off a ribbon. In the anime the kids shows off what looks like bows on their shirts but they easily be ribbon bows.

Page 29. A reference to 20cm?

Very interesting script with a lot of confusing notes but I'm ecstatic I got a hold of this one.

[measuringbliss]

Here we go, Glee Rewatch! 1x01 time, baby

Hii, welcome to the 2022-2023-2024-maybe-2025-dear-Lord weekly Glee rewatch! Whether you've been waiting for weeks for this, or whether you just saw this post randomly, feel free to participate! Are you a newbie, or have you seen the show dozens of times? You're welcome too! Do you want to skip an episode (or entire seasons!), do you want to write 10 words summarizing your thoughts or do you want to write intricate meta? Feel free to do whatever you want! Just don't harass anyone. You can complain about stuff or criticize it, but let's try to stay respectful towards each other, alright?

I'm writing this post on September 7, in 2022. I don't know when I'll set it for, but I'd like to have maybe a whole season (or more!) done before starting uploading those posts. My posts will be linked in the masterpost pinned on my tumblr.

Note: The first episode has two versions, the normal one and the Director's Cut. I watch the show on Disney+ and it appears that it's a mix between both versions, given that I don't recognize some of the scenes but do recognize some of the others mentioned here.

Second note: Today is October 1st, 2022. I finished the first season yesterday, and will schedule this post for tomorrow. Let's do one episode a week at first, alright? That way I'm not too stressed about it. We'll see if the schedule changes once Jenna and Kevin's new podcast comes around. Here's the Glee Rewatch Masterpost, by the way.

Glee's Pilot episode is incredibly effective, introducing many characters and plotlines very efficiently. Right at the start, I noticed something about the clothes the characters wear when the football team puts Kurt in the trash bin. Obviously Kurt has his expensive outfit, and obviously most (let's ignore the second guy to the right) players have the red jacket of their team. But Finn, whose role is key in the show, wears a grey sweatshirt (that looks very comfy!) and a white shirt underneath. It already sets him apart from the rest of the team (especially coupled with his semi-intervention). You could even argue the grey is there to show Finn's conflicted feelings on his team's harassment. Why is there "55" marked on his sweat? Well, we see later that Finn's number is 5, but is it also there to convey the 50/50ness of his mindset? Not only that, but Finn is supposed to be average. Well the show paints him as more clueless than most other characters, but I was pretty clueless at his age too (...I still am). But he's not supposed to be this hot bombshell of a stud (even though Cory Monteith was absolutely this).

Damn that sweat looks comfy. And later on in the locker room, Finn is still in grey (and red). He's not the only one, but still. I know that his color is blue but grey... it's quite close, isn't it?

And after Finn meets Rachel, who's infatuated with him, Finn wears blue! Is she giving him life? Blue is a color of melancholy, of sadness. Does Finn unconsciously realize that his relationship with Quinn doesn't bring him happiness? Or is it that it can't make him happy ever since Rachel entered his life?

The red shirts symbolize the football team while his jean jacket symbolizes the Glee Club, his relationship with Rachel and his true self. He's still thinking about the club he'll pick if he has to choose, but subconsciously he's already decided.

However, later, after being slushied by his teammates, when Finn says to Rachel that he's leaving the Glee Club because of his reputation, he wears red again. And at the end, when he's back with the Glee Club, every member wears red. They reappropriated the color. Red is the color of passion, so it fits, right?

The score sung a capella is absolutely wonderful and I'm sad that it disappears after a few seasons. It's very charming and perfect for the show.

Emma is... oddly upfront with her contempt for Sue. She seems much more confrontation-averse in later episodes. I do appreciate, however, how her actress's doing her absolute best to seem unnerving but in a funny way.

Also wow this episode is grainy. Was it filmed on film and later episodes on digital?

I really love the auditions, very effective at introducing characters and giving them some credibility. I'm very fond of Kurt in this scene, where he knows how good he is at singing and flicks his hair (which is something Cory touchingly imitated when the cast rewatched the episode). This is hilarious! This is wonderfully acted! And I wish Kurt had stayed that way. At one point in S5, Kurt had an episode where he had a few outraged facial reactions and it reminded me of early Kurt. I feel like he became boring after a few seasons, but the base material was incredible.

Tina's gothic style is great. Obviously, her pendant symbolizes her secret (she fakes her stutter). I've seen a few people suggest that Tina was intended to love girls at first and the song choice ("I Kissed a Girl") certainly... could imply that.

Rachel's introduction is perfect. The comedic timing of the gold star and sudden slushie is incredible. I love Rachel, honestly. Also love her two dads who mysteriously transformed without Rachel acknowledging it even once.

I think people should have stopped complaining about Glee lacking realism in later seasons when the first episode had Figgins say that the Anonymous Alcoholics use McKinley High's gymnasium. The show was bonkers from the start.

Stephen Tobolowsky is too good at playing Sandy. He's too good! I didn't like him very much in One Day At A Time and I'm not sure I like him in Glee either. Maybe I have something against him. I'm sorry, Stephen!

This, right here? It's genius! I feel like those kinds of things never really happened after the pilot, but Will blackmailing Finn in front of this pamphlet is comedy gold. It's incredible!

Finn's voice is interesting, I don't think I often hear that kind of voice. It's sort of... raw, unmastered, isn't it? His performance later in Don't Stop Believin' is quite more standard than his other numbers in the episode.

I love how Rachel immediately knows when she hears him. She knows they're destiny. She's knows he's the one, the one for the Glee Club and the one for her. And I love how mythical their romance seems at times (notably in this episode). It's beautiful. I'm into it! And the whole You're The One That I Want number is great, from Rachel's instant interest, to her dramatically putting her hands on Kurt's face and Tina's boobs, to her pushing poor Artie and Will catching him, to Mercedes having enough of them, it's just a wonderful scene.

The puzzle is of American Gothic, painted by Grant Wood. I was vaguely familiar with this painting before. So Will's on the right, and there's a hole on the man's throat/chest. You know, some stuff you use to sing. And Terri's on the left, and there's a hole in the woman's right eye. The woman is watching her father (though they could be mistaken as a couple), just as Terri will watch Will to try and make sure that he doesn't make too many bad choices like, let's say, leaving her. They both seem austere (they're most probably religious), and Terri's trying to get them to have a more orderly life; she wants a baby (traditional) and sees Will taking over the Glee Club as frivolous (untraditional) and pretty much as a danger for their relationship. It is a bit ironic that this painting was chosen, considering that Terri acts more like a mother than a daughter to Will's nostalgic self. Notably, Terri puts a puzzle piece in a hole in the man, showing she wants to stay in control of the situation. Also, the most important bit to analyze is the fork having three spikes (or whatever you call them in English), it's a metaphor for the fact that three seasons later the infamous newbies arrive and the show loses its luster (OR DOES IT???? see you in a bit more than a year!).

Also, we have to mention the obvious parallel that runs throughout the season (and show). Terri says she was a cheerleader. And Will's a teacher. Do you know who else becomes a teacher in S4? Finn. Do you know who's in a relationship with Finn and is a cheerleader? Quinn!!! DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN QUINN AND FINN? THEY BREAK UP. And Rachel comes in-between them because she's into Finn before he considers her a romantic prospect. Exactly like Emma and Will! And Ken is infatuated with Emma just as, like, various guys (most prominently Puck in early seasons) with Rachel.

Quinn's first scene with Finn is legendary. I don't know what the crew's intention was, and Dianna's facial expression is so ambiguous that it's hard to say with certitude what's going through her mind. You could see her as a temptress just as you could see her as genuinely uncomfortable.

Saying they should pray as soon as Finn gets into snogging her, right under a portrait of Jesus, it's quite funny. Quinn's writing is... incoherent at best so I bet there's a million way you can interpret this scene (maybe she wants to tease Finn for the hell of it, or maybe she really wants things to calm down).

I bet someone could write something about Emma's outfits throughout the episode. Purple tartan? Intriguing. Does it show her (semi-conscious) intent to be a homewrecker? (Note from just before scheduling this post: I don't know what's the logical link there, is it about how purple's a mix of blue (realistic goal) and red (passion)?)

The Vocal Adrenaline performance is good obviously, and I love the outfits.

Terri: announces she's pregnant while holding champaigne glasses. Classic Terri!

I love Rachel's wardrobe.

How can you not be into Finchel after watching this episode? They're stars shining brightly in the sky.

Anyway, see you next week! For now, let's stay on a weekly schedule. I'll also check out the concert movie between seasons 2 & 3. But we're not there yet!

[redpool]

NEW MOON

oops, i thought eclipse was before new moon

new moon is my favourite of the 5

mainly because i prefer the wolves

AHFGHGDHFHGCHG

CHARLIE!!!!!

ANGELA MY LOVE

jesus christ

lol

why do you say rabbit like that?

fucking hell

they're not even quiet about it.

the parallels to the R&J scene and the bit with the Volturi

lol, i thought vampires were supposed to be beautiful

DEMETRI!!!!!

lol

ew, shut up

ROSE MY LOVE

shut up Emmett

god

fucking idiot

i never thought these words would ever leave my mouth but PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH

when i cut my finger my first instinct is to press on the wound so more blood comes out because it fascinates me, yours should be to cover it because you are in a ROOM FULL OF VAMPIRES.

how does the hair changing work for this kind of vampire?

because Jasper and Alice seem to have a different haircut every movie

THE CHIN TAP

FUCK

HOLY BALLS

clearly not

jesus sorry, I'm ignoring what's happening and trying to remember how to spell, apparently i can't spell it so clearly will have to do.

shut up, look at her bro

gasp

seriously

YAY TIME FOR THE WOLVES

look at her you little coward

shut up

there's not a single thought behind those eyes.

oh lovely, lead her out to the middle of nowhere then adandon her

what the fuck

thats not creepy at all

SAM!!!!!

is a bit weird tbh

THERE'S A POSSIBILTY THERE'S A POSSIBILTY

MM, MM-MM, MM-MM, MM-MM, MM, MM-MM, MM-MM, MM-MM

what are these nightmares from? PTSD or from the codependency?

ANGELA MY LOVE

oh my fucking god

this is not going to help.

ffs

skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip

girl, just go to therapy, jesus christ

BELLA WHERE THE HELL YOU BEEN LOCA

SHOW ME THE BOY

GIVE HIM TO ME

ew, age is not just a number, you fucking pedophile

EMBRY, MY LOVE

AHSHDFVHGSDFV

good one, shithead

Charlie be my dad (NOT IN A SEXUAL WAY)

his voice irritates my brain

stop talking like that

skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip

idiot

that's not enough blood for a head wound

ANGELA MY LOVE

stop

secondhand embarrassment

aren't you with Jessica?

jesus christ

Jacob is supposed to be 16, oh my god

lol

dont start with that toxic masculinty shit

you gotta stop bro

oh my god

'And you think I'm sort of... beautiful..' shut all the way up

STOP

pfft

i'm gonna hurl

ooo

hes losing it

Harry <3

jfc

stop looking

oop

'everyone' then proceeds to only name one person

oh my fucking god

how is that a 16 year old?

what, you expect flowers to last that long? do you not how the seasons work?

that's Sam right?

oh, they're all here, never mind

jesus christ Bella

wait she's 18 at this point right? and he's 16...

put a shirt on

liar

jesus, they're both bad for her.

he's got a fucking 8 pack

PAUL!!!!

oop

jesus christ

i fucking hate this so much

oh my god

jesus christ

EMBRY!!!!! god i love him

EMILY!!!!!!!!!!!! BE MY MOTHER

awe

grumpy x sunshine

AHAHJHDSFVJHS

what the hell

are you a fucking idiot?

oh shit

i hate that Harry died but i get Seth and Leah out of it so, i'm conflicted.

idiot

what kind of cpr was that

yeah, while you were attention seeking, Harry was dying.

eyeroll

fucking hell, that's not how this works, you stupid bitch

oh my fucking god

this treaty has been around long before you were even a thought.

*eyeroll so hard i do a backflip*

why do i do this to myself?

just yell, you idiot

*eyeroll so hard my eyes get stuck*

DEMETRI!!!!

FELIX!!!!

JANE MY LOVE!!!!!!

I FUCKING LOVE HER SO FUCKING MUCH

has Demetri always sounded like that?

ALEC!!!!!!

oop

shut up, Jamie Campbell Bower

oh my god

Felix, did your hand get bigger?

creepy little pervert

i see why Michael is always cast as the creepy weirdo.

oh god, i just noticed the children

why are you acting like you literally didn't just try to kill yourself??

Jesus, with the number of times I've rolled my eyes I'm surprised they haven't gotten stuck.

I'm gonna barf

his arms are the size of my fucking head

awe

oh my fucking god

I'M GOING TO SLAM MY HEAD INTO THE FUCKING WALL UNTIL I FUCKING DIE

I HATE YOU

I HATE ALL THREE OF YOU

see what you did, you've fucked up both their lives.

you've been together for like 5 minutes

[true-love-1997]

〜The Clockwork Man〜 Chapter 1: Justice

Notes: This is part of a bigger story project dedicated to Teru Mikami's past. It's still in the rough draft stage, so things may be subject to change. Please keep in mind, a lot of the names of products and places in this story have been made-up, and if by some chance they are real, it was a coincidence. I hope it's interesting^^

In this world there is only good and evil. That was one of the first universal truths I grasped from observing the world around me as a child. Every human being without exception ends up falling into one category or the other.

The rain poured from the dark nighttime sky as though the clouds were crying in despair and thunder roared like a wild beast that can never be tamed. Here on this stormy night in Showa City Hospital, Gumyo, June 7th, Meisho Year 2, Teru Mikami was born.

His father and mother—Yushin and Tokie Mikami respectively, were of low economic status given that Yushin was a construction worker and Tokie was a full-time convenience store employee. Although they were poor, they were a well-matched couple and overjoyed by the birth of their son.

Unfortunately, two months after Teru was born, Yushin died in an accident during his job. This left Tokie having to raise their son on her own, and thus, Teru could never recollect his father. Teru only knew of him through pictures he can look at and the things his mother will say.

With Yushin gone and no longer able to provide a second income into the household, Tokie had to work more days and longer hours, eventually taking on the role of hired manager at the Urabachi convenience store. However, even this was not enough to lift them out of poverty.

Tokie and Teru lived in a small, two-room apartment in an old, worn-down mansion building. They were closed into such a small place, the mother and son had to sleep in the same bedroom, but of course, slept on different beds. So Teru almost always knew when his mother woke up to go to work or came back from work in the morning, no matter how quiet she was.

Upon beginning Birakoshi Elementary School, Tokie, not being able to afford high-tech and fancy Supernova phones or Pear phones, bought her son the same kind of phone she had—and the only one she could afford, a flip-phone whose model was known as the Power phone. And not being able to financially provide Teru his own personal computer, they had to share a second-hand computer, a G Ignition Lite. Teru often had to rely on the school’s computer lab for the best homework and project results.

However, Teru did not feel unfortunate in the least. For he loved his mother and looked at the world with stars in his eyes.

He was always an exceptionally fast learner and a mature child for his age. He observed the world around him, and instead of only passively receiving information, he sought for answers, trying to understand how the world works and how it’s supposed to be. Based on the cartoons he watched and books he read, he quickly picked up the world was divided into good and bad. Furthermore, and most importantly, he knew which side he wanted to be on.

When Teru reached 3rd grade and was placed in Class A, life was not as simple as it used to be. Not only did school subjects, in particular math, become more difficult, but so did human relations. But Teru was never one to let challenge intimidate him.

He made sure he would achieve great things for his classmates, he endeavored for them to be the number one class in the nation. Teru took on the role of class president.

One day, three of Class A’s meanest students, Sadao, Seiji, and Kiyoatsu began to bully Rintaro. First, Seiji knocked over and crushed his pencil case.

“Stop! Please!” Rintaro says as Kiyoatsu grabbed the collar of his shirt from behind.

Teru rushed over to shield Rintaro as the three other boys came at him.

“What do you want, nerd?” Sadao asks in a condescending tone. Letting go of Rintaro, Kiyoatsu grabbed Teru by his shirt instead. A fight broke out between 5 boys and the classmates just walked out of the room as if nothing was happening. Among them, there were those who didn’t care and those who were concerned, but too afraid to get involved. Despite this, Teru never backed down and fought until the end to defend Rintaro.

Because Teru and Rintaro were outnumbered, they did get beaten up by the other three. Sadao, Seiji, and Kiyoatsu left the them, laughing as they walked away.

“Thanks, Teru,” Rintaro said as he and Teru got up.

Teru had his arm around Rintaro as they walked out of the school together. The words of gratitude from Rintaro and other bully victims were enough for him to be happy to keep saving them over and over again. Teru spared no effort.

At times, the enemy gave into Teru’s dedication. At times, he swayed most of the children in his class to his side…and proved his justice to be right.

Although Teru was able to get good to triumph over evil in school, he was not oblivious to how perpetually exhausted his mother Tokie seemed to be. His mother never gave him details about what her job was like, but he was able to pick up that working in a convenience store was harder than it seemed.

Even on days Tokie was supposed to be off from work, there were countless times she was called in anyways, for a manager had to be constantly available. Teru, understanding this without ever having to be told, made sure to be independent and take care of himself as much as possible. He decided he would get a part time job as soon as he hit the legal age to work. He made it his goal that when he grew up, he would change the world for the better.

One day in school when Teru received an assignment that required him to write an essay concerning what he wanted be as an adult and why. Being influenced by the Morphbots series, at the time watching the Fierce Animal Wars with Alpha-1 being his personal hero, Teru wrote about becoming a soldier in the military and his reason for it being he wanted to be there to protect the innocent. Like all of Teru’s finished assignments, it was an easy 100 for him.

On one extremely rare occasion, Tokie was able to get a vacation. She had three days off, so she made plans beforehand to take Teru to Tokyo. She knew the bullet train trip from Gumyo to Tokyo would take about 3 hours so they would have to spend one night there and come home the next day.

Tokie and Teru woke early to head out for the Omichigashima station, and from there they had to switch trains to reach Shimahidaka station where they can go from Gumyo to Tokyo by bullet train. Teru was excited to ride a bullet train for the first time in his life. He looked out the window mesmerized by the scenery. And when it was lunchtime, Teru was able to enjoy salmon, vegetables, and rice in the bento boxes Tokie had prepared the night before.

When they arrived to Tokyo, the first thing Tokie did was take Teru to Yugahama, where they were able to take a tour around the studio that brought the world the Morphbots franchise. Teru was able to see the early conceptual designs and statues of the characters such as Alpha-1, Wreckblaze, etc.

After the tour, they stopped by one of the toy stores in the area. Teru excitedly checked all the aisles. When Tokie finally caught up to him, she saw that he was longingly staring at an Alpha-1 model. She knew her son rarely asked her for anything, and she was sure if she urged him that they had to leave now he would come quietly. However, Tokie found herself wanting to buy the figure for him, despite it was somewhat out of her price range. She wanted this to be the perfect day for Teru.

“Do you want that figure?”

Teru looked to his mother; his expression bewildered.

“Eh? Umm, well, yeah…but.”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“Are you sure?” Teru asked, confused as ever.

“Absolutely.” Tokie answered with a warm smile.

“Thank you, mommy! I’ll take good care of it.”

They left the toy store with Teru clutching the figure close to his small body as possible. They stopped by Saffron Canopy Café next for dinner, where Teru had curry rice and Tokie had meat sauce spaghetti. For dessert, Tokie let Teru order a slice of chocolate cake.

“So… how do you like the food?” Tokie asked him.

Teru looked up to his mother, smiling while keeping his mouth closed as he was chewing. After he swallows, he says enthusiastically,

“It tastes good, it reminds me of the cake you always make for my birthday.” And then, Teru lowered his voice as if not wanting to be overheard by others in the café, continued to say, “Except yours tastes even better.”

Then Tokie took Teru to the Galaxy Kingdom, an amusement park filled with unique rides and foods. They rode the giant ferris wheel, Teru watched in awe at the buildings that almost looked like toys from below as Tokie nostalgically recalled that she had rode this ferris wheel with Yushin when they started dating. It was on this same ride when he first held her hand…

“Mommy!”

Teru’s voice broke her train of thought.

“Yes? What is it, dear?” she asked.

“Where is the inn we’re going to stay at tonight?”

“It’s very close to this amusement park, we’ll be able to walk there.”

“Okay.”

“Is there any other ride you want to try before we go? We still have some time.”

The next day, on the train ride home from Tokyo to Gumyo, Teru was looking at a map of Tokyo and found The Forest of Dreams labelled on a forest near Japan’s number one university, To-Oh. Because Tokie had told him she was going to take him to Tokyo again someday (after saving some money), he wanted to know if they can go there, the next time.

“Mommy, the next time we come to Tokyo, can we go to the Forest of Dreams?” Teru asked.

Upon hearing the name, Tokie’s cheerful face turned white in horror, instantly Teru knew this could not be good news.

“We won’t go there.”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

Tokie sighed and said, “Yes.”

“What’s wrong with the forest?” Teru asked innocently and curiously.

Tokie was silent for a few minutes. She seemed to be trying to find the right words.

“I know this is frustrating to hear but…I cannot tell you why, not right now, at least. Someday, I’ll tell you.”

But that day never came.

[danielfuckingricciardo]

I posted 3,477 times in 2022

That's 3,477 more posts than 2021!

334 posts created (10%)

3,143 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@catleclerc

@alpierrepine

@seblicha

@grussell63

@karlmarxverstappen

I tagged 3,158 of my posts in 2022

Only 9% of my posts had no tags

#daniel ricciardo - 458 posts

#charles leclerc - 309 posts

#sebastian vettel - 208 posts

#max verstappen - 175 posts

#lewis hamilton - 131 posts

#eurovision - 90 posts

#personal - 70 posts

#george russell - 67 posts

#mick schumacher - 66 posts

#carlos sainz - 62 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i’m sure this is high fashion but he just looks like he’s ready to drink an entire bottle of wine and pass out watching a romcom on the sofa

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

First Kisses - Charles Leclerc x Reader

Pairing - Charles Leclerc x Reader

Word Count - 900

Content Warnings - nothing, just fluff

Synopsis - You and Charles are both in love with each other, only you are both too oblivious too see it. That is, until Charles realises just how good you look in red, and what a perfect match you truly are.

Author’s Note - Even though this isn’t what I wanted to give you all this evening (or morning I suppose it is 2am lol) I got the desperate urge to write some fluff and so here it is, the second instalment of this series! I hope you enjoy it!

“Whaddya think?” You ask, twirling around and sending your skirts in a swirl, the delicate fabric floating around your body like a swarm of red butterflies.

“Oh, a- you look ah- amazing,” Charles stutters, attempting to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.

It was no secret to everyone around you that Charles was head-over-heels in love with you. Despite his tendencies to become awestruck whenever in your presence, and to become utterly stupid and barely able to talk whenever you were around, you were completely oblivious to his feelings.

This was due, in part, to the fact that you too were completely in love with him too, you just couldn’t believe that he would ever feel the same way about you. And so the two of you spent most of your time together pining over the other, both unable to notice the desire that burned within you and ached for escape.

“Isabelle picked such wonderful bridesmaid dresses didn’t she! I can’t wait to watch her walk down the aisle next week!” You exclaim, gently patting the silk fabric that draped elegantly by your thighs.

“The red, it really suits you,” Charles says, and you struggle to fight off the blush that crept up your own cheeks.

“We’d make quite a pair, in red together,” You say, too absorbed in the feeling of the fabric to realise that you had not actually intended to say those words out loud.

“Wha-?” Charles exclaims, his face now Ferrari red at the compliment.

“I mean- uh- red is your colour too, I suppose, you know Ferrari and stuff…” You trail off, your face as red as Charles’ as you try and justify your words to throw him off the scent of your embarrassing crush.

“I should get you a team shirt, actually, I don’t know why I haven’t given you one already. I have a spare, if you’d like it?” Charles asks, taking a tentative step over to where you stood before the mirror in Charles’ bedroom.

“That would be really sweet of you Charles, I’d love to be able to wear your number on my shirt next time I come and watch you race.” You say, turning to face the man who was much closer behind you than you had anticipated. You almost bump into him as you do so, and you both chuckle awkwardly as Charles takes a step back to give you some room.

He snaps out of his trance and disappears into his wardrobe, shuffling around in the rails and opening various boxes before you hear a triumphant ‘aha!” And he returns to you, a red shirt in his hands.

“You should try it on, make sure it fits. If not I can get you a different one,” He says, handing you the shirt and returning to his position behind you in the mirror.

You slide the shirt over your head, not caring to change out of your red bridesmaid dress, and observe yourself in the mirror. “It’s perfect,” you utter, “thank you.” It isn’t a perfect fit - it’s slightly ill-fitting but you didn’t care. It smelt like Charles, it had belonged to him, and that made it perfect.

Charles thought you looked perfect in it. He loved the thought of you walking around the paddock, his name and number on the shirt you wore, claiming you as his and no one else’s.

His hand somehow finds your shoulder, moving almost of its own devices as he’s sure he didn’t give it permission to do so. He doesn’t regret it, however, as you turn around to face him, the distance between you a lot smaller than a comfortable distance between friends.

His touch on your shoulder, the sensation of the shirt clinging to your body, and Charles’ eyes roaming your body in clear view encourage you to do something you had been wanting to do for some time. You kiss him. It’s short, and sweet. A quick peck on the lips before your brain can catch up with your innermost desires which had taken over control of your body.

Charles just stands there for a moment, unsure exactly of how to react. Had you really just kissed him? Does that mean you felt the same way about him as he felt about you? As all these thoughts rushed through his mind, he realised that he was, in fact, just standing there, unmoving.

Now fully aware and in control, he kisses you back, mimicking your action by returning the short sweet kiss to your lips.

You both let out a small synchronised chuckle, unsure exactly as to what to do next.

“So, that just happened,” You say, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly.

“Yeah, it did, huh?” Charles says, offering you a small smile in return.

“What should we do now?” You ask, your eyes flashing up to make eye contact with him for the first time since the second kiss.

“We should… do it again, maybe?” Charles asks, and you nod, smiling sweetly at him before he once again claims your lips with his own, this time, for a much longer period as the two of you finally get what you had been longing for all this time.

481 notes - Posted October 13, 2022

#4

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Before He Cheats - Daniel Ricciardo x Reader 

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My #1 post of 2022

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