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commander-hanji-zoe · 3 years ago

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Can I request for both Levi and Moblit moving in with their s/o in their first apartment ever. Like they have good jobs, and a good income but an appartement is not finished right away. So relationship phase where they are trying to make their house feel like a home and make ends meet. Can you write something like that for Moblit and Levi and their s/o’s ? Thank you!

Hello! You most certainly can, I apologise I went a bit off topic and more into the 'how they'd make the apartment feel like home'. But tried to bring it back round to fit the criteria! I do think they'd both be wonderful to move in with ♥

Moblit

When Moblit and his s/o finally decide to move into an apartment together, Moblit couldn’t be more excited. Due to his nature he would have to be absolutely certain before agreeing to this and therefore it’s likely he’ll have been with his partner for some time (and also discussed the move with Hanji at great lengths).

Before the move Moblit wants to plan everything to ensure nothing goes wrong, he packs up his belongings in a fashion where everything is carefully wrapped, everything is labeled and moved in order of how much the two of them will need things. He also helps his s/o with their packing, labelling etc.

Moblit buys a bag’s worth of items needed in the apartment for as soon as he and his s/o get there. It includes tea bags, milk, toilet roll, some biscuits, soap, a hand towel, air freshener, candle. He also leaves out a picture that he and his s/o bought together while on a trip away. So before they go to sleep for the first night the picture is up in the apartment and starts to feel like it’s their own.

Moblit is pretty organised and so the apartment wouldn’t be too messy for long and soon starts to feel like home.

He struggles a bit with the new routine and both him and his s/o have silly fights over the bathroom/shower in the morning. They also struggle with putting things back into the same cupboard and what to do when the other moves something they need.

But all of the above is teething issues, the same for anyone who is getting used to living with someone for the first time. Although Moblit finds it a little frustrating at first, he isn’t angry and rather he’s more worried his s/o will think it’s a bad idea and change their mind.

But due to Moblit’s kind nature and his ability to see the positive in situations, he and his s/o see the workings out of the new apartment as a fun challenge they have to figure out together and soon instead of petty arguments they have playful fights and end up dancing together in a silly fashion in their small kitchen or sharing showers.

It’ll take a few weeks to a month while he and his s/o are unpacking and figuring things out.

There’s far more takeaway than they initially imagined.

They buy little herb trays to keep in the kitchen so they can source a few fresh ingredients when they do start to cook. The first lot die as they realise they’ve both been watering them at the same time, or thinking the other one will do it. They are far more successful with the second lot, from chives to lemon balm, they have quite the selection.

When it comes to decorating, there’s a few rooms where they decide together and then they have one room which is ‘their’ project, they can choose the colour scheme for half of the room each. What they each do ends up matching.

It takes around three months for Moblit and his s/o to really settle in, be completely unpacked, decorated and used to sharing a living space. But once they’re settled Moblit thinks it was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made.

Whoever is home first starts dinner, they share the cooking/cleaning/laundering and so everything is done fairly equally with no pestering or reminders.

Either Friday or Saturday night every week is their date night, whether staying in or going out, it usually finishes with romantic dancing in the kitchen and being silly/playing pranks.

Moblit is usually the first to wake so he’ll be up and opening the curtains in the living areas, making tea/coffee, feeding any pets they have and watering plants on their balcony. He always let’s his s/o sleep in unless they really have to be up in which case he wakes them gently.

They have a flat warming party, it’s themed, likely 1920s/gangster/flapper girls themed with a table to play poker and cocktails including the old-fashioned, and dark and stormy. Hanji has never been prouder of Moblit.

Getting used to paying rent together is something new and with the bills, food, tax etc. the first few months are certainly a learning curve. They get creative with dinners and DIY, learn how to fix things instead of relying on buying new.

Baked beans on toast with a little cheese, a bowl of cereal, or soup and homemade bread that’s risen poorly end up becoming staple meals for a while until things are more settled.

But the joy of waking up next to one another means the world and makes their financial situation worth it. Having enough money to survive and occasionally treat themselves/do nice things is all they need when they have the other by their side. Moblit will frequently remind his s/o of this and just how rich they each are to have one another.

If they’re cold in winter they have a large supply of over-sized jumpers, cosy socks and blankets. And love nothing more than to cuddle up together.

Any money spare they have for small simple pleasures like coffee out, hiring a rowing boat for half hour, a few beers to drink in the park, a drive-in movie… All these things will be reflected later on in life as some of their happiest moments shared together. The simplicity and how grateful they both were for those small moments of joy, simple pleasures and to share it with one another is the greatest gift of all.

Levi

Before he and his s/o move into their new apartment, Levi cleans it from top to bottom. No area of the apartment goes untouched by him, he needs it to be perfect not just for him but also for his s/o.

Levi isn’t someone who would go into this lightly and it would take a long time (much like with Moblit) to feel ready to move into an apartment with his s/o. There would be a lot of long conversations with them about the pros and cons and Levi would want to establish some rules before they commit. Not in a controlling way you understand, more so that both he and his s/o have a chance to air any concerns and things they would want/expect from one another if they were to move in together and to ensure they were on the same page.

Levi would also want to go to the apartment with his s/o before they move to put a few homely touches in place before they technically move in so it already feels like theirs and has their ‘scent’ as it were. Even if they move into a bed and breakfast or with friends for a few nights before the apartment is ready. Levi would rather do this than try to achieve everything in one day and be in a panic.

Levi’s cool and calm nature certainly means that the move isn’t stressful, things are orderly and if anything goes wrong Levi is on hand to amend/sort and help keep his s/o calm. Although Levi isn’t into PDA, he knows just how to reach his s/o and say he’s there for her. It might be a squeeze of the shoulder, a quick hug when no one is looking, a glance with a small reassuring smile or a quick ruffle of his s/o’s hair.

The first night in the apartment sees them sleeping on a mattress on the floor surrounded by boxes. There’s a few candles lit as they haven’t topped up the electric meter (despite how organised Levi is, he curses himself a bit for that). They have a takeaway and make a fortress of pillows etc. It’s romantic in a way Levi didn’t think he’d be capable of.

Of course the first thing to be unpacked is a kettle, tea bags etc. Before any work commences they sit down and enjoy a cuppa at the kitchen table. There’s a small vase with a few flowers Levi has bought in it. That first cup of tea in the apartment is the best Levi has ever taken and it’s the moment he knows he’s made a great choice.

The first week of unpacking and sorting the apartment goes really well and the two of them work together perfectly. Within just a few days their bedroom is pretty much sorted and things start to fall into place.

Unfortunately, the rest of the unpacking doesn’t go as smoothly, everything is tidy, yes, but a lot of it is tidy in boxes. This is mostly because they’re both so busy with their jobs and agree they’d rather just unpack one box at a time to keep things tidy instead of opening loads of boxes and living in mess.

They end up writing up a Rota for painting/DIY etc. at weekends.

Levi and his s/o buy several simple recipe books and learn to cook new, simple and cheap meals together. It becomes an activity they really look forward to as it brings them closer together and often there’s little moments of laughter, sauce on the nose etc.

When they are settled and everything is in place they invite a few of their closest friends over for a sophisticated dinner party to celebrate.

Their apartment becomes quite the hub for their circle of friends with dinner parties and cocktail making classes. Levi is in his element, it takes him a while to allow others to help him clean up and trust them but with reassure from his s/o he does start to relax.

When Levi and his s/o are experiencing little income (or rather little spare cash) they like to pretend they’ve gone out for a meal.

One of their other favourite past times is going for long walks in the woods, countryside, round a lake. They take a picnic to save money with flasks of tea and a few items that they’ve made together. They also take food for the ducks/geese. Levi likes to sketch his s/o while they’re reading. They read poetry to one another, scribble little creative notes and love to roll round in the grass when no one is around.

Much like with Moblit and his s/o, some of the happiest memories Levi and s/o have from their early days of living together are these moments of making the best of what they had.

#Moblit Berner #Levi Ackerman #my writing #requests #Moblit x s/o #levi x s/o

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chibivesicle · 5 years ago

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Golden Kamuy chapter 223; a current critique on the opioid crisis [?] and some of the boys have a sleepover.

This chapter of GK starts out with an update on the status of Nikaido as he runs through the hospital on the title page for “Nikaido cheers up” with a tagline of Nikaidash at the bottom. Ienaga doesn’t look pleased with his dashing about while perhaps Ariska is excited or wants to punch him - I really can’t tell personally.

Let’s move onto the first full page. Nikaido greets Koito and Tsukishima with a booming shout with huge action lines declaring good morning to both of them. Tsukishima still appears deadpan as he holds a portable urinal in his right hand (ugh, not a job I’d like to help Koito out with). Koito politely comments that he’s looking sharper and Nikaido screams it was the new medicine that Arisaka gave him. And then repeats good morning again with a huge shout.

Koito looks a little interested and he’s got some bags under his eyes, so clearly he’s not as keen on Nikaido as Inkarmat’s company. Arisaka then shows up to show a vial of methampetamine and it was developed by a personal friend. Nikaido then yells good morning to Ariska as he vibrates in the background.

Ariska then comments on Nikaido’s hyperactivity being the opposite of his depression as Tsukishima looks unimpressed and over everything. Of course Arisaka is thinking of all of the money they will make with meth. Ienaga then enters to check on Koito’s progress, which is improving well and then begins to hungrily lust over his youthful and beautiful skin. As she’s about to take a bite out of Koito, Tsukishima puts a pistol to her head. Nikaido is running around in the background. Tsukishima is still deadpan. I really am beginning to wonder if something in him broke when he had to threaten Koito in Karafuto.

Ienaga argues that skinning her isn’t much use since everyone has a copy of her tattoo, but Tsukishima states he’ll make a wallet of her. I guess to replace the wallet he may have lost in the fire in Edogai’s house . . . as I recall, he forgot his wallet on his way to the public bath when Ogata went in and the 27th burnt down the house and he didn’t have time to grab it as he fled from Ogata in search of Edogai.

Ienaga states she’s valuable to Tsurumi and that is all that matters. The page ends with Arisaka commenting on Nikaido running around like a cat after it takes a dump. I have to admit that is a hilarious statement to use and shows that Noda is clearly a cat lover and observer of cats. I don’t mean to mock Nikaido’s condition, yet that term is a unique way to describe something.

My own cat loves to get the cat zooms after he goes to the litter box. Why he feels this need to be liberated after a poop is beyond me, but pretty spot on behavior.

The action then turns to Hijikata’s group as Ogata states that they should move to a new location as Ienaga was captured by Tsurumi. It is interesting that Ogata refers Ienaga as both a geezer and he; is this a form of disrespect of Ienaga or is Ogata acting in the time period and just unsure of how to refer to her so he defaults to biological descriptions? Saying geezer is pretty impolite so, I would think that Ogata isn’t keen on Ienaga as a person and therefore speaks rudely of her.

Nagakura saw Ienaga as a transient member of each faction and Kadokura thinks she won’t know the exact location since she was injured at that time. Not thinking, Ushiyama assumes that Tsurumi would have killed him and taken the skin.

Ogata flat out tells them that they are all underestimating Tsurumi. He will pick up on their trail and find this location. He smiles as he tells them it is hard to escape from a Shinigami with a Cheshire cat smile. Oh how I’ve missed his cat smile. He likely knows even if they’d disagree with his firm statement as the most junior man in the room, he’s right. Hijikata even agrees with him as he puts down a book.

I really wonder how Hijikata feels about having the team/faction with less clever people. He gained Ogata for the time but if you stop and think about it, he really doesn’t have any intelligent planners on his team save for himself. . . .

There is then an excellent transition page where Ogata tries to shoot a mallard for dinner. He’s now using his left hand on the trigger and right hand supporting the rifle and lining things up with his left eye. He takes a shot and - misses the duck completely.

His reply, clearly in his own internal conversation with himself is “ . . . .” as we see him work the bolt on the rifle as he has a slight twinge of a frown as he seems to think about his last shot.

Does this mean Ogata is no longer a sniper? Honestly, I’d say he’s re calibrating. There are enough historical examples of snipers losing vision in one eye and retraining to use the other so it isn’t like he’s 100% lost his skills. He’s a tough and stubborn character, I predict he’ll find a way to snipe again. Is he disappointed? Obviously, he’s been using a rifle since he was a kid and he’s going to have to learn everything again, but he’s a smart guy. I think he’ll be fine. It is more interesting to see his struggle as he has to come to terms with the fact that he’s alive and he may need to think more deeply about how he fits in the quest for the gold. Ogata has long relied on his sniping as his #1 skill. He has more than that, but it was the skill that defined him. This should drive his character development.

Just like Sugimoto’s #1 skill is being able to fight like a demon and ignore his injuries. He’s just as bad as Ogata, neither of them can afford to be one trick ponies. They will both have to come to terms with how they look at their own skills and abilities.

The group then takes Ogata’s advice and they stay at a temple showing where a few more of their group are; Kirawus, Toni, Ushiyama, Ariko and the wee babe Kantarou.

Kantarou thinks they’ve found a good hideout with people moving through frequently. Or it makes it harder to track those observing you as you can’t pay as much attention - I predict if they stay in the temple, Tsurumi easily slips a spy in their midst.

Kadokura then is chatting with Hijikata and Nagakura. Despite being a sad old tanuki, he’s still in the jail employee loop and is able to explain that prisoners were sent from Kabuto prison to Abashiri to help with rebuilding. Someone was able to find them in transit and facilitate the escape of prisoners and they are all associated with a pirate. Boutarou the pirate! So a maximum security prisoner who is a pirate just broke his comrades out of jail. He apparently is a very *ahem* accomplished pirate and was one of the 24 tattooed convicts.

Hijikata then comments that he’s “making his move” so Boutarou must be interested in the gold for himself and his fellow pirates? Hopefully, he’s a smarter convict who will make things interesting - I mean pirate, yeah.

The temple door then opens to reveal that Ogata has brought a gift home for dinner, a whooper swan which is about 5ft in size . . . soooo yeah Ogata is not a tall man. Ah yes, the cat is proud of its kill.

This is the exact opposite of when Ogata shot the woodcocks for Asirpa. Those were small and hard to shoot, while this is a bird with a giant target on it. I wonder if Ogata is now working on the concept of starting with a large target and working his way down to smaller ones?

Ushiyama is the first to remark that Ogata doesn’t have to hunt for supper all the time. It is clear that Ogata feels the need to provide for a group - I don’t think it is a whole “I must kill all the animals.” more like “I can practice and get a free supper. Someone please notice and love me.”

Ariko then looks shocked at Ogata’s entrance with the swan. The middle panel is one of complete shock as he says “Superior Private Ogata”. Oh ho! Ariko knows Ogata even though they did not serve together during the war. This is very interesting! This also likely means that Kikuta will become more important and will have an encounter with Ogata. There needs to be something that happens between the sniper and the close range marksman.

Ariko’s reaction is such a Tanigaki reaction - he clearly does not like Ogata and he is immediately uncomfortable with him. What is very interesting is how he touches him just like how he touched Tanigaki when they started their sniper battle. Ariko is completely freaked out and sweating as Ogata asks him if he’s the same [betrayed Tsurumi]. The Cheshire grin as he asks if he betrayed Tsurumi’s group followed by a you never can tell. Ogata likely knows that Ariko is similar to Tanigaki and looks even more nervous only able to reply he didn’ imagine Ogata betraying them.

So, Ariko doesn’t have a good grasp on the Ogata midset, well even Tsurumi doesn’t putting him in the same camp as the rest of the cast. Clearly, whatever Ariko does know about Ogata implies that he was under the indication that Ogata was loyal to the group and would do his dirty work.

I really want to think that Ogata knows that Ariko has to be a mole for Tsurumi - he knows how Tsurumi thinks and I’m sure he’ll bail when the time is right.

Kirawus then is the transition to the discussion about eating the swans and adds you don’t even need to shoot one if you want to eat it when they are fattened up. Maybe Ogata just pounced on it like a cat, but swans and geese are total assholes so I’d personally still shoot it to avoid being poked at by it.

There is an Ainu belief that if you eat a swan your hair will turn grey so Kirawus will not eat it, most of the guys decline. Kadokura declines and is mocked by Kirawus since he already has grey hairs and Toni had not idea that he had gone grey. Kantarou is concerned about his looks so he passes and even Ushiyama won’t do it.

Nagakura and Hijikata enjoy the swan nabe as they describe it as tasty and dumb to pass on eating something worrying about death. It will happen at some point in time so why not. Ogata who is one of the youngest members of the group, then replies “hah” in agreement with both Nagakura and Hijikata as he enjoys his swan nabe. Does this mean Ogata doesn’t care what he will look like? That he won’t live long enough for it to matter? Or is it his total lack of religious/superstitious belief? Hell it could be all of these. Ogata is not one to worry about stuff that doesn’t directly matter.

They all go to bed in one room making it an awkward slumber party as they discuss the swan nabe. They sound like a bunch of gossiping schoolgirls and they try to decide if they should eat the nabe since they are clearly hungry. Ogata blankly stares at the ceiling - it is clear he is judging all of them. Look at his disengagement as he listens.

They clearly decide to eat the nabe and the next morning Nagakura gives them a hard time, teasing them about it. Ogata looks so over it as Kantarou and Kadokura look back at Ogata uncomfortably. The best Kadokura can come up with is the cheesy line that, they figured going grey is better than going bald.

Ogata just stares at Nagakura while Kadokura and Kantarou look a bit nervous.

It really seems like Ogata is sizing Nagakura up - everyone else then laughs (Ogata is not in the panel, but he’s clearly not laughing) and he’s back to silently watching and observing everyone. The final page ends with Nagakura’s internal rage as he spits and his eyes are completely black. Best not to enrage his inner fire . . .

This chapter has been quite useful and is staring to fill in more information as the factions shift.

1.) Koito is recovering well and Tsukishima has kept his dead on the inside and outside expression since Karafuto. I wonder if Tsukishima has broke. Helping Koito piss into a jar isn’t a fun job, but he’s at least keeping Ienaga at bay with no Kantarou to tie up.

2.) Nikaido is a one man military experiment. Now he’s been given meth in addition to his prosthetic limbs. It seems like no matter what will happen, his fate is a terrible one to have. Perhaps with the death of his brother he really is a dead man walking and just doesn’t care anymore.

I wonder if this is a current critique on the opioid crisis in the industrialized world, or the fact that another way to control people is through big pharma? Arisaka and Tsurumi already discussed morphine which Nikaido was previously addicted to and now they’ve switched him to meth. I really honestly feel bad about his character - he really has become a means to an end. I’m also not sure what is worse - his previous addiction to morphine or what will become his current addiction to meth. I’ve had friends that I’ve worked with use it or other friends have dealt with roommates using it. It is a complicated situation - I can’t tell if this is just a quick toss in there concept or if it will become more fleshed out as the story develops. A part of me would like to see this go further.

A quick search reveals that meth addiction and use is a problem in present day Japan and the first epidemic started after WWII as it shifted from the military to civilian hands. I wonder if some manga artists also have used meth or may have considered it based on their rough schedules.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/08/23/lifestyle/dealing-addiction-japans-drug-problem/#.XfmVU-t7l0I https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/japan-place-with-strangest-drug-debate-in-world/ http://www.mhfmjournal.com/pdf/emerging-risks-of-new-types-of-drug-addiction-in-japan.pdf

I am not the type of person to even remotely try to examine this as a whole, but having Golden Kamuy introduce a sensitive topic is par for the course by this point.

3.) Ogata is re-calibrating and being quite blunt and forward with Hijikata’s group. He really isn’t trying to change very much in his interactions. He is critical of the lack of concern by several people and flat out tells them to take Tsurumi seriously and to not underestimate him. It looks like Hijikata seems to believe him to some extent. I will say he tries to ease over relations by bringing home dinner. I wonder if he is disappointed as Asirpa, Kiro and Shiraishi were a lot more thankful of his skills than this group.

4.) Ariko is in a tight spot. God, it is like Tanigaki all over again. What does Ariko know about Ogata? He clearly knows him from Kikuta - is he also someone who dislikes him based on what he knew about his past working for Tsurumi? Ogata has to know that Ariko is a double agent for Tsurumi. The question is will he even bother to warn the others or he just doesn’t care.

5.) There is a pirate convict! Oh ho! I look forward to this - it seems the pirate wants to form his own faction looking for the gold and must have been waiting to see how the hunt for the skins has gone. A new faction would be very interesting? Will he team up with others or go it alone with his crew?

Overall, this was a very informative chapter. I felt like it had a good balance of information and action. The Hijikata slumber party scene was quite hilarious. I predict we will see more Ogata, silently watching those guys.

#golden kamuy #golden kamuy meta #nikaido #koito otonoshin #tsukishima hajime #arisaka #Ienaga Kano #ogata hyakunosuke #hijikata toshizo #nagakura shinpachi #ushiyama tatsuma #kadokura #kirawus #kantarou #ariko rikimatsu #Toni Anji #boutarou

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ginnyzero · 5 years ago

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Completely Harmless Ch. 8

Completely Harmless An SSO SilverGlade Re-imagining Story (Or Fix it Fan Salt fic) By Ginny O.

When Lily and her friends wanted to buy horses and were directed to the Silverglade Manor and its myriad of problems, they didn’t expect to start a revolution. They were just a bunch a stable girls. Completely harmless. Right?

A/N: Things are only canon if I say they’re canon. Pre-Saving the Moorland Stables compliant for the most part. Posted in its entirety on my website. Posted in 2000 to 4000 word bits here. Rated T for Swearing Word Count 177,577

Chapter Eight Designer... Duck Coops?

The ducks had gotten out and were all over the gardens and vineyard.

“They must be feeling better,” Elsa said dryly.

Tyra put her hands on her hips. “We can’t have them running all over taking over the joint,” she said.

“Even if we are the Silver Drakes,” Regina giggled.

“We’re going to have to coop them up somewhere then until we have a good water feature to keep them occupied.” Lily bit her lip.

“Someplace quiet,” Abigail said.

“And it needs to match the Manor so the Baroness doesn’t get mad at suddenly owning a lot of ducks!”

They all burst into giggles.

“All right, to the internet!” Jennifer said.

Grace pulled out her phone and started searching.

“Maybe the library has some ideas.” Theresa suggested.

“Let’s take a gander,” Regina started.

“Gander are geese,” Elsa pointed out.

“And we better look up composter ideas too. I know that a lot of the manure goes to the local farmers,” Pauline said but she looked like she was fretting. “Along with the extra grape skins and seeds that don’t get used. There isn’t a lot of those since some have to be dumped back onto the dirt to keep the right salinity and the rest get used in making the oil.”

“Right,” Lily rubbed her forehead. “You know, maybe we should introduce ourselves before we get too carried away here.”

“Well, at least, we need to run these ideas past Linda and Judy,” Pauline said.

“I agree,” Tyra nodded. “They are in charge of the stable.”

“Do ducks really fall under stable?”

“We’ve got a lot of ducks. We might need to make several,” Tyra fretted. She wrung her hands.

“Doesn’t one of the gardens outback have another water feature,” Lily asked. “It’s also dry as a bone. But we can mention to the gardeners that we need spaces for the ducks.”

“I hope Agnetha is open to ducks,” Pauline murmured.

They split up again. One group to go round up the ducks who got in the damnedest places. Another group to go research about duck coops and composters. And a third group to go look for good quiet places to put the duck coops.

Linda caught them returning the quacking ducks to the huge tubs.

“Escapees,” Elsa said.

Linda raised her brows. “Uh huh.”

“We don’t want them to get sick again,” Brittany put her hands on her hips.

Tyra wiped her brow. “Would it be okay to put in a duck coop somewhere?”

“We’ll make it nice!” Brittany said.

“Just to keep them from running all over during the night and maybe getting eaten by weasels or raccoons,” Tyra added.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Linda pushed up her glasses. “Let me run it past the Baroness.”

Lily ran out. “We’ve got plans!”

Linda started.

Lily stopped, rested her hands on her knees and panted bending over. She held her phone out to Linda. “Here are some ideas for duck coops. They’ve got to be low to the ground with a wide door and they like straw.”

Regina came running up next. “You know, there’s a nice area behind that little temple thing near the empty reflecting pool. It’d be great because they’re going to want to swim anyways when they want to go free range.”

Pauline rode up after her. “Yeah, there are two water features down behind near the old Gardener’s cottage. If you really want to call it a cottage. We could put another coop down there if we need it.”

Linda looked at them. “You girls don’t do anything halfway.”

“Linda! Linda!” Tyra ran out. “Where do you think we can put a composter?”

“Gardener’s cottage!” Pauline said.

“Oh, excellent!” Tyra beamed. “Should have thought of that. The gardeners will be the ones wanting it the most.”

“A composter,” Linda said slowly.

They pointed at the piles of dead leaves and thick thorn vines and the roots they’d pulled out.

“Right. Composter,” Linda said. She gave Lily her number and Lily sent her the photos. “Okay, I’ll go talk to the Baroness. You stay here.”

“We’ve still got plenty of gardens to weed out,” Lily said.

“I bet we could make it look like a little Greek temple,” Tyra said.

“And then put some barrels around it with straw in them,” Brittany bounced on her toes.

“Then, then, have you seen the ‘castle tower’ types. They’re so cute.” Lily said. “We could make it a rounded dome type with columns instead.”

Linda shook her head. “Give them an inch. They’ll take a mile,” she muttered and walked off.

Linda was very careful to broach both topics of the duck coops and the composter as needs for the manor long term. Making suggestions about where they could go and that they would blend in with the manor’s overall look rather than being something slapped together.

The Baroness listened. She pressed her lips into a thin line. Her hands she folded in front of her on the desk.

“We wouldn’t want to simply buy something from J-Kea,” Linda said weakly. “And there is a lot of garden debris to take care of.” The Baroness had informed her that morning about the Inspector’s demands. Linda showed her the pictures.

The Baroness’ lips twisted and Linda couldn’t tell if it was a grimace or a smile. “We definitely wouldn’t want something from J-Kea,” she said.

“You’ll have final say on all the plans,” Linda reassured her.

The Baroness reached for a paper and started writing. “Very well. I’m assuming you have the hands lined up already.”

“Yes, some girls from the Moorland Summer Camp are helping out,” Linda said with a wince. She didn’t know the Baroness would feel about it at all.

The Baroness’ hand paused above the paper. “Thomas sent them?”

“No. Um, Justin did,” Linda tucked hair behind her ear. “They wanted to buy horses and, well, they just started coming back to help out.”

“Hmm,” the Baroness said. “I’d like to meet them.”

“I’ll pass it along.”

She finished writing. “Here is your budget.”

Linda’s eyes widened.

“I want final approval.” The Baroness nodded.

Linda gulped. She took the paper. “You have it, Lady Silverglade.”

The Baroness returned to her paperwork. There was plenty of it to get G.E.D. off her lands for good.

Linda knew that it was her dismissal. She got up and left.

The girls convened around her, taking off gloves and leaning against tools.

“We have a budget,” Linda said sternly. “No J-Kea. And everything has to be approved by the Baroness.” She cleared her throat. “She’d also like to meet you.”

“Tomorrow morning,” Lily said. “I think that will be good.”

Linda pushed up her glasses. She wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Tyra texted Linn down at the Arena.

Lily bit her lip. “So, we need actual plans.”

“Designer duck coop?” Regina wrinkled her nose.

Pauline sighed. “I hate to say it.”

“Anastasia,” she and Lily said together.

Lily texted her.

Her phone rang.

Lily set it to speaker. “A designer… duck coop?” Anastasia sounded intrigued and offended at the same time.

“Ducks are getting caught in the oil fields spillage from the G.E.D. Until it’s cleaned up they need someplace to stay safely.”

“And duck eggs are good eating,” Anastasia said. “What kind are they?”

“American Pekin,” Grace said. “Good egg layers, Dame Anastasia.”

“Don’t call me Dame, darling. It makes me feel so old.”

“Sorry,” Grace squeaked.

Linda spoke up. “The Baroness has given her approval and a budget.”

“We might need more than one coop, but we want to talk to the gardeners first before deciding on where they go.” Lily added.

“Any luck with that?”

“There seems to be a husband and wife pair that might suit, Bjorn and Agnetha,” Lily said.

“Agnetha is a wonderful gardener. Overbearing, but wonderful. Of course, with my mother, you’re going to need someone with a strong will so that the new gardens aren’t a photocopy of the old gardens. How tiresome,” Anastasia said. “Hmm, do you have any ideas? Meet me at the Jorvik Mall Café. I could use a good coffee. I’ll have a list of names by the time you get here.”

“Thank you, Anastasia. Oh, um, Aaron is considering putting in a wine and gelato or frozen Greek yogurt bar in the Wine Cave.” Lily added.

“He had an idea.” Anastasia sounded aghast. “Well, we’ll have to get together to work out how to coordinate the menus if we’re going to get that restaurant on the roof actually going anywhere. Ciao, darlings.”

She hung up before they could say good-bye.

“Speaking of overbearing,” Elsa mumbled.

“No joke,” Melody agreed.

Lily sighed.

“You have Anastasia’s phone number,” Linda said blankly.

“We better sluice off and change into something better before meeting her.” Lily looked down at herself.

“The only better thing we have is the Silverglade Clan outfit,” Pauline said.

“If we wear it twice, she’s going to call us out.”

“Then that should encourage her to get us some new clothes that the Baroness will like.” Pauline raised a brow.

Lily turned to Linda. “Meet us at the bus stop in half an hour?”

Linda blinked.

Regina looked at her nails. “You are the manager and have the budget.”

Linda bit her lip. “All right, half an hour. But I’m not changing.”

“No worries,” Lily said. She hadn’t expected Linda to change anyways.

Anastasia looked Lily and Pauline up and down and sighed. “Not that old thing again.”

Lily shrugged. “She likes it.”

Anastasia rolled her eyes. “It’s time for her to expand her fashion horizons. And you are?”

“Linda Chanda, the Silverglade Equestrian Center manager,” Linda said.

Anastasia already had coffee for them. So, they all sat down right away.

“All right, darlings, catch me up on what is happening at dear mother’s bumpkin estate,” Anastasia drawled.

So, they did, quickly.

Anastasia nodded. They showed her the pictures. “All right, I know the fellow. Not his usual bailiwick, but he’ll get the job done. I’ll give him a call before you leave here and give you an introduction so you can meet him today and he’ll ship you the materials and plans tomorrow. Most likely to Fort Pinta.” Anastasia sipped her coffee. “Now, darlings, I had an idea for that rooftop. There were plans to put in a fine dining establishment. Nothing happened of course. Mother brushed it off. So, I think we should have a chef call. I want you to find a bunch of chefs from around South New Jorvik County and perhaps a manager. They can present their different menus to my mother and let her choose what she feels is the best food to serve at the manor.”

Lily and Pauline blinked rapidly. “A chef’s call,” they said blankly.

“Yes, set up a bunch of tables. Have them bring their menus. Do a tasting. Whoever gets the approval of my mother, gets to open a restaurant on the roof.”

“Shouldn’t she have some say in that?” Linda asked. Her heart felt quite low in her chest. This was much too fast.

“If my brother can have an ice cream bar, I can have a restaurant.” Anastasia waved her hand breezily.

“Right,” Linda said voice even weaker.

“I’ll make it okay. You just get me the chefs,” Anastasia said.

Lily and Pauline looked at each other. “Okay,” Lily said slowly. “We haven’t really explored much of the county though.”

“Now is your chance,” Anastasia said brightly. “Surely somewhere out in the boonies is a bright young chef looking to make their mark.”

Oh boy, Lily thought. “We can look,” she said.

“Excellent, then I’m sure it’s all in capable hands.” Anastasia smiled. “All right, you need to go to Aideen’s Plaza, my contact is there.” She handed them a paper with the name.

“Thank you,” Lily said.

But Anastasia was already on her phone and waving them away.

They took the tram to Aideen’s Plaza in silence.

Once they got off, Linda spoke up. “The apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree does it?”

They burst into giggles.

They went to a furniture store. The man wasn’t overly surprised to see them. He was expecting them after all. They explained their ideas showing him the pictures and their budget. He got it right away. Lily texted Regina to get pictures of the areas they thought might make good places for duck coops.

As soon as he saw them, he brightened and used them to make sketches.

“The winery does have barrels,” Linda said helpfully.

The man just laughed.

Linda took pictures of the designs and texted them to the Baroness. The Baroness texted back her approval of the plans.

“All right. I’ll get in contact with my suppliers and ship the materials to Fort Pinta by tomorrow afternoon,” the man said.

“That would be great,” Lily said. “Thank you.”

“It will be just for the one by the Wine Cave. Getting the stone for the one down in the gardens will take longer. And you’ll have to tell me if you need another one by the riding arena or not.”

“We will,” Lily said. “We do want to talk to the gardeners first before building.”

“Then I’ll get an order in on hold for the materials and once you have approval of the gardeners, fussy folks gardeners, you get a hold of me and I’ll them shipped as close as I can get. Stone’s heavy.”

“Deal,” Pauline said. “The closest village would be Silverglade. There’s a post office there.”

“Then, that’s where I’ll direct the stone. Just have a truck or plenty of horse power to pick it up.”

“We will,” Lily smiled at him. They left. Lily wrinkled her nose. “Now, where in heaven’s name are we supposed to find chefs?”

Pauline laughed. “I’ll take you around,” she said. “I know all the towns.”

Linda nodded. “If you do chores at the different stables while you’re out, it will cover transport costs. And you can get to know the different stable masters.”

“Good idea,” Lily said.

They took the bus back to Fort Pinta and that’s where Lily and Pauline started their chef quest.

FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.

Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.

#star stable #star stable online #sso #fanfic #star stable salt #completely harmless #jorvik reimagined #silverglade reimagined #many nods to ruth westside #i'm terrible at posting schedules

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thelastarchangelaskblog · 5 years ago

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DJ & Zira & Tony

Another chat on the way to Briarbane with an injured Clint in our cart! This one features some hurt feelings and apologies.

Thanks @rebaobsessions and @thechaoticwave for your help with formatting!

Tony & Zira’s Chat Charcoal as Breakfast

Tony & Rhodey’s Chat Tony & Luna

Tony & Rhodey Compile a List Clint & Tony

The Trouble with Two Tonys Rhodey & Bob(Tim)

Rhodey & Bob(Tony) About Death (Tony & Zira)

Rhodey & Zira (and Tony) Pre-Campaign Tony & Rhodey

DJ & Zira Bob(Tim) & Luna

DJ & Tony DJ & Tony & Rhodey

Rhodey & DJ

(Read more.)

A little after talking to Tony and storming off, Zira is...not feeling great. So she turns to a well-loved book. Walking beside the cart, rereading stories she already knows by heart, her mind drifts to old friends. And she stumbles a bit, curses, and jogs up next to DJ.

Zira: DJ. We are talking now. Holding your bloody and unconscious form was unpleasant, but I can deal. But I know there have been some...cultural differences, so I imagine you are unused to the experience of being hit until you fall unconscious.

DJ just stares at Zira, a bit bewildered.

DJ: (eloquently) Uhh. I'm sorry it was unpleasant for you?

Zira: NO! I am attempting sympathy for you. It is clearly not working.

Zira: >:/

DJ: I...I already knew you were upset, Zira. You don't have to force yourself into a role you are uncomfortable with for my benefit. Heck, if anything I should be the one thanking you. You saved my life.

Zira: No!! That is my JOB! There is no need for thankfulness. My friend did this and it worked much better.

DJ: Okay, first of all, I don't care if it is your (and he makes air quotes) job or not. You saved my life, and I am gonna thank you for it. So thank you. Second, I don't need you to be anything like anyone else but you. You are My friend, Zira. I only need you to be you. Not your friend or anyone else you are not. I like you the way you are.

Zira actually jerks back a bit at the word “friend.” She brings her book up, almost like a shield.

Zira: ...So you are sure you require none of the...pep talking?

DJ pulls his quarterstaff down and uses it, from his seat on the wagon, to gently push the book down, smiling.

DJ: Tony and Rhodey both gave me a pep talk. You and I both know they are really good at that. It doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you. But...you don't have to try and cheer me up. Especially if you aren't feeling cheerful yourself.

Zira: They are good at it. ...I feel...bad. I lost my temper with Tony. It wasn’t fair to him. He had done nothing to incur my wrath.

DJ: Then apologize to him. I mean I was hiding from him for a while, even though I knew he was worried so I'm not exactly guilt free either. But I explained and he understood. I'm pretty sure if you explain he will understand, too. Who did you want to wrath at?

Zira: ....

Zira: It. Goes against a lot of. What has been taught, but i suppose.. fight or flight is named aptly. I feel. Incredible anger. I want them to leave me alone. I want to eat chocolate. I want to read fairytales. I...I love this book. Someone very kind gave it to me. Do you understand? If I ever left it behind, I would always come back.

DJ blinks for a minute, cocking his head to the side, obviously thinking over what Zira has said.

DJ: I'm glad you had someone kind in your life before us. Someone who would give you that book. You deserve that kind of kindness. And I feel that way about my Alchemy Notes. A lot of the other students got fancy new books when they graduated to Journeyman, but I kept my old one. I just paid someone to spell some more pages into it. My Mom and Dad gave it to me when I went off to the Academy, and when I use it, I remember them and all they did to get me into school.

Zira: ...Yes. That could be an apt comparison. The people who gave me this, they had no obligation to be kind. But they were. And I don't know how much they sacrificed for that. I hope they’re okay.

DJ frowns more, probably remembering he still hasn't written a letter to his parents yet.

DJ: Being kind isn't about obligation, Zira. Honestly, I think true kindness is like, the opposite of obligation.

Zira: That is a nice thought. The idea that there is no give and take in everything. But it was nice. Talking. I'm glad you got your...pep talk...from someone else. I don’t think I’m any good at it.

DJ: There doesn't have to be a give and take in everything, Zira. Some people are nice because they like you and they want to be nice to you. They don't expect anything in return. And we both know I am really bad at pep talks. Since I tend to scare people with mine.

Zia: If it makes you feel any better, I've never been scared of you.

DJ looks very confused. Zira cocks her head, birdlike, at him.

DJ: But I thought I scared you when I talked about turning people into soap. I felt really bad about it.

Zira: Why would I be scared? I'm not afraid of knowledge. And, no threat intended, i could get you before you got me. I know the vast potential for pain, both causing and receiving it. I’m not afraid of your potential. Or else I would have to be afraid of, well, everything. Anything could kill anything else. A person with a knife, or poison. A tree. A really dedicated duck.

DJ was going to protest the comment about Zira being quicker on principle, but now...

DJ: A duck?

Zira: Oh, absolutely. Some of those fuckers are mean. And have far too many sharp teeth for comfort.

DJ: Geese are so much worse. There was a gander on my parents’ farm that might have actually been a demon in disguise. And don't get me started on swans.

Zira: Swans, honestly. They have the rage of suns burning in them and no moral compunctions whatsoever.

DJ gives Zira a dry look.

DJ: And a wingspan twice as wide as I am tall, so imagine what all three of those are like from my perspective.

Zira: By Ioun. At least I can, I dunno. Step on them.

DJ: Lucky you. I just gotta run from something that can fly. (sighs) I do not miss that aspect of farm life. And now we know we both agree waterfowl are evil.

Zira: Most definitely the work of something infernal.

DJ: Thank goodness Tim isn't, you know, a giant duck.

Zira seems knocked speechless at the thought.

Zira: That would be terrible. I don’t think I'd ever want to work on a farm.

DJ: Why do you think I went to school? I wasn’t cut out for that sort of thing. I had a much better time hiding in the bookstore and reading.

Zira: Oh! Hiding in bookstores is really something. The air feels, soft, I suppose. Very still. Very safe.

DJ looks positively dreamy.

DJ: Yeah. It's like the next best thing to a big university library. Like the one in the Cobalt Sanctuary, just without all the calisthenics.

Zira: Oh, my favorite is in a little village, just on the border of a forest. It was my first time in a bookstore, and the owner was lovely. She actually gave me this.

Zira holds up the book of fairytales.

DJ: Yeah, bookstores are great. The family that owns the bookstore in my town let me get away with reading all the books even though I couldn't pay. I mean I know Papa slipped him a little coin now and then, but he still didn't need to let me get away with using his store like my own private library.

Zira: is it just a bookstore owner thing? I couldn't pay at all, but she took me in, gave me a warm drink and a book, no charge at all! And then promised to not tell anyone was there, with no prompting! I was very glad for that. I would have hated to threaten her

DJ: It might be.

DJ looks off into the distance for a minute.

DJ: Then again, I might have also been distant cousins with the bookstore owner. I don't know. I come from a...rather large family.

Zira: What was it like? To have a large family. I imagine that comes with quite a few allies.

DJ: Well even when I was at the Academy, every once in a while a random Halfling would wander up and tell me we were related and I...couldn't really know if it was true. Besides that, it was...fine I guess. I don't know, Zira. It was all I really ever knew so I don't have a thing to compare it with. But they weren't allies. They were family.

Zira: I don't think that’s possible to have so many people like that. Our families were small for a reason. You couldn't possibly be so close with too many people.

DJ: Yeah, for me it was the opposite. Like I was flummoxed when someone told me it wasn’t normal to have over 50 first cousins on each side. And I might not be super close to anyone but my siblings, but I would still help out a family member if they needed it. And if I ever called on one of my cousins to help out, they'd be there in a heartbeat.

Zira: That. That is literally what having allies is? An exchange with enough trust in the other to not backstab you. Over 50??

DJ: I guess I have always felt allies was an impersonal term. But that might be my own preconceived notions talking. And while I don't necessarily trust my cousins not to cheat in Barnball, I do trust them for important things. And that reaction there is how I knew it wasn't normal.

Zira: It certainly seems like a lot to keep up with. My family was only 5 people total. Imagine having to pacify over 50 people so they continue thinking of you positively. That would be exhausting.

DJ: Well, I don't really have to pacify them. And I don't even think of them all positively. There are quite a few of them that are pricks. But they are family so we still look out for each other. And it was all I knew growing up, so I guess I was so used to it that it was normal rather than exhausting.

Zira: I understand looking out for each other. Some of my family were cruel at times, but they were mine.

Zira looks guilty.

DJ frowns a bit at the cruelty part.

DJ: I am going to be honest. I...I don't understand the cruelty part. Even when we were mean to each other, we weren't cruel. Maybe that's cultural differences?

Zira: I'm starting to realize the depths to which the...place...I came from was wrong. We all coped, I guess. Some tended to lash out, but they always tried to make it right.

DJ looks genuinely thoughtful as he considers her words.

DJ: I...I am not sure I can truly understand that. But I think...I think I can see where it comes from. How what you guys went through might make our reactions different than what I would think is normal.

DJ thinks a little more.

DJ: I am sorry any of you had to experience things which would make you lash out like that...but, I'm glad you had your own sort of family.

Zira: I am, too.

Ziira looks even guiltier, hunching her shoulders and looks away.

Zira: I wish I hadn't left them. I don’t want to go back! But I want them.

DJ nods.

DJ: Yeah. I get that. I have no desire to go back to my home. But sometimes I wish I had my family with me. Maybe that's why I ended up sticking with Tony and then Rhodey for so long. We are making our own family. And now the rest of you get to join in, too. If you want.

Zira: Family is a big commitment. And the things that make it-

Zira: Well. They're not pretty.

DJ nods.

DJ: Childbirth is messy.

Zira: What? No? I mean, the bonds. The loyalty. The trust.

DJ: What?

He gives up being serious and starts giggling like a loon.

DJ: Sorry.

Zira cracks a smile when he starts laughing

Zira: No. No, you’re right. Childbirth seems terrible. They made us learn about it. None of us could make eye contact with Ms. Payne for the entirety of that lesson.

DJ: Please no stories! I already heard about it in letters from my sister. I'm still traumatized.

Zira: God.

DJ: And I did mean the trust, Zira.

Zira: I don't trust any of you.

DJ frowns.

DJ: Oh.

Zira: Well. I trust you to do whatever youre good at, and you all seem too kind to murder me in my sleep. But.

DJ frowns even more if possible. shoulders hunching.

DJ: Oh.

Zira: I don’t know. I trusted my family with everything. We picked each other up, watched each other’s backs, and never even dreamed of doing anything else.

Zira seems to realize something she said was wrong

Zira: Uh. Uhh...but you seem... trustworthy? Uhm.

Zira is obviously at a loss

DJ: Thanks. I...I have to go.

DJ basically climbs across Rhodey to sit on his other side. If Zira catches a glance, she would see a brief look of hurt and sadness on his face before he shoves it all down and pulls out his notes.

Rhodey is staring ahead and pretending he wasn’t witness to a very awkward conversation

Zira is currently just ????

Tony is trailing along behind the cart; he didn’t hear the conversation but is very curious what happened. Zira didn’t seem to be in a good mood at all, and he’d messed up.

Zira: (to herself) What did I say?

She sneaks another look at DJ, and he seems unwilling to talk further. So she just glances around, and falls back, no longer keeping pace with the front of the cart.

Tony sees Zira slowing her pace. He doesn’t say anything but steps to the side so he isn’t walking directly behind her. He’s not sure what to say, but he doesn’t want to start because if he messes up again...

She falls back further and glances at him, and kinda curls in on herself a bit. And then shes walking right next to Tony and looks hesitant.

Zira: DJ...told me i should apologize. I...lost my temper. You had done nothing to incur that. My apologies.

Tony looks surprised.

Tony: Uh, you’re kidding me, right? If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I said something wrong.

Zira: What?

She seems shocked. She looks like she didn't expect Tony to admit any wrongdoing.

Tony: I can be a bit pushy. So...sorry about that.

Tony offers Zira a small, apologetic smile

Zira: No. That’s not how this works. That’s not how this works.

Tony tilts his head to the side in confusion.

Zira: You have more experience here. You have heavily armed friends and allies. You are the superior here. It’s nice you’re trying to be nice, but that's not how this works. There is a structure for a reason!

Tony: Zira.

Zira: You give me things, and advice, and you're kind. You apologize! You’re doing it all wrong.

Tony: You read people, right? Tell me...am I lying when I say I’m sorry?

Zira ...

Zira: No. No. No, you’re not but that doesn’t make any sense. And you did nothing wrong!

Tony smiles wryly.

Tony: Didn’t I?

Zira: Being pushy is exactly what a leader is supposed to be! If you wanted you could order the information out of me, and that makes me a bad operative, to not have told you already, but I don't want to.

She seems taken aback at her own boldness.

Tony: Like hell am I ordering you to do anything.

Zira: Wait no - Tony, I didn’t mean--

Zira: What?

Tony: I said, like hell am I ordering you to do anything. Because that kind of structure you’re talking about? It’s bullshit. Total bullshit. And if you’re in that you should bail because there’s zero respect for anyone. Just blind obedience to what the party line’s supposed to be. And all too often that party line is absolute bullshit. So I was pushy and I shouldn’t have been pushy. I should have respected your space. And that’s why I’m apologizing to you, Zira.

She curls in on herself even more.

Zira: ...Nothing here makes sense. I told DJ the truth, that I don't trust any of you, and he ran away.

Tony: (mutters) Damn it; I’m being pushy here again, aren’t I?

Zira: You’re saying sorry. That’s not what superiors do. That’s what my family does.

Tony: From what I’ve learned, anyone decent with a sense of empathy apologizes for what they did wrong. I’m not asking you to trust any of us yet. I know that’s asking a lot. But I hope that you can realize you’re safe here.

Zira: No, I’m not. Tony, you're very sweet, but when I left I did the unthinkable. I’m an example, and there is nowhere in the world that is safe for me. I just want to read my book. You're kind, and good, don’t feel bad.

Tony looks at her for a long moment.

Tony: It’ll be safe at some point.

He’s smiling slightly

Zira: ...If you say so. I’m going to go read. This is my favorite book. If I ever left it, I'd always come back.

Tony: Then go read it. The cart’s quiet right now if you want to get in. I’ll keep that in mind.

Zira: Thank you.

And she jogs forward and clambers in, and shuts the flap behind her

Tony keeps walking behind the cart, but he’s looking pensive, frowning. He’s tapping fingers against the amulet hidden under his armor. His other hand is playing with his dagger, flicking it in and out of the sheath it’s strapped into on his arm.

Inside the cart, Tim starts a little when Zira climbs into the cart, but does not react further. He picks out a flower that has been a little too squashed and throws it out, continuing the flower chain.

Zira nods at Tim, and then crunches up into a little ball and starts reading. She looks like she doesn't want to talk

#heliocentricgeometric #doxblogsstuff #d&d campaign

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malecsecretsanta · 6 years ago

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Merry Christmas, @raewrites98!

Merry Christmas! I hope you will enjoy this little something I wrote for you. I poured my heart into it. And also, because it is Malec, this is a gift that will keep on giving. I was at roughly 8,000 words when I realized the limit was 5,000 so I had to edit it. But, after Boxing Day, it will be uploaded to my AO3 and I will of course link you. What you are reading as part of your gift is about one half of what I have written (don't worry, it makes sense as it is and was stopped where I originally wanted to but Malec wouldn't stop being adorable!)

If I were on A03 these would be some of the tags: #Human AU #SingleDad AU #Christmas cheer all around #One Meet Cute #Two Meet Cutes #Three Meet Cutes #Baby #DOG #fluff fluff fluff

Read on AO3

*****

The Dog, the Toddler, and their Parents.

There's nothing better to become acquainted with a new city than going on runs to explore and Magnus has been doing just that for a couple of months. From regular parks to dog parks to running along the river or on the beach. From quiet greens to chasing squirrels -not him, his dog- to catching his breath while walking back to his apartment. Perfect to find quaint coffee shops and to wander the streets. One hand buried in the thick fur of the massive Newfoundland dog treading by his side, loyal, his tongue hanging out. Tail wagging whenever people coo because he's adorable.

It's a hot summer morning and Magnus has it in mind to get some iced coffee before going home. He deserves it. The bell jingles as he opens the door of the coffee shop, Buddy on his heels. Just before his eyes catch the No dogs allowed sign and he scowls, takes a step back, already cursing under his breath. Cursing even more when his back hits something sturdy. Yet warm.

He turns around to meet all 6 feet or perhaps even more of a very fitted, very smartly-dressed frame. Complete with a clean shaved face and fluffy hair and thick eyelashes. And dark eyes snapping from a phone to Magnus' studying gaze.

“Sorry,” the man mumbles, oblivious and he pockets his phone, lets Magnus step out. “Nice dog.”

“Thanks. He's not allowed inside, though.”

“I know. Most stupid rule.” He lets Buddy sniff his hand before the dog decides the stranger is friendly and lets him pet his head. “He's the most gorgeous thing.”

Magnus nods, well aware that his dog is a crowd-pleaser. Still very much thirsty.

“I better get going. Find a place where he's welcome and I can buy a drink.”

“I'll get it for you,” the stranger offers matter-of-factly, smiling at the dog then up at Magnus. Broad smile of white teeth and Magnus believes his swooning and racing heartbeat are largely due to the bright sunshine. Yes.

“You would?”

“Sure. It's not like it'll make me late. I'm already here.”

He shrugs and Magnus fishes change in his pocket, gives his order and watches from the street as the tall, handsome stranger waits in line for their drinks.

Buddy's head rests on his lap and he's drooling on Magnus' sweatpants when the bell jingles again and a much appreciated iced coffee appears on the small wooden table.

“You're an angel,” Magnus praises and maybe it's the sun, maybe it's not, but the man's cheeks turn a shade pinker.

“I gotta go now. Have a good one!” He balances his bag, his own coffee and strides down the street, his pace slowing just a tiny bit when Magnus shouts back.

“Maybe we'll see each other around! Wasn't he a work of art?” he asks more quietly to the dog, scratching his head and Buddy licks his hand. “Yes, I thought so, too.”

Magnus knows how to recognize art when he sees it, it is his job after all. The new art gallery is small but it fits the funky, free-spirited college district and it's not like he could refuse when Ragnor asked him to temporary come help while he was in Europe. Besides, Magnus enjoys it. The calm and people smiling. Not like a small town where everybody knows everyone yet not as hectic as New York.

He adores the architecture and taking Buddy on long walks in the historical neighborhood to look at the colonial houses, red bricks and adorable front yards. Students milling around the steep streets. Students coming to check out the new art on display.

Not the same crowd as the one they're expecting for the unveiling of a new series of photographs. A European artist Ragnor has found in Sweden that he simply adores. Magnus has to agree while he puts the final touches to the frames and the black bowties and the flowing gowns enjoying their evening in the building on this particular evening seem to agree.

Isabelle is almost set on buying a particularly gorgeous photograph portraying a frozen lake and a family of ducks waddling in the snow. It's captivating and radiates peace and it will be perfect in her practice.

She links her arm with Alec's, eager to hear what he thinks.

“You'd buy all of them if you could,” he teases and it's so true she can't argue with it. She could, though, buy them all. Except then she'd run out of room.

She reaches for another glass of champagne, offers one to Alec and her eyes sparkle.

“Aren't you glad you came tonight? This is so much fun!”

“I was going to have fun at home, too.”

“But not with your favorite sister!”

He can't help smiling down at her, at how she's not so subtly hinting at perfect Christmas presents even though it's only August. It's nice to mingle and to be out among adults outside of work, Izzy's right. And he's also mesmerized by the composition of some pictures. Art is beautiful and Clary will have to come check out the exhibition next time she's in town.

He snaps a picture to send to her later. He checks his texts to be reassured that everything is well at home and when he finds his sister again, she's in deep conversation with a somewhat familiar face. As he comes closer, Alec recognizes the hair from the red hightlights in it. It's more stylish than the last time they've met and the loose tank top has been replaced by a shirt with an intricate pattern and a velvet jacket but it's still the same handsome face, with less sweat and more make-up than that morning a few days ago.

Magnus' sentence trails off, unfinished when Alec stops by Izzy's side. He smiles, surprised.

“I did tell you we'd see each other again!”

“You did,” Alec laughs and shakes the extended hand. “Alec Lightwood.”

“Magnus Bane. I'm filling in for Ragnor Fell.”

“Do you know each other?” Izzy asks, confused. Intrigued. No longer interested in what Magnus was telling her about the artist's background.

“Your boyfriend was of very valuable help to me a couple of days ago.”

Izzy makes a face.

“My brother, thank you very much.”

“A real life saver, your brother,” Magnus grins and Alec shakes his head, finishes his champagne. It's warm in the room, people chatting all around.

“Magnus here has the most beautiful dog I have ever seen.”

“You do?”

“I like to think so, yes,” he beams.

“What is it?”

He shows her pictures of the Newfoundland on his phone and Izzy has truly forgotten about the art, gushing at the screen.

“Izzy's a vet,” Alec supplies.

“If you ever need something for...”

“Buddy.”

“...for Buddy, I'll be happy to assist.”

“I'll keep it in mind, thank you. No wonder you were interested in Winter Family, then.”

Satisfied that he has sidetracked his sister from growing too invested in Magnus as a person or to start poking at the fact that he obviously finds him to his liking, Alec relaxes and listens to their excited conversation. All the terms Magnus uses as he describes the photographs, the rhythm of his voice and the singing words. A very nice melody indeed.

Until his phone buzzes with Aline's number and he has to pick up.

“Sorry, home,” he apologizes to Izzy.

She waves him off and Magnus is distracted for a moment, watching Alec stop in an empty corner, phone at his ear, a worried look in his eyes.

“Is everything all right?” he can't help asking but Izzy doesn't look troubled.

“I'm sure everything's splendid. He's too tense sometimes. Family and all. But he's great fun when he lets his hair down!”

“I'm sure,” Magnus chuckles at the cheery tone and the not-so-innocent, pointed look she gives him.

Nonetheless, Alec doesn't re-appear for the rest of the evening and Izzy eventually excuses herself to join her brother. After she's made an appointment with Magnus to further discuss potential acquisitions.

Large dogs have plenty of energy to spend and Magnus is grateful for it because it means he goes outside a lot. He doesn't know many people in town yet, doesn't have many friends around. The most social he gets is thanks to Buddy. Running for miles in late September when it's still nice weather. Playing fetch, terrifying geese.

Flushed cheeks and short of breath, but loving the fall and crisp leaves and calling after the dog who's been distracted by a father and toddler on his way from bringing his ball back.

The dog is massive, beyond excited and the little boy is giggling to no end, trying to fend off the wet tongue attempting to lick his face clean.

“Buddy, here! I'm so sorry!” Magnus apologizes profusely, jogging to the blanket just as the man stands up, scooping the child in his arms. “Oh, it's you,” he says flatly when he recognizes Alec.

“Does this mean you're not sorry anymore?” Alec jokes, the dog pushing against his leg in the hope of being petted.

“I am. I truly am. He adores people.”

“We like dogs, too. But we already had a bath this morning, didn't we?”

The little boy squeals, reaches his tiny hands down to touch the big dog. Magnus grabs Buddy by the collar and yanks him back. The dog whines.

“Hello,” he says when the dog has settled down.

Alec gives a laugh. “Hi.”

“Having yourself a picnic, uh?” Magnus surveys the cozy blanket spread on the grass, the backpack with toys and the half finished sandwich that none of the men has time to save before Buddy wolfs it down. Magnus is mortified. He wants to crawl into a hole with his silly dog and disappear forever.

Alec finds his crestfallen face adorable and actually cute but he doesn't say it. He wouldn't want to further embarrass him.

“Bad dog! I am so sorry. Really. I'll buy you another one.”

Magnus spins on his heels looking for a food cart, or anything to save the day. The dog licks his chops, the toddler giggles as Alec bounces him in his arms.

“It's fine, really. I was done.”

“Coffee at least.” This is so embarassing and Magnus needs to repay Alec for that very first iced coffee anyway now that he knows he hadn't given him enough to cover the cost and that the then handsome stranger had paid the difference without telling him.

“Perhaps another time,” Alec declines politely. “Sundays are Max days. I don't see enough of him during the week.”

He makes a silly face at his son, kisses his giggling cheek and Magnus feels like he's intruding. It's the most precious thing he's ever witnessed though. Alec attacking his son with kisses and the boy leaning away from the stubble while still laughing to the point of hicupping. It's so cute it makes his heart swell.

“Have a good Sunday, then,” Magnus starts heading off and Alec's head snaps back in his direction.

“You too!”

“And if I see you again,” which he hopes he will, “you're not getting out of this coffee deal!”

“It's a date!” Alec shouts back, the words out before he can think, the hair on the nape of his neck standing with a shiver. Magnus gives him a thumbs up and a dazzling smile.

Alec doesn't bump into Magnus again. Not for weeks. It's getting darker and colder and the State Capitol is insane, work is overwhelming and socializing is out of the question. There's Halloween and that's it. Max in the evenings and the weekends, cuddling on the couch and playing. It's exhausting and Alec hasn't had a restful night of sleep since his son was born. He can't even remember what it feels like. When Max is sleeping he has to catch up with work and when Max is awake, he demands his father's entire attention.

Cries and screams and nightmares and tears and first steps and a baby crawling everywhere. Working out is overrated when all the exercise you need can happen at home. Besides, Max is clingy because he doesn't see his dad enough during the day and his tiny fist clutches Alec's collar as he attempts to have a normal phone conversation with his mother. Pacing the room.

“What the hell,” he exclaims suddenly, stopping dead. Max's babbles go on.

“You better not be swearing around my grandson.”

“He didn't hear it,” Alec lies. “Listen, mom, I gotta go.”

“Did he pee on you again?”

“That happened once, more than a year ago. Will you ever let it go?”

“Nope!” Maryse laughs in the phone and Alec rolls his eyes, says his goodbyes and hangs up.

He narrows his eyes at the suspicious shape on the wooden deck. It's black, hard to discern in the night outside but as he comes closer to the French doors, two bright eyes stare at him all of a sudden and a large tail starts wagging.

“What the hell,” he repeats, puzzled.

“Hell, Dada? Dada, hell?”

“Yes, no. We don't say that. Bad Dada.”

“Bad Dada. Oooh.”

Max's eyes grow as wide as the dog's when Alec opens the door and their unexpected guest quickly dashes inside. He clasps his hands gleefully and the dog barks, running in circles around Alec who is desperately trying to remember his name.

He knows whose dog it is, would recognize it anywhere. That size and that licking tongue. The dog looks thirsty.

“Easy there, buddy.” Buddy? That's his name, Alec thinks. “Buddy?” he tries and the dog's ears stand at attention. “Are you lost?” There's no collar on the dog.

“Dada! Dada! Dada!”

Max is wriggling in his father's arms, desperate to be close to the dog, delighted with the surprise and that's how Alec ends up sitting on the carpet, googling the art gallery to find Magnus' number while keeping a close eye on his son playing with the dog.

“Hello?” Thankfully, Magnus picks up quickly.

“Magnus? Bane? It's Alec. Lightwood? We met a couple of times? I bought your coffee and your dog ate my sandwich?”

As if Magnus wouldn't remember who Alec Ligthwood is. He'd be intrigued as to why he's calling now except he has more pressing matters at hand.

“I know who you are, yes.”

“I'm calling because I happen to have a new lodger who I think belongs to you.”

“What?”

“Your dog? I think your dog escaped and...”

“He did! Two days ago! Ran off during our run. Do you have him?”

Magnus almost strangles himself with his scarf in his haste to leave the art gallery.

“I think? He answered to his name.”

“Hold on. I'll Facetime you.”

He hangs up abruptly, manages to grab his cell phone with shaking hands and has to dial Alec's number twice before he gets it right.

“Show me,” he demands once Alec picks up again and his face appears on the screen.

Alec would scowl but he can understand Magnus' anguish at having lost his pet. So he directs the phone towards the dog intently observing the baby humming while he's stacking colourful cubes.

And just like that, Magnus can breathe again. The last couple of days have been hell and he's never going for runs in the forest ever again. He hasn't slept since he's lost Buddy.

“That's him! Can you...can I...your address...I'll...”

“I'll text you my address.”

“Thank you!” Magnus literally shouts at the screen before he hangs up and Alec has to smile tenderly at the phone.

The dog has been well-fed with leftover chicken and Max has adopted him by the time there's a knock on the front door.

“It's open!” Alec yells out and the dog scrambles on the hardwood floor as soon as he recognizes his owner.

There's a lot of barking ensuing, which leaves Max confused as to why his new friend doesn't want to play anymore. He cries out and Alec picks him up while Magnus calms the dog down. He's still shaking, not quite believing that his dog has been found. Buddy needs a bath and a bit of spoiling (or a lot). There are actual tears of relief in his eyes and that makes Alec a little emotional as well.

“Thank you so much,” Magnus' voice trembles a little. He's crouching to hug the dog, his face half buried in the fur. Yes, definitely a long bath.

“No problem.”

“I owe you more than that coffee now.”

“You remember?”

“I always remember the persons I owe a date to,” Magnus scoffs. “”Especially when they're as kind and handsome as you are.”

Alec scratches the back of his neck, smiling at the flirting.

“What do you say to coffee and dinner? To thank you?”

“You don't have to.”

“I want to.”

“And I never say no to food,” Alec admits, shameless.

Magnus clasps his hands, heart racing.

“Perfect!”

“Do you want a drink or something? After your emotions?”

The front door is still wide open but the dog is lying down by Magnus' legs, head resting on his front paws, calm and content. Magnus looks at the baby, his eyes survey the living room quickly.

“I wouldn't want to intrude on your family.”

Alec gives him a quizzical look as he walks by to close the front door. He gestures to the coat stand and Magnus sheds his jacket off.

“You're flirting with me, asking me out and yet you assume there's more to my family than Max.”

“I was just checking,” Magnus winks as he follows to the kitchen, taking in his surroundings. The messy living room, toys everywhere. The table which apparently doubles as an office desk. Pictures upon pictures on the white walls. Variations of Alec with different versions of Max. Them with his sister. Maybe a brother. His parents. “Now I know there's nobody else.”

“Well...,” Alec looks pointedly down at his son.

“Right. Sure. No husband or wife or girlfriend, I mean.”

“Definitely none of those.”

“Here, I'll take him,” Magnus offers when he sees Alec struggling to juggle his son and the two mugs for coffee. Max goes willingly in the foreign arms, instantly drawn to the shiny ear cuff. Magnus snags the little fingers away. “How old is he?”

“16 months old. He's a handful.”

“Looks like it.” Magnus winces when Max tugs on the chain around his neck, fascinated by the shimmers it makes in the artificial light.

“Dada!” Max complains when he's yanked away from the jewelry so he doesn't harm their guest. He forgets all about it once he gets to toddle towards the dog to hug him.

“He's going to make a scene when you leave,” Alec realizes.

“When Buddy leaves, you mean.”

“Right.” Alec isn't looking forward to it.

Magnus sighs with contentment at the first sip of warm coffee on his tongue, estactic at how the day has turned. He doesn't need all the flyers he was going to put up in town anymore.

“This is excellent coffee. I'll have to up my game for when I take you out.”

Alec smiles in his mug, steam in front of his eyes, stomach in actual knots. Close to blushing like a teenager. He hasn't flirted with anyone since Max was born. There's no time for it.

“I haven't been on a date in years,” he admits, shrugging. “We could go to a fast food restaurant and I'd be okay with it.”

Magnus looks appaled, shocked and he sets his mug down with a thud, processing the information.

“That would simply be scandalous, Alexander.”

“Alec.”

Magnus dismisses it with a wave of his hand.

“I will take you out for a night you won't ever forget.”

Alec really can't stop smiling, actually looking forward to it. Having Magnus in his house already feels nice. Comfortable. And Max doesn't mind him. One date might also stop Izzy from pestering him with hints about how dashing and fantastic and single the new manager of the art gallery is.

When Alec comes out of his meeting the next Monday, there are five texts waiting for him on his personal phone. Two from the same number.

Hi. It's Magnus.

My dog ate your sandwich?

Alec chuckles, heart thudding and headache disappearing.

I remember yes, he types, sitting down at his desk, trying to ignore the stack of memos demanding his immediate attention.

Would you be able to find a babysitter for this Saturday evening?

Magnus is so thoughtful already that Alec is suddenly very much aware that he'll do anything to clear this specific night.

Can you watch Max on Saturday night? He texts Izzy and also Jace, and Lydia. First one to reply will call dibs. He doesn't wait before texting Magnus back.

Absolutely. I've been craving coffee and dinner.

And a little something extra.

I'm intrigued.

Good. Dress smartly.

When don't I? Alec types then never sends because his phone buzzes with a call from his sister and he gets caught in a drilling inquisition about him having a date and how of course she volunteers to babysit her nephew and who is he going out with? She screeches in the phone when Alec eventually admits it's Magnus and her squeals of joy might actually reflect how Alec is feeling on the inside, looking forward to the weekend.

So of course the week drags on and Max makes a fuss as soon as he realizes his aunt is here but his dad is leaving and it breaks Alec's heart to have to sneak out while his son is bawling. He's only reassured when Izzy texts to say that Max settled down in a matter of minutes.

Magnus is already waiting in front of the restaurant, looking flamboyant and as attractive as ever. Alec is simply mesmerized, forgetting his words.

“You look...wow,” he manages to stutter and Magnus chuckles. He takes a step forward, feeling silly for wanting to reach out and shake Alec's hand yet not knowing how to greet him.

“You don't look so bad yourself.” He brushes an invisible thread off Alec's coat. Alec feels so stupidly brainless, unable to reply. A mess. He's been out of the game for so long. “Shall we?” Magnus offers and Alec follows him inside the brightly lit restaurant. He nods to several persons, greets a few.

“You're well-known,” Magnus can't help but remark. Their table is at the front and Alec sits so he doesn't have to face the other patrons.

“My family's lived here for generations. And I work for the Governor so yeah. You'll probably be fresh news by morning. I should have mentioned that earlier,” he realizes, eyeing Magnus carefully.

“That's okay. Only jealous people gossip. Are you telling me I'm dating the elite in town, though?” Magnus teases, eyes twinkling and Alec laughs out loud.

“We're scandalous all right.”

“Oh. Do tell me more.” Magnus bats his eyelashes on top of his menu and the gesture alone makes Alec enamoured.

“Well, talking just for myself, I'm gay, living by myself and I have an adopted black child. Is that scandalous enough?”

“Ah. You mean scandalous for old folks. Because I have personally always wanted to date a gay politician with an adopted black son. So you're my perfect match, Alexander.”

“A...,” but Alec stops himself from correcting him. Magnus sounds happy and not put-off, not that Alec thought he would be. And dinner is a blast. Up until Magnus stands up after the main course and Alec looks at him, puzzled. They're not having dessert?

“We're coming back later for your coffee.” And dessert, Alec must be thinking so loudly that Magnus corrects himself. “And chocolate lava cake. For now, we're going over there.”

He points to the other side of the street, to the theatre and Alec looks at him, awestruck this time.

“Is that your little extra?”

“It is.”

“I haven't been to a play in ages!”

“So good call?”

“Excellent!”

“Is it okay with your babysitter?” Magnus suddenly worries. He doesn't know what time Alec told them.

“It's Izzy. She'll crash in the guest room if she needs to. Thank you! What are we seeing?”

He distractedly listens to Magnus, feeling blessed with the best date ever. Magnus really delivered. They don't have fantastic seats inside but it truly doesn't matter.

“Thank you,” Alec repeats, more calmly once they're seated and Magnus has been studying the program. Alec doesn't know how to properly thank him. Well, he does but words feel flat and it is only a first date but then he really wants to and he does overthink things and just as the lights deem, Magnus finally speak up.

“You can kiss me if you want.”

Because Alec has been staring at him for a few minutes. So intently that Magnus could feel the gaze burning his skin and Alec was torturing himself so loudly he was literally screaming his thoughts at Magnus.

There's a smile tugging at Magnus' lips when he turns towards Alec and then soft, smooth, warm lips land on his cheek and Alec whispers another quick thank you as the curtain opens and people clap.

Magnus leans over, not letting Alec settle back in his seat. He kisses him again. Properly. On the mouth. Fast because there's no time but Alec is grinning throughout the entire show, Magnus' hand clasped in his after only a few scenes. Sweaty palms but tender fingers and this beats teenage movie dates.

“Tonight was amazing,” Alec professes as they're waiting for cabs after the play. After dessert. After coffee.

Magnus smiles at their locked hands and how Alec is standing so close to him, visibly eager to kiss again, which Magnus gladly obliges to because kissing Alec is as great as he'd imagined, even if it's just a peck on the lips.

“I'll never forget it.”

“Mission accomplished,” Magnus prides himself, beaming. His eyes smile.

Alec is aware of what he should say next, of what he has to say but he's conflicted between ruining everything now or letting Magnus have tonight.

“Magnus, I...you should know that I don't...really have time...with Max and all. To...date,” he decides to go with honesty.

“I'd say you're doing great.”

“That was just one night. What if in the future...”

“Oh. Because there will be future dates?” Magnus teases and Alec looks down at their hands, up at Magnus' face.

“I thought...I mean, it was...”

“I'll tell you what. What if we try not to worry about what could or could not happen? I already know about Max. I don't mind. I'm so admirative of you for being a single dad. Let's take it one date at a time, okay?”

“Okay,” Alec exhales and Magnus grabs the lapels of his coat, foggy breath washing over his face.

“Next one is on you, by the way.”

Alec nods, chuckling and he hasn't been kissed goodbye like this in forever. It's the best feeling. To part but to know they'll see each other soon.

He's positively glowing when he comes back home, thanking his lucky star that Izzy has fallen asleep in front of the TV so he can escape her interrogation until the morning. He wants to keep the memories to himself for a few more hours.

Alec felt boring for suggesting movies for their second date but Magnus sounded delighted to just be able to spend time together. Which is precisely why Alec hated having to cancel on the very day. But he didn't feel comfortable leaving a sick Max at home. Magnus did say he wouldn't mind the implications of dating someone with a toddler.

Friday night in in sweatpants, then. Until there's an unexpected knock on the front door and Alec looks stunned to find Magnus on the other side.

“Hi!”

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought, since we couldn't go to the cinema, the cinema might as well come to you. You have Netflix, right?”

“Yes...”

“Great! I have pizza and beer and wine because I wasn't sure which one you'd prefer.”

“Wow,” is all Alec can say. Magnus is still standing outside on the porch.

“Too much?” Magnus worries all of a sudden, and he takes an actual step back, bracing himself for rejection.

“What? No. No! Absolutely not. I didn't...I wasn't...This is nice. You're nice.”

“Why, thank you. May I come in?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

Alec motions him inside, relieves him of the warm pizza boxes, his stomach growling at the smells.

“Hi, “Alec eventually says, realizing he hasn't said it yet.

“Hi,” Magnus says back and then they're kissing again and Alec decides that's all he wants to do for the rest of the evening. Kiss Magnus. In between pizza slices and sips of beer. In the kitchen and on the couch. Cuddling by themselves or when Alec has to soothe a fussing Max who ends up dozing on the couch with them.

“I promise he won't crash our next date,” Alec whispers while he's heating up a bottle.

Magnus is rocking Max gently, the toddler's head lolling on his shoulder, a small hand weakly clutching his arm.

“Don't make promises you might not be able to keep.”

“True.”

“I don't mind him, though. It's not like he can help it, the poor thing.”

It makes Alec hopeful to see Magnus with Max. That maybe he can have both. That Magnus won't be jealous. Alec wouldn't be able to handle it. He couldn't. That's a worry for later he supposes but it's so important for him. Because Max is his future and he needs to do everything to protect him.

“Okay. Ready.”

“Hey, Max. Daddy's got you something to drink,” Magnus says gently, nudging the little boy who makes to grab the bottle.

He ends up drinking it snuggled against his father's chest on the couch. The movie is still on but Alec has no clue what it's actually about.

“Hey, Magnus?”

“Yes?”

“When is Ragnor coming back?” He's aware he might ruin the night, even everything, but it will ruin any chance they have if he doesn't have an answer to those questions soon.

Magnus smiles faintly, understanding very well what Alec is actually asking.

“Early spring, he thinks. I may actually settle here and partner with him long term. Regardless of how my personal life evolves. I like it here.”

“Oh.”

“Good answer?” He throws his head back and it lands on Alec's spread arm on the back of the couch. Alec is staring at him, not blinking and then his shoulders relax noticeably.

“Yes. I'm sorry. I know we said we wouldn't worry about later and...is this a date?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. This is only our second date and God knows what might happen but...”

“But Max. I understand, Alec.”

“No Alexander?”

“I thought you didn't like Alexander.”

Magnus shuffles closer on the couch. Their shoulders touch. Alec's arm wraps around Magnus' shoulder and his hand gives a tentative squeeze.

“I like it when it's you,” Alec admits.

“I understand, Alexander,” Magnus corrects. He kisses Alec above Max's head. “He's your top priority and I respect that.”

Max burps then, decides he's done with his milk and throws the bottle on the carpet.

“Perfectly dignified. Thank you very much. Time for bed, mister.”

By the time Alec comes back downstairs, Magnus has cleaned the mess, paused the movie and Alec only has to come cuddle with him under the blanket. Cozy and homey and Magnus' arms are strong and Alec is sure he gives the human equivalent of a purr.

He wakes up in the same position, daylight in his face, groggy. To Max babbling on the baby phone and to no more Magnus. His phone flashes with a text sent around midnight that he checks as he jogs up the stairs.

You looked like you needed rest so I didn't wake you up. Thank you for tonight.

You could have stayed. You should have stayed, Alec adds, unapologetic. He likes Magnus and Magnus likes him.

Magnus replies almost at once, with a happy emoji and Buddy would have made a mess.

Alec would facepalm if he wasn't currently holding his son. Looking no longer as sick as the previous days.

Do you want to come for breakfast? You can bring him.

Are you sure?

Yep. Unless you have work?

Dot will open. What are we having?

I cook a mean omelette.

You cook? I'll be there in five!

Alec laughs at his phone, kisses his son's nose. Max giggles.

“Magnus is coming back. You remember Magnus from last night? He's Dada's boyfriend now so you'll likely see him a lot. He has that big fluffly dog you like. You get to play with the dog today. Isn't that fantastic? Big, big dog.”

“Woof?” Max answers because he knows his animals. He has a book with all the sounds.

“Yes. Woof is coming.”

Max is playing more than eating with his fruit when their guests arrive, Buddy sniffing around, ready to catch any food available. Max squeals so loudly his father winces. Magnus leans over the counter to see what Alec is doing. Sweat shines on his forehead despite the cold.

“Did you jog all the way here?”

“I was already running when you texted. And I figured you'd already seen me without make-up so it wouldn't scare you.”

Alec barks out a dry laugh.

“I like your face no matter what,” he mutters and Magnus is smirking at him when he looks up from his frying pan. “Although I liked your... last night,” Alec points roughly at Magnus' face, making a vague gesture, “...brought out your eyes.”

Magnus rounds the counter to come lean by Alec's side, elbows resting on the cold marble. He watches in comfortable silence, the oil sizzling and how effortless it is for Alec to cook. It's domestic and feels natural, nothing awkward about it. No one would believe they've only been dating for a week. Magnus shakes his head. This is crazy. Better not think about it. Better to think about how secretly thrilled he was that Alec invited him again so soon.

He sighs and Alec looks away from his preparation.

“What is it?”

“Thank you,” Magnus simply says, standing up straight to kiss him.

“By the way, I told Max you were my boyfriend,” Alec mention matter-of-factly, cheeks heating up nonetheless.

“Did you now? Does he approve?”

The little boy keeps throwing pieces of brioche on the floor for the dog to eat and Buddy has perfetly understood what the game is about. Alec points at the scene and Magnus glances over his shoulder.

“He approves of the dog,” Alec says, “so I suppose that's a yes?”

“Good for me.”

Alec hums in agreement, Magnus' warming palms resting on his chest, sliding up to his shoulders and he forgets about breakfast for a short while.

“I think being your boyfriend sounds terrific,” Magnus decides against Alec's lips, hot hand on his hips as they share a smiling kiss.

#raewrites98 #malecsanta18 #*fics18 #*gifts18

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katzuyas · 6 years ago

Text

what living feels like

written for @softviktorzine which I had the utmost pleasure of being included in, thank you so much to the mods and all the participants bc this zine was truly made to be Good and Wholesome 💕🙏💕🙏💕💕

read on ao3

There is nothing worse, Victor thinks as he shakes the already wheezing bottle of conditioner, than being empty.

The life you lead, the work you do, the time you spend simply... existing. Not living, because life is where you breathe and your heart beats inconsistently – sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes even when it stops; living is vibrant, like skating. Existing is... Victor looks at the empty bottle in his hand, an unhappy curl to his mouth. It's exhausting, he decides.

But what is even more exhausting is taking care of your hair properly when the world just seems to be out to run you dry. Huffing through the stream of water running down his face, he rinses what measly remains of product he has somehow managed to put in his hair and then turns off the water with a heavy sigh. Before the mirror, he waits for the surface to clear, and then assesses the damage.

"Well, that's great," he says to his own reflection, which looks just as jolly as he feels.

He doesn't bother blow-drying: it can't get any worse than it already is. He drapes a towel over his head instead, hiding the mess from view at least for a short while. He steps into the bedroom in a dire need of cuddles to finally start the day right, but the universe is once again dogging at his heels.

The bed is empty.

The covers are haphazardly bunched up in the middle and they look as sad and abandoned as Victor feels. To think that Yuuri, who loves sleeping in so much, would leave him all alone... save for a fluffy tail that peeks out from underneath the sheets.

Victor doesn't bother fighting his grin. At least one of his boys has not forsaken him in these trying times.

He jumps onto the bed, gathering the shape hiding there into his arms at the very same time as Makkachin starts squirming in surprise. Victor laughs quietly and lets him free his head. Makka's tongue is lolled out when they finally look each other in the eye and Victor's grin widens.

"Hello there, sleeping beauty," he croons, heart filled with years of affection that's still vibrant and unchangeable.

Makka's tail thumps on the mattress as if he's saying hello right back at him. The dog stretches, from the paws to the tip of his tail, and he's so long and shameless that he almost pushes Victor off the bed. Victor chuckles as he shifts to let Makka have more space, like he has always spoiled him before and will continue to, forever. They lie together for a moment in amicable silence, Victor's hand stroking the soft curls of Makka's belly that rises and falls with the power of his breaths.

The towel that's wrapped around Victor's head comes loose at some point and it unravels slowly, until it only hangs in place by the memory of its shape. It will fall off soon and Victor's curly hair will slip from their confines, but Victor resolutely decides to ignore it till that happens. He doesn't feel like dealing with it more than he already has, at least for now.

Instead of wallowing in self pity any longer Victor turns his face to nuzzle Makkachin behind the ears and ask if he wants breakfast yet, but his eyes catch on the glasses that still sit on the nightstand. Yuuri must have forgotten to put them on when he got up, but... his loss is Victor's gain.

He grins, placing the glasses atop Makkachin's head.

"Oh, Yuuri, how much you've changed!" Victor gasps in pretend shock. "You're all furry and cuddly! How did that happen, my love? You poor thing! Turned into a beast!"

Makkachin's jaws open and he pants his morning breath at Victor. Victor's nose wrinkles when the smell hits him, but then he laughs, because, really? They are both such silly geese. Even if one is a dog and another a human.

"Don't worry, my Yuuri," Victor assures, all serious. His lips twitch with the laughter he tries, and fails, to withhold. "I will still marry you, even if you're a furry monster... or if your breath smells like dog food."

At the mention of food Makka's ears stand up and Victor snorts. Of course, that would be the way to his first love's heart. He boops Makka's nose softly with a finger and chuckles to himself when Makka's whiskers twitch.

"Oh, I know!" Victor realizes suddenly. "We need a true love's kiss to turn you back! Don't we, my sweet little cupcake? Do we? Yes, we do!"

Makkachin tilts his head like he's confused, but Victor's voice makes him just as excited even if he understands nothing of what his ridiculous owner says. Victor takes his face in his hands and rubs his thumbs over fluffy cheeks, which makes Makka's eyes close in pleasure. The fluffy tail is moving, back and forth, back and forth, and Victor smiles, a small, private smile that's tender and loving, and all for his precious Makka. He kisses the smooth patch of fur right above Makka's nose and Makka licks at his chin as if he wants to return the affection.

Victor chuckles and scratches Makka's cheeks some more, humming the wedding march to himself on a whim. It's silly of him, he knows, but somehow the thought of the wedding, his and Yuuri's wedding, has crawled into his head and doesn't want to leave. Not that he wants it to.

He imagines Yuuri in a beautiful suit, fitted to his body like a glove, and matching with Victor's own. He imagines another set of rings, another set of vows, the sweet kiss at the end of the ceremony...

"What... are you doing?"

Victor's so deep in the land of daydreams that he doesn't notice the moment when Yuuri comes into the room. He doesn't notice him watching them with a fond smile, either. What he does notice, however, is the amusement crinkling Yuuri's eyes while he squints at Makka and then at Victor.

"Marrying the love of my life, of course," Victor answers, smiling wide – wider than before because now Yuuri is here. Finally.

"Ah," Yuuri says as if that has explained everything.

And it did, Victor realizes when Yuuri sits on the bed next to them. It does.

"Is that supposed to be me or Makka?" Yuuri asks, nodding at his glasses that still crown Makka's head.

Victor hums in thought, before he grins and says: "Both."

Yuuri laughs, a soft, gentle sound that warms Victor's heart and cheeks altogether. He looks back to Makkachin to distract himself from the beautiful sight that Yuuri makes as he glows with affection in the morning light.

"What do you say, Makka?" Victor asks, stroking one of Makkachin's ears. "Think you can share?"

There's a tail wag and a loving pant of smelly breath, and Makka stretches forward across the bed to lick at Victor's face. Victor giggles at the same time as Yuuri huffs a small laugh. Victor rolls onto his back to save himself from dog kisses, but he doesn't seem to realize that something even more devastating is waiting for him there – Yuuri, who lies himself next to them, takes Makka's place and leaves his own kisses all over Victor's face as if he's trying to kill him.

It's not a competition, Victor wants to tell them, but when Makka licks at the sensitive spot on his neck, which is the only place he can reach, and Yuuri continues to press his lips across Victor's grinning cheeks, all that Victor can do is give into helpless giggles. It's difficult to breathe after a while, but Yuuri's breathy laughter and Makka's cold nose play an irresistible harmony of joy and acceptance on Victor's skin and he just can't help it.

So he laughs, and laughs, and laughs, until he can't laugh anymore because his lungs are full and his heart is swollen: with happiness, with love, with warmth.

"Enough," Victor finally wheezes. He pushes weakly at Yuuri's shoulder, but it's a faux gesture – he never wants him to move if he can help it, but the necessity to breathe is a little stronger in the moment than the love that fills him to bursting. "Enough, please!"

Makkachin boofs and Yuuri laughs. He shifts back, but the warmth of his body lingers and seeps into Victor's limbs with ease. It's comforting, safe, and Victor relishes in it.

"Really?" Yuuri asks.

His eyes look into Victor's with unbridled fondness, but his lips curl up in a teasing smile all at the same time. It's an expression that Victor both loves and fears: loves, as he loves all the sides to his Yuuri and the affection he sees mirrored back at himself feels like everything he's suffered through has been worth it for just this one glance; and fears it, because it pushes his heart into unhealthy pace that makes his blood ring in his ears.

Just like it does now.

"Didn't you say just yesterday that you'd never have enough of kissing me?" Yuuri's eyebrow lifts, and Victor needs to forcibly stop himself from arching up to kiss it. "Or did I hear you wrong?"

"Yuuri," Victor whines.

He's rendered speechless beyond that, but that seems to be enough anyway. Yuuri chuckles at his predicament, the cruel man he is, and ducks his head into Victor's neck to hide his own rising blush, thus depriving Victor of his second most beloved sight: Yuuri's flushed cheeks. Instead of indulging him like Victor so wants him to, Yuuri presses his lips here and there on his neck, and it tickles, but Victor is more than happy to suffer through this touch of sweet, torturous pleasure.

There is nothing worse than being empty, Victor thinks while his cheeks hurt from smiling and his face and neck are flushed beyond simple joy. But there is nothing better than this, he agrees with his heart, just as Yuuri shifts up to press another kiss onto Victor's cheek. And nose. And the space between his eyebrows.

Victor turns his head to catch Yuuri's lips and Yuuri smiles into the kiss.

This is it, Victor knows. His heart beats fast, but even, and he knows what he didn't know a year ago. He knows what he didn't know he didn't know. He knows, now.

This is what living feels like.

#yuri on ice #victor nikiforov #victuri #victuuri #softviktorzine #my fic #it's my birthday so I'm indulging in some soft goodness #and want to share it with all of you #please enjoy #and to those of you who have bought the zine: thank you and bless you and I hope you liked it bc I know I sure did

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skautism · 3 years ago

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Bruno, what did you tell that man? He's a clever man, did you know? I bet he works for the government And I know you know I know I can't control thoughts of things I needed I believe everybody needs some encouragement I think it's real unfair That you should put him there All we did is kiss On my grave, I swear Where did you find his shoes? A lock of my hair? All we did is kiss On my grave, I swear Some dull morning we were wearing sheets And he whispered, "I think that they know better than me" See this hand that pushed you into the creek? I'm sorry, 'was just fun, and you were laughing We were running towards the street And I wrote my name into the fresh painted yellow line And you wrote your name right there next to mine We had to dodge a truck He almost hit a bug I think we had some luck And for two bucks We bought some bread And fed the grey geese And the ducks Everyone will come Everyone will yell I'd thank you just the same If you didn't tell My mother says that I will surely go to hell Please be a good man Please say you won't tell Did you know that that boy is an armed man? Bearing flowers into hands Very able to hold me down (And love me more than anyone) Bruno, what happened to your good sense? I broke down, that man's good I bet he works for the government Did you hear about that mother? Broke her daughter's legs in two And said, "It's too dangerous out there to walk, so I had to save you" I think it's real unfair That you should put him there All we did is kiss On my grave, I swear Where did you find his shoes? A lock of my hair? All we did is kiss On my grave, I swear Everyone will come Everyone will yell I'd thank you just the same If you didn't tell My mother says that I will surely go to hell Please be a good man Please say you won't tell Bruno, did you know that the Greeks in morning would eat oranges? They were firm believers in fruit-curing fevers And I agree See, they believe that an orange warms the stomach

#I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine #rzr speaks

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daluper · 6 years ago

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The Sky Falls, Anxiety Rises

Part 3 of The Chicken Little Chronicles

Note: Part 1 of the Chicken Little Chronicles, “Roach Motel Mentality,” appeared on June 4, 2018 and part 2 on June 18, 2018. If you haven’t read those yet, check them out on daluper.com by scrolling down to “Blogistics.”

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

I didn’t want to be rude, but I had just about had enough. I got the feeling that … even though Fluff had agreed to the interview … he was backing out on me. I did not make that assumption, but I was really wondering what was going on. It had been weeks. He wasn’t returning my calls, texts, or emails. I was just about to give up, but I hung in there for some reason. I knew there was more to his story than what’s on the surface. He needed to have his voice, and to set the record straight. Then, a few days ago he finally called … “Let’s do this thing,” he said.

We perched at a local coffee house, and I didn’t waste much time �� or tact.

IR: What the hell happened to you?

FD: I was avoiding you. I was anxious. You know that I have trust issues.

IR: Why didn’t you just tell me? You could have just texted.

FD: Whatever. What do you want to know?

IR: Well, I want you to have your say about the chaos in the barnyard that day, and what you’ve learned from the experience.

FD: Well, first of all, there are so many stories out there. Most of the accounts you read are watered down, sugar coated crap. I was just a kid. A goofy kid. I was pretty basic, pretty simple. And smaller than most chicks. I was perceived as the weak one in the yard, but most of the barnyard just did their own thing and I did mine. There were hens, roosters, geese, turkeys, and some ducks. As poultry, we were pretty diverse.

IR: Did you get along with everyone?

FD: I guess you could say that, but basically most every bird there thought I was kinda whiny. Looking back now, I suppose maybe I was. I got bullied from time to time, but the worst thing was that those birds all perceived … assumed … decided … that I was defective some how. Even nicknamed me “Chicken Little,” which is not my real name. Not quite good enough for their barnyard. I think because it made them feel better about themselves, and kept them from having to face their own chickens**t.

Anyway, so one day, the hens were having their weekly stitch-‘n-bitch and bridge game where rumors not only get started, they grow wings of their own and fly high. Those gals would take any subject and morph it into high drama. Same thing with those turkey bitches….

IR: Hey! Watch it!

FD: They think they’re better than anyone else … always looking down their beak at me. They like to say I’m “shy on brains, bless his little heart.” And the old ducks! Their hangout of choice was an old dive called “The bar-yard.” Useless ol’ drunks! They drink to get away from the nagging at the nest.

But anyway, this particular day, a stranger was lurking outside the barnyard … a sociopathic ‘ol wolf had come out to the farm for …. well, let’s just say groceries. He wasn’t interested in just one or two of us, he wanted the whole barnyard. So, instead of jumping in and grabbing whichever one of us he could get his teeth into, he decided to maximize his yield by using us against each other. Get the anxiety and the fear as high as possible. But how? Not by might, but by mind. He did it by simply starting a rumor …. not by starting it himself, but by manipulating us to create and spread our own rumor … one that we would believe, allow to peak our anxiety and fear, and cause us to react rather than think for ourselves. You know, real knee-jerk stuff.

IR: How did the rumor get started, and what was it?

FD: Well, long story short is that he flung some barnwood over the fence onto my head. I’ll say this, he had good aim because it hit me squarely on top of my head. I saw stars. I was targeted to focus his attack on because I was perceived as the “weak” one. Then he suggested to me that said sky was falling, but NOT to panic. Well, that was like saying “don’t think of a pink elephant.” Of course, right on cue, I panicked and ran like hell yelling my head off. My knees started jerking and my feet went flying. I was screaming all over the barnyard “the sky is falling” before I even realized that I was up and running.

IR: What was the effect of this on the barnyard?

FD: Fear and panic. People believed it without question. “What’ll we do? We’ll all be killed!!!” Mayor Cluck tried to interject some sense … some reason into the group, but they wouldn’t have it. Things had become so anxious and fearful that all reason was gone, replaced by reactive panic. And, as the mayor found out, you can’t reason with the unreasonable. Soon, they were telling each other that if they believed the mayor, they would all die. They even started making up rumors about the mayor … that he was a dictator, that he was a drunk … ineffective, didn’t care about his community, you name it. Soon, everyone believed the worst, and the fear and anxiety grew even higher. That sociopathic wolf had manipulated the entire barnyard, and used me to do it! He made me believe something that wasn’t true. Gaslighter!

IR: So, what happened then? There are a lot of different stories out there. Some turn out well, some not so well.

FD: Well, the real story is this. Things did not turn out well at all.

IR: Go on … don’t leave us hanging ….

FD: I don’t like to talk about it … but I’ve come this far. You know, I did years of in-patient therapy for this. My anxiety goes through the ceiling just thinking about it. Well, that was a bad metaphor ….

IR: I get it, but you agreed to do the interview. Consider it part of your therapy … part of your growth. Besides that, I want your voice to be heard.

FD: Well, the wolf convinced me that I was the leader and it was all up to me to save the barnyard from the falling sky. He’s a master manipulator. He told me to tell everyone that they could be saved by running to the cave. There was panic and mass hysteria.

IR: Did they run to the cave?

FD: ……. yes ….. (sighs) ……. they did. That’s where the story ends. Let’s just say that the cave was …. was ….

IR: Go on ….

FD: The cave was their last known address. And I feel guilty because I survived. The Mayor and I got run over and flattened in the panic in the barnyard. Knocked out cold. By the time we woke up, it was all over. Nothing could be done.

IR: I am in awe. You’re one brave fluffer, Fluff Daddy. Your story needed to be told. What happened with you after the cave incident?

At this point, Fluff Daddy shut down on me, so I backed off. I didn’t want to push him because I wanted the rest of his story to come out … what he learned, how he healed, and how he’s dealing with any PTSD. Next week, we’ll answer the rest of the questions, find out the rest of the story, and conclude this journey of discovery with the famous … (or infamous?) Chicken Little.

#chickenlittle #assumptions

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reverseblackholeofwords · 7 years ago

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Ours to Choose (pt. 10)

Part 9

“Damien Goldhart, this town’s youngest mayor, and most promising, as well,” Mark adds, slinging an arm around Damien’s shoulders. “Pity the news had to come at such a depressing time, am I right?”

They’re both dressed in black along with Celine who is sitting with Mark’s mother, handing her a handkerchief. Damien nods, glancing again at the casket. “Your father was a good man.”

“Better than I’ll ever be,” Mark says with finality. “Say, you… haven’t heard from ole Colonel, have you? I wouldn’t be surprised if dear old Dad left him a portion of the estate.”

Damien shakes his head. “No, he’s off on another hunting trip to Africa, but he promised to be back in time for the wedding.”

“He never talks to me anymore, not really, ever since his falling out with my father.” Mark twists his gloves in his hands, wrinkling them hopelessly.

“You never did tell me what happened that night,” Damien says softly as another person tosses a bundle of flowers into the grave. “What did they argue over?”

Mark sighs and glances up as a flock of geese fly overhead through the gray sky. “Father wanted Will to go into a more ‘respectable’ line of work than journalism, you know lawyering or something like that, but Will wouldn’t have it. So Father said, if he felt so very strongly about becoming a reporter, he could pay his own way through university, but you and I both know Will hasn’t worked a day in his life.”

Damien’s brow furrows. “Didn’t his father leave him anything? I know he was only the head butler, but surely he had saved something for his son.”

“No, I’m afraid he spoiled Will when he was alive far too much to have anything left over from him when he died. The only thing that saved Will from an orphanage was that Father was so very fond of Mr. Wilford. He agreed to treat Will just like his own son.” Mark sets his jaw. “Just like me.”

Damien has always known of the tenuous relationship the Colonel had with Mark’s family, and if it weren’t for the fact that they were best friends, he would often wonder if Mark and Will liked each other at all. “So he chose to join the military instead. I think that’s what you might call cutting off your own nose to spite your face…”

Mark laughs, and that earns him a few stares from those nearby, and while Damien ducks his head, Mark doesn’t even acknowledge them. “That’s William for you. Headstrong and habitually self-destructive.”

Damien sighs and shakes his head. “That’s what concerns me with these trips to Africa, leading people around through the jungles. He’s bound to have some sort of accident eventually. I’m so afraid he’ll come home mauled, or in a box, or not at all.” He brushes a strand of hair back as the wind whips through the remaining crowd gathered around the graveside. “Couldn’t you talk to him about it? Knock some sense into that thick skull of his?”

“Damien, if you can’t convince him to stay, no one can,” Mark announces, turning to his mother and Celine. “Why don’t we get out of this wind before you catch a cold, Mother?” He helps her up and walks her over to their car while Damien falls into step with Celine.

“How are the wedding plans coming?” he asks after a moment of silence passes.

“Don’t,” Celine hisses. “Don’t you use that baby-kissing tone with me, Mayor Damien.”

“I was just trying to make polite conversation with my sister. You don’t have to assume the worst of me,” Damien says with a sigh.

Celine shrugs. “It’s going as well as can be expected. Better now, really, that we know Mark will soon have his inheritance.”

Damien glares at her suddenly and hisses, “Celine! You can’t mean that!”

She smiles and waves him off. “Of course not, I’m only teasing.” But something in her eyes tells him otherwise. Damien takes a deep breath, thinking. “Don’t deliberate quite so loudly, Dames. You know I can always tell when you’re conflicted, so go ahead, ask me.”

“Why are you marrying Mark?” Damien asks quickly before he can decide to take it back.

Celine tilts her head to the side slightly. “Because he loves me, because he always took care of you when I couldn’t, and because I love him. There, does that put your loud little mind at ease?”

Damien watches Mark help his mother into the car and sighs. “Celine, I can never tell when you’re lying to me anymore.” Finally she stops and meets his gaze with her own.

“Why, Damien,” she says with a smile, her most convincing and sweet smile, “why would I ever need to lie to you?”

#mayor damien #the seer celine #markiplier #the colonel #wilford warfstache #otc #otc part 10

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fans-of-fiction · 7 years ago

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Birds Don’t Float, They Fly - Stanley Uris x Reader(IT)

This is honestly the best shit I’ve ever written. Not to sound pretentious, but for once I’m proud. ok enjoy <3

Prompt - Stan’s loved you since you saved him from Bowers, but he was never able to tell you until Stan and the Losers have a brush with It. You’re the only one who can calm Stanley down after he’s attacked, giving him the chance to express his feelings.

Warnings - Swearing (you know, Richie), sex references (that trashmouth),

A/N - Told from Stan’s POV. There’s a flashback in the timeline. Italics = Internal Thought. ‘Italics+Quotes = Past Quote.’ You’re a part of the Losers Club, hun. <3

Words ~ 5341

Summer 1989

The wind whipped past my ears and pulled at my button-up as we⎯minus Bill⎯biked to Neibolt. My feet were spinning around the gears of my bike faster than I would have liked, but I told myself it didn’t matter if Bill was going to hurt himself trying to fight this imaginary monster. We all turned down Neibolt Street like a flock of Geese that began migrating too late in the season, flying with speed for fear of what would happen if we stayed where we were.

Arriving at the withering building, Beverly spotted Bill walking up the front steps and began to yell for him. “Bill! Bill, you can’t go in there alone!” She skidded her bike to a halt, hopped off, and let it hit the street with a metallic clank.

I stopped my bike, got off quickly, and threw the kickstand down. As soon as I looked up from the pavement my eyes locked with Y/N’s and for a second I forgot about the dark threat of the house. I’d fight any made-up monster if it gave me the fucking courage to ask her out. I wish I had done it the first day I met her, but Bowers had made me feel like such a pussy that I don’t think I’d be able to give Bush the time of day.

Spring 1989

School had just let out so the hallways were empty, but somehow I managed to walk down the same one with Henry and his goons. In every other situation, I would have walked away, but Victor Criss had found a dead robin outside and those assholes were kicking it around with their engineer boots. I wanted so badly to turn and leave but Belch Huggins had delivered a kick so nasty I had felt it in my own gut.

“Hey! Leave the bird alone!” I squawked loudly enough to interrupt their laughter. The words hung in the air, unbelonging, like a burp in a silent Bar Mitzvah.

Henry turned to me with a look in his eyes that screamed he was in the mood to break something bigger than a bird and he yelled with such ferocity it was nearly a screech. “You wanna take its place, fucker? Want us to kick you around instead?” Belch and Victor laughed at Henry’s witty slap, but I wasn’t laughing. I could already feel the sweat dripping down the back of my neck. They were maybe forty feet away. If I run now, I thought. Maybe I’ll have a chance.

So without wasting any time I turned and bolted, sprinting down the hallway with two thoughts in my head. Don’t get caught by Henry and Fuck, my lungs hurt. Is this how Eddie feels? I ran as fast as my feet would carry me, ducking down hallways. With one hand on my kippah, I turned around a corner, hoping that the soles of my shoes held up, which they did. They carried me around the corner but not the girl carrying her books. I managed to crash right into her. Books flew and folders opened, dumping papers everywhere as she threw her arms up in surprise and discontent.

“What the-” She yelled angrily, staring down at what was once in her hands. She looked up at me and our eyes locked, giving her time to survey my terrified expression and finish her complaint. “What the fuck, dude.” She said, slightly softer, less angry. “Who are you running from, bolting down the hallway like that?”

As if they heard her ask, Bowers’ footsteps grew louder. “Come here you Jewish freak!” Belch Huggins yelled. I turned around expecting to see Bowers. Suddenly it was as if someone pressed the fast-forward on my life. Everything sped up and I knew that if I got caught I’d be dead meat, but something stopped me from running.

I turned back to the girl, not wanting to leave her with the mess I made, but when I looked at her again, any trace of anger had fled from her face. Instead, it was a look of pity, with an almost unnoticeable undertone of fear. “Bowers?” She asked quickly, but quietly. I nodded. She looked behind me, behind herself, and then to her left before talking again. “Get in a locker.” She could see that I was confused, so taking my hand in hers she pulled me to the lockers. “If you trust me, you’ll get in and you’ll stay quiet.”

She let go of my hand as I got in. I felt a sudden emptiness below my wrist as if she took my own hand with hers before closing the door. I could see through the slits in the metal that she quickly knelt beside her papers, just in time for Henry to nearly run her over. All three of them came close to taking a tumble but they managed to stop and simply stare at the mess.

“Jesus, Bowers,” She spoke, but the voice wasn’t hers. At least not the one that I knew. She sounded so full of confidence and typical disgust that if I had my eyes closed I would have assumed it was Greta Bowie. “Late for your tea party?”

Victor scoffed. Belch giggled. Henry glared. “Where’d he go?”

“Where’d who go, Henry? Your boyfriend?” Henry stepped forward onto one of her papers and began to talk but Y/N put one hand flat on his chest and pushed him back slowly. I was taken aback by her courage. It was like I’d been looking at Y/N in the dark and someone just threw open the blinds. I saw how her face curved and how her hair flowed. All of a sudden I wanted nothing more than to throw open the locker door, grab her by the waist, and pull her in close, but the gang was still there, so I was still trapped.

Victor and Belch began to look agitated, like Henry was fanning the embers under their asses. “We’re looking for Stanley Urine.” Victor squeaked. I winced at the mocking name. They’d been using it since the third grade. I didn’t want Y/N to know me as Stanley Urine, the cowering boy she shoved in a locker. No, not like that. “Real ugly, Boy-Scout lookin’ thing. Seen Him?”

Y/N’s voiced adopted a fresh tone of shock. “Wait,” She held her hand up above her head, palm down. “‘Bout this tall, pressed shorts, curly hair, running like a maniac?” I furrowed my brows in confusion. What was she doing? All three stared at her with reignited rage bubbling in their veins. They nodded their heads furiously. “That asshole came barreling around the corner, knocked my books out of my hands, then took off.” Suddenly it made sense. She was playing them like harp strings.

Belch spoke first. “Where the fuck did he go then?!”

Y/N raised a pointed finger and directed their attention to the exit doors twenty feet in front of her, in behind them. “He skid out those doors. Looked like he was heading for the East field. Playground maybe.”

Without saying another word the bullies took off. Before throwing open the doors, Victor turned to Henry and yelled too loudly for his own good, “That’s the one you like, Henry?” Who only retaliated by giving him a swift kick in the ass before grinding up the dirt of the east field.

Y/N stuck her tongue out and made a retching sound before walking over and opening the locker I was in. I must’ve looked pathetic cause she let a little chuckle echo through her nose. “Sorry I called you an asshole. I had to play into it.” She was being genuine. For a second I wondered why she bothered to help me at all, but she brought me back to reality with her soft, calm voice. A voice too calm for someone who just went toe-to-toe with Bowers. “It’s Stanley, right?”

I chuckled and managed to talk. “Yeah, Stanley Uris. But my friends call me Stan.”

Y/N smiled. “I’d love to hold that honor, Stan.” She laughed. “But I knew it couldn’t have been Urine.”

That time we laughed together, then I noticed her books and papers were still scattered. “Here,” I offered, kneeling. “Let me get these for you.” I expected her to stand while I handed her papers, but she knelt down beside me. Occasionally we would reach for the same paper and our arms would brush⎯Y/N, I thought⎯ or we would look up at the same time and lock eyes⎯Y/N Uris, I thought.

We had collected everything and stood up in unison before Y/N spoke again. “Thanks for helping me collect my things.” She said quietly, almost bashfully. Was she being shy? In front of me? But not Bowers? You’re so confusing, I thought. I think I’m in love. “Well, I guess I should head on my way then.” She said, softer this time. As if she didn’t want to say it at all.

“Oh,” I choked. “Yeah, me too.” We both nodded but remained stationary, neither willing to move away. Even if you can’t ask her out, don’t let her go, Stupid. “Actually,” I said with the last sliver of pride I had after that fiasco. “I’m going to meet my friends in the barrens. If you have nothing better to do, I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

Y/N smiled so hard her eyes crinkled. “I’d love to, Stan.”

So we walked to the West entrance, away from Bowers and his goons. I flicked up the kickstand of my bike and with Y/N sitting on the handlebars, we were off to meet the losers.

We found the group in the usual spot and I explained what happened at the school. Most of the story was made up of Richie’s commentary, but everyone fell silent when I told them how Y/N handled Bowers

Bill spoke first. “Wuh-well, it’s n-nice to m-m-meet you, Y/N.” He stuttered.

“Mhmm, it’ll be nice to have another girl in the group.” Beverly joked, elbowing Eddie, who continued to stare.

“Yeah,” Ritchie pulled his glasses from his face and wiped the condensation off on his shirt, looking Y/N up and down. “I agree.”

Y/N was beginning to blush, but something Beverly said stuck out in my head. “In the group?” I repeated. “You mean, you guys are cool if she-”

“Joins the Losers Club?” Mike interrupted. “Please do.”

The Losers murmured in agreement and Y/N smiled. It was one of the wide ones that made her eyes crinkle.

And so we were eight.

Summer 1989

“Stan, would you stop staring at Y/N and come grab a stick?”

I turned to Eddie, my eyebrows furrowed in frustration, my cheeks red in embarrassment. He matched my expression and then threw up his eyebrows, as if to say “Yeah, Stan. I can do that too. Now get over here.” I turned to Y/N. She smiled and shook her head before walking past me to the huddled group of losers.

Mike had found and cut eight tiny sticks, all at different lengths. “Everyone chooses a stick. Longest stick stays watch. Deal?” Everyone nodded and murmured mhmm.

Richie was the first to draw. The twig he drew was about the length of his pinkie. “Fuck.” He mumbled as he turned his head to the house. He looked up at it as if the dark, solemn house was a librarian, peering over his shoulder to find him drawing dicks on the cover of Lord of the Flies. Richie shook his head. “Man, I can’t believe I pulled the short straw. You guys are lucky you’re not measuring dicks.”

“Shu-sh-shut up, Richie.” Bill stuttered.

Y/N chuckled and everyone’s heads turned. We stared because for the first time in forever, laughter felt foreign. None of us had laughed in so long. Too long. We were all so intimidated by what may or may not lie in that dead house that we forgot to have fun. Isn’t that what summer’s all about? Having fun?

Y/N noticed everyone’s eyes and promptly figured out why they were staring. “You guys know what?” She said, boldly, in her Greta Bowie voice. “I’m not scared of this house. I feel the same way about going into this house as I feel about doing homework. Sure it’s daunting, but only cause I have no clue what the fuck’s going on. But once it’s done, I can enjoy my summer. And that’s what I intend to do.” She reached towards the small bundle in Mike’s hand and pulled out a twig. It was half the size of her forearm.

“That’s the longest one,” Mike said. Half appalled, half annoyed.

“Well, fuck.” She mumbled. I chuckled. It felt odd, like a forced burp, but I chuckled. Then I laughed. Y/N looked at me and began to laugh too. Then Richie. And Beverly. And suddenly the losers were laughing. All of us were laughing in the dead brush of the Neibolt property, totally forgetting any burden we carried. We felt like kids again.

Though none of us were passionate about running into crackhead houses, but we could now all agree that we’d be happy to go in together. Ben took a deep breath. “I guess that settles it. Y/N stays watch, the rest of us go in.”

The group nodded, and though the mystery contents of Neibolt should have been my priority, I couldn’t take my eyes off Y/N. Even in the face of death, I thought. She’s just so stunning.

Death. The word tumbled around in my head like a brick in a dryer, before I clenched my fists and pushed it out. There is no monster in that house, I assured myself. No death. No need to worry, Stan. Don’t be fucking stupid. With a deep breath and another glance at Y/N, I took up the front steps of Neibolt, leading the losers.

“You go, Stanley the Manly.” Richie chirped smugly. “Let’s go fight Count Chocula.”

I turned around, unable to leave Richie uncorrected. “We’re not going to fight anything, Richie. We’re going to prove that there is no monster.”

Richie only chuckled and put on a British accent. “Right sir, good ‘ol chap. Let us go. Pip pip cheerio.”

I put my hand on the cold doorknob, twisted, and opened the casket on fear.

Neibolt smelt damp and dark, as if the cellar grew and consumed the whole house. The dust on the windows tinted the sun orange, so that what little light made it through illuminated the floor in a warm, dead glow that resembled a rotting pumpkin.

The group of losers was the only source of heat in the house. “I feel like this place is sucking out my soul,” Eddie said quietly, as if he was afraid something would hear him.

“Are you saying you would rather have it suck your-“

“Richie!” Eddie yelped, only no one laughed this time. Eddie was right. There was something about this house. Something dark.

I clenched my fists again. Don’t be stupid, Stan. Something like that isn’t empirically possible. But then I heard it. It sounded low and soft, like a woman humming a sick child to sleep. The humming flowed through the air and into my soul, so that it no longer sounded like humming. It was my mother shouting my name. It was my scout leader calling us in. It was Ms.Douglas, a curled finger pointing at my chest, commanding a solution out of me, and I had no choice but to answer.

I followed the sound as if it was a trail of candy and I was a little child lost in the woods. Any traces of my friends were blurred in my mind by the filter of pure and simple curiosity. I trailed out of the foyer and down a long hallway before I lost the sound entirely. I turned my head, spinning in circles trying to pinpoint the tune, but it was gone. It wasn’t until I spun to face the way I came before I heard the creaking. I turned to face the door again. The creaks and groans sounded unnatural, fake, as if they were playing through an old walkman. But then the knob began to turn.

It spun to the left, then to the right before making a final full turn to the left. It’s Richie. My brain exclaimed, unaccepting of what it what seeing and hearing. This isn’t real. It’s just Richie. It’s a prank. It’s not real, Stan. It’s not-

The door made a sound that resembled a dying cat as the old bolts wailed together, struggling to hold up the ancient wooden door as it swung open slowly, regretfully. As if the door knew it was releasing something bad. Something evil.

You’re being stupid. There’s no evil. My thoughts cried. Stand your ground, Stanley. Be a man.

The door stopped opening. No light shone through. The room that lay beyond the door was dark and draining. ‘I feel like this place is sucking out my soul.’ Eddie had said. All I could do was agree with him, though I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to agree with Eddie, because admitting that this hell-hole was draining the life out of me was admitting that I was scared.

Turning away from the open door, I began took a quick step down the hall before I saw her. Y/N. Standing at the end of the scuffed, peeling floorboards. She was standing still, looking at me as if she were scared. Seeing her in here made me feel worse than any evil could. Imagining that this house could bring her pain opened up a black pit deep in my stomach, allowing a red-hot ache to flow over my insides. If this dark, decrepit house even dared to bring her fear, I’d burn the whole thing down.

“Y/N?” I called quietly, concern bleeding through my fake confidence. “Y/N aren’t you supposed to be on watch?”

“I couldn’t stay there, Stan.” She cooed. “Not without you.” I was so distracted by her silky voice that I almost didn’t notice how unnatural she sounded. Her voice resembled the creaks and groans. Fake. Not real. But like the humming, it was enticing. Moving towards Y/N was like moving towards road-kill. If you really valued your peace of mind, then you would stay away…but in the end, curiosity grabs you by the balls, and you do anything but stay away.

“Why would you want to come in here?” I joked in an effort to mask my own fear. “This garbage dump is the last place I’d want to be.”

She took a step closer to me. She was so close that I could smell her shampoo. I could have kissed her if curiosity would give me my manhood back. “It’s no dump if you’re here, Stan.” She was practically singing, and I didn’t mind.

“Ha, uh. Yeah.” I mumbled. “Did someone take your place? I’d hate if the police found us snooping around-”

“We don’t have to worry about adults, Stanley.” She interrupted. She wasn’t singing now. She was nearly whispering through her teeth. She put one hand on the back of my neck, the other under my arm placing it flat on my back, pulling me in. “No one’ll find us here, Stanley. No one. We won’t be found, Stanley. No no no.”

She trailed off as she rested her head on my shoulder, but with each sentence she sounded less and less real. It was as if her voice were coming through the radio and someone was slowly turning the dial to the static grey area in between stations. The feeling of worry began to bleed through the admiration. Y/N was no longer a source of heat. I could feel her change in my arms. She became the same dark emptiness that was draining Eddie. Draining me. Draining all of us. Y/N became Neibolt.

I quickly tried to pull away, but Y/N tightened her grip. Her arms were clamped around me, unyielding and ungiving. She spoke again but there was no music left in her voice, no tune, no hum. It was all static. All darkness. “We don’t need to leave Stan. We can stay. We can float. We’ll all float. We’ll all float!”

I yelped and squirmed and twisted in her grip. The sweat that made its way through my button-up made me just slippery enough. I gave one final twist, working my arms under hers. I ducked my head and pushed her back, throwing her off.

No. No, it wasn’t her. The carcass that stood in front of me wasn’t Y/N. It looked like her. Exactly like her. Except her eyes were glazed over, frosted like a sheet of ice over a dead animal. The skin on her face wasn’t radiating her characteristic glow, it was grey, dead, peeling from her face like sheets of slush off a poorly shingled roof. There was no life in her chest. Instead, her missing sternum revealed her open ribcage where black, rotten organs resigned. They looked like vegetables my mother had once left on the front steps. Our cat had gone missing, but my mother figured that if she offered food and wished hard enough, it would come back. But the cat never did, and instead, the vegetables rotted and turned black and mushy, leaving a stain of failure in front of our house.

It was only looking down at my hands that I noticed the blood and chest tissue that covered my fingers. I screamed and kept screaming. I couldn’t stop forcing the sound out. I screamed so hard that my diaphragm hurt. I figured the force and the stench of Y/N’s rotting corpse would make me puke, but somehow I kept it down. I wouldn’t have cared if I puked. I could have thrown up a kidney and I wouldn’t care, because all I could see was Y/N. It was her voice I heard. It was her corpse I saw. It was her blood that coated my hands, and it was real. It was all real.

I stared and screamed some more. I could hear the losers yelling but it was all so distant. Y/N was so close. So close and so real. So real. “Come float with me. Won’t you, Stanley?” She whispered. She was quiet, so quiet, but her voice was a shriek.

And so was mine. I screamed, one final time, and then the world went black.

When I woke up everything was shaking. Bobbing? I turned my head to find Mike’s chest. I glanced at my feet and found Ben and Beverly, each with a leg in their arms. The losers were carrying me.

“Hu-hey, g-g-guys!” Bill managed to squawk. “S-Stan’s awake! P-Put him d-down on the g-guh-grass.”

I felt them put me down on the grass. It tickled the back of my neck but I didn’t care. I looked straight up at the sky. The sun stabbed at my eyes, but it also warmed my face. It made me feel warm. Alive. She’s not alive anymore, my head screamed. I think Eddie asked me a question. He was muttering something about concussions, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t give two shits. Y/N was dead. She was my cat. Gone.

When I closed my eyes I could still see her hair, glowing under the fluorescents that illuminated her and Bower’s gang. I could still feel her warmth and smell her perfume and I remembered that one Friday night in June. The losers were having a sleepover, but I had a nightmare. One that I can’t even remember now, but it shook me to the point of tears. Y/N had woken me up and pulled my head softly into her chest. “It’s okay, Stan.” She cooed, as if I was an injured baby bird. “It was only a nightmare, Stan. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real, Stanley.”

If I listened hard enough I could still hear her voice. ‘Stan.’ I could hear her call. ‘Stan. Stanley.’ “Stanley!” Suddenly I opened my eyes. “Stanley open your eyes. Oh! Stan look at me. Look at me, Stan.” My eyes were frantic. It took a few seconds for my brain to process what I was seeing. It was Y/N, standing above me. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. “Stan? Stan! Holy shit I thought you were over the hedge! What happened in there?”

She wasn’t real. She couldn’t be real. Her blood, Stan. The blood. That was real. I sat up, screamed and pushed myself back. It wasn’t Y/N. It couldn’t be Y/N. I stared at her. I stared and stared, expecting her to die in front of me again. The static spun around and around in my head like a demonic merry-go-round. ‘We’ll all float. We’ll all float.’ “We’ll all float,” I muttered.

Y/N looked so concerned. If that was even Y/N. Could it be? Was there any empirical way? “Stan, what-”

“You said we were all going to float.” I wheezed. “You’re dead, Y/N. You were dead.”

Ben stepped forward. “Stan, what do you mean?” I turned my head and stared at him. I was frantic and he must have seen it because he looked down at me with pity.

Beverly put a hand on his shoulder. “Y/N never came inside until you screamed, Stanley. By the time she got to you, you were unconscious.” Some of the losers nodded, the others murmured mhmm’s.

I turned back to Y/N. More tears trailed down her cheeks, wetting the canals that led to her chin and down her neck. She stretched a hand out. I didn’t take it. I couldn’t take it. My world was upside down. “That’s impossible.” I croaked. She took her hand back. “That’s not possible. You were-” I could feel the tears welling up my eyes. They started to trickle down my hot cheeks. “You were dead, Y/N. I felt you in my arms. Your eyes, your face, your-your-” I stared down at my hands. They weren’t clean on account of all the dirt, but there was no blood. No stains. No trace of Y/N. I started to cry harder. I looked up at her again, my eyes cloudy with water. It was as if I was looking at her through the bottom of a coke bottle.

The tears had stopped falling down her cheeks when she knelt beside me. She extended her hand out again. Palm up, as if offering something. A little sanity maybe. “Feel my hand, Stan.” I kept looking at her. I blinked tears out of my eyes so I could see her fully. Clearly. I looked at her hand. I was so reluctant. I was scared that if I felt her hand the skin would peel off and It would happen all over again, but there was something about her now. There was no static in her voice. It wasn’t tainted with a hum either. It was just her. It was Y/N. Could it be Y/N? It had to be. I think.

It was the uncertainty that was rotting inside me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know. I had always known before this. Before Neibolt. Before It. I knew how to treat Poison Ivy. I knew not to fuck with Henry Bowers. I knew I was in love with Y/N. But now I didn’t know if she was even real anymore. I didn’t know if what I was seeing was real. I didn’t know if I should cry tears of joy because she was alive or cry myself into madness because she was worm-food. I didn’t know. I had to know. I had to find out, so I took her hand.

It was warm and inviting. It was real. This was real. This. Y/N smiled. That was real. She offered her other hand. I took it. That was real. Real. Real real real. She was real. It was almost too good to be true. “But you said we were going to float, Y/N. You were in there. I couldn’t have imagined it, Y/N. It was so-”

“Real?” She let out a chuckle. It was out of place but I didn’t argue with it. “All of our nightmares feel real until we wake up, but you’re awake now, Stan, so good morning. It’s 92 degrees in sunny Derry, Maine. A great day to go biking with friends and forget about death houses.”

I chuckled. She always knew how to make me forget what I needed to forget. Forget things like evil houses. Death houses. Dead dead houses. She was dead. “You were dead,” I mumbled. The panic was beginning to bubble violently now. It was sloshing over my bearable limit, over the rim of the pot of my life. “We’re gonna die.” I choked. “We’re all going to float. We’re gonna-”

The words stopped. They wouldn’t come out. I heard Richie make a gagging sound, but it was distant and I was distracted by Y/N anyway. She was close. So close I could have-

I knew why the words wouldn’t come out. Y/N had grabbed me by the collar and pulled me in. Her lips were locked to mine. I could smell her shampoo, her perfume, her chapstick. I could feel her warmth. I could feel her nose against mine. I could see that her eyes were closed. She meant this. She was real and she meant this. So real.

She pulled away and her eyes fluttered open. Those stunning eyes. They weren’t dead. They weren’t iced over like dead-meat in a freezer. They were as vibrant as ever and they drew me in. I was in such a trance that I almost didn’t notice her speak. Her voice was a sweet melody that reminded you of a warm summer day, just like this one.

“We won’t float, Stan. Never. You, me, the losers. We’re birds, Stan. Birds don’t float, they fly.” Y/N stood up. Taking my hand in hers, pulling me up off the dead acidic soil. “So how about we fly?”

I smiled. It was a genuine smile. Y/N had rekindled the fire. My heart burns there too. “You’re right.” I walked over to my bike, the losers watching me carefully. I kicked up the kickstand, threw my leg over, and checked my watch. “Ice-cream shop’s still open.”

The Losers club erupted in cheer. Ben ran to his bike and hopped on with surprising agility. Everyone else jogged to their bikes, pulled them up off the road, and got ready to take off. Everyone except Y/N, who walked slowly over to my bike. She stood bashfully beside me. I was close enough to kiss her. She spoke very quietly. “I’m sorry if that back there was…um. Well if it was-”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, finally managing to cherish the kiss now that I wasn’t half dead myself. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first day I met you.”

Y/N chuckled bashfully. “I know.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek. Softly but surely. “Me too.” We both smiled at each other before she leaned in close again, only this time she didn’t kiss me. She only whispered in my ear. “Race you to the Ice-cream shop.” and with uncanny speed she hopped on her bike and sped off, the two of us leading the Losers Club in a mad dash on wheels. We forgot all about Neibolt speeding down that street, Bill triumphantly yelling “Hi-ho, Silver. Away!”

And down Neibolt street, through Derry, away from all the fear and the pain… we flew.

I love you all with my life and I want you to know that the IT imagines aren’t stopping here!

Peace out girl-scouts!

Love, E

(fans-of-fiction)

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sarahjane0886 · 7 years ago

Text

Begin Again 2

2. "Woof, woof." The sound of the dog barking startled Peta from her current state. After setting Lottie up, She had gotten into unpacking mode and had been able to empty about 10 boxes. Their living room was starting to look less like a warehouse and more like a home. "Momma! See puppy!" Lottie said as she abandoned her cartoon and ran to the door. "Baby, we can't go see the puppy." Peta said as she looked down at herself and realized just how gross she was. And on top of that she wasn't sure she could spend time with Maks without that feeling coming back again. "Momma! Yessssss!" She said as her lip started to tremble immediately. Peta groaned and looked at the window. Not that she gave into Charlotte all the time however in the span of the past 3 months, she had lost her father, her grandparents went away, and now they moved away from everything that was familiar to her. Peta was trying to compensate in some areas especially while they both adjusted to the move. She had additionally played quite well all afternoon while Peta emptied box after box of their lives. "Baby, can't we go see the puppy another day? We'll get pizza and you and momma can have a cuddle night?" "No, puppy, woof." She said pouting as she leaned against the screen door not even looking back at Peta. "What if we just go say hi?" Peta attempted to compromise even though she knew this was going to be pointless. Charlotte was smart but she was still just two. She couldn't expect her to grasp the "just say hi" thing. "Walk, puppy, ducks." Lottie said with her hands on her hips. Peta groaned internally. She knew that stance, it was her own stance. It was her don't push me on this stance. "Come on." Peta said scooping her up. She partially prayed that Maks and Louis were already past where they could go with them however she could still hear Louis so she knew that wasn't going to be the case. "Hi you two." Maks said as soon as they came out of the house. "Aks! Ewis!" Lottie clapped in excitement. Her mood immediately changing. She squirmed to get out of Peta's arms. She put her down since Maks was at the end of the front yard. She instinctively knew that he wouldn't let her go any further. Not that Lottie would go further since her end game was right there. "Hi Miss Charlotte." Maks said bending down to greet her. Louis helped as well by greeting Lottie with kisses and puppy licks. "Ewwwww!" She shrieked in giggles as she scurried back to Peta. "Save me momma!" "I gotcha sweetheart. I'll save you." Peta scooped her up and held her close as Lottie giggled and buried into her mother's neck peeking out at Maks in the meantime. After a few moments she squirmed to be back down on the ground which Peta granted. "No licks." Charlotte said holding her hand out to Louis, who immediately tried to lick her. She huffed and pulled her hand back. "He just thinks you taste good." Maks teased. "Feed ducks?" Lottie asked immediately changing the subject. "Are you and momma coming on our walk?" Maks asked looking at Peta. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a temper tantrum on my hands if I tell her no." Peta said softly not completely looking at Maks. "You may need shoes first...." Maks teased trying to settle her some. He could tell she wasn't too keen on the walk idea. Peta looked at him perplexed but then realized that neither of them were wearing shoes. She groaned for what felt like the 100th time in the past five minutes. "Lottie baby, can you come with Momma to get shoes, then we'll walk?" "Tay with Ewwis?" She asked sweetly. "Baby, I can't leave you out here." Peta said. "I can....if you're...." Maks stumbled through his words as watched his new neighbor. Peta looked between the two of them almost realizing that although she had only known this man for less than 8 hours, she needed to trust him if even just a little bit to assist her. She didn't know anyone else here and support would come in handy eventually. "Lottie, you stay right here with Mr. Maks. And you listen." "Tay momma. Lily too?" Lottie asked moving a little closer to Maks. "I'll get Lily...and a....crap, dinner." Peta said groaning. "Do you guys do P-I-Z-Z-A?" "We do, I'm allergic to nuts though so I have to be careful with that." "Well if it's alright, if you guys did come with me, I was planning on offering to show you around the town a bit. I usually stay away from the main strip but we can walk down to the river and then come back that way so you can see what's around. And there's a parlor on our way that does amazing pies and they are allergy sensitive." Maks rambled slightly. "We can't take over your whole night." "You're not, trust me. It's just me and Louis. And we actually didn't, or well I didn't, eat dinner yet either. So it's nothing to stop. They actually have a little patio where we can sit." "What about Louis?" "The town is quite pet friendly. He'll be fine to sit with us on the patio." "Are you sure?" Peta asked skeptically. "Positive. Go, shoes and Lily? I'll keep an eye on her." Maks said nodding to Lottie who was giggling as she kept trying to sneak in pets to Louis while attempting to avoid his tongue. "Thank you. I'll be quick." Peta said before shooting into the house. She grabbed shoes for both of them and managed to locate the backpack they had used on the plane. She threw in a jacket, Lottie's blanket, some snacks and a water bottle. She wiped her arms, legs, and face off before changing out of the dirty, dusty shirt she had been unpacking in. She grabbed the iPad on the way out and shoved that in the bag as well. "Momma!" Lottie said excitedly as she saw her mother. Peta grinned at the two year old. She was so happy and full of excitement. "Hi baby, did you listen to Mr. Maks?" "Yes she did. She even helped me hold Louis's leash." Maks said with a wink. Peta sat down and put Lottie's shoes on before standing up and taking her hand. "Ready." She said softly, her eyes catching Maks's. "We don't have to go." He said seeing the hesitation in her. He didn't know her story or what was going on but he felt compelled to protect her and the little pipsqueak between them. Even if that meant giving up time with them. "No, we do. She'll lose it if we don't. I don't spoil her but.....well........." Peta trailed off. She didn't want Maks to thing that she cowered to the two year olds every request. "I get it. You're in the midst of a move, I would do the same thing. And some things aren't worth fighting." "Right." Peta said as they started off. The walk was initially quiet with the exception of Lottie's ramblings between the two about all the things she was seeing. "So where did you guys move from? Wait, I just want to put it out there that anything I ask or say, you can tell me to stop. I just figure if we're neighbors we might as well be there for each other but I also understand if you don't want that. Or well not there for each other. That sounds presumptuous but friends. Acquaintances. Whatever. Do you get what I'm saying?" He was met with the sound of Peta's giggles which were like music to his ears. "I get it. And I agree. Trust me though, you'll know if I don't want to answer something. I'm quite stubborn, fair warning." Peta said with a small grin. "Me too. We'll be good friends then. At least we'll both understand the other's view. But so where did you move from?" "California." Peta said quietly. "Whoa. That's far, how did you end up here?" "Well, I needed the distance. Somewhere new for the both of us. And the company that I work for, has a branch out here so they agreed to transfer me and it was a done deal. They actually helped me find the house and helped with relocation costs." "What do you do?" "I'm in accounts receivable for a shipping company that does shipping for different countries." "Fancy. Although that doesn't seem like you. I feel like you'd be more of an active person." "Well, I....nevermind." She trailed off and Maks got the hint that she was over her side of sharing. He wanted to respect that. "Lottie, we're almost to the park. You ready to see if we can find ducks?" Maks asked. "I thought there weren't...." Peta trailed off. "There usually isn't but sometimes they are far out in the lake. I figure at best we can see them. She may not be able to feed them today though." "Oh, that makes sense. Wait, we don't..." "They have feeder stations with bird food. I figured if there were some there, we could just use that. Most people who live here take bread or crackers but they do have the feeder option there." "Oh. Okay. You got this all figured out." Peta stated sheepishly. "We walk every night. As long as I've been here and well as long as I've had him. So, not to be presumptuous but you both are always welcome. Saturdays and Sundays I do tend to go earlier in the day which is when the ducks are close." Maks explained watching her out of the corner of his eye. "Thank you. I don't know how it will work when I start working but I'm sure Lottie would love doing this sometimes." "Anytime." Maks said smiling as they entered the park. "Ducks?" Lottie asked looking up at Maks. "We have to go by the water. They might be far away though okay?" "No feed?" "We'll see. We may just have to tell them hi." "Pet baby ducks?" She asked and Peta knew what she was thinking of. "Uhh....." Maks trailed off looking at Peta for assistance. "There was a duck family near the pond where we lived. My husband would take her all the time to feed them. At one point there was 6 ducklings and they were so used to us that they would come right over to her and she could pet them. I think she's asking if there will be babies here. Right Lottie, you want to know if you'll see baby ducks?" "Yes. See babies." She said stopping and holding her hands up for Peta who scooped her up and settled her on her hip. "I don't know if there are babies here are not miss. We'll have to look. I know there's big ducks and then geese sometimes." Maks explained as they made it to the water. "Ducks!" Lottie yelled quickly startling both Peta and Maks. They both looked and near the edge of the water, there were about 6 ducks standing there. There weren't any babies however, Maks was just shocked that there were actual ducks there. "That is the ducks sugar." Peta said smiling at Lottie's excitement. "Aks! Ducks!" Lottie said reaching for him, throwing both him and Peta off for a second. Maks easily accepted Lottie and Peta took over Louis's leash. "Let's go get you some duck food. If that's okay with Momma?" Maks said looking at Peta to see if that was okay. "Yeah, here, you said you need quarters?" Peta said reaching for the backpack. "My treat. It's my fault you're here and I have a good feeling you're going to be here way more frequently. The feeder is right there, we'll be right back." Maks said pointing to the bubble gum machine looking contraption and scurrying off before Peta could protest. "Louis, do you like ducks?" Peta muttered to the dog as he tried to get closer to the water. Maks and Lottie returned quickly, Maks with a cup full of bird food and Lottie with the biggest grin ever. "Momma! Feed Ducks!" She said clapping. Maks chuckled and nodded for Peta to follow the two. "You are going to feed the ducks baby. Be easy remember?" Peta reminded as she and Louis followed behind. "Kayyyy. Aks help me!" She said looking at Maks and Peta could already see the bond that was already forming on Lottie's end. Ever since Ollie passed, she hadn't had much male presence in her life. However, prior to his passing, she had spent countless hours with her father. Then after Ollie passed both Peta's parents and Ollie's parents had stuck around to help for a month. Lottie had gotten lots of grandfather time too. Peta knew even at her young age, she was already needing to fill that missing father void especially because she didn't know why exactly she no longer had that. "I'll help you little miss." He said with a grin checking back to Peta to make sure it was okay. He could sense that this could potentially be a problem area with Lottie gluing to him however he still felt this normalcy with the situation. Peta nodded her head letting him know it was okay. They spent the next 45 minutes feeding the ducks and letting Lottie and Louis run around and burn off some steam. Maks showed Peta where the playground was for the future if she ever brought Lottie alone. "Momma." Lottie whined as she appeared next to Peta's feet. She and Louis had been running around and playing while Maks and Peta watched on. "What's wrong baby? Are you hungry?" Peta said knowingly. She leaned down and scooped her munchkin up. She saw that it was 7:16 which was quite past their normal dinner time. "Do we want to head to pizza?" Maks said calling Louis over to him. "Yeah, she's probably starving. We snacked on some stuff however it's way past when we usually eat dinner. "It's actually really close and they are really quick." Maks said as he snapped Louis's leash on and they headed out. Peta managed to distract Lottie as they walked by showing her all the shops and people walking on the streets. There was also a lot of art and decor to look at. Little Maks listened with admiration at what a good mother she was. Once they arrived at the pizza place, he went up and ordered after discussing with Peta. She kept Lottie and Louis with her. Maks came back with a number and drinks. "Here baby, here's your milk." Peta said handing Lottie the milk that Maks had brought back. Lottie took it gratefully and settled back into her mother as she waited for her dinner. They had argued again over who was paying for dinner. Maks won the argument saying that it was basically like his casserole dish to his new neighbor. Peta eventually relented but mainly because Lottie was getting hangry and she didn't want to be dealing with her temper tantrum in the midst of the restaurant. "They said less than 10 minutes." He said pouring Louis some water in a dish he had pulled out of his pocket. Peta looked at him strangely. "It's a portable bowl. Basically folds up and smushes." "Oh. I've never....but you were right, they are fast." "Yeah, and delicious. It's been my favorite since I've been here." "How long have you been here?" "2 years." "And what brought you here?" Peta said as the pizza arrived. She got Lottie's pizza cut up into bite sized pieces with some salt cheese before she helped her get situated and started on her own slice. "Well, my family owns dance studios and we opened one down here. We went through 3 managers before deciding we just needed a family member to stay there for awhile and manage things until we got their feet off the ground. My brother was at the start of his career and so I was the one nominated. It was only supposed to be here for 6 months until we got some good management in and got things flowing however it's been 2 years and I'm still here." "Why?" Peta asked perplexed. "I don't know, I just kind of fell in love with the area and culture. I go to visit my parents usually twice a year and then my brother as well." "Interesting. What kind of studio do you have?" "Our initial theme was ballroom for adults however recently we've started adding children's classes as well as minimal ballet and tap. Ballroom is the main focus though." "Ohh, I honestly wouldn't have pegged you for a dancer. I'm assuming if you help manage a dance studio that you dance." "I do, I've been in quite the number of competitions and yeah.... How about you? Have you ever danced?" Peta instantly froze and her face went white. Her brain started to fly on what needed to come out of her mouth. Lottie however distracted the whole situation by letting out a disgruntled whine. "What's wrong baby?" Peta said looking at her daughter. She realized she had finished off her pizza so before she turned her around she wiped her face and hands quickly, earning her a second whine. Peta turned her into her so that she could talk to her. "Aks, want aks." She whimpered as she rubbed her eyes. She twisted against Peta trying to turn to look at Maks. Peta caught the eye rub and knew what the majority of the issue was. "Someone is sleepy I see. Baby, Mr. Maks is eating his pizza like you were, why don't you snuggle with Momma?" Peta tried to suggest. "No, aks, Lottie want aks." "I can take her Peta, I don't mind." Maks said softly. "I...." Peta hesitated again. She couldn't throw her child at the random neighbor even though they had spent a lot of time together that day. Her child who was currently a hot mess as well. "Akssss." She fussed again. "Come here Lottie." Maks said seeing Peta's struggle at just passing her child off to him. Once she was in Maks's arms, she buried into his chest and settled some. "Lily." She mumbled into his chest as she got situated. "She's going to fall asleep on you." Peta said softly as she found the stuffed kitten in the bag as well as Lottie's blanket. She passed the objects over to Maks. He gave Lottie the kitten and then wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. His hand mindlessly rubbed her back. "Honestly, I don't mind. As long as you're okay with it. I grew up around a lot of children and I helped as much as I could. I actually miss this feeling to be honest. And when I teach at the studio I usually do the minis. She's good, I promise, like I said, as long as you're okay with it." "I think she misses her dad." Peta said looking out into the street. "Can I.......?" Maks asked unsure if he could step that far into the boundaries. "He passed away about 3 months ago. 97 days to be exact." She whispered as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry." Maks said softly as he rested his hand on hers. She however jumped and moved her hand away as quickly as she could. "I....I'm sorry." She muttered once she realized what she had done. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you. It's obviously still really fresh." Maks said gently as Lottie took that final deep breath and snuggled into Maks. She was officially out. "It is. I just, yeah." "Do you want to go?" Maks gestured towards the table since they had clearly stopped eating in the midst of everything. "Yeah, I should get her into bed. I know this whole experience has been a lot on her. I need to work into getting back into her routine." "She seems to have a great mother though. I know from experience routine is important but the mother thing and solid base, that's pretty high on the list." Maks said gently as he stood up easily to not wake up Lottie. "I'm trying. We've had some support up until recently but they all had to return to their lives and homes, understandably." "I think you're doing a great job. And I know you're here and new and all of this is overwhelming. But I hope you know that I'm just right next door if you need anything. I won't overstep or be demanding but you can just know I'm here." "You don't even know me." Peta said softly as they started their walk. She had taken Louis's leash and the bag since he had her daughter. "I don't, and you could be the exact opposite of any person that I would usually associate with but I can't explain it. I feel the need to....not so much as protect or help you but just to be there. And not in anyway more than friends. And I know that's probably more than you can handle right now but so I just want you to know I'm here. I'm sure there's going to be times when you don't know where things are or just need an ear. Just don't hesitate to reach out. And not because you aren't competent but just because I know it's overwhelming. And it's just you and Lottie here and sometimes you need more than 2 year old rambling." "Maks....." She trailed off as they arrived at their houses. "I'm sorry. That was a lot and it's your first day here. You haven't known me for more than 12 hours and yeah. I just, just know I'm here. And I'm not a creeper or a murder or any of the above." "Don't those people always say they aren't those people?" Peta said with a partial smirk. "Ummm, I guess so." He said with a grin. "Exactly. But thank you. I do appreciate it. I can't promise that I'll follow through namely because I'm slightly stubborn and just kind of a hot mess lately but I'll try to remember it." She said with a gentle grin as she watched him. "That's all I ask. And I have a good feeling, this one will remind you of where the doggy and aks lives." Maks said as Lottie shifted into him. "You're good with her. Thank you for that. I can take her now. I have a feeling you are correct though, she's attached to you both quickly." Peta said as the two switched Lottie into Peta's arms. Maks followed her up the stairs to help her with the door. "She's easy to handle. She's a sweetheart. I meant it when I said you're doing a great job with her. I haven't been around her that much but kids her age can't fake a personality much." Maks said. "Thank you, that means a lot. Honestly. And thank you for earlier or well all of today. For both of us. It's nice to know we do have someone nice on our side." "You definitely do. Like I said, anytime, I'm right there." "Thank you. Goodnight Maks." "Goodnight Peta." **That's a wrap on this update. Probably moved a little quicker than normal life but have you ever met someone and just knew that they were safe and you could trust them and they were put there for a reason in your life. That's kind of what I want to go for with this, in a Nicholas Sparks style. I hope you all enjoyed this! Don't forget to like it up and let me know what you thought in the comments. Also, I know I keep promising I'm going to get my stuff together and write more and it keeps not happening but I promise it will. I'm getting there. Family life and obligations are slowing down and I'll have more time to do some writing. Thank you for holding this out for me.

#chmergatroyd #chmergatroyd fanfics #chmergatroyd fanfiction #chmergs #maks and peta #maksim chmerkovskiy #peta murgatroyd #begin again #alternate universe

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elizacornwall · 3 years ago

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Vengeance is an Idiot's Game - Chapter 29 - Canadian Geese

Read all the published chapters here. -------------------------------------------------- Charles had surprised her with yet another gift the next day when she asked to borrow his bow. He had made her her own, beautifully carved out of willow and complete with string and even a bundle of arrows. “Kept it until you had your own horse”, he said as he passed the weapon to her. She thanked him a thousand times, overjoyed by the prospect of gaining more independence with her own equipment. She hurried to the horses and called Polaris name, though the mare didn’t know it yet, so she had to go and get her. Arthur came over from his spot at the cliff to watch as she put on the bridle and saddle. His watchful eyes made her nervous, even more so after yesterday nights self-confession of her feelings towards him. She managed to secure the saddle in place and turned to him. “Is that right?” He approached and checked the straps, nodding approvingly. “You’re a quick learner. Make sure to feed it through this loop again once you’re sat up, that way it ain’t gonna loosen after.” Eliza pulled herself up into the saddle and did what she was told. She was just about to wave goodbye when Morgan stepped close and without warning took hold of her calf, pulling her foot out of the stirrup and moving it over the front of the saddle. She was so taken aback by the sudden touch that it took her a moment to realise he’d just moved her leg out of the way to adjust the stirrups. She was glad he was too focussed on his work to notice her beet red face. He shortened both sides a little, then gestured her to step back in. He moved her foot further into the metal brace. “Here, don’t just tiptoe in them. You gotta have proper hold.”

She swallowed and nodded, scolding her beating heart silently. “Thank you. I’ll be off then, I’ll head towards Emerald Ranch I think. It’s one way I think I know how to get back from”, she laughed. He gave her a half smile and stepped back. “Alright, don’t you go and cause any trouble. I don’t want to have to explain to Dutch we’ll have to send a rescue team ‘cause I let his new fledgeling off before she could fly!” The girl smiled back, she couldn’t help herself. “I’ll show you all my wings when I’m back with some dinner, just wait!”

“Off you go then. See ya later”, he gave Polaris a clap on her hind and she jerked forward, settling down in a slow jog as soon as Eliza gained control again. She laughed heartily and waved at him quickly before leading the way on the little trail between the trees. It’s just harmless banter, it doesn’t mean anything. She was annoyed at herself to feel jolts of hope every time the man gave her the littlest amount of attention. If this continued she would lose her mind before long. Instead of letting her thoughts go down that dangerous slope again, she forced herself to concentrate on the horse beneath her. The mare wasn’t quite as responsive to her signals as Moonshine had been, but she was sure it would only be a matter of time before the two of them would be as familiar with each other. Eliza was full of excitement at her new found freedom and they barely left the shade of the wood before she spurned Polaris into a jog, cantering over the tracks and into the sweeping hills. She knew the approximate direction she’d have to take to end up at the big ranch, so she wasn’t too worried. The lush green hills were full with animals, she decided to just enjoy the ride there and worry about dinner later. She passed between the two massive rock formations that were towering either side of the road and recognised the crossing she had sat by when her and Arthur had stolen the wagon that was now the back wall of her own little corner in camp. It seemed so long ago, yet not even three weeks had passed since then. She followed the road along and accustomed herself with Polaris’ own language, noticing little quirks in her gait and enjoying her willingness to go fast. When they turned a hill she could see the big ranch a bit further to her right and she slowed the mare to a walk. She let her view sweep over the land and spotted a nice flat pond to her left, perfect for a midday break. She turned the horse off the path and across the grass towards the water. Soon she could make out the silhouette of a man, stood at the edge with what looked like was – a camera? Intrigued, she approached. Before she came close enough to greet him though he had taken a picture and suddenly a group of angry geese was waddling towards him, seemingly upset at the flash and smoke that had disturbed their idle paddling. She watched him stumble backwards and fall, then the geese were on him. Eliza couldn’t help but laugh and jumped off Polaris, hurrying to help the man that was now under direct attack. She swatted the geese away, slapping their beaks and yelling at them until eventually they let off and retreated back to the water, hissing and flapping. She turned to the man that was still cowering on the floor and now looked up at her in awe. She burst out in another fit of laughter and stretched her hand out to help him up. “They got you quite well there. Are you alright?” He grabbed her forearm and allowed her to pull him to his feet, patting the dirt off his trousers. “Thank you very much Miss, you saved me! These animals are beautiful, yet absolutely savage it seems.” He was clearly out of breath and struggled to regain his composure. A small smile played around her lips. “You know you’re a lot bigger than them, right? They can’t do much harm if you stay upright.” He looked at her, his brow furrowed. “That may be true, but you seem to know a lot more about these fearsome birds than I do.” He sighed and continued: “Sometimes I wonder if this is the right line of work for me. But then I look at the developed pictures and forget all about it, excited to get back out into the wilderness. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name Miss?” “El- Susan Grimshaw.” She stretched out her hand to him. “And you are?” “Albert Mason, it’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Grimshaw, a pleasure indeed. It seems I owe you my livelihood – if not my life! Who knows what these beaks would have done to me and my equipment if you weren’t near to rush to my aid.” Eliza laughed as they shook hands and bowed down to pick up the hat he had lost. She handed it to him. “So what is it

you’re doing here exactly, take pictures of dangerous geese?” “N-no, well, yes. Not just geese, all wild animals.” He spread his arms wide and turned slowly on the spot. “I’m trying to capture nature’s beauty, god’s creations in their full glory. Only sometimes they don’t seem to agree with my plans. Just a few weeks back my bag got stolen by a coyote… I got it back of course, thanks to a nice hunter that retrieved it for me, bless the man.” She looked at him, still giggling under her breath. That he could lose a bag to a curious coyote was strangely plausible. She rummaged in Polaris’ saddle bag for some bread and turned to the pond. “If you know what they like you’ll get much better pictures. Here, look!” She tore a strip off the roll and held it out to the geese, they were hesitant but curious enough to waddle near her. One particularly bold bird snapped the piece out of her fingers and quickly waddled back to the water. She offered another strip to the man stood behind her. “They’re all bark and no bite, and food is all they really care about. Come on, give it a try!” Mr. Mason took the bread reluctantly and slowly stepped close to her, bowing down to hold it out to the gaggle of geese. Before one of them even got close to his hand he dropped it in panic and jumped back. Eliza laughed again and he made to dismount the camera while she fed them some more bread. “What other animals have you taken pictures of Mr. Mason?” she asked him, curious about his work. “Oh this and that, the coyote of course, elk and bighorn, my proudest picture is of a rare bison, all white! I spotted that beauty up at lake Isabella, almost didn’t see it in the snow! You should have seen it Miss.” He seemed incredibly excited but Eliza could see why. Bison were impressive enough as they were, a white one must truly be a stunning sight. He continued. “I just wish the animals like me as much as I like them. How did you know to scare these geese away if you don’t mind me asking? It’s not really something one would expect a young woman like yourself to know”, he gave her a curious look. She ripped up a last piece and threw it to the ducks that were floating further away in the water, not daring to approach. “Oh, my mum and I had to keep them away from the ducks where I grew up. They bullied the poor birds whenever they rested at our pond on their way down south.” She gave a laugh. “We didn’t have chickens, so duck eggs were crucial to us!” “I see!” He had packed up all his gear when she gave Polaris the last bit of the bread roll and came up to her, holding his hand out. “Well Miss Grimshaw, thank you again. You’re a brave woman, very brave indeed. I hope our paths cross again in the future!” She shook his hand and answered: “I’d like that. I’d be interested to see your work if you ever manage to print or display it!” “Oh hopefully I will. Have a good day now Miss, take care!” With this he mounted his own horse and they trotted off. Eliza shook her head and watched the geese for a while, weighing if she would be able to bring one of them back to Pearson. She decided against it, it didn’t feel right after she had just fed them. She let Polaris graze a bit and ate the apple she packed for lunch herself, then mounted back up and slowly rode across the grass back towards the rock massifs. She crossed the tip of a little hill when she suddenly came face to face with a herd of bison and quickly averted her horse’s path, not sure if these huge animals would appreciate her trotting through their midst. Once they passed the rock formations again she kept a lookout for some game, deer and pronghorn were ample in these parts. She decided to go for a pronghorn, as they were a little lighter and she would surely struggle getting a deer up Polaris’ back without help. There was a herd not too far from her position, and after a quick wind check she moved off the road, hitching her mare to a small bush, just in case. Pulling bow and arrows from the saddle, she slowly snuck up, careful to stay out of the wind. Her heart was pounding hard, she was

nervous and excited at the same time. At least if she failed there would be no one but Polaris around to judge her this time, so she took a few deep breaths before she straightened out a little, knocked the arrow and took aim at one of the does that was grazing peacefully. Breathe out. The arrow hit it straight in the skull, causing the animal to collapse. The rest of the herd sped away and Eliza let out an overjoyed shout of victory. She was useful. She had a horse, a gun and a bow and could take care of herself and others. It lifted her spirits so much, she barely noticed how heavy the carcass was and had it heaved up her horse not long after. She made sure to tie it to the saddle so it wouldn’t fall off before she climbed up herself and they made their way back to camp where she would be welcomed by a happy cook and thankful gang members.

#rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 fanfic #mywriting #eliza cornwall #arthur morgan #Vengeance is an Idiot’s Game #arthur morgan x original female character

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